Feingold's experience reason to vote for him, reader says in Waushara Argus Newspapers
As printed in the Waushara Argus Newspapers, Wautoma Wisconsin. Wednesday, September 29, 2010. Volume 131 No 39
As printed in the Waushara Argus Newspapers, Wautoma Wisconsin. Wednesday, September 29, 2010. Volume 131 No 39
As printed in the Waushara Arugs Newspapers, Published by Wautoma Newspapers, Inc. Wautoma Wisconsin.
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010. Volume 151 No 40
Link to Waushara Argus Website: http://www.wausharaargus.com/
It’s fall out and I just wanted to take a second out to mention my heros – the farmers of not only Waushara County, but everywhere. As far as useful talents for little praise, my hat is off to them.
Here’s to you, oh driver of shoulder monster. After a flood, a drought and a $25,000 part for the combine, there you are, at it still – five miles an hour in a downpour, bringing food for our tables. People curse you alongside the road and don’t say “thanks” when the sweet corn hits the grocery stores….Buy you continue along. /s/ Dave Nelson, Wautoma
Our nation and state budgets are busting, and Occupy Wall Street Protests bring to light the Democratic and Republican support for Wall Street Banks. The banks get bailed out and the 99% of people get sold out.
In 2010 our Minnesota law enforcement arrested 11,361 people for marijuana possession, that is about 65% of MN drug arrests. At what cost to local and state budgets do we make people criminals for use of a plant with legitimate medical uses, and used for adult recreation can not kill you with any size overdose? Last year over 900,000 Americans had a marijuana arrest, so our failed trillion dollar war on drugs should get re-examined, right? Cannabis prohibition has failed, more funding of it is just nuts!
Follow the money and you often find big problems, with Wall Street Banks as well as our War On Drugs. Cannabis prohibition supports organized crime costing over 40,000 dead in Mexico in past 7 years and over 500 of those were police.
A medical marijuana law was passed in Minnesota and Tim Pawlenty did a veto. He had support of MN Police Unions. I recall when same Police Unions said if MN passed a “Shall Issue” gun permit law that MN would become the wild west! I agree with past Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum who supported and said about medical marijuana; “… keep government’s nose out from between a doctor and patient…”
I worked as a RN, and support an end to cannabis prohibition and replacing the drug war criminal system in place now with a public heath model and tax/regulate cannabis as we do more deadly cigs and alcohol. Now in Washington a bill (HB 2306) to end federal cannabis prohibition is having all hearings blocked by “less regulation” Republicans and our local Congressman Peterson. What are they afraid of by holding hearings – the truth?
Source
As we know from the past, Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Falls) has not been friendly to cannabis reform in Wisconsin. She has held this Senate seat for nearly 30 years and held onto her prohibitionist position just as long. Alberta Darling disapproved of Tony Evers’ plan to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin, saying in January 2019: “Right now, I think there’s enough concern that I think we’d really have to do our homework and dig deep into research, whether we want to go full out on that issue.” In 2020 she received the lowest rating a politician can receive from NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).
Many Republicans are supporting marijuana reform, but some of them are confused and confusing in the things they say. Like Assembly Rep. Robin Vos continuing to say he “supports medical marijuana” out of one side of his head and then the other side of his head says Wisconsin cannot even hold a hearing on the issue because it would be a circus.
Whether what these people say is to confuse voters or whether these people are just confused, it does not matter because their inactions speak louder than their words. We have a chance to vote Senator Darling out this November as she faces challenger Neal Plotkin (D-Glendale).
Senator Darling failed, plain and simple. And she failed to even understand the basics of cannabis reform after over decades in office and it shows after her recent WI EYE candidate interview on Oct 22nd, 2020. She did not get back to my office about her “miscue?” in the interview, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also picked up on the story and reported the following:
Campaign 2020: Sen. Alberta Darling (R) River Falls – 8th Senate District – WisconsinEye
Also in the interview, Darling said she supports legalizing medical marijuana — a measure she voted against last year — and she incorrectly claimed the state already allowed its use. Afterward, Darling spokesman Bob Delaporte said she had misspoken and meant that legislators had legalized CBD oil, a marijuana derivative that lacks the component that gives users a high.
Darling wants to meet with her colleagues before deciding whether to support a medical marijuana program, Delaporte said.
But in the WisconsinEye interview, Darling spoke more broadly, saying she supports medical marijuana but not recreational marijuana.
“We do legalize medical marijuana and I think that’s really important,” she said. “But I think to legalize recreational marijuana is going down a dangerous path.”
Darling and other Republicans stripped a medical marijuana provision out of Evers’ proposed budget last year.
