Good morning.

Whitewater will see snow today, of no more than a few inches of accumulation, and a daytime high of thirty-four. Sunrise is 7:37 AM and sunset is 4:25 PM, for 9h 02m 00s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 27.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1783, Gen. George Washington resigns his commission as commanding general of the Continental Army.  On this day in 1865, after years of service to the Union (Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee), the 1th Wisconsin Infantry returns home.

Worth reading in full — 

Jennifer Rubin observes that The House GOP agenda is already out of date: “The House GOP agenda rests on two flawed assumptions: (1) We are on the brink of a recession, and (2) Obamacare has to be repealed at all costs, as soon as possible.

Republicans seems to have bought into President-elect Donald Trump’s portrait of American dystopia. It may have worked to gin up votes among those concentrated in disintegrating communities and lacking requisite skills to thrive in a 21st-century economy. This does not make their plight any less compelling or diminish the need to attend to pockets of distress, but they are not representative of the country as a whole. It is hard to claim the country is tipping into depression when you look at the latest data:

Gross domestic product, a broad measure of the goods and services produced across the economy, expanded at an inflation- and seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.5% in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The rate was revised up from last month’s 3.2% estimate, and is the strongest quarterly pace of growth in two years.”

Kellyanne Conway will be a counselor to the president, but Long Before Trump, Kellyanne Conway Worked for Anti-Muslim and Anti-Immigrant Extremists: “After years in the political wilderness, extremist groups have gained new relevance, thanks to Trump’s victory. But Conway, who is now a senior adviser to the president-elect and is likely to run an outside group to support Trump’s agenda, has for years done work for some of these organizations, lending her polling expertise to their causes and helping them shape their messaging….Following the Paris terrorist attacks in late 2015, then-candidate Trump announced his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States until US leaders “can figure out what is going on.” To justify his proposal, he cited a flawed poll from June 2015 that portrayed American Muslims as increasingly radical. According to this poll, 51 percent of Muslims in the United States believe they should have the choice to be governed by Shariah law (Islamic religious law) instead of US laws, and nearly 20 percent believe “the use of violence in the United States is justified in order to make Shariah the law of the land in this country.”Conway’s firm, The Polling Company, conducted this poll for the Center for Security Policy….”

Nico Savidge reports on the resposne of a national Free speech group: Lawmakers’ push to end UW-Madison course is ‘definition of censorship’: “Warnings from two Republican lawmakers that the University of Wisconsin System’s budget could be affected if UW-Madison does not cancel a planned course on racism amount to an unconstitutional attempt to stifle free speech, according to a national anti-censorship group. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which tracks campus speech policies at colleges and universities across the country and criticizes efforts to limit First Amendment rights, said the statements this week from state Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, and Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, threaten academic freedom….The anti-censorship organization — which often draws praise from conservatives who warn of what they call restrictive campus speech policies put in place by left-leaning academics — countered that it was inappropriate for lawmakers to try to shut a course down because they disagreed with it.”

What’s popular in Wisconsin? Chelsey Lewis writes that Taco dip, gingerbread are some of Wisconsin’s favorite holiday foods: “What do you call a Wisconsin party without taco dip? A failure. The party staple is the most popular “holiday” recipe searched for by Wisconsin web users on General Mills’ sites, which include BettyCrocker.com and Pillsbury.com. General Mills looked at the search data across its websites from the holiday season and compiled a list of the most popular and unique holiday food traditions in each state.”

Go ahead, Sit with Santa at the Arctic Circle —

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of thirty-two. Sunrise is 7:23 AM and sunset 4:25 PM, for 9h 01m 49s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 35.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater Fire Department will hold a scheduled business meeting at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1864, Gen. Sherman offers a Christmas gift to Pres. Lincoln, and the president later replies with gratitude:

Sherman telegraphed to President Lincoln, “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.”^[15] On December 26, the president replied in a letter:^[16]

Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift – the capture of Savannah. When you were leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that ‘nothing risked, nothing gained’ I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went farther than to acquiesce. And taking the work of Gen. Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantage; but, in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole—Hood’s army—it brings those who sat in darkness, to see a great light. But what next? I suppose it will be safer if I leave Gen. Grant and yourself to decide. Please make my grateful acknowledgements to your whole army, officers and men.

Worth reading in full —

Oleg Kashin writes of Rex Tillerson’s Special Friend in the Kremlin: “[Head of Rosneft, Russia’s state oil company Igor I. ] Sechin is not just the chief executive of Rosneft, he is also one of the heroes of contemporary Russian politics. He is believed to have served as a K.G.B. agent in Africa and had no real experience in the business world until he was over 40. He didn’t come to lead the state oil company because of his business acumen; he earned his position through his loyalty to Mr. Putin. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mr. Sechin aligned himself with Mr. Putin, another former K.G.B. officer, as he began consolidating power in post-Soviet politics. Everywhere Mr. Putin went, Mr. Sechin was by his side as a trusted aide and adviser.”

