Not unexpectedly, there has been some discussion regarding the modification of Madison’s previous Sex Ed bill, the “Healthy Youth Act” (HYA), which was passed before Wisconsin’s transition of power (to Republican) in January 2011.
The “Healthy Youth Act” required that all Sex Ed programs state-wide teach the proper use of contraceptives and barrier methods (i.e. demonstrate condom use in the classroom). It also failed to provide abstinence training to pupils. In other words, it favored the more liberal approach, “let’s give up and assume that all kids have sex, and let’s try to equip them with the knowledge on how to reduce the risks.” Planned Parenthood was selected to create the new Sex Ed program.
Two thirds of America favors abstinence until marriage, so it is not unexpected that when Republicans came into power, some modifications were proposed to the previous bill. In the absence of abstinence training, if schools provided instruction on the “proper use of contraceptives and barrier methods,” it was feared that the take-home message could easily be the condoning of promiscuity and early sexual experimentation. continue reading…
Last Saturday I had the incredible privilege of climbing the Scala Sancta in Rome reverently on my knees, and of standing near the place Christ must have stood when Pontius Pilate first asked Christ “What is truth?,”[1] then solemnly declined to condemn Him, ceremonially washing his hands of guilt[2].
Feeling that same floor under my feet, kneeling on those steps where the Passion of Christ occurred, and contemplating how St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, located Pontius Pilate’s Praetorium steps and transferred them from Jerusalem to Rome, I was filled with an even deeper sense of connection to the reality of our Christian beliefs, and of the importance of acknowledging the conversation that took place on those steps, located now at one of the holiest places in the world. “Non est in toto sanctior orbe locus;” There is not in the whole world a more holy place.
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Truth
What is Truth?
Truth does exist, truth does matter, and even our world’s great secular leaders, including Pontius Pilate, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, instinctively cared about and respected truth, not to mention every parent who instinctively insists on truth from their children. Christ willingly DIED for truth, because truth is so important.
Truth is most often defined as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It is clear to most of us that humans, while young, must learn certain facts or realities about life in order to negotiate the world safely and effectively, and in order to become functional adults who are responsible for the perpetuation of our society. continue reading…
How many unwed pregnant mothers has Annie Laurie Gaylor helped?
Just a Few of the Many Mothers and Babies Saved by CareNet
.Most recently, Gaylor condemns the good Samaritan Care Net, which does help unwed pregnant mothers– a need Gaylor herself apparently does not realize is important in our society.
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Gaylor and the FFRF (Freedom From Religion Foundation) not only abandon unwed mothers, but want the government to take sides on the abortion question– THEIR side. And Isthmus is facilitating.
In the article, Isthmus quotes Gaylor extensively, yet fails to cover the opposing view. Isthmus also facilitates Gaylor’s misportrayal of the faith based Care Net as incompetent and unsafe, without any facts to support this claim.
Bucky Badger leads Hundreds of Care Net Supporters in Walk for Life
Care Net is actually very competent, very safe, and is supported by numerous groups in Madison, including religious ones. It is one of Madison’s proudest inter-faith endeavors, with a proud history of helping unfortunate women to take charge of rebuilding their lives. Our family has been involved in fundraising for CareNet over the years, and participating organizations have included numerous area Christian churches (including our Catholic church), the Princeton Club, Oscar Mayer, the Mallards, Relevant Radio Madison, Bucky Badger and Oremus Catholic Rock, to name just a few.
America is split on the issue of abortion– is abortion a fundamental women’s right, or is it the murder of a human being? The truth cannot be both ways. Although Supreme Court Justices may have ruled for abortion, our society is still strongly divided, and the laws are not even consistant. A murderer who kills a pregnant woman is legally guilty of two murders, yet if that woman were on her way to Planned Parenthood for an abortion, apparently for her, this would not constitute murder at present. continue reading…
The Isthmuscover of May 13, 2011 (paper issue) very appropriately illustrates the lead story, The New Activists, with the image of a man blowing a vuvuzela, the Wisconsin State Capitol in the background. The vuvuzela is a long plastic African horn that has become famous for disrupting the Soccer World Cup games in South Africa and for driving players and fans mad. The behavior of Madison’s new activists WAS loud and obnoxious in recent months, and many DID bring vuvuzelas to disrupt and to inspire fear with their noise:
Vuvuzelas at World Cup
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“Fans and competitors from outside South Africa often complain that today’s vuvuzela doesn’t inspire fear or amazement, just irritation, and that its sound is a loud, unwelcome and unpleasant distraction.” –ABC news
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Less appropriately, the article INSIDE the Isthmus fails to mention the noise, disruption and unruliness of the new activists participating in the demonstrations against Governor Walker at the Madison Capitol in recent months. Neither vuvuzelas, drums, whistles, megaphones, nor angry chants and rude posters, all of which were ubiquitous during the downtown demonstrations, are mentioned in the Isthmus article. The Isthmus article focuses instead on describing four interesting individuals, their use of music, T-shirts, social media (twitter), and business groups, in implementing their protests.
