I am "The Bushman"

Not quite the ring that "Batman" has, but nonetheless, this article is a beautifully composed comparison.

A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .

Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W."

There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

"The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

And the ending, my favorite part:

The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.

Leftists frequently complain that right-wing morality is simplistic. Morality is relative, they say; nuanced, complex. They're wrong, of course, even on their own terms.

Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.

The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.

When heroes arise who take those difficult duties on themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him."

That's real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.

Perhaps that's when Hollywood conservatives will be able to take off their masks and speak plainly in the light of day.

Peeve

I dislike it when reporters pronounce the names of towns in the United States improperly. If there is even a question, I suggest they find out the proper pronunciation.

Example a; today on CNN the reporter pronounced Minot, North Dakota (My-not) "Minn"ott as in minnow... She stumbled over it too. Just call the city and listen to them answer the phone!

Bad journalism.

a little john mayer today

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part
You roll outta bed and down on your knees
And for the moment you can hardly breathe
Wondering was she really here?
Is she standing in my room?
No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The giving up is the hardest part
She takes you in with your crying eyes
Then all at once you have to say goodbye
Wondering could you stay my love?
Will you wake up by my side?
No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

Now do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hand
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Would you get them if i did?
No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part

Crowned prince by the media, yet again

Leave it to the Cap Times to crown Obama prince and hand him the advantage once again. I can say that this is sheer CRAP, because I'm a "young person" too. Obama is not my prince charming, nor do I feel this article has any merit as it is clearly leaning to one particular left side.

For their all their political differences, Vicki Pietrus and Allison Nelson have a lot in common. Both are smart, engaged University of Wisconsin-Madison seniors from suburban Chicago. Pietrus is majoring in political science and English, Nelson in political science and film production.

But while Nelson, a Republican, is trying to get her Students for John McCain effort off the ground, Pietrus, a volunteer for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, is trained and field-tested.

On a recent sunny day she was at Madison Metro's South Transfer Point on Park Street registering voters. Snubbed by one rider, she moves on to another, then another, until she finds someone who wants to vote. I'm sure she's paid too... but I prefer that our Republican volunteers are VOLUNTEERS. FREE WORK. BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN THE CAUSE. For the past six weeks, Pietrus has been knocking on doors, making phone calls, hustling at parking lots to register voters and organizing house parties.

She and more than a dozen other campaign "fellows" in Dane County, part of an army of about 100 across the state, are the foot soldiers of the Obama presidential campaign. They are college students or recent graduates trained in political organizing who give 30 hours a week to what they see as a potential turning point in America: the election of a president who shares their values and can inspire.

This is crap. Why don't reporters do their jobs and report evenly. I've been knocking and calling too, jerk face. You wanna talk number of phone calls?!! WE CAN GO THERE!

The difference between the two campaigns is stark.

Young Republican activists like Nelson have struggled to put together an effective campaign team for their candidate. Those who stayed in Madison over the summer months are working phones for the Republican Party of Wisconsin at the "Victory Center" in Fitchburg.

The Obama campaign, working independently of the state Democratic Party, enlisted young people from around the state and trained them in June at the campaign's "fellowship" programs: three-day training courses in political organizing in Milwaukee. The program gave them the nuts and bolts of campaign work, inspired them to be a part of what they see as an historic campaign, then dispatched them to spread Obama's message of change.

"All my friends have volunteered in some way," Pietrus said last week at a temporary Obama campaign office on East Main Street downtown. "One of my best friends is an intern here, and a few others have been deputized to register voters. People are getting really excited -- people my age. Everybody's been asking me 'How do I get involved?' They're just all pumped up."

Our vols are pumped too. Our young people know the difference b/t the candidates, and know who is substantive and who's just pretty. I'm sure this was twisted and contrived to favor the Left.

Please, read the rest and see how jaded this is...but don't forget the comments. Thank you "mitch" who put it best:

Oh goody--more star struck twenty somethings that can't answer a single simple policy question but can breathlessly describe at length how awesome it was to...meet...Barack...Obama!!!

And finally, for those of you who can't even spell "Busch"? Why don't you focus on school this fall...you need the education more than the political process needs your time.

Let the punishment fit.

I was gonna say the same thing, B&S.

Manners

There's such a thing as manners. Even fish have manners. Ok, I'll stop quoting Jerry MaGuire.

However, it's true. For a manager to tattle to other managers about employee habits, without first addressing the employee - well, that's just childish and irresponsible. If you have a problem with my job performance, bring it to me. Don't tattle on me like a small child.

Cross-nursing is in?

Gross.

Experts have noted an increase in cross-nursing, the breastfeeding of a baby other than your own. According to Lisa Moran, editor of Babytalk magazine, cross-nursing is to be expected.

"Cross-nursing is the logical extension to the rise in breast-feeding rates that we've seen in the past 15 years," she told "Good Morning America." "Moms are really committed to breast-feeding exclusively and finding new ways to do that. Cross-feeding, cross-nursing is one of those."

I'll say it again, gross.

A letter to Starbucks

Starbucks Customer Relations
PO Box 3717
Seattle, WA 98124-3717


To whom it may concern:

I have recently been made aware that Starbucks is discontinuing the decaf mocha frappuccino mix. As you can tell by the nature of the following letter, this came as a complete shock to me.

