How can some people decry and protest the loss of 4,178 soldiers' lives since the beginning of the war in Iraq while turning a blind eye to the 7,304,000 baby's lives lost over that same time period to abortion? Are not all lives precious and worth our attention?
Is it not hypocritical that a person can be prosecuted for murder if they bring about harm to an unborn child due to negligence, drug use or violence but it is legal for a woman to choose to end the life of her child? Where is the consistency in our laws?
How is it possible that some states, including Wisconsin, have banned the death penalty under the premise that it is cruel and unusual punishment but yet allow abortion to occur unchecked? Is this not the ultimate display of duplicity?
The United States Declaration of Independence states: We are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Does not abortion deny these most basic rights to the unborn?
In this upcoming election, please remember that there are more important issues than the economy at stake.
When it comes to newspaper columnists, I am in sync ideologically with the progressives Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman, and Eugene Robinson, but in terms of style, I have always admired conservatives William F. Buckley Jr., William Safire, and George F. Will. I have always respected the intellectual integrity and sincerity of all of these political pundits, regardless of political persuasion.
Unfortunately, Mr. Buckley is no longer with us, and Mr. Safire is no longer writing his weekly column. Fortunately, Mr. Will lives, breathes, cogitates, and regularly writes his column, which I read whenever I can.
Recently, in discussing presidential aspirant John McCain, Mr. Will has written that which I appreciate stylistically and, surprisingly, even agree with. "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" as Lewis Carroll — not Sarah Palin — might have said. It is the best of both worlds!
There have been times in the past when I have agreed somewhat with Mr. Will, but in "Is McCain Fit for the Presidency?" I find that we are in complete agreement — intellectual blood brothers, if you will. Conservative stalwart Will opines: "For McCain, politics is always operatic. Pitting people who agree with him against those who are 'corrupt' or 'betray the public's trust,' two categories that seem to be exhaustive" for Mr. McCain.
Mr. Will, the cerebral darling of contemporary conservatives, continues, "McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitude, is not suited to the presidency." Will then rhetorically asks, "Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?"
In the more recent "McCain in a Bear Market," Baltimore Orioles fan Will remembers a question often asked by former Orioles manager Earl Weaver, who would query umpires, "Are you going to get any better or is this it?" Mr. Will asks the same of Sen. McCain.
Mr. Will refers to Mr. McCain's running mate Sarah Palin as McCain's "female Sancho Panza." I wish I had thought of that literary comparison. Mr. Will has nailed it. However, whenever I think of Ms. Palin, "Through the Looking Glass" always comes to mind.
Have you heard her in attack mode recently? "'Twas brillig, and the slithy William Ayers did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko and Barack Hussein Obama outgrabe."
This is a woman whose handlers could program her to go out and tell voters that the moon is made out of green cheese, and she would do it enthusiastically and vehemently — because she would believe it!
Have you seen John McCain standing behind her at rallies, flashing that uncomfortable merdivorous grin, while wondering if Cindy will ever wear the same outfit twice? (Incidentally, I'll give you odds that she doesn't).
Will is not the only conservative to abandon ship on Mr. McCain. I could use a metaphor based on rodents and sea craft to make my point, but that would be unfair.
Oh, well, life isn't always fair, as Mr. McCain has often said, but I have a feeling that this presidential-election year, it will be.
Fight the political machine by casting your ballot
I have been volunteering some of my time in assisting people to register to vote. What I have noticed is that there are quite a number of people who say they are not going to vote.
As a nation we have witnessed corruption in our political system and our apparent inability to change it. We have been led to believe our vote doesn't make a difference. We have been assaulted by an overwhelming glut of conflicting "information" that seems to deny the possibility of making a wise and informed voting decision. I suggest that these conditions have been carefully manipulated to disenfranchise you. By not voting we give the existing political machinery the go ahead to continue as they please.
Students for years have shown a lack of concern about participating in the political process. This year the blossoming of interest on their part has altered the whole political landscape. Suddenly the playing field has changed, and the old way of doing and predicting things doesn't work any longer. This surge of idealism has made a huge difference. Politicians are changing the way they do things.
Student or not you make a difference. Let's be idealistic and vote this election.
Hines (Luke) Metz,
Baraboo
Don't allow McCain to privatize health care
"I'm a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention," said President Bush while pitching his bailout plan. But "these are not normal circumstances."
So basically, what he's saying is that markets should be allowed to run amok with no government effort to guarantee honesty and accountability. Then when things fall apart and we find ourselves in the greatest financial crises since the Depression, only then can the government can finally intercede, and do it to the tune of $700 billion of the taxpayers' money. Wouldn't it have been better and less expensive if the administration had lived up to its responsibilities all along?
So what of John McCain? Time and again he has supported the administration's ill-conceived policies. One example is McCain's support for Bush's ill-fated Social Security privatization plans. Had "John McCain and his congressional allies" had their way, Social Security would also be deeply embroiled in the current crises.
