The lyrics “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies”* from Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 release of “Little Lies” popped to mind last week with President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.
President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, who was convicted on federal gun and drug charges, has some folks up in arms. In many ways, those emotions are justifiable. When president elect Donald Trump inevitably pardons the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, more folks will be up in arms. In many ways, those emotions will also be justifiable. Meanwhile, these are not the first controversial pardons, and they likely won’t be the last.
A respectable looking young man on a ferry boat at St. Louis, a few days since, being approached by the captain, for his three cents fare, replied: “I have no money,” jumped overboard, and was drowned.
Christmas carols can be heard far and wide from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas Day. Here’s a look at the origins of some of the most popular ones.
When you have eight kids under the age of 9, you make the paper in 1971. They also knew the most popular toys that year. I hope they got everything they wanted.
CHRISTMASTIME AT THE HOME OF Chuck and Sue Behr has the air of excitement without the least bit of effort.
The year was 1977 and, for my brother Steve and me, Christmas toys were forever changed. That was the year Mom introduced us to Pong. Or maybe it was Santa who did. I can’t recall. What I do know, though, is that we spent countless hours playing this most basic of video games on a 9-inch black-and-white TV in our basement, and we truly thought this was high-tech. For the time, it was.
In the 1979 movie “The Jerk,” Navin Johnson, the main character played by Steve Martin works tirelessly and single-mindedly to “become somebody.” Already a multi-millionaire thanks to an invention, he is excited when he has a drink in his hand that mimmicks a celebrity advertisement for the same drink in an advertisement.
Of my latest scary-but-with-a-happy ending episode
Well, you knew I’d have another misadventure before too long, right? This one, like most of my trials, had a happy ending, but was a bit scary for a while.
“The Lord’s Prayer with different words is still sweet”
By Chris Burtnett, Pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Algona
The Lord’s Prayer is the most well known, most frequently and most universally prayed prayer of Christianity. Its content and what is asked for in it is generally accepted…..except for that line about forgiveness, and it revolves around three little words. Those three words are debts, trespasses and sins.
From the Algona Upper Des Moines newspaper from Dec. 31, 1964
Linda Hoeppner, top left, was named county girls’ president and Rodney Scuffham, top right, was named boy’s president during the annual 4-H County Rally Night in the Algona high school auditorium Tuesday night. Miss Hoeppner is a member of the Lakota Luckies and Scuffham a member of the Plum Creek Boys club.