CAFFEINATED POLITICS

• Mike Huckabee, Early Release Of Criminal, And Execution-Style Killing Of 4 Police Officers

  Number of comments: 6
  The heat on Mike Huckabee will be intense.  As it should be.  Can you image what the Republicans would do to a Democrat if the coin were reversed? Trying to explain how such a man could be on the streets, despite five felony convictions in Arkansas that should have kept him [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:37pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Being Constantly ‘In Touch’ Fascinates Me

  For the second time in weeks I am fascinated about the use of  Twitter to spread news and information.  First Twitter was credited in the Fort Hood shootings to help spread news, and alert the media to events unfolding in that dreadful happening.  This weekend in Washington State where four police [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:18pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Jim Lehrer National Icon, “NewsHour” Serious News

  Lets be honest.  Jim Lehrer is a national icon.  For those who want real news and analysis each weeknight there is only one place to turn, and that is to PBS.  Though Lehrer has had some health issues many of us know when it comes to serious news nothing is superior to “NewsHour” for the place [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:58am EST
  by dekerivers

• Trial Begins For John Demjanjuk, Nazi Death Camp Guard

  There is finally justice coming for some of those who were held at Sobibor, in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.  John Demjanjuk, who was allowed to be in the United States far longer than he should have been, finally is standing trial in Germany.  There should be  no waffling about [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:21am EST
  by dekerivers

• Mike Huckabee Granted Clemency To Man Wanted In Killing Of Four Police In Washington State

  This is not the way a GOP presidential hopeful wants to start the week.  There is however still more sobering news at the end of the news story. Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 6:43am EST
  by dekerivers

• Finger-Impaired Guitar Player, And The Human Spirit

  UPDATED I had thought this article so good, and my long-time readers understand why given my  appreciation and love for the Grand Ole Opry and Roy Acuff, that I had printed the whole story so it could be read at Caffeinated Politics.  Barton Cromeens,  editor for the Abilene  ReporterNews contacted me and told me to remove it.  He [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 9:50pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sunday Echoes: MGM 75-Year-Montage

  There is nothing quite like the movie legends that dominated the big screen of MGM feature films.  There is a real nostalgic grab to the senses when we watch a montage of Hollywood’s greats as they flash across the screen and our memories.  Watching film has always been a relaxing way to be entertained, [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 2:22pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Video: Four Police Officers Ambushed, Killed In Washington State

  UPDATED Guns are weapons of death, again.  (x4) [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:45pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Gunmen Kills Four Sheriff’s Deputies In Washington State

  UPDATE The Tacoma News Tribune has the latest updates, including a description of a suspect. “Witnesses described the killer as a black man, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9, in his 20s or 30s, with scruffy facial hair and wearing a black coat and blue jeans.” UPDATE: Seattlepi.com reports the victims, all officers of the [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:36pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Osama Bin Laden Says ‘Thanks President Bush’

  Number of comments: 1
  This is exactly what we all knew…..and what many, including CP….has stated over and over again.  When the war on terror was underway during the Bush Administration instead of working to wage it successfully in Afghanistan, troops and resources were instead sent to start a needless war in Iraq. (After all didn’t Daddy  [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 10:34am EST
  by dekerivers

• Switzerland Backwards On Minarets

  The Swiss are wrong about their views concerning the banning of building of minarets.  I was sure when this matter first started percolating months ago that this would never pass.  Surely the Swiss were cerebral enough, being able to wade through this matter without resorting to the lowest common denominator.  Right?  Well, as it turns out no they [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 8:50am EST
  by dekerivers

• Tiger Woods Needs To Come Clean For Sake Of Career

  Number of comments: 2
  When high-profile individuals, be they politicians, entertainers, or sports personalities get into a tight spot it intrigues me how their handlers deal with the dicey decisions about how much information to give the public, and when to give it.  Much rides on how the PR game is conducted.  Play it well and [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:46am EST
  by dekerivers

