Clean Water Group Endorses David Gorski in Central Wisconsin Assembly Race

Wisconsin State Rep. Scott Krug (R) is a factory farm champ
who runs political interference for the Wysocki corp. proposing
a massive factory farm in central Wisconsin. The clean
water citizen group, Saratoga Concerned, dumped on Krug
and endorsed David Gorski (D), a water warrior.

Saratoga Concerned Endorses David Gorski (D) over Rep. Scott Krug (R)

Candidate Synopsis
Saratoga Concerned
Tue 10/9/2018, 7:55 AM
                   
Saratoga Concerned

72nd Assembly District Race
Candidate Synopsis

Friends and neighbors,

The Saratoga Concerned group does not associate itself directly with any political party.  Our leadership team consists of individuals on various sides of the political spectrum and together we work every day to create a balance within our beliefs and messaging to our supporters.  We believe it is everyone's responsibility to VOTE and now more than ever we also believe it is extremely important to know where your candidate actually stands on the ISSUES and not depend on what you believe their political party once represented.

Over the past 2 months, our Saratoga Concerned team has connected with candidates for the 72nd Assembly District with one sole purpose, to dig deep with questions and make them prove their commitment to protecting and preserving Wisconsin waters.  We understand our supporters have multiple issues that are important to them personally and you need to weigh all the factors before voting. For Saratoga Concerned our one and only focus is the issue of Water.

Our Saratoga Concerned team has poured hours into the candidate questionnaire project, checked and rechecked candidate responses fact-checking information provided and made every attempt to provide a non-biased resource to our supporters regarding where each candidate stands in protecting Wisconsin Waters. Below, you will find our synopsis of each candidate, sharing both positive and negative aspects of their responses.

SCOTT KRUG
Scott Krug has been the 72nd Assembly District representative since 2010.   In his early years of holding this position, Representative Krug successfully acquired funds to study and address phosphorus levels within Petenwell Flowage to address the blue-green algae issue.  As Wisconsin citizens watched numerous bad water bills come through our state legislature Representative Krug on occasion made attempts to bring forth amendments to make these bills more palatable to his constituents.   In 2013 Representative Krug formed the Citizens’ Water Advisory group which consisted of local citizens, farming interests, and environmentalist to work together to design an acceptable legislative bill addressing high capacity well pumping in the Central Sands.  Although the intent of this group was positive and proactive the overall progress was not. According to participants, meetings were often disorganized lacking a specific agenda, minutes of the meetings were not published, and in the end citizens did not have input on, nor did they see, a copy of the bill prior to it being brought forth by Representative Krug, resulting in lack of support for the bill by actual members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee and their associated groups.  In 2017 Representative Krug successfully proposed an amendment and acquired necessary funds, for a hydrological analysis of the Central Sands to study the overpumping currently being allowed.  Although the amendment was accepted into the bill, the actual area currently being studied by the WDNR is much smaller than originally promoted to local constituents.  The High Capacity Well bill itself is horrendous and was highly contested by conservation, environmental, and citizens groups as a whole.  The amendment proposed and passed by Representative Krug, although limited in scope, was a small positive step for the Central Sands and is currently underway.

Representative Krug has made documented efforts to support water initiatives over his time as our local Representative, however, he has also voted AGAINST water protections and in favor of loosening protections.  Just this last legislative session alone found Representative Krug voting to support the following bad water bills that are destructive to our Wisconsin waterways:

    AB105 High Capacity Well Bill - limits the ability of the DNR to address groundwater overpumping and grants ‘forever’ permits for high capacity wells

    Special Session (SS) SSAB1 Exempting Foxconn from State Clean Water Protections - Creating a special district/zone, the bill eliminates state environmental protections for isolated wetlands, navigable streams, and lake beds within this zone. 

    AB547 Removing State Protections for Identified Wetlands - Removal of protections of over one million acres of wetlands in Wisconsin, allowing them to be filled in for development, leading to potential increased flooding in our communities and decreased water quality

    AB499 Industrial Acid Mining Bill -  Eliminates Wisconsin’s “Prove It First” mining law that protects public health and natural resources by requiring mining companies to show a demonstrated track record on protecting water quality before being permitted.

Closer to home, Representative Krug has repeatedly shared that he supports a compromise between the township of Saratoga and the Wysocki organization regarding the proposed CAFO to our community, “With the project in Saratoga, I made my position clear in 2014 and have worked to make sure neither side loses or wins 100% of what they want”.  Representative Krug does not support a limited moratorium on CAFO’s and believes new technologies will solve the pollution problems associated with them.

In conclusion, of the 13 questions posed to Representative Krug he directly answered 7 and received a “non-answer” status on 5 questions for talking around the given subject matter. 

DAVID GORSKI
Candidate Dave Gorski is running as a challenger to Representative Krug for the second time.  As a legislative challenger, Candidate Gorski does not have a voting record as an elected official for us to share among our supporters. Therefore our synopsis consists solely on responses received from Candidate Gorski and on documented actions we could verify through public records and accounts.

Candidate Gorski solidly advocated for the protection of our water and the environment which is voiced clearly and openly in his response to numerous questions posed. He is a strong outspoken advocate of the Public Trust Doctrine believing in the State Constitution that the waters belong to all of us. Candidate Gorski states he would like to work with fellow legislators on the problem of high capacity well overpumping of groundwater and believes there is a need for legislation that balances the needs of the citizens and agricultural interest for water usage.  Most importantly Candidate Gorski believes that environmental polluters should pay for the damage done to our environment and compensate the citizens impacted. He is also an advocate of the Great Lakes compact and voices that Wisconsin should honor the Great Lakes Compact using the water withdrawal for residential use and not for business interests as the compact was designed.

Candidate Gorski states many of these issues can be addressed/accomplished by returning local control back to communities and creating the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as an elected position by the Natural Resource Board and removing it as an appointed position by the sitting Governor.

