Xoff's Blog
Sporadic thoughts about politics and life in the universe, from a retired political hack.
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One more time on Summerfest and the Army.
Having visited the Army exhibit, rather than relying on newspaper reports, I'm now for declaring victory. What the Army exhibit offers now is much different from the virtual killing it was promoting as a recruiting tool for young teens before Peace Action-Wisconsin intervened.
Summerfest still needs some thank you calls at 414-273-2690.
Having visited the Army exhibit, rather than relying on newspaper reports, I'm now for declaring victory. What the Army exhibit offers now is much different from the virtual killing it was promoting as a recruiting tool for young teens before Peace Action-Wisconsin intervened.
Summerfest still needs some thank you calls at 414-273-2690.
Rabid radio talker Charlie Sykes devoted more than half of his morning show railing on Summerfest for asking the Army to shut down a virtual killing game, urging listeners to call those wimpy Summerfest folks and complain.
Actually, Summerfest needs to be thanked and congratulated for doing the right thing. It is never easy to publicly take a stand and reverse an earlier decision -- not to mention facing down the military.
Please take a minute to call Summerfest at 414-273--2680. They need some support.
More here.
Actually, Summerfest needs to be thanked and congratulated for doing the right thing. It is never easy to publicly take a stand and reverse an earlier decision -- not to mention facing down the military.
Please take a minute to call Summerfest at 414-273--2680. They need some support.
More here.
One small step for humankind:
Peace Action-Wisconsin launched a campaign Tuesday to shut down the "game," and Veterans for Peace, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice also joined in asking their members to call Summerfest to complain.
Summerfest officials reported "a handful" of complaints, but it took less than 12 hours to get action, suggesting there was more than a handful of callers, which forced Summerfest to take it seriously. Read More »
At the request of Summerfest officials, the U.S. Army on Tuesday removed a virtual urban warfare game that allowed fest-goers as young as 13 to hop into a Humvee simulator and fire machine guns at life-size people on a computer screen.
Peace Action-Wisconsin launched a campaign Tuesday to shut down the "game," and Veterans for Peace, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice also joined in asking their members to call Summerfest to complain.
Summerfest officials reported "a handful" of complaints, but it took less than 12 hours to get action, suggesting there was more than a handful of callers, which forced Summerfest to take it seriously. Read More »
Another cave-in by House Dems. Another $162-billion for war.
At least 151 Dems voted against it, even if it was a token gesture and they knew the bill would pass.
Wisconsin's Ron Kind was one of 80 Democrats who voted yes. (The number keeps shrinking; last time it was 85.)
Even Dave Obey and Nancy Pelosi, who cut the deal, didn't vote for it.
What is Ron Kind thinking? Perhaps we should all call him and ask.
More on the vote, and activist David Swanson's reaction in a Milwaukee speech, here.
At least 151 Dems voted against it, even if it was a token gesture and they knew the bill would pass.
Wisconsin's Ron Kind was one of 80 Democrats who voted yes. (The number keeps shrinking; last time it was 85.)
Even Dave Obey and Nancy Pelosi, who cut the deal, didn't vote for it.
What is Ron Kind thinking? Perhaps we should all call him and ask.
More on the vote, and activist David Swanson's reaction in a Milwaukee speech, here.
You have to give the Republicans credit for one thing: They have an echo chamber that won't quit, even when what they're echoing rings totally false.
Republicans from Dick Cheney on down have been admitting they were wrong in claiming that China is drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. It's a false claim that somehow spread like wildfire among conservatives, suggesting it was in some widely-distributed talking points.
But that didn't stop Wisconsin's retreaded Congressional candidate, John Gard, from making this claim:
Gard uses it to attack Rep. Steve Kagen, the Dem who beat him two years ago and is likely to beat him worse this time, if this is any indication of the kind of campaign he's running.
Embarrassing.
Republicans from Dick Cheney on down have been admitting they were wrong in claiming that China is drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. It's a false claim that somehow spread like wildfire among conservatives, suggesting it was in some widely-distributed talking points.
But that didn't stop Wisconsin's retreaded Congressional candidate, John Gard, from making this claim:
"China, with the permission of the Cuban government, is actually drilling for natural gas and oil on the Outer Continental Shelf within view of the Florida coast," said Gard. "So, while Steve Kagen's votes are blocking Americans from accessing this abundant source of oil, the Chinese are tapping a resource that could literally be putting money back into the wallets of hard working families."
