Badger Blog Alliance

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

I think the sock puppet was better looking...

But the skills are still there.

Not-So Compelling Tax Increases By Christian Schneider

There’s even a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature that would raise the tax on liquor and beer – the authors argue that the liquor tax in neighboring states is generally three times higher, which of course means that ugly guys are 66% less likely to get any lovin' in Minnesota.
Ha. I say again: ha.

Note: read this if you need the title explained to you.

UPDATE - By skills, I meant writing skills. The math skills, not so much.

Senator Biden must be confused

My guess is that Senator Joe Biden really has no clue what federalism actually is or he is just confused.

In an article that he wrote for the Boston News yesterday- Senator Biden talks of his plan to make Iraq into a federalist government.

There are two other ways to govern Iraq from the center: A foreign occupation that the United States cannot sustain or the return of a strongman, who is not on the horizon.

That leaves federalism -- an idea a majority of Iraqis have already endorsed in their constitution.

Federalism is defined as:

A form of political organization in which governmental power is divided between a central government and territorial subdivisions--in the United States, among the national, state, and local governments.

What I do not understand is why Senator Biden does not recognize that the current government that is being built in Iraq is a federalist government.

Currently Iraq has a central government (parliament, etc…), provincial government (i.e. Anbar province) and local governments (mayors, etc…).

Certainly, this meets the definition for a federalist government.

So, what is Senator Biden’s problem?

Senator Biden states:

The plan would decentralize Iraq and give Kurds, Shi'ites, and Sunnis control over their daily lives; bring the Sunnis in by guaranteeing them a fair share of the oil; enlist the support of Iraq's neighbors and the world's major powers to promote the plan with the Iraqis; and withdraw US combat forces by 2008.

>Snip< Since the onset of sectarian war, there is no trust within the central government, no trust of the government by the people and no capacity by the government to deliver services and security. There is no evidence that we can build that trust and capacity any time soon.

Senator Biden believes that the government of Iraq should be de-centralized. However, the very definition of a federalist government includes a central government.

Without a central government- Iraq cannot become a federalist nation.

So I am not exactly why Senator Biden is just now embracing a federalist government in Iraq. This is precisely what the President and the current Iraqi government have been working towards from the very beginning.

Perhaps Senator Biden is embracing creating three separate nations of Kurds, Shiite and Sunni.

This would entail creating three separate federalist government, instead of just creating one Iraq.

It does not matter which direction Senator Biden would like to go. If he wants Iraq to have a federalist government, then it needs to have a central government.

Senator Biden also speaks about “bring the Sunnis in by guaranteeing them a fair share of the oil”.

I am guessing that Senator Biden recently missed this huge announcement:

Iraqis Reach an Accord on Oil Revenues

It is staggering to me why someone like Senator Biden is flipping out over how to move forward in Iraq. It appears that everything that Senator Biden is requesting out of Iraqis is already being done.

It appears that Senator Biden has no idea what is actually going on in Iraq or he has no idea what a federalist government actually is.

Either way, we are in a world of trouble with this Senator. Yikes! The Democrats have put this guy in charge of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee.

You would think that the Senator in charge of the Foreign Relations Committee should at least be required to recognize a federalist government when he sees one. After all, Senator Biden was born and raised in a one.

Senator Biden is using all of this mubo jumbo to attempt to revoke the Iraqi War Resolution passed in 2002 and remove the President’s war powers. This, of course, would be unconstitutional for the senators to do. You would think that the senators would understand this also. Apparently not.

Riding the Storm Out

Last weekend was just a precursor the coming storm which will be hitting far western Wisconsin about drive time this afternoon. Like last week, this will be a two phase storm, with a slight clearing between them. As you get further south to Madtown, there stands a good chance that you will have sleet and ice layed down prior to snow accumulation during Friday. Out west, there exists the chance of 3-5 inches tonight, 9 inches Thursday, 4-6 Thursday night, followed by a few more on Friday. Along with the snow will be winds from 15-25 mph gusting to 40.

If you have a snowmobile, it will be heaven. Personally, I don't mind the snow at all. As long as a few roads are passable, I'll be out and about. I won't be traveling cross country though.











 


Sunday, February 25, 2007

Support The Klang Family

Cross-posted at Texas Hold 'Em Blogger.

I have blogged about the murder charges against Eric Hainstock, the gunman who shot and killed John Klang, principal of Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wis.

For the record, let me repeat my position so there is no misunderstanding: Eric Hainstock is not a victim here. He is the villain in this story, a cold-blooded murderer who took the life of an innocent man and left a school without a principal and a family without a husband and father.

A collection of barking moonbats from Free Eric Hainstock, an affiliate of the Indymedia collection of barking moonbats, as well as another collection of kooks and crackpots from Justice for Juveniles, is trying to help Hainstock evade justice by trying to convince a judge that Hainstock really is a victim of abuse and neglect and as such needs to be treated as a juvenile and be able to walk away no later than age 25 without a lick of punishment for the crime he committed.

You can read some of the venom from the supporters of Hainstock at the Indymedia site here, people who would view Hainstock being waived into juvenile court as some sort of victory.

In the process, the group pushing the online petition to have Hainstock treated as a juvenile as well as their supporters have deliberately misquoted the Klang family, in particular Mrs Klang, the widow of the principal murdered by Hainstock, claiming the family supports their efforts to help a cold-blooded killer escape justice.

This could not be further from the truth. I have exchanged e-mails with Mrs. Klang and a member of the Klang family who state that this is not the case, that the Hainstock supporters are essentially lying about them to gain public support and that in order to obtain justice for John Klang, the family needs our support.

There is a hearing on April 17 on a reverse waiver to send Hainstock back to juvenile court, where he would essentially get away with murder, being treated then released to the public by age 25.

So far, the judge in the case, Patrick Taggart, has been hearing only from the moonbats who want Hainstock to be sent back to juvenile court.

Mrs. Klang and the Klang family have asked me to make the judge’s name and address public here and ask those of you who support law and order and justice for John Klang to write the judge as well and tell him why Hainstock needs to be tried as an adult and punished as an adult.

I am more than willing to do what is necessary to see that justice is done here.

Please write the judge who will be hearing the petition at:

Judge Patrick J. Taggart
Circuit Court Branch I
515 Oak St.
Baraboo, Wis. 53913

Please be polite and respectful if you write; rants and off-topic letters won’t be of any assistance. The DA for Sauk County has informed the family that the judge is copying all the letters he receives and may be influenced by whomever he hears from the most.

Usually in cases like these, the wrong side is the one most in communication with the judge: cases in which a mother gives birth to a baby in a bathroom and leaves the baby to die in a toilet gets all kinds of pleas for leniency, while some guy who kills a dog or a cat gets cries for a trip to Old Sparky.

It’s the nutjob activists that have all kinds of time to write crank letters while the people who support law and order and justice work the jobs to pay the taxes that support the system that listens to the nutjob activists.

This time, don’t let the nutjob activists circumvent justice. Justice here is life in prison without the possibility of parole for Eric Hainstock.

It's a crackdown. And they don't mean low-slung pants.

