2005: Wing Nuts Out Of Their Shell

It's New Years Eve. 2005 is today and 2006 is tomorrow. Time for a quick look back and review the year. Let's see...

A year ago, I don't think I'd ever looked at a blog. I'd heard the name in connection with the Bush war record v. Dan Rather debate over type fonts exposed by Little Green Footballs. In February, somebody told me about the ontheborderline.net blog in Hudson. I checked it out, joined and started commenting. I thought the OTBL blog was a place for debate and discussion, I quickly learned it was a klan of right-wing anti-tax, anti-community, anti-union hell-bent on using anyone who dare disagree with them as a pissing post.

Even though I persisted commenting there for the next three months, I knew our romance would be a brief one. Finally they gave me the boot for being "lewd and vulgar" and told me to go start my own blog. So I did. When word got out about this blog, the first two people to sign up said they too were kicked off of OTBL for being "lewd and vulgar." ...a repeating theme...

In late June, I started writing a series of letters to the editor at the Hudson Star Observer exposing the hypocrisy I was seeing between the deeds and words of the OTBL'ers. This led to increased publicity for their site and brought attention to this site.

I put on a hit counter in late July and have gotten 8,722 hits. We average about 100 per day. It goes down on the weekend and up during the week. I'm attributing that to work site computers. A handful of people have joined this site and post with varying degrees of frequency. Others send stuff by e-mail that I will use. Some have corresponded with me by e-mail to discuss various topics.

In September, I started writing another series of letters to the editor at the New Richmond News pointing out the invasion of the OTBL blogtroopers into the New Richmond school district debates and discussion. This brought more attention to both these blog sites. In October, I stood next to three of the infamous OTBL blogs at WITC during a community meeting on school district planning. I ate a cookie and listened to them plot their strategy.

In October, I addressed the NR school board with a question about the posting of confidential, executive session information that was released to and posted on the OTBL blog. A few weeks later, after another OTBL posting on NR school district, executive session information, I contacted NR's acting school superintendent about the timing of the OTBL posting. I posted the response to the timeline I was provided and this blog became the topic of a school board meeting.

In December, the New Richmond News did an indepth article titled "Battle of the Blogs." I was pictured on the front page of the News, sword in hand, computer by my side and Michael Moore-ish Michigan State Spartan cap on my head. The OTBL'ers were obviously jealous about me getting my picture on the front page of the NR News. Of course, they will deny this and deny all knowledge that I exist -- but I'm the who gets asked by the women of Quik Trip for autographed copies.

The OTBL'ers whined about the idea of there being a "blog war" and pointed to my "obsession" over getting kicked off their blog. Sister Clarentine is the one who called me a "pugilist" way back in sixth grade. When I asked her what that meant, she flung a dictionary at me and told me to look it up. I looked it up, read the definition and told her that was a compliment. She said she meant it as one. If you follow this blog, by now you should now that I pretty much give all credit and blame to the nuns at St. Pat's who will forever patrol my memories of that grade school prison in Hudson.

To the OTBL'ers I say your wall of selfishness has been breached, the rotten teeth of your selfish politically hypocrisy have been exposed and the dark stains of your agenda have leaked through your blogger shorts. To those contributing to this blog and providing encouragement, I say thanks. To you readers, we hope you find this a worthwhile stop in the blogsophere.

2005 has definitely been a learning experience. Who knows what 2006 will bring? One thing is for certain, we will keep on truckin' above the border line!

Sad News From On The Border Line

...sort of...

Dr. Luke, St. Croix Valley blog pioneer and owner of one of the last outhouses in the county, died. So his wife, Mr. Bill Ph. D., went to the local paper, the Holy Scared Oracle, to put a notice in the obituaries. A tall stovepipe of a man at the counter, after offering his condolences, asked Mr. Bill Ph. D. what she would like to say about Luke in the obit.

Mr. Bill Ph. D. replied, "You just put 'Luke died'."

The man at the counter, somewhat perplexed, said, "That's it? Just 'Luke died.'? Surely, there must be something more you'd like to say about Dr. Luke. I know Dr. Luke always wish for death before taxes, so if it's money you're concerned about, the first five words are free. We must say something more."

So Mr. Bill Ph. D. pondered for a few minutes and finally said, "O.K. You put, 'Luke died. Computer for sale.'"

US Constitutional Forecast: Snow Job

Get Out Your Shovels

The Spirit of Prosperity

If it weren't for State Provided Health Insurance Programs what would these working poor families do? Most of us are one pink slip and a major health issue away from financial ruin. This is what the ownership society is bringing your way. Prosperity for the few, and catastrophe for many. Compare the 2 articles below:

The 400 Richest Americans

Rank	Name	Net Worth ($mil)	Age	Residence	Source
1	Gates, William Henry III	51,000	49	Medina, WA	Microsoft
2	Buffett, Warren Edward	40,000	75	Omaha, NE	Berkshire Hathaway
3	Allen, Paul Gardner	22,500	52	Seattle, WA	Microsoft, investments
4	Dell, Michael	18,000	40	Austin, TX	Dell
5	Ellison, Lawrence Joseph	17,000	61	Silicon Valley, CA	Oracle
6	Walton, Christy	15,700	50	Jackson, WY	Wal-Mart inheritance
6	Walton, Jim C	15,700	57	Bentonville, AR	Wal-Mart
8	Walton, S Robson	15,600	61	Bentonville, AR	Wal-Mart
9	Walton, Alice L	15,500	56	Fort Worth, TX	Wal-Mart
10	Walton, Helen R	15,400	86	Bentonville, AR	Wal-Mart

Some of the people on the list above can't seem to afford to provide adaquate health insurance coverage for their emplyees, and guess who pays for what they refuse to?

