When you chalk up seeing 53 concerts — sorry it just turned 54 — you can write the book on an artist. Even though, fair comment, Gary Allan has not done quite as much, musically to listen to by volume if not overall weight, as say Brooks and Dunn. But at eight studio albums, and that’s just studio, still very good. Lots of chapters.
That magic number is much more than once a year of your entire life, if you average it out, for both Gary Allan and chiefly his ultimate fan, a longtime fixture behind the bar at the Wild Badger in New Richmond, with her own resume. Call her Madam M.
And follow them to wherever in the upper Midwest — or beyond? — they are playing. Cross the country to see this country band.

— Or Pop Syndrome at Ziggy’s in Hudson who while still on tonight held court with a fine-plucking ending to a classic song, then came back with another that was much more up-tempo. Too busy in the next few hours? There is always Pop Rocks on Saturday night at Ziggy’s. And on that word theme, a nursery-style ditty I wrote as a child while in the bathtub — of course pen and paper where not available until after I dried off — a play on Pop Goes The Weasel: Pop Goes the Weasel, the weasel stole the washcloth, I’ve got the washcloth, because I’m the weasel. Who says that quality lyrics don’t exist these days.

And Where there’s a pop there’s a pony. And the acts of this auction are not necessarily a horse of a different color — with Xmas near though, reds and greens prevail.
Wild horses could not drag you away from the source of the horse gear, and if you have a hobby farm, take heed … Its a new and used, and more or less, tack auction at the GasLite in Ellsworth on Sunday. Starting right at high noon with auctioneer Dave Bontrager in this the heart of horse country pastures. New and used bridles and maybe bits, saddles and such, with horned knobs or not so much, buckets and blinders and burly stuff, and more accompanying add-ons. Lotsa leather.
We don’t know about horseshoes. We do know consignments are welcome! —

Back in the fall, hence No. 53, Ms. M and her entourage and I think I can safely use that word, were already planning their next chance to go see him, on Dec. 2 in Vegas. So Ms. M has now freshly navigated home, although a little tired and maybe even a bit subdued. (She attributes that mostly to a red-eye return flight). Gotta get back to serve thirsty folks, so cannot just kick back at home and take the experience all in, even further. Now two shifts under her belt, can finally rest and reflect.
The draw? Allan’s voice calling is especially, of course, a calling card.
And if you are a bartender, playing just the right tunes on the jukebox can be part of your job. And you can arrange concerts around your work schedule. Or vise versa?
So you become familiar with the jukebox and its functioning. Hit those keys like a keyboard player.
So take over that box, Ms. M, on a special occasion, like my birthday, in the same month as hers. Next-up for Allan, when we first talked about this, was a a date in Baton Rouge on Sept. 23, the birthdate of both my mother and brother. And not long after getting that disposed of, lingering thoughts of shows in Vegas, so what stays in Vegas … if you don’t recall what you saw in the first show, try as best you can do get into general admission for the coming night. (These shows have been selling out). But Ms. M has the rep to get in, I assume, if it would come to that, and both would bring her tally to 55.
On ID, his official last name is Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) so thus also having a birthday, and with a name like that, my diehard German family would likely get into his music just as much as if it were polkas, me-thinks.
Overall, Allan’s studio albums and Greatest Hits package have produced 26 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reached Number One: “Man to Man” and “Tough Little Boys” in 2003, “Nothing On but the Radio” in 2004 and “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” in 2013.
Because if you’re like him, you know the best songs, and can somehow manage to slide them in to your concert, despite their volume.
And what is their best of the bunch? And just what about the songs intrigues you?
“It’s all good,” conjures Madam M.
But to pick one, you have to love an album intro, vintage county, called Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).
His songs are short but very punchy, each weighing in at about four minutes, or less. Hence more weight quickly, versus fluff in lyrics, as referenced above, than a lot of country, although as it gets older it tends to get better.
Madam M has met the man of that name, although getting backstage has eluded her. But what about the also important side stage?
But she does have a bunch of their cool gear, and presumably just added to it. Bunch of bling from your Vegas trip?
And so its good to have a group of girlfriends to travel and road trip with.
Back in Wisconsin, the best you can do locally is the band Good For Gary, but they are more rock, although a bit of country, and back at a gig in downtown Hudson in a couple of weeks, (Ziggy’s on the 17th). And with that is my own story or two, but that in a later post.
Allan hit the United States country music scene with the release of his single “Her Man”, the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale, which was released in 1996 on Decca Records. A second album, It Would Be You, followed in 1998 on Decca. Allan’s third album, Smoke Rings in the Dark, was his first album for MCA Nashville (to which he has been signed ever since) and the first platinum album of his career. Its successors, Alright Guy (2001) and See If I Care (2003), were all certified platinum as well, while 2005’s Tough All Over and 2007’s Greatest Hits were both certified gold. A seventh studio album, Living Hard, was released later in 2007. That last one could describe Madam M’s job.

As long as we are at that country thang, Hitchville and its hotties can go GQ or SI, but are accessible to the masses. As with this guy shown on the go-to GasLite website with the fabulous blonde singer, who (he not her) has a non-descript, light yellow baseball hat, like colored hair flaring out on each side, and also such hues in his rugged attire below neckline. The big beard is scruffy, but not in the much better way of the guy half of the main Hitchville duo, which will again be back at the GasLite later in the season, bookends of the month.

What Oath do you have? Or plan to Keep?
Some Wisconsinites who hold political offices big and small — including a local man — have donated to, or became members of, a right-wing fringe group called the Oath Keepers.
As in the Old School document they will back, and trump, until Kingdom Come. You know. That Constitution thang. Almost to the point of making it into a barroom brawl. Over the binge of information they call best.
But various Oath Keepers, several hundred, have been outed by my old friend and writing colleague, the Milwaukee Journal-sentinel.
Some said that once they found out about the radicalness, stopped giving to the group, or cancelled their membership. Many added they do not vet the value of every group they donate too. (As someone leaning toward the liberal, I do have to say that with time constraints as they are for people these days, needing to vet every group you wanted to donate to could result in very few donations being made, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, no matter how worthy the cause).

