A momentary lapse...

Sometimes, some things happen in life that make one take a moment to reassess one's priorities.

Some of these things can be bad. Others can be good.

This one is good.

So as much as I'd like to comment right now on so many things that are happening, y'know, in the grand scheme of things, none of it really matters.

As much as I'd like to take some moments from my day and do what I enjoy most, which is writing, I really don't mind that I can't.

There are just some things that are so much more important.

And those things are going to get most of my attention for now.

But before I go on my little hiatus, hand the keys over to Cantankerous for a few (or more) months, certain to return to you when I have something I really feel like saying, I'd like to leave you with some words I (re-)read recently that I think each and every one of us needs to keep in mind from time to time:

The human condition can be summed up in just one word, and this is the word: Embarrassment.

May we all go on to continuously embarrass ourselves, and enjoy every moment of it.

When I get back, I hope to enjoy myself thoroughly.

A Day Late...

...and a dollar short.

I've been kept away from blogging lately for reasons known only to me and my pastor (don't ask), but it hasn't eliminated the urge to say what I want to say just as I want to say it.

On the issue of Jessice McBride and her termination from WTMJ, well, in my opinion, pretty much close to everyone is wrong.

In the left corner we have "Claiming A False Victory."

In the right corner we have "Picking The Wrong Battle."

Way out in the nose-bleed seats we have Mark Belling and Jessica herself.

And sitting in the seats closest to me we have Charlie Sykes, WTMJ and, I hope you're sitting down, Eugene Kane.

Absence makes the mind grow clearer.

Must-See SuperNews

SuperNews set their sights on the Republican Debate. Absolutely hilarious, especially the bit about Tommy Thompson, an absolutely perfect depiction.



Quote of the bit: "I'm here to tell you to suck it!" - Ronald Reagan

What a dislocated shoulder looks like

See that 'bump' were that patch is? That is supposed to be on top of my shoulder, not in the middle of my arm!

Well, needless to say, I won't be blogging, driving or doing much else for awhile. I've got my arm in quite a contraption to keep it immobile. Doc says it'll need at least three weeks to heal and make sure the muscles can hold my shoulder in place. Sweet. Be good everyone! I'll have lots of time to read up though, so when I come back and can type with both hands: Look out!

No more weekend office-league football for me...at least for awhile!

Why The NFL Sucks: Reason Number 3,486

As reported in JSO this morning.

According to the new policy, credentialed Web sites can use up to 45 seconds per day of audio and/or video of interviews or press conferences involving NFL employees, including players and coaches, as well as practice footage. The policy states that the audio or video cannot be used live and may be archived for 24 hours.

Last season, the NFL allowed unlimited online audio and video non-game content. Game video was and will continue to be the property of NFL.com, the league's Web site.

Fantastic. More monopoly bullshit. Hope none of you Packer fans out there like getting information from the internet for free, because the NFL just put a huge, blistering stop to that.

What a bunch of pigs. That's fine if they want to retain control of in-game broadcast elements. That's fair, even. But to take post-game elements away is way over the line. Someone's got to stand up to these guys, but the only people at a loss risk losing their credentials.

I guess the moral of the story is: If you aren't credentialed, do everything you can to get some post game audio/video because then you can host it on your site, and you'll be the only one with that kind of information!

Cuprisin Watch: The Case of the Missing Post

I may be the only person in the world who saw a post magically disappear from Tim Cuprisin's blog today. I guess that's why I feel so compelled to write about it.

A little after 5 p.m. I was checking out JSOnline and noticed Cuprisin had a post up on the front page called, "The defense," or something to that nature. I'll try to paraphrase below:

The post linked to Patrick's blog stating the obvious differences between McBride's comments and the recent talk radio situations of late. Cuprisin gave a synopsis of Patrick's post, which was decidedly biased in that he completely disagreed with Patrick's stance. Most oddly, though, the post then ended with something along the lines of: I have received many emails wondering why I never took on McBride before. I've always been accused of staying away from her because of the whole Journal relationship. To tell the truth, her time slot is really the no-man's land of radio. When radio is slow, tv is hot and so there never really was anything for me to cover.

