SPEAK OUT! – No Greater Love

SPEAK OUT! - No Greater Love


SPEAK OUT!

No Greater Love

Art DeJong

No Greater Love

2000 years ago in Israel, Jesus taught, “Love God above all and your neighbor as yourself.” One month ago, the same country experienced its opposite—a blitzkrieg of murder, rape, and pillage.

I for one, though jaded by the daily body count in our own cities and the slaughter of entire Christian villages in Africa, was shocked by the savagery of the attack, but not so much by the reaction of our own leaders. Our tenured academics as usual excused the brutality, hiding their hatred of Jews and Christians behind globalist rhetoric. Our president immediately called for a “cease fire,” concerned more about placating his liberal Jewish supporters and rabid Dearborn constituents than by either the American hostages or international justice. Our thousands of federal administrators, entrenched in the safety of their agency fiefdoms, treated the massacre as just a minor distraction from their more important job of micro-managing every detail of life in this United States.

The facts remain: the same hatred that came for Israel is coming for us, the even “greater Satan;” no country can be safe without secure borders; and no people can be safe, even from their own neighbors, without the rule of laws that defend liberty. It is also a fact that we now must depend for our defense on leaders who have opened our borders to our enemies, ignored our laws, and have fed hatred for America on our campuses.

The good news is that the unity and courageous response of the Israeli people to this massacre gives us hope, hope that we too can stop squabbling long enough to defend America. Maybe we too can summon the will and courage to get back into fighting trim. Maybe we can elect leaders to defend our own borders and to enforce our own laws and elect a Congress that will defund and delete entire agencies that are bankrupting our country, inflating our currency, limiting our liberty, and eroding our vitality.

It’s a tall order, but, if not now, when? Defending and reviving the old free America will not be easy but neither is fighting in the streets of Gaza and blasting into Hamas bunkers to defend your people. We are inspired by those Israelis who are practicing that other ancient truth, “There is no greater love than this; that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.”

Art DeJong
Sheboygan


“And In This Corner….” – Wolfe Impeachment, Our Mission, and Member Survey

"And In This Corner...." - Wolfe Impeachment, Our Mission, and Member Survey

“And In This Corner...”

Wolfe Impeachment, Our Mission, and Member Survey

Russ Otten, RPSC Chair

10/29/23

Fellow RPSC Members and Patriots,

I named this column "And in This Corner...." when I first became RPSC Chair because we are in a fight for the soul of this county, state, and nation. Some of us are natural fighters. Most of us are reluctant to fight but will if pushed to the edge. We are at that edge!

Let's start with the fight going on in Madison over whether or not to impeach the top election official in Wisconsin, Meagan Wolfe. She is the one who directed and allowed clerks to take illegal actions during the 2020 Presidential election, with Joe Biden being declared the winner. All of her actions have been well documented. Wolfe's term ended on June 30; yet, she has remained in her position. It will now take the Assembly (Republican majority) and the Senate (Republican majority) to impeach her. However, our own Assembly members, Rep. Amy Binsfeld and Rep. Terry Katsma, are unwilling to put pressure on Assembly Leader Robin Vos to call a vote on an impeachment resolution co-sponsored by our own Assembly member, Rep. Ty Bodden.

On Tuesday, October 24, the HQ was packed to hear former WI Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman clearly lay out that Wolfe's impeachment is not only necessary but can be easily accomplished if Vos will act. InFormer Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman essence, Justice Gableman stated that a simple majority of the Assembly is needed. Vos has the votes but refuses to call for the vote. The Senate already took a straw poll and voted 22-11 to impeach Wolfe. So, they have the super-majority (2/3) to make this happen. Justice Gableman destroyed several of Vos's excuses for his inaction, including that a current lawsuit filed by Wolfe is an obstacle. The lawsuit has nothing to do with moving forward with impeachment! (Justice Gableman, Former Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice Michael GablemanRep. Bodden, and former Rep. Tim Ramthun received long ovations for their fight in this war!)

Rep. Binsfeld and Rep. Katsma have long said that they support restoring election integrity. Yet, they are doing nothing to push for the impeachment of Wisconsin's top election official, thus allowing her to stay in office and be in charge of the 2024 Presidential election! They are Republicans who we elected to uphold the foundation of our Republic - free and fair elections! At this most critical moment, when Wisconsin will possibly determine our next president, is it too much to ask Rep. Binsfeld and Rep. Katsma to do their jobs by impeaching the corrupt Wolfe? There are only two camps in this fight. In which camp are they?

