Premature Recall

I admit… I love this story.

Madison - A Republican campaign contributor officially filed a recall effort Friday against Gov. Scott Walker, triggering a powerful tool for the GOP leader: unlimited campaign fundraising. The effect of the filing is to give Walker an extra week and half to raise campaign contributions with no limits that can be used to help defend against a more serious recall attempt against the governor scheduled to begin on Nov. 15. Friday’s petition was filed by David Brandt of Muskego in Waukesha County. Brandt is a modest contributor to Walker and the state Republican Party. In the filing with the state Government Accountability Board, Brandt wrote cryptically that he was registering a recall committee - Close Friends to Recall Walker - to “fulfill my friend’s last request.”

So the Democrats, who want to abuse the recall process to their own ends and are crying foul when the rules are used against them. 

I’m amused. Read the story. Those lousy Democrats! Who do they think they are, being able to relay their opinions to news reporters? Why haven't Walker and Fitz passed a rule about this yet?

Look at what they say. One Dem guy says it's a "dirty trick" and that they believe David Brandt is a Republican. And what evidence do they offer? He and his companion at that address donated a few hundred bucks to Walker's campaign. That's no proof of anything.

And the other Dem calls it "a fake petition drive." What could possibly be fake about it? The local GOP says they've never heard of Brant. He promises to not spend more than $1,000 to attempt to gather 540,000 signatures. Surely with the power of the free market, you could get 540 signatures for $1. It's the sort of thing that can be out-sourced.

Follow The Logic: The Dems are abusing the recall process, therefore David Brandt is not a fake recall to allow Walker to gather as much money as possible from the Koch Brothers. "Hello, David, good to hear from you! Whaddya mean, why haven't we gone to Cali yet? I've been busy, that's why!"

Boxing in Skirts?

Yes, THAT should give lady boxing that sex appeal 

Boxing gloves, check. Headguard, check. Mouthguard, check. Miniskirt? After winning a long fight to get into the Olympics, female boxers are at the center of a dress code debate ahead of the 2012 London Games, including whether they should wear skirts in the ring. The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) said Friday that officials will meet in January to discuss the issue and draw up recommendations. “AIBA is seeking a consensus from the worldwide boxing family and the wider public for reference purposes,” the statement said. The federation said it was responding to recent media reports suggesting that female boxers would be forced to fight in skirts rather than shorts. “AIBA has not made any final decision on boxers’ uniform for women,” the governing body said.

Everyone knows there's nothing more sexy than the little shorts the guys wear. They flow, they flop, they reveal the curves and the firm body parts underneath. I'm thinking of the male boxers. Sex appeal? You betcha. Who really likes skirts?

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Wisconsin Senate Passes Castle Doctrine

Excellent! I honestly thought the Senate wasn’t going to get around to this, what with all the other bills involving the awesome job-creation powers of redefining bicycles, forcing kids to not think about sex, and pier length. I’m glad they did.

There's a lot of spouses who will need some instant protection of immunity after they shoot an "intruder" they've long-wished to be free of, so they can get on with revealing their true nature and spending some time with their friends at the range wearing whatever they damn well please, let me tell you.

Homeowners who shoot intruders would receive strong legal protection, under a bill approved by the state Senate Thursday. The bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan 26-7 vote and now goes back to the state Assembly. All Republican senators voted for the bill along with nine Democrats, including three from Southeastern Wisconsin: Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee), Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), and Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie). The Assembly also passed the proposal on a bipartisan vote on Tuesday but since the Senate tweaked the proposal Thursday it will need to have the other house approve it with that change - an action expected to come later Thursday . GOP Gov. Scott Walker has said that he supports the bill in principle but will still review it before deciding whether to sign it. Under the bill, courts in most criminal and civil matters would presume that property owners using deadly force had acted reasonably against anyone unlawfully inside their residence, business or vehicle, whether the trespasser was armed or not. The proposal is sometimes known as the “castle doctrine,” a reference to the saying that one’s home is one’s castle.

I would expect it to clear the Assembly and be on its way to Walker’s desk soon. His rubber stamp is blazin' hot!

AG: Gov and Lt. Gov Must Be Recalled Separately

Interesting. And here I thought Rebecca was doing quite well by staying in the shadows. She's been good about following Walker's direct orders. I'm so glad we can lay off the "What's a lieutenant governor good for anyways" discussion for a while. Sleep well, knowing Rebecca is on the job!

MADISON — Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a formal opinion today concluding that the Wisconsin Constitution’s recall provisions apply independently to the Office of Governor and the Office of Lieutenant Governor. If the constitutional requirements for a recall election are met with respect to one officer, only that office will appear on the ballot in a recall election. If both officers were to be recalled, recall elections would be held for each office and electors would vote for those offices independently. In the general election, as opposed to a recall election, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are jointly elected as a partisan ticket.

