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.