Why waste taxpayer dollars?

Personally, I do not care if the Governor wants to take a trip to China.

A Republican legislative leader put Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle in the middle of the legislative impasse over the stalled state budget Thursday, saying Doyle should cancel his trade mission to China so he can devote those 12 days to budget talks.

I started to giggle when I read my own representative's reaction to the the call for Doyle to stay in Wisconsin:

Democrats on the committee said there was no need for Doyle to cancel his trip.

"You know, they have Internet in China," said Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser (D-Kenosha). "They have telephones. (Doyle has) got staff here with hard delegation authority."

Rep. Krueser is correct, China does have the internet and telephones, but...

If that is the case, Why take the trip in the first place?

Considering the huge deficit this state is running, can't the Governor just email or call China, instead of wasting thousands of our tax dollars?

More judicial activism

Oh this will go over well in IOWA(sarcasm):

DES MOINES, Iowa - A county judge struck down Iowa's decade-old gay marriage ban as unconstitutional Thursday and ordered local officials to process marriage licenses for six gay couples.

Gay couples from anywhere in Iowa could apply for a marriage license from Polk County under Judge Robert Hanson's ruling.

Less than two hours after word of the ruling was publicized, two Des Moines men applied for a license, the first time the county had accepted a same-sex application. The approval process takes three days.

continued...

Fred is in...

Personally- I grew disgusted with the game that the Thompson campaign played for months.

I have yet to decide who I will support, but I don't like being jerked around.

For those interested, here is a list of Fred Thompson appearances.

Thursday, September 6
Afternoon - Des Moines, IA
Evening - Council Bluffs, IA

Friday, September 7
Morning - Sioux City, IA
Evening - Mason City, IA

Saturday, September 8
Morning - Cedar Rapids, IA
Afternoon - Davenport, IA
Evening - Portsmouth, NH

Sunday, September 9
Afternoon - Manchester, NH
Evening - Nashua, NH

Monday, September 10
Morning - Greenville, SC
Afternoon - Columbia, SC

You are pathetic, Governor Doyle

You know- these scare tactics by the governor are getting ridiculous.

This is about as blatant as a person can get. The Governor is trying to scare those living on Medicare.

Because of continued uncertainty over the budget, Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan said he instructed the Department of Health and Family Services to develop a plan for cutting spending in Medicaid by 20%. The state-federal health care program covers the poor, elderly and disabled, helping one in seven Wisconsin residents.

I understand the governor wants a budget, however, the governor is frightening old people in order to get what he wants from the state legislature. That is pathetic.

When the leader in the State Senate, also a Democrat, is calling you out on this tactic, it has to be bad.

Rep. Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson), a member of the committee of legislative leaders trying to reach a budget compromise, said the Democratic governor was frightening the public to try to get the budget he wants.

"Shame on them for scaring seniors and the needy," Rhoades said. "Why put this fear out there on something so unnecessary?"

Rhoades said the lack of a new budget was not an immediate problem for Medicaid because state spending will continue at past levels. Even without a budget, the state wouldn't hit a cash flow problem until 2009, she said.

If the Wisconsin government is living on the same budget that they were living on less than two months ago- why is the world would you have to make 20% in financial cuts to Medicare?

This is only a pathetic tactic by the Governor to scare the elderly into believing that they will have their Medicare cut.

Is there no level too low that our Governor will not stoop, in order to get what he wants?

Anti-women?

At first I scoffed when I read this headline- "Lawton, Dem legislators call GOP budget 'anti-women'. Until I read this portion of the article-

Rep. Donna Seidel (D-Wausau) said the Republicans' move to end state funds for private family-planning clinics would jeopardize help now given to 3,400 women in Marathon County. Sen. Robert Wirch (D-Kenosha) said 3,300 women in that county would lose medical and family-planning services in Kenosha County, if the new limit becomes law.

Typical political garbage.

I do have a few questions-

Why are using tax dollars to fund PRIVATE family-planning clinics?

What kind of "private" clinics are these?

Is the GOP assembly really cutting off ALL funding for women?(I mean, really?)

I will be honest- every time I see the words "family planning"- I wonder if NARAL is involved.


Also- Just as a observation- Even Rep. Seidel only suggested that help for the women would be jeopardized. However, being the drama king that he is- Sen. Wirch is claiming that women would completely lose there medical services and family-planning services.

I think I will send out an email to Sen. Wirch requesting him to explain himself completely. I would like an explanation as to why taxpayers are funding private clinics and which women's clinics will be shut down.

I believe Sen. Wirch owes us an explanation.

Will advise as soon as I get a response.

Feel free to email him, yourself-

Sen.Wirch@legis.wisconsin.gov

Why would the MJS mislead people?

I came across this statement in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In general, in recent years, the state has been paying two-thirds of the cost of school operations. Doyle's proposal would continue that; Republican proposals would hold down increases in school spending and trim the state ratio below two-thirds.

This information is false. Governor Doyle's budget does not cover 2/3's of the costs.

In fact the Assembly Republicans budget for k-12 is $14 million higher than the governor's budget.

This has been pointed out repeatedly-

According to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the governor’s budget increased state funding for K-12 education by $448 million, the Assembly Republican Budget increased funding by $464 million and the Senate Democrat Budget increased it by $488 million.

Is there any doubt as to why people accuse the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of being liberal, when they do stuff like this.

Of course, they may print some sort of retraction, nobody reads those. However- How many people will read this article?

Gonzales resigns

This is disappointing. I supported Gonzales, even throughout the firings of the prosecutors. The President reserves the right to fire the people he chooses- no explanation necessary- no matter how offended Congress is by this action.

There is nothing the Democrats could do about the firings by Gonzales, just like there was nothing the Republicans could do about Clinton's firing of prosecutors.

However, when Gonzales got in front of Congress and appeared to be attempting to cover up something, he came off as not telling the truth.

It is a shame, because he did not have to cover for anyone. There were some folks attempting to play politics and he got caught up in the game.

I am glad to see he has resigned, but I am disappointed that he put himself in a position where he had to resign.

WASHINGTON - Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, announced his resignation Monday, forced from the helm of the Justice Department after a wrenching standoff with congressional critics over his honesty and competence.

continued...

It's called "victory"

Just in case some folks do not recognize it, it is called "Victory"!