As a faithful Starbucks patron and a decaf coffee drinker, I write on behalf of all decaf frappuccino lovers. It is not the caffeine jolt we seek, but the quality coffee mix over blended ice that brightens our day. Your supreme coffee taste and quality presentation has kept me coming back in the warmer months. I enjoy the offer of decaf- the freedom to enjoy the taste I crave without the effects of caffeine I cannot have. (For those who argue, "why drink coffee if you're not going to have caffeine," this is not meant for you.)

What would America be without choices and freedoms to choose caff or no caff? And what are we telling our decaf patrons - That their business is no good? That perhaps decaf drinkers are unwelcome in the coffee world? I certainly hope not. My bank account could prove otherwise.

I ask you to reconsider the discontinuation of decaffeinated frappuccino mix. Perhaps the demand is not high, but the customer satisfaction will be if you bring it back. I can guarantee you will lose my business for a good 6+ months without this option on the menu. For the sake of coffee-taste lovers everywhere!

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
LMS

faithful decaf drinker

Germany lovers!

While I've got nothing against Germany, it appears Mayor Dave has jumped aboard the Deutsche Bahn like Senator Obama.

If a lone committee member’s recent suggestion that Madison consider restricting new drive-through venues was enough to cause a national stink, just wait till Rush Limbaugh finds out about Dave Cieslewicz’s interest in "car-light" neighborhoods.

"It’s like traffic calming on steroids," jokes the mayor, who recently toured two such neighborhoods in Madison’s sister city of Freiburg, Germany. "People drive to the periphery, park in parking structures, walk in or ride a tram," he says approvingly. Residents can drop things off but "you can’t actually park there."

Are our elected officials running for office in America, or Germany?

Besides a reduced reliance on cars, Cieslewicz says the Freiburg neighborhoods are designed for "maximum energy efficiency and use of solar." One has a 16-building solar village that generates all of its own electric power and even sells excess energy back to the grid. And the streets are platted to maximize their potential for passive solar.

Cieslewicz knows these are bold concepts. (He actually uses the term "radical changes," but we don’t want Limbaugh knowing that.) He suggests they could be incorporated into just a small part of the new northeast neighborhood, which could have one or two stops on a commuter rail line.

"I’ve asked city planning to take a look at some of these concepts," says Cieslewicz. He met with staff early this week and plans to powwow with potential developers. The mayor hopes a green neighborhood would be a draw and maybe even merit national attention.

How many more tax dollars can we waste for some "national attention"?

In contrast, says Cieslewicz, many modern American neighborhoods are "absolutely car-dependent. You don’t have more freedom, you have less."

Whatever, Dave. I think keys are pretty freeing, rather than having to stop to park before you even get a mile from your house.

Give it up

Madison and Milwaukee, to think this is a valuable use of anyone's time is to act severely asinine.

Following a call for impeachment at a congressional hearing Friday, two town meetings are set Monday and Tuesday night in Madison and Milwaukee to discuss the possibility of the removal of President Bush and Vice President Cheney from office.

Wow, something new that hasn't been done before!

Gathering to trash our leaders may make you feel better, but I guarantee you it's not nearly as effective as gearing up for your golden boy Obama. It's too bad you're all hung up on the past and think talking about impeachment and passing out those charming bumper stickers is going to make a difference.

You're only serving to promote road rage.

They're back

That's right.

It appears they are trying to trick us with a "NEW!" sign on the box...but we all know the truth.

I may now relive my childhood. Thank you POST. And uh, sorry about all the emails.

Genius!

This new pan rules!

Brownies with crust on every piece!! Where's my glass of milk w/ an ice cube?

Farewell, last lecturer

Sad.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.

Thank you for teaching us all.

Customer service

I've been charged for a service on my bank card that I did not authorize. After 8 minutes on hold and three different people, I finally got a live person.

But honey, I don't want to talk about how I am, how the weather is, or whether or not I have to work on the weekends. We're not friends, and due to the automated system it took to get me to you, I don't like you already.

Just remove it and let me hang up. Thank you.

Where's he running?

Germany?

BERLIN (AP) - Before an enormous crowd, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Thursday summoned Europeans and Americans together to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it" as surely as they conquered communism a generation ago.

"The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand," Obama said, speaking not far from where the Berlin Wall once divided the city.

"The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand," he said.

Obama said he was speaking as a citizen, not as a president, but the evening was awash in politics. His remarks inevitably invited comparison to historic speeches in the same city by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and he borrowed rhetoric from his own appeals to campaign audiences in the likes of Berlin, N.H., when he addressed a crowd in one of the great cities of Europe.

"People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time," he said.

Why don't you run for office over there then?

Polar bears

Once again, Newsweek manages to make my blood boil.

I am getting real sick and tired of polar bears. Yes they're cute and cuddly-when they're Knut sized- but they are becoming a political pawn in the global warming discussion. Now they are on the "threatened" - not endangered- species list, and Bush's admin is getting flack for it.

So we admit too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and are melting the ice. Just call the US the proverbial hairdryer of all things arctic. But let me just quote a few things:

Polar bears, all 20,000 to 25,000 of them—a population that would fit inside some basketball arenas—have joined the 1,985 species of plants and animals listed as either "endangered" (in imminent danger of going extinct) or "threatened" (not quite endangered, but heading there), under the terms of the ESA. That requires the government to designate and preserve their "critical habitat"—the area necessary for their survival—and develop a "recovery plan" to keep them alive.

20-25 thousand? They gray wolf was endangered, and now there are 9,000 (1,500 in the US) and they've been taken off the list. Hmm, how many polar bears is enough polar bears?

And why is the US solely responsible? Let's talk to Canada where they kill them for sport if we're so damn concerned.

