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"Rep. Mark Pocan . . . said Mazomanie-area residents
'don't mind' the nude beach."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 28, 1999
"Pocan said there has been little outcry over the beach . . .
'People
just don't care because it doesn't bother them,' he said."
Capital Times, July 28, 1999
March 7, 2000
Dear Friend,
Did you ever wonder what nudists do in the winter
time--nudists including those who descend in ever-increasing numbers on
the Mazo nude beach each summer? Recently, I was given a copy of the
Wisconsin Bares newsletter. It is with some hesitancy that I share a few
of the milder quotes from that nudist publication. The Wisconsin Bares
meet in private homes across the state during the winter. I share these
quotes only because you, especially you parents, have a right to know as
much as possible about the people who gather every summer at the Mazo
beach. Again, these are by far the milder statements from the newsletter!
"The Wisconsin Bares is a group of bi and gay men who enjoy
socializing in the nude. . . . we do permit safe sexual activity for those
who wish to participate. . . . Because there is sexual contact being made
at these parties, members and guests are required to bring along with them
a big beach towel. This should be put over furniture when sitting down and
can be used to clean up after having sex with someone else. This will save
the host a lot of time from having to cover everything with sheets and
towels."
Those quotes from the Wisconsin Bares newsletter, while
shocking in substance, are not surprising to anyone who knows anything
about the steadily deteriorating situation at the Mazo beach. Through
Freedom of Information requests, WCU has procured police reports which
testify that the Mazo beach is spawning an increasingly dangerous and
grossly immoral environment which is spreading out from the beach like
ripples from a rock thrown into a pond. The lurid reports from the Mazo
area tell of sexual predators, sexual assaults (even of a DNR employee!),
solicitation for sex, sales of pornographic literature, sexual acts
performed in public, nudists increasingly showing up far from the beach,
vandalism, drug dealing and use; the list goes on and on! The Mazo beach
is being touted on the internet as the place to go for public sex and is
being advertised across America in magazines and even books such as Naked
Places: A Guide for Gay Men to Nude Recreation and Travel.
But what does this mean for you who live in the area of
the Mazo beach? What it means is that your nightmare is just beginning.
Both history and experience prove that unless madness such as that at Mazo
is put to a stop, some of you--or your children--will eventually become
crime victims of that insanity. Many of you already have become victims in
smaller ways. The situation has affected your peace of mind; it has had an
adverse effect on the value of your property close to the beach; it has
caused moral people to avoid your area, such as church youth groups which
once canoed the river; and for many of you, it has imposed a moratorium on
your use of a beautiful stretch of beach and river for which you pay
taxes.
Of course, I know your concerns transcend even the
safety and well-being of your own families. I have enclosed a picture of a
man in a purple dress carrying a sweet little girl down to the Mazo beach
on August 28, 1999. During a WCU demonstration at the beach on that day, I
personally witnessed not only the scene pictured but also other little
children being led down to the beach. I also witnessed a disproportionate
number of snapshot and video cameras present among the men beach-goers.
This certainly begs the question, Why, when it is unlawful to possess
child pornography in Wisconsin, is it acceptable to strip children naked
for viewing at the Mazo beach? And why is it acceptable to take pictures
of those children? And why is it legal for adults to parade naked in front
of children on state-owned property? Last, but not least, what sort of
sexually perverted, unstable people does Mazo beach draw to your area of
Wisconsin? I will tell you what sort of people: men and women who are
driven to constantly look for ways to satisfy both their need to expose
themselves and their drive for ever-more perverted sexual thrills. Please
take the time to listen to the enclosed seven-minute tape which features a
radio interview which I did with Dr. Judith Reisman, a world renowned
child advocate. Dr. Reisman is the author of a number of
books and has often testified before Congress and parliaments around the
world regarding issues affecting the well-being of children.
In light of the increasingly grave and even dangerous
situation which the Mazo nude beach represents, the question must be
asked, Why do Governor Tommy Thompson and DNR Secretary George Meyer
continue to turn a cold shoulder toward citizens such as yourself who
raise children and maintain property in the vicinity of the Mazo nude
beach?
I must confess, I can only speculate that for some
strange reason Meyer and Thompson have decided to pander to a powerful,
sexually perverted elite who have decided that they will have their own
little tax-funded slice of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Wisconsin River and
citizens in the area can just go to the devil! After all, regardless of
shrill protests to the contrary, the nudity at the Mazo beach could be
ended with a simple sign, such as the one pictured here which has been
posted at an Illinois state park where similar problems have cropped up.
Of course, Secretary Meyer will say that his department
cannot prohibit any "lawful" activity on state property! How
stupid does he think we are? Doesn't the DNR prohibit snowmobiling,
campfires, dogs, swimming, etc. on some state property? Could a DNR
employee show up nude for work at the DNR office in Madison? Besides,
public nudity is not permitted anywhere in the state except at the Mazo
beach! Secretary Meyer and Governor Thompson insult our intelligence with
their breath-takingly false claim which is clearly contradicted by legal
case history and ongoing events of the present, even in Dane County where
the D.A. panders to the Mazo nudists but prosecutes those who go nude in
Madison. At the end of this letter, you will find newspaper articles from
just three recent cases to make my point. Two are incidents which took
place in Madison; one took place in Rock County.
