An Off Tuesday

After a tiring week of Dead Terrorist News, I took a break and went to see Jackson Browne last night. It was one of those "intimate" solo shows, just Jackson and me and several thousand others. It was just like being in his living room with him and a chair and a keyboard and 2 dozen guitars. It was a good show though and it was nice to get away from the news.

During the intermission, Mrs d and I skipped out of the Overture Center and it's long line for over priced beer and ran across the street to the Silver Dollar. Now the Dollar is a cool place. Thirty some years ago when I first went in, it was a shot and a beer joint populated most of the time with local retirees and drunks. Almost all men, but with the occasional women inevitably smoking and with a voice like gravel.
Today the Dollar is a lot hipper but still the kind of place where you can go and sip a beer and not be bothered by a huge, loud crowd.

As expected for a Tuesday night, there was almost no one in the place. A couple laughing at one end of the bar and a single woman at the other end watching the hockey game. Half way through our first beer, Jay Moran and Garbage front man Duke Erickson came in and started playing pool.
It's that kind of place.

A second beer was called for and while enjoying same, I looked at the board above the bar listing beers available. Miller, Miller Lite, Bud, Bud Light, Coors. The usual. There were also some local brews like Spotted Cow and Hopalicious. All normal.

And then I saw it: Old Milwaukee N/A    Old Milwaukee N/A?  Old Milwaukee N/A!! Christ on a crutch, Old Milwaukee NON ALCOHOLIC?! Why? I mean, geez, I've drunk Old Milwaukee beer. It's been around longer than I have, but it's the kind of beer you buy when you're scrounging around in your pockets for loose change. It's the kind of beer that's always sold in 12 packs or cases because it's cheaper than a 6 pack of real beer. It's the kind of beer you buy when you're short of cash but you really want to get drunk. It's an alcohol delivery system, not a beverage. And there it was, a non-alcohol version of a beer you wouldn't drink if you were sober.

You know, there are times when I wonder if my days as a barfly are over. The great drinking bars are almost a thing of the past and when I run into things like this, it only reinforces the knowledge that they never will return. It's sad really. I pondered this for a moment and then finished my (alcoholic) beer. There was a second set of Jackson Browne to go to.

Priorities

With less than two weeks before the Republicans take the reins of governance here in WI, one might think that they would be working day and night to hit the ground running to solve the major problems facing the state. I mean gov-elect Walker has said that his first days in office would be dedicated to generating jobs. (We'll forget for the moment that before he has become governor he has already squelched all the jobs tied to the now doomed high speed rail) The economic news is not good. Right there, on page three of Tuesday's Wi State Journal is the the headline:  Poverty Rates Up Around The State. South central Wisconsin counties show a 7.5% to 12.3% increase 2005 to 2009. The need for jobs is critical.

This having been said, one merely has to glance below the fold of the same page to get a true idea of  the priorities of incoming Republicans: Nass: Let's Repeal Law On Race-Based Mascot Names. Yup, Rep. Steve Nass's first priority is to allow WI schools to rename their sports teams The Indians or The Warriors or perhaps even The Redskins. On a week when ground breaking legislation is signed opening up the military to gays and lesbians, Nass wants to take Wisconsin back forty years in race relations. Never mind that families are sliding deeper and deeper into poverty with some kids pulled out of school because their homes are being foreclosed and others going to school hungry, we damn sure need to make it possible for their school mascot to be able to run around with a feather headdress doing fake war whoops.

Oh well, I guess there will be jobs out there making Indian headdresses.

A Big Harmony Congrats

The Harmony Bar celebrated it's 20th Anniversary on Sunday. Expecting a crowd somewhat larger than the bar could hold, it was held at the Barrymore Theater. Keith told me he was expecting 600 to 700 hundred people. Thats a pretty damn big crowd for a neighborhood bar. When the Mrs and I arrived, the lobby  was already full of ready to party friends. This shot gives you an idea of the turnout.

