Question

Does it make me enlightened or a homophobe because I couldn't give a rat's ass that Ken Mehlmen is gay?

Church v. Strippers

An interesting story:

The strippers, fueled by Cheetos and nicotine, are protesting a fundamentalist Christian church whose Bible-brandishing congregants have picketed the club where they work. The dancers roll up with signs carrying messages adapted from Scripture, such as "Do unto others as you would have done unto you," to counter church members who for four years have photographed license plates of patrons and asked them if their mothers and wives know their whereabouts.

There is a "He is risen. He is risen indeed" joke in here somewhere, but I'm too damn classy to make it.

Plants Scream

What will vegans do now?!

Call Me Karnak

I'd just like to point out that on June 24th I predicted the next food we'd be in attack mood mode on would be eggs.

Barber Shop Politics

I loathe talking politics in a barber shop. The second of my three life long barbers had a cartoon up in his shop that warned against it lest you find yourself with a horrific hair cut. Having said that, there is nothing I love more than listening to politics in a barber shop, and here's what I learned during my most recent hair cut:

1. Mr. Average, unaffiliated voter is sharper than I'd have given him credit for, but he still doesn't know how he'll vote on election day.

2. In Wisconsin, the accusations that Gubernatorial candidate Tom Barret has done nothing to fix MMSD despite his mayoral campaign promises has gained traction. Examples of promises with no action does not play well this election cycle.

3. People in certain parts of the state know businessman and Gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann ... for building "crummy houses."

4. Candidates cannot run on the spirit of '94. Voters are wise to the fact that getting an elective body to agree to things like term limits is a pipe dream.

5. Obama is still poisonous politically.

Oh, and one more:

6. Much like voters are wise to the dubious spirit of '94, they are also wise to the homespun candidacy of Russ Feingold.

Deregulate the Hit By Pitch!

It never fails. Every summer, the bean ball becomes the talk of the nation. Some will argue that the league should do more to punish and prevent pitchers from hitting batters. Others will argue that pitcher has a right to the inside corner of the plate, and that they have the right to move hitters who crowd the plate off of it. Finally, there is a solution: Deregulate the Hit By Pitch!

Here's how it will work. First, Major League Baseball will ammend one of the most basic rules of the game. When a batter gets hit by a pitch, they will no longer be awarded first base. Instead, the pitch will be called a ball and the ball will remain live, meaning that runners may advance at their own will/peril if a pitch that hits a batter gets by the catcher. Pitchers may not be thrown out of a game for hitting a batter.

This is only half of the deregulation, however. After being beaned, a hitter may charge the mound without being thrown out of the game as long as he does not bring any weapons with him (ie, the bat). Teammates may not join the mano-y-mano duel, however, or they will risk being thrown out of the game and/or suspended. Strategically, however, this does not mean that a hitter can charge the mound with impunity. Leaving the batting area will result in a dead ball that will prevent runners from advancing.

Other current rules will remain in place. A hitter must make some attempt to avoid being hit, or at least not actively attempt to be hit, by a pitch. Any pitch that hits a part of the batter's body that is in the strike zone shall be called a strike and the at bat will continue.

Instead of teams and players only worrying about suspensions, the onus would now be on the individuals and their concern for their own well being. Hit Prince Fielder, and you may get beaten to a pulp with no help from teammates to get you out of it. Crowd the plate and anticipate a fastball in the ribs with no real reward. Once there are immediate and painful repercussions for the individual, the beanball wars will aleviate.

Why I Hate the Immigration Issue

Can be summed up in this Dummocrats post.

I think most people mistake this as some sort of race/national identity issue. It isn't. Most Americans today are proud that this country is a destination, and most are proud that they themselves are a product of immigration. But they do want our citizens to prove they really want to be here. In the 1800's, being willing to risk disease or death over a long trans-oceanic journey was pretty good proof. Today, standing in line to earn citizenship is a much safer stand in for most Americans. If you opened up immigration for unskilled labor and fast tracked the citizenship process, this would barely be an issue because most Americans would find this abundantly fair. What most Americans DON'T want is for this country to be an escape hatch for another country's undesireables, and I find that to be abundantly fair.