These tactics are called Alinsky tactics, previously known as “dirty fighting.” Drowning out and ridiculing the opposition are common, as well as demonizing opponents, backtracking on promises, outright lying, death threats, and property damage.
Wisconsin Capitol Protesters
Now that conservatives have been voted into office in Wisconsin, liberals seem more willing to use any means whatsoever to further their agenda against the wishes of the majority, to stymie the progress of democratic rule. This is where the REAL story is found, and Isthmus should write about THAT.
With the “new activists,” ridicule is the primary weapon, and conservative values are the primary target.
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More You Tube examples of liberals using Alinsky tactics in Madison:
Hey, Isthmus — some news for you — the “new activists,” at every level, from citizen on the street to President, are using a great deal more than just music, T-shirts, twitter, and business groups to promote their agenda– they are violating all previous rules of civilized behavior and decency and are using Alinsky tactics which include ridicule, lying, and death threats. This is not activism, this is terrorism.
It is with hesitation that I embark on discussing the behavior of liberals, particularly in reference to recent labor disputes at the Wisconsin State Capitol, which is located 3 miles from my home and 3 blocks from my parish Church. Most often I try to avoid criticizing the behavior of others, keeping in mind the Biblical counsel:
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. – Luke 6:42
But events at the Wisconsin State Capitol in recent weeks have culminated in a situation that commands some discussion. The pursuit and cornering of conservative Senator Grothman by 200 aggressive liberals, ultimately requiring his rescue by firefighters, was broadcast on FOX news, but was glossed over by most liberal media last week:
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This shocking event, which included shouting, intimidation, chanting “shame,” bleeped vulgar
No violence? Hmmm...
expletives, drum beating and blowing of whistles, reflected the general uncivilized aggressive attitudes displayed by demonstrators at the Wisconsin State Capitol during the past 3 weeks. It is a situation that could easily have caused injury and/or heart attack to the elderly Senator, and is at very least shameful in the lack of respect with which an elected representative of the people of the United States was treated by an angry liberal mob.
This shocking treatment of Senator Grotham by liberals illustrates quite a double standard, particularly when compared with the criticism conservatives suffered recently from liberal media regarding the use of crosshair imagery during the last election, particularly after the shooting of Representative Giffords, and at least while liberal media still thought that the shooter could be tied to conservatives.
The ultimate question with which I struggled for 3 weeks before writing this post, and with which all conservatives in America must struggle, is how does a reserved conservative like me, who tries to live by the golden rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and by the rule of forbearance (assume the best imaginable explanation for another’s behavior), how do we deal with vocal and liberal opponents who do not feel constrained by the same behavioral guidelines that we respect and revere?
How do you win a battle against opponents who use aggressive tactics which you consider immoral and which you yourself refuse to use? Should we remain the silent majority?
So far this past month, liberal supporters of Wisconsin unions have broken a number of rules and regulations which are generally essential for the orderly operation of society, and which have never been observed in conservative demonstrations such as those involving the Tea Party or Pro-Life:
14 legislators have left the State of Wisconsin so that police could not force them to attend State legislature voting sessions that they are legally obliged to attend. These senators are sabotaging democracy and showing no respect for the people’s choices during the November 2010 election. They are advocating rule not by the majority, but by the loudest and the most aggressive.
Thousands of Madison teachers have not only gone on strike, depriving children of education, and have lied fraudulently about their motives, claiming to be sick. They are teaching our children to lie.
