Email to the RocK County highway department

I am a motorcycle rider, bicycle rider, and owner of several classic cars.

Recently, County D and Q near my home were chip-sealed. This involves spraying an asphalt coating on the road and then dumping fine gravel on the asphalt. An attempt is reportedly made to compact the gravel with some sort of roller.

The result of this treatment is a road covered in, essentially, ball bearings, until traffic blows them to the shoulder, where they present a tempting place for bicyclists to wipe out. On the road proper, especially at intersections, the loose gravel is a real hazard to motorcyclists. Personally, I wiped out at Town Line Road and Creek last year on loose gravel in the intersection, after stopping for the sign there. Luckily I was not injured, nor was my bike damaged, but I came close to being run over by an approaching motorist who couldn't see me lying on the road before crossing the railroad tracks just north of the intersection.

That gravel was caused by trucks and cars making tight turns onto the shoulder, and was cleaned up by the Clinton road crews after I called in the hazard a few times. In the case of this "chip sealing", I see no benefit to the public, as most the gravel is thrown off to the shoulder almost immediately, and the remainder is just a hazard to drivers and bikers who need to make turns across the loose stuff.

According to the state DOT web site, chip sealing is supposed to be followed by sweeping after a few days. It's been a couple of weeks now, and the gravel is still there, presenting risks to all who use the roads. In addition, the center lines and no-passing zone markings have been obliterated.

When can we expect a clean-up crew and paint crews out to remedy these issues?

Regards,

Chuck Kuecker

The only benefit I can see to "chip sealing" is profits to the people selling asphalt and gravel, and the employees running the machinery.

Predictable

Demonrats move to ban the nonexistent,

Dems move to ban plastic guns

Congressional Democrats are proposing to ban plastic guns, following reports of major security lapses at the nation’s airports

Plastic guns can be even more dangerous than traditional firearms because they're harder to detect, says Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.).

The Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act, backed by Israel and several other Democrats, would prohibit the manufacture of entirely plastic guns. The legislation would require a major component of every gun to contain enough traces of metal to be detected.

Listen to the logic:

"If detectable weapons can make it through security checkpoints, how can we expect to catch wrongdoers carrying undetectable plastic firearms?" Israel told The Hill. “What could be worse than a gun that can be used on an airplane, but cannot be detected on the security line because it’s plastic?”
"It’s time to modernize our airport security so the American people can count on it," he added.

OK. The TSA gropers can't find conventional weapons that easily trip metal detectors and show up clearly on X-ray. So, let's pass a law banning the nonexistent so when it shows up in someone's carry-on, they won't be able to see it anyway, and criminals will ignore the law  and print out one-shot handguns any time they want, as criminals do not obey laws, stupid or otherwise.

Representative Israel should try living in the real world, where criminals ignore laws they find inconvenient and realize that the cat is out of the bag re: firearms and solid printers.

Since "undetectable" guns are, in fact, undetectable, the only way to ensure they don't get on airplanes is to make every passenger strip naked, submit to a thorough cavity search and MRI (lest they have an implanted WMD), and wait while all their carry-on luggage - and every checked luggage item - is opened and searched by at least three independent teams - with all activities recorded to prevent theft and other fraud. The passengers will have to board naked, and be placed in straitjackets, belted into their seats, which will have to be transparent so any surreptitious Houdinis can be identified before they escape their bonds.

Only then will air travel be safe from passengers who intend mayhem.

I expect one of our solons like Rep Israel or Nancy Pee-Lousy to propose such a bill right after the Demonrats win the 2016 Presidential race. It sure won't fly under a sane President.

Cautionary tale

The lefty-liberal hoplophobes just LOVE the idea of "smart guns". They will solve ALL the world's problems stemming from the easy availability of handguns in our cities...

