Where Have We Heard That Defense Before?

Jef Hall points out the linchpin of Michael Gableman's argument that he did no wrong.

"I forget."

Now, I remember, "I have no recollection of that," as the mantra of disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (We tried to warn you that he was no good, too. But you wouldn't listen.) but it nagged at me that, "I forgot," was used closer to home. Who had used that defense before?

I should have looked back in the archives.

"I forgot." The cry of the Wisconsin Scoundrel is heard once more upon the land. Why are we surprised?

Because, "What Could Go Wrong?"

What could possibly go wrong with inveting worker's retirement funds in Stocks?

Thousands of workers at U.S. Sugar thought they were getting a good
deal when the company shelved their pension plan and gave them stock for their
retirement instead. They had a heady sense of controlling their own destiny as
they became the company’s biggest shareholders, Vic McCorvey, a former farm
manager there, said.

“It was always stressed to me, as manager of that 20,000-acre farm,
that the better you do, the higher your stock will be and the more retirement
you could get,” Mr. McCorvey said. “That’s why I worked six and seven days a
week, 14 hours a day,” slogging through wet and buggy cane fields, doing
whatever it took.

It's a win-win, right? The workers will have more because they made it into more.

Now that many U.S. Sugar workers are reaching retirement age, though, the
company has been cashing them out of the retirement plan at a much lower price
than they could have received. Unknown to them, an outside investor was offering
to buy the company — and their shares — for far more. Longtime employees say
they have lost out on tens of thousands of dollars each and millions of dollars
as a group, while insiders of the company came out ahead.

Remember these stories anytime a snake-oil salesman like Paul Ryan comes along trying to sell you an the wisdom of turning your retirement over to his pals on Wall Street.

Now, go read the rest of the story

Somehow, "Czech Shepherd" Doesn't Ring As Well

At times, Janesville’s newest rookie cop would nod off in the back of the
squad ...

It looks as if they've been able to change that behavior.

Seriously, one of the Janesville dogs got his vest at the DU banquet in February. He and his handler make a great showing for the department.

We Need To Vote- Now!

Which is funnier?

This line from an Yahoo News story about an assault...

A more serious charge of assault with a weapon — the hedgehog — was
dropped. The maximum penalty for that charge is five years in prison.

...or this unfortunate ending to the same story?

It was not known whether the hedgehog was dead or alive at the time of the
attack, but Senior Sgt. Bruce Jenkins said earlier that it was dead when
collected as evidence.

Learning To Be A Winner

All the good GOP shills are reading the new Scott McClellan book and getting a quick lesson in Hosea 8:7. I think they need to heed the words of Shel Silverstein as shared by Bobby Bare.

Whatever McClellan is now, he is definitely one of theirs walking toward the light.

He said "Now behind this grin, I got steel pins
That holds my jaw in place
A trophy of my most successful
Motorcycle race
And each morning when I wake and touch
This scar across my face
It reminds me of all
I got by being A WINNER."

"Now this broken back was a dying act
Of a handsome Harry Clay
That sticky Cincinnati night
I stole his wife away
But that woman she gets uglier
And she gets meaner every day
But I got her, boy
that's what makes me A WINNER.....

Wind Turbine Siting Ordinance Discussion Tonight

I think I'll head down to the library tonight for the Town Of Union PC meeting. The wind ordinance is #7 on the agenda.

Raising The Bar- One Misbehaving Judge At A Time

Fred was attempting to take me to task in one of his comment threads yesterday. We were talking about Mike Gableman's lack of qualifications for SCoWI and he said.

I am so sick of you and your liberal buddies supposedly so tolerant throwing
works like hack, unqualified, Deke suggested he took his bar exam with a
crayon.

I just wanted to say that he can't possibly be more sick of hearing it than we are of trying to warn him about it.

The discipline stems from Ziegler's acknowledgement that while serving as a
circuit judge, she presided over nearly a dozen cases in which she had a
conflict of interest. Ziegler was elected to a 10-year term on the court in
April 2007, about a month after the conflict of interest involving West Bend
Savings Bank was revealed.

Even Ziegler acknowledges the wrongdoing. Other folks can argue about the severity of her reprimand. The stink is there and there it will stay. We tried to warn you that your candidate wasn't clean but you wouldn't listen.

Mike McCabe, as expected thought the reprimand was too lenient.

