Adrial C. White -- Still Not A Hero

I found this article on JSONLINE written by Shelia B. Lawani. According to this article, Mr. White shot Christopher Carbajal and Enrico Serra, Jr. and shot at Phillip Jardina while they were attempting to break into his (White's) girlfriend's car. Mr. Carbajal died from his wound -- he was shot in the back.

Does this sound like a hero to you? Should we really be hailing this man as some kind of champion and poster child for protecting yourself?

No, he shot a man in the back -- the BACK. That means Mr. White aimed at someone who was not facing him and pulled the trigger. That means that Christopher Carbajal lost his life for attempting to break into a car and he didn't even see it coming!

I pray that God shows Mr. White the mercy he refused to show to Christopher Carbajal, Enrico Serra, Jr. and Phillip Jardina.

I asked that all my readers do the same and pray for the families of the men Mr. White shot and shot at.

God Bless

Breaking News---

Governor's Concealed Carry veto stands! I'll be posting the names of how the Assembly Representatives voted soon!

Thanks goodness some calmer heads prevailed.

Now, hopefully, the Republicans can start taking care of business instead of re-hashing old news!

God Bless!

Senate overturns Veto on Concealed Carry

It comes as no surprise that the Wisconsin Senate voted to overturn the governor's veto on the Concealed Carry bill. Now, on Tuesday, the Assembly will hold their vote.

We need to stop this from being overturned.

First, there is no proof that concealed carry states are safer than non concealed carry states.

Second, I think the villilante shooting last week in Racine is proof that it is way too easy to get a weapon in this state.

Third, the bill still does not allow law enforcement officers, responding to domestic disputes to know that the home has a concealed carry permit holder inside. (If the Republicans want to make the state safer, maybe, they should start with making it safe for the men and women who on a daily basis put their lives on the line to protect the citizens of this state. It is fact that the majority of police killed in the line of duty are killed while responding to domestic disputes.)

Contact your representative, today.

God Bless

Pro-life Liberal

Am I alone? It can't be, can it, that I am the only pro-life liberal around? Could it?

I mean, I hear from Conservatives that I know about how "you liberals" want to "protect a woman's right to choose." But, I "liberal" don't.

I don't believe in abortion. No matter how the package comes to you, a baby is always a gift from God -- ALWAYS. If you don't want that gift or you can't handle it, after you give birth, contact me. I'll adopt it. I'll raise your gift from God with love and compassion.

The reason I don't go out of my way to stand with most pro-lifers is two fold. First, I think that we should educate our young to avoid unwanted pregnacies in the first place. Second, most of the pro-lifers I know support the death penalty. And, therein lies our difference. Every life is a gift from God -- even the worst of the worst of criminals -- we should lock them up and throw away the key, but it should never be our choice to kill them. How does killing someone send the message that killing is wrong?

So, the next time you see me or comment on my blog, don't assume that I'm pro-choice. I'm not and never will be.

God Bless

Did you call your Senator?

Did you call your Senator? If you didn't, you should. I happen to be pro-life and would be totally happy if Roe v Wade was overturned, but there's a lot more that will happen over the next 30 years on the Supreme Court than just that! We can't have a man who acts as if he's never even READ the constitution on our court. Where in the Constitution do business rights come before human rights?

Anyway, you in Wisconsin, here are the numbers:

Please call Sens. Kohl and Feingold right now and ask them to join the filibuster against Samuel Alito.

Senator Herb Kohl
Phone: 202-224-5653
District Offices:
Appleton: 920-738-1640
Eau Claire: 715-832-8424
LaCrosse: 608-796-0045
Madison: 608-264-5338
Milwaukee: 800-247-5645

Senator Russell Feingold
Phone: 202-224-5323
District Offices:
Green Bay: 920-465-7508
LaCrosse: 608-782-5585
Middleton: 608-828-1200
Milwaukee: 414-276-7282
Wausau: 715-848-5660

If you are anywhere else, call the Congress number and ask for your Senator's office: 202-225-3121.

We only need 41 Senators to show that they care about this country to defeat Alito and I don't give a rat's ass if the defeat makes his wife cry!

God Bless.

Is this a surprise?!?

Okay, maybe I'm just tired, as it has been a very long day, but come on, is anyone really surprised that Bush's approval ratings are down?

Between the Republican filled Abramoff scandal -- no Democrats received direct payments -- to the spying on United States citizens without warrants to, well, fill in the blank. Of course his approval ratings are down. You can tell just by the fact that he's traveling around giving speeches and talks -- without having the crowd censored, like his previous tours.

Bush knows he's a lame duck and he only has two years left. This isn't even news, is it?

God Bless

NBC Chickens out... Book of Daniel cancelled...

So, I'm reading the Chicago Tribune and I see that NBC cancelled it's new series, "The Book of Daniel". I watched the premier, managed to miss the second one and planned on watching my DVR'd version of the third. Now, I see that NBC falling to both pressure and low ratings -- how high could they be it is on Fridays -- cancelled the series.

First, I'd like to say that EVERY network is cancelling new shows way too quick. "All in the Family" had low ratings and if it had been cancelled, we would've missed the one of the best TV shows ever. Most TV shows don't hit the big time right out of the gate like, say, "Desparate Houswives." Last comment, NBC has cancelled EVERY SINGLE NEW SHOW that I liked. So, I rarely watch NBC (except for the Law & Order Shows & Las Vegas).

Second, NBC, get some balls -- yes, I said balls. Stand up to the religious right and tell them that you don't care if they don't watch. What did you have to lose? Nothing. But, you would've gained some pride and some respect for standing by a contraversal show. Plus, this show wasn't that raunchy as "Desperate Housewives".

Third, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, why did you close the comments on the article in less than 24 hours? I had something to say!!!!! And, you prevented me from saying it on your site. Did you not want to hear contrary opinions?!?

Of course, it's their site, so don't bother commenting on their right to choose what goes on it, okay?

Now, if CBS cancels "Ghost Whisper" (like they cancelled "Joan of Arcadia"), I might just give up on TV and go back to reading more books.

God Bless.

