Kapanke and Wall don’t get it

Dan Kapanke’s latest press release is a typical GOP short-on-facts-and-ideas attack, referring to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid when the real issue is the 3rd Congressional District is the health of citizens. I know at least some of the GOP talking points Kapanke offers were brought up during the health care summit he dismisses as “political theater.”

The television coverage of the summit has been horrible. The cable news networks cut away at will to commentary from their personalities-posing-as-journalists while lawmakers were discussing policy. I heard a live feed was on CSPAN 3…who gets that? What was more important on CSPAN and CSPAN2? After all the pundits complained about previous health care negotiations going on in backrooms, not openly as the president promised, what are we going to hear about this? People don’t care enough to watch anyway, hockey was on.

And when is a reporter going to call Terrence Wall out for claiming Russ Feingold lacks values and principles? I’d like an example Terrence, but I believe you’re giving it to me when you say nothing at all.

Dave Westlake takes a seat at the crazy table

Dumbest story of the day goes to Missile Defense Agency, Obama Campaign Logos Cause Internet Stir. Some on the right are bothered over the logo of the agency bearing similarities to both Obama’s campaign logo and a symbol of Islam. Illustration from Drudge Report, new Missile Defense logo on top;

“Candidate” for Senate Dave Westlake proves that he is a nut that is unfit to govern when he buys in to the story, via Twitter;

The whole ordeal is ridiculous. These right-wingers should be happy the Obama administration is funding missile defense at nearly Bush administration levels even though calling the program a failure is generous (more fitting is total failure, utter and complete failure or trainwreck).

This should be expected from a party that doesn’t actually have any policy plans besides cut-taxes-then-wonder-how-to-pay-for-anything. Heaven help us if these incompetent nuts come to power.

Wisconsin anti-choice groups running interference as Healthy Youth Act signed into law

The right-wing womb-invaders at Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin are going crazy over a disgusting “undercover” video by anti-choice Live Action showing an actor portraying a 14-year-old seeking counseling at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Milwaukee. The “shocker” here is the girl claims she was impregnated by a 31-year-old.

The premise of the video is PP should have reported the case to authorities as the intercourse was illegal. But the reality of the situation is not as Live Action attempts to portray. The Planned Parenthood employee counseling the actor immediately asks if the sex was consensual, to which the actor replied “yes.” The counselor also tells the actor that if she reports to the termination provider the age of the fictional man who “impregnated” her the contrived incident could be reported to authorities. The actor clearly does not wish for the incident to be reported, and at this stage it appears the counselor has not yet obtained any of the necessary information to report it. If the counselor were to tell the “pregnant” actor she had to provide information for the counselor to report the incident, the actor, were she a real teenager in trouble with a pregnancy, would surely exit the clinic leaving the incident unreported either way.

Pro-Life Wisconsin goes so far to make the abhorrent claim;

“Planned Parenthood does not care about the children of Wisconsin, just the money for abortions.”

In fact it is PLW that does not care about the children of Wisconsin. The group demonstrates this not only in their opposition to choice for Wisconsin women of all ages, but in their opposition to education as well.

Today Governor Doyle is signing into law the Healthy Youth Act, mandating comprehensive sex education in Wisconsin’s public schools. PLW, along with WRTL vehemently oppose the law. A purpose of comprehensive sex education is fewer pregnant youth which throws the right-wing argument that Planned Parenthood wants more abortions out the window.

The Live Action video was shot June 25, 2008. The release a year and a half later, the day before the Healthy Youth Act is signed into law shows the anti-choice right-wing as the cheap stunt-purveyors they are. While civilized Wisconsin is celebrating education, Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin run interference. While Planned Parenthood fights for reproductive rights, WRTL and PLW promotes the denial of care to young women over reporting requirements.

Support your local Planned Parenthood. We all scored a victory with the Healthy Youth Act but the right-wing groups will  stop at nothing, including blatant lies, to drag Wisconsin back into the dark ages.

