James "Dan Quayle" Harris

Like a broken record, some conservatives get stuck in a rut and can't move on.

Sixteen years ago, we saw Dan Quayle try to campaign against a TV character, Murphy Brown. He was widely ridiculed for it.

Now, in 2008, we have Milwaukee's own version of Dan Quayle, James T.:

In Superman Returns, the man of steel returns after a sabbatical to discover that Lois is a mother, and she has a son. His son...nice.

Now with the latest edition of the Indy saga, we find out our hero, the professor, the action archeologist, ran out on his pregnant girlfriend . . . left her at the altar. This time, the sidekick is his son.

Life is already messy. Why must our movie heroes reflect the culture?

Hmmm.

I guess it’s the Culture, Stupid!

No, James, it's a movie. And furhermore, look around and clean up around yourself, before getting on the soapbox on how dirty the other side of the table is.

More Cognitive Dissonance From McBride

In an ongoing case of chronic dissonance, McBride gives us another textbook example in her latest column for GMToday. She complains that the left is attacking McCain on his age and by comparing him to Bush. She then launches a tirade against Obama on serious issues like his being too charismatic. She also complains about his wanting peace and wanting to follow the people's will. That rotten thug!

I could dissect her whole column, but frankly there is just too much she got wrong, as usual.

Instead, I will focus on this tidbit:

There’s a two-pronged liberal strategy for November: Morph McCain into Bush. And talk about how McCain’s really, really old.

Well the old part I can understand. After all look at all the things that are younger than McCain. There is even an entire blog dedicated to listing all the things that are younger than McCain.

McBride, later in her column revisits this issue, with this weird paragraph:

Talking about McCain’s age just emphasizes how young and inexperienced Barack Obama is. Secondly, have you seen McCain’s mother? Third, maybe it’s just me, but John McCain doesn’t really seem that old. He seems mentally sharp and vigorous to me. He’s looked the same way for the last 15 years anyway, which probably helps.

OK, the first line would be a good argument for her to go with, but what does his mother have to do with anything? And I won't go into the validity of McBride's powers of perception, but I would point out that the pyramids pretty much look the same for the last 15 years as well.

Now for the McCain/Bush comparisons.

Well, both Bush and McCain feel it's real important to stay in Iraq, even if it's for 10,000 years. This is in spite of the fact that a vast and ever increasing majority of Americans want us out of there.

And McCain has said that he is now willing to commit to Bush's tax cuts for the rich (even though he was originally against them-can you say flip-flop? I thought you could).

Even cementing their sameness is that they both don't know what the heck their talking about a lot of the time. Who could forget Bush's "Mission Accomplished" buffoonery. Well, McCain, the self-proclaimed expert on foreign affairs, especially Iraq, doesn't even know what's going on over there, despite all of his trips.

And for your viewing pleasure, here is the sinker if there is any kind of bond between the two:

Daddy Whallah!?

From Dad29:

A late-afternoon Milwaukee RadioMouth rants about J B Van Hollen's "security guard" noises for the Republican Convention.

Gee.

Maybe he should read the newspaper during "prep time"--instead of the Racing Form.

Is McIlheran Quitting?

Or is he just referring to his marketing skills again?

Blogger Cat

Harvey Korman-RIP

Harvey Korman passed away last night. He was a great comedian, and even more so, showed the importance of laughter in one's life. Rest in peace, Mr. Korman.

A classic with Tim Conway. I love the way Harvey Korman would always crack up:



And I would be quite remiss not to point out he was also of royalty:

Another Nail In Talk Radio's TV Coffin

Almost a year ago, Channel 58 said bye-bye to Mark Belling's TV show. There was some buzz about it coming back, either on Channel 58, or on Channel 6.

Then Channel 12 was able to sign on Mike Gousha, who had a successful interview show on Channel 4. He is continuing his success, now around the state.

This morning, I noticed a commercial on Channel 58 for their return to the talk show on TV realm, with a program called "Eye to Eye". Tim Cuprisin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also has a blurb on it in today's paper:

Channel 58 starts a weekly interview show this weekend. "Eye to Eye," hosted by Paul Piaskoski, airs at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, with a repeat at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on low-power sister channel WMLW-TV (Channel 41 over the air and Channel 7 on Time Warner Cable). Also premiering is "Racine & Me" at 7 a.m. Sunday on Channel 58's new "Me-TV" sister channel - Channel 49 over the air, Channel 19 on Time Warner and digital channel 58.3.

It would be pretty apparent that Channel 58 recognizes the changing expectations of their audience, from repetitive squawking to actual conversation with news makers on relevant subjects. This does not bode well for any hopes Belling had of making a return to TV.

Now we can only hope that Channel 4 gains the same insight and loses Sykes' Incite.

Alert The Malkinistas. To The Ramparts, Go!

We have another scarf sighting and this one is so close to the seats of power that Sykes may have to go into overtime to be able to generate sufficient dudgeon. This is no cherubic donut-hawker wearing the tell-tale black and white almost keffiyeh. This is......the daughter of a Presidential candidate.

Yes, I know you're shocked. Shocked, I say. That Meghan McCain could so easily become a jihadist dupe. But, I say this is no time for lethargy. Fire up those keyboards. Engage CAPS LOCKS. Launch Assininity Missiles!

OMG! She's not wearing a flag pin, either! Run! Run away. Save yourselves!

Talk Radio Knows No Limits In Tastelessness

From Mike Plaisted, speaking about how two local right wing media members exploit the sad and tragic murder of Elizabeth Witte:

The poor woman has not even been put to rest yet, but that didn't stop them from tramping over her memory and, no doubt, increasing the suffering and grief of her family by foolishly claiming that she could have saved herself if only she was allowed to pack heat. Imagine driving around making arrangements and gathering family for the services on Saturday and having to put up with this crap on your radio. African-Americans in town have had to tolerate this nonsense for years, but this could (and should) be considered out of bounds on the North Shore. Perhaps Sykes might catch a little blow-back on his next trip to Sendik’s. We could only hope.

The NRA talking-points read by both Sykes and Weber were identical: Elizabeth Witte might be alive today if she had a gun in her purse to protect herself. The whole premise is absurd. Murderous stalkers like her sick ex-husband don’t announce themselves, wave their knives up in the air and give her time to get the gun out, much less aim and shoot. The gruesome details in the complaint show that she never had a chance, armed or unarmed. To take these horrible facts and try to make political hay out of these circumstances is an outrage. In the pursuit of their right-wing agenda, Sykes and Weber went and pissed on her grave before she even got a chance to get buried in it.