Well, she’s found an inside job after all, as Kellyanne Conway, ‘Trump Whisperer,’ Will Be Counselor to President: ”She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message,” Mr. Trump said. “I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing.” Ms. Conway stood by Mr. Trump after a 2005 video surfaced in which he spoke in vulgar terms about groping women, proving her loyalty and helping to secure her position as someone who will have the president’s ear on a wide variety of topics. Ms. Conway has been a favorite strategist for conservative candidates, such as Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential race, and she was an adviser to Vice President-elect Mike Pence in his run for governor of Indiana.”

Steve Reilly of USA Today reports that some Teachers who sexually abuse students still find classroom jobs: “When it came time to deal with the Orangefield High School football coach, administrators didn’t fire McFarlin or report him to police. They didn’t even notify Texas education officials who had the power to take away his teaching license. Instead, they let him become someone else’s problem. They hid his behavior from state regulators, parents and coaches. All McFarlin had to do was go teach somewhere else. “This incident does not have to end McFarlan’s (sic) career,” school district attorney Karen Johnson wrote in a letter in 2005 to then-superintendent Mike Gentry. In the letter, Johnson recommended the district negotiate “a graceful exit” for the teacher. Less than two years later, McFarlin, then 38, landed a job at a nearby school district, where no one had any idea about his past problems. In 2011, he had sex with one of his students, a 16-year-old girl.”

Philip Rucker and Karen Tumulty report that Donald Trump is holding a government casting call. He’s seeking ‘the look.’: “Trump’s closest aides have come to accept that he is likely to rule out candidates if they are not attractive or not do not match his image of the type of person who should hold a certain job. “That’s the language he speaks. He’s very aesthetic,” said one person familiar with the transition team’s internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “You can come with somebody who is very much qualified for the job, but if they don’t look the part, they’re not going anywhere.” Several of Trump’s associates said they thought that John R. Bolton’s brush-like mustache was one of the factors that handicapped the bombastic former United Nations ambassador in the sweepstakes for secretary of state. “Donald was not going to like that mustache,” said one associate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly. “I can’t think of anyone that’s really close to Donald that has a beard that he likes.”

Chefs in Chicago are helping make ‘elite’ cuisine approachable:

While New York might be the city most known for excellent cuisine, the food scene in Chicago is increasingly innovative and vibrant, especially on the weekends. At EL Ideas restaurant, people pay a fixed price for a unique and interactive experiences. For example, guests eat the first course of caviar by licking it off their plate, no silverware allowed. “Chicago is an exciting food town,” says Phillip Foss, the chef and owner of EL Ideas. “Chefs here in Chicago are actually pushing a little bit harder to explore the boundaries of what a restaurant can be.” This is the eighth and final episode in The Atlantic’s video series “Saturday Night in America,” which uncovers pockets of nightlife across the nation. It was directed by Ben Wu and David Usui of Lost & Found Films.

Good morning.

In Whitewater, we’ll have a cloudy Wednesday with a high of thirty-two. Sunrise is 7:22 AM and sunset 4:24 PM, for 9h 01m 42s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 45.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets at 5:30 PM, and her Parks & Recreation Board at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1898, Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie discover radium in a uraninite sample.  On this day in 1862, the 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry (3,500 strong) sets out for Vicksburg, Mississippi (arriving on 1.5.1863).

Worth reading in full — 

Neil MacFarquahr and Andrew E. Kramer report on How Rex Tillerson Changed His Tune on Russia and Came to Court Its Rulers: “MOSCOW — As a member of the U.S.-Russia Business Council and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, Rex W. Tillerson frequently voiced doubts about Russia’s investment climate, saying as late as 2008 that Russia “must improve the functioning of its judicial system and its judiciary. There is no respect for the rule of law in Russia today”….[yet] oil industry experts and other analysts say, as Mr. Putin consolidated his control over Russia’s oligarchs, Mr. Tillerson underwent a profound change of outlook. He came to realize that the key to success in Russia, a country deeply important to Exxon’s future, lay in establishing personal relationships with Mr. Putin and his friend and confidant, Igor Sechin, the powerful head of Rosneft, the state oil company.”

Bruce Vielmetti reports that Megyn Kelly, Fox News win in Wisconsin court: “back when she was hosting “Kelly’s Court,” on a Fox News show called America Live in 2011, she and two guests breezily tossed out some commentary a former North Shore firefighter claims were defamatory. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Conen eventually dismissed the case, in part because he felt the segment clearly was not a serious news program, only a mock judicial debate. The plaintiff appealed. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals also sided with Kelly. “While the commentary may have been sarcastic, belittling, and impolite, that does not make it defamatory,”  wrote a panel of the District 1 court. The decision came from judges Kitty Brennan, Joan Kessler and William Brash. “It is a prized American privilege to speak one’s mind, although not always with perfect good taste, on all public institutions.”

