And So the Police State Starts - WI Republicans Show Their Fear of Smart People

Just a few hours ago, a good friend of mine posted this quote on Facebook:

"Every movement that seeks to enslave a country, every dictatorship or potential dictatorship, needs some minority group as a scapegoat which it can blame for the nation’s troubles and use as a justification of its own demands for dictatorial powers. In Soviet Russia, the scapegoat was the bourgeoisie; in Nazi Germany, it was the Jewish people; in America, it is the businessmen."
~Ayn Rand

Thanks, HM.

I responded that maybe in the case of the state of Wisconsin it was the public sector workers who were the scapegoat to the Tea Party and the far right of Republican party.

Dr. William Cronon

Then I found the following articles:

Did Wisconsin GOP target Scott Walker critic with “McCarthyite” tactics? By Greg Sargent (A Washington Post article from today)

Wisconsin’s Radical Break By William Cronon (The original New York Times Article)

I won't bore you by making you re-read these articles. Let me sum up. William Cronon is a professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Wisconsin's Radical Break. Later the same week, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, under the open records laws of Wisconsin sent an email requesting that Dr. Cronon's employer go thorough his emails looking for certain names and information.

This is the list of words they want information on:

"Republican, Scott Walker, recall, collective bargaining, AFSCME, WEAC, rally, union, Alberta Darling, Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke, Rob Cowles, Scott Fitzgerald, Sheila Harsdorf, Luther Olsen, Glenn Grothman, Mary Lazich, Jeff Fitzgerald, Marty Beil, or Mary Bell." (1)

Dr. Cronon wrote in detail about and very openly about these events in

A Tactic I Hope Republicans Will Rethink:Using the Open Records Law to Intimidate Critics 

This is Dr.Cronon's first ever blog posting.

What happens now?

The first thing that will happen is that the Governor's office and the Republicans in the Legislature will deny any knowledge of this tactic. Not true. Not any more true than if the National Democratic Party did something similar to an enemy of Barack Obama and he said that he knew nothing.

 The next thing will be for the Republicans to defend their actions. Those actions are indefensible. There should be emails that contain all of this information: Dr. Cronon is a Professor of History and these are historical times.

What should happen? The Governor and the Legislature should renounce this act. Using these laws to violate the privacy of  a private citizen and an intellectual is disgusting. This law was designed to create transparency in the Government, not attack an individual citizen for his personal views.

Above I stated that I believe that the Republican Party is scapegoating public employees. They are also anti-intelligentsia. Conservative movements in the past and now tend to attack intellectuals first. De-fund schools, de-fund universities, and vilify educators in an effort to staunch knowledge based debate. 

For the record, not all Republicans or Conservatives or Tea Party members are not interested in intellectual debate.  However, when mob rules take over, all groups go to the lowest common denominator.

Breaking News: Government Dissolved by No-Confidence Vote

"'(The government leader) will visit the Governor General on Saturday to dissolve (the legislature), setting the stage for (an) election in early May.

The Liberal motion passed by a vote of 156 to 145, as the opposition parties teamed up to topple the Conservatives." (1)

Felipe Calderon, George Bush and Stephen Harper standing at the grave of Conservatism. (OK, not really. It's a placard for Earth Day, but it is a cool image by Chris Greenberg.) BTW, the stone is misspelled.

OK, so its not Wisconsin. It's someplace where the people are even nicer. Canada!

For the first time in its history, the government of Canada has been dissolved forcing Prime Minister Stephen Harper to dissolve the Parliament and forcing a vote.

This is the result of the rift between the Conservatives and the Liberals in the Canadian government. The budget submitted by the Conservative government led to a coalition in the Parliament to reject both the budget and the ruling party.

What does this say about Wisconsin? (For the record, most Americans think  Wisconsin is actually part of Canada already.)

This might be seen as a sign of things to come. The next election, if history proves true, will sweep out the majority party and cause the undoing of many of the initiatives that are being passed now, including today's end-run around a court restraining order and the publication of the law that was being stayed.

How did we in Wisconsin get here? In truth, it is Barack Obama's fault. His election created a fervor that buoyed the Democratic party and the more liberal portions of the people. Then, after getting into office, he took a bit too long getting oriented and became quiet and withdrawn. The mid-term election saw his opponents out in force, driven by massive monies from rich conservatives and a vocal right-wing Tea Party movement.

