SUMMERFEST: Puddle of Mudd

Day 7 of Summerfest 2010: Puddle of Mudd will be performing at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse at 9:30 PM.

Here's "Blurry."

Rick Santelli - 'STOP SPENDING'

RICK SANTELLI: I want the government to stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending! STOP SPENDING! That's what we want! Stop spending!

Video.

Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut

Since 2007, American Joey Chestnut has held the Yellow Mustard Belt.

I don't want to say it's a lock, but it appears Chestnut will keep the hot dog-eating title. His rival, Takeru Kobayashi from Japan, has not committed to take part in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest this year.

Personally, if Kobayashi really doesn't participate in the 2010 competition, I think it's because he doesn't want to taste defeat again, for the fourth straight year.

From the Associated Press:

The biggest beef in the hot dog eating world between Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut might have just burned out.

The Japanese Kobayashi is not scheduled to show at this year's July 4 hot dog eating contest in New York. He's won six times — an unprecedented feat.

Major League Eating president Richard Shea claims Kobayashi's contract negotiations broke down this year. But competitors still worry that Kobayashi could make a last-minute entrance.

"It shouldn't make a difference for my game plan," said Chestnut, from San Jose, Calif. "But it's just an annoying little thing to think about. I just have to make sure I'm ready."

Kobayashi ate his way to victory from 2001 to 2006. But starting in 2007, he choked.

Chestnut has won the title for the last three years. In last year's contest, Chestnut scarfed 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes — a world record.

Two years ago, Chestnut beat Kobayashi in a five-dog eat off, after they tied at 59 franks each.

...The 95th annual hot dog eating contest will take place in Coney Island, Brooklyn, at 12:40 p.m. Sunday. TV viewers can catch the spectacle on ESPN from noon to 1 p.m.

More, from the New York Daily News:

Is it the Fourth of July without Takeru Kobayashi?

The six-time Nathan's hot-dog eating champion seems to have dropped out of this year's gorge-fest, officials said Monday.

After "an impasse" in negotiations, Kobayashi, 32, failed to commit to taking part in the contest, said Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating.

The 128-pound Kobayashi did not return a message seeking comment.

Dubbed the "Tsunami" for his stomach-churning style of inhaling entire franks in one bite, Kobayashi wowed the crowds in 2001 when he shattered the world record by scarfing down 50 dogs in 12 minutes.

He went on to win every year until 2007, when Joey Chestnut wrestled the mustard-yellow belt from Kobayashi by eating a stunning 66 dogs.

..."There is no other competitor," said Chestnut. "If he doesn't compete, it's a victory for me because I would have scared him away."

I don't trust Kobayashi. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he competes. I think he may be bluffing about sitting out. I think it's likely a strategy meant to mess with Chestnut and throw him off his game. I don't think it'll work, but I think that may be what's going on.

Poor Kobayashi. It's come to this.
________________

2010 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Odds to Win – Joey Chestnut Favored

Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made Chestnut a 1/3 favorite to win the 2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Kobayashi is right behind him at 5/4, while Patrick Bertoletti is 11/1 to win and Tim Eater X Janus is 13/1.

2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Odds to Win – July 4, 2010

Bob Shoudt 22/1

Hall Hunt 33/1

Joey Chestnut 1/3

Patrick Bertoletti 11/1

Sean Gordon 80/1

Sonya Thomas 33/1

Takeru Kobayashi 5/4

Tim Eater X Janus 13/1

SUMMERFEST: Weird Al Yankovic

It's already Day 6 of Summerfest 2010.

Today's featured artist is the incomparable, the genius -- Weird Al Yankovic.

He'll be on the M&I Classic Rock Stage at 9:00 PM.

"EAT IT."

Obama: 'Twitters'

What's possibly one of the most often quoted statements from George W. Bush's presidency?

He uttered it during his third televised debate with John Kerry, October 8, 2004.

GEORGE W. BUSH: I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft.

HAHAHA

Bush said "Internets."

That's so funny and so stupid.

And then there's the most brilliant individual, according to Michael Beschloss, that we've ever had as president -- Obama.

Turns out Obama is having pronunciation problems again. (Remember "corpse-man"?)

Well, this really wasn't a pronunciation stupid thing. It was more of a stupid, stupid thing.

But the hacks in the lib media, the good soldiers like NBC's Chuck Todd and Matt Lauer, are there to do damage control for the brilliant one.

Kyle Drennen of Media Research Center writes:

On NBC's Today on Friday, White House correspondent Chuck Todd preemptively dismissed any criticism of President Obama referring to "Twitters" during a joint press conference with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev on Thursday: "It turns out he didn't misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks."

During Todd's report, a clip was played of Obama noting how in a visit to California's Silicon Valley, Medvedev went to "visit the headquarter of Twitters." Obama simply placed an 's' after the wrong word. Rather than let the minor gaffe stand, at the conclusion of the report, Todd made to sure to explain the typographical error to viewers: "You did not mishear. The President did say the word 'Twitters,' plural." Despite Obama's inability to correct the remarks off the cuff, Todd solely blamed a White House staffer for the mistake: "A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one."

Todd quickly changed the subject to a similar gaffe made by President Bush: "...it did bring back memories of President Bush one time referring to those 'internets.'" The media was certainly never quick to come to Bush's defense after a verbal misstep.

Oh, of course.

Obama read perfectly. A White House staffer made the mistake.

Good grief.

If a staffer had made "Biden" plural, would Obama robotically just read "my vice president, Joe Bidens"?

Are we to believe that the brilliant one is so incredibly slow on his feet that he couldn't make the correction himself?

In Chuck Todd's world and Matt Lauer's world, yes, that's what you should believe.

It was the speechwriter's fault. Obama is too smart to say "Twitters."

How idiotic!

These liberals kill me. They're so funny.

Here's an interesting note:

This time, the White House did not alter its official transcript of Obama's remarks to clean up Obama's mistake. The White House did alter the transcript when Obama the Brilliant said "E-PANTS-IPATION."

(Listen to the "E-PANTS-IPATION" audio. It's hilarious. "Rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of e-pants-ipation...")

Back to "Twitters" and the White House transcript--

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I appreciated very much the opportunity to hear President Medvedev’s vision for modernization in Russia, especially high-tech innovation. This is a personal passion of the President. And during his visit to Silicon Valley this week, he visited the headquarter of Twitters [sic], where he opened his own account. I have one as well, so we may be able to finally throw away those “red phones” that have been sitting around for so long. (Laughter.)

I suppose "Twitters" was noted rather than cleaned up because the White House put out the talking point that Obama actually read it correctly. It was the speechwriter's fault.

That is so lame.

Video.

Robert Byrd Dies

Robert Byrd has passed away.

While obituaries refer to Byrd's Ku Klux Klan past, he's forgiven by the Left, just as he was in life.

Would a Republican with a similar history have been cut such slack?

No way.

From the New York Times:

Robert C. Byrd, who used his record tenure as a United States senator to fight for the primacy of the legislative branch of government and to build a modern West Virginia with vast amounts of federal money, died at about 3 a.m. Monday, his office said. He was 92.

...Mr. Byrd’s death comes as Senate Democrats are working to pass the final version of the financial overhaul bill and win other procedural battles in the week before the Independence Day recess. In the polarized atmosphere of Washington, President Obama’s agenda seemed to hinge on Mr. Byrd’s health. Earlier this year, in the final days of the health care debate, the ailing senator was pushed onto the Senate floor in his plaid wheelchair so he could cast his votes.

