Why the Fairness Doctrine isn't fair

Anybody else catch this editorial in the Green Bay Press Gazette?

The Fairness Doctrine, repealed more than 20 years ago, required TV and radio stations that aired one side of a public issue or political campaign to give equal time to other points of view. It sounds fair, but the reality was much different.

Far from providing an opportunity for a spirited public debate of the issues, the doctrine suppressed such a debate. Radio and TV stations that broadcast advocates of one side of an issue found themselves with requests for equal time not just from the "other" side but from many different points of view.

Faced with a choice of running all sides of an issue or nothing, the most frequent choice was nothing.

Even presidential debates were impossible to broadcast; the famed 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates could not happen until a special exemption to the Fairness Doctrine was created to keep the dozens of smaller political parties from demanding broadcast time equal to that afforded the major-party candidates. Even then, debates could not be arranged again until 1976.

There's much more that I wanted to excerpt, but instead I'll let you click over and read. And let's be sure to remember this one, in case Congress really does try to enact the Fairness Doctrine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm likely to go dark until next week now - traveling, visiting, and hunting shall be monopolizing my time until then.

But I've posted a new column over at my place: Will there be an Obama Derangement Syndrome?

Short answer: well, duh. But I don't address the short answer - only the longer one.

Happy Thanksgiving, all. Safe hunting!

Six Months Under the Gun: A Weapon-Carrying Experiment

This was interesting - a Pajamas Media column by Bob Owens, describing the six months he spent carrying a concealed handgun. Legally, of course.

A brief excerpt:

I quickly found that the DS Paddle holster that carried the M&P was impractical for me based upon what I wore in the summer. While the Kydex holster was very fast on the draw and very comfortable to wear, my normal summer attire of shorts and short-sleeved shirts simply couldn’t cover the gun from view. I was learning through trial and error that the style of holster that works for you will largely be decided by how you dress. It was becoming painfully obvious to me that to carry the handguns I had with my summertime wardrobe, only an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster would keep the business end of the gun hidden, with the butt of the gun held up tight against my side for concealment under an untucked shirt.

He spends a lot of time discussing the two specific handguns he used; types of holsters; time at the range, etc. I'd have liked to hear more about how often he had to leave the gun behind - how carry-friendly was his home environment? Did he have any encounters with others who found out he was armed? If so, what was their reaction?

Still, interesting stuff, with lots of details I'd never considered.

I was going to scratch Elliot's back...

...as his readers know he's been inviting other bloggers to do. Except then he'd scratch mine, and...I just don't wanna know about special spots and cockles.

19 Pointer Taken on Opening Weekend...

...by a car in Pierce County.

“It got hit by a car and its two hind legs were broken,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Koranda, who was assigned the call.

Koranda explained that what made this an unusual car versus deer collision was the deer. The deer was noticeable for its enormus rack. Results showed that the buck was an estimated 19-pointer.

I'm not a hunter, but if I hit a 19 pointer, I'm keeping the sumbuck. So did the driver keep it?

Pierce County Sheriff Nancy Hove explained that in situations like this, Binkowski was given the option of keeping the deer. She refused. Sheriff’s Dispatch has a call list made up of individuals in the county who take dead deer. Koranda said that within about a half-hour someone came and took the deer.

I'm trying to imagine what that call to the first person on the list sounded like:

"Hello, Mr. Smith. This is the Pierce County Sheriff's Department."

"Please don't tell me someone died."

"No, sir. We had an car versus deer this morning. It appears to be a 19 pointer, and we were wondering if you'd like to claim it."

"A how many pointer?!"

"19, sir."

"Sh&*! I'm the first one you called, right? I'll be there as soon as I get dressed."

And you know that guy already has his mighty hunting story ready for when that head gets mounted on the wall of his den.

Wisdom is sometimes obvious

The above sentiment typified by Robert Stacy McCain, one of my favorite bloggers, who writes:

…if all the myriad measures that liberals say are necessary to "progress" today were enacted tomorrow, the liberals would come back the day after tomorrow with a new list of demands.

And in case you're wondering whether this was just an example of luck - a thousand blind monkeys on a thousand typewriters finally finding an acorn - McCain also wrote this:

All great bloggers understand that there is no such thing as a bad time to blog about famous hotties.

Speaking of which, how is Danica Patrick doing these days?

And Carmen Kontur-Gronquist?

Doyle appointee criticizes Wisconsin’s welfare state…

…lefty blogger calls him racist and says he hates children.

Perhaps you saw this article in Sunday’s Wisconsin State Journal, written by Tom Hefty, who was, among other things, co-chair of Gov. Jim Doyle's Economic Growth Council.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

The Princeton report concludes simply, "Wisconsin is more attractive to low income individuals than high wage earners."

… A report presented at a 2008 Federal Reserve Conference on the Midwest economy sheds some light on the issue.

According to that presentation, Wisconsin has the highest welfare benefits in the Midwest. Welfare reform imposed time limits on benefits and introduced work requirements. But Wisconsin retained its generous benefit levels. They are nearly 10 percent higher than in Minnesota and almost 30 percent higher than in Illinois.

And Wisconsin has other benefits for low income individuals.

That’s pretty big news, especially coupled with the “brain drain,” liberal plans to dramatically raise taxes in Wisconsin, and the “$5.4 billion” budget deficit.

So, naturally, the lefties at Uppity Wisconsin write:

Is the word "migration" your quaint, racist euphemism for non-white people moving here from Chicago and other parts south?

And:

Why are you opposed to healthcare for children?

Hey, I wish Hefty had included a link to the study (here’s one of them, by the way – I googled it), and maybe some more concrete numbers, too. Those are legitimate criticisms.

But this leftist – and, I don’t hesitate to suggest, many leftists – can’t help but pull out the hateful and racist tags. Typical.

