Fascism is a term that these days is tossed around more than the lettuce at a vegetarian restaurant’s salad bar. Our last four presidents have been labeled fascists by opponents who didn’t like things they did. 
The word is malleable for whatever argument one wants to make these days. That we are redefining terms in a highly charged socio-political culture war is just the way of the day. 
So, what is fascism?
 

Leaving Zurich Switzerland, we drove a few miles south into the Alps and found a pulloff to park our VW camper for the night. Next day was another bright, sunny day but the mountains gave us some relief from the heat we had been experiencing. (We learned later that Europe’s 1983 summer temperatures were the hottest they had been in more than100 years.) 
 
Read all of Jim Sloter's travelogue entry in the April 8 Advance. 

Given the prevalence of gun violence in our society, it’s hard to argue people shouldn’t have a right to carry weapons to protect themselves in case the worst scenario occurs. 
 
Read the full editorial in the April 8 Advance.

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The words Jesus spoke from the cross before he gives up his spirit. What was Jesus experiencing when he said these words?? Brothers and sisters, we have never experienced what Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb was going through that night. Believer or non-believer alike, the spirit of God has never been turned away from you in this way. It has never been so removed from you as it was that night when God turned away from his very own Son. 

Thirty years ago, antique letterpresses sitting in newspaper basements were considered, at best, fodder for metal recyclers. 
Fast forward to today, and they’re a novelty. 
Just as vinyl albums have made a comeback, so, too, has the letterpress. A Muddy Kind of Love by Carolyn A. Dahl, originally from Minnesota and now Texas, has been produced by North Dakota State University publishing students. 
 
Read all of the review in the April 1 Advance.

... There is no need for a 51st state in this country. Washington, D.C., is not a state. It’s a government hub. To get D.C. citizens representation in the Senate is far easier. ...
Read the Advance's editorial in the April 1 edition.

Christians are increasingly cast as judgmental, hateful people who are intolerant of those who don’t fit some predetermined mold. Christians are the shuttlecock swatted over a net of division by political forces who at once desire and don’t desire their blessings. Christians are under attack across the world, the inhabitants of the island for misfit toys, people to be cast aside, driven underground or killed for the gain of others.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” 
 

Dear Member of Congress:
Iowans take their voting very seriously and I firmly believe we are the best state in the nation for civic engagement. Despite the pandemic, the people of Iowa made their voices heard in record numbers in 2020, both in the June primary and November general election. I’m extremely proud of the way our voters, poll workers and county election officials stepped up.

... Through the years, young people at the churches I have served just can’t understand how their gray-bearded, old pastor knows so much about Spiderman, Captain America and the Avengers. ...
Read all of the pastor's column in the March 25 Advance. 
 

One of the most promising things that happened in our community last week was when the Algona City Council opted to join forces with Kossuth County Economic Development (KCEDC). 
 
Read Brad Hicks's "On the Side" column in the March 25 Advance.

What we have been instructed over the course of the past four months is America’s election system is either really messed up or really great and in no need of tinkering. It just depends upon which party you choose to believe....
 
Read the full editorial in the March 25 Advance.

...We are prepared for change. Kossuth Regional Health Center is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our patients and community, and we have invested time in preparedness training. When news of the pandemic emerged, our staff leaped into action to create a separate treatment area for respiratory patients. This space has continued to evolve, and we are now kicking off a renovation project that will help us create an improved space for respiratory care in our clinic.

As I’ve written before, I live in a house built by my great-grandparents in the late 1800s. I grew up in the house next door, which was built as a wedding gift for my parents. My grandmother lived here then and I spent many hours with her, listening to her stories of what her life was like when she was young, growing up in this very house. Later, it was my parents living here, then my mother alone until she died at nearly 101 years of age.

To the Editor:
Tuesday March 24th marks Equal Pay Day for 2021. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 but, despite this federal law, the gender pay gap continues to exist over 50 years later.
 
Read the full letter in the March 25 Advance.