Wednesday, October 31, 2007

No Comment

It seems kindest to say nothing.

Make The Pie Higher

The following is a poem comprised entirely of actual quotes from our president. The quotes were arranged by Post writer Richard Thompson.



MAKE THE PIE HIGHER by George W. Bush:


I think we all agree
The past is over.


This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen
And uncertainty
And potential mental losses.


Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet
Become more few?


How many hands Have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pant leg
Of opportunity.


I know that the human being
And the fish Can coexist.

Families is where our nation
Finds hope
Where our wings take dream.


Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize Society!
Make the pie higher!

Make the pie higher!


Major league.

Blogsnobbery

There are blogs for the language snobs among us. There is Literally one for every snob "out there."

Oh, yeah. You know who you are.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Mad Skilz

Hurry Back

First and foremost we hope Rep. Gundrum and all of our troops come home safely, sooner rather than later.


But can't you see the film that could be made of his deployment?


Gundrum, an attorney in Waukesha County, will be working in legal areas as a
judge advocate dealing with governance and rule of law issues as well as
mentoring democratic officials.
Imagine the wackiness when ordinary Iraqi citizens face the conservative judge from Wisconsin.

“I have had some great training already in combat, lifesaving and the Arabic
language,” Gundrum said, “But now we will be stepping it up.”

Goofy translation errors abound when a Sunni messenger is caught bringing colored margarine from Karbala.

Lt. Col. Richard Appel, public affairs officer for the unit, explained
exercises at an active post will allow for more tactical training and
team-building activities that are critical for preparing for Iraq.
The first part of the movie takes place at Training Camp in North Carolina where Gunnery Sgt. Denzel leads the unit through 10 grueling hours of Trust Excercises and The Ropes Course.

Channel 3 reports that Gundrum will be helping the Iraqi government with corruption issues. I think the Iraqi government has that issue under control. They need the help with anti-corruption issues.
Finally, from Boots and Sabres:
Gundrum, 37, will be leaving next month for several weeks of training at
Fort Bragg, N.C., and hopes to return to Wisconsin to spend the holidays with
his family including wife, Mary, and their six children before leaving for Iraq
at the end of January.

Why can't these bloggers leave the wives and children out of it? Haven't they suffered enough?

Drawn That Way

Do you really, really love what you do?

This guy does and he shares his love of old animation and drawing with us on two blogs.

Animation-Treasures1

Animation-Treasures2

If you love the look of theatrical cartoons you owe it to yourself to check these out.

Less Geeky? More Geeky?

The Brunching Shuttlecocks have the Geek Hierarchy Chart posted.

Go find your own self. I'm pretty sure the rest of us don't want to know.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Some Of The World's Best Punchlines

I’m still equally confused, but on a much higher level.

…in an odd number of places.

We know how much,but not what of.

Four.

Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.


I’m a sex maniac? Who’s got all the dirty pictures?

The court will return $5000 to counsel for the plaintiff, and we’ll try this thing on its merits.

Yes, but I'll be sober in the morning.

If you were my wife, I'd drink it.

I was misinformed.

What you mean we, paleface?

We already know that. Now we're haggling about price.

Relax, Father.

The smartest man in the entire world just jumped out of the plane with my knapsack.

Madam, you flatter yourself. It is hanging out.

Seven ayes, one no. The noes have it.

If it weren't for the honor of the thing, I'd just as soon walk.

That isn't such a shaggy dog.

You mean life isn't a fountain?

Three years for insulting the Party Secretary, and twenty for revealing a state secret.

What God wants, He takes.

You're going to do it over, and over, and over again until you get it right.

They make it up on volume.

That's where the money is.

Yeah, but I'm not lost.

But I never asked anyone how.

Not if you keep your thumbs out of the way.

Assume a can opener.

Compared to what?

... thus reducing it to a previously solved problem.

Sure there is, buddy. But that's the first time anybody asked me for it in the pluperfect subjunctive.

Give him a nickel and tell him to vote Republican.

... the pleasure is fleeting, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable.

... and tell you to put the black ten on the red jack.

Seven to four? Comrades!Seven to four is mathematics, not politics.

How do you pick up peanuts with that little thing?

So how do you cause a flood?

They're not eating sardines, they're selling sardines.

Sell? To whom?

Start with a large fortune and follow your broker's advice.

What's posterity ever done for me?

No, it don't conflict with my interest.

I’m shocked – shocked! – to find out that gambling has been going on in this establishment.


It might lead to dancing.

It mattered to that one.

Expansion of Evansville Wildlife Area Imminent

From Senator Erpenbach's electronic newsletter

Department of Natural Resources Planned Purchase in Town of Union:

The Department of Natural Resources has plans to purchase land in the Town of Union in Rock County to expand the Evansville Wildlife Area. The land will be managed for conservation and public recreation and is adjacent to a current wildlife area. Visit the Department of Natural Resources Real Estate Program for more information on conservation purchases.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Enough Heaviness

It's time for a little bloggy fun. We all guessed way too short on Wisopinion's "When will Wisconsin get a new budget" pool. We should have a chance to get right before Christmas comes around.

Add your guess to the comments...When will Scott Suder have to take out the next restraining order against one of his girlfriends?

For bonus points think of a name for an Assembly dating service to keep young Scott from his own mistakes a third time.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Another Union. Another List.

This list of men and women who were grateful for the opportunity to serve is long. I know that. I had almost decided not to post it because the loudmouths who should be ashamed of their language and behavior seem to be impervious to the irony of their own words, much less mine.

But then I saw the name of Jim Jantz on the list. Jim was one of Dad's buddies from way-back, shot during a routine traffic stop that would turn into one of Wisconsin's largest manhunts.

I will repeat my challenge. Show a little gratitude. Have a little shame.


Name
End of Watch
Agency

Shannon, Michael E
3/7/2003
Adams County Sheriff's Office

Leist, Ronald E.
10/9/1969
Algoma Police Department

McArthur, John
6/24/1905
Antigo Police Department

Dunn, Alfred E.
11/2/1926
Appleton Police Department

Day, Mahlon John
12/24/1955
Appleton Police Department

Gaik, Walter
12/7/1970
Ashland County Sheriff's Office

Olson, Matt
2/3/1916
Barron County Sheriff's Office

Larson, Wally L
10/28/1987
Barron County Sheriff's Office

Kavajecz, John J.
12/12/1968
Bayfield County Sheriff's Office

Parquette, Richard G.
9/10/1996
Bayfield County Sheriff's Office

Larsen, Peter A.
11/15/1998
Beloit Police Department

Gusinda, Jeffrey J.
3/30/1993
Brookfield Police Department

Wenner, Raymond
7/31/1945
Brown County Highway Police

Truttmann, Wayne J.
12/20/1973
Brown County Sheriff's Office

Eilers, Anthony G.
2/5/1962
Burlington Police Department

Schenning, Hubert W.
2/9/1935
Burlington Police Department

Gramer, Paul R.
11/20/1968
Burnett County Sheriff's Office

Albee, Allen A.
4/19/1991
Burnett County Sheriff's Office

Hansen, Charles
7/14/1968
Calumet County Sheriff's Office

Williams, Jeffrey J.
6/9/1993
Calumet County Sheriff's Office

Loud, William H.
8/18/1912
Cassville Police Department

Steffes, Anton J.
4/5/1942
Chilton Police Department

Spike, Donald Georg
9/29/1950
Chippewa Falls Police Department

Stamper, Todd J.
7/15/2000
Crandon Police Department

Lester, Robert D.
3/21/1844
Crawford County Sheriff's Office

Bzdusek, Stephen G.
2/1/1981
Cudahy Police Department

Van Deusen, Earl A.
1/4/1930
Dane County Sheriff's Office

Orsburne, Harlend G.
7/24/1979
Dane County Traffic Police

Moran, Frank
5/8/1927
Darlington Police Department

Krakow, Andrew A.
6/5/1990
Dept. of Natural Resources

Johnson, Einar P.
5/17/1929
Dept. of Natural Resources

Vander Kelen, Alfred P.
11/6/1928
Dept. of Natural Resources

Russell, Mark H.
5/21/1955
Dept. of Natural Resources

Markle, Robert B.
5/8/1966
Dept. of Natural Resources

LaFave, Neil L.
9/24/1971
Dept. of Natural Resources

Reif, Albert E.
11/18/1942
Dept. of Natural Resources

Bentz, Kurth
5/8/1936
Dodge County Motor Police

Lisko, Hugo
9/27/1926
Dodge County Motor Police

Leigh, Walter S.
1/29/1963
Dodgeville Police Department

Coleman, Milton A.
7/10/1881
Dunn County Sheriff's Office

Heisa, Gordon L.
4/10/1979
Dunn County Traffic Police

Hahn, Stephen J
2/16/2006
Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office