The Right Can't take a Joke...

Apparently, they can dish it out, but they can't take a joke... I didn't watch the Golden Globe awards, so I didn't see George Clooney's acceptance speech where he make a joke about Lobbyist (and criminal) Jack Abramoff. I am not going to repeat the joke here, because it isn't one that should be repeated in mixed company. Well, the joke made his Mr. Abramoff's twelve year old daughter cry. Now, Mr. Abramoff's father has complained. The senior Mr. Abramoff stated in his letter, "We have had to endure two years of unmitigated, outrageous falsehood directed at my son and his record of achievement on behalf of his clients and friends."

Let me repeat part of that, "unmitigated, outrageous falsehood directed at my son." Is he kidding? His son pled guilty, as it he did it, as in GUILTY.

But, here's the kicker, while President Clinton was in office, I heard joke after joke about his sex life and womanizing. I don't recall (although I'm sure some right-winger will correct me if I'm wrong) anyone worrying if Chelsea cried about the horrible things said about her father. But, the right-wing blogs are down on Clooney like you wouldn't believe! (I've always said the right has no sense of humor and I guess I'm, well, right.)

You can read Mr. Abramoff's letter here, along with Mr. Clooney's joke. Yes, it was in bad taste, but I've heard worse ones about other people. What happened to the defense of free speech? I guess it's only free if it is a joke about a liberal.

God Bless

Another Post About Milwaukee School Vouchers...

I received a copy of a letter that Governor Doyle sent Tim Sheeley. I'm posting it here for you. Yes, I know I've done a lot of cut and paste reports the last couple of days, BUT I want you to be able to read this information for yourselves and not rely on my interpertation. We all get enough of that in the news.

Here's the link to the original letter (in PDF), because my copy below does not have the Governor's formatting:

January 20, 2006

Mr. Timothy R. Sheehy
President
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
756 North Milwaukee Street
Suite 400
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

Dear Tim:

Since early last year, I and representatives from my office and my Administration have been discussing changes to the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program with you. You personally know of my desire to reach a compromise on this issue because I and my staff have discussed it with you many times. It is unfortunate for the children of Milwaukee that you have decided that, rather than work with me on a solution and a compromise, you would rather engage in divisive tactics and push extreme positions that you know I cannot accept.

Let’s make a few things clear. First of all, I did not impose a participation cap on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. That cap was enacted into state law during the 1990s—under Governor Thompson.

Second, this potential crisis was intentionally precipitated by school voucher lobbyists and Republican legislators. Voucher proponents actively opposed and Republicans defeated a sensible rule put forth by DPI in 2004 that would have protected existing students from having to change schools and allowed currently participating schools to maintain their enrollments. Republicans and voucher supporters did so with the full knowledge that, without this rule, students could be displaced from schools if the enrollment cap was reached. They chose to politicize this issue rather than put the interests of the students first. If you and other voucher advocates had put your effort into honest discussions then we might possibly have solved this issue already.

Clearly, it doesn’t have to be this way.

I am deeply concerned about the potential impact upon children, families, and high-quality private schools that imposing a strict pro-ration of seats could have. I do not support the alternative recently proposed by the Department of Public Instruction, unlike what your dishonest ads imply. That’s why we must continue to work toward a solution that’s best for Milwaukee children and their families.

In November, I outlined a proposal which would lift the cap by 3,000 students—which, after numerous discussions with you, we believed would cover increased school choice enrollments for the next two years. The 3,000 figure is also nearly 1,000 more students than the last Republican-sponsored bill that was sent to my desk. As I have modified my position in the interest of compromise, you and Republican leaders have changed your positions to be more extreme. As you know, despite attempts by both Secretary Marotta and Secretary Bablitch, Speaker Gard has been unwilling to engage in productive discussions that would lead to compromise. Instead, the Republican Legislature has sent me bills that they knew I would veto. These bills lifted the cap but did not address the need for educational accountability or provide support for all Milwaukee students—by helping the remaining 96,000 students who are in Milwaukee Public Schools or reducing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade.

Undoubtedly there are high-quality private schools that participate in the voucher program, but repeated scandals and unexpected school closings have afflicted the program and the students it serves. As you know, individuals need no credentials or expertise to open a voucher school. These schools may employ teachers with no training and only a GED and administrators without a high school or college degree. In 2004, one voucher school was closed because a school principal purchased two Mercedes Benz with tax dollars. This year, DPI has stopped payments to voucher schools because they don’t provide a minimal level of instruction. And a recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel investigation uncovered one school serving just two pupils where the education program included field trips to McDonald’s, and another where an administrator described the teaching approach as just “a lot of baby-sitting.”

The needed solution is not as simple as just lifting the cap. That approach does a disservice to Milwaukee students and parents—and to Wisconsin taxpayers.

For the $93 million in state tax dollars that will be spent on private school vouchers this year, taxpayers deserve assurance that students receive at least a minimal level of quality instruction from these voucher schools. If you and your members are confident of the quality of all voucher schools, you should not be afraid of some minimal accountability requirements.

In addition, let’s not lose sight of the fact that lifting the cap carries a price tag for state and Milwaukee taxpayers. For example, adding 3,000 students to the program this school year would cost an additional $19 million—for a total cost of $112 million. As your members wrote in their letter, “Our businesses depend on local schools for an educated work force.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s one of the many reasons that as Governor I have strongly supported investments in education. That’s also why I am asking for additional help for the children in MPS, not just choice schools. I simply cannot allow the choice program to be expanded at the expense of other public school children in Milwaukee, who under your latest proposal, will see further cuts to their schools. We must help both private and public school children. But that is obviously not the interest of Republican leaders who care more about having a political issue, not helping all the children in Milwaukee.

It is up to us and to your members to nurture a broad vision of high-quality education for every single student in Milwaukee. That is what I am committed to.

I hope we can work to resolve this issue without resorting to further dishonest attacks and high-pressure tactics that are divisive and unproductive.

Sincerely,

Jim Doyle
Governor

cc: MMAC Board Members

The Book of Daniel...

