Owen Defends The Confederacy

He says that secession is okay if it's for economic reasons.

Is it racist? Maybe for some people, but it makes a lot of
sense.

Government should be representative. If there is a large
minority of people whose opinions are constantly negated by a majority, why
shouldn’t the large minority have the opportunity to form their own political
unit? This is especially pertinent when the minority is wealthier and ends
up paying for most of the majority’s policies.

Racist? Cultural? Economical? Regional? Does it
matter?

Troubled Men Lead In Troubled Times

One for everybody.

He Should Have Taken A Pass On The Fish

Why does this happen just before I'm getting ready to take a flight?

Newt's Message

"If you get to the bottom of the barrel you can count on me."

"We Were Too Busy Planning A Surge To Try To Figure Out If A Surge Was A Good Idea"

The National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq still isn't done. They were just too busy to figure out what was needed in Iraq because they thought something was needed in Washington.

CBS Must Be Giddy

They've got an all-Midwest Superbowl that's going to last until just about 11PM on the East Coast. Vegas is opening early with the Colts as a touchdown favorite with an over-under at 49.5.

Maybe they should skip straight to the overtime and get it over with. Then they could have Dave Coulier do a 90 minute special with just the commercials and we'd still all be in bed at a decent hour.

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

Folkbum started it. I just wanted to make sure that I remembered as much as I thought I did.

You know the Bible 88%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Just Askin'

If you're working as a spokesperson for a candidate for the Supreme Court of the state shouldn't you, at least, give lip service to the presumption of innocence and the accused's right to a trial?

I'll Repeat The Question

Did Mark Green write a letter to the judge on behalf of Bob Ney?

From TPM

Journalist Ellen Ratner, writing on Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) behalf to the
judge who will sentence him, reports on her conversations with the "many"
lawmakers who "would like to support former Congressman Ney, but because of the
political climate in Washington, they dare not."

"If You're Not With Us, You're Against Us"

Nouri al Maliki tells Condi and George to stop helping the terrorists.

The head of Iraq's Shiite Muslim-led government defended his country's
independence and sovereignty and called on U.S. leaders to show faith in his
ability to lead.

Maliki disputed President Bush's remarks broadcast Tuesday that the
execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "looked like it was kind of a
revenge killing" and took exception to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's
Senate testimony last week that Maliki's administration was on "borrowed
time."

The prime minister said statements such as Rice's "give morale boosts
for the terrorists and push them toward making an extra effort and making them
believe they have defeated the American administration," Maliki said. "But I can
tell you that they have not defeated the Iraqi government."

This Is A Bad Idea

I can certainly understand the desire to not so much as acknowledge an amendment to the Constitution with which one disagrees. However, the object of the Democracy is to honor the institutions even while working, within the system, to change them.

Letting this one slide opens the door to reciprocity for other exceptions until the oath becomes nothing more than a vehicle for holding loopholes together.

Does BioDiesel Make Your Car Gay?

I think this guy is serious. He says that soy formula is making our kids gayer.

I'm spucking feechless.

We Regret The Error- The Best Retractions Of 2006

They call these Crunk's. I don't know whay. They just do.

I Need Some Help, Please

I'm too busy to get all outraged right now but I guess I should be so I'm asking for help.

Would one of you work up a little high dudgeon on my behalf, please? You see, I got a Canadian quarter in change back from the vending machine and it's de riguer right now to get all pissy about foreign money.

I just don't have the time or energy so if one of you could get all outraged and stuff about Canadians coming here to take away our ice carving jobs I'd really appreciate it.

Which Definition?

Surge

Main Entry: surge
Pronunciation: 's&rj
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): surged; surg·ing
Etymology: earlier, to ride (at anchor) probably in part from Middle French sourgir to cast anchor, land, from Catalan surgir to heave, cast anchor, from Latin surgere to rise, spring up; from sub- up + regere to lead straight; in part from Latin surgere -- more at SUB-, RIGHT
intransitive verb
1 : to rise and fall actively : TOSS
2 : to rise and move in waves or billows : SWELL 3 : to slip around a windlass, capstan, or bitts -- used especially of a rope
4 : to rise suddenly to an excessive or abnormal value
5 : to move with a surge or in surges
transitive verb : to let go or slacken gradually (as a rope)

M-W.com Says

Escalate

Main Entry: es·ca·late
Pronunciation: 'es-k&-"lAt, ÷-ky&-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -lat·ed; -lat·ing
Etymology: back-formation from escalator
intransitive verb : to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope

transitive verb : EXPAND
2 - es·ca·la·tion /"es-k&-'lA-sh&n, ÷-ky&-/ noun -
es·ca·la·to·ry /'es-k&-l&-"tor-E, ÷-ky&-/ adjective

Tired of that I-Pod already? Do you just want to see it go away?

The good folks at willitblend.com have a way to brighten your day.

Why Do It?

When I first started blogging I said that the only possible reason was to say, "Look at me!" My thinking hasn't changed much. I sit at the keyboard typing away at something I hope will strike a chord or give someone that, "a-ha," moment of which I'm so fond.

Over at Firedoglake there's a piece that describes the 5 stages of blogging for those who have never gone through them. Please, take a moment and look to see yourself in that piece.

I Have A Question, Please

If a state refuses to recognize gay marriages but are willing to recognize gay separation agreements haven't they, in fact, created something substantially similar to divorce?

Doesn't that, in turn, mean that the state recognized the validity of the original union as substantially similar to marriage?

Oh, For Cryin' Out Loud

Just dip him in bronze and put him up outside the courthouse for the pigeons.

If the only way to get some good press is to have your wife do it maybe JBvH was right.

Ticky Tacky

You didn't ask, but I'm just sayin'

I don't care if some of the proceeds did go to a good cause. Raising a third of a million dollars for a second inauguration for a governor is just wrong.