Terrence Wall’s hypocrisy

I’m getting behind here, but I need to point out some garbage spewing from Terrence Wall’s mouth. Blogging Blue explains they hypocrisy of Wall claiming our Senator lacks values;

Wall claimed the two things that separate him most from Senator Russ Feingold are Wall’s “Honesty” and “Integrity,” and later in the interview, Wall had the unmitigated gall to say that he’s “concerned about the value system” of Senator Feingold. Wall continued, saying, “I mean [he doesn’t] seem to have a fundamental foundation of values… principles…”

Haas414 makes the character of our Senator clear;

If anything, Senator Feingold was alone in standing up for the principles of constitutional freedom during the passage of the USA Patriot Act, which he cast the lone vote against in the U.S. Senate. He’s long stood for accountability and responsibility.

Also Blogging Blue has Wall flaunting ignorance on climate change.

Republicans like tax cuts — sometimes

Republicans can’t have it both ways. One-third of the $787 billion American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was in the form of tax cuts. Republicans hail tax cuts as a solution to nearly everything. Yet Congressional Republicans continually refer to the stimulus as “failed.”

Why is that? David Leonhardt is right when he says;

“Republicans don’t like it because it’s a Democratic program. “

I thought the troop surge in Iraq was a terrible idea, but since the plan was implemented violence has fallen. Why can’t Republicans accept the stimulus has created jobs?

President Obama assumed responsibility for an economy bleeding jobs. The job situation is not perfect but the outlook is much better than a year ago. Yet the GOP continues to insult everything the president does. They insult aid to state and local government, even though;

“unlike tax cuts, state and local aid never languishes in a household’s savings account.”

This money may be doled out to private contractors for construction projects or used to keep police officers on the street. Regardless, a citizen is getting paid money, of which most will quickly be reinvested in the economy, at a grocery store or a golf course.

The GOP is treating the jobs of American citizens as a political game. They would rather convince people, through sheer hypocrisy, that the stimulus has failed than acknowledge its success in keeping Americans employed. All to enhance the Republicans electoral future. I hope the American people see through that. I’m going to work.

Terrence Wall is running on nothing

Terrence Wall is doubling down on his strategy for Senate — lies and nothing. First, the lies.

Wall is still pushing the disproved “Feingold voted for a government-run takeover of health care” line. His response to the AP factcheck of last week’s TV ad (aspects of which were deemed misleading) was further deception, claiming “CNN, New York Times, Wall Street Journal agree Feingold is the one trying to mislead.” The reality is none of those news outlets made that claim. Wall’s ad got one thing right, he is “a businessman, not a politician.” A politician doesn’t lose two elections to the Maple Bluff board of trustees. But the topic of today’s post is this week’s deception. And this week Wall insinuated Feingold wanted more backroom deals benefiting individual states.

Russ Feingold has spent his career fighting earmarks and backroom deals. Wall knows this, so he repeats his baseless claim Feingold is “forcing a government take-over” will all sorts of made-up adverse effects. Wall’s release ends with the final fib, “To read more about Terrence Wall’s common-sense health care reforms and job creation plan, please visit Terrencewall.com,” a fitting transition to the nothing.

The “solutions” page of Terrencewall.com is completely lacking in substance and peppered with hypocrisy. With contradictory calls for a plan that simultaneously “gets government out of the private sector” and “applies appropriate regulation to Wall Street speculators” Wall’s ignorance of the issues is on full display. Wall’s idea for health-care reform (despite his earlier claim that the system isn’t broken) is;

“You shouldn’t have to change health plans just because you changed jobs. If you like your insurance, you should be able to keep it.”

When people like their employer-based insurance it is because the employer pays a significant portion of the costs. Employers can afford to pay those costs when they have a large pool of employees covered as a group. Wall’s idea doesn’t make sense. Every one of his “solutions” is short on substance. Maybe Wall has a policy to articulate his portable-insurance idea, but until I see one, I don’t buy it.

