Saturday, December 08, 2007

Family Weekend

Today is the annual Socha family decorating the house day. We have 30 various boxes with Christmas decorations. Ornaments and a 15 ft Christmas is truly one of the great wonders of the world.

Comments from the family;

Mom - Ho, Ho , Ho ( not politically correct)

Dad- I am blessed with one GREAT family.

Daughter - It's another Socha wonderland.

Son 1-Hans and Franz will get it done today.

Son 2 - Don't eat the yellow snow

Son in law-I need a beer.

Grandson - More Lego's

Penelope - Let it snow.

To you and yours , enjoy the time with your family and you truly will be blessed!

Friday, December 07, 2007

Amen, You Lefties

An email I received from my neighbor.
How true this is.
Will you libs join us in getting rid of God as you know it?
Then will you libs work on holidays?
Will you give up your paid holidays!

THE LAW This is one of the better e-mails I have received in a long time! I hope this makes its way around the USA several times over!!!!!

So Be It! THE LAW IS THE LAW

So if theUS government determines that it is against the law for the words 'under God' to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the 'Ten Commandments' are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

I say, 'so be it,' because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.

I say, 'so be it,' because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions.

I would like to think that those people have the American public's best interests at heart.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?

Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings, I don't believe the Government and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.

I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter.
After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the 'Christmas Break.' After all it's just another day.

I'm thinking that a lot of my tax payer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter.

It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be 'politically correct.'

In fact.... I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshiping God . . .) because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day . . . What do you all think????

If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the minority opinions and begin, once again, to represent the 'majority' of ALL of the American people. SO BE IT. . . . . . . . . . .

Please Dear Lord, Give us the help needed to keep You in our country!

'Amen' and 'Amen'

Thank You Lord

Look Out, It's Coming

From the associated Press from the Green Bay Press Gazette.

You wonder why we in Wisconsin are embarrassed with guys like Frank Busalacchi being from Wisconsin! What in the heck are these guys thinking of? Who is going to ride these things. The only way this works is to take away cars. You lefties are just INSANE!!!!!!!!!

I can see it now, I will have to walk to Green Bay to take a train to Wausau. How long will you wimpy @ss environmental wackos keep pushing this crap! This is nuts , but I do know a lot of people are drinking the light rail kool aid!

Dec 7, 1:14 AM EST
Commission calls for $357 billion in passenger rail investment
By SARAH KARUSH Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Experts convened by a federal transportation policy commission are recommending a $357.2 billion investment - or $8.1 billion a year - to significantly expand intercity passenger rail service by 2050.
The recommendations were released Thursday by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission's passenger rail working group.

The ideas have been adopted by the commission and are expected be part of its final report to Congress, said Frank Busalacchi, Wisconsin's secretary of transportation and the commissioner who convened the working group. But a spokesman for Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the commission has not officially endorsed the plan.

"The secretary will review this and all other reports submitted to the commission for consideration," spokesman Brian Turmail said.
The country should rebuild and expand its rail network to meet a growing demand for alternatives to congested highways, the report said. It cited several benefits of train travel, including safety, energy efficiency, and the need to provide alternatives to driving as the population ages.

Expanding rail travel on heavily traveled corridors of a few hundred miles also can help alleviate airport congestion, the report said.

"The majority of the public are going to continue to use the automobile," Busalacchi told The Associated Press. "But if we make it reliable, clean and convenient, people will take the train."
The commission, chaired by the transportation secretary, was formed by Congress in 2005 to study the future needs of nation's surface transportation system, as well as funding options. A final report is expected in January.
Busalacchi, chairman of the States for Passenger Rail Coalition, said he formed the passenger rail working group because of a lack of comprehensive data about the country's rail network. The group's members are proponents of rail travel and include representatives of Amtrak and the National Association of Railroad Passengers, as well as state and regional transportation officials.

"For the last 50 years ... the nation has had no vision for intercity passenger rail," the report said. "In many parts of the nation, rail lines have been abandoned. Our federal funding policy emphasis has been on the highway and aviation systems, which are now congested."
Since 1971, when Congress relieved freight railroads of their obligations to provide passenger service, intercity passenger rail in the U.S. has meant Amtrak. But Busalacchi said expansion of the network does not necessarily have to be done by the government-owned corporation.

"I don't think anybody is taking the position that Amtrak is going to have a monopoly on this," he said.