Judge Taped Beating Disabled Daughter

Wow. Stunning.

A Texas judge faces a police investigation and judicial probe after a video showing him beating his then-16-year-old disabled daughter was posted on the Internet. The graphic video drew international outrage after it was posted by a woman who said she was the victim of the beating seven years ago and that her parents - including her father, Aransas County, Texas, Court-At-Law Judge William Adams - were the ones seen beating and cursing at her in the video. On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills. No court dates were scheduled this week, Mills’ office said. In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video, taped in 2004.

As many of you know from reading this blog, I was raised both in Texas and in Saudi Arabia, so I know a lot about how young women should be treated by the man of the household. In both the Christian and Muslamic religions, even though God said that Christianity is the better of the two, both religions agree that a little Texas-style ass-whupping is holy and good. (See Rick Perry. Doesn't he do the best George Bush impression? Can't you just see him clearing some brush?) As we learn in Proverbs 13:24, "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." Spare the belt, spoil the child! The Prophet said "Order your children to pray at the age of seven and beat them (if they neglect it) at the age of ten." He also had a lot to say about how and when you can beat your wife, for example.

Stunning, you ask? Isn't it outlandish that this girl is clearly in her middle teens, yet hasn't had some sense beaten into her by her father's belt after all these years? "Bend over and take it like a woman!"

As we learn in Colossians 3:21, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." This beating was clearly meant to encourage her to stop downloading music illegally. Or Exodus 21:22, where we learn "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine."

These are the kinds of judges that are elected and re-elected in Texas. I'm proud to have been part of this culture.

I would hate to think that this judge's daughter became discouraged while she was being encouraged to behave better. Even if he did some real damage that now has eventually caught the attention of the law, rest assured that judges will settle on an appropriate fine, and he can get back to work imposing judgments on others.

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Palindrome Date

Cool. Did you know that "stressed" spelled backwards is "desserts"? Newo! Nosnibor! Sinep! Snug! Srehtael!

Today might not seem any more special than yesterday or the day before, but it is a once-in-10,000-years event. Nov. 2, 2011, written out numerically, is 11/02/2011, which on its own makes it a very rare eight-digit palindrome date, meaning that it can be read the same way frontward and backward.

Assembly Passes Castle Doctrine Bill

Excellent. Let’s push this bipartisan bill the rest of the way into law.

A resident facing an intruder in his or her dwelling would have greater latitude to use force, without fear of criminal prosecution or civil liability, under a bill passed by the state Assembly on Tuesday. The proposal, passed on a bipartisan 71-24 vote, is called “the castle doctrine,” from the saying “one’s home is one’s castle.” Twenty-nine states already have similar legislation, according to the National Rifle Association.

When the criminal defense lawyers oppose something, you know it's got to be good. Here's what they claim: "Assume a man kills his wife in cold blood in the family home without witnesses. I suggest that a man who is willing to kill his wife is not squeamish about committing perjury. If he takes the stand and claims that he mistakenly thought she was an intruder, under AB 69, the jury must be instructed that he is presumed to have reasonably believed that force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself. The jury, in effect, is prevented from considering if his act was unreasonable."

I say that it's more important to let people defend themselves when they've been woken up by a noise in the dark at night when their spouse returns home drunk and smelling of another man.

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Assembly Moves to Support Poor People of All Races

Well, this is a happy development.

A proposal to eliminate race as a factor in a college grant program received preliminary approval from the Assembly Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reports.

The surprise proposal was made about 11 p.m. Tuesday by Rep. Peggy Krusick, D-Milwaukee, and backed by Republicans, who hold the majority. It passed around 8 a.m. Wednesday—with all Democrats except Krusick voting against it. A procedural move by Democrats, however, will block final passage until Thursday.

Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, said the Talent Incentive Program is intended to help poor students—therefore, whether one is a minority shouldn’t matter.

I suspect that it will die in the Senate, but good for the Assembly. Programs designed for poor folks should be targeted at poor folks - regardless of the race of the poor folk. Seems pretty simple.

Update! As explained at Madison.com, all was for naught. "They spent nine hours Tuesday night into Wednesday morning railing about a proposal to eliminate race as a criterion in awarding college grants. It turned out the debate was completely unnecessary; the state Higher Education Board said Wednesday it hasn't considered race in grant awards for more than year, but no one in the Assembly realized it."

Whoops! On to other job-creating bills.

Stunningly Bad CCW Reporting

Wow.

