Update from AFP

Add comment November 23rd, 2008

WIS GOP UPDATE

- Governor Jim Doyle announced  the state deficit is expected to be $5.4 billion through the fiscal year ending mid-2011.

Doyle also announced he will introduce a budget repair bill early next year to bridge the current fiscal year gap expected to be $346.2 million.

This comes after state agencies said they can’t cut spending by the requested 10 percent. See the Associated Press article. According to the Department of Administration, state agencies have requested spending increases of nearly $2 billion through 2011.

Meanwhile, the Department of Revenue predicts tax collections will fall yet again with a 2.2 percent decline forecasted for this fiscal year and a 3.9 percent decline in 2009-2010.

– Assembly Minority Leader-elect Jeff Fitzgerald called for pro-growth measures to lead a possible state stimulus package while Democrats continue to push a series of tax increases.

According to Fitzgerald, the only thing Democrats have talked about concerning the economy since Election Day has been a series of tax increases Republicans fought off last session.

– Recounts in the 47^th Assembly District and 18^th Senate District resumed today although the 47^th AD recount should be complete Friday while the 18^th SD will likely go past Thanksgiving.

Democrat attorneys in the 47^th AD say they are looking to decide the race in court after losing on Election Day, losing the canvass and likely losing the recount. The margin on Election Day was 28 votes.

– Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced the DOJ completed the training of 55 law enforcement officers who are part of the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force is designed to fight against child pornography and training includes CyberTipline Reports on inappropriate or criminal conduct on the internet.

HEADLINES FROM AROUND WISCONSIN

STATE SENATE

Lawmaker, Others Plan To Push For Ban On Text Messaging While Driving

http://www.channel3000.com/technology/18024651/detail.htmlhttp://www.channel3000.com/technology/18024651/detail.html

A One-Party Statehouse

http://www.madisonmagazine.com/article.php?section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=236082

State agencies say they can’t cut budgets

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20081120/OSH0101/81119233/1987/OSHopinion

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Wisconsin campaign finance reform enters the realm of the possible

http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=24370

New hope for reform in political campaigns

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20081120/SHE06/811200483/1109

STATE ASSEMBLY

Judge may decide 47th Assembly District race

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/315194

47th Assembly recount could end up in court

http://www.wiscnews.com/spe/news/315243

STATE BUDGET

State Agencies Say They Can’t Meet Governor’s Cutback Demand

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=9380292

Not so fast on tax hike talk

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/315149

J.B VAN HOLLEN

Officials fail to comply in record requests

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/11/20/officials_fail_to_co.php

JIM DOYLE

Governor Doyle signs global climate agreement

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9384454&nav=menu1362_2

Add comment November 23rd, 2008

Randy Koschnick for Supreme court

Randy Koschnick is a Circuit Court Judge in the Jefferson County Circuit Court. Koschnick is a candidate for election in 2009 in the Wisconsin Supreme Court^[1]. While the Supreme Court election is officially non-partisan, Koschnick is identified with the Republican Party.

Koschnick was first elected as a Circuit Court Judge in Jefferson County in 1999 in which he won the seat over Watertown attorney Tom Levi and has served in the Jefferson County Circuit Court to this date. Koschnick ran for a open judgeship as the Wisconsin State Legislature authorized an additional judgeship for Jefferson County which is located halfway between Milwaukee and Madison on Interstate 94^[1].

State Supreme Court Bid

On November 17, 2008, Koschnick announced his bid to take on Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson for a ten-year term in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Koshnick calls himself a judicial conservative and said he considers his opponent, Shirley Abrahamson a judicial activist.

“I vow to preserve and protect the independence and integrity of the court,” said Koshnick. “I will work diligently to uphold respect for the law and to faithfully protect those individual rights that we value so highly in this wonderful blessed country.”^[1]

Koshnick also called on Chief Justice Abrahamson to sign a clean campaign pledge after his campaign announcement which includes measures to abstain from and renounce personal attacks against each other. This comes from the 2008 race between Michael Gableman and Louis Butler in which the race was filled with personal attacks and advertising from third party special interest groups on both sides of the aisle^[1]. Currently, one campaign advertisement from the 2008 election is under review by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.

