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--Erick Erickson "Bush campaign should hire The American Mind for the oppo research team." --Punchthebag Sean Hackbarth's The American Mind is a good weblog." --Glenn Reynolds "It’s good enough that I can forgive Sean’s Packers fandom. Almost." --Steve Silver About Me
Headquartered in SE Wisconsin, here you'll find comments on politics, economics, culture, books, and music. Not necessarily in that order.
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Holding Off on SotU Response
Assembly Fails to Override Concealed Carry Veto Coretta Scott King Dead at 78 Charlie's Show Prep #36 File Under: Fiction Alito Filibuster Fails Filibuster Expected to Be Defeated Charlie's Show Prep #35 Expect a Monday Malaise Kennedy Joines the Kosites Congressman's Staff Alters Wikipedia Entry Stuck Watching a Bad Game Media Makes Big Deal Out of Injured Media Sheehan Still Considering a Senate Run #1 Google Search
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January 31, 2006Holding Off on SotU ResponseInstead of watching a replay of the State of the Union speech I'll be catching up with yesterday's 24. I did catch part of Virginia governor Tim Kaine's speech was pretty good. It was full of good spirit and moderate in temperment. He impressed me. Assembly Fails to Override Concealed Carry VetoIn a remarkable example of flip-flopping Democratic Assemblymen Terry Van Akkeren of Sheboygan and John Steinbrink of Pleasant Prairie both backed Gov. Doyle's veto when they initially voted for the bill. I wonder what the two Faith No More fish got out of handing their votes and credibility to Doyle? Owen @ Boots & Sabers live-blogged it. Kevin @ Lakeshore Laments hears someone will be filing papers to challenge Rep. Van Akkeren. "Concealed Weapons Veto Override Falls Short" Coretta Scott King Dead at 78Coretta Scott King worked with her husband to demonstrate that all people were equal under law. That despite efforts by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Martin was a very strong person, and in many ways had very traditional ideas about women," she told The New York Times Magazine in 1982. She continued: "He'd say, "I have no choice, I have to do this, but you haven't been called,' " "And I said, "Can't you understand? You know I have an urge to serve just like you have.' " Still, he always described her as a partner in his mission, not just a supportive spouse. "I wish I could say, to satisfy my masculine ego, that I led her down this path," he said in a 1967 interview. "But I must say we went down together, because she was as actively involved and concerned when we met as she is now." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, For many, Coretta King was the closest thing possible to African-American royalty, from the regal way she carried herself to how others perceived her. Her image froze in the public's consciousness thanks to a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken at her husband's funeral. Beneath her black veil, she seemed dignified and stoic even as she consoled a grief-stricken 5-year-old Bernice. Godspeed, Coretta. "Coretta Scott King, 78, Widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dies" [via PoliBlog] "Coretta Scott King Dies at 78" "Coretta Scott King, 1927-2006" Charlie's Show Prep #36
File Under: FictionI suspect Random House, the publisher of James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, will never re-classify the book as fiction. Adding publisher's and author's notes stating that not everything contained within is true might pacify critics. What it won't do is stop the Brooklyn Public Library from putting the book where it correctly belongs. It is important that the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) classifies books in its collection in a way that reflects the community's expectations. When BPL learned of public and publishing industry concerns of the discrepancies in James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, we felt it necessary to react in a way that would assure Brooklyn's library users that the information they want and need is easily available and accessible within a clear and truthful classification system. Slate's Timothy Noah noticed Nan Talese knew about problems with the book's accuracy long before The Smoking Gun story. I'm fascinated at the differences of opinion between Nan Talese and her husband, non-fiction writer, Gay Talese. A few weeks ago, they were both on CNN. About memoir Gay told Anderson Cooper: Well, it means a mirror of yourself, as best you can reflect yourself. It