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Petition opposes Badgerland closing
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From Joe Wedig, Randy Gill and David Reichling
Darlington
With a vision statement of "Enriching rural lives and communities one relationship at a time," what will be Badgerland Financial's future in Lafayette County if it closes its doors? As many of you know, Badgerland Financial is planning to close its Darlington office in December 2011 and send its staff to the Monroe office. We find it appalling that management and the Board of Directors find it appropriate to close this office. The Darlington office does millions of dollars more in loan volume than the Monroe office and they are closing an office that is paid for and sending its employees to an office in which they rent office space. Badgerland Financial is a co-op and is part of the Farm Credit System across this nation. Its primary business is to provide sound financing to American farmers and rural businesses on their quest to feed the world. It also provides many related services such as crop insurance, accounting, and tax records. Badgerland has been an integral part of our community in the past. They have been very supportive of our community events including the Lafayette County Fair and the Lafayette County Dairy Breakfast. What will happen when their presence no longer exists in Darlington? Many of its stockholders feel they have not had any say in this issue. That is why several members have come together to develop a petition opposing this closing. If you are a member or a user of related services and would like to sign the petition, please contact any of the following: Joe Wedig, (608) 482-3121; Randy Gill, (608) 482-0133; Rick Gill, (608) 482-4472; David Reichling, (608) 658-0152; Leon Wolfe, (608) 574-5253; Homer Evenstad, (608) 482-0893; or Ralph Steitz, (608) 293-0444. A petition is also available at the Subway in Darlington. If Badgerland is to conform to its vision, an office like Darlington needs to stay open. No business can succeed and grow without a presence in the community.
Tsubokura: We cannot forego due process with deportations
Letter To The Editor

From Christine Tsubokura

Mineral Point

To the Editor:

This is personal.

I am upset with the deportations of Venezuelans alleged to be gang members. Like most Americans, I am not in favor of offering safe haven to gang members and criminals.  In America, we have something called the RULE OF LAW to determine if they are gang members based on evidence and if found guilty, to incarcerate or deport. Our country  must not support “disappearing” people without due process or just cause.

Why is this personally upsetting to me? My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Japan and were farmers raising six children. My grandfather was disappeared in 1942 because he was on the board of a Japanese language school without any evidence of wrong doing. Then other members of the family were sent to relocation camps. My one Aunt who spent her teenage years in one, says it is more accurate to call them “concentration camps”.

This was all done under the Alien Act of 1798, the same act President Trump is using today. These actions were later declared the biggest disgrace and  stain on our Democracy by both Republican President’s Reagan and Bush.

After “camp” my grandparents’ children all went to college and became professionals, two uncles joined the U.S. military and served. The Japanese were determined to be seen as loyal, so much so, my parents wouldn’t send me to Japanese language school but instead to baton twirling lessons so I could march in loyalty day parades!

Why should this also be personal to you? When any President has the power to disappear people without evidence, denying the RULE OF LAW and due process, it makes us ALL VULNERABLE. Once you forego the legitimate process, the flood gates open to make every person, even U.S. citizens, vulnerable to a knock on the door!

It happened before and it can and will happen again without all of us being clear eyed, united, outraged and taking some action.