The Hits Keep Coming

Packers News - Deputy had to pull Taser in order to arrest Green

It seems Ahman Green was rather belligerent when he got arrested, forcing the sheriff's deputy to pull Taser on him. The more details that emerge the worse Green looks (although it appears there was no actual physical violence):

“Ahman was very upset and yelling so loud that his spit was hitting me on the face,” Heather Green said in her written statement. “I began walking backward and Ahman just kept yelling in my face until he had me backed up against a wall...”

As deputies pressed the issue, Green became agitated and told deputies to leave his house, the report said. Green told deputies that he was a football player and he wanted to go to bed because he had practice in the morning.

When Green refused to answer any more questions, deputies told him he was under arrest for disorderly conduct as a domestic violence offense and ordered him to place his hands behind his back. Green repeatedly refused and tensed his arms as deputies grabbed hold of him. Only after Sgt. Tim Johnson unholstered his Taser did Green cooperate and allow deputies to handcuff him...

Heather Green told authorities that she was not injured in the altercation but fled the house in her pajamas because she feared for her safety. There was no property damage inside the home, according to sheriff’s reports, but Heather Green said she is fearful of the aftermath of the arrest.

“I am afraid of what Ahman may do to me now that he has been arrested and what he may to do my property I left at the house,” she said in her statement.

Fantastic Letter to the Editor

Regarding tuition increases at the most bloated public university system in the nation:

UW SYSTEM

Explore alternatives to increasing taxes

The letter by Michael Hawes really incensed me ("More tuition increases are not acceptable," April 22). I worked three jobs to put myself through school and was just happy to have the opportunity to be in school.

Maybe one alternative to raising my taxes so he can have a lower tuition would be to close one of the University of Wisconsin campuses and consolidate students and instructors. That would certainly help keep tuition low and foster competition among the students for those coveted few positions on campuses. If tuition goes up and Hawes really wants to continue his education, he'll find a way.

Bill Hadley
Franklin

The letter got me thinking, just how absurd is the situation, so I went and found a map:



http://www.wisconsin.edu/campuses/images/smap.gif

No, that isn't a joke, and no I didn't add UW-Marathon County or UW-Barron County, and I didn't even make up UW-Marshfield/Wood County. Can you honestly look at this map and tell me there is nowhere to make cuts? Is it too much to ask for the people at Waukesha to go to Milwaukee of Whitewater (20-40 minute drive) or the people attending Richland to make it to one of the THREE surrounding schools? Can Fox Valley and Fond du Lac not be absorbed into Oshkosh? I get Superior, I get River Falls, but STOUT? A four year school, nestled neatly between two other four year schools. Waste in the UW system? If you want to talk serious spending cuts, lets get rid of Parkside, Platteville, and Stout for starters. Next, absorb some of the seemingly hundreds of two year schools into four years and combine those close, like Sheboygan and Washington County.

If we tackle this problem we are talking serious, dramatic cuts in expenses to the UW system and in turn a possible cut in tuition expenses (or plasma TV's for every dorm room) . It boggles my mind why this is never looked at as a serious alternative to raising tuition/taxes.

Thursday Urinal Roundup

JS Online: News:

After an easy House victory, the latest push to curb abortions moves to the Senate where Republican gains increase the likelihood of making it harder for minors to cross state lines to end pregnancies without telling a parent.

To me this just seems like common sense. Shouldn't we make it more difficult for minors to have abortions without their LEGAL guardians consent? Isn't that what the whole "legal guardian" thing means, minors aren't old enough to make drastic life altering decision for themselves, hence a parent is there to help them? If it's okay to end a life without the "legal guardians" consent, then really what purpose do they serve? I would argue entering a contract (legal guardian consent required) as a minor is a lot less dramatic and life altering thant ending a life.

Advocacy Group Reports Less Air Pollution

The "worst environmental President in the history of America" has somehow managed to reduce "significantly" the number of counties in which unhealthy air was reported for the first time in six years. President Bush must really be angry, somehow his plans to scorch the earth are failing.

2 want more cuts in Milwaukee fleet

I just can't imagine there would be more waste, I am sure DPW has cut their fleet to the bone. Come on, who are they kidding? I kind of found this amusing:

At a news conference outside a DPW facility, the aldermen also criticized a sport-utility vehicle assigned to Acting Port Director Eric Reinelt that was photographed outside a home Reinelt owns in Waterford.

Reinelt told the Journal Sentinel he has not been reimbursing the city for personal miles, and is unaware of any policy requiring him to do so.

DPW officials said the SUV was bought by the Port of Milwaukee and is not part of the fleet they oversee. It is unclear what policy may be in effect at the port or any of the other departments where vehicles are not overseen by DPW.

So basically there was this SUV sitting around, so the guy took it and uh, nobody is sure who/what/why it happened. Does the city really buy so many SUV's that they can just misplace one and it ends up going to a glorified temp? (Okay maybe that's a touch harsh, but come on no one knows who screwed up the oversight?)

I am also a little perturbed at the fine reporter Greg Borowski for making it totally unclear as to the extent of the fleet cuts. He reports that " DPW officials submitted a list of 104 vehicles to be eliminated, along with 40 pieces of heavy equipment. Another 65 cars and other "light" vehicles will be reviewed for possible sale later...The DPW also cut the number of vehicles city workers take home from 75 to nine on a year-round basis, and 25 during snow-heavy winter months." However he doesn't say how big a percentage this is of the overall fleet or how many vehicles remain.

Boots and Sabers covers anything I want to say about Holloway

Great Day for Packer Fans

JS Online: Green arrested

Ahman Green arrested after his second "domestic incident." Apparently he is two for two after being involved in an incident with his first wife on their intended wedding night (they got married a few months later) he spent a few hours in jail on Monday night after a 911 hang-up from his residence near Green Bay

Walker to Hold Out

Budding superstar Javon Walker will become yet another of Drew Rosenhaus' clients to hold out. This is getting disgusting. Don't sign him, let him hold out. I hope the Eagles do the same to Owens and the Cardinals do the same to Arizona. Eventually players will understand that signing with Rosenhaus will end their careers, instead of allow them to break contract after contract after one good year.


Al Harris Focus of Inquiry

Additionally WTMJ reported this morning on the radio that CB Al Harris is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a stripper in a nightclub near Miami.

Great day all around for the Green and Gold...

Tuesday Quick Hits

Daron Sutton, the TV voice of the BrewCrew has his own blog, and it's pretty interesting, all two posts so far. The guy is incredibly personable (thanks for the beer) and tells great stories. The only thing better would be if Rock dropped a few comments once in awhile.

The Dog Ate Daron's Homework

My view of the draft is much like most people I have talked to. The first pick was fantastic, in that they had no other choice and didn't blow it. Other than that, passing on Dan Cody in round 2 and Antajj Hawthorne in the later rounds was a gigantic mistake. Instead they took an absurdly raw and surly cornerback, a 26 year old linebacker/end who doesn't fit the system, and reached on Collins whom they could have taken at 58 after selecting Cody 51st. It just didn't make any sense to me whatsoever. They blew it after the first round.

How is this guy not from Wisconsin?

I think we need to start a collection, if this doesn't get the Brewers back to .500 I don't know what will.

Jay Mariotti bursts the Kyle Orton bubble. Not hard to do. Orton played well until he choked against Bucky and never recovered his form after that, to the point where he got benched for God's sake! I only mention this because he has the greatest line of all columnists I read today:

But the Bears don't need just Anyone. They have Rex, Chad and Kyle.

A boy band.

This Urinal editorial has led me to "republish" here a letter to the editors I wrote a year and a half ago.

SMOKING BAN
It's not government's place to make decision

I find it incredibly interesting that the Journal Sentinel recently printed an editorial condemning the Patriot Act as an attempt by the government to take away some of our liberties, and at the same time it is championing the exact same thing in a Sept. 12 editorial ("Dinner without the smoke").

Banning smoking from restaurants is not the purview of the government. Individual owners of various places of business have the right to ban smoking, and indeed many have. To say that this should be a government mandate is more intrusive into the lives of everyday people than allowing the government to have access to library records.

This is foolish and heavy-handed nonsense that hurts restaurant and bar owners and will eventually get out of control. I don't smoke, and I dislike when people smoke around me, but for the government to step in and ban it is out of control.

Americans don't want to live in a nanny state. We have the ability to choose for ourselves whether we want to eat around smoke, and there are plenty of choices available to us now. We don't need government to tell us how to live our lives.

Finally, if Carlos Lee continues this power surge, and Turnbow can hang onto the closer role, AND Sheets doesn't miss more than one more start the Crew will come home looking like a much better ball club, and come May 13th, when they hit the road again WILL have a record above .500.

Cap Times brings it with another doozy

Editorial: Walker vs. caregivers

I especially like the first paragraph, in which the extreme left editors call Walker "the state's most ambitious career politician." I'm just curious, but what do they consider Russ Feingold? Isn't Feingold a career politician, and isn't he running, for all intents and purposes for President of the United States? That seems a tad more ambitious than Governor of Wisconsin. He is still a state politician, Feingold is supposed to be working for the people of Wisconsin and promoting our interest in Washington correct? I know that he hasn't done a damn thing for this state, but does that mean the leftists have given up even considering him a Wisconsin Senator?