Endorsements

• Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge David Resheske
• Washington County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Faragher
• Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Donald Hassin
• Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Haughney
• Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Linda Van De Water^[2

On The Issues

Public Financing

Koschnick has said that he supports public financing of judicial campaigns in Wisconsin as a way to curb spending of television and other advertisements by third party special interest groups^[3].

Judicial Activisim

Koschnick has said it’s vitally important to the health, welfare and stability of the State of Wisconsin that each branch of government operates within the original Constitutional structure of checks and balances.

“My only promise is to do my best to apply the law as it is written in a fair and impartial manner,” Judge Koschnick said. “I will listen with an open mind to the arguments of the parties in individual cases, and then listen to and consider the opinions of my fellow Supreme Court Justices.” ^[2].

Inadmissable Evidence/Appealette Cases

Wisconsin v. Knapp

This was a case that brought a lot of attention during the 2008 Supreme Court Election in a murder case dating back to 1987 that played a pivotal role in the defeat of sitting incumbent Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler and paved the way for Michael Gableman to be elected. The case was re-heard in 2006 with Judge Koschnick presiding.

Knapp was charged in connection with the 1987 killing of Resa Scobie Brunner after the two had been seen socializing one evening in downtown Watertown^[4]. Knapp was arrested in 1999 after he was released from serving a sentence in the Racine State Pentitentiary after serving 22 months for driving a vehicle while intoxicated and for failing to report to jail after sentencing^[5].

Wisconsin State Crime Lab Analysis in 1988 and subsequent DNA testing of blood on a blue sweatshirt in the clothing pile indicated it was Brunner’s, the decision stated.

In recent years, the Knapp case had risen as high as the U.S. Supreme Court which ordered the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider its initial ruling that a sweatshirt found in Knapp’s possession, containing the blood of Scobie Brunner, could not be used as admissable evidence. The court had ruled the shirt was improperly obtained by the Watertown Police Department^[4].

The appeals from Knapp’s attorneys stemmed from the actions of then-detective Timothy Roets of the Watertown Police Department, who came to arrest Knapp on December 13, 1987 after he learned Knapp had been drinking with Brunner the night before. Ervin J. Brunner her husband found her lying on the bedroom floor on December 12, 1987 beaten to death with a baseball bat^[4].
Although Knapp said he didn’t want to talk to police or give them a statement on advice of his attorney, Roets, the former detective questioned Knapp who said he had been with Brunner the night before. Knapp’s attorneys argued to the appeals and eventually the Wisconsin and Federal supreme courts that at no time prior to taking the clothing or questioning Knapp did Detective Roets give him his Miranda Rights as the US Supreme Court in 2004 stated. The Federal Supreme Court decision in 2004 also stated that failure to exclude the sweatshirt Detective Roets obtained would encourage police to go around Miranda protections when there is an opportunity to grab evidence^[4].
After reconsidering the manner in which the shirt was obtained, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court in 2005 came to the same conclusion that the garment must be excluded from the trial. Prosecutors have said they have other evidence from Knapp that will be useful toward convincing jurors Knapp committed the murder. In this case, both former Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler and current Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson who is facing re-election in 2009 sided that the bloody sweatshirt could not be used as admissable evidence^[6].

In May of 2006, Knapp was re-tried again off the Supreme Court’s ruling. In a trial that had an very extensive and intense voir dire (Jury Selection), the jury was sequestered on Koschnick’s orders despite the jury all came from Jefferson County and was required to hear the case six days a week, including Saturdays, for what could be a two week trial^[4].

During the trial, Jefferson County District attorneys used advances in DNA technology that were crucial to the case as was Knapp’s own belief during the case that he had gotten away with the crime. As time passed, he told acquaintances that he killed Scobie Brunner, according to testimony and Jefferson County District Atttorney David Wambach during the trial. During testimony a witness said Knapp threatened a girlfriend, Sandra Huebner, telling her she would face the same fate as Scobie Brunner^[5].

