FREE WHITEWATER

City

More than a Crock-Pot

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Whitewater, Wisconsin, population 14,454, is many things.

A Crock-Pot is not one of them.

When a bureaucrat sees a community, but no individuals other than a few town fathers, he makes himself a cook, and actual people mere ingredients in a slowly-cooked stew. Chop up this, mash up that, throw in the spices of self-promotion and arrogance, and let it simmer over the course of the day.

Actually, let’s be clear: when a cook-bureaucrat makes a concoction like this, he doesn’t see the community clearly. He sees himself as a chef, maybe even an artist, and those around him as ingredients. (Alternatively, he may see himself in even grander terms.) When someone tells you that he exists for community betterment, he’s probably someone with that sort of view of the world.

That’s because the diversity, the unique aspects of a real community of individuals cannot be reduced to a project like betterment, as that one-size-fits-all idea ignores individuality.

It’s merely the soft autocracy of selfish pride and personal ambition, proclaimed as a supposed altruism.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 3.7.11

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Good morning,

Today’s forecast calls for a mostly cloudy day with a high temperature of thirty-seven degrees.

There’s are book fairs at Lakeview School and the middle school today.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a dark day in American history, but misplaces the date by a day.  The Society writes that on March 7th, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the Dred Scott case; the case was actually handed down on March 6th of that year.  In any event, here’s their entry:

On This Day: March 7

….On this date, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney overturned a Wisconsin decision involving the fate of abolitionist Sherman Booth. Booth and his followers had released Joshua Glover, a captured fugitive slave, from a Milwaukee jail on March 11, 1854. Authorities accused Booth of aiding and abetting a fugitive, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court found him innocent and declared the federal Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional in Wisconsin. The case caught the attention of lawmakers nationwide over the next six years, as federal and state authorities wrangled over Booth’s fate. On March 7, 1859, the U.S. Supreme Court gave judgment reversing that of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The case finally ended when President Buchanan pardoned Booth in March, 1861, just before leaving office. [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes, pg 185-202]

The federal case, I think, brought forth the worst decision in American legal history.

Twitter

Recent Tweets, 2.27 – 3.5

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Worst Headline of the Day™ Journal Sentinel: Another three-ring circus at the Capitol http://bit.ly/gKIpPT
5 March

Condescending to working class, who can assess own donations w/o Rickert’s exquisite solicitation MT @ChrisRickertWSJ: http://goo.gl/65tyS
5 March

Outrageous and astonishing: RT @WiStateJournal: Police tackle lawmaker as he enters Capitol http://dlvr.it/JG1W2
4 March

Weak Headline of the Day “Senate Republicans threaten missing Democrats with contempt” It’s de facto *arrest* at stake http://bit.ly/icVxQL
3 March

DAILY WISCONSIN » Hackers Known as Anonymous Declare War on Koch Industries, Walker’s Position on Collective Bargaining http://bit.ly/hZ063W
1 March

City

Of Hurricanes

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Even the most destructive hurricanes, those of the greatest power, finally dissipate. The damage they leave behind after they fade may take months, sometimes years to remedy, if at all.

A storm lasting for decades — if any should be so unfortunate to live during those conditions — would be more destructive still.

Although the winds may dissipate, or the storm move on, those having experienced the worst of it have the task of repair and restoration before them.

Nearly as bad as the damage would be the contention that the storm’s destruction was a thing of honor and pride, a public accomplishment. In that contention, one would find only the detestable and perverse, and another confirmation of the destructive power of the storm itself.

City

Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters March 2011 Newsletter

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The Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ March 2011 Newsletter is out, and it includes articles and a calendar of upcoming LWV events. The latest copy of the LWV newsletter is available as a link on my blogroll, and is embedded below, with coding through Google.

Here’s a sampling of upcoming events for the Whitewater-Area League —

Date: March 8 (Tuesday)
Event: Viewing of movie Iron Jawed Angels
Where: 6:30 PM, UW-W campus, University Center, Summers Auditorium

For more on the Iron Jawed Angels, see http://iron-jawed-angels.com.

Date: March 12 (Saturday)
Event: Candidate Forum
Where: 10 AM, Common Council Chambers

Invited candidates:

Aldermanic District 1: Jim Olsen and Michael LeBlanc
Aldermanic District 2: no registered candidate
Aldermanic District 3: James Winship Aldermanic
District 5: Patrick Singer
Council Member at Large: Marilyn Kienbaum

Date: April 1 (Friday)
Event: Workshop on Local Redistricting
Where: UW-Madison

Date: April 5 (Tuesday)
Event: Spring Election

Date: April 12 (Tuesday)
Event: Legislative Day
When: 11 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Madison

Date: April 28 (Thursday)
Event: LWV Public Program “Importance of Mixed Zoning” Steven Hiniker
When: 7 PM
Where: Common Council Chambers

Date: May 21 (Saturday)
Event: LWV Annual Meeting
When: 10 AM
Where: Fairhaven

Comment Forum

Friday Comment Forum: Drew Carey for Senate

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Here’s the Friday open comments post.

There’s an effort to draft Drew Carey to run for the United States Senate from Ohio. If Carey were to run in Wisconsin, or your own state, would you vote for him (or consider him a suitable candidate)?

I’d say yes, that I would consider him a suitable candidate, and that libertarian Carey would have been an easy pick for me over Sen. Johnson, for example. Johnson’s talked about libertarian books, but his positions are conventional for a GOP candidate. I’d go with Carey.

What about you?

Here’s a poll, as a part of the comments post; readers can comment either through the poll or the text box below.

The use of pseudonyms and anonymous postings is, of course, fine. Although the comments template has a space for a name, email address, and website, those who want to leave a field blank can do so. Comments will be moderated, against profanity or trolls.

Otherwise, have at it.

I’ll keep the post open through Sunday afternoon.




Libertarians

Libertarian Group Wants Cleveland Native Drew Carey to Run Against Sherrod Brown for US Senate Seat in 2012

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A group of libertarian conservatives is trying to convince “Price is Right” host and comedian Drew Carey to run in the Ohio Republican senate primary and then hopefully defeat Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.

So far, no major Republican candidates have surfaced. Conservative activist Josiah Schmidt has already set up a website and a Facebook fan page in the hopes of drawing him into the race.

Carey was born and raised in the Cleveland area, but currently lives in Los Angeles where he works as the host of “The Price is Right.”

Via Cleveland Leader.

Carey was host a libertarian series entitled, Drew Carey Saves Cleveland, offering free market fixes for the mess that is contemporary Cleveland, Ohio.

Here’s part of that series, where Carey and Reason‘s Nick Gillespie met Cleveland’s City Council:



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Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 3.4.11

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Good morning,

It’s a rainy day ahead for Whitewater, with a high temperature of forty-six degrees.

In our schools today, it’s Eagle and Spirt Day at Washington School, and the musical You Can’t Take It with You continues tonight at the high school.

NASA’s Messenger probe is mapping the surface of Mercury. It’s mostly done, with only a postion of the surface yet to complete, after which it will continue to map the surface periodically. NASA would do well, I think, to restrict itself to scientific missions like this, and leave human exploration to private concerns.



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