This Just In ...
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.
Michael Jackson or the most decorated U.S. Marine Corps aviator in history?
A dear friend of mine received the following note from a retired Marine:
“If you had enough of the last tragic chapter in the Michael Jackson soap opera, you may find this item encouraging. Here’s a man whose legacy and name you should tell your children about instead: U.S. Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser. R.I.P.”
Here’s the link the retired Marine attached.
We need to drop the whole birth certificate argument
The Honolulu Advertiser, November 1, 2008...
John Hawkins, the columnist of lists, nails it.
Let it go, people.
UPDATE: Sticking it to motorists
Earlier this year, I wrote about a nutty proposal to use GPS to charge motorists by their miles driven.
The idea apparently is picking up some steam. Here's an update.
Kids really do say the darndest things
Should the school day be longer?
Should the school year be lengthened?
Watch this segment of Child Prodigy Pundit Pit on Fox. It's clear one of the three prodigies has a definite career as a TV/Radio talk show host.
Why aren't more writing/talking about this?
71% of voters in Wisconsin April 2008 approved changing the state constitution (no small feat) to prevent
So what does Governor Doyle do the first opportunity to use the gubernatorial veto since that vote? He violates the state constitution.
Oh, he didn’t mean to do it. It was unintentional!
Tell that to the judge the next time you get a speeding ticket.
Let’s go,
It took Jessica McBride to find out Ed Flynn's position on conceal-carry
In April of this year, I wrote the following in a blog questioning Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn’s political stripes:
“I attended a meeting last year where Chief Flynn mentioned that in some parts of the city of
Well, then, Chief, how about the rest of us?”
In what Channel 12 is billing as an exclusive, we get the answer, in one of those until-now private e-mails between the chief and Jessica McBride.
Watch.
Canton, Ohio thinks they have a police chief controversy? Cue the laugh track
Here's the Reader's Digest version of the story:
Former police chief kisses part-time officer in front seat of patrol car.with a burglary suspect in the back seat.
You call that news???
July 4th Tea Party Fact Sheet
July 4th Tea Party Fact Sheet
From Adam Radman on Thursday, July 2, 2009 3:23 PM
As taxpayers gather in celebration of American Independence, ATR compiled a brief fact sheet on the federal government and the economy.
Number of employees at the IRS in FY 2010: Over 100,000
Current IRS Budget: $11.4 billion
How many words does the IRS Code contain? The IRS Code is more than 3.4 million words
How many hours did individual taxpayers spend complying with income tax laws in 2009? Individual taxpayers alone spent an estimated 3.8 billion hours complying with various tax laws. This is up from 3.6 billion in 2008.
What is the origin of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? The IRS dates back to President Lincoln when he created the position of commissioner of the Internal Revenue and enacted an income tax during the Civil War. The income tax was repealed ten years later.
When was the U.S. Constitution amended to include the 16th Amendment? Wyoming ratified the 16th Amendment in 1913 providing the necessary majority of states to amend the Constitution. The first form 1040 appeared the same year.
The holiday weekend has arrived
Well, for many, but not all. A lot of people are still working today.
I am fully aware that blogs are low on your priority list, especially when we celebrate
Tonight, our regular Friday night musical feature, Goodnight everyone. Yes, it will deal with music that is truly American, but no, it will NOT be patriotic. That’s right around sundown, before the big fireworks.
Saturday is July 4th, but we’ll still have The Barking Lot, Week-ends, Recommended Reading, plus some 4th of July fare.
Sunday, it’s My Most Popular Blogs, Photos of the Week, The MJS Scorecard, and Culinary no-no # I lost track.
Look, I understand you’ve got lots going on. Have a super weekend. If you drop in, I’d appreciate it.
*BREAKING NEWS: Sarah Palin to resign*
This should take Michael Jackson off the front page.
UPDATE: The lefties in the media have already started their drumbeat.
70 years ago this Independence Day...
July 4, 1939.
More from the NY Times.
OUCH!
More evidence Wisconsin leaders are out of touch.
The UW wants to jack up tuition, and how!
