Month: July 2017

It has been a very busy summer with flash floods and an incredible growing season. Thankfully I have had the opportunity to volunteer for WDRT’s programming and each Thursday at 5:30 CST, I am given a two minute window to speak out. Following are the four broadcasts of July. I hope you enjoy them.

Let’s Tell the Whole Story

Another Fourth of July has come and gone. We celebrate the birth of our country with beer and brats, fireworks and bravado. We lay claim to patriotism and salute the brave warriors who fought for independence. And we teach our children to be proud of their homeland.

Yet while we honor the fortitude and the vision of the founders of this country, perhaps we should recognize as well, those among us who are continuing the struggle to create a land of the free.

Today some of the greatest acts of love for this land and its people can be found in those who stand for clean water and our right to peace.

There are those among us who are refusing to diminish human dignity and are working towards prison reform, ending homelessness, forging fair and humane immigration policies, and are fighting to end human trafficking.

And let us not forget those engaged in the struggle to eradicate ideologies that promote separation and division. These battles are not waged with guns or any form of power. They are waged with love and respect and an unwavering commitment to peace.

These are not only heroes of our nation, but of our humanity.

Let’s teach our children the whole story. That July 4^th is but a mile marker in our long walk to create a world of peace and equality, affording everyone “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

Hatred is Not Welcomed Here

Sometimes here in the Driftless I feel as though I am living through Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

My predominant experience is of people who care for and about one another and that we are a kind lot.

Yet what I witnessed the other day at the roundabout outside of Cashton, gave me pause. I was following a white truck through the circle to continue on towards Westby. Waiting to enter was an Amish horse and buggy being driven by two young men. The flashy white truck went into high gear as it passed the sitting buggy, throwing the rear end into a tailspin that nearly hit the horse. It was daylight, no rain and no reason for the action except one: the corruption of hate.

It happened quite quickly. The well-trained horse did not buck, but did real back a bit. The two young men looked startled, but did not reflect back the anger that had just been dealt them. Those in my car were in shock, grateful that nothing more serious had happened, and though I tried in vain to read the license of the truck, I decided to settle for telling you this:

When we hate, we lose a piece of our self. It is called respect. And if you do not have it for everyone, you surely do not have it for yourself. When any one of us is compromised by the sickness of hate, we are all compromised. Every day is full of choice; to follow a path of respect and kindness, or to follow a path of hatred and malice.

We owe it to ourselves and to our family, friends and neighbors to choose kindness. And in this time of willful hatred, it is imperative for us to stand firm.

Hatred is not welcomed here.

Look Behind the Curtain

Many of you have heard of the peaceful resistance to DAPL pipeline at the Standing Rock Reservation in ND. You may have heard of police water cannons dousing people for nine hours during 22-degree weather. You might have heard that these and other acts by militarized police were done in retaliation for the burning of corporate vehicles and other transgressions reportedly done by water protectors. The media has helped to assuage our fears that the police acted too violently. They have informed us that progress necessitates pipelines and oil spills and therefore the police were acting on our behalf to stop the water protectors. They have convinced us to ignore the man behind the curtain and carry on with life as usual…

But what happens when we learn that mercenaries who were trained against jihadists in Afghanistan were leading our police and government against American citizens at Standing Rock? What happens when we learn that these same mercenaries, when handed the reigns to lead did everything within their power to cause division – including illegal activities – such as burning their own equipment and blaming it on the nonviolent protectors.

Not only are we discovering the truth. We are becoming aware that these same mercenaries are now infiltrating citizen groups throughout the US on behalf of corporate interests.

Perhaps it is time we consider what is happening to us when free enterprise meets forced enterprise. Perhaps we should consider the cherished principles of governance that are being undermined and what the consequences may be.

Perhaps we all need to research the illegal activities of TigerSwan, Inc.

Perhaps it is time we know who is behind the curtain.

Is It Worth It?

What if I told you that in Wisconsin you could purchase a fox, coyote, rabbit or other animal to train your licensed hound dogs in enclosed training facilities?

