Wherefore Goeth Wisconsin GOP?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 5, 2012

By guest bloggers
Bob and Jean Dohnal, Publishers and Editors
Wisconsin Conservative Digest

Another deer season has come and gone with my usual results, an empty  freezer. Same with the Wisconsin GOP.  After pulling off an incredible recall win for Scott Walker in June, we stumbled badly.  We were thoroughly outworked, out organized and outsmarted for the Big One, the presidency. We also put Tammy Baldwin in the Senate.

Now we have to ask, why?  What could we all have done to remedy this almost 30 year long losing streak?

I commended Reince Preibus and Brad Courtney for improving the Grass Roots effort, by the state GOP, the last 6 years, but serious problems remain.

GOP membership statewide is at the lowest level in my lifetime, probably a lot less than 10,000 members.  We used to have that number in Milwaukee County alone in the 60's and 70's.  It has been decades since the party had a major membership drive.  Why do we need membership?  We need boots on the ground, going door to door plus the membership fees can help staff year round headquarters, to keep on organizing.

We had 26 Victory Centers to their 126, plus they had been working non-stop since last year or more on the recall, organizing every voter in the state.

Bruce Murphy, former editor of Milwaukee magazine details how he got tons of letters from the GOP but the Dems were all over the place in person.  In the Latino section, groups made 10,000 phone calls but went to 27,000 doors.

Phone banks are great, but largely outmoded in the days of cell phones, call waiting, caller ID and answering machines.

We have a lot of people watching at the polls that would be far better off working the last two days, in their neighborhoods, to get out the vote.  By the time the people come to vote the damage is done.  I have supervised the polls for 40 years and you cannot do much except see what is happening.

We have the new generation of Conservatives organizing in the Tea Party groups that want nothing to do with the GOP. I know, as I have talked to most of the leaders almost weekly.  They meet regularly and are now forming legislative agendas.  They worked in many of the local campaigns, for local legislators, and also the big campaigns.  They are manpower that the GOP desperately needs, if we want to win something.

We have seen the development of the "Ruling Class", as termed by Rush, in Madison, that overshadows the GOP.  These lawyers, former legislators, political operatives, lobbyists and donors control the operation.  They are desperately afraid of Conservatives and keep pushing the Casper Milquetoast candidates that continually lose.  Many of them pushed Romney because he would lose less badly, than anyone else, and help us gain the Senate.  What happened?  Now they are immediately pushing Jeb Bush for 2016.  When we get the marshmallow candidates the Conservatives stay home.

We need monthly training programs for people, that are just getting involved, for fundraising, precinct organization, rallies, phone banks, door to door, electronic communications and many other things.  

We are up against master organizers who use Saul Alinsky methods, organizations developed by Tammany Hall, Cook County and the Unions, for decades.  They flood Wisconsin from all the solid blue states, organize, get out the vote and many also vote, the ones that are here for months. How do we counter that?  By working and out organizing them.

How many GOP leaders know how Tammany Hall was run?  How did they transfer their Cook County organizational plans to the whole country?  What are the rules of Saul Alinsky?  How did George McGovern manage to organize South Dakota?  How did the 7 people that met in Green Bay in the 50's manage to re-organize the modern Democrat party to take over so many offices? How do union organizers work?

If you bring pea shooters to gun fights, guess what happens?

First the party has to take a long look at the county units.  Over the last few years, I have encouraged Tea Party members to join the GOP, so that they can vote at the conventions, in the endorsement races.  But all I get back is the word that they are not wanted.  Many counties, especially Milwaukee County have developed into little cults, just as Ken Clausen and I predicted, when they reformed Milwaukee County in 2005.

The same people are in charge, doing the same thing and watching the county go down to Obama by 69/30 this fall.  That is the definition of insanity.  Why should the rest of us work our butts off when the leaders cannot formulate winning plans?

How can new people get into the mix, become leaders, when there are not any meetings to go to, any avenue for them to come out and become leaders, as there was in the 60's through the 2004 elections?  Wauwatosa, of which I was an officer for over 30 years, does not even meet anymore. This was a club that had 1500 members and supplied many dollars to our candidates forty years ago.

Worse, several people who were instrumental in the really stupid campaign follies being investigated by the John Doe, are still in charge.  You go to the HQ and there they are, surly at best.  How many good, honest people want to be involved with that kind of a situation?

The party has to do serious work on the fraud problem. This time it made no difference, but in the future it will.  Investigate the early vote and the on site registrations. How many of those voters are still here a month after the election?  People in this state do not want to see their vote negated by illegal votes.

We need to survey the people that did not vote, that have done so before, to find out why they failed to show up and help elect Obama. Were they lazy, didn't they like Romney?  Was it some issue?

Since the 90's, we have seen a disastrous disintegration of the GOP in Wisconsin.  Former strong areas, except for Waukesha County and other spots, at least six counties really kill us; Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Winnebago, Dane and Brown plus the whole Southwest go to hell.  What is done in between elections in those areas to rebuild?

The leaders from the 90's were only interested in big dollars and ads, screw the grassroots, they are just in the way.  Well, we have spent untold millions the last few years and where are we right now? Have we tremendously improved the Voter Vaults?  Can we field a precinct organization for Roggensack and Walker in the next two years or are we just going to dump in millions and pray?

The Dems put up the straw men, same as FDR, in the 1% and then beat on them making Tommy and Romney look like greedy rich guys, all unanswered. They zeroed in on the groups that make up their coalition:  Dems, libs, union guys, youth, minorities, Latinos and young women, all vulnerable groups that are scared of reducing government.  They convinced them and they got them to vote.  End of story.

We need to have the party do some education with these groups, we have a good message but it does not get delivered.

When Scott Walker ran for County Executive, he went after the inner city vote and got some of it.   We can easily make a good case for the education of minorities, families and future jobs to young women and our youth.

In a simple message:  “Keep it simple Stupid, change minds, influence people and get them out to vote.”

A very scary Democrat

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 6, 2012

And a very scary stance.

For those of you Americans who actually do pay taxes, hold on to your wallets.

(Watch the doofus MSNBC host nod in agreement)

How Do We Win Again?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 7, 2012

How Do We Win Again?
By guest bloggers
Bob and Jean Dohnal, Publishers/Editors

Wisconsin Conservative Digest


This date is prophetic, the attack on Pearl Harbor, rallied the US against the Axis powers and saved the world from the tyranny.  We have this same problem in the US.  We lost a battle, the election, but now must go out and win the continuing war.

Special Note to all of those Weenies and Wimps who want to give up.  One battle does not constitute a war and it will go on.  "When the going gets tough, tough men get going".

For those of us that have been in this battle for half a century, we know that just because you get knocked down once in a while, that if your message is on, clear and we work hard, we can prevail.  If that were not true, we would all be wearing hammer and sickle flags these days.  Thanks to patriots like Harry Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, Reagan and others we defeated the Commies.   Look at Reagan, ran for president twice before winning. He destroyed the Soviet block, as Thatcher said:  "Reagan defeated the Soviets without firing a shot".

So, those of you that want to quit, get off your rears, pick up the pieces, reassemble them, kick the leaders that lost, either out or in the butt, and put a new team together.  We must put Pat Roggensack back into the Supreme Court and keep Scott Walker in the governor’s seat.  It will not be easy.

Where do we start?  First, examine the GOTV for the last election.  While it was better than we have had for decades, it did not match the opposition.  We put the hands of the world into ORCA, a secret electronic system for GOTV and it failed.  Bad Idea.  "Keep it Simple Stupid".  I heard that first in the training meetings to defeat George McGovern for president in 1972.  Somebody proposed a complicated program for GOTV and the campaign chair, John MacIver, very simply said, "Keep it simple".  And it is simple.  Organizing a precinct means getting responsible people that understand the problems, train them and put them in charge of one area.  Furnish them with the data they need on who are our votes, who we might work on and who are the enemy.  You go to work on the voters in your precinct by going door to door to meet them, put up yard signs, ask them to go around the block, talk to their neighbors and hand out literature and then ask them to help GOTV.  Doesn't take a genius, it takes hard work.

David Axelrod, according to Steven Welcenbach of Reality News, told his minions in Chicago that it was their job to make sure that every Democrat in their ward voted on Election Day.  That works.

There is no doubt that we lost this election because they did a better job of GOTV. Real Clear politics asks:  "Where were the 7 million white votes that were missing?" We can argue forever about Romney's candidacy and how much Tommy added to the ticket, but the fact is that we left our horses in the barn, eating oats.

