Kerfuffle

Believe it or not, it's a great time to be living in Wisconsin

I'm really glad I live in Wisconsin right now.

No, I haven't gone back to being a Republican.  That was a long time ago, when Republicans still had a shared sense of history and purpose, and were not completely co-opted by religious wing nuts, greedy rich people, and power hungry war profiteers.  Which means it was WAY before the Tea Party.

The reason I am glad to be here at this particular time in the state's history is that I am watching the reclamation of democracy from the front row.  The events that began about four weeks ago when a young, power-hungry, corporately-owned governor said he'd use the state's National Guard to back up his attempts to crush public employee unions have put in motion a movement unlike anything I have seen before. (And coming off the Obama for America wave, that's really saying something.)

More people than I can imagine have already dissected Governor Scott Walker's so-called budget repair bill in the media and the blogosphere, so I won't do that now.  The bill itself makes sweeping changes to laws governing how public funds are used and how public workers are treated.  Many claim Walker is doing what he was elected to do.  Many more argue that he at best is over-reaching and at worst is setting the state back 50 years while shitting on the strong Progressive heritage of Wisconsin.  I loathe Governor Walker for what he's done, and have an equal level of contempt for his Republican state senators led by my own senator, Scott Fitzgerald. They duped a large number of the willfully ignorant to vote for them, in most cases against their own best interests. Disillusioned Progressives made the strategic mistake of not turning out to vote against this cabal, and now we find ourselves in a battle to save the state from all-out corporatocracy.

Yet to be living in Wisconsin right now, and especially in Madison, is to be at the center of a major movement to retake our government for the average citizen.

To stand in the Capitol rotunda with several thousand people, chanting "This is what democracy looks like" was an electrifying experience.  Standing on the capital square, listening to speaker after speaker address crowds that broke all kinds of records for public rallies in Madison (no easy task if you think back to the late 1960s), was breathtaking.  And seeing how peaceful this continued protest has been, with whole families taking part, has been nothing short of truly inspirational.

These days, I am am half way into a PhD at the University of Wisconsin - Madison's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  My research focuses on social media and how it intersects with civic engagement and political communication.  What better time to be here than now?  The events that have unfolded in Madison... and that are inspiring similar events in other states whose citizens are being stream rolled by Tea Party Republicans beholden to corporate masters... have come together in a large part via social media.  As I have mentioned to several friends, I am living a giant lab experience.

My observation of and participation in the events in Madison have been chronicled in social media.  Most of my expressions have been made on Twitter (@DaveWilcoxUW).  Like many people who actively use social media technology, I don't blog as much on my own site as I used to, turning to micro-blogging throughout the day rather than posting a few times during the week.  In hindsight, I regret that, especially during the past month.  I've had dozens of topics pass through my head but not make it to Kerfuffle.  But at the same time, Twitter has played a major role in how the whole Wisconsin Uprising has been unfolded.  I'm glad I was in the middle of it.  And even if you don't have a Twitter account, I hope you have taken a look at the running commentary to the left of the main posts here.

Given that tomorrow marks Kerfuffle's fourth anniversary, I pledge here and now to spend more time posting on the mother ship.  As we move from protests and rallies to recalls and new elections, there is no place in the United States I would rather be than Madison, Wisconsin, tweeting and blogging and researching my brains out.

Right here, right now. [h/t Preston Austin]

Jimmy, Brian and The Roots slow jam the Wisconsin protests

 

Sure it's satire, but I'd bet SNL actually captures the attitude and ineptitude of BP, Transocean and Halliburton rather accurately

From the cold open...

Later, on Weekend Update, Seth Meyers referred to the executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton who testified before Congress as Hear No Evil, See no Evil and Evil...

Yup. Today's Robber Barons.  They love taking your money, first at the pump... and then again when they want you to pay to clean up their mess and bail out all the people whose lives their carelessness has wrecked.

Still happy with rampant government deregulation?  You shouldn't be.

Thanks for giving a damn about equality

Newest social networking complaint: "Dude! I friended a girl on Facebook and she turned out to be a cop and busted me for underaged drinking!" (mumbles "bitch" under breath)

It's kind of like "1984" meets "Candid Camera" meets "Cops"...

From K J Lang of the La Crosse (WI) Tribune...

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Adam Bauer has nearly 400 friends on Facebook. He got an offer for a new one about a month ago. “She was a good-looking girl. I usually don’t accept friends I don’t know, but I randomly accepted this one for some reason,” the 19-year-old said.

