Practically Speaking
Kyle and her husband moved to Brookfield in 1986. She became active in local politics and started blogging in 2004. Her focus is primarily on local issues but often includes state and national topics, too. Kyle looks at things from the taxpayers' perspective in a creative, yet down to earth way, addressing them from a practical point of view.
1st Debate: Romney? Presidential, capable, Obama? ...clearly 'a drag'
I listened to and watched nearly all of last night's 1st debate between Gov. Mitt Romney and Pres. Barack Obama, and I couldn't be more pleased with Romney's performance. For many viewers, this was the first look at Mitt Romney without the Praetorian press/media* filter in place.
Last night's Mitt Romney was the Romney I saw at the Waukesha Expo rally. He was the Mitt Romney we saw after the Egyptian and Libyan terrorist attacks. It was the real Mitt Romney mainstream media* refuses to report on.
Invasion of the red and black beetles
Has your home and yard been invaded by 1,000s of small, red and black beetles?
Mine has, and they are leaving blood-red drip marks all over my freshly painted white garage doors!
Though nowhere near the epic proportions of the plague of flies and gnats Pharaoh and the Egyptians had to endure in the book of Exodus, I do not recall ever seeing such swarms in my lifetime.
I didn't really know what these red and black beetles were. Fortunately, they seemed pretty harmless. And they were stupid--didn't even try to get away when I squished them with a tissue. They reminded me of a smaller, more red Box Elder beetle, and in fact, emitted the same odd scent that Box Elders did when killed.
A quick Google confirmed my suspicions: They were Boxelders--in the nymph stage! (Youngsters) This website instructed that homeowners "Take the offensive, and attack the fall box elder bugs to keep them from becoming spring box elder bugs." You can spay their swarms with insecticidal soap, diluted laundry detergent, or pyrethrin (chrysanthemum based) insecticides.
As for removing the blood-red drips on my pristine white garage doors, I used about a quart of warm water, 2T of Oxyclean, and a squirt of Shakley Basic H. The red marks, which I think are the drip marks from feasting spiders, came off easily with this mixture. Probably any mild soapy mixture would work. I rinsed with clean water, and the beauty of my summer work project was restored.
So don't despair, another webpage says only the mature adult bugs overwinter in cracks, crevices, and protected areas. The cold weather will put an end to them..
'Big Bird' joins AARP in telling Obama, Don't mention us
In last week's Romney/Obama debate, President Obama proudly referred to AARP* as supportive to his ObamaCare plan. After the debate, AARP promptly said, 'don't mention us again': "“While we respect the rights of each campaign to make its case to voters, AARP has never consented to the use of its name by any candidate or political campaign,” the group posted in a statement. “AARP is a nonpartisan organization and we do not endorse political candidates nor coordinate with any candidate or political party.”"
Now that statement is pretty remarkable, since AARP sold out its members by supporting ObamaCare in the first place! But now that the bloom is clearly off the ObamaCare rose and Obama presidency, AARP is requesting Obama not to refer to them again. Thanks a lot, AARP. You pushed for the legislation, got the equivalent of a waiver for yourself, and now you don't want to be associated with Obama and ObamaCare?
In that same debate, when talking about how to deal with Obama's unbridled spending, adding a trillion+ dollars to the debt a year, Romney gave the example of cutting unnecessary spending. Since PBS's Jim Lehrer was the moderator, Mitt Romney mentioned discontinuing taxpayer subsidies to PBS, as one example of wasteful spending.
Romney said, "I'm sorry, Jim, I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS, I love Big Bird. Actually like you, too. But I'm not going to — I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for. That's number one."
Well, after that debate, President Obama jumped on Romney's nixing Big Bird as a campaign issue. He talked about it on the stump. His campaign quickly cooked up an absurd campaign ad featuring Big Bird! Trouble is, like AARP, "Big Bird, it seems, isn't thrilled about his cameo in the presidential race."
In fact, "The folks at Sesame Street are asking the Obama campaign to pull down a TV ad released Tuesday that mocks Mitt Romney for vowing to yank the subsidy to PBS." the "Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization that produces and owns the show, issued a statement Tuesday saying [like AARP], “we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down.”
The CEO of Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Westin, stated on CNN that "the Sesame Workshop receives very little funding from PBS". Apparently, they are able to fund their programing through selling licensed products, donors, and corporate underwriting/sponsorship. Westin does not like Big Bird being the poster child bird for public funding.
The bigger picture here is why is President Obama and his campaign fixating on Big Bird and not the real issues crippling our economy and threatening our nation?
