Bourbon and breakfast

Fred Dooley has found the perfect compliment to your scrambled eggs and corn flakes: bacon-infused bourbon. I'm guessing this will be very popular in Madison.

Of course, bacon-infused vodka has been around for a little while, adding an adventurous flavor to the bloody mary.

Let me stress that the following demonstration is not the proper way of infusing pork with a beer flavor, or vice-versa.

I think we can all be proud of the way the pig remembers to recycle the cans and not eat them.

(Yes, this is the kind of blogging that wins you awards.)

Updates from the AFP Defending the American Dream summit

Just before lunch, Orville Seymer of the CRG Network announced an effort to recall Governor Jim Doyle.

At lunch, many of the attendees took a look out the window at the protestors, all 20 of them. Pretty pathetic. They can get 20 protestors to protest a veal sandwich. With this much notice, they should have had tons of people out there. Fred Dooley has a great picture.

Congressman Paul Ryan is now finishing speaking to a very attentive audience. Very popular with the attendees here. He told the crowd just how fast the agenda is moving in Washington. "We owe it to the American people to say, 'enough.'"

Update! Vicki McKenna just finished speaking. She endorsed the recall of Governor Jim Doyle.

Cup of Jo

While Jo Egelhoff is off campaigning for the state assembly, Fred Dooley, Lance Burri and I are pinch-hitting. It's the least we can do. Really, the absolute least. Fred Dooley has his first installment today, "Big Coffee".

Well, there is one thing you can say about oil, lots of people have made lots of money from it. Those guys working the platforms drilling for and pumping the crude, the people transporting that oil all over the world, the refiners, distributors, marketers and retailers. Lots of money and lots of profits to be had for something that at an all time high is costing us around $3.69 a gallon.

$3.69 a gallon… Rank amateurs.

I like to play a game on my blog called Guess the Number. I throw up a raw number and invite my readers to guess what that number represents. Let me throw a number to you, $17.60.

I won’t keep you in suspense, Starbucks charges about $1.65 for a 12-ounce cup of coffee, that is $17.60 a gallon. And that’s for the plain old drip coffee not any half-caf-non-frappa-ccino whatever.

The reader comments already have a reference to the "Big Oil" conspiracy. Oliver Stone on international trade.

Warning: watery martinis imminent

Summer is coming and we're heading into an ice shortage:

The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said Friday.

"The long-term prognosis is not very optimistic," atmospheric scientist Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University said at a briefing.

Last summer sea ice in the North shrank to a record low, a change many attribute to global warming.

But while solar radiation and amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are similar at the poles, to date the regions have responded differently, with little change in the South, explained oceanographer James Overland of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

What researchers have concluded was happening, was that in the North, global warming and natural variability of climate were reinforcing one another, sending the Arctic into a new state with much less sea ice than in the past.

"And there is very little chance for the climate to return to the conditions of 20 years ago," he added.

Until, of course, nature finishes this cycle of warmer weather (it may be already) and it gets darn cold in June again.

Given the geological history of Wisconsin, I think when the ice shelf starts growing again is the time for me to get nervous. In the meantime, I think we should be grateful for the savings of fossil fuels as shipping takes advantage of the clearing Northwest passage. I'm also talking to my real estate guru about taking advantage of some beach front property on Hudson Bay. Stupid weak dollar.

(ht: Fred Dooley)

Obama campaign echoing Wisconsin left in complaining

The problem of poking fun at the political left and mainstream journalism is that they're often beyond parody. Fred Dooley left a comment at my site wondering, "I thought it was a racist result to not elect the black guy, or is that only in Wisconsin?"

Yesterday's joke is today's news analysis, at least at the New York Times:

Lurking behind that question is another: Is the Democratic Party hesitating about race as it moves to the brink of nominating an African-American to be president?

Mr. Obama remains ahead of Mrs. Clinton in delegates, in the popular vote and in national polls, and Mrs. Clinton certainly has her own problems trying to herd Democrats into her corner.