“Smart” Guns: A Story of A Girl 

Posted by Bob Owens on May 5, 2014 at 10:58 am 

Cara’s mother kept her firearms in a safe with an electronic lock. Cara had discovered the code for the lock while rummaging through her mother’s sock drawer weeks ago.
The 9mm pistol inside the safe was a “smart gun.” It only worked if the user’s thumb-print matched a list of authorized users. Luckily, her mother had made her an authorized user when they were at the range last summer. Cara picked up the gun, checked to verify that a round was chambered and that the magazine was loaded before putting it in a holster that she slipped into the front of her pants. She loaded the two spare magazines for the pistol—in her state, you could only have seven rounds in each magazine—and dumped them in her book bag. Her mother’s other handgun, a .40-caliber pistol, had an RFID-activated chip in it just like the local police used, and required the use of a watch with an embedded code. It also required that a four-digit code be punched in immediately before use. Fortunately for Cara, her mother had written down that code on the same piece of paper that held the code for the lock. Cara carefully printed the four-digit code on her right wrist, put on the watch, and covered both with her jacket sleeve before slipping the gun into her jacket pocket. Five spare magazines went into her other jacket pocket. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was time for school.

Good read.

If smart guns ever make the mainstream - or worse, if they are mandated, as in several Demonrat/Liberal infested states already, this WILL happen. Guaranteed.

Mr. Owens is more hopeful than I am - but:

The scenario above is fictional, and hopefully it will always remain so.
It was written to point out two truths.

ONE: Given time, technology—no matter how clever—can be defeated, and is often defeated by the simplest of means.

TWO: Technologically complex items always seems fails when it is needed most. This is why professionals opt for the most simple and reliable weapon systems available. This is why the military and police forces utterly refuse to consider “smart” guns. They need to be able to pick up any firearm, and make it fire, 100% of the time. So does anyone else that chooses a gun for self-defense.

Computerizing firearms creates a high level of technological complexity. Systems that require complexity introduce unnecessary failure points, and in the case of smart guns, may cost lives… many lives.

Smart guns are simply not wanted by knowledgeable shooters, and the desire for them seems to come only from those who are afraid of all firearms, and who desire control over others. You can rest assured that like every modern technology, “smart” guns will be built with a government “backdoor” enabling these arms to be deactivated by authorities.

One might even reasonably suspect that being able to disarm everyone with the push of a button is precisely the goal of those who champion such technology.

 Suspect? I, for one, am dead certain of their goal.

WAVE! We are idiots!

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Creating a State of Peace

"Special thanks to The Joyce Foundation"

These numbskulls think signs will prevent violence. The examples of every school shooting since the federal law prohibiting guns on school property was enacted does not seem to make them think.

They also want you to pass out cards telling businesses to prohibit effective self-defense:

Be a SAFE WISCONSIN Business
- Post a Sign to Keep Guns Out -
A new state law will force you to allow weapons unless you post a sign. But the people of our state do not want guns in stores, restaurants or any other public place.
I agree, and I’m asking you to support Wisconsin values
and our safety by putting up signs prohibiting guns.
►By a huge 3 to 1 margin, state residents say they will feel
less safe, not safer, in public places that allow guns.
►Guns in public places put us all at risk. Workers at businesses that allow guns are 5 to 7 times more likely to be murdered.
►Nationwide, 80% of businesses prohibit guns on the premises.
Thousands of Wisconsin residents have signed a pledge to support businesses that protect our safety by keeping guns out.
As soon as you have posted a sign, contact WAVE.
They’ll let every person who signed the pledge know that you
are a SAFE WISCONSIN business.
We know you value our business.
Let us know you value our safety.
WAVE Educational Fund / 414.351.9283 / Wave@WaveEdFund.org

Let's count the lies:

First, the people of Wisconsin certainly do want guns around - or we wouldn't have overwhelmingly supported Governor Walker in the last leftie-liberal recall election. There wouldn't be over a quarter-million Wisconsinites now possessing a CCW permit, and countless others open-carrying every day.

3 to 1 margin? Perhaps in parts of Milwaukee and Madison!

Inanimate objects put no one at risk at any time. Want to put people at risk? Prohibit fire extinguishers in public places because someone might, someday, abuse one or use one to injure someone else. Let's see some objective evidence of that 5 to 7 times number. Can't show us a link to someone other than a Joyce Foundation mouthpiece? Thought so!

