It is nearing 25 years since the fateful decision to take a position in Lansing. I never guessed it would be the first day of 17 years serving the citizens and taxpayers of Michigan. We tend to think success is the collision of preparation and opportunity. For me, there was also economic desperation.
For two years, I worked in Central Hall at little Hillsdale College in Michigan when I met the woman who would become my first wife. After I ran for Congress in Wisconsin in 1984, we moved back to her native Michigan. A Journalism graduate of Michigan State University, Sarah Michaelsen was pregnant with Jens Michaelsen, too. I had interviews for great jobs I was fortunate not to get in Cleveland, Flint and Toledo. We lived in poverty in Hillsdale while I worked at a gas station in Jonesville. After Jens was born, I took a job at an advertising agency in Jackson for more money and challenge.
What finally bore fruit were fan mail and a request to meet Michigan Republican Chairman E. Spencer Abraham. I was summoned to Lansing to meet with him. Suddenly, running for Congress was an advantage, not something to hide. I must have won him in 15 minutes because he sent me to meet with Political Director Jane Hershey, later Mrs. Abraham. She spent 30 minutes with me and offered me a job but it only paid what I was making in closer Jackson. I said no for the first time ever but she suggested I meet with Jerry Crandall, then leading Senate Republican media relations. She called him to say I was coming.
I went into the Farnum Building for the first time to meet Crandall. I must have won Crandall, who had nothing open, but called John Kost in Policy. I spent nearly a half hour with Kost. When I drove back to Hillsdale, I felt pretty good about four meetings in a day in Lansing.
Soon the telephone rang. It was Kost. He offered me a job. It was 50 percent more than I was paid in Jackson. I was glad to take the offer. Then the phone rang again. My beloved Grandpa Porter was nearing death. I went from euphoria to worry. The littleness of Jens, one week old, meant we could not drive 10 hours in hope of seeing him before he died.
I called his room at the hospital. My Grandma answered and said he was asleep. I mistily explained the situation and to let him know how much I love him. She said he knew but she would tell him I called. Her voice broke; it had never broken before so I knew his condition was grave. I hung up and then I sobbed. I quit at the advertising agency soon, starting the two weeks notice clock.
He died the next day, however. I called Kost to explain and to forestall my start date until October. Between the funeral in central Wisconsin, having to stop often to feed and change Jens both ways, progress would be slow. My cousins and I were pall-bearers.
I ascended rapidly through aptitude and desire in policy, even becoming coffee czar. I still think of state governments as 50 laboratories of democracy and it is not an empty phrase to me as it is to others. Friends I made during my almost five years at the Senate Republicans are still life-long friends, regardless of partisan affiliation. I remember the first time I met Saul Anuzis, John Arundel, Lisa Babcock, Dawson Bell, Anne Boomer, Jerry Crandall, Gale Cutler, Dave Doyle, Gary Garbarino, Vern Ehlers, John Engler, Heidi Grether, Jeff Holyfield, Carol Marcinkowski, Jeff McKelvey, George McManus, Anne Mervenne, Jill Murphy, Gary Naeyert, Rick Pluta, Gary Reed, Dennis Schornack, Joe Schwarz, Tom Shields, Norm Shinkle, Jurgen Skoppek, Jon Smalley, Marc Speiser, Dave Waymire and Dan Wyant. They are just a few I know personally in social media. I remember the first day I met John Reinemann, who was then a graduate student at the University of Michigan but from my native Wisconsin. Like me, he was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Eric Michaelsen was the first baby born under a new Senate Republican paternity leave. I so loved my job, I walked daily in all types of Michigan weather from my parking spot in the dirt lot by the Library of Michigan. I even took public transportation so Sarah could have our only car. Other cool jobs, friends, shocking suicides and better parking spots came later but I never regretted the fateful decision that first took me to Lansing.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wisconsin Interests Shopping for Venues
Smarter people than me described the behavior of conflicting groups escalating their interests to higher authorities as “venue shopping.” News that Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices allegedly had a physical altercation is more venue shopping.
Because Wisconsin Democrats are in the minority in both chambers of the Wisconsin state Legislature, liberals tried to obstruct legislative action on Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill and impact on collective bargaining. Stymied by legislative creativity, losers in the legislative arena sought an injunction by a judge in Dane County. All of this was venue shopping.
Interest in the pivotal 2011 election for a new term for Justice David Prosser was expensive and narrow. Election losers demanded another venue with a hand recount in all Wisconsin counties. They still lost.
Losers in the Dane County ruling appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They narrowly won. Aggrieved parties have looked to appeal to a friendlier court. This is now a harder strategy because police and fire unions have been peeled away by the Walker agenda from their previous tight coalition. Sometimes interests only threaten venue shopping.
Liberal activists gathered recall petitions targeting six Republican Wisconsin Senators, not for corruption in office but for casting a vote for the Walker agenda. Conservative activists targeted three Democrats for fleeing to Illinois. This is more venue shopping.
Now losers want to pour cold water on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling by shopping around a story that Justice David Prosser choked Justice Anne Walsh Bradley before the vote. This is odd because former Assembly Speaker David Prosser is even more civil than me. The faction of Prosser had the votes. The faction with Anne Walsh Bradley did not.
Sometimes I am accused of being a smarty pants. I even discussed research methods with a server in Baton Rouge who was a doctor candidate in Economics. To quote Martin Luther: “Here I stand. I can not do otherwise.”
Because Wisconsin Democrats are in the minority in both chambers of the Wisconsin state Legislature, liberals tried to obstruct legislative action on Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill and impact on collective bargaining. Stymied by legislative creativity, losers in the legislative arena sought an injunction by a judge in Dane County. All of this was venue shopping.
Interest in the pivotal 2011 election for a new term for Justice David Prosser was expensive and narrow. Election losers demanded another venue with a hand recount in all Wisconsin counties. They still lost.
Losers in the Dane County ruling appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They narrowly won. Aggrieved parties have looked to appeal to a friendlier court. This is now a harder strategy because police and fire unions have been peeled away by the Walker agenda from their previous tight coalition. Sometimes interests only threaten venue shopping.
Liberal activists gathered recall petitions targeting six Republican Wisconsin Senators, not for corruption in office but for casting a vote for the Walker agenda. Conservative activists targeted three Democrats for fleeing to Illinois. This is more venue shopping.
Now losers want to pour cold water on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling by shopping around a story that Justice David Prosser choked Justice Anne Walsh Bradley before the vote. This is odd because former Assembly Speaker David Prosser is even more civil than me. The faction of Prosser had the votes. The faction with Anne Walsh Bradley did not.
Sometimes I am accused of being a smarty pants. I even discussed research methods with a server in Baton Rouge who was a doctor candidate in Economics. To quote Martin Luther: “Here I stand. I can not do otherwise.”
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Twin Cities Trip
My second cousin, whom I have “met” only on social media, graduated from high school. This autumn, she will start at a private college. I was invited to attend her open house in Saint Paul.
I jumped at the chance to visit her house. I have not been to the Twin Cities in 30 years. I have never met the high school graduate or any of her siblings. Her father and I are among 16 first cousins. I have not seen her Mom or Dad since our Grandma’s 1996 funeral in Marshfield. Her Dad and I were among the pallbearers.
I have spent time with all of his siblings and met most of their children. Her Dad and I are not just cousins. Among all the cousins, he is closest in age to me. There are pictures of us together as babies, toddlers, children and teenagers. I remember going to his father’s funeral when we were still children..
I talked with my cousin quite a bit. He told me things about himself I never knew, such as his ability to jump high enough in high school that he could put his whole elbow above the rim. He remembered many things that I had forgotten. For example, I had forgotten I introduced him at 1977 Marshfield high school graduation open houses as my cousin from Australia. He always has slain me. His delivery is still mock seriousness.
His mother was at the open house. My aunt did not know I was going to be there. She invited me to come to her cabin on Richter Lake in Taylor County when my cousin Lynne and her daughter are there. Like my son, Eric and my cousin, Judy, Lynne teaches public school. Lynne lives in California. I have never met her daughter.
I had forgotten how much I like the Twin Cities. When I was freshly graduated from college, I pursued employment in Minneapolis. The Cities are so unlike Madison in a couple of ways that I dislike about living in Madison again. My preferences are no secret.
Madison is both the whitest and most leftist place I have ever lived. Moderates like me are shamed and lectured. When I lived in Michigan, my moderate views did not stand out. People of color were local news anchors, journalists, Republicans and lobbyists. My views would not stand out in a big place like the Twin Cities. People of color were at my cousin’s open house. So were children of Michelle Bachman.
I have a network of family and friends in the Cities. Saint Paul is a state capital. Maybe I’ll start to look there for employment again.
I jumped at the chance to visit her house. I have not been to the Twin Cities in 30 years. I have never met the high school graduate or any of her siblings. Her father and I are among 16 first cousins. I have not seen her Mom or Dad since our Grandma’s 1996 funeral in Marshfield. Her Dad and I were among the pallbearers.