Saratoga Concerned was able to verify that Candidate Gorski works with numerous local and statewide environmental groups.  In 2016 he helped organize The New Peoples Environmental Summit in our local area, additionally, in 2016 he attended the Factory Farm Summit to learn about the impact of CAFO to communities across the country.  In 2017 Candidate Gorski attended the Citizens’ Water Lobby Day at the state capitol as well as attending numerous other water protection events such as Conservation Lobby Day and actively testified and spoke with legislators in Madison regarding water issues and proposed legislation. 

Closer to home Candidate Gorski has spoken out openly against the Wysocki Golden Sands CAFO proposal and supports a statewide CAFO Moratorium on new and expanding CAFOs until appropriate water and environmental protections are in place for Wisconsin citizens.  He actively attends and participates in our local meetings and has a clear understanding of what his potential constituents are vocalizing regarding water and environmental concerns.

In conclusion, of the 13 questions posed to Candidate Gorski he directly answered 11 and received a “non-answer” status on 2 questions for not answering the specific question completely.

FINAL THOUGHTS
It is imperative that we all exercise our right to vote.  It is also important that we step out of our former mindset of being either a Republican or Democrat voter and instead vote the issues.  Our area lakes and streams are in a state of decline and our control over our own environment is being taken away. That makes it all the more important to know what your candidate stands for on individual issues and vote based upon the issue.  Please remember you can access all our previous newsletters at the link provided www.saratogaconcerned.com/newsletter-subscribe.

After thoughtful conversation and reviewing answers provided by both candidates, Saratoga Concerned believes Candidate David Gorski will be the stronger water protector and support his candidacy for the 72nd Assembly District.

Water Warrior in Central Wisconsin Hails Women Voters in Assembly Campaign

Wisconsin water warriors seek office.
Pictured from left are Sarah Godlewski,
candidate for state Treasury,
Dave Gorski, candidate for the 72nd assem dist,
and Erin Stacy, candidate for the 42nd assem dist.
shown after participating in the Water Walk.

David Gorski, Democratic Party nominee for the 72nd state assembly dist, makes protecting water a central theme of his campaign.

Gorski faces State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa, Wisconsin) in a repeat of the 2016 general election.

The 72nd Wisconsin assembly district is gerrymandered to protect the Republican incumbent.

Krug is a champion of factory farms and polluters who made local infamy when Krug told a longtime Wood County resident to "quit your bitching" after she protested the region being ambushed by the proposed Wysocki corporation's factory farm in central Wisconsin in July 2012.

Krug and Republicans have been conning the region for some time now. The gig appears to be up.

"I can't tell you the number of woman voters who say they will never vote Republican again," said Gorski, reached by phone this weekend.
 
From Dave Gorski, attending the Water Walk this weekend:

NYT Investigating Central Sands of Wisconsin as Factory Farm Pollution Befouls State

Wisconsin's 15,000 lakes face
extinction as safe bodies of water
as industrialized agriculture, Gov.
Scott Walker (R) and state
Republicans have targeted the waters
as dumping grounds for cow manure

Madison, Wisconsin — Factory farming's dumping of cow manure into Wisconsin communities has become so dangerous, the befouling of water and communities has become a leading issue in the 2018 mid-term elections.

Two Democratic Party state assembly candidates, Dave Gorski (dist 52) and Art Shrader (dist 50) in central Wisconsin, have made protecting surface waters and aquifers major campaign issues, against the policies of Gov. Scott Walker (R) and every Republican running for state office. 

With Summer dragging into Sept., there is news every week on the clean water v. Big Ag-GOP front, as communities fight to prevent the next tragedy.

In central Wisconsin, a citizens group fighting the siting of a massive factory farm in Saratoga recently guided New York Times corespondent, Jack Healy, on a tour of the central sands  region under siege by industrialized agriculture and its political protectors, the Republican Party.

Saratoga Concerned works with a broad coalition fighting major ag polluters such as the Wysocki corporation.

Reports Saratoga Concerned:

In the first week of September, Saratoga Concerned members were contacted by Jack Healy, correspondent from the New York Times, interested in covering the Armenia water contamination situation. On Monday members of our team met with Jack, shared our story, took him on a tour of Armenia, and then set him loose to connect with residents and find his scoop.

A huge shout out of appreciation to Mr. Healy for his willingness to travel to Wisconsin and for his efforts reporting on issues facing rural America. We are all excited to see the resulting article coming in the near future.

An additional heartfelt shout out to those in Armenia who were fearlessly willing to stand up and speak out despite direct attempts made to pressure locals to remain quiet. Do not let the industry or others intimidate you into being silent, SILENCE SIMPLY KEEPS THE GUILTY PARTIES COMFORTABLE! 

Citizen action is feared by Wisconsin Republicans.

Clean Water in Wisconsin Comes in Focus

Clean water activists in Saratoga, Wisconsin fight for
water and oppose the siting of a proposed factory farm.
Clean water activists statewide fear a future where
clean and safe lakes will become a memory.

Madison, Wisconsin — Wisconsin lakes are not bottomless sewers that take in millions of gallons of liquid cow manure and like magic create speaking-clean water safe for swimming, fishing and boating.

Rather, factory farms and other rapacious agricultural practices destroy and poison the water in the land of 15,000 lakes with devastating health, economic, and quality-of-life consequences.

These outcomes are acceptable costs to Big Ag, Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Wisconsin Republicans who run state government for polluting operations.

Congrats are in order for Steven Verburg of the Wisconsin State Journal for his critical reporting on the health of the Yahara lakes in Dane County in an important series this week. See also the related site, the Yahara lakes project.
---
This weekend also comes news from 100 miles north of Madison that three factory farm owners — Wysocki Produce Farms, B and D Farms and Okray Farms — "say they have joined together to help supply clean, safe water to residents with high nitrate levels in their wells" in the town of Armenia in Juneau County in central Wisconsin, reports Karen Madden in the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.

Wysocki Produce Farms, B and D Farms and Okray Farms are industry suppliers of pathogen, nitrate and phosphorous-laden cow shit to area communities.

After poisoning the private water wells of objecting families, the Wysocki corporation is offering cartons of uncontaminated water in trade. This is widely considered not to be an equatable deal.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating the water poisoning in the region.