Certainly Senator John Warner does not recognize it, but there are still a few Americans out their that believe in victory in Iraq.

A few people have made the claim that I was too harsh on Senator Warner. There are a ton of liberals rushing to Senator Warner's side right now talking about his war service in WWII and so on.

Well, let me be honest- I have not begun to be harsh on Senator Warner or his comments on bringing troops home before the job is complete.

This behavior from Senator Warner is unacceptable. This behavior is even more unacceptable coming from Republican senator who voted for this war. There was a time that the Senator actually supported victory in Iraq, now I guess he has lost his patience.

This decorated war hero has lost his will to win and embraced defeat in Iraq. That is also unacceptable behavior.

Especially now that things seem to be moving in a positive direction.

Yes, there have been many mistakes made by President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. However the mission is still the same. Eradicate the terrorists in the Middle East. Yes folks, this war affects everything taking place in the Middle East, not just Iraq.

Just as there have been mistakes there have also been some positives. Just yesterday, I read an article by the AP showing that some areas of Iraq are going so well, we may be able to start bring troops home soon. (The article sounds strangely familiar and embraces President Bush's policy of "as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down." But, I digress.)

Often lost in the Washington talk about troop cuts is the fact that security conditions in Iraq vary widely by region and that some less contested areas may be ready for the transition to control by Iraqi security early next year.

The difference between the general's call to start sending troops home and the Senator's call for sending troops home is very simple.

Our generals and the President want to bring our troops home victoriously, after stabilizing a certain portions of Iraq.

Senator Warner wants to punish the Iraqi government and bring our troops home in defeat.

Now, I have already heard the arguments from so-called "conservatives" stating that "I did not leave the President on Iraq, President Bush left me". I have also heard "there were no terrorists in Iraq before we invaded".(well, there are terrorists now and they are watching our every move, waiting for us to run , just like we did in Vietnam)

None of these excuses are good enough anymore.

Victory in Iraq is the only option.

This has nothing to do with whether or not a person supports the President or whether or not they supported the war.

It has everything to do with whether or not a person supports victory in Iraq.

If we fail in Iraq or if we leave too early, the Middle East will once again become a haven for the terrorists.

You want to talk about a "go it alone policy", just see what happens if we bail out of Iraq without achieving a stable Iraq that will fight terrorism.

Think about what the future would be like. No country would ever want to be our ally again. Why would they when all the Americans do is cut and run when things get tough.

I will continue to criticize Senator Warner as long as he continues to embrace a policy that accepts failure as an option in Iraq.

My criticism of Senator Warner has nothing to do with his war record or whether or not he supports President Bush. I could care less about any of that.

Until Senator Warner supports bringing our troops home victoriously, instead of bringing them home to punish the Iraqis, then I will continue to criticize.

Our country and our troops deserve better than Senator Warner's defeatist policies.

DNC to Florida Democrats- "We don't need you"

Apparently, the Democrat National Committee feels that they do not need Florida Democrats in order to win the presidency.

The Democratic National Committee sought to seize control of its unraveling nominating process yesterday, rejecting pleas from state party leaders and cracking down on Florida for scheduling a Jan. 29 presidential primary.

The DNC's rules and bylaws committee, which enforces party rules, voted yesterday morning to strip Florida of all its delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver -- the harshest penalty at its disposal.

Now I know that the DNC and Florida Democrats have 30 days to work out this mess, but the damage has been done by the DNC to those loyal to the Democrat party in Florida.

Why would a single Democrat volunteer for a party that is determined to put Florida Democrats at the back of the line?

Florida has the 4th largest amount of electorial college votes. It is a big state. Why would the DNC turn on that many electorial votes?

The DNC just made things a lot easier for Republicans in Florida.

It is just common sense

Jessica McBride makes a great argument for removing Michael McGee continued power over the people in his district.

If you have not heard already, McGee is busy pulling the strings to stop a block party in his district.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-

Using the power he still wields from jail, Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee has denied a permit for a block party organized by two key figures in the state and federal cases against him.

Jessica's argument-

Yes, people are innocent until proven guilty. But McGee's job is a special one that should involve high standards: It involves the public trust. Imagine if the Jude cops had kept their law enforcement powers after being charged. After all, they were innocent until proven guilty, so why not?

Removing the Jude cops before they were convicted wasn't controversial at all. It was universally recognized that being a cop is a special and powerful position that involves the public trust, so you couldn't keep someone in that position with such serious allegations around them.

If a county treasurer was in jail for stealing from the county coffers, would they retain their power over the county coffers? Innocent until proven guilty! It's like former DA Joe Paulus continuing to prosecute cases while under indictment for taking bribes in the prosecution of cases. Would ANYONE have supported that? Of course not. I can't believe this is even a matter of debate.

This is similar. Being an alderman is a position of public trust.

continued...

It is just common sense. Clearly, McGee has a personal vendetta against these folks in his district.

Why would McGee be allowed to continue to intimidate the people in his district like this?

McGee needs to have all of his authority stripped in district until his cases have been settled in a court of law.

Evil Walmart caught FOLLOWING our state laws

It is not illegal, but don't tell that to Wisconsin's Department of Revenue or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Headline: Walmart owes back taxes, state says

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has avoided millions of dollars in state taxes by paying rent on 87 Wisconsin properties in a way that the state Department of Revenue calls an "abuse and distortion of income."

Of course, Walmart is not exactly breaking the law-

The charges are unusually aggressive for the state's tax-collection agency, and the case is being closely watched by tax professionals. Legislators, too, have become involved; some want to change state law to end the technique Wal-Mart is using.

Wal-Mart says it has not done anything wrong but is merely taking advantage of an overlap of state and federal tax laws: To reduce its taxes and costs, it sets up one subsidiary to run its stores and another subsidiary to own its real estate. The operating subsidiary pays rent to the real estate subsidiary and takes a tax deduction for the rent, even though that money eventually ends up in the corporation's own pocket.

Perhaps the state legislators and the governor need to fix this loophole before they go off accusing Walmart of owing back taxes! According to Wisconsin laws, they do not owe back taxes!

"Anything Wal-Mart can do to lawfully lower its costs allows the company to pass it along through lower prices," said company spokesman John Simley. "This is a lawful (tax) structure in Wisconsin."

