Consciousness and Commitment

Please plan to attend the La Crosse community celebration of the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and help us spread the word by downloading the poster (right click on the graphic and save the .pdf file to your computer). If you prefer a .doc, right click and save this link.

A community celebration honoring the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 21 at English Lutheran Church at 16th and King Streets. Co-sponsored by several area organizations, the event will feature gospel artist, Myron Jones, and local attorney, Keith Belzer, who will discuss "Consciousness and Commitment." The program will include a multimedia presentation, music, and poetry and a display of art by area students. The first annual Martin Luther King Leadership Award will be presented. A reception with refreshments will follow the program.

This event is FREE and OPEN TO ALL. Non-perishable food items will be collected for area food pantries.

For more information, please call Curtis Miller, Jubilee Center, 782-1394 or Pastor Mark Solyst, English Lutheran Church, 784-9335.

Co-sponsors: AmeriCorps, English Lutheran Church, Franciscan-Skemp Foundation, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, Jubilee Center for Justice and Peace, La Crosse Interfaith Justice and Peace Coalition, Onalaska United Methodist Church, NAACP- La Crosse Branch, UW-La Crosse, Western Technical College, YWCA, Coulee Progressives.


Plan to attend and make a commitment to work in our community to realize Dr. King's dream.

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

PLEASE JOIN

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind & State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster for an important discussion about the future of education, as Congress prepares to reform No Child Left Behind.



Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Holmen High School, LGI Room

1001 McHugh Road, Holmen

Educators, Parents & Concerned Citizens Welcome

Contact Mark Seitz with U.S. Rep. Kind at 608-782-2558 for more information.

About the Event:

Six years ago, on January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which was designed to close the achievement gap and hold schools accountable. Since then, there has been much disagreement about the effectiveness of the law, due to funding issues and the concerns of educators and parents across the nation.

Congress is set to reform No Child Left Behind in 2008, and this forum will allow teachers, school administrators, and parents to discuss with Rep. Kind and State Superintendent Burmaster the effects NCLB has had on students in western Wisconsin and what changes would best address its shortfalls.

Please join us for this important forum about the future of education.

Green Drinks - La Crosse

[from Chris via Vicki via Hank]:
Chris Schneider, hybrid guru and founder of La Crosse Green Drinks, has arranged for Dr. John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the U. of Missouri, to come to La Crosse for the December Green Drinks meeting at Hackberry's on Tuesday, December 18 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Ikerd was the main speaker at Ashland's Alliance for Sustainability "Pie & Politics" community-wide event held this past June at Big Top Chautauqua!

Dr. John Ikerd spent the first half of his thirty-year academic career as a traditional free-market, neoclassical economist. Growing concerns for the lack of ecological, social, and economic sustainability of American agriculture during the 1980s led to broader concerns for the lack of sustainability for American society in general. As an economist, Dr. Ikerd eventually came to understand that growing threats to ecological and social sustainability are rooted in the neoclassical paradigm of economic development, which is inherently extractive and exploitative, and thus, is not sustainable. Dr. Ikerd has spent the last half of his academic career and much of his time since retirement developing and testing the concepts and principles of an alternative development paradigm, the economics of sustainability. He is the author of the book, Sustainable Capitalism: A Matter of Common Sense.

For those unfamiliar with "Green Drinks" meetings, there is no charge to attend - it's an informal way to get together to share "green" issues and ideas.

p.s. Bring THREE friends!
Why this matters? Read this.

Here's your democracy for you

Poll after poll has shown that the American people do not want more money spent on the conquest of Iraq. Constituents around the country have written, phoned, emailed and gone in person to visit their representatives. Demonstrations and sit ins have accented the point - no more for war.

So, what happens?

House Passes $696B Defense Policy Bill
By ANNE FLAHERTY (Forbes) 12.12.07, 6:02 PM ET

The House passed a defense policy bill on Wednesday that would authorize $696 billion in military programs, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ok, it's the "defense policy bill that doesn't send money to the Pentagon, BUT it does signal their intent to continue funding the unpopular war in Iraq. The Dems' "no money until next year" pledges was one of those funny calendar tricks your daffy uncle used to amuse the children at the family Christmas gathering. "See you NEXT YEAR!" he'd wink (but you knew next year was just a few days away).

What about that Iraq funding? Democrats bow to Bush's demands in House spending bill

The final legislation, still under negotiation, will be shorn of funding for the war in Iraq when it reaches the House floor, possibly on Friday. But Democratic leadership aides concede that the Senate will probably add those funds.
...
The agreement signaled that congressional Democrats are ready to give in to many of the White House's demands as they try to finish the session before they break for Christmas -- a political victory for the president, who has refused to compromise on the spending measures.

So, there you have it. Democracy at work.

For more details on just exactly what the Democrats are giving up, check this diary at DailyKos.

What Would Jesus Buy?

While this is the name of a great new movie (which we'll never get to see in La Crosse), it's also a question many of us ask ourselves as we see this season of giving and appreciating turned into a lustfest for more and more and more stuff.

So, if you don't want to buy the latest asbestos-laden toys or the world's largest plasma TV, here are some suggestions for honoring your family and friends and helping others, too.

Brad Pitt's Make it Right Project lets you help reconstruct homes for the people of New Orleans. You can buy a bathroom faucet ($40) or low VOC paint ($25) or sponsor a whole house.

The Heifer Project lets you buy a cow or some chickens or rabbits for a poor family somewhere in the world. The animal or farming gift allows the family to sell products and improve their living conditions. The family also agrees to pass along animal offspring to others in their communities.

Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian aid and development charitable organization that focuses on emergency relief services, economic development and civil society.

Of course there are tons of worthy organizations that could use a donation, from The Arbor Day Foundation to your favorite candidate.

Local organizations, including Place of Grace and Options in Reproductive Care would welcome a year end donation as well.

Until the shopocalypse comes, find a way to step out of the whirlpool and consider donations in a loved one's name, homemade gifts, or services you can perform.