![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |

27°
Snow | 17MPH
NEWSROOM * CIRCULATION * ADVERTISING
Tuesday
February 2010
9
One of the greatest college football fight songs, "On Wisconsin" celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The UW Marching Band website says:
“The melody of this famous song was composed in 1909 by W.T. Purdy, a corporation clerk who prior to that time had never set foot in
Written accounts of the earliest performances of On Wisconsin reveal that the first performance occurred on November 10, 1909, when it was sung by the ‘Glee Club’."
That was then....this is now.
GO BADGERS!
On,
Plunge right through that line!
Run the ball clear down the field,
A touchdown sure this time. (U rah rah)
On,
Fight on for her fame
Fight! Fellows! - fight, fight, fight!
We'll win this game.
On,
Stand up, Badgers, sing!
"Forward" is our driving spirit,
Loyal voices ring.
On,
Raise her glowing flame
Stand, Fellows, let us now
Salute her name!
First, some background on a recent court battle that should be of great interest to bloggers.
?
began writing a blog in August 2008 about...

That's model Liskula Cohen.
?
wrote a blog called, "Skanks in NYC." The sole purpose of the anonymous blog was to trash Cohen with unflattering pictures and a litany of name-calling, including, "a psychotic, lying, whoring . . . skank."
Cohen sued
?
and Google, the host of the anonymously written blog. Cohen sought to learn the identity of the individual sliming her.
A Manhattan judge ruled in Cohen's favor, and the trash-talking blogger was unmasked as.....

29-year old Michelle Port.
Port claimed she went after Cohen because Cohen said nasty things about Port to her boyfriend.
There's more to the story that you can read here.
A larger issue is at play: the danger of anonymity on the Internet.
Not everyone who writes or comments anonymously on blogs or chat sites is irresponsible. However, given the opportunity to hide behind a fake name, a writer feels the incentive to engage in outrageous, negative, hostile, even false or libelous commentary. As columnist Dennis Prager once wrote:
“It is the very rare individual who sends a hate-filled, obscenity-laced e-mail that includes his name. As the recipient of such e-mails, I know firsthand how rarely people identify themselves when sending hate-filled mail. It is so rare, in fact, that I usually respond to hate mail that includes the writer's name just to commend him for attaching his name to something so embarrassing.
The Internet practice of giving everyone the ability to express himself anonymously for millions to read has debased public discourse. Cursing, ad hominem attacks and/or the utter absence of logic characterize a large percentage of many websites' ‘comments’ sections. And because people tend to do what society says it is OK to do, many people, especially younger people, are coming to view such primitive forms of self-expression as acceptable.
Some might argue that anonymity enables people to more freely express their thoughts. But this is not true. Anonymity only enables people to more freely express their feelings. Anonymity values feelings over thought, and immediate expression over thoughtful reflection.”
I call these people cowards. Ironically, liberal columnist Maureen Dowd used the same term in writing about the Cohen/Port case.
Reckless blogging is like a cancer, permeating the Internet. Sometimes, in the never-ending quest to make waves, the blogger can go too far.
One local writer cavalierly told me last year that he can write anything he wants to because he’s a blogger. When I raised the issues of credibility and reputation, I was told again that it didn’t matter because he’s a blogger, not a journalist. Still another local blogger’s body of work is marked, or should I say, marred by entries based on assumptions, rumors, unfounded accusations, and wild conspiracy theories. Not only that, his grammar and spelling would make his high school English teacher jump off the
On these very blog pages, individuals have written using false names and stories, pretending to be people they’re not. Some in our community are well aware of the despicable specifics.
There are local bloggers who, like
In a perfect world, everyone who writes a blog would have to divulge his/her identity and affiliation. Ditto for people who “comment.” Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, and the irresponsibility will continue.
RELATED
Is lying on the Internet now a crime?
Internet anonymity is as bad as Internet porn
Anonymity kills
And might I say to my good friend Brandon Scholz at the Wisconsin Grocers Association, you made a very worthy choice.



On Monday, August 31st, 2009 Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association presented owners Ted, Nick & Patrick Balistreri & Margaret Harris with the 2009 Grocers of the Year Award.
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Bob Delaporte 608-698-9294 |
YOUTUBE SUPERSTAR "THOMAS PAINE"
|
|
| Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org | |
Mark Schaaf of FranklinNOW recently covered the Franklin School Board’s annual meeting, and you’ve got to feel sorry for Schaaf. He can’t report what a sham of a process this meeting truly is.
Someone should film this annual affair and post it for all the world to see to show how not to run a local government meeting. This is clearly democracy NOT in action.
Let’s begin with the headline that tops Schaaf’s story on this very website:
Voters approve 3.9 hike in school levy
Now, reporters will often argue, and they’re absolutely right that they have zero input on how the headline is written for their stories. Headline writers will, on the other hand, counter that they’re limited by space and the fact that they weren’t at the event in question and don’t know all the details.
Schaaf writes that, and I quote, that, “
That is Schaaf’s reporting. Let’s just say that I have a different perspective on what actually is the truth here, based on over 30 years of covering local government and having attended this farce of an annual meeting in
Again, here is the dubious headline:
Voters approve 3.9 hike in school levy
Sorry, folks. Voters didn’t approve crapola.
A small band of merrily frolicking members of the School District machine (all 25 of them) raised their hands like blind sheep, like lemmings at the annual meeting and basically told the Jesse James Gang, i.e. the Franklin School Board, please ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, we’re bending over quite a bit. Please tax us some more.
Voters? Are you kidding me?
The voters were home after working hard all day to pay the ridiculous
Recession? Who the hell cares?
Voters? How in the hell do we know if the 25 people who attended that meeting and nodded their heads like mindless robots when the question was asked about a levy increase were actual voters?
Did they check ID’s at the door?
Did they cross check against actual voter lists and
Voters?
You want voters?
How about the turnout (actual registered voters) during the spring April 2007 election in
In case anyone forgot, let me remind you of what the taxpaying voters of Franklin decided with a loud and clear message in April of 2007 on TWO referenda.
(Are you paying attention, Franklin School Board members?):
QUESTION #1 (GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS)
YES 2,495 (39.57%)
NO 3,811 (60.43%)
QUESTION #2 (Exceed revenue limits)
YES 2,365 (38.05%)
NO 3,851 (62.95%)
NOW THIS IS CLEARLY A STORY OF VOTERS DECIDING AN ISSUE, NOT A COUPLE DOZEN FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT PEOPLE TURNING OUT AT A WHO CARES MEETING IN SUMMER, ATTEMPTING TO SPEAK FOR OVER 30,000 CITIZENS.
Want to know what really happens at this charade of a meeting?
The voters in reality have nothing to say about it.
Franklin School District Business Manager Jim Milzer (A true crook who, as reported accurately on this blog informed Franklin School Board members in the past they’d be voting on a 5 percent tax increase when it turned out to be just under 12 percent) tells the School Board members in advance of the cattle call of lemmings at the annual meeting what he deems the school property tax levy increase should be.
The School Board members react by nodding in near unison (One board member, Janet Evans, would spit out the Kool-Aid and vote NO) yes, yes, yes, there must be a school property tax increase. The recession be damned. Pink slips in the private sector be damned. School taxes up! YES!!!!!!!!!)
So the brain dead school board, and that’s exactly what they are, refusing to question or debate the potential tax and spend increase before them, simply goes along and like Nights of the Living Dead rubber stamps a big tax increase.
Am I going too fast,
Shyster Jim Milzer comes up with a tax increase figure. The brain dead, afraid to raise a peep Franklin School Board nods like mummies in approval.
The same walking dead School Board goes to the farce of an annual meeting. Before the meeting starts, brain dead sheep are asked to take index cards and when called upon at the meeting, read them out loud:
“I move that the annual school property tax levy increase be set at 3.9%.”
The person reading, with all, due respect, has no idea what it means. All the person knows, or has been told, is that it’s for the children.
And by the way, anyone who wants to take issue and debate that this garbage isn’t orchestrated and used to pull one over on the taxpayers, save your breath and don’t insult my intelligence. The annual meeting is a total disregard for democracy and the wishes of the majority of taxpayers.
So, the 25 potted plants at the annual meeting nod proclaiming, of course we want our taxes to go sky high, and the School Board votes yes, and then the School Board votes yes again in the fall and taxpayers open their bills in November wondering what the hell happened.
That’s how your school tax increase is approved.
Voters approving a big school tax increase?
Not on your life, Mark Schaaf, or
Voters did nothing at that ridiculous annual meeting. If voters knew, and actually cared enough, taxes might be reasonable.
Shame on school board member David Works who told me personally he hates the taxing and spending for schools. Works also tried to assure me that Linda Witkowski really cared about cutting taxing and spending. Both are voting for big school tax increases.
The last pair of school board elections meant nothing. Most of the current batch of school board members, if not all, must go.

Investigative reporter John Conroy’s life changed dramatically last year when he attempted to bicycle his way through
Conroy was the victim of an ambush he never saw coming. He regained consciousness after being beaten, aided by two Good Samaritans and has been wrestling with his views on race ever since. Conroy writes in the new edition of Chicago Magazine:
“I think of myself as a tolerant man, but that tolerance has been taxed by the pain and the consequence to my body and my life. At a moment when millions of Americans set race aside to vote for an African American presidential candidate, I’ve been forced by juveniles to look it square in the face. Last February, Attorney General Eric Holder said that we are a nation of cowards when it comes to addressing race. I plead guilty. There is no joy in writing this.”
Shortly after the beating, as Conroy recovered at a local hospital, he got word that a teenager had been arrested and would face charges. Conroy desperately wanted to know why a group of six teens would attack him and then not rob him.
Blacks and whites told him the beating was clearly a hate crime.
Three days after the incident, Conroy writes that he stopped by the police station to thank the officers who gave him assistance at the scene.
“Looking for help in finding them, I asked for an acquaintance, T. C. McCoy, an African American officer who lives in the district and has worked there for 24 years. When he heard my story, he said, ‘It’s a hate crime.’
I wasn’t taking notes at the time, so I asked him recently to recall his reasoning. ‘When I looked at your face, I could see there was some serious thought behind doing this,’ he said."

'It ain’t like he just knocked you off your bike. He performed some very serious damage.’ There was no provocation, no robbery, no familiarity between attacker and attacked. McCoy argued that it would be far more foolhardy to randomly attack a black man, because ‘you hit the wrong guy and it might be somebody’s dad or uncle or it might even be the chief who is riding a bike, and ain’t no police bein’ called. It’s an ambulance being called for your ass. It’s a bitter pill, but I’m gonna tell you. It was all racial.’”
Conroy’s lengthy piece in Chicago Magazine is worth the read. He encounters a bureaucratic nightmare trying to sift through the system juvenile justice system. Finally, he meets his assailant and his mother at a face to face meeting Conroy worked hard to arrange. Care to guess if Conroy achieves satisfaction from the encounter?
It’s a revealing piece about the victimization of crime victims and the total disregard for fellow humans. Long, but recommended.
|
|
||||||
I'll have the details Thursday.
As the proud father of a beautiful five-month baby girl, I’ve taken a greater interest in issues surrounding the growth of young girls, and the cultural surroundings that can have a negative impact on their development.
I’m concerned about an attitude that permeates our school system that sex is okay, as long as so-called “protection” is involved. At one time, a parent only had to fear Madonna pushing the wrong buttons. Now, educators are also proliferating the harmful message of no limits, no boundaries. Sheer innocence is lost when using sexuality to advance is deemed acceptable behavior.
I will refuse to send my little girl to any school that pushes sexual power as a virtue to ascribe to. And those schools are out there.
A new book by Dr. Miriam Grossman entitled, "You're Teaching My Child What?" how schools today support and forward a free sex mentality. You’d think it was 1967 all over again, but this is worse.

The inside flap of the book reads:
"If you think sex education is still about the birds and the bees, you're wrong. And it's not about science either. If you're a parent with children in the public school system, you need to know what's really going on.
In You're Teaching My Child What? Dr. Miriam Grossman rips back the curtain on sex education today, exposing a sordid truth. Instead of teaching our children the facts of life, sex educators are lying to them, ignoring medical fact in favor of politicized, and dangerous, propaganda that could ruin your child's life forever.
In You're Teaching My Child What? you'll learn what sex educators don't want you to know:
* Why the discredited founder of "sexology"--dead for half a century--has more influence on sex education than today's most eminent neurobiologists
* How information your child gets about common infections like herpes, warts, and Chlamydia is whitewashed
* When "safe sex" isn't safe: why condoms won't protect your teens from some of the most serious sexually transmitted diseases
* How sex educators try to normalize fringe behaviors--ignoring the health risks to your children
The sex education establishment would like to lull you into thinking that they know best--but the epidemic of sexually transmitted infections in young people today is testimony to a system that's gone mad.
Parents need to arm themselves and their children with the facts--the real facts of life. In You're Teaching My Child What? Dr. Miriam Grossman does just that, in an essential book to inform yourself and protect your children."
This might be worth a trip to Barnes and Noble, or your local library.
I learned about this book from a column by Rebecca Hagelin who has quickly become a must-read columnist for me. Hagelin writes:
“We are at a crossroads in our nation and the pawn being used by those who seek to check-mate the family - the sacred and basic building block of all civil societies - is a little girl. She will be used and abused and then cast aside as the next little girls are born and brainwashed with ever increasing dangerous messages.”
That should be a wake-up call for parents.
Read more from Hagelin's book review here.
I close with this, an item that should be required reading in just about every school in
Hmmmm.
There are two elements to this particular story. Let’s start with the Obamessiah.
On September 8th (the first day of classes for many school kids) President Obama will speak to students all across
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a direct order to school administrators that dictated the following:
“This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.”
There’s more.
That same DOE (Department of Education) is instructing (ordering) teachers in Grades 7 to 12 to ask their students: Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us? How will he challenge us?
Once the Great Obama has spoken, teachers of younger students, KG to Grade 6 are supposed to have them write letters to themselves about what they can do to help his Holiness (That would be the Obamessiah).
From the DOE website:
Fact sheet, Activities for Grades PreK-6, and Activities for Grades 7-12
Can you imagine if George W. Bush had sent a similar directive ordering all schools to listen to his message? There would have been shouts of indoctrination, propaganda, and brainwashing!!
And those outcries would have been correct!
Why is Obama reaching out to school kids? To indoctrinate and brainwash, for sure. But he also is using the kids to get to their parents.
To be Barack Hussein Obama is to be cool.
To be Barack Hussein Obama is to be worshipped and adored.
Not lately.
So, the Egomaniac-in -Chief has to get his groove back. To do so, he will use persuasive force, a teleprompter (so he doesn't **** up), and kids. And chew up valuable teaching time as well.
Now for the second element of our story, the Franklin School District.
Here is a sizeable excerpt from my blog of December 28, 2007: The Top Ten Franklin Stories of 2007, #4:
"On April 2, 2007, the day before
Franklin school officials sink to sleazy new low to get votes
The Friday before Election Day, during school time, hundreds of
Doors to the Assembly reportedly were locked so no one could leave and no one could enter to see and hear what was going on.
I wrote the following:
The impropriety of this action by
It smacks of a desperate, underhanded, sleazy maneuver by folks who must be very worried about the outcome of the election. On principle alone, these referenda need to be resoundingly rejected.
Shame on the
Later on April 2, I blogged an e-mail I received from a Franklin parent:
Now that the school district has given the senior class a civics lesson and is encouraging them to exercise their right and privilege to vote(many for the first time):
1. Will they be excused from school to vote?
2. Will the students get a lesson in how to register to vote; how to determine what district they live in; and where their polling place is located?
3. Will they provide transportation to the polls?
4. Will they earn a grade for voting---how are the students going to be assessed following this civics lesson? Will they have to wear the I Voted sticker as proof of voting?
5. Will they tack on an additional 2 hours to the make up school days since the students missed first/second hour to attend this civic lesson?
I have more questions to add but the most important one is:
When will the investigation into the legality of this action begin? Who will be held accountable?
The referenda failed miserably.
Not long after the election, the District Attorney’s office began to investigate and wanted answers from outgoing Superintendent Bill Szakacs.
No charges were filed, but the DA’s office is still reviewing other options.
Again, the “Assembly” was extremely unethical. Supposedly learned officials should have known better. They thought they could get away with it, and that’s why they did it.
School officials who objected at the time weren’t loud, persistent, aggressive, or effective enough.
The
Students, their parents, and taxpayers deserve much better."
-----December 28, 2007 (This Just In, FranklinNOW.com)
There you have the two elements of this story.
Have you figured it out?
What do President Obama and the Franklin School District have in common?
That's easy.
They both love captive audiences.
Students are back in class on the heels of a devastating analysis of the curricula at
“Specifically, will they gain the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global marketplace, lead our nation thoughtfully, and be lifelong learners? Many college guides and ranking systems measure institutions’ prestige and reputation, but no guide has looked at what students are actually required to learn,” ACTA writes in its report.
ACTA examined the top 20
Even before ACTA embarked on this endeavor, the climate surrounding higher education was grim. ACTA reports, “According to a study by the
ACTA’s findings are alarming, and should be, especially to parents who are dishing out exorbitant amounts of money to schools that are failing to meet those bold promises splashed all over their fancy brochures.
Of the schools ACTA studied, “almost half do not require a genuine, college-level math course;
almost 90 percent do not require students to take a survey course in American government or history; and only two require students to take a basic course in economics.”
The report focused on the core curriculum, seven courses of general education needed by students to prepare them for life after college: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language,
Today’s colleges and universities have become loose with core curriculum requirements, allowing students to choose from dozens and dozens of less important subjects. As ACTA succinctly puts it, “Anything goes.”
Former
Forms of Resistance” and “Oral Histories and the
ACTA’s findings:
“Out of the 100 institutions we examined, 25 received an F for their core curricula, 17 got Ds, and 20 got Cs. Only 33 out of the 100 earned Bs, and only 5 out of the entire group earned an A (The University of Wisconsin received a ‘D’). Rather than offering a true liberal education designed to liberate the mind, these schools are in effect leaving it up to students to figure out what they will need—and families are paying dearly for the privilege of a do-it-yourself curriculum.”
Here is the ACTA report, “What Will They Learn?”
RELATED
In a recession, is college worth it?
Herman's Hermits sang it over 40 years ago, still true today: Don't know much about history...
Joining the InterCHANGE panel as a regular this week will be good friend, former WTMJ-TV anchor/reporter Denise Callaway. Callaway has guest-hosted the program in the past.
Here are the topics we discuss Friday night at 6:30 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00 on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10:
1 – MPS.
The rhetoric is heating up as Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle make it very clear that they are not going to back down in their effort to allow a mayoral “takeover” of control of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Doyle is expected to introduce legislation soon that would allow the mechanisms to be put in place so that this could happen. Will state lawmakers support such a proposal if
2 – Mercury Marine.
Mercury Marine is now voting for a third time on a proposed contract that contains a seven-year-long wage freeze and a variety of other concessions. Most expect that it will pass. Even the governor has stepped in and is saying approval would mean lots more jobs in
3 – Diane Sawyer.
Years ago it was huge news when a major network made an evening news switch. Is it a big deal anymore? Why, or why not? Has cable diluted the relevance and importance of the evening news? Is the only audience the evening news tries to attract now the female audience? How else would you explain two of the three major anchors being female? TV is always accused of courting a young audience. If that’s the case, why would ABC name sawyer their top anchor when she’ll be 64-years-old at the end of the year when she takes over that desk? Has the evening news given up on attracting young viewers?
Whoever was responsible for this should have been included in last Saturday’s Week-ends.
A poster inside a local bank claims there’s now a $2,000 reward for information about the crime.
The Wall Street Journal provides the answer.
I am always on the lookout for sharp, young, talented writers. As I have blogged recently, these young folk must meet certain standards.
They must have a strong ability to write well.
Their efforts must be provocative and insightful.
They should have strong opinions and beliefs that are fact-based.
Their work should be grammatically correct, and they must not regularly and repeatedly flunk spell-check. Doing so would demonstrate a lack of pride and self-respect, not to mention a clear ineptness.
And there must be a consistency of excellence to their product. They wouldn’t dream of posting anything slightly embarrassing that would ruin their credibility in a heartbeat.
I am announcing special young writers of recognition who will be members of the Kevin Fischer “Whippersnapper Hall of Fame.” By the strictest definition, “whippersnapper” may not be the most positive term. However, I can assure you that in this context, “whippersnapper” should be considered in the most complimentary, respectful sense. These young individuals are refreshing.
Any young person with a computer can spit out foolish, naïve, fact-devoid, wild, unsubstantiated junk and call it a blog or creative writing. It takes intelligence, insight, and skill to compose a quality product that is noteworthy. My goal is to showcase these young writers who, by their true ability give us superb confidence that the future of our great country is in very capable hands.
I am announcing the first four inductees of the Kevin Fischer “Whippersnapper Hall of Fame.” I have written about the first three previously. The fourth inductee is someone new.
1) The Conservative Casanova. This young man from
2) American Sweetheart. Her bio reads, "I am a 26 year old mother of one. I currently work in the banking industry while pursuing a carrer in professional writing and US history. After school, I plan to pursue a career in journalism.as well as write children's history books. My main goal after school is to start a non-profit organization that will aid our troops."
3) Eva Lorraine Molina is a junior at
These young stars are the real deal, bona fide talents. In reality, they are in a category far beyond "whippersnapper." I salute and congratulate them for putting their talents to such constructive use.
I will be updating the Hall of Fame when new talent comes to my attention. Readers are invited to nominate inductees by e-mailing me their suggestions. The following types of young individuals are ineligible:
Crybabies
Whiners
General losers
Anyone ashamed of publicly disclosing what they do for a living
Anyone who can’t spell at an 8th grade level, and/or with grammatical skills to match
Anyone who adores dramatic tax increases but pays no taxes because he/she sponges off at home
Anyone who doesn’t understand that nothing in life comes easy and that hard work is the key to a fulfilling life, not the government
THE KEVIN FISCHER "WHIPPERSNAPPER HALL OF FAME"
1) The Conservative Casanova
2) American Sweetheart
3) Eva Lorraine Molina
4) Matt Kallerud
|
Activists won an amazing policy victory last year when public outrage forced Congress to finally end its ban on offshore drilling, after 26 long years of keeping America’s vast energy resources in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) locked up and off the market. A year later, the Obama administration is doing everything it can to drag its feet and prevent us from accessing American energy resources. They are trying to ignore the millions of Americans who demanded access to American energy resources by secretly putting the ban back in place. Even more amazing and outrageous: the Obama administration is now actually poised to lend $2 billion from U.S. taxpayers to the Brazilian national oil company, Petrobras, for offshore drilling in Brazil. This administration is actually going to force you to pay for offshore drilling in Brazil, at the same time they try to block offshore drilling here in America! Fortunately, you can do something about it. The Obama administration is required by law to listen to public comments on the subject of energy exploration and production in the OCS. Please click here to tell the Obama administration to allow offshore drilling here in America! Offshore drilling in the OCS would be a real economic stimulus that would create jobs and economic growth by actually producing something. A study from ICF International estimates more than 160,000 well-paying American jobs would be created from allowing oil and gas drilling offshore. Government policy to prevent these jobs by banning access to our own resources is completely unacceptable at a time of 9.4 percent unemployment. According to federal government estimates, the OCS contains 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. We all remember what a hardship it was when gas prices spiked over $4 a gallon last year. We also remember being told that allowing drilling wouldn’t help because it could take years for the new energy sources to reach the market. Well that’s why we can’t wait until the next price spike to start drilling. We need to drill here in America, and do it now. Please click here to tell the Obama administration to allow offshore drilling here in America! We only have three weeks until the docket closes on September 21 to make our voices heard, and the radical environmentalists will be sure to weigh in from the other side. Please comment today and pass this email on to anyone you know who can help. Sincerely, Phil Kerpen
Director of Policy
Americans for Prosperity
|
|
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 700,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 25 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org |
The Franklin Common Council found itself in a somewhat unusual situation at its meeting Tuesday night as it decided what local projects would receive the city’s allotted Community Development Block Grant funding.
In the running for funding was the group, Franklin Senior Citizens, headed by 2007 Franklin Person of Year and a 2007 inductee in the Milwaukee County Senior Hall of Fame, Casper Green, and the Interfaith program.
Discussion about how to administer the funding included plans by Green’s group to hold caterd parties for senior citizens complete with fancy decorations at Brenwood Park. Certainly nothing wrong with throwing a blowout for seniors, except that the Interfaith program helps needy seniors by mowing their lawns, shoveling snow, providing rides to the doctor and home visits. Spreading the grant money out over a longer period of time where it would do the most good seemed to make sense.
I was told by Alderman Kristin Wilhelm the feeling was that rather than spend the money on wants, it should go for needs. There was debate about splitting part of the grant money between the two senior efforts, but in the end, a motion was made to give less money to the Franklin Senior Citizens and more to fund the Interfaith program. It carried on a vote of 5-1.
Care to guess which
No one denies the wonderful job Casper Green does on behalf of senior citizens. In this case, most of the Franklin Common Council got it right. Steve Taylor, once again, managed to step in it.
Steve Taylor photo: WAG THE DOG
And they will lose to
That’s the prediction of whatifsports.com that has projections on every single college football bowl game.
HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!
We'll be here, starting tonight with our Friday night Goodnight musical feature. Yes, there's a theme to it this week. Hope it works.
Saturday morning, wake up early for The Barking Lot followed by our week in review, Week-ends. This guy gets a mention....

