Plantation Days

James, James. Talk about taking someone out of context. James says this about folkbum's recent blog on school vouchers:

Jay Bullock at Folkbum's Rants and Rambles has declared his blog is for whites only. He says it's "insane" to "tell blacks {sic} what to think." (I'm sure this will be news
to his MPS students.)

This is what folkbum really wrote:

See what I mean about insane? Tierny is another one of those--like Milwaukee's
own Charlie Sykes, for example--white guys who feels the need to tell blacks
what to think; not even in my insanest days to I go that far.

Apparently (McBucher word again) it's okay for conservatives to tell African Americans what to think and do, like: "Go fetch me my paper, boy." Yeah, conservatives should feel comfortable saying that. They have experience.

Make Mine Bloody

This comment found at Wigderson Library & Pub, by "anonymous."

Well i'm not in favor of civil wars unless they are the bloodless variety.
But i don't see a civil war in Iraq as Bad or a Defeat for America. Nor even
Iraq. I envision an Iraqi civil war ending in three very seperate but very
stable nation states. There would be the Kurds in the North, Shia in the South,
and the Sunnis in a postage stamp in the Greater Bagdad area. Bloody perhaps,
but not Bad.Anonymous 02.27.06 - 8:34 pm #

When has there ever been a bloodless civil war? This fool is wise to stay anonymous. And his final statement is just cold-blooded. I guess bloody is good if it furthers the conservative agenda.

Pros and Cons

I was scanning through a few blogs and saw that Belle at Leaning Blue was initiating a form of Point/Counter Point forum. It's a nice idea. The first part of it was to be on the pros and cons of corporate blogging. Jumping the gun a bit -- typically of conservatives (MHO) -- Fred took it upon himself to play the role of all positions (including the ugly).

SURPRISE. Charlie Yikes was the epitome of what a good corporate blog is all about. Yikes is an arrogant blowhard. The day will come when people finally see through Herr Transparency.

The bad was covered by Spivak and Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…another big surprise. Fred apparently has nothing better to do than track the leanings of Spivak and Bice, similar to the machinations of the Media Research Center and their resident quack, Brent Bozell. Lots of drivel.

The last had to do mainly with the Racine Journal Times and the fact that a conservative blogger was no longer allowed to e-mail the Journal Times because his “crime” was complaining about its bias. Head knock! Complaining about bias is one thing, being vulgar and crude while doing it (my gut feeling in this case) is another.

UPDATE: The Racine Journal Times has apparently (there's that McBucher word again) decided to release the ban on this particular blogger. Shame on the Racine Journal Times if its ban was merely because someone expressed an opinion, civilly.

A Plug for Magic Eraser!

Not much in the mood for blogging today. Dropped the kiddies off at their mother's house the other evening and immediately began missing them. I've been told I'll be happier to move them when they reach their teenage years...I am not so sure.

Spent the day cleaning. Dusted and vacuumed in the living room, tidied up the kid's room (that was hard) and then proceeded to cleaning the kitchen floor, which had accumulated all sorts of grime and muck the past few months. Regular mopping has had only an illusory effect. More was needed.

Magic Eraser!

While it does require that I get down on my knees for this, and my 49 year old knees do not take kindly to kneeling on hard surfaces, Magic Eraser! (each time you read those two words, imagine a booming voice saying the words out loud, like on tv ads of old)...say it again...Magic Eraser!

Anyway, Magic Eraser!...oh, stop it already.

Using the product is easy. Soak it in water, rinse it out, and then scrub the surface. It takes off grime and muck and even removes surface scratches.

It really was a remarkable transformation. The floor looked new again. And all because of...

I'm not going there again.

Well, just one more time because it is time to end the day...

Magic Eraser!

Democracy in Action

Saw James Wigderson's (of the famous Wigderson Library & Pub blog) first column in the Waukesha Freeman, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2006. I responded the same day and sent it to the Freeman. It's now Sunday and I have not received a response. I won't speculate why...probably because it was over 300 words. I'm sure everyone has a different opinion on that...who cares.

Anyway, saw Xoff made a point of mentioning it and since everyone at James' site is congratulating him on his picture, I'll just go ahead and post my response here. Happy day.

In a column in the Waukesha Freeman, James Wigderson would have
you believe that the holding of referendums in 23 cities and villages across
Wisconsin is a waste of time, just an opportunity for a few busybodies to sing
"Give Peace a Chance," and a way to make them feel good. But the real reason
that James doesn't like this exercise in free speech is because the message is
one he opposes. If the referendum were about supporting the President in his
time of drooping poll numbers, James would be all for it.

I've never understood why conservatives are so adamantly against democracy in action. So what if the end result of this referendum will amount to next to nothing. So what if the voices won't be heard in Washington. Someone might hear them. And just possibly those voices will have made a difference to another fellow citizen.

Fear. That's what conservatives are good at. For example, James tosses out this
over used talking point -- "never mind the negative impact upon the morale of
the armed forces" -- in an attempt to shame people into staying quiet. This is
just so much crap. The armed forces understand what they're fighting for, and it
is certainly not to stifle dissent. And you know what, the armed forces are not
some monolithic group of conservatives who can't wait to get back and vote
Republican. Over thirty that have returned from this conflict are running for
Congress under the Democrat banner, and most are favored to win. For James and
the conservatives, that is truly something to fear.

Oh, and if this referendum makes some people feel good about themselves, well great. They have as much right to feel self important as do those who go to Planned Parenthood to harangue and harass woman as they walk through the doors. And they have as much right to hold this referendum as did the protestors at John Kerry's speeches here in Milwaukee, who did their best to drown him out using bullhorns and vulgarities. Wouldn't it be grand if someone had the chance to protest at a Bush speech, to which admittance is by invitation only.

Truth be told, these people are Americans who have every right to lecture their government, just as much as James has a right to lecture them and to denigrate the residents of 27th Street and Locust Avenue. Perhaps someone could convince the Milwaukee Transit System to bus them to James' home where they can visit with him and his family and discuss the role he imagines for the United Nations. I bet there would be an exchange of free speech then. Hooray for democracy in action.

Baaa

Part of a letter to the editor of the Milwaukee JournalSentinel, Feb. 26...

My wife and I were very upset this past Christmas season over all the attempts to de-Christify Christmas. We joined thousands of fellow Christians in writing letters to retailers that forbade employees from wishing "Merry Christmas" to shoppers, and we avoided shopping at those places.

Joe Sanfelippo, West Allis


And the fella who owns the gas station up the street truly believes the world was created 6,000 years ago. Good grief, the sheep are everywhere.

Bob Marley Lives

Only the greatest musician of all time, IMHO. Saw his picture and had to post it.

