Mark Belling Lends Commentary to West Bend City Censorship

Mark Belling puts the nail in the coffin of West Bend's liberal leadership.  He's spot on.  Listen HERE.

New Charter School Proposed in West Bend

Curtsy to What's New in West Bend Schools:

A certified letter has been send to West Bend school district administration requesting a public hearing on the matter of a charter school in West Bend.

The plan at this point is to start this fall with K and 1^st grade. Future expansion to 6^th grade or possibly 8^th grade would continue next fall. According to Pastor Dunford of First Baptist Church, many parents have expressed a desire for them to begin a charter school.
The West Bend Board of Education needs to approve such a measure. Charter schools typically educate for less money, have smaller class sizes and results that compare favorably to or better than traditional public schools. There is strong potential for cost savings to the community by educating through charter schools.
This is a very exciting idea for West Bend!

More details later...............

West Bend Leadership Wants Citizens to Shut Up

It appears that certain liberal business people and leadership in West Bend do not like being challenged in the public arena.  It's "uncivil."  Seemingly, one must simply state their business kindly and go home.  For years the West Bend School Board was quite content with citizen (and board) compliance to this rule.  Head-nodding was the norm.  Kum.Ba.Ya. Local committees ran the liberal race behind the smoky curtain of citizen dominance.  The citizen became weary of the micromanaging, the controlling nature of West Bend leadership, and the covert mask of the radical left leaving it's trail all over our city.  Area citizens have become vocal, albeit via the internet, the only place where one can exercise First Amendment rights without a committee or a board shutting them down.  Ah, the glory of our forefather's insight into future leftist tactics.  Could it be true....???  The very same people who screamed about "censorship" and "freedom of speech" are now telling West Bend citizens to shut up?  Methinksso.  

The answer?  Um.  No.

A plea for a more civil dialogue within this community was woven throughout Tuesday’s business forum at the West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.’s Prairie Center. 

    Intended as an open discussion of issues facing the West Bend School District and the city of West Bend, several times speakers returned to the theme that honest disagreements over policies are buried under vehement, hostile criticism, which is harming the community’s image. 

    “ D i s a g re e - ment is healthy,” said Dennis Melvin, West Bend city administrator. “The lack of civility is unhealthy.” 

    The perception is that West Bend as a community is polarized by contentious issues, he said, and a more civil discussion about local issues is needed. 

    In recent years, factions have argued over such politically hot topics as school district finances, building referendums, the district’s harassment policy, removing books from the local library’s young adult section and an affordable housing project, often drawing state and national attention. 

    Organized by the West Bend School District, about 30 people attended the forum, consisting of business people and representatives from the school district, city, village of Jackson and Moraine Park Technical College. 

    The group did manage to discuss school district and city issues. 

......

 John Duwell pointed to “anonymous electronic communications” as a source for the lose of civility in debates over local policy issues. He called it insidious. 

    “What you read in the blogs, what you dial up on the Internet, does not match what is happening here in the (school) district,” said Duwell, a former West Bend School Board member. He is executive vice president and chief legal officer at West Bend Mutual. 

.......

Hillman said the business community should be telling conservative commentators to “lay off on the harping criticism.” 

Local Journalist Bikes CA to WI - Follow the BikeWriter Here

Local journalist, Judy Steffes (Around the Bend/OnMilwaukee) is on a hiatus, doing the thing she loves most - biking.  I see she has a blog that posts her daily trek (more than one reason for the adventure as the pen continues to appear on the net...).

Follow along as she travels from California (LA) to Wisconsin this month.

_____________________________________________________

Simi Valley

Made it to Simi Valley today... about 50 mi.

Getting out of LA was good. Challenging - but good. Much slower pace in Simi Valley.

74 and sunny

Found a church for tonight. Pastor Gary Stephenson at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran has given me the youth room.

Five couches to choose from. Sweet!

Tomorrow I'm exploring. Apparently the Ronald Reagan Library is seven miles away on the outskirts of town and have to climb over a hill to get there. Reagan apparently liked the view.

Peggy West Can't Define South (of the Border)

Ok, I wasn't going to go there.  Mostly because everyone else is going there.  I just couldn't help myself.  This is truly a sorry example for a county supervisor.  Milwaukee should be more than embarrassed.  Mortified is more like it.