Mr. Byrd served 51 years in the Senate, longer than anyone in American history, and with his six years in the House, he was the longest-serving member of Congress. He held a number of Senate offices, including majority and minority leader and president pro tem.

...Mr. Byrd’s political life could be traced to his early involvement with the Ku Klux Klan, an association that almost thwarted his career and clouded it intermittently for years afterward.

In the early 1940s, he organized a 150-member klavern, or chapter, of the Klan in Sophia, W.Va., and was chosen its leader at a meeting. After the meeting, Joel L. Baskin, the Klan’s grand dragon for the region, suggested that Mr. Byrd use his “talents for leadership” by going into politics.

“Suddenly, lights flashed in my mind!” Mr. Byrd later wrote. “Someone important had recognized my abilities.”

Mr. Byrd insisted that his klavern had never conducted white-supremacist marches or engaged in racial violence. He said in his autobiography that he had joined the Klan because he shared its anti-Communist creed and wanted to be associated with the leading people in his part of West Virginia. He conceded, however, that he also “reflected the fears and prejudices” of the time.

His opponents used his Klan membership against him during his first run for the House of Representatives in 1952; Democratic leaders urged him to drop out of the race. But he stayed in and won, then spent decades apologizing for what he called a “sad mistake.”

He went on to vote for civil rights legislation in 1957 and 1960, but when the more sweeping Civil Rights Act was before Congress in 1964, he filibustered for an entire night against it, saying the measure was an infringement on states’ rights. He backed civil rights legislation consistently only after becoming a party leader in the Senate.

...In 1960, he backed Johnson for president and campaigned against John F. Kennedy in the West Virginia primary. Kennedy’s forces retaliated by bringing up Mr. Byrd’s Klan connection. Kennedy won the primary. That summer, Mr. Byrd voted for the 1960 Civil Rights Act, a Johnson measure that allowed federal judges to appoint referees to register voters after discrimination had been proved in court.

But in 1964, with Johnson now president and no longer a force in the Senate, Mr. Byrd sided with Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. of Georgia, the leader of Southern Democrats, and filibustered against the much stronger civil rights bill of that year, a measure that would open restaurants and hotels to blacks, ban discrimination in employment and enable the Justice Department to register black voters in Deep South states. Mr. Byrd also opposed the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its renewal in 1970, which he considered infringements on states’ rights.

Robert Byrd's association with the Ku Klux Klan was forgiven, and for the most part, conveniently forgotten by Leftists. The fact that he was the longest-serving member of the Senate is testament to that.

The Times even seems to accuse Byrd's political opponents for using "his Klan membership against him during his first run for the House of Representatives," as if that had been inappropriate.

It wasn't. Remnants of Byrd's KKK past echoed through his career as an elected official.

In 2001, Byrd was still using racially offensive language with impunity.

For example, as a U.S. senator, in March 2001, while appearing on FOX News Sunday, Byrd made bigoted comments with no reprimand from his liberal cohorts.

ROBERT BYRD: There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much.

In June of 2006, the Washington Post ran a tribute to Byrd when he became the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate.

It made a passing reference to Byrd's Ku Klux Klan days, but quickly dismissed it as a young man's folly with Byrd calling it "the greatest mistake of my life."

Not surprisingly, The Post failed to mention Byrd's March 2001 "white nigger" comment.

Michelle Malkin wrote an article in March 2001, detailing parts of the honorable Senator Byrd's past, parts that weren't honorable.

She discusses Byrd's 2001 appearance on FOX News Sunday.

Malkin writes:

The ex-Klansman showed his true colors when asked by Fox News Sunday morning talk show host Tony Snow about the state of race relations in America. Sen. Byrd warned: "There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."

The ex-Klansman, famed for Beltway blowhardism, should have quit talking a lot sooner. Why any prominent politician in his right mind would publicly and deliberately use the poisonous epithet "nigger" -- which most daily newspapers refuse to spell out, no matter the context -- is beyond comprehension.

Certainly, political correctness was ruling public discourse by 2001; yet Byrd was given a pass.


It's beyond comprehension that Byrd's Ku Klux Klan history was excused by the Democrats.

Malkin continues:

The ex-Klansman's admirers praise his historical knowledge, mastery of procedural rules, and outspokenness. They refer to the Senate's senior Democrat as the "conscience of the Senate." They downplay his white-sheet-wearing days as a "brief mistake" -- as if joining the Klan were like knocking over a glass of water. Oopsy.

This ex-Klansman wasn't just a passive member of the nation's most notorious hate group. According to news accounts and biographical information, Sen. Byrd was a "Kleagle" -- an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head. He said he joined because it "offered excitement" and because the Klan was an "effective force" in "promoting traditional American values." Nothing like the thrill of gathering 'round a midnight bonfire, roasting s'mores, tying nooses, and promoting white supremacy with a bunch of your hooded friends.

The ex-Klansman allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. Republicans in West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote: "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the Union."

The ex-Klansman later filibustered the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act -- supported by a majority of those "mean-spirited" Republicans -- for more than 14 hours. He also opposed the nominations of the Supreme Court's two black justices, liberal Thurgood Marshall and conservative Clarence Thomas. In fact, the ex-Klansman had the gall to accuse Justice Thomas of "injecting racism" into the Senate hearings. Meanwhile, author Graham Smith recently discovered another letter Sen. Byrd wrote after he quit the KKK, this time attacking desegregation of the armed forces.

The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight "with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."

So, we honor the honorable Senator from West Virginia, Robert Byrd.

The ex-Klansman.

The Kleagle.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act filibusterer.

Byrd devoted the majority of his life to public service, an admirable thing. Nonetheless, I think we need to be honest about the nature of his career and his supporters' willingness to excuse the reality of Byrd.

Reporters Mock Sarah Palin

We have another open mic incident.

This one reveals that Sarah Palin gets no respect from reporters.

Video.


From FOX News:

As the former Alaska governor stepped off stage at the sold-out dinner fundraiser and the sound of applause faded away, voices identified as reporters in a viral video could be heard one after another cracking jokes about the speech.

"Oh my God, I feel like I just got off a roller coaster, going round and round, and up and down. Sh-t flying out … everywhere," one said, as someone else made whooshing sounds.

Another one chimed in, comparing the address to the work of a sloppy college student.

"When you’ve got to write a report as a college student and you just try to jam as many quotes in as possible … That’s what I got," he said.

Someone else added: "She didn’t finish a statement."

Then another voice could be heard cutting through, saying: "Did she make a statement, because I didn’t catch that either."

This isn't surprising at all, but that makes it no less disturbing.

Not all in the media are fair and balanced.

SUMMERFEST: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton returns to Summerfest, this time with Roger Daltrey.

"Layla."

SUMMERFEST: B.B. King

Day 4 of Summerfest 2010 features blues legend B.B. King, performing at the M&I Classic Rock Stage at 9:00 PM.

"The Thrill is Gone"

Biden at Kopp's

Kopp's never disappoints.

I would love to have been there on Friday when Joe Biden and Russ Feingold showed up.

Scott Borkin, the manager of Kopp's had a great exchange with Biden. Like everything, it was caught on video and aired by Channel 12.

It's also on YouTube, linked by Drudge.

Priceless.

BIDEN: What do we owe you?