The news comes the same week the governor signed a budget with billions of dollars in tax and fee increases.
We are in a tax hell, plus, we're in a recession.
They don't give a damn.
Goodnight everyone, and have a great American weekend
It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In.
The weekend has finally arrived.
The sun has set.
The evening sky has erupted.
Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday.
Tonight, music appropriate for this 4th of July holiday weekend, even though it’s not patriotic.
It’s been said the only true American art form is jazz. Let’s enjoy some American jazz classics.
His bio describes him as, “American pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleader. One of the originators of big-band jazz, (he) led his band for more than half a century, composed thousands of scores, and created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of Western music.”
The Barking Lot (07/04/09)
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: UPDATED- Cloudy this morning with slight chance of isolated thundrdstorms this afternoon ending early this evening. High of 73. "C"
SUNDAY: Sunny. High of 79. "A"
*JENNIFER IS ON MATERNITY LEAVE AND WILL RETURN TO THE Barking
Earlier this year, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, the American Kennel Club announced the ten most popular dogs in the
Week-ends (07/04/09)
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
Kevin Ryan
Bahia Bakari
Keith Zeier
Zach Boyd
Daniel Firpo
Jeff Suppan
Whoever made the decision at Channel 6 NOT to have three dueling anchors talking during last night's fireworks telecast. Just the fireworks! No inane babbling! Awesome!
US Bank for sponsoring the July 3rd fireworks downtown.
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
Lori Drew (one of the most evil women in America) and the federal judge who dismissed her case.
CNN's Rick Sanchez
CBS News
Jim Doyle who signed the worst budget in Wisconsin history into law.
Yet another fine school teacher entrusted with educating our children.
Flag burning teens
Spokane dog attacker (may be difficult to watch for some)
Alfredo Dempkey
Boy who stole from an ambulance
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“This decision has been in the works for awhile. I’m not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual. She knows exactly when to pass the ball so that a team can win.”
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announcing she would resign in a few weeks, fueling speculation she will run for President in 2012.
"They ought to be hanging their heads in shame, Nixon didn’t try to do that. They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try. What the hell do they think we are, puppets? They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them. I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well--for the town halls, for the press conferences. It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”
Veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas, not exactly a conservative, ripping the Obama Administration for putting a plant with a planted question at a presidential news conference.
“Smile! Comedian gives Dems their super majority. Seems appropriate it should happen this way. Not the drawn-out, months-long court battle part, though that did cut into Franken’s term. The fact that it took Bozo* winning to make them theoretically filibuster-proof. Now, everytime they bulldoze something through, it will be because
National blogger Jules Crittenden on comedian Al Franken being declared the winner of a
“In order to go from a freakish, anti-social, agoraphobic, reclusive, narcissistic, eccentric yet washed-up man-child to a totally normal, “just one of us,” friend-of-the-common-man, victimized-by-the-system, national hero in less than one week… all you have to do is die unexpectedly. Now, we know the secret.”
Local blogger Badger Blogger on Michael Jackson and the ad nauseum attention he’s getting.
"I dug myself deeper into a hole. I cannot offer you an excuse for my behavior, how can you excuse betraying thousands of investors. I don't ask for any forgiveness. I did not intend to do any harm, but I did a great deal of harm. I made an error of judgment. I could not accept the fact that for once in my life I failed. I left a legacy of shame. I turn to face you. I know this will not help. I am sorry."
Disgraced former financier Bernard Madoff at his sentencing hearing.
“Throughout this process, I have believed that the choices we make will reveal clearly who we are and what we value.”
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, signing the state budget into law.
“I’ve received hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails about the budget over the last few months. Often the caller or writer will say something like ‘I just can’t take it anymore, our taxes are too high,’ ‘I can’t afford to live here any longer,’ or ‘I’ll be forced to leave this state if this budget becomes law.’ I’ve heard it, I’ve read it, but I’ve wondered how many people are going to actually do it? We have reached the point where businesses, which means jobs and people, are leaving
State Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield), on the state budget signed by Doyle.
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
Congress' travel on the taxpayers' dime triples.