Sundby, Elmer
7/26/1921
Eau Claire Police Department

Bolton, Robert P.
10/6/1982
Eau Claire Police Department

Lindstrom, Hans
6/12/1927
Elkhorn Police Department

Baum, W. Carte
4/22/1934
FBI

McCready, Patrick
3/10/1991
Fairchild Police Department

Spikerman, Boyd H
1/29/1984
Federal Bureau of Prisons - Oxford WI

Kenford, Jack E.
6/14/1932
Federal Prohibition Agent

Prinslow, William Chris
11/19/1898
Fond du Lac Police Department

Klaske, Nick A.
10/31/1961
Fond du Lac Police Department

McKee, David A.
4/9/1968
Fort Atkinson Police Department

Backes, Robert D.
3/21/1981
Germantown Police Department

Sassan, George Rober
7/23/1975
Glendale Police Department

Hedbany, Ronald E.
10/28/1994
Glendale Police Department

Reuter, Thomas L.
3/18/1990
Grant County Sheriff's Office

Schinzing, Richard F.
10/17/1974
Grantsburg Police Department

Motquin, George A.
12/17/1951
Green Bay Police Department

Solbraa, Matthew E.
5/7/1919
Green County Sheriff's Office

Williams, Bruce A
10/19/2003
Green Lake County Sheriff's Office

Scherger, Leonard
5/21/1904
Hartford Police Department

Woodbeck, George
9/25/1932
Hayward Police Department

Etter Jr, Robert G
7/22/2002
Hobart-Lawrence Police Department

Markins, Stephanie R
7/22/2002
Hobart-Lawrence Police Department

Liebenow, Charles
6/2/1941
Horicon Police Department

Gibson, William E.
10/19/1882
Horicon Police Department

Dunn, Thomas
7/15/1924
Hortonville Police Department

Erickson, Clarence John
6/14/1953
Hudson Police Department

Mork, Gerald W.
7/14/1985
Iola Police Department

Housworth, Richard L.
3/31/1989
Juneau County Sheriff's Office

Johnson, Steven J.
10/14/1980
Juneau County Sheriff's Office

Aquino, Blanco
7/21/1991
Kenosha County Sheriff's Office

Rieschl, James
7/2/1961
Kenosha County Sheriff's Office

Fraid, Gary W.
6/7/1973
Kenosha Police Department

Pingitore, Antonio
3/31/1919
Kenosha Police Department

Hanske, Edmund E
9/4/1914
Kiel Police Department

Staats, Hubert D.
9/13/1927
La Crosse County Sheriff's Office

Sampson, Roy B.
9/24/1952
La Crosse County Sheriff's Office

Groeschner, Frank
11/18/1916
La Crosse Police Department

Donndelinger, Joseph A.
12/10/1937
La Crosse Police Department

Gates, T. Perry
9/8/1900
La Crosse Police Department

Exner, Albert C.
6/19/1931
Lake Geneva Police Department

Buchen, Edward
11/5/1933
Langlade County Sheriff's Office

Olson, Otto K
11/23/1933
Laona Village Marshal

Riphon, Edward F.
5/16/1932
Madison Police Department

Thompson, Palmer
1/3/1926
Madison Police Department

Dosch, Grant J.
2/4/1918
Madison Police Department

Dreger, Herbert C.
12/2/1924
Madison Police Department

Metsker, Lawrence H.
2/25/1976
Manitowoc Police Department

Ten Haken, Dale R.
9/24/1998
Manitowoc Police Department

Mueller, Fred
7/5/1932
Manitowoc Police Department

Sheets, Jeffrey N.
5/21/1994
Marathon County Sheriff's Office

Hoffmann, Edward R
5/26/2000
Marinette County Sheriff's Dept.

Butts, Emmet
5/21/1923
Marinette County Sheriff's Office

Beell, Fred A.
8/5/1933
Marshfield Police Department

Taylor Jr., John S.
8/6/1977
Menomonee Falls Police Department

Panck, Gordon R.
12/22/1946
Menomonie Police Department

Buntrock, Thomas E.
12/2/1979
Mequon Police Department

Krueger, Elmer C.
7/19/1952
Merrill Police Department

Coffey, John Ray
10/27/1979
Millston Police Department

Demos, David M.
1/25/1997
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Trandel, John V.
5/1/1981
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Beckemeier, Alvin H.
5/10/1947
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Schilling, Wallace N.
10/8/1975
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Zylka, Ralph E.
8/17/2000
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Bang, Sung Hui
8/17/2000
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Rhodes, Lloyd L.
11/17/1951
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Grundman, Howard F
1/30/1934
Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Du Planty, Paul G.
11/9/1971
Milwaukee Police Department

O'Bradovich, Dennis Lee
8/18/1975
Milwaukee Police Department

Sroczynski, Alan
11/8/1970
Milwaukee Police Department

Stecker, Stephen
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Luedtke, Walter
12/18/1924
Milwaukee Police Department

Smith, Charles T.
1/31/1973
Milwaukee Police Department

Kohn, Albert C.
10/29/1975
Milwaukee Police Department

Matulis, Thomas G.
7/10/1974
Milwaukee Police Department

Kaemmerling, William F.
1/28/1922
Milwaukee Police Department

Draeger, Michael L.
12/28/1974
Milwaukee Police Department

Hasenstab, Steven John
8/19/1989
Milwaukee Police Department

Hempe, Gerald W.
1/31/1973
Milwaukee Police Department

Riley, Robert D.
7/10/1974
Milwaukee Police Department

Reagan, Ronald Patri
12/13/1973
Milwaukee Police Department

Weiler, Paul
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Tourmo, Michael R.
11/18/1990
Milwaukee Police Department

Snow Jr., Sydney C.
1/30/1982
Milwaukee Police Department

Templin, Albert
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Collura, Rosario J.
3/19/1985
Milwaukee Police Department

Caswin, Frank
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Mehlberg, Charles S.
12/23/1981
Milwaukee Police Department

Lesnieski, Leonard R.
3/19/1985
Milwaukee Police Department

Machajewski, John A.
12/23/1981
Milwaukee Police Department

Kaiser, Frederick
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Niehoff, Michael A.
11/30/1994
Milwaukee Police Department

Wagner, Richard E.
10/25/1990
Milwaukee Police Department

Spindler, Edward
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Sterling, Roger A.
5/11/1987
Milwaukee Police Department

O'Brien, David
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Deckert, Henry
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Gorlewski, Dennis J.
3/25/1987
Milwaukee Police Department