What is certain, however, is that federal funding will be needed, Busalacchi said.
The report calls for federal matching funds to help states establish rail corridors. Amtrak, which has contracts with 14 states to provide corridor service, has been pushing for matching funds. The report said the federal government should pay 80 percent of the cost, while the states would pay 20 percent - the same ratio that is used for highways. Such projects could be funded by a portion of the gas tax that currently pays for highways and transit, the report said.
The plan is broken down into three phases. By 2015, existing service would be upgraded and new service that is already in the pipeline could be added. That would include parts of a high-speed rail corridor in California and a rail link from Milwaukee to Madison, Wis. The estimated cost of the first phase is $66.3 billion.

By 2030, the California high-speed corridor would be completed and new corridors - such as Los Angeles to Las Vegas; Tulsa, Okla., to St. Louis; and Salt Lake City to Boise, Idaho - would be added. The second phase is forecast to cost $158.6 billion.
By 2050, even more routes - such as Louisville, Ky., to Cincinnati and Raleigh, N.C., to Greenville, S.C. - would be added and existing service would be upgraded in many places. The last phase is projected to cost $132.3 billion.

Mitt's Speech

I have to say Mitt Romney's speech yesterday was something you don't hear very often. I am not going to link to it because if you are of legal age or smart enough to read this blog, you can go find it.

My first thoughts listening to excerpts on Rush was ,"hey I think I can vote for this guy" . You can easily get caught in the hype of the election season. Yes it was a speech that you never hear from candidates. Never since Renaldus Magnus would you hear about our founding fathers and what their thoughts and actions mean to us today after over 230 odd years.

O K, I did not hear all the comments from Rush or all the comments from Mark Belling but I did hear enough to know " hold your breath and think about everything for a second.

Mitt gave a fine speech, a speech Conservatives should make! But I still cannot make a decision on who is the best choice for president.

I am leery about flip flopper's, Mitt and Rudy!
Billy taught me what you promise in your campaign is not what you do when your elected. Remember before election, I will give you tax breaks. After, I didn't know how bad it was so I'm sorry ,no tax breaks and oh by the way I will have to raise your taxes.

Ron Paul , too for out there. Side note , Appleton must be ground zero for Ron Paul. I see cars with Ron Paul signs on the roof driving around town.

Fred , when are you going to step to the plate and tell us all what a conservative really is. Were waiting to hear it!!!!!!!!!!!

Bottom line, I know a lot of fence sitters drank the kool aid and jumped on Mitt's bandwagon yesterday. Too many old farts that have selective hearing. Too many people that have to think before they talk, think before they vote.

I have to admit for 30 seconds yesterday , I drank the kool aid.

Well back to reality, let's go FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ice Conditions Shawano County

Cecil Bay , Cecil Wis.
Link to Shawno county Web Site
From Shawno Leader. also what to do if you fall in.




More water bodies frozen over, according to Sheriff’s Department

By Leader Staff Writer
On Thursday, the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department released additional information on ice conditions in the area.
Washington, Loon, White Clay, Upper and Lower Red Lakes were completely ice covered. The Cloverleaf Lake chain had open water in a half acre area in the center of Pine Lake and the southwest shoreline of Round Lake.
Grass Lake is completely iced over.
Shawano Lake is completely covered with ice. There are several pressure cracks on the north and western half of the lake.
Please be aware of the common danger areas near the Shawano Airport and the channel into Washington lake.
The Wolf River is also iced over north of the County Road MMM bridge to well north of the railroad bridge.
The department recommends fishermen exercise extreme caution venturing out during early ice conditions. Be sure to take safety equipment and a cell phone.
“Should you fall through the ice, try not to panic. The initial cold shock to your body will last 1 to 3 minutes,” Deputy Chris Gamm wrote in an email. “If you hyperventilate, your risk of dying is much higher. Work to slow your breathing and assess your situation. Once your breathing is under control, move to the edge of the hole and work to get your hands and elbows on the edge of the ice. Once set, kick your legs to become horizontal in the water, and pull yourself onto the ice. Roll away from the hole to prevent falling back in.”
The following is a link to a video showing an expert on hypothermia saving himself after falling through the ice: http://www.exn.ca/news/video/exn2002/03/25/exn20020325-icewater.asx. The link will be posted on the Shawano County web site, along with lake photos from the flyover.

Dedication And the Streak

You got to be simply amazed how long Brett Farve has been the starting Q B for Green Bay.

As of today 249 consecutive starts , 269 if you count playoff games.


Side note on Brett this week.

