FREE WHITEWATER

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 8-23-10

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Good morning,

Today’s forecast for Whitewater calls for a dense fog and a high temperature of eighty-three degrees.

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority will meet today, at 4:30 p.m., at the 1231 Innovation Drive, in a construction trailer at the site of Whitewater’s eleven-million dollar publicly-funded project. The agenda for their meeting is available online. The members of the CDA will tour the site. Everything they’ll see is being built with money better spent on other and genuine needs.



On this date in 1775, King George III proclaimed the American colonies in a state of rebellion against his rule. The text of the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition appears below:

Whereas many of our subjects in divers parts of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, misled by dangerous and ill designing men, and forgetting the allegiance which they owe to the power that has protected and supported them; after various disorderly acts committed in disturbance of the publick peace, to the obstruction of lawful commerce, and to the oppression of our loyal subjects carrying on the same; have at length proceeded to open and avowed rebellion, by arraying themselves in a hostile manner, to withstand the execution of the law, and traitorously preparing, ordering and levying war against us: And whereas, there is reason to apprehend that such rebellion hath been much promoted and encouraged by the traitorous correspondence, counsels and comfort of divers wicked and desperate persons within this realm: To the end therefore, that none of our subjects may neglect or violate their duty through ignorance thereof, or through any doubt of the protection which the law will afford to their loyalty and zeal, we have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to issue our Royal Proclamation, hereby declaring, that not only all our Officers, civil and military, are obliged to exert their utmost endeavours to suppress such rebellion, and to bring the traitors to justice, but that all our subjects of this Realm, and the dominions thereunto belonging, are bound by law to be aiding and assisting in the suppression of such rebellion, and to disclose and make known all traitorous conspiracies and attempts against us our crown and dignity; and we do accordingly strictly charge and command all our Officers, as well civil as military, and all others our obedient and loyal subjects, to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion, and to disclose and make known all treasons and traitorous conspiracies which they shall know to be against us, our crown and dignity; and for that purpose, that they transmit to one of our principal Secretaries of State, or other proper officer, due and full information of all persons who shall be found carrying on correspondence with, or in any manner or degree aiding or abetting the persons now in open arms and rebellion against our Government, within any of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, in order to bring to condign punishment the authors, perpetrators, and abetters of such traitorous designs.

Given at our Court at St. James’s the twenty-third day of August, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, in the fifteenth year of our reign.

GOD save the KING.

Weird Tales

David Corn: Where Are All the UFO Photos?

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Where, indeed?

Okay, where are all the UFO pictures? And the UFO videos?

In recent years, the world has exploded with photographic and video equipment. There are about 5 billion cellphones in circulation throughout the world — many, if not most, equipped with still and/or video cameras. (The number of mobile broadband subscriptions will probably top a billion globally this year.) And there are millions, if not billions, of easy-to-use video cameras in circulation, as well as billions of still-picture cameras. Essentially, billions of people are able to snap or otherwise shoot the least bit interesting thing that happens at a moment’s notice.

So with all this gear in use, I’m wondering, why has no one captured clear and unambiguous evidence of UFOs from outer space?

See, Where Are All the UFO Photos?



Photo from Plan 9 from Outer Space

Twitter

Recent Tweets, 8-15 to 8-21

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Reason’s Tim Cavanaugh: Injecting more debt into the deflating housing balloon is like trying to drink yourself sober http://bit.ly/aoFOy5
about 11 hours ago

Growth industry — Lobbying of state Legislature up 12 percent http://bit.ly/bWgI97
about 20 hours ago

Walworth County’s back roads draw bicyclists from throughout southern Wisconsin — Walworth County Today http://bit.ly/a7HIpy
6:55 PM Aug 20th

Raw milk no riskier than eggs, yet eggs ok, milk banned @BreakingNews: 2nd Iowa company recalls eggs for salmonella http://bit.ly/9IF6Dt
3:43 PM Aug 20th

Victory step by step RT @davidgumpert: Fed judge refuses to dismiss ftcldf raw milk case agnst fda. Round 1 to consumers.
3:40 PM Aug 20th

Fruits of diligent inquiry: Middle-of-night repairs done on Dells ride hours before inspection http://bit.ly/c6OuVH
3:08 PM Aug 20th

UAW Sells Out Members, Holds On To Black Lake Resort | The Truth About Cars http://bit.ly/bW5XMF
8:40 PM Aug 19th

Bulking up – RT @cyclingfansanon: WSJ: Cyclists Armstrong, Hincapie Broaden Legal Teams http://is.gd/epwN5
8:30 PM Aug 19th