Let's move on to the battle within the RPSC. For many of you, this comes as news. But it is time to deal with it openly and directly. When you elected me as Chair in February, 2022, I laid out a new mission: To elect patriots to local offices and to those offices that represent us in Madison and then hold them accountable. In nearly two years, I have never wavered from that mission. (Just look at what I wrote above!) There is a small group of detractors that wants that mission changed. They don't like it when our legislators are challenged at Executive Committee meetings. They would rather have them give a brief report and move on. Some legislators stopped attending because they do not want to defend their actions/inactions in Madison. One legislator has never attended since I became Chair.Former Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman

A few people have told me that it is the Chair's job to keep the Party unified and that this should be the new mission of the RPSC. For many years, there was unity within the membership because Patriots refused to join. So, before I was elected Chair, I reached out to various Patriot groups and assured them that the Party would be their home. They joined. In fact, so many joined that the membership doubled in just one year. I am one of those Patriot Republicans and would love to continue growing the Party. We have great open discussions and disagreements. And, yes, we hold our legislators accountable. The discourse is necessary to create the unity we all desire. However, our strong platform cannot and will not be sacrificed for the sake of unity. I welcome dissent. But I also expect that our disagreements, after shared, will result in legislators joining us, not separating from us, in this fight against socialism at every level.

Finally, the RPSC Executive Committee voted to send out a member survey to gauge views about certain issues and to take the pulse of the membership. It included several questions about the RPSC mission and my leadership. About 30% of members completed and submitted their surveys. Nearly 70% like the mission. And since the mission was not officially voted on by the members, 85% said it should be. I agree and will include that vote at the next caucus in February. Several used the survey to strongly disagree with my leadership. I accept the criticism and will use it to make the Party stronger. I find it ironic, though, that the same small group calling for unity is bent on thwarting the will of the members who unanimously re-elected me in February.

I conclude by inviting non-members to view the attached membership survey results which will be discussed at our next Executive Committee meeting at 7:00PM on Monday, November 13, at the HQ. My hope is that you will be inspired to join the RPSC that night, have a voice, and take an active role in winning local elections and holding our legislators accountable.

God bless you all!

Russ Otten, RPSC Chair
(920)207-3894

SPEAK OUT! – Take Back Sheboygan County–Why?

SPEAK OUT! - Take Back Sheboygan County--Why?


SPEAK OUT!

Take Back Sheboygan County--Why?

Art DeJong

Background

Several hundred years ago our nation’s founders established a completely new system of government. Because every society is too complex to be centrally micro-managed and power always corrupts, governments that used the old top-down systems had short, chaotic lives and usually died horrible deaths. (Communist and fascist dictatorships, monarchies, oligarchies). While these systems featured constant struggles for power with coups and countercoups, rioting, revolutions, and mass incarcerations and executions, the U.S. with its new system muddled along quite peacefully. What was its secret?

The secret was a system that carefully separated four types of government to enable citizens to govern from the bottom up, not top down. The first and most important part was the family, in charge of raising the next generation; the second, town and county elected boards that did most of the governing. The third, state government, dealt only with issues which couldn’t be handled locally, while the final, federal government, was just in charge of national defense, foreign policy, and relationships among the states. This new system worked so well that it became our country’s greatest export.

In recent years, however, Democrats, believing that they could run state, local, and even family life, in addition to foreign policy, took over the federal government and set out to control all four from Washington. The Democrat controlled media stopped paying attention to state and local government because governing now was to be done by Washington, not local citizens. State government and local boards were simply to enforce the policies of wise federal Democrats, they thought. Without media coverage they quietly began to take over local government. Few noticed the shift because the machinery was still in place; but now it was to be used to enforce the policies of federal Democrats, not the will of local people. They had reversed the system; bottom-up had become top-down.

But citizens started to notice that things didn’t seem to run well anymore. Was it nostalgia? They noticed that we were lurching from crisis to crisis, that we expected federal borrowing to pay our bills, that our cities were becoming warzones, that hordes were invading our southern border, and that weird “woke”, DEI, and transexual obsessions were showing up on local boards and in our suddenly failing schools. The media told citizens to calm down, explaining that federal failures were just minor glitches caused by the Covid, climate change, or Republicans. Soon, however, citizens could no longer ignore the chaos and started to look more closely at what was happening to our system of local governance. Local findings, found in takebacksheboygancounty.com, make for interesting reading, to say the least.