The Washington Post had planned an exclusive "salon" at the home of its publisher "where for as much as $250,000, the Post offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record access to 'those powerful few' — Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and even the paper’s own reporters and editors."
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
What Doyle didn't veto.
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
Michael Jackson, of course. ENOUGH!
STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
New Zealand's airline security video shows naked staff.
More, as Radar O'Reilly once said, nakedidity on a plane. Bipolar and butt naked. (I think that also means no shoes). Not a good combination.
Church burglar falls asleep...in the same church.
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 (07/04/09)
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).
Taxed Enough Already? Nationwide July 4th TEA parties scheduled
"As government spending has ballooned, along with the threat of much higher taxes, the Tea Parties’ attendees promise to surpass the number that turned out in the first round of protests on April 15 -- Tax Day -- when hundreds of thousands of Americans protested in over 800 cities."
The last best hope of Earth
"Terrorists and dictators hate the
This July 4th, remember the founders
“Certainly the United States would not be here without the Founders, the greatest generation in American history, but perhaps a better way of answering the questions is by simply considering whether the United States is the federal republic of the Founders’ design or has it been “remade” as Barack Obama continues to suggest.”
4th of July dialogue
“A 4th of July conversation between Dude - a teenager - and his Uncle Sam...
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July...
...but the Democrats believe every day is April 15."
Ronald Reagan.
Happy 4th of July 2009!
I hope you enjoy these wonderful patriotic clips.
We begin with this recitation from a great American.
Franklin filled with criminals
Plenty in my neighborhood the past few days.
They ignored city ordinances.
They defied state statutes.
Yessiree.
Right out in the open.
Igniting fireworks.
Lighting up the sky.
I’m assuming no busybodies called the
As it should be.
My most popular blogs (07/05/09)
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) Franklin loses a Sendik's
2) Franklin All-Star snub is perfect example of what's wrong with Little League
3) "You might have a much bigger story here"
4) UPDATE: Franklin All-Star snub is perfect example of what's wrong with Little League
5) A very sad day for
The MJS Scorecard (07/05/09)
EVERY SUNDAY I REVIEW THE MOST COVETED EDITORIAL PAGES OF THE WEEK BY OPINION-MAKERS AS WELL AS THE MOST WIDELY-READ, THE SUNDAY “CROSSROADS” SECTION OF THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. I WILL KEEP TRACK OF THE CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL PIECES CONTRIBUTED BY NON-JOURNAL SENTINEL WRITERS AND KEEP A RUNNING SCORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
It should also be noted that this exercise is a categorization. Most, if not all of these articles submitted to, or solicited by the Crossroads staff are well-written, thoughtful, and provocative. I enjoy reading them as I have every Sunday for as long as I can remember. This weekly compilation is an ideological scorecard, not a writing critique.
TODAY'S LIBERAL PIECES
Another View: Doyle failed county voters with a blatant political move
A liberal ripping a liberal. It goes in the “L” column because the author, Lee Holloway is upset that a tax increase was vetoed.
Job creation at core of budget
How can such a successful businessman write this malarkey?
TODAY'S CONSERVATIVE PIECES
Europe offers a bad model for Americans
Jonah Goldberg: Finding the wrong solutions
Tom Still : Nuclear needs to be part of our energy mix
Joe Farkas: Allow prayer to be among parents' health care choices
This one was a tough call. While I don’t condone parents praying over a dying child rather than calling 9-1-1, I have a problem with liberal Democrats intervening and trying to inhibit or stifle prayer.