Gulf oil spill plumes big, have staying power http://bit.ly/9KbV3C
7:39 PM Aug 19th

“Wis. prison head lives in Illinois” by Latest News — GazetteXtra http://bit.ly/c2OaPr
3:09 PM Aug 19th via Seesmic for Android

A clique is no match for open and transparent government with one exception: the clique better satisfies the self-importance of its members
11:22 AM Aug 19th

Few hundred self-important men cannot run town as well as majority of its fourteen thousand residents Contrary opinion rests on narcissism
11:17 AM Aug 19th

Cluelessness Watch™ Politician uses his website to joke code enforcement officer is ‘illegally’ parked in town w/ myriad enforcement issues
10:38 AM Aug 19th

RT @nothingbutnets: Great article from @espn about recent trip to Senegal for a net distribution with @NBA Cares! http://ht.ly/2rSJT
10:32 AM Aug 19th

Fuel-efficient cars are more effective at conservation than public rail, says Cato’s Randal O’Toole: http://bit.ly/9Kslc4
10:52 AM Aug 18th

Good grades RT @WiStateJournal: UW ranked 13th among nation’s public universities http://ow.ly/18BCJU
12:27 PM Aug 17th

A Referendum for Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Schools » FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/duAgi1
10:59 AM Aug 17th

Beautiful Whitewater » FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/9bs5dr The beauty of my small Midwestern town, in a few wildflowers, and a spider
10:41 AM Aug 17th

The Whitewater, Wisconsin City Manager’s Unpersuasive Lament » FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/bHHyfr
10:39 AM Aug 17th

Politics

NOAA Claims Scientists Reviewed Controversial Report; The Scientists Say Otherwise

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The politicization of science through government lies —

In responding to the growing furor over the public release of a scientifically dubious and overly rosy federal report about the fate of the oil that BP spilled in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA director Jane Lubchenco has repeatedly fallen back on one particular line of defense — that independent scientists had given it their stamp of approval….

The skimpy, four-page report dominated an entire news cycle earlier this month, with contented administration officials claiming it meant that three fourths of the oil released from BP’s well was essentially gone — evaporated, dispersed, burned, etc….

HuffPost reached seven of the 11 scientists listed on the report. One declined to comment at all, six others had things to say.

In addition to disputing Lubchenco’s characterization of their role, several of them actually took issue with the report itself.

In particular, they refuted the notion, as put forth by Lubchenco and other Obama administration officials, that the report was either scientifically precise or an authoritative account of where the oil went.

It’s bogus environmentalism and refuted politics.

Via NOAA Claims Scientists Reviewed Controversial Report; The Scientists Say Otherwise.

Press

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism: For-Profit College Accused of Operating Illegally in Wisconsin

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The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has a just-released story about a for-profit college in Wisconsin. Reporter Kate Golden, in For-profit college accused of operating illegally in Wisconsin, describes the school’s shady practices.

Now that she knows Westwood College was never authorized to operate in Wisconsin, Janesville resident Melissa Willes wants her $25,000 back.

“The biggest mistake of my life was attending college,” said Willes, 23, one of at least 200 Wisconsin students who have taken online classes through Westwood.

The major for-profit college, based in Denver, is coming under intensified federal scrutiny since a recent government report documented improper recruiting practices within the nation’s fast-growing for-profit college sector.

Willes said a Westwood recruiter told her the $75,000 online bachelor’s degree in interior design she was considering wasn’t approved yet in Wisconsin, but assured her it would be by the end of her three-year program.

Willes never finished the degree after maxing out her borrowing limit for federal student loans. Westwood credits generally aren’t transferable to other schools, the college acknowledges.

On July 7, Willes sued Westwood in Rock County Circuit Court, and on Aug. 6 Westwood moved the case to U.S. District Court in Madison. Willes charged that the college was operating without the required state approval, which is designed to ensure educational quality and protect students from fraud. She has asked the court to certify her suit as a class action.

In her lawsuit, Willes claimed that misleading marketing tactics by Westwood enticed her to enroll in a substandard program and take on excessive tuition debt in pursuit of a “largely useless” degree.

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s story is powerful for several reasons. First, it’s rich with detail about, Westwood’s practices.

Second, it distinguishes Westwood from other for-profit colleges. (Westwood is different, completely, from a private, accredited college; many private schools, like Marquette University, are nothing like Westwood, in quality or integrity. This story’s not about any private school, but a certain kind of private school.)

Third, it makes clear that these schools sometimes dupe students, and milk taxpayers, as “taxpayer-funded student loans are their bread and butter.” A weaker story would have said that this was a matter of a for-profit college cheating people, or an exploitable student loan program. It’s both.