UW Madison doctors have appeared downtown handing out sick notes to demonstrators, a clear violation of medical ethics and a willful deception and cheating of the taxpayers by medical doctors. They are also teaching our children to lie.
Thousands of demonstrators have refused to leave the State Capitol at closing time, sleeping inside the Capitol and making it impossible for maintenance staff to do their work. Maintenance staff have indicated their fear of the crowds, not feeling safe in doing their work.
Police unions, whose jobs were unaffected by the proposed budget cuts, sympathized with the teachers unions, and stopped ticketing vehicles which were illegally parked downtown, as well as refusing to protect legislators like Senator Grothman from aggressive crowds. Liberal media gleefully claimed “peaceful demonstrators” and “no arrests” each day, when in actual fact Madison’s police appeared to be on strike were not performing all their duties.
Over the course of the 3 week demonstration, some claim that the demonstrators caused $7.5 million damage to the stately Madison Capitol building
Wisconsin State Capitol Building
which was constructed of 43 types of stone from six countries and eight states around 1910. The $7.5 million damage is larger than the original cost of the erecting the Capitol in 1910 ($7.25 million).
The Capitol building, probably for the first time in its 100-year history, began to stink.
Demonstrators have been imported into Madison by unions all over the U.S., from as far away as California. President Obama has also sent supporters and has voiced support for the unions, despite the fact that the President’s own federal workers do not enjoy the luxurious privileges the Wisconsin unions are trying to maintain for themselves. Wisconsin taxpayers are now the victims of the entire nation’s belligerent union hierarchy.
Homeless people have abandoned local Church shelters in favor of living in the Capitol building, where free pizza is provided by out-of-state union bosses.
Union demonstrators have abandoned all rules of professionalism and civility. Posters and
Sign with crosshairs over Governer Walker's face
chants reflect violence, hate and vulgarity, totally eclipsing the “crosshairs” controversy following the shooting of Representative Giffords this January. Signs have routinely compared Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Hosni Mubarak and showed the Wisconsin governor with a cross-hairs rifle sight over his face . Fourteen of the “100 best posters at the Wisconsin Capitol” are too vulgar to show on this website . One sign reads “Hey, Walker, WI Ranger, who’s gonna wipe yer ___ when U have a stroke???”
Live ammunition was found stashed outside the Wisconsin State Capitol by police.
Residents and groups surrounding the Madison Capitol building have suffered poor treatment from demonstrators. Our Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, part of Madison’s downtown Catholic Cathedral Parish, has struggled to keep parking open for Church members. When approached by Church staff with requests not to use our parking lot, demonstrators use vulgarity and tell Church staff to “get a life.” Police do not help either, they have stopped ticketing downtown.
Demonstrators have not been acting like teachers, but more like angry mobsters.
Demonstrators, as well as the liberal media, have misrepresented the issues, exaggerating and misquoting the Governor’s terms and failing to explain the rationale behind both points of view—pro-union and pro-balanced budget. Truth seems to have no role in this debate, and liberal media does not seem interested in discussion. Some representative photos from Vicki McKenna.
While 60,000 liberals skipped work, demonstrated and trashed the Wisconsin Capitol, 126,000 conservatives signed an online “Stand with Walker” petition, went to work, took care of their children who were abandoned by teachers, and prepared to pay for the damage the demonstrating minority was causing. Incidentally, there are only about 100,000 union members in Wisconsin, in contrast to the 5,000,000 taxpayers who do not have union benefits and are paying their bills.
It is an established fact that some demographic differences exist between liberals and conservatives. The differences are primarily philosophical, NOT racial or ethnic, as liberal media would imply:
The increased Church attendance and respect for marriage indicated above in conservatives reflects their willingness to conform to the Judeo-Christian values
Ten Commandments
encompassed by the Ten Commandments, on which our systems of law have historically been based. It is easy to see the projection of this voluntary self-restraint onto acceptable codes of public behavior, which translate into the peaceful and dignified political gatherings and respect for public property characteristic of Tea Party and Pro-Life gatherings nationwide – particularly in the January 2011 March for Life in Washington DC (just 2 weeks prior to the union demonstrations at the Wisconsin State Capitol), where 400,000 people gathered peacefully to show their support for Life, but which Madison’s liberal media did not mention at all.
