TGIF!!

November Starts Now

Milwaukee Flood 2010

Well friends - I consider myself fortunate. The storms of yesterday passed just north of me, and for that I am grateful. Unfortunately, these record breaking storms left tremendous damage to many

This was at Germanfest.

A Cadillac Escalade in a sinkhole

One of my favorite burger joints - AJ Bombers

This was taken by my friend Patrick near his house.

There are even homes being swallowed by sinkholes.

Folks - this is nothing short of devastating. I will keep all those affected by these storms in my prayers. I hope you do too.

Obamapoly

Got this in an email from my father-in-law

The object of the game is to destroy American capitalism by having the
government take over everything!
Wanna Play?
No?!
Too bad, you're already playing...

Black with an Asterisk??

You know, most of the time when I write a post, I do it almost without thinking (hold the jokes please). I go with my gut. But I had to really think about whether I wanted to post about this. The reason for my hesitation is because I don't like to give bigoted racists any more exposure than necessary. Eventually I decided that the good in bringing this ignorance to light outweighs the bad.

One of the local liberal bloggers recently published a post about James T. Harris. Harris is a local radio talk show host who became national news when he "dared" to speak out about then candidate Obama in the 2008 election cycle. The reason for the outrage? He's a black conservative *gasp* He received not only the most vile hate mail I've ever seen, but also death threats.

Cut to Monday. This local blogger actually had the gall to call Mr. Harris a "black with an asterisk". I will not repeat any more of his blog post - go read it for yourself. The racism is unconscionable. How anyone can think - let alone speak - like that in this day and age is nothing short of pure ignorance.

James has now posted a reply to this trash.

Jay, is it the prerogative of white men to assign value judgments in terms of whether minority men meet your standard of authenticity? That’s a lot of power you have, Exalted Leader. Do I get to put an asterisk next to your level of “whiteness,” Wizard Bullock?

Seriously. I’ve been “black” since the day I was born. I grew up in the city of Milwaukee and I have friends and family members throughout this great city who can more than vouch for my “blackness,” despite the illustrious wisdom of Uncle Jay & Company. I just hosted a “black” 30-year reunion celebration for the “black” church in which I was raised! Yeah, we had nearly thirty “black” people (most of whom would agree with your politics) in our “black” backyard celebrating our “black” friendships… fool!

Read the rest...it's outstanding!

It's really a shame that in this "post-racial" time (yeah, right) a good conservative has to defend himself...because of his color.

Jailed Illegal gets Taxpayer Funded Penis Pump

You just can't make this stuff up.

Proving that the illegal immigration crisis is not limited to border states, an undocumented alien in a Midwest prison for a felony conviction fleeced U.S. taxpayers for tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical care, including surgery for an inflatable penis pump.

The unbelievable story was recently made public by officials in a tiny Minnesota town—Shakopee—that has been enormously impacted by illegal immigrants. In the last few years, the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens has grown nearly tenfold in the small county (Scott) that encompasses the town of about 25,000 residents.

Last year alone Scott County, with a population of about 114,000, spent $307,000 to jail illegal aliens and nearly $1 million in the last four years combined. The figure doesn’t even include medical coverage, education or welfare for illegal aliens, which local officials say state and federal laws require them to provide.

Incredibly, the mandatory coverage includes penis pumps, which in this particular case, was billed as an “emergency” medical procedure that cost taxpayers $50,000. Jailed for identity theft, the illegal immigrant has also incurred tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills in addition to that emergency penis pump surgery.

After serving 98 days for that felony in the Scott County Jail — at a $12,000 cost to local taxpayers — the man was supposed to be held for deportation. Instead, he was released and assigned a deportation court date even though he has a history of jumping bail. The same illegal immigrant had an arrest warrant for skipping bail involving a separate crime when he got booked in Scott County for identity theft.

The information regarding this and other similar cases came to light because county prosecutors launched a probe of the financial toll created by illegal immigrants after a gang-related stabbing earlier this month. The gang bangers who murdered the Coon Rapids man during a turf fight lived in Shakopee and belonged to the notoriously violent Latin Kings.

This illustrates that rural America has indeed been hit by an illegal immigration crisis once thought to affect only border states. Minnesota officials point out that, although Scott County is thousands of miles from the U.S.-Mexican border, illegal immigrants are devastating their community. That’s why one Scott County lawmaker, Commissioner Barbara Marschall, applauds Arizona officials for saying “we’ve had enough.”