I wasn't sure if I was going to watch "The Book of Daniel". Cheryl and I record so many shows during the week and try to watch them on weekends, so I didn't want to add another show to the mix.

Then, I heard the right-wing Christians are all up in arms about this show. They are very upset that this religious family is protrayed with all their issues showing. (Where have these people been? Most of the right-wing Christians I know are just like everyone else. Meaning that they have their own problems.) Anyway, I figured if the show is getting people this upset, I need to watch it.

So, we recorded it and watched it. It was actually pretty good. A little stretching with the issues, I mean, a closeted gay son, a pot dealing daughter, a drunk wife, a promiscous son and a pill popping priest. No one has this many issues!!!!

Anyway, I like the discussions with Jesus. What's wrong with the American Family Association? They haven't even watched the show. What a bunch of hypocrites! I'll bet if I dug into their backgrounds, I'd find some gay sons, dope dealing daughters and a womanizer for a son.

In fact, I'd stake my life on it.

God Bless.

Wisconsin -- School Vouchers -- LRB 4154 -- The Governor's Proposal

Thanks to a wonderful person in Madison, I am able to post the governor's proposal for the School Voucher program in Milwaukee. As far as I know, I'm the first person to be able to post this on their blog. This was circulated to the Legislative Body on January 13, 2006.

I'm not going to make a comment on this, except to say, read the whole thing through. Don't listen to the phony ads Charlie Skyes is promoting on the radio. Read this proposal for yourself and make up your own mind.

From: Rep.Sinicki
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 4:48 PM
To: *Legislative Assembly Democrats; *Legislative Assembly Republicans; *Legislative Senate Democrats; *Legislative Senate Republicans

Subject: Co-sponsorship of the Milwaukee Education Package
Importance: High

Date: January 13, 2006

To: Members of the Wisconsin Legislature

From: Milwaukee Caucus Members:
Senators Tim Carpenter, Spencer Coggs and Lena Taylor, and
Representatives Pedro Colon, David Cullen, Christine Sinicki and Polly Williams

Re: Milwaukee Education Package
*****************************************************
Dear colleagues,

Earlier this session we began work with the Governor and others to develop a Milwaukee education package which improves educational outcomes for students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and independent charter schools. In November, the Governor announced a Milwaukee Education Package, the details of which you will find below as LRB-4154. As Chair of the Milwaukee Caucus, I respectfully request your support for this legislation and ask that you join me and other members of the Milwaukee Caucus in co-sponsoring it.

Thank you,

Rep. Christine Sinicki, Chair
Milwaukee Caucus

Choice:

-- The MPCP participation cap will increase to 18 percent, upon enactment of legislation.

-- The income eligibility cap for currently enrolled MPCP pupils and their siblings will increase from 175 percent to 220 percent of the federal poverty level, enabling pupils to remain in the program as family income grows. To participate in the program, new pupils must come from families whose income is at or below 175 percent of poverty.

-- All prior-year participation requirements will be eliminated so that children can enroll in the choice program regardless of where they attended school the year before. However, participation in the program will remain limited to pupils who reside in the City of Milwaukee.

Choice Accountability:

-- Parents looking to make the appropriate choice for their child need more and comparative information about the quality of education their child is or will be receiving in a MPCP school. Likewise, Wisconsin taxpayers need better information about the educational product they fund at a cost of nearly $93 million in the current school year.

-- MPCP schools must administer the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) Criterion-Referenced Tests in grades 3-8 and grade 10. DPI must report the results for MPCP schools so parents and taxpayers can compare the academic performance of choice schools with public schools. In addition, the scores of MPCP pupils will determine whether schools meet adequate yearly progress objectives or are labeled “in need of improvement” under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act—just like under-performing public and independent charter schools.

-- To ensure minimum academic standards, beginning in the 2007-08 academic year, MPCP schools must be accredited by
one of the following independent accrediting authorities: Independent Schools Association of the Central States, Wisconsin
North Central Association, Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, or
any other organization recognized by the National Council for Private School Accreditation. Approval for scholarship funding by Partners Advancing Values in Education (PAVE) will also constitute meeting this requirement. Newly established schools must, at a minimum, become a candidate for accreditation before one of the above organizations during their initial year of MPCP participation, and become accredited prior to their third year of participation in the program.

Improving Charter Schools:

-- The Racine Charter School program may increase its enrollment cap from 400 to 480 to allow the students attending the 21st Century Preparatory School to attend the school through 8th grade.

MPS ‘Hold Harmless’ Provision:

-- Currently, MPCP students are not counted for the purpose of calculating state general school aid payments to Milwaukee, but Milwaukee taxpayers are required to pay 45% of the cost of the choice program. Without a change in the formula, increasing the choice cap will take additional state aid away from MPS and raise property taxes in Milwaukee.

-- MPS may count each choice student as 0.45 FTE in determining Milwaukee’s per-pupil property value for state aid. This

provision will be phased in over five years (0.1 FTE in 2006-07 … 0.4 FTE in 2009-2010, and 0.45 FTE in 2010-11) to provide an equitable division of resources to Milwaukee over time as enrollment in the choice program is allowed to grow.

-- The Milwaukee Board of School Directors must direct 100% of these “hold harmless” funds to instructional services for students. Such funds must be used for core instruction—not for any administrative or non-instructional purpose—including

funding teaching and instructional support staff, remedial instruction and after-school instruction provided by MPS and to
address deficiencies in meeting the state’s Twenty School District Standards (Wisconsin State Statutes Chapter 121.02).

Smaller Class Sizes:

-- The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE)—the state’s class-size reduction program in kindergarten through 3rd grade—raises achievement, particularly for low-income students. Despite that fact, per-pupil state funding has not increased since the program was first implemented in 1996.

-- Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the per-pupil SAGE reimbursement will increase from $2,000 to $2,500.

**********************************************************************************************

If you need additional information on LRB 4154, please view the attached copy or contact the co-sponsors with questions. To become a co-sponsor, contact Rep. Sinicki's office by 5 p.m., Friday, January 20, 2006.

Thank you for your consideration.

Doyle vetoes Concealed Carry...