The 8th District of the Wisconsin Senate is located in Southeastern Wisconsin, and is composed of parts of Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, and Waukesha County. (Map)
Contact Alberta Darling with your support of marijuana reform and help educate this politician on why allowing the compassionate use of medical cannabis and ending marijuana prohibition in Wisconsin is good public policy.
Emailto:Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov
Web: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/Pages/leg-info.aspx?d=8&h=S
Phone: 608-266-5830
Address: State Capitol, Room 317 East Post Office Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Printed in the Ripon Commonwealth Press, Issue No. 26 on Thursday, July 1st, 2010.
The contest to represent Ripon residents and others who live in state Assembly District 41 looks to involve the candidacies of at least two individuals with farm-related interests.
The incumbent, Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, is a co-owner of Ballweg Implement, a John Deere dealership that she and husband Tom started in 1976.
Challenging Ballweg is Jay Selthofner, a Green Lake resident and Berlin High School graduate, who announced his candidacy as an independent last week.
Selthofner’s agricultural expertise centers are his advocacy for the legal cultivation of hemp cannabis. The position pervades most of his issues.
He argues that pot growers could help our state economically while reducing reliance on fossil fuels, comforting patients with medical marijuana and “provid(ing) a safer choice that alcohol.”
On that last argument Selthofner appears most vulnerable.
One could reasonably ask him: “What are you smoking?”
The last thing this country needs is another mind-altering drug injested for recreational purposes.
Even a smoky haze can’t mask the fact that America is enduring some of its more difficult days.
It continues to be fighting wars on two fronts.
Its economy is shaky, with unemployment high and talk of a possible “double-dip” recession.
The Gulf is facing an unparalleled environmental disaster.
Terrorists continue their attempts to kill Americans on a massive scale.
Its national debt is unsustainable yet no one appears motivated to make hard choices to avert the financial crisis that threatens America’s freedom and the futures of her children.
Meanwhile, leaders in Washington and Madison from different parties gaze at each other from opposite sides of a Grand Canyon of ideological differences, subordinating public interest to political one-upsmanship.
This is no time to get high or get drunk.
It’s time to get serious.
Selthofner argues that “we need to decriminalize marijuana for personal recreational use by responsible adults, in the interest of fairness, personal freedom and compassion.”
Note the contradiction in the sentence above; Responsible adults don’t smoke marijuana recreationally.
They’re too busy trying to earn a living, raise a family and serve as a role models for children they raise to believe that the world already offers more than enough behavioral diversions.
Some are beautiful: A walk in the woods, captivating a book, inspiring a piece of music, time spent with friends and family, opportunities to help others, hard work, appreciating a painting, exercise, worship, laughter.
Some are risky: Smoking, drinking, lying, cheating, drugging, driving and casual sex.
We don’t need more risky diversions.
The world is sufficiently dangerous, thank you.
But isn’t marijuana a victimless drug?
No. A substance that alters the mind certainly changes behavior – no minor the matter on the highways, at the workplace or event in the home, particularly with children.
But isn’t marijuana, as Selthofner contends, safer than alcohol?
Let’s say it is, even despite the gateway-drug argument – that is, if you enjoy getting high from a joint, how large a leap is it to then smoke hashish, eat mushrooms, drop acid, etc.?
Does the fact that product A is safer than product B mean that Product A should be permissible?
The logic is specious.
If Johnny throws stones, does it make sense to permit Janey to throw sticks, since they are less lethal?
That fact that it is legal to consume one substance, under regulated and controlled circumstances, doesn’t hold a society duty-bound to, by extension, open the gate to all other substances, even if they are deemed less potent.
But best reason to reject Selthofner’s campaign argument to legalize marijuana for recreational use is that such a suggestion is fiddling while Rome is burning.
Wisconsin faces real challenges – structural deficit, school financing, health-care affordability, mass transit – that require clear-headed thinking from leaders in Madison but also from their bosses, the constituents they represent.
The last thing Wisconsin residents need to do in the face of growing concerns is to escape by themselves in a cloud of marijuana smoke.
Is it too unreasonable to suggest that we owe it to ourselves, if not our children, to act in ways that are more, not less, mature, responsible and sober?
—Tim Lyke
LAST WORD IS YOURS…….
Care to share your thoughts about how and under what circumstances marijuana should be legalized?
Email your thoughts to: ians@riponprinters.com
Submit them via: www.RiponPress.com
Or address your letter to: Letters to the Editor, The Ripon Commonwealth Press, PO BOX 344, Ripon, WI 54971
TAKE THE POLL! TAKE THE POLL! TAKE THE POLL!
Marijuana poll found at Ripon Commonwealth Press on the homepage:
Please take the poll.
