Below is the BARN OWL post for week 36 of 2026

THE PRICE OF GOOD HEALTH

You have all known someone who has been sick. Most of you know someone who has died.

And most likely you know someone who became very sick or died because something kept them from getting the care they needed. I know many people in my professional life who fit this description, and I know them in my personal life.

What are these obstacles?

· Some people are just plain stubborn. They don’t believe they are getting older. They still think they are younger and can bounce back from injuries or illness like they used to.

· Some people don’t like to be told what to do. They avoid doctors who tell them to change behaviors like drinking, smoking or bad diets.

· Some people put other people’s needs ahead of their own when they should not.

· Some elderly people may fear losing what little they still feel they have in their control.

· Many people deny that their illness is serious. They hope it will just go away.

· And others know their illness is serious, but do not want to hear the truth.

These are all natural obstacles. They are common parts of being human.

We struggle with our mortality and the thought that we will not live forever.

But there is one other obstacle that is common - but it is not natural.

It is artificial.

People avoid making appointments or seeking medical help – because they have to worry about the cost. When people know that the cost of the care is too expensive for their budget, they may put off the care. If they already know that a test, treatment or medicine they need is too expensive, they delay or cancel appointments. This becomes a grave obstacle to seeking care. They may know they are ill but they will wait a little longer.

They wait until a small problem becomes a much bigger problem

Medical debt is a main reason people become bankrupt in the United States.

The saddest part of this is that it does not have to be this way.

People in other wealthy nations face the same natural obstacles to getting medical care. They may be stubborn, afraid or in denial. But the cost of care is not one of the obstacles. In the United States, the cost, the insurance coverage, co-payments, paper work, prior authorization and waiting for approval all make it harder to get the care we need.

We are so used to these problems that we think they are natural.

But they are not. We have other options.

Support BARN OWL. Buy Me A Coffee

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

To reach regular Americans, what options does the left have?

I’m talking about the rural and working core of America’s economic engine. People who work paycheck to paycheck in the Midwest do not pull up the New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

But they do grab the local shopper or buy the county paper with their morning coffee. They scan for local news, events and sales. In my county, the Shopper is delivered to over 26,000 residents and lands on kitchen tables where they live. BARN OWL is printed in those papers.

Published since February 2025, BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, 400 words of AD SPACE in a county newspaper or shopper. It is written to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room.

BARN OWL is also on Substack, Facebook and Bluesky, but, more importantly, we are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin and in Linn County, Kansas. We are looking for more counties, more weekly papers.

YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Send a message via Substack or at 57boardman@gmail.com. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed. Don’t do it yourself, gather a group.

Subscribe to BARN OWL. Better yet, your PAID subscription will pay towards ad costs in three counties.

Below is the post for week 35 of 2026

HEAD START

This week’s article reminds us that, while we are drawn to President Trump’s buffoonery and declining health, a machine is at work destroying the government structures that support and protect the working class, the poor and rural America.

Again, how does the left reach out to regular Americans?

I’m not talking about the well-informed and well-opinionated core of the Democratic establishment. I’m talking about the rural and working core of America’s economic engine. People who work paycheck to paycheck in the midwest do not pull up the New York Times or Wall Street Journal opinon column. But they do grab the local shopper or buy the county paper with their morning coffee and scratch off. They scan for local news, events and sales. In my county, the Shopper arrives in the mailbox of over 26,000 residents. This is a way to meet America where they live. This is where BARN OWL is printed.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, 400 words of AD SPACE in a county newspaper and shopper. It is written to remind people not on the right that they are not alone. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room.

We are on Substack, Facebook and Bluesky, but, more importantly, we are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin and in Linn County, Kansas. We are looking for more counties, more weekly papers.

YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed. Don’t do it yourself, gather a group.

Subscribe to BARN OWL. Better yet, your PAID subscription will pay towards ad costs in three counties.

A recent note:

Dear Mr Boardman and friends,

I am a Trempealeau County native and still go back a few times a year to visit. I am increasingly discouraged and demoralized by the yard signs I see, the letters to the editor in the Times, etc.

It was indeed uplifting, therefore, to come across your BARN OWL column a few months ago. I’ve seen a couple of others since, and they all impart a dose of much needed sanity.

I’m not prepared to be a sustaining donor, but I hope this small contribution will help to advance your good work.

HEAD START

The first Head Start kids are just now hitting retirement age.

Head Start began in 1965 to help low-income children get ready for school. It provides preschool education, health and nutrition support, and help for families. About 670,000 children use Head Start across the U.S. About 12,000 children in Wisconsin are enrolled. It has become one of the nation’s most successful investments in early childhood education.

Head Start is another target of the far right. President Trump’s policy guide, known as PROJECT 2025, on page 482, calls for elimination of Head Start.

According to Erik Gunn of the Wisconsin Examiner, proposed new government rules would reduce services Head Start provides. Changes would end supports for children who speak languages other than English and children with disabilities. They would end requirements for programs to work closely with families.

New rules would lower teacher qualifications. They would reduce federal standards for teaching math and reading. They would reduce requirements for home visits and even for helping children brush their teeth. It would be harder to provide health screening for children and make plans for those with developmental disabilities, hearing or vision problems and autism.

Head Start now has strict rules on the number of children per teacher. The administration wants Head Start to follow the rules of each state instead consistent guidelines. For example, Head Start limits class size for 3- and 4-year-olds to 15 children for 2 teachers. Wisconsin rules allow 2 teachers to run a class of 20 3-year-olds or 26 4-year-olds.

The government goal would be to increase the number of children served in a center using fewer and less qualified staff. This would be done with no increase in funding.

The writers of Project 2025 say Head Start does not protect children well enough and has no long-term value for students. But a 2022 Brookings Institute study found that children in Head Start have better language, reading, social and emotional skills. They are more likely to go to college and hold professional jobs later in life. Many other studies support these results. For many parents and children, Head Start is also an important connection to healthcare workers, nutrition specialists, teachers, and social services.

The administration’s new rules don’t improve Head Start but weaken it. The government tried to delay funding and even tried to eliminate all Head Start funding. But they were stopped. The administration still wants to slowly weaken Head Start to a point where it will fail on its own.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Buy Me a Coffee

Below is the post for week 34 of 2026

A DISAPPOINTED OFFICE-SEEKER

What media is available to use to reach out to regular Americans?

