Posted on Friday, 20th February 2009 by Patrick Dorwin
It’s Friday, that means that it is your turn to drive the blog. This post has no topic, so you can use it to discuss anything you think needs discussion. It has been a busy week in the news, so have at it!
Posted in Home | Comments (54) |
54 Responses to “T.G.I.F”
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February 20th, 2009 at 6:20 am
MATC cans their president for OWI. ‘Bout time they got something right!
February 20th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Well, that is good news. apparently ripping off the taxpayers and cronyism wan’t good enough to fire him, but OWI is. MATC is much better off without him.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:10 am
A more rational way of dealing with executive compensation:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/19/bonuses-compensation-shareholders-leadership-compensation_carl_icahn_print.html
February 20th, 2009 at 10:27 am
And who was there supporting this guy?
The Black Student Union.
Not because he was right. Not because they thought he was getting a bad deal.
Because he is black.
Who is the Black Student Union?
Do they support non-black people? Do the recruit (or accept) non-black members?
Another supporter was also a supporter of Junior McGee.
I only bring this up because O don’t like being accused of being a coward when it comes to discussing issues of race.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Will anyone be digging to see how much it cost us to “fire” Mr. Cole? Was there a hushed buy-out or a payment to just accept the termination and go away? or was he really just fired, like you or I would be?
February 20th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I don’t know about the rest of you guys and gals, but I certainly do like pancakes!
February 20th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Seems like a genuine discharge for now, since he has a lawyer and is planning to sue.
The black student union supported Cole. What did the white student union have to asy about it? For that matter, when and where do they meet, and what fundindo they receive from mandatory fees?
I’m waiting for O to call for the resignation of Burris from the senate, now that he’s admitted he lied. I’m waiting, but I’m not holding my breath.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
What? No big hoot’nanny over Sheboygan’s mayor being ousted in the primary?
Well, congratulations anyway for doing your part in helping the city unions reclaim Sheboygan by ousting Juan Perez.
Here’s a little ditty dedicated to Mickey, Patrick, Peter, Gus, Belling, Wagner, Sykes, etc.:
One, two, three, four…
Let me tell you how it will be;
There’s one for you, nineteen for me.
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
(if you drive a car in Sheboygan) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit in Sheboygan) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold in Sheboygan) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk in Sheboygan) - I’ll tax your feet.
‘Cause I’m the taxman! (They call me Van Akkeren).
Adios Juan Perez!
February 21st, 2009 at 9:52 am
Anyone interested in organizing a Milwaukee Tea Party? Maybe March 7? I heard the Chicago Tea Party is on Feb 27.
http://theconservativerevolution.com/freedomworks/how-to-organize-your-own-tea-party-protest/
February 21st, 2009 at 11:43 am
From the bar room for us ignorant common folk (and those intellectual elitists who may wander to this blog): I received a mailing to constituents from my State Senator Tim Carpenter, and want to share some of the contents with you all. I will add that Tim Carpenter certainly represents my point of view here.
* “This session, I have authored a bill to make sure that if a person’s driver’s license privileges are revoked, the revocation period runs when that person gets out of jail - not while the person is in jail or prison.”
* “Last session, I coauthored a bill (SB 374) to require drivers to carry auto insurance. This bill passed the Senate! Unfortunately, the Assembly did not take up the bill, so I will continue this session in our fight to get this common sense provision added to our laws.”
* “I will fight against any attempt to reintroduce automatic gas tax increases in Wisconsin.”