Among the critical evidence during the trial were two pairs of Knapp’s shoes. Knapp’s Nike athletic shoes had blood spatters on them, with the spray consistent as coming from someone who had been beaten, Wambach said.

Another pair of athletic shoes also had blood on them and DNA tests from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab confirmed that the blood on both sets of shoes was Scobie Brunner’s. The statements and the science were enough evidence for the jury to reach a guilty verdict as this case was re-introduced as in 1998 as a cold crimes unit that started in Jefferson County^[5]. A Jefferson County Circuit Court jury deliberated for four hours after hearing three days of testimony returned a guilty verdict all counts^[5]. Knapp was sentenced by Koschnick in May of 2006 to life in prison, plus fifteen years, but was elegible for parole after serving thirty years^[7].

Notes

2 comments November 19th, 2008

WISGOP DAILY UPDATE

– Recounts have now begun in both the 47^th Assembly District between Republican Keith Ripp and Democrat Trish O’Neil and the 18^th Senate District between Republican Randy Hopper and Democrat Jessica King.

In the 47^th, Ripp led by 28 votes on Election Day and the recount should be done this week. In the 18^th, Hopper led by 182 votes on Election Day and the recount will likely take ten days.

– Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker used some 30 vetoes to eliminate nearly $8 million in spending the county board added to his budget. According to Walker, the move will decrease property taxes slightly while preserving core services, who said “tough times require tight budgets.”

Walker ’s tight budgeting practices are going to have to be a model for governments across the state struggling with the difficult economic times.

– GOP Reps. Robin Vos of Racine and Phil Montgomery of Ashwaubenon were appointed to the Joint Finance Committee by Assembly Leader Jeff Fitzgerald. The JFC’s primary responsibility is the review of all state appropriations and revenues. Other Republican members include Senators Luther Olson of Ripon and Alberta Darling of River Hills.  See a full list of committee assignments here http://blogs.wispolitics.com/budget.html

HEADLINES FROM AROUND WISCONSIN

STATE SUPREME COURT

Jefferson County judge to run against Chief Justice Abrahamson

http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/articles/index.cfm?id=31836&section=Wisconsin%20News

Koschnick to run for Supreme Court

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/11/18/koschnick_to_run_for.php

Abrahamson faces challenge for high court

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/34626114.html

Forum Addresses Wisconsin Supreme Court Elections

http://www.channel3000.com/news/18003852/detail.html

Statement of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson

http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=141746

Koschnick Campaign: Judge Koschnick: A candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court

http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=141739

Growing partisanship marks Wisconsin judicial races

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/314768

Merit should nix nasty campaigns

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/314873

Judge enters race against Wisconsin chief justice

http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2008/nov/17/judge-enters-race-against-wisconsin-chief-justice/

STATE LEGISLATURE

State Republican, Democrat call for MPS reform

http://www.jsonline.com/business/34678409.html

Vote recount begins for 47th District Assembly seat

http://www.wiscnews.com/bnr/news/314829

Knodl pleads not guilty to making false statements

http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2008/Nov_08/11182008_12.asp

Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea For Dan Knodl

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/34669769.html

Lawmakers to seek ban on BPA

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/34623239.html

BUDGET

State agencies asked to slash budgets

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9367374

Budget deficit defines Wisconsin ’s urgent need to grow

http://wistechnology.com/articles/5233/

JIM DOYLE

Obama commends Wis. governor at climate meeting

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=9371097

Add comment November 19th, 2008

Drill here Drill now Tuesday

DRILL HERE DRILL NOW TUESDAYS

My Gas Price: $1.99 lets keep it this way by Drilling!

American needs to drill here drill now. America is having a energy crisis and we need to do something now!

Urge Congress and pass a bill to drill in America, where

the United States has vast oil and gas resources onshore and offshore that are currently illegal to develop and therefore inaccessible.

U.S. law prohibits the development of approximately 38 billion barrels of undeveloped oil resources (19 billion barrels onshore and 18.92 billion offshore).

U.S. law prohibits the development of approximately 180 trillion cubic feet of undeveloped natural gas resources (94.5 trillion cubic feet onshore and 85.7 trillion cubic feet offshore).

