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Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.

The Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad Rebuttal

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010

The supreme injustice of the Grammy Awards

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010


Nothing against Beyonce.



Beyonce Images

She’s extremely attractive and mighty talented. However she epitomizes with what’s terribly wrong with the Grammy Awards and their history.

Beyonce was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards Sunday. Throughout her career, Diana Ross has never won a Grammy, whether for her single career, or all her phenomenal work with the Supremes.

Elaborately gowned, they could really sing. We’ll probably never see anything like them again.


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Wired media rejuvenates the GOP

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010


"With the Democratic defeat in the recent special senatorial election in Massachusetts, engineered in part by tea-party activists working with several Beltway-based groups, the conservative movement is more energized than it has been in years."

And it's being fueled by new media.

Alice in Wonderland looks amazing

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010


Have you seen the trailer on TV yet?

If not.....
 

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Scott Walker building momentum

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010


Last Friday, a Rasmussen poll showed Scott Walker leading Tom Barrett by 10 points in the race for governor. It is very, very early. Even so, this is a good sign.

Then campaign donations for Walker kept coming, and coming, and coming, and coming. They were coming so fast that Walker’s campaign said the state’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) and its computers system couldn’t handle the input of donations.

What do you think the spin of the state government agency was that it was slow in handling the onslaught of Walker donations?

We didn’t do anything wrong. We were able to function. We got everything into our system.

Yeh, sure. But after how long?

The past couple of years have seen a number of stories about problems with state computers and software. I don’t doubt for a minute the GAB’s equipment couldn’t effectively adapt to the Walker donations this past weekend.

In typical bureaucrat-ese, the GAB cries, “Not true. We did everything right!”

OK, whatever. The fact is Scott Walker’s campaign is growing and picking up steam.

And the left is very, very worried.


 

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The latest News You Can Use from WRTL

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 1, 2010

Wisconsin Right To Life News You Can Use Contribute
In This Issue:
 
Important Right To Life Links

Assembly and State Senate Races Crucial to Right-to-Life Efforts

The groundhog never saw this coming....

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 2, 2010

The pea brains at PETA

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 2, 2010


If you missed Saturday’s edition of Week-ends, PETA is at it again.

The wackos want a robot to replace the groundhog.

BTW, the official groundhog out in Pennsylvania did see his shadow, meaning Wisconsin will probably have 12 more weeks of winter.

The question I have this morning:

Is this little guy….







More accurate than…


 

Craig koplien

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Franklin homeowners, did you pay more than $6,052 in property taxes last year?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 2, 2010


I did. A heckuva lot more.

Why the $6,052 figure?

Forbes ranked the counties in America that pay the highest amount in property taxes. In Lake County, Illinois, the median annual property tax is $6,052, the highest county property tax in the Midwest (The national average is $1,180).

Granted, Franklin’s property tax figures are mixed in with the rest of Milwaukee County. Milwaukee County’s property taxes don’t, on average, skyrocket to the level of some of the more lucrative counties in our neighbor to the south.

But how does it feel, fellow Franklinites, and there are plenty of you out there, to know that you fork over higher property taxes than the folks that Forbes have identified as paying the highest property taxes in the Midwest?

Taxes matter. I firmly believe they constitute the #1 issue for the vast majority of Franklin residents.

Elections also matter. Vote for candidates that understand that in general, but especially during a recession, tax and spending increases need to be put on hold.

Then pay close attention to how elected aldermen and school board members regard you, your hard work, and your tax dollars. Most of our current batch of locally elected officials last year didn’t seem to care that the people who pay the bills were struggling, with many of them either unemployed or under-employed. Those officials need to be held accountable.

The tax revolt starts with you, right now.

Nancy Pelosi in her own words....watch this video

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 2, 2010

              

Pelosi: Health Care by Any Means Necessary

The Fight Is Back -- Take Action Today

It appears overwhelming public opinion won't stop House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from forcing deeply flawed health care on the American people.

But don't take our word for it ... watch this video outlining how she'll pass this bill.

 

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WAAAA!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 3, 2010

Political Cartoon by Gary Varvel


10 reasons to be scared about Obama's budget

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 3, 2010


The National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) says taxpayers need to be very afraid of President Obama’s super kagillion budget and has come up with 10 underreported facts  about the president’s spending spree.

"Seven Huge Flaws in the Way Liberals Think"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 3, 2010


John Hawkins, the columnist of lists, has composed another beauty.

This time, he examines the problems in the liberal though process. My favorite out of his seven is #5:

“Liberals believe merely being liberal makes them good people. Liberals who're obsessed with money think they're compassionate because they give away other people's tax dollars. They believe they care more about the earth than other people, even as they fly around in private jets, because they babble on about global warming. They can be dumb as a rock, but believe they're smarter than most other people because they're liberals. In other words, in the minds of most liberals, liberalism is an all-purpose substitute for actual virtue instead of just another political philosophy.”

BINGO!

Read the entire list here.

Another tax threat

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 3, 2010

              

Stimulate the Economy by Taxing Businesses

and Investors?

Latest Tax Hike is a Bad Idea for American Jobs



Some politicians in Congress are proposing a new "tax on financial transactions" ... the last thing our recovering economy needs and another obstacle for America's job creators.

The stock transaction tax would assess a fee on the sale or purchase of any stock, raising transactions costs, forcing businesses overseas, and creating a loophole that only lawyers and lobbyists would benefit from.

Bottom line: this tax would increase the cost of doing business in America, limit opportunities for investors and sacrifice more American jobs.

Not surprisingly, this new tax is backed by Big Labor, and would impose a .25% tax on all stock trades in the misguided hope of raising $150 billion for another stimulus bill.

But this bill won't stimulate the economy -- it will do the exact opposite.

In fact, a similar transaction tax was repealed by Congress in 1966 for the depressing effect it had on the American economy.

Once repealed, costs fell and the number of Americans investing in the stock market dramatically increased -- helping markets grow and prosper.

 

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Franklin taxpayers, it could be worse

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 3, 2010


You could live in Altoona where they’ve gone completely nuts.

Obama's fiscal discipline

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 4, 2010


Political Cartoon by Eric Allie




President's Budget to Stretch Nation's Purse

"Despite all of his feigned, disingenuous concern about budget deficits and a rising national debt, Obama is spending like there's no tomorrow."

Super Bowl story making the rounds...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 4, 2010


A man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Super Bowl tickets. The ticket teller replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

The following day the same man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Vikings Super Bowl tickets. The ticket teller politely replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl. 
     

This goes on for an entire week.     

The man again goes to the Viking ticket office inquiring about Super Bowl tickets and the teller says none are for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the Super Bowl.

Another week of this goes by and the man still is asking the ticket teller about Viking Super Bowl tickets.      

Finally the ticket teller in a loud voice says:

"I'VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS THERE WERE NOT ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE VIKINGS DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!"     

The man replied:
 
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"I know. I drive all the way from Green Bay just to hear you say that."

The $54 million Wine Train

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 4, 2010


Last June, state Senator Mary Lazich blogged about U.S. Senator Tom Coburn’s list of the 100 most questionable stimulus projects.

Coburn is a contemporary William Proxmire except that he’s Republican.

Coburn and Senator John McCain have updated the list. Check out #11.

ABC News describes the project, reporting that $54 million “will be spent to build a new rail bridge, elevate and relocate a total of 3,300 feet of track and put flood walls around the main station for the Napa Valley Wine Train, an antique train that runs on 25 miles of track and features a restaurant and restored vintage train cars.”

Proponents are all too willing to defend the project. But it raises lots and lots of eyebrows.

Watch.



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Watch InterCHANGE Friday night

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 4, 2010


Here are the topics the panel discusses on InterCHANGE Friday night on Milwaukee Public television Channel 10 at 6:30 with a repeat broadcast on Sunday morning at 11:00:

1 – Toyota.

Talk about a company imploding.  Toyota says its recall to fix brake problems will cost more than one-billion dollars.  Toyota sales are down, stock price is down, image is shattered.  Is this an example of exactly how not to handle a crisis?  Or, are they doing just the right thing to make sure that people know Toyota is addressing the problem?  What do you think of how U.S. officials have responded?  In the end, is this good or bad for the American auto industry?

2 – Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Should the military allow gays no questions asked?  Or, has the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy worked just fine?  Is Obama really pushing this effort, or will they just study it endlessly and delay a decision forever?

3 – Tommy Thompson.

Will Tommy get back in the game to run against Russ Feingold, or does he just like his name out there to satisfy his ego?  Could he beat Feingold, or would he be humiliated? Does Feingold have anything to worry about as far as his other challengers are concerned?

4 – Super Bowl.

It’s the Saints against the Colts in Miami.  Who will win?  Do we care?

Wisconsin sports fans can be beyond incredibly stupid

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 4, 2010


They proved it during the entire Brett Favre affair. The man took them to Super Bowls, won MVPs, played every week with unsurpassed grit and toughness, then was traded even though he wanted to stay, and brain dead Packer fans, including the ones not employed by WTMJ Radio, moaned and groaned,  “Duuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, gee I hope he has to be in a wheelchair the rest of his life.”

Some of the intelligent commentary was reserved for the Big Idiot’s radio show after 6:00 p.m. on TMJ (Can we say, ‘I’m a big fat shill’?), but most came on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s blog. Here’s a sample of the Rhodes Scholars in green and gold (the spelling errors are those of the intelligentsia that wrote them):


Hate him, hope the Packers break his leg and he is never able to play again. GO PACK!!

Great football player, not a very good person

He's a selfish traitor and I hope someone puts him out.

I have never wished harm to anyone on a football field, but I do now.

I despise him and would LOVE to see Aaron Kampmann put him on the ground and retire him once and for all.

Brent who? I hope he dies of aids.

I wouldn't minde seeing one of our guys break his legs

Hope Brent gets the swine flu!

Brent, break a leg on Monday, literally break a leg. I have visions of Theismann dancing in my head when it comes to Monday night.

i hope he tears his ACL on the first play. I hate him!!!!!!!!!!

THE MAN NEEDS HELP, HE LIES ABOUT EVERYTHING, HE PROBABLY TANKED THE JETS SEASON ON PURPOSE SO THEY WOULD RELEASE HIM, I DON'T EVEN BELIEVE HIS WIFE HAD CANCER.

OK, we have "fans" who want to see Brett suffer a broken leg (like Joe Theissman) or a torn ACL or get pile-driven into the ground. And these are the people who are criticizing Brett's lack of character??????????

I Loathe Him! No one was a bigger Brett Favre fan than I, no one. But the guy is a pile of human garbage.

The guy deserves a broken clavicle at the hands of Aaron Kampman

I hope he gets smashed by Chillar on a blind-side blitz and shatters his pelvis.


Brilliant. Hope their moms are proud.

That brings us to this Sunday’s Super Bowl, New Orleans vs. Indianapolis.

Without Favre playing, there might be little for Wisconsin pro football fans to get excited about.

But there’s undoubtedly a large faction of Wisconsinites who will be pulling for the slight underdogs, the New Orleans Saints who knocked out the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre.

Ooooooohh, I love this, the argument that I’m plugging for New Orleans because they, like Green Bay are in the NFC.

Ummm, excuse me. A few years ago, the Chicago Bears played the Indianapolis Colts in the big game. NO WAY IN HELL I was rooting for the Bears simply because…….DUHHHHHH….they’re in the NFC.

Do you honestly think that if Green Bay was in Super Bowl that people in Chicago would be pulling for the Pack for the absurd reason that we're in the same division?

And why the hell should I cheer for Drew Brees, he of the Purdue alumni? If I recall, Brees threw 150 passes one night at Camp Randall Stadium in a victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.

I didn’t like Brees then and I certainly don’t like him now.

Then there's the whole Katrina angle. Enough already. I'm sick of hearing play-by-play guys talking about it. If acts of God were supposed to determine NFL championships, what about all the Midwest floods and tornadoes?

Peyton Manning is all class and truly deserving of my fan support.

Go Colts!

The newest Olympic event

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010

Today is National Wear Red Day

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010

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Church scandals are back

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010


Call it Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki’s baptism of fire.

Last month when he testified in Madison against a bill that would remove the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases, the new archbishop was grilled by state lawmakers.

Watch this WTMJ-TV video.

Now the Eau Claire police chief says Listecki wasn’t upfront with legislators at last month’s hearing.

A few years ago, scandals rocked the Catholic Church and made for screaming headlines nationwide. The controversy quieted down for awhile but has resurfaced, re-opening decades-long wounds. 

Former FBI executive and former executive director of the U.S. bishop’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, Kathleen McChesney writes a timely piece in the current issue of St. Anthony Messenger magazine, “Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Where Are We Now?”

For McChesney, the answer is quite simple:

“I am certain that the crisis of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy is far from over.”

McChesney concedes, “In the United States the number of allegations of sexual abuse committed by priests and deacons that have taken place during the past five years is quite small and appears to be diminishing.”

But….

“It is very likely that there are young people who remain unsure or afraid of accusing a respected member of the clergy of sexual assault. Moreover, hundreds of adults continue to come forward each year, describing their abuse as children or teenagers in years past…”

The author laments that there is no single, definitive child protection approach offered or taken by the Holy See.

“Being ashamed and sorrowful is obviously not sufficient remorse for every person whose life has been torn asunder by the violent act of a priest or a deacon,” McChesney contends. “Clearly, there is much more that can be done to become a better, safer Church.”

McChesney concludes with eight recommendations on how to address this ongoing problem. You can read McChesney’s article here.

As a devout Roman Catholic, clergy sex abuse angers and disgusts me. However, we shouldn't lose perspective that the overwhelming majority of priests and deacons are honest, good, decent human beings and perform wondrous deeds for the Church and their communities.

Wear a Tim Tebow mask at your Super Bowl party

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010

Life - Wisconsin Right To Life - News Release

Make A Statement For Life

Friday, February 5, 2010

The weekend arrives......SUPER!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010


That means you'll find  our regular weekend material beginning tonight on This Just In with our Friday night Goodnight music post.

Tonight, as Jim McKay used to say on ABC, we are "spanning the globe" to bring you the thrill of music.

Saturday morning, wake up to The Barking Lot, our weekly dog blog with the dog walking forecast, my wife Jennifer's main blog, and DOGS IN THE NEWS with an update on....






 
Then it's Week-ends, our weekly week in review. Also Saturday, Recommended Reading, always quality material. 

Sunday, My Most Popular Blogs, Culinary no-no, and Photos of the Week. Here is a photo that DID NOT make the final cut.:..






I've got to hand it to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photographers. Those pictures they take for the Dining section are very tantalizing. Here's one from today's paper. Ward’s prime rib is beautifully tender if mild on flavor. The restaurant offers cuts of 8-, 16-, 24- and, new this week, 40-ounce (above). Photo: Rick Wood.

And I loved this from last Friday...





Braised short ribs with cheese tortellini is a hearty plate that will provide comfort on a cold Wisconsin night. The barbecue sauce is made with Lakefront Brewery’s Eastside Dark lager. The restaurant is The Red Accordion. Photo: Once again, lucky devil Rick Wood.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Goodnight everyone, and have a gold medal weekend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 5, 2010


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.

Tonight……



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Please, take me back.....

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


 Political Cartoon by Steve Breen

The Barking Lot (02/06/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010

The Barking Lot


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:  Variable clouds with snow showers. Very windy. High of 26.  "D"

SUNDAY:  Mostly cloudy. High of 25. "D"

Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:

We were spoiled for many years with Sugar’s lack of barking.  Although she was a Basenji-Cocker Spaniel mix, she really exhibited no traits of her mother, the Cocker.  True to Basenji form, she did not bark.  She would let out an occasional chortle and that was it.  Then when Skippy, the English Springer Spaniel, came in to our lives, we learned how a barking dog could really disrupt the family peace.  She would bark to be let out and let in.  Fine.  She would bark at dogs across the street.  Fine.  But she would also bark at the mail man, motorcycles, meter readers and even leaves blowing down the street in the fall.  NOT fine.  We did our best to curtail her canine crooning but she didn’t improve much over the years.  Sadly her barking stopped when she lost her hearing and at that point we actually wished she would bark again.

 

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Franklin resident just wants someone to answer the phone

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


From the Your Opinion section in Friday’s Journal Sentinel:

JOBS PROGRAM

Answer the phone

Read more

No more running up the score in soccer

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


This past fall, I called out Wisconsin high school football teams that ran up the score, a major problem I have with high school sports. The fault lies primarily with coaches who have the ability to call off the dogs once a game gets out of hand. Too often, these clueless coaches only care about lighting up the scoreboard.

It’s not just a football issue. It happens in other sports, like soccer.

I’m very pleased that the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board recently adopted a major change in soccer rules. Beginning in the fall, a game will now end if there’s a 10-goal differential between the teams at the 60-minute mark.

This is a great decision on the part of the WIAA. I’ve been watching area high school soccer for over 30 years, and I have never seen a team come back from a 10-goal deficit to win, and it certainly won’t happen in the last 20 minutes of a game.

The change takes any decision out of the hands of soccer officials and ends the game automatically. At that point in the game, there’s no reason to continue and risk unnecessary injuries. And the victorious team wins by 10 goals instead of 12 or 15. So what!

Oh for the days of John Welk. Welk was the soccer coach for boys and girls at Milwaukee South during the 70’s and 80’s, and 90’s.  His teams, particularly the boys were far superior to any others in the City Conference. It always looked liked he had four or five extra players on the field.

Welk’s team would jump out to a quick four or five goal advantage and then, under his instruction, the South players would relent. Shots of goal stopped, unless someone had a clear opportunity. Back and forth South players would pass the ball without any aggressive effort to score.

