Blogs

_wtaq-blogs-jerrybader The Bader Blog

Teacher Tells Student He can Be Arrested for Criticizing President Obama Posted May 20, 2012 by Jerry Bader

The audio is hard to hear and you get the idea from the transcript. But sit through the audio to really get the flavor of what was going on in this classroom. Somehow you're never supposed to criticize someone once they are elected POTUS? The student did simply ask a question: "didn't Obama bully a girl." And he goes back to this truth and she really does freak out.

And the school's comment on this is amazing:

“The Rowan-Salisbury School System expects all students and employees to be respectful in the school environment and for all teachers to maintain their professionalism in the classroom. This incident should serve as an education for all teachers to stop and reflect on their interaction with students. Due to personnel and student confidentiality, we cannot discuss the matter publicly.”

 

This is an amazing response. This woman tried to claim somehow Mitt Romney is not equal to President Obama because Obama is already President. This woman is speaking at about a 4th grade President. You must listen to the part when the student brings up President George W. Bush. The student is absolutely right that you can't be arrested for criticizing the President. This kid is more qualified to teach this class than this idiot. Who the HELL was arrested for criticizing Bush?

UW Madison Removing Religious Holidays From Academic Calendar Posted May 20, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Ah, but this is no war on religion claims Faculty Secretary David Musolf. Why, it's actually an effort to be more sensitive to people of faith: 

 

Every year, university officials field complaints from students who feel disenfranchised because their religious beliefs are not reflected on the academic calendar, he said.

“It’s a fairly complex situation because there are so many diverse religions represented on the campus,” he said. “We can’t possibly include all of them.”

 

So, because every single religious holiday cannot be included, a handful, Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, etc. can't be on the calendar, even though these holidays would cover a lot of students and eliminate a lot of potential conflictts with exams and other class activities if the professor can see them on the school calendar. Consider the irony here; religious holidays covering the 99%(metaphorically if not literally speaking) had to be removed to placate the 1%. Delicious irony indeed.


Campbell Brown to Obama: "Stop Condescending to Women..." Posted May 20, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Apparently Brown wasn't wowed with the President's commencement address at Barnard. And Brown makes a great point here; it is tremendously condescending to women to argue simultaneously that they deserve the "head seat" at the table, but need the government's help in getting it:

My cousin in Louisiana started a small company with a little savings, renovating houses. A single mom, she saved enough to buy a home and provide child care for her son. When the economy went belly up, so did her company. She was forced to sell her home and move in with her parents. She has found another job, but doesn’t make enough to move out. Family, not government, has been everything to her at this time of crisis. She, and they, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Another member of my family left her job at an adoption agency just before the economy crashed. Also a single mother, she has been looking for a way back to a full-time job ever since. She has been selling things on eBay to make ends meet. Friends and family, not government, have been there at the dire moments when she has asked them to be. Again, she, and they, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Women shouldn't have opportunities denied just because they are women. And what Brown's piece says to me is it's also no reason to give them an unfair advantage. Regardless of which way an unlevel playing field tilts, it is still unlevel.

Count and Win, the Show Posted May 20, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Okay, here's CW 14 in Focus. I've counted the times Mike Brown from One Wisconsin Now said "divide and conquer" in a 25 minute program. I'm having Jason count to check my work. When we ask on Monday if you have the number we're looking for, ou win a four pack of tickets to a Milwaukee Brewers game.

Journal Sentinel Endorses Walker Posted May 20, 2012 by Jerry Bader

As it did in 2010 From the Editorial:

 

Walker's rematch with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was prompted by one issue: Walker's tough stance with the state's public-employee unions. It's inconceivable that the recall election would be occurring absent that. And a disagreement over a single policy is simply not enough to justify a vote against the governor.

 

And the subterfuge to make this about jobs or women or anything else is to hide the fact that this entire recall is about restoring power to public employee unions.  This piece also hits the nail on the head when it says that while Walker concedes he could have sold the changes better, all the sugar in the world wasn't going to make this pill go down.

