Happy Birthday, Keira!

Happy Birthday to the greatest daughter that anyone could ever ask for.

Support Bryan Kennedy on November 7th

Pardon me for being so incredulous, but what happened to the JS? Did the Editorial staff grow a conscience overnight?

Today, they endorsed Bryan Kennedy for the 5th Congressional district, over F. Jim Sensenbrenner. You can read the endorsement here. Here are some highlights:

"Two years ago, we recommended Jim Sensenbrenner for another term representing Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District. Today, we simply cannot. Sensenbrenner has been wrong on too much, from an immigration policy that puts him at odds with much of his own party and the business community to failure to exert meaningful oversight over White House domestic spying policies."

"Sensenbrenner was wrong on immigration. His enforcement-only plan included making felons of undocumented immigrants and a useless 700-mile fence that will do nothing to solve this national problem. Worse for Republicans, his obstinacy split his own party and cost it a rare opportunity to significantly broaden its base. Sensenbrenner was wrong on the USA Patriot Act. We need many of its provisions in this era of terrorism, but the version he championed strode upon the liberty of every American. Sensenbrenner was wrong on Real ID, which will cost states millions of dollars to implement and which fixed something that wasn't broken. Sensenbrenner was wrong not to dig deeper into the National Security Agency's domestic spying program. Sensenbrenner sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales but didn't bother with the real spade work. Sensenbrenner was wrong to waste taxpayers' money by taking more than $160,000 in junkets since 1994, not to mention the more than $200,000 in world travel paid for by lobbyists and think tanks over the past six years. Sensenbrenner was wrong to push bills that would make it harder for police agencies to track illegal guns and to crack down on rogue gun dealers. Sensenbrenner was wrong to indict Milwaukee as "fast becoming the murder capital of the U.S." and wrong to lash out at Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, calling him a "crybaby" for having the brass to criticize Congress. It's but one example of the congressman's increasingly belligerent and unproductive tone."

Sensenbrenner is just wrong. Please support Bryan Kennedy on November 7th.

To The Undecided

Whomever you may be...

I'm really not sure how anyone could be undecided in this years Governors race between Democrat Incumbent Jim Doyle, and Republican challenger, Mark Green. Much like I couldn't fathom being undecided in the last Presidental election.

That being said, see for yourself where you stand with the candidates by taking this JS Online quiz. It's best if you check 'Select All,' and have all 15 issue questions. Let's just say that I heavily favored one candidate over the other.

And don't forget to watch the debate tonight! It airs on MPTV at 7, or WTMJ-4 at 10:30.

Happy Birthday, Drinking Liberally!

Happy Birthday, Drinking Liberally!

Sadly, no, I will not be able to attend tonight. My wife is all achy, and I can't leave her home alone with a 10-month old.

I know, I know...I've been a BAD Ben PAC!!! I haven't attended in a long while, and they're even bringing cake!!! Read for yourself:

"Drinking Liberally has been coming together in Milwaukee for the past year! It's been a great year of making friendships, networking, and having a darn good time.

One of our members will be bringing delicious cake, so get your tuckus down to Club G on Wednesday (September 13) and enjoy the cake (free!), chicken wings (30 cents apiece!) and Spotted Cow ($2 off pitchers!), and celebrate a great year of bringing the Left together in Milwaukee!

7:00 onward at Club Garibaldi, 2501 S. Superior St. in Bay View (a.k.a. Milwaukee)."

DL is a great event. It brings all sorts of really wonderful people together, united by a cause. I will make a better attempt to come again SOON. Sorry that I can't join you all!

Representative?

So, we just moved from our duplex on the east side, near the University, to Brown Deer. We really like it here so far. The neighbors seem nice, and the house is fantastic.

I wanted to find our new polling place online, so I knew where to vote in the primary coming up in two short weeks. I also wanted to find out whom our State Representative and Senator were. Little did I expect.....

F. Jim.

I can't say that I'm surprised, but after being spoiled by having Gwen Moore as our Rep for two years now, I'm more than disappointed.

I met Bryan Kennedy two years ago at an event for GrassRoots NorthShore, where he showed up to campaign for F. Jim's seat. I was immediately impressed by his poise, and most especially, his message. He was positive. He was engaging. I wasn't in his district, told him so, and he still wanted to talk to me. This was someone that I could get behind. Now, I am able to get behind him for real, where my vote will count for him.

For anyone on the fence in this race, if that's possible (if only because F. Jim is so polarizing), I urge you to give Bryan Kennedy a chance. Check out his campaign website, and the comparison between the candidates.

Little Pink Houses

For you and me.