Jay Weber is an annoying, interchangeable hack, but Charlie Sykes yearns for respectability. Although, as the golden boy of the Journal Company, he can get away with anything (such as calling Al Sharpton a pimp and Hillary Clinton a witch), he also savors his TV face-time, most recently offering campaign "analysis" on straight news programs (if you can still call the continuing deterioration of Channel 4 "straight news"). You wonder if it is really worth it for him to drive political points over the dead bodies of obviously beloved tragic victims like Elizabeth Witte.

Read the whole thing here.

No Hablo Xenophobia

McIlheran writes about his concern that Miami, Florida is becoming predominantly Spanish-speaking:

But Miami is neither a place where Spanish has always been the predominant language nor is it even another country. It just feels like it, according to people the AP quotes. Nor is being a florist or cook the sort of profession one expects to have to speak Spanish for.

Nothing wrong with Spanish. I stumble along, badly, in it. Though if I'd had my druthers about what would have been my primary second language, it wouldn't have been Spanish. And while bilingualism is good, generally, it seems somehow out of order for a local culture in a major metropolis of the United States to require the use of some language other than English for mere participation in the job market, and it seems further out of order for one particular foreign language to be privileged as, de facto, the language one must learn in addition to English.

Too bad that McIlheran did not take a little time to consult his grade school history texts. He might have been reminded of Little Italy in New York City. Or even the more convincing history of Chinatown in San Francisco, in which the U.S. government passed a law which was openly prejudicial and oppressive to the Chinese. Even worse, this law was extened for over sixty years.

Yet both New York and San Francisco are strong American cities, and have not been annexed to Italy or China.

But then again, the conservatives only card lately seems to be the fear card. Especially if the fear is xenophobia.

Man Crush

Steve Jagler, the executive editor of Small Business Times, has a stalker:

We're having an editorial staff debate at SBT about whether radio talk show host Mark Belling is just a loose cannon who shoots off his mouth about things he knows little about or he is simply a pathological liar.

On Wednesday, we were alerted that Belling was calling me nasty names again and was saying that Small Business Times was trying to "censor" the local business community.

There's only one problem with that assertion. Belling accused SBT of "censoring" information that we had already reported.

Keep in mind, I have never met this man. But I'm starting to think he might have some sort of man crush or obsession with me.

You can read the rest of it here. Make sure to pay attention to how many times Jagler calls Belling a liar.

Man Crush, Part Deux

First there was this:






Now there is this:

Larry Craig must be so envious.

The Presumptive Proletariat

The Proletariat, whoever he or she is, sure is a good jumper. I base this statement on the way that he or she leaps to some wild conclusions.


Proletariat takes umbrage with this post, and responds with a post of his/her own.

What Prolie misses is that McCain did not offer to show Senator Obama what he sees in Iraq, or offers to persuade, but takes the condescending tone of wanting to "educate" Obama. By being condescending, McCain is taking the elitist position in this matter. Of course, that is probably not too hard for someone with eight houses and millions of dollars.

Prolie also seems to have missed the point that McCain doesn't know what it's like "on the ground" any more than you or I. He was well protected in an area that is strongly controlled by the U.S.

But the real kicker is this:

Capper, living in his liberal elitist glass house, sees elitism simply as an attack on education or more accurately the educated class. Education per se does not make one elitist, the whole notion of an organic intellectual is based on an non elitist educated class. It is the snobbery, disdain, and disconnect that tends to follow that makes one elitist.

First of all, of course I'm an elitist. I am a king, after all. And I do not live in a glass house, but a fine castle. And I certainly understand the importance of education and of treating people like people. After all, I am the King of the Hate Left, and not just some lockstepping conservative.

Harrumph!

McCain: Bush's Third Term

Go here to get your own bumper sticker. First one is free.

Tizzysphere Takedown- Two Points

Just in case you were wondering how a WW II veteran, a member of the Greatest Generation deals with the silliness of the right-wing blogosphere please follow the smacking hand.

The reply was quick and to the point:
Please crawl back under the rock you came out from.
Good day
Raymond Kitchell, veteran 89th Inf Div

Homeland Security: Fashion Police Division

Michelle Malkin, the national version of Jessica McBride, shows us how far some on the right will go in their selective outrage. She apparently led a successful campaign to get Dunkin Donuts to pull a commercial starring Rachel Ray, international terrorist.

You can read more about this in posts by our own grumps and our own kr.

And someone named Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (I love that name) has started a movement to let Dunkin Donuts that their a bunch of patsies for falling for this false outrage.

Unfortunately for Malkin, she is also apparently a terrorist, judging by her garb.

I just wonder when Homeland Security will go after those Canuckofacists, who have been shown wearing terrorist-like toques.

The Tolerant Right

Our very own Xoff sent a letter to the editor at the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. Surprisingly, they published it:

Withdraw from Iraq

What is it that George Bush and John McCain fear about setting a timeline and getting U.S. troops out of Iraq - that we will have blood on our hands?

We already do. Four thousand Americans dead, 30,000 more wounded. Countless thousands of lives permanently shattered. Perhaps a million Iraqis dead; we don't even try to count. Four million others forced to flee their homes.

There will be no "victory" in Iraq. Withdrawing our troops will be a victory for sanity and rational behavior and a defeat for aggression justified by lies.

Yes, we need a timeline for getting out of Iraq - and the shorter the better.

Bill Christofferson
Milwaukee

Unfortunately, Bill had a less than warm reception from some of those on the right. He tells us the story here.

But remember, it's the left that is full of hate, or so we're told.

Sykes Promotes Disobedience Among The Armed Services

In a matter related to the previous post, Sykes, as well as almost every right wing blogger in the cheddarsphere, has put up some link or another to this video.

The video shows a young woman, who served in Iraq, issuing the same challenge that McCain did. The video is sponsored by a PAC named Vets For Freedom, which is basically Swiftboaters Version 2.o.

The young lady tells of all the progress allegedly made in Iraq, which raises the question: If things are so bloody wonderful, why would there be an issue of getting our troops out of there?
And if things aren't all that good, then why are they trying to say it is. They've put themselves in their own Catch-22.