Compared to the obscene levels that Presidential inauguration have raised lately it is a drop in the proverbial bucket but giving a little money to the Boy's and Girl's Clubs doesn't take away the stink of fund raising and selling access outside the campaigning process.

And speaking of selling access. The inauguration and victory dance of JB vanHollen showed up on the news the othermorning. I've seen cattle industry trade fairs with better ambiance than that. Drab folks, obliged to show up and celebrate the one small scrap they managed to cadge from the table wandered around a motel conference room that had been decorated by some Junior High School pre-prom committee.

I don't recall an inauguration for previous AG's. I don't recall hearing about a Friends of committee for a chief law enforcer. It all just seemed a little tawdry for a man whose bumper stickers said something about Integrity.

Extreme Makeover- Citywide Edition

Early April.

That's when the fun starts downtown according to the Gazette.

This Man Put Fear In All Of Us (in a good way, of course)

Rest In Peace, Mr Breitenbach. Madison and Wisconsin are better places because you were here.

One Last Holiday Thought

As I take out the trash this morning a question comes to mind.

What happened to the other nogs?

You always hear about Egg Nog but what about the others? Was there a Butter Nog? A Cheese Nog? Meat Nogs? What happened to them?

I bet it was those trans-fat people.

Last Look At 2006 In Blogging

October

We saw a ramp up to the elections. Michael J Fox gave his opinion.
There was writing on a wall.
Habeaus Corpus was an issue for Richard.
4K came to the forefront on the homefront.
Obamamania began in earnest.

November

There was an election. In the manner of Time Magazine, go find your own links.
The Trade Market Survey came around again.
Jess McBride still brought out the best in us all.
George W finally went to Viet Nam.
Brett Favre made it easy to be nostalgic for the present.

December

The month made it look as if 2007 would be a good blogging year, too. Mark Graul has another candidate to mislead.
Saddam is gone. Iraq isn't.
New House. Same as the Old House.
Nick saw a bad sign for the new year.
The November elections are still going on in the courts.

Today is the filing deadline for Spring elections. Let the Good Times Roll.

Blogging About Blogging- Q3 '06

Still more of the stories we blogged in 2006

July

James had some questions about running meat.

Tim had a very bad dream.

One of the County Sheriff candidates had a novel solution to crime by the mentally ill.

Paul looked at George's habit of secret touching.

Nick tried to give Mark Green some advice. Green ignored him.

August

Pluto had a size problem.

We had a look at statistics and growth here in town.

Tom Reynolds reinforced the impression that he may not be all there by not being there at all.

Nathan looked at the problem immigrants cause.

My very favoritest comment chain appeared in which Jess McBride tried to explain why her hsuband wasn't bitter or childish by being, well, bitter and childish.

September

The Brawler looked at some phone callers.

Everybody heard about Mark Foley.

Mark Green was sort of for stem cell research, kinda. Researchers didn't buy it.

Just go watch the video. It has nothing to do with politics.

Liquids on a Plane turned out to be the horror story of the Fall.

Leaning Blue went dark.

Looking Forward

It's time for everyone and their brother to make predictions. Have you met my brother?

1) Next year's Burlington Liar's Club winner won't be near as lame as this year's.

2) Scott Walker will feud with his County Board. Bloggers will step up to defend both sides. Neither side deserves their efforts.

3) Jess McBride will piss off the Brawler 3 days out of 5.

4) The Observer will remain our one best source for City news until the new Evansville website is up and running. Then the Observer will be the better of two.

5) November will find us wondering when the troops will start to leave Iraq. With poll numbers in the high 20's GWB will tell us that protecting the last 4 buildings in Baghdad is a mission whose success we haven't seen yet.

6) Dan Wietecha will be greeted as a conquering hero until the first budget cycle. After that his dog won't look him in the eye for two months. He will not deserve the grief he'll get from the city or his pooch.

7) Flyin' Jim Sensennbrenner will propose building a wall around Aurora HealthCare. Just because he can.

8) Riverboat gambling won't come to 6th and Vision in 2007. Neither will a dry collector.

9) Scott Jensen will lose on appeal. Mark Green will lose on appeal. The cranberry guy will lose on appeal. JB van Hollen will claim that injured consumers are clogging our courts.

10) William Jefferson will resign to spend more time with his family.

11) Tom Delay won't start posting to his own blog.

12) Bill Hammann will miss public life until the first time Melissa comes home after a contentious School Board meeting. Thanks, Bill for your hard work.

13) When a Progressive finally does declare candidacy for Mayor of Madison even the Democrats will be disappointed in who it is.

14) The backlog at the Crime Lab will be two days longer in December 2007 than it is today. Jim Doyle and JBvH will blame each other.

15) The Tommy Train will never get past the Des Moines station.

16) Mitt Romney drops out soon after that.

17) The City will wind up owning a lot more of the Value Store project than we want.

18) Building permits for new construction will triple in 2007 in Evansville. 60% will be for multi-family dwellings.

19) Paul Ryan will have a diving board installed on his campaign vault so he can dive into the surplus like Scrooge McDuck until the 1st District Dems can field a real candidate.

20) No TABOR. No Conceal and Carry. No school funding reform. No real ethics reform. No kidding. Some of this is too easy to write.

Happy New Year anyway.

Unfortunate Synchronicity

As ABC wrappped up coverage of the Ford funeral ceremony at the Capitol last night Jack Ford led his mother from the rotunda. Coverage faded to black and the network brought up a slide to signal the return of the regularly scheduled programming..."Ugly Betty."

Someone needs to be transferred to another set of duties. Continuity and Traffic seems to be too much of a challenge for them.

Q2 '06 -The Linky Love Goes On

Continuing to look back at some of the stories we all blogged about in 2006.

April

Frank Lasee threatened to "Bring the Love." Steve at Grandpa John's was just about the only one who noticed.

TPA went down in flames. Teeth-gnashers rose from the ashes to post comments at Jenna's.

We saw the first "Batman" moment in the AG race. This guy went on to be elected.