Area residents are sounding a skeptical note as they work to stop operation of another proposed massive factory farm in the town of Saratoga in Wood County. The Golden Sands factory farm is owned by the Wysocki corporation.

"I'd feel much better about it had they, (factory farm owners), done it without the EPA and county health officers breathing down their necks. They're trying to get in front of a very ugly situation made public because of citizen pressure from Saratogans and Armenians. The Wysockis didn't do this out of the kindness of their hearts, and it wasn't done because a state Senator or Assemblyman stepped in. This is the result of well-directed citizen activism. Well done my friends!," writes Don Ystad in an email to clean water activists this weekend.

Ystad live in Adams County, some six miles south of the proposed Wysocki factory farm.

Ystad's reference to a "state Senator or Assemblyman" points to central Wisconsin legislators, State Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) and State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa), both of whom are politically owned by factory farm interests.

Krug faces presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party nominee for the 72nd assembly district, clean water activist David Gorski, in the general election this November.

These is caution optimism that Wisconsin has finally, after years of citizen action, come to the point where Republicans can be defeated in the gerrymandered legislative districts.

An activist rightwing Wisconsin Supreme Court bent the law to arrive
at a pre-determined decision green-lighting a proposed massive factory farm
in central Wisconsin. Corrupt justices hold a 4-3 majority at the
Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Central Wisconsin Voters Signal Hell to Pay for State Republicans

Madison, Wisconsin — Citizen groups continue to fight to protect their communities from industrial agriculture and state Republicans, following a bitterly disputed Wisconsin Supreme Court decision last Spring.

Saratoga Concerned, Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors, and other affinity groups have amped up work this Summer targeting the Fall general elections.

Saratoga Concerned revealed the first of its Candidate Questionnaires this morning.

After some five and one-half years of fighting the proposed Wysocki factory farm, the reach and power of Saratoga Concerned has grown.

The organization now is a practical political player.

Saratoga Concerned  has become sufficiently powerful that even incumbent State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa, Wisconsin), who runs political interference for the Wysocki corporation and other Big Ag polluters, dares not skip the group's 13-question Candidate Questionnaire.

Krug is a no-show for several other citizen groups' forums and questionnaires, including traditional good-government non-profits such as the League of Women Voters.

Krug and the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party for the 72nd state assembly district, David Gorski's, answers are reproduced verbatim below.

From Saratoga Concerned:

Saratoga Concerned 72nd Assembly District Candidate Questionnaire

As explained in our most recent Newsletter, both candidates for the 72nd Assembly District, current Representative Scott Krug, and challenger David Gorski have completed our Candidate Questionnaire.  Over the next few months, we will be sharing their answers to the 13 questions asked in our Special Edition Newsetters.

We warned both candidates to directly answer the given question clearly and to avoid talking around the subject matter, as we believe the constituents of the 72nd deserve nothing less than straight, direct, honest, answers from both individuals.

At the close of each question, you will find our FactCheck and Scorecard section where we will briefly comment on our determination if the question was answered directly and fact check any information that was questionable, misleading, inaccurate, or warrants further explanation for clarity.  Enjoy!

Saratoga Concerned Question One

Nitrate poisoning of our groundwater is a major issue facing all of Wisconsin.

Given the background of the Public Trust Doctrine, what legislation would you propose to allow agriculture to continue while protecting the general public from increasing Nitrate levels?

SCOTT KRUG

The well compensation program needs more updating. We increased the compensation amounts and we have to keep working on the qualification method for families.

This session I worked with Senator Cowles and Rep Kitchens on Senate Bill 168 which will better provide for safe and clean drinking water to residents in areas where contaminated wells and failing septic systems lead to challenges. The bill will allow for an increased grant amount for well replacement from $9,000 maximum to $12,000 maximum. The bill also creates better options to municipalities and residents alike to replace failing septic systems that can also elevate nutrient levels in groundwater.

I also worked on an amendment to a democrat bill this session to allow owners with wells containing nitrates over 40ppm to be compensated under the program. My amendment would have made sure those with 20ppm instead of 40ppm would be eligible for this compensation. I think the combination of qualification and compensation amounts will lead to a program that will allow agriculture to continue and keep residents feeling more certain that they can access clean and safe drinking water no matter what happens.

 ---

DAVID GORSKI

Response: Agriculture is a leading industry in Wisconsin and very important to the overall health of our state economy.  It is in the best interests of all in our state to resolve the issue of rising Nitrate levels.

I would propose legislation that would better enable our county Land and Water Conservation offices and the DNR to improve nutrient management plans and help farmers with expertise and funding to implement better groundwater and watershed protections.

Additionally, we need to hold polluters accountable for damages done to private wells, streams and lakes.  Our state has recently passed a law that provides financial assistance for residents who need to redrill their wells due to high nitrate levels.  This is good, but it pushes the cost of pollution clean up onto the taxpayers. We also need polluters to pay for the cost of clean-up.

As the Wisconsin Public Trust Doctrine states, Wisconsin waters belong to all of us, and we only have a reasonable right to use these waters.  So, while we all have the right to use state waters, we also have the responsibility to protect them.

FactCheck - None necessary for this question

Scorecard

Krug - Non-Answer
Provided details on compensating residents with contaminated water.  Did not answer the direct question of what legislation he would propose to protect citizens from increasing nitrate levels

Gorski - Answered the question directly

Saratoga Concerned Question Two

In the 2017 legislative session, State Representatives considered legislation (AB544) that would legalize the purchase of water utilities by out-of-state corporations and change existing law to make public referendums on such purchases optional instead of mandatory. This was done against massive public outcry.  The proposal eventually failed.

What is your stance on the privatization of Wisconsin’s water as proposed last legislative session?

SCOTT KRUG
There was no bill passed in the 2017 session. I feel that if a referendum remains a requirement residents can make the choice on a local level if a private company should manage their local utility.

