And… We’re Back

We migrated servers last night, and all appears to be well at this point.  Sorry for the blackout.

MJS to Charge for Online Content

This is interesting.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s digital subscription program is set to begin Jan. 4.

With its digital offering, called “JS Everywhere,” the Journal Sentinel will offer access to JSOnline.com, the Journal Sentinel e-edition, its mobile site for smartphones, plus coming iPad and other digital applications for a subscriber’s fee. Readers who subscribe to the print edition of the newspaper will receive free access to all digital products. Web content previously available on the pay site Packer Insider will be included as part of JS Everywhere subscriptions.

Under the JS Everywhere plan, online readers will be able to read as many as 20 articles per month at no charge, but after reaching that threshold, will be prompted to become a print or digital subscriber.

I suppose it was only a matter of time. The MJS is in the business of making money and that’s hard to do when they give away their content for free. I suppose that I’m in the same boat as a lot of Wisconsin bloggers. I’ve been using the MJS’ online content for free for years. Will I pay for it? Do they provide enough vital and unique content to justify paying $100 a year or so for it? I’m not sure.

Spam, Egg, Sausage, and Spam

I’m testing a new anti-spam system.  If you’re not a spammer and your comments are getting caught in the crossfire, please drop me a line.

Lazy Thursday Open Thread

Awfully quiet around here since Owen and Wendy are cruisin’.

So feel free to toss out anything you want to talk about.  Will the Packers go undefeated?  How badly will the Angels regret Dec 2011 in 2016?  How much longer will Holder last before he meets the bus undercarriage?

An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Conservative Bloggers

To: Chris Chocola, Club for Growth
The Honorable Jim DeMint, junior Senator from the Great State of South Carolina

It is with great disappointment that we have learned of the efforts of some conservatives on the national level to try to dictate to Wisconsin conservatives their choice for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Herb Kohl. This is a tremendous opportunity for Wisconsinites to elect a second conservative senator worthy of holding the office, and one that Wisconsin conservatives will take very seriously. This is not only a choice of ideology but of character, and it is our responsibility to bring Mark Neumann’s lack of character to your attention.

While we do not question Neumann’s past contributions to conservatism while he was a Congressman, his actions during last year’s campaign are completely unbecoming of a conservative candidate.

We respectfully request the national conservative groups and individuals to take a second look at their endorsement of Neumann. We ask that since many of them missed the opportunity to come to Wisconsin during the recent battles over collective bargaining for state employees and the recall elections, they come to Wisconsin now to talk to true Wisconsin conservatives to find out what they think of Neumann before attempting to foist their choice upon Wisconsin.

We do not write this under direction or duress from any candidate, potential candidate, or candidate’s campaign. We write this under the knowledge that as the primary for United State Senate commences in earnest, we will likely go our separate ways and support any number of candidates. That is our right as Americans.

If the past election in Wisconsin has shown national conservatives anything, it is to trust in the faith of Badger State conservative activists. We had the foresight to supply the movement with current leaders and rock stars like Janesville Congressman Paul Ryan, Ashland Congressman Sean Duffy, Green Bay Congressman Reid Ribble, Governor Scott Walker, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, and even Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

That is just in the past two years, and we assure you, there are plenty more where they came from.

Thank you,

(The Undersigned)

Owen Robinson
Blogger, Boots and Sabers, since 2003
West Bend, WI

Kevin Binversie
Blogger, Lakeshore Laments, since 2003
St. Francis, WI

James Wigderson,
Blogger, Wigderson Library & Pub, since 2005
Waukesha, WI

Steve Eggleston
Blogger, No Runny Eggs, since 2005
Oak Creek, WI

Patrick Dorwin
Blogger, Badger Blogger, since 2004
Milwaukee, WI

Tim Gray
Blogger, UseYourGrayMatter.com, since 2010
La Crosse, WI

Ben Froland
Blogger, BenFroland.com, since 2009
Neenah, WI

Pick a Number, Any Number

Testing the new polling module.

Blog Update

We just upgraded our blogging software, and I had to re-code a large chunk of the blog.  So, if you see something behaving badly, please let me know.

Blog Maintenance

I’m going to be doing some large-scale maintenance on the backend of the blog this weekend.  You shouldn’t see any hiccups, but if you do, don’t be alarmed.

Happy Birthday to Us

B&S is eight years old this week. Thanks for reading, folks.

:popcorn:

Here’s where Jed gave birth to her.

Test Post

This is a test post so I can try out a new feature.  Spam away.

The Owenator

Harumph.

National Radio Tomorrow

I’ll be on NPR’s “The Takeaway” tomorrow morning from 6:07 to 6:15 to discuss what happened in Wisconsin today. Perhaps my detractor from earlier this week will be listening

UPDATE: Due to coverage of the earthquake in Japan, I’ve been pushed back half an hour. My prayers certainly go out to the people of Japan and others in the path of a possible tsunami.

UPDATE2: Understandably, NPR is going wall to wall covering the earthquake. The segment I was going to be on has been cancelled.

Hate Mail

I’ve been receiving a higher volume of anonymous hate mail lately. It makes for high entertainment. Here’s one I received today (address redacted):

Wow.  That’s a powerful argument. I’m convinced

Working American

Sorry for the lack of blogging on my part today.  Unlike the protesters in Madison, I was a working class American.

New Blogad

I should point out that I certainly don’t agree with the message in our new blogad, but I’m delighted to have their money!