Culture
Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Rights of Nature Bills
*photo credit: Rep. Vincent Miresse
Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Rights of Nature Bills
Wisconsin legislators celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day by introducing a package of bills at the State Capital that will go a long way to protecting our fragile and deteriorating environment in Wisconsin. Anahkwet (Guy Reiter) who is from the Menominee Nation and one of the leaders in the Rights of Nature movement in Wisconsin spoke at the news conference. He said “Let me be real with you: the laws that are supposed to protect our communities ...
Sacred Sites, Not Corporate Influence, Deserve Protection
After years of court battles, Kohler can begin construction of a luxury golf course on land eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and home to Native burial sites. A federally mandated 2018 archeological study of the original course unearthed human remains in seven locations.
Kohler is now exploiting a legal loophole. After the courts revoked their wetland permit, the company redesigned the course to avoid wetland permitting – and, importantly, federal requirements for archaeological studies triggered by such permits. The new layout is likely to ...
Summer Reading
“I am looking at a witch hazel
blooming in a garden
The bright yellow flowers in the
middle of wintertime
And I tell my heart be strong like the
witch hazel flower
And you will not be injured by this
dark and troubled time.”
From the folk song “Witch Hazel” by Tom Gala. Some nice renditions are available online.
In these dark and troubled times, one refuge is reading. Escape novels can be useful, but more serious books can also provide perspective and comfort. This article talks about some recent reading I found cathartic.
...
Childcare After the Budget
I have owned and operated a childcare center for the past 19 years. So not only do I make sure staff and the bills are paid, I clean toilets, clean windows and change diapers. I have devoted my life to educating and caring for young children. I didn't go into this profession to line my pockets with money. But everyone in my field deserves a living wage and to know they are supported in their community. My goal is to always create a safe and nurturing learning environment for the children that enter my center. My belief is that parents who enter have decided to ...
Honoring the Gift of Water
In my next life I want to be an otter. I’ve seen their playful slides in the snow, and the fact that they can outdo us when it comes to catching trout has me sold. Agile in the water, happy on land, a joy to watch as they lope along like furry slinkies, and, oh, so family oriented, otters suit me just fine. When I’m in my canoe absorbed with my own fishing, I usually hear them before seeing them. Their displeasure with my presence in their private bay is undeniable. They pop their heads up, disapproval written clearly on their faces as they look directly at me, and ...
Be Bold and Be Unapologetic
https://youtu.be/5G8HjVkMnIo
Be bold and be unapologetic.
The No Kings Rallies across the nation serve as the perfect example of this. Look at the enormous crowds of people who are rising up, making their voices heard over the monied interests that are dictating this country, that’s right – DICTATING.
The working class has spoken with a message of truth and sincerity. Our elected officials need to start listening. Stop being afraid to speak up, stop being moderate, stop apologizing. A market that is rigged for the wealthy and business as usual is not ...
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness
May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
https://youtu.be/bCZki3u-Ugs?si=wnDJd6XxTWN0ON76
Jalisco and the Refugee Crisis
Jalisco state in Mexico rings in the ears with mariachi music and brightly dressed dancers twirling, while onlookers toast glasses of tequila. Both this iconic music and the even more iconic drink fermented and distilled from the blue agave are said to have been born there. Nat King Cole and Elvis sang the praises of Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital, and the beaches of Puerto Vallarata will undoubtedly tickle the memory circuits of many folks from Central Wisconsin. Colorful and inspiring, Jalisco is also home to one of Mexico's brutal drug cartels and ...
A Need for Empathy
What is empathy? It is the capacity to “walk in another’s shoes.” To walk in another’s shoes means to understand, feel, and identify as an other. It is different from compassion, which is when one in a superior position feels sorry for a less fortunate other.
Empathy is a two-way street. The feeling of understanding for the unfortunate must go the other way as well. It involves understanding as well as being understood, and trust and respect that go both ways. I must understand who I am in my shoes, before I can walk in those of another. Empathy is a feeling of ...
Fifty Five Earth Days Later
2025 marks the fifty fifth Earth Day. The local chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby and our NAOMI friends invite you to celebrate another Beloved Community Earth Day in Wausau at Westview Terrace Park (1501 Bissell St) at 10 AM on Saturday, April 26th.
Wisconsin and Earth Day go back a long way together. Truth be told, without Wisconsin Earth Day might not even exist. Horrified by a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, our own Senator Gaylord Nelson conceived and set in motion the gears that made Earth Day 1970 a phenomenon to be ...