Governor Tommy Thompson, DNR Secretary Meyer, and Dane
County District Attorney Diane Nicks say that it is not enough for a
person to be nude in public; the person must also do something indecent.
This new and novel parsing of State Statute 944.20 is undertaken for the
sole purpose of pandering to the perverted elite of Mazo beach. Apologists
for the nudists point to para (2) of 944.20 which prescribes prosecution
for any person who "publicly and indecently exposes genital and pubic
area." The truth is, that description has always and everywhere
across Wisconsin correctly been interpreted as meaning that publicly
exposing one's private parts is indecent exposure! The two adjectives are
read as one consistent whole, much the same way as one would say,
"She was forcibly and brutally raped." Forcibly raping a woman
is brutal, just as appearing nude in public is in itself indecent. If we
are to follow the new definition of 944.20(2) to its logical conclusion,
then public sex may soon also be called "lawful" since 944.20(1)
charges with a class A misdemeanor anyone who "commits an
indecent act of sexual gratification with another with the knowledge that
they are in the presence of others." Following the logic used by
the Thompson/Meyer/Nicks triumvirate with regard to 944.20(2) which bans
public nudity, I suppose public sex will soon be allowed as long as the
participants claim that it is a "decent" public act of sexual
gratification.
Isn't it time for the charade to come to an end? Isn't
it time that you and your family were afforded the respect and protection
which families are paid in all other parts of the state? Secretary Meyer
can end the nudity at Mazo beach immediately by posting signs banning it
and arresting those who violate that regulation. Those arrested could be
charged with indecent exposure for violating state law and/or disorderly
conduct for violating DNR regulations. Governor Tommy Thompson can end the
madness by ordering Secretary Meyer to take appropriate action or, quite
frankly, by ordering the Dane County Executive to enforce state law. To
not do so is a violation of Thompson's oath of office. The Wisconsin
Constitution, Article 5, Section 4, Power and Duties, mandates that the
governor "shall take care that the laws be faithfully
executed."
Unfortunately, our state legislators have not been much
help in putting a stop to the grievous, unlawful activities at the Mazo
beach. Rather than putting public pressure on DNR Secretary Meyer and
Governor Thompson by demanding that the law be enforced with regard to
public nudity, a number of well-meaning legislators have pushed a legislative bill which attempts to outlaw that
which is already outlawed. It is a bill which will be blocked in the state
senate and thus has no chance of being signed into law and, in the end,
only further creates the impression that public nudity is now legal. The
bill in question would actually downgrade nudity on public lands from a
misdemeanor crime to an ordinance violation!
For the sake of the moral climate and safety of your
family, isn't it time that the obfuscation and buck passing come to an
end? Summer is on the way; and before we know it, thousands of sexually
perverted, immoral, and in some cases, dangerous people will be flocking
to Wisconsin to cavort on the Mazo beach and beyond at our expense. This
need not happen, and there are a number of things you can do to ensure
that it does not.
(1) Continue to call and write Governor Thompson, Secretary Meyer, and
Dane County District Attorney Nicks. Tell them that you are sick of their
sick excuses. Tell them that the jig is up, and you want to be treated
with the same respect as Madison citizens and citizens around the state
are treated. Tell them to put an end to the nudity at Mazo!
(2) If you have not already signed the enclosed WCU petitions to Governor
Thompson and Secretary Meyer, please sign them, put a stamp on the front,
and return them to WCU now. The petitions will be presented following a
press conference at the Capitol in April.
(3) WCU is underwriting a nuisance lawsuit against the DNR on behalf of
citizens in the Mazo beach area. We need individuals who would be willing
to sign on to this lawsuit. If you have had the benefit or enjoyment of
your property injured or reduced in any way by the presence of the Mazo
beach and are willing to sign on to this effort, please give me a call or
write to me. There will be no cost to you whatsoever; and we have a good
shot at winning this case, especially if enough of you sign on to it. If
successful, the lawsuit will result in a court injunction against the Mazo
nude beach.
(4) Call and write your state senators and representatives. It is
essential that they put public, intense pressure on DNR Secretary George
Meyer and Governor Tommy Thompson. Of course, the Dane County D.A. could
use a lot of the same. You might want to ask all officials involved in
this sordid saga why they pander to perversion and hide behind flimsy
excuses rather than protect hard-working taxpayers and innocent children.
In closing, I want to encourage you to not give up. The
situation in your area is being watched by people around the nation. I
know because I have contacts with news media, pro-family leaders, and
radio personalities around the country. If we lose this fight, it will be
a green light to those who would totally destroy so much of what we hold
dear and create an environment incredibly hostile and dangerous to our
children. I do not believe that we will lose this fight. With the help of
the Lord and the determination of many of you, the nudity and lewdness of
Mazo beach will soon be nothing but a bad memory. May God speed the day
when parents can once again safely take their children fishing, swimming,
and boating on all of the Wisconsin River!
Sincerely,
Ralph Ovadal, Director
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