We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views oft his publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.
To the Editor:
In response to Publisher Patrick Wood’s 3/30/23 letter, “God: A Cautionary Tale”:
When God created the world, it was good. But God gave mankind a free will. Humans had the choice to either obey or disobey God. At the moment Eve and Adam chose to disobey God, by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world. We agree with the publisher that humans messed up the perfect world God created. But God wasn’t surprised. He knew mankind would sin and He had a plan in place to free us from that sin. God promised to send a Savior who would crush sin and death forever. Every one of us has also sinned, in our thoughts, words, or actions. Our sin deserves death and separation from our Holy God forever. We could never do enough good to outweigh our sin. All of our righteousness is like filthy rags before a Holy God. But God loved the world so much, that He sent His only Son into the world. This Son, Jesus, lived a perfect life, died in our place, and rose again. Because of Jesus, there is still good in the world. And because of Jesus, each of us has the opportunity to one day enter a place where sin, and its consequences, are no more. Heaven is open to anyone who places trust in Jesus alone. That’s God’s grace.
Genesis 1, 3; Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Isaiah 64:6, John 3:16; Revelation 21:4.
– Chris and Angela Aldrich
Merrill, Wis.
To the Editor:
I grew up eating home-cooked meals from the basic food groups. The word “organic” never came up. At the same time, they were spraying DDT on playgrounds and other public places for mosquitoes. We never questioned the danger to all living things, including us. Today chemicals are still used routinely to eradicate “unwanted” species for our agendas, poisoning native species and the very pollinators that turn our plants to produce, drain into our lakes and groundwater, and kill beneficial organisms that keep soil loose and alive. No wonder we are pouring more and more chemicals every year into an artificial future.
Organic farming uses less harmful methods to secure a healthier solution: Saving space for native plants encourages pollinators to forage, birds to help with insect control; planting pest-deterring flowers like marigold and nasturtium; companion planting to rotate the nutrients in the soil; mulching to keep weeds down and retain moisture during dry spells; low-till to keep carbon from escaping into the atmosphere for global warming; diversifying crops to account for changing weather patterns.
Eating and growing organically makes sense, not just for your own health, but as preventative medicine and a sustainable future for all.
– Rita Wiechman
Merrill, Wis.
Letters To The Editor Policy:
*Letters must be 250 words or less. (There will be no exceptions to this. Any letter longer than 250 words will not be printed.)
*The writer must include their full name, complete address, and a phone number where he/she can be easily reached for verification. Phone numbers and street addresses will not be published, but will be used for verification purposes, if necessary. Letters must be signed and the name, city, and state will be printed.
*Letters may be edited for style, grammar, and length. Form letters or those we determine to be libelous or slanderous will not be accepted. Any letter deemed derogatory, inflammatory, or involving vulgar language will not be published. We reserve all rights to reject material submitted to this publication.
*Letters will be published on a “first come, first served” basis. Any letters which we are unable to publish in the printed newspaper may be run online at www.merrillfotonews.com and/or may be printed in the paper at a later date.
*In fairness to all, and due to space constraints, there is a limit of two letters per year from an individual writer. Additional letters may be submitted to our Paid Letters to the Editor column and will require payment in full prior to publication at the same rate as Political Letters to the Editor (see policy below).
Political Letters To The Editor Policy:
All letters submitted as an endorsement for a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will carry the same guidelines as above; however, they will be charged $40.00 per letter of up to 250 words in length. Longer political letters will be accepted but will be charged $10.00 per additional 100 words. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. Letters to the Editor will not be accepted from candidates running for election or representatives of an organization endorsing their own referendum, as these are clearly advertisements and not opinion letters; those submissions will be referred to our Advertising Department to be run as paid ads.