I’m not talking about the well-informed and opinionated middle-left core of the Democratic establishment. I’m talking about the rural and working core of America’s economic engine. People who work paycheck to paycheck in the midwest do not pull up the New York Times or Wall Street Journal to check the opinon column. But they do grab the local shopper or buy the county paper with their morning coffee and scratch off. They scan for local news, events and sales. In my county, the Shopper arrives in the mailbox of over 26,000 residents. This is a way to meet America where they live. This is where BARN OWL is printed.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, 400 words of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper. It is written to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room.

We can be read on Substack, Facebook and Bluesky, but, more importantly, we are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin and in Linn County, Kansas. We are looking for more counties, more weekly papers.

YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Subscribe to BARN OWL. Better yet, your paid subscription will pay towards ad costs in three counties.

A DISAPPOINTED OFFICE-SEEKER

All I learned in grade school about President Garfield was that he was killed by a

“Disappointed office-seeker.” In the late 1800s, you had to prove that you were loyal to the President to get a job with the Federal Government. People worked to elect the president, volunteered time and donated money to the campaign. If they showed enough loyalty, they hoped to get a job as a postmaster, a customs officer or a diplomat. But if they disagreed with the President, they could as easily lose that job.

L.C. Francis, who writes the blog L.C. Francis Open Society for History and Civics, describes how, at the time, government jobs were not based on skill or experience. People did not have to prove they were the best for the job. They just had to be more loyal to leadership than the next guy. This made government less effective. Every time a new president was elected, many workers were replaced with new loyal leadership.

Loyalty was to the President – not to serving the country.

This system had gone so out of control that the newly-elected President James Garfield complained he was constantly approached on the street and at home by men who wanted government jobs. One of them was Charles Guiteau. Garfield did not know him, but Guiteau wanted a job in the U.S. consulate in Paris because he had helped Garfield’s campaign. Giteau became obsessed. On July 2, 1881, Guiteau shot president Garfield. Garfield died September 19, 1881 of complications from the wound.

By 1883, after seeing how broken the system had become, President Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. This law made it illegal to fire federal workers because of their political beliefs. It stopped government officials from forcing workers to do political work or give political donations. The law required more competitive testing for jobs so people were hired based on their skills.

Now, once again, President Trump wants only loyalty. The administration says that federal jobs are still based on merit and qualifications. But new rules allow employees to lose their jobs for what is called “subversion of Presidential directives.” If an employee reports fraud or misconduct in the government against the President’s wishes, their job may be at risk. Their honesty and integrity will not be enough to keep them safe. Public servants who protect our food and water, investigate fraud, study diseases or manage Veteran’s benefits may have to worry that their work will not please the President or his party.

When that happens, the civil service doesn’t work for the American people any longer.

Then it is like 1880 all over again.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties. Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Buy Me A Coffee

Below is the post for week 33 of 2026

PRESERVING THIS AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is 400 words of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper, there to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. After more than a year, this column is expected by those who read it regularly and is there to surprise others. We can be read on Substack, but, more importantly, we are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin and in Linn County, Kansas. We are looking for more counties, more weekly papers.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Subscribe to BARN OWL. Better yet, your paid subscription will pay towards ad costs in three counties.

One card in the mail this week said “Thank you for continuing to enlighten the public with your informative articles. Keep fighting the good fight! In solidarity, Jamie and Sheri. “

PRESERVING THIS AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

The United States is not a socialist nation. It is a capitalist nation with a capitalist economy. Our economy has social programs within it. But those programs don’t control the country. Capitalism does not take responsibility for people beyond making sure there are enough workers and enough ways to keep creating wealth.

Socialism is an economic system that collects wealth from all people through taxes and uses it to benefit everyone more equally. The wealth is shared based in part on what different groups want and need in order to live a healthy and successful life.

If you feel Socialism is bad, consider what parts of your life, as an American, rely on something other than profit, investment and the stock market.

· If you enjoy hanging out in a county park or visiting a state or national park, you are enjoying a Socialist benefit – a redistribution of wealth. Some taxes were collected to use for the enjoyment and preservation of our environment.

· If you get ANY government check that is not payment for a job or a tax return, like Veterans’ benefits, Social Security, Unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid or a farm subsidy, you are receiving a type of Socialist distribution of everyone’s wealth.

· When you drive on any road – that is not a private tollway - you are enjoying the benefits of wealth distribution for the common good.

· Public schools, public libraries, public health programs, public hospitals and public utilities are all paid with our taxes and redistribute our wealth. Even Private School Vouchers use public funds to support themselves.

The far right in this country very much wants to have pure capitalism. They want to be sure businesses can make profits without obstruction by government rules and regulations. They believe all property and business should be privately owned. This is why, suddenly:

· public lands are opened for drilling and mining.

· public parks are left unfunded,

· public health agencies that protect us from disease are cut back.

· the Department of Education is taken down.

· services for consumer protection are cut.

· food programs, Medicare and Medicaid are reduced.

None of this is done just to be “mean.” These actions reflect the ideology of one very extreme portion of America’s right wing. They believe that Capitalism, hoarding the wealth of individuals, is what the world should be about. Will this preserve our way of life?

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Buy Me A Coffee

Below is the post for week 32 of 2026

LOOKING FOR AUNT TEEFA

This week BARN OWL welcomes LINN COUNTY, KANSAS into the fold where another group has committed to adding our articles to the county paper. Now there are 6 counties.

Since BARN OWL published for the first time in Sauk County, WI last week, I have already received two angry responses. Means someone read it. Perhaps this was not just a response to BARN OWL’s presence but also to the topic. I thought it was time to talk a little about ANTIFA. The new rising accusation is that we are all communists. Of course, Democrats could nominate a block of quartz and it would be declared communist by the Republicans. It’s time to call it out.

Movements don’t appear out of nowhere. What is the plan where you live on Election Day in November? If you don’t have a plan yet, why not start with this one?

BARN OWL gets in doors where others can’t. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, there to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. After more than a year, this column is expected by those who read it regularly and is there to surprise others. We can be read on Substack, but, more importantly, are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin and in Linn County, Kansas.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. How does this compare to a political mailing or a single television ad? This is getting out a small bit of news and analysis into a community that has little access to the truth. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

LOOKING FOR AUNT TEEFA

The government is looking for “Aunt Teefa”. They claim she organizes violent events and is planning more. In September, 2025, the Trump administration declared her to be a domestic terrorist organization. They said that some people who protest are part of Aunt Teefa’s group. The odd thing is no one else can find her. No one else can prove she ever existed.

