Benning Printing & Publishing

I hear people talk about using ChatGPT or other AI tools all the time. They will say, “Well, I asked ChatGPT and it said this or that thing about this or that subject.” I listen quietly. Because there is something that I know about ChatGPT and other AI tools that many people do not know, and if they do know it, they don’t always believe it. ChatGPT lies. There, I said it. And we’ll have to see if the computer blows up before the night is over, because I will have ChatGPT

To the Editor: Our U.S. Representative to the United States Congress is a Republican, right? Let’s imagine she is, for the sake of argument. I voted for Republican Richard Nixon and my Dad thought Barry Goldwater and Dwight Eisenhower were heroes. We voted for these guys, in part, because they were fiscal conservative. They thought the U.S. government should limit its spending while still serving Americans. But our U.S. Representative recently bragged up her support for th

Taxation without representation is not a thing of the past. But what does it really mean? Legally and historically, the phrase has a narrower definition. But the meaning I am getting at is more than just voting—it is about meaningful representation. If you: 1. Pay taxes 2. Follow laws 3. Fund public systems yet feel that your lived realities, values or needs are consistently ignored or overridden, then representation only exists on paper—not in practice. But first, let’

The Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case continues to fail the very people it should protect—the survivors. On January 30, thousands of documents related to Epstein were released, once again bringing attention to one of the most horrible sex-trafficking cases in history. But as these documents came out, survivors were harmed by the Justice Department’s actions and silence. Important details identifying survivors were not properly redacted in the rele

To the Editor: February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time to address an issue that affects far too many young people. Research shows that one in three teens in the U.S. will experience some form of dating abuse—whether emotional, verbal, physical or digital—before adulthood. One of the most powerful ways to prevent dating violence is by teaching healthy relationship skills: • Boundaries. Boundaries are personal limits that protect emotional and physical well

Distractions… We are surrounded by distractions. They pull our attention away from what is really important and from what is actually going on. I have felt this over and over again for the past few years, but especially this past year. It seems like everything is a distraction—TV, the Internet, everything. There is a lot going on in the world, and in Minnesota alone, to make things unsettling for people who are used to the “nothing ever happens here” mentality. That was

I have long wished to attend a local yoga class, but my schedule didn’t allow it at the time. By the time I was free, I was deep into holiday activities, leaving me little time for much else. Finally, I was able to participate, and I forgot how challenging it could be. I used to practice yoga regularly over 10 years ago. As I became busier, yoga was unfortunately pushed to the wayside. This was not a smart choice for me, as I started experiencing more issues with my body. Th

To the Editor: Many years ago, in Junior High School civics class, the teacher posed a question that has lingered in my mind ever since: he asked, “Is the United States a land governed by laws or is it a land governed by men?” The United States of America was forged in a bitter revolution from the tyranny of King George and Great Britain. Our founding document, the 1776 Declaration of Independence, set forth an aspirational guiding philosophy for the new nation: a nation go

To the Editor: Everyday there are news reports about U.S. citizens being arrested without warrant and detained without access to counsel. It seems no one is immune to these threats to our rights and freedom. You could be next. Here is something to consider and think about when it comes to our rights and responsibilities to protect ourselves and others in Minnesota. Since DHS/ICE agents are neither “public officers” or “peace officers” as defined by Minnesota statutes, peop

I don’t even know what reality I’m living in anymore with all the insanity happening in the world. Everything is moving so fast that it’s hard to process—from what’s happening in Venezuela to the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. It’s all maddening for so many reasons. But this one caught me completely off guard: why would we even want to buy a country? Russia wants Ukraine. Trump wants Greenland. One has already led to war, and the other raises uncomfortable questions. The cont