Also

CONGRESS RECENTLY VOTED TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO DEVELOP U.S. OIL SHALE RESOURCES

With oil prices at an all-time high, Americans are facing escalating gas, diesel, and aircraft fuel increases. Oil prices are projected to increase further.

Congress, however, has made it illegal to develop vast domestic oil resources in large parts of the United States.

The most startling Congressional prohibition on domestic oil production concerns the recently enacted ban on the development of oil shale resources in parts of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming in the Green River Formation. According to a Rand Study estimate, this reserve contains over one trillion barrels of oil, with 800 billion barrels fully recoverable, or three times the current oil reserves as Saudi Arabia:

http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=1c1a10c1-15fd-4ad8-a426-b9a87f635903

http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=d4b72449-7edb-493d-88ff-76bfe669e0f2

Add comment November 19th, 2008

This will be us soon

1 comment November 17th, 2008

Well this explains it

Mortgage-backed Securities are like boxes of chocolates. Liberal-led criminals on Wall Street stole a few chocolates from the boxes and replaced them with turds. Their criminal buddies at Standard & Poor rated these boxes AAA Investment-grade Chocolates. These boxes were then sold all over the world to investors. Eventually somebody bites into a turd and discovers the crime. Suddenly no one in the world trusts American chocolates anymore.

Hank Paulson now wants American taxpayers to buy up and hold all these boxes of turd-infested chocolates for $700 billion dollars until the market for turds, er…ah… American mortgage-backed securities returns to normal. Meanwhile, ol’ Hank’s buddies, the Liberal-led Wall Street criminals who stole all the good chocolates, are not being investigated, nor arrested, nor even indicted.

Ma’ mama always said: “Sniff the chocolates first, Forrest”…

Add comment November 17th, 2008

GOP Rising Stars Are Governors

By Matt Lewis

The best chance to get a Republican back to the White House will likely come through governorships.  This is nothing new;  For a variety of reasons, senators don’t usually fare as well as governors.  In this regard, 2008 was an anomaly.

For this reason, the GOP Governor’s meeting taking place this week in Miami will be worth watching, as it will include rising stars like Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal — and others.

There’s a good chance the 2008 nominee will be in attendance.

Of course, we’ve also got former governors Romney and Huckabee to consider, as well.  And some would even go so far as to mention former governor Jeb Bush…

Add comment November 17th, 2008

Georgia congressman warns of Obama dictatorship

Nov 10 08:46 PM US/Eastern
By BEN EVANS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.
“It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s the one who proposed this national security force,” Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “I’m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may—may not, I hope not—but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism.”

Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.

“That’s exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it’s exactly what the Soviet Union did,” Broun said. “When he’s proposing to have a national security force that’s answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he’s showing me signs of being Marxist.”

Obama’s comments about a national security force came during a speech in Colorado in which he called for expanding the nation’s foreign service.

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set,” Obama said in July. “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”

The Obama transition team declined to comment on Broun’s remarks. But spokesman Tommy Vietor said Obama was referring in the speech to a proposal for a civilian reserve corps that could handle postwar reconstruction efforts such as rebuilding infrastructure—an idea endorsed by the Bush administration.

Broun said he believes Obama would move to ban gun ownership if he does build a national security force.

Obama has said he respects the Second Amendment right to bear arms and favors “common sense” gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he’ll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault weapons and concealed weapons. As an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms generally.

“We can’t be lulled into complacency,” Broun said. “You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I’m not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I’m saying is there is the potential of going down that road.”

___

On the Net:

Rep. Paul Broun: http://broun.house.gov/

Add comment November 14th, 2008

‘Why Believe in a God?’ Ad Campaign Launches on D.C. Buses

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —

You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.

Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.

In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

“We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. “Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”

To that end, the ads and posters will include a link to a Web site that will seek to connect and organize like-minded thinkers in the D.C. area, Edwords said.

Edwords said the purpose isn’t to argue that God doesn’t exist or change minds about a deity, although “we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people’s minds.”

