Re-playing a Tragedy

My son and I had just left the Summerfest grounds after an enjoyable evening of music, food, people-watching, and a responsible bit of Milwaukee’s finest. The final performances had concluded and the parking lots were slowly emptying their contents. We fell into line and politely waved to those who allowed us in front of their vehicles, while returning the favor when appropriate. It is certain that many drivers exiting the parking lots had consumed more alcohol than would legally allow them to drive – however, there was no aggressive behavior, save for a few motorcyclists who impatiently weaved in-and-out between the rows of vehicles waiting to turn or merge.

We were three or four cars from one of the many busy intersections, waiting for a green light. Revving engines and occasional horn beeps were the only sounds we heard on an otherwise calm and quiet evening. Then we slowly moved forward and caught a brief glimpse of a gruesome scene – a mangled motorcycle and a middle-aged man face-down on the pavement. He was not moving, save for his breathing, which was fast and seemed to lift his entire torso. People on foot were coming to help and we heard shouts of “call 911″. It was obvious that this motorcyclist had collided with something – though no other vehicle was nearby. I turned left to avoid holding up our line of traffic and drove stoically through the night. My son and I spoke very little as we wound our way through the city streets, searching for a way to connect with the freeway – to perhaps escape what was re-playing in our mind’s eye and get home.

The next day, the newspaper reported the sad details – the motorcyclist had died and a 21-yr-old man was in custody for suspected hit-and-run. Two days later, I read the obituary and the many messages of sympathy – 55-yrs-old, active in the community, beloved by family, friends, and co-workers.

To date, there has been no information released about the 21-yr-old. My suspicion is that he fled the scene because he knew he was driving drunk.

One life lost, another life ruined, and countless other lives changed forever. The ultimate consequences of poor judgment are merciless. May we all heed the warning.

Entering the Mac World

After owning and working at the office with Windows PC’s my entire computer life – I’ve made the switch to Mac. My new iMac (and iPod) were delivered last Friday. I ordered directly from the Apple Store online and received my packages in only a few days. I got the 20-in. iMac – and added the faster 2.33 GHz processor, a second Gb of RAM, the 500 Gb hard drive, and the faster video card – $2200, not including the iPod.

I need more time to work with it – but so far, so good. The iMac is replacing a 10-yr-old, Win 95 PC – so little needs to be said about the difference in speed, performance, and applications. I will be working on importing my digital photos, creating slideshows (with music) to burn to DVD, and may even dabble in some podcasting using GarageBand. I imported some of my favorite CDs into iTunes and subscribed to a few podcasts of interest. Syncing iTunes content to the iPod works like a charm. Also, the iChat video conferencing software is really cool – I just need more IM buddies with the same capabilities.

I’ll keep you posted. It looks like an exciting Mac adventure ahead.

Legislating UW Admissions Policy

Conservative Wisconsin legislators are after their favorite prey – University of Wisconsin Regents – blasting them for adopting a policy that moves the UW system toward greater racial diversity. Republican State Senator Glenn Grothman and Republican State Representative Steve Nass are asking the Republican State Attorney General to review the new UW System freshmen admissions policy? Read their letter to Attorney General Van Hollen.

The politically correct leadership of the UW System has chosen to ignore the opposition of the public to the new admissions policy. This decision highlights the level of arrogance that the UW System President and Board of Regents have towards the views of taxpayers. - Steve Nass

This divisive policy will forever pit different groups of Wisconsin citizens against one another. The notion that one gets a diversity of opinion in an academic setting by looking to where students ancestors came from should have been discarded years ago. - Glenn Grothman

Where is the public / taxpayer opposition to which Nass refers? I’ve heard no radio or TV reports, read no newspaper articles, nor have I had any “water-cooler” conversations at the office where the admissions policy has been questioned. The arrogance is in politicizing the Regents attempts to fix (at the University level) a Wisconsin educational system that has been broken for a long time.

