tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47412963608775554782024-03-12T21:59:01.470-05:00squalor scholarJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-21235887099105867982013-07-16T15:32:00.002-05:002013-07-16T15:32:48.040-05:00dumping thoughts from somewhere else<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was in a conversation elsewhere and got carried away with commenting and my thoughts were too long to fit into the post-limit there. So I'm dumping it here. Yeehaw. No editing went into this, so fuck you.<br />
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".r[4oeiz].[1][4][1]{comment1374006540376:494269792}.[0].[right].[0].[left].[0].[0].[0][2]" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 56px;"><span data-reactid=".r[4oeiz].[1][4][1]{comment1374006540376:494269792}.[0].[right].[0].[left].[0].[0].[0][2].[0]"><span data-reactid=".r[4oeiz].[1][4][1]{comment1374006540376:494269792}.[0].[right].[0].[left].[0].[0].[0][2].[0].[0]"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 2.3333333333333335; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've been thinking about this thread for awhile, and I'm gonna try to share some of my thoughts.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-24265faa-e931-50e6-0f24-a8aa8daaaad3"><br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frederick Douglass was one of the first prominent voices for civil rights and provided an excellent example of Republican-style responsibility. His presence was so prominent that people gave him all of the oxygen in the room, and when he died, there was no one person who could fill his shoes. Booker T Washington was pretty great, but then there was W.E.B. DuBois, too, and in the absence of one great voice to listen to, people were split between this divide -- the great irony being, of course, that no one voice can or should ever speak for any group of people. But a pattern of dialectical leadership began, and I think it's morphed into a fucked up standard for today. (For those unfamiliar with Washington or DuBois, I'm not going to try to sum them up, but the MLK/Malcolm X dichotomy runs parallel.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Excuse me while I make a feminist analogy, but there certainly does seem to be a madonna/whore problem with black racial stuff that I don't see in the same way with other racial issues. (Maybe it's just me?) I think the problem, in part, has to come from other races being more closely tied to an actual country, whereas black Americans are tied to -- what? To slave culture that they are told to resent? They are told by their own that they are "other", but the only thing they really have to tie them to an understanding of what that otherness is is a history of injustice with real heroes like Douglass and the black robe regiment being erased.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a lot of babble to get to the point that when I was in diapers and black people were first starting to get mainstreamed into popular culture in a hardcore way, it was a big deal. And it was an even bigger deal when the Cosby Show rolled around and portrayed them as "normal" instead of Rerun or "Dyn-o-mite!". (etc) But at the same time that The Cosby Show was groundbreaking, you also had Run-DMC essentially recreating the music industry. Which way were people supposed to go? Washington or DuBois? MLK or Malcom X? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm oversimplifying, of course, which has a tendency to mush the pot.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I see a strong desire by mainstream America and its white liberal guilt to accept black culture... but what the fuck is black culture? It's not the black slave traders who sold them into American slavery to begin with. It's not the carefully chosen songs sung on plantations that were used as coded communication methods. It's not the amazing black leadership that existed before the 1900s that's been all but erased from the books. It's like the big secret of black culture is that it's as fabricated as Kwanzaa. The emperor's wearing no clothes, but ain't his pimp suit fly? Black culture seems to be rooted most strongly in Otherness, and with so much emphasis on the injustices of the past, personal pride becomes the ability to eschew the norm. There's nothing else left to use as an identifier other than doing the opposite of whatever is mainstream. So, maintream becomes "white" (regardless of color or ethnicity", and not-white become black, and it's a fucking pile of confetti on the floor that you're supposed to not call garbage.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Generationally, this always happens. Your parents are square and weird, you're hip, and your children think you're dreadful. But having children and burying parents (and a general attitude of love and respect within familial ties) evens that shit out. But I don't know if there's ever really been an entire subculture like Black America before (like, ever-ever), where the whole reason for it existing as a different group is to promote that it's not the "ruling" group, with no strong ties to an identity of its own beyond rejecting something else. And a loose and mythological tie to the jungle -- which, let's face it, is a loose and mythological tie to tribal savagery. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How dangerous, and how sad. And now the country seems to have two different roads of black people: oreos and criminals. Cultural things that come out of urban areas that seem to belong more to black people (rap, for example) get mainstreamed, leaving black people struggling to find new ways to be Other. Saggy pants and wearing hats on their feet and seemingly ANYTHING that's too crazy for a Cracka to get away with doing it. Even hair is politicized. Straightened or corn-rowed or shaved or what the fuck ever. I'm lucky if my hair is clean on any given day. Is there any fucking thing in black culture that doesn't have some weird whitey oreo opposite that's put down? Is there anything in black culture that is actually it's own fucking things and not a fabricated opposite version of the Way Whitey Does It? (<-- not a rhetorical question.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cruelest irony is that with each black thing that's mainstreamed, we're actually TAKING AWAY something "wholesome" (or, at least, not too horribly dangerous) for them to cling to as "theirs". They're left with the world of "Precious", because no one in their right mind fucking wants that, and then they cling to it, because at least THAT is THEIRS, and then the fucking Democrats subsidize it because if THEY claim it as THEIRS then it's cultural and must be respected, and now fucking Rachel Jeantel is a multilingual genius lauded for her oratory instead of a functionally retarded liar whose claim to fame is saying "retarded" and "cracker" under oath and fucking a kid who was shot.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm doing that thing where every paragraph leads me further down the rabbit hole. I'm trying to say that I think the problem with black culture is that it is not a culture in the textbook sense of the word, and in trying to understand it or live it or respect it, we fall into strange dichotomies... when perhaps the only solution is to blow up the whole damn ship. Black culture and heritage is totally different from pretty much any other fucking race (different in its formation and construct) -- with the exception of mutt-Americans like me. I think that's part of the reason I delight so much in the ironical celebration of "cracka"ness. I'm mostly British/Welsh, and I've got some Mayflower blood or whatever, but I don't look at a map of England and cry for my motherland. I'm American, and if I wanted to feel pride in some other ethnicity, it'd be a fun fabrication. American culture takes the best of everything that's been poured into it and claims it as ours. And that's fucking awesome. It's one of the secrets to our success. (Or, it used to be.) Ex: we can all celebrate fucking St Patrick's Day without being Irish, and no one goes stomping around on that day wearing American flags because they feel like the drunkfest is marginalizing them. Black culture, in order to exist, has to do the opposite of American culture. Just by definition, it has to do this in order to exist. Since American culture = white culture, and since white culture = source of slavery/injustices, black culture becomes something awful just by definition, because it's the opposite of something uniquely awesome. But no one (no one that has a real voice -- you know what I mean) will fucking say out loud that the emperor is naked, so we keep going on ladidah, as if pouring poison into a jar of sugar doesn't leave you with anything other than sweet death. We're supposed to feel bad for thinking people look retarded when they wear their pants backwards -- but what the fuck, their PANTS are BACKWARDS. We're supposed to feel boring and white for liking pearls instead of bling. We're supposed to "understand" this "otherness" and find some kind of "acceptance" and "tolerance", when at its core, it's really just a rejection of everything that as defined what it means to be an American.