No surprise here, Doyle vetoed concealed carry. He told the legislature that he would, they passed it anyway and he did what he said he would. The best part of Doyle's veto, however; came in this statement:

"The bill does not create a single job, help a single Wisconsin citizen afford health care or improve schools for a single Wisconsin child," Doyle said in a statement. "The Legislature should spend more time trying to get jobs into our communities instead of more guns."

Here, here.

While the legislature managed to pass concealed carry, while Assembly Bill 657 and Assembly Bill 363 have not been passed. Both of these bills have had plenty of time to be passed, but no, the Republican controlled legislature choose to work on Concealed Carry.

God Bless.

Deadly Force...

Adrial White, 29, will be charged today with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homocide, according to the The Journal Times. Mr. White allegedly shot two young men while they were allegedly breaking into his car. One of the young men, Christopher "Eric" Carbajal, died. He was nineteen years old.

Since the police are not charging Mr. White with an illegal weapons charge, I can only assume that the weapon was legal. Despite the fact that Mr. White is being described by family and friends as a nice and non-violent man, his ex-wife had gone to court twice to request a temporary restraining order. Further, Mr. White was charged, although the newspaper didn't if he was convicted, his court records show a violent disorderly conduct in 2002 and a battery in 1995.

Still feel good about the concealed carry?

Now, I wasn't there when Mr. White shoot to death a 19 year old kid. I didn't even know the kid and I don't know if he was an upstanding individual. I do know that even if he was breaking into a car just five blocks from my home, he didn't deserve to lose his life over it. And, I do know that even if he was the best father and hardest working person in the world, Mr. White should not have had that gun he used to take Mr. Carbajal's life.

Florida has concealed carry and now they're working on a "Shoot First" law. A law which would allow someone like Mr. White to shoot first, just like he did. If the senate and assembly overrule Governor Doyle's veto -- we will just be one step closer to "Shoot First".

Is that what we want?

Write your state senators and tell them you don't want them to overrule Governor Doyle's veto. Who knows who life you may save.

God Bless.

Once again, in Espanol

Diario, pienso de cómo es afortunado debo vivir en un país que tenga tanto. Diario, agradezco al dios que podía nacer un americano y no apenas americano, solamente a natural. Así pues, no sé los terrores a que muchos inmigrantes hacen frente con respecto a permanecer en América. Nunca sabré Charlie Martinez y sus padres se siente. Pequeño viejo Charlie de cinco años está sufriendo de una forma rara de leucemia. Charlie, siendo nato en este país, es un ciudadano de los E.E.U.U.. Sus padres, Aurelia y Tomas, no son. El gobierno los está intentando al depósito - no Charlie, él puede permanecer - de nuevo a México. ¿Por qué? Alegre usted pidió. Porque Aurelia y Tomas son illegals. Así pues, ahora, nuestro país orientado familia supuesta los está separando cuando su niño los necesita más. ¿Le ultrajan, todavía? ESTADOS UNIDOS Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago son y él está haciendo algo sobre él. Las acometidas representativas han introducido una cuenta para permitir que Charlie y 34 otras familias permanezcan en este país. Para más información, vea por favor el Web site de Charlie: http://www.savecharlie.org Podría encenderme y rant y deliro sobre cómo no estamos viviendo hasta los ideales cristianos que debemos vivir hasta. Rechazamos preguntarnos que "qué Jesús hace?" y tome la decisión derecha. ¿Se pregunta, Jesús se sentaría detrás y no entraría en contacto con a sus senadores que piden que consigan esta cuenta del comité? ¿Jesús permitiría que un muchacho joven sufriera sin sus padres por su lado? ¿usted? El Dios Bendice

Help Little Charlie

Everyday, I think about how lucky I am to be living in a country that has so much.  Everyday, I thank God that I was able to be born an American and not just any American, but a natural one.  So, I do not know the terrors that many immigrants face regarding staying in America.  I will never know how Charlie Martinez and his parents feel.

Little five-year old Charlie is suffering from a rare form of leukemia.  Charlie, having been born in this country, is a US citizen.  His parents, Aurelia and Tomas, are not.  The government is trying to depot them – not Charlie, he can stay – back to Mexico.

Why?

Glad you asked.  Because Aurelia and Tomas are illegals.  So, now, our so-called family oriented country is separating them when their child need them the most.

Are you outraged, yet?

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago is and he’s doing something about it.  Representative Rush has introduced a bill to allow Charlie and 34 other families to stay in this country.  For more information, please see Charlie’s website:  http://www.savecharlie.org

I could go on and rant and rave about how we are not living up to the Christian ideals we should be living up to.  We refuse to ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do?” and make the right decision.

Ask yourself, Would Jesus sit back and not contact their Senators asking them to get this bill out of committee?  Would Jesus allow a young boy to be suffering without his parents by his side?

Will you?

God Bless

SB 403 Concealed Carry

SB – 403 Concealed Carry.

It passed, as I knew it would by a vote of 28 to 5.  The bill, which will legalized the carrying of a concealed weapon in the state of Wisconsin was introduced by Senators Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Breske, Brown, Grothman, Kanavas, Kedzie, A. Lasee, Leibham, Reynolds, Roessler, Schultz and Stepp.  

Remember those names.  Someone should sue them the next time a police officer is killed by someone carrying a concealed weapon or an innocent bystander is hit by a stray bullet.

I did the research and did the math; you are NOT safer in a concealed carry state.  In the states that do not allow Concealed Carry, there were a total of 24.1 murders per 100,000 people. In states that do allow Concealed Carry, there were a total of 27.4 murders per 100,000 people.  Maybe a difference of 3.3 people is not a lot to some people, but it is a lot to those 3.3 people who die.

Now, I have no way of knowing if those 3.3 murders were committed using a concealed weapon at the moment, but I’ll look it up.

Thank goodness we can rely on Governor Doyle to keep his head and veto the bill.

God Bless

Form Letters...

I received an email from Joanna Stoll, Assistant for Representative Lehman. I'm posting it here for others to use as a guideline. When you're responding to an issue email make sure that the letter that will be sent in your name is going only to your representatives AND check and make sure that your representative isn't co-sponsoring the bill all ready.