• ‘Why Dick Cheney Should Run in 2012′

  Now that I have your attention…..actually this is the title of a real article in the latest edition of Newsweek.  And if you think about it in the political way Jon Meacham writes………   The new format for Newsweek has produced some truly great and insightful reads, this being one of them. “I [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 2:03pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Wall Street Journal Article Sets Wrong Tone About Holiday Shopping

  Number of comments: 2
  I was not amused by this story, or the tone it sets for many across the nation.  At the conclusion of a long piece in the Wall Street Journal today about the lust for buying large items and making profits for stores this holiday season comes this phrase. “Getting those cash registers ringing [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Travel In An Easy Chair With “In The Footsteps Of Marco Polo”

  Travelogues are not my favorite form of reading.  So I was very surprised and greatly impressed with the text and photographs that I have come to love in the latest book to come home with me.  “In The Footsteps Of Marco Polo” is the companion book to the much acclaimed PBS series.   Denis [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 1:11pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Saturday Song: Pavarotti “Ave Maria”

  Let the Christmas season music begin.     [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 11:34am EST
  by dekerivers

• U.S. ‘Hell Bent’ On Iraq War Says Former British Ambassador To United Nations

  Number of comments: 1
  The news that is emerging from Britain about President Bush and his desire to start a war in Iraq is unsettling to be sure, but it is not surprising.  Many Americans who followed the story of how President Bush manipulated his way to war in Iraq knew the facts one [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 10:22pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin For President Bumper-Stickers

  Number of comments: 1
  Hat Tip To Mal Contends, another Madison blogger!  This one made me almost choke as I was munching away at the computer. Then there was this idea….though smaller sized it is a hoot.   After all, if you are Sarah Palin would you let Jesus top the ticket?  I mean what about [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:01pm EST
  by dekerivers

• PHOTO: President Obama Greets Michaele And Tareq Salahi

  Number of comments: 4
  This is just unbelievable to me.  There has to be some good answers as to how this could have happened.  The Secret Service dropped the ball, and there is NO way in heck that President Obama, given the level of angst among deranged elements in this country, should ever be in a [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 6:23pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Nearly Hiding From The World

  This little bird in the middle of the picture was so cold today and huddled all alone for the longest time in the limbs of a bush.   Trying to hide from it all, but still being found by the lenses of the camera. [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 4:59pm EST
  by dekerivers

• What Did The First Family Eat On Thanksgiving?

  I always like these types of details.  Though I have never eaten hucklebery pie, I am sure it is wonderful.  This just means there is a new recipe about to be tried here soon…… The White House Press Office provided pooler Emily Cadei of CQ-Roll Call Group “with the following details about the First Family’s Thanksgiving [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 11:21am EST
  by dekerivers

• Sadness About Black Friday, And What Is Happening To Thanksgiving Day

  Number of comments: 4
  Let me cut to the core of how I feel.  Thanksgiving Day has been lost to mindless merchandising.   It makes me sad, and I think many share my sentiment around the nation.   Too many say nothing about what is happening to our national holiday, so I have a few words to share, suspecting they [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 2:34am EST
  by dekerivers

• Happy Thanksgiving To My Readers!

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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:00pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Lou Dobbs May Challenge A Hispanic (Again)

  A role for Lou Dobbs right out of central casting, given his xenophobic mindset. His name was quickly floated as a potential challenger in 2012 to United States Senator Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat, an ardent advocate for immigrants’ rights and the chamber’s only Hispanic member. (Mr. Dobbs, 64, lives [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 12:49pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Prediction For Time Person Of The Year 2009

  Number of comments: 2
  It is that time of year when I step my feet into the shoes of Nostradamus and make a prediction about the person that will grace the cover of Time magazine as the Person Of The Year 2009. As I look at the world landscape the person who seems to be [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 12:34pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Double Flybys In Night Sky Nov. 25th-26th

  For all my readers without clouds tonight……. Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) this morning at 4:53 am EST.  Their separation sets the stage for  double flybys of many towns and cities on Wednesday evening, Nov. 25th, when Atlantis and the ISS will soar through the night [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 11:47am EST
  by dekerivers