— But for now, you wanna go see a local band? And have I been turning my attention to spouting too much political crap, but not of the quality, necessarily, of Rage Against The Machine? So I guess I’ve been a real Heartbreaker. That band plays the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night, and its name by song and album and band covers all the usual genres, and I’m guessing you’ll hear them all referenced. But still tonight (Friday) … I’ll let the story about what is apparently a very new addition to the lineup, such as it is, be told by a 63-year-old Hudsonite who I just met minutes ago at Ziggy’s. “I am having over a friend from south Minnesota, so we just had to go out and first time see the Dweebs here.” She added that their founder is of a kindred age group. So never too old to rock says I, at age 61. —

But back to the oath to rock I’ve taken, and how it compares to theirs, since we often go by sound-byte phrases these days, to me the Keeper’s response — and we are not talking the Master Keeper referenced by Black Sabbath — sounds a lot like, ignorance of the law …
So as I see it, the ilk that is shown in extremes by the Oath Keepers is not one that will tolerate a do-over.
When a bad choice is made. So do as I say, not as I do.
What would they remark to a woman who became pregnant at a very early age, and has her life abruptly changed, for the rest of it. One might draw in, into her suddenly weighty shoes, what Planned group would the Man have her turn to? And on and on …
“So make a new plan Stan … don’t need to be coy … and get yourself free.”
The response? He refused, at least initially when called on the carpet, to cancel membership with any group defending the Constitution of the United States of America. Have your cake and eat it too? And did not attend a meeting that he would have presided over where it was to be discussed, citing mental health reasons. More in a later post on the record of certain extreme conservative politicians, and yes liberals too, concerning certain medically disabling conditions. Not in their backyard. (Can you cut the mustard? Gotta catchup.)
But for now, that old constitution thing. Can any document stand the test of time so much that it is not now or ever time for a redo? Or at least a revision? Or two? Relatively? I reference another obviously dated and officially approved act. Should it still be considered active? In favor of amendment? Or any of a number of sorta-synonims. The proclamation — much more recent as drawn up in the 1860s, I think, and since I can’t remember, how much sway does it and should it hold — is about how the western half of what would be the United States should be divvied up amongst various nations competing purely for land, by using their pocketbooks, the cheap and the pricey. Everything that side of Texas. So this is/was big. Look at just the sheer land mass and the size of the cowboy hats over some of the space but not all. But should it now be anything more than a footnote?
This purchase as the act was termed, was before the (resurgance?) of California — it was an ordeal to even get there but not yet an otherwise big deal — so referenced by how its portrayed by the metal band Tool — required listening. The big and tall geographic behemoth then was only a territory, I believe, so it was basically liquidated. See how time flies? And sways? How we should think?

I will say this as one reason some of the oath Keepers and their membership ilk have gotten an ouch. With today’s social media, people need to be careful of such things as how they throw around their money and ideas. People will know until after your dying days. This new media has staying power beyond that ever seen and it’s not just scantily-clad dancers strutting their stuff how get exposed for time immortal. Its not like when you used to write out a check (remember that?) to AARP, and once you threw away your bank statement all who knew, of any importance were basically your teller, if she’s got a good memory, and maybe the auditor or IRS. But even if your donation was made before the heyday of Facebook and all it ilk, you should not fork over your dough if only you want your hairdresser and a few others to know.

The Dweebs have added a new and highly skilled nerd (savant?) or two, with different musicians sharing the limelight, and you might even see a somewhat newer face amongst the now bigger band to their adaptive and interactive sets, at turns, shaded by a big green sparkling top-hat. So then Gene Simmons height, and also on guitar? That’s a gas, and the Dweebs have cornered the market on such a show, and refined their craft by doing it for decades. And their newest gig is Saturday night at The GasLite in Ellsworth, fresh off a show at Not Justa Bar in Somerset, and the last time to see them in western Wisconsin this year. Thus their “tour” has a swing to performances in Green Bay. And includes stops as far afield as North Dakota and Nebraska. So they have range, and not just vocally.
There are other locales that hail with the Dweebs stopping in, early and often, but none more than at the Wild Badger, where they were earlier in the month. That’s where I saw the mad hatter(s).
But on the latest Wednesday, the Badger showed a huge few-hours-back-from-college, have-a-beer-and-mingle crowd, based on their dress and looks and overall manner, but that should be no surprise in this growing city as it was the eve before Thanksgiving. The Wild Badger had, befitting its name, a glow-stick rager going on and it was shoulder to shoulder, back to old New Richmond stomping grounds. It was striking that despite the masses, there were few if any cars traveling to and fro from the downtown areas, on their streets broadly, although that could obviously be seen as a good thing.
What you would likely see at other cities to the south, although in River Falls where there is a big college, at least some students found they were one and the same, give or take a few blocks or miles.
One had this T-shirt, which stood out, and I give thanks for such humor, although I can’t tell if its fully wisdom or self-deprication: “Too dumb for NY. Too ugly for LA.” I might add too much in the middle for the Midwest, but hey he’s here?
So I have to say it, full quality disclaimer, that there’s more coming that’s just the time of the season for slotting it in. By milking various themes.
All around, houses with various size party decks, front and back and side yard, were taking them down, sometimes leaving behind the stout sticks that are Hawaii type torches — and making Hawaian noises as in Dire Straits — and sometimes not. In their place are Christmas lights, spreading their twinkling spheres around the wide lots to cover a bigger area and edging toward the sidewalks.
Raking between the sidewalks had been made unnecessary in a big yard by use of huge equipment bigger than a golf cart, to head off a battle with snowfall. It was the biggest damn leaf and lawn mover and blower I’ve ever seen — and that worker was in a T-shirt. Twice seen. Under construction?
More timely is a New Richmond company that has the power at this time of year, Powers be the name, pros for years said the old man at The Shamrock, although out of season, at turning your deer into actual venison — business no doubt is good with recent days of tracking snow.
On Thanksgiving Day come noon, my street was largely bare of people arriving for turkey dinner. I thought at the time, I thought the pandemic bias against house parties had ebbed. Low and behold, a half hour passed and people started making their way into driveways and then curbside street parking.
We also have come to the end of seasons for some of the jogger and walker tricks, at times walking this way much faster because of the weather, round the block and come past again, then back the reverse direction. With a walker who was just ambling on in-between. Now there are boots made for walking, and I promise, I wasn’t trying to oogle. And a single winter glove stuck onto one of those Hawaian type poles, I think it was, making it lean over at a low angle across again, the sidewalk. Lastly on another three sidewalks, you can carry on with your walking and not get stuck in the eye, since its much easier on them, even as their Maple leaves have fallen, every one.

If you are like me, there is sentimental value in serving up a great big bird at Thanksgiving, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But this year, since a big old turkey may not be an option, since as I’ve written, a news report said one in five families will not be able to afford such a (once viewed as a staple) fine-feathered symbol of the holiday.
Now I’ll give you an entire, if somewhat disjointed accounting because there still are so many options, to make your holiday whole. So I will bring in chicken and nachos to save the day(s) and the bank account. Fowl is more budget friendly than beef, so we won’t go there.