Are you freakin' kidding me??? Isn't it bad enough that taxpayers are paying for education, healthcare and all manner of other entitlements for illegals? Now we have to pay for PENIS PUMPS??? At a cost of $50,000? What the HELL kind of "emergency" was that? He's in prison, for God's sake!! And quite honestly, is a penis pump ever an emergency?

People - this crap has GOT to stop. I'd honestly be interested in hearing one...just one...good argument for this waste of taxpayer dollars. When will people finally see that illegal aliens are absolutely draining this country??

I think I'll go kick something now.

Rebel Without a Pause

Wisconsin's own Christian Schneider has written an outstanding in-depth article on Paul Ryan for WPRI's Wisconsin Interest magazine. He covers not only his background, but reveals what a typical day (or in this case 48 hours) consists of in the hectic life of the congressman. In my humble opinion, this is a must read.

Manufactured Racism

This is an excellent piece on manufactured racism. It features a "conversation" between Jesse Jackson and his secretary. Here's a snippet...

It's hard out there for a "black leader." Imagine a typical morning.

Jackson: What's in the inbox today?

Secretary: Not much, sir. The owner of LeBron James' former team called him selfish and heartless.

Jackson: That's it?

Secretary: Sorry, sir.

Jackson: No police beatings of blacks? No YouTube videos of whites jumping on blacks? No tape of a politician, law enforcement officer or public figure using the N-word?

Secretary: No, sir. It's pretty quiet out there. MSNBC hired another white host.

Jackson: No, they're on our side.

Read the whole thing here. Does it seem that far fetched to you?

NRSC endorses Ron Johnson

From Politico

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) finally agree on something: Ron Johnson is the best-equipped Republican to take on Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold in Wisconsin.

POLITICO has learned that Johnson, a 55-year-old Oshkosh plastics manufacturer, will receive DeMint’s formal endorsement Wednesday.

A Republican with knowledge of the pending announcement said the South Carolina conservative made the decision to get behind the candidacy of Johnson after hearing him speak before the Senate GOP policy luncheon on Capitol Hill prior to the summer recess.

Accompanied by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the GOP Senate campaign committee, Johnson stood up and quoted DeMint to outline his reason for running, according to an aide familiar with the exchange.

“I don’t want to be part of the club, I want to be part of the fight,” Johnson reportedly said.

The GOP aide said, “This guy’s not just coming off the bench, he’s coming off the bleachers. And he just ripped the cover off the ball."

DeMint’s decision to back Johnson marks an infrequent instance where he’s backing a candidate who is also the favorite of the NRSC.

The first-term conservative, who once claimed he’d rather have “30 Republicans in the Senate who believe in the principles of freedom than 60 who don’t believe in anything,” has ruffled the feathers of the Washington GOP establishment by backing long-shot candidates — such as Ken Buck in Colorado, Sharron Angle in Nevada, Rand Paul in Kentucky and even Marco Rubio in Florida — most of whom challenged NRSC-preferred candidates.

DeMint has also taken some risks with his endorsements: He lost with Chuck DeVore in California, who was washed away by Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, and Marlin Stutzman, who fell to former Sen. Dan Coats by 10 percentage points in the Indiana Senate primary.

“He’s not supporting people just to oppose leadership. He’s supporting good people,” the GOP source explained.

In a statement that will be released Wednesday by the Senate Conservatives Fund, DeMint will credit Johnson for jumping into the race against Feingold after President Barack Obama signed health care legislation into law.

“It was just too much for him to stay on the sidelines. Ron explained that he is running to join the fight for our nation's freedoms, not to join the Senate club. That's exactly the kind of leader people in Wisconsin and all across America want in Washington. Ron is a common sense conservative who can win. He's in an uphill fight against an entrenched incumbent, but I believe he's the right man with the right ideas at the right time,” DeMint says in the prepared statement.

"The Senate Conservatives Fund will do everything it can to help Ron Johnson win this race,” he adds.

Despite being a political novice and having little name recognition, polls have shown Johnson in a dead heat with Feingold, who is unexpectedly feeling the effects of the anti-incumbent environment.

Johnson has cleared the GOP primary field of all but one opponent, captured the state GOP’s endorsement and weathered an onslaught of Democratic attacks.

Another bonus for the party: He appears willing to self-finance his bid, freeing up more funds for the party to spend in other battleground states.