doesn't mean absolute truth, because we don't know absolute truth at all. But it certainly means a very vigilant and vigorous attempt to reflect yourself accurately and verifiably He went on: I believe that the credibility of the whole story depends upon the total effort of the writer to be responsible, even in matters that might not be relevant to the overall story. Nan's response was quite limited: You know, the reason we published the book was because of the power of the narrative of his rehabilitation and what he went through. Later she said, But -- but the fact is, here is a person from the age of 10, for 14 years, has been on alcohol and drugs. Perhaps -- I mean, I'm not a psychoanalyst, but perhaps he felt that he needed to make himself worse. So, we have a husband interested in truth or at least an attempt at truth, while the wife concerned more about what the "essence of the book" is. "Why Brooklyn Says Frey's Fiction" January 30, 2006Alito Filibuster FailsSen. John Kerry and his fellow Senate Democrats could only round up 25 votes in their attempted filibuster of Judge Sam Alito's nomination. Nineteen Democrats joined 53 Republicans to end debate and force a confirmation vote. Bravo to Sen. Kohl, and shame on Sen. Feingold. "Democrats Don't Get Support for Alito Filibuster" Filibuster Expected to Be DefeatedDespite Sen. Lincoln Chafee, being a typical liberal GOP squish, opposing Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court there are enough votes to stop a Democratic filibuster: "I am a pro-choice (abortion rights), pro-environment, pro-Bill of Rights Republican and I will be voting against this nomination," said Chafee, a moderate up for re-election in a state that opposed Bush for president in 2000 and 2004. Democrats like Sen. John Kerry and even Barack Obama (who I thought was smarter) will try to filibuster even though they know it won't work. All they'll do is pander to the loud, obnoxious Kosites of their base while continuing to alienate more even-keeled voters. Two years before Presidential primaries we hear Sen. Kerry is full campaign mode. Yeesh! And I'm only easing myself into this fall's elections. "Alito Headed Toward Confirmation" Charlie's Show Prep #35Charlie Sykes might not need any material. He could spend 3 1/2 hours letting callers rant and nash their teeth about Brett Favre. Here's some non-Packers material anyway:
Expect a Monday MalaiseExpect Aaron Rodgers to be starting as quarterback for the Packers next season. That's because if you had to force Brett Favre to make a decision at this moment he would retire. That's what he told ESPN's Chris Mortensen in an interview aired Sunday night. It's not the physical part of the game that's weighing on him, it's the mental. He's not sure he wants the ball with two minutes left in the game. He said he told Ted Thompson, "I don't know if I can give you everything." A month before his final 2005 game he called his former coach Mike Holmgren about it possibly being his last game. Favre would love to wait until training camp to make a decision, but he knows that wouldn't be fair to the Packers. Despite talk to the contrary that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy don't really want Brett Favre back next season (I'm talking to you, Mark Belling) both men visited him in Mississippi last week. If you notice some irritation and mild depression with your Wisconsin co-workers you now know why. "Favre Says he's Leaning Toward Retirement" "Packers, Favre Chew Fat" January 29, 2006Kennedy Joines the KositesIt's complete. Kos owns the Democratic Party. Like Hamas in Palestine he's going to have a hell of a time managing things. [via Baseball Crank] Congressman's Staff Alters Wikipedia EntryMore evidence that Wikipedia should not be the vaunted reference many think it should be: The staff of U.S. Rep Marty Meehan wiped out references to his broken term-limits pledge as well as information about his huge campaign war chest in an independent biography of the Lowell Democrat on a Web site that bills itself as the "world's largest encyclopedia," The Sun has learned. Defenders of Wikipedia has said if you don't like an entry edit it. Well, someone did. It didn't expand readers' knowledge. For political and other controversial subjects Wikipedia is turning into a propaganda stage. Its reputation is slowly dropping to the level of a James Frey memoir. "Rewriting History Under the Dome" [via digg] Stuck Watching a Bad GameThere is a downside to getting a partial-season ticket package as a gift: you attend games where you wish you could pull out the remote control and change