Academy of Local Politics

Battling wind, rain and popped tires, our team of Divided We Fail cyclists recently crossed the state of Iowa in a seven-day bike ride known as RAGBRAI - Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa . From July 19 to July 26, our team joined thousands of riders to complete the 472 mile journey, while spreading the word about breaking through partisan gridlock. Champ and the ChampMobile came along for the ride - a major attraction for race participants and spectators alike.

What started as a casual bike ride among friends in 1973 has evolved into the longest, largest and oldest bicycle touring event in the world. RAGBRAI is a really big deal in Iowa, and the entire state gets into spirit. Thousands of people gave up their spare bedrooms and basements to host cyclists, invited strangers in for a meal or simply showed their support along the way.

Everyone seemed to take a break from the hectic pace of the day-to-day routine to make you feel special.- whether it was the legendary Mr. Pork Chop, who served grilled pork chops along the route; assisted living residents, who let us camp out at their facility; or Iowa State University cheerleaders, who came out to cheer us on. The Hawkeye spirit really is something to behold.

Wearing our stylish Divided We Fail jerseys, we were quite the talk of RAGBRAI. Together with Champ and the Champmobile, we were able to talk to people from all walks of life about about health care and life-time financial security and the need to end partisan gridlock.

One of the highlights of our ride was In North Liberty. The Champmobile joined us at a Cajun zydeco concert sponsored by AARP. Hundreds people signed the Divided We Fail pledge, and we passed out stickers to everyone in sight. We were even invited to get on stage to talk about Divided We Fail and throw t-shirts into the audience. The crowd loved it -- and so did we.

RAGBRAI was definitely the experience of a lifetime...maybe we'll see you there next year!

Visit our online community to see more pictures from the week.

As someone who is fascinated by tourism promotion, I have been very interested in following where the Fonzie statue will be located in Milwaukee. It has been a journey. If you don't know who Fonzie is..or why he deserves a statue you can stop reading here.

According to the Milwaukee Journal...

The latest location - and project organizers insist it's the final location - is on the east bank of the Milwaukee River, just south of Wells St., it was announced Tuesday.

The site near E. Wells St. is the third proposed location since the project surfaced publicly in September. At that time, project organizers were looking at the RiverWalk plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and one-half block west of N. Water St. But that site was dropped in part because arts supporters said the Fonzie statue could detract from future public art planned for that area.

Fonzie detract from "future public art planned for that area?" How snobbish!

In March, Visit Milwaukee said the statue would be on the RiverWalk next to Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave., on the river's west bank. That section of the RiverWalk draws a fair number of people, especially in summer.

But members of the RiverWalk District, which contributed $10,000 of the project's $85,000 cost, wanted the statue be in a more visible site.

More visible site?

Aaaah... this is Fonzie.

Build it anywhere and "they will come".

The statue, which is being created by Lake Mills artist Gerald Sawyer, will be dedicated Aug. 19 ... 10 a.m., and will be an invitation-only event, because of limited space.

Anyone who thinks that it might detract from future art in the area need not attend.

More County Board Representatives get elected (or re-elected) without opposition than any other level of government. I have no facts to back that statement up... just observation.

Case in point... Oneida County, Wisconsin.

News of the North tells us the story of how a new Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) ordinance was passed.

For those readers who live in areas that do not have lakes, AIS is the transportation of weeds from one lake to another on a dirty boat. It is similar to a bee cross pollinating from one plant to another. However, while the bee is doing good work, AIS is definitely not.

Members of the Land and Water Conservation committee proposed the county ordinance after receiving the green light from the state attorney general's office as to its legality, when it became clear that there would be no state law concerning AIS regulations this year. "At least we will have this in place in the meantime," said committee member supervisor Tom Rudolph.

The new ordinance will impose a $200 to $500 fine on any person transporting a watercraft over county highways which has aquatic invasive species attached to it.

Supervisor Romelle Vandervest said that the county had to "start somewhere" and that the ordinance was as good a place as any. She said that when she visited Minnesota she learned people there clean their boats immediately after pulling them out of the water. "The kids got under the boats and pulled off the weeds and the parents had their shammies out wiping down the sides," she said.

I don't know of anyone who believes AIS is a good thing. But. this ordinance did not get passed without controversy.

Supervisor David O'Melia, chairman of the law enforcement committee, was concerned that enforcing the law would put an undue burden on the sheriff's department. "You mean we're going to arrest people for having weeds on their boats now? Somehow, I don't think the sheriff's department will think this is very important," he said.