Iran vows crackdown on 'inappropriately' dressed women

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's judiciary is to launch a fresh clampdown on women it deems are inappropriately dressed and "spreading prostitution," the state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

"The ones who spread prostitution and intentionally seek to disturb social and moral security by inappropriate clothing and behaviour will be firmly confronted," Tehran's hardline prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi said.
Hm. I wonder if there's any difference between "hardline" in Iran and "hardline" here.

Every post-pubescent woman is required to cover her hair and body in public in Iran. Crackdowns are common in summer when many women defy the Islamic dress code by wearing short bright coats, flimsy headscarves and capri pants.
My God, social mores are decaying before our eyes!

Hope that "hardline prosecutor" never shows up at a U.S. middle school.

Story says there's going to be a "crackdown." I bet that's different over there, too.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

RE: Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007

Bring it on baby! I bought a new snowblower last night. (to replace the one stolen by some thievin' %^$#)

Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007 Update

Me and my big mouth. I tempted the snow gods, and they struck me down with a good 6-inches of the white stuff this morning. After digging out and getting preparations for the next snow onslaught I was in no mood to tempt them by heading to the auto show.

But since it's 8:00 pm and still no new white stuff I wonder how much we'll actually get. We might see hype outdo reality with the weather men looking like fools (again).

You have to love the "White Death"


Because then I get to use my cool Russian poster.

Everyone to the fight with the Blizzard.

regards,
Chris

Friday, February 23, 2007

RE: Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007

I'll be tempting the snow gods tomorrow. Before the "White Death" hits I'll head down to the Milwaukee Auto Show to look at all the nice cars I can't afford.

Should I make a sacrifice before setting out? What's appropriate, a goat, a live chicken, a bucket of KFC?

At least I haven't really tempted the gods by camping outside Miller Park since Thursday. Isn't that why God invented StubHub.com?

RE: Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007

Hey, who's not ready I ask?

I am holed away in the bunker with bottled water, MREs, and enough firewood to burn a witch with.

Now where did I place that urine to water filtration device again...

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By all means, let's make this government more powerful.

And with more authority and responsibility for our lives.

Social Security file turns up in mail
Other lost files returned to agency, also anonymously; 4 never found

Julie Dable Stuart had been waiting more than three years for a decision on whether she qualifies for Social Security disability benefits when a large envelope arrived in the mail at her Waukesha home late last year.

She was stunned.

"It was pieces of my Social Security file," said Dable Stuart, 43. "No postmark. It had my name and postage due. I had to pay $6.65. It was all kinds of personal information about me."

Re: How Not to Win a War on Terror

Aaron sayeth:
The hesitation, of course, is that it looks very bad to be wrong when you attack a non-military target in a non-military area. But, which part of "new war" are we forgetting? If we can set standards for gathering reliable intel what's the problem with a surgical strike to take out a persistent pest?

I certainly hope that these aren't the same rules of engagement that we're using to fight the Iraqi insurgents. We'll never get to them this way!

Yeah, I understand why many would find the rules of engagement infuriating. However, we are not in a total war situation. FWIW, I have heard the ROE in Iraq have been liberalized.

The Democrats like to go around saying a 100% military solution is not going to work. Well, that is a silly scarecrow they setup for themselves. By their actions more accurate words would be they believe military action should contribute 0% to the solution.

Similarly on our side, the solution is never 100% military and I mean never. War & the military is only one tool in the mix. Never forget politics & diplomacy are also critical tools. By diplomacy I don't mean diplomacy European style which is the art of signing papers, drinking expensive champagne, and being obsequious.

Fallujah represents what happens when all three are not used in the proper mix. Commanders impulsively (I hear this came from the very top i.e. The President) ordered to go in and clean out Fallujah and a disaster ensued. The political & diplomatic pressures were too great to resist and our forces had to leave prior to finishing the job. The diplomatic and political was setup and arranged and Fallujah II went better.

I am not saying we should not vigorously prosecute the war on terror, but we need to prosecute it prudently.

Five Fathers

Just some social commentary on the Anna Nicole Smith (ANS) affair. In the event itself and the person herself I can only work up the minimal concern due to every human. ANS made Marilyn Monroe a rocket scientist in comparison and makes Paris Hilton look normal. ANS was always on the periphery of my consciousness and I never quite managed to know even high level details. If I understand was a playboy centerfold, married an old & rich guy, inherited his wealth, and then died unexpectedly.

Anyway. When I was in the middle east I recall hearing of a serious insult. It was a gesture meant to say "you have five fathers". In the custody battle over ANS's daughter how many men have stood up to claim he is the father? Five? Now, of course many will point out the gravy train prize for winning the court battle, but even at that I take this to mean there are multiple guys who figure they have a shot at being daddy.

I do not guess anyone would be so silly to put up the cash to hire a lawyer if he had no shot at the prize, now would he?

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Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007

If you live in Wisconsin and your local TV and radio stations have not already gone into Snowpocalypse Weekend 2007 coverage, they will soon. Large portions of the state may 8 to 12 inches of snow or more, and winds might elevate the storm to blizzard level in some areas. If you plan to travel this weekend, keep an eye on your local National Weather Service site, the DOT's road conditions site, and remember to keep some winter supplies in your vehicle. For the rest of you, today would be a good day to stock up the liqour cabinent for a cozy weekend indoors.

Links
NWS Twin Cities
NWS LaCrosse
NWS Milwaukee
NWS Green Bay
NWS Duluth
WISDOT Road Conditions

Credits
Thanks to a 620 am WTMJ listener who invented the term "Snowpocalypse" to reflect the media winter weather hysteria last December.

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Just another money grab.

Randy, the RDW education reporter, has a great report up on Racine Unified Schools using the excuse they do not have the resources to provide ID badges for employees.

Right.

The school district is using tragedy to beg for more money, and frankly folks that is disgusting.

Typical of the school district to accept zero responsibility and blaim the taxpayers.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

How Not to Win a War on Terror

Consider this a open forum post. Add your two cents as necessary.

I'm increasingly frustrated with how the security of this country is being compromised, ever edging us back toward a Pre-911 mentality. Here are some things I've personally observed that are obviously not helping our country.

How to lose the war on terror:

Step 1: Give in to your short attention span.

While I was standing in line at a checkout (this was sometime in 2003 or 2004), I overheard one person say to another "I'm tired of hearing about 9-11 already. It's been X number of years and nothing has happened since."

That quote still bounces back and forth inside my head, trying to escape. If I ever suffer an anuerism, I blame that man. I can only hope that this person at least has some small idea why nothing has happened to us since 9/11/01.

We haven't been "safe" for so long because the terrorists have lost interest. We all need to factor that into the equation before we spout off.

Step 2: Appear divided.

Is this the first time someone's told you that doubting the war gives comfort to our enemies?

You don't have to like the war and you don't have to agree with every decision made. You just have to act like you want our enemy to lose.

The democrat leadership has (generally) done one thing right from a public relations standpoint. They've tried to separate their distaste for the president and the war from the appearance that they don't support the troops. They're failing, however, to convince anybody that they intend to defeat terrorism.

Withdrawl or surrender in Iraq gets us nowhere fast, if there is no plan to combat terrorism. We should have already learned, from Osama Bin Laden's own press releases, that backing down is a huge morale booster for our enemy. If we choose to take troops out of Iraq because it's a failure, or it's a quagmire, or it's not part of the war on terror then we need to deploy those troops in a way that is more effective to fighting terrorists. Where is that plan?