The worthless GAB stated that we got 70% of the vote out, but that is deceiving. It was actually less.  They take the number of registered voters and compare that to the numbers of people that voted, including the on site registrations.  That is inaccurate.  In order to get an accurate number, we had 120% or so in my precinct, you need to add the number of on site registrants to the number that voted and then compare.  When we do that, we drop down to 60% or so.  That 40% was our voters, sitting in their easy chairs while Obama romped to victory.

Did they stay home because they did not like the candidates, as they did in 2006 and 2008, or did we fail to motivate them????  Whatever the answer, that is why we lost.

Issue Problems:

Our conservatives fail to realize sometimes that there are really important issues and there are marginal issues.  We get hung up on some marginal issues and let the elephant issues run right over us.

The real issues are:  War, Economy, Jobs, Deficits, Debt, SS, Medicaid, Medicare and size of government.  Why then do we get hung up on some minor things like immigration?  Our society is barely reproducing at a replacement rate in this country at present.  We need some hard working, dedicated people to help, get college degrees and become dedicated citizens.  Those people are on our doorstep, just south.  They want to come up here to work and raise families.  Let us find an answer.

This issue is easy to solve.  Rick Perry, down in Texas, has worked closely with these people, working to get the kids that came here, brought by their parents, into college and become producing citizens.  What state would not like to have 30,000 or so college educated Spanish people?  Immigration is not even their key issue, so why did we not go into the Latino sections and work for their vote.  Voces de la Frontera, a Spanish group made 25,000 door to door contacts in Milwaukee Latino area.  How many did we make??

We have a good message to take to them and have them join us.  Not some figureheads, head of some committee, but forming a hard working group that makes a pitch for families, homes, economy, jobs, small businesses.  We can get them on our side. We have to, if we ever want to win.

When Scott Walker ran for County Exec, he went into the Inner City and asked for their votes.  He got lots of them.  We must do the same.

Several years ago, when I was Milwaukee City GOP chair, Ken Clasen, 4th dist chair and I proposed a program to put together just such an effort in the Latino area.  The state Chair laughed at us.  The ideas are still there, we must utilize them.

Youth vote.  We have the best message of all for our youth: jobs, family and a robust economy.  Reagan won that vote.  Where is our effort in that area?  We can get in there and make an impression.  We must do it for many reasons.  We cannot just run ads and hope that these kids will watch them.  We need to talk to them.  We know where they are, let's go get them.

Young Women:  this was the biggest disaster of the election, losing all of those votes.  They want the same thing that we all do, jobs, families, economy.  Why did we let it get hung up on birth control?  Our idiotic talk show people, on this issue, demagogued this to death.  

As a pharmacist, I have watched women fight to get their companies to add birth control pills to their companies list of allowed drugs.  This has gone on for 50 years.  Why was anyone surprised that Sandra Fluke wanted the school to do that?  Yes, some birth control programs do cost over $100 per month, a dozen or so.  Many of the old BC pills had lots of side effects, unacceptable to young women. We made her a heroine to that group by calling her all kinds of names and deriding her.  A few little notes on the radio or TV would have sufficed.  She helped them mightily to sew up that vote and win.

My Dad used to say that it helps to think a little bit before you open your mouth.  We didn’t and they won.

The Libs have looked at these groups as vulnerable to their messages, even if they never deliver anything.  They were right.  We ignored these groups, expecting that they would just love our stupid TV ads and run out and vote for them.  They didn't and we lost.

GOTV Efforts in Future:

People running the Walker campaign need to get ready now for that effort.  This gubernatorial race will be the top race, in the country in 2014 and they will throw everything at us.  People will be looking at Scott's record, it will come down to a lot of things but also the national mood at that time.  

We cannot lose because we do not get all of our votes out.

How do we do that?  First look at the counties in which we lost that we have won before? Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Brown, Winnebago.  In those counties and almost every major GOP county, we need a Victory center.  We must work with the local candidates to accomplish that. Then we must set up separate groups, from the party in those areas under the leadership of the campaign, working with the party to lay out a door to door effort to maximize the vote.  Organize every precinct that is 35% or more GOP. All of them if possible.

Get candidates in every possible race for Assembly, Senate and the courthouses and get them working together.  That can happen.  The more manpower the better.

Energize the Tea Party and other Conservative groups.  These are our people. I work with them daily and they want to win.  We no longer can do the same things over and over and expect different results.

Money put into winless worthless ads should be canned in the GOTV.  Ads can do only so much. Energy put into phone calls, that produce little, needs to be put into direct voter contacts.

All around this state we had thousands of paid Union operatives, from all over the country, at every event with their little clip boards signing people up and then getting them out to vote.

For over a year I have warned everyone, in these columns, about this incredible effort, that the Libs were fielding, but the powers that be, in Mad city, still do the same old thing.

This Ruling class, in Mad city, consisting of political operatives, lobbyists, donors, layers and miscellaneous hacks cannot be allowed to own this state.  We lost and they still walk with pockets of money, the commissions off of these endless ads.
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If there is anyone that got a real kick in the butt this time, I hope anyway, is the Karl Roves of this world.  Not only did their ineffective presidency cost us the White House but their 300 million dollars in ads, sucked up money that the candidates can use and put it into worthless ads that did more to turn out their base than ours.  I actually liked to hear Tammy Baldwin say: "Damn right we're making a difference", it showed she has some cajones.

Tommy worked harder than any man I have ever seen run for office. I have worked with all of them, but his message never got through the clatter.

I believe that Tommy, a very positive person and problem solver, would have been far better off putting together a good message. A positive one and then sticking to it through the campaign.

All of us have to stay in and fight.  The grass roots Conservatives, Tea Party leaders and others need to work with our local officials, assemblymen, and senators etc to make changes.  If you know local GOP leaders, challenge them.  Lots of them worked very hard, but we must work hard and smart to win.

The future belongs to the hardiest in this game.  "Politics is a game for adults; all other games are for children".

I love the story of the elderly lady with cancer that sent her son to get an absentee ballot because she did not think that she would live till Election Day.  She was scared that the country, she grew up in, was going over a cliff and she wanted to get her vote in, no matter what.  That is what we need to offset the dedication to filling their pockets with our money that the other side has. 

The best cartoons of the week (12/08/12)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 8, 2012

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Read more

Week-ends (12/08/12)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 8, 2012

Week-ends

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...


HEROES OF THE WEEK


Syl Puccio


Pushpa Basnet


Simon Chapman


Anonymous donor


Carlton Williams


Justin Kievit


Law enforcement and Meijer



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Australian DJs


Corey Curtis


Paul Schroeder


Carl Michael von Hausswolff



QUOTES OF THE WEEK 


“I have yet another thought on how we can fix this. Why don't we let the Democrats pass whatever they want? If they are the party of higher taxes, all the Republicans vote present and let the Democrats raise taxes as high as they want to raise them, let Democrats in the Senate raise taxes, let the president sign it and then make them own the tax increase. And when the economy stalls, when the economy sputters, when people lose their jobs, they know which party to blame, the party of high taxes. Let's don't be the party of just almost as high taxes.”|
Sen. Rand Paul


“O.K., let’s see if we’ve got this straight: Bret Bielema spends much of his six-season tenure as Wisconsin’s football coach bashing the Southeastern Conference for being slimy and unfair and just plain mean. He does this to try to make his dwindling Big Ten neighborhood look more spiffy by comparison, to gloss over the fact that Jim Delany’s kingdom would love to crack the slimy, underhanded market. He does this to win over the Wisconsin faithful, who will never forgive him for not being Barry Alvarez, no matter how many Big Ten titles he wins. And despite all of that, two minutes after Arkansas backs up an armored truck to his house, he bolts the whole scene to coach an SEC also-ran, best known as the site of Bobby Petrino’s motorcycle accident.”
Lynn Zinser, NY Times


“You want some actual perspective on this? Well, a bit of it comes from Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock, with whom I do not always agree, but who, today, said it so well that we may as well just quote or paraphrase from the end of his article. ‘Our current gun culture,’ Whitlock wrote, ‘ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead. Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it. In the coming days, Jovan Belcher’s actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But here,’ wrote Jason Whitlock, ‘is what I believe: ‘If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.’”
Bob Costas on Jovan Belcher’s murder/suicide.


