http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/category_rss/veterans Veterans for Peace chapters in Milwaukee and Madison have planned special Veterans Day events this weekend that promote peace rather than militarism.  Details: MILWAUKEE VETERANS FOR PEACE: Barred from the city’s Veterans Day parade, Milwaukee Veterans for Peace, Chapter 102, will sponsor its own Veterans Day event at 10 a.m. in front of Milwaukee City Hall , 200 E. Wells, to observe the day with a call for peace.  Iraq veterans Ryan Freund and Ryan Nofsinger will share their experiences, and Vietnam veteran John Zutz will discuss the history of Veterans Day (originally Armistice Day), established in 1919 as a day to express support for peace and justice, not militarism. Mark Foreman, a Vietnam veteran and president of the local VFP chapter, will serve as master of ceremonies. Music by Iraq war veteran Jason Moon will be followed by ringing of a bell 11 times to honor those who have served and to wish for peace. It is symbolic of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, which was the beginning of the cease fire at the end of the First World War.   After the program, Veterans for Peace members will go into the crowd of Veterans Day Parade watchers and collect donations for homeless veterans who live on the streets of Milwaukee . The Veterans Day Parade Committee told Veterans for Peace it could not march in the parade with its banner because the group’s name is “political.” MADISON VETERANS FOR PEACE: Memorial Mile – the Third Display On Saturday, Nov. 8, some 4,800 tombstones will be erected along Speedway Road in Forest Hill Cemetery on Madison's near west side. (Volunteers are needed that morning -- contact John Fournelle by email: jhfour@gmail.com ). After two successful and well-attended displays of the Mile at Olbrich Park, the chapter received permission from the Madison Parks Commission to move the Memorial Mile to a new location on the near west side. Forest Hill Cemetery, which faces Speedway Road between West High school and the Glenway golf course, is a dignified and appropriate location for the Mile. It is the resting place for literally hundreds of Union and Confederate soldiers, as well as veterans who served in the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Viet Nam and the first Gulf War. It is the site of annual Memorial Day ceremonies respecting the sacrifices of so many Americans. The public is invited to participate in the installation of the Mile on Saturday, Nov.  8, starting at 9am and also help uninstall the headstones the following Saturday, Nov. 15. Last May thousands of passers-by viewed the Memorial Mile during the week at Olbrich Park and comparable numbers of visitors are likely this November at Forest Hill. The Mile may be visited any time, day or night, during November 8-15. The quiet cemetery roads may be entered at either end (near West High or at the Glenway St. end). Visitors may park along the internal cemetery roads. Walked quietly among the stones; leave flowers if you wish. The sobering and respectful display symbolizes the deaths of over 4,300 US service personnel in Iraq and nearly 500 in Afghanistan. Over 35,000 Americans have been seriously wounded in Iraq. To date 95 Wisconsin soldiers have died, symbolized by the small Wisconsin flags on scattered headstones. Veterans for Peace members and volunteers will be available as often as possible throughout the week to answer questions, listen and share thoughts. Sunday Ceremony and Reading of Names A one-hour memorial ceremony will be held on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2pm at the west end of the display. Those attending are welcome to park on the cemetery roads on that end. Featured speakers include the Rev. David Couper, Iraq War veterans Fran Weidenhoeft and Nate Toth (Iraq Veterans Against the War) and Vietnam veteran Will Williams. Bagpiping will accompany the reading of the 95 Wisconsin war dead at the end. VFP board member Frank Court will be the master of ceremonies. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVd http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVd/commentary#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:53:36 EST http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVd Xoff Xoff 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVd/ Back in April I found out about the Witness Against War walk being put on by Voices for Creative Nonviolence . Kathy Kelly was at a member meeting for the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice , where I am a work study student, since my GI Bill was just used up it is a great opportunity to use government funds to support my anti-war work. Kathy asked me if I would be willing to do the walk from the middle of July until the end of August. I had to decline as I had a summer class taking up much of my summer but kept it in the back of my mind for when they came through Madison on their way to the Twin Cities. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGJ http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGJ/commentary#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:19:14 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGJ Ted http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/475d66d03b1dbe8dff_30t1mvbu6.jpg Ted 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHGJ/ In anticipation of Senator John McCain’s Racine town hall meeting Thursday, several concerned Wisconsinites that will be unable to attend offered five questions that they would like McCain to answer. John Valko, President of UAW Local 180 in Racine is concerned about the loss of good paying, family supporting jobs. He wants to ask Senator McCain why the country should continue the harmful policies that he supports which have caused our current economic crisis. This crisis includes the loss of some 92,000 manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin during the Bush administration. Specifically Valko cites John McCain’s support for disastrous Bush policies including unfair trade deals, and massive tax cuts for big corporations and the wealthiest individuals. John Valko's question: “The policies you have championed have resulted in an economic nightmare for families across