Yes, that's right, even in this "blazing" economy of Bush's, my wife, daughter and I were able to "afford" a house. (Not a pink house by the way, it just sounded cool)

That's the majority of the reason for my long departure. Again, I apologize. I really did want to comment on the Stem Cell fiasco. (I'm really pissed, as you can imagine)

But, once we finally get settled, I'll hopefully be able to post more, and to attend Drinking Liberally again.

Republican Priorities

We all know that the Republicans don't care about Joe Normal and every other non-rich family in America. But does the "average" person know about the Republican priorites? The good-puppy press reports that our "great leader" and his cronies have our best interests at heart, but do they really? Here are two recent issues that show where the heart of conservatives really lie.

Comforting the Comfortable

"Two weeks ago, the Senate killed an effort to repeal the federal estate tax on multimillion-dollar fortunes. The "no" votes were a stand for budget sanity and basic fairness. But the pro-repeal camp doesn't want to take no for an answer."

"In an attempt to rally support, House lawmakers have included in the bill another, totally unrelated, tax cut — for timber companies, worth $900 million over the next three years. The measure, based on the theory that American timber companies are at a disadvantage in the global marketplace, is essentially a special-interest giveaway that would encourage every business with international competitors to demand its own tax break. There is much to reform on the competitiveness front, but it should be done comprehensively, not on the basis of who has the senators best positioned to carve out a special deal."

"All this effort for a bill that would put $760 billion in new debt on the backs of Americans in the name of making a handful of extremely rich people even richer. Congressional leaders may know how to count votes, but otherwise their math is pathetic."

Afflicting the Afflicted

"At the same time that Republicans are fighting to exempt the richest estates from taxes, they are blocking a raise for the nation's poorest workers."

"Senate Democrats tried unsuccessfully this week to raise the federal minimum wage, which stands at just $5.15 an hour. It has not been increased in nearly a decade, and at its current stingy level, the rate flies in the face of Americans' belief that those who work hard and play by the rules will be rewarded. A minimum-wage worker earns just $10,700 a year, nearly $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. Since the minimum wage was first adopted, there has been a long tradition of bipartisan support for regular raises."

"Just 23 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll. These dismal ratings are no surprise when Congress's highest economic priority is handing out tax cuts to millionaires and oil companies, and its one point of fiscal restraint is protecting employers from having to pay a decent wage to factory workers and waiters."

Good News on AAR in Milwaukee

Got this in the ol' inbox today:

"Nova M Radio, the company owned by Air America founders Shel and Anita Drobny, has identified a radio station for sale in Milwaukee. Nova M, which is working with us to bring AAR to Wisconsin, is not at liberty to reveal which station it is, but we understand that it’s a good station with excellent coverage of the greater Milwaukee area. That’s wonderful news.

The challenge? The current owners will not lease it. They will only sell it outright.

For five million dollars.

That’s one hefty goal. But it’s not mission impossible. The potential for a strong progressive radio voice in Milwaukee is there. We just need several million bucks to buy the microphone. So we’re calling upon on everyone in Milwaukee’s progressive community to participate in the spirit of this truly progressive venture.

If you’re of modest means and you’d like to stake your claim in bringing a progressive voice to Milwaukee, become a founding sponsor of the station. Go to AirAmericaMilwaukee.com, click “BECOME A FOUNDING SPONSOR,” and follow the instructions.

If, on the other hand, you’re financially capable of INVESTING on a larger scale – or if you know of anyone else who has the resources – email us at info@airamericamilwaukee.com, and we’ll hook you up with Nova M. It’s not just a moral investment. It’s a financial investment in talk radio’s biggest success story, Air America Radio.

Peace,

The Milwaukee Air Force"

Hopefully we can bring this quality radio programming to Milwaukee!

My Absence

I apologize for my recent (the last month) absence. Life has taken over my......life, and blogging has taken a back seat to my daughter.

I see that in my absence, I lost my coveted spot towards the top of the alphabetical listing of "lefties" on Xoff's blog. I also have a lot of blogs to add to my blogroll...there are several new blogs on the WI section of Lefty Blogs.

Anyways, I'll try to come up with some new hard-hitting posts in the very near future. It's just hard when your wife is out of town and you're home alone with a 7-month old! That, and some question on the future and direction of my blog, and there you have a nice little hiatus.

I promise I'll return! Oh, and for those wondering, we've now brewed TWO batches of beer! The first was and is pretty iffy...but the second is just OUTSTANDING. Go Bock! :)

A Way with Words

Sorry, I had to post this, it's just hilarious:

"While Congress is up on Capitol Hill declaring English the national language, President Bush was downtown trying to enrich it.