80% of businesses in Chicago, New York City, or San Fransisco, perhaps. I have seen only three places I might want to visit around here that post. The Beloit NAPA, the Beloit Library, and Basics in Janesville. Everywhere else either is happy to see my carrying openly or has ignored me - and when I carry concealed, how does anyone know I have an evil weapon?

I will believe that "thousands" have signed their petitions - after all, these idiots did get a recall election of Governor Walker organized - with lots of out-of-state money and illegal petition signers. Having a liberal Madison judge invalidate our Voter ID law didn't help them. Record turnouts for the right people in most areas.

Personally, I will stick my head in a place that posts and tell anyone within earshot why I cannot come in - and if they want my business, they will lose the stupid sign.

You can rest assured, gun free business, that the bad guys will ignore your sign, if they even bother to read it. They might chuckle as they pull their gun to rob you, though.

Osama's Gun Ban list

Copied in it's entirety from American National Militia:
++++++++++++++

Obama’s Gun Ban List Is Out

Alan Korwin – Author Gun Laws Of America GunLaws.com

  Here it is, folks, and it is bad news. The framework for legislation is always laid, and the Democrats have the votes to pass anything they want to impose upon us. They really do not believe you need anything more than a brick to defend your home and family. Look at the list and see how many you own. Remember, it is registration, then confiscation. It has happened in the UK, in Australia, in Europe, in China, and what they have found is that for some reason the criminals do not turn in their weapons, but will know that you did.

Remember, the first step in establishing a dictatorship is to disarm the citizens.

Gun-ban list proposed. Slipping below the radar (or under the short-term memory cap), the Democrats have already leaked a gun-ban list, even under the Bush administration when they knew full well it had no chance of passage (HR 1022, 110th Congress). It serves as a framework for the new list the Brady’s plan to introduce shortly. I have an outline of the Brady’s current plans and targets of opportunity. It’s horrific. They’re going after the courts, regulatory agencies, firearms dealers and statutes in an all out effort to restrict we the people. They’ve made little mention of criminals. Now more than ever, attention to the entire Bill of Rights is critical. Gun bans will impact our freedoms under search and seizure, due process, confiscated property, states’ rights, free speech, right to assemble and more, in addition to the Second Amendment. The Democrats current gun-ban-list proposal (final list will be worse):

Rifles (or copies or duplicates):
M1 Carbine,
Sturm Ruger Mini-14,
AR-15,
Bushmaster XM15,
Armalite M15,
AR-10,
Thompson 1927,
Thompson M1;
AK,
AKM,
AKS,
AK-47,
AK-74,
ARM,
MAK90,
NHM 90,
NHM 91,
SA 85,
SA 93,
VEPR;
Olympic Arms PCR;
AR70,
Calico Liberty ,
Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU, Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC, Hi-Point20Carbine, HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, HK-PSG-1, Thompson 1927 Commando, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle; Saiga, SAR-8, SAR-4800, SKS with detachable magazine, SLG 95, SLR 95 or 96, Steyr AU, Tavor, Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle ( Galatz ).
Pistols (or copies or duplicates):
Calico M-110,
MAC-10,
MAC-11, or MPA3,
Olympic Arms OA,
TEC-9,
TEC-DC9,
TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10,
Uzi.

Shotguns (or copies or duplicates):
Armscor 30 BG,
SPAS 12 or LAW 12,
Striker 12,
Streetsweeper. Catch-all category (for anything missed or new designs):

A semiautomatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine and has:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock,
(ii) a threaded barrel,
(iii) a pistol grip (which includes ANYTHING that can serve as a grip, see below),
(iv) a forward grip; or a barrel shroud.
Any semiautomatic rifle with a fixed magazine that can accept more than
10 rounds (except tubular magazine .22 rim fire rifles).
A semiautomatic pistol that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine, and has:
(i) a second pistol grip,
(ii) a threaded barrel,
(iii) a barrel shroud or
(iv) can accept a detachable magazine outside of the pistol grip, and
(v) a semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds.
A semiautomatic shotgun with:
(i) a folding or telescoping stock,
(ii) a pistol grip (see definition below),
(iii) the ability to accept a detachable magazine or a fixed magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds, and
(iv) a shotgun with a revolving cylinder.
Frames or receivers for the above are included, along with conversion kits.


