The greatest tragedies are injuries inflicted on the innocent. There are, however, other sad moments of our time, among them the collapse of responsibile conservatism into Trumpian irresponsibility & dishonesty. So many conservatives have become what they once despised. A local example would be proud conservatives who now insist, nationally or locally, that government is…
City
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, November 24th, 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Give Me Liberty
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? This Tuesday, November 24th at 1 PM, there will be a showing of Give Me Liberty @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Comedy/Drama) Rated PG 1 hour, 50 minutes (2019) An Independent film to be thankful for! Vic, a young Russian American, drives a handicapped van in Milwaukee, where he shares an…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, November 10th, 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, The Way Back
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? This Tuesday, November 10th at 1 PM, there will be a showing of The Way Back @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Drama/Sports) Rated R (Language) 1 hour, 48 minutes (2020) Ben Affleck portrays an alcoholic, former Catholic high school basketball star, who returns to his alma mater to coach its…
City, Holiday
Boo! Scariest Things in Whitewater, 2020
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the fourteenth annual FREE WHITEWATER list of the scariest things in Whitewater. (The 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions are available for comparison.) The list runs in reverse order, from mildly scary to truly frightening. 10. Radicals and Rhinoceroses. So there’s an idea, having bubbled up over…
Babbittry, Boosterism, City, Culture
Boosterism’s Cousin, Toxic Positivity
by JOHN ADAMS •
In political life, boosterism is the overzealous promotion of officials or programs while ignoring actual conditions (particularly conditions of the disadvantaged). It’s wrong and repulsive. (An acknowledgement worth making: I have never criticized boosterism because of a personal concern. My life is comfortable; objections to political boosterism are deep-seated in me as a matter of learning.) Civilizations…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 27th, 10 AM or 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, The House with a Clock in Its Walls
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, October 27th at 10 AM or 1 PM, there will be a showing of The House with a Clock in Its Walls @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Family/Comedy/Fantasy) Rated PG 1 hour, 45 minutes (2018) Our annual Halloween film offering is a fun blend of fantasy, horror, humor and…
CDA, City, Development, Government Spending, Local Government, Poverty, WEDC
Whitewater Common Council Meeting, 10.20.20: Basics and Buildings
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Common Council met briefly last night, 10.20.20. The agenda for the meeting is available, and a recording of the session appears above. Two different topics are worth noting (for different reasons): autumn leaf collection and a building rehabilitation project. A few remarks — 1. Leaf collection. The city has many homes & apartments, the homes…
Budget, CDA, City, Government Spending, Local Government, Open Government
Whitewater Common Council Meeting, 10.6.20: 9 Points
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Common Council last met on 10.6.20. The agenda for the meeting is available, and a recording of the early October session appears above. (As always, the best record is a recording.) Council discussed, among other items, Trick or Treating during the pandemic, a preliminary city budget, whether to return to in-person council meetings,…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 13th, 10 AM or 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Irresistible
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, October 13th at 10 AM or 1 PM, there will be a showing of Irresistible @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Comedy/Drama) Rated R (Language) 1 hour, 41 minutes (2020) In a small northern Wisconsin town, retired Marine Colonel/farmer Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) becomes a national star when a YouTube video of his protest…
City, Elections, Law, Local Government
Election Information for Whitewater, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
Please see information from the City of Whitewater about voting in the upcoming election — The City of Whitewater is committed to making sure every voter who is eligible to vote can do so. Citizens are encouraged to choose the voting option that works best for them. Here are some key dates and facts to…
City, Coronavirus, Local Government, Public Health, School District, University
September Arrives: Consequences Will Settle Claims
by JOHN ADAMS •
Posted originally on 9.1.20 — A reminder that, for a thousand discussions, predictions, warnings, or assurances — “what has been predicted about the pandemic & economy will prove true or false as against daily events and their consequences.” Original post follows — September arrives. Small-town Whitewater, like all America, wrestles with a pandemic and a…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, September 22th, 10 AM or 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Little Women
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, September 22th at 10 AM or 1 PM, there will be a showing of Little Women @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Drama/Romance) Rated PG 2 hours, 15 minutes (2019) Based on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, this is the sixth film version of the beloved story of the…
City, Culture, Law, Local Government, Open Government, Politics, Wisconsin
In Whitewater, Three Recent Trespasses Against Public Comment
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s public comment periods are lawful rights worth defending, and there has never been a time when respecting public comment – humbly and gratefully – has been more important for the city. Since June, there have been three meetings during which Whitewater’s current council president has deprecated public comment, or wrongly set the order of…
Charity and Mercy, City, Poverty
Waiting for Whitewater’s Dorothy Day
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater has many needs, but fulfilling them requires setting aside the city’s longstanding addiction to press releases, public relations, ‘messaging,’ etc. That approach is both ineffectual and proud (where pride is a sin). Worse still is the irreparably conflicted role of politician and reporter, a government intrusion into civil society, a bad habit of Old…