— But before that turkey, such as it is, bogs you down, kick up your heals with high energy on Wednesday night.
To start, with the arrival of winter weather, and that snow thing that could mean slippers, you might wanna consider a warm — or not — onsie for night wear.
Or nightlife.
So get into your gear and checkout T-Buckets near Somerset for their annual onsie pajama party contest. And add grit to your game by getting up their like your inner diva and belting out some karaoke. It all runs 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. And don’t stop with just the eve, T-Buckets is open regular hours on Thanksgiving Day.
As is The GasLite in Ellsworth. And we all know about the use of rock star in band names, but these guys are truly working for the weekend: Of that classic rock generation, they call themselves Weekend Rockstar and will light up the night that Wednesday night. The fame starts at 8 p.m. and is aided by the fact that all five members, three guys and two gals with one even on guitar, each have a different look and hair. You might even hear some hairband songs, as they promise to melt the room down. Not sure about the snow … —

But with turkey, and when a need exists to go up to the per-ounce limit that’s already dictated by your budget, there are to-fit options that can be supplemented by smaller packets, such as a couple of ounces for 80 cents a shot at my WalMart. You can get whatever you need and not more, down literally to a nickel, a place it on the platter wherever there is a gap.
Are you and yours among the multitudes who have way too much left over after the holiday, then have to decide how many turkey sandwiches is your tolerance before it goes bad, and turkey is not that forgiving, or does it become one of the myriad things that sit in the freezer and accumulate with other now frozen foods. So get a really small bird, and if you need to supplement, have Buddig slices or the like fill any gap for your guests. It can even be changed up by being skewered with any number of olive varieties, other meats and cheeses and assorted pickles. And some BBQ sauce? And what about a whole and still cheaper packet of turkey legs as a stop-gap? And if a few less guests show up, there is more for you and your family later, since these would not have to been opened. (And maybe stow a bit of the croutons as unstuffed for eventual, sprinkling on a salad). And set around that bird, such as it is, dress it up as far as appearance with a garnish of boiled, and maybe seasoned carrots, potatoes and onions, or even parsnips, (usually available for 49 cents a pound at your local Kwik Trip). And for a bedding, iceberg lettuce leaves, or romaine if you have any money left over. Rice anyone?
As far as pickles, you can get a huge jar under the institutional heading for five dollars or less, so make a small care package/jars in advance and send it home as a care package for your guests. And if you are all comfortable with this and you have to do whatever you can these days, have guests make a list of leftovers that might be useful for them before they arrive. Might put such a disclaimer in your RSVP.
Getting it going.
Thus turkey, with the accompanying use of chicken I’ll now describe, becomes a turnkey on your table:

So if your family loves meaty drumsticks — this way you can have more of those by placing them around the circle, under the edge of the bird. You might position their nuggets that are the meat heads facing out, positioning the pieces about one an inch. Or gang up on it by teaming up their placement all around the thighs (see later in the post).
Still in the name of making ends meet, and style also, you can also find fruit by simply placing the leg’s ends together, or apart, or sideways.

But as you go, largely on the fly, take care to write down your seasonings and their amount while going at it this season, to reproduce it in other seasons. This way you will not need to reinvent the wheel the next time around.
It all starts on Thanksgiving Eve, and nachos will be your niche, one of the one or two best-attended tavern times each year, and there’s more to do than just basting a turkey. (A beer for each baste?)
To the contrary. And you have to and/or forgo the beef, or use it with other recipes or freeze, but even refried beans can be used come tomorrow to supplement a side dish. For during the nightly happy hour, time it right and maybe not on a weekend, especially, that nachos poundage that could also do double-duty and triple-duty in your kitchen.
Come then, these could be added to make-or-break an appetizer or pre-game snack, ratchet up entrees, or enhance parts of that 15 or 20 pound turkey, or as we talk, let you scale back to a ten pounder,
It’s best to resist the idea to make the nachos too forefront, as they’ve been in the fridge overnight waiting to be warmed — especially when it comes to your veggies, so just small-splice on a few tads — and you did remember to put the leftovers, with needs as varying as those of certain picky guests, stored away did you not? Rather, the focus could just be on a ten-pound tom turkey. That becomes the point.
This is how you work it.
And you do need to flow, on this as a crazy set of work days, if only for the rushed chef and part-timer cooks. Don’t get too crazy! Or …
At Agave Kitchen in Hudson, they truly bring the nachos to bear. Or other animal can serve the purpose, for that matter. But the heaping plateful you get, like in so many places, can even exceed the height of a chicken-leg-bone, (more on that option later), but with a lot more meat than bone, and both meats, to different degrees, win in that dollar-saving category. From what I’ve seen Agave is the measuring stick for all things nacho, although many others compete, most of them venues that are more grill than bar, and bring savings but can be up to moderately priced.
That prior night, to Thanksgiving, always proves big in bars, so here’s how you win the scenario. Before the feast fest the next day, put a few friends together — deer hunters widows take heed — scarf down but leave a little in the yummy for the pumpkin and pecan pie, or one piece of each if your left room by avoiding (and I liquidize here) that extra side of thick-or-not salsa.
The leftovers will still rock by the next day or so, except maybe for that turkey, as it might be hard or really dry come time for the big game to come on — and isn’t that the (relatively real) reason we gather on this day, and when we can fit in time to bolt to the table. Unless overtime. But maybe not at eateries, depending on how they treat holidays with staffing.
So when you can, take it to the Nachos Farm, a big part of the Agave and the folklore displayed on their sign and front door. And also weigh in their chicken tacos offered all month.

— We can’t speak for the veracity, however, of what Agave in particular is practicing during these time periods. They are just being used as an example of what can be out there as the holiday takes shape. —

Nachos eaten in and then out, with chicken if you can divine it out on Wednesday and then into Thursday, or Friday, are part of the game, starting the night before. Both meats can later be used in casseroles, enchiladas and lasagna, and/or slice and dice them and add them in from the prior night, working it in the kitchen right before kickoff. And those are only the ones touted on a single online source.
But as you go, largely on the fly on this barrage of days, take care to write down your seasonings and their amount while going at it this season, to reproduce it in other seasons. This way you will not need to reinvent the wheel the next time around.

So to recap, and trying not to waddle: All starts on Thanksgiving Eve, one of the one or two best-attended tavern times each year, and there’s more to do than just basting a turkey. (A beer for each baste?) For those nacho ounces and even pounds could give a hand and have your meal’s popularity rival even football, hey Packers more than the now popular Vikings.
It’s best to resist the idea to make the nachos too forefront, as they’ve been in the fridge overnight waiting to be warmed — especially when it comes to your veggies, so just small-splice on a few tads — and you did remember to put the leftovers, with needs as varying as those of certain picky guests, stored away did you not? Rather, the focus could just be on a ten-pound young tom turkey. That becomes the point.
Tips for nacho hunters:
First, make sure the venue where you got the nachos is open to the idea of leftovers for carryout, as with their happy hours there may even be two-for-ones, or half priced appetizers. Of course this is done as an eat-in cost-leader to bring people, but don’t take too much advantage. This is not a buffet line, granted, but you might be in better luck if the server is someone you know, and could tip, to let it slide. But no pressure.
Hey, you can make a heyday if you work with it — repetition alert on behalf of my server friends as this can be severe — on this a work day if only for the rushed chef and part-timer cooks, as if they are even open they are probably short-staffed. So as servers are hustling too, don’t get too crazy with the amount left on the big plate, and asked to be stowed for an overnight! Or …