He reprised a word of his own coinage, "suicider," as his own shorthand for "suicide bomber." According to various Web sites that track the field of English studies known as "Bushisms," he first used "suicider" in 2002 and has invoked the word frequently since.

"Suicider" is in none of the standard dictionaries, not even the 12-volume Oxford English Dictionary considered the definitive standard. At least the word is not there yet; the president is a determined individual.

He used "suicider" again Tuesday. Four times. In the White House. In the stately East Room. At a serious diplomatic function. In front of a visiting head of government, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. How much more serious can you get?

So there it is. "Suicider" is a for-real word. The Decider has spoken."

Johnny Everlasting

I'm embarrassed.

No, I didn't trip over my shoelaces, or fart in public. I'm embarrassed because of Johnny Lechner.

I attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. (Note to UW-M students: I have no qualms with the Wisconsin-Whitewater moniker. Let that be a lesson to you.) I had a fantastic time in college, and I graduated in five and half years with two bachelors degrees.
Never once did I want to stay in school longer than that. By the time I finished, I was READY to be done. Not so for Johnny Lechner, who has already been in school for 12 years, and is coming back for more. This of course has earned him notoriety and some small measure of fame. Stop. Don't feed his ego.

He was scheduled to finally graduate this spring. Five days before graduation, he pulled his application, and stated: "I realized that if I went one more year, I could study abroad," Lechner said. "That's one thing I haven't done."

I was at UW-W at the same time, in the middle of his perpetual stay. I met him a few times, mostly because he could play a guitar and liked to serenade the ladies. Ladies: he has nothing to offer you...he's 29, and still in college...the first time.

You can unfortunately read more about him here: [JohnnyLechner.com] [CNN] [JSOnline]

So Big!

My daughter Keira is six months old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone, and how big she has grown! She is now 16 lbs, and 25 1/2 inches. Here's what she looked like six months ago. You can see more pictures here.
Happy six-months Keira! Daddy Loves you!

Limbaugh Arrested

"Rush Limbaugh was arrested Friday on prescription drug charges, law enforcement officials said." [Yahoo]

Yes, that's correct. Everyone's favorite wingnut radio host was arrested today in Florida on charges of "fraud to conceal information to obtain prescription."

He posted bail and was released an hour later. We all knew he was on drugs (look at half of the stuff he says), but really, good one Rush-o!

Mouth of Sauron Resigns

Breaking: The "White House shakeup" continues today with Bush mouth-piece Scott McClellan resigning.

"Appearing with Bush on the White House South Lawn just before the president boarded a helicopter at the start a trip to Alabama, McClellan, who has parried especially fiercely with reporters on Iraq and on intelligence issues, told Bush: "I have given it my all sir and I have given you my all sir, and I will continue to do so as we transition to a new press secretary." [Yahoo]

Glad this liar is leaving...can we get rid of the rest of them too? Will Rumsfeld have the stones to do the same? Nope.

Reverse Glass Ceiling

I've never written about my job before. Those of you that have attended Drinking Liberally (when I've been able to attend) know where I work, and that I love it there...except for this:

I've run into a brick wall lately. I have applied for a position in another department three times, and have not been treated fairly all three times. I'm applying for this position for several reasons: interest, a new challenge, it's a natural career path for me, and of course the pay raise. But I've run up against a glass ceiling, one usually reserved for one of the not so much white-male sector of the population.

To define, from Wiki: "The term glass ceiling (or officially known as 'vertical segregation') refers to the observation that upper management in corporations and other large organizations consists predominately, if not exclusively, of a certain demographic (e.g., white heterosexual men) despite non-discrimination policies. A "ceiling" is suggested because persons outside the dominant demographic group are evidently limited in how far they are able to advance inside the organization ranks; the ceiling is "glass" (transparent) because the limitation is not immediately apparent. The "glass ceiling" is distinguished from formal barriers to advancement, such as education or experience requirements. The existence of the glass ceiling is frequently cited as a failure of existing anti-discrimination action."

Basically, what happened is that three times I've applied, and three times this department has hired a less qualified woman. I have absolutely no issue with whomever they would hire, if they are the most qualified/best fit person that applied and interviewed. That is, however, not the case. My company works on the basis that you can hire whomever you want, just make it look legit. Even in my own department, many people have been passed over for promotions and extra duties because they weren't part of the "inner circle," those that have the power and make the decisions. Apparently, I have to be a woman to be hired in this department, or kiss a lot of ass in my own to move up. Sorry, but I come from the school of thought that those with the best ideas, the merit, the talent, and the proven abilities move up. Apparently, not so much. I guess it only took me 4 years out of college to figure that out.