KOPP'S MANAGER: Don't worry. It's on us.

BIDEN: (Inaudible)

KOPP'S MANAGER: Lower our taxes and we'll call it even.

Look at Biden. He's pissed. He turns his back to the manager, walks away, and shoves the custard in his face, not saying a word.

Feingold did the same thing, as if he wasn't listening at all, ignoring the manager. Typical Russ "listening session" Feingold. "I didn't hear anything. What? Did you say something? Huh?"

You can tell Biden expected to be treated like royalty and was taken aback by a citizen daring to share his thoughts. Biden really needs to get out more.

According to the WISN report, Biden does address the manager a few minutes later.

BIDEN: Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time? Say something nice.

Video.


SAY SOMETHING NICE? Biden just called the guy a smartass! That's not very nice. At least Biden didn't drop an F-bomb again.

That was such a great line from the manager. Biden handled it horribly, absolutely horribly. I think the manager was quite gracious considering Biden called him a derogatory name. Although Biden did whisper to the manager, "I'm just kidding," I think Biden should have said that loud and clear.

Anyway, what is wrong with a hard-working American telling the vice president he wants lower taxes? That's not out of line or disrespectful. How is that being a smartass?
______________

An aside, to TMJ4's Courtny Gerrish--

Courtny, did you see Biden scooping custard for customers? Did he wash his hands first? I didn't see Feingold wearing a hairnet.

Is this a potential "Dirty Dining" segment?
______________

Biden's glib remark propels Kopp's manager into spotlight

Kopp's manager says feedback has been positive

Ever since the vice president of the United States was caught on camera calling him a "smartass," Cedarburg resident Scott Borkin said his phone has been ringing and his Facebook page has filled with comments.

Monday morning, he's planning to head to Chicago to appear on the Fox News Network's "Fox & Friends" program.

"I've had a lot of people in shock, but not really that much in shock, because I guess he's been known to make those kinds of comments or put his foot in his mouth," said Borkin, 45, manager of the Kopp's Frozen Custard stand in Glendale where Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold stopped in on Friday.

Biden's remark that so shocked people was prompted by an exchange picked up by a television crew at Kopp's on Friday.

The television report shows Biden asking Borkin what he owes for the frozen custard.

"Don't worry, it's on the house," Borkin responds. "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even."

The vice president then appears to turn his back on Borkin and ignore him.

Then, Biden returns to Borkin and tells him, "Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time."

Biden later whispered to Borkin, "I was just kidding," Borkin said, but the store manager was still surprised by the vice president's reaction.

"It didn't seem right, especially from someone in his position," he said.

Borkin said he's almost universally received positive comments from people since the Friday exchange, which was picked up on a number of blogs from the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket to the Drudge Report.

"It was all just in fun," said Borkin, who called himself a Republican. "I was stating just a fact that everyone in America, Republican or Democrat, wants lower taxes."

No kidding.

If you pay taxes, you'd like to pay less. I don't know why Biden got so bent out of shape by Borkin's comment.

Peggy West and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This is priceless.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has finally done a story on Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West and her cluelessness about Arizona and its borders.

Rather than report on the shocking nature of West's comments, the Journal Sentinel reports on the fact that her comments have become part of the national discussion.

County supervisor's geography gaffe gets replay nationwide

Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West became a national phenomenon Friday, though not in a way she'd like.

West's misstatement about Arizona geography, part of comments she made at Thursday's County Board meeting, wound up on local television and quickly became an Internet phenomenon.

In supporting a proposed county boycott of business with Arizona, she said Arizona did not share a border with Mexico. The gaffe was captured by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4).

West made a "misstatement."

Her "gaffe" received nationwide play.

So the story becomes about West being a "national phenomenon," rather than an incompetent fool unfit to be voting on the County Board's proposed boycott of Arizona.

Why isn't the Journal Sentinel giving West the Sarah Palin treatment?

Where is the "West is so stupid that it's scary" stuff? Where is the "West is too stupid to serve in public office"? Where is the mocking and ridicule?

Nowhere to be seen.

No, West isn't stupid according to the JS. She just misspoke.

That, of course, is absurd.

West clearly was confused about the location of Arizona and Mexico. Her own words, her relatively lengthy remarks explaining her position on the measure being debated at the Board meeting, attest to that.

It was no gaffe.

...West's faux pas spread across the Web, got picked up by a host of Arizona media outlets, and then became fodder for talk radio hosts. The County Board switchboard on Friday was inundated with calls from around the country.

West's "faux pas," her little boo-boo, became a national story.

"Faux pas"?

No. No way. It wasn't a "faux pas." It was her incredible stupidity that made Peggy West nationally known overnight.

The Journal Sentinel doesn't address that reality at all. There's no discussion of that important aspect of the story whatsoever.

I contend that is as embarrassing as West's ignorance.

Obama's Asian Carp Czar

Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and some of their colleagues are asking Obama to declare war on Asian carp. They want Obama to "create a 'commander' to fight the carp 'battle.'"

In short, they want to appear "fully engaged" and they think they can accomplish this by asking Obama to appoint a carp czar.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Federal agents committed to protecting Lake Michigan from an Asian carp invasion have been saying for months they would not be 100% convinced they have an imminent problem until they actually found a carp above an electric barrier built to keep the fish out of the lake.

Well, now they've got a problem - and the attention of the region's most powerful politicians.

On Tuesday, a single 20-pound bighead carp was found above the electric barrier in the Chicago canal system, about six miles south of Lake Michigan.

And on Friday, a group of 12 U.S. senators, including Wisconsin's Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to create a "commander" to fight the carp "battle."

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin introduced a bill Friday that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up a study exploring what was unthinkable only a few years ago - what it would take to once again physically separate Lake Michigan from the Mississippi basin.

That separation was destroyed over 100 years ago when Chicago reversed its namesake river so it flushed the city's waste away from its drinking water intake pipes in Lake Michigan, into the Mississippi basin and ultimately down to the Gulf of Mexico.

"We have to do everything in our power to stop this invasive species from entering Lake Michigan," Durbin said. "We have to go at this as if we were at war. The viability of the Great Lakes is at stake."

Biologists have been saying for years that the only true solution to keep Asian carp - or any other aquatic invasive species - from spilling between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi basin is to construct a barrier in the canal system. Such a barrier would have tremendous implications for the way cargo moves through the system.

Still, most agree this "hydrological separation" could be accomplished. The question is how, and how much it would cost.

Congress previously instructed the Army Corps to begin a separation study, but the agency's pace - that study isn't due to be finished until 2012 at the earliest - evidently isn't fast enough for Durbin.

He wants an initial report done in 180 days and the final report completed in 18 months.

Army Corps Maj. General John Peabody said Friday he appreciates the politicians' sense of urgency.

"No one wants to expedite it more than me," Peabody said just before Durbin released his bill.

"I want to go as fast as possible, but there is a limit to how fast you can go," Peabody said. "I can promise you, I am riding the horse as fast as the horse can go."

Now that horse is feeling the spurs of the region's senators.

"We cannot afford to further delay our efforts to prevent the Asian carp from devastating an important sector of Wisconsin's economy, as well as our treasured Great Lakes," Feingold said. "All options to stop these carp must be on the table, and I have supported a host of efforts to do just that. As agencies at all levels of government, as well as private sector efforts, continue to work to contain the carp, a point person is critical to make sure efforts run smoothly and effectively."

This is just political posturing by Feingold and friends. It's way too little, way too late.

