Steyn again, I wish I'd written this

From The Corner:

With the number of homophobic attacks rising in the Dutch metropolis, Amsterdam officials are commissioning a study to determine why Moroccan men are targeting the city's gays.

Gee, whiz. That's a toughie.

As I say somewhere in my book: If you think Iraq's Kurds and Arabs, Sunni and Shia are incompatible, what do you call a jurisdiction split between post-Christian secular gay potheads and anti-whoring anti-sodomite anti-everything-you-dig Islamists? If Kurdistan’s an awkward fit in Iraq, how well will Pornostan fit in the Islamic Republic of Holland?

There's nothing for me to add.

Why stop there?

I love this idea. Nothing says "Milwaukee" like The Fonz.

Correction, nothing says "Milwaukee" like The Fonz, except for Laverne and Shirley.

Fonzie is a great start, but Milwaukee needs a variety of TV icons placed in bronze on it's streets and other prominent locations (in front of snobbish art galleries in the 3rd Ward, yes!). What a fun diversion for the six tourists that come to the city each year. And as a positive unintended consequence, we may help rid the city of dour, self important, no sense of humor residents, like these.

There were many great characters on Happy Days, I think the following also deserve their own statues.

• Richie Cunningham
• Howie & Marion Cunningham
• Potsie
• Ralph Malph
• Al and Arnold
  
• Lenny & Squiggy
  
• The Shark

Anyone else from Happy Days and L&S deserve a statue?

Today Happy Days, tomorrow That 70's Show.

Winter driving lessons

Lesson No. 1. All Season Radial Tire is a misnomer. It should be All Season (except when it snows) Radial Tire.

Lesson No. 2. When it snows, leave the Boxster in your garage. It was a sad sight today at the corner of Gorham & Pinckney Streets.

Lesson No. 3. It is time for SUV and Subaru owners to admit that they did not buy their vehicle for its ability to drive on snow covered roads. The one thing I could consistently predict on today's drive from Madison to Pewaukee, the vehicle holding up traffic in the left lane was going to be an SUV or an AWD Subaru. Otherwise, these vehicles were cowering in the right lane driving 5-10 mph less than prevailing traffic.

I think the caution of these drivers relates to these vehicles' high center of gravity and lousy tires (All Season Radials, of course). Front wheel drive sedans and 4WD pick-ups (with off-road tires) ruled I-94 today.

Admit it now, that SUV or Subaru was all about image. You bought the hype, but were wrong. Now buy a front wheel drive sedan or wagon, and get rid of those ridiculous fuel-wasting vehicles. You will feel safer driving on snow covered roads and have more money for other things after fueling.

Lesson No. 4. Riding a bicycle in the snow - ARE YOU NUTS? I know you're in Madison, and your bike emits no greenhouse gases, and your neighbors think this makes you especially environmentally conscious; but bloody hell - I nearly killed you with my car today. Take the city bus the next time it snows or threatens to snow.



Lesson No. 5. A set of Michelin X-Ice tires is money well spent. These snow tires turned my front wheel drive sedan from white-knuckles in snow; to sure handling and able to start & stop on any hill I encountered. I was fearless on the freeway today, but I kept it in control and did not risk a ride into the median ditch.

Hillary's 9/11

“It looked and sounded presidential,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “This was an instance of the White House experience of this campaign. They knew how to handle this.”

I don't think so, Tim.

To me it looks and sounds like micromanagement of local affairs by a wannabe Federal official. It shows that if she is elected, there will be no matter so small or trivial that The Rodham Administration will not try to run it.

The Captain provides insightful analysis of the Hillary's hostage spin.

Er, what? Sabato, who usually gives intelligent political analysis, must have inhaled a little deeply. Clinton was nowhere near New Hampshire during the entirety of the crisis. What was presidential about having the Rochester PD talk a hostage-taker out of a building? What "leadership" did Hillary show in Virginia during this crisis? She canceled a speech!

The AP's Glen Johnson is even worse. He breathlessly describes Hillary's efforts as "continu[ing] to call up and down the law enforcement food chain, from local to county to state to federal officials." The hostages were released within a couple of hours, and presumably their families had closer contacts with the PD, as they live closer to the offices than Virginia. "I knew I was bugging these people," Clinton told the AP, but she wanted to know minute-by-minute what was happening, so she could tell her staff and be prepared for whatever assistance she could lend. Which would be exactly .... what? If the PD wanted to have her call the ersatz bomber, they would know where to find her.