Now McCain plans to apply the right-wing ideology of "privatize and deregulate everything" to health care. McCain would tax your health care benefits. In return he offers a tax credit paid not to you, but to your insurance company. He also promises to shield insurers from state regulators by allowing them to sell individual policies across state borders even if they do not meet the quality standards of the state they are selling them in. This poison pill will bring down the existing health care system, leaving us with something far worse. Younger, healthier people will not want to pay more to participate in their employer's health care plans and will opt to get individual plans. Those left behind will be the ones who need insurance the most. This will raise costs for their employers, causing them to drop their plans.
It is estimated that as many as 20 million Americans will lose their health insurance this way. They will then be forced to buy insurance in a market where insurers will set up shop where they will not be required to cover preexisting conditions, can pick and choose how and what kind of benefits they cover, how much they are going to charge, and be free to deny claims as they see fit. Individual insurance plans will cost more and families can expect to pay more.
McCain believes that a poorly regulated marketplace will create all kinds of wonderful insurance options for their customers, just as his friends thought it would for mortgages. This is not the kind of change we need.
Michael Ableman,
Baraboo
Administration's mistakes create need for change
A few more thoughts on the presidential race:
* If you underrate the value or the abilities of anyone, you may miss both what they have to offer, and the reasons others will stand behind that person. If you treat anyone as a "know-nothing," it may end up saying more about you than about that person.
* Sarah Palin said during the debate that she, as vice president, would welcome vehicles to gain more power for that office. I didn't hear anyone comment on it afterwards. Isn't an overextension of the vice presidency one of the troubles we have been having as a political entity?
* We now benefit from people who provide, appreciate, and incorporate the knowledge of science available to us. Some of you have a belief system that at times contradicts what is well understood throughout the broader scientific community; not accepting that Earth has been around or populated by plants or animals for millions of years, you think in terms of thousands of years (5,000 to 6,000). It may shape your views on things such as dinosaurs, fossils, fossil fuels, and causes of global warming. For our mutual survival, I would like to know that those who represent me in government do not, because of a different way of experiencing time itself, eschew scientific data regarding the environment.
* I want the leaders of my nation to understand everything that Planned Parenthood has been trying to tell us for years and years and years. That means that it would continue to be up to my daughters, ideally with the support of their mates, physicians, or anyone else whose counsel they might seek (including a deity, a coin toss, or a Ouiji Board), to determine how they would view events within their bodies. It is my impression that women can feel overexposed in trying to vocalize their reproductive rights — I know I do. I want my daughters to be surrounded by love, support, and solid information to aid them through whatever faces them. I don't want the Bible to be the acid test of civil law, even if they or others use the Bible to measure their own steps.
* I do not think the mistakes of the administration the past eight years would suggest a continuation of leadership so closely in step with it.
* Does race have anything to do with this election? As the kid's rhyme goes, "Yes/No/Maybe So." Obama appears to win the "content of character" race hands-down.
I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden to lead the United States of America through a challenging time and into a better one.
Nancy Peidelstein,
Baraboo
Free throw shooters eligible for title, travel
My dear friends and colleagues,
The Elks stay in touch with the youth across America.
The Elks' National Hoop Shoot free throw program is America's largest non-commercial co-educational sports program. It offers kids ages 8 to 13 regardless of race, color, or creed an opportunity for character and skill development; healthy spirited athletic competition; social relationships; quality family time; camaraderie; and travel with minimal expense to participants and parents.
Kids advance through local, district, state, regional and national levels. One boy and one girl in each of the three age categories (8-9, 10-11, 12-13) wins a national title at the finals in Springfield, Mass. The top six national finalists' names are inscribed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The program builds character while promoting integrity, hard work, quality family time and good sportsmanship.
The Baraboo Elks want you to be involved. So I am writing to let you know about the Elks National Hoop Shoot Program and encourage all 8- to 13-year-olds, both girls and boys, to practice and get involved. There is absolutely no cost to you and you do not have to preregister; just show up, and you can win minimal-cost trips for both parents and contestants to district, state, regional and national contests.
The local contest includes the areas of Baraboo, Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells, Sauk Prairie and River Valley. It will be held at St. Joseph's School Gym, 310 Second Ave. in Baraboo on Nov. 8. Registration will be at 9 a.m. Shooting will commence at 10 a.m. All contestants are allowed 10 minutes to warm up and get acquainted with the floor and basket under the supervision of the contest officials. Each contestant will get five warm-up shots and then will shoot 10 for score. He or she will then be seated while others do the same. Then each contestant will shoot 15 shots to complete their 25 for score. Ties will be broken by taking five additional shots in the same shooting order as the regular contest.
Attention parents or guardians of boys and girls 8-13 years old who will need your cooperation to get to the Hoop Shoot competition: Birth certificates (or copies of) are required at time of registration. Kids 8-13 years old: Get out and practice, practice, and more practice.
Gil Schroeder, exalted ruler, Baraboo Elks
Manager will be missed at Pierce's Eastside Market
We would like to thank Bill Harris for working so hard at Pierce's Eastside grocery store as store manager the past three years.
He treated his employees and customers like royalty. His "whistle" and positive attitude filled the store. The hours he worked at the store were phenomenal.