and in another piece of the mailing is quoted the following from The Milwaukee Post of February 7, 2009 page 4: “State Senator Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, said Monday he is drafting legislation to require legislative oversight over the use of any funds received from a federal stimulus package…’A dollar misspent is a lost opportunity. As legislators, it is our responsibility to ensure that the funds are spent wisely, on programs and projects that will put Wisconsinites to work, and provide us with the services needed in these troubled times…Under Wisconsin statutes the governor has the authority to accept the funds sent to Wisconsin from the federal government, and the governor designates the department to administer the funds. However, when this statutory authority was given to the governor decades ago, it could not be contemplated that an estimated $4.5 billion dollars in federal stimulus aid might be transferred to the state in a rapid fashion as an economic stimulus package.’ “
February 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Don’t worry, Glenn, I’m on the case! I’m just here to send a clear and convincing signal to the thugs.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Foust, you’d shit your pants if you were ever confronted by a thug. That’s why guys like you always cower and want to know where the cops are when you need them. Maybe you ought to come out from behind the safety of your keyboard out there in Jefferson and spend a little time on the mean streets of Milwaukee. Then again, maybe I’m all wrong and you have experience with protecting the decent people being held hostage in their inner city neighborhoods by street thugs. Enlighten us with your experiences. Help us to understand just what you have done in your lifetime to make these kinds of neighborhoods safer for good people.
And to make it clear, I’ve rubbed elbows with the intellectually elite as well as the bar room crowd and I have always found the bar room crowd much more honest and representative of the real people in this country - you know, the ones who actually work for a living and pay the bulk of the taxes to support those who don’t.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Johnny the “F” (stands for forehead) is quite a RASCAL!!
February 21st, 2009 at 1:39 pm
This is what I mean by the bar-room logic, where swagger serves as reason. You know relatively nothing of me, yet will assure me I’d poopie if confronted by danger. I haven’t, several times, and I’ll leave it at that. In my experience, most people have successfully avoided danger or confronting criminals. I know have no doubt anyone in law enforcement has more experience doing their job than I do, so presto, I give, your stories top mine. I don’t expect you to sell code, either, and don’t think the less of you for it. I’m a crack shot with both a gun and what’s behind my prodigous forehead. Why do you have a dim view of intellectual success? You want the kids on the mean streets of Milwaukee to be smart but not too smart? I’m real. I pay taxes. I’m honest. Isn’t anyone who has raised themselves above the crowd by definition non-representative?
February 21st, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Sometimes there’s a place for bar-room logic and swagger. Anybody who has spent some time on the street dealing with thugs understands that. From your statement, your experience indicates to me that you really have no experience with the day to day life that the good people of Milwaukee’s inner city have to deal with as a result of street thugs who terrorize whole neighborhoods and the kind of policing it takes to make these neighborhoods safer. The only way for these good people to “avoid danger” or confrontations with criminals is to huddle in their homes away from windows and doors in order to avoid stray rounds fired from thugs who shoot their guns indiscriminately with far less accuracy than you claim to enjoy. But in order to fully appreciate their plight, you’d have to go there and talk with them - listen to them plead for help from the police but understandably be unwilling to come forth publicly and support the police when the cops are doing their job out of fear that their property will be vandalized and lives will be threatened.
So when you take a quote out of my memo to my troops, you’d better know me and understand my intentions to help good people and hold thugs accountable. And you’d better have some understanding of my successes and accomplishments to include City of Milwaukee Common Council, Neighborhood Association and national awards for policing strategies.
February 21st, 2009 at 2:47 pm
That’s just it Glenn, the Forehead is being a smart ass and a candy ass at the same time. He’s really big on Japanese cartoon raccoons and little else. Oh, and he drives a Volvo.
A real man about town. The elitist mentality is such that reading about something and studying it without actually seeing tasting or touching it is the “real world”.
February 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Yup, Glenn. Most of the suburban white boys on these blogs don’t know what it’s like, either. Keep preachin’. But you’re mistaken. I’m not telling you you’re a dope because of your experience, but you’re telling me I’m not quite “real” and incapable of glimpsing the consequences of Milwaukee’s poverty because I don’t hang out in bars. Maybe I should put on my cape and we can go change the West Benders who roll through the stop signs when they’re in Milwaukee.
February 21st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
You handle the “West Benders” Foust. My experience was with drug dealers; armed robbers; killers; shooters; etc. Quality of Life enforcement (Broken Windows policing) requires attention to the little things as well as the major crimes. You can’t ignore either and expect the desired results. Together we’ll make a formidable force for truth, justice and the American way. Maybe we can even find a place that serves beer and wine to wash it down at the end of our day. Like Chief Flynn said at Mike Gousha’s Marquette forum when he first got here, “Poverty does not create crime, but crime does create poverty”. Now there’s a well-educated guy who is also street smart.