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took time for the American identity to develop, and it wasn't there yet in 1776. It grew and flourished, and later on, within it, something new started to grow that defined itself as an opposite. It's like the only way to defeat it would be to turn horrible and ugly ourselves, so the evil twin becomes nice, and that ain't an option. I know I feel disgusting guilt for thinking most of what I've written, which just further demonstrates how insidiously this polarity has infused itself our core -- and the more we try to make room for everyone in the tent, the more everything splits apart at the seams.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.3333333333333335; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can we ever make room in the tent for something that is defined as being outside of the tent? And why is it our fucking responsibility to make room in the tent -- no, not "make room", but carry into the tent on our backs" -- for people who want to stand out in the rain?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: grey; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm apparently unable to sum up my point, so I'm stopping now. Hopefully there was something worth reading within that babble. Langworthy out!</span></span></div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-47870847893193666972012-11-12T20:05:00.000-06:002012-11-12T20:17:42.996-06:00Romney Lost... What now?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">I've seen a lot of emotions and political philosophy being tossed around . It's my turn to weigh in, I suppose.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">I believe in God & country. I believe that God is on the side of freedom. I believe that if Romney were the only/best path back to a truer America, we would have won. I now believe that we have to hit a worse rock bottom before the idiots get their heads out of their butts; however, I also believe that while America is near the tipping point, America is not yet forever lost. IMHO.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">I believe the soul of our country is sick -- sick like a junkie. Some who vote against the betterment of the country know better, some don't, some hate America and want to transform it into something else. Sick like a fuckin' junkie. I never thought Romney was the Magic Cure. No single, one president can fix a junkie-country. I thought a President Romney could slightly turn the Titanic away from the iceberg, buying us time to better prepare for harder times ahead of us and perhaps making the eventual iceberg-collision a little less devastating. Instead, the whole country is gonna hurt a lot more than it needed to, and it's gonna happen sooner than it needed to. It's a damn shame, but what's the point of the captain steering the boat a little to the right if enough of the passengers don't believe that the boat is capable of sinking? Maybe that's part of our job now -- reaching out to the passengers in the boat.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">It feels like we are outnumbered, but the margin is so small that it is nearly insignificant. (Especially given the amount of voter fraud that we know exists, and especially since 300,000 different votes in key swing states would've gotten Romney a victory, and especially because [fill in the blank myriad horseshit]. Point being -- small ass margin.) Apparently, there are some (many) dumbfuck voters who still believe the lie that government is the answer. (Or, maybe they simply cannot admit that their '08 Obama vote was a racially driven, affirmative-action vote; thus, they voted for him again to try and prove to themselves that they're not racist. I digress.) </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Our country is a heroin/benefits junkie. Sometimes junkies go into drug-induced comas when trying to sober up, so they don't have to experience the horrible withdrawal. (QE-infinity comes to mind, but, again, I digress.) But those are the junkies that have a higher percentage of falling off the wagon -- because they don't experience the pains of withdrawal. It appears that America has to hurt -- and to feel the hurt deep in our bones -- before the more rational of the stoopid Obama voters will see the light. It's gonna suck. But maybe we have to hit the iceberg hard -- and then have all hands on deck to yell out warnings beforehand and then fix the damn boat once it hits. America is the only country built on an idea, and it's a helluva a lot stronger than some damn boat. We can bring her back to her glory. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Until then, until we hit the iceberg, we can freak out about the country being lost... but we've been on this course for awhile, and the country has been losing its way for a long time. Have any of us experienced true liberty in our lifetimes? I don't know. But I do believe that in an election where more than 40% voted on either side, it cannot be the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">tipping point if everyone remains vigilant on their home turf. (WI being our home turf.)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">If Romney was the only way out of the mess, then we are screwed. But this is goddamn America, and there are no "only one way" options. We are tough. We are innovators. We don't just survive, we thrive. We invented the lightning rod, and Morse code, and toilet paper, and roller skates (ahem), and the vibrator, and jeans, and ball point pens, and zippers, and the assembly line, and air conditioning, the air plane, and cheeseburgers, and chocolate chip cookies, and electric guitars, and deodorant, and airbags, and spandex, and PCs, and email, and cell phones, and FB, and and and... Hard days are ahead, but all is not lost. We are Americans. There will be better days for our children or grandchildren, days we might not be alive to see but that will exist nonetheless, but only if we continue to do our own part in our little corners of the world.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.600000381469727px;">Those are my thoughts, as best and as briefly as I can put into words right now. I'll be trying to shut up about this now, and instead I'll be trying to focus my energy on the hard road ahead of us and very important work we have not yet accomplished. We may not live to see the eventual fruits of our labor (hell, the progressives have been building their movement for a century), but those fruits will never be known if we do not fight now.</span></div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-21077229584532272982012-03-27T14:50:00.000-05:002012-03-27T14:50:49.270-05:00More Conservative Discrimination in WI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Everywhere you go in WI, there are people displaying their approval or disapproval of Governor Scott Walker. This can take the form of anything from a t-shirt to a sneer reacting to that t-shirt. Great! Political discussion is good. Ideological expression and diversity of opinions are great. The key, of course, is often displayed on liberal bumper stickers. We must COEXIST.<br />
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Apparently the liberals in Madison have some trouble with that.<br />
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The newest story: A Wisconsin woman was fired for having a pro-Walker sign on her car. Her frickin car in the frickin parking lot. Does her car even have anything to do with her job? Nope, she's a custodian.<br />
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The story, as it was originally reported, was that Mary Taylor was not told to remove the sign from her car. Radio personality Mark Belling has uncovered evidence that shows she WAS ordered to remove it.<br />
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My question: Why aren't the Wisconsin MSM sources doing their jobs and looking in the same areas as Mark Belling? If the information was available to Belling, surely it would be available to at least ONE of the state's seasoned reporters. Did the WI MSM find this information and suppress it, or did they not even bother doing their jobs and searching for all available evidence?<br />