Also Saturday, we'll post Culinary no-no one day early, and Recommended Reading.
Sunday, our most popular blogs for the week, The MJS Scorecard, and Photos of the Week. Here's a picture that made the cut....
Wow, that is some weird stuff.
We know it's busy and a holiday and all, so we appreciate you visiting This Just In this weekend.
It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In.
The weekend has finally arrived.
The sun has set.
The evening sky has erupted.
Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday….and this week, Monday.
Tonight, some work-related music to segue into the holiday weekend.
Let’s jump right into it with an old instrumental classic by a very popular artist. The theme is familiar and catchy. You might be old enough to remember that Channel 12 used it as their intro to Packer Preview on Sunday afternoons before every Packer game.
It’s “The Work Song.”
Alpert has sold over 75 million records and has won seven Grammy Awards, but there's more to this musical success story.
He paints. Alpert's work has been showcased in galleries and museums around the globe. He's also a sculptor and Broadway producer.
The man obviously works very hard.
Hit recordings, TV specials, Broadway shows, painting, sculpting.
Wow. That's very exciting.
Nice work........
That is...
If you can get it.
This next act is heard only two times during the year:
1) On the radio at Christmas
2) On this blog.
Created as a studio band by Capitol Records in the 60’s, The Hollyridge Strings actually were very popular doing their renditions of songs by one very popular group in particular.

That's it for tonight.
We close by turning it up a notch with a number by this star...

The lovely Vanessa Williams gives her take on a 70's hit by this group...

Goodnight.
Sleep well.
Enjoy the three day weekend.
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me. It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Sunny. High of 72. "A"
SUNDAY: Sunny. High of 76. "A"
LABOR DAY MONDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 76. "A"
Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:
A few years ago I had an extra part-time job in a retail store. One Sunday afternoon a lady walked in our store with a parrot on her shoulder. “Hey, lady… you know you got a bird on your shoulder?” No, this is not the beginning of a bad joke. I am serious! She walked in with her avian friend like it was the most
Trust me, I’d seen stranger sights than that come in our store. Quite honestly, while it made me pause, I didn’t really think it would be all that troublesome. My coworker thought otherwise. She made a bee-line for the back room where she could hide from said bird. And she refused to come out until bird and owner were both gone from the store.
I thought her reaction was a bit extreme until she told me about a very horrifying experience she had as a little girl. She was actually attacked by a bird and has a very nasty scar above her eye to prove it. I will never forget that story, or that day. I must admit I felt bad that I didn’t take Kim’s truly frightened reaction more seriously. Once she told me about her bird incident I could see that her fear of birds was no laughing matter. I have a lot of sympathy for anyone with any kind of phobia.
While I find it almost completely unbelievable that anyone could be afraid of a gorgeous black Lab, I saw a similar reaction of another coworker (different job, however) Kristen. She nearly had a heart attack when a third coworker, Jeff, brought his dog into our office for a couple of hours. Obviously I was thrilled to meet his canine companion and we made friends immediately. Kristen just about locked herself in her office. While she didn’t suffer a story similar to Kim, she has a heightened fear of dogs.
When I see someone with a service dog, I must admit my reaction is the same as many people: YOU view it as a pet who is just begging for some attention. The dog’s OWNER knows it is a dog, yes. But it is a working animal, there for a reason and a duty. Fortunately I know enough not to even attempt to pet the dog. Usually they wear a vest of some sort that says something like “Please don’t pet me, I am working” to let people know a Look-But-Don’t-Touch order is in effect. Of course the other part of the equation is the owner who has a disability. They don’t want or need the extra attention, they have enough to deal with. An admiring glance and smile to both dog and owner is one thing. Fawning all over the golden retriever and not really paying attention to the fact that it’s owner is blind is quite another.
My point is that a service dog assisting a disabled person is incredibly different than a tea cup Yorkie stuffed in a handbag of a “mommy” who couldn’t bear to leave her “baby” in the car or tied up outside while she shops.
I love dogs. I really do. I don’t even have to tell you that. However, I’m not so silly as to think that everyone else shares my fondness for all things canine. I completely respect people’s desire and right to shop in dog-free stores with exception, of course, to the aforementioned service dog. There are people with phobias and people with allergies. There are some people who have neither and simply wish to shop in a store that is fur free and poop free. I respect that, too (Not to mention there are plenty of stores out there that are carpeted...like our fine Sendik’s on 51st and Rawson.
Gives a new and tougher meaning to “Clean up in Aisle 5!”).
I shared many of these sentiments in my Barking
I’m sure Fido, Max, and the others wait with (beef-scented) baited breath to see what comes of this… as do their owners (Though not necessarily the beef-scented part).
---Jennifer Fischer
Thank you, Jennifer. Nice job as always!
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
South Korean wages visual campaign against dog eating.
Controversy in the
The greatest dog breeds you only think you know....
Chanel dies.
Groups save dogs on brink of euthanasia.
Veterinarian unearths reminder of first dog euthanasia.
Barking
We always love to post positive stories about the wondrous things dogs do. We have a few this week. Service dogs heal hidden wounds. Trained canines help traumatized veterans.Dogs will be paired in study with vets suffering from PTSD.
Dog cloning in
Bulldogs competed last week in
First day jitters at doggie kindergarten.
Pets are the portable parts of a tennis player's entourage.
Final dog stories from the Ted Kennedy funeral.
First dog has a new leash.
It's the messiest pet contest.
Dog puts a bite on deputy's tires.
That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
Our closing video: To the rescue!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Yeh, yeh, yeh!
This news is cool!
A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Donald Hogan
Tim James
Chris Fitzmaurice
Local school districts say Nobama
Over 9,000 activists
The San Diego Chargers and their special guests
Roger Owens
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
Latasha Jackson
Wisconsin Shares program
Michael Wey
Mother at Lake Michigan
15 young people in rural south-central Wisconsin
Health care reform activist
Roger Stephens
Utah prinicipal
Van Jones
LeGarrette Blount
Arkansas police
Amerijet
Solitaire-playing legislators
PETA
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), answering the question, "How will U.S. Sen. (Edward) Kennedy's death affect things?" The warm, compassionate, left.
"Today there's a growing consensus: The Recovery Act is, in fact, working."
Vice-President Joe Biden, one day before the Labor Department reported that nearly 15 million Americans are unemployed, the unemployment rate climbed to 9.7 percent in August, and the nation's payrolls shed 216,000 jobs.
"We should not be using health care reform to provide government access to abortion. ... I would hope that people from whatever party don't try to go down that road."
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) agreeing to work with an abortion opponent at a
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) predicting passage of the health care bill.
"Hundreds of employees expressed a desire to voice their true feelings, and that's something we can't ignore."
Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero explaining why the company extended the deadline for approving a concession package to keep jobs in
"The company (Mercury Marine) will accept the outcome of the vote. It is a real vote."
Mike King of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
"My treatments will have a minimal effect on my duties of serving the people of the Fifth Congressional District. I intend on maintaining my active schedule, both in
Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (
"Since Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden took office, the economy has shed 3 million jobs."
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
Conservatives outnumber liberals in all 50 states
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
Brett Favre's block. Maybe Eugene Wilson should put on a dress.
STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
Now I lay me down to have sex...
Madison's flamingos made in
REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.
Here is one of the photos I included in last Sunday's Photos of the Week:

U.S. Marine Cpl. Russell pays his respects to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard during a memorial service at a forward operating base with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Now Zad in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was mortally wounded during a Taliban ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
This candid, touching photo is now causing controversy over whether it should have been taken or published at all.
In honor of the Labor Day holiday and for many what could be the final grilling weekend of the season, Culinary no-no appears one day earlier this week.
I can’t quite understand the problems people have grilling, but they do. Bon Appétit has compiled a list of 10 Most Common Grilling Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them).
I concur with Bon Appétit except for their suggestion that the lid be open during direct grilling. That defeats the whole purpose of the cover that provides even cooking when closed. Put that baby down when preparing items directly over the coals.
CULINARY NO-NO BONUS
This will probably make an appearance at the 2010 Wisconsin State Fair.
ANOTHER CULINARY NO-NO BONUS
Yikes!
AND ONE MORE BONUS
Hubby Hubby
Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).
What I learned from “The Mob”
“I spoke with thousands of voters at town-hall meetings this summer. What I gathered from them is that it's not just the proposed overhaul of health care that has them upset. Many also expressed a sense of betrayal. In spite of their hope for change, it still appears that the government in
Abusing school kids with pro-Obama propaganda
“For those who consider this an appropriate use of classroom time at the very beginning of the school year, ask yourself the question: how would you respond had President Bush ordered teachers to get students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president?”
The Obama slide
“Obama’s challenge was to push his agenda through a Democratic-controlled government while retaining the affection of the 39 percent of Americans in the middle. The administration hasn’t been able to pull it off.”
Trouble in liberal land
"Despite their control of all three branches of government, this has not been a good summer for liberal Democrats.”
Senator High and Mighty
“There had always been a tradition of noblesse oblige among
The Reagans and the Kennedys
“And this is what Ronald Reagan said of John F. Kennedy, on a warm dark night in the floodlit garden of Ted Kennedy's home in McLean, Va:……”
Brett Favre: The John Kerry of the NFL
“Non-aficionados of football may not fully appreciate the significance of Favre's act of betrayal, and the drama it has produced. To put it in political terms, Favre's going to the Vikings is worse than, say, Arlen Specter becoming a Democrat.”
Why your coach votes Republican
“There's no evidence that coaches with a conservative bent are better coaches or more likely to get jobs. Football coaches aren't the most diverse group, which may help explain their political similarities. Still, could it be that football coaches, just by the nature of the job, are more comfortable on the right end of the political spectrum?”
Gay Ice Cream?
“It’s hard to make a pint of Ben & Jerry’s unappetizing, but even I can resist peanut butter and chocolate when the carton sports two men on top of a wedding cake.”
Blue chip, white cotton
“For one answer to the nation's most pressing economic question -- when will the recession end? -- just take a peek inside the American man's underwear drawer.”
Yes, I took a substantial risk just by leaving the house today. How incredibly stupid to venture outdoors on a late summer day with such abundant sunshine and barely a cloud in the sky and such crisp, clear, fresh air.
What in the world was I thinking, scoffing at and ignoring the all-knowing, omnipotent Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Rather than seek refuge behind the locked doors of the confines of my humble
6:30 this morning: This shouldn’t hurt. I’ll be as quick as possible. After all, there’s all that soot and microscopic dust and liquid droplets and smoke particles everywhere. Far more dangerous than those nasty yellow jackets swarming all over my garden. That rising sun? Probably just a UFO.
And so I made a mad dash for it. I held my breath so as not to take in any hazardous junk. I grabbed my thin as hell Saturday Journal Sentinel and managed to get back into the house before collapsing.
I watched outside my window this morning as joggers ran down my street, as usual, sans water bottles. Elderly men and women walked hand in hand. Others walked their dogs. And I said to myself, hmmmmmmmm. Look at those daredevils. They’re not huffing or puffing or in any discomfort.
I can do this, I told myself. Yes I can, can, can. There is….
HOPE for me on this sunny 70-plus degree day.
Dear God, I’m going to make it!
First I went to the bank. Not the best idea because the seniors who had all week to do their banking always do it on a Saturday morning.
Not today, I thought. They heard the warning. No doubt they’re home hiding under the mattress.
Wrong.
How the hell did they manage to get here! Why aren’t they gasping for air???!!
After waiting 10 minutes in line so I could make my 30-second transaction, I left the bank to go to a high school football game.
Kevin Fischer, are you mad????? A football game??? Outside??? Are you not cognizant of the great powerful DNR’s warning???
Young kids played football, in broad daylight without water breaks. Cheerleaders danced and exerted themselves during strenuous routines. Bell Ambulance had to be summoned, but not because of soot or droplets or particles. A player sustained a neck injury (He’s going to be fine, BTW).
The game ended and foolish me, I went home and lit up the outdoor grill, charcoal briquette smoke and all. What’s the harm, I figured. On the drive home, I passed people of all ages, playing ball, sitting on their porches, out for walks. It was almost as if there was this loud, strong, collective voice:
THE HELL WITH YOU, DNR!
And I turned on the TV and watched as over 70,000 people jammed into Camp Randall Stadium to rub the DNR’s face in it. What could possibly have been going through their minds? Do they want to die???
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning, I fully intend to be a rebel once more. I will chance scooting out to grab my morning paper. Gotta check how liberal the Crossroads section is. Then beautiful wife, baby and I will go to church. Yes, I am a God-awful rotten human being, subjecting my family to the danger the DNR tried so desperately to warn me about.
I just may grill outside again. Sunday is supposed to bring ugly, unhealthy weather again: Over 70 and sunshine galore. It’ll be rough, but I think I’ll chance it again.
Even though the DNR’s warning extends until Tuesday night, I’m picking up my 80-plus year-old mother and taking her to may brother’s place for a Labor Day cookout. Boy, I am an absolute, cruel SOB.
Dear Lord, I wasn’t very bright today. I dodged a bullet.
Thank you for seeing me through this terrible ordeal.
As I post every Sunday, here are the five most read blog entries of mine from the previous week. NOTE: some entries may have been posted prior to the past week.
1) This Just In Truth Squad: Franklin voters approve school levy
2) Cowards on the Internet
3) What do President Obama and the
4) Kevin Fischer's "Whippersnapper Hall of Fame"
5) Daughters in danger
EVERY SUNDAY I REVIEW THE MOST COVETED EDITORIAL PAGES OF THE WEEK BY OPINION-MAKERS AS WELL AS THE MOST WIDELY-READ, THE SUNDAY “CROSSROADS” SECTION OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. I WILL KEEP TRACK OF THE CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL PIECES CONTRIBUTED BY NON-JOURNAL SENTINEL WRITERS AND KEEP A RUNNING SCORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
It should also be noted that this exercise is a categorization. Most, if not all of these articles submitted to, or solicited by the Crossroads staff are well-written, thoughtful, and provocative. I enjoy reading them as I have every Sunday for as long as I can remember. This weekly compilation is an ideological scorecard, not a writing critique.
TODAY'S LIBERAL PIECES
William G. Andrekopoulos: MPS has challenges, but they're not about accounting
"We know what the financial problems are."
LOL
Jon Geenen: Debate not exactly Rockwellian
"Contrast Rockwell's optimistic America with the sad state of civil and political discourse today, when intentional saboteurs - fueled by the agendas of political zealots - make it next to impossible to have a meaningful discussion about a pressing American problem."
"Opponents of meaningful health care reform have cleverly adopted the tactics and vocabulary of McCarthyism...."
Now if you oppose Obama's socialistic takeover of health care, you are McCarthy-like. Where's the balance with an opposing view, Ricardo? I know. Are you nuts, Kevin?
TODAY'S CONSERVATIVE PIECES
Tom Petri: Health care reform must be done right, not rushed through
NEITHER LIBERAL NOR CONSERVATIVE
John Gurda: Labor Day is about rights hard fought and won
Ralph Gundrum: Disclosure is an obstacle to foster care
Jennifer L.W. Fink: Co-sleeping: It's beneficial when done safely
MJS SCORECARD:
TODAY: Liberal-2, Conservative-1
YEAR TO DATE: Liberal-82, Conservative-69
NOTE: It's starting to get lopsided after 8 months of relative fairness. Surprised?

Van Jones, a controversial administration official specializing in environmentally friendly "green jobs," is seen at the National Summit in

Union business representative Russell Krings announces Friday that union members ratified a contract to ensure Mercury Marine stays in Fond du Lac. Members had voted down the same contract Aug. 23. AP photo
An unidentified Contra Costa County worker closes off a new fence in front of a home in Antioch, Calif., Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, where authorities say kidnapped victim Jaycee Lee Dugard lived. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Lal Mohammad, 40, whose nose and ears were cut off by the Taliban on the Afghan presidential and provincial council election day, is seen in a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. Taliban cut off Lal Mohammad's nose and ears after finding a voting card with him on his way to a polling station. Lal Mohammad is from Shiran village of Daykundi a province in central Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Farzana Wahidy)

A deer escapes a wildfire in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger picks up a dumbbell in a burned out home while touring a neighborbood destroyed by wildfires in Big Tujunga Canyon in Tujunga, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Tiffany Brain stands in the ruins of the home of her uncle, Ken Gray, destroyed in the Station fire in an area known as Stonyvale in Big Tujunga Canyon in the Angeles National Forest northwest of the city of Los Angeles, seen Tuesday morning, Sept. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Avianna Veneto, an employee of Lew Johnson, surveys the hot tub in which two men and a dog took refuge as flames from Station wildfire overran the area, as they returns to Johnson's destroyed home on Stonyvale Road in Big Tujunga Canyon in the Angeles National Forest, just outside the Sundland area of Los Angeles, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. All survived but the men were badly burned. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

In this photo taken Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, Somalis displaced by fighting between the Somali government and Islamist insurgents are seen in a makeshift home at a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. An international aid agency said Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 that hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees are living in camps that are "barely fit for humans." (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
British former evacuees, wearing their handwritten badges with information about their names, their hometowns and the towns they were evacuated to, during World War II, pose for pictures following a church service at St. Paul's Cathedral, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first children to be evacuated, in central London, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2009. Organized by the Evacuation Reunion Association (ERA), hundreds of people gathered to mark the 70th anniversary of the evacuation of three million children in Britain ahead of the Second World War. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
A young girl dressed as a refugee walks past The Winton Train at Liverpool Street Station, London, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 in a reenactment of the arrival of one of the eight trains that carried mostly Jewish children through Germany to Britain in the months before the outbreak of World War II. The vintage train carrying Holocaust survivors pulled into London on Friday, ending a three-day trip across Europe that marked the 70th anniversary of their extraordinary rescue by a young British stockbroker. Waiting to greet them at London's Liverpool Street Station was Nicholas Winton, age 100, who organized the rail "kindertransports" that carried hundreds of mostly Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to safety in 1939. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Sir Nicholas Winton (2L) stands infront of the Tornado steam train that brought evacuees to Liverpool Street railway station on September 4, 2009 in London, England. Between March and August 1939 Briton Sir Nicholas Winton organised eight trains that carried 669 children to the safety of England from war torn Czechoslovakia. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
An evacuee greets Sir Nicholas Winton at Liverpool Street railway station on September 4, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
A man wrapped in Union Jack flags looks at tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales placed on the gates of Kensington Palace on August 31, 2009 in London, England. Fans gathered to remember Diana, Princess of Wales who died in a Paris car crash 12 years ago today. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Nuns of Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, her portrait seen, participate in a special mass observing the Mother's 12th death anniversary in Calcutta, India, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. Albanian-born Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She died in 1997 in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta, where she worked with the city's poor. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Flight engineer Nicole Stott of the space shuttle Discovery works during a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk performed overnight between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning September 1, 2009. Stott and mission specialist John "Danny" Olivas (not pictured) removed an empty ammonia tank from the station's truss and will replace it with a new module during a follow-up spacewalk later in the week. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

U.S. President Barack Obama works at his desk as his daughter Sasha hides behind the sofa in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. Obama may offer more detailed, "prescriptive" proposals as he begins a new offensive to overcome opposition to his efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system, a senior adviser said. Photographer: Pete Souza/White House via Bloomberg
Sharyn Epling, 5, being held by her grandmother, Sharon Alvarez, reacts to receiving a flu shot from Maria Bucio, an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner - Certified, at the MinuteClinic in a CVS/pharmacy store on September 2, 2009 in Kendall, Florida. As the seasonal flu season arrives many people get an Influenza flu vaccination in the hopes of not catching the flu. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Three-month-old Sophia Marmarinos lies on the leaf of a giant water lily (Victoria Amazonica) under the watchful eye of Hans Kuyten, employee of the botanical garden, left, at Diergaarde Blijdorp, also known as Rotterdam Zoo, Netherlands, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009. The zoo organized the event for parents to take picture of their children. The leaves can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter and can easily support a weight of 15 kilograms (33 pounds). (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Climate change protesters march through central London from British Petroleum headquarters to the Shell Centre on September 1, 2009 in London, England. Climate campaigners have also been staging a week long protest camp in Blackheath south London. (Photos:Getty Images)

Small ice figures are seen on the stairs of Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009, as part of an art project by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). One thousand ice figures by Brasilian artist Nele Azevedo were melting within 30 minutes symbolizing the effect of global warming. (AP Photo/Maya Hitij)

An activist from the People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wearing a full-length gown made of lettuce leaves, stages a rally outside a shopping mall in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009. PETA asks people to turn over a new leaf and go vegetarian. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)

During a training exercise Wednesday, members of the Milwaukee County sheriff’s SWAT team move into a hallway leading to an unsecured dorm at the House of Correction, where members of the team act as hostages being held by others portraying inmates. Journal Sentinel: Rick Wood
Terminally ill hospice resident Magdalene Ginsburg (R) reaches out to Pisco, a 13-year-old therapy llama, at the Hospice of Saint John on Sept.1, 2009 in Lakewood, Colorado. The llama visits the hospice each month as part of an animal therapy program designed to increase happiness, decrease loniliness and calm terminally ill patients during the last stage of life. The non-profit hospice, which serves on average 200 people at a time, is the second oldest hospice in the United States. The hospice accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay, although most are covered by Medicare or Medicaid. End of life care has become a contentious issue in the current national debate on health care reform. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A racing camel and her jockey stands in front of Tower Bridge on September 3, 2009 in London, England. The camels are the new mascots of Saracens Rugby Club and will race during half time at their matches in Wembley Stadium this season. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
A veterinary physiotherapist works with a dog on the water walker at the new purpose built Links Vet Animal Hospital and Lothian Canine Rehabilitation Centre on September 1, 2009 in Haddington, Scotland. The vet group has opened the state of the art centre, Scotland's first fully vet staffed animal hospital and rehabilitation centre in the one complex. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Terry Zittle of Cocoa Beach, Fla., reads his paper near the Cocoa Beach Pier after feeding the birds, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Michael R. Brown)
Sleepy snow leopard cub Yukichi, two-month-old, toddles during his first public appearance at the Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

Franklin's Jake Prochnow and teammates celebrate Prochnow's interception against Marquette Friday night. Franklin led at the half, 17-16, then got shutout the rest of the way, losing 46-17. Journal Sentinel photo: Tom Lynn
.jpg)
The University of Wisconsin Marching Band, led by drum major Alex Waskawic, takes the field Saturday before the start of the Badgers’ season-opener against Northern Illinois University at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin beat Northern Illinois, 28-20. Journal Sentinel photo: Tom Lynn

John Clay dives over the top for a touchdown for Wisconsin in their win over Northern Illinois Saturday night, 28-20. Journal Semtinel: Tom Lynn.
Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark's (17) helmet flies off as he is tackled by Akron defender Sean Fobbs during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in State College, Pa. Penn State won 31-7. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The Chula Vista, Calif., team celebrates winning the Little League World Series Championship baseball game 6-3 over Taoyuan, Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Euskaltel Euskadi rider Aitor Hernandez of Spain rides over the Assut d'Or bridge designed by architect Santiago Calatrava during the seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta cycling race, a 30-kilometer (18.6 miles) individual time trial in Valencia, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.(AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Members of the Milwaukee chapter of the Harley Owners Group prepare to take off Thursday from the War Memorial Center in Milwaukee as part of the kickoff for the 2009 Milwaukee Rally. Events that are part of the 2009 Milwaukee Rally take start on Thursday and run through Sunday. Journal Sentinel photo: Michael Sears
Actors/puppeteers David Rudman (L) with 'Cookie Monster' and Fran Brill with 'Zoe' accept the Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Orpheum Theatre on August 30, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Cookie Monster caused a stir at the Daytime Emmy Awards when he tried to eat Sesame Street's Lifetime Achievement Award. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for ATI)

David Watts of Phoenix, a member of the Diablos, wears a jersey showing his support for another team member.The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance World Series was held at Wirth Park in Brookfield. More than 2,500 ballplayers on 127 teams came to the Milwaukee area for the softball tournament. "The Softball World Series is about friendships being made, getting together once a year to celebrate the gay culture and appreciating the athleticism of the game,” said one organizer. Journal Sentinel photo: Rick Wood
.jpg)
Crowds wait to get into the Arena to see the Beatles on September 4, 1964. Nearly 12,000 people attended the concert.