I backed out of the blog and went to the homepage, and noticed that Cuprisin was no longer listed as one of the most recent writers. When I tried to find the post again, it was gone. Five minutes later, a post titled, "That was fast," appeared. A few minutes after that, he double posted the same post, but changed the title to, "That was fast, McBride out." (My guess: He probably realized that the homepage didn't reflect the McBride reference so went back to correct it in the title to manipulate the homepage.)

Amid the flury, I found myself wondering: Why the backdown? He clearly wanted to argue that it was wrong to defend McBride and seemed poised to make an attack. Yet, moments after his first post, WTMJ issued the press release, and he took a big eraser to the post.

It seemed like he finally had his moment to "take on" McBride. Why the change in heart? It certainly was a telling post in that his word usage suggested that one of his goals has been to "take on" McBride at all. I found that interesting. I'd sure like to know what happened. Of course, you'll all have to take my word and paraphrasing for it, as the post is no longer there.

Reassurance

Someday someone is going to piss on your grave.

Please sleep soundly at night knowing that it will never be me.

Why should that be any consolation? Because after I've been drinking, the alcohol content of my urine tends to be so high that it would soak straight through six feet of dirt and probably eat away at that expensive coffin your family spent all that money on.

And they probably wouldn't be happy.

Not Their Problem - or - Ravi and Me

I live in Shorewood, about a half-block outside of Milwaukee. A 15-second walk south from my house leaves me standing on a street under the combined jurisdiction of the Shorewood, Milwaukee and UW-Milwaukee Police Departments. Because this street marks a border for two of the departments (the UWM police have county-wide jurisdiction) and it serves as a "turn-around" point during their patrols, it isn't unusual to see a squad from each of the three departments at the same intersection all at once. If ever you wanted to see a high concentration of law enforcement from multiple departments, this would be the place.

A few mornings ago I noticed a Honda scooter on its side, up against a stop sign, in the yard of a large expensive home on the south (Milwaukee) side of the street. Over the course of the next few days the scooter remained in that spot. Knowing that the folks who live in these homes will rarely allow a stray leaf to stay on their lawns for more than an hour or so, it was odd that this scooter had been there so long. When I saw that it was still there last night, unmoved, I thought it was time for me to do something other than just observe.

Here was my assumption: the bike had been stolen and abandoned at this location. Maybe the intention wasn't so much for someone to get themselves a free scooter. Maybe it was just the result of some drunk college students thinking they were being funny as they stumbled home from the bars. Either way, having been the victim of property theft before, I thought of how much I would have appreciated it if someone were to have done something should they have encountered my stolen items. The boy scout in me was starting to take over.

Because I have the Shorewood P.D.'s non-emergency number programmed into my phone for night-parking permission and since I was standing over the scooter at that very moment ready to give an exact description of the vehicle and where it was located, and in spite of the fact that I knew full-well it was actually sitting in Milwaukee, I thought giving the old Village a call would be the easiest thing to do.

"Yeah," said the Shorewood dispatcher, "we know about that. Unfortunately it's in Milwaukee. You'll need to give them a call."

Alright. There wasn't much they could do about it. And I didn't have a non-emergency number for the Milwaukee police readily available. So I headed home thinking that at least I tried.

But as the night wore on the scooter never left my mind. Obviously some residents from the Shorewood side of the street had raised their concerns with the Shorewood police. And I couldn't imagine that the people who lived in the home outside of which the scooter sat would have appreciated the sight enough to not do anything about it. Perhaps they had been out of town. Or, as I would soon find out, maybe they had made a call to the Milwaukee P.D. only to find just how futile the effort would be.

I contacted Milwaukee's 5th District police station and explained the situation. I was transferred to their dispatcher who then transferred me to the night-parking desk.

"Plate number, please."

"I'm not calling in a car for parking," I responded. "I'm calling because I think a scooter lying on its side at Edgewood and Hackett may have been stolen and is abandoned there."

"What's the address?"

"I don't have the exact address, but it's at the 2700 block of east Edgewood."

And then the fun started.

"That isn't in Milwaukee," replied the night-parking operator.

Now I knew for a fact that this was Milwaukee. I've received parking tickets at that very location, and they had City of Milwaukee written all over them.