Music was played, beer was drunk, stories were told, and a great time was had by all.
Keith told me tonight that 1600 people showed up and payed the $5+ admision to the party. All told, $9000 was collected for the Goodman Center. What a fantastic job for a great cause.
How good must it feel to have 1600  friends that will come out for your birthday?
Super Congrats to Keith and Allison and all my wonderful friends at the Harmony Bar!

A Flyover Spring

Spring is sprung
The grass is ris'
I wonder where
The flowers is

Well certainly Spring in Flyovercountry is well represented in these pictures I took last Thursday. It was a beautiful day, 63 degrees, sun shining, a perfect end to a long winter.

Then, of course, there was this morning.

There is a reason that old people move south. The weather here is nucking futs.

Oh well, it is supposed to be 53 on Monday.

OMG OMG

I just got a call at work. It was someone conducting a survey for the NRA. (Note here. I am not a member and the only gun I currently own is the 22  my dad gave me when  was 12, but I am not "anti gun".)
The call said "We're doing a one question survey".   The question?

"Are you against the United Nations move to ban guns in the United States"

Wha!?!? I didn't even know that the UN was coming to get my Springfield Arms single shot bolt action rifle.

I related the story to some friends on line and Brooklyn Girl was kind enough to give me this link to Factcheck.org. Apparently, the wingnut-o-sphere is using a treaty to control international arms trading to stir up the deadenders. They are using no less than John Bolton, a man so crazy that his mustache has a court order against him limiting contact, to flog their insanity.

So, your question has to be "What did you answer?".

Well, I responded that I didn't know if he was with the NRA or just a poor schlub who was trying to make a living (I'm always nice to these people on the assumption they're just minimum wage temps) but my survey answer was:   "You are nuts"

Dead air.

I continued "Please write down that my response to the survey is "You are nuts". Would you like me to spell that?"
"Yes, please."
"Y-O-U  A-R-E  N-U-T-S"
With that, I wished him a nice day and hung up.

The crazy season for elections comes earlier and earlier but I think that the balls-to-the-walls Obama haters are going to make this an off year election like no other. And remember, the SCOTUS has opened the floodgates for the moneyed whack jobs to pour unlimited amounts for or against candidates.
Strap in, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

March Musings

March is such a tease. I mean it's the start of spring and all, but you never know what you get. Now the average temperature for today is 36 and we actually beat it by a few degrees but I checked and the record high for March first is 62, the record low is -29. That's a spread of 91 degees! Even the last day of March, where the norm is 50, has a record high of 82 and a low of 5. Still a 77 degree spread. There's a heck of a lot of places that never have a 77 degree spread through the whole year. At least January and February are going to be cold and you know it. There's an honesty there.

As the spring month roles in there's still a lot of snow on the ground.

It'll probably be gone by this time next week (there's rain predicted for next weekend) but it sure feels like winter.

There are a few spring-like things going on though. One of my favorite harbingers of spring is the spinach in my cold frame staring to grow with the higher sun.

I should be eating fresh spinach by the first day of spring.

A couple of other plants have brightened my gloomy, end of winter spirits. One is a Bird of Paradise plant. I have three and one is a regular late winter bloomer. It has bloomed in January in the past, but I think it was too cloudy this year. It was waiting for a little more sun.

While I was watering I spotted this little barrel cactus with a beautiful crown of flowers.

I guess everything is hoping for an early spring so we all can get outdoors more. I know I sure am.

Republican Caucus

I was able to obtain this recording of the Republican Caucus meeting for this week. Apparently they're discussing the President's call for bipartisanship.



Boehner appears to be losing some of his tan.

The Start of a New Series

Today we are going to start a new series. It's called "Things you never read in Canadian newspapers"

The first in this series is from a story in yesterday's Chicago Tribune. It's a lovely story about a man who has worked for the city of Wheaton IL for almost 20 years. Last week his job was determined to be non-essential to city services, so he was dismissed. Now this would seem to be a non-story as there are millions of people in the same situation right now and even the fact that he was less than 6 months from potential retirement does not make this story particularly newsworthy.
What the kicker is, the thing that makes this worth putting in the first section of a paper like the Trib, is that the man's wife was diagnosed with lymphoma six years ago. The ending of his carrer of almost twenty years also ends the chance that he will be able to continue with the health insurance policy that he (and his ill wife) have been relying on. In six months he could have retired and been able to stay on the policy at a low cost. As it is now, he gets 12 weeks of severance pay and 18 months coverage under COBRA (if he can afford the premiums). After that he is at the mercy (!) of the open health insurance industry. He feels it is going to be tough to find a new carrier who will pick up the tens of thousands of dollars amonth that it takes to keep his wife alive.
You can read the entire story here.

