WIND POWER: HOW SAFE IS IT FOR BIRDS?
Wind power is one of the sources of energy for our future. But how safe is it for birds and bats?
Before I talk about the birds and bats, here are some other foes of birds.
Pesticides kill 67 million birds a year.
Autos kill 200 million birds a year.
Outdoor cats kill 2.4 billion birds a year.
The biggest long-term threat to birds and other wildlife is climate change.
All of these foes are part of our current fossil-fuel society which is in the process of changing.
Wind now supplies 6 per cent of our nation’s electricity which is ...
DO YOU MISS FARMING?
“Do you miss farming?”
I’ve heard that question often in the past few months. I appreciate being asked. Occasionally it comes from farmers who admit they couldn’t do what I’ve done—leaving the farm, that is.
I understand. I realize because we were more of what I call a one-off situation. It was truly easier for us. There wasn’t a long line of previous family owners in our case.
There are a number of things that make me realize the difference. The most significant is the pride folks take in how many generations of direct descendants are linked to the ...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I had a good talk with a friend recently. I told him that I was really concerned about climate change, and why. In response, he said that the facts I shared were new to him. I suspect that more people need to know the facts and why appropriate action is required.
Here is a brief summary:
A certain amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide or CO2) has been necessary to keep our world from freezing. For many centuries the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere was roughly 280 parts per million ppm) and was maintained at this level by ...
MUELLER REPORT FINDINGS
Have you read the Mueller Report or the summaries? Here are some highlights:
The Mueller Report did not exonerate Donald Trump. Mueller said: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly didn’t commit obstruction of justice, we would so state.”
Mueller also said, “…while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it does not exonerate him.”
Mueller’s Report did not indict Donald Trump because of a Justice Department policy that a sitting president ...
CHILD POVERTY IN WISCONSIN
Wisconsin has made little progress in reducing child poverty over the last two years, in spite of Wisconsin’s growing economy and record low unemployment rate, according to a report released earlier this week.
The eleventh annual Wisconsin Poverty Report shows that according to the Wisconsin Poverty Measure, Wisconsin’s child poverty rate in 2017 was 10.1%, virtually the same as it was in 2015. While higher earnings by parents led to a reduction in child poverty from 2016 -- from 12.0% to 10.1% -- this was offset by increased work-related costs and medical ...
Questions About Patriotism
Tell a lie a thousand times and it becomes truth. Repetition is essential to influencing people. Repetition of lies and half-truths is used to manipulate and control people. Advertisers, dictators, and politicians understand this strategy. But repetition is also essential for learning. Truth also needs to be repeated if we are to learn and avoid repeating past mistakes. It is in this spirit that I repeat last year's 4th of July article.
**********************************************************************************************************
“...
GIVE US THE CURE
Our mission statement, at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, is quite simple. It goes like this: “We are dedicated to clean and open government and a full democracy, where everyone has an equal voice.”
Today, everyone doesn’t have an equal voice when the campaigns are the playgrounds of the corporations, the superPACs and the super-rich.
Today, everyone doesn’t have an equal voice when their voting districts are rigged by gerrymandering or when they’re smothered by voter suppression.
Today, everyone doesn’t have equal voice ...
COME TO THE CHAUTAUQUA
Wisconsin United to Amend is hosting the first 21st Century Political Reform Chautauqua – and you are invited. The event begins Saturday, September 7 at 8:30 a.m. and ends on Sunday, September 8 at 2 p.m.
It will be held at the Dunn County Historical Society,
1820 Wakanda Street Northeast
Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751
This is a statewide event for folks who understand that our Republic is Lost to the big money that controls our elections and a majority of our politicians. We the People have to Restore our Republic from this corrupt, big-money political ...
ALLOW ALL IMMIGRANTS ACCESS TO DRIVER LICENSES
Can you imagine living in Wisconsin without a driver’s license? There are Wisconsin residents who happen to be undocumented immigrants. They have families and many of them are employed. Yet they cannot operate a vehicle on Wisconsin roads.
An estimated 32,000 Wisconsin residents are undocumented and therefore cannot get a Wisconsin driver’s license. Of the residents who would get licenses, 14,000 live with children and would be able to better care and provide for them.
22,000 residents who would get driver licenses are employed and would be able to get to work ...
GOOD AND BAD FORMS OF POPULISM
You hear of populist leaders all over the world. Some work for the common good. Some work for private agendas. How can they all be populists?
According to Luke Bretherton’s, book Christ and the Common Life: Political Theology and the Case for Democracy, there are good and bad forms of populism. He uses two terms: democratic populist and the antipolitical populist.
The democratic populist works for the common good while the antipolitical populist rules by his own authority. The antipolitical populist throws out checks and balances in the government and ...