Like to see how the pro-choice left views conservatives?

Watch this. I thought it was a parody, but these folks are serious.

Pay attention to how evil anyone who disagrees is treated.

Comments?

RUSD Superintendent Hicks Lies? Holy Broken Promises Batman!

Racine Unified School Board Member Brian Dey commented on my Teach Your Children post below. He points out 3 lies told by Super Hicks at RUSD... I thought they should be posted in a little bigger light.

Just since talk of the June referendum started to heat up, our Superintendent gave us a sound bite in mid-May that there would be a moratorium on new spending. Since that statement, the Board has passed over $1 million in new spending (lie #1). Based on the words of Dr. Hicks, the Board was told that children from Winslow would move to Julian Thomas, which was one of the primary reasons I successfully proposed to close Winslow (lie #2). And now, we have 11 sports that are not going to be funded, even though the community was told that if they passed this referendum, $1.2 million that was already budgeted would not be cut (lie #3).

See Brian's full comments here.

Understanding Republican Politics in Wisconsin.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the upcoming Senate Election when the Honorable Herb Kohl will seek (and gain) a fourth term. I’ve been thinking about who exactly is going to run against him? Attorney Robert Lorge out of Madison is running against Kohl, but not a whisper on anyone else entering the fray. (And I have been digging around)

Here is the thing, people were fighting with each other over the honor of being Russ Feingold’s punching bag, but nothing but the sounds of crickets in the night for a serious candidate to run against Kohl. There can be only two reasons, people are scared of Kohl’s money, or they wanted to be a candidate in the increased turnout of a Presidential election.

Feingold does things. He takes maverick stands on issues, he puts his name on legislation. Kohl in 3 six-year terms has built a marvelously obscure record. It has been argued a politician who goes off to office and does not do much is better for us in the long run. I just do not recall any of Kohl’s three prior campaigns pushing the, I will not do much message. The point here is you can run against Feingold’s record, Kohl does not have much of one.

So who is out there to run against Herb Kohl? I would submit the following list: Scott Walker, Mark Green, James Sensenbrenner, or Paul Ryan.

Walker/Green. Two of Wisconsin Republican’s brightest stars will be fighting for the same seat, what a waste. Doyle needs 55% of Milwaukee County to win so the better strategy would have been for Green to bow out seeing as Walker pulled 58% there in his last election.

James Sensenbrenner. He has enough name recognition, savvy, contacts and experience to run an effective race against Kohl. Problem, he is cozy at home in the very safe 5th Congressional District. Brian Kennedy thinks he is a real challenge the 2nd time around, but not in this district.

Paul Ryan. He is young, energetic and handsome, a real rising star in the party. However, he may need a bit more seasoning to take on a Senate run. (By the way 1st District Democrat Candidate Justin Sowa still will not answer my questions.)
I just have this feeling Wisconsin Republicans have thrown in the towel already on this one. They should learn something from our Democratic friends, they lose and lose and lose, but they never, I mean NEVER, quit fighting.

Jim "Bingo" Doyle needs a new nickname.

Well we all know for the third time today, Governor Doyle put his veto pen to the Voter ID bill. Every question, every concern he has raised has been addressed in the bill. He just likes the fact that fraud favors him.

In that spirit I shall now call The Gov, Jim "Noid" Doyle.

Milwaukee's Liberal Talk Star.

Well ColdFusion04 over at Daily Koss got his wish. He has been pushing people nationally to flood WISN's Milwaukee Talk Star Competition and telling them who to vote for. He led it all the way and got Nicole, the most Liberal of the Bunch on the air.

ColdFusion04 said of her, "So, enjoy your new morning host, the wonderful anti-war, pro-choice Nicole, who will talk circles around your bullshit empty language for the next two years. Have a nice day!"

Nice guy huh? He took on this thing pretty much on his own and beat a Clearchannel station, and he is still bitter! Are you always that angry ColdFusion04? It would seem to me you should be celebrating.

I say to you well fought, I may not necessarily agree with your tactics, but I have to admire your results. There were clearly people with much more talent than Nicole, but I guess the liberal message, not talent was what he wanted. (Chris was the best of the bunch)

The winner in all of this of course is WTMJ. Jerry Bott has done a fine job of screwing things up at WISN of late. The only good moves he has made were pushing Hannity up by two hours and resigning Belling. I hope for Jerry's sake WISN can survive on 9 hours of decent programming, because that is all they have.