Gov. Walker Publishes a Law Ignoring the Courts and the Sec. of State

Just in case you didn't understand the definition of 'hubris,' this is it. The Legislative Reference Bureau published the collective bargaining law, ignoring  a court order against its publication and the Secretary of State's restraining order.

The Governor and the Republican Party of the State of Wisconsin have no officially voided the right to call themselves the law and order party as they have now ignored a lawful court order, a court order issued by a sitting judge on a pending case in accordance with Section 813.02 of the Wisconsin Statues. During the negotiation and passage this law, the Republicans voided the right to call themselves the party of the Constitution and respect for the institution of the Government of the State.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online, the reference bureau published the law with a footnote acknowledging the court order, but insisting that the law says that all new legislation must be published within 10 days of passage.

The issue is that a law in Wisconsin does not take effect until it is published. Therefore, now that it has been published, cities and counties that have been renegotiating contracts with its public workers have had the ability to do so yanked out from under them.

This is just another example of how the new Republican majority in the Legislature and the Governor are ignoring the law and the courts. During the passage of the law, the Republicans used sleazy parliamentary tactics to pass the law. A late night, 43 second vote on the law in the Assembly, the "emergency" meeting of Senators that separated the collective bargaining part of the law, then passage of that part without the Democratic Senators present.

This is a reprehensible and cowardly act not worthy of the party of Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan. These are the tactics of a fringe group that knows that without snake-like tactics, it will be found out for the radical, out of control minority that it is.

"Today the administration was notified that the LRB published the budget-repair bill as required by law," said a statement from Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch. "The administration will carry out the law as required." from the above referenced article.

 Secretary Huebsch states it as if the administration didn't know anything about the publication.

813.02 Temporary injunction; when granted. (1) (a)
When it appears from a party’s pleading that the party is entitled
to judgment and any part thereof consists in restraining some act,
the commission or continuance of which during the litigation
would injure the party, or when during the litigation it shall appear
that a party is doing or threatens or is about to do, or is procuring
or suffering some act to be done in violation of the rights of
another party and tending to render the judgment ineffectual, a
temporary injunction may be granted to restrain such act.

This is the state law that governs injunctions. There can and should be punitive damages assessed on the state by the court for ignoring this injunction.

The spirits of Lincoln and Reagan are dead and the New Republican Party has shown that they have no respect for the court system, the law, or gentlemanly conduct. 

Wisconsin's Deer Hunt: Time for a Bit of Truth

In Sunday's Green Bay Press Gazette, there was a section of articles on the Wisconsin deer hunt.

In the articles, the reporters explain how hunters are complaining that the Department of Natural Resources is not managing the deer herd well. After deer season last year, the news was rife with reports of deer hunters complaining that they didn't see any deer or that they didn't see enough deer. There were stories about how the local food banks did not get as many deer carcass donations as in previous years.

In the article, Robert Manwell, the spokesman for the DNR, says that hunters are skeptical about how the DNR does its job. The hunters complained that the deer hunt was small this year. The article also points out the 6 out of the last 10 years have been record years.

I have a very simple solution to this problem: Stop going out and killing the deer!

According to the paper, there are people out killing deer from September 17 to January 8 (for this coming year's slaughter). That's almost 4 months of killing. Hey, stop and there will be deer.

Moreover, as the article clearly states, in the last decade hunters have had six of the ten largest mass murders in Wisconsin history. If you keep having record years, eventually, somethings gotta give. Witness the real estate market, the stock market, marriage. There will be boom years, but at some point you will pay.

Every article about deer hunting tosses out the figure $1.4 billion in revenue for the state because of deer hunting. There is never a discussion of the costs.

Interestingly enough, I can't find a single study that spells out the costs to the people of the state of Wisconsin for deer hunting so I am going to write out the types of things that should be on such a list and keep working on it.