“Bob Costas quotes KC sportswriter to make gun control case re: Jovan Belcher murder/suicide. Cites all known gun control cliches.”
A tweet by Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume


“Not only should we not eliminate the word ‘lunatic’ from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy, we should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington.”
Rep. Louie Gohmert, the only member of the House to vote against a bill to remove the word “lunatic” from federal law.


 “I wonder what the makers of ‘The Simpsons’ would say when they hear their jokes are taken literally in a country called Turkey. Perhaps Homer will get a Muslim neighbor.”
Turkish newspaper columnist Mehmet Yilmaz, after a Turkish television station was fined for airing an episode of “The Simpsons” that was understood to “mock God.”


“The Pope is not going to be walking around with a Blackberry or an iPad and no one is going to be putting words into the Pope’s mouth.”
Senior media advisor to the Vatican Greg Burke, on what to expect from Pope Benedict’s new Twitter account, @pontifex.


“The police department believes that, under state law, you may responsibly get baked, order some pizzas and enjoy a ‘Lord of the Rings’ marathon in the privacy of your own home, if you want to.”
Message from Seattle police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, upon Washington State’s legalization of marijuana becoming official.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Those folks that want to raise your taxes.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Where are the new jobs?



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Kate is pregnant!


Mayan apocalypse



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


The manliest way to shave.


That's it for Week-ends. 

We close with the latest from NewsBusted.

Photos of the Week (12/09/12)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 9, 2012

Photos of the Week

1) The defense team for George Zimmerman on Monday posted a high-resolution color photo of the Florida neighborhood watch leader taken by police the night 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot. The Feb. 26 photo, which was previously released as a black-and-white photocopy, was provided as a high-resolution digital file to the defense on Oct. 29. The shooting took place when Zimmerman encountered Martin, who was unarmed and walking through the Sanford, Fla., neighborhood where his father lives. Earlier this year, Zimmerman, now 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Martin. Photo provided by gzlegalcase.com


2) People stroll with their shopping bags past a woman begging for money in downtown Rome, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. The European Central Bank warned of another gloomy year for the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, cutting its forecast for economic growth in 2013 from plus 0.5 percent to minus 0.3 percent. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)


3) Pearl Harbor survivor Ed Kmiec, 95, salutes upon departing the USS De Wert after a ceremony remembering the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor aboard the USS De Wert at the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 7. Photo: Bruce Lipsky / AP


4) Ruth Nicolaci, left, hugs her son and firefighter Lt. G. Bourne Knowles Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, for the first time since learning that the landscaping business that she started with Mr. Knowles’ father had been destroyed by fire in Fairhaven, Mass. Lt. Knowles, a volunteer firefighter, was among those who fought the four-alarm fire at the landscaping business that was started by his parents. (AP Photo/The Standard-Times, Peter Pereira)


5) Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception prayer in Piazza di Spagna in downtown Rome on Dec. 8. This papal tradition marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Italy as the Pope crowns a statue of Mary with a garland of flowers. Photo: Max Rossi / Reuters


6) Forty three-year-old parapalegic Robert Woo walks with an exoskeleton device made by Ekso Bionics during a demonstration at the opening of the Rehabilitation Bionics Program at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center on December 6, 2012 in New York City. Woo is an architect who was paralyzed from the hips down during a construction accident and thought he would never walk again. The new strap-on exoskelton uses motors and sensors to physically move the legs. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)


7) Dustin, left and Paul, both from Puyallup, Wash., and both of whom wouldn't give their last name, smoke marijuana beneath the Space Needle shortly after midnight on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, in Seattle, Wash. Dustin and Paul were two of about 100 pot smokers gathered in Seattle's City Center to celebrate the legalization of the possession of marijuana.  Photo: Jim Seida / NBC News


8) Britain's Prince William stands next to his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge as she leaves the King Edward VII hospital in central London, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Prince William and his wife Kate are expecting their first child, and the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to hospital suffering from a severe form of morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)


9) This image from Dec. 7, 1972, shows a view of Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew - Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt - as they traveled toward the moon. The view extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to Antarctica. This was the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Photo: NASA / AFP


10) The night lights of the Americas shine in this visualization of our planet at night, which is based on data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October. The image, released by NASA Earth Observatory last week, has been nicknamed the "Black Marble." Photo: NASA Earth Observatory


11) A Brocken Railway train steams through snow covered pine trees as it approaches its destination on the Brocken Mountain in the Harz mountain range, Germany, on Dec. 8. Photo: Stefan Rampfel / EPA


12) The National Christmas Tree is illuminated during the 90th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Dec. 6, 2012. U.S. President Barack Obama and others attended the event which included performances by Jason Mraz, Ledisi, James Taylor, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Colbie Caillat and American Idol season 11 winner Phillip Phillips. President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas tree, a 48-foot Balsam fir, in 1923. Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images


13) Aviculturists at the Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans, wearing crane costumes, round up four endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes and transport them from their current habitat, to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, Miss. Photo: Gerald Herbert / AP. Aviculturist Meg Zuercher takes an endangered Mississippi sandhill crane out of its crate with the help of Scott Hereford, a senior wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to introduce it to a temporary transitional habitat.. Photo: Gerald Herbert / AP


14) Orazio Martino poses with his 23-year-old Mississippi alligator, Black, at his house in Dietzenbach, Germany, on Dec. 4.  Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst / AFP - Getty Images


15) A young ray swims in an aquarium in Toenning, Germany, on Dec. 3.  Photo: Carsten Rehder / AFP - Getty Images


16) A large Pacific sideband snail slowly crosses a wet road on Dec. 2 in rural Douglas County, Oregon.  Photo: Robin Loznak


17) A red panda peeks over a tree during the grand opening of the Giant Panda Forest at the Singapore Zoo on Nov. 28. Photo: Stephen Morrison / EPA


18) Knoxville Zoo visitor Madison Jones watches a 11-month-old black bear cub get accustomed its new home Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in Knoxville, Tenn. The cub comes from the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a Waynesboro, Va., center that treats and rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife. If he hadn’t found a permanent home in Knoxville, the cub would have been euthanized. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Amy Smotherman Burgess)


19) Utah assistant coach Tommy Conner wipes his eyes during a moment of silence in honor of former head coach Rick Majerus, who died Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, before an NCAA college basketball game between Utah and Boise State, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Provo, Utah. Numerous video tributes and a patch on Utah uniforms memorialized Majerus. The coaching staff all wore sweaters in the memory of Majerus and they placed an empty chair courtside draped with one of his actual trademark cream sweaters. Utah won 76-55. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Steve Griffin)


20) Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, left, presents former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema with a cap as Bielema is introduced as the school's new head coach Wednesday. AP photo.


21) James Starks' touchdown run in the third quarter put the Packers back in front, 20-14 last Sunday against Minnesota. Green Bay won, 23-14. Journal Sentinel photo: Mike De Sisti


22) In this photo taken on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, Syady Sheikh Ismail, bottom, of Malaysia lines up his putt with his father/caddie during the Kids Golf World Championship at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Golf is no longer just an adult's game in Asia. It is fast becoming child's play as many parents nurture their kids from increasingly young ages, giving them a head start on a path to a professional career. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin) 


23) Workers clean a model replica of Cheops Pyramid of Giza, after snowfall in landscape park Miniwelt (Miniworld), in Lichtenstein, eastern Germany, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. The cultural park Miniworld presents about 100 original and true-to detail buildings and technical facilities at a 1:25 scale. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)


24) People walk past a gallery with an art piece titled, "Boy on Tightrope" by Yinka Shonibare as Art Basel opens at the Miami Beach Convention Center on December 5, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. The 11th edition of the art show runs from December 6 through the 9th. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)


25) Members of the 'Werdenfelser Alphornblaeserinnen,' an all-female Bavarian Alphorn band, prepare their instruments for a concert near Muensing at Lake Starnberg in Germany on Nov. 30. Despite being a male-dominated tradition, the band regularly tours the surrounding southern Bavarian towns playing this traditional Alpine instrument. Photo: Michael Dalder / Reuters


26) Sydneysiders take part in the 'AIME Strut the Streets' in an attempt to break the Guinness record for the world's largest swimwear parade in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 7, 2012. The event was organized to raise funds and awareness for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. Photo: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images


AND FINALLY...

"The man in the picture has his back to the camera. He's desperately clawing at a subway platform, looking right at the train that's bearing down on him as he stands on the tracks. It's a terrifying, heart-wrenching image, and it's generating a lot of criticism for the newspaper that used it on its front page -- the salty, sensational New York Post."

