PEDRO'S PARTY

State Rep. Pedro Colon held his birthday party Thursday, April 6th 2006 at Tres Hermanos Restaurant, 1100 W. National Avenue. The Milwaukee Democrat, who is also the chair of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission, celebrated his 38th birthday with such fellow legislators as Rep. Josh Zepnick, Rep. Barbara Toles and colleagues at MMSD including Wallace White, Dennis Grzezinski, and Michael McCabe.
Mayor Tom Barrett popped in toward the end of the event, which was scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The mayor had earlier spoken at the 4th Street Forum at Historic Turner Hall on the subject of "Who Owns Your Government?" It appears he did not eat at that lunchtime event, but he made up for it just as soon as he got in the door of the restaurant, where he helped himself to a heaping platter of goodies from a buffet that included chicken, beef, beans, rice, tortillas, and other chow.
It must have been a long day for the mayor and his staff; his police guard seemed as starved as Barrett himself, and supped as plentifully.
Among other notables at the event were such significant figures as Patricia Martinez, the radio station owner who introduced Colon to the crowd, Atty. Mark Thomsen, lobbyist Moira Fitzgerald and Atty. John Finerty.
Guests signed name tags and filled envelopes with campaign contributions. Interestingly, many of the contributions were in cash form, which is not the norm around here. I'm certain the Colon campaign's bank deposit slips shall reflect this greenback largesse on the part of his supporters.
Colon kept his remarks brief, since everybody knew him anyway, and he needed no introduction.
One of the attendees noted that "birthday parties are all the rage" among candidates, adding that Zepnick had held one not long ago for his birthday, March 21st.
As if to underscore the popularity of birthdays for politicians, Zepnick carried with him a birthday book. If you looked up April 7th, you'd learn that those who share that birthdate with Pedro have big plans, and like to do things their way.
As the evening went on, a number of neighborhood children peered through the windows of the restaurant as they enjoyed a little evening sunlight, a rarity around here.
Colon stepped outside the restaurant and had some words with the loiterers. He told them to come in and to have a bite to eat, so as not to waste any of the delicious food that had been prepared in such abundance. What a classy touch! The youngsters gleefully took him up on his offer, and chowed down even more heavily than the mayor. Now that's one way to grow future voters!
-- Michael Horne

TWO of FOUR BRADLEY PRIZES ANNOUNCED

[The following is a special news alert from www.milwaukeeworld.com which aims to be the first to bring you interesting news from the conservative world. And what could be more interesting to a conservative than cash and public adulation? We trust the publication of this news will assuage the concerns of Bradley Foundation head Michael Grebe who has publicly lamented the press' unwillingness to cover the munificence of his organization.]

The Bradley Foundation, Incorporated, Milwaukee's international bastion of conservative thought and funding, announced today that Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto would be one of the four recipients of its annual Bradley Prizes.
Another winner, announced Tuesday, is Johns Hopkins scholar Fouad Ajami.
Ajami and deSoto will each receive a $250,000 stipend to be presented at a gala ceremony on May 25th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The master of ceremonies for the event will be past winner George F. Will.
The Bradley Foundation also recently added M&I banker Dennis Kuester and Wausau philanthropist and UW regent San Orr to its board of directors, one of the most influential in Christendom.
--Michael Horne

SHAKEUP AT SHEPHERD?

It appears there has been a parting of the ways between Doug Hissom and Louis Fortis Ph.D., the Publisher and Editor in Chief of the Shepherd Express newspaper.
Hissom, 42, who has been with the paper since its earliest days, has most recently borne the title of "Senior Political / Investigative Reporter" for the weekly. His previous titles, if remembered correctly, include "Metro Editor" and "Editor."
I heard that he had left the paper on Tuesday evening when I received a telephone call while I was following the election returns. I found Hissom downtown, but he did not express a willingness to talk, and I did not press the issue.
Since then I have called practically every name listed on the masthead of the Shepherd Express, and have spoken with a couple of people at the paper.
One source, who says he has spoken to Hissom, says Fortis told Hissom he had a choice to either be fired or to resign.
Hissom's response was that Fortis not try to interfere with Hissom's right to collect unemployment insurance from the paper.
[Fortis, on three occasions, attempted to prevent the writer of this column from collecting unemployment after an unamicable parting from the publication. He has had a history of attempting to deny unemployment benefits to other fired workers. He was not successful in the case of this writer, who collected his full benefits.]
The Shepherd Express has undergone many changes during the Fortis era; the paper is certainly run on a more professional basis, and has a larger income base from advertising than it previously enjoyed. However, the management is distant and dictatorial; Fortis is famous for meddling in the writing of others, including creating stories out of whole cloth, (see his signed article this week about the reasons behind the departure of Scott Walker from the gubernatorial race) or forcing junior writers to do so. A notable incident in which a college intern wrote for the Shepherd Express at Fortis' command an article about an imaginary protest of a presidential visit that had not yet occured caused this writer to narc on Fortis to Milwaukee Magazine. Once the magazine's expose ran, it was the end of "Plenty of Horne."
Fortis did not return calls for comment.
Stay tuned for further information as it becomes available.
--Michael Horne