ANTIFA is actually short for Anti-Fascist. It is an idea and a belief, not a formal organization. It has no leadership, headquarters or membership. It is only a label – like “Packer Fan” or “Cheesehead.” They have no oaths to take or rules to follow. Real terrorist groups like ISIS, Boko Horam or Al Quaeda have leaders, members and organized networks. Antifa does not.

People who oppose fascism sometimes form small independent groups. Most are on the far left and involved in protest. They do not take orders from anyone. They are not connected “cells” in a network. Each group may agree on some ideas but often disagree on a lot. Some of these groups may have trouble agreeing on toppings for their pizza.

Nevertheless, President Trump declared Antifa to be a domestic terrorist organization even though he does not have legal power to do that. Now Antifa is the government’s target. Anyone who speaks out against the government in any way could be accused of being a part of Antifa. And the government is coming for Antifa, even if they can’t explain what it is.

Protestors have now been accused of being Antifa members in many trials in the nation. On July 4, 2025, about 25 people protested outside an ICE detention center in Texas. They carried signs and set off fireworks. One person fired a gun and wounded a police officer. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Others were convicted of crimes, including providing material support to a terrorist organization. They were sentenced to 50 – 70 years. One man was not at the protest , but moved a box of literature at home. He was convicted of conspiracy to conceal evidence. He received a 30-year sentence. Even though the government couldn’t prove Antifa existed, it said they all belonged to her group.

The Trump administration wants to use Aunt Teefa to stop people from opposing them. They say Aunt Teefa is huge and dangerous. What does that mean for people who simply disagree with the government? Could a lawn sign, a protest - or your opinion - someday be used to prove you work with Aunt Teefa?

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Buy Me A Coffee

Below is the post for Week 31 of 2026

THE GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY

This week we welcome SAUK COUNTY WISCONSIN as another home for BARN OWL. A group approached me in the winter about publishing articles in their county paper and have since worked out how to pay for the ad space through November. It took some time but they figured it out. We now reach FIVE counties in rural Wisconsin.

Movements don’t appear out of nowhere. What is the plan where you live on Election Day in November? If you don’t have a plan yet, why not start with this one?

BARN OWL gets in doors where others can’t. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, there to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. After more than a year, this column is expected by those who read it regularly and is there to surprise others. We can be read on Substack, but, more importantly, are read in Jackson, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark and Sauk counties in Wisconsin.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. How does this compare to a political mailing or a single television ad? This is getting out a small bit of news and analysis into a community that has little access to the truth. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

THE GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY

The GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY is a powerful belief that influences far-right politicians and their followers. It is also a false conspiracy theory that is used to frighten and anger people for political reasons. The theory says that non-white immigrants are moving into Europe and the United States to replace white people. It claims that immigrants are “invaders”. They will eventually make white people disappear through replacement and “outbreeding” due to low white birth rates and high immigrant birth rates.

People who believe this theory often say there is a secret plan behind it. Some blame Jewish people while others blame liberals or a hidden worldwide government, or all of them.

None of this is true. But it sounds scary.

Believers include media personalities like Tucker Carlson, and billionaires like Elon Musk. Books like Le Grand Remplacement, about Muslim immigration to Europe, and the fiction novel, The Turner Diaries, about a race war, have also spread these ideas.

Fear of people of other colors and cultures is not new in the United States. Laws against the Chinese on the west coast, Jim Crow laws in the south, forced sterilization laws and immigration quotas in the 1920’s were enacted in response to suspicion of others gaining power.

The Great Replacement Theory has inspired deadly violence. Believers carried out attacks at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, an El Paso Walmart in 2019, and a Buffalo supermarket in 2022. Attacks occurred in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019 and a Norway summer camp in 2011.

The population of the United States has changed over time. According to the Brookings Institute, the percentage of Americans who identify as white decreased from 83% to 57.5% in 50 years. At the same time, the number of people who identify as Asians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics has grown.

Research shows that Immigrants don’t force change on a population. They and their children integrate into the culture, customs, language. They don’t replace it. Their birth rates become more like those of people already living here. Economists say immigration is vital and brings in more workers, new businesses and new ideas that help the economy grow.

The idea of a “pure” white race is not supported by history. People have always moved around. Different people have mixed together for thousands of years. This is the natural evolution of human societies. The fear of new people, new cultures, and of change, is used to control us and to push a political agenda.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

You help BARN OWL stay in the local paper.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

or Buy Me A Coffee

Below is the post for week 30 of 2026.

FALLACIES IN SCIENCE PART TWO

This week we welcome SAUK COUNTY WISCONSIN as another home for BARN OWL. A group approached me in the winter about publishing articles in their county paper and have since worked out how to pay for the ad space through November. It took some time but they figured it out. We now reach FIVE counties in rural Wisconsin.

Movements don’t appear out of nowhere. What is the plan where you live on Election Day in November? How will you motivate and move your people? If you don’t have a plan yet, why not start with this one?

BARN OWL gets in doors where others can’t. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance, there to remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. After more than a year, this column is expected by those who read it regularly and is there to surprise others.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in a county newspaper and shopper in one county may be $50 - 250/week. How does this compare to a political mailing or a single television ad? This is not rocket science. Not difficult. This is getting out a small bit of news and analysis into a community that has little access to the truth. It requires an investment, yes. But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

FALLACIES IN SCIENCE PART TWO

This is the second part of our discussion about fallacies in science. In the last year, BARN OWL published three articles about FALLACIES IN LOGIC and how to spot twisted logic in a political argument. You can find them at barnowl57.substack.com.

With uneducated fools like Robert Kennedy Jr taking apart the CDC and NIH, and making up misleading arguments about health, vaccines and prevention, it is also helpful to understand some common fallacies and how they are being used to confuse people. Kristen Panthagani MD PhD wrote in You Can Know Things about how these fallacies are used to twist scientific facts and evidence.

· THE POST HOC FALLACY assumes that if one event happens before another, the first event must have caused the second. But just because two events happen in order does not mean they are connected. For example, if a person gets sick after a medical procedure or vaccination, that does not mean the treatment caused the illness. Many other things may be involved. It takes a lot of careful research to find what really caused an event.