Sadly, those sportsmanlike days are over. And while I applaud the WIAA, it’s unfortunate that it took an edict from Stevens Point to enforce common sense on the playing field.

Week-ends (02/06/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010

Week-ends


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


Daniel Lund


LeMarc Humphrey


William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy and Doris "Dorie" Miller


Rebecca St. James


Wayne Burroughs


James Smith


Mike Scofield


Elliot



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Daniel Acker


Robbers in Texas........UPDATE


Whoever was responsible for this.



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


"We Democrats authorized all kinds of new taxes in the recently adopted state budget (cigarette taxes, capital gains taxes, solid waste fees, cell phone tax, boat registration fee, etc. etc.) and took a lot of heat for that.”
State Senator Jim Holperin (D-Conover) in an e-mail to a constituent last fall. The e-mail was reported this week by the Lakeland Times.


“If the economy hasn’t turned around in the next two years, God help us all”
Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle


“It’s time for state government to pull its head out of the sand and face the harsh, cold reality of our budget crisis.”
State Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) responding to a memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau that the state’s structural deficit has increased to $2.3 billion.


“I'll give you as Shermanesque a quote as I can. I am not going to run for president. I'm just not going to do it. My head's not that big, and my kids are too small.”
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan on "UpFront with Mike Gousha."


“I know the rules, and I know how restrictive they are. I would never do anything to affect the work I do here in the state Assembly.”
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) claiming he's done nothing illegal and has the support of his caucus after admitting he’s dating  a lobbyist for the payday lending industry.


“Even an eternal candidate like him must understand that voters in Wisconsin aren't going to fork over campaign cash to someone whose list of failures and record of mismanagement just keeps on growing.”
State Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate asserting that Milwaukee Executive Scott Walker is spending campaign cash at a "staggeringly high rate" in his race for governor. County


“If Scott Walker had parted the Red Sea, Mike Tate would say that he killed too many fish.”
Reince Priebus, chairman of the state GOP, noting that Walker's cash total, donors and poll numbers are each ahead of Tom Barrett at this point.


“Automatic tolling should come some day ... not soon enough.”
Former state Transportation Secretary Tom Carlsen.


“Gov't is the servant of the people. Start serving us Bama, take a bow to US the American People for a ‘change’"
A commenter on the Big Government website.


"I’m all for full disclosure, but not the full monty.”
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) responding to Cosmopolitan magazine editor Kate White's invitation to pose nude for the ladies mag.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Seeing double with stimulus numbers.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


State Senator Jim Holperin: 'We Democrats' authorized all kinds of new taxes…….
Senator said budget had “enough little tax and fee hikes to sink a good sized battleship”


The John Edwards story



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


That groundhog out in PA.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Unruly passenger blames those darn cookies.


Another Caught in the Act video.


New Zealand teen auctions herself to pay for tuition.


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. 

Recommended Reading (02/06/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010

Recommended reading


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).


Sweet tea for convention attendees

"If you read any of the extensive coverage of the Tea Party Convention going on this weekend in Nashville, TN, be prepared for dramatic stories of rampant grassroots infighting, questionable convention finances, and radical convention-goers flocking after polarizing demagogues. The real story? Much different."


Holperin: 'We Democrats' authorized all kinds of new taxes

"You know the Governor's got enough little tax and fee hikes in that budget of his to sink a good sized battleship.”


Back on the Street

“Many in the media have cast 2009’s sentencing reforms as early release for ‘non-violent offenders.’ However, the changes actually give violent felons – including homicide offenders – multiple new chances to get out of prison early and to shorten their state supervision in the community.”


The myth of local control

“Call us hopelessly naive, but we’d rather trust local people to make local decisions. District educators and school board members, in consultation with parents, are more than capable of designing programs which meet community needs and achieve acceptance.”


Climate bill: All cost, no benefit

“It's common practice in politics to market legislation in a way that hides its true intent. The so-called Clean Energy Jobs Act, praised by a Journal Sentinel editorial on Jan. 17 is one of the most misnamed bills of all time.”


Super commercial

“In the midst of the usual glut of Super Bowl commercials with messages about beer, cars and women with impossible bosoms, on Sunday there will be one 30-second message that has some people upset, even angry.”


The conservative football fix

“If you’re willing to record a game and watch it later, you can view it in less than an hour, without missing a snap. This isn’t going to change as long as advertisers are lining up to throw money at the networks carrying NFL games. So what should be fixed?”

Yes Jennifer, I know, I know.....

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


You don’t have to keep reminding me over and over again about that other Bowl on Sunday.

It has become so popular that the prestigious Wall Street Journal has a feature piece.

Here’s a preview….

Read more

Happy birthday, President Reagan

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


He was one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. Ronald Reagan would have been  99 years old today.

Reagan was dubbed, “The Great Communicator,” and for good reason. Here are some of his memorable quotes:


Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.

To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last--but eat you he will.

I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.

I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.

The taxpayer: That’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t take the civil service exam.

Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

We’ll all do the job as if there will never be another election. In other words… we’ll take no actions or make no decisions that are based on how they might bear on or affect an election. Whatever we do will be based on what we believe, to the best of our ability, is best for the people of this country.

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.

I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.

If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.

No arsenal ... is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.

People don't start wars, governments do.

If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

And finally, during a microphone check in 1984:

My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.

The mainstream media was highly offended, a sure sign the line was hilarious.

"Nothing wrong with Tebow Super Bowl ad"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


Great column by CNN’s Roland Martin who writes:

“Instead of slamming Tebow, let's thank him for being an athlete who shows more conviction in his personal life, rather than being convicted of a crime in a courtroom.”

Sunday will be anything but super for abortion-loving liberals

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


Newsbusters.com reports:

“The Left and their media minions may not have enough time to fully express their anger before it happens, but a second ad featuring Pro-Life advocate and college football star Tim Tebow is now scheduled to air during the Super Bowl pre-game show.

Adding insult to injury, this one's supposed to run…..

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Q. When will the Tim Tebow ad air during the Super Bowl game?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


A. During the first quarter.

Brilliant.

More people will be watching then as opposed to the fourth quarter when the game could be the customary Super Bowl blowout.

Palin addresses the National Tea Party Convention

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 6, 2010


Sarah Palin delivered the keynote address in Nashville tonight.

Pailin to Obama: "Stop lecturing and start listening."

More from Palin:

"America is ready for another revolution." 

"This movement is about the people. Government is supposed to be working for the people."

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Today's the big game...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010


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My Most Popular Blogs (02/07/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010

Most popular


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) Wisconsin sports fans can be beyond incredibly stupid

2) The $54 million Wine Train

3) NFL admits officials missed a key penalty against Saints in Vikings loss last Sunday

4) Franklin homeowners, did you pay more than $6,052 in property taxes last year?

5) "Seven Huge Flaws in the Way Liberals Think"

Photos of the Week (02/07/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010

Photos of the Week






U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) (R) and Spratt's Staff Director and Chief Counsel Thomas Kahn leave after he received copies of the FY2011 budget proposal in front of the U.S. Capitol February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama released the details of his budget for FY2010 Monday.. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)






Employees at the U.S. Government Printing Office deliver copies of the proposed 2011 fiscal year budget for members of the media in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. U.S. President Barack Obama's $3.8 trillion fiscal 2011 budget puts an emphasis on job creation with $100 billion in additional stimulus spending, along with higher taxes for the wealthy in an attempt to narrow the deficit. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg




Jim Eley wears an anti-Obama sticker on his back while at the National Tea Party Convention at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee February 6, 2010.

Jim Eley wears an anti-Obama sticker on his back while at the National Tea Party Convention at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee February 6, 2010. Photo: Reuters




Indonesian students look at the statue of President Barack Obama as a 10-year-old boy at Menteng Park in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 5, 2010. The statue of young Obama that drew public backlash after it was placed in the park will be moved to the elementary school he attended while living in the Indonesian capital four decades ago amid criticism arguing that statues in public places should be reserved only for national heroes and those who have made significant contributions to the country.

Indonesian students look at the statue of President Obama as a 10-year-old boy at Menteng Park in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 5, 2010. The statue of young Obama that drew public backlash after it was placed in the park will be moved to the elementary school he attended while living in the Indonesian capital four decades ago amid criticism arguing that statues in public places should be reserved only for national heroes and those who have made significant contributions to the country.Photo: AP






U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood testifies during a hearing on his department's budget request for FY2011 before the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill February 3, 2010 in Washington, DC. LaHood spoke to the media later to clarify on the remarks he made during the hearing whether Toyota owners who are affected by the recall should drive their vehicles. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)






Toyota of Hollywood team leader Erick Garcia eyes his work in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, while perfecting the fix for shortening the gas pedal in several models of Toyota cars involved in a recall. (Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times/MCT)






A man, accused of stealing food, is detained by a police officer during a food distribution in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan 31, 2010. Relief workers prepared for a woman-only food distribution system in Haiti's capital, launching a new phase of what they hope will be less cutthroat aid distribution to ensure that families and the weak get supplies following Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. (AP Photo/ Rodrigo Abd)






Suspected looters lie on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs in front of a bank after they were caught in the closed bank in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. Seventeen suspected looters were detained at the bank, which was closed due to the Jan. 12 earthquake, during a joint operation by the Haitian police and UN peacekeepers. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)






Matin shaves a client with the debris of his shop still scattered around him in downtown Port-au-Prince. Matin, who lost his fourteen-year-old daughter in the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, returned to work with the few things he found among the debris of the business he owned for 26 years. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)


 



Laura Silsby, (L), the head of New Life Children's Refuge leaves a court hearing with another member of her group Charisa Coulter February 4, 2010 after being accused of child abduction and criminal association in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Five women and five men are part of a church organization that attempted to cross into the Dominican Republic with 33 Haitian children. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)






Army Specialist (SPC) Toby Felts is greeted by his wife Denise after arriving with 42 fellow guardsman at the N.C. Guard Armory on West Boulevard Monday afternoon. Soldiers of the N.C. Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team will be returning to N.C. this week. The 30th began training in December of 2008 and deployed overseas in April 2009. During their deployment, the 30th conducted a wide range of missions; they trained Iraqi Police and Army Forces, assisted in civil projects like schools and infrastructure improvements, and conducted joint combat operations with Iraqi Security Forces. The 30th suffered 29 wounded in action and seven killed in action, five of those killed were N.C. National Guard Soldiers. DAVIE HINSHAW - Charlotte Observer.


 

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The BIGGEST Culinary no-no of all-time!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010

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Culinary no-no #151

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010

Culinary no-no's


My power windows haven’t been working right lately, so whenever I want my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, I need to park, get out of the vehicle, walk into the Golden Arches, and look an employee right in the eye and place my order in person as opposed through a cold, faceless intercom.

I don’t mind terribly. At least I know I’ll get napkins because I won’t forget.

But I miss the convenience. I’m not sure about the actual lost time, if any at all, but it seems there is some when parking and leaving the car to go inside. Plus it’s just the getting in and out when there’s this nice and easy, 1-2-3 drive-through just begging for my business that just doesn't feel right.





Drive-throughs have been around for decades and I can’t imagine how many times I’ve used them to buy burgers, chicken, custard, make a bank transaction, get my car washed, or return a library book.

I can recall riding my bike as a kid to McDonald’s, standing in line outside at the window, then finding a spot under a tree to eat my Big Mac. It was honestly a big deal when the restaurants added seats. And then in the mid-70’s, the mega fast food chain started installing drive-throughs.

Boy, are they popular. Tom Vanderbilt writes in Slate that “drive-throughs account for some 65 percent of McDonald's U.S. sales.”

Despite their popularity, Vanderbilt finds these car-lanes to be “odd,” and asks, “Has the American romance with the drive-through gone sour?”

“There has always been something odd in the encounter between automobility and architecture; the driver momentarily breaks her sense of hermetic enclosure, while the fast-food employee briefly thrusts himself out of the window, the two meeting amid the sickly sweet commingling of ambient grease and tailpipe exhaust,” says Vanderbilt.

The drive-throughs, Vanderbilt claims, are being criticized for our national obesity crisis, their harshness on the environment, and being discriminatory.

Hmmmm. Care to venture a guess as to whether this guy voted for Obama?

 

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The first Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010


It ran during the pre-game.....

 

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Steve Olson for Franklin Alderman, First District

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 7, 2010


Franklin residents, I am pleased and honored to share a special message with you from Franklin First District Alderman Steve Olson whom I wholeheartedly endorse. I respectfully request that you give him your support. By far, he best represents the values and concerns of Franklin citizens and is the clear choice in the First District aldermanic race.


Dear Friends:

It has been an honor to serve the residents of the 1st aldermanic district in Franklin for the past six years.  I am seeking another term as your alderman.

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UPDATE: The Barking Lot (02/06/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 8, 2010


Saturday’s Barking Lot dealt with de-barking.

So did one ad during Sunday's Super Bowl.


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Passionate pro-lifer calls Tebow ad "disappointing"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 8, 2010


From CITIZENS FOR A PRO-LIFE SOCIETY (CPLS)

From Monica Migliorino Miller, Ph.D. Director of CPLS

see www.prolifesociety.com

see "Requiem for the Disappeared" on You Tube
One of the most compelling pro-life movies ever made.
On the burials of the aborted unborn.

Tim Tebow Ad--  Was it Pro-life and What Was all that Fuss About Anyway?

I watched the Super Bowl because I wanted to see the Tim Tebow ad.  When all is said and done--and it is done now---this ad was not worth the enormous controversy that it generated.  Indeed, put forth as an ad that would promote the pro-life position--versus the pro-choice position-- well, I must have missed it.  It wasn't there!  Please watch the ad for yourself. See the link below. Was this really an ad about a mom's decision to choose life for her unborn child? Unless you knew that the producers of the ad were pro-life--you would have NO IDEA that the supposed issue of this ad was the choice to give life--rather than a choice to abort.  Indeed, the ad's script makes it sound like Tim Tebow had post-natal health issues--not that his mother was encouraged to abortion him. After all--that's the impression one gets when Tebow's mom says: "I can remember so many times when I almost lost him."

Tell us what you think by simply responding to this email.  I am disappointed, and feel that pro-lifers were sucked into a controversy that really wasn't there. Maybe the real controversy is that an anti-abortion group paid for an ad  during the Super Bowl.  If we judge the ad on its own merits--it is not a an anti-abortion ad.  This is not to say that it is a bad ad-- it's just that the ad itself-- the very ad that actually aired on nationwide TV coast to coast, watched by millions during a Super Bowl, was not an ad that focused on the pro-life issue--or in any way drew attention to that issue. 

Now--that's said--- are there any benefits from the Tebow ad? Yes,  and here they are:

1.      Value of the AD was in Pre-Super Bowl Hype
Even though the ad that actually aired was not focused on the pro-life or abortion issue-the very fact that pro-abortion people made a stink about it in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, was a plus for the pro-life movement.  The threat that a pro-life commercial was to air during the Super Bowl caused millions of people to focus on the abortion issue--and the pro-abortionists looked foolish, narrow-minded, paranoid and ridiculous.  Now that the real ad has aired--and the abortion issue was never addressed--the pro-abortionists look even more ridiculous.

2.     Some People May Actually Check Out the Full Story on Tebow
  I am willing to grant that the ad had a very very very subtle pro-life subtext--  too subtle to be called a real pro-life commercial-- but it is possible that some who viewed the ad may actually check out the Focus on the Family website and read the full story about Tim Tebow.    I may be wrong here-- but I cannot imagine that all that many people will do so-- but some may-- perhaps thousands out of the 60 million or so who watched the Super Bowl--but the commercial just wasn't compelling or provocative enough to inspire anyone to be especially motivated to check out the full story--unless they're a big Tim Tebow fan.    I hope I am wrong here--after-all the ad cost $2.5 million dollars!   

3.      It was a FIRST AND PERHAPS MORE WILL FOLLOW.
At least CBS was willing to take an ad from a pro-life group and air it despite the vehement pre-airing opposition. Perhaps, in the future, an ad with an obvious pro-life message will make it into prime time.   Something new did happen here. Focus on the Family can take the credit for being the first.  Will they be the last?  Let's hope not!
 

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You know all those stories about more snow headed for Washington?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 8, 2010










Just ignore them.

It's just ......not.........possible!



Political Cartoon by Ken Catalino

Action Alert: Senate to Vote Tuesday on Radical Union Activist

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 8, 2010


           
 
 

Senate Votes Tuesday to Confirm Radical Union

Activist

Tell Congress Not to Side with Union Special Interests


The Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the nomination of radical union activist Craig Becker.

Becker's nomination barley passed out of committee thanks to a groundswell of opposition given his extreme record. Tomorrow, the full Senate will vote on the controversial nominee.

We need your help right now to stop Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Click here to email your U.S. Senators today.

Many of you emailed your Senators last week to let them know that Craig Becker is the wrong man for the job. Please do so again today: Urge them to oppose this nomination once more.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday.

Becker's first nomination was placed on hold due to concerns over his extreme positions, especially anti-employer views.

Now, his nomination is even less certain.

Tell your Senators to say no to Craig Becker.

Big Labor and their allies in Congress are desperate to pass the dangerous "Card Check" bill. But thanks to grassroots pressure, you stopped it in its tracks.

We need you now to kill the latest special interest pay-off.

As a member of the NLRB, Becker could enact provisions of the Employee Free Choice Act without Congressional approval -- which is why Senator Harry Reid rushed his name through.

In today's economy, we need a renewed focus on jobs and economic growth. This nomination is a direct threat to those solutions.

Please email your Senators today. Tell them to reject the twice-nominated Becker.

