Wreaths Across America: Holiday Tradition Honors Veterans

Bill Whittle: "Turncoat Nation"

One of our favorite conservatives, Bill Whittle, is back again with his takes on Obama and his Chicago-style politics, some of the gangsters in his administration and his campaign team, and a couple of the “usual progressive suspects.”

I could not have said it better myself...  I will say, however, mine would have included a lot more "colorful" language.

RELATED MEDIA

• “How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security”(Amazon.com)
• Obama: Two-state solution in Middle East 'more vital than Ever (The Hill)
• Barack Obama's gift for the Queen: an iPod, your Majesty (The Telegraph) 
• The German Invasion of Poland, 1939(You Tube)

Bill Whittle is a regular feature here on FIJ.

Video of the Day: “The Chicago Way”

This video clip is from the Oscar-winning, 1987 film "The Untouchables.”

Romney and Ryan obviously never saw this movie.

Have You Seen our Mama?

We just took a short nap and when we woke up our Mama was nowhere to be found. We’re very cold at night without her to keep us warm and we’re getting hungry, too!  Won’t you help us find our Mama?!

Civil War 150: Lincoln Assassination Eyewitness

This will be the final epidode in our Tribute to the 150^th anniversary of the American Civil War.

Lincoln Assassination Witness appears on "I've Got a Secret". The panelists on this show were, left to right (in order of appearance): Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, and Lucille Ball. The host was Garry Moore. You can read a 1954 newspaper interview with Mr. Seymour.

Video of the Day: "In The Beginning God... A Christmas Message from Apollo 8

How’s this for American exceptionalim?

On this day in 1968, Apollo 8 blasted its way through the earth's atmosphere to begin the first U.S. mission to orbit the moon—a mission that would set the stage for the first moon landing less than a year later. On board were astronauts Frank Borman, Milwaukee native Jim Lovell and William Anders. By Christmas Eve, the Apollo 8 had begun to orbit the moon.  Learn more.

Another assalt on Christmas

I don’t recognize America anymore, do you?

Here is what a New Orleans conservative talk radio had to say on this recent ass.

In the simplest terms, could the vilification of religion in America, particularlault on Christmas and Christianity be a contributing factor to events like Newtown, CT, Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine High School massacres?

The breakdown of families is, in our opinion has an influence on these sorts of events.  My Dad taught me and my brother how to hunt an handle rifles and shotguns My Mom didn’t own a  Thompson machine gun when I was growing up—did yours?

LIEINUS'CHRISTMAS MONOLUGUE

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Video of the Day: Sound FX Clay Mathews being Clay Mathews

2012 Christmas Gift Ideas: For the Sweet-Tooth on Your Christmas List

For obvious reasons this will be our lastChristmas Gift Idea for 2012 click on “2012 Christmas Gift Ideas” below to see our previous ideas.

Shari’s Berries claims the title “officially Last Minute!” when it comes to Christmas gift-giving, but their products certainly appear to be nothing but FIRST-RATE.  Okay procrastinators click here for details and to finish your Christmas shopping.  If you’re in the market for a great corporate gift, Shari’s Berries has a separate category for that on its website.  GREAT STUFF!

Propane or Natural Gas—A matter of Choice

"If I used propane, I wouldn’t pay WEnergies for natural gas.”

—Franklin cititizen

That has to be the quote of the night from last night’s common council meeting an it came from a citizen who asked the mayor with respect to the controversial  MMSD sewer tax.

But she is exactly correct, if a oproperty owner has their own septic system and well water AND  is perfectly happy wth his arrangement, what entitles the we know what's best for you" government--especiaaly this lot--to come in and essentially force that property owner to pay this sewer tax?  Shades of Obamacare?

It's noteworthy to point out that MMSD members are not elected, but are appointed bureaucrats.

Your Common Council, the mayor and their accomplises at MMSD have taken away your choice to make your own decision about your own property.