the channel. Today, my father and I sat through the sloppiest NBA I can remember. Neither the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks could made a crisp pass, they couldn't shoot from the floor or free throw line, they made dumb fouls, and they rarely move around on offense. The Bucks snagged a win because Michael Redd got hot in the fourth quarter. The Bucks have been in a funk in January going 7-9. They're still within shouting distance of Cleveland for the fourth seed in the playoffs. Injuries to Joe Smith and now Mo Williams are part of the reason. Terry Stotts has to get his players focused better or they'll get bounce in the first round of the playoffs. "Bucks 83, Celtics 79" Media Makes Big Deal Out of Injured MediaAn ABC News anchorman and his camera man get seriously injured from an Iraqi terrorist bomb, and it's the biggest story of the day. They were interrupting sports talk on Milwaukee radio to keep us informed. I feel badly for both Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt, but frankly, I never heard of either of them before today. You could have put Woodruff in a line-up and I wouldn't have been able to pick him out. Other reporters have gotten hurt in Iraq and there wasn't this much attention. U.S. soldiers have gotten hurt and killed but have garnered less attention. My prayers are with Woodruff and Vogt. "ABC's Woodruff, Cameraman Injured in Iraq" Sheehan Still Considering a Senate RunAn Alito filibuster might not be enough to keep Cindy Sheehan from running for the U.S. Senate: Sheehan said running in the Democratic primary would help make a broader point. Please! Please! Please! Run, Cindy run! Seriously, other than sheer entertainment value a Cindy Sheehan run for California Senator would be immediately dead in the water. She's a kook who hangs around Hugo Chavez and Harry Belafonte. She'd grab the votes of only the Joel Steins of California and not those who still love their country but have become disillusion over the Iraq War. Plus the California GOP has shown no ability to field a credible state-wide candidate who isn't a celebrity. "Cindy Sheehan May Challenge Calif. Senator" "Gifts From The Left" January 28, 2006#1 Google SearchI'd like to thank the fine engineers at Google for this honor. I don't know what I did to deserve it. Really, I'm clueless, but I'm not complaining. Diane, We Want the Kook to RunSen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), for the love of webloggers and comedians do not filibuster Judge Alito. We want to watch Cindy Sheehan and her band of Hugo Chavez-loving pinkos try to unseat you. It won't succeed, but think of our entertainment value. Cindy will be able to produce enough wacky quotes to keep webloggers and the Daily Show busy for months. "Sheehan to Feinstein: Filibuster Alito, Or I'll Run Against You" UPDATE: Sen. Feinstein let me down: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against Alito's nomination, said she will vote against ending debate Monday, a procedure known as cloture. So much potential entertainment swept away by one statement. *SIGH* Thanks go to Kevin Binversie @ Lakeshore Laments for the tip. Will Marijuana Activist Die in Jail?Here's a disturbing story that should having people defending marijuana laws contemplating their stance: Five years after fleeing to Canada to avoid jail, medical marijuana activist Steve Kubby returned here in handcuffs Friday facing an uncertain future and a stint behind bars that his doctor contends might prove a death sentence. I'm not jumping gung-ho into the "legalize drugs" debate. Let's face a fact: marijuana's image has entered our culture more than even when our hippie parents smoked in the 60s. I haven't seen "reefer madness" plague the nation. Steve Kubby needs his marijuana for his health. My common sense tells me this is quite different from selling the stuff or trying to get others hooked on the high. "Medical Marijuana Activist Returns to State, Is Arrested" Coulter Again Gives Conservatives a Bad NameThe unfunny Ann Coulter out did herself when she joked, "We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee." She's not a pundit. She's an unfunny comedian who uses conservative politics and long blond hair as her schtick. She's boring and she insults the movement she thinks she promotes. I won't be looking forward to listening to her stand-up routine at CPAC 2006. "Ann Coulter 'Jokes' That a Supreme Court Justice Should Be Poisoned--And is Compared to Lil' Kim" January 27, 2006Gophers Takes Latest Battle in Border WarCollege hockey doesn't get enough attention especially in Wisconsin. This