The group defines humanism as “a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.”

Last month, the British Humanist Association caused a ruckus announcing a similar campaign on London buses with the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

In Washington, the humanists’ campaign comes as conservative Christian groups gear up their efforts to keep Christ in Christmas. In the past five years, groups such as the American Family Association and the Catholic League have criticized or threatened boycotts of retailers who use generic “holiday” greetings.

In mid-October, the American Family Association started selling buttons that say “It’s OK to say Merry Christmas.” The humanists’ entry into the marketplace of ideas did not impress AFA president Tim Wildmon.

“It’s a stupid ad,” he said. “How do we define ‘good’ if we don’t believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what’s good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what’s good, it’s going to be a crazy world.”

Also on Tuesday, the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group, launched its sixth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign.” Liberty Counsel has intervened in disputes over nativity scenes and government bans on Christmas decorations, among other things.

“It’s the ultimate grinch to say there is no God at a time when millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Christ,” said Mathew Staver, the group’s chairman and dean of the Liberty University School of Law. “Certainly, they have the right to believe what they want but this is insulting.”

Best-selling books by authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have fueled interest in “the new atheism” — a more in-your-face argument against God’s existence.

Yet few Americans describe themselves as atheist or agnostic; a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll from earlier this year found 92 percent of Americans believe in God.

There was no debate at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over whether to take the ad. Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the agency accepts ads that aren’t obscene or pornographic.

Add comment November 13th, 2008

DRILL HERE DRILL NOW TUESDAYS

Join the Movement Now even more we need to push this!!!!!!!!
DRILL HERE DRILL NOW TUESDAYS
My Gas Price: $ 2.19
American needs to drill here drill now. America is having a energy crisis and we need to do something now!
Urge Congress and pass a bill to drill in America, where
the United States has vast oil and gas resources onshore and offshore that are currently illegal to develop and therefore inaccessible.
U.S. law prohibits the development of approximately 38 billion barrels of undeveloped oil resources (19 billion barrels onshore and 18.92 billion offshore).
U.S. law prohibits the development of approximately 180 trillion cubic feet of undeveloped natural gas resources (94.5 trillion cubic feet onshore and 85.7 trillion cubic feet offshore).
Also
CONGRESS RECENTLY VOTED TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO DEVELOP U.S. OIL SHALE RESOURCES
With oil prices at an all-time high, Americans are facing escalating gas, diesel, and aircraft fuel increases. Oil prices are projected to increase further.
Congress, however, has made it illegal to develop vast domestic oil resources in large parts of the United States.
The most startling Congressional prohibition on domestic oil production concerns the recently enacted ban on the development of oil shale resources in parts of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming in the Green River Formation. According to a Rand Study estimate, this reserve contains over one trillion barrels of oil, with 800 billion barrels fully recoverable, or three times the current oil reserves as Saudi Arabia:
http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=1c1a10c1-15fd-4ad8-a426-b9a87f635903
http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=d4b72449-7edb-493d-88ff-76bfe669e0f2

2 comments November 12th, 2008

Farrakhan says Obama draws a ‘oneness of spirit’

SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press Writer Sophia Tareen, Associated Press Writer – Sun Nov 9, 10:55 pm ET

CHICAGO – After months of silence about his support for Barack Obama, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said in an address Sunday that the new president-elect has a God-given capacity to handle any burdens he’ll face as the nation’s leader.

Farrakhan added that Obama will be able to make positive changes only with help from “God and people of goodwill,” and he urged followers of the Chicago-based black nationalist movement to do their part.

“President-elect Obama has energized all segments of the depressed, downtrodden, rejected and despised,” he said in a 90-minute speech at Mosque Maryam on the city’s South Side. “Now it is up to us to take the new energy that he has given us … and channel that energy into making ourselves better.”

Dressed in intricately decorated red and gold robes and a matching fez, the once-ailing 75-year-old leader spoke to more than 1,000 followers in an address called “America’s New Beginning: President-elect Barack Obama.”