Kiefer, Thomas R.
11/25/1977
Milwaukee Police Department

Robertson, William A.
9/7/1994
Milwaukee Police Department

Seehawer, Charles
11/24/1917
Milwaukee Police Department

Piszczek, Frank
6/22/1884
Milwaukee Police Department

White, Vernon V.
11/10/1951
Milwaukee Police Department

Thurow, Hilbert F.
8/22/1930
Milwaukee Police Department

Johnson, Ernest
9/15/1904
Milwaukee Police Department

Werner, Arnold O.
7/10/1943
Milwaukee Police Department

Fish, George
9/22/1970
Milwaukee Police Department

Lecher, Joseph A.
3/21/1943
Milwaukee Police Department

Bahlke, Robert
2/23/1932
Milwaukee Police Department

Kossow, John
9/30/1899
Milwaukee Police Department

Raabe, George H.
11/2/1937
Milwaukee Police Department

Nencki, Raymond A.
10/5/1959
Milwaukee Police Department

Goodman, Nels
8/10/1937
Milwaukee Police Department

Adam, Valentine
3/6/1948
Milwaukee Police Department

Flieth, Otto H.
12/17/1908
Milwaukee Police Department

Bates, Elmer A.
8/23/1948
Milwaukee Police Department

Schmidt, Harry W.
4/4/1925
Milwaukee Police Department

Kraemer, Robert E.
2/7/1963
Milwaukee Police Department

George, Charles
6/8/1936
Milwaukee Police Department

Zingler, Richard
2/8/1933
Milwaukee Police Department

Kubacki, Joseph
5/24/1924
Milwaukee Police Department

Rivers, James J.
3/21/1966
Milwaukee Police Department

Gauer, Peter
7/3/1909
Milwaukee Police Department

Hogan, Ronald T.
5/2/1967
Milwaukee Police Department

Moschea, Bryan J.
7/31/1967
Milwaukee Police Department

Pieske, Harry
6/27/1935
Milwaukee Police Department

Tanner, Wendolyn O.
9/7/1996
Milwaukee Police Department

Jordan, Fred
3/7/1930
Monticello Police Department

Lynch, James
8/30/1931
Neillsville Police Department

Coopman, Edward T.
7/26/1964
Oconto County Sheriff's Department

Skenandore, Jeffrey Scott
3/30/1993
Oneida Tribal Police

O'Connor, George
7/23/1922
Oshkosh Police Department

Hardy, Louis
7/28/1890
Oshkosh Police Department

Spiering, Walter A.
7/19/1939
Oshkosh Police Department

Welch, Elwin
4/2/1962
Outagamie County Sheriff's Office

Griffin, Fred C.
8/18/1912
Owen Police Department

Coleman, Charles G.
7/10/1881
Pepin Co. Sheriff's Office

Baker, Joseph H
10//1875
Portage County Sheriff's Office

Garland, Charles Z
10/24/1917
Prescott Police Department

Hanson, George W.
6/18/1953
Racine County Sheriff's Office

Denman, Henry
6/25/1953
Racine County Sheriff's Office

Hantschel, James J.
5/15/1963
Racine Police Department

Breheim, Harry C.
8/26/1933
Racine Police Department

Worden, Harold
8/25/1955
Racine Police Department

Christensen, Alvin B.
7/13/1930
Racine Police Department

McEachern, Lester
5/5/1956
Racine Police Department

Lenzke, Frank F.
5/13/1936
Racine Police Department

Fine, James R.
1/11/1974
Racine Police Department

Baribeau, Michael R.
12/19/1995
Rice Lake Police Department

Gagner, Louis E
7/27/1930
Rice Lake Police Department

Weinke, Richard A
4/5/1998
Sauk County Sheriff's Office

Searles, Stuart J.
6/10/1984
Sauk County Sheriff's Office

Meeks, Walter Calvi
5/6/1978
Sauk County Sheriff's Office

Jantz, James C.
8/21/1961
Sauk County Traffic Police

Villiard, Michael S.
7/9/1998
Sawyer County Sheriff's Department

Harp, Oscar
10/8/1910
Sawyer County Sheriff's Department

Johnson, Carl
6/17/1939
Sawyer County Sheriff's Dept

Scott, Fred W
6/17/1939
Sawyer County Sheriff's Dept

Braun, John E.
12/24/1979
Schofield Police Department

De Lisle, John
11/12/1928
Scholfield Police Department

Stoltenow, James E.
1/27/1987
Shawano County Sheriff's Office

Nennig Jr., LeRoy H.
8/15/2004
Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office

Husting, Theodore
3/27/1937
Sheboygan Police Department

Chybowski, Frank
7/12/1946
South Milwaukee Police Department

Nenning, Frank
1/1/1937
South Milwaukee Police Department

Stoll, John Jerom
7/7/1987
South Milwaukee Police Department

Murphy, Lee
6/22/1955
St. Croix County Highway Patrol

Harris, Harry O.
6/18/1904
St. Croix County Sheriff's Office

Moore, John
3/11/1901
Stanley Police Department

Kraby, Paul A.
9/30/1934
Stoughton Police Department

Atkins Jr., Robert E.
1/26/1975
Summit Police Department

Olson, Wayne W.
1/26/1975
Summit Police Department

Fulton, Robert J.
4/29/1948
Superior Police Department

Jackson, Roy W.
4/14/1911
Superior Police Department

Beaton, Finley
7/27/1919
Superior Police Department

Zimmerman, Arthur H.
12/3/1929
Superior Police Department

Jacobson, Adolph G
4/18/1941
Superior, City of

Nystrom, Carl O.
6/9/1945
Tomahawk Police Department

Rocque, Leo
10/5/1926
Two Rivers Police Department

Dodge, Thomas R.
9/10/1975
Two Rivers Police Department

McCormick, William L
9/3/1941
U.S. Marshal's Service

Dickson, Bobbie W.
8/8/1986
Vernon County Sheriff's Office

Radcliffe, John
7/7/1911
Vilas County Sheriff's Office

Mohr, Mary C.
1/21/1988
Vilas County Sheriff's Office

Cook, Michael G.
11/24/1976
Viola Police Department

Starry, Curtis
3/13/1953
Viroqua Police Department

Bolton Jr., Patrick R.
8/26/1966
Walworth County Sheriff's Office

Schmitt, John M.
9/7/1998
Washington County Sheriff's Office

Snover, Charles
7/28/1935
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office

O'Brien, Quin E.
6/22/1978
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office

Geszvain, Michael
6/21/1978
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office

Phipps Sr., William J.
8/5/1943
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office

Schmidling, George A.
6/11/1961
Waukesha Police Department

Baerwald, Edward
8/15/1928
Wausau Police Department

Rutherford, George
8/12/1926
Wineger, Town Constable

Meyer, Richard A
11/13/2003
Winnebago County Sheriff's Office

Balchunas, Jay P
11/5/2004
Wis. DOJ - Div. of Criminal Investigation

Schumacher, Matt
9/22/1934
Wis. Department of Revenue

Pederson, Donald C.
8/26/1972
Wis. State Patrol

Schoenberger, William
4/22/1993
Wis. State Patrol
Powless, Gary G.

5/18/1980
Wis. State Patrol

McMenamin, Deborah M.
10/26/1989
Wis. State Patrol

Payne, Roland S.
11/10/1939
Wisconsin Rapids Police Department

Berg, William A.
7/16/1931
Wood County Sheriff's Office

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

You Can't Make This Up

AFP is at it again. They're sending toy pigs and a hearing aid to our lawmakers. Steve thinks it's a grand idea.

But check out the comments over at the Playground. Those loyal Merkins for Prozperty are sending Chinese-made pigs in envelopes lifted from the Post Office.

Oink.

