COME ON DEM PUSSIES GET OFF YOUR ASS -- WE NEED A PUBLIC OPTION FOR HEALTH CARE!

Watched "Real Time" with Bill Maher last night and he made a good point. We don't have a two party system. We have the right of center Democrats who are at every turn busy voting against the man we elected, and then there are the nutjobs that used to be the Republican party. They aren't even a party anymore.

The elected Democrats (with the exception of very few, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Patrick Leahy, and Wisconsin's own Russ Feingold) are PUSSIES. Oh, we can't close Guantanamo - and bring that riffraff into our prisons. For Chrissakes! Get real!

Now the Dems have turned on President Obama's helth care plan - and who's leading the charge?? President Obama's one time choice for Health secretary, Tom Daschle!

Why is Tom Daschle undermining President Obama's health care plan on national television?
"Reform" without a public option isn't reform at all.


Tell Tom Daschle to stop undermining President Obama's plan to provide a public health care option (like Medicare) to all Americans.


Many lauded Tom Daschle as an excellent choice to be President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services — largely because of his extensive background in health care policy.

But when Daschle's $100,000 in unpaid taxes came to light and the nomination went south, Daschle went back to his gig as one of the founders and board members of the Bipartisan Policy Center — a DC think-tank that Daschle founded with Bob Dole and two other former senators. And guess what? The BPC has extensive funding ties to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

So maybe we shouldn't be suprised that Daschle and Dole went on TV this week to say that Congress should feel free to nix a public health care option (like Medicare) if that's what it takes to pass "reform."

Never mind that reform without a public option hardly qualifies as "reform" at all. Never mind that progressives in Congress have rightly vowed to kill any bill that doesn't include a public option. Never mind that President Obama is pushing hard for a public option — and never mind that millions of Americans desperately need a quality, affordable alternative to private insurance.

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OTHER THOUGHTS ON FAVRE

Did anybody catch Brett Fave's appearance on Joe buck's new show on HBO this week? I have such mixed emotions about the man. Since my last blog about him, I received an e mail from a Green Bay Packer fan in Ohio -- well -- he is not much of a fan right now because of Green Bay's Teddy Thompson -- I am not a Ted fan myself.

But Kirk made some good points in his e mail. Hee it is:

Regarding your Favre post-------my opinion is that any player can retire or un-retire if he wishes, especially if a team wants him. There is no loyalty is sports, never was. We always hear from old timers about the players in the past playing for the love of the game and being loyal to their team---that was because they had no options! The owners ruled with an iron fist, and it was always “my way or the highway”. (Ask Jim Ringo!) Now players have some flexibility and when a player can get back at an owner (or GM) I am all for it.

Forrest Gregg retired and un-retired about 6 times, each time coming back to play for GB. Don Huston retired and un-retired several times, each time coming back. The last time, his final year he waited to come back till the 1st game, skipping all of training camp. I believe no less a legend than Vince Lombardi retired, found out he missed coaching, asked for his “release” from GB (the executive committee was classy back then and gave it to him) and went to Washington, where he began to turn that team around before his death at a relatively young age. I wonder what the GB fans would have thought of him had he lived and turned the Redskins in to champions? Maybe we’ll get to see Favre turn the Vikes in to champions. We don’t know if it will happen, but it sure would be a fun story.

The problem I have with GB is the way they said they were moving forward, but were sufficiently fearful of Favre that they tried to keep him from playing. And they certainly didn’t want to face him as a Viking. If they were truly moving forward, they should have said “here’s your release, thanks for the memories, the records and the winning, good luck, see you on opening day”. I admire his competitiveness, and the fact that he wants to come back and stick it to em. Kind of the “American way”.

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This is obviously a smart and savvy sports fan. I guess I can see his point and accept it. But it isn't going to make it any easier to see Brett in a purple jersey if that happens this fall.

I don't think anybody who hasn't gone to the Windbag in Minneapolis for a game can really appreciate how boorish and classless many Viking fans are. I won't ever go up there again and spend my money to be insulted.

When I walked out of the tunnel into the seating area, some drunk stood up and yelled at me: "Get the fuck outa here and don't ever fuckin' come back!"

Hey - nice to see you too pal.

When I got back to my vehicle I found that some lovely Viking fans had chewed up granola bars and spit them all over my car.

NICE.

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Jut back from a gig with the State Foresters in Neillsville. I told my game warden story and after the show a guy came up and told me that he is a personal friend of TJ's. then he shook my hand and told me that I was "right on the money" with the story.

He then told me that since TJ has retired he is a changed man. He said he once asked him what he would do if they told him to come back to work and supposedly TJ said: "I would pour myself a glass of wine, get into the hot tub, and slit h is wrists."

Well, we can hope.


