In just three days, on April 12, the U.S. will observe the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, considered the start of the Civil War — or War Between the States, take your choice — which tore our…
The folks who brought you “South Park” have a new target for ridicule and “humor” in their upcoming Broadway musical: the Mormon church. A Reuters article appearing four days ago described how the musical, “The Book of Mormon,” will have…
I’m seeing the world through new eyes these days — almost literally. Yes, Old Corporal had his second and final cataract surgery last Monday. For the first time since I was about 12 years old, I can see things clearly,…
Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s attorney general, apparently thinks that only “his people” have ever been victims of voter intimidation — and many other things. At a recent congressional hearing, Holder brushed off questions about his department’s failure to pursue voter…
The riots in the streets that were plaguing Europe just a few months ago have now come to America, just as many predicted they would. Athens, Greece, meet Madison, Wisconsin. No, I won’t compare the monstrous temper tantrum union members…
The comedians, God bless ’em! Without the funny men — and women — we would be condemned to watch nothing at the movies and on TV but drama, adventure, and musicals. It’s good to see those movies and shows that…
American Renaissance, a racial realism blog site and organization founded in 1990 by a man named Jared Taylor, was low-bridged again at the end of this past week, right on the eve of what AmReners thought would be their semi-annual…
Life’s funny, isn’t it, in the way it apportions winners and losers? Some rise to the top, like cream, despite all kinds of supposed disadvantages. Others sink to the bottom, like stones, despite having apparent good chances in life. In…
Madison showed today that it could mount a protest demonstration that was peaceful, people friendly — and which probably played a role in positive developments in the Jay-C Store’s scheduled closing drama. A group, led by organizer Jan Vetrhus and…
With New Year’s Eve fast upon us, I hope you’ll indulge Old Corporal as he takes stock of 2010 in the Madison area, and offers some opinions with which some people obviously will not agree. —— OK, folks, everybody who…
Joey Romano glanced around at the Christmas decorations in Stanford’s Fine Dining, the priciest restaurant the town of 12,000 offered. Pretty nice, he thought; kind of old-fashioned. Old-fashioned St. Nicholas on the mantle; real Christmas tree with all colors of…
Julian Assange, the smarty-pants ultra-liberal who has been thumbing his nose at the U.S. on his WikiLeaks website by making public hundreds of thousands of confidential government communications, now is threatening that if he is arrested by anyone or his…
A young American woman with more high ideals than sense opted to attend a trendy, “leading” university, and now, having graduated, finds that she owes $200,000 in student loan repayments — $891 per month, which she says she “can’t afford.”…
Now that the Republicans have swept into office, we can fix Social Security. Laugh, boy! That’s a joke! The GOP and the Democrats both have been kicking the can of our federal retirement program down the road for so long,…
Zounds! There are actually elected Republicans who will be running offices, instead of just running for offices, in the Jefferson County Courthouse, come Jan. 1! How long has it been since that happened? Let’s see: Auditor’s office, 1976, as near…
Who was the greatest jazz trumpeter or cornetist of all time? Louis Armstrong? Harry James? Maybe Dizzy Gillespie? Wrong. Try Bix Beiderbecke. Who? Leon Bismarck “Bix” Beiderbecke was a legend in his own time for his all-too-brief career, playing his…
Two years from now, give or take a few months, the King’s Daughters’ Hospital & Health Services will be moving from its century-plus location in downtown Madison to its new campus in the middle of a field on East S.R.…
(Mary Kate Skeffington, best waitress at Dinty Callahan’s Restaurant in South Boston, circa 1925, receives a large, unexpected cash Christmas present from two mysterious customers. She and the surly restaurant manager who is secretly in love with her, Michael J.…
You could probably say that, from ages 11 to 18, Ginger was my best friend. She was certainly more consistently friendly, more consistently accessible, and less judgemental, than any of my other friends. And she never tried to borrow money…
Memo to President Barack Obama: The American people DO NOT want a Muslim mosque built just 600 feet from Ground Zero in New York City, where almost 3,000 people died because of Muslim fanatics. And, Mr. President, your party’s chances…
A paranoid, delusional American black man; a lying, controlling Egyptian immigrant obsessed by his patriarchal family religion and by some of its more bizarre, even murderous, “commandments.” And two very foolish American White women who allowed themselves to become involved…
Last Wednesday’s contentious meeting of the Jefferson County Public Library Board did not appear to solve any problems, despite verbal statements made to the board by eight members of the community, including Old Corporal. The seven-member board and the library…
For many years, the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library and its board have operated “under the radar” in this community. Quick — tell me the name of just one member of the current board. You can’t, can you? Neither can I…
Here in Madison we’ve named streets, buildings, etc., in honor of people who played a big part in our history. Lanier Drive; John Paul Park; E.O. Muncie School; the Drusilla Medical Building … They’ve been the city’s founder, a banker…
“Be afraid — be very, very afraid!” — America’s new national motto? If I were still a drinker — which I’m not — and I went into a liquor store to buy a case of Bud or a pint of…
Bangkok is burning. What a shame. The madness that seems to be increasingly sweeping the world has finally reached a country that, for one brief week 45 years ago, was like a fairyland for me. The Thai government, through the…
The American Left has been in the position it likes best the last week and a half: “Outraged,” marching in the streets, preening itself about its “moral superiority,” and, oh, yes, setting fires and smashing windows and anything else it…
Arizona has taken a draconian — but quite possibly constitutional — step to try to control the explosive flow of illegal, mostly Mexican, immigrants across its borders. The new law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last Friday puts the burden…
The Tea Party Movement, which came to Madison Saturday, has matured enough in its year of existence to have a sense of humor about itself. “Welcome, my fellow political terrorists, Nazis and tired old people!” yelled organizer Joe Boone to…
The Tea Party Movement will finally arrive in Madison this coming Saturday, April 17. Local people and some visitors concerned about a number of trends in the U.S. today will hold a Tea Party rally at 3 p.m. on the…
Butler came within an eyelash of inspiring another “Hoosiers” movie — of completing a roundball holy trinity with the Milan Indians and the Hickory Huskers. It didn’t quite make it — Duke was just too tough, too big — but…
Marzi Pan Cakery & Deli at 2034 Lanier Drive will be doing a trial run starting at sunrise tomorrow (Monday, April 5) with free doughnuts for anyone coming in. Rob Youngblood, co-owner of the new bake shop/diner along with his…
“A dream is a wish your heart makes …” — From Walt Disney’s Cinderella (Photos by Stephanie Hellmann, Nice Shots) Since he was a 12-year-old boy washing dishes in Madison’s Dieken’s Bakery, Rob Youngblood has had such a dream, in…