Workers’ Memorial Day

Workers Memorial Day April 28 Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living On April 28, Unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to organize the fight for safer workplaces. We all come together to call for action on hazards that cause unnecessary injury, illness, and death. We stand United to strengthen workers’ rights and protections, and demand resources and actions needed for job safety enforcement. We fight for the fundamental right of every worker to a safe job until that promise is ...

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Oaths Of Office & The Common Good

Ben Franklin once said, “The good we do together surpasses the good we can do alone.” The meaning of that statement has stayed with me throughout all my endeavors to work for the common good, especially throughout my teaching career.  It should be internalized by all those who seek an office in our government, at every level, in our democracy.  So, it is astounding to me how many elected officials don’t know or care what their oaths of office to The People and the Constitution really mean.  A conversation that I had with the Lt. Governor a few years ago offered ...

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CON-FUSION

There is an ongoing fusion of Neoliberalism, Fascism, Religion, Big Tech, Racism, Climate Collapse and diseases into an immense “confusion.” This obliterates clarity and understanding of today’s issues.  There is a confidence trick causing this confusion. It is by design.   First is Neoliberalism.  The earliest notion of this came from the Mont Pelerin Society, founded in 1947, named after its first meeting location in Switzerland.  (https://www.desmog.com/mont-pelerin-society/)  The concept of neoliberalism is, in brief, big business and little ...

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Wisconsin Government Belongs to the People

Wisconsin Government Belongs to the People, not to a Political Party. Partisan justices on Wisconsin’s supreme court have approved a formula for one-party control of Wisconsin government. They adopted state legislative district maps that were extremely gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The decision enables Republicans to keep continuous control of the legislature for yet another decade. That control will persist even when a decisive majority of citizens statewide vote for Democratic candidates. That was sadly demonstrated in the 2012 and 2018 assembly elections ...

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Women for Women

Women for Women Wausau Thursday, May 5 at 6 PM The Impact of Dark Money on Our Elections Millions of dollars are being spent in our elections since Citizens United came about. That is there is no longer the requirement to publicly disclose donors. We believe corporations are not people and money does not make free speech. Yet all too often we see the corruptive influence of money in our elections. Dave Svetlik, former editor and publisher of Middle Wisconsin will speak on the lasting effects of dark money in our elections. Nancy Stencil will contribute on the buying ...

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Victories for Justice

We have two victories in the struggle for justice and social progress to celebrate. I am referring to the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and the enactment of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act. Martin Luther King claimed the “arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But too often it has been hard to find much evidence for his optimism. Reading the news is more likely to bend one toward drink, cynicism and misanthropy than hope for the future. As a society, we have a long way to go to achieve liberty and ...

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Election Folly

The Republican Party of Marathon County made a request to the County Clerks office seeking information on how Wausau handled the April 5 Spring Election. They wanted to clear up any questions regarding the integrity of the Wausau election. The Marathon County GOP went as far as asking for the names of those who served as election observers, names of people submitting election results and even the internet provider. This is of course their right to ask but I believe they do this to sow seeds of distrust. This request has since been dropped. What I aim to do is to ...

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Citizens are concerned about the planned sulfuric acid exploration drilling and mining at the Wausau-Reef Deposit

Water is one of the most important things in our lives. Plans were recently announced to commence a sulfuric acid mineral exploration drilling project to evaluate if an open-pit gold mine will be constructed. Citizens from the region are very concerned that groundwater will be placed in jeopardy of contamination. Without access to clean drinking water many aspects of everyday life will become burdensome and unhealthy. The first step in the process of this sulfuric acid mineral mining development is exploration drilling. Between 100 and 125 boreholes are estimated to be ...

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In Our Own Back Yard Series

In Our Own Back Yard Series Tuesday, May 10 at 6 PM Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92559912550 Join Zoom to Dial by your location: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 925 5991 2550   The topic of metallic mining has once again surfaced in Wisconsin. Congressman Tom Tiffany (7th congressional district) has been making many stops lately promoting sulfide mines in Wisconsin. Two places that are being considered for exploration are the reef deposit near the Dells of Eau Claire and the Bend deposit in Taylor County. It has become increasing difficult to ...

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Earth Day 2022 in Wausau: Honoring Life, Building a Beloved Community for All

The significance of an annual Earth Day celebration stands out like a beacon of hope and determination in our increasingly troubled environment. PFAS in our water, benzene in our deodorants, sunscreens and other commonly used products, particles of plastic now showing up in the blood coursing through our bodies and in our lungs, pesticides, and climate change; the evidence that decades of environmental carelessness threaten life on this planet of ours is all around us. Rather than throw our hands up in despair we choose to honor this unique, living planet upon ...

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