Now, why don't we read heart rendering stories like this in the Canadian newspapers?

Breaking Weather News

Dateline: Sun Prairie WI

Noted Weather Rodent Jimmy the Goundhog (seen above in an undated picture) came out of his burrow today and DID NOT see his shadow. In a prepared statement, Jimmy declared an early end to winter and a quick transition to spring. Reporters gathered around the furry prognosticator to ask how this forecast jibed with Jimmy's long time disdain for the concept of Global Warming. Before he could answer, a large Redtailed Hawk swept down, grabbing Jimmy in his talons. The hawk had been seen earlier on a lamppost near Hwy 151.
Reporters attempted to contact the hawk but were told that he was at lunch and had no comment.
Mr. Groundhog is survived by his son, Jimmy Jr. When asked by reporters whether he wold continue in the family business, Jimmy Jr answered "Hell no, I'm moving to Florida."
No funeral is planned at this time due to lack of remains but friends say there will be a memorial service to be announced at a later date.

Hoar Frost

Freezing fog the last two mornings.

These shots were taken at 9AM as the sun was coming out. All gone by 10.

Topics in Healthcare

The local fishwrap had a lovely article Sunday about the anti-abortion crowd protesting UW Hospital offering 2nd trimster abortions at it's new surgery center. It had the usual suspects: Hospital officials explaining the need for the center and bearded Taliban members ranting about their religion local protestors explaining how Jesus hates abortions. Pretty routine stuff.
What always amazes me about these stories is that there is never a mention of health care in gereral. I mean if these people really cared about all those unborn babies why the hell aren't they out in front of their local Republican Party office demanding that they help put together a healthcare reform that would cover the prenatal care for every expectant mother? Why aren't they running around with pictures of real live babies that are in dire need of urgent medical care but their parents are too poor to obtain it? With the US infant mortality rate in there with some third world countries, one would think that might be a more important use of their time and energy. But alas, socialized medicine does not appear to be anywhere in the bible so god is either against it or at least ambivilent.  For as much press as these loonies get, you think just once someone might ask them about that.

Just in case you might think I'm a little hard on this crowd, here is a little bio (one of three in a sidebar) of one of the protestors. Tell me this guy isn't certfiable.

Amend This

Since Rep. Bart Stupak has introduced an amendment to the House bill on health insurance reform limiting insurance programs associated with any government sponsored insurance from offering any abortion services, he has taken a great deal of heat from the left. The most mainstream of these offer links to blogs offering links to Planned Parenthood for donations in Stupak's name. The more radical blogs have offered contests to make his name synonymous with some nasty biological function ala santorum.
I'll let others define why this amendment is so vile. What I want to point out is that this is the Stupak-Pitts amendment. Joe Pitts (R-Family) is a paid-in-full member of the looney right wing C-Street crowd. They are the ones laying out this medieval design on women's rights. Stupak deserves every bit of venom aimed his way, but don't miss the point that he's a stalking horse for the real enemy.
As far as I'm concerned, shoot the messenger. Just don't miss who sent him.

Fete De Marquette

The Fete De Marquette benefit for the Wilmar Neighborhood Center has had to move around a bit over the last few years but it has not suffered for the relocations. Once again the fine music line up has made it the closest successor to the late lamented Madison Blues Fest, if not in the breadth of the acts, at least in the joyousness of celebrating musical genres. Here's a couple of shots of the music.

Tab Benoit Friday night.

The Radiators on Sunday night.

A great time was had by all. Make sure that you don't miss it next year.