STILL NO CONNECTOR FILE

It has been two weeks since Common Council File 051610 was introduced, yet there is still nothing in the file except the title of the resolution, which reads simply, "Resolution expressing the City of Milwaukee's support for the Milwaukee Connector public transit project."
The only items appended to the file are seven press releases issued by Ald. Bob Bauman, who opposes the project, and who has made his reasons clear. He's got lots of them.
The Steering and Rules Committee, which consists of all committee chairmen of the Common Council, a list that includes Bauman, is scheduled to meet April 27th to discuss the resolution, which, as noted above, has not been shared with the public. This leaves us only three weeks to decide a $300 million issue on which information is either scarce, aged, unknown or withheld. This is amazingly sloppy operating procedure on the part of the Common Council. Who do these people think they are? The County Board?
I feel, at best, the rubber-wheeled guided bus system proposed as the Connector represents a capitulation to the forces of talk radio, those savants who, fifteen years ago, frightened the public and transportation consultants away from considering a rail system for this community.
In the meantime, cities across the country have defied the talk show gods and built light rail systems. And guess what? -- the rail systems work, and the talk radio hosts in those cities have been forced to discuss other topics, occasionally ones of substance.
--Michael Horne
[Update: April 7th 2006 The file has grown by one item with the introduction of a letter from Connector supporter Ald. Michael S. D'Amato.]

VAN HOLLEN WILL SWEAR ON CONSTITUTION TO UPHOLD BIBLE

By Michael Horne

“As Attorney General I will work to protect Wisconsin's values and the sacred union between a man and a woman. There should be no ambiguity about this in our law or our state Constitution. I strongly support efforts to amend Wisconsin's Constitution to define and protect the sanctity of marriage.”

--J. B. Van Hollen, Republican Candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General

The above quote is featured on the website and campaign literature of J. B. Van Hollen, a republican candidate for attorney general, and provides a revealing look at his political philosophy, which a quick parsing of his statement shows to be tinged with a scary religiosity.

Let’s pluck two words from Van Hollen’s credo before we trash the whole thing and toss it away.

The first word is “sacred,” as in the “sacred union between a man and a woman.” As Attorney General, Van Hollen says he will “work to protect” that sacred union.

Well then, what does “sacred” mean?

The dictionary offers several meanings of the word; all derive from words that mean “to consecrate,” “to make holy,” and “to make sacred.”

The closest definition of “sacred” in the context of Van Hollen’s use of the term is, “organized around ceremonial and traditionalistic values and patterns to the exclusion of new ones -- contrasted with secular.”

So, Van Hollen, who opposes such new values as equal marital rights for gays, would exercise his power as Attorney General to fight for a religious interpretation of our laws. This is frightening, since the Attorney General should be considered a secular post according to our constitution, and not a religious one.

This matters not to Van Hollen, who reminds us further in his credo that he would seek to “amend Wisconsin’s Constitution to define and protect the sanctity of marriage.” That is, he espouses changing the Constitution of this state to incorporate a precept based on current practices of certain, mostly Christian, religions.

I beg your pardon, but Wisconsin’s Constitution has nothing to do with the sanctity of anything. For God’s sake! This state is not a theocracy – yet, but it could become so with Van Hollen as the Grand Inquisitor.

