Caffeinated Politics

May 13, 2026

A Band Concert Shouldn’t Be a Culture War; Yet The Watertown School Board Created One

The news from Watertown is truly disheartening. Watertown High School’s wind symphony will not be allowed to play a musical piece with ties to LGBTQ history at an upcoming spring concert. The decision didn’t come without fiery opposition from most in attendance at a School Board meeting Tuesday. Board members voted 7-1 to prohibit the… Continue reading

bigotry, conservatives, Education, Gay Rights, music, republicans, Watertown, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

classical-music, Gay Rights, history, lgbtq, music, news, omar-thomas, stonewall, Watertown
May 13, 2026

Let’s Talk About ‘Concern For Children’ In Plainfield, Wisconsin

The Waushara Argus reported that the Plainfield Village Board addressed several key issues during its regular meeting on May 5. The proposed public health vending machine sparked debate among board members following County Nurse Jennifer DeVitt’s proposal to place a 24/7 public health vending machine at the village library. The vending machine is funded entirely… Continue reading

Plainfield, Social Commentary, Society, Waushara County, wisconsin

concern-for-children, health, mental-health, narcan, news, opioids, Plainfield, politics, Waushara County
May 11, 2026

The Billion‑Dollar Ballroom Nobody Asked For, But Republicans Want You To Pay For

So, we are to believe that Donald Trump supporters in 2024 were so unable to afford eggs and pay their bills that they needed to defy logic and reason and vote for the Republican candidate in the November election. If we were able to keep a straight face reading that line, let’s try out another… Continue reading

Congress, conservatives, donald-trump, Social Commentary, Society

ballroom, Congress, conservatives, donald-trump, election-2024, news, politics, republicans
May 10, 2026

Governor Tony Evers Correct: Conversion Therapy Widely Discredited And Harmful

I am sixty-three years old, and I have lived long enough to watch the world change in ways my younger self could never have imagined. I grew up in a time when being a gay teenager was treated by some as a defect; my grandmother surely would have termed it a moral failure. It was… Continue reading

conservatives, Conversion Therapy, Gay Rights, Social Commentary, Society, Tony Evers

bullying, Conversion Therapy, hancock, lgbtq, mental-health, politics, queer, teenagers, Tony Evers, Waushara County, wisconsin
May 9, 2026

Melanina Trump Is A “Working Mom”, I Call It Bunk

The latest insult to American women came from Donald Trump’s third wife. Melania Trump, who emphasized her experience as a “working mom” while serving as First Lady. It pays not to eat food and read the newspaper at the same time. Surely more than one person nearly choked when reading the Op-Ed column supposedly written… Continue reading

donald-trump, Melania Trump, Social Commentary, Society, Women

donald-trump, Melania Trump, news, politics, Social Commentary, Society, Women
May 8, 2026

Mysogyny Against Female White House Reporters Must End

We have come to the point where we must stop pretending that the degradation of our institutions is just another day at the office. That point arrived the moment Donald Trump again unleashed yet another tirade at a female reporter doing her job. This time, it was ABC News’ Rachel Scott, a strong, confident Black… Continue reading

donald-trump, journalism, media

black-women, donald-trump, journalism, media, misogyny, news, politics, press, reporters, sexism
May 7, 2026

Nation Knows The Sitting President Is Incompetent

Two separate political nuggets caught my attention over the past several days. According to a new Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll, fifty-nine percent of Americans believe Donald Trump does not have the mental sharpness necessary to lead the country. Fifty-five percent think he does not have the physical health to serve as president. Fifty-four percent say… Continue reading

Barack Obama, donald-trump, Education, history, Jimmy Carter, President John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Strengthen Democracy

Barack Obama, donald-trump, fdr, history, Iran, jfk, news, politics, Richard Nixon
May 7, 2026

Courage in C Major Needed At Watertown High School, Band Students Must Perform “A Mother Of A Revolution”

Something is chilling about learning that a Wisconsin school board is debating whether a piece of music, without lyrics, should be publicly performed. Students have spent months practicing the piece, which was composed as a dedication to a transgender activist and a prime mover of the Stonewall uprising. I read about this latest bizarre culture… Continue reading

conservatives, culture-wars, Gay Rights, music, republicans, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

a-mother-of-a-revolution, bigotry, cancel-culture, classical-music, conservatives, culture-war, marsha-johnson, music, news, orchestra, piano, republicans, stonewall, watertown-high-school
May 6, 2026

Lies From The Oval Office Are Creating A Threat To Democracy

When we start to rebuild and address the myriad problems Donald Trump created, fostered, and nurtured during his terms in the White House, it will be essential that we begin with his default position of telling lies, seemingly with every breath. Regaining honesty in the Oval Office might seem like a low bar to achieve,… Continue reading

ethics, politics, Words

donald-trump, ethics, lies, MAGA, news, politics, Words
May 4, 2026

Doty Land Podcast: Honoring George Meyer, A Dedicated Conservationist

Listen to the podcast here. Or on Apple, Amazon, Spotify. Warm recollections from friends and fellow conservationists about the former Secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Interviews were conducted at his memorial service this past week in Fort Atkinson. George Meyer proved to be an essential… Continue reading

Doty Land, Environment, Uncategorized, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

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Gregory Humphrey on A Band Concert Shouldn’t Be a Culture War; Yet The Watertown School Board Created OneMay 14, 2026
I am waiting for the next development in this story. Some venue that says, come here and perform the piece,…
PurplePenquin on A Band Concert Shouldn’t Be a Culture War; Yet The Watertown School Board Created OneMay 14, 2026
Watertown was well known as a “sundown town” back in the day, and community-wide bigotry/hatred usually continues on for generation-after-generation.…
Gregory Humphrey on Robert Caro Still Working On Final Volume Of Lyndon Baines Johnson SeriesMay 11, 2026
Thank you! It is fitting to call you my own Robert Gottlieb, as that man was Caro’s longtime editor. Have a…
Gregory Anthony on Robert Caro Still Working On Final Volume Of Lyndon Baines Johnson SeriesMay 11, 2026
EDIT Needed “…3200 pages of the four published volumes is how is did LBJ amass power…”

Perfect Addition To A Cup Of Hot Steaming Coffee

My book is about a rural family, finding a way through the years of being bullied, and the suicide of my best friend. Many recollections about the days in broadcasting, the state legislature, and coming out as a gay man.