Sincerely,


Bill Miller
Senior Vice President and National Political Director
U.S. Chamber of Commerce



Craig Becker's Nomination: A "Threat to Freedom"

Public sector unions bleed taxpayers

So, who is Brooklyn Decker?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 8, 2010




Brooklyn Decker is the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model (photo credit: Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated). Issue on sale now. (PRNewsFoto/Sports Illustrated, Walter Iooss Jr.)

Here's another photo:




 

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Betty White beats out the Clydesdales

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Betty White topped all the Super Bowl ads Sunday.

Is it any wonder.

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"Why Are Liberals So Condescending?"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Last week I shared with you, “Seven Flaws in the way Liberals Think.”

 

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The Obama way of dealing with terrorists

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010

Political Cartoon by Mike Lester

Third-hand smoke?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Yep.

Now what do we ban?

The way I see it, there are three solutions:

1) Nobody ever leaves the house, thereby eliminating all exposure to "third-hand smoke" except, of course, your own.

2)  Everybody just stops smoking.

3) And if those don't work.....

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Febreze Fabric Refresher Lavender Vanilla & Comfort™

 

Planned Parenthood is despicable

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Fox News reports, “A new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation is advocating that children as young as 10 be given extensive sex education, including an awareness of sex's pleasures. The report, ‘Stand and Deliver,’ charges that religious groups, specifically Catholics and Muslims, deny their young access to comprehensive sexual programs and education.”

The report recommends that comprehensive sex education be mandatory in schools.

The Catholic League has responded, in part:

“Why is it that public school students, who know so much more about sex than those dunces in the parochial schools, are precisely the ones walking around with the highest rates of illegitimacy, abortion and herpes?”

Constitution studies event in Hales Corners almost sold out

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty

 

We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert  the Constitution." – Abraham Lincoln

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Who's worse, the bums who pretend to be war heroes....

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Or the lawyers who rely on a stretch to try to get them off?

It's Roller Derby time!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010

 
Newsletter Header
 
Next Bout

February Bout 
Come and support your local roller girls by attending their SECOND bout of the home season. This time the 1-0 Shevil Knevils get ready to take on the 0-1 Maiden Milwaukee, while the 1-0 Rushin' Rollettes battle it out with the 0-1 Crazy Eights! 
 
Doors open at 6pm
Bout starts at 7pm
(Seating is first come, first serve! Come early to get the best seats!)
 
Receive $2 off admission at the door if you bring in garbage bags and gloves for the Milwaukee Riverkeepers. Their mission is to protect water quality and wildlife habitat in the river corridors and to advocate for sound land use in the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic River Watersheds.

 
Afterparty at the Stonefly in Riverwest
http://www.stoneflybrewery.com/main_page.html
Shuttle Information
 Horny Goat Brewery
Horny Goat Brewery
2011 South 1st Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207-1101
(414) 482-4628 
 
Each ticket includes:
  • 1 Ticket
  • 2 Beers
  • 1/2 pizza
  • Free shuttle to and from the bout
$25 for 1 or $40 for 2
Next Event
Spaghetti Dinner
 
Buy Tickets
 
  Tickets
Be Our Friend
 
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Dreaming of being a Brewcity Bruiser?

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A poll where jobs and the economy are NOT the top issues

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Read it here.
 

"If snow keeps 230,000 government employees home for the better part of a week, will anyone notice?"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


Jessica Gresko reports that life goes on.

I'm watching the TV news and I can't stand it anymore!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 9, 2010


People shoveling, saying THEY LOVE ALL THIS SNOW!

THEY WANT MORE!

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Obama the coach

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 10, 2010

 

Political Cartoon by Gary Varvel


And just in case you don't get the reference....

 

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The voting public gets it

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 10, 2010


Take a look.

Does Gore feel the chill?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 10, 2010

Header

As I write to you, the snow of our second blizzard-like storm of the week is piling up outside.

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Michelle Obama: Obesity is a threat to national security

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 10, 2010


Can you imagine if George W. Bush had uttered this gem?

The Obama way of dealing with terrorists

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010

Political Cartoon by Mike Lester

Palin's palm notes

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010

Political Cartoon by Glenn McCoy


Political Cartoon by Eric Allie



 

State DOC brochure: Juvenile sex offenders nothing to worry about

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010


The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) in its infinite wisdom has decided to use a federal grant to publish a brochure available to interested municipalities across the state that, in my view, diminishes the threat of certain sex offenders. The brochure specifically deals with juvenile sex offenders and their re-entry into society.

“A better understanding, A better community…An Information Guide About Juveniles

Who Sexually Offend” opens with a shocker:

“Statistics show that child sexual abuse occurs at an alarming rate. As many as one in three girls, and one in seven boys, will be sexually abused at some point in their childhood.”

But then, there’s this….

“Are juveniles who commit sexual offenses more likely to sexually re-offend? No.

Do all juveniles who commit a sexual offense have to be placed in a secure setting? No, most juveniles who have sexually offended can be managed safely while in the community.

Is sex offender treatment effective in lowering recidivism? Yes. Appropriate sex offender treatment programs can help identify and reduce an offender’s risk profile”

Juvenile sex offenders? What’s the problem? Nothing to get all worried and upset about.

The brochure being pushed by the DOC can give municipal officials and Wisconsin residents a false sense of security about juvenile sex offenders.

A wise use of our tax dollars? How about a brochure about the dozens of Wisconsin communities that have either adopted or are considering Franklin’s restrictive sex offender ordinances that have been found by a liberal local judge to be constitutional?

Would never happen.

Governor Doyle’s DOC has consistently shown a lack of desire to endorse, embrace, or enforce any proposals that would make the department work harder to protect society from sex offenders. One glaring example is the department’s testimony at public hearings about GPS legislation where officials inflated the cost of implementing the tracking devices.

But using tax dollars to print a brochure that attempts to make sex offenders appear less dangerous? Now that’s the ticket.

Thank goodness so many municipalities, like Franklin, have refused to swallow the spin of Jim Doyle’s DOC and have taken their own measures to protect their children from sex offenders.

Glenn Beck to join WISN's lineup

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010

 

From Newstalk 1130 WISN:

 

National talk radio star's show to be heard in Milwaukee beginning March 1, 2010


Glenn Beck, whose syndicated radio show draws over six million listeners on nearly 300 stations nationwide each week, has been added to the powerful lineup of talk hosts on News-Talk 1130 WISN.

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Friday night, stay warm at home and watch InterCHANGE!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010

 

Here are the topics the panel discusses on InterCHANGE Friday night at 6:30 on

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The Year of My Mother- "The scarier the better"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 11, 2010

The Year of My Mother


"THE YEAR OF MY MOTHER" IS A YEAR-LONG SERIES OF BLOGS DEDICATED TO MY DEAR, SWEET MOM WHO DIED IN EARLY JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. I PLAN TO DEVOTE SPECIAL BLOGS THROUGHOUT 2010 TO MY MOM WITH SPECIAL REFLECTIONS AND MEMORIES THAT I HOPE WILL INSPIRE READERS AND CAPTURE THE TRUE SPIRIT AND CHARACTER THAT WAS THE GREATEST WOMAN I HAVE EVER KNOWN.


It was so very odd (Sorry, Mom, it was!). But that didn’t make it bad by any means.Instead, it made my mom so very cool. Or as the kids have been saying since the 80’s, awesome!

Let’s take a trip with Mr. Peabody and Sherman in the Way Back Machine (If you have to ask, you’re barely beyond puberty) to when Kevin Fischer was just a little tyke. My older brother Greg, a relatively quiet introverted chap was already in his hip teens, playing rhythm guitar on his candy apple red Fender Stratocaster in the neighborhood band.

Because Greg was a musician, he got to do cool things like perform in dingy, dirty, smoky clubs late at night wearing psychedelic shirts with go-go girls dancing in cages next to him onstage. Not bad for an introvert!

While my brother was living the life of a rock star, albeit on the cheap, I was home with mom and dad (if mom and dad weren’t there watching Greg which they’d often do).

I recall many Saturday nights. Greg was off somewhere and I wouldn’t see him until Sunday when I woke up. Dad was asleep after the 10:00 news. Mom wanted to stay up. That’s because Shock Theater hosted by Bob Beringer was on Channel 18. The best part was that mom would let Kevin stay up!

Looking back, Shock Theater was primo TV. No “The Thing That Ate Pittsburgh” on this program. No sir. Shock Theater concentrated on the monster classics churned out by Universal Studios:















I watched in utter horror and amazement right up until Beringer at the end of the movie would promote the following week’s flick. I couldn’t wait to see “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.”

And as I grew up, I noticed my mom‘s love of horror movies continued after Universal’s monster productions ended. The TV would be on whenever a 50’s “B” sci-fi movie was featured. Occasionally, there’d be a real winner, like, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” There were the Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing offerings. And “Jaws.” And “The Howling.” And “Dark Shadows” on TV. And “The Twilight Zone” and “Outer Limits” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.”

Here was this kind, sweet, gentle, lovely, warm-hearted woman all excited about, “Silence of the Lambs?”

Oh, yes. Wouldn’t dare miss the re-runs.

As she would proudly tell folks, she loved those spooky movies, “the scarier the better.” My mom would leave them in total disbelief.

Because she was so good to let me stay up very late those Saturday night, my mom exposed me to the Universal monsters that I have a strong affection for to this day.

This weekend, a remake of what is probably my favorite Universal monster hits theaters across America, “The Wolfman.”

How could you not sympathize with Lawrence Talbot, the cursed werewolf who only wanted to die so he wouldn’t kill anymore?

My mom would no doubt want to see this new version.



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Obama needs this palm note

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010

Political Cartoon by Gary McCoy

Union yahoos go after 86-year old volunteer in Wausau

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


Real nice.

Just leave the poor guy alone. But the union goons can't because they only care about themselves.


 

WRTL launches Valentine's Day campaign

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010

Life - Wisconsin Right To Life - News Release


Wisconsin Right to Life Encourages

Young People To Act Responsibly

This Valentine's Day!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

40-plus years of the welfare state = obesity of today

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


Michelle Obama wants to focus on reducing obesity. Commendable.

The First Lady thinks obesity hurts national security. That’s plain silly.

It’s that sort of rationale that leads me to believe she won’t address the true causes of this health dilemma.

Columnist Kyle-Anne Shiver argues our girth expansion didn’t happen when kids started grazing in front of computers. The problem started more than 40 years ago with one liberal social program after another. The programs, according to Shiver, “may have inadvertently created this problem, or at the very least, heavily contributed to it.” She writes:

“Even holding steady for all other factors, research concludes that poor black women and their children are the most disproportionately affected by skyrocketing obesity rates. The largest single indicator for poverty and, later, dropping out of high school is birth to an unmarried mother. Unmarried women and their children are the largest recipient group of welfare state entitlement programs and also the group most rigidly trapped in failing government schools. In 2007, 72% of all black children born in the USA, were born out of wedlock. You do the math.”

The growth of the problem dates back to the 1960’s.

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Put away that shovel.....it's the weekend!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


No snow in the forecast, and that''s not only in Vancouver where it's been raining as the Olympics are about to begin. No white stuff here, either.

And no football for the first time since July.

But NASCAR gets rollin' again.

Guys, have you been to Hallmark yet?

Our regular weekend material begins tonight on This Just In with our Friday night Goodnight music post. We'll set the appropriate mood for Saturday and Sunday. Ooooh-la-la!

Saturday morning, wake up to The Barking Lot, our weekly dog blog with the dog walking forecast, my wife Jennifer's main blog, and DOGS IN THE NEWS including this dog's story:



PET CAUSE: Five-month-old puppy Buck needs treatment for a badly broken leg.

 

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Mystery cheese could turn out be golden

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


Meet U.S. Olympian skier, Lindsey Vonn.



AP photo


Vonn is a bright hopeful for the U.S. Olympic team, even after she badly bruised her shin.

You know how when you were a kid and you banged yourself up you rubbed dirt on your wound and carried on? That’s so old school.

Today, you apply cheese.

The attractive Vonn did just that. But she didn’t use cheddar or Colby or brick or Gruyere.

No.

The lovely Vonn resorted to topfen for its therapeutical value.




U.S. Alpine Skier Lindsey Vonn shows an area where she suffered an injury at a press conference at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez) (AP)


Topfen?

What the hell is topfen?

I’ve never heard of topfen.

When I go to Meyer’s Restaurant and they offer me at least six choices of cheese on my omelette or my burger, depending on what time of day it is, topfen is not an option .

OK.  So I don’t know from Adam what topfen is. I live in Wisconsin, the world leader in cheese production and expertise. Won’t take but 5 seconds to swing a dead cat around our head before we find someone who knows all about topfen, right?

Wrong.

The Journal Sentinel in one of its rare moments where the light bulb goes on declaring, “Gee, this could be a story!” went out and talked to supposed Wisconsin cheese experts about topfen.

What the MJS heard was candidly honest, but royally stupid reaction.

“Duhhhhhhh, golly. Uhhhhhhhhhh, we’ve never heard of topfen. But aina hey, if it works for that there ski lady, you bet your bottom dollar we’ll look into it, yes siree.”

The world leaders in cheese come off looking like the stereotypical image that the world has of country bumpkin boob hayseeds that call Wisconsin home.

No, I don’t think I’m over-reacting.

Would it have hurt one of our cheeseheads to say, “Oh, yes. The texture and richness of topfen lends itself magnificently to providing  a quick remedy to the type of injury poor, sweet, Ms. Vonn suffered, much like a solid Wisconsin (FILL IN THE BLANK).

Instead, we get the incredibly impressive, “Ummmmmmmmmmmm, you got me!”

God Bless Ms.Von in these Olympics, and dear Sendik’s, could you get Boar’s Head to whip up some of this topfen stuff?

More from the MJS.

Good as gold?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


For the United States in these Olympic Games, in my view, it’s the women’s hockey team.

Not only should they win games, they should dominate.

Goodnight everyone, and have a love-ly weekend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 12, 2010


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.

Tonight……








A prelude to romance.




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Happy Valentine's Day weekend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010
















 

Global warming? Snow in how many states?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010

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The Barking Lot (02/13/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010


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:  Intervals of cloud and sun. Thiose roads are still snow covered and icy.High of 26.  "D"

SUNDAY:  Mostly cloudy. High of 27. "D"

My wife, Jennifer is under the weather, so I’m stepping in this week to pinch hit.

In the past, I’ve blogged about the selection process of what material makes it into The Barking Lot each week. Most often, we search for heart-warming, feel-good stories that stir emotions and inform. But the news isn’t always good.

Back on June 19, 2009 while substituting for Jennifer, I wrote, in part:

“Our  weekly dog blog always tries to be informational, and we also want to feature as many positive, uplifting, emotional stories about dogs as possible.

As we frequently mention, the news isn’t always good.

We have written about the case in the Green Bay area of a man putting the dog of an ex-girlfriend in an oven.

Why do we include such disgusting, horrible, arguably offensive stories with all the warm, fuzzy, funny, inspirational tales? They are legitimate news items. And they illustrate that there are bad people who do very bad things who need to be caught and punished swiftly and severely to send the proper message to other would-be hooligans.”

One of those cases is the alluded-to Green Bay incident of the dog being killed in an oven.

We have an update.

 

Read more

Week-ends (02/13/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010

Week-ends


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


Sarah Holland


Charles Randles


Unidentified man in Argentina


Betty White



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glenn Yamahiro


Jebidiah James Stipe and Ty Oliver McDowall


William Swadley


Phony war heroes and their attorneys



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


“The Great Lakes are not a koi pond for six foot flying fish that eat half their body weight every day.”
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen reacting to the White House’s opposition to a lawsuit by Wisconsin and Michigan seeking to close Illinois locks that lead to Lake Michigan. The states want to reduce the amount of Asian carp.


“In spite of all the news and the stuff you've been hearing, we bust our butts on this game. It's a little disrespectful to me, in light of the current drama, to think we didn't work hard on this. We worked hard on this”.
State Rep. Jason Fields (D-Milwaukee), responding to questions about a payday lending bill crafted by Assembly Democrats. There’s a controversy over Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan’s dating a payday loan industry lobbyist.


“It's the first time since I've been in the Legislature I've ever seen a bill that is as tainted as it is right now.”
Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), contending the payday loan bill should be delayed until the Sheridan controversy is over.


“If I had to make a decision right now, I couldn't do it.”
Former Governor Tommy Thompson on his potential candidacy for statewide office this year. He did say  that a U.S. Senate run would be more likely than a run for governor.


“I just feel a responsibility to the people who elected me from southern Wisconsin that if I see a really big problem on the horizon it’s my job to work to try to fix it.”
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville), about his "Roadmap for America 2.0" plan to address the bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Foreign energy firms getting windfall of stimulus funds



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Wisconsin's potential slap in the face to Canada.



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Liberals are now resorting to claiming that any weather change is a result of global warming.

No snow? Global warming. Lots of snow? Global warming.

It's too hot? Global warming. It's too cold? Global warming.

It's raining? Global warming. It's not raining? Global warming.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Caplin Rous has a very strange pet.


Sometimes, love stinks.


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. 

Recommended Reading (02/13/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010

Recommended reading


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).

Porkulus II: Return of the Phony Jobs Boondoggle

"Immutable law of Beltway political physics: The only real jobs that a government stimulus stimulates are government jobs. A year after President Obama signed his first trillion-dollar economic stimulus package into law, the federal workforce is at all-time high. The nation’s unemployment rate has swelled to 9.7 percent, but Washington’s economy is thriving."


$787 Billion Reasons Why Journalists Love the Stimulus

"The stimulus might not have created any jobs for journalists, but it certainly created a lot of work for them. It takes a lot of effort to make a $787 billion bill look good. In the case of the big three networks, they did it almost every other day – 172 stories in slightly less than a year."


