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No Runny Eggs

The repository of one hard-boiled egg from the south suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and the occassional guest-blogger). The ramblings within may or may not offend, shock and awe you, but they are what I (or my guest-bloggers) think.

Archive for the 'Miscellaneous' Category

October 25, 2005

Please welcome Reality Check

by @ 19:52. Filed under Miscellaneous.

I have to thank Fred of RealDebateWisconsin for bringing still unreal into the Cheddarsphere with Reality Check. It’s a shiny new blog, so go there and encourage him to get some more posts up.

I’m slipping in my welcomes

by @ 19:31. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Somehow, I missed Dean over at Musings of a Thoughtful Conservative welcoming me into the blogosphere. Welcome those of you who came here from there.

Suckers!

by @ 16:01. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Using a loophole in the Miller Park lease that forces us suckers, er, taxpayers to pay for anything related to the stadium the Brewers ask for if at least 75% of the other stadiums has, the stadium district finance board approved by a 4-1 vote spending $3.25 million to put up ribbon video boards on the club-level facade and replace the left-field out-of-town scoreboard with a video board. This $3.25 million comes from the $5 million set aside in a reserve fund (funded 65% by taxpayers) to replace the scoreboard in 2008 (which, in itself, is an outrage; that scoreboard is less than 6 years old). The primary purpose of these ribbon video boards is for advertising, with the proceeds apparently going solely to the Brewers.

The 4 who want to stick it to us are the district board of directors chair Jay Williams (Doyle appointee), David Spano (Doyle appointee), Perfecto Rivera (Walker appointee who appeared to have defied Walker) and Karen Makoutz (Washington County rep). To his credit, finance board chair Doug Stansil (Racine County appointee) listened to Racine County Executive William McReynolds and voted against this. While the Doyle appointees have limits to their terms, the county appointees serve at the pleasure of the county leaders. Scott, it’s time to send Rivera packing.

Mark Belling has a cynical view of this tapping of the reserve fund; it is designed to drain the fund so that the 0.1% sales tax we are saddled with here down in southeast Wisconsin will never end. Can’t say I disagree with him.

Revisions/extensions – WISN-AM is now reporting that Walker is asking for a reopening of the lease agreement. That’s a great long-term solution, but what about Rivera?

Rolling right along (or is that over?)…

by @ 14:02. Filed under Miscellaneous.

The Capital Times story I linked to just below has another detail –

In addition the sides will recommend at a future sentencing date that Chvala be put on two years’ probation and the prosecutors will argue he be sent to jail for six months as a condition of that probation. Defense attorneys James Olson and Bruce Davey are free to argue for less, or no time in jail.

Yep, that’s right, the jail time isn’t agreed to.

Anyway, I somehow forgot to comment on the significance of all this in the earlier post. Chvala was hit with the laundry list after former State Sen. Brian Burke (D-Milwaukee) was hit with a laundry list indictment of his own, which derailed his 2002 bid for the soon-to-be-vacated Attorney General seat. With Burke’s plea-bargain deal, the pressure came off Milwaukee County DA E. Michael McCann’s office to push the Chvala prosecution, and he reverted to type, tossing out essentially the entire case, even though it was easily the strongest and furthest-reaching one from the entire Caucus scandal.

That one of the two guilty pleas was the use of state workers for campaigns on state time is no accident. That’s the sole basis of the remaining charges against various current and former Assembly Pubbies. That the corruption charges were tossed under the witch-hunt bus is disturbing, but to be expected from the office of McCan’t; he has a long history of minimizing corruption by ‘Rats.

McCan’t keeps rolling over – details of the Chvala deal

by @ 13:13. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Under a plea deal reached between former state Senator Chuck Chvala (D-Madison) and Assistant Milwaukee County DA David Feiss, Chvala pleaded guilty to 2 of an original 20 felony charges (one was dismissed back in February) – charges of having a state worker campaign on state time and funneling illegal amounts of cash into the election fund of a fellow Democrat in 2000. Dismissed fully were 11 other charges, including two extortion charges on cash-for-floor-votes, while 6 additional counts of campaign finance violations and having state workers campaign on state time were also dismissed but can be considered when sentencing happens.