I'm not trying to be so insensitive to the point you all want to put me in a zoo and let the polar bears in captivity eat me. However, I'm trying to shed light on the fact that they are being used as a political pawn. Go ahead, someone write a story about global warming to make all the conservatives in their big SUVs feel like they are destroying the earth. Then slap a picture of a mama polar bear and her cub, or Knut on the front, and tug at the heartstrings. People will surely trade in their Explorers for hybrids and quit running the AC.

I understand that as a dominant species, it is a responsibility to care for those who share our planet and resources. I agree our government should protect life at all costs- even animal life. But we sometimes overthink the whole endangered species list and blaming the government for what they're supposedly not doing.

Kempthorne and Dale Hall, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, agree that they've been slow to add listings, but blame environmental groups for monopolizing their time with endless petitions and lawsuits. (Other administrations also faced this crush of paperwork, of course, but changes in the law made the bureaucratic end of things much more onerous after 1997.) In any case, Kempthorne tells NEWSWEEK, his priority has been to study and manage the species already listed: monitoring population size, defining their critical habitats and drawing up recovery plans. "Of the species that are listed, we now have recovery plans for 80 percent of them," he says. "That's significant."

Moreover, he says, the logjam has now been broken. By Sept. 30, he promised, the department will determine the fate of 71 species now on the waiting list, nearly a quarter of the total. It's likely that most of these will win designation as either endangered or threatened. Anyone eager to learn the fate of the sheepnose mussel or the interrupted rocksnail will know in a few months—although a quick scan of the list suggests that most of the species constitute a group of plants from Hawaii so obscure they have only a scientific, rather than a common, name. It would not be surprising if much of their critical habitat was relatively small, overlapping and probably not of much interest to the oil industry.

So we built a damn in Tennessee and killed all the endangered fish. Doesn't look good. But you know what else? They found a way. In the words of Jurassic Park, "Life finds a way."

Can we just discount natural selection? (Yes, libs, that was a catalyst for "Is humans abusing their powers and resources to kill the planet natural selection?" Blah blah blah.) I just am sick of this argument.

Authorities on environmental law don't necessarily agree with the government's interpretation, either. The whole point of the act, they say, is to protect critical ecosystems, not just species in isolation. "It's lawful, and Congress was well aware of that when it enacted the law in 1973," says Patrick Parenteau, a professor at the Vermont Law School. "You can't artificially decide what has an effect on the species. If it's being listed because of climate change, you can't turn around and say, 'We're not going to take climate change into account'."

Siegel was disappointed, although hardly surprised, by Kempthorne's position. At least in the short term, the main impact of listing the polar bear will be on American hunters who shoot bears in Canada; they will now be prevented from bringing their trophies back into the United States.

"I suppose we're doing what they're accusing us of doing," Siegel says, meaning using the polar bear to achieve a broader environmental goal, "but [the administration] just frames it in this weird, misleading way. They oppose regulation on behalf of industries concerned about short-term profits, not about the future of our children and grandchildren and the world they live in."

HA! He admits they are using the polar bear to achieve an environmental goal. But whose future are we talking about now? We've changed the debate in the matter of one sentence. Polar bears.... or PEOPLE?

So why not use the artic seabird or staghorn coral? Doesn't tug on the heartstrings quite like a fluffy white bear you could stuff and tuck into bed with Billy and Janie at night. In the meantime, if your problem is really about the effects of global warming on the future of earth's resources and our children's living situation, then let's take the polar bear off the front cover. Change the subject -let's talk about how many empty plastic water bottles are filling our landfills, and how our babies may have to clean it up alone.

Politicizing Batman

Newsweek's article interview with director Christopher Nolan is quite telling of Heath Ledger's characterization for the Joker, Katie's second chance at Rachel Dawes, and so forth. What upset me was the politicization of the movie, at the hands of Newsweek:

NW: The film implies that Gotham's latest wave of psychos exist partly because of Batman, not in spite of him. his presence has unintended consequences in the same way that the U.S. presence in Iraq has consequences. (Here we go.)
CN: At the end of the first film we introduced the idea of escalation. Batman creates this extreme response to crime in Gotham - putting on a mask and jumping off rooftops. Well, what's that going to inspire from the criminals he's fighting? Batman has chnaged the world, but not all for the better. The use of force against an enemy is a tricky and fascinating thing to have in a story. And the film tries to make the point that everybody loses in these situations.

What's your point, Gordon? To make a political statement out of a movie, or drag one out of a director?

NW: So it's not a stretch to look at Gotham and see shades of Baghdad? (Yeah it's a stretch, back off).
CN: Well, where I suppose I would see a parallel is the threat of chaos, which is something we very much deal with in this film. And in today's world, Baghdad is a powerful illustration of that. It's frightening to imagine in one of our own cities.

Good for you, Nolan.

NW: This is heavy stuff for a summer blockbuster.CN: [Laughs] In a way, but I hope it's also entertaining stuff. All of the political echoes that we're talking about—they're all things that rattle around in your brain afterward. The movie itself aims to be entertainment. But you've got to have some real fear that things are not going to turn out well. What we're trying for is genuine peril.

After all that effort on the part of the interviewer, Devin Gordon, he didn't get what he wanted. What is most frustrating is that he tried. I agree movies- and in this case a Film like Batman - have deeper meanings and greater underlying statements about the world around us. But to try to draw a parallel to our presence in Iraq is unnecessary for this movie.

If anything, the US presence in Iraq is the positive effect of Batman, fighting the extremists who wish to destroy the world. Let's recognize our Soldiers as the Dark Nights.