Secondly, let us study the definition of “sanctity.” It, of course, is very close to the word “sacred,” which we have discussed above. It derives from the Latin sanctus, or “holy,” and holy ground is not the best footing for a politician in a secular society.

“Sanctity” (funny word, ends in “titty”) is “the quality or state of being holy or sacred: a religious binding force.”

Again – these are concepts that are wholly out of the purview of any Attorney General. The populace should be very wary of any politician who will put his hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible. [This memorable phrase was coined last month by Jamie Raskin, a candidate for State Senate in Maryland, and a proponent of marital equity.]

There may be many reasons why a civil society should choose to recognize the institution of marriage. None of those reasons should be based on a religious premise. If we are to have an Attorney General who puts God before the Constitution, which, thanks to his intimacy with the Diety, Van Hollen is pledged to do, then God help us all.

ELECTION EVE EXCITEMENT

Dear Reader --
We are well into spring, although the thermometer refuses to grasp that simple reality. After a cloudy morning, a brilliant sun is beating down upon the closed roof of Miller Park where the Milwaukee Brewers are hosting the team's season opener. Still the thermometer registers only in the forties, while the sun remains high in the sky, even in late afternoon, thanks to the inclination of the earth's axis, the inexorable procession of the Zodiac and the recent imposition of Daylight Savings Time.
I can't be taken out to the ball game, lest I get rowdy, land in jail and wind up missing my chance to vote in tomorrow's eagerly-awaited election. You can be sure I'll have my fill of tea and scones by the time the evening is over.
Until that time, please content yourself with the few offerings we have here at milwaukeeworld, including an admonition to vote, a story about a $25,000 gift to Homestead High School in Mequon, a Balistrieri - Balistrieri lawsuit (those are always good), and a note about a relative of E. Michael McCann and what he (the relative) is up to.
Thanks for visiting, and do get in contact with me.
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
www.milwaukeeworld.com
1 414 978-8039




ELECTION EVE EXCITEMENT
It is Monday afternoon, April 3rd, 2006, and the office towers of Milwaukee are filled with empty seats. Where can all the workers be? My guess is staying at home to get well rested for tomorrow's vitally important spring election in which a total of one contested race is on the ballot in all communities of Milwaukee County, along with a scattering of oddball races here and there.
The sole countywide race is to succeed retiring judge Michael Malmstadt on Branch 39 down at the courthouse. The rivals for that seat are J.D. Watts and Jane Carroll.
Carroll recently put out a postcard that indicated, in quotes, that she was the "most qualified candidate" for the seat, which is not quite exactly true, since the bar association did not have a "most qualified candidate" ranking. She did receive a higher number of qualified votes in the Milwaukee Bar Association poll than her opponent, but the bar association asks its members to state only whether a candidate is "qualified," "not qualified," or "no opinion."
The latter was the choice for 231 lawyers when considering Carroll, very close to the 236 no opinions for Watts.
Carroll was voted "qualified" by 172 lawyers, vs. Watts' 129. Carroll had a "not qualified" vote from 27 lawyers, while Watts was rated "not qualified" by 63 lawyers. Carroll could just as well have claimed that she was "the least not qualified" candidate in the race. Watch those quotation marks!
The poll was sent to the 2,546 members of the Milwaukee Bar Association. Only 462 lawyers responded, which may give you an idea of how dismal the election turnout is likely to be Tuesday. If only one out of six lawyers bothers to respond to a poll from the bar association, it is not likely that turnout by the general public will be very great on election day.
Of course, you can do your part by voting tomorrow for the candidate of your choice.
I'll be providing election eve coverage beginning 8 p.m. from the sedate confines of Watts Tea Room.
P.S. The Milwaukee Bar Association poll was flawed -- it failed entirely to include a sitting candidate, Judge Mel Flanders of the 4th circuit, who, like all other Milwaukee County judges up for election, does not face an opponent.
--Michael Horne