Scenes from a Counter-revolution

"The bigger message to the Republicans from Nashville was this: whatever else they may or may not stand for, tea-partiers do not want to see Republicans making compromises in Washington."


Paul Ryan’s Lonely Challenge

"Paul Ryan, a six-term Republican congressman from Wisconsin who is the ranking minority member of the House Budget Committee, has yanked himself from obscurity by doing something no one else in Congress or apparently the White House has done: design a specific plan to control long-term government spending and budget deficits. That he stands virtually alone is a damning commentary on our politics."


There’s Something About Sarah

"As for the alleged hypocrisy of Sarah Palin, the implication is that the use of a hand-written note (as it were) during a packed ballroom speaking engagement is somehow equivalent to the inappropriateness of the President using Teleprompter-One in a classroom of 6th graders.This implication is both false and laughable."


National Prayer Breakfast: Obama Wants Civility Now, Dammit!

"When I hear the president call out for civility it reminds me of Wile E. Coyote trying to work himself into the good graces of the Road Runner by wearing a Little Bo Peep costume.

Civility? Please"


Dooming Minority Girls

"The worst consquence of the president’s actions is that for those groups of teens where pregnancy is highest - blacks and hispanics - Obama has pretty much obliterated any chance of these young girls ever receiving the education they need to avoid pregnancy, contracting STD’s and all the other complications that go with young girls having sex. Given that the vast majority of black and hispanic teens attend public schools, striking funding for abstinence education programs and instead funding only programs with an inferior record certainly ensures that their teen pregnancy and sexual activity rates will stay the worst."


10 Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2009

"Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's 'Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians'."

Wow! The Doughboy just sent me a Valentine!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010


 I kid you not!
 

"Dems, Start Your Engines"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 13, 2010


The NASCAR season opens Sunday, Valentine’s Day with the big race in Daytona.

Conservative columnist S.E. Cupp writes in the February edition of Townhall Magazine (not online), “Dems, Start Your Engines.” Here’s an excerpt:


Like Daytona, called the “Great American Race, “NASCAR is, quite simply, the great American way. It speaks not only to our passion for speed, competition and face-in-the-mud grit, but more importantly to our rugged sense of independence and self reliance.

After a year when the political Left has insisted that it knows what’s best for us, embarking on an unstoppable march toward the expansion of government, nothing is quite the salve like NASCAR. If certain Democrats want any chance of re-election later this year, they should take a few pointers from the boys (and girl, this year) on the track.

See, NASCAR would never tell you that your values don’t matter. Whereas President Obama insists we’re a nation of non-believers and apologizes to the rest of the world for American exceptionalism, NASCAR appreciates that God and country, above all else, drive the American ethos. With pre-race prayer and military fly-overs, NASCAR would never bitterly accuse you of clinging to guns and religion.

And NASCAR would never tell you that it’s smarter than you. Democrats have long insisted on their intellectual superiority, scoffing that you are merely a bunch of rubes, driven by natives, racism, and stupidity. Only they can understand the complexities of health care, the economy, and war, and when you protest their profligate spending and back-room deals, they’ll just call you names, like “teabaggers.” NASCAR won’t make fun of your accent, ask you what you read or tell you your college wasn’t good enough.

And NASCAR would never tell you that it’s better than you. While Senate democrats try to opt out of the very policies they are inflicting on you, and Barbara Boxer insists a brigadier general call her “senator” instead of “ma’am” NASCAR insists on first-name familiarity – you will call your driver Tony, Dale, Jimmie and Jeff. There’s no elitism here. You can watch the race in a luxury box if you want- but a campsite on the infield is just fine, too.

NASCAR has faith in you, the fan.


S.E. Cupp
S. E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp is co-author of "Why You're Wrong About the Right," and a freelance columnist. She has been published in the New York Daily News, Human Events, American Spectator, Townhall, Slate, FOXNews.com, NASCAR.com, and elsewhere. She is also a regular commentator on FOXNews. She lives and works in New York City.

My Most Popular Blogs (02/14/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010


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) Q. When will the Tim Tebow ad air during the Super Bowl game?

2) Steve Olson for Franklin Alderman, First District

3) Glenn Beck to join WISN's lineup

4) Michelle Obama: Obesity is a threat to national security

5) State DOC brochure: Juvenile sex offenders nothing to worry about

Photos of the Week (02/14/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010

Photos of the Week





Georgian luge hopeful Nodar Muaritashvili crashes during the men's Luge practise at the Whistler Sliding Centre, in preparation for the Vancouver Winter Olympics on February 12, 2010. Muaritashvili suffered a horrible crash after flying off the Olympic track during his second of two training runs, reports said. He was immediately placed on a stretcher before he was taken away in an ambulance while an air ambulance was also on its way, the Globe and Mail said. Kumaritashvili died at a hospital.PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images






A general view of the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)






A message on the giant screen is dedicated to the memory of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed earlier today after crashing whilst making a practice run in training during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)






Iason Abramashvili of Georgia carries his national flag into the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. The Georgian flag carries a black band in memory of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed today after crashing while making a practice run in training. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)






Flags of the competing nations are superimposed onto the crowd during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)






The Olympic torch is lit during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)






A snowboarder performs a trick through the Olympic rings during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)






A snowboarder flies through the center ring of the Olympic Rings, triggering an explosion of snow and ice off the rings at BC Place during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on February 12, 2010. MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images






The United States Olympic Team marches into the arena during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Harry E. Walker/MCT)






Representatives of the four Host First Nations stand in front of welcome poles as the logo of the Four Host Nations Secretariat is projected on the stadium floor at the opening ceremony for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)


 



A performer is seen suspended in an illuminated kayak during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Feb. 12, 2010.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)






Canadian performer Nelly Furtado acknowleges the crowd during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC place in Vancouver on February 12, 2010. The Games' build-up culminates with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at BC Place in Vancouver, a ceremony held indoors for the first time in the competition's history. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images




IMG_4003

Founding Bloggers photographer, Michael Kadela, didn’t know it at the time, but he had captured the exact moment Sarah Palin glanced down at her left hand, to read the note she had written there earlier.






White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has the words "Eggs, Milk, Bread (crossed out), Hope, and Change" written in marker on his hand as he briefs reporters after President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been seen with hand written notes on her hands in recent public appearances. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)






Snowfall accumulates on palmetto and other foliage in Litchfield, S.C. on Friday Feb. 12, 2009. Federal forecasters said every state but Hawaii had snow on the ground somewhere Friday, a freakishly rare occurrence. Many places were seeing snow for the first time in a generation or longer, and some people weren't quite sure what to do. (AP Photo/Steve Jessmore - The Sun News)






A front end loader piles up snow that was trucked in from Senate parking lots at the U.S. Capitol on February 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The Washington area is recovering from a major snow storm that crippled the city leaving over two feet of snow is some locations. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)


 

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Briefly about the Fountains of Franklin

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, “A foreclosure suit targeting a vacant development site in Franklin is proceeding. Fountains of Franklin LLC, led by developer David Hintzman, is delinquent on a $1.6 million loan from M&I Marshall & Isley Bank, according to Milwaukee County Circuit Court records. The loan is secured with a 9.5-acre parcel at 5610 W. Rawson Ave., said Russell Long, the bank's attorney.”

I’ve written extensively about the colossal failure that is and was the Fountains of Franklin so I’ll just say that this latest development is rather unfortunate.

I also couldn’t help but notice that Franklin’s most naïve blogger, Greg Kowalski wrote the following on a recent post about this latest news:

“It is very disappointing that the ball was dropped yet again, and taxpayers (via the lost potential of increased tax revenue at the Fountains) end up paying the price.”

Kowalski’s crocodile tears for the taxpayers are noteworthy for the following:

1) The non-taxpaying Kowalski has never met a tax increase or government expenditure he didn’t like.

2) He must be running for something. The tax and spend liberals always try to move to the right come election time.

3) He writes about the “lost potential of increased tax revenue at the Fountains,” as if he truly cares. When I suggested some time ago that City Hall determine the amount of “lost tax revenue” from the dormant Fountains at 56th and Rawson, Kowalski was ever so quick to blast me for even offering such an idea. He tried to drum up the tar and feather crowd and have me tossed out of town because I wanted to know what the “lost tax revenue” specifically amounted to, the same “lost tax revenue” he now moans about on his blog.

He’s a piece of work.

Warning sirens for Franklin?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010


One of the first items up for business before the Franklin Common Council this Tuesday night is, “Authorization for capital improvement funding for severe weather alert warning sirens.”

The fire chief and the city engineer are proposing spending $150,000 for tornado warning sirens.

The appropriate vote on this motion is NO because the sirens are too expensive and unnecessary.

Remember the property tax bill you paid not too long ago? Let’s keep a close watch Tuesday night to see who really cares about you, the taxpayer.

Just Wanted To Say...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010

 

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

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Culinary no-no #152

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 14, 2010


I love the Italian people.

They are simply wonderful.

Their love of the good things in life may be unsurpassed by any other nationality.

Oh My God, Ethel. Come quick!

Now what, Henry? Are you at that computer again?

(Mockingly) Yes I’m at that computer again!!!

You know it gives you heartburn…

Well, you won’t believe what that Fischer is doing this time!

The Italians work hard.

Oh, he’s not that bad Henry. Certainly not bad enough to give you ulcers.

The Italians play hard.

He’s gonna do it. I think he’s actually gonna do it.

Their love of the good things in life may be unsurpassed by any other nationality.

That numbskull is really going to step in it royally this time!

Heck, there are many times I wish I was Italian.

Here it comes, Ethel!!!

Some of my relatives are Italian.

Here it comes!!!

Easy, Henry, your blood pressure…

In fact…..

YEH, he’s gonna rip Italians. Doesn’t that idiot know he could be dead??!!

Henry, I’m going to bed.

I have never known Italians to be snobby, scraping the ceilings with their schnozzolas.

That’s a trait generally reserved for the upper crust French. When Italians display snobbery, it’s usually in a likable manner, with a smile on face and glass of wine in hand and sauce running down cheek.

That’s why I’m stunned at a culinary controversy that has erupted that makes some Italians looking stuffy and rude.

McDonald’s has come up with a new burger being sold in Italy. The clever marketing folks at the Golden Arches call it the McItaly Burger.

The McItaly burger is made with all Italian beef and is served with Asiago cheese and an artichoke spread.






To me, that sounds pretty good.

Italy’s agriculture minister, Luca Zaia is roaming the countryside, cheerleading for the new McDonald’s item a la the way Tommy Thompson used to brag about his home state: “Wisconsin, where eagles soar, Harleys roar, and Packers score!!!”

MSNBC.com reports, “Minister Luca Zaia has argued that McDonald's new McItaly burger will pump €3.5 million ($4.8 million) more a month into the pockets of Italian farmers grappling with tough economic times,” and that the new menu item would "globalize the identity of Italian agriculture."

Cue the pompous Italians.

MSNBC.com reports Zaia is under “criticism that he is selling out to a multinational corporation and sacrificing Italy's culinary reputation in the process.”

Famed Italian food critic Carlo Petrini, with nose completely in air, wrote in a recent front-page column, “Taste, like identity, has value only when there are differences."

The debate has gotten political with the opposition Democratic Party taking shots. Nicodemo Oliverio, the top Democratic Party lawmaker in the lower Chamber of Deputies' agriculture commission said, "I think it's legitimate to ask if Minister Zaia is working for Italy or McDonald's."

Even the British who haven’t exactly captured the globe’s imagination when it comes to food are piling on. A blogger on the Guardian’s web site writes, “If ever there was a sign of the moral bankruptcy of Silvio Berlusconi's government, it is the sight of a McDonald's apron wrapped around the svelte frame of the Minister of Agriculture Luca Zaia as he helped launch the new McItaly range of burgers. The President of the Council cavorting with young women, the allegations of shady connections, slippery financial arrangements, dubious political allegiances, and all-round dodgy dealings are as nothing when compared to this monstrous act of national betrayal.”

National betrayal? The man hasn’t committed treason. He’s pitching a bloody hamburger!

Italian food critic Emiliano Mei describing the McItaly burger in a BBC news report says, “It’s something that doesn’t belong to our culture. It’s something that we imported from the States. It’s not Italian at all.”

I guess the highbrow food know-it-all Mei never eats tacos or schnitzel.

Interesting that one consumer interviewed by the BBC says he doesn’t think this is best image for Italy, as he’s sitting, eating in a McDonald’s.

Should I want to get picky, I’d suggest provolone or mozzarella instead of Asiago, and I’d ditch the lettuce for onions and green peppers, even some red peppers for some color contrast. And some pepperoncini and a small sampling of marinara on the side.

But I’d certainly try the McItaly, and would probably enjoy it without having my politics or nose out of joint.

The world loves Italian food, in large part thanks to pizza, the gateway entrée to other great Italian dishes. It is silly for Italians to get this upset over a simple hamburger that so far seems to be going over quite well. As the so-called experts pan the burger, Italians are lining up by the hundreds of thousands to buy.

C'mon. Would Wisconsinites get their undies in a bundle if the Department of Commerce decided to promote brats?

Please, Italy, stop acting like the French.

Read more from MSNBC.com.

How to win at NASCAR

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010

Political Cartoon by Ken Catalino

UPDATE: The Barking Lot (02/13/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010

The Barking Lot

 

Read more

THEY ARE ALMOST HERE!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010


Of course, I am talking about......


File:Ponczki.jpg



Paczkis....Polish-filled donuts, either prune or raspberry.

Get them at the Polish Community Center at 68th and Rawson Tuesday from 7:00 to 11:30 a.m.

National Baking will also sell their usual gazillion.

And Meyer’s Restaurant at Cold Spring and Forest Home will have paczkis and other Shrove Tuesday specials.

The latest News You Can Use from WRTL

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010

Wisconsin Right To Life News You Can Use Contribute
In This Issue:
 
 
Important Right To Life Links

February 25 Health Care Summit Shaping Up To Be A Fraud

Who would belong on a Franklin $100 bill?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010


More and more local communities are printing their own cash.

That begs the question of what local politicians or dignitaries and buildings you’d consider worthy of being on your community currency?

Sexting comes to Franklin High

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 15, 2010


WISN.com is reporting that several Franklin teenagers have been sending nude photos of themselves to one another. Franklin police are investigating.

This stunning news comes as we await sentencing for Anthony Stancl. The former New Berlin Eisenhower High School student was found guilty this past December of two felonies after being accused of using the website Facebook to coerce male schoolmates into sexual encounters.

Stancl faces up to 30 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision when released from prison. As we know, there’s no guarantee what a sentencing judge will do. A tough sentence must be handed down against Stancl, not only because of what he did to so many victims, but because a strong message needs to be sent to today’s teens who feel invulnerable that sexting is a crime. Get caught and you will be dealt with severely.

What’s most disconcerting, I’m sure to many Franklin residents is that we stood up several years ago to halt the construction of a sex predator house here and to keep the floodgates of numerous sexually violent persons to Franklin closed. Now we are shaken by the news that we are raising our own predators.

True, parents can’t be there 24/7, but they are culpable to some degree simply because they are the parents of these little fools.

And yes, there is something parents can do to prevent their children from heading down this sleazy path. How about yanking the cell phones away for starters. What the hell is a prepubescent girl doing with a cell phone that has texting (sexting) capabilities anyway?

Read more from a blog I wrote last March.

It's called the entitlement mentality

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 16, 2010


From the London Daily Mail:

“A single mother-of-six is getting more than £80,000 a year from the taxpayer to live in a £2million mansion in an exclusive London suburb. Essma Marjam, 34, is given almost £7,000 a month in housing benefits to pay the rent on the five-bedroom villa just yards from Sir Paul McCartney's house and Lord's cricket ground. She also receives an estimated £15,000 a year in other payouts, such as child benefit, to help look after her children, aged from five months to 14.”

What does Mum have to say?

“I moved here at the beginning of the month as I'm entitled to a five-bedroom house. I was in a three-bedroom council house but I needed a bigger place once my new baby came along.”

Read the story.

The Great Paczki Caper

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 16, 2010


Here is a Shrove Tuesday tradition on This Just in…

This blog first appeared three years ago.

I hope you enjoy The Great Paczki Caper.



 

Women blame women for rape

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 16, 2010


This could be the shocker of the week. A survey of London residents according to the BBC shows:

“A majority of women believe some rape victims should take responsibility for what happened. Almost three quarters of the women who believed this said if a victim got into bed with the assailant before an attack they should accept some responsibility. One-third blamed victims who had dressed provocatively or gone back to the attacker's house for a drink. More than half of those of both sexes questioned said there were some circumstances when a rape victim should accept responsibility for an attack. The study found that women were less forgiving of the victim than men.”

Blaming the victim? It’s the woman’s fault? And women are saying this?

What absolute stupidity. It’s one thing for men to be so heartless, but women?

Here are the details.

"Five Wacky Ways Libs Want to Fight Non-Existent Global Warming"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 16, 2010


Another great “list” column from John Hawkins:

“As Americans have come to realize that the ‘science’ behind global warming seems to mainly consist of fudging data and making doomsday prophecies in return for grant money, the wheels have started to come off Al Gore's hobby horse.

Of course, conservatives have not been shocked by this turn of events. That's because unlike far too many liberals, conservatives are actually interested in science, while the Left looks at it as little more than another institution to march through and corrupt in an effort to push their political agenda forward.”

And here’s the entire column, including those 5 wacky ways…

Political Cartoons by Glenn McCoy

Another Democrat (Evan Bayh) says I'm through

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010

Political Cartoon by Gary Varvel


Bayh's Exit Leaves Door Open

"On Capitol Hill, Democrats were shaking their heads in disbelief at the number of Democratic incumbents and potential candidates who were dropping out of contention."