February 21st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Help me out. Why should an open-carrying upstanding Republican be so frightened of north side Milwaukee stop signs?
http://www.bootsandsabers.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/another_carjacking/
February 21st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Here’s a good reason to be cautious in Milwaukee.
February 21st, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Cmon Foust. You really don’t have any understanding of the high crime areas of Milwaukee, do you? If you did, you wouldn’t have to ask that question. The better question might be what the hell would a West Bender, who isn’t lost or looking to buy drugs, be doing there in the first place. Listen, there are parts of Milwaukee I won’t even drive through. A piece of advice to you, if I may, don’t wear a cape if you travel through the high crime areas of Milwaukee. If you’re offended by the things gus calls you, you’ll be absolutely devastated by what the thugs call you (and lucky if that’s all the attention they pay to you). Stick your head in the lion’s mouth and don’t be surprised when he bites it off.
February 21st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Damn, Gus is right. One could land a Cessna on that dome.
February 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Cool! So if an area has a reputation for lots of crime, the residents aren’t entitled to safe intersections or the rules of the road? Owen’s life is more valuable than another driver’s life? An officer won’t give me a ticket because they, like you, understand the nature of the neighborhood?
February 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
No, seriously. SuperId posted this link in a different thread, and thought it would be a good change of topic.
SuperId Says:
This one looks fun:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/40032842.html
Cheers.
February 21st, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I need to apologize. Glenn does too. Obviously Foust’s enlarged Forehead has some sort of relationship to the nonsense he posts.
I know 4th graders that can make an honest coherant point better than Foust.
Foust somehow thinks if you don’t agree with his moronic assessments of life in urban Milwaukee that you hate, blacks, kids or people with huge foreheads. Of course Jefferson Johnny Forehead has no idea what he’s talking about, but like most libs. He cares. You don’t.
The guy is a clown and his head could be a big plus in that type of business.
February 21st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
The other nite I happened to be discussing the return of African World Festival to Maier Festival Park this coming summer. Seems that no patronage, bad reputation and danger caused them to stop the festival. Where might the money come from to stage this event this summer? Those around me agreed the organizers must have been ‘stimulated’ by taxpayer funds. In the group was Paul, a 36 year old from Senegal, Africa. He, educated in France and currently a French teacher in MPS, opined that he went to the festival a few years ago and was scared to death. Too many thugs and shootings & robberies in the area. He didn’t notice one real AFRICAN. Lots of blacks, e.g., of African descent or heritage, but none claiming to be born in Africa. He will never attend that festival again. I bought him a drink! I haven’t attended that festival since I was assigned to as a member of the MPD Tac Squad. Paul describes himself as a true African-American. Those without such heritage should call themselves Americans (African descent/heritage). How can you disagree with such logic?? A few more in the group bought him drinks and he got drunk. I drove him to his nearby home in Bay View.
February 22nd, 2009 at 5:19 am
Foust, now you’re just being silly. Go sit in the chair and take a time out and think about it. When you’re ready to act like a mature adult you can come back and we’ll try to communicate.
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:02 am
Foust, I’m pretty sure if you roll thru a stop sign in the middle of the night in on the crime ridden neighborhoods referred to here and a cop happens to see you, they would probably arrest you. Why would you be there unless you were lost or you were there to purchase drugs? Most likely they would find drugs in the car and arrest you. If not they should be able to arrest you for being so stupid!
If I’m stopped at a traffic light and the car behind me is stopped on the railroad tracks and a train is coming - should I go thru the red light? Should I get a ticket?
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Great questions, Trudy. I understand that practicality rules here. Of course we can bend the traffic rules when greater threats appear, like the train.
There’s two cases to consider here, of course - the good people who live in these horrid neighborhoods and the good people who live in nice places like West Bend. Let’s only think about one case.