Wal-Mart Admits Public Health Care Assistance is a “Better Value”

• Despite $10 billion in profits, President and CEO Lee Scott said, "In some of our states, the public program may actually be a better value - with relatively high income limits to qualify, and low premiums." (Transcript Lee Scott Speech 4/5/05)

Wal-Mart’s Most Affordable Health Plan is Costly

• According to Wal-Mart, “We insure more than 500,000 associates, including many family members, who pay as little as $17.50 for individual coverage and $70.50 for family coverage bi-weekly.”
• Wal-Mart’s most affordable plan includes a $1,000 deductible for single coverage and a $3,000 deductible for family coverage ($1,000 deductible per person covered up to $3,000). An average full-time worker earns $17,114 a year.
• If a full-time Wal-Mart hourly employee elects for single coverage, the employee would have to spend on average 9% of their earnings before the health insurance provided any reimbursement.
• If a full-time employee elected for family coverage, an average employee would have to spend 27% of their average earnings before the health insurance covered any costs. (Wal-Mart 2004 Associate Guide and UFCW Analysis).

Reprinted from:Wakeupwalmart.com

Major Users of State Provided Health Insurance Programs

Nationally

Over the last two years, 13 states have disclosed employers that are major users of state provided health insurance programs which are aimed at low-income families. Wal-Mart has topped the list in all the states, except Massachusetts where it was second and Wisconsin, which did not disclose the usage of employers other than Wal-Mart.

Combined, the 13 states disclose that at least 55,000* Wal-Mart employees, children, and spouses are covered by state health insurance programs. A total of 480,000 Wal-Mart employees work in these 12 states, meaning that on average for every nine Wal-Mart employees, at least one Wal-Mart family member is getting state-provided health care.

A total of approximately 505,000 Wal-Mart employees work in these 13 states.

*The figure for Arkansas include forms of public aid other than health care, however Medicaid makes up the primary component.

State By State

CLICK EACH STATE NAME TO DOWNLOAD A FACT SHEET IN PDF FORMAT

Alabama: Wal-Mart is the largest user of the state Medicaid program with 3,864 children of employees receiving coverage with an estimated annual state cost of between $5.8 million and $8.2 million a year. Wal-Mart has 37,026 employees in Alabama.

Source: John Davis and Jannell McGrew, “Health Plans Not Family Friendly,” Montgomery Advertiser, February 22, 2005, p.B6; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Arizona: Wal-Mart is the largest user of KidsCare, a state public health care program for low-income families, with 450 employees and their families enrolled. Wal-Mart has 25,647 employees in Arizona.

Source: Jonathan Higuera, “Working Poor Swell AHCCCS Rolls,” The Arizona Republic, January 1, 2005, A17; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Arkansas: Wal-Mart is the largest recipient of employee public assistance in Arkansas. A study done by the Arkansas Department of Human Services showed that 3,971 Wal-Mart employees received some sort of state public assistance, primarily Medicaid. Wal-Mart has 44,401 employees in Arkansas.

Source: Brian Baskin, "Top 9 Employers in State have 9,698 Getting Public Aid," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 17, 2005; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Connecticut: Wal-Mart is the largest user of Connecticut programs for children’s health insurance with 903 children of employees enrolled in the states’ Medicaid and Children’s Health insurance Program. Wal-Mart has 9,082 employees in Connecticut.

Source: Robin K. Cohen, HUSKY A and B—Enrollment and Employer Data, Connecticut Office of Legislative Research Report 2005-R-0017, January 10, 2005; available online at www.cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0017.htm; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Florida: Wal-Mart is the largest user of Florida Medicaid and state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) with 12,300 employees or children of employees enrolled. In addition Wal-Mart accounted for 1,375 employee children enrolled in Kidcare, an additional state-funded children’s health insurance program, bringing the total of disclosed participants to 13,675 employees and dependents. Wal-Mart has 89,109 employees in Florida.

Source: Sydney P. Freedberg and Connie Humburg, "Lured Employers Now Tax Medicaid," St. Petersburg Times, March 25, 2005 and Good Jobs First http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/gjfhealthcaredisclosure.htm; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Georgia: Wal-Mart is the largest user of PeachCare for Kids, Georgia’s children’s health insurance program, with 10,261 children of employees. Wal-Mart has 49,600 employees in Florida.

Source: Andy Miller, Wal-Mart Stands Out on Rolls of PeachCare,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 27, 2004, p.1B. state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Iowa: Wal-Mart is the largest user of Iowa’s Medicaid program with 845 employees enrolled. Wal-Mart has 17,249 employees in Iowa.

Source: Ryan Foley, "IA Medicaid Employers," Associated Press, March 4, 2005; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Massachusetts: Wal-Mart is the second largest user of Massachusetts’ public healthcare program with 2,081 employees and children of employees enrolled in MassHealth and Uncompensated Care Pool. Wal-Mart has 11,625 employees in Massachusetts.

Sources: Massachusetts, Division of Health Care Finance and Policy- www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dhcfp/pdf/50+_ees_ph_assist.pdf and the accompanying spreadsheet at www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dhcfp/pdf/50+_ees_ph_assist_ss.pdf; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Tennessee: Wal-Mart is the largest user of the state’s health plan for the poor- TennCare, with 9,617 employees enrolled in the plan. Wal-Mart has 38,621 employees in Tennessee.

