The percentage of members of Congress with children serving in the military is only slightly above 1 percent...

The percentage of members of Congress with children serving in the military is only slightly above 1 percent. Sens. Christopher Bond, a Missouri Republican, and Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, have had sons serve combat missions in Iraq, Time said.

This from a report that Sen. McCain's son is enlisting in the Marines. I wish him well.

Colonel Bob at Altercation notes on this fact:

Unfortunately, as the article notes, only 1% of our representatives in Congress have family in service. Some 32, however, are apparently married to lobbyists.

I made a top list!

I was included in Waxing America's (Paul Soglin) top blogs!

Thanks for the compliment - I read that blog almost daily. Great insight.

All Political Contributions Are Bad....

I got this off of Xoff - Carrie Lynch has a great analysis on the giving of contributions titled "That's everyone then"

It's official. No one can give money to the candidates in the race for governor or any other politician for that matter. Every donation is suspect and a potential scandal.

A story in the Wisconsin State Journal today is the one that makes it official. The story is highlighting a ridiculous accusation by the Republicans about a business that gave money to Governor Doyle but didn't get any business from the state. If you have been following the news, adding this story to the mix means business that don't get contracts from the state cannot give money and businesses that do get contracts from the state cannot give money before OR after getting a contract.

That's everyone I guess. Anyone that works for a business is not allowed to give money to politicians because you just never know if your employer might get a contract from the state or might not get a contract from the state.

At what point do you think the businesses in Wisconsin will get really angry that the press is making them look as bad to the public as the politicians they support?

I would like to point this out from the DPW Platform:

Increased empowerment of citizens in all civic affairs makes our nation a true democracy. The government must be an open institution that people trust. The government must comply with open meeting and public record laws, enact legislation for full public funding for all state and national elections, while ensuring that every citizen has a guaranteed right and equal access to vote. We have the right to inspect and count votes and have a paper ballot to insure voting accountability.

It is not the Democrats in Wisconsin that are killing campaign finance reform. Our members in the Senate and Assembly did not kill SB1 - Our candidate for Gov has pledged to sign it once it reaches his desk.

Let's compare to the RPW Platform:

We support the right of individuals to freely express their political opinions through their financial contributions, with full, prompt disclosure. We insist that neither employers nor unions should force individuals to contribute to political causes against their will. We oppose public financing of all campaigns.

The Green Party of WI doesn't have public financing as part of their platform:

PACs must be eliminated. Limits should be imposed on the money that candidates can spend on campaigns, with the amount determined for each race by the size of constituency of the office being contested. We support removing economic interests from the electoral process by limiting contributions of cash and services by businesses and individuals. We do not support term limits since they restrict the rights of people to choose their representatives.

The Libertarians dont have it either:

We advocate election law reforms that make it easier for the people to nominate and finance the election of the candidates of their choice.

Pretty plain as day in there, isn't it? There is only one party in WI that is officially trying to clean up elections. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin. And I am proud to be a member.

Embryonic Stem Cells and Small Pox - A Historical Look at Medical Innovation

A great editorial in the NYTimes today:

The past, however, seems to encourage a more optimistic outlook. Medical progress has stirred religious and moral objections throughout history — objections that were overcome as the benefits of medical advances became overwhelmingly obvious. In the 11th century, European church leaders warned monks that treating illness with medicine showed such a lack of faith in God that it violated holy orders. When 19th-century doctors began using chloroform to alleviate the pain of childbirth, the Scottish Calvinist church declared it a “Satanic invention” intended to frustrate the Lord’s design.

An illuminating case study is the late 18th-century controversy over inoculation against smallpox. Condemned by clerics as both immoral and blasphemous, smallpox inoculation offers some surprising parallels to our current impasse over research using embryonic stem cells.
...
The religious authorities of Jenner’s day viewed smallpox inoculation as an affront to God and man. A widely published British sermon was titled “The Dangerous and Sinful Practice of Inoculation.” American clergy warned that inoculation usurped God’s power to decide the beginning and end of life. Only hypocrites would undergo the procedure and still pray to God, one theologian declared.

Jenner responded with a risky demonstration of his idea. In 1796, the doctor persuaded his own servant to allow the man’s 8-year-old son to be inoculated with cowpox material; two months later, Jenner exposed the child to smallpox.

The experiment was a success. Moreover, the child remained immune to smallpox even after the doctor exposed him to it a second time. The doctor himself, however, was reviled. Clerics denounced him as a tool of the devil. Newspapers ridiculed him as “a presumptuous man” overselling his results; one cartoonist portrayed him as a country bumpkin surrounded by patients sprouting cow parts.