Not only that, but the young lady is identified has having been in Iraq for 16 months, but no where does it say she is out of the service. Either way, it flies in the face of the orders of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who warned service personnel not to get involved in the politicking game:

“The U.S. military must remain apolitical at all times and in all ways,” wrote the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, the nation’s highest-ranking officer. “It is and must always be a neutral instrument of the state, no matter which party holds sway.”

By promoting this video, isn't Sykes and the others exploiting this young woman, and advocating for her to disobey an order? Can we send them to Gitmo for some waterboarding, as they are against America? After all, they keep telling us it's no problem to be there or go through that. Just don't ask McSamePain. He doesn't know what he thinks on the subject.

McCain The Elitist

McSamePain has put up a challenge to Senator Obama to visit Iraq with him. McCain makes this statement in grandstanding (emphasis mine):

"I go back every few months because things are changing in Iraq," he said. McCain questioned whether Obama has ever been briefed by Petraeus. "I would also seize that opportunity to educate Senator Obama along the way."

Sounds more than a bit elitist, doesn't it?

And what would McSamePain teach Obama? How to put on a flack jacket properly and how to stay with his battalion of bodyguards? I'm sure that the soldiers in Iraq have more important things to do than babysit some grandstanding grouch:

And as far as having an sit down with General Patraeus, well, doesn't the general come to Washington to report regularly. Or if he's not available, Obama could just read the White House press releases or watch Faux News. It's really all the same thing anyway.

Charlie Expands His Horizons

Or he's just not telling us something:

To Be Damned With Faint Praise

Belling is beating his little drum for a Paul Ryan Vice-Presidency and takes the backhanded slap at the nominee-designate.

Ryan is everything McCain isn’t. ...young...loved by conservatives...a one-man idea factory...a little like Barack Obama ... offers the prospect that the next generation of leaders may be willing to tackle issues current leaders refuse to
address...a very smart guy who wouldn’t trip on the national stage...He may be only 38 years old, but he’s undeniably ready.

There's ringing endorsement of McCain for you. Ehna?

Racine Republican Party Concedes '08 Presidential Election

Honestly, they really had a poll going at Choco Fest on who should run on their ticket in 2012.

Ooo, and there was Rep. Kerkman, Rep. Vos and that guy Baake running against Sen. Wirch all there encouraging people to take the poll..........Even Drooley was there smiling away.

File this as the "the desperation is showing" or "group pathetics"? Which begs the question of "is being that stupid contagious?

Sketchy details at Kay's.

Quality Does Matter

While I was up in the northern realms of the kingdom, I took time from fighting the armor-piercing mosquitoes to watch a little telly. I thought I was back in Milwaukee for a moment, when I saw a Wausau TV station (Channel 9-WAOW-TV) advertise the show Up Front with Mike Gousha.

There was no hint of anyone wanting to air Sykes' Incite.

I guess it goes to show that quality does matter.

National James T. Harris Appreciation Day

I apparently missed this over the weekend, but given the success of the National Patrick McIlheran Appreciation Day, it is only logical that this would be followed up with a National James T. Harris Appreciation Day.

The tributes start rolling in with this piece by Mike Plaisted:

Substance-wise, Harris seldom strays from the mundane wing-nut orthodox talking-points left behind by others. When he adds his wacked-out personal touch, he often uses his (he thinks) protected status as a black man to spin racist tripe about Barack Obama. He calls Obama "the Chocolate Jesus", something no one else could get away with. Like other African-American conservatives anointed by his white benefactors, he has the right-wing blame-the-victim thing down-pat, blaming his less fortunate (i.e.: less accomodating, less corporate-sponsored) brothers and sisters in the city for the legacy of slavery, the long history of someone else’s racism, their systemic poverty and uncomfortable underclass behavior.

The Pundit Nation comes out with the point that one of Harris' favorite topics is "white guilt," and adds that feeling guilt is not always a bad thing. Illy-T follows this up with pointing out that a group of "white apologists" that Harris was complaining about, weren't really all that white, with a number of blacks in the group.

Mike Mathias and Illy-T again team up for a one-two punch about one of Harris' "illogical and vapid" posts on whether or not Jesus would have been an American soldier.

How does Harris' handle all this? Well, in the usual, typical mature fashion of any member of the local right wing media. He starts calling people names.

Sykes Finally Gets It

He finally named a post appropriately, when he discusses Scott Walker's plans for public transit.

Just A Day In The Life Of Sykes

Sykes explains the daily routine of being part of local right wing talk radio:

Fact And Fiction

First the fiction, from Charlie...

...in which he complains about affirmative action.

The reality is, even conservatives benefit from affirmative action, as illustrated by the old man Other Side.

What Was His Position In 2004?

Another friend of the Royal Court alerted me to a post by Christian Schneider at WPRI (who apparently was on Sykes Incite this past weekend), in which he takes umbrage with the Democratic Party pointing out John McSamePain's lack of effort and not voting on a bill to expand benefits to veterans. Schneider grumbles:

With Memorial Day approaching, I happened to catch this press release issued on Friday by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Its title:"John McCain Doesn't Support Wisconsin Troops and Veterans."

Honest to God - how dare they. Let me repeat - HOW DARE THEY.

When Rachel Strauch-Nelson (the contact person on the release) spends six years being beaten to within an inch of her life by the Vietnamese, then she may be qualified to even use the words "John McCain" in a press release. I understand that Barack Obama himself made this a talking point, but even he should be embarrassed about this ridiculous attack. It's even more embarrassing when it's made by a bunch of political hacks barely out of college.

Now, Schneider wasn't blogging in 2004, neither under his real name, nor his alias. But I can't help but agree with the reader when he (or she) wonders if Schneider shared the same disdain when Karl Rove and his cronies did their swiftboat slanders on John Kerry and his honorable service in the same war.

Somehow, I don't think he was calling for the same regard for Kerry that he is demanding for McSamePain.

ADDENDUM: For a detailed look at the vote, and the embarassment of Wisconsin by Sensenbrenner and Ryan, I would refer the reader to Clyde Winter's piece on the subject.

They Had Talk Radio And Republicans In Ancient Rome?

Whodathunkit?

(Warning: Adult language!)

Eating His Way To Freedom

This was pointed out to me from a faithful ally of the Royal Court. It is too funny:

Last weekend Barack Obama once again revealed his anti-Americanism when he told a crowd, "We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees all the time, whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra, and then just expect every other country is going to say OK." Hey, maybe Barack can speak for the Muslims who won't eat as much as they want. But Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Patrick McIlheran is sick of you arugula-scarfing elites telling him and his family what to eat. And his trip to some Jewish restaurant in New York proves he's right, somehow!