In comparison, Feingold has a massive issues page featuring detailed policy positions on fifteen subjects. Wall parrots tired GOP rhetoric, Feingold takes action. What’ll you have?

Stick to real estate, Terrence Wall

Terrence Wall’s new campaign ad debuts today. Wall still offers no substance, only baseless attacks. The AP has debunked his claim of a “government takeover of health care,” which we all know was never a part of any health care bill passed in either house, but Wall has to resort to misdirection tactics. He has nothing else to run on.

Also from the ad, Terrence Wall will “stand up to the Washington insiders.” A backbench GOP senator will do no such thing. If elected, Wall is sure toe the party line, like a good little soldier. Further, Wall didn’t get into this race on his own. “Washington insiders” and other veteran political operatives surely encouraged him, mostly because he has the wealth to personally finance his campaign. How did that work for Feingold’s last challenger, Tim Michels? We’re not calling him Senator.

As for the claim that Feingold is not listening to the people of Wisconsin? Russ held the 1200th listening session of his Senate career last August. He doesn’t drive to every county, every year just for the scenery.

In the description for another Wall ad, Wall is said to have “spent the last 20 years fighting liberals interests in Madison.” How, on the street? I know it wasn’t through his position on the Maple Bluff Village Board of Trustees. Wall lost that election, twice.

Terrence Wall is a career real estate mogul. The kind of person you want to lease office space from. Russ Feingold is a career politician. The kind of person that has spent nearly 30 years fighting for the interests of regular Wisconsinites, not T. Wall-style millionaires. I wouldn’t trade that for Wall’s “business sense” any day. Experience works both ways Wall. Stick with what you’re good at and I’ll stick with my Senator who has invariably looked out for my interests in Washington for the past 18 years.

Slight excitement in a Court of Appeals primary

The Fourth District Court of Appeals primary is showing hints of excitement.

Until recently, Brian Blanchard ran his campaign claiming to be the only candidate who would not accept special interest money.  Ramona Gonzalez, having only very recently became aware of Blanchard’s claim (despite a Capital Times editorial in early January and because even the candidates in spring judicial primaries don’t really pay attention to the election) issued a press release Tuesday, stating Blanchard;

“Misinformed the public…that he is the only judicial candidate who has refused to accept special interest money.”

Blanchard acknowledges Gonzalez’s refusal of special interest money begrudgingly (emphasis mine);

“The Blanchard campaign welcomes the Gonzalez Campaign’s first time announcement, made at the Portage County Bar Association (Feb. 5), that it is adopting one-half of the Blanchard campaign’s position limiting money in the Court of Appeals race.”

Gonzalez’s half being “limiting-special-interest-and-PAC-money.” Blanchard still claims superiority with the other half of his stipulations for contribution, accepting none over $1,000. Ignoring the cheap “first time” and “adopting” shots from Blanchard, which are absurd as had Gonzalez ever not had a no-PAC-money policy it would be apparent through campaign finance disclosures, Gonzalez declares a victory;

“The Blanchard campaign, has only now recently agreed to remove from their campaign literature any future references that the Blanchard campaign is the only campaign not accepting special interest money.”

But Blanchard barely makes good on his commitment. Hinging on the conjunction “and” Blanchard allows the donation section of his website to maintain the statement (emphasis mine);

“Citizens for Brian Blanchard is the only campaign in the Court of Appeals race to voluntarily limit individual contributions and refuse special interest money.”

Which is the same statement Blanchard has featured on his site all along.

The really ridiculous part is, only the kind of people that read political blogs care about Court of Appeals primaries. I hate judicial campaigns. “I will adhere to the rule of the law,” “no I will adhere to the rule of the law more,” and so on. Is it undemocratic to wish all judges were appointed?

