and it is beautiful!
The grounds of the Stately Manor this Saturday afternoon are a snow globe, lightly shaken. A Grandma Moses painting come to life. The falling snow blankets the blue spruce and dwarf white pine while, inside, the fireplace is a-glow with warmth. Expecting 4 to 7 inches here.
Where is “here?” we ask of every Facebook weather posting that presumes you know because the poster knows. “Here” is the SW side of Madison WI, dammit!
On the Werkes blotter
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is honoring its immediate past chancellor with “Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History.” Campus History? Platinum+ subscriber Padraig O’Loughlin says it should be named “either the Fredric March Center for Accurate Research, or the Rebecca Blank Center for Rewriting Campus History.” How long before HER name is scrubbed? Perhaps over some doggerel written as an undergraduate. (Despite all that, we wish her better health.)
If Mark Twain did not say it he should have: It is easier to fool someone than convince them they have been fooled. Police body cam video has been released of David DePape conking Paul Pelosi over the head with a hammer. The fools who posited the gay lovers quarrel are undeterred. “The video shows Paul Pelosi in his skivvies,” cries one, unmindful that the attack occurred at 2:30 in the morning. “What’s with the snoring?” another ignoramus asks. It’s the poor man gurgling in his own blood.
Jonathan Turley is no liberal apologist for the Pelosis. Law professor Turley writes:
Your bias or dislike for some figures can make you prone to assuming the worst or most sensational interpretation of limited facts. We can all be susceptible to such bias in today’s heated political environment. That is why we often discuss how we need to wait for the evidence and the Pelosi case is an example of why.
— “The Pelosi tapes .. refute sensational theories“
A second video from a Secret Service camera shows DePape busting the back door with a hammer. Yet another fool claims: “Video edited to the max! Fake!” The same mouth breathers blame January 6 on Nancy Pelosi. Held the Capitol doors open herself but forgot to tell Ashli Babbitt. Friday, DePape telephoned a TV station to apologize that:
“I didn’t get more of them. It’s my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared.”
— So reports National Review.
Tucker Carlson, denied!
Milwaukee-area blogger Paris Procopis blames Dane County Republicans for Tim Michels’ defeat for governor. Today Mr. P. is “beyond disappointed” that Ronna Romney McDaniel was re-elected chairman of the Republican National Committee Saturday 01-27-23 with 111 votes against 51 for Harmeet Dhillon and 4 for the My Pillow nut.
McDaniel got all three Wisconsin national committee votes; those of party chairman Brian Schimming, national committeeman Tom Schreibel and committeewoman Maripat Krueger. Dhillon, whose law firm represents Tr•mp, enjoyed backing from the likes of Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA. Election deniers like Kari Lake, and Wisconsin’s Adam Steen, Janel Brandtjen, and Timothy Ramthun are not happy.
None dare call it CRT!
Progressives are in a dither that Gov. DeSantis is banning an “advanced placement” course that promotes critical race theory. The Wall Street Journal asks, “Does an AP class that’s exploring “the case for reparations” also discuss the case against? … [The course] has a topic on exploring the “diverse experiences and identifies of black communities in the U.S.” Somehow, we doubt that involves readings from Thomas Sowell or Clarence Thomas.
Blaska’s Bottom Line asks a bunch of questions: The Wisconsin State Journal refuses to publish Blaska’s letter asking Madison school officials whether, after eight years, is Restorative Justice working? Especially considering we have another school board election on the April 4 ballot. Editorial page editor Scott Milfred complained: “It was long …” [It was 245 words — exact number as a letter fit to publish Sunday 01-29-23: “Our public schools deserve support.”] “and asked a bunch of questions, which was awkward for a letter to the editor.” Blaska responded that those are questions the newspaper should be asking and the school district won’t. Here is that letter.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
I agree, David. I’m disturbed by the Madison School Board’s lack of response and lack of statistics for many things regarding Madison schools and student performance. I’m further mystified that the local media don’t ever seem to regard this as an issue either. I support Madison Schools. But I also expect to hear how things are going, both good and bad. Otherwise how can any progress be made addressing the bad things?
