Jessica McWhiner

Jessica McBucher is already whipping out the blog posts stating that the Dems had an unfair advantage because they violated the anti-partisan aspect of the mayoral race in Waukesha. How did they do this? The Waukesha County Democratic Party sent out a memo advising members to do visibility demonstrations the day of the election.

Oh my gosh, Jessica. The horror.

Of course, the irony is that Jessica completely neglects to mention that Ann Nischke proudly proclaimed her Republicanhood and support of Bride of Tabor (a Republican-backed initiative), and that Republican former Gov. Tommy Thompson and Republican F(at). James Sensenbrenner campaigned for Dan Vrakas for Waukesha County board exec.

She saves the funniest for last. She has protested long-windedly and hard against the anti-war referendums in the state. She even resorted to Joe McCarthy tactics and claimed they were set up by communist front groups, notwithstanding there are numerous stories of people who felt so strongly that they pushed for these referendums on their own, without any outside help, and succeeded in getting them on ballots. Anyway, Jessica claims victory by pointing out that if you remove the votes from Shorewood, Madison and La Crosse, voters by a solid majority voted against the referendums.

Uh, I see. Is that the new McBucher and Republican strategy? In this November’s elections, the defeat of Republican-backed candidates will be nullified because the votes of liberals don’t count?

Jessica McBucher, defender of tyranny and a (look up the word Rush Limbaugh used to describe the women allegedly raped by a lacrosse team) for the Republican establishment.

Speaker for Mayor

Going to vote for Jeff Speaker today, for mayor of Brookfield. I like the truck he drives and that he won't toss shoes in my direction if we disagree.

Not terribly in-depth reasons for voting, but at least I vote.

We The People Defend This Nation

I get tired of responding to these clowns. But this was so blatantly sophomoric that I couldn’t pass it up. This from "Alicia" commenting on an anti-referendum post at Wigderson Library & Pub.

It's an emotional issue, and fear has a way of clouding sound judgment.If it
weren't for our history of troops defending our liberties,and our ideals,we may
not have had the luxury of holding a public referendum/elections/ and have
freedom of speech. Are these people who are anti-war also pro-Saddam Hussein
(and the likes of him? Our country has chosen to take a brave stand. The easier
path is to stand for nothing/do nothing then criticize the leadership who is
actually trying to achieve goals.

Alicia, which tyranny do you come from? Last time I looked, “we the people” were the protectors of our liberties and ideals. When did we give up that right and allow tyranny to triumph.

I am insulted that you seem to think that holding public referendums, elections and practicing freedom of speech is a luxury.

IT IS A DUTY.

IT IS A RIGHT.

It is insulting for you to denigrate those who are doing their duty and are taking a stand for what they believe is the right course for this country, while you complacently enjoy the fruits of luxury.

I do not agree with you that our country took a brave stand in Iraq. I believe we are in the wrong in Iraq. I believe that we are the aggressor in Iraq. No one participating in these referendums is pro-Hussein…we should have took him out in the first gulf war, but George’s daddy’s Saudi friends advised against it then. Who is really looking out for our best interests, Alicia, certainly you don’t believe that the Saudis are?

No, Alicia, the easiest path is to do nothing, which is the path you have chosen. You have chosen to turn your back on civic duty and you have turned your back on the troops, our fellow citizens. That's right, Alicia, the troops are the same as me and those citizens standing up with the anti-war referendums: citizens.

They Need Serious Help

Tree hugging – it is somehow bad to hug a tree now and then. I’ve climbed trees when I was a kid and when I got too high, I hugged that tree for dear life. I felt sad when we had to cut the apple tree in the backyard down. It had provided apples for many years and contributed to numerous apple dishes. It provided shade. It provided food for animals who would visit our backyard. Hugging a tree is not such a bad thing, but Patrick McIlheran and conservatives would have you think so.

Anti-war – it is somehow bad to be against war. No one I know likes war. The military only fights war as a last resort. War causes death. Lots of it. The opposite of anti-war is, I guess to be for war. Is this really what Patrick McIlheran and conservatives want? That says something about their morals or lack thereof.

Peacenik – it is somehow bad to be for peace. See above.

More as they come up. Conservatives are such sad people.

Baseball and Being White

A busy weekend spent with friends talking baseball primarlily, but also some politics, lots of music, what's going on with families, who's died...all done with beer and mohitos. Sadly, an acquaintance of ours from high school days passed away. Al LaLeike was a good-hearted guy. It was always a joy to see him again.

I think I improved my chances to contend for the Little Nine title again this year. The first order of business was a trade to J. I traded Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, Felipe Lopez and my second round pick for Todd Helton, Grady Sizemore and the top pick in the draft.

Not satisfied, I turned around and traded the top pick in the draft and Grady Sizemore for Ricky Weeks and Vernon Wells.

It remains to be seen whether any of these moves will help.


One thing on "white advantage" a topic of interest in the right wing of the Cheddarsphere. My gosh you people are twisted. It's been a little over 40 years since the Civil Rights Act and already you're complaining. Oh my, your "white disadvantage" has been whittled away a bit (I know you're saying there isn't one, but it's what you sound like).

Got news for you blockheads, we as a nation have a long way to go before centuries of advantage are evened or wiped out. If you think living the black experience as it is for many today is a choice, much the same as the choice all of you get to make in life, then you are more narrow-minded than I ever thought.

They Believe Their Own Spin

Yeah. That's it. The reason we invaded Iraq four years ago was to stop that country from going into civil war. Yeah. That's the ticket.

Baseball Season About to Start

BASEBALL!! Can't wait. Go Brewers.

Smackdown: Redux

I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. Peter DiGuadio at Texas Hold'em Blogger thinks that Sean Hannity really laid a good one into Alec Baldwin while appearing on WABC Radio, hosted by Brian Whitman. The thrashing was so severe, he claims, that this was the reason Baldwin stormed out of the studio.

Well, things got a little too personal when Mark Levin asked why Baldwin's wife was so pissed off, prompting Baldwin to leave. Otherwise, I think Baldwin gave as good as he received. And, of course, once again, he was set up. Conservatives are the big cowards.

But this is typical behavior for Hannity (who is as boorish as it comes), Levin, DiGuadio and most right wingers. Well, here's one lefty who can swing with the best...Hey Sean, are you still boinking man-woman, Ann Coulter, or haven't you figured you have to approach her from behind?

There, is that vile enough for you hypocrites?