The City Council disorganized then reorganized. Most everybody had the story.

United 93 came out to rave reviews. It's showing up now on a lot of 'Year's Best' lists.

May

We got our first look at The Brawler.

Paul Bucher wanted to throw money at the problem.

Nathan got all "Old Timey" about immigration reform.

Flyin' Jim got his priorities in order.

Tommy said, "If I run, I win." MJM said, "Not so much."

June

Flag burning was still an issue even though it seldom happens for real.

Zelig's got nothing on Aaron.

JB rolled out the Batman Bus. It could traverse any terrain except a cranberry bog. DY snickered behind his hand.

Rick Santorum said he had finally found the WMD. Now he has time to look at his leisure.

Mark Green showed that he doesn't understand how businesses make their choices.

A Look Back Q1 '06

Let's look back at the stories we blogged about in 2006. We'll start with the first quarter of the year.


January

Aaron looked at the postage increase.
The Recess Supervisor looked at the first Whiner Of The Year candidate.
Congress voted. Alito floated. Wiggie gloated.
Sadie Says went dark.
Concealed Carry went down. I gloated.


February

Fraley went on about felons at school.
Dean told us that Ann Nischke wanted to downsize the County Board.
The President got some definition in his life.
Wendy posted a love story of sorts.
Tommy started waffling early this year. Bill told us about it.


March

Scooter got sentenced. Paul deconstructed the event.
Evansville made it into USA Today and the Observer was there. He had my opening remarks to the forum as well.
Scott Walker quit the race and left Mark Green alone. Belle covered the embargoed story.
There was a public hearing in Madison that wasn't public. Mark told us why.
Paul Bucher made another misstep on the road to private practice.

R.I.H.

Of course, the world is a better place with one fewer tyrant on it. Does this show trial and fair-hanging make Iraq safer? Will it now be easier to win the hearts and minds of the Arab world? Do you feel safer this morning?

When is the reckoning for those who propped up Saddam when they needed him? Will he head straight to Hell or hold the boat for those who come behind?

The Horror

Josh points us to a troubling post. Be afraid.

Celine Dion covers AC-DC, You Shook Me All Night Long.

Sincerely

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Decorations and Diversions

There is a house on my way home that is decorated with a dozen 6-foot lollypops that are lit in the evening. It's a cute and original display in a city full of badly strung icicle lights.

I'm wondering, though. Is there money in growing lollypops? Can I get set-aside money if I file to not grow lollypops? If so, how many acres of lollypops should I not grow?

I'm already not growing 3 rows of soybeans for the new crushing plant. Can I not grow soybeans and lollypops together?

And, what about Jerusalem artichokes? Is anybody still not growing them or have they all changed over to not growing sugar beets?

Amaze Your Friends

Pick any four names. Type them separated by commas. Find out which is least significant in the eyes of the Press.

Try this list.
Tommy Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Bill Frist

The New Face Of The NBA

RIP, Joe Bash

Peter Boyle is dead at age 71.

I never knew until today that John Lennon was best man at his wedding.

Second Annual Light Show

Visit UglyChristmasLights.com for the rest. I'm speechless.

Government By "Neener, Neener"

The "Hate Wisconsin First" crowd has been given the chair of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee.

Owen thinks it's peachy. Dave Diamond is appalled.

Steve Nass sticks out his tongue at the grown-ups in the room. It looks as if he's been picked to carry on the John Gard infantile style of governance.

Well, That Was Quick

From the AP

Turnover, NBA. The league will scrap its new microfiber composite ball and
bring back the old leather one beginning Jan. 1.
The NBA sent a memo to its teams Monday, telling them that the change would
be made for the remainder of the 2006-07 season. In the memo, NBA president Joel
Litvin said that Spalding had 450 new leather balls on hand for use.

So, it took about 4 months to see the need, analyze the consequences and make the change. Any idea why it took 6 years to get rid of Rumsfeld?

File Under: USEFUL

My Holiday Household Hint.

Use Soft Scrub to get that pesky pine sap off your hands.

List Of Weapons That Don't Exist, But Should

From Laser Guided Polar Bears to Deadly Assault Kittens, the Uncyclopedia has them all.

Quick Hits

It's probably not my least favorite sentence but it's right there on the list. "Be careful with that bag. Your eggs are on the bottom."

Do you suppose that there's any truth to the rumor that GWB is pushing for a moon base by 2024 as a way to replace Guantanamo?

The people of Louisiana have shown that Democrats can make choices every bit as poorly as Republicans can.

Is anybody else concerned that Brian Christianson, he of the small government Fulton Township takeover, he of the Koshkonong Lake District debacle is now the voice of the land swap deal? Should the County trade 367 acres for 465 acres without some sort of guarantees that the promises of the developers will come true? Are there just too many questions to be answered by Thursday's board meeting? I think so.

Apparently, He Needed Killin'

From St Louis Today.

St. Louis police say a woman shot her husband, who was about 70 years old, four
to five times in the chest after he tried giving her a warm can of Stag beer.

Perhaps she wanted a Bud.

Do You Like Venn Diagrams?

Do you want to see how the Universe works explained on index cards?

Check out Indexed, the newest addition to the blogroll.

It's A Carnival. Know What I Mean?

There are several new contribuors to the Carnival Of The Badger this week. When will you run off and join?

See Nick to find out how.

New Carols

You've got to admit that the world is ready for a new Christmas Carol. Bob Hope gave us Silver Bells in The Lemon Drop Kid and that may have been the last fully new "traditional" carol.

Cartoonist Joe Martin of Lake Geneva gives us his nomination for a new holiday song in this youtube animation.

Enjoy.

Work Week Is A Quality Of Life Issue

Republicans are upset that the new House schedule for January doubles the amount of time they are expected to be in Washington.

"Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who
typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays.
"Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what
this says."

How dare they ask for a four and a half day workweek?