• Abortion-Rights Activists Need To Fight Stupak Amendment

  There is an old saying that applies to those who wish to turn the pages backwards on women’s reproductive rights.  “Give them an inch, and they will take a mile”.  The abortion issue that has been needlessly injected into the health care debate in Washington, and  is a clear example of how the phrase [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 3:53pm EST
  by dekerivers

• 34,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

  It will be interesting to see how President Obama presents this case to the American public and to Congress.  The mission in Afghanistan is worthy of our involvement, and the strategy vital to be understood by the public for success.  I have faith in Obama and his team in getting [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 2:22pm EST
  by dekerivers

• President Obama, The Shy Golfer

  Keep this thought in mind as you read this post.  How many of us would really want our antics on the golf course to be seen by the whole world?  Not me! Which all serves to deepen a mystery that has surrounded the presidency: Why has Barack Obama forsaken basketball for [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:40pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Will Sarah Palin Argue ‘Immaculate Conception’ Concerning Trig?

  Number of comments: 2
  The question over who is the biological mother for Trig Palin is one that has been argued over and over, and seems to have a need for an answer given the scenario that Sarah Palin tells over  how the child was born.  (I think Levi Johnston knows the answers, and at some point will tell.)  [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 12:09pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Video: Interviews with Supporters Of Sarah Palin At Book Signing

  Chase Whiteside conducts more interviews with those who were in line to buy a copy of Sarah Palin’s book.  I love how Chase never laughs out loud,  but instead uses their words for follow-up questions to underscore they have no clue at all as to why they support Palin.  These amusing conversations underscore pretty [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 11:33am EST
  by dekerivers

• Lou Dobbs Thinking Of A Run For White House

  There is always a reason to get up in the morning.  Nothing is ever dull when you have the likes of Lou Dobbs to follow in the news. Former CNN host Lou Dobbs fueled already rampant speculation about his political future Monday, sending the clearest signals yet that he’s mulling a [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 11:01am EST
  by dekerivers

• Political Cartoons About Sarah Palin Book

  Awesome.  And funny as heck! [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:21am EST
  by dekerivers

• Late-Night Jokes About Sarah Palin

  After watching David Letterman tonight joke about Sarah Palin I thought there must be a site where all the late night jokes are presented in written form.   Ka-Ching!   (When you visit the site you might want to hit the ‘refresh’ button to get the current jokes about our ‘next president’.) “In Sarah Palin’s new [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:02am EST
  by dekerivers

• The Christian Science Monitor On Sarah Palin Book

  There are just so many catty ways to write about Sarah Palin’s book that I find myself reading lots of the news articles to find them.  They are not hard to locate.  I am not sure if the The Christian Science Monitor meant it to ’sound’ the way it reads, but I [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 12:50am EST
  by dekerivers

• Gov. Mark Sanford Faces 37 Ethics Charges

  How can this happen to a fine upstanding religious conservative? The charges on the list include spending state money on business-class plane tickets, instead of flying coach; using state aircraft to attend political and personal events, like the birthday party of a campaign contributor; and using his campaign fund for noncampaign [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 6:54pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Tax Increase Needed For War In Afghanistan

  Number of comments: 4
  I have made it clear that I think more troops are required to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.  I also am one of those who think President Lincoln was correct by understanding that wars that are correct to fight also have to be paid for by the nation.    President Bush [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:55am EST
  by dekerivers

• Best Paragraph From Sunday Newspaper About Sarah Palin

  This is late for a Sunday, but is still a must-read paragraph!  Frank Rich wrote a most enjoyable column today, which included this nugget. The book’s most frequently dropped names, predictably enough, are the Lord and Ronald Reagan (though not necessarily in that order). Easily the most startling passage in “Going Rogue,” running [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 9:16pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Letter From Home 11/22/09