Darn those crazy Walmart folks who insist on following the rules and trying to keep the costs low for consumers!

Really, folks- I just do not get it. Why do the liberals hate Walmart so much and yet they are shopping there just like the rest of us. Could it be the low prices?

Case against another Haditha Marine to be dropped.

I read a very interesting blog a few moments ago and I just had to make point it out. It is about Murtha, Warner and the horrible circumstances surrounding Haditha and the marines.

From Freedom Eden-

Like Murtha, Warner seems to relish all the attention he's getting now; just as he did when he jumped on the rush to judgment bandwagon over the "Haditha massacre."

As it turns out, that rush is becoming more embarrassing for Murtha and Warner and other vocal critics of the Marines involved in the incident.

The case against yet another Marine accused of murdering civilians in cold blood in Haditha has fallen apart.

That is right folks. Another case against one of the Marines involved in Haditha has been dropped.

I could not agree more with Freedom Eden's sentiment here-

It bothers me that both print and electronic media were obsessed with Haditha and besmirching Marines as cold-blooded killers.

It bothers me that the media consider Murtha and Warner beyond reproach when it comes to their statements on military conduct and operations.

It especially bothers me when information about dropped charges in the Haditha case is not front page, top story news.

The Marines deserve better than that. The men accused of being cold-blooded killers deserve so much better.

It bothers me too.

Is Fred Thompson ready to announce?

The rumblings all over the internet is that Fred Thompson could very well be ready to announce that he is running for President tonight.

From Pete's Republic-

One INTERESTING tidbit of information being reported on blogsforfredthompson.com is that Fred Thompson is meeting with reporters at 4 pm today ahead of this speech. This is being reported by the Indianapolis Star newspaper (my hometown newspaper).


Don't ask me- I don't know anything.

Edwards attacking Clinton

John Edwards has thrown down the gauntlet to the Clinton campaign. He has gone on the attack.

The former North Carolina senator didn't mention Clinton by name, but he left no doubt he was condemning Clinton-era politics when he said the Lincoln Bedroom should not be "for rent" and cautioned that "nostalgia" was no reason to elect someone president.

I am still trying to figure out if this the "hail Mary" throw from the Edwards campaign. It appears that Edwards is already flinging whatever he can out there to stop the Clinton machine.

Instead of showing any kind of leadership by attracting people with a positive message, he has gone on the attack against Clinton.

The problem is that the Edwards message is not resonating with the people, so he has gone on the attack. People just do not buy into the fact that this rich Washington politician actually gives a rip about the little people. This is the same man who just recently was exposed as invested millions upon millions of dollars in sub prime lending groups that are foreclosing people's homes. He was also getting paid by these same lending groups.

This rich politician is having a real hard time hiding his riches and his hypocrisy from the people.

We may actually being seeing the beginning of the end for John Edwards' presidential aspirations.

I could not be more thrilled by watching the Democrats tear each other apart. Carry on.

Hey conservatives- how many guesses did it take you to figure out who it was that made this headline?

Hey conservatives- how many guesses did it take you to figure out who it was that made this headline?

GOP senator calls for troop withdrawals

You should be ashamed of yourself if it took you more that one or two guesses.

Of course it is Senator Warner.

This is one of the same pinheaded GOP senators that did this a little over a month ago.

Two leading Republican senators broke from the Bush party line Friday, introducing legislation to push to president to prepare alternate strategies in Iraq.

Don’t you just love how the media continues to breathless proclaim a GOP Senator going against Bush? Only it is the same handful of GOP senators doing it every single time.

The following senators should be your first few guesses when you read this very same headline in next month’s papers.

So the next time you hear a GOP senator bash Bush and our troops in Iraq, it is a pretty safe bet it is one of the following GOP senators doing it:

Senator Warner
Senator Lugar
Senator Hagel
Senator Specter(actually Senator Specter will actually be accusing the President of violating the rights of Americans by wiretapping)

Where is Daddy?

I have pretty much stayed out of the immigration debate. I tended to run very much in the middle of this debate. Yes, I believed that we need to build a fence, but I also felt that we needed to show a compassion to those in our country that just simply wanted to work. There was simply too many illegals here and there was no way kick them all out.

Well, that has all changed.

After reading about Elvira Arellano, and her blatant disregard for American laws and complete disrespect of my country, my opinion has really changed.

What Elvira did was a complete slap in the face to every single American citizen and every single person that is in this country legally.

Now, Elvira is using her son as a political pawn in her campaign against our country's immigration laws.

Of course, the Milwaukee Journal editorial staff fell for her antics-hook, line and sinker. Today's editorial is entitled "A little boy's tears".

His mother was among the 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to be in this country. She came to Washington state in 1997, was deported shortly after, returned and moved to Illinois in 2000. Her son, however, is among another group of people not much considered these days. This would be the children of undocumented immigrants in this country, numbering 3.1 million, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Unlike the editorial staff of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, instead of playing Elvira's political games, I have some serious questions. Questions that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel should have asked themselves before writing their sob story.

How can anyone support a woman who left her 8 year old son behind, just to make a political point?

Why are the courts not insisting that parents take their minor children back with them, when they are deported for being in this country illegally?

Why is it the 8 year old in the family is making the decision on where he should live? Apparently, Saul wanted to go to school in Chicago.

From the New York Daily News-

"He said he wants to go to school, and I want him to continue with his school," said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto's United Methodist Church in Chicago, where Elvira Arellano sought 24-hour sanctuary from a deportation order last August.


Probably the most important question of all-

Where is Daddy?

Really- if Saul's mom insists are doing this to her son, then where is Daddy to care of his son?

This child deserves a mother and a father that will take care of him. It is time for Saul's dad to step up.

Instead- Saul, an eight year old child, has become his mother's ambassador.

There is something terrible wrong with this picture.

Belching moose=global warming

I bet you think I am kidding.

Nope, I am not kidding.

A grown moose belches out methane gas equivalent to 2,100 kilograms (4,630 pounds) of carbon dioxide a year, contributing to global warming, Norwegian researchers said Wednesday.

That is more than twice the amount of CO2 emitted on a round-trip flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Oslo to the Chilean capital Santiago, according to Scandinavian Airlines.