Journolist is...

...the legitimate media scandal that your average voter will never be aware of, and would be outraged about if they were.

OMG! We're All Going To Die From (Fill In The Blank)

The Plague!

Nothing quite like an oldie but a goody. Next year, how you are going to die from leprosy. Natch, medicine-resistant leprosy!

A Story The Milwaukee Media Should Look At

Is the Wosinski family who were injured in the parking structure collapse and who lost a family friend in the incident the same Wosinski family that lost a teenage son in car accident in December that also claimed three other teens? If so, what an awful 7 months for that family.

Your Tasteless Future

I'm watching Nightline's "Assault on Salt." Ever notice the attacks on what we consume run in cyclical patterns? Next up on the cycle? I'm guessing eggs. It's been a while since we've trashed you, tasty, tasty breakfast food.

Teachers

I have a long screed about teachers bubbling in me like a cauldron, but I'm weighing the wisdom of writing it. Brief synopsis: 1. While I know several very good teachers who answered their calling because of a passion for it, I know many more who went into teaching only because they'd failed in other areas in college, and as such, I believe the overall quality of our teachers is dropping precipitously. 2. There is no profession in the world that enjoys playing the martyr quite as much as teaching (my apologies to the teachers I do know who actually do make real personal sacrifices). 3. Selfishness is so rampant in teaching that I think it may actually be challenging the the selfishness of the sales profession, where selfishness is actually an asset.

Keep the Powder Dry, Righties

Just a word of wisdom to my fellow friends on the right: Intellectually, I get why some of you are grumbling about the Obama extracted $20 billion compensation fund from BP. But this is the wrong battle of liberty at the wrong time. In fact, at this point, $20 billion might be a bargain for BP. In that light, this may be less a shake down by Obama and more a sweet deal beneficial to BP, which is probably why they readily agreed to it.

Immigration and Legislation

It is becoming clear to me that people are fighting the wrong fights on immigration. Many of those who want unfettered immigration would accomplish much more if they fought for legislation to expand and streamline legal immigration (not amnesty) for unskilled workers. Many of those opposed to illegal immigration would drop their opposition in the face of a controlled, systematic way of bringing responsible new citizens, skilled or unskilled, into the nation. Think a modern "Ellis Island" of Arizona or California or Texas.

Internet Kill Switch Must Die

This is an awful, awful idea:

The legislation would grant the president emergency powers to seize control of or even shut down portions of the Internet during times of national emergency.

It's been dubbed as an Internet "kill switch" the president could flip. However, the idea behind it is not new. A draft Senate proposal that CNET obtained in August allowed the White House to "declare a cybersecurity emergency," and another from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) would have explicitly given the government the power to "order the disconnection" of certain networks or Web sites.

This is too much power in the hands of people that cannot be trusted with it.

Genius Matt Simmons Says Deep Water Oil Exploration Is Bad

Okay. But here's my question. What 'green' energy sources is genius Matt Simmons invested in?

Never trust a so-called expert until you know what his/her retirement is banked on.

Oil Spill Question

Has the Obama administration been pressuring other oil companies to share their expertise in shutting down a deep water oil gusher? If not, why haven't they been doing so? I've seen nothing about either BP or the Obama administration reaching out for any and all expertise in this matter. This is the ultimate question whose answer will decide whether this administration is doing its job to protect the Gulf Coast and beyond.

You Be The Judge

Which is Grizzly Adams, and which is Milwaukee Brewer Corey Hart?

Dumbest Headline of the Year Nominee

Currently on the Yahoo home page:

Wall Street overhaul might not prevent next financial crisis

Good call, rocket scientists. Because all regulations like this do is prevent the last crisis from exactly repeating itself, which is unlikely, anyway, since major players learn from the previous crisis what pot holes to avoid. The next crisis will be based on something very much unlike the circumstances that led to the last one.

Helluva a Job, Barracky

It's time the media starts taking a critical look at the Obama administration's place in the BP spill. Whether things like this have any legs remains to be seen.