· THE ANCEDOTAL FALLACY happens when people use their own personal experience to make broad conclusions. Personal experiences are important, but they only show one experience or point of view. One person’s experience is not enough evidence to prove something is always true.

· THE APPEAL TO EMOTION FALLACY uses strong emotions to persuade people and make them feel fear, anger, or sadness instead of using facts and evidence. Emotions are not wrong and help you make decisions. But when emotions are used in place of evidence, or used to distract people from weak arguments, they make it harder to think clearly.

· THE APPEAL TO AUTHORITY FALLACY assumes that authority figures (experts) are always right. In science, what matters is the quality of the data and analysis—not who is making the claim. Even people with MDs and PhDs must provide data to back up their claims. Their title or credentials alone are not enough to prove they are correct.

· THE MOVING THE GOALPOST FALLACY happens when someone keeps changing their standards of proof. When one claim is shown to be wrong, they come up with a new reason why their belief is true. As a result, no amount of evidence is ever “enough” to prove they are wrong.

Be aware of these tricks. Think about the evidence and how an argument is being made when you hear arguments against science and health.

By Ben Boardman. Paid by gifts from supporters

Donate to keep BARN OWL in your local paper.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com.

Check out barnowl57.substack.com for information and previous articles

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Buy Me A Coffee

Below is the post for week 28 of 2026

FALLACIES IN SCIENCE PART ONE

Welcome to BARN OWL!

Movements don’t appear out of nowhere. These articles ,written for residents of these four Wisconsin counties, remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. They offer a point of reference and opinion not found otherwise. Would this help your county? After more than a year, my column is expected by those who read it regularly and is there to surprise others. What is the plan where you live on Election Day in November? How will you motivate and move your people? If you don’t have a plan yet, why not start with this one? BARN OWL gets in doors where others can’t.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

The nuts and bolts? The cost of ad space in three county papers and two shoppers, covering most of 4 counties and reaching over 35,000 rural residents is about $400/week. How does this compare to a political mailing or a single television ad? This is not rocket science. Not difficult. This is getting out a small bit of news and analysis into a community that has little access to the truth. It requires an investment, yes. It may require gathering a base of supporters and donors for the effort.

But resistance will cost something, and will cost more the longer it is delayed.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

FALLACIES IN SCIENCE PART ONE

In the last year, BARN OWL published three articles about FALLACIES IN LOGIC and how to spot faulty reasoning in a political argument. You can find them at barnowl57.substack.com.

Today, uneducated fools like Robert Kennedy Jr are taking apart the CDC and NIH, and making up misleading arguments about health, vaccines and prevention. It is helpful to understand some common fallacies and how they are being used to confuse people. Kristen Panthagani MD PhD wrote in You Can Know Things about how the same fallacies are used to twist scientific facts and evidence.

· THE APPEAL TO NATURE FALLACY assumes that because so many good things come from nature, natural things must always be better than things that are made by people. For example, some people say that natural immunity is better than vaccines, raw milk is better than pasteurized and vitamin supplements are better than medications. Sure, sometimes natural things are better, but you cannot assume the word “natural” is enough to prove one thing is better without more evidence.

· THE FALSE DICHOTOMY FALLACY turns a complicated issue into an either/or choice. For example, if someone asks what caused measles cases to drop – vaccines or better sanitation and health care – the answer is both. A false dichotomy makes you choose between two options when there may be many options.

· THE AD HOMINEM FALLACY attacks the person making the argument instead of dealing with the facts. RFK Jr uses this one to say that doctors, medical institutions and big Pharma are corrupt and you can’t trust them. While corruption certainly exists, this does not mean that all experts or scientific evidence can be, or should be, ignored.

· THE COMMON-SENSE FALLACY argues something is true because it seems true, lots of people believe it’s true or it sounds like common sense. But no evidence is given to back it up. This can make complicated problems seem easy to solve without doing the hard work of getting the evidence. Intuition alone is not proof. This is also used in RFK Jr’s messaging.

· THE STRAW MAN FALLACY occurs when someone changes another person’s argument to sound more extreme or simplistic than it really is. This made-up version (“the strawman”) is easier for them to argue against, making it look like they won the debate. But the original point was never addressed.

This article continues next week.

By Ben Boardman. Paid by gifts from supporters

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check out my interview on TruBlue Podcast from 7/13/26.

Below is the post for week 27 of 2026

THE VALUE OF OUR WORK

Movements don’t appear out of nowhere. Resistance is not cheap. The articles written for residents of these four Wisconsin counties remind people who are not on the right that they are not alone and isolated. They offer a point of reference and opinion not found otherwise. Would this help your county? After more than a year, my column is expected by those who read it regularly and there to surprise others. What is the plan where you live on Election Day in November? How will you motivate and move your people? If you don’t have a plan yet, why not start with this one? BARN OWL gets in doors where others can’t.

BARN OWL has opened the conversation in rural communities, offering a narrative and history of working, rural America. BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for its articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin county papers and shoppers. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the Buy Me a Coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

- Your support is needed to keep us afloat. Become a paying member. The monthly donations go entirely for ad costs. -

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

THE VALUE OF OUR WORK

What is the value of the work we do? One way to measure the value of work is to look at the amount of money (wages) we earn. Wages go up or down depending on the skills needed for a job, how many people can also do that work, and any other pressures that keep the wage higher (such as union contracts.)

Early economists believed in the Labor Theory of Value. The theory says that objects don’t have an inherent value. They become valuable because people put work into them. For example, coal in the ground has a speculative value. But human labor is needed to bring it to the surface and be processed for it to be of any value. Jobs that require more skill create more value.

In business, this theory has been replaced by the Subjective Theory of Value. This says something’s value is based on what the buyer thinks it’s worth, not by the work put into it.

At its most crude, the value of work is what it takes to keep a worker fed, sheltered and able to return to work the next day. This is called the Iron Law of Wages. That seems to be the purpose of the federal minimum wage.

The first federal minimum wage was created in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The goal was to provide a “living wage” for those who worked. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said a living wage should be “more than a bare subsistence level … the wages of a decent living.”