Another Conservative Lie Exposed Thanks to Kos

Another reason why you should discount anything Republicans, conservative columnists and talk show hosts (Patrick McIlheran, Charlie Sykes) and right wing bloggers (Jessica McBucher, Texas Hold 'em Blogger, etc.) tell you...

h/t Daily Kos

Howard Kallogian, a Republican candidate in the CA-50 special election, posted this picture, which he claims he took in Bahgdad:














He argues the picture is proof that Iraq is 'calm' and 'stable' contrary to press reports.

A few posters doubted this statement. One noted that the women were wearing western clothing, couples were holding hands and signs were in roman script.

Ah ha. It's discovered that the picture is actually of the Istanbul suburb of Bakirkoy...Turkey, not Iraq.

You Betcha: It's The Media's Fault

Insult of the Day

Patrick McIlheran has claimed he wants to promote civil discourse between left and right, but then he insults the people who are involved in the anti-war referendums by implying they somehow do not support the troops.

If you aren’t in a town holding a referendum but want to do something for our
soldiers anyhow, you can check America Supports You, a site run by the
Department of Defense to let people cheer on the soldiers.

Seems to me that the people holding these referendums to get our troops HOME, support them more than McIlheran who simply wants to cheer them on. “Go guys go, sorry you lost your big toe.”

And then, he has another piece on tolerance in San Francisco. The article he links to describes the efforts of Ron Luce, leader of a group of 25,000 Christian Evangelicals, who came to San Francisco to combat the “virtue terrorism" of popular culture.” McIlheran displays his hypocrisy by failing to note that the group involved, which is led by Ron Luce, has been praised by Rev. Jerry Falwell and Fox News commentator Sean Hannity (well known tolerant guys), and that much of the statistical backing for the horrors Luce claims comes from TV is provided by a group that is funded by the hyper-conservative and ultra-tolerant Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundations.

The "fair and balanced" McIlheran cannot get his facts straight either. Jessica McBucher is not a journalism prof as he states, she is a lecturer. Big difference.

Afghan Court Drops Case Against Christian Because of Conservative Bloggers

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and because of the efforts of conservative bloggers back in the U.S., officials said.

The announcement came as U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai faced mounting pressure from conservative bloggers such as Texas Hold’em Blogger, spottedhorse2 and Boots and Sabers to free Abdul Rahman, a move that risked angering Muslim clerics here and those bloggers who threatened to write in capital letters (a tactic known in blogging circles as yelling).

An official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that it had been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime, Rahman would be released.

"The court dismissed today the case against Abdul Rahman for a lack of information, for a lot of legal gaps in the case and because of the pressure from bloggers in the states," the official said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and because if he did, bloggers would be able to track his e-mail address and call him out.

In another decision today, Islamic clerics have decided to call off further demonstrations against Denmark because of the calls of support for that little country from conservative bloggers.

A point was made that the actions by the bloggers in support of Rahman and for Denmark were really insignificant, much like the anti-war referendums that they disdain, but conservative bloggers refused to acknowledge the hypocrisy.

However, Afghan tribesmen did profess a quiet respect for the website Boots and Sabers, given their fondness for swords and horseback riding.

Up Is Down and Commies Are Around the Corner

Jessica McBucher writes from her blogsite (that doesn't allow comments) and attacks Eugene Kane because he doesn't allow comments on his blog. "Welcome to Kane World," she says, "where up is down and down is up."

And then there is McBucher World, where a conspiracy is always just around the corner, Willie Horton is her husband's best friend and she still doesn't allow comments on her blog ... apparently.

Wingnuts Are Moonbats Too

A Republican challenger to Sen. Hillary Clinton has apparently been reading Jessica McBucher’s blogspot. Former Reagan-era Pentagon official Kathleen "KT" McFarland told a group of Republican activists: "Hillary Clinton is really worried about me, and is so worried, in fact, that she had helicopters flying over my house in Southampton today taking pictures."

Her comments were confirmed by Suffolk County Republican chairman Harry Withers.

It was rumored that she then began to list a number of fringe “communist” groups who have been spying on her as well. She said that if President Bush were to listen in on their telephone conversations, her fears would be confirmed.

Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson denied any spying was going on. "We at the Hillary campaign wish Ms. McFarland the best and hope she gets the rest she needs," he said. He also said, "Some campaigns hand out campaign buttons; the McFarland campaign hands out tinfoil hats with antennas."

We here at “The Other Side” recommend she stop feeding her conspiracy theories by reading McBucher’s blog.

The latest news from McBucher is that failure to use signal lights when changing lanes on the freeway is actually code that communist groups use to help them infiltrate Friday night fish fries.

Scott Walker Receives Divine Inspiration

Scott Walker talking about his race for Governor: "Jim Doyle finally signed a cap on medical malpractice lawsuits on Wednesday. It is nice to see that Doyle is following our lead again.

Last year, Doyle vetoed a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Now, he is willing to sign one after we made it a part of our first, 100-day agenda.

Last year, Doyle vetoed a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Now, he is willing to sign one after we made it a part of our first, 100-day agenda.

Wait ... wait a moment ... I'm sorry ... I have a call. Hello? Jessica McBride ... oh, it's not. Uh huh.

Uh huh.

Pat Robertson too?

You think Ann Coulter isn't funny? Hmmm, most of us do.

Sorry.

Okay.

Folks, that was God. He's changed his mind and wants me to step out of the race."

When Does It End

A 15-year-old boy was severely beaten by four to five males about 1:50 p.m. near a bus stop at 1st and Center Sts., according to Milwaukee police.The youth died about 3 p.m., police said. The victim was a seventh-grader at Malcolm X Academy, according to Phil Harris, a Milwaukee Public Schools spokesman.


Just a posting that affected my emotional well being. No reporting done here, guys.

Way Too Much Time On Her Hands

The sequel to "You Darn JS, You Excised the Extremists Again" is hot off the presses at Jessica McBucher's Media Matters. Entitled "You Double Darn JS, You Excised the Extremists Again," McBucher's new piece is two to three times as long as the previous entry and says, ultimately the same thing. Average people like you and me cannot make up our own minds without help from Jessica and David Horowitz (though she left out links to him this time to throw us and make it look like she actually did her own work).

Later at this blog, a discussion on a little known possibility ... are Eva Braun and Jessica McBucher related?

Eva: "Liebchen, du bist mein hartz.
McBucher: "Paul loves my farts."

You be the judge. More at ten.