Feiss recommended a Huber Law jail sentence of up to 6 months and a fine of no more than $5,500. Judge David Flanagan said that he was not bound to honor that, pointing out that those charges added up to a maximum of 5 years in prision and a $10,000 fine. However, he delayed sentencing until December to allow Chvala and his lawyers time to come up with a proposal for community service in lieu of jail, and extended an offer to let Chvala to withdraw the guilty pleas if he is sentenced to prison.

Extensions/revisions – here is was the original complaint against Chvala courtesy JSOnline.com, only the latest victim of my reaction to the racist Jentinel.

There also is an interesting line in The Capital Times version of this story –

When Flanagan asked him if he wanted to enter guilty pleas or have a trial, Chvala responded, “I want to have a trial, judge, but I’m pleading guilty to these crimes and I know I can’t have a trial.”

Could he be setting up an appeal?

Further extensions/revisions – The racist Jentinel strikes again.

Bad news/good news Legislature watch

by @ 11:42. Filed under Miscellaneous.

From the Journal Sentinel racist Jentinel…

The bad news – The State Senate is expected to pass a statewide smoking ban in restaurants that seat more than 50 (it would, however, supercede more-stringent local bands and allow smoking in those restaurants that have separate rooms with different ventilation systems, bars, small restaurants and bowling alleys). Unbelievably, the next headline will likely be, “Blind Doyle finds nut, vetoes smoking ban”.

The good news – The Assembly is taking up malpractice caps. Dunno how they’re going to get around the Doyle Supreme Court’s open invitation to tort lawyers though.

Revisions/extensions – (H/T – Boots and Sabers) The Senate has shelved the statewide large-restaurant smoking ban and did the first passage of an amendment to keep governors from creating new sentences in budgets by combining other parts of the budget.

Further revisions/extensions – changed the name of the source to the racist Jentinel, removed the link

Craps’ tax “freeze” gets crappy – taxation without representation edition

by @ 11:05. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Despite a pledge to voluntarily hold their tax levy increase to 2% (sewerage districts are exempt from the sublimating Dyole tax “freeze”), and despte the fact that only one member of the board supported the higher tax increase in August, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District – the crappy water people – passed a 4% tax levy increase 8-3 (it required a 2/3rds vote, and after it initially failed 7-4 and the board lawyer reminded everybody they needed 2/3rds, Jeanette Bell changed her vote). Owen and Kevin already have many of the thoughts I do, but I feel it necessary to add an inside-the-district perspective. As Charlie Sykes and Owen point out, “Who elected these people?” Let’s find out –

According to the MMSD site, these 11 tax-and-spenders are never up for election. 7 are appointed by the mayor of Milwaukee, and the other 4 are appointed by an outfit called the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council of Milwaukee County (comprised of the leaders of the other 18 municipalities in Milwaukee County – that’s right, you in the FLOW communities have no voice). So, let’s take a look at the Effluent Eleven, starting with the 8 who thought that jacking up the taxes was a good idea:

  • Jeannette Bell – commission chair – mayor of West Allis, who flip-flopped (I’m surprised at the flip half; she sublimated the Craps freeze back in West Allis to the tune of 2.75% plus a fresh $30 recycling “fee”)
  • Dennis M. Grzezinski – commission vice chair – runs his own law firm
  • Preston Cole – City of Milwaukee Superintendent of Environmental Services
  • Theresa Estmess – mayor of Wauwatosa (gee, what a surprise, she’s proposing a 4.0% levy increase back in Wauwatosa)
  • Ashanti Hamilton – 1st district alderman in Milwaukee
  • Candice Owley – president, Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, Local 5001
  • Dale Richards – former mayor of Oak Creek (victim of the 2003 tax revolt)
  • Wallace White – principal, W2Excel,LLC

The other 3 members of the Effluent Eleven, who can look forward to a replacement:

  • Robert Brunner – River Hills village president
  • Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) – state representative
  • David Cullen (D-Milwukee) – state representative

However, don’t confuse these three for tax-freezers or responsible spenders, they simply wanted to borrow more.