Holding Back the Rain -Updated

From today's Gazette:
Engineers still are working to determine the best solutions to flooding problems
in some of Evansville's west-side neighborhoods as city committees explore ways
to finance such projects.One solution includes creating a storm water utility,
city council president Mason Braunschweig said.

Public Works meets Tuesday night to discuss the problem and solution.

UPDATE: Here's the Agenda

NOTICE The regular meeting of the Public Works Committee for the City of Evansville will be held on the date and time stated below at Public Works Garage, 535 South Madison Street, Evansville, Wisconsin.
Notice is further given that members of the City Council might be in attendance.

Public Works CommitteeRegular Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.
Public Works Garage, 535 South Madison Street, Evansville, WI

AGENDA

1 Call the meeting to order

2 Roll Call

3 Motion to Approve Agenda

4 Motion to Approve minutes of Sept. 25, 2007 Meeting

5 Citizen appearances

6 Lake Leota Restoration Update

7 Site Plan Reviews

8 Construction Updates
A Main Street Progress Report
B County Trunk Highway M Progress Report
C Badger & Higgins Intersection Progress Report
D North Prairie Productions Progress Report
E Capstone Ridge Phase 2 Progress Report
F Westfield Meadows Progress Report
G Madison Street (TH 59) Progress Report

9 Communications from City Engineer
A Discussion and possible action on bids for 2007 sidewalk project.
B WWTP biosolids Progress Report

10 Communications of Public Works Director

11 New Business
A Discussion and possible action concerning the creation of a storm water utility
B Discussion regarding special meeting on Tuesday Oct. 30 6:30 p.m. at CITY HALL.
C Discussion regarding special meeting on Thursday or Friday, Nov. 1-212

Old Business
A Discussion and possible action regarding the Westside water issue.
B Discussion and possible action regarding streetlight placement and removal.
C Discussion and possible action reagrding City Wide Storm water mangament plan and storm water utility.

13 Adjourn

Mason Braunschweig, Chair, Public Works Committee

Please turn off all cell phones while the meeting is in session. Thank you!

Gina Joins -From My Inbox

Hello everyone,

Today is a big day for The Janesville Gazette.

Right now final changes are being made on the pages for our redesigned newspaper before they are sent off to be printed on our new printing press at a new facility. Our staff and paper have been reorganized to put a greater focus on local news. Our redesigned Web site, www.GazetteXtra.com, is now online. Our new site includes many new features such as a comment line at the bottom of each story and staff bloggers.

Which brings me to my shameless plug. Check out "E-life," my Evansville-area blog at http://www.gazettextra.com/weblogs/e-life-duwe-evansville/. My current posts there will explain more. Please check it early and often, and pass the link on to anyone you think would be interested.

Thanks for your time, and we really hope you enjoy all the new changes unveiled today!

Gina Duwe
Reporter
The Janesville Gazette

Monday, October 22, 2007

There's A Problem When You Start Painting With A Broad Brush

There are those who have called our firefighters, "thugs." Many of these same bloggers have wrapped themselves in "Support Our Troops" or "If You're Not With Our President, You're Against America" rhetoric.

There's a problem, though, when you start painting with too broad a stroke. Your edges start to blur and your message becomes unreadable.

Vicki McKenna would have us believe that all of those who would draw a public paycheck should write her a Thank You note. Some of the state's bloggers would have you believe that because some public employees didn't show proper deference for their divise message last Wednesday then there is an open season on all public employees.

Part of the problem with that argument is listed below. Just a part. Someone should be writing Thank You notes. It's not the firemen and women who were on the Square last week.