NY Times smears Tea Party movement

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010


Those Tea Party protesters you’ve seen at rallies and town hall meetings throughout 2009 and into 2010, the vast majority are decent, hard-working, tax-paying, America-loving citizens.

Are there a few questionable fringe cases? Of course there are. Leave it to the liberal New York Times NYT) to find some and then use them to paint the entire Tea Party movement as rebellious, almost to the point of being violent.

The newspaper singles out retiree Pat Stout and a few others just like her who, prior to attending her first Tea Party last April, could have cared less about politics.

Stout and people like her, according to the NYT, “are bracing for tyranny” and are “discovering a set of ideas long dismissed as the preserve of conspiracy theorists.” The movement is “an amorphous, factionalized uprising with no clear leadership and no centralized structure.”

Uncovered by the Times was one group that “aims to organize neighborhoods for possible civil strife by stockpiling food and survival gear, and forming armed neighborhood groups.” Another such group “recruits military and law enforcement officials who are asked to disobey orders the group deems unconstitutional. These include orders to conduct warrantless searches, arrest Americans as unlawful enemy combatants or force civilians into ‘any form of detention camps’.”

There are not-so-subtle intimations by the reporter that the Tea Party crowd is racist.

Of all the Tea Partiers mentioned and quoted, most of the emphasis is on 66-year old Mrs. Stout:

“Mrs. Stout said she has begun to contemplate the possibility of ‘another civil war.’ It is her deepest fear, she said. Yet she believes the stakes are that high. Basic freedoms are threatened, she said. Economic collapse, food shortages and civil unrest all seem imminent. ‘I don’t see us being the ones to start it, but I would give up my life for my country,’ Mrs. Stout said.”

It’s an incredibly biased piece that attempts to portray the entire Tea Party movement of soccer moms, dads pushing strollers, elderly in wheelchairs, veterans, and Americans who are generally fed up with increasing taxes, budget deficits, and socialism as illustrative of the few folks on the fringe they could find and get to talk on the record.

But of course, there is no liberal bias in the media, and certainly none at the venerable NY Times.

It's time again: 40 Days For Life

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010


From Pro-Life Wisconsin:

40 Days for Life begins this Wednesday

This past fall, 589 babies were saved nationwide as a result of 40 Days for Life. Eight of those 589 saved babies are from the Milwaukee area. At least one baby was saved at the Madison Planned Parenthood vigil site. 

Since the fall of 2007, nationally coordinated 40 Days for Life campaigns have mobilized people of faith and conscience in 282 cities across all 50 states.

During these unified efforts, participants witnessed countless blessings from God:

- More than 200,000 have joined together in a display of unity to pray and fast for an end to abortion.

- Reports from around the country document more than 2,168 lives spared from abortion (and those are just the ones we know about!)

- Twenty-six abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry.

- Five abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns.

40 Days for Life will be observed in the Wisconsin area in Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Madison and Rockford, Ill. To get involved in this spring’s 40 Days for Life, visit 40daysforlife.com.


And as I wrote in a previous blog, "Kudos to Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel columnist Patrick McIlheran who wrote a lengthy column (during 2007) about the vigil.To my knowledge, this is the first reference the paper gave to this vigil. Can you imagine if a sit-down protest was held outside the office of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. You think the press would be on top of that baby?"


UPDATE: Warning sirens for Franklin?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010


The Franklin Common Council decided unanimously Tuesday night to send the issue of warning sirens for Franklin back to city staff for further study. The Council needed and didn’t have answers to many important questions about the sirens, including cost.

Unhappy Anniversary

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010

No Stimulus!: A Project of Americans for Prosperity

One year ago today, President Barack Obama signed the massive $862-billion "stimulus" bill.   (You probably remember the number $787-billion, but the official cost estimate has already increased by $75 billion.)

dd

3.3 million jobs have been lost since this day one year ago.

  • At the time President Obama signed the bill the unemployment rate was at 7.6%
  • Obama promised it would not go over 8%
  • Today, the unemployment rate is hovering near 10%.  

Read more

Those brainiacs at the TSA have done it again

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 17, 2010


I have very little regard for the Neanderthals that work for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  They are an unfriendly, unskilled, unintelligent bunch about a notch below a shopping mall officer that walks on their knuckles. Workers have become notorious for their shoddy treatment of air travelers.

A recent incident demonstrates yet another example of these boobs crossing the line. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Daniel Rubin writes:

“Did you hear about the Camden cop whose disabled son wasn't allowed to pass through airport security unless he took off his leg braces?

Unfortunately, it's no joke. This happened to Bob Thomas, a 53-year-old officer in Camden's emergency crime suppression team, who was flying to Orlando in March with his wife, Leona, and their son, Ryan.

Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday.

Read more

But what if the butler is murdered?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 18, 2010

Political Cartoon by Eric Allie


 

The Continuing Climate Meltdown

"It has been a bad—make that dreadful—few weeks for what used to be called the "settled science" of global warming, and especially for the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that is supposed to be its gold standard."

Global Warming Ate My Homework

"Here’s a list of 100 storylines blaming climate change as the problem."

What does it take to get rid of some really bad teachers?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 18, 2010


How about some guts.

"Jesus was gay"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 18, 2010


Who made the above preposterous quote?

Try Sir Fruitcake.....







 




























Elton John made his remark in an interview with Parade Magazine.

I don't care if you're gay (he is), or talented (he is). You don't say garbage like this, even if you know the liberal mainstream media won't lay a glove on you.

However, thank goodness for the Catholic League.

Ironically, Sir Idiot says there's a lot of hate in the world. His Cluelessness should look himself in the mirror.

Friday night means InterCHANGE

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010

Here are the topics up for discussion Friday night on InterCHANGE at 6:30 on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00:


1 – MENOMONEE VALLEY WIND TURBINE COMPANY.

 

Read more

Ashes to ashes

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010

Political Cartoon by Michael Ramirez





Vice President Joe Biden, with Ash Wednesday ashes on his forehead, walks in to introduce President Barack Obama on the one year anniversary of the signing of the Recovery Act, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, in the South Court Auditorium of the Old Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)


On Ash Wednesday, is VP Joe Biden even Catholic?

Why should Catholics oppose Joe Biden?

“The Republican Party began as a Tea Party movement”

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010





ripon01


So claims Michael Zak, the  author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of the GOP. Zak writes:

“Republicans should welcome a comparison of their party’s history with that of the Democrats – the party of slavery and socialism, Big Government and the Ku Klux Klan. As Republicans try to repel the socialist onslaught, the way to win – and to deserve to win – is to embrace our party’s original reform agenda.   The patriots who created our Grand Old Party did so in order to preserve the vision of the Founding Fathers. And the way they did it has valuable lessons for us today.”

A great history lesson worth the read.

Join AFP for a Patients' Summit

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010

 
Header

I hate to tell you, BUT the battle to stop the takeover of our health care is not over. 

Read more

Holy paczki, it's the weekend!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010


Hope this gentle thaw continues. I know some folks want more snow. That's why God invented Colorado.

Our regular weekend cavlacade of posts begins tonight with our goodnight music piece filled with a style we've not focused on since we started this feature.

Then Friday morning, wake up to the Barking Lot, complete with DOGS IN THE NEWS. This pooch made a headline or two this week.....






Also Saturday, Week-ends, our weekly week in review.

The PGA Commisioner says he........



DNP Random Things


is a hero.

Will I agree?

Saturday also brings you Recommended Reading.

Then on Sunday, My Most Popular Blogs, Culinary no-no, and Photos of the Week. This picture, though quite interesting, did NOT make the final cut.....




Dita Von Teese attends the 60th Sanremo Song Festival at the Ariston Theatre On February 16, 2010 in San Remo, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)


Looks like something out a James Bond movie.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by This Just In...

Goodnight everyone, and have a Nawlins' weekend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 19, 2010


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.

Tonight, since Mardi Gras began earlier this week, music with a New Orleans flavor, so a bit more raw and raunchy than our usual smoooooth selections.

Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson combined their talents under the name of the Highwaymen on a few occasions in the 80’s and 90’s.

Let’s open tonight with their cover of an Arlo Guthrie smash.


Read more

The Barking Lot (02/20/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 20, 2010


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:  Snow showers. High of 33.  "F"

SUNDAY:  Flurries. High of 34. "D"


Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:

It seems like such an unlikely scenario:  a dog is floating on a chunk of ice in the sea…  rescue attempts fail…  scientists on a research ship are able to pull the mutt to safety…  the world falls in love with the dog and everyone wants to adopt him.

But luckily for Baltic, that is exactly what happened.

Can you imagine (in doggy thoughts) what that poor devil went through?  “I’m so cold.  I’m so hungry.  I miss my people.”  This pooch has taken the world by storm with his incredible journey and unbelievable story.  Nearly a month ago, he was floating on a huge chunk of ice in the middle of the Baltic sea.  He kept falling in the water, which made his recovery even more challenging.  Eventually the crew on a research ship saved him.

 

Read more

Week-ends (02/20/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 20, 2010

Week-ends


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


Debra Moriarity


Robin Dehaven


Subway heroes


Todd McHugh


Michael Macias


Blue


Frances Gallo


Canada women's hockey team



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Amy Bishop


The TSA


Caleb Lacey


"Family Guy"


Tiger Woods


Elton John



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


“I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame. I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself.”
Tiger Woods in a staged announcement Friday.


“If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months.”
Retiring U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)


"Washington, right now, is broken."
Vice President Joe Biden


"We are overspending. We're destroying the future of our country. We're losing jobs again in droves. When you ask about the Tea Party, I'm one of those people except that I'm probably the next step up because I got so frustrated I actually put my business aside and ran for office."
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann.


“I don’t think that the bill should pass until it’s significantly changed. And I don’t think the bill will pass until it's significantly changed.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a candidate for governor, talking about the “Clean Energy Jobs Act.”  


“I worked in a factory for 31 years, and this is kind of a new frontier for me. I know three weeks ago there were questions about my relationship, and quite frankly it's very difficult to talk about those things. I wasn't trying to be misleading. It's just very difficult to talk about those things.”
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan( D-Janesville) apologizing to reporters for misleading them about his dating a payday loan lobbyist. His apology came after the Assembly passed a compromise payday loan regulation bill.


“We know the public relations problem you have.”
Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) accusing Democrats of rushing through the payday regulation bill to provide political cover for Sheridan.


“This isn’t mass transit; this is elite transit.”
State Senator Luther Olsen(R-Ripon) on the high cost to passengers on a proposed high-speed rail project between Madison and Milwaukee. The Joint Finance Committee voted  along party lines to approve more than $800 million to start work on the project.


“In this election year, we’ll see many daring Davids take on entrenched Goliaths. Just one of these many brave souls is a northern Wisconsin patriot named Sean Duffy. He’s running in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District against a liberal Goliath who’s been in Congress over 40 years now and has the dubious distinction of being the author of the stimulus bill.”
Sarah Palin in a post on her Facebook page commemorating the one-year anniversary of the federal stimulus act, promoting Duffy in the 7th Congressional District who is running against Democrat David Obey.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


The Joint Finance Committee in less than 30 minutes of discussion approves spending over $800 million to build high speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Doctors are challenging government health-care, and the AMA.



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Tiger Woods


Political Cartoon by Bob Gorrell




STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Giant igloo


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.

Recommended Reading (02/20/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 20, 2010

Recommended reading

Read more

The best stories of the Olympics?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 20, 2010


Derrick Jackson of the Boston Globe has some very worthy choices.

"That's your sister?"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 20, 2010


There’s an old saying in sports: a tie is like kissing your sister.

What would winning a Gold Medal feel like?

Icky question?

The very popular ice-dancing event at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver has more than one pairing of brother and sister. If you’ve ever seen ice-dancing, the routines can get rather sultry.

So the Wall Street Journal has performed great investigative journalism by probing how these brother and sisters get beyond the awkwardness.

Elin Woods breaks the pattern

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010




March 12, 2008: New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announces his resignation as his wife Silda looks on at his Manhattan offices. Spitzer resigned in disgrace after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."




Sen. David Vitter, R-La., speaks to the media with his wife, Wendy, in Metairie, La., on July 16, 2007.

July 16, 2007: With his wife standing by his side, Sen. David Vitter apologizes for his past actions in the wake of the "D.C. Madam" scandal. Sen. Vitter held his own press conference and admitted that yes, in the business sense, he knew a staff member of "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Mrs. Vitter found herself eating her own words from 2000. When she criticized Hillary Clinton for not divorcing Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, she cited the case of a woman who cut off her husband's penis."I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary," she said. "If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me." Photo: CBS News






Aug. 12, 2004: N.J. Gov. James McGreevey appeared with his wife to announce that he's gay, he's had an adulterous affair with a man and he's resigning. Photo: MSNBC.com.



0829 local craig

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig addresses the media during the summer of 2007 in downtown Boise with his wife, Suzanne, about his arrest and guilty plea for disorderly conduct in a Minnesota airport . Craig was arrested during a sting operation targeting alleged sexual activity in a men's restroom. Joe Jaszewski / The Idaho Statesman






Sen. Larry Craig answered questions with his wife, Suzanne, at their home. The Craigs listened to a tape of a man who says is certain he had a brief sexual encounter with Craig at Union Station. Craig told the Statesman the man’s story isn’t true, and he denied two other accusations as well. “The gay movement, we know it for what it is,” he said. “It’s now aggressive, and it’s liberal, and it’s naming people to try to put them in compromising, difficult situations.” Photo: Kerry Maloney, Idaho Statesman





Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. It turns out he did have sex with that woman after all.

Closer to home, as reported by Milwaukee Magazine:

"(Marilyn Figueroa) was working as a youth counselor at the Social Development Commission when someone called and said the mayor wanted to talk to her about a job. She thought it was a joke and hung up. But the mayor’s chief of staff, John Tries, thought Marilyn’s grass-roots connections made her perfect for the job, and he hired her.

That night at Pedrano’s, Marilyn Figueroa thought she had found her dream job. She never imagined that it would become a nightmare.

Eight and a half years later, John Norquist stood on the porch of his Victorian home, a sad-eyed Susan Mudd, his wife of 14 years and the mother of his son, beside him. With the TV cameras running and giant snowflakes falling on what looked like a modern-day American Gothic, the 51-year-old preacher’s son made a confession. He had had a five-year “affair” with his former aide, Marilyn Figueroa, a 41-year-old divorced mother of two. Norquist called it “a consensual sexual relationship.”

Then this past Friday.....



  Tiger Woods


Tiger Woods apoligized.

Missing from his staged, "I'm petrified to take questions" charade was.....






Mrs. Tiger Woods.








Thank you, thank you, thank you for not standing next to this bum.


Political Cartoon by Glenn McCoy


My Most Popular Blogs (02/21/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010

Most popular


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) So, who is Brooklyn Decker?

2) Sexting comes to Franklin High

3) “The Republican Party began as a Tea Party movement”

4) TIE
 
   Women blame women for rape 

   What does it take to get rid of some really bad teachers?

5) Culinary no-no #152

Photos of the Week (02/21/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010

Photos of the Week






Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. uses a photo of former President George W. Bush, which is on display in Minnesota, Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, during her address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)






Conservative author Ann Coulter addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Saturday Feb. 20,2010. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)






T.V. host Glenn Beck addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Saturday Feb. 20, 2010.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)






People seen inside a bar, as American golfer Tiger Woods talks on TV, live on CNN in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. Tiger Woods apologized for cheating on his wife and says he is unsure when he will return to competitive golf. "I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable," said Woods, looking composed and speaking in a steady voice. His wife, Elin, was not with him. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)






Investigators survey the remains of of a single-engine aircraft that crashed into the Echelon Office building on the north side, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Ralph Barrera)





France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Haitian President Rene Preval, behind, during a flight in helicopter over Port au Prince, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Sarkozy made the first visit ever by a French president to Haiti, once his nation's richest colony, offering aid to a country prostrate after a catastrophic earthquake. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)






Relatives of the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger killed in a practice run at the Olympics, chop wood for oven cooking in preparation for funerals in Bakuriani, Georgia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. It's a tradition to treat people to a meal after a funeral service. The coach and uncle of the Georgian luger killed during a practice run at the Vancouver Olympics said Thursday that his death has saved the lives of other athletes. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)






U.S. Marine Lt Scott Holub of Pasadena, MD and from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment runs carrying an Afghan National Army soldier who was shot in the lower leg during a battle with the Taliban in Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Saturday Feb. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)






Comrades help out a military honor guard soldier who fainted while standing at attention during the funeral of U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., outside in the snow at Westmont Presbyterian Church in Johnstown, Pa., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)






Vice President Joe Biden, with Ash Wednesday ashes on his forehead, walks in to introduce President Barack Obama on the one year anniversary of the signing of the Recovery Act, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, in the South Court Auditorium of the Old Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)







A tow truck crew tries to secure a semi truck hanging off a bridge on Indiana 67 and the Muncie bypass Wednesday Feb. 17, 2010 just outside Muncie, Ind. after a crash. The Star Press reports that the driver of a car involved in the crash was seriously injured, while the truck driver was able to safely climb from the cab. (AP Photos/ The Star Press, Chris Bergin)






In this photo taken on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, a South Korean woman searches for her shoes at a police station among a pile of recovered footwear stolen by a shoe thief in Seoul, South Korea. Investigators nabbed the thief, identified as Park, earlier this month. He hand stolen a total of 1,200 pairs of luxury-brand shoes from funeral halls at large hospitals. Park stored the stolen goods at a warehouse, aiming at becoming a street vendor for shoes. (AP Photo/Yonhap. Suh Myong-gon)