Homer nod – had the wrong story linked, is now fixed.

Extensions/revisions – removed links to the racist Jentinel

October 23, 2005

No wonder MPS can’t teach

by @ 9:23. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Jim Stingl points out in this morning’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel racist Jentinel that the Hamilton/Bell playfield run by MPS has been identified as being run by an outfit called “Milwuakee Public Schools Recreation Division” for the last couple decades. Nobody bothered to check the spelling until this past Friday, when MPS officials finally promised to take down the sign.

On an interesting note, the Journtinel racist Jentinel has spelled the city that is in its title the MPS way no less than 66 times since the Journal killed the Sentinel. Guess the copy editors, especially in the death notices section, went to MPS.

Revisions/extensions – 4th and state idiots, no more traffic for you.

October 21, 2005

NFL Week 9 – an early start

by @ 12:18. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Because of unpredictable Hurricane Wilma, the NFL decided to move up the Chiefs-Dolphins game to Friday night at 6 pm (sorry, no live TV coverage outside the Miami/Kansas City home markets). That puts a bit of a crimp in my theorizing, which has netted me a 50-38-2 start to the season against the line. Oh well, once more into the breach with the Friday AM line from Yahoo, with the standard reminders that this is for entertainment purposes only and that if you do decide to gamble based on this, I’m not responsible for any taxes, losses or legal matters.

Kansas City (+1.5) @ Miami – I know it’s a short week, but I still can’t figure out why the Dolphins are favored.
Pittsburgh (+1) @ Cincinnati – Big Ben’s back.
Detroit @ Cleveland (-3) – And thus the string of NFC North losses on the road continues, until…
Green Bay (-1.5) @ Minnesota – …the Packers take the Toilet Bowl. Duh Viqueens figured out how to choke early and often. For extra money, go with the over 44.
Indianapolis (-15) @ Houston – I’m very tempted to take Indy -45 (the over/under).
San Diego (+3.5) @ Philadelphia – You may like/want/get the points, but you’re not gonna need them. LT is going to run wild on the Eaglets.
New Orleans @ St Louis (-3) – Take the over of 47.
San Francisco @ Washington (-13) – The Redskins defense will outscore San Francisco.
Dallas @ Seattle (-3.5) – Both teams have serious injuries, but Dallas has the worse end of the stick.
Baltimore (+1) @ Chicago – This isn’t an NFC North opponent.
Tennessee @ Arizona (-3.5) – The Cards will find the end zone early and often for a change.
Denver @ NY Giants (-2) – Jimmy Hoffa would approve of this pick.
Buffalo (+3) @ Oakland – Guess Randy Moss felt guilty for missing The Love Boat; he won’t be playing.
NY Jets @ Atlanta (-7) – Come on, say it with me – J-E-T-S SUCK! SUCK! SUCK!

Franklin “tries” to stifle taxes? Not so fast

by @ 6:59. Filed under Miscellaneous.

There’s a curious headline in today’s Journal Sentinel racist Jentinel, Franklin tries to stifle taxes. While it’s true that the levy increase of 3.9% is less than the 5.4% increase allowed (due to explosive growth of that amount), and that thanks to a lack of reassessment, there would be a $22 tax cut on a “median” home of $182,200 (heh; try finding 10 $182,200 homes in the tax hell known as Franklin, I double-dare you), it’s partly smoke and mirrors. Despite becoming a full-blown tax hell in the last decade (between municipal and school taxes, Franklin boasts one of the highest tax burdens around), spending is up 4.2% because, among other things, Franklin raids its contingency fund to the tune of $740,000 (the second year in the row they raided that fund), and pulls a Doyle on $289,000 in landfill fees that were to go to debt service, transfering that amount to the general fund.