Suddenly, there's a sense of urgency. There must be a carp czar to oversee and coordinate efforts to protect the Great Lakes. NOW!

What's frustrating about this is that warning signs were ignored. There was sort of a "What, me worry?" approach to the problem that was guaranteed to fail.

"[C]onservationists and politicians alike have characterized [the carp invasion] as a slow-motion ecological disaster decades in the making."

That's inexcusable. Our only hope?

OBAMA TO THE RESCUE!

Really?

I have no faith whatsoever in Obama and the government to manage this potential crisis.

Other than appoint a carp czar, which is as good as doing nothing, what will Obama do?

He's not going to suck the carp out of the lake with a straw. He can't dive in and construct a barrier.

I suppose he could promise to find an ass to kick, if he can find the ass on an Asian carp.

Baby Bong

Video.


There's so much that's wrong about this.

An idiot 19-year-old mother takes a picture of her baby sucking on a bong and then she posts it on the Internet.

What did she think would happen?

The woman is clueless and obviously not mature enough to raise a child. I feel sorry for her baby.

SUMMERFEST: ZZ Top

Day 3 of Summerfest--

ZZ Top is at the Marcus, billed as "special guest" with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Here's "Sharp Dressed Man."

Peggy West: Arizona and Mexico

Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West, elected Democrat, and the Milwaukee County Board's proposed boycott of Arizona are getting national attention.

On his program today, Rush Limbaugh mentioned West and her understanding of the Arizona - Mexico border as it relates to the illegal immigration problem.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: It's ground zero, you idiot. You people in Milwaukee! What in the hell are you doing? Who are you electing here? I'm sorry.

Good questions.

Video.



Transcript

PEGGY WEST: If this was Texas, which is the state that, that is directly on the border with Mexico, and they were calling for a measure like this, saying that they had a major issue with, you know, with undocumented people flooding their borders, I would say I would have to look twice at this.

But this is a state that is a ways removed from the border. And, um, it just, it doesn't make sense to me that when you google this subject, if you put in 'Arizona S.B. 1070,' that you see a picture of the governor of Arizona meeting with President Obama in May of 2010. If you have direct linkage to the president, there are already National Guard troops on the border in Arizona.

JOSEPH RICE: Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to assure my colleague that Arizona does in fact share a border with the country of Mexico. The city of Nogales has been a source of a great deal of illegal immigration. Arizona, along with other states, I think has a right to be concerned with the strain that illegal immigrants place on the local services, on the school district, on the health care system. I don't blame Arizona for searching for a solution, and I think the majority of Americans agree with that position.

What an embarrassment!

Later in the program, Limbaugh noted that Jon Kyl sent a letter, including a map, to Peggy West.

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has confirmed, Arizona is, in fact, on the border with Mexico.

Kyl sent Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy West a letter in which he says, "You will be interested to learn that Arizona does indeed share a border with Mexico. I have enclosed a map for your convenience."

Kyl goes on to urge West to, "actually read the Arizona law before forming an opinion about it."

Read Kyl's letter to West.

Jon Byman reports:

West did continue to talk about troops on Arizona's border. She later explained that she meant to say Texas had a longer border. "Had Texas come out with the legislation, having the largest border, I think that I would be more receptive to the fact that there was a problem. But having it be Arizona, having it be the second largest boarder and knowing there are troops on the border in Arizona, it didn't seem to me that this legislation was particularly necessary at this moment in time," West told Newsradio 620 WTMJ.

Oh, the length of the border is the issue. Yeah, that's the ticket. Now West's comments are reasonable.

How utterly ridiculous!

Jindal and the Deepwater Drilling Ban

If only a leader like Bobby Jindal were in the White House instead of Obama.

Jindal is dramatically more presidential. He's an executive who knows what he's doing and knows what needs to be done. He's about action, not reaction.

Obama, on the other hand, reacts to polls. He dispenses talking points to the hacks in the lib media. He sends out Rahm Emanuel to demonize BP and provide cover for the White House.

Worse, Obama has delayed and blocked Jindal's efforts to address the catastrophe in the Gulf. The Obama administration's idea of responding to the disaster and being "fully engaged" is lame conference calls.

Bottom line: Jindal has had to fight the Obama government. There's something terribly wrong with that picture.

Video.

Biden: Feingold Fundraiser in Milwaukee

Joe Biden will be in Milwaukee today, hosting a fundraiser for the floundering and vulnerable, firmly entrenched inside the beltway extremist liberal Russ Feingold.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

____________________________

For Immediate Release

June 24, 2010


DAILY GUIDANCE FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT

Friday, June 25, 2010


In the morning, the Vice President will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.


At 12:30 PM CT, the Vice President will attend an event for Senator Russ
Feingold.

More details:

A $500 a plate lunch is set for June 25th in downtown Milwaukee.

The "lunch" will be held at the Pfister Hotel.

Biden's presence could make traffic even messier than it already is downtown.

If streets are blocked because of his motorcade, it could get very congested.

Speaking of Biden's motorcade--

BEWARE!

Biden's motorcade does not have a good track record.

Joe Biden's motorcade is worse than accident prone. I think it's cursed.

In November of last year, Biden's motorcade was involved in three accidents in one week. THREE!

One of the crashes included a fatality.

Read more:

Biden Motorcade: ANOTHER Crash

Biden Motorcade: Crash in Vancouver

If you're in Milwaukee, please, drive defensively.

I wonder what gaffes Biden will serve up during his fundraiser for Feingold. When Biden spoke at UWM two months ago, he talked about "collecting the women." What a goof!

Biden never disappoints when it comes to delivering hilarious gems or embarrassing missteps.

On a serious note, what the hell is Biden doing at a fundraiser for Feingold?

Aren't there more pressing issues for Biden to be addressing at the moment than raising money for such a far Leftist candidate?

Obviously not.

Michael Jackson: First Anniversary of Death

Today is a day of mourning for Michael Jackson's fans. It marks the first anniversary of Jackson's death.

From the Associated Press:

As the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death drew near, Julia Thomas clutched her "Thriller" liner notes and stood outside the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Calif., the final resting place for the King of Pop, with about two dozen other fans.

"Michael has just always been a part of my life," the 40-year-old Thomas, who has a tattoo of Jackson's dancing feet on her left wrist, said Thursday night. "I'm just hoping to embrace the fans from everywhere."

Barricades were already set up at the Los Angeles-area cemetery for the huge throng of fans and some of Jackson's family members expected to arrive on Friday, which marks a year since Jackson died at age 50. Five large wreaths of flowers and dozens of bouquets, drawings and photos of Jackson had been placed outside his private mausoleum.

Evdokia Sofianou, 46, and her 9-year-old daughter, Rebecca, traveled from Athens, Greece, to pay their respects.

"I came because I love Michael very much," Sofianou said. "I came to grieve."

Forest Lawn was to be just one of the many places around the world where Jackson's fans would gather to remember their fallen legend on Friday. But not everyone planned to be grieving.

On Friday, DJ Jon Quick was to spin Jackson tunes at the club Taj in Manhattan for a festive affair.

"They wanna celebrate his life and music," Quick said of the expected partygoers. "His albums are like timelines in your life. You can remember what you were doing ... when 'Thriller' came out."

Some anniversary events began even before Friday. In London, a memorial was unveiled Thursday to a gaggle of press who packed the foyer of the Lyric Theatre, the site of an impromptu wake following the pop superstar's death last year.