"It's on the south side of the street," I answered. "That's Milwaukee."

"According to our system, it isn't."

Apparently I had discovered some sort of magical nexus to which the laws of no municipality applied. It wasn't Shorewood. It wasn't Milwaukee. For a fleeting moment I considered making a flag and laying claim to this no man's land as my own little country. I was going to contest every parking ticket I'd ever received there since it was evident nobody (except for, very soon, me) had the authority to issue one. Instead, I decided to become a more exacting pest.

I put the dog on the leash and went for a walk up to the scene where the scooter, which I felt was now starting to recognize me, sat as prostrate as it was the last time we saw one another. I noted the exact address of the house outside which Ravi (that's the name I had given the scooter) sat. I dialed the 5th district once again.

And was transferred to the dispatcher.

And was transferred to night-parking.

But this time I was prepared. I had an exact address. Certainly they couldn't deny this little spot of grass was within the city limits with an exact address. There was no way they could possibly ignore my concerns now.

"That isn't in Milwaukee."

Sigh.

"Alright then," I countered, "can you tell me then in which town I'm standing?"

"I don't know. But it isn't Milwaukee."

I hung up. But although I may had been down, I was far from beat. As God is my witness, I would get to the bottom of this case.

"Shorewood Police."

"Yes, I called before about a scooter that seems to be abandoned at the corner of Hackett and Edgewood. Now, I know it's in Milwaukee, but the Milwaukee police say it isn't so it's not their problem. Look, I realize this is outside your jurisdiction, but it's really bugging me that nobody wants to take care of this. The way I look at this is that this scooter is someone's mode of transportation. It's how they get around. It's probably worth a couple of grand. And if it had been stolen from me, I'd sure as hell hope that someone, anyone, would do something about it if they saw it just lying in the street."

"Sir, there's not much we can do, but I'll send a car over there now."

In less than five minutes, two Shorewood squad cars and three Shorewood police officers had joined me standing over Ravi. One of the officers had called in the VIN and discovered that it was registered to someone living a dozen or so blocks to the south and a few blocks to the west. He jumped back into his car and headed for that address to find out if anyone there was missing a scooter.

The officers explained to me there was little they could do because the scooter was in Milwaukee, and if a crime had been committed their involvement may lessen the chances of being able to press charges. I asked why Milwaukee was so adamant about denying this all took place within the city limits. One officer sort of laughed.

"With everything else they've got, they probably didn't want to deal with it."

This morning, Ravi was gone. I'd like to think he was back with his owner, and if not, at least safe in the hands of the Shorewood police. I think I'll miss him.

Kudos to the Shorewood P.D. This truly wasn't their problem, but they solved it nonetheless.

And if you want to find me, just stop by the corner of Hackett and Edgewood, or, as it's soon to be known, Caspervania.

UPDATE
A reader pointed out that I should have been calling Milwaukee's 5th district, not the 4th. Truth is, I was calling the 5th district, which is located on 4th street. By the time I got to writing the post, I simply got the two mixed up. Thanks to Amy for bringing my error to light. I've since corrected the post.

Ludacris + Summerfest = Bad Idea

Stick em up stick em up bitch stick em up
Put ya hands up where I can see em see em see em
Stick em up stick em up bitch stick em up
Target niggas wouldn't wanna be em be em be em

(Ludacris lyrics courtesy of Charlie Sykes. Now there's something I'll bet you thought you'd never see!)

Now I'm no crotchety old man when it comes to music. Sure, I may, on occasion, be overheard saying something like "what the hell is this crap?" when I hear the latest supposed hit on my trusty transistor, but most often that results from having just heard one of my favorite songs utterly destroyed. And I'm certainly not averse to rap, although my tastes in it may be somewhat dated. Why, it wasn't uncommon in college to find me with my tongue hanging out, bopping my head (my version of dancing) to Cypress Hill. And although I never did own a pair of Adidas, I will, from time to time, dig out my old cassette player and get tricky with Run-D.M.C.

My familiarity with Ludacris is, quite honestly, in name only. I've heard his lyrics aren't the most complimentary, to say the least, to either African-Americans or women. Frankly, I don't care. Having been on the receiving end of jabs about my musical tastes, I'll rarely question the tastes of others. People can be awfully fickle about what they'll listen to, so if others are willing to let me and Neil Diamond be, then I'll let them go on their happy way listening to whatever it is that puts a skip in their step.