I had a sleepless night following Wilma as she prepares to crash into Cancun, but all sorts of alarm bells are going off in my sleep-deprived head. I strongly suspect that because that $289,000 in debt service will need to be replaced, taxes will go up even more than expected next year thanks to the “debt-service loophole”. Also, there’s that $1,480,000 hole in the rainy-day fund that will need to be replenished sooner or later.

Also in the story, St. Francis is proposing a 2.98% levy increase (it could have raised it by 4.6% thanks to the lakefront condo development), and West Allis mayor Jeanette Bell whines that the 2.75% increase she’s forced to live with isn’t enough.

Carnival of the Badger X

by @ 4:26. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Aaron of Subject to Change has the current Carnival of the Badger up. I’m honored to be part of the treasure hunt.

Mushroom revisited

by @ 4:25. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Sorry about not blogging much for a bit; I’ve been distracted by Wilma and a bit under the weather.

National Review Online has a PDF copy of Miers’ Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire. It does have a promising answer on the “judicial activism” question, but otherwise contains no new evidence of what her judicial philosophy is. More-telling, however, is how the left side of the Judiciary Committee received it – both Arlen “Scottish Law” Specter and the ‘Rats denounced it as content-free. I guess they’re troubled that she won’t give them assurances that she considers Roe v Wade to be an “uber-precedent”.

October 19, 2005

Police chalk report

by @ 0:08. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Since the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel racist Jentinel refuses to do much with the information it has as far as the “average” homicide goes, I guess it falls to me to amplify what is known.

Milwaukee likely had its 101st homicide (unless there was something both the Journtinel and I missed) Sunday as police found the body of a nude woman in a basement of an abandoned building Sunday afternoon (item #3 in Monday’s Regional Briefs behind a dead horse and 6 slightly-injured people in a hayride accident and the first mention of part two of this post). I figured I would give the Journtinel the benefit of the doubt because police hadn’t ruled the death a homicide as of Sunday evening (ignoring that, not too long ago, finding a dead, nude body in an abandoned building would have been front-page material even without a police call of homicide), but here it is almost Wednesday, and despite an autopsy that was to have been done Monday, there has been no update.

Meanwhile, a Saturday night shooting in the ‘burbs, specifically, West Allis (item #2 in Monday’s Regional Briefs linked above; I wonder why it couldn’t make it into Sunday’s papers – oh that’s right, only the sports desk remains open after 9 pm) that ultimately resulted in the death of the person shot can’t even rise above third in Tuesday’s Regional Briefs (behind the arrest of a slumlord that owed just over $15,000 in fines and a donation of bone marrow from a Chinese doctor to an 8-year-old girl with a potentially-deadly blood disease). While Milwaukee has become “Gunfight at the OK Corral”, despite (or perhaps, because of) the complete inability of citizens to carry arms legally, I don’t remember West Allis as the murder capital of the world.

A horse accident and an international bone marrow donation are bigger news items than a pair of homicides? Talk about your odd news judgements.

Revisions/extensions – Guess we found out why they don’t cover murders more extensively.

October 18, 2005

Near-future Insight questions

by @ 23:27. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Charlie Sykes in his live-blogging of Vrakas’ landslide victory in the Waukesha County Executive race, asks a pair of interesting questions:

Quick quiz, who is more out of touch with Waukesha County voters: the JS editorial board or the Waukesha Freeman’s Dennis Shook, who wins the honor of writing the single most clueless piece on the race.

Quick quiz, Question #2: Do you think it bothers the editors at the JS that they consistently back candidates who get 20% of the vote (Mary Panzer), a third of the vote (Jim Dwyer)… and whoever it was who ran against Scott Walker? Do you think they notice a pattern here?