Gard uses it to attack Rep. Steve Kagen, the Dem who beat him two years ago and is likely to beat him worse this time, if this is any indication of the kind of campaign he's running.
Embarrassing.
Should George Bush and Dick Cheney be impeached?
David Swanson, a national activist and writer who speaks in Milwaukee Thursday night, thinks so. So does Dennis Kucinich, who read 35 articles of impeachment against Bush into the record last week.
I've been skeptical about impeachment, but a conservative professor and blogger may have tipped the scales with his belief that Bush and Cheney should get a free pass not only on impeachment but on any criminal charges, no matter what laws they might break. (I thought conservatives were for law and order.)
Read more here and get details on Swanson's free Milwaukee talk in the One Wisconsin Now calendar.
David Swanson, a national activist and writer who speaks in Milwaukee Thursday night, thinks so. So does Dennis Kucinich, who read 35 articles of impeachment against Bush into the record last week.
I've been skeptical about impeachment, but a conservative professor and blogger may have tipped the scales with his belief that Bush and Cheney should get a free pass not only on impeachment but on any criminal charges, no matter what laws they might break. (I thought conservatives were for law and order.)
Read more here and get details on Swanson's free Milwaukee talk in the One Wisconsin Now calendar.
John McCain insensitive to the human cost of the war in Iraq?
Au contraire. He's very sensitive:
Maybe that's why we don't even bother to count the number of Iraqis killed, while estimates range in the hundreds of thousands, even a million.
Every American is precious.
Iraqis' lives are cheap.
And it's really "not too important" when the killing stops.
Au contraire. He's very sensitive:
"Nothing is more precious than Americans, and I know that it has caused great heartache and pain," he said, "but I also want to tell you that I believe in the conflict in Iraq with this new strategy, we are succeeding.
"Every American is precious, every casualty is someone that pains and grieves us, no one more than a veteran," said Mr. McCain, who spent five years as a prisoner of war during Vietnam. "But the consequences of failure would be chaos and genocide in the region."
Maybe that's why we don't even bother to count the number of Iraqis killed, while estimates range in the hundreds of thousands, even a million.
Every American is precious.
Iraqis' lives are cheap.
And it's really "not too important" when the killing stops.
You undoubtedly know that Wisconsin ranks high among the 50 states in how much taxes its citizens pay. The media have been reporting it for years, and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and their Republican friends have made it an article of faith and a perennial campaign issue, blaming Democrats even when Republican spending was to blame.
So when there's what qualifies as at least a minor man-bites-dog story -- or at least man-growls-at-dog story -- on the same topic, you'd expect to read it in the state's largest newspaper, which has reported many of the WMC-GOP stories for years.
Guess again. We'll let Bruce Murphy of Milwaukee Magazine take it from here:
Read the rest here.
So when there's what qualifies as at least a minor man-bites-dog story -- or at least man-growls-at-dog story -- on the same topic, you'd expect to read it in the state's largest newspaper, which has reported many of the WMC-GOP stories for years.
Guess again. We'll let Bruce Murphy of Milwaukee Magazine take it from here:
On May 27, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance did a new report showing Wisconsin dropped out of the ranks of the 10 highest-taxed states for the first time in more than 25 years. Indeed, going all the way back to 1963, when the state first adopted a sales tax, Wisconsin has ranked in the top 10 every year except 1980 and 1968.
As recently as 1999, when Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson was near the end of his long tenure, Wisconsin ranked as the third-highest taxed state. Today, Wisconsin has dropped to 11th-highest. That's quite a change, and it got extensive coverage in the Wisconsin State Journal . The story was picked up by other newspapers statewide.
But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sat on the report for nearly a week and then barely reported it: The disclosure came in the 23rd graph of a story telling us "Property taxes jump 3.8%, most in 3 years." At the very end of this story telling us taxes are going up, the paper devoted just four paragraphs to the news that the state dropped out of the top 10, and used a quote from Taxpayers Alliance President Todd Berry saying the ranking merely showed that some other states increased their taxes.
Read the rest here.
Whither public transportation in Milwaukee County?
Will Scott Walker succeed in his quest to eliminate it and make everyone drive a car?
Bill Sell, a transit advocate from Bay View, adds to the conversation with a new blog, Socrates Children, which features two thoughtful "On the Bus" posts for starters.
