Tag Archives: milwaukee

Conciliation?

Posted on July 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Can America be one again? I’m an eternal optimist and believe that an attack on our democracy, as evidenced by shots fired at former president Donald Trump, can be used as an opportunity to begin to heal deep political divisions.

Given the politics since Saturday evening, I’m not hopeful, with Republican Congressmen blaming Joe Biden as if he pulled the trigger himself or demanded a “hit” by the Secret Service. I suppose the Supreme Court would no longer have a problem with that, but President Biden and his supporters would.

As of this moment, the general public is not aware of a motive for the shooter (registered Republican, gave $15 to Dems in 2021) which sounds quite thin so it’s premature for all these “experts” to opine on why the evil socialist marxist fascist liberals would do this. are you hearing fuel added to the fire, money lining pockets, conspiracy theories multiplying….

I’m all for letting the experts from local police and sheriffs, to the FBI and Secret Service, find out exactly what happened and what went wrong. That means whoa, Congress. Please get the facts before having hearings to point fingers for political gain.

I’m glad Mr. Trump is fine and on his way to the Convention in Milwaukee, where a resident can’t even look at downtown without being shooed away by scary looking militia. “But I was just driving to work like I do every Monday” doesn’t cut it.

It doesn’t bode well that Trump is not only having a fellow election denier nominate him for president, he’s gone the extra step and is having an actual fake elector nominate him. That doesn’t sound like unity to me.

As you may know by now, I am a policy wonk and I do not agree with Trump’s policies, especially in regard to women’s reproductive rights and voting rights. Add to that, now that I’m 65, Social Security and Medicare. I will not vote for him under any circumstances but will not stop anyone else from doing so. I do not believe that declaring retribution on fellow Americans for having a different color skin or religion or gender, or simply a different opinion, is a unifying concept for our nation, but that’s just me.

Back to politics and extreme heat, weather-wise. It’ll be 90 today and convention-goers will want to be inside in the A/C. Or hopefully patronizing local restaurants for beer and brats, and homegrown Wisconsin cheese, of course.

I heard an interesting law enforcement analysis on the incessant assassination news this weekend. Big cities prepare for big events by practicing, think NYC when the UN is in session. When a political candidate wants to have an outdoor rally in a small town these folks with tiny police departments and sheriff’s offices don’t practice for this and all of a sudden they have thousands of out-of-towners coming in with federal and state law enforcement and between assignments and communications it’s not designed to be seamless. Especially when we can’t ban assault rifles or bump stocks because the RNC is lock-step with the NRA.

The choice when it comes to the candidate is between being perpetually hermetically sealed (law enforcement preference) and open-air, open-car let it all hang out openness (which the candidate would prefer). The balance is somewhere in the middle, and in the middle, there’s always opportunity for error.

Condolences to those who lost a family member, and hearty get well wishes for those fighting for their lives after this unneccesary, heinous event. Thank goodness Mr. Trump was just grazed and is able to continue his campaign. Vote! Dee

Shots Fired!

Posted on July 13, 2024 | Leave a comment

I was going to write a somewhat humorous piece earlier today about Trump’s denigration of our town, Milwaukee, as a horrible place. His enablers were quick to point out that no, he didn’t really mean horrible, it’s just the crime rate, or perhaps the inability to correctly count presidential votes.

The crime rate is quite low and decreasing ever since COVID, and Milwaukee and Madison (Democratic areas) counted the votes three times with even more votes going to Joe Biden so he really did mean this is a horrible place, a matter with which I heartily disagree. I was going to say that 55,000 MAGA zealots are marching on Milwaukee with weapons, led by a notorious criminal. It’s similar to how most MAGA conspiracy theories get started, but it’s about themselves. Haha.

Not any more. We’ve a law in Wisconsin that doesn’t allow municipalities to stray from state law in certain subject areas. So I read yesterday that in the safe space in and around the Fiserv Forum (where the RNC Convention will be held) certain items will be banned, such as tennis balls and light bulbs. What WILL be allowed are handguns, hunting rifles and AR-type weapons. How nice. A one-week crime spree in the making. I, for one, plan to stay in my neighborhood and not venture downtown or even to local restaurants.