"They obviously leaned very heavily on past precedent, which I find bizarre
since this is the first time the court has had to discipline a sitting Supreme
Court justice," he said."They obviously leaned very heavily on past precedent,
which I find bizarre since this is the first time the court has had to
discipline a sitting Supreme Court justice," he said.

The words he left out, of course, were, "So far."

Dig In. It's Going To Be A Hard-Candy Christmas

From Snopes. Look for the following closures this year due to CEO Administration's economy.

Pier 1 Imports will be closing an unspecified number of
stores.

The Foot Locker shoe store chain closed 274 stores in 2007 and
another 60 in the first quarter of this year; more such closures are likely
before the end of the 2008.

The Ann Taylor women's apparel chain plans to close 117 struggling
stores by the end of 2011.

Pacific Sunwear closed 74 underperforming stores in its d.e.m.o.
line in 2007 and will be closing all 154 of its remaining d.e.m.o. stores in
2008. (The company has not so far announced plans to close any of its core
Pacific Sunware outlets.)

Wilsons Leather (the Leather Experts) will be closing all 260 of
its mall-based locations — 160 will be shuttered permanently, and the remaining
100 will be remodeled and revamped as a "Studio" concept focused on fashion
accessories for women.

The Zales chain of jewelry stores plans to close about 100 of its
outlets.

Friedman's Jewelers plans to close an unspecified number of
stores.

The Pep Boys chain of auto parts stores will be closing an
unspecified number of outlets.

Charming Shoppes, which owns the Lane Bryant and Catherines brands
of women's clothing retailers, plans to close at least 150 stores.

The Kirklands chains of home decor stores announced at the end of
2007 that they would likely close between 40 to 130 of their stores in
2008.

Last updated: 27 May 2008

Viagra In The Water

Camille West sings about the tragedy which befell, ahem...Johnson City

Michelle Malkin Comes Down Hard On Paisley- Warns Houndstooth, "You're Next!"

Michelle Malkin takes on Rachel Ray and Dunkin Donuts by claiming that Ray's scarf is, somehow, a jihad symbol.

Dunkin Donuts has pulled a commercial featuring pitchwoman Rachael Ray wearing a scarf because Michelle Malkin and other conservative observers thought the scarf looked too much like a keffiyeh, what Malkin describes as "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad."

The Boston Globe reports that Dunkin Donuts caved to pressure from the conservative blogosphere — and the fear of a mass boycott — and removed the ad:
The company at first pooh-poohed the complaints, claiming the black-and-white wrap was not a keffiyeh. But the right-wing drumbeat on the blogosphere continued and by yesterday, Dunkin' Donuts decided it'd be easier just to yank the ad.

Said the suits in a statement: ''In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray
is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected
by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended.
However, given the possibility of misperception, we are no longer using the
commercial.''

Malkin praised the decision in her column, writing, It's refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to
Islamic jihad and its apologists. Too many of them bend over backward in the
direction of anti-American political correctness.... Fashion statements may seem
insignificant, but when they lead to the mainstreaming of violence --
unintentionally or not -- they matter. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. In
post-9/11 America, vigilance must never go out of style.
Malkin has previously lauded Dunkin Donuts for its support of immigration
laws.

It's as if Malkin is so desperate for attention that she'll take offense at anything. She's in the final throes of O'Reilly's Syndrome, apparently.

Chalk it up as a victory for the nattering class. They won't be getting many more.

For Two Hundred Points You Can Get A Decoder Ring

C'mon Kids, you can join the McCain Online Action Center and post vapid talking points all across the Intertubes. Just swing in here for daily updates on the talking points, post them to your favorite shill and then come on back for your valuable points.

Of course, the McCain Online Action Center hasn't bothered to update the talking points for more than two weeks so you'll just be saying the same things over and over and over without making any valid policy points. And the McCain Online Action Center doesn't really give you any ammunition to explain why McCain left veterans hanging out to dry by voting against the New GI Bill just before Memorial Day.

And it's really just more of the same-old, same-old echo chamber because McCain's webstaff can't seem to think of a single Liberal blog for their drop-down that might put up with being a part of such a blatantly cynical scheme. Oh, and the points? There doesn't seem to be a link to a place to get points or an explanation of what points might or might not be worth or if McCain even has a plan for points beyond staying the course and doing whatever it was that George Bush did with points or...