---

DAVID GORSKI 
I clearly remember when AB 544 was being debated.  I was shocked that AB 544 was even being considered. Obviously, many other Wisconsinites felt the same way, and the authors of this bill got the message.  My guess is the authors of this bill were hoping that the public was not paying attention.

The Wisconsin Public Trust Doctrine clearly states that water belongs to all Wisconsinites.  Allowing in-state, out-of-state, or foreign private parties to gain ownership of our water supply violates the spirit of the Public Trust Doctrine.

I understand that some cash-strapped communities with poor water quality may not have the resources to effectively treat their water.  These communities may need to contract with companies to effectively treat their water and make it potable. However, in these cases, it must remain mandatory that community members decide if they want to have a private party profit off their water. So, having a referendum on this issue needs to be mandatory.

Additionally, I see this as just one more attack on local control and democracy. The more public input we have, the more democracy we have.

FactCheck

Correction - Water Privatization bill was pushed during the 2016 Legislative session
Assembly passed the bill Jan. 12 and a Senate committee approved it on a Jan. 28.  It did not make the Senate floor for a full chamber vote.

Rep. Krug voted in favor of this bill which did include the option of a referendum as he stated in his stance above
Stipulation included - no referendum would occur unless opponents gathered signatures of 10 percent of voters

Scorecard

    Both candidates answered the question directly.

#

Wisconsin Democratic Nominee for Assembly Hits Supreme Court Ruling on Proposed Factory Farm

 David Gorski, candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly
blasted a proposed, massive factory farm this week in a
new campaign ad.

David Gorski, the Democratic Party nominee for State Assembly (72nd dist) in central Wisconsin, vowed to oppose the Republican-crafted Supreme Court decision against the town of Saratoga and a proposed factory farm that would would be sited in his district.

Saratoga and other communities have been fighting the proposed massive factory farm sited in Saratoga since 2012.

"One-hundred percent of my loyalty on this issue is with the property owners of Saratoga (Wood County) and Rome (Adams County)," said Gorski in the ad. "Because we all need to be good neighbors. And noone should profit while their neighbors lose. And I believe every community has the right to protect the health and wealth of their residents."

Gorski is a Democrat and member of the Progressive Caucus. He is a retired counselor and drug-and-alcohol prevention specialist for the Nekoosa School System, living in the town of Grand Rapids.

Gorski will face State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) who is seeking his fifth term after breaking his promise to only serve two terms.

David Gorski's video is below:

Wisconsin's Year of Water—2018

Increasing opposition to proposed massive CAFO in central
Wisconsin signals statewide, clean water sentiment.
- Photo by Mary Captain-Braund (creative commons)

In 2016, Election Day saw electoral defeats for two prominent clean-water candidates running for state assembly in central and northeastern Wisconsin.

The set-backs are temporary and the Wisconsin Blue Wave is acknowledged across the political spectrum as the terrain on which the 2018 campaigns are held.

Clean water champ and 2016 candidate, Dave Gorski, is back, running in the 72nd assembly district in central Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin's northeastern peninsula, a special election for state senate in a district held by Republicans is considered so vulnerable, Gov. Scott Walker went to unprecedented lengths to block the election before state courts ordered Walker to follow the law, forcing the gov to let people decide their representatives in free elections.

Anti-Trump and Walker animus, pro-women sentiment, public school defenders, local democracy, criminal justice reform and anti-Foxconn voters are poised to become electoral factors in 2018.

Clean water grassroots groups present the equivalent of a massive ground operation energizing the Wisconsin Blue Wave.

Candidates in 2018 have taken notice, bringing back a traditional Wisconsin commitment—clean and fresh water.

In the town of Saratoga, Wisconsin, (population some 5,100), in southern Wood County an entire municipal government is mobilized for survival, as one proposed factory farm, CAFO, in Saratoga would "likely contaminate residents drinking wells and pump out more groundwater than some cities," (Anderson, USA Today Network-Wisconsin).

Republican legislators, State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) and State Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) in central Wisconsin work against the interests of their constituents whom they sell out to Big Ag interests which pollute and deplete surface and ground waters in support of the Republican coalition.

Some leading clean water advocates include gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn, and Ann Groves Lloyd running for a special election in central Wisconsin, assembly dist 42.

Writes Flynn in a message repeated across the state:

Wisconsin used to be known for clean air, clean water, and clean government. Now we have dirty air, dirty water, and corrupt government. This is unacceptable. Here's how I'll protect our clean water resources as #wigov https://t.co/QB1xZ2KZyO #bluewave2018 https://t.co/FfLh1BsqJ5

— Matt Flynn (@ForwardWFlynn) May 1, 2018

Groves Lloyd of Lodi, Wisconsin is running in the special assembly election to be held on June 12, one of two special elections that will draw national attention.

The Wisconsin people have become so disgusted with Scott Walker and the Republicans rigging law and water-safety regulations to help polluters against families that Walker in a historic first actually blocked special elections to stop Wisconsin voters from electing candidate who would protect their families.

Below is a TV spot running widely featuring Groves Lloyd's campaign commitment to protecting water.

Wisconsin Edges Towards Medieval Times in Wastewater Management

Political corruption and public lethargy embolden corporate agriculture's plundering of public waters

Madison, Wisconsin — Gov. Scott Walker cares too much about people to see them become dependent on government for safe water and sewage systems.

So Republican thinking goes.

If people believe government is some kind of wishing well, then the next thing you know is you get Jewish socialists advocating everything from municipal sewers to safe drinking water to healthcare to vibrant public universities where then there's a whole bunch of Jews, socialists, identifying lesbians, sociologists, and Art History types infecting young minds with the democratic virus—constantly mutating, changing form and killing Jesus, (Slate Magazine), (Dreier, Huffington Post), [(Seymour Martin Lipset Ph.D., Gary Wolfe Marks Ph.D; It Didn't Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States, (W.W. Norton and Company)].

For the world casting eyes upon the Badger state's political culture and asking, 'what's the matter with Wisconsin?' know it's nothing that a competent Democratic Party of Wisconsin, (we don't have one of those), and the tiniest bit of increase in civic involvement among a slice of the population cannot cure.