Being named Sportsman of the Year by SI is just another award Brett has earned.What amazes me is the pure down home real person he still is through all the media hype , through all the attention he receives. See the Vidio From Breitbart.com. Its worth a look!


Well back to the streak. With Aaron Rogers getting hurt this week in practice you have got to understand how tough he is.


Found this article from the Baltimore Sun, a good read on how tough is tough.


A column by Bill Ordine



O, by the Way
A blog about sports by The Baltimore Sun's Bill Ordine
« A Ravens Fan's Prayer Main Prime time-waster video alert: Patriots-Steelers video game »
Rodgers' injury underscores Favre's feat
For anyone who thinks Brett Favre is overrated, I want to point out something. Favre is hoping to extend his consecutive starts to 250 regular-season games (270 including playoffs) Sunday against Oakland after suffering an elbow injury that left his throwing fingers numb and a separated non-throwing shoulder eight days ago against Dallas.

And it's a good thing because Favre's backup, Aaron Roders, who played terrific in that game -- a loss to the Cowboys in relief of Favre -- cannot be counted on to pick up the slack again because he pulled a hamstring in practice. The coach says he's out for a week or two.
Now, Rodgers is a pretty good athlete, right? First-round draft pick and all. He's 14 years younger than Favre and he's out for a week or two because he got hurt preparing to play.
This is not about ridiculing Rodgers. This is about how remarkable Favre's career has been in that he has been durable enough and certainly lucky enough to answer the bell game after game, year after year when the sport he plays can claim a guy at any moment -- even in practice.
In another NFL city, Donovan McNabb likely will be coming back from ankle and finger injuries to reclaim his starting job from A.J. Feeley when Philadelphia plays the New York Giants. Eagles fans are not expected to be as unanimous in their welcome of McNabb as Packer fans most certainly will be about Favre.

But Philly Eagle fans should take note of Feeley's stats over the course of his last 44 pass attempts -- 19 completions and six interceptions. That's one pick for every seven attempts. Two of them decided games in favor of the opposition. McNabb -- who doesn't deserve a free pass for his lackluster play this year -- should at least get credit for protecting the ball. He has six interceptions in 195 attempts.
Posted by Bill Ordine on December 6, 2007 10:28 AM



Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Berry Lake and Underhill Residents

I ask for anyone's help or expertise.
Is anyone able to lend some advice.

To all residents of the Town of Underhill Wi. and people on Berry Lake.

The word must go out to save a landmark in our township.

Save the Artisan Well

I would like to tell you of a place some of you know as the artisan well. It is located at School Road and Kelly Road here in Underhill Wisconsin. As most of you know , a lot of us have been getting water from there for years. What a part of history. I have been up here since 1985 and will always love seeing the water coming out of the pipe at School road. An empty lot of land with just a pipe coming out of the ground with a steady stream of pure good drinking water. I'm not sure how long it has been running, but is now a part of every one's history and heritage.

Its original name is Frank's School well. It must have to do with some of our residents in Underhill related to the Frank family (very fine people ,I will say). I 'm not sure but I guess we can assume there was a school there at one time.

Our Town chairmen was notified by the WDNR that there was a illegal well in our township. After much thought it turned out to be the artisan well. Someone made a complaint and the WDNR was trying to get it shut down.

This past week two of our town board members meet with the WDNR and a well drilling company. After much work they found two issues concerning the well.

One, the casing that brings the water up from the ground is rusted and has cracks and breaks.

Second, someone shoved a stone down into the pipe to try to plug up the well. If we ever find out who did such a despicable thing ,they should be arrested. How about water boarding the person by the well itself ( just kidding for you liberal people in the crowd ).

So now the town will have to see what options they have.
Try to fix the existing pipe,
re drill a new well some 150 to 200 feet .Think of the cost to drill a new well.
Third , seal off the well forever, what a waste of history that would be.

I am not sure what options we have but I think it would be worth that we all try to do something.

A question was brought up that if the land is a historical place, could we protect it, can we redo the well for future generations. Can some group donate for the cause? No I am not asking for a tax payer grant. We are not a rich township but to find thousands of dollors should not be a part of a tax increase.

The town board is also looking at what options they can do .

If anyone has any ideas, please contact me at psocha@centurytel.net or better yet, contact the Town board at the Underhill web site.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Radio, All The Time


Rudolph the Red-nosed Radio all the time.

Found this web site for those Rudolph fans.


That right folks, non stop "Rudolph the Red-nosed Radio" music.

How long can you keep the stream going.

I could only take three songs, one I think was in German !!!!


here's the link if you dare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!