...In Hong Kong, Jackson imitators performed to the late singer's classics at a suburban mall Thursday. Four-year-old Wang Yiming danced to "Dangerous" wearing Jackson's trademark black fedora hat, a black suit with a silver armband and white socks.

In Gary, Ind., Jackson's hometown, there was to be a tribute at the family home; city officials said they expected Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his niece Genevieve Jackson to show up, along with thousands of others.

But his brother Randy Jackson was hoping to make the official family commemoration at Forest Lawn on Friday morning.

"My family and I will be in attendance as we mourn the loss of my brother," he said in a statement Thursday. "I would like to thank the fans and friends for their continued love, support and prayers."

Katherine Jackson has thrown her support behind a "Forever Michael" fan event to be held Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles. Tickets range from $150 to $500.

The Apollo Theater in Harlem, where a young Michael Jackson and his brothers won amateur night, on Friday was to host a commemoration of Jackson's life in front of the recently installed plaque honoring him in the legendary theater's new hall of fame.

More, from the Los Angeles Times:

Law enforcement officials said they will follow an "event action plan" Friday intended to ensure peace and safety as fans mark the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death.

Increased security will be deployed at the Jackson family residence in Encino, and fans expecting to visit Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, where the music icon is entombed, will have limited access and face strict rules.

"We hope that anyone who decides to go to either venue does so safely and pays attention to what security officers tell them, and hopefully it will be a fun weekend for everyone," said Capt. John Egan, commanding officer for the West Valley Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Egan said law enforcement officials met with the Jackson family two months ago to devise a plan, and family members were scheduled to be out of town Friday.

..."Our philosophy is: We plan for the worst-case scenario of thousands of people and for the best-case scenario of a smaller number," Egan said.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, police resources, including motorcycle officers, will be deployed in the vicinity of the family compound. A mobile command center will be set up across the street from the residence, Egan said.

Temporary "no parking" signs have already been installed, and police are prepared to close off streets in the event of an extraordinarily large influx of fans, vehicles and "looky-loos," Egan said. There will be a "zero-tolerance approach" toward unruly behavior and activities such as street vendors selling souvenirs.

...According to Glendale police, visitors to Forest Lawn on Friday should expect a significant increase in guests. Fans will be allowed to walk by the front of the Holly Terrace area of the Great Mausoleum, where Jackson is interred. They can leave tributes, such as flowers, in a designated area and then must leave the park, authorities said.

Tragedy at O'Donnell Park Structure

It was a beautiful day for Summerfest to begin -- a perfect afternoon that seemed destined to lead into a perfect evening and then into a perfect night for fireworks to kick off the festival.

Tragically, it wasn't perfect.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

One person was killed and two others were injured when a concrete slab fell from a parking garage near Milwaukee’s lakefront Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Initial reports were that a child had been trapped by the 30-foot slab, a Fire Department spokeswoman said. The age of the person who died has not been released.

The two other people who were injured are being treated at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. said during a news conference outside the parking garage.

Police have said those two people are expected to survive.

Clarke and other city and county officials who spoke during the news conference did not take reporters’ questions. Unanswered questions included the ages and identities of the victims; the possible cause of the collapse; and whether the Canadian earthquake on Wednesday that shook Milwaukee could have been a factor.

The incident was reported just after 4 p.m. at the parking garage on Lincoln Memorial Drive underneath O’Donnell Park, directly across from the Milwaukee Art Museum. A rectangular section of concrete fell from the facing of the garage onto the roadway leading out of the sturcture.

The Fire Department’s Heavy Urban Rescue Team and truck-mounted cranes were sent to the garage. Firefighters used saws to try to cut through the slab.

A blue tarp was hung from the garage to block the view of onlookers.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department and Milwaukee police will investigate the incident, Clarke said.

“This is the early stage of the investigation,” Clarke said. “We have a long way to go.”

Lincoln Memorial Drive and several other streets in the area were closed to make room for emergency vehicles. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic was rerouted, causing massive backups near the Summerfest grounds and art museum.

The parking garage will remain closed while structural engineers examine the structure, Clarke said. People who had parked inside the garage earlier in the day were not allowed to return to their vehicles.

...Shortly after Thursday’s collapse, Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway said in a statement that the county must address deferred maintenance at county parks and buildings. He also said he wants a review of all county facilities to ensure their safety.

“Earlier this year, stone chunks fell off of the Milwaukee County Courthouse,” Holloway said. “We are also dealing with numerous structural problems at the Mental Health Complex. Now, today, we are dealing with a terrible tragedy.”

County Executive Scott Walker said he knew of no report that would suggest the O’Donnell ramp suffered from deferred maintenance. He said it was irresponsible for Holloway to raise the issue.Walker said the focus for now should be on the tragedy.

“For me, personally, obviously it rips my heart out,” Walker said. “It’s just awful. No matter what caused it, a tragedy is still a tragedy.”

The county executive said engineers “are just as surprised as anyone else” the concrete section from the ramp façade gave way. It’s too early for engineers called in by the county to say what caused the accident, Walker said.

He said the ramp would stay closed until county officials were “100% certain that no other problems can occur in the future.”

...Supervisors Michael Mayo Sr. and John Weishan Jr., both members of the County Board’s public works committee, said they were unaware of any problems with the ramp.

“It’s a tragedy and I’m not blaming anybody today,” Weishan said. He said one of the arguments made a few years ago on selling or leasing the ramp to a private firm was that maintaining the structure had become too costly. The board rejected the idea.

“Unfortunately, when people think you are going to get rid of a facility they probably don’t put a lot of money into it,” Weishan said.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett issued a statement extending sympathy to the victims and their families. He praised the efforts of police and firefighters at the scene, and said he had also dispatched city engineers and instructed other city agencies to help the county in any way needed.

There are so many unanswered questions about the incident at this point.

I think it's terribly irresponsible for elected officials, like Lee Holloway, to be issuing politically charged statements at this time.

That sort of fingerpointing coming just hours after the tragedy is sick.

It's too early to say that yesterday's accident was the direct result of a known problem that was ignored by the county.

People exploiting the tragedy in that fashion should be ashamed.

Some in the media are jumping to inappropriate conclusions as well.

From TMJ4:

Just hours after the O'Donnell garage collapse, an exclusive I-Team investigation found Milwaukee County knew about maintenance, safety and structural problems.

The bottom line: the O'Donnell garage operated by Milwaukee County Parks is in really bad shape. County leaders have known the specifics for at least six months and we have the evidence to prove it.

When a 30-foot piece concrete fell off the garage Thursday afternoon and killed a 15-year-old boy and hurt two others, it put a big fat exclamation point on a very long list of known problems uncovered by the I-Team.

Nearly $600,000 deferred maintenance to the garage -- important repairs found by Department of Public Works inspectors last December as part of a county audit.

...And with Thursday's tragedy, you can bet county leaders will pick apart that list line by line to see if anything on it played a part.

Problems the county knew about, but put off fixing to save money.

Most of the TMJ4 report seems to blame the death of the 15-year-old boy on the county's failure to maintain facilities, knowingly putting people at risk to save money.

Only at the end of the report does TMJ4's Aaron Diamant indirectly note that it hasn't been determined yet whether deferring repairs on any of the known problems with the O'Donnell garage could be blamed for the boy's death.

It's flat-out misleading.

Video of that TMJ4 report here.