Wisconsin LODD List as of 06/19/2007
Stoker Michael Koerper Milwaukee F.D. 11/18/1879
Captain Frederick Groskopf Milwaukee F.D. 11/10/1884
Pipeman George Wolf Milwaukee F.D. 02/20/1885
Pipeman Herman Lecher Milwaukee F.D. 03/15/1888
Driver Richard Langton Milwaukee F.D. 03/15/1888
Pipeman Eduard Noonan Milwaukee F.D. 02/28/1889
Fireman Albert Mevis Waukesha F.D. 09/15/1891
Pipeman Henry Peddenbruch Milwaukee F.D. 10/28/1892
Truckman Charles Stahr Milwaukee F.D. 10/28/1892
Pipeman Thomas Sullivan Milwaukee F.D. 12/27/1892
Asst. Chief August Jannsen Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Captain Archie Campbell Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Lieutenant Frank McGurk Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Lieutenant John Farrell Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Lieutenant James Freeman Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Pipeman Thomas Morgan Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Pipeman Alphines Ries Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Pipeman Fritz Koschmieder Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Pipeman John Winney Milwaukee F.D. 04/09/1894
Pipeman Adolph Meyer Milwaukee F.D. 09/06/1894
Pipeman Michael Hackett Milwaukee F.D. 02/21/1899
Lieutenant Hubert Zanders Milwaukee F.D. 04/19/1899
Pipeman Edward Haley Milwaukee F.D. 07/18/1899
Pipeman Edward Kinsella Milwaukee F.D. 02/19/1902
Truckman Christian Mathison Milwaukee F.D. 02/19/1902
Captain Andrew White Milwaukee F.D. 02/03/1903
Chief Engineer James Foley Milwaukee F.D. 02/04/1903
Pipeman Thomas Droney Milwaukee F.D. 02/04/1903
Truckman Edward Hogan Milwaukee F.D. 02/04/1903
Fireman Emil Birr Sheboygan F.D. 04/13/1904
Lieutenant Henry Weidner Milwaukee F.D. 08/08/1904
Fireman Henry A. Schmidt Menomonie F.D. 09/30/1904
Lieutenant William Morgan Milwaukee F.D. 02/24/1905
Lieutenant Charles Dressel Milwaukee F.D. 05/19/1905
Fireboat Pilot Hugh Clark Milwaukee F.D. 09/27/1906
Captain Henry Schmidt Milwaukee F.D. 02/17/1907
Driver John Mehan Milwaukee F.D. 08/20/1907
Truckman Paul Schroeder Milwaukee F.D. 05/15/1908
Asst. Chief James Gunning Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1909
Lieutenant Nathan Whaley Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1909
Pipeman John Craft Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1909
Pipeman Leonard Curtis Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1909
Pipeman Joseph Bielinski Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1909
Pipeman Otto Nimmer Milwaukee F.D. 02/15/1909
Captain John Hennessey Milwaukee F.D. 01/03/1910
Lieutenant Dominick O’Donnell Milwaukee F.D. 01/03/1910
Pipeman William Foley Milwaukee F.D. 01/03/1910
Pipeman Joseph Sullivan Milwaukee F.D. 01/03/1910
Truckman Alfred Krimmer Milwaukee F.D. 10/29/1910
Driver Fred Clark Milwaukee F.D. 03/15/1911
Captain Jacob Hentz Milwaukee F.D. 03/24/1911
Lieutenant John Houlahan Milwaukee F.D. 03/24/1911
Driver Richard Burke Milwaukee F.D. 03/24/1911
Pipeman Fred Eichhorn Milwaukee F.D. 03/24/1911
Driver Louis Hammond Milwaukee F.D. 03/25/1911
Pipeman Fred Glander Milwaukee F.D. 12/25/1911
Asst. Chief Edward Hoffman Racine F.D. 11/15/1912
Captain John Doyle Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Pipeman Walter Freytag Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Pipeman John Fenske Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Pipeman William Graf Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Chief’s Driver George Clausen Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Driver Max Flaeschel Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Truckman Timothy Dwyer Milwaukee F.D. 10/26/1913
Pipeman August Pagel Milwaukee F.D. 11/05/1913
Truckman Stephen Hecht Jr. Milwaukee F.D. 05/08/1914
Captain Arnt Nessheim Milwaukee F.D. 08/27/1916
Lieutenant Dennis Moroney Milwaukee F.D. 08/27/1916
Pipeman Edwin Falch Milwaukee F.D. 12/09/1920
Pipeman Wenzel Wasicek Milwaukee F.D. 03/21/1921
Private Frank Hart Milwaukee F.D. 01/21/1922
Private Mathias Wambach Milwaukee F.D. 05/24/1922
Private Anton Krafcheck Milwaukee F.D. 05/24/1922
Private Paul Winsauer Milwaukee F.D. 05/24/1922
Fireman/Mechanic Charles E. Brehm Beloit F.D. 09/29/1923
Fireman Edward Lichtfus Janesville F.D. 03/02/1925
Lieutenant Thomas Hanlon Milwaukee F.D. 04/21/1926
Private Stanley Strzeminski Milwaukee F.D. 04/21/1926
Private Ambrose Skorzewski Milwaukee F.D. 04/22/1926
Private Alvin Schultz Milwaukee F.D. 04/22/1926
Captain John Skorzewski Milwaukee F.D. 04/25/1926
Private George Liefert Milwaukee F.D. 05/01/1926
Captain Joseph Prier Milwaukee F.D. 12/28/1926
Private Herman Priebe Milwaukee F.D. 01/25/1929
Private Joseph Krimmer Milwaukee F.D. 05/17/1929
Private Joseph Hintz Milwaukee F.D. 12/02/1930
Private Gerald O’Brien Milwaukee F.D. 12/02/1930
Captain David Rosen Milwaukee F.D. 03/14/1931
Private Frank Dederich Racine F.D. 12/20/1932
Private Elmer Ryback Milwaukee F.D. 02/04/1933
District Chief Alfred Voelz Milwaukee F.D. 03/19/1933
Fireman Bernard McCaffery Waukesha F.D. 05/11/1934
Fireman Frank O'Brien Waukesha F.D. 05/11/1934
Master Mechanic Charles Clunie West Allis F.D. 05/17/1934
Private Joseph Toman Milwaukee F.D. 03/01/1935
Captain John Hass Racine F.D. 07/07/1936
District Chief Thomas Bresnahan Milwaukee F.D. 02/04/1937
Pipeman Adolph N. Habich Madison F.D. 06/10/1939
Pipeman Judson H. Holcomb Madison F.D. 06/10/1939
Private Alvin J. Stiller Milwaukee F.D. 10/07/1941
Lieutenant Michael Thiesenheusen Milwaukee F.D. 02/13/1943
Private Albert Dessecker Milwaukee F.D. 10/10/1943
Private Gordon Fischbauer Milwaukee F.D. 10/10/1943
Private Raymond Zepf Milwaukee F.D. 04/10/1945
Fireman Edward F. Groth West Bend F.D. 11/02/1947
1st Asst. Chief Patrick J. Brown Madison F.D. 11/30/1947
Private Paul Kojis Milwaukee F.D. 03/19/1948
Chief Harry Dinauer Oak Creek F.D. 03/22/1948
Superintendent John Cwiklinski Milwaukee F.D. 09/26/1948
Apparatus Operator Martin Keckler Kenosha F.D. 07/07/1949
Fireman Walter Pufahl Milwaukee F.D. 10/09/1950
Fireman Theodore B. Loef Kenosha F.D. 11/21/1951
Fireman Ray Kleiner Milwaukee F.D. 11/08/1952
Fireman Robert Skalla Milwaukee 01/03/1953
Fireman Peter Forecki Milwaukee F.D. 11/28/1953
Captain Leslie Hamilton Kenosha F.D. 01/17/1954
Lineman Wilbur Lemkuil Sheboygan F.D. 08/24/1954
Lieutenant Richard J. Everson Eau Claire F.D. 02/11/1956
Motor Pump Operator Art Edler Milwaukee F.D. 04/03/1957
Engineer James McCormick La Crosse F.D. 11/28/1957
Lieutenant John Sheahan Milwaukee F.D. 12/29/1957
Fireman William J. Finnane Janesville F.D. 11/11/1959
Fireman Adam Muenzenberger Milwaukee F.D. 11/10/1961
Captain Ernest Stanke Mayville F.D. 07/10/1962
Lieutenant Robert Uecke Milwaukee F. D 10/28/1962
Asst. Chief Edward V. Sciborski La Crosse F.D. 12/19/1964
Firefighter Daniel P. Parkinson Madison F.D. 01/08/1966
Firefighter Glen Thorpe New London F.D. 05/04/1966
Chief Lee Jentges Woodland F.D. 12/15/1967
Firefighter Robert Pickhard Richfield Vol. Fire Co. 12/30/1967
Firefighter Robert Kirschnik Lannon F.D. 03/29/1968
Apparatus Operator Raphael Pfeiffer Kenosha F.D. 11/21/1968
Chief Jack Lynch Helenville F.D. 12/28/1968
Firefighter Arnold Birr Horicon F.D. 02/10/1969
Firefighter Ralph Helminiak Milwaukee F.D. 01/18/1971
Firefighter Donald DeAngelis Kenosha F.D. 01/25/1973
Firefighter Harold R. Elwell Glendale F.D. 05/28/1973
Captain Robert P. Smerchek Caledonia F.D. 09/01/1973
Engineer Darrel L. Thorn Eau Claire F.D. 06/25/1977.
Firefighter Walter Nell Milwaukee F.D. 11/17/1977
Lieutenant Thomas W. Beckman Merrill F.D. 01/03/1978
Firefighter James E. Hanson Eau Claire Twp. F.D. 02/25/1978
Firefighter Thomas K. Sommer Dale Fire & Rescue 05/25/1978
Firefighter Timothy A. Schrameyer Grafton F.D. 07/15/1978
Firefighter James Born Adell F.D. 07/13/1980
Firefighter Robert Brooks Adell F.D. 07/13/1980
Motor Pump Operator Clyde Carre Racine F.D. 12/22/1980
Firefighter John Hogle Racine F.D. 12/22/1980
Lieutenant Marvin C. Strohman Marshfield F.D. 01/04/1981
1st Asst. Chief Gary C. Soper Argyle-Adams Vol. F.D. 03/11/1981
Firefighter James J. Lorbeck Wauwatosa F.D. 08/15/1981
Firefighter Lawrence R. Schampers Wauwatosa F.D. 08/15/1981
Firefighter Carl Lackey Waupun F.D. 12/31/1981
Firefighter Thomas L. Anderson Edgerton F.D. 01/09/1982
Asst. Chief Wayne C. Lake Silver Lake F.D. 02/16/1982
DNR Firefighter Donald L. Eisberner WI DNR 04/24/1982
Hon. Chief Floyd H. Kessler Cottage Grove F.D. 04/24/1982
Firefighter Barry V. Johnson Monona F.D. 07/11/1983
Firefighter John W. Hofacker Center Township F.D. 01/29/1984
Apparatus Operator Paul J. Dagenbach Kenosha F.D. 03/09/1984
Firefighter Arthur Weber Stratford F.D. 01/12/1986
MPO/Master Mechanic Larry Crabtree Beloit F.D. 04/18/1986
Firefighter Victor Weinzierl Frederic Rural F.D. 07/18/1986
Asst. Chief Bruce E. Hoffman Keenan-Georgetown Vol. F.D. 11/20/1986
Captain Richard H. Ziemer Glendale F.D. 03/16/1987
Firefighter Jeffrey J. Burclaw Rosholt Vol. F.D. 03/31/1988
Firefighter Harvey J. Ashmore Muscoda Vol. F.D. 10/10/1989
Chief Charles R. Mangerson Newbold Vol. F.D. 01/23/1989
Chief Richard A. Penning Kohler F.D. 11/05/1990
Chief John A. DuChateau Luxemburg Community F.D. 10/22/1991
Firefighter Dean O. Pucker Lamartine Vol. F.D. 07/31/1992
Fire Recruit Heather D. Dzioba Milwaukee F.D. 09/01/1992
Firefighter Gary C. Prueser Town of Russell F.D. 08/12/1993
MPO Victor J. DeLellis Town of Waukesha F.D. 01/18/1994
Firefighter Robert P. Waskiewicz Augusta-Bridge Creek F.D. 04/18/1994
Firefighter Lionel L. Hoffer Milwaukee F.D. 12/24/1994.
Firefighter Evan Buchholtz Poysippi Vol. F.D. 12/26/1994
Captain Bruce A. Cormican Black River Falls F.D. 08/22/1995
Firefighter William J. Zokan Milwaukee F.D. 01/13/1996
Firefighter Dennis D. McGarry Tomah Vol. F.D. 03/07/1996
Firefighter Raymond Emmerich Kimball Twp. F.D. 12/29/1996
Firefighter Robert W. Martinson, Sr. Conover Vol. F.D. 01/26/1997
Asst. Chief Gregory I. Quinn Westfield Vol. F.D. 11/22/1997
Fire Mechanic Richard L. Kalous City of De Pere F.D. 02/10/1998
Firefighter James Isberner Montello Joint Fire District 02/19/2001
Asst. Chief Dana Johnson Grantsburg Vol. F.D. 02/26/2001
HEO Ben DeStefanis North Shore F.D. 07/09/2001
Firefighter Dennis A. Dart Sugar Camp Vol. F.D. 11/02/2001
Chief Edward J. Weber Elkhart Lake Vol. F.D. 04/13/2003
Firefighter Carl J. Mack New Chester F.D. 04/22/2003
Firefighter Merlin J. Casey Mt. Horeb F.D. 05/10/2003
Firefighter Jeffrey A. Tiegs Amherst Fire District 11/24/2003
Lieutenant Brian Sanders Racine F.D. 06/18/2004
Asst. Chief William Weborg Ephriam Vol. F.D. 09/26/2004
Asst. Chief Michael J. Kilpatrick North Lake Vol. F.D. 10/07/2004
Chief Edwin Berg North Prairie Vol. F.D. 08/11/2005
Lieutenant Arnie Wolff Green Bay F.D. 08/13/2006
Firefighter Timothy J. Walk Marinette F.D. 11/02/2006
Firefighter/MPO David A. Rufer Monroe F.D. 06/12/2007