The first paragraph continues like a Russ Feingold bio:

...trying everything he can think of to get out of his current job and into the
governor's mansion [oval office]. If there's a gimmick that will allow the state
to avoid dealing with real issues such as education, health care or job
creation, Walker is for it - no matter how useless or outlandish the proposal.

Outlandish and useless ventures for us Wisconsonites like going to Alabama to mend fences with those he offended, or creating ridiculous campaign finance "reforms" that hinder free speech and caused the creation of the obnoxious 527's. Yes, those were definitely worthwhile efforts by Mr. Feingold. The rest of the editorial reads exactly how you would expect it to read, quoting world renowned publications like the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram to prove it's point that HSA accounts are "bad." Very insightful.

A Decent Urinal Editorial...Shocking!

The Journal makes a few good points in today's editorial on the TV flap in Muskego. I think the most astonishing thing I have heard through all of this is that the taxpayers would have gotten so little back, individually, that it didn't seem worth it. I can't imagine that thinking. If they would have given something back, I can't even fathom the shock and gratitude of the taxpayers. While the amount may have been small, the public relation and good will gains would have been enormous.

The first mistake in the Muskego flap was made by the School Board last fall when it decided on a 4-2 vote not to return to taxpayers $430,000 left over from a $36.6 million renovation and expansion project voters approved in a 2001 referendum. Sending the money back would have sent with it a clear message that board members are serious about fiscal responsibility and saving taxpayers money.

Set aside the TV's (I can't fathom the thinking behind EIGHT plasma TV's) which will be of little use to students (educational programming is educational programming) the school board blew a great opportunity for future gains. They could have pointed to this refund and said "see, we ARE being fiscally responsible, we aren't wasting money" and turned that into fantastic financial returns down the road.

As is often the case with fools, shortsightedness and greed did them in

Leftists Know What's Best...Again

I am constantly astounded by the audacity of liberals (American liberals in this case). It is always dangerous to think you know best for everyone and it seems this is the line leftists cross at every turn. Based on the past few months they obviously feel they have the right to pick not only the President's cabinet, but every judicial appointment as well...and even his ambassadors. They have taken the advise and consent roll to mean obstruction and bottleneck. In a country with a Republican House, Senate and Presidency, why in the world do the leftists feel they have so much power?

Well, interestingly their condescension goes far deeper than just American politics. Indeed, these diluted souls (as represented by Mr. Carlson above) feel they have the right to tell a worldwide religious organization who should lead them. Why do American liberals think they have the right to decide who becomes the head of a worldwide mostly conservative (in values and in many political views) organization?

Despite my being a Catholic and a conservative, with eight years of Jesuit education, I still don't feel I have the slightest clue as to who would lead the Church in this incredibly tumultuous time, but Mr. Carlson and countless leftists feel again that they know what is best.

They want a worldwide ban on smoking, cholesterol, guns, soda, and religion...because after all they know best. I am curious as to who he would like to see head the Catholic Church, would an atheist be "progressive" enough for these people? Maybe a lesbian?

I don't presume to want a white guy heading the NAACP, why would these people think a leftist could run the Catholic Church?

Oil unlimited? - Bruce Bartlett

An interesting read regardless of your take on the oil situation. It seems there is a rather popular theory about the regenerative possibilities of oil. Instead of being a depletable fuel it could in fact be literally "primordial" in nature.

In the words of geologist Vladimir Porfir'yev, "The overwhelming preponderance of geological evidence compels the conclusion that crude oil and natural gas have no intrinsic connection with biological matter originating near the surface of the Earth. They are primordial materials which have erupted from great depths."
For more than 50 years, Russian and Ukrainian scientists have successfully used the abiotic theory to find oil and natural gas. For example, the Dnieper-Donets Basin has yielded a significant amount of oil and natural gas even though it is an area that conventional biological theories reject as unpromising. A recent technical paper found that the results "confirm the scientific conclusions that the oil and natural gas found in ... the Dnieper-Donets Basin are of deep, and abiotic, origin."

Boots & Sabers Post...Epic

I have done it with a letter or two, even giving out idiot awards for certain worthy letters, but Owen over at Boots and Sabers managed to drop the hammer on every single letter written to the Urinal yesterday. Fantastic read, well done.

Yet another reason to SIMPLIFY THE TAX CODE

People scurrying to meet tonight's tax deadline might consider this: It's taking you and your fellow Americans 6.6 billion hours to do all that paperwork. The basic tax return - the Form 1040 filed by most people every year - accounts for 1.6 billion hours.

The Internal Revenue Service furnished those statistics to the White House budget office, which keeps tabs on the government's bureaucratic demands. The budget office notes that tax work "towers over the entire paperwork burden for the rest of the federal government" and accounts for some 80 percent.

"If anything, those numbers are probably understated," said David Keating, president of the National Taxpayers Union, which reports annually on the increasing complexity and demands of tax returns.

"A lot more of the cost is just planning to do the tax-smart thing. That can actually take a lot more time than reporting what you've done," he said.

So at least it isn't a hassle. If only Steve Forbes' flat tax postcard came in the mail this year instead. Hell a guy can dream.

Gas Tax Outrage

No one would accept an automatic tax increase for any other purpose or at any other level. School taxes go up, but school board members vote for that increase, and voters can decide to boot them out at the next election. The same applies to municipal officials.

I tend to agree, however I was out of town during the Annual Milwaukee April Fools Joke so I don't know how big a stink our radio commentators made, but it does seem that most politicians have been relatively silent about an issue that the masses would back: repeal the auto increase. It seems so simple to me.

XM Radio

Freaking awesome, that's all I have to say, it's freaking awesome. I work in a cookie cutter office building and it comes in perfect.

Every baseball game, every NASCAR race, tons of talk, ESPNNews broadcast (that means 5 oclock PTI!!) just incredible.

I got the Delphi MyFi with XM2Go, simply perfect.

Finally, the UN comes to its senses

How I missed this story yesterday I have no idea. It seems that the UN, being such a powerful and potent organization, has decided to make it illegal for terrorists to possess/threaten to use nuclear weapons.

The U.N. General Assembly approved a global treaty Wednesday aimed at
preventing nuclear terrorism by making it a crime for would-be terrorists to
possess or threaten to use nuclear weapons or radioactive material.

"By its action today, the General Assembly has shown that it can, when it
has the political will, play an important role in the global fight again
terrorism," U.S. deputy ambassador Stuart Holliday told delegates after the
vote. "The nuclear terrorism convention, when it enters into force, will
strengthen the international legal framework to combat terrorism."

Yes, in much the same way as making it illegal to carry a hand gun in Wisconsin has led to the erradication of hand gun crime and murder. This is so truely absurd. THESE PEOPLE ARE TERRORISTS! Their very existence is illegal, yet the UN thinks making it a crime for them to posess nukes will have some significant and profound effect?

"Well, I was going to nuke Chicago, but now I'll just use a car bomb. And crap, I had better get rid of these nukes before the UN passes a resoultion against me."

Adding teeth to the bill, they committee added this:

The treaty makes it a crime for any person to possess radioactive material
or a radioactive device with the intent to cause death or injury, or damage
property or the environment. It would also be a crime to damage a nuclear
facility.

When I ask, was it ever not a crime to damage a nuclear facility? When is it not a crime to damage any property that doesn't belong to you? God I hope Bolton goes in there and beats the living crap out of these brilliant ambassadors.

Firefox PSA

About a week ago we were discussing the Firefox connection and had a few posts about the fantastic browser. While I can't figure out how to get it to work at work, I do use it exclusively at home. Anyway, Lifehacker linked to a really great article in Linux Journal about tweaking and using about:config to make Firefox as amazing as possible.

Basically a must read if you're a Firefox user.

Great Day

Nothing can upset me today, except maybe an Astros win.

The Crew is legit in first, they are #5 in ESPN's power rankings, a jump of almost 20 spots thanks to their quality starting pitching and monster run production.

Jay Mariotti is predicting a Dusty Baker early exit and Wood got absolutely LIT UP yesterday.

I moved my alarm clock into my bathroom, which finally allowed me to get up early and get dialed (work out) before work.

And I finally have a bit of time to blog. Hopefully this lull will continue throughout the day so I can really make up for a few lost weeks. I guess taking off over two weeks to go West, followed by two days to watch the Crew is not incredibly conducive to blogging.

Digital Camera Plunge...Casio Exilim EXZ55

So I took the plune and got myself a digital camera with those tax returns that finally showed up and I have to say I am incredibly please with the results. The thing is beautiful and perfect for my needs. Fit in the pocket of my favorite jeans, huge screen (2.5"!) and 5 megapixels (what do I need more for?)

If anyone is looking for a camera to take to bars and parties, this is it. I am stunned by how great it is. The only drawback is the sub-par video performance, but that wasn't reallyh a big deal in my decision making.

Greatest Holliday of the Year!

Ladies and gentlemen it is 7 am, and I am waking up to the greatest day of the year. In less than an hour I will be at my favorite watering hole where drinks will be free until 11, when we will travel to the Park for the North Ave. cook out (and more free drinks). Around 1 we'll enter the hallowed ground and watch a sacred ritual. Not even the first game of the year at Lambeau are this beloved or looked forward to.

I need to shower and call a cab and get this day started right, go Brewers!!