But Jerry, you might want to brush up your resume.

See the Daily Koss post here.

Comments welcome as always.

The Cindy Sheehan Media Timeline

J Marcus Xavier at Very Small Doses has published a timeline of the whole Cindy Sheehan story. Interesting reading regardless of your perspective.

Sowa Still MIA

8-11 still no update from the Sowa campaign. I just tried the campaign phone number, turns out it is the candidates personal cell phone. Hey this Justin leave a message. I asked them to check their email as I have sent several without a response. Waiting..... Heck of a way to be responsive to someone in the District.

**************************************************
I have sent two very kind emails asking the Sowa for Congress campaign about his resume. Sowa, (D) Franklin, has announced his cadidacy for the First District Congressional seat currently held by Paul Ryan (R).

It has Been 4 days since my first communication with the Sowa campaign, 2 days since the second.

As you may guess, I have not heard anything from the Sowa campaign. No comment (yet), but I am sure I will have one soon.

**** UPDATE ****

Though the Sowa campaign is too busy to answer email, they do hvae time to post on The Democratic Underground.


bugslsu9 (373 posts)
Wed Aug-03-05 05:04 PMOriginal message
Wow, that did not take long!
I am already being assalted by the right wing of the 1st CD! If anyone is interested, look here: http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=1627


UPDATE
I asked one very innocent question on Democratic Underground, and made one very innocent comment. I was banned, I was in no way insulting, rude profane, none of that. Other than hip hip hooray and impeach Bush it would appear free speech is not allowed amongst "Progressives" How are they able to keep that handle?

Racine Journal Times Web Editor Rob Golub Fight.

I have exchanged several emails over the recent months with Racine Journal Times Web Editor Rob Golub. I have found Rob to be an ammenable chap. He is a bit left for my liking but I have found him to be fair.

Today on a post on the Cindy Sheehan thing Rob responded to one of my posts there saying I made up a letter released from the Sheehan family that was supportive of the President.

I mailed Rob and he responded immediately asking for my source material. I responded immediately with this link.

His response: I's sorry I said Fred made it up. I see now you got it from the Drudge Report. But I must add that the Drudge Report is not usually considered a reliable news source. My experience has been it is often correct, but not always.Honestly, the e-mail from the family seems fishy to me. If it disappears and it doesn't surface anywhere else in the media in the next 24 hours, it was bogus.

Here is the funny thing. In Rob's source material he linked to Michael Moore? Come now who has more journalistic creedance, Michael Moore or Drudge? Drudge is largely a link source for other news and he has broken many a major news story. Moore is an ultra-partisan who bends things to his benefit.

What is credible? Comments please.

What has Herb done for me lately?

Herb Kohl is going to run for a fourth term to represent Cheeseland in the US Senate. We all remember Herb's catch line. "Nobody's Senator but yours."

Well I have a question. I understand that Senator Kohl is a low profile guy who kind of flys under the radar, but can anyone name one major initiative Kohl has undertaken in three six-year Senate terms???? No Googling. Do it off the top of your head. I can only think of one.

Now, it may be a good thing to have a politician go and do nothing, but is that really the platform the Senator ran on? He said I'm rich so I am not going to take special interest cash, I get that but he has pretty much just been a party-line rubber stamp.

I'd like to have a real Senate race here, are people too scared to go up against Herb's money? Who is rumored to be entering this race? The only thing I have heard is Attorney Robert Lorge has his hat in the ring. Lorge is a personal injury attorney out of Madison, just what we need another ambulance chaser.

So no cheating, no googling name your favorite Kohl initiative.

Teach Your Children

For those of you who have been around RDW a while you know I have been highly critical of the Racine Unified School District.

For review, in April RUSD came to the public with a referendum that was soundly defeated. Superintendent Hicks came back threatening to cut athletics as the only option to balance the budget. This had the desired effect, energizing the students to go door to door passing petitions and crying about the terrible cuts.

Well it worked and the next referendum passed. (No never means no in Racine) And now what do we get from RUSD?

The following Racine Unified School District sports teams will be eliminated for the 2005-06 school year:- Freshman girls volleyball - Freshman baseball- “B-team” freshman football, which was a second freshman team.- Limited JV golf — limited denotes a team that doesn’t compete on a full schedule- JV wrestling- JV swimming- Girls’ limited JV tennis- Boys’ JV tennis- Boys’ JV track- Girls’ JV track- Varsity reserve football- Middle school intramurals

Well RUSD is doing a good job of teaching political science. They got their 6.5 million and they got increased spending from Governor Doyle's magic increasing decrease pen. And they took the kids and said thanks for the cash, you are still screwed, we need this money for teachers and administrative expense.