Even some of his medical colleagues questioned whether he might have gone too far. In retrospect, one can easily imagine Jenner’s brilliant idea sinking under the combined weight of moral antipathy and scientific disdain.

Instead, the doctor persevered and triumphed. Not by hyping the potential of his ideas, as some stem cell supporters occasionally have done, but by doggedly gathering more evidence based on more inoculations. Fueled by his success, the practice spread, and smallpox rates plummeted. In time, the life-saving merits of inoculation eventually overwhelmed all doubt; the evidence, Jenner wrote, became “too manifest to admit of controversy.”

I hope we’re headed in a similarly pragmatic direction with regard to stem cell research. We still have not ventured much beyond the promising preliminaries; there is no multitude of saved lives to serve as a moral counterweight to the use of embryos, even unwanted ones.

John Gard, Mark Green and President Bush are carrying on a long tradition of anti-intellectualism in the name of pandering to ignorance.

Green Party Senate Candidate - Gladly Takes Dirty Money to Help Republicans Win...

"Both Republicans and Democrats have this notion that, if Greens are in the race, Democrats lose votes," said Romanelli, a railroad-industry consultant from the Wilkes-Barre area. "If that was going to motivate someone to contribute, I am fine with that."

Here is the story. It is the Green in the race for the Senate in Pennsylvania. Rick Santorum, perhaps the worst example of right-wing badness in the Senate seems to be fully funding the Green candidate:

When Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) encouraged everyone in state politics to help the Green Party earn a spot on the November ballot, at least one group answered the call: Santorum donors.

Fourteen Santorum supporters gave $40,000 to fund a petition drive that has allowed Carl Romanelli to collect about 100,000 voter signatures to qualify for the Senate race. That's 33,000 more signatures than required, and double what independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader gathered here in 2004.

But Romanelli and the Green Party of Luzerne County, which collected the money, might have violated federal election law in the process.

I think we can settle the dabate about the moral 'purity' of the Green Party candidates. Lets take a look at Santorum's record, the guy they are "fine" with taking money and support from:

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent in 2005.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 100 percent in 2003-2004.

2001 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 0 percent in 2001.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Americans for Tax Reform 95 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 100 percent in 2005.

2003-2004 On the votes that the American Forest and Paper Association considered to be the most important in 2003-2004, Senator Santorum voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Business-Industry Political Action Committee 95 percent in 2003-2004.

2003 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Public Citizen's Congress Watch 9 percent in 2003.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Civil Liberties Union 11 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 6 percent in 2005.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 0 percent in 2003-2004.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 6 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Conservative Union 92 percent in 2005.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Christian Coalition 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Concerned Women for America 100 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Education Association 0 percent in 2005.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Parent Teacher Association 0 percent in 2003-2004.

2001 On the votes that the English First considered to be the most important in 2001, Senator Santorum voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2002 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Coalition for Ethanol 0 percent in 2002.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the League of Conservation Voters 10 percent in 2005.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Land Rights Association 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 0 percent in 2003-2004.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Family Research Council 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Family Association 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Peace Action 0 percent in 2004.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group 0 percent in 2005.

2004 On the votes that the State PIRGs Working Together considered to be the most important in 2004, Senator Santorum voted their preferred position 0 percent of the time.

2003 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 6 percent from 1988-2003 (Senate) or 1991-2003 (House).

2000 Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2000, the National Rifle Association assigned Senator Santorum a grade of A+ (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

1999-2000 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 0 percent in 1999-2000.

2003-2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the National Breast Cancer Coalition 0 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 14 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 7 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the American Federation of Government Employees 0 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Alliance for Retired Americans 0 percent in 2005.

2001-2002 On the votes that the CATO Institute--Center for Trade Policy Studies considered to be the most important in 2001-2002, Senator Santorum voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2004 Senator Santorum supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 0 percent in 2004.

Do you really believe that Santorum and the Green Party are working together and sharing money based on issues? We will leave the last word to Santorum's spokeperson:

"We have encouraged those who have inquired or asked to assist in this effort," said Virginia Davis, Santorum's spokeswoman, of the Green Party petitions.

Doonesbury on 'Hating Freedom'

Another New Fair WI Add

Well done....

