Ask Me Later

Bring on the Fairness!

2008-11-06T16:19:00.000-06:00

Fairness Doctrine Talk Heats Up

November 6, 2008

With the Presidential election over, discussion of the potential fallout as it pertains to the broadcasting industry as begun. The "Fairness Doctrine" has been rumored to return into play, over two decades after the FCC rejected it as unconstitutional. President-elect Barack Obama is on the record as saying he has no plans to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, but other top Democrats could be.

In an interview yesterday with Fox News, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said that those who want to give the Commission more regulatory powers over "pornography" do not want them to get involved for fairness and balance in broadcasting.

The comments from Schumer caused concern in some circles, with the National Religious Broadcasters issuing a statement, according to Broadcasting & Cable. "I was stunned by Senator Schumer’s suggestion that by keeping filth off the air, the federal government has somehow become empowered to take over the control of legitimate programming content of broadcasters," said Craig Parshall, SVP and general counsel for the NRB. "That paints a very grim picture for the future of broadcasting freedoms, particularly for Christian broadcasters."

Additionally, CSNNews.com reports that Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) also spoke in favor of a potential return to the Fairness Doctrine at the Democratic Senatorial Committee election party on Tuesday night. "Well first of all, I think that a station should have a balanced approach. I think they are doing their listeners a service when they provide all sides to an issue, but quite frankly, there is more variety today than we’ve had in recent years," Cardin said. "We have a lot of radio stations that are providing all different types of points of view, and I think there’s a lot of self-selection here. There’s a lot of listeners who are saying, ‘Look, we are going to listen to stations that are balanced,’ so I think the market in some respects is working this out."

Another concern with a return of the doctrine could be its application online. Earlier this summer, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell told the Business & Media Institute that the return of the Fairness Doctrine could potentially be tied in with the net neutrality battle, resulting in the government regulating content on the Web.

Obama Supporters Shocked to Find They Won't Get All Their Pay

2008-11-06T14:23:00.001-06:00

Indianapolis - Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.

The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.

"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.

Read the rest here.

We don't live here anymore

2008-04-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

This is probably a little late in coming, but Ask Me Later really doesn't exist anymore.

If you're looking for Casper, you can find him here.

And if you're looking for Cantankerous, just send her an e-mail and I'm sure she'll do whatever it takes to facilitate your stalking her.

Simply No Words

2007-12-14T20:47:00.000-06:00

There are times where no amount of words can convey the appropriate feeling.

Rest in peace, Tom.

How to Destroy Society

2007-12-14T11:08:00.000-06:00

More Basic Instructions . . .

Basic Instructions

2007-12-12T14:14:00.001-06:00

Get more Basic Instructions at www.basicinstructions.net.

Burning Freezing Question of the Day

2007-12-11T11:30:00.000-06:00

I really don't feel like going through all the trouble of setting up a real poll, and I truly appreciate the more subjective feedback comments offer, so I'm just going to ask our dear four or five readers to answer this question in the comments section:

Given today's weather, an ice storm warning from the National Weather Service, countless school closings and the WHITE DEATH now descending on SE Wisconsin, what do you think the appropriate response from are businesses should be? Should they send their employees home before it gets too bad? What is too bad? Should they pretend nothing is happening and hope for the best? Is the weather really all that bad? Should an employer err on the side of caution?

You tell me!

Culinary Etiquette

2007-12-10T11:48:00.000-06:00

After discovering a particularly long, grayish-blonde hair in your food and notifying your server of this, what do you believe the appropriate reponse of the server/restaurant should be?

More Lunch Fun

2007-12-06T11:46:00.000-06:00

Today my office cafeteria offered up a beef and bean burrito with a side of corn and red beans and rice. The burrito is deep-fried, which I believe technically qualifies it as a chimichanga and not a burrito. I've also never thought of red beans and rice as a side for Mexican food, but what do I know, other than the fact that you'll all be happy to know that I won't be reporting on this meal's inevitable outcome.

All together now, "Thanks for sharing, Dave!"

Forest for the Trees

2007-12-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

If George W. Bush is capable of single-handedly destroying the United States, why is it so hard to conceive that scores of Muslim terrorists aren't destroying the religion of peace?

Why Hillary Won't Win

2007-12-05T14:17:00.000-06:00

Put it in context here

Troubles

2007-12-05T12:33:00.000-06:00

I picked up the breaded shrimp with a side of fries special for lunch from the restaurant in my building today. Such a meal requires that I have both ketchup and cocktail sauce as my condiments. I keep finding myself dipping shrimp in the ketchup and fries in the cocktail sauce.

I tried eating the shrimp with my left hand and the fries with my right hand to keep things straight, but that just got confusing. Besides, I need my right hand free to high five all the people who come by my desk to tell me how awesome I am. But if they ever find out I'm having this condiment dilemma, my reputation will go down the drain.

A picture of the conundrum below...

For our friends in Sudan...

2007-11-27T16:42:00.000-06:00

If I do it enough, I figure I'm bound to offend someone.

This is not the message you're looking for

2007-11-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

Man, I just can't get enough of this!

Why can't everyone just get along...

2007-11-27T08:54:00.000-06:00

...while pounding the hell out of one another on the gridiron?

If you squint, you can just barely see it spelling out that magical word. Kinda the same way when you squint at my house, it looks like a gigantic mansion and not just a refrigerator box behind the CVS.

Overblown Offense

2007-11-26T10:54:00.000-06:00

Nick has said* what I'm sure a lot of people have been thinking. Personally, I've found that a lot of people tend to blow things way out of proportion when it comes to something as innocuous as a silly little bumpersticker. In fact, just after creating this one...

..the complaints really started rolling in:

The puppies are black and white. Why are no other races represented?
Isn't it unsafe to leave a toddler so near two dogs?
The baby is caucasian. Shouldn't we be kind to babies of all races?
The lettering is in blue. Should we assume female babies/puppies are excluded from acts of kindness?
Not in Spanish.
Use of the Latin alphabet is offensive to those whose languages use the Cyrillic, Greek, Arab, etc. alphabets.
Too Aryan
Some people are allergic to dogs.
Image of baby offends childless couples.
Is documentation available to assure that the puppies were not bred at a puppy mill?
What about kittens?
Was basket made in a free-trade nation?
Not enough cowbell

*Sorry...blogger won't let me link. I'm referring to what Nick said in this post (http://www.nickschweitzer.net/2007/11/26/CoexistWithThis.aspx) in which he observes "...to be honest, that "controversy" was blown out of proportion by everybody, and has become a parody of itself."