Hi Julie,

Just FYI. We've gotten quite a few of these form letters from all over
the state in support of your bill. I'm not sure where they are coming
from, but it would be helpful to their cause if they: 1) didn't write
the sponsor of the bill -- since we will support it and 2) wrote to
their own legislator.

When legislators receive a lot of form letters like this from all over
the state, they tend to just ignore them. Staff doesn't have time to
sift through and look for the ones from their district, so they just
delete them all. If reps receive them only from their constituents, the
point hits home a lot harder and they pay attention. I don't know if
you can track down the group who is doing this, but if you can, you
might want to share with them how they can better make their voices
heard with their representatives.

Thanks!
Jo

More Finger Pointing

There is nothing I can’t stand more than someone confusing the facts to make it sound like a liberal said something wrong or incorrect.

Case in point is News Max’s article from 12/12/2005, from which Republican Vet quoted in his blog on 1/9/2006. In the article, from which I will quote directly:

“On Wednesday, Congress heard dramatic testimony from black Katrina survivors, who complained that racism drove the federal rescue efforts and resulted in an unnecessarily high number of African-American deaths.

"People were allowed to die," storm survivor Leah Hodges testified, telling a House panel that black residents of New Orleans had been victims of "genocide and ethnic cleansing."

But preliminary figures compiled by the morgue in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, which is the primary facility handling the bodies of Katrina deceased, show that a majority of the dead in New Orleans and surrounding parishes were actually not black.

Of the 883 bodies processed so far by medical examiners at St. Gabriel, 562 have been identified by race. Slightly less than half that number - 48 percent - are African-American.

Forty-one percent are white, 8 percent unknown and 2 percent Hispanic.”

Okay, even I know that 48% doesn’t make a majority, but the survivor they interviewed didn’t say the word majority, so I don’t think the fact that the “majority” of the victims were black matters. The government (and by government I mean New Orleans City, the State of Louisiana and the Federal Government) failed these members of society. That is truly what matters. From my belief, I don’t think it was race, it was status that harmed these people. Those who are on the wrong side of the poverty line were the ones that suffered the most from Hurricane Katrina and the “government” failed them.

To assume that any of the victims somehow refused to help themselves is a mean and cruel statement. If you’re poor and do not own a car, how were you suppose to flee New Orleans? Where were the buses? Where was the help to get out the elderly and infirmed?

Further, there were still more African Americans dead than any other race. Look at the facts the News Max article states:

562 victims identified by race.
48% or roughly 270 people are African Americans.
41% or roughly 230 people are white.
8% or roughly 45 people are of an unknown race – so how could they be included in the count of those identified by race?
2% or roughly 11 people are Hispanic.

Let’s see, if you take out the 45 people who were NOT identified by race, and total the whites and the Hispanics, you get just 241 people compared to the 270 African Americans. 270 + 241 = 511/2= 255 would be half and a majority just has to be higher than half. 270 > 255, so it’s true, the majority of the victims who were processed by the morgue in St Gabriel, LA were indeed African Americans.

So, now that that is settled, can we turn our attention to a few things that are really more important?

Let’s work on rebuilding all the places ravaged by Katrina. Let’s figure out how to create evacuation plans in our entire hurricane alleys, so a travesty such as this never happens again. And, finally, let’s work on getting along and working together. Finger pointing by both sides isn’t getting any work done.

More new...AB657

So, I sent the following email to Senator Stepp's office:

Dear Senator Stepp,

I was wondering if you could fill me in on the state of the Senate's version of Assembly Bill 657. This is the bill that would prohibit the condemnation of property under certain circumstances.

I know that a public hearing by committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy, in the Senate was held yesterday, January 11, 2006, but I do not know what happened at the public hearing.

Also, I am interested in when this bill will be up for a vote in the full Senate.

Thank you in advance for the information.

---

I received the following response from Senator Stepp's office:

Hi Julie,

Senator Stepp asked me to respond to you. There is no Senate companion to AB 657. AB 657 is now making its way through the Senate. You are correct, the Senate Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy Committee did hold a public hearing on AB 657 on January 11th and the committee will be voting on AB 657 on Wednesday, January 18th. They are expecting it to pass out of committee with unanimous support. AB 657 will then be referred to the Senate Committee on Organization, which is the Senate Committee that schedules bills for Senate floor action. We are hoping AB 657 will be scheduled for a Senate floor vote by the first week in February.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Senator Stepp again.

Sincerely,

Pat

Pat Rasmussen

Office Manager

Senator Cathy Stepp

---

So, I wrote a response back asking just why there wasn't a Senate bill earlier, especially since Senator Stepp had told me (in a snail mail letter) that she and her colleagues were working on one.

I haven't heard back, but I'm more than a little miffed at this whole process. When your Senator says she's working on something, they should follow through.

A lot of citizens in this state were pretty mad about the Supreme Court's Eminent Domain ruling, but apparently the only things our state senate can act upon in a timely manner are concealed carry and the anti-gay amendment. They found time to pass them. They found time to write a concealed carry bill that will not let police officers know who has a weapon and who doesn't, but they can't seem to write a bill to protect our homes from greedy developers.

Legislation Update

Assembly Bill 363

In case you’re wondering, Assembly Bill 363 is still sitting in the Insurance Committee. The members of the Insurance Committee are as follows:

Representative Nischke, chairperson, District 97
Representative Wieckert, vice chairperson District 57
Representative Underheim District 54
Representative Montgomery District 4
Representative McCormick District 56
Representative Gielow District 23
Representative Van Roy District 90
Representative Ballweg District 41
Representative Moulton District 68
Representative Cullen District 13
Representative J. Lehman – Introduced the Bill – District 62
Representative Staskunas District 15
Representative Berceau District 76
Representative Nelson District 5
Representative Sheridan District 44

There has been plenty of time for this bill to be sent out of the committee and sent to the full legislature for a full vote. Yet, there it sits, languishing a slow death.

