CURIOUS CHENEY CONNECTIONS

Dear Reader --
Things are a blur here, but there is still a bit of time in milwaukeeworld's day to note some fascinating connections in Texas where Vice President Cheney peppered a hunting companion with birdshot. A couple of tidbits follow. -- Michael Horne


Yesterday we delved into the story of the Armstrong Ranch, where Dick Cheney peppered his hunting companion with birdshot. Milwaukeeworld was one of the first media outlets to note that Katharine Armstrong, the hostess at the weekend shoot, was also a lobbyist in Washington. We noted that her clients included the neighboring King Ranch of Texas, and a firm called Prionics, which has developed a test for Mad Cow Disease.
This is a curious juxtaposition, since cattle raisers like the King Ranch folks work very hard to deny the existence of Mad Cow Disease.
The Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, for example, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in June 2005 "to ensure that science accepted by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) experts around the world is represented" in an appeal related to permitting imports of live cattle from Canada. (Guess whose dad was on the TSCRA board for 48 years? Answer below.)
The cattle raisers association said, "after reading Judge Cebull's opinion, which states BSE 'presents a genuine risk of death for U.S. consumers,' it was clear that either the court was presented with flawed information or the science was inadequately defended."
Prionics, the firm which Armstrong represents, however, has developed a system for testing cattle for BSE, which seems to put Armstrong on both sides of the fence on this issue.


BIG BUCKS FROM BAKER BOTTS
Milwaukeeworld.com also noted that Katharine Armstrong has Baker Botts for a client. Baker Botts is the attorney for the Bush family and for Halliburton, and for a rookie lobbyist, Armstrong did just great in 2003, the only year for which reports were immediately available.
Out of a total take of $540,000, lobbying both the House and Senate, $320,000 of Armstrong's fees were from the Houston law firm. Nice haul!

ABOUT ARMSTRONG RANCH

Armstrong Ranch is in south Texas, in coastal Kenedy County (population less than 500.) The Armstrong family has been involved in the area for since 1852 when John B. Armstrong bought 50,000 acres from the holders of an original Spanish land grant. Armstrong, a Texas Ranger, got the money from his reward for capturing the nororious outlaw John Wesley Hardin.
John B.'s great-grandson, Tobin Armstrong, is Katharine Armstrong's father. He died October 7, 2005 at age 82.
Tobin Armstrong served on the board of the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for 48 years, and was a county commissioner in Kenedy County, the family fiefdom.
In 1978, Armstrong served as appointments secretary to Republican Governor William P. Clements.
Clements was one of the first clients of a young political operative named Karl Rove, who headed his junior election committee, and sold him his direct mail products and services.
According to Rove, Tobin Armstrong's "diplomacy and eye for talent helped the governor fill crucial state offices." Rove further credits Armstrong with transforming Texas into a two-party state.

CHENEY'S HUNTING LICENSE
We have learned in the press that Vice President Dick Cheney did not purchase all of the necessary stamps to hunt in Texas at the Armstrong Ranch. He sent a check for $7 to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to cover that oversight. The chairman of the TPWC from 2001 to 2003 was Katharine Armstrong, upon whose ranch Cheney shot his hunting companion. Armstrong was appointed to the commission in 1998 by then-governor George W. Bush, and was appointed Chariman by Gov. Rick Perry.

Yes, Texas is a mighty big state, but the Bush-Cheney connections make it seem like a small town.-- Michael Horne

MY CHOPPER OR YOURS?

U. S. Bank wants Helipad

Milwaukee continues to hurtle into a Jetsons-esque 21st century with the announcement that U.S. Bank wants to build a helicopter landing facility at the site of a mixed use (residential, commercial, office) building of 41 to 45 stories it plans to build at 815 E. Michigan Street, adjacent to the U. S. Bank Building, 777 E. Wisconsin Avenue, the state's tallest office tower.
The plans will require a special use variance from the city's Board of Zoning Appeals, which will hear the Minnesota bank's request as the 74th item on its agenda on February 23. --Michael Horne

UPDATE -- 15 February 2006
Sorry to disappoint all of you helicopter and skyscraper fans, but I have some bad news for you, which I will allow Andrea Rowe Richards of the Department of City Development to deliver to you. Take it away, Andrea:

"Both the dimensional variance and special use applications were
withdrawn. This would include the heliopad. The architects, Kahler
Slater, submitted a letter to BOZA that requests the matter be postponed
for six months as the developer conducts a search for tenants." [End of Andrea Rowe Richards quote]

Bummer! [Comment by editor.]