The best part? It's not even a local blogger who wrote it. The National Patrick McIlheran Appreciation Day has truly gone national!

You can read the rest of the post here. Also read through the comments. Apparently, the native New Yorkers are too impressed with McIlheran's enthusiasm. Two of my favorites:

(yawn) call me when this dude chokes down 50 McRib sammiches for freedom.

and

"So, we figured, if we're overpaying for dinner, why not do it for something we can't get at home? We marched the kids into a kosher restaurant. And indeed, the prices looked high."

um, after a simple google search, I came up with multiple kosher restaurants in the Milwaukee metro area, not including "kosher-style" delis.

conclusion: Patrick McIlheran is an anti-Milwaukeesemite

You gotta love it. New York Style Whallah!

Would You Like That With A Straw?

We had mocked Fischer's poor choice of words for a recent post and tying it in with a survey of restaurants.

James Rowen, being the scholar that he is, goes farther and tries to explain the reality of life to Fischer:

Kevin Fischer, inveterate righty blogger and staff aide to State Sen. Mary Lazich, (R-New Berlin) is atwitter about what he calls "preposterous," and "horrible," and icky" (now there's maturity, for ya) plans to use state-of-the-art water purification techniques to create potable water from waste water in parts of the county facing water shortages.

Isn't it an act of faith among conservatives that technology will bail us out of severe ecological difficulties, so why would people like Fischer get all upset and squeamish when advantageous technology gratefully comes along?

And Kevin: Though the technology is improving, the concept is hardly new.

You can read the rest of it here.

Stay tuned next week when Fischer learns that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy.

Baseball, E-Bay, and Other American Pastimes

This might not make sense unless you check out this which, of course, refers to this Minnesota attraction which some people wish you'd forget but others seem hell-bent on reminding you of.

What kind of a sad-sack curmudgeon could possibly object to having a little fun at the ballpark?

All Gave Some, Some Gave All

Before you fire up the grill, before you stuff your face with brats, burgers and potato salad, before you enjoy your day off, please take some time to think about those who gave us their all so that we could have that brat or burger or whatever you do today, and everyday.



Happy Memorial Day.

Gone Camping

Hopefully grumps, Xoff and the others will keep you entertained, while I'm gone. Now I gotta hitch up my pop-up castle to the Royal Chariot.




(It's surprising how it really drags the mileage down. And it's the small-sized one, to boot.)

A New Category Label For Kevin?

Most writers bemaon the fact that they can't write their own headlines. Here's a blogger who can and does.

Kevin goes for a little Truth In Headlines.

You Mean Lawrence Welk Is Not A Rock Star?

A guy with rocks in his head takes on what he calls a "rock star".

Brawler comes out of his hiatus for a moment to tell us that the rock star won.

Giving Credit Where It's Due, I Guess

Take a look at this screenshot from the Wisconsin Club For Growth website. WCFG is one of those AstroTurf organizations that keeps the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee in business.




Take a good close look. I'll wait.




Up there in the top left you can see what these Very Serious People think of those that they've elected to represent them in the Lege. Pigs For Rent. That's the level of discourse they've chosen.

Why would any politician, well except for Tom Reynolds, take more than a moment or two to dismiss CFG for the group of petulant children it acts like? Is Scott Walker so starved for attention and affection that he has to give this bunch anything more than a quick brushoff? Let's take a look.

Wisconsin Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity invite you to an old
fashioned taxpayer rally featuring The Honorable Newt Gingrich, Former
Speaker of the House of Representatives & Milwaukee County Executive Scott
Walker as Master of Ceremonies

By golly, he would sink that low. And he dragged the Newt along for ballast to hold him down in that lowly wallowing-pit of self pity. Politicians so desperate for attention that they'll belly up to a cash bar on the worn carpet of the Grand Ballroom of the CSH.

My goodness, the term "Statesman" won't be applied to these hacks anytime soon. Will it.

Do you suppose that Walker is eager to add "Pig For Rent" to his next campaign poster?

What next? Jim Doyle for Rogaine?

I posted this on Uppity Wisconsin, but it occurs to me it might be a better fit with the Whallah crew, for obvious reasons. (You are perverse enough, perhaps, to appreciate it.) Please have at it:

So Brett Favre is a spokesman for Remington, to tell us that shooting is a lot of fun.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke is a spokesman for Valvoline, telling us to be careful out there, or something.

Where does it end?

We've already seen Bob Dole pitching Viagra.

John McCain for Poligrip?

Alberta Darling for Botox?

Jim Sensenbrenner for FrequentFlyer.com?

Charlie Sykes for Suave Max Hold?

Roger Breske for Budweiser?

Hillary Clinton for Testarol?

Nominations welcome. The meaner the better, obviously.

On Playing The Race Card Poorly And Expelling A Posterior Breeze.

Frau Bucher doesn't write as much as she once did so it's always a gift when she does grace us with the thin gruel of her political analysis. Last week's column for GMToday is hardly a gem but we'll have to make do.

She rambles about Senator Obama's campaign and how it should transcend race and maybe it does but somebody else's doesn't and these people aren't racist and those people...

It goes on. Oh Lord. It goes on.

I just want to make a comment about a mangled Shakespearean reference she makes at the very beginning of her saunter.

The Democratic Party has been hoisted on its own identity politics petard. The party that defines people and issues by race (affirmative action etc.) is predictably hung up over race even in a contest involving a candidate whose entire campaign shtick is convincing us he’s transcended race.

If they were consistent, Democrats would just give Barack Obama the nod as an affirmative action pick.

Jess makes a common mistake. (Well, she makes several, including the fact that GOP commenters and the pundit class seem far more focused on race than the run-of-the-mill Democratic voter. But, I digress.) In fact, the "petard" reference has been misused so often that one can hardly blame her for thinking that she got one right without putting much effort into fact-checking.

If it wasn’t for its appearance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “For ‘tis the sport to have the enginer / Hoist with his owne petar” and its fossil survival in the rather more modern spelling to be hoist with one’s own petard, this term of warfare would have gone the way of the halberd, brattice and culverin.

A petard was a bell-shaped metal grenade typically filled with five or six pounds of gunpowder and set off by a fuse. Sappers dug a tunnel or covered trench up to a building and fixed the device to a door, barricade, drawbridge or the like to break it open. The bomb was held in place with a heavy beam called a madrier.