It's that easy, though a favorable decision in the potentially landmark gerrymandering case challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin's Republican-drawn state legislative and congressional maps that are intended to elect as many Republicans as possible would help too, [Whitford v. Gill, (Nichol), (District Court (Case 3:15-cv-00421)) (2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155022 (W.D. Wis., Nov. 17, 2015)), (Redistricting legal reporting, Election Law blog), (Supreme Court of the United States, No. 16-1161, Beverly R. Gill, et al. v. William Whitford, et al.)] See Parsons for analysis on the landmark nature of this November 2016 decision, now before the Supreme Court of the United States, (No. 16-1161, Beverly R. Gill, et al. v. William Whitford, et al.).

Here's a problem with the One-Party-Republican rule for those Wisconsinites enamored of drinking safe water. Wisconsin Republicans do not care if your kids die or are hospitalized by drinking or bathing in water poisoned by huge agricultural interests that vectors manure into aquifers. Until white, rural Wisconsin voters realize this fact, rural voters will keep reelecting Republicans, (Mal Contends). [See also Ikerd, Dr. John. "The Inevitable Economic, Ecological, and Social Consequences of CAFOs." University of Missouri-Columbia.]

We should really consider the wisdom of Milwaukee's sewer socialists and how their politics matter today. That is, disposing of untreated manure and waste safely matters to human beings. In Medieval times, this focus on sanitation was not a public concern.

The latest from Wisconsin safe water warriors sees journalism and citizen action soaring:

We note again the reporting of Steven Verburg of the Wisconsin State Journal.

By David Gorski

You won't believe this one.

Verburg reports on the introduction of a new legislative bill, (Assembly Bill 226, (AB 226).

After Republicans have facilitated the contamination and depletion of your drinking water with CAFOs and other Big Ag corporate operations, AB 226 would increase the monies available to you so you can actually drink your water, and safely bathe infants, (which in Door and Kewaunee counties, for example, has resulted in the hospitalization of infants, children and adults who thought bathing in and drinking water were safe pursuits).

Here's an idea. How about we ensure that any corporate operation that pollutes and contaminates our water is not allowed to operate without the consent of the community whose families' health and lives are endangered? Guess who is sponsoring AB 226? State Rep. Scott Krug, (R-Nekoosa, Wisconsin) and State Rep. Joel Kitchens, (R-Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin), the polluters' top go-to lackeys.

On another matter, In February, Verburg reported on the only privatized of Wisconsin's 80 drinking-water public systems.

The system serves the city of Superior and charges more than twice the average of what folks pay for water now in the rest of the state.

Folks, corporate control, corporate pollution, corporate befouling and depletion are coming our way. The first step is stopping the proposed Wysocki CAFO. Then we get rid of the people in the capitol who do the work of polluters. For now, Republicans like Krug and Kitchens are working against us to encourage the polluting and depleting of our water, followed by corporate out-of-state control of our water.

Well, who ever said you have a right to water?

By Don Ystad of Adams County Wisconsin

Concerned friends and neighbors,

Why is this article about an Iowa editor winning a Pulitzer important to us?  It's about perseverance in pointing out the pollution of a watershed in Iowa by upstream agricultural , and uncovering the dark money fueled by big agricultural interests to hide the truth and undermine efforts to stop the pollution.  Think about it in terms of the dark money flowing in to the last local campaign here to unseat our environment friendly Senator, this past fall's attempt by the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers, (WPVGA), to sell a junk science groundwater 'fact book', and the quarter million dollars big ag interests contributed to our representatives to further ag friendly groundwater bills. Then, remember the misleading ads by the WPVGA trying to convince us that drawing down the aquifer won't affect lakes levels, and misleading photos presented by growers at a public meeting suggesting that lakes have recovered from the effects of high cap well pumping. These people are not our friends, [The Guardian, The Independent].

This article is an important reminder about the self serving nature of the big ag lobbies as they try to hide behind the family-farmer label while destroying that very ethic.  And, it's a reminder of how our legislators pander to that lobby. But, it's also a confirmation that we may not have the support of our lawmakers or the DNR, and certainly not the big ag community, but we have two things going for us; our vote and our collective voice. We have the ultimate power if we choose to use it.

As a property owner concerned with the future of your well, your lake or your stream, you need to be an active citizen. There are local grass roots groups, and the new statewide citizens lobby available to you, among others. Get involved and protect what's important to you.

It's the only way.

Wisconsin citizens are leading the way.

Journalists are leading the way.

Know that Big Ag and its defenders care about one thing, and it isn't life. Ask Iowa's Alex Kuhn, driven to suicide by factory farm trolls and agribusiness lackeys for Kuhn's standing up for his community, families and safe water.

Consider as well the words of Gordon Stevenson, runoff chief for the Wisconsin DNR (2001-2011):

"Manure management is essentially the same as it has been since the Middle Ages; untreated manure is disposed on untreated on the landscape. We have already seen severe public health consequences from these practices and I am certain that we will see more. Much of Wisconsin’s environmental protection efforts with agriculture center on nutrient management planning. Many of my former colleagues have labored long and hard to persuade farmers to adopt the NRCS 590 Nutrient Management Standard. The problem is that 590 is not a water quality standards, it as an agronomic standard that seeks to optimize crop production. Plus evaluation of a farmer’s compliance with that standard is somewhere between difficult and impossible."