I encourage all my Wisconsin readers to write the representative in whose District you live and encourage them to get this bill out of committee and on the legislative floor where it belongs. It is especially important to contact your representative if you live in Districts 57 or 97, the chairperson and vice chairpersons have the most pull on which bills will be brought forth to a vote.

Below is a copy of the email I sent Representative Nischke in hopes of receiving an answer. Feel free to copy it and send it to your representative. Also, stay tuned, as I will post whatever answer she sends me.

Dear Representative Nischke,Back on June 24, 2005, Assembly Bill 363 was sent to the Insurance Committee of which you are the chairperson. Since that time, the bill has not been updated, brought forth for a vote.I happen to be very much interested in why you have not brought this bill up for a vote and why this bill has not yet moved out of your committee and to the full legislation for a vote. Would it be possible for you to either email me back with this information or contact me via phone, so that we might open a dialogue into your reasoning for not acting on this bill?

Sincerely,

God Bless

Assembly Bill 657

There was a public hearing held yesterday on this bill. I do not know the details, but I can tell you that this is proof that the government wheels turn really, really slow.

This bill is “an Act to create 32.03 (6) of the statutes; relating to: prohibiting the condemnation of property under certain circumstances.”
It is designed to remove the Eminent Domain risk from homes and businesses if the city decides that your home/business location could be better served by a mall or a Wal-Mart.

Don’t forget to contact your representatives and let them know how you feel about this!

If I receive more news, I’ll keep you posted.

Just an FYI, I've contacted Senator Stepp's office to see how the public forum went and to see if they can provide more information on how this bill is progressing. I'll keep you informed, if they respond.

God Bless

Wiretapping -- A Serious Issue

The Right-Wing and the Left-Wing are on opposite sides regarding President Bush authorizing wiretaps – without warrants – on American Citizens. Both sides will quote polls that “agree” with their own beliefs. So, since I’m sure that most people do not both to actually read the polls themselves, I figured I’d take the mostly quoted result and pass it on to you. I’m linking to the poll result whenever possible and encourage my readers to read them for themselves.

The Associated Press & Ipsos released a poll that asked the question:

“Should the Bush administration be required to get a warrant from a judge before monitoring phone and internet communications between American citizens in the United States and suspected terrorists, or should the government be allowed to monitor such communications without a warrant?”

56% respondents agreed with the statement: Should be required to get
a warrant, 42% respondents agreed with the statement: Should be allowed to monitor without a warrant and 2% respondents were unsure.

Two important – at least to me – demographics regarding the respondents are as follows:

1. 81% of the respondents are registered to vote at their current address. 18% are not and 1% Refused/Not sure.


2. Of the Registered Voters, their party affiliations break down as so:

REGISTERED
VOTERS
Strongly Republican .......................... 13%
Moderately Republican ........................ 27%
Definitely Independent/neither................. 8%
Moderately Democrat............................32%
Strongly Democrat ............................ 20%
Refused/not sure............................... -
Total Republican ............................. 40%
Total Democrat ............................... 52%

A Rasmussen Poll, conducted in December, 2005, has 64% of Americans agreeing that the National Security Agency be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States.

According to Pat Buchanan, Charles Krauthammer, Lawrence Kudlow and Michael Reagan – all conservatives – this means that American is in support of President Bush’s no warrant wiretapping. But, does it really?

The question doesn’t mention President Bush, doesn’t ask if you want their to be a warrant. The question is (exactly and quoted from Rasmussen’s website):

“Should the National Security Agency be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States?”

No mention of Bush, warrants, etc. So, is this really an American stamp of approval?

I don’t think so. I believe that we Americans, in general, approve of wiretapping, eavesdropping and searches provided that they fall into the realm of the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees against unlawful search and seizure.

Sure, we all understand that the CIA, outside of the borders of the United States spies on foreign governments. We’re all okay with that. But, I don’t believe for one second that the majority of American citizens want a president – whether Democrat, Republican or Libertarian – to be able to, at will and without seeking a warrant, order the wiretapping of American citizens.

This isn’t a Liberal issue.

This isn’t a Conservative issue.

This is an American issue.

Furthermore, if President Bush went against the Fourth Amendment, which he vowed to support when he took his oath of office (I…"will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."), then he needs to be impeached and removed from office.

And, it really doesn’t matter if 64% of Americans support him or 1% of Americans support him. All Americans should believe first and foremost in the Constitution of the United States of America and move to impeach him.

God Bless.

Da Boys Part 3

All new pictures...http://www.topofmyhead.info/babies/babies29.htm Plus, Danny's standing. I'm sure Alex, who has been sick the last couple of weeks, won't be far behind. Maybe, they will end up walking before crawling!

Christian Nation

We’re supposed to be a Christian nation and I know I harp on this, but I’m really getting upset.  The Republicans reduce funding for anything that might help a down-on-their-luck citizen and they have passed 2000 pork filled bills in the past four years that benefit the rich and richer.

I want my Christian nation back.


George W. Bush authorized illegal wiretaps on American citizens under the guise of security.  The argument further goes that since the calls were international calls, the wire taps were legal.  

How can it ever be legal to spy on American citizens?

How can it be okay to NOT have to obtain a warrant?

Why is it okay to give up civil rights in order to be “secure”?

And, back to the subject of Christianity, what part of spying on US Citizens is Christian?  

When did Jesus spy on his disciples?  

(Yeah, yeah, on the road to Emmaus where He didn’t allow them to know that He was Him, but that was sneaky, but does not constitute spying in my book (Luke 24:13-32))

Furthermore, where is the Christianity in the latest corruption of our government?

Show me where Jesus accepted trips and golf outings from the Jewish people in order to further their causes, like our leaders who accepted money, donations and gifts from Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist.

Where is the Christianity in that?

Why in the public forum is Christianity reduced to Pro-life (but only in the case of abortion, not in the death penalty) and sex (as in gay sex and gay marriage, which obviously leads to more sex)?  

Jesus was so much more than that.  He was for clothing the naked, feeding the hungry and visiting the imprisoned.  Show me a nation that does just that and I’ll show you a true Christian nation.