Here's the scoop from Freedom Eden:

Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West, elected Democrat, and the Milwaukee County Board's proposed boycott of Arizona are getting national attention.

On his program today, Rush Limbaugh mentioned West and her understanding of the Arizona - Mexico border as it relates to the illegal immigration problem.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: It's ground zero, you idiot. You people in Milwaukee! What in the hell are you doing? Who are you electing here? I'm sorry.

Good questions.

Watch the video.

Petition to MATC Board and Arizona - Sign Today

Your voice is only one click away. 

"The MATC Board apparently views their new mission as punishing 
municipalities who do not hold their political views," said Grothman. 
"I believe their action would be unconstitutional under the Commerce 
Clause of the U.S. Constitution. If every political subdivision were like
 the MATC Board, we would be back to the days of the Articles of 
Confederation in which states fought amongst each other. It is 
particularly embarrassing that an educational institution would take 
the lead in dividing our country based on political belief," said Grothman. 
"I move in very conservative circles and have never heard anybody suggest 
not doing business with companies in states and cities with so-called 
sanctuary-city laws, same-sex marriage statutes, euthanasia laws, etc.
 — this tactic is purely a tool of the totalitarian left."

Sign petition HERE.

Petition to the Milwaukee Area Technical College

District Board and Citizens of Arizona

We, the undersigned, citizens of Wisconsin are offended by the recent actions of the Milwaukee Area Technical College Board in adopting a resolution calling for a boycott of the State of Arizona because of newly-adopted legislation to curb their growing problem with illegal immigration.

MATC’s actions are clearly designed to punish all citizens of the State of Arizona by threatening their jobs at a time of general economic downturn. The actions show a level of unprecedented intolerance towards other states that we believe would be unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and completely contrary to the principles under which our great country was founded. Our country will clearly collapse if many more political bodies take it upon themselves to declare economic war on other states and municipalities every time they disagree with a statute or ordinance.

We express support for all people of Arizona of every political stripe and assure them that we will continue to proudly buy goods and services from the State of Arizona and are thoroughly embarrassed by the actions of the six radicals on the MATC Board who have a desire to put a division between the citizens of our two states. We intend to do what we can through our elected officials to bring these unelected radicals back to a position that we are confident the vast majority of people in the Milwaukee area and the State of Wisconsin believe in.

We feel MATC’s actions show a complete lack of respect for the diversity of opinion which exists throughout our nation and has thoroughly embarrassed the entire State of Wisconsin.

Combining WEST BEND HIGH SCHOOLS on agenda for MONDAY NIGHT school board meeting

FYI.  Curtsy to "What's New in West Bend Schools."


Monday June 21st is the date the school board will be discussing combining the high schools. It seems to me that the superintendent already sees this as a done deal.
The public needs to be there letting their elected officials know how they feel about combining the two schools into one. If this goes through, West Bend will have one of the largest high schools in the state.
Everyone has a price, but the projected savings of combining the schools is minimal, and the benefits to students none (that I can think of).
The projected savings the first year is $205,660 and subsequent years savings are projected to be $382,910(from a budget that exceeds $70 million) The projected savings will come from having one less principal and reductions in coaches and staffing events. One athletic director will be called an activity director, but the salary is the same.


READ MORE HERE

A gift idea - for the Dad who has everything -

Carole King and James Taylor

Watched LIVE on PBS tonight.  No words needed.

West Bend Mayor BREAKS TIE vote - Low Income Housing Coming to Downtown Area Despite Protest

On the City Council agenda for tonight was a decision regarding the Developer’s Agreement for River Bluff Townhomes. (TIF #5).


Seems Alderman Duquaine opened the can of worms and revealed that West Bend's RDA had a binding contract since 2009.  The formalities of listening to the local business owners and general public was nothing but smoke and mirrors.  

The scoop:

Real Estate Equities Development LLC of St. Paul, Minn. is set to sell federal tax credits offered through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority to raise capital for construction of the apartment buildings. 

    Because of that, Real Estate Equities will be required to hold its rental prices at a level affordable to families with annual incomes 50 percent to 60 percent of Washington County’s median figure, which is around $64,733, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. 

and this:

 At that time, Alderman Steve Hutchins, whose district includes Wisconsin Street, and Mayor Kristine Deiss said neighbors and businesses did not want a subsidized housing project downtown. 