He thinks that led to his invitation to come down to the La Crosse police station, where an officer laid out photos from Facebook of Bauer holding a beer — and then ticketed him for underage drinking.

The police report said Bauer admitted drinking, which he denies. But he did plead no contest in municipal court Wednesday and will pay a $227 fine.

A cursory glance through Facebook photos yields immediate examples of kids drinking beer.  Conveniently, most Facebook profiles include birth dates with years.  Add it up and it will cost you about $227, at least if you're a student at UW La Crosse.  And doesn't that suck.

The article allows that the local police justify their actions, saying...

“Law enforcement has to evolve with technology,” Iverson said. “It has to happen. It is a necessity —not just for underage drinking.”

Consider that next time you decide the beer bong pictures taken before the football game are ever so hilarious and must be shared with the Facebook universe.  Even more, consider that you don't even have to post those pictures.  If one of your friends does, and then tags you in the photos, you may end up like hapless Adam Bauer.

One thing I was wondering, though, is how can they prove it's actually beer?  Last time I poured an O'Doul's into a glass, it looked just like Budweiser.  Of course, the legal fees to have some attorney argue that will easily exceed the $227 no-contest plea.

[h/t: Pam for the link via Twitter]

Gaywatch! What's new this week in gayishness, as reported by Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Marion Barry
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

His take on Washington D.C.'s one councilman not supporting the resolution in question is one of Stewart's best lines in recent memory, me thinks.

Looking for a vacation spot where you can escape from that dreaded government oversight and... SOCIALISM? Problem solved!

Pack your bags and get to the airport!

[via DK]

For a dead guy, George Washington still makes a lot of sense

Before we had our country, we had our moral standing.

"Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country."

-- George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

He knew we needed to be better than the others.

Random observations and crap I learned or was reminded of during a day trip to Chicago

In no particular order...

How is it that I can drive from the eastern edge of Dane County all the way to Milwaukee and not pass a single damn Denny's.  I was on the road early to catch an 8 AM train to Chicago, and gave myself enough time to perhaps indulge in of of them there grand slam breakfasts.  But no.  And I wasn;t going to settle for Perkins.  Not the same.

It seems Walgreen's, however, are plentiful. Too plentiful if you ask me.  Those things are everywhere.  I walked, cabbed and took El trains around Chicago today, and there is one of those freaking things seemingly on every corner.  Throw in the two or three I passed in downtown Milwaukee, plus another half dozen I saw from the train or passed driving home.  I'll bet I caught sight of at least 25 locations.  Maybe they can partner with Denny's.

I wish the Amtrak Hiawatha ran as far as Madison, like it did in the old days.  Still, it's a great way to get to Chicago, even if I have to drive 60 miles to get to the Milwaukee station.  Comfy seats, power ports, free wifi in the stations, and even a bar cart.  I especially like the concept of the Quiet Cars℠.  Except for when they smell like a tipped-over porta-potty.  That was the case on the northbound train tonight.  Someone had even posted a handmade sign stating "Car Stinks" on the door.  And let me tell you, it did.  No one -- not a single person -- sat in that car.  This was, I gathered, a chronic condition, as regular riders commented that it had been that way on the previous Friday 5:08 train.  No quiet for me, but I did horrify a woman by playing back some of her very loud cellphone conversation in a harmless but inquisitive manner.  And that was kind of fun.

I know it is a sort of unwritten rule that if you are going to go into a coffee place with free wifi, you should buy something.  I was in three Starbucks and a Caribou today.  That was a few coffees too many.  Yeah, I know they have other stuff, but it's a coffee place, and plain old coffee is usually the cheapest thing they have.  Decaf seems illogical.  So I turned into Shakes the Clown by 4 PM.

It seems virtually everyone in Chicago thinks Governor-for-now Rod Blagojevich is a total asshat.  Cab drivers who have only lived in the U.S for a week know he's a crook.  When Blago decided to start comparing himself to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi (Gandhi!), he confirmed that he is ten kinds of crazy dressed in a track suit.

Somewhere in Rockford, Illinois, there is a bar called Shooters.  And Shooters has something called "intimate bingo" where all the prizes come from some place that sells adult "marital" aids (i.e. dildo store).  And this establishment fuels the fun with, as I recall, $2 Jagerbombs, tequila slammers, and something I believe they make with kerosene.  Oh, the things you can learn by just hitting the "seek" button on FM radio.