Conclusion

Hoping that federal politicians can save us is the root of the problem, not the solution. True, managing local organizations the size of Sheboygan County with its $180 million budget, the Sheboygan Area School District ($160 million), and the City of Sheboygan ($125 million) is not for the faint of heart, nor is the job of forcing the federal government to do its job of defending the country, not ruling it. But we have no other choice. Self-government requires that we do just that--take responsibility for ourselves, our families, and our local government. The alternative is for counties to drift down the path of obedience until we reach the end, the death of the great American Dream.

This spring we will elect all 25 members of the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors, 5 out of 10 members to the Sheboygan Common Council, 3 out of 9 members to the Sheboygan Area School District Board, and dozens on various other boards throughout the county.

If you can help to save, or in some cases take back, local government by serving-- or if you know people who may be able to serve-- or if you are willing to help someone else campaign for office, please take that first step toward national recovery and contact Russ Otten at ottenruss@reagan.com or (920) 207-3894.

The clock is ticking
Nomination papers—December 1, 2023 to Jan 2, 2024
Spring Primary—February 20, 2024.
Spring General Election—April 2, 2024

Art DeJong, Sheboygan, WI


In My Opinion – It’s Time to Stop the INSANITY

In My Opinion - It’s Time to Stop the INSANITY

“In My Opinion”

We the People

 

It’s Time to Stop the INSANITY

A definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Applied to several of our Republican elected officials and some local leaders, it appears that INSANITY has become contagious.

Following the 2020 Presidential election, Meagan Wolfe, Administrator of the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC), faced calls to resign and attempts to remove her by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Legislature. All attempts have failed, and Ms. Wolfe remains in her position, hence the application of the definition of INSANITY.

Meagan Wolfe

Meagan Wolfe

Another instance of INSANITY occurred on the Oct. 9th, at the Republican Party of Sheboygan County (RPSC) Executive Committee Meeting. Twenty-Second Assembly Dist. Rep. Janel Brandtjen spoke and answered questions about a Wolfe Impeachment item on the meeting agenda. In a Sept. 22, 2023 article in the Conservative Website WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/5-gop-lawmakers-introduce-resolution-to-impeach-states-top-election-official/ , Brandtjen was one of 5 GOP members of the Assembly who was circulating a resolution seeking to impeach Meagan Wolfe.

Twenty-Second Assembly Dist. Rep. Janel Brandtjen

Twenty-Second Assembly Dist. Rep. Janel Brandtjen

Rep. Brandjen has been heavily involved in efforts to decertify the 2020 Presidential Election because of election fraud which has led to clashes with Republican Assembly Leader Robin Vos. No evidence of fraud has been found even after a year-long investigation by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.

Brandtjen’s efforts to remove Meagan Wolfe have attracted the support of some members of the RPSC, notably our Chair, Russ Otten.

This is what Otten said in an email sent out on Oct. 11th. “At our Exec Comm meeting last night, there was a very in-depth discussion and Q&A session on this impeachment resolution. This involved RPSC members and Rep. Amy Binsfeld, Rep. Janel Brandtjen, and former Rep. Tim Ramthun. (Rep. Terry Katsma and Sen. Devin Lemahieu did not attend.)

Otten claimed that “…there was overwhelming support for Wolfe's impeachment. Brandtjen expressed the immediacy of this needed action. Amy Binsfield stated that she was unsure if impeachment could happen while a lawsuit is pending. Katsma, who is closely tied to Vos, was not there to take questions or offer a comment. (Ty) Bodden was not there but was the sponsor and firmly in support of the resolution.”

Russ Otten’s claim of “overwhelming support for Wolfe’s impeachment” seemed to exist only in his mind as there was no vote of support. Furthermore, he attempted to spread INSANITY by calling on members and fellow patriots to send letters to our representatives in the Assembly to demand that Brandtjen’s resolution be brought to the assembly for a vote.

I have concerns about the Wisconsin Election Commission and some of its actions during the 2020 Presidential Election. I am concerned that Meagan Wolfe will continue in her position as Administrator of the WEC.