  Number of comments: 2
  I knew what was going to happen as soon as I saw the look in James’ eyes after he saw the outside Christmas decorations going up  last weekend at my aunt and uncle’s place.  The greenery around the fence at the end of the drive, and other holiday type things out and about only confirmed what James was [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:45pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin For President 2012

  Number of comments: 2
  [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 2:52pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Young Pakistanis: Muslim First, Pakistani Second

  Number of comments: 4
  This caught my attention in the Sunday newspaper.  Sobering poll numbers.  I always pay attention when people cite their religion as a way to identify themselves above nationality.  Regardless of which world religon we talk about this is troubling, and we need to pay attention to this trend happening in Pakistan. An overwhelming majority of [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 2:42pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sunday Echoes: Julia Child Makes An Omelet

  When the public television station came to Wausau in the 1970’s, and therefore PBS was able to be seen at our  home in Waushara County, one  of the first shows that I watched and loved were the ones with Julia Child cooking.  But as we all know it was more than just cooking when Julia [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 2:25pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Ted Kennedy’s Widow Speaks About Senate Vote On Health Care

  Many of us last night were thinking about Ted Kennedy as the United States Senate voted to bring the health bill up for debate.  Ted Kennedy is in the Senate in spirit as the Democratic Party fights this decades long battle, and is winning.  His signature issue will finally prevail.   [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 9:02am EST
  by dekerivers

• Senate Democrats Have The 60 Votes To Debate Health Bill!

  Number of comments: 3
  Ka-Ching! This is one more step towards the goal, though not a perfect one, of passing a meaningful and needed health care bill for our nation. Senate Democrat Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas said Saturday she will support bringing the Senate health care reform bill to the floor for debate, giving Democrats the [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 2:45pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Mussolini’s Brain Stolen, For Sale On Internet

  Is there really a market for dead dicators body parts? The granddaughter of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has said that blood and parts of his brain have been stolen to sell on the internet. Alessandra Mussolini, a former showgirl turned MP, said she immediately informed the police when she found out. The [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 11:22am EST
  by dekerivers

• Boys Will Be Boys All Over The World

  Smile. Detainees at a camp in Baghdad in Iraq have found a way to get under the skin of National Guard troops from Wisconsin. And it has to do with football and a painful chapter for some Green Bay Packers fans who consider Brett Favre a traitor for joining the rival [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 11:04am EST
  by dekerivers

• Saturday Song: Freddie Hart “Easy Loving”

  This song by Freddy Hart goes back to the stack of records from decades ago back home that helped to form my kinship with classic country music.  Freddy Hart  played the Marshfield County Fair at some  point in my teenage years, and I still recall this standard, “Easy Loving”,  being sung.  I [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 12:42am EST
  by dekerivers

• 52-And-A-Half-Inches

  Number of comments: 3
  Updated With Picture….Per A Reader’s Request This just might wind up as the strangest blog post yet.  Friday night James and I went on one of those grocery ’stock-up’ shopping trips that is not so bad once it is underway.  But as the cart got  full I thought….Good Lord….this is going to [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 12:13am EST
  by dekerivers

• The Onion: U.S. Deports Lou Dobbs

  Number of comments: 1
  When I picked up my copy of the Isthmus newspaper today my eye caught the major ‘news story’ on the front page of  The Onion. WANTAGE, NJ—Acting on anonymous tips from within the Hispanic-American community, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Wednesday deported Luis Miguel Salvador Aguila Dominguez, who for [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:21pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Teabaggers Tussle

  Who could not see this coming? The grass-roots activists driving the movement have become increasingly divided on such core questions as whether to focus their efforts on shaping policy debates or elections, work on a local, regional, state or national level or closely align themselves with the Republican Party, POLITICO found [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:09pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Life Is Good………..