Unfortunately, the devices were unreliable and often went off unexpectedly. Hence the expression, where hoist meant to be lifted up, an understated description of the result of being blown up by your own bomb.

Now, Jess should know about having one's own weapon blowing up in one's face. Goodness know, it happens to her often enough. But what, you ask, does a petard sound like as it explodes at the end of a tunnel?

The name of the device came from the Latin petar, to break wind, perhaps a sarcastic comment about the thin noise of a muffled explosion at the far end of an excavation.

So, one can say, Ms. Jessica is making a fart funny in her column this week. I wonder if she knows.

Best Wishes For Ted Kennedy And Family

Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I have seen too many loved ones that suffered from cancer and feel sympathy not only for Senator Kennedy, but for his family as well.

Unfortunately, when things like this happen, there are some that cannot get past their hatred, and have to kick a person when their done. Jay Bullock at folkbum points out a couple of examples of people's vitriol. Here is another. To be fair though, it should be emphasized that both Patrick Dorwin and Dad29 did put up respectful posts, as did my friend Bill.

Talk radio again shows itself to be full of classless idiots, as evidenced by Michael Savage, which is proudly aired by WTMJ-620 AM.

Politics can be a dirty business, but there should be limits for everyone on how far they will go.

Now Why Could That Be?

Last weekend, Fischer put up a post that pointed out that Stevens Point was listed as one of the top ten cities in the entire country, according to Relocate America.

What he doesn't tell the reader is that Stevens Point is also a very liberal town. Gee, think there might be a correlation there?

Sykes Writes...

...a self-explanatory post.

A Post Done In Poor Taste

Fischer starts out with this post with a less than appealing title:

But did he really need to finish the post with this?

VOTE IN THE 2008 BEST IN FRANKLIN-AREA DINING SURVEY

Even Charlie's Proofreader Is Mailing It In

When the only thing that's original is the headline shouldn't it be easy to make sure that's right?

Maybe he should spend a little less time telling teachers about their mistakes.

Watchdog Whallah!

Over at Watchdog Milwaukee, Janice M. Eisen writes, in its entirety:

That was quite a bold stand Patrick McIlheran took in Sunday’s Journal Sentinel, disapproving of the Sheboygan mother who got drunk and shot her 8-year-old with a BB gun on a bet from her boyfriend. Seriously, who in the world is defending this woman? The Dirtbag Mothers of America?

It’s not as if McIlheran was making any political points (though I suppose it’s possible to read into his “Quick Hit” a general criticism of single mothers). He didn’t even blame the government!

Not that many people get to use the Journal Sentinel editorial page as their pulpit. Is it too much to ask that those who have that privilege actually have something to say?

Ouch! That had to leave a mark.

Whallah! Line Of The Day

The Whallah! line of the day is brought to you by Kay's Blue Racine:

Oooo, I can register voters statewide now! A little two hour class, a pledge and voila (hey, I'm no McBride) I'm a Special Registration Deputy! It actually is pretty cool.

A Pictograph Of Trickle Down Economics

And another reason not to vote for McCain.

Why Not Wally World?

Last week, I pointed out that McIlheran had a hard time understanding why people might not want a Wal-Mart invading their city or town. This is, of course, despite the fact that many towns and cities around the state and the country have fought off a Wal-Mart coming to their area, or that there is a plethora of sites listing why people might not want to tarnish their communities.

Locally, two bloggers raise the argument.

Greg Kowalski, at his site, Metro Milwaukee Development News, offers why Mayor McCue was correct in taking a strong stand, despite some blowhards threatening a recall. I can see it now. "We want to recall Mayor Ryan McCue because he has high expectations for our city, and we just can't have any of that!"

John Michlig, at Sprawled Out, presents the latest in a series of posts on why Wally World is a less than ideal corporate citizen. This time, he highlights how Wal-Mart actually is a burden to taxpayers, not just in Wisconsin, but in many states, due to their trying to get by on the cheap.

Pride In Prejudice

Sykes, Belling and others on the right have commented about the California Supreme Court's ruling finding the ban on same sex marriage to be unconstitutional. A good take on the meaning of the ruling is found here:

In a 4-3 120-page ruling issue, the justices wrote that "responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation."

"We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples," Chief Justice Ronald George wrote for the majority.

Sykes and the others take comfort in the fact that Wisconsin passed a constitutional amendment two years ago making this illegal. They rationalize their comfort with blatherings about "activist judges".

But considering this country's long struggle in trying to bring equal rights to African Americans and to women, and also considering the Declaration of Independence , which reads:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

it would seem to me that it is more shameful to embrace a position that is so prejudicial, that the only way to enforce it would be by tainting the Constitution, be it of a single state of the United States. But honest introspection from these people is probably asking too much.

For other good reads on the matter, I would refer the gentle reader to the Bubbly Barrister, who writes, in part:

And that's why Milwaukee medium-wave think tanker Charlie Sykes wants you to replace all judges committed to equal protection under the law with reliable GOP cronies and underachieving rubber stamps.

As if conservatives never go running to the courts to try and invalidate legislation they don't like. Mitch McConnell filed for an injunction against McCain-Feingold before the ink was even dry.

And the Blue Knight, Sir Zachary, presents us with his perspective, along with an interesting article that highlights the hypocrisy of those who hold to the strict religious reasonings for such prejudice.

Sykes Doesn't Like Girls

Well, if he does, why would he want to hurt them?

Although, usually his writing hurts most people.

O'Reilly Meltdown: An Act In Three Parts

Zachary of Blogging Blue brings us the original meltdown of Bill O'Reilly (WARNING: Adult Language):




This is followed by David Casper, who shows us the behind the scenes view:



And for your listening pleasure, Mike Mathias gives us "Bill O'Reilly: The Meltdown, the Musical":

Another Correction (Vegetarian Edition)

Roper Polls in 1994 and 1997 are the source.

The number of people not eating meat and being vegetarian is highest in the
West.

Okay. We'd expect that.

Race doesn't make a big difference.

A minor surprise, but hardly a shocker.

About 6% of females don't eat meat while only 4% of males abstain.

That explains why it was so hard to find a restaurant back when I was still dating.

Five percent of Republicans aren't red blooded meat-eating Americans while
4% of Democrats don't eat the stuff. Opposite of what you might expect. However,
because of the low percentages, the numbers are really about the same.