Hunting season

At about 7:15 Saturday morning, while I warmed a tree stand with my heavily-padded (by multiple layers of clothing, that is) butt, a small whitetail buck came trotting out of the woods, following a deer trail that led it very, very close to my stand.

Got him. My family eats this year!

I'll be going out again next weekend, and quite possibly during the antlerless-only hunt in December. Hey, last year I didn't bag a deer until the very last day, and my family didn't have to buy hamburger again until April.

How evil are you?

That's right, people. Don't push me.

That's how evil I am according to the Gematriculator's analysis of my own blog. An analysis of this blog comes up with:



Which means I'm actually a good influence over here. Hat tip Skye.

Also: genderanalyzer.com (hat tip Gateway Pundit) will attempt to guess a writer's gender by analyzing that writer's blog. It's 81% sure that I - based on my own blog - am male.

I'm not sure whether to be relieved or upset about that.

It's 55% sure that the BBA is written by males. The question is: is it tee bee bringing our percentage down, or is it somebody else?

Secretary of State is the new U.S. Senator

So Hillary’s going to accept the Secretary of State job. At least, that's what I hear.

Many leading commenters are noting that no former Secretary of State has been elected President since James Buchanan, in 1857.

I hasten to add that no Secretary of State since James Buchanan will ever be elected President...until the next Secretary of State who is elected President.

I believe I made similar noises regarding the whole "no Senators since JFK" thing.

Wiggy turned 40 last week...

...and the world is still asking: he wasn’t already 40?

In other Blogosphere'o'Cheese news, being on the internet means being however old you want to be.

Prepare for the coming economic calamity.

Do you really think that the actions of the new administration will cure our nations economic woes? Has socialism worked before? Don't believe it was the free market that failed. It was Government that failed. Last year on November 7th, Mark Pribonic who writes at OnTheBorderline said:

Today the Dow Jones Industrial Averages sold off more than 350 points and the S&P 500 closed below 1490. Besides being rattled by earlier credit revelations, there is growing worry of a coming dollar crisis, especially after China announced it may unload its dollar holdings ($1 trillion) for more stable currencies. This didn’t stop one Federal Reserve Governor from talking about the need for further rate cuts. Needless to say the dollar got pummeled setting lows against some currencies not seen since 1950.

The S&Ps closing below 1490 is disconcerting to me. This is not to be construed as advice, but the breaking of 1490 may be the beginning of a long market slide. For quite some time, I have concluded that a market sell-off of 40% would not be out of the realm of possibilities. In terms of the Dow Jones Industrial Average it would mean a pullback of over 5,000 points. My worst fears are of a financial calamity far greater than the Great Depression, and for that we can blame our ignorant belief in government.

He was right on.

See Pulling Back the Curtain dated November 7th, 2007

To see Marks latest read
A Virtuous Government Bailout

While your at it, digest this
The Myth that Laissez Faire Is Responsible for Our Financial Crisis

Folks, we can tip toe around the fact the country is in the midst of an economic problem. OnTheBorderline has been warning that this was coming for a long time. We've been in cash for well over a year. We've been buying gold as well. When we talk about a coming revolution, this is not to be taken lightly. Will you be prepared? The commodities in the coming years will be food, gold, guns, and ammo.

While, I have a heavy investment toward those commodities, I have also made astute decisions in my 401k and had a 59% third quarter. Yes the last 10 weeks have cut into that, but only 11%.

See Trend Research Institute where they have predicted successfully the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse that what is occurring right now that will be known as “The Panic of 2008,” adding that “giants (would) tumble to their deaths,” which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.

They have a bleak future ahead for us. Take this how you want but I'm having a good look.

Chris - OnTheBorderLine.net

Talk Like A Yooper Day 2008 is Just Around the Corner

Just a friendly reminder for all of our readers-Talk Like a Yooper Day 2008 will be November 30. In case you've forgotten the rule for the date, it is the day of the first Packer home game after the opening of Wisconsin's deer gun hunt season. You may feel free to talk like a Yooper tomorrow or Monday, but if you don't see the blaze orange at Lambeau Field, it isn't Talk Like a Yooper Day.

Discourse on political discourse, or 'the main thing is to use it well'

We expect reactions to events like our presidential election, but they are rarely as vituperous as the last two. In 2004, Kerry supporters threatened to leave the country, declaimed Bush as 'not my president', and many gleefully expressed death wishes.

This visceral recoil on the left contributed to hampering our nation's ability to get back to business. Despite the desires of some, this is not a Red or a Blue nation. It is a nation of people with competing ideas, and sometimes your ideas don't carry the day. It never means you're not part of the conversation unless you opt out.

For example, the Republican-lite 2008 presidential candidate carried a respectable amount of the popular vote after four years that basically amounted to a de facto filibuster — Bush and his policies were reviled, and the Dems held Congress yet failed to do anything except submit to Bush's hand-holding for the bank bailout. So for conservatives who are concerned about a hard-left turn in government, know that it's only for a season, and it will only carry so much weight in the face of continued ideological divide among the nation and Congress' dogged commitment to its own aggregate agendas.

But it's still early in the game. A change is needed, but we're the ones who need to invoke it.Continue to communicate with your representatives about how they should govern; as always, less (government) is more (personal sovereignty), and only civility consistently prompts civil action. Continue to support activist groups that stand for conservative ideas, but limit their urge to do it through legislation.

Continue to look to the future - can the Republican party represent true conservatives, or do they have their own centrist, status quo agenda that must be acknowledged or challenged? Is it time and is it possible to rescue the Libertarians from their pot-and-plot morass? We need to have some commitment made in the next two years, and candidates need to reflect this.

Continue to support bright lights of conservatism and work for them to gain the national stage. Whom do we have now? Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin?