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This

'STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE' REQUIRED VIEWING FOR ALL AMERICANS

Last night I watched the documentary "Standard Operating Procedure" which chronicled the horrendous mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Grab prisons in 2003-2004. To my way of thinking this is a documentary that should be required viewing for every citizen of the United States of America, especially that blowhard mouth piece of the Republican party "Fat Bastard".
Much has been made of the recent allegations of water boarding as torture, but water boarding is just the nasty tip of a much uglier ice berg.

The documentary shows graphic photo evidence that there were at least two Iraqis that were murdered- beaten to death at the prison by agents of the United States government. We are shown photos of one of the bodies being put on ice and then zipped up in a body bag and stored in a cell until it can be slipped out under the cover of darkness when it begins to smell.


Why President Obama is trying to suppress all the truths is beyond my comprehension. As usual, the politicians of this country mouth one thing (transparency and accountability) and then lie and attempt to cover up the ugly truth.

I have a "Bush is a war criminal" sticker on my vehicle that I have had to replace as it was ripped off by some great patriot -- I have been roundly criticized as being unamerican for displaying it. But the allegation of that sticker speaks the real truth: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfelt are all thugs with no regard for international law.

In the "Standard Operating Procedure" documentary, Rumsfelt visits Abu Gra, takes as cursory tour of one of Saddam's torture chambers and then says he is not interested in seeing anything further.

Soldiers who testify in the documentary tell of cleaning up cells and unchaining prisoners just long enough for the Red Cross to conduct inspections to create the illusion that the rules of the Geneva Convention are being adhered to and as soon as Red Cross inspections are concluded, it's back to business as usual.

And who takes the rap? The bottom of the pecking order, of course. The only American soldiers given jail time are those with a rank of sergeant or less. The one good general, General Janice Kapinski, who tries to bring the evils into the light, is summarily dismissed - relieved of her command.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the "template" for most aspects of American society. We need look no farther than the handling of former Superintendent Bill Klaus whose arrogance is rewarded with monies that were to be a part of the stimulus package for Eau Claire Schools - instead of going to teachers who deserve it!

FAVRE COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM JACKIE ROBINSON

This morning, as I watched an HBO Sports special on the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers (my favorite team when I was a kid) while discussing the illustrious career of Jackie Robinson, the narrator talked about Robinson's relationship with owners Branch Rickey and Walter O'Malley. Rickey eventually was bought out by O'Malley and when Robinson reached the ripe old age of thirty eight, O'Maley traded him to - of all teams - cross town rivals The New York Giants.

But Jackie Robinson, always a class act, refused to report to the New York Giants but instead retired and took a job with the coffee company Chock Full O' Nuts.

I couldn't help think of the present situation with Brent - er - Brett Favre - who is, after announcing retirement so as not to "hurt" the New York Jets, once again doing his LOOK AT ME routine which has brought on "Favre Watch" on the NFL channel.

I will always look back upon and respect Favre's great career with Green Bay but his antics of the past two years show him to be a classless hillbilly who only looks out for number one.

It is still not to late for him to save his legacy in Wisconsin - but if he chooses to come back as a Minnesota Viking, I will be wishing him all the worst.

Come on, Brett, show a little class and be a man of your word. Two false retirements? Pathetic.

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What Kids Know About the Ocean......



1) - This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

2) - Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

3) - If you are surrounded by ocean you are an Island . If you don't have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. ( Wayne , age 7)

4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily
Richardson . She's not my friend any more. (Kylie, age 6)

5) - A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head.
(Billy, age 8)

6) - My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men, a woman and some pots and comes back with crabs. ( Millie, age 6)

7) - When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

8) - Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really? (Helen, age 6)

9) - I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write (Amy, age 6)

10) - Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers at night. (Christopher, age 7)

11) - When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my wily small. (Kevin, age 6)

12) - Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky, age 8)

13) - On vacation my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast.. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass. (Julie, age 7)

14) - The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know. (Bobby, age 6)

15) - My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)




Little Carol came into the kitchen where her mother was making
dinner. Her birthday was coming up and she thought this was a good time
to tell her mother what she wanted. "Mom, I want a bike for my
birthday." Now, Little Carol was a bit of a troublemaker. She
had gotten into trouble at school and at home. Carol's mother asked her if she
thought she deserved to get a bike for her birthday. Little Carol, of
course, thought she did. Carol's mother , being a Christian woman, wanted her to reflect on her behavior over the last year, and write a letter to God and tell
him why she deserved a bike for her birthday. Little Carol stomped up the steps to her room and sat down to write God a letter.
LETTER 1:
Dear God:
I have been a very good girl this year and I would like a bike
for my birthday. I want a red one.
Your friend,
Carol

Carol knew this wasn't true. She had not been a very good girl
this year, so she tore up the letter and started over.

LETTER 2:
Dear God:
This is your friend Carol. I have been a pretty good girl this year, and I would like a red bike for my birthday.
Thank you,
Carol

Carol knew this wasn't true either. She tore up the letter and started again.