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h/t <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/03/26/school-contractor-fired-for-pro-walker-bumper-sticker">Breitbart.com</a></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-87159481100612164362012-03-26T17:24:00.000-05:002012-03-26T17:24:19.266-05:00Rox Bar Apologizes... Sort of.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">More on <a href="http://squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/wi-bar-discriminates-against.html">Roxgate</a>! The Rox Bar and Grille has chosen not to contact anyone in our party. Our emails and phone calls have been left unanswered. They did, however, post this on their Facebook page today.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0mKZAPB-K8/T3DpXmwufRI/AAAAAAAAApY/v0nIR2CJccE/s1600/rox+apology+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0mKZAPB-K8/T3DpXmwufRI/AAAAAAAAApY/v0nIR2CJccE/s400/rox+apology+2.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Dear Patrons of the Rox Bar and Grille, We are sorry. To anyone that we have offended, we ask that you please accept our sincere apologies. I promise you though, this was a big misunderstanding that is missing many of the facts. At Rox Bar and Grille, we take pride in ensuring our customer’s satisfaction. Unfortunately, we have had to deal with heated debates in our establishment, that could have potentially threatened the safety of our staff, as well as our patrons. We are a small, family owned business and when you walk through our doors, we feel a great responsibility to enforce a safe, family-friendly atmosphere. We truly do open our doors as if it were our home, and welcome anyone and everyone to spend time here with us. We DO NOT condone any type of discriminatory behavior in our establishment. We are in constant pursuit of perfection and are already working on solutions that will prevent similar problems from occurring in the future.We deeply value our relationship with our customers. Without all of you, we do not exist. Yours in service, Dennis Hronis and Peter Hronis - Owners"</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm confused why they are supporting a "family friendly atmosphere" when you must be 21 to enter. But I don't really care why they have their alleged policy and see no need for them to justify it by alleging previous violence; the alleged policy should have been made clear to us before we entered. And I disagree with their claim that they "DO NOT condone any type of discriminatory behavior in our establishment." They are judging people based on what they choose to wear. They are judging people based on their appearance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If the Rox Bar wants to discriminate against people who wear their political hearts on their sleeves, so be it. But don't lie about it -- and don't let us waste our money there before saying we're not welcome back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a>Also, here is video that shows no policy postings at the entrance:<br />
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</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-61907051862038882382012-03-26T15:48:00.001-05:002012-03-26T15:50:55.675-05:00Jerry Bader Show, part two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Transcript of <a href="http://wtaq.com/podcasts/jerry-bader-show/scott-walker-t-shirt-wearing-man-shares-his-story-/">part two</a> of the <a href="http://wtaq.com/jerry-bader/">Jerry Bader Show</a>, with Jerry talking about <a href="http://squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/wi-bar-discriminates-against.html">Roxgate</a>. This includes a call-in from another member of our group of six who was there that night.<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b>I find this story nothing short of fascinating, and even though it happened in Pewaukee, in Waukesha County in suburban Milwaukee, I think it has implications statewide. Because there is this mindset that rules in Wisconsin that you actually don't have the right to express your opinion about Scott Walker -- if you support him. Now, understand, a private business has a right to do whatever they want to do. In fact, if they want to tell you, "You know what, we don't like Scott Walker, get out of here" -- not smart -- but they do have the right to do that. They have the right to have a policy.<br />
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I don't believe they have a policy. I've seen pictures online. There's no sign saying "No politically expressive attire in this establishment." There's no sign at all. So they let this group of six spend money. The six of them, they buy two rounds. They tip. The doorman says, "Don't come back with that pro-Scott Walker t-shirt. The owners wouldn't like that." If you were the owner of an establishment and this occurred, what would you have done? You grovel. You apologize. What do they post instead? "As the owners of the Rox Bar & Grille, we are quite sensitive to the fact that Wisconsin is a place where political passion runs high. We respect the rights of our patrons to believe and discuss what they choose. We do ask, however, that they do not advertise these political beliefs in any form (including distributing pamphlets or wearing politically affiliated clothing). We are neither pro-recall nor pro-Walker--" Now let me just stop there. Do you know anyone in Wisconsin who is neutral on this recall? My dog isn't neutral on this recall! I'll bet you if she could speak, she would have an opinion. Give me a break. Again, they have the right to do this. But to take money and then say, "Get the hell out of here and don't ever come back here with that shirt on." They didn't say it like that, but you know what I mean. Gina in Milwaukee, Gina, hi, you're on the Jerry Bader Show.<br />
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<b>Gina: </b>Hi, how are you today?<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Good.<br />
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<b>Gina: </b>I just wanted to say that they should tell you before you go into the business, not afterward. [Gina shares Santo's sentiment from part one that it's ridiculous to take money and then express the "policy".]<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Anyone who thinks they have that policy is an idiot. They don't have that policy, in my opinion. This is damage control. And it is some of the worst damage control, Gina, that I have ever seen. <br />
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<b>Gina:</b> They should at least apologize. You know, "I'm sorry for the way you were treated." It's just ridiculous.<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> But instead, what they did is defended the doorman. That's what they did. They defended the doorman. What they should have said -- you know, these are liberal owners of an establishment in a very red area -- this is one of the most amazing things that I have seen. And again, if I owned a bar and someone walked in with an Obama t-shirt, I would reprimand the doorman and perhaps fire them. You pay your money-- and again, it's their establishment. They can do whatever they want. I don't believe they really have this policy. Heather says she was with Santo, and I believe her because I tried to reach her on Facebook but, Heather, you have it set so you can't send messages to you.<br />
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<b>Heather:</b> No, I'm locked up.<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> [laughs] Heather, go ahead.<br />
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<b>Heather: </b>I just wanted to back Santo up. We walked into the establishment, and there were plenty of times when they could have said something before we really got in there. Obviously, as you've seen with the pictures, there's nothing stated. We went in. I think one person was drinking water, but the rest of us just had a couple drinks. It wasn't really any political discussion. We were just having a good time. By then, we were exhausted. <br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Now, what I didn't realize until we talked to Santo -- it was near closing time and there was hardly anyone in there, right?<br />
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<b>Heather:</b> That's correct. There was nobody in there. I mean, there was one table that had a couple of girls. Other than that... I mean, it's a large establishment, so there could've been a couple of people on the other side. But it was really quiet. We were playing the juke box; that was about the only music. You know, feeding it with money. <br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Here's what's amazing to me, Heather, that this would happen in an establishment -- and again, it's a private business, they can do whatever they want -- but that they would post that, basically defending the actions of this guy, saying, "We'll take your money but don't ever come back here with that shirt on." I asked Santo, so I'll ask you. What are you looking for from Rox's?<br />
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<b>Heather:</b> Actually, the funny thing is that I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Like Santo said, we don't want to hurt a small business. So, it was a doorman that expressed this, so I called, and I knew that the owner was there and the manager, because I was told that they were. And I was told, "You know what, we'll give you a call right back. One of them will call you back. And that was fifteen hours ago. A call back would have been appreciated. What the posted on their Facebook wall was a ridiculous -- that was not an apology. That was not an explanation. And they backed up the doorman. <br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Yeah. And you know what's my favorite part of that, Heather? "We are neither pro-recall nor pro-Walker." Honest to God--<br />