Because There's Some Confusion

lip service

Main Entry: lip service

Function: noun

Date: 1644

: an avowal of advocacy, adherence, or allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds —usually used with pay

Sunday, October 21, 2007

You Ought To Be Ashamed

The stories of the firefighters who gave their lives on September 11, 2001 are well known. Those men and women made the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to save the lives of the occupants of the World Trade Center complex. Tens of millions of words have been written to pay tribute to these valiant heroes of one of the worst days in our nation's history.

On October 17, 2007 one of the tributes to these brave American heroes made a stop in Madison. On Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between Main St. and Doty St. the National September 11 Memorial Museum told the story of these men and women with a chilling display of memorabilia and artifacts from that dreadful day. In the words of the Tribute's website:

Join us as we make our way through the country in a grassroots effort to help
build a lasting tribute to honor the lives lost in the attacks of September 11,
2001 and February 26, 1993 and preserve the memory of those events for future
generations.
The Tour for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
offers Americans the opportunity to come together again and reflect not only on
the tragedy, but also the tremendous resilience and courage we found in the
aftermath.
In addition to viewing photographs, artifacts, and a film
featuring firsthand accounts of 9/11 and the aftermath, individuals and
communities across the country will have a chance to contribute directly to this
historic effort by signing a steel beam that will be used in the construction of
the National September 11 Memorial.
Hundreds of Wisconsin's firefighters joined in that tribute on Wednesday, showing support for their fallen brethren with a quiet dignity. As is tradition when paying tribute to fallen fellows these firefighters arrived with their engines and full turn-out gear. The stunning dignity of these tributes have been known to bring grown men to tears and women to turn their heads to avoid the pain.

This is the way firefighters and law enforcement officials show honor.

Unfortunately there was another gathering on the opposite side of the Capitol Square that day, one that was dedicated to calling these government workers "thugs" and "parasites." These so-called Americans For Prosperity were interested only in prosperity for themselves. Their keynote speaker insisted that the firefighters should be sure to show their gratitude for being allowed to put their lives on the line.

The group that calls itself Citizens For Responsible Government has filed an open records request wondering why these firefighters were allowed to travel to Madison to pay tribute. The Cheddarsphere that finds itself in the thrall of the Milwaukee Squawkers is casting aspersions and hurling epithets without bothering to ask the one question that might have explained why those firemen were in Madison.
For that, if for nothing else, they should be ashamed.

As Seen On The Internet

Who has it? Who may have it? Who wants it? This may be a complete list.



Declared Nuclear Weapons Capacity:

U.S.
Russia
France
Britain
China
India


Known to Have Nuclear Weapons Capacity:

Pakistan
Ottawa Senators Hockey Club
Israel
Hamadryas Baboon Troop Whose Territory Runs From the Curvy River to theGreat Forest
Port Jervis High School Cheerleaders
The View



Seeking Nuclear Weapons Capacity:

Iran
Iraq
Madonna
The Ghost Story Club
Lactose Intolerant People
Howie From the Sears Auto Center on Rt. 10
Port Jervis High School Pom-Pom Girls
North Korea
Teletubbies
Libya
Guys Named Spencer
The Yanomami Tribe
Mrs. Turnbull's Third Grade Class (except Jimmy)
Stonehenge
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation

It's Been A Tough Week

Max McGee has passed away.
Former Green Bay Packer Max McGee, 75, died while trying to blow leaves from
his roof, family members said. Police arrived about 5:20 p.m. and emergency
crews tried to revive him, but to no avail. He was pronounced dead that evening.

"I just lost my best friend," said former teammate and Pro
Football Hall of Fame member Paul Hornung from his home in Louisville, Ky. "(His
wife) Denise was away from the house, she'd warned him not to get up there. He
shouldn't have been up there. He knew better than that."

The lovely Deborah Kerr is gone.

Deborah Kerr, who shared one of Hollywood's most famous kisses while
portraying an Army officer's unhappy wife in "From Here to Eternity" and danced
with the Siamese monarch in "The King and I," has died. She was 86.

Kerr, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, died Tuesday in Suffolk in eastern England, her agent, Anne Hutton, said Thursday.

Now THAT was a sweaty movie.

And Joey Bishop has taken his last bow.

Joey Bishop, the long-faced comedian and the last surviving member of the
Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra's celebrated retinue of the 1960s, died Wednesday night
at his home in Newport Beach, California. He was 89.

His death was of multiple causes, his publicist said.

Bishop was the least flamboyant of the Rat Pack and no match for the others - Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Sinatra himself - in their dedication to hell-raising.

But he shared in their phenomenal success in the early 1960s, when they headlined music and comedy shows in Las Vegas, appearing at the Sands, and made movies like "Ocean's 11" and "Sergeants 3." When John F. Kennedy, a friend of Sinatra's and a brother-in-law of Lawford's, was elected president in 1960, Bishop was master of ceremonies at the inaugural ball.

A regular guest on television as a stand-up comedian, Bishop eventually had his own TV shows: A sitcom in which he played a talk show host, and later his own actual talk show, appearing on ABC in a short-lived challenge to Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."


Believe it or not, it was while watching the late-night Joey Bishop Show that a gawky 14 year-old aspiring grumps first held hands with a girl of the opposite sex. A mere 3 years later he would get his first kiss.