This being a slow Friday and all

and the topic du jour of the week being the new Google Satellite service, I thought everyone might get a kick out of this:

Google Sightseeing

via: Lifehacker

Morning Quickie (because they really are great!)

UND Fighting Sioux smoked the Gophers last night in what was never really a game. Parise played great while the Gophers never really seemed to turn it on. They will now face defending champions Denver University (killed CC 6-2, all power play goals) on Saturday. Should be a great game, and if you're a true Badger fan, it's go DU all the way (rather, go Gwozdecky!)

The Crew seeks to remain undefeated as they take on the Flatland Cubbies this afternoon at 1:20. (Why does the Urinal print the times in EST? Why not central time? Just because they think like east coast leftists, does that mean they have to use eastern time?) It's a matchup between arguably the best Brewers spring pitcher in Capuano and the most overhyped pitcher in recent memory, Kerry Wood.

In "News of the 'Shaw" Waukesha School Board Slimeball Roger Danielsen has resigned. My View of the World has more, with audio!

Announcement

I have been invited to post over at the Badger Blog Alliance which has recently undergone a format change. They have decided to try the Corner-style format and go with a more free flowing style, with plenty of posters. Luckily I was one of "the chosen" and will be cross posting some here and there, but will still be posting plenty here, don't worry.

Anyway, check it out it should make for an interesting read.

More Churchill!

I'm not black, but if I claim to be on an application and you question it, then you sir are a NAZI! This according to Ward Churchill's lawyer. Now I have seen enough movies/shows to know that you want your lawyer to be the voice of reason, the guy who settles the situation, not enflames it. This is a theory Churchil obviously doesn't agree with. In public discussions he prefers the slash and burn tactic, and it seems he likes that in a law-dog too.

A University of Colorado faculty committee is investigating whether professor
Ward Churchill should be fired over allegations he plagiarized others' work, and
that he falsely claimed to be an American Indian to give his work more
credibility.
"Do you wish to employ the Nazi standard for racial purity? Do
you wish to employ the standard adopted by the United States government for
determining Japanese ancestry in order to qualify for internment?" attorney
David Lane asked in a letter dated Monday to acting chancellor Philip DiStefano.

I think I speak for everyone when I say "Go away you freaking scumbag!"

A question posed to the Urinal

Why?

In an editorial today the Urinal writers, in all their emminent wisdom, decided that they would be dissatisfied with 38 of 41 Milwaukee Police Captains being white men. Not underqualified white men, just white men. I am puzzled.

Keep in mind that 21 of the 41 people appointed to captain by Jones were white
men. By the jury's logic, the 17 who sued should have been promoted. That means
that 38 of the 41 appointees would have been white men. That's a result that
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he would find unsatisfactory. So would we.

Personally I want the absolute best people we can find. If that means we have 41 hispanic female ninjas as captians, 41 Hightowers or 41 midgets with the reflexes of a cat and the speed of a mongoose then so be it. As long as we have the best people in every position of law enforcement that we can possibly find then why would the Urinal have a problem?

This argument makes absolutely no sense. Say that we have 41 black Captains and Chief Haggerty wanted to "diversify" the force. However, the only people that apply for the promotion to captain are white male hacks who routinely skirt the law and have a terrible record? In the interest of diversity, would the Journal really want those men promoted to Captain?

Seems to me that in the interest of tax payers we should be looking for the absolute best and most qualified candidates to promote up the ranks of the MPD, and not just people who fit the color/gender preferred by the Urinal editorial board.

Quick Sports Round-Up

Just a few quick notes:

It seems that because of injury and durability problems, Erasamus James may fall to the Packers at 24 according to Mel Kiper Jr Draft Expert. If this is a likely scenario then I would doubt the Pack making a move to trade up because James would give them that speed rusher to take pressure off of Kabeer and allow the linebackers to play more traditional defense instead of scheming unusual blitzes and forcing Barnett into pass coverage.

The Packers need someone to complement end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and James would do just that. He can play the run and pass equally well

Additionally, the Swing Kings are in first place tied atop the division with the Cincinnati Reds. While I doubt the Reds can keep up this pace it seems obvious this is the year the Crew will go undefeated...okay fine, a .500 year and a JJ Hardy Rookie of the Year would be great too.

In somewhat shocking news, foxsports.com has the Crew at #19 in their Power Rankings, just 5 spots behind ChiTown and a spot above The Stros.

To be honest, it's great to see them playing well in PNC Park, where they were atrocious last year, and to see them putting up runs. I hope this carries over into Miller Park where the balls should be flying out for Carlos Lee!

Next game is Friday at Wrigley.

For those that don't know, the Frozen Four starts tomorrow, with an all WCHA final four. I would like to take this opportunity to say stick it to all you snooty east coasters...looks like the power shift is complete and Western Hockey is it!

I know families for both three of the four teams but I will definitely be rooting for whoever wins the Denver - CC game to beat whoever comes out of the UND - Gopher game. Sorry everyone, but you know how I feel about the Gophers, and UND ain't much better. I do wish all the players luck and hope for some great games.

In somewhat surprising news, Tyler Hirsch will be back on the ice which is a relief for me, and means I no longer need to feel guilty for hosting his video.

In other news, the Masters is supposed to start tomorrow, but with a 90% chance of rain in Augusta it might get postponed til later in the day or delayed til Friday, we shall see. As it is, my pick is Paddy Harrington, but I will be rooting for Lefty. (The Masters.org site has live video from the practice tees, something pretty cool you might want to check out).

Why Burmaster is wrong

sickening...

Urinal: Conceal carry bad because good people go bad

Forgive me, but the people at the Urinal get dumber and dumber...dare I say stupider...by the day. Their moronic logic is summed up well by Owen over at Boots and Sabers.

I ask the editors, how, exactly, would a law permitting concealed carry have
aided Ratzmann’s effort to slaughter his fellow church-goers? It seem that
he managed it just fine without concealed carry.

In reading the article further, it seems that not only their logic was flawed, but their examples of "failed" conceal and carry were as well.

Neither is the Atlanta courtroom shooting much of an advertisement for
concealed-carry. After all, alleged perpetrator Brian Nichols overcame armed and
trained officers to pursue his rampage. Armed judges or prosecutors - which the
gun lobby is advocating - wouldn't have stood much of a chance.

What the Urinal fails to mention is that the "trained officer" was a 5 foot nothin 55 year old grandma in a small room with an extremely large and athletic younger man. As a matter of fact Mr. Pimentel, your average armed judge/prosecutor would have stood a MUCH better chance. We all know in Milwaukee how fantastically well trained and professional the deputies staffing the court house are.

The arguments against conceal carry are so ridiculous they defies logic, but since you can't win an argument with someone who denies reason and common sense, this is a lost cause. Does Mr. Pimentel really believe that allowing citizens to go through hours and hours of training and certification will cause more gun violence? Will the average street thug who "strap" to protect himself during a drug deal really al of a sudden care about law and order and go get himself a permit for that stolen weapon? When is the last time you heard an armed robber lament the lack of a conceal carry law? "If only Wisconsin allowed me to carry a concealed weapon legally, I would break the law and rob that damn bank!"

O. Ricardo will always hate guns, just like he will always hate gun people who have "probably watched too many Westerns."

What a smug and arrogant ass.

First Full Day

I'm struggling a bit to get back into the swing of things so bear with me.

It seems that the fine citizens of Milwaukee will never stop paying for the wide and twisted legacy of Jeffrey Dahmer. As everyone remembers Dahmer killed 14 men in Milwaukee in 1991, and it is believed 5 of those victims were killed after 2 MPD officers encountered Dahmer with one of his victims but let him go. Well, that situation led to then Police Chief Philip Arreola to fire the officers, who were then reinstated. This whole ordeal led to strained relationships all around City Hall and Arreola left (for Washington's greener pastures) in 1996....

Which brings us to Art Jones. The most miserable excuse for a Police Chief the city has seen. The guy not only constantly prodded and fought with his force, he was a petty and vindictive man who made silly uniform changes (leather jacket incident anyone?) just to stick it to officers who didn't agree with him.

Well, now Jones has screwed us again! Who do you think will be paying for that 2.2 million dollars? Mr. Jones? Any of the commissioners? No, we will be stuck with the bill because Mr. Jones is either afraid of or hates white people. Fantastic! How does a knob like this get that job...political correctness. (Sorry Eugene, but it was true in this case).

Thanks a lot Dahmer, now not only is serial murder and cannibalism tops on the list when people think of Milwaukee, you've indirectly cost us millions in a reverse-discrimination suit.

I'm Back

After a much needed and deserved break, I am back into the land of Beer and Cheese. I have also gotten all caught up on work (shows how important I am that it takes one morning to catch up on over a week of work) and am really glad to see that my humble page actually thrived while I was away, and now that I am back will undoubtedly sink back into the abyss that is anonymity. (Kidding, obviously I know that the Hirsch video was in high demand, and I happened to be a supplier).

Speaking of Mr. Hirsch, we no longer need to feel bad about hosting the video of his outburst, as he has been cleared to play this weekend in the Frozen Four. He also talked about why he was absent from the team here. I will only be happy if nobody wins it, but it is pretty nice to see 4 WCHA teams make the finals.