Consider the Parable of Smithfield Foods. In 1936, a family built a small hog slaughtering and packing plant in Smithfield, Virginia. Their products were very good, the plant grew and town of Smithfield came to be known as the Ham Capital of the World. During the 1980s, the company vertically integrated. In plain English, that means they not only owned the processing facilities, but they figured out that if they controlled the production of hogs as well as processing they could be more profitable. By the end of 1998, Smithfield owned not only multiple packaging plants but 460 large hog farms and had contracts with 2,100 other pork producers 12 states. Smithfield Foods had become the number one pork producer in the United States and was growing internationally. They continued to grow, aggregating the assets of American pork production into larger and fewer blocks. Next time you go shopping, checkout the pork products. You will see labels like Morrell, Farmland, Armour and others. Smithfield owns all of those companies and multiple others. On September 26, 2013, Smithfield Foods and all of its holdings were sold to another company for $7.1 billion. [Bittman, NYT] The name of the company is Shuanghui International Holdings Limited.[Shuanghui changed its name to the: WH Group (BusinessWeek)]

"Yes, a company from the People’s Republic of China now owns 26 percent of all of the assets of the American pork industry. This is the largest single Chinese purchase to date of American assets. China has successfully established an offshore economic colony on American soil. Let’s leave Virginia and Beijing and return to Wisconsin. We have dairy CAFOs in Wisconsin that are in the process of aggregating the assets of Wisconsin’s dairy industry into larger and fewer blocks. Any of those blocks can be bought and sold. I don’t believe I need to spell out why I told you the Parable of Smithfield Foods."

Political Kismet in Central and Northeastern Wisconsin

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters press conference and
clean water rally along the Wisc River at Veterans Memorial Park
David Gorski, Democratic Party nominee for the 72nd state
assembly, addresses clean water supporters in early October
Image by John Endrizzi

Water is life. Right on.

Stopping the proposed Wysocki factory farm in central Wisconsin and electing Dave Gorski over Big Ag man State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) to the state assembly, resonates.

The race in Wisconsin assembly district 72 is being watched to gauge the power of citizen action fighting for clean water against polluters and Republicans.

The main polluters' lobby, the Dairy Business Association (DBA), is attuned to mounting citizen opposition to the destruction wrought by factory farms. The DBA is refusing to endorse two key Republicans running political interference for the DBA: Joel Kitchens and Scott Krug, (Mal Contends, Wisconsin Watch).

Wisconsin's leading analyst of macro-economic and fiscal analysis, Jake, notes this week:

The Dairy Business Association (aka Big Ag) endorsed numerous Republicans all over Wisconsin for the state legislature. But they were notably silent in giving two incumbent GOP legislators their 'seal of approval' for their assistance in allowing them to pollute

Assembly District 1- Joel Kitchens (Door and Kewaunee County)

Assembly District 72- Scott Krug (Central Sands, site of massive proposed CAFO).

Hmmm, why would the Big Ag guys not want to admit they support those guys before an election? You don't think they want to avoid having local voters think about these issues and wonder how their 'representatives' allowed this sh*t to happen, would they?

The polluters' endorsement is toxin in low-gerrymandered districts, as politically hazardous as the waste Big Ag vectors into the environment, while citizen clean-water action is ambrosia.

If you were the DBA, would you kill your two champions carrying your water? Kitchens and Krug are disastrous for clean water, and polluters' support has to be accomplished deep and dark.

Better the Republicans funnel money into the races via public school privatization billionaires and dark money.

Environmental Statement on CAFO Factory Delayed; Pro-CAFO State Rep. Faces Mounting Opposition

Updated - The Wysocki corporation's proposed factory farm in central Wisconsin has caused a political furor since detailed plans were first sprung on citizens at a community forum in Wisconsin Rapids in July 2012.

The sitting State Representative, Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa), was present and told a clean water activist, Nancy Koch, to "quit your bitching," (Mal Contends).

Koch and 1,000s of clean water supporters have never let up, (Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors, Rome and Saratoga Concerned, (Facebook)).

Before plans can proceed with the construction of this massive facility, (a CAFO or Confined Animal Feeding Operation), an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has to be released by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, (DNR).

The Republican-led DNR is sensitive to the political fortunes of Krug, so once again the EIS release has been delayed so Krug, a Wysocki CAFO supporter, will not face more opposition than he already has arrayed against him.

Republicans and school privatization forces are dumping $100,000s in an attempt to beat back a challenge by clean water activist, David Gorski, (Facebook). Scott Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos have held fundraisers for Krug.

So, naturally the DNR is doing its part with the Republican Party for the benefit of the CAFO champ, Scott Krug.

From Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors:

EIS release delayed and public hearing cancelled I received a call today from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regrading the pending Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS release has once again been delayed and the pubic hearing scheduled for October has been cancelled.

Although this does not come as a huge surprise we do feel the DNR is indeed getting closer to the actual completion of the document. No future release date or public hearing date has been determined at this time.

Of course, no release or public hearing has been determined, and the release date won't be until after the election.

Special delivery of liquid cow manure to Wisconsin streams and
lakes - Courtesy of Scott Krug, Scott Walker, and the
Dairy Business Association

Wisconsin Factory Farm Summit, Sept 10-11 Comes Two Weeks before Voting

Two weeks after this weekend's Wisconsin Factory Farm Summit in Green Bay,  voting begins in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

The magnitude of this Wisconsin election cannot be overstated.

The future of clean, safe and fresh water are at stake, and the political choice is stark.

For the polluters are Wisconsin State Reps. such as Scott Krug (R-Rome) and Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay). Today's Republican officeholders must declare their fealty to Big Ag polluters, no matter the costs to families and communities, streams, rivers and lakes.

Wasn't always like this, but this reality should guide voters. Care about safe water? Do not vote Republican!

Against the polluters in central Wisconsin, David Gorski is running for the 72nd assembly district as a clean water activist, (Facebook); and Lynn Utesch is running in the first assembly district as a clean water activist.

Many more campaigns are being run on clean water, but these two elections will tell the story of clean water in Wisconsin.

CAFO Champ Rep. Scott Krug Hit with Suit Demanding Clean Water Emails

A journalist in Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit asking for water-related emails showing correspondence between the office of State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa, Wisconsin) and constituents.

In an Open Records request, Bill Lueders, asked for requested material in an electronic form to make the predictable document dump searchable. The request asks for emails from January through April 8, 2016, the Associated Press reports, and covers a period during which Scott Krug pushed an anti-clean water measure opposed by constituents.

Krug is politically opposed by members of the clean water citizen group, Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors. Many in the citizen group regard the Republican Krug as running political interference for the Republican Party and Gov. Scott Walker's agenda to dismantle state protections for clean and safe water.