Romney summed it up nicely yesterday, ""You have to scratch your head when the president spends the last week talking about saving Big Bird," he said. "I actually think we need to have a president who talks about saving the American people and saving good jobs.""
Maybe Obama is hoping you will be thinking about Big Bird instead of why the White House's Benghazi narrative differs so from the under oath State Department testimony. (You mean the attack wasn't a spontaneous response to that anti-Muslim video?)
*Many people, in the past, joined AARP so they could enjoy the travel-related discounts, however, today, there are many other organizations that provide the same benefits. I am a AAA member; others have joined organizations such as AMAC, a conservative alternative to AARP
1st Debate Transcript
1st Debate: Romney Presidential, capable, Obama? ...clearly 'a drag'
AARP to Obama: Don't mention us again
How AARP's support for ObamaCare was bought and paid for
After AARP gets 'waiver' from Obamacare, conservative groups fight for information, answers "“It’s payoff time to the AARP (some call it bribery) for selling out seniors and endorsing Obamacare, an awful proposal which makes no sense to seniors who know it’s bad medicine for them,” Martin said in a statement."
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Ryan/Biden 'debate': What in the world was that?
Joe Biden and Paul Ryan faced off in their only debate for the 2012 campaign last night. Calling it a debate is a bit of a stretch though, because Biden was combative, rude, arrogant, dismissive, inappropriate, condescending ...you pick your adjective.
Biden interrupted Paul Ryan some 80+ times and the moderator, Martha Raddatz, who did little to moderate, and in fact often helped Biden by cutting Ryan short as he was making a point, did nothing to structure the conversation. It was a very one sided free for all--Biden and Raddatz, that is. The whole thing disgusted me.
Ben Shapiro summarized it this way, "Biden interrupted Ryan repeatedly. He would not allow Ryan to finish an answer; where he stopped interrupting for even a few moments, his moderator ally, Martha Raddatz, jumped in to help him cut Ryan short."
Paul Ryan kept a cool head and stuck to the facts.
Most disturbing to me was Biden's smirks, and almost laughter, while Ryan was talking about serious issues such as Iran getting nuclear weapons or the embassy deaths. It was bizarre. What? he thinks a nuclear Iran is funny?
Biden was totally inappropriate in his responses and in his demeanor, hardly Vice Presidential, not to mention Presidential, should the need ever arise. All I could think of was this was the man Barack Obama picked as his running mate, to give his ticket some gravitas--especially on foreign policy. (Biden still insisted they weren't aware that more security was needed in Libya.)
Maybe the debate should have begun with the familiar campaign ad intro: I am Barack Obama, and I approve this Vice President.
Hear some Good News! Missions Week: Oct. 24 - 28, 2012
In a world that is constantly bombarded with bad news, it's good to take a break from that and hear something positive for a change. This week at Brookside, you have the opportunity to be encouraged and learn about what is going on around the globe during our A Heart for the Harvest missions conference.
The conference features 5 missionaries, working on 4 continents: North America (Mexico), Europe, Africa and Australia. (I would love to give you more details, but in a world that persecutes Christians for sharing the gospel, I can only urge you to come hear it for yourself.)
This year's mission theme song is titled For the Sake of His Name, by Anderson and Habegger. It opens with the command: Go to the world...to every nation. The 2nd and 3rd stanza sum up the Good News of the gospel that is for all of us:
The conference begins on Wednesday night at 7pm with a missionary from Africa sharing his work there with orphans of Aids victims and also their training of nationals as missionaries. Thursday and Friday 7pm services showcase missionaries from Germany, Mexico, and another area of Africa.
Sunday will be missions focused too: Mexico - 8:30am and 10:45am services, 9:45am. Sunday School time will be shared by the 2 missionaries from Africa. The 6pm evening service will focus on Australia and South Africa.
Children (K - 4th grade) will have their own special program with a different missionary, during each worship time during the conference.
So come and see what is going on in other parts of the world and plan on being encouraged. Brookside Baptist Church is located at 4470 N. Pilgrim Road in Brookfield, WI. (North of Capitol Drive, south of Lisbon Road)
How ironic! Voter Fraud billboards pulled during Free Speech Week
"VOTER FRAUD IS A FELONY! Up to 3 1/2 YRS & $10,000 Fine" billboards sprang up in various cities in southeast Wisconsin. I spotted this one on Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee almost 2 weeks ago.
I was happy this message was going out especially after hearing that some Obama's Organizing for America DNC workers were not discouraging contacts from voting in multiple states. (Video and details below)
Sunday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a page 1 article, above the fold, in the Local section: 3 dropped as voter registration workers after felonies flagged. Those 3 workers included "one man convicted of multiple counts of forgery".