FUNDRAISER FOR CHISHOLM
District Attorney Candidate John Chisholm has planned a fundraiser at Club Havana, 789 N. Jefferson St. for Wednesday, April 19th 2006 from 5 - 8 p.m. The host of the event is Milwaukee's most colorful union leader, John Budzinski, who will regale the crowd with tales of his days as an apprentice steamfitter. Yes, you will learn that even a guy with a skull as thick as Budzinski's needs to wear a hardhat from time to time.
The event will include Cuban style hors d'oeuvres from Riverwalk Bistro, cigars from C.A.O. and Isabela, and plenty of the "m" drinks, including Mojito, margarita and martini specials. A magic show is also scheduled by prestidigitator Alan Borg.
Now, who is Chisholm? Remember, he is the heir-apparent and designated successor to longtime retiring District Attorney E. (Edward) Michael McCann. How designated a successor is Chisholm?
Well, consider this: his campaign treasurer is Foley & Lardner attorney Thomas (Tom) McCann Mullooly, who has known Chisholm since before they both attended Marquette University High School together. Mullooly is McCann's nephew.
--Michael Horne

HOMESTEAD BAND GETS $25K UNIFORM PLEDGE
Michael Thurk, a 1971 graduate of Homestead High School, has donated $25,000 to help the school purchase new marching band uniforms to replace the ones worn for 40 years at the Mequon school. Thurk met his wife Martha, then an exchange student from Columbia, at Homestead and they tied the knot early on. The Thurks now live in Massachusetts, where Mike is the President of Global Communications Solutions for Avaya, Inc., which is pitching in $5,000 as a matching fund for employee donations to good causes.
Band uniforms cost $450 these days; the school is hoping to purchase 200 of them. In other HHS Class of '71 news, Peter Raymond announces that Brew City Barbeque in Mequon will be the site of the class' 35th reunion during the last weekend of June.
--Michael Horne

BALISTRIERI v. BALISTRIERI
A case filed in 2004 is scheduled to go to court on May 25th, 2006. It is a sibling dispute between Joseph Balistrieri, plaintiff, the owner of the Shorecrest Hotel, and his sister Catherine Balistrieri Busateri, defendant. The case is a "matter of principle," according to a source familiar with it, and involves residual issues from the property of the defendant and plaintiff's mother, and to whom does it belong, and if the property were properly conveyed. Balistrieri Busateri recently resigned, without explanation, her seat on the board of directors of the Italian Community Center. Also, on December 5, 2005, she notified the clerk of court that she had changed her name to "Rev. Catherine Balistrieri Busateri," which the court spelled as "Reverine."
--Michael Horne

AROUND THE TOWN
Milwaukeeworld is still waiting for the Common Council website to post the text of the proposed Milwaukee Connector resolution. Ald. Bob Bauman, who opposes the plan, has been going door-to-door in his district asking residents and business owners to attend the April 27th meeting of the Common Council Steering & Rules Committee at which the connector resolution will be heard. Bauman's most recent press releases, which have been emanating from his office in a flurry, say the proposed $300 million guided bus plan will require the demolition and reconstruction of "much of the $17.2 million worth of streetscaping work being done on Wisconsin Ave." ... The Smokers Club, a tobacco store on E. Wisconsin Ave. closed its doors mid-month, leading some to wonder what was up. Management, reached at another location, said the decision was made to move the operations to a larger facility on the south side. The mid-month move was incidental; the firm claims to still hold the lease for the property, although a sign in the window indicates it is available for rent. ... Fair Wisconsin, the group which is battling the anti-gay marriage amendment, is planning to open an office in Milwaukee near Brady Street. ... We'll have to wait a few more weeks to hear the plans that Joe Zilber has for the former Pabst Brewery ... Onmilwaukee.com did an April Fools story about the City of Cudahy granting a $70 million TIF to open a House of Blues there. ... There will be a big party in early June to celebrate the homecoming of the Denis Sullivan, as well as a sneak preview of Pier Wisconsin ... The "terrific vegan ratatouille at Barossa in Milwaukee" received a mention in the Washingtonian Magazine March issue in an article by former Cream City vegeterian Robert Lalasz, reviewing culinary options in the nation's capital. ... Phil Atinsky recalls when he was a young lawyer representing some Wisconsin novelty ("head") shops in the '70s. "We had to meet with the lawyers who represented the Illinois businesses down in Chicago. We met in the offices of one of the attorneys, who was from the very wealthy Pritzker family. The office was lush, and filled with art. Towards the end of the meeting the lawyer asked if we would like an aperitif. We had no idea what that was. We sure impressed them with how sophisticated we Milwaukeeans were." ... Don't forget to vote!
--Michael Horne