During the January-to-April 8 period covered in Lueders' request, Krug introduced legislation opposed by Protect Wood County and other citizen groups, (Mal Contends).

Citizens mobilize in Wood and Adams counties Wisconsin
to stop massive factory farm in central Wisconsin,
and to protect clean water

Wisconsin Assembly Bill 477 and Senate Bill 291 were introduced in the 2015-16 Wisconsin Legislative Session. The requested Jan-April timeframe by journalist Lueders is within the session's duration, continuing through early 2017.

Residents of Wood and Adams counties clashed with Krug, noting his introduced measure, (Assembly Bill 477), would have facilitated unpopular developments in central Wisconsin.

These opposed changes include the increased drawing of groundwater through high capacity wells, the poisoning of ground and surface water, the operation of the unpopular Wysocki factory farm, the plummeting of property valuations, and a threat to communities' recent attempt to promote central Wisconsin as a tourism and recreational mecca.

David Gorski is challenging State Rep. Scott Krug
in Wisconsin's Assembly District 72.

Clean and abundant water issues will define the race between Krug and clean water advocate, David Gorski, the Democratic Party nominee for Wisconsin's 72nd assembly district race.

Writes Bruce E. Dimick of Saratoga in Wood County, testifying in opposition to Senate Bill 291 on October 13, 2015 before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy:

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak here today.  My name is Bruce Dimick; I am from the Town of Saratoga Wisconsin, and am a member of the Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors organization. I have read SB 291 and was pleased by some aspects of the bill, but troubled by others.

One of those problem areas is the method used to identify a Sensitive Resource Area (SRA). I was a member of Representative Krug’s Citizen Advisory Groundwater Group when language similar to what is found in SB 291 was presented by Representative Krug with respect to Sensitive Resource Areas. I forcefully argued against this convoluted approach then, and I do so again today. To my knowledge, no one on the committee endorsed this approach, although many of us were in favor of the concept of Sensitive Resource Areas, or carve-outs.

Approval for a Sensitive Resource Area, (SRA), designation would, according to some estimates, take at least 10 years, during which any high-capacity wells that are approved for an area would be allowed to operate. By the time the SRA designation could be achieved much of the damage would already be done. Why work reactively when a proactive approach makes so much more sense both environmentally and economically?

In order to really understand the hydrogeology of an area like the Central Sands, you almost have to live there for a number of years, especially if you are from a more typical clay-loam environment.  We raised our family north of Appleton in the heart of dairy country during the ‘70’s and 80’s. This was typical clay-loam country like the country I grew up on in Northeastern Ohio. When we eventually moved to Saratoga, with its almost total lack of topsoil and all sand it took some getting used to. Without spray irrigation, our area is good for growing pine trees, but not much else.

One way to conceptualize the Central Sands area is think of it as a big tub full of sand filled almost to the top with water. All the water is connected. Streams, lakes and ponds are merely reflecting the local water table. As an example, we have a small dug pond on our property that has no typical inlet or outlet. Yet it is full of clean water and fish year round.  The ground water flows through our pond, slowly but continually, on its way to the Wisconsin River via one or more of the trout streams in the area.

The Central Sands area has been the subject of countless hydro geological studies done by the UWSP as well as the USGS and has already been identified as an environmentally sensitive region. The sensitivity of this aquifer is well documented, including a 2003 designation by the state legislature when groundwater management areas were identified.

The SRA designation should be made by the legislature proactively, now, just as it was in 2003 when groundwater management areas were identified.

If the entirety of the Central Sands area were designated as an SRA up front, then that would be a great improvement to this Bill.

I would ask the committee to go through a likely scenario for the Town of Saratoga if this bill is passed without modification. Saratoga home owners and small business’s are already being stressed by the threat that the aquifer supplying the residents of the town will be severely damaged. Housing prices have already plummeted, some by as much as 40-50%, and that is if you are lucky enough to sell your home. We are all dependent on private wells. The two wells on my property are 12’ sandpoints and our water tests unbelievably clean.

So if SB 291 becomes law without modification, and the Wysocki Family of Companies sinks their proposed 33 high capacity wells and lowers the water table as expected, many residents will have to construct new deeper wells.  And by the way, deeper does not always mean better. In areas like ours, the best water is frequently found near the top. Sand is a great filter.

Property values will continue to deteriorate and new houses will not be built in our rural residential community. Anybody that can move out, will move out. Perhaps a few hearty souls would prevail and eventually Saratoga and surrounding areas would be designated as an SRA after 7-10 years. The chances at that point of actually shutting down Wysocki’s 33 high capacity wells seems remote at best.

The damage will have been done and a rural community and its small businesses will suffer.

From the Associated Press, Aug. 19, 2016:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A reporter has filed a lawsuit demanding a state lawmaker turn over more than 1,000 pages of records in an electronic format.

Bill Lueders, a reporter and president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, filed the lawsuit Friday in Madison. He alleges he asked Rep. Scott Krug's office for correspondence with constituents over water issues from January through April 8.

The lawsuit alleges Krug's office released more than 1,000 pages even though he asked for the material electronically so he could search it easily.

Krug, a Nekoosa Republican, says he hadn't seen the lawsuit but insisted his office complied with the open records law. He said he thinks the lawsuit is politically motivated since Lueders gave it to reporters first.

Lueders says he only wants compliance with the law.

The Krug-David Gorski race is considered a prime pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Party.

Wisconsin Candidates Run for Clean Water Against Historic Attacks by Republicans

Wisconsin Faces a Crisis Unprecedented in Its History by Republicans Ruining the State

At least three Wisconsin state assembly candidates are making fighting Republicans and corporate agriculture's unprecedented attack on clean and safe water the central basis of seeking office to knock off sitting Republican state representatives.

Two of the most troubled regions in Wisconsin are the central sands and northeastern peninsula regions. Much of those regions are part of the 72nd and First assembly districts respectively.

Both districts have drawn challenges from Democratic Party activists facing Republican-drawn gerrymandereding and incumbent Republicans who are political allies of industrialized agricultural polluters.

