This is a tough one. Americans love our horses almost as much as our dogs. (Dogs get the edge in my book because I've never seen a lap-equine.) It's a good thing that horses won't have to be exported to countries without standards anymore. There will undoubtedly be price benefits for consumers on certain products. On the other hand this will also likely make it again more profitable to raise horses with the intention of slaughtering them.
If you are interested in helping horses stay away from the slaughter houses, there appear to be many organizations dedicated to horse welfare.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Political Pledges
Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Sherwood, took a step in that direction earlier this month when he announced he would not sign anymore pledges, such as the anti-tax document that painted him and his GOP colleagues into a corner earlier this year.
This is clearly an improvement over signing absolutist pledges last election cycle. Of course, it would have been clearly way, way better if he hadn't signed such pledges in the first place. Those surveys aren't hard to navigate but you always have to go in to the organization's interview room after make sure they know that you don't believe in absolutes.
I'm a firm (but not absolute!) believer in putting your ideals and reasonable goals out there during the campaign but picking over-simple policies to get there sets you up for failure. Taxes should have been raised to pay for these wars, Medicare taxes should have been raised to pay for the Medicare expansion, there should at least be a plan to pay for things when programs or policy will obviously cost money.
This is clearly an improvement over signing absolutist pledges last election cycle. Of course, it would have been clearly way, way better if he hadn't signed such pledges in the first place. Those surveys aren't hard to navigate but you always have to go in to the organization's interview room after make sure they know that you don't believe in absolutes.
I'm a firm (but not absolute!) believer in putting your ideals and reasonable goals out there during the campaign but picking over-simple policies to get there sets you up for failure. Taxes should have been raised to pay for these wars, Medicare taxes should have been raised to pay for the Medicare expansion, there should at least be a plan to pay for things when programs or policy will obviously cost money.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Quorumless
Several Alders were no shows to the special Common Council meeting. Enough to block a quorum which means the body can't actually do business or vote on anything.
No shows: Theisen, Wery, Buckley, and Deneys
Keep in mind that the first two of those guys were active in the Recall Hansen effort, presumably because he stayed away from the WI State Senate to block a vote. Hypocrisy anyone?
Here's the video where several members express their frustration and more than one alleges that the move is done to block further work on redistricting.
No shows: Theisen, Wery, Buckley, and Deneys
Keep in mind that the first two of those guys were active in the Recall Hansen effort, presumably because he stayed away from the WI State Senate to block a vote. Hypocrisy anyone?
Here's the video where several members express their frustration and more than one alleges that the move is done to block further work on redistricting.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wow
Thank god this U.C. Davis crowd showed such remarkable restraint. The video opens with an unbelievable act by an officer and ends with the crowd chanting peaceful invitations for the officers to leave.
If you'd care to let the police lieutenant know how you feel about his actions, his work email address and private contact information are available here. Or you can call the UCD cops. Obviously, be polite but firm. But please don't pile on with the morons who will ruin his credit, subscribe him to bulk paper mail and all the other things that certain elements on the net inevitably use to punish people. If the system works as it should, the life this guy had is already over. No job, no retirement, and a dozen assault convictions on his record.
The administration has a different take on it but I suspect that will shift.
It's bad enough that people use prods on cattle. Hopefully abusive cops learn before it's too late that using TASERs as people-prods and pepper spray without cause is unjust and criminal. Eventually some officer will do this sort of thing in to a crowd that forcefully react to a similar injustice and that's not good for anyone.
If you'd care to let the police lieutenant know how you feel about his actions, his work email address and private contact information are available here. Or you can call the UCD cops. Obviously, be polite but firm. But please don't pile on with the morons who will ruin his credit, subscribe him to bulk paper mail and all the other things that certain elements on the net inevitably use to punish people. If the system works as it should, the life this guy had is already over. No job, no retirement, and a dozen assault convictions on his record.
The administration has a different take on it but I suspect that will shift.
It's bad enough that people use prods on cattle. Hopefully abusive cops learn before it's too late that using TASERs as people-prods and pepper spray without cause is unjust and criminal. Eventually some officer will do this sort of thing in to a crowd that forcefully react to a similar injustice and that's not good for anyone.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It may look like a video game...
...but it's not. It think this is stunningly beautiful.
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Truth in Parody
Three minutes and you get to hear many of the patterns that play out over and over again in those chambers. Brilliant Wendy. Thanks for posting it!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Brown County Map is Set!
Press Ganette doesn't post a link but the new map is apparently, finally, done.
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