And finally, keep it civil. Successful people keep their eyes on the prize, and they don't get dragged down by temporary losses. And they never, never, ever resort to despicable invectives or make threats. It won't be tolerated at the BBA; indeed, we've had to take a stand and revoke the posting privileges of one of our own.

Let us use our platform of debate to help shape our new President's forming administration and exert pressure on Congress to truly act in their constituents' best interests.

The man who said, "A state is better governed which has few laws, and those laws strictly observed," also said "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well."

- Jib, tee bee, Marcus Aurelius

I keep telling you guys: us Barabooians are smarter.

Oh, right: we Barabooians.

Anyway, I took that online civics quiz everybody’s been taking lately, and:

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

Eeeeee-yup.

Well, okay, I guessed at least one time.

Genesis 3:8-11

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

So let’s quit with the kvetching about never ending sentences with prepositions.

It’s not that I won’t eat vegetables…

…it’s just that I prefer them smothered in peanut butter and fried in bacon grease.

I’m back

And, rumor mill notwithstanding, my absence had nothing to do with any run-ins with gastro-anomolous and inadvisable Mexican food. More to do with a video card that went on strike and was subsequently replaced.

Anyway, I’m back, and am happy to report that my tree stand is in good health, but misses me greatly. Thus, there will be another short period of Bloggus Interruptus while I go keep it company over the weekend.

Yeah, there’s a “tukhus” joke in there somewhere. Probably a limerick. Work on that, Steve.

Question: When does the use of terms like "oogedy-boogedy" represent good journalism?

Better question: Are the segments of conservatism - social versus fiscal - problematic to a party? Do they both belong in the Republican party?

An Example in Honesty - JP Hayes

Hat tip to Stinger Nation

The 43-year-old Appleton native disqualified himself from the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last week. The first DQ of his career was especially harsh because it left him ineligible to play fulltime on the PGA Tour in 2009.

(see JS Online for the full story).

Honesty is like that isn't it? Honesty is pretty cheap after being caught, it is what you do when you are not caught that counts.

Misreading the Results

Kathleen Parker does it again and pens another column that in many ways seems like it is coming from The Huffington Post or the Daily Kos:

To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh.

What I find funny is Kathleen notes the GOP's ties to the "oogedy-boogedy" block to have been established in the 1980s. Geeze, what happened then? The GOP rose from the mire of 30 years out of power in the congress to eventually taking the congress in the '90s. This includes the tenure of Ronald Reagen.

If social conservatism is such a killer how come socially conservative measures pass with far greater margins than Democrats or Republicans win office? Here in WI we passed our marriage amendment in 2006 even though we lost the state senate, the WI Eighth congressional seat, and our hold on the assembly became even more fleeting. This year, we find three similar amendments passing two overwhelmingly and one passing in California.

The only groups I see spontaneously organizing on behalf of GOP candidates are those from the "oogedy-boogedy" block, all others are most often astro-turf groups organized by a campaign or the party.

Without the "oogedy-boogedy" block the GOP is nothing more than a minority party.

Here is Jonah Goldberg's accurate characterization of Kathleen's attitude:

To listen to many pundits and analysts, it means Republicans must become Democrats. The GOP has become too socially conservative, and if it wants to win the support of mainstream voters, it will need to become more socially liberal. To be “economically conservative but socially liberal” is the beginning of wisdom for this school of thought.

Or, put another way, if only the party could be more like former New Jersey Gov. and Bush EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman, these voices have been saying for years, the GOP would truly become the majority party. Remember the Alan Alda character on NBC’s blessedly defunct West Wing? We were told that his pro-choice stance on abortion would make the Republican Party vastly more competitive in places like California and New York.

A Defense of Wisconsin...From Illinois

The Journal Sentinel got the ball rolling on Wisconsin's 'drinking problem'. The New York Times picked that ball up and ran with it. Now, an Illinois columnist yells, "stop!"

The Times explained that a parent must actually hand a beer to their minor child, and further, that Wisconsin law allows absolute discretion on the part of bartenders and owners to refuse to allow a parent to hand the minor the drink. This scenario may be a possibility under Wisconsin law, but it is a warped representation of tavern life in the state. One might think Wisco-born babies are given Miller Lite intravenously in public hospitals - with their parents' permission - and that the drinking age is a staunch 24-hours-old. Religious health care institutions in Wisconsin probably shun baby-imbibing and draw a hard line, refusing children drink until they are old enough to compete in lawn darts at their first church picnic.

Well, you need a few drinks before lawn darts. It numbs the stabbing pain of errant throws. But seriously:

Here's the skinny: Wisconsin bartenders do not freely serve parents and their minor children in bars. I know. I was a bartender there. I took the state-required class in which state-certified teachers scared the beer-stained pants off of us about liability. Wisconsin drunks do get OWIs (Operating While Intoxicted) and lots of them. After the second one, it can land them in jail. It's not the free-for-all the Times article or the university culture police would have us believe.

I say, leave Wisconsin alone with its beer. Call it a bastion of drunkenness if you want. Maybe it's a center for vice, like Vegas for gambling or Nashville for country music. And maybe there's a reason Chicagoans flock there every weekend.

Look, we aren't perfect in this state, but we aren't quite as alcohol addled as the Journal Sentinel or the Times make us out to be. It is good for us to look inwardly at our drinking culture from time to time, but this is getting a bit out of hand. If you want proof Wisconsinites aren't as bad as your media portrays us, get a load of those Chicagoans at your local tavern, lake, or ballpark some weekend.

Random Burri

Lance may be away from the BBA for a short while. He hasn't really said why, but I think this has something to do with it:

Burri-Tacos ($2.85 each/$7.50 for three) earn points for being served on soft corn tortillas, and a mango Jarritos soda ($2.09 after tax), eases the 20-minute wait for grub considerably.