Two of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun's golden sarcophagus are displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb.17, 2010. Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on King Tutankhamun's 3,300-year-old mummy and 15 others have provided the cause of death and the firmest family tree yet for Tut - pointing to Pharaoh Akhenaten as Tut's father, Akhenaten's sister as Tut's mother, and Queen Tiye as Tut's grandmother. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)






The mummy of King Tut's grandmother Queen Tiye, seen through a glass case, is displayed for media during a press conference with Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass, unseen, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on King Tutankhamun's 3,300-year-old mummy and 15 others have provided the cause of death and the firmest family tree yet for Tut - pointing to Pharaoh Akhenaten as Tut's father, Akhenaten's sister as Tut's mother, and Queen Tiye as Tut's grandmother. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)


 



This image provided by NASA shows the immense Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, captured in full in this new image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. NASA on Wednesday Feb. 17, 2010 released the first images from the instrument which spots celestial objects that give off infrared light. Andromeda is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy, and is located 2.5 million light-years from our sun. (AP Photo/NASA)






Workers try to contain a zebra that broke loose from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, in downtown Atlanta. The animal made its way through downtown to the interstate highway that cuts through the center of the city. Police cruisers blocked off all southbound lanes and were able to herd the zebra over to the right shoulder and off an entrance ramp, said Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Monica Luck. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ben Gray)






Dogs romp at William S. Hart park, an off-leash facility for dogs and their owners, in West Hollywood, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010. This famously quirky city that formally recognizes pets as "companions" and their owners as "guardians" was set to adopt an ordinance Tuesday night, banning stores from retailing cats and dogs in a move aimed at curbing so-called puppy mills and kitty factories. Pet shops will be permitted, however, to offer animals from shelters. Officials acknowledge the new ordinance will have little bite - no pet stores in the city currently sell animals - but they're hoping it will have a lot of bark and other municipalities will follow suit. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)






Scottish Terrier Sadie poses for the press with handler Gabriel Rangel after winning Best in Show at the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, February 16, 2010. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images






Philadelphia University Coach Herb Magee runs around the locker room after Philadelphia's 70-67 win over Post University in an NCAA Division II college basketball game in Waterbury, Conn., on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. Magee tied Bobby Knight's record for first place on the NCAA career wins list in men's basketball. (AP Photo/Thomas Cain)






Cassandra Wright, 6, of Penngrove, Calif., reacts to a move by her opponent, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, at Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa, Calif., during a chess tournament for girls. The tournament was put on by Chess for Kids Inc., of Santa Rosa. (AP Photo/Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Kent Porter)






In this photo taken Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, a portrait of George Washington is displayed at Cottone Fine Art Auctioneers in Geneseo, N.Y. as Sam Cottone, owner operator of the auction house catalogs a Tiffany lamp. Appraisers identified the artwork as that of Gilbert Stuart, whose 1796 portrait of the nation's first president is the image of Washington that's used on the $1 bill. The painting will be auctioned by Cottone Auctions of Geneseo on March 27. (AP Photo/Democrat & Chronicle, Shawn Dowd)






Joyce Broderick fills an order for paczkis at The Polish Center of Wisconsin on Tuesday. The pastries are sold every year on Fat Tuesday. Journal Sentinel photo:  Kristyna Wentz-Graff


 

Read more

Mount Spendmore

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010




Obama Defeats FDR (In Spending Other People’s Money)

"Obama will outspend and out-borrow the admittedly profligate George W. Bush, a man Obama and his lieutenants routinely malign for fiscal recklessness and who, when in office, was often hailed even by his allies as a Big Government Republican. Obama will even outspend—but not quite out-borrow—his fellow welfare-state liberal FDR, who had to contend with both the Depression and World War II."

Americans speak, Obama doesn't listen

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010


On Friday I posted a correspondence from Americans For Prosperity that read, “I hate to tell you, BUT the battle to stop the takeover of our health care is not over. In 6 days, on February 25, President Obama will hold a ‘Health Care Summit’ where he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil their ‘new’ health care plan that they are currently writing in secret behind closed doors.”

Sure enough, the president could unveil his new government health care proposal even earlier than predicted according to Reuters that is reporting the new takeover will be announced on the president’s website.

This is the president’s idea of bipartisanship: I draw up a new plan in secret with Democrat leaders, I invite Republicans to a summit, I show them my new plan and expect them to go along with it without any input on their part. When they object, I pounce and accuse them of being the party of NO.

Mr. President, the American people have spoken and do not want socialized medicine.

I repeat what a New York Times columnist recently wrote about the Democrats:

“They still don’t get it.”

UPDATE: Culinary no-no #90

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010

Culinary no-no's


Culinary no-no #90 dealt with tipping at restaurants when you’ve had a bad experience.

I concluded that blog with this brief recommendation:

“Always leave something.”

Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar has a different view. Hamm believes there are times when leaving nothing is appropriate.

USA hockey team stuns Canada

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010


For me, hockey is the top attraction at the Winter Olympic Games. Ice dancing is not a sport.

Tonight, while NBC was showing coverage of figure skating by men and women in ridiculous costumes to keep their female viewers satisfied, MSNBC was providing live coverage of an amazingly exciting USA-Canada hockey contest won by the Americans, 5-3.

Former UW star Brian Rafalski scored two goals and had an assist for the Americans.

Watch the highlights.

Earlier this week, an ESPN analyst predicted the gold medal in men’s hockey would come down to Canada and Russia and that Canada had the edge because they had more stars, they had more talent. The United States team could only compete if goalie Ryan Miller played the games of his life.

The same expert did offer that there was a tremendous amount of pressure on Team Canada. They were, after all, the host country. They knew that they were the favorite. And in the past when they had hosted the Winter Games, they failed to bring home hockey gold. They did not want to suffer the same setback in Vancouver.

So how did Ryan Miller do tonight? He had 42 saves in goal.

And by the way, Monday marks the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. Somewhere buried in my collection of personal archives is my interview with 1980 Team USA hockey coach Herb Brooks. I need to find it and relive those memories because there could, indeed, be some magic associated with this year’s American squad.



Read more

Culinary no-no #153

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 21, 2010

Culinary no-no's


Suppose you’re at McDonald’s and debating what to order.

How about chicken, the southern style sandwich?





Ahhh, but those new Angus beef burgers sure look tasty....





 

Upon closer review of the nutritional information listed for each menu item, you see that the burgers range in calories from 750-790 while the chicken sandwich has only 400. Would that affect your decision?

Probably not.

One of the worst kept secrets in politics today is that the Left wants to control just about every aspect of your life. That includes what you eat and how much you eat. To that end, in their infinite wisdom, lefties have decided that if you’re overweight, it’s not because you’re downright lazy, don’t exercise, and spend too much time in front of the TV or computer. No, silly fat one! You’re not to blame! It’s never your fault! Holy Triple Whopper! It’s those nasty people at restaurants that serve fried stuff with salt on it, by golly!

These lefty know-it-alls firmly believe the only way to stop your girth from reaching out of control proportions is for the government to, of course, step in and help you. Their solution is to force evil corporations that dare to sell Happy Meals to divulge the true number of calories that are lurking inside those deadly fruit and yogurt parfaits.

Government to the rescue! We bequeath that from this day forward, chain restaurants will hereby place on their menus the calorie count for each item. Consumers will easily see this disgusting numerical rundown and will automatically choose not to eat the food selections we deem to be unhealthy. Obesity will go on a diet, people will be healthier and happier, and the world will be such a cool place once again. Why? Because we say so.

Previous Culinary no-no’s have focused on parts of the country that have implemented calorie mandates on restaurants, including California where the Governator is supposedly a Republican but has latched onto this government intrusion concept.

Do they work? There’s a saying that information is power. Armed with the valuable resource that a double quarter pounder has more than twice the calories of a filet-o-fish, health-conscious eaters will opt for the filet-o-fish, right?

Wrong.

The latest information is that even with the knowledge that Big Macs are more artery-hardening than a grilled chicken sandwich, it has little if any effect on the eating habits of chain restaurant-goers when deciding what to order for themselves.

Their kids? That’s a different story. Their own orders? Calories, schmalories.

Here are more details from the LA Times.

Yet another well-intentioned liberal brainstorm. Yet another solution that doesn’t work.


CULINARY NO-NO BONUS #1

Maybe it's not so good to eat healthy.


CULINARY NO-NO BONUS #2

In last week's no-no, I chastised some Italians for being too uppity about the McItaly Burger. This pedestrian slop was apparently beneath the high-quality cuisine the country is noted for.

Oh really. 

Read this.


CULINARY NO-NO BONUS #3

Wine snobs don't know everything.

The stimulus raised unemployment

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 22, 2010


Political Cartoon by Gary Varvel

 


The 'Stimulus' Actually Raised Unemployment

Read more

Obama Health Care Proposal Far Worse on Abortion Than Even the Senate Version

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 22, 2010

Life - Wisconsin Right To Life - News Release


Obama Health Care Proposal Far

Worse on Abortion Than Even the

Senate Version


Monday, February 22, 2010

Appleton sportswriter shows disrespect to Vince Gibbens

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 22, 2010


30 years ago today, the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat Russia in a semifinal match. The Americans then won the gold media in their next game. Their stunning upset against the Russians became known as, “The Miracle on Ice.”

That game and the national jubilation it generated given the world events at the time make for any number of positive, inspirational stories to write 30 years later. It’s a shame Mike Woods of the Appleton Post-Crescent couldn’t find it in his makeup to come up with one. Instead, he felt the need to take a potshot against someone who is unable to defend himself.

Mike Woods (yes I hear your cries of, “Mike who?”) blogs on his newspaper's web site today that he remembers watching the “Miracle” on television, and he’s still upset about it. Why? Woods writes:

“The game was tied at 3-3 and there were about 12 minuts (the spelling error is Woods’) left in the game when they went to a commercial break, and on comes some talking head named Vince Gibbens for a local news break. Vince promptly spilled the beans.

The final 10 minutes were still great but, not nearly as great if I had not known the outcome.

It was one of those moments in time that you always remember where you were when it happened. It's also one of those moments in time that was ruined by one local news anchor, and that's hard to forget.

But I'm sure one day I'll get over this. After all, it's only been 30 years.”

Some talking head?

Woods is correct that Vince Gibbens, during one of those brief TV news promos setting up the 10:00 news did reveal the final score. Gibbens realized his gaffe and apologized for it many times in subsequent years.

Some talking head?

I had the privilege of knowing Vince Gibbens and calling him, friend. He was a very popular and talented anchor and was highly respected by his fellow broadcast journalists.

Gibbens died of heart problems in November of 1995. As president of the Milwaukee Press Club, I presented his widow with a special award in his honor at the annual Press Club Gridiron Dinner in May of 1996.

Gibbens may have made a mistake 30 years ago, but Woods makes an even bigger one today with his unfortunate and insensitive characterization of a very good man.

Woods says he needs to get over the Gibbens’ incident of 1980. I suggest he grow up first.

Too many blacks aborted

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 23, 2010


There are dozens of these up in Atlanta....




 
If your first reaction when seeing the above billboard was that it’s racist, you’re a liberal.

If you took a thoughtful look at the billboard and after some serious deliberation came to the conclusion that too many black women are having abortions, good for you.

ABCNews.com reports, “Of the 36,094 women in Georgia who had abortions in 2008, nearly 21,000 were African-American, more than twice the number of white women. Nationally, the CDC says black women are still three times more likely than white women to get an abortion.”

Billboards designed to heighten awareness are controversial because of the assertion that abortion is causing genocide in the black community. Some blacks want no part of that message, just as many ignore the severe damage done by black on black crime.

A racist campaign?

The people behind the billboards are Ryan Bomberger of the Radiance Foundation and Catherine Davis of Georgia Right To Life. Both Bomberger and Davis are black.

Here’s more from ABC.

That so-called "Bi-partisan" Summit

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 23, 2010

Obama's Health Care Summit Sham

"It does not require a MENSA IQ to figure out that Barack Obama did not call this meeting to listen to Republican ideas. As Rush Limbaugh said, it's a 'trap,' an attempt to paint Republicans as the 'Party of No' and lay the groundwork to bring ObamaCare back from the dead."


MORE


Obama Doesn't Even Fake Bipartisanship Well

“Thinking people know that the Republicans' proposals involve market reform and that such ideas do not register with Obama's rigid statist mindset. How silly do we have to be to imagine he's even thinking about compromise? It's not just that the Republicans' ideas are incompatible with his own; it's that in his megalomaniacal mind, he's the boss.

Indeed, let's not forget that this is the guy who scolded opponents of his nationally bankrupting agenda with: ‘I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them just to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking.’ Is that the attitude of a uniter? Of one who has the slightest interest in working with the other side? His sole purpose for the summit is to entrap Republicans in a political trick bag, painting them as unreasonable and obstructionist. Thankfully, they finally appear to be onto him and preparing themselves accordingly.”

Just where are the GOP health care plans?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 23, 2010


From FactCheck.org:

“Contrary to claims made by some Democratic detractors, detailed GOP proposals, and a bipartisan bill with several GOP cosponsors, do exist. And they’re scheduled to get attention at a half-day, televised ‘summit’ meeting at Blair House on Feb. 25, with President Obama presiding and lawmakers from both parties attending.”

HT: FoxPolitics.net

There are plenty of GOP plans.


House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio holds up documents outlining the Republican's health care plan, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Wash. is at left.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio holds up documents outlining the Republican's health care plan, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Wash. is at left. AP photo

 

Milwaukee Planned Parenthood Exposed on Tape Circumventing Sexual Abuse Reporting Law

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 23, 2010

Life - Wisconsin Right To Life - News Release


Milwaukee Planned Parenthood

Clinic Caught on Tape Circumventing

Sexual Abuse Reporting Law

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

See that poll near the top of this homepage?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 23, 2010


There’s a lot of interest in the current poll on FranklinNOW.com:

Now that the Super Bowl is over, which are you more excited about?

Possibility of Bucks making the playoffs

Read more

Peeping Tom technology

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010

Political Cartoon by Dana Summers

Read details from Computerworld.com.

The Kevin Fischer "Whippersnapper Hall of Fame"- Inductee #13

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010

Whippersnapper Hall of Fame


She is Bree McMahon, the epitome of dogged determination and inspiration. I first wrote about her earlier this year during one of my Week-ends blogs. McMahon’s is one of the most heartwarming stories you’ll ever hear.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes:

“She was at a car wash to help raise money for her club soccer team. An accident happened — a terrible, freakish accident. As Bree was getting ready to wash a car driven by one of her teammates, the driver's foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas. The car surged forward and pinned Bree against a brick wall.

Her lower extremities were smashed. Her left leg had to be amputated. Her right leg was saved — barely — but had to be rebuilt.

Since then, her story of hoping and coping has captured the nation.

‘Watch me come back from this!’ she said. ‘And I will come back from this!’

That's why it was so important for her to walk across the field Wednesday at Freedom High School — because she wanted to show her friends, her family, her team and, yes, herself that she is not going to give up.”

Read more about this marvelous young lady:


'Watch me come back from this'

Bree McMahon takes the walk of a lifetime

For Florida Teen, Sweetest of Senior Moments


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

7) Jonathan McCoy

8) James O’Keefe

9) Jackie Seal

10) Jill Metzler

11) Ron Fournier

12) Jake Shafer

13) Bree McMahon

A letter to all Franklin residents from Police Chief Oliva

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010


February 24, 2010

To:  City of Franklin Residents

Read more

Franklin residents, worried about emergencies and your high taxes?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010


There's a very easy way to save on hundreds of thousands of dollars of unnecessary warning sirens.

Something's gotta be in the water at the WTMJ Weather Center

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010

 

I hesitate to poke fun at the WTMJ weather team for fear one might retaliate by putting a picture of some monster on his blog with the impression the ugly creature is good ol' yours truly (clever devil!).

But I just can't resist.

A regular reader of This Just In, knowing how I have teased WTMJ-TV weatherman extraordinaire Craig Koplein for his fearless forecasts (“It might snow, or it might not”) passed along what he heard on WTMJ Radio this afternoon.

While trying to maneuver his way through Milwaukee’s east side as it was being hit with lake effect snow, one of my blog readers heard another WTMJ weather prognosticator, Brian Gotter, discussing his trade with Jonathan Green and Bill Michaels.

I am told Gotter was quite obstinate that there was no way anyone, including himself could predict lake effect snow.

Oh, really.

Then why have local meteorologists been talking about lake effect snow in their forecasts for decades?

Read more

Future sexters, let this be a lesson to you

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 24, 2010


Last December while filling in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN, former New Berlin Eisenhower High School student Anthony Stancl had just been convicted of using Facebook to force male schoolmates into sexual encounters. As [art of a plea agreement, 10 felony counts were dropped and Stancl was convicted of repeated sexual assault of the same child and third-degree sexual assault.

Stancl posed as a female on Facebook, persuading at least 31 boys to send him pictures of themselves naked. Stancl then blackmailed not all, but some of the boys into performing sex acts. If they didn’t, Stancl threatened that he would release the pictures to the rest of the school. Seven boys, ages 15 to 17, were coerced into performing sex acts.

Stancl, who is now 19, faced up to 30 years in prison and 20 years of extended supervision when released from prison.

In December, I posed a two-prong question to my WISN audience: 1) What should Stancl get?  2) What will Stancl get when he is sentenced?

The majority of the callers, and there were many, said Stancl should get a tough sentence but would, instead get a light one.

I reminded the audience that the sentencing judge was Waukesha County’s Mac Davis, a conservative member of the bench and that while I share the common view that wrists are slapped, I had optimism that Judge Davis would not send the wrong message.

Today, Davis sentenced Stancl to 15 years in prison and another 13 years of extended supervision. Admittedly, I would have preferred the maximum sentence. However. Davis’ sentence is significant and should serve as notice to any future Anthony Stancl’s what will happen if you engage in this criminal activity.