Does anyone else out there have a similar experience here in Milwaukee? Any suggestions?

6th Title

Congrats to the Wisconsin Badgers on winning their 6th National Title last night at the Bradley Center! [UWBadgers] [WSJ] [JSOnline] [Slideshow] [JS - Special Section]

When you say Wisconsin, YOU'VE SAID IT ALL!

Tom, In His Own Words

With the hammer falling on...well, the hammer this week, here are some of my favorite Tom DeLay quotes, from Christy Harvey at the Center for American Progress:

1. “Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes.” – Those famous DeLay priorities. (And here we thought it would be “providing armor” or “having an exit strategy.”)
2. “I AM the federal government.” – Smokin’ Tom to a staffer, after being told he wasn’t allowed to puff on his cigar in a federal building.
3. “You know, you’re never a prophet in your own hometown.” – DeLay, explaining his unpopularity with some of his constituents. (Houston Chronicle, 8/23/98)
4. “We march forward with a biblical worldview, a worldview that says God is our Creator, that man is a sinner, and that we will save this country by changing the hearts and minds of Americans.” – DeLay’s view of his role in government.
5. “When faced with the truth, the truth hurts. It is human nature not to face that… People hate the messenger. That’s why they killed Christ.” – DeLay, explaining why some Americans weren’t delighted with that “biblical worldview.”
6. “Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?”— DeLay to children living in the Astrodome during Hurricane Katrina
7. “So many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself.” – Houston Chronicle, repeating DeLay’s rationale for not serving in Vietnam.
8. They’re the “Gestapo of government:” – DeLay, proving it’s not easy being green, talking about the Environmental Protection Agency.
9. “Our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who are evolutionized [sic] out of some primordial soup.” – DeLay, blaming the shootings at Columbine on, obviously, teaching evolution in schools.
10. “This whole thing about not kicking someone when they are down is BS – not only do you kick him – you kick him until he passes out – then beat him over the head with a baseball bat – then roll him up in an old rug – and throw him off a cliff into the pounding surf below!!!!” – DeLay right-hand Michael Scanlon (yes, that Michael Scanlon, the Jack Abramoff buddy who used to work for The Hammer) in an email during the Clinton impeachment trial.

Special Bonus Countdown: Five Things You Wish You Knew About Tom DeLay
1. DeLay Gone Wild. DeLay was kicked out of Baylor University for…oh, how did his spokesman put it… “too vigorous a social life.”
2. Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em. DeLay reportedly started smoking at age 6, becoming the first kid in 2nd grade to suffer from nic fits.
3. Magnum P.I. He Ain’t. DeLay shaved his moustache in 1984 after a study found Republicans wouldn’t elect a guy with facial hair. (Houston Chronicle, 6/22/06)
4. Wasn’t Indiana Jones Taller? DeLay “keeps two large leather bullwhips on display in his Capitol office, occasionally demonstrating his prowess in whipcracking.” Oooh, Tom!
5. The Nicknames That Aren’t Fit to Print. The Hammer. The Exterminator. The Meanest Man In Congress. Hot Tub Tom.

Milwaukee Democratic Party

I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to the Milwaukee Democratic Party. They have a new website, and even though my blog is listed on there as The Ben Pac, you should still check it out. They have a smattering of Milwaukee blogs on the right side, and the site is pretty clean and user friendly.

Note to the Milwaukee Dems: my blog is actually Ben PAC (as in Political Action Committee)...for those of you new to my site, it started as a joke while working on the Kerry and Feingold campaigns in 2004, and now, it's my blog name. Although, the "The" title is pretty quality...Is that like Stephon Marbury calling himself Starbury?

$2.65?

Weren't our gas prices supposed to go DOWN? Here's a site that shows the current state of Milwaukee gas prices. I'll give you a hint: not pretty.

Didn't Bush tell us that by going to Iraq, and "fighting HIS good fight" that we'd have lower gas prices? Bush allowed fuel rules to be tightened this week, but not by much, and they don't go into effect until 2008. This "savings" amounts to a few weeks worth of oil consumption, not the years that Bush would have you believe.

It's getting harder and harder to afford to drive to work. Other countries pay a lot more for gas than we do, but they also use LESS of it. With wages stagnant (while CEO salaries shoot through the roof), it becomes harder for middle-class Americans to afford gas. (Read the original post at STiTP).

Cheney Steps Down

In a bold move, Vice-President Dick Cheney has stepped down effective immediately, according to White House sources. They would not state the reason why he has stepped down, or if Bush asked him to step aside.

Cheney is expected to address the media shortly.