Don Knotts Dead at 81

Don Knotts died today at 81. The man was a comic genius and one of my favorite actors. His role of Barney Fife was a classic.

Anna v. Jessica

Was reading about Anna Benson on Media Matters. Seems she has conservative views and doesn't like Michael Moore. I couldn't help comparing her to local siren, Jessica McBucher. Let's see:

Anna Benson is a conservative.
Jessica McBucher is a conservative.

Anna has a website.
Jessica has a website.

Anna married a high-profile man (Kris Benson, former #1 pick and current MLB pitcher).
Jessica married a high profile man (Paul Bucher, current district attorney for Waukesha County and contender for AG of Wisconsin).

Anna likes to be seen, she is seemingly everywhere...articles, on-line, always in the news...one might call her a publicity slut.
Jessica...ditto.

Anna threatened to sleep with entire NY Mets baseball team if she ever caught Kris cheating on her.
Jessica...?

Men and Uptight Women

PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions Friday, setting up a deliberate frontal assault on Roe v. Wade at a time when some activists see the U.S. Supreme Court as more willing than ever to overturn the 33-year-old decision.
Republican Gov. Mike Rounds said he was inclined to sign the bill, because of one person, Harriet Shrub.

Ms. Shrub, 35, is the president of the Alpha Beta Gamma Center, a Sioux Falls pregnancy counseling agency that tries to steer women away from abortion. She said that most abortions performed in South Dakota do not stem from rape or even failed contraception, but are simply “conveniences.” When asked how Ms. Shrub knew this, she admitted that she had never been raped and so, consequently, it must be true of others. And since she had never had sex – she was waiting for the right man – it was difficult for her to believe that others couldn’t do the same as she.

Shrub, who is incredibly ugly, did admit that she had two encounters late at night with, what she believed, were stalkers, but they ran away before she could scream for help. One was later found with his eyes ripped out, apparently self inflicted. The other man was never found, though there is doubt he ever existed.

Shrub also said she believes most South Dakota women want the state to ban abortion, and many who have had abortions “wish someone would have stopped them.” At this point, twenty-five male legislators rushed out of the room. It was later determined that the men had become violently ill at the thought of copulating with Ms. Shrub.

So violently ill, in fact, that an exception to the abortion ban was added later…stipulating that a mandatory abortion was to be performed in the highly unlikely event that Ms. Shrub ever became pregnant.

Planned Parenthood spokesperson, Jill Cando, said this was typical of men. "They can’t make up their minds," she said. "On the one hand they want to ban abortions and on the other hand"…at this point, Ms. Cando stopped, put her hand to her mouth, and burst into laughter. With tears rolling down her face, Ms. Cando quickly exited.

No Vote for Bucher

I was willing to give Paul Bucher a chance. I knew I would not vote for Peg...and I knew nothing about Kate Falk. I was also willing to give Bucher a chance because a friend of mine knows his brother, and said good things...about his brother.

However, after seeing the Bucher website smearing Kate Falk, I will not vote for Bucher. In fact, if anyone asks about him, I will distort his record every chance I get. He is a power hungry coward. What he has done with this website is unfathomable...Willie Horton twelve times over.

The worst part is that he makes it appear as though Falk is responsible for the crimes these degenerates have committed. It's mean-spirited, it's crass, it's beyond the pale.

Nope. No vote for Bucher from here.

Another wacky tale from my son, Ian

Hello, all you ferrets and coffee cups. I'm Ian Rock with the latest weather forecast.

Today a black front will be fighting in from United States and farting over the northern part of Wisconsin causing high winds and falling televisions.

Red clouds will fart the region south of Milwaukee. Look out for a few blue showers. If you're planning on going out this evening, be sure to take along a sturdy gerbil. Tonight the skies will hop and temperatures will swim.

Tomorrow will be squeaky. Temperatures could reach a record 500,769,481 degrees by noon.

God's Perfection

This story was sent to me years ago. I found it again for a friend to read and thought I would post it here because I like the story.


In Brooklyn, NY, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection? The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query.

"I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child." He then told the following story about his son Shaya.

One afternoon, Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"

Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters in his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base. Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung at the ball and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first, run to first."

Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home.

As Shaya reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya run home." Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as if he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

Conservatives across the nation celebrated today. They celebrated the end to dissent. In Washington, with arms raised to the sky, they marched back and forth in front of the Capitol, yelling “Shut Up” and singing “We shall overcome and trample your aspirations into the ground.” At the conclusion of the ceremony, the participants marched to a specially prepared area that had been covered with sand, and at an order from their fearless leader, stuck their heads into it.

In a column in the Waukasha Freeman today, James Wigderson would have you believe that the holding of referendums in 23 cities and villages across Wisconsin is a waste of time, just an opportunity for a few busybodies to sing “Give Peace a Chance,” and a way to make them feel good. But the real reason that James doesn’t like this exercise in free speech is because the message is one he opposes. If the referendum were about supporting the President in his time of drooping poll numbers, James would be all for it.

I’ve never understood why conservatives are so adamantly against democracy in action. So what if the end result of this referendum will amount to next to nothing. So what if the voices won’t be heard in Washington. Someone might hear them. And just possibly those voices will have made a difference to another fellow citizen. And you know what, James, if you’re so afraid of these referendums, then put your own on the ballot.

Fear. That's what conservatives are good at...for example, James tosses out another fine talking point -- “never mind the negative impact upon the morale of the armed forces” -- in an attempt to shame people into staying quiet. This is just so much crap. For the most part, the armed forces understand what they're fighting for, and it is certainly not to stifle dissent. And you know what, the armed forces are not some solid group of conservatives who can’t wait to get back and vote Republican. Over thirty that have returned from this conflict are running for Congress under the Democrat banner, and most are favored to win. For James and the conservatives, that is truly something to fear.

Oh, and if this referendum makes some people feel good about themselves, well great. They have as much right to be self important as those bastards who go to Planned Parenthood to harangue and harass woman as they walk through the doors. And they have as much right to hold this referendum as do the protestors at John Kerry’s speeches here in Milwaukee, who did their best to drown him out using bullhorns and vulgarities. Wouldn’t it be grand if someone had the chance to protest at a Bush speech, to which admittance is by invitation only.

Truth be told, these people are Americans who have every right to lecture their government, just as much as James has a right to lecture them and the residents of 27th Street and Locust Avenue. Perhaps someone could convince the Milwaukee Transit System to bus them to James' home on Anoka Avenue where they can visit with him and his family and discuss the role he imagines for the United Nations.