Step 3: Keep doing the same thing (expecting different results).

This is huge!

After the World Trade Center collapsed, there was a major effort to rethink the way our security and military agencies operated. We were told that this was the "new warfare" and that traditional methods weren't going to work.

So, how well are those new methods working? Have they filtered down to the lowest levels, yet?

I think my buddy who just returned from Afghanistan has the answer. His base was attacked, he said, about twice a week on average. A couple of jerks with rockets would set up, usually at night, and take pot shots. This was obviously a stressful situation to be in, but they "got used to it" after a while.

The truly infuriating part is that our people knew who was lobbing the rockets at the base and knew how to get to him. Because of the rules of engagement, they needed to catch him in the act in order to stop him.

The hesitation, of course, is that it looks very bad to be wrong when you attack a non-military target in a non-military area. But, which part of "new war" are we forgetting? If we can set standards for gathering reliable intel what's the problem with a surgical strike to take out a persistent pest?

I certainly hope that these aren't the same rules of engagement that we're using to fight the Iraqi insurgents. We'll never get to them this way!

Your comments

There's probably plenty more that I'm leaving off. Here's your invitation to vent.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Re: Here's how we solve Global Warming:

I hereby respond to Marcus, who was responding to me.

I disagree. I think the opportunity to America-bash is one of the main selling points of any issue on the Left, and global warming is no exception. Once the U.S. is no longer Culprit #1 (replaced by China), I think the Left will lose interest. As the Left loses interest, the protests and angst will fade away. As the protests and angst fade away, so will the headlines.

And once that happens, we'll all just move on to the next issue, just like we did with the "coming ice age."

RE: Vote Ziegler Today

I voted at 6:30 PM, my polling place covers two wards on the north side of Milwaukee, and I was only voter #75... A sad showing.

RE: Vote Ziegler Today

I voted! I was #197.

Response to Dem's Cowardly Resolution

The real casualty numbers behind the GWOT:
The bottom line is that we're fighting this war with lower casualties than that expected from normal training accidents in a peacetime army... It's a testiment to the near universal innumeracy and incompetence of the journalism profession that most journalists haven't even seriously considered looking at basic statistics and putting things in context 5 1/2 years after 9/11.
Link to the statistics here. More on the subject at GMC.

Via Goldberg.

PS That's three in just over a week, Jib! ;-)

Re: Here's how we solve Global Warming:

Huh?

Once that happens, the U.S. will no longer be the big bad guy, [emphasis added] and nobody will want to talk about it anymore.


Lance,

Seems to me the complaints of the Hollywood left will be about as effective with Global Warming as it they have been with Tibet. Everyone knows China will not give two grains of rice about what the environmental movement will say & whine. Even the Environmental movement knows this and this is why they will continue to paint the USA as the baddies here.

At least their whines are heard and acted on in the USA.

Re: Vote Ziegler Today

I have already cast my vote for Annette Ziegler. I suggest you all do too.

I was #3 voter today in Grand Chute Fire Station #1 at about 8:00am. This is the first time I actually voted on site (previous votes have been via absentee ballot) since they eliminated the voting machines.

I even had a choice, optical ballot or computer vote. Being a computer programmer I chose the computer, hehehe, it was just like using my Palm-Pilot except for the printed confirmation.

Vote Ziegler Today

I know it's Fat Tuesday and you'll be running off for some last bit of partying before Lent (you Catholics at least; me, this Lutheran will toast one for your dedication), but don't forget to head to the polls today. There is one state-wide election, a primary for State Supreme Court Justice. All good BBA readers should vote for Annette Ziegler despite the Nancy Pelosi smile on her website.

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Monday, February 19, 2007

Milwaukee Light Rail ... It's Baa-aack

ChooChoo.jpg

Tom Barrett is again pushing light rail. He calls it a "street car on rails," but a rose by any other name...

Barrett plans to tap the $90+ million in federal tax dollars that liberals have been trying to get their grubby fingers on for a light rail line for over a decade, to build this $100+ million light rail line that will drive in a circle around part of downtown. This is the route that $100 million will get you, not much, is it? Aren't there already busses that run on all of those streets... and all of the streets in between?

map.jpg

Okay, so the Badgers are ranked #1...

...in the AP poll. And the Buckeyes are ranked #2.

Could we please stop with the talk about Sunday's Wisconsin at Ohio St. game until after the Badgers play at Michigan St. tomorrow night?

Here's how we solve Global Warming:

Via Instapundit:

In less than a decade, China will outpace America as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gasses.
Once that happens, the U.S. will no longer be the big bad guy, and nobody will want to talk about it anymore.

Problem solved.

When does a 50/50 split = a majority favoring more taxes???

Do you have Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder? (DSACDAD)

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Governor Doyle going soft on sexual predators

Friday, February 16, 2007

My spellchecker recognizes the word "twofer"

Just thought you'd like to know.

Re: The Avery Trial

Thanks for the kind words.

They've moved past Brutus (the cadaver dog) and the Defense is trying to go all "set-up" with the law enforcement officer in charge of the search of the Avery Salvage Yard.

Nothing to exciting to write home about.

The Avery Trial

Kevin has been doing a great job of keeping on top of the Avery trial.

He points out WFRV is running a dedicated blog on the trial. Today the trial centered on testimony from a cadaver dog handler.

Grim, but interesting.

FWIW, the defense's theory is on par with the 9/11 Truthers conspiracy.

JT: Tax Hike Needed For Security

Cross-posted at Texas Hold 'Em Blogger.

I just knew this was coming. I’ll bet you did, too.

The Racine Journal Times has a Debatable topic today asking if Racine Unified needed to boost security in its schools in wake of the sexual assault of a six-year-old boy at Red Apple School and should yet another tax hike referendum be scheduled to obtain the money to make the necessary security improvement.

Typically, the online version of this topic has no other information than a question which reads: “What do you think? Should Unified boost security?”

The call for a tax hike referendum is in the print edition:

Following Tuesday’s sexual assault at Red Apple Elementary School, a school security expert noted that modern school buildings are designed to control and monitor who enters schools; older schools, like Unified’s buildings, are not.

But again, updating the design of the distrct’s schools would cost millions of dollars that Unified doesn’t have — unless voters approve a referendum.

Should the Racine Unified School District hold a referendum to heighten security in its buildings?

Hopefully at some point the JT web people will add that information so commenters can make informed comments.

Of course, it still won’t prevent idiots like this:

We have to pony up as the citizen’s of Racine and pay the extra 20 dollars a year on our property tax bills so Unified has the money for security and infrastructure.

Excuse me, but I’ve been “Twenty-dollars a year’d” and “Five dollars a month’d” to death here. Never mind the $1.75 billion bomb that Gov. Jim Milhous Doyleone dropped on state taxpayers this week.

Currently, we spend over $10,000 per pupil for Racine Unified, arguably the worst run school district in the state. While the number of students has decreased since 2000, the amount of spending per student has increased, and the amount of spending per staff member has increased ever faster.

No one can argue that Racine Unified doesn’t have enough money (H/T to Rep. Frank Lasee). In 2004, it received a total of $213,044,315 in combined local, state and federal funding, a 26.13 percent increase over a five-year period.