I have spent time with all of his siblings and met most of their children. Her Dad and I are not just cousins. Among all the cousins, he is closest in age to me. There are pictures of us together as babies, toddlers, children and teenagers. I remember going to his father’s funeral when we were still children..
I talked with my cousin quite a bit. He told me things about himself I never knew, such as his ability to jump high enough in high school that he could put his whole elbow above the rim. He remembered many things that I had forgotten. For example, I had forgotten I introduced him at 1977 Marshfield high school graduation open houses as my cousin from Australia. He always has slain me. His delivery is still mock seriousness.
His mother was at the open house. My aunt did not know I was going to be there. She invited me to come to her cabin on Richter Lake in Taylor County when my cousin Lynne and her daughter are there. Like my son, Eric and my cousin, Judy, Lynne teaches public school. Lynne lives in California. I have never met her daughter.
I had forgotten how much I like the Twin Cities. When I was freshly graduated from college, I pursued employment in Minneapolis. The Cities are so unlike Madison in a couple of ways that I dislike about living in Madison again. My preferences are no secret.
Madison is both the whitest and most leftist place I have ever lived. Moderates like me are shamed and lectured. When I lived in Michigan, my moderate views did not stand out. People of color were local news anchors, journalists, Republicans and lobbyists. My views would not stand out in a big place like the Twin Cities. People of color were at my cousin’s open house. So were children of Michelle Bachman.
I have a network of family and friends in the Cities. Saint Paul is a state capital. Maybe I’ll start to look there for employment again.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Predicting the Kohl Seat
Many Wisconsin citizens have opinions about U.S. Senator Herb Kohl announcing that he will not seek another term in 2012. Kohl was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 to succeed the late Bill Proxmire. He would be 81 at the end of another term.
Some predict who the major parties will nominate to succeed Kohl. I am no exception to this. I would remind you that I predicted that State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) would take the free shot as Democrat nominee against Ashland County Prosecutor Sean Duffy in WI-7 in 2010. Although I targeted my “home” district, I hoped Duffy would win some couties in Lassa’s district. I never expected he would beat her so easily.
Many presume that the Democrat nominee to succeed Kohl will be former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold or Milwaukee Mayor Jim Barett. Both lost statewide in 2010. I think this is wrong.
Feingold might run but he will lose in a crowded Democrat primary for an open U.S. Senate seat. Former Congressman and dermatologist Steve Kagen (D-Appleton) will open his checkbook to enter the race. The winner and elected by a narrow margin to become the next U.S. Senator will be current Congressman Ron Kind (D-La Crosse). He will benefit from the turn-out of Wisconsin votes for President Barack Obama. Kind would have to have a singular terrible campaign manager to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Unfortunately for Kind, there is no shortage of losers. He could always hire staff from Klopfenberg, Feingold or the people who squandered large majorities in the Wisconsin Capitol or in the U.S. House.
Some thought Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) would leave leadership in the U.S. House to run for U.S. Senate. Some people think Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen should run. All you have to do is see how much JB loves his wife and how much they treasure their children to know that he would never give up either.
There will not be a Republican primary. If Tommy Thompson is serious about running for U.S. Senate, he will win the Republican nomination in a walk. I have loved Tommy since he was Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader and mispronounced my name, perhaps confusing me with my father. I served Governor John Engler of Michigan when Thompson was Governor of Wisconsin. Although Engler was better at public policy, he was never as good a public speaker and retail politician as Thompson. If Thompson runs he will get 49 percent of the vote because most people who voted for him have retired and moved to lower-tax states with better weather like my parents.
He was still Governor when I first drove the newer four-lane highway that had been called Bloody 29 from head-on collisions when it was only two lanes. Younger people do not associate the road with Thompson.
Others are poised to enter the race if Thompson opts out. Former Congressman and home builder Mark Neumann (R-Nashota) can spend his own money. Former State Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) wants to raise his name identification again. Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader (R-Juneau) has a free shot in 2012. They would be lucky to get 40 percent of the vote.
Sure, I admit time could prove me wrong. If the Democrats err by nominating Congressperson Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), this is the only way that a Republican becomes U.S. Senator.
Some predict who the major parties will nominate to succeed Kohl. I am no exception to this. I would remind you that I predicted that State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) would take the free shot as Democrat nominee against Ashland County Prosecutor Sean Duffy in WI-7 in 2010. Although I targeted my “home” district, I hoped Duffy would win some couties in Lassa’s district. I never expected he would beat her so easily.
Many presume that the Democrat nominee to succeed Kohl will be former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold or Milwaukee Mayor Jim Barett. Both lost statewide in 2010. I think this is wrong.
Feingold might run but he will lose in a crowded Democrat primary for an open U.S. Senate seat. Former Congressman and dermatologist Steve Kagen (D-Appleton) will open his checkbook to enter the race. The winner and elected by a narrow margin to become the next U.S. Senator will be current Congressman Ron Kind (D-La Crosse). He will benefit from the turn-out of Wisconsin votes for President Barack Obama. Kind would have to have a singular terrible campaign manager to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Unfortunately for Kind, there is no shortage of losers. He could always hire staff from Klopfenberg, Feingold or the people who squandered large majorities in the Wisconsin Capitol or in the U.S. House.
Some thought Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) would leave leadership in the U.S. House to run for U.S. Senate. Some people think Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen should run. All you have to do is see how much JB loves his wife and how much they treasure their children to know that he would never give up either.
There will not be a Republican primary. If Tommy Thompson is serious about running for U.S. Senate, he will win the Republican nomination in a walk. I have loved Tommy since he was Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader and mispronounced my name, perhaps confusing me with my father. I served Governor John Engler of Michigan when Thompson was Governor of Wisconsin. Although Engler was better at public policy, he was never as good a public speaker and retail politician as Thompson. If Thompson runs he will get 49 percent of the vote because most people who voted for him have retired and moved to lower-tax states with better weather like my parents.
He was still Governor when I first drove the newer four-lane highway that had been called Bloody 29 from head-on collisions when it was only two lanes. Younger people do not associate the road with Thompson.
Others are poised to enter the race if Thompson opts out. Former Congressman and home builder Mark Neumann (R-Nashota) can spend his own money. Former State Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) wants to raise his name identification again. Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader (R-Juneau) has a free shot in 2012. They would be lucky to get 40 percent of the vote.
Sure, I admit time could prove me wrong. If the Democrats err by nominating Congressperson Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), this is the only way that a Republican becomes U.S. Senator.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Comparing Outsized Media Personalities in Lansing and Madison
Many know that I lived in Lansing for 17 years so I know many who are still working journalists and were once journalists before their current occupations. Married twice to Journalism graduates of giant public universities, I have written for pay since 1981. Thus I know something about media personalities.
Although there are many media celebrities in Michigan, there is no personality that is a bigger media conglomerate than Tim Skubick. Armed with a tape recorder and a microphone at the Capitol, Skubick was syndicated on radio. I have seen Skubic as a commentator on local commercial television. Skubick was the voice of halftime shows at Michigan State University when I went to Badger games. Of course, he is the long-standing moderator of “Off the Record” Friday night on Michigan Public Television. I have watched it on-line in Madison.
Madison has two media personalities that are similarly ubiquitous. One is Channel 15 weatherman Charlie Shortino. He is not just a host of the Channel 15 morning show and does the local component of Al Roker, he is a frequent public speaker. Shortino does weather on local commercial radio. Shortino has even been a celebrity server at the World’s Largest Brat Fest near the Dane County Coliseum.
Compare Shortino to Neil Heinen. Heinen is as reliably politically correct as Madison itself. He writes predictable columns in “Madison” magazine. Heinen has a Sunday morning public affairs show that I never watch because it has poor production values and softball questions of small guests. To Heinen, mob rule is democracy and Wisconsin voters were to blame for electing Governor Scott Walker and firing the heroic Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Although busy, Skubick was never too busy to talk with me. Shortino would never be too busy. If Heinen were on fire, I would not urinate on him to put the fire out.
Although there are many media celebrities in Michigan, there is no personality that is a bigger media conglomerate than Tim Skubick. Armed with a tape recorder and a microphone at the Capitol, Skubick was syndicated on radio. I have seen Skubic as a commentator on local commercial television. Skubick was the voice of halftime shows at Michigan State University when I went to Badger games. Of course, he is the long-standing moderator of “Off the Record” Friday night on Michigan Public Television. I have watched it on-line in Madison.
Madison has two media personalities that are similarly ubiquitous. One is Channel 15 weatherman Charlie Shortino. He is not just a host of the Channel 15 morning show and does the local component of Al Roker, he is a frequent public speaker. Shortino does weather on local commercial radio. Shortino has even been a celebrity server at the World’s Largest Brat Fest near the Dane County Coliseum.
Compare Shortino to Neil Heinen. Heinen is as reliably politically correct as Madison itself. He writes predictable columns in “Madison” magazine. Heinen has a Sunday morning public affairs show that I never watch because it has poor production values and softball questions of small guests. To Heinen, mob rule is democracy and Wisconsin voters were to blame for electing Governor Scott Walker and firing the heroic Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Although busy, Skubick was never too busy to talk with me. Shortino would never be too busy. If Heinen were on fire, I would not urinate on him to put the fire out.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Recalling Recall
Recall of Democratic State Senators has been a huge part of my life and career. As a result, I investigated the possibility of recalling the Wisconsin Democratic State Senators who eluded the call of the Senate by absconding to Illinois. This results in the Wisconsin Senate lacking quorum to act on Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.