When I awoke Monday morning, I heard Jay Weber say Clear Chanel Outdoor was pulling the info ads off their billboards. A few minutes later a very upbeat radio ad informed that this is National Free Speech Week Oct 22 -29.
Hmm. It's Free Speech week, but an info ad warning that Voter Fraud is a Felony must come down? That doesn't sound very free speech-y to me.
Also on Monday, Dan Rather implied that the GOP will steal the Ohio election--a voter fraud accusation against Republicans--but a billboard company cannot put up a warning of the consequences of fraudulent voting, without including a political disclaimer!
And why? Because the billboards were deemed to be partisan in message and would suppress the vote! These billboards went up in other areas of Wisconsin, such as Washington County, and in other battleground states.
It seems, almost daily we learn about more voter fraud and voter registration irregularities, such as North Carolina registers over 583 Democrat votes over the age of 112.
Voter Fraud is real and it is a serious crime. You really can't make this stuff up!
P.S. Talk show host Mark Belling also was following this development. He said Clear Chanel Outdoor indicated if someone wanted to put up a Voter Fraud is a Felony billboard WITH a named disclaimer, it seemed the billboard company would post it.
The woman, an undercover reporter from Project Veritas, captured her encounter with one Obama campaign DNC Director (worker) on video in Texas. The Reporter tells the Obama DNC worker that she "got her voter registration card for Florida..." The Obama worker replied, "Keep it! Keep it! So you're gonna vote - uhm yea vote by ballot?" Reporter: "I'm gonna vote by ballot and then I have mine here (Texas) too."
The Reporter goes on to voice her concerns that they have to everything they can to ensure an Obama victory. The Obama worker replies, "So you meant that -- Okay, so you have to make sure because after sixty days you can send in your application to vote by mail ballot." Reporter, "Okay." Obama worker, "So I can print that out for you." Reporter, "Okay." The Obama worker then goes on to give instruction on how to submit the 2nd, fraudulent ballot.
The Reporter then verifies that the Obama worker understood this would be illegal. Reporter, "And there's no way they'd be able to cross reference the ballots?" Obama worker, "If you voted twice?" Reporter, "Yeah."...Obama worker, "I don't know this. That's not my expertise." Reporter, "Okay." Obama worker, "I would just do Florida because in Texas it really doesn't...(trails off)." Some more chit-chat and a giggle.
The Reporter returned a few weeks later and received an absentee ballot from the same Obama DNC Director, to help her vote twice. The Obama DNC Director instructed the Reporter that if anyone checks, she should say, "I don't know." There is more chatter about the logistics of voting twice and if no one is going to know...giggles...
Project Veritas conducted other undercover encounters in New York, Minnesota, and more.
More reading:
Watchdog News: Obama workers enable double-voting across state lines
3 dropped as voter registration workers after felonies flagged
Clear Channel billboards on voter fraud to come down
Dan Rather implies Ohio GOP could steal the election
North Carolina Registers Over 583 Democrat Votes Over the Age of 112* "...in visiting the political tracking site, we later found the same story in evidence, except the number of centenarian voters had increased measurably to 832 voters over the age of 112. Of these voters, over 70% were slated as Democrats..." *A politically knowledgeable acquaintance provided this possible explanation for all these 112+ voters: A default birth year of 1900 was applied to the registration, because no birth date was given. However, Date of Birth information is required on North Carolina voter registration forms.
Colorado State GOP Files Complaint Against Obama Campaigners at CSU or Free Pizza and T-shirts for votes
Christian, don't sit this election out, vote God's values
It is estimated that between 17 to 30 million Evangelical and self identified Christians did NOT vote in 2008. I know many conservative Christians (I know several) voted 3rd party in 2008, because they believed voting for the lessor of 2 evils is still evil.
Candidate Barack Obama won that election by about 10 million votes over opponent John McCain.
If we want our Republic as One nation under God to survive, this cannot happen again.
But what does a Christian do if they feel they cannot support Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, because they "don't agree theologically" with either one?
Dr. Greg Huffman, a pastor at Brookside Baptist Church, addresses this extremely important question in his 2 part radio program entitled: Why Is Our Country So Divided? PART 1 and PART 2 I urge you to listen to each 13 minute broadcast in its entirety.
IIn Part 1, Pastor Huffman eases the Christian's dilemma by clarifying, "we're not electing a pastor, we're electing a president." The real question becomes, "So who can do the best job leading our country, with all the conflicting ethical and biblical issues at stake?" He goes on to say that fifty years ago, there wasn't a "whole lot of difference between the platforms of the two major parties". But today, there is a stark difference. The issues involved are morally and ethically worlds apart which reveal totally differing views of human life and the institute of marriage.