Newspaper takes heat over haunting subway photo.

Culinary no-no #306

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 9, 2012

Culinary no-no's

THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
FOOD BLOGS, BUT ONLY ONE CULINARY NO-
NO!


Lately I’ve had an affinity for a certain snack Jennifer picks up at Sendik’s.






In our house, little Kyla refers to them as "cheese puffies."

I’ll chew on the puffies while I’m at the computer. Not one by one, but generally a small handful.

While blogging one of my masterpieces recently, one of those beautiful crunchy morsels inexplicably fell on the floor. Horrified, I wasn’t about to waste a single orange crumb.

Keep in mind that 999 times out of 1,000 that puffy is headed right for the garbage. Except this time. I scooped that puffy up like a Hoover vacuum in record time.

Of course, wouldn't you know. There behind me ready to pounce and scold was Jennifer doing her imitation of Felix Unger.

Too late. The puffy was just about digested.

I should know better, having pride in being a rather neat bloke myself. When I was News Director at WTMJ Radio, the cryptosporidium crisis broke.  Hard to believe that it was necessary, but we actually had one of our talk show hosts voice a public service announcement reminding listeners to wash their hands frequently, especially after using the facilities.






Yep, I get all that.

But let's get back to my swiping of that cheese puffy in...

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Seems I’ve heard some old school of thought that my swift action swiping up that puffy made me completely immune from the kajillion germs that are, at this very moment, forming a cocoon around the entire city of Franklin.

In the previous 300-plus no-no blogs, I haven’t touched this dirty dining issue. So, let’s bring in Michael from Vsauce videos for a discussion, albeit sometimes technical, about eating cheese puffies off the Fischer floor.

It comes your way in…



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Back by popular demand, it's FINAL JEOPARDY!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 10, 2012

We haven't done this in awhile so, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, yes it's that time.....time once again for another This Just In edition of:



FINAL JEOPARDY!



Are you ready?




Well then, let’s play!

Today’s Final Jeopardy category is:




HISTORIC FIGURES



Now, you know how this works, and I have to tell you  this one's a toughie.



In a moment, I’ll give you the Final Jeopardy clue.



You will have 30 seconds (if you play fair, that will be when the music runs out) to come up with an answer and remember, players……… your answer must be in the form of a question.




Ready.




Here’s your clue.




$134,944





Good luck.










Alright players, time's up.




Again, today’s Final Jeopardy category is:




HISTORIC FIGURES




The Final Jeopardy answer was:




$134,944




The correct question is:

Yes, they are union thugs

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 11, 2012

[Lansing, Mich...] Union protesters tore down the Americans for Prosperity tent in Lansing on Tuesday morning. Fights then began to break out.
 

Are they goons?

Are they crazy?

You be the judge.


 