The federal minimum wage is now $7.25/hour and has not increased since 2009. Tipped workers can get $2.13/hour. A worker under age 20 can be asked to work for $4.25/hour. (Caddies get 5.90/hour for 9 holes.) Minimum wage pays $15,080/year. The U.S. poverty level for one person is $15,060/year. This is called a “poverty wage.” You may be able to live on this if you share rent, have no car, buy the cheapest of everything, stay at home and ask for help from charities or the government.

A “poverty wage” is not a “living wage.” The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Living Wage Calculator estimates the living wage for a single person in Wisconsin at $21.88/hour. One adult raising one child needs $39.94/hour. Two working adults with one child need wages of $22.72 each.

While most people do not work for minimum wage, our government, both Democrats and Republicans, decided that a poverty wage is acceptable for their citizens.

They consider that the lowest value of your labor.

By Ben Boardman. Paid by gifts from supporters

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Below is the post for week 27 of 2026

OUR 250TH ANNIVERSARY

What does this anniversary mean for the future of this nation? Nothing permanent. Nothing absolute. We have been here before. It is frightening, but also an opportunity for great and good change.

BARN OWL has opened the conversation in rural communities, offering a narrative and history of working, rural America. BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for its articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin county papers and shoppers. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the Buy Me a Coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

- Your support is needed to keep us afloat. Become a paying member. The monthly donations go entirely for ad costs. -

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

OUR 250^TH ANNIVERSARY

This July 4^th our nation celebrates its 250^th anniversary.

This is a time to be proud, celebrate and also to think hard about our future.

How many nations have survived under the same basic government, laws and constitution for 250 years? There are two. Two have kept the same constitutional republic for so long: the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and SAN MARINO. San Marino is a little blip of a nation surrounded by Italy. Its constitution has remained in use since 1600.

Most governments never last that long. Most durable governments, democracies or dictatorships, last 30 – 35 years before a major change.

Our government has also changed over time. Every time we added a new amendment to the constitution, there has been a change to our government. There have been 27 amendments to our federal constitution, the first ten in 1791.

Historians say there have been about five to ten major changes in our government during its time. These changes happened when people interpreted and applied the constitution in different ways. These include the JACKSONIAN ERA (1820s -30s), THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (1861 – 1877), THE PROGRESSIVE ERA (1890s – 1920s), THE NEW DEAL (1930s) AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA (1950s – 1970s.)

On each occasion, the rights of citizens were often changed. Voting rights were expanded and protected. Businesses faced new rules. The government took on new responsibilities to help with certain economic or social roles. Now we are again in a moment of change. We do not know what changes to expect or if the constitution as it stands will be the same.

Of course, our government and our history deserve both praise and criticism. Slavery and the destruction of Native nations will be a stain on our history forever. We cannot forget them. Being a patriot does not mean ignoring our mistakes. It is part of being mature and recognizing our faults. It is part of wanting our nation to be a better place. America was not built to be a place where we give up.

I remember celebrating the nation’s 200^th birthday as a teenager. It was a heady and exciting time. President Nixon had left office. We were out of Vietnam. There was energy and hope, and there was a resolve to make things better.

Please hold onto that pride and commitment during these difficult and frightening times.

Be a patriot. Be involved. Help decide where our nation goes next.

By Ben Boardman. Paid by gifts from supporters

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Below is the post for week 26 of 2026

FARMER’S HOLIDAY AND THE PENNY AUCTION

What are we taught about our struggles as working people? What do we know about our successes and failures? BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities, a narrative and history of working, rural America. We can’t rely on corporate media. BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin county papers and shoppers. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the Buy Me a Coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

- Your support is needed to keep us afloat. Become a paying member. The monthly donations go entirely for ad costs. -

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

FARMER’S HOLIDAY AND THE PENNY AUCTION

Farming in the Midwest has not always been peaceful. Many times, farmers and their communities have had to work together to protect their farms and their family’s future. This was never so important as during the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

In the 1930s over 200,000 farms across the Midwest were taken by banks through foreclosure. During World War I, farmers expanded their operations because of the high demand for food in Europe. Many borrowed money to buy extra land and equipment. When the war ended, demand for food dropped. Farmers struggled to pay back their debts. By 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression, farmers earned less money than what it cost to grow their crops. Some families could not afford fuel and burned corn in their stoves for heat.

The countryside often smelled like popcorn.

The Farmer’s Holiday Association started in Iowa in 1932, organized by Milo Reno, an earlier president of the Iowa Farmers Union. The Association wanted to stop farm foreclosures and push for farmer’s rights. Their main tactic was a strike, which they called a “holiday.” Farmers stopped sending produce, milk and livestock to market. They also picketed and blocked roads to stop goods from getting through. The largest strike lasted two months. Although the association did not win all its goals, it pushed the authorities to make changes to help farmers.

In another act of community defense, The Farmer’s Holiday Association organized “penny auctions.” These occurred across many parts of the Midwest, especially in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. When a neighbor was losing their farm to a bank foreclosure, surrounding farmers appeared at the auction. Prospective buyers coming in from outside were either kept in their cars or forced to leave. Neighbors made up most of the crowd at the auction. Through cooperation and sometimes force, they kept the bids for land and equipment much lower than what it was worth, sometimes just for pennies. At the end, the farmer under foreclosure was able to buy back his property from his neighbors for a few dollars. His loan was cleared and he kept the farm.

As penny auctions continued, several midwestern states stopped farm foreclosures, at least temporarily. These actions did not create long term changes in farming, but they were a true American response to a moment when people felt ignored and endangered. At a moment when farming communities were threatened, and government and business powers had no interest in farmer’s needs, a group stepped up to make known to the country that this would not be tolerated.

By Ben Boardman. Paid by gifts from supporters

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The Black River, Wisconsin

Below is the post for week 25 of 2026

PROJECT 2025

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities, a narrative and history of working, rural America. We can’t rely on corporate media. BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

- Your support is needed to keep us afloat. Become a paying member. The monthly donations go entirely for ad costs. -

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view.

BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It is part of the long game we forgot to play while Fox News sucked the air out of the room. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

PROJECT 2025

In the September 2024 debates, candidate Donald Trump said “I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That’s out there. I haven’t read it.” We later learned that was not true.

The “Mandate of Leadership: The Conservative Promise” – better known as Project 2025 – is a 900+ page document. A team of right-wing lawyers and politicians wrote it in 2022. The project was led by Paul Dans, a lawyer who worked in Trump’s first White House. He was chosen by the Heritage Foundation, a powerful right-wing think tank, to do the work.

