THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We are the potential tone setters of the world, and we can do anything we want to do.”

— Betty Franklin-Hammonds

August 4, 1995

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giving thanks

It’s Thanksgiving Week and it sure is hard to focus on giving thanks with all the craziness that seems to be popping up everywhere. In Iraq, the fighting is going on everywhere. The city of Fallujah was destroyed in order to save it and thousands of people died — they are labeled insurgents or citizens depending on who is doing the labeling. Citizens won’t be allowed back into the city for another 2-3 months while it is being made “habitable” once again.

There was the tragic murder of six hunters in northern Wisconsin this past Sunday. It appears that there have been tensions building in recent years between Hmong and Euro-American hunters over the right to hunt on private lands. We know few of the facts at the present time, but it appears that the simmering dispute was, at the very least, tinged with racial misunderstanding. This was a horrific event that the Hmong community and all of us will have to come to grips with. I pray tragedy is not compounded by tragedy.

And speaking of racial misunderstanding, the last few weeks have witnessed not one, but two Wisconsin radio personalities coming out of a racial bag to describe political issues. What’s up with that? Where did this “permission” all of a sudden come from? And I don’t think either has fully understood the harm they have caused. They are reacting to the reaction and not to the conviction of their hearts and souls.

And then there is the economy. The African American unemployment rate for October 2004 was 10.7 percent. While 339,000 jobs were created in October 2004, many of them were in construction in the hurricaine-devestated areas. The leading sector for job growth was in the temporary-help area that, on average, has lower wages and few, if any, health benefits. In spite of the plenty, 8.1 million workers were unemployed, approximately 5.5 percent of the workforce. Many more are discouraged and stopped looking for work. The number of people holding down two or more jobs to make ends meet is also increasing, representing 5.7 percent of those employed. There are a lot of people who are hurting financially who may have a hard time giving thanks on Thursday.

Food pantries appear to be serving an increasing number of families and children. In 2003, the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry on Williamson Street served over 12,000 households. A cross-section of everyone — gender, race, color, and creed — uses the food pantries, including a good helping of the working poor.

There is much that is going on that can turn our hearts downright cold and callus. Yet, there are times when we must struggle to be thankful because there are good things in our lives that get clouded over by all of the negativity. While we should keep our motivation to do something about the negativity close at hand, it is also important for us to give ourselves a respite and give thanks to the things we have, no matter how large or small.

My mom fell twice during the past year. She’s 84 years old and broke her wrist the second time around. I began to see the life just starting to get sucked right out of her as her confidence in herself approached zero. She’s rebounding now and I am just so grateful she is still here.

At the beginning of 2004, The Madison Times was “on the ropes” financially. We put out a plea for our community partners and friends to help us. We were able to come back stronger than ever thanks to all of you who pitched in, in small ways and large ways, to ensure that the paper continued on without compromising its core values and beliefs. Advertisers, both old and new, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you! Thanks!

I am truly thankful to the trust that the community places in this paper. It is truly a community newspaper. We could never afford to buy all of the information and stories that are provided to us by community groups and individuals. To paraphrase an African proverb, “It takes a village to create a community newspaper.” The other day, someone was telling me how beautiful the paper looks and how it continues to improve in quality. Well, it is more beautiful and is a higher quality newspaper because the communities whom we serve will it to be so. I wish we could take all the credit, but in truth, it is our beautiful communities that are reflected in our pages. We at The Madison Times are awed and honored by the trust the community places in us. We pledge to not waver from that trust.

I am grateful for the roles that everyone plays here at The Madison Times. Dave Hammonds continued to keep the faith, even when we were hurting financially. Heidi Pascual has acted as the sales manager, as well as the associate editor, for most of the year. Heidi has been a real trooper for the past three years. We wouldn’t be around now, if it hadn’t been for her dedication and commitment. Dave Dahmer has been there all year as one of our copy editors, reporters, and distribution manager. Dave sneaks in a joke from time to time that brings a smile to an otherwise demanding day. Pam Gates is our “High priestess of the AP Handbook” who keeps us on the straight and narrow of proper grammar and language. Diana Housein recently joined us as our sales manager and is already showing the pluck and energy we will need to solidify The Madison Times’ future. And I can’t forget Heidi Vargas, our adept design artist who creates the preliminary layout of the paper every week, and a special thanks to Joanne Boyd who pitches in with a little copy editing from time to time and all of our interns and volunteers.

I have to thank Diane O’Dair, Peter, Lindsey, and the rest of the folks at Wingra Press who make our vision a reality every week as our paper rolls off the presses. The folks on the printing presses sure have been getting in synch with our color — or is it the other way around. We sure have been on the same wavelength.

Gerald Raspiller, our septuagenarian deliveryman keeps on ticking even though his health has left much to be desired. He’s been with us since almost the beginning and I’m glad he still is. Rick Seeking, Samuel Thomas, Brenda Harris, Patricia Wade, and James Kuhle also bring The Madison Times to your door, mailbox or your store every week. Dennis Pascual brings it to your computer via our website. Thank you one and all!

And last, but not least, I have to thank our readership that pick up the paper every week and give us plenty of positive feedback. This job doesn’t pay much financially, but that psychic income does make us all millionaires. Our readership continues to grow each year and I’m grateful for that. Saying thanks sure has felt good. It reminds me that we and I are not alone on this earth. We do have a lot to be thankful for. Believe it or not, it could be worse. Happy Thanksgiving!