Politics


U.S. IMMIGRATION

Under the U.S.Immigration and Nationality Act (USINA) of 1980 a refugee is a [person] who, generally, has experienced past persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Individuals who met this definition were considered for refugee status. That definition also applied to those who were already in the United States. Since the passage of the Refugee Act the United States has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees.   Prior to USINA refugee admissions ...

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WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW

  What I Want You To Know is a radically honest film about veterans, moral injury, and the post-9/11 wars. It offers an intimate journey alongside veterans as they share deeply personal stories from their deployments, exploring truth and justice in the context of their wars. Their depictions of moral injury provide a unique and critical perspective on the cost and consequences of war.   Catie Foertsch Producer / Director, Impact Campaign Director Travis Weiner Executive Producer, Iraq veteran Tommy Furlong Executive Producer, Afghanistan ...

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DISASTER RESPONSE

Americans once set political differences aside in the face of national emergencies. We offered unconditional support and did whatever we could to help the victims because they were Americans, just like the rest of us. Today Trump and the MAGA crowd rush to cast blame and politicize these human tragedies with little or no concern for the victims. They continue to seek political gain rather try to help fellow Americans get through desperate times. Just as he did after Hurricane Helene, Trump is busy spreading lies about the California wildfires. In each case, nearly ...

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WE ARE LESS SAFE

Americans share many of the same values. One of these is personal safety, and we look to the government to help us ensure that safety. Trump and his billionaire backers, however, have been hollowing out our government and making us all less safe. We just suffered the first fatal commercial air crash in 16 years. This comes on the heels of Trump sowing chaos at the FAA. Under pressure from Elon Musk the FAA Director resigned and has yet to be replaced. Trump froze the hiring of Air Traffic Controllers and then disbanded the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee. He then ...

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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...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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