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<b>Heather:</b> I don't believe that.<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Do you know anybody who is neutral on that, Heather?<br />
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<b>Heather:</b> No.<br />
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<b>Jerry:</b> Come on! To not have an opinion on that, you would have to not have a brain. <br />
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[Any errors in the transcript are mine.]<br />
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To see part one of the transcript, <a href="http://squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/jerry-bader-show-part-one.html">click here</a>.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-16723678226727308242012-03-26T15:08:00.001-05:002012-03-26T15:49:14.603-05:00Jerry Bader Show, part one<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here's <a href="http://wtaq.com/podcasts/jerry-bader-show/scott-walker-t-shirt-wearing-man-shares-his-story/">part one of the podcast</a> of Jerry Bader on <a href="http://wtaq.com/jerry-bader/">The Jerry Bader Show</a> talking about the <a href="http://www.squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/wi-bar-discriminates-against.html">Rox Bar Incident</a>:<br />
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<b><u>Part one: Scott Walker T-Shirt wearing man shares his story</u></b><br />
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<b>Jerry</b>, introducing "the person directly involved with" Roxgate: Santo joins us now on the phone. Santo, good morning.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> Good morning, Jerry. How are you doing?<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b>Good, and I really appreciate you taking the time to come on. Now. What we're talking about is Rox Bar and Grille in Waukesha. Santo, in your own words -- and, you know, talk a little bit about the day and the events that led up to you folks being there, and tell us exactly what happened there.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> Okay, well, first of all, some of us were going since 8:00 in the morning since the AFP event was in the morning. Then we had a Walker event in the afternoon in Brookfield, so we'd been going all day. I was one of the coordinators of the Brookfield event, so I was wearing my shirt. I had the infamous "Scott Walker My Hero" shirt that B&D made that the high school student got in trouble for. So I had that shirt on, and I had it on throughout the day, everywhere I went. Now, granted, most of the places I went were Pro-Walker events, so I was just fine, but we did go to other establishments in Waukesha wearing this shirt. Not a problem. So the whole day was all about politics. Then, at the end of the day, I was the designated driver, and I was taking some of our people back to the hotel. At the hotel, there's this bar adjacent, Rox, it's right next to it. So, the guys are like, "Can we have one last one there, Santo?" and I'm like, "Yeah, okay, whatever." So we ended up there. We proceeded to walk into this establishment, and they checked IDs at the door, so I was there for probably five minutes wearing this I Stand With Walker t-shirt. I did not have a jacket on. It was fully exposed. And so, he checked my ID, looked at me, and he let me into his establishment. And then we sat there and we had a drink or two. We were exhausted. We weren't even talking politics. You know, at this point we're just having a beer and just discussing, you know, our next days or whatever. What's kind of funny is that one of our people actually lost her wallet. So I went to the doorman, as an individual, wearing the same shirt. He actually had the wallet, handed it to me. So I give it back to her. So I had an extra interaction with this doorman. So, finally after about half an hour, we decide to leave. And on the way, the doorman looks at me -- very serious look -- and says, "If you want to come back here again, do not wear that shirt." And I was like, "Whoa!" First of all, I was surprised that I'd get that in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. It's pretty much 75% GOP area. But I figure, nothing good happens after 1:00 a.m., so I left it alone. But then he had to add something: "My owners would not like that shirt here."<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b> So, he said that the owners of the establishment -- Did he ever say anything that there was a policy about this?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> He did not say that there was a policy to me. And, I always look -- because I don't carry right now, but I always look for any policies when I go to any businesses now, 'cause I want to see if they have a carry policy, so in the future when I carry and I go there, I can know. And I saw a policy sign for that, but no other policy signs were on his business. <br />
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<b>Jerry: </b>I am sure you are aware of what Rox Bar and Grille has posted on its website, but I'm going to read it for the listeners. "As the owners of the Rox Bar & Grille, we are quite sensitive to the fact that Wisconsin is a place where political passion runs high. We respect the rights of our patrons to believe and discuss what they choose. We do ask, however, that they do not advertise these political beliefs in any form (including distributing pamphlets or wearing politically affiliated clothing). We are neither pro-recall nor pro-Walker. We are an establishment that is trying to provide our patrons with an enjoyable, safe, adult environment." So they are trying to say that there is a policy against wearing this type of thing, but you were never told that until you paid, and I'm told you tipped okay, too.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span>Yes. That actually has me more upset than anything. An individual company has the right to make their own policies. But the policies should be stated before I make the decision to invest in said business. If they would have told me when we walked in the door, "Hey, we don't want that shirt in there," I wouldn't have spent my money into that establishment, and I'd have the choice as an individual to make that decision. But to tell me afterwords, it almost felt like I got bamboozled by them, you know what I'm saying? <br />
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<b>Jerry: </b> Yeah, I do.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> Your money's good enough, but your shirt sucks. It's not like we spent a ton of money there, but we spent enough, and it just happened to be that I picked up the tab in that place, so I felt like, here I am, I just spent X amount of dollars in this place and tipped the waitress pretty nicely, and I'm being told not to come back unless I'm not wearing a Walker shirt.<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b>Any Spidey-Sense type of stuff that you got when you were in there, that people were looking at you funny? Any bad vibes?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> Actually not. The waitress was very kind. I'm not gonna say anything bad about her. We came in at the tail end of a live band playing, and it emptied out. There was only one other table there, which was kind of surprising on a Saturday night, that there was only twelve people in this place. There was no sense or vibe from the employees. There was only this doorman. At first I just thought maybe this doorman happens to be an anti-Walker guy, so maybe I shouldn't go after the company, the business. But the next day we kinda posted, "Explain yourself," and it gets to the point where -- I have a lot of Facebook friends, and they found out about it, so it kinda went a little bit viral. So there were hundreds of messages, so maybe the guy got a little inundated. But a simple 'This is our policy. We will state it now in the future before people spend money in here. We're sorry this happened.' would have went a long way towards me just shutting up about it. But the fact that all they did was defend what their doorman did without an apology just infuriated me to the point where it needs to be exposed.<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b>I was amazed when I saw what they posted. You're right. I went through something similar in a bar a few years ago -- very different from what you talked about and I don't believe it was politically motivated -- but I'll tell you right now, Santo, if I owned a bar and somebody wore an Obama t-shirt in, and the doorman talked to him that way, I would probably fire him. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> I agree with you. I -- business is already hurting all over the place with Obama's economy. I know this is a newer place and they're trying to establish a clientele. They are in a conservative area. It's just absurd to me that they would have a policy -- and it's not like it was a vulgar shirt. It just said <i>Scott Walker's my hero"</i> with the state of Wisconsin on the front. It blew my mind away. And they told me after I spent my money. I just couldn't believe it.<br />