LETTER 3:

Dear God:
I know I haven't been a good girl this year. I am very sorry.
I will be a good girl if you just send me a red bike for my birthday..
Thank you,
Carol


Carol knew, even if it was true, this letter was not going to
get her a bike. By now, she was very upset. She went downstairs and told
her mother she wanted to go to church. Carol's mother thought her plan
had worked because Carol looked very sad.
"Just be home in time for dinner," her mother said.
Carol walked down the street to the church and up to the
altar..

She looked around to see if anyone was there. She picked up a statue of
the Virgin Mary, slipped it under her jacket and ran out of the church,
down the street, into her house, and up to her room. She shut the door
and sat down and wrote her letter to God.



LETTER 4:
I GOT YOUR MAMA.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE.

Signed,
YOU KNOW WHO



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LATEST HELMET PROJECT - JOE MONTANA REPLICA

Here is my latest creation and addition to my NFL football helmet collection: A Joe Montana relica of his Schutt helmet. Schutt helmets have a distinctive look, with the foam padding very evident around the wearer's forehead.
After much searching of the web, I found the exact same face mask that Joe wore on his helmet back in the 1980's - the thicker molded metal, dipped in plastic coating mask, that was typical of that era. The newer face masks are much thinner and in the case of the 49'er helmets, are cardinal in color as the 49er's moved away from the straight red and added black to the stripes on the helmet. Ypu will note that the side decals are the same as the ones on the pictured Montana helmet, correct for the 1980's era in which he played.

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PRESIDENT'S ATTITUDES TOWARD PEACE WILL GET HIM IN TROUBLE

The other day my wife and I were in line at Mike's Smokehouse. On the wall to our right are pictures of celebrities who have partaken of the great ribs, one of which is (then candidate) Barack Obama. The man in front of me, about my age, looks at the photograph and says to his wife: "I can't stand to look at that guy. He makes me sick."

What I really wanted to do was lean forward over his shoulder and say: "Now you know how I have been feeling for the past eight years!", but I decided I wanted to keep my place in line and not get involved in, right wing fisticuffs.

Truth is, my gut feeling is that President Obama will not finish his first term. That he will be assassinated by the CIA just as the last president to really engage those who do not agree with us, President Kennedy was killed for attempting to bring peace to the world.

I am certain that President Obama did not score any points with the guy in line ahead of me with his recent address in Egypt, an address at which someone from the crowd yelled "We love you!". President Obama speaks too much truth for this country to handle. He admitted our guilt in the 1953 Iran Coup:

"In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian government," he said, alluding to the coup.

Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The White House said Obama's speech contained no new policy proposals on the Middle East. He said American ties with Israel are unbreakable, yet issued a firm, evenhanded call to the Jewish state and Palestinians alike to live up to their international obligations.

In a gesture to the Islamic world, Obama conceded at the beginning of his remarks that tension "has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."

"And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," said the president, who recalled hearing prayer calls of "azaan" at dawn and dusk while living in Indonesia as a boy.

At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

I can well imagine how this kind of rhetoric is being received by the military-industrial complex that runs this country. Peace??
We can't be having peace! We have weapons to build, targets to try them out on!

I try every day to be positive and hopeful for this presidency, but it is difficult when I know that what he believes in will get him "liquidated" by the real powers of this country.

It doesn't help that he gets impatient with his handlers and exposes himself to dangers by not taking their direction very well.

I hope that those of us who love peace and want to see a better world will get down on our knees and pray for President Obama's well being.

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OF FISHING AND REMOVING TICKS

June is already here and I still haven't purchased a fishing license. I vowed this was to be the summer that I get a lot more small mouth bass fishing done -- I had planned on getting my good pal Tom Johnson up here for a two day float trip by canoe down the mighty Jump River.

I have a great camping site about half way between the "put in" bridge" and the "take out" bridge and it would do my soul so much good to get out on the water and just soak in the smells, sights, and sounds of the river. If you have never camped out overnight on a river somewhere then you have missed out! Food tastes so damn good when you have been breathing in the fresh air all day, paddling down river, and have built a decent cooking fire, pitched the two man tent under the cedars in the soft needle bed.

Unfortunately, Tom has taken off for Virginia and New York City for a couple of weeks, so I will have to put it off for now.

Looking forward to June 9 as I will be joining friends Wil Denson and Doug Cox for an evening of Cavalier baseball at good old Carson Park. Ah! Cold Leinenkugels beer and a couple of hot dogs to accompany the crack of the bat.

Just received an e mail from an old army buddy of mine, Jerry Holubets, on the removal of wood ticks. It is worth sharing.

(A school nurse has written the info below -- good enough to s hare.)



I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way
to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's
sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle
of a head full of dark hair, etc.



Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick w ith the

soap-soaked cotton ball and let it stay on the repulsive insect for a

few seconds (15-20), after which the tick will come out on its
own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.



This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that is

frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for

mom. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be

damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice

because she had one stuck to her back and couldn't reach it with

tweezers. She used this method and almost immediately called me back to

say, 'It worked!'

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