Some people may not even know where Tomah Wisconsin is and as the generation gaps grow the show Green Acres may have never even been watched by some activists. While others are reliving their joyful youth and found memories of the show, hoping to incorporate part of the simple life into their current lifestyle. A recent letter to the editor printed in The Tomah Journal and Tomah Monitor Herald entitled Goodbye City Life by Bob Kliebenstein takes is down memory lane and some visions of a progressive future for central Wisconsin, including medical marijuana. I have read another editorial from Mr. Kliebenstein touching on the subject of music, marijuana and ideas for the state and it sounds to me like this guy should join up with NORML or some other organization and help make some noise.
Most of the activities in the past years centered around the Madison and the rest of Wisconsin is eager to see some action also. The 2009-2010 legislation session saw emergence of the movement outside our state capitol. The T.H.C. Tour (Talking Hemp and Cannabis) made several locations statewide, a statewide activist meeting in Tomah and formation of Northern Wisconsin NORML were among the highlights that included a variety of protests and street side awareness campaigns. Up next the Milwaukee and Eau Claire area look to officially mobilize and the national is talking about the next Willie Nelson Teapot Party meeting date set for January 18th. The proof is the activity that every corner of the state has people waiting to help. The proof is in the facts that marijuana reform could help every county within our borders here in Wisconsin. We just need to connect all the dots and tie these strings together through networking, communication and continued activity. I wonder what we will hear nest from Mr. Kliebenstein?
How many people recall the comedy program Green Acres popular in the 1960s?
Green Acres starred Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a Manhattan couple who moved from the comfy confines of the Big Apple to a small “fixer upper” farm in Hooterville to fulfill his dream, which was her nightmare.
Albert’s character, Oliver, dreamt of being a gentleman farmer raising a few cattle and tilling the land on an old tractor. Gabor’s character, Lisa, was a constant source of comedic anguish for Oliver as she tried (meagerly) to adapt to their new lifestyle.
What fuels this trip down television’s memory lane? After getting married, Marie and I moved from my family farm and successfully integrated into “village life,” while still working on the farm for a short period.
That consisted of adapting to life in a small village of less than 900 residents, which was less traumatic than moving to a large city. Eventually our family moved to Tomah. Although a rural community, it took a while to settle into a small city routine.
At some point I hoped to escape the confines of city life. It took a little longer than anticipated, but after more than 10 years our family has returned n sort of n to Green Acres.
A few weeks ago we closed on a house that sits on 1.5 acres a couple miles on the outskirts of Tomah. It is a quiet area that fit two of the needs we sought, close proximity to Tomah, yet located in a country setting.
Its location can be more accurately described as “domestic rural.” Unlike Oliver on Green Acres, neighbors won’t see me bouncing around on an antique tractor planting corn or milking a few cows by hand.
Although after surveying a much larger yard I may consider putting up an electric fence and grazing a few head of cattle. The initial investment would likely exceed the cost of a riding lawn mower, but the end result of steaks on the grill would be a succulent reward.
I would enjoy the early morning bellow of several Holstein steers. The family would likely frown on having our home surrounded by a small pasture. I will research the cost of a small riding mower just in case the cattle proposal does not fly. A couple of pigs would be a nice touch. I will name them Arnold I and Arnold II. But like the steer, the fate of any Arnold the Pig would result in a pork chop.
If Wisconsin legislators take an aggressive stance to endorse medicinal marijuana, maybe a parcel of our large yard could be sub-divided for a small cash crop. I wonder if there is a tax break for converting some of the yard into agricultural use.
Marie has a skilled green thumb with flowers. Her plant-nurturing skills would be put to the test. Maybe we could build a little financial nest egg for our daughter’s college funds. All legal of course. I wonder if the township has zoning in place that restricts that type of growth industry. Oh well, if Wisconsin drags its political feet, the point will be moot.
If not livestock or a cash crop, our large yard may be just the perfect size for a small neighborhood music festival. Think Woodstock on a much, much, much smaller scale for a neighborhood block party in a domestic rural setting n minus the mud.
Now if I could find a reasonably priced AC/DC tribute band. If not, I wonder if that venue event would warrant a Bonneville Roof Riders reunion gig.
I’m not quite sure how to utilize that 1.5 acre parcel of land we now call home. Agricultural, recreational, the options are intriguing.
Maybe we’ll just set a fire ring in the middle of the yard, start a campfire and enjoy a few cocktails with our new neighbors when the weather is more conducive.
Yup, that sounds like the best choice. We may not have Green Acres, but we will settle for the Kliebenstein Acre n and one-half. And a quick note to our neighbors. I am only kidding about the cattle and pigs.
But I kind of like the neighborhood music festival idea.
Bob Kliebenstein is now a rural Tomah resident.