Wisconsin, so my question is: Why would we want to continue your failed policies which have devastated our country?" http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMk http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMk/commentary#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:59:42 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMk Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 34 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHMk/ John McCain loves to wear his Navy hat whenever he can. He loves to let everyone know that he is a veteran and that, being a veteran, he is one of us and he supports us unequivocally. He stands up on all those stages during his speeches with this pretentious idea that he deserves to be commander in chief because he was a prisoner of war. I feel differently. If he was such a champion for veteran's issues, then why does his voting record and his rhetoric about the Iraq war scream that he doesn't care at all? Like I have said many times before, I am in no way taking away anything that says John McCain is not a strong person for surviving five years as a prisoner of war. But, the decisions he has made since those fateful times, chips away the angelic view of him as a war hero. Let me break it down for you: if someone saved a bus full of children one day, cannot turn around and molest a bus full of kids the next day and expect everyone to still see that person as a hero. John McCain wants us to stay in Iraq for "as long as it takes" or the classic statement of "100 years". That same old stubborn Bush injected ignorance of pounding the square peg into the round hole coming out of his mouth on every sound bite. How can anyone say they care about veteran's issues and care about the actual veteran's if they want to continue an illegal and unnecessary war? A war that was only waged to fill corporation's pockets with a ton of money they don't need. Apparently John McCain is part of a very small percentage of POW survivors who feel that putting other young and innocent people through horrible life altering experiences and injuries is the only way to allow our race, world and country to move forward. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ryannofsinger/CHM3 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ryannofsinger/CHM3/commentary#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:56:10 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ryannofsinger/CHM3 User from Milton, WI User from Milton, WI 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHM3/ Tomorrow, the Bush Legacy Tour bus is rolling in to Madison. Having spent my entire adult life under the Bush administration, I truly look forward to sealing the legacy of George W. Bush and the conservative ideology as disastrous for the economy, the environment, and American families. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/codyoliphant/CHMJ http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/codyoliphant/CHMJ/commentary#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:36:37 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/codyoliphant/CHMJ Cody O http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/1ad90b024b9b3fd092_uqamv261s.jpg Cody O 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHMJ/ Today marked the first meeting of the Union Veteran’s Council in Wisconsin. It coincided with other such meetings in at least four other states across the country. Also coinciding with the event was an ad that will be run in areas of the country including Wisconsin. The focus of the ad and the meetings are how the attendees may respect Senator John McCain’s military service, these veterans do not agree with his policies. At the Milwaukee meeting union workers that have served in combat in every war from World War II to the war in Iraq gathered to talk about the most important issues of the day. From the outset the message was made clear that this group is long term and will not go away after November. Much of the discussion focused on how the Bush Administration has been terrible for not only working people but also for veterans. Many people around the table talked about how Senator John McCain has been a rubber stamp for Bush in the U.S. Senate and how his policies could end up being even worse. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMM http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMM/commentary#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:33:30 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMM Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHMM/ Tomorrow the AFL-CIO will announce the start of the Union Veteran’s Council . The announcement will not only launch the national council but it also coincides with the formation of state councils in five states including Wisconsin. The Union Veteran's Council will also start an ad run across the country including parts of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin chapter will have a veterans roundtable discussion tomorrow in Milwaukee. OWN will be blogging from the event. 4pm Thursday, July 10 Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council 5941 W Bluemound Rd Milwaukee, WI http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMC http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMC/commentary#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:49:38 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHMC Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHMC/ Fathers' Day, 2008, Matthis Chiroux makes a public refusal of his orders to reactivate and deploy in support of the Iraq occupation. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGL http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGL/commentary#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:10:17 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHGL Ted http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/475d66d03b1dbe8dff_30t1mvbu6.jpg Ted 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHGL/ Some of you may have been reading the military newspapers, and seen that the Army is in a really bad fix. We've had to borrow money from the Navy and Air Force just to get paid for June 15 . http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHG3 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHG3/commentary#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:01:07 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/CHG3 Ted http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/475d66d03b1dbe8dff_30t1mvbu6.jpg Ted 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHG3/ Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s new book, What Happened, describes the White House’s “ propaganda campaign ” surrounding the War in Iraq. Rather than fact checking and holding the White House accountable, Senator John McCain chose to use his seat in the U.S. Senate to cheerlead and help amplify the Bush propaganda on the war. An analysis by the Atlanta Journal Constitution (5/28/08) shows that the Bush Administration, McClellan, and McCain all towed the same party line to make the case for an unnecessary war. In 2003 during a radio address Bush insisted that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. McClellan also said in a White House Breifing (7-23-03) that “we judge that Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction programs.” Early on McCain also latched onto this talking point saying that “Hussein continues to acquire, amass and improve on his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.” (Ashenville Citizen-Times, 10/13/02) http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27n http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27n/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:38:00 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27n Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C27n/ What follows in an op-ed submission following my continued disgust with the media’s reporting on conditions in Iraq. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C27S http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C27S/commentary#comments Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:17:40 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C27S Ted http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/475d66d03b1dbe8dff_30t1mvbu6.jpg Ted 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C27S/ The economic policies spearheaded by the Bush Administration and supported by Senator John McCain in the U.S. Senate have been devastating to people across our state. These policies have ushered in a time of economic crisis in many different ways for working families. Today a wide cross-section of Wisconsinites came together in a conference call to tell their stories. Greg Hinds of Menasha just found out that the Appleton plant in which he works will be closing and 300 jobs will be lost. Today he said, “I don’t want a government handout. I want leaders who aren’t so out of touch they don’t see people are suffering. We cannot keep supporting unfair trade deals that cost us family-supporting jobs.” Johndalyn Smith, a Milwaukee resident is facing the loss of her home. She is angry that Bush and McCain support policies that bail out big corporate investment firms but do nothing for middle-class homeowners like her. She also commented, “I cannot tell you how scary it is to think I may lose my home. I work hard and play by the rules and George Bush and John McCain offer nothing to help me, but they are more than happy to have all of us bail out Bear Sterns for $30 billion.” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27M http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27M/commentary#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 17:31:42 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C27M Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C27M/ Is there anything you've been wanting to ask him -- or tell him?  John McCain returns to Wisconsin! John McCain will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday May 29th at the Greendale Martin Luther High School. The doors will open at 3:30pm. To RSVP for the event, please click here or email Wivolunteer@johnmccain.com . No confirmation nor reply from campaign staff is needed to attend the event. Click here for more information on the event and news and photos from the campaign trail. Click here for a map of the event location. Thursday, May 29 Doors open at 3:30pm Town Hall Meeting Greendale Martin Luther High School 5201 South 76th Street Greendale, WI 53129 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/C24s http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/C24s/commentary#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 15:03:24 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/C24s Xoff Xoff 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C24s/ On Thursday the House of Representatives approved an expansive new veterans education benefit that would be paid for by a tax on wealthy Americans. It would provide the equivalent of a free four-year college education at a public university. Some Republicans joined Democrats in passing the aid that would benefit veterans who enlisted after the September 11 attacks. Unfortunately the group of Republicans that voted for the plan did not include Wisconsin Republicans Paul Ryan and F. Jim Sensenbrenner. Paul Ryan not only voted against providing veterans the new education benefit, but then gave a quote to the New York Times saying, “I can’t think of a worse time to raise taxes.” It is telling that Ryan all but ignored who would be the direct beneficiaries of this particular tax and he also ignored exactly who would be taxed under it. People earning over $1 million would be making a very small sacrifice to pay for the new education benefits to our troops, who have sacrificed so much. It is amazing that the same people that were so willing to send our troops off to war, are now so hesitant to honor them in a real and substantive way. Apparently for Ryan it’s all about ideology and protecting rich people’s money. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C24D http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C24D/commentary#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 12:17:41 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C24D Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C24D/ via mal contends - Bears repeating from headline: Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac) is the lone Republican Wisconsin House member to vote for the new GI Bill . Good for Tom Petri; bad for the House Republicans. Republicans talk a good game about supporting our troops; they do not walk the walk. I mean is the thought that we honor troops who serve merely one or two tours of duty really that repulsive to Republicans? Final vote Voted for (256) Voted against (166) Did not vote (12) http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/C24L http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/C24L/commentary#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 18:01:37 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/C24L User from Madison, WI User from Madison, WI 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C24L/ Just when I think that the Bush Administration could not go any further in abusing the men and women in our military, they prove me wrong. Not only did the President send them into a preemptive unnecessary war, but he also did not send them with the proper equipment or a plan to get out. As the men and women in uniform have come home with the most severe injuries imaginable, we found that the conditions in Walter Reed were abominable. Now the same crowd that constantly touts their “support for the troops” has been caught mistreating them again. Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and VoteVets.org released an e-mail obtained from a Veterans Affairs employee directing VA staff to refrain from diagnosing soldiers and veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The March 20, 2008 email was not sent by just some rank and file worker, but by the VA hospital’s PTSD program coordinator. The email was sent to a number of VA employees including psychologists, social workers, and a psychiatrist. The email stated that because of an increased number of “compensation seeking veterans,” the staff should refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD. The email further instructed the workers to rule out PTSD and instead consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder instead. Essentially the instructions were to misdiagnose returning veterans in an effort to cut VA costs, regardless of the costs to the health of the soldiers. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C243 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C243/commentary#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 12:43:11 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C243 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C243/ Who: Iraq Veterans Against the War & The Congressional Progressive Caucus What: Winter Soldier on the Hill - An Open Forum When: 15 May 2008 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Where: 2261 Rayburn House Office Building http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C24c http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C24c/commentary#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 14:51:14 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/ted/C24c Ted http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/475d66d03b1dbe8dff_30t1mvbu6.jpg Ted 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C24c/ The resident's of the A.O. Smith/Tower Automotive neighborhood and everyone who feels personally connected to the site have decided it is time they build a united front for change in their neighborhood. They are researching Community Advisory Board models around the country with the hopes of creating their own board here in Milwaukee. The board will not be a 501c3, will be autonomous from any funding strings and will speak directly to the needs and the political concerns of the residents. Residents who are interested in helping this effort should attend the next neighborhood meeting on May 10th, 2008 at the Center Street Library. (27th and Fond du Lac) at 10:15 AM. This meeting is open to anyone who cares about what is happening in our city and believes that residents should have the opportunity to compete for the jobs our money creates! http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/jenniferlepps/C2P8 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/jenniferlepps/C2P8/commentary#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 12:58:21 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/jenniferlepps/C2P8 Jennifer Epps http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/e70f0a69f56dbd7c0d_7cm6beyip.jpg Jennifer Epps 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2P8/ Sgt. 1st Class Shane Sanderson devoted 22 years of his life to the U.S. Army, including service in Iraq. He is now retired but is still very committed to his brothers and sisters in combat and all of the issues that have an impact on them. In an opinion piece appearing in today’s Wisconsin State Journal , Sanderson describes the evolution of his own thinking about the war in Iraq. At the same time he challenges each of us to avoid talking points and seek out the truth. Sanderson says that until 2005 he had been “drinkin the Kool-Aid.” At that time he was in Ar Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar Province, Iraq. He says that “the death and frustration and conditions that surrounded us worsened daily and helped me to realize the insanity of what was taking place.” Sanderson describes his frustration at American complacency and the fact that they were not making Bush finally answer the question: What is our mission? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2Pf http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2Pf/commentary#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 15:00:59 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2Pf Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Pf/ Five years ago today President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended in what has become known as his "Mission Accomplished" speech. It looks like Senator John McCain also made similar statements. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2PD http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2PD/commentary#comments Thu, 01 May 2008 16:34:29 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/C2PD Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2PD/