Update

This just in: Viagra helps depressed women get satisfaction too.

You gonna do an ad about that, PP?

Planned Parenthood Anti-McCain Ad

This made me want to throw up last night when I first saw it, and consider protesting a Planned Parenthood office- or more drastic measures.

Planned Parenthood has hit below the belt on this. Whoever serves in office won't determine whether or not health insurance companies cover birth control. Who do you think is in charge of that now?

If you have a problem with your healthcare, stop bitching, and get a new plan.

Yes women deserve affordable health care. So do men. But not at the expense of someone else. And men aren't the only ones who benefit from Viagra, sweetie. Neither are women the only ones who benefit from birth control.

This ad is very personal to me. I think it's bullshit and I think people will finally start to see PP for what it is.

I am ashamed our nation even has an organization like this. It's a left wing abortion-advocating group that would rather we teach our young women to lie, hide, shirk responsibility, and take the easy way out, than to educate them on their choices, their own value and worth, the value of a life smaller than their own, and how to advocate for themselves as strong, intelligent, and powerful women.

"Planned Parenthood thinks it's OK to sleep around. You don't need an ultrasound, we'll just suck out the baby no prob! You don't have to tell your parents, you're 17! Now here's some condoms, and goodluck. In the meantime we're going to make political advertisements against John McCain because he doesn't want us to be able to kill any more babies...we mean, get affordable birth control."

All PP does is provide the quick fix for delinquent girls who think having sex is going to satisfy their deeper desire to be loved. I'd rather send a different message that they ARE loved, and they can choose a better way of living.

Ladies, what would you say to your daughters?

Soapbox, dismounted.

Fish feet

You read that right.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.

Customers say the toothless fish cause a tingling sensation, but it doesn't hurt. And since doctor fish don't have teeth, they can't bite healthy skin. After the fish do their work, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier because the calluses are already gone. Roberts, shown, called the fish treatment "the best pedicure I ever had."

Doyle's #s give him away

Oh Jimboy, you're not fooling me.

From WisPolitics.com: Gov. Jim Doyle raised almost $906,000 during the first half of 2008, according to a report his campaign released this afternoon.

The governor spent $234,090 and had just less than $1.1 million in the bank, according to the release.

Who wants to tell me he's not running in 2010?

Didn't think so.

music video- gotta have you- the weepies

Creativity at work...and a darn good Weepies song.

Caffeine-free-no-more!?!

Starbucks in Middleton is discontinuing caffeine-free mocha frappuccinos. I may die.

I understand there may be a limited demand, ok, probably just me...but what ever happened to enjoying the taste of coffee without the crazy behavioral side effects? (Those of you laughing, have never seen me on caffeine.)

But before I do anything rash, I am considering boycotting Starbucks if they are all doing this. I will update this after my visit to Starby's downtown tomorrow morning.

And for all you laughing at me, watch this! Just you people wait.

"I'm BATMAN!"

Yes, I am thinking about the oldie but goodie, Snickers commercial. And also the amazing The Dark Night. I will surely fall asleep dreaming about Christian Bale.

Something about the voice- even mechanical inside the suit- and the visibility of only his lips, chin, and dimples on the IMAX screen- had me swooning through the whole movie. That, and I do recall his boyish charm from the remake of Little Women. (Groan if you must, men, but actors in classics like that -also big screen Jane Eyre remakes - always get the girl.)

Plus, the action and special effects are quality. And Heath Ledger really is Oscar-worthy by that performance. Who else could walk in the street away from an exploding building wearing full clown make-up and a woman's nurse uniform, and be both sickly funny and disturbing at the same time? I don't understand how critics could not like this movie.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for shoot-em-up action entertainment. But I'd say, go see it.

Pop corn w/ Cells

Is anyone frightened a little by this?

Time for Some Campaignin'

Obviously, I hope everyone viewing has a sense of humor. ;-)

Random kindness

I read this account in a magazine today:

"My husband and I live near a military base. If we see a military person while we're out to lunch, we like to pay for their food. We usually write a simple note on a napkin stating how grateful we are for their service to our country and tell them their lunch has been takencare of, just as they take care of us."

It is a beautiful reminder of a selfless act, for those who live selflessly.

I love this and hope to put it into practice.

Presidential wish lists

Reading Redbook magazine, I come to the "presidential wish list" where celebrities and readers alike have quotes listed about what they'd do as President.

"I would work tirelessly to abolish hate in our nation..."

"I would be open and honest with the public...and bring on the best group of advisers I could find to create a better America."

"I'd address the needs of low-income and poverty-stricken families.

"I'd impose a federal sales tax on luxury goods in order to lower income taxes for the middle and lower classes... finally I would allocate the billions of dollars we are spending now on Iraq to autism research instead."

"I would instate universal health care."

GAG ME! Ladies. WAKE UP! No wonder the future of our nation is so at risk- we've got a bunch of ignorant utopian "do-gooders" making un-researched choices in the name of pagaent-style world peace.

The one semi-conservative entry was from a 28 year old in Raleigh, NC:

"I would continue fighting our wars abroad in order to prevent future terrorist attacks. I would also crack down on illegal immigration. Many people work hard to enter this country legally, and it's an outrage that those who live here illegally can reap the same benefits."

Amen sister.

Women's magazines need to stick to fashion, weight-loss, and sex because the politics are way too skewed.

The Weepies - All This Beauty

I can't stop singing this song! Dance around in your underwear, people!

