One evening, as I was strolling through my house, I heard a commentator on the news saying he was going to have a presenter on his program to talk about the unpopular dietary guidelines being forced on our children in school.

I said to myself, Can that be anyone but author Nina Teicholz? And in a few minutes, Nina Teicholz was on TV, getting national attention, and explaining that the dietary guidelines were incorrect, and that food with some fat in it is good for you. She went on to illustrate how whole milk sales have dropped 79%. Nina realized that these dietary guidelines, now in effect for four years, are not beneficial to children, consumers, and farmers.

We in Pro-Ag were made aware of Nina's book, "The Big Fat Surprise", when one of our members sent the book to me. I read this book, which took Nina nine years to write, and I was surprised to read the tremendous amount of references she used to support her writings.

Unfortunately, it appears that many farm organizations and members of the press have been very slow in picking up on Nina's work. Even the American Dairy Association published a page on Nina's work. I feel Pro-Ag has been leading the tremendous fight to make her work more well known. For five years now, we have been handing out thousands of flyers proclaiming Nina's work on getting the facts out about it being okay to drink whole milk and use real butter.

In addition, we have encouraged different school boards to pass resolutions supporting the need of getting whole milk back in our schools, and we have gone into schools demonstrating the need for whole milk, and believe you me, our students do want whole milk back in our schools.

Sincerely,

Arden Tewksbury, Meshoppen, PA

Perhaps some have torn themselves away from The Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars enough to hear that the Fixer, Michael Cohen, nakedly peddled influence. He cold-called corporations, telling them, "I don't know who's representing you, but you should fire them. I'm the one who's closest to the President. Several corporations ponied up a total of $4.4 million in hopes he'd get them access. The money went to his phony shell company, the same entity that paid hush money to the porn star. This is one of the swampiest things ever: Pay for Play, what they falsely accused Hillary of during the campaign. (Once again, we see the maxim attributed to Joey Goebbels in action: "Accuse your opponent of doing what you yourself are guilty of.")

Even worse, a company connected to a Russian oligarch gave Cohen's shell company $500,000. The oligarch is Viktor Vekselberg, and he's currently under sanction. He also is said to have attended the Inauguration. Collusion, anyone?

Now we hear that Don Jr. met with an emissary representing the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, offering to help elect his father. This is not allowed under US law, but the law clearly doesn't matter anymore.

And get a load of this one! After campaigning with repeated denunciations of China for "stealing our jobs", etc. guess who decided to bail out ZTE, a Chinese company under sanctions for dealing with North Korea and Iran. They're also considered a National Security threat for spying on Americans. The Twitterer said he was concerned for jobs...in China! (Make China Great Again?) It made zero sense.

Here's the story on this: 72 hours after China announced a $500 million deal in Indonesia, a deal which will enrich Captain Pompadour, he changes courses and comes to the aid of a Chinese company. This is why a President should be required to divest. It's called Conflict of Interest. Who knows whether a given policy is for the good of the country or just to line his pockets? What is this, if not the essence of swampiness?

This year candidate after GOP candidate echoes the mantra, "Drain the Swamp". (Courtesy of Cambridge Analytica, by the way.) Have they even done a single thing to drain it? I can't think of anything. I just see the usual--politicians enriching themselves, only worse than before.

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck, Rushville, PA

1967. The war in Vietnam was in full swing as Lt. Commander John McCain piloted a bombing run over Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam.

But on this his 23rd mission, his luck had run out. A missile smashed into his plane, but McCain ejected and parachuted to the ground. He was captured almost immediately. His five-and-a-half years as a POW had begun.

It was while he was a POW that his fellow prisoners started calling McCain the Songbird for his collaboration with the enemy. They accused him of turning against them and his own country, in exchange for preferential treatment.

In McCain's case, it was a trade-off for special treatment in return for a propaganda recording. The complete "lyrics" for the Songbird's Tokyo-Rose style tape can now be read, just as they were heard by the people of North Vietnam on the radio in 1969:

McCain: "I, as a U.S. airman, am guilty of crimes against the Vietnamese country and people. I bombed their cities, towns, and villages and caused many injuries, even deaths, for the people of Vietnam.

"I was captured in the capital city of Hanoi while attacking it.

"After I was captured, I was taken to the hospital in Hanoi where I received very good medical treatment. I was given an operation on my leg, which allowed me to walk again, and a cast on my right arm, which was badly broken in three places.

"The doctors were very good, and they knew a great deal about the practice of medicine.

"I remained in the hospital for some time and regained much of my health and strength.

"Since I arrived in the camp of detention, I have received humane and lenient treatment. I received this kind of treatment and food even though I came here as an aggressor and the people who I injured have much difficulty in their living standards.

"I wish to express my deep gratitude for my kind treatment, and I will never forget this kindness extended to me."

Every man has a breaking point: under sufficient duress, a person will say or write whatever his torturers demand. With this in mind, the extraordinary conduct of POW Commander Jeremiah Denton is worth telling.

Denton's jet was shot down in 1965. He would spend the next eight years as a guest of the notorious Hotel Hanoi, four of which were in solitary confinement.

Denton was repeatedly tortured and beaten. Finally, he broke. Appearing before a North Vietnamese TV crew, a haggard Denton "confessed."

During the filming Denton blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell the word "t-o-r-t-u-r-e" to communicate that he and fellow POWs were being tortured.

When questioned about his support for the U.S. war in Vietnam he replied, "Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes sir. It is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live."

McCain's conduct and his written statement do not compare favorably with Denton's behavior and his televised interrogation.

McCain's scripted audio recording does not appear to be strong-armed or pressured. This was not something clumsily written in pidgin English by his captors. It was carefully composed, had a logical flow of thoughts, was expressed with an extensive vocabulary, and had the ring of sincerity.

Epilogue

Upon Denton's release in 1973, he was awarded the Navy Cross and promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. He was elected as the representative of Alabama to the U.S. Senate. Denton passed away in 2014 at the age of 89. He is universally recognized as one of America's most courageous sons.

John McCain was also released in 1973. He was awarded the Silver Star for "gallantry in action." (?) He served as U.S. Senator from Arizona from 1987 to the present. In 2017, he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. These days McCain busies himself with the macabre task of arranging a "guest" list for his funeral. President Trump was disinvited.

Lt. General Thomas McInerney broke the story of why McCain was nicknamed the Songbird in an interview with Charles Payne on Fox news last May. The general was immediately fired.

Charles Payne escaped the ax but was reprimanded. He issued this apology: "I regret I did not catch this [Songbird] remark. They do not reflect my feelings about Senator McCain or his remarkable service and sacrifice to this country."

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins, New Milford, PA