"An adult moose emits about 100 kilograms of methane gas a year. But methane gas is much stronger than carbon dioxide, so to get the equivalent you have to multiply by 21," professor Odd Harstad at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences told AFP.

continued...

Overturned

Okay- someone was drinking and driving and they were impaired, however- the conviction was tossed out-

A Sheboygan woman's second conviction for drunken driving was overturned today by the Second District Court of Appeals because police stopped the woman based only on an anonymous tip.

"The anonymous tip contained insufficient indicators of reliability and the police lacked reasonable suspicion to conduct a traffic stop; therefore, we reverse (the conviction)," Appeals Court Judge Daniel P. Anderson wrote.

continued...


So- what are the chances that this woman will re-offend? Also, what are the chances that this woman will end up hurting or killing someone when she re-offends?

Is this a great country or what?

Yes- I have received this in an email before, but sometimes it is just good to be reminded.


Bill Clinton got $12 million for his memoirs. Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.

Enough is enough

How many times can a person thumb their nose at American laws before even the most patient lose their temper?

Even I have lost my patience with this woman.

Elvira Arellano

Illegal alien who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born son has been deported to Mexico, the church's pastor said.

Elvira Arellano became an activist and a national symbol for illegal-alien parents as she defied her deportation order and spoke out from her religious sanctuary. She held a press conference last week to announce that she would finally leave the church to try to lobby U.S. lawmakers for change.

Elvira came to this country illegally. If she had followed US laws she would not be in this position. She and her son would be together.

We're full up, Lord

Thank you Lord for sending such a generous amount of rain. Not to be ungrateful, but our tanks are full. A little less generocity with the rain would be greatly appreciated.

I took these photos about a mile and half from my home in Kenosha. I hear that out in the county it is much worse.

So far, as you can see, the crops are hanging in, but it is getting close to being a total washout. Also, you can see from the photos that some houses are in danger also.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Priorities

I thought the priority was educating children. Why is it then that so many children are not getting the mandatory minimum classroom teaching hours?

Where a student attends public school in the five-county metropolitan Milwaukee area can make a difference of as much as four weeks' time in the classroom per year, according to data reported to the state.

Mukwonago, Slinger, South Milwaukee and Wauwatosa reported that most - if not all - of their schools held classes at least 65 hours longer than the minimum hours set by state law.

Meanwhile, the Oak Creek-Franklin and Waukesha school districts met for the minimum amount of hours, and a large number of schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools system fell below the standard in 2006-'07.

continued...

Children need this time to learn. When does DPI plan on fixing this?

Kenosha County Fair's Most Popular Person

If I was asked once, I was asked a thousand times- "How is State Rep. Samantha Kerkman doing?" or "Has Sam had her baby yet?"

No one is more loved and respected out in the county as State Rep. Samantha Kerkman.

Guess what folks?

State Representative Samantha Kerkman had her baby very early this morning!

The Kerkman family proudly welcomed their second son, Evan, to their growing family.

Mom, Dad, big brother and little Evan are all doing great.

Congratulations to Sam and the entire Kerkman family!

Send a boat

Is anyone else having issues with flooding?

Here is a scene outside my apartment. And no, there should not be a pond here- at least there was not one yesterday morning.

Of course all of this is taking place right in the middle of the Kenosha County Fair. Wednesday's races at the fair were rained out. Things have been pretty slow since then.

Yesterday, normally the biggest day for the Kenosha Fair, was a complete bust.

Thanks to all of the volunteers that have been working the Republican Party booth at the fair. Especially thru all of this.

Things got so bad last night that they closed the fair early. The last time I spoke with the Republican volunteers, Rob and Marie, they were hightailing it thru mountains of mud to try and find their car in the washed out parking lot. They made it home safe.

However, as I head back out to the fair today, I am very concerned about Dutch. Dutch is the lovable elephant that travels around the 1st district.

Dutch is picture below. If you see him swimming past you- grab him! He is very friendly and does not bite.

Well- off to the fair.

Today is the last day for the fair in Kenosha- please join us.

This is embarrassing

5th lowest in the nation?

This is a total embarrassment to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin had the fifth-lowest percentage among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, gaining 0.6% or 17,700 jobs. The highest growth rate in nearby states was Iowa at 1.2%, a net increase of 17,400 jobs from July 2006. Leading all states was Utah at 4.8%, a gain of 53,700 jobs.

I wonder what kind of excuses Doyle's government will make as to why we have the 5th lowest job growth in the entire nation.

John Edwards and subprime mortgages.

Apparently, two America’s are great, as long as Edwards lives in the right one.

You know, this is not the first time that it has been pointed out that Edwards is invested in sub-prime mortgages that are fore-closing on Katrina victims. Even the website, Democrats.com was upset about this a month ago.

Now that the sub-prime market is in real trouble, Edwards is putting on his best spin suit-

Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, has been a vocal critic of subprime lenders and told the Journal that he would assist homeowners in New Orleans who face foreclosure from businesses linked to Fortress or who have already lost their homes.


Amazingly, Edwards has the nerve to be critical, even though he has $16 million invested in Fortress. $16 million is not chump change.


I have to admit, I was shocked when I saw this on the front page of MSN. It appears that the media have grown tired of their boy, John Edwards. A few months ago, he could not do anything wrong.

Edited to add:

Watching a very interesting debate taking place over at Fred's site- Real Debate Wisconsin

Destroying Wisconsin’s business climate

Wow- that did not take long. Just eight short months into Governor Doyle’s new term in office and the democrat’s control of the state senate, we are already seeing signs of a weakening business climate in Wisconsin.

In Saturday’s Kenosha News, there were a lot of questions being asked as to why the Abbott Labs deal had not been approved.

From the beginning-

A couple of years ago- Abbott Labs bought some prime real estate on I-94. Since then, democrat politicians have been patting themselves on the back, talking about this wonderful deal with Abbott that will bring lots of jobs and tax revenue to Kenosha County. Even Governor Doyle was down here in early 2006 touting the 2500+ jobs he created in Kenosha County. The Governor even tossed $12.5 million worth or taxpayer dollars at Kenosha’s business leaders in order show how hard he was working to get this deal done. Local village board members also promised millions upon millions of dollars to Abbott in order to get the deal done.