From the Sidelines

2007-11-21T08:37:00.000-06:00

Browsing through the Cheddarshpere as of late, I'm sure seeing a lot of the following:

So-and-so said this!
Oh yeah? Well he said this once!
But he said that after she said this!
That's not as bad as when they did that after he went there!
I didn't say that! But if I did, it isn't like I said what he
said!
You're an idiot!
He's a jackass!
She's stupid!

Seriously...I think I've seen more constructive debate on an elementary school playground. Frankly, I'm not missing blogging at all.

If you were ever curious...

2007-11-09T12:08:00.001-06:00

This post may fall on deaf ears, since posting around here has been pretty much non-existent for the last several months and we've most likely lost every reader we ever had.

But, for the curious among you, I'd just like to point out that one of the reasons posting has been so light is about to come to fruition tomorrow.

That's right! Saturday is Cantankerous's big day! She and her man are finally tying the knot, and we here at Ask Me Later truly wish them the best!

(Please note...that is not a picture of the lovely couple...I just couldn't resist!)

Kane Watch: Redefining Slavery

2007-08-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

What's truly amazing is that almost a quarter of all workers in America get
no paid vacation at all, according to the Center for Economic and Policy
Research. Didn't they use to call that slavery?

Tongue in cheek? Or truly delusional?

Is this the end?

2007-07-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

Well, is it?

Your comments are appreciated.

So long, Tookie

2007-07-10T21:22:00.001-05:00

Several years ago a friend brought over a parrot that was no longer wanted by its owner.

Over the next several days, my roommate at the time and I tried to come up with a name for this bird.

One night, my roommate, an Israeli, kept talking to the bird and saying, "Tookie! Tookie! Tookie!"

When I asked him what he was saying, he told me that 'tookie' was Hebrew for 'parrot."

So, basically, he was sitting on the couch saying "Parrot! Parrot! Parrot!"

And so we named Tookie.

Tookie passed away a couple of months ago. Had I not 'retired' from blogging, I may have written my post in honor of him then.

But I didn't.

So I'm doing it now.

So long, Tookie. I'll miss you sleeping on my chest and leading every other animal around the house, demonstrating just which one of you was the smartest one under the roof.

Keep one leg up, and your head tucked under your wing.

Harry Potter

2007-07-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Saw it last night. Loved it. My overall review: it's a much slower paced film than the others and if you haven't read the books, you might find it a bit boring.

For those of us who have read the books, and can view this movie as a piece of a larger whole, you'll appreciate the character development, but mostly you'll like the wizards fight at the end. I've been waiting a few years to see that. It was pretty good.

Luna Lovegood is a scene stealer, and that was a pleasant surprise.

All in all, I liked it. My brother, who doesn't read the books had this to say: I kept waiting for Voldemort to say, "Luke, I am your father." That is, he'll take Star Wars over Harry Potter any day.

Kane Watch: Cluck, Cluck

2007-07-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

Looks like Gene got slapped for his little stunt with the fake interview. Only Gene could get away with a wrist slap for this kind of thing. I wonder how the victim felt upon reading the interview, only to find out later that the whole thing was a sick joke.

Wonder if Kane had to explain to the editor what he meant by, "Not everyone is as clueless as Charlie Sykes who made a fuss about the group interview being fake." After all, the editor ran a letter referencing the column as legit.

Oops. Nothing quite like calling your own boss clueless.

Anyway, here's the apology. This time it's in his column, not hidden away in the blog.

The Few Who Ruin It for Everybody: Lots of readers thought last Sunday's column was a powerful statement on the troubles with disruptive young black people in Milwaukee. But some were confused about whether the column was written from an actual interview with a group of specific young people who talked about their viewpoints.

It wasn't.

The column - you can read it at www.jsonline.com/links - was my attempt to address the issue of young blacks who find creative ways to spoil positive events in the black community, such as the beating of an innocent motorist at Juneteenth Day. Although based on my experiences talking with young people about violence in the city, the dialogue was never meant to be taken literally as an actual interview.

I was surprised that some readers misinterpreted my writing device, which was admittedly more literary than journalistic. I apologize for any confusion.

Oh, c'mon now...

2007-06-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

When you go to the grocery store, there's a reason apples are in one place and oranges are in another.

It's the same reason we place obvious social misfits, such as the family in Oshkosh that seems to have problems with with the Country USA festival* in a different category than dozens, if not hundreds, of random festival attendees who seem to feel the best way to cap off a block party is by random street rioting.

But so far as Eugene Kane is concerned, as well as Mike Plaisted (who I personally think gave up his right to meaningful discourse the day he made "wing-nut" an oft-used term in the points he attempts to make), comparing the annual shenanigans performed by a sub-set of party-goers to one crazed family of five is somehow apt.

Um...no.

They claim the lack of response regarding the 74-year-old's knuckle headed antics by the conservative, white, right-leaning, hood-wearing, Sykes-following masses is telling.

Um...no.

They're different. And if they can't, or are unwilling, to tell the difference, then so be it. But, quite frankly, if they're so lacking in the ability to tell the difference between the two incidents, it's no problem but their own.

I'm sick and tired of the comparisons and analogies columnists, bloggers and commenters alike try to make in defense of their positions. Most recently I watched as an Ask Me Later reader attempted to compare the plight of an illegal immigrant, someone who voluntarily snuck into this country, to that of Rosa Parks, who was obviously a legal citizen denied the rights granted to her by the Constitution. Challenged with this, the reader spun further into obscurity by comparing the illegal immigrant to a slave who attempted to escape from his master pre-bellum. Nevermind that the slave was dragged to this nation in shackles for a life of forced-servitude, for some reason the reader believed comparing the him or her to a Mexican citizen who willingly entered this nation, broke its immigration laws and brazenly volunteered his illegal status to a federal agent was somehow appropriate.

They aren't the same.

Folks, there's a sale on apples.

There's a coupon for oranges in the Sunday paper.

One special cannot be applied to the other.

____________________________________________
*As an aside, I joked to a country music fan friend of mine that this seems exactly like the type of family who would enjoy a country music festival

A Few Questions for Kane

2007-06-24T10:03:00.001-05:00

So, this is what "knuckleheads" do to other people?

