Remember to Vote Tomorrow

As Jesse Jackson said: "April 5 -- Come Alive!"

You can find your polling place here. 

Both Union Cab and Badger Cab are offering free transportation to and from the polls.  If you need to arrange a ride, please call Badger Cab (256-5566) or Union Cab (242-2000) today (before Election Day) and schedule a cab. (h/t, Brenda Konkel).

And remember that not voting has consequences.

Demonstrations as Street Festival Continue

Yesterday's demonstrations at the Capitol were more grass-roots (no stage or speakers) and tongue-in-cheek. A large group of people wore zombie make-up and carried signs making jokes about Scott Walker's brain (or lack thereof). It was a beautiful early spring day (sunny and in the low 50s). People came out and brought their kids (some of the "zombies" had "zombie" children in tow). There were many signs in support of JoAnne Kloppenburg's candidacy for Supreme Court.

This gentleman was the only one I saw with a pro-Prosser sign. As you can see, the anti-Walker demonstrators are pretty much ignoring him. There were no confrontations. I'm glad he felt comfortable visibly expressing his views.

There was an appearance by the ghost of Ronald Reagan (or maybe it was Zombie Reagan). It seems that even he opposes Scott Walker these days.

It wouldn't be a street festival without Art Paul Schlosser. He was a one-man band, with a kazoo as well as a guitar to accompany his original composition. Maybe this would be a good year to re-release his Vote for Me/It's a Joke CD.

Here's One of Those Leftist Dane County Cocktail Parties

The Kissers played the Malt House (a beer joint on Madison's east side) a few weeks ago.  Merriment was had.

Keep Your Government Hands Off My Seniorcare

The right wing spent a lot of time and money last year convincing seniors (erroneously) that the recently-passed health care reform legislation would undermine their Medicare benefits.  Political operatives know that the elderly are more likely to vote than younger people, and they are very concerned about any potential cuts to entitlement programs (because they rely very heavily upon them to maintain their standard of living).

So it was very foolish (but deliciously ironic) of Scott Walker to include cuts to Wisconsin's popular Seniorcare program in his budget. This particular issue is driving a wedge in his control of the State Senate.  He might have been able to keep Darling and Hopper in line, if they weren't facing recall campaigns thanks to the shenanigans of the Fitzwalkerstan administration.

It seems that the Governor has been hoist by the Teapublicans' petard.

J.B. Van Hollen Must Have Another Job Lined Up

He clearly no longer cares about getting re-elected.

It's been a busy Monday at the DOJ:

Van Hollen issued a statement contorting the definition of "publication" under the Wisconsin constitution

DOJ let sexting DA Ken Kratz off the hook

It's like he's channeling Cee Lo Green and singing a song to Wisconsin citizens.

Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Board expects no boost in turnout for the April 5 election.

The remake of They Live can't be completed fast enough.

Kiss Me, Kate

In Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew, a strong-willed woman named Katherina (Kate for short) is brainwashed (through the withholding of food and clothing, among other forms of psychological abuse) into becoming the ideal submissive wife.  Her husband, Petruchio, tests her obedience by insisting that the sun is the moon and that a man is a woman.  Having given up her free will and any desire to think for herself, Kate agrees with Petruchio's absurd assertions.

A frighteningly large segment of American voters have become modern Katherinas. No longer interested in checking facts for themselves or questioning their lords and masters, they willingly accept (contrary to Occam's Razor and all observable evidence) that President Obama was born in Kenya. They not only refuse to believe that human-released greenhouse gases have anything to do with climate change (which is not an outrageous position, since evidence of a strong correlation is not proof of causation), but that average global climates are even rising at all. They believe the expertise of a pampered English aristocrat with degrees in classics and journalism studies over that of actual climate scientists at NOAA or the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Some of them continue to insist that homosexuality is simply a lifestyle choice or a condition that can be "cured" (despite a growing body of scientific evidence to the contrary, not to mention numerous sex scandals by conservative clergymen who have strong incentives to play it straight), and that it is therefore OK to discriminate against homosexuals.

Some right-wingers will undoubtedly claim that the left are the ones who are uncritically accepting a belief in global warming or the normality of homosexuality. They do not seem to realize (or care) that lefties are more likely to question everything. There are some on the left who form their opinions based on tribalism or a desire to rebel against their parents, but the left is not monolithic. There are all manner of free-thinkers and skeptics on the left, and for an idea to survive, it needs to fit the evidence. When new evidence is discovered, ideas and models to explain the world are adjusted and/or discarded as appropriate.  That is part of the scientific method.

From time to time, I find myself in a discussion that feels like I'm being told that the sun is the moon. At that point, I usually despair of having a rational and productive debate. Once someone has submitted to Petruchio, trying to debate the issue is like banging one's head against a brick wall.

RIP, Gerry Ferraro

Former New York Congresswoman (and 1984 Democratic VP candidate) Geraldine Ferraro passed away at the age of 75.

I never found Ferraro to be a very skilled politician. Although she undoubtedly had to work twice as hard for her achievements early in her career as a man would have, her gender eventually brought her to more prominence than she ever would have had otherwise, so I found it irritating that she never got rid of the enormous chip on her shoulder.

In 2008, Ferraro had one last moment in the spotlight when she excoriated the Democratic Party (and its primary voters) for preferring Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton. People seem to have forgotten how much her words (and the perception of an electoral opportunity that they created) influenced McCain's choice of running mate.

So in the end, Ferraro's most lasting legacy is the national prominence of Sarah Palin.