Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Campbellsport, WI - An Old-Fashioned 4th of July Parade
Campbellsport, WI, July 4, 2011
Spectacular parade complete with an enormous number of surrounding area fire departments, their trucks (every kind), and their personnel in sharp uniform. Lots of veterans and flags and people shouting thanks. Candy being thrown in giant handfuls, leaving no child unsugared. The local Klotz's Piggly Wiggly outdid themselves with employees (?) pushing shopping carts filled with tons of giveaways, such as recyclable shopping bags, plastic water bottles, candy, and more! Farm equipment, horses, dancers, music....
The 1-1/2 hour long parade on this perfect summer day delighted the hundreds of attendees.
A celebration of freedom, and a display of gratefulness and thanks.
Lots of pics - enjoy!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Cyclist Supports Local Pro-Life Cause
This. Is. Awesome.
Click HERE to donate.
Read entire article HERE.
HARTFORD — The first thing Bill Savage is hoping for when he takes a fundraising bike ride from the steps of the state Capitol in Madison to the Hartford Pregnancy Help Center on July 13 is to raise a lot of money.
...
Laura Denk, executive director of the Hartford Pregnancy Help Center which will receive the proceeds from Savage’s ride this year, said she waited out Schimp and Savage even after sending volunteers home.
...
Together the two bike riders raised about $1,200 for the center, which was started by Don and Lois Ehley in 1993. Denk started with the organization about 11 years ago. The center runs on an annual budget of about $50,000 and has 22 volunteers.
...
HATA has unofficially adopted the pregnancy center as an organization it supports because it fits in well with the spirit of HATA, Savage said.
“They don’t use government money, taxpayer money,” Savage said. “They rely on donations and private sources.”
The center serves about 70 to 80 clients per month (78 last month) and offers counseling and classes for everything from miscarriage, newborn death, pregnancy, abortion recovery counseling for women and men, parenting classes to sexual integrity classes (purity and abstinence).
One thing the clinic doesn’t offer is abortion services.
“In the 11 years I’ve done it, I’ve seen so many women harmed by abortion,” Denk said. “We also counsel the men. It has always been our position that it is very harmful to the baby, but also to the mother and father.”
That mission appeals to Savage and other members of the conservative watchdog group.
“They don’t use government money, taxpayer money,” Savage said. “They rely on donations and private sources.”
The center serves about 70 to 80 clients per month (78 last month) and offers counseling and classes for everything from miscarriage, newborn death, pregnancy, abortion recovery counseling for women and men, parenting classes to sexual integrity classes (purity and abstinence).
One thing the clinic doesn’t offer is abortion services.
“In the 11 years I’ve done it, I’ve seen so many women harmed by abortion,” Denk said. “We also counsel the men. It has always been our position that it is very harmful to the baby, but also to the mother and father.”
That mission appeals to Savage and other members of the conservative watchdog group.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Truth about Filtering Porn in Your Local Library
When all else fails, common sense prevails.
Listen to short podcast from this New York radio station, beginning at 56:09. Spot on.
(First caller is Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries.)
LISTEN HERE:
A View for the Fourth Fireworks in West Bend
I was glad this story appeared in the WBDN today. We have been sitting on this hill for the last 3-4 years and it is so much less congested than Riverside. The view is spectacular and you can see some of the ground fireworks, but honestly, it's the best place to be. I'm usually responsible for a giant batch of home-made popcorn (buttered, of course), plus napkins! My son and his wife/family arrive early and save us a place, though truthfully, there is so much room on this hill that everyone wins.
A good view of the rockets red, white and blue glare is free Monday night at the Fourth of July Celebration on the Hill behind the Senior Center in West Bend.
The Senior Center, 401 E. Washington St., is on the Washington County campus and while it’s a block north of the city’s Riverside Park, which hosts West Bend’s annual fireworks display, it’s higher elevation offers a good view of the aerial extravaganza.
“It’s directly behind our building,” said Karen Lewis, volunteer coordinator for the Senior Citizens Activities Inc., which operates the Senior Center in West Bend. “People can come here and sit on the hill and watch the fireworks. This is probably the fifth year we’ve done this.”
And it’s a viewing area where you won’t have to fight the crowd for a place to sit.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
School Board Members Sets the Record STRAIGHT
'nuff said.
By BART WILLIAMS
Serious inaccuracies by Mark Peterson (June 17) and others regarding my June 13 School Board vote not to recognize the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) as a student group compel me to set the record straight. The acoustics in Badger Middle School’s cafeteria were a challenge for that meeting, but newspaper and TV reporters correctly relayed what I said.
This issue existed for several years and predates my board service, which just began in April. I was out of town and could not vote when the issue was first considered on May 9, resulting in a 3-3 tie, status quo and the GSA not recognized. Three days later, the GSA filed a lawsuit.
I have numerous reasons why I opposed recognition of the GSA.
1. It’s unnecessary. In a May 13 email to the board and three administrators, Shana Schloemer (signed it as “unofficial Co-advisor of GSA”) stated, “We would not need a GSA at all if there weren’t people who discriminated against or harassed people whose sexual attraction or identity is different than ‘mainstream’.” Our district already has anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies in place. The administration is doing its best to enforce them.
2. The GSA isn’t as tolerant as it claims. I received numerous emails from people who identified themselves as GSA members or supporters. Many of these emails were disrespectful and harassing, calling me terrible names/labels. Because I hadn’t voted on May 9 or responded to any of these emails, these people didn’t know how I would’ve voted, yet they pre-judged me based on something other than facts – the very essence of prejudice. Names, labels and personal opinions appear throughout Ms. Schloemer’s e-mail, although she’s supposed to be setting a good example for GSA students.