How should Owen decide whether the person on the sidewalk is a threat worthy of rolling through the stop? Is just appearing “scary” to his West Bendian eyes sufficient? If someone on the sidewalk was carrying a gun openly on their hip, is this sufficient reason to roll through a stop sign, on the assumption that they’re about to car-jack? Or is the crazy look in the eye sufficient? Is it clothing? What about someone with a really scary-looking Jerri-curl? (But if criminals recognize that looking “scary”
depresses their opportunities for crime because cars are fleeing, won’t this cause criminals to dress better, over time?) Should we give much consideration to the other less-scary mother and child in the crosswalk, or isn’t it possible that they’re just in on the plot of the car-jacking and robbery? Do these rules only apply in certain Milwaukee neighborhoods, or can we do it in the suburbs, too?
But what if a law enforcement officer sees Owen? How does an officer decide whether to pull-over the roller? Can they just tell by the car? What about those scary-looking people - can they use these rationale for rolling, too? I wonder which group will get more warnings and which will get more tickets.
And you and Glenn forgot sex. People go to “bad” neighborhoods for illicit sex. And Glenn points out that name-calling is a characteristic of thuggery. Interesting!
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Foust, if you spent any time driving around the north side of Milwaukee on the non-major streets, you would know the residents of those neighborhoods who “deserve safe intersections” don’t stop at the signs, either. Nor do they wait for on-coming traffic before making a left turn, nor do they cross at the intersections when they’re on foot, nor do they wait for traffic to pass before walking into the middle of the street, even when holding their toddler’s hand.
When I was working down there, I worried less about being car-jacked than I worried about accidentally hitting someone with no sense of self-preservation and being beaten to death by a retaliatory mob (don’t lecture me, it happens) and/or charged with a hate crime.
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Heather, as Glenn put it, there’s “the good people of Milwaukee’s inner city” and there’s “street thugs who terrorize whole neighborhoods” and there’s “kind of policing it takes to make these neighborhoods safer”.
When you say “they” repeatedly, you mean the “the good people of Milwaukee’s inner city”? You disagree with Glenn’s characterization of who lives there and what they want? What about the other folks just passing through, like you and Owen? You don’t deserve the benefits of others oebying stop signs? Rolling through stop signs is the right style of self-policing?
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:40 am
No Foust, “Rolling stops” in these neighborhoods is a safety and survival tactic. My wife used to be a restaurant manager in the NW side of Milwaukee. Rather than have her closer take the bus home to the inner city by herself my wife drove her home.
After she dropped her off, this employee told her that if she came upon a stop light or stop sign with a bunch of guys hanging around nearby to just go through it. Because according to her, “Anybody hanging around a street corner this late at night is up to no good”.
That’s the problem with your so-called “superior intellect” You dwell on the abstract, rather than address the reality of the situation.
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:51 am
Through the miracle of Google Maps I’ve found some curious circumstances that should give pause to all suburban drivers. She’s off the curb, a non-threatening lost person or sex or drug buyer, clearly another lost soul, scary teens, drive faster, cross at the corner, you scalawags, can’t you see there’s suburban traffic coming through?, like these two good boys, a portable crib surely about to be stripped of parts, and one possible orderly intersection, a car jacking in progress, neighbor pretends not to hear it, and a potential rolling.
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
John Foust makes no-sense. You can not stop people from rolling through stop signs if they do not care. You give them a fine they can not pay. Spend money to put them in jail, only to be released. Then even cancel tickets for politicians that don’t care, who get caught driving the wrong way.
There is no way police can fix the problem if the revolving door Doyle keeps letting them go. It is people like Foust that entitle the problem to continue. He does not even realize how much of his west bender money is being dumped down the toilet in Milwaukee by Doyle.
The funds being funneled to Milwaukee to help the people that don’t care is irresponsible. In addition, the problems will not get resolved if the administration continues to take the lion share.
Foust, stop listening to the media and get yourself educated. Try looking at the foster care program, it is well documented. Or even W-2 if you are a number cruncher. After-all, one has to wonder why Doyle would release criminals back into failing communities in order to save money, when the criminals are the problem to begin with.
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Did you get the Google Maps image of Forehead’s wife —ing the UPS driver? You know, the UPS driver with a full head of hair!