Read more

The real fiscal cliff: Not a game

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 12, 2012

		Not a Game This isn’t a game. There are real lives and real small business livelihoods at stake in the debate over the fiscal cliff, and that means our economic recovery is at stake too. According to U.S. Chamber small business members, 83% of those surveyed say the impeding fiscal cliff will negatively impact their business. 59% will reduce their workforce as a result and 73% will forgo plans for expanding their operations. We’ve heard economists and policy experts tell us going off the fiscal cliff will lead to a recession – but now we’ve heard from real small business owners saying they will lay off employees, shrink operations, and forgo investments, all of which will lead to declined growth. But numbers only tell part of the story. Our small business members have been  sharing their stories with us by explaining the gravity of their situation as we count the days to the end of the year. Read their stories first hand below: “Because Washington bureaucrats continue to play poker with our  nation’s economy my business plans are on hold. I would have hired more people this month if the tax and budget issues had been dealt with properly. So now we wait to see what will happen. This is not a game to my employees this is their livelihood and they need answers now.” -    Clinton, CT  “We have no plans for hiring or making any major business purchases next year given the fiscal cliff likelihood.  The failure of the President and Congress to provide tax reform and entitlement reform or even a marginal agreement to prevent the fiscal cliff will make economic conditions difficult for any business to survive.” -    Bethesda, MD “I've already had business drop off by 50 percent due the pending tax increases” -    Jasper, AL “We have already downsized staff causing others to work harder. Any tax increase will be dealt with by further decreasing expenses. This will mean layoffs and cause us to not make capital expenditures for new equipment and software.” -    New Orleans, LA Read more Uhhh, I think you have the wrong number Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 12, 2012 I know I shouldn’t, but sometimes I answer the phone despite what the caller ID tells me, out of a sheer natural curiosity. Tonight, a badly recorded message (no surprise, it was from the federal government)  asked me to participate in a town hall discussion on important issues that was organized by the pro over-regulation, anti-business, common sense challenged EPA (that would be your Environmental Protection Agency, the same geniuses that brought us ethanol and reformulated gas. I was invited to stay on the line to ask questions or express opinions or whatever. What, are you crazy? CLICK! I think the call was really intended for Franklin alderman Kristen Wilhelm. That God-awful photo ID law Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 12, 2012 This news caught my attention out of New Hampshire. A new state law there requires photo identification to vote. In New Hampshire’s September primary election, about 7 percent of voters in Nashua did not show or have photo identification. Not to worry. They could still have their votes counted with nothing else required. But in the November general election, voters without the necessary photo ID had to sign an affidavit before they could cast a ballot. To the small minority that vehemently opposes the common sense practice of photo ID, this was no doubt quite shocking, a blatant attempt at disenfranchising, and a civil rights atrocity. Because 7% in nashua didn’t have photo IDs in September, there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth that as many as 50,000 voters in New Hampshire would, without the necessary IDs, be forced to sign affidavits. Didn’t happen. Only 1% of voters in November did not have or show the proper ID. So much for the argument that an avalanche of folks would be denied the right to vote. Seems that between September and November a whole bunch of folks somehow, someway managed to overcome all kinds of tremendous obstacles and obtained a photo ID good enough to vote. Imagine that. New Hampshire is now in the process of contacting voters who signed affidavits to verify their vote. The state has 60 days to follow through. That evil photo ID law. In New Hampshire, no one was turned away from voting. 12 Days of Solutions Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 13, 2012 12 Days of Solutions - Downsizing Government Right now, Washington is discussing how many billions of your hard-earned incomes don’t belong to you. Rather than cut spending, your elected officials want to increase your taxes.   When it comes to balancing the budget, hard choices must be made across the entire federal government’s budget. Downsizinggovernment.org, a project of the libertarian think tank, has outlined ways to cut well over 10% of the federal budget through devolving of the federal government’s powers back to the states and elimination of certain federal spending. These include reforms to subsidies, the Defense Department, Transportation, and many other agencies and spending.   Unfortunately, it seems that Republicans and Democrats alike are okay with taking your money to make up for their corruption and errors with the federal budget. We urge you to call your Member of Congress and tell him or her to instead consider Cato’s great work, and begin returning federal spending to that to which it is limited in the Constitution.  Go to http://www.teapartypatriots.org for more information.   Tea Party Patriots, Inc. operates as a social welfare organization organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Tea Party Patriots, Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.   Copyright © Tea Party Patriots, Inc. 2012 Tea Party Patriots 1025 Rose Creek Drive Ste 620-322 Woodstock, GA  30189 Support: 404-593-0877 websupport@teapartypatriots.org Watch the WRTL Christmas E-Card with Music by Sanctus Real Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 13, 2012 Christmas Blessings to You & Your Family Click here to make your gift online. Read more Goodnight everyone, and have a Windy City Christmas weekend! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 14, 2012 Nostalgia “In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!’” Dave Barry “Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.”  Victor Borge “The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.” Joan Rivers It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In. The weekend has finally arrived. The sun has set. The evening sky has erupted.  Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday. This week the latest entries into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. Rock group Chicago wasn’t on the list. The snub is mystifying given the band’s body of work that stretches over 40 years. In my book, they’re beyond deserving. Tonight, we continue the sounds of the season. In 1998, Chicago released its first Christmas album. A few years ago, another was produced. It’s good stuff: holiday tunes done Chicago style. Let’s begin with a rousing opening.   Read more The best cartoons of the week (12/15/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 15, 2012     Read more The Barking Lot-America's Finest Dog Blog (12/15/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 15, 2012 The Barking Lot The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy! THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.  TODAY:  A steady rain early with a chance of rain throughout the day. High of 46.  "F" SUNDAY:  Considerable cloudiness.cloudy. High of 44. "D" Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog: It just boggles my mind that every year the same sorts of “warnings” and “advice” must be shared with the public.  You know what I mean:  on days when it is 108 degrees in the shade you have some Barbie Doll bubble head news reporter telling you to make sure you drink enough water and try to stay out of the sun.  At Thanksgiving time there are always articles telling you to be incredibly cautious if you are going to attempt to deep-fry your turkey.  Then inevitably you hear about some yahoo who torched his house because he thought it would be a good idea to cook the bird that way in his garage and used way too much oil. Here’s another bit of advice that comes out this time of year:  Don’t buy a dog for your kids for Christmas.  Seems logical, right?  But trust me, by the middle of January shelters all over the country will see a spike in surrenders because said puppy didn’t fit with the family’s lifestyle. Think about how hectic your Christmas week is… families to visit with, gifts to exchange, meals to make, baking to do, last-minute shopping, etc.  Do you really think that adding a rambunctious fur ball to the mix is a GOOD idea?  Everyone knows how puppies love to, and need to, chew.  So in addition to all the regular goodies that your new addition can ruin, there are all sorts of holiday-related items that can cause damage to your house and even worse, your pup.  Think ornaments and ornament hooks; toxic plants; wires from lights; and of course plants like poinsettias, holly, and mistletoe. If your kids’ attention span is limited to the amount of time it takes to open the next present, how will they handle a 24/7 commitment like a dog?  Are you perhaps just trying to recreate some Rockwell-inspired “moment” when Billy and Susie discover a beribboned bundle of fur under their tree?  If your family is truly ready to make a commitment to a puppy there might be a better time of the year to do so.  Think about these points before you decide. MERRY CHRISTMAS! ---Jennifer Fischer Thanks, Jennifer. Well, I was going to surprise you and Kyla with a puppy as a Christmas gift, but you've convinced me. Not a good idea. Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week. Wisconsin family searches for stolen dog. Dog's vomit hospitalizes four. Airport scam dupes unsuspecting pet buyers. Dog trained to sniff out "super bug." Dogs pick up scent of diabetics in danger. Smart dog. This dog was lost in the snow for two weeks. Three-legged service dog gets help. Stray dog + motherless deer = friends. Brazil opens a love motel for pets. Here's Glenn Beck's best friend. "Why we love dogs, even though 'dog culture' is annoying and it sucks when they die." Ranger is a hero. Who's the better driver? Dog works magic In Texas. Will you join this study? How pampered are pets in Singapore? THAT'S IT FOR DOGS IN THE NEWS. HERE'S OUR DOG PHOTO OF THE WEEK. Adam Womersley and his English Springer Spaniel, Stella walk in the snow on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Minneapolis.  (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Richard Tsong-Taatarii) And we close as we always do with our closing video. Thanks for stopping by!   Week-ends (12/15/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 15, 2012 Week-ends A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In... HEROES OF THE WEEK Vicki Soto and Dawn Hochsprung Maryrose Kristopik Allan Fonseca Sick Belgium teenager William Traynor A suspicious dermatologist Martin Rodriguez Victor Samuel Nathan Charles Norman VILLAINS OF THE WEEK Adam Lanza Annette Morales-Rodriguez Violent unions Derek Johnson James Irvine The Pentagon Federal judges QUOTES OF THE WEEK  "It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America." Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine. "I saw her and it was the happiest moment of my life.” Brenda Lebinski, whose 8-year-old daughter attends the Connecticut elementary school that was the scene of Friday’s mass shooting was among the parents who raced to check on their children. “Let’s be honest. We’re broke. The plan we offered is consistent with the president’s call for a balanced approach. We’re still waiting for the White House to do the same. Longer the White House slow walks this process, the closer we are” to going over the fiscal cliff. House Speaker John Boehner “President Obama railed against the Michigan legislation, calling right-to-work ‘giving you the right to work for less money.’ Well, there is a principle at stake here: A free country should allow its workers to choose whether to join a union. Moreover, it is more than slightly ironic that Democrats, the fiercely pro-choice party, reserve free choice for aborting a fetus while denying it for such matters as choosing your child’s school or joining a union.” Columnist Charles Krauthammer “Work like a Third World dictator and just put all these guys in jail.” Harry Belafonte offering some friendly advice to President Obama, on what to do about those who think we should rein in entitlement spending. “This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden. But I’ve got to say, if it rains in London, you’ve got to come and help us, OK?” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger irked some fans with an attempt at humor during Wednesday Night's 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy at Madison Square Garden. During his set with The Stones, Jagger told the crowd that there should be a benefit show the next time it rains in London. Many fans quickly took to Twitter after hearing the remark to express shock. “I went into the last game and approached it like any old game. And, you know, I don’t like the Green Bay Packers. I’m not going to use the word hate. But I really dislike the Green Bay Packers and their players. But the talk has to back it up. We’ll go out there and do everything we need to do to get a win. I’ve never felt this strong in sports versus any team or any players. I’m going to play like it’s my last game.” Chicago Bear Brandon Marshall. The Bears play the Packers on Sunday. "If you read me regularly, you’ll know that there are very few things that I feel strongly about ;-). I’m kind of a wilting violet in print, who tries hard not to impose his views on readers. Instead, I paint words pictures of objective fact, interlaced with strongly-reasoned logical progressions that allows readers to form their own opinions unguided by me. (Take a deep breath here, and clean the coffee off your nose, chin, lips and computer screen)." Columnist John Ransom OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK The massacre in Connecticut. MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK This is leadership? MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK Tired of hearing about the fiscal cliff? STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK Care to erase all memories of your ex? That's it for Week-ends.  We close with the latest from NewsBusted.    Read more Recommended Reading (12/15/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 15, 2012 Recommended Reading Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read). New rule: All teachers should be required to carry guns "Would idiot boy have been able to slay 20 children and 6 teachers? I doubt it. But then again … who knows? However, I’m guessing that this terminal turd might not have dealt out as much death (if any) if the good guy with the gun drew down on him and double-tapped the center mass of this jackass with a couple of jacketed hollow points." Don’t criticize the Taliban! "The Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of a new Army handbook for soldiers destined for Afghanistan. The manual instructs soldiers on how to get along with their counterparts in the Afghan Army. Some of the manual’s recommendations are ludicrous." Moms keeping kids illiterate to get more welfare money "This is what poverty sometimes looks like in America: parents here in Appalachian hill country pulling their children out of literacy classes. Moms and dads fear that if kids learn to read, they are less likely to qualify for a monthly check for having an intellectual disability." School teachers act like bullies “I grew up in the downriver suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Most of that time in a community (first a township, then a city) called Taylor—a place in the news recently for having closed its public schools in the wake of a massive wave of teachers calling in ‘sick.’ However, these ‘educators’ apparently made a nothing-short-of-miraculous group recovery immediately after their illness laden phone calls and quickly made their way en masse to the state capital in Lansing to join the angry mob protesting the recent legislative move to successfully make Michigan the nation’s 24th ‘right to work’ state. This was, to sort of borrow a cliché from Vice President Biden, a big deal." 26 moments that restored our faith in humanity this year “Sometimes you need a reminder that people can do wonderful things.” Manti Te'o takes a victory lap as Notre Dame's fifth horseman “The linebacker picks up seven major awards around the country in an outstanding though emotion-filled season. Although the Heisman eluded him, Te'o is arguably the best player in the game this year.” 23 rules of the office holiday party “You worry if you're prepared. You worry about the venue. You panic about your outfit, like a nervous Tom Hanks descending the staircase in an all-white tuxedo in the movie ‘Big.’ You wonder if someone—the boss?—is keeping score. You stay on your feet. You dance. You sweat. You drink plenty of fluids…or at least vodka. The next morning, you'll probably be hurting. “We're about to dive straight into the office holiday party season. Here's how to survive an epic night of company cheer.” AND FINALLY, Read more Photos of the Week (12/16/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 16, 2012 Photos of the Week 1) State police personnel led children from the Connecticut elementary school, following Friday's shooting. Photo: Courtesy of Shannon Hicks, www.NewtownBee.com / December 14, 2012 2) The second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history sent crying children spilling into the school parking lot as frightened parents waited for word on their loved ones. Photo: Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters 3) A mother rushes three children down Dickinson Drive after 20 children and 6 adults were shot and killed in a shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Photo: Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant / December 14, 2012 4) A woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14. Photo: Jessica Hill / AP 5) A young girl pauses as she stands in the parking lot at the Sandy Hook Fire Department near where 28 people were shot and killed in a shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Photo: Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant / December 14, 2012 6) Mourners console each other outside the Sandy Hook Fire Department and try to make sense of the senseless killing of 28 people, including 20 children, in a shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Photo: Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant / December 14, 2012 7) People console each other in the parking lot of the Sandy Hook Fire Department near where 28 people were shot and killed in a shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The firehouse was used as a gathering place for families of the victims.  Photo:Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant / December 14, 2012 8) A man delivers pizzas to a Sandy Hook firefighter for the families of victims of a shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown where 28 people, including 20 children, were killed. Photo: Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant / December 14, 2012 9) Like a grim sentry, a Connecticut State Trooper stands watch outside the home of a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown.  Photo: MICHAEL McANDREWS, Hartford Courant / December 15, 2012 10) President Barack Obama wipes tears as he makes a statement in response to the elementary school shooting in Newtown. We have to "come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics," he said. Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images 11) Residents from around the region streamed Friday into St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Conn., to mourn the 20 children and six adults who were killed when a gunman opened fire in an elementary school. The church was packed, and hundreds of people who couldn't get in stood silently outside, where 26 candles were set up by a tree wth a cross. Some held hands, praying as a group. Others reverently touched a statue of Saint Rose, the first person native to the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church, before crossing themselves. Photo: Shannon Stapleton / Reuters 12) A mother hugs her children after paying tribute to the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn, on Dec. 15. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images 13) Andrea Jaeger on Dec. 15 places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside the firehouse that was used as a staging area for families following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images 14) Sandy Hook Elementary School library clerk Mary Ann Jacob speaks to the press in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 15. Squeezed into a library storage room with 18 crying and confused fourth-graders, Jacob thought it appropriate to tell a lie in the interest of survival. "We told them it was a drill, so they knew what to do," Jacob told reporters. Photo: Robert MacPherson / AFP - Getty Images 15) A U.S. flag flies at half-staff at the White House in Washington D.C., Dec. 14, 2012. A tearful President Barack Obama expressed "overwhelming grief" on Friday for the victims of a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School and called on Americans to set aside politics and take "meaningful action" to prevent further tragedies of this kind. Photo: Yuri Gripas / Reuters 16) A flag at the U.S. Capitol flies at half-staff in honor of the Connecticut school shooting victims in Washington D.C., Dec. 14. Photo: Mark Wilson / Getty Images 17) Shop owner Tamara Doherty paces outside her store just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary School, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. The massacre of 26 children and adults at the school elicited horror and soul-searching around the world even as it raised more basic questions about why the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, would have been driven to such a crime and how he chose his victims. (AP Photo/David Goldman) 18) Gary Seri, general manager at the Stone River Grille, hangs a message written on a table cloth in honor of the teachers who died along with students a day earlier when a gunman open fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Conn. Seri, who put up red balloons that were not used when a sweet 16 party was canceled the night before in light of the massacre, said the teachers were scheduled to have their holiday party at his restaurant. The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school elicited horror and soul-searching around the world even as it raised more basic questions about why the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, would have been driven to such a crime and how he chose his victims. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) 19) Kim Jong-Un smokes a cigarette at the General Satellite Control and Command Center after the launch of the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket in Cholsan county, North Pyongan province on December 12, 2012. Photo released by the state-run North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 14. 20) Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of majority party during the opening of the newly elected parliament on December 12, 2012. Photo: Sergei Supinsky / AFP - Getty Images 21) Other inmates look on as one of dozens of protesting prisoners is buried up to the neck in El Abra prison in Bolivia's Cochabamba Department on Dec. 13, 2012. The protesters were demanding the payment of a food subsidy from the state which has not been paid since last October. The prisoners dug pits in the courtyard and were buried in shifts. Photo: Jorge Abrego / EPA 22) Female Afghan National Police (ANP) officers trained alongside men at a training center near the German Bundeswehr army camp of Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan on Tuesday. German police are mentoring the training program for ANP, as part of an ongoing International Security Assistance Force mission, according to Reuters. Photo: Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters 23) Capitol Hill police check an unidentified man dressed as Santa Claus with a metal detector as he enters the U.S. Capitol on his way to Speaker of the House John Boehner's office on Dec. 12, in Washington, DC. The man was working with the group Catholics United, and wanted to urge Speaker of the House John Boehner to pass pending "fiscal cliff" legislation before Christmas. Photo: Win Mcnamee / Getty Images 24) Priests celebrate Notre Dame Cathedral's 850th anniversary in Paris, Dec. 12. Photo: Yoan Valat / EPA 25) A combination picture shows Pope Benedict XVI posting his first tweet using an iPad tablet after his Wednesday general audience in Paul VI's Hall at the Vatican on December 12, 2012.  Photo: Giampiero Sposito / Reuters 26) A guide gives a sense of direction to S Bidyarani Chanu during a shot put event of the 18th National Sports Meet for the Blind in New Delhi, India. Photo: Saurabh Das / AP 27) Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform at "12-12-12" a concert benefiting The Robin Hood Relief Fund to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy presented by Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company and The Weinstein Company at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2012 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty Images 28) A shopkeeper shows a wall clock to a customer at 12 hours 12 minutes on 12-12-12 at a shop in Hyderabad, India, Dec. 12, 2012. Photo: Mahesh Kumar A / AP 29) Harry Jackson, 13, the head chorister at St Paul's Cathedral School sings Christmas carols inside the cathedral in central London on Dec. 10. Christmas is a busy time for the choir who will sing to over 20,000 people during the Christmas season. Photo: Andrew Winning / Reuters 30) A worker puts freshly-painted traditional Christmas toy figures on a tray for drying at Richard Glaesser factory in Seiffen, Germany, on Nov. 28.  