Sources: Rebecca Ferrar, “Big Companies Have a Large Number of Workers in Program,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, January 30, 2005, p.C1; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Texas: Wal-Mart is the largest user of the state Children’s Health Insurance program with 4,363 children of employees enrolled. Wal-Mart has 134,042 employees in Texas.

Source: Data obtained by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (www.cppp.org) and provided to Good Jobs First http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/pdf/texaschip.pdf; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Washington: In March 2003, Wal-Mart was reported as the largest user of one of the state’s family health care plans—Basic Health Plan – with 281 enrolled employees. Wal-Mart has 14,676 employees in Washington.

Sources: Andrew Garber, “Enrollments in State’s Health Plan Questioned,” Seattle Times, February 3, 2004; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

West Virginia: Wal-Mart is the largest user of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance program with 452 children of employees participating in the program. Wal-Mart has 11,790 total employees in West Virginia.

Source: John Heys and Paul Wilson, “Wal-Mart Culture: Wal-Mart Tops State CHIP List,” Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail, December 26, 2004, p.1A.; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Wisconsin: In Wisconsin, 3,765 Wal-Mart employees, children, and spouses participate in BadgerCare, the state’s health insurance program for low-income working families. The annual cost to taxpayers of this BadgerCare coverage was estimated at $4.75 million, with the state covering $1.8 million of that amount. Wal-Mart employs 26,248 employees in Wisconsin.Source: Anita Weier, “Wal-Mart Workers Need State Health Aid,” The Capital Times (Madison, WI), November 4, 2004, p.1A; state employee figures from www.walmartfacts.com.

Wal-Mart Wages and Worker Rights Wal-Mart Health Care Wal-Mart’s Cost to Taxpayers Wal-Mart’s Community Impact Wal-Mart and China Wal-Mart and Worker Injuries Other Wal-Mart Benefits Wal-Mart Anti-Union Policy Wal-Mart and Gender Discrimination Wal-Mart and Child Labor Wal-Mart and Undocumented Immigrants

Wisconsin Blog News

A marriage of tech and activism at Wisconsin's No on the Amendment
Blogs to battle the proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage

Wisconsin's No on the Amendment is emerging as a leading source of information and networking for activists opposed to a proposed state constitional ban on same-sex marriage and other domestic benefits for same-sex partners. The group blog launched in mid-October, written by three staffers of Action Wisconsin, "a statewide organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people."

Read more the story by Kristian Knutsen@ The Daily Page out of Madison.


Get more facts, info and links@ Vote No On The Amendment blog site.
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"As long as the differences and diversities of mankind exist, democracy must allow for compromise, for accommodation, and for the recognition of differences."

Eugene McCarthy

Major Source of Global Warming Discovered On The Border Line

Excessive Hot Air Detected!
Terminal Boredom Reigns Supreme!!
Intellectual fraud melts down!
spiritofpublicus reruns his post of intellectual fraud




"A conservative is someone who admires radicals a century after they're dead."

"If you're not confused by economics, you're not paying attention."

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, and that has long been sufficient for any government."

sources unknown...



John Kenneth Galbraith said:
"There is an old saying, or should be, that it is a wise economist who recognizes the scope of his own generalizations."
---
John Maynard Keynes said:
"Unlike physics, for example, such parts of the bare bones of economic theory as are expressible in mathematical form are extremely easy compared with the economic interpretation of the complex and incompletely known facts of experience, and lead one a very little way towards establishing useful results."
---
Paul R. Krugman said:
"However, the fact that an economist offers a theoretical analysis does not and should not automatically command respect. What is needed is some assurance that the analysis is actually relevant."

Will Passage of the Conceal & Carry Law In Wisconsin Prevent This?

Associated Press Headline: Several questioned in Milwaukee beating

(Note: Below is a tragic story about a beating of a man for honking his horn yesterday at a crowd on the street in Milwaukee. A couple weeks ago I read a comment to a post at ontheborderline.net that Governor Doyle and the vast majority of Democrats were trying to make it really hard to stop crime in Wisconsin. Delaying passage and signing of Wisconsin's conceal and carry law would help prevent this type of hideous, brutal crime -- the comment intimated.

Just think, with conceal and carry, arm citizens could have legally jumped out of their cars and started emptying their clips on these thugs. Of the gun-owning friends I talk to about the need for conceal and carry, only one thinks it's really needed -- and he is a gun dealer.)

Associated Press (MILWAUKEE) - A motorist who was kicked, punched and left alone in the street after honking at a group of people suffered severe head trauma and may not survive, police said.

Several people were questioned by detectives after police and city officials asked for the public's help in finding the assailants, believed to be between 16 and 23 years old. It was the latest in a string of mob beatings in the city since 2002.
Family members identified the victim as Samuel McClain, 50. His niece, Jennifer McClain, said he was believed to have been going to a friend's house at the time.
McClain was hospitalized in critical condition with severe head trauma, according to police. His condition has improved since he was beaten about 10:30 p.m. Monday, said police Lt. Scott Lange.

A group of people surrounded McClain's vehicle after he honked at them because they were in the middle of the street, said police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.
The assailants, thought to be between 16 and 23 years old, yanked him from the car, beat and kicked him, she said.

Read more: Milwaukee beating

...And The Horse You Rode In On!