The focus should be on legislation that helps minority children acheive in their local elementary and secondary schools. 100% State funding of education is the answer. The amount of money allocated would be based solely on the number of students in a school district (an enrollment per diem) – nothing else. Rich districts would not be able to out-spend poor ones. Such a system would go a long way toward closing the racial learning gap in Wisconsin.

No doubt, this re-distribution of education wealth would be unpopular with our Republican legislators. They have shown that they would rather lean on the “crutch” that allows them to select representation of conservative constituents over dedication to the common good. Refusing to help minorities excel in their adolesence, then blaming a university system for trying to level the inequality – is the real divisive policy.

Politics of Civility

I watched and listened as President Bush entered (and left) the House floor before and after his State-of-the-Union address last Tuesday. Mircophones captured the respectful greetings and well-wishes of Republican and Democratic congresspersons lining the isles. Many even asked the President to autograph their programs while making small talk about their families or mutual aquaintances.

The next day, on his midday radio talk show, the poster boy for political division whined and complained about the Democrats civility to President Bush that evening. To him, this was a two-faced show for the cameras that had to be exposed. How dare the Democrats treat the President kindly and properly to his face, when otherwise they do everything possible to shame and disgrace him!

This radio talk show host has made a name for himself, furthered the agenda of the far right, and earned alot of money by dividing the political landscape into “us vs. them”. Civility in politics threatens him and his agenda and he uses his “bully pulpit” to charge that it is wrong. In his world, Democrats would never speak to President Bush as a friend, shake his hand as a collegue, or ask for his autograph for posterity. Politics of inclusion undermines “us vs. them”. It disarms those who wish to concentrate power rather than share it.

Democrats (and a growing number of Republicans) understand the difference between criticism of a President’s policies and personal criticism. They learned from the Clinton impeachment mess that personal attacks are counter-productive to serving the needs of their constituents and only divide their ranks. However, don’t expect to see that reasoning from our radio talk show host – he knows it would cost him his job.

Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford

President Ford spoke these words upon taking the oath of office to succeed the disgraced Richard Nixon as president:

“I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself. In all my public and private acts as your President, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.”

Today, we were deceived into going to a war with no end in sight, our president denies the truth, and our country is divided. President Ford left an important legacy in those words. Sadly, they are given little regard by today’s politicians – and we all pay the price. Rest in peace Mr. President.

Brewer’s Owner Gives Fans Christmas Present

Just before Christmas, Milwaukee Brewer’s owner, Mark Antanasio, met with St. Louis Cardinals free agent pitcher Jeff Suppan and his agent – at Antansio’s home in Los Angeles. The dinner meeting provided an opportunity to get aquainted and talk business. The “wine-n-dine” approach worked – resulting in Suppan signing a 4-year, $42 million contract to become a Brewer.

Thank you, Mr. Antanasio, for a Christmas present that Brewer fans have been eagerly awaiting – the signing of a big-name free agent (and a pitcher to boot) !!

Check out the likely starting rotation for 2007. If Ben Sheets can stay healthy – this group may be the most formidable in the majors.

Brewers Starters’ 2006 Statistics
Pitcher Starts IP W-L ERA
Chris Capuano 34 221.1 11-12 4.03
Dave Bush 32 210 12-11 4.41
Jeff Suppan 32 190 12-7 4.12
Claudio Vargas 30 167.2 12-10 4.83
Ben Sheets 17 106 6-7 3.82

Sojourners Leader & God’s Politics

A while back, a friend gave me a copy of the book, “God’s Politics” by Jim Wallis. Wallis is the leader of Sojourners, an organization founded in 1971, whose mission is

“to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.”

While reading the book and following the Sojourners web site, I soon discovered that Mr. Wallis’ views on faith, politics, and culture were nearly identical to mine.

On Saturday, Mr. Wallis was asked to deliver a weekly radio address that would be heard across the county. I encourage you to read a transcript of what he said.

My opinion is that Mr. Wallis speaks about what most of us really believe in our hearts. Most of the time, we simply fail to express it on our own. You decide.