Why I don’t use Wikipedia — Tourette’s Guy

Pretty Important guest post

By: Joe Larkin

I’m sure a title like that has many of you scoffing. “That fool!” you think, “ignoring one of the most versatile user-created sites on the ‘net! Why, the only people too good to use Wikipedia are pseudo-intellectual, self-important hipsters and my English 110 professor!” I swear though, it isn’t what you think..

There was a time, not long ago, when I loved Wikipedia. A couple of times I literally spent hours following links, reading pages and pages of random information and occasionally correcting a typo. If someone had a question, about pretty much anything, I’d be the first to champion Wikipedia as a go-to source for information. The times they are a-changin’, however, and not only do I avoid using Wikipedia, I urge you to do the same. The direct catalyst for my change of heart? An Internet viral sensation known as Tourette’s Guy.

For those of you not familiar with the meme, Tourette’s Guy is a series of short videos, shot in a reality- or documentary-like style, featuring the foulmouthed Danny in his everyday life. Danny, a Tourette’s sufferer, is prone to ridiculous bouts of cursing and other outrageousness, such his ever-present Tony the Tiger shirt and seemingly pointless neckbrace. Go watch it; it’s funny. Then go check the Tourette’s Guy Wikipedia page.

I guess I should have said, “Go TRY to check the Tourette’s Guy Wikipedia page”, because there isn’t one. The page was deleted some time ago and repeatedly denied recreation by the Wiki-Powers-That-Be. Why, you ask? The relevant discussion page at the time seemed to indicate two reasons: that Tourette’s Guy was offensive and did not meet notability guidelines. And on this, my friends, I cry complete and total shenanigans.

Notability guidelines? Tourette’s Guy at one point had its own web domain, a message board, and merchandise. Search YouTube and you’ll find heaps of “best of” videos, compilations, and full episodes. A couple of pro-Danny friends of mine in their mid-twenties work and go to school with kids just out of high school; this younger crowd is generally acquainted with the meme. People are certainly aware of it. Besides, about the only thing not notable enough for Wikipedia are ordinary people. Tons of internet viral videos have Wikipedia pages. Tiny towns that nobody has heard of have Wikipedia pages. Every imaginable (and imagined) sub-genre of music has a Wikipedia page. Frankly, to say Tourette’s Guy is not notable enough for the site is absurd.

Declaring Tourette’s Guy non-Wiki material because it is offensive is also absurd. This is a website that not only has an entry on the sexual practice of fisting, but a picture on said page depicting the “silent duck” hand position. There are pages for the Internet memes Mr. Hands and goatse; for anyone who doesn’t know what those are, the former is a video clip of a man being sodomized by a horse (when it first appeared, it was widely believed that description should read “being sodomized—to death—by a horse”) and the latter is a photo of a man using both hands to display the impressive diameter to which the human anus can be stretched. There are pages for Nazis, serial killers and rapists. Pages for hate groups and “deviant” sexual behaviors. Pages upon pages exist for pornography and the porn industry, including a bio page for director Max Hardcore (currently imprisoned on obscenity charges, which is another rant altogether). Pages on South Park, the movie Kids and books that were burned a century ago. Tourette’s Guy contains foul language, and it admittedly does intentionally and insensitively misrepresent the symptoms of a legitimate mental disorder, but just because some people might find it offensive (a completely subjective concept to begin with) does not mean it is not worthy of inclusion in an encyclopedic website. Especially if it’s one that contains a picture of how you should position your hand for full insertion into your sexual partner. If you’re offended by it, you don’t have to look at it. Or, in this case, look at an encyclopedic entry about it.

And, ultimately, this is the problem. Wikipedia bills itself as “The Free Encyclopedia That Anyone Can Edit”, but is fast becoming “The Free Encyclopedia That Only Certain People Are Allowed to Edit”. The promise, and key innovation, of Wikipedia was that anyone and everyone could contribute. This wasn’t an encyclopedia written by hooded figures in a solemn monastery, or by pompous, tweed-jacketed intellectuals. Wikipedia was different; a dynamic, proletariat experiment that allowed the wealth of the masses to be collected, shared and improved upon. The so-called “Web 2.0” revolution was that MySpace (and more importantly, Facebook) let us all have a website, YouTube let us all be television stars, and Wikipedia let us all be intellectuals. No longer were such things the domain of the rich, powerful, talented or lucky. Media—and by extension, information—was in a way never before the realm of the public at large.