But just when it seemed that the Democratic Party was close to anointing Mr. Obama as its nominee, he lost yet again in a big general election state, dragged down by his weakness among blue-collar voters, older voters and white voters. The composition of Mrs. Clinton’s support — or, looked at another way, the makeup of voters who have proved reluctant to embrace Mr. Obama — has Democrats wondering, if not worrying, about what role race may be playing.

“I’m sure there is some of that,” said David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior political adviser, as he considered how race was playing among voters in late primary states. Mr. Axelrod said Mrs. Clinton’s biggest advantage had been among older voters, “and I think there is a general inclination on the part of the older voters to vote for what is more familiar.” He added: “Here’s a guy named Barack Obama, an African-American guy, relatively new. That’s a lot of change.”

While arguably critical to determining the viability of Mr. Obama’s candidacy, the role of race is difficult to disentangle from the other strands of the political debate surrounding him, encompassing topics like values, elitism, ideology and experience. Although some polling evidence hints at the depth of racial attitudes in this country and the obstacles Mr. Obama faces winning white voters, it has historically proved challenging to measure how racial attitudes factor into voter decisions. (Respondents do not tend to announce to pollsters that they will not vote for a candidate because he or she is black.)

Who knew that the Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania were really the Johnsons from the movie Blazing Saddles?

Kaplan over Lumpkin in Racine County by one vote

Election returns are still coming in. Democratic-election-lawyer-to-the-stars Michael Maistelman sends word that Jim Kaplan defeated Racine County Supervisor Ken Lumpkin by one vote in the recount. That's a two-fer for Kaplan in this strange contest over an aldermanic seat and a county board seat. Kaplan was the incumbent alderman and Lumpkin was the incumbent supervisor. Kaplan made the hat trick when Lumpkin's election complaints (enter Maistelman) were shot down by the Racine County Board of Canvassers. Here's the press release:

Racine - The Racine County Board of Canvasser's today certified that Jim Kaplan beat out incumbent Ken Lumpkin for Racine County 4th District Supervisor position. The final recount tally was 219 - 218.

The Racine County Board of Canvasser's also dismissed with prejudice Lumpkin's remaining complaints against Kaplan dealing with campaign finance violations.

"Ken Lumpkin brought a frivolous campaign finance complaint against Jim Kaplan," said Kaplan lead attorney Michael Maistelman. “The Board of Canvasser's in a unanimous and bipartisan act dismissed the complaint with prejudice.”

That's "nationally famous" blogger to you

Nice to be in the New York Times for something I wrote rather than for something I did. Thanks to Fred for bringing it to my attention.

Don't miss Real Debate MRQ

First!

Killing the death tax

Fred Dooley at Real Debate Wisconsin is sponsoring a petition to stop the death tax from rising from the grave. The petition is online.

One Wisconsin Now (a really fascist sounding name, isn't it?) has launched a petition effort of their own to raise this killer zombie.

"Wisconsin will not allow the legislature to slash programs for the poor, elderly and disabled to protect a massive tax break for the state's next Paris Hilton," said {Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now}. "These tax breaks for the super-rich started this year and if we have a budget shortfall, they need to end now."

Ross, of course, was the poster child for the Assembly Democrats' role in the Caucus Scandal. Perhaps he's concerned that state funding of legal help for former Democratic aides might be in jeopardy.

But surely his class-warfare rhetoric, aside from being old and tired, is out of place? After all, to solve Wisconsin's long-term economic problems, we should be encouraging as many of the Paris Hilton set, not to mention the Kohls and Cudahys, to settle in Wisconsin. Wealth preservation and encouragement of wealth growth is the path to prosperity. Even as Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton is encouraging Hollywood to bring their movie-making industry to Wisconsin, surely we would want to put out the welcome sign: "Bring us your entrepeneurial, your rich, your captains of industry yearning to be free of those wanting to destroy wealth to fund short-term desires."

As for Ms. Hilton, I know a realtor who has a nice starter home in New Berlin for sale, as well as a blogger looking to sell a condo in downtown Waukesha.