Nevertheless, it would seem to me that having Ludacris as a headliner at Summerfest is a bad idea, if for nothing other than financial reasons. Having heard that Barack Obama met with Ludacris to enhance his credibility among black youth and now reading some of the rapper's lyrics, I'm willing to bet that much of Ludacris's fan base is made up of tweens and teens. I simply have as hard a time envisioning a 45-year-old black woman humming Get The F*** Back to herself as I would picturing myself walking around singing MMMBop. Keeping this in mind, consider that the vast majority of Summerfest's profits come not from concert ticket sales or admissions but, instead, concessions. And the most profitable of those concessions is going to be the alcohol. For better or worse, like it or not, booze makes Summerfest money.

With an abundance of beer tents and select locations offering harder libations, Summerfest is essentially a huge bar offering live entertainment. It's rare these days to find a bar showcasing an all-ages show, so why should Summerfest be any different? That right. I'm saying it. Summerfest should be a 21-and-up show. With little or no income and the inability to legally purchase alcohol, minor attendees offer little more than loitering when compared to adult attendees. And although so many of us adults loathe the idea of turning into that old guy shaking his fist at neighborhood kids as he yells at them to get off his damn lawn, the fact is that we may be more inclined to attend an event that caters to our needs without having to worry that Don Smiley and gang are also running a daycare. And don't even get me started on the asinine parents running their strollers into you as they try to make it to the Miller Oasis for the 10pm show.

So maybe I am a grouchy old curmudgeon, but at least I'm a realist who understands that Summerfest should probably stop trying to be everything to everyone. Acts like Ludacris may draw a big crowd, but at what expense? Thousands of underage rap fans who probably blew a week's paycheck on the concert tickets versus countless adults, black, white or otherwise, with money they're willing to spend but would rather sit that night out?

That's all this old fart has to say on this for now...I need to take a nap.

He'd better get used to it

Via Tim "The Cup" Cuprisin's blog, word has it that Mathew Blades, currently a DJ at a country station in Denver, has been hired to be part of the new morning team at WKTI.

I stopped listenting to WKTI right around the time I hit puberty, so I really couldn't care less about this news, but in reading Blades' bio, one thing really stood out:

As far as the music in my life I am one of those guys who says I like everything
and does. Except, heavy metal, hair bands, and polka music.

Man, did he pick the wrong town to move to.

Her abilities in spermatic hydraulics are improved by an able and extensive practice

If it weren't for the fact that this quote comes from the late 1700s, I'd swear I knew exactly who they were talking about.

Know what else? I always figured it would only be a matter of time before those words appeared on the Asian Badger's blog.

Favre 2008

New Gas Symbol

Some pictures are worth a 1000 words.
This is one of those pictures.

More from mcgee4me

To the one and only post (so far) on the mcgee4me blog, in which constant references equating whites with Satan are made, one comment ends with:

Satan moves by telling us what we want to hear. Don't do his work for him.

Telling people what they want to hear has long been the M.O. for people like the McGees, not to mention Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Makes you wonder who exactly is the devil's plaything in all of this...

Kane Watch: Kane Responds

I stand corrected: Mr. Kane has posted on his blog today that tomorrow he will write about the McGee comments.

He did leave this remark, "My mother is 85 years old and lives alone. I can't imagine what I would feel if she died and some of the people in town who don't like my column decided to use her death as a way to criticize me in a public forum."

Probably a good indication of the stance he'll take tomorrow in his column. Let's hope so.

Update: You can read Kane's article here. It's hidden on JSO, but it's live. Not much of a surprise here. I'd write about it, but there's really not a whole lot to say. Aside from it pretty much being a defense for McGee, there's nothing very newsworthy in it.

I'd say the biggest shocker is that, in an attempt to thwart the blacks-are-not-responsible-for-hate-speech argument, Kane defends Jones for suspending McGee so quickly, but yet he never discusses why it took the paper so long to respond.

Check it out for yourself, and if you're interested, leave me a note below on your thoughts.