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<b>Jerry: </b> Well, you don't really believe they have that policy, do you?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> [sigh.] I do not. If you have a policy like that, then it really needs to be stated -- outside, on your window. Or your doorman needs to know it. I'm not sure what happened. I don't know if the doorman was there in the backroom and brought the doorman back to him and said, "Hey, this guy, this shirt's not working for me. Tell him on the way out," or whatever happened. But I just feel like I got bamboozled. It was like, "Okay, we'll let this guy in, but then we'll tell him off on the way out." It kinda got me really upset. <br />
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<b>Jerry: </b> So at this point -- you said what they could have done, they could have apologized. Is it too late for that? Or would you still like to get an apology from them?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Santo:</span> I would like to get an apology from the owners. The last thing I want to do is to go after a small business. They are the backbone of our economy. They're just trying to get established, and there are people that are relying on that business for their jobs. But I would just like to hear that if that's their policy, they need to be consistent, they need to promise me that they'll do it before people go in there and spend money, and they need to do it across the board. I have friends in that area, they're gonna drive by, and I don't want to hear that there were people in there with recall signs enjoying drinks while I was told never to go back with my pro-Walker shirt. Consistent. State it. And apologize. <br />
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[Any mistakes in the transcript are mine.]<br />
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Part two of the transcript continues <a href="http://squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/jerry-bader-show-part-two.html">here</a>.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-21472204034836779752012-03-26T09:05:00.001-05:002012-03-26T09:06:25.698-05:00Leftist Tolerance in Madison, WI (with video)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In Wisconsin, if you're in political office and don't kowtow to Big Labor, you risk facing recall. When they launched the recall of Governor Walker (for limiting public unions' collective bargaining privileges -- and related monetary and political power), a group of Walker supporters gathered in Madison to show our support for Gov. Walker and his state-saving reforms. The anti-Walker folks gathered in the Square around the Capitol building -- on the Capitol grounds, on the sidewalk around the Capitol, on the streets surrounding the Capitol...<br />
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The sidewalk on the other side of the street? That's where we Walker supporters were allowed access. We circled the Capitol a few times. Here is the reaction from the Tolerant Left:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kNBYrqHW2_s/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kNBYrqHW2_s?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kNBYrqHW2_s?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
</div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UjIbt-sXUtg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>(For a shorter compilation of the above two videos, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuTagJfNvzk">click here</a>.)<br />
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To contrast, this is how the crowd behaved when we were not there. (I took the following footage before our march. The only thing different -- besides it being about 30 minutes earlier -- was my lack of stickers, buttons, etc. that would indicate that I'm not in their ranks.)<br />
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So what? You think we would do the same thing if the situation were reversed? Actually, the situation was reversed. A few months later, thousands of <a href="http://wauwatosa.patch.com/articles/tonette-walker-arrives-at-rally-will-speak-for-husband-family">Walker supporters rallied</a> in <a href="http://wauwatosa.patch.com/articles/walker-rally#photo-8944020">Wauwatosa</a>. Counter-protesters picketed the event. Walker supporters did not heckle the counter-protesters. They just walked on by...<br />
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</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-3775693324635857792012-03-25T15:10:00.011-05:002012-03-26T17:32:30.377-05:00WI Bar Discriminates Against Conservatives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bCNLhe1fKjY/T2_Cp-8kECI/AAAAAAAAAoo/63qjOJuMeXg/s1600/santo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bCNLhe1fKjY/T2_Cp-8kECI/AAAAAAAAAoo/63qjOJuMeXg/s320/santo.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>Last night I went to the <a href="http://www.theroxbar.com/">Rox Bar and Grille</a> in Pewaukee, WI with five conservative friends. On our way out -- after spending money in their establishment -- the doorman said to never come back, due to wearing gear promoting <a href="http://www.facebook.com/governorscottwalker?sk=wall">Governor Scott Walker</a>.<br />
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Walker supporters and former Rox Bar patrons have swarmed the Rox Bar's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/theroxbar">Facebook page</a> to express their outrage. We await comment from the bar's owner.<br />
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For those outside of the area: the bar is in <a href="http://brookfield-wi.patch.com/articles/additional-votes-found-in-waukesha-county-canvassing">Waukesha County</a>, near the hometown of Governor Scott Walker.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bdembroidery.com/IMG_9815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.bdembroidery.com/IMG_9815.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the controversial -- & awesome -- shirt</i></td></tr>
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The shirt, a favorite among Walker supporters, can be purchased online at <a href="http://www.bdembroidery.com/Political/political.html">B&D Embroidery</a>. <br />
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UPDATE: The bar has posted an apology on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theroxbar/posts/324522634270402">Facebook</a>. (Spoiler alert: It's lame. Also, it's not an apology.) Click (below) to read the non-apology apology and read updates about this developing incident.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7XCkX5WKWY/T2_I-Qhf8OI/AAAAAAAAAo4/_PYtfdquPJs/s1600/rox+bar+apology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7XCkX5WKWY/T2_I-Qhf8OI/AAAAAAAAAo4/_PYtfdquPJs/s400/rox+bar+apology.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">As the owners of the Rox Bar & Grille, we are quite sensitive to the fact that Wisconsin is a place where political passion runs high. We respect the rights of our patrons to believe and discuss what they choose. We do ask, however, that they do not advertise these political beliefs in any form (including distributing pamphlets or wearing politically affiliated clothing). We are neither pro-recall nor pro-Walker. We are an establishment that is trying to provide our patrons with an enjoyable, safe, adult environment.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Dennis Hronis, and Peter Hronis - Owners</span> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Please note: There was no written statement anywhere outside the building or inside the building that indicated this "policy". Also, the doorman checked all of our IDs before we entered and did not inform us of this "policy", even though our "advertised political beliefs" were visible as we entered the building.<br />
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UPDATE: Here are pictures showing no indications that the Rox Bar has a "No Political T-Shirts" policy. They warn that you must be 21 to enter and that no guns are allowed, but nothing else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekJZX-FNwS0/T2_VKcu49AI/AAAAAAAAApA/AonAIwaBx-Q/s1600/DSC01322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekJZX-FNwS0/T2_VKcu49AI/AAAAAAAAApA/AonAIwaBx-Q/s320/DSC01322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">exterior door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSgenPNADX4/T2_VNhhtezI/AAAAAAAAApI/OFIjK0Sw7Yo/s1600/DSC01323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSgenPNADX4/T2_VNhhtezI/AAAAAAAAApI/OFIjK0Sw7Yo/s320/DSC01323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">interior door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ9sEZ2Oyv8/T2_VPaCTEtI/AAAAAAAAApQ/SwkJ1X79grg/s1600/DSC01324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ9sEZ2Oyv8/T2_VPaCTEtI/AAAAAAAAApQ/SwkJ1X79grg/s320/DSC01324.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">side wall between exterior and interior door --<br />