Perhaps if Racine Unified reduced the amount of money it spent on consultants — usually well-connected cronies of Superintendent Tom Hicks — and halted the renovation of Hicks’s office and made the teachers contribute something to their Rolls Royce health insurance and benefits plan — like people working in the real world have to do — maybe there would be enough money to increase security.

It all comes down to priorities. And Racine Unified continues to prove its priorities lie with taking care of the educrats, administrators and teachers instead of the students. And then run to the taxpayers and scare them into coughing up more money.

Two years ago, they threatened to cut all extracurriculars if the taxpayers didn’t fork over more money. The cost of extracurriculars was $1.25 million; coincidentally (hmmm? ya think?) a group of Hicks’s cronies were paid consulting fees totalling $1.25 million to draw up the ideal classroom, including wall-to-wall carpeting and individual bathrooms. Somehow, they overlooked the valet parking and room service.

In other words, the money for extracurriculars wound up in the pockets of Hicks’s consultant cronies. Most of you with at least room temperature IQ could draw that conclusion. Cut out the wasted consultants and the district could have funded extracurriculars.

How much other waste and graft is in there? How much money is being circumvented into the pockets of consultants who are pals of Hicks and other higher-ups in the district? Heck, they hired two groups of consultants to make recommendations for the way in which the district operates and what does Hicks do? He recommends hiring consultants to study how to implement the recommendations of the consultants.

But the Journal Times started the drumbeat for another referendum today. It also added this article about how the district schools are outdated.

RACINE - It’s hard to know who’s entering and exiting a school building when the main office can’t view the front doorway.

Yet that’s the case for most of Racine Unified’s aging school buildings, some of which date back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction. Red Apple Elementary School, where an intruder sexually assaulted a 6-year-old boy Tuesday, was constructed in 1872, with a major remodeling in 1921.

With main offices in some of Unified’s schools tucked well into the interior of buildings - in some cases placed on a second floor - the school designs reflect times when security wasn’t a concern. Times have changed.

“It poses a huge challenge even when you do have a buzzer entry system,” said Dan Thielen, principal of Gilmore Middle School, who has served as principal at a number of Unified elementary and middle school buildings.

Even in the early 1970s, the construction of Gilmore Middle School - the last completely new building constructed in Unified - didn’t include a main office near the doorway. It’s down a hallway near the building’s center.

Get ready … here comes the push for construction of new schools. It’s subtle, but obvious to the trained observer:

New school construction takes a completely different approach to locating the main office.

“If it’s a new school that we’re working on, we design the main entrance to the building so that it goes through the general office area, so that anyone coming in would have to walk through that area before they could get into the building,” said Dick Johnson, president of Richard L. Johnson Associates Inc., a Rockford, Ill., architectural firm that specializes in elementary, secondary and college facility planning and design.

These designs often incorporate inner doors that lock with the first bell, allowing children inside but then securing the facility from other people entering. The doors still allow people to exit at any time.

“A secure entrance prevents someone from coming in without being checked out,” said Abie Khatchadourian, a partner with the architectural firm Plunkett Raysich Architects and head of the firm’s K-12 division.

Secure entrances have become standard practice in school design.

Additional security measures incorporated into new school design include security card entry and hallways designed for better lines of sight.

The agenda is clear as a bell: build new schools — which now look like this, this or even this — and jack taxes through the roof so the educrats can have even more money to spend.

Giving this inept, incompetent school district run by a collection of nincompoops even more money to spend when they don’t even have a plan to run anything is like providing an alcoholic a case of Jack Daniels.

The little birdies have told Fred at RDW that the suspect entered the building through a service/loading dock area door by custodial staff.

The reasoning is to shift blame away from the district and build public support for more funding of school maintenance.

Just shameful that Racine Unified would try to divert attention away from its own malfeasance and incompetence to try to drum up support for yet another tax hike referendum.

Says Kenneth Trump, a school security expert:

Any type of security technology is only as good as the weakest human link behind it. The first and best line of defense is a well-trained and highly alert staff and student body.

RUSD doesn't care. For them it's all about the money. Divert attention from the district's own incompetence and scare the taxpayers into coughing up more money to be used for consultants and benefits of district employees.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Iran and Presidential War Powers

Chris, if the War Powers Act is constitutional (never gotten to the Supreme Court) then I agree.

Iran getting a nuke could construe a "national emergency" that would allow air strikes and special forces to enter Iran and take out the facilities. That's quite different than a full-scale invasion to overturn the regime. Such a large operation would amount to a declaration of war on Iran and would need Congressional approval.

Even assuming the President has few limits as comander-in-chief Pelosi could cut off funding (since all spending bills have to start in the House)...if she had the guts.

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RE: Pelosi: Bush lacks authority to invade

I actually agree with Pelosi on this one. I would consider a full-blown invasion to be an act of war, something Congress has to declare (even if they only sort of doing nowadays). If it's some limited incursion into Iran to go after Iranians backing Iraqi insurgents I think the President could constitutionally do that. It would be similar to him ordering limited air strikes to wipe out Iran's nuclear weapons program. For something limited like that I don't think Congressional approval is necessary.

Pelosi: Bush lacks authority to invade

By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent
AP
Photo/SAMIR MIZBAN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said
Thursday that President Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without specific
approval from Congress, a fresh challenge to the commander in chief on the eve
of a symbolic vote critical of his troop buildup in Iraq.

Who the heck does Nancy Pelosi think she is? Last time I looked the Commander in Chief controlled foriegn policy and the military if George Bush decides he wants to invade Iran who is Nancy Pelosi to say no?

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Cultural Marxism

There are two misconceptions held by many Americans. The first is that communism ceased to be a threat when the Soviet Union imploded. The second is that the New Left of the Sixties collapsed and disappeared as well. "The Sixties are dead," wrote columnist George Will ("Slamming the Doors," Newsweek, Mar. 25, 1991)

Both communism and the New Left are alive and thriving here in America. They favor code words: tolerance, social justice, economic justice, peace, reproductive rights, sex education and safe sex, safe schools, inclusion, diversity, and sensitivity. All together, this is Cultural Marxism disguised as multiculturalism.

I’ve been saying this all along. I think we can even add some of the large world wide corporate institutions. GE is falling on the global warming bandwagon. Bank of America is planning on giving credit cards to illegal immigrants, and Archer Daniels Midland is the benefactor of ethonol subsidation. Institutional liberalism now doesn’t only exist in academia and government institutions. It now includes GE, BoA, ADM, and quite frankly, most of the country’s large corporations. How many people do you know who have to go through company mandated diversity training? If there is a dollar to be made by corporations, especially if it is in the form of lining the profits with mandated government redistribution of wealth schemes, they will try. It is as if the last bastion of hope for business and free enterprise will be in the form of small business and family entrepreneurs.

Cultural Marxism’s is based on the premise that we are godless and soulless creatures and our experience is based on our skin color or sexual preferences. It also rejects the premise on which our nation was created, enumerated in the Declaration of Independence. These are our unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and happiness and are endowed by our Creator, who made man in His image. You will find that radical feminism, queer revolution, Afro-centrism, Gay Straight Lesbian Educators Network (GSLEN), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), People for the American Way, United for Peace and Justice, Planned Parenthood, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Code Pink for Peace, and a host of others reject the premise in the Declaration of Independence.