However, I have found a vaccine against INSANITY which is called a REALITY CHECK. This is the REALITY.

We have an elected Democrat Governor, Tony Evers, and an elected Democrat Attorney General, Josh Kaul. As long as these two elected officials hold these two offices, the members of the Republican-controlled Legislature who pursue votes to remove Megan Wolfe from her position on the WEC will only succeed in showing how they are proving to be examples of the definition of INSANITY. Those leaders in the RPSC who tell its members to support impeachment efforts by the Legislature by sending letters to their elected officials are only spreading the contagion of INSANITY.

The only way Meagan Wolfe will be removed is when our Republican leaders, both state and local, direct their efforts to elect a Republican Governor and Attorney General who will have the power to fix the Wisconsin Election Commission.

Alan L. Jante

Postscript

Since drafting this article, two additional events occurred to prove my point that the INSANITY over the Meagan Wolfe Impeachment has become contagious.

Former WI Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman

Former WI Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman

First, On Tuesday, Oct. 24th, a presentation was held at RPSC HQ during which former WI Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman stated that Meagan Wolfe's impeachment was not only necessary but could be easily accomplished. Gableman played the Blame Game dismissing a lawsuit as “nothing to do with moving forward with impeachment. Also being blamed were Rep. Binsfield and Rep. Katsma for not getting infected with the INSANITY.

Second, On Friday, Oct. 27th, Ch. 58 reported that Dane County Judge Ann Peacock issued a temporary injunction barring Republicans from removing Wolfe or appointing a replacement.
The order also states Senate Republicans’ vote last month to fire Wolfe has no legal effect. A final decision on the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul has yet to be determined.
"To avoid confusion and disruption to Wisconsin’s decentralized system of election administration. Simply put, I agree with WEC (Wisconsin Election Commission) that the public expects stability in its elections system and this injunction will provide stability pending the Court’s final decision," Peacock wrote.

According to Ch. 58, “Kaul filed the legal challenge arguing Republicans had no authority to act. Republicans' attempt to push out Wolfe stems from the fallout of the 2020 election as she's been the target of false election claims spread by former President Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, attorneys representing GOP leaders named in the lawsuit admitted in a court filing the vote to oust Wolfe was "symbolic" and acknowledged she is lawfully holding her position.”

It is time to put an end to this INSANITY and direct our resources to things that matter. Getting Republicans across the state and in Sheboygan County energized with the 2024 Presidential Election and the 2026 race for Governor and Attorney General should be PRIORITY #1. That involves increasing RPSC membership with Sheboygan County Residents who are true Republicans who believe in limited government, lower taxes, safe streets, and secure borders.

 

Editor's Note: The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the opinions of the RPSC. Giving a means to express opinions is at the foundation of our Democracy and the Free Speech Rights set forth in the Constitution of the United States. Other members wishing to express their opinions about the RPSC or matters pertaining to our beliefs can send them to webmaster@sheboygancountygop.com

SPEAK OUT! – Orks Again on the Move

SPEAK OUT! - Orks Again on the Move


SPEAK OUT!

Orks Again on the Move

Art DeJong

After reading about Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Jericho and the Jordan for a lifetime, my wife and I were thrilled to set foot in Israel itself when our cruise ship Norwegian Jade docked in Ashdod several weeks ago. Having heard Israel to be in a tough neighborhood, we were surprised by the calm of the people, the lack of an obvious military or police presence, and the normalcy of its busy streets and highways.

Shortly after returning from a too short visit, we were shocked to see body and dash cam video of terrorists slaughtering entire families in their bedrooms and gunning down commuters in their cars near where we had just visited. It reminded us of my wife’s father describing how he and his shipmates felt after complaining about missing the Sunday dance at Pearl Harbor because their aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington, had pulled out a day early on December 6.

Like the Israeli people today, these young sailors knew that they were in big trouble when they returned and saw the smoking ruins of their home port. They knew that they were alone in a vast ocean, outclassed by an enemy that was closing in for the kill after having made short work of their row of obsolete battleships. They had no idea how the story would end--of the bloody battles in the Coral Sea, at Midway, and in “the slot” near Guadalcanal where so many of them died. They knew only that evil never sleeps, that they must pay with blood for the gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of girls at Sunday dances.