Neil Boortz: Republican Shill

Another fine piece by John Sugg. This one regarding our favorite Limbaugh wannabe, Neil Boortz (just drop the "tz" for an accurate description of him). Chickenhawks of the world...

by John Sugg

I noticed that Boortz has taken up an issue at the University of Washington. A student senator, Jill Edwards, had opposed a memorial for a Marine aviator and UW grad who had won the Medal of Honor in WWII. That's wrong -- but the girl's point that public institutions should also honor peacemakers (as Jesus proclaimed) is very valid.

Boortz on Feb. 15 fumed and fretted:

"Shall I repeat that? Jill Edwards, a Junior in Mathematics at the University of Washington, says that a U.S. Marine is not --- that's right, NOT the example of the sort of person that the University of Washington wants to produce. Let's let this sink in. To all of you men and women out there who have served with pride in the United States Marine Corps; to those of you who fought in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, Jill Edwards, student senate member at the University of Washington, thinks that you are unworthy to be graduates of the University of Washington. My father was a Marine."

What's wrong with Bootz's spin? It's a classic example of a fraud protesting too much.
As I -- and a medically retired Marine Corps veteran, Frank Kaner of Duluth, Ga. -- exposed last year, Boortz is the worst sort of draft dodger. For years on his radio show, Boortz had claimed that medical conditions prevented him from serving in the military during the Vietnam conflict. His fibs changed from time to time -- he usually claimed his eyes kept him out of uniform, but on a few occasions he said it was asthma.

That made me suspicious. After all, Boortz talks incessantly about flying his private planes. If he can do that, he certainly could have met the vision requirements to slog around in rice paddies in Vietnam. Boortz also has talked about such things as climbing mountains -- not a likely activity for someone who suffers from severe asthma.

After listening to Boortz for years shill for George Bush's Imperial Iraq Crusade, Kaner and I each made freedom of information requests about Boortz to the Selective Service. What we learned is that Boortz in 1964 had obtained a deferment granted to college students participating in ROTC type programs. Boortz had briefly enrolled in the Texas A&M cadet corps. But he dropped out of the corps, although he continued at the university. He never told his draft board. Had the board found out about his deception, he would have been immediately drafted. Boortz in 1968 obtained a deferment granted to those with dependents. At no time did he ever have a medical deferment.

In short, Boortz was a coward. While screaming for America to go fight wars, he lied to his draft board to avoid serving in uniform. It's quite possible, even likely, that another young man during the late 1960s -- when the combat in Vietnam peaked -- died in Boortz's place.
And, on the issue of criticizing the University of Washington student for not honoring the Marine aviator -- when Kaner contacted Boortz about his draft dodging, Boortz had nothing by disrespect and ridicule for the Marine veteran. Kaner, due to service related injuries and disabilities, was retired as a corporal. Boortz sneered in an email that having obtained the rank of corporal after 20 years (the usual time for retirement) indicated that Kaner wasn't much of a Marine. Kaner, of course, was retired after only a few years. Boortz, as usual, failed to check his facts.

So, who most dishonored the Marines? A young woman who believes you get peace by practicing peace? Or a guy who lied his way out of donning a uniform -- and then derides a veteran who did serve? Boortz is the one who truly dishonors all who served.

Stream of Remarkable Hypocrisy

I still think that Mike Hasslinger sending that e-mail to Charlie Yikes was not the brightest thing in the world to do. However, the response below by Chris of spottedhorse 2 fame just confirms that old adage about living in a glass house.

quick clarification I believe charlie confirmed that Mr Hasslinger wrote the original email. The two things I cannot believe are that an elected offical would use that kind of language did he think he as being anonomous. Second do people realize how much of a trail they leave when the send emails or try to leave anon comments lol. My guess is Mr Hasslinger has to be asking himself what was I thinking he really made himself look like an idiot. has he given a statement yet?

Give Me Your Not So Poor?

Charlie Yikes is yucking it up about a report that states that the poor don't have it so bad. Of course, the report was compiled by the Heritage Foundation, a group that tilts just a little to the right.

I read most of the report. Without having access to the numbers it used, nor the time (now if I was paid...), I have to dismiss it as wingnut propoganda. However, one stat did amuse me. The number of people who have air conditioning now, as opposed to 1970, has more than doubled. Of course, the report doesn't note that air conditioners by and large are far less expensive (and smaller and more powerful) now than they were, and were considered a true luxury back then.

Data manipulation is a tired tactic of the right.

No...Don't Write a Letter to the Devil

Saw the e-mails from Mike Hasslinger, Waukesha County's Register of Deeds, to Charlie Yikes. Good grief...don't send e-mails if there is the slightest chance they will be published. And especially don't send them if the aforementioned is true and you have no clue regarding spelling and grammar...or what you are trying to say.

The inability to edit your own writing makes you look like a buffoon and, unfortunately, allows the idiot righties to play the association game. However, this should be a lesson for a certain somebody about how dumb...nah forget it, it won't sink in.

I Believe in the Tooth Fairy

Click on image for full-size. The administration is always right, aina?

Just a Little Bit of Love

My ten-year-old is confused by long division. So I've spent the last two evenings...about two hours worth...going over problem after problem with him, explaining where he's made mistakes and applauding him when he has done well. He says he's getting it...I foresee some more practice.

It seems to me that lost in the shuffle of the school choice issue is where has the drumbeat for parental personal responsibility gone. It's kind of hard to put teachers into seemingly no win situations and expect them to perform miracles. If the parents don't care, neither will the children.

And not every child is accepted into charter schools. What about the children who don't get accepted? And no, I don't think the answer is to increase the number of students that can go to charter schools...because, face it, the lack of real accountability is just going to prolong the problem.

There's no easy answer to this problem...the left certainly does not have the answer...nor does Charlie Yikes and the right wingers. Unfortunately, it won't go away just because everyone raises their voices.

Meanwhile, my son and I have time yet tonight to look over the rules for the science experiment he needs to complete before the end of the year. Time to go.

Hume Help Me

I tawt it was a puddy tat. So I shot it an toll Brit Hume allll about it.

Rambling on a Thursday

The wife and I got up early to go to the adoption agency where we listened to a nice lady talk about the ups and downs of international adoption, and where the best places to go were...plus much else. It was an interesting session. We are looking at Guatemala or Vietnam...possibly Ethiopia. My son wants a little brother and my daughter a little sister. We've been told that since we have shown no preference, that it's likely to be a boy.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's a long way down the road...we've just begun the process.

By the time we had finished it was sleeting. Kelly dropped me off and I promised to get the drive shoveled (none of that new fangled snow removal machines fer me). Aaaargh! With the wet sleet on top, the 3-4 inches felt like 8-12. Fortunately, I had all day. Got some laundry done and took the dogs out for a pee.