Possible hunting costs to the taxpayers:

1. Loss of life = loss of income = loss of tax revenue
2. Cost of medical bills and lost wages in non-fatal accidents
3. Cost of damage to lands by careless hunters
4. Cost of selling permits, etc.
5. Cost of enforcing state hunting and wildlife rules
6. Cost of lost work time for people taking time off from work (some will have vacation, that doesn't count, but we all know someone who takes extra unpaid days off to hunt)
7. Lost productivity due to planning hunting expeditions (we all know guys who stand around for hours before opening days to talk about what they are going to do and hours after hunting season talking about what they did).
8. Cost for year-round herd management efforts (this costs the state and the federal government millions)
9. Cost of CWD (chronic wasting disease - Mad Deer Disease) - if you ain't eatin' em, it won't matter.
10. Drunk driving accidents due to intoxicated hunters (not included on DNR injuries sheets)

Of course, the argument is that the deer will overrun the farmers and end up on the highways. That may be but not for long. Using the same money for chemical sterilization programs will keep the herd in check without having to shoot them. Also, if you travel through some parts of the Western states, they have developed alarm systems that monitor animals that travel onto the highway and warn drivers with lights.

There is a great deal of money spent on deer hunting. Taxpayers should not be forced to support recreational activities that benefit a limited group of people. Hiking trails that are used as skiing and snowmobiling trails in the winter is one thing, but taxpayer money being used for 600,000 people doesn't seem right. Especially for an elective activity. If I don't hunt, I don't have any potential for reaping any benefits from this.

Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty

In an article in the January/February issue of Mother Jones, David Corn interviewed Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) about his interaction with the Tea Party base of the Republican Party. The article, Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty, appeared on Mother Jones blog in August of 2010.

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (R - SC)

Rep. Inglis is quoted as saying,

"They say, 'Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'"

Much of what they said to Rep. Inglis came from the rantings of Glen Beck whose spoutings have far less to do with reality than with some paranoid fantasy land of late night conspiracy theories and apocalyptic religious prophecies.

Rep. Inglis goes on to say that he believes that tea party "demagoguery" will ultimately undermine the credibility of the Republican Party. I think he is correct. Whenever a fringe group gets a hold of one of the parties in the US, the core of that party draws it back toward the center. I believe that most Americans are much closer to the center of the political spectrum than the edges.

Everyone can read the blog posting or better yet pick up a copy of Mother Jones magazine.

Here is my prediction for the short term future of the Republican party:

I wonder what animal the Tea Party will have.

• The Tea Party will continue to be a vocal subgroup in the party.
• The leaders of the party will get increasingly nervous about the extreme views of Tea Party members, particularly the conspiracy theory fringe. (More on that in a future posting.)
• The candidates that are put forth by the party in the next Presidential election will pander either right or centrist, attempting to capture which ever side seems more viable at the time.
• The Tea Party rightists will continue to smack talk the moderates in their own party.
• The party will split along political lines, with the leadership of the party trying to keep it all together to win the election.
• Barack Obama wins the election. (Witness the movement in 1992 then 1994 then 1996.  The right doesn't seem to remember that Americans don't like extremes.) So congratulations, Mr President, on the next four years. {Psst: And, Mr. President, don't forget what Napoleon Bonaparte [the last Frenchman to win a battle] said: Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.}

Scott Walker on Hannity - An Offer You Can Laugh At!

Governor Walker called into the Sean Hannity Show this afternoon. "The Governor for all of the people in this State of Wisconsin" is playing politics on national radio.

He praised the "courageous" Republican Senators who are the subject of recall petitions in the state. I think one needs to analyze the word "courageous" in this context. The Fond du Lac, WI officers (and police dog) shot in the line of duty this weekend were courageous. Men and women in uniform fighting for their country are courageous. Protesters throughout the Middle East who are challenging dictatorial governments.

It is not courageous to use an shady, obscure parliamentary procedure to split out part of bill. It is not courageous to pass that bill through without any serious debate on provisions that the majority of the state indicated it was against. It is not courageous to vote on a bill then run away under police escort.

Then Scotty "The Drama Queen" Walker goes on to complain (whine) about tactics used by the unions when they sent letters to employers threatening boycotts. He called it "tactics worthy of the Godfather." 'Let me make you an offer you can't refuse or... I won't buy your stuff." What Godfather is he talking about, Beaver Cleaver's godfather. Don Corleone has got to be rolling in his literary grave... with laughter.

To Hannity's discredit, he bought it hook, line and sinker. He is putting the Governor's new website where he pitched a request for money to help the Senatorial robots with the recall votes, that do not yet exist, created by the petitions that have not be submitted. (Anyone else see a campaign war chest being built on momentary hysteria?) At no point, did either of these Tea Party drama queens mention that eight Democrats are also having petitions circulated to try to recall them.