I lived and worked in Lansing, Michigan’s capitol, from 1985 until 2002. In 1983, Senate Minority Leader John Engler led the recall of two Democrat State Senators who voted for their Governor’s hated 38 percent increase in Michigan’s state income tax. Both were replaced by Republicans and John Engler became Majority Leader. After losing to Dave Obey in my native Wisconsin in 1984, I joined the Majority Caucus staff in Lansing in 1985.
For several subsequent elections, the Senate Majority was only two seats so a Republican loss would result in a tie, broken by the Democrat Lieutenant Governor. I was assigned to perform opposition research, policy development, media relations and more pedestrian assignments for the top targeted seats in 1986, 1988 and 2000. All but the most political assignments like doing doors, making vote calls or providing ballot security were expected to be done on state time. Things that were rewarded with my promotion in Michigan would earn me prison time in Wisconsin.
What is the law regarding recall of Wisconsin State Senators? In 1926, we passed Article 12 of Article 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution. It provides for a recall petition anytime after the first year of an elected term. The petition needs at least the signatures of 25 percent of the vote for Governor in the last election. This is a huge hurdle so recall is not taken lightly.
If valid signatures are filed, a recall election happens in six weeks. If there are more than two candidates, there is recall primary. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent in the primary, the candidate wins.
Because I live in liberal Madison, my State Senator is a safe Democrat during normal times. Absconding to Illinois to escape quorum and resulting in the lay-off of state workers means that it is not normal times now.
I lived and worked in Lansing, Michigan’s capitol, from 1985 until 2002. In 1983, Senate Minority Leader John Engler led the recall of two Democrat State Senators who voted for their Governor’s hated 38 percent increase in Michigan’s state income tax. Both were replaced by Republicans and John Engler became Majority Leader. After losing to Dave Obey in my native Wisconsin in 1984, I joined the Majority Caucus staff in Lansing in 1985.
For several subsequent elections, the Senate Majority was only two seats so a Republican loss would result in a tie, broken by the Democrat Lieutenant Governor. I was assigned to perform opposition research, policy development, media relations and more pedestrian assignments for the top targeted seats in 1986, 1988 and 2000. All but the most political assignments like doing doors, making vote calls or providing ballot security were expected to be done on state time. Things that were rewarded with my promotion in Michigan would earn me prison time in Wisconsin.
What is the law regarding recall of Wisconsin State Senators? In 1926, we passed Article 12 of Article 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution. It provides for a recall petition anytime after the first year of an elected term. The petition needs at least the signatures of 25 percent of the vote for Governor in the last election. This is a huge hurdle so recall is not taken lightly.
If valid signatures are filed, a recall election happens in six weeks. If there are more than two candidates, there is recall primary. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent in the primary, the candidate wins.
Because I live in liberal Madison, my State Senator is a safe Democrat during normal times. Absconding to Illinois to escape quorum and resulting in the lay-off of state workers means that it is not normal times now.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Killing for Religion
Is there a possibility that the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek will lead to fundamentalist Muslims seizing power like in Iran? Although Egyptians are comforted that the military is supposed to help make the transition to democracy, Egypt had become more fundamentalist even before the demonstrations. I was struck by how many veiled women were shown on television celebrating the fall of Mubarek. Fundamentalist Muslims killed Mubarek’s predecessor, Anwar Sadat.
Pakistanis have recently stoned and beaten members of minority religious sects. The Indian city now known as Mumbai was a city that was home to several religious communities so fundamentalists from Pakistan attacked it. In some fundamentalist Islamic countries, unmarried couples without chaperones have been killed.
In Iraq, Sunnis and Shia kill each other and everyone can kill Christians with impunity. It was typical when the Afghan Taliban dynamited the huge Buddhist statues at Bamiyan, forbade television and hosted Osama Bin Laden. Israel is less about democracy and more about religion. Fundamentalist Jews killed Menachem Begin. I am old enough to remember when Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East before civil war between rival religious militias turned it into a mess of pock-marks and Christian Falangists attacked refugee camps on orders from Israeli Aerial Sharon.
Religious authorities promise various wonderful things in the hereafter but they always want to control current behavior. Most religious traditions promise especially wonderful benefits from martyrdom.
I have been volunteering at a food pantry for the hungry in Madison so I am around what I perceived as nice Christians a lot. I am in demand there a lot because I am physically stronger than most volunteers and know most of the New Testament of the Bible. I was shocked to hear some of them call for capital punishment for people who are gay or call peaceful Muslims worshipers misled by the Devil. The same day that I heard a call for capital punishment of gays, a gay activist was killed by intolerants in Uganda.
I think there are people of good will in the faith community. I would always be willing to go to churches for weddings, funerals and baptisms but I have gradually come to the view that God did not create people in His image, but that leaders of faith created God in the image of people to control behavior in this world. I would never become a militant Atheist like the Freedom From Religion crowd; I will never forgive them for putting the fence around the donated statue of Christ in my hometown.
Pakistanis have recently stoned and beaten members of minority religious sects. The Indian city now known as Mumbai was a city that was home to several religious communities so fundamentalists from Pakistan attacked it. In some fundamentalist Islamic countries, unmarried couples without chaperones have been killed.
In Iraq, Sunnis and Shia kill each other and everyone can kill Christians with impunity. It was typical when the Afghan Taliban dynamited the huge Buddhist statues at Bamiyan, forbade television and hosted Osama Bin Laden. Israel is less about democracy and more about religion. Fundamentalist Jews killed Menachem Begin. I am old enough to remember when Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East before civil war between rival religious militias turned it into a mess of pock-marks and Christian Falangists attacked refugee camps on orders from Israeli Aerial Sharon.
Religious authorities promise various wonderful things in the hereafter but they always want to control current behavior. Most religious traditions promise especially wonderful benefits from martyrdom.
I have been volunteering at a food pantry for the hungry in Madison so I am around what I perceived as nice Christians a lot. I am in demand there a lot because I am physically stronger than most volunteers and know most of the New Testament of the Bible. I was shocked to hear some of them call for capital punishment for people who are gay or call peaceful Muslims worshipers misled by the Devil. The same day that I heard a call for capital punishment of gays, a gay activist was killed by intolerants in Uganda.
I think there are people of good will in the faith community. I would always be willing to go to churches for weddings, funerals and baptisms but I have gradually come to the view that God did not create people in His image, but that leaders of faith created God in the image of people to control behavior in this world. I would never become a militant Atheist like the Freedom From Religion crowd; I will never forgive them for putting the fence around the donated statue of Christ in my hometown.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Petition for Redress of Grievances
Weird news that Jared Loughner opened fire at a Tucson public appearance by U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and shot her and killed several others is a reminder that unhinged people sometimes go postal. He has more in common with the Columbine and Virginia Tech shooters than political assassins who have specific targets. Those of us who have served the public have always joked about the lunatic fringe, full Moon periods and foil hats.
Is it the result of social discourse gone awry? I think it wrong to read too much into it. It is true that the 24-hour news cycle purges moderate voices into more extreme voices on both the left and right. The left blames the right for influencing the shooter; the right blames the left for blaming the right. It is all too predictable.
When Gabrielle Giffords was sworn into office after she won another term, she read the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Sometimes we focus too much on the establishment clause or the right of free exercise of religion. Less understood is the right of people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances shall not be abridged. Calls for enhanced security of U.S. Representatives and Senators might mean that no one can publicly disagree with someone elected to serve us. I can remember when anyone could enter the U.S. Capitol. Already it resembles an armed camp in the Third World.
Many know how long I have served the public. I have met with disturbed, homeless and those with poor hygiene who arrived without an appointment in Michigan and Wisconsin. I feared for my personal safety in public service only once. It was in Michigan. It was not Detroit, Flint or Benton Harbor; I always felt a sense of safety in those although many do not. I lifted weights about three times per week so I was a fit 200 pounds from 1992 to 1996. We are not talking about moments when my heart raced driving towards the sun going toward Lake Huron, going home from a long day in Pontiac or spinning out of control on new snow in Delta Township streets.
No, my threat of physical harm came in Midland in 1995 when I was a Michigan Tax Tribunal Hearing Referee adjudicating property tax assessment appeals. Petitioner was deranged and a friend of Oklahoma bombing facilitator and Thumb farmer Terry Nichols. I was asking questions about his case and somehow he got behind me. He told me how easy it would be to kill me by snapping my neck. I do not remember how I ruled in his case but it is unlikely that unless there was a mistake of fact that he prevailed.
I needed to get some information from the Midland County Equalization Director on a different case and mentioned this petitioner. I was informed that he had threatened to bring automatic weapons to kill people in county government.
Right of people to peaceably assemble shall not be abridged. The key words are Peaceably Assemble.