To boast cool holiday decore well beforehand, there’s this funky little thing called design. It can be done with pumpkins and squash, making your place full of visual cheer, in the style of the latest occasions. They should be on sale now at the local grocery store, but unless they offer the old gold, standard special of spend a ten-spot, get ten, you might not this holiday be able to afford one for every prominent window in your place, much less a second. So … get them up a week or two before each of the holidays, then after half that time passes, rearrangement them to be in each place they were not the previous week. In would say save the best for last as far as which window first, but it might be just as beneficial to start early and get a good vibe going. switch its colors and shapes, and squash has a bounty — and even sizes around in the house.
And, if these slightly fruity and full items do not meet their end before the holidays end, there can be made pies and such as we near December. But until then …

There are so many more bird-beckoning uses, especially those incorporating chicken, as it is used even when taking a bow to the traditional.
Chicken legs are much cheaper than the rest of the bird, especially the breasts, but there is more waste.
However, making soup on Friday saves the day. Or the broth.
Chicken contains slightly more calories and fats, and less protein. And for strength of (schedule) taste it’s also turkey; so season your chicken well.
Turkey is as much as twice as expensive per pound, since the farmers have more work and time to get turkey to the table.
Chicken has about twice the niacin, although turkey features much more selenium — and more sodium in the case of those deli cuts — and also phosphorus and Vitamin B-6 … so diversify.
Cooking times are much higher and there is more prep time when turkey is the bird. And turkey is juicier, but you have to do it right in the oven, and cuts around thighs have the bigger volume of drips. We talked about that earlier, getting a leg up.
So there you go with my design scenario, two or more ways of putting it onto the platter.

This could be called — OK I’m the one calling it so, like you would an election winner, as in Joe via AP — the tale of a trio of Fridays. How so Joe? As you all do know everything goes in threes, whether it be bad luck or a good power trio, or as a bad-is-good metalhead would note, theologically. And as we go through those through-out the rest of the month, it gets more intense.
Interestingly as an interlude, Irish Cream — a twist on egg-nog? — as you will see below, has not been baled on locally, as a pre-holiday-array-display that’s still by dozens well-stocked by trips to the back cooler, has hanging all kinds of Christmas-cute blue bows (where is the green and red?)

— In the span of less than 60 days, we’ll welcome three big holidays. But running down a theme, which is the fave color among them? Too close to call, a tint or a hue, but there is green and gold. (Squash can have a tint of just about any color, making the vote closer, and their size is just as variable, as it is with orbs that can be as big and bright as … follow the bouncing ball). And is black — rather the browns of oak and other subtle colored leaves — as in Lemmy’s daggered Motorhead hat, a color? Or is it in other ways, also just back to the basics, like spritely spruce.) I muse about a few rather vocal and visual and local solutions. See Notes From The Beat. —

However to start, and since war just will not go away, there will always be veterans, and they’ll get their holiday due, in the form of well deserved freebies. These typically are free meals, although tax and tip may or may not be extra, and they usually come from places that are family oriented, (no surprise), and more about food than drink, are low to moderate in price range anyway and still feature heaping portions, have standard American fare (again a theme that could be seen as patriotic) and although tasty none-the-less rely more on a solid recipe foundation moreso than creativity, and are part of a larger chain so there typically is more than one in your vicinity. The participating restaurants are large in number and all have their different versions of the offer, so the specifics are too many to offer here, so you can check out their websites or better yet what they tout on their signs. This goes beyond TGI Fridays, and that may help you plan because you could have lunch at one spot, dinner at another … as there is no central database saying who indulged where, unlike in so many other situations, even in this time of Big Brother, one thing you fought to guard against concerning the practices of those you fought.
And you can still continue the celebration on the eve of, by taking in a band or two that who knows might sign songs supportive of your service, although I’m guessing most of you, based on the wars that you fought in, are a bit older and might need a nap after the meal(s) as they likely were large enough in size and carbs and just overall short-term gusto to bog you down later. More on music choices, now and what’s been the norm, at the end this post.

But on to the next Friday and a new favorite.
It’s not just the usual wine or craft beer tasting, as Dick’s Market chimes in again with their more and more frequent samplings, and this time we’re talking Bailey’s Irish Creme, with an ample time frame to fit it in, 4-7 p.m. And on the 18th, you can bring home a bottle for a discounted $23.99 and perhaps share it with your Thanksgiving guests. Me-thinks (my new buzz word) that one of the bestest bartenders in the region and plying her trade at more than one bar, is that the event and even the “brewing” of it as its called, is the brainchild of Bailey herself. Dick’s has some other events coming up that will feature several quite different styles to taste, but still along a common theme at a single get-together. Whenever you come in, regardless of day, it seems they have a new crew of brew for you to sip, making them different then the other venues that do this because of the frequency, (although The Cellar’s in Hudson comes somewhat closer, and for some time has been on-and-off-again but recurring more than once a month, and again its often on a Friday).
This time around, based on the volume you are indulging, you might be more up for a band, and I just have to add the group Distilled plays the Wild Badger that night, and other area venues other nights, this time in New Richmond. But is liquor, as in creme, actually distilled, to rehab an old joke? Do the Irish do this fermentation beyond whiskey? There also was an apple sample on a recent day, as part of a name brand liquor that’s new and improved, taking the cake with sales. Since when does watered down, to lessen the strong taste, been a popular thing in Wisconsin? But as far as actually buying more, at those prices, especially, the brew has been known to fly off the shelves. Broadly speaking, the marketing is working. And for Dick’s to do this, their store that is a branch off of the grocer by the same name, had to recently build a new but again adjoining facility that is more than four times bigger, and gut out the other. Is tearing down a liquor store actually legal in this booze-swilling state?
Then the last offering on this Friday.
Deer hunting will be going full boar, and Fleet Farm starts Black Friday ahead of time on the 18th by opening at 6 a.m. for those hunters are used to cracking the crack-of-dawn, saving on all things buck-like. You can get up to 50 percent off, and that’s much better than having just 50 percent of a set of antlers. And prize entries abound. You can even show you cool you are by a free 2022 (not really vintage) collectors cap, with the choice of a logo of more than a dozen gun and stuff providers, so cool that in their multi-word brand names, thus no supermodels out in the woods, there is not a single term that is mentioned twice. They go as far afield as Scent Thief.

A sorta disclaimer, involving the bands you might seek out on these or any weekends. There has been less of a band namedropping for a while, as there are not too many truly news ones with gigs to reference. What’s out there are those who, yes, are veterans of the scene for a number of years, but not many true Warhorses. The range of styles is of course, heavy on classic rock, all types of country, dance and maybe a little folk and funk. And the definitely new may, or may not, be given a gig or two to show the quality of their stuff before they get a mention here. But in addition to the music clubs already out there, which generally have been around for a few years, there are other such venues opening, or getting new owners, one in each of the main western Wisconsin cities or other population centers. More on those as hey come about.