I'm just glad he stopped talking about opening a Long John Burri's. Arrrrgh.

Hunting Season

Hunters in the southern part of the state might want to check with the DNR before heading out to your stand. Certain chronic wasting disease management zones are opening up harvest of albino deer, which are rare down here.

A Janesville man got one:

Hanewold and his friends returned to find the deer the following day.

They saw the albino lying dead. It was much different than normal deer. It had soft, fine white hair like a rabbit. It also had a bushy tail like a horse.

“It’s [sic] body was glowing in the woods as white as it was,” Avery said. “I’m telling you, I’m at a loss for words.”

It was one of the best days the men have had in the woods. They had only previously seen albino deer displayed in museums or shows.

Re: remembring OJ

Lance, you don't need an intervention, you need some humor.

Like that proffered at GMC, where few things are sacred, including Bugs Bunny.

Although I do find it amusing that both you and Jon Stewart link Obama's election and OJ's Bronco ride into history in the same week.

Remember the O.J. Simpson Trial?

Not the most recent one. The first one. The white Bronco; Judge Ito; an entire police force smeared because one detective might have used the N-word at some point in the past.

"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!" That O.J. Simpson trial.

Remember after the trial, when people who'd watched it all day, every day, suddenly didn't know what to do with themselves? Couldn't stop thinking, talking, gossiping about it?

Yeah. There may be something similar going on with Election 2008. Specifically, the Democratic nomination drama. To wit: I may need an intervention.

Steele makes RNC chair bid official

Now I'm kicking myself for missing the Michael Steele blogger conference call this afternoon.

Link:

Former Maryland Republican Senate candidate and GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele has officially declared his candidacy for Republican National Committee Chairman.

"I want this gig," Steele said this evening on Hannity & Colmes. "And, Alan, I'm coming at you, baby, I'm coming at you!"

No, no, Mike, it’s not Alan, it's Lance.


UPDATE – I always knew Grandpa Steve was a Commie!

If Santa doesn't bring me the 3200-piece Death Star Lego set, maybe he'll bring me this t-shirt.

Y'know, on second thought, never mind. You don't want to give Santa that kind of easy out.

Hat tip Grandpa Steve.

Well I’m convinced.

Keith Olbermann Doesn't Vote So as to Remain Objective

This week on The View, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said he doesn't vote because "It's the only thing I can do that suggests even that I don't have a horse in the race."

Nice sentence, Mr. Professional Broadcaster.

He must've been stifling a laugh when he said it.

Obama and Doyle talk...well, probably shop, but who knows?

Whatever it was, they aren't letting on.

MADISON - Neither Gov. Jim Doyle nor President-elect Barack Obama's transition team were talking Friday about contact the two have had in recent days.

The transition team contacted Doyle recently, said the governor's spokesman, Lee Sensenbrenner.

Sensenbrenner. Working for Doyle. You know they picked him for that job just because of the name. Because that's gotta burn.

Anybody know if there's relation between him and the Congressman?

But Sensenbrenner had no details about the meeting, and Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for Obama's transition team, said the team would not confirm or deny any contacts that have been made.

Well, of course not. I wrote earlier this week: just because Doyle says he doesn't want or expect a Cabinet job doesn't mean he doesn't want a Cabinet job.

Tip for Sensenbrenner (the spokesman, not the Congressman): Obama's from Chicago. Just say they were talking about this Sunday's Packers-Bears game.

Re: Saudi conference on religious tolerance

This could be a major breakthrough, you scoffers.

Perhaps they'll make sure that the conference is segregated appropriately. They can cover Angela Merkel and Condi in chadors, put them in a partitioned area, and whip them if they speak to the male servers.

Then they can drag the servers before the other group and demonstrate the rest of their justice system - kangaroo court, whippings, imprisonment without providing basic human necessities and hygiene. We have to understand their ways before we can learn to live with them - just don't break out the guitars and kumbayah.

Then they can lay out Sharia law and put it up for debate. Half those nations could provide the mullahs to 'judge' the debate. Complete with door prizes!

Re: Saudi Arabia to head conference on religious tolerance

Hmmmm,

Saudia Arabia heading that conference is a snorter for sure. The UAE, Qatar, or the Sultanate of Oman would be better choices. Middle Eastern and Islamic nations with a record of tolerance on Christianity and to a certain extent other faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and yes – Judaism. In fact, my recollection the seat of the Vicariate of Arabia is seated in my old stomping ground of Abu Dhabi (though Dubai is a better place to stomp) which is capital & name of the Emirate in which I lived (city Al-Ain (link is to my former employer)).

The UAE and Oman were truly tolerant, they let us practice, they allowed us to have churches, but they made it clear we were not to get preachy with Muslims. The Churches in Dubai & Abu Dhabi are beautiful and large befitting the large cities they are in, while the churches & compounds are smaller in the other cities and there was a large and vibrant community in each city. Christmas & Easter vigils had to be held outside due to the large crowds that would attend, for many of the maids it was the only services they would be allowed to attend.

On a related but slightly different topic, I remember a friend showing me a comic from the New Yorker or some similar publication. An Arab is behind his desk looking at a document and another is standing nearby. The guy behind the desk is says: "Ya Ahmed, would you look into this budget, they say there is pork in it!".

Dear God What Is That Thing?

Why, it's a Peruvian Hairless Dog, "a bald and often toothless breed popular among Incan kings."

See, the President-elect promised his daughters a dog. They've got allergies in the family, though, so their options are limited.

The "Friends of the Peruvian Hairless Dog Association" has, therefore, offered them a puppy. A very, very ugly puppy whose brain appears to be exposed to the open air.

Good thing it's an independent group making the offer. If it was the actual government of Peru, I'm pretty sure this would amount to an act of war.