The Israeli men and women, now taking up arms to defend their small nation from the genocidal hatred of their enemies who surround them, know that too. Suddenly their political battles between rabid socialists and independent tech entrepreneurs, between advocates for the rule of law and the rule of judge have been forgotten. Even their gun control liberals now reach across their aisle to share a full mag of ammo with their opposition.

Like the dope slap of Pearl Harbor woke up our sleeping giant years ago, the Israeli people have awakened and will not go quietly into the ovens. Yet our own woke leaders continue to snooze, babbling divisive DEI and utopian nonsense while funding those who have sworn to murder us all. They open our borders, hire America-loathing professors to teach our young, and of course, urge surrender to gain peace for our time. Their suicidal self-loathing is not rational; it is simply evil in the guise of incompetence.

Our grandfathers, surveying the wreckage of Pearl Harbor, knew that they were fighting for their lives and for that of civilization itself. The resounding wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien again speaks as the evil Orks once again swarm out of Mordor to wipe out the world of men.

Art DeJong, Sheboygan, WI


Imagine All the People

Imagine All the People


SPEAK OUT!

Imagine All the People

Art DeJong

Few are surprised by the blitz of indictments against our last Republican president. We got the point when Washington Democrats tracked down and imprisoned Republicans, often for years without trial, for “trespassing” while their own shock troops burned and looted our cities and violated our borders with impunity. Sentencing “proud boy” Enrique Tarrio to 22 years in a government gulag for “seditious conspiracy” adds a nice, Joe Stalin touch. The old southern Democrats are back on the plantation, cracking the whip--selectively.

Imagine the hundreds of thousands of white Republican abolitionists resting in northern civil war cemeteries who, with their president Abraham Lincoln, died that we might be only one nation with only one race, the human race. Think of their laughter at being labeled “white supremacists” by the woke Democrats who occupy Washington 150 years after the civil war.

Imagine the thousands of the black people who, after that war, freed themselves, county by county, from their old Democrat masters, often with help of the most honest of the civil rights groups, the NRA. What would they think of the compliance of their descendants to the Democrats who rule their cities today--cities without decent schools or law enforcement--cities where black men have a better of going to prison or the morgue than to college?

Imagine those long dead pastors, politicians, and academics who championed for the sanctity of every human life and the rights of every person. What would they say to those leaders today who fear to stand against the genocidal abortionists, the race-baiting diversity industry, and the brutal Marxist academics?

And what about those courageous revolutionary war mothers who refused to allow their children to be indentured to the British crown? What would they think about the willingness of today’s “college educated suburban women” to sell their children into lives of servitude to their big spending Washington masters?

Republican abolitionists may not have freed the slaves, but they made it possible for slaves to free themselves. Republicans today can’t free us from the “vote early vote often” Democrat machines that control most major cities and many states today, but their citizens can. Imagine what we could do if they and the new Americans who fled their own corrupt, lawless states and countries were to work with Republicans for that old, and ever new, miraculous dream of a country that really is one nation, under God—indivisible because it stands for liberty and justice for all.

Art DeJong, Sheboygan, WI


“And In This Corner…” 9/20/23

“And In This Corner..."

“And In This Corner...”

Russ Otten, RPSC Chair

9/20/23

 

Fellow RPSC Members and Patriots,

I addressed the City of Sheboygan Common Council on 9/18/23 regarding the resignation of City of Sheboygan HR Director Westbrook. I set the record straight on what led to the resignation and that I opposed Westbrook for his job performance, not his sexual orientation. The following is my 5-minute speech.


And In This Corner… Quick Snapshop of Upcoming Events, Recap of Recent Events, and  a Moment to Remember one of our own 7/18/23

“And In This Corner...”

Quick Snapshop of Upcoming Events, Recap of Recent Events, and  a Moment to Remember one of our own

Russ Otten, RPSC Chair

7/18/23

Fellow RPSC Members and Patriots,

This is a quick snapshot of upcoming events, a recap of recent events, and a moment to remember one of our own.

Mark Your Calendars:

  • Due to the protest/rally at City Hall, HOWSE Round 4 will be Monday, July 24, at Braveheart Pub! Doors open at 5:30PM with the meeting starting at 6:30PM.
  • 2nd Annual Freedom Fest will be Saturday, August 26, at City Park in Plymouth. There will be great food with games and fun for all ages! If you would like to assist us that day, please contact Haley Stuckmann at haleystuckmann@gmail.com. More details to come!
  • Night of Inspiration will be Saturday, August 19, at Campus Life Family Center. A number of people will share their how their faith affects every piece of their lives, including how they approach politics and their activism!
  • We will have a booth at the Sheboygan County Fair on Labor Day weekend. Due to popular demand, we increased our space and are looking for you and your friends to volunteer for a few hours on any of those 5 days. Please email Haley Stuckmann at haleystuckmann@gmail.com and get a time that fits your schedule. Thanks.