About those resources, among others, the story has a link to Melissa Willes’s original complaint, a General Accounting Office report on colleges like Westwood, and a GAO undercover video that lets readers see what recruiters for these colleges are willing to tell people (just about anything!) to get them to apply for a federal loan.

Here’s that GAO video:



Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=argKE6FdtM8.

Consider, finally, the tagline of the Wisconsin Center: “Protect the Vulnerable, Expose Wrongdoing, Seek Solutions.” Fine ideals. That’s true at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and there are other good newspapers across the state that have similar ideals, however expressed.

What happened that so many have turned away from these ideals, so very American, in favor of a slavish and fawning support of every official within sight? That’s a story — a multi-part series — all its own, I’m afraid. more >>

Comment Forum

Friday Comments Forum — Top Ten Films

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Here’s the Friday open comments post.

Today’s suggested topic is a list of “10 all-time favorite films.”

Today’s topic — top ten favorite films, has been a happy challenge. It’s a challenge to pick just ten, but a happy challenge.

Here’s my list, in no particular order:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Inspired.

High Noon (1952). A fine western, and rightly celebrated. Marshal Will Kane stands his ground, in a tribute to individualism. Over fifty years later, it still holds up.

Exorcist (1973). Parodied many times, but a great film from William Friedkin. Some the the scenes have a real tension, in those moments of conversation.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Great Harper Lee book, and a solid, serious performance from Gregory Peck in the film.

North by Northwest (1959). My favorite Hitchcock film.

Henry V (1989). Better even than Olivier’s version, Kenneth Branagh conveys Henry’s transition from supposedly callow ruler to wartime leader.

King Kong (2005). Beautiful and moving. Astonishing. My favorite of all time.

Dark City (1998). A science fiction gem: “…a lifetime of knowledge in a single syringe.”

Bringing Up Baby (1938). Always funny.

His Girl Friday (1940). Some of the funniest lines on screen, in a comedy about a big city paper.

The use of pseudonyms and anonymous postings are, 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. Enjoy.

Beautiful Whitewater, City, Laws/Regulations

Beautiful Whitewater

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During the week, each morning, I’ve posted photos of wildflowers near a parking lot on our college campus. There are two reasons for posting them. Those photos appeared Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

First, the flowers make beautiful photographs, however poor the photographer. Seen as they are, they’re lovely.

Look back over the photos from the full week, seeing these plants closely, and I think you’ll agree. Even my poor photography cannot spoil them. They’re living wonders.

Second, they reveal not merely natural beauty, but diverse and plentiful life — each small patch is home to both plants and animals, a small ecosytem all its own. A person might conclude that plants like this are all a jumble, but they’re more than that — they’re beautiful plants and animals of an interdependent order.
Natural lawns are like this, too. I don’t have one, but I can see that they’re beautiful and representative of a created order. These beautiful but harmless lawns should not be mowed down, in whole or part, by municipal mandate.

There are things to be said in favor of a homeowner’s natural lawn.

It’s a legitimate use of private property, earned by private citizens, and cared for by them. No bureaucrat bought the properties on which these lawns grow — they were not earned at his labor, were not nurtured with his time, and should not be subject to his meddling. This is the arrogant presumption of publicly-paid officials: that they may not only draw a salary at public expense, but may restrict and control the fruits of others’ salaries at their whim and discretion. It simply shows an official’s disrespect for the boundary between public and private, to regulate ever father. To other communities, it makes Whitewater a subject of criticism by contrast with their own practices.

Sometimes an official will insist on regulating private property, but will wail, gnash his teeth, and rend his garments at the slightest criticism of his public performance. Regulations should rest on the presumption that private property should remain free of public meddling. Similarly, those regulations should be free of motivation from spite, pique, and retaliation for public criticism.

It’s wrong to contend that these are merely weeds, as that’s simply misinformed and ignorant. They’re not weeds, but a delicate, small ecosystem of living things. It merely battens on ignorance to contend otherwise.

Lawns like these, few in number across the town, cause no harm to others, although one can expect specious arguments along those lines. Should such arguments be made, they will merit a thorough and comprehensive refutation, debunking flimsy arguments. That’s a refutation that one should be happy to make, if the necessity were to arise.

Someone, somewhere, saw the beauty in the wildflower flowers planted near the campus this summer. He was right to do so. Plants like these, and other wild varieties grown with care by homeowners in town, and worth admiring, and defending.

