Event of the Week:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Justice Rally and March

Jan. 14, 2009

midnight

Thisyear's Martin Luther King Day is especially poignant. The day beforethe nation's first African- American president takes office, localpeace and civil rights activists will honor King's work to endmilitarism, racism and economic injustice. Special recognitionwill be given to local civil rights heroes Reuben Harpole and Rev. JoeEllwanger, and entertainment will be provided by Andre Lee Ellis,Dorothy Jackson, LaShandra Vernon and David Drake. The programwill begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, at St. Francis of AssisiChurch, 1927 N. Fourth St., and then there will be a march to King'sstatue on MLK Drive. The event is sponsored by Peace Action Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Justice Coalition. For more information, go to www.peacactionwi.org.

Hero of the Week: Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway

Hollowayis being applauded for stepping up as the responsible adult who'strying to rescue Milwaukee County from Scott Walker's childish ways.Walker has said he wouldn't apply for federal stimulus funds. Soundsgreat for an ambitious right-wing politician, but Walker's stubbornnesscould be disastrous for local employment and for parks, mass transit,safety, infrastructure and social servicescounty responsibilities thatWalker has ducked for years. Thankfully, Holloway is drawing up a listof projects that could use a little stimulus funding. “In the absenceof leadership from the county executive, I am stepping forward onbehalf of the residents of Milwaukee County,” Holloway said in astatement.

Jerk of the Week: State Sen. Alberta Darling

StateSen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) sought political gain by crasslyexploiting the tragic death of an area child in the foster care system.Darling recently issued a press release about her introduction ofno-brainer legislation requiring more transparency and accountabilitywhen a child is harmed. The Journal Sentinel then chimed in and praised her fine work. What Sen. Darling failed to mention and what the Journal Sentinel failedto research is that Darling is a member of the Milwaukee Child WelfarePartnership Council, which is statutorily mandated to propose policiesand plans for the child welfare system for Milwaukee County and toevaluate the effectiveness of the system. Unfortunately,Darling has a spotty record of attendance, at best, on this council.Tragic events can occur in the most well planned and well managedsystem, but if Sen. Darling would spend more time doing what she ispaid to do as a state senator and participating in the development ofpolicies and plans for the council and less time grandstanding whenthings go wrong, Milwaukee County residents would be much better off.

Quote of the Week

“TheAfrican in him is the one who is making him ask, ‘What is theconsensus?' That's the African way at its best. The good leader in Africais the leader who keeps quiet and lets others speak and then says atthe end, ‘I have heard you all, and this is our mind.'” Nobel PeacePrize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu on President-elect Barack Obama'sdecision-making style

Photo of the Week:
Who´s House? God´s House (Marquette Church), by Wrecked Chords

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