Today’s read is from Paul Sperry at RealClearInvestigations:
In fact, Ford stands to gain some $1 million and counting from national crowdfunding campaigns launched by friends and other supporters, while she is said to be fielding book offers.
Crying all the way to the bank.
Read the entire investigative piece here.
The following is not a complaint. It’s merely a statement of fact.
Like many communities, Franklin held its Trick or Treat this past Sunday. I was out with Kyla for a while before she hooked up with neighbor kids and joined their group. I went home to watch the Packers blow their game against the Rams.
Every now and then a van would turn up, stop, and costumed youngsters would jump out, and the van would follow them up or down the street. We know the children from our neighborhood. Clearly these kids weren’t from our zip code.
Again, no complaints. No one asks for ID when the doorbell rings. I’m guessing some (maybe all) of the unrecognizable trick or treaters were from the city of Milwaukee.
If the sole intent is to get more candy, the drive into Franklin or any other suburb from the city just might be the wrong move.
The reason is nerdy, wonky, and based on a whole bunch of numbers.
Freelance journalist Randy Glaser is oh so right. Times have really changed. From his latest column:
Halloween just isn’t what it used to be.
Back in the old days, Halloween was dark and dreary. Few people decorated their homes for Halloween.
Those who did tried to make it as spooky and scary as possible. Think the Munsters or the Addams family.
Pumpkins were carved with scary faces. Skeletons were the decor of choice.
Today, pumpkins are happy, sometimes decorated with crayons and felt or carved with the logo of your favorite pro sports team. Homes are lit up with cute orange lights. Clever and light has replaced wicked and dark.
Instead of tombstones in the front yard bearing the names of Jack the Ripper and Frankenstein, there is the Pillsbury Dough Boy and such.
We’re really not into scary so much anymore.
And of course, costumes have also changed. Scary is out. Cultural appropriation is a big no-no. Cute and clever is in.
Blaser’s reference to the classic monster films brought back memories of my childhood.
It was the mid-60’s. My older teenage brother was so cool. He played rhythm guitar on his candy apple red Fender Stratocaster in a rock band. At least one venue had band members including my introverted brother playing next to caged go-go girls.
Gigs would take place on weekends. Sometimes Mom and Dad would go to watch. Other times they’d stay home.
When my parents weren’t watching Greg’s shows dad would be in bed sometime during the 10:00 news on a Saturday. Mom would stay up because she wanted to see Shock Theater. Mom, believe it or not, was a horror movie freak. The creepier and scarier the better.
Joy of joys she’d let me stay up and watch Bob Beringer at the old Channel 18 host Shock Theater while Dad snored and Greg played for kids on the dance floor.
The movies were always the classic Universal monster flicks and I established an undying respect for them to this day.
My favorite, and I was truly sympathetic, was the Wolfman.
Bela was the best.
It’s alive!
One of my favorites as a youngster was when all the monsters appeared in the same movie.
Good Lord! Pandemonium!
I mus admit, to this day, I jump for joy when the Frankenstein monster throws that no-good weasel of a midget through the window.
Finally, in my view the best horror film ever made. My mother saw the film when it was first released and said people actually screamed when, well…let’s move on.
Happy Halloween!
What a horrible day, 25 years ago today at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. A jubilant atmosphere after a thrilling football win over Michigan suddenly turned ugly and dangerous.
I was News Director at WTMJ Radio at the time. Our colleague Brian Manthey was the play-by-play voice for Wisconsin football. We used his commentary and subsequent WTMJ news coverage to win a Milwaukee Press Club award.
Today’s read is from WI Governor Scott Walker.
We are moving Wisconsin forward.
Now, we have a plan for the next four years that will help keep Wisconsin working for generations to come.
Please read the entire column here.
You tell me. The opinion area on the supposedly non-partisan WisPolitics.com the past few days…pretty one-sided over there.
In a poll, 64 percent of Wisconsin voters supported ending cannabis prohibition. Scott Walker opposes it. Tony Evers supports medical marijuana and is open to legalizing recreational use.