Law

Jonathan Tobin: The Federal Government’s Steroids Problem

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A waste of resources, and prosecutorial grandstanding. These cases suck time and money that should be allocated against violent crime. Tobin has it just right:

The news today that former baseball great Roger Clemens has been indicted on federal perjury charges will, no doubt, serve as the catalyst for another outpouring of moral outrage about the use of steroids or other so-called performance enhancing drugs in sports. Clemens, like Barry Bonds, another superlative player who has also been indicted for perjury about his steroid use, is exactly the sort of person the authorities love to single out for prosecution: wealthy and arrogant, and thus extremely unpopular.
….the government has yet to demonstrate why the use of these substances is of sufficient import to justify the not inconsiderable resources that the Justice Department has deployed to ferret out baseball’s steroid users.

….what national peril did steroids pose to the republic and its citizens that made it necessary for both Congress and the Department of Justice to spend so much time and money chasing after Clemens and Bonds?

….The real reason is that prosecuting wealthy adult athletes generates enormous publicity, which is something that both members of Congress and federal prosecutors crave.

Via The Federal Government’s Steroids Problem.

Laws/Regulations

Wisconsin State prison head lives in Illinois – JSOnline

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Exemptions:

The state employee in charge of responding at a moment’s notice to riots and other disturbances in Wisconsin prisons recently moved to Illinois, more than 90 miles away from his office in Madison.

The employee also received an exemption to state policy requiring him to keep his specially equipped emergency response vehicle at his home overnight. The same policy forbids the car, a 2008 Chevrolet Impala similar to a police cruiser equipped with a special two-way radio, to be driven outside of Wisconsin.

Under an agreement reached with the head of the Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Institutions Administrator Bill Grosshans parks the car in an elementary school lot overnight in tiny Hazel Green, about five miles from his home in Galena, Ill.

via State prison head lives in Illinois – JSOnline.

Free Markets, Freedom of Speech

Dr. Laura Schlessinger: Confused Whiner

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I’ve never listened to Dr. Laura Schlessinger on the radio, but I’ve read that she’s quitting radio because, by her account, her “First Amendment rights have been usurped” because she used the “n-word” on the air. (I know who she is, and know of her manner; I’m not, however, a listener.)

Schlessinger’s claim in nonsense, as Paul Riismandel writes in Dr. Laura lived by the market, died by the market:

Lest anyone be confused, the current state of US law and policy makes it perfectly legal for Dr. Laura to use the ?n-word? and most other words in the English language on the radio. The only exceptions to this are in cases of indecency, which only pertains to discussing matters of sexual and excretory functions; racial, gender and other types of epithets are not policed by the FCC in any fashion.

Rather, what happened to Dr. Laura is that she felt the harsh sting of the marketplace at work. Rather than attempting to bring any sort of governmental action the coalition led by Media Matters took aim squarely at Dr. Laura?s advertisers and called them on the carpet for supporting her program and the speech it contains. As it turns out, it looks like big companies like General Motor?s OnStar and Motel 6 decided they?d rather not be associated with a program that tosses around the ?n-word? and pulled their advertising.

It’s not a violation of the First Amendment for private advertisers to decide against running commercials on her program. Quite the contrary, that decision is a free choice of those private parties, and an exercise of their economic liberty.

If these advertisers decide she’s objectionable, and association with her damages their brands, they’re well within their rights — and not violating hers — to walk away from her program.

She’s still free to use any number of insulting terms; she’s just not entitled to expect private parties to pay her in advertising when she does so. She’s equally free to try to find advertisers from among companies that don’t mind racial insults, but she’ll find that’s a small and shoddy market.

She’s simply wrong about the First Amendment, and an irritating whiner, to boot. It’s well-past time she picked herself up, and accepted responsibility for her own conduct.

Weird Tales

La Crosse Tribune: Wisconsin Man Cited for Harassing Woman at Express Lane

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A woman in a Saukville grocery’s express lane was ridiculed by a man for having more items than the stated limit of ten. In ridiculing her, he called her “fat” and “ugly.”

(I’ve no idea what the woman looks like, but considering the man’s choice of insults one can guess she likely isn’t thin and beautiful.)

Nonetheless, the man is a fool, twice over. First, these kinds of public scenes are susceptible of a disorderly conduct charge. There are places to observe that someone’s fat, and places where a confrontation about those lawful remarks may give rise to a charge for the ensuing confrontation (one that may be instigated by another private citizen or an official). Better to avoid the whole scene.

Second, do you want to take a stand on this matter, of all things? An express lane in a supermarket, even one that might be occupied by an irritating hag, is hardly a suitable cause for a public confrontation. If it were otherwise, shoppers in Wisconsin would be having these confrontations many times each day.

There are better causes than this.

See, Wisconsin Man Cited for Harassing Woman at Express Lane.