"Are we going to stand by and watch as our precious resources and our environment are being destroyed for the benefit of a few corporate elite? If we choose to be helpless and invisible, then perhaps we deserve the tragedy that looms up before us," wrote Jack Stewart of Washburn, Wisconsin in a Facebook posting. Stewart belongs to a citizens' group, Citizens Concerned about Lake Superior CAFOs, fighting the siting of a proposed massive swine CAFO from an operation run out of Iowa.

Citizens Concerned with the assistance of the networking capacity of social media such as Facebook, (and academics, citizen media, and legal groups), is linked with similar-minded citizen groups in central and northeastern Wisconsin.

Central Wisconsin

In central Wisconsin, two candidates are challenging the anti-clean water and polluting factory farm champion, State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa, Wisconsin) in assembly district 72. In 2010. Krug ran on the promise he would only serve four years if elected, and would never accept one cent of per diem money. Both promises were broken, as Krug continues to run political interference for the Wysocki corporation that wants to build a massive factory farm in the town of Saratoga in Wood County.

The two challenging candidates are: Dave Gorski, (D-Grand Rapids), and Russ Brown (D-Richford), (a small farmer and former community banker). Both candidates gain plaudits from pro-clean water advocates in Wood and Adams counties.

Krug is now almost universally regarded by clean water workers as bought-and-paid-for by polluters.

Northeastern Wisconsin

In northeastern Wisconsin, first-term incumbent and pollution-friendly State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), faces a challenge from small farmer, veteran and clean water activist, Lynn Utesch, (Lunstrom, Door County Pulse), (Mal Contends).

The Republican Kitchens is a close political ally of Scott Walker and Scott Krug, and is similarly regarded with disdain by clean water activists.

Republicans

Part of the incredible political strategy of Walker, Krug and Kitchens is to transform Wisconsin into a polluted, corrupt and anti-education colony of corporations, so repellent the effort will drive non-Republican Wisconsinites out of the state, and minimize educated and socially conscious out-of-state citizens from locating in Wisconsin.

The leading Wisconsin progressive daily newspaper, (Paul Fanlund, The Capital Times) has adopted a defensive stop-hurting-us posture warning citizens, academics and progressive organs not to antagonize Scott Walker and other Republicans, lest Republicans retaliate against the University of Wisconsin System, for example. Fanlund should be rallying citizens, not asking for silence.

As Walker, with all Republicans following with no dissent, work to inflict catastrophe on the environment, the University system, public education, local control, state budget, voting, and cities (to list just a few sectors), at least three political candidates advocate fighting back.

The scope of the Wisconsin Republicans' inflict-disaster approach to public policy cannot be overstated.

This site will keep readers abreast of other candidates working for Wisconsin against baleful assaults, incursions, encroachments and befouling unprecedented in Wisconsin history.

Suit Against Vatican and the Pope Reveals Details

Wisconsin families of sex abuse survivors are saying to the Vatican: It's not alright, and you will not get away with this outrage.

Suit against pope, Vatican details Wisconsin abuse

Man allegedly molested by priest accuses pontiff, senior Vatican officials of failing to protect children

By DINESH RAMDE and ERIC GORSKI, Associated Press

New documents released in the case of a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting boys at a school for the deaf show the Vatican was alerted earlier than previously thought.

A letter released Thursday by the attorney in a lawsuit against the Vatican shows that one of the alleged victims wrote to a Vatican official in 1995.

That was two years before the Vatican green-lighted a secret canonical trial against the Rev. Lawrence Murphy.

Previously, it was believed that the Vatican first learned of the allegations in a 1996 letter from the Milwaukee archbishop.

Murphy was accused of molesting at least 200 deaf children from 1950 to 1975. He died in 1998.

The Vatican was studying the lawsuit and had no immediate comment.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- An Illinois man who says he was molested by a Wisconsin priest as a child filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing Pope Benedict XVI and senior Vatican officials of failing to protect children from a man the Vatican knew was a possible child molester.

The Vatican had no immediate comment.

The plaintiff, identified in court papers as John Doe 16, said he was repeatedly molested by the Rev. Lawrence Murphy while he was a student at the Milwaukee-area St. John's School for the Deaf. The lawsuit says the abuse occurred over a number of years and included incidents where Murphy solicited sex in the confessional.

The lawsuit seeks the release of confidential Vatican files detailing clergy abuse allegations, as well as unspecified monetary damages. It also seeks a jury trial.

The lawsuit doesn't list the years of the alleged abuse. Murphy taught at the school from 1950 to 1974.

Murphy, who died in 1998, is accused of sexually abusing some 200 boys at the school during that period. His case drew renewed scrutiny after the recent release of documents suggesting that a Vatican office led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now the Pope -- failed to aggressively discipline Murphy.

John Doe 16 said he wrote two letters to Vatican official Angelo Sodano reporting the abuse by Murphy and asking for help.

The lawsuit says Sodano, Ratzinger and fellow Vatican official Tarcisio Bertone all knew about the allegations against Murphy and conspired to keep them secret. The lawsuit says the claims are based on "information and belief" but doesn't offer proof.

"Ratzinger and Bertone each knew that their inaction and delay would cause harm to Plaintiff and other former deaf students," the lawsuit states.

The court document suggests that the Vatican failed to discipline Murphy because he was a prolific fundraiser.

The defendants are Ratzinger, Bertone, Sodano and the Holy See, identified as the state of the Vatican City. Cardinal Bertone was Ratzinger's deputy at the time of the investigation and is now the Vatican's secretary of state.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, has previously said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was only informed of the Murphy case some 20 years after the diocese knew of the allegations and after civil authorities decided to drop their investigation. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is the powerful office that among other things investigates clerical sex abuse.

Lombardi has said that given Murphy's age and health, and that no further allegations had been leveled against him, the Congregation suggested that the Wisconsin bishops restrict his ministry rather than stage a full-blown canonical trial against him.

The Wisconsin bishops ordered the proceedings halted, but in the end, Murphy died while still a defendant in a canonical trial.
------

Associated Press Writer Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.