To be fair, Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), who had intended to retire this year, only to be persuaded to run again, wondered whether the new schedule was more than symbolic.

"If we're doing something truly productive, that's one thing," he said. "If it's
smoke-and-mirrors hoopla, that's another."

It's time to get something accomplished.

The Explanation We've Been Waiting For

Republican Senator John Sununu was speaking to a group of Economic development leaders in Concord, NH last week and had some words of advice for them.

"This may be the most bizarre recommendation, but I am sincere," Sununu
said. "I'm not saying it's not an issue or it's not important, but
proportionally speaking, stop complaining about health care."

[snip]
Health care "is so darn expensive," he said, "because it's worth it."

Isn't it refreshing to see a Republican willing to tell business leaders to stop complaining and take care of the big picture?

38-10

Perhaps now you understand why I haven't been beating a drum for Charter to add the NFL Channel.

Pete Rozelle has his wish. The entire league sucks. But they all suck at the same level.

Housekeeping

It's been a while since we did any cleanup around the whole Happy Circumstance. A mess-o-candidate-sites fell off the blogroll after 11/7. Today a couple of defunct or nearly inactive sites went away.

I've not seen many sites that I'd like to add lately but Jay pointed out one that I think we'll all find useful. The WisOpinion Political Blog Search Engine is up and running. It allows you to search all of the blogs listed on the WO site, active or not.

Check it out. The Link is right over there.

The List Of Things That Ain't Right #181

Thundersnow

Grousing

The whole sick-leave accrual business is what you call a tempest in a teapot. Those who are spending the most time complaining about jobs with good benefits are the same folks who say that we should be working harder to attract jobs with good benefits.

Tearing people down doesn't build a strong workforce. It's time to start working to get benefits for all workers.

The Recess Supervisor calls it jealousy. I call it short-sightedness.

Lest There Be Any Doubt

Newt is running to the right and winds up in New Hampshire with a new slogan; "Iraq: "Victory or death."

It looks as if those who have been calling for a sharp right turn for the Republicans have their candidate. Gingrich will pull Romney and McCain to the right with him. The choices in 2008 look to be black and white rather than any shade of gray.

If These Two Crazy Kids Can't Make It

From the sanctity of traditional marriage file:

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock each filed divorce papers Monday seeking to end their marriage of less than four months. Anderson's representative would not comment on the reason or any particulars of the divorce. Anderson and Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, each cited "irreconcilable differences" in their divorce filings in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

We should have seen it coming. They haven't had a ceremony since August.

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back

Tryptophan and Christmas lights. One day with 550 miles in a little over 10 hours. One day when I barely dressed.

It was a very good weekend and welcome back to you all.

Back With The Carnival

The Happy Circumstance made a return appearance at the Carnival of the Badger this week. Check out the Wild Turkey Edition over at Wigderson's Library and Pub.

Then sign up to host the best of Badger blogging yourself. Nick will tell you how.

Long Ago And Far Away

Back in the distant past when my Starter Wife and I were just starting the process of demarriage (if you want to see how much the State of Wisconsin values marriage you need to see how much it costs to get out of one) I went to a well respected law firm on the West Side of Madison to try to obtain representation.

I spilled my broken heart on the desk of a senior partner. Ahem. What I mean, of course, is that I dispassionately explained my side of the story in hopes that he would assigned some third-junior sub-lawyer to my case and allow me to come through the process with my dignity, if not my 401k, intact.

He listened to the whys and wherefores and asked many pointed questions about the who did whats and then gently slid my heart off his desk, onto the floor, and stomped that sucker flat. He would not, he said, be able to have his firm represent me because they were already representing the not-quite-ex wife of my nowhere-near-ex wife's new best friend and roommate. That, he said might lead to a conflict of interest and ethical law firms did not engage in such actions.

Along the way things worked themselves out okay. I found another lawyer with a good sense of humor. He listened to my lawyer jokes without billing me for the time and bought me a beer at The Great Dane when everything was said and done. (Done, anyway. It seems as if everything is never said.)

That lawyer came to mind over the weekend with the story, somehow overlooked in an election cycle in which nothing was overlooked, that The New sheriff, I'm sorry, the new AG was in the employ of a law firm in which he was switching sides. Now that he had been chosen by the good people of Wisconsin to serve as their bastion of moral uprightness and All Things Good his first proclamation of his sense of duty was to pay back his buddies and act against the wishes and interests of the citizens of the state.

In his campaign JBvH said he wasn't a politician. He's proved it with this fiasco. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying that there is no quid for the quo in this case you would think that a man who rode to victory on the shoulders of those who saw influence peddling under the corner of every carpet would, at least, have the sense to take the oath of office before starting to sell out those whose hopes he was stomping.

It's been a long weekend and I'm sure that once all the turkey is digested that those bloggers who rode Jim Doyle for the last three months will be going after the hypocrisy of van Hollen's recusal refusal. I'm sure that will happen soon.

A Blast From The Past

One of my favorites among all the things I've written is this piece from last Thanksgiving Day.

The Giving Of Thanks

Give thanks in private, with family or friends.
Give thanks to those who deserve, to those who serve, to those who give of themselves.
Give thanks where it is due rather than where it is expected.
Give thanks more than one day a year.

This morning I was able to wake in a soft bed, eat a good meal and listen as the furnace started. I am thankful.

My daughter's family will pick me up to go to a meal fit for royalty. I am thankful.

My life is good. I am thankful and grateful and not bashful about giving thanks where it is due.

Find the people and things in your life that make it better and give thanks.

Quick Hits

Because time is tight right now.

Kathleen Falk should concede. There are not 8000 votes in play.

Michael Richards is an idiot. There is no excuse for his actions on stage Friday night.

To those who question Rangel's draft proposal..."Why do you hate America? Why won't you support our troops?"

Tommy, sit down. You're embarrassing us.

Nancy Pelosi is not mortally crippled by the Murtha vote. That's just wishful thinking.