A Look at Walker's Dumb Statement:

His release:

WALKER CRITICAL OF BOARD’S VOTE ON SALES TAX
MILWAUKEE – County Executive Scott Walker offers the following statement on the CountyBoard’s vote on the sales tax proposal:

“The vote by the members of the county board today is totally irresponsible. Not only is it wrong to push for a $60 million tax increase at a time when people and jobs are leaving the area, the worst part is that the referendum is just advisory. There is nothing in the referendum that will force the state government to sign off on a $60 million tax increase. All this does is shift the focus off the real decisions that must be made to preserve our parks system. The better longterm answer is a Park District.”

Some Comments:

Walker: "jobs are leaving the area"

From the Milwaukee Journal - 7/26/06:

Milwaukee area sees increase in jobs
The four-county Milwaukee area had its second month in a row of year-to-year employment gains in June and kept its unemployment rate even with a year ago at 5.5%.

Walker: "the worst part is that the referendum is just advisory"

That is not how Walker felt about the 'advisory' death penalty referendum:

Walker put out a statement last week - with little fanfare - saying he backs a referendum that would ask voters if they would support the death penalty

Walker: "it wrong to push for a $60 million tax increase" and "The better long-term answer is a Park District.”

The Park District is a tax increase, it is just Walker's shell game of where it goes:

Along with two Republican state lawmakers, Walker wants to empower a separately elected park district board to levy property taxes equal to the 2006 county parks levy of $18.4 million.

Walker: "is totally irresponsible"

Yes, you are, Scott. Solve problems, don't just change your opinions and accounts in the political wind.

Quote of the Day: Molly Ivans on Bush Edition

The poor man who is currently our president has reached such a point of befuddlement that he thinks stem cell research is the same as taking human lives, but that 40,000 dead Iraqi civilians are progress toward democracy.

The Scarlet 'R'

A Republican Senator, up for re-election on running with Bush:

He spoke of his party affiliation as though it were a congenital defect rather than a choice. "It's an impediment. It's a hurdle I have to overcome," he said. "I've got an 'R' here, a scarlet letter."

That left the candidate in a difficult spot. "For me to pretend I'm not a Republican would be a lie," he reasoned. But to run as a proud Republican? "That's going to be tough, it's going to be tough to do," he said. "If this race is about Republicans and Democrats, I lose."

Study War?

LTC Bob Bateman (regular contributor to Altercation) makes this point that I think is relevant to the political discussions of today:

So I enjoin you to read... but I think that I must ask you to read about war, become educated in war, so that, in the end, you can discuss war with reason, facts, understanding of theories, and hard-nosed comprehension.

Note, in all of that I did not say that you should like war, or that you should condone war, or even that you should agree with the idea of war in any way shape or form. But just as an environmentalist must study economics and the science of, say, the logging or oil industry to be an effective environmentalist, so too must a citizen study those things which affect their nation most directly. For four years now, the thing which has affected us most directly has been, well, war. Even our presidential elections, to some degree, hinged upon events in a war long past and even more on perceptions of who would be more astute in their application of force within war. (No, I am not endorsing one side or the other, I am merely noting how reputations on some topics affect larger events.)

What will we learn by reading:

...even fewer have read the thought-pieces which resulted in the idiotic theory of “Shock and Awe.” But you need to read a lot of history, and at least some military theory, to really understand how damned stupid the idea of Shock and Awe really was, and how it has been tried (under different names) over and over again since the late 1920s, and it never works! Perhaps, just perhaps, if some people in the right places had read more military history, well, things might have turned out different.

3 Strikes and You're Out, Appleton...

Will they finally realize they lost (twice all ready):

Bar Owners In Appleton Try to Force Referendum

60 bar owners in Appleton are trying to force a referendum, exempting them from the city's smoking ban. The proposed referendum calls for exempting free-standing bars, but not bars inside businesses like restaurants and bowling alleys.
Bill Maloney with the XTreme Bar tells NBC26 he dropped off petitions to 60 bar owners today. "The bar business in Appleton is really struggling and we just want to be treated like everyone else," Maloney said.
"We're not saying smoking is good for you - we're just saying we just want to be treated like everyone else."
Maloney says bar owners have until August 13th to collect signatures. After that, the common council will have 30 days to make a decision.
The existing ban was approved in April 2005 and has been in effect since July 2005.

His statement is terrible. They are not trying to be treated like everyone else, they are trying to get special treatment. Every other workplace does not allow smoking. Why should just one type allow it?

When these first started happening, I was on the side of 'It's their establishment, let them decide if they want smoking or not.' I have since changed my mind.

Why? It is an Equal Employment Opportunity issue with me. People with breathing difficulties cannot work as a server in bars or restaurants that allow smoking.