  Number of comments: 1
  …when on November 20th the Siberian Iris are still blooming outside as if it were May….   ….and on the inside the Christmas cactus explodes with blooms…. ….and Beth brings over a bouquet of flowers for the table.   [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:53am EST
  by dekerivers

• Fox News Viewers Support President Obama Bowing To Emperor Of Japan

  I had to laugh at the uproar among a small minority this past week over President Obama showing respect with a bow to the emperor of Japan.  International niceties it appeared were not approved by all, so I admit I was quite surprised when I read the results of a FAUX News poll of their viewers [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:37am EST
  by dekerivers

• Video: Sarah Palin Does Not Know Difference Between Iran And Iraq

  Number of comments: 9
  [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:07am EST
  by dekerivers

• Harry Truman’s Words On Health Care Still Ring True

  After decades of national debate it will be the Democrats who close the deal on health care for the nation.  The first key procedural vote will take place this Saturday evening in the United States Senate.  Yesterday Senate Majority Leader Reid commented on the status of the bill, and the decades [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:17pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Concealed Handgun Owners Have Killed 8 Law Enforcement Officers, 77 Private Citizens

  Number of comments: 2
  There are some new arguments, and data surrounding why carrying concealed weapons is a bad idea.  A deadly idea, and one that should not be allowed to spread in Wisconsin.  A new site is tracking the number of killings that take place by those allowed to carry concealed weapons.  The fact that there are [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 11:32am EST
  by dekerivers

• The ‘Other’ Oprah And Sarah Palin Interview

  [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 10:37am EST
  by dekerivers

• See Design Pictures Of George W. Bush Presidential Center

  Number of comments: 3
  See them here. From an architectural point of view it is quite impressive.  I like the design very much.    [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:16am EST
  by dekerivers

• FOX News Uses Wrong Footage To Inflate Sarah Palin Crowd

  As Dave Letterman noted last night on his late-night show most everyone in America knew FAUX News was not real news many years ago.  Today there is more reason to underscore that type of thinking about FAUX News being just  a partisan machine, and a sloppy one at that.  Here [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:04am EST
  by dekerivers

• Congresswoman Baldwin Wins A Round For Equality

  If seems strange that there still needs to be a fight for equality and fairness when it comes to the rights of gay and lesbian Americans.  In 2009 it seems we should all be treated the same way under the laws.  But since many in the nation are still treated [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:49am EST
  by dekerivers

• Hats Off To Couple’s $30,000 Donation For Coloma Public Radio Station!

  I have a strong conviction about Wisconsin Public Radio, and NPR.  As such I am delighted with the news about a large donation to expand WPR  for Coloma, and the surrounding area.   As a boy growing up in Hancock (banner on this blog is an old photo of my town) I [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 11:34pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Mini-Conference In Congress May Speed Health Bill

  Let me say again that I think reconciliation is the route the Democrats should proceed on for the strongest bill on health care at this point in time.  However today there is a news report on a  mini-conference of top congressional leaders to move a bill through the process.  That might [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Are All Texas Marriages Invalid?

  Really.  (Hat Tip to Rolf for this amazing story.) Texans: Are you really married? Maybe not. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 2:06pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Video: Governor Quinn Interviewed About Detainees Housed At Illinois Thompson Prison

  This is a great interview with Illinois Governor Quinn concerning the possible transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Thompson prison.  The interview took place on the famed Steve and Johnnie show on WGN Radio this past Monday night.  I am glad that this was put onto the video archive on WGN thus allowing many more [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:14am EST
  by dekerivers

• Israel Must Feel Heat Over 900 New Houses In East Jerusalem

  Number of comments: 5
  The Israeli government slapped the face of rational thought when it approved 900 extra housing units at a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.  This type  of action is not uncommon for Israel, and underscores what we know of their real motives and desires.  It is nothing short of lunacy to put [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:51pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin Speech Habits Studied By University Of Wisconsin

  Number of comments: 2
  I was away for part of the weekend, and so missed this story on Saturday.  Our friend Henry Dudek would have loved to read this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  In March 2006 he wrote about the over-all topic in this email to us. EVERYONE has an accent.  It’s just [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 1:02pm EST
  by dekerivers