Crazy.

When it comes to loathing of celebrities, political and otherwise, The Beast proves to be loathtastic

If one were to attempt to create a top 50 list of jackasses, dumbasses, asshats and nincompoops for 2008, one would have quite a challenge.  Being an unusually active election year, the choices are many.  It is safe to say, I believe, that The Beast, a website that asks readers to "Think of us as the Goldman Sachs of humor," did a most comprehensive analysis and offers quite the impressive list.

You owe it to yourself to review the entire thing for the writing alone.  Don't be put off that it begins with Barack Obama as the 50th most loathsome person of 2008.  Further exploration turns up some very deserving individuals, among them...

44. Brett Favre

Charges: On the day of March 4th, the perp, a recovering drunk, pill-popper and hick preempted Ohio and Texas primary coverage to announce that his "career is over." Bathed in tears of self-importance, Favre broke the news with the composure one would reserve for describing the next 9/11. We get it: You throw a football. Your now official and permanent retirement, which is permanent and official, is a monumental news event. So, Favre decided to jam some more "vitamins" into his 39 year-old ass and sign on to a middling Jets squad, even though he admitted to leaving the Packers because they had no chance of getting him another ring.

22. PUMAs

Charges: Redefining feminism as “supporting Hillary Clinton, whether she wants you to or not,” and “defending” that feminism by embodying negative stereotypes of women as irrational and scornful, there was no demographic more painfully dumb than aggrieved Hillary backers plotting to defeat Obama. Drunk on a dream of vengeance for their queen, this strange minority picked up every despicable, paranoid, racist talking point they could from the worst of the right wing, even complimenting Sean Hannity on his “fair and balanced” coverage of Obama. Desperately twisting words in a sad attempt to tar Obama as a sexist and willing to subject themselves and their country to a probable assault on reproductive rights in the name of spite, the PUMAs comported themselves with all the dignity and sense of a false rape accusation.

Exhibit A: It’s hard to choose, but nothing was more ridiculous this year than hearing an obscenely rich Hillary fundraiser named “Lady de Rothschild” describe Obama as “an elitist.”


18. The Clintons

Charges: Still around. Still married. Still rich. Still acclaimed.  Still influential.  Still sought.  Still sanctimonious.  Still aggrieved.  Still phony. Still compromised. Still petulant. Still striving.  Still self-pitying.  Still self-important.  Still important.

Exhibit A: Madame Secretary.

11. Rush Limbaugh

Charges: The father of modern stupidity, Limbaugh spins reflexively, never struggling with issues, because he knows his conclusion must favor Republicans, and his only task is finding a way to get there. In other words, he may or may not actually believe what he’s saying, but it’s beside the point. His job is not to say what he thinks, but to instruct his listeners on what they should think. If the facts don’t agree, he can always change them, as his “ditto heads” are already armed against the contrary evidence with the all-purpose “liberal bias” attack. “Rush is right,” as the slogan goes, and all those nerdy reporters in the “drive by media” are lying, because they secretly love terrorists. It’s this creepily worshipful, breathtakingly infantile abdication of intellect to a blatantly dishonest hypocrite that makes Limbaugh’s audience so goddamn sad. These pathetic, insecure, failures of men look to Rush as the champion of their impotent rage, helping them to externalize responsibility for their own deficiencies, pinning the blame on those darn liberals and their racial and gender equality.

Exhibit A: You have to marvel at the sheer ignominy of someone who coins the term “Obama recession” two days after the election.

And, of course, topping out the list, and a key reason I am picking this as my list to end all lists for the past year...

1. Sarah Palin

Charges: If you want to know why the rest of the world is scared of Americans, consider the fact that after two terms of disastrous rule by a small-minded ignoramus, 46% of us apparently thought the problem was that he wasn’t quite stupid enough. Palin’s unending emissions of baffling, evasive incoherence should have disqualified her for any position that involved a desk, let alone placing her one erratic heartbeat from the presidency. The press strained mightily to feign respect for her, praising a debate performance that involved no debate, calling her a “great speaker” when her only speech was primarily a litany of insults to city-dwellers, echoing bogus sexism charges when a male Palin would have been boiled alive for the Couric interview alone, and lionizing her as she used her baby as a Pro-life stage prop before crowds who cooed when they should have been hurling polonium-tipped javelins. In the end, Palin had the beneficial effect of splitting her party between her admirers and people who can read.

I can hardly wait for next year's list.