Just imagine: you're 10 years old. Dad has promised you a puppy, and you know he'll come through. You just know it. It's taking a while, yes, but every time you ask, he says "yes, honey, just be patient."

And then, the big day. Dad comes in carrying a box - a small box, with holes in it. There's something in there...it's gotta be the puppy!

Think back to the level of excitement you could achieve when you were 10. Explosive, volcanic levels of excitement. That's where you are right now, because it's a puppy! And it's gonna be cute, and cuddly, and it'll jump on you and lick your face and it'll sleep in your bed no matter what your stupid sister says so you rush over to the box, throw off the lid, and...


Cue the nightmares. The therapy, too. Lots and lots of therapy.

Saudi Arabia to head conference on religious tolerance

And the conference is being sponsored by...wait for it... the United Nations! The same folks who brought you a Commission on Human Rights chaired by Libya!

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 11 -- Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich Islamic kingdom that forbids the public practice of other religious faiths, will preside Wednesday over a two-day U.N. conference on religious tolerance that will draw more than a dozen world leaders, including President Bush, Israeli President Shimon Peres and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Notice how the dateline reads "United Nations?" Where do you suppose that is, exactly?

I don't want to lapse into the usual eye-rolling dismissiveness, just because the nation leading this conference is one of the worst religious-freedom abusers in the entire world. I'm a big believer in engagement: any chance we have to talk about religious freedom while Saudi Arabia is in the room is an opportunity we shouldn't miss.

But. For crying out loud. The "world community" takes this stuff seriously.

Of course, the "world community" hates George W. Bush and just loves Barack Obama, pretty much sight unseen. So. Maybe this all says more about the "world community" than it does about anything else.

Where the heck was this last year?

Baraboo City Council approves hunting with city limits

Property owners on rural land in Baraboo can apply for a permit to hunt this deer season, and will be spared fees under an ordinance that won unanimous City Council approval Tuesday evening.

Creation of the permit was sparked by an agreement annexing town of Greenfield land to the city's east side. Until approval of the new permit, hunting and the discharge of firearms or bows were prohibited on all properties within city limits.

...Hunters must apply to the city clerk, and hunting is limited to agriculturally zoned land, said Chief of Police Craig Olsen. The police department must evaluate hunting sites to ensure there is no danger to nearby homes.

Last November, we hunted opening weekend and hardly even saw any deer. Then, the day after Thanksgiving: four does bedding down right in my backyard.

As I said at the time: son of a...stupid city limits.

Obviously, I still won't be able to hunt in my own backyard, not being in a "rural" area as such. It's only a little quarter-acre lot, after all.

Still, I consider this a step in the right direction.

I mean, come on - when they're in your own backyard and you didn't get one opening weekend, you oughta be allowed to shoot!

Red State Update Moves To Canada

Taxation without Representation. Sort Of.

If you live in suburb that borders Milwaukee, you may want to check your license plate renewal very carefully:

"I saw it was for $95 and I knew there was an increase in fees so I didn't think too much of it," he recalled. "But then I went to renew [the plates] online, saw the itemized list, and saw there was a $20 wheel tax."

"I was pretty sure there was no wheel tax in Greenfield, so I looked it up and it was the City of Milwaukee [tax] they wanted to charge me."

The Milwaukee Common Council passed the so-called "wheel tax," a $20-per-car registration fee, for City of Milwaukee residents in July.

So how did Krueger, a Greenfield resident, get stuck with it?

It seems that there is a problem with the Wisconsin DMV's computer system that lumps residents of multi-community shared zip codes into Milwaukee. So if you live in one of those zip codes but aren't a resident of Milwaukee, watch your bill and if assessed the fee, contact the DMV at the number listed at the article.

Favre sets touchdowns record!

That's Dylan Favre, nephew of Brett the Jet.

Dylan Favre etched his name into the record books by completing 23 of 35 passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-27 Rock-A-Chaws win over Poplarville.

A 31-yard, fourth-quarter scoring strike to James Abraham gave Favre 43 TD passes this fall, which set the state's single-season record, surpassing the mark of 42 by North Panola's Clifton Davis III in 1990.

That's right, Brett's nephew is a star quarterback.

He's only 5'10 right now, but he's still a junior, so I guess everybody can hope he puts on a few more inches by the end of next year.

The story goes on to list all of Dylan Favre's superlative attributes as a football player - his athleticism, toughness, intelligence, game-savviness, etc. Comparisons to Brett are frequent and, according to Dylan:

"Expectations," he said, "are high."

And guess what else he's got in common with his uncle!

Many quarterbacks would have been thrilled by the achievement. While Favre, a two-year starter, was happy, his focus last week was not on the record but on an opening-round playoff game against Brookhaven.

"You know," the easy-going Favre said in his Southern drawl, "I haven't really thought about it that much. I told my dad the other day I'm not as excited about it as I thought I'd be."

..."Be humble and work hard ... my dad and uncle are always on me about that," Favre said.

Word is several major universities are interested in him. We'll see how long he strings them along before we go along with all these comparisons.

Order now!

Hat tip Grandpa Steve

Doyle: deficit will exceed $5 billion. Trust me.

Governor Jim Doyle is out lowering expectations for the next budget cycle – or maybe softening up the electorate for the tax increases Democrats have already decided to pass.

Gov. Jim Doyle gave a grim assessment of the state budget Tuesday, saying the two-year deficit would top $5 billion, making it by far the biggest budget gap in state history.

That deficit is for the two-year period beginning July 1. But the state also faces a $400 million to $500 million shortage between now and then because of the national economic crisis, he said.

Guess what’s missing from this story? Backup for their numbers. We don’t know where they came from. How they’re calculating that. Why is it $5 billion? What assumptions are they making about our revenues? About the state’s spending commitments?