    “They don’t want any WHEDA housing. ... They don’t want low-income, subsidized, affordable-living, whatever you want to call it,” Hutchins said at that April meeting. 

    “I think we can do better for our community than additional low-income housing and by utilizing local businesses to do so,” Hutchins has said, most recently on his Web site, www.wbdistrict2.com. 

When all was said and done, the vote was tied:


VOTING YEAH-
ALD. TURNER
ALD. SCHLOTFELDT
ALD. ANDERSON
ALD. DOBBERSTEIN


VOTING NAY:
ALD. HUTCHINS
ALD. DUQUAINE
ALD. KIST
ALD. CARTER

Mayor Kristine Deiss cast the deciding vote FOR the subsidized housing, stating that this was never a project that was kept hidden, and that everyone has had a voice in the matter, which is why we are able to go to the polls on election day.


Indeed, Mayor Deiss.  Indeed.


Hats off to Ald. Duquaine.

Shopping Cart FAIL

COMMON GROUND with Fr. Jeff Haines at CABRINI in West Bend THIS SUNDAY

 There will be a Common Ground meeting at St. Francis Cabrini on Sunday June 6th 2010 at 10 a.m. (between the morning masses) in the church hall (lower level) hosted by Fr. Jeff Haines. The topic will be "The Faces of Foreclosure." 

If you aren't aware of what Common Ground is, perhaps these links will be helpful:

http://wissup.blogspot.com/2008/09/west-bend-common-ground-session.html

http://www.commongroundwi.org/events/2009/03/03/march-19-delegates-assemblypublic-action/

http://thetruthusa.blogspot.com/2010/05/wisdom-seeks-to-redistribute-wealth-and.html

This priest seems to be working hard to bring Obama's Chicago-style organization to West Bend through the people at his church, St. Francis Cabrini, and has used many THOUSANDS  of DOLLARS of parishioners MONEY to support Common Ground every year.

This is not just a Cabrini issue; it's a WEST BEND issue.  The idea is to spread this "steal from the rich and give to the poor" mentality in our community.  

Show up at this meeting on Sunday and listen in; hold Jeff Haines accountable.  Don't let this meeting go unnoticed, unattended, and under the radar for one second.  

West Bend should be VERY CONCERNED.

PFOX REJECTED at Memphis PTA Convention

News from PFOX:

PTA Says PFOX Families Not Welcome at PTA Convention

Contact:  Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, PFOX

804-453-4737 -- PFOX@pfox.org

Chicago IL -- Charles ('Chuck') Saylors, hailed as the first male president of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), has rejected a pro-family organization's request to exhibit at the national PTA convention.  Although the PTA allows gay rights groups to exhibit, Saylors rejected the exhibit application of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). 

PFOX is a family organization that educates the public on the message of hope and support for students, families and educators affected by homosexuality, gender confusion, and school bullying. 

According to the PTA's website, Saylors is a Southern Baptist deacon, attends Forestville Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina and is the past president of the South Carolina PTA. 

"PFOX emailed the PTA for eight months while seeking a response to our request for an exhibit booth at the annual PTA convention," said Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX.  "We also left voice mail messages for Saylors." 

"But Saylors chose not to speak with PFOX.  Instead, he sent an email accusing us of not meeting the PTA's 'Diversity and Inclusion Policy.'"  (See Saylor's email at http://pfox.org/NPTA_Diversity_Inclusion_Policy.pdf)

"Why is it gay groups meet the PTA Diversity and Inclusion Policy but our families do not?  'Diversity' and 'inclusion' should mean exactly that - diversity and inclusion of everyone," said Griggs.  (See PFOX email to PTA at http://pfox.org/pta-diversity.html)

"Instead, gay groups like PFLAG that deny public access to ex-gays and disrupt church events welcoming former homosexuals are approved by the PTA while ex-gay groups are not," said Griggs.

"Now the PTA is pressuring its state PTA chapters nationwide to adopt its biased national diversity policy, which includes 'sexual orientation,' even though that term is selectively used to discriminate against people of faith and ex-gay families."

"The PTA has become a left-wing advocacy group instead of serving the needs of all children," said Griggs.

Please contact Chuck Saylors at csaylors@pta.org  or csaylors@mbkahn.com and ask why PFOX families are not welcome at the June 10 PTA conference in Memphis.

Also contact your state PTA and ask them to not adopt the national PTA's diversity policy because it does not include all families.  Or ask them to rescind 'sexual orientation' in their policies until the national PTA stops using it against families like ours.

Otherwise, consider joining the PTO, Parent Teacher Organization.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Naturally, I expect to have the gay community pour forth hate emails once they read this post, but this is simply because it has been the intention of gay advocacy groups to shut out all others who have chosen to leave this lifestyle.  (Sorry, I know the word "lifestyle" is supposedly taboo in the gay community.)  Diversity is only diversity if you agree?  Shame on Chuck Saylors for his obvious bias, and shame on the national PTA organization for sending a clear-cut message that only "some" are welcome to be part of the organization.  Clearly, the PTA has no place for men and women who have left the homosexual lifestyle and/or begun families of their own.  ALL families across the nation should be outraged enough to send a message back to the PTA that their blatant intolerance is unacceptable.  See contact information in the above article.

Replacement for Reilly Sought by Doyle

Watching and waiting.

Gov. Jim Doyle is seeking applicants for appointment to the Waukesha County Circuit Court judicial vacancy that will occur Aug. 1 when Judge Paul Reilly moves to the District 2 Court of Appeals.

Applicants must be members in good standing of the Wisconsin State Bar and must live in Waukesha County at the time of the appointment. Applications are due June 10 to Libby Gerds, appointments director for the governor.

Reilly was elected in April to serve a six-year term as an appellate judge. Whoever is appointed to succeed him would face re-election next spring.

RotaTeq (Rotavirus) Vaccine Deemed Contaminated - NVIC Asks for Merck Recall

PRESS RELEASE 
For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C., June 1, 2010 - The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) joins with holistic health pioneer Dr. Joseph Mercola in calling for Merck to voluntarily recall its live rotavirus vaccine - RotaTeq - which is contaminated with parts of a lethal virus that infects pigs - porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) - and publicly pledge to clean-up the vaccine.

On May 7^th, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) publicly pledged to re-formulate its rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, by removing DNA from a non-lethal pig virus (PCV1). RotaTeq is contaminated with DNA from both PCV1 and PCV2. PCV2 is an aggressive virus that causes immune suppression, wasting disease and death in baby pigs.

“Responsible corporations voluntarily recall contaminated foods and drugs that could possibly compromise safety,” said NVIC Co-Founder & President Barbara Loe Fisher. “When RotaTeq is squirted into the mouths of babies, how many doctors or parents know those babies are swallowing DNA from a virus that can injure and kill baby pigs?”

“No company marketing a product found to be contaminated should be given a free pass,” said Dr. Joseph Mercola. “It is always dangerous to assume safety. Vaccines contaminated with viral DNA that could evolve and infect humans cannot and should not be assumed to be safe,” said Dr. Mercola.

The FDA recommended in March that doctors temporarily suspend use of GSK’s Rotarix vaccine after an independent lab using new technology detected PCV1 DNA in the rotavirus vaccine given to infants 2 to 6 months of age. At a special FDA advisory committee meeting on May 7, NVIC called on the FDA to legally require manufacturers to adhere to regulations for testing of vaccines before and after licensure for contamination and also require stricter labeling standards to fully inform consumers about any foreign DNA content that remains in vaccines.

On May 14, the FDA withdrew its suspension of Rotarix vaccine recommendation and pronounced both vaccines safe, even though both remain contaminated and safety data on PCV2 contamination of RotaTeq was not evaluated by the FDA advisory committee.

NVIC and Mercola.com defend informed consent to vaccination and support public access to vaccines that meet high standards for proof of safety and effectiveness. “Rotavirus vaccine is not required for daycare or school entry,” said Fisher. “The American Academy of Pediatrics and doctors should be informing parents they have a choice and that one rotavirus vaccine is contaminated with DNA from a lethal pig virus while the other is not.”

Dr. Mercola pointed to the recent voluntary recall of medicines for children that were contaminated with unidentified “particles,” as well as past voluntary recalls of contaminated food products. “Why should for-profit vaccine corporations which, unlike other industries, are shielded from liability by our government, be different from any other company selling a product in the U.S.? The American consumer has a right to demand that the products they use are pure and free from contamination,” he said.

About Us: The National Vaccine Information Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defend the informed consent ethic. Mercola.com is the most visited natural health website in the world.

TAKE ACTION NOW!