Common Ground

In God We Trust.  It is printed on our money.  However, if a father and mother do so, and their daughter dies, why would we even consider persecuting them in their time of mourning and confusion? Is it just some nice sounding words that don't really mean anything?

What the heck is going on with the presidential elections this year? This isn't the first time that I've voted in a presidential primary, but it is the first time that I believe my vote was negated in some way. It doesn't matter if you are Democrat or Republican. Each party lost candidates that we in Wisconsin as well as most other states never even had a chance to vote for!

Is Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos working? It seems like the Democrats have created their own chaos.  What is with these "super delegates"? I keep hearing that if they don't side with their state's winner, there may well be a voter riot, election sit out, migration to McCain or perhaps to the Corvair killer, Ralph Nader. Yeah, I had a 1966 Corvair Monza in high school.  If these super delegates are not free to vote their will or be swayed, cajoled or bought, what is the purpose of them then? And do I need to comment on Florida and Michigan? Isn't the Democratic party the one that tosses the term "disenfranchise" around like salt and pepper at dinner time?

What about rumors of Al Gore stepping in to settle the foray? Or, would it be, truthfully, too inconvenient to take four or eight years away from convincing the planet that we are responsible for sun spots and other cyclical solar and climatological events?

I guess that all I can do is sit back like a typical white person, dodge the sniper fire and enjoy the fight.

No question about it. This winter has been the snowiest ever.  It also has been one of my favorite! No, I don't have a condo or apartment where I don't have to contend with the snow.  I've fought with it along with everyone else and helped out a neighbor or two with the big Craftsman snowblower.

What I liked about it is that when the work is done, Kanook and I can head over the Minooka Park and hike around the dog park without getting boots or paws muddy.

Lack of snow and thin sod cause the county to close the dog park, which I think was a wise move provided something is in the plans for remedying the situation such as tougher sod, wood bark or decomposed granite in the high traffic areas.

With the 15 inches of snow Friday, they opened the park and the parking lot was again filled by late morning Saturday. It's a heavy snow and soon packed down trails were created. A visit to Mitchell Park afterwards showed a similar situation along with the sled hill adjacent to the dog park being used by kids that still had their sleds accessible.

I don't think this snow is going to last too long however. Already some spots have melted through and the meltdown will flood out the low spots of both dog parks worse than they already are.  So keep tabs on the county's web site to see if the Minooka dog park is open or not until all the snow melts and the ground isn't squishy!

 So much to think about and write about from the news of the past several days that I thought I'd take Kanook to Minooka park.  It was past sundown and while driving up to the check-in hut, I noticed something out of the ordinary.  It was a notice that the large dog area was closed until the ground firmed up a bit more. It said further that they are checking it daily and to check out the county park website to see the status. I tried doing just that but the pages would not load.  Perhaps website maintenance is being done at this time.

The small dog area remains open.  As it was dark and nobody else was around, Kanook and I decided to check it out. It too has much mud adjacent to the cement apron, but once beyond that, it is in pretty good shape.

If you need your dog park fix in the mean time, check out www.waukeshadogparks.org for other off leash areas in Waukesha County.

I hope that if you've read my previous blog, you noticed that I tagged it as satire. Just keep in mind that satire and stereotypes have roots in truth.

I am wondering one thing though. Many of the good citizens of Waukesha have complained about noisy motorcycles.  The police response is usually that they have to hear the offender in order to do anything with it. Just to let you know that I'm not Saint Steven, I used to make my share of noise around Cutler Park in the very early 1970's on my Triumph Bonneville with non-mufflers on it. I was eighteen then. I got a citation after a time and ended up buying mufflers for it. That was the end of my "to heck with other people" days. 

I don't exaggerate when I say that fully half of the attending motorcycles will probably have shed their adequate factory mufflers and put on something louder or often no mufflers at all.  The Americade rally that I've attended several times, specifically warns that loud motorcycles will be ticketed by Lake George New York police. I witnessed it being done almost constantly during the rally. 

I fully expect that the law here will be enforced just as vigorously as it is in Lake George. Stock up on ticket pads and pens. Otherwise I want my citation money back, with interest from 1970! 

A former editor of a local newspaper has told his readers that if they don't want to contend with the big Harley party this summer, leave town for a few days. How quaint!

As I am a motorcyclist for over forty years and have taken several camping excursions into the Appalacian Mountains and attended many motorcycle rallies, Harley Davidison specific included, I believe I have a more knowledgable opinion of this than those in the city that only see $$ dollars $$ and a little rumble in the air. 

Harley Davidson riders are divided into three groups. They are the hard core riders. They look like Paul Tuetul. Tatoos are cool. Out of my way type of people. Also known as the 1%ers. Then there are the Wannabes.  Like Clark Kent, they lead boring lives in their community and help old ladies across the street during the week.  On weekends they transform into the appearance of Sonny Barger, the most famous 1%er, but stop short of riding up and down the street whacking the citizens of Hollister with chains and being served food and beverage then leaving without paying for it. They have a Walter Mitty desire to be looked at by the cowering spectators as a 1%er.  They do some good deeds and raise some money for charity from time to time so they can have the police look the other way when they push the limits of law. The third type of Harley Rider can be confused with a Honda rider. They don't necessarily wear the uniform or have the attitude.  They just like the looks and sound of the machine and enjoy the ride.