the only policy posted is regarding concealed carry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Update: On the Charlie Sykes radio show, a former waitress called in and said that she was never aware of a "no political shirts" policy.<br />
<br />
Update: <a href="http://squalorscholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/rox-bar-apologizes-sort-of.html"> Rox Bar Apologizes... Sort of</a>.<br />
<br />
Also, a few more pictures (with awesome glare). (There is a short video of the entrance way at the above link.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cn6Rw6Deboc/T3DtRT2T-cI/AAAAAAAAApw/Rn7uRANubuE/s1600/exterior+door+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cn6Rw6Deboc/T3DtRT2T-cI/AAAAAAAAApw/Rn7uRANubuE/s320/exterior+door+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">exterior door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GfoGVa9n_-I/T3DtGTP6DJI/AAAAAAAAApg/vCKcrfk4IF4/s1600/exterior+door+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GfoGVa9n_-I/T3DtGTP6DJI/AAAAAAAAApg/vCKcrfk4IF4/s320/exterior+door+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">exterior dooor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsC3FX4oi_0/T3DtNVQCWXI/AAAAAAAAApo/mL8Of5onigc/s1600/exterior+door+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsC3FX4oi_0/T3DtNVQCWXI/AAAAAAAAApo/mL8Of5onigc/s320/exterior+door+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">exterior door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9gsIQGJDVSI/T3DtWTfuPLI/AAAAAAAAAp4/WTO8VnTH2xQ/s1600/interior+doors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9gsIQGJDVSI/T3DtWTfuPLI/AAAAAAAAAp4/WTO8VnTH2xQ/s320/interior+doors.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">interior door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-91350091641954173682012-03-25T03:14:00.002-05:002012-03-25T03:14:57.945-05:00Great AFP footage forthcoming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There was a kickass AFP Summit in WI today (yesterday). I'll be posting footage throughout the week. Stay tuned.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-81922691658284353562012-02-14T15:16:00.001-06:002012-03-25T03:17:16.063-05:00Republican! Identity! Crisis! (eyeroll)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Why is it that diversity is celebrated for anything remotely Lefty and scorned elsewhere? Right now, there are four strong and very different Republicans vying for the privilege of carrying the Republican banner. The Media Complex and Blog Menagerie are having a field day pointing out that the GOP have not yet united around a single view point.<br />
<br />
Uh, <i>why should we?</i><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Where is it written that any group must share the same viewpoint on everything? People have different viewpoints. People have different definitions of electability, different priorities on social and fiscal policies, different ideas of good hair... Diversity is supposed to be a good thing, right? Isn't that what the Lefties are always trying to shove down our throats? So why not let the Republican field be diverse?<br />
<br />
I mean, it's not like we're not going to rally against the anti-Obama candidate.<br />
<br />
In the upcoming election, the real fight that we're seeing is not so much an identity crisis as it is defining electability. Some think Newt's debating skillz are the needed tipping point to definitively beat Obama. Some think Santorum's old school conservatism will bring us home. Some think Romney's moderation and business history are the key. Some think Ron Paul will rouse the youth vote. And ya know what? No one has the answers. That includes pundits, "the base", "the fringe", "the independents", and ME. <br />
<br />
We've all got opinions. We are discussing and debating those opinions in every way imaginable, both public and private. Sometimes it's messy. Sometimes it's loud. That's okay. That's how democracy works. If we, as conservatives or Republicans or anti-Obama-ites, were unwilling to discuss and debate, what kind of party would we be? What kind of candidate would we end up with? <br />
<br />
What kind of party wants people to fall in line behind a chosen one without discussion, debate, and personal conviction? Not the GOP.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-44179555159265127312011-10-31T21:20:00.000-05:002011-10-31T21:20:10.280-05:00camera-a-a-a<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I got a video camera today. I'm a little in awe of it. I'm not sure if I'll keep it, but hopefully I'll get to test it out on some good action soon.<br />
<br />
Well, hopefully there won't be any good action any time soon. If there is, I'll be testing it out.<br />
<br />
Whee!</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-3889885270465763472011-10-31T13:42:00.000-05:002011-10-31T13:42:56.439-05:00Letter to the Occupiers: Don't You Know It's Gonna Be All Right?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We all want to change the world -- b</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">ut when you talk about destruction, d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">on't you know that you can count me out. </span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></i></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">You say you got a real solution. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We'd all love to see the plan. Y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">ou ask me for a contribution. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We're all doing what we can. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">But if you want money </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">for people with minds that hate, a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">ll I can tell is brother you have to wait. </span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">You say you'll change the constitution. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We all want to change your head. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">You tell me it's the institution. You</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> better free you mind instead. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao, y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">ou ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow.</span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;"><br />
</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;">Don't you know it's gonna be all right? </i><br />
<a name='more'></a><object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CzCjGgrewYY?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CzCjGgrewYY?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object></div></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-27289643962512287702011-10-17T18:58:00.002-05:002011-10-31T21:06:21.094-05:00UN owns OWS website<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://who.godaddy.com/whois.aspx?domain=15october.net&prog_id=GoDaddy">Yep!</a><br />
<br />
The organizing hub website <a href="http://15october.net/">15october.net</a> is registered to:<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/paulinaarcos56?sk=wall">Paulina Arcos</a><br />
866 United Nations Plaza<br />
Suite 516<br />
New York, New York 10017<br />
<br />
According to a <a href="http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2005/09/05QUITO2193.html">Wikileaks cable</a>, Ecuador's Foreign Minister <a href="http://gadebate.un.org/66/ecuador">Francisco Carrion-Mena</a> is "married to Paulina Arcos". He is also the chairman of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/chairman.shtml">UN's Decolonization committee</a>.<br />
<br />
What is Carrion-Mena's address at the UN? You betcha, <a href="http://embassy-finder.com/ecuador_in_new-york_usa_unmission">it's the same as</a> Paulina Arcos's 15october.net website!<br />
<br />
<b>Question: <i>why the</i> <i>hell</i> is the UN connected to a website promoting Occupy Wall Street's "spontaneous", "organic", and "leaderless" uprising and growth throughout the world?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Question: why was the domain name 15october.net registered in July 2011?<br />
<br />
Question: why isn't the media talking about this?<br />
<br />