Fans at the Milwaukee airport hope to catch a glimpse of the Beatles in 1964.

After hearing that the Beatles were staying at the Coach House Motor Inn, 1926 W. Wisconsin Ave., four young women wait to catch a glimpse. The site is now a Marquette University dorm.

The Beatles hold a news conference during their stop in Milwaukee. George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney meet with reporters. John Lennon missed the conference because of a sore throat.









The Beatles in concert at the Milwaukee Arena, and their screaming fans, 09/64/09. Above Beatlemania pictures: Milwaukee Journal file photos
Consider the plight of this woman.
She’s 61 years old.
She has brain cancer.
She is paralyzed over 85% of her body.
She had one of her legs amputated.
She is dying.
The woman has spent the last 40 years in prison for a life sentence and wants to be issued a “compassionate release” so that she can live out her remaining time with family instead of behind bars.

What would be the harm? Why not just let her go?
The woman is 61-year old Susan Atkins.

Atkins was a member of Charles Manson's "family" that committed savage, brutal mass murders.

You may have missed the story last week that once again, Atkins’ request for release was denied by the California Parole Board, just as it was a dozen times before. Atkins slept on a gurney for almost four hours during the hearing.
During a two-night killing spree that Manson called, “Helter Skelter,” his disciples at his command committed seven grisly murders.
On August 9, 1969, Manson’s most devout follower, Atkins, broke into the home of 26-year old actress Sharon Tate.

Tate, whose husband, Hollywood director Roman Polanski was not home at the time, was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Atkins admitted bludgeoning the innocent Tate.
She stabbed Tate once.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And Atkins stabbed Tate 10 more times after that.
At a 1993 parole board hearing, Atkins said Tate "asked me to let her baby live. ... I told her I didn't have any mercy on her."
Ironic, isn’t it. Atkins, begging for mercy, over and over and over and over again, for the past 40 years. Each time, the answer was “no” just as Atkins’ answer was for Tate who pleaded, not for her life, but for that of her unborn child (We understand that pro-abortionists wouldn’t care or understand).
The fact is Atkins is fortunate to be 61 and suffering. In 1972, after Manson and all of his sadistic killers had been sentenced to death, the California Supreme Court did away with capital punishment. Atkins was spared.
She had the gall to demand a second chance a second time, no, actually more than a dozen times. She gave Tate and Tate’s baby no chance.
I shed no tears for Atkins. She was reportedly described as terminally ill duirng a June 2008 parole hearing, but is still alive today. Bravo to the
If you need any more evidence why Atkins should remain behind bars to pay for what she did, all you need do is check out the graphic crime scenes of Tate’s murder at this website.
Monday night, the History Channel premieres, "Manson," A two-hour docu-drama about the Manson murders.
Here's a preview.
![]() |
| Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin Newsletter | |
| September 6 - 2009 | Events and Updates |
|
Defending the American Dream Summit Speakers include:
Come to Washington, DC and participate in the rally on Capitol Hill on Friday, October 2nd!!!! Next Major Event of Americans for Prosperity - Wisconsin Chapter Taxpayer Tea Party Sponsored by Wisconsin Grand Sons of Liberty/co-sponsored by Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin Chapter Saturday, September 19th 3:00 - 5:00 pm Veterans Park Watch for announcement of speakers! Today's Taxpayer Tea Party in La Crosse La Crosse's third conservative "Tea Party" event will be 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Copeland Park shelter.
|
The liberals are admitting we are winning the battle! They admit our Wisconsin AFP-activists are NOT ASTROTURF, and are using their same old tactics by calling us "a bunch of right-wing loonies." "They are doing a very good job of tapping into the anger that's out there among a segment of conservatives," says Robert Kraig, program director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, who rejects assertions from fellow activists that the AFP is planted in "AstroTurf" and not real grass-roots support. "You can't manufacture that level of anger," he says. David Riemer, director of Community Advocates for Public Policy in Milwaukee, "We got hijacked by a bunch of right-wing loonies." Tea Party packed
|
| Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin | 1126 South 70th Street | Suite S219A | Milwaukee | WI | 53146 |
*CAUTION: THIS BLOG CONTAINS LANGUAGE USED BY A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE BY SOME THIS JUST IN READERS*
In February of this year, former White House “green jobs” czar Van Jones (who resigned abruptly early this morning) was asked by a woman at an energy lecture in Fruits and Nutsville (Berkeley, California) why President Obama and congressional Democrats were having trouble moving legislation -- even though Republicans, with a smaller majority, didn't have as much trouble earlier in the Bush administration.
Jones’ response:
"Well, the answer to that is, they're assholes. That's a technical, political science term. And Barack Obama's not an asshole. I will say this, I can be an asshole. And some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama are gonna have to start getting a little bit uppity.”
Yet another classy comment by the Democrats in power.
One of my favorite columnists, Doug Giles pounced on the Jones controversy before Jones’ sudden resignation with a piece written Saturday. Here’s an excerpt:
“What has happened to all of the post-partisanship, ‘I love you, you love me’ rose petals O-Town and his boys were going to spread in DC and beyond? This adversarial administration has parted this nation more severely than Willard Scott’s bald patch has the hair on his liver spot bespeckled head. Heck, Barry is losing the ones he formally won in droves.”
As usual, Giles in his hilarious, irreverent style, is right on the money. Check out the rest of his column, especially the final sentence. It’s QUOTE OF THE YEAR material.
It’s a big day today for union members. They are using the holiday to continue their push for the very unpopular government takeover of the health care industry.
Columnist James Sherk makes the case that this isn’t because union members have developed a sudden sense of altruism. It’s a matter of self-interest. Unions stand to gain billions if ObamaCare is approved.
Sherk has written two fine articles on this issue:
Labor unions on health care: Their true motives
Why Organized Labor Supports Government Health Care
Jerry Agar of the Illinois Policy Institute asks, "what are we celebrating?"
A Labor Day edition of DOGS IN THE NEWS.
Franklin Police Chief Richard Oliva issued the following about the arrest of a Milwaukee serial killer:
As some, if not all of you, know by now a serial murder suspect was arrested at the Park Motel on South 27th Street in Franklin on Saturday morning. The suspect’s car was found by Franklin Police Officer Jason Fincel. The Franklin SWAT team, along with the Milwaukee Police SWAT team arrested the suspect in his motel room after a significant struggle. Attached are communications from the Milwaukee Police Department’s Public Information Office regarding this case.
Chief Oliva
DATE: SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 CONTACT:ANNE E. SCHWARTZ
NEWS RELEASE # 09-24 414-935-7209
A man whose DNA is linked to nine unsolved homicides of females over a 21-year period has been arrested by Milwaukee Police, Chief Edward A. Flynn and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Monday, September 7, 2009.
The DNA belonging to Walter E. Ellis, 49, of
“This case was solved with shoe leather and science,” said Chief Flynn. “Continuing advances in DNA technology have enabled us to link these homicide cases, and it was good police work pursuing numerous leads that led to the arrest of a suspect.”
The Milwaukee Police Department’s Homicide Task Force Cold Case Unit was formed in May of this year but the MPD never forgot the victims whose brutal murders spanned 21 years. Many tools were used to develop suspects including resources from the Wisconsin Regional Crime Lab and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The analysts sifted through years of evidence samples resubmitted by the Task Force. As the technology evolved, the results improved.
As evidence that Milwaukee Police have submitted and resubmitted to the Wisconsin Regional Crime Lab continues to be returned, the Task Force may be linking additional homicides to this DNA profile.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office already has charged two cold cases unrelated to the Ellis case and one awaits charging due to the work of the Task Force.
By the numbers, evidence reviewed by the Milwaukee Task Force includes:
# #
AGENCIES ASSISTING The Homicide Task Force – Cold Case Unit consists of unit commander Lt. Keith Balash, Detectives Katherine Hein, Gilbert Hernandez, Erik Villarreal, Keith Kopcha and Justin Carloni. The Task Force was assisted by Also the IN COLD CASE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
Congratulations to all involved for your outstanding work!
Not really.
The majority of the American public caught on to this charade some time ago. They fully comprehend this was a massive orchestrated attempt to curry favor with voters by using their children after the president’s poll numbers dropped like a tennis ball off a poker table.
Parents aren’t dunces. Their reaction to news that the president was going to invade classrooms to speak didn’t sit well, no matter how laudable the exercise. Schools are not bully pulpits or political platforms. Moms and Dads were correct to be concerned about this particular ploy by this particular president. He seems less concerned about the imparting of information in school, unless, of course, it’s about the kind of school his own children attend, than he is about his top priority, the complete transformation of American society.
Can you blame these parents? Not after the Department of Education issues suggested post-Obama indoctrination guidelines to teachers: Have Johnny and Susie write letters to President Obama about what they can do to assist him. Not after a Utah principal apologizes, admitting she was wrong to show a video to students showing Hollywood celebrities saying, among other questionable pledges, that they promise to serve President Obama…so what’s your pledge?
Help and serve the president? The president is supposed to serve us, American citizens. The sheer verbiage, not to mention the mere idea of serving the president is enough to stir outrage.
The value of edcuation can and should be preached, not by the Commander-in-Chief, not by any level of government, but first and foremost by a youngster's parents or guardians.
To suggest that evil, right wing extremists, like those 1st Amendment-wielding free speech non-Socialist talkers on radio stations across the country influenced the wave of protest is absurd. Moms and Dads have minds of their own. The folks they complained to who have had second thoughts about this entire speechmaking scheme during school time, i.e. school administrators and school board members are hardly right-wingers. And if conservative talk show hosts had that much power and influence, John McCain would be holding White House press conferences, the First Lady would actually dress the part, and Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t be House Loudmouth.
Since the flurry of opposition, the Department of Education has scaled back on its proposed homework assignments calling for students to worship the president. We’ll never know if President Obama altered his speech in any form or fashion due to the parental uprising.
We do know that in the past, presidents have asked to speak to students without a peep of unrest. This teleprompting president shook
Obama may have pasteurized his originally planned delivery. We’ll never know. It doesn’t matter.
The president will speak, and ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, and every major newspaper in
UPDATE on 9/08/09: Planet Moron obtained the original Obama speech. HT: Dad29
This is good stuff, from All American Blogger:
“With the overwhelming amount of chatter coming from the Democrats about the uproar Americans are causing at town hall meetings, I thought it would be important to take a look at the people who were behind this attitude, this belief that the people should come before those in government and demand they listen.”
Read…
Last Friday, I heard from a reliable source that my good friend, Phil Cianciola had been let go by WTMJ-AM. I didn’t have any details so I refrained from blogging.
Phil has confirmed that he is no longer employed at WTMJ. I am extremely sorry to hear this news and quite frankly, don’t understand this decision.
I’ve known Phil for 31 years since we started working together at WUWM. I was part of the decision to hire Phil at WTMJ when management (myself included at the time) was putting together the current afternoon drive format. We chose Phil Cianciola to do the news and Len Kasper, now the Chicago Cubs TV play-by-play announcer, to provide sports.
Phil is very talented and a super guy. Like many other former WTMJ on-air personalities who were informed loyalty and hard work meant nothing, Phil will find there is, indeed, life after E. Capitol Drive.
I wish my friend, Phil, the very best and a quick return to the airwaves.
A reminder from Alderman Kristen Wilhelm:
TODAY AT
"The City of Franklin has planned an information gathering session for September 8, 2009 at the Franklin High School Library from 4 to 6 p.m. for the planned
Our outgoing (but not fast enough) tax and spend liberal governor today announced details of his plan for the KRM commuter service and bus and rail service in
He never, ever stops.
They really mean it.
This headline is priceless.
According to analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau:
"Under current law, there are five income tax brackets for single individuals, certain fiduciaries, heads of households, and married persons. The brackets are indexed for inflation. The rate of taxation under current law for the lowest bracket for single individuals, certain fiduciaries, heads of households, and married persons is 4.6 percent of taxable income; the rate for the second bracket is 6.15 percent; the rate for the third bracket is 6.5 percent; the rate for the fourth bracket is 6.75 percent; and the rate for the highest bracket, which was created in the budget bill, 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, is 7.75 percent.
Currently, the highest bracket applies to taxable income exceeding $225,000 for single individuals, certain fiduciaries, and heads of households. For married persons, the highest current bracket applies to taxable income exceeding $300,000 for joint filers and $150,000 for separate filers.
This bill creates a sixth bracket with a taxation rate of 8.75 percent. For single individuals, certain fiduciaries, and heads of households, this bracket applies to taxable income exceeding $750,000. For married persons, this bracket applies to taxable income exceeding $1,000,000 for joint filers and $500,000 for separate filers. This bracket is indexed for inflation starting with taxable year 2010, and first applies to taxable years beginning on January 1, 2009"
The public sector doesn't create private sector jobs. It kills them, by raising taxes.The Tax Foundation writes:
"Taxes matter to business. Business taxes affect business decisions, job creation and retention, plant location, competitiveness, the transparency of the tax system, and the long-term health of a state's economy. Most importantly, taxes diminish profits. If taxes take a larger portion of profits, that cost is passed along to either consumers (through higher prices), workers (through lower wages or fewer jobs), or shareholders (through lower dividends or share value). Thus a state with lower tax costs will be more attractive to business investment, and more likely to experience economic growth.
States do not enact tax changes (increases or cuts) in a vacuum. Every tax law will in some way change a state's competitive position relative to its immediate neighbors, its geographic region, and even globally. Ultimately it will affect the state's national standing as a place to live and to do business. Entrepreneurial states can take advantage of the tax increases of their neighbors to lure businesses out of high-tax states."
It might just be the most ridiculous news article of the year.
Newsweek goes to great lengths to suggest that babies can be and are racist. In fact, the magazine claims babies as young as 6 months old discriminate. As the father of a 5 ½ month old, I find such an assertion preposterous.
Just read this garbage:
“Within the past decade or so, developmental psychologists have begun a handful of longitudinal studies to determine exactly when children develop bias. Phyllis Katz, then a professor at the
How do researchers test a 6-month-old? They show babies photographs of faces. Katz found that babies will stare significantly longer at photographs of faces that are a different race from their parents, indicating they find the face out of the ordinary. Race itself has no ethnic meaning per se—but children's brains are noticing skin-color differences and trying to understand their meaning.”
And that constitutes discrimination?
Newsweek cites for evidence that children develop stereotypes at a very young age just about everything save ink blots. One study referenced interviewed only Caucasians. Yeh, that seems fair. Children ages 5-7 are asked how many “white” and how many “black” people are “curious” and “snobby.” I’m wondering how many 5-year olds today actually know the meaning of those words.
Yes, I'm sure millions of little white children can't stand this television star:
Roscoe Orman as Gordon on
And how many little white children will be turned off by this movie:
As ludicrous as this may sound, the article’s authors, a pair of sociologists, begrudgingly admit that diversity in schools has failed.
“The unfortunate twist of diverse schools is that they don't necessarily lead to more cross-race relationships. Often it's the opposite. Duke University's James Moody—an expert on how adolescents form and maintain social networks—analyzed data on more than 90,000 teenagers at 112 different schools from every region of the country. The students had been asked to name their five best male friends and their five best female friends. Moody matched the ethnicity of the student with the race of each named friend, then compared the number of each student's cross-racial friendships with the school's overall diversity.
Moody found that the more diverse the school, the more the kids self-segregate by race and ethnicity within the school, and thus the likelihood that any two kids of different races have a friendship goes down.
Moody included statistical controls for activities, sports, academic tracking, and other school-structural conditions that tend to desegregate (or segregate) students within the school. The rule still holds true: more diversity translates into more division among students. Those increased opportunities to interact are also, effectively, increased opportunities to reject each other. And that is what's happening.”
The writers call the fact that far more kids just like to hang with their own, “tragic.” I call the use of that adjective, “hyperbole.” That kids want to pal around with similar kids is natural.
“All told, the odds of a white high-schooler in
So much for the liberal view for decades that we can mandate, force, and legislate integration.
This could be the biggest laugher of this absurd piece:
“To be effective, researchers have found, conversations about race have to be explicit, in unmistakable terms that children understand. A friend of mine repeatedly told her 5-year-old son, ‘Remember, everybody's equal.’ She thought she was getting the message across. Finally, after seven months of this, her boy asked, "Mommy, what's 'equal' mean?"
A Pulitzer Prize winner, it’s not.
I hate when sports teams pour it on, especially at the high school level. There is no excuse for it
For the past 32 years, I have been the public address announcer at historic South Stadium. I have witnessed, in person over the past 44 years, well over 500 high school football games. Nothing makes me more angry then when a superior team rubs the faces of their opponents in it by attempting to make the scoreboard TILT.
This season, I’ve worked three ballgames, and already in two of them, I’ve seen questionable sportsmanship.
Remember fans, this is HIGH SCHOOL we’re talking about. It’s not college where you’re trying score to impress pollsters so you can play in a bowl game AFTER January 1. This isn’t pro football where a tiebreaker for a playoff spot might come down to total points scored. This is amateur ball with a capital “A.”
POOR SPORTSMANSHIP EXAMPLE #1
AUGUST 28, 2009,
When the halftime whistles on the field blew, Park led South 35-0. Under a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) rule, when the point differential in the 2nd half between the two teams reaches 35 points or greater, there’s a running clock that can only stop if there’s a score, a charged timeout, a severe injury, or the end of the 3rd quarter. This is a bad rule, but I’ll get into that later.
The running clock in the 2nd half of this game served its purpose. In all those 500-plus high school games I’ve seen over 44 years, I can tell you how many times I’ve seen a team that was down 35 points in the 2nd half come back to win: ZERO. This isn’t ESPN Sportscenter stuff, folks.
Park did score again making it 42-0 and had the ball near the South 10-yard line with just under two minutes to play. It was 4th down and South took a timeout to talk to the defense so they’d be prepared to make a stop and prevent further damage.
On the other sideline, I know what Park should have been discussing with its offense, plain and simple. We’re up 42-0. There’s less than 2 minutes to play. No need for another score. When the ball is snapped, the quarterback should……and here is a phrase I swear there isn’t a single high school football coach in southeastern Wisconsin knows, understands, or ever cares to call:
TAKE A F***** KNEE!
What do you think happened?
Did the Park QB take a knee?
Are you nuts?
There was a handoff up the middle. Granted, that’s almost like taking a knee, but not quite.
There’s every chance the running back squirts into the end zone and now it's 48-0.
Why? Where are you going with that? A 42-0 victory isn’t good enough for you?
South did stop the Park runner after a short gain, however, the wrong call was made by Park during the timeout. The proper call:
TAKE A F***** KNEE!
Not the most blatant example of poring it on by any stretch of the imagination. But read the title of this blog again.
POOR SPORTSMANSHIP EXAMPLE #2
SEPTEMBER 5,
Shame on the schedulers. This one should have never been booked.
Tech has a pretty decent team, as long as they don’t play anyone outside the City Conference. North is lucky to have a team.
When the North bus pulled up to historic South Stadium, out came the Blue Devil squad………all 15 of them.
Tech scored first to make it 7-0. But a highly over-matched North team came right back to make it 7-6.
And then, as expected, came the avalanche.
With two minutes to go in the first quarter, North’s QB Jabari Hill who was now playing defense got hit backwards by three Tech linemen during a simple run up the middle. Hill went down, landed flat on his back, and didn’t move. The call was made to 9-1-1, and Hill’s day was over. He suffered a neck injury, and will be fine. But now North was down to 14 players without Hill who was their everything. He could throw, he could run, he could kick, he could play defense. Suddenly, just 10 minutes into the game, he was on his way to the hospital.
Not that Tech was ever in any danger, but they went on a scoring spree. Hill’s replacement at QB for North couldn’t even take a snap properly and North was in reverse the rest of the afternoon.Tech led at halftime 51-6. Cue the running clock.
If common sense ruled high school football instead of the WIAA and macho high school coaches who have watched too much Sunday football on TV, the game would have been over. Good afternoon, everyone. Sayonara. Buenos Dias.
But the game continues with a deflated North team that has given up and a Tech team with its starters still playing, trying to score more.
We're now in the 3rd quarter, and Tech coaches with headsets sitting next to me and the official timer (and believe me, despite what I’m about to say, the coaches are not bad guys) are absolutely giddy as the scoreboard reads 64-6.
One of them looks over at us and says, grinning from ear to ear, “Do you think we could score 100?”
I was not smiling. He asked. I answered with my own question.
“You can't be serious, are you?”
The coach was incredulous.
“Well what are we supposed to do? Take a bunch of knees?"
Before I could say,
YES!
YES!
YES!
My partner in the press box, the official timer, Bob Wanek who has worked as the official timer for the Milwaukee Bucks for decades said, ”Well, now that you mention it, sounds like a great idea.”
Of course, this sensible idea is fapparently foreign to any high school football coach in our area.
At the start of the 4th quarter, at the request of the North coach, the clock was not to stop FOR ANY REASON.
Had I been the North coach, here’s what I would have done at the halftime whistle. I would have run across the field and encountered the Tech coach and challenged him right there on the spot.
“Look Coach. At the start of the 2nd half, if I see so much as one of your starters in the game on offense, I am pulling my team off the field and we are out of here and we are not coming back."
I would have told the referees the same thing. What is MPS going to do? Fine the guy. There was no need on a sunny, hot afternoon to call 9-1-1 again.
This confrontation, of course, didn’t take place. Tech won 70-6 (hope they were proud of themselves). In 44 years of watching football at historic South Stadium, including phenomenal Tech teams in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, I never saw a team score 70 points until this past Saturday.
Thankfully, there were no more calls to Bell Ambulance and no fisticuffs on the gridiron.
Now, in spite of all of this, why do I say the running clock rule is a bad one? Because it’s shortsighted.
The running clock doesn’t come into play until the 2nd half. It should be enforced no matter when the point spread becomes 35 points or more, whether it be the first or second quarter. Why wait till the 2nd half. Believe me, that ballgame is history.
Unfortunately, the WIAA in its lack of wisdom will take years to figure this one out.
From the MacIver Institute:
For Immediate Release For further information, contact: Brian Fraley
September 9, 2008 414-339-4368
Congressman Sensenbrenner Previews Obama’s Congressional Address:
Wonders if President “has already lost the debate with the American People”
[
“He decided to address Congress rather than addressing the American people from the Oval Office and maybe that’s because his handlers have decided he has already lost the debate with the American people,” Sensenbrenner (R-WI 05) says in an online video interview with the MacIver Institute.
In the four-minute video, available online at www.MacIverInstitute.com, the 16-term Republican member of Congress previews tonight’s Presidential Address and says the health care bill was sidetracked because it was drafted by and for the most liberal elements of Congress.
“It was kind of like Barack Obama signing a blank check to the ultra liberal Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives and now that check is coming up NSF,” Sensenbrenner says.
Sensenbrenner believes the August recess may have helped derail the original proposal.
“The fact is, is that because (Speaker of the House) Pelosi was not able to jam the Obama health plan through the Congress before the August recess, this is the first major bill this year that the people have a chance to read and understand—and they don’t like it,” Sensenbrenner says.
The Congressman says the more people find out about the details of what he calls Obamacare, the less attractive the plan becomes.
“The first big cut they’ve proposed is absolutely decimating Medicare Advantage programs,” Sensenbrenner warns Seniors. “I hope they are paying attention.”
The interview, conducted in Sensenbrenner’s district office in
Ann Compton has covered the White House for ABC News for many, many years.