Is it the result of social discourse gone awry? I think it wrong to read too much into it. It is true that the 24-hour news cycle purges moderate voices into more extreme voices on both the left and right. The left blames the right for influencing the shooter; the right blames the left for blaming the right. It is all too predictable.
When Gabrielle Giffords was sworn into office after she won another term, she read the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Sometimes we focus too much on the establishment clause or the right of free exercise of religion. Less understood is the right of people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances shall not be abridged. Calls for enhanced security of U.S. Representatives and Senators might mean that no one can publicly disagree with someone elected to serve us. I can remember when anyone could enter the U.S. Capitol. Already it resembles an armed camp in the Third World.
Many know how long I have served the public. I have met with disturbed, homeless and those with poor hygiene who arrived without an appointment in Michigan and Wisconsin. I feared for my personal safety in public service only once. It was in Michigan. It was not Detroit, Flint or Benton Harbor; I always felt a sense of safety in those although many do not. I lifted weights about three times per week so I was a fit 200 pounds from 1992 to 1996. We are not talking about moments when my heart raced driving towards the sun going toward Lake Huron, going home from a long day in Pontiac or spinning out of control on new snow in Delta Township streets.
No, my threat of physical harm came in Midland in 1995 when I was a Michigan Tax Tribunal Hearing Referee adjudicating property tax assessment appeals. Petitioner was deranged and a friend of Oklahoma bombing facilitator and Thumb farmer Terry Nichols. I was asking questions about his case and somehow he got behind me. He told me how easy it would be to kill me by snapping my neck. I do not remember how I ruled in his case but it is unlikely that unless there was a mistake of fact that he prevailed.
I needed to get some information from the Midland County Equalization Director on a different case and mentioned this petitioner. I was informed that he had threatened to bring automatic weapons to kill people in county government.
Right of people to peaceably assemble shall not be abridged. The key words are Peaceably Assemble.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Republicans in Charge in Wisconsin Again
Like many raised elsewhere in Wisconsin, I voted for U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Wisconsin State Treasurer Kurt Schuller. They all won.
Some of my liberal Madison friends are in a state of shock and denial. How dare voters in other counties fire U.S. Senator Russ Feingold? How dare Republicans win elections as Governor, majorities in both Wisconsin legislative Houses, and State Treasurer? How dare voters fire Dr. Steve Kagen and not choose Wisconsin State Senator Julie Lassa to replace Dave Obey?
How dare Scott Walker keep his promise to kill the rail plan from Milwaukee to Madison? How dare ousted Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker turn down state employee contracts? Many are silent about springing former Assemblyman Jeff Wood from the Chippewa County jail where he is serving a sentence for repeated intoxicated driving offenses so the employee contracts could pass by one vote in the Assembly.
How dare the Fitzgerald brothers be Speaker of the House and Majority Leader in the Senate? How dare Assemblyman Robin Vos and Senator Alberta Darling rule the Joint Finance Committee and declare the state should live within means again?
For most of my life, the Wisconsin Senate, Governor, Attorney General, and Congressmen around Green Bay have been Republican. When I was a boy, I was photographed with Seventh District Congressman Melvin Laird, a Republican. I was afraid that I would not live to see it again.
Some of my liberal Madison friends are in a state of shock and denial. How dare voters in other counties fire U.S. Senator Russ Feingold? How dare Republicans win elections as Governor, majorities in both Wisconsin legislative Houses, and State Treasurer? How dare voters fire Dr. Steve Kagen and not choose Wisconsin State Senator Julie Lassa to replace Dave Obey?
How dare Scott Walker keep his promise to kill the rail plan from Milwaukee to Madison? How dare ousted Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker turn down state employee contracts? Many are silent about springing former Assemblyman Jeff Wood from the Chippewa County jail where he is serving a sentence for repeated intoxicated driving offenses so the employee contracts could pass by one vote in the Assembly.
How dare the Fitzgerald brothers be Speaker of the House and Majority Leader in the Senate? How dare Assemblyman Robin Vos and Senator Alberta Darling rule the Joint Finance Committee and declare the state should live within means again?
For most of my life, the Wisconsin Senate, Governor, Attorney General, and Congressmen around Green Bay have been Republican. When I was a boy, I was photographed with Seventh District Congressman Melvin Laird, a Republican. I was afraid that I would not live to see it again.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Defending Assange
WikiLeaks personality Julian Assange is free from imprisonment because his rich friends threw his bail to get him out of jail. If he is extradited from Britain to Sweden and found guilty of sexual assault, that is the type of offense that even zealous Assange defenders should not forgive. However, there is the possibility the charges were a conspiracy of intelligence agencies. I never thought that I would rise to the defense of WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks has embarrassed the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice is out to get Assange for Wikileaks publishing embarrassing U.S. Department of State cables. Who would have guessed that there is corruption in Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan? Is anyone surprised that the President of Yemen told his people that U.S. drone attacks on al-Quaida targets in Yemen that the bombs were Yemeni?
It used to be that newspapers like the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other daily newspapers competed to scoop each other. The New York Times published the Pentagon papers of Daniel Ellsberg. The Washington Post parlayed a third-rate burglary at the Watergate into bringing down a U.S. President. Now the grey ladies are chiefly the lapdogs of the spin cycle of a Democratic Administration. They were stern critics of the government only when George W. Bush was President.
WikiLeaks stepped into this void and has exposed official corruption around the world. Assange is only a visible figurehead of a bigger organization of editors, fact-checkers and network administrators. Is he anti-American? Does anyone else remember when Rupert Murdock was accused of this?
When it suited their purpose, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hectored the Chinese and Iranians to allow greater Internet freedom. Now that their own ox has been gored, they mean to crack down on the same Internet freedom. Do as I say, not as I do.
What will this mean to my friends who post Internet complaints about the Transportation Security Administration, U.S Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner, the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment or the gun-toting part of the Second Amendment? It might only be permissible to blame Republicans in the future to escape official blocking like the U.S. government has waged against WikiLeaks.
Vilifying Assange is a convenient mask for how the U.S. Departments of Defense and State forgot how to expose moles it developed when the USSR was spymaster. Espionage is bigger than Assange. The U.S. government prefers not to think about spies from China, India, Israel, Pakistan and stateless fundamentalist Islam, for example.
WikiLeaks has embarrassed the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice is out to get Assange for Wikileaks publishing embarrassing U.S. Department of State cables. Who would have guessed that there is corruption in Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan? Is anyone surprised that the President of Yemen told his people that U.S. drone attacks on al-Quaida targets in Yemen that the bombs were Yemeni?
It used to be that newspapers like the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other daily newspapers competed to scoop each other. The New York Times published the Pentagon papers of Daniel Ellsberg. The Washington Post parlayed a third-rate burglary at the Watergate into bringing down a U.S. President. Now the grey ladies are chiefly the lapdogs of the spin cycle of a Democratic Administration. They were stern critics of the government only when George W. Bush was President.
WikiLeaks stepped into this void and has exposed official corruption around the world. Assange is only a visible figurehead of a bigger organization of editors, fact-checkers and network administrators. Is he anti-American? Does anyone else remember when Rupert Murdock was accused of this?
When it suited their purpose, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hectored the Chinese and Iranians to allow greater Internet freedom. Now that their own ox has been gored, they mean to crack down on the same Internet freedom. Do as I say, not as I do.
What will this mean to my friends who post Internet complaints about the Transportation Security Administration, U.S Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner, the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment or the gun-toting part of the Second Amendment? It might only be permissible to blame Republicans in the future to escape official blocking like the U.S. government has waged against WikiLeaks.
Vilifying Assange is a convenient mask for how the U.S. Departments of Defense and State forgot how to expose moles it developed when the USSR was spymaster. Espionage is bigger than Assange. The U.S. government prefers not to think about spies from China, India, Israel, Pakistan and stateless fundamentalist Islam, for example.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Treating American Air Travelers like Potential Criminals
It is no secret that I flew round trip from O’Hare in Chicago to Honolulu, departing for Hawaii two days before Thanksgiving. There were two reasons for my going to Honolulu: it was the 55th wedding anniversary for my parents and my older son serves at Pearl Harbor and I had not seen him since he was 21. He is now 25.
At O’Hare, Transportation Security Administration personnel were overwhelmed by the number of travelers who were leaving in mid-morning, including me. I never know what to expect when I fly so I wear slip-on shoes, nice socks and if I have a carry-on bag, it usually is a lap-top computer. I already had my driver license in my shirt pocket to be compared with my boarding pass.
It was a long flight from Phoenix to Honolulu against the Jet Stream. It was weird to have to sign a mandatory state Department of Agriculture form about whether I was bringing flora or fauna to Hawaii before we landed. I was glad to show my driver license to the guard to board a U.S. Navy vessel tied up at Pearl Harbor after surfing at a U.S. Navy beach.
My experience on the return flight on November was unexpectedly awful. Agents seemed to be working for the Transportation Insecurity Administration. For those who remember when I was fat, I am now thin and my belt, that has almost no metal, holds my pants up. I had to remove my belt and wallet. I had to lift my hands in a full-body scanner and my pants fell down. I am afraid that made me snap.
