BunnyBlinks » Madison

Happy Child Prevention Month!

Greg — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:31:21 +0000

Why is the Wisconsin State Capitol dome bathed in blue light? The Wisconsin Department of Administration Website has the answer:

From bunnyblinks

Thanks to Ramy for the tip!

Update: Apparently, last time the Capitol was lighted blue was for a slightly different cause.

Another update: Credit where it’s due. This guy snapped a gorgeous pic and posted it yesterday, noting the typo.

Wisconsin Spring Elections

Greg — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:25:00 +0000

It’s Spring in the MadCity, which means it’s time for another round of elections. It’s one of those elections that doesn’t get much buzz. You have to do a little research so as not to be surprised. I thought I’d share, and encourage you locals to GOTV on April 1st (no, it’s not a joke).

Here’s where you can find out where to vote, although if you didn’t vote the last time around in the Presidential Primary, you’re probably not gonna motivate yourself to vote in this one. But, ya know, just in case.

Here’s where you can see what’s on the ballot this time around. Depending on where you live, however, some candidates running for certain offices might be unopposed. (Is this a sign of good or bad government? In Madison, one could make a case for either.)

Here’s where you can find a sample ballot of the upcoming election, so that you’re not surprised by anything on the ballot (and so you can make time to do some research).

Trust me? Pressed for time? Wanna know how I intend to vote? Read on!

* Justice of the Supreme Court: Louis Butler is the good choice, and there are many compelling reasons not to vote for his opponent.
* Court of Appeals Judge: (unopposed)
* Circuit Court Judges: (2 seats, both unopposed)
* County Board: John Hendrick (Here’s why)
* MMSD School Board Seats 6 & 7 (both unapposed)

In my district, at least, the Supreme Court election should be the driving factor to get out the vote. If not, perhaps the one ballot question should get people riled up.

QUESTION 1: “Partial veto. Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill?”

I intend to vote yes, and you should, too. Here’s some background if you’re new to the discussion of Wisconsin’s Frankenstein veto.

Update: 4/2/08. Well, Frankenstein was tamed. This race didn’t end so well though. Do Wisconsinites really want a conservative Supreme Court justice (albeit by the narrowest of margins), as Althouse suggests? Or are we progressives really wimps?

Savage Madison Man

Greg — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

He worked at Four Star Video Heaven before I lived in Madison. Searching through a random page of the store’s “Documentary” Section might give you an idea of how Dan Savage likely fit right in. My roommate tells me he’s an excellent and fun cab passenger, and many of us in Madtown are proud to see him succeeding as editor of Seattle’s Stranger. A glance through my shared items should give you a sense of why I enjoy the paper’s blog.

It’s great to see him make it on TV, too, perhaps even more so than the initial thrill of seeing out-and-about Rachel Maddow occasionally smack down Pat Buchanan on MSNBC. (More often than not, she appears way-too-comfortable listening to Pat Buchanan’s incessant screaming.) What’s more, Dan still keeps it real on Savage Love. This Week’s Column makes me wish someone like him was around in the mainstream media when I was a kid. A touching reminder, really.

Update 4/4/08: Dan writes a touching Savage Love response to his mother’s death. This is why I like the guy.