He respects no one, maybe not even himself, and never seeks win-win outcomes.
Overall I think Steve Scaffidi does an admirable job on his morning talk show on WTMJ. I will say his program is far too guest heavy. Guests all the time, the same guests over and over and over again.
It’s a talk show, but the phone lines don’t get opened all that often for listeners to call in and…talk.
One of his regular guests is James Wigderson, editor of Right Wisconsin. Wigderson demonstrates that in general, print people have a not so easy time adjusting to broadcast. He did, though, mention something that caught my ear during Monday’s program: Regarding social media, it’s time to get rid of the anonymous contributors.
BINGO!
I’ve been blogging about the issue for a long time. Here’s an edited, but still timely blog of mine from September 1, 2009:
Some background on a recent court battle that should be of great interest to bloggers.
?
began writing a blog in August 2008 about…
That’s model Liskula Cohen.
?
wrote a blog called, “Skanks in NYC.” The sole purpose of the anonymous blog was to trash Cohen with unflattering pictures and a litany of name-calling, including, “a psychotic, lying, whoring . . . skank.”
Cohen sued
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and Google, the host of the anonymously written blog. Cohen sought to learn the identity of the individual sliming her.
A Manhattan judge ruled in Cohen’s favor, and the trash-talking blogger was unmasked as blogger Rosemary Port who now plans to sue the website.
Port claimed she went after Cohen because Cohen said nasty things about Port to her boyfriend.
There’s more to the story that you can read here.
A larger issue is at play: the danger of anonymity on the Internet.
Not everyone who writes or comments anonymously on blogs or chat sites is irresponsible. However, given the opportunity to hide behind a fake name, a writer feels the incentive to engage in outrageous, negative, hostile, even false or libelous commentary. As columnist Dennis Prager once wrote:
“It is the very rare individual who sends a hate-filled, obscenity-laced e-mail that includes his name. As the recipient of such e-mails, I know firsthand how rarely people identify themselves when sending hate-filled mail. It is so rare, in fact, that I usually respond to hate mail that includes the writer’s name just to commend him for attaching his name to something so embarrassing.
The Internet practice of giving everyone the ability to express himself anonymously for millions to read has debased public discourse. Cursing, ad hominem attacks and/or the utter absence of logic characterize a large percentage of many websites’ ‘comments’ sections. And because people tend to do what society says it is OK to do, many people, especially younger people, are coming to view such primitive forms of self-expression as acceptable.
Some might argue that anonymity enables people to more freely express their thoughts. But this is not true. Anonymity only enables people to more freely express their feelings. Anonymity values feelings over thought, and immediate expression over thoughtful reflection.”
I call these people cowards. Ironically, liberal columnist Maureen Dowd used the same term in writing about the Cohen/Port case.
Reckless blogging is like a cancer, permeating the Internet. Sometimes, in the never-ending quest to make waves, the blogger can go too far.
There are bloggers who, like Michelle Port, have no intention of providing important information or discourse. Their sole purpose is to smear. Knowing they couldn’t face their targets or engage them in meaningful debate, fearing the very thought, they cowardly hide behind phony names or titles.
In a perfect world, everyone who writes a blog would have to divulge his/her identity and affiliation. Ditto for people who “comment.” Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, and the irresponsibility will continue.
RELATED READING:
Is lying on the Internet now a crime?
By Bob Dohnal
Editor
WI Conservative Digest
Call to Action
This is critical
This is a call to action to conservatives, populists, libertarians, and others center-right who are part Trump Movement. This 2nd election in the Trump-era is critical if we are to continue this historic reform of government in Wisconsin and America. It’s vital we win.
WHY?
First, we must preserve and strengthen the President’s ability to….
….appoint and get approved federal judges, break up Washington’s Congressional logjam, bring to heel the Deep State, get approved the next level of tax cuts for the middle class, continue reforming business regulations, finish restoring the rule of law, continue expanding the economy and creating good jobs, complete the negotiation of key international trade treaties, continue boosting military strength to make and keep peace, and gain control of America’s immigration problems.