As for myself, my idea of being diverse is to have a piece of vegetarian pizza every now and then.

See Cultural Marxism

Chris-OTBL

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

RE: How to tell if you're liberal or conservative

Lance's post inspired a little déjà vu on my part.

I had just finished reading this book for my history course, which in a description of the rise and fall of progressivism in the 1910s-1920s, included this phrase:
"Before the war, progressivism had secured its greatest triumphs in an era of prosperity, but in the boom years of the Coolidge era, it got nowhere. When utilities announced high profits, people responded not with indignation but with a rush to buy utility stocks."
Doyle is selling what progressives began to try to spin almost a century ago. Hopefully, we'll see through it today as we did back then.

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Hybrid cars dangerously quiet for pedestrians: US blind group

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An association of blind Americans has warned that cars with hybrid engines using electricy and fuel are dangerously too quiet for pedestrians.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) said hybrid cars pose a risk to the blind, children, the elderly, cyclists and distracted pedestrians.

The group said it conducted tests with blind people.

"We had the car drive by in different situations, to see wether or not people could hear it and use the sound of the car to safely cross the street, and they could not. The car was just silent," NFB spokesman John Pare told AFP.

Pare said NFB does not want to add to noise pollution, but hybrid cars should not be less noisy than other cars.

Chris Danielsen, a 36-year-old NFB member, said up to 30 people took part in tests on a side street and in an alleyway with a Toyota Prius and a Honda Civic.

"We all stood on the side of the street and the idea was to raise your hand as you heard the car approach," Danielsen said.

"We generally couldn't sense that it was there right in front of us, which of course, if we had been standing in the road, would have been running right over us," he said.

"By the time anybody detected it, if we had actually been standing in the road, it would have taken out three or four people."


Darn, gonna have to cancel the order for my Prius.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel withholds description of child molester

Wow, a 6 year old child is sexually assaulted while in a school bathroom in a Racine grade school. In it's reporting of this horrible crime, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has printed an incomplete description of the suspect.

Police give description of assault suspect

According to police, the suspect is 19 to 20 years old, 6 feet tall with a medium build and having a thin closely shaved goatee. He was wearing a black jacket with silver trim and a hood, a black hooded sweatshirt, a silver knit cap and black baggy pants.


But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has refused to print that the suspect is Male Hispanic or light skin African American. Why would you withhold such an important identifying feature of a suspect that is so brazen as to sneak into a school and molest a child? This sort of political correctness is going to get people hurt!

The fill description from the Racine Journal Times is:
Male Hispanic or light skin African American, approximately 19 – 20 years old, 6’ tall with a medium build, having a thin closely shaved goatee. The suspect was wearing a black jacket with silver trim and a hood, a black hooded sweatshirt, a silver knit cap, and black baggy pants.


Hat tip to Jeff Wagner for noticing this.

I have an email out to the MJS asking for their side of this incident, I'll keep you informed on any updates.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

How to tell if you're liberal or conservative

When Governor Doyle, during his budget address Tuesday night, said this:

In the next 24 hours, the oil companies will make $310 million in profit. That’s not their expenses; … that’s just pure profit...
Did you say:

1. Oh my God, that's obscene!

or

2. Oh my God, how can I invest?

GWOT, Opinion and The State of the (Blog) Union

There's been discussion of a sea-change among conservative bloggers since last November*, so I thought I'd post on it. I posited to Jib:
I think part of the problem is that there's little of immediate importance to get people writing, but more importantly most war supporters are disillusioned about a necessary war that is fairly sure to be dismantled once Bush is out of office, which is on the near horizon. It's a depressingly dangerous situation.
The tide seems to have turned against support for the war.

One of the latest Reuters polls claims that 60% of Americans are opposed to Bush's additional troop deployment. There are two main ways to take that - the simplistic, hoped-for way that the MSM would have you swallow, which is that 60% of people are against the war, or the more likely fact that when you mix a high percentage of people who believe the war needs a better committment strategically of the resources currently deployed before throwing more bodies at it with people who oppose the war (a significant number of whom are simply worn out by four years of daily bad news), you come up with a simple majority.

But don't believe me, consider other results of the poll: 63% support troop withdrawal by the end of next year, while support for a Congressional resolution decrying the troop increase drops to 45%.

CBS News updated its Bush/Iraq poll recently confirming public disapproval of Bush's handling of Iraq to 68% (with a 36% Repub/90% Dem split), which is being touted as anti-war evidence when it begs the question: do the nay-sayers want Dubya to be more or less aggressive?

The same poll also notes that among 2008 presidential picks, voters find the Iraq question an"important" issue, but not most important.

All this hearkens back to the June 8, 2005 poll in which the Washington Post noted that "more than half of the American public believes the fight there has not made the United States safer." You can count a lot of intelligent people in that mix who would acknowledge that it's an endeavor that will take time and patience, neither of which the media are interested in.

The WaPo and ABC News looked for ways to accentuate the negative years ago. Couple that with a change-over in Congress and a 08 campaign season that the MSM will align with Iraq opposition, and you paint too many conservatives into a corner.

We also have to take into consideration that many supporters are deployed, and don't show up in news reports, let alone opinion polls. Malkin has a nice post on this.

I also recommend taking a step inside Iraq with a blogger I helped send there: See Bill Ardolino's reporting here and his recap of a nighttime raid in Fallujah here. And in-country reports like this may have people thinking we're doing the job that needs to be done with the troop levels we have now.

Rave on.

*PS I meant to include the release of the Iraq Study Group's trumpeted recommendation of troop withdrawal in November as another cause for pause among bloggers. Apologies for merely footnoting it here.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Wrong Direction?

Michael Ramirez at Townhall.com on just who the jihadists should be worshipping:

The Sky Is Falling

Chicken Little steps out on a snowy day to take a stroll through history and some little-trumpeted facts about global warming:

"An experiment that hints we are wrong on climate change."

Via Steve-O.

Spend, spend, spend and then spend some more

Now I am getting nervous.

The reason?

The reason for my nervousness is that the politicians are all in a tizzy and excited about spending the taxpayer’s money again. Without the elections hanging over their heads anymore, they get to spend, spend, spend and then spend some more.

Just in the last several weeks alone, Governor Jim Doyle has proposed massive new spending projects.

In Governor Doyle’s state of the state speech, he proposed providing access for 98% of Wisconsinites to state operated health insurance. Total cost for this project has been estimated to be somewhere close to $500 million, possibly more. Currently New Jersey is working on a similar plan and their estimates are somewhere around $1.7 billion.

In addition, during the Governor’s state of the state speech, he suggested a program called “Wisconsin Covenant”. This program is designed to encourage Wisconsin kids to do well in school, stay out of trouble and then they are promised a spot at one of Wisconsin’s state colleges. Estimated costs of this proposal are about $21 million.

Just this past Wednesday, Governor Doyle proposed a huge spending package for Milwaukee alone. The proposal is for schools, fighting crime and other items for Milwaukee. Estimated costs for these projects in Milwaukee are about $80 million.