Why I support Medical Marijuana
Article by NORML Randall
Shortly after celebrating New Year’s Day in January of 1989, I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease (lymphoma) at the age of 17. I celebrated my 18th Birthday in March, I remember thinking if I would live to see my 19th Birthday. I had no idea at that time what I was going through not only would change me as a person; but it would affect me for the rest of my life, in numerous ways, especially my health as sadly I’m still finding out suffering from long-term side effects from the chemotherapy and radiation treatments I endured from 1989 i.e. RICAD/Radiation Induced Coronary Artery Disease, HVR/Heart Valve Regurgitation, Vertigo, Internal organs damaged, Dysphagia, Hypogonadism, Hypothyroidism, Esophageal Reflux, Esophageal Stricture, Esophageal Dilation, Abnormal Blood Chemistry, Neuropathy, Hiatal Hernia, etc.
I still remember little moments of being awake and projectile vomiting during my chemotherapy treatments, writhing around and filling the adult diaper I wore with everything my body had to give, from the poisonous internal destruction being pumped in through my Hickman Catheter tube that was inserted through my chest into my heart. Every now and then a new toxic syringe was delivered by the nurse and released into my IV; she wore gloves and a mask just handling it due to the toxic nature of its ingredients.
By end of the third round of chemotherapy, I was nauseated and not eating/drinking anything, I was losing my hair, eyelashes, and all hair all over my body. My skin and body kept puffing and swelling up larger and larger. The doctors told me I needed to eat and drink fluids in between each chemotherapy session in order for my body to help flush out and eliminate the toxicity of the chemotherapy from my body. They warned that if I didn’t eat and drink fluids the chemotherapy sessions would have to be put on hold to help prevent further damage to my internal organs. I told the doctors I was too nauseated to do anything and my depression of the whole situation was spiraling worse and worse; the horrific reactions to the chemotherapy had led me to feeling suicidal after the 4th round, I no longer wanted to continue with the chemotherapy.
Around the time of my fourth chemotherapy treatment, a friend told me of an Uncle of his that went through cancer several years before me. He smoked Cannabis to help reduce the side effects of the chemotherapy and this allowed his body to have an appetite for food and fluids; thus he got some temporary relief. After speaking with my parents and doctors about smoking Cannabis, the doctors supported my use, telling me that it was still a smoke I’m inhaling so not to smoke more than I needed. The doctors at the University Hospital in Madison allowed me to discreetly smoke small amounts of Cannabis inside my bathroom, inside the Hospital.
My doctors also gave me a prescription for Marinol, the pill form of Cannabis. These I immediately threw up after taking, it’s difficult to swallow anything when you’re sickly nauseated. When I was able to swallow them, I had to wait 30-45 minutes for some form of relief. With Cannabis, the smoke becomes infused with the blood instantaneously, thus offering an immediate form of relief and no waiting period, which is one of many important crucial parts of Medical Cannabis; The ability to deliver medicine, instantaneously with the blood, and immediately provide some form of relief for the patient, without harmful side effects or toxins…and causing zero deaths in the process.
The doctors kept upping my anti-nausea medication, before each round of chemotherapy was given to me, that by the time I was nearing the end of my twelve sessions I would literally “pass-out” before the chemotherapy session even started. I would then wake up and ask my Mom if we started the chemotherapy session yet and she would reply by saying “It’s the next morning; we’re all done with that round”. Shortly after waking I would then smoke some Cannabis and instantly I had an appetite and was able to drink fluids, and thankfully leave the Hospital to go back home and recover for the next round of chemotherapy.
My Mom took a year off of her work just to help with me. She also drove me to Madison to receive 3 months of radiation. She has clearly seen me at my worst and helped me get out of that horrific time in my life alive. Family is important, and it’s sad to see those who have nobody. I thank GOD for my Mom for caring for me when I was down and fading out. I also thank GOD for my lovely wife Britanny, whom also helped get me out alive again later on in my life, as my health problems continually challenge me with long-term side effects from the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as above mentioned.
Even though Medical Cannabis is finally getting the respect and credit it deserves for helping those who “truly” are sick. my full support of Medical Cannabis since 1989 has cost me some of my family and friends along the way, Sadly, sometimes people cannot understand what another person goes through unless they experience it for themselves. I would not want anyone to experience the suffering I had to go through to gain the understanding I have for the suffering destitute sickly ill; I just HOPE others can learn by reading or seeing what others that have suffered or are currently suffering have to say, without spiraling to the depths of torment as some patients repeatedly do on a daily basis.
I will always continue to be involved in bringing some form of health and relief to the sick and dying. I had access to Medical Cannabis when I was gravely ill with cancer; why shouldn’t anyone else that is “truly” suffering from various illness?
To read more about Randall Prazuch, visit www.randallprazuch.com