This past month, the converse, a distinct LACK of voluntary self-restraint, lack of peaceful and dignified protests and lack of respect for public property, has been observed in downtown Madison during the union protests.
These recent events in Madison are by no means unique. In my 20+ years living as a conservative in liberal Madison, I have personally witnessed numerous times a dramatic difference in the demeanor of liberals and of conservatives in the public square.
Vigil for Life, Fewb 2010
One year ago at a Pro-Life rally in February of 2010, I observed over 1,000 reserved, well-dressed and well-behaved pro-lifers at Madison’s Library Mall standing in the winter cold, listening quietly to pro-life speakers (which included Senator Grotham), while 20 -30 liberal student radicals, rallying to the campus-wide spam invitation issued by student socialists, yelled, chanted, attempted to disrupt speeches, performed lascivious strip-tease in a nearby raised platform in front of children, and were finally restrained and led off by police. Madison’s liberal media did an abysmal job of reporting this event, failing to report the difference in numbers at this event (1,000 versus 25), and failing to report the difference in demeanor of the two groups. To read the brief Madison newspaper report, it would seem that opposing groups of similar size confronted each other briefly downtown.
This 40:1 ratio of civilized well-behaved citizens to loud disruptors at the Pro-Life rally above is similar to the 50:1 ratio of Wisconsin citizens who work and pay the bills to protesting union workers at the Wisconsin State Capitol last month (5 million to 100,000). Yet again, the minority is attempting to control the majority by intimidation.
Another recent contrast in the demeanor of liberals and conservatives is illustrated by my blog post on the Madison pro-marriage rally of Aug 1, 2010 . During the pro-marriage rally, Catholic Bishop of Madison led conservative attendees in praying the “Our Father,” while hundreds of liberals surrounded them yelling and chanting, disrupting the prayer and attempting to approach the podium where the Bishop was standing, again restrained by police.
I refrain from using the political labels Democrat or Republican intentionally. I include myself among numerous conservative independents who have never belonged to one political party, and whose beliefs are not in line with one party platform. However, I must say that in recent years I am finding myself (steered by my Pro-Life views) most often in sympathy with the Republican Party.
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In addition, the uncivilized and inconsiderate behavior of liberal Democrats in recent years, observed in numerous situations similar to those described here, has struck me as threatening democracy and attempting to replace democracy with mob rule. No society can function like this. Any rational person must ask—why did the Republicans NOT walk out of Congress and the Senate when ObamaCare was on the table, but the Democrats DID walk out when they did not like the legislation being discussed in Wisconsin? How can democracy function when minority legislators hijack the democratic process by refusing to follow the rules?
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The seeming readiness of liberals to break ALL rules – State Capitol visiting hour rules, legislative rules, teachers sick leave rules, medical ethics rules, rules of cleanliness, rules of polite and respectful discourse, rules of civilized language and behavior in front of children, rules regarding use of live ammunition, and common sense rules about public behavior – the breaking of all these rules makes discussion impossible. The demonstrators do not appear at all interested in discussion of the common good. They only seem interested in keeping their comfortable privileges by any means necessary, be that bullying, trashing Wisconsin’s State Capitol, or mob rule.
This is not the America we love and that our military risks their lives to protect.
It is time for the silent majority to become even MORE active than they were in November 2010.
Recent online discussion at the Wisconsin State Journal produced some comments defending FFRF’s (Freedom From Religion Foundation’s) legal challenges of religion as being “within their rights.” I find it surprising that FFRF persists in their vendetta to eradicate public mention of religion, considering that atheists are often listed as tax-exempt religious organizations themselves, and even the textbook definition of religion includes the beliefs that they espouse. So, ultimately atheists are just pushing their OWN religious beliefs in preference to those of others.
Supporters of FFRF have also argued that Judeo-Christian values “have shaped Western Civilization by means of state-sanctioned swordpoint.” Perhaps FFRF and its supporters are confusing militant Islamic radicals with peace loving Christians in 2011? It is hard to find evidence of “enforcement of religion by sword point” in the US, where 80% of us are Christian, and in Madison, where 53% are Catholic, 22% Evangelical Lutheran, and only 10% of the population is outside of Christian denominations (ref). Not too many swords being wielded by Mayor Cieslewicz or by President Obama recently as far as I can tell.