My trip was fantastic, I won't go into details but I did get to see the Crew play during the days I was in AZ, and got to see some quality women's hockey while I was in Denver. Barcelona (Scottsdale night club) was fantastic as always and the ladies in both Denver and Scottsdale remain incredible. All in all a great time.

I'll get caught up on news and events today and hopefully have more tomorrow if not tonight.

Rigging Elections Redux

The former weapons inspector famous for his pro-Saddam stance and (his solicitation of teenagers for sex) before the Iraq War has accused the Bush administration of rigging the Iraq vote against the Shi'ia. Ritter claims "well-placed sources" within Iraq have informed him that the Shia'ia really received 56% of the vote, not the 47% reported. In the process Mr. Ritter not only accuses the US of fixing the election, he also manages to compare President Bush's administration to not only Hitler, but Stalin and Saddam as well. Surely a leftists triple play that will excite nutters everywhere.

In Iraq, democracy was hijacked by the Americans...The lowering of the Shi'a
vote re-engineered the post-election political landscape in Iraq dramatically.
The goal of the U.S., in doing this, is either to guarantee the adoption of the
U.S.-drafted interim constitution, or make sure that there are not enough votes
to adopt any Shi'a re-write. If the U.S.-drafted Iraqi constitution prevails,
the Bush administration would be comfortable with the secular nature of any
Iraqi government it produces. If it fails, then the Bush administration would
much rather continue to occupy Iraq under the current U.S.-written laws, than
allow for the creation of a pro-Iranian theocracy. In any event, the Shi'a stand
to lose...But in any case, the American 'cooking' of the Iraqi election is, in
the end, a defeat for democracy and the potential of democracy to effect real
and meaningful change in the Middle East. The sad fact is that it is not so much
that the people of the Middle East are incapable of democracy, but rather the
United States is incapable of allowing genuine democracy to exist in the Middle
East.

I am sure many of you will remember his willingness to run around the talk show circuit spewing his anit-American bile and it seems it has paid off for him (maybe even as much as he allegedly got from Saddam). He is now writing for the extreme-left AlterNet.org and revving up like minded leftists all over DU.

This is just his latest in a series of articles pandering to the ultra anti-American left wing. In addition to accusing the United States of tampering with the Iraqi election, he also says we are going to bomb Iran in June. In making his claims he failed to mention any source, other than fellow anti-American peacenik Sy Hersh.

I don't mean to brag...

but check out today's traffic! The one-two college sports combo brought in the bulk...



All in all, it's a heck of a nice way to go on vacation. FYI there will be light blogging tomorrow followed by a lull as I "binge on booze and broads" as my barber Bob (no kidding, I know the alliteration might be hard to believe but it's true) so elloquently put it. I also might drop by the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash as I will be in Denver that weekend.

Anyway, thanks a lot everyone, and if you're looking for the Tyler Hirsch video just scroll down.

More Medical Ethics (engineering your children)

There is something just wrong about this story.

A Commons Science and Technology Committee report said more decisions about fertility treatment should be made by patients and their doctors.

The MPs also called for the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to be disbanded.

And they said "taboo" research, such as implanting human cells into animals, should be considered, with regulation.

I have terrible Island of Dr. Moreau visions reading that, but wait thre's more...

And it said there was no "compelling evidence" to prohibit couples undergoing IVF being able to choose to have a girl or boy if that was what they felt was necessary to "balance out" their family.

The MPs also said that decisions about whether to allow embryos to be checked for genetic conditions, or to see if they are a match for a sick sibling - should be taken out of the hands of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Instead, patients and their doctors should decide if it should be used in their case, under the auspices of a local ethics committee, the report said.

Pick your child's traits. Genetic engineering, Gattica (I love that movie!) The study actually uses the term chimera (human/animal genetic monstrosity) and suggests the only limits should be scientific and the will of individual scientists.

This is one of those situations that just pop out as being "wrong." There are plenty of reasons for this (think Aldous Huxley's Brave New World because as Judge Smails says "the world needs ditch diggers...") but reason is secondary to the fact that this is just plain wrong. If we begin with boy/girl we all know it won't end there. We will start allowing parents to pick any number of genetically malleable traits.

From there it is not difficult to imagine a shortage of labor. Take for instance unskilled labor, such as a general manufacturer. Eventually no parent is going to "build" their child without some special skill that will greatly benefit them in their adult life. As such there will be no one left to take the low-level labor jobs. Once this shortage becomes apparent, government will have to act. Since we already have (theoretically) decades of genetic engineering behind us, we won't hesitate to "create' government peoples with no special skills to perform the labor....boom that drug-addled Huxley's vision of a Brave New World is realized as privileged individuals are created as such and "others" are created to dig the ditches...

I'm just saying, it seems genetic engineering is the slippriest of all slippery slopes.

The Great Flu Shortage...the aftermath

The story led the news for a few weeks last year, and it was used as a political tool by the left to try and knock President Bush during the election.

Remeber this ad?

If you’re an elderly man or woman. If you’re a young child. If you’re a pregnant woman – George Bush and the Republicans have this to say on health care: don’t get sick.


That’s what they said, confronted with a flu vaccine shortage of their making. Don’t get sick.

They relied on foreign workers to make the vaccine. A company with a bad track record.

Now we're about 50 million vaccines short. 50 million.

If they can’t even deal with the flu vaccine, how are they going to deal with bio terror vaccines?

I mean, George Bush and the Republicans are so busy kow-towing to drug companies, so busy giving them billions, helping them price gouge, pumping up their profits…so busy selling us out, they can’t even get vaccines to keep pregnant woman safe from the flu.

4 more years? They haven’t earned it. Not even close.

It’s time for a new direction. John Kerry for president.”

John Kerry: I'm John Kerry, I’m running for president, and I approved this ad.

Announcer: Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004 Inc. and the Democratic National Committee.”

Well, it seems there was no flu shortage after all. Think Mr. Kerry will apologize, think he'll even address the issue? Do you honestly think anyone will address the issue?

More than 16 million healthy adults who received flu shots in the 2003-04 flu season stepped aside this season to let the limited supply of vaccine go to those Americans who needed it most, health care officials said Tuesday.

And yet, at season's end, 4.5 million doses went unsold.

Don't hold your breath on that Kerry apology.

Hardball Times: Five Questions for Milwaukee Brewers

Nice little write up offering hope and reality for fans of the Crew.

J.J. Hardy is the most likely of the three to make an impact in the major
leagues this season. Hardy held had an excellent offensive season in Double-A
while only 21, and was hitting well in Triple-A last season before suffering a
labrum injury in retribution for the Richie Sexson trade. While there's no
reason to doubt Hardy's ability to make contact, his success will depend on
whether he can import his outstanding walk from 2003 and whether the solid power
he's displayed in the minor leagues will carry over despite his shoulder
problems. If Hardy shows no lingering effects from the injury, his offensive
projection is comfortably above average for a major league shortstop. On top of
that, Hardy has drawn rave reviews for his defense, so his margin for error with
the bat is a little greater.

But if everyone lives up to expectations, Brady Clark manages to repeat his
2004, Geoff Jenkins stays healthy, Russ Branyan reaches base often enough to be
productive, the Brewers aren't affected by their lack of depth, and the bullpen
finds itself performing capably, they've got a reasonable if distant shot at
making the playoffs. In any event, they've got a good chance of breaking
the elusive .500 threshold.

The Brewers have what it takes and are finally moving in the right
direction, but they're going to need a lot more hard work and at least a little
luck to become a perennial contender. Their strategy of developing outstanding
young talent, finding decent fill-ins at the major league level, and stocking
the organization with quality coaching and managerial staff should soon pay
dividends, if it isn't already.

I'm skeptical, as Mr. Meeghan spends most of the article breaking down the Crew, then says they have an outside playoff shot?

Why do I always let them do this to me...

Olbermann and I agree

Well, for once me and this pompus, in-over-his-head talking head on the least watched network in news finally agree on something, namely Bonds. He has been pretty spot on with the whole steroid thing, and his take on Bond's latest pout-fest is pretty much the same as mine.

There are two facts to consider here. If Barry Bonds really has been juiced
all this time — what are his options? To keep doing it until he gets caught? To
suddenly stop and turn back into your average 40-year old ballplayer and never
get to pass Hank Aaron’s record? Or is a third one more appealing? To ‘have’
to retire due to the bad knee, or the ‘malicious’ media coverage. To pass up the
chance at Aaron’s record (and, oh by the way, to pass up ever having to be
tested for steroids again) and go out in a blaze of martyrdom?
Some of Bonds’ other remarks in Scottsdale suggested as much. “You wanted me to jump off the bridge,” he said to no one in particular, “and I finally jumped. You wanted to bring me down and you have brought me and my family down. You have finally done it, all of you. So now, go pick on a different person. I am done.”
There is one other option here, a little less melodramatic, but even more conspiratorial.
It should be noted that under the new steroid-testing program, a player on
baseball’s disabled list — say, a guy rehabilitating a knee injury — is not
required to be tested for the drug use. If, say, a particular player had been
using steroids all these years and needed to let the steroids clear out of his
system, the absolute best place for him to be right now — would be on a pair of
crutches.

Tyler Hirsch Video

Well, I finally got it uploaded onto the net, and I'll offer it for download here (click post title). I honestly don't think it is anything for people to complain about, but if the story takes a turn for the worse I will be taking this down.