The group’s goal was to put together a plan for a new Republican administration. Project 2025 showed the steps needed to change the U.S. government. The writers wanted to stop doing politics the old way. They wanted a system with a weak legislature, controlled only by the president. They didn’t just want to get their policies and laws passed. They wanted a new type of government that reflected conservative Christian values.

Once he moved back into office, Trump and his administration moved quickly to put in changes that matched what was written in Project 2025. Since a large independent federal bureaucracy could not be controlled by the President, they began to close it down. They fired over 350,000 government workers. They cut minorities and women out of leadership roles and put in people loyal to the president. They broke down the public health, scientific and medical systems. They cut out international aid programs and looked for ways to remove brown and black foreign workers from the country. They stopped all climate research and opened up wildlife areas to oil production and mining.

This was all done quickly and against established rules that were in place. They moved faster than the people, their government or the courts could move to stop them. The Republican legislature quietly supported the changes, or were too afraid to speak up.

It was all laid out ahead of time. The steps listed in Project 2025 were followed. The right wing saw this as their chance to move backwards - a counter-revolution. They wanted to go back to when kings and strong men ran government without the interference of democracy, before labor could organize and people of color and women could vote. They wanted to move quickly to stop any resistance.

As Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said in the summer of 2024: “We are in the process of the second American Revolution.” This revolution, he added, “will remain bloodless if the left allows it.”

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Below is the post for week 24 of 2026

THE CIVIC RELIGION OF THE U.S.

Here are some responses from supporters of BARN OWL:

“Enclosed is a little bit for your article the ‘Barn Owl”. I agree with what you write. I’m scared for our country as our pres. is doing what Hitler did in the 30s. When he gets control of everything watch out. I hope we are still free at the end of his term. The sad part is that many people don’t understand what’s going on. God Bless”

“Greetings from Trempealeau. Thanks for caring for me when I landed in urgent care April 7... and thanks for being a compelling voice in the deep red wilderness.”

“Awesome job recognizing the vacuum! Stay safe!”

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities, a narrative and history of working, rural America. We can’t rely on corporate media. BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

- Your support is needed to keep us afloat. become a paying member. The monthly donations add up and go entirely for ad costs. -

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

THE CIVIC RELIGION OF THE U.S.

The Christian religious right insists that the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. They want the government to support their specific expression of Christianity. They select specific biblical teachings that they expect the government to uphold and even enforce.

This is not what America was ever planned to be. The United States of America was not created as a Christian nation. While most of the founders practiced Christianity, they wanted a secular state. They were very clear about that.

Historian Heather Cox Richardson, wrote about an important event from 1796. Ten years after the constitution was approved, the U.S. made a treaty with the Muslim government of Tripoli. The treaty was to protect American ships from Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Senate approved the Treaty of Tripoli without debate. In the treaty, U.S. leaders said “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion” and has no hatred towards Muslims or their religion. With these words America announced to the world it was a secular nation – a government that would not support one religion over another.

American patriots like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison believed government needed to be separate from religion. Madison believed that establishing a state religion attacked the basic unalienable right that people had – to freedom to follow their conscience. If one group forced its religion on everyone else, there could be no democracy.

The nation’s founders and leaders of later generations, wanted Americans to revere the nation’s main political values instead of one religion. These values included self-government, freedom and the checks and balances in government. We learned these values in school. We recited the pledge of allegiance. The core beliefs of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” became a kind of civic religion for Americans. It taught Americans the rights and duties of being citizens. Our commitment has been to “We the People,” not to one religion.

Some political and religious group in this county expect obedience from the people. But America was never designed to be a place where we just obey our leaders. Americans were expected to speak up, debate, to disagree with leaders and vote for new ones when needed.

Dictators and tyrants expect that, but we know better.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Clark and Jackson counties.

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Below is the post for week 23 of 2026

RURAL EDUCATION

Grades K - 12, if allowed, produce children with knowledge, curiosity and skills. These children contribute to the world and to the advancement of us as a species. Yet education is looked upon with such suspicion. Governments, religions, even parents are wary of those new thoughts and observations our children will bring into the world of old people and old systems. Whenever education is left to speak truth and challenge minds, it is a force for change. Those who don’t want change will fight it.

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities, a narrative and history of working, rural America. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

RURAL EDUCATION

What do small towns and rural areas export? Corn? Milk? Cheese?

I think our greatest exports are well-educated children. They enrich our towns and our country. New young families flock to a town with a good school system. They bring youth, energy and skills with them. They help the local economy and add to the tax base. Whether the graduates stay local or move away, a good education helps them succeed in life.

This year, my local school district passed a referendum to raise property taxes so our school could cover budget gaps and plan for the future. Across Wisconsin this spring, voters approved 46 of the 75 referendums on the ballot. These will raise over $564 million through increased property taxes. This also means 29 referendums failed. Often, they fail by less than 80 votes. (One referendum won by just 1 vote.) $436 million in funds were denied to school systems that need the money.

Many rural school districts are facing lower student enrollment and rising costs. When referendums fail, schools have to fire staff, cut programs, delay repairs on buildings and even consider dissolution or consolidation with other districts. Meanwhile, the use of private school vouchers has taken another $700 million from our public schools. Vouchers often allow the wealthiest to get their education paid by us, but away from the rest of us.

In our country, states make most decisions about how schools run. They decide how they will run, what students learn and who can teach. On average, 47% of public-school funding comes from the state, 45% is local and only 8% is from the federal government. Raising the percentage of funds that come from the state would spread out the cost of education among all the citizens, lower property taxes and perhaps rid us of this painful referendum process.

Rural communities have always valued good education. As early as the 1890s, The Farmers’ Alliance, part of the Populist movement of the time, built a grass-roots effort to bring hundreds of thousands of rural men and women and their families into classrooms, lectures, and seminars. They believed education was the best way to close the gap between poverty in the rural areas and the prosperous life in the towns.

Throughout history, however, some leaders considered education and educated people, to be dangerous. Educated people ask questions and speak up for themselves. They don’t accept simple answers. Sadly, it is not by accident that America’s right wing has defunded our public schools and reduced the value of our teachers.