"They can find other work." I am often told in response. Imagine if an office building refused to build a ramp to allow people in wheelchairs access? The public outcry would be deafening. It is the same issue with smoking. The service industry is the fastest growing segment of the economy, and they are barring people with respitory problems from it.

Now, imagine if your company allowed just a little poison in the coffee everyday. Not enough to kill you, or for you even to feel the effects right away. However, enough to provide for long-term health problems. That would be illegal and immoral, yet noone feels that it is wrong for business owners to fight to force exposure to cancer and disease causing second-hand smoke.

Maybe we should let asbestos be used again. Second-hand smoke in the workplace has the potential to be the asbestos of this century.

Finally, as I have gone out in Appleton several times since the ban. It seems to me that since it has gone into effect, they have built a new 2-story bar, and many of them still have lines out the door to get in. This does not look like a business killer to me.

If it were true that smoking bans kill business, why isn't the Fish House the busiest bar of Appleton's downtown? It is still empty often, yet it has had a fences in area behind it where you can have your drink outside it (and still smoke) since before the ban. It is very empty when I go past it.

There should be a line around the block.

Let the ban stand - it will continue to pass.

Fair WI Has a New Add

Good job on it. Click here to watch.

Great Cartoon - Signing Statements

Congrats Awais!

College Democrats of America Elect Wisconsin College Student as its National Vice President

Monday, July 24, 2006
Contact: Jessica Erickson

(608) 255-5172 x 406 (office)
(608) 255-8919 (fax)

MADISON – At its annual National Convention in St. Louis, Missouri this past weekend, the College Democrats of America elected UW-Madison student and former College Democrats of Wisconsin Chair Awais Khaleel as Vice President of its national organization.
Flanked by the support of more than 30 Wisconsin College Democrats and the support of 30 state delegations, Khaleel’s victory shows the strong leadership of the College Democrats of Wisconsin.
“I cannot think of a better student leader to represent Wisconsin at the national level,” said Joe Wineke, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Awais is one of the hardest working students in the party, and he has proven time and again his dedication to fighting for Wisconsin’s strong tradition of progressive values. I give my congratulations to Awais and wish him the best of luck.”
The College Democrats of America (CDA) is the official student outreach arm of the Democratic Party. In 2004, CDA recruited activists on more than 1,200 campuses in all 50 states. In Wisconsin, student voter turnout is consistently among the highest in the nation each year, voting overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, Wineke said.
Khaleel, a Kenosha native, is the first Muslim and/or Indian vice president in the history of the College Democrats of America.

Good Cartoon

From the Center for American Progress

Gas at Highest Price in 25 Years - Remember Gore Gas?

Here is a story from 2000 where Bush was hammering Gore on gas prices:

Bush this week began hammering at Gore for failing to exert enough pressure on the oil-producing nations to boost supplies. Bush contrasted the way his father, former president Bush, dealt with the oil cartel with the way President Clinton has performed in the diplomatic arena.
''These are countries with which we should have an enormous amount of capital,'' Bush said during a campaign appearance. ''These are countries where it wasn't that long ago that a President Bush helped Kuwait, or a United States helped Mexico, and I think the fundamental question is, `Why can't the administration get anything done on the diplomatic side?'''

But, what do we see now?

The average retail price of a a gallon of gasoline topped $3 in the United States last week, the highest price in 25 years, according to the latest nationwide Lundberg survey released Sunday.
The national average for self-serve, regular unleaded gas was $3.0150 per gallon on July 21, a rise of almost 2 cents per gallon from two weeks ago when the average was $2.9952, the survey of about 7,000 gas stations said.

Once again, we told you so...

Good Cartoon:

Come See Feingold With Hintz

Feingold to stop in Oshkosh
Appearing at Hintz headquarters grand opening Sunday
By Jeff Bollier of The Northwestern
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold will be in Oshkosh Sunday evening in support of Democratic state Assembly candidate Gordon Hintz.

Feingold, D-Wis., is expected to speak shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday at the grand opening of the Hintz for Assembly headquarters, 683 N. Main St., the same building that contains Inner Sun Yoga Studio. Hintz is the only Democrat seeking the 54th Assembly District seat currently occupied by state Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh.

Feingold's visit will be part of a trip to the New North region on Sunday as he continues his efforts to get Democrats elected in key regions of the state.

"The senator and his team have been helping us in any way they can whether it's contacting his supporters or trying to get people fired up to be a part of my campaign," Hintz said.