For the story on what happened see my previous posts here and here

French bid au revoir to 35-hour workweek (MSNBC)

I am shocked, shocked! that such a socialist ideal failed. In other news, the latest Jean Claude van Damme vehicle has had its release date pushed back a month.

The diversion continues

I am sitting here sifting through my RSS feeds from the day and transferring a bunch of Buffet onto my Dell DJ20 in preparation for my innaugural post-college Spring Break and came across this gem.

Orioles pitcher Eric DuBose was arrested and charged with driving under the influence early Monday morning in Sarasota, Fla., before making a start later that day at the team's minor league complex. He was released on $500 bond.

The report states DuBose informed Clark he had "a couple" drinks at the Cafe Gardens and Daquiri Deck in Sarasota. When instructed to recite the alphabet, DuBose allegedly said, "I'm from Alabama, and they have a different alphabet."

That is stupendous!

nod to Baseball Musings

Have some Wisco Cheese

to go with that Frisco whine Mr. Bonds.

In what can only be described as fantastically amusing, Barry Bonds is complaining that the media is treating him poorly. His entire career has been one long brooding feud against the media, now they won't play nice, and Barry is going to take his ball and go home.

Personally, I think Barry is afraid to play without the juice and wants a year to bulk up without needles and creams.

A dejected Barry Bonds said Tuesday that there's a chance he might not
return this season because of multiple knee surgeries.

"Right now
I'm just going to try to rehab myself to get back to, I don't know, hopefully
next season, hopefully the middle of the season. I don't know. Right now I'm
just going to take things slow. I feel bad for the guys[Giants teammates]
because I want to be out there for them," he said Tuesday after meeting with San
Francisco Giants trainer Stan Conte for 1½ hours.

"You guys [the media] wanted to hurt me bad enough, you finally got
there. "You wanted me to jump off the bridge, I finally have jumped. You
wanted the bring me down, you've finally brought me and my family down. Finally
done it. From everybody, all of you. So now go pick a different person. I'm
done. Do the best I can, that's about it."

I just can't figure out why this guy isn't beloved by America...must be racism.



(I know, I know this is supposed to be politics. Honestly, I just don't have anything to say about Terry Schiavo so I am trying to steer clear of the whole mess til I get back...consider this the shallow end of the Wisconsin blogosphere for the next few days)

Why the Leftists Fail (The Babe Theory of Political Movements)

nod to Dummocrats.com

WILLisms.com has a fantastic theory (complete with pictures) on the Babe Theory of Political Movements (complete with pictures).

I especially like "The American Left Has Lost It's Curves" section.

The IRS Rant (feel free to add-on in comments)

Okay, I have to set this up a little bit as it is an ongoing problem I have been having with getting my state refund. Last year, I screwed up my address when filing online and once you enter it, it cannot be changed. Basically I mixed up my Milwaukee address with my parents zip code (brilliant I know). I realized my error immediately and called that night to make the change. The woman I talked to said there was nothing that could be done and that I would have to wait til the check was processed, sent out, returned and then would be sent back out to the correct address. I was incredulous. Because of a zip code error I was going to have to wait an extra month to get the refund. I wasn't angry though, as it was my fault.

About six weeks goes by and I still hadn't received the refund. I decided to give the IRS a call again, and it seems the woman who I had originally talked to never corrected my address, but instead had screwed it up even worse. So now my check is basically floating around somewhere, but hasn't been cashed. They decide to cancel that check and process a new one, making sure this time to get the address correct. This was two months after the original two - four weeks they say you should get your refund.

So, after two unsuccessful attempts, I finally get my refund...roughly seventeen weeks later than expected.

Round two, this year. I filed my taxes last week to make sure I got my state refund back before my two week vacation (I leave Friday) to Arizona and Colorado. I file, have them direct deposited and they tell me it will be two to three days for the state, about two weeks for federal...perfect, right?

Well, I go online to check the status of my refund last night and get a message saying "your refund has been intercepted to pay an outstanding debt to another government agency" I am flabbergasted. I have no idea what this message means, and no clue why I am getting it. The only government agency I know of that I owe any money to is for student loans, and I have those deferred right now, so no delinquency there. I have also done my free credit check so I know there are no complaints there. I was stunned.

I had to wait til 7:45 (what the hell kind of office hours are 7:45 -
4??) this morning to call, which I of course promptly did. I called at 7:45 on the button, and get put on hold where they tell me I am number four in the queue. Whatever.
Ten minutes later I get a very pleasant woman who gets my information and chuckles. She actually chuckled. "It seems that the Department of Health and Human Services has you for an outstanding debt of $30, and your return was stopped for that reason."
Okay, my return of $600 was stopped for a $30 charge to a department I didn't know existed at the state level. Calm, calm...

I asked her when the rest of my money would be deposited in my bank account, since obviously I was getting far more than thirty dollars.

"Well, once it is intercepted, the direct deposit line is broken, and we have to mail you a check. You can expect that in 6-8 weeks. Also, the HHS will be sending you a notice as to why they took your return"

I have no clue why I owe this agency $30. Zero, none, totally in the dark. All I know is that because of this $30, I will be $600 lighter on my two week vacation. Why in God's name can they not just take the $30 (I don't CARE about the thirty bucks, just give me my damn money!!) out of the deposit and give me the remainder?? Is that so freaking difficult!?!


Anyway, the point of this was more than cathartic. I was wondering if anyone has any clue how one become indebted to the health and human services department of Wisconsin. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Help Needed

I have acquired the Tyler Hirsch video and really think it should be seen. It does not seem quite the mental breakdown people are conveying it as. He didn't strip naked and skate around the rink a la Slap Shot and he didn't freak out. Basically at the end of the game he was taking out his frustrations. I talked to some Gopher fans who watched the game and it seems that Tyler had missed a few open net chances and was playing pretty frustrated throughout. The USCHO message boards seem to bear that out.

Anyway, I have the video downloaded, but I have no idea how to post it on here. If anyone can help i would appreciate it.

Thanks.

ESK

(by the way, I have an IRS rant coming when I get my morning work out of the way)

EDIT: I figured it out but will have to wait til I get home to do it as I need to DL a program that I don't want at the office. If anyone has any objections to me displaying the Tyler Hirsch video, leave me a note and I will consider it. Basically it's a short clip of Tyler taking a penalty shot with no goalie, crashing into the net and then laying his stick at center ice. Some at USCHO are freaking out about it, but I think it's notable, especially for WCHA fans.

Tyler Hirsch, a Gopher breakdown

EDIT: For all other Gopher fans like Roby who have trouble with this internet thing, the download is here.


While it may be shocking, I do have a heart when it comes to Gophers. Tyler Hirsch is a heck of a hockey player that seemed to lose it at the end of the game after Friday's 3-0 loss to CC. I am currently scowering the net for the video and when I get it will use my discretion as to wether or not it is suitable to post. To me it sounds kind of like a funny temper tantrum, but the comments of Gopher head coach Lucia make it seem somewhat more serious. We hope not.

After the game, Tyler Hirsch appeared to act out some ritual to exorcise the lack of scoring that plagued his Gopher teammates after Friday's 3-0 loss to the Tigers. It was the first shutout against Minnesota in 82 games, dating back to a 4-0 loss to Maine on Oct 10, 2003.

Standing at center ice after the teams had left for the locker rooms, Hirsch motioned to the maintenance crew to shut the Zamboni doors. He obtained a puck and skated in on the empty net, taking a slapshot from 10 feet and then driving the net into the boards with his body.

He skated to center ice, laid his stick down and went to the locker room.

"It was bizarre — let's leave it at that," said Minnesota coach Don Lucia.

Needless to say, the college hockey community is abuzz, and the thread at USCHO is extremely busy and very protective of the young man.

Updates to follow because I am fascinated by this story.

Best Brewer blog post...

over at Baseball Musings (just a great single subject site)

Corey Hart has the most AB in the Brewers camp this spring, and is putting up a respectable .378 OBA with no power. I hope he makes the big league club this year so I see him wear his sunglasses at night.


There is no way that joke gets old, just ask my buddy Mick (hey Mickey you're so fine) about once great 80's songs referencing your name...never gets stale.

By the way, I just did a spell check and realized that "blog" is not in blogger.com's spell check program.

Bruce Pearl: Used Car Salesman?

There is quite an article in the Chicago Sun Times about the Bruce Pearl/Jimmy Collins incident. While it comes from the side of Illinois, it does seem to be the most in-depth and detailed account of the entire situation. The story paints Pearl as the slimy underhanded assistant who is willing to do anything to move up in the coaching stratosphere. Basically, from everything I have heard, this is pretty accurate. He was a smooth talking yes man when he was an assistant and is a charismatic slickster as a head coach. The young man over whom all the ruckus was over is named Deon Thomas. He was leaning towards Pearl's Iowa program, but the overzealous and shady Pearl made his grandmother wary, and Thomas decided on Illinois.