Wisconsin’s two largest cities, Madison and Milwaukee, are not allowed to restrict guns any further than in rural areas where farmers actually need them for when varmints attack their livestock or crops.

Perhaps, given this horrific incident at today’s Trump PA rally, the Secret Service will reconsider firearms in the arena and surrounding buildings where events are scheduled. I’m concerned for attendees and for fellow residents of our host city.

For months we’ve been talking about the Hamas attack on Israel and the inability to reach an agreement for immediate or lasting peace. A huge part of the problem is that Hamas doesn’t want Jews to exist. At all. That is an untenable position and one with which I could never agree. Unfortunately, the split between political parties in the USA has reached an intolerable stage in.which political opponents are not “the loyal opposition,” but enemies who deserve to die.

January 6th cannot be forgotten, an armed attack on our Capitol to stop the electoral count and designation of the president-to-be. The political rhetoric is dangerous and unbalanced individuals can hear it and try to take matters into their own hands. It’s a sad situation for a democratic nation who has nearly always (Civil War excepted) arrived at consensus through discussions and free and fair elections.

Let’s make sure everyone is safe in Milwaukee next week, and Chicago in a few weeks. But let’s all think about the country we live in, how we want to spend our 250th birthday coming up, and what kind of country we want to leave to our kids. I just heard that Mr. Trump was grazed by a bullet (his post) and not hit by glass, and that one spectator is dead and two others critically wounded. It’s a sad day in America. Dee

Life in a “Horrible” City

Posted on June 14, 2024 | Leave a comment

The sun will be up earlier again today, 5:11 a.m. to be exact. With a herding dog (Miniature Australian Shepherd) who swears by routine, when the sun comes up a walk must be taken then breakfast (hers, naturally), made with all due haste.

After I dress and open windows (when it’s cool enough) to air out, and cover some artwork to protect it from damage from the blistering morning sun, we’ll set out on the morning routine.

We’ve a stellar view of Lake Michigan toward the northeast. A block away begins a string of County parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead of New York’s Central Park fame. Or we can go down to the lake and watch the boats. Or walk up by the University. So many choices. Lulu doesn’t care as long as the morning walk is brief so she can get to the important stuff, like food.

But I like early morning walks, with the dew on the grass and another day to plan while breathing in the lake air and enjoying the respite being along the shoreline brings from the hottest weather yet to come this summer.

The City has spent months preparing for the Republican National Convention, here in just a few weeks. Back in 2020 we planned in the same manner for the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be here but was mostly done remotely because of COVID. Cities strut out their best for the conventions, and businesses and political parties expect a financial benefit as well as the usual puffery about staging a successful national convention.

That’s why we were so shocked to hear Donald Trump call Milwaukee a “horrible city” yesterday. Out loud. And all the Republican elected officials in the State of Milwaukee made excuses for this inexusable slap in the face to his host city. Now Donald Trump says it’s all cities and it’s about crime. Aside from him visiting as a newly-convicted felon, serious crimes in Milwaukee have gone down by double digits since he was president.

Perhaps Donald Trump wants to start a crime wave in Milwaukee? So many of his work and campaign buddies are already felons. If so, he should stay home. I feel safe here. I walk alone with the dog, and she’d just as soon wiggle her butt (no tail on an Aussie) and get petted than protect me from a potential assailant. In my years as a temporary resident here, I’ve never been afraid in my neighborhood or what Trump thinks is its scary downtown near Fiserv Forum, where the Convention will take place.

Milwaukee is a beautiful city, especially this time of year. I’m a Great Lakes kind of gal, having grown up on Lake Erie. From my earliest years until recently, all I really had to do was switch from the Bills to the Packers, not a real stretch as the Packers were always my second choice in the playoffs when my Bills didn’t make it. There’s the same Northern spirit, with brutally cold, snowy winters contrasted with that much more-appreciated warmer seasons. There’s art and theater, even music at Summerfest, beer and brats. And cheese.

Shame on Donald Trump for denigrating his host city. One wouldn’t think he has to win Wisconsin in order to become president again, eviscerate the Constitution, send women back to the dark ages and make sure he doesn’t spend a day in the Big House (not the White House). Vote as if your life depends upon it. Because it does. Dee

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Conciliation?

Shots Fired!

Life in a “Horrible” City

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