Second, we must re-elect the Governor and the Republican Legislature in order to preserve the gains we have made over the last 8 years and take advantage of the opportunities before us.
Some of the accomplishments of the Republicans include a Wisconsin response to health care challenges that have keep Wisconsinites protected – including those with preexisting conditions, ending union dues collected from government employee paychecks without their consent, keeping property taxes low or unchanged, reducing the income tax burden, restoring the state transportation fund, maintain unprecedented job growth and a hot economy, keep the tuition freeze at Wisconsin colleges, stream education to train students for the modern economy, and retaining 2nd amendment rights and the right law-biding citizens to conceal and carry.
Democrats plan. Remember the 8 years of Barack Obama. Hidden within government agencies, leftists started disassembling our democracy. Rule of law took a back seat, the military sunk to WW-I levels, we adopted a supplicant position on foreign policy, we had an eggshell economy pumped up by $5 trillion in borrowing and $4 trillion in Federal Reserve fiat money, and much, much more. Remember the 8 years of Jim Doyle. Sinking Wisconsin’s economy, aggressive spending increases, $3.5 billion deficits posed to go to $5 billion, reversing the Gov. Thompson era education and welfare reforms, raids on transportation funds, and much, much more.
That’s what waits us. The Democrats can do more damage in 4 years that we can make good in 4 years.
Dissatisfactions. There are some that are not pleased with the Republican United States Senate. Count me as one. There are some that are not as pleased with Republican House progress and some of its results. Personally, I am generally pleased with the results of the House even though the legislative-sausage making makes us all queasy. There are some that are not thrilled with the recent product of the Legislature here in Wisconsin. After the torrid pace of legislation initiative during the Governor’s first term, the last couple of years seemed less aggressive. Other concerns have pop up during internet and personal political discussions, I know. And we shouldn’t be satisfied when we feel more needs doing. But….
Politics is like life. In my over 50 years in politics, I have found politics is a lot like the rest of life. It takes work, dedication, and sacrifice to achieve the things that matter, usually over a long period of time. On the way, there is usually disappointments. But the only way to get the things, that truly matter, is to stay the course. That is especially true in politics. It is said that government is made by the people who show up. It’s true. I can give you hours and hours of examples of that include one I was involved in from a few weeks ago here in town. We have to show up every time in politics, like in life.
They want you to quit or sit on the sidelines. A key Democrat/leftist/Progressive strategy is to get you to quit out of disgust, disappointment, alienation, impatience, or unhappiness. Their minority positions can only succeed if you and I vacate the field of political battle. That is why the “resistance” was created. That is why they forgive their people for things they condemn us for. That is why they use the filibuster rules like cruise missiles. That is why they change the culture. That is why they have created an atmosphere so toxic that you recoil and some go silent. Passive won’t work. Neither will quitting. Neither will withholding you vote.
This election links to 2020. If they get their way in 2018, they will start knocking down our dominos for the next two years trying to impeach Trump, defeat him and you in 2020, and start reversing the progress we have made in Wisconsin over 8 long hard years. If we win this year, we will set the stage for a vigorous Legislative and Congressional agenda with the public on our side. It will still be a struggle, but we will have the upper hand.
It is important that you vote this election. This is not choosing between the better of two lesser choices. It is voting between two systems of governing. Between the forces of political and economic freedom and those of socialism and political correctness. Between the defenders of a strong America and the globalists. Between those that would solve public problems and those for whom politics is an end in itself. Between those that would preserve our institutions and those that would destroy them. Between a Reagan America and an Obama America.
This election is a critical extension of the battle we began in 2016. We cannot afford to falter. We cannot afford to be absent. We cannot afford to let America drift. Please act. Exercise your patriotic duty and vote in this election.
Post Script;
How do we move our agenda further after the election is over? People right-of-center have been focused mostly on elections in order to change the direction of government. Sort of an “elect-forget-complain-try to elect someone different” strategy. That works to a point. The government swamp grows during the “forget” period in between elections, when many people right-of-center are no longer paying attention. We need to move to a strategy of continuous engagement. How?