ADDED: 15october.net has <a href="http://15october.net/2011/10/18/a-brief-press-release-to-solve-misunderstandings/">posted an explanation</a>. Paulina Arcos paid for the website with her credit card. Her son (Santiago Carrion) is the one affiliated with the website. Question: Why the hell is the UN connected to a website promoting OWS and #globalchange? (I understand that Santiago Carrion asked to use his mother's credit card. That doesn't address the question, though. Via her credit card, she has endorsed the website. Why?)<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<i>Continue below the fold for pictures and screengrabs.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Screengrab of 15october.net's registration info:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URnDSXPGp_o/Tpy66QPDnNI/AAAAAAAAAoA/Grk_JxZ-bVQ/s1600/Paulina+Orcas+15october+godaddy+whois.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URnDSXPGp_o/Tpy66QPDnNI/AAAAAAAAAoA/Grk_JxZ-bVQ/s320/Paulina+Orcas+15october+godaddy+whois.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>click to enlarge, registration info is in the left column</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w_b-jYkmZKo/Tpy679MzLAI/AAAAAAAAAoI/GiCCl25fMbw/s1600/15oct+website+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="54" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w_b-jYkmZKo/Tpy679MzLAI/AAAAAAAAAoI/GiCCl25fMbw/s320/15oct+website+banner.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>banner image from <a href="http://15october.net/">15october.net</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l17uYfc2aD4/Tpy68vuFbnI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/PVI4advjEQk/s1600/UN+carrion+committee+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l17uYfc2aD4/Tpy68vuFbnI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/PVI4advjEQk/s320/UN+carrion+committee+picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) receives the credentials of Francisco Carrion-Mena new Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/chairman.shtml">United Nations.</a> </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>UPDATE: Apparently, they have scrubbed the info at godaddy. (Interesting, no?) Good thing I caught screengrabs.<br />
<br />
</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-48070302428152770742011-10-09T22:06:00.000-05:002011-10-09T22:06:38.394-05:00TP/OWS, Paving the Way...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Okay, I finally get it. The Tea Parties were called a radical fringe group because they paved the way for contemporary understanding of peaceful gatherings of patriots. Occupy Wall Street has such a noble depiction, because the Tea Party <i>paved the way. </i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Right? Right??<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-62722519319278790532011-10-08T23:26:00.000-05:002011-10-08T23:26:54.430-05:00To the 99%ers:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In America, you are the 99%.<br />
<br />
To the rest of the world, you are still the 1%.<br />
<br />
What happens after you achieve your U.S. goals?<br />
<br />
</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-10143305832621784852011-10-07T21:55:00.000-05:002011-10-07T21:55:16.864-05:00#OccupyHomes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://occupyhomes.tumblr.com/">This</a> is going to end well.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-52103665927102140232011-10-07T21:06:00.000-05:002011-10-07T21:06:44.951-05:00Looking Back: Feb 11, 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>O'Reilly: "In the United States, you fully believe there's a movement on the way to foment chaos in the streets?"</i><br />
<i>Beck: "Are you kidding me? Absolutely."</i><br />
<br />
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9AZ-a2KPvpU?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9AZ-a2KPvpU?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-23968772673270830432011-10-05T22:50:00.000-05:002011-10-05T22:50:39.153-05:00F.U. Oscar the Grouch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Sesame Street is set to debut a new muppet.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/10/04/sesame-street-hunger-muppet-photo/">Poverty Lily!</a></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2-3.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/10/04/sesame-street-puppet-lily_240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img2-3.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/10/04/sesame-street-puppet-lily_240.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Is it just me, or does she look like a Wall Street protester?</div></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-50628249100934738802011-10-05T18:56:00.001-05:002011-10-05T20:54:58.931-05:00Goodbye, Steve Jobs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.apple.com/">sigh</a>.<br />
<br />
I gotta say, this certainly seems like a horrible metaphor for the state of the country.<br />
<br />
ADDED: 1984 commercial<br />
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYecfV3ubP8?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYecfV3ubP8?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-66233897707456671232011-10-05T18:11:00.002-05:002011-10-07T16:48:23.936-05:00Occupy Wall Street: "Dear Santa"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">OWS has presented a <a href="http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-for-occupy-wall-st-moveme/">list of demands</a> which they sa<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">y will <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">"create so many jobs it will be completely impossible to fill them without an open borders policy." (I'm just going to let the open borders thing slide for now.)</span></span><br />
<br />
Off the top, I'm not impressed. Their first demand is X, which they continue to say must be accomplished by alo instituting Y and Z. That's, ya know, three demands. <br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>ADDED: Additional thoughts. 1. These people are trying to kill us. 2. These people really are trying to kill the country. 3. These people have no idea what America is. 4. These people are gonna be out there "occupying" for a long, long time.</i><br />
<br />
Anyways, here they are...<br />
<br />
1. Restore "living wage". Raise minimum wage to $20/hour. Reimpose trade tariffs (/end "Freetrade"). <br />
2. Universal single payer healthcare. Ban private insurance companies.<br />
3. Free allowance for everyone! ("Guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment.")<br />
4. Extend HS by four years. (Free college education.)<br />
5. Fast-track process to end fossil fuel economy. Increase demand for alternative energy.<br />
6. One trillion dollar in infrastructure spending NOW.<br />
7. One trillion dollar in eco-restoration now. Decommission all nuclear power plants.<br />
8. Racial equal rights amendment. Gender equal rights amendment.<br />
9. Fully open borders.<br />
10. Election accountability -- paper ballots counted and recounted in public.<br />
11. Immediate debt forgiveness for all. (Debt = sovereign debt, commercial loans, mortgages, home equity loans, credit cards, student loans, personal loans...) "All debt must be stricken from the books." I must directly quote more from this one: "World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must also be stricken from the "Books." And I don't mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period."<br />
12. Outlaw credit reporting agencies.<br />
13. No regulations on how/when union votes are gathered regarding a union's representation or formation.<br />
<br />
-----------<br />
ADDED: Sometime between when I posted this and right now, the website responded to some bad press about this list and posted a claim that this list is unofficial. Mhmm.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-33065403568456127582011-10-05T17:26:00.002-05:002011-10-05T17:27:41.735-05:00Sarah Palin's 2012 Presidential Statement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Listen to <a href="http://marklevinshow.com/Article.asp?id=2303165&spid=32364">Mark Levin read it</a>. (Or just read my transcription.)<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #e9e8e8; line-height: 22px;"></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.</i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.</i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.</i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs. Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.</i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.</i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country! God bless America. </i></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sarah Palin</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-42401513056866005352011-10-05T17:19:00.002-05:002011-10-05T17:19:40.701-05:00Palin's out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Damn. <br />
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Damn.<br />
Damn.<br />