Had some in-between time and surfed over to Boots and Sabers. Heard that Owen (one of two contributors) was beginning a column at the West Bend News (gawd, I used to deliver that rag...John Torinus was the editor then...very nice man). That brought back memories of high school and running cross country for West Bend West. Gonna see some old high school buddies this weekend to hammer out the final details for LarchFest, our once a year camping get-together. Five of us from the class of 1974...turning 50, so having a band and inviting others.

I'd invite Owen and Jed. Liked their site. I don't agree with some of the politics, but not enough not to share a beer. Both are Texas A&M Aggies....roommates for four years (or 'Ol Ladies). Sounds like the old college friendship I had with Helmar, Dirk, Claudia, Holger, Christof (German students) and Jose (from Puerto Rico)...we called ourselves Los Pendejos...go look up the translation if you must. Good friends all. It's been 20 years since I last saw any of them...a bright memory in a life full of good ones.

Regarding born-again Christians. I guess they don't bother me much either if they get the hint and buzz off when I ask...always nicely. I like the bumper sticker Owen referred to (Born OK The First Time). I'm not a believer, but it seems to me that those claiming born again status, those I've met, come across with this weird superiority thing. I don't feel threatened by it, but it's as though...well, think of it this way...it's as though they committed some serious crime and got pardoned. Now they go around letting everyone know that they're okay now.

I know this is a biblical thing...but it's still weird. Like I said, they don't bother me...it's when they pour over into right-wing, fundamentalist, it's theocracy time, that I get bothered. And anti-abortion and anti- gay marriage...get out of my business and mind your own. If you don't want an abortion, don't have one and if you don't want to marry a member of the same sex, then don't. It's simple.

Oh oh. Getting on a roll that I really did not want. I'll stop now and spend time with my beautiful wife and her odd dogs. Tra la la.

The Idiocy of Limbaugh

I guess we're all entitled to faux pas. Of course, I admit when I'm wrong (Ragnar Mentaire)...Rush Limbaugh never does and is usually defended with...he's just an entertainer. How about this foot in mouth gem from Media Matters for America (not Jessica McBucher's site)...

During the February 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh invented a racial component to explain Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett's departure from the Ohio Democratic Senate primary race. While reporting on Hackett's decision to withdraw from the Democratic primary race against Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for the seat currently held by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), Limbaugh asserted: "And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too," adding that "the newspaper that I'm reading all this from is The New York Times, and they, of course, don't mention that." In fact, Brown is Caucasian -- a point on which Limbaugh was corrected later in the program.

Shooter Slips on a Silencer

I happen to like Maureen Dowd. Her book, "Bushworld" is, I think, a must read for those who can read. The following is the best, and funniest of the coverage of Mr. Cheney's accidental pelleting of a fellow Republican.


By MAUREEN DOWD
WASHINGTON

Who did this old guy think he was, coming between Dick Cheney and his helpless prey?

The luckless 78-year-old Texas lawyer, Harry Whittington, is in intensive care after a heart attack, with up to 200 pellets riddling his face and body one stuck in his heart from Dick Cheney's designer Perazzi Brescia shotgun. And still his friend, the vice president, is Swift-BB-ing him.

Private citizens have been enlisted to blame the victim. Maybe poor Mr. Whittington put himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he was, after all, behind Vice, not in front of him. And the hunter pulling the trigger is supposed to make sure he has a clear shot. Wouldn't it be, well, classy for Shooter to express just a bit of contrition and humility?

Instead, the usual sliming has begun, with the Cheney camp trying to protect the vice president by casting a veteran hunter as Elmer Dud.

Scott McClellan told the White House press corps that Katharine Armstrong, a lobbyist with government ties who owns the Texas ranch (and whose mother, Anne, was on the Halliburton board that hired Mr. Cheney as C.E.O.), "pointed out that the protocol was not followed by Mr. Whittington when it came to notifying the others that he was there."

As the story of the weekend's bizarre hunting accident is wrenched out of the White House, the picture isn't pretty: With American soldiers dying in Iraq, Five-Deferment Dick "I Had Other Priorities in the 60's Than Military Service" Cheney gets his macho kicks gunning down little birds and the occasional old man while W. rides his bike, blissfully oblivious to any collateral damage. Shouldn't these guys work on weekends until we figure out how to fix Iraq, New Orleans, Medicare and gas prices?

This version of "The Most Dangerous Game" neatly follows the four-step Bush-Cheney cycle:

Step 1: Set out to pick off what you think is an easy target, like quail this time or pen-raised and netted pheasant in the past, or a certain sanction-caged Iraqi dictator.

Step 2: In the corrupt company of lobbyist-contractor friends, botch things up. Ignore the peril at hand as with, oh, Osama at Tora Bora, or Katrina, or the Iraq occupation and with steely resolve, indulge your raging incompetence. (Oops.)

Step 3: Stonewall. Resist giving Congress information about 9/11 or Katrina; don't tell the public how you're tapping phones at home, setting up gulags abroad and making war and energy policy in secret. Why give the taxpayers, who are ponying up for these weekend hunting trips, the extraordinary news that Vice shot his hunting companion in the face and chest? Scott McClellan knew before yesterday's White House briefing at noon that Mr. Whittington was worse, but did not tell the reporters. He left that to Corpus Christi doctors, who spun the heart attack as "an inflammatory response to a metallic foreign BB."

Step 4: Admit no mistakes. Express sympathy. Blame the victim without leaving fingerprints by outsourcing the smear to the private sector.

Trent Lott joked in a meeting yesterday that Mr. Cheney was now the "shooter in chief," while other wags noted that Quayle was always a problem for Bushes.

Presidential staff members and lawmakers speculated yesterday about whether Shooter would resign and make room for Condi if Mr. Whittington did not survive. His death would trigger a more thorough police investigation and probably a grand jury.

"Are you crazy?" one Republican senator told a reporter. "He'd never quit." (Aaron Burr presided over the Senate after he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.)

The shooter in chief can't quit because he is the administration. Who'd even tell him to quit? If necessary, he'd probably make W. take the fall.

Despite efforts by Mr. McClellan to joke and urge reporters to get back to "the pressing priorities of the American people," the hunting debacle once more showed Mr. Cheney running the imperial show.

He didn't talk to the sheriff for 14 hours, or even call the president to notify him after the 5:50 p.m. accident. Vice left that to Andy Card, who called Mr. Bush at 7:30 p.m. to say there had been a hunting accident, without mentioning that Vice was the gunman. Soon after that, Karl Rove called Mr. Bush back with that little detail.

A reporter, surprised, pressed Mr. McClellan: "The vice president did not call the president to tell him he was the shooter?"

Usually when there's a White House cover-up, the president's in on it.