The Dakota Indians of North America passed on this piece of wisdom from generation to generation by word of mouth: “If you are riding a dead horse, the best thing to do is dismount”. In the corporate world, because of the heavy investment factor, other things to be tried include the following:

- Change riders
- Appoint a committee to study the horse
- Arrange to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses
- Change the form so it reads, “This horse is not dead"
- Hire outside contractors to ride the dead horse
- Harness several dead horses together for increased speed and efficiency
- Donate the dead horse to a recognised charity therefore deducting its full original cost
- Declare the dead horse has lower overhead and is therefore more cost effective
- Promote the dead horse into a management position

New Richmond's Doboy Fined For EPA Violation

(PressZoom) - CHICAGO ( Dec. 27, 2005 ) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has settled with Doboy Inc. of New Richmond, Wis., for an alleged violation of federal hazardous waste regulations. Doboy will pay a $52,246 penalty.

The company failed to determine, from 2000 to 2004, if waste filters from its wet paint spray booth were hazardous. EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources inspected the Doboy package-making facility, 869 S. Knowles Ave., in March 2004. Its manufacturing process produces paint waste that requires disposal in an EPA-approved hazardous waste facility.

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, EPA controls hazardous waste from its production to final disposal.

Story source: Press Room Global News Service

A Picture Is Worth A 1,000 Words, Over 2,000 Dead, 20,000 Wounded & Billions of Dollars In Oil Profits

Forging the Case for War: Who was behind the Niger uranium documents?

From the beginning, there has been little doubt in the intelligence community that the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame was part of a bigger story. That she was exposed in an attempt to discredit her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, is clear, but the drive to demonize Wilson cannot reasonably be attributed only to revenge. Rather, her identification likely grew out of an attempt to cover up the forging of documents alleging that Iraq attempted to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger...

The timing, August 2002, was also propitious as the administration was intensifying its efforts to make the case for war...On Sept. 9, 2002, Ledeen set up a secret meeting between Pollari and Deputy National Security Adviser Hadley...On Jan. 28, 2003, over the objections of the CIA and State, the famous 16 words about Niger’s uranium were used in President Bush’s State of the Union address justifying an attack on Iraq: “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

...The investigation continues, but the campaign against this lone detractor suggests that the administration was concerned about something far weightier than his critical op-ed.

Read more: The American Conservative

Spirit Preaches "The Gospel of Greed"

The prophets of the Gospel of Greed are out street preaching again over at ontheborderline.com. In a long-winded article typical of the bdanielson "raging philoshopical debate" school of economics, spiritofnarcissis, (aka, spiritofpublicus,bildanielson,donttreadonme, and junkyarddog) cloaks himself in his religion of "Classical Liberalism" and invokes the Creator and Ten Commandments to implicitly justify his extremist views, or as he puts it "The Principles of Liberty".
In his unfathomable parable of the dairy farmer, viewed by the "countless individuals, who are readers of (his) website", spiritofnarcissis takes over 700 words and 3 paragraphs to expound upon the same message he always preaches. It can be summerized in 3 words...."Taxes are immoral".

BTW, The next time you're at the grocery store, see if you can negotiate a lower price for milk from the dairy farmer, or for that matter a cheaper gallon of gas from Exxon-Mobile.
(I would create link #252 here to Spirit's article, but if I did it would be redirected to pop-up about Socialists being insects and most likely plant a virus or worm on your computer, thanks to the internet trickery of the ontheborderline Admin.)

So in a nutshell, Spirit's argument is the typical Calvinist one.
The pecking order is God, me then the government. God gave me my money. Therefore, if the government taxes me, that's immoral.
(As an aside, just think of the implications of this "philosophy". We drink "government
( inspected and monitored)water. If you don't want to get dysentery from what you drink we'd all be buying bottled water )
and be driving on toll roads to get to the Wal-Mart Company Store to purchase it).

I'm not one run around quoting the Bible, chapter and verse .
However, since Spirit invoked the Creator and the Ten Commandments, let's do a little more investigation into the realm of religion to debunk the Gospel of Greed.

In Matthew 22:15 The Pharisees ask Jesus, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?".
Does Jesus say "Go forth thou home and guard thoust gallon of milk from Ceasar and the Romans"? Duh, no!!!!
He says, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
Clearly he's telling the faithful, "All taxation is immoral". Yeah, Right!
This voluminous little thesis of the Spirit is of course only Part I.
Perhaps in Part II, spiritofnarcissis could expound on this verse to justify the Gospel of Greed.

Matthew 16:24-26 24 26 For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?

Oh please Spirit, tell us the secret of life from the fountain of Ayn Rand and John Locke.

Are You A Commie?

A communist is someone who has nothing and wishes to share it with the world.

Prediction: “Diseases of affluence” will kill more poor people

"The number of people in developing countries experiencing obesity and related diseases – such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease – has grown to 115 million now from essentially none two generations ago. These “diseases of affluence” occur as diets change away from high-quality foods, such as whole grains, fiber, and fruits and vegetables. By 2030, the diseases could become the primary killers of poor people around the world."

World Trends and Forecast
Futurist
May-June 2005

Quotes of Note: Fanatics

"History teaches us that no one feels so disgustingly certain of victory, or is so unteachably sure, and immune to reason, as the fanatic, and that no one is so absolutely certain of ultimate defeat.”

Theodore Haecker
Journal in the Night

You Got To Be Workin' Hard To Get Here!

Quote To Ponder: The Money Party

"We have only one political party in the country – The Money Party. And it has two branches – the Republican branch and the Democratic branch."

