Jude at First Draft won’t win any awards for civility, but when you encounter the brain-dead ignorance of someone like Scott Walker, the new Republican governor-elect of Wisconsin, you are stunned.

The basic story is that Governor-elect Walker has announced plans to cancel the Federal rail project that was going to connect Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the project has already started, it means that the state will be required to re-pay the money that the Federal government has spent, and the state of Wisconsin will lose the entire Federal grant.

Mr. Walker is apparently under the delusion that he can just take the Federal money and use it as he wishes, in his case for roads, not understanding that the money was appropriated for a specific project, and can only be spent on that project.

The money would have provided thousands of jobs, as well as providing a fast and convenient method of travel between Wisconsin’s two largest cities. There were no Wisconsin funds required for the project, so no state money will be saved by canceling it.

You have to wonder what they are putting in the tea…

Today would have been the seventh blogiversary™ for Collective Sigh.

Andante, Melanie, and Jim are just three of the thousands who have died in this country because they couldn’t afford health care when they needed it.

And yet, people act surprised that I am so angry at the Democrats who blew a golden, once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the problem, and sold out to the drug companies and health insurance companies instead.

The process is known as triage in the medical world, treat the most serious problem first. If you are dead, nothing else matters. Think about that.

Position: 20.8N 72.8W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [045°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph [145 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 120 miles [195 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 25 miles [ 40 km].
Minimum central pressure: 994 mb ↑.

Currently about 35 miles [ 55 km] Southeast of Great Inagua Island and about 155 miles [245 km] West-Northwest of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Haiti and the southeastern Bahamas including the Turks & Caicos Islands.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from the Haiti border eastward to Puerto Plata.

Tomas has weakened somewhat as it heads for Great Inauga Island.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Daylight Savings Time ends in the US Sunday morning, November 7^th at 2AM. It becomes 1AM and you get an extra hour of sleep, unless you work the “graveyard shift”.

Most devices make the change automatically, although many, like my clock radio, change under the old system and have to be ignored for a couple of weeks.

“Fall back – Spring ahead”

The “Old” Man

Harumpf… Harumpf.

[Editor: This is Blaze, the alpha tom and largest of the ferals. He has a rakish scar over his right eye as a result of his early attempts to assume the position. He’s in for some cold nights because the alpha tom doesn’t have any friends to cuddle up to – it’s part of the job description.

Friday Ark

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.

The British are celebrating the anniversary of the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot.

A group of English Catholic conspirators including an explosives expert, Guy Fawkes, stashed 36 barrels of gunpowder in the basement of the Parliament building with the intent of blowing up the members of Parliament and King James I during the official opening of Parliament on November 5^th, 1605.

Bonfire Night is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and occasionally the Pope, are traditionally thrown on the fires. Effigies of modern politicians have made their appearances at the celebration.

As Robert Cecil was involved, I doubt anyone will ever know the truth about the plot.