For Super Bowl XLIV

For the Saint Fans:

For the Colts Fans:

For everyone else: Enjoy these commercials (and try to forget about these ads) until this year’s commercials start.

For Packer Fans that miss XXXI

Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan

99 years ago today, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois.

Our 40th president brought us back from the brink of a crippling recession, took us through the cold war and saved hostages in Iran, among many other accomplishments.  For so many reasons he is a conservative and an American hero.

It was something of  a pissing contest between my conservative friends and I on how many years we lived in the Reagan administration, well I remember that on June 12, 1987, Reagan May have given one of his most memorable speeches:

However here is his 1964 GOP Convention Speech:

His speech at the 1980 GOP convention is still one of my favorites. After this speech he went on to win one of the most lopsided political presidential contests in American History

During his presidency, Reagan’s Address on the Challenger Disaster

Of Course, he was always witty and funny

Here’s to the 99th birthday of a founder of the Republican Party, a Great Conservative and a Great America.

NRSC wastes no time attack Illinois Senate Candidate

… and with the way they are him, I feel like some jamook at the NRSC will end up with cement shoes in the Chicago River.

Badabing!

How does Giannoulias even fit on a yard sign?

PS- Mark Kirk for Senate

The (Grimm) Reaper’s Blog

Look out Mark “The Shark” Titus, The Grimm Reaper has a blog.

Former MU star Chris Grimm is blogging about his time as an American basketball player in Switzerland on SAM Massagno with former MU teammate Dan Fizgerald. He still shares some love for Marquette Basketball and talks about games he plays in, with pictures.

He seems to think highly of Buzz:

Coach Buzz Williams came down the hall and introduced himself to me. He asked me the normal questions of where I was from, when did I play, and what am I doing with myself now. Then he invited me back to his office to just get to know me. One thing that really struck me was him thanking me for being a part of the University and for making the program what it is today. Buzz asked if I wanted to work camp and gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him anytime I needed him. He also asked me to come and play pick up with the guys in the summer. Needless to say, my first time meeting Buzz Williams was pretty nice and he made a great first impression.

Grimm was always a great contributor to the MU team and a fan favorite with “The Reaper” nickname.

FM 102.1’s Milwaukee’s New “Your Music” Fest

It took me a long time to find information about this, so I thought I’d share it with all of you:

There has been some press on the event (here and here too) but the Google hasn’t helped me find this stuff and I think it’ll be helpful to

FM 102.1 (the Independent/Alternative station in Milwaukee) is holding a new two day music fest at the Maier Festival Grounds (aka Summerfest Grounds) on three stages -plus the usual Summerfest shopping and food).  This event will replace River (Sewer) Splash. Hopefully the people and the shootings won’t follow. Advance purchase single-day passes are $25, advanced two-day passes are $40, and day-of admission tickets are $35 per day. Maybe that (plus the music selection) will keep the trouble away. Here’s the press release.

FM 102.1 is holding a contest to name the festival. You get some pretty swanky stuff if you win.  You can check out some details about the whole event at the Blog that made Milwaukee Famous.

I’m suggesting “Independent Fest” since FM 102.1 is the independent/alternative station. Hopefully we get some bands like Reel Big Fish, less than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, Streetlight Manifesto, Guster, Flogging Molly Lucky Boys Confusion, Pepper, MGMT or Weezer (those bands are still alternative right?), plus a bunch of local and regional tallent. The full music line up will be launched on March 10th and then ticket sales will start immediately after.

The Mug Rack’s Survival Guide Part One: The 35k fall

I’ve thought about this every time I got on an airplane, not that I am scared to fly or anything. But I’ve always wanted to know if it was possible to survive a fall of this length. Popular Mechanics showed me how. It’s a longer article so I’ve posted some excerpts.

35,000 feet: You’re 6 miles up. You’re alone. You’re falling.

Oxygen is scarce at these heights. By now, hypoxia is starting to set in. You’ll be unconscious soon, and you’ll cannonball at least a mile before waking up again. When that happens, remember what you are about to read. The ground, after all, is your next destination.