"It was an intense time,'' recalled Thomas, now playing on a European
championship team in Israel. "He [Pearl] was a pest, but not the only one. I
tried to blow him off. I liked Iowa. They made a lot of interesting offers to a
kid from the ghetto who had nothing.''
But Thomas' grandmother told him:
"Deon, I don't trust him. I don't know him, but I don't like his eyes.''
"If she says I'm not going [to Iowa], I'm not going,'' Thomas said.
When Thomas informed Pearl of his decision to attend Illinois, Pearl went ballistic. He had an inkling about the turnabout because he had been paying Thomas' closest
friend, Renaldo Kyles, to report every move. He was aware that Illinois had
closed the gap and Thomas had changed his mind. Earlier, Pearl had committed
an unpardonable sin by skirting Hambric's policy and attempting to obtain a
transcript when Hambric and Thomas were on a basketball trip to Europe. Davis
apologized for his overzealous assistant's indiscretion, but the die was cast.
"Pearl was trying to help himself and do a job for his coach,'' said
Hambric, who retired after the 2003-04 season. "It proved my point about what I
tried to teach my players about people, that you can't trust them just because
they are nice to you. Don't be so quick to label them as friends. They are like
lawyers and used-car salesmen.''

Pearl was so pissd it seems he just wanted to get back at those who outdid him in the recruiting process.

Later, Pearl taped a two-minute telephone conversation with Thomas and handed
the evidence to the NCAA, prompting an investigation. In the tape, made without
Thomas' knowledge, it was alleged that Thomas confirmed he was offered $80,000
and a Chevrolet Blazer to sign with Illinois. Thomas denied the allegation.
"Pearl asked me, 'Deon, I heard you got $80,000 and a Blazer from
Illinois,''' Thomas recounted. "I said, 'Where did you hear that?' Pearl's
response was, 'I heard it through the grapevine.' My response was, 'Yeah, OK.'
That was it.'' He said he was "completely shocked'' when he later was
requested to attend a meeting with NCAA officials in Chicago and learned about
the tape. "I knew I had been set up,'' Thomas said.
In an exclusive interview with the Sun-Times "because I want to clear my name,'' Thomas claimed that Pearl had offered to "double any offer you get from any other school'' to sign with Iowa. Thomas insisted Illinois didn't many any illegal offers.
Thomas also claimed Pearl showed up in Amsterdam while the Simeon team was
participating in an international tournament. He said Pearl gave him $100, drove
him and three teammates around town in a rented car and paid for their lunch.
Pearl denied the allegation.

I don't expect there to be a sister story in the Urinal telling Pearl's side of the story, as much because I believe much of this story, and I doubt Pearl has a lot to say to counter the whole thing.

Here is the "historical" account of what transpired. Really a fascinating read.

Here is Pearl's memo to the NCAA. (hat tip for both to Jotsheet)

This Pearl story is threatening to become the "big story" of the week, getting play in the Sports Blogosphere (wonderful roundup from the Illini point of view here: "Bruce Pearl: Get ready rat because the Illini are comin' and even in the WaPo. The only interesting thing about the article is a quote from Dick Vitale, a man whom I respect a great deal.

Pearl, meantime, became the target of a backlash. ESPN's Dick Vitale told a
national television audience at the time that Pearl had committed "coaching
suicide" and the act of tape recording the conversation was "totally unethical."

That is a question I have been pondering all weekend, and it seems like everybody agrees with my stance; Bruce Pearl must be a basketball pariah. The man set up a recruit to incriminate a rival school that out recruited him. He was a snitch on the worst level, manufacturing crimes to take down his rivals. I agree with Dicky V, this is a super scintillating sensationall stupid and shady move. (Okay, so I paraphrased a bit, but come on! it's hoops baby!)

Jay Mariotti also got in on the Pearl story, with his usual long winded effort making it sound like Pearl's motives were to personally upset Jay Mariotti (is there a bigger ego in sports reporting?)

In a glorified airplane hangar between Champaign and Milwaukee, America's
No. 1 team has a chance to rub out a pariah.
If Pearl was blackballed in the profession, as Dick Vitale and others said
at the time, he has lingered nearby like a ghost. He toiled at Division II
Southern Indiana for nine years, but proved he could recruit and coach by
winning a national title in 1995. UWM, Weber's alma mater, took a chance on his
frenetic personality three years ago. He has produced three consecutive 20-win
seasons and two NCAA appearances. To date, he hasn't told his players about his
role in the Illinois controversy and how it may have detoured his career. "I
don't know if I've shared that story,'' Pearl told reporters, "because I want
them to play for their story.'' They'll be hearing it anyway.

More stories here from St. Louis (Bruce Weber is a UW-M alum, wow), SI blurbs it, ESPN will no doubt have a fuzzy filtered ten minute Spors Center segment by Thursday, and probably d oan entire outside the lines show on it as well. Here is their prelim article.

Loren Tate, a columnist at the Champaign News-Gazette for 39 years, was asked
what the reception will be like for Pearl in Chicago.
"The most horrible you've ever seen," Tate said. "It will be beyond your wildest imagination. The players don't care. The coaches don't care. But (the Illinois fans) are the ones who are still pissed. "You will never hear so many boos in your life. It's
going to get really personal. That's the ugly part of it."It sounds like
boos when Illinois fans yell "Bruuuuuuce" as coach Bruce Weber is introduced
before games. When the other Bruce is introduced Thursday night, those really
will be boos.It won't come as a shock to Pearl. He's already endured death
threats, hate mail and condemnation in some coaching corners. Some say he broke
the coaches' code, which stipulates that you don't drop a dime on a peer.

I would boo him too, and I want them to win. I want to like UW-M, but come on this guy is a sleaze ball.

I am constantly editing this as I find more, so bear with the herky jerky nature of it.

Here is a message board at Illiniboard.com. Funny funny stuff.

Righting Wisconsin Updates

As you can probably tell, I've bee doing a lot of screwing around with my blog this fine eve, since getting out of bed was not in the cards today I have been messing with my computer, with my blog, with Firefox, and even with Thunderbird, which I already love. Fantastic way to keep all the RSS feeds and various email accounts I have at the tip of my fingers.

I also tried out audioblogger, pretty cool but not something I envision myself using very often. Perhaps there will be a drunk dial or two, that would be fun for all of us. Basically I figured it might be cool to have when I am down in Scottsdale and Denver for the next few weeks, as I usually bump into a D-List celebrity and will be knowcking around the Cactus League circles for a few days.

CBS News, yet another attack on the 2nd Ammendment

I'm sitting here trying to forget about the terrible defensive effort of Sir Charles and decided to watch CBS news, as opposed to going to Rascal's and endure endless mocking for my love of UConn from my friends. Well, it turns out the lead story is a thinly veiled attack on the right to bear arms, and the ability to buy weapons at gun shows.

If the power of the .50-caliber rifle amazed Krasniqi, what amazed him even more was how easy it was to buy. Krasniqi allowed a Dutch documentary film crew to accompany him to a gun store in Pennsylvania.

"You just have to have a credit card and clear record, and you can go buy as many as you want. No questions asked," says Krasniqi.

Was he surprised at how easy it was to get it? "Not just me. Most of non-Americans were surprised at how easy it is to get a gun in heartland America," says Krasniqi. "Most of the dealers in Montana and Wyoming don’t even ask you a question. It’s just like a grocery store."

And, he says there are a variety of choices for ammunition, which is easy to get as well. "Armor-piercing bullets, tracing bullets," says Krasniqi. "[Ammunition] is easier than the rifles themselves. For the ammunition, you don't have to show a driver’s license or anything."

"You can just go into a gun show or a gun store in this country and buy a shell that will pierce armor? A civilian," asks Bradley.

"You never did that? You’re an American. You can go to the shows and see for yourself," says Krasniqi. "Ask the experts. They’ll be happy to help you."

In addition to watching leftist schlock, I am fiddling with Firefox, and have also decided to give Thunderbird a run (not the fortified wine, but boy do I have some Thunderbird stories!) I have finally gotten Firefox working properly and am adding and subtracting extension to see what I like. If you have any extensions or add-ons you use and like, let me know and I'll give it a shot. I am really starting to love Firefox.

At 7 oclock (right now) Sundance is running what it is calling "Occupation Iraq" a series of three films (Uncovered, Control Room, and Osama). I will not judge but I am recording them and will watch them either tonight or in the coming days. Expect a scathing review.

Now back to sulking over the UConn loss...for shame Mr. Villenueva, for shame.

What a terrible day

Well, St. Pats and March Madness has sure taken its toll, consuming most of my time, energy and attention. My tears have subsided and I have channeled those despondent emotions into sheer rage at Charlie Villanueva for quitting in the last ten minutes and that idiot ref who allowed an obvious push off Williams and opened up UNC-State's freshman for three with a minute left. All I can say is that Charlie pulled a Kessel. (yes, I will get that into Wisconsin vernacular).

In addition, this morning we learned that Wisconsin hockey got a three seed and will be playing Michigan in Grand Rapids on Friday night.

Last night I had the opportunity to go watch the UWM Panthers dismantle BC (what is going on with the Big East??) at the Gasthaus in UWM's Union. Surprisingly, Barret showed up for the last three minutes to get a little face time and mug for the cameras. What a crock. When I loudly asked him his stance on vote fraud now that we can "show him some names" his lackey glared at me and they shifted positions for his interview...no response. He does look like a goof without his moustache though.

Next year UConn is going undefeated, and Rudy Gay will be the player of the year, rack it.

PSA (free March Madness Audio via Yahoo)

Yahoo has a premium service that is applicable to most games, but by going to their audio page and looking for games with a "gray" speaker instead of a "gold" speaker you can listen to some of the games via their home broadcast.

