The Senate’s recent confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court likely means curtains for reproductive rights, environmental protection, union membership, voting rights, public education, medical coverage, even LGBTQ rights, as cases involving these issues work their way through…
Author Archive for contributor
Op-Ed | Vote As If Our Country Is Depending On You
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | Vote As If Our Country Is Depending On You
BY DALE GOODNER Margaret Chase Smith probably never expected that her “Declaration of Conscience” would become listed as No. 41 in American Rhetoric’s Top 100 Speeches of the 20th century. The Republican Senator from Maine delivered that speech on June…
Labor Roundup | November 2018
by contributor • • Comments Off on Labor Roundup | November 2018
This month’s mid-term election “really is all about power,” said former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and unionists must use the vote – and convince others to cast ballots – to yank power back from the corporate elite. “The nation is…
Letter to the Editor | Not a mandate; loyal opposition necessary
by contributor • • Comments Off on Letter to the Editor | Not a mandate; loyal opposition necessary
A recent comical farce written by a former CEO of a business located in Morton was published in the editorial section of the Journal Star. It was nothing but gibberish. The writer began by implying that elections had consequences. Since…
Op-Ed | A true quagmire
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | A true quagmire
BY DALE GOODNER It’s August in northeast Wisconsin –– Dog Days. Sultry evenings in Kewaunee County are punctuated by acrid metallic smelling breezes and persistent passing tanker-loads of poop as industrial factory dairies eagerly eject endless effluents onto the land…
Labor Roundup | October 2018
by contributor • • Comments Off on Labor Roundup | October 2018
UNITE HERE and five other unions prevailed in bargaining with Walt Disney World, announcing early last month that they’d reached agreement for a 50 percent pay increase bringing the corporation’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by October 2021, plus…
Letters to the Editor | Candidates on 3D-printed guns
by contributor • • Comments Off on Letters to the Editor | Candidates on 3D-printed guns
Editors Note: Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell and Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel are both running for Peoria County Sheriff in the November election. Community Word asked both men to write a letter-to-the-editor spelling out their positions on guns created…
Op-Ed | Peorian attends UN conference on refugees; forced displacement worldwide hits historic levels
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | Peorian attends UN conference on refugees; forced displacement worldwide hits historic levels
Tim Barnes is a former pastor who lives in Peoria and works for the International Association for Refugees, a not-for-profit based in Minneapolis. He wrote this piece after returning from a recent meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees…
Reflections from the Clergy | The epidemic of lies
by contributor • • Comments Off on Reflections from the Clergy | The epidemic of lies
In our current political and social climate, lying is a hot topic. There is a “Pinocchio” scale that rates lies according to how far away from the truth a lie veers. The gold medal for politicians and government officials telling…
Labor Roundup | September 2018
by contributor • • Comments Off on Labor Roundup | September 2018
News Guild reminds locals, bosses that media firms must address security. Facing increasing violence against reporters and President Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric and threats, News Guild President Bernie Lunzer is reminding both his locals and employers that firms must protect…