Tonight, while driving home from a soccer game, I flipped on WTMJ to hear the president's speech to Congress just in time to hear
"What must the world be thinking as they see these two men, who are trying to kill the president's plan, walking elbow to elbow with him," said
My God, woman. Get a grip, will ya!
![]() |
||
|
September 9, 2009 • Vol. VI, No. 37
|
|
"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom." —Thomas Jefferson |
|
|
Obama and the Bureaucratization Writing in the New York Times last month, President Barack Obama asked that Americans "talk with one another, and not over one another" as our health-care debate moves forward. I couldn't agree more. Let's engage the other side's arguments, and let's allow Americans to decide for themselves whether the Democrats' health-care proposals should become governing law. Some 45 years ago Ronald Reagan said that "no one in this country should be denied medical care because of a lack of funds." Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we stand with the weakest among us. MORE> |
Obama’s False Witness |
|
The Revolt of the Masses |
The Town Halls of August; They're here, they're conservative, get used to it. It had been a rough month by the time 67-year-old Bert Stead of Redding, Calif., stepped to the microphone at an August 18 town hall meeting with Republican representative Wally Herger. It was about to get rougher. Dissent, formerly the highest form of patriotism, had suffered a precipitous decline in repute since the beginning of the Obama administration, a decline that in August deepened into a nosedive. Stead and the thousands of other Obamacare critics flooding town halls to make their dissent known had been called "extremist mobs" by the Democratic National Committee, pawns of the insurance industry by Senator Dick Durbin, "un-American" by Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, "brownshirts" by Representative Brian Baird of Washington, "manufactured" and "Astroturf" by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, "evilmongers" by Senator Harry Reid, accused of "fear-mongering" by the president, and been deemed "political terrorists" by Representative Baron Hill of Indiana MORE> |
|
Teacher Tenure Must Go |
What Health Care Crisis President Jimmy Carter once sent a note to an adviser extolling the importance of crisis to leadership. "When a president has authority to act unilaterally (as in a crisis), his leadership can be exerted. Otherwise, compromise, delay and confusion are more likely. It's our system. I like it." Politicians, like the rest of us, are often victims of their wishes. Carter was eventually smacked by the waves of crisis he sought to ride. But encouraging a sense of crisis is a traditional tool of executive leadership. And using a joint session of Congress to address a single domestic issue is the most dramatic expression of this approach. MORE> |
|
Obama and the Bureaucratization Writing in the New York Times last month, President Barack Obama asked that Americans "talk with one another, and not over one another" as our health-care debate moves forward. I couldn't agree more. Let's engage the other side's arguments, and let's allow Americans to decide for themselves whether the Democrats' health-care proposals should become governing law. Some 45 years ago Ronald Reagan said that "no one in this country should be denied medical care because of a lack of funds." Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we stand with the weakest among us. MORE> |
Let's Fix What's Broken; The health care debate truly came alive in August. Over the past two weeks, my employers – the residents of Wisconsin’s First Congressional District – demonstrated a remarkable level of engagement on this critical issue, along with considerable respect for all sides of the debate. I want to thank the thousands of Wisconsinites who shared their views with me at one of my health care listening sessions throughout Southern Wisconsin. When Congress reconvenes next week, I will bring with me a message made clear at each of my listening sessions: let’s fix what’s broken in health care; not break what’s working. MORE> |
|
The U.S. Won’t Secure a The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to move several hundred Border Patrol agents away from the U.S.-Mexico border and will not secure a single additional mile of the U.S. border in fiscal 2010, according to the department’s annual performance report. |
Dem shell game will be GOP's gain When the Democratic agenda stalled in July and it became clear that Congress would not vote on health care reform before the August recess, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asserted that she was “not afraid of August. It’s just a month.” As Congress returns from recess this week, Pelosi and the Democratic leadership will be greeted by anxious members who got an earful from voters at town hall meetings. Far from the optimism Democrats felt after the past election, they are singing the old Hank Williams tune, “The roses have faded, there’s frost at my door. The birds in the morning don’t sing anymore.” MORE> |
|
Obama should have owned Greendale |
Liberal Lies About National Health Care: Third in a Series Hey -- I have an idea: How about we make everyone in America a multimillionaire by pulling Bernie Madoff out of prison and asking him to invest all our money! Both Medicare and Bernie Madoff's investment portfolio are bankrupt because they operate on a similar financial model known as a "Ponzi scheme." These always seem to run fabulously well -- until the money runs out. Not only is Medicare bankrupt, but it is extremely limited in whom and what it covers. If Medicare were a private insurer, it would be illegal in many states for failing to cover hearing aids, podiatry, acupuncture, chiropractic care, marriage counseling, aromatherapy and gender reassignment surgery. MORE> |
|
Tea Partiers Take Protests to Washington The armies of "tea party" conservatives who packed town-hall meetings last month to oppose President's Obama's $1 trillion government healthcare plan are bringing their protest movement to the Capitol Saturday to urge its defeat. Those who thought the hundreds of April 15 tax-day rallies across the country were a flash-in-the-pan phenomenon had better think again. It is a grassroots movement that has been gathering strength ever since, fueled anew by pending bills in Congress to enact a historic expansion of the government's power over the nation's private healthcare system. |
|
Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin
1126 South 70th Street | Suite S219A | Milwaukee | WI | 53146
© 2009 AFP-Wisconsin
By Jennifer Fischer, mother of little angel, Kyla
In the days following Kyla’s birth, Kevin and I relived and retold her story countless times. Fortunately for us, we had many people who wanted to hear everything that happened from the moment we entered the hospital. We never tired of talking about those special hours.
I really did have an incredibly easy pregnancy… No cravings. No aversions. No morning sickness. No preeclampsia. No gestational diabetes. No edema. Just nine sweet months of anticipation and a growing belly. I just couldn’t wait to meet this precious face:

In every recount of that blessed March 25th, I would always say that if I could guarantee that each subsequent pregnancy and delivery would match the perfection of having Kyla, I would gladly have twelve more children. (If Kevin was in earshot that would be the time he would either gasp or make some crazy comment.)
The first month of adjusting to parenthood is almost a complete sleepless blur. I remember the utter exhaustion. I remember thinking to myself, “Kevin and I will never EVER have another uninterrupted meal together.” I remember many days when my morning shower was taken around 3:00 pm. I also remember my foolish desire to have twins.
Quite often I would wonder how do parents of many children “survive?” The only side effect, if you will, of my pregnancy was extreme exhaustion during my first and third trimesters. I would come home from work, take a nap, eat dinner and go to bed. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if I had a toddler and school-ager to take care of at the same time. I had the pure luxury of just being able to go to bed whenever I wanted.
So, this whole concept of pregnancy addiction, or being a Bumpaholic, seemed pretty extreme to me. While I am only a mother of one child, my thoughts and feelings are much more aligned with Meagan Francis and Robin Elise Weiss.
Gee, I guess all those wonderful families I see every Sunday at St. Anthony’s are just addicts… replacing having children for other vices like drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Yep, those kids just fill a void. They aren’t wanted or planned for or welcomed or loved. If I’d ask any mom of any of those large families how they feel about the concept of “bumpaholism” I can only begin to imagine their responses!
From the National Right to Life Committee:
For immediate release: For more information:
Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 9:30pm Derrick Jones (202) 423-339 (mobile)
OBAMA PERPETUATES ABORTION FUNDING MYTH
IN JOINT SESSION ADDRESS
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, commented: "Barack Obama needs to learn that the mere repetition of a verbal formula does not change reality. The reality is that the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize subsidies for private abortion insurance -- and all with federal dollars, which are the only kind of dollars that the federal government can spend."
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) last week released definitive memoranda that demonstrate that (1) the "Hyde Amendment" would not apply to the new programs that would be created by the Obama-backed health bill, H.R. 3200, and (2) that all of the funds that would be spent on elective abortions under the bill, and all of the funds that would be spent to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion, would be "federal funds" in both the legal sense and in the sense in which those terms are used throughout the government.
"The claim that a federal agency would be spending private funds on abortion, not federal funds, is absurd on its face, a political hoax," Johnson said.
To read a September 8 NRLC media advisory that summarizes these issues, click here. The advisory contains links to the detailed memoranda that disprove the "Hyde Amendment myth" and the "government will spend private funds on abortions myth."
The National Right to Life Committee, the nation's largest pro-life group is a federation of affiliates in all 50 states and 3,000 local chapters nationwide.
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) was absolutely right Wednesday night...
But he was still out of line.
![]() |
|
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Bob Delaporte 608-698-9294 |
|
|
| Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org | |
The spin from the left regarding this week’s mega-photo op by the president as he interrupted classrooms of valuable school time to tell students school time is important is that the speech was harmless. What could possibly go wrong with our trusted educators in charge, overseeing the event and subsequent discussion?
A This Just In reader who has a child in one of the
In the case of the
During one of the classes, a teacher got upset and tore into a student who said that “Obama over-promises” in his speeches. Never mind that he student’s observation happened to be true, one shared by Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard. The teacher went off on the poor young man, making the class rather uncomfortable for everyone.
In the second class, my reader’s child gave the view that the speech was appropriately excluded from the day’s calendar because the
Another student, who happens to be black, immediately objected to that opinion. He pulled out the quick and easy debate card, calling his fellow student a racist. “White folks,” he asserted simply can’t stand having a black man as president.
No teacher intervention or outrage here. No attempt to reprimand the student’s name-calling, no call for an apology.
Your public schools in action.
Worry about the president speaking to our kids? Nonsense. What could possibly go wrong?
Republican Joe Wilson heckled President Obama last night.
He was wrong.
He knows it.
He apologized.
That's not enough for the warm, fuzzy, compassionate lefties. They probably won't be happy until
Hot Air points out apoplectic Democrats have nothing to get bent out of shape about.
And when it comes to lack of decorum, I could elaborate about the antics of Tim Carpenter and Gwen Moore on the floor of the Wisconsin Senate. But I won't.
To Fox.
He will have a weekly program on business, consumer, and libertarian issues and will appear regularly on Fox News.
The award-winning Stossel spent 28 years at ABC. Here is one of my favorite Stossel pieces.
From Americans For Prosperity:
Last night from our Americans for Prosperity "Hands Off My Health Care" town hall meeting at the Raleigh fairgrounds, I watched along with 1,100 activists as the President declared he has basically saved our economy since coming into office in January.
By "saved," the President means passing the $1-trillion "stimulus" bill in the spring that drove our debt through the roof while wasting money on boondoggles across the nation.
The President's self-congratulatory rhetoric was stunning when our unemployment is creeping toward 10%, budget deficits are the biggest in American history and our national debt is through the roof.
Sadly, the President then went on to repeat many of the same falsehoods that he has used for months in the health care debate. First, he declared that the Washington health care takeover will not change in any way the health care coverage of the 85% of Americans who currently like their health care. Most Americans know better.
Then, he once again attacked the millions of Americans like you and me who have attended town hall meetings, rallies, and tea parties to defend their health care and oppose the Washington takeover.

AFP activists telling President Obama Hands Off My Health Care
Next, the President stated - with a straight face - that his health care takeover will not increase the budget deficit a single penny! The crowd in Raleigh literally roared with laughter at this line, and I suspect most Americans know the truth - that's one reason we're winning.
President Obama said businesses would be required to "chip in to help cover the cost of their workers," a clever way of saying he supports a punitive payroll tax for health care. Does that mean he supports the 8 percent payroll tax included in H.R. 3200? That's a huge job-killer at a time our economy can least afford it.
The President stated that his "public option" - aka the government-run insurance plan - will not harm the private insurance that literally tens of millions of Americans enjoy. But we have seen him on video giving speeches where he details his vision of everyone relying on government health insurance. Click HERE for video.
The President did acknowledge the need for tort reform to get rid of frivolous lawsuits. However instead of putting this reform in the health care bill President Obama placed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - a former lobbyist for trial lawyers - in charge of such reforms.
There's so much more, but you get the idea.
I've got a request for you. The President and his friends are counting on this speech being a game changer. It's not. But TODAY, you need to tell your member of Congress that the President's speech has not changed your mind. Act now.
The bottom line is this: despite a rousing summer when your grassroots activism captured the imagination of the American people and slowed the momentum for the Washington health care takeover, we face a September, October and potentially November where the future of our health care is in doubt.
President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and the entire big government side is counting on you and me losing interest or growing weary of the fight.
We can't let that happen. This Saturday's 9/12 "Taxpayer March on Washington" is crucial and I hope to see you there. We'll have both our Patients First "Hands Off My Health Care" buses cruising the streets around the Capitol.
Then, we've got to keep the pressure on these Senators and Representatives throughout the fall.
At our rally in Goldsboro yesterday afternoon (just before the big town hall in Raleigh), a lady named Janet walked up to me. Her son is a special needs child and she told me their family's story of struggle and achievement - it was inspiring. But, Janet knows what is at stake for her precious child if we lose this battle over health care, and that's why she took time from a busy day to attend the rally and fight the good fight.
In the decisive weeks and months to come, let's make the same commitment.
Sincerely,

Tim Phillips
PS: Please let your Senator or member of Congress know that President Obama's speech has not changed your position one bit. Today please call or e-mail because it's important for Washington to get the message--the President's speech changes nothing.
Here are the topics we discuss Friday night at 6:30 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00 on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10:
1 – OBAMA HEALTH CARE SPEECH.
In his speech to congress, did Obama gain any ground in his effort to come up with some sort of a universal health plan? Was he able to persuade lawmakers? The public? Or, was it just one big hour long public relations effort? Did he help his image and his presidency? How about the outburst by the
2 – 9-11 ANNIVERSARY.
Does it seem like eight years have passed since the attack on
3 – SERIAL KILLER.
Some tremendous police work and forensic technology leads to the arrest of a guy suspected of being connected to the murders of at least nine women over a twenty year period? Is it just as amazing that he could go this long without being caught? Is the fact that most of the women were drug addicts or prostitutes make you wonder if the department was lax in investigating these cases over the years?
4 – MERCURY MARINE TAX.
Now that all is said and done, did everything turn out well for both Mercury Marine and

Some people actually want us to. We can never allow that to happen.
Here’s my blog on the subject from 2007, still timely today.
It’s a shame John Wayne isn’t alive today to portray Rick Rescorla, one of the remarkable heroes of 9/11.
On September 11, 2007, I filled in for Vicki McKenna on WISN and read portions of an outstanding column about Rescorla.
This site has the column in its entirety. It is a lengthy, but incredible piece, and highly recommended reading.
Architect Minoru Yamasaki said of his best-known creation, "The World Trade Center should, because of its importance, become a living representation of man's belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his belief in the cooperation of men, and through this cooperation his ability to find greatness." Photo: Marvin Newman/Woodfin Camp & Associates
September 11, 2001


The South Tower Collapses
In a 2,000-degree inferno, the tower crumples and crashes to the ground at 9:55 am. Minutes later, at 10:29 am, the north tower collapses.

On the Run
Downtown office workers flee the clouds of smoke that swirled through the streets of lower Manhattan when the towers crumbled.

Eyes were on the downtown skyline all day. The scene above was shot from New Jersey.
All photos: AP
The extended version.....
Someone at the state Capitol thought it was a great idea to test the government building’s fire alarms. Today, of course, is the 8th anniversary of 9/11.
The tests were conducted on and off between 6:30 and 7:00 this morning when most, but not all employees had still not arrived for work. I’m told one agency female worker was on the Capitol lawn in tears, fearful of an impending disaster.
Whoever made this call will, no doubt, get a promotion.
From the, “I kid you not” file…
State Representatives Gary Hebl and Amy Sue Vruwink, both Democrats, have sent the following out to all legislators asking for support of legislation they intend to introduce:
“This bill honors
L. lactis is the microbe chiefly responsible for the production of Cheddar and Colby cheeses as well as various other dairy products. The use of this microbe as the principal starter culture by
Additionally, adding a State Microbe to the list of official state symbols will create an educational opportunity for youths to be exposed to the importance of biotechnology in our state, further encouraging our students to pursue degrees in high-demand, high-tech fields.”
Gotta love those high priorities.
The shortened work week made the rest fly by, didn't it?
Beautiful weather. Footballs are flying. Baseball races are getting very interesting. And This Just in is about to luanch another series of weekend features.
It all starts tonight as we present our musical Goodnight segment.With days getting shorter, we'll get into our smooth stuff a little earlier. Tonight, it's an absolute festival.
Wake up to The Barking Lot Saturday. Our DOGS IN THE NEWS portion will feature these beauties:

And these beauties, too...

The story involving the young ladies just might be my favorite in DOGS IN THE NEWS, and honestly, it has nothing to do with what they are or aren't wearing.
LOOK OUT!
INCOMING!
Uhh, Jennifer, I think you dropped your flower pot.
Then it's Week-ends, our weekly week in review.
This gentleman will get a mention....

But in which category?
And what's this woman's story?

Don't forget Recommended Reading on Saturday, great op-ed's and articles from the past week.
Sunday, it's the MJS Scorecard. The Crossroads page at the MJS has gotten out of hand, trending far to the left (Shocker, I know). Let's see if the pattern continues.
Also Sunday, My most popular blogs, Culinary no-no, and Photos of the Week. Here's a shot that did NOT hit the editing floor:

I will refrain from further comment and just say thanks for stopping by this weekend!
It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In.
The weekend has finally arrived.
The sun has set.
The evening sky has erupted.
Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday….and this week, Monday.
Tonight, it's festival time.
One of the best annual musical events in our area is taking place right now in West Bend.
Back in 1998, some West Bend Rotarians were sitting around a fireplace and came up with the idea of holding an outdoor, high quality jazz festival with nationally known artists somewhere in West Bend's park system. Later that year, on September 11 and 12, the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival debuted and has returned every year, including this weekend at Riverside Park.
Proceeds go to charity. The festival has generated nearly $335,000 to charitable groups in southeastern
If you're not fortunate enough to have tickets, not to worry. We'll highlight some of the festival headliners. Our first artist appeared at the very first Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival and is a fascinating story.
As a young boy, Craig Chaquico’s dream was to be an entertainer: a singing cowboy. When he was 10, he started playing acoustic guitar. That instrument would shape his life and career.
At the age of 12, while out on a drive with his family, the car was struck by a drunk driver. Chaquico and his parents survived but Craig incurred two broken wrists, a broken thumb, a triple fracture of one leg, and a cerebral hemorrhage that left the young boy unconscious for three days.
Because he couldn’t return to school for three months, Chaquico, having to deal with wheelchairs, crutches and corrective shoes, turned to the guitar to get through his rough days. His doctor welcomed the strumming as a form of therapy.
With his arms in casts, Chaquico wrote his first composition at the age of 12, “"E-lizabeth's Song," named after a helpful doctor. When he fully recovered, Chaquico’s father gave him a gift of an electric guitar.
Incredibly, after completing high school, Chaquico, who played professionally in a

Chaquico stayed with the group through its name change to Starship all the way to 1990 when the band dissolved, 13 gold and platinum albums later.

A solo career was next. Chaquico is still recording and touring, and is heavily involved with the National Association of Music Therapy.
Listen to his popular,"Cafe Carnival."

Our next artist was born in
He had to give up the saxophone for a year in college in order to keep up his studies and grades, being a physics student at the
Warren Hill has been a smooth jazz star for years. He, too, is at the festival tonight. I’m sure he'll perform this one….

The headliner at tonight’s festival: The Rippingtons. They’ve been around since 1986 and have featured such stars in the band as Kenny G, David Benoit, and Gregg Karukas. Their album, “moonlighting” was judged by Jazziz magazine to be the #1 Most Influential Contemporary Jazz Album of all time.


Saturday at the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival: Davina and the Vagabonds, Najee, Joyce Cooling, and Walter Beasley.
That’s it for tonight.
Sleep well.
Have a great weekend.
We close with one of the festival performers from Saturday, Joyce Cooling (video shot in San Francisco).