Granted, the odds of surviving a 6-mile plummet are extra ordinarily slim, but at this point you’ve got nothing to lose by understanding your situation. There are two ways to fall out of a plane. The first is to free-fall, or drop from the sky with absolutely no protection or means of slowing your descent. The second is to become a wreckage rider, a term coined by Massachusetts-based amateur historian Jim Hamilton, who developed the Free Fall Research Page—an online database of nearly every imaginable human plummet. That classification means you have the advantage of being attached to a chunk of the plane.

Whether you’re attached to crumpled fuselage or just plain falling, the concept you’ll be most interested in is terminal velocity. As gravity pulls you toward earth, you go faster. But like any moving object, you create drag—more as your speed increases. When downward force equals upward resistance, acceleration stops. You max out.

Depending on your size and weight, and factors such as air density, your speed at that moment will be about 120 mph—and you’ll get there after a surprisingly brief bit of falling: just 1500 feet, about the same height as Chicago’s Sears (now Willis) Tower. Equal speed means you hit the ground with equal force. The difference is the clock. Body meets Windy City sidewalk in 12 seconds. From an airplane’s cruising altitude, you’ll have almost enough time to read this entire article.

22,o00 feet: At this altitude, you’ve got roughly 2 minutes until impact. Your plan is simple. You will enter a Zen state and decide to live. You will understand, as Hamilton notes, “that it isn’t the fall that kills you—it’s the landing.”

Keeping your wits about you, you take aim.. Glass hurts, but it gives. So does grass. Haystacks and bushes have cushioned surprised-to-be-alive free-fallers. Trees aren’t bad, though they tend to skewer. Snow? Absolutely. Swamps? With their mucky, plant-covered surface, even more awesome. Contrary to popular belief, water is an awful choice. Like concrete, liquid doesn’t compress. Hitting the ocean is essentially the same as colliding with a sidewalk.

To slow your descent, emulate a sky diver. Spread your arms and legs, present your chest to the ground, and arch your back and head upward. This adds friction and helps you maneuver.

No matter the surface, definitely don’t land on your head.

1000 feet: Given your starting altitude, you’ll be just about ready to hit the ground as you reach this section of instruction (based on the average adult reading speed of 250 words per minute). The basics have been covered, so feel free to concentrate on the task at hand.

0 feet: The Ground: Impact. You’re alive. What next? If you’re lucky, you might find that your injuries are minor, stand up and smoke a celebratory cigarette.

There is a lot more than what’s listed here. More mathematical words and stuff. Check it out. But at least if you’re plane’s tail does pop off  you’ll have an idea of how to land on a haystack and survive.

Menomonee Falls High School returns to 1950’s anti-dancing rules [updated for added thoughts]

There are a couple ways I could go with this. I could just make fun of people over the age of 40 not understanding the current trends and culture of high school students or I could attack MFHS’ archaic anti-fun rules overly politically correct bureaucrats that get off stifling freedom of expression of their students. Either way I’m going to make excessive Footloose references, because we gotta cut loose, footloose.

This is what is going on in Menomonee Falls RIGHT NOW -no not the 1950’s- this is current and it’s even making Local News (on slow nights). I’ve also been made aware that Charlie Sykes talked about this and sided with the administration. I’d like to know how he can justify speaking against an oppressive liberal administration in DC while siding with another oppressive administration in a neighboring community. But apparently Menomonee Falls High School students have taken to a ’sexualized’ dance style known as grinding:

A turnabout dance is scheduled for next month, and administrators have been working on a solution for inappropriate behavior, most recently witnessed at the homecoming dance in fall. They received complaints about a mosh pit and grinding. A mosh pit is an area where very physical and rough dancing takes place.

Junior Alyssa Barczak said grinding “is the way that we (students) dance. This is not just a Menomonee Falls dance style.”

She described a nonexcessive grinding as a boy standing behind a girl with full body contact. His hands are at her waist and they rock back and forth, she said.

“There is a visual difference with the two styles,” junior Kyle Kiepert said.