Michael Gerson observes that The GOP is at its peak, but conservatism has hit rock bottom: “Conservatives believe that human beings are fallible and prone to ambition, passion and selfishness. They (actually, we) tend to become swaggering dictators in realms where we can act with impunity — a motor vehicle department office, a hostile traffic stop, a country under personal rule. It is the particular genius of the American system to balance ambition with ambition through a divided government (executive, legislative and judicial). The American system employs human nature to limit the power of the state — assuming that every branch of government is both dedicated to the common good and jealous of its own power….This is not the political force that has recently taken over the Republican Party — with a plurality in the presidential primaries and a narrow victory in November. That has been the result of extreme polarization, not a turn toward enduring values. The movement is authoritarian in theory, apocalyptic in mood, prone to conspiracy theories and personal abuse, and dismissive of ethical standards. The president-elect seems to offer equal chances of constitutional crisis and utter, debilitating incompetence.”

Daniel Drezner enumerates Donald Trump’s three types of norm violations, but it’s the third of the three that matters: “The final set of violations are the ones where Trump is taking steps that run afoul of deeper norms, some of which are even enshrined in the Constitution: His refusal to properly divest from his company, which set up massive conflicts of interest in foreign policy. The possible violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn occupying positions of power in the White House. His reliance on his family as close advisers to the point where they are sitting in on meetings they should not be attending. His desire to make his staff sign nondisclosure agreements. His open war with the intelligence community. His laying the groundwork for his own private security force. These are the areas in which Trump is not only eviscerating existing norms, but creating a new set of arrangements that seem like a breeding ground of corruption, favoritism and the further erosion of trust in the political system.”

Could one have a bicycle-powered house?  NPR’s Skunk Bear investigates —

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be much warmer than yesterday, with a high of thirty under mostly sunny skies. Sunrise is 7:22 AM and sunset 4:23 PM, for 9h 01m 40s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 55.9% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1860, South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union. On this day in 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was formally completed with a transfer ceremony in New Orleans.  In December 1941, large numbers of Wisconsinites begin enlisting for military duty during the Second World War, with about 320,000 serving during the course of the war.

Worth reading in full — 

Patrick Marley reports that Wisconsin Attorney General Schimel considers reopening Lincoln Hills probe: “Madison — After saying last week he was “in the dark” on an investigation into Wisconsin’s juvenile prison, Attorney General Brad Schimel changed course Monday and said his office now may issue charges over alleged inmate abuses. Schimel’s sharply different tone came a day after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation reported that state officials missed a series of warning signs coming from Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, which share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau. The Republican attorney general headed a criminal investigation into the facility for a year, but turned it over to the FBI in early 2016. He told the Journal Sentinel on Thursday he had not been seeking updates on the investigation and didn’t know its status….When told FBI hadn’t visited Lincoln Hills for nearly a year, Schimel said he was surprised to hear that, but wasn’t bothered. He struck a much different tone Monday, after the Journal Sentinel’s story appeared. In an interview with The Associated Press, Schimel said his agency may “step back in” and re-launch its own investigation.”

Eli Lake proposes that Obama Should Out Putin’s Wealth as Payback for Election Hacking: “U.S. officials have hinted before that they know more than they are saying about Putin’s money. Adam Szubin, the acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, told the BBC in January that Putin “supposedly draws a state salary of something like $110,000 a year. That is not an accurate statement of the man’s wealth, and he has long time training and practices in terms of how to mask his actual wealth.” In October, retired Admiral James Stavridis told NBC News: “It’s well known that there’s a great deal of offshore money moved outside of Russia from oligarchs. … It would be very embarrassing if that was revealed, and that would be a proportional response to what we’ve seen”….The effect of a disclosure by the Obama administration though would be apparent in the West. Putin may not care whether his citizens know how corrupt he is. But I bet his Western bankers and business partners do. Fiona Hill, a senior fellow and Russia expert at the Brookings Institution, told me Monday: “The one thing about revealing this information is that it would stigmatize his wealth. This is shining a spotlight on him and his allies.”

Jennifer Rubin writes that Trump revels in fake news and phony claims: “here is what is different about Trump: He doesn’t try to get it right. He doesn’t assume that people care about the truth or that the truth is important. He will repeat blatant untruths (e.g. Arab Americans celebrated after 9/11, President Obama wasn’t born in the United States, he won by a landslide, we don’t know whether Russia hacked us), and then try to bully those who dispute him. Rather than engage on the facts, Trump insults, demeans and bullies the messenger. Critical voices — even “Saturday Night Live” — are, in his view, “losing” business (even when they are not), because for Trump, financial success makes one good and truthful while financial distress means one is bad and a liar.”

Rich McCormick writes that the Rogue One director says its original ending was very different [spoilers in linked story]: “Rogue One could have been a very different film. Reports of extensive reshoots persisted during its production, and the fact it underwent severe story surgery is backed up by shots seen in the trailers that didn’t make it into the final film. We may never know what the first version of the first Star Wars spinoff looked like, but director Gareth Edwards — who spoketo movie magazine Empire this month — has confirmed that Rogue One’s original ending was one such cutting-room casualty.”

One sees that some Britons decided to send a meat pie to the edge of space, about 100,000 feet above the Earth —