Parking lot mishap

Heading out to run errands the other day, not too many people are expected at the Walmart SuperCenter in the middle of a work day.

As I left, a few bags in hand and began to walk to my car, I felt a follower. Yes, a white Camry was on my heels, nipping away as if ready to pounce the second I left my parking stall.

In a crowded parking lot, that may be acceptable behavior. But NOT at 11:00 in the day at a Walmart SuperCenter parking lot where there are at least 25 open spaces in each row!!!

She continued to follow me to my car, where I proceeded to load the back seat with my bags. Door still open and still loading, this women slowly turned in the space...wait for it...

RIGHT NEXT TO ME!

WHAT?! I turned in her direction and just said "Really, lady? Really?"

She made no acknowledgment of me, and proceeded to pull in while I sucked in the gut before being squished and quickly hopped into the front seat to go.

What is it with people?

PICK A DIFFERENT SPACE!

Whining

It's hot.

And I have no A/C. I know a lot of people have it a lot worse than I.

I'll try to be grateful that my kitten is not panting yet.

Pull 'em up, boys

I thought this trend went out in the late 90s after NKOTB fell out of style.

Instead of "stick 'em up," it will be more like "pull 'em up" now that fashion police in New Jersey have started a crackdown on baggy pants.

It's happening in Paterson, where city officials want to put the kibosh on this form of fashion.

Bart Johnson says wearing his pants low in a fashion statement, but one councilman is saying pull it up. He's even crafted a proposal to ban "baggy pants."

Councilman Anthony Davis tells teenagers to pull it up every day, and soon he'll be introducing a proposal that would make walking around like this in Paterson subject to fine under the city's indecency law.

"We're tired of seeing your behind," Davis said. "We don't want to see your back side. We don't need to see your underwear. We don't need to see your drawers. Wear your pants."

At least this city's council is trying to improve it's society.

Kucinich sure can point the finger...

And not at the other members of Congress (including 29 Democratic senators and 73(?) Democratic house members) who voted to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein didn't give up weapons... So sure, blame Bush, it was all him.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich's single impeachment article will get a committee hearing — but not on removing President Bush from office.

This time, the panel will open hearings. But House Democratic leaders emphatically said the proceedings will not be about Bush's impeachment, a first step in the Constitution's process of a removing a president from office.

Instead, the panel will conduct an election-year review — possibly televised — of anything Democrats consider to be Bush's abuse of power. Kucinich, D-Ohio, is likely to testify. But so will several scholars and administration critics, Democrats said.

The impeachment resolution alleges that Bush misled the public into thinking that he had no choice but to wage war on Iraq and implied that Iraq had helped al-Qaida with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

OK, so Bush misled the public. Then what role did all the others play?

Lest we remind everyone, the Senate voted 77-23. Daschle himself said it was important for the country "to speak with one voice at this critical moment."

Daschle, D-South Dakota, said the threat of Iraq's weapons programs "may not be imminent. But it is real. It is growing. And it cannot be ignored."

Even Kerry voted for it (of course, before he voted against it).

So let me just make sure I have it straight. The Dems were not for the war ever, at all. They only voted for it because Bush forced them to. (Of course, b/c he knows all the brainwashing tricks.) And even if they did vote to go to war, it was only because Bush presented faulty intelligence that they were forced to believe. (I see now.)

So much for independent thinking and stand-strong leadership.

What's so hard about "plain"?

I'm a plain fast food person. Yes, burgers plain, chicken sandwiches plain, you name it.

I will add my own condiments, thank you very much.

But one thing that continually baffles me is how often I will shout into a drive thru speaker "PLAIN" and still get my sandwich or burger covered in crap.

I have now started the routine of parking at the window, receiving my meal, and unwrapping to check it... and usually sending it back through the window in exchange for a plain one.

I repeat, What's so hard about "plain"?

4 years later...

Wisconsin will finally be creating a system to better track election data.

Wisconsin won a $2 million grant in order to draw a clearer picture of the voting behavior of Wisconsinites in this November 's presidential election.

The state is implementing a Web-based system for collecting election data from Wisconsin 's 72 county clerks and 1,851 municipal clerks in the hopes of getting more complete voting information.

Wisconsin was one of five states to win a grant from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. It will be administered by the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees state elections and ethics laws.

Should have been done after the debacle that was 2004 and is monitoring every election since...

Adult vs. Child debate

This will likely remind us of the Cheney -Edwards whooping that went down in 2004.

The Buffalo News reports that former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards will debate Karl Rove on Sept. 26 on the campus of the University of Buffalo as part of the school’s Distinguished Speakers Series. In the midst of the U.S. attorney scandal, Edwards called on President Bush to “fire Karl Rove.” When Rove announced he was resigning from the White House, Edwards released a statement that simply read “Goodbye, good riddance.”

Good one Edwards. Real dignified.

A new perspective

I don't hate negative political ads. Done right and tastefully, they get the point across. They make an impact, believe it or not.

Republican ad creative Vinny Minchillo has a well-articulated (I wanted to keep reading after the first few lines), well-timed (can you say, "approaching election"?)point to make on bad political attack ads.

When I tell people what I do, it takes them roughly 0.005 seconds to bring up the fact that they hate negative advertising. Guess what. I hate negative advertising, too. Even more than you do.

It's easy to see why anyone with taste would hate it. The traditional negative political ad starts off with a grainy picture of the opposing candidate in an unflattering pose while a baritone-voiced announcer speaks over gloomy music saying things like "What kind of man is Bob Smith?"