What if I told you that anyone can train hound dogs on free-roaming wild animals without a dog-training license?

Or that: unleashed hound dogs may be trained on free-roaming raccoons and rabbits from July to the following April?

Or this: With a license, you can train hound dogs on free roaming bear from July 1- Aug 31, unless of course you are under the age of 12, then the license is free – oh and you can have up to 6 dogs in hot pursuit of the bear while you are in “training”.

And this: if a hound gets caught up in a fight with a wolf defending her cubs and the dog is killed, the owner of the dog will receive a check in the sum of $2500 from the state. I am not making this up. 37 hound dogs were killed in 2016. Some in well-known high risk wolf areas…you do the math.

It is estimated that during these training months 4.6 million gallons of grease and other foods will be used to entice bears towards humans…now what could possibly go wrong here?

Hunting with hounds is outlawed in nearly all states, keeping the state of WI in the business of courting license revenues from hound hunting individuals and clubs.

And I ask you, is it worth it?

You can listen to “Consider This” any Thursday 5:30 PM CST on WDRT 91.9 FM or on livestream. 

I am producing a short piece called “Consider This” that airs on WDRT 91.9 FM every Thursday at 5:30 pm, CST. You can read the month of June’s entries here, listen live or stream it

Bhutan is a small country in the Himalayas that measures its wealth in the happiness of its people. Its economic structure includes self-reliance, environmental conservatism, cultural survival and good governance.

Throughout the world there are ventures of shared economies and cooperatives springing up. These undertakings are putting people and the environment before profit and are working to ensure good living conditions, education, clean food, water and air to all residents. They are doing simple things like setting up tool sharing, or more complicated efforts like rehabbing city blocks and welcoming small, local businesses to support the needs of local people… helping one another to ensure a good quality of life for all.

Here in the Driftless, there are discussions brewing about sourcing local energy through solar and other means; considerations of shared tools, skills and labor; and the possibility of creating small coops with local products and basics for everyone to utilize.

Consider what you need from your community and what you have to give to it.

Perhaps it is time to measure our wealth by quality of life instead of capital.

Making a community thrive is everyone’s business.

During a recent event held by Pax Christi in Viroqua, Sr. Marlene Weisenbeck, of The La Crosse Task Force to Eradicate Modern Slavery, introduced some very interesting facts.

Sex trafficking is not only those kidnapped and held as sex-slaves. Girls, boys and women are targeted by handlers seeking to profit from their exploitation as prostitutes, often right in our midst. These profiteers seek children who are runaways, or those in need of physical, or emotional support. They prey upon the vulnerable. In some cases, the profiteers are family members.

This business of seduction and entrapment of human flesh for profit is not limited to sex but also includes labor servitude, drug trafficking and the stealing of body parts. While it is estimated that 45.8 million human beings are currently enslaved, 63% are held for forced sexual prostitution.

Where are the hot spots for sex and drug trafficking? Interstate highways, man camps, shipping ports and recreational places where children like to frequent – such as waterparks – have been found convenient for this trade.

This business dubbed by Pope Francis as the “Merchandising in Human Flesh” is one of the biggest moneymakers in the world. Could this be a reason it seems illusive to law enforcement? Or could it be that we have looked the other way, as the estimated 1 out of every 7 men engaging in the purchasing of illegal sex may be our fathers, brothers, or sons? Or perhaps because it is found that many of these perpetrators work in professions of “trust” and are people of authority and power?

Wisconsin is about to pass a law indicating that minors are always victims in these crimes – hopefully this will end the nightmare of children being treated as criminals and may allow us to address the abuses of power and economic statuses afforded men in our system. Most importantly, it may get help to the victims so desperately needed, instead of more imprisonment.

This is not a time for silence. We all suffer in this abuse, all of us.See something suspicious? 1-888-3737-888 is the number of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. To learn more: La Crosse Task Force to Eradicate Human Slavery.