Harley events also have double lives. There is the main event. Perhaps the most well know is Dayton Florida. I've never been there but I think it is about to be held as I write this blog. It is a rite of spring and the season kick-off. The hard core riders visit the main event but look for something a little more thrilling.  These side events are usually miles away from the main event or in a neighboring city. They are not sanctioned by the main event sponsor. Camera crews from "girls gone wild" frequently show up. The smell of burning hemp is in the air and the syringes littering the area are not from diabetics. Hospitals have to call in off-duty doctors and nurses. Beer trucks are hijacked.

Waukesha's event will fall someplace between Lake George New York (Americade) and Hollister California, and I don't mean geographically. I mean mild and wild.  This is why I've gone on record that is it best held at the County Expo grounds. 

The organizers say that they will have security covered by rent-a-cops and the police will not have to lift a finger. Perhaps, and I certainly hope so. However, I've seen what naive little towns get themselves into.  We'll need the sheriff deputies near by.  Lots of them. 

Two major companies were bidding for the replacement ship to replace the aging fleet of current tankers. The bid was won by the European Airbus company. The Airbus proposal was deemed to be a superior plane versus the Boeing bid.  I can't fault the Air Force for wanting to get the most for their money.

I have to question some things about this and I think the award should be held up until it is better thought out. I have two concerns. First is that all things being equal, money spent by the government within the country is much better spent than money going out of the country.  Even if more is spent, it still is money that creates jobs, tax revenue and a more robust economy. Second, the product needs to be adequate and meet the specifications of the bid. When the bid is between competing American companies, that is one thing. But when it is a choice between money staying in the country or exiting it, every aid to see that the American product meets the specifications should be given to the American company. In this case Boeing.

There is a bit of heritage to be considered too. Europe is a free Europe largely because of Boeing's bombers manned and supported by heroic American crews and built by Americans. Boeing is family and family comes first!

Whenever there is an event that closes the streets downtown, it seems that I need to get somewhere there, such as the bank or to drive though it to get somewhere else that I need to be. 

This proposed Harley Party has all the appearances of trying to highlight a certain business that got rammed down the taxpayer's throat and a whole bunch of people are resentful of. Putting that aside, I've got no argument against hosting a Harley Party, but downtown is not the place to do it. The County Expo grounds is the place to hold such a function.  That is why it is there.

I would like to have the businesses around downtown see some income from such an event though.  There is a fun way to do it.  It is called a "Poker Run". Motorcyclists love to eat and they can be directed to the downtown area eating establishments by having them as a stopping point to have their card stamped or to draw a card. Some of the riders and passengers would like to see some of the artistic side of downtown too.  Perhaps a special bus shuttle could be operated to relieve congestion and allow people to easily get from the expo grounds to downtown.

A fun and profitable time can be had by all. Just don't shut the streets down for the people that have paid to use them!

Tonight someone is going to be appointed to finish out Joe LaPorte's term as Alderman. Having gone through the process myself, I'm uncomfortable with the process as it presently is. Holding an election would be the best way to do it. The people of the aldermanic precinct should vote for their representative.  Oh, I know that this democracy thing requiring voting is such a hassle. After all, American Idol or Dancing With the Stars might be on that Tuesday!

As it is, having the council voting to add one to their group can be looked at two ways.  One way is that they can recognize political genius that will benefit all of Waukesha. The other way is that some may vote for the person least likely to make a fuss for a while and get in the way of progress. It probably is something between those extremes, but I wonder....

Think about it. The people getting their alderman appointed have absolutely no say in who is about to represent them!

If for some good reason, other than expense, there cannot be a regular election of replacement aldermen, then I would suggest that a citizen committee be created from the taxpayer list in that aldermanic district.  These people can then interview the candidates, basing their selection on what is important for THEIR district.

Having someone other than the people appoint their representatives was halted 232 years ago in the colonies. Let's not forget our history.

I've stated in the past that many elections are more of a beauty contest than an election of a person with the best resume'. I was dwelling on that one day when a friend emailed me a link to a "rate the candidate" website.  You mark off the importance of various issues to you and then the candidates are given a ranking based on your thoughts without being swayed by partisanship or rhetoric.  I was surprised when my candidate of choice ranked below one that I'd thought did not fit my views as well. It has forced me to re-evaluate my thinking.

Too often we hear "man (person) on the street interviews" where when asked why they support someone, little or no good reason can be thought of.  Want to see how your favorite candidate does when a blind, emotionless appraisal is done of how they match up to your ideals? Visit http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460 and see how your's does.