Our kids have learned a lesson about politics. They love you when you help them get the votes. After said votes are counted, then they screw you over.

Outrage Welcomed.

NARAL Ad against SCOTUS Nominee Roberts is a lie.

CNN has approved a false add from NARAL (the every abortion possible people) for immediate run. Is this part of the right-wing media my posters have been telling me about?

Watch the ad here

From www.factcheck.org

Summary

An abortion-rights group is running an attack ad accusing Supreme Court nominee John Roberts of filing legal papers “supporting . . . a convicted clinic bomber” and of having an ideology that “leads him to excuse violence against other Americans” It shows images of a bombed clinic in Birmingham , Alabama .

The ad is false.

And the ad misleads when it says Roberts supported a clinic bomber. It is true that Roberts sided with the bomber and many other defendants in a civil case, but the case didn't deal with bombing at all. Roberts argued that abortion clinics who brought the suit had no right use an 1871 federal anti-discrimination statute against anti-abortion protesters who tried to blockade clinics. Eventually a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court agreed, too. Roberts argued that blockades were already illegal under state law.

The images used in the ad are especially misleading. The pictures are of a clinic bombing that happened nearly seven years after Roberts signed the legal brief in question.

Analysis

NARAL Pro-Choice America released a new ad focusing on John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's vacant Supreme Court position, called "Speaking Out," on August 8. NARAL said it plans to buy half a million dollars worth of airtime in coming weeks on national cable networks, as well as well as on networks in Maine and Rhode Island.

The ad shows images of a bombed clinic before a woman identified as Emily Lyons appears on screen, saying "I nearly lost my life." An announcer says, "Supreme Court nominee John Roberts filed court briefs supporting violent fringe groups and a convicted clinic bomber".The announcer then urges viewers to "call your Senators" and "tell them to oppose John Roberts" because we "can't afford a Justice whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans."

A False Implication

In words and images, the ad conveys the idea that Roberts took a legal position excusing bombing of abortion clinics, which is false. To the contrary, during the Reagan administration when he was Associate Counsel to the President, Roberts drafted a memo saying abortion-clinic bombers "should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." In the 1986 memo, Roberts called abortion bombers "criminals" and "misguided individuals," indicating that they would get no special treatment regarding requests for presidential pardons. Reagan in fact gave no pardons to abortion-clinic bombers.

The 1986 draft is on file at the Reagan library. The White House furnished a copy to FactCheck.org. (See "supporting documents" at right.)

Air Ameri-Rage

Your humble Blogger has been a bit OC on Air America of late. I have been asked repeatedly what my real motivation is behind my outrage on this story. “Me thinks he doth protest too much”, seems to be the defense from some of our more left-leaning posters. The implication seems to be they are lefties at Air America which is the only reason you are squaking so loud. I promised a response, I keep my promises.

I like everyone heard about Air America in the build up to its premier and saw all of the positive news coverage they received. I love talk radio, always have. Why? I can’t think of a more instant way to share your opinion with the rest of the populace. Talk radio, since Limbaugh, has been way right. I was looking forward to a differing voice on the airwaves.

I was disappointed Air America did not have a Milwaukee affiliate but was encouraged when my radio weakly pulled in the Chicago signal. I listened when I could and two things struck me. Wow, these people are rude and they really are not engaging.

The first time I tuned in was during the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, the producer of the show was apparently Jewish and absent during his Holy day. The on air hosts were making fun of him for being gone, speaking in overtly Yiddish dialects and telling “Jew” jokes. I was appalled; my initial thought was if Limbaugh did this on the air there would be so much outrage he would forced to shut down. I kept listening and was disappointed when they lost their Chicago affiliate when the checks they were writing to lease the station bounced. (they also lost their LA affiliate at the same time in the same manner)

I kept listening on line when I could, not to catch them in anything but to hear a different voice. One thing always struck me when I listened to Air America. Outrage. These people Hate (with a capital H) George Bush and Republicans in general. This was not discussion of current events, this was an out right persecution of the President and his cabinet. Everybody gets angry now and again, everyone gets animated now and again that is human nature, but to always be ticked off?