--Arnold Miller
President, United Mine Workers

The Wait Staff Is Whining Again

At The OnTheBorderLine.net Blog Site

I see OTBL admin Chris Kilber has provided us with his review of the New Richmond News coverage of the St. Croix County blog scene. I to think it was a good story. Editor Jeff Holmquist covered the local blog scene quite well. Unlike CK, I don't feel the need to bore you readers with any CYA spin or put any lipstick on the pig. My experiences as a reporter taught me that you can write a good story covering as many angles as time and space allow and there are still going to be complaints from those involved in the story.
---

I do have a couple of comments concerning Kilber's posting about the story titled: NR News.

Kilber wrote:

"Another paragraph concerns screening. Not all comments are screened. Screening occurs only with new commenters. Only the first few are moderated. After that period people are more than welcome to comment. I will not allow my blog to get hijacked."

My experience commenting on OTBL agrees with what CK wrote. I was allowed to add comments to posts and debate and discuss the issues involved in the post -- up to a point. There gets to be a point where your comments bring up fact-based statistics and opinions that rationally provide a strong counter argument to the discussion. When this would happen, the comments to the post would be shut off -- especially if it started to look like there actually was another, legitimate side to the argument.

In addition, I was never allowed to do my own postings on OTBL. I tried to post some facts and figures that reflected positively on public education. CK said he would not publish this information because his was a right leaning blog and he wasn't going to allow it to be hijacked. Obviously, they have an agenda at OTBL and that is their right. However, they should at least be honest about it and cut the crap about open and honest debate. It doesn't happen there. Period!
---

Ck wrote:

"This blog has no links to Nelson's blog. I simply don't choose to belittle myself with childish and amateurish pictures, characterizations, and cartoons that are outright offensive to members of this blog and the publics sensibility."

He is free to link to information on this blog, if he chooses. It's a free, virtual-country. I brings me great joy to read that he simply doesn't "choose to belittle myself with childish and amateurish pictures, characterizations, and cartoons that are outright offensive to members of this blog and the publics sensibility."

Did you get a whiff of the hypocrisy in that last statement? Gee CK, we are sooooo sorry you might find some postings here "outright offensive" to members of your blog -- maybe I'm not wasting my time blogging the night away...

Let's see...OnTheBorderLine.net...isn't that the blog site in Hudson, Wisconsin that spends most of its time slandering any public official -- elected or employed -- who doesn't agree with their anti-tax, anti-community, anti-union, anti-public education fanaticism? Isn't OTBL the blog site that has published posts that attack the sons and daughters of those who don't happen to agree with them? Didn't I read posts over there calling Hudson "Nazi, Wisconsin?" The OTBL posts are littered with gutless anonymous slandering, tasteless characterizations of dedicated, self-sacrificing public officials and private citizens "that are outright offensive to members of this blog and the publics sensibility."

As you OTBL'ers polish the daggers of your self-righteous indignation, remember that you boys will always make better waitresses than customers. The reason is simple: you can dish it out, but you can't take it.
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Ck wrote:

"There have been very few if any references to Nelson's blog or posts other that a gratuitous thank you now and then when he has attacked me in the paper. I have never attacked him in the paper and maybe have mentioned him but one or two times. On the other hand there are over 251 links on his site back to this site. It looks as if this blog did not exist, he would have nothing to write about."

I'm confused about the "attacked me in the paper" phrase. I've written letters to the editor pointing out the hypocrisy that echoes so loudly on his blog site. Since I not allowed to come over to his blog house and discuss the issues, I am simply using another forum to get my opinion out. CK is like many of the extremists on the right and left. If you disagree with their point of view and point out inconsistencies with their approach and/or arguments, they say you are attacking them. Freedom of speech is ok for them and not ok for those who disagree with them. Ditto for the extremists on the left. Being really liberal doesn't mean you are open-minded.

The reason CK has "never attacked" me in the paper is because he couldn't counter my arguments. OTBL'ers are the bullies who start crying when the targets of their attacks fight back. A good example is the bully in the movie "A Christmas Story."
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Ck wrote:

"Nelson has many references to socialism, Marxism, anti-capitalism, centralized government and those are things that I simply don't agree with."




Always the one to play the "commie" card, CK pulls it out again. You will find discussion on all these political philosophies here. Much of it is to provide historical context to help make sure people understand the history of how we got to where we are today. I am a pragmatist. I look for the best aspects of what there is to offer and try to build from there. We are basically talking about local politics here and the OTBL'ers are trying to push a brand of political philosophy on the local governing bodies that I don't agree with. Granted, there are many aspects of their ideas that I agree with and many I don't. Their method of personal attack and bullying is what really detracts from the successful communication of their message. They came blame it on the teachers' union, the elected officials who don't agree with them, the Commies, etc., but their failure to communicate is their own fault.

The reason we have used so many links from this blog to the OTBL blog is to prove our point about the hypocritical statements and misinformation that is posted over there. A major part of our mission on this blog is to be a community "watch dog" on what goes on over there. We want to make sure that members of our local communities know what is cooking OnTheBorderLine.net. From the perspective here, their attacks on local newspapers is no different than our attacks on them.

If they can't take the heat, get out of the hot tub!

Ayn Rand's Christmas Message...

"Santa Claus is, in literal terms, the anti-Christ..."

Andrew Bernstein
senior writer
Ayn Rand Institute

(If you have time to waste and want to learn more about Ayn Rand, author of the "Virtue of Selfishness," go to the ontheborderline.net web site. She's their version of Mother Tereasa -- with a cat of nine tails.)

Points to Ponder: The Community

"The individual, if left alone from birth, would remain primitive and beastlike in his thoughts and feelings to a degree that we can hardly conceive. The individual is what he is and has the significance that he has not so much in virtue of his individuality, but rather as a member of a great human community, which directs his material and spiritual existence from the cradle to the grave."