James Spader Stands Up for America

H/t to John Sugg for this. I'll just reprint it in its entirety ... it's that good. By the way, this guy is a blogger journalist. You guys on the conservative side of the aisle who think you are ... you're not!


If you didn't catch the Boston Legal episode this week, you missed a speech delivered by James Spader, one that few in Congress -- other than Russell Feingold, Tom Harkin and Robert Byrd -- would make. The link is at: http://www.boston-legal.org/

But, it's been up and down. The text is below. It's worth saluting.

Alan Shore's closing argument

Alan Shore: When the weapons of mass destruction thing turned out to be not true, I expected the American people to rise up. Ha! They didn't.

Then, when the Abu Ghraib torture thing surfaced and it was revealed that our government participated in rendition, a practice where we kidnap people and turn them over to regimes who specialize in torture, I was sure then the American people would be heard from. We stood mute.

Then came the news that we jailed thousands of so-called terrorists suspects, locked them up without the right to a trial or even the right to confront their accusers. Certainly, we would never stand for that. We did.

And now, it's been discovered the executive branch has been conducting massive, illegal, domestic surveillance on its own citizens. You and me. And I at least consoled myself that finally, finally the American people will have had enough. Evidentially, we haven't.

In fact, if the people of this country have spoken, the message is we're okay with it all. Torture, warrantless search and seizure, illegal wiretappings, prison without a fair trial - or any trial, war on false pretenses. We, as a citizenry, are apparently not offended.

There are no demonstrations on college campuses. In fact, there's no clear indication that young people seem to notice.

Well, Melissa Hughes noticed. Now, you might think, instead of withholding her taxes, she could have protested the old fashioned way. Made a placard and demonstrated at a Presidential or Vice-Presidential appearance, but we've lost the right to that as well. The Secret Service can now declare free speech zones to contain, control and, in effect, criminalize protest.

Stop for a second and try to fathom that.

At a presidential rally, parade or appearance, if you have on a supportive t-shirt, you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed.

This, in the United States of America. This in the United States of America. Is Melissa Hughes the only one embarrassed?

*Alan sits down abruptly in the witness chair next to the judge*

Judge Robert Sanders: Mr. Shore. That's a chair for witnesses only.

Alan: Really long speeches make me so tired sometimes.

Judge Sanders: Please get out of the chair.

Alan: Actually, I'm sick and tired.

Judge Sanders: Get out of the chair!

Alan: And what I'm most sick and tired of is how every time somebody disagrees with how the government is running things, he or she is labeled unAmerican.

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Evidentally, it's speech time.

Alan: And speech in this country is free, you hack! Free for me, free for you. Free for Melissa Hughes to stand up to her government and say "Stick it"!

U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro: Objection!

Alan: I object to government abusing its power to squash the constitutional freedoms of its citizenry. And, God forbid, anybody challenge it. They're smeared as being a heretic. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American. Melissa Hughes is an American!

Judge Sanders: Mr. Shore. Unless you have anything new and fresh to say, please sit down. You've breached the decorum of my courtroom with all this hooting.

Alan: Last night, I went to bed with a book. Not as much fun as a 29 year old, but the book contained a speech by Adlai Stevenson. The year was 1952. He said, "The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism."

Today, it's the cloak of anti-terrorism. Stevenson also remarked, "It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them."

I know we are all afraid, but the Bill of Rights - we have to live up to that. We simply must.

That's all Melissa Hughes was trying to say. She was speaking for you. I would ask you now to go back to that room and speak for her.

***

Jessica McBucher, this piece was especially reprinted for you.

She's Still Yours, Conservative Friends

Ann Coulter, the darling of the right-wing nuts and of Patrick McIlheran (he calls her witty in the same mean way as Maureen Dowd -- whatever) has this column titled "Revenge of the Queers" at WorldNetDaily. In her column she welcomes Claude Allen, an African-American top administration official for 4 ½ years to her world, the world of those hated by the New York Times.

A couple of things: The New York Times is not the only institution that hates Ann Coulter … just one of many.

And this is funny, she says: “I'm sorry it took a tough period in Allen's life for the New York Times to feature him under a banner headline on its front page, but all in all, I'm glad to finally know about Claude Allen. I'm proud to have this great fellow sinner in our party.”

A tough period? He was caught (well, accused of…) stealing!

It’s hilarious. Not even shoplifting can change the attitude of conservatives toward one of there own. The party of crooks has added another.

Jessica, the 50s Are Over

Poor, poor Jessica McBucher, wife of mud-slinging and offensive human being, Paul Bucher. She just doesn't get it. She says this about a few posts that exposed her far right-wing leanings:

Apparently, some on the Left feel that it's inappropriate to expose the actual rhetoric and affiliations behind the "peace" groups behind the war referendums and Cindy Sheehan. They want to intimidate people into silence through their typical namecalling because they know that the average individual will reject the extremism if it's exposed. I simply reprinted what these groups have said and discussed who they admittedly are. But certain far-left bloggers think it's somehow "McCarthyism" to write about what these groups say and who they align with. These groups aren't embarrassed to be affiliated with Communists. They are quite vocal about it and proud of it! Keep trying guys. Like Paul says, it's the equivalent of getting lectured by inmates in the jail. So, thanks! (Oh, and the Lenin flag was for you.)

Ooh, that hurts. Last I heard, conservatives were crowing about the fall of Communism. It can't be that big of a threat anymore and also, last I knew, being a Communist in this country is not illegal.

In my original post, I simply pointed out that her information regarding these groups came from a former self-proclaimed Marxist who is now one of the worst of the mud-slinging right-wingers, David Horowitz. So, who to believe?

But I guess it's all right to sling mud, just not to receive it. Regarding your comment about inmates, Paulie boy should know, he's at their level.

By the way the nazi flag is for you … it suits your politics.

The Leaves are Falling from the Shrub

At his news conference today, President Bush called the censure resolution “needless partisanship.” Bush challenged Democrats to go into the November midterm elections in opposition to eavesdropping on suspected terrorists. “They ought to stand up and say, ‘The tools we’re using to protect the American people should not be used,”’ Bush said.

What a bastard! No one is saying he can't use the tools available to protect Americans. What we are saying is: Use the tools in a legal manner.

Who Excises Jessica?

Jessica McBucher has a banal piece (among many) about the anti-war referendums sweeping the country, that Paul Soglin correctly labels as “red-baiting.”