How About Some Peer Pressure

Had a cute little conversation with Chris, author of spottedhorse2, the other day. Chris was upset that I had replied to one of his comments at The Xoff Files. Chris was trying to be smart with Xoff and wrote, "if only the stupid unwashed would let us the be in charge," implying this was what the author of the post was telling conservatives (the author of the piece Xoff copied to the post is conservative, by the way).

I took Chris' implication and ran with it, suggesting that he take a shower and return to grade school. The implication being that his comment was silly and did not even address Xoff's or the author's point.

Chris took it upon himself to e-mail me and...let's just say he was extremely rude and vulgar. The problem with it all (I certainly don't have a problem bandying words with him...it's so easy to get under his skin), is that he frightened my wife. She asked whether it was a good idea to keep communicating with this person. Would he do more?

I said no, he would not...not to worry. And then I decided to cut off communications with him. It's not worth having my wife frightened.

However, I want everyone to know that this kind of behavior should not be tolerated. I know we all get hot sometimes...but the language and threatening tone used by Chris were absolutely uncalled for.

I hear conservatives all the time talking about how Ann Coulter and that ilk are not real conservatives and how they hate them as much as the left. How about a little closer to home?

The same goes for ranting on the left. Let's at least keep the language civil. By the way, Jessica, where are you when your side goes off the deep end?

Glenn Beck...Conservatism's Poster Child

Compassionate conservatism at its finest. Kinda like a Wisblogger you know I've spoken of before. Oh yeah, Jessica...the left is just soooo nasty.

Is there a day that God ever says, "What was I thinking?" Here's what I mean: Do you think God ever says, "I could've used that skin making somebody of value, you know? I could have used that skin in such a -- just a better way." You know? And its not -- the reason why I bring this up is: Is there a bigger waste of skin than Jimmy Carter? Ya know, I don't mean to, you know, I don't mean to look the maker in the eyes and say, "Eh, kind of a waste," but I'm asking, do you think he ever thinks, "I don't know, man, I could've used that skin someplace else." You know? Who's the bigger waste of skin, can you name a bigger -- you know, and you could immediately go to people like Kim Jong Il. OK, there's a big waste of skin, but not really, because his skin's being utilized by evil. At least evil is using that skin. Who's using the skin of Jimmy Carter? What purpose does the skin of Jimmy Carter -- it's like an empty suit walking down the street. --Glenn Beck

Is it Real?

It Depends on Your Definition of...

This was funny. Passed on from Dave Berkman at Shepherd Express.

The defense (with a bow to Bill Clinton) of congressional members caught up in the corruption scandals: “I did not have political relations with that lobbyist.” (Political commentator Mark Shields, on “The Lehrer News Hour”)

How About 100% School Choice

I have a better idea regarding school choice. Why don't we just close all the MPS schools in Millaukee and place the children (and their voucher money) in the private and charter schools and bus the rest to the suburban schools. These are all better schools, according to conservatives, and they should be able to do a better job educating all of the children.

Or might there be another reason that these schools would not want their chance at educating all of Milwaukee's children? Who's standing in the doorways now.

Thanks For Visiting...Sign at the Door

James, my buddy at Wigderson Library & Pub, has commented on the previous post regarding the cartoons, Flemming Rose and Daniel Pipes. He must have linked over to the article by John Sugg, because in his comment to me, James challenges me to prove that Pipes advocates elimination of Palestinians or that he is racist.

Now normally, I'd tell James one of two things: One) I don't have the time for this, do it yourself, or Two) John Sugg made those claims, not me, go challenge him (though I do happen to agree with Sugg).

But, in the interest of having some fun and I have just a little time before I need to shower and get ready to go to a play with my wife, here are some items for James' perusal.

One other thing...I am under no illusion that James will agree with any of this stuff. He has sources, I have mine...so tra la la.

One of James own favorite writers, Christopher Hitchins, was not very complimentary of Pipes in this piece published in Slate. Hitchens says this about Pipes:

On more than one occasion, Pipes has called for the extension of Israel's already ruthless policy of collective punishment, arguing that leveling Palestinian villages is justifiable if attacks are launched from among their inhabitants. It seems to me from observing his style that he came to this conclusion with rather more relish than regret.

Hitchinson concludes with:

The objection to Pipes is not, in any case, strictly a political one. It is an objection to a person who confuses scholarship with propaganda and who pursues petty vendettas with scant regard for objectivity.

Okay, I'll admit no where does it say he wants to eliminate Palestinians, but there is some groundwork laid for feeling unkind things for Palestinians. Here's more:

Pipes is best known for his strident and often racist denunciations of Arabs and Islam. In an effort to divide Americans -- one that if you inserted "blacks" for "Muslims" and "whites" for "Jews," would be vigorously damned as KKK-speech -- he told the American Jewish Congress a year ago that he worries "the presence and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews." I contacted Pipes, and he not only confirmed his quote but, incredibly, added: "It is accurate in itself but you must note that this was spoken to a Jewish audience. I make the same point respectively to audiences of women, gays, civil libertarians, Hindus, Evangelical Christians, atheists, and scholars of Islam, among others, all of whom face 'true dangers' as the number of Muslims increases..." --John Sugg, Creative Loafing, 10/2/02

Then there was this:

Based in Philadelphia and headed by anti-Arab propagandist Daniel Pipes, Campus Watch unleashed an Internet firestorm in late September, when it posted "dossiers" on eight scholars who have had the audacity to criticize US foreign policy and the Israeli occupation. As a gesture of solidarity, more than 100 academics subsequently contacted the Middle East Forum asking to be added to the list… Pipes is notorious in the academy for calling Muslims "barbarians" and "potential killers" in a 2001 National Review article and accusing them of scheming to "replace the [US] Constitution with the Koran," in a similar piece in Insight on the News. Along these lines, a 1990 National Review article insisted that "Western European societies are unprepared for the massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and maintaining different standards of hygiene....All immigrants bring exotic customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than most." In addition to running the Middle East Forum, serving on a Defense Department antiterrorism task force and writing columns for the Jerusalem and New York Post, Pipes is also a regular contributor to the website of Gamla, an organization founded by former Israeli military officers and settlers that endorses the ethnic cleansing of every Palestinian as "the only possible solution" to the Arab-Israeli conflict… --Kristine McNeil, The Nation, 11/11/02

How about this:

Israel needs to take more active steps...Bury suicide bombers in potter's fields rather than deliver their bodies to relatives (who turn their funerals into frenzied demonstrations)…Permit no transportation of people or goods beyond basic necessities. Shut off utilities to the PA...Raze the PA's illegal offices in Jerusalem, its security infrastructure and villages from which attacks are launched. --The National Post, 7/18/01

