This week's guests are Robert Poeschl and Dr. Rosemarie Mincey of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA). OREPA practices civil disobedience at the Y-12 Nuclear Weapons construction plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Mr. Poeschl is a UW Oshkosh student who has been working as an intern for OREPA. Dr. Mincey was once a researcher for Y-12 and for the Martin-Marrietta corporation before becoming an activist against nuclear weapons production. Mr. Mather and my discussion with Poeschl/Mincey was especially relevant given the events of September 11. There is some good discussion in the program about the status of the peace and disarmament movements in light of September 11.
Also on the Commentary web site, School Board member Teresa Thiel and I
were in a bit of an e-mail row last week over my performance on Gordon Doule's
Vox Pop show. Teresa criticism of a statement I made about the November referendum
is here:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/thiel.htm
In my response, I argue that the Board needs Claud Thompson back:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/responsetothiel.htm
Teresa responded again by denying my accusation that the board is trying to
"sneak" the referendum through in a low turnout November election.
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/thielagain.htm
I asked Teresa if I could forward these e-mails to the web site and she said yes. Let me also ask everyone reading this message who lives in Oshkosh a question: we are less than a month away from the school board referendum. Could you summarize in 50 words or less what this referendum is about? I can't find many people who can, including people I know in town who follow politics and the news very closely.
Also, someone forwarded me a copy of the column that got Texas City Sun
columnist Tom Gutting fired from his job. Here it is:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/gutting.htm
Finally, I was forwarded some information about the Wisconsin Taxpayers
Alliance's recent study of municipal debt in Wisconsin. I don't think things
look very good for Oshkosh, and I say so here:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/oshkoshdebt.htm
All the best,