But let’s end the inflated inflation forever, they all said as one, but divided. Or at least until the next term of office.
That’s if they get in, far to the inside, candidates all, and everything again goes full circle. And back in the news is that 4 percent figure.
And just how do they plan to put the breaks on it, before it hits 5 or even 6? Haven’t heard. The oblong football shown at your fave sports bar should not be the topic of how the inflated one bounces. They’ll make you think it’s round.
For if you don’t like their plan, what is yours?
And just to say, stop wasteful spending, just doesn’t cut it. Unfortunately it will always exist, and I predict the winner of the election will be the one who more honestly says he’ll cut it by only 37 percent. Just don’t transpose the digits.

— The cheers are being shown with the full-sentence words of these two venues, celebrating them by the use of their chalk sidewalk renderings, but other than that they are not much alike. Can you guess both of them, from among the other dozens that have shown over time in downtown Hudson? (And psst, there’s another one coming in a while with a whole different style, to try out the area, that is even looking for server assistants, among many other jobs/titles). Test out your trivia chops and weigh whether you cut the mustard at the category, Where Did You See It? —

Hey, I’d put more trust in rock and roll is gonna save the world, rather than its governors and senators. Because by the time an album side is finished — note I didn’t say CD since the problem in DC has gone on that long — they all will be insiders already.
For the truism is that each and every candidate, except a select few Dems, has run up crazily high debt. Just depends whose barrel you pork.
So we’ll go out a limb — not really so much so — and call the GOP the TOP party, if they can show us how they will lead the way out.
God bless them. And Allah too. Buddha is undecided.
I fear TOP is, actually, sorry to say, simply The Obstructionist Party.
“Going to the party, gonna have a real good time,” sings System of a Down, about the system. Using whose dime.
And if its only a nickel, the street will now not get plowed until the next day after a snow. And who do you think will complain first.
Sweeping down my very street today. Or that of the great complainer and his mansion.
One of the Wisconsin, and probably everywhere from here to Wyoming, candidates is portrayed as a big spender for allegedly — always have to say that — supporting a 30 percent hike in Wisconsin’s “already high” gas tax.
Gotta fix those roads somehow. And also, Gimme Shelter.
From Washington and its ways. And On Wisconsin, I fear.
But, maybe, if they increase that gas tax increase to 32.1 percent, we can have that second tier bypass of the Twin Cities through the far east Roberts! Pork-barreling?
So it always comes down to the same old, same old. You get what you pay for.
Uhm … ever driven through Illinois?
You and your posse will find it pothole heaven.
Although here we get into another predicament, that is having those same old two seasons, winter and construction, and one leads into a need for the other. The evil that freeze-ups do.
Do they have as much turmoil with these things in Arizona?

I am not an economist, but my views can still be off the zig-zagging charts.
But really, just how really bad a factor is inflation and/or the big, bad burgeoning by the billions and more federal debt? For perhaps a majority of the last few decades, we have seen presidents on both sides of the aisle run these things up massively, then — usually — be a Behemoth brought back down by the next guy. But despite ascending percentage figures, Wisconsin and the world and our country did not end because of the woes. Leave that to The Doors.
But Fox tells us that one in five families will have trouble getting a turkey on the table. So maybe the economy is a turkey. And figuring it out is for the birds. But we all gotta try. By becoming birds of a feather?
Businesses are now closing, again, we are told every time we turn around even halfway, as the leadership — there is that word again — on all things economic was criticized. I have seen some of that, but it has been worse, in being cyclical. When Trump got in, the bigger of the big businesses knew that they had their man in the White House and suddenly were eager to share the wealth, offering start-up wages as clerks that we’d never seen. The plan seemed to be no plan at all, just let things take their course. Well of course, that only worked for so long. You couldn’t go a block in once profitable downtown Hudson without seeing a closure, or movement to a cheaper rent space.
What is missing here is that this recovery “plan” we keep hearing about never gets mentioned in even passing on the flyers. Granted, I know there are space constraints on the flyers, or they would have to be eight-by-11 or even full ledger or legal size. But the verbage is always the same, (frequent) flyer after flyer.
One candidate is said to be “the clear choice.” Another opines “the choice is clear.” Since I love nuance, I’m voting for the one who admits “I’m really quite murky.”
So this by-comparison solvent company slapped up my inbox and says that wants to save my mortal computer soul, said it would do so by helping my “website authority,” so now I may need this if I want to write about — and joke about — politics.
As far as Mr. Michels, he now has a new rival, gushing with photo images and saying he’s very far to the left, rather than me as a “true conservative.” Wow, that’s like calling Trump a Dem. A computer analytics tool — see even I can learn — says the pix weigh in at 150 mpl, and me-thinks that must be a lot.
The ultimate metaphor here is Metallica’s mocking song Sad But True, throwing in your face all the endless progressions that occur in the process of politicians manipulating to get your vote, then arrogantly not keeping their promises that once won that vote. Worthy of note is that the song came out in the midst of an election year.
Predictably in many of the certain death ads, a dad is shown at the table working out the numbers with worry in order to pay the bills, while in the background in the kitchen there is mom toting an infant.
Ever notice that there is that one photo, and maybe only one, that’s presented of Mandela Barnes make him look like a cocky thug? Why don’t those who oppose come right out and have him flash an occasional gang gesture? He is shown with his head cocked to the side and forehead leaning back, in what could be part of a rap video look.
Even in this day of prices higher than corn stalks, so many people are just bad shoppers, in part because they just don’t have enough time on their hands to compare prices, and from my side of the grocery aisle, there are still fairly decent prices to be found on some items. But I don’t really think everyone should expect to wolf down steak every night. The answer? If you’ve had a big cut in salary? No longer a fat cat? Eat more celery. And if on the more deserving end because of lack of means, let them eat cake. “Standing at the starting line, crouching …”
Gosh, all these several-times-daily ads make me happy to see the monthly auto coupon flyer in the mailbox. Like the savings on service work proposed — and that refers to the car — all the info has been said time after time and very little new has been spelled out in big letters since the primaries. And if I see the word “leadership” pushed one more time, I’m cancelling my subscription … oh wait I can’t really do that unless I tear down my mailbox. And how do you gather all that leadership experience without being a career politician?
See if this reminds you of anything we have going on today. The Israelites, even though they were said to be God’s chosen people, really screwed up at times, in ways where they should have know better. And we wonder why God was perturbed with them enough to have them sacked by rival armies? In one case, Jerusalem was under siege and its people were starving. But one of the Israel commanders was so intent with the idea that his minions who were in need of food should keep up the fighting, and that this was God’s opinion also and the only way to get more rations was to wage more war, that he had 20 years worth of grain destroyed to demonstrate more of a need. That was supposed to be motivation?
My mom said this, wisely. Not every student loan needs to be forgiven, as some people have more means than others, even at an early age (and I don’t think that family should be saddled with the debt). In the time I have known some people working their way through school, and again they really have to hump it, I have seen this scenario: They do not yet have a student loan that needs to be paid back, no mortgage to worry about and rent is cheap college fare, and there still may be mom and dad to fall back on if absolutely needed. So they can be kindly enough to literally, give you the shirt off their back, as they are living in the moment. Two takeaways: Have a better grasp on long-term financial planning, even if that means taking yet another course, and have such payback subject to an easier-than-mortgage-application to determine means, but make it short and simple and erring on the side of the student, (think back to the days, if not an ouch, of 125 percent loan-to-home-value refinancing options).
A parting bit of advice. Conservatives, in particular, tend to repeat information without checking its accuracy. (If Rush says it …) But especially these days, with work hours at a basically record high, people just don’t have time to fact check everything. So here are a few rules to use in evaluation of data before passing it along. Based on a sheer level of judging their capacity, is the source someone who is credible. Or unbiased. Or is the story presented basic enough where it would be hard to get it wrong. And if there is any question, cull out the sharing details like numbers or slim summations. An Ultimate Sin example: Ozzy was said to have bitten the head off a bat while in concert. True, to a point. But there is more to the story, to do it justice, then a sound byte, and those few simple words do not allow the happening to be more than yet another urban myth. Why? And this is telling. The full tale would take two full paragraphs. Nuance, smuance. Politics, smolitics.