Anyone who thinks the Republicans got moved to the sidelines because the party was not far enough to the right hasn't been listening to what they've been saying about Michael Moore.

The proposal to reinstate the draft will generate some good discussion and almost no votes. Bringing it back three years later is a purely political move by Rangel.

Nancy Pelosi needs to move Alcee Hastings, William Jefferson and John Moran to the back bench, and soon.

Don't forget your local charities over the next few weeks. They need your help as much as the better promoted nationals do.

CAmpaigns for the Spring elections start in earnest in 6 weeks. Enjoy!

Conspiracy Theory At Its Finest

Jessica McBride makes the airtight case for a serial killer at work. Among the irrefutable pieces of evidence linking the drowning deaths.

Last seen out drinking with friends or at a party

(and coincidentally...)

Were under the influence of alcohol

(proximity is key in her argument)

Lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana or Chicago the area surrounding
Lake Michigan

(That narrows it down to less than 10% of the land mass of America)

Became separated from the friends with whom they started the evening

(Um, Jess, that's a symptom of drowning, not a cause)

All disappeared between the hours of 10 PM and 4 AM

(Timing is everything. Very few college drunks show up at 9:15 in the morning)

All disappeared between the months of September and April

(Or when class isn't in session)

The closed cases were all determined to be accidental drowning or possible
suicides

(Because of...wait for it) Many of those found drowned were found in the Mississippi River, Red Cedar River or Lake Michigan ("And the reason we can tell it was murder?" you ask.)

Victim's body, if found, had no signs of strangulation - gunshot - stab or other
obvious sign of murder

(Using the powers of Bucher-reasoning, Jess determines a likely common factor)

Were reported missing by friends or family

(That clinches it for me, Jess. It must be the work of a criminal genius)
You wonder why I bother to make fun of this trash?

McBride sets herself up as a teacher of journalism at UW-M. If this is the heights of her critical thinking skills then her students and employer are being short-changed. Kevin Barrett's theories are no more or less wrong than this pap.

McBride has the bully pulpit of a show on WTMJ. There are people who believe this woman knows something about the topics upon which she speaks. If her other arguments are built on such a faulty foundation as this she shouldn't be able to draw a crowd while standing on a peach box downtown.

McBride and her family have some standing in the community. If this is an indication of the way in which her household builds arguments I'm scared for their children and the people they influence.

This sort of "the sky is falling" mindless causality-seeking has parallels in modern government and politics. It is the breeder of the mind-numbing dread that holds this country in its thrall. We need clear headed leaders of opinion, not conspiracy-fogged parrots telling us to be afraid of the things that make up the fabric of our lives.

This piece would be sad if not for the fact that there are people who read it and agreed that McBride deserved anything other than bully-ragging and derision for having written it. We are all just a little bit worse off for having read it.

Frank Is Pro-Partition

Of course he is, they've already got guns in their schoolhouses.

Two For Flinching

The sentence you don't want in the story of your botched kidnapping attempt?

The man had just stuck the gun back into his waistband when it fired, shooting
him in the left testicle.

Second place?

He cringed, causing the gun to fire again and strike him in the left calf.

The dispute was over stereo speakers.

Sometimes A Ballot Is Just A Ballot

Nathan uses Freud to deconstruct the election results.

He Prounounces It why-TEECH-ah

Daniel Wietecha from southern Minnesota has accepted the city's offer and will take over as administrator on Jan 1.

Gina Duwe has the story at the Gazette.

Pearls In The Snow

From The Review.

Evansville voters bucked the statewide trend last week on Election Day. Locally the Gay Marriage Ban went down 961-747 and voters chose against the death penalty by a slim margin, 859-840.

The complete totals show just how blue Evansville is. Democratic Party candidates carried the city by a general 10-6 margin with no Republican getting a majority within the city.

Name One Difference Between Jack Abramoff and Scott Jensen

Smilin' jack is behind bars today.

The Elephants In The Room

Josh asks for a little clarity.

Perhaps this is something of an existential question. But do we really have to
pretend that Rudy Giuliani has more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting
the Republican presidential nomination? Or can we all just stipulate that a
multiple adulterer, who supports gay civil rights and choice, has deep and
on-going ties to mobbed-up and now-disgraced Police boss Bernie Kerik, has a
largely unscrutinized (outside of New York) resume, and had the bright idea of
locating the NYC disaster center in the already-once-bombed World Trade Center
probably will have some rough sledding in Republican primaries?

The Scooby Doo Moment Has Arrived

In most every episode of Scooby Doo there is a moment when the bad guy, having been vanquished despite the efforts of Scoob and the gang, says something to the effect of, "I'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those pesky kids."

Yesterday we had the Scooby moment of Election '06 when Bob Dohnal sent out his post-mortem of the reasons for the GOP meltdown.

He starts out by saying that Mark Green was the perfect candidate and that:

I believe that Mark Green is one of the finest people we have ever had run for
office in this state. I have nothing but admiration for him and his career.
While many of those of us that have run campaigns can always find differences in
the way campaigns were run and things that could have been done differently I do
not see that anything that was done that could have been changed to win the
campaign.

In the next paragraph he says that Scott Walker would have won if he'd run.

Dohnal blames Rick Wiley, the GOP grassroots organization, Dale Schultz and GWB for the spanking in the Senate without looking at the weakness of his own candidates. When your candidates spend 5 months cozying up to Bush, Cheney and Rove it seems disingenuous at best to claim that they dragged you under.

Dohnal whines that:

I believe that Don Taylor needs special mention for the job that he did in
Waukesha County. He stepped up to help Tom Reynolds in his narrow loss. The
failure of the party and the Senate leaders probably cost us that seat for
decades. Where was the state party? Who made these decisions? Losing all of
those legislative seats needs to be examined. Who was allocating the funds, why
isn't there any help for candidates. If you put all of your money in two rolls
of the dice, then lose them and then take it in the gut in the Legislature it
becomes obvious that we need a new direction and a discussion of the
leadership.