Policy advocacy. We need groups, temporary or permanent that advocate for particular issues. Here we need a change of strategy also. We need to advocate not just too favorable lawmakers but to build support among the public. It is the missing piece that makes elections and policymaking so hard. Groups need to spring up where ever there is public policy interest and go after public support.
Money. Money moves politics. We don’t like it but it does. Groups need to spring up to help fund or contribute to campaigns. The progressives invented ActBlue in 2004 as an online fundraising program that “empower(s) small-dollar donors” around the country support progressive candidates and direct money to where it’s needed. This year they are pumping $1,000,000,000 into the fall elections – ONE BILLION. We don’t have anything similar. In Wisconsin we don’t have any money pool that represents the grassroots activists and contributors. We need one or many such groups. We also need issue advocacy groups that deal with issues but not candidates so they can take non-political money. Money talks, that’s reality.
Win hearts and minds. Much of the center right has spent its time trying to “discipline” Republicans to do the “right thing” and fulfill their platform and campaign promises. That’s good. But we struggle because we do not have majority of all Wisconsinites supporting us on many issues. Some issues we do and those are fairly easy to get passed into law. Our movement has to also focus on winning over their fellow Wisconsinites to our views. Groups that form need to attract the public as well as persons who already believe.
360 political days a year. We need to be active year around. We need lots of groups but they also have to work together in a coordinated fashion as often as possible, legally. There is power in numbers and size. Democracy never takes a day off. We cannot be passive, passivity gets run over.
Get out of the closet. Center-right people spend too much time in the closet. We have been backed in there by the culture, by bullying within our social circles or online, by aggressive progressive left wingers, by challenges and questions we are not prepared to answer, and by our “civility”. Politically we cannot any longer tolerate it. We shouldn’t be obnoxious, but we have to stop turning the other cheek. We have to learn how to stand up for ourselves and our beliefs. Silence is acquiescence and consent. This nation was found by people who would not stay in the closet and would take risks up to including the pledging “their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor”.
This means you. Everyone wants change and victory. But most everybody wants somebody else to do it. That has to change. The condition on which you hold liberty is you are fully and openly committed to liberty. And that you are willing to do something every day for democracy. Being informed is vital but watching cable news is not where the battle is. Sharing ideas with like-minded people is important but hours online is not where the battle is. It great to gather at a Trump political rally, but mixing with people of your beliefs is not where the battle is. Those things are important but in many ways their like a support group.
The battleground. The battle is in your personal networks, your social networks, and with your friends and acquaintances. The battle is in the Legislature and the Congress. The battle is in your local governments. The battle is winning hearts and minds of people, name by name, face by face, and handshake by handshake. The battle is in investigation, gaining knowledge, expertise, and forming solution about public problems, philosophy, politics and policy. The battle is in creating new groups get stuff done. The battle is in raising money for people, causes and issues. The battle is in standing up for your beliefs when it may cost you. The battle is doing what it takes and everything it takes to win. In the words of Winston Churchill: “this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
Personal report card. Find an image of Valley Forge. Image a very young soldier dying of malnourishment, dysentery, and bitter cold, sitting in the snow. A young man that is wondering if his belief in this liberty is worth it. If anyone will remember his sacrifice. Put that image on your desk, dresser, or wall. Ask yourself every time you see it, every time, are you disappointing him. Have your done your job for liberty. Then do something about it.
THIS WEEKLY BLOG PROMOTES A CULTURE OF LIFE
Don’t miss our closing heartwarming story every week!
Today’s read is from Tom Tancredo, former U.S. Congressman for Colorado. Here’s a portion:
With the relentless attacks on the Trump pro-growth agenda and the acquiescent compliance by the mainstream media, “Speaker Pelosi” may be spoken through the halls of Congress yet again soon. And she will pursue her radical, left-wing agenda with reckless abandon worse than the last time she was the speaker.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s to come if Pelosi reclaims her throne:
Read it all here.
This Just In... From Franklin, WI 