I hate those commercials, too. They're bad. And that's my point. People are fine with negative advertising; it's bad advertising they hate.

Focus group after focus group, for political and traditional clients alike, shows that people hate attack advertising. At least, what they perceive as attack advertising. They have no trouble with you pointing out differences, but don't attack the other side. People hate that.

Or do they?

There's an ad campaign running right now that has all the hallmarks of traditional attack advertising. One side portrays the other in an unflattering light and spends 30 seconds hammering away at the other side's flaws. It starts, "Hi, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC."

Simple, brilliant, effective. A negative ad done with taste.

And guess what? A little good taste works in political advertising, too.

Read the rest.

The next time you complain about a negative attack ad, try to do better. Or tip Vinny off on some new business opportunities.

When I See You Smile

I just love how dudes with bad '80s hair-dos can sum up my feelings...

From the mouth itself

A Democrat said this?

In the breathless weeks before the Oregon presidential primary in May, Martha Shade did what thousands of other people here did: She registered as a Democrat so she could vote for Senator Barack Obama.

Now, however, after critics have accused Obama of shifting positions on issues like the war in Iraq, the Bush administration's program of wiretapping without warrants, gun control and the death penalty - all in what some view as a shameless play to a general election audience - Shade said she planned to switch back to the Green Party.

"I'm disgusted with him," said Shade, an artist. "I can't even listen to him anymore. He had such an opportunity, but all this 'audacity of hope' stuff, it's blah, blah, blah. For all the independents he's going to gain, he's going to lose a lot of progressives."

Someone else agrees that "hope and change" is a crap line!

Grey's Anatomical changes

Don't bite the hand that feeds you...

Is Katherine Heigl dead to the producers of Grey's Anatomy? Maybe.

Latest buzz hissing from the set of the ABC hit is that creator Shonda Rhimes may be entertaining the idea of killing off Heigl's Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens because of the now infamous remarks Heigl made about the upcoming Emmys.

Lest you forget, Heigl took herself out of the running for this year's Emmy race because she felt the writers failed to give her enough good material to work with last season.

She also shot off her mouth about the actor formerly known as Dr. Burke and isn't exactly reserved about sharing her opinion.

Knocked Up wasn't that funny anyway.

Brett Favre isn't just a "football player."

I reiterate, I hate Ted Thompson.

"Our stance is that Brett, just like any other retired player, has the option to ask the commissioner for reinstatement," said Thompson, who placed Favre on the reserve/retired list April 25, just over six weeks after Favre's emotional March 6 retirement news conference. "If he does that, he'll go on our active roster. Then we'll see how it goes after that. We don't know where that goes."

Asked who gives the Packers a better chance to win in 2008, Rodgers or Favre, Thompson replied, "Right now, we'd say Aaron Rodgers, because Aaron Rodgers is on the active roster."

Such a scenario -- having Favre on the active roster, at a $12 million base salary, competing with or backing up Rodgers -- would seem to be an an untenable position for the Packers. Asked if the club could really do that, Thompson replied, "I think we could. I grant you that there'd be some awkward moments, but at the end of the day, football players are football players.

Watch your tongue, wiseass.

Favre

I am daring to post on a matter very close to my heart that has my emotions in a tizzy.

First and foremost, Ted Thompson, we hate you. I use a collective WE, I am not alone.

A trade may be the best resolution, but Thompson and McCarthy declined to discuss that possibility. Thompson said he had not received any inquiries from other teams as of Saturday morning.

"We've communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward," Thompson said. "At the same time, we've never said that there couldn't be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play."

When asked whether that role might be as a backup or coach, Thompson said: "not a coach."

Added McCarthy: "He did ask about that, though."

(WELL, WHY NOT AS A COACH!?) But as for Brett... I'm concerned. If he wanted to come back to the Packers, he should have fought for the right to more time earlier. We would have waited. We waited before...

I worry that if he were to get his release, going to another team would ruin his reputation among Packer fans world wide. Can anyone say Riot? We see this man as a man of honor, a man of his word. When he speaks and the tears roll down his face and he says "I have nothing left to give," we shake our heads and cry in empathy. OK, Brett, OK. We'll let you go...

To go to another team and play for a year or two, it's Reggie White at the Panthers all over again, minus the one-year of retirement. No one wants to see that.

Brett always said he wanted to end his career as a Packer. Why would he change his mind?

I'm hoping he just wants all the rumors to end, to get his release and retire for good, to not be tempted and to not burn bridges with Green Bay. Here's hoping.

Correct Change

I had dinner out with friends tonight, and my bill was $11.69. What am I brought for change for a $20?

$8 and a quarter.

To me, $8.25 + $11.69 = $19.94.

Am I really going to make a big deal out of 6 cents? No...BUT, do I want my change to be correct? Bingo.

I guess, keep the change, honey.

WMC Speaks out

In today's paper, WMC President James Buchen had some harsh and true words for the "politically tolerant" of Madison:

The free speech rights of Wisconsin business are once again under assault. This time it is not an official government action that is attempting to stifle the voice of the business community, but rather an organized campaign involving misinformation, intimidation, and threats of boycott. The effort is being spearheaded by certain Madison-based politicos, unions, and other like-minded interest groups who feel that the business community, and more specifically Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, have been too effective at blocking their political and policy agendas.

Whether it is higher business taxes, more regulatory roadblocks to creating manufacturing jobs, or an activist majority on the Supreme Court, this faction has failed to convince the public to embrace its liberal agenda. They blame the business community and are now trying to silence the primary voice of the business perspective -- the WMC issue advocacy program.