NEITHER LIBERAL NOR CONSERVATIVE
Bevan K. Baker : City Health Department will protect patients' privacy
Motown West | John Gurda: How Milwaukee once made claim at being automotive industry's heart
MJS SCORECARD:
TODAY: Liberal-2, Conservative-4
YEAR TO DATE: Liberal-56, Conservative-55
Now we’re getting interesting,
Photos of the Week (07/05/09)
How did you spend your 4th? A U.S. Marine from 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, RCT 2nd Battalion 8th Marines Echo Co. takes up a defensive position as they cross a field on July 4, 2009 in Mian Poshteh, Afghanistan. The Marines are part of Operation Khanjari which was launched to take areas in the Southern Helmand Province that Taliban fighters are using as a resupply route and to help the local Afghan population prepare for the upcoming presidential elections. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
U.S. Marines from 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, RCT 2nd Battalion 8th Marines Echo Co. cross a canal as they conduct a sweep of a compound on July 4, 2009 in Mian Poshteh, Afghanistan. The Marines are part of Operation Khanjari which was launched to take areas in the Southern Helmand Province that Taliban fighters are using as a resupply route and to help the local Afghan population prepare for the upcoming presidential elections. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Brewers a better value than the Packers?
Yes, according to ESPN the Magazine’s annual “Ultimate Standings.”
The Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley reports the magazine, “ranked all pro teams in eight weighted categories it says fans use to judge what they are getting in return ‘for all the time, money and emotion’ they invest.”
The Milwaukee Brewers rank #7 while the Green Bay Packers rank #13.
Such a scenario would have been unthinkable just a year or so ago.
By the way, the Bears rank #69 and the Cubs are at # 78.
Here is the ESPN the Magazine article and the complete “Ultimate Standings.”
Culinary no-no #120
If you’re as old as I am, you remember the old A & P grocery stores.
Late in the 70’s and early in my broadcast career at WUWM, I was dispatched to an east side location to do a Q and A with customers about the upcoming closing of the A & P stores.
I think I developed an instant hate for this kind of story that day. This isn’t riveting, compelling, hard-hitting journalism. Do you know how many yutz’s you have to interview before you can get a reasonable sample of sound bites that is broadcast quality?
After getting permission from store management to comb the aisles, I recall shoppers either knew about the demise of A & P and were just plain sad, or were totally taken aback by the news and were shocked.
One of the stunned parties was an antique of a woman, frail and feeble. Should I approach her? Will she be frightened, intimidated, and just tell me to take a hike?
Why not? I could get one of two answers.
The elderly gem was a sweetheart, my best interview of the day.
For her, the closing of the A & P was more than just a business shutting down. This posed a dramatic and serious change to her lifestyle.
In a shaky and very old-sounding voice (remember, this was radio), the woman expressed deep sorrow and near pain.
How am I going to live, she asked directly into my microphone.
And then she referred to a specific product.
To her, an amazing elixir.
A life-saving liquid.
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The price of children
If you have not seen this slideshow that has made its way around the Internet for a couple of years, it is well worth a look.
As Hawkeye once said on M*A*S*H...
This gives "a whole new meaning to lights out."
All those in favor of legitimizing sexually deviant behavior please signify by voting aye...
Oh oh.
It must be Doug Giles time. The columnist has a real doozy this week.
Remember before the great Democrat tsunami that devastated republicans in the November elections of 2006 how we were told the liberal party would fix, ohhhh, just about everything?
One has to (always) wonder about their priorities.
Major case in point: the Ted Kennedy-sponsored Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Sounds awfully nice, doesn’t it? In reality, it’s just plain awful.
I’ve spent a great of deal of space on my blog blasting sex predators and pedophiles. Those scumbags and other perverts would be protected under Kennedy’s proposal as Giles illustrates in his usual two-by-four to the face style:
“Yep, with the Liberals in the house your deviant behavior—along with over 500 additional unmentionables—could potentially be legitimized and federally protected against anyone who says you’re a crazy bastard who should undergo chemical castration and have your frontal lobe scraped for your aberrant bents.”
Oh, there’s more. I suggest you read to learn more about those liberal Democrat priorities in
The government wants to control your life, and admits it
In today’s Wall Street Journal, research fellow Gabriel Roth writes that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has stated he wants to “coerce people out of their cars.”
Roth writes, “What does this mean? Most travel is not for its own sake. So reducing the total miles traveled -- whether the length or number of trips -- means people would have to reduce the activities they want and need to do. People would be ‘coerced,’ in effect, to live in less desirable places or work in less desirable jobs; shop in fewer and closer stores; see their doctor less frequently; visit fewer family members and friends.”