Well there you go. Percentagewise, Republicans are 20% more likely to be vegetarians than are Democrats. And yet, some folks are quick to call vegetarianism a "liberal" idea. They should be more careful before they speak.

Belling: Even Columns Like Mine Are Essentially Pointless.

That's not me saying it, that's Belling's own words.

He writes another post at GMToday, flirting with the line between subtle and blatant racism, as he bemoans the altruistic gift of Joseph Zilber. Mr. Zilber has pledged $50 million dollars of his own money to help improve Milwaukee's poorest neighborhoods.

But I won't go on about this. I will simply refer the gentle reader to two wiser men, who are also much better authors than I.

James Rowen has a succinct post expressing his agreement that Belling's comments are essentially pointless.

Paul Soglin gives us a more in-depth review, along with this line:

Belling has a Milwaukee view, or perhaps a world view that makes him incapable of understanding the problems of poverty and crime and how to fix them.

Indeed. Maybe Belling thinks the money could be better spent on a bobblehead.

Owen's Next Challenge

Owen Robinson, of Boots & Sabers, took the second biggest plunge of his life last weekend.

Now, I offer a new challenge to him:




That is if Wendy let's him. :)

And Make Sure It's A Good Thing For A Change

Advice from Sykes:

Note: The Context Is Important To Consider

Yesterday, I mentioned the fool in Georgia who is selling racist t-shirts with Senator Obama's name below a picture of Curious George.

Today, in his only posting, McIlheran also discusses it. He correctly points out how inappropriate it is. But then he goes and compares this blatantly racist piece of trash to people comparing Bush to a monkey. He deems them to be equally bad, both in his post, and repeatedly throughout the comments section.

Excuse my language, but that is utter bullshit.

There is a big difference between the two, and that is the context and the spirit in which each one is presented. The Obama shirt is based on an age-old prejudicial attitude that would compare African-Americans to monkeys, in an effort to make them seem less than human. The comparisons of Bush to a monkey is based not on race, but demeanor, decision-making skills, and general behavior.

In other words, the insult to Obama is based on his heritage, his race and his skin color. The insult to Bush is based on Bush is based on himself, and his actions.

For McIlheran to try to make the two comparable is beyond the pale and is unacceptable. It is the height of intellectual dishonesty and shows poorly on him.

Just as egregious is his attitude that "Well, the left started it." But what can one expect from a man who would not only defend, but actually compliment and praise another blogger who compares Mexicans to "chattering chihuahuas", makes ethnic jokes, and insults a major religion on a regular basis?

On this issue, you should read the takes by Dan Cody and our own Zachary.

The thing that concerns me is that James T. Harris is correct in one aspect of his post on this subject: We ain't seen nothing yet.

Absolutely Unfair

But it's like eating puffcorn. I just can't stop.

The Beat Keeps On

John Hagee has apologized to the Catholics for his anti-Catholic remarks. There is no word if this was due to a crusade or not. Either way, there are some on the right who feel that this takes the wind out of the pro-Obama camp, and that they will have to find a new talking point.

Not really.

Hagee's anti-Catholic remarks was just the tip of the iceberg for him. He has a whole slew of hits, including:

"Your daughter can get an abortion in public school without telling you but she
can't get an aspirin without your approval."

He also feels that Harry Potter is a precursor to witchcraft. Last time I checked, the Mathiases and friends haven't turned anyone into a toad, but if they can, I have a few suggestions for them.
And if Hagee is too boring for you, there is always another McCain supporter, the televangelist Rod Parsley, who brings in his own bit of foolishness to the McCain campaign:




H/T to BM

Stay Classy There, Rush

Today, Rush into Limbo had a good belly laugh when a caller to his radio show said that his daughter said that she thought Senator Barack Obama looked like Curious George. Later, Rush did apologize, sort of, claiming not to know who Curious George is.

Rush probably was thinking of the guy who provides his pharmaceuticals.

They're also staying classy in Cobb County, where some clown is selling rather offensive t-shirts.

But to his defense, the joker is an equal opportunity bigot, and proudly boasts of signs he has put up in front of his bar:

Well, until Norman got himself a giant message board in front of his bar, anyway. His past messages include: "I wish Hillary had married OJ," "No habla espanol—and never will," and the classic "I.N.S. Agents eat free."

Yup, them Obama detractors sure do present a well-articulated line of reasoning. Perhaps that is why they need to do a study on their train of thought. Of course, that concern is just too deep for McIlheran to follow.

ADDENDUM: The Brawler emerges from his hiatus long enough to point out that Wisconsin has its own group of class acts as well.

ADDENDUM, PART II: The Mad Mav also has another example of the depressing state of racism in our great country.

What Better Way?

I can't think of any better way to celebrate this, Whallah's 1,000th post, than with a screencap:

It explains why the economy is in such a tailspin.

Condolences...

Our sympathies and well wishes go out to Rick Esenberg and his family. Mr. Esenberg recently lost his mother.

...And Concerns

Best wishes to our own Other Side, who is still having issues with his tricky ticker.

Um, OS, if you don't get that thing to behave, Bill and I will have to just go ahead and duct tape a battery charger to your chest to keep that thing going correctly.

No Caption Needed

McIlheran: I Want My Wally World

McIlheran, along with Sykes and some other right wing bloggers have themselves all in a snit because Ryan McCue, the mayor of Cudahy, was the deciding vote against a Wally World being built in Cuday.

Well, they just won't have that. They know what's best for Cudahy, even if some of them don't live there, and wouldn't be caught dead there.

But as even McIlheran points out, McCue ran on a platform that included his stance against Wally World:

From which his citizens can infer that the mayor simply has no good, articulable reason to not want Wal-Mart in town. He had previously said when running for mayor that he was against Wal-Mart, that Cudahy has an image problem and that Wal-Mart would worsen it. Which is nonsense: Most Wal-Mart supercenters around here are in more upscale places than Cudahy.

(Talk about an elitist attitude. Either he is a liberal in disguise, or that whole "liberal elitist" is a bunch of hooey.)

Did it ever occur to these people that since McCue ran on a platform that said no to Wally World, and the people of Cudahy voted him into office knowing this, that they could be OK with the idea that there wouldn't be this plight on their fair city? Or do they have a problem with people getting what they want and not getting what they don't want?