In the Alice in Wonderland world of Madison politics, where the virtues of tolerance and diversity are considered sacred, there apparently is no room for an alternative political or policy perspective that strays from liberal orthodoxy.

The campaign to silence WMC includes both the current and former mayors of Madison, a handful of other Dane county politicians, and at least one newspaper editor. They have a Web site devoted to WMC bashing and a couple of daily blogs. There is a weekly editorial rant in one of the local papers, which usually contains specious accusations of racism. They have organized pickets at WMC events, "meetings" with WMC board members, and boycotts of WMC member companies. Their objective is to intimidate business leaders into withdrawing their voice from the marketplace of ideas. That way they ensure that the public is exposed to the only "true and correct" political and policy perspective as expressed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Greater Wisconsin Committee.

This misguided effort fails to account for the fact that Wisconsin business leaders are neither stupid nor cowards. As our economy sags and we continue to bleed manufacturing jobs, the WMC leadership is more resolved than ever to advocate for sensible policies aimed at improving the business climate and creating jobs in Wisconsin.

WMC leaders feel the business community has an obligation to help policymakers and the general public understand how high taxes and increasing regulation harm our competitiveness. They also believe that public disclosure of the voting records and policy positions of elected officials, be they members of the legislature or the Supreme Court, contributes to a healthy democratic process. And they are most firmly committed to ensuring that the public debate on politics and policy is not reduced to a monologue of left-wing rhetoric.

James A. Buchen is vice president of government relations for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

In a city that is so tolerant of political opinion and expression, it is true that those to the right of center feel silenced and unwelcome.

Well said, Mr. Buchen, well said.

Please tell me who cares?

Obama's kids won't be doing more interviews. Let's please write a thousand more pointless articles about a subject that impacts no one.

Just a day after the week's first installment aired, Obama seems to think so. MSNBC reports that the candidate all but called the sit-down with his wife and two daughters, Malia and Sasha, a lapse in judgment:

Barack Obama said it was a mistake to allow his daughters to be interviewed extensively by "Access Hollywood," and he will not allow it to happen again.

"I think that we got carried away in the moment," the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee told TODAY's Matt Lauer Wednesday. "We were having a birthday party, and everybody was laughing. And suddenly this thing cropped up. I didn’t catch it quickly enough. I was surprised by the attention it received."

OMG, you're awful parents beacuse you let your kids be on camera. Get over yourself.

Can we get a news story that impacts American lives?

To Be With You

It's about time

Are the dems comin' around?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A top U.S. Democratic senator said in a newspaper interview published Wednesday that he would consider supporting opening up new areas for offshore oil and gas drilling.

"I'm open to drilling and responsible production," Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin told The Wall Street Journal, adding that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could also support the move.

However, Durbin said his support for opening new areas to drilling was contingent on setting requirements that oil and gas companies begin production within a specified time frame on acreage they have leased from the government.

Just do it already.

More construction

Our road news.

The 200 block of South Carroll Street will be closed for five hours Thursday morning so a company can construct a portable crane...

Sidewalk access will be maintained at all times to buildings in the closed block.

Motorists are encouraged to use different routes to avoid delays.

OF course they are! Could any more of this city be torn up right now?

It makes me cranky.

Warehouse

Out with the girls... I heard Dave all night. He is stalking me.

Hey reckless mind
Don't throw away your playful beginnings
You and I
Will fumble around in the touches and be sure to...




And here I sit
Life goes on, end of tunnel, TV set
Spot in the middle
Static fade, statistical bit
And soon I'll fade away, I'll fade away


Leave all the lights on

Obama, the next Kerry?

I respect the opinion column in today's Cap Times, merely for the fact it suggests Obama isn't Jesus, reincarnated for once.

WASHINGTON -- When a candidate calls a second news conference to say the same thing he thought he said in the first one, you know he knows he has a problem.

Thus Barack Obama's twin news conferences last week in Fargo, N.D. At his first, Obama promised he would make a "thorough assessment" of his Iraq policy in his coming visit there and "continue to gather information" to "make sure that our troops are safe, and that Iraq is stable."

You might ask: What's wrong with that? A commander in chief willing to adjust his view to facts and realities should be a refreshing idea.

But when news reports suggested Obama was backing away from his commitment to withdrawing troops from Iraq in 16 months, Obama's lieutenants no doubt heard echoes of those cries of "flip-flop" that rocked the 2004 Republican National Convention and proved devastating to John Kerry.

So out Obama came again to reiterate his time line. "Apparently, I wasn't clear enough this morning on my position with respect to the war in Iraq," he said. "I intend to end this war. My first day in office I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission, and that is to end this war -- responsibly, deliberately, but decisively."

I love the comment section on this article, "Obama is just a talker. He likes to hear himself talk."

Republicans are pressing Obama on Iraq because they know that any new moves he makes will be interpreted, fairly or not, as a change in position, and that this will hurt him with two groups: the anti-war base of the Democratic Party, and independent voters, many of whom are just tuning into the campaign.

Painting Obama as a shameless shape-shifter is a way for his opponents to dull the enthusiasm (and inhibit the campaign contributions) of the war's staunchest foes. And if this image stuck, it could also hurt Obama among independents. They might vote for a hawk or a dove, but not a chameleon.

Over the last week, Obama has been crafty in the way he has sought the political middle ground. He has emphasized his "values" and touted his patriotism, his call to service and his faith, as he did Saturday at a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. That is quite different from backing off his core promises.