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
my goodness, Mr. Foust needs to get his medication adjusted
February 22nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
If y’all are rolling through stops on those main streets, my job would terrify you guys. Try going into an ally off 1st & Chambers or in Hilside after dark, not in a locked car, but getting out to assist a disabled resident that couldn’t help defend either of us if needed. (sniff-sniff, what’s that I smell?)
I don’t blame anyone for being nervous and prepared to blow a red light in some parts of town, heck, a little tip from when I was driving a cab here in Milwaukee, you will rarely see a cab driver put the vehicle in park, they are always observing their surroundings and ready to step on the gas, but if you are going to just run every intersection you come to, you have a better chance of getting into trouble than if you drive right and just pay attention to what is going on around you.
Be prepared to act, but don’t act without cause.
February 22nd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Very wise advice Patrick.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
“Did you get the Google Maps image of Forehead’s wife —ing the UPS driver? You know, the UPS driver with a full head of hair!”
Stay classy, Paul. Clearly you’re channeling mickey.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 am
Zach, I think the funny part is that Gus/Mickey decided to make fun of hair loss in a room full of (no doubt) middle-aged white guys. Great choice! It’s unfortunate that I’m not overweight. Otherwise the rest of the room might’ve been even less impressed with his debate skills.
Gus/Mickey is a great example of what’s known as the Greater Internet F*ckwad Theory. It says “Normal person + anonymity + audience = Total f*wad”. May Gus/Mickey someday find the courage to use his real identity, perhaps even his real picture, and may he learn how to behave in society.
And thanks to Patrick and Glenn for confirming that wise advice that it’s not necessary to roll through stop signs. Someone tell Owen.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Is Mr. Faust a “normal person?” It doesn’t look like it, but it does look like he could be a Total f*wad, if the normal person part is not mandatory.
Who is this guy?
I don’t want to make fun of your hair loss, sir, but is it possible the tin foil hat caused that?
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 am
Poor Johnny Forehead cannot resist the bait. Forehead Foust has it not occurred to you yet?
I’m making a complete fool out of you, and you can’t stop posting your nonsense.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
There are instances where bar room logic and swagger as some might call it trumps intellectualism, and this is certainly one of them.
Essentially what we have here is the difference between the astronomer, and the astronaut. Both have value, however both also have boundaries to the level of their authority on any given issue.
For instance, while the astronomer can tell you theories related to the formation of the moon, its geological structure, its estimated age, and so forth, only the astronaut can tell you what it feels like to walk on the moon, to live and work in 1/6th G, to look upon the rising Earth over the lunar horizon.
That is the difference between intellectualism and the bar-room swagger as some might call it. Intellectuaism deals primarily with bookish theory, whereas bar room swagger tends to deal with actual reality.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I do not care for any of those postings; I only care about pancakes.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
You can get a free short stack at IHOP tomorrow.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Heather, that would be a free vertically challenged stack.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Pancakes rock.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Tea Party Protest-anyone interested in going to Chicago tomorrow?
February 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Not tomorrow for me, but Vicki was saying that something is being planned for April 15th in Wisconsin. I think it may include Milwaukee and Madison but not sure yet.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
If I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I would have thought it would have been a great idea to get a busload from Milwaukee to Chi-Town tomorrow.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
“If I didn’t have to work tomorrow” And that sir, is the difference between conservatives and liberals. Liberals have no problem leaving work to protest, if they even have a job.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Yeah, damn those unwashed losers who don’t have jobs to go to tomorrow!!
I’m sorry I mentioned it.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Wow Dan, that’s a sweeping generalization. Not all of us liberals are so quick to leave work to protest.
And contrary to what you might think, lots of us liberals actually do have jobs. I know you’d like to think we’re all lazy welfare recipients, but again, that’s a generalization.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I agree with Zach W. not ALL liberals are so quick to leave work to protest. Not ALL.
What the very “slow” Zach doesn’t understand is that for the “productive”, often a day off is not an option. I can’t take off unless it’s absolutely necessary. Government employees can. In fact, if you work in Milwaukee, you don’t even have to explain WHY you aren’t showing up, and you still get paid. Zach, you don’t work for the government do you??
I don’t. Government pays me nothing. I PROVIDE.
Zach, do you ADD TO or TAKE FROM the productivity of America??