It's probably easier to buy some Cheerios and send off for the free iTunes or whatever they're giving away this week. At least you won't have that bad taste in your mouth after being used.

Changing Tastes Call For Changes In Tastes

Good news. Kellogg's is bringing back Hydrox Cookies. Didja know that Hydrox predate Oreo's?

And Kraft decided that more people were talking about drinking the Kool-Aid than were actually drinking it so they're reformulating and repackaging the drink mix.

The company said it added antioxidant vitamin E to its sugar-sweetened
Kool-Aid formula and changed its formula for its Kool-Aid Singles so that one
packet can be used to flavor 17 ounces of water. Previously, two packets were
needed.

Kraft also said its sugar-free Kool-Aid products have been
reformulated to taste closer to regular unsweetened Kool-Aid.

Most of the drinks already fell under Kraft's nutritional
guidelines introduced in 2005, which call for limited amounts of sugar,
calories, fat and sodium and "meaningful" amounts of vitamins and nutrients.

The sugar-sweetened variety, though, did not meet the criteria
until the addition of vitamin E, Kraft said.

I don't think Mom ever gave us Kool-Aid for the health benefit. She gave us Tang for that.

Bad News For The Pres

You know it's going to be a bad day when the guy you paid to lie for you, the one you lied to to keep him from telling the truth while you were paying him decides to start telling the straight story.

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan blames President
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public about the
role of White House aides in leaking the identity of a CIA operative.

In an excerpt from his forthcoming book, McClellan recounts the
2003 news conference in which he told reporters that aides Karl Rove and I.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby were "not involved" in the leak involving operative
Valerie Plame.

"There was one problem. It was not true," McClellan writes,
according to a brief excerpt released Monday. "I had unknowingly passed along
false information. And five of the highest-ranking officials in the
administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice
president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself."

Scooter wasn't a fringe player. He's a solid Republican from a good Republican family. I'll bet his Mama told him to tell the truth.

They Also Serve Who...Well, Serve

From Sen. Erpenbach's Newsletter.

Apply to Fill Vacancies on State Boards and Commissions - There are hundreds
of Boards and Commissions that need to be filled by members of the public with
staggered terms. Most are appointed by Governor Doyle. His office sent out the
following link for a database www.wisgov.state.wi.us/appointments.
If you see a vacancy you would like to apply for you can contact Senator
Erpenbach’s office at 608-266-6670 as well as Governor Doyle’s office at
608-266-1212.

I hear that the Railroad Commissioner slot is filled.

Looking For The Loose Ends

We looked at one news story that was hidden away on a holiday weekend. What else might we have missed?

Scott Suder is back in the news this week.

Lisa Brabazon, 33, of Wausau sought the restraining order Monday in
Marathon County Circuit Court, claiming she is in imminent danger of physical
harm. She also noted in the petition for the order that Suder has access to a
handgun, and she asked a judge to not allow him to own a gun.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Assemblyman says that it's all a misunderstanding and that Ms. Brabazon is trying to get back at him.

Young Mr. Suder may not have a way with the ladies after all.

In Mutual Respect And Love

Tammy Baldwin's newsletter passes on this quote to ponder during the Memorial Day weekend. Any emphasis is mine.

“We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their
great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to
enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its
spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its
heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease, and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth; and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual
respect and love.”

The speaker was, of course, the well-known mushy liberal, Dwight David Eisenhower.

On Veterans And "Service"

h/t Badlands Blue

George McGovern schooling John McCain about service to one's country.

The following is transcribed from Sen. McGovern's speech Saturday night
at the McGovern Day dinner in Sioux Falls.

This is the greatest country on the face of the earth, I still
think that. But what a tragedy to have our reputation brought to the lowest
level that any of us can remember. I'm sometimes charged with being a softie
about war and national security.

Well, let me take one minute on that. When I was 19, Pearl Harbor
was attacked. A few days later, I dropped out of college and volunteered to fly
in the Army air corps and flew 35 missions over the most heavily defended
targets in Europe. I've always been proud of that service in World War II; I've
never had one day of regret that I participated in helping to smash Hitler's war
machine. And let me just add this. There's never been a day in my adult life
when I wouldn't have gladly sacrificed that life if America was faced with a
genuine threat to our national security.