Of course, this blatant government intervention and control of yet more aspects of your life would end up costing you more.
Read how..
I proclaim Tuesday Turn Off Your TV day
National Turn Off Your TV Week is scheduled September 20-26.
I suggest Tuesday, July 7, 2009 be National Turn Off Your TV day.
Listen to radio, Read a book, magazine, some newspapers or some blogs. Do anything. Just leave the TV off to avoid the all-day ad nauseam wall-to-wall coverage of Jacko’s farewell.
Congressman Peter King of NY...
CRG commends MPS....honest!
CRG Network
PO Box 371086
Milwaukee, WI 53237
414-801-0800
www.crgnetwork.com
crg@crgnetwork.com
PRESS RELEASE
July 5, 2009
For Immediate Release
CRG Network Applauds Milwaukee Public Schools for Publishing Online Spending Database
CRG Network applauds the decision by Milwaukee Public Schools to be one of the first governmental agencies in the state to publish an online, invoice level spending database. The recently announced tool debuted on July 2, 2009 less than one year after CRG Network launched its Government Accountability in Spending Project (GASP) transparency initiative and published a similar MPS database obtained through open records.
The MPS database and web-browser-based interface is virtually identical to the CRG Network GASP system with several added features and usability enhancements. Additionally, since it is continually updated by MPS, it offers the advantage of allowing users to review even the most recent expenditures.
CRG Network spokesperson Chris Kliesmet added, “We are pleased that MPS followed our lead and did so in such an expeditious manner. It demonstrates they took the public outrage over spending seriously and have made this groundbreaking commitment to spending transparency. We hope the combined efforts of CRG Network and MPS will set an example for all units of government to commit to applying innovation and technology to improve spending transparency. It really is just this easy!”
For further information contact Chris Kliesmet at 414-429-9501. The GASP website can be accessed from www.crgnetwork.com or directly at http://milwaukeecounty.headquarters.com
The MPS website can be found at mpsspending@milwaukee.k12.wi.us
That didn't take long; liberals cry slander over remarks made about Jacko
Earlier today, I included a You Tube made by NY Congressman Peter King who commented about the overkill in the media coverage about Michael Jackson.
Congressman King was DEAD ON!
I don't care if Michael Jackson could monn walk from here to China. His criminal behavior torpedoed his legacy. His body of work certainly doesn't deserve the worship he's receiving now.
But of course, here come the lefty, hand wringers,
Please, just go away, shut up, and if you must, play "Ben" over and over in the privacy of your own homes.
An open invitation to the Franklin Police Department
NOTE: THIS BLOG SPECIFICALLY REFERS TO GOD’S COUNTRY, FRANKILIN. HOWEVER, IT COULD VERY EASILY REFER TO ANY QUIET SUBURBAN NEIGHORHOOD IN
A year ago about this time, about a quarter mile up the road from my house, a neighbor placed a yard sign on his lawn where every passing motorist (bat out of hell) could see:
SLOW DOWN
Motorists travelling west downhill, I repeat, downhill, could easily see the sign.
SLOW DOWN
A sign that says
SLOW DOWN
is like a yellow light at an intersection. Most idiots behind the wheel interpret it as, “Go as fast as you can.”
So, morons who passed their driver’s test see the
SLOW DOWN
sign as they proceed westbound on my normally quiet street in my normally dullsville subdivision, and, if anything, speed up.
Regular readers of This Just In are cognizant of the fact that I fear nothing and no one. However, this past weekend, as I mowed my lawn and was at the edge of my grass on the street, I looked up to see a Matt Kenseth imitator barreling down on me.
I stopped mowing. He kept coming.
I slowed down. He didn’t.
All the way down the road to the sudden curve.
There they go.
The sudden brake lights.
Lucky the group of five or six kids in the nearby court weren’t riding their bikes into the street like they usually do.
Between now and the time the first snowflakes fly, I will shake my head many, many times. I don’t have to watch NASCAR or IRL. I see it on my own street all summer long.
Switch gears.
Every year, I receive the obligatory notice from my neighborhood homeowner’s association. Your dues are due.