Recent Events:

  • State GOP Convention was held June 17 in LaCrosse. With many fewer Patriot attendees, the RPW unfortunately pushed through an endorsement process for future conventions that will NOT include an "no endorsement option". This will apply to ALL statewide primaries. Also, the RPW recognized the RPSC as one of the top 5 county parties in Wisconsin in 2022. Thanks to all members and to some who have given so much to make us a powerhouse in our community!
  • Dozens of Patriots made a wonderful and lasting impression on the thousands that attended the 4th of July Parade. The upbeat music, great vehicles, and marchers all created an incredible vibe! 1,000 small American flags (with a small RPSC blurb attached) were given to children along the parade route. We even ran out of candy! It was a warm and successful event for our Patriot movement! Check out the attached pics.
  • A July 4th late afternoon text led to an impromptu but stealthy reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Sheboygan County Courthouse by Paul Werth and Russ Otten. See attached pic. We plan to make this an annual 4th of July event!

Moment of Remembrance

Mike Ensley

Sadly, we lost a great Conservative voice on July 13. Former State Representative Mike Endsley reached his final victory after a nearly decade-long battle with Alzheimer's. See Obituary. We extend our deepest condolences to Mike's family and wish them peace that can only come from God our Father!

God bless you all!

Russ
RPSC Chair
(920)207-389

Honoring Our Very Thin Blue Line

Honoring Our Very Thin Blue Line


SPEAK OUT!

Honoring Our Very Thin Blue Line

Art DeJong

A passing neighbor recently spotted a blue line police flag flying from our porch and shouted to my wife, “You don’t really believe that do you??”

When she answered, “I certainly do,” the neighbor looked away and marched on. She didn’t stop for a neighborly chat about how the “thin blue line” of local law enforcement is as vital to our city and county as referees and umpires are to sport.

There was no talk about the fact that no game can survive without the courage and integrity of referees and umpires who refuse to be intimidated or bribed, and no recognition of the fact that without them there can be no game at all—no super star athletes, no celebrity coaches, no stadiums packed with fired up fans.

When the blue line breaks or is corrupted, our great cities, our stadiums of commerce, collapse, leaving empty office towers, bankrupt banks, looted stores, and streets--homes for addicts, mentally ill vagrants, and violent felons. The same is true for countries.

Yet, in the face of seemingly insurmountable chaos, our homecourt officials go on duty each day to maintain order and to keep the ball in play. We honor the routine heroism of those who make up our very thin blue line.

Art DeJong, Sheboygan, WI


Speak Out – A Spanish Lesson for America

A Spanish Lesson for America


SPEAK OUT!

A Spanish Lesson for America

Art DeJong

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, A Spanish Lesson for Europe, commended Spanish voters for rebelling against their dictatorial Covid era government. The “Spanish lesson” is one that the United States has been teaching the world for hundreds of years but failed to practice itself during the “Covid-era”.

Our founders, no strangers to pandemics, wars, disunity, and the struggle for survival, developed a resilient, decentralized constitutional system that, by releasing the ingenuity, ambition, and altruism of every free citizen, created a nation so peaceful and successful that it challenged the “old world” to follow its lead.

However, when faced by the Covid ”emergency,” we abandoned this system and reverted to the worst possible system, the arbitrary orders by panicked or self-serving politicians, bureaucrats, and their corporate cronies.

We all paid the price--suffering incalculable damage from draconian lockdowns, one size fits all mandates, and politically formulated treatment protocols. Now, rather than learning from the painful lessons, the chaos continues as we turn the old, authoritarian sledge hammers loose on our energy and transportation sectors.

The failure of the Covid era policies illustrate that just like we cannot have liberty without law, we cannot have unity and prosperity without our decentralized, constitutional system. As Spain appears to be coming to its senses, I suggest a more appropriate headline for the lesson to be, A Spanish Lesson for America.

Art DeJong, Sheboygan