Here is the upshot:

• People are courageous when they do what everyone around them is doing and it appears politically necessary.
• Send Scotty "The Drama Queen" money so he can fight recalls that don't exist, yet. (And may not if there are not enough signatures.)
• Boycotting businesses because your disagree with their policies is a mafia tactic worthy of Don Corleone and the Cosa Nostra.
• Whining on national radio is the new way to beg sympathy for your idiotic, overbearing political decisions.

A letter to the Guv!

Dear Governor Walker,

Please keep calling national radio shows and dramatizing what is going on in Wisconsin. Since the McCain campaign fell apart, we haven't actually had a politician we can laugh at when they act like the sky is falling because someone says boo!

Thank you.

One Wisconsin Citizen/Blogger

The Far-flung Apple: Franklin Graham Pandering for Tea

Teaparty.org repeats an article from Newsmax.com that claims that the Obama administration is taking advice from the Muslim brotherhood.

"The Muslim Brotherhood, with the complicity of the Obama administration, has infiltrated the U.S. government at the highest levels and is influencing American policy that leaves the world’s Christians in grave danger, warns internationally known evangelist Franklin Graham"

Here's the problem. Rev. Graham does not supply a single fact. No names. No dates. Nothing but hot air and fear.

Unlike his father, who understood that Christ's real message was one of non-judgment and love, Graham the Younger spreads fear and hate for Muslim's. Then, without a single shred of evidence presented, he pretends to know what the Obama Administration is doing.

The articles goes on to quote a Vatican report that Christians are being persecuted in unprecedented number around the world. Would that have anything to do with the fact that every war the United States has gotten involved in the last 30 years has been portrayed as a crusade for a righteous "Christian" nation?

Interestingly, our founding father made it explicit that this is not a Christian country.

Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, signed under President Washington, states:

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."(1)

It is time we remember what this nation was founded upon: absolute religious tolerance. The very 18th Century idea that all men are created equal. 

And a bit of simple truth: If you speak of a man as your enemy, your enemy he will become. And just because someone made a man a "Reverend" neither makes him wise nor moral.

Tea Party Patriots - Net Neutrality: Truth and Tea Bagging

In this article, Net Neutrality is Anything But Neutral, the Tea Party Patriots on their website, states that new FCC rules will "socialize" the Internet and be "the antithesis of capitalism."

"Equal Access: Equal access says that everyone should always have equal priorities to the flow of information on the internet.  Net neutrality would prevent them from doing so, and would essentially "socialize" the internet."

The article goes on:

"Equal Rates / Equal Service:  According to proponents, under net neutrality, everyone has to be charged the same, and provided the same services. This is the antithesis of capitalism..."

None of this is true. The actual rules would force broadband providers to provide transparency, no blocking of lawful content, and no discrimination of lawful traffic. 

Anyone who has purchased broadband knows that understanding what they are charging you for is impossible to understand. This is made more complicated by the fact that many of the companies use off shore customer service people who are hard to understand period.

Some websites, lawful websites, are already blocked. Christian Science Monitor points out that some providers are blocking Skype video phone. These rules would prevent your provider from doing that to you.

Not discriminating against lawful content is about the idea that providers might download their own content faster than other content. Image the idea that AT&T might download their video content more readily than Youtube.

There is nothing heinous in these rules. They restrict what companies do so that they can't restrict what you do. For Tea Party folks, consider the idea that most media outlets are owned by so-called "liberals." What will happen if they decide to block Tea Party content in deference to... I don't know... the Democratic party website? That's exactly what these rules prevent.

The Power of NIMBY!

Joe Heller, Resident political cartoonist at the Green Bay Press Gazette, from March 20, 2011

Nuclear power? Radiation sickness and vacant cities.
Oil? Dead zones in the ocean and air pollution.
Coal? More air pollution and dead miners.
Wind power? Uh, maybe if you're too close. The funny part of it is that most of the people who complain have no problem cashing the checks from the power companies.

Funny how one guy with a pen and some ink can sum up the ridiculous attitudes of a whole nation. According to something I read once, the states of South Dakota or Montana have enough wind power to supply the needs of the entire country. Lots of new jobs, no eternal waste or air pollution, what's the problem? NIMBY. Not In My BackYard. Everybody wants to turn on the lights, but no one wants to generate power near their home.