year the Badgers are one of the best teams in the nation and the Frozen Four national championship will be in Milwaukee in April. This weekend the #4 Minnesota Golden Gophers come to face the #2 Badgers. Tonight's game was wild and exciting like a good college game can be. After a stretch of three-straight goals the Badgers were down 5-1 and looked like you could stick a fork in them. But the third period was all theirs. They kept the puck in their offensive zone and drew on the electricity produced by the 17,000 rabid Badgers fans. The team's efforts in the final period weren't enough. Two penalties lowered their intensity just enough for the Gophers to pull out a 5-4 win. The Badgers hope to get out of their three-game skid when the again play Minnesota tomorrow night. Dear Abby: Weblog-StyleMe thinks Wizbang's advice column, Dear VK, will be a winner. Read this Q&A: Dear VK, Excuse me. I was rolling on the floor laughing. "Dear VK" Charlie's Show Prep #34
Ann's SkepticalAnn Althouse is skeptical of Oprah tongue-lashing James Frey. "The Winfrey-Frey Fray." Hewitt Might Bare AllJennifer Love Hewitt in Playboy? Ok. No problem with that. I guess the Maxim spreads and being all wet in a movie wasn't sexy enough to make her "edgier." I'll find the pics when they appear on the net. Speaking of breasts in the first hour of 24 when I saw Michelle I thought to myself, "Great! Another season of Michelle's breasts." Then her car exploded and she (and her breasts) were killed. I had to pause my TiVo and sob for a few minutes. "Jennifer Love Hewitt to Do Nude Playboy Shoot?" "Is JLH going to do Playboy?" January 26, 2006Oprah Takes Her Credibility BackI meant to publish a post alerting you to James Frey appearing on Oprah today. But, oops, I forgot to hit the "publish" button. I'm going to engage in some literary license (inspired by Frey no doubt) and quote from a post that will never need to see the light of day: James Frey goes from the non-threatening Larry King Show to the enabling Oprah Winfrey Show. Expect even fewer hard questions about A Million Little Pieces and a lot of tears. There were tears, but I didn't expect Oprah to shed them from acknowledging she was duped like all the rest of Frey's readers. In a very impressive mea culpa she told her audience: I gave the impression that the truth does not matter. I made a mistake. Here's how a Chicago Tribune reporter viewed the scene: "I made a mistake," a somber Winfrey said at the opening of the live show, "and I left the impression that the truth does not matter, and I am deeply sorry about that because that is not what I believe." She continued chiding Frey: I feel duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers. She asked why he fabricated events in his book. Frey answered, In order to get through the experience of the addiction, I thought of myself as being tougher than I was and badder than I was, and it helped me cope. And when I was writing the book, instead of being as introspective as I should have been, I clung to that image. Questions didn't stop with Frey. Oprah lashed out at Doubleday publisher, Nan Talese. Talese responded by saying the book wasn't fact-checked because publishers don't do that. "I thought as a publisher, this is James's memory of the hell he went through. . . . I do not know how you get inside another person's mind." A question that I don't know was asked was why Frey allowed Doubleday to publish the book as a memoir when other publishers rejected the book when it was sold to them as a novel? Frey admitted lying to millions of his readers yet said, "I still think it's a memoir." The Smoking Gun editor William Bastone "felt bad for Frey" after Oprah's onslaught. Random House, owner of Doubleday, will publish an author's note in all future copies of A Million Little Pieces. There's no mention if the book will be recatagorized as fiction. No surprise, the blogosphere is buzzing:
"Oprah Tells Frey He 'Betrayed' Readers" "Oprah Throws the Book at Herself" "Oprah Calls Defense of Author 'a Mistake'" "James Frey Gets His, Takes It Like Man(?)" Questions for RussOver at the BBA I asked for questions to ask Sen. Russ Feingold at his Menominee Falls listening session tomorrow. I got five, all from one person. Thanks, tee bee. I think. Big! No, REALLY BIG! News DayThere are so many big stories to comment on: Oprah sees the light; Hamas won the Palestinian elections; Gov. Doyle is knee-deep in scandal. Let me catch my breath, pick up my jaw from the floor, and consume an adult beverage before diving into a long night of posting. Charlie's Show Prep #33
