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Defending the American Dream-
Wisconsin Summit

When: Saturday, February 9th, 2008
Where: Country Springs Hotel, Pewaukee

For additional information call 414-475-2975

To register: www.defendingthedream.org

Registration is $29.00 (includes lunch and closing reception)

With my car parked outside my Marquette area apartment overnight last week, I woke up to an unexpected irritation — my license plate had lost a number.

By all appearances, a thief had deliberately spliced off the section of my rear plate that bore the registration sticker. My ‘99 Taurus (wagon…) was probably a good target since it had several stickers piled on top of one another; it would be pretty easy to make off quickly with the chunk of metal and razor away at the sticker later.

A call to Marquette’s DPS confirmed I was not the first one.

Currently $55 a piece at original retail, I wonder what the resale value of that little sticker might be. Could this be the work of a clever, market-minded, budget-monitoring crook? Right now it looks as if a $20 increase in vehicle registration fees is about the only thing both parties can agree on in Wisconsin.

Spring is here on the banks of the Potomac, and that means DC is flooded with the beautiful cherry blossoms. The history of the cherry blossoms is an interesting one, and now that we are in the full swing of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, here is an excerpt from the Wiki entry on the DC cherry blossom history.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual celebration in Washington, D.C., from March 31st through April 15th, commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift to the city of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two peoples.

In a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. By 1915 the United States government had responded with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. In 1927, a group of American school children reenacted the initial planting; the first festival was held in 1935, sponsored by civic groups in the nation’s capital.

…

The famous trees signal the coming of spring with an explosion of life and color surrounding the Tidal Basin portion of the West Potomac Park in a sea of pale pink and white. The two-week festival is kicked off with an opening ceremony, followed by a dizzying array of activities and cultural events. Every day there is a sushi/sake celebration, classes about cherry blossoms, and a bike tour of the Tidal Basin. Art exhibits figure heavily during this time, such as photography (both local and Asian), sculpture, animation, and various cultural performances throughout Washington, D.C. Rakugo, kimono fashion shows, art exhibits, dance, singing, martial arts, merchant-sponsored events, and much more can be seen during this time.

The first and most important point of news I have is that I got to sit on the floor of the United States House of Representatives as the debate over the non-binding resolution to oppose President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. John Boehner was the second to last Republican congressman to speak, hence the reason my fellow intern and I made our way to the Leadership Office in the Capitol and from there were ushered into seats on the floor.
As Tim and I sat just yards away from the United States Flag, John Boehner himself walked past and gave us the thumbs up. Words cannot explain the awe I felt sitting in a piece of history. The Congressman was eloquent, passionate, and fluid in his speech. At the end of the day, I was proud to have him represent my home district on the floor of the House.
Directly following Hon. Boehner was Congressman Samuel Johnson from Texas’s Third Congressional District. The Hon. Johnson told his story of woe and pain as a fighter pilot first and then as a POW in Vietnam. His story touched many on the floor today, and he invoked a 5 minute long standing ovation in which Republicans and Democrats alike took part.
Following a final speaker on the Democrat’s side, voting began. It was very interesting to see the many congressmen walk around asking each other who turned on the party. At the close of the voting, a congressman standing near me asked what the count of turn-coats was for both sides, and upon hearing that 2 Democrats voted against the resolution and 17 Republicans voted for it, said, “that’s a victory.” I was taken aback to hear that loosing 17 members of one’s party was a victory, but as I think about it, so many congressmen have angry constituents that voting their own conscience in support of President Bush’s plan is a large victory for the Republicans in the House.
Even though the resolution passed, it will still take a lot of maneuvering on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s part to withdraw completely from Iraq. I still hold hope that we will keep the Iraqi boarders secure and the country stable enough to finally instill real democracy in the Middle East. Only time will tell though.

Last night when Channel 12 was visiting the Les Aspin Center, the anchor asked what we would like to hear George Bush talk about tonight. My response was that I would like to hear Bush’s plan for dealing with North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela. Obviously since the federal government deals most closely with the international community, it is very important to discuss as a country what should be done and what we would like to see accomplished in the coming year. Kyle Mayo said he thinks healthcare should be discussed (mainly because we had just finished a class on the state of healthcare in America minutes before he went on camera).