To go from the previous $3 billion – which itself was inflated – to $5 billion means they’re expecting tax revenues to fall by that much, or spending to increase by that much, or some combination of both. If Governor Doyle offered any such explanation, it wasn’t included in the story, and I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Not even on the internet.

It's as if he's assuming that Democrats are going to jack up government spending! By a lot!

Doyle goes on to say that he’ll “do everything humanly possible to avoid any general tax increase,” but, y’know, with a problem that big, you’ve gotta look at everything.

And, indeed, he’s already re-proposing the hospital tax, and the Department of Transportation budget proposal includes the $400 million oil company tax. You remember that: it’s the tax Governor Doyle will absolutely forbid the oil companies from passing on to consumers through higher prices.

Although maybe he'd better hope he's wrong about that Higher prices at the pump mean more gas tax revenue for the state, and the state’s gonna need that extra revenue to fight the oil company lawsuits.

Anyway, I guess we have a pretty good idea how the next eight months are going to go. Not that we didn’t already.

Happy Veteran's Day!

I'd meant to write something longer and more meaningful about Veteran's Day (something like this), but I was distracted by the fact that tomorrow is Snowplow Appreciation Day.

Odd. You'd think they'd put that in January or February. Sometime like that.

Bad blogger? Or busy blogger?

It's not that I haven't wanted to blog. It's just that there's been so much going on this past week.

Kenya really, really likes Obama

Wow.

…there is undeniably an over-the-top quality about Kenya’s embrace of Obama. The government declared a national holiday to celebrate the Illinois senator’s victory over John McCain. The National Theater is staging “Obama: The Musical,” which explores the next president’s life through song. There are appeals for Kenya to officially petition the United States to become the 51st state. And the country is already making plans to host a visit from the president-elect, even though Obama hasn’t indicated when, if ever, he will come.

The rest of the article goes through some of Kenya's problems, including ethnic violence following their last election. Race relations in the U.S. fall along lines of visible physical differences these days – we forget about the "No Irish Need Apply" period of our own history. That's kind of where Kenya is right now, according to this article. Interesting stuff, if a little optimistic about Obama's potential impact on Kenya.

But, hey, I'm an optimistic guy.

I think he meant to say "ill-mannered troll," but maybe not

It's with mixed feelings that we welcome Jo Egelhoff back to the Blogosphere'o'Cheese. Obviously, many of us hoped that Jo – proprietor of FoxPolitics.net – would return triumphantly as a Representative-elect to the Wisconsin State Assembly. She didn't. So. We're glad to have her back, but wish it was under more celebratory circumstances.

Anyway. Her first post at FoxPolitics.net following the election drew a bunch of comments, not the least of which came from Lon, who wrote (fourth comment):

It's good to see Jo back making commentary in Fox Politics. For myself, I avoided commenting on anything from the crew of right wing bloviators and troglodytes that have filled this pages [sic] in her absence…

My emphasis. Since I was one of that crew, helping fill in for Jo while she was campaigning, this intrigued me. I responded (last comment):

Hey, Lon, was I a "bloviator" or a "troglodyte?" I'm hoping troglodyte, but I'd settle for bloviating troglodyte. Just as long as a little troglodytation is in there someplace.

Obviously, this train of thought made me realize that "Bloviating Troglodyte" would make a great name for a blog*. But it's not just a catchy name: it's also accurate, in a generalized, metaphorical sort of way.

To bloviate means "To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner," or to "orate verbosely and windily."

And a troglodyte is, among other things, "One of any savage race that dwells in caves, instead of constructing dwellings; a cave dweller."

That's cave, as in basement. So: a "bloviating troglodyte" is somebody who lives in a basement, talks too damn much, and thinks too highly of the things he/she says.

In other words, a blogger.

You wonder why Lon didn't just say so.

* first person to claim it can have it, but I expect a prominent place on the blogroll and at least one link per month after your daily traffic hits four figures.

BBA Announcement

Yesterday afternoon, I became aware of a comment made by one of our members in the comment section of another member's blog that appeared to be threatening in nature to the President-Elect. That member's blog was deleted and he has not responded to emails, so last night I made the decision to suspend his posting privileges indefinitely. Until such time that we can communicate with him, there will be no further comment.

This is Karma, trying to make me an Obamaniac

Obama wants a college football playoff.

Considering that this year Barack Obama defeated two of the great political brands in America – the Clintons and John McCain – won at least 349 electoral votes and, of course, shattered a racial barrier few thought possible, perhaps he doesn’t need any advice.

Still, Mr. President, why the heck didn’t you mention your support of a college football playoff sooner?

Actually, I'm pretty sure he did. Anyway, Obama said:

“I think it is about time that we had playoffs in college football,” Obama said Monday on ESPN. “I’m fed up with these computer rankings and this and that and the other. Get eight teams – the top eight teams right at the end. You got a playoff. Decide on a national champion.”

Testify, brother!

It's still not worth the tax increases and the Kumbaya foreign policy, but we have definitely found a ground floor, here.

I Wonder if

A person puts up a spoof website, with a domain closely resembling the blog of someone but not quite the same and if it turns out to be a lie, would you think a person could sue and collect? It is not myself here on either side of this equation, some of you may know to whom I refer to.

Four percent of today's column consists solely of the word "hope" or a derivative thereof.

That is all.

Conservation

For conservatives who expect the Republican party to successfully play a prominent part in politics, we need a trickle-up effect of them learning from their mistakes.

From Fraley:

For, consider this: Had Bush not been so accommodating to his political opponents… had he drastically cut spending and eliminated social programs or even entire agencies… had he not worked with Teddy Kennedy again and again… had the ‘gang of 14′ not sought compromise on judicial appointments… had the Republicans secured our borders and enforced our immigration laws…had the GOP pushed for less government and more liberty, despite the inevitable media reaction… would the party be any worse off this morning?

