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It’s unprecedented. Anyone who looks like they could be an undocumented immigrant can be targeted. People who have no criminal history can be targeted. Immigrants following the process for naturalization can be targeted. Some American citizens have been targeted.
Heavily armed, masked I.C.E. agents, without warrants, are abducting people from their homes, workplaces, and churches. They are pulling people out of their vehicles and separating parents from their children. Armed I.C.E. agents are even going to children’s schools and are detaining people without due process. Are these the places I.C.E. agents expect to find hardened criminals? So why should we care about the treatment of these people? Because a core American value is to show concern and compassion for people at risk. And because what is happening to them, being picked up, detained, and held without due process, can happen to any of us. Without the rule of law as outlined in the Constitution, we all become “vulnerable” people no matter what our political views are. This is not a time for “us versus them” language, “what about-isms,” and over-generalizations. It is time to find common ground in areas that concern all of us across the political spectrum. Concerns not just about the Constitutional rights of immigrants (yes, they do have rights!), but also inflation, healthcare affordability, bipartisan cooperation in Congress, gun violence, and climate change to name just a few. It’s time to speak up and call out the erosion of our system of checks and balances. It’s time to elect a Congress in 2026 that will restore the balance of power essential to our democracy.
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There are many reasons to educate our society, Education is critical to the success
and survival of our communities and our country. Never in my life did I think I would witness, along with many others, the dismantling and devaluation of our educational system. This dismantling is not about efficiency. It is about social control. Education is about preparing children to become individuals who can communicate, be creative, think about/discuss many topics, realize the value education plays in our communities and in our civic participation. Removing our education foundation, which promotes the common good, will, in the end, be destructive for all. We now live in a GLOBAL world. The reach of decisions like dismantling the educational system will be worldwide. Do we not see that other countries and enemies are paying attention to what we do? Countries who are well respected and want to maintain global significance will certainly not destroy their educational systems. China has said, on more than one occasion, that our country is in decline. Eliminating financial support, access to quality educational materials, scholarships, monitoring of the quality of our system and educational success of our citizens is one way to assure that we will be weakened as a country. We need to change course before it is too late. Nancy Lodl Thom Hartmann has described the 14 steps to tyranny, how autocratic breakthrough happens. According to Hartmann those fourteen steps are: Demonization of political opponents using dehumanizing language such as traitors, enemy of the people and scum
Jim Rabata Manitowoc Our fathers served in WWII in the Air Force and Kathy’s father was a prison of war for 10 months. We know neither of our fathers fought to serve a man like Donald Trump and his self-aggrandizing platform. Kathy’s father did not endure ten months of cruelty at the hands of the Nazis to serve a man who has openly stated he admires Adolph Hitler and is imitating his takeover plan.
To those who defend Trump, you know in your heart his focus is not on the constitution or the citizens of our great country. It’s hard to admit you’ve been fooled, but Trump can hit on hot spots that bother all of us. So far, he Was convicted of 34 felonies, which involve mis-stating his use of his money and his financial value. (Mis-stating is another word for falsifying or lying.) *Commuted the sentences of 1,500 insurrectionists who attacked police in an attempt to take over the government. These people were found guilty of crimes by a jury of their peers, not a hostile government. *Proposing completely unqualified cabinet directors and trying to avoid the Senate confirmation process. * Withdrawing from the Paris Accord and the World Health Organization. *Threatening neighbors with high tariffs, knowing full well that it will harm them and our own citizens. *Attempting to withhold federal assistance to many needy Americans and now suggesting cuts to Medicare. 32 % of eligible voters voted for Trump. 31% voted for Harris. 2 % voted for a third party. 36% did not vote. This is not an overwhelming mandate as Trump claims. We can’t ask our dads if they fought for this kind of evil, but we’re pretty sure they didn’t. Kathleen A. Bernhart Joseph M. Bernhart 3010 Fleetway Court Manitowoc, Wi 54220 920-629-0620 Cited. Paris Accord and commuted sentences Time Magazine Vol 205,NOS 3-4 2025 p.23 Cabinet directors: US News and World Report Tariffs: NPR March 4, 2025 Withold Fed Assistance: USA Today, Jan 23, 2025 Zelinski: NPR Feb. 28, 2025 Voter percentages: Ballotopena.org Today is May Day, a day of blossoms and banners, of protests and prayers. As Pastor of Manitowoc Cooperative Ministry, I rise to say, let the Church not be silent. Let us speak with gospel truth about the hands that hold this country together, the hands that build our homes, bake our bread, teach our children, tend to our sick, grow our food, and milk our cows.