Let’s see if my sleep-deprived addled brain can come up with some semi-coherent answers:

1. This is a damn good question. On one side, you have a bunch of elitists writing for the East Side of Milwaukee, whose only contact with Waukesha County may well be shopping trips so they can avoid the half-percent sales tax here in Milwaukee. On the other, you have a political hack, er, journalist that wishes he was in Madison instead of Waukesha. At least the Journtinel edit board (at least those that don’t reside in Waukesha County) have the excuse of ignorance, but that’s overpowered by their arrogance.

2. It doesn’t bother them one bit (well, except for backing the Dems’/Left’s sacrifical lamb for Milwaukee County exec) because they’re not writing for those people. As long as the 3 other TV stations in Milwaukee don’t cover anything the Journtinel doesn’t, as long as CNI is owned by Journal Communications, and as long as Packer news remains essentially monopolized by Journal Communications and its TV “competitors”, they won’t feel the need to write to a larger audience.

And all the Journtinel’s horseshat, and all of Doyle’s men…

by @ 21:59. Filed under Miscellaneous.

…couldn’t save Jim “LIAR” Dwyer from getting slaughtered by Dan Vrakas 36,419 to 17,509 (67.48% to 32.44%). Just a word of warning on the link; it’s a temporary one from the Waukesha County clerk; if it dies before I catch it, the result will be archived here.

Congrats are in order to GBfan, James Wigderson, and 36,417 of their closest friends.

Mushroom watch – Day 16

by @ 21:31. Filed under Miscellaneous.

I knew that, if I waited long enough, something good would come out to start to balance the drumbeat of bad on Miers’ nomination. FoxNews has a transcript of a questionnaire Miers filled out for Texans United for Life Political Action Committee –

1. If Congress passes a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit abortion except when it was necessary to prevent the death of the mother, would you actively support its ratification by the Texas Legislature?

Miers’ answer: Yes

2. If the Supreme Court returns to the States the right to restrict abortion, would you actively support legislation that would reinstate our 1973 abortion law that prohibited all abortions except those necessary to prevent the death of the mother?

Miers’ answer: Yes

3. Will you oppose the use of public monies for abortion except where necessary to prevent the death of the mother?

Miers’ answer: Yes

4. Will you oppose the use of City funds or facilities by any persons, groups, clinics or organizations to promote, encourage or provide referrals for abortions?

Miers’ answer: Yes

5. Will you vote against the appointment of pro-abortion persons to City Boards or Committees that deal with health issues? (To the extent Pro-Life views are relevant.)

Miers’ answer: Yes

6. Would you refuse the endorsement of any organization that supports abortion-on-demand?

Miers’ answer: Yes

This does not come as a surprise to me.

October 17, 2005

My endorsement for Waukesha County Executive

by @ 23:54. Filed under Miscellaneous.

I join GBfan and Patrick (among others) in endorsing Dan Vrakas over Jim “The Liar” Dwyer. I only wish I could vote in this, but the last time I checked, Oak Creek wasn’t in Waukesha County and I’m not a ‘Rat.

For those of you in Waukesha County, remember, “Vote V for Victory”, and “A vote for Dwyer is a vote for Doyle”.

Week 6, the instant replay

by @ 23:44. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Time to start reviewing what is already a big-money weekend (this will be updated with the Sunday night/Monday night games when they’re played):

Miami 13 @ Tampa Bay (-4) 27 – Rushing yards – Chambers 25, Frerotte 9, Williams 8.
Minnesota 3 @ Chicago 28 (-3) – The NFC North is still winless on the road.
Carolina 21 (+1) @ Detroit 20 – There’s still hope; Duh Lions’ non-division win is also outside of the conference.
NY Giants @ Dallas (-3.5-LOSS) – …but he’s good enough to screw my line.
Atlanta 34 (-5.5-LOSS) vs New Orleans @ San Antonio – They came oh-so-close to taking this thing overtime, but losers get called for defensive holding on field goals.
Cincinatti 31 (-3) @ Tennessee 23 – Who knew the BenGALS were this good?
Cleveland 3 @ Baltimore 16 (-6) – So I was a bit off on the final. I wasn’t off on who would score how many times.
Jacksonville 23 (+3) @ Pittsburgh 17 (OT) – I was right; Charlie Freaking Batch didn’t score them…because he didn’t play.
Washington 21 @ Kansas City 28 (-6) – I’ll take my Deadskins medium-well.
NY Jets 17 @ Buffalo 27 (-3) – If I were greedy, I would have taken the over.
San Diego (-1.5) @ Oakland – Did I not tell you to run, not walk to take advantage of this mistake in the line?
New England 20 @ Denver 28 (-3) – Difference between this week and last; Denver realized that the Prevent defense only prevents victories before they blew the line.
Houston 10 @ Seattle 42 (-9.5) – I should’ve taken the over.
St Louis 28 (+13.5) @ Indianapolis 45 – At least I took the over, and turned it into some cracktion.