Hillary certainly didn't do anything wrong, but she didn't "take charge" as the AP implies, or look presidential, as Sabato declares. She certainly looks considerably less presidential today in trying to take credit for the professional work done by the Rochester PD yesterday. That looks a lot more like a politician than a President, and we already know her credentials for the former. This incident doesn't provide Hillary any credentials for the latter.

And where's the criticism of her chicken-shit canceling of a speech and closing of her campaign offices over what was quickly identified as an isolated event by a lone nutjob? Isn't that what President Bush was criticized for following that awful morning in 2001?

"Ooooh, I'm sooooo scared" Hillary should have said. I'm surprised she didn't scramble Air Force 3 and circle Nebraska for the duration of the event. God help us if she's in charge when Osama detonates that suitcase nuke. My esteem for Ray Nagin's crisis management skills would certainly rise in comparison.

Some good news from Irving

Despite the Packers getting bitch-slapped by the Dallas Cowboys last night, there was some good news for Green Bay fans.



Mainly, the fact that the Sunday School Teacher is no longer on the sidelines. He is someone else's problem now. (Hmmmm, could the relative proximity of Irving to College Station have had something to do with the re-emergence of Bad Brett? I would not ignore that possibility.)

Just two years (plus 2 games) ago, another blogger* wrote.

"I'm going to tell you the facts, gentlemen, and the facts are these: At Green Bay, we have winners. We do not have losers. If you're a loser, mister, you're going to get your ass out of here and you're going to get your ass out of here right now. Gentlemen, we are paid to win. Gentlemen, we will win."
- Vince Lombardi

Something has clearly changed about being a Green Bay Packer over the years. When Mike Sherman talks about his 2-8 Green Bay Packers, he says they've done some good things, are dealing with devastating injuries, and really hope that they'll do better next time. As I watch Mike Sherman fumbling with his note cards on the sidelines, it makes me wonder, What would Vince Lombardi do?

Vince Lombardi taught us that being a winning organization was more about attitude and hard work than personnel. When he came to Green Bay, he turned a group of losers into a team that worked harder, prepared better, and expected to win every game. It wasn't that Green Bay had the greatest players in the league, but the Lombardi attitude turned them into the greatest team in the league. The players became champions because of what their coach and then they themselves came to believe. They were winners, and they paid the price and had the attitude to make it happen.

Mike Sherman is not that kind of guy. He comes off like an accountant in his numbingly boring and uninsightful interviews. He seems to suffer over losing, but also seems to be prepared to live with it. His interactions with fans and the media are wooden and full of platitudes. I'm sure he probably gets mad sometimes, but I can't imagine the experience would be very inspiring. What does he expect from his players? Well, he says he was disappointed in this guy or that play, and moves on to the next week where the same thing happens over and over again.

They will eventually win some games, but the Super Bowl will never again become a reasonable possibility without a dramatic change in attitude. Mike Sherman is clearly not the guy to make that happen.

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-the-time thing. You don't win once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."
- Vince Lombardi

No excuses from Coach McCarthy following the loss, and he benched two under-performing players. He's more like Vince than Sherman.

From 8-20 in 2005 and early 2006, to 14-2 from the end of '06 until yesterday. Under the leadership of the Evil Genius and The Kid from the Sou' Side the Packers have come a long way. Even after the beating in Texas the following is true.

• The Packers' record is 10-2
• They lead their division by 3-1/2 games
• They control their playoff destiny for a first round bye and second round home game

All of this was beyond anyone's imagination in the fifth year of Mike Sherman. Now that he is gone, the Super Bowl is a reasonable possibility.

That news is good enough for me.

*I cannot remember the blogger, but he wrote a lot of fantastic posts. I made a Word doc of this one and posted it on my office wall. Let me know if this rings a bell.

I don't believe him

I don't believe Anderson Cooper's denial of knowledge of the Hillary-General Kerr connection. Since Cooper and Kerr reportedly play on the same team (not that there's anything wrong with that); Kerr's position on the Clinton campaign would have been of interest to Cooper when it was announced. I'd guess that Kerr was picked for the debate specifically because Cooper became aware of him when Kerr endorsed Clinton.

What I was drinking - price break

The German wines from Sendik's that I endorsed last week are now an even better bargain. The Burg Layer Schlosskapelle 2006 Bacchus Spätlese is now only $7.99 for a liter and the Rüdesheimer Rosengarten 2006 Spätlese is only $6.99. At these prices, these will make terrific party wines.

