Local View: Show the disturbing images to help stop gun carnage

From the column: "Pictures of the Nazi carnage changed the narrative about the Nazis. We need to see what the weapons of war do to children and innocents."

By John Freivalds

Published 8/8/2022

Duluth News Tribune

How often do we see this message across the TV screen after a mass shooting: “The following pictures may offend some viewers”” Yet when we are shown photos after a domestic mass shooting with war weapons, there is nothing to see, just flashing lights from patrol cars and police standing around (sometimes hundreds of them, as in Uvalde, Texas), some in SWAT gear.

Local View: Even vodka abandoning Russia over its brutal invasion of Ukraine

From the column: Perhaps the most prominent, made-in-Latvia Stoli Vodka, "will be undergoing a redo to get rid of any connection to Russia."

By John Freivalds

Published 4/18/2022

Duluth News Tribune

Much has been written and said about the 500-plus — and counting — Western firms that have left Russia because of its beyond-brutal invasion of Ukraine. McDonald’s, Starbucks, BMW, Ford, Apple, and others have left while others like Cargill have stayed but announced its decision “to scale back its business activities in Russia and stop investment there.”

Putin: Make Russia Grate Again

By John Freivalds

Published-TBD

I really can’t believe the ongoing naiveté of past American leaders dealing with Vladimir Putin who just invaded yet another part of Ukraine. Former President Bush told us he could look into Putin’s eyes and see his soul, Hillary Clinton brought out a red button and said she would reset US -Russian relations, former President Obama lamented being against Russia is just rekindling the cold war while former President Trump called Putin to congratulate him on his last election victory. (Editor note: Putin had jailed his opponents and the controlled Russian media would’ report any negative news about him). And then a Fox news personality chimed in that the US should support Russia and not Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu asserted that “Russia can’t afford to lose the information war” against the West. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a major media personality broadcasting propaganda that benefits Moscow directly to millions of Americans.