80 results for author: Joyce Luedke
World War I Centennial
Thousands of soldiers with bayoneted rifles going “over the top” of a barb-wired, rat infested trench. Ever onward, soldiers fall to the left, to the right, in front and back mowed down by enemy gunfire while crossing ever more trenches into “No man’s land.”
Hundreds of dead soldiers lying face down amidst the trees in a forest.
Row after row of hospital beds filled with wounded soldiers tended by Red Cross nurses.
Blackened corpses lying in a hastily dug grave. Soldiers in gas masks. The ghastly scenes of gas warfare.
Millions of soldiers suffering from “shell shock”--psychological trauma--haunted by the ...
Moral Monday: Enough is Enough
“Enough is enough. She’s innocent. She didn’t bother nobody” as yet another innocent girl’s life hangs in the balance after being shot in the crossfire of gunmen while on the playground at Clarke Street Elementary School in Milwaukee on May 21st.
The father, Onjaun Guyton, says, “Enough is enough” and holds the sobbing mother of 10 year old, Sierra Guyton.
“Think about that: A 10-year old shot on her school playground. What kind of world allows that to happen?”
Another father, Richard Martinezs, pleads on national television to please do something while holding a large photo of his dead son, Christopher. He says ...
Moral Monday: The Birthday Party
Family members decided to do something different for the child’s birthday this year. Instead of having a party for a few children, they decided to have a birthday party for all 26 children in the first grade classroom. The family purchased: a meat and cheese platter, a fruit platter, a veggie platter, wholesome buns and crackers. Each of the children in the classroom and the teacher received a gift. The mom and child read Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss to the class.
The children in the classroom come from diverse backgrounds. This school district has a high poverty rate: 73% of the children are eligible for free and reduced ...
Moral Monday: Discovering the Penokees
EDITORS' NOTE: "Moral Mondays" is a movement founded by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II to identify interconnected social and moral issues, and the people, movements, and organizations working to address these problems. "Moral Monday" is a weekly feature in Middle Wisconsin.
Moral Monday in the Penokees
By Joyce Luedke
An Open Letter to Senator Jerry Petrowski
After reading the book Discovering the Penokees by Joel Austin, Joyce sent a copy of the book and this letter to Senator Jerry Petrowski.
Dear Senator Petrowski:
Please share this book, Discovering the Penokees by Joel Austin, with your children and your grandchildren. The beauty and ...
How Is Wisconsin Faring?
1. Job Growth:
Wisconsin is ninth out of the 10 Midwestern states in private sector job growth. Only Illinois ranks lower.
Wisconsin is 32nd in all job growth from 2011 through 2013.
A job analysis by the Wisconsin State Journal shows Wisconsin, in 2010, ranked 16th in private sector job growth under Democratic Governor Doyle. At the end of 2013, Wisconsin ranked 36th.
Wisconsin ranks 45th in projected job growth.
Wisconsin placed 2nd in job losses during the month of February 9,500 jobs in the public and private sector were lost. Only North Carolina had more job losses.
Wisconsin has seen a 0.08 ...
Suppressing the Vote
Voting matters to the citizens of Wisconsin. Here are two examples from my experience as a poll observer in a small community on election day, November 6, 2012.
A young man came to city hall to vote. Unfortunately, he could not vote that day because he did not have the documents to prove his residency. I spoke to him outside. He was crying. This young man worked at a community workshop. His check was sent directly to the bank showing no address. He did not have a checking account or any other documents proving his residency because he lived with someone else.
I gave him suggestions about what documents would be sufficient and ...
John Doe
“No one cares about crazy people,” was the reply by Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker’s chief-of staff while he was Milwaukee County Administrator, to an email from Keith Gilkes, Walker’s gubernatorial campaign manager. This email exchange was in reference to the death of Cindy Ancza at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex. Other serious problems, such as sexual assaults and security lapses, occurred at this facility while Walker was administrator. Gilkes refers to the facility as a “looney bin.”
What was Walker’s reply? He wanted to be kept out of the story. The story was kept buried until after the November 2010 election.
One of ...
How Can It Be
“How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?” asked Pope Francis in a speech in November when he attacked “trickle-down economics” and sharply criticized “growing inequality and unfettered markets.” Yet this is but one injustice. There are many more.
How can it be that:
• Millions of children go hungry in the “richest country” in the world, and yet Congress passed a farm bill cutting $800 million dollars a year from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This cut will affect 1.7 million people in 15 states.
...
Taxpayer Funded Private Schools
Once again the expansion of taxpayer-funded private schools in Wisconsin is in the headlines.
In February, private/religious schools will begin the application process to join over 120 other private/religious schools that are now subsidized by taxpayers.
On December 12, 2013, Life Skills Academy (LSA), a Christian, taxpayer-funded voucher school in Milwaukee, closed its doors without notifying anyone and moved to Florida to set up another taxpayer-funded private school.
One out of 66 students at LSA tested proficient in reading or math. Sixty-six students had their education disrupted and will need remedial work as they move back to Milwaukee ...
Legislation for the Rich
It is time that the citizens of Wisconsin become more aware of legislation favoring the wealthy enacted by the Republican controlled legislature and signed into law by Governor Walker.
Most of the legislation passed from 2011 through 2013 was written with “help” from special interests.
Three examples:
1. Republican Representative Joel Kleefisch introduced legislation written especially for a campaign donor, Michael Eisenga. Eisenga, a millionaire, along with his attorney directed Kleefisch’s office to design legislation that would reduce the amount of money wealthy people pay for child support. This legislation was a result of Eisenga ...