How bout UWM, sheesh!

World Wide Wolfowitz Whining

There is quite an overseas stir at President Bush's nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank. The UK papers seem especially despondent over the nomination. This to me makes it all worthwhile. While I don't have any problem with the British people, the whole "How Could 50 million people be so dumb" cover never sat well with me. For that reason, I enjoy seeing them all "a tizzy" over things they have absolutely zero control.

This Is London: Outrage Over Bush World Bank Nominee
They even quote a handful of extreme leftists to make their case!

Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs said there were many people in
the US and around the world with expertise in development economics, but
Wolfowitz was not one of them.
John Cavanagh, director of the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal
think-tank, said: 'If the Bush administration wanted to poke a finger into the
eye of every nation on Earth, it couldn't have made a better choice.'

I agree nutter, I agree.

Financial Times (this paper I actually do enjoy, takes me back to International Macro Econ)

Surprise, and in some quarters dismay, was a common response in the World
Bank's other large shareholder countries to Paul Wolfowitz's nomination.

The lack of consultation before the announcement meant that European
governments - who collectively hold about 30 per cent of the votes on the bank's
executive board to the US's 17 per cent - were slow to react. "There are going
to be a lot of very unhappy people, but they may be as upset about the process
as about the person," said one European official. "They were supposed to consult
us and there was no consultation."

The beat goes on in FT. Wolfowitz nomination a shock for Europe

Some non-governmental groups fear Mr Wolfowitz will have a different focus,
seeking to enlist the bank in the larger project of building US security by
spreading democracy. "There will be concern about the possibility of introducing
the war on terror into the projects and policies of the World Bank," said Manish
Bapna, executive-director of the Bank Information Center.

Don't forget about Reuters, never one to miss an opportunity to try and kick America.

The U.S. nomination of Paul Wolfowitz as World Bank chief drew a cool
response from European officials on the bank's board but they had little chance
of blocking it, board sources said on Wednesday.
Sources close to the World
Bank board said Wolfowitz's name was informally circulated several weeks ago
among the 23-member board, which represents the bank's 184 member countries, and
the reaction was made clear to U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow.
"Mr. Snow
knows that the reaction from the board was unfavorable," one source said. "Mr.
Wolfowitz's nomination today tells us the U.S. couldn't care less what the rest
of the world thinks."

I especially like the part about the US not caring what Europe thinks. High comedy here folks!

Don't sleep on the US press either, they are none too happy. WaPo leads the way!

Nomination Shocks, Worries Europe

President Bush's nomination of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz as
the next president of the World Bank was met with much surprise, little
enthusiasm and some outright opposition in Europe, where he is best known as a
leading proponent of a conflict deeply unpopular here, the Iraq war.
"We
were led to believe that the neoconservatives were losing ground," said Michael
Cox, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics.
"But clearly the revolution is alive and well."

Here is a fun sounding board at the BBC where users are free to comment on the nomination of Wolfowitz by President Bush.

This and the appointment of Bolton to the UN are transparent attempts to
destroy all worldwide institutions and make the US the only internationally
relevant power. The neo-cons have not hidden their contempt for these
institutions and it seems that if these appointments are not challenged then the
institutions will be destroyed. Is there not something which can be done to stop
this? Come on Europe, show some mettle and veto this appointment.Kym, Leicester,
UK

Outrageous, dangerous, and against the world tide of progress for humanity. I
am ashamed and chagrined. Europe, flip the deck - challenge this appointment,
don't accept it. Flex your muscles and reject this nomination.Bruce Macdonald,
San Diego, California, USA

Really though, they're all good. Also keep checking out those DU threads, non stop hillarity!

They know not the meaning of shame...They inhabit some kingdom Beyond Shame,
and exhibit breathtaking audacity.

ANWR Passes, McCain once again shows his colors

In "what the heck took so long" news, Senate finally has voted to allow drilling in ANWR (actually they voted down an amendment to take out pro-ANWR language from the bidget) in an incredibly slim 51-49 vote. I went home to watch the vote over lunch and was fairly surprised at how the vote went. I knew Snowe was going to vote left, she usually does. On this issue I thought McCain actually might side with his own (albeit loose) party affiliation. Turns out I was wrong. I am looking for a link to the votes and will post it when I find it (there is a small chance I am wrong about McCain, but I don't think so).


Here is the great "if you voted for drilling you are an environmental rapist" DU thread.
I love these people, they make politics fun!

In addition to defeating the anti-ANWR resoultion, the Senate aso defeated Sen. Boxer (Communist - CA) resolution to give more corporate handouts to the failing Amtrak.

It's been a great day all in all if you're a GOPer. Finally we get some decisive wins.


EDIT: I was right, McCain shows his leftist tendencies. Good luck with that '08 run slick.

Yea (no to drilling)
YEAs ---49Baucus (D-MT)Bayh (D-IN)Biden (D-DE)Bingaman (D-NM)Boxer (D-CA)Byrd (D-WV)Cantwell (D-WA)Carper (D-DE)Chafee (R-RI)Clinton (D-NY)Coleman (R-MN)Collins (R-ME)Conrad (D-ND)Corzine (D-NJ)Dayton (D-MN)DeWine (R-OH)Dodd (D-CT)Dorgan (D-ND)Durbin (D-IL)Feingold (D-WI)Feinstein (D-CA)Harkin (D-IA)Jeffords (I-VT)Johnson (D-SD)Kennedy (D-MA)Kerry (D-MA)Kohl (D-WI)Lautenberg (D-NJ)Leahy (D-VT)Levin (D-MI)Lieberman (D-CT)Lincoln (D-AR)McCain (R-AZ)Mikulski (D-MD)Murray (D-WA)Nelson (D-FL)Nelson (D-NE)Obama (D-IL)Pryor (D-AR)Reed (D-RI)Reid (D-NV)Rockefeller (D-WV)Salazar (D-CO)Sarbanes (D-MD)Schumer (D-NY)Smith (R-OR)Snowe (R-ME)Stabenow (D-MI)Wyden (D-OR)

Nea (yes to drilling)
Akaka (D-HI) Alexander (R-TN)Allard (R-CO)Allen (R-VA)Bennett (R-UT)Bond (R-MO)Brownback (R-KS)Bunning (R-KY)Burns (R-MT)Burr (R-NC)Chambliss (R-GA)Coburn (R-OK)Cochran (R-MS)Cornyn (R-TX)Craig (R-ID)Crapo (R-ID)DeMint (R-SC)Dole (R-NC)Domenici (R-NM)Ensign (R-NV)Enzi (R-WY)Frist (R-TN)Graham (R-SC)Grassley (R-IA)Gregg (R-NH)Hagel (R-NE)Hatch (R-UT)Hutchison (R-TX)Inhofe (R-OK)Inouye (D-HI) Isakson (R-GA)Kyl (R-AZ)Landrieu (D-LA) Lott (R-MS)Lugar (R-IN)Martinez (R-FL)McConnell (R-KY)Murkowski (R-AK)Roberts (R-KS)Santorum (R-PA)Sessions (R-AL)Shelby (R-AL)Specter (R-PA)Stevens (R-AK)Sununu (R-NH)Talent (R-MO)Thomas (R-WY)Thune (R-SD)Vitter (R-LA)Voinovich (R-OH)Warner (R-VA)

Wolfowitz for World Bank...watch these threads!

In an action sure to piss off hard core leftists world wide, President Bush will anounce at 10:15 eastern that his choice for World Bank head honcho is Paul Wolfowitz, evil incarnate to lefty nut jobs. Here are some threads sure to be hillarious and over the top over at DU.

Link #1
Link #2


Enjoy.

Michelle Malkin Must Read

Once again, Ms. Malking hits the nail on the head with her most recent piece, in which she deals with the knuckleheads who will be protesting this weekend, or next week... does it matter, do they ever stop protesting? Reading all the emails I get about the "great protests planned" for the two year anniversary of "bombing and invasion of Iraq" I am struck (as was Michelle) by the absurdity of it all. As Iraq's government meets for the first time last night, the streets of Lebanon are rising up for democracy, the leftists will be protesting a policy that has freed and enlightened millions around the world, and the democracy dominoes continue to tumble.

With freedom on the move across the Middle East and beyond, aggrieved
anti-war protesters here in the United States have nothing better to do this
weekend than what they have always done: stand in the way.
The most unhinged of left-wing activists, from breast-exposing pacifists to the
conspiracy-mongers of MoveOn.org, will descend on New York, Washington and other major media markets to "mark the two-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of Iraq." They will do so by clogging the streets, tying up police
resources and leaving behind a trail of anti-Bush propaganda litter...Along the
way, the marchers will stop to harass workers at a local military recruiting
station. Yes, these are the supposed peaceniks who derive pleasure from ripping
yellow ribbon magnets off of minivans and throwing rocks through ROTC campus
offices. These are the acolytes of Michael Moore, who compares Iraqi
head-choppers to American Revolutionary war heroes.
"Oppose the war, support the troops"? Bull.
The Bush-bashers, as always, have impeccable timing. Nothing highlights the
bankrupt obstructionism of the anti-war movement more than the inspiring photos
of the renaissance of freedom taking place in Lebanon. Contrast the faces of
hope and defiance against terrorism pictured at the massive rallies in Beirut's
Martyrs Square this week with the faces of Bush hatred and capitulation to
terrorism that you'll see this weekend. Any question about who's
winning?

