Vitamin D will raise your spirits

Should I share?

I have asked the Lord, in prayer, many times if I should share my experiences. To the best of my ability it seems like He has said to me to do so.

Many people have evaluated me and shared with me the belief I am a very optimistic person. But, the fact is I can feel emotionally blue on occasions. I shared this with a couple of relatives recently and got some excellent advice. They said I was a victim of seasonally affective disorder (S.A.D.). In Wisconsin the remedy for that is large quantities of Vitamin D.

We Badgers do not get enough sunshine during the winter months. Sunshine provides us an adequate amount of vitamin D the warmer seasons of the year. But are you an indoor person?

I checked the information with my general practitioner and he said 3,000 I.U. of the vitamin could be adequate for a 160-pound person. He has me scheduled for a blood test 30 days from inception. The vitamin is one of the fat soluble vitamins and is toxic at certain levels for people of various body sizes and various levels of body mass (fat content). Make sure you check with your own physician.

Vitamin D raised my spirits within three days. My hope and prayer is that, those who have not been aware of this information, will benefit.

Frank Marshall,

Rock Springs

An open letter to Biship Morlino

Dear Bishop Morlino,

Since the beginning of our one-way correspondence, people have asked me a number of questions that I can't answer. In an attempt to respond to their concerns with official, current responses, I hereby present their questions to you and ask for your insights and official positions.

Here are inquiries that quickly come to mind:

What is the status of the review of the false allegations against Father Vosen? Where does the responsibility for resolving this lie —-Rome or Madison? Has the Church rewarded any of the accusers with money? If "yes", why and how much? Why isn't Father, apparently an innocent man, allowed to say Mass or distribute the Eucharist? Why has the investigation of Father's case taken so long? When is the investigation scheduled to end and Father returned to his former status with all of his priestly duties restored?

Since we disagree with the unconscionable treatment of Father Vosen, how can we prevent a portion of our Church contributions from being used to support the Diocese? We understand at least one church in the area has suffered severe losses of members and Church unity. Is this a protest against the Church/administration and its policies? If so, how much of this must occur before changes are made? Why hasn't Father Vosen been granted the presumption of innocence?

When a priest is charged, perhaps falsely, with misconduct, isn't it the duty of the Bishop to protect and defend the priest until the review of the case is completed and the priest is declared guilty or innocent?

The above questions are obviously random as they came to mind. If I missed any, I'll submit the others after I review my file of e-mails, memos, voice messages, etc. This letter has been a spontaneous exercise to convey items that are troubling your flock.

All indications are that my previous certified mailings have reached your office, but they may not have been brought to your attention. I hope someone will hand-deliver a copy of this memo to you so you can respond to the above questions which I cannot answer.

Thanking you in advance, I am respectfully yours for justice (for Father Vosen) and for peace and tranquility in the Diocese.

Walter D. Smith,

(The messenger),

Baraboo

Shame on Republicans for their actions

The economic stimulus bill has finally become law. Not a single Republican House member voted for it, and only two Republican senators voted in favor.

To their shame Republican leaders flooded the talk shows and news outlets to try to gain public support against it. They were opposed to any spending provisions, and opposed any tax cuts that would not benefit their wealthy supporters. They opposed helping unemployed people.

The irony in their actions is the fact that they created our economic fiasco when they controlled Congress during the Bush administration. They freed Wall Street from restraints enacted to protect investors from risky schemes. During the eight years of the Bush mis-administration they also enacted huge tax cuts for the extremely wealthy and large corporations which created our huge deficit. The Bush assault on Iraq added additional billions to that deficit.

Anyone with a memory longer than five months should be repelled by seeing the Republican congressional leaders complaining about fiscal irresponsibility in the stimulus bill when they have the worst record of fiscal failure since the Great Depression, a depression which Republicans also created by allowing Wall Street excesses to cause that financial collapse.

People should also be disgusted by the leading Republican mouthpiece, Rush Limbaugh, saying that he hopes that the Obama administration will fail in its attempt to solve the problems that Obama has inherited.

Over the years many Republicans falsely trumpeted their patriotism while questioning that of the Democrats. After reading and listening to their statements, I doubt their patriotism. Apparently they have adopted partisan politics and greed over working for the economical and political survival of our country.