Interesting Survey

I read somewhere that blogs are more interesting if you know personal information about the blogger, so I've taken this survey to help you learn about me:

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Julie
Birthday:	11/14/1967
Birthplace:	Park Ridge, IL
Current Location:	On my back -- on my couch
Eye Color:	Hazel
Hair Color:	Brown
Height:	5'5"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	Irish/Prussian
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Blue Vans
Your Weakness:	my wife
Your Fears:	spiders, black snakes, heights
Your Perfect Pizza:	pepperoni with bacon
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Get pregnant
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	ROTFLMAO
Thoughts First Waking Up:	Oh God, do I have to?
Your Best Physical Feature:	My smile or my boobs.
Your Bedtime:	I start at 9PM and finally fall asleep at 11
Your Most Missed Memory:	I don't know, it's gone and I miss it
Pepsi or Coke:	Pepsi -- but really Dr. Pepper
MacDonalds or Burger King:	McDonalds
Single or Group Dates:	Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Cappuccino
Do you Smoke:	Not anymore
Do you Swear:	I'm trying to cut down
Do you Sing:	all the time
Do you Shower Daily:	yes
Have you Been in Love:	I am in love
Do you want to go to College:	I do go to college
Do you want to get Married:	I am married
Do you belive in yourself:	somedays
Do you get Motion Sickness:	no
Do you think you are Attractive:	Yep
Are you a Health Freak:	No way, I'd be 100 pounds lighter if I was
Do you get along with your Parents:	somedays
Do you like Thunderstorms:	only if I'm inside and safe
Do you play an Instrument:	nope
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	yes
In the past month have you Smoked:	yes
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	no, only prescription
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	no
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yes, but I really didn't want to.
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	no
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	yes
In the past month have you been on Stage:	Only if Karoke counts
In the past month have you been Dumped:	no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	no, it's winter!
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	no
Ever been Drunk:	yes
Ever been called a Tease:	no
Ever been Beaten up:	yes, but not often, usually, I dish out the beatings.
Ever Shoplifted:	yes, when I was really, really young.
How do you want to Die:	I want to stand up one morning and drop dead when I'm 90
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	I'm not growing up. I don't have to and I refuse to.
What country would you most like to Visit:	Ireland
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	Hazel
Favourite Hair Color:	Brown
Short or Long Hair:	Long
Height:	5'
Weight:	150
Best Clothing Style:	nothing too revealing
Number of Drugs I have taken:	1
Number of CDs I own:	30
Number of Piercings:	do ears count?
Number of Tattoos:	2
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	too many to count
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

American Eskimo Dog Buttons...

For a limited time, I Love My American Eskimo Dog buttons are available. If you love your Eskie (and I know you do), please buy one. Only $2.00 each and that includes shipping and handling.

Help keep the Eskie Lover site free! Buy a button today!

It's Official...

It's official. I have totally lost my mind. I have launched a new blog. This one is all about online comics. I'm addicted to them and I figure I can't be the only one. So, once or twice a week, I'll write a little paragraph about one I read or even one I tried and liked/didn't like, etc.

Anyway, if you're into online comics, please take the time to check it out: http://onlinecomics.blogspot.com.

God Bless.

Concerned Women of America promotes a lie

So, I found the Wisconsin Opinion blog (link here:The Xoff Files: Say it isn't so; Barbie goes bisexual)
This link lead me to America Blog (link here:AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth)The blogs are all about how the right wing is stating that Barbie is promoting Bisexuality, based on this article .

Apparently, the Concerned Women of America seem to have fallen for a some sort of prank OR they did it themselves. I tend to believe the latter, as I'm sure it is easy for the right wing to tell lies.Here's the article from Concerned Women:

"The iconic Barbie Doll has become another tool for promoting gender confusion among children. On the Barbie Web site, www.Barbie.com, there is a poll that asks children their age and sex. The age choices are 4-8, but as Bob Knight, Director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute, notes children are given three options for their choice of gender. Click here to listen."
Here's the picture from their site -- they claim it is how Barbie's site looks:



See the I don’t Know? Well, the right wing claims that is why Barbie is promoting bisexuality, but the truth is the line really says I don’t want to say. Don't just take my word for it, click here to check it out for yourself. Also, according to their little message, they state the age choices are 4-8, but in truth the age choices go all the way up to 70+.

There are two things that bother me about this.

First, it is the fact that the so-called Concerned Women of America would rather post a complete and utter lie than post the truth. The second is that none of the liberal blogs that picked up on the post did any research to prove that the picture was bogus.

Below is a screen shot taken directly from the Barbie site.



Shame on the Concerned Women of America for promoting lies and shame on the liberals for not trying to catch them at it.

Finally, I have to say that I am tired that sexuality and abortion have become the litmus test for morals in this country. How did that happen? So, another shame on the Concerned Women of America for even worrying whether or not barbie accepts people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual! Barbie promotes the idea that girls can be empowered and that little girls can grow up to be anything they want to be. Shouldn't that be the message we want to give our impressional women of tomorrow?

God Bless

Religious intolerance -- As Practiced by the Right Wing

If you are against "Intelligent Design", the gay marriage amendment ban and the so-called Christian Right, wrong wing bloggers will write about your intolerance, such as this quote from Owen of Boots and Sabers.

"I think it’s funny how so many liberals love to wax moral over the virtues of tolerance and acceptance while rejecting as intolerable a philosophy held by a large portion of the population."

What Owen is referring to is another article on a different blog ranting against the religious wrongs.

Owen is not alone in his misreading of blogs that are against the religious fundamentalists that are trying to hijack our country. There are many with him.

I am not intolerant of the right-wing views. I would totally take up my arms and defend their right to their views. I just have a problem when they want to take their religious views and impose them on the rest of society. Suddenly, when they want to impose their views, we should all become tolerant and say, "Hey, great idea." But, when we would like to have a more open public forum for all views, suddenly, we're improperly imposing our viewpoints on them.