I don’t know who is on the homeowner’s association. Worse yet, I haven’t a clue what they spend the money on. I suppose I could attend a meeting. And for what? Waste my time with the other three dingbats who didn’t have a life that night?
In recent years, my neighbors and I were told our dues helped pay for the annual block party.
OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Now I’m impressed.
I should go to a party and break bread when all my neighbors know the jerk three houses down from me spends his time flooding City Hall with complaints that neighbor so and so has too many weeds???
Sorry. I’ll grill my own brats, thank you.
If any
I’ll even play the liberal game.
IF THOSE SIGNS COULD SAVE JUST ONE LIFE….
Meanwhile, I know a city employee of some regard or two reads my blog every now and then. Though I’m not a fan of speed traps, I would relish seeing a Franklin squad positioned in the weeds in my subdivision, only to pounce on one of these Kyle Busch wanna-be’s.
I rarely, correct that, I NEVER complain to City Hall. But my street is nowhere near
Newspapers blast Doyle trips
Statewide editorials are starting to jump on Jim Doyle and his latest escapade proving what a terrible governor he really is.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this past weekend:
"Gov. Jim Doyle and his staff failed to properly account for 145 travel expenses over two years, including a $5,200 business-class flight to Ireland and a $654-a-night stay in a London hotel.
Nearly three-fourths of the time in 2007 and 2008, Doyle and his staff didn't supply receipts as required under state travel policy. By comparison, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and her staff didn't provide receipts one-third of the time during the same period.
Just play, Ryan
Ryan Braun (he now playing with the comfortable, fat contract) is criticizing his teammates in the media. Braun specifically called out Brewer pitchers for the way they performed in the recent 4-game series in
Braun batted 5 for 19 in the series. Should Seth McClung tear into him?
The Michael Jackson Memorial Orgy of Excess
The Washington Post's Lisa de Moraes sums it up very well.
If this was happening during the school year, I bet classrooms would halt instruction, and many parents would even keep their kids home.
Diversity = inequality
In a well publicized case, the Supreme Court ruled in Ricci vs. DeStefano that that white firemen in
A group of 18 firefighters (white and Hispanic) rightly protested when they were passed over for promotions. They claimed discrimination as the city countered with the lame response that it feared legal action from blacks. The firefighters won, the city lost.
The U.S. Navy should take notice.
The Washington Post reports a
“(Bruce) Fleming said he was moved to raise the issue when he saw the dramatic rise in minority first-year students, or plebes, this summer. Fleming served on the academy's admissions board seven years ago and said he participated in a process that blatantly favored minority applicants.
To win the admissions board's approval at that time, he said, a white applicant had to present SAT section scores higher than 600 (out of 800); a transcript of A's and B's; and a strong background of leadership in sports and student life, reflected in a four-digit score called the whole-person multiplier. Black and Hispanic students were routinely admitted with SAT scores in the 500s; with B's and C's; and lower whole-person multipliers, he said.”
Fleming’s assessment: the current process is dumbing down the U.S. Navy.
Read the Post article.
Our country has two enemies
Here's a great piece written by a retired Marine Sergeant Major complete with a Wisconsin reference.
Fuzzy Franklin School Board math
Did you catch some of the quotes made by
Szychlinski said, “Given the economy, we know that we can't go to the taxpayers and ask for an exorbitant increase in taxes."
I would have preferred that he said, “Given the economy, we know that we can't go to the taxpayers and ask for an increase in taxes." However, what he did say is absolutely right. The proposed school property tax levy is 3.8 %. That’s not exactly exorbitant, but during a recession and when the private sector is cutting salaries, benefits, and jobs, 3.8% could be considered too much.
Szychlinski also commented that the board hated to cut busing for private school students, then added, “But when a district is making cuts in its budget, we have to look at everything."
Making cuts in the budget? Not so.
The
“We have to look at everything.” Oh, really?
In a classic case of a want vs. a need, at the last school board meeting, members approved spending $875,000 on a fiber optics cable purchase. That’s over three-quarters of a million bucks.