For months and months, the Pleasant Prairie village administrator has been working with Abbott Labs in order to get this process moving forward. Finally the tax payers should get to take a look at the deal that will be costing us millions more tax dollars. Of course, all of the tax dollars may be worth it, if Abbott Labs makes a major move to Kenosha.

Finally, the deal is on paper and is ready to be presented to the Village of Pleasant Prairie board. It was placed on the agenda for 4 straight meetings starting in May. Now, the whole thing is currently on hold.

No one, not the village administration or Abbott Labs can give an answer as to what the hold up is on this project. The village administrators are hoping the deal gets presented sometime soon, Abbott Labs is hoping by the end of the year. The end of the year??

All of us taxpayers are left to question- what is taking so long? What is the problem? Everyone was ready to take step one in this long process, but now everything has slowly stopped.

I think the answer is staring us right in the face and we, as Wisconsinites, do not want to admit we have a problem.

The business climate in the state of Wisconsin is bad. Since Governor Doyle’s re-election and the democrats takeover of the state senate- the business climate has gotten worse.

Governor Doyle released his budget several months ago that included massive tax increases on Wisconsin businesses. To make matters worse, the state senate democrats followed up the governor’s tax increases by not only passing the massive tax increases proposed by the governor, but they added an additional $90 million in taxes on businesses.

Of course the Governor and the Democrats have made no secret of how they feel about the pharmaceutical companies. They hate them.

By the way, let us not forget about the 1% tax increase that the Governor and the Democrats are seeking on hospitals. Abbott Labs can count on being blamed, just like the hospitals, for the increased health care costs in Wisconsin.

This is the business environment that Abbott Labs has to live with if they choose to move into Kenosha County. They get to face massive tax increases, animosity towards pharmaceutical companies, plus they will take part of the blame for the increased prices in hospital care- even though it is the Democrats who are increasing the taxes on hospitals.

Speaking of health care, there is not bigger disincentive for Abbott Labs moving to Pleasant Prairie than the Democrat’s Healthy Wisconsin.

As I have already pointed out, if Healthy Wisconsin passes, than all Illinois businesses that has employees that live in Wisconsin, will pay absolutely nothing in Health Care costs for these employees.

Thousands of Wisconsin residents work at Abbott Labs in Illinois. As long as Abbott Labs does not move their business to the state of Wisconsin- they will save millions upon millions of dollars in health care costs, because of the horrific Healthy Wisconsin.

State Senator Bob Wirch, a resident of Pleasant Prairie, WI, and a huge advocate for Healthy Wisconsin, could very well be one of the reasons why Abbott Labs will never move to Kenosha County Wisconsin.

How about State Representative John Steinbrink part in this? He not only represents Pleasant Prairie in our state assembly, he is also the Village President of Pleasant Prairie. Even as he is working to get Abbott Labs to move to his area of Wisconsin, he is also supporting massive tax increases on Wisconsin businesses.

Talk about two faced- these two men who are representing the area that Abbott Labs in considering moving to, could very well be the reason Abbott Labs does not move to Wisconsin.

Figure that one out.

Why in heaven’s name would Abbott Labs choose to walk into Wisconsin’s business climate? It will cost them millions in excessive taxes, the democrat elected representative will treat them like garbage, and they will have to spend millions of extra money in health care for their employees.

It is no wonder that Abbott Labs is sitting on this deal until the end of the year. They want to know what Wisconsin can offer them, as far as a business climate is concerned.

The frustrating part about this is that Wisconsin taxpayers have already paid $12.5 million to make this deal happen, and so far, we are no closer today than we were the day Abbott Labs bought the real estate.

Our legislators and the governor need to understand that people are watching them. It is their responsibility to create a positive business environment.

There could be a million reasons why Abbott Labs and Pleasant Prairie cannot get this deal done.

However, anyone looking at this call clearly see that the Governor and the state democrats actually destroying Wisconsin's business climate and are creating reasons for companies NOT to move their businesses here.

Obama continues to make a mess of his campaign

Over the last several weeks and months, Obama is looking more and more like the rookie he is. For heaven's sake- why would he say anything like this?

"We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."

Why would he accuse American soldiers of doing nothing more than killing civilians in Afganistan?

Between Edwards continous goofs and now Obama's total lack of respect for our allies and our American soldiers, they are literally handing the nomination to Hillary.

Do they not realize how bad they are screwing this up?

H/T Badger Blogger and Jessica McBride

Hello- no questioning of government spending allowed

If the Republicans were the one's questioning this, we would be in big fat hairy trouble.

For about $18,000, a Wisconsin teenager can study for a year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the flagship of the state's university system and one of the most respected public universities in the country.

For $45,620, he can pay the annual cost of attending Harvard University, one of the most famous and prestigious universities in the world.

And for more than $90,000, he can spend a year at Ethan Allen School, the locked campus in Waukesha County where teenage boys go after committing crimes such as armed robbery, battery and first-degree sexual assault.

With the annual cost of sending a teenager to Ethan Allen poised to rise about 25% this year, to more than $90,000 - by far the largest increase in several years - Milwaukee County and other officials say they are confused about why the cost is going up so much, and what the additional fees will cover. The cost increase applies to other juvenile correctional institutions in the state, though Milwaukee County sends a majority of its young offenders to Ethan Allen, in the Town of Delafield.

continued...


If we complained about this, Republicans would be accused of not caring about Wisconsin's kids. If Republicans tried increase the payments to Ethan Allen from $68,000 per year to only $80,000 per year, instead of the requested $94,000 per year- we would be accused of sending rapists, murderers and criminal children back out on the streets.

Someone needs to talk to the Milwaukee liberals and let them know that they are not allowed to question spending by any government agency. Someone needs to tell them that they are just supposed to pay the money, without question, and just shut up about it.

Don't believe me? Just ask WEAC or the UW regents why they need millions upon millions more tax dollars every year and they will accuse you of "not caring about the kids".

Kathy Carpenter for Kenosha Alderman District #5

It is official.

I am running for Alderman in Kenosha District #5.

The reason I am running for office is quite simple- I want to give back to a community that has given so much to me over the years.