“When I’m grinding, I’m not trying to be sexual,” Kyle said. “It is how we dance. I don’t think it is going to change as much as anyone wants it to.”

Adults chimed in, in support of allowing the current style of dancing.

“It is the way kids dance now,” said Felicia Perkins-Peterson, school social worker.

When asked, many parents and administrators still agree that if televised today, Elvis Presley should only be shown from the waist up since they didn’t want to get kids to get any ideas from his hip gyrations.

Seriously, how sexualized can a dance really be? I’ve been in high school (last decade) and the dancing I participated in with the opposite sex was called grinding. It’s what people did. Sorry to break it to the old parents and administrators but no one knows the “hand-jive” or does “the twist” anymore. This is how 17 year olds dance nowadays. If parents get scared about what students doing at a high school sanctioned dance, how do they not have a panic attack every moment their child leaves their house to “just hang out with their friends” or “spend the night at their friends house?”

With a group of about 20 administrators, staff, parents and students, the dancing discussion began with a ban on excessive grinding, but several people asked for a definition of excessive.

Freshman Keaton Shurilla was vocal in his opposition to any type of grinding.

“I can’t think of a situation where a man’s genitals touching someone’s butt … is not sexual,” Keaton said.

He said it is a matter of setting an example to change the current style of dancing.

Of course Keaton would say that… he isn’t allowed to think differently as long as his mom is the School Board President. It must be nice that MFHS can trot out a little shill that will try and convince other students to drink the Kool-aid.

“If we do this right, we could be on the cutting edge,” Hintz said of the new code of conduct.

Administrators plan to train chaperons to look for specific dance moves. The expectation is chaperons first would give misbehaving students a warning, and then kick out the students if the inappropriate behavior continues.

“We are trying to get some of the discretion out of it,” Hintz said. “All this gray area stuff is going to create bigger problems.”

Clearly Principal Hintz has wood over idea that he can keep students from having fun. Hintz will be on the cutting edge of having a school run with more rules than the 3rd Reich. I am of the firm belief that students have rights including the right of freedom of expression. It’s funny that Menomonee Falls hasn’t taken a firm stand on Sexting but dancing is too much!

Regardless if the role of adults on this matter, the horse is already out of the barn. I don’t think it’s chalking things up to being too old or a generation gap, but this issue has been going on since I was attending high school dances, they could have tried to stop it years ago.  But now I find that Menomonee Falls administrators to be archaic, oppressive and overly politically correct. Students deserve the right of freedom of expression. And to ban a dance style that is viewed as in appropriate is ridiculous when there are other more pressing issues that are facing teenagers.

Besides that lets revisit a Mark Belling talking point from 2008, where he spoke about a girl who was sexually harassed by an administrator at the high school. Though I know his name, I have no link to prove it at this moment, I will say that he was not a teacher, and wasn’t fired because of his fundraising ability. Oh and then there was the teacher from 2006 who was caught with a student.  Yep, grinding is a pressing issue at Menomonee Falls High School.

The worst part is that given the lack of school choice options in the state of Wisconsin (thanks WEAC) MFHS students have to bend over and take these Nazi like anti free expression/ Unconstitutional? rules. Maybe one of the parents that takes the side of the students/freedom/the constitution will have enough knowledge of the law to help the students.

To answer a question that was posed to me on this blog (that I will re-share here), emails and by friends “Would I want my son or daughter to participate in these acts?” No I wouldn’t want my daughter to grind, however since she’ll be doing this at a high school dance, there will be teachers around to keep things from going farther south (no pun intended).  I would hope that my daughter would say no if she felt uncomfortable.  And I wouldn’t want my daughter to do drugs, strip, sext, sneak out, go to unsupervised parties, drink, smoke, stay out late with boys, have sex, drive over the speed limit or commit any crimes. However, my parents didn’t want me to do those things either, but I did (some of those things). I got caught, I suffered repercussions and learned from them.