As usual, McBucher blames the media for not doing enough to inform people about these referendums. Umm, well ... My only question is, if you don’t deny there are average and well-meaning Wisconsinites involved in the push for referendums, then what’s your point. Are you saying these people are not intelligent enough to make their own decisions on what groups to join, and who to protest with if this is what they choose.

Hmmm? Are you trying to say that these people are not as smart as you because, gasp, they don’t believe the same nonsense as you.

You are just a Joe McCarthy wannabe in a skirt. And by the way, you managed to excise the name of the leader of the group you use as a source for your innuendos. His name is David Horowitz, an extreme right-wing apologist who has said:

Regarding Cindy Sheehan: "It's very hard to have respect for a woman who
exploits the death of her own son and doesn't respect her own son's life. She
portrays him as an idiot."

Regarding the late Peter Jennings: "Peter Jennings is dead, may he rest in
peace. Lest we forget, however, while he was alive Peter Jennings did
considerable damage to the cause of civilization and human decency by his
sympathy for Jew-hating terrorists and their supporters."

Regarding Democrats in general: Democrats, media are "getting Americans
killed in Iraq ... because of their pathological hatred of George [W.] Bush.

David Horowitz proudly proclaims that he is an ex-Marxist, implying, I guess, that this makes him an expert. To me, the only thing he is an expert at is an inability to make up his mind.

As for his last comment, funny, I thought bombs and bullets were killing our soldiers … as well as George Bush. He’s the one who sent them there under false pretenses.

So Jessica, good source there. Thanks again for a laugh.

Be That As It May

Rush Limbaugh attacked poll of U.S. troops funded by peace studies center as:

"a bunch of long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking, FM peace-types that have
an agenda."

As opposed to a balding, rolls of sweaty-fat infested, OxyContin-popping, AM racist-type with an agenda.

The Pen is Nearly as Mighty as the Almighty Dollar

Spivak and Bice would like us to believe that bloggers are just people who wish they were in print ...

...that all they want to do is go mainstream and make a buck says one blogger
quoted by the Long Island, N.Y., daily:" Every so-called professional blogger I
know wants to work for print," says Melissa Lafsky, 27, a lawyer whose popular
blog at Opinionistas.com led to her finding a book agent, quitting her big
law-firm job and starting a novel based on her blog. "There's still
that desire for legitimacy. I'll admit it: I'll feel like a real writer
when I have something published in print. 'Til then, I feel I'm faking it. Most
bloggers I've talked to feel the same way."

There's something to be said for that. Right-wing bloggers James Wigderson, Owen Robinson, Rick Esenberg and Dean Mundy all have columns in local newspapers ... I hope they're getting paid. I know of no local progressive bloggers with columns. In any case, I've no doubt that others would like to be heard regularly as well.

I don't. I have a degree in journalism, but soured on it many years ago. I would not mind someday writing that elusive fiction novel ... it will happen ... but in the meanwhile this is fine.

I wonder if it isn't so much being in print, however, but being read. I tell myself that it makes no difference that there are few comments made on my site. The site is relatively new and I am gaining links from other sites slowly and surely (more slowly). But then, I do look every day to see if comments have been made.

That I have managed to continue this for over two months, though, is pretty exciting. And, I have had e-mail conversations with some interesting people, and with one complete moron. It's after exchanging communications with this idiot for a couple days that my faith in mankind was restored to an extent. I had become quite cynical. After my encounter with this piece of horse dung, nothing looked quite as bad as it did.

Oh, did I mention, it feels good to vent publicly too. Because, in a sense, these blogs are the public squares of old. I feel the power when I type and press the "publish" button ... in much the same way, I imagine, that orators of the past felt when climbing up on their soapbox and heads turned to listen.

Revolutions were begun by people like that. Be proud bloggers ... we are revolutionary in our own way. Just don't get too carried away by self-importance. You know who you are.

At Ease

This letter from Bill Frist appears at DailyKos. I won't reprint the entire letter, but one portion of it is very funny (c-below) ... Frist's response to (purported memo) saying that Democrats should use military settings as backdrops for speeches and such.

In case Senate Democrats do not know, it is illegal to hold political events at
military bases. Not to mention despicable to use the military and their
families in this way.

No kidding Dr. Longe Range Diagnosis. But ... hmmm ... when was the last time that Bush and Cheney were not seen speaking in front of a military audience that was being used as backdrop for their speech?

Then, Frist says:

If the Democrats wanted to truly help our troops they wouldn't advocate
cutting-and-running from Iraq, they wouldn't call for a censure vote of
President Bush and they wouldn't ingratiate themselves with the Michael Moore
wing of their own Party.

Yeah, and maybe you can get your personal TV station, Faux News, to quit trotting out the Ann Coulter wing of your party.

Put a Sock In It

I always think it funny that conservatives and conservative bloggers like to complain that the MSM never prints stories about items imporant to conservatives and conservative bloggers. And if they do, it is never enough.

Did it ever occur to them that maybe, just maybe, they're only important in their own minds. The MSM is not required to report on every single story. The placement of a story and it's importance for their publication is their decision.

Conservatives and conservative bloggers spend more time complaining about the MSM in one day than the MSM does covering their antics in one entire year. Duh...there's a reason. You're no big deal.

Are They from the NFL or the NBA

Thirty-six have been accused of spousal abuse.

Seven have been arrested for fraud.

Nineteen have been accused of writing bad checks.

One hundred and seventeen have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least two businesses.

Three have done time for assault.

Seventy-one cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.

Fourteen have been arrested on drug-related charges.

Eight have been arrested for shoplifting.

Twenty-one currently are defendants in lawsuits.

Eighty-four have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year.

Can you guess which organization this is?


It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Feingold Still the One

E. J. Dionne, Jr. of the Washington Post writers group tackles the issue of Senator Russ Feingold's censure move of the President. The piece is a good one and the more I look at Feingold's move, the more I wish that there had been coordinated effort behind this. Of course, the Democratic leadership has been in cut and run mode for so many years that I doubt anything would have come of that.

The difference in this case, for me in hindsight, is there might have been a better moment to unleash this bomb on the lying and law-breaking President. As Dionne says:

But at a moment when Democrats have Bush on the run, Feingold's proposal was a
tad inconvenient, a conversation-changer at a moment when Feingold's colleagues liked the way the conversation was going just fine.