• George Washington Grave Site Saved President Jackson From Death

  I have been meaning to post this story for some time but never got around to it until now. In 1835 President Jackson was leaving a funeral service for a Congressman that was held in the House chamber.  It was there that he encountered Richard Lawrence who had two pistols with him.   He [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 12:40pm EST
  by dekerivers

• No Full Monty For Levi Johnston In Playgirl

  Number of comments: 1
  Will Sarah Palin still however call this photo shoot ‘porn’? Levi Johnston posed for Playgirl, but he didn’t go the Full Monty. Daniel Nardicio, a spokesman for Playgirl, confirmed Monday that the baby daddy of Sarah Palin’s only grandson left something to the imagination in his photo shoot last week. “He did not [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:42am EST
  by dekerivers

• Would Mitt Romney Pose In Boxers For Outdoors Magazine?

  Number of comments: 7
  UPDATE Zach at Blogging Blue alerted me that the picture of Sarah Palin was taken for a running magazine, and not just for Newsweek.  Regardless of the magazine it was shot for I think it not in dispute that Palin uses her sex appeal on the one hand, and claims sexism was [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:14pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Video: 10-Year-Old Won’t Pledge Flag Until Gays Have Rights

  Number of comments: 2
  This is the spirit. An Arkansas 10-year-old says he won’t pledge the flag until gays and lesbians have equal rights. [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 12:14pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Gitmo Inmates Could Bring Jobs To Illinois

  Number of comments: 2
  Aside from the fact detainees from Guantanamo Bay should be tried in the United States by means of our legal process which will result in positive international reaction, comes word of a positive side-effect for those who would hold the detainees.  The rash and counter-productive rhetoric opposing the plan to have the detainees brought to the U.S. for [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 7:26am EST
  by dekerivers

• Conservatives Search For Purity In Republican Party

  Another great set of paragraphs from Newsweek about the role moderation needs to play in the Republican Party, and governing. Governing effectively requires a “big tent” approach to politics. To pass the New Deal and win reelection three times, Franklin D. Roosevelt built a coalition of labor, Northern liberals, and Southern conservatives. In a [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:41am EST
  by dekerivers

• Teabaggers Hope To Defeat GOP Governor Crist In Flordia’s Senate Primary

  Another sign that the tail is wagging the dog.  This comes from the front page of the NYT this morning. It was in the glow of a new day in politics last February when Mr. Crist, this state’s popular Republican governor, took the stage with President Obama and declared that Republicans [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:29am EST
  by dekerivers

• Why I Blog About Random Thoughts Such As Wisconsin Rapids Radio

  Over the many posts on this blog are a fair amount that would seem at first glance to appeal to only a very small readership, or to be of a personal nature perhaps better left to a diary rather than a public blog.   The act of placing posts on this site that are [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 7:15pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Earl Cooley, One Of First Two Smoke-Jumpers, Dies

  Another interesting obituary. Mr. Cooley died at 98 on Monday in Missoula, Mont., said his wife, Irene. He was one of the last links to the beginnings of a program that became famed for both efficiency and audacity. The men who jumped and battled flames — and for many years they were [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 4:54pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Best Paragraphs In Sunday Newspaper

  Between a rock and a hard place.  These are some tough paragraphs to read, regardless of where you come down on the question of more troops for Afghanistan. The choices are tough, and regardless of which path is taken there will be long-term consequences both politically, and from a policy point of view.  [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 4:02pm EST
  by dekerivers

• NYT: Sarah Palin Book Is About Payback And Vehement Barbs

  Number of comments: 1
  There is one theme over and over in the press about Sarah Palin and her book.  Palin wants payback for the slights she has taken as a national candidate, and will use barbs in her book to get even.  The most sustained and vehement barbs in this book are directed not [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 3:35pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sunday Echoes: The Three Stooges