Back to another grab bag of not just candy but just a conglomeration of colorful costumed carnage …
The undead, here and there and everywhere, go by many heavy metal song titles and their one band especially, with unending tours: Live After Death; A Live Dead One; Death Live; Live To Die; Death On The Road … But these roads eventually lead to Death Trip Wisconsin.

— Therein, we have in Uncategorized the need to have our mailboxes no longer maligned with election ads. Or absolutely full if you have a small P.O. Box. How much interest is all this postage and paper production accumulating? Less then you might think if the TOP/GOP owns huge printing plants. See tongue-in-cheek stats inside. —

That is getting a bit ahead of ourselves. To hit the real holiday spirit, as practiced these days, gotta go online and check out the vocal analysis of four songs done by The Charismatic Voice under the heading, The Creepier The Better. The first two are about the ultimate vampire boyfriend as sung theatrically by Type O Negative. They have won over my own personal fave and not of the grave Elizabeth Z — and her self-proclaimed spoiled by metal life, to the gothic romance genre.
This not unlike The Who back from that era, prior to the internet, as I am Preaching From My Chair. But not invoking this particular one, being sofa-size and set out on the curb as part of an autumn purge, without the perch of a ghoul on it to guard it, I’d need a truck to move it even with ebay. The lawns leading up to it and the downtown were curt with their lost leaves, (used for Pinterest?), in part because there were not forests, but just a few trees.
So we go paperless …
Thereby becoming the bridge, of the veil, that are other online ads, to drum up a visit to three of most haunted places in “America,” although they look like a big-time Euro cathedral and/or an old prison, and then a not quite as old classic car, so this all meets up with the Matrix.
And more …
Then there’s the pitch — to bring the setting back to local even if using an Old England band — on the marquee of a main drag business that boasts “Hocus Pocus don’t lose your focus.” But uhm … a couple of weeks prior to Halloween, that sign was retooled.
Then brought back again.
I have sang that old Focus song many times in karaoke. Especially since there is now, just in time for All Hallows, a movie by that same name hitting the theatres. The stars, some pretty big names, have had interesting things to say in interviews, about the mixture of comedy/drama and religious accuracy as it concerns real-life witches.
This at the Pantera-less and also Texas-less Cemetery Gates that are at the end of a New Richmond stub road. As signed on the main drag leading into thus, thereby the warning: “No turnaround.” Like hey, when you are planted in the ground, uhm, there definitely is no turning back and leaving, as you are entombed in a tombstoned area. Might as well just say Dead End.
Weeks beforehand, there was creepy music emenating from that area, between stones. Taking it to the max.
Like the weather …
On that first early October snowfall we had, early enough for Halloween and before, that disemboweled inches-from-the-sidewalk head was what’s left of a snowman. And 20 miles to the south, Dick’s Bar again dissects with what’s hanging on the ceiling and not just skulls … are they connected to the leg bone?
One of the earlier residential displays: When a pre-set light would go on at night, if someone walked (lurked?) past, what was shown below was a big ghost so white it did not need the light. But then again, a week before The Big Day it also was taken down.
Also in flux. A pickup truck had plenty of white sheets strung across its windshield, but then again, seven days beforehand they were removed. Methinks Gru and minions had something to do with this. And speaking of him, there is a prominent lawyer at The State’s Other End that bears a strong resemblance and is named Gru-ber (my hyphen).
Then this representation …
The Wild Badger has several bloody good signs, dressed up to look stained by such, even on both doorways and thus seen backwards — do do do do — if viewed from the interior.
Thus at a downtown Hudson haunt, this display on-boards is shaped like a totem pole, if I can use that term, of seven decorated plastic skulls on each side, up and down a pair of two-by-fours alongside the cash register.
There also is that area, where there formerly was a deejay booth, that’s now decked out for the holiday, in many forms of string and theory. Also, 20 miles to the north, is their old deejay booth illuminated in much, but lower scaled, the same way,
In what could only be considered humorous and not completely morbid at Halloween, a big, bad predator (wolf?) ate what they could but kept — only this — a bit of leg on the sidewalk. That leftover rabbit’s foot was certainly not lucky “thirteen” for the bunny.
I’ve seen a placard, outside the grocery store, that listed all the different stuff everyone needs to get shots for. (Including tainted rabbits?) I was stunned by the sheer number, many of them with long names that read like scientific names. Ending in, often, “coccal” and “gitis.” Among those more than 13 different viruses that are said to be a need for inoculation for all and can gettcha, even if not at Halloween, I swear my unlucky-in-always-having-illness-ways friend has inadvertently come across new ones.
But not sick for the party …
Thus just prior to the weekend, there was a thumping bass from, me think’s, a house party. That was at its origin, from the end of a dead end street, me also thinks, but come undone at bar time.
And behold, the many spider webs can turn into fish netting, a (home)coming for finned and thus after Halloween. The webs that would be spun across the area abound more and more, on doors and windows, but only in haunty designs, as cold weather may have killed all the real arachnids.
So along the lawn were those 13-or-so Big Ace bags (as you will see, software not hardware) of now-sidewalk leaves that were bought to form a reverse semi-circle, down the road from the aformentioned sofa, if you are tired of all the ghoulies and want to sit (it out).
Or ride …
There were all those scores of motorcycles circling around, hoping to make a score, in the rally of the day, heading south after a series of turns with more to come through what passes in Roberts as a frontage road, and then back north again to abide with your abode on actual highways.
This is not Happy Trails, but one along the way has an I-think-seven fluffy ghosts strung onto now bare branches in front of a porch just a stone’s throw away.

