On Wisconsin, A Meditation..revised

Until  May 24, 1967, Wisconsin forbade the sale of "oleomargarine," or margarine. I remember this from my childhood. The prohibition of selling margarine in Wisconsin. I had a cousin in Milwaukee and on Sundays we went to visit. We brought margarine. This had to be my first inkling of state's rights.

You can read an interesting account of the "Butter versus Margarine," contretemps in the link.

Here is what I remember about those trips in the late 50s.

A & W Root Beer Stand on the highway, across the border which is now  I-94.



I am the guy standing next to James Dean



Current Route of  I-94

There was and is the Mars Cheese Castle.

Wisconsin is home to varying types of political opinions.



Robert Marion "Fighting Bob"^[1] La Follette, Sr. (June 14, 1855 – June 18, 1925). "vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, World War I, and the League of Nations.

Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) He beat La Follette's son in the GOP primary by under 3 percent (or 5,000 votes) in 1946. McCarthy ironically paired with Roy Cohn, during the infamous Army/McCarthy hearings. Ironic because McCarthy hated homosexuals as much as he hated communists. And Cohn was a closeted gay man.



Russell Dana "Russ" Feingold ( born March 2, 1953) . Remember McCain/Feingold.



Wisconsin is also home to the Green Bay Packers. They are the bête noire of the Chicago Bears.
The Packers began life on 1919. The Chicago Bears also began life in 1919.



1919 Packers

 

 

 1919 Chicago Black Sox with the alleged game fixers circled.

 





How else to conclude but the Sermon on the Mount as seen through the eyes of Monty Python.

 



Oh wait, there is one thing more...



No, there is never enough of Wisconsin. All 50 states of being can be encapsulated in Wisconsin. It's got the city, the suburbs, the farms, the paper mills, the dairy, the whole deal with Oshkosh and experimental aircraft, Harley, the hippies in Madison, the hippies in Appleton, The Brat Stop, Pleasant Prairie Outlet malls, Tommy Bartlett, Hank Aaron, Jim Taylor. (great fullback for the Packers), Paul Hornung (great man of the world) etc.

Sure, I could go on and list another 35 facts or opinions I have about Wisconsin to get to 50. But I have too much respect for you, the reader.

And I know who you are!