Public education must be protected. It is part of what has made America great.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

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BELOW IS THE POST FOR WEEK 23 OF 2026

GERRYMANDERING

There is an entire culture and history of working America and of rural America that is not taught. The memory of these wins and losses are not carried with pride because they are forgotten in a nation where we are guided away from that knowledge. Have we heard of the Reichstag fire? The triangle shirtwaist fire? The unitary executive theory? The triumph against childhood diseases?

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities, a narrative and history of working, rural America. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

GERRYMANDERING

Eldridge Gerry was the governor of Massachusetts in 1812. He signed the Declaration of Independence, helped write the Constitution, and later was vice president. He also decided to help his party stay in power by changing the borders of election districts around Boston. This helped to split up opposition voters. The shape of one district was so strange that the newspapers said it looked like a salamander. People combined the governor’s name with “salamander” and the word “Gerry-Mander” was born. It is a uniquely American word.

Gerrymandering means changing voting district borders to help one political party stay in power. The party in power usually does this. Voters from the opposing party may be split among many districts to weaken their numbers. Other times, they are stuffed into one district so that they can only win that district but have no strength in others. This is how one party may have the majority of votes in a state but the other party has more seats in government. This has happened in North Carolina and in Wisconsin.

Gerrymandering hurts Democracy. It has been described as

“Politicians picking their voters instead of voters picking their politicians.”

By changing the districts on the map, active voters who participate in elections often find that their votes are worth nothing.

Both major political parties have used gerrymandering to gain or keep power. However, between 2019 and 2022, Democrats introduced bills which would have stopped gerrymandering and made voting easier. None of these were passed.

Now, the Supreme Court has struck down protections in the Voting Rights Act. The 1965 law was made to stop racial discrimination in voting. After the court decision, many Republican states quickly changed their maps to weaken the voting power of minority communities. Black districts were sliced up in Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi in the hope that Republicans could save seats in the House of Representatives this fall and can keep President Trump’s agenda going.

It seems like past rules that were made to include everyone in the democratic process have been thrown out. With our voting maps changing before our eyes, our only choice is not to give up – but to VOTE MORE. The president has become even less popular. Even the redrawn districts in some areas are looking like they may support Democrats anyways. When you go out and vote, and get others to go, democracy stays strong and alive.

No more salamanders.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

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BELOW IS THE POST FOR WEEK 21 OF 2026

THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FIRE

The history of American working people is buried in a society run by the owners of the work we do. We don’t have a chance to be proud or even aware of our victories. We don’t learn what we had to endure. There are stories across the nation of working people fighting and getting what they deserve.

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities. The narrative and history of working, rural America has been covered over and forgotten. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers and shoppers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FIRE

The history of America’s workers is not often taught in our schools. Organized groups of workers, called unions, have helped make life better and fairer in our country.

The Triangle Shirtwaist factory was in New York City. It made a popular woman’s blouse. The factory used the 8^th, 9^thand 10^th floors of a building. About 500 immigrant women and girls, mostly Italian and Jewish, worked there. They worked 52 hours for $7 - $12 per week (about $5 - $9 per hour in current money.) The company hired immigrant women because it could pay them less, and because they were uneducated and did not speak much English. They were less likely to cause trouble. The owners locked exits and stairwell doors to keep workers

from taking extra breaks or stealing.

On Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire started on the 8^th floor. Most exits were locked and others were quickly blocked by the fire. The flimsy metal fire escape collapsed, killing twenty. As the fire and smoke got worse, workers began to jump from the windows. 146 young people died from the fall, fire or smoke. The disaster was one of the deadliest in the city and in U.S. history.

Francis Perkins saw the fire and the dead on the street and it changed her life. She became one of many who worked inside and outside of government to make sure this never happened again.

Perkins joined a group to improve fire safety in factories. Soon, they started work to fix other problems like unsafe conditions at work, low pay, long hours and child labor. Many of their ideas became the law in New York and then in other states.

Frances Perkins became the U.S. Secretary of Labor in 1933 for Franklin D. Roosevelt. She helped create programs that even now give us a better life including unemployment insurance and Social Security. She helped start public works projects and projects for schools, roads and housing to give people jobs during the Great Depression. The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in 1938 and set minimum wages and maximum hours and end child labor.

These are the results when American people work to protect themselves and enjoy the benefit of their hard work. These results came from the work of people who understood how an unfair system would leave you no choice but to jump to your death. We have gained much from their loss and we need to remember their story.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Clark and Jackson counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

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IF YOU WON A MILLION

Noah Hawley’s observation of the very rich in a recent Atlantic article helped clarify a post about wealth I had been struggling to complete. I trust that those who inspire me don’t mind that I reduce some of their thoughts (processed through my own) to a level of clarity and public access that is not seen in most heady political journals. Honestly, there is so much of importance that I read that remains in the bubble of independent leftist journalists and their readers. I simply want to see it shared in the local “shopper,” next to the classifieds for lumber and tractor parts and ads for the next VFW Fish Boil.

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities. The narrative and history of working, rural America has been covered over and forgotten. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published weekly in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site. BARN OWL has become a weekly topic and source of conversation in many homes in our area.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

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IF YOU WON A MILLION

What would you do if you won ONE MILLION DOLLARS? Would it really change you?

Most of us would celebrate, take a trip, throw a party. We would pay off our bills. We may pay off our parent’s and children’s bills, and put aside money for grandchildren. When we have spent our million, we still may need to work, but maybe less. And we would have helped ourselves and the people we love.

Imagine winning TEN MILLION DOLLARS. Buy a fancier house and a hotter car. Give more to your family and make bigger donations to charities. Travel the world. Start a business or help someone else start one. Most people’s needs for life have surely been met.

By then you are rich – but you aren’t super-rich. What happens when you have a Billion dollars? Or 100 billion? Then you are in the tiniest percentage of world population. Way on top.

Many of those at the very top have a different motivation than the rest of us.

In an article in The Atlantic, Noah Hawley describes his experience with the super-rich and what happens when you reach that level of wealth. Research in Psychology has shown that moral reasoning develops when you have consequences, when you have to adapt to reality. Wealthy people don’t have that pressure. Their environment stops teaching them the things that poorer people are forced to learn. When you can buy yourself out of any mistake and surround yourself with people who will always agree with you, you lose the ability to learn from your actions.

You feel invulnerable. At that point, everything is free – and nothing has to matter. With a huge cushion of wealth, there are no consequences. You can buy anything you want and anything you lose would still not change your global status. Not with that much money.

Failure stops meaning anything.