On Wednesday, Gene's position on the Juneteenth Day riot was that a few "knuckleheads" and "bad apples" spoiled the fun, and that mostly white people who never go to the festival over reacted about the level of danger present there.

Sounds like Gene got an interview with some of these "knuckleheads" and it appears to have left him speechless.

Q. What is it going to take to reach out to you guys in order to be hopeful about the future?

A. "Why do you want to reach us? Like you said, we're the dropouts, the ones without good parents, the ones who don't really think much about the future beyond the next day. Plus, we can get all the guns we want. What good do you think reaching out to us is going to do?"

Q. So, it's hopeless?

A. "Not as long as we're the few. When we become the many, that's when you will really have problems."

Wow, huh? Gene fails to comment on this interview. My question for Gene: Still think these guys are knuckleheads?

Sounds to me like they've got it all figured out. They have no pride, no education and basically no care for anything in the world. They live in a city that enables their lack of education, the lawlessness, the crime, the teenage pregnancy and the joblessness. What makes these kids knuckleheads?

Why get smart and work for a living when the city can foot the bill and you can rule your little corner of the universe like a king?

Sounds like these guys aren't such knuckleheads at all.

I think Gene is the knucklehead for ever defending these lazy, violent thugs and for ever calling them less than what they really are: criminals.

And if we're supposed to feel badly for them because, as Gene writes, "Usually, they are high-school dropouts with a background in the criminal justice system as juvenile or adult offenders. Many have anger management problems along with a drastic lack of self-esteem that makes them prone to be followers as opposed to leaders." well I just won't. It's because of people like Gene who write about h0w we should feel sorry for these thugs, and how we should understand how tough they have it and the lawmakers who agree that we are in the situation we are in.

The soft bigotry of low expectations has really played the inner city residents right into a corner. And they only way out is to stop making excuses for what they are or are not capable of. And that just might have to start with Eugene Kane.

But don't take it from me, take it from the kid he interviewed: "Jobs? Seriously, why would you think folks like us want jobs? Like you said, we're high school dropouts, drug addicts, gangsters. We're the troublemakers. We aren't really looking for any jobs."

Why James T. Harris is a True Leader

2007-06-22T18:35:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm one of James T. Harris' biggest fans. And, I'm probably a little biased. I guess that's why I never miss an opportunity to point out the things that justify why I have so much faith in this guy.

James most recent post, in my opinion, exemplifies the kind attitude and resolve that is going to effect true change in the inner city. He writes:

I guess I could move, but if I did I would constantly be thinking of the friends I left behind. Most don’t understand what it means to truly be part of a community.

Am I my neighbors' keeper? Yes. What is my responsibility when it comes to lawlessness in the land? This is what I’m struggling with.

God bless the police, but there is only so much they can do.

No. It is time for the men of the nation’s neighborhoods to man up. It’s time to take a page from the heroes of United Flight 93. We need to pray, organize, pray, and then confront the present evil, violent youth culture in our communities.

Read the rest here.

Good luck, James.

Kane Watch: Still Waiting

2007-06-22T18:17:00.000-05:00

Kane recently wrote in a blog post that he would comment on the Juneteenth Day debacle in his column. I'm still waiting for that to appear.

If the title of his post, "Response to Juneteenth Day violence predictable," is any indication, then I'm sure it will be a wishy-washy column about how the acts themselves were bad, but the media "predictably" hyped it beyond what was necessary. After all, according to Gene, these violent criminals were nothing more than, "knuckleheads," right?

Which leads me to my next point: If anything at all was predictable about Juneteenth Day, it was the violence itself. The media response is just a condition of the first act. And, if anything is more predictable than that, I'm pretty certain that it will be Gene's column.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Happy Fathers Day

2007-06-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Some pictures are worth a thousand words...
Others can't be quantified.
Happy Father's Day. Wish you were here.

Short on Sympathy

2007-06-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

I quite honestly had every intention of walking away from blogging for quite some time, but in doing so knew full well that something was bound to pop up that would drag me back in. I just didn't think it would happen so soon.

Dave Somerscales, guest posting at Watchdog Milwaukee, tries to put a human face on illegal immigration by sharing the story of "Chuy," a cleaning person in a downtown office building recently busted as a result of his illegal status. While filling in for a co-worker on a set of floors he didn't normally work, Chuy was questioned by an ATF employee and is now facing deportation having been discovered by a federal bureau to be an illegal alien.

I have to admit that Chuy's story does earn a bit of sympathy from me. He has a wife and small child, not to mention a mortgage on a home in which they all live. I feel sorry for the hardships this family is about to face. But that's really about as much as I have to offer.

Chuy entered this country illegally. He falsified documentation in order to get a job and/or his employer most likely knowingly gave him a job in spite of his immigration status. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) made him a member. A creditor approved a home loan with full knowledge that he was in this country illegally. For nearly eight years, Chuy has lived under the radar. He rolled the dice in hopes of continuing to live that way, and on one fateful day the dice came up wrong for him. Now Chuy faces deportation and seperation from his family. His employer will need to explain to a building management company client (in which a federal agency is housed) how it employed an illegal alien. A labor union will need to justify having an illegal alien as one of its members. A lending institution will need to deal with the costs of a foreclosed loan.

Is it Chuy's fault? The employer's? The union's? The bank's?

Yes.

Somerscales hopes to change minds and shape opinion by sharing this story of one man's trials and tribulations. The title of his post alone points to how he wishes to put a human face on illegal immigration. But what Somerscales fails to realize is that nearly everyone sees that human face and that some of us are willing to acknowledge that those humans are capable of making very human errors in judgement. As a result, we're prepared for them to pay the consequences for the actions they've taken.

That means Chuy, the employer, the union and the bank.

Regardless of how good a person Chuy may be, how noble his efforts to create a life for himself in this nation are, there are rules people must live by. Chuy didn't. And now he pays the price.

It's sad, but by no means is it unfair.

I feel bad for his plight, but my sympathy ends there.

Citizen Blogger Summit

2007-06-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, be sure to come out next Friday and support Sean's Blogging Summit effort! Don't forget to register. The doors open at 12:45 and the first panel starts at 1:30. Radio City is located at 720 E. Capitol Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53207.

Although Journal is hosting the event, the panels are full of citizen bloggers, and there'll be free food.