My highest priority as a candidate for alderman is to place the taxpayer’s needs above all others. Right now, here in Kenosha County, we are facing large tax increases. Last year alone, Kenosha residents received one of the largest tax increases in the state. Our taxes went up by 6.5%. Only Racine was higher with an 8.1% tax increase.

When the people in Milwaukee County are facing smaller tax increases than Kenosha County is, we need to face that we may have a problem. Taxes on Kenosha residents are growing at a faster pace than the state average.

Within the last 5 years, the burden on the Kenosha taxpayer has moved the tax levy up by 19.5%.

It is time to remove the burden of excessive government spending off the shoulders of the taxpayers. Kenosha residents are paying more than their fair share in taxes. Now is the time for our local government to show some fiscal discipline.

One of the largest priorities for any alderman in Kenosha is to work with the mayor and the other council members on a budget.

During this process, it is imperative that there be a voice for conservative values. That is my intention.

I spend my days working for a contract manufacturer in Illinois, as a buyer. As a buyer, I spend millions of dollars a year that does not belong to me. It is my priority to meet the needs of our customers by providing parts and services, without sending my company to the poor house. Yes- I shop for a living.

There is a way to balance the needs of Kenosha’s community without constantly raising taxes.
I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can.

I am currently accepting donations via Paypal on my blog website-you will see a link on the right side of my blog-

http://steppingrightup.blogspot.com/

or you can send a check directly:

Friends of Kathy Carpenter
706 School St.
Silver Lake, WI 53170


Thanks so much for help as I venture into another new phase in my life-
Kathy Carpenter

Kathy Carpenter for Kenosha Alderman Dist #5
Send all donations to:Friends of Kathy Carpenter706 School St.Silver Lake, WI 53170

Paid for by Friends of Kathy Carpenter, Erin Decker, Treasurer

What a fun, crazy weekend

I know that I volunteer to do too much, but some of this stuff is so much fun.

I had a friend that was out of town so I got to hang out with her kids until she got home last night. As always they were good.

In the meantime, I had a lot of fun doing various activities.

I started my Saturday by volunteering with a friend at the state fair GOP booth. One of the benefits of volunteering at the GOP booth is that it is air conditioned! Yeah! Three cheers for the state GOP for picking that location!!!! It does not matter what the weather is like outside, you are nice and comfy on the inside.

Only a couple of "hit and runs" by a few liberals. We call them "hit and runs" because it is not like these people want to have a open and honest discussion on politics. Instead they are only there to insult you and run away. A guy flew past the booth and called my friend a "communist" and then the guy immediately ran away. Another elderly woman walked past and told my friend that she should turn around the pictures of Bush and Cheney, because they were "shameful". The elderly woman then scurried off as fast as she appeared.

As I said, it is not like they want to discuss politics or policies, these folks are just interested is insulting people and then running away. The way I figure it, these are just nasty, mean spirited people who are so miserable with their own lives, they are determined to make others miserable also.

Everyone else we had contact with was a blast. The booth was very busy and kept us hopping all day. A lot of excitement around the new candidates running for President. We keep hearing the opposite from the media, so I was very surprised. There were a ton of Giuliani and Romney supporters coming by. Of course, Fred Thompson was the big winner yesterday.

A woman did come by and ask me if Mitt Romney was pro life. I simply answered- he says he is. She also asked about Giuliani, I answered no, he is not pro life. Then she told me she was just testing me. She was from the Wisconsin Right to Life booth. I think she is a Romney supporter and did not want the GOP folks telling people he is not a pro-lifer. I guess I passed the test.

That brings me to today.

Today, I volunteered to work at the Holy Rosary festival here in Kenosha. Every week during the summer, one of our Catholic parishes holds a festival.

What fun that was and I am not even Catholic!

I worked at the booth that provided kids with tattoos, face painting and hair spraying. Between providing GOP tattoos at yesterday's fair and today at the festival- I tattooed a ton of kids.(I tattooed a few adults yesterday with the GOP elephant also) The kids get so excited having a picture on their arms, legs, faces, backs, etc... They are so proud.

I completely left the face painting alone. I did not want to ruin some kid's face.

The hairspray- that was the most fun. I spray painted every single color under the sun. We had kids with red, white and blue hair. The purple and green were also a big hit. We sent several kids away with polka-dotted hair. They say this stuff just washes out with shampoo. However, my fingernails are a pretty rainbow color right. I am having issues getting the green out.

I guess the moral of this is that volunteers are so important. Yes, volunteering takes time out of our busy schedules, but it is so much fun.

Yes- it was blazing hot today, hanging out in the sun all day- but volunteering is a great way to give back to your own community.

Don't get so wrapped up in your own lives that you forget to give back to your friends and neighbors.

Find your niche in the world and volunteer a little time. You feel great and they appreciate the help.

It's all over Governor Thompson

Just do the right thing.

Tommy Thompson desperately needed a strong second in yesterday's Iowa straw poll, in order to continue his bid for the presidency.

He finished a weak 6th.

The Iowa straw poll is a opportunity for lesser known presidential candidates to put themselves on the map. It worked for George W. Bush.

Yesterday's poll succeeded in bringing to the forefront several of the lesser known candidates. Mitt Romney was the big winner. Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback also made a name for themselves yesterday.

Several of the top tier candidates did not participate- Giuliani, McCain and Fred Thompson.

With this vote, Mitt Romney may have launched himself into the top tier of candidates. He continued to poll below McCain. This may have pushed him past McCain.

Romney now joins the top tier of Giuliani and Fred Thompson. I spent yesterday at the state fair working the GOP booth. I spoke to a lot of people. The general consensus is that this will come down to Giuliani, Romney or Fred Thompson.

The big losers from yesterday's poll need to drop out of this race immediately.

Tommy Thompson- the former governor said he would drop out if he did not finish first or second. It appears that Thompson will drop out today. Thompson should have never started this venture, but since he did, he plans on showing some dignity in riding off into the sunset on his Harley. Thanks Tommy.

Tom Tancredo- the congressman is a one issue politician. Illegal immigration. This is a explosive issue that matches Tancredo's explosive personality. We need our next President to have a more equalized personality. The continuous explosive outbursts from Tancredo makes him a good advocate for strong borders, but makes a bad President.