How can I describe the marketing plan, or absence of such, by places who are having their adult-themed costume contests this weekend. Saved by Zero? If you are working for the weekend, it will be mostly a kids night out and that can be OK too, as those are mainly the ones that advertise, even if only flyers on most every wall around town. More of that in a bit, and I do have a bee in my (suitably ugly) bonnet. And I do hope I’m not being too harsh in my analysis. But if Facebook is your only stock and trade …
Here is some good news!
There are others, and I will name them, who have stepped up to the plate and actually done the legwork to get the word out about there cool offerings, not just leaving it to chance. And not be weak in the knees about it. As was recommended by their peers up and down the main drag. So they show us the way, shining like White Knights on this Hallowed Day and Eve.
Take that example, The Bees Knees boutique in downtown Hudson. In addition to offering cool Halloween gear — I personally love the Halloween twist of treatment they gave to a non-needled Christmas Tree loaded with spooky decorations as this becomes a place for all seasons — they will on Monday give a clever 31 percent off any one item when donating a toothbrush and toothpaste for Operation Help … sweet treat samples and giveaways all day … bring in your dressed-up trick or treaters for a special treat. They describe their venue as a special place with just a bit of sass and it shows. And their mainstays will be dressed on a secret theme, with paw prints as a hint. And for those adults, at nightclubs in the immediate area, there will still be some semblance of fare for those over 21, even though its a Monday.
But beforehand …
Dick’s Liquor in New Richmond has free wine tasting on Friday, Oct. 28, from 4-7, p.m. of course for you vampires, but well before the witching hour. Three wines are offered, one partially and fittingly named Gnarled Head. And a friend who I think I could refer to as a hipster, has a secret surprise get-up for those coming into her abode to get libations. She had thought being Sully, and Scully, and Mulder from the X-Files — truly spooky — but has usually found it hard to get another better half. So here’s a hint: She describes her look, aided by a friend from The Continent, as a combo of American slob, in a good way, and European chic.
Then to the Hudson Public Library, which has close to 13 different types of Halloween events going on that are mostly ongoing, most involving book reading and nerd science, but also the typical pumpkin and costume party in the nearby park on Saturday — and you gotta love that on the table hawking these activities, there is some green pudding-like goo to stick your hands into, with even speckles of slightly different tones spiked into it. (But scary costumes discouraged, as the night approaches the day? OK I guess we can be cool with that). And the usual slate of Chamber sponsored Halloween parties is also on the day itself for New Richmond and River Falls, but — boo! — early on the 27th in Hudson, on a single street named Locust, where if you had the best carved pumpkin you would also merit a glowing string of plastic light. Or more than one? All these activities are on kid-friendly, boutique-shopping-style hours. As are things like the again, Halloween evening of, Rotary Club costume parade in Hudson and its typically hundreds of minions.
And thus for some of the rest, the New Richmond Rotary teams up with the local Kiwanis for a haunted trail drive-through. Scary (Mary) Park option. Like a Cross-Eyed Mary by Jethro Tull for all those classic rock parents? Let’s make this first-time thing an annual event.

— As is and has been two of the top value parties of Saturday. As far as cash and dueling deejays, not their ads. So far off-the-brow-beaten-track I put them under Uncategorized, as not to be further scattered around. —

And as always, for more info on any of these various offerings, see their Facebook entries. Put’s a new face on things?!? Maybe.
But why do I be coy? Read below.
As for some of the holiday’s rest, (or rust in peace this season?), how many times have we not heard it at a nightclub: Oh we do all our own social media marketing, thank you. All their eggs in one basket, to reference another holiday.
Translation: Having someone like a yahoo regular maybe, or maybe not, throw something up on Facebook and hope for the best.
This could be called the new cronyism, (no longer just political), done for only one reason and’s this — its basically free.
Cronyism is the practice, speaking for this particular purpose, of delineating assignments due to knowing someone personally, not taking into account any type of real qualifications. Networking gone amuck, in the worst way.
It’s marginalizing your marketing so it does not reach the masses — at worst times having it delegated to one of those same guys who sits at your bar every night, or at least some such person working behind the bar, and in some cases not even being to pass all of a moderate-level grammar or spelling test.
So this is an inside club inside an inside club.
After a beer or two see what you can compose, not having the writing done by a professional journalist. And the results show. Big time. And yes, they may have a (high-priced) pro marketing team, or go through with the idea that likewise, the bands should bring in their own entourage, cart blanche.
But Facebook? A few of the problems with this approach: (1) The content is not crafted by a skilled writer and “woo hoo the band is awesome” just doesn’t cut it in a non-caveman world, and many times does not even say what kind of music a band plays. (2) The only people seeing and reading the posts are those who are the same old hangers-on anyway and so the ad does not even reach hardly anyone new, who wouldn’t see it unless they are always there anyway, and therefore are some of the only tuning in. (3) In a good percentage of the cases, by the time the information finally gets posted, its too late for people to make plans anyway. (4) Often what is posted is simply a hard-to-read screen shot of that same poster that is — up again the wall in the bar. Only seen by those who step inside …
So the only ones at your bar for your big Halloween event are those who are there so often it would be hard for them not to know. Having people who are not regulars showing up? Forget it. And that dream of having a party bus come in from the Twin Cities. It will forever be just a dream. And want to bring in a whole new crowd. Psst, hey buddy, can you spare a Benjamin? Or even less?
So as club owners get cheaper and cheaper with their ad money, ask them for a ten-spot and they choke on their beer, the comprehensiveness of a report such as this one, which costs about a penny for interested viewer, on Halloween to-dos can lag.
If you are not on Facebook …
Then you won’t know what’s to be had from The Bungalow, to Bobcat’s, to Bobtown, to the Badger, to Broz, to the bowling alleys … your option is to stay home and help geeky kids stumble to the door and stuff their faces full of chocolate.
Actual example. Quite some time back at the Village Inn in North Hudson, I was having a beer and at the other end of the bar was the owner, Leigh, who again was how can I say this … sloppy. He was lamenting how often his bands simply tank, and I told him that he needs to advertise, so people will even know that music is to be had there. (This was before he put up his admittedly cool, and very expensive neon sign, that will only be seen by those driving past on Hwy. 35). His response to me? So you think your website is an answer, and I said basically yes, as a small part of an overall planned strategy that is not dreamt up what, the night before the haunting starts? But he continued, The Jorgenson band gets results. Uhm, because they can present a persuasive argument, much less compose a sentence? For that fancy sign, I could probably give Leigh a hundred three-paragraph ads.
So if a sign only says, “live music.” That could be reggae or rock, folk or funk, blues or country, disco or death metal? People won’t know so they will just keep on driving.
So diversify your getting the word out, my friends! And there are plenty of avenues for such even on this side of the river. Yes, this onslaught of ad hopefuls can be overwhelming for a club owner, but it is in fitting with this season, your blessing and your curse. Make it the former.