A sample:
Read it here.
Hat tip: Political Environment.
Will Scott Walker succeed in his quest to eliminate it and make everyone drive a car?
Bill Sell, a transit advocate from Bay View, adds to the conversation with a new blog, Socrates Children, which features two thoughtful "On the Bus" posts for starters.
A sample:
Confession of a Milwaukee party animal out on the town: Swept off my feet, ensnared in its delights, I have fallen asleep in the arms of the #15 bus.
Read it here.
Hat tip: Political Environment.
John McCain's campaign is loooking at the recent campaign of Michael Gableman for Supreme Court as a possible route to winning Wisconsin in November.
What's wrong with that? Gretchen Schuldt nails it:
What's wrong with that? Gretchen Schuldt nails it:
Gableman's disgusting campaign focused on racial fear-mongering. How low will McCain go?
The Nation says we should celebrate a recent victory in Congress:
Of course, in Milwaukee we live in a different dimension, where one company already owns the only daily newspaper, a television station, AM and FM radio stations, and a flock of suburban weeklies.
It's what the talkers on their radio station like to call the free market.
With a voice vote that confirmed the near-unanimous sentiment of senators who had heard from hundreds of thousands of Americans demanding that they act, the legislators moved to nullify an FCC attempt to permit a radical form of media consolidation: a rule change designed to permit one corporation to own daily and weekly newspapers as well as television and radio stations in the same local market.
Of course, in Milwaukee we live in a different dimension, where one company already owns the only daily newspaper, a television station, AM and FM radio stations, and a flock of suburban weeklies.
It's what the talkers on their radio station like to call the free market.
This article by Julie Byrnes Enslow, director of Peace Action-Wisconsin, is featured on the front page of the June issue of The Mobilizer, Peace Action-Wisconsin's newsletter.
Iraq Moratorium - Friday, June 20
What Have YOU Done Lately to Stop the War?
By Julie Byrnes Enslow
Sometimes we need a good push to get off our duffs and act. The Iraq Moratorium Day on the third Friday of each month gives us the challenge and the opportunity to take creative actions to end the US occupation in Iraq.
Friday, June 20, will be the tenth Iraq Moratorium. What are YOU going to do? Read More »
Iraq Moratorium - Friday, June 20
What Have YOU Done Lately to Stop the War?
By Julie Byrnes Enslow
Sometimes we need a good push to get off our duffs and act. The Iraq Moratorium Day on the third Friday of each month gives us the challenge and the opportunity to take creative actions to end the US occupation in Iraq.
Friday, June 20, will be the tenth Iraq Moratorium. What are YOU going to do? Read More »
After writing a post here last week encouraging people to write letters to the editor about Iraq, I wrote one myself.
It was published on Memorial Day, and what I thought was a mild letter brought a hate-filled response.
More here.
It was published on Memorial Day, and what I thought was a mild letter brought a hate-filled response.
More here.
Only 26 Senators had the courage today to vote against another $165-billion in war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.
We should be proud that both Wisconsin Senators, Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, voted no.
Here's why. WashPost reports:
Senators stripped the package of all language governing the conduct of the Iraq war or mandating troop withdrawals that had been in a previous version approved by the House.
In other words, a blank check. The roll call was 70-26. The bill now goes to the House, which refused to pass the funding last week but is expected to cave in now.
These are not easy votes to take, even with two-thirds of the country unhappy with the Iraq war and occupation.
Please contact Senators Kohl and Feingold to thank them.
Is there anything you've been wanting to ask him -- or tell him?
John McCain returns to Wisconsin!
John McCain will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday May 29th at the Greendale Martin Luther High School. The doors will open at 3:30pm.
To RSVP for the event, please click here or email Wivolunteer@johnmccain.com. No confirmation nor reply from campaign staff is needed to attend the event.
Click here for more information on the event and news and photos from the campaign trail.
Click here for a map of the event location.
Doors open at 3:30pm
Town Hall Meeting
Greendale Martin Luther High School
5201 South 76th Street
Greendale, WI 53129
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wants to hear from you on Iraq.
After an editorial criticizing John McCain's me-too policy on the war, the paper invites reader comment, probably for a Sunday newspaper spread:
Should the United States set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq? Send a letter to: Journal Sentinel editorial department
Please take a few minutes to express yourself, in 200 words or less.