When I was in seventh grade, there was a picture of Kareem Abdul Jabbar as a Milwaukee Buck in the Milwaukee Journal. Kareem had both middle fingers raised at the referee. I thought of this picture when I raised my arms, both middle fingers extended. The Transportation Insecurity Administration agent called this gesture was unnecessary. Of course, it was unnecessary. It was unnecessary to remove my belt. Stunned by the bald stupidity of this remark, I smiled at him.
“How many terrorists has TSA caught?” I asked, knowing that he was only implementing a stupid policy made in Washington. I answered my own question by making the zero sign. He leapt to the defense of his agency. I know that TSA has denied permission for soldiers returning from the long trip from Afghanistan to use the airport restroom because there were firearms on the airplane, for example.
Unstated was that I was flying to Phoenix to lead a jihad against illegal aliens. That would be ironic because Arizona already has a jihad against illegal aliens. Also unstated was that they had me confused with some other terrorist that is also a middle-aged, near-sighted Danish-American. I fly often enough that I do not want to be on a No Fly List like friends with more common American names or more ethnic names.
At O’Hare, Transportation Security Administration personnel were overwhelmed by the number of travelers who were leaving in mid-morning, including me. I never know what to expect when I fly so I wear slip-on shoes, nice socks and if I have a carry-on bag, it usually is a lap-top computer. I already had my driver license in my shirt pocket to be compared with my boarding pass.
It was a long flight from Phoenix to Honolulu against the Jet Stream. It was weird to have to sign a mandatory state Department of Agriculture form about whether I was bringing flora or fauna to Hawaii before we landed. I was glad to show my driver license to the guard to board a U.S. Navy vessel tied up at Pearl Harbor after surfing at a U.S. Navy beach.
My experience on the return flight on November was unexpectedly awful. Agents seemed to be working for the Transportation Insecurity Administration. For those who remember when I was fat, I am now thin and my belt, that has almost no metal, holds my pants up. I had to remove my belt and wallet. I had to lift my hands in a full-body scanner and my pants fell down. I am afraid that made me snap.
When I was in seventh grade, there was a picture of Kareem Abdul Jabbar as a Milwaukee Buck in the Milwaukee Journal. Kareem had both middle fingers raised at the referee. I thought of this picture when I raised my arms, both middle fingers extended. The Transportation Insecurity Administration agent called this gesture was unnecessary. Of course, it was unnecessary. It was unnecessary to remove my belt. Stunned by the bald stupidity of this remark, I smiled at him.
“How many terrorists has TSA caught?” I asked, knowing that he was only implementing a stupid policy made in Washington. I answered my own question by making the zero sign. He leapt to the defense of his agency. I know that TSA has denied permission for soldiers returning from the long trip from Afghanistan to use the airport restroom because there were firearms on the airplane, for example.
Unstated was that I was flying to Phoenix to lead a jihad against illegal aliens. That would be ironic because Arizona already has a jihad against illegal aliens. Also unstated was that they had me confused with some other terrorist that is also a middle-aged, near-sighted Danish-American. I fly often enough that I do not want to be on a No Fly List like friends with more common American names or more ethnic names.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Twentieth Anniversary of John Engler Election
Lost among the transition plans by election winners and indefinite plans of losers is the anniversary that many still mark: the twentieth anniversary of the election of John Mathias Engler as Michigan Governor in 1990.
Late polls published Sunday before the election showed two-term Governor Jim Blanchard coasting to a third term against Senate Majority Leader Engler. However, Blanchard had repeatedly antagonized the late Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. Engler had established a working relationship with Young. It was early Wednesday morning before we discovered Young did not deliver his machine votes for Blanchard.
Hours later, I wrote an impassioned letter offering my services to the Governor-elect, whom I had known for five years. I was a supervisory policy specialist to members of the Senate Majority. In 1990, I was a strategist for candidates who won Senate seats and drove from Saginaw, where I worked from when polls opened until ballot security, to the Engler party at the Lansing Radisson. I expected to be asked to lead public policy.
I was summoned to Engler’s Senate office Thursday. Engler’s lieutenant asked me to head Correspondence. My poker face deserted me. Correspondence is blue-collar grinding stuff, unlike the white-collar policy world. Then Engler came in and said he wanted me to do this and then do something else. I accepted, despite my misgivings.
For the rest of the transition period, I wrote work diagrams, job descriptions and recruited talented young writers to help me. I thought we were ready when Engler was sworn in.
I was wrong. Blanchard left Engler a huge budget deficit so strong medicine was needed to cut spending except aid to education. That meant aid to arts institutions, welfare for able-bodied childless adults and under-utilized and over-staffed mental hospitals had to go. All had influential fans, many who thought that they were personally responsible for electing Engler.
The phone rang non-stop because receptionists did not know where to send people complaining about issues or that needed help. Angry letters poured in, sometimes with enclosures. A gift of plastic dog turds adorned my computer. I renamed the division “Constituent Services” because “Correspondence” confused callers.
My writers and I had to answer ringing phones before they went to voice mail, reflecting poorly on Engler. They did not have time to write in 40 hours per week so they started turning in 60. I started turning in 80 hours per week, including opening and routing mail, meetings of the senior staff and greeting those who arrived without an appointment. Piles of manuscripts required editing several times per day. We improvised stock paragraphs and letters.
Triage of ending welfare for childless single adults was imperfect. Some died and the blame was leveled at Engler. The Secretary who closed some mental hospitals was threatened with arrest. A protest tent city sprang up at the Capitol and Jesse Jackson spoke.
Eventually, early furor subsided, and we all did our jobs better. We looked forward to hard stuff. I could decide when I could not decide and would seek help from other staff directors or even Engler.
Engler was elected to two more terms, but I moved on to do policy and constituent relations at a Cabinet agency and then for a Michigan State Senator. Sometimes, Engler would send a constituent my way. Term limits enacted by voters forced him out in 2002.
Engler is now Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Manufacturers. I am still close to my old employees and colleagues on his staff as Governor. Some will be summoned by newly-elected Republicans.
Some will perform jobs they never expected. True believers, they will be unable to reject them. For me, I hope to be summoned by new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
Late polls published Sunday before the election showed two-term Governor Jim Blanchard coasting to a third term against Senate Majority Leader Engler. However, Blanchard had repeatedly antagonized the late Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. Engler had established a working relationship with Young. It was early Wednesday morning before we discovered Young did not deliver his machine votes for Blanchard.
Hours later, I wrote an impassioned letter offering my services to the Governor-elect, whom I had known for five years. I was a supervisory policy specialist to members of the Senate Majority. In 1990, I was a strategist for candidates who won Senate seats and drove from Saginaw, where I worked from when polls opened until ballot security, to the Engler party at the Lansing Radisson. I expected to be asked to lead public policy.
I was summoned to Engler’s Senate office Thursday. Engler’s lieutenant asked me to head Correspondence. My poker face deserted me. Correspondence is blue-collar grinding stuff, unlike the white-collar policy world. Then Engler came in and said he wanted me to do this and then do something else. I accepted, despite my misgivings.
For the rest of the transition period, I wrote work diagrams, job descriptions and recruited talented young writers to help me. I thought we were ready when Engler was sworn in.
I was wrong. Blanchard left Engler a huge budget deficit so strong medicine was needed to cut spending except aid to education. That meant aid to arts institutions, welfare for able-bodied childless adults and under-utilized and over-staffed mental hospitals had to go. All had influential fans, many who thought that they were personally responsible for electing Engler.
The phone rang non-stop because receptionists did not know where to send people complaining about issues or that needed help. Angry letters poured in, sometimes with enclosures. A gift of plastic dog turds adorned my computer. I renamed the division “Constituent Services” because “Correspondence” confused callers.
My writers and I had to answer ringing phones before they went to voice mail, reflecting poorly on Engler. They did not have time to write in 40 hours per week so they started turning in 60. I started turning in 80 hours per week, including opening and routing mail, meetings of the senior staff and greeting those who arrived without an appointment. Piles of manuscripts required editing several times per day. We improvised stock paragraphs and letters.
Triage of ending welfare for childless single adults was imperfect. Some died and the blame was leveled at Engler. The Secretary who closed some mental hospitals was threatened with arrest. A protest tent city sprang up at the Capitol and Jesse Jackson spoke.
Eventually, early furor subsided, and we all did our jobs better. We looked forward to hard stuff. I could decide when I could not decide and would seek help from other staff directors or even Engler.
Engler was elected to two more terms, but I moved on to do policy and constituent relations at a Cabinet agency and then for a Michigan State Senator. Sometimes, Engler would send a constituent my way. Term limits enacted by voters forced him out in 2002.
Engler is now Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Manufacturers. I am still close to my old employees and colleagues on his staff as Governor. Some will be summoned by newly-elected Republicans.
Some will perform jobs they never expected. True believers, they will be unable to reject them. For me, I hope to be summoned by new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Where Were You on 9/11/2001?
For the generation of my parents, the defining question was “Where were you on December 7, 1941?” For my generation, the question had been “Where were you on November 22, 1963?” For some, the question had been “Where were you when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed?”