It's for the children

To pay for highways, buildings and environmental programs, state government slid 87% deeper in long-term debt over the past 10 years.

According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the state had $8.28 billion in general-obligation, transportation and environmental debt in mid-2006; the same debts totaled $4.41 billion in 1996.

The 87% increase was three times the U.S. inflation rate over that period.

Figures show that debt rose the most - by $1.8 billion- under Thompson between 1996 and 2001, when he resigned to become a cabinet secretary for President Bush. Debt increased by more than $1.5 billion in Doyle's first three years.

Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said the growing debt is another risky budget decision governors and legislators have made to benefit themselves politically.

It isn't for me. I don't expect to be around to pay off this debt. Hopefully my kids will have the opportunity and good sense to get away, too.

Smokin' Names

A virtual friend has pointed out that any worthwhile barbecue pitmaster should have a barbecue nickname. The Blues Name Generator posted by Tom McMahon works well for BBQ too, with some minor modifications.

BBQ Name Generator Originally Planet Proctor's Blues Name Generator
Letter	Your First BBQ Name	Your Middle BBQ Name
A	Blind	Bones
B	Muddy	Money
C	Crippled	Legs
D	Smokey	Sal
E	Texas	Eyes
F	Woody	Lemon
G	Ugly	Killer
H	Brown	Hips
I	Happy	Lips
J	Boney	Fingers
K	Curly	Boy
L	Pretty	Liver
M	Jailhouse	Gumbo
N	Peg Leg	Foot
O	Red	Mama
P	Sleepy	Back
Q	Bald	Duke
R	Skinny	Dog
S	Fat	Bad Boy
T	Big	Baby
U	Yella	Chicken
V	Toothless	Pickles
W	Smokin'	Sugar
X	Fat Boy	Cracker
Y	Hickory	Tooth
Z	Steel-Eye	Smoke
Rule	Use your first initial	Use your middle or last initial
Example: SD becomes Fat Sal Wow. This thing really works.

Boney Dog reporting.

Kringle-blogging

With apologies to Mr. Heyer, you can beat factory-bakery produced kringle at home. Last Christmas, Mrs. Headless baked a pair of kringle using this pastry recipe. It was her first try at kringle. The recipe is a multi-day affair, so plan ahead, it is well worth the effort.



On the left below is her raspberry-strawberry jam & sliced almond filled kringle. On the right, her turtle kringle - chocolate, caramel & pecan filling.



These were the best kringle I had ever eaten. Granted, I've never had the chance to try kringle still warm at the bakery.

For more kringle filling ideas, there are other recipes here and here.

Note to Mrs. Headless, consider this a hint if you please.

Jeff Wagner, closet leftist?

I know it is just a throwaway line, but Jeff Wagner pulls one out of the leftwing playbook.

In rejecting a four year $42 million dollar offer from the Brewers to sign with the Cincinnati Reds for a couple of million more ($42 million, $46 million - at those numbers, does it really matter?), Cordero has demonstrated that he has a peculiar way of showing his gratitude.

So someone other than Cordero should decide when he is making enough money?

How much is too much to host a radio talk show? Should Sykes settle for Wagner's pay, or Wagner for James T.'s? Some people believe so.

And if $1 million a year shouldn't matter to Cordero, why should the minuscule cost of Healthy Wisconsin matter to you, me and Jeff. That property tax increase is only several hundred bucks, why should we care?

Don't go there Jeff. You are making a bad point for them.

Bidding ends December 10

I don't know that I'd want a "game issued" (i.e., sweaty) uniform, but I do find these retro Badger uniforms to be very fashionable.

Badger fans will have an opportunity to bid on uniforms that are reminiscent of those worn by Wisconsin during its run to 1941 National Championship. In celebration of that memorable season, these vintage uniforms will be issued for one game only, and worn in the Wisconsin vs. Wofford men’s basketball game on Dec. 3, 2007.

Each uniform package includes the jersey, shorts, socks, and shoes. All items are official and authentic Wisconsin basketball uniforms. All items are game-issued and include a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan.

A cool concept celebrating a largely forgotten part of Badger history. Bid here.

A bumper sticker for Pete

COEXIST. The point they missed.

When I first saw a COEXIST bumper sticker (on a Prius in Madison, of course), one of my reactions was that in certain parts of the world, that sticker would be considered extremely offensive. The placement of a Star of David within inches of the Islamic Crescent would provoke outrage.