While the JS has been the recpient of a lot of John Doe "tips" shall we say, as they deny getting any leaks from the Milwaukee Co. DA's office, they have shown more fairness than other papers in the state with Walker, so this endorsement isn't all that shocking. 

MI: New Voter Registration Fraud Not Being Tracked in Wisconsin Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

We're complying with the law, we just can't tell you how many have been returned. In other words, they are inactivating voters they way they're supposed to, but they can't say how many that is? Really?

Count and Win! Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Earlier this week I recorded a segment with Fox 11's Robert Hornacek where I debated One Wisconsin Now's Mike Brown. During the segment Brown used the phrase "divide and conquer" more times than I could count. So I decided to make a contest out of this. The first person to call after we announce it on Monday's show with the correct number of times he said it, will win a four pack of Brewers Tickets.

The show airs 10:30 AM Sunday on CW 14 in Green Bay. You can find the show shortly after it airs at this link.

Payment Due Upon Receipt of This Invoice Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

I Know, Life Really is too Short to Worry About Ed Schultz... Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

but I share this nonetheless. The author is right; nobody from the right told Schultz this and if somebody from Chisolm's office did, they broke the law. There is a third possibilty the author doesn't consider; that Schultz made the whole thing up. That's my bet here.

Remember awhile back when some declared Schultz Irrelevant and he said the Governor of Wisconsin is going to find out how irrelevant Ed Schultz is? Those could end up being the truest words Dead Head Ed ever spoke.

Have You Seen This Man? Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Submitted by a listener after WTMJ Radio's John Mercure learned that Mayor Tom Barrett skipped an event honoring fallen police officers(an event he committed to) so he could go rally the union troops in Oshkosh Wednesday. Good, good, stuff.

 

MoveOn, OMG, WTH??? Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Wait, didn't MoveOn recently launch a petition and fundraiser because the DNC wouldn't drop $500,000 in Wisconsin on the recall??? But they haven't actually endorsed Tom Barrett yet???? What????




From: Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Subject: Vote on MoveOn's endorsement for governor

Date: Friday, May 18, 2012, 11:26 AM

Dear xxxx,
The vote to recall Governor Scott Walker is less than three weeks away and we need MoveOn members in Wisconsin to make a decision.
Democrat Tom Barrett is running against Scott Walker and we need to decide whether to endorse him. Until now, MoveOn members' efforts have been focused on defeating Walker. And those efforts will definitely continue through Election Day. 
Now that the Democratic primary is over, we need to decide whether to endorse Barrett as well. Our endorsement will mean that we help fund his campaign and ask MoveOn members across the state to volunteer for him.
The decision is entirely up to MoveOn members in Wisconsin. So, do you think that we should endorse Tom Barrett for Governor? Click one of the links to vote automatically.
The more people who participate, the better the decision will be—so please take a moment to vote now.
In order to make an endorsement, Tom Barrett needs to receive 2/3 of the vote. Without a 2/3 majority, we won't endorse a candidate.
This ballot email is not transferable. If you want to encourage your friends who are MoveOn members to vote, tell them to look for their personal MoveOn ballot email.
You must be a resident Wisconsin and a MoveOn member prior to today to participate in the online endorsement vote. Click below to cast your vote: 
 
Thanks. The voting will continue until 5 p.m. on Sunday and we'll let you know the outcome soon.

–Daniel, Levana, and the rest of the team

"W" on the Arab Spring Posted May 18, 2012 by Jerry Bader

Haven't heard from Bush 43 in awhile. This is an interesting read, because much of it seems to lie between the lines. Bush seems to be criticizing the Obama administration, at least to some extent, for lack of leadership in this revolutionary moment. But he also seems to criticize conservatives who've argued that Obama jumped to fast, at least in some cases, to believe any revolution is better than any dictator.

Bush argues here that any revolution IS better than any dictator, depending on how America leads in the aftermath of the revolution. A very interesting read.