Happy Father's Day

To my dad, my husband, my son, my brother, and ALL you awesome dads out there.

Collective Bargaining is NOT a Right

My friend Fred just sent me a link to an article that really burns my britches.

Madison, WI - The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO joins a broad coalition of worker right’s organizations today in filing a legal challenge to Gov. Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. The organizations include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 24, AFSCME Council 40, AFSCME Council 48, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the Wisconsin State Employees Union, The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union – Health Care Wisconsin (SEIU).
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The lawsuit charges that the Budget Repair Bill violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by stripping away basic rights to bargain, organize and associate for the purpose of engaging in union activity, which have been in place for the last half century.
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The lawsuit charges that the Budget Repair Bill violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by stripping away basic rights to bargain, organize and associate for the purpose of engaging in union activity, which have been in place for the last half century.

See, the unions are PISSED because one fundemental part of this bill is what they CLAIM Governor Walker is stripping from them...freedom. With this bill, people actually have a CHOICE as to whether or not they want to join the unions, and the powers that be don't like that very much. They much prefer that membership...and DUES...be mandatory.

Okay - so let's see what the Constitution has to say about that, shall we? Lemme get out my handy dandy pocket constitution - yes - I DO carry one. Okay - here we go...

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment XIV
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Now where, pray tell, does it mention "basic rights to bargain, organize and associate for the purpose of engaging in union activity?"

Anyone? Bueller?

Drinking Right - June Edition

Okay y'all - it's the second Tuesday of the month and you know what that means! Come join some of the best bloggers the Cheddarsphere has to offer (and me too!) for good times. Relax with your favorite beverage and enjoy some free pizza and GREAT conversation.

As always, it's at Papa's Social Club, 7718 W. Burleigh. The fun starts around 7:00. Hope to see you there!

Fight Club

This disgusts me...

Milwaukee police busted a dogfighting operation on the city's north side, rescuing six sick and injured pit bulls and arresting one man, police said Monday.
When police entered a house Friday in the 4900 block of N. 27th St., they found six pit bulls, weight equipment, drugs - most likely antibiotics - and a treadmill used to train the dogs, police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said.

Police also found a string pull, a thick piece of leather shaped like a hook with a chain, hanging from the ceiling.

Dogs are hung from the hook by their jaws to strengthen the jaws for clamping on to other animals during a fight, said Caroline Knitter, a sergeant with Police Department's sensitive crimes unit who specializes in animal abuse. The dogs' back legs also are strengthened, she said.

"That's what they use to pitch their force during the fight," she explained. "Because often in a fight, the front legs will be broken, so they need to use their back legs to be able to get up to continue to fight."

Police photos show at least one dog, a brown pit bull, was missing an eye and was badly scarred with fresh sores on its snout. Scarring is a typical sign of dogfighting, as are heavy chains, thick locks and weights, Knitter said.

Read the rest of the disgusting details here.

What the HELL is wrong with people? Hung by their JAWS??? My GOD - these are living breathing animals - who could do this?? How can any human being treat a living creature this way??

I have an idea. How about if we hang these pieces of pond scum (my apologies to pond scum) by THEIR jaws and let those poor dogs have at it. I think that's a reasonable reaction, no?

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

The Right Direction

Heh.

Executives surveyed by Wisconsin's largest business lobbying group overwhelmingly say the state is "going in the right direction," a near-complete reversal of sentiment from a year ago that comes against a backdrop of exceptional political animosity.
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A year ago, 10% of the survey respondents said they believed Wisconsin was going in the right direction. This year, that number jumped to 88%.

Hmmm - from 10% to 88%. Not bad - not bad at all.

Hate to say I told ya so but...aww hell...no I dont. TOLD YA SO!!

Thank you Governor Walker. Wisconsin is indeed open for business.

Honor

Shamelessly swiped from Ol' Broad

Excellent!

I kinda went off in this post. Seems a few things have changed since this morning.

Federal Court Lifts Ban on Public Prayer at Texas High School Graduation After Uproar

A federal appeals court has lifted the order banning public prayer at a Texas high school graduation Saturday.

The reversal comes on the heels of increasing criticism of a federal judge's earlier ruling that agreed with the parents of one graduating student that religious expression during the ceremony at Medina Valley Independent School District would cause "irreparable harm" to their son.
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"This is a complete victory for religious freedom and for Angela," said Kelly Shackelford, president/CEO of Liberty Institute, which had represented class valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand in the appeal. "We are thrilled that she will be able to give her prayer without censorship in her valedictorian speech tomorrow night. No citizen has the right to ask the government to bind and gag the free speech of another citizen."

It's wonderful to see that there is still SOME common sense out there. It's not surprising that it's Texas that will not let ONE ruin the traditions and beliefs of MANY.