We learned earlier this year of the lack of tolerance for offensive images in parts of the Middle East. I contend that the below two images would be considered equally offensive and would provoke equal outrage.



Don't believe it? Then put your life where your mouth is and drive a Prius with that smug and edgy bumper sticker on the streets of Beirut or Kabul. I'm still computing the over/under for the number of lashes that you would receive in Riyadh.

Promoting religious tolerance through religiously offensive bumper stickers. Good fun in Madison. A chance for moral indignation in Milwaukee. A death sentence in Tehran.

Black Friday - Humbug.

There is nothing like long lines and missed opportunities to take me out of the mood for anything, especially for massive Christmas spending.

The news reports of Black Friday shopping have me wishing that I could stay in my house all day. Mrs. Headless was out at 05:00, but aborted her shopping after a bad experience at her first stop.

Being bait & switched with teaser prices that are unattainable will also make me less, not more, likely to purchase a given product.

This Black Friday marketing must work, or they wouldn't do it. It just doesn't work with me.

Screw 'em.

Sheboygan - More than just exeptional bratwurst

Putting our lives in perspective

Varifrank's Law #20.

If you feel the need to whine about the current circumstances of your life, imagine yourself standing on the stage of a college lecture auditorium, in the audience sit all the members of your ancestry extending back all the way in time to the stone age. Father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grand fathers and mothers and so on and so on. Now, imagine trying to tell them how tough you have it and then try to imagine how hard they would laugh at you for complaining about the air conditioning on your Lexus not working or your condo in Florida going down in value.

Beyond that Lexus and condo ...

• Look at all the fresh, safe, high quality food in front of you today. More of a feast than your ancestors could ever imagine.

• Consider the medical care you receive. Unheard of for even my parents' generation, and a bargain even without insurance coverage.
  

• Technology. I can't begin to believe what I can buy today for just one day's wages. Products that were beyond science fiction as I was growing up.
  

• A public education. Yes, despite our bitching, for families and children that care, our educational opportunities are exceptional.

• Living in the United States of America. Our stable government has allowed me to live with never a day of fear, cold, or hunger in my life.

The list is endless.

Give thanks.

Black Friday, are you feeling it?

Set those alarm clocks for no later than 03:00 so you will be in the queue for that $99 GPS receiver. Step right up. Don't be late.

That was an Old Style* flashback moment for me. I think the last time I heard Tom Waits was my college roommate's constant playing of his Small Change LP. Here is a live version with Mr. Waits.



*Old Style was about as wild as it ever got for me, except for maybe the Everclear enhanced Kool-Aid at that Jonestown party.

Why now?

Just because I wanted to give the finger to the fascists and fascist appeasers who comprise the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.



The First Amendment to the United States Constitution: Deal With It!

Coexist with these Islamic killers? Don't be stupid. They will hack your head off at their very first opportunity.

NB: I would still be quite honored to have Tom McMahon 4-Block my Jena-Jude blogpost.

Paul Soglin: Deathnocrat

I shouldn't pick on noted intellect Paul Soglin, but he begs for it. However, this post goes beyond Paul to include his entire Party of Taxes.

Paul* recently wrote:

The death of a doctor last week in Milwaukee County highlights the never ending debate over the role of government in providing for our health and safety. Dr. Krishna Chintamaneni was driving on I-43 and was killed when the wheel flew off a semitrailer truck.

[...]

Somewhere there was failure. Somewhere there was some government agency too busy, too over-worked, stretched beyond its resources that was not able to effectively follow up and enforce the regulations.

Quick. When did you last check the torque on your vehicle's tires? What does your Owner's Manual recommend?

Paul's answer is more taxes and more spending. Prioritization of finite resources is never a solution for Paul or these other taxers. They always demand another government program and increased taxes.

Instead of maintaining bridges they divert motor fuel taxes to build under-utilized choo-choos, then demand higher taxes to fix the bridges. Rather than inspect motor vehicles these motor fuel taxes pay for buses. Spending is never enough.

By ignoring the unintended consequences of their actions, Paul and his ilk have killed millions. The latest example is their taking food from the starving to fight an imaginary climatic crisis.

The blood of millions is on the hands of Paul Soglin.

Paul's projection doesn't fool me.


*Che, Fidel, Hugo and Paul. Some notable one-name icons of Madison's communist community.