Panelists include:

James T. Harris
Jo Englehoff
Daniel Suhr,
Michael Mathias
Owen Robinson

And more...

Hope to see you all there!

A momentary lapse...

2007-05-31T23:29:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-05-24T19:10:00.000-05:00

...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

2007-05-23T15:52:00.001-05:00

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

2007-05-20T08:40:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-19T07:25:00.001-05:00

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

2007-05-18T19:38:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-16T16:40:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-15T14:54:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-15T12:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

New Gas Symbol

2007-05-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

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

More from mcgee4me

2007-05-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-07T08:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-05-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-04T13:53:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-05-04T08:36:00.000-05:00

...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

2007-05-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-02T11:34:00.000-05:00

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

Hoorah for Immigrants' rights!

2007-05-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-05-01T13:54:00.000-05:00

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!

Kane Watch: Blogging Welfare

2007-04-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

I've got an idea for Gene: How bout all of us white bloggers create a blogging welfare system, and start giving some of our posts to the minorities since minorities are at a blogging disadvantage? That way, none of them will have to actually do anything to have a blog!

They won't have to put in the time, effort or research to write anything!!! Since it doesn't cost anything to blog, and since there are no gatekeepers to blogging it's really the only logical thing that can be done, right? I mean, clearly, anyone who's not white is at a disadvantage when it comes to blogging because white folks actually have the desire to put thoughts in to words that are published on the internet, and that's just not fair!

Okay. I'm being incredibly facetious, but it's my guess that this is the kind of blogosphere Kane is advocating for. Seriously! Just look at this comment:

It was clear the blogosphere in Milwaukee is similar to most institutions in town: predominantly white and filled with folks who only want to talk about race relations if they can blame all of the problems in the black community on Ald. Mike McGee.

The only similarity I see that can be made between the world in general and blogging is that it takes a little effort to get anything done, on either front. If anyone wants a blog, all they have to do is start typing. I can't make anyone's fingers do the talking for 'em.

But I digress. The real point here, and the most telling aspect of Kane's entire column, is that there are plenty of diverse voices around the cheddarsphere. Kane doesn't bother to do any research before making such sweeping claims, and he just doesn't recognize anyone that doesn't sound like him.

He's the worst kind of narcissist. He's a racissist*. And that's all I have to say about that.

*A racissist is one who believes that the ethnicity of one's peers is valid if and only if said peers reflect the exact same beliefs as oneself.

From the Department of Scientificology

2007-04-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

Via Drudge, a report indicating that lesbians are twice as likely to be obese than heterosexual women.

The report also found that lesbians are:

4 times as likely to wear fanny packs,
22 times as likely to have femullets,
900 times as likely to get a job hosting The View

Next week, the same group is slated to release a report that gay men are three times as likely to land the role as interior decorator on home remodeling shows.

Seperated at Birth?

2007-04-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

I think they had to be seperated because all the Funyons in the world couldn't keep them from one another's throats.

The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

2007-04-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

Buzz from The Mouth of Madness rebuts an article by Tom Plate in which he states:

These students were not killed by a Korean, they were killed by a 9 mm handgun
and a .22-caliber handgun.

Plate relates his own experience of being robbed at gunpoint and how his "rapid response" of surrendering was the best thing to do.

Buzz eloquently responds...

Mr. Plate, I am glad you choose not to own a firearm. You are one of many
American citizens that would be unable to use one properly. Too timid, too
defeatist, too meek to defend yourself. In your hands, a gun would be a
liability. Don’t pretend that you portray everyone though. There are men in this
country that are able to defend themselves, and even those around them.
Training, discipline, and intelligence are necessary to properly wield a firearm
in a dangerous situation. Believe me, I am not suggesting we arm the entire
populace. No, there are too many out there like you, Mr. Plate. Don’t assume
everyone should think like you, I for one am glad that many of us do not.

People either incapable or unwilling to defend themselves should be the ones we fear most when they try to impose their cowardly beliefs on the rest of us.

Gooder Voting

2007-04-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

Some time back I came up with this crazy idea that everyone should get 1 1/5 of a vote. The 1/5 part would be meaningless unless five voters got together as a bloc, agreed on how they would vote on a particular item, and their five votes would then be counted as six. The idea behind this was that voters would be encouraged to engage one another on the issues, discuss the pros and cons and somehow come to a consensus before entering the voting booth. This seemed, to me at least, somewhat of an answer to the "uninformed" voter. Logistically I had no idea how it would work but, hey, I was trying.

Steven Landsburg has an idea of his own...

So if I could make just one change in the American political system, it would be
to give each voter two votes in every congressional election. You'd get one vote
to cast in your own district and another to cast in the district of your choice.
When a congressman from West Virginia funnels taxpayers' money from fifty states
to his home district, I want him to face the prospect that taxpayers from fifty
states will share their feelings with him on election day.
[...]
...what I'm really saying is "Let's think hard---and creatively---about ways to sever the link between parochial interests and congressional incentives."

Okay, maybe not the same motivation behind it, but I like where he's going.

[h/t Instapundit]

You get what you deserve

2007-04-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

Immediately following Alderman Michael McGee, Jr.'s victory in a recall effort, I pointed out to those who voted for him that they'll get what they deserve.

Well, it would seem they now deserve broken windows.

The Nuge on Guns

2007-04-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

Nugent: Gun-free zones are recipe for disaster
By Ted Nugent
Special to CNN

Editor's note: Rock guitarist Ted Nugent has sold more than 30 million albums. He's also a gun rights activist and serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. His program, "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild," can be seen on the Outdoor Channel.

Read an opposing take on gun control from journalist Tom Plate: Let's lay down our right to bear arms
WACO, Texas (CNN) -- Zero tolerance, huh? Gun-free zones, huh? Try this on for size: Columbine gun-free zone, New York City pizza shop gun-free zone, Luby's Cafeteria gun-free zone, Amish school in Pennsylvania gun-free zone and now Virginia Tech gun-free zone.

Anybody see what the evil Brady Campaign and other anti-gun cults have created? I personally have zero tolerance for evil and denial. And America had best wake up real fast that the brain-dead celebration of unarmed helplessness will get you killed every time, and I've about had enough of it.

Nearly a decade ago, a Springfield, Oregon, high schooler, a hunter familiar with firearms, was able to bring an unfolding rampage to an abrupt end when he identified a gunman attempting to reload his .22-caliber rifle, made the tactical decision to make a move and tackled the shooter.