This is just the short list of new spending proposals. Governor Doyle has also promised to increase transportation spending, UW spending, environmental spending, stem cell research spending, public safety spending and on and on.

This is all new spending. This does not include the money that we are already committed to spending.

If you look at every one of these programs, they look wonderful on the surface. These are all very worthy causes and in some cases very necessary programs.

Now the question remains- who is going to pay for all of these new spending proposals?

Of course, we taxpayers pay for all of these programs.

The next question is- how do we pay for all of the existing programs plus pay for all of the governor’s new spending proposals?

As it is, two weeks after the November election, Wisconsinites discovered that our state is $1.6 billion in debt. Governor Jim Doyle told us for months before the election, “I balanced the budget”. As we found out after the election, the budget is nowhere near balanced.

Therefore, we are already in debt, and our Governor is proposing millions upon millions of new spending.

Unless the governor’s budget includes cutting thousands upon thousands of state jobs and state programs, there is absolutely no way to reasonable pay for all of these items without raising taxes.

Governor Doyle will have to break some of his campaign promises, and raise our taxes to move forward with his additional spending.

How many more tax increases can we afford? We already live in the sixth highest taxed state in the US.

When does the tax nightmare end in Wisconsin?

Kenosha News article 02/10/2007 Kathy Carpenter

Hospital tax cheerleader

You'd think with something as extensive and costly as a hospital tax, Democrats wouldn't be too quick to rally around Doyle.

I thought so, and I was wrong.

The Senate co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee is gung-ho to jack up the costs of health care.
Senator Russ Decker (D-Weston) applauded Governor Doyle for considering an assessment on hospitals to help fund the cost of Medical Assistance programs in Wisconsin. He noted that the latest report on hospital profits makes the contribution of hospitals all the more necessary.

“Hospitals are always asking for higher reimbursement rates for Medical Assistance programs. This idea has the potential to generate hundreds of millions of additional federal dollars for our state and the hospitals are criticizing it before they’ve even seen a plan,” said Decker.

“The only way we are going to be able to make sure we can get adequate health care coverage is if everyone shares the responsibility to make it work. Consumers are already shouldering their share of the burden by paying nearly $4,000 a day to stay in the hospital. After raking in over $1 billion in profits, the least nonprofits hospitals can do is pay their fair share for the medical assistance program,” said Decker.
Except, of course, they won't, and those poor consumers Decker pretends to be so concerned about will shoulder even more costs. He knows that, though. He knows full well who will pay for the tax. He just doesn't care.

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Iranian Peace Proposal?

H/T to Neal Boortz

Looks like the Drive By Media is trying to paint the picture of a President so eager to go to war with Iran he ignored a legitimate peace proposal from the mad mullahs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pronounced "I'm-A-Nutjob").

Read through what Newsweak has posted over on the website of PMSNBC. It's more evidence of why you don't negotiate with and appease evil.

These guys would have urged FDR to pursue direct negotiations with Hitler and the Japs.

Admin note

The BBA has officially changed over to the new version of Blogger. Some blogs have had difficulties during the change over, so if you are a reader that has any problems loading this site, or a BBA member who has trouble posting, please email me at ojibway7rj-at-gmail-dot-com.

Creeps Benefit From Ignorance

Somehow this doesn't surprise me.

Spivak & Bice point out that two child sex offenders walked away with no jail time despite a new state law requiring them to do hard time because the Milwaukee County DA's office as well as judges didn't know the law existed.

[B]y their admission, Milwaukee County prosecutors were clueless for about a half-year about the new law. From June until December, they were charging defendants, recommending sentences to judges and cutting plea deals without using the power legislators had entrusted in them.

"We screwed up," conceded Paul Tiffin, head of the sensitive crimes unit in the Milwaukee County district attorney's office.

Big time.

In fact, the first written acknowledgment in the DA's office came Dec. 11 when Tiffin - who said he was tipped off to the changed law by a defense lawyer - sent out an e-mail to his staff candidly titled "Oops, missed that!"

So did the judges who signed off on the easy time.

The impact of the goof-up will be felt for months, much to the benefit of the perverts. Tiffin said his office will stand by the deals worked out before they learned of the snafu. Then it will be up to the judges to decide if they honor the deals or go with the harsher sentences encouraged by the new law.

This should be a no-brainer for the judges. The fact that the DA's office not only missed this in the first place but will stand by the screw-ups speaks volumes for the complete lack of competence over there.

It proves that left to their own devices, the Milwaukee County DA's office still is not a tough-on-crime unit, the corrupt influence of the soft-on-crime, pathetic excuse for a DA known as E. Michael McCann will be felt for years to come.

This situation is embarrassing to the entire criminal justice system in Milwaukee County.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Dennis York quits blogging, but first, he introduces himself

Sad news for Dennis York fans. He is closing his blog, but he introduces himself as he moves on to a new job.

Anyone not familiar with Wisconsin's most famous anonymous blogger has missed out on two years of humorous entertainment from someone that we knew worked in the state capitol, but no one could figure out who it was... But they sure tried!

WisOpinion has a write-up and a link to York's acceptance speech that had us rolling in the isles at the Blog Summit last year, when he was named Blogger of the year.

So as he moves on to his new position with The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, I would like to wish Christian Schneider the best of luck!

Your media bias in action....

Excuse the cross post folks but you have to see the latest example of fuzzy math from our local media.

How the Racine Journal Times does math....

Thursday, February 08, 2007

What advice would be better?

Over at the Journal Sentinel, Laurel Walker intermixes last week's Aqua Teen Hunger Force terror scare in Boston with complaints about the government's advice for for potential terror threats. This part stuck in my mind:

I've got a handy-dandy, wallet-sized terrorism preparedness guide for media that was shipped around the country recently, compliments of the federal government and your money. It gives terrorism "basics," including the first actions we should take in the event of a specific terror attack.

Our government's advice for a nuclear bomb? "Lie on the ground and cover your head."

I'm not kidding.

Anthrax? "Contact your health provider."

Mustard gas? "Leave the affected area. Immediately remove clothing, place in a plastic bag and shower or wash. Seek medical care if exposed."

In fact, there's a lot of that call-the-doctor kind of advice, along with some general descriptions of the biological, chemical and nuclear agents we in the media might stumble across and the symptoms we might see.

(I had sort of hoped that preparedness meant we could avoid the stumbling and the symptoms.)

She tries to use the guide as both a lame comedic device and a cheap and easy complaint. The complaint part is the rub. The guides are for what if (an attack actually happens) scenarios. In the case of a nuclear explosion, if you have enough time to actually react to a detonation, then laying down may save your life from flying debris. If you are too close to the detonation, there isn't anything you are going to be able to do to save your life. Are the recommendations common sense? Yes, but common sense is the first thing to fly out the window for a lot of people in a crisis. And as for her last sentence, if she can write a book or a pamphlet that will tell us all how to avoid or prevent terror attacks, then I recommend that she do so because it will make her fabulously rich and famous, as it will solve all of our terror attack worries. Shame on the government for not having done that already, I guess.

We Shouldn't be Proud of Every Soldier

A Wisconsin reservist has been charged with bid-rigging in Iraq reconstruction projects.

RE: This has to hurt

Lance, it would be like Richard Branson buying the New York Yankees. The NYC papers would go crazy. Imagine the cleaver headlines the Post and Daily News could think up.