Oh, and this:

As Danish politicians, we are offended by the way integration problems in Denmark were portrayed by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard and we wish to set the record straight (Muslim Extremism: Denmark's had Enough, Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, Aug. 27). The authors claim that 40% of Danish welfare expenses are consumed by Muslim immigrants…Muslim immigrants do not receive 40% of those allocations even though they represent a substantial part of the clients. The main reason being: It is hard to compete on a job market not interested in employing immigrants. The further assumption that more than half of all rapists in Denmark are Muslims is without any basis in fact, as criminal registers do not record religion. NOTE: In the article referenced above, Daniel Pipes smears the Muslim community in Denmark with several accusations eerily similar to those leveled against the Jewish community in Europe by anti-Semitic propagandists prior to World War II. These include: 1) being parasites on the society, 2) being disproportionately engaged in criminal behavior, 3) having "unacceptable" customs, 4) seeking to take over the country, and 5) sexual aggression against women in the dominant culture. --Elisabeth Arnold and Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, National Post, 9/6/02

This:

"The Palestinians are a miserable people...and they deserve to be." --Daniel Pipes, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2001


I have more...but it dawned on me that James is getting the better of this deal. It's obvious that he is a Pipes apologist. Nothing I provide here will change his mind. One has to wonder if James is a member of Campus Watch, a website crusade that claims to expose subversive teachers in America. Gadzooks...shades of McCarthy. The other thing about CampusWatch that is so egregious...it solicits students to spy on their teachers.

So anyway, James, do your own work. But, thanks for visiting.

Cartoons a Little Fishy

You know, something seemed a little fishy about the Danish cartoon extravaganza. This guy just out of the blue decides to enlist the aid of cartoonists to print inflamatory cartoons to prove a point that the West has freedom of speech, and the Islam world does not.

Well, John Suggs exposes a little more of the story. The guy who is responsible for this whole sordid affair is Flemming Rose, a close confederate of Daniel Pipes. Pipes is an extreme racist who wants the elimination of Palestinaians, according to John Sugg, and was nominated by Bush to the...get this...Institute of Peace. Anyway, the story by Sugg is good...read along.

The lengths that the Bushies will go to ensure they stay in power in extraordinary...and pathetic...impeach the bastard.

But Was It Wise?

Garry Trudeau said this regarding the issue of the Danish cartoons.

Why has the U.S. news media (broadcast and print), almost universally refused to publish the cartoons?

I assume because they believe, correctly, it is unnecessarily inflammatory. It's legal to run them, but is it wise? The Danish editor who started all this actually recruited cartoonists to draw offensive cartoons (some of those he invited declined). And why did he do it? To demonstrate that in a Western liberal society he could. Well, we already knew that. Some victory for freedom of expression. An editor who deliberately sets out to provoke or hurt people because he's worried about "self-censorship" is not an editor I'd care to work for.


With freedom of the press, speech, expression, etc. comes an awesome responsibility we would all do well to remember.

WTMJ Adds Another Mouth

Say it ain't so. Jessica McBride, the darling of the shameless promotion department has accepted a gig at 620 WTMJ on a part-time basis...apparently. I wonder if the screeners...wait, there probably won't be any.

"Hi I'm Jessica McBride, and I'll only be taking questions from my husband, Paul, bloggers that I like from the right side of the cheddarsphere, conservative legislators that I like and...that's it."

Apparently, she is the reason all along that Mark Riordan was asked to depart (in this case, the use of the word "apparently" really means I don't know if this is true...but it's fun to speculate).

Say No to Saying No

I don't like to step into the abortion debate because, truthfully, it's not a debate any person will win. There have been attempts at some sort of discourse between foes, none have been successful as far as I know. I'm pro-choice, but would like abortions kept to a minimum and the best way to do that is through eductation. Please don't comment...I will not involve myself in debate on this and will remove any comments offered. If that comes across to you as censorship, so be it. It's my site and I can do what I want.

However, the reason I mention that is because of the following issue, which is on the fringe of the abortion debate. If interested, all are invited to comment on this. Sanctions against Neil Noesen, a pharmacist who refused to dispense bith control pills because he said he would be commiting a sin if he did, were upheld by Barron County Circuit Judge James Babler. Click here to read the article in the Capital Times.

Hurray for some common sense. Look, everyone is entitled to their opinion, their right to believe or not, etc....no one is entitled to accept employment at a position that requires dispensation of services, and then say that because of your religious belief, you cannot follow your job duties. It's like you were a fireman and refused to take part in dousing the flames at a building owned by homosexuals because your faith believes that homosexuality is a sin.

It's no different with Noesen's chosen profession. The sanctions that they placed on him were fair, though I still believe it would just be best for him (and any other poor soul that might enounter him over the counter) to find other work. Perhaps he could become a missionary. I hear they need some some prayers in Washington, D.C. at RNC headquarters.

Fiction Isn't Real...Duh!

...if you're at the point when the most prominent black person you can put on your side of an issue is a fictional character in a white man's shitty webcomic, your authority on cultural unity escaped this planet's gravity quite some time ago.

Read this post from August J. Pollak about the latest disaster from Chris Muir, the guy the righties say is better than Doonesbury. He may be better at creating strawman arguments, but that's it.

Teddy Said It

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in renderling loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

Theodore Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star - May 7, 1918

Intolerance...Just on the Left?

A rather uncouth and vulgar blogger with whom I recently had a conversation, bleated on his site a couple of days ago about the lack of tolerance by the left. He included a comment about his fascination with the anal orifice. How tolerant, I thought sarcastically...and weird.

It got me to thinking, though. Intolerance on the left...what a strange thing to say. Left or right, it seems to me that intolerance is the same for both. For example, I'm guessing that both liberals and conservatives are intolerant of bigots.

Could it be said that both the left and right are intolerant of homophobes? Obviously my former communication buddy is not a homophobe. He even said he's for gay marriage. There's one.

Hmmm...I'll bet neither side is very tolerant of racists. I know that the left for years has smeared the right with that term. Some of the time it was deserving. And face it, conservatives were on the wrong side of civil rights for quite a while. But to say that there have not been conservatives who believed passionately in equality for all would be a lie.

I'm intolerant of whiners. There's been a lot of that coming from the conservative camp lately. But to be fair, the left has its share. A tie.

How about liars? I know both sides can't stand liars...especially lying politicians. It's hard to trust politicians anymore...plenty of examples on both sides of the fence.

'Nuff said for now.

My Dad's First Post

My Dad (an ex-Marine, WWII) asked that I post this (below in italics). The sentiment is a good one. The troops should be supported…they should always have been supported.