Let the investigation proceed. Don't cast blame prematurely.

Right now, rather than tossing around ill-informed accusations, I'll keep the family of the 15-year-old victim and the two injured individuals in my prayers.
_____________________

Here's video on the accident, from FOX 6 News.


_____________________

Here's an example of shoddy reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Check out the photo's caption.



"McDONNELL Park garage"?

SUMMERFEST: Tom Petty

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are Summerfest's headliners tonight.

Here's "Even the Losers."

Obama in Wisconsin on Wednesday

Obama is coming to "southeastern Wisconsin" next week.

From AP, via 620 WTMJ:

The White House says President Barack Obama will return to Wisconsin next week.

A White House aide says the president will be in southeastern Wisconsin on Wednesday, June 30 to discuss the economy.

The White House did not release any other details about the trip, including the location or specific time of any events.

Gee, do you think Tom Barrett will be at Obama's side?

If I were one of Barrett's handlers, I'd suggest that the Milwaukee mayor and candidate for governor be rushed out of the state on important business.

Barrett should run from Obama. He's campaign poison.

Obama, McChrystal: 'Brilliant'

Obama's media mouthpieces are reciting their White House talking points like good little parrots.

Obama's handling of the McChrystal situation was "brilliant."

Video.


These hacks have chucked their journalistic integrity.

They should be embarrassed.

Obama and Medvedev: Burgers! (Photos)

Obama and Medvedev did a burger run to Ray's Hell Burgers, with the press in tow.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took a break from bilateral meetings at the White House on Thursday to make a burger run.

Traveling by motorcade, the two presidents ventured to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Va., a popular hamburger joint just outside the nation's capital. Obama ate there last month with Vice President Joe Biden.

A cheer went up from customers when the presidents walked in.

During their meal, Obama and Medvedev sat at a table with their interpreters, sharing a conversation through them.

The U.S. president had a burger and an ice tea; his Russian counterpart had a burger and a Coke. Both were in a shirt sleeves on a sweltering summer day. Other customers were seen enjoying their own meals and largely leaving the presidents alone.

This is so lame.

Obama appears desperate to do anything to get people talking about something other than what an incompetent president he is.

Photos:

(These are hilarious!)



Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama order lunch at Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia June 24, 2010. Obamaand Medvedev huddled at the White House on Thursday, seeking to kickstart trade and investment to complement a political reset between former Cold War foes. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)


Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama have burgers for lunch at Ray's Hell Burger restaurant in Arlington, VirginiaJune 24, 2010. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)


Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (2nd L) and U.S. President Barack Obama (R) eat their hamburgers during lunch at Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington,Virginia, June 24, 2010. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)


Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama (R) talk over lunch at Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia June 24, 2010. Obama and Medvedev huddled at the White House on Thursday, seeking to kickstart trade and investment to complement a political reset between former Cold War foes. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)


President Barack Obama and Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, back to camera, eat hamburgers during an unscheduled visit to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington,Va., Thursday, June 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

They look like 11-year-olds on a "date" being chaperoned by their dads at the next table, leaning in to listen.

The Reuters captions are hilarious, too.

This is a "political reset between former Cold War foes."

Sure. It's historic.

Obama and Medvedev shared an order of fries!

Obama ate a traditional cheeseburger, while Medvedev added jalepenos, mushrooms and onions to his. The pair shared an order of fries, according to the White House. No word on which superpower paid for the meal. (Update, 1:47 p.m.: It was Obama's treat.)

Both sat, scrunched in at the tiny table in shirtsleeves, while the packed-in patrons gawked. There was much cheering when the pair came out.

It may not be the most glamorous location for a visiting head of state, but Obama clearly has a thing for the burger joint.

THE COLD WAR IS NOW REALLY OVER!

What a moment!

Obama is such a great president.
__________________

Raw video:



Stunningly lame.

Al Gore: 'Toward Sustainable Capitalism'

Al Gore, former U.S. vice president, and David Blood, are co-founders of Generation Investment Management.

Gore serves as the chairman and Blood is the senior partner.

We're all familiar with Gore. Learn a little about Blood.

Previously, David served as co-CEO and CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. His responsibilities included all aspects of the global business including portfolio management, sales and client service, risk management and infrastructure. David received a B.A. from Hamilton College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He is on the Board of Hamilton College, Social Finance, New Forests and SHINE; on the Investment Committee of the Acumen Fund and the Advisory Board of Bridges Ventures.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Gore and Blood write a column addressing our economic woes, "Toward Sustainable Capitalism."

I think Blood wrote the column and maybe Gore read it.

The column discusses "long-term incentives" and "short-term greed." Basically, it's Lefty stuff.

The only reason I mention it at all is because of the incredibly bad timing of the publication of the piece.

It's always been hard for me to take Gore seriously. I don't think of him as an intellectual at all. In general, Gore's gravitas factor has plummeted.

So much of his global warming shtick has been debunked.

Then there are the several tabloid reports offering the "real" reason for Gore's 40-year marriage falling apart. One claims he had an affair with Laurie David. Another claims Gore is gay.

Yesterday, the National Enquirer ran the story that Gore was accused in the sexual assault of a masseuse in Portland, Oregon.

For the most part, when the Enquirer makes shocking allegations about a political figure, I now assume there's some truth to the story.

Unfortunately for Gore, the story wasn't dismissed as just another rumor.

Portland media gave credence to the Enquirer's "exclusive." It wasn't, in fact, completely fabricated tabloid trash.

UPDATE: [T]he Portland Tribune had the story two years ago, and writes that it "chose at that time not to publish a story."

...Portland Tribune executive editor Mark Garber declined to discuss the story in detail, but did shed a bit more light on why his paper had chosen not to run with it, based on what he called "many of the test points that we would normally have to determine whether there was sufficient evidence that something inappropriate had occurred."

"We weren’t able to meet our own test," he said.

The paper also quoted a Gore spokeswoman, Kalee Krieder, saying, “Not only has there not been a settlement, we haven’t been approached about one nor can we imagine any basis for one.”

In effect, the Enquirer's exposé pushed the Portland Tribune to admit its knowledge of the story and explain why it sat on it for two years.

Does anyone doubt that if the story had involved a Republican politician the Tribune would have splashed it immediately?

Portland woman says Al Gore groped her in hotel room

A Portland massage therapist gave local police a detailed statement last year alleging that former Vice President Al Gore groped her, kissed her and made unwanted sexual advances during a late-night massage session in October 2006 in a suite at the upscale Hotel Lucia.

The woman told investigators that she informed two friends and kept the clothes she wore that night, including her black pants with stains on them. But Portland police didn't contact any of the woman's friends, obtain the potential evidence or interview anyone at the hotel, records show.

"The case was not investigated any further because detectives concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations," the Portland Police Bureau said in a prepared statement Wednesday, responding to inquiries from all over the world after the National Enquirer broke the story on its website.

In her detailed Jan. 8, 2009, statement to a Portland sexual assault investigator, the woman said she was called to the hotel about 10:30 p.m. Oct. 24, 2006, to provide a massage for Gore, who was registered under the name "Mr. Stone." Once inside his ninth-floor suite, she said he pushed her hand to his groin, fondled her buttocks and breasts, tongue-kissed her and threw her down on the bed as she tried to thwart his advances.

She also said Gore had finished a beer and opened a bottle of Grand Marnier while she was in the room.

While the Police Bureau considers it a closed case, it said it would reopen it if new evidence is received.