Fair enough. Still, I am going to support Feingold because he is one of only a few principled politicians and he is not afraid to speak his mind and take the tough stance ... unlike his cowardly partners and the braying masses on the other side of the aisle.

But the Dems as a minority party are going to have to start making some positive moves or the Republicans will walk all over them again in the 2006 elections. Dionne says:

Here's the problem: Feingold and the activists are right that Democrats
can't just take a pass on the wiretapping issue because Bush's legal claims are
so suspect -- even to many in his own party. The opposition's job is to raise
alarms over potential abuses of presidential power.

But Democrats, unlike Republicans, have yet to develop a healthy relationship between activists willing to test and expand the conventional limits on political debate and the politicians who have to calculate what works in creating an electoral majority.

For two decades, Republicans have used their idealists, their ideologues and their loudmouths to push the boundaries of discussion to the right. In the best of all worlds, Feingold's strong stand would redefine what's "moderate" and make clear that those challenging the legality of the wiretapping are neither extreme nor soft on terror.

Give the Republicans credit, their discipline is to be admired. But it can also be their weakness. Jackboot displays are eventually frowned upon by the American public.

Ich Bin Ein Tasty Pastry

Charlie Sykes greets conservative bloggers before beginning the march on the Waukesha County Board. Chris, from spotted horse, stands behind Charlie.

Don't Touch That

The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of sexually transmitted disease. The disease is contracted through dangerous high-risk behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim and pronounced "gonna re-elect him." Many victims contracted it in 2004, after having been screwed for the past four years. Naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how this destructive disease originated only a few years ago from a bush in Texas.

Even More Clueless on the Right

My erstwhile buddy, Chris at spotted horse, has a thing or two to say about Russ Feingold, none very appetizing. Chris and his goon friends are happy to use foul language or insulting names to describe Feingold or other politicians/regular people they disagree with, but when someone says something that even remotely seems to slander someone they support (very remotely) then "Oh my gosh look how terrible the left is."

Chris, his full title is: Senator Russ Feingold. He has more class in one finger than you will ever be able to acquire in your lifetime.

Clueless on the Right

Funny line of the day:

"They don't have a clue."

Pat Robertson, Republican religious leader regarding his thoughts on the American populace's ability to determine whether Iraq is in a civil war or not.

Pat Robertson saying someone (anyone) doesn't have a clue is like Patrick McIlheran quoting conservative publications as proof of his contentions ... neverminding that the bias is obvious.

As Father Mulcahey said: "Jocularity, jocularity, jocularity."

Conservative Line Dancing

Saw this comment at The Talent Show. Reworked it a bit, but the thought is consistent with my own.

It's been suggested by many right-wingers that disagreement with the president after 9-11 was partisan.

If this is true, then why isn't knee-jerk acquiescence every bit as partisan, and every bit as dangerous?

Feingold No McCarthy

Right wingers still do not get it. Their new spin in the surveillance wars is whether Bush had the authority as commander in chief to order the NSA to copnduct surveillance, without going through the FISA motions. Their answer being yes, of course.

Senator Feingold has simply pointed out that 1) It's illegal. The President is not above the law (remember Nixon), and 2) If this is allowed to become precedent, what happens in the future when law is again ignored.

Our founding fathers would be aghast at the right's willingness to acquiesce to everything this administration wants.

Give away some of my rights to feel safer, you betcha they bray in unision. Eventually there will be none.

Feingold has been the only person to stand up to the Bush dictatorship...his fellow Dems are cowards.

Polling for Help

The latest NBC News and Wall Street Journal poll has President Bush's approval rating at 37 per cent. He's still more popular than bee stings. His cohort, Dick Cheney, cannot say the same.

Be Chaste, Lady Liberty

Looking Very Bedouin

New York...Land of the House of Saud

Cut and Run

I see that Peter DiGaudio (Texas Hold 'em Blogger) cut the link from my post here on the marriage amendment to his at his site. Conservatives, for the most part, are whiners and babies. Peter obviously can dish it out, but can't take it.

I Agree With Sykes...Help

It's weird. I find myself in agreement with Charlie Sykes. There needs to be an investigation and ultimately, Lee Holloway has got to go ... hopefully to jail.

Truth is, I find him as disreputable as Scooter Jensen and Chuck Chvala. Maybe the three of them can work on license plates together someday.

Impeach George Bush.

Crocodile Tears

It's getting old. Rightie bloggers are adding their tears to the recent rains and are flooding our streets with their lamentations for Scooter Jensen's family. Apparently Chuck Chvala's family needed no tears.

They were both guilty and deserved what they got ... sorry for the families, but Scooter and Chuckie should have thought of that ahead of time.

Get off your pedestals, hypocrites.

He's a Crook...Good Riddance

Conservative bloggers are oozing tears over poor Mr. Scotty Jensen's guilty verdict. This despite the fact he was found guilty of three felonies by a jury of his peers...fellow citizens. If these bloggers were alive in 1944, I'll bet they would have lamented the death of Mussolini.

"Ah, but he was a principled man and the trains did run on time."

Yeah, It Will Get Ugly

Peter DiGaudio at Texas Hold ‘em Blogger worries that the homosexual marriage debate could get ugly. Huh? What planet have you been residing on, Peter? The debate regarding homosexuality, in general, has been ugly for decades and most of the vitriol has been targeted toward homosexuals. This is news for you?

Besides being clueless, Peter is certain that the statistic claiming that 10 percent of the population is homosexual is a bald-faced lie. More like one or two percent he opines. Peter must have information that we other, mere mortals, do not have access to. Having said that, rather than be disingenuous like Peter, I’ll simply say that the answer is virtually unanswerable for many reasons. But then, does it really matter?

And sorry, buster, the only people claiming that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice are the nutbags on the right…including guess who. But then, I’ve forgotten, Peter knows all and Peter knows best. Not being homosexual, I don’t know the reason(s) for being homosexual. I do know, though, that it is not something you just decide to do one day. Fact is, the only people I know who are trying to have it both ways are conservatives.

Peter goes on to say that he can’t imagine Abraham Lincoln lining up with the homosexual movement. Considering that Abe would have preferred the status quo of slave vs. free states rather than go to war, and the only reason the Emancipation Proclamation was written was for the sake of political expediency, then Peter’s hypothesis about Lincoln is just so much hot air.

Peter whines that people are being labeled "bigots" for supporting the amendment. Boo hoo. Later in his own piece, Peter uses the terms “feminazi,” “militant homosexual movement,” and “black-robed federal mullah.” Can you spell hypocrite, Peter?