However, the policies of the current administration that have put our troops in harms way are contemptible. Shame on the Bush administration for lying to us about the reasons for this conflict. Shame on the Bush administration for attempting to make an issue of Americans who simply are voicing their opinion about the course of this lost conflict. Shame on the Bush administration for ducking and hiding when these kids come back in coffins.

AND shame on those who don’t support these kids.

There’s blame enough on both sides.

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well. I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on my issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony.

With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed. The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes.

The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that I was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over "these" folks? I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up .. Just get their butts in a seat and let's hit the gas I thought. The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U.S. Marines returning home from Iraq !!!

Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her. The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time.

When we were finally airborne, I was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life. I took for granted that others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" while those Heroes were going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed, I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our heroes were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms. I felt proud of them. I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say "Thank You for a job well done."

I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

The Milwaukee Brewers contending in 2006? No way. Well, Tristan Cockcroft at ESPN thinks so if everything falls in place. Personally, I like what the new owner has done and I like Ned Yost. I believe he one of the best young managers in the game. If Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee, Geoff Jenkins and the yongsters (Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Hall, etc.) play to there expected levels, who knows?

by Tristan Cockcroft

Brewers Contend in 2006?

The Milwaukee Brewers contending in 2006? No way. Well, Tristan Cockcroft at ESPN thinks so if everything falls in place. Personally, I like what the new owner has done and I like Ned Yost. I believe he one of the best young managers in the game. If Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee, Geoff Jenkins and the youngsters (Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Hall, etc.) play to their expected levels, who knows?

by Tristan Cockcroft

Things are finally looking up in Milwaukee. The Brewers, who entered 2005 tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the longest streak of losing-record seasons (12), managed to improve to .500 and third place in the National League Central. It's progress, and perhaps the most encouraging development of all is that the Brewers' new owner, Mark Attanasio, boosted the payroll last season and seemed to bring new life to the franchise...click here to read the entire article.

The Innocent Have Nothing to Hide

It's Sartre's Fault

During the February 6 edition of Christian Broadcasting Network's (CBN) The 700 Club, host Pat Robertson said that "Europe is right now in the midst of racial suicide because of the declining birth rate." Robertson blamed the declining birth rate on the existential philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre which, according to Robertson, "has permeated the intellectual thinking of Europe" and has left Europeans without "a faith in the future."

From the February 6 edition of CBN's The 700 Club:

ROBERTSON: Studies that I have read indicate that having babies is a sign of a faith in the future. You know, unless you believe in the future, you're not going to take the trouble of raising a child, educating a child, doing something. If there is no future, why do it? Well, unless you believe in God, there's really no future. And when you go back to the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, the whole idea of this desperate nightmare we are in -- you know, that we are in this prison, and it has no hope, no exit. That kind of philosophy has permeated the intellectual thinking of Europe, and hopefully it doesn't come here. But nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is right now in the midst of racial suicide because of the declining birth rate. And they just can't get it together. Why? There's no hope.


A subscriber to Media Matters for America posted this:

Darling, I'd love to make love to you, but I'm too depressed after reading "The Age of Reason." -- Ellington

I was going to add my comments, but that was too good. Well, one comes to mind...I wasn't aware that Europeans were a race...notwithstanding that it has been shown scientifically that there is no such thing as race in humans.

Walker Threatens County's Long-Term Survival

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker warned Monday that a mounting budget imbalance threatens the county's long-term survival. Dramatic changes are required, he said, including the building of more coffee shops and Burger Kings, drilling for oil, introducing off-reservation gambling, and opening a couple of charter schools to be run by ex-cons out of unused toolsheds on park grounds.

Walker said in the long run the county needs to scale back employee benefits to basically nothing, force the employees to live on-site in tawdry run-down shacks and, every month, rent themselves out to Waukesha elites to trim shrubs, cut the lawn, clean the pool, serve cocktails… whatever that can be done to increase revenues, he said.

He noted the success of the slums of Calcutta. If it takes a coffee shop, oil well, or greedy rickshaw owners to keep them open, then I'm all for it," Walker said.

Borrowing an idea from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Walker delivered his speech during the ritual beheading of a homosexual at an evangelical church on the north side. Walker’s full head of hair was augmented to achieve the Perry affect.

Typically, Walker blamed everyone else for the delay in pursuing the idea. Walker believes that not taking responsibility for anything will eventually prove effective in getting him into the governor’s mansion.

Walker said care would be taken not to block park access to wealthy Republicans. Gates set up to block the entry of Democrats, the poor and illegal immigrants would have special scent sensors that would be able to recognize the perfumed elite.

Walker said the state of the county is good in many respects. A big management success involved dramatically reducing the error rate for processing food-stamp cases, he said. By eliminating food stamps for the poor, the error rate dropped to zero.

More Room for Jello

by Penn Jillette

I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?

So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. She needs to search for some objective evidence of a supernatural power. All the people I write e-mails to often are still stuck at this searching stage. The atheism part is easy.

But, this "This I Believe" thing seems to demand something more personal, some leap of faith that helps one see life's big picture, some rules to live by. So, I'm saying, "This I believe: I believe there is no God."

Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it's everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I'm raising now is enough that I don't need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.

Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.

Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, "How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do." So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that's always fun. It means I'm learning something.

Believing there is no God means the suffering I've seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn't caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn't bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future.

Believing there is no God gives me more room for belief in family, people, love, truth, beauty, sex, Jell-O and all the other things I can prove and that make this life the best life I will ever have.

Al Qaeda Ain't Stoopid

by digby

The oceans no longer protect us. The terrorists are coming over any minute to kill us all in our beds. They are a ruthless enemy who hide in caves until they suddenly decide to strike without mercy. But they have an achilles heel. They are all suffering from serious memory problems. Unless they see it in the paper they forget that we are tapping telephones. Then they slap themselves in the forehead and say "Oh no! I've been calling my friend Mohammed in LA planning that awesome terrorist attack and like, totally fergot that the infidels are listening in. Fuck. Man, Zawahiri is gonna to be so pissed." This is why it was so horrible that that the NY Times revealed the program. It jogged the terrorists' memories and now they won't use their phone and e-mail accounts anymore. Until they forget again, that is. So, shhhh. Loose lips sink ships.

So says Alberto Gonzales.

Wrongo

"The right to freedom of thought and expression... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers." -- Vatican statement re: Mohammed cartoons

My Son's First Post

The Beatles came to do a concert in Ianville once, and the band liked it so much they never left. Now every Friday night, all the people who live in Ianville put on their small, black blue jeans and walk their gerbils to the town square. Then they sit on the grass, listen to The Beatles play movie sound tracks, and eat granola bars.