I wouldn’t be able to protect my daughter 24/7 and police her actions so I will have to trust that she’s capable of making a sound decision and is willing to accept the consequences of that action and on the level of worry I would feel when my daughter is at a high school dance, her participating in griding would fall firmly at the bottom.  I would be more worried about her driving there with her friends.

I’ll give $10 for every student that Hintz determines to be dancing too close to someone, considering I’m sure he’ll have to use a ruler to measure how close is too close.

It’s really a brilliant idea though isn’t it? One that shows and amazing lack of foresight on the part of the administration.  Kick some students out of the dance for dancing in a ’sexual way’ so what? They can just go have sex in the car or at their friend’s house where the parents aren’t home/don’t care. All their friends are at the dance, so they wont get caught. Yeah it’s brilliant and well thought out. At least when they are dancing in view of chaperons and teachers, they can’t get caught having sex.

One of the are JS based blogs is allowing people to weigh in on the issue. This blog has quite an eye catching headline that quotes school board president Kathy Shurilla saying that students will face sexual assault charges if they grind with other students. Applause to the Menomonee Falls School Board for using such scare tactics against their students.

I say the students should give the big middle finger to the administration,enjoy their lives and cut loose.

2010 State of the Union Drinking Game

Tomorrow, Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to the nation. Though the Mug Rack will probably comment on the speech itself, we want to make the speech more fun*. There are many varieties to the game (more suggestions here and here) however I’ve decided to take the best rules from each game and combine them into the Greatest Political Drinking Game EVER! (note that the words “shot” and “drink” can be used interchangeably)

Rules: Everyone pick their favorite beer/drink and begin the game. Each side of the room must be designated the Republican and Democrat side (if you’re having a bipartisan viewing), viewers should sit accordingly. Republicans and Democrats drink equally, though Republicans are allowed to yell “You Lie” whenever necessary. Independents and 3rd parties are the designated drivers because you’re pussies anyways.

Pre-Speech:

• One Preemptive shot for Obama’s Teleprompter
• A shot of Rum for Haiti (while texting “Haiti” to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross)
• Drink an appletini or do a shot that has sugar in it for Nancy Pelosi’s home district of San Fransisco

During the Speech:

• One shot If either the Vice President or the Speaker of the House gets caught napping on camera (shot must be done without your hair( For Joe Biden) or facial muscles (for Queen Nancy) moving
• Do a shot when/if you see your congressional representative
• Standing ovation: If you are a member of the party that is giving the standing ovation you must drink until the clapping stops.
• Obama says “let me be clear”
• Obama says “change isn’t easy”
• Finish your drink if a member of congress pulls “a Joe Wilson” — Finish the bottle if Obama yells back
• If Obama says “jobs” do a shot if you’re unemployed
• Obama uses the term “Congressional leadership” (But try not to laugh)
• Do a shot for Every Reference to “the prior administration” or “Inherited problems”
• Do a shot every time the camera cuts to John McCain (or any other 2008 presidential nominee)
• Do a shot Every time President Obama attacks banks, corporations, Wall Street, or greed in general
• do a shot for Any mention of Ted Kennedy, toast shot by saying “This one’s for you Mary Jo!”
• A shot for each guest of honor
• Do a shot for every time Michelle Obama smiles

—– [Republican Response Bonus Game]

Drink for:

• Any mention of State’s Rights -and shout ‘The South Shall Rise Again”
• Scott Brown – and Sing a Dead Kennedys song
• reference to people rejecting Obama’s policies at the ballot box
• Bailouts
• Health Care Reform that works
• Accusations that Republicans were “closed out of meetings”

*Contrary to the name, The Mug Rack in no way encourages alcohol abuse or binge drinking.

ACORN Nut-Buster James O’Keefe Busted

We here at the Mug Rack rarely strive for highbrow…

So what do G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt and now James O’Keefe have in common?

They all though wiretapping was a good way to get stuff done. Here is the FBI affidavit

The Right Wing film maker who was once best known for filming himself (and this hot chick) as a Pimp and Hooker trying to solicit money from ACORN workers to ’start up a business’ now has a new title: accused Felon.