Saturday, October 20, 2007

Head On Down To the High School

It's Soybean Festival Day
The Brochure (Including the Schedule. 10-4 Saturday the 20th at the High School.)
The Crusher.

On The Making Of Budgets

An aphorism originally about Diplomacy seems apropo this morning:


Diplomacy is like breeding elephants:
It takes place at a high level.
It involves great thrashing and trumpeting.

And it takes two years to produce results.

A Budget Winner- Guaranteed

I haven't had a cigarette since April.

My timing makes me look prescient.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

A Quick Note To Ellen

You said you would do something and signed a paper to that effect.

You didn't do that something and there were consequences.

Please leave us out of this and go apologize to those kids. Explain to them that grownups sometimes don't do what they should and that bad things can happen when they misbehave.

That's all. Just don't tell us about it. Ok?


Thanks

I'm Torn, Quite Frankly

I'm saddened by the bad behavior of the pro-budget rallyers at the Capitol yesterday. I'll go on record as saying that personal invective and profanity was uncalled for and unnecessary. The AFP crowd was wrong enough all on their own, their talking points so feeble that those who rallied in support of the Lege doing their jobs should have been able to make their point without being nasty.

On the other hand...Politics ain't beanbag, Children, and this Is Madison. We used to tear gas students for trying to score some peace. People were clubbed for crossing the street at the wrong time. That the AFP squawkers were able to get out of Madison with their clothes and their dignity intact shows just how mushy Madison has gotten. Somewhere Paul Soglin is chuckling about the level of outrage that the AFP crowd is sharing because they were called bad names and someone blew an airhorn.

Kids, if you want to come into the belly of the Beast, grab a microphone and tell people they are worthless you might want to, to steal a phrase from Owen's blog, Ranger Up. If you are bringing unpopular ranting onto the grounds of the Capitol (and your foolishness is unpopular outside of Dohnal's circle) you might want to grow some huevos and be ready to feel the reflection of your disrespect back to you.

If you thought you would be greeted with a carpet of flower petals and an ecstatic throng chanting your names then your self-image is just as skewed as your politics. I'm disappointed by bad behavior but not surprised. That you were surprised shows that you have no idea how little regard working men and women have for your foolishness.



Just as an Inside Baseball thing... Fred reported that AFP couldn't get their ducks in a row to get video up from their soiree two weeks ago. It finally made it to YouTube this week. Now Owen report that the stage was set up to face into the afternoon sun with a microphone too low to use so that he had to stoop and squint to get his message across. AFP might want to consider hiring a media guy or gal. They don't seem to be really competent at getting their message out on a regular basis.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The First Ever "All In Your Head" Caption Contest

Write your caption and keep it to yourself. Comments are Off for this one.

McKenna Gets It Wrong

From the Cap Times report of the AFP rally at the Capitol
McKenna fired back, "They say they pay taxes too, but they pay taxes on our
dime. We're paying to be here, and we're paying for them to be here, too. That's
messed up. The least you (public employees) could do is say, 'Thank you.'"

She apparently doesn't appreciate that State employees pay the same taxes as any other working woman or man. In McKenna's insulated cocoon she seems incredulous that those wages might be treated in the same way as any other.

She believes that the garbagemen and prison guards should be grateful for her largess. McKenna would like a little "Thank You" note from the boys at the firehouse when they come back from a run or just a little gratitude from the plow jockey who's lucky enough to plow her street at 4 AM.

You betcha the state employees were rude to the squawkers on The Square. How would anyone react when faced with busybodies coming in to mess around with their paycheck? How would Owen deal with someone sitting on his desk and shouting that he's overpaid? Would Fred brook for just one moment amplified bitching about the job he does?

Vicki McKenna doesn't get it. She should be grateful for the services the state provides and to the people who do them. I'll guarantee she's not going to be cleaning out the sewer grates any time soon.

We all want a reasonable level of taxation. Those of us who are honest admit that we also want a level of service as well. Taxes pay for the things we want and need as a civilization. The state employees put a face on those services. That seems to have made a few people uncomfortable today.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Just For The Record

Brett Davis did the right thing, for the 80th and for the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

Thank you, Brett

The Sixth Time Made Her Mad

We tend to give over too much of our personal space to those with a moderate level of power and authority and they seem more than willing to take it from us.


Having said that, would you wait for the sixth time your dentist assaulted you to complain?

Saturday, October 13, 2007

You Finally Pushed Him Too Far

After months of acting as if he never read the comments on his blog State Embarrassment Frank Lasee has stood up for himself. He's stopped taking comments.


Frankie has been posting his Notes on his blogsite for months and for months he has steadfastly pretended that no one was commenting on his silliness. He never replied. He never clarified. He simply moved on to the next point of natter.


Never content to be a loudmouth in his own district Lasee has gone National with his ideas to arm schoolteachers and defund the UW School of Law. Now he's taken the discussion down a notch by shutting off comments to his own blog after deleting several over the last week or so.


Fractious Frank is said to be eyeing the Congressional seat that John Gard tried to win last cycle. The publicity he's been getting can't possibly be helpful in that cause. I suspect it's just a matter of time until Mark Graul or Fraley tell Frankie that his blog isn't doing for him what he thinks it is and the blog goes away entirely.


Until that day, go ahead and blogroll Frank's blog alongside the other political humor like the Onion if you wish. It's not as original but it's always good for a laugh. We miss ya, Frankie

Update: Nickknack Paddy Mack stands up for Frankie and says we're all being mean.

Friday, October 12, 2007

It Makes You Want To Throw Your Hands Up

What is going on here? I support the actions of the School systems but can't help wondering where the wheels started to fall off.

In Belmont one student is in custody. From Madison.com
The Belmont student had drawn a map of the school 's interior and labeled
some positions for "hostages, " school and law officials said, and was taken
into custody at the small Lafayette County school.
John Benkers, Belmont
Community Schools superintendent, said when students alerted the administrators
they had found the map, the 17-year-old senior boy was whisked away and police
were called with little notice in the rest of the 120-student high school 65
miles west of Madison.


Meanwhile, both of these stories are from Channel 3000

Evansville High School officials sent a letter to parents informing
them that security will be added at the school due to a threat of possible
violence there on Friday.

Evansville police said they interviewed the person making the threat
and two students who relayed the threat. School officials said they believe the
threat was made to disrupt and interfere with homecoming activities and that it
isn't an actual threat of violence.


^^^^^^^^^^^^

Edgerton High School officials have canceled the homecoming pep rally
planned for Friday because of rumors that a shooting will take place at the
event.

For the past two days, high school administrators have tried, without
success, to find the source of a rumor that there will be "a shooting at the pep
rally Friday," according to an internal memo by Superintendent Norman Fjelstad
obtained by WISC-TV and Channel 3000.


"It Is A Question Of War And Peace"

From Yahoo News
Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change have won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to
spread awareness of man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for
the measures needed to counteract it.

I know that there are a few who will be upset by this choice, who have already asked, "What does Global Warming have to do with Peace?" This is just one more indication that a very large chunk of the World holds them to be willfully ignorant of the issues facing our population.

Jan Egeland, a Norwegian peace mediator and former U.N. undersecretary
for humanitarian affairs, also called climate change more than an environmental
issue.
"It is a question of war and peace," said Egeland, now director of the
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs in Oslo. "We're already seeing the
first climate wars, in the Sahel belt of Africa." He said nomads and herders are
in conflict with farmers because the changing climate has brought drought and a
shortage of fertile lands.

Kool-Aid Dills

Paul has recently written about the perfect Chicago Style Hotdog and the pickles which must go with them. This story from the NYT raises the bar on acceptable cuke spears. I think.