While the GOP aide said DeMint has made no decisions on future endorsements, there are plenty of Republican primary contests left where he can leave an imprint — including Washington state, Alaska, Delaware and New Hampshire.

Ron Johnson for US Senate!

ICE Director = Idiot

This actually struck me as rather humorous...

RICHMOND, Va.—The director of the nation's immigration enforcement agency says states should not follow Arizona's lead and enact strict new immigration laws because ridding the country of illegal immigrants is the federal government's job.

Director John Morton says he doesn't think 50 different immigration enforcement laws is the answer to the nation's immigration troubles.

Hey jackass - the REASON Arizona passed that law is because the federal government wasn't able to DO their job. Did I say that slowly enough for you?? Hey - Mr. Morton - if 50 different immigration enforcement laws isn't the answer, would you mind filling me in on exactly what IS the answer? It's patently obvious that the federal government doesn't give a rat's ass about enforcing immigration laws. This country is sick and tired of the government's lacksadasical approach to this growing problem as is evidenced by the fact that most citizens favor Arizona's law. What is it that you don't understand about that? We want people who are here illegally to GET OUT!!!!

Good grief - will they ever get it??

Feingold's Slimy Tactics

I "borrowed" this from Fred in its entirety...

Feingold operative following and trying to tape Ron Johnson. Feingate? Spygold?

This evening Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson paid a visit to Drinking Right.

For those unaware Drinking Right is a monthly gathering of conservative bloggers and blog readers.

According to Johnson campaign staffers a person from the Feingold campaign has been following Johnson taping everything he does.

The operative came to Drinking Right, sat at the bar, ordered a Heineken and discretely held a video recorder in his lap taping everything Mr. Johnson did. The manager at Papa's noticed and did not take kindly to having his customers video taped without having any permission asked.

The Feingold operative was asked to erase the recording and asked to leave. Apparently he drove away in a vehicle with Virginia plates.

So what do we know?

1. Rather than have an honest campaign about the issues, the Feingold campaign is scared and they are going to pull every dirty trick they can think of to smear a good man.

2. The Feingold campaign is pulling in operatives from outside of Wisconsin to help them in their smear tactics.

3. If you are going to try and video tape the customers at Papa's don't let Dickie see you.

For the record, Ron Johnson was a class act. He took the time to introduce himself and chat with everyone there.

I, for one, take issue with this, as I was in attendance and chatting with Ron Johnson. What in the world did they expect to "catch" on tape? Were they hoping for a Macaca moment? Well, even if Dickie had not stepped in, I'm afraid the Feingold campaign would have been sorely disappointed. Ron Johnson was, as Fred said, a class act. He was polite, engaging and truly seemed to want to know what issues the voters are concerned about.

And therein lies the difference between slime and class.

A Principal's Speech

Bravo to Dennis Prager...talk about common sense!!!

If every school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place.

To the students and faculty of our high school:
I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values -- e pluribus unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values.
...
Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.
...
Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

You can read the entire column here. It is most definitely worth the read.

She's baaaaack!!

What's that you say? You didn't notice I was gone? Hmmmmmph!!!

In reality, I was on vacation with my family, and as hard as it was, I managed to keep my promise to them that I would remain, for the most part, unplugged. That's right - no news, no social networking, no blogs - nuthin'! After I went through the initial withdrawals (shaking, sweating, etc.) I realized that it was a good thing. I spent some good quality time with my husband, my son and my in-laws. It rained for the first three days, but after that the weather couldn't have been better.

Sooooo, as I catch up on the hundreds of blog posts that I missed and whatever has been going on in the real world while I was away, there may be an occasion or two when I post something that is old(ish) news if I feel strongly enough about it. Otherwise, I should return to my regularly scheduled posting soon.

It's good to be home :)

Save Harley Davidson Pt. II

As many of you know by now, the Ben Collins has dropped out of the race for Lt. Governor. I supported Ben and I'm sorry to see him go. I sincerely hope to see Ben's name on a ballot in the future.

But...BUT...fear not, my friends. Although Ben is gone for now, Save Harley Davidson will not be riding off into the sunset. We still feel strongly about letting Madison know that we're sick and tired of politicians forcing businesses to either close up shop entirely or relocate out of Wisconsin. The high taxes and government regulations make Wisconsin an extremely undesirable place to do business, and we must put a stop that.

So if you haven't already, go sign the petition. Go on - make your voice heard!