Attorney General gets carte blanche to ban guns at will: Under the proposal, the U.S. Attorney General can add any “semiautomatic rifle or shotgun originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General.”

Note that Obama’s pick for this office, Eric Holder, wrote a brief in the Heller case supporting the position that you have no right to have a working firearm in your own home. In making this determination, the bill says, “there shall be a rebuttable presumption that a firearm procured for use by the United States military or any law enforcement agency is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, and shall not be determined to be particularly suitable for sporting purposes solely because the firearm is suitable for use in a sporting event.” In plain English this means that ANY firearm ever obtained by federal officers or the military is not suitable for the public.

The last part is particularly clever, stating that a firearm doesn’t have a sporting purpose just because it can be used for sporting purpose — is that devious or what? And of course, “sporting purpose” is a rights infringement with no constitutional or historical support whatsoever, invented by domestic enemies of the right to keep and bear arms to further their cause of disarming the innocent.

Respectfully submitted, Alan Korwin, Author Gun Laws of America http://www.gunlaws.com/gloa.htm

Forward or send to every gun owner you know…

Watch This, If You Want More Proof:

YouTube – CNN- Obama To BAN Guns SPREAD THIS FOLKS, PLZ!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv3p2lLmjGk

A partial list of gun rights groups:
Gun Owners of America
http://gunowners.org/
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership http://www.jpfo.org/
FREEDOM=GUNS
http://www.tcsn.net/doncicci/freedom.htm
National Rifle Association
http://www.nra.org/
Second Amendment Committee
http://www.libertygunrights.com/
Second Amendment Foundation
http://www.saf.org/
Second Amendment Sisters
http://www.2asisters.org/
Women Against Gun Control
http://www.wagc.com/

++++++++++++++

It's time to stock up, folks...

Really?

I was almost starting to think Mittens would be good for America - and then he goes and emulates our erstwhile President.

America is truly screwed.

Chuck, It's pretty simple - a good meal and some good discussion about where our country is headed.  But it's the sort of thing that keeps me energized on the campaign trail. Meeting supporters like you over a plate of pancakes or a burger gives me a chance to hear your ideas about turning this country around - and it's one of my favorite parts about being on the road. That's why sometime soon, I'd love to grab a bite with a supporter like you on the campaign trail. Donate $3 today to be automatically entered for the chance to join me for a meal on the road.   Meeting Americans like you on the road always reminds me why I'm in this fight. And it's always fun to chat over a great meal. So donate $3 today to be automatically entered: http://www.mittromney.com/donate/grab-a-bite-may Thanks for your continued support, Mitt Romney NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN A PRIZE. No contribution or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this Promotion. Making a contribution does not increase your chances of winning. To enter by making a contribution, click here. To enter without making a contribution, click here. Void where prohibited. The Promotion begins on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 12:00pm Eastern Daylight Time and ends on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time ("Entry Period"). Winners will be selected at two points in the Promotion. Entries must be received by May 18, 2012 and May 31, 2012 to be eligible for each successive drawing. Four (4) winners will receive the following Prize: one (1) round-trip coach class plane ticket within the continental United States on a date and to a Destination to be determined by Sponsor, with an approximate retail value of $750; one (1) one-night hotel stay at the Destination, with an approximate retail value of $175; ground transportation at the discretion of Sponsor, with an approximate retail value of $50; and one (1) meal at the destination, with an approximate retail value of $35. Approximate total retail value is $1010. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. The Promotion is open to citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) of the United States who are legal residents of one of the fifty states, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia and are at least 18 years of age or the age of majority as determined by state law. Details and qualifications for participation in this Promotion may apply. Restrictions are listed in the Official Rules. The Sponsor is Romney Victory, Inc., P.O. Box 149757, Boston, MA 02114.

