Politics
American Barabbas
Depicted in the four Gospels—Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19—are scenes of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In all these depictions, the crowd yells for the insurrectionist Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
There is no exact parallel in contemporary American politics. Jesus was not a candidate for public office. But a certified crowd did vote an insurrectionist into the presidency, a man whose consistent mantras are never to apologize, never show weakness, never admit wrongdoing, and never confess to any sins.
Approximately 80% of white evange...
A Democratic Formula for Success
January 13, 2025 Jim Crist Wisconsin
On the 15th Anniversary of Citizens United we need Bernie Sanders type candidates that are moderate — by Jim Crist, Wisconsin United To Amend
I’ve read a lot of articles about why the Democratic Party lost the election. The list is long and varied:
Biden did a poor job controlling the southern border and got saddled with the post pandemic inflation problem.
Biden said he’d be a one term president. His selfish arrogance led him to believe he was only person that could defeat Trump. He robbed his party of ...
MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN
Reflecting on the recent passing of former President Jimmy Carter, I remember as a teenager standing in awe along a fence line of what is now I-39, watching the Presidential motorcade go by.
I am reminded of the many great things our former president did. Such a sad contrast to what we are stepping into today. Yes, let us make America great again. Let us take America to a time of truth and honesty.
Carter himself was an Evangelical Christian, which is not to be confused with the Christian nationalism we see today. Jimmy Carter worked as a true leader, knowing that ...
The Age of Plastics
“Welcome to the Plasticene. If you’re under age 70, it’s possible you’ve lived in the Plasticene for your entire life. It’s a new geologic age some scientists have proposed to mark the near-universal spread of plastic around Earth. Since the 1950s, researchers say, we’ve been living in the Age of Plastics.” Kristen Minogue, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Geologists have divided the 4.5 billion years of earth's history into a geologic time scale. These divisions, or “geochronologic units,” include eons, eras, periods, epochs and ages. We ...
Peter Gruich is Wisconsin’s Northwoods Luigi Mangione
Subtitle: Right-wing disinformation is at the heart of political violence caused by mental illness.
*To read owner Kirks' weekly essay with all of the pics and source links, subscribe to our Substack. Kirk Bangstad, is the of Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company
Founder, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC
You’ve probably heard of Luigi Mangione, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, and Matthew Alan Livelsberger, but have you heard of Peter Gruich?
The first three have made national news through acts of political violence over the last month.
Luigi Mangione ...
Investigate, Question Sources of Information
We thought that you could verify facts with two sources of information that said the same thing. Hearing something on the Walter Cronkite CBS Evening News and then reading it in the local newspaper was proof this was the truth.
Today it is far more difficult to distinguish the truth from lies. No matter how savvy we think we are, we can be tricked. Billionaires on the right have invested more heavily in media than their counterparts on the left. Fox News, I-Heart Radio and TV stations and newspapers owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group speak in one voice as they slant ...
RETURN OF THE ROBBER BARONS
“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a
few, but we can’t have both.” - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
Born in 1856, Brandeis lived through the “Gilded Age” and the “Roaring 20’s.” He saw the unethical
practices, the exploitation of working people, and the corruption of politicians brought on by the
fabulously wealthy, the “Robber Barons” of that age. Brandeis saw how democracy was destroyed by
gross inequality, he saw how the rich were able to buy and sell “elected” officia...
PEOPLE’S MARCH January 18, 2025
WAUSAU HUMAN RIGHTS MARCH
The recent election can have far reaching consequences for our vulnerable communities.
For Immediate Release: Saturday, January 18, 11 AM, meeting at the Marathon Dems Office, 218 Sherman Street Wausau
Contact: Chair, Nancy Stencil, nstencil7983@gmail.com 715.581.7983
Come join Central Wisconsin's PEACEFUL PEOPLE’S MARCH. A place for us to all come together and let the world know WE WON'T BE SILENT!
“A place to fight for women's rights, BIPOC rights, reproductive rights, LQBTQIA+ rights, disability rights, ...
Now What? Tactics for Resistance
Since the election of our first fascist dictator I have been getting many emails about organizing for the "resistance." Most are exhorting us to not give up hope (and to send money to their organization). I won't criticize those with the energy to attempt continuing the struggle. But I doubt any amount of resisting, protesting, marching, sending online petitions, getting arrested or suing the bastards is going to accomplish anything.
Given that the fascists now control both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court traditional forms of protest and political action will be ...
ELECTION REFLECTION
If you have an appetite for another presidential campaign post-mortem, read on. GOP claims of a mandate notwithstanding, Vice President Harris would now be president-elect had she gained just under 230,000 more votes in the three “Blue Wall” states. While her top campaign aides insist that she ran a “pretty flawless campaign” and attribute her loss largely to the way people felt about the economy and the country’s direction, she might have won had she not ceded to Donald Trump two issues that voters consistently rated as top-priority: the economy and ...