A few years back, an assistant principal at Pearl High School in Mississippi, which was a gun-free zone, retrieved his legally owned Colt .45 from his car and stopped a Columbine wannabe from continuing his massacre at another school after he had killed two and wounded more at Pearl.

At an eighth-grade school dance in Pennsylvania, a boy fatally shot a teacher and wounded two students before the owner of the dance hall brought the killing to a halt with his own gun.

More recently, just a few miles up the road from Virginia Tech, two law school students ran to fetch their legally owned firearm to stop a madman from slaughtering anybody and everybody he pleased. These brave, average, armed citizens neutralized him pronto.

My hero, Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp, was not allowed by Texas law to carry her handgun into Luby's Cafeteria that fateful day in 1991, when due to bureaucrat-forced unarmed helplessness she could do nothing to stop satanic George Hennard from killing 23 people and wounding more than 20 others before he shot himself. Hupp was unarmed for no other reason than denial-ridden "feel good" politics.

She has since led the charge for concealed weapon upgrade in Texas, where we can now stop evil. Yet, there are still the mindless puppets of the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun organizations insisting on continuing the gun-free zone insanity by which innocents are forced into unarmed helplessness. Shame on them. Shame on America. Shame on the anti-gunners all.

No one was foolish enough to debate Ryder truck regulations or ammonia nitrate restrictions or a "cult of agriculture fertilizer" following the unabashed evil of Timothy McVeigh's heinous crime against America on that fateful day in Oklahoma City. No one faulted kitchen utensils or other hardware of choice after Jeffrey Dahmer was caught drugging, mutilating, raping, murdering and cannibalizing his victims. Nobody wanted "steak knife control" as they autopsied the dead nurses in Chicago, Illinois, as Richard Speck went on trial for mass murder.

Evil is as evil does, and laws disarming guaranteed victims make evil people very, very happy. Shame on us.

Already spineless gun control advocates are squawking like chickens with their tiny-brained heads chopped off, making political hay over this most recent, devastating Virginia Tech massacre, when in fact it is their own forced gun-free zone policy that enabled the unchallenged methodical murder of 32 people.

Thirty-two people dead on a U.S. college campus pursuing their American Dream, mowed-down over an extended period of time by a lone, non-American gunman in illegal possession of a firearm on campus in defiance of a zero-tolerance gun law. Feel better yet? Didn't think so.

Who doesn't get this? Who has the audacity to demand unarmed helplessness? Who likes dead good guys?

I'll tell you who. People who tramp on the Second Amendment, that's who. People who refuse to accept the self-evident truth that free people have the God-given right to keep and bear arms, to defend themselves and their loved ones. People who are so desperate in their drive to control others, so mindless in their denial that they pretend access to gas causes arson, Ryder trucks and fertilizer cause terrorism, water causes drowning, forks and spoons cause obesity, dialing 911 will somehow save your life, and that their greedy clamoring to "feel good" is more important than admitting that armed citizens are much better equipped to stop evil than unarmed, helpless ones.

Pray for the families of victims everywhere, America. Study the methodology of evil. It has a profile, a system, a preferred environment where victims cannot fight back. Embrace the facts, demand upgrade and be certain that your children's school has a better plan than Virginia Tech or Columbine. Eliminate the insanity of gun-free zones, which will never, ever be gun-free zones. They will only be good guy gun-free zones, and that is a recipe for disaster written in blood on the altar of denial. I, for one, refuse to genuflect there.

Squeaky Wheels

2007-04-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

Eugene Kane directs us to an article by Rochelle Riley in the Detroit Free Press where she says...

Please stop calling Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson every time you want to know
how we feel. They do not speak for all of us, and we're tired of you asking them
to try.

Kane echoes these sentiments and, to an extent, I have to agree. But I wonder how long the likes of Sharpton and Jackson will put up with being ignored as the "black voices" in America. Here are two men who have made a lifetime of speaking for all of black America in spite of their never being elected to any such position of representation (to the best of my knowledge). In fact, it's their loud voices that make them so appealing to the media, black or white. If they're suddenly pushed aside by the media, I highly doubt they would simply fade away into the woodwork. Their voices would only get louder, the antics more preposterous, and the media would be hard-pressed to ignore a good soundbite or any resulting firestorm.

Much as in the case of violent acts committed or threats issued by radical Muslims where few other Muslims will stand up and condemn it, rarely do we hear passionate voices from the part of black America that disagrees with Sharpton and Jackson. This is why I only agree with this to an extent. While there's no denying the media is complicit in portraying these two as the voice of black Americans, there is also a responsibility among black Americans to let the rest of the nation know that they are not the only voices. Then, and only then, will Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson be relegated to where they belong, wherever that may be.

Why yes! I am that awesome!

2007-04-19T09:35:00.001-05:00

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Skepticism doesn’t sell as well as hysteria

2007-04-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a great read on conspiracy theorists from Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject!...

...what fascinates me is the emotional motive of people who, presented with
overwhelming evidence that the events that transpired on November 22nd, 1963 or
September 11th, 2001 really happened exactly the way it appeared, continue to
spin ever more elaborate webs in order to get to a place they need to be
emotionally. Who are you going to believe: them or your own lying eyes?

All of this conspiracy nonsense comes after the fact. What we saw on
those days was clear and vital and unmistakably obvious. In the case of the
Kennedy assassination we are asked to believe – against all physical evidence to
the contrary – what a few professional witnesses recall for pay ten or twenty or
thirty years after the fact. Some guy who claims to see a puff of smoke on the
grassy knoll is now a world-wide celebrity and not just some dude with time on
his hands on a November afternoon. (And don't be deterred by the fact that a
musket firing black powder was the last firearm that emitted "a puff of smoke;"
perhaps Kennedy was murdered by a re-animated Stonewall Jackson. Prove it didn't
happen!)

I’ve met a number of these people. I know this is harsh, but I’m sick
of watching the damage they are doing to this civilization: these people are, to
a man, complete losers. Losers. They are desperate and sad people who need to
believe in some dark secret to give meaning to their lives.

Read all of it here.

Word Thought

2007-04-18T12:39:00.000-05:00

Welfare Queen

Please post your thoughts on this phrase in the comments section. More to follow...

Imus/Rappers Thought

2007-04-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

So rappers should be overlooked for using racist and sexist remarks in their lyrics because they are entertainers.

