On Wisconsin – Gotta Love It Here

This past weekend was one of many colors. Green & Gold comes to mind but I was thinking more of black & white. You see, the Miss America Pageant took place on Saturday and the multitude of hues that were on display at Planet Hollywood could only be outdone by the whiteness of the young beauties smiles. Our Miss Wisconsin wore a black evening gown, which by my  account kicked the hell out of the afore mentioned green and gold outfits, and her subsequent shimmering white bikini was show stopping. The dazzling red gown she wore as she performed her operatic piece was just as spectacular. Oooo, I get chills.

Listen, I love football. I do. The production of the NFL games is far superior to the almost childlike, thrown together, drippings of the latest Miss America show and yet the beauty of these fine women more or less allows for these elementary tactics to make the event entertaining. The hosts are throwaways, the added “points of interest” whipping across the screen during the talent portion was laughable but the show is the women themselves. They made it watchable.

Today I’m proud to say that the new Miss America is from my home state of Wisconsin. A rarity and one to be remembered. Miss Laura Kaeppeler, from downstate Kenosha, is her name and she was delightful. Her platform is to help kids whose parents are incarcerated, a little something she knows a great deal about as her father was sent to prison just as she was entering high school. Miss Kaeppeler plans on becoming a lawyer when her reign of being Miss America has completed to continue to deal with this very problem. Very compelling.

Miss Kaeppeler, when she was introduced, decided to say something  rather humorous so she went along the Packers line with, ” If you’re watching Aaron, call me.” If I were Aaron, I’d call. There’s nothing quite as exciting as a lovely, intelligent young lady who only removes her cheesehead for a tiara.

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Today is the day.

The day that all of the 504,203 signatures (a quarter of all the votes cast in original election) are needed to be turned in to begin the lengthy process of recalling Wisconsin’s governor. Newly elected governor, Scott Walker, jumped into the gauntlet as soon as his right hand dropped after being sworn in. Almost immediately he decided to make major changes to the way Wisconsin, and many other states, did business with their state employees. This was a move which brought the ire out of thousands of working folk for many reasons but the principal reason was to disregard these employees collective bargaining rights. Would it save a ton of money? Probably. That was his platform: to cut costs. If Mr. Walker would’ve explained to his pending constituents that this was the way he was to go about it, the election may have proven a different outcome. He  kinda kept that to himself. Odd. Undoubtedly a good move as he’s sitting in the Governor’s mansion right now.

The Democratic Party almost immediately began their recall effort. The half-million signatures that are needed, I guess, have been achieved so now comes the verification process. This could drag out for an even longer period of time. A possible June election could take place.

Whew … with the cost of all the recall efforts, it has become kinda crazy but the Democrats are settled in for the long haul. No recall can take place until the sitting governor is in place for one year. Now, that has passed.

Which brings me to this: Walker has been in office since January 3rd, 2011. Protests in Madison ensued for weeks. State workers, teachers, police & fire department workers have been retiring at an alarming rate to beat all of our Gov.’s changes. Then why, oh dear me, why hasn’t the Democratic Party found a candidate to face Walker as of yet if the recall goes into effect? Really? No one? There’s no one who has come out and said, “I’ll throw my hat into the ring and challenge our Governor.”

Hmmm … it seems to me that with all of this going on, shouldn’t there be a dude or dudette waiting in the wings for the possibility of an election? It seems like a backwards way of going about it. Sure, whomever does decide to give it a go has saved a ton of cash to this point by NOT accepting a nod to challenge the guy but still, the batter’s box is empty. Shouldn’t someone be warming up?

Politics is beyond me.

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There’s a man in Wisconsin who recently changed his name. His given name was Jeffrey Dean Wilschke but throughout his young life he has, apparently, been dissatisfied with his moniker.

I have to admit that I’ve always been rather fond of mine but as a youngster, sure, there may have been other names that I may have thought were cooler. Bart. Clark. Blacky. Ol’ One Eye. Still, I’ve never had the notion to actually change it.

Mr. Wilschke had another idea. This adult from Milwaukee went through the process of legally changing his name and, to my astonishment, a local judge granted his wish. I suppose a judge has this infinitesimal foresight that understands that a name is just that, a name. Wilschke’s name was changed.

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop is now roaming our dear state.

Nice name. Kinda catchy. Rolls off of your tongue.

It’s unfortunate that Mr. Zopittybop Bop-Bop also has a hankering to be unlawful. Last April the dude was arrested for carrying a handgun in a local park. (he should have waited for the new law …)

More recently Mr. Zopittybop Bop-Bop was arrested for possessing marijuana and wielding a knife.

I just can’t see a Mr. Wilschke doing such a thing. Maybe Ol’ One Eye but not a Jeff.

Personally, I want to see his name plastered on the back of his orange jumpsuit. His problems aren’t nearly over.

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Returning to the Green & Gold theme:

What the hell happened this past Sunday???