By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Jan 18, 2012 at 1:26 PM

So we have our second Miss America in a long, long time and she's an opera singer.

She's also very pretty and seems at least fairly smart, although the fact that she entered the Miss America pageant argues against that.

All I hope is that she turns out better than our last Miss America.

I knew Terry Anne Meeuwsen who was elected Miss America in 1973. She was a Green Bay party girl who was on a one-way lustful trip to stardom from the moment she took the field as captain of the cheerleaders. She did a stint in show business in Los Angeles before returning home to run for Miss Wisconsin.

This was a girl who didn't miss a party but she ended up far from her childhood.

She is now the sidekick and shill for Pat Robertson on his 700 club show. When Pat cracks a joke (which is seldom) she laughs. When Pat issues a proclamation like "God didn't mean for me to marry men" she nods solemnly. And when Pat asks for money, she looks into the camera and smiles.

Let's hope Laura Kaeppeler, who is from Kenosha, sticks with opera instead of evangelism.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.