Here in Wisconsin, the land of dairy and devotion, we know well the sacred rhythm of farm life. The hum of the milking machines, the steam rising from the barn in the early morning chill, the strength of backs that bend without complaint. These are the rhythms of workers who are too often unseen, unheard, and left out of the American story. But God sees them. And God does not forget. From Deuteronomy to the Gospels, Scripture is clear: “Do not oppress the hired laborer… whether Israelite or foreigner” (Deut. 24:14). God's economy is not built on exploitation. It is built on equity, on enough, on jubilee. Today, I say, the workers are not the problem; they are the prophets. The dairy worker rising so our children can eat cereal with milk. The warehouse packer whose hands bleed to keep shelves stocked. The teacher shaping minds without a living wage. The nurse working overtime in worn-out shoes. These are not just laborers. They are image-bearers of God. And when a nation neglects its workers, treating people as tools or numbers, it has wandered from the heart of God. So, Church and community, we must not only pray for workers, but we must be in solidarity with them. I urge you to commit to one concrete act of local justice: • Contact your state legislators and advocate for labor protections for undocumented farm workers who form the backbone of our dairy industry. • Support driver's licenses for all, because no one should fear being pulled over on the way to work to feed someone else’s family. • Attend the forum, “Our Country Without Immigrants” Today (May1) at 6:00 p.m., at Frist Lutheran Church, 521 N 8th Street. Let us listen. Let us learn. Let us build the beloved community together. May Day is not just a labor issue. It is a moral issue. It is a spiritual issue. Let us build a world where justice is not a dream deferred but a table set, with bread, and milk, and dignity for all. Pastor Matt Sauer, Manitowoc, Wisconsin Hey all! My school’s been in the news as of late, so I wanted to share some thoughts. First, some context. The Trump administration conditioned our federal funding on a number of overreaching and suppressive demands. A few highlights include:
1. Ending Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programs. 2. Turning over school disciplinary records. 3. Allowing the federal government to audit university programs for “ideological capture.” 4. Cooperating with the federal government as they revoke student visas for international students that have engaged in protest activity. Such demands on a private institution are unprecedented in American history. They are another example of this administration’s efforts to dominate all facets of public life and silence opposition. Bravely, Harvard president Alan Garber rejected these demands, stating, “We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity—and with faith in the enduring promise that America’s colleges and universities hold for our country and our world.” Almost immediately after, the administration revoked $2 billion of federal funding. They are attempting to revoke our tax exempt status. Most chillingly, they are seeking to revoke visas for every international student at Harvard. Many of my best friends on campus are from around the world. In fact, it has been this diversity of thought and experience that I have loved most about my time here. Because Harvard will not bow to Trump’s demands, he is seeking to seriously harm the futures of every international student. History shows us that when authoritarians are defied, they retaliate. This isn’t the end of Trump’s attack on higher education, but rather, the beginning. We are all well-aware of the consequences. Recently, I had the chance to speak with NBC News, where I said, “Presidential terms last four years, funding is temporary, and policy changes. But the legacy you set as a university is forever.” By standing up to fascism, Harvard has clearly made a difference. I hope that the rest of our universities and cultural institutions follow suit. Ultimately, I am not shy about my politics and never have been. I know many of you reading this have political views different to mine. I recognize and respect that. However, I want to make a plea to you: your vote has consequences. I share this as a way to show how the ramifications of your vote are affecting me and my peers. However, there are many more stories, many which cannot be told. While Harvard is under threat, I still recognize the privilege of attending the wealthiest and most prestigious university in the world. We have the money to afford legal support and the name recognition to win cultural support. This administration’s other targets do not have the same privilege. As we speak, migrants are being separated from their families, and shipped away to prisons in El Salvador. LGBTQ+ youth are losing the right to express their identities. Our elders are at risk of losing healthcare and social security because of DOGE and budget cuts. This is not a political issue. It is a human one. Now, more than ever, is the time to take a stand. For democracy. For freedom. For humanity. Henry Pahlow Life can change in the blink of an eye.
On Aug. 3, 1988, my 10-year-old son, Andy Jung, set off on his bike for the municipal pool in Manitowoc. He was involved in a car/bike crash there and suffered a traumatic brain injury. His four-month stay in the hospital was covered by Katie Beckett (Medicaid). Andy was in a coma for seven months. He then began to respond to his environment and improved enough to go to school. Andy lived at home for 14 years with the help of Holy Family Home Care (Medicaid) while I taught school full time. Then, he moved to a group home (Medicaid) in Green Bay. He has been attending a day program at Cerebral Palsy Inc. (Medicaid). Medicaid helps with his medications and other medical needs. Without Medicaid, Andy would have had a very different story, and not a good one. And now, Medicaid is under attack by DOGE, which is planning to cut at least $880 billion. According to the Wisconsin Board for People with Disabilities, some of the agencies to receive cuts will be: Badger Care, Family Care, Foster Care, IRIS, Katie Beckett, PACE, Senior Care and SSI. Other agencies affected include nursing homes, group homes and agencies like Cerebral Palsy, Inc. Andy’s story is a miracle made possible by great physicians who were able to work their magic with the help of Medicaid. Without Medicaid, his life story would have been much shorter. Barb Rich Manitowoc |
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