dave cieslewicz

Save the Planet, Support Line 5

It’s Earth Day, so let’s celebrate by hugging a pipeline. For those readers not familiar with the controversy, here’s a quick recap. Line 5 is a 70-year old oil pipeline stretching from Superior through northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and down to Detroit. (I’ve got a place in the U.P. and I probably getContinue reading “Save the Planet, Support Line 5”

The Q&Q For 4/19/24

This week’s quote comes to us from none other than our former President, the much indicted Donald J. Trump, who said: “I was PRAYING not sleeping!!!” A) At a prayer breakfast. B) At a Yankees games. C) In his golf cart on the 18th tee. D) During jury selection at his hush money trial. 2.Continue reading “The Q&Q For 4/19/24”

Reading the MU Poll Tea Leaves

There’s a new Marquette Law School poll just out and, like always, there’s lots of good stuff in there. Let’s check it out. Still a dead heat. The race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump remains, as expected, neck and neck. Trump has a two point lead which is the same as what he hadContinue reading “Reading the MU Poll Tea Leaves”

How to Fix NPR

Imagine what would have happened if a Muslim editor at NPR had accused the network of a pro-Israel bias. Imagine what would have happened if a transgender editor had accused it of being insensitive to transgender issues. Imagine how the network would have reacted if a female editor had charged that it was biased towardContinue reading “How to Fix NPR”

Biden And Black Voters

The warning signs for Joe Biden just keep piling up. Poll after poll for the last three years has shown Biden’s weakness in swing states and among groups that should back him strongly, including women and young people. Now comes a poll from the Wall Street Journal that shows him losing ground among Black votersContinue reading “Biden And Black Voters”

The Catchup: Bradley’s Graceful Exit

Lovely weekend. I got out and enjoyed it, but I did catch most of the final round of sports’ most pretentious event, the Masters, where the fans are “patrons” and the course is “the property” and elevator music suffuses the broadcast. The best thing about this year’s tournament was Tiger Woods. A guy who shouldn’tContinue reading “The Catchup: Bradley’s Graceful Exit”

The Q&Q For 4/12/24

This week’s quote comes to us from NPR editor Uri Berliner, a 26-year veteran of the NPR newsroom. In a piece for The Free Press, Berliner wrote: “It’s true NPR has always had a liberal bent, but during most of my tenure here, an open-minded, curious culture prevailed. We were nerdy, but not knee-jerk, activist,Continue reading “The Q&Q For 4/12/24”

What’s the Deal With NPR?

Give Uri Berliner credit for courage. The NPR veteran business editor wrote a long, scathing and accurate piece about what’s become of his employer. It appeared yesterday on the site The Free Press. NPR bigwigs wasted no time in dismissing it out of hand, as opposed to maybe looking within to see if some ofContinue reading “What’s the Deal With NPR?”

What’s a Moderate To Do?

Last week the centrist, bipartisan organization No Labels labelled its attempt to find a unity ticket a failure. No Labels had hoped to push the two major parties to the center by threatening to launch a third party campaign if they gave us another round of Biden v. Trump. But the parties did just thatContinue reading “What’s a Moderate To Do?”

Biden Shows Up to Push Me Away

Pres. Joe Biden campaigned in Madison yesterday. He showed up in my town to give me reason to want to vote against him. Biden’s message was about how hard he’s trying to get around a Supreme Court that has told him that a president — any president — doesn’t have the power to do whatContinue reading “Biden Shows Up to Push Me Away”