The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me. It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Dense fog advisory until 9 a.m., then lots of sunshine. High of 75. "A"
SUNDAY: Mainly sunny skies. High of 77. "A"
Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:
Kevin often says that stupidity is not illegal and if it were, the jails would be overflowing. I can’t help but agree, especially when it comes to pet owners and parents of children, not necessarily in that order.
I honestly don’t know what happens to some people when they adopt a pet or have a child. They just lose the grey matter in between their ears. (A similar phenomenon occurs when people go on vacation, especially to Disney. But that is for another blog.)
A remarkable and appalling example of glaring ignorance is any legislation mandating day care vans install sirens to warm them of children on board.
This campaign could come in as a close second in the Moron Hall of Fame.
Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see a helpless dog die in a hot car any more than I want to see a day care driver leave a child in a van. It just sickens and saddens me to think we actually need to REMIND people that it’s not a good idea to leave dogs and babies in hot, closed vehicles.
Quite frankly if I had my way there would be one, and only one, punishment for either crime. The thoughtless boob would be sentenced to spend the same amount of time in a vehicle under the same exact conditions. Case closed.
---Jennifer Fischer
Thanks, Jennifer. If they're going to engage in this kind of campaign, I'd love to see a similar effort for small children and the idiots who have no business being entrusted with their care if they can't remember their precious cargo in the back seat.
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Here's a related story to Jennifer's above blog. A police dog handler couldn't show up for his court appearance after he left two German shepherds in a car to die. Here's why.
Dognappings in San Francisco...
Deputy shoots two pit bulls after they kill his terrier.
The recession bites: More stray dogs.
A
Poor Heidi Fleiss. All she wants to do is take care of dogs.
Let's say your dog gets lost. You put out a reward. Then someone finds your dog and returns it. Now you refuse to pay. What in this day and age do you think is going to happen?
Loud dogs may draw fines in
Are dog strollers cool or not?
Singer provides this defense for dyeing her dog.
Let's get to the good news! We remember the rescue dogs at the
After an 8-year delay, VA looks to begin service dog program.
Let's visit the Wounded Warriors barracks.
Dogs can assist those with PTSD.
There's new hope in the war against dog cancer.
Make way. Here comes the Rescue Waggin'.
Mambo is a miracle dog. This survivor will now meet the people who tried to torture him in court (NOTE: Article contains graphic photo).
Barking
Child goes after dog, child gets lost, child gets found. What happened to the dog?
The "Dog Whisperer" is launching a new magazine.
This blogger has data on how much your pet actually costs. Before you click the link, try to guess what your dog or cat is setting you back.
Meet the world's most expensive dog.
Wow. Dog abuser Michael Vick tells students not to run with the wrong crowd.
And this could be my favorite dog story of the week.
Actually it gets even better.
In an ad in the Washington Post, Main Line Animal Rescue pledges five bags of dog food donated to shelters for every tackle of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.
I love it!
Sack Vick's a***!!!!
Thank you for stopping by The Barking Lot this week.
We finish with our closing video: A blind dog gets rescued from a cave.
"Defendant was offended by the manner of Mr. Pouillon's message," said
The story...
I received more details in an e-mail from the Missionaries to the Preborn:
Missionaries to the Preborn
September 11th, 2009
We have learned that Jim Pouillon was actually holding a LIFE sign (see picture below) when he was gunned down. That picture is actually of my son Jeremiah when he was only four weeks old. It was taken back in February of 1993. The picture has been used around the world by pro-lifers.
Below also we have a picture of the crime scene. You can see Jim's oxygen tank laying on the ground.
News story below.
http://detnews.com/article/20090911/METRO/909110400/Police-seek-search-warrants-for-Owosso-shooting-suspect
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/antiabortion_activist_shot_in.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/owosso_antiabortion_activists.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/neighbors_lament_death_of_anti.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/homicide_victim_james_pouillon.html
defendbabies@missionariestopreborn.com
Jim was 63. Please pray for his family.

The crime scene. You can see Jim's oxygen tank and the sign on the ground.
Pastor Matt Trewhella
Missionaries to the Preborn
phone 414-462-3399
A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Franklin Police Officer Jason Fincel
9/11 volunteers
Phil Kelly
Ron Stout
Pamela Burnett
Tammy Duckworth
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
The Coast Guard
Harlan Drake
ACORN
Local day care operators
Wisconsin unemployment phone line
French teacher
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson shouting at President Obama during his speech to a joint session of Congress.
"He is a very even-keel and calm person. My dad never gets upset. Dad's emotions got the better of him. ... I'm proud of my father for apologizing for the venue he voiced his opposition. I'm also proud of him for calling the president out.”
Joe Wilson’s eldest son, Alan Wilson
“Really? If this is the worst
Move along, folks. We have much more important things to do than worry about 1/435th of Congress being a loud mouth. Priorities, people.”
A comment left on a
"I think the President achieved what he wanted to achieve, which is to stop the bleeding from the Democratic conference and make sure he doesn't lose any more votes after people got an earful from their constituents in August. I think the President stopped the bleeding from his caucus because, as we came back from August, there was talk of a lot of Democrats really bailing from this plan, and I think the President did a good job in really shoring up his caucus. That's why this speech was more partisan, more intended to speak to Democrats in Congress than to reaching out to Republicans."
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan’s reaction to the president’s speech on health care
“I was incredibly disappointed in the tone of his speech. At times, I found his tone to be overly combative and believe he behaved in a manner beneath the dignity of the office. I fear his speech tonight has made it more difficult — not less — to find common ground. He appeared to be angry at his critics and disappointed the American people were not buying the proposals he has been selling. ... If the Obama administration and congressional Democrats go down this path and push a bill on the American people they do not want, it could be the beginning of the end of the Obama presidency."
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
“If we can't do this with Democrats in the majority of both houses and a Democratic governor, I have to say we don't have the right to be in the majority in either house.”
State Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) on legislation calling for public financing of Supreme Court campaigns
“Rather than spending $50 million on new trains, Governor Doyle should have placed a higher priority on
State Representative Robin Vos (R-Caledonia) saying that the sales tax increase proposal to fund transit is unaffordable for families.
“After weeks of intense discussions and completion of the voting process, we accept the union’s ratification of our contract proposal.”
Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine, after the union workers at the company's
“If we can't match their courage by taking action to support the entire community, there will be cheering in
Fond du Lac County Supervisor Judy Goldsmith commending Mercury union members before a vote to establish a first-ever county sales tax to support a $50 million low-interest loan to the company. Mercury Marine officials have indicated their plans to close the Stillwater plant and move jobs to Fond du Lac
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gives a nutjob exposure and publicity one day after the eighth anniversary of 9/11.
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
GOP alternative health care plans ignored

STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
A new way to get out of traffic tickets
Cricket spitting event in Wisconsin a hit.
Runner rumored to have internal male sex organs.
REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.
Matt Trewhella of the Missionaries of the Preborn points out the difference between the media coverage of the murder of abortionist George Tiller and the murder of pro-life activist Jim Pouillon:
“One cannot help but notice the disparity between the volume of press coverage and the tone of the press coverage between Tiller's shooting and the shooting of Jim. We hope to do an analysis of the volume coverage difference. Clearly Tiller's shooting received far more coverage, not even close. Also the tone is despicably noticeable. When Tiller was shot he was painted as perhaps the most saintly fellow who ever lived, while Jim has been painted as a controversial figure. All studies ever done show that at least 90% of those in journalism are pro-abortion in their personal views. It clearly comes out in their reporting. The man who actually murders the babies is painted as a saint, while the man who exposes their killing is painted as controversial.
And what? No comments from our President warning how this will not be tolerated like when Tiller was shot?”
Here’s more from Trewhella who is following this story closely:
September 12th, 2009
Law enforcement authorities have now made it public that Jim Pouillon was in fact murdered specifically because of his displaying pro-life signs on the streets. The Detroit News reported this morning, "Harlan James Drake, 33, confessed to shooting 63-year-old activist James Pouillon because of the larger-than-life photographs of mutilated fetuses Pouillon was setting up to display Friday morning in front of Owosso High School, authorities said."
The
The Detroit News reported, "We believe Mr. Drake was not happy with the way Mr. Pouillon was protesting," said Chief Shiawassee County Assistant Prosecutor Sara Edwards. "Mr. Drake did not believe children should view the graphic material on the signs Mr. Pouillon carried," said Police Chief Michael Compeau.
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting, "A man carrying grudges against several people set off on a shooting spree Friday morning, authorities said, killing an abortion protester outside a high school because he didn't like the activist holding a sign with graphic images of a fetus in front of students."
CNN is reporting, "Authorities say the suspect, Harlan James Drake, was offended by anti-abortion material that the activist had displayed across from the school all week."
We could go on and on. He was murdered because of his faithful service to Christ on behalf of his preborn neighbor.
Why Jim Displayed the Signs
Sadly, none of these stories say WHY Jim used the photographs which he did. Jim used the graphic photographs of hte murdered preborn because he believed that if the killing of the preborn through abortion is public policy in
Jim was faithful in this effort. Several of the news stories carry a quote from a man who sued Jim to make him stop showing the signs. He even had praise for Jim's character. The man, Tony Young, a Chevrolet dealership owner, said "His dedication to his cause was unprecedented." As for Jim Pouillon himself, he summed up his efforts by simply saying, as one news story reported, "I'm trying to do for the babies what the Lord did for me."
Regarding the sign Jim was holding when he was shot. We reported to you yesterday that it was the LIFE sign of my son Jeremiah that Jim was holding. We did so because early reports said this was the sign laying on the ground, and in fact when looking at the crime-scene photo, you could see it was the sign laying on the ground. The sign, however, we learned last night, also had a Malachi photo (picture of an aborted baby) on the other side. We do not know for sure which sign was facing outward, but if we go by the picture of the police (see below) putting the bullet trajectory rods through the sign, it appears he was displaying the photo of Malachi (the aborted baby).
The Press
One cannot help but notice the disparity between the volume of press coverage and the tone of the press coverage between Tiller's shooting and the shooting of Jim. We hope to do an analysis of the volume coverage difference. Clearly Tiller's shooting received far more coverage, not even close. Also the tone is despicably noticeable. When Tiller was shot he was painted as perhaps the most saintly fellow who ever lived, while Jim has been painted as a controversial figure. All studies ever done show that at least 90% of those in journalism are pro-abortion in their personal views. It clearly comes out in their reporting. The man who actually murders the babies is painted as a saint, while the man who exposes their killing is painted as controversial.
And what? No comments from our President warning how this will not be tolerated like when Tiller was shot?
Profile in Courage
I knew Jim Pouillon as a man who first and foremost loved Jesus. He talked of Him often. He was an everyday part of Jim's conversation. Because of His love for the Lord, Jim did not fear man, nor what man (even the ministers) thought of him. Jim often stood alone in speaking up for his preborn neighbor. Last year for example, when Obama came to Flint, Michigan to speak, Jim packed up his photograph and went and stood alone (he could find no one else to go with him) outside the arena to speak up for the preborn and inform the people that Obama supported their killing. I do not know many men who would do that. He was brave because of Christ in him.
|
Links to stories: Local story - looks at Jim's life from a personal level: Good interesting account of this story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32809907/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/ More about this story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/11/michigan.shooting/index.html A step by step eyewitness account of the shooting: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/owosso_high_school_student_wit.html The heaviest volume in the entire 13 year history of the Flint Journal website over this story. http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/owosso_shooting_generates_heav.html Local television news coverage of this story (ABC, FOX) http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/09/local_television_coverage_of_t.html |
|
Pastor Matt Trewhella Missionaries to the Preborn |
Worse than that state microbe nonsense?
Oh, yes, believe me.
State Representatives Phil Garthwaite and Amy Sue Vruwink, both Democrats have sent the following notice out to their colleagues, seeking support for their legislation:
“As we enter this year’s annual flu season we face a pandemic threat from the novel H1N1 flu virus. This virus has commonly been referred to as ‘Swine Flu’. This label wrongly links a potentially deadly illness with pork products. The
This Assembly Joint Resolution calls on state agencies, their representatives, and all private media outlets to cease using the term ‘Swine Flu’ and further urges them to use the term ‘2009 H1N1 Influenza’ in its place. The language used in this resolution mirrors public statements issued by several governmental and non-governmental organizations including the CDC and the World Health Organization. I hope that by passing this AJR we can raise awareness as to the real dangers of this year’s seasonal flu, and at the same time protect our state’s agricultural base.
I would ask all Representatives and Senators to please consider co-sponsoring this resolution. I anticipate that it will be before the entire Assembly for a vote on passage as soon as Thursday September 17, 2009. Please call my office at 608-266-1170 if you wish to support this effort.
Thank you in advance for your help in protecting a vital
Rep. Phil Garthwaite
49th Assembly District
(608) 266-1170
(888) 872-0049
That’s your state Democrat Party in power, folks.
Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).
In defense of Joe Wilson
“The notion that dissent, temperately voiced, was in principle out of place seems to me odd. This wasn’t a church service. It wasn’t a ceremonial occasion to celebrate some event inspiring or requiring national unity. It was a highly political address about a passionately contentious topic.”
New York Times Is Wrong, Wilson Right on Illegal Immigrants
“The national media omits two important details: 1) that a non-partisan study earlier this year backed up Wilson’s conclusion hat the Obama health care measure (H.R. 3200) does, in fact, cover illegal immigrants, and 2) that Wilson was correct when he told HUMAN EVENTS a day after his outburst that Republican attempts to amend the measure to deny benefits for illegal immigrants were thwarted in two key House committees.”
An unnecessary operation
“More than 270 million Americans (I'm including kids) are reasonably happy with the system of medical care in this country. One reason is the availability of first-rate care almost everywhere, day or night. But there's a more important reason: If you have a serious ailment, your chances of survival are better when treated in
Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care
“Common sense tells us that the government's attempts to solve large problems more often create new ones. Common sense also tells us that a top-down, one-size-fits-all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for one-sixth of our economy. And common sense tells us to be skeptical when President Obama promises that the Democrats' proposals ‘will provide more stability and security to every American’."
Liberals Drunken Joy Ride and America’s Moment of Clarity
“Good government is like a good boyfriend/girlfriend, good acting, good management, even good clowning - it’s easy to take for granted… unless you’ve had the bad version. If your head is full of goo- goo fantasies, reality has trouble competing. Sometimes trial and error is necessary. The sexy James Dean type who sits in front of you in history class might prove a distraction until you actually go out with him and find out his biggest ambition is to go to Amsterdam for the Hemp fest, or he’s a flake, or generally just not as interesting as he seemed…”
Is America coming apart?
“Obama’s actual speech proved about as controversial as a Nancy Reagan appeal to eighth-graders to ‘Just say no!’ to drugs. Yet, the episode reveals the poisoned character of our politics.
When Should "a Thousand Words" Give Way to Silence?
“Incidents such as this, where the media puts its own agenda (be it personal, professional or political) ahead of the respectful treatment each of us would expect if this was a member of our family, are why so many of us are skeptical of what is reported in newspapers, online and on television.”
Higher taxes are coming. Are you prepared?
“Taxes are going up. The only questions are when, how much, and for whom?”
Demasculation of
“Last week I heard from a dad, Bill, who echoes the sentiments of many: ‘The boys are getting emasculated and wimpy/passive as they're now intimidated by girls due to fear of sex harassment charges and pro-female/anti male societal/educational tilts.’
Sadly, he's right.”
Many odd things have happened in sports the past 18 years
“It doesn't sound as if Jaycee Dugard got to see a sports page…..So, Jaycee, whenever you're ready, here's what you've missed.”
(THIS SPORTS COLUMN RECEIVED A LOT OF READER ATTENTION, NOT ALL OF IT POSITIVE, LEADING THE WRITER TO APOLOGIZE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT HE WAS MERELY TRYING TO ILLUSTRATE ALL THAT’S OCCURRED IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS IN THE PAST 18 YEARS. MANY, THOUGH, WERE OFFENDED)
And finally,
Charlie Sykes' E-MAIL OF THE DAY.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, yes it's that time.....
Time once again for the This Just In version of …
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Let’s play!
Today’s Final Jeopardy category is:
THE BEATLES
Now, you know how this works.
In a moment, I’ll give you the Final Jeopardy clue.
You will have 30 seconds (if you play fair, that will be when the music runs out) to come up with an answer and remember, players……… your answer must be in the form of a question.
Ready.
Here’s your clue.
ACCORDING TO THE STAFF OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, ON THE LIST OF BEST BEATLES SONGS FROM #1 TO #25, THIS SONG RANKS #1.
Good luck.
Alright players, time's up.
Again, today’s Final Jeopardy category is:
THE BEATLES
The Final Jeopardy answer was:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ACCORDING TO THE STAFF OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, ON THE LIST OF BEST BEATLES SONGS FROM #1 TO #25, THIS SONG RANKS #1.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
The correct question is:
What is...................
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT.
Beatle fans might want to hold on to this link for some very good stuff.
To: Grandma Fischer
From:

Kyla Audrey
With much love!
|
|
|||||||
As I post every Sunday, here are the five most read blog entries of mine from the previous week. NOTE: some entries may have been posted prior to the past week.
1) Best wishes to a good friend, Phil Cianciola
2) Teaching moments lost at high school football games
3) Franklin assists in capture of suspected serial killer
4) Does it matter if the if the presdient gives a good speech to American students?
5) The Barking Lot (09/12/09)
A rain-soaked American flag flies at half-staff on Sept. 11, 2009, at the Pentagon Memorial to honor the 125 people who were killed in the 2001 terror attacks when the highjacked American Airlines flight 125 was flown into the headquarters of America's military, in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. President Barack Obama lays a wreath marking the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stand with White House staff members during the playing of Taps after they participated in a moment of silence marking the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, on South Lawn of the White House in
Family members of victims carry a flag and walk to the reflecting pool as people gather at Ground Zero during a 9/11 memorial ceremony on September 11, 2009 in New York City. Family of the victims, government officials and others gathered at the annual ceremony to remember the attacks that killed more than 2,700 people with the destruction of the World Trade Center, the crash at the Pentagon and United 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. (Photo by John Angelillo-Pool/Getty Images)
Firefighters and police officers gather at the reflecting pool as they pay their respects at Ground Zero during a 9/11 memorial ceremony on September 11, 2009 in New York City. Family of the victims, government officials and others gathered at the annual ceremony to remember the attacks that killed more than 2,700 people with the destruction of the World Trade Center, the crash at the Pentagon and United 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. (Photo by David Handschuh-Pool/Getty Images)
Diane Massaroli of Staten Island, New York holds up a picture of her late husband, Michael Massaroli, who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center, as his name is read as they pay their respects at Ground Zero during a 9/11 memorial ceremony on September 11, 2009 in New York City. Family of the victims, government officials and others gathered at the annual ceremony to remember the attacks that killed more than 2,700 people with the destruction of the World Trade Center, the crash at the Pentagon and United 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
U.S. soldier salute during a ceremony during a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of September 11, 2001, at the main U.S. base, September 11, 2009 in Bagram, Afghanistan. The soldiers marked the attacks that killed more than 2,700 people with the destruction of the World Trade Center, the crash at the Pentagon and United 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. (Photo by Musadeq Sadeq-Pool/Getty Images)

The Coast Guard was conducting a training exercise in the Potomac River moments before President Obama crossed a nearby bridge for a Sept. 11 commemoration. AP photo
Thousands of wooden crosses adorn a hillside at a roadside memorial to the troops killed in Iraq September 11, 2009 in Lafayette, California. As the war in Iraq continues, memorials are being held across the country on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. that killed more than 2,700 people. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Two women pose with a poster demanding information about the 9/11 terror attacks, Friday Sept. 11, 2009, as a group of people demonstrate outside the U.S. Embassy in Brussels to remember the September 11, 2001, attacks. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

A protester wears an American Revolution era flag and an Obama picture during the Tea Party Express rally on September 12, 2009 in

A demonstrator stands on a statue holding an American flag as another holds a sign as they join thousands of demonstrators gathered on the plaza near the U.S. Capitol, to participate in a "Taxpayer March on DC", protesting President Obama's fiscal and economic policies, including the administration's health care reform plans, in Washington, September 12, 2009. Photo: Reuters
Demonstrators walk on Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, during a taxpayer rally. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Lori Rentz protests wears a Statue of Liberty costume during a tea party protest at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo, Statesman Journal, Matt Gillis)

AP photo

US President Barack Obama's high-stakes health care speech drew frequent eyerolls and scoffs from his Republican critics, but sharpest was a single shouted charge: "You lie" from Republican Joe Wilson of South Carolina (C) during a joint session of the US Congress in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images

"Tea Party" conservatives joined doctors and other medical professionals to protest against Congress' and President Barack Obama's health care reform efforts during a rally at the U.S. Captiol September 10, 2009 in Washington, DC. Organized by The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the rally drew about 150 people in lab coats and surgical scrubs. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)


Doctors and other medical professionals protest against Congress' and President Barack Obama's health care reform efforts during a rally at the U.S. Captiol September 10, 2009 in

Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama respond during his speech at the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic at Coney Island September 7, 2009 in Cincinnati Ohio. President Obama spoke to union members about his administration's recovery plan and proposed health care reform. (Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (touching plaque) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (L) unveil a plaque dedicated to United Airlines Flight 93 at the East Front Lobby of the Capitol Hill in

From left, Eduardo Balvino, Christal Gale, and Justin Fortney, sixth grade students at

Security personnel stand guard on the roof of the U.S. Supreme Court as President Barack Obama attends the investiture ceremony for Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor September 8, 2009 in
Owosso Police Department Det. Sgt. Thomas Holcomb adjusts bullet trajectory posts in a sign which belonged to anti-abortion activist Jim Pouillon Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 in Owosso, Mich. An unidentified man fatally shot Pouillon, 63, across the street from Owosso High School as horrified parents and students watched, authorities said. When police arrested the man, the gunman said he was involved in the killing of a gravel pit owner earlier that day. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A plain clothed police officer, left, pulls off a Belarusian opposition flag from an activist protesting against joint military maneuvers with Russia in the capital Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. About 6,000 Russian troops and a similar number of Belarusian soldiers are to take part in the exercises later this month. Several dozen demonstrators have rallied to oppose the exercise which they saw as part of Russian plans to subdue and annex Belarus. Police agents moved quickly to disperse Wednesday's rally, tearing placards saying "Russian army go home!" and beating several demonstrators before busing them away. About 20 protesters have been detained. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

People embrace in front of vehicles piled by flood waters after heavy rains in Tlanepantla, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Passengers of a bus on a flooded highway wait to be rescued in Ikitelli, Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. Flash floods gushed across an Istanbul arterial road on Wednesday, killing 20 people and stranding dozens in their vehicles, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. As waters rose more than a meter (3 feet) high in the city's Ikitelli district, motorists climbed on roofs of their vehicles waiting to be rescued. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

Officials inspect the site of a collision by two cargo trains in Kotri, near Hyderabad, Pakistan on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009. At least five people were injured when the two cargo trains collided in south Pakistan and six wagons have been overturned, official said. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)

A couple navigates a road flooded in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 9. Twenty people died in the country's largest city after the heaviest rain there in 80 years. Photo: Zuma Press