3. Many activities advocated by the GSA do/would constitute a distraction from what our District’s true goal should be – to provide the very best possible education, given what our community can afford/support, for all our students to most effectively compete in the 21st century global economy.
The GSA wants to organize and/or participate in 16 days of in-school activities annually. If all 33 student groups do that, 528 days are needed, almost triple our 180 school days.
For “Day of Silence,” the GSA wants students to duct tape their mouths during school. Exercising vigorously in gym, playing a brass or woodwind instrument or giving a comprehensive response to a complex math, English, social studies or science question, etc., with duct tape over your mouth is difficult if not dangerous. Education is supposed to be interactive, but the more duct-taped-mouth students don’t participate, the larger the burden on other students.
4. Such distractions hurt education and are a disservice to our students because U.S. education as a whole is losing ground. We’re ranked in the 20s globally in math and science; we used to be No. 1. Other countries’ students attend more school days per year (Japan 243, South Korea 220, U.S. 180) with longer school days (e.g., South Korea – 8 hours; ours – 6.5-7 hours).
5. Money is available for the lawsuit. I found $655,000 of administrative reductions (i.e., no teacher cuts). Since this wasn’t in the preliminary budget the prior Board passed, much of it’s still available.
I’m skeptical of those supporting tax-to-max budgets, tax-increase referenda, etc., yet say we have no money for the lawsuit. Many parents contacted me threatening to pull their kids out of our district if we keep letting distractions diminish quality education, potentially losing us hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in revenue. Few factor this into the decision’s total cost.
It’s unfortunate that instead of advancing public understanding and dialogue on this key issue with a well-reasoned, rigorous argument, Mr. Mark Peterson resorts to name-calling (e.g., “zealots,” “vanity,” comparing me to a cartoon character, etc.) and serious departures from the facts. Let’s hope he doesn’t do that in class, where students pay good money for instruction and deserve better.
(Bart Williams of West Bend was elected to the School Board April 5.)
Serious inaccuracies by Mark Peterson (June 17) and others regarding my June 13 School Board vote not to recognize the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) as a student group compel me to set the record straight. The acoustics in Badger Middle School’s cafeteria were a challenge for that meeting, but newspaper and TV reporters correctly relayed what I said.
This issue existed for several years and predates my board service, which just began in April. I was out of town and could not vote when the issue was first considered on May 9, resulting in a 3-3 tie, status quo and the GSA not recognized. Three days later, the GSA filed a lawsuit.
I have numerous reasons why I opposed recognition of the GSA.
1. It’s unnecessary. In a May 13 email to the board and three administrators, Shana Schloemer (signed it as “unofficial Co-advisor of GSA”) stated, “We would not need a GSA at all if there weren’t people who discriminated against or harassed people whose sexual attraction or identity is different than ‘mainstream’.” Our district already has anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies in place. The administration is doing its best to enforce them.
2. The GSA isn’t as tolerant as it claims. I received numerous emails from people who identified themselves as GSA members or supporters. Many of these emails were disrespectful and harassing, calling me terrible names/labels. Because I hadn’t voted on May 9 or responded to any of these emails, these people didn’t know how I would’ve voted, yet they pre-judged me based on something other than facts – the very essence of prejudice. Names, labels and personal opinions appear throughout Ms. Schloemer’s e-mail, although she’s supposed to be setting a good example for GSA students.
3. Many activities advocated by the GSA do/would constitute a distraction from what our District’s true goal should be – to provide the very best possible education, given what our community can afford/support, for all our students to most effectively compete in the 21st century global economy.
The GSA wants to organize and/or participate in 16 days of in-school activities annually. If all 33 student groups do that, 528 days are needed, almost triple our 180 school days.
For “Day of Silence,” the GSA wants students to duct tape their mouths during school. Exercising vigorously in gym, playing a brass or woodwind instrument or giving a comprehensive response to a complex math, English, social studies or science question, etc., with duct tape over your mouth is difficult if not dangerous. Education is supposed to be interactive, but the more duct-taped-mouth students don’t participate, the larger the burden on other students.
4. Such distractions hurt education and are a disservice to our students because U.S. education as a whole is losing ground. We’re ranked in the 20s globally in math and science; we used to be No. 1. Other countries’ students attend more school days per year (Japan 243, South Korea 220, U.S. 180) with longer school days (e.g., South Korea – 8 hours; ours – 6.5-7 hours).
5. Money is available for the lawsuit. I found $655,000 of administrative reductions (i.e., no teacher cuts). Since this wasn’t in the preliminary budget the prior Board passed, much of it’s still available.
I’m skeptical of those supporting tax-to-max budgets, tax-increase referenda, etc., yet say we have no money for the lawsuit. Many parents contacted me threatening to pull their kids out of our district if we keep letting distractions diminish quality education, potentially losing us hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in revenue. Few factor this into the decision’s total cost.
It’s unfortunate that instead of advancing public understanding and dialogue on this key issue with a well-reasoned, rigorous argument, Mr. Mark Peterson resorts to name-calling (e.g., “zealots,” “vanity,” comparing me to a cartoon character, etc.) and serious departures from the facts. Let’s hope he doesn’t do that in class, where students pay good money for instruction and deserve better.
(Bart Williams of West Bend was elected to the School Board April 5.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)