Remember the outcry when Rockefeller Center was sold to the Japanese? That's what I'm sure British soccer fans are feeling. They'll still get drunk and watch the matches. There will just be a little discomfort in the pits of their stomachs.

Michael McGee compares MPD to Gestapo

Milwaukee's favorite Alderman is at it again...

It’s a shame that the police department feels that they have to come to the games. Not really doing anything, but just stand there like a Gestapo unit.

Fisking Kane

From part of my total fisking of Eugene Kane's latest column...

This story cries out for some perspective, particularly in a community
where sensational crimes involving homicide, gang rape and outrageous child
abuse emerge from both the black and white communities. Given the level of
violence in some areas of town, it's hard to muster up any outrage over a fight
on a bus.

I'll be sure to remember that the next time a black person is denied
entrance at a downtown nightclub.



It's a little long, so you can read the rest here.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

RE: I wonder what Tammy Baldwin thinks about this.

Lance,

What are you talking about? I've seen Kind as the Democratic front-runner for months now.

Besides, haven't you been plotting out that 2012 Senate match-up between Ryan and Baldwin like the rest of us?

At least with Tammy you'd finally have an [COMMENT STRUCK BY LEGAL INJUNCTION FROM SEN. HERB KOHL'S HIGH-PRICED LEGAL TEAM.]

You know, she'd feel right at home with that lady Senator from Maryland.

(I so feel I'm gonna pay for this snarkiness.)

Well I've sworn off predictions, but...

...Grandpa Steve hasn't, over at Grandpa John's:

The computer spat out only one predictive statistic worth printing. Since the Packers won world championships in 1961 & 1962, the Chicago Bears won in 1963, the Packers won in 1965, 1966, & 1967 (the last two were Super Bowls I & II), the Bears won Super Bowl XX, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, but lost Super Bowl XXXII, the Bears lost Super Bowl XLI...

The lab computer predicts that the Packers will soon play in two, perhaps three, successive Super Bowls, winning two under either circumstance.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

I wonder what Tammy Baldwin thinks about this.

From Scott Milfred's column:

...a four-year waiting game could lead (Congressman Ron) Kind to the Democratic nomination for governor. If Doyle leaves in 2010, Kind would be in the Democratic pole position.
Don't take that crap, Tammy! Run for Governor!

This has to hurt

'American invasion' of English soccer gathers speed in Liverpool:

LONDON (AP) -- The Beatles started the 'British invasion' by leaving Liverpool and heading to the United States. Forty years later, George Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks are joining an 'American invasion' of English soccer, and taking it right back to Liverpool.

On Tuesday, the two American sports team owners agreed to buy controlling interest in Liverpool, the famous English Premier League soccer team that has won a record 18 league titles and five European Cups.

The duo is expected to take full control of the team after buying out the remaining shares, making the club the third in England's top soccer league to be owned by Americans.
Emphasis added. I had no idea. Is this a big issue across the pond?

Per Obama- yank 'em out now

Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama has decided he wants the troops out of Iraq and he wants them to begin leaving immediately. He has proposed legislation that embraces losing in Iraq:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_149

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential hopeful, joined two House members in proposing a measure to block Bush from implementing his planned troop increase, and to begin a withdrawal by May 1, with all combat brigades out by March 31, 2008.

Not only that, but Senator John Kerry has decided that all hope is lost in Iraq. Freedom and the Iraqi people are not worth fighting for:

"The only people who believe there is a workable military solution for the conflict in Iraq is the Bush administration," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in announcing legislation that would require Bush to "complete the redeployment" of American troops within a year.

Senator Obama, Senator Kerry and the rest of the Democrats have declared the Americans to be losers and handed victory to the terrorists!

Even the media seem to be shocked by this and are stating that the Democrats are the ones attempting to undermine the war effort. (Like the media had nothing to do with it???)

Apart from legislation, Democrats have embarked on an effort to undermine public support for the war by holding numerous hearings.

Wouldn't it be great if the Democrats actually embraced winning as quickly as they embrace losing?

Hypothetical: McCain vs. Hillary

In the comments to Jenna's post below, Chris brings up what I think is an interesting thought:
If it comes down to the Hilldabeast and McCain I will sit my first election since I was old enough to vote.

Think about that election: A socialist who has been trying to portray herself as a moderate against a man who is only conservative when it fits his needs and who only seems to recognize the First Amendment when it is convenient for him. Who do you vote for in that scenario? Maybe you give McCain the benefit of the doubt as the lesser of two evils, but what of the possibility that one day you have to register your political internet speech with FEC? Which do we have more ability to fend off-Hillary's socialist tendencies or McCain's disdain for free-wheeling political speech?

Rudy sends shockwaves throughout the political world

Like we've known for awhile, it comes down to McCain and Giuliani:
Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani jumped into the 2008 presidential race yesterday, filing a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and declaring on national television last night, "I'm in this to win."

Giuliani's actions were aimed at erasing any lingering doubts about whether he would enter the 2008 campaign and came after an intensive month of activity in which he has stepped up his political travels, broadened his political team and expanded his fundraising operation. A formal announcement will come later, Giuliani said.

Giuliani, 62, served two terms as mayor of New York and earned widespread praise for his leadership after terrorists struck the city on Sept. 11, 2001. He leads the field of declared and prospective Republican presidential candidates in national polls and, with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, ranks either first or second in most of the important early states.
I'm almost glad I'll be too busy to be involved in the fall of '08. I really don't know who I can fully, gung-ho get behind. And it's not about the social conservative issues--those really matter very little to me at the presidential level. I don't know who I can trust to actually do something about runaway government spending.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Apparently winning the 2006 elections did not make them happy

The angry left finally won the elections. Common sense would tell you that this means they will finally become happy, right?

Not so fast!

Not only is the angry left not happy, but somehow they have become even angrier than they were before.

The anger can be clearly seen in this article by Howard Zinn from The Progressive.

Mr. Zinn makes the argument for not only impeaching Bush, but impeaching Cheney at the same time-

The time is right, then, for a national campaign calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Mr. Zinn is also angry at the very same Democrats he help get elected this past November-


Courage is in short supply in Washington, D.C. The realities of the Iraq War cry out for the overthrow of a government that is criminally responsible for death, mutilation, torture, humiliation, chaos. But all we hear in the nation’s capital, which is the source of those catastrophes, is a whimper from the Democratic Party, muttering and nattering about “unity” and “bipartisanship,” in a situation that calls for bold action to immediately reverse the present course.

Now Mr. Zinn is calling for a grassroots movement to completely overthrow the US government-

The Declaration of Independence, revered as a document but ignored as a guide to action, needs to be read from pulpits and podiums, on street corners and community radio stations throughout the nation. Its words, forgotten for over two centuries, need to become a call to action for the first time since it was read aloud to crowds in the early excited days of the American Revolution: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and institute new government.”

snip

There is a logical next step in this development of an impeachment movement: the convening of “people’s impeachment hearings” all over the country. This is especially important given the timidity of the Democratic Party. Such hearings would bypass Congress, which is not representing the will of the people, and would constitute an inspiring example of grassroots democracy.