Later… (I was pulled to the Capitol to see Bush’s motorcade arrive)

On a completely different note, for those who heard that John Boehner is considering backing Mitt Romney in 2008, I heard from the horse’s mouth that Congressman Boehner is not backing anyone (just in case anyone was wondering).

So Ali G, the infamous moron from England decided to bash America at a Rodeo in Virginia.  Yes, at a Rodeo in Virginia.  Somehow the organizers of the Rodeo thought it would be a great idea to invite him to SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.  Which was reportedly “garbled”.  Yeah, an English guy acting as a reporter from Kazakhstan singing the Star Spangled Banner to a bunch of Virginia conservatives — that’s a great idea.

Can we please revoke this guy’s visa and send him home.  Last I checked Kazakhstan has more oil than Ali G… so clearly we know where our priorities should lie.  Ban him for life.  Better yet, pass a law making it legal for people in Virginia to punch Englishmen who are acting as Kazakh reporters.  That’ll get him.

Ali G, sweet name.  You suck.  And yes, this blog post does assume that everyone who goes to a rodeo in Virginia is a conservative… I felt as though that is a fair assumption to make, but I am open to debate on the matter.

Took the LSAT on Saturday morning.  That was fantastic.  Scores come in a few weeks.  So excited.

So what happened to the country in the past week?  We’ve got a Congressman trying to get with a page, a meaningful game for the Brewers in Sepetember, and two would-be upsets in the NL Central and the AL Central.  And then there’s also that kid who ran for like 12 million yards.  Oh, and the LA Times says that a bunch of dudes did ‘roids together.  Roger Clemens is on the list — you mean the 43 year old guy with the 2-point ERA didn’t do it naturally?  I wouldn’t have seen that one… never.

Also, what’s up with The Warrior always having some giant picture on the front.  What happened to headlines?  Magazines have pictures that take up the whole front page, newspapers have news that takes up the whole front page.  And to be honest, no one wants to read some feel good story about some MU student.  How about some journalism, something that actually changes my life.  Not someone’s opinion, some creepy ads, and a full page spread for a story that maybe takes up 1/4 of the page.

Yes, the Tribune sucks too.

What do I read then, you ask?  Well the truth is: nothing.  I don’t really read newspapers.  So one response would be to say that I’m not really qualified at all to be judging newspapers.  Another response, we’ll call it the correct response (for the sake of argument), is that I am so OVERLY qualified to judge newspapers, which explains why I have yet to find one that I enjoy on a regular basis.  Think about it — it’s deep.

Given some events this year, here’s a tip for Congressmen and Congresswomen as a whole:   Don’t talk to creepy guys name Jack who want to help you raise money, don’t punch police officers, and under no circumstances should you ever hit on Congressional Pages through e-mail.

On a side note:  Some killer College Football games went down today.  Wisconsin dominated, always a plus.  Ohio State/Iowa was far overhyped.  Notre Dame won, which is depressing.  But Illinois and Michigan State got in a fight — that’s always cool.  Rutgers is still undefeated, which I enjoy.  Go Big East.  I really don’t like the ACC, which is why its so nice to see Miami continue to suck it up week in and week out.

Well, that’s about it for tonight.

David Bell - 3b

Jeff Cirillo - Inf.

Francisco Cordero - Cl - Team option

Geremi Gonzales - Rp

Tony Graffanino - 2b

Rick Helling - Rp

Dan Kolb - Rp

Damian Miller - C - Team option

Tomo Ohka - Sp

Keep Cordero, Keep Grafanino,  Keep Cirillo, offer Ohka about a million dollar pay cut, and let the rest go.

Really, I do.  I apologize for lack of posting on the blog, it’s been a busy week, and will continue to be a busy week.  Really quick:  I was 4-2 last week ATS, missing Wisconsin by 1/2 a point and Northwestern by a last quarter touchdown that shouldn’tve happened.  Ah well.

More picks later this week.

Alright, last week I was 6-1 in my picks against the spread. Here are this weeks lines:

- Northwestern (+7) at Nevada Reno … I take Northwestern ATS

- Wisconsin (+14) at Michigan … I take Wisconsin ATS

- Louisville (-14) at Kansas State … I take Lousville to cover

- Notre Dame (-3) at Michigan State … I take Notre Dame to cover

- Marshall (+22) at Tennessee… I take Tennessee to cover

And my upset pick of the week is in tonight’s game:

- Virginia (-17 1/2) at Georgia Tech … I take VA ATS

That should do it.