Szychlinski is talking the talk, and in the FranklinNOW piece made a few remarks that were right on the money, so to speak. Now it’s time to put those words into meaningful actions.
We can start by not claiming to make cuts when the budget increases spending by $1.14 million.
Some final thoughts on the Franklin Little League
My blogs about a young pitching sensation left off the Franklin Little League All-Star team generated great interest. You could even use the term, “controversy” to describe the story as WTMJ’s Charlie Sykes referred to the issue as, “Franklingate.”
The Little League is an exceptional organization. In some form or fashion, I’ve been involved in youth sports since 1965, so I have a strong affection for the Little League and wish it the very best. One of the beauties of the sport is parental involvement. Unfortunately, that is also one of its drawbacks.
It’s a pretty good bet that those responsible for slighting 12-year old Devin Baehr by keeping him off the Franklin Little League All-Star team never dreamed the story would appear on a community blog and then be discussed by the most popular talk show host on Wisconsin’s most popular radio station.
One of Charlie Sykes’ callers was
Hughes’ assessment is more than good enough for me.
For whatever reasons or rationale they used, the people responsible for snubbing Baehr flat out messed up. There’s something terribly wrong when the kids of various managers make the All-Star team while a deserving youngster like Baehr does not.
So now the story goes public, and because there’s no defense for what happened, the strategy becomes to use diversionary tactics, to change the subject and point fingers elsewhere, like the young boy’s father.
Some negative remarks are made on my blog, several untrue, but that’s the danger of a blog’s comments section.
A sidebar grows out of Devin Baehr's admission to me that he stopped playing Little League ball after learning he didn’t make the All-Star squad. When he and his father talked about it during my interview with them, I winced because I knew the young boy’s decision, backed by his father would lose him support. I never used the “Q” word in my original blog, but young Devin was eventually labeled a “quitter.” Mind you, we’re not talking about a spoiled professional ballplayer, we’re talking about a 12-year old.
I told Devin’s father that I would have preferred Devin hold his head high and continue playing to illustrate the big mistake that had been made. Devin’s departure doesn’t take away from the fact the young boy got a raw deal. His father tells me that even some of Devin's closer friends have shunned him since the story broke, and that's unfortunate.}
There might be some good to come out of all of this.
Carl Baehr and David Bartels
An update on one of the most evil women in America
I have been following the case of Lori Drew extensively here at This Just In…
Drew is one of the most evil women in
Would anyone in their right mind do such a horrible thing? Go on the web, assume a false identity, carry on conversations with innocent people in an evil, sick, twisted, perverted manner?
Of course not. No one, as I said, in their right mind.
Here’s the background on the Lori Drew case.
She was scheduled to be sentenced recently, after a previous sentencing date was postponed.
The delay caused me to worry, and with good reason that the wrong judge would make the wrong ruling, and that’s exactly what happened.
In case you missed it over the holiday weekend, here’s the outrageous update.
I can only hope that Lori Drew and the many like her in the world, and they’re out there, folks, will get theirs someday.
So tell me again why we need commuter or light rail?
Driving around Milwaukee is "smooth sailing."
I had no idea local school board member was a comedienne
Dear Lauren Furlong (of FranklinNOW):
I read with great interest your recent articles covering the Franklin School Board. I even linked to one of them because I found the comments of the School Board President to be noteworthy.
I see where rookie Franklin School Board member Janet Evans had her feathers ruffled by your reporting and referred to you several times in one of her latest blog entries as, “intern.” The label insinuates that you are young, inexperienced, and unreliable.
Where I work, we have several “interns,” and I always interject when I hear one of them say, “I’m just an intern.”
You are never, “just an intern.” If your talents and skills are being utilized, then you are important.
I linked to one of your pieces because I was interested in some of the direct quotes. I trust they were correct. Needless to say you should always strive for accuracy and I’m quite confident that was your goal.
Why Janet Evans went after you, I'm don’t know for sure. Maybe she feels only she can report on Franklin School Board issues on FranklinNOW. Maybe she didn’t like it that you chose to report on certain items that she ignored until AFTER you published your stories. She accused you of "selective reporting." Truth is, she's done it, too. Sometimes she "selects" not to report on what just happened with the School Board at all.