A Tale Of Two Bloggers

Over the weekend, the Journal Sentinel finally noticed that there is some issues with the name of Boomgaard for South 27th St., where it runs through Oak Creek and Franklin. Greg Kowalski, aka the Green Knight, has been pouring his heart and soul into this fiasco of a name, and how it was chosen. Kowalski was cited in the article:

"I find it hard to believe that the chair of the committee is Dutch and the name just turns out to be Dutch," said blogger and Franklin Environmental Commission member Greg Kowalski, who thinks the cities didn't do enough to elicit public input and that the name can be too easily lampooned by substituting a letter or two.

"A lot of people didn't know this was being discussed until it was announced," Kowalski said.

I think the young man represented himself well in this article.

Meanwhile, Fischer, also a Franklin resident, has been mocking Kowalski at every turn, and apparently thinks that Kowalski and the great number of Franklin and Oak Creek residents who are unhappy with this name, should just shut up.

Of course, we've already talked about the attention that Fischer has received from the media, when he was covered in Milwaukee Magazine twice, once for his sophomoric behavior, and once for his questionable time management.

I'd have to say that the winner of this joust would be the Green Knight.

McIlheran: Blogging From Egypt

Well, he must be in Egypt, since he is in denial. In a post from today, he tries to put Ed Garvey down for calling Scott Walker out on his poor execution of his duties as County Executive:

About which it's profitable to deconstruct. Sell county parks? Well, no, unless you think letting people buy coffee at Red Arrow is a sale or that contemplating disposing of never-used and now surplus land in Franklin is simply unthinkable. Cut social services? The guy has been a prime mover in providing some kind of improved housing for the mentally ill. Close swimming pools for kids? Well, no -- he proposed replacing cracked, underused wading pools with waterpark-like splash pads.

Oh, really now, Patrick? Not sell county parks? Well, I'll give you that one. Walker does want to sell off a lot of county land, but not the parks. The parks he wants to privatize to campaign donors.

And on to mental health...Yes, Walker has finally agreed to get some new housing for the mentally ill. One thing that McIlheran conveniently forgets to mention is that this comes from an almost year long expose, by his own paper, on how Walker had first abandoned the mentally ill. He also forgot to mention that Walker's poor decision making led to a crisis at the mental health complex as well, and one that he wants to make worse.

And the pools. McIlheran must have forgotten this story, again from his own newspaper, in which Walker wanted to close all but four parks. Not quite the way that McIlheran tries to spin it.

So why would McIlheran be spinning out of control like this? Well, it could just be that he is a tad put off himself, when Garvey wrote this:

Democracy is under assault. Businesses often insist that parties agree to use private arbitrators rather than a court of law; Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce wants to buy the courts; special interests nominate and fund corrupt candidates for office; and the Bradley Foundation, Charlie Sykes and GMC folks think they can operate the airports, highways, museums and schools better than those do-good civil servants.

Enough of doomsday nonsense. It is time for our governments at all levels to get together to find real solutions to huge problems. We can solve our fiscal problems if we arrive at the table in good faith and with a commitment to serve the commonwealth -- not just private wealth.

Ending government is not the answer. Electing good people to office with public campaign funding makes more sense.

Something For Everyone

This should actually unite the right, the left and the libertarians in one fell swoop:

Kevin Barrett, the former University of Wisconsin-Madison instructor on Islam whose views on the September 2001 terrorists attacks on America created a firestorm of controversy, plans to run as a Libertarian candidate for Wisconsin's 3rd District seat in the U.S. House.

Barrett, of Lone Rock, created a national controversy in 2006 by saying that some U.S. government officials orchestrated the 2001 attacks. He has set up an Internet campaign site.

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) was elected to the 3rd District seat in Congress in 1996.

The right hate him, the left scoff at him, and I'm sure the libertarians don't want him identifying himself with them.

Heck, this might even be enough to bring McBride out of her hiatus.

Another Whallah Sighting!

It's catching on everywhere. Fox Head is trying to explain why my 104-year-old Grandmother should be willing to spend "just a few hours" to get a new ID so she can vote when it happens.

See if you can find it.

An id is not that hard to obtain, it requires a simple trip to your local
DMV office, fill out an application, and pay a small fee. And Walla, you have an id. I just cannot see how anyone can be
disenfranchised by that event. How anyone would have a problem with obtaining a little piece of plastic with your picture and name and address.

Now I hope that he's talking about getting an ID so you can vote and not getting an id so you can, well, you know. That would be just a little icky at the polling place.




Editor's note: "Walla, you have an id," just might be my new favorite phrase.

A Hard Pill To Swallow

I thought I was kidding when I posted this earlier in the year. But a tip from DairyStateMom makes me think I was closer to the truth than I thought.

She points out to me to feministing.com, which tells of a new campaign to be launched this June 7th by the American Life League, along with Pro-Life Wisconsin and Pharmacists for Life International Associate groups. This campaign is not to just ban Plan B, but to ban all birth control medication.

They apparently believe that preventing a child is the same as killing the child. Next they will be going after condoms.

And it's not just for single people either. They don't want married people to have the option of how many kids they want or can support, or if they want to have some space between children. Nope, you gotta keep popping 'em out.

Among some of their favorite targets is also Planned Parenthood. Can't have any of that educating going on now, can we?

But if the goals of total control of your life by these people gets you upset, Cristina Page shows us a happier way to look at it:

And before you despair that your right to privacy is being lost, take comfort in the knowledge that once we all finally live in a country where ideology is valued over evidence and our government is run by and for those who subscribe, or succumb, to the exciting agenda of these groups...privacy will no longer be needed. Your point of view and way of life will, conveniently, be decided for you. So what are you waiting for?! Sign up now!

On a side note, I think the Perfessor would approve of this group, or at least feel some simpatico for them.

I Was Wrong About The Right Being Wrong About Wright

In fact, if one can believe Newt Gingrich, I would encourage Sykes, McIlheran, and the rest of the local right wing media to keep up their anti-Wright, anti-Obama and anti-Hillary rants. Gingrich writes:

The Anti-Obama, Anti-Wright, and Anti-Clinton GOP Model Has Been Tested -- And It Failed

The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti- Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail.

This model has already been tested with disastrous results.

In 2006, there were six incumbent Republican Senators who had plenty of money, the advantage of incumbency, and traditionally successful consultants.

But the voters in all six states had adopted a simple position: "Not you." No matter what the GOP Senators attacked their opponents with, the voters shrugged off the attacks and returned to, "Not you."

The danger for House and Senate Republicans in 2008 is that the voters will say, "Not the Republicans."