In a July 15 WisPolitics.com article, Feingold mentioned he will support "targeted legislative races" for Hintz and two state Assembly incumbents, two state Senate candidates challenging Republican incumbents and a Democrat running for an open state Senate seat around the state.

"Our goal is to pull as many people as possible to our headquarters and get them signed up for our campaign," Hintz said.

Hintz narrowly lost to Underheim in a crowded state Assembly election in 2004. He will face the winner of a September primary between Republican challengers Julie Pung Leschke and Larry Didlo in the Nov. 7 general election.

Top 5 Things Bush Should Have Vetoed...

...Instead of Stem Cell Research

From the DPW:

Bush Signs Bill Cutting $12 Billion From Student Loans President
Bush signed legislation that cut federal student loans by $12.7 billion - the largest cut in the program's history - and increased interest rates and fees paid by students and their parents. Mark Green voted to cut student aid. [Sources: S1932, Vote 670, 12/19/05; HRes653, Vote 4, 2/1/06]
Bush Signs Big Oil Giveaway
President Bush signed into law the 2005 GOP Energy Bill, which gave away billions to the big oil and gas companies at a time of record profits for the oil companies and record gas prices for consumers. Mark Green voted for the billion-dollar giveaways for Big Oil. [Sources: HR6, Vote 132, 4/21/05; HR6, Vote 445, 7/28/05]
Bush Signs Big Drug Company Giveaway
President Bush signed into law the federal Medicare prescription drug program, which gave away more than $200 billion to the big drug companies, prohibits the federal government from negotiating for lowering prescription drug prices, and threatened to end Wisconsin's successful SeniorCare program. Mark Green voted for the disastrous Medicare plan. [Sources: HR1, Vote 332, 6/27/03; HR1, Vote 669, 11/22/03]
Bush Signs Tax Breaks for Privileged Few
President Bush has signed multiple tax breaks into law that help the wealthy few and provide little to no benefit for the middle class and poor Americans. Just this year, Bush signed legislation that provided millionaires with a $42,000 tax break, but only gave middle class families a mere $20 tax cut. Mark Green has repeatedly voted to give tax breaks to the rich at the expense of working families. [Sources: HR4297, Vote 135, 5/10/06; HR4297, Vote 621, 12/8/05]
Bush Signs Bills to Increase National Debt Limit
President Bush had at least two opportunities to veto increases in our national debt limit, which has increased to more than $8.4 trillion under his presidency, but instead signed the increases into law both times. Mark Green has repeatedly voted to raise the national debt limit by trillions of dollars, including most recently voting to increase the limit to almost $10 trillion. [Sources: S2578, Vote 279, 6/27/02; S2986, Vote 536, 11/18/04]

Quote of the Day: Blogging Edition

Still, Heiferman believes political networking only reaches its full effectiveness when users take the next step: meeting in person. "People need to use the Internet to get off the Internet," he says.

I think this is perfect. While I am on the blogging bandwagon, it needs to be mixed with dorknocking and other real world work. Sometimes people forget....

My Condolences to His Family, but This Wasn't Me...

I have received a number of calls and emails about this, so I wanted to post a note letting people know that I am fine.

The obituary I posted last week was that of my grandmother. The fact that her funeral happened the same day as this incident may have cause some confusion.

My sympathies are with the Hall family (no relation) at this time.

Man who died at NFdL Pool identified
The Reporter Staff
A North Fond du Lac man who died Sunday at the North Fond du Lac Community Pool has been identified as Jeffrey A. Hall, 38, of 155 Broadway St.

An autopsy is scheduled today to determine cause of death, but officials believe he did not drown, said Village Administrator Mell Smigiel-ski.

According to his obituary in The Reporter to-day, Hall died of an apparent heart attack.

"Anything we say today is preliminary, but there might be reason to suspect something other than drowning," Smigiel-ski said Monday.

Foul play is not suspected, he said.

Officers and rescue personnel were called to the pool about 3 p.m. Sunday after pool lifeguards pulled Hall out of the water. He was pulseless and not breathing.

Hall was pronounced dead at St. Agnes Hospital.

Newsweek CW on Bush:

Bush

The world is coming unglued before his eyes. His naive dreams are a Wilsonian disaster.

I would say that just about sums it up.

RIP

Emily Dixon Grimes
Emily Dixon-Grimes, age 92, of Princeton, passed away on Thursday, July 13, 2006 at the Sunnyview Health Care Center in Princeton. She was born on April 25, 1914 in Chicago, IL; the daughter of Charles Robert and Lillian Mildred (Organ) Dixon. Emily married William Grimes on April 19, 1941 in Chicago. She was a bookkeeper for the former Wheaton Savings and Loan in Wheaton, IL. Emily was a member of the Senior Citizens and the former Share Program, both in Princeton. She also had worked for Advocap in Berlin.