Two boxes of peanut M&M chocolate candies bearing the Presidential Seal and signature of President Barack Obama are pictured on Air Force One as it returns to Andrews Air Force Base,

Laurie Ault, right holding Jaycee Lee Dugard poster, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., marches in a parade on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., that followed the reverse route of a march held on the 10th anniversary of Dugard's abduction from a school bus stop. Dugard turned up at a Concord, Calif., police station on Aug. 26, 2009, after being abducted in 1991 at age 11. (AP Photo/Brad Horn)

In this Monday, Sept. 7, 2009 photo, parents of college freshmen sleep in a gymnasium at Huazhong Normal University in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. Many Chinese parents take time off from work to help their children during their college enrollment process.(AP Photo)

This undated handout image provided by NASA, released Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, taken by the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope, shows a celestial object that looks like a delicate butterfly. (AP Photo/NASA)

This undated handout image provided by NASA, released Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, taken by the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope, shows the planet Jupiter. (AP Photo/NASA)

Visitors pass under a copy of Leonardo's Last Supper made by Andrea Bianchi, better known as Vespino, in the XVI century, at the opening of an exhibition of part of Leonardo Da Vinci Atlantic Codex after it was unbound allowing for the first time the exposition of the single pages, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009. The entirety of Leonardo da Vinci's 1,119-page Atlantic Codex is going on public display for the first time. The entire collection will be shown in a series of 24 exhibits spanning six years. The first exhibit of 45 drawings opens Thursday at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, which also holds Leonardo's famed "Last Supper," and at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. It is called "Fortresses, Bastions and Cannons. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)

In this photo taken Sept. 2, 2009, mammal specialist Richard O'Barry, left, and his son Lincoln watch dolphins at an aquarium during his tour to Taiji, Japan. The Japanese town chronicled in the award-winning film "The Cove" for its annual dolphin hunt that turns coastal waters red with blood has suspended killing the animals _ at least for this week's catch _ following an international outcry. Ric O'Barry, 69, the star of "The Cove" and dolphin trainer for the 1960s "Flipper" TV series, welcomed the news Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, saying it was a sign that overseas pressure had worked and expressing hope that the town would now institute a "no-slaughter policy." (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)


Care takers assist as a veterinarian treats an infected eye of an elephant at the state zoological park in Gauhati, India, Wednesday, Sept.9, 2009.(AP Photo/ Anupam Nath)

In this June 12, 2006 file photo, Cincinnati Zoo keeper Renee Carpenter holds a canvas for Emi, a Sumatran rhino who paints with her mouth, at the Cincinnati Zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden says the 21-year-old Sumatran rhino that had been at the zoo for 14 years, died Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, after appearing less energetic for several weeks. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman, file)

A bull with flaming horns charges during Toro Embolao in Sant Carles Rapita, Spain, Monday Sept. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A pair of rare snow leopard cubs play at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens on September 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Two cubs, which have not yet been named, were born at the zoo on May 26 to a cat named Asia. Native to remote high mountains in Asia, only about 5,000 to 7,000 snow leopards are believed to remain in the wild. The cats can tolerate temperature extremes ranging from 40 degrees below zero Farenheit to as high as 104 degrees. They can leap 45 feet and kill prey that is two- to three-times their size. Snow leopards are at the top of the food chain and considered an indicator species. Ecosystems that support a high number of snow leopards are believed to be healthy. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Swans wade past a piece of art entitled "La Fourchette Geante" (The giant fork) during its unveiling, in Lake Geneva, near Vevey, Switzerland, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. The 8 meter (26 feet) high fork is the work of Jean-Pierre Zaugg and was realized by Georges Favre. (AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)
.jpg)
John Clay of Wisconsin outruns Fresno State's Lorne Bell for a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Journal Sentinel photo: Tom Lynn

Philip Welch and holder Chris Maragos watch the winning field goal go through the uprights in the second overtime against Frsno State Saturday. Wisconsin 34, Fresno State 31. Journal Sentinel photo:Tom Lynn

Milwaukee Brewers' Felipe Lopez (3) throws to first to complete a triple play as San Francisco Giants' Ryan Garko slides into second during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, in Milwaukee. Aaron Rowand was out at first and Randy Winn was out at third. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
.jpg)
Prince Fielder steps on the plate as his teammates fall on their backs in celebration of Fielder's walk-off home run in the 12th inning last Sunday against San Francisco. AP photo

Minnesota Twins batter Justin Morneau fouls a ball off his cheek during the first inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Sept. 9. Photo: Reuters
Former Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards guard Michael Jordan becomes emotional as he take the stage during his enshrinement ceremony into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Bradley Tech's June Jenkins reaches over Milwaukee Riverside's Laron Richardson to grab a 21-yard touchdown pass. Look where Richardson's fingers are and Jenkins still made the grab. Tech won, 26-18. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu. Great catch. Great photo.

Tom Atkinson, with Mow Town Lawn Services, takes care of a yard at a home near Lambeau Field. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu

Robin Michaels helps his father get his yard near Lambeau Field ready Saturday for football fans needing either a parking space or a bathroom. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu

Guido Mehlmann (left) and friend Franz Mais are pumped about the game while visiting the Packers Pro Shop at Lambeau Field. The two are from Germany and will attend their first NFL game in the United States. Mais has been a Bears fan since 1985, and Mehlmann has been a Packers fan for the past couple of years. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu.

The Bucintoro, at left, the barge of Venice's ruler, the Doge, sails along the Grand Canal during the Historical Regatta, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. In background, the Rialto Bridge. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

105 Alphorn blowers from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France play together on the mountain Feldberg in the Black Forest, southern Germany on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. All alphornists blew together a the end of the meeting. (AP Photo/ Winfried Rothermel)

Photo:

Photo:

Unidentified curators at London's Kensington Palace inspecting the fine linen chemise, left, and split drawers which were worn by Britain's Queen Victoria at the end of the 19th century. Both are embroidered with a crown, VR and a number so they could be kept track of when sent to the laundry. The underwear which has a 56-inch (142-centimeter) waist has been added to Britain's Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace. The underwear is believed to date from the 1890s. Queen Victoria had a 20-inch (51-centimeter) waist as a young woman. But curator Alexandra Kim said Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, "over the years, particularly having given birth to nine children, that changed entirely." The collection purchased the bloomers for 600 pounds (US$993) earlier this summer. Kim said it's likely the item had been handed down to a servant after the monarch's death. (AP Photo/Historic Royal Palaces/PA)

Bride Llewellyn Roybal, and groom Henry Herrera, far right, celebrate along with nine other couples after they wed at the 99 Cent store in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Sept. 09, 2009. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Brian Mills, right, an Elvis impersonator, marries Richard Johnson and Cheryl Bell of Peoria, Ariz. at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 in Las Vegas. The date is proving popular at Las Vegas wedding chapels. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Models in Tel Aviv, Israel, wear wedding dresses made mostly from toilet paper as part of an ad campaign shot Sept. 8 for an Israeli toilet paper company. Photo: Reuters
I received the following from Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, a message he sent to Franklin City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski and City Finance Director Cal Patetrson:
Please post a public notice that I will be holding a listening session on the upcoming 2010 Budget for the public on September 22, 2009 in the Common Council Chambers at Franklin City Hall starting at 4:00 P.M. and ending at approximately 6:00 P.M. This session and other future sessions will allow for a three minute comment period per speaker with additional time for more comment after all parties have had an opportunity to speak. This format is following the same format that was recently used by the members of the County Board's Finance Committee this past week when they traveled to Franklin.
The public, the elected officials, department heads and their staff as well as the press are all invited to attend this session. I may hold additional listening sessions if there appears to be an interest to do so? It is my understanding that this will be the first time that a mayor from Franklin has held these types of listening sessions prior to the recommendation of his/her budget to the City's Finance Committee and therefore I will have to see how this format works in order to determine how future listening or town hall meetings should be conducted in the future.
Please notify all employees and union representatives as well of this listening session so that they may participate if they should choose to do so. The members of the Finance Committee are invited to attend these listening sessions prior to their meeting scheduled for the same day at 6:00 P.M.
If you or Mr. Patterson should have any questions or comments please contact me as soon as possible.
EVERY SUNDAY I REVIEW THE MOST COVETED EDITORIAL PAGES OF THE WEEK BY OPINION-MAKERS AS WELL AS THE MOST WIDELY-READ, THE SUNDAY “CROSSROADS” SECTION OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. I WILL KEEP TRACK OF THE CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL PIECES CONTRIBUTED BY NON-JOURNAL SENTINEL WRITERS AND KEEP A RUNNING SCORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
It should also be noted that this exercise is a categorization. Most, if not all of these articles submitted to, or solicited by the Crossroads staff are well-written, thoughtful, and provocative. I enjoy reading them as I have every Sunday for as long as I can remember. This weekly compilation is an ideological scorecard, not a writing critique.
TODAY'S LIBERAL PIECES
Susan Giaimo: Look to Germany for reform model
Ron Kind: No U.S. retreat in Afghanistan
Here we go, folks. It's the oldest trick in the Democrat politician's playbook. If you're a liberal, like Kind, you move to the center, around election time. Kind has been rumored to be a gubernatorial candidates in 2010. I'm not buying this, Congressman.
Pedro Colón: Mexico isn't all that far away
I like Pedro, but he, like Kind, is a dyed in the wool lib.
Richard E. Rieselbach, Patrick L. Remington And Cyril M. Hetsko: Physicians: Reform is needed
Jim Moeser: Crime and youth: They're not adults
Bleeding heart, soft on crime piece.
TODAY'S CONSERVATIVE PIECES
RTA proposal shows Doyle out of touch with reality
Congratulations, State Representative Robin Vos. You get to contribute the token conservative column this week. But hey, the MJS is NOT a liberal paper, right?
NEITHER LIBERAL NOR CONSERVATIVE
Russ Feingold and David Dreier: Direct election protects democratic principles
A legitimate, bipartisan piece.
MJS SCORECARD:
TODAY: Liberal-5, Conservative-1
YEAR TO DATE: Liberal-87, Conservative-70
NOTE: Now THIS is the Crossroads section we've come to know and shake our heads at.
I could easily sub-title this entry, “Send me in coach,’ or “Where do I sign up?” for reasons that will become obvious.
Once a month on a Monday night, a group of seven or eight guys parades one-by-one into a
Half-pound.
Bacon.
Cheddar cheese.
Then they eat, and take notes, and then rank the burger and post the results on a website.
Like nothing around these parts, the Burger of the Month club, or BOTM , or “bottom” as the members call it have been doing their culinary research monthly for the past four years.
Initially, rankings were based on 13 criteria, including the décor and management of the dining establishment. That system was tossed (Who cares about the wallpaper?) for a simpler A-F report card style ranking which was then rejected for a how does this burger stack up against all the others we’ve tested breakdown.
One member had to quit (I chuckle but I shouldn’t) because his cholesterol started giving him problems.
Another club member wanna-be (who, like any other, must submit a resume) might have delivered the quote of the millennium in making his case to review bacon cheddar half pounders:
“Burgers to me are an art. Vegetables are to be eaten by rabbits and liberals, and the only form they should take is the fourth ingredient in a condiment.”
Give that man a cigar.
So how cool is this. A men’s club. And I’m not talking a club like my dear cousin Claire’s all-female gathering she calls the “Stitch and Bitch Club” (Think men get raked over the coals at those meetings?). Or one of those get together’s where the crowd gushes over the latest book recommended by Oprah.
(Oh my goodness, was that sexist, bombastic, or vitriolic? I guess we’ll know in a few days when some of my slower readers think they finally have it figured out).
Just a bunch of guys hanging out enjoying a big honkin’ burger dripping with pork fat and cheese.
And there’s something to be said about this group as opposed to most critics (with all due respect) who write for newspapers, blogs, or websites. Those reviewers are universally a singular voice who can make horrendous calls. Try the bozo at the Food Network who honestly believed the Great Dane in
If this blog were like the million other blogs out there that focus on the wonderment of food (and trust me, there’s nothing wrong about the wonderment of food), I would just end right here.
BORRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIING!
This is the only foodie blog in the universe that concentrates on the taboo. Need to know what to put in a sauce for pork tenderloin? Then go try the Food Network’s website.
Even Emeril’s handlers read Culinary no-no, baby.
But those of you who are really astute are now talking to your computers:
Hey, Kev! Whoa! Where’s the no-no? This sounds just really 23-skidoo. What’s the problem, dude?
Here we go.
I’m gettin’ to it.
I’m gettin’ to it!
And I’ll tell ya’ what…
I got more than one no-no, Whad’ ya think about them apples?
In fact, I’m throwing out equal opportunity no-no’s on each side of the culinary transaction.
Let’s start with the NY eateries.
OK. This band of merry meat eaters has been barging into burger joints for over four years. Their demand (yes, singular, demand) isn’t that difficult for any greasy spoon chef to oblige: Burger, bacon, cheddar.
If these gentlemen, or any customers for that matter, want bacon, give them bacon, unlike the morons at one place that had bacon but refused to place it on their burgers.
Get the orders right. Some places still do that old fashioned deal trying to look fancy so that if you ordered medium rare you get a red little stick in your slab of meat. Make sure the stick is correct. Better yet, make sure the order is cooked to order.
Here’s another no-no, as reported by the New York Times. Don’t be a snooty server:
“Then there was Peter Luger. The
The biggest no-no: The BOTM club is not a secret. The word is out.
Now, let’s turn to the BOTM club.
Guys, guys, guys.
We had a restaurant critic here in
NY BOTM, your credibility is questionable because everybody in
You need to change your modus operandi (M.O.). My slower readers (probably the hateful lefties) are scratching their heads mumbling, WTF (sorry, Mom).
You can’t just waltz into a red meat proprietor, one by one by one by one by one by one by one by one, and order the same damn thing on the same damn night that you’ve done 70-some times.
This is culinary warfare. You’ve gotta fight, fight, fight.
Like Brett Favre at the line of scrimmage, you need to change your cadence.
Split up the troops. Head out on different nights. Hit different places on the same night or same week. Consider modifying the order. The restaurants (if they’re smart) are wise to and waiting for you. Keep the burger flippers honest.
In short, do your damndest to prevent the places you’re reviewing from knowing they’re being critiqued.
Meanwhile, if there are 7 guys out there who like to form their own BOTM, would you mind e-mailing me, please?
More from the New York Times, including pictures of the burgers ranked the best.
CULINARY NO-NO BONUS
Even more from the NY Times. When they try to get too cute with beer, then hell, it's a no-no.
Dat's obvious.
Jay Cutler.
Did he not look like a 2nd string high school QB all night?

Jay Cutler argues with a referee after he threw an interception in the first quarter. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / September 13, 2009)

Jay Cutler stands on the bench after he threw the third interceptipon in the second quarter.(Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / September 13, 2009)


Jay Cutler leaves the field after throwing four interceptions ina 21-15 loss. (Chicago Tribune photo/ Scott Strazzante)
Even so, Green Bay needs to work on their entire offense.
I would start with a phone call to Mark Tauscher.
![]() |
| Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin Newsletter | |
| September 13 - 2009 | Events and Updates |
| Confirmed Speakers Vicki McKenna Rock Star of Radio, WISN Radio Milwaukee, WIBA Radio Madison Rachel Campos-Duffy Blogger at AOL Parent Dish & Author:Stay Home, Stay Happy Pat Snyder WSAU Radio, Wausau James T. Harris WTMJ Radio, Milwaukee Willie Soon, Ph.D Astrophysicist Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Marc Marano Former Spokesman for Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma Web site: ClimateDepot.com. David Clarke Milwaukee County Sheriff Mark Block Wisconsin State Director, Americans for Prosperity Pastor David King Founder, Milwaukee God Squad Rebecca Kleefisch Conservative Correspondent at Midday With Charlie Sykes Linda Hansen Wisconsin Prosperity Network MannyPerez JNA Staffing & Rep. Nat'l. Hispanic Assembly Chad Kent Chad Kent Speaks Tim Dake Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty Defending the American Dream Summit The Wisconsin Chapter of Americans for Prosperity will be communicating with you under Chapter 11.29 of the Wisconsin Statues. If you do not want to receive communications from AFP-WI please send an email to markb@afphq.org and request to be removed as a member of AFP-WI.
|
Saturday, hundreds of Wisconsin members of Americans for Prosperity were in Washington, DC for the 9/12 event.
Tim Phillips, President of Americans for Prosperity at 9/12 Rally We wish we could have been with them. But we are working hard on the details for what Vicki McKenna, the Rock Star of Radio is calling "The Mother Of All Taxpayer Tea Parties." If you have attended a Taxpayer Tea Party, you know the excitement when surrounded by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of like-minded citizens who are trying to tell our elected officials, "Enough is Enough!" It is time to show Washington and Madison how powerful the premiere grassroots organization of Americans for Prosperity - Wisconsin has become! Join us and our incredible line-up of speakers on Saturday, September 19th, at Veterans Park on the lake front of Milwaukee from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. We have added the Rock Star of Radio - Vicki McKenna, along with James T. Harris, WTMJ, and Pat Snyder, WSAU, to our line up. We will have more exciting speakers to announce! Watch your email and our web site for updates. The event is free, but please register at fightbackwisconsin.com so we can get an estimate of how many will attend. Invite your friends to register, too! We encourage you to register and to forward this email to your list of friends. Everyone is eligible to be chosen for two round trip tickets, hotel accommodations and registration to our 3rd Annual Defending the American Dream Summit to be held in Washington, D.C. on October 2nd and 3rd. The scholarship winners will be announced on our web site. You know these events cost money. If you could help us, please donate today!. Click here to donate today. Thanks for all your help! Sincerely, Mark Block Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
|
|
Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin | 1126 South 70th Street | Suite S219A | Milwaukee | WI | 53214 |
She is 20 -year old journalism student Hannah Giles. Giles is a Townhall.com contributor and the journalist behind the ACORN prostitution/tax evasion sting. She is the oldest daughter of Townhall.com columnist Doug Giles, one of my personal favorites.
Take a look.
THE KEVIN FISCHER "WHIPPERSNAPPER HALL OF FAME"
1) The Conservative Casanova
2) American Sweetheart
3) Eva Lorraine Molina
4) Matt Kallerud
5) Hannah Giles

Star Parker has always been an insightful writer. From her latest piece:
"According to the Pew Research Center, the president's approval rating nationwide is now 10 points lower than last April. Included in this is a three-point drop in his approval among blacks."
OK. So, only 92 % of blacks now unconditionally adore Obama as opposed to 95%.
Read why Parker contends that's a big deal.
Hosted by Nick Gillespie of Reason Magazine:
December 23, 1972
AFC Playoffs
Pittsburgh vs. Oakland
September 13, 2009
Denver vs. Cincinnati, the season opener
At
Seems the high school has been preparing to put on its version of the Broadway smash, “
Hold the curtain,
One busybody called the superintendent.
One.
The caller said the musical contained questionable ideas unfit for high school thespians.
One complaint.
That was enough for Superintendent Brian Busler who announced the cancellation of the production.
High school principal Chris Ligocki claimed, get this, as long as there was one person who raised an objection, it had to be taken and considered seriously
Oh, really?
Would they consider their compensation packages if one person raised a stink?
The idiotic decision created a huge backlash and
How can such supposedly smart people be so dumb?
It’s called a lack of common sense that is quite prevalent in our public schools these days.
The caller who complained need not buy a ticket and just stay home.
The story…
And yes, that was Bebe Neuwirth from "Cheers."

The Sheboygan Common Council is considering imposing a property tax rate freeze and cutting employee costs to deal with a $1.7 million deficit.
Can you imagine if such an idea was proposed in Franklin, or any other municipality in southeastern
People would be jumping out of buildings, screaming bloody murder, yelling that the Apocalypse was at hand.
When a 3% cap was suggested for
Guess what? The 3% cap was realized. We’re still here, folks. The problem in our little corner of heaven is that the people in power have for years only known two ways to operate: Tax and spend.
Consider other alternatives? Are you crazy?
Three percent was going to be Armageddon. I was told by Franklin Alderman Lyle Sohns bluntly, arrogantly that 3% couldn’t be accomplished, that I had no idea what I was talking about, that he knew budgets and I didn’t know squat.
Here's my account of that 2008 issue.
I wonder what he’d say if I dare mention
That's according to a new poll.
During the 1980’s, while timing a basketball game at Custer High School, I couldn’t help but notice a well-known state Representative from Milwaukee in the stands across from me who refused to stand for the National Anthem.
Last Friday, in my role as public address announcer at
Three
As disgusting as I find all of these examples, I am fully aware that one cannot be forced to stand for the Star Spangled Banner, a moment of silence, or “God Bless
If they hate it here so much, yes, I will say it. These hooligans need to get off their lazy behinds and leave the country they hate to show respect for and try to find better conditions somewhere else.
Only in the good ol’ US of A can you not only sue for not having to get up off your dead, fat posterior during “God Bless America,” but possibly win.
The

Number one best selling author, Fox News Channel contributor, pundit, award-winning syndicated columnist, blogger and mother, Michelle Malkin will highlight Wisconsin’s largest ever Taxpayer Tea Party on Saturday, September 19, 2009.
Malkin’s latest book remains at the top spot of the New York Times Best Seller list: CULTURE OF CORRUPTION, President Obama and his team as tax cheats, petty crooks, influence peddlers and Wall Street cronies.
The Wisconsin State Director of Americans for Prosperity, Mark Block, says of Malkin, “Michelle Malkin doesn’t pull punches and is one of the brightest commentators in
Malkin joins a host of well-known speakers including: “Joe the Plumber,” Vicki McKenna, Pat Snyder, James T. Harris, Rachel Campos-Duffy, Willie Soon, Ph.D, Marc Marano, Sheriff David Clarke, Mark Block, Pastor David King, Rebecca Kleefisch and Linda Hansen. More information on Michelle Malkin can be found by visiting http://michellemalkin.com/.
More than 40,000
Americans For Prosperity - Wisconsin Chapter & The Wisconsin GrandSons of
A Taxpayer Tea Party
WHAT:
WHEN: Saturday, September 19, 2009, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
WHERE:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I just checked. This book...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Is not on the NY Times Best Seller List.
That’s too bad.
South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson’s finger-pointing and two-worded verbal assault on President Obama last week started a wave of bad behavior making its way into the news.
A tennis player threatens to kill a poor defenseless official. A rap star interrupts an award recipient’s acceptance speech.
I can’t help but ponder as to what pray tell could possibly be causing such questionable and embarrassing activity on the part of contemporary role models. In other words, what the hell is going on?
I’m no sociologist. But it seems common courtesy gave way to crude and boorish behavior decades ago, right about the time the family nucleus started taking a beating. The advent of feminism didn’t help. Hold a door for a lady? Are you kidding? Besides, she doesn’t want you to.
A front page piece in today’s
But what explains why the rest of us walk on our knuckles, talk like longshoremen and erupt like
Jerry Bowles, co-founder of SocialMediaToday.com says the Internet also is to blame.
“The Web seems to turn most people into adversaries and in doing so, we tend to lose the ability to really talk to each other. This is particularly true for politics on the Web, where the comments tend to run to the extremes and sometimes can be downright seditious. I find it scary,” says Bowles.
The
Earlier this year, I blogged that being nice isn’t impossible, it’s just less probable. The blog has a link to a lengthy US News & World Report article that is worth the read.
Finally, just how rude is
Watch….
The Democrats had their hissy fit.
They (and a few turncoat Republicans) voted to scold Joe Wilson (sure showed him, didn’t they?).
With this critical matter out of the way, I'm totally confident that Democrats in charge will get back to work on those promises they made to win the November 2006 and November 2008 elections, like get the economy going again and returning our soldiers from
Yeh, right.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore voted against the resolution to slap
Wisconsin Congressman Tom Petri voted for the resolution, proving his critics who call him a RINO right once again.
This business of taking a high ranking official to task for suggesting someone lied about health care could, when you think about it, be played out again and again and again if there was any justice in D.C.
Conservative columnist John Hawkins, he of the lists, has come up with 10 More “You Lie” Moments on Health Care.
Take a look at the following picture.
Do you what these are?