My habit of reading the local fishwrap every morning goes back decades and has descended into ritual rather that any real attempt at gathering anything more than local gossip. Of course if you follow the blind squirrel philosophy, you occasionally find the requisite acorn. Or acorns.
I read three articles today that seemed to follow a common thread. The theme became apparent by the third story, but I think I'll relate them in reverse order.

Third headline: Many Iraqis Held By US Will Go Free This Summer.
As we wind down the active occupation of Iraq, we will release thousands of prisoners that are being held with no charges and little or no proof of wrong doing. The US has admitted to detaining over 100,000, but that figure is undoubtedly low. The prisoners were to be screened for prosecution but only 129 of the over 13,000 still in custody are slated for trial. Mostly this has been classic concentration camp internment with fores into depravity like Abu Graib.

Second headline: Unit Returns Home From Gitmo.
A digest story about the return of 13 Wisconsin National Guard members who are returning from a year long stint of public relations from Guantonamo Bay.
"Unit members escorted about 400 journalists on tours of the detention facility and wrote articles on the military commissions for dissemination by military radio stations and publications. Members also took official photographs of dignitaries who visited."
Capt. Kim Kleiman was quoted as saying, "We were able to affect world opinion on Gitmo"

First headline: Ex-Nazi Guard, Living Here, Sent Back To Austria.
Josias Kumpf, now 83, was drafted at age 17 into the SSDeath's Head guard forces in 1942 and went on to oversee prisoners at camps in Poland and France. Kumpf's lawyer maintained that he never actually killed anyone but was present when killings occurred. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that "...he presided over and witnessed the torture and murder of helpless people."

Three stories. Three different places. Three unconnected events. I wonder if Capt. Kleiman or one of the US troops who guarded Iraqis prisoners will find themselves somewhere outside of the US, maybe even 40 years from now, and will have to explain just what they were doing in 2009. I guess I won't be reading the morning fishwrap by then.

Justice

The best thing I've read on line this week:

"Michael Vick goes to jail, loses millions, and now is on house arrest for torturing and killing a few dogs. George Bush tortures thousands, kills a million, loots the treasury and retires to a gated community in Dallas."

One of my great hopes for the future is that I will be able to come back and amend this post.

Fallout

In the wake of the recent arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich there appears to be a number of people who my also be losers in this scandal. Number one on the Republican hopeful list is , of course, President Elect Barack Obama. The Rethug machine is already trying to put Obama in the Blago camp. "Tarred" as you will, with the taint of Illinois politics in general. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been outed as Senate Hopeful #5 and has had a presser where he insisted he had no designs to buy the Senate seat.
There is one person who has no direct connection with Blogo's corruption but is the one who is going to get the biggest screwing out of it: Former Illinois Governor George Ryan. Ryan was convicted of corruption several years ago and has been in prison since 2007. He currently resides in a federal correction institution in Terre Haute. He has been prominently listed as one of Bush's number one pardon choices. No less than Dem Senator Dick Durbin has pushed for George's release. Some how it seems unlikely that even the increasingly out-of-touch Bush White House would be tone deaf enough to pardon the previous Felonious Governor in the wake of his own Justice Dept trying to send the current Gov to the same big house.
So, it would seem, Ryan will take it on the chin. Or, considering his current living situation, lower.

Joe Hill rolls over

The ever idiotic Doughy Pantload hit his usual stride today with a column on schools. The topic was on the Obama girls going to a private school but of course the real topic was bashing the left. His target? Teachers unions. Once again the left is the direct off-spring Hitler, as we see in this quote:

The main reason politicians adopt a policy of malign neglect: teachers unions, arguably the single worst mainstream institution in our country today.