BELOIT (WIFR)—Illinois is now the only state that doesn’t allow concealed carry. This after the law took effect in Wisconsin today. Today we stopped by a gun store up north and asked people about what’s changing. We visited Addie’s Gun Shop this afternoon in Janesville, Wisconsin and it was very busy! Many customers filtered in and out showing their gun permits, looking to buy a hand gun. Some customers were even picking up guns they had ordered six months ago. The concealed carry law now allows anyone over 21 to carry a gun in the State of Wisconsin. By law, a person must have a permit to buy a gun. If they choose to carry the gun they must also carry their permit. In order to obtain a gun permit, there are a series of steps a person must take including a background check, and anyone with a felony is denied. Police are already preparing for some differences in handling those with a weapon.

Um, NOBODY was “showing their gun permits” because none have even been mailed yet. And no, you do NOT need permit to buy a gun. As I mentioned a few days ago, you can download your application from the web.

I know when I went to the gun shop this weekend, as I always do before heading to the range for a little R&R, we all engaged in the usual pre-shooting banter and rituals: talking about our guns, their length and heft, how much time we spend cleaning them, what we've done to free them from infection and illness, assuring each other how clean we are now, what bad habits we might've seen others doing, sharing the knowledge of good spots where other gun enthusiasts might be. And now with the freedom given by concealed carry, we all showed each other the applications we downloaded, and who got theirs first, because first is always best! Why the reporter didn't mention that, I'll never know.

Such. Bad. Reporting.

CCW Permits Heading Out the Door

Who will get permit #1?

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has announced the Department of Justice (DOJ) already has started to issue concealed carry licenses to qualified applicants today, the first day permitted under Act 35.

As of approximately 3:45 p.m., more than 120 licenses have been issued to qualified applicants.  Almost 150 applications have been received by the DOJ at the Attorney General’s Capitol office, where applications have been made available and have been dropped off by visitors.

Of the applications received today, almost 90 licenses already have been printed at the DOJ and have been prepared for mailing.

Today in Madison

As screen-captured right now from Madison.com. What is this, Boots and Sabers?

Let’s be reasonable

My column for the Daily News is online. It’s called, “Let’s be reasonable.” Here’s the sentence that should get your attention:

The Democrats are right.

I'm a clever guy, aren't I?

Follow The Logic: I'm a conservative, but I'll shock you (temporarily) by suggesting that the other evil guys are right. I'm just that crazy! Or sly. You make the call. This is why I'm on Wisconsin Public Radio at 6 a.m. on random Fridays, and you're not. I'm willing to wake up and do the work of a minion of AFP and David Koch.

Or here’s a sample:

Huzzah! Such a shift in the balance of power between from the consumer to business is too risky for the consumer, but it also sets the stage to hurt business even worse. And we can't ever consider hurting business, can we? For no reason, even if consumers might be hurt. For if the abuses of business become too great and the unanswered grievances of consumers become too many, then the consumers will resort to the Legislature for redress in the form of burdensome regulations. Then, instead of individual grievances being afforded the rigorous due process of the court system, arbitrary remedies contrived by fickle legislators will be imposed irrespective of guilt. Because when legislators do things in the name of business, they're never fickle and they're not driven by campaign contributions. Thus it is so, for I am the Boots & Kittens blogger!

Concealed Carry Here Today

I have my application ready to do. You can get yours here. I did learn that my old Texas CCW license has an anti-copy coating on it, so be advised if you plan to use one as your proof of training. Good thing I have my Hunter Safety as a backup.

Just think... you can take Hunter Safety when you're twelve years old in order to learn how to use a shotgun to kill a deer, and decades later you retain all you need to know to be able to strap a 9 mm to your ankle. One follows from the next. Too bad it doesn't work for algebra and foreign languages, huh?

It’s an easy process. My one disappointment is that there wasn’t a place to put a phone number or email address. That means that if there are any problems with the application, it will have to be resolved via snail mail. That will take some time. So check the application thrice! Huzzah!

UPDATE: Wow.

On the first day of Wisconsin’s concealed carry law, more than 80,000 application forms have been downloaded and the Department of Justice’s website has gotten hundreds of thousands of hits. The state expects to start issuing concealed carry permits later Tuesday afternoon, according to Department of Justice spokeswoman Dana Brueck. Since the permits will be mailed, it will take a few days for applicants to receive them.

I’m a bit surprised that they plan to start issuing permits that soon. Granted, the background check and training verification should only take a few seconds, but I figured they’d process them more slowly. Good for them for getting at it.

Things That Annoy Me, Part 54,622

So I go to buy an e-book on Amazon…

Hardback - $7.43
Paperback - $7.93
Kindle - $12.99

Seriously, Random House? Are you some kind of socialistical company, trying to collect more of my hard-earned dollars so you can send the money to the likes of George Soros? Why are you trying to charge what the market will bear, for a product that so many people want? Like me! I should be able to get what I want, for the price I want it. What is this, Russia?