Critics of talk radio often refer to the hosts not as serious journalists, but entertainers.

So...

Polling the Masses

2007-04-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

Regular readers of Ask Me Later will recall that for the last mid-term election I announced my candidacy for darned near everything. Considering my less than stellar performance, I took the opportunity at the last Drinking Right to poll some attendees on how they felt about various items on my platform.

Here's Aaron telling me what he though of my proposal to tax podcasting.

Fred gave his two cents in response to my proposal to have RUSD take over management of the entire state's school system.

Steve pretty much liked everything I stood for. In fact, he really liked it. Here he is showing me how many times he voted for me.

I have no idea who this guy is. He just wanted to flip me off. But I'm used to it.

Finally, Nick told me what he thinks about my position on government financed/controlled EVERYTHING! I think it's a long-needed sweeping reform. I also think Nick disagrees.

Of course, just because these photos appear here there's no reason to believe that someday these very same photos won't also appear here.

Nobody is safe. NOBODY!

I'm no journalist...

2007-04-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

...but does anyone else see any problems with this post?

Kane Watch: Uncle Tom

2007-04-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Eugene Kane could have saved himself a lot of time writing this post.

Might I suggest that next time he just makes it easier on himself and write something like:

Jason Whitlock = Uncle Tom

After all, why should he dance around what we all know he's saying anyway?

Imus, Sharpton and Jackson

2007-04-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

Jason Whitlock, an AOL sports columnist, on the Don Imus incident and why Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have no moral authority in criticizing his statement:

None of this over-the-top grandstanding does Black America any
good.

We can’t win the war over verbal disrespect and racism when we have
so obviously and blatantly surrendered the moral high ground on the issue. Jesse
and Al might win the battle with Imus and get him fired or severely neutered.
But the war? We don’t stand a chance in the war. Not when everybody knows
“nappy-headed ho’s” is a compliment compared to what we allow black rap artists
to say about black women on a daily basis.

We look foolish and cruel for kicking a man who went on Sharpton’s radio
show and apologized. Imus didn’t pull a Michael Richards and schedule an
interview on Letterman. Imus went to the Black vice president’s house,
acknowledged his mistake and asked for forgiveness.

Let it go and let God.

We have more important issues to deal with than Imus. If we are unwilling
to clean up the filth and disrespect we heap on each other, nothing will change
with our condition. You can fire every Don Imus in the country, and our
incarceration rate, fatherless-child rate, illiteracy rate and murder rate will
still continue to skyrocket.

A man who doesn’t respect himself wastes his breath demanding that others
respect him.

Read all of it here.

Ewwwww...

2007-04-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

Wanna see what's in this croc's mouth?

Follow this link to find out what's under the bunny.

RIP Kurt Vonnegut

2007-04-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

Kurt Vonnegut, arguably one of America's greatest authors, has passed away at the age of 84. Having read everything he's written and considering him the author that inspired me to read for my own enjoyment, this is a great loss. His talent for weaving together a story goes unmatched in spite of several authors giving it their darndest.

He was just that kind of machine and will be sorely missed.

Global Warming My A**!

2007-04-11T14:35:00.000-05:00

The view from my office, April 11th, 2007.

Please, Global Warming, for the love of all that's holy, take me away!

Context and Usage

2007-04-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

Cheap Shot

2007-04-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

I realize there's little love lost between them, and that one of them has expended countless words on the other's relationships with her husband and colleagues, but this is just a cheap shot.

The sign of a good person is being above this sort of thing...not being able to match it.

UPDATE: James Wigderson and Dad29 both ask why this is even a story worth coverage.

UPDATE II: The Brawler does some digging and points out how hypocritical this is, including a comment from XOff indicating support he's received from the right side of the Cheddarsphere.

April Drinking Right

2007-04-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

Drinking Right is tomorrow night at its usual place, Papa's Social Club at 77th and Burleigh.

I've been unable to make the past few due to either extreme illness or a scheduling conflict, but I'm going to try my darndest to make it to this one.

Also, I spent much of yesterday pickling my liver with very expensive wine, so I think it will be passed out before I even get there. That means I won't have it yelling at me throughout the evening.

Stupid liver.

MIT Prof on Global Warming

2007-04-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

What most commentators—and many scientists—seem to miss is that the only thing
we can say with certainly about climate is that it changes. The earth is always
warming or cooling by as much as a few tenths of a degree a year; periods of
constant average temperatures are rare. Looking back on the earth's climate
history, it's apparent that there's no such thing as an optimal temperature—a
climate at which everything is just right. The current alarm
rests on the false assumption not only that we live in a perfect world,
temperaturewise, but also that our warming forecasts for the year 2040 are
somehow more reliable than the weatherman's forecast for next week.

Emphasis mine.

Read the rest here.

[h/t Drudge]

Isn't there a war to protest or something?

2007-04-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm sitting in the UWM Union (don't ask) and just outside is a chalk announcement on the sidewalk for a "Mayfair Unfair" rally this afternoon at Mayfair and Center.

I think every person, adult or minor, who doesn't like the new Mayfair policy banning unsupervised teens needs to attend this rally and listen very carefully to the chants that Mayfair is unfair. Then they should also start chanting that life isn't fair either and nobody ever said it was. Then they should just go home and quit their bellyaching.

Good gosh I hate people.

Kane Watch: What a Real Youth Leader Looks Like

2007-04-06T17:53:00.000-05:00

Eugene Kane recently stated in a blog post that the young people protesting the new rules at Mayfair Mall were leaders:

What's clear to me is young black people in Milwaukee have a serious public relations problem.... All I know, I'd hate to be a young black person in Milwaukee today with such baggage to carry. That's bascially what these young black leaders were trying to say during their protest over the new Mayfair Mall policies. I wonder if anybody heard them?

It's my own opinion that these kids are little more than whiners who believe it is the responsibility of business owners to provide entertainment and safe harbor to bored school kids. That's why, when I saw this story today, I thought I'd point out to Mr. Kane what young leaders really look like, and the type of actions they perform:

Waukesha West High School's National Honor Society Academic Decathlon team was in need of $10,000 to fund their trip to the National Championships in Hawaii.

As a result, the Messmer students plan to travel to Waukesha to hold a spaghetti dinner the night before the West team's departure for the national decathlon competition in Hawaii, with all of the meal's proceeds going to help pay for the cost of the trip.