I knew at that time Air America, in its current form, would never be successful. Most people turn in the radio to pass the time while driving or doing something around the house, they do it for the entertainment value. I always hoped, and still hope Air America will make it, they will not (in current form) for two reasons:

1. Most start-up businesses start lean. Air America started fat. Their on air talent demanded, and got, top dollar. When you start a business, you go lean, you work hard and you make your money on the other end. Rhandi Rhodes was the only one on staff with any real experience. They paid based on their own lofty ratings projections that never occurred.
2. Air America is no fun. If you have never listened, I encourage you to do so. Ed Schultz is a way leftie doing very well on the radio, I listen to Ed and like his show. Why? He is entertaining and shows some insight. I rarely agree with Ed Schultz, but his show is entertaining. I was listening to AL Franken last week, my over-riding thought, man is he boring.

Through all these growing pains The New York Times wrote piece after piece praising Air America (59 in all). They virtually ignored anything negative only actuating the positive. At the same time this blog was in explosion mode on media bias, some actually arguing the right-wing bias of the New York Times (a concept I still find absurd).

On a personal note I have had personal experience with two non-profits over the last couple of years that have had funds stolen. These were not big outfits like the Boys & Girls Club or the Red Cross. I am talking about a small volunteer food pantry that manages to feed some 15,000 people a year and a small County outfit that delivers essential services to senior citizens. I find someone who would steal from those of limited means trying to assist others among the most deplorable dregs of society.

So many things have led to my outrage:
1. The New York Times has gone out of its way to promote Air America. Then when scandal hits, it is nowhere. Come now, promotion is news worthy, but this is not?!? My media outrage has been primarily focused on them as they have been the primary cheerleader. Not one word from me on CBS, ABC and NBC ignoring this. (I guess I just blew that)
2. I want Air America to succeed. They are handling this exactly the wrong way. If you read back I offered advise on this on several occasions. I have also stated I think it is the formerly involved Evan Cohen who holds the primary responsibility on this. Air America has just said, we are a new company not our problem. Come clean, name names, use your network, raise the cash and put this behind you.
3. $875,000 is bilked from programs for children and seniors from a nonprofit with a truly noble mission, enough said.
4. The double standard here is so striking. If this was a right-winger siphoning funds from kids and seniors this story would be trumpeted. If you do not recognize that, you are not being honest with yourself. Ask yourself what was a bigger story, Limbaugh’s pain-killer addiction or Air America’s taking cash from kids? What is worse?

So there is the source of the outrage. And you know what? I aint done yet. I would love one of my readers who just wants to ignore this, or say my motives are tainted, to speak to THESE issues without changing the subject.

Bush Signs Massive Energy Bill Into Law? Some vacation.

I thought Bush was not working at all taking the longest vacation known to man? Does is really matter where the man sleeps? So he is bunking at the ranch for a month, so what?

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D)never goes to Springfield for cryin out loud.

Protest Mom story not exactly on the up and up.

By now we have all heard about the Grieving Mother standing outside the Bush ranch in Crawford demanding Bush to come out and explain why he killed her son.

It would seem, there is more to this story......

From Drudge:

PROTESTING SOLDIER MOM CHANGED STORY ON BUSH
Mon Aug 08 2005 10:11:07 ET

The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who is holding a roadside peace vigil near President Bush's ranch -- has dramatically changed her account about what happened when she met the commander-in-chief last summer!Cindy Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., who last year praised Bush for bringing her family the "gift of happiness," took to the nation's TV outlets this weekend to declare how Bush "killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity."

CINDY 2004

THE REPORTER of Vacaville, CA published an account of Cindy Sheehan's visit with the president at Fort Lewis near Seattle on June 24, 2004:"'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.'"The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith."The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected."For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again."'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."

CINDY 2005

Sheehan's current comments are a striking departure.She vowed on Sunday to continue her protest until she can personally ask Bush: "Why did you kill my son?" In an interview on CNN, she claimed Bush "acted like it was party" when she met him last year."It was -- you know, there was a lot of things said. We wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey."He wouldn't look at the pictures of Casey. He didn't even know Casey's name. He came in the room and the very first thing he said is, 'So who are we honoring here?' He didn't even know Casey's name. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anything about Casey. He wouldn't even call him 'him' or 'he.' He called him 'your loved one.'Every time we tried to talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the subject. And he acted like it was a party.BLITZER: Like a party? I mean...SHEEHAN: Yes, he came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that he, our son, died for his misguided policies. He didn't even pretend like somebody...