Sad to say, he has been relocated to the Pierce's Westside store. Our loss is their gain. We will miss you, Bill. Good luck in your new position.
Dean and Kim Blum,
Baraboo
Golf outing raised $13,000 for Red Cross
On behalf of the American Red Cross, I would like to thank all of you who participated in the Swing for the Red golf outing on Sept. 9 at the Chula Vista Resort. With your support we raised close to $13,000 that will help to keep the Red Cross a viable part of the communities we support. We had a fantastic day of golf, fun, food and prizes.
At this time I would like to thank the businesses that were our sponsors:
Dinner sponsor: North American Mechanical Inc.; lunch sponsor: Pierce's Marketplace; reception sponsor: St. Gobain. They have agreed to be our premier sponsor next year.
Our hole sponsors: Crawford Oil; E.K. Machines; Moy, Borchert and Erbs; Chalet Lanes; General Engineering; Fall River Foundry; Greenwood's State Bank; Baraboo National Bank; Associated Bank; Meigs Trucking; D&L Lawn Service; Gorman and Company; Fearing's Electronics; Parisi Construction; New Life Physical Therapy; Rhyme Business; Wal-Mart;, McDonald's; and Culver's. A very special thank you goes to Pat Watson and Cardinal FG for providing the great live auction prize once again. And last, Ken Jahn and Two Rivers Signs for all sponsor signs and C&H Distributors for other signage.
Thank you so much to Chula Vista resort and staff that hosted the golf outing. And thank you to our previous golf "home" Portage Country Club and Suzy's, which so capably hosted our event for several years.
Moving the event from Portage to the Dells was a difficult decision, but our Columbia County office, as of July 1, switched regional chapters from Oshkosh to the Badger Chapter in Madison. The Badger Chapter is in charge of 10 counties including neighboring counties Dane, Sauk, Adams and Juneau. This change enabled us to go into more counties to obtain more participants. The central location of Chula Vista allowed us to reach out to more golfers and also have more space for dining and our auction items.
And finally, a huge thanks you to all of the people of Columbia, Sauk and the rest of the 10-county Badger Chapter region who support the Red Cross. You help your neighbors every day by donating blood, by donating your volunteer time, and by donating money to be sure the Red Cross will always be there to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters.
Our next event is April 25, An Evening in Red gala dinner. Hope to see many of you there.
Pam Oxman, district director,
American Red Cross
Leave the Obama yard signs alone
What is this nonsense about stealing Obama yard signs?
Some folks have had four or more signs stolen, others have had theirs run over, and I personally know of about 30 signs around our area in Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo that have disappeared. A friend told me she watched as someone drove into my friend's driveway, got out of her car, took the sign, put it in the car and drove away. I can't remember why she didn't go out and confront her, but there are a good many reasons why one may not want to do that.
It is difficult to believe that our neighbors and others are so petty. How about live and let live? How about "Do unto your neighbor as you would have them do unto you?" How about the First Amendment, freedom of speech?
If we can't believe in any of these, then our nation is in bigger trouble than all the ones we've already got.
How about we all calm down a bit, and show respect to each other as good neighbors should.
Marty Preston, Lake Delton
Let's think carefully about who we elect this fall
My Name is Ed Kurtz. I'm 84 years old, a successful retired businessman, who has witnessed many, many elections. Never has one carried the serious ramifications like the one we're witnessing today.
I'm not telling anyone who to vote for, but I am telling all of us to carefully consider all ramifications before actually casting our ballots.
Hence my subject: "Study and think."
Barack Obama has written a book primarily dealing with his record as an Illinois senator. I've read it. He discusses his successes and failures ... interesting reading, you decide.
Consider John McCain's impeccable record while serving in the military. Does this service, however, qualify him to lead the free world? You decide.
Let's consider their running mates:
Joe Biden — we seem to know little about him. Oh yes, we know that he has been a world traveler, a senator of dozens of years, that he has met with world leaders, etc. Would you be comfortable with him as president? You decide.
Sarah Palin — never have we witnessed a politician create such instant chemistry with the electorate. Many have connected with her in one way or another, but she reportedly has many issues both favorable and unfavorable. Just because I may enjoy the opportunity of inviting her to my home for pizza and beer, does this make her presidential timber? You decide.
Heaven forbid, disaster of one sort or another befall our president-elect. If this were to happen, which of our running mates would you be most comfortable with becoming the most powerful person in the world? You decide.
Let us elect a president that will surround himself with the most knowledgeable aides.
Let us elect a president that will seek out, punish, and rid fraudulent governmental and Wall Street personnel whose greed has contributed to the devastating financial problems we face today.
This is not a personality contest: We're not electing a prom king or queen. We're called upon to elect the people most qualified to deal with the unconscionable problems facing our nation and world today.
What a pity that such ludicrous lies and untruths are being employed to gain votes ... we must cast our vote for the party that we feel with deal with truth and honesty.
I'm an American, a thinking, spiritual person who believes that our nation will elect the leadership it deserves.
May our study and positive thinking guide us in making the correct decision.
Ed Kurtz,
Baraboo
