The Joys of Conscious Consumption
It probably started with gardening, this evolution from mindless consumption to making shopping choices with an eye towards who and what we are supporting when we open our wallet at the cash register. Admittedly, I'm not very good at it yet, but I have discovered a few things about conscious consumption worth passing along.
This spring's Sierra Club Magazine highlighted the crash and burn impact of large-scale farming. The focus was on Iowa in general, and the enormous challenge of providing safe water to families in Des Moines in particular. Between nitrates in ...
Say No to 1849
Who may I ask are you, a fifty something year old white male, who walks into a polling place with your MAGA hat on, smiling like you own the world, making decisions that impact women. I find myself studying you. Somehow you don’t ‘look’ particularly intelligent enough to make decisions for me or any other woman. You put our futures and the lives of all women at risk with your ignorance. I am angry at your self-righteousness.
I am a mom. I am a mom by choice. I am a mom for choice. I firmly center my belief that women should decide what is best for ourselves, for ...
Aquarian Revolution: Back to the Land
Aquarian Revolution: Back to the Land reveals the guts, glory, and grief of 1960s social upheaval and documents the real accomplishments wrought when dreams are forged into reality. In turn funny, heart-rending, and inspiring, these thirty-two interviews reflect not only the flavor of those times but also the continuing ethic so deeply embedded in the generation’s consciousness.
More than four decades have passed since hippies heralded the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, a New Age promising peace, love, and personal fulfillment. In the intervening decades, ...
A Race to the Top
We all know the importance of green energy. We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels, and it only makes sense to use the sun and the wind. Have we looked at the transition? How will it work if big money controls fossil fuels? The United States is one of the top three oil countries. While natural gas costs surge in our country, we know we could get more money exporting it. What will we do to obtain minerals we need to build a green economy?
We talk about supply chain issues and National Defense being in the forefront for our problems. I often contemplate the race to ...
Bartelme Votes to Amend the U.S. Constitution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: George Penn, 608-244-6436, georgepenn51@gmail.com
Bartelme Votes to Amend the U.S. Constitution
Madison, WI (November 9, 2022) – In the November election, Wisconsin residents in the town of Bartelme in Shawano County voted to amend the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only human beings should have inalienable human rights and money is not the same thing as free speech.
The referendum passed with an overwhelming majority (88%).
That brings the total to 168 Wisconsin communities that have called for an amendment. In total, ...
LTE to Superior City Council
Editor's note:
Grandmothers for Peace and Veterans for Peace in Duluth-Superior are working to get the Superior City Council to pass a resolution supporting the U.S. signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The following letter of support for this effort was received from Dr. Ira Helfand, an internationally recognized expert and advocate for abolishing nuclear weapons.
Dr Helfand's letter is an excellent, concise explanation of why citizens everywhere should be asking their local elected officials support this important treaty by passing local ...
No Need for Gold
I find myself testing the ground a lot more these days. With winter coming, I am afraid of the ground freezing too fast. Why, you wonder? I don’t want a mining company drilling in my county.
A letter of intent to drill was submitted for exploratory drilling in the Town of Easton, located in northeastern Marathon County. The mining company wants to drill nine holes over a three-parcel area. The holes are to be 650 feet deep. The drilling will be done in two phases this winter if the application is incompliance with regulations and ordinances. The last company only ...
An Open Letter to My Former Gynecologist
I was a patient of yours. Maybe you remember me. I was in my teens and twenties when you were my doctor. I had Endometriosis and was seeking a hysterectomy or endometrial ablation, either of which would have left me unable to have a child. That was no big deal to me, but it was to you. You patronized me time and again saying that I was too young to know what I wanted. I never wanted children, and only wanted an end to the extreme pain, profuse blood loss, nausea and vomiting that I suffered from. You denied me that relief. You put me on medications that caused other ...
COPPER vs. LEAD
The bullet on the right is a 165 grain copper jacketed lead bullet. The one on the left is a 165 grain all copper bullet. Both are made by Federal Cartridge. The copper ammunition costs me about $1.50 more per box of twenty rounds compared to the premium lead ammo I used to use. (If you use cheap lead ammo, the difference in price will be greater.)
Both are deadly on deer. The lead round, a boat-tailed soft point, kept us in venison for three decades. The copper round has done the same for the last five years.
As I hunted deer today, I sat within sight of the gut ...
Life is Better With a Union
Life is certainly better when you belong to a union. We were so fortunate to have Congressman Mark Pocan speak at our AFSCME Convention. His message was loud and clear: get out and vote. There is so much on the line.
Union members generally make more money. We fight for fair wages and equal rights for women. Union members believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Our group of retiree’s support Medicare and Medicaid so seniors and the most vulnerable have access to quality care. Anyone who works all their life should be able to retire with financial ...