. Is not FFRF jousting at windmills? Like Don Quixote, FFRF has imagined an enemy where no enemy exists in 2011 America.
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If FFRF were so “within their rights,” they would have more supporters than 0.003 of 1% of America, their frivolous lawsuits would be on a larger and more meaningful scale than at present, and they would enjoy better success in court.
To date, most of their demands and lawsuits have been directed at small communities, which cannot afford litigation costs. For example, recently FFRF has challenged Marshfield, WI’s City Council’s practice of prayer . The population of Marshfield is about 18,000; Marshfield is about 7% the size of Madison.
A number of FFRF’s and similar legal challenges have already been denied by the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court (1983, Nebraska Legislature prayer), as well as a 2008 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling written by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, have upheld legislative prayer . Is FFRF also planning to initiate a lawsuit against President Obama, who ended his State of the Union address with the words “God bless America?”
FFRF’s recent, larger-scale attempt to declare the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional did succeed for one week in April of 2010 with a liberal Wisconsin judge (Barbara B. Crabb,District Judge) ruling in their favor, but the ruling was promptly challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice . The Obama administration is planning to fight to preserve the law establishing the National Day of Prayer. The idea of a national Day of Prayer has existed since 1775, and was supported by the constitutional congress, and by numerous Presidents, including President Lincoln.
There can be no denying that FFRF efforts towards the enforcement of public ATHEISM should be resisted by all reasonable Americans, just as those trying to force ANY particular religion should be resisted. FFRF’s efforts at intimidation of small communities by litigation are misguided and are to be condemned. FFRF should practice the same tolerance towards religious Americans that religious Americans practice towards FFRF.
Why are our many different religious roots so revered in the United States? The United States was first settled by people fleeing governments which forbade free exercise of religion. In more recent times, my own relatives came here fleeing the occupation of Lithuania by an atheist regime which denied religious freedom. Those unable to escape, spent decades in Siberian exile and in concentration camps. I wonder if FFRF atheists realize where radical vendettas by intolerant people wishing to control the beliefs of others (either atheist zealots OR religious zealots) can lead? How many RELIGIOUS groups have intimidated FFRF with numerous and frivolous lawsuits?
My interest in the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) was sparked last month when the FFRF started opposing the private plans of the Catholic Student Center in my town, Madison (https://sytereitz.com/2011/01/freeedom-from-religion/ ). Since then, in one month I have seen stories online about FFRF’s attempts to interfere in local affairs in Giles County, VA, Iowa State Legislature, Colorado, Ellwood City, PA, Yakima, WA, Polk County, FL, and more.
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In each case, FFRF seems to rely on the limitations of small local budgets to intimidate the local groups, demanding that they eliminate public expression of religion, or suffer large litigation costs.
Although FFRF claims that any public expression of religion violates the Constitution, many others believe the reverse to be true, and some court rulings have upheld public expression of religion, including pre- legislative prayer and display of the Ten Commandments. FFRF seems to rely on threats of litigation toward SMALL communities with SMALL budgets to achieve its goals of banishing religion incrementally.
The communities affected by FFRF’s threats of litigation, as well as all communities across America which are in sympathy with preserving our Constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion, should band together to fight the relatively small FFRF together. FFRF constitutes only 0.003 of 1% of America’s population, while religious people and Christians constitute 90% and 80%. FFRF’s holdings are $5million, and their annual income is $500,000. They have a paid staff of four people. By business standards, this is a relatively small outfit. If conservative America joined forces, this radical atheist organization with its unconstitutional agenda would be relatively easy to defeat.
One more avenue of opposition to FFRF’s agenda would be for conservative America to join the affected communities in establishing pre-legislative prayer, display of the 10 commandments/Constitution in schools, and nativity displays at Christmas in numerous communities across the nation. The more communities joining in such an effort, the more FFRF’s limited resources would be spread thin.
The ultra-“progressive” and Christophobic tide of the media may be turning!
Daniel Henninger, wrote an opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal entitled Popes, Atheists and Freedom, which voices the sentiment that “secularists should recognize that the pope’s fight is their fight.” Henninger goes on to describe the crucial role of Popes John Paul II and Benedict in the defense of freedom, and quotes the second volume of George Weigel’s biography of Pope John Paul II, The End and the Beginning, in which Weigel analyzes the archives of several former Communist intelligence services.