Farrakhan, who said Obama draws a “oneness of spirit” from all people, admitted he stayed quiet about his support for Obama during the past few months out of fear his words would harm the Illinois senator’s bid for the White House.

In February, Farrakhan praised Obama, calling him “the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better” at a Saviours’ Day event in Chicago.

But Obama quickly distanced himself from Farrakhan, denouncing the minister’s support during a presidential debate with then-Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama said he objected to Farrakhan’s past statements about Judaism, which many have considered anti-Semitic. Nation of Islam officials have said Farrakhan’s comments are often taken out of context.

On Sunday, Farrakhan said Obama faced unfair scrutiny for his associations with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor, who was shown making fiery statements about the U.S. government in widely circulated video clips. Obama was also criticized because of the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Chicago priest who mocked Clinton at Wright and Obama’s former church, Trinity United Church of Christ.

“For nine months, I kept quiet because I saw that the good words that I spoke about this beautiful young man at our Saviours’ Day convention and the way they were misused,” Farrakhan said of Obama. “I decided it would be better for me to just be quiet rather than be drawn into the controversy that was swirling around his pastor, Father Pfleger, and others.”

Farrakhan then added with a smile, “I feel freer today to say the things that are in my heart.”

He thanked black leaders including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, for laying the foundation for Obama’s victory, which he called Divine.

The Nation of Islam has espoused black nationalism and self-reliance since it was founded in the 1930s, but has reached out more lately to other groups, including immigrants.

Farrakhan has haltingly tried to move the Nation toward traditional Islam, which considers the American movement heretical.

He has also downplayed some of the group’s more controversial beliefs. The Nation of Islam has taught that whites are descended from the devil and that blacks are the chosen people of Allah.

Add comment November 11th, 2008

Now that they dragged me in off the ledge……..

So…the election is over.  The hard work is over, the calls, the late nights, and the sleepless nights.  All over.  We prayed before the election and now we’ll have to pray even more.  The “One” Barack Obama has won the election.  So what is my perspective?

Well I do think that the ticket had parts of the right message,  but not the whole package.  And certainly not delivered in a way that middle America appreciated, obviously.   Obama steals the tax issue with a “tax cut for 95 per cent of Americans” routine that is redistributive rubbish at best.

Thoughts on Sarah: she’s a winner waiting to break out.  She has the correct conservative message. Ann Coulter alluded to it in her last column that in order for the conservative to win, they need to come out with their message, hard core.  We know McCain is not reliably conservative.  Sarah is and she was sort of keep under wraps when it came to some of those values.  She goes on by showing her cases in point:  Reagan, Bush 41 his first term, and the current Bush administration.  During these campaigns they ran on their core conservative message and won.  So when the Republicans wander off from the winning message with a presidential candidate who still has “maverick on his mind”,  we lose.

And my last thought:  a hot husband to boot, no wonder he’s called the “First Dude”  up in Alaska.  All right, enough of that.

So now what?  We can’t stand it, but Obama is our president.  Gee, lets give Obama the same amount of respect that our current president has received.

So you didn’t think I would write all this great stuff and not have a game plan did you?  Well I do.  Here’s the plan.  Don’t take four years off.  Obama promised no new taxes, well, Barack here is your chance..  We watch him try to  keep his promises.  And last but not least we watch every thing he does, every move, every vote and who he associates with. Change? Lets see what kind of change is coming.

Add comment November 11th, 2008

In case you were wondering…..

No I have not given up on blogging for the conservative cause. Yes the election was a blow, especially in WI, but I am hopeful that it will be ok. We have a new election in two years and less than that if you are campaigning. I am getting my thoughts together to give some perspective and will have some new writing soon. Need time to recover.

1 comment November 8th, 2008

Sarah Palin In Iowa

Palin derides Obama economic plan in Dubuque stop

By NIGEL DUARA |Associated Press Writer

4:30 PM CST, November 3, 2008

“It is so phony that it is starting to unravel,” Palin said. “It seems like every two days now we’re getting a new definition of the middle class.”

Palin accused Obama of continual changes in his economic plan.