Dohnal completely ignores the effect of the efforts made for and by Reynolds, including the "Captain Morgan" flyer.

To be fair to Dohnal, he grinds a few personal axes while repeating the meme of the right over the last week, he's not the only one to have missed the message of last Tuesday. Politics in America cycles around the center. The left got the 30's, 60's and a fair chunk of the 90's. The left kicked butt in the 50's, 80's and for the last 6 years. The parties have cut their messages so fine that it takes a swing of a few points in the middle to change the dynamic of power. We just saw one of those swings.

With a little luck, it's building momentum as it goes.

Best Bumper Sticker Candidate

Honk If I'm An Aggie

I'm Mad That I Didn't Think Of It

I think Dick Cheney uses the one that tastes like Teen Spirit.

If the Coast Guard uses the one that tastes like drawn butter on Lake Michigan...

It's Not Censorship If It's Not The Government Doing It

It might be a bad business practice, though.

Linky Goodness In Place Of Actual Effort

Jay puts a smackdown in motion.

Nick wonders why anyone would be a member of a group that doesn't respect them.

Carrie does the math of ticket-splitting.

The Recess Supervisor shares his thoughts and asks for a little cake. Happy birthday, RS. The Circumstance is just 3 days behind you.

Seth takes a look at the upside.

Dan is shaking his head so you don't have to.

Watchdog shares two tales of Presidential ambition.

Fun While It Lasted

My thanks go to the Blue Devils football team and all of their supporters. It was another great season.

Now my household has nothing left but to cheer for the Flying Arrows next week.

nt hapn'n

nt n my clas.

Thank A Veteran Today

Never forget.

Not Even An Aggie Would Attempt This

From the AP

LONDON - A 22-year-old man suffered internal injuries after lighting a small
firecracker he had inserted into his buttocks, paramedics said Thursday. The
incident took place Sunday, when Britain celebrated Bonfire Night, traditionally
marked with fireworks to celebrate the Guy Fawkes' gunpowder plot to blow up
Parliament in the 17th century.

The Times newspaper reported the man is a soldier who recently returned from Iraq.

Goodbye, Bill

Thank you.

48 Hours Later

I did election night right. I assigned the class a three hour essay exam and spent the entire class time (between proctoring walks, of course) scoping the results off the coast. By 9 o'clock the first returns from the 80th had me giddy enough to consider running straight through to Brooklyn for the party and totals. By the time I got as far as the Pig it was close enough that I figured they didn't need me hanging around.

Here we are 48 hours out. The winners have been annointed with fragrant oils and spices (Did you see JBvH's hair? Fragrant oils. I'm tellin' ya.) The long knives have taken care of the wounded. (Anyone seen Mark Graul since 11 pm Tuesday?) Now it's time to take a quick look at some of the winners and losers from Tuesday night.

Winners

JBvH
Unless he starts running amock in the halls of the DoJ he has to be the presumptive favorite in 2010 for a seat at the big table.

Fraley
God, how I hate to say this but Fraley kept vH from stepping on his pecker for 8 weeks. After the primary there were no glaring Batman moments, no terrorists training at the Country Inn and Suites in Hayward. If he didn't spend Wednesday afternoon soaked in champagne, no one did.

Barbara Lawton
See notes for JB

Nancy Pelosi
She now has Rummy's distended manhood in a trophy case in her new office. May the Deity grant her the wisdom to never use the word "mandate."

Julainne Appling
I'm betting she will use the word "mandate" before Pelosi. Any takers?

Janis Ringhand
A 1% loss against an incumbent is a strong showing by any measure. She's earned another shot if she wants it.

Kim Hixson
This one ain't over yet. No matter the outcome he's done a great job in a tough race. See notes for Ringhand.

Losers

Kathleen Falk
14:58 and counting. Two statewide races. Two losses. That isn't building name recognition. It's getting branded.

Right-sided bloggers
Not all of them and not always but I'm sure a lot of them feel gut punched right now. My advice is to hold tight. Everything is infinitely flexible. Special condolences to Peter who saw it coming and could do nothing to stop it and to TC who is taking it harder than he should be.

Mark Green and John Gard
Each ran a pathetic campaign against a beatable opponent. Start calling them Butterball Popups. They're done.

Bryan Kennedy
Time to form a support group with Jeff Thomas and Dave Magnum. It's not going to happen, kids.

Sykesbellingwagnermcbridebucherlimabaughhannity
I just like to say it. Not only did they call it wrong but they're not figuring out why. It's fun to watch them writhe.

The Challenges

The Easy Part Is Over
It's time to govern, not to take revenge. That goes for both sides of the aisle.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Janis Ringhand and the voters of the 80th AD delivered a sharp message to Brett Davis on Tuesday. My thanks go out to her for the strong, clean campaign she ran. The final tally is 249 between the two.

I can only hope that Brett's attention turns back to the families of his district and away from the misguided leadersip in the Assembly. With a little luck, the sea-change in the Senate will serve to mitigate some of the foolishness that presents itself to the lower house.

All The Power Of The Internets Brought To Bear

Since the election is over it's time to get back to doing what bloggers do best; fart jokes.

Here's the headline from CharcoCaps Homeopathic AntiGas Formula:

Tackle Tailgate Flatulence Before the Next Game

No Pass is a Good Pass, When it Comes to 'Passing Intestinal Gas'

Most pre-game celebration fare -- hamburgers, baked beans and alcohol -- have a
tendency to trigger intestinal gas. Dr. Patricia Raymond, M.D.,
gastroenterologist and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical
School, says "we all experience flatulence. Yet, we can get it under control
if we slightly change our diets -- even at a tailgate party."

Read her tips here.

Out On A Limb (Revisited)

RDW is having a prognosti-contest. Here's what I posted.