I have been reading “Ghost Wars,” for which author and Washington Post reporter Steven Coll won wide acclaim when it was published in 2004. Ghost is what Soviet conscripts called the Afghan guerillas. It could also refer for our hunt for elusive radicals. “Ghost Wars” tracks the unhappy history of Soviet and U.S. adventures in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the rise of the type of fundamentalist Islam that found expression that we know as September 11, 2001.
Like many, my office turned on CNN on 9/11 when they reported that an airliner accident had struck one tower of the World Trade Center. While we watched, another airliner veered in and struck the other tower and burst into flames. It became clear that it was no accident.
Shortly after that, a plane struck the Pentagon. There had been internal debate about the target of the plane that was steered into the ground by a passenger uprising over Pennsylvania. Some wanted to attack the White House but it was well-known as a no-fly zone protected by fighter planes and surface-to-air missiles so it was targeted for the U.S. Capitol.
We almost always close the barn door after the horse has already fled. Attacks against U.S. targets have been foiled by the enlarged U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies. Threats have become so desperate like the shoe-bomber, Christmas Day in Detroit and the foiled Times Square plot. Those who fly have had the weird experience of being treated like potential criminals. They have to remove their shoes and demonstrate that their cellular telephones and laptops work. Some of my friends have had the unfortunate experience of sharing the same name as people on the terrorist watch list.
I have been subject to an electronic wand because I was flying one-way without carry-on luggage to Orlando to help when my father had surgery. I was not sure when he would be well enough for me to fly back. It led me to conclude that they had me confused me with some other middle-aged, near-sighted Danish-American terrorist leading a holy war for separatism in Florida.
In the name of enhanced security, we surrender civil liberties Americans treasure. Cell telephone providers have been asked to report the location of all their subscribers. Most have resisted. My cell telephone provider is the German Post Office, so I doubt they would ever cooperate with Washington. Libraries have been asked to turn over borrower records.
Ironically, “Ghost Wars” might appear on a watch list.
I have been reading “Ghost Wars,” for which author and Washington Post reporter Steven Coll won wide acclaim when it was published in 2004. Ghost is what Soviet conscripts called the Afghan guerillas. It could also refer for our hunt for elusive radicals. “Ghost Wars” tracks the unhappy history of Soviet and U.S. adventures in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the rise of the type of fundamentalist Islam that found expression that we know as September 11, 2001.
Like many, my office turned on CNN on 9/11 when they reported that an airliner accident had struck one tower of the World Trade Center. While we watched, another airliner veered in and struck the other tower and burst into flames. It became clear that it was no accident.
Shortly after that, a plane struck the Pentagon. There had been internal debate about the target of the plane that was steered into the ground by a passenger uprising over Pennsylvania. Some wanted to attack the White House but it was well-known as a no-fly zone protected by fighter planes and surface-to-air missiles so it was targeted for the U.S. Capitol.
We almost always close the barn door after the horse has already fled. Attacks against U.S. targets have been foiled by the enlarged U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies. Threats have become so desperate like the shoe-bomber, Christmas Day in Detroit and the foiled Times Square plot. Those who fly have had the weird experience of being treated like potential criminals. They have to remove their shoes and demonstrate that their cellular telephones and laptops work. Some of my friends have had the unfortunate experience of sharing the same name as people on the terrorist watch list.
I have been subject to an electronic wand because I was flying one-way without carry-on luggage to Orlando to help when my father had surgery. I was not sure when he would be well enough for me to fly back. It led me to conclude that they had me confused me with some other middle-aged, near-sighted Danish-American terrorist leading a holy war for separatism in Florida.
In the name of enhanced security, we surrender civil liberties Americans treasure. Cell telephone providers have been asked to report the location of all their subscribers. Most have resisted. My cell telephone provider is the German Post Office, so I doubt they would ever cooperate with Washington. Libraries have been asked to turn over borrower records.
Ironically, “Ghost Wars” might appear on a watch list.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Just another storm
During the 2005 Hurricane Season, Hurricane Ivan came ashore by Gulf Shores, Alabama. I was living in Birmingham and working at a convenience store. Ivan was a soaker driven by wind when it reached us.
When it started to rain, we went to a huge store near our house to see what we could get. They were out of ice, water, bread, batteries and any rain wear. It rained without stop for a week; we lacked electricity for eight days. No refrigeration, lights or air conditioning. It was primitive as can be, like Gilligan’s Island. We could not get any more gas in our cars because modern pumps run on electricity. At my store, all the candy melted and everything in the freezer became warm.
We were watching footage of people reporting when Hurricane Katrina came ashore. It seemed to have hit central Mississippi and missed New Orleans yet again. Waveland, Mississippi, was obliterated. Shrimp boats were in trees. It was a giant slow-moving storm. Of course, there was wind and rain in New Orleans. People had once again left New Orleans for a false alarm.
We could hardly believe it when the levees started to let go, and water from the Industrial Canal became a toxic stew in a great deluge. We started to see license plates from Louisiana around Birmingham.
For a few days, we could hardly believe what we were seeing on TV. The storm ripped many holes in the Superdome roof. As awful as the conditions were at the Superdome, it was worse at the Convention Center. We could hardly believe senseless looting, but then we became concerned about days without food, water, hygiene, electricity or medical care. Where was the Mayor of New Orleans? Where was the Governor of Louisiana? Where was the National Guard? Where was the resource of Federal government? There was not assistance but only plenty of blame to go around.
For me, my esteem for President George W. Bush took a dive from which it never recovered. The Federal Emergency Management Administration response to the crisis in New Orleans seemed like five lies in one. In Mississippi, FEMA rescued Governor Haley Barbour, who had personally delivered water and got the electricity restored. Only when Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen and Louisiana National Guard General Russell Honore took charge did things improve in New Orleans.
We went to a football game in Baton Rouge after the storm. On the trip, we drove through Mississippi. Many trees had blown down and exit signs had blown away. Blue FEMA temporary roofs were a common sight. There were 12 people in the two-bedroom Baton Rouge apartment on my step-son. Then we drove to New Orleans, which still had those Coast Guard marks on houses. Dumpsters and campers were in front of houses everywhere. The French Quarter was recovering, but employees had trouble finding a place to live.
Of course, it is better five years later. It is not coincidental that New Orleans has a different Mayor, Louisiana a different Governor and the U.S. a different President. It is not coincidental that Mississippi gave their Governor another term. They will all make different mistakes.
When it started to rain, we went to a huge store near our house to see what we could get. They were out of ice, water, bread, batteries and any rain wear. It rained without stop for a week; we lacked electricity for eight days. No refrigeration, lights or air conditioning. It was primitive as can be, like Gilligan’s Island. We could not get any more gas in our cars because modern pumps run on electricity. At my store, all the candy melted and everything in the freezer became warm.
We were watching footage of people reporting when Hurricane Katrina came ashore. It seemed to have hit central Mississippi and missed New Orleans yet again. Waveland, Mississippi, was obliterated. Shrimp boats were in trees. It was a giant slow-moving storm. Of course, there was wind and rain in New Orleans. People had once again left New Orleans for a false alarm.
We could hardly believe it when the levees started to let go, and water from the Industrial Canal became a toxic stew in a great deluge. We started to see license plates from Louisiana around Birmingham.
For a few days, we could hardly believe what we were seeing on TV. The storm ripped many holes in the Superdome roof. As awful as the conditions were at the Superdome, it was worse at the Convention Center. We could hardly believe senseless looting, but then we became concerned about days without food, water, hygiene, electricity or medical care. Where was the Mayor of New Orleans? Where was the Governor of Louisiana? Where was the National Guard? Where was the resource of Federal government? There was not assistance but only plenty of blame to go around.
For me, my esteem for President George W. Bush took a dive from which it never recovered. The Federal Emergency Management Administration response to the crisis in New Orleans seemed like five lies in one. In Mississippi, FEMA rescued Governor Haley Barbour, who had personally delivered water and got the electricity restored. Only when Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen and Louisiana National Guard General Russell Honore took charge did things improve in New Orleans.
We went to a football game in Baton Rouge after the storm. On the trip, we drove through Mississippi. Many trees had blown down and exit signs had blown away. Blue FEMA temporary roofs were a common sight. There were 12 people in the two-bedroom Baton Rouge apartment on my step-son. Then we drove to New Orleans, which still had those Coast Guard marks on houses. Dumpsters and campers were in front of houses everywhere. The French Quarter was recovering, but employees had trouble finding a place to live.
Of course, it is better five years later. It is not coincidental that New Orleans has a different Mayor, Louisiana a different Governor and the U.S. a different President. It is not coincidental that Mississippi gave their Governor another term. They will all make different mistakes.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Middle East Peace, God Willing
Only God and Allah can make Israel and the Authority of Palestine negotiate what is billed as a two-state solution. It is about West Bank settlements and right of return. The lion also can lay down with the lamb. It is just that the lamb will not get much sleep.
President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East envoy George Mitchell all said that the Arab League signed off on this deal, to be concluded in one year. They were all optimistic that this prospect would yield results and marginalize hard-line factions. Other one-year deadlines have come and gone with no results.
