Caffeinated Politics

April 27, 2026

Why N Word Has No Place In Janesville Bar

When I heard the following story for the first time, I blinked a few times and then asked it to be repeated. The story did not take place 30 years ago in Mississippi or 15 years ago in a redneck bar in Hayward. The story occurred just a couple of weeks ago in Janesville, Wisconsin.… Continue reading

Janesville, Racism, Social Commentary, Society, wisconsin, Words

black-men, Janesville, n-word, politics, Racism, Society, wisconsin, Words
April 26, 2026

“People Have Got To Know Whether Or Not Their President Is A Crook”…Or a Rapist…Or a Pedophile!

I only watch CBS News under very limited circumstances since Bari Weiss took the head at the news division. With the shift away from objective reporting to instead fluffing Donald Trump, while decimating CBS Radio News, the closest I come to the network is following the weekly viewership decline of Tony Dokoupil. Last week, an… Continue reading

CBS News, donald-trump, Richard Nixon, Watergate

college-drinking-games, donald-trump, history, news, politics, Richard Nixon, trump, Watergate
April 26, 2026

May 1st Is A Teaching Moment Outside Of Madison’s School Classrooms

May 1st is International Workers’ Day and often referred to as a “Day Without Immigrants”, where immigrant rights groups, labor unions, and folks like you and me join forces to organize protests advocating for worker rights, protesting immigration policies, and demonstrating the economic impact of immigrant labor. Many school districts have chosen to close their… Continue reading

Books, Education, immigrants, madison, Racism, Social Commentary, Society

bigotry, classrooms, Education, immigrants, learning, madison, may-1st, teachers, teaching
April 25, 2026

Just Another Day In A Gun‑Soaked America At White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Some days it feels like this country is held together with duct tape and the hope that the next breaking‑news alert won’t be about another shooting. But then it happens again. Tonight, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, of all places. A night that’s supposed to be about jokes, journalism, and a little Washington glitz… Continue reading

donald-trump, Gun Control, guns, nra, Social Commentary, Society

Gun Control, gun-violence, guns, news, nra, politics
April 24, 2026

25th Amendment Needed to Stop A Walking Biological Mistake

Calls for the removal of Donald Trump from the Oval Office are increasing. As we move to week nine of an unnecessary war in Iran, the quagmire effect is taking hold as international relations fray, economic damage escalates, and dire political consequences for the Republican Party multiply. While all that is true and intensifying, it… Continue reading

25th Amendment, donald-trump, ethics, Iran, iran-war, Morals

25th Amendment, donald-trump, Iran, politics, trump
April 23, 2026

And Then, C. J. Sansom Came Into My Life

During my medical physical this week, I was given a series of questions about whether I was feeling moody, depressed, a lack of interest in eating, an inability to sleep, or thoughts of self-harm. While I feel for people who have those concerns, I fall far on the other side of the equation. The varying… Continue reading

Books, hancock, Social Commentary, Society

book-review, book-reviews, Books, c-j-sansom, fiction, ken-follett, reading
April 22, 2026

Eight Black Kids Are Murdered With A Gun, Nation Yawns

There’s a point in a nation’s decline when the extraordinary becomes ordinary, when the unthinkable becomes background noise. That line could have been written every day since Inauguration Day 2025. But I write to refer to this past Sunday. And I write regarding the way eight Black children were violently shot to death in Louisiana,… Continue reading

conservatives, Gun Control, guns, nra, Social Commentary, Society

Gun Control, gun-violence, guns, nra, politics, Society
April 22, 2026

Iran War: Expertise Replaced With Promotion of Opinion

I admit laughing when reading or hearing MAGA defend Donald Trump’s unnecessary Iran War by merely repeating the White House line that the conflict has been going on for 47 years. Then the defense bottoms out as they do not know what more to say. Since they mimic Trump, and he is the last person… Continue reading

conservatives, donald-trump, international, Iran, republicans

Education, expertise, facts, Iran, iran-war, Israel, politics, trump, war
April 20, 2026

Tom Tiffany Too Tethered To Trump, While Darren Bailey Builds Blueprint For Balance

It came as no surprise that Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany received Donald Trump’s endorsement for this November’s gubernatorial race. The 7th congressional district has been represented since May 2020 by an elected official who has slavishly supported Trump. In the endorsement, Trump said the congressman is someone who has “always been at my side”. What… Continue reading

2026 Midterm Elections, conservatives, Darren Bailey, donald-trump, Illinois, republicans, Tom Tiffany, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

Darren Bailey, donald-trump, Elections, Illinois, midterms, news, politics, Tom Tiffany, wisconsin
April 19, 2026

Jan Swoboda, Political Navigator For Former State Representative Lary Swoboda, Dies At 82

Upon hearing the news that Janice Swoboda, 82, of Luxemburg, had died, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was that a very unique couple was together again. She was married to former State Representative Lary Swoboda. who served for 24 years in Madison. He died at the age of 73 in 2012.… Continue reading

Jan Swoboda, Lary Swoboda, Obituary, Wisconsin Politics, Wisconsin State Capitol

Books, Jan Swoboda, Lary Swoboda, Obits, politics, wisconsin

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Gregory Humphrey on Courage in C Major Needed At Watertown High School, Band Students Must Perform “A Mother Of A Revolution”May 18, 2026
I do not know if that was sent to the school board. Thanks for caring about this matter.
jnd911 on Courage in C Major Needed At Watertown High School, Band Students Must Perform “A Mother Of A Revolution”May 17, 2026
Thank you so much for this, particularly the link to the correspondence from LaDew, as I had trouble finding it…
jnd911 on A Band Concert Shouldn’t Be a Culture War; Yet The Watertown School Board Created OneMay 16, 2026
Joan here, I am drafting an opinion volumn on this and I may want to, with your written permission, either…
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,…

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.