This'll help

When we talk about they we are talking about Satan and his host of dumb devils.
At one time Satan used the White race to carry out his plan to steal, kill and
destroy. Because White Supremacy was created for white people to rule the world
based on skin color, white people have received preference through the use of
deceit and or violence. Satan has ruled TOO LONG! HISTORY has shown that
RACISM-White Supremacy(EVIL) can be defeated by GOD'S PEOPLE (GOOD)!

Welcome to the blogosphere, Alderman.

Fra-gi-ley! Must be Spanish!

What do the Christmas Story Leg Lamp and Chicago have in common?




Answer: When you see it, you're definitely not thinking about art.



Heh...kinda gives a whole new meaning to "The Calatrava" though, don't it?

Kane Watch: Chirp, Chirp, Chirp

I know I can't be the only one wondering: Where in the world is Eugene Kane? After the strong stance he took against Imus, you'd think he'd be frothing at the bit to take some shots at the most recent outrageous comments aired out on the radio waves.

After all, I have to believe that Eugene can no longer claim, "The most offensive thing I've heard recently on Milwaukee radio was the suggestion that voters in Ald. Michael McGee's district were less intelligent or criminally minded for supporting him against the wishes of outsiders."

You know, I'd bet my life on the fact that more outrageous things have been said on the airwaves recently. And if the above "offensive" statement was worth putting in a column, then I sure as hell think the recent ones are even more so.

Just where in the world is Eugene Kane on this? I know that Kane feels pretty strongly about these issues. Consider his most recent blog headline, yet another one about Imus:

Hey Gene, you out there? We're all dying to know, where do you stand on this? Are you outraged? Or, should we just chalk it up to a silly blogger attacking yet another McGee in what is an out-of-context situation and nothing but a waste of time?

Boy, it must be a tuff time to be Eugene Kane. Between all his support of the McGee's in the past, his recent bandwagon jumping Imus and the completely misinformed blasting Patrick and all bloggers in general, there really isn't a right answer for him right now.

My guess on what we'll hear:
Chirp...Chirp....Chirp....

UPDATE: At least one black leader in the community has something to say about this. And I emphasize the word leader.

UPDATE: Kane's newest column, a piece about a not racist book that is written from a racial point of view (the author's own depiction) is posted now. Let's call it another shining example of racissism with such brilliant statements as: if it's a judge like Thomas - notoriously conservative on issues such as affirmative action, criminal justice and the 2000 presidential election - sometimes it's hard to appreciate having such a powerful black figure deciding important issues who doesn't think the way most black people do.

Regarding McGee, it's as I said, chirp, chirp, chirp....

The Storm

Pete Fanning was right in his efforts to take the Sykes/McGee story national and has been copiously monitoring the net for coverage. With both Michele Malkin and Drudge picking up the story, bloggers and others outside the Cheddarshphere* are finding out just how repugnant an individual the "Commander" is.

In From the Cold

Sister Toldjah

Tailrank

The Kool Aid Report

American Pundit

MuskegonPundit

Paulies Point

Modern Tribalist

Updates...

Daily Pundit

Lone Star Times

For some reason the CBS affiliate in Chicago has picked up the story, but still nothing from 58 here in Milwaukee?

So has the CBS affiliate in Salt Lake City...via Fark.

Another Update...

You can keep an eye on what I know you're all holding your breath for by clicking here.

Also, check out the conversation on the Brew City Radio dicsussion board.

**Update by Cantankerous: Fox 6 got an interview with Sr. In it, he once again compares Charlie to Hitler, and goes so far as to threaten a fight, claiming, "I'll whoop your ass." No, folks, you can't make this stuff up. Unreal. They've got it posted already. Watch it here.

_____________________________

As I come across more of these, I'll try to update the list. Meanwhile, be sure to check out Pete's blog where he's also tracking local and national coverage.

*My apologies to any of those bloggers who actually are in the Cheddarsphere.

We tried...

...a little explanation is in order, so there's more to come. In the meantime, there's too much we really want to talk about to be fooling around.

Congratulations to WNOV and WTMJ

It appears that in spite of their idealogical differences, a partnership between 620 WTMJ and 860 WNOV might be in the works. Compassionate convservativism must finally be paying off!

