As a member of Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment, I have seen too many instances where a victim is reluctant to report an assault out of fear that he or she will not be believed by the authorities. If Wisconsin allows law enforcement officials or a district attorney to order, request or suggest that a victim submit to a lie detector test, this would further discourage victims to report this heinous crime that too often goes unreported.
Implicit in a lie detector test is the assumption that the victim cannot be trusted and is dishonest. Mechanisms such as a lie detector test put further blame on a victim for a crime where the victim is often seen as the wrongdoer rather than the perpetrator. Rather than having policies that derail and discourage victims of sexual assault from coming forward, Wisconsin needs legislation that supports victims of sexual assault and encourages victims to report these horrific crimes.
It is imperative that no law enforcement officer or district attorney order, request or suggest that a victim submit to a lie detector test. I encourage you to contact your state legislator about this issue.
Issues Coordinator
The acceptance of a forced contract on Jan. 29 signaled the end of the Jefferson strikers' 11-month strike and has shown Tyson Foods' unwillingness to compromise on the basic human rights of its employees.
Had they not accepted the contract, Tyson could have legally called a union decertification election among the anti-union scabs. This shows the limited ability of unions to negotiate under the labor laws that saw their beginning in the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.
""As long as the laws are on the side of the big corporations, there's nothing we can do,"" said striker Greg Warren.
This is supposing, however, that workers must work within a system that is inherently to their disadvantage. The traditional labor-management relationship of today is ineffective in guarding against the employers' union-busting assault which began in the late 1970s.
Had the Tyson strikers relied more on rank-and-file initiative and mutual solidarity rather than on their bureaucratic union, the chances of their success would have been greatly increased.
We need to continue fighting for working-class militancy and finally put human rights before private profit.
A homeless man named Bernard Woods died Jan. 27. This typically does not raise many eyebrows, but in this instance it should. Bernard resided at the Men's Drop-In Shelter, 116. W. Washington Ave. Though the exact circumstances of his death are disputed, according to most witnesses Bernard made it known to shelter staff that he was diabetic and feeling ill, and requested something to eat. But because the shelter's breakfast time had officially just ended, a kitchen volunteer denied his request, in accordance with standard procedure. Bernard died shortly afterward, ostensibly due to low blood sugar.
It appears the Drop-In Shelter operates more like a prison than a humane institution. Last winter, two homeless men froze to death in sub-zero temperatures because they smelled of alcohol and thus were denied entrance. They were not disruptive or violent, but were simply seeking refuge from the harsh Wisconsin winter. One man then passed out in a garbage can outside, and the other in the shelter's front yard. The following day they were found dead. This ""zero tolerance"" alcohol policy cost these men their lives.
Not much fuss followed this tragedy as the poor and homeless are often swept under the rug, even in a ""liberal"" city like Madison. The shelter was subsequently forced to change their policy and unconditionally let all people in when the temperature falls below a certain level, though practices like this continue due to the arbitrary decisions of staff who often see their primary responsibility as disciplining residents, and making sure nothing ""gets by"" rather than being concerned about the welfare of the homeless.
The men's shelter is scheduled to be merged with another not-for-profit due to funding issues and move to a new location further away from State Street, where the homeless are apparently an eyesore to the often middle-class shoppers and college students. State Street is scheduled for renovation and it is difficult not to see the correlation between the shelter's move and the ""upgrading"" of State Street. This is gentrification in attenuated form. The ""not in my backyard"" mentality ought to weigh on the conscience of anyone who cares about the difficulties faced by the poor who struggle simply for the basic needs that most of us take for granted. We need to wake up.
These inequities have cost the men described above their lives, and it is time to embrace all the members of our community, no matter their housing or financial status.
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Name withheld upon request
Homeless shelter employee
I have lived in and around Madison for most of my life.This is a first-class city with a first-class university. Let us keep it that way. Vote ""NO"" on this casino!
The UW is recognized throughout the world in large part due to its ability to attract talented students from around the globe. The UW makes Madison and Wisconsin globally competitive and we cannot take that for granted. Adding a casino does not mix.
Opponents of the casino say that crime will rise significantly while proponents argue there will only be a slight increase in crime. Either way there will be an increase in crime. Crime and quality education do not mix.
According to economists at the University of Illinois and the University of Georgia, counties with casino gambling have an 8 percent higher crime rate than counties in the United States that do not have casinos. Maybe proponents are correct; that does not seem like much, or does it? Statistics show that in 2001, there were 319 violent crimes (murder, rape or assault) in Madison, and there were almost 3,400 property crimes. If we use the 8 percent increase figure to estimate a casino scenario, we would have an increase of approximately 25 violent crimes and 272 property crimes just in the city of Madison. This crime endangers current students and deters future students from choosing the UW.
We need to continue to promote an atmosphere conducive to learning by working on students' current problems of binge drinking and credit card debt rather than adding gambling to the mix. The UW and a casino do not work together. Let's stick to the basics. We're here to learn. Let's not gamble away our future.