Click here to listen to the audio of  the 12/18/12 meeting.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

How are you? How is Mrs. Claus? I hope everyone, from the

Reindeer to the elves, is fine.

 I have been a very good girl this year. I would like an X-Box 360 with Call of Duty IV and an iPhone 4 for Christmas.

I hope you remember that on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

Kimmy  Jones (NICE LIST)

Dear Franklin Property Owner

Here is the text of a letter that many Franklin property owners will receive within the next day or so related to a new annual $461.47 MMSD sewer tax.

Dear Franklin Property Owner:

You recently received your City of Franklin 2012 Real Estate Property Tax bill.  To the surprise of property owners, a new tax from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) was listed entitled: MMSD Sewer District. You are one of roughly 540 property owners who currently have no sewer service and rely on your own septic system. Beginning with the 2012 property tax bill, you are now included in the MMSD boundaries and subject to the MMSD sewer tax even though you have your own septic system.

A number of Franklin property owners who have septic systems have previously opposed this sewer tax. Many long time Franklin property owners will remember that we were in the same situation years ago when Franklin property owners were forced to pay sewer tax to MMSD even though they had a septic system.  As a result of that injustice, property owners fought to have that policy overturned. They won. Laws and policies were put on the books to safeguard that practice from occurring again. MMSD is ignoring the state statute and policies.

As a last resort, a few of us would like to have this issue heard within the court system. Property owners who have septic systems (not city sewers) are asked to unite for a common cause. Our voices were ignored at the public hearings. Our next course of action is to fight within the legal system.

Rather than be faulted for not informing all property owners who are affected by this action, we are sending this letter to inform you and ask for your help and support. Obviously numbers speak loudly. The biggest fear a bureaucrat or politician has is when people unite and become organized for a common cause. We hope you will support and help us to repeal the sewer tax for non-sewer property owners in Franklin.

If there are people who are willing to accept this tax and do not want to get involved, we will not fight for them. We will only fight for property owners who feel this tax is unjustified. We would like to start a class action suit. This will cost time and money. We are asking property owners who would like to be involved to please contact us so that you can be notified about future meetings. We are also asking for any monetary contribution you can afford to help offset the cost. If we are successful, as we were in the past, you will no longer see the MMSD sewer tax on your real estate property tax bill.

In the meantime, when you pay your 2012 Real Estate Property Tax bill, please write “Paid Under Protest” on your check and ask to have the receipt hand stamped “Paid Under Protest.”

If you have questions or are willing to help, please contact Basil Ryan at 414-423-5481 or aldryan@execpc.com.  For more information, visit www.FranklinIndependentJournal.com.

Hillsdale College History 101: “The Greek Miracle”

Welcome to part 3 of Hillsdale College’s 10-part lecture series: History 101: Western Heritage.

OVERVIEW

The emergence of the polis as a political form distinguished Greece from its neighbors in the ancient Near East.  The polis was a small community—originally grouped around a citadel—governed by a council and a public assembly, and defended by a hoplite phalanx.  Oikonomia (household management) was structured in such a way as to enable full political participation of the household in the city, through words and deeds worthy of note. The individual man who engaged in reasoned speech (logos) thus had an importance in the Greek community that was unusual compared to the other civilizations of the Near East, which were generally organized as hydraulic societies based on irrigation and public works, governed by a sacral monarchy, and administered by a bureaucratic class using the technology of syllabic script.  Each lecture is approximately 40 minutes.

Study Guide - “The Greek Miracle”

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Paul A. Rahe holds The Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, where he is Professor of History. He majored in History, the Arts and Letters at Yale University, read Litterae Humaniores at Oxford University’s Wadham College on a Rhodes Scholarship, and then returned to Yale to do his Ph.D. in ancient Greek history under the direction of Donald Kagan. He is the author of Republics Ancient and Modern: Classical Republicanism and the American Revolution (1992) and of Against Throne and Altar: Machiavelli and Political Theory under the English Republic (2008), co-editor of Montesquieu’s Science of Politics: Essays on the Spirit of Laws (2001), and editor of Machiavelli’s Liberal Republican Legacy (2006). In 2009, Professor Rahe published two books: Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty: War, Religion, Commerce, Climate, Terrain, Technology, Uneasiness of Mind, the Spirit of Political Vigilance, and the Foundations of the Modern Republic, and Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect. He is currently working on a history of classical Sparta, tentatively entitled The Spartan Way of War, and he is a frequent contributor on contemporary politics and culture to the website Ricochet.