Regular readers know I have no sympathy and detest people who go on the Internet pretending to be someone they’re not and then spread lies and false stories. It’s happened on these very NOW blogs. Others beside myself know it and know it to be true in their silence. They know exactly who I'm talking about. Shame on them and the phony perpetrators of lies and distortion.

The Stancl case is over. Meanwhile, youngsters are sexting at FranklinHigh School. They, too, like Stancl, need to learn their lesson.

Fatal Attraction

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 25, 2010

Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez



Obama's New "Health Care" Idea

"Health-care proposals from the White House follow a set pattern. The President identifies a real problem; he talks about the need for bipartisan action; he finally proposes a partisan solution that has been tried somewhere and failed miserably."

Friday night on InterCHANGE

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 25, 2010


Here are the topics the panel discusses Friday night on InterCHANGE on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 at 6:30 with a repeat broadcast on Sunday morning at 11:00:


1 – Health Care Summit

The Democrats and Republicans get together with Obama to talk about the problems with health care.  Is this all just a show for the cameras?  Is it just a photo-op to show an insincere attempt at bipartisanship?  Will a few-hour discussion accomplish anything?  What happens now?  Will democrats just do what they want?  Will Republicans be able to stop it?  Will Obama succeed or fail in his attempt at heath-care reform?


2 – Sex Education.

The legislature passed and the governor signed into law a new measure which requires public schools to teach kids about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases as part of their sex education classes. Is it about time?  Are you taking control away from local school boards and local parental input?  Is that a good thing?  All Republicans in the legislature voted against the bill.


3 – Anthony Stancl Sentence.

Is 15 years in prison a fair sentence for the New Berlin High School who posed as a girl to get dozens of fellow male students to send him naked pictures of themselves, and then blackmailed at least seven of them into sex acts with him?  All of the victims have required hospitalization, medications, and/or counseling.  He faced up to 30 years in prison, but a plea deal led to most of the charges being dropped, and it spared his victims from having to testify.  Should the judge have imposed a tougher sentence? Will he be a 34-year-old “recovered” sex offender when he gets out?


4 – Milwaukee County Furlough Days.

The Milwaukee County Board goes along with Scott Walker’s suggestion and adds 10 unpaid furlough days on top of the 12 that have already been imposed on a large group of county workers.  That’s the equivalent of a month without paychecks. The county is still expected to be millions of dollars in the hole.  Will more furlough days be coming?  Is this better than layoffs?  Is it necessary because the county passed a budget that counted on lower wages and givebacks from the unions which have not yet materialized?  Does this show that County Executive Scott Walker can play hardball with the unions, or does it show that he is an incompetent leader who shouldn’t be given the chance to do the same thing as governor?

Where were the TV cameras?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 25, 2010


Wednesday night, I pulled into the Milwaukee Hamilton High School parking lot to see an unusually high number of cars. I was there to time the Hamilton-Washington girl’s varsity basketball game. All of these cars couldn’t possibly be here for a basically meaningless ballgame, I thought.

They weren’t. The cars belonged to Hamilton High teachers. At 6:30 p.m. teachers were still in the building, waiting patiently, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

It was Parent-Teacher Conference night. Teachers were in attendance. How about the parents? Where were they?

Nowhere in sight.

So, some of the teachers wandered into the gym to watch some basketball to pass the time that should have been devoted to discussion with parents. Is it any wonder MPS students do so poorly when their parents don’t give a damn?

Note to Milwaukee TV news stations and MJS photographers: The next time MPS holds parent-teacher conferences, pay a visit to some MPS buildings and shoot video and pictures of the teachers sitting at their desks in empty classrooms.

Will that embarrass parents or result in any positive change in a predominant 'who cares' attitude? Probably not.

However, those revealing visuals would portray a reality Milwaukee needs to see.

Furloughs: Thank you, Milwaukee County Board

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 25, 2010


You hear all that loud whining and moaning? It’s coming from Milwaukee County workers.

The Milwaukee County Board correctly voted to go along with County Executive Scott Walker’s plan to add an additional 10 furlough days for approximately 1,500 county union workers. That will trim about $2 million from the county deficit.

Union leaders and the rank and file are all upset when they have no right to be. Clearly, they are clueless and unsympathetic to what has been happening in the private sector to the folks who pay their salaries. Those poor people are getting pay cuts and pink slips.  Still, union slugs show up at public meetings with their greedy paws extended, begging for more handouts at taxpayer expense.





'It’s like sitting here watching your own funeral,' Chris Liebenthal of Milwaukee said while watching the Milwaukee County Board act on the 2010 budget last November. The sartorially splendid Liebenthal is a human service worker with Milwaukee County Department of Human Services. Journal Sentinel photo.


When the devastating economy has put so many on the unemployment line, government workers forced to take furloughs, unappreciative that they still have jobs with benefits and unwilling to accept some sacrifice, can’t seem to drop their selfish entitlement mentality.

I spoke with a Milwaukee County supervisor earlier this week who told me the calls he was getting about furloughs were overwhelmingly in support of tacking on even more unpaid vacation days.

Again, county workers, just like their counterparts at the state level, have no concept of economic reality. Taxpayers are hopping mad, sick and tired of the constant tax increases and bloated government budgets while their wages get frozen or slashed and their benefit packages evaporate.

County workers and the union bosses that represent them would be wise to take their furloughs, buck up and clam up.

Just a few days ago, the PewResearchCenter released a negative report about unions:

“Favorable views of labor unions have plummeted since 2007, amid growing public skepticism about unions' purpose and power. Currently, 41% say they have a favorable opinion of labor unions while about as many (42%) express an unfavorable opinion. In January 2007, a clear majority (58%) had a favorable view of unions while just 31% had an unfavorable impression.”

And don’t feel sorry for county workers who have more unpaid vacation time coming. Badger Blogger wrote the following last October:

“The 2008 benefits cost for Milwaukee County employees was 74.35% of salary. And while county employees are decrying proposed wage cuts and cuts to services (and are willing to show up at taxpayer rallies in an attempt to make their ‘plight’ known) the cost of their benefits is projected to have increased another 8-10% in 2009, according to budget analysts. In real dollars, this means that a typical county employee – say, for example, county social worker, union organizer, prolific semi-professional blogger, and Chairman of the recently-formed ‘non-partisan social welfare organization’ Milwaukee County First, Chris Liebenthal – making $48,816.00 annually, according to a publicly accessible online database, courtesy of the Journal/Sentinel – actually cost county taxpayers an additional $36,295 in 2008 non-salary compensation. If 2009 projections are accurate, this cost becomes in excess of $40,000.00.”

A big thank you to the Milwaukee County supervisors that cast the right vote in favor of furloughs.

And a final note. If county workers have to endure more furloughs, that means fewer days that some knucklehead social worker can reunite an innocent foster child with a blood relative that’s abusive, a cocaine addict or both, thus endangering the very life of that child.

How does that phrase go again? Oh yeh. But if we can save just one life….

Obama is not listening

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 26, 2010

Political Cartoon by Steve Kelley

 

Read more

Stupid Canadians

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 26, 2010

Read more

Bring on the weekend!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 26, 2010


We survived another snow.

February is just about done.

That means March Madness can't be too far away.

Our regular weekend lineup begins tonight with our goodnight music piece that has been dominated in past weeks by  golden memories. Tonight after the sun goes down, we focus on the current century.




I promise by tonight he'll get serious and play that thing.

Then Saturday morning, wake up to the Barking Lot, complete with DOGS IN THE NEWS including the amazing story of this rescued dog........



Poppy the spaniel is rescued



Also Saturday, Week-ends, our weekly week in review.

This guy gets a mention.....


Howard Stern-SGY-013631.jpg




Saturday also brings you Recommended Reading.

Then on Sunday, My Most Popular Blogs, Culinary no-no, and Photos of the Week. This picture did NOT make the final cut.....





Former President Bill Clinton is held by a member of the secret service to prevent him from falling into a crowd of students at the University of California at Berkeley Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, in Berkeley, Calif. Clinton had just delivered his speech, Global Citizenship: Turning Good Intentions into Positive Action". (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Unfortunately, we can't see who Bill is lunging for. Wonder if it's a woman in her early 20's wearing a beret and blue dress? Of course, with Slick Willy, does it really matter how old she is or what she has on?

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by This Just In...

Goodnight everyone, and have an off the charts weekend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 26, 2010


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.

Tonight, we get contemporary. We've been walking down memory lane for many, many weeks. Time to put nostalgia on hold and enjoy some fresh material.

To get to today, we turn back to the late 60's, 70's and 80's  Trumpeter Greg Adams was a founder of and fixture in the group, "Tower of Power."
Adams is pictured in the back row at the far left...








Adams went solo in the mid-90’s and has now embarked on a new project with an ensemble called, “East Bay Soul.”  Here’s an excerpt from a press release announcing the new band:

“As a trumpet player, Adams alternates between a powerful open horn and sexy muted trumpet revealing the breadth and elegance he embodies. The sound has it’s root’s in the uniquely soul based genre associated with the San Francisco East Bay Area. It is however, R&B for our time. Watch and hear this band and you will find yourself in front of the stage, and people will be moving with the music. The timeless quality of the East Bay Soul sound knows no age limits.

Read more

Way to go, GOP!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010

.
 Political Cartoon by Michael Ramirez

 

Oba-kabuki: A box office bomb

"The taxpayer-funded infomercial backfired by exposing the president's thin skin, the Democrats' naked disingenuousness and the ruling majority's allergies to political and policy realities."

The Barking Lot (02/27/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010

The Barking Lot


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:  Flurries. High of 30.  "D"

SUNDAY:  Cloudy.  High of 34. "D"

Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:

I’m sure you have seen articles about what your dog choice says about you.  In my youth, my dog Sugar was very similar to me in personality… we were both easy-going, gentle, and enjoyed the company of others.  We were also both the “last to be picked” for any type of athletic activity.  Yes, we were lovable couch potatoes.

But what if you feel your pooch could qualify for the Olympics?  You love to play Frisbee, romp in the dog park, and chase squirrels until both your tongues are hanging out of your mouths?  Then fear not!  There are several “doggie Olympics” that you can choose from to keep your dog happy and feeling quite sure of him/herself.  Even if your dog is a mutt, rest assured you can find an activity that suits any combination of breeds.

If you are wondering what your options are, they are endless. 

And really… if you think Doggie Olympics are just for the pedigrees, read this heartwarming story.

So don’t give up on your dream of being in the Olympics.  If not you, then perhaps Fido!
---Jennifer Fischer

Thanks, Jennifer.

It is time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

We begin with.......it's a miracle!  The video. MORE video. Even MORE video.


Dogs are in court for a good reason.


Indiana inmates train dogs to work with children.


Missing Virginia dog turns up.......in Florida.


Wyatt has a sixth sense.


Dog attacks liberal senator.


Mandatory dog licenses a problem in Orange County, Calfifornia.


Dogs + emotions = sales.


Sylvia takes attention off Michelle's cerebral palsy.


When a  dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do.


CNN falls for "World's 1st Hot Dog Hoax."


Huhhh??? Playgirl wants Michael Vick to do what?


If you missed them (how could you?), here are photos from Westminster.


And we close with our closing video. We hope you've enjoyed this week's Barking Lot. Thanks for stopping by.

During the Winter Olmpic Games in Vancouver, skiiers have been protcted by canine Olympians.


Another award for Obama

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010


The IOC stunned the world this morning when they awarded U.S. President Barack Obama a gold medal for Men’s Skiing. Even though he's never skied, an IOC spokesman said “Barack Obama is going downhill faster than anyone this year.”

 

A layoff letter from the boss

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010


Dear Employees:

As the CEO of this organization, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barrack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way.

To compensate for these increases, our prices would have to increase by about 10%. But since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off sixty of our employees instead.

This has really been bothering me since I believe we are family here and I didn't know how to choose who would have to go.

So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lots and found sixty 'Obama' bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the ones to let go.  I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem.  They voted for change...... I gave it to them.

I will see the rest of you at the annual company picnic.

THE BOSS

Week-ends (02/27/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010

Week-ends


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


Robert Howard


Joannie Rochette......MORE..... and  MORE.


Alyson Dudek


David Benke


Erinn Phelan


Alan Haymaker


Adam Sargent


Thomas Bruso


Addissu Adabo


El Paso Samaritan



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Australian mother


Rosa Freeman


Anthony Stancl


Canadian teachers



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


"The question I'm going to ask myself and I ask of all of you, is there enough serious effort that in a month's time or a few week's time or six weeks' time, we could actually resolve something. And if we can't, we've got to go ahead and make some decisions."
President Obama at the health care summit.


"Both of us ... promised 'change in Washington.'... Eight times you (Obama) said negotiations on healthcare reform would be conducted before C-Span cameras. I'm glad, more than a year later, that they are here. Unfortunately, this (Democratic) product was not produced in that fashion. It was produced behind doors."
Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) at the summit.


“Let me just make this point, John, because we’re not campaigning anymore. The election is over.”
President Obama at the summit.


“I’m reminded of that every day.”
McCain at the summit.


“There are [consumer protections] in every state…. Do we distrust our governors? Do we distrust our state legislatures? Should people in Washington decide exactly how this works and what [insurance] you can and cannot buy?”
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) at the summit.


"This is a car that can't be recalled and fixed and ... we ought to start over."
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) at the summit.


"I even have one constituent -- you will not believe this, and I know you won't, but it's true -- her sister died. This poor woman had no dentures. She wore her dead sister's teeth, which of course were uncomfortable and did not fit."
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) at the summit.


"The government now directs over 60 percent of the healthcare in this country. And if throwing money at it and creating new government programs could solve it, we wouldn't be sitting here today because we've done all that. It hasn't worked."
Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) at the summit.


"We can't afford this. That is the ultimate problem here."
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA) at the summit.


"I don't think it made a nickel's worth of difference.It's fair to say the trend is going against the bill.”
Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss) said he chatted at the House gym Friday morning with fellow conservative Democrats and found that Obama's health care summit had produced no new momentum.


"People who voted 'yes' would love a second bite at the apple to vote 'no' this time, because they went home and got an unpleasant experience. On the other hand, I don't know anybody who voted 'no' who regrets it."
Congressman Jason Altmire (D- Pennsylvania) on the issue of health care.


"It's easy being vice president — you don't have to do anything."
VP Joe Biden at this week’s health care summit.


"I met with some people while I was home dealing with domestic abuse. It has gotten out of hand. Why? Men don't have jobs. Women don't have jobs either, but women aren’t abusive, most of the time. Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested Monday that domestic violence by men has increased due to U.S. joblessness.


"Well, you know, to me I find it interesting that you have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs, and then they go out and they do the photo ops and they are posing with the big check and they say, isn't this great? Look what the kind of -- the kind of money I provide here for the state, and this is great money to create jobs, and this has created 10,000 new jobs and this has created 20,000 new jobs. And all of these kind of things. It doesn't match up."
Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking to host Terry Moran on ABCs "This Week" program.


“Wisconsin deserves a shot of adrenaline, a bright shining star to return to active duty.”
Former state Senator Dave Zien (R--Eau Claire) in a letter to the editor encouraging Wisconsinites to draft Tommy Thompson to run for U.S. Senate. 


“I try to stay out of it. Does it bother me when people ask questions? No. I can’t tell them things I don’t know. I always encourage people to do things but with Tom, it’s always no. I always discourage it; you can’t go back, you need to look ahead. My philosophy is quit while you’re ahead.”
Sue Ann Thompson, wife of former Gov. Tommy Thompson, on rumors that her husband may take on Russ Feingold.


“This is ObamaCare, that's what this is. ... This is an absolute vote in favor of government-run health care.”
Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) during floor debate on BadgerCare Plus Basic.


“I'll get government out of your way and lower the tax burden so Wisconsin business owners and factories can create 250,000 new jobs and 10,000 new businesses by 2015.”
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker promising to lower the tax and regulation burden on businesses as governor.


“You don't get to make up numbers out of thin air just because you want to be governor.”
State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate attacking Walker's job creation goals.


“If Scott Walker had a plan to bring jobs to Wisconsin he should have implemented it in Milwaukee sometime during the last eight years.”
Mark Neumann, Walker's GOP rival.


"If Mark wins the primary, I'll support him 100 percent.”
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, referring to gubernatorial primary opponent Mark Neumann at the Wisconsin Realtors Association's government day in Madison.


"Ditto.”
Mark Neumann, responding at the Wisconsin Realtors event in Madison.


“Getting into prison is not easy. You've got to get locked up and convicted a lot of times before we get you prison space. We're looking at a class of offenders that have already demonstrated a history of re-offending, and that's not likely to change anytime soon.”
Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn on reports that two of the prisoners freed under the state's new earned early release program were picked up for violating terms of their release. Both were expected to be re-released this week.


“Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt … way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. She’s got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body … I know she’s very good, and I’m not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won’t … but Hannah Storm … come on now! Stop! What are you doing?"
ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser describing live on-air the wardrobe of ESPN colleague Hannah Storm. Kornheiser was suspended by the network for his remarks.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Repeat offenders in Wisconsin get early release.


Maryland inmate impersonates cell mate, walks out of prison.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Climate-gate



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


The 10-inch snowstorm that never came.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant


Follow the rules, comrades....or else.


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.

Recommended Reading (02/27/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 27, 2010

Recommended reading


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).


Republicans Get the Chance to Punch Back at the Speaker-in-Chief

"Obama stacked the deck during the health care summit, giving Democrats twice the speaking time as the GOP. But how well did Republicans punch back?"