My favorite, though, is when Peter states that what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom doesn’t concern or bother him. Then he complains that being told to embrace, celebrate or even sanction their right to privacy…well, he draws the line there. Hmmm. What was your statement about not being able to have it both ways? It either concerns you or it doesn’t, Peter. Make up your mind.

To finish his piece, Peter laments about how awful the left is and warns us that people like himself may vote for the amendment if we don’t start being nice. Screw that. Your piece has already identified you as pro-amendment and anti-constitution. So what’s the difference?

They came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a
communist;
They came for the socialists, and I did not speak up because I was not a
socialist;
They came for the union leaders, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a
union leader;
They came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me.

Maybe Later

Just been tired...and busy. Have been helping my ten-year old with two school projects. I think he is finally understanding that he actually has to do some work at times. Of course, I think he became just a little depressed when I impressed upon him that he had at least another 11 years of schooling.

Have been working on my free agency bids for the fantasy baseball league in which I compete. This could be a good team. Managed to free up some salary cap room by trading off younger players with mediocre seasons...and acquired a good young pitcher and relief pitcher. If free agency goes as I hope, will have added Andruw Jones to play center field and Adrian Beltre at third base. Beltre is coming off a poor year, but his gold glove caliber defense will be useful.

Way to go, Russ. I'm sure my conservative blogger brethren will howl and whine about his censure move, but he did the correct thing. Bush and his cronies are a danger to America. The wiretapping was ILLEGAL. You can spin it anyway you want...it doesn't matter.

From Where I Sit a Great Site

I was sitting at my desk doing a little surfing during that two-hour period between dropping off and picking the kids up from school, and wound up at a blog titled From Where I Sit.

Fascinating site and some excellent thoughts from the fictional Elliot, the site commander, and those who visit and comment. I especially liked the religious word battles. I'll set up my permanent link to that site and visit it often.

Read the first chapter of The Abortionist, written by Michael Caughill (Elliot is a character from this story). I would like to do something like that...have thought about it for years and perhaps this will provide the impetus for it...gotta say though, don't like the over the top premise. Hmmm, maybe I could write something like the "Over the Top Anti-Abortionist."

The woman woke to find she was naked and chained to a wall. The letter A had been painted on her left breast in black. She saw herself in a reflection from the sunglasses that a man wore who was sitting across from her. She could not see his eyes. He was sitting in a high back chair. He was dressed all in black...shirt, belt, pants and jack boots (polished to a high sheen). All black.

She shivered and in a frightened voice asked where she was.

"You will carry your child to term, " was all the man said.

"But I was raped."

"You will carry your child to term," he repeated.

There was no inflection in his voice. Pure monotone, low, evil and black.

Dred Activist Courts

A little judicial activism would have been a good thing when Dred Scott was decided 150+ years ago. If Scalia had been on the court then he would have likely voted for the property aspect. I wonder how Thomas would have voted?

Oh, he couldn't have voted.

Sykes and McBucher Would Dodge This

This conversation between Chris Matthews and Pat Toomey about abortion from atrios. Come on Charlie, Jessica and the rest of you righties and anti-abortion goofy-heads, I’m curious to hear your answer. Oh, Jessica, just another example of something that won't be reported by the right-wing media pretenders.

Note: I removed all the crosstalk references.


MATTHEWS: Well, let‘s talk about the mainstream. Would you like to repeal or have a court overrule Roe v. Wade?

TOOMEY: Yes, I would. I think that that was clearly not a legitimate decision. It was a case where five (actually seven) Supreme Court justices decided that...

MATTHEWS: Yes, so you would like to get rid of—yes, so you basically would like to see...

TOOMEY: They decided they were going to pass a law.

MATTHEWS: Well, do you think the Supreme Court was wrong in saying a woman has a right to an abortion in the first six months of pregnancy?

TOOMEY: Yes, I think they were wrong to say that. I think that‘s not a legitimate decision. The Constitution is clearly silent on the issue of abortion. States had addressed this issue, and the Supreme Court decided it wanted to overrule the legislative bodies of all 50 states and so it did. It issued an edict.

MATTHEWS: If you go back to state‘s rights on abortion, would you support banning abortion in Pennsylvania?

TOOMEY: Yes, I would, yes.

MATTHEWS: In other words, if a woman had an abortion in Pennsylvania, what would you do to her?

TOOMEY: Well, you know, Chris...

MATTHEWS: I‘m serious. What would you do to her? You said you want to ban it. You want to use the law to outlaw abortion.

TOOMEY: That‘s right.

MATTHEWS: What would you do to a woman who had an abortion? What would you do to her?

TOOMEY: Oh, I think we would first look at the doctor who is performing the abortion and have some penalties.

MATTHEWS: Why? Why don‘t you go after the woman? Why don‘t you go after the woman? In any other situation of law and justice, you go after the person who perpetrates the act. If it‘s wrong to commit...

MATTHEWS: No, really. This is what the whole issue of abortion is and where all the B.S. comes into this argument. Are you willing to say that you would put a woman in prison for having an abortion?

TOOMEY: Chris, I‘m not sure what the penalty would be. I‘m saying...

MATTHEWS: Well, say what you want it to be.

MATTHEWS: You said it should be banned. Would you please stand up for what you believe?

TOOMEY: That‘s right.

MATTHEWS: If abortion is wrong and it‘s a crime and it‘s murder, tell me what the punishment should be.

TOOMEY: And I‘m telling you that there should be legal action taken against the doctor who performs it.

MATTHEWS: And?

TOOMEY: And we‘ve got to think through what we would do with regard to the woman.

MATTHEWS: What would you like to do?

TOOMEY: But, Chris, that doesn‘t change the fact...

MATTHEWS: You are running for the United States Senate.

MATTHEWS: And you‘ve said we ought to get rid of Roe v. Wade and you said that abortion should be banned in Pennsylvania, but you won‘t tell me what the penalty should be.

TOOMEY: That‘s right, Chris. Look, we can take things one step at a time. I think that the constitutional decision was invalid. It‘s perfectly OK to believe that these justices made up a right that doesn‘t exist in the Constitution without deciding exactly what the penalty should be under all circumstances.

MATTHEWS: You want to make up a law without a penalty. It‘s a crime without a penalty. I‘ve never heard of such a thing.

MATTHEWS: I‘m serious. This is the problem and the confusion over abortion rights in this country.