Fraley points out others sounding the cry - NRO's editors: "The public has, however, clearly rejected the Republican party in its present configuration."

John Derbyshire: "If GWB had turned his face against new entitlements, closed the borders, deported the illegals, held the line on calls to loosen mortgage-lending standards, starved the Department of Education, and declined those invitations to mosque functions, would the GOP be in any worse shape now?"

Mark Steyn: "In a grim media-cultural environment, the temptation for American conservatism is to be seduced into becoming one of those ever so mildly right-of-left-of-right-of-left-of-center parties they have in Europe. We should have the fight about conservatism’s future vigorously and openly — perhaps at Bud’s Roadhouse out on Route 137 in lieu of All-Girl Mud-Wrestling Night."

James Madison called both the '06 and '08 elections back in 1787

Al Erkkila, a.k.a. Old Whig, sent me this today:

"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm."
—James Madison, Federalist No. 10

A little perspective, if you please

Considering that this story takes place in China, it may be more apropos from a Democrat point of view - China, of course, being a major source of campaign funds for them.

I joke. Because I care.

Anyway, John Hawkins posted this earlier, so I naturally stole it:

In medieval China there once lived an old farmer who had a weak, ailing horse for ploughing his field. One day, the sickly horse ran away to the hills.

The farmer's neighbors offered their sympathy to him: "Such rotten luck!" they exclaimed.

"Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" mused the farmer.

A week later, the old horse returned, bringing with it a herd of wild horses from the hills. This time, the neighbors swarmed around the farmer and congratulated him on his good luck. His reply, however, was the same: "Good luck? Bad luck? Who can tell?"

Sometime later, while trying to tame one of the wild horses, the farmer's only son fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was bad luck. "Bad luck? Good luck? I don't know," said the farmer.

A few weeks later, the king's army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied young man living there. The farmer' s son, who was laid up with a broken leg was let off, for he was thought to be of no use to them.

Now what was this? Good luck or bad luck? Who can tell?

Things that seem adverse on the surface may actually be good in disguise. And something that seems to be attractive and 'lucky' may actually be harmful to our best interests. The learned ones often leave it to a higher power beyond the material world to decide what is best for them.

Election 2008 edition: Always look on the bright side of life

In a few months the Bush-pounding should let up, and Jon Stewart should be funny again.

Right?

Plus, the MSM will finally be kind to a president they are proud to have helped elect.

While he's inheriting an economy that's in it's "worst crisis in 70 years," but gets no super-majority.

I'm not as worried about his policy control and bent to tax as most people are - the only thing less capable of getting things done than a Republican Congress and president was a Dem Congress and Repub president. I don't expect more to get done with young, inexperienced Obama in the pilot seat trying to work things out with all those holdovers from the worst Congress ever.

Thank goodness for checks and balances.

Further Official Analysis

"They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can't get away from us now!"
- Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, USMC

The Official BBA Analysis of Election '08

Ouch.

Congratulations, President Elect Obama

Say what you will, he flat out beat Senator McCain. May as many of your policies fail to see fruition as possible, but may the country be better at the end of your presidency, sir. Today, you are victorious, but the policy fights have just begun.

Having said that, we need a new slogan here at the BBA. Our goal of making this particular state red was lofty and perhaps unattainable. So what do you suggest for our new slogan?

Obama 23, McCain 6

Or...no, I mean Pittsburgh 23, Washington 6. That was the score of last night's Monday Night Football game, the final Redskins home game before the election.

For decades, this game was a bellweather. If the home team - the Redskins - won, it meant the incumbent party would re-take the White House. If the visiting team won, the non-incumbent party won.

Thus, if this held true, Obama would be the clear winner. But.

There's always a "but" to this kind of post.

Four years ago, on October 31, the Packers beat the Redskins in Washington, 28-14. Republican hearts skipped beats all across the country while we in Packerland shook our fists and declared near-hysterically: "It's just a superstition! It's just a superstition!"

I'd like to think that it wasn't just the breaking of a streak, it was the beginning of a brand new streak.

And thus ends my attempt at blogging while I'm so completely distracted by nervousness over tonight's results.

Happy Election Day!

Will the New Hampshire dell first to post votes in the nation be the bellweather? Let's look at the count: Of its 19 registered voters, 15 voted for Obama and 6 voted for McCain.

Well, poll reports aren't being broadcast yet, so there's still time to balance that out... heh.

"Congressman Kagen is a Pathological Liar" Sykes [originally posted at KagenWatch.com]

My instinct was good -- the execution was not. When I first heard Congressman Kagen's latest claim that his wife and Laura Bush are now close buds ["they converse, they go to tea together, they go to White House functions together"], I said to my colleagues on the KagenWatch blog 'let's call the campaign and demand to know exactly how many times Gayle Kagen has had tea with Laura Bush'. The response? 'Wouldn't go there Todd. She's the chair of the Freshman class spouse's hospitality committee. Chances are she has been to the White House for tea. Focus on the fact he's changing his story...again.' And the matter died. That is, until Mark Belling picked it up later that day...

---

Here's a rough transcript of the call from WHBY in Appleton last week: "Host: Good morning. You're on the air with Congressman Kagen, Dorothy. Caller: This is Dorothy. Umm. I'm an undecided voter and I heard a rumor that and I'd like to know why, when you went to the White House representing the 8th district you embarrassed the 8th district by calling the first lady by the wrong name intentionally? Kagen: Well, many people will call the first lady by the wrong name because there are two President Bushes and Barbara and Laura is an easy mistake [ed. Notice he does not deny having done it.] Our wives get along fine. Laura and Gayle converse, they go to tea together, they go to White House functions together and no harm was intended and I certainly apologize for calling her the wrong name and I thank you for your question." It seems that Jessica McBride had the same funny feeling that I had. Congressman Kagen has a 'walter mitty-esqe' [h/t Jerry Bader] personality and is prone to self-aggrandizement. Think of the many times he said in the debate 'I authored a bill' -- unfortunately the average voter is too uninformed to know that saying 'I authored a bill' is about as impactful as saying 'I sent an email'. Here's the real story: 22 bills total, only 3 passed. 2 were resolutions, 1 was to rename the VA clinic in GB and the only one to make it out of the House was his bill to sue OPEC. Other than that no bill of his has passed out of committee, but to hear him tell the story in the debate, he's single handedly re-writing our nation's history... However, I digress. Jessica had the presence of mind to contact Sally McDonough. Jessica says "Basically, Sally McDonough, Laura Bush's press secretary, told me that Kagen and Laura Bush are NOT personal friends. I said, are they personal friends, and she said (on the phone), "No, they are not." She said that Laura Bush HAD invited Mrs. Kagen to "larger congressional social events" such as for congressional spouses. That's it. I then asked for a list of all events, and she emailed the following events in the email below after our call ended." Here's the list:

• Congressional Picnics in 2007 and 2008
• Coffee for Spouses of New Members of Congress in 2007
• Reception for New Members of Congress in 2006

LOL! There's not even a mention of TEA!!! That's a far cry from the impression giving in the audio -- that Laura and Gayle are BFF's [best friends forever in internet lingo] and hang out all the time... Mark Belling went nuts with it here about 2-3 minutes into the segment. Charlie Sykes didn't have Jessica's input when he went on air, but says "U.S. Representative Steve Kagen is officially indoctrinated into "Pathological Liars Anonymous"! in this on-air segment". Set aside your feelings about John Gard for a moment and dwell on the fact that the rest of the state think that Congressman Kagen and the people who vote for him are MORONS when they hear this stuff! btw, a friend of mine was in Nevada at a rally for Congressman Dean Heller last week. He says "I was at a McCain Rally at the Carson City NV HQ Friday night., Mitt Romeny, NV Lt Gov Krolicki, Congressman Heller, Actors Jon Voight, and John Ratzenberger where all stumping this area for McCain/Palin for days" and goes on to say "I told Heller that I was working to oust Kagen. This was his statement: "Kagen I know him, he's that doctor that always lies. He lies about everything, he's what you call, what's the word I'm looking for, (me, consumate) right. He's a consumate liar." So that is how he is seen by a colleague." As one of my fellow bloggers said "Kagen is the doofus that kissed a girl the night before and then in the locker room says it went much much farther than that." If these radio talk show hosts can spot it from all the way in Milwaukee, why can't the media and the people in the 8th Congressional District?

Favre's #2!

With his one fumble against the Bills on Sunday (his 7th this season), Brett Favre took sole possession of second place on the NFL's all-time fumble list. He's got 154 of them now: Dave Kreig, now #3, has 153.

Favre needs seven more fumbles to tie, eight to break Warren Moon's all-time record of 161. That would mean tying or breaking his own personal fumbles-in-a-season record: 14, set in 2001.

It's not sour grapes. There just aren't many milestones left for him to meet. We should note, I suppose, that Tom Brady's knee injury and the Indianapolis Colts' newfound mediocrity makes it all the less likely that Brady or Peyton Manning will ever catch Favre's touchdown record.

Feeling down?

Read George Lightbourn's piece in the latest Wisconsin Interest. An excerpt:

We find ourselves at a rather odd place in our history. Measured against nearly any standard—compared to other countries or compared to earlier times in our own history—we are indeed a fortunate people. Yet we cannot bring ourselves to be happy. We have become a gloomy crowd with a melancholia that makes us suckers for populist leaders. You see, populists depend on gloom, for they cannot peddle their message of hope and change to the contented.

However, we cannot escape our true lineage, a strong, sure line that traces its way through the Greatest Generation on back to the Ellis Island immigrants who built the foundation for today’s America. Those Americans understood adversity much better than wealth or entitlement...

No, those people would marvel at the state of health care and would go slack jawed when they discovered that no fewer than 68% of households own their own homes. They would beam with pride upon learning of the generosity of their offspring...

So let us leave it to others to stand, stoop shouldered, looking at the floor with cap in hand. We will leave them to their gloom as they allow themselves to become victims of political pandering. That is simply not us.

A Silly Thing to Say

The Democrats from top to bottom in this election cycle have been chanting one line (among others, but I am going to think here about one of those lines) and that is "tax breaks for corporation shipping jobs overseas", that line strikes me as disingenuous to the max. Do corporations really receive tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas? I hardly think so, the triggering statutes and regulations I am quite certain do apply when Joe's job gets transferred to Sunjab Prabakhar. They may apply because now companies engage in less economic activity here

In fact, I am quite certain Democrats want to raise taxes on corporations regardless of where they create or un-create jobs and I can not see that as helping to keep jobs here. Make the taxes more punishing is supposed to help create jobs?

Never underestimate the influence of the NRA

Seen while lit-dropping in western Sauk County yesterday:






That's a WWII-era M4 - a Sherman Tank. Nicknamed, for some reason, "Rosebud 1." It's standing right next to the Cazenovia VFW.

Noticing the offensive capabilities of their neighbors to the south, LaValle has taken their own steps to deter aggression:






That is an M60A3 - the final member of the Patton series, first in service in the 1960s, and only superceded in the 1990s by the M1 Abrahms. There are still some thousands of these tanks in service around the world, particularly in Egypt, Turkey, and Israel.

No, I didn't know that ten minutes ago. God bless the internet.

Anyway, here's hoping the good people of Cazenovia realize that responding to LaValle's superior armored force will only lead to an arms race, which will do little other than disrupt the local whitetail herd. And nobody wants that.