Video of the Day: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Just in time for the Christmas Holiday—the perfect gift for the specialty beer—lover on your Christmas list or the host of the Christmas party you’re attending.

Opposition to Sewer Tax Growing

FRANKLIN MAYOR THOMAS TAYLORCity of Franklin officials are trying to sidestep a very heated issue. Franklin property owners with septic systems have recently been incorporated into the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) as a result of the Ryan Creek Interceptor Project. This means that they will now be billed for sewer services they don't have, along with the cost of maintaining their own septic system.  These Franklin residents are so upset they are forming a group to challenge the sewer tax in the court system. A letter was recently sent to all affected property owners. Years ago the same problem occurred. Franklin property owners were successful and had laws and policies put on the books. MMSD is apparently ignoring those statutes and policies. The Franklin Independent Journal is weighing in on this issue and will post additional updates. Our achieves are available for the general readership. You'll find numerous articles and links pertaining to this issue. We're in the process of also downloading open record request documents. That will take a bit longer to get posted.

Sign of the Times in Obama’s America?

University of Kentucky University police fire officer after video of altercation goes viral on YouTube.

UK police officer fired following viral video, student talks to WHAS11.

Click to see the You Tube video.

Click to watch this video on You Tube.

Gestapo tactics on on The University of Kentucky - Lexington campus

Is this just the tip of the iceberg?

Video of the Day: Aaron Rodgers NFL Draft Day 2005

Aaron Rodgers number 12 in your program and number 1 in your heart.

As you may know, Aaron Rodgers was selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers.   Rodgers was expected to go earlier in the draft, but as a first round pick

Could you pass a US Citizenship Test?

Earlier this year the  the CS Monitor offered their readers an opportunity to take theNaturalization test, test, pointing out that In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test.  American citizenship bestows the right to voten, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs, and can be a way to demonstrate loyalty to the US. Applicants must get 6 answers out of 10 in an oral exam to pass the test. According to US Citizenship and Immigration services, 92 percent of applicants pass this test.

You must get 58 or more of these test questions correct in order to pass.  Begin here.

Opinions & Commentary From Around the Internet: Week of December 9

Here is our weekly roundup of opinion and commentary pieces that caught our attention this past week.

"We pick 'em you click 'em."

• All-out war in Michigan: A guide to the Bruising Right-to-work Fight (The Week)
  
• 2016’s conservative comeback (Washington Times)
• Glenn Beck Connects the Dots in Benghazi Attack: ‘This Is Fast and Furious Times 1,000" (THE BLAZE)
• Is President Obama Truly A Socialist? (Forbes)
• The Mystery Of Barack Obama Continues (The Western Center For Journalism)
• Why Fox News put Karl Rove back on the air (The Week)
• The Left Finds a Right They Can't Tolerate (Liberty Post)

GOOD GRIEF! Church Calls Off “Charlie Brown’ Christmas Show Amid Controversy Another assalt on Christmas

I don’t recognize America anymore, do you?

Here is what the local conservative talk radio had to say on this ridiculous situation in Little Rock AK.

In the simplest terms, could the vilification of religion in America, particularly Christianity be a contributing factor to events like Newtown, CT, Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine High School massacres?

The breakdown of families is, in my opinion also has a major influence on these sorts of events.  My Mom didn’t own a  Thompson machine gun when I was growing up—did yours?

LIEINUS'CHRISTMAS MONOLUGU

MERRY CHRISTMAS!