Emily is survived by her son Charles L. (Phyllis) Grimes of TX.; 10 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband; son, Henry; daughter, Priscilla; grandson, Lance; and brother, Charles.
Emily Grimes wished to be cremated and have a memorial service with family and friends at her home. The memorial will take place at 4:00 p.m. Sunday at their home, W5847 Bend Road in Princeton.
Please contact a family member or the funeral home if you wish to attend. She will be buried, at a later date, in the Princeton City Cemetery.

Wachholz and Sons Funeral Home in Princeton Serving the Family

Great Attack Add...

Check it out.

Initial Scorecard - Candidates with papers turned in...

Republicans - 185 Candidates
Democrats - 176 Candidates
Greens - 10 Candidates
Independants - 9 Candidates
Constitution - 4 Candidates
Libertarian - 1 Candidate

Joe Manske in Takes Lead in Winnebago County DA Race

He turned in the most signatures.

It means he & his supporters are willing to work the hardest.

Candidate - Signatures
Joe Manske - 750
Michelle Pennewell - 710
Christian Gossett - 576

Go Joe!

Signature Updates:

Lots of them are in - here are some notes:

Doug LaFollette only turns in 2178 of 2000 minimum.

Terry McCormick only racks up 1128.

Penny Bernard Schaber gets 400!

John Daggett has 0 vadlid signatures. How does that happen? He had to turn in something to be on the list.

Dick Spanbauer hass 255 for a primary (wish we would have found a Dem) - Owens got 278.

Dick Langan's on! Great guy.

Ann-Marie Woznicki's on - 329!

Mark Westphal - 261!

Stellmacher only has 179 - I hope they are on the doors today.

Dawn Marie Sass got her's - 2246!

Frank Lasee only gets 220 - I hope we look at those...

Larry Didlo turns in 202 - want to bet at least 3 get challenged?

Others too look at:
James Peterson, Republican for Dunn DA - 201
JP Drengler - 6th Assembly - 213
Scott Harold Southworth - Juneau DA - 201
H. Craig Haukaas - Bayfield DA - 209
Todd P Wolf - Wood DA - 197 - not enough!
Dan Long - 48th Assembly - 207

Can't wait to check again tomorrow!

A Post-Script to the Last Entry:

If current trends hold, tobacco will kill a billion people this century, 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century, public health officials said Monday.

Tobacco accounts for one in five cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths worldwide each year, according to two new reference guides that chart global tobacco use and cancer. Lung cancer remains the major cancer among the 10.9 million new cases of cancer diagnosed each year, according to the Cancer Atlas.

Reducing tobacco use would have the greatest affect on global cancer rates, health officials said.

An Odd Investment...

I wouldn't do it, but it shows what some people will think of:

MORE than 150 mutual funds call themselves socially responsible, investing only in companies that meet a series of ethical standards set by their fund managers. Then there's the Vice Fund.

Its prospectus says it favors "products or services often considered socially irresponsible." The fund has fulfilled that promise under several different fund managers, investing mainly in companies involved with alcohol, tobacco, gambling and military contracting. This politically incorrect approach has helped the Vice Fund outperform the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index from its inception in 2002. But the fund has had more than its share of management turmoil.
...
Lately, the approach has again been paying off. Gambling and hotel casino stocks returned 25.3 percent this year through Thursday and 28.9 percent, annualized, in the last five years , according to Morningstar. The S.& P. 1500 Casino and Gaming Index, which tracks 10 stocks from the 1500 index, was up 10.1 percent through Thursday and 21.4 percent, annualized, over the last five years.

Tobacco stocks posted annualized five-year gains of 20 percent, while those for alcoholic beverages gained 12 percent a year and the aerospace and defense sector, including military contractors, climbed 11.8 percent, according to Morningstar.

The Vice Fund returned 9.2 percent this year through Thursday, compared with 3.1 percent for the S.& P. 500. Over the last three years, the fund's return has been 20.6 percent, annualized, outpacing the 10.9 percent of the S.& P. 500. The fund has no load, or sales charge, and has an expense ratio of 1.75 percent. Its allocations as of May 31 included roughly 27 percent to casinos, gambling and lotteries; 24 percent to aerospace and defense; 24 percent to alcohol; and 21 percent to tobacco.