O’Keefe, along with three others – including Robert Flanagan, the son of a US Federal Prosecutor in New Orleans, were arrested for attempting to enter the office of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu’s office, a federal building under false pretenses with intent to commit a felony (assuming to bewire tapping).

The complaint said that O’Keefe was waiting in the office when Flanagan and Basel each entered the premises, wearing light green fluorescent vests, denim paints and blue work shirts, tool belts and hard-hats. They informed a member of Landrieu’s staff that they were telephone repairmen and requested access to the main telephone at the reception desk.

At that point, the two men allegedly attempted to manipulate telephones and accessed the telephone closet, saying they needed to work on the entire system. The men, who said they left their credentials in their vehicles, and were later arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Service soon afterward. O’Keefe was allegedly involved with planning, coordination, and preparation of the operation, according to an FBI news release.

According to the FBI, the four men could each face up to 10 years and a fine of $250,000 if they are convicted. The case, which is being investigated by special agents of the FBI and deputy marshals with the United States Marshal’s Service, is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

Here is the Youtube video from the AP:

Andrew Breitbart and Big Government are denying any involvement. Now here’s my question: What does this do for the conservative/Republican/TEA party movement? What did these guys plan to do if they were able to wire tap the phones and if something was discovered because of it? Whatever they could have acquired would have been done so illegal and virtually impermissible in any context. So clearly this project wasn’t as thought out on his prior ‘investigations’. James must not have such a great mind when someone like Andrew Breitbart isn’t pulling is marionette strings.  Quite a dumb ass move and will likely be a black eye on the movement (just when conservatives were gaining momentum).

Bill Kramer for State Senate

This makes things interesting:

State Assemblyman Bill Kramer has announced he will seek to replace Ted Kanavas in the State Senate. This coming just hours after Rich Zipperer makes his announcement as well.

WAUKESHA , WI – Today, State Representative Bill Kramer (R-Waukesha) announced his intention to seek the State Senate seat being vacated by Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield).

Kramer, first elected to the State Assembly in 2006, represents the City and parts of the Town of Waukesha . He is currently the Assembly Ranking Member on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and also sits on the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee , Insurance Committee, Financial Institutions Committee , and Criminal Justice Committee .

Representative Kramer has spent his tenure in the Assembly focusing on key issues like state budget reform, where he worked to better control, account for, and monitor state expenditures. He has frequently criticized Governor Doyle’s misguided tax and spend policies .

Representative Kramer has also been tireless in his efforts to repeal Wisconsin ’s minimum markup law, a relic of the Great Depression that has harmed Wisconsin consumers and runs contrary to our free-market principles. The law requires a 9.18% markup in the price of gasoline and also prohibits door buster sales and $4 prescription drug programs offered by many retailers.

“ Wisconsin taxpayers deserve an advocate in the State Senate who is willing to stand up on their behalf in the State Senate. Democrats in Madison and Washington , DC continue to ignore the needs of our state’s job creators and working families. I have been an outspoken critic of the Democrats’ proposed $5 billion in tax increases and I will continue to pursue policies that empower our state’s entrepreneurs so they can create jobs without concern of an out-of-control state government that continues to impinge on our families’ pocketbooks,” noted Kramer.

Representative Kramer grew up Waukesha , having lived there for 40 years. He is a member of St. Mary’s Church in Waukesha , a regular volunteer in the community and is a longtime member of the Waukesha County Republican Party .

Kramer graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 1994.

He is also a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial PlannerTM and owner of Kramer Financial Management.

I guess this is what happens when you live in a strong Republican area. You’re going to get good competition for that seat, with quality candidates. I think both Assemblymen Bill Kramer and Rich Zipperer match up rather well on paper. Both are law school graduates, both have made quite a career in the assembly and have strong conservative credentials.  Both of these men were part of Ted Kanavas’ senate district.

This makes the Hartford/Richfield area, which is represented by Don Pridemore rather interesting. It could become the battle ground area for this primary election seeing has he is the only of the three assemblymen not to enter the race (as of yet).