GLORIOSO BROS. 60 YEARS ON BRADY STREET

Happy St. Valentine's Day, Milwaukee, and happy 60th birthday to Glorioso Bros. Co., the grocery store at 1020 E. Brady Street that opened February 14th, 1946, and is still in business today. Even more remarkable than the store's survival is the fact that three brothers -- Joe, Eddie and Ted Glorioso -- have been able to survive working with each other for six decades.
I am one of three brothers, none of whom could work together for more than six minutes, not to mention six decades. How do these brothers manage?
The answer is simple, Eddie said on Saturday as he worked behind the deli counter at the store. "We have our disagreements, we have our discussions, and then we forget all about it and go back to work."
I've been present for a few of the brothers' disagreements and discussions over the years, and my initial instinct was to run for cover behind a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, but sure enough, the disputes seem to be quickly resolved, particularly the English-language ones.
More complicated arguments, like "who taught you how to stack persimmons?" tend to be held in Sicilian, which adds a certain buoyancy and flair to the debate, while at the same time limiting audience participation in the matter at hand.
The (literally) jam-packed store is but one outpost of the Glorioso empire. The brothers also own a quite large building on E. Corcoran St. in the Historic Third Ward that houses their wholesale operation. The Brady Street store also carries a number of private label Glorioso items including spices and cheeses.
If you haven't been to Glorioso's, it's not because they're the new guys in town; it's a matter of "where have you been?"
The store claims to have the largest selection of canned seafood in Wisconsin, with enough varieties of sardines to bring tears to the eyes of even the most stoic of Norwegians. Among other items are some excellent hard-milled European soaps (a steal at $1); Sicilian preserves ($2.50); many varieties of olives and olive oils, along with such essentials as white truffle oil and aged Balsamic vinegar.
The Gloriosos stayed put even during Brady Street's declining days; it is safe to say that the street would never have enjoyed its rejuvenation without the support of the brothers who could have easily fought the Brady Street Business Improvement District proposals that were eventually enacted to revitalize the area.
Instead, their support led other property owners to realize the hidden value of Milwaukee's lower east side. If Brady Street were a mall (and thank goodness it is not), then Glorioso's would be its anchor tenant.

--Michael Horne

CHENEY'S SHOOTING MISHAP

WISCONSIN LINK FOUND

In an incident not reported until nearly a day later, Vice President Dick Cheney wounds a fellow quail hunter at the Armstrong Ranch in Texas. -- News Item


"We go out when the dew is still on the grass, and then we hunt until we shoot our limit." -- Tobin Armstrong in 2000, discussing his hunting exploits with Dick Cheney.

The late Armstrong, upon whose 50,000 acre ranch Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter Saturday, went on to discuss an idyllic outing with Cheney:

"Then we pick a fine spot and have a wild game picnic lunch."

Last Saturday's shooting outing at the ranch left Austin attorney Harry Whittington, 78, peppered with birdshot from the Vice President's gun. He remains hospitalized as of this writing.
Armstrong's widow, Anne Legendre Armstrong, (Vassar '49) was the first woman ambassador to England, appointed by Gerald Ford in 1977. She was on the board of Halliburton, Inc. at the time that company hired Cheney, and is also the best friend and political mentor to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Is that scary enough for you? If not --
Daughter Katharine Armstrong, a witness who reported the incident to her local newspaper almost a day after it happened, is a lobbyist registered with the U. S. House of Representatives. Among her clients is Baker Botts, the Houston law firm that employs James Baker III, who ran five consecutive presidential campaigns for Reagan, Bush and Bush, and served as Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury.
In a sense, you could say that Baker is the individual who won the 2000 election when he served as the head of the team that represented George W. Bush, the Supreme Court's winning candidate. Still not scary enough? Read on --
Katharine Armstrong also lobbies for King Ranch, one of the few Texas properties that is larger and richer than her own family's Armstrong Ranch, which is just down the road a piece. King Ranch is 825,000 acres, or 1,200 square miles, or a little bit larger than the state of Rhode Island. Tobin Armstrong's older brother married into the King family, so you could say her work for the King Ranch is also family related.
Katharine Armstrong also lobbies congress on behalf of Prionics, a Swiss firm that has a patent on a method of diagnosing mad cow disease, and claims as her only other client a firm called Trajen Systems, Inc. a Texas firm founded in 1992 to provide aviation support to the U.S. military. Scary!
Trajen announced plans last week to take over management Crites Field, the Waukesha county airport, so there's a Milwaukeeworld connection for you.

--Michael Horne