Damn.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-81970499067154705752011-10-01T10:32:00.000-05:002011-10-01T10:32:48.924-05:00Arab Spring: A "Democracy" By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet?...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/comment/11394-our-revolution">'Our' Revolution</a>: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The following excerpts are from an English language website for khilafah. (That's caliphate to you and me.) It begins by noting that language shapes the way you understand the world, and it quickly jumps to the word <i>democracy</i>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">While Americans associate the word with our rights and responsibilities, Muslims associate it with freedom from tyranny and oppression. One and the same? It depends on the tyrant, the oppressor, and what the oppressed have been prevented from doing.</span><br />
<blockquote>[W]hen they [the Western world] talk[s] about the right of people to govern themselves, they also mean the prevention of religious interference in ruling - whether this is explicitly stated or not.</blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">In viewing <i>democracy</i> as a word representative of being free from a specific tyrant or specific type of tyranny rather than freedom from conceptual tyranny, Muslims have un(?)intentionally misled Americans to believe that they embrace American-style governmental values, for example the freedom to practice your religion of choice and the prevention of the state from imposing a national religion. The Muslim use of the word democracy has sent the wrong message; America has willingly, blindly, and egocentrically assumed that our definition of democracy is global.</div><blockquote>Imagine a human-rights charity who decided that a swastika would be a suitable logo for their organisation, being ignorant of the symbol's association with the Nazis. So, being ignorant of the history and values that come with the symbol they proudly display it on their leaflets and posters. Would this convey the message they wanted?<br />
<a name='more'></a>Similarly while the Muslims believe they are simply calling for their rights by adopting the term ‘Democracy', the world views such a call for the removal of Islam from governing and for the implementation of secular liberal values.</blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It is through this confusion over the use of language that particular words such as 'Democracy' can be used as weapons against the Muslims. The word is pumped endlessly through the media and via secular political groups, until it becomes a slogan for the struggle and adopted by the masses, unaware of what it means.</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What an unforgivable crime it would be if the sincere efforts and sacrifices of the Ummah to rid themselves of the chains of colonialism and dictatorship merely resulted in them replacing one set of chains with another [with secular, American Democracy], ones which they hang around their own necks?</span></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Democracy -- American Democracy -- is as tyrannical and oppressive as dictatorship. That's what this pro-caliphate article is saying. Let's take a moment to pause and let that concept sink in. </span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Democracy is part of a culture that is foreign to Islam. Democracy is a Western construct and therefore foreign to the Muslim world and Democracy is much more than elections. We have our own unique history and culture, and our own system which is distinct from that of the west: the Khilafah. It encompasses the right to elect the ruler, to hold him to account and remove him if he contradicts Islam. We have a judiciary to uphold the rule of law and the many other state institutions that the Muslim world demands, but it does not do so at the expense of the Islamic values that are demanded just as strongly.</span></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">The Islamic values, of course, are sharia law. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
<i>Note: When you read the full article, check out the comments. Quite informative.</i></div></div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-9065833872814806922011-09-29T23:43:00.001-05:002011-10-01T10:33:42.914-05:00Palin = Democrat Nominee?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">No, I'm not saying that Sarah Palin is a Democrat. <br />
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I'm saying, what if she runs as a Democrat. <i>What if she primaries Obama!</i><br />
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Before getting into logistics, just imagine it for a moment. Obama certainly would not be expecting that. It would force Obama to spend more time directly campaigning. It might force Obama to the center while he is trying to cater to his base.<br />
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Let's face it. Obama is thin skinned, and Obama thinks he is the smartest person in the room. The best way to expose him for what he is = 12 months of baiting him into eventually losing his cool on camera. Or something like that.<br />
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Let's say Palin does primary Obama. Worst case scenario: she loses. But she stirs the pot and forces <b>her</b> primary concerns to center stage for awhile. Crony Capitalism. If she wants to affect the issues and ideas, this would be an ideal way to go. As for explaining her ticket choice, it would be easy for her to say <i>"Republican, Democrat... We all love this country and want to do right by it. In Alaska I took on corruption in both parties, and the state was better for it. The current crop of Republican candidates seem to have good coverage of the issues, but oh my, the Democrats certainly seem to be lacking when it comes to clean records. This was the place where I felt I was called to serve my country. And it's never a bad thing to provide the president with debating outlets to explain and defend the choices that he's made. We're just gonna do that a little earlier than people were expecting..."</i><br />
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And -- what if she won. Seriously, what if? I, for one, would switch parties to vote for her in the primary. And honestly, I bet a helluva lot of people would, too. ABO, right? Sure, the Dems' super delegates might not allow her to get the nomination (even if she won every single state), but the Republican nominee could have a field day with that. <br />
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One minute point: if Palin runs for the GOP nomination and doesn't get it, she'll lose a lot. A. Lot. She might even lose everything. She has been elevated to a status I'm unable to parallel with another politician in our history (but suggestions are more than welcome!). If she runs as a Dem, she has a decent chance of very effectively making lasting impression on the race and subsequently on the future of the country. And if she loses, it's not really a loss. It's much easier to claim that "winning" was never her plan to begin with.<br />
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My idea is obviously a long shot. (Almost as much of a long shot as a know-nothing minority senator beating Hillary and then winning the election, no?) It could go in a lot of different ways, but I don't particularly see it going in a way that works out negatively for Palin. If her largest ambition is not to be president but instead to affect the election in a way that gets important issues to the surface and helps prevent Obama's reelection, then she really might be more influential as a Democrat candidate.<br />
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I gotta say it: I would take immense pleasure in the watching the lefties drown themselves in spittle of rage.<br />
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I'm trying to remember a time when a politician did something like this, but I can't say that anything comes to mind. Perhaps when T Roosevelt left the Republican party to run as a third party against his previous vp? <br />
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Anyways, Palin did tell Hannity that this was going to be a very unique election. She also told Greta that she was trying to figure out if vying for the GOP nomination would shackle her, shut her in a box, make he dance for the GOP machine rather than allowing her to speak the truth. With that in mind, perhaps primarying Obama isn't <i>that</i> crazypants of an idea. Maybe.</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4741296360877555478.post-14778994089152279152011-09-25T23:54:00.001-05:002011-09-25T23:54:48.971-05:00Obama: "Asking a billionaire to pay the same amount as a Jew..."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yep, <a href="http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/09/25/obama-gaffe-asking-billionaire-pay-same-tax-rate-jew-janitor">he said it</a>. The money shot is at the end.<br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.mrctv.org/embed/105904" title="MRC TV video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Psst. Weren't we totally better off with a president whose gaffes were as horrible as saying nuke-u-ler?<br />
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palmface</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04459252195898372564noreply@blogger.com0