Apparently they were hip in the not so hip decade of the 80’s and are enjoying a comeback.
Take another glance. Anything look odd, strange, weird, disgusting, offensive to you?

Forgive me for not being the coolest kid in class, but I have learned they're called jelly bracelets.
Really big with young teenage girls.
Sorry, but I'm not seein' a problem or a hidden disease.
Not even black helicopters (which on the
Enter brainiac Mike Medina, principal of the
Each color of the bracelet stands for a sexual act the young girl is more than willing to engage in. All a young boy has to do to score is yank one of the accessories off his prize’s arm, and the two then become better acquainted.
According to the urban legend, yellow is for hugging, purple for kissing, red for a lap dance, blue for oral sex, and black for intercourse (I'm not sure about orange and green and maybe that's best).
Never mind that boys are not rushing up to middle school girls in the hallway and grabbing their bracelets. And even if they did, girls are not giving in and jumping into the sack with horny Billy and Bobby.
I’ve got news for
Seriously,
Schools today allow girls to attend school dressed like Madonna with skirts up their navels, cleavage-a-rama, and thongs hanging out. Condoms are distributed like candy. It’s anything goes in sex ed classes. But little Susie better not show up to class wearing a pink bracelet, the shameless hussy.
Here’s more on the story and an ABC News video.
That’s one of the amazing findings of a new poll by Investor’s Business Daily.
If that’s the case, then government health care is not only the folly many believe it to be, it's simply not feasible.
The crowd estimates for last weekend’s rally in
Columnist William Cempanni used some actual science to come up with his best guesstimate.
My favorite excerpt from his piece, though, is this beauty:
“The Obama Inauguration left in its wake 100 tons of trash on the Mall that required herculean efforts by the District and the Park Service to clean up. And it devastated the grass surfaces of the Mall that necessitated budgeting millions of dollars to repair. Saturday’s Teapartyers left behind a west lawn and Mall that could be used for the U.S.Open. The sparse trash that was left was neatly stashed in and closely around the too few receptacles provided. And police reported zero arrests.
Conservatives and conservatism are in diminishing presence now in
Amen.
Is it over?
Let's be real. That lovefest will never die.
But there could be some strains in the relationship according to these numbers.
“Over the past year to year-and-a-half, I have known about a dozen relatives, friends and acquaintances that have passed away. Most of them knew their time was coming to an end. Given the hand they were dealt, they could have spent their final days, weeks, or months feeling bitter, angry, confused, and frustrated. Instead, each and every one chose, with dignity, grace, and even style to use their last days productively.”
This Just In, July 17, 2009
You know that often-used phrase, “one of the nicest people in the world?”
A wonderful guy with a perpetual smile,
About three months after retiring, he was jolted with the bad news. You have Lou Gehrig’s disease.
To
God bless you, Wayne.
UPDATE: The following was e-mailed to me at 11:10 this evening.....
Dear Kevin, I saw this article several week ago and forward it to Wayne Wankowski to pick up his spirits.
Sincerely Dale Etchells
http://www.franklinnow.com/blogs/communityblogs/52074662.html
Thank you, Dale. Your e-mail is greatly appreciated and means a great deal.
The power of the Internet, for good purposes. How wonderful to see.
Arrests in Wisconsin 2008, a report prepared by the state Office of Justice Assistance’s
The report contains detailed data on arrest volume, rates, and trends for law enforcement
agencies throughout the State of
Major findings include a 2% decrease in overall arrests statewide, with a 1% increase in violent and property arrests. Arrests for drug offenses decreased by 2%, society offenses decreased by 3%, and other uncategorized offenses decreased by 2%.
Here are the
Violent crime (Murder, Forcible Rape, Robbery, and Aggravated Assault)
26 arrests in 2008, up from 21 in 2007 (24% increase)
Property crimes (Burglary, Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft, Arson, Forgery, Fraud,
Embezzlement, Stolen Property, and Vandalism)
370 arrests in 2008, down from 374 in 2007 (1% decrease)
Drug crimes (Sale‐Opium/Narcotic, Sale‐Marijuana, Sale‐Synthetic Narcotic, Sale‐
Other, Possession‐Opium/Narcotic, Possession‐Marijuana, Possession‐Synthetic Narcotic, and Possession‐other)
160 arrests in 2008, up from 140 in 2007 (14% increase)
Society crimes (Weapon Law Violations, Prostitution, Sex Offenses, Gambling Violations, Driving While Intoxicated, Liquor Law Violations, Disorderly Conduct, Vagrancy, Curfew & Loitering, and Runaway)
620 arrests in 2008, up from 619 in 2007 (0% increase)
Other crimes (Negligent Manslaughter, Other Assaults, Family Offenses, and All Other except Traffic)
291 arrests, down from 338 in 2007 (14% decrease)
Congratulations to the Franklin Police Department for their outstanding work and to crime conscious
Have you seen the liberal Democrat playbook?
It’s a whopping three pages long.
PAGE ONE
Tax like hell, anything and everything, whether it moves, breathes, walks, talks or not.
PAGE TWO
Spend like hell, even if we don’t have the money.
PAGE THREE
Work incrementally. It is not important to work for 100% of our intended goal. Chip away and work for what we can get, get it, then come back, and start working for the rest.
Perfect example: The statewide smoking ban. It started out in cities, villages, towns. Now it’s statewide. Do you honestly think the anti-smoking zealots will stop at restaurants and taverns, etc? They won’t rest until it’s illegal to smoke on your couch in your underwear in your house that you pay a huge mortgage on while watching the Packers on Sunday afternoons.
Then chip away and chip away and chip away and chip away take away liberties and freedoms liberal Democrats (with help from some misguided Republicans) eventually won.
NEXT!!!
Driving with cell phones.
There have been all kinds of proposals in previous legislative sessions to ban cell phones while driving in
We already have an inattentive driving law on the books to enforce.
And guess what? These bans don’t work!
Enter relatively new state Representative Sandy Pasch (D-Milwaukee). Pausch, I’m sure, like any other do-gooder, “IF IT CAN SAVE JUST ONE LIFE” liberal Democrat has nothing but the best intentions at hand.
Pausch has introduced legislation that would ban brand new drivers from texting and talking on phones, even if the driver uses a handsfree headset.
According to the Wisconsin Associated Press, “Pasch says the Legislature should discuss banning everyone from using a cell phone while driving. But she says starting with younger drivers is a good first step.”
Working in increments. Page Three. Democrat playbook.
Follow the ridiculous….okay…stupid logic here.
OH
MY
GOD!
Driving while talking on a cell phone….
DANGEROUS!
PEOPLE COULD DIE!
OH
MY
GOD!
Driving while texting…..
DANGEROUS!
PEOPLE COULD DIE!
OH
MY
GOD!
Obviously something must be done about talking and texting while driving. Let’s ban…..
NEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW drivers from talking and texting.
Excuse me?
What about other drivers? Drivers who’ve been behind the wheel for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 years?
If they talk and text while driving….I’m sorry, TWD, isn’t that just as dangerous? Isn’t that just as horrible?
Rewind the blog!
PAGE THREE
Work incrementally. It is not important to work for 100% of our intended goal. Chip away and work for what we can get, get it, then come back, and start working for the rest.
In the minds of Pasch and other libs, talking and texting while driving if you’re a 45-year old woman in a van with 5 kids is just peaches and cream!.
If you are 16, 17, or 18, and just got your license, you are a menace, right up there with Osama Bin Laden, and YOU MUST BE STOPPED because ……….
TAKE YOUR PICK......
1) It’s for the children.......
2) But (SOB), if we (ANOTHER SOB) can save (UNCONTROLLABLE SOBBING) just one life…. (Sorry. Liberal spokesperson is physically and emotionally unable to continue)
Not that they’d ever ask me. But since moonbat Democrats control the Senate, the Assembly, and FOR NOW MY CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS, the governor’s mansion, my advice to Sandy Pasch, given the Democrat playbook (see above) is to introduce legislation that would prohibit talking on a cell phone while driving when:
1) There is an “R” in the month.
2) Rain requires windshield wipers to be engaged.
3) The driver has been to a Miley Cyrus concert within the last 12 months.
4) The driver owns more than 5 pair of thong underwear.
5) According to witnesses, the driver has used the word, “awesome” more than a dozen times in the last week.
6) McDonald’s wrappers are found anyplace within the young driver’s vehicle.
7) The driver’s parents have been known to watch FOX News.
Ahhh, the Democrat priorities, folks. You voted them into power. How’s that economy working for ya? Are all our troops back?
Philadelphia earlier this week...
And you knew it wouldn't take long before that little girl made it to early morning network TV...
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Here are the topics we discuss Friday night at 6:30 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00 on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10:
1 – State Government.
A number of stories in the news this week make you wonder what’s wrong with state government. A planned consolidation of state computer servers is now approaching a cost of more than ninety million dollars, a whopping seven times the original estimate! An investigation by the Journal Sentinel shows that more than twelve-thousand D-N-A samples from convicted felons, which are supposed to be on file with the state, apparently aren’t there. Also, the state agrees to spend millions to acquire the giant Exposition Center out at State Fair Park, even though the building hasn’t been able to generate anywhere near the income developers promised it would. On top of this, it appears the
2 – Wilson/Carter.
If just a few crazy left wing fanatics believed that Rep. Joe Wilson was racist when he called Obama a liar, that would be one thing. But, when former president Jimmy Carter says he believes that’s the case, and that many Americans simply don’t like the idea of a black president, it kind of changes the discussion. Is Jimmy Carter mistaken to believe these things? Even when the Obama White House says it doesn’t believe the comments by
3 – Brewers.
So the owner (Attanasio) likes the general manager (Melvin), and the general manager seems to like the manager (Macha), so can we expect any big shakeups or changes in the Brewer organization? Should Melvin and Macha both get one more year? Will people buy tickets for next year if they see the same team taking the field? Can this disappointing season all be blamed on the poor health and poor performance of a few pitchers? Will they trade Prince Fielder for a big name pitcher? Or, do we just cross our fingers and hope that all the players stay healthy next year and hope for the best?
It comes from Mark Rhoads who blogs at Illinois Review.
Rhoads is cognizant of the fact that conservatives deal in rational, fact-based analysis that doesn’t always lend itself to short, snappy, concise blogs. That’s unlike liberals who deal in sheer bumper sticker emotion: You’re a racist! Bush lied, People Died!
He understands the need to use new media, like blogs, to convey message. However, conservatives have a disadvantage, according to Rhoads, with young consumers of the new media. I love this. Rhoads writes:
“The younger generation that prefers this medium is also one that is ill-suited to understand its limitations because members are so poorly trained in history or analytical skills.”
Regular readers, I hope, have immediately conjured up previous blogs of mine indicating the mental challenges of twenty-something’s and why I believe many should just stay home on Election Day.
So what should conservative bloggers do? Keep blogging, but include hyperlinks to lengthy, scholarly pieces on conservative ideals, values, and convictions.
My favorite part of Rhoads’ piece:
“As glad as I am to see the word ‘conservative’ become more popular, I would be much happier to see a more robust and sustained discussion on ‘conservative’ blogs of the meaning of freedom in our lives and the correct relationship between citizens and the state. This is a lifetime learning goal and cannot be addressed just in one weekly news cycle on one ‘issue’ but deserves a sustained conversation over many years on long-term principles.
But due to another limitation of blog technology, that kind of thoughtful conversation is almost impossible to have in an atmosphere where serious commenter’s of learning and good will are constantly interrupted by young left-wing ‘trolls’ whose mission in life is to spread pointless and inflammatory graffiti on the comments sections of ‘enemy’ blog sites. Conservative bloggers should use their right to block any comments from specific names that are known to be troublemakers since they add nothing but pointless ‘traffic’ to a blog. I would rather see a conservative blogger have a serious audience of just fifty people than a non-serious audience of five hundred. There is a time when a message is right for a mass audience and a time when a blog should be more selective in letting people through the door.”
Young left-wing trolls spreading pointless, inflammatory graffiti. How incredibly true.
Here’s Rhoads’ blog.
She is Jillian Bandes, the National Political Reporter for Townhall.com. Bandes, a recent graduate of the
Not only can she write, but she can go in front of the camera, too.
THE KEVIN FISCHER "WHIPPERSNAPPER HALL OF FAME"
1) The Conservative Casanova
2) American Sweetheart
3) Eva Lorraine Molina
4) Matt Kallerud
5) Hannah Giles
6) Jillian Bandes
Last week I told you about the dumbest bill to be introduced in the current legislative session in
Today, 83 members of the state Assembly voted in favor, including 31 Republcans.
Congratulations to the 13 Assembly Representatives, 12 of them Republican, who had the smarts to say NO to this foolishness:
Scott Gunderson
Samantha Kerkman
Joel Kleefisch
Dan Knodl
Bill Kramer
Dan Lemahieu
Steve Nass
Scott Newcomer
Jim Ott
John Townsend
Robin Vos
Leah Vukmir
Jeff Wood (Independent)
From the Green Bay Press Gazette:
Some angry, un-American mobsters.
And some more.
White folks. Obviously, they're racist.
More Astro-turf.
The marchers paraded by the Newseum. Read carefully.
Read...
What's missing, in addition to 12,000 DNA samples from Wisconsin felons?
How about:
"We regret...."
"We apologize..."
"We are sorry..."
"This concerns us...."
"There is no excuse..."
"This is unacceptable..."
Do we treat our parents the way we should?
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorializes today that given 12,000 missing DNA samples from felons, the state needs to get new samples ASAP.
Great point.
However, buried in the editorial is this:
“Please, no grandstanding or finger-pointing. On whose watch this occurred is less important than fixing the problem.”
Gee, the MJS Editorial Board couldn’t possibly be of that opinion because this is happening on JIM DOYLE’S WATCH, could it?
If, suppose, Scott Walker was governor, would Ricardo and his gang at 4th and State be wanting to hush who’s responsible under the rug?
Oh, wait. I keep forgetting. The MJS is not a liberal newspaper.
Sorry, but who’s responsible and therefore, accountable to the public is extremely important.
I'm not a big fan of high school football teams running up the score.
This season, I’m going to hand out a weekly POO Award to the
POO stands for Piling On Offensively (Or if you prefer, Pouring it On Offensively).
We’re already a few games into the season, so here are POO Awards for previous high school football weeks.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Waunakee 72, Baraboo 7
(My apologies to a dear friend, Jen-Jen the Engine, my favorite Waunakee graduate)
Week 4
???
Check Saturday for the Week 4 recipient.
I smell beer battered cod.
Clam chowder.
And cole slaw.
The oily, not the creamy kind.
I hear high school bands playing fight songs..
What's that sound?
I think it's Chopper 4. They're covering our game.
Yes, indeed, the fastest two days of the week. the weekend, are almost upon us.
At This Just In, that means some of our most popular blogs are on tap, starting tonight around sundown that is sneaking up on us earlier and earlier all the time. We present our Goodnight musical feature to smooth out the week. The theme? Here's a clue:

So, does that mean the O'Jay's, Billy Preston, Chaka Khan, and the Ohio Players?
Check back when it gets dark.
Wake up Saturday morning for The Barking Lot, blog written by my lovely wife and I where the focus is all about dogs. We'll tell you this good looking dog's story:
And this dog....

Is at the heart of a controversy of sorts.
Then it's our week in review, Week-ends. This woman gets a mention:

Also Saturday, Recommended Reading. Lots of good stuff. Just print it all out and read at your leisure.
Sunday, it's My Most Popular Blogs, The MJS Scorecard, Culinary no-no (Everybody's talking about it) and Photos of the Week. Here is just one of the photos that made the final cut:
So make it a point to stop by this weekend.
We'll be here.
The hit TV music show, “Soul Train” had a very popular theme song. The title was TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia). The recording artists were MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother).
MFSB was a huge ensemble of over 30 studio musicians that backed various R & B and soul acts of the 70’s including the O'Jays , Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Stylistics and the Spinners, all of whom were produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The orchestra also recorded their own instrumental albums.
Some of the key members including guitarists Norman Harris and Bobby Eli, bassist Ronnie Baker, and drummer Earl Young were part of recording of Cliff Nobles’ late 60’s hit, “The Horse.”
In 1973, Don Cornelius asked Gamble to write a theme for his new dance show. Gamble took MFSB into a studio to record TSOP and then persuaded Cornelius to release it as a single. It went to the top of the charts and won a Grammy.
70disco.com writes this about MFSB:
"Quality craftsmen were allowed to explore, expand a song's inner meaning while galloping from a smokin' jazz quintet to a 30-piece orchestra in a heartbeat. The group was velvet with a spine, a Love Unlimited Orchestra with grit. They consistently surprised with a theatrical flair."
MFSB’s fourth album, "Universal Love" steered them further into disco, but the talented group was so diverse and did so much more, including lots of material perfect for our Friday night feature. No fancy videos tonight. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
We begin with a track from that fourth album, “My Mood.

The album, "Love is the Message" featured the gigantic smash, "TSOP." Hard to believe it also generated this lush recording that features a nice vibes solo by Vince Montana.
Before you click play, I'd summon someone you love and dim the lights.

The very thought of you makes
My heart sing
Like an April breeze
On the wings of spring
And you appear in all your splendour
My one and only love
The shadows fall
And spread their mystic charms
In the hush of night
While you're in my arms
I feel your lips so warm and tender
My one and only love
“My One and Only Love” dates back to 1953, written by Guy Wood and Robert Mellin. Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald recorded the tune. It's actually the flip side of Sinatra's "I've Got the World on a String." Sting does a version on the “Leaving Las Vegas”soundtrack.
Back to MFSB.
When disco died, so did the group. MFSB disbanded in 1981.
Who'da thunk it, back in the day that a bunch of old guys with violins could be so cool.
That's it.
Goodnight.
Sleep well.
Have a great weekend.
We close with a real finger -snapper and toe-tapper. From the album "Deep Grooves," MFSB does the Johnny Taylor tune that offers a bit of matrimony counseling.