Some years ago, I was on one of the networks with former Secretary
of Defense Robert McNamara, one of the chief architects of the war in Vietnam.
But the reason I was on television that night is he had just come out with a new
book saying that the war was not only it was a mistake, in his words it was a
tragic mistake. Well, in the course of that three-way discussion, which included
in addition to Secretary McNamara and myself, Sen. John McCain. And in McCain's
first opening remarks, he said, well we all know that George McGovern knows
little about national defense.

Let me tell you what I would say to John McCain: neither of us is
an expert on national defense. It's true that you went to one of the
service academies but you were in the bottom of the class. It's true that you
were a pilot in Vietnam, that you were shot down and spent most of the war in
prison and we all sympathize with that and honor you for your courage. But
you and I both had these battle experiences, you as a Navy fighter plane, I as
an army bomber. I am not going to criticize your war record and your knowledge
of national security but I don't want you criticizing mine either.

If I'd be allowed just one little dig at Senator McCain, since he
gave me. I would say, 'John, you were shot down early in the war and spent most
of the time in prison. I flew 35 combat missions with a 10-man crew and brought
them home safely every time.'

Kick At The Darkness Till It Bleeds Daylight

I'll admit that this video was a lot better in memory but the song is still as good as ever. BTW, Kids, the fabric in those shirts was called Qiana and it was made by DuPont.

Bruce Cockburn
-Lovers In a Dangerous Time





As a bonus, the BNL version

Ya' Got Trouble

I'm bringing an old favorite to the top. It looks like it's a good weekend for a little van Hollen bothering.

Originally posted April 27, 2006




Harold Hill:
Well, either you're closing your eyes
To a situation you do now wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated

JB van Hollen via Fraley:
Former United States Attorney JB Van Hollen says that
State Attorneys General can and must play a
fundamental role in the war on terrorism.

Hill:
But just as I say,
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to score
In a balkline game,
I say that any boob kin take
And shove a ball in a pocket.

JB:
“I am shocked, quite frankly, that
Paul Bucher really doesn’t know that
President Bush has entrusted the
state attorneys general with a significant role in
fighting terrorism here at home,”

Hill:
The first big step on the road
To the depths of deg-ra-Day--
I say, first, medicinal wine from a teaspoon,
Then beer from a bottle.
An' the next thing ya know,
Your son is playin' for money
In a pinch-back suit.

JB:
“The Attorney General must,
like all law enforcement, remain vigilant regarding
all possible threats to public safety.”

Hill:
Now, I know all you folks are the right kinda parents.
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.
Would ya like to know what kinda conversation goes
On while they're loafin' around that Hall?
They're tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out cubebs,
Tryin' out Tailor Mades like Cigarette Feends!
And braggin' all about
How they're gonna cover up a tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen.

JB:
"Twenty eight county district attorneys,
20 county sheriffs and 36 prominent elected
Republican legislators are backing my campaign
because they know I have the experience and integrity
to fight crime as Attorney General,”

Towns People:
Trouble, oh we got trouble,
Right here in River City!
With a capital "T"
...We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City,
Right here!Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after school!
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble...

JB:
“Terrorism is a threat in Wisconsin.
It would be naïve and irresponsible to assume otherwise,”

Hill:
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City!
Remember the Maine,
Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!
Oh, we've got trouble.
We're in terrible, terrible trouble.
That game with the fifteen numbered balls is a devil's tool!
Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble!

JB:
Twenty eight county district attorneys,
20 county sheriffs and 36 prominent elected
Republican legislators are backing my campaign
because they know I have the experience
and integrity to fight crime as Attorney General,
This includes fighting cyber-crime,
the scourge of methamphetamine, and the
threat posed by potential terrorists here.”

Hill:
One fine night, they leave the pool hall,
Headin' for the dance at the Arm'ry!
Libertine men and Scarlet women!
And Rag-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son and your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground!

Towns People:
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City,
Right here!
Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after school!
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble...

Car Thief Foiled By The Pigs

No, really, by the pigs.

German police pursuing a car thief through a dark forest turned rescuers
when the man became cornered by a family of angry wild boar.

Officers caught the man's passenger after the pair rammed into a squad car on a cross-country chase and leapt from the stolen Opel, police in the eastern city of Schwerin said.

My new favorite line of the story?

Officers rescued the man from the boars, then arrested him.