Opinions are always right

I've actually had two people try to use this argument on me.

Oddly enough, neither was a right wing nut job.

(From the web-comic Shortpacked)

Jim Stingl Doesn't Like Cruising

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Jim Stingl uses his suburban white-guy reasoning skills in his latest piece of tripe by claiming that the crackdown on cruising in Milwaukee is because the cruising of today (predominantly by black people) is different than the cruising of yesterday (predominantly by white folks).

For starters, six guns were recovered in last weekend's crackdown by the
cops.

[...]

Two weekends earlier, three young men were shot while cruising. Clearly,
cruising is not just an alternative to too few roller rinks and ice cream
socials for the kids.

Stingl might as well buy a billboard with his picture and the word "disconnected" in five foot letters under it, because suggesting that "roller rinks and ice cream socials" is the natural alternative to cruising just goes to show how little he knows about the lives of these kids.

Society as a whole has failed these youngsters in providing an outlet for their entertainment needs. Scott Walker has closed city pools. Mayfair has all but banished them from their hallowed halls of capitalism. God forbid a theater shows a movie that might be of some interest to them. After all, we wouldn't want North Shore Nancy frightened away from buying her 20th pair of Manolos just because a rapper expanded his career to the silver screen.

(That's right. Suburban white women like expensive shoes, too. Fortunately for them their husbands make enough money at the brokerage that they don't have to shoot one another for a pair. )

In the city of Milwaukee, being an African American means you're pretty much barred from enjoying the same things white people do. Now, that seems to include cruising. Sorry, Jim, if it's not the same cruising you, George Lucas and The Fonz all must have enjoyed, but times change.

Sorry your closed mind never will.

Added Thought: Apparently the fact that this cruising takes place in a bad part of town, or east of 125th as some like to think of it, is completely lost on Jim. Is it any surprise guns were found on some of these youngsters? Aren't the wing-nuts always talking about the value of having a gun in order to protect themselves? Oh...that's right. Blacks must be banned from that as well.

Deepest Sympathies

Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Sykes and his family during this time of loss.

Hoorah for Immigrants' rights!

I think it's fantastic that over 100 local business closed today in honor of A Day Without Latinos. If you really think about it, everyone in America has someone in their family who, at one point in time or another, was an immigrant.

Who are we to judge? These people are hard-working and the only law they really break is the one that determines their status as citizens. So what? Most of the jobs they take do not threaten Americans in any way, shape or form. I mean, it's not like I can't get a job because some immigrant took one away from me.

And what's more, because they are working, they don't cost our government any more money than anyone else. It doesn't really matter that some of them commit identity theft. They wouldn't have to if we would just recognize their rights to begin with.

I hope that all the businesses who supported A Day Without Latinos are recognized by the public through the almighty dollar! Let's show those businesses what we think of their decision!

Culture of Violence Continues

6 people have been shot and (f0rtunately) sustained non-life threatening injuries near the stadium where the Jacksonville Jaguars play.

How many times does something like this have to happen before we finally fess up to the fact that guns in our society do no good for anyone? And is it mere coincidence that this happened near a professional football stadium, arguably one of the most violent sports, short of boxing, there is?

I think not.

The Important!

HELLO!

Ramon has not had much to say in much time, and it is with the very heavy heart that he must come back into your lives under such sorrowful circumstances. He hopes that you can bear with him as he shares with you this news he is about to share.

The other day, the Casper and the Cantankerous were out driving in the part of the town that Ramon always tells them to be careful. But do they listen? No! Cantankerous has a bit of the heavy foot and was doing the speeding. Some of the peoples in the place where they were driving were not very happy with this and reacted in a way Ramon DOES NOT approve of, even though he does not approve of the speeding either. Long story short, several rocks and bricks were tossed in their general direction.

Now, do not worry! Everyone is alright! There were some minor head injuries but the doctors can do amazing things. However, both of them have been acting very strangely and Ramon is concerned. He suspects that there may be some changes around here. Casper and Cantankerous have been sounding a bit unlike themselves and Ramon would not be surprised that when they return you fantastic people you may notice a bit of a difference yourselves.

Until then, please, wish them all the best.

Goodbye!