Daniel Henninger
Henninger goes on to conclude:
It has been odd in recent years to see prominent atheists make so much effort to diminish Judeo-Christian belief. In the modern world, and certainly in the U.S. from the Pilgrims onward to the Bill of Rights, religious practice has been bound up in the idea—now the principle—of individual freedom. I don’t think secularist arguments alone for individual freedoms have sufficient strength and fiber to stand against their current opposition.
Before Christmas Henninger had indicated that the country is moving to the right in an article entitled Holiday Optimism, Limited Edition.
Madison.com news (Wisconsin State Journal/Cap Times) is a frequent source of inspiration for this blog. 🙂
Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery
Most recently, the Cap Times published an article on the grand opening of the new 205 million dollar Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery research building at UW Madison, which was formally opened yesterday, Dec 2, 2010.
The purpose of the new research building and the ethical concerns raised by peaceful protesters outside took a back seat to the coverage of a union labor dispute over food workers to be employed in the new building. The union dispute dominated the grand opening, dominated the Cap Times article and dominated the ensuing online discussion.
It is odd the Cap Times article and discussion should consider a restaurant labor dispute to be of higher importance than the PURPOSE of the new building which was the subject of the grand opening, or more important than the ethical questions raised by the existence of the building and by the peaceful pro-lifers protesting outside. Granted, the union protesters were unruly and disruptive, but the Cap Times should not have given them the platform they were trying to demand. The Cap Times should also have devoted more space to the discussion of the real issues, and should have represented both sides of the embryonic stem cell research debate, rather than favoring the morally controversial research.
In actual fact, a major motivation behind building the Institutes for Discovery at
A Person is a Person no Matter How Small
UW Madison was to facilitate embryonic stem cell research by UW scientists, at a time when federal funding of embryonic stem cell research was forbidden due to moral concerns. The majority of Americans still now oppose federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, and numerous moral authorities continue to oppose this research. EMBRYONIC stem cell research is to be distinguished from ADULT stem research, which is morally acceptable (see Stem Cells).
The Institutes of Discovery plan was to erect a building in which one half was devoted to faculty doing research permitted by the U.S. government, while the other half of the building was devoted to doing private research, for which government approval was withheld. Thus, scientists doing controversial research could comfortably move back and forth within the building, continuing the controversial research without losing their federal funding for other research projects.
Human stem cells
Basically, the Institutes for Discovery created a loophole to allow forbidden research to be carried out on the UW campus.
Now that President Obama has permitted federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the Institutes for Discovery is actually an expensive and unnecessary embarrassment. The building may come in handy if the next administration again forbids federal funding of embryonic stem cell research; however, the next administration might be too smart to fall for this evasion, so that will not be certain.
The fact that this amount of money could be spent in an effort to evade federal regulations, while staff salaries are being cut by UW Madison and employees are required to take “furlough” due to the economy, is disappointing and shocking. The initial idea was equally shocking – that UW would insist on carrying out research that was morally opposed by more than half of America (57%), and was forbidden on federally funded grants.
Such irresponsible spending and disregard for the ethical concerns of most Americans is just as suicidal in a University as it it in a nation. UW is making some pretty big mistakes. We need a more fiscally and morally responsible administration.
Syte Reitz grew up in Queens, New York, in a family of Lithuanian immigrants who fled Nazi and Soviet domination during World War II. Her education includes a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, and post-doctoral work at Princeton University. Syte left her job as an Assistant Professor at Oakland University, Michigan, to devote herself to raising her children, and ultimately homeschooled them through the end of high school. She is a member of Madison's Cathedral Parish.
Another recent contrast in the demeanor of liberals and conservatives is illustrated by 
Syte Reitz grew up in Queens, New York, in a family of Lithuanian immigrants who fled Nazi and Soviet domination during World War II. Her education includes a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, and post-doctoral work at Princeton University. Syte left her job as an Assistant Professor at Oakland University, Michigan, to devote herself to raising her children, and ultimately homeschooled them through the end of high school. She is a member of Madison's Cathedral Parish.