These are incredible and historic times, and history will show that the left has been on the wrong side from the beginning.

Perhaps the GOP can pass this test

In what might finally be a vicroty for the GOP owned congress, there is exected to be a vote on ANWR in the next day or two. The leftists including Kerry are in a tizzy, trying to get grass roots activism out in force to shake up a few Senators. We'll see if it works. A vote is expected by tomorrow.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who for more than two decades has been unable to
persuade Congress to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies,
said he was optimistic about the prospects.
“We believe we have the votes,”
Stevens said at a news conference. Alaska officials view the refuge’s oil as
replacing dwindling shipments from the aging Prudhoe Bay fields on the North
Slope.
Plan added to budgetSeeking to sidestep a Democratic filibuster that
would require 60 votes to overcome, Republican leaders have put the Alaska
refuge provision into a budget document that is immune to a filibuster under
Senate rules.

I honestly don't understand the opposition to the drilling. I honestly think that the left simply wants us to have Flintstone cars, and animal operated vacuum cleaners. Wait, no that won't work PETA would be pissed. I really don't know what they want. No oil drilling, no wind power, no nuclear plants, opposition to coal plants in Wisconsin...

Do they really want to force us only see at night when they toke a bowl? How can they play their Dead, man, if there is no electricity to run their DAT player?

Those fantastically compassionate liberals strike again (DU takes on Ashley Smith)

This time, they are questioning the story of the woman who pacified Nichols. It seems the DUer theory is that Nichols is the guy who stabbed this womans husband to death years ago, and that this whole thing was a ploy to get the reward money. Sheer brilliance! Here are some classic excerpts from the thread.

However, last night--as I was up late listening to her story for a half
hour--I thought to myself, "This entire story is hogwash."All I have is my
intuition on this one, and I'm feeling as if she was lying and that her entire
story was fabricated. Like you, I saw the fake crying. I saw a fairly decent
actress--acting.

Do you think maybe he knew her prior to going to her apt? How did he
choose her apt? Isn't it a big complex?


"most" people who lose their husband to murder, would NOT turn
over their one yr old to an aunt to raise. They "might" move in with an aunt,
baby in tow, to get "back on track", but it strikes me as odd that she's "on her
own".. I foresee problems ahead for that daughter..

And my favorite...

If our hunch is right, there are going to be some angry and embarrassed
people. What if he was the person who stabbed and killed her husband? That case
has not been solved. He was waiting there near her house.

Wow. There are actually multiple threads. Here is the other one, a bit more crass. (fishmarket?)

I do not buy her story. I have nothing but my intuition, on which to go. I
just get the feeling that her entire story is cooked.I don't know WHY I feel
this way. I just do.I didn't believe her. I got a "programmed" feel from her. I
listened to her entire story. It's a long story, so there are going to be
inconsistencies and other quirks. Those didn't bother me. It's her entire
presentation.

Debating Social Security

I basically started this blog with two issues in the forefront of my mind. Social security reform and Walker's campaign for Governor. Seems I was a bit premature on both fronts. The campaing is still months away from really gearing up, and the president still hasn't proposed a discernable plan. However, when did having facts and figures ever stop a debate? We don't need Perotvian charts, we can speculate and assume all day long to argue our positions. Such a debate (it really is shaping up to be a pretty good one) is taking place over at Sanity in Mad City. It seems that, despite no plan being proposed, people are opposed to it (and people are in favor of it, the fools). This sums up the leftist position:







There is also some good stuff going on up on Capitol Hill, with Mr. Greenspan testifying before one of the thousands of committees (Special Committee on Aging to be specific). The gist, STOP SPENDING!

We need, in effect, to make the phantom "lock-boxes" around the trust fund real.
For a brief period in the late 1990s, a common commitment emerged to do just
that. But, regrettably, that commitment collapsed when it became apparent that,
in light of a less favorable economic environment, maintaining balance in the
budget excluding Social Security would require lower spending or higher taxes.
Last year, Social Security tax revenues plus interest exceeded benefits by
about $150 billion. If those funds had been removed from the unified budget and
"locked up" and Congress had not made any adjustments in the rest of the budget,
the unified budget deficit would have been $564 billion. A reasonable hypothesis
is that the Congress would, in fact, have responded by taking actions to pare
the deficit. In that case, the end result would have been lowered government
dissaving and correspondingly higher national saving. A simple reshuffling from
the unified accounts to the lock-boxes would not have, in itself, added to
government savings; but higher taxes or lower spending would have accomplished
that important objective.
The major attraction of personal or private
accounts is that they can be constructed to be truly segregated from the unified
budget and, therefore, are more likely to induce the federal government to take
those actions that would reduce public dissaving and raise national saving. But
it is important to recognize that many varieties of private accounts exist, with
significantly different economic consequences. Some types of accounts are
virtually indistinguishable from the current Social Security system, and the
Congress would be unlikely to view them as truly off-budget. Other types of
accounts actually do transfer funds into the private sector as unencumbered
private assets. The Congress is much more likely to view the transfer of funds
to these latter types of accounts as raising the deficit and would then react by
taking measures to lower it.

Nod to Social Security Choice.

So I lied...sorry

I didn't drop my weekend sorts roundup yesterday, mostly because I am enraged at the plight the UW Mens hockey team finds itself. Because of a totally computer generated field of 16 for the NCAA tournament, the men would have helped themselves by LOSING on Sunday. You see, that loss would have made Alaska Anchorage a "team of consideration" and in the process given Wisconsin 5 more wins against "teams of consideration" (we beat AA five times this year). Anyway, that means UW's Pairwise rating fell by beating AA. Convoluted. Now they are in jeopardy of missing the Dance if they lose in the WCHA tournament.

The Badgers were eighth in the Pairwise last week, but are now tied for 11th,
which means they went from a third seed to a fourth. They dropped because
Anchorage is no longer a team under consideration for the tournament. Records
against teams under consideration - those with .500 or better power ratings -
are part of the Pairwise criteria. UW was 6-1 vs. the Seawolves this season and
those wins can no longer be used in its Pairwise resume.

Moving on...

It seems the Opinion Journal has discovered some interesting goings on in the Middle East, where President Bush has become the new hero.

That's right, they're quoting President Bush, the simian-American unilateralist
cowboy! And they're not alone. In a Washington Post essay, Youssef Ibrahim, formerly a reporter for the New York Times
and The Wall Street Journal and now a Dubai-based consultant, says that
throughout the Arab world are coming "murmurs of approval for the devoutly
Christian U.S. president, whose persistent calls for democracy in the Middle
East are looking less like preaching and more like timely
encouragement"...Ibraham himself admits to second thoughts: "It's enough for
someone like me, who has felt that Bush's attitude toward the Mideast has been
all wrong, to wonder whether his idea of setting the Muslim house in order is
right."

Over at LGF we find out that trolling DU is a favorite not only of yours truly, but of all bloggers. Nowhere is there more fodder. Today (technically last night) they are predicting the Next Great War as America's great Navy has begun descending on the Middle East.

Justice Antonin Scalia gives a speech that I wholeheartily agree with. I heard him speak at Marquette and he is actually quite funny, in addition to being incredibly intelligent. I don't think even his most ardent detractors could deny his vast intellect. The thrust of his speech was that judges are ruling on issues they have no business ruling on.

In a 35-minute speech Monday, Scalia said unelected judges have no place
deciding issues such as abortion and the death penalty. The court's 5-4 ruling
March 1 to outlaw the juvenile death penalty based on "evolving notions of
decency" was simply a mask for the personal policy preferences of the
five-member majority, he said..."If you think aficionados of a living
Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again," Scalia told an
audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. "You think the
death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it. You
want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. That's
flexibility."
"Why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine
lawyers?" he said...Scalia said increased politics on the court will create a
bitter nomination fight for the next Supreme Court appointee, since judges are
now more concerned with promoting their personal policy preferences rather than
interpreting the law. "If we're picking people to draw out of their own
conscience and experience a 'new' Constitution, we should not look principally
for good lawyers. We should look to people who agree with us," he said,
explaining that's why senators increasingly probe nominees for their personal
views on positions such as abortion.

He's a judge who just wants to be a judge, a goal to which all Supreme Court justices should aspire.

A quick "pop-in"

I figured I had better check in this morning, seeing that the good folks at Dummocrats linked me in their blogger showcase and the most recent post I had was about my little sisters heroics in womens hockey regionals. Since that interest group is incredibly small, I figured I would drop a line quick this morning, and I will have a sports roundup later today or early this evening (TONS going on there).

Basically there is tons going on of importance, here is a guick look at some news:

UAW nutters

Sunshine week, I still don't know what to make of it. If it does what it says (unlikely), great. If it turns into a Bush Bahs 05 (likely) then it's just another waste of time. (Question, will Boots n Sabers request for voting records be championed this week in the Urinal?)

I am shocked, SHOCKED, that the media was much harder on President Bush during the election.

PSA Vodkapundit has guest bloggers all week, and the comment sections so far are quite entertaining.

Quiz, what do Washington Post Managing Editor Philip Bennett and Bjork have in common? Apparently, they both dislike America.