Principal negotiators are thought to be Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Authority Prime Minister Mahmood Abbas. Let us reflect that Abbas has the first name by which the Prophet is sometimes called. So this time, negotiations to be augmented by Israel neighbors King Abdullah of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarek of Egypt. The countries of the European Union will be represented by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Why would we think this process would succeed when other failed? Netanyahu has a fragile Majority and so does Abbas. Abdullah presides over a country that his father, King Hussein, expelled Palestinian refugees. Mubarek faces the kind of unrest at home that claimed the life of Anwar Sadat. Tony Blair might need Brussels to approve it. Let us reflect that Barack Obama has already been made weak by rampant U.S unemployment and a debt crisis that makes Greece look like a model of financial responsibility. Far from the stated goal to marginalize hard-liners, this process oddly strengthens them.
I say this as a realist about negotiations between Israel and Palestine. I hate the fact that Iran-backed Hamas rules Gaza. Add Iran as someone who has the capability to turn Israel into a lake of fire and Israel is surrounded by two existential threats.
In 2003, I wrote that Russia had just sold 10 surface to surface missiles to Iran. Now Russia has sold enriched uranium to Iran. Biological agents from their stock might be next. Russia is no friend of Israel or Palestine. Russia also uses natural gas as a weapon against countries of the European Union. Only Russia benefits from continued chaos between Israel, Palestine and the U.S.
President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East envoy George Mitchell all said that the Arab League signed off on this deal, to be concluded in one year. They were all optimistic that this prospect would yield results and marginalize hard-line factions. Other one-year deadlines have come and gone with no results.
Principal negotiators are thought to be Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Authority Prime Minister Mahmood Abbas. Let us reflect that Abbas has the first name by which the Prophet is sometimes called. So this time, negotiations to be augmented by Israel neighbors King Abdullah of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarek of Egypt. The countries of the European Union will be represented by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Why would we think this process would succeed when other failed? Netanyahu has a fragile Majority and so does Abbas. Abdullah presides over a country that his father, King Hussein, expelled Palestinian refugees. Mubarek faces the kind of unrest at home that claimed the life of Anwar Sadat. Tony Blair might need Brussels to approve it. Let us reflect that Barack Obama has already been made weak by rampant U.S unemployment and a debt crisis that makes Greece look like a model of financial responsibility. Far from the stated goal to marginalize hard-liners, this process oddly strengthens them.
I say this as a realist about negotiations between Israel and Palestine. I hate the fact that Iran-backed Hamas rules Gaza. Add Iran as someone who has the capability to turn Israel into a lake of fire and Israel is surrounded by two existential threats.
In 2003, I wrote that Russia had just sold 10 surface to surface missiles to Iran. Now Russia has sold enriched uranium to Iran. Biological agents from their stock might be next. Russia is no friend of Israel or Palestine. Russia also uses natural gas as a weapon against countries of the European Union. Only Russia benefits from continued chaos between Israel, Palestine and the U.S.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Knee Pain for Me is No Joke
Yesterday, I told a candidate that when I have been effective for a full day of campaigning, I gradually work up to it. This is for parades, too. At first it is four hours, then six hours. Gradually, I work up to 8 hours, then 10 hours.
Usually by an Election Day, I can start before the sun comes up and go about 18 hours. I can sleep Wednesday. I realize I am not as young as I was in 1990, but I was in Saginaw for a State Senate candidate before the sun rose and left after dark, then stayed at the improbable John Engler Victory Party until early Wednesday.
Why I gradually work up to a full day of campaigning is that my right knee has been repaired by surgery. It usually does not give me trouble when I gradually work it out. Sometimes I strengthen it through sports, but I often push off with my left foot.
Yesterday was 10 hours. There was nothing gradual about it and there was a lot of walking. Today, it is painful but fortunately my knee is not swollen as it has been in the past. This is why I no longer play contact sports or run on uneven ground.
Usually by an Election Day, I can start before the sun comes up and go about 18 hours. I can sleep Wednesday. I realize I am not as young as I was in 1990, but I was in Saginaw for a State Senate candidate before the sun rose and left after dark, then stayed at the improbable John Engler Victory Party until early Wednesday.
Why I gradually work up to a full day of campaigning is that my right knee has been repaired by surgery. It usually does not give me trouble when I gradually work it out. Sometimes I strengthen it through sports, but I often push off with my left foot.
Yesterday was 10 hours. There was nothing gradual about it and there was a lot of walking. Today, it is painful but fortunately my knee is not swollen as it has been in the past. This is why I no longer play contact sports or run on uneven ground.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
More on Wisconsin Driving
Early on Father’s Day morning, I drove to Marshfield. There was hardly any traffic on what is now called I-39. To me, it will always be 51. If the Wisconsin Highway Department was serious about a Highway 10 bypass, no one would have to slow to a crawl through Junction City, Milladore and Auburndale. It is still faster to take 10than the old route on back roads from Mauston.
I drove past 2104 S. Palmetto Avenue, 1101 W. 8th Street, where Connors live on 5th Street, other houses where friends had lived, what had been my Junior High School and Jesus on the Ball. I saw Mr. Berry, who was my teacher for Shakespeare as a high school senior when my attitude was terrible. I had lunch at Chip’s, which is now on South Central Avenue. There are other stores at their former location at Upham Street and North Central Avenue. I got gas at a family location on South Central Avenue. I was flooded with memories all the places I went. Some were good and involve friends. A few were terrible.
I was overcome by sleepiness during the trip back. For an hour, I slept and used the facilities at the rest area near Westfield. When I got on the road again, it was about 1 p.m.
Everything about traffic had changed; the road was now crowded. People who had been up north for the long weekend were driving home. The speed limit on I-39 and I-94 is 65 mph. I was driving 71 mph. People with Milwaukee dealership stickers on their autos or Illinois plates sailed past me. On I-94, State Police had pulled over several speeders. I said out loud, “It serves them right.”
Flash forward to Monday. I can feel my blood pressure rising because I am driving in Madison again. It is not yielding to pedestrians and bicycles; one simply accepts this as part of driving in Madison. No, it is other drivers. Some older drivers can barely see over their steering wheels, drive 15 mph below the posted speed limit and never use turn signals. In other places, Toyota with Stock Car decals are the danger car to watch; here it is the Subaru Forester with liberal decals. It does not matter how far I park from the front door of the place I am going. As I am exiting the car, someone is trying to park next to me. Invariably, it is an older driver.
My second wife joked that I drove like an old man because I drove defensively, looked far ahead to anticipate trouble and only drove seven mph above posted speeds. I still do that. The difference in Madison is that there are too many cars on roads that are too small to accommodate them. It is really hard to be defensive when other drivers are so offensive.
I drove past 2104 S. Palmetto Avenue, 1101 W. 8th Street, where Connors live on 5th Street, other houses where friends had lived, what had been my Junior High School and Jesus on the Ball. I saw Mr. Berry, who was my teacher for Shakespeare as a high school senior when my attitude was terrible. I had lunch at Chip’s, which is now on South Central Avenue. There are other stores at their former location at Upham Street and North Central Avenue. I got gas at a family location on South Central Avenue. I was flooded with memories all the places I went. Some were good and involve friends. A few were terrible.
I was overcome by sleepiness during the trip back. For an hour, I slept and used the facilities at the rest area near Westfield. When I got on the road again, it was about 1 p.m.
Everything about traffic had changed; the road was now crowded. People who had been up north for the long weekend were driving home. The speed limit on I-39 and I-94 is 65 mph. I was driving 71 mph. People with Milwaukee dealership stickers on their autos or Illinois plates sailed past me. On I-94, State Police had pulled over several speeders. I said out loud, “It serves them right.”
Flash forward to Monday. I can feel my blood pressure rising because I am driving in Madison again. It is not yielding to pedestrians and bicycles; one simply accepts this as part of driving in Madison. No, it is other drivers. Some older drivers can barely see over their steering wheels, drive 15 mph below the posted speed limit and never use turn signals. In other places, Toyota with Stock Car decals are the danger car to watch; here it is the Subaru Forester with liberal decals. It does not matter how far I park from the front door of the place I am going. As I am exiting the car, someone is trying to park next to me. Invariably, it is an older driver.
My second wife joked that I drove like an old man because I drove defensively, looked far ahead to anticipate trouble and only drove seven mph above posted speeds. I still do that. The difference in Madison is that there are too many cars on roads that are too small to accommodate them. It is really hard to be defensive when other drivers are so offensive.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Prince of a Guy
Joran van der Sloot, 22, erred when he allegedly broke the neck and robbed Stephany Flores, 21, in a hotel room Lima, Peru, and then fleeing to Chile in May. Hotel security cameras show them entering together than van der Sloot leaving alone four hours later. Ricardo Flores is a Peruvian celebrity because he parlayed fame as a former race car driver into entrepreneurial success and political activism. Van der Sloot was extradited back to Peru, where he is still being held and questioned.