The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me. It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Some clouds, but generally sunny. High of 70. "B"
SUNDAY: A morning mix of clouds and sun, becoming cloudier in the afternoon. High of 74. "B"
Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:
Our neighbor up the block, George, walks Mickey at least twice a day but usually more. He is an extremely responsible owner and ALWAYS has a plastic bag with him, and I’ve seen him use it.
When I had my dogs in my youth, they got walks as treats and not as the sole means to “do their business.” That’s what we had a back yard for. Because of this, I have always said my future pup will have the back yard as its oasis. I’m not ABOUT to take Fido for a walk when it’s ten below and raining icicles. Not a chance.
Even though our dog will take lots of happy walks around our subdivision as pure recreation, I will still be a responsible dog owner. I feel I have a responsibility to teach our daughter to be responsible as well. I will ALWAYS carry a plastic bag with me and use it as necessary. An entire neighborhood is not your dog’s toilet… it’s that simple.
I have seen occasions (not necessarily in my current neighborhood) when dog owners are utterly irresponsible and don’t pick up after their pooch. I find that completely disgusting. I will add that I have never seen a present left in our yard where we live now.
Generally I will not confront another person about a situation I find unfavorable. I prefer to avoid conflict, not cause it. So I probably wouldn’t be the best neighbor to support
So you might be able to get away with not cleaning up after Fido if I see you walking. I can’t promise you the same with Kevin!
---Jennifer Fischer
Are you kidding me??!!
Hey, Mac! Get your sorry behind back here and clean up this #@$%#*!!!!
Actually, before I moved into
As Klinger used to say on M*A*S*H, may a diarrhetic camel find its way into your bunk.
It is time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the previous week.
Let's begin by staying with this poop angle. A pregnant woman gets ticketed for not scooping the poop fast enough. Oh there's more. Oh, yes indeed, there's more.
Foxes and cats are being used as live bait in
The BBC looks at dog fighting in nearby
Man who spray painted dog: Not guilty.
Barking
This man hoarded dogs, dead and alive.
Fighting dogs show scars.
One of Michael Vick's dogs hit by a car.
Baltimore columnist says we should lay off Michael Vick. OK, lady. MIchael Vick hasn't even begun to suffer for what he did.
DNA testing saves pet.
Dog was stuck......underground......for a week.
Bomb-sniffing dog program gets a shot in the arm.
WOW! One-third of homeowner insurance claims are for dog bites.
Some blind people are irked by charity that trains guide dogs. Read why.
Could this be the oldest dog in the world?
TIME looks at the secrets inside your dog's mind.
California businesses want to be dog-friendlier.
Cows force dog and owner into river.
Roly-poly pets: Not good.
Can dog drool provide insight into questions about dog breeds?
Way to go, Ozzy!
Way to go, Ben!
Jaycee Dugard's pets at Contra Costa animal shelter awaiting reunion.
Your dog might need a vaccine.
A reminder: Dogs get skin cancer, too.
Now this is an amazing story about a dog and the oldest Army soldier to die in the war in
Would you adopt a dog, sight unseen? This couple did.
Jessica Simpson gives up hope about her dog snatched by coyote.
What to do with all that poop!
That’s it for this week.
Thanks for stopping by.
Our weekly video: Models -- and dogs -- donned in Snuggies hit the runway during New York Fashion Week on Tuesday. Take a look….
And finally, please consider....
|
|
|
Dear Supporters, It is a critical time for Operation Baghdad Pups - U.S. soldiers and their animals need your help today! In just three weeks, SPCA International’s team needs to fly into Iraq to rescue 20 animals that have provided comfort and love to countless soldiers and marines. We need your help to get there! Iraq has become more dangerous, but that is not stopping our team from fulfilling these soldiers’ dreams – to have their furry Iraqi friend greet them stateside when they return from combat. Many of these dogs and cats have comforted two, three or even four units as they have rotated in and out of bases – but now, no new replacements are coming. The dogs pictured here - Loyalty, Stryker and Thor - are just three of the dogs we hope to rescue with your help. Please support our troops and help us save their wartime buddies. As new requests continue to come in, we want our troops to know they can count on Operation Baghdad Pups to save their companions. With your help we will be able to bring 32 dogs and 4 cats on the waiting list to safety and a new life in the United States. We can’t do it without you! Thank you for your generous, ongoing support – YOU allow us to fulfill these soldiers’ dreams. For the animals, P.S. Help us spread the word! Please forward this email to family and friends. |
|
![]() |
|
|
Copyright © 2009 SPCA International. All Rights Reserved. |
|
This season, I’m handing out a weekly POO Award to the
POO stands for Piling On Offensively (Or if you prefer, Pouring it On Offensively).
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Waunakee 72, Baraboo 7
(My apologies to a dear friend, Jen-Jen the Engine, my favorite Waunakee graduate)
Week 4
Milwaukee Riverside 75, Milwaukee Pulaski 0
A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Bank customer
Scott Burkhardt
John and Joel Rechlitz
Jean Gibson
Diyana Johnson
Sarah Palin and one of her fans
Jaime Villa
Cammie Colin
Ruth Day
Area libraries
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
Andrea Zalewski
Latasha Jackson
ACORN
Indiana Court of Appeals
College football fans
Newsweek
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”
Former President Jimmy Carter, saying Congressman Joe Wilson's outburst during Presdient Obama's speech last week was due to racism.
“I’m just simply saying that I don’t think the president agrees with him.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, on Carter's comments.
President Obama in an interview with CNN.
"If Barack Obama was white and had proposed the things that he has proposed, with their very liberal implications, there would be an equal amount of anger at the white president."
Veteran political pollster Whit Ayres
"Making false generalizations is a dangerous game. The perpetrators take a few ugly examples and apply them to a larger constituency that is blameless. It is the last refuge of people in the arena who are incapable of building a case based on facts and well-honed arguments -- or they have other devious motivations. Opposition to Obama's government-run healthcare proposals and the rest of his agenda is for the most part based on a disagreement over policy, political philosophy and honest differences of opinion."
Donald Lambro, chief political correspondent for The
"
“It should not be left to the discretion of felons as to when to submit a DNA sample. My proposal would simply say: ‘No DNA sample -- no release from custody’.”
State Senator Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee), requesting quick passage of legislation to fix the DNA registry.
“The clock is ticking here. There are serious offenders who have not had their day in court.”
Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm, who says some have likely escaped charges because of the hole in the DNA database. Chisholm needs to know immediately whose DNA isn’t there to see if he still has time to file charges.
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
Lots of DNA samples missing.
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
The press swoons over Jimmy Carter, who's all upset that people are criticizing President Obama. Didn't Carter once say that President George Bush was guilty of treason?
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
President Obama calling Kanye West a jackass. He is a jackass.
STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
Couple robbed while getting it on in.......a dumpster.
22 husbands, and willing to tie the knot again.
Snake in toilet is pretty big.
REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.
Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).
Race and stupidity
“Six months ago, Obama’s approval rating was 70 percent.
Does (Jimmy) Carter think that number has sunk to 50 percent because tens of millions of Americans suddenly discovered Obama was black?
Does it not seem more reasonable to conclude the number cratered because millions who wished Obama well on Jan. 20 have come to conclude this crowd is no more competent than the last one, that Obamacare, up close, seems even worse than the present system?”
“Racist” claims defuse once powerful word
“Everybody's racist, it seems….But if everybody's racist, is anyone?”
FOX News Poll: Are Obama’s opponents racist?
“Is it racism or an honest disagreement?”
Mitch McConnell smiled? The president is CPR for the GOP
“On the 233rd day of his presidency, Barack Obama grabbed the country's lapels for the 263rd time—that was, as of last Wednesday, the count of his speeches, press conferences, town halls, interviews, and other public remarks. His speech to Congress was the 122nd time he had publicly discussed health care. Just 14 hours would pass before the 123rd, on Thursday morning. His incessant talking cannot combat what it has caused: An increasing number of Americans do not believe that he believes what he says.”
Why they won’t cover the ACORN story
“The Statesman is a liberal newspaper in the only liberal big city in
Joe Wilson’s victory on illegal immigrants
“Whether or not he breached House decorum, Joe’s actions were both true and effective. Obama admitted as much by proposing changes to the bill to limit illegal aliens’ access to Obamacare.”
Driving while texting: Is it the new DWI?
“Here's one issue in these contentious times that almost everyone appears to agree on: Driving while typing out text messages on a mobile phone is dumb, potentially deadly and should be banned. So let's just ban driving while texting, right? Not so fast. Nothing's ever that easy…”
Making suburbia more livable
“The nation's sprawling suburbs may have been a good place to grow up, but they're a tough place to grow old. Here's how towns are beginning to 'retrofit' their neighborhoods—and what your community might look like in the future.”
How high taxes broke up The Beatles
“Now we have one more thing to blame high taxes on...”
The trouble with Tim Tebow
“Southpaws have excelled in the college game, winning Heisman trophies and national championships. But when it comes to the NFL….”
And finally........
Wolf Blitzer Loses on Jeopardy to a Comedian and an Actress
Why are some states doing this?
Simple.
Just take any liberal blogger's estimate of the crowd size, and then multiply that by about 50.
UPDATE-This is part of an e-mail I received from someone who attended today's rally:
"A pitiful little group of paid union employees stood on the road and tried to make an impact. Most people just laughed at them. If I were a liberal I would look for some of those old bomb shelters from the 50's and hide in one. Hold their meetings down there so they won't have to deal with an enraged public.
If one thousand people for every person down there agree with what is being said there is going to be a Tsunami next year.
Will GOP leaders hear this and respond or will they continue the ways that threw them out of office?"
You mean to tell me my wife was NOT consulted for this endeavor?
The following incident took place at a local high school football game Friday night. The details wee given to me by a very reliable source who was directly involved in this situation. I am not naming the game location or the schools involved for various reasons.
The football game was over. School busses had arrived to pick up the teams. Fans were exiting to head home, etc.
A cheerleader from one of the schools was complaining that she needed assistance. She was suffering from a migraine. The young girl’s mother was also on the scene and seeing her daughter in pain demanded that 9-1-1 be called.
A sports medicine official from one of the schools (not a doctor) calmly, politely, respectfully reminded the mother that a migraine didn’t warrant a 9-1-1 call. “This is not a life or death situation,” the mother was told.
That made no difference as she emphatically insisted that the call be placed. The school district in question, from a liability standpoint, had no choice but to make the call because a parent specifically requested.
And so, on a busy late summer Friday night, emergency help was summoned, not to a shooting or serious auto accident. They raced their way to check out a headache.
Talk to the paramedics and firefighters and they will tell you they’re used to such nonsense. They’re frustrated and don’t appreciate it, but they have become accustomed to these frivolous distress calls.
While Little Miss Suzy Pom Pom had a migraine, who knows what real emergency was put on hold or delayed attention.
Makes you wonder how such a case would be handled under ObamaCare.
As I post every Sunday, here are the five most read blog entries of mine from the previous week. NOTE: some entries may have been posted prior to the past week.
1) Best wishes to a good friend, Phil Cianciola
2) Michelle Malkin to highlight
3) Another school district, another moronic educrat in charge
4) Franklin mayor to hold public listening session on city budget
5) The Mother of all Taxpayer Tea Parties

Amy Peterson makes a sign with her daughters, Lily (left), 9, and Elli, 15, at Milwaukee's Tea Party at the lakefront Saturday afternoon. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu.

Sue Maher of Waukesha is concerned about how proposed government health programs would affect the elderly. Benny Sieu photo, Journal Sentinel

Lita Pacia (left) and Gina Graeltz attend with homemade signs.Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu

Earl Hardrick (center) attended the rally and said he did not vote for Obama. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker appears on a large screen at Milwaukee's Tea Party. Later Walker said the tea party movement has been galvanized by one big issue: “Health care is the thing that blew the lid off.” Benny Sieu photo, Journal Sentinel.

“I’ve never been so proud in my lifetime to be part of this angry mob,” conservative author, columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin told the Tea Party crowd. Journal sentinel photo: Benny Sieu.

Fox News Channel's competitors fired back Friday at Fox over the above ad placed in three major newspapers claiming Fox alone covered last weekend's protest in Washington, D.C. Fox's taunt drew immediate reaction from the other networks, all of whom quickly offered up descriptions, transcripts of news reports and video proof of their rally coverage. Fox took out the ad in The Washington Post and in the Wall Street Journal and New York Post, two papers owned by Fox's parent company. Fox defended its ads in an e-mailed statement from a marketing executive that called other networks on the carpet again for their coverage of the rally and events preceding it.
"Generally speaking, it's fair to say that from the tea party movement ... to Acorn ... to the march on 9/12, the networks either ignored the story, marginalized it or misrepresented the significance of it altogether," said Michael Tammero, vice president of marketing for Fox News.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Obama, speaking a year after Lehman Brothers Inc. collapse, outlined his plan for unwinding government involvement in the financial sector. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

President Barack Obama talks with former President Bill Clinton outside a restaurant in Greenwich Village in New York, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, after Obama spoke about the financial crisis, on the anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse, at Federal Hall on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, left, joins Libyan diplomat and General Assembly President Ali Abdessalam Treki, center, as he opens the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) (C) delivers remarks about legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act during a news conference with other members of Congress and married same-sex couples at the U.S. Capitol September 15, 2009 in
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in rejecting the state's strict voter ID law that it wasn't applied equally to all voters. Some absentee voters and some in care facilities did not have to show identification. Thursday's ruling was based on a League of Women Voters' challenge that the statute violated the Indiana Constitution. File photo: Indianapolis Star
The commanding officer of the United States Army honor guard, right, presents a flag to the son of Sgt. Randy Haney during funeral services at Forest Hill Cemetery in Piqua, Ohio, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009. Haney, a soldier from Orlando, Fla., died Sunday in Afghanistan from wounds suffered after his unit was attacked by enemy forces. (AP Photo/Piqua Daily Call, Mike Ullery)
United States Marines Sgt. Byron Houston, left, and Cpl. Jason Kwoka wait in line to get autographs in a book dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients at the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Medal of Honor convention at Soldier Field in Chicago, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009. More than 50 recipients of the the nation's most prestigious award for combat veterans are gathered for the annual convention. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Paul Monti carries the Medal of Honor that was posthumously awarded to his son, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti, after a ceremony in the East Room of the White House September 17, 2009 in Washington, DC. Sgt. Monti was killed June 21, 2006 in Afghanistan while attempting to rescue one of his fellow soldiers and fighting off an attack from insurgents. The Medal of Honor is given to a soldier "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A German ISAF soldier shows Afghan children pictures on his camera during a long term patrol with his unit in the mountainous region of Feyzabad, east of Kunduz, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

An Italian soldier with the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, plays with Afghan children, during a visit to their school, in Herat, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. Italian soldiers promised to build a new building for the school. (AP Photo/Fraidoon Pooyaa)

David “DJ” Harper is discharged from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin on Tuesday. The 5-year-old was burned when the SUV his mother was driving overturned and caught fire. His father, Chris Harper, and mother, Angela Baldessari, tow him out to the car. Journal Sentinel photo: Michael Sears

Afghanistan war widows hold their CARE International ration cards for collecting monthly ration from the relief agency in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept .14, 2009. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Farmers spray milk on a field in Ciney, Belgium, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. Farmers in Belgium dumped 3 million liters (790,000 gallons) of fresh milk on a field to underscore that European producers can't make a living from current rock-bottom milk prices. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A Pakistani girl mourns beside her mother's body, center, who died in a stampede, at the mortuary of a local hospital in Karachi, Pakistan on Monday Sept. 14, 2009. At least 18 women and girls waiting to get free flour in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi died when the crowd around them swelled and a stampede occurred, officials said. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
An Indonesian woman climbs a window to get into an overcrowded train heading for East Java at Senen station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. Millions of people are pouring out of the major cities in the country in a mass exodus to return to their home villages to celebrate Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Israeli border police stand around a Palestinian woman waiting at the Bethlehem checkpoint for a permit to cross into Jerusalem to attend the fourth and last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Sept. 18, 2009. Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan starts on Sunday, and coincides this year with the Jewish new year. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

A group of Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Missionaries of Charity walk along the Galveston Seawall, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, in Galveston, Texas. The sisters were showing visiting nun Sister Dorothy, in wheelchair, the island's recovery from Hurricane Ike. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful as he arrives for his weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. In the background a Vatican Swiss Guard salutes him. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Sayda Guerra, right, watches her van get loaded onto a wrecker after it was hit by a train Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 in Lithia Springs, Ga. Guerra was on her way to work when traffic became backed up at a red light and railroad crossing, forcing her to bail out of the van before the Amtrak Crescent hit it. (AP Photo/The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, John Spink)
Sharron "Kay" Thornton, who received modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis surgery to restore her eyesight, talks about being able to see again with Dr. Victor L. Perez at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida, Wednesday, September 16, 2009. (Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald/MCT)
New Jersey corrections officer Joseph Nicholas, left, looks on as fellow officer Brian Rivera encourages his dog, Izzy, to find a hidden cell phone in a training room at Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2009, in Bordentown, N.J. Attorney General Anne Milgram announced Tuesday that the dogs are one plan to stop the illicit use of cell phones in state prisons. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Little Rock Police Department dog Chewy, left, joins others in the K-9 unit before a news conference and demonstration in Little Rock, Ark., Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. Del Monte Pet Products and Milk Bone announced a $5,000 donation in partnership with Kroger towards the purchase of a new dog for the department. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
Trace Clayton, 11, and other neighbors look at the swans that sit in the middle of the road at Colonial and Georgian in Texarkana, Ark., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. The Mute Swans live at a pond owned by William Anderson about one-third of a mile from the intersection. Anderson and a handful of others herded the visibly fatigued fowls back to the the pond. (AP Photo/Texarkana Gazette, Evan Lewis)
In this photo taken Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, an official shows baby crocodiles at the "La Boca" crocodile farm in the Cienaga de Zapata national park, Cuba. The crocodile nursery is a top attraction at the park, Cuba's equivalent of the Florida Everglades, the Caribbean's largest bioreserve with 1.5 million acres of mangrove-choked canals teeming with the wildest Cuban wildlife. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, giant panda Lou Sheng stays with her female cub at the Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Breeding and Research Center in Zhouzhi County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. The mother gave birth to a pair of twin cubs on August 18 and both are growing well now, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yuan Jingzhi)
Leon, a Californian sea lion (Zalophus californianus) rests on a ball after his daily performance in the Zoo of Nyiregyhaza, eastern Hungary, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Eric Anderson and Tres Clarke carry Noaa, a male loggerhead sea turtle, out to the water along the coast of Topsail Beach, N.C. to be released, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 in Wilmington, N.C. Noaa was one of nine turtle released from the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. (AP Photo/Wilmington Star News, Ken Blevins)

In this photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009, surfer Andrew Brooks is surprised to have company on a wave at Cape Adieu, 160 kms (99 miles) west of Ceduna, Australia, as dolphins joined in on the wave he was about to catch. Brooks, a photographer, had set up his camera on a tripod and instructed his cousin to photograph him as he surfed when the pod of 40-50, believed to be bottlenose dolphins, joined in on the fun. (AP Photo/Andrew Brooks)
Serena Williams (R) of the US talks to Brian Earley (2nd R), US Open Tournament Referee and Donna Kelso (2nd L), Grand Slam Supervisor, after Williams yelled at a line judge (L) for calling a foot fault during the semifinal match against Kim Clijsters of Belgium of the 2009 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York, September 12, 2009. Williams was assessed a point penalty, which happened to be on match point giving the match to Clijsters, 6-4, 7-5. Photo: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
In this image released by ABC, tennis pro Serena Williams, right, speaks with host Chris Cuomo on the morning news program, "Good Morning America," on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009. Williams apologized Monday for what she called her "inappropriate outburst" during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute )

A spectator runs across the outfield, past Detroit Tigers third baseman Brent Dlugach, interrupting play in the sixth inning of their baseball game against the Kansas City Royal Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Actor Richard Dreyfuss leads the crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
President Barack Obama uses a light saber as he watches a demonstration of fencing with Tim Morehouse who won a silver medal in Men's Saber Fencing at the Beijing Olympics, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, during an event supporting Chicago's 2016 host city Olympic bid, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. At rear is Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and first lady Michelle Obama. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Beth Enger, left, pulls a rope with her teammates on "Team Hoffman" in attempt to pull a UPS Airbus A300 airplane 20 feet during the Law Enforcement Torch Run Plane Pull 2009 at the Lynx Cargo Area of O'Hare International Airport. All proceeds from the fundraising event go to benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. Chicago Tribune photo by Lane Christiansen / September 18, 2009

Aaron Hanke (from left to right) , Chris Knolk, Mike Styke and Dave Wescott sport T-shirts showing the progression of a quarterback at Lambeau Field before last Sunday's Packer-Bear game. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu

Packers fans prep for the game with some music and dancing during tailgate parties at Lambeau Field Sunday. Journal Sentinel photo: Benny Sieu


Al Harris returns an interception against the Bears to cap the Packers' 21-15 victory. Benny Sieu photo

David Gilbert recovers a blocked punt in the end zone to score a touchdown in Wisconsin's 44-14 win over Wofford Saturday in Madison. Journal Sentinel photo: Mark Hoffman

Rapper Kanye West set off a firestorm of criticism when he jumped on stage and took the the microphone from country singer Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for the "Best Female Video" award during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 13 in New York. West declared that Beyonce should have won. He later phoned Swift to apologize for his outburst. AP photo, Jason Decrow
A waitress is selling beer to visitors at the Hofbraeuhausbeer tent on September 19, 2009 in Munich, Germany. Oktoberfest is Germany's and the world largest fair. About six million people attend the sixteen-day festival during late September and early October. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
In this Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 photo provided by Troy Landwehr via The Chippewa Herald-Telegram, Landwehr of Little Chute is shown carving the big cheese 2008 Cheez-It crackers display in Philadephia. Landwehr, 33, has been carving cheese into artistic creations since age 11 when he did it as a 4-H project for the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute. (AP Photo/Troy Landwehr via The Chippewa Herald-Telegram)
A bather kneels under a hot waterfall in a medicinal baths complex at Thermopylae, central Greece, on Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Located some 90 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Athens, Thermopylae _ which means the Hot Gates in ancient Greek _ was the site of a famous 480 B.C. defensive action by a tiny Spartan army, who fought to the death before being overcome by an invading Persian host. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Men, wearing traditional clothes, parade during an event marking the beginning of celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Mexican Independence and the 100th of the Mexican Revolution, in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. Both anniversaries will be commemorated during 2010. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Aivars Graholskis sits in a replica of a Farman 4 aircraft in Adazi, some 30 km from Latvian capital Riga, on September 12, 2009. Latvian enthusiasts unveiled a replica of a 1910 Farman 4 aircraft that they built from original, century-old plans. Guntars Senkans, who led a team of vintage plane fans, said they had spent 15 years scouring archives in Latvia and neighbouring Russia for plans of the plane, which was designed by French aviator and aircraft designer Henri Farman. ILMARS ZNOTINS/AFP/Getty Images
Participants toss pies for the World’s Largest Pie Fight in front of ABC Studio in New York, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, during “Live with Regis & Kelly” to mark a new record in the Guinness World Records book. (AP Photo/Afton Almaraz)

Jenna Bush Hager, right, shares a laugh with Today Show host Matt Lauer as she makes her debut broadcast live from the new Cowboys Stadium, Friday, September 18, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. Hager is the daughter of former president George W. Bush.

Zula Zazou performs in the scene "Upside Down" during the presentation of the new revue "Desirs" of the Crazy Horse directed by French Choreographer Philippe Decoufle and Ali Mahdavi at the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris, Monday Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

A Christie's employee displays a flawless diamond of 32.01 carats from the collection of the late Leonore "Lee" Annenberg during a preview at Christie's auction house in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. The flawless diamond is expected to reach between US$ 3,000,000 and US$ 5,000,000 at the Christie's auction to be held on October 21 in New York. (AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi)
Artists are seen at the booth of German car maker Mercedes on the first press day of the Frankfurt Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009. The car fair run through Sept. 27. (AP Photo/Daniel Roland)

A sleeved blanket for dogs is modeled in the Snuggie fall 2009/winter 2010 collection show during Fashion Week Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
A model participates in a 2009 Daegu International Bodypainting Festival on September 12, 2009 in Daegu, South Korea. The festival is the largest event in the field of body painting and spreads the art form to thousands of interested visitors each year. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A model walks the catwalk during the Charlie Le Mindu Spring/Summer 2010 show as part of Blow Presents during London Fashion Week at the Royal Festival Hall on September 19, in London, England.(SAMIR HUSSEIN, GETTY IMAGES)

This Sept. 13, 2009 file photo shows the spring 2010 collection of Thom Browne is modeled during Fashion Week in New York. For spring 2010, Browne presented an edgy array of menswear, ranging from a topcoat with large poka-dot holes cut in its gray fabric to long pants sporting a crotch dropped so low as to make them look like dresses. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano,File)
A bus driver appears distracted as he drives past where models are displaying Agent Provocateur's new lingerie collection 'The New World Order' outside a department store in London, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)
Vince Campbell, 38, of Mountain Home, Ark., looks over a Ferris wheel, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009, at the Baxter County, Ark., fairgrounds. The Ferris wheel is the one Michael Jackson had at Neverland Ranch. Campbell said he came to the fairgrounds just to see the Ferris wheel. "Yes, I'm a Michael Jackson fan," he said. "There's no one like the King of Pop." (AP Photo/The Baxter Bulletin, Kevin Pieper)
Michelle Werwega places flowers on Patrick Swayze's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday Sept. 15, 2009 in Los Angeles. Swayze died from pancreatic cancer on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 57. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
EVERY SUNDAY I REVIEW THE MOST COVETED EDITORIAL PAGES OF THE WEEK BY OPINION-MAKERS AS WELL AS THE MOST WIDELY-READ, THE SUNDAY “CROSSROADS” SECTION OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. I WILL KEEP TRACK OF THE CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL PIECES CONTRIBUTED BY NON-JOURNAL SENTINEL WRITERS AND KEEP A RUNNING SCORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
It should also be noted that this exercise is a categorization. Most, if not all of these articles submitted to, or solicited by the Crossroads staff are well-written, thoughtful, and provocative. I enjoy reading them as I have every Sunday for as long as I can remember. This weekly compilation is an ideological scorecard, not a writing critique.
TODAY'S LIBERAL PIECES
Nathaniel Holton: Ending the abuse of Milwaukee
An MJS favorite. There's a problem. Our solution? Increase taxes or create a new one. Young college student is the author. Hopefully his opinion will change after his first property tax bill.
J. Val Klump: A cost at both ends of the pipe
The author says we just have to pay yet another tax.
Alyssa Katz: A government role needed in home foreclosures
Because the govvernment can fix anything.
TODAY'S CONSERVATIVE PIECES
Matthew Glans: Too much government in housing spells taxpayer risk
Correctimundo!
Dianne Kiehl: Washington should heed Wisconsin's innovations
That's one alternative to ObamaCare.
NEITHER LIBERAL NOR CONSERVATIVE
Another View: Changing governance will not solve problems
State Representative Tamara Grisby's response to MJS' ridiculous editorial in support of state Milwaukee mayoral takeover and control of MPS.
No one likes the idea, except Jim Doyle, Tom Barrett, and the MJS Editorial Board. Scary.
MJS SCORECARD:
TODAY: Liberal-3, Conservative-2
YEAR TO DATE: Liberal-90, Conservative-72
NOTE: And the margin keeps getting wider and wider.
Doug Giles lays the smack down on ACORN and the MSM.
Permalink | Email This Blog