Ron Paul- a congressman from Texas who calls himself a strict constitutionalist. The problem with Paul is that many Americans do not agree with Paul's definition of the Constitution. Ron Paul is not a Republican. Since he cannot get elected as a Libertarian, he has chosen to use the Republican party's money and clout to continue to run for office. The reason he gets away with this in the eyes of Republicans is because he for less government intrusion and low taxes.

Duncan Hunter- Not enough people have any idea who Hunter is. A good man with no name recognition. It is too bad.

John Cox- Who?

The great thing about this Iowa Straw Poll is that it narrows the field and helps focus the attention on candidates who have a chance.

Anyone who has watched a debate, whether Republican or Democrat, realizes that these debates have very little focus. There are too many candidates.

It is time for a few of these folks to ride off into the sunset and set their sights on 2012.

This means war!

The war between Illinois and Wisconsin just got personal!

A Chicago police officer tickets the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue.

Honestly- I am not sure why the Wienermobile thought it would be okay to double park in downtown Chicago.

50 Rules Kids Won't Learn In School

Michelle Malkin has written a review on the new book written by Charlie Sykes-

Charles J. Sykes has long been one of my favorite chroniclers of our dumbed-down education and the corrupting effects of the self-esteem movement. I just received his new book, set for release on August 21, titled “50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School: Real-World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education.” Witty, acerbic, reality-grounded. It’s a great purchase for college-bound friends/family or parents with school-age kids.

Check it out- there is a website for the book.

Tax loopholes are not the answer

The Milwaukee Journal’s editorial board is praising the fact that there are some tax loopholes that government can use to their advantage to charge taxpayers even more money.

Normally when we talk about tax loopholes, the loophole is working to the advantage the taxpayer. Not this time. This time, the tax loophole is working to the advantage of government.

A loophole that allows school districts to raise extra tax money if they have to replace a service that had been provided by another government agency makes sense.

If a school district feels that a particular service was unfairly cut by any government agency, the school district can feel free to charge the taxpayers for this service. Who cares about the tax caps, huh?

Actually, despite the editorial board’s claim that this makes sense, it really does not. They are applauding a loophole that allows government to stick it to the taxpayers.

No matter which direction you spin this; the taxpayers are still charged more in taxes.

Government spending has now become a shell game. The game just keeps shifting and moving. All these government agencies are doing is shifting the burden around, until eventually, the burden falls on the taxpayer.

We have tax caps for a reason. The reason for the caps are too control government spending.

Government officials are writing themselves fancy little loopholes that will allow them to jack up taxes without the approval of local voters.

Once again, the problem is government spending, not the ingenious ways the government can come up with in order to charge taxpayers more in taxes.

Government is mismanaging money, even on the local levels. In the last month alone, it was discovered that Kenosha residents had their taxes raised by 6.5%. Racine’s went even higher to 8.1%. We are numbers 1 and 2 in the state because of these tax increases.

Just last week, our mayor decided that he will use our tax dollars to donate $5 million to the local Boy’s and Girl’s club. The Boy’s and Girl’s Club is certainly a worthy cause, however, can the taxpayer’s afford this?

I am all for donating to our local clubs, but this should be done privately by individual donors. Using tax dollars is not the way to handle this.

Even as local governments are looking for tax loopholes so they can continue to raise taxes higher and higher, millions and millions of tax dollars are being mishandled.

Tax loopholes are not the way to fix our government’s problems.
State legislators need to close these loopholes. What is the point of having caps, if government is creating these loopholes to avoid the caps.

Entitlement programs continue to grow

Rarely am I caught as off guard as I was this morning when I read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s article on Medicaid births in the state of Wisconsin.

Did you know that almost half of the births of Wisconsin babies are paid for by tax dollars?

According to MJS, in 2005- 70,954 babies were born in the state of Wisconsin. The taxpayers paid for 31,064, of these births.

What is abundantly clear is that more and more women, who cannot afford to have children, are having children. How ridiculous is that?

The entitlement programs seem to be creating a gigantic tax-eating monster.

The irresponsibility continues to grow year after year. In 2000, the taxpayers paid for 24,587 births(only about 35%).
Seriously, I looked a little bit into what kind of requirements there is to have a birth paid for by Medicaid.

It does not seem to take much.

Even I fit the profile. It appears all a woman needs is to be pregnant. You could just finagle the system and get everything paid for by the taxpayers.

My guess is that all I would need to do is quite my job and the taxpayers would pay for my pregnancy. That is it folks. There does not seem to be much else to it.

This is probably why the statistics are so off on this. Statistically, it does not seem logical for Wisconsin taxpayers to be paying such a high percertage of Wisconsin births.

I believe, in 2005, about 9% of Wisconsin residents actually lived below the federal poverty level. Yet, taxpayers paid for 44% of Wisconsin births in 2005.

Also, Wisconsinites without health insurance is about 8-9%, according to our governor and our state democrats. Common sense tells us that a large majority of Wisconsin births should be covered by insurance.

I find that absolutely staggering.


We have set up these entitlement programs so generously that it appears that we are encouraging perfectly responsible woman into handing over the costs of childbirth over to the taxpayers.

I could quite my job and you folks would be stuck paying for all of my pre-natal care, post natal care, childbirth and childcare for years. By the way- you can also pay my rent, pay for my food stamps, pay for my baby’s formula and diapers, pay for my healthcare and my baby’s healthcare. Why should I worry about a job- you guys can pay for everything.

I would not be that irresponsible, but some folks have no problem with this. After all, they are entitled.

What have we done here folks?

No wonder entitlement programs continue to grow. We are literally encouraging folks to stop working so hard at life and just hand over their responsibilities to the government.

Every year many liberals complain that the Bush administration is creating increasingly poor people in the US.

After seeing today’s article in MJS- what is clear is that entitlement programs are creating poor people.

Okay- tonight's victory even beat last night's victory

I have cheered myself hoarse.

Last night's victory was awesome. However, there was something magical about tonight.


Brewer's were down 5-1 going into the bottom of the 6th and it looked over. We seriously considered leaving. One more inning, we said. The Brewers grinded out three runs and we thought we were back in it.

Nothing much happened during the 7th. The new pitcher did great.

By the eighth inning, we decided to stay, just because we knew the Brewers big boppers would have a chance at bat.