MATTHEWS: People on the far right side won‘t say what they‘ll do. They simply say they don‘t like the way things are now. What would you do?

TOOMEY: Well, if we overturn Roe vs. wade, one of the things we could do is leave it to states to make some decisions about this.

MATTHEWS: And what would you support Pennsylvania doing? You are running for senator from Pennsylvania. What should Pennsylvania do to women who decide to have an abortion? What would you do to them?

TOOMEY: Chris, I‘ve told you, I haven‘t figured out what I think we should be doing with

MATTHEWS: Well, shouldn‘t you figure out a few of these things before you run for office?

MATTHEWS: Shouldn‘t you make those basic decisions?

TOOMEY: I think my voting record is pretty clear. I have got a very long voting record. I have made a lot of decisions.And I think it‘s perfectly legitimate to say that one doesn‘t necessarily support this decision.

MATTHEWS: And what‘s Specter‘s position on abortion rights?

TOOMEY: Oh, is he a big advocate of abortion rights and taxpayer-funded abortion and all the rest, which is way outside the mainstream of the party.

MATTHEWS: OK, thank you very much, Congressman Pat Toomey. Thanks for playing HARDBALL. You may well win this one.

TOOMEY: All right.

A Brief

Right now the only brake on conservative/Republican excess is the judiciary.

Used Robe Sale

I was watching Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith with my son. You know how every time Obi Won Kenobi and the future Darth Vader prepare to do battle they first remove their outer robes?

Well, not once do you see them retrieve the robes afterword. They must go through at least twenty.

Very wasteful.

The Innocence of Bubble Baths

I was preparing to give my five-year old daughter a bath this morning when she asked me if it could be a play bath...meaning bubbles. I said sure, there was time, and wondered out loud if she wanted toys other than the yellow duckies. She said to bring her the Ken doll, "The one with the swimsuit on," and her Barbie. "But take her clothes off first" she said. I smiled as a memory was ignited from my wedding night....


I was already in the jacuzzi. It was about half full. I asked Kelly for the bubble juice. She handed it to me, but warned me to be careful because it was concentrated. I poured a little in and splashed it about with my hand. No bubbles.

Hmmm. I poured some more in and splashed again. Again, no bubbles.

"Kelly, this stuff must be old," I said.

Kelly looked into the mirror at me (isn't it fun how those little memories remain) and said that it was possible.

I poured a quarter of the bottle into the jacuzzi and splashed around. Still no bubbles.

"Oh well. Can you live without bubbles?"

"Sure."

"Okay," I sighed, and reached over and turned on the jets.

Bubbles began to appear.

"Hey look," I said. "Finally."

More bubbles. Soon bubbles covered the water.

"Uh. I think we may have a problem. Check this out, Kelly."

She turned and looked and laughed. "It's precisely for this reason that I married you," she said.

And the bubbles continued to grow until their peaks towered over my head. At that point I turned off the jets and disappeared, only to return a moment later looking like the Snow Miser. Then Kelly joined me in the tub.


Have you ever noticed that naked Barbies are very anatomically accurate these days, though it is still too easy to remove their arms and legs.

Conservative Hypocrisy at its Finest

Hat tip to Xoff for this link to Bob Dohnal, ranter extraordinaire and publisher of the Wisconsin Conservative Digest. Below is just a slice of Dohnal’s reasoned discussion style (bold face mine).

Just prior to the founding of the Wisconsin Conservative Digest and it’s
website, “widigest.com”, Ed Garvey, a perennial liberal candidate for office
had founded “Fighting Bobfest”. This liberal hate-fest attracts a considerable number of wild-eyed leftwing activists to hear speakers disparage conservatives and their representatives in office with an incredible amount of vitriol. After reading the news articles depicting the antics of “Fighting Bobfest” I thought; “Boy if you gather a few nuts in one place you sure can attract a lot of squirrels.” It was this debacle that initiated the concept of a conservative conference built on positive discussion about solving problems in Wisconsin, rather than mindlessly lash out at liberals.

The last line is classic hypocrisy…Hmmm, no vitriol there. The families of anyone who would consider contributing to this site have got to be concerned for their sanity…or not.

Praise the Lord and Hide

Hat tip to Crawford's Take for this juicy tidbit from the weird state of Missouri. They'll be coming for you next if we don't take action.

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 139
3RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY4572L.02I

Whereas,
our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God
and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our
nation; and

Whereas,
as citizens of this great nation, we the majority also wish to exercise our constitutional right to acknowledge our Creator and give thanks for the many gifts provided by Him; and

Whereas,
as elected officials we should protect the majority's right (bold face mine) to express their religious beliefs while showing respect for those who object; and

Whereas,
we wish to continue the wisdom imparted in the Constitution of the United States of America by the founding fathers; and

Whereas,
we as elected officials recognize that a Greater Power exists above and beyond the institutions of mankind:

Now, therefore,
be it resolved by the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, that we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays onpublic property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of
America.

And just how will people who object be respectfully treated? Let's see...


Dear Sir,

Recently, your child, (Name), refused to recite the oath of allegiance to God and country, and did not participate in the voluntary prayer session afterword. You may have noticed that (Name) has not returned to your home. (Name) was consequently taken to the "Praise The Lord" Detention Center at 45th and Kilbourn.

You may come to the detention center between the hours of 8:00 am and 9:00 am to retrieve the body.

Respectfully yours, Obergrupenfuhrer (Name)

PS: We have set up a meeting for you and your wife for next Tuesday at 11:15 pm. Officers will arrive to escort you to the meeting. Please bring a toothbrush.

Clueless in Waukesha

Is this woman completely clueless? Jessica McBucher, once again, misses the point while commenting about Tim Cuprisin's article about John Mercure's wierd blog adventure.

Jessica, it's not about the content...it's that Mercure is misleading people to believe that the original over-the-top post never existed. That's calling lying...and you are enabling that behavior. Typical for conservatives, though.

No Rights Unless We Say

Conservatives again show their true colors.

They Belong to You

You got to love Fox News. This on "Duke" Cunningham from Media Matters.

Reporting on the sentencing of disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham
(R-CA) during the March 3 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume,
Fox News correspondent Anita Vogel did not once mention that Cunningham was a Republican. During the course of the report, Vogel instead referred to Cunningham as "the former Vietnam war hero," "U.S. congressman," and "representative."