  Number of comments: 1
  I am always surprised when I talk with someone in their twenties or younger and find they have never seen any of The Three Stooges on video.    Recently while at a restaurant the waitress came by and asked, “What can I get for you gentlemen?’  I looked around in a perplexed  fashion, and replied, “who…..us….oh [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 2:51pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Impressive Leonid Meteor Showers Expected Nov. 17

  This should be fun, if the clouds can be kept away. Circle Nov. 17 on your calendar, for early that morning a moderate to possibly very strong showing of annual Leonid meteor shower is likely. A potentially enjoyable display of a few dozen Leonid meteors per hour is expected to favor North [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 12:05pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Guantanamo Prisoners May Head To Illinois

  Number of comments: 1
  I have no problem with this.  In fact, I encourage this type of process to underscore to the world that our legal system works, and that we will not be cowed into actions, such as military tribunals, that run counter to our ideals.  This action serves our world-wide needs to a [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 11:55am EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston Disagree About Sex In Alaska Governor’s Home

  There is so much to discuss about the Sarah Palin book I am not sure where to start.  One of the nuggets thrown out by Palin who wishes to sound so moral is this claim. Former Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin dropped a bombshell on Barbara Walters in an interview [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 11:33pm EST
  by dekerivers

• John McCain Campaign Staff Calls Sarah Palin Book “Fiction”

  Number of comments: 1
  Most are just calling the book toilet paper. Sarah Palin now knows she can’t just write a book that pokes the eye of John McCain’s campaign staff without getting slapped back.  After all, the professionals in the business are not going to let her smear their images without taking her down a peg or two.  This is [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 11:18pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin Book Wrong On Facts

  Number of comments: 2
  Who is shocked that Sarah Palin has her facts wrong?   I said yesterday that this was going to be the week of blunders, gaffes, and Republican remorse when it comes to Sarah Palin and her book.  Let’s roll. PALIN: Says she made frugality a point when traveling on state business as Alaska [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 9:25am EST
  by dekerivers

• Saturday Song: Charlie Louvin “Precious Jewel”

  From the stage of the Grand Ole Opry comes the classic sounds of Charlie Louvin. [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 8:35am EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin Book Week Will Be Rough Ride, With Gaffes, Blunders, Republican Remorse

  Number of comments: 4
  When famed political reporter and writer Teddy White was crafting books about ‘The Making Of The President’, he could never have imagined the following line being written for prime time. (She goes easy on Levi Johnston, and Levi thinks he knows why: “She knows what I got on her. It’s a smart move [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:44am EST
  by dekerivers

• 9/11 Conspiracy Trials To Be Held In New York, Guantanamo Detainees Will Be Transferred

  Civilian courts are the place these trials should be held. The road of justice for the detainees at Guantanamo, and for those possibly impacted by the detainees runs through the United States criminal justice system.    I think all those detained at Guantanamo should face the same legal hurdles in civilian courts, as the military commissions are, [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:12am EST
  by dekerivers

• RNC Insurance Plan Covers Abortion

  Hate to catch the GOP like this. ( Being hypocrites and all.) The Republican National Committee’s health insurance plan covers elective abortion – a procedure the party’s own platform calls “a fundamental assault on innocent human life.”  Federal Election Commission Records show the RNC purchases its insurance from Cigna. Two sales agents for the company [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 4:53pm EST
  by dekerivers

• “American Lion” By Jon Meacham Is A Grand Read

  I came across a U.S. Senator from 1830 who gave a stirring speech during the famous Webster-Hayne debate.  He advocated in ways about politics and partisanship that made think it something that my readers at CP might enjoy.   History buffs will surely enjoy this. Louisiana Senator Edward Livingston, came to my attention while reading (and LOVING) “American [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 3:05pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Take The Pew News Reseach Quiz

  Number of comments: 1
  12-question quiz here. I aced it.  Most readers of CP will too.  Though it won’t take long you will be  amazed at the score  chart at the end! [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 2:42pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Video Of Jon Stewart Showing FOX News Faked Footage At Teabagger Rally