Those pickles were once mere dills. They were once green. Their exteriors remain pebbly, a reminder that long ago they began their lives on a farm, on the ground, as cucumbers.

But they now have an arresting color that combines green and garnet, and a bracing sour-sweet taste that they owe to a long marinade in cherry or tropical fruit or strawberry Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid pickles violate tradition, maybe even propriety. Depending on your palate and perspective, they are either the worst thing to happen to pickles since plastic brining barrels or a brave new taste sensation to be celebrated.


This is outside of anything I've ever tried. I like the fried dill pickles in Tennessee. Maybe I could learn to enjoy these.



Maybe not.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Truly Awful Stuff

One of the great blog links. Do not lose this click.



Here's a sample.




The "Crying On a Toilet" Bank.




















The "Hands" Bikini.

















We shall speak no more of this.

The Religion of Baseball

I stole it from Dean but he got it from Beliefnet Joke of the Day,


Calvinists believe the game is fixed.


Lutherans believe they can’t win, but trust the Scorekeeper.


Quakers won’t swing.


Unitarians can catch anything.


Amish walk a lot.


Pagans sacrifice.


Jehovah’s Witnesses are thrown out often.


Televangelists get caught stealing.Episcopalians pass the plate.


Evangelicals make effective pitches.


Fundamentalists balk.


Adventists have a seventh-inning stretch.


Atheists refuse to have an Umpire.


Baptists want to play hardball.


Premillenialists expect the game to be called soon on account of darkness.


The Pope claims never to have committed an error.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Welcome To the Big-Time, Scott

Scott Speed talking about what surprised him most when moving from the rarified air in the F1 paddock to Pit Lane at Talladega.
[...] in open-wheel racing, you always have someone on the team who buckles you
into your seat. I got into my seat today waiting for someone to buckle me in and
then after awhile realized I was supposed to buckle myself in. I’m not used to
bringing my own helmet to the car either!”

There's Hope, Then

They've figured out the purpose of the appendix. Apparently, it makes germs for your gut.



That means that there's a possibility for someone figuring out what Frank Lasee is good for some day.

A Journamalism Lesson From Jess

You've asked what she teaches her students. I'll tell you what she teaches her students.
Don't demand that the media not talk to people or families anymore or ask
community members to stop talking to the media. You'll just end up ticking off
the media, and they're the ones writing the follow-up stories. Trust me. The
media tend to retaliate in print.

Especially against former employers. Trust her.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Words By Which To Live

Who said it?
[...]you might just have to accept the fact that sometimes the world is not a
perfect place and everyone is NOT out to get you.

No. Really? It was Fred. I don't think he was talking about Global Warming or about Jim Doyle. But he said it. Really.

It sounds like CBS wasn't the only group to send the B-Team to tape the AFP wing-ding-a-ling in DC. AFP didn't send the very best, either. I hope that the American Dream doesn't include YouTube, somehow.
Sorry about the Ron Paul video. We hired a company to tape all of the speeches
and to post them quickly. They did a terrible job and did not send enough people
to staff the event. They left the camera unattended and the tape ran out in the
middle of Paul’s speech (also missing all of Brownback and Huckabee). They
posted the speech and then noticed that they missed part of it, so they pulled
it from YouTube.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Sometimes, It's The Messenger. Sometimes, It's The Message

Tim says that David Brooks can see it.
Like me. It had nothing to do with Burke, and everything to do with what
the party had become. A bunch of bedwetting, loudmouth, corrupt, hypocritical,
and incompetent boobs with a mean streak a mile long and no sense of fair play
or proportion. . .

Screw them. I got out. They can have their party. I will vote for Democrats
and little L libertarians and isolationists until the crazy people aren’t
running the GOP. The threat of higher taxes in the short term isn’t enough to
keep me from voting out crazy people and voting for sane people with whom I
merely disagree regarding policy. Hillarycare doesn’t scare me as much as Frank
Gaffney having a line to the person with the nuclear football or Dobson and
company crafting domestic policy.

The Recess Supervisor says that Paul Krugman can see it.

What’s happening, presumably, is that modern movement conservatism attracts a
certain personality type. If you identify with the downtrodden, even a little,
you don’t belong. If you think ridicule is an appropriate response to other
peoples’ woes, you fit right in.

And Republican disillusionment with Mr. Bush does not appear to signal any change in that regard. On the contrary, the leading candidates for the Republican nomination have gone out of their way to condemn “socialism,” which is G.O.P.-speak for any attempt to help the less fortunate.

So once again, if you’re poor or you’re sick or you don’t have health
insurance, remember this: these people think your problems are funny.


Nick says that he can see it.

Conservative Values Have Led to Big Government Republicans:

This is where "conservatives" get naive. The major complaint among conservatives regarding Republicans is that Republicans have lost their way when it comes to big government. The problem is, you can't enforce the core Conservative beliefs without big government. How do you fight the War on DrugsTM without a huge investment by the government in both
size and money? The current battle costs us billions of dollars annually, and we're still losing it. The War on Drugs has done more to diminish our basic constitutional rights than the War on Terror ever has, and most Conservatives I talk to think we need to go further to police drug abuse.
Moreover, the War on Drugs is used as a model for how we attack other things that Conservatives and Republicans decry, that are part of the nanny state push like how we eat, and drink, and exercise. The War on Drugs was the original nanny state idea. How do you keep people from gambling if you aren't willing to have a big government that snoops in on every transaction that flows through your bank account?
The list goes on an on.


Why can't the red-meat-true believers see it?

Get Well Soon

I'm glad he's not badly hurt. There are so many bad things to say about him and it's poor form to pick on a fool while he's in the hospital.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Needs Some Work

Looking for a fixer-upper? Someone on EBay has a deal for you.



Someone Tries to Sell Belgium on eBay

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Is This Trip Necessary?

Don't ask Fred. He dunno.




From George Will: Read the rest

Sean Hannity, who is no Torquemada conducting inquisitions of
conservatives, asked Thompson: "When you look at the other current crop of
candidates -- Republicans -- where is the distinction between your positions and
what you view as theirs?" Thompson replied: "Well, to tell you the truth, I
haven't spent a whole lot of time going into the details of their positions."

It Just Never Came Up Before

Maybe Fred Dooley has a point. Some of the Hollywood types should probably not talk about science.




Monday, October 01, 2007

The Buchers Take Their Version of the High Ground

You have to be careful when you make choices for the wrong reason. They may turn out to be bad choices, too. What has Paul Bucher chosen to support with his beer drinking dollars?

You got your JibJab Joke site. Now with A-Hole Patrol.

The Association of Women Bodyboarders

Hoboken Bar Night.com Today featuring White Trash Bash

Horror of horrors. BudLight sponsored "Studio 60" on TV3 in Ireland

And what do these highly moral sponsors deem okay for our TVs? Hip-hop stars, Brass Poles and Skinny Dipping in prime time.

All Manner Of Scheduling Conflicts

It looks like there are others besides the Republican candidates who just can't make the time.

Rice Denied Audience with Pope

What I've Been Doing

There's been a whole lot of Real Life going on and I haven't been as assiduous about posting as I should be. But I have been commenting all over. Go on over to the OlBroad's place for one I really had fun with.

Q4. A woodcutter has a Chainsaw which operates at 2700 RPM. The density of
the pine trees in the plot to be harvested is 470 per acre. The plot is 2.3
acres in size. The average tree diameter is 14 inches. How many Budweisers will
be drunk before the trees are cut down?

A4) 3 on the drive over. 2 to get the saw started after the plug change. 1
more for every third tree up to 12, then 1 more for every two. Two more for the
drive to the Owl’s Nest and two in the back of Ray-Ray’s pickup on the ride
home.