For the record, Cunningham is a REPUBLICAN. As is Tom Reynolds, Charlie. And, sorry, you may not like her and you can disavow her all you want, but Ann Coulter is yours, conservative brethren.

Faux Froggies

This from Eric Neel at ESPN online (my favorite sports writer)...

You hear a lot of talk about the health, or lack thereof, of Kerry Wood and
Mark Prior.

But they aren't the big story in Chicago. The big story in Chicago is
non-roster invitee Marquis Grissom. Why, you say? What could a 39-year-old
outfielder who played in just 44 games last season in San Francisco possibly
bring to the mix?

Just this: If he makes the club, and if, say, the young Matt Murton
struggles early in the season, or strains a hammy or some such sadness, the Cubs
could play Marquis alongside Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones giving them what I
believe to be the major leagues' first-ever All Faux French Outfield, which
would, you know, be pretty funny.

Viva la France.

Conservative Pundits and TV Journalists(?) Still Liars

Contrary to what a couple righty bloggers have said, I say that Tim Cuprisin hit it right on the head regarding TMJ4 reporter John Mercure's blog comments. Here is an example of the original post by Mercure (from Cuprisin's article)...

In a Feb. 28 posting (since removed) about a convicted sex offender, Mercure
wrote: "This sick loser should be castrated . . . or strung up." His post,
with 28 exclamation points, features big, bold capital letters proclaiming
that "THERE IS A COZY PLACE IN A DARK CORNER OF HELL" for the offender.

It's juuuust a little over the top...especially coming from a journalist(?). Obviously TMJ4 thought so too because the post was later replaced with this.

What compounds the problem is the blatant lie Mercure is caught in when he leads people to believe that the original post never happened by telling people to check out what Charlie Sykes thought of his post...never mentioning that Sykes was commenting about the original.

Of course, Sykes is involved in the coverup as well as he provides a link to the new post, not the original. What a surprise.

Misnamed

I respectfully believe that Belle at Leaning Blue should rename her blog. I've no doubt she is a nice person, obviously intelligent...but I think her blog, IMO, would be better titled Leaning Red.

That's all.

Keep Your Info Safe

This came to me from my Mom...a source I, needless to say, trust.

The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED".

When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a P.O. Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a P.O. Box, use your work address. Never have your social security number printed on your checks (DUH!). You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

Copy the contents of your wallet. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel in case your wallet is lost or stolen. Keep the photocopies in a safe place.

Carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling inside the U.S. or abroad.

The individual who wrote this lost his wallet and in within a week, an expensive monthly cell phone package was ordered, a VISA credit card was applied for, a credit line was approved to buy a Gateway computer, a PIN number was received from DMV to change this individual's driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and social security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert.

Here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc., has been stolen:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

David Clarke is a Boor

It sounds like the 911 operator did respond in a tired fashion (link to Spivak and Bice column). Having said that, Sheriff David Clarke was highly unprofessional in his response. If he thinks that verbally berating an employee will cause positive change to be made, then he needs to take a refresher course in successful administration. And by the way, his repetitious asking of the question "What is it going to take..." was a bullying tactic. The time to have an attitude adjustment session with the employee was later in private, not over the phone and not by tieing up a 911 line. Clarke is a bully.

Another reason why the Republicans can have this guy and I will never vote for him.

Don't Throw Stones

There is a good piece on the "defense of marriage" amendment written by Rick Esenberg. Mr. Esenberg also writes a column for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Anyway, in this piece he argues that it's the heated comments that make debate on this difficult.

I would suggest he is correct, but reasoned thought is not a province of the right only. And, tell that to the bible-thumpers.

I just want to add that adding discrimination to a document that lays out rights is obscene.

BTW: Gay people have been around for much more than twenty years and people of Abrahamic faiths have known of them. Times change. Also, sexual exclusivity is, I believe, part of what makes a marriage. Heteros have made a mess of that, though. It's that old glass house adage....

Goosestep With Me Baby

Another conservative talking point that is getting old (variations of this too)...

I couldn't believe he would deny a chance at a decent education to thousands of
poor African American kids in Milwaukee.

I have seen or heard this version at least a dozen times in the last month, by a number of different bloggers and right-wing talk show hosts. It is really very funny to see the conservatives marching in formation together, eyes right toward their fearless leader (it's a metaphor BTW).

No Guts, No Glory

The MSM in this country amount to a bunch of woosies. They are too afraid to even ask any questions about the video with Bush that appears to contradict his statement two days later that no one anticipated the levees failing.

Bush is a failure as President in all regards but one...he has managed to muzzle the press. The next time a conservative tells me that the so-called liberal press does this and that...I will laugh long and hard.

Pathetic Melodrama

This from a local blogger:

In a week when we're mourning the loss of Michael Joyce, the former
executive director of the Bradley Foundation who gave life to the school
choice movement, we shouldn't see thousands of poor, disadvantaged children
see their dreams die with him.

Michael Joyce himself said he enjoyed a good fight and didn't mind getting into the fray. I say good riddance. He never cared about African-Americans. It was a fringe argument designed to get Repugs to the polls, just like the anti-gay measure voted on the other day (which cowardly conservative bloggers have yet to stand up against). He was just a totalitarian wannabe. He would have been great camp leader in some small communist-run gulag. How's that for getting into it?

Short and Simple

Conservatives lie and cannot be trusted. They never have the best interests of the people in mind. The "me first" attitude is a conservative invention.

Plantation Days

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

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

This is what folkbum really wrote:

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

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

Make Mine Bloody

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

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

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

Pros and Cons

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

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

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

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

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

A Plug for Magic Eraser!

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

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

Magic Eraser!

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

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

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

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

I'm not going there again.

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

Magic Eraser!

Democracy in Action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baaa

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

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

Joe Sanfelippo, West Allis


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

Bob Marley Lives

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

Don Knotts Dead at 81

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

Anna v. Jessica

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

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

Anna has a website.
Jessica has a website.

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

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

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

Men and Uptight Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

No Vote for Bucher

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

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

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

Nope. No vote for Bucher from here.

Another wacky tale from my son, Ian

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

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

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

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

God's Perfection

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neil Boortz: Republican Shill

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

by John Sugg

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

Boortz on Feb. 15 fumed and fretted:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stream of Remarkable Hypocrisy

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

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

Give Me Your Not So Poor?

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

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

Data manipulation is a tired tactic of the right.

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

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

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

I Believe in the Tooth Fairy

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

Just a Little Bit of Love

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

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

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

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

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