CELEBRATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
The third Monday in January is a national holiday in the United States — to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is time to remember his commitment to the cause of nonviolence and his work on behalf of the poor and the powerless.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968) spoke to his own people and gave them hope — a sense of their inherent dignity and high destiny. He called other racial and ethnic groups to brotherhood and sisterhood — a caring concern for and commitment to others. King was a pioneer breaking down barriers, building bridges, and ...
LEAVE RIB MOUNTAIN ALONE
We, the people of Wisconsin, love our Rib Mountain State Park. We have listened to the proposal for the expansion of Granite Peak Ski Hill and have some major concerns. Let’s think about snow run-off and how this impacts the load to our sanitation system and local homes. Let’s think about the increased traffic and impact to our roads and quiet neighborhoods. Let’s think about the ground water impact as more and more water is taken from the Rib River.
We would like proof that expansion will not produce “glade skiing” where the hill removes undergrowth and coats ...
Science Illiteracy and Public Policy
“Every shortcoming of American governance is related in some fashion to the knowledge deficit of the public...”
Susan Jacoby, author of “The Age of American Unreason”
Americans have a long tradition of anti-intellectualism. In today's politics this is expressed as denial of facts and scientific research in favor of opinion, self-righteousness, and prideful ignorance. We seem to be unable to distinguish documented knowledge from unsubstantiated opinion. Unfortunately for our public affairs, as Susan Jacoby says, our elected officials “suffer from the same ...
WOMEN’S MARCH ON MADISON
Set your calendars! It's a new year with many opportunities!
January 21 we will have a bus going to Madison for the March on Women (everyone is included).
This march is in solidarity with those in Washington D.C. on that day.
We will leave the Universalist Unitarian Church parking lot, 504 Grant Street, Wausau at 9 AM sharp!
Be ready to board at 8:40 AM.
We will march from Library Hall, 728 State Street, Madison to the Capitol.
The end time is approximately 3 PM.
Speakers will include Senator Lena Taylor.
There will be performances by ...
FROM HOPE TO HOPELESS?
My father was 23 years old in 1941. He was well aware of the terror occurring in the world and the need for it to be stopped. He enlisted in the US Army on November 29, 1941, as America learned of barbaric acts of terror and brutality by the Imperial Army of Japan, such as the Rape of Nanking. He knew that a hardline militarism, nationalism and totalitarianism represented a real threat to the freedom of people everywhere. He was well aware of the loud, racist and hateful rhetoric and continued lies and conquest of Europe's countries by Adolf Hitler.
He was aware of ...
QUOTATIONS
“Something to think about: The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Let’s scale that to 46 years. People have been here for four hours. Our Industrial Revolution began 1 minute ago.
In that time we have destroyed more than 50 per cent of the world’s forests. This is not sustainable.”
--Anonymous
“Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” –Robert F. Kennedy
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything ...
THANK YOU FROM MIDDLE WISCONSIN
We are entering 2017. Somewhat to our own surprise, we at Middle Wisconsin are in our sixth year of publishing. For better or worse, those six years have witnessed remarkable history. Through it all we have had a wonderful readership. Many of you have been following our work since we began. We have received heartfelt support and encouragement, and have often heard how much we are appreciated. We simply want to take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you for all the kind words and thoughts you have sent our way, and thank you for reading and spreading our work. It is much ...
Scientific Ignorance in a High Tech World
“We exist in a bizarre combination of Stone Age emotions, medieval beliefs, and god-like technology.” Edward O. Wilson, author and biologist
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.”
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist
Our modern world is the result of a long history of scientific achievement. Our homes, workplaces, and communities are filled with technology created by scientific advances. We live longer, eat better, survive diseases, and have more comfortable lives because of science. Yet despite the fact that ...
THE GREAT SPIRIT
“I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong.” “My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people or some poor, hungry people in the mud, for big, powerful America.” “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the ...
The Retirement Crisis
One of the annoying aspects of our broken electoral system is that issues of real importance are often ignored. Our elections are a money driven media circus of personal attacks, misleading sound bites, and ideological slogans. The real problems facing citizens and the country are not discussed in any rational, substantive way. Retirement security is one of these issues. Yes, there was some mention of Social Security in the last election. The misleading, party line talking points were reiterated during the “debates.” But the broader issue of retirement security for ...