Okay, Fred, here we go

Lehman +3 (Lehman won by 7)
Doyle +6 (Doyle by 7, not so far off)
Falk +9 (Um, mumble mumble JBvH by a smidgen 4/10ths)
Sensenbrenner +13 (Dammit) (Flyin' Jim by 26. I meant 13 per chin)
Ryan +19 (Double-dog dammit) (Ryan by 25 double, double dog)
Lieberman +6 over Lamont +31 over Schlesinger (+10 over Lamont, +40 over Sclessinger)
Senate D+1 (Looking good right now)
House D+4 (I must have dropped a digit. It's 43 right now with 10 to count>)

Just for giggles:
Robson +9 over Addie (Robson +23)
Towns +11 over Hixson (Right now the edge is six votes. I'm way off but hopeful.)
Brown +7 over Vinehout (I've never been so happy to be wrong, wrong, wrong)
Kreitlow +3 over Zien (Call it +2 and color me giddy)
Sullivan +6 over Reynolds (700 votes, like a schoolgirl, giddy)
Baldwin +22 over Magnum (It was 25. Not bad again)
Kohl +26 over Lorge (Um +38)
Kagen +3 over Gard (+2.4 now Johnny Boy can move his kids back to where their friends live)

Cardin +4 over Robinson (NC- Owen took on Jay instead)
Nichols +3 over McBride
Soglin +2 over Sykes (Soglin had Borat. Sykes had kittens. Advantage Soglin)

DY Puts It In Perspective

From Dennis York

Think about the 85% of Wisconsin citizens who can't name a single one of their
elected representatives, and how happy they generally are. To these people, it
makes absolutely no difference who inhabits state government - as long as their
trailer is still there when they get back from the liquor store, they live
content lives.

Get Yourself Out Early

The lovely Mrs. Circumstance and I voted at 7:10 and were numbers 47 and 48. I'm glad we didn't wait until after supper.

There Will Be No More Ads Tomorrow

How will local TV survive for the next year and a half?

Get out and VOTE!

He Has Seen The Future

Every vote makes a difference. Don't stay home on Tuesday.

And Then There Were Five

Gina Duwe has the scoop on the candidates for Evansville City Administrator.

-- Daniel Weitecha, Nicollet, Minn.
Education: Bachelor's degree in American studies, University of Notre Dame, 1993; master's degree in planning, University of Minnesota, 2006

Experience: City administrator, Nicollet County, Minn., Tri-City Joint Powers Board (administrator of the cities of Courtland, Lafayette and Nicollet), 1999-present; intern, Plymouth, Minn., Housing and Development Authority, 1997-99
*****
-- John Hausmann, Burr Ridge, Ill.
Education: Bachelor's degree in economics, Union College, 1966; master's degree in business administration, University of Virginia, 1970

Experience: President/owner, Hausmann Enterprises, 1983-present; vice president, Continental Bank, Chicago, 1976-83; village president, LaGrange, Ill., 1981-89; village trustee, LaGrange, Ill., 1979-81
*****
-- Stephen Compton, Richland Center
Education: Master's degree in human resources management, University of Redlands, 1986; bachelor's degree, University of Redlands, 1984

Experience: City administrator, Richland Center, 2005-present; village administrator, Sturtevant, 2003-05; finance director, Omnitrans, San Bernardino, Calif., 2002-03; assistant city manager, Indio, Calif., 1999-2002; support services director, Ridgecrest, Calif., 1994-99; police officer and supervisor, Ridgecrest, Calif., 1979-94
*****
-- Anthony Carson, Jr., Courtland, Ohio
Education: Master's degree in public administration, Valdosta State University, 2006; bachelor's degree, Kent State University, 1982

Experience: County administrator, Trumbull County, Ohio, 2004-06; purchasing director, Trumbull County, Ohio, 2001-04; deputy auditor/appraiser, Trumbull County, Ohio, 1998-01
*****
-- William Bowers, Rock Island, Ill.
Education: Carthage College, San Diego State University and UW-Milwaukee.

Experience: City clerk/finance officer, Buffalo, Iowa, 2006-present; director of coding and support, Fidler Election Company, Rock Island, 1999-2005; city clerk/MIS manager, New Berlin, 1987-99; deputy city clerk, New Berlin, 1985-87; bookkeeper, New Berlin, 1981-85

Mayor Decker says we should have an offer outstanding by next Tuesday's Council meeting.

Wendy Wonders

Wendy speculates on what was going on in the Green RV when it got to the Washington County Republican's Soiree on Sunday.

One possibilty?

Faint Praise, or...?

Jess McBride gives a tepid endorsement of JBvH in her blog today.

My endorsement of Van Hollen is not with great enthusiasm. I know too much about
his record, and I saw him up too close during the primary. He waged a campaign
of character assassination and outright distortion behind the scenes, and that's
not something I can respect, nor was it even necessary. There are many examples
of this, but there's no point in revisiting them all now.

[snip]

At the same time, I'm having trouble feeling empathy. Maybe that's because his
campaign sent out a mass e-mail during the primary that falsely accused my
husband of releasing a sex offender on a signature bond, when my husband's
office had opposed it. You see my problem. I'm also troubled by Van Hollen's
inability to articulate a single major accomplishment in office (the mall rapist
was largely Blanchard's case), and I think he was a satisfactory U.S. Attorney
at best, although he has the misfortune of being compared to the prosecutorial
rock star, Steve Biskupic, appointed at the same time. Anyone would probably
fall short. Finally, I remain troubled by his last minute primary money influx,
obtained from an extension on a second mortgage on a home that didn't have that
much equity in it a short time ago. I also don't like his position on
first-offense drunk driving. Think what you want about these comments. I am not
going to water down my honest opinions to keep everyone happy.

The interesting part, to me at least is that she makes a charge that I'd not seen before. In all of the folderol about whether JBvH did or didn't review a sex offender's bail and choose not to revoke it or set it higher or whatever I hadn't seen a word about it being van Hollen's wife, acting as defense attorney, who was responsible for the offender being out on the street in the first place.

