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“Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans,” an event to recognize the veterans of the Vietnam War, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 27, in the Bess Activity Center at Three Rivers College. The event is an early celebration of Vietnam Veterans Day, which is March 29. It sponsored by Chapter 1056 of Vietnam Veterans of America, an organization with the goals of campaigning on issues important to Vietnam veterans, creating a new identity for this generation of veterans, and improving public perception of Vietnam veterans. This is an opportunity for our community to come together for the long overdue welcome home the Vietnam veterans deserve for their service to our country. Friday’s event will include speaker Bill Kiefer, membership chair

“We must maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.”  These are the words Ronald Reagan spoke more than 30 years ago and a philosophy I still believe wholeheartedly today.  Yet, with proposed cuts to our national defense, including potential cuts at Fort Leonard Wood, it seems some have forgotten the necessity of a strong military. Fortunately, folks from all around Missouri gathered at Fort Leonard Wood this week to oppose cuts and highlight both the major impact the base has on our area and the strategic role it plays in America’s national defense. I share a commitment to Fort Leonard Wood and have been vocal in my unwavering support of the base and strong opposition to operational

February is the birth month of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and each February, Presidents’ Day offers us a chance to reflect on lessons learned from our former presidents. As America faces challenges at home and abroad, some of George Washington’s lessons are especially relevant today. “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” George Washington’s commitment to the Constitution is one of the most important lessons we can take to heart. In Washington, D.C., some seem to have forgotten that Congress is the law-making body in our Constitutional government and the executive branch is tasked with enforcing the laws. We must protect the Constitution our Founding Fathers established and work through the legislative process to move America forward. “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of

Last week at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., President Obama made insensitive remarks about Christianity that deeply disappointed me and many other Christians across the nation. While rightly criticizing the atrocious violence by the Islamic State, the president wrongly compared this behavior to the Christian faith to make a political point. His remarks oversimplified history and did not acknowledge the real threat radical Islam poses to all faiths. The Christianity I know spreads a message of love and hope that we see throughout southeast and southern Missouri. In Cape Girardeau, La Croix Church collects money to build clean wells for villages in Africa and supports Feed My Starving Children. In Rolla, volunteers from Grace Fellowship Church and churches

Last week the House made important progress on an issue I have been fighting since I got to Washington – protecting our farmers and landowners from intrusive federal regulations. Since I have been in office, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have been scheming to take away our property rights. We know this from their actions. First, they proposed the National Blueway designation for the White River Watershed that would have created “buffer zones” keeping farmers from using their land. Then they proposed the incredibly damaging “Waters of the United States” rule that threatens to regulate every drop of water on our property. It could also require federal inspectors to approve how farmers and landowners use every collection