Photo: Tobias Schwarz / Reuters 31) 40 years ago, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt faces the American flag on the lunar surface with Earth in the black sky above, during a moonwalk on Dec. 12, 1972. Photo: Gene Cernan / NASA file 32) Dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, a diver swims through a school of sardines at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 11. Photo: Ahn Young-joon / AP 33) Dolphins jump near a man dressed as Santa Claus at the Marineland aquatic park in Antibes, France, on Dec. 11. Photo: Eric Gaillard / Reuters 34) Whippets Zoey (left) and Little Tigger wear holiday wreaths while participating in the Reindog Parade at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Georgia on Dec. 8. Photo: Erik S. Lesser / EPA 35) A hummingbird flies close to a flower during the Birding Rally Challenge at "Aguas Calientes" in Cuzco, Peru, on Dec. 5. The Birding Rally Challenge is a competition, involving teams of well-known birders, in which participants attempt to see or hear the greatest number of birds possible during a fixed period of time. Photo: Ernesto Benavides / AFP - Getty Images 36) A zookeeper holds a newborn penguin at the zoo in Budapest, Hungary, on December 8. Junior was born in September. Photo: Ferenc Isza / AFP - Getty Images 37) A young polar bear wallows in snow at the public zoo in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 7.  Photo: Olga Maltseva / AFP - Getty Images More: 12 Days of Solutions Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 16, 2012 12 Days of Solutions Over the last week we have been highlighting various solutions on our website in what we are calling our 12 Days of Solutions. Many of these solutions have been proposed by other organizations and legislators, but the point is that there are several ideas out there that would push us in the right direction. Washington can't seem to get past this idea that they have to continue taking more money from the people to compensate for their irresponsibility. Take a look below at some of the solutions that have been posted over the last few days: Day 7 - Repeal Obamacare: As Washington continues the debate over how many of your taxes to raise and how little spending to cut, the Affordable Care Act continues its seemingly inevitable move towards full implementation. Even with states nullifying the law’s exchanges, other things are settling into place, including hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases... Click to Read More   Day 6 - Cut, Cap, and Balance: Last year’s debt ceiling debate highlighted many things broken in the Washington budget process, including Harry Reid’s infamous quote, “It can’t all be spending cuts.” Of the multiple solutions offered, “Cut, Cap & Balance” offered the most hope for fiscal restraint... Click to Read More   Day 5 - Tax Reform: Two of the most popular forms of tax reform in today’s politics are the “Fair Tax” and “Flat tax.” Either one is better than the current tax code, yet neither is being considered by the establishment leaders in either party... Click to Read More Go to http://www.teapartypatriots.org to see all the solutions we are proposing.   Tea Party Patriots, Inc. operates as a social welfare organization organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Tea Party Patriots, Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.   Copyright © Tea Party Patriots, Inc. 2012 Tea Party Patriots 1025 Rose Creek Drive Ste 620-322 Woodstock, GA  30189 Support: 404-593-0877 websupport@teapartypatriots.org Culinary no-no #307 Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 16, 2012 Culinary no-no's THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF FOOD BLOGS, BUT ONLY ONE CULINARY NO- NO! The best one I ever had was here…   Read more Imagine if Adam Lanza was alive Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 16, 2012 He would be under intense costly security. He would be subject to all kinds of costly mental exams. Defense attorneys would be scrambling for a chance to represent him. How they would sleep at night is beyond me. His costly trial wouldn’t take place for a long, long time. Defense would argue for a change in venue, that he couldn’t possibly get a fair trial in Newton or anywhere close. Networks would be tripping over each other trying in an attempt to get a potential interview. Defense attorneys would try to create sympathy by exploiting the media. We would hear incessantly about his terrible childhood. Blame would be placed everywhere but on Lanza. Lanza would try to manipulate the system by claiming an insanity defense. Taxpayers would fund every aspect of his existence while the wheels of justice move painstakingly slowly. The death penalty, though the obvious punishment, would not be possible. Earlier this year, Connecticut’s governor repealed the state’s death penalty law. I wonder if he’s having second thoughts. That means Connecticut will house and feed and medically treat Lanza for the rest of his life, possibly 50 or 60 years at taxpayer expense. If Lanza was still alive and the death penalty was in effect, anti-death penalty weenies would be crying out that he should not be executed. They would even cite that lethal injection was cruel and inhumane. Thus, appeals would go on interminably, meaning the evil executioner would live on thanks to American taxpayers. I’m glad the evil Lanza is dead. I just wish he had taken his life before he went on a rampage against so many innocents, including children. The latest pro-life news (12/17/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 17, 2012 Read more "What a ghoulish trade, and no wonder Americans loathe the media" Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 17, 2012 Columnist/talk show host Hugh Hewitt nails it, blasting the vulture-like media coverage of the Newtown massacre. And here’s info lost on most members of the anti-gun news media. It comes from Carl Cannon at Real Clear Politics: “Yet one maddening aspect of the Newtown shooting is that it seems that no reasonable precautions would have stopped it. The school itself had a security system, reportedly installed recently by the principal, making access to the building controlled. The gunman simply forced his way in, according to Connecticut police. “Authorities also reported that Lanza shot his victims with a deadly semiautomatic Bushmaster, an assault rifle modeled after the M-16. But he also carried two deadly handguns: a 9mm Glock semiautomatic and a 9mm SIG Sauer pistol, and all three firearms were duly registered by Lanza’s mother, whom he apparently also killed. The point is that even if the federal restrictions on assault weapons envisioned by Dianne Feinstein and Kirsten Gillibrand had been in force, the staff and first-graders at Sandy Hook would still have been confronted by a well-armed and mentally unstable invader. “In other words, this country has a larger problem than the Second Amendment.” Read Cannon’s entire piece here. E-mails, I get e-mails: A Canadian's Version of David Letterman's Top 10 Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 18, 2012 TOP-10 "Only In America " Observations 10)  Only in America...could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.  9)  Only in America...could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black while only 12% of the population is black.  8)  Only in America...could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner (the head of the Treasury Department) and Charles Rangel (who once ran the Ways and Means Committee), BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.  7)  Only in America...can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.  6)  Only in America...would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege, while they discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens.  5)  Only in America...could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."  4)  Only in America...could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.  3)  Only in America...could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).  2)  Only in America...could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year - for total spending of $7-Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.  1)  Only in America...could the rich people - who pay 86% of all income taxes - be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all. Dear Jennifer, this Christmas... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 18, 2012 Am I worth $79.99? Show Your Support for the Families and Community of Newtown Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 18, 2012 As we begin to pause for the holiday season, please take a moment to remember those families who have been so deeply affected by the unspeakable events in Newtown, Connecticut. Newtown is a community like any other in America, and they need our nation’s support now more than ever. With your donation, we can help them through this incredibly difficult time and offer our condolences. Below, please find a link to the ‘Sandy Hook School Support Fund’ that has been set up by the United Way of Western Connecticut to help the families and community of Newtown recover. https://newtown.uwwesternct.org Thank you in advance for your generosity and for assisting our fellow Americans during their time of great need. Sincerely, Rob Engstrom Senior Vice President U.S. Chamber of Commerce   Franklin taxpayers, the Franklin School District isn't done screwing you yet Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 18, 2012 WHILE THIS BLOG DEALS WITH FRANKLIN SPECIFICALLY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN FRANKLIN, BUT IN ANY OTHER TAX HELL IN WISCONSIN TO APPRECIATE. Fellow Franklin property taxpayers, if you’re like me and the Franklin School District accounted for a whopping 41% of your whopping total property tax bill, here’s food for thought as you prepare to pay those whopping property taxes (remember, the people in Franklin with taxing power submit to us lemmings that Franklin is NOT a tax hell). The Franklin School administration and majority of the members on the Franklin School Board have absolutely no shame when it comes to taxing and spending. Recession? High unemployment? People receiving unemployment checks for well over a year? Record number of people on food stamps? Doesn’t matter to the Jesse James Gang running our schools. When it comes to taxing and spending, their chutzpah has no ends. Let’s examine how they without blushing have screwed the taxpaying public. 1) They passed a school budget with property tax levy increase beyond the rate of inflation. 2) They hornswoggled the public into approving two of three needless school referenda with a mantra we’ve heard before. It’s for the children who would suffer tremendously if we voted NO. SUCKERS! OK. Taxpayers have bent over and taken it, AGAIN. Sensing yet another kill, does anyone honestly think the greedy school administration would stop now? Of course they’re out for more blood because they understand how naive the Franklin taxpaying public really is, and the number of pawns they’ve got on the school board. Will they roll over? BIG TIME! Given that scenario, why wouldn't the Jesse James Gang go for the kill while taxpayers foolishly think they couldn’t possibly be taken to the cleaners one more time. Periodically (and more often than they should) the Franklin school administration submits a proposal to the Franklin School Board for administrative pay raises. Did I neglect to mention recession and unemployment and foreclosures and a school tax levy increase? According to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, here are the salaries and benefits of the current Franklin School District administrators. The salaries are mentioned first followed by their benefits. FranklinSchool Superintendent Steve Patz: $161,558 / $61,747 James Milzer, Franklin Public Schools: $137,065.00 / $53,860 Michael Cady, Franklin Public High School: $115,634 / $49,420 Christine Cody, Southwood Glen Elementary $95,000 / $36,221 Jamie Foeckler, Pleasant View Elementary $96,835 / $42,796 Read more The latest from Rehorst (December 2012) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 20, 2012 Rehorst The Monthly Newsletter of Wisconsin's First & Finest Craft Distillery                         In This Issue Holiday hours Order Online Tours Custom Mini Bottles Hold an Event at the Distillery Festivus! Gifts! Read more Coming very soon to This Just In... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 20, 2012 Read more The liberal media is Obama's lapdog Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 21, 2012 The liberal media is Obama's lapdog Read more Goodnight everyone, and have a Christmas weekend any child would love Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 21, 2012 "Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child." William Saroyan It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In. The weekend has finally arrived. The sun has set. The evening sky has erupted.  Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday. Tonight, more sounds of the season about, for, and including children. No explanation why is necessary. Read more The best cartoons of the week (12/22/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2012           Read more The Barking Lot-America's Finest Dog Blog (12/22/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2012 The Barking Lot The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy! THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.  TODAY:  Early risers in my area wake up to 12 degrees. YIKES. Sunny skies today, but don't let them fool you. A high of 28.  "F" SUNDAY:  Partly cloudy. High of 30. That means more icy sidewalks and streets. "F" Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog: I have some very simple rules for our future dog:   Read more Week-ends (12/22/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2012 Week-ends A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In... HEROES OF THE WEEK Unnamed 6-year old girl Beth Howard Carnegie Heroes Senator Daniel Inouye Robert Bork Boston police officer Michael Sciaraffo Gerard Depardieu Gavin Harvey Rhiannon Taggart VILLAINS OF THE WEEK California school district Georgia school district QUOTES OF THE WEEK  “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society…In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens — from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators — in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine.” President Obama “I heard a popping sound. Some noises were coming over the loudspeaker, that sounded like weeping. I just kept reassuring them that they would be okay. That they were loved. That their mommies and daddies would be there soon. And that we had them, that we would hold them tight.” Connie Sullivan who teaches the third grade said her children were happily engrossed in a project when she heard gunshots. She quickly told her students to hide and begged them to stay quiet. “Kids that weren't picked up yet by parents went in one room and the parents who were without kids went into another room. That was a very difficult scene.” Teacher Kris Feda “Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends. Like Jesus, Annie's life and death brings light, truth, goodness and love to a world often shrouded in darkness, evil, selfishness and death. Because I know Jesus, I feel as if I know Anne Marie McGowan Murphy quite well. Like Jesus, Annie was an excellent teacher. Like Him, she had a favored place in her big, tender heart for children, especially those with struggles.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan giving the eulogy for special education teacher Anne Marie Murphy who died trying to shield her students from bullets after gunman Adam Lanza opened fire at a Connecticut elementary school. Murphy, a married mother of four, was found still cradling Dylan Hockley, who she had tried to protect. “Listen, for the past three days, I have been on the verge of tears every second, and most of the people here have been crying 24 hours straight. Yes, we need to address mental health, but mental health in this particular issue -- let's not get it twisted -- is a secondary issue. If someone who has a mental issue did not have access to guns that should only be available in war zones, we would not be dealing with this. Who needs a bullet piercing, armor piercing bullet to go hunting? Who needs an assault rifle to go hunting? You can't even use the prey that you kill with an assault rifle if you indeed do it. no one needs an assault rifle to go out and shoot a deer. “That's the issue that we need to deal with. So to say that gun violence is down does not make sense. To me, it's insulting to everyone who lost a loved one here and who was dealing with that. It doesn't matter if gun violence is down. 20 children are dead here and 6 adults are dead, and the mother of a person who was not mentally -- who is mentally challenged in some way is dead. so to say that gun violence is down -- we need to talk about mental health, yes. mental health is a secondary issue. We need to get guns and bullets and automatic weapons off the streets. They should only be available to police officers and to hunt al Qaeda and the Taliban and not hunt children.” CNN's Don Lemon “And I’m not so sure — and I’m sure I’ll get mail for this — I’m not so sure I wouldn’t want one person in a school armed, ready for this kind of thing. The principal lunged at this guy. The school psychologist lunged at the guy. Has to be someone who’s trained. Has to be someone who’s responsible.” Bill Bennett, US Secretary of Education 1985-1988 “Once we have this actually open dialogue about the situation you find out…every mass killing of more than three people in recent history has been in a place where guns were prohibited, except for one. They choose this place. They know no one will be armed. You know, having been a judge, having reviewed photographs of these horrific scenes and knowing that children have these defensive wounds, gun shots through their arms and hands as they try to protect themselves and hearing the heroic stories of the principal lunging trying to protect… I wish to God she had had an M4 in her office locked up so when she heard gun fire she pulls it out and she didn’t have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands, but she takes him out, takes his head off before he could kill those precious kids.” US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R – Texas) “Those of who are pro-gun control have to admit that there is a Second Amendment right to bear arms… once we establish that there is a constitutional right to bear arms we should have the right admit, and maybe they’ll be more willing to admit, that no amendment is absolute after all.” Senator Chuck Schumer (D – New York) “In 1996, a man went into a gym class in Scotland, killed 16 5- and 6-year-olds and the teacher. A few years ago in Norway, a young — deranged young man killed, what, 69 people on an island, mostly teenagers. Connecticut has among the toughest gun laws in this country. Didn’t help. Scotland and Norway have very tough gun laws. Didn’t help. We did — remember, we did — we did have a ban — we did have a ban on assault weapons. When we put the ban in place, these incidents did not really decline in a measurable way. And when we took it off, they didn’t increase in a measurable way.” Washington Post columnist George Will “I don’t think it’s about more gun control. I grew up in the South with guns everywhere and we never shot anyone. This [shooting] is about people who aren’t taught the value of life.” Actor Samuel Jackson “We cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn’t have a sort of influence. It does.” Actor Jamie Foxx OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK Congressman wants murdered children 'exploited' MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK This ruling. MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK Gotta ban guns. STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK And happy holidays to you! Stinky! That's it for Week-ends.  We close with the latest from NewsBusted.   Recommended Reading (12/22/12) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2012 Recommended Reading Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read). The roots of mass murder "Every mass shooting has three elements: the killer, the weapon and the cultural climate. As soon as the shooting stops, partisans immediately pick their preferred root cause with corresponding pet panacea. Names are hurled, scapegoats paraded, prejudices vented. The argument goes nowhere. Let’s be serious..." 10 facts for liberals: Why gun control can't stop another Newtown massacre "There are now calls from the Left for gun control legislation in response to Adam Lanza's unconscionable mass killing of innocent children at Sandy Hook Elementary. However, very few people seem to be asking the most basic question of all before getting started: What gun control legislation could have stopped Adam Lanza? The answer is 'none.' Let's consider a few alternatives..." Let's have that conversation about guns "For once I agree with liberals. It’s high time to have a conversation about guns. Let’s start with the problem that there are far too few guns on our streets. Wait, we can’t have that conversation. In fact, we’re not supposed to have what people might commonly describe as a 'conversation' at all. We’re supposed to shut-up and listen as liberals, barely masking their unseemly delight at the opportunity, try to pin the murder rampage of one degenerate creep on millions of law-abiding Americans who did nothing wrong. The conversation is then supposed to end with us waiving our fundamental right to self-defense." Milwaukee Sheriff Clarke on firearms freedom "Liberals don’t care about curbing violence because if they did they wouldn’t coddle and call for more leniency for criminal perpetrators.  When a hold-up man sticks a gun in someone’s face and takes their money, liberals want to offer job training, they want the criminal to serve their sentence walking round in the community with a monitoring device on. How crazy is that." Even experts can't spot the next violent shooter "But even psychiatrists struggle to pinpoint who could turn violent. 'We are really terrible at anticipating behavior, or predicting behavior. There’s no theory—in psychology or psychiatry—that gives us a good basis or framework' to predict what will cause a young person to act violently, said Dr. Victor Schwartz, medical director at suicide-prevention group The Jed Foundation." Scott Walker: Conservative of the Year 2012 "Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has been named the Human Events Conservative of the Year 2012, succeeding Rep. Paul Ryan, Human Events announced Thursday. The Editors said Walker was chosen because..." Fight for the unborn, Notre Dame “Bill McGurn, columnist for The Wall Street Journal and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, is urging Notre Dame to use its national platform in the national championship game against Alabama to make a statement in defense of the unborn. He writes that a pro-life TV ad by Notre Dame during the football championship would send a powerful message.” The Christmas spirit "Anyone offended by public displays of Christmas needs to see a psychiatrist. Are we clear on this? You are a loon if the sight of baby Jesus arouses anger or sadness in you. Get help. This brings us to the governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee." We're winning the War on Christmas “The ‘War on Christmas’ began in earnest in the 1980s when the American Civil Liberties Union was filing one lawsuit after another attempting to ban manger scenes on public property.  In the 1990s, the Christmas wars morphed into the multicultural agenda of the nation’s schools, affecting curricula and school concerts. Worse, even the private sector began a campaign to neuter Christmas in the workplace. But after peaking circa 2005, there has been increasing evidence — especially in the past three years — that the anti-Christmas activists are losing.” An incredibly inspiring Christmas cease-fire "As the first Christmas of World War I approached, Pope Benedict XV on Dec. 7, 1914, asked the leaders of all warring governments to agree to an official cease-fire. He begged 'that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.' Sadly, his plea was ignored by government leaders. But many of the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce." AND FINALLY... THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2012: #10 Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2012 THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2012 TODAY WE BEGIN A DAILY SPECIAL SERIES COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2012. In June of 2011, the Forward Franklin Economic Development Committee was created to jump start Franklin’s employment and business climate. OK, everyone, repeat after me. Uh one! Uh two! Read more Dear Dad, I'm sorry Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2012 Dead Dad, who worked so hard for well over 30 years for the USPS, I should have included this nice piece in my HEROES OF THE WEEK portion of my Week-ends blog posted on Saturday. God bless you, Dad. Please take care of Mom.