It seems amazing than any children get educated with the evil teachers unions strangling the life out of public schools.
The thing to remember here is not the attack against the teachers' unions, but that the right and all the supporters thereof are ramping up their pogrom against all unions. The number one target right now is the UAW. The talk of bailout for the big three auto makers is bringing out the meme that it's the labor costs that are causing their failure. The big lie this week is that auto workers receive $70 plus dollars an hour for their work. In reality the figure is about $28. (If that sounds like a lot, remember that's about $56000 a year for a 40 hour week/50 week year) While the right remains quite quiet about the white collar sharks getting millions (sometimes billions) in pay from companies that get bailout money, they can not talk enough about how the union worker is dragging the same companies down.
The real need in this country is not fewer unions but universal health care. It's the health care costs that are driving up the labor portion of auto making (the other costs are materials, debt service, and management pay) and it's not going into the workers pocket. The one good thing about the economic collapse is that maybe major manufacturers will finally jump on to the Universal Healthcare bandwagon. We can only hope. (And, of course, lobby your congress critter)

All the news that fits

I saw this in my local fishwrap yesterday. In case you don't find the economic news grim enough. Wasn't ther a war goin on a couple of months ago? (Click title for photo)

Oh Oh!

Three months ago to the day, I wrote about VP selection and suggested that the real powers behind the Bush administration would go to a dark horse. I said at that time they might look for a Bush-like politician to set up for another run at securing both the election and a second shot of fulfilling the NeoCon agenda. When Caribou Barbie came up as the choice I thought initially I was wrong and that they were going for the Hail Mary just to maybe save the election.
After a few days of Alaska watch, I started to think maybe I wasn't so far off to begin with. Her style of governance bears a striking resemblance to the Bush Whitehouse. The moment you get in office you demand total loyalty to Dear Leader. Anyone who doesn't start fawning from day one either gets the boot or is marginalized. Her speech at the Convention was a study in Rovian obfuscation. Attack your opponent, lie about your record, and keep repeating whatever line of crap you want your followers to mimic. Jeff Yang at Salon yesterday had a great article that spells it out much better than I ever could.
I'm getting a sinking feeling that this election could be a lot tougher for Obama and the Dems to win then many people think. Palin doesn't have to be bright or a great politician. She has others to do that for her. If the Rethugs can continue the story line of her being the fresh new reformer and with her fundie cred bringing in the Christian wingnuts, she might just be capable swinging the election in McStain's favor. I think the next few weeks will be some of the most interesting politicking you've ever seen.
Oh, and by the way: Grampy, if you do win in Nov, I'd be real careful around all the staircases in the Whitehouse. You never know when the Moose killer is behind you.

Who's Watching Your Back?

Buried on the bottom of the eighth page of the Sunday Chicago Tribune is an article entitled U.S. proposes to ease domestic spying rules.I caught the story as a blurb on MSN's online news on Saturday and thought that it would drop into obscurity like most of these sorta dry administrative manoeuvres. The Times story was a slightly more informative than MSN, but below the fold on page eight does not a raise even a ripple.
The gist of the story is that The Bush administration has redefined the role of local police departments in the Global War On Terror. Now, any local police department that receives federal aid (over 18000 state and local) will be allowed to collect intelligence on groups and individuals that they believe to be engaged in terrorism or supporting any group that helps terrorists. This information will be held for up to ten years and forwarded to Homeland Security. Effectively, local police departments will be required to spy on citizens on the basis of any type of suspicion. Not since the sixties and seventies have we had the spectre of local police becoming "Red Squads" and combing the activities of anti-government groups and individuals. Except today we have "Enemy Combatants" and Gitmo.
As I was mentally composing this post, Keith Olbermann on Countdown covered this story. I was glad that it is getting wider distribution, but both KO and the Trib believe that this is a move by the Bushies to institutionalize domestic spying. Certainly you can't have a hard time believing that the administration that wipes it's butt with the constitution would have any compunction against wider domestic spying but I have one little problem: There appears to be a very good chance that the next President of the United States is going to be a colored guy named Barack.
I somehow have this really tough time imagining that the Bush handlers really want to leave this police state to a Democrat. Particularly this Democrat. So what does this lead you to believe? That the Rethugs think (or worse, know) that they are going to win in November.
Occam's razor says that this is just another of this crowds' ongoing movement towards the police state and that it's just part of the momentum that's been built up over the last seven years but I just can't shake the fear that this election is going to make the last two look fair. Only November will tell.