Of course- Turnbow made things a bit exciting in the 8th. He did pretty well until the goofup by Hardy and Graffanino. Seriously folks- that play was Bad News Bears stuff, by running into each other and missing the ball.

That is the kind of stuff that gets into Turnbow's head. It did. But Hardy, Graffanino and Fielder turned awesome double play and got us out of the inning. I did not know that Fielder could stretch his body that way.

Bottom of the eighth is when the real exciting stuff started happening again. Hart was up first and struck out.(I think) Then Hardy busted his tail and got an infield hit. Braun was up and swinging for the fences. He hit a harmless foul out.( although, he did hit a homer in the first inning.)

Two outs and Fielder was up. In no time flat- Fielder had two strikes on him. The way he was swinging for the fences, he would hit a home run or strike out. He then fouled off a few pitches. Boy when he hit it, we all knew it was gone immediately.

I have never heard such a roar in Miller Park before. Wow! The place just exploded. Even Ned Yost commented on the noise. The roof was closed, the fireworks were exploding and crowd would not stop cheering. Fielder came back out of the dugout for a standing ovation.

Then top of the ninth. We thought it was over with one out and some guy hit a shot to right field. If Corey Hart were not as tall as he was- the game would have been tied. The crowd exploded again. Michael Jordan would have been proud of the air Corey Hart reached.

Honestly folks, this was probably the best game I have ever witnessed live and in person. You see these kinds of games sitting on your couch, but there is something about the incredible energy tonight.

You know, this team is young. They are going to lose games they should win. However, they are going to win games they should lose.

Any Cubs fan or Brewers fan who believe that the Brewers best ball is behind them this season, may be seriously mistaken.

People think this team is a fluke and that the Cubs are just a better ball club. That may be true, but the best teams find a little magic when things are going badly.

Rock on Brewers!

Brewers Win!

What a great event put on by Americans for Prosperity.

Then the Brewers won and the Cubs lost, making the night even more special.

I am exhausted. My workday starts at 3:45am, so I a plum tuckered out now.

Thanks to all those working so hard that made this a truly fun evening.

$1 Billion!

I had an interesting conversation yesterday. I was standing in line at the convenient store. The register had broken down so there was quite a line forming. Several folks were standing in front of me talking about the bridge collapse and how it relates to Wisconsin.

I listened to one gentleman as he spoke about “repugs” eliminating the automatic tax here in Wisconsin. As he was speaking, he spoke as if Wisconsin bridges were ready to collapse and if they did, it would be the fault of the “repugs” and their opposition to the automatic gas tax increases.

He continued about the new proposal by Governor Doyle to increase the taxes on the oil companies. Of course, the “repugs” were against this also.

Desperately wishing they would get the cash register fixed, I did the best I could to just ignore the gentleman. Finally, a guy behind me whispered- “I just put $57 in my gas tank and this clown thinks I should pay more.” I just smiled.

Finally, when I could not take it anymore, I looked at the gentleman and said “$1 billion”. What? I said it again, ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

Governor Doyle raided one billion dollars out of the transportation fund. Taxes, that Wisconsinites has already paid out of their pockets for the bridges and roads, the governor raided.

During the last budget cycle, Governor Doyle felt that there were higher priorities than spending the money on the safety of Wisconsin roads. Apparently, covering his tail with the teacher’s union was his highest priority. Most of that money went to WEAC.

The guy kind of sputtered when I said this. He did manage to say “that the money went to the schools.”

Okay- perhaps this is a good.

Today, governments in all 50 states are reviewing our safety policies when it comes to roadways and bridges. This is a good thing.

However, after this tragedy, it is time to really look a little deeper.

We have had this same debate repeatedly. Are we paying enough in taxes and is the government spending our money wisely.

Clearly, if there is a $1 billion surplus in the transportation fund, as we had a couple of year’s ago- government is charging plenty in taxes. We had the money for bridges and roadways. There was also an elaborate plan to fix and rebuild many of our current bridges and roadways.

Next question- is the government spending our money wisely?

Well, the transportation fund is now broke and we have a ton of work that still needs to get done. The governor had to have known that the money in the transportation fund would be needed for repairs and future work on new projects. He had to have known that the money should go to fixing our roads and bridges.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

Not one single penny should have ever been taken from the transportation fund.

As we all know- Wisconsinites pay plenty in taxes. Poor spending habits and poor planning by our governor may cost us a lot more in the future.

So, if you are wondering about a bridge or a roadway’s safety as you are driving over it, look no furhter than your own governor.

$1 Billion!

Of course, my new "friend", standing in line at the cash register, then proceeded to blame George Bush and the federal government.

My response: $5 Million

You could see the fellow rolling his eyes.

Yep- $5 million dollars worth of our federal taxes are being spent on one of the most hated modes of transportation in Kenosha. We call it the "trolley to nowhere".

$5 million additional federal tax dollars was given to our local government to pay for that ding-a-ling, drive around in circles, empty trolley system in downtown Kenosha. It benefits absolutely no one.(okay- maybe one or two people)

Yeah- this is how our federal tax dollars are being spent. Perhaps that $5 million could have been better spent.

Thank goodness, the register was finally fixed. My new "friend" and I gladly parted ways.

We still have the same problem we had a few days ago, before this tragedy. We still have a government who continues to make poor decisions with our tax dollars.

Cool- go home then

You know, some of these flippant comments coming out of state legislators really do not make sense.

Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson (D-Beloit) said this morning the Assembly Republicans proposed spending level for state government was a "non-starter" in budget negotiations.

This does not make sense. "Non-starter"????

Okay then, what would be a "starter"?

Since the Senator cannot figure out a way to get started, perhaps she should go home then.

Prayers for everyone involved

How does a bridge just fall down?

7 Killed in Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

Say a prayer

Say a prayer for the Korean hostages.

Michelle Malkin-

The blood of innocent Christian missionaries spills on Afghan sands. The world watches and yawns. The United Nations offers nothing more than a formal expression of "concern." Where is the global uproar over the human rights abuses unfolding before our eyes?

continued...

I was struck by the very last line in the Malkin article-

These are true practitioners of a religion of peace, not the hate-mongers with bombs and AK-47s strapped to their chests who slay instead of pray their way to martyrdom.

The real martyrs are these missionaries giving their lives to spread a message of hope.