Beltmann

Indeed.

My instinct was to forget the letter--after all, these are heated times--but my wife decided to inform the police, just in case a paper trail was needed. Turns out that at least five other neighbors had already reported receiving the letter, and police are investigating it as a crime. The story also featured on at least two Milwaukee TV news stations.

I don't know. Barrett is very likable and everyone agrees that he's a nice, sincere guy. But he ran a lackluster campaign in 2010, and again seemed unable to find his message in 2012, other than "I'm not Scott Walker." Unfortunately, he was definitely the strongest Democrat in the primary (I supported him from the start).

On the point of the new culture of demonization and intimidation in Wisconsin, my wife and I received the above letter in our newspaper box today (along with a full-page poem about "Unionistas"). My first instinct is to dismiss it as just a one-off by a wingnut, but this kind of thing has become extremely common over the last year and a half. You wouldn't believe the stuff happening between neighbors and within families. We have a long list of first-hand experiences. The letter writer, of course, is self-evidently a childish and unserious person. (The irony is that this person lacked the

Thanks, Tweedling. I know that you mean it, and I appreciate it.

My wife and I are both teachers in Wisconsin. When you factor in everything--changes in salary schedules, changes in health insurance and coverage, changes in retirement--our household income dipped about $12,000. Meanwhile, most Wisconsinites received a tax break. That's how Walker defines "shared sacrifice." Walker has been very successful in cherry-picking and distorting facts in order to demonize teachers, labeling them as the "haves" pitted against the "have-nots," even though, when total compensation is considered, teachers were already making less than their private-sector counterp

There's nothing "difficult" or courageous about a decision to ram through radical laws simply because you control both houses of the legislature. In fact, that's the definition of taking the easy route. Finding common ground, finding ways to unify rather than divide, finding ways to not rip apart a state--that's managing. What he did was conquer and vilify not based on facts but on political calculation; scapegoating is not leadership. To answer the question about the WI economy... there are different measures, but even the most optimistic still shows WI lagging behind nearly every state

An hour ago I was standing in a park, listening to Mahlon Mitchell at a rally in West Bend, the heart of ultra-right-wing Washington County. Lots of energy and lots of enthusiasm about getting out the vote. Hopefully tomorrow's turnout will be historic and befuddle the pollsters.

In 2007, by now this thread would have had about five pages of passionate outrages and defenses. Ah, the good ol' days...

WOW! That's amazing. I'm thrilled for you, Sarah!

I recently watched Miss Bala and felt that Carlos was a clear influence, especially in terms of tone.

I'm currently on my third pass through, and this one doesn't strike me as a grower. I think I love it. I've been listening to "Love Interruption" ever since it hit the Internet, and that's the obvious standout, but there are others here that might be its equal. I agree with Muzzle of Dan that the piano really works; about an hour ago I remarked to my wife that all the unexpected piano sounded terrific.

Plus, when Death of a President was released, there was plenty of outrage from all corners. Even Hillary Clinton denounced it for being irresponsible.

Now be honest, Wendy... Which cartoon character do you always think of when you see me? (Bob Saget doesn't count.)

Not all conservatives are willing to spew that nonsense. Ramesh Ponnuru, a leading conservative thinker, wrote a piece for NRO called "The Freeloader Myth."

I would highly recommend the nonfiction film Give Up Tomorrow (2011), a hoppin’ mad story of wrongful imprisonment that eventually indicts the upper echelons of the Philippines government.

Santorum is coming to my small WI city on Monday, and he's bringing the Duggar Family with him (they are providing song and testimony at a local church tonight) as part of his campaign entourage. There is no region more Santorum-friendly than this tri-county area; this is the reddest of red Wisconsin. My wife and I are seriously thinking about moving.

I really, really liked their first album--and I loved the Format--but this new one is pretty uneven, I think.

Sometimes that works. I share your enthusiasm for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot--it's my favorite, too--but Being There is next on my list. Welcome to the board, by the way!

I hear the "all-style-no-substance" complaint about Drive a lot, and cannot agree. First, I've always believed that style is substance--after all, a film's style is a window into the director's point-of-view--but I also believe that Drive offers quite a bit to chew on. At first the style suggests mere pastiche (early Michael Mann and the French New Wave are clearly referenced, and the opening sequence would make Hitchcock envious), but eventually that style gives way to something more deliberate, mesmerizing, and inquisitive. On a basic narrative level, I thought the characters were all car

The only reason I'd vote for Dujardin is because I can't think of any other actor who could play such an outsize, throwback role. The Artist works almost exclusively because of the unique presence of Dujardin. (Can you imagine someone else pulling it off?) There's absolutely nothing wrong with Clooney's performance--he's genuinely terrific--but The Descendants probably could work just as well with another well-cast actor at its center. That's not a knock on Clooney; it's merely an acknowledgment that Dujardin gave us a singular gift at the movies this year. The argument has been beaten t

I've seen everything except for a handful in the Foreign, Documentary, and Shorts categories. I don't much care about predicting winners, but if I was a member of the Academy my ballot would include The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick, Jean Dujardin, Viola Davis, Jonah Hill, and Octavia Spencer in the major categories. For Screenplay, I'd likely pick The Artist and Moneyball. Huh. I just realized that I wouldn't vote for The Descendants in any category, even though it was one of my three favorite films of the year. Weird how that plays out.

Same here... "Firefox can't find the server at www.sooutoftune.org." Been trying all week.

His movie about A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes & Life, has been on DVD for a few months now. Worth a look.