Bail without cash, is an election year pitch. Or if not, didn’t have enough drug money to get out of your cold cell, even as the bell begins to chime.
But don’t worry when you vote, good people, there will still not be felons there. (And for more about some good people and their fittingly sparkling sign the length of a limo, reference the question on Where Did You See It. We’re only kidding about the noise ordinance at risk, there was that clap-dot-com segment of the signage).
But not to bail, here’s the backtrack to the more (somber) point: To get out of the merry-go-round in and out of your cell, but only as far as a courtroom, it will take many thousands of dollars even for many a type of minor misdemeanor. I merely want the punishment — and its financial cost that doesn’t really even help families — to fit the crime.
Just getting a public defender does not alleviate the cash crunch to exit incarceration until you are actually tried, and maybe found guilty. Or more likely just plea bargained at some point way down the line.
And those awful rock stars you fear will likely be … uhm … elsewhere also, not biggies for the voting booth. They could be poster children for this problem, since at its root are people who indulge, rightly ow wrongly, in certain things, and get to sing poignantly about the consequences. And how to fix them.
That was an over-generalization, of course. But in this article I will introduce you to a couple of actual families for whom the scenarios, of which cash bail is only the beginning of the legally induced or at least perpetuated money crunch, are very real. And you don’t get much of a chance to hear their words, as they get stuck behind bars for … God knows how long. I thought we were innocent until proven guilty. At that point being locked up for a while is OK … much of the time, but even the likes of petty theft can land you there, eventually, at least for a bit, clogging those very cells for only minor offenses. Via the dollars of both they and you taxpayers, as the system slowly grinds on in what has become an industry in itself.
There are people sitting in that judicial sinner’s box, in a back corner of the courtroom, that’s much like a scarlet letter to accompany their orange jumpsuits who are just, sorry to call it this, simple-minded to the point where they fall between the deep and wide cracks of the court system. And they stay put because, what, they often got there in the first place because they are in socio-economic-becomes-all-assets-to-be-tapped situations, if they have much money to spare at all. Do not deceive yourself, this becomes a cash cow situation for at least the county, and if you don’t have the bucks you’ll end up staying put in your cell at length before charges are even far into consideration. And we’re not just talking serial killer types here.
Minor offenders just get dumped into the probation system, and crimes usually involving at least sometimes a chemical or two soon to be legalized are often stuck there — for years on end. Or decades. Or nearing a lifetime.
Two such sinners in the eye of the system …
A poster family with a situation that that puts a human face on this, which produces frowns on offenders each day across our great land. The man was soft spoken when he spoke at all, and sorry to say, did not appear cerebral and having the education as such to be more than simple-minded. Quiet to the point of showing that he’d been beaten down by life, society, and especially the criminal justice system. Just listen to the judge pontificate, without really saying anything new, with hands partially folded and eyes cast downward at the table where all the allegedly “criminal” types sit through their whole time in the courtroom — except when required to sit in the same set of rows, like so many church pews, that also house the juries when they meet outside their box, hopefully, wearing demeaning orange jail jumpsuits. His significant other, don’t know if they were married, sat far away and appeared to be of the same mind set and challenged skill set, it just that his/hers in frustration did something to her/and the kids. “Hit here?” Maybe even just shouted too much?
As I watched this unfold, this becomes clear as the sun and day criminals never see in their fully walled “rehabilitation” cells: These and other such people don’t need to be counseled at length about their criminal ways; all they need is a bit of help with their parenting — official or unofficial and you wonder if he/she had the educational background needed to fully know such things and did they even complete high school and home ec and this does not mean that experience is the best teacher? — and they will not be here in court again and we’ll all be good. But for now back in your cell, to remain there until the attorneys and judge can fit you in around their calendar, with many a vacation, even if its just an extended weekend at the cabin.
A second do-round on this …
I met a man who drives for a service that provides transportation to elderly and disabled people, who has a 32-year-old son with ADHD and bi-polar disorders, a combo that lands many people in and out of jail for years for low-level offenses. He currently, the father said, has been incarcerated in Montana for about a year, not his first time around with this. I asked what crime landed him serving so much time and the dad appeared dumbfounded by the question and had no ready answer. He did know this much: The son had his medication taken away upon entry and he believes has not gotten it since. That is a killer set of bad circumstances, for someone with those conditions, that sometimes has meant just that when a doctor is not part of the picture, and that apparently is the case with his case. Dad himself appears to have Asperger’s and is just too simply-minded to be an advocate for his son, who probably just needs a good lawyer to see that he gets medical help and not another ticket to jail, eating up taxpayer money to have him housed, meaning Joe Citizen has a vested interest in him getting clean. But then we are talking major bucks again, this time for the charged young man, if that prodigal son ever even was? Is this yet another case of someone not making bail and being held for months for a crime that when all is said and done, probably would end up, with a good lawyer and not a public defender, being a small fine — not nearly what the bail would be — and a large amount of probation.
Does such a man, with his medical condition, even deserve to be legally punished at all? Or a slap on the wrist? The general populace would be better off from a money standpoint, just to get him some serious help at Mayo. That is a very layered and complex situation that I hope to undertake later. But for now, a showcase of all the fees someone like this man will end up paying, keeping him poor enough so that he feels he will have to do something criminal to simply survive, and he lands back in the pony again …
The winners and losers.
There are so many fees that benefit so many different agencies. (And if not so, why all the obsession with prosecuting petty criminals. I get the community policing benefit to all those on the straight and narrow, but that explanation only goes so far). The answer is always to achieve/force absolute sobriety. Screw the idea of having a glass of wine, just one, with your significant other over dinner to mend fences. Oh, you were rotting in jail anyway and could not be there and attend. For her. For the kids.
How’s this for fees? That second AODA assessment, since a couple of years had passed since the first one, which was passed. A total of $309, footed by the alleged criminal. And the judge left it sit on the shelf and never looked at it! (Actual example). And there’s the possibility of having to pay for regular alcohol/drug testing fees. Then domestic abuse assessment, when the assessor gets wrong the instructions, although they’re implicitly spelled out more than once, so the judge needs to weigh at length if it need a redo, the right kind of behavior to be scrutinized this time, again on the offenders nickel. (Second actual example). And you have to pay for seeing a probation officer, who often will pick up the slack by needing knowledge also in psychology, relationships of all types, financials and hopefully later on fiscal responsibility, science and medicine … These are the people in the criminal justice system that totally win the game. (But if you can’t get transportation to their office at the other end of a city at a time, or can’t be available at all times during a wide range that was given just an hour or two before, more fees).