Then he outlines how the Obama administration has already chipped away at our religious rights by appointing an "EEOC Commissioner [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] who asserts that society should not tolerate my private beliefs, including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual equality... Then in May of 2012, that same administration opposed legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who didn't wish to perform same-sex marriages. ...They said, sorry, you must perform same-sex marriages. Then in June of 2012, Bibles for the American military, that had been printed ever since the American Revolutionary War, all of a sudden could no longer be printed with the military service emblems on those military Bibles."
"We are in a battle for the ethical values and biblical values of our country. ...The issues are of interest and concern to the Lord." Huffman then warns that God will give up on a nation if they are promoting sins such as fornication, adultery, and homosexuality.(Romans 1:24-25, 26-28 ) "God has said that He gives up on a nation when we consider that we can make all the rules and become totally anti-God."
"We, as a church, need to be concerned about allowing God be God, but our country needs to allow the church to preach and teach the same message. That's why these are ethical and biblical principles that we are facing in the election today."
In Part 2, Dr. Huffman recaps Part 1 [my summation] Why are we so divided as a country? Basically it is a division in philosophy and therefore, it is a division of politics. For Christians, their foundation, their worldview, is based on the principles of the Bible. For a non-believer, that foundation is anything but the Bible. So our election is basically a worldview test.
Then Dr. Huffman discusses other things that cause God to give up on a nation, such as the shedding of innocent blood (2 Kings 24: 1-4) in abortion. Psalm 106:36, 41 speaks of those who sacrificed their children to idols. "And God gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they that hated them, ruled over them." As a consequence for their sin of child sacrifice, God allowed other nations to come in and defeat His people, because they were the shedding innocent blood of their children.
"Our country today is so involved in a battle of pro-life and pro-choice." This is indeed a moral conflict between anti-God philosophies and worldviews and pro-God philosophies and worldviews."
"God designed government to keep order in society" (Romans 13), and we are to "be subject to higher powers for there is no power but of God, and powers that be [local authorities/government] are ordained of God."
Dr. Huffman concludes, "When you vote, you will be taking a test, a worldview test, and that will tell so much about your theology, God or anti-God, biblical truth or humanistic lies... May the Lord give you wisdom and give you courage to take a stand for that which is right against that which is wrong. Let's reestablish the moral foundations upon which this nation was founded."
Many other religious leaders and groups, from Billy Graham's full page newspaper ads, to the Catholic church, to Evangelical Christians such as Ralph Reed and James Dobson, are making the same plea: vote for biblical values this November.
It is vital that we support all candidates who support God's values, the biblical principles our nation was founded upon. If we don't, we will find ourselves under Democrat leadership, the party that tried (unsuccessfully) to scour any reference to God from its party platform, the party that openly supports homosexuality and same sex marriage, and the party that advocates murder of the unborn at any time through abortion. Remember that Senator Obama voted 4 times to withhold comfort care to aborted babies who survived the abortion!
So, you see, this election is too important to vote 3rd party or not vote at all. We, His people, must vote to support His values.
Post Script: Alveda King, Martin Luther King Jr's niece, in an opinion piece for the Washington Times implores, Blacks should vote God's way -- against Obama.
More Reading:
Dr. Greg Huffman's notes from both radio programs
Ralph Reed: 17 Million Evangelical Votes Can Lead to Obama's Defeat
James Dobson: Plea to Christians: Vote for sake of our children
Billy Graham Ad Encourages Voting Biblical Values
A Plea to Catholics in Ohio: Help Us Win
Catholic Bishop: Florida Voters Should Vote Pro-Life First
How will you answer? Video of abortion survivor's plea
Obama on Partial Birth Abortion: Are you for or against? Yes .
Clever, unique, homemade pro Romney campaign signs
If images don't show up, click to view here.
In 2008, I would see some homemade pro-Obama signs and sentiments, such as a painted car window in WCTC's parking lot I blogged about in Barack O-Phenomena. This election cycle, I am not seeing this kind of homegrown enthusiasm for the president.
But I am seeing plenty of individually crafted pro Romney campaign statements on cars, front lawns, and even at Disney World! One very brave Milwaukee Romney supporter sported this statement on her jeep's rear window:
And last, but not least, I found this great image in my inbox: Mr. President, You worry about saving that bird, I'll worry about saving this one. I don't know who sponsored it, but it does have a Vote for America graphic in the corner.