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Farmers Take Hit As Trump’s Iran War Increases Financial Obstacles
Farmers have taken it on the chin since Donald Trump was sworn into office in January 2025. First, it was the tariffs, which are the economic equivalent of applying leeches to a sick patient. Now the escalating war against Iran, which has closed the Strait of Hormuz, is spreading troubling economic consequences, ranging from increased… Continue reading
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Why USAID’s Role Matters More Than Ever As Trump’s Iran War Escalates
The severe consequences of Donald Trump’s callous disregard for sound governance are front and center. Every day in multiple ways. One of the international efforts he destroyed was the U.S. Agency for International Development, commonly referred to as USAID. It was the primary U.S. government agency leading international development and humanitarian aid, aimed at ending… Continue reading
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Chaos In The Republic: What President McKinley’s Assassination Revealed About A Fractured America
Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley situates the assassination of President William McKinley within a nation deeply divided by the forces of industrial capitalism. I probably did not need to pull another book from the shelves this weekend, but I was in the mood for something different, so the slim volume of just over 200 pages fell… Continue reading
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Trump Supporters Are Even More Stupid After Watching FOX News
If you only watch Fox News, you simply are not an informed citizen. For many years, I have stated that Fox News frequently distorts information in ways that leave conservative viewers with an incomplete and highly misleading understanding of current events. Over time, I have commented on the patterns in which their commentary is presented… Continue reading
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It’s Absurd That We Even ‘Need’ a Court Ruling on Birthright Citizenship
There are moments in a nation’s political life that reveal not just disagreement, but decay. On the first day of Donald Trump’s second term, he signed an executive order on birthright citizenship declaring that some children whose parents are here illegally or temporarily, such as certain visa holders, are not American citizens. This is not a legally… Continue reading
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Why Luke Joseph, Candidate For Hancock/Coloma Waushara Cty. Bd, Must Not Be Elected, Public Health Matters
While reading a series of questions and answers to the candidates for the Waushara County Board, one name stuck out as a person more connected, at least in my mind, to Dane County. Luke Joseph is seeking election as a supervisor from the Hancock and Coloma area. Once I read just a few sentences into… Continue reading
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Reestablish American Elm Trees In Wisconsin, Your Help Requested
“Remember those two beautiful elm trees out there? When I and Biff hung the swings between them? … Yeah, like being a million miles from the city.” — Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman) As a boy, I recall elm trees everywhere. Like so many other people in our state, I was sad to see them… Continue reading
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Humphrey History Minute: Mirza Saleh, A Persian With The Love Of Learning
If you want an uplifting, quick slice of history, here it is. I encountered this story today, and must share it with others. Continue reading
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Exhaustion From Hypermasculinity In (Ted Bell) Books
I was reading a book in the parking area at the Middleton Post Office this afternoon as James ran some boxes in for mailing. I was 300 pages into Ted Bell’s second Alex Hawke book, Assassin, and abruptly closed it and threw it in the back seat. I had come close to calling it a… Continue reading
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When Critical Thinking Breaks Down, Democracy Feels the Strain
I overheard a conversation that made me aware (again) that we should not make an effort to overhear what others are saying. One person was trying to make the argument that the war Donald Trump started in Iran had to take place as it was brewing for 47 years. It was expressed that Trump had… Continue reading