Yes indeed, the angry left is angrier. Now they want to overthrow the government entirely.

By the way, if Bush and Cheney are impeached and thrown out of office, who is next in line for the office?

Nancy Pelosi, of course!

Nancy Pelosi on Iraq and Saddam-

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

I am guessing that Mr. Zinn would also encourage the impeachement of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Kerry, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Bob Graham, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Jay Rockefeller, Sen. Robert Byrd, Rep. Henry Waxman and so on and so on...

Each and every one of these Senators and Representatives lied to us about Saddam Hussein and WMD in Iraq. See this link...

Even Sen. Russ Feingold was part of the deception on Iraq and he did not vote for the war-

The threat that we know is real - Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, or WMD - is unquestionably a very serious issue.

Snip

Saddam is a vile man with a reckless and brutal history. I have no problem agreeing that the U.S. should support regime change.

Snip

This is not about being a hawk or a dove, this is not about believing Saddam Hussein is misunderstood. He is a monster, Iraq's weapons programs are real, and only a fool would believe that the U.S. should simply hope for the best and allow recent trends to continue.

Wow. Each and every one of these so-called leaders lied to us about Iraq, WMD and Saddam Hussein.

I wonder if Mr. Zinn is just as angry at all of his leaders as he is with George Bush and Dick Cheney?

Yes he is. Considering the fact that Mr. Zinn wants a grassroots movement to completely overthrow the US Government, he sure sounds angrier than he was before the elections of 2006.

Yes, the left is getting angrier and Mr. Zinn is a perfect example of this anger.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Fair Wisconsin spends "nightmarish" amounts

Turns out the campaign finance pundits were right: election spending is out of control:

The campaigns for and against a constitutional ban on gay marriage spent a total of nearly $5 million, apparently the most ever spent on a statewide referendum.
Does that count as a "nightmarish" amount, I wonder? Or not, since the referendum commerials - while extremely misleading on one side - weren't necessarily "negative?"

Vote Yes for Marriage drew in $468,000 in the final reporting period of the campaign on the amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions, for a total of $635,000 for the campaign...

Fair Wisconsin drew in $465,000 in the final days for a total of $4.3 million...
That kind of spending differential makes an absolute mockery of our system of elections.

It Was So Cold ...

How cold was it?

It was so cold a farmer went out to milk his cows and got ice cream instead.

You might remember these type of jokes from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Carson and Ed McMahon would do this routine on a regular basis, and other comedians have stolen it.

Let's see how many "How cold was it?" quips we can collect in this thread.

Hillary: A Socialist

Cross-posted at Texas Hold 'Em Blogger.

H/T to Mark Belling.

After watching this clip, there’s nothing else to conclude. Shrillary calls for the government confiscation of oil company profits.

I want to take those profits, and I want to put them into a strategic energy fund.

Watch for yourself:


No difference between what The Hildabeast wants to do and what Castro did when he seized power in Cuber and what fellow socialist Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela.

Heil Hillary!

From Texas Rainmaker via Ian at HotAir comes this blast from the past from Mrs. Clinton:

We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.

re: Favre's return

I declare today an honorary "Talk Like a Yooper Day" in recognition of Brett Favre's return. Tonight I am also going to personally dedicate several beers to Brett's return. I'd mow my lawn in his honor, but that just ain't happenin' right now.

This Should Liven Things Up! Brett Favre Announces!

He is returning. HT to WTMJ & my father.

I am not too surprised. As much as Brett says only wins and not records matter, come on! Even if he will only hold them for a few years that has to figure large. Also, the Packers were trending upwards this year. I think they will be playoff bound next year but I doubt they will get very deep into the playoffs.

Re: D.A. charges man for defending himself

Here is a shotgun blast of thoughts on the topic, pun intended.

Seems to me the Supreme Court decision is telling the government laws against concealed carry are unconstitutional. What I find interesting then is we need a law to permit us to do what is protected behavior by our constitution. That is awful backwards. I am tempted to say pretty soon it will be like that with speech but it already is like that.

Our fine police officers sacrifice, work hard, and risk much to protect the innocent from criminals. However, much of our jurisprudence makes it hard for the police to prevent crime – their job according to what we have been made to believe is to take statements, collect evidence, and to arrest the alleged perpetrator.

In addition, unless we become a police state and have every other person a police officer then the police can not possibly be everywhere at all times to protect us. That is, it is up to ourselves to prevent ourselves from becoming victims. Yes, this means much more than concealed carry, but concealed carry can be an important part of this.

This is where I grow weary. The country club Republicans are with the left on this issue. Debating resolutions one member of the resolution committee I am working with informed us since the RPW does not control the state senate the RPW is not going to push concealed carry and therefore we should drop concealed carry and second amendment rights resolutions. Wow, the left loses on a Constitutional amendment issue and what do they do? They pretty much declare the fight is just starting.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Re: Think the La Crosse drownings are a serial killer?

Sometime ago I was reading in some SCUBA diving magazine an article they wrote up about Florida's Dade County SCUBA diving police squad.

They had suspicions about a serial killer too. They would find dudes floating in the canals with their zippers undone and – umm their organs hanging out. So, they thought a sexual serial killer was on the loose. Well they thought about it and figured it out as I am sure you all have by now. It wasn't a murderer, it was drunks relieving themselves and falling into the canals and drowning.

Re: D.A. charges man for defending himself

The case you are probably thinking of is the Munir A. Hamdan case. This is the case of a cop asking a store owner that had been robbed several times before, if he had a gun in his shop. Mr. Hamdan gladly showed the officers, and they arrested him. He was convicted, but the judge only fined him $1. The case went to the Supreme Court and they overturned his conviction 6-1. Justice David Prosser wrote in the decision:
"If the constitutional right to keep and bear arms is to mean anything, it must, as a general matter, permit a person to possess, carry and sometimes conceal arms to maintain the security of his private residence or privately operated business."


The only Justice to vote against this was Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson...

Here is an old article on the story & here is another.

What we need to see

What we need to see is a brave lawmaker use this case to revive the Concealed Carry law, or as it would probably need to be in Doyle's Wisconsin, another Constitutional Amendment to clarify and strengthen the existing Amendment that says:

“The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.”

--Wisconsin State Constitution, Art. I, § 25


Do we have any strong Conservatives left in Wisconsin?

RE: The GBPG Runs a Negative Attack on Campaign Spending

Do they even know? Or is this just an excuse for another mindless blathering editorial for the sake of righteous pontification?
Not that you don't know the answer to this question, but they just love to moan about it for the sake of moaning and whining.

All of these righteous government do-gooders completely ignore the one avenue to ridding the political system of 'corruption' or 'undue influence.'

If the government wasn't so ginormous, and had so much control over so many dollars, there wouldn't be nearly as much interest in grabbing power or influence over decision makers.

If there wasn't so much at stake when it comes to governmental control, no one would be putting as many millions of dollars into politics as they do.

But you won't see a single one of them arguing for smaller government, fewer governmental programs, less taxation authority, or anything like that.

Putting more controls on campaigns or campaign dollars does nothing to rid the system of the incentive to control. It simply makes those who want power look for other ways to control it. The only way to rid the system of the "nightmarish" dollar amounts, as the editorial deems it, is to rid the government of the government's undue control and influence.