  Number of comments: 3
  This is a classic moment when FAUX News got caught.  See the video here. Comedian Jon Stewart outed Fox News on his show last night after the network appeared to use archived footage of a well-attended rally, passing it off as clips from a recent health care protest. Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn., [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:40am EST
  by dekerivers

• John King Replaces Lou Dobbs

  Minus Lou’s angry white man anti-immigrant rants………. Heading into the critical 2010 midterm elections, CNN will launch a new weekday political program that will be hosted by award winning correspondent John King. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity, at this busy and consequential time, to have a platform to discuss and explore [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:49am EST
  by dekerivers

• Xenophobe Lou Dobbs Resigns From CNN!!!

  Number of comments: 1
  Celebrate.   There is only contempt that I feel for Lou Dobbs, so this news tonight is truly good for those of us who enjoy CNN.  Lou, don’t let the door hit your wide ass on the way out. Mr. Dobbs told viewers that he was resigning from his CNN job immediately. Sitting [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:03pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Afghanistan Is The Place We Need To Fight With Brains And Brawn

  Number of comments: 1
  Having always known that the issues surrounding Afghanistan and that region made the war effort there a vital concern, it is imperative that  President Obama get the right balance of brains and brawn into the mix when he decides on a plan for the war.  Afghanistan is the place we should have been concentrating [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:47pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Political Trivia

  This tickled me. During the U.S. Senate debate that led to the Compromise of 1833 many residents of Washington flooded to the spectator seats  to listen to the heated debate.  As they did so by climbing the narrow stairs they passed a sign saying: GENTLEMEN WILL BE PLEASED NOT TO PLACE THEIR FEET ON THE [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:05am EST
  by dekerivers

• Former Wisconsin Representative Scott Jensen Still Playing Legal System

  Number of comments: 2
  There has to be an end to the legal antics that Scott Jensen, the former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker can spin in his attempts to evade justice.  Right?  One would think so, but given the track record of this amazing and often-maddening case of twisted justice in Wisconsin there is little reason to think the costly [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 11:29pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Sarah Palin Is Now Upset Over National Currency

  Number of comments: 2
  No one should be surprised that Sarah Palin is agitated over currency, since her whole focus these weeks is all about amassing as much of it as possible before her fame fades.  Sarah Palin’s crusade for God and country “kicked up another notch” last week after she uncovered a government plot to marginalize God.  [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 6:32pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Obama Wrong To Mention Religion In Fort Hood Speech

  Number of comments: 1
  There is a very fine line to walk regarding Islam and religion when the whole world is watching.  I made that point in various ways when President Bush was in office, and remain convinced the same is true with President Obama in charge.  That I expect more from our current leader [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 5:15pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Senate Democrats To Take Up Health Bill Next Week

  Good. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he expects to bring legislation to overhaul the U.S. health-care system up for debate next week. Reid told reporters today at the Capitol he believes the Senate can pass the measure by the end of the year. Asked whether he had the 60 votes [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 3:17pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Coloma Needs Wisconsin Public Radio

  There is a great need for educational type programming that Wisconsin Public radio provides, and now the latest expansion of the radio network will help those in the Coloma area receive the needed radio signals.    As a strong supporter of WPR I think this is a grand idea.  The Wisconsin Rapids-based Mead Witter [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:54pm EST
  by dekerivers

• Korean Naval Ships Exchanged Fire

  One of the tinderboxes of the world flares. A South Korean warship has exchanged fire with a North Korean naval vessel, reports from both countries say. Officials in Seoul say the South Korean vessel opened fire when the Northern ship crossed a disputed sea border. The North Korean vessel then fired back. North [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 11:44am EST
  by dekerivers

• Kansas City Chiefs Releases Troubled Player Larry Johnson For Gay Slurs

  Hat Tip To Ferrell Gummitt for providing this information to me. This makes my day.    As readers may know I do not cotton to the idea of using the term ‘fag’, and so when used in such a manner repeatedly by a member of the NFL, I urged for action on [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 10:33am EST
  by dekerivers