Van der Sloot was infamous as the key suspect in the 2005 Aruba disappearance of Mountain Brook high school senior Natalee Holloway, 18. Only Brookies, with their sense of privilege and wealth, would take their senior trip to Aruba. Van der Sloot denied being complicit in Holloway’s disappearance, but tried to extort $250,000 from the Holloway parents to tell them how she died and location of her body. The father of van der Sloot, an Aruba politician and attorney, can not shield him now, having died in February.
In 2008, Dutch television crime reporter Peter de Vries captured hidden-camera footage of van der Sloot saying that after Holloway collapsed on the beach he asked a friend to dump her body in the sea.
Peruvian police found him in possession of a laptop computer and bills in 15 foreign currencies, including Bolivian, Cambodian and Thai. Also in 2008, de Vries reported that van der Sloot was recruiting women in Bangkok for sex work in the Netherlands.
If van der Sloot killed Asian girls and disposed of their bodies, they would not be missed or mourned. If van der Sloot is found guilty in the death of Flores, he faces 35 years in prison in Peru. He will have company, 117 Dutch criminals already serving time in Peruvian jails.
He might as well trade admission of guilt in Holloway for time in prison in Aruba.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wisconsin State Treasurer: Forward, Not Backward
Many Wisconsin voters do not care about electing a State Treasurer. This is why we should care.
It is not yet too late to stop making the Wisconsin State Treasurer the shrinking office that it has become. We elected our first State Treasurer in 1848. Some were clinkers; some were gems.
Scandal-plagued Democrat State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass has drawn a 2010 Primary challenge in her own political party. On the Republican side, Scott Feldt, aide to former State Treasurer Jack Voight, faces restaurant manager Kurt Schuller, who pledges to abolish the office. Delegates to the Republican State Convention in Milwaukee endorsed Feldt. Some think Schuller should belong to a third party because he is not a member of any county Republican party.
In other states, the State Treasurer audits the books of state government. If Wisconsin adopted this standard, the Governor would not borrow from one fund to cover a deficit in another fund without the State Treasurer knowing about it. This is true whether the Wisconsin Governor and State Treasurer are from the same or different political parties. The State Treasurer was Treasurer of the Wisconsin Investment Board, which is now dominated by people the Governor appoints.
There was a time when the Wisconsin State Treasurer was the only official chosen by voters to wear the green eye-shade. We think of financial derivatives as bringing down banks too big to fail, but the largest Wisconsin banks failed in 1901 and took the uninsured deposits of small savers with them. The Wisconsin State Treasurer made them post a bond as a condition of depositing state cash in them.
No state disbursements were made without the control of the Wisconsin State Treasurer to insure that the state lived within its means. It was the State Treasurer who collected what were new taxes on motor fuel and tobacco. After the repeal of Prohibition, the State Treasurer also collected tax on liquor and beer sold or brewed in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s State Treasurer regulated all these activities, too. The State Treasurer was custodian of money paid to the University of Wisconsin, state school aid, the state highway fund, the general fund and state worker pensions.
Most of these functions were gradually turned over to other state departments in the late 1950s. All checks issued by the State of Wisconsin still carry the laser-printed facsimile signature of the State Treasurer, including income tax refunds.
It is not as if the Wisconsin State Treasurer does not have current functions that touch the lives of people. The State Treasurer invests extra cash from participating local governments through the Local Government Investment Pool, has custody and records for unclaimed property act and general escheat laws, runs Wisconsin college savings plans and sits on a few state boards related to the financial health of state and local governments.
However, policy for the Local Government Investment Pool and college savings plans are set by the Wisconsin Investment Board. It also runs our medical malpractice fund, which Governor Jim Doyle grabbed to paper over a deficit. He was sued by people who pay higher medical malpractice premiums as a result. If an independent State Treasurer were still on the Wisconsin Investment Board, political appointees would not have dared to grab those funds and attorneys would not be enriching themselves by arguing for each side.
It was all so wasteful and unnecessary. Abolishing the office might strike a chord with angry voters. However, the cure for the failure of Democracy is more Democracy, not less.
It is not yet too late to stop making the Wisconsin State Treasurer the shrinking office that it has become. We elected our first State Treasurer in 1848. Some were clinkers; some were gems.
Scandal-plagued Democrat State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass has drawn a 2010 Primary challenge in her own political party. On the Republican side, Scott Feldt, aide to former State Treasurer Jack Voight, faces restaurant manager Kurt Schuller, who pledges to abolish the office. Delegates to the Republican State Convention in Milwaukee endorsed Feldt. Some think Schuller should belong to a third party because he is not a member of any county Republican party.
In other states, the State Treasurer audits the books of state government. If Wisconsin adopted this standard, the Governor would not borrow from one fund to cover a deficit in another fund without the State Treasurer knowing about it. This is true whether the Wisconsin Governor and State Treasurer are from the same or different political parties. The State Treasurer was Treasurer of the Wisconsin Investment Board, which is now dominated by people the Governor appoints.
There was a time when the Wisconsin State Treasurer was the only official chosen by voters to wear the green eye-shade. We think of financial derivatives as bringing down banks too big to fail, but the largest Wisconsin banks failed in 1901 and took the uninsured deposits of small savers with them. The Wisconsin State Treasurer made them post a bond as a condition of depositing state cash in them.
No state disbursements were made without the control of the Wisconsin State Treasurer to insure that the state lived within its means. It was the State Treasurer who collected what were new taxes on motor fuel and tobacco. After the repeal of Prohibition, the State Treasurer also collected tax on liquor and beer sold or brewed in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s State Treasurer regulated all these activities, too. The State Treasurer was custodian of money paid to the University of Wisconsin, state school aid, the state highway fund, the general fund and state worker pensions.
Most of these functions were gradually turned over to other state departments in the late 1950s. All checks issued by the State of Wisconsin still carry the laser-printed facsimile signature of the State Treasurer, including income tax refunds.
It is not as if the Wisconsin State Treasurer does not have current functions that touch the lives of people. The State Treasurer invests extra cash from participating local governments through the Local Government Investment Pool, has custody and records for unclaimed property act and general escheat laws, runs Wisconsin college savings plans and sits on a few state boards related to the financial health of state and local governments.
However, policy for the Local Government Investment Pool and college savings plans are set by the Wisconsin Investment Board. It also runs our medical malpractice fund, which Governor Jim Doyle grabbed to paper over a deficit. He was sued by people who pay higher medical malpractice premiums as a result. If an independent State Treasurer were still on the Wisconsin Investment Board, political appointees would not have dared to grab those funds and attorneys would not be enriching themselves by arguing for each side.
It was all so wasteful and unnecessary. Abolishing the office might strike a chord with angry voters. However, the cure for the failure of Democracy is more Democracy, not less.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Michaelsen Passes Baton to Sean Duffy
It has been gratifying and a little embarrassing to me how many people have expressed interest in my running again for U.S. Congress now that Dave Obey has retired. All some people know about WI-7 is that I ran for it in 1984 and that I wrote an amusing little article about it in the November 1989 American Spectator.
My time to run for U.S. Congress has passed. I hope Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy will be the next Congressman in WI-7. Duffy has things I never had. He has been elected several times. He is photogenic and has a photogenic family. He can raise money. He has people I really like working for his campaign. I will do what is asked of me to help him. I have the advantage of being from the more populous part of his district.
Duffy is a candidate because people believe in him. I was an accidental candidate in search of believers. When State Senator Walter John Chilsen chose not to run for U.S. Congress in 1984, I stepped forward. I did not regret running for U.S. Congress. It played a key role in my working for Programs & Policies in Lansing and being one of the better campaign operatives for winners to the Michigan Senate and U.S. Congress. Losing allowed me to help winners better.
In his farewell announcement, Dave Obey said how he, Morris Udall and Henry Reuss stood up to President Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Obey could not help invoking three people who are long dead. I think Bart Stupak announcing he would not run again after he sold out his Right-to-Life principles for health care reform had a profound impact on Obey, who had been an abortion foe like Stupak had been.
The districts of Obey and Stupak had been previously held by Republicans Melvin Laird and Bob Davis, respectively. They will turn Republican again in 2010.
My time to run for U.S. Congress has passed. I hope Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy will be the next Congressman in WI-7. Duffy has things I never had. He has been elected several times. He is photogenic and has a photogenic family. He can raise money. He has people I really like working for his campaign. I will do what is asked of me to help him. I have the advantage of being from the more populous part of his district.
Duffy is a candidate because people believe in him. I was an accidental candidate in search of believers. When State Senator Walter John Chilsen chose not to run for U.S. Congress in 1984, I stepped forward. I did not regret running for U.S. Congress. It played a key role in my working for Programs & Policies in Lansing and being one of the better campaign operatives for winners to the Michigan Senate and U.S. Congress. Losing allowed me to help winners better.
In his farewell announcement, Dave Obey said how he, Morris Udall and Henry Reuss stood up to President Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Obey could not help invoking three people who are long dead. I think Bart Stupak announcing he would not run again after he sold out his Right-to-Life principles for health care reform had a profound impact on Obey, who had been an abortion foe like Stupak had been.
The districts of Obey and Stupak had been previously held by Republicans Melvin Laird and Bob Davis, respectively. They will turn Republican again in 2010.
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