For example, gay marriage. According to the religious right, we should outlaw the chance for gay marriage because it is against their religious views. However, not all Christian Churches agree with this stance. Some Methodist and Lutheran churches do not have a problem with gay marriages. So, I'm curious, if not all Christian based religions cannot agree on gay marriage, how can the Christian wrongs insist on imposing their beliefs on the whole country?

And, this whole thing brings me back to the original statement:

"I think it’s funny how so many liberals love to wax moral over the virtues of tolerance and acceptance while rejecting as intolerable a philosophy held by a large portion of the population."

It isn't that liberals are intolerant, the right-wing are the intolerant. Plain and Simple. Any group that wants to ensure that another group can't have a right, isn't practicing tolerance. And, those of us against said intolerance are in the right -- not the wrong.

Seeing is Believing...

So, I'm watching an old episode of Law and Order on TNT. The episode was called Evil Breed. It is about the murder of a holocaust survivor. During the episode, there is a mention of how the white supremacist groups are now becoming mainstream. Out of curiosity, I took a look the web to see if this is true.

Did you know that there is a game out there called Ethnic Cleansing? The idea is to kill all the blacks, Jews, etc. to "save the white race."

I totally support the First Amendment. I would stand up and defend the creators of this game their right to create and sell it. I just can't believe that someone can be so hateful in this day and age to actually create a game like this.

Where's our compassion for one another? Our tolerance for those that are different?

And, who is buying such games? Who could possibly play a game where you kill people strictly because of their race? I'm not really one for violent video games anyway, but this one crosses the line.

While researching that this game exists, I found an article about a two thirteen year old singers. They're blond and pretty, but I wouldn't want my son having anything to do with them. They're call Prussian Blue, which I take a HUGE offense to, since they spout out their hateful message using a name that is reminiscent of the country from which came MY ancestors and I would like to think that my ancestors were not hate-filled, ignorant little bastards like these two.

I think 13 is a little young to know enough about life to hate anyone. And, I encourage all my readers who are parents to take a good look at the music and video games your kids have. Make sure none of this crap is sitting in their collections.

God Bless

Weight Watchers and Cher...

So, I'm minding my own business, just chilling out on the couch and watching TV, when across my tube comes a Weight Watchers commercial. Cher is singing the song.

Cher?

I like Cher and Weight Watchers is working for thousands of women, but joining the two? Hey, I'm overweight and in no way will I ever believe skinny and usually half-naked Cher knows anything about needing to lose weight or working on losing weight. The idea that Cher, who can afford to hire private chefs and personal trainers, would need Weight Watchers is absurd.

But, I hope she was paid a lot of money.

God Bless.

Yes, Another Guest Blog...

Editors and Publishers: Political Censors

This column has been producing some extremely interesting reactions from certain journalists, editors and publishers that seem to place their partisan Republican views over normal journalistic ethics. Since the Democratic Voices column started 5 years ago, we have been exposed to recurrent examples of these tendencies among a minority element in media circles.

As long ago as 5 years, an editor of a small South Dakota newspaper threatened to prosecute because I faxed him a column for consideration as a free editorial submission. He was outraged at my criticism of Bush and his ties to Big Oil. A publisher of a couple of Georgia weekly newspapers wrote to say that he would never publish any of our writings and added his opinion that we obviously never ran a business or worked a regular job. He added some praise of Bush and insult to Democrats. He was most outraged at our criticism of Bush’s excessive tax cuts for the Super Wealthy.

A publisher in central Tennessee told the editor of a weekly newspaper to stop printing our column in that newspaper because I wrote that Bush dropped the ball by not preventing the 9-11 terrorist attacks despite ample pre-attack intelligence. The column stated that the policies of the Bush Administration toward the Taliban over an oil pipeline may have helped provoke the attacks according to a book written by two French intelligence experts. I called for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for incompetence. The Republican publisher decided that the citizens of that community should not be exposed to such strongly critical views of George W. Bush.

Over the years, editors and publishers from Louisiana to California to New York have added personal insults and political attacks in response to free submissions of this column. Our most recent Republican assaults came from small newspapers from Maine and Montana. The Maine editor wrote this response:

“Please don't bother me with your ranting and raving. Put your energy into
something positive, support your views of what you would do or what you
would like your representative to do in a positive manner instead of just
complaining.
Thank You
Chris”.

We had advocated the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for lying to the public and abusing their offices. The positive solution was the impeachment and removal from office of Bush and Cheney!

The Montana response came in the form of a whole series of emails. Here are a couple of examples:

(1) “You're Nuts!”

(2) "Liar! Liar! Liar!

That's the only answer liberals have to the Great Liberator.
Get's some new material, Ladies.

Jim”

No editor or publisher should ever make personal attacks or political insults on anyone submitting their views on any subject for possible publication. This experienced writer finds such responses encouraging but novice writers may not. Citizens should be encouraged to get involved in public political discussions instead of discouraged. Editors and publishers have moral and ethical obligations to serve the public good and encourage the democratic process. They have an ethical obligation to present all political points of views to their communities. All political points of view should ideally have access to the public forum of the local newspaper opinion page.

Editors and publishers certainly have the right to refuse to publish anything they do not want in their newspapers. Broadcast media and billboard companies should not be permitted to censor paid ads but newspapers are in a different category. Readers do not have to buy or read specific newspapers. Billboards ads are forced on drivers. Broadcast media are using public airwaves at essentially no charge for private gain.

Viacom, Clear Channel and Lamar are all media companies with billboard divisions that have censored paid ads from Democratic groups in blatant acts of political censorship. MSNBC dropped the highly rated Phil Donahue talk show in what looks like to most observers as an act of pro-Iraq War political censorship. The large defense contractor General Electric has a huge financial stake in MSNBC.

There seem to be a tendency among Bush Republican partisans in the media to silence the voices of opponents instead of responding to them with thoughtful, intelligent responses. This tendency is unfortunately not confined to media circles. It is very common in Bush Republican government and political circles. It is very dangerous in a free nation and should be widely condemned!

Written by Stephen Crockett (co-host of Democratic talk Radio http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com ). Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland 21919. Email: midsouthcm@aol.com . Phone: 443-907-2367.