Albert Einstein
Ideas and Opinions

Peace On Earth- Good Will Toward Men

Merry Christmas
to all on both sides of
the borderline.

...

Today In Labor History: December 25

1910: A dynamite bomb destroyed a portion of the Llewellyn Ironworks in Los Angeles, where a bitter strike was in progress.

Today In Labor History: December 24

“Take a trip with me in nineteen thirteen
To Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country.
I'll take you to a place called Italian Hall
Where the miners are having their big Christmas ball.”

So begins the song “1913 Massacre,” written by Woody Guthrie in 1941 after reading about the Italian Hall tragedy that occurred in Calumet on Christmas Eve, 1913, where 74 people died in a stairway after an unidentified person shouted a false cry of fire. The panic was caused by company stooge at Calumet, Mich. The stooge shouted “fire” up the stairs into a crowded hall where strikers’ children had gathered. The children were crushed against closed doors when they tried to flee.

Read more: The Italial Hall Disaster and Copper Strike 1913-14

Merry Christmas to Our Friends at the OTBL Blog Site

President Bush Releases Transcripts of Daughter's Phone Conversations

Fruit Don't Stumble Too Far From The Tree...

President Bush has come under fire of late for the disclosure that, in the days after September 11 (and even still), the government has been secretly wiretapping certain Americans' conversations. The legality of this has been called into question, but the President claims that the stealth program "enables us to move faster, and quicker, and that's important."

The Black Table has acquired transcripts of several secret conversations that President Bush had himself -- personally -- tapped into, and, having reviewed them, it's impossible to deny that he's right. A few snippets:

September 23, 2002.
9:07 p.m.
Austin, Tex.

(phone rings; transmission begins)
Unidentified Male, a.k.a. "Jimmy": Hello?

Jenna Bush, First Daughter: (hiccupping) Hi, Jimmy. What's taking you so long?

"Jimmy": Jenna, honestly. Your father is the president. There's absolutely no reason you can't get your own alcohol. You'll be 21 in two months. And you sound bombed already.

Jenna Bush: Oh, come on, you know the tightass Secret Service guy won't let me out of his sight. Do you know how hard it was to sneak out to go to the Pi Kapps party last night? By the way, do you remember what ended up happening? Everything after 9 is pretty much a blur.

"Jimmy": (long pause) No. I, uh, have no idea. I think I, um, left early. Yeah. Um … you don't either, do you?

Jenna Bush: No! Isn't that crazy? It's all a blur; I think I blacked out again.
"Jimmy": Good. I mean, oh, yeah, crazy.

Jenna Bush: So, are you coming over?

"Jimmy": Listen, just sit tight. I'll be over there in 20 minutes; I'm trying to get my roommate off the ceiling. I think someone taped him up there last night.

Jenna Bush: Fine! Hurry, though. I think my secret service guy is drunk again. I can't believe they have a young guy do this job. He's cute, though. (giggling)

"Jimmy": You got it. I'll bring the mayonnaise.

Jenna Bush: Oh, and Jimmy?
"Jimmy": Yes?

Jenna Bush: Hook 'em, Horns!

"Jimmy": Hook 'em!
(transmission ends)

President Bush: Hook 'em!

Read more@ Blacktable.com

(Note from JPN: Personally, I respect President Bush's daughters for being human beings. My Dad used to say something like "as you get older, don't forget what it was like to be young.")

The President's Council On Physical Fitness Recommends A Good Stretch

RINO Alert: Republican Sensenbrenner uses the "Compromise" Word

How long before ontheborderline.net comes out in favor of Russ Feingold?

Back in 2001, Wisconsin's Russ Feingold was the only senator voting against the USA Patriot Act. Since the Senate pushed that act through so fast, Feingold was probably the only senator who took time to actually read it. Following right on the heels of 9/11, voting against any legislation containing the word "patriot" would brand you as a traitor.

Yesterday, the Senate voted to have a temporary, 5-week extension of the act. While reading a couple of stories on the Senate debate, I ran across some interesting quotes by Wisconsin Congress Jim Sensenbrenner's current disgust with Feingold's fight against the Act. Below are the quotes:

“I think that Senator Feingold’s role has been completely irresponsible.…Senator Feingold is unwilling to compromise. The (House-Senate deal) represents a compromise between the House and Senate and the Justice Department. That compromise is a responsible way of dealing with the issues that were presented….Americans are at much greater risks as a result of the Senate refusing to shut down an obstructionistic filibuster by people who will never be satisfied by any additional powers given to law enforcement….If the Patriot Act is allowed to expire, the wall will go up that prevents the FBI and CIA to exchange intelligence information on January 1.”

Congress Jim Sensenbrenner
Republican - Wisconsin
---

Since our blog neighbors at ontheborderline.net are so diligent about outing Republicans as RINO's (Republicans In Name Only) when they do something the OTBL'ers disagree with, -- remember: it's their way our the highway -- I am waiting for them to attack Sensenbrenner and start supporting Feingold. Why?

Sensenbrenner used the word "compromise" and this means there is room for gray area in a political debate. In OTBL'ers worldview, there is no such thing as compromise. They have called local Republicans Shelia Harsdorf and Kitty Rhoades RINO's for working with Democrats in Madison. Other Republicans who voted with Feingold include Larry Criag of Idaho and Alaska's Lise Murkowski.