What do we do in Milwaukee when the temperature finally hits 70 degrees? Go to the lakefront? Grill brats in the back yard? Skinny dip? Take off our longjohns?
If it's the Third Friday -- Iraq Moratorium day -- we meet in the heart of downtown for an hour, fill all four corners of the intersection with people, flags, banners and enthusiasm, and call for an end to the war and occupation. We had a diverse group of kids, college students, parents, and grandparents, about 70 in all, counting one small dog with a "Puppy for Peace" jacket.
We're getting used to support from rush hour drivers, who honked their horns almost non-stop tonight, including a lot of county bus drivers and one trucker driving a huge tractor-trailer with a big air horn. One driver got out of his car (while the light was red) to chat and say something supportive to one of the vigilers. We leaflet pedestrians, and one young Iranian couple, downtown shopping, stopped to express their support. But our favorite anecdote of the day was the two Army recruiters who drove past in an Army vehicle -- while one of them gave the protesters a thumbs-up.
The chain gang
Madison activist Joy First tells of her experience at Hilldale Mall on Iraq Moratorium #9 last Friday. Read it here.
The House has surprisingly defeated the Iraq appropriations bill, thanks to a large bloc of Republicans, upset with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who voted "present" to show their displeasure.
The result was that the $162.5-billion appropriation failed 141-149.
Republicans Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri and Democrat Ron Kind (!)voted for the appropriation, while Republican Paul Ryan joined Dems Gwen Moore, Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen and David Obey in voting no.
The Senate, of course, will put the money back in the bill and send it back to the House, with some deal likely to be made before all is said and done.
Before that happens, Ron Kind, the Democrat from LaCrosse who was the only Wisconsin Dem to vote for the appropriation, needs to hear from his constituents. Friday is Iraq Moratorium day. Maybe folks in his district could observe it by visiting or calling his office to ask him to join his colleagues and stop paying for this senseless bloodshed.
His office phone numbers: LaCrosse (608) 782-2558 Eau Claire(715) 831-9214
The result was that the $162.5-billion appropriation failed 141-149.
Republicans Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri and Democrat Ron Kind (!)voted for the appropriation, while Republican Paul Ryan joined Dems Gwen Moore, Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen and David Obey in voting no.
The Senate, of course, will put the money back in the bill and send it back to the House, with some deal likely to be made before all is said and done.
Before that happens, Ron Kind, the Democrat from LaCrosse who was the only Wisconsin Dem to vote for the appropriation, needs to hear from his constituents. Friday is Iraq Moratorium day. Maybe folks in his district could observe it by visiting or calling his office to ask him to join his colleagues and stop paying for this senseless bloodshed.
His office phone numbers: LaCrosse (608) 782-2558 Eau Claire(715) 831-9214
Iraq Moratorium #9, a day for individual or group action to end the war and occupation, will be observed on Friday, May 16, in Milwaukee and across the country.
A vigil from 5 to 6 p.m., at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, is sponsored by the Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace and Peace Action-Wisconsin. It's a high energy event with flags, banners, signs, music, kids, students, and people of all ages joining in. I'll be there; if you're in town, please stop by.
If you can't make that, or vigils aren't your thing, do something yourself to mark the day. Wear a button or armband to work, put a sign in your yard, email Senator Herb Kohl, write a letter to the editor, make a donation to the Iraq Moratorium or another antiwar group. You'll find ideas and more info at www.IraqMoratorium.org
A list of other Wisconsin events is here: http://www.wnpj.org/node/10330
And if you're not in Wisconsin, you'll find a list of 80+ events around the country at www.IraqMoratorium.org
Do what you can. But do something. It's got to stop, and we've got to stop it.
A vigil from 5 to 6 p.m., at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, is sponsored by the Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace and Peace Action-Wisconsin. It's a high energy event with flags, banners, signs, music, kids, students, and people of all ages joining in. I'll be there; if you're in town, please stop by.
If you can't make that, or vigils aren't your thing, do something yourself to mark the day. Wear a button or armband to work, put a sign in your yard, email Senator Herb Kohl, write a letter to the editor, make a donation to the Iraq Moratorium or another antiwar group. You'll find ideas and more info at www.IraqMoratorium.org
A list of other Wisconsin events is here: http://www.wnpj.org/node/10330
And if you're not in Wisconsin, you'll find a list of 80+ events around the country at www.IraqMoratorium.org
Do what you can. But do something. It's got to stop, and we've got to stop it.
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