Voters accept that a president may alter the details of campaign promises. What they expect is a clear sense of the direction he will take. At the moment, voters know that John McCain is far more likely than Barack Obama to continue the war in Iraq indefinitely. Obama would be foolish to blur that distinction.

Obama may bust out words like values, but it's just crafty- nothing more. It's rhetoric, and empty at that.

I don't want to say calling Obama a shape-shifter isn't accurate, nor less than a quality war tactic. We all know what the waffles and flip flops did to Kerry's campaign.

Family Values

Obama's new ad features photos of his family and campaign stops while his voice talks about "family," "values," and "country."

I'm sure it's running in targeted Midwestern states.

Why else would there be only white people in all the pictures? Food for thought...

Unluck

The past two times I have had a fortune cookie...there has been no fortune.



What does that mean?

CC, we're ready for ya

C.C. Sabathia, the Indians first Cy Young winner in 35 years, is gone. The Indians will announce his trade to Milwaukee today at a noon press conference.

Sabathia, a free agent at the end of the season, will head to Milwaukee and help the Brewers try to catch the Cubs in the NL Central. The Indians former No.1 pick leaves with a 106-71 record.

Balance

Just saw this on tv last night. They are wasting no time here in the midwest.

The Third Letter

Good morning, on July 7

Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all -

Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves.

And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.

ever thine

ever mine

ever ours

~Ludwig von Beethoven

So long puppers

Sad, sad news.

For many of us GOP campaign faithful, Bob and Rocco are a staple at all things gun show.

After a lifetime spent promoting outdoor fun in Wisconsin, Rocco soon will swim his last pond and retrieve his final hunting trophy.

The canine half of the Bob and Rocco duo, known throughout the state for gun shows and hunting expeditions, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The 11-year-old black Labrador retriever is not expected to live more than a couple of weeks longer.

Bob and Rocco have been promoters of our 2nd Amendment rights here in Wisconsin for many years.

Let us all give a collective "Good Boy!"

Morale for the masses

Ed Garvey has outdone himself today.

We are on the verge of bankruptcy, flag lapel pin or not, because of the costs of a war and occupation we cannot win -- Iraq. It's costing us $341 million per day. Yes. Per day. We are rattling rockets at a country that we could never defeat and occupy, Iran, and while that is ongoing, our nuclear-armed ally, Pakistan, is teetering on the brink of chaos. And the Taliban is doing quite well in Afghanistan.

Watching Condi Rice flit around the Middle East from crisis to crisis would make a wonderful movie for the late Peter Ustinov, but it isn't funny.

The latest estimate of Iraqi refugees is in the millions. Homeless people add millions more. Nicholas Kristof, writing in the New York Times last week, said 8 percent of Jordan's population consists of 480,000 Iraqi refugees -- and they are not welcome at an annual cost of $1,000 per year per Jordanian family. (Jordan opposed the invasion but ends up paying for a large chunk of it.) Their schools are overflowing and so are the brothels in Amman, writes Kristof. Desperate people in dire straights.

The truth of the situation in Iraq, if you ask any soldier serving or having returned from a tour, violence is down and civilian casualties are down, as well as military casualties. Iraqi forces are beginning to emerge as controllers of independent missions. Taliban leaders are still out there- yet they are still hunted, tracked, and caught as the fight progresses. Perhaps Congress has hijacked spending- but don't forget a thank-you note to Senator Feingold for the pork tacked on to the spending bills in excess of what President Bush requested this quarter.

It's this that kills me:

What is John McCain talking about? Security has improved after the "surge." Suppose security is better. Is there a connection between the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths, the flight of millions from their homes and the improved security? I don't know but I do know it will take years and billions of dollars to restore Iraq as a functioning nation. And has security improved to the point where our troops can leave, senator? Get serious.

But surge or no surge, what are we willing to spend to build infrastructure -- schools, libraries, roads, railroads? Can we find jobs for millions of Iraqis if we can't find work for millions of Americans?

This country had better be prepared to spend tens of billions per year in Iraq after peace is restored or face an explosion in the Middle East. Like it or not, there are consequences in going to war. More than 4,100 American soldiers have been killed and 25,000 seriously injured; millions of Iraqis have had their lives ruined. Thank you, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, George Bush, and Don Rumsfeld. Thank you.

"What are we willing to spend?" I'm sure you're cheap ass won't give a dime, Ed. But I'd rather ask "What are we NOT willing to do for the Iraqi people?" Out of compassion, out of faith, out of a greater will to shower freedom upon those as equally deserving, and out of it just being the right thing to do?

But you're right. Our country better be willing to spend and dedicate years to help maintain peace in Iraq - or we will face an explosion - and it'll be on our soil once again. They are still plotting and praying to kill us and take our freedoms away - to take your precious column away. And let's THANK the American soldiers: I think the Iraqis may see things differently - because of them more Iraqis will live in freedom, start businesses, see their daughters educated, pursue prominent careers, and take their rightful place at the global table of freedom.

It must be a dire life you lead- seeing only the worst in every situation?

Get a dog or something.

Makeup Heaven to arrive

SOON!

Thursday, July 3, marks the grand opening of Sephora in Madison.

Already the leading retail beauty chain in Europe, and with multiple locations in states like California, New York and Texas, Madison's newly constructed Sephora is only the second stand-alone location in Wisconsin.

The beauty retailer has made its name selling high-end cosmetics unavailable in some department stores while offering its customers educational services about its products.

Ladies of Madison, rejoice!