It’s strange. Janet Evans is fully aware of a young, local blogger who butchers the English language every five minutes, yet she never goes after him (anymore).
But what really made me laugh out loud about Janet Evans’ criticism of you (and thus, the title of this blog), is that she is guilty of dropping the ball covering the Franklin School Board, big time.
Before she ran for a board seat, as a blogger she attended School Board meetings and taped them. Nothing wrong with that. It was a great public service on her part. And we all knew because she told us about it over and over and over and over and over again.
I blogged the following on May 19, 2009:
“Last August, I learned that the Franklin School Board quietly, without fanfare had approved big pay hikes for the superintendent and others at a June 2008 meeting (New school board member Janet Evans who attended that and many, many other board meetings and told us so must have had the pause button down on her recorder that night).”
It was the biggest School Board news, not just that night, but of the year and Janet Evans missed it. Hope she's paying better attention now.
So Lauren, don’t be discouraged. Do your best. Keep trying to improve.
And if an "intern" can get under a rookie elected official’s skin, how will she respond when the going really gets tough?
Best of luck to you!
Sincerely,
Kevin Fischer
Joe the Plumber is coming
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Taxpayer Tea Party Rally with Joe the Plumber The Orrin Bowl
The left keeps spewing hate vs. Sarah Palin
*COMING SOON TO THIS JUST IN...*
Franklin School Board: We will provide communications, except when we don't
BABIES, let the good times roll!
The Washington Post asks the question...
Counties that backed Obama getting more $$$
The president's mouthpiece offers this laughable line: "There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says. Hope and change, if you voted for the donkeys. Read... Here's a novel idea... White House honors Franklin teacher
Hands Off My Health Care
I know you're shocked to hear this ... but members of Congress are planning to keep their gold-plated, taxpayer-funded benefits packages while putting the rest of us into a government health care plan. If this new plan is supposed to be so great, why aren't they going to join it? MLB's biggest problem
We don't take the weekend off at This Just In...
Sunday, My Most Popular Blogs because what’s popular is popular. See the Photos of the Week. We’ll tally the MJS Scorecard. And Culinary no-no, too. Brewer wives teaming up to help UCP
Goodnight everyone, and have a Francais weekend
The Barking Lot (07/11/09)
Week-ends (07/11/09)
Recommended reading (07/11/09)
The MJS Scorecard (07/12/09)
Jim Draeger: Nuclear power: the fool's choice My most popular blogs (07/12/09)
Photos of the Week (07/12/09)
The most outrageous column of the year, so far
The Brewers at the break
Favre as a Viking
Culinary no-no #121
#10 Franklin couple struggles one year after great 2008 flood
Nice job by Channel 12 could have been nicer
One trillion dollarsOne of those e-mails going around that’s really good: What Does one TRILLION dollars look like?
Voters trust the GOP on 80% of key issues
Like something out of Happy Days or Grease
"This represents the end of political blogging and free speech on the world wide web"13-year old Megan Meier committed suicide because of a cute boy who never existed. Meier was befriended by 16-year old Josh Evans on the social network, MySpace. The one-time computer friend would become a cruel, bitter, insulting correspondent. I repeat, I wish the Franklin School Board could be more like the one in....
In Important busing meeting for Franklin parents
The Franklin School Board priorities are messed up. They are telling us a nearly $1 million fiber optic purchase is essential, but we can’t bus certain kids to school because, you know, they go to those….private schools. Ten Commandments For Liberals Who Want to Argue About Politics
“1. This is the First Commandment for a reason, because it is the most important: IN, or OUT. Your preference is to argue politics, or not to. One or the other; drop the ‘nuance.’ You aren’t a little girl on the elementary school playground, so you don’t get to punch, bite, hit, kick and then run screaming to the yard-duty teacher when someone returns fire.” Sotomayor concedes others wouldn't survive the comments she made
Is it a hate crime when black mobs attack a white family?
That All-Star Game was mighty important
Oppose health care reform that expands abortion
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