Portland police spokeswoman Detective Mary Wheat said police didn't go to the hotel or talk to the woman's friends because it wouldn't help prove or disprove the woman's allegations.

"We're not disputing Al Gore was in the hotel room with this woman," Wheat said. "The two people in that room were Mr. Gore and this woman. If a bellhop came in and saw something, that would be different."

Gore hasn't been charged in this case.

His accuser could be seizing an opportunity, hoping to gain from Gore's highly publicized split from his wife, Tipper. She could be lying.

In any event, I don't think this is a good time for Gore to be lecturing about capitalism and greed.

At the moment, he's tabloid fodder. He belongs on Jerry Springer, not published in the Wall Street Journal.

Maybe, like the disgraced Eliot Spitzer, Gore can redeem himself someday and host a show on CNN.

Edith Shain

You likely couldn't name Edith Shain even though you've probably seen her picture more times than you could count.

She's a subject in one of the most famous photographs ever taken.



Shain is the nurse being kissed by a sailor on V-J Day in Times Square.

From AFP:

A former nurse who inadvertently became part of an iconic World War Two photograph when she locked lips with a celebrating US sailor has died, her family confirmed.

Edith Shain, 92, passed away at her home in Los Angeles on Sunday, some 65 years after her passionate embrace with a serviceman celebrating the end of World War Two became one of the most famous photos in history.

Shain was a nursing student in New York on August 14, 1945, when radio networks announced the surrender of the Japanese.

She later recalled making her way to Times Square to join in celebrations, where she let a man in a Navy uniform gather her up in his arms before giving her a kiss. The moment was captured by photographer Alfred Eisenstadt and later appeared in Life magazine.

Eisenstadt later recalled the moment when he captured the kiss, saying he had spotted a sailor walking through the crowd kissing women at every opportunity.

"He was grabbing every female he could find and kissing them all -- young girls and old ladies alike," Eisenstadt.

"Then I noticed the nurse, standing in that enormous crowd. I focused on her, and just as I'd hoped, the sailor came along, grabbed the nurse, and bent down to kiss her. Now if this girl hadn't been a nurse, if she'd been dressed dark clothes, I wouldn't have had a picture.

...For decades Shain kept her identity secret before contacting Eisenstadt in the late 1970s to reveal herself. The identity of the sailor has never been conclusively established.

Although other women had claimed to be the woman in the nurse's dress over the years, Shain was recognized by Eisenstadt despite the passage of several decades. Shain later took part in parades in Manhattan to mark the 50th and 60th anniversaries of V-J Day.

Shain worked as a kindergarten teacher for 30 years and as a night shift nurse before retiring in Los Angeles.

'Blended' Sewage in Lake Michigan

This was buried, ten paragraphs down, in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article about Wednesday's heavy rain:

And the heavy rain prompted Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District officials to take the emergency step of blending treated wastewater from the Jones Island plant with a mix of sewage and storm water from the deep tunnel that had been disinfected only.

The blended flows are being discharged into Lake Michigan.

Blending is being done to increase the volume of wastewater pumped out of the tunnel and free up additional storage space in advance of Wednesday afternoon rain, district Executive Director Kevin Shafer said.

The district is authorized to blend up to 60 million gallons a day of untreated wastewater during a storm. Blending began at Jones Island at 5:15 a.m.

The emergency measure enabled the district to avoid overflows of combined sanitary and storm sewers in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood Wednesday morning, Shafer said.

As of 7:30 a.m., the tunnels were filled to 55% of capacity and Jones Island was treating at a rate of 348 million gallons a day. The plant can fully treat up to 300 million gallons a day and the additional volume included the amount of wastewater being disinfected only.

"We're still taking flow from the combined sewer area into the tunnels," Shafer said Wednesday morning. "But more storms are forecast this afternoon and evening."

"We're not going to be able to take much more flow from the combined sewers later today," he said.

Gates connecting combined sewers to the deep tunnel might be closed later Wednesday if tunnel space is needed to store rain-swollen flows from communities with separate sanitary sewers and prevent basement backups. Closing the gates would cause combined sewer overflows to local rivers and Lake Michigan.

As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, MMSD rain gauges had measured rainfall totals of 2.1 inches at Hales Corners, 1.88 inches at Mitchell International Airport, 1.76 inches at the 300 block of S. 84th St. in Milwaukee near Wauwatosa, and 1.69 inches at the 5300 block of N. Teutonia Ave. in Milwaukee near Glendale.

So if you go to Summerfest and you find a shady spot along the lake to eat your fried eggplant, look out at the beautiful lake and know that it contains sewage. It's a dumping ground.

Try not to lose your appetite.

If you go to a beach in Milwaukee, check to see if the water is safe before you swim.

Thank God BP isn't drilling in Lake Michigan. We wouldn't want to harm our "pristine shoreline."

Isn't that right, Mr. Mayor Tom Barrett?

SUMMERFEST: Lady Antebellum

Summerfest 2010 is here!

Tim McGraw is headlining at the Marcus Amphitheater tonight, along with Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft. The show begins at 7:30 PM.

Here's Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now."

Russ Feingold and David Petraeus

Today, Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal as the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and nominated General David Petraeus to take over.

Obama lavished Petraeus with praise and urged his confirmation by the Senate.

OBAMA: He has my full confidence. And I am urging the Senate to confirm him for this new assignment as swiftly as possible.

What will Wisconsin's Senator Russ Feingold do?

Russ "MoveOn.org" Feingold has a record of being openly hostile to Petraeus, or as Feingold would say, "General Betray us."

Here is Feingold attacking Petraeus on September 11, 2007, during hearings on the Iraq war.

When he questioned General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, he didn't even show them enough respect to allow them to answer.

He badgered them.



Full transcript of Feingold's ornery remarks

(Excerpt)

RUSS FEINGOLD: I would like to ask the general his response. What about the situation that we find in North Africa and the other regions? You obviously must take this into account in thinking about your role in Iraq.

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS: I am not in a position to comment on the resources we have committed to the Maghrib or to other areas. General McCrystal does brief us about once a week on the overall situation, but it is clearly with a focus to how that is affecting Al Qaida in Iraq. For what it's worth, he, the commander of the joint special operations command, and the CIA director, when I talked to them a couple of months ago, agreed that their belief is that Al Qaida central seize Al Qaida in Iraq as their central front in their global war on terror.

That seems confirmed by the communications that we periodically see between Al Qaida central and Al Qaida-Iraq, although that could be changing as a result of the loss of momentum, to some degree, by Al Qaida-Iraq and it's something that we need to keep an eye on, clearly.

FEINGOLD: With all due respect, these two critical leaders here in our government, who I have great respect for, are not willing to seriously comment about how this relates to the larger global fight against terrorism -- the allocation of resources. This is a classic example of myopia. This is the myopia of Iraq that is affecting our ability to look at this as the global challenge it is. And by the way, General, I'd like to know, when will the level of American troops deaths start to seriously decline in Iraq?

PETRAEUS: First of all, if I could just come back to your earlier comment, with respect, Senator, what this is is an example of a commander focused on his area of responsibility area. And that is my mission. It is to accomplish the military tasks that are associated with this policy, not to fight the overall global war.

FEINGOLD: I respect that and I understand, but I guess, in the broader context, here, of our discussions, this is the most critical hearing we've had and yet it's only about Iraq. But go ahead and please answer the question: When can we expect the troop deaths to decline in Iraq?