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The Madison School Board’s silence shouldn’t come as a surprise. When you’re part of the ruling elite in Madison, you’re answerable to no one–least of all to anyone who has the temerity to question your competence and/or motives. For people who loudly proclaim their championing of democracy, they are pathologically averse to debate and dissent.
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So your letter to the editor was too long? Isn’t it part of an editor’s job to condense text that runs longer than the allotted space? I’ve had several letters printed by the WSJ over the years and some of them have been edited–usually to remove phrases that were considered too (ahem) salty for the delicate sensibilities of Madison readers. I suspect the part of the letter that really caused consternation was your signature.
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Excellent point, Gary! Dave, why not try re-submitting under an assumed name, perhaps James Adler might work? Probably oughta mildly edit it to disguise it’s origin.
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“why not try re-submitting under an assumed name”
Great point rightbackatcha, MP!
Blaska should submit it under the name of Mark Quinn; the the WSJ can’t seem to get enough of that there career Lefty’s hyper-partisan slobber.
The Gotch
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As an occasional writer to the WSJ myself, I’ve noticed that they’ve started taking some uncomfortably creative liberties editing my words before publishing them, especially in the last couple years. They affixed a title to one of mine last year that was a complete misrepresentation of the point I was trying to make, and I’m almost certain they knew it. I’ve had a couple others that they didn’t publish at all because they pointed to facts that I know didn’t align with the narrative of their editorial staff. Places like this one are what I’ve started resorting to since my words don’t get distorted by middling journalists with agendas.
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What do YOU make of the fact that the five Memphis police officers who beat Tyre Nichols to death are all black?
Them all testing Melanin Positive alone saved countless neighborhoods/properties from being torched, billion$ in insured/uninsured loses, and Lord only knows how many deaths, injuries, and people’s lives being irrevocably disrupted from Fiery But MOSTLY PEACEFUL Protests
Leave it to despicable Lefty RAYcist Extraordinaire Van Jones to blame it on RAYcism.
The Gotch
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I see I’m not the one who noticed that. If those cops were anything but black, every major city would be ablaze while people like Brandi Grayson cheered them on.
While the incident doesn’t sound good for the cops involved, I will wait for the facts/footage to come out. These things are almost never as simple as the left-wing media tries to portray.
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“While the incident doesn’t sound good for the cops involved”
Nope, and while the available footage does nothing to dispel that, you’re right to withhold judgement, MTR.
Cautionary Tales of Duke LaCrosse, JUICY Smollett, Nicholas Sandman, (locally) Althea Bernstein, and countless others, loom large.
The supply of HATE ever lags the demand…
The Gotch
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…Tawana Brawley, Emma Sulkowicz (mattress girl), Sabrina Rubin Erdely and her girlfriend Jackie, Audrey Seiler for another local celebrity, some others that I’m forgetting, the list goes on.
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10 inches/25.4 cms on a patio bench this a.m.
Guessing Blaska doesn’t miss not having a sidewalk “‘Here’ (on) the SW side of Madison WI, dammit,” am I right?
The Gotch
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Shoveling complete. Thick but light, just how I like my women.
Ok that made no sense.
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Only one person to blame if your car is in a body shop waiting for repair because of the horrific glare ice on the streets from someone who does not drive. One mayor lost his job as he took care of bike trails before streets. This one should be kicked out too. Hold mayor responsible for the results of these dangerous streets.
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As part of the Parks Department rather than the Streets Division, the BIKIE Path/Trail/Lane/Lane/Boulevard/Bridge System has priority and is STILL cleared WELL before many residential streets.
This begs the question: How does The Gotch, et al, get his BIKIE to The System if the route there is icy-n-snow-covered?
The City deserves a Shout Out after performing an unexpectedly good job of plowing late Saturday/early Sunday…THIS time.
The Gotch
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Plowing is not the problem, de-icing is the problem. Glare Ice at every intersection on E. Wash ave. No one in city cares. What happens when you have a non driving person in charge. They get a ride to and from the ur job. They could at lease stop the dangerous solid ice where stopping is crucial to avoid the crashes. Check body shops for wait times. Or they can just ride rapid transit, major goal to eliminate autos, seems the goal here.
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