“It seems that he adjusts his tax plan pronouncements almost daily now,” Palin said. “We’re seeing the flip-flopping around on the details. Almost daily you hear something new about the plan as light is shining on it though finally in the 11th hour.”

The Obama campaign responded with a statement that questioned how Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s economic plan would differ from that offered by President Bush.

“Iowans can’t afford another four years of Bush economics,” Obama Iowa State director Jackie Norris said.

Palin’s visit to Dubuque, a Democratic region of the state, came only hours before voting begins in the presidential election. It was Palin’s third visit to Iowa in the last two weeks and was the final campaign appearance in a state that has hosted presidential candidates for nearly two years.

The Alaska governor stuck to her campaign’s key messages of lower taxes, job creation and a focus on small businesses. She also related energy independence to national security, rights for special-needs children to a pro-life stance and lower taxes to more jobs.

Palin also raised the possibility that a President Obama could be elected along with huge Democratic majorities in Congress.

“Let us not entrust the federal government to the one-party government of Obama, Pelosi and Reid,” Palin told the crowd to cheers.

Before Palin launched into her speech, she introduced country-western star Hank Williams Jr. He sang a rendition of his hit “Family Tradition” with a few twists: “the left-wing liberal media” were now the “tight-knit family,” and the $700 billion bailout became “liberal Democrat hoodoo.”

1 comment November 4th, 2008

Kent Koebke

1 comment November 3rd, 2008

Koebke in 37th District

The 37^th state Assembly District covers western Jefferson County WI, including and west of the towns of Ixonia, Aztalan, Jefferson and Koshkonong. The cities of Fort Atkinson, Lake Mills, Jefferson, and Waterloo are included. It also laps over into Dane County, covering the towns of Alboin, Christiana, and Deerfield and the villages of Cambridge and Deerfield.

In the anti-Iraq wave of 2006, Democrat Andy Jorgenson won the district with 50.17 percent of the vote against two primary rivals. In the Dane County part of the district, he rolled up 61.5 percent of the ballots, and he has been campaigning very hard ever since.

Jorgenson, an Omro High School graduate, was a line worker at General Motors before his election, although he originally came to the area to work in radio. He is faced by Fort Atkinson school board President Kent Koebke.

Koebke is a 1970 Fort Atkinson High School alumnus who graduated from UW-Whitewater and joined the Marine Corps. He retired as a full colonel after seeing duty around the world, including hotspots like Bosnia. Koebke returned to Fort Atkinson, and besides various community service activities, he is employed by MATC-Watertown counseling students on how to find and land jobs, a rather important skill in today’s world.

We hope all of our readers attended, read about or heard last Wednesday’s debate. The contrast in specific positions, fiscal direction and, frankly, the ability to just do the math, was fairly stark. For instance, none of the bills that Jorgenson has touted in his campaign literature ever became law.

With Koebke’s leadership on the Fort school board, the school district developed an on-line program for parents to monitor their children’s progress, saved energy costs on more efficient light systems and solar panels, reduced administrative expenses and created one of the best reading programs in Wisconsin. Koebke has proven not only to be a nice guy, but a good listener who asks tough questions and is willing to say “no” to big spending.

Many of Jorgenson’s votes in the state Assembly would have hit middle-income families hard in their pocketbooks. He voted for the most expensive version of the state budget; about a billion dollars more than the budget that was enacted. He supported a plan that’s expected to increase energy costs 20 percent on average – on top of an already expected increase in heating costs of 21 percent. He also supports repealing the state school revenue caps; if these limits were not in place, property taxes on the median family home would be $1,314 per year higher than they are today.

We’re also distressed that he has spoken in favor of preventing taxpayers from voting on large, local government spending decisions by ending school referendums.

And finally, the “HOPE” program Rep. Jorgenson introduced to exempt the first $60,000 of a home’s value from property taxes is little more than a tax-shifting measure that will cost $700 million. Jorgenson says the difference in revenue would be balanced by closing “corporate loopholes.” The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau did not agree. It did find that $100 million could be raised by canceling the “Las Vegas” exemption, and it went on the suggest that eliminating some state sales tax exemptions could be used to raise the rest. Extending sales taxes on more items to businesses’ customers – that’s you – on exempt items like food, gasoline, prescription drugs, home heating oil and farm implements doesn’t seem like relief. We don’t think the average citizen views these as “loopholes.”