With that, I wrap up a 11-3 record against the line (50-38-2 on the year), and a 14-0 romp straight-up.

Revisions/extensions – #1-I added the Sunday Night win; I’m now 11-2 against the line and 13-0 straight-up.
#2-Threw in the MNF game and the wrap-up.

Mushroom watch – Day 15

by @ 9:31. Filed under Miscellaneous.

The vacation from politics, like the great weather this weekend, couldn’t last forever. With major hat tips to Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters and Sean of TAM, we find out from Time that the White House has changed its strategy on Miers’ nomination. They’re now going to bring up her “experience dealing with such real-world issues as the Voting Rights Act when she was a Dallas city council member and Native American tribal sovereignty when she was chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission.”

I don’t know about the latter issue (if someone from Texas stumbling through here can enlighten me, please do so), but that VRA “experience” isn’t exactly reflective of a conservative philosophy. The 10/11 OpinionJournal Best of the Web has already started the process of deciphering that. Oops.

October 16, 2005

MJS endorses Dwyer, bloggers destroy endorsement before it gets published

by @ 22:53. Filed under Miscellaneous.

In what is the least-surprising endorsement of the year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel racist Jentinel endorsed Waukesha County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer for Waukesha County executive. Through the wonders of the Internet and the blogosphere, we have a full destruction of this before the first paper rolls off the press. Kevin at Lakeshore Laments calls it “The Death Knoll” (seems the Journtinel edits don’t have a very good track record of endorsing winners), and Owen at Boots and Sabers just destroys the editorial piece by moronic piece.

There has been but two questions the edits at 4th and State ask when endorsing a candidate –

  1. Who has spent more time in government?
  2. Who is more liberal?

Answer those two questions, and you’ll find who they endorse 99 times out of 100.

Revisions/extensions – using the standards of the racist Jentinel, Dwyer deserves an asterisk as he no longer represents the majority of his district

Packer-less Week 6

by @ 10:09. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Okay; time to run it around. 37-35-2 is not going to put bread on the table. As always, these are for entertainment purposes only, the lines are courtesy Yahoo, and if you’re crazy enough to put money down based on these picks, do so legally.

Miami @ Tampa Bay (-4) – The cancer’s back, and there’s going to be trouble.
Minnesota @ Chicago (-3) – The NFC North is 0-for-the-season on the road. I see nothing to change this, especially after “The Ho Boat” incident.
Carolina (+1) @ Detroit – If, by some miracle, Detroit wins this one, it’s all over.
NY Giants @ Dallas (-3.5) – Eli isn’t good enough yet to win games like these.
Atlanta (-5.5) vs New Orleans @ San Antonio – The Saints have but one more win left in them; unfortunately, this isn’t the first game at Baton Rouge.
Cincinatti (-3) @ Tennessee – Do not let last week fool you.
Cleveland @ Baltimore (-6) – Take the self-imploding OldBrowns and the ridiculous under 34.5. This has the look of a 12-3 game.
Jacksonville (+3) @ Pittsburgh – I’ll hate myself about 3:15, but you’re not going to need the points. Charlie Freaking Batch ain’t gonna score them.
Washington @ Kansas City (-6) – From the altitude to the broiler; the Redskins are done.
NY Jets @ Buffalo (-3) – This may be counter-intuitive considering neither team can move the ball, but I like the over 33.
San Diego (-1.5) @ Oakland – Run, don’t walk to the nearest window to take advantage of this ridiculous mistake in the line. In his last 3 starts (3-0), Drew Brees has 7 TDs and 0 picks
New England @ Denver (-3) – This won’t be a close game. Denver will just pound the ball down the Pats’ throats.
Houston @ Seattle (-9.5) – Despite the fact that Houston won’t score, I’m tempted to take the over of 46. I won’t because that’s only a slight reach.
St Louis (+13.5) @ Indianapolis – If the over were 61 instead of 51, I’d still say, “TAKE THE OVER!”