The type of character this action has displayed is a rare thing, these days. And that's why I'm pleased to see the amount of attention it's received. These Messmer students don't seem to have a public relations problem at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. And if any youth in the city of Milwaukee have earned the right to be called "leaders" as of late, my vote goes to these kids.

Those Poor, Poor Sex Offenders

2007-04-06T17:36:00.000-05:00

AP is reporting on a story out of Miami, Florida that highlights five sex offenders currently living under a bridge. Due to sex offender regulations that prevent them from living near schools, parks and places for children, the men could not find suitable, legal housing.

So, what's it life on the street like for these poor souls?

...he and the other men fear for their lives, especially because of "crazy people who might try to come harm sex offenders."

"You just pray to God every night, so if you fall asleep for a minute or two, you know, nothing happens to you," said 30-year-old Javier Diaz, who arrived this week.

Talk about ironic. I think I've heard a victim of sexual assault make the same observation.

I guess I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for these criminals. If I had it my way sexual assault would be punishable by death. Given that opinion, living under a bridge doesn't seem so bad.

A Valuable Lesson

2007-04-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

From Snopes, the Urban Legends Reference database, a story that turns out not to be an urban myth:

In September of 2005, a social studies schoolteacher from Arkansas did
something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of
the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she took
all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into first period, they
walked in; there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, "Where's
our desks?"

The teacher said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn
them."

They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."

"No," she said.

"Maybe it's our behavior."

And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."

And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the
classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period. By early afternoon
television news crews had gathered in the class to find out about this crazy
teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the
day, the instructor gathered her class.

They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the
room. She said, "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn
the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily. Now I'm going to tell you."

She went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she
did 27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each
one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then
they stood along the wall. By the time they had finished placing the desks,
those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they
earned those desks.

Their teacher said, "You don't have to earn those desks. These guys did
it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here
responsibly, to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid
a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it."

Happy Easter

2007-04-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

The Pelosi Precedent

2007-04-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

If and when a Democrat lands in the White House, does anyone think the precedent Nancy Pelosi is setting now of undermining the President will be something the party will come to regret?

As the Washington Post has put it, it would seem she's attempting to establish some sort of shadow presidency...and so far she's doing a pretty piss-poor job at it. Not only has she managed to send a mixed message to Syria regarding American foreign policy, she's doing a bang up job of mis-representing Israel's stance as well. And the legislation she proposed to strip Bush of his commander in chief authority over troops in Iraq is just plain un-Constitutional.

The United States will not fail as a nation because of a bad president. It may suffer, but it will not fail. Term limits and free elections will see to that. But when powerful elected officials so blatatantly ignore the rules of the game set forth in the Constitution and well-established practices regarding foreign relations and the structure of the government and its role in running this nation, then the failure of this nation becomes all the more possible.

I am very much a Constitutionalist. I believe in that document. I believe in what it stands for. And I don't dislike Nancy Pelosi because she's a Democrat, but rather because she seems to have forgotten how important the Constitution is.

UPDATE: Thomas Sowell says exactly what I'm saying...only better.

UPDATE II: Jay Bullock has pointed out in the comments incidents where Republicans have done the same thing Pelosi is doing now. So, I will rescind my precedent comment, but I won't deny that what Pelosi is doing is wrong. It was wrong when Gingrich did it, wrong when Hastert did it and is just as wrong now. Hopefully Jay, being a teacher and dealing with kids all the time, knows that two (or three) wrongs don't make a right. ;)

(Yeah...I did a winky face. So sue me.)

RIP Robert Clark

2007-04-05T13:13:00.000-05:00

Robert Clark, director of A Christmas Story, and his son were killed when a drunk driver, driving on the wrong side of the road, collided head-on with his car.

Clark, 67, was driving south on Pacific Coast Highway near Bay Club Drive
in Pacific Palisades when his 1997 Infiniti sedan was hit by a swerving 2007 GMC
Yukon with Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, behind the wheel, authorities said.

Velazquez-Nava was driving without a license northbound in the
southbound lanes while under the influence of alcohol, said Los Angeles police
Lt. Paul Vernon.

Clark and his 22-year-old son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark of Santa Monica,
were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police
Department.

Nava and his passenger, Lydia Mora, 29, suffered minor injuries and
were treated at a local hospital. Nava, who remains hospitalized, was arrested
on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of
alcohol.

Right away something went through my head, but I'm not going to say it. You can go here if you want to know what it is, and here if you want to know why it's somewhat justified.

Bloggers in Public

2007-04-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

I ran into Elliot of From Where I Sit over lunch today.

It's good to see that he doesn't let his wheelchair hold him back, but I gotta say that it's kind of annoying the way he slams it into anyone who gets in his way. That little old lady was pissed.

Love to Hate

2007-04-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

I wonder if this is Eugene Kane's approach to his column?

Hi Kids!

2007-04-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

I was just told by a friend who's a high school teacher that he has his students reading Ask Me Later.

Now, while he may be pulling my leg, I do have to say that if this isn't a sign of the sorry state of education in Milwaukee, I don't know what is!

To The 6th District...

2007-04-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Congratulations!

You have successfully shown the rest of the Milwaukee that you won't be pushed around. Who you have represent you in city-level politics is your decision, and you made it. The "Forces of Darkness" did not prevail and you have stood up for what you believe. This is a glorious day in the history of Milwaukee politics.

But executing your democratic rights does come with consequences you should be aware of. Having told the rest of the city you chose to continue to be represented by a racist, homophobic, perjuring adulterer whose own self-interests will always and forever supersede those of his constituents, you have essentially said that you do not wish to play an important role in how this city is managed. You have shown your support for a man who has consistently advocated for law-breakers and has popularized a campaign where citizens should not cooperate with police, even though his district, your district, demonstrates some of the highest rates of violent crime in the city. You have allowed the control of your district to remain in the hands of a man who impregnated a woman who was not his wife and later went on to threaten to kill her in a court of law. You have told the city of Milwaukee, quite bluntly, that you just don't give a flying fuck.

So please forgive the rest of us as we begin to sing the same tune. Forgive us for not caring ab0ut what happens in your neighborhood. Forgive us for making every effort possible to not allow the apathy you seem to have accepted to bleed into our neighborhoods. Forgive us for turning our backs on our own neighbors.