Is it possible that this is correct and that it hasn't come up in all the conversation about what did or didn't happen in this case? Is Mrs Bucher wrong about her facts? Did the GWC pull its punch in an effort to temper its message?

Just Win, Baby

Derek Cashore scores 3 times in the Blue Devil's 24-6 win over Platteville. Mayville is next up and the last hurdle before State.

Not Smothered And Covered

It always seems to be a Waffle House, doesn't it?

From A/P

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - No shirt, no service? What about no clothes at all?

A couple that began squabbling in a motel room Friday morning carried their dispute over to an adjacent Waffle House restaurant in the nude, police said.

The woman, who was not identified, told officers she was staying in a room with Larry Boyd when he took a hit of cocaine, started trashing their room and choked her.

She ran in the buff to the nearby restaurant and locked herself in the bathroom. Boyd, also naked, followed her into the restaurant and then fled in a car.He was arrested — still naked — after a short chase by police and was charged with driving under the influence and felony evading arrest, among other charges.

The capper of the story?

It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

Depressing?

How do you suppose John Gard feels knowing he's not even the best-qualified candidate at his breakfast table?

From Jawjacking To Jaw Dropping

Dave Magnum crashed Tammy Baldwin's presser in Verona this week to try to attach himself to Herb Kohl's coattails. Channel 27 has the video if you click the "video story" link.

h/t to DY, who always gets the good comments.

Governor?

Doyle

Jim Doyle has mitigated the effects of the Thompson/McCallum deficits, held the line on school spending and taxes and minimized the damage of a John Gard-led Assembly. He's offended those who would turn back the clock on labor and consumer laws and, for that, has had to suffer one ad hominem attack after another. Time after time his actions have been shown to be above board.

He is not without faults. His lack of charisma means that he is not an energizing figure. It has been said that he refuses to compromise. So be it.

Congressman Green has voted time after time for huge deficits in Washington. Congressman Green has voted to choke the life out of the Constitution in the name of a spurious security. Congressman Green has been consistently on the wrong side of health issues for women and seniors. It's time for Wisconsin to give him a little private time.

Who Is In Favor Of Cutting And Running?

Kroll Security says Afghanistan and Iraq are too dangerous for its bodyguard teams. They're pulling out.

Bechtel says it's lost enough money in Iraq. Too much is going for things other than rebuilding efforts.

Bechtel's first reconstruction contract, awarded shortly after Saddam Hussein's overthrow in April 2003, assured the company that it would have a safe environment for its workers.
But, by the end, dozens of Bechtel's employees and subcontractors had been
killed, some of them kidnapped, others marched out of their office and shot.
Forty-nine others were wounded.

[snip]
"That's really an under-told story -- we've stopped the reconstruction,"
said Frederick Barton, co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project
at the Center for Strategic & International Studies think tank. "There are
some things we're still finishing up, but we're wrapping up, and we're stepping
back.
It's really a tragedy."

Now the Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction is leaving Iraq, too. Why? (from the NYT)

Investigations led by a Republican lawyer named Stuart W. Bowen Jr. in Iraq
have sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy
charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies
like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military did not properly
track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces.

And tucked away in a huge military authorization bill that President Bush
signed two weeks ago is what some of Mr. Bowen’s supporters believe is his
reward for repeatedly embarrassing the administration: a pink slip.

Dick Cheney says that the stakes are high in the election Tuesday. Show him you understand. Send a Republican home, too.

AG?

Falk

JBvH has a single note to his campaign and it's a false one. Once he's learned the difference between running for DA and running for AG he might consider running again. Anyone who believes that abortion is equivalent to homicide doesn't deserve a public office in Wisconsin. Anyone who promises to not enforce environmental law should be made to move out.

Falk has a track record of service for all of the people of this state and will continue that service as Attorney General.

Who Is In Charge In Iraq?

Andrew Sullivan says it's pretty clear that it ain't the US.

While the media is obsessed parsing the ad libs of someone on no ballot this
fall, something truly ominous has just happened in Iraq. The commander-in-chief has abandoned an American soldier to the tender mercies of a Shiite militia.

Yes, there are nuances here, and the NYT fleshes out the
story today. But the essential fact is clear. In a showdown for control of
Baghdad, the Iraqi prime minister took orders from Moqtada al-Sadr, and
instructed the U.S. military to withdraw from Sadr City. The American forces
were trying both to stabilize the city but also to find a missing American
serviceman. He is still missing

Assembly?

Ringhand

To steal a phrase from Jody, "My Assemblyman doesn't suck." The bad news is that he consistently votes with the ones who do. Every vote for Brett Davis has the effect of being an echo vote for Gabe Loeffelholz and the clueless mass in the lower house. Carrie shows us how Davis has voted against the interests of the 80th District.

If Davis had moderated his voting more than he had, he could have locked up this
seat for the Republicans again with an entrenched Republican like they did with
former Rep. Powers. But Davis voted for concealed carry, voted to criminalize
some of the techniques used by stem-cell researchers, voted to put the
constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions on the ballot, and
voted against requiring hospitals to carry emergency contraception for victims
of rape or incest. And those are just the appetizers. A side note on his
concealed carry vote - Davis did vote for an amendment to prohibit the weapons
from being carried into banks, but voted against amendments that would have
prohibited them in places where kids go like Chuck E. Cheese. So the banks
deserve to be protected from guns, but kids don't.

Janis Ringhand will be a voice for the people of the 80th against the dunderheads in the Assembly. She has government experience but isn't beholden to Madison.

Janis Ringhand deserves your vote.

Once More, GW Attacks The Wrong Target

President Rain Man thinks that John Kerry is the issue, showing the same lack of focus that led us into Iraq instead of closing the deal in Afghanistan.

When will the administration apologize to the troops?