Nothing To See Here, Folks, Just Move Along

Charlie says no one had their votes supressed in Indiana, despite their Voter ID law.

Grumps shows us a newlywed woman, some college kids and a dozen nuns who must be nobodies.

Jay Weber's First Whallah!

And it didn't even come from Whallah! Go figure.

Anywho, Dan Cody has an open letter to Jay Weber, morning guy at WISN, with this observation:

Isn’t it funny that just this morning local right-wing radio talk show hosts were still trying to drum up outrage about Barack Obama not wearing a flag pin while completely ignoring the fact that their own candidate hasn’t worn one either for the last several weeks?

The Selective Outrage Express rolls on.

And while on the subject, Zach has more on this observation of McCain's lack of patriotism.

Why does the right wingers hate America so much? Maybe it's because they don't like their own lapel pin?

Why The Right Is Wrong About Wright

Sykes and McIlheran and others in the echo chamber continuously try to make the point that the Reverend Wright is a millstone around Senator Barack Obama's neck. Their talking point consists of trying to say that Obama attended this church for twenty years, was wedded by Wright, and stated that he saw him as a father figure.

They laughingly try to argue that the bigoted Hagee's endorsement is different somehow, even though McCain actually sought out the endorsement of this fool, who rants even include anti-Catholicism. (Can we expect McAdams to mount his charger and lead a crusade against McCain anytime soon?)

But the right wing media's main talking point, the part of Obama belonging to this church for so long must show that he's racist, is easily disproved. And all it takes is a look at the right.

After all, Sykes, McIlheran and their acolytes all claim to be good Christians, many of them Catholic. So that would mean, one can suppose, that they go to various churches of their choice, and own Bibles, and that this has been going on for a rather long time as well.

Yet, they apparently haven't grasped the lessons they should have learned in church. They don't pay head to the seven deadly sins, especially lust, greed, wrath, envy, and pride.

And sheesh, if that wasn't bad enough there's the ten commandments. Here too, they have problems. They habitually break the first one by worshipping money. They also seem to have problems with bearing false witness, as they're always spinning to the point of lying.

And, I would be completely be remiss if I failed to mention the big A.

So if Sykes, McIlheran, and the others, after all this time, haven't been able to internalize the basics of Christian teaching, why would it be impossible for Obama not to be able to disagree on some points with Reverend Wright?

As A Wise Man Said...

If McAdams wants to give some credence to his ongoing crusades of being offended, perhaps he should lose what some may consider to be the racist name of his blog.

New And Improved

Fischer is putting a disclaimer on his blog now.

Update on L'Affaire D'American TV

Here is a round up of this morning's inputs on yesterday's hypocrisy storm:

folkbum's shows another example of the double speak that comes from the right.

Dan Cody points out it's just another silly day for the tens of extremist right wing bloggers.

Here's an overdue acknowledgement of Mike Plaisted's work. (Sorry, Mike.)

The Illy One has an open letter to Wyn Becker at American TV.

And grumps has found the secret logo of the Perpetually Officially Offended Right (POOR):

Good Advice From Fischer

I know I do this every single time:

Hypocrisy And Selective Outrage--They're Not Just For Talk Radio Anymore

This past weekend Illy-T noted that John McAdams was getting his selective outrage on. Why? Because WKLH, the Shepherd Express and American TV had the audacity to sponsor a show with Bill Maher. Apparently McAdams felt this was terrible, because Maher cracked a few jokes at the expense of Catholics, or something.

Sykes picked up on that, and our own kr picked up on Sykes.

Today, there was a firestorm put up. On one side, their was McAdams, Sykes, Belling and several others, putting up such a stink that American responded, rather politely. Unsatisfied, and smelling blood, they kept up their assault until American acquiesced and pulled their sponsorship.

Fair enough. Freedom of speech is protected under the Constitution.

But that wasn't the end of it, really. McAdams, apparently feeling more ornery than usual, decided to take umbrage with this post of mine. He feels that it is OK for him to show his disapproval of an event, but that the left is not allowed the same privilege.

To make his arguments even more ridiculous, McAdams, who claims to be offended by Maher's anti-Catholic jokes, proudly links to those who readily insult Islam, women, homosexuals, Mexicans and people who want to give peace a chance.

Others have caught this grand act of hypocrisy:

Illy-T has been tracking it here, here, here and here.

Jay Bullock has also noted the selective outrage and the hypocrisy.

Other Side cuts to the chase, and notes their shamelessness.

But we are not helpless, my friends. If you feel that enough is enough, there are a couple of things we can do.

One is to show your support for Bill Maher. You can do so by simply going to this site and leaving a message expressing your outrage over the way the right wants to trample his rights.

You can also call American TV at (608) 271 1000 or email them through this site, and let them know that you're disappointed that they gave into a handful of vainglorious hypocrites.

SIDENOTE: Ironically, I received an email from my self-described neocon father. The email contained an old joke involving Forrest Gump entering heaven. He received this joke from someone in his church. At the end of the email was this:

Give me a sense of humor, Lord.
Give me the ability to understand a clean joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And to pass it on to other folks.

This is something that McAdams, Sykes, and the rest of the perpetually offended right wingers should add to their daily prayers.

Whallah! Fever! It's Catching!

Grumps pointed out a fun little piece from Done (I thought it was Don) Pridemore. But I just had to include part of Pridemore's editorial:

Jessica, you have based your rant on press releases and sound bites that are at least two weeks old rather than practicing some real journalism and calling me firsthand about the things I have changed. That’s how the process works.

You may want to include in your pillow talk with Paul a question on the e-mails he sends out. I have a dandy one he sent me if you’d like to read it. The last line reads, “You need real competition in the fall. Let’s see if we can arrange that.” How would you interpret that? Is Paul still upset I endorsed J.B. Van Hollen for attorney general over him? Paul never even asked for my endorsement.

I’m hoping both of you realize you are not helping yourselves or the causes you claim to care about. I’d be happy to sit down with both of you to discuss your concerns. I’ll buy the coffee. I suggest decaf.

Who knew so many people would want to Whallah!? I'm thinking I'll have to take this thing national.

A Mercy Bid

Someone (Belling?) came in at the 11th hour and saved Belling from humiliation with a last minute bid to buy the bobblehead (the doll, not the real Bobbleheaded Belling).

But never fear. If you missed out on your chance for this wonderful prize, there is even a greater one in store for you.

The Mark Belling Dartboard: