Richfield Trustee Candidates to have LOCAL FORUM September 8

Candidates forum scheduled for Sept. 8 in Richfield

    Washington County Eagle Forum will host a forum for candidates for Richfield Board of Trustees at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8.

    The event will be held at the Richfield Elementary School, 3117 Holy Hill Road, Richfield.

    Randy Melchert, former state Assembly candidate and political analyst, will be moderating the forum. Melchert is a past legislative candidate and frequently appears on Wisconsin radio and television discussing civic affairs.

    The format will include an introductory statement by each candidate. Candidates will take turns answering pre-selected questions and will have time for a final statement.

    “Voters appreciate the opportunity to hear the viewpoints of the candidates running for the Village Board,” said Ginny Maziarka, president of Eagle Forum of Washington County.

    “This forum will educate voters on the role their village trustees play in the Richfield area, the philosophy of candidates and ensure that voters make an informed decision on Sept. 14.”

    While no questions from the floor will be taken, residents are encouraged to meet with candidates before or after the debate.

    The event is free and open to the public.

    For more information, visit www.eagleforumwc.-blogspot.com or call 677-9032. 

Irate, Tireless Minority: Signs of the Times

Curtsy to:  Irate, Tireless Minority: Signs of the Times

Westby, Wisconsin - Uff Da, and all that

Saw this store in the center of downtown Westby.  Curiosity had the best of me.  A quaint and simple little store filled with seasonal crafts and home decorations.

Cafe/candy store/souvenir/ice cream/internet/lefse shoppe:

The lefse looked freshly made, so we got some for our daughters.  You could purchase a stack of about 6 lefse for $2.29 (plain) or with butter/sugar and cinnamon for $2.49.  We chose the latter.  They were prepared, rolled up and warmed.  The girls loved 'em!

The beginning of fall..... Western Wisconsin Apple Crops

Took our daughter to college this weekend.  Drove through western Wisconsin.  This is from Soldier's Creek.  The apples are hanging bountifully!

Doors Open Wide to Confirm Unsafe West Bend Library

Curtsy to Dan Kleinman, Safelibraries:

Ginny v. Maria: Hijacked Library or Safe Library in West Bend, WI

Ginny v. Maria.  Is their local public library hijacked or is it safe?  We report and add hyperlinks, you decide and add comments below.

• "Guest View: Timeline Outlines Hijacking of Library," by Ginny Maziarka, West Bend Daily News, 19 August 2010, p.A6, reprinted below for educational purposes.

• "Guest View: Libraries Remain Free, Safe Places for Families," by Maria Hanrahan, West Bend Daily News, 26 August 2010, p.A6, reprinted below for educational purposes.

............

Since my guest editorial has already been published on this blog, I'll just add Hanrahan's op ed piece with Kleinman's links.

In her recent Guestview in the Daily News, Ginny Maziarka suggests "covert" activities concerning the anti-censorship response to her March 2009 book challenge.  In case anyone is unclear about the details of the book challenge, Maziarka objected to lists of novels with homosexual characters and situations in the young adult section at West Bend Community Memorial Library.  Over time, she rephrased her complaint to concern material she believed was sexually explicit or inappropriate for the age group.  While she first called to ban or remove books, she later called for moving the books to the adult section of the library and labeling them as explicit. 

Maziarka suggests that I was influenced by a "bribe," since the group that I formed to oppose her library complaint, West Bend Parents for Free Speech, was designated as the recipient of a grant from the Freedom to Read Foundation.  What she failed to disclose regarding this startling bombshell was the timing of this grant.  I began my involvement in the library challenge in late March of 2009, was notified of the grant about a week into May, and the public Library Board meeting in which Maziarka's complaint was addressed was held on June 2.  If you do the math, you’ll note that this would have given my group maybe three weeks to go hog wild with our $1,000 "payoff."  In actuality, WBPFFS supporters used their own resources to pay for expenses incurred during the challenge.  Unlike Maziarka's group, West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries or their supporters, we did not choose to participate in paid newspaper or radio advertising to promote our viewpoint.  Other than a reimbursement request for approximately $180 for the cost of an open records request made by another WBPFFS member, we did not utilize the FTRF grant.  This ORR concerned email and other communication to and from members of theCommon Council regarding the library controversy and the pending appointments of replacement members to the Library Board. 

I became involved in the library challenge because I am committed to the belief that, as a parent, I have the right to decide what reading material is appropriate for me and for my children.  To suggest that I did it for remuneration or that I am a tool of the ALA is as preposterous as it is insulting.  Maziarka suggests that the Library Board did not work in the best interest of families by way of their unanimous vote to keep the young adult materials unlabeled and where they are.  In fact, parents retain the power they have always had:  to determine if and when their children should have library cards, to decide how, when and with how much supervision those library cards should be used, and to provide guidance and ground rules for what materials are acceptable in their households. 

Maziarka says the library has been "hijacked" by the ALA, as if it is a subversive organization bent on taking power away from library patrons.  In fact, the American Library Association has always protected the rights of library patrons, including the Freedom to Read.  The FTRF was established to promote and defend freedom of expression and the right to read and listen to the ideas of others.  I believe that reading is among our greatest freedoms, and will continue to be vocal and vigilant about protecting that freedom.  I appreciate the work of the Freedom to Read Foundation, which helps to protect my right to read freely.  I hope Maziarka appreciates that this "hijacking" group works every day to protect her right to read freely as well. 

Maria Hanrahan is a resident of the city of West Bend, founder of West Bend Parents for Free Speech and co-president of Friends of the West Bend Library.

WI Family Action Announces NEW Voter Information Publication

From Wisconsin Family Action:

We are pleased to provide Wisconsin Family Council's 2010 Voter Publication Information (VIP).  Wisconsin Family Council (WFC) focuses on issues that impact Wisconsin’s traditional families.  We know Wisconsin is only as strong as its families; foundational issues such as marriage, life and liberty are the bedrock of our state.  

Check it out HERE

Dog kills 4-year-old girl in Iron Ridge

Truly sad.  Our condolences to the family of this precious baby girl.

IRON RIDGE, Wis. -- A 4-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a dog Wednesday afternoon in Hubbard Township near Iron Ridge, according to the Dodge County sheriff.

Spending Revolt Bus Tour in Fond du lac TOMORROW

Spending Revolt Tour in Wisconsin (Mon-Wed)

The Spending Revolt Tour wrapped up in North Dakota yesterday after a series of great events.  The sides of the bus are literally covered with signatures as Americans all across the country sign on to send a message to Washington: it’s time to stop the reckless and unsustainable spending.

So far we’ve been through Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota. Check out pictures on our Facebook page.  We’re in Minnesota today and tomorrow, then have lots stops in Wisconsin scheduled.

We’d love to see you at one of the events!  Come out to support the Spending Revolt Tour, sign the bus and show Washington that things need to change.


CLICK LINK ABOVE FOR WISCONSIN SCHEDULE

Robinson backs Kleefisch for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin

And so do I.

Excellent column today.  Read it in it's entirety HERE.  Curtsy to Boots and Sabers.

.....

 On the Republican side of the ticket there are three viable candidates; State Rep. Brett Davis, Superior Mayor Dave Ross and Rebecca Kleefisch. 

    Davis is the perceived front-runner being backed by most Republican insiders. That should be the first red flag. He’s been in the Assembly for years and has a mixed record. He voted for several of Gov. Doyle’s bloated budgets, including voting to raise taxes, increase spending, raid the Patients Compensation Fund (which was ruled unconstitutional), etc. He also has a record of several good votes, but when push came to shove, Davis has a poor record of standing by conservative values. 

    Ross has a good fiscal record as mayor of Superior. By all accounts he is an affable person with some common sense. There are two things that make me extremely wary of Ross. First, although he has now renounced it, he was one of a few Wisconsin mayors, including West Bend’s Kristine Deiss, who was a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Don’t be fooled by the name. This is a rabid anti-gun group headed by the likes of New York Mayor Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Ross’ membership in such a group doesn’t indicate a strong support of gun rights. 


....



    Finally, we get to Rebecca Kleefisch. She is a former television news anchor in the Milwaukee area and wife to a current Assemblyman who has a very strong conservative record. Kleefisch is known as a staunch conservative, but doesn’t have any elected record to back it up. She pitches her marketing background as an asset to advocate for Wisconsin business, but her ability to do so will be completely determined by the willingness of the governor to have her do that job instead of keeping it with existing state agencies. 

Get your T-shirt now.....

Wear it out.

Madison Woman Writes Checks to Help Kill Thousands of Babies....

More disturbing than words can express.  My commentary in red.

From the La Crosse Tribune:

MADISON — At all hours, strangers phone Anne Nicol Gaylor's Madison home, always desperate.

The caller one recent morning was a middle-aged woman with a 14-year-old pregnant daughter.

"What clinic will she be using?" asked Gaylor, 83, jotting down the response and the cost of a second-trimester abortion ($875).
...

Sounds a bit blasé, doesn't it?  Price quotes for baby killing?

"If we helped with $300, do you think you could find the rest?" Gaylor asked.
...

I call this "incentive money."  You could call it bribery, too.  You decide.

After the call, Gaylor opened a checkbook for the Women's Medical Fund, a Madison nonprofit that has helped pay for abortions for 34 years. Gaylor has written every check for every abortion.
...

First of all, let's not be surprised that this is happening in Madison.  Next, Gaylor has written every single check?  Control, thy name is Gaylor.  Women's Medical Fund?  Puhlease.  Let me help.  Women's Babykilling Fund.  Call it what it is.

This was No. 18,986.
...

We can only assume this means almost 19,000 babies were killed with the assistance of Gaylor and her ilk.  That means 19,000 "ooopsies," "accidents," "mistakes," "unwanteds," "low-class," "destined to be poor," "loser" babies didn't get the opportunity to contribute to society, prove themselves, make a difference....  I wonder how many were Wisconsinites?

.....

The fund's sole purpose is to pay for abortions. Last year, it paid out $162,202, about 75 percent of which came from individual donors, the rest from foundations.
...

I find it appalling that there is a woman out there with an agenda to make sure that she has a part in killing as many babies as she can before she dies.  Seriously.

..............

'All about the child'

I would agree with this, though it could be worded differently.  "All about GETTING RID OF the child," there, that's better.
...

The Supreme Court legalized abortion three years before the fund began, but many women simply couldn't afford the procedure, said Bob West, 82, of Madison, a professor emeritus of chemistry and co-founder of the fund with his wife, Margaret West, now deceased, and Gaylor. The three had become friends through the Madison chapter of the group Zero Population Growth.

Sounds like the Three Stooges found their counterparts.  The Butcher, the Snaker, the Blood Money Taker.

"For me, it was all about the child," he said.
...

Indeed.  The dead ones.

....

Anti-abortion activists have long been aware of the fund.

"It's a stark example of misguided compassion that serves as discrimination of the worst kind," said Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. "To finance extermination of pre-born children because those children would have been brought up poor is deplorable."

U GO WITH YOUR BAD SELF, MISS PEGGY.  

Gaylor said no one is chasing down low-income pregnant woman. [....] . She thinks critics would view the fund differently if they heard the calls.

Are you KIDDING ME?  I think not.  Ever.

.......

Gaylor:

On large families: "How presumptuous of someone to think the world is interested in a half-dozen or eight or 10 of their kids."
...

How presumptuous of someone to think the world is better off without them, and convincing others of same.

On anti-abortion activists: "They're religiously motivated, not intellectually motivated."
....

An opinion, one which she cannot prove and is simply using as a cover-up of the fact that most people with a conscience do not agree with her.

On abortion: "A blessing."
...

I don't think Jesus would agree.  What part of "thou shalt not kill" do you not understand?

Gaylor said she has never had an abortion but once witnessed the procedure when a woman asked her to be in the room for support. It did not change her views, she said.

This, in and of itself, would lend assurance to the ideal that Gaylor has no morals, no conscience, and no sense of personal value.  Does she even like people?

..............

"The guy who got you pregnant, is he helping you pay?" she asked a 19-year-old woman............

She can't be serious.  The guy who "got" you pregnant?  As if the woman had no part and he just waved his "wand" and boom! she was impregnated?  I can't imagine how the woman's answer would make a difference to this woman.  As she would most likely say, "Just write the check."  Right?

"My regret is that we don't have $1 million a year to give away so that we could help more women," she said.

Is she related to Dr. (ick) Jack Kevorkian?  Hitler? Just sayin'....

West Bend Storm Damage

Cleanup at First Baptist Church on Main Street/West Bend

I was driving home yesterday when these storms blew threw West Bend, so I arrived just after the worst had passed.  We had a partial tree down in our back yard with minor damage.  My daughters had rescued outside furniture and odds/ends.  We lost power from about 5 to 11:30 p.m.  Drove around today and looked at some of the damage.  Pics are below.  There was hardly a street we traveled that did not have folks out with chain saws, rakes, or piles of brush in front of their homes.  Seems like today was work day for all....


Some interesting video HERE from Fox6 and articles HERE and HERE.

Hwy. NN

Tree on top of building in WB Industrial

Park off Rusco Drive

Unfortunate parking location, Maplewynde Subdivision

Most West Bend streets looked like this.

Uprooted tree, Steiner Electric, WB Industrial Park

Downed tree in our subdivision...

Hwy. P between West Bend and Jackson

This one looks more like a lightening strike.

                                                     Men at work.

Maple Drive Subdivision

East Paradise Drive

Finished.

Timeline Outlines Hijacking of West Bend Library

Publication: West Bend Daily News;

Date: Aug 19, 2010;

Section: Opinion;

Page: A6

GUESTVIEW

Timeline outlines hijacking of library
By GINNY MAZIARKA 



    Over one year past the efforts of West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries to work with the West Bend Library, Young Adult librarian Kristin Pekoll, and Director Michael Tyree, let’s re-visit the outcome: Children are exposed to sexually explicit materials in the young adult section of West Bend’s Community Memorial Library, and this won’t be changing any time soon.

    During last year’s battle with our Library Board and the American Library Association (ALA), more than 1,500 citizens had voiced their concerns, requesting easy identification of such materials and appropriate placement in the adult section of our library; a request was made to place porn filtering software on our public computers. This common sense approach to assisting parents was rejected; these requests were met with a resounding “no.”

    Our library board caved to the pressures of a national organization instead of meeting the requests of the community they serve. The ALA went on to use West Bend as an example of its power over the people with a special invitation to our librarians and board members to share this victory at an annual conference.

    In what appears to be a continued assertion of authority, the ALA gave $1,000 to Maria Hanrahan, founder of West Bend Parents for Free Speech, to help in the “fight.” What, in my opinion, appeared to be a bribe could very well be what sealed the deal and motivated others to gravitate toward the ALA.

    Those who value our library, contribute to, support and regularly use the library should ponder this quote from a California group opposing Proposition 81 in 2006: “The values espoused by the American Library Association are so divorced from the values of our community that we would seriously consider ... going back to the days of a city library under local control, rather than giving one thin dime to an institution controlled by an organization that believes in ‘all materials for all patrons regardless of age.’”

    West Bend would do well to take heed of the above verbiage and consider what has become of our fine library under the auspices of the ALA.

    West Bend parents/taxpayers should take the time to educate themselves on what took place behind the scenes during the controversy by visiting https://westbend.pbworks.com. This same timeline is also entered into the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Library and is an extensive effort that has taken over a year to build. It is filled with numerous emails and other forms of communication that have never been seen publicly, which will reveal the efforts of our library board members and librarians to raise their fist at the parents of West Bend. The correspondence on this timeline includes conversations from city leadership such as Mayor Deiss, attorney Mary Schanning, attorney Warren Kraft, Nick Dobberstein, Barb Deters and more.

    Most importantly, this timeline will also confirm the covert involvement of national organizations to oppress small communities, undermine community standards and push the liberal agenda of the American Library Association.

    If you didn’t believe it before, you’ll believe it now. West Bend’s public library has been hijacked. It is no longer a safe place for your children. Families beware. Take action to protect your children and the conservative values of the city you call home.

    (Ginny Maziarka is a local blogger, town of West Bend resident and president of Eagle Forum of WI/Washington County, formerly West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries.) 

Greensboro City Attorney Gives Green Light to Block Internet Porn at Library

Imagine that!

City Council Wants Cheap Porn Block

Background

By unanimous vote on Monday, August 2, the Greensboro City 
Council directed the City Manager to come up with an economically 
viable and legal way to block access to pornography at the public 
libraries. 

At yesterday’s meeting of the Library Board of Trustees the Board 
voted unanimously to request Council’s approval of the library’s
 filtering option number two which states:

Implement a filter along with the existing computer 
management program to filter Internet access for all children 
and those adults who choose a filtered search.

__________________________________________________________________________

TO:                 Terry Wood, City Attorney

FROM:           James A. Dickens, Assistant City Attorney

                        SUBJECT:    When Providing Internet Access, 
Can Public Libraries Employ Software to 
Block Pornographic material that may be harmful to children? 

                                               

In sum, I conclude that the City may block obscene and 
pornographic images from internet websites in the public 
library, and the librarian is not legally required to allow 
adult patrons to view obscene or pornographic images in the 
public library.

West Bend City Council Considers Rescind on River Bluffs Project

Kudos to our City Council.....

The West Bend Common Council will consider rescinding its previous vote approving the River Bluffs Townhomes developer’s agreement at its next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 13. 

    Monday night, Alderman Ed Duquaine asked for that after listening to city staff reports on the status of the controversial project. 

    He said the developer, Real Estate Equities Development of St. Paul, Minn., was not meeting the construction costs it promised when it first pitched the project to the city. 

    “That’s a huge concern of mine,” he said. 

    Aldermen who voted for the developer’s agreement in June are now openly wondering if Real Estate Equities hadn’t oversold its project to them. 

The Full Scoop on RDA/River Bluffs

CONCERNED CITIZENS AD ON DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT  By JUDY STEFFES

 

Last Saturday a half-page-advertisement directed at ‘Fellow residents of West Bend’ ran in the West Bend Daily News. The ad focused on the proposed River Bluffs downtown housing development and outlined a series of landscape upgrades made over the past year in the TIF-5 district.

 

Mike Husar and Mary Martin Husar are part of a group of concerned citizens and business people that financed the ad.

 

“We feel the property has way more value and potential than the city is giving it credit for,” said Mike Husar noting the additions of the art gallery, train depot, The Binkery and upgrades to Veterans Avenue.

 

“We have the mayor telling us it’s blighted and low income and that’s not what we stand for,” he said.

 

The property in question is off Veterans Ave. near Wisconsin St.

Real Estate Equities from Minnesota is a private firm that has been working with the Redevelopment Authority and the city to construct townhomes on that parcel of vacant land.

The Husar’s, owners of Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds located on Main St., are across the river from the proposed housing project.

 

They, along with about 80 concerned citizens, said the ad was designed to drum up attention and prompt discussion on the true potential of the property.

 

“We want the community and the aldermen to be brought up to speed on what’s going on with the project and hopefully better understand our concerns,” said Husar.

 

“This is not like saying we’re putting the Farmer’s Market back there and if it doesn’t work we can move it. Once this project is built, it’s done, it’s over; there’s nothing we can do to change it.”

Some of the group’s concerns include the financial feasibility of the housing project and the long-term income value of the property. “I question the occupancy levels, the rental amount of $650 to $950 a month – there are too many ‘what ifs’ and speculation,” said Husar. 

 

“That housing project belongs some place in the city, but not there,” he said.

 

Mary Martin Husar said their ultimate goal is “what is going to be best for this community and that is to bring in something that is going to bring more tax increment.”

 

“This group has offered to the community and to every one of the powers that be that we are willing to help find the right mix over there,” she said.

 

The newspaper ad concluded with a statement – ‘Give the Downtown a chance to develop its real potential.’ Taxpayers were also encouraged to call city officials and offer their input.

 

The Husars have held one-on-one meetings with Mayor Kris Deiss, city administrator Dennis Melvin, community development director John Cappelle, police chief Ken Meuler, a handful of alderman and representatives from the Redevelopment Authority.

 

On Monday the West Bend Common Council will receive an update on TIF#5 and the River Bluffs development.

 

Melvin confirms there have been items of concern about the project. He said new findings regarding pro forma and tax increment will be discussed Monday.

 

Police chief Ken Meuler met with Real Estate Equities this week and also expressed concerns regarding traffic and parking issues and other potential disorder.

 

As of Wednesday, council members confirmed they received feedback from the ad.

Mayor Deiss received five calls, all against pursuing the housing development. 

 

District 4 alderman Nick Dobberstein fielded 11 e-mails and six phone calls – three favored the development and 14 spoke against pursuing the housing option. 

 

District 7 alderman Deb Anderson received 17 calls and emails with two in favor and the rest either against the housing or looking for clarification on the development.  

 

District 8 alderman Roger Kist received three responses and two were against the proposed housing.

 

District 6 alderman Mike Schlotfeldt received five responses with one in favor of the housing and four against.

 

District 1 alderman Tony Turner said he received a handful of calls with a majority against the housing proposal.

 

Calls from aldermen Steve Hutchins or Ed Duquaine were not received by deadline.

 

*NOTE:   

- District 1 West Bend alderman Tony Turner has changed his phone number. Turner said he dropped his land line for a cell phone. His new number is 262-366-5374. Turner’s information has been updated on the city’s Web site.