Agreed. It won't be at the top of their enforcement list. However, there are many laws that aren't on the top of the enforcement list that are "on the books" for a purpose.

Supervisor Pat C. Peters agreed. "This is just another excuse to stop the poor fisherman who just had two beers, for drunk driving or whatever," she said.

That statement is bordering on "I got elected unopposed."

But, the winner for the "I got elected unopposed' statement goes to Supervisor Gary Baier.

"I don't know how many people can identify AIS. If someone has a dandelion hanging off their trailer, will they get pulled over?

The county's AIS coordinator Jennifer Holman gently responded...

The identification of weeds, she said, is not important, since if a watercraft has vegetation on it, the vegetation is aquatic. "These boats are not navigating through dandelion or grass fields," she said.

Except for maybe... the drunk driver?

Every city should be known for "something". No matter how large or small. It is called marketing. The purpose is to capture outside money which is then churned again and again and again through the local economy. 

Some cities struggle for years to find their marketing niche and never do. They never come up with a logo or slogan that works for them.

Then there is Weed, California.

Weed (Population 3000) is named after the city's founder Abner Weed. Located on Highway 5 in northern California. According to this AP news report...California tourism officials have identified Weed as the single most recognized name along I-5.

That is quite a feat! The most recognized name along Highway 5!

For decades, Weed's name has become synonymous with pot-smoker humor, and locals will tell you it's a common sight to see red-eyed, tie-dye clad college students posing in front of the town's Weed highway signs, flashing thumbs ups for the camera...

Gas stations sell “High on Weed, CA” shirts and hats to tourists passing through town...

Mayor Chuck Sutton said the city's chamber of commerce has used another play on words, “Weed like to welcome you,” to promote the town.

But, Weed has a problem. More specifically, a small local beer brewery has a problem.

Weed brewer Vaune Dillmann faces possible sanctions or fines from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau if he continues to brew and sell beer with bottle caps printed with the label “Try Legal Weed.”

Huh? Puns are now illegal? it seems so.

The labels on his beers have a picture of the Weed arch and the city's founding father, Abner Weed, on the label. Dillmann's bottle caps also say a “A Friend in Weed is a Friend Indeed."

But...

Bureau spokesman Art Resnick said Monday that the bottle caps tell consumers to support an illegal drug -- a policy that violates rules of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Mr. Dillmann's response ...

The owner of the Mount Shasta Brewing Co. said he's also outraged that his beer is being singled out for using a possible pot play on words when Anheuser-Busch has used “Bud” -- another name for marijuana -- to promote its Budweiser line of beers.

“What's the difference here?” Dillmann said. “They sell Bud -- we sell Weed.”

Touche!

Siskiyou County Supervisor Michael Kobseff is coming to the defense of the brewery and city. In a letter to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's administrator, Kobseff writes...

“Surely, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is not in the business of suppressing the ingenuity of a small business owner, (and) the community of Weed ...,”

Mr. McCain... Mr. Obama... Mrs. Clinton.

What is your position on puns?

I recently wrote about the fifteen minutes of fame Dixville Notch, NH receives each election cycle. Small town pride is taken very seriously.

The Associated Press tells us the story of two competing small towns over the title of "Ice Box of the Nation". The ongoing claim to this fame, is now headed to the courts.

On one side of the lawsuit is Fraser, CO. On the other side is International Falls, MN.

The two chilly municipalities fought an earlier cold war over the motto decades ago that ended in 1986 with Fraser giving up its "official" claim to the trademark in exchange for $2,000 from International Falls.

But the Minnesota city last year acknowledged it had inadvertently failed to renew its federal trademark back in 1996, even while keeping a state trademark up to date. That allowed Fraser to file its own application.

Fraser officials say their town has used the phrase since 1956, and officials in International Falls say they've used it since 1948. The dueling lawsuits ask city officials to prove it.

You would hope that this type of situation could be resolved without a lawsuit but evidently not.

The Summit Daily News in Frisco, Colo. reported an attempt to settle it with a duel failed when Fraser wanted it to be a contest on snowshoes and the Minnesota mayor wanted a snowball fight.

Unlike my proclamation to visit Dixville Notch if given the opportunity, I have no desire whatsoever ... to even slightly go out of my way ... to visit Fraser or International Falls.

"Ice Box of the Nation" is not a claim to fame, that entices me to visit.

How about you?