I dunno. I thought this was damn funny.

And for the record, I think it shows Judge Michael Gabelman doesn't compromise at all when it comes to the quality of the company he keeps. I think he shows extremely good taste.

Update!Well, my sense of humor is not everyone's I guess.

The Brain Trust

Left to Right (orientation, not ideologically):
James Wigderson, Fred Dooley of Real Debate, Judge Michael Gabelman, Owen Robinson of Boots & Sabers.
Photo by Mark Block of Americans for Prosperity
Blogger Holiday Party at Papa's Social Club

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Fred? Fred?

Phone call, roughly 8:10 PM.
"Go Packers!"
"What?"
"{something, something} Packers fans."
"Oh, is there a game on?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Well then I'll keep it short."
noise in background
"GODDAMMIT WIGGY, YOU JUST MADE ME MISS AN 80 YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS BY FAVRE!"

Does this mean I won't be quoted in MRQ anymore?

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I had a caption for this. Decided to let my readers comment instead.

Fred at Real Debate was quick with the camera when he spotted this fine establishment with a proud name.

(Here's one blogger's review of Wiggies. Wiggies in Madison is actually owned by Dave Wiganowski. You can read about some of their struggles with the local no-smoking law, also covered here.)

Taxpayer Rally Wednesday, October 17th

A quick note from Americans for Prosperity:
Here are the expected speakers:
Mark Block, Wisconsin Director, Americans for Prosperity
Vicki McKenna, Radio Talk Show Host, WISN, Milwaukee and WIBA, Madison
Reince Priebus, Chairman, Republican Party of Wisconsin
Owen Robinson, Boots and Sabers
Pat Snyder, Radio Talk Show Host, WSAU, Wausau
Fred Dooley, Real Debate Wisconsin

Here's the current bus schedule:
Register online or call 414-475-2975
Green Bay: Depart 6:30 a.m. - Rock Garden
Appleton: Depart 7:30 a.m. - Hardee's
Oshkosh: Depart 8:15 a.m. - Robbins Restaurant
Fond du Lac: Depart 9:00 a.m. - Pick n Save
Wausau: Depart 8:00 a.m. Holiday Inn-Cedar Creek
Stevens Point: Depart 8:45 a.m. - Country Springs
Eau Claire: Depart 7:30 a.m. - Walmart
Black River Falls: Depart 8:30a.m. - Arrowhead Lodge
Manitowoc: Depart 7:45 a.m. - Bubba's Place
Sheboygan: Depart 8:30 a.m. - Perkins
Waukesha:Depart: 9:00 a.m. - Goerkes Corner
Milwaukee/Marquette University: Depart 8:30
Racine: Depart 8:30 a.m -Iron Skillet Restaurant
LaCrosse: Depart 8:00 a.m. -Woodmans, Onalaska

Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten.

Blog Net News came out with the list of the most influential blogs in Wisconsin. We can disagree with a ranking here or there, but it's nice to be considered near the top. By the way, I agree with their number one. Patrick at Badger Blogger has certainly built the most influential local blog in Milwaukee. (Likewise Fred Dooley with Real Debate Wisconsin in Racine, whom I am suprised wasn't ranked higher.) Congratulations also to Jessica McBride, 2nd on the list but certainly the number one target of liberal bloggers.


Rank
Blog
1
Badger Blogger
2
McBride's Media Matters
3
Texas Hold 'Em Blogger
4
No Runny Eggs
5
FREEDOM EDEN
6
An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
7
Dad29
8
Boots and Sabers
9
From Where I Sit
10
The American Mind
11
Wigderson Library & Pub
12
The World According to Nick
13
Charlie Sykes
14
The (Somewhat) Daily RAG
15
Paul Soglin: Waxing America
16
Uppity Wisconsin - Making Wisconsin Progressive Again
17
The Right Side of Wisconsin
18
Real Debate Wisconsin
19
Marquette Warrior
20
In Effect

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