These are the folks that run our lives. They sell us our food and our cars. They give us news and entertainment. They buy up our farms. They close factories in our town. They also buy politicians. Democracy is of no importance to them.

But it is to us.

Voting and resistance are the only way that we, collectively, can provide the wealthiest with consequences. It is our collective action that can bring them back to reality.

And reality isn’t such a bad place. We will share it.

Contact us if you want to share BARN OWL in your local paper.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by donations from supporters

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

So Buy Me A Coffee

WHAT HUNGARY MEANS TO US

The hope and determination shown by the people of Hungary must inspire us on our journey. While some of us saw this authoritarian reaction on its way, so many of us, myself included, had not expected the thunderclap of action that began on the first day of Trump 2.0. Despite my deep distrust of our government and the motivations hidden in members of both parties, I assumed the tussle we had seen for so long would just continue. I am sure many in Hungary, also, did not understand what was coming and perhaps were not aware of the liberties they were losing every day.

Hopefully, we on the left in this country will put bellows to the fire in our belly, become more contentious, more angry and more hopeful. Hopefully we will be followed by other Americans who also did not see the terrible future - but now do.

We have not lost our free press, not entirely. But there is a lot of money pushing against those who should be seeking out and exposing the truth. Some are sticking it out, some, buckling. It is clear , regardless, that many in this country have no idea what they don’t know and what has not been told to them.

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities. The narrative and history of working, rural America has been covered over and forgotten. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, YOU can use these articles in your local paper - free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

WHAT HUNGARY MEANS TO US

Viktor Orban controlled Hungary, a nation in central Europe, for sixteen years. On April 12, a super majority of the people of this country voted him out. The Tisza Party, led by Peter Magyar, joined other parties to defeat him. They talked about the corruption and economic collapse. They won 2/3 of the parliament and brought his experiment to an end.

America’s far right-wing has admired and supported Orban for years. They studied how he gained and kept power. They wanted to follow his example. They supported him in public. America’s vice president even went to Hungary personally to campaign for him.

When Orban first took power in 2010, he changed the country’s constitution to be sure that he and his party remained in power. Changes in Hungary included:

· The county’s highest court lost power and was made to reflect Orban’s ideology.

· Voting districts in the country were redrawn to help his party win elections.

· News media was brought under control. Independent news groups were bought out or forced out. Eventually, 80% of media in Hungary was controlled by Orban’s party.

· The judges and courts that checked the government were removed or replaced.

· Eleven state universities were given to private groups connected to his party

· State businesses and services were sold to private companies.

Orban also stayed in power by creating emergencies to play on people’s fears. He declared an immigrant emergency in 2015 and built a wall along the border. He said immigrants were a danger to Hungary, saying “we do not want our [national culture] to be mixed with those of others.” He called the European Union an enemy. He got money and support from Russia. He called for Christian nationalism and warned of the threat of same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights.

If any of these moves sound familiar, it’s because the American far right added them to their working plan. They called it Project 2025. That plan has been the basis of all the work of Trump’s presidency and describes the steps they want to take to create an authoritarian state in the United States.

It was only through an overwhelming vote against him that Orban was taken out of power. While we still have a democracy, we also need to use our vote and bring this crazy to an end.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters

Now published in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Clark and Jackson counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Or Buy Me a Coffee!

WHAT IS A PATRIOT?

Patriotism, especially in this time of peril, cannot be a passive thing. Reporter’s first question to my activist mother during the Vietnam War was always “ who is caring for your children?” This, of course, implied that she wasn’t doing what she was supposed to do. But in so many desperate countries, being a parent means you have to take a stand and fight your government. It is selfish not to. And this nation has been a desperate place for the poor and people of color for a long time, and is now becoming this for the white rest of us.

Patriotism is about ideals, not about leaders. People have to take the step into action for their own sake and that of those they love.

BARN OWL is here to open the conversation in rural communities. The narrative and history of working, rural America has been covered over and forgotten. Rather than relying on corporate media, BARN OWL supports local county newspapers by purchasing ad space for the articles. It is now published in 4 western Wisconsin counties. We are supported by community donations and donations from Substack subscribers and from the buy me a coffee site.

Whether you live in Wisconsin or another state, you can use these article in your local paper free of charge. Your job is to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. BARN OWL is a small drumbeat of resistance. It offers another perspective when such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.

Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, becoming a paid subscriber, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps us plan ahead.

Or how about a coffee?

WHAT IS A PATRIOT?

In the Revolutionary War, a Patriot was the person who challenged the king’s rule. This sometimes was a person who spoke their mind even at risk of death or imprisonment. Some joined the Colonial Army and fought the king’s forces. Many other patriots were not soldiers or politicians. Some gave food or a safe place to hide. Some stitched uniforms and flags. Some cared for the wounded. Others quietly did small things each day to help the cause.

People who fought the patriots and wanted to keep their king were called Loyalists.

Oddly, “patriot” and “loyalist” mean similar things. In the Cambridge dictionary, a Patriot is “a person who loves their country and, if necessary, will fight for it.” A Loyalist is “a person that strongly supports the government or ruler in power.” The difference seems to be that a patriot defends their country while a loyalist defends their government and its leaders.

Many times, in America, people have asked: who are the patriots and who might be loyalists?

· Were the organizers of the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom, patriots? They broke the law, but they believed they would help make the country a better place.

· Were the workers who built the labor unions in the 1930’s and 40’s patriots, because they wanted a better life for working people? Or were they just Communists?

· Were those who fought for civil rights in the 1950’s and 1960’s patriots? Or were they outside agitators and trouble makers?

·During the Vietnam War, some people called protestors patriots because they eventually forced the government to withdraw American troops.

· Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capital January 6 to change the results of the election – saw themselves as patriots. Were they? Or Loyalists?

· Finally, can those who organized against and resisted I.C.E. in Minneapolis and other cities in this last year be called patriots?

When the events are happening right now, the question become more emotional. There are arguments, lies and accusations. That is also how it was during the Revolutionary War. With distance, these moments in history become clearer. The questions are fought out in the courts and in elections and, sadly, sometimes with violence.

In the end, a patriot must be one who helps make a better country

and a better place for us all to live.

BARN OWL seeks to add to the conversation in rural Wisconsin.

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Ad space paid by gifts from supporters.

Now published in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Clark and Jackson counties.

Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com

Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01