This morning, Jenny Aicher, a teacher at Downtown Montessori in Bay View, wrote to share some big news on campus.
A 7-year-old, second-grade student in her class received a handwritten note from Vice President Joe Biden.
"Myles and I were having lunch one day when he said, 'Barb, I have a really good idea'," recalls Downtown Montessori reading specialist Barb Rankin. "Like any good teacher I bit and asked what his good idea was. He went on to say, 'If people shot chocolate bullets then no one will get hurt and no one will be sad.'
"I could not argue with this logic so I suggested we share this good idea with the people who have more power than I do, like President Obama, Vice President Biden and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore. Myles wrote the letters and they were placed in the mail. A few weeks ago we heard from Rep. Moore and then today from Vice President Biden."
Myles Nelson's letter, short and sweet, read, "Dear Vice President Biden, I have a great idea to help make our country safer, better and the best. I think guns should shoot out chocolate bullets. Then no one will get killed and no one will be sad."
And the reply, which arrived today:
"Dear Myles," Biden began, in a handwritten note dated April 30, 2013, on Vice Presidential note paper, "I am sorry it took me so very long to respond to your letter. I really like your idea. If we had guns that shot chocolate not only would our country be safer, it would be happier. People love chocolate. You are a good boy, Joe Biden."
Argue if you must with the idea, but Biden is clearly correct on a number of points, not least of which is that Myles is, most likely, a good boy.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