If you are unfamilar with the stand the OTBL'ers take on compromising, here's a quote by their administrator titled: There Is No Middle Ground:

"Go along to get along. Find the common ground. The world is not black and white, it is gray. Compromise. Be moderate. We have heard all these phrases before. Well I think a moderate is nothing more than someone who does not understand or is too afraid to stand up for what they believe in. So how do we find middle ground? We can't."

Commenting on the same post, OTBL'ers ChoosingLife wrote:

"Straddling the fence of fiscal responsibility, moral and social responsibility surely brings out the gray area in many RINOs and other political parties. Beware those who compromise—for any reason! There is no middle ground in either social or fiscal responsibility."

Senator Feingold certainly can't be accused of compromising. However, he is in one of the "other political parties" and the OTBL'ers will have to decline the offer to give Feingold their blessing.

It was just a thought...

Q: How Many Wing Nuts Does It Take To Make A Fruit Cake?

Mega Chruches Closed On Christmas:

Family Values At Stake



"The megachurches are being accused of having caved into secularism," "Both those who are critical of the decision to cancel Christmas services and the big churches that are doing it would both say they're standing up for family values with a capital F and a capital V."

John Brolley
Director of undergraduate Studies
University of Cincinnati's Judiac Studies
---

Christmas on a Sunday might seem the perfect confluence - the celebration of Jesus' birth on the day of the week many Christians believe they belong in church. But when this year's calendar put Dec. 25 on a Sunday, it prompted large “mega” churches like to cancel Christmas Day services. Church leaders say it takes so many people to put on one of their celebrations that it's better to let those volunteers be with their families for the day.

Many of these “mega” churches draw 5,000 people on a given Sunday. The cancellations shocked more traditional Christians, who can't fathom being anywhere else but in a pew Christmas Day.

Read more on Christmas and the megachurches

Hypocrisy Stirkes Deep...

...In The "Heart" Of OTBL
A reader of this blog alerted me to my name being mentioned on Craig Westover's blog. Readers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press will recognize Westover as a columnist on the editorial page. I read his column and occasionally check out his blog. I don't believe I've every left any comments on his site. If I did, it was way back in the summer.

Below is an interesting piece of the conversation that takes place in the post on Westover's site on 12/20/05. It involves a person identified as Chris Kilber. Anything in (parenthesis) are my auxiliary comments:

...Craig. I've enjoyed this conversation immensely, but why would you let someone use another person's name as his? This person is known as "dratsum" or James P. Nelson. Why is he afraid of using his own name? I would think you would want to remove the name he has used for legal reasons (Evidently Westover is being threatened with potential legal action for allowing someone to post on his blog with an anonymous name. My Greater St. Croix County phonebook shows two Williams and a Bill Danielson. A rather common name.). Ketchup Man ("ketchup man" is sort of like my old OTBL post name" dratsum," i.e., "mustard" backwards) 12.20.05 - 6:24

Chris Kilber,
I didn't know anybody had the name Anti Bill Danielson...if that is truly his real name I will immediately stop using it...Stick to the topic...Craig does a nice job sticking to the disagreements without getting into name calling as you do over at OTBL.The Anti Bill Danielson (The Anti Bill has identified ketchup man as Chris Kilber the OTBL blog admin.) 12.20.05 - 8:00 am #

If you're not into name calling Mr. Nelson, then why use someone else's name in a derogatory fashion?Anti James P. Nelson (Being the Anti JPN might not be such a bad position to be in, since my wife occasionally uses my name, hell and the devil in the same sentence -- the eternal options might be better.) 12.20.05 - 10:09 am #

I know who I am targeting...JPN I am not...I could be another school board member's daughter/son or not...Chris it seems your panties are in bunch over this doesn't it!The Anti Bill Danielson (TABD lets me off the hook and points out Chris underwear preference. Other than standing by Chris at WITC and anonymously eating a cookie, I have no way of knowing if he wears boxer shorts, briefs or panties. That would be TMI.) 12.20.05 - 10:19 am #

Okay, guys. Kill it.Frankly I'm confused as to who is who, but I don't care. The "Anti" thing is a little silly to me, but whatever floats your boat.On this site we stay out of people's personal motives. This thread ends here. Stick to the topic.craig westover (aka Captain Fishsticks pulls the plug on the debate, before we learn CK's style of underwear.) 12.20.05 - 2:35 pm #
---
It's interesting to see the alleged Chris Kilber, the administrator of the ontheborderline.net blog in Hudson, step in and give The Anti Bill Danielson a verbal spanking for using "someone else's name in a derogatory fashion." In this alleged display of OTBL hypocrisy, Chris signs his post Anti James P. Nelson...in a derogatory fashion. It's a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.

I will claim the dratsum, mustard, JPN and James P. Nelson tags, but I can't claim authorship of the Anti Bill Danielson statements. That's someone else. Who? I don't know...but he/she is doing an excellent job of arguing his point with Westover aka Captain Fishsticks.

On a side note, it is interesting that the alleged CK had to jump in an stop an intelligent discussion between two consenting adults. Obviously, The Anti Bill Danielson was making some valid points the alleged CK didn't want the viewing public to see. The same tactic is used ontheborderline.net. I need to qualify that last statement. It's used whenever there is debate over there which is infrequent

Remember that this is allegedly the same Chris Kilber who did a posting on the OTBL blog titled: 10 Reasons For Anonymity OnThe BorderLine. His post included 10 points and additional information from The Real Dr. Bill Danielson. He started and ended his post as follows:

"So I need to cover anonimity on the blog. Why? Here are the main reasons for using an alias...(10 points go here)...To be criticized for allowing or using the anonymity of using aliases is totally unfounded. I totally recommend it."