But don't blame us, for you turned your backs on yourselves long ago.

And to those of you in the district who didn't vote for Michael McGee, Jr., move. Your neighbors have quite obviously chosen a path that does not serve your interests, and you can only go on so long trying to solve the problem before you're forced to the conclusion that the problem simply doesn't want to be solved.

Beefcake!

2007-04-04T09:53:00.000-05:00

Awesome meat "font," for those who don't get enough beef in their diets before 8am.

Neil Gaiman

2007-04-04T09:28:00.000-05:00

Neil Gaiman is a fantasy/sci-fi writer of numerous novels, comic books and films (among other things too numerous to name) who just happens to live in Wisconsin. I was first introduced to his work with the book Good Omens, a satirical take on the Apocalypse co-authored with a now favorite author of mine, Terry Pratchett (who at one time held the distinction of having the best-selling book series in England before Harry Potter came along). Gaiman is arguably best known for his series of Sandman graphic novels, which I've yet to crack, and Stardust, a movie based on one of his books starring Robert DeNiro, Claire Danes and Sienna Miller will be out this August.

Since Gaiman has a journal/weblog, and calls Wisconsin home, I thought I'd add him to the blogroll. It's nice to have something to read from time to time that isn't all about hard-hitting news. And, as a note to the organizers of the upcoming Blog Summit, not all blogging is about politics. Just a thought.

Blogworthy Conversation

2007-04-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

A co-worker and I were getting coffee this morning when she commented on the number of worms on the sidewalk.

Me: Do you know why worms come out when it rains?

BJ: No. Why?

Me: Because otherwise they'd drown.

BJ: Really?

Me: Yeah. Pretty simple when you think about it, but that never dawns on anyone.

BJ: What did they do before sidewalks?

An Unpleasant Bleg

2007-04-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

While some people are out there trying to get votes today, The Unpleasantness is looking for your cooperation in getting birdies.

Now's your chance to finally hang with the cool kids. Or me. Kind of a horse a piece. That is if you're a little slow and frequently compare horses to yogurt.

So stop here and find out how you can do your part.

Oh...and don't forget to vote.

Why I hate people in animal costumes

2007-04-02T15:01:00.000-05:00

Over at Pundit Nation they're taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to an Easter Egg hunt held this past weekend at Washington Park. While the event may have gone off with nary a crime worth mentioning (other than, I'm sure, some bigger kids roughing up smaller kids for their eggs), I believe the Mathiases are being a tad too aloof about the entire incident, particularly considering this beast made an appearance.

Just look at that thing! If that isn't pure evil, I don't know what is! Personally, I think this was just a plan by the godless infidels and liberals to scare small children away from the holy holiday of Easter, when Christ rose from the dead and hid eggs all about Jerusalem for the apostles to find and share with his followers.

And if that isn't in the Bible, well, it should be.

Kane Watch: Mean Mugging

2007-04-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

Eugene Kane is trying to pass off what's come to be known as "mean mugging," defined by the Urban Dictionary as "[t]o glare at another person with a scowl, or other antagonistic facial expression, with malicious intent, hoping to provoke a response from the intended receipient," as a cultural phenomenon among young black males. In yesterday's column, Kane goes so far as to compare those who feel intimidated by such behavior to someone who sent him a vile, racist-rant-filled journal. To his credit, Kane does acknowledge that there may just be something to how these people feel, but...

...unless some new laws have been passed recently, freaking out mall shoppers
with your hip-hop appearance isn't yet considered a crime.

In a follow-up blog post, Kane responds to much of the criticism he received for his column:

I've always thought the problem in Milwaukee is many people see a group of young
black males talking loudly in a group and they have no cultural perspective
to decide if the kids are joking around with each other or about to start a
fight.

Ahhh...so it's an issue of "cultural perspective" then, is it? Isn't that an easy cop-out? Once again, it has little to do with the behavior of these kids who feel it appropriate to behave in such a manner that makes them appear to be taking every step that normally preceeds a crime or some act of violence, but rather with those people who wish to take a proactive stance in protecting themselves. Kane is classically using the tactic of victimization, where an individual's behavior means nothing compared to society's reaction. Act like a thug? No worries...it's a cultural thing. Be treated like one? That's racism.

Kane's attitude towards such behavior is growing more and more ludicrous with each passing day. When he's ready to approach this more as a member of society and less as a extremely special interest, the Kane Watch may be less apt to question his legitimacy.

Even if he has a newspaper column.

Great Product Placement

2007-04-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

I was at Walgreen's this past weekend when I saw these two items stocked on the shelf right next to one another.

The best part is that they were right next to the cash register...where most "impulse" items are placed. Usually, I may be coaxed into buying a candy bar, but whatever floats your boat!

(Which reminds me: It's not the size of the boat that matters, but how easily it glides through the water)

The Unthinkable

2007-03-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

A judge sentenced a man to life in prison for raping his own daughter in a cemetery.

The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, was convicted of the March 10, 2006, incident on Friday. Just days after his daughter's 16th birthday, the man took her to a graveyard and told her to lie down.

"You're know you're old enough to date boys now," he told her. "I'm about to break you in."

I came across this story and after choking on my morning coffee in disgust, I didn't know what to say. Then I remembered a post from Casper and Elliot, from awhile ago that seemed to hit the sentiment I wanted to express right on the head:

I don't want rape and incest to be illegal. I want it to be unthinkable.

(Sigh.) So much for wishing.

Kane Watch: A little revealing?

2007-03-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

It seems that whenever there's a story of a non-black commiting a heinous crime, such as the recent one of two 10 year old boys beating a homeless man, Eugene Kane is quick to point out that the perp wasn't black.

Of course, what he's really doing most of the time, particularly considering that in nearly every instance the offender is white, is saying, "Hey! Look what the white person did!" Granted, it's in a roundabout sort of way, but if he were any more blunt about it even he couldn't wiggle his way out of such blatant racist rhetoric.

Curiously, based on Kane's constant hand-wringing over the color of the suspect's skin and quick assumption that it's black, one might be left wondering if Kane always thinks the worst of black people. I mean, if I were to always assume that a criminal were black until told otherwise, isn't that what Kane would accuse me of?

Understandably, Kane is concerned over the potential "portrayal of black dysfunction" if it turns out the person or people are black, but maybe the first step in overcoming something like this is not making the color of their skin the most paramount fact.

Just a suggestion...