Hamas Becomes Player in Palestinian GovernmentA positive to the Palestinian elections was the lack of violence. People spoke with their ballots instead of bombs. It's hard to take that taste of freedom away. But as Glenn Reynolds says, "Democracy is a process." I want to be more hopeful about peace between Israel and Palestine, but Hamas won a considerable amount of seats in the parliment. They might have enough to force Fatah to let them into the cabinet. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has violently struck Israel many times. They would like nothing more than to push the Jews into the sea. I hope being part of a representative government will soothe their savagery. But it's just that, hope. They campaigned like any other political party. More important, Hamas has to prove to the world they can live in civilized society. We need to see actions, not words. The Christian Science Monitor has a telling instance of the divided proto-nation: Hadija Jadour and Samah Jarah passed out campaign cards to voters who made their way up the dirt road into a girls' school in Obediyeh, a West Bank municipality east of Bethlehem. OxBlog's Patrick Belton has some reports from Palestine (also here and here). "Palestinians Cast Historic Vote" "Palestinians Vote Today, Jimmy Carter Observes" January 25, 2006Only the Law-Abiding Obey Gun LawsThis Mallard Fillmore strip should be on every State Assemblyman's desk before they vote to override Gov. Doyle's veto of the concealed carry bill. Harsh on OprahFor someone harsher on Oprah Winfrey than I have been read BizzyBlog.com: Straight to the point: Oprah has a lot of explaining to do. After reading the article, you’re almost forced to conclude one of two things: In Jame Frey's defense his publisher found two witnesses to support his some of his experiences at a Minnestoa rehab center. Even still Frey's descriptions are outlandishly wild compared to the witnesses' memories. In a statement Frey said, "any differences are incidental." The sad state of memoir continues. "Fake but accurate" is the mantra. Imagine when Dan Rather writes his biography. "Frey’s Lies: What Did Oprah Know and When Did She Know It?" Charlie's Show Prep #32Tomorrow's show will probably be all "Adelman all the time." Still, here are some other stories that should be mentioned on this morning's show:
DisappointedIt's obvious I have no pull in the Badger Blogosphere. I urged some creative, talented type to pump out a photoshop job inspired by Charlie Sykes' new nickname. I've seen zilch, zip, zero. You've let me down. If you're having trouble I found a weblog post to help you out. "Freakish Zombie in 11 Steps!" [via digg] January 24, 2006Rendell Criticizes Senate DemocratsJudge Alito's Supreme Court nomination passed the Senate Judicial Committee on a party line 10-8 vote. Alito wasn't damaged during the confirmation hearings. In fact, he was hardly scratched. The same can't be said for Democrats on the committee. Sen. Kennedy looked like a bloated buffoon. Sen. Biden hated Princeton then loved it. Sen. Feingold decided to be obsessed with Alito and Vanguard and who helped prep him for his hearing. Before the vote he went so far as to declare [emphasis mine]: Judge Alito’s record and his testimony have led me to conclude that his impulse to defer to the executive branch would make him a dangerous addition to the Supreme Court at a time when cases involving executive overreaching in the name of fighting terrorism are likely to be such an important part of the Court’s work. Guess what's also dangerous? A Senator pushing laws that limit political speech while claiming he's protecting civil rights. Unlike Judicial Committee Democrats, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell supports Alito and criticized Sens. Kennedy, Leahy, Feingold, Durbin, Biden and the other Democrats: I Disagree With A Lot Of His Positions On Cases, But I Think The Tests Should Always Be One Party Wins The Election. As Long As The Supreme Court Justice Is Appointed Who Has High Academic Qualifications, Significant Integrity And Judge Alito Certainly Does, We Should Confirm Him Regardless Of Our Disagreement On The Way He May Interpret One Aspect Of The Law. I Think We've Fallen Into Such Partisanship In D.C., Not Just In This But In So Many Things, That It's In Some Way Ways Tearing The Country Apart. "In Case You Missed It: Former DNC Chairman, Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) Supports Judge Alito" Frey's Continued SalesDon Baiocchi at Blogcritics.org wonders why A Million Little Pieces as well as My Friend Leonard are still selling so well despite having