The Bill Danielson piece linked to this post had this to say about personal attacks:

"Ad Hominem Abusive, aka a personal attack, is a technique of argument that is weak and should be resorted to only in certain cases. In general, the use of a personal attack to build ones argument fails the credibility test. It is also generally understood to be poor form and, more importantly, an indicator that the person making the ad hominem abusive doesn't really have a defendable (logical) argument. "

So according to the alleged Chris Kilber's mentor of neo-con selfishness, The Real Bill Danielson, the personal attacks verify my comment about points being made that the alleged CK couldn't refute. Hence, alleged CK's interuption in the discussion were, according to TRBD, in "poor form and, more importantly, an indicator that the person making the ad hominem abusive doesn't really have a defendable (logical) argument. "

There's a feature story in this week's New Richmond News about blogging in the St. Croix Valley. In it Bob Ziller, a local politcal observer and alleged author of the soon to be published boat anchor "My Letter's To The Editors: Volumes 1-666", has some very interesting comments about how he feels about anonymous posting at ontheborderline.net.

Check it out!

Q2: How Many Wing Nuts Does It Take To Make A 12-Pack?

Q1: How Many Wing Nuts Does It Take To Make A Case?

It's Membership Drive Time @ On The Border Line

Definately Checkout Their Blog Site And Take Their Lewd And Vulgar Tasteless Test

Here @ abovetheborderline.blogspot.com we consider ourselves to be humble upstarts in the ever-expanding world of internet blog sites. Unlike our mighty competitor in the St. Croix Valley -- ontheborderline.net -- when don't have the readership or fanancial wherewithal to compare ourselves to the Washington Post or the New York Times.Here, we are more like the underground newspapers that used to flurious in high schools and colleges in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Our dreams aren't about media stardom. We don't gloat over our monthly "hits" like an ERON vice president over an invitation of a World COM CEO's Roman orgy for his wife. You are more likely to find us at the farmers' market than potificating on the limitless bank book opportunities to be raped -- I mean "reaped" -- through the expanding global economy.

Our heroes are folks like Jesus, Mothers Jones and Therea, Ghandhi, Paul Wellstone, Fighting Bob LaFollette, the Crusher, Woody Guthrie, and a lot of people whose banks accounts didn't add up to a million bucks. I suppose, excluding westlers like Wellstone and the Crusher, we are a bunch of Davids lost in the daunting shadow of the mighty OTBL Goliath.

With this in mind, we urge you to remember that this is just a ratty pup tent of a blog site. We know you will go over and visit the www.ontheborderline.net Taj Mahal. There you can hangout with a handful of white males who like to call themselves "intellectuals" and post with numerous different names. Once you get over there, put in your ear plugs -- the noise from the back slapping in deafening. If you don't believe me, just ask them -- they're self-proclaimed "doctors."

Go over the border line and try it out at www.ontheborderline.net. As a previous OTBL'er, I want to coach you so you know what to expect when you go over to the other side -- the dark side. Chris Kilber is the administrator over there. He writes an occassional letter to the editor and signs petitions calling for the elimination of public education.

Whenever I write a letter to the editor telling about what these OTBL'ers are up to, Chris the Admin responds with a post on his blog calling me an ultra-lefty or collectivist. If you've made it this far, you can read what's posted on this blog and decide for yourself. Chris also likes to welcome his readers with this type of "mission statement" hype:

"Welcome HSO Readers once again. Thanks to J. Nelson (aka dratsum) for mentioning www.OnTheborderLine.net again in his HSO editorial...His facts about this blog are somewhat skewed on many levels. He also is outright wrong on others. He was originally banned from this blog because of his vulgarity and lewd commenting. He had been a welcome contributor up to that point. He did help attract many visitors and I guess, continues to do so today, be it in a round about way....In closing, you will also get an education on Free Markets, Economics, Education, and a host of other issue affecting us all, in addition to humor, sports on occasion, and a plethora of other topics. Have a look around and make up your own mind. If you want to comment feel free to register. You will be sent a password. Here is the disclaimer if you become a memeber:

Keep in mind that any new commenters are put in a moderated status and will be reviewed. If after a brief history everything seems to be in order, you may be then put into an un-moderated status by the admin. However, any comments, posts, or other contributed material becomes property of the blog and any submission or comment may be edited or deleted without question. Profanity will not be tolerated. The owner of this blog also is not responsible for objectionable material and will remove it when found, and suspend the member."

We use to provide links to the ontheborderline.net blog site. However, Chris the Admin is so embrassed about what is written over there that he directs any hits originating from this blog site to some Russian site that has one of his usual "everybody who doesn't agree with us is a commie" sayings. Your computer gets locked up and you have to reboot or do ctrl+alt+delete to get unfrozen.

You won't be able to post or make comments on that site, unless you send him you e-mail address. It is all "confidential," until some debater gets to far off their philosophical line of discussion. Then the debater may be outed on the site. An example of this was hsgrad351.

But hey, if you got time to waste and you don't mind the OTBL junkyard dogs gang piling on you in the comments section of the post, have at it. Unlike that site, on this site you are free to comment on any post here. You can comment anonymously, make up a name or shoot me an e-mail at abovetheborderline@yahoo.com and tell me you'd like to join. It's pretty simple. You can also start your own blog at www.blogspot.com. If you do and want me to add your blog to the links on the right, send me an e-mail.

Even Chris the OTBL admin has been sent an invitation to join the discussion on this blog site. We are all for discussion and he is free to join and say what he will and we will let the cookies crumble -- as long as they're not "lewd and vulgar."