Koebke says his first priority as a legislator would be to work together with legislators from both sides of the aisle on a job retention, job creation and regulatory reform proposal. We trust him to hold the line on spending and taxing and agree that now is not the time to increase the cost of energy. We also believe his support of revenue caps to minimize property tax increases, saving the average family $1,314 per year in property taxes, is far sounder than Jorgenson’s tax-shifting HOPE program, which would only cut $500 from property taxes while forcing tax increases elsewhere.

Finally, we agree with Kent Koebke and his firsthand experience that school referendums hold public officials to a high level of accountability.

With an impressive record of community service and an excellent grasp of the issues, Koebke will do the best job of watching over our wallets and representing us. Elect Kent Koebke in the 37^th state Assembly District on Nov. 4.

http://www.citizensforkoebke.com/

1 comment November 3rd, 2008

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Add comment November 3rd, 2008

Theron for Congress

Less Then a Week

We are down to the final drive. Most voters will be making their voting decisions in these final days before the election. Peter will be running radio ads and doing final literature distribution pushes. Now is when Peter needs your help like never before.

Two Endorsements: One real, One Backhanded

Peter got two big endorsements this week. The Wisconsin State Journal: “Peter Theron’s views on the economy — the biggest issue in this election — make him the better choice in the 2nd Congressional District.”

And then there is the Capital Times. Of course this is the paper where Tammy doesn’t have to even pay for ads; they come in the news stories. Still, this week they were acting scared when they stated there was a “Theron surge.”

The Pay-Go no Go

Congressional rules require members of Congress to propose a balancing cut in spending or added tax for every increase in government spending. So at the debate, Peter Theron asked Tammy where the pay-go for bailout came from. Tammy got a deer in the headlights look and then mumbled something about the possibility of taxpayers getting some sort of return on the $700 billion.

The best way to implement pay-go will be to make Tammy pay by helping Peter go to Congress.

On The Trail
Today it was a Middleton literature drop with College Republicans. And a favorite sign on a door: “Please ring the doorbell and run, my dog needs exercise.”

1 comment November 1st, 2008

VOTE McCAIN/PALIN

I’ll keep my freedom, my guns, and my money,
You can keep THE CHANGE
VOTE McCAIN/PALIN

Add comment October 31st, 2008

Peter Theron views on the economy

Media Report Theron’s Economic Strength and Surge

MADISON –As the election draws closer the Wisconsin State Journal endorsed Peter Theron because of his strength on economic issues:

“Peter Theron’s views on the economy — the biggest issue in this election — make him the better choice in the 2nd Congressional District.” The Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The Capital Times also reported on a surge of support for Theron this week.

“Our message of sending a reformer to Washington at a time of economic crisis is resonating throughout the Second Congressional District. Voters are quickly realizing that Tammy Baldwin has done nothing. She voted for the bailout despite legitimate constituent concerns about its appropriateness and effectiveness. America needs to get back to work. We will flourish once again by emphasizing the free market, lower taxes, and government fiscal responsibility rather than by sending welfare checks to failed big businesses,” Peter Theron said.

1 comment October 31st, 2008

ACORN Whistleblower Had Obama Donor List

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 3:32 PM

A whistleblower for the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now told Pennsylvania election officials that she was provided a donor list by Barack Obama’s campaign to raise money.

Anita Moncrief, 29, said she had a list of persons who had given money to Obama’s campaign, called a “development plan” that she was given while employed at a Washington DC chapter of Project Vote, one of ACORN’s sister affiliates. The list contained information about donors who had given the maximum contribution allowable to Obama’s campaign.

Moncrief gave this information while testifying to a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in a suit brought by the Pennsylvania Republican Party against ACORN for the group’s participation in voter registration fraud.

Moncrief is no longer empoyed by Project Vote. She was fired last January for putting charging personal expenses on the organization’s credit card.

Add comment October 30th, 2008