it known portions of it are made up: I didn't expect sales to plummet down to zero, especially after Oprah called in during Frey's interview with Larry King on January 11th and continued endorsing the book, but why are so many people still paying more for the hardcover? Another reason could be it's a good read despite knowing it isn't accurate. I haven't read it and probably never will so I can't comment on the book's quality. Maybe just maybe it can transcend its current status as memoir. To really do that would require James Frey to come clean. But with Oprah's continued enabling that won't happen anytime soon. "James Frey Still On Best-Seller Lists" Political Speech Case Sent Back to Lower CourtAnn Althouse comments on the Supreme Court considering another aspect of the McCain-Feingold The Supreme Court ruled on Monday, without dissent, that it has not barred all challenges to actual operation in practice of federal campaign finance restrictions on political advertising. It ordered a lower court to reconsider an "as-applied" challenge by an anti-abortion group, Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. The unsigned opinion, only two and a half pages in length, was announced by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. It ordered a three-judge District Court to consider the merits of the organization's complaint. A federal court will have to determine the difference between legal "grass-roots" speech and "electioneering" speech. I can't wait to see what mental sommersaults take place along the way back to the Supreme Court. The Law of Unintended Consequences has struck again. Obviously fault lies with Sens. McCain and Feingold, but also chastise President Bush who signed a bill he cynically thought would be kicked aside by the courts as unconstitutional. "About Those Issue Ads." Charlie's Show Prep #31
Mark Reardon AxedMark Reardon getting fired because of "budget adjustments" bums me out. His show kept AM radio entertaining for me at night when other station's signals fade into the background radiation. (I'm staring at you WISN.) He is to the right, but not as much as Charlie Sykes or Mark Belling. He tossed in a lot of pop culture which was refreshing. Now, I'm stuck with more Clark Howard, the dweebiest man on radio. He dishes out plenty of good information, but the man's a nerd. Sadly, WTMJ's website "airbrushed" Reardon from its web site. His name is gone from talk roster, but a page still exists that simply reads: Newsradio 620 WTMJ regrets to announce that Mark Reardon has left the station, as the result of 2006 station budget adjustments. Who knows how long that page will remain? At least Charlie Sykes was nice enough to post a goodbye. I have a suggestion for Mark: podcasting. He'd be good at it, and he'd have a lot more freedom. Kevin @ Lakeshore Laments is also disappointed while Owen @ Boots & Sabers thinks there's more to the story. Don't expect Tim Cuprisin to get you the answers. He doesn't like "squawk radio." January 23, 2006More Questions about Frey's FraudJames Frey completely missed the point when he practically admitted 5% of his A Million Little Pieces was made up. If readers know he greatly exaggerated or fabricated his run-ins with the law why should they believe his other experiences? They can't. Now there are questions about other parts of Frey's book. The NY Times reports people who use to work at Minnesota's Hazelden Foundation question Frey's experience at the rehab center: But more than three months before questions were raised about Mr. Frey's memoir by the Smoking Gun Web site (www.thesmokinggun.com) - before, in fact, Ms. Winfrey first had Mr. Frey as a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" - producers at the program were told by a former counselor at the foundation that runs the Minnesota treatment center reportedly used by Mr. Frey that his portrayal of his experience there grossly distorted reality. Frey has completely discredited himself, but I'm surprised Oprah Winfrey continues to play the fool. She's a smart woman who I'm sure is privately steaming about being fooled. But she also has an ego--you don't get as successful as she has without one--and is at that point where she'll hold firm and refuse to admit she has been enabling a liar. "Treatment Description in Memoir Is Disputed" March for Life CoverageCold and rain are making things uncomfortable today in Washington, DC. President Bush spoke to the marchers via telephone this afternoon. EWTN is streaming their coverage of the march live. Pro-Life Blogs is makng periodic posts. BRAINS!!!!Oh captain, my captain! Lead me!