Wikipedia, however, has abandoned its roots and stated purpose in favor of approval from the very system it once undermined. In hopes of credibility in the eyes of high school teachers and liberal arts professors, in an attempt to replace World Book or Encarta as the go-to source for information in the Information Age, Wikipedia has begun a crackdown on who can edit its pages and what those edits can contain; a shift of which the deletion of the Tourette’s Guy page is only a part. Will this effort to be more accurate and scholarly to eliminate citation-less factual errors and late night “u r gey” vandalism? Of course it will. But it will also eliminate the hilarity of checking Sam Jackson’s biography and discovering how, by the age of 10, he was the most hard-assed dude on the block. It will cause pages on underground or subculture-based phenomenon to be limited to information that can be cited from outside sources (causing those pages to lack accuracy and credibility, much like an MTV report about punk rock). It will, and has, brought the deletion and omission of cultural information that The Wikipedia Elite doesn’t approve of. Wikipedia will turn from a noble experiment in shared information to just another canonical, cookie-cutter encyclopedia. In short, this is pure and simple censorship.

And that is why I boycott Wikipedia. Information should always—ALWAYS—be free and available to anyone willing to look for it. It doesn’t matter if the flow is obstructed by the government, by the church, by burning books or editing Wikipedia—omitting data from a cache of information is an embodiment of social control, and the antithesis of freedom. This might seem like a trivial instance, and maybe it is, but to me it is a matter of principle. Don’t tell me “anyone can edit it!” if that just ain’t true. To paraphrase Danny, “I used your encyclopedia. The one supposedly anyone can edit. And it made me feel like a PIECE OF—”

Everything I hate about conservatism found in WI Family Action’s response to Healthy Youth Act

The aspect of conservatism I find most repulsive is the blatant hypocrisy. The nature of politics is give-and-take, ideology and application are never completely in sync. However the philosophy of limited government espoused by conservatives, coupled with relentless legislation based in morality is ridiculous.

When the Healthy Youth Act (prohibiting disastrous abstinence-only sex education) passed the Senate, conservative organization Wisconsin Family Action issued a press release stating;

“The bill’s ‘government knows best’ attitude is the root of the problem.”

Yet Wisconsin Family Action advocates legislation prohibiting a woman’s right to choose. The ability to freely make decisions regarding one’s own body is a basic tenet of individual freedom, a government interfering is not limited.

Another aspect of conservatism I detest is the lies.

Appling (WFA president) claims “comprehensive sex ed” is “misnamed.” Comprehensive is defined as: inclusive, broad, of large scope. Appling’s preference of abstinence is included in a broad array of methods to prevent pregnancy. The narrow scope of abstinence-only is clear.

The lies continue when Appling calls the bill;

“Decidedly unhealthy for our young people.”

“Unhealthy” is allowing schools to maintain failed policies that do not prevent teen pregnancy or infection when the schools could just as easily do something to reduce these threats to our youth.

Hypocrisy returns when near the end the WFA press release states;

“West Allis currently has a two-track program—an abstinence-centered track and a comprehensive sex ed track.”

The statement acknowledges a lack of “comprehensiveness” in sex ed programs that teach only abstinence, on the same page “comprehensive sex ed” is declared “misnamed.”

Limited government is not compatible with legislating into illegality any activity one finds disagreeable. Yet the conservative base of the Republican Party wishes to continue a policy preventing gays from defending their country in the armed forces and refuse women choice with their own bodies. They fight to keep Wisconsin’s youth ignorant in the name of morality. There is nothing conservative about these conservatives.