No one has to go to school in Ianville unless they want to. Of course, everybody wants to because Janis Joplin and William Shatner are two of the teachers. Janis Joplin teaches mathematics and William Shatner teaches video games.

One day Janis Joplin said to William Shatner, “Maybe we should take the students on a field trip.”

“That's a big idea, Janis Joplin,” said William Shatner. “Let's take them to the most fun place we can think of.”

“But that would be Ianville,” said Janis Joplin.

“You're right!” William Shatner exclaimed. “Call off the field trip! We're already here!”

The Vitriol is Thick On Both Sides - An Apology

Had an interesting e-mail conversation with Chris at spottedhorse2. I responded to a comment of his, he e-mailed me...it went back and forth and Chris doesn't like me anymore.

The problem with all this is that in the midst of starting up this blog and "feeling the power" I have come to see that I have allowed much of my deep-seated anger to seep out into my posts and communications. I don't know Chris. I simply didn't like what he had to say and responded. Tit for tat. The communications were not pleasant.

And sitting here as I listen to my kids play in the background, I don't feel good about it.

So, while I will continue to be passionately liberal, I am going to try to tone things down. My fellow bloggers like James at Wigderson Library & Pub, Dean Mundy, etc., are just as passionate at what they believe. They are not wing nuts (Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh still are though...sorry, some things are too hard to overcome). They are Wisconsinites just like me.

Lastly, a public apology to Chris, and to any others I have offended inappropriately (hey, some offense is necessary at times, but it can be civilly done). Nuff said.

Too Much

"The Republican Party would have the American flag and the swastika flying side by side." -- NAACP Chairman Julian Bond

It's too much, but I still don't feel sorry for Republicans or conservatives.

Rather Take a Turn to the Port

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Vitriol on the Left...Ha Ha Ha...Too Much

Poor James at Wigderson Library & Pub. His feelings have been hurt. He didn't like what Belle at Leaning Blue posted, so he counters with the "poor poor College Republicans" jab and the classic "vitriol on the left" uppercut. Bwah ha ha.

I remember James and the College Republicans at UWM and I can tell you they dished it out pretty good and usually anonymously.

The "vitriol on the left" line is too good to pass up. We've done this once before, but here are a few more:

Rush Limbaugh

I'm talking about the activists. I'm talking about the leaders of these. These are the original feminazis, folks, if you want me to go back in time and define the term for you. Every abortion possible must happen. Every abortion that can happen, that doesn't happen, is a setback for the cause.

As a young broadcaster in the 1970s, Limbaugh once told a black caller: "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back." A decade ago, after becoming nationally syndicated, he mused on the air: "Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"

'What about Hillary? What about Hillary?' So, I told them, 'I'm not worried about Hillary. She puts her pants on one leg at a time like every other guy does.' "

Sean Hannity

"[W]hy wouldn’t anyone want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, unless they detested their own country or were ignorant of its greatness?"

Ann Coulter

My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building.

We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war.

Liberal soccer moms are precisely as likely to receive anthrax in the mail as to develop a capacity for linear thinking.

Pat Robertson

The founding document of the United States of America acknowledges the Lordship of Jesus Christ because we are a Christian nation.

Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.


These are some of the tamer ones because I don't want to offend James and the other College Republicans too much. So a question: The constant Hillary innuendos, Clinton slap downs, etc. are okay because...why? Get off your high horse, James...the vitriol is pretty thick on both sides of the aisle.

Corruption Attracts

Colorado Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (one of the 13 most corrupt politicians in America) and Shrub share a Kodak moment just after the ritual beheading of a homosexual.



Bush: Marilyn, baby...I love what you do to me. Oh, that's not your ear.
Musgrave: Oh George, George, George. You're getting me wet.

Death Threats for Voting

Typical. This news item from Channel 3000, WiscTV.com shows just how dangerous neo cons and wing nuts are. Because Democratic Rep. John Steinbrink voted to sustain Gov. Jim Doyle's veto of the conceal carry bill, two wing nuts decided to call his home and threaten him.

These bastards have no regard for civil rights. These bastards have no balls...they call anonymously. They can laugh all they want about the perceived antics of Cindy Sheehan, or about Michael Moore, but these people are simply exercising their right as Americans to protest. The right wing nut jobs, on the other hand, cannot tolerate differences of opinion. These idiots are egged on by:

Charlie Yikes: He refuses to allow anyone with an opposing view on his show amd continues to show his racist colors by fanning the flames with incendiary pieces like the School Voucher ad. It wasn't too long ago that he was fueling the fears of white suburbanites regarding Northridge. Additionally, Mr. Defense of Marriage is on his third now.

Ann Coulter: Despite the denials of conservative bloggers, she IS representative of the conservative movement. She just isn't afraid to speak it's beliefs in public. But it's okay at home by the well-stocked...liquor...cabinet.

Bill O'Reilly: has there ever been a blowhard like this fool? He makes Goebbels look like a saint.

Jessica McBucher: This trite little trollop comes from the Yikes mold. Spew the rhetoric, but don't allow anyone to comment. Can you say Pravda?

Pigs all. And yet, I would not deny them the right to mouth off. Ain't the Constitution grand? Problem is, they would do away with it if they could.

Why?

While I don't have the same view of Venezualan President Hugo Chavez, as Pat Robertson and the rest of the wing nut world does, I have to ask (and agree with Greg Saunders at This Modern World)...Why did you have your picture taken with him, Cindy Sheehan? It was not the most politically astute move.

You were doing great up until that moment. Please use your head and get back to what you do best...proving that Shrub and the rest of the chichen hawks do not give a damn about our servicemen or America...it's all about the oil and gaining more power.

Being Red Is Taxing

Belle at Leaning Blue got excited about doing her own taxes for the first time. All the wingnuts can say is...ya know you allowed the government to use your money interest free, and what is it with liberals they can't hold a single job.

By the way, I'm sure every conservative remembers that first time he/she was indicted for fraud.

Way to go, Belle, and stay blue. You're at risk of losing your soul if you go the other way.

Those Crazy Wingnuts

Conservative bloggers hanging around for the beginning of Carnival of the Badger.

Keep It Simple

Not feeling well...yesterday and today. Not much in the mood for posting. My mom sent this over. I saw it earlier, at the Doonesbury site, but it is funny.

WOMAN IN AUDIENCE: "I don't really understand. How is the new plan going to fix the problem?"

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Because the...all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those...changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be...or closer delivered to that has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the...like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate...the benefits will rise based upon inflation, supposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those...if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."

First there was Reagan. Then there was Quayle. Now Bush II. Is this a genetic defect in conservatives...or just a remake of Dumb, Dumber and Dumberer?