(I'm expecting some extreme photoshopping. Don't let me down.) UPDATE: Sorry, Charlie. I'm no photoshopper. The was was just something I found on the net. I hope someone with the skills could do something. I just provided the inspiration. Charlie's Show Prep #30
UPDATE: I found one more good one. People are revolting over tech school's taxation without representation. Jessica McBride should take some credit for pushing this issue. Also on the Family Care story Scott Walker sent McBride an e-mail disputing the newspaper's assertions. March for Life 2006Sunday was the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that yanked the abortion debate away from individual states and made it the center of the culture wars. Some marches took place already. In San Francisco one woman held a sign that demanded "Bigots Go Home!" She obviously doesn't understand what a bigot is. Looking into a mirror might help. Another pro-abortion protester held a sign that read, "Keep your laws off my body... and I'll keep my hands off your throat!" That's on par with any pro-life supporter defending killers like Paul Hill. The big rally will be Monday in Washington, D.C. Thousands will tolerate the cold to peacefully yearn for the day when all people, born and unborn, have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Before the March for Life the Family Research Council will be hosting the Blogs for Life Conference. I'll end this post with some lyrics from one of the most powerful yet gut-wrenching songs I've ever heard, "Legal Kill" by King's X. I know your side so very well "Demonstrators Mark Roe V. Wade Anniversary" "Blogs4Life/March for Life" "Certain Unalienable Rights" January 22, 2006Prediction TimeWhen it comes to big NFL games the smart money goes with the home teams. Both Seattle and Denver have great, lively crowds in geographic locations that give the home teams some advantages. Denver has their high altitude, and everything might be soaked at Qwest Field in Seattle. Still I don't completely discount the visiting teams' chances. Pittsburgh's defense stunned the Indianpolis Colts. Even more stunning was how unpredictable the Steelers' offense was. Expect the unexpected from Bill Cowher and crew. The Carolina Panthers have Steve Smith who's mission is to single-handedly carry his team to the Super Bowl. With the streak he's on right now it's not good enough to shut down everyone but Smith. He could score three touchdowns easily today. The Seahawks defense doesn't have to be great. They just have to put pressure on Jake Delhomme and force some turnovers. For the Seattle offense only one name needs to be mentioned: Shaun Alexander. They must run the ball, tire out the Panthers defense, and limit Steve Smith's time on the field. At the beginning of the season I picked Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL. I'll stick with half my guess and also predict the Steelers will play the Seahawks. UPDATE: 24-3 at halftime! I expected the Steelers to win not thrash the Broncos. Still, there's lots of time left, and Jake Plummer should make it interesting. One more thing, Steve @ No Runny Eggs is looking good on his first pick. Grand Jury Investigates DoyleWith his low poll numbers Gov. Jim Doyle will have a hard enough time fighting off either Scott Walker or Mark Green this fall. The last thing he wants to deal with in an election year is a grand jury investigation: Authorities have convened a federal grand jury to review whether campaign donations to Gov. Jim Doyle played a role in the state awarding a $750,000 contract to Adelman Travel. If and when U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic calls Doyle before the grand jury expect Lefty flacks like Bill Christoferson will pound on him for turning the investigation into a partisan Starr-like witch hunt. "Grand Jury Examines Contract" Last of the UnbeatensDuke, Pittsburgh, and Florida all fell Saturday. That leaves little Lawrence University in Appleton, WI as the remaining undefeated men's team in NCAA basketball. Besides being a very expensive, highly regarded liberal arts school, every year Lawrence hosts the "World's Longest Running Trivia Contest." The contest used to run over the air from the school's radio station. Now this year, it will be a pure internet stream. By the way, Lawrence beat St. Norbert 79-68. My New CrushJanuary 21, 2006Feeding My HabitThe info hose has been turned back on. After a long time ignoring RSS feeds because I got bored with SharpReader I'm now playing with Bloglines (after a 1 1/2 year hiatus) and Omea Reader. A positive with Bloglines is it's portable. Anywhere I can use a web browser I can check on my feeds. Omea Reader is a stand-alone program, but it's fast. Once a feed has been updated I can instantly read it. Both kinds of newsreaders have their place, and with both accepting OPML files I can have both sets of feeds synched. We'll see if I start preferring one over the other in daily use. I wouldn't be surprised if Bloglines wins out. Ever since I started using Furl for saving web pages I don't bookmark anything with the browser. Belafonte Bellows