Try to Stay Awake: The President has a Healthcare Bill to Pass

"Warning: watching American politicians argue about healthcare can be seriously damaging to your health. Symptoms may include migraines, extreme fatigue and sudden violent urges. In the event of exposure to competing statistics — regarding 'donut holes', 'HMO deductibles', 'reconciliation devices' or suchlike — seek immediate medical help."


What Part of ‘Party of NO’ Don’t You Understand

"As the Democratic base has been hysterically pointing out, both the House and the Senate have already passed national health care bills. Either body could vote for the other's bill, and -- presto! -- Obama would have a national health care bill, replete with death panels, abortion coverage and lots and lots of new government commissions!

Sadly, as the president's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has noted, the Democratic base is '@#$%^ retarded'>"


Congress’ Real Problem? A Lack of restraint on Spending

"The problem, therefore, is not gridlock. The problem is that Congress is working in a bipartisan fashion to make our economic future less secure. The facts show that Congress is controlled by a supermajority of members from both parties who believe it is fine to borrow and spend far beyond our means and avoid hard choices."


Toyota and the Price of Modernity

"The wondrousness sometimes eludes us. Even the lowliest wage earner has an automobile that conveys him with more luxury, more freedom, more comfort than any traveling king ever experienced in all the centuries before the 20th. And modern medicines -- why, vaccines alone -- have prevented more suffering, more debility and more death than anything ever conceived by man.
But these wonders can be lethal"


The incredible, vanishing greenback

"The great benefit of the election of Barack Obama as president is that he is such a pathetic, unqualified, teleprompter-bound clown. Not only has he left our foundering economy in the hands of greedy, crooked bankers, he's left it in the hands of the same gang of greedy, crooked bankers, from Goldman Sachs and the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He speaks of the need for austerity and submits plans for the biggest spend-fest and deficit in history, for all the world like a little kid preaching the benefits of bean sprouts while barfing in the corner after eating his entire bag of Halloween candy."


10 Steps to Fix the U.S. Financial Crisis

"Fixing our national financial problem is simple and straight forward.  The next time you feel depressed or are surrounded by 'progressives' (Marxists in wolves' clothing) pull out this article and take solace. There’s still time to save the Union from bankruptcy and collapse."



Obama’s ‘ Hope’ - The New Tramp Stamp of Political Decals

"Today, one can travel down any busy American street or highway and usually spot the new political equivalent of the tramp stamp.  Namely, the ubiquitous 2008 campaign decal with the cartoonish stenciled portrait of Barack Obama gazing wistfully into the distance above the nebulous term 'HOPE.'  The omnipresent 'Hope' bumper sticker now possesses approximately the same value as the secret formula for New Coke."

My Most Popular Blogs (02/28/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 28, 2010

Most popular


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) A letter to all Franklin residents from Police Chief Oliva

2) That so-called "Bi-partisan" Summit

3) Fatal Attraction

4) Obama is not listening

5) Obama Health Care Proposal Far Worse on Abortion Than Even the Senate Version

Photos of the Week (02/28/10)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 28, 2010

Photos of the Week





Filipino residents travel to higher grounds as fears spread through text messages at the coastal city of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, southeastern Philippines, early Sunday Feb. 28, 2010. The Philippines Tsunami alert level was raised to 2 following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a low-level alert saying people should await further notice of a possible tsunami. It did not recommend evacuations. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)






People walk near a destroyed building in Concepcion, southern Chile, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday. The quake hit 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of Santiago, the country's capital, and the epicenter was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city. (AP Photo)






Residents look at a collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile, Saturday Feb. 27, 2010 after an 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile. The epicenter was 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city.(AP Photo)






Residents look at a destroyed road in Concepcion, Chile, Saturday Feb. 27, 2010 after an 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile. The epicenter was 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city.(AP Photo)






Vehicles that were driving along a highway that collapsed near Santiago are seen overturned on the asphalt Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 after a powerful earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday.(AP Photo/Carlos Espinoza)






A woman sits in front a quake-damaged house in Talca, Chile, after a 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country early Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Sebastian Martinez)






Jake Fender and Jason Heun sit atop their van on Round Top Drive on February 27, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Residents stocked up on food and emergency supplies in preparation for a potentially damaging tsunami, after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Chile which sent waves across the Pacific Ocean. Before evening Pacific Time the tsunami warning was canceled by the Tsunami Warning Center. In Chile so far over 100 deaths have been reported with numbers expected to rise. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)






Ala Moana Beach Park sits empty, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 in Honolulu. The State of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning after a 8.8 earthquake rattled Chile today. Many residents are loading up on gas and emergency supplies due to the warning.  (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)






A name tag for President Barack Obama marks his spot at the Blair House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, prior to the start of the health care reform meeting. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)






President Barack Obama, right, shakes hands with Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., at the Blair House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, prior to the start of the health care summit. From left, are, Kline, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. and the president. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)





President Barack Obama, center, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, and others, is seen during their meeting for health care reform, as they met with Republican and Democratic leaders, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, in the Blair House across from the street from the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)




WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 25: Protesters against national healthcare demonstrate across the street from Blair House, site of today's Health Care Summit, February 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama is meeting with a bipartisan group of members of Congress today to discuss pending health care legislation.

Protesters against national healthcare demonstrate across the street from Blair House, site of the Health Care Summit, February 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama met with a bipartisan group of members of Congress  to discuss pending health care legislation. Photo: Getty Images






Joan Stallard (L) and David Barrows (R), supporters of national healthcare, wait to cross the steet while demonstrating outside Blair House, site of today's Health Care Summit, February 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama met with a bipartisan group of members of Congress to discuss pending health care legislation. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)






Ron Manshardt, a 41-year Ford Motor Co. retiree, watches Toyota Motor Corp. President and CEO Akio Toyoda testify in a congressional hearing on television at the Village Bar in Wayne, Mich., Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)






House Oversight and Government Reform Committee member Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., holds a Toyota accelerator pedal while asking a question of Toyota President and Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, as he testifies before the committee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)






Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson, left, Deer Creek Middle School Assistant Principal Becky Brown, center, look towards Deer Creek Middle School teacher David Benke, who tackled a shooting suspect, during a news conference at the Jeffco Public Schools administration building in Golden, Colo. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. The math teacher who has become a national hero after breaking up a potentially deadly school shooting near the site of the Columbine massacre said Wednesday that he was simply doing his job to protect his students from danger during his now-famous scuffle with the gunman. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)






More global warming! Sanitation worker John Kehley shovels snow from a bus stop on Madison Avenue on February 27, 2010 in New York City. New York City's Central Park received 20.9 inches, making it the snowiest month in the city's history and fourth largest snow storm on record. (Photo by David Goldman/Getty Images)






A rescue worker walks past cars buried under rocks in a street of downtown Funchal, the Madeira Island's capital, Monday Feb. 22, 2010. The street was buried by rocks and debris carried by rushing water Saturday when heavy rain caused flash floods all around the Portuguese island. The local government has confirmed at least 42 dead. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)






Four-year-old Martina Franklin is carried by Dr. Frank Diaz Ricardo in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 22, 2010. Doctors had to amputate Martina's leg after an injury during the January 12th earthquake that devastated the country. (Roberto Koltun/El Nuevo Herald/MCT)






Dog handler Christina Oberhauser and her rescue dog Smiley search for survivers in a snow hole during a simulated avalanche rescue operation in the Heutal valley near Unken, in the Austrian province of Salzburg, Friday Feb. 26, 2010. During this simulation, rescue dogs learn how to find victims of avalanches as quickly as possible. (AP Photo/ Kerstin Joensson)






Treo, a nine-year-old black Labrador from the Military Working Dogs, who is to be presented Wednesday with Britain's Dicken medal, awarded for bravery and commitment in wartime, the highest military honor an animal can expect, poses with the medal at the Imperial War Museum in London, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. Treo is being decorated for his work sniffing out explosives in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)


 



U.S. soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, kneel as father Carl Subler, U.S. Cpt. Chaplain from Versailles, Ohio celebrates a mass service in an outpost in the Badula Qulp area, West of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)






Wounded U.S. Marine Sgt. Shane Hanley, center, a squad leader from Easy Company, 2-2 Marines, receives treatment by U.S. Army flight medic Sgt. Michael G. Patangan while airborne in an army Task Force Pegasus medevac helicopter, shortly after Hanley was wounded, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Sgt. Hanley, of Punxsutawney, Pa., who agreed to have photos of himself published, sustained shrapnel injuries to the left side of his body, face and eye when an improvised explosive device detonated below him while he was on a foot patrol. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)






Iraqi police post voting instructions in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. Iraqis head to the polls for the national election in March 7. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)






In this photo taken on Dec. 30, 2005, Dawn Brancheau, a whale trainer at SeaWorld Adventure Park, is shown while performing. Brancheau was killed in an accident with a killer whale at the SeaWorld Shamu Stadium Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Julie Fletcher)






A SeaWorld trainer tosses a fish to a killer whale during the first show after a trainer was killed by an orca at the theme park three days earlier in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. More than 2,000 people watched killer whales perform Saturday at SeaWorld for the first time since one of the orcas dragged a trainer to her death underwater in front of horrified spectators. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, Pool)






An officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police guards the Olympic flame at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)






The U.S. women claimed a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter relay Wednesday night, February 24, 2010 at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Lana Gehring (from left), Alyson Dudek 0f Hales Corners, Wisconsin,  Allison Baver and Katherine Reutter take a victory lap. Photo: MCT.






Snowboarder Shaun White, winner of the gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, right, holds his gold medal as he participates in the closing bell ceremony with Duncan Niederauer, chief executive officer of NYSE Euronext, at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. Today is the one year anniversary of the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing at 7114, the lowest level since 1997. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg






USA goalie Ryan Miller (39) saves a shot in the first period of a preliminary round men's ice hockey game against Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)







Paul Turek celebrates a goal by the USA hockey team in a matchup against Canada during a preliminary round of the Olympic Games on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. This is the third Olympic game for each team. The U.S. has defeated Switzerland 3-1 and Norway 6-1, while Canada has defeated Norway 8-0 and Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)






Zach Parise #9 of the United States and Ryan Kesler #17 (facing camera) of the United States celebrate after Kesler scored an empty net goal in the third period during the ice hockey men's preliminary game between Canada and USA on day 10 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. The Americans won, 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)






A Canadian flag is left on a seat a preliminary round men's ice hockey game between USA and Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010. USA won 5-3. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)







The puck flies past goalkeeper Miikka Kiprusoff #34 of Finland during the ice hockey men's semifinal game between the United States and Finland on day 15 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 26, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. Team USA wopn, 6-1 to advance to Sunday's gold medal game vs. heavily favored Canada.(Photo by Hans Deryk/Pool/Getty Images)







A child's drawing is seen on the back of Norway goalie Pal Grotnes' mask as he plays against Slovakia in the third period of a men's playoff qualifying round ice hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)






Lindsey Vonn of the United States reacts after skiing out during the first run of the Women's slalom, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)






Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan balances a baseball on the back of his hands as he makes his way to the practice mounds while working out at the team's spring training facility Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)






Milwaukee Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel carries four baseballs at one time while working out at the team's spring training facility Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)






Baseball legend Hank Aaron signs autographs during the third day of Atlanta Braves spring training for pitcher and catchers and report day for all other players Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Journal Constitution, Phil Skinner)






Tom Skwerski, left, of the Field Museum, and Daniel C. Fisher, curator of paleontology at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, position the remains of a 42,000-year-old wooly mammoth baby for a three-dimensional x-ray, February 11, 2010, at GE Healthcare Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The baby, dubbed Lyuba, is on loan to The Field Museum for seven months from Russia and was in Waukesha for one day before being returned to the Chicago museum. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)






This image shows a three-dimensional x-ray of a head from a 42,000-year-old wooly mammoth baby, February 11, 2010, at GE Healthcare Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The baby, dubbed Lyuba, is on loan to The Field Museum for seven months from Russia and was in Waukesha for one day before being returned to the Chicago museum. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)






Men in loincloths jostle each other in a muddy rice paddy at Mimusubi shrine in Yotsukaido, near Tokyo Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. Hundreds of local dwellers took part in "the muddy rite" a ceremony to pray for a good harvest for the year and good health for babies. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)






US actress Anne Hathaway, centre, is sheltered from the rain as she arrives for the Royal World Premiere of the movie Alice in Wonderland in Leicester Square, London, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)






US actress Angelina Jolie, centre right, is pictured during shooting a scene for the movie "The Tourist", directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, in Paris, France, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. (AP Photo)






We could do one of these each week: The obligatory outrageous model. A model displays a Fall/Winter design by Andres Sarda during the Pasarela Cibeles fashion week in Madrid, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul White)



 

Salwa Safieddine, from Senegal, enyoys a cigar at a gala dinner closing the 12th annual Cigar Festival in Havana, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. Cigar enthusiasts from around the world come to Cuba this week, visiting tobacco farms and factories and savoring new cigar brands during the annual celebration. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Another Super Sunday, this time on ice

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 28, 2010


Someone mentioned to me today that the US/Canada gold medal hockey game is like another Super Bowl, and he’s right. Interest in this game is intense with ratings going through the roof and tickets for the game selling for thousands of dollars.

They say that defense wins championships. If that’s true, keep this in mind, from Olympics Fanhouse:

“USA's Ryan Miller has not allowed a goal in 111 minutes. If he has not been the best player in the tournament, he has undoubtedly been the most valuable."

Photos: Canada 3, USA 2 (OT)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 28, 2010


A classic, hard fought, clean hockey game.


Policemen and hockey fans play hockey outside the Canada Hockey Place before the men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.

Policemen and hockey fans play hockey outside the Canada Hockey Place before the men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Todd Korol, Reuters


USA's Jamie Langenbrunner (L) and USA's Patrick Kane warm up prior to the men's Gold medal match against Canada at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 26, 2010.

USA's Jamie Langenbrunner (L) and USA's Patrick Kane warm up prior to the men's Gold medal match against Canada at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Jean Levac, CNS




Fans wait for the men's Gold medal hockey match opposing Canada to the USA at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 26, 2010.

Fans wait for the men's Gold medal hockey match opposing Canada to the USA at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 26, 2010. Photograph by: Jean Levac, CNS




Dany Heatley of Canada flied into the U.S. bench next to Brooks Orpik (44) of the U.S. during the gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Dany Heatley of Canada flied into the U.S. bench next to Brooks Orpik (44) of the U.S. during the gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Shaun Best, ReutersCorey Perry (R) of Canada celebrates his goal against the U.S. with teammate Rick Nash (61) in second period of their gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Shaun Best, Reuters




Canada's Jonathan Toews (16) scores the first goal on goaltender Ryan Miller of the U.S. during the first period of their men's ice hockey gold medal game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.

Canada's Jonathan Toews (16) scores the first goal on goaltender Ryan Miller of the U.S. during the first period of their men's ice hockey gold medal game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Shaun Best, Reuters




Corey Perry (R) of Canada celebrates his goal against the U.S. with teammate Rick Nash (61) in second period of their gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Corey Perry (R) of Canada celebrates his goal against the U.S. with teammate Rick Nash (61) in second period of their gold medal hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Shaun Best, Reuters



Canada's Roberto Luongo (R) looks at the puck as it crosses the goal line for USA's first goal as USA's Ryan Kesler (L) looks on during second period of the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Canada's Roberto Luongo (R) looks at the puck as it crosses the goal line for USA's first goal as USA's Ryan Kesler (L) looks on during second period of the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Shaun Best, Reuters
 

Canada's Roberto Luongo (R) looks at the puck as it crosses the goal line for USA's first goal as USA's Ryan Kesler (L) looks on during second period of the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Canada's Roberto Luongo (R) looks at the puck as it crosses the goal line for USA's first goal as USA's Ryan Kesler (L) looks on during second period of the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Jean Levac, CNS




USA's Zach Parise, right, and USA's Ryan Suter celebrate their late tying goal against Canada during the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

USA's Zach Parise, right, and USA's Ryan Suter celebrate their late tying goal against Canada during the men's Gold hockey medal match at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. The goal came with just 24.4 seconds left to play. Photograph by: Jean Levac, Canwest News Service



Sidney Crosby of Canada scores the game winning goal past U.S. goalie Ryan Miller in overtime to win the gold medal in hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Sidney Crosby of Canada scores the game winning goal past U.S. goalie Ryan Miller in overtime to win the gold medal in hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Todd Korol, Reuters




Sidney Crosby of Canada scores the game winning goal past U.S. goalie Ryan Miller in overtime to win the gold medal in hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

Sidney Crosby of Canada scores the game winning goal past U.S. goalie Ryan Miller in overtime to win the gold medal in hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010. Photograph by: Gary Hershorn, Reuters

Culinary no-no #154

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Feb. 28, 2010

Culinary no-no's


The sun had not yet set that evening on Waikiki Beach. My new bride, Jennifer and I were just embarking on an absolutely phenomenal dinner at La Mer at the Halekulani Hotel. The view from our table looked exactly like this:



La Mer

Just one floor below, right along the beach, former Miss Hawaii Kanoe Miller was singing and performing traditional hula that we could see and hear from our table:




House Without A Key

For my appetizer, I ordered Big Island Lobster Medallions with a Carpaccio of Yellow Beets and a Warm Lobster Soup. I vividly recall it was more expensive than most entrees back home. And that was just for starters.

Yes, I felt like royalty after an extravagant appetizer, main course, and Lilikoi soufflé because after all, I’m just a lowly state employee.

There’s also something very decadent about dining at Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian Resort at Disney World. In this land of parades, fireworks, rides and roaming classic characters there is elegant haute cuisine, a multi-course prix fixe menu served by Victorian-clothed maids and butlers to the accompaniment of a harpist (Yes, she does “Can’t Help Falling in Love”).
 

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