PETRAEUS: It might be, again, that Admiral Fallon or others would be the ones that, or the chairman, to comment on that. There has been a gradual reduction in deaths in Iraq, since about June, I believe it was. That, unfortunately -- in August, we suffered a number of non-combat related deaths due to two helicopter crashes, although the number of combat deaths was lower.

FEINGOLD: General, just let me follow...

PETRAEUS: We need to see what happens in ensuing months.

FEINGOLD: I want the American people to know that in every single month this year, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August, a significantly greater number of troops died than in the previous month in 2006 -- in every single month. And according to my information, there's already 32 this month. So, to suggest that there was some decline in the number in June and July, versus other months, does not address the fact that the number of troops' deaths has greatly increased. And I'm not getting an answer that even begins to suggest when we can tell the American people that the number of troop deaths will decline.

PETRAEUS: Senator, we are on the offensive, and when you go on the offensive, you have tough fighting. That was particularly true, again, during the period immediately after the start of the surge of offenses in mid-June and continued for a while. It appeared to have crested then and was coming down. And, again, we will have to see. We had a tragic loss yesterday, in fact, in some vehicle accidents, that again, you know, are just very, very sad.

At the hearings, Feingold treated Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General Petraeus in such a disrespectful manner.

Will Feingold suddenly show respect for Petraeus because President Bush is no longer the commander-in-chief? Will Feingold be a good Obama soldier and now have confidence in Petraeus?

That would be quite an about-face by Feingold.

Feingold's hostility toward Petraeus is on the record.

It made me sick when Feingold tossed out, "And by the way, General, I'd like to know, when will the level of American troops' deaths start to seriously decline in Iraq?"

He really was saying, "And by the way, General, when are you going to stop killing our troops in Iraq?"

It was disgraceful the way Feingold treated Petraeus in 2007.

We all remember MoveOn.org's infamous "General Betray us" full-page ad that ran in the New York Times.

Here's the text of the ad:

GENERAL PETRAEUS OR GENERAL BETRAY US?

Cooking the Books for the White House

General Petraeus is a military man constantly at war with the facts. In 2004, just before the election, he said there was “tangible progress” in Iraq and that “Iraqi leaders are stepping forward.” And last week Petraeus, the architect
of the escalation of troops in Iraq, said, “We say we have achieved progress, and we are obviously going to do everything we can to build on that progress.”

Every independent report on the ground situation in Iraq shows that the surge strategy has failed. Yet the General claims a reduction in violence. That’s because, according to the New York Times, the Pentagon has adopted a bizarre formula for keeping tabs on violence. For example, deaths by car bombs don’t count. The Washington Post reported that assassinations only count if you’re shot in the back of the head — not the front. According to the Associated Press, there have been more civilian deaths and more American soldier deaths in the past three months than in any other summer we’ve been there. We’ll hear of neighborhoods where violence has decreased. But we won’t hear that those neighborhoods have been ethnically cleansed.

Most importantly, General Petraeus will not admit what everyone knows: Iraq is mired in an unwinnable religious civil war. We may hear of a plan to withdraw a few thousand American troops. But we won’t hear what Americans are desperate to hear: a timetable for withdrawing all our troops. General Petraeus has actually said American troops will need to stay in Iraq for as long as ten years.

Today, before Congress and before the American people, General Petraeus is likely to become General Betray Us.

MoveOn, propaganda arm of the Democrat party, told the world that liberals considered Petraeus to be a traitor. Feingold agreed with MoveOn.

The attack was a bad move on the part of the Democrats, so bad that the U.S. Senate actually voted on Cornyn Amendment No. 2934, to condemn the ad.

The Senate amendment's statement of purpose:

To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

How hard could it be to vote to express support for the U.S. Armed Forces?

For politicians like Russ Feingold, indebted to the hard Left MoveOn, it was too hard to do.

View the Roll Call Vote.

Wisconsin senators split on the amendment. Russ Feingold voted against it. Obviously, he's not maverick enough to bite the hand that feeds him. Herb Kohl voted for it. He could afford to upset MoveOn.org. He's nobody's senator. Unlike Feingold, he didn't need MoveOn, so he could show some decency.

Those voting in support of MoveOn's despicable ad slamming Petraeus were the usual suspects:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Note: Biden (D-DE), Cantwell (D-WA), and Obama (D-IL) took the cowardly way out and didn't vote. Current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sided MoveOn, not Petraeus. That's a bit awkward given her current position.

But back to Feingold--

He refused to back Petraeus and our military. It was too much for Feingold to vote to "express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces."

I have a problem with that.

Do the people of Wisconsin realize what an extremist Feingold is? Do they get how far to the Left Feingold stands?

If they do, they'll vote for Ron Johnson in November.

Obama, McChrystal, and Petraeus

Obama has given General Stanley McChrystal the boot.

White House video of Obama's remarks.

CNN video.



White House transcript of Obama's remarks.

OBAMA: Today I accepted General Stanley McChrystal’s resignation as commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. I did so with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military, and for our country.

I'm also pleased to nominate General David Petraeus to take command in Afghanistan, which will allow us to maintain the momentum and leadership that we need to succeed.

I don't make this decision based on any difference in policy with General McChrystal, as we are in full agreement about our strategy. Nor do I make this decision out of any sense of personal insult. Stan McChrystal has always shown great courtesy and carried out my orders faithfully. I've got great admiration for him and for his long record of service in uniform.

...I’ve just told my national security team that now is the time for all of us to come together. Doing so is not an option, but an obligation. I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division. All of us have personal interests; all of us have opinions. Our politics often fuels conflict, but we have to renew our sense of common purpose and meet our responsibilities to one another, and to our troops who are in harm’s way, and to our country.

We need to remember what this is all about. Our nation is at war. We face a very tough fight in Afghanistan. But Americans don’t flinch in the face of difficult truths or difficult tasks. We persist and we persevere. We will not tolerate a safe haven for terrorists who want to destroy Afghan security from within, and launch attacks against innocent men, women, and children in our country and around the world.

...General Petraeus and I were able to spend some time this morning discussing the way forward. I’m extraordinarily grateful that he has agreed to serve in this new capacity. It should be clear to everybody, he does so at great personal sacrifice to himself and to his family. And he is setting an extraordinary example of service and patriotism by assuming this difficult post.

Let me say to the American people, this is a change in personnel but it is not a change in policy. General Petraeus fully participated in our review last fall, and he both supported and helped design the strategy that we have in place. In his current post at Central Command, he has worked closely with our forces in Afghanistan. He has worked closely with Congress. He has worked closely with the Afghan and Pakistan governments and with all our partners in the region. He has my full confidence, and I am urging the Senate to confirm him for this new assignment as swiftly as possible.

Let me conclude by saying that it was a difficult decision to come to the conclusion that I’ve made today. Indeed, it saddens me to lose the service of a soldier who I’ve come to respect and admire. But the reasons that led me to this decision are the same principles that have supported the strength of our military and our nation since the founding.

So, once again, I thank General McChrystal for his enormous contributions to the security of this nation and to the success of our mission in Afghanistan. I look forward to working with General Petraeus and my entire national security team to succeed in our mission.

Obama didn't always think so highly of General Petraeus and his decisions.

Video, Iraq hearing, September 11, 2007.



Now Obama has nothing but praise for Petraeus.

Things must look very different when sitting in the Oval Office.