AgainHarry "Banana Boat" Belafonte, we get it. You hate President Bush. Now, run off to the old washed up stars home and shut the hell up before someone shoves a banana up your posterior. "Belafonte Continues Tirade Against Bush" January 20, 2006SRLC Taking Webloggers SeriouslyWebloggers are still looked at as the red-headed stepchild of media, but they're being taken seriously. This year's Southern Republican Leadership Conference are treating them just like newspapers, television, and talk radio. Plea Agreement in Tire Slashing CaseMilwaukee District Attorney E. Michael McCann's office is known as a plea bargain machine. Conservatives were pleasantly surprised when his office took the Milwaukee 5 to trial. Prosecutors went through eight days of testimony and arguments and put it in the jury's hands. Until a few hours ago it seemed like we would have a verdict, but that wasn't the case. Prosecutors gave up at the first sign of a deadlocked jury and cut-and-run by handing out plea bargains: In an unexpected twist in the Election Day tire slashing trial, four former Kerry-Edwards campaign staffers, including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt, have agreed to plead no contest to misdemeanors. Prosecutors will recommend probation sentences as part of the deal. In the end those interested in justice and fair elections should have never put their faith in E. Michael McCann. This case once again demonstrates the soft-on-crime approach that's plagued his career. [via Brian Fraley] UPDATE: The blogswarm has begun:
I expect more to come. UPDATE II (There could be a lot of these since I'm posting them as fast as I can find them):
UPDATE III:
UPDATE IV:
UPDATE V:
UPDATE VI (Final one for this post and probably the night):
Waiting for the VerdictThe jury deliberates on the fate of the Milwaukee 5. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this morning they might be close to a verdict: In a possible sign one or more guilty verdicts could be coming this morning, the jury in the Election Day 2004 tire-slashing case sent a note to Circuit Judge Michael Brennan asking whether, when filling out their verdict forms for each of the five defendants, anything should be written in to indicate which of three possible theories of party to a crime a person was being found guilty under. The lastest I heard from a radio report was the jury was "hung" up on a charge of being party to a crime. Many in the courtroom were confused by the jury's use of the word "hung." From my distant vantage point it looks like they're stuck on one or two of the suspects while being finished with the others. Talk radio yapper Jeff Wagner, former prosecutor, thinks the jury will get done today so as to not have to come in on a Saturday. For some reading to pass the time Patrick at Badger Blogger links to the Chicago Tribune's take on the tire slashing story. "Election Day Sabotage Trial Pits Democrat Against Democrat" Malloy Rejects CPAC InvitationAir America's Mike Malloy pumped out this e-mail response to an invitation to broadcast his show from this year's Conservative Political Action Committee: Um . . . you're kidding, right? Why would I have any desire whatsoever to attend or participate in a convocation of neo-Nazis????? I had two uncles fight against you [expletive] in WW2. And, now, surprise! surprise! here you all are on US soil. Kindly get the [expletive] off my email. Thanks. Where were all those neo-Nazis last year? I seemed to miss them. There was the unfunny Ann Coulter and G. Gordon "Headshot" Liddy. Even Al Franken and the oh so very lovely Namrata Singh Gujral showed up, but no brownshirts or thugs in jackboots were spotted. Thomas Lifson responds: Yet again confirmation that the left has no confidence in its ability to reason, debate, and win by the strength of its ideas. Instead use the other n-word (isn’t “Nazi” at least as offensive as the other n-word?) and refuse to talk. Tim Graham writes: This is not only ludicrous in terms of conservatives and anti-Semitism, but ludicrous in terms of conservatives and totalitarianism. "Mike Malloy to CPAC: Get Lost!" Charlie's Show Prep #29
January 19, 2006Double DipperState Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer will run for re-election and Manitowoc County Executive. He's also vowed to answer his own phones and never ask a staff person to pick up his dry cleaning. His next trick will be to break the laws of physics by being in two places at the same time. Seriously, it will be impressive if he can pull this off. From what I know about him he's politically strong, but this does provide an opening for his opponent(s). "Drat, I Was Supposed to Leak This" Getting GoosedDon't tick off Mother Nature: A goose was to blame for a power outage Wednesday in the Menomonee Valley. Either it was a stupid bird that thankfully purged itself from the gene pool, or it had a death wish. In that case it must have been pretty happy with this week's Supreme Court ruling on Oregon's assisted suicide law. "Goose Knocks Out Power To Menomonee Valley" Charlie's Show Prep #28
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