October 15, 2005

Go, enjoy the weekend

by @ 9:22. Filed under Miscellaneous.

The leaves are turning and starting to fall, the nights are getting crisp, and the sun is still out long enough to make the days nice and comfortable. This is likely to be the last good weekend of the year, and definitely your last weekend chance to catch the fall colors without raking them (next weekend is going to be wet).

So go already. I’ll have the Weak 6 picks for those of you who believe the NFL is more than The Pack later today, after a nice country drive. Your regularily-scheduled politics will return Sunday (or whenever I decide :-) For those that can’t shake the fix, go answer Jib’s question (I already did, which is why I’m headed off to the wild orange/gold/yellow/brown/blue/green yonder).

October 14, 2005

Keep an eye on the Washington obits

by @ 13:23. Filed under Miscellaneous.

Today’s OpinionJournal Best of the Web relays a an AP report that Senior Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (in whose 1968 Oldsmobile Mary Jo Kopechne drowned) has endorced Junior Massachusetts Senator John Kerry*, even if New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (widely speculated to have been involved in Vince Foster’s death) runs.

I wonder what the conditions of the bridges between the Capitol Building and Ft. Marcy Park are.

* No OpinionJournal discussion of Kerry is complete without at least one footnote.

Poison Mushroom Watch – Day 12

by @ 13:00. Filed under Miscellaneous.

John Fund, who has turned against Miers, has a pair of items in today’s OpinionJournal Political Diary (side note; they really need to create an archive for those that plunk down their cash late) that explains why he did, and also all-but-puts the nail in the coffin as far as I’m concerned.

Kevin deals with the first (her lone advesarial role in the creation of the 2001 White House Chrismas message), but the second is far more troubling. Fund relates how he has been unable to find anyone not named Nathan Hecht or not on the White House payroll who spoke with Miers about politics or judicial philosophy. He’s gone from one-time fiancee Jim Martin to the White House to the RNC and finally to Hecht, who finally gave him 2 names that didn’t return Fund’s calls. Now he’s making donations-to-favorite-charity offers on Texas talk shows to anyone else that has had substantiave political/judicial philosophy questions with Miers, and thus far, he hasn’t opened up his checkbook.

As you can tell by the title above, you can now put me down in the anti-Miers camp. Better than 11 days of a firestorm and of conflicting evidence, and the phrase on judicial philosophy is still, “Trust us”? I can’t continue to buy that and ignore the mounting pile of evidence. At this point, I can’t see how she will turn out to be anything other than a broad “like-for-like” replacement for O’Connor (with the remotely-possible “left-of-like” still hanging on by a thread). While I continue to hope that I’m wrong, I doubt that anything short of a sterling performance in the Senate Judiciary hearings (one that would likely trigger a filibuster) will change that opinion before her rulings start coming down and this truly becomes a lost opportunity to have moved the Supreme Court back toward judicial conservatism and by extension, philosophical conservatism.

Welcome WisOpinion readers

by @ 10:30. Filed under Miscellaneous.

I guess the pressure is really on now :-)

I have to thank Fred of RealDebateWisconsin for finding himself on WisOpinion’s blogroll. Now, how did they find me so quickly after taking so long to find RDW, especially since I didn’t find them first?

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