A stupid person speaks

And proves her ignorance and stupidity.



This stupid female doesn't think past what her handlers tell her. Replace a barrel, firing pin, or some judicious application of a Dremel tool will make the whole thing moot, anyway - except for adding cost to Americans exercising their rights, and violating the Constitution.

"Sensible gun regulation" == control of the people for the benefit of the governing.

These idiots think criminals obey laws. She swears no one will be hurt by her law - and she used to "hunt" - so she's a good guy.

Her last line - "get rid of those damn criminals" - is priceless. The way you do that is by allowing people to defend themselves and their property, and repealing laws that protect violent criminals by disarming the good people.

Repairing what ain't broke

Milwaukee wants to "fix" our new concealed carry law:
+++++++++++++

Milwaukee police call for concealed-carry changes

Habitual criminals would be targeted

By Gitte Laasby of the Journal Sentinel

March 11, 2012

Milwaukee police are asking state legislators and gun rights activists to back three proposals police say would repair Wisconsin's concealed-carry law - among them: barring people with three misdemeanor convictions in five years from obtaining a concealed-carry permit.

The purpose of the changes would be to prevent repeat criminals from carrying guns, and stiffen penalties for those who do.

But one of Wisconsin's most prominent gun rights organizations says the proposals are too broad and could make it more difficult for law-abiding people to exercise their constitutional right to defend themselves with guns.

Police say they see three main problems with the existing law, which took effect in November and made Wisconsin the 49th state to allow concealed carry:

First, straw purchases - buying a firearm for someone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm - are a misdemeanor on a state level, not a felony as they are on a federal level.

Second, the requirements for a gun permit ignore the reality of plea bargains. Many habitual criminals legally qualify for, and could obtain, a concealed-carry permit because they were never convicted of a felony for which they were charged.

"Many of our career criminals don't have a felony conviction," explained Joel Plant, chief of staff with the Milwaukee Police Department. "They've been arrested for felonies, they've been charged with felonies, but because of necessity of the criminal justice process - and this is not a disparaging comment on the prosecution process or the judicial process - but because of necessity in our system, a lot of those felonies, many of those felonies, most of those felonies, are pled down to misdemeanor convictions."

Habitual criminals, Plant said, can carry a concealed gun with impunity from a potential of a felony charge unless they fire their guns.

Nik Clark of Wisconsin Carry, a gun rights group, said the problem seems to lie with the criminal justice system rather than the law.

"If he's got a problem, he needs to go talk to the (district attorney) and say, 'Why are you plea-bargaining these down to a misdemeanor that should otherwise be felonies?' That's a problem the DA needs to address," Clark said. "If these are serious offenses, they shouldn't be plea-bargained out. If you're not going to utilize the laws that exist, don't come asking for new laws that have the potential to infringe on the rights of law-abiding (people)."
+++++++++++++
Exactly. If someone is so dangerous they can't be trusted with their Constitutional rights, WHY are they loose on our streets?

If Milwaukee would back off and support our Constitutional rights, the crime problem might start to get better, like it has in so many other places where citizens are allowed their right to self-defense. And perhaps many of those criminals now getting plea bargains would be getting cheap graves at taxpayer's expense after a citizen does what is necessary.

Daylight saving time

The most useless law passed in the history of the USA. All it does is disrupt people's sleep patterns, cause traffic accidents because of sun glare that wasn't there yesterday, and make work for people with a lot of clocks to reset.

Every explanation I have found for its' existence makes no sense to me. If you work outside, you get up when you can see well enough to do your job, and quit when you can't see any more. No farmer ever got more work done just because it suddenly was 4 AM instead of 3 - or because it was suddenly an hour earlier.

If the idea was to have more daylight in the evenings, why not just stay on "DST" year round? The people who live close to the eastern boundaries of the time zones still get the short end of the stick.