Republican Origins in Ripon

We're getting some confusing dates from Washington on the status of the mess in Iraq...
First V.P. Dick (Lon) Cheney says the insurgency is in its last throes...
Second-Rumsfeld says it could last 12 years.
Third-The only date that ever seems to come from the mouth of Dubya Bush is 9-11.
Don't you think we deserve a bit more than this?

I will be doing some research on Ripon in the coming months. Ripon, supposedly the origin of the G.O.P., has some very interesting origins. Many of the early settlers there were Prussian (German) Socialists who came there via Milwaukee. How much influence did they have on the early G.O.P.? Keep in mind that Milwaukee had a Socialist Mayor until the 1960's. This is a very interesting subject. Part of the Ripon group broke off and formed a commune in the Rush Lake area.

There is a new book by Milwaukee's last Socialist Mayor, Frank Zeidler, who is age 93.
Go here: http://www.milwaukeepublishers.com