Joanne Kloppenburg has formally conceded to David Prosser and said she will not be pursuing judicial review of the recount results due to a high bar set by Wisconsin law. Kloppenburg would have had to catch election rigging actions red-handed to succeed in a challenge of the recount. Or as a judge might say, to succeed in challenging the recount results, Joanne Kloppenburg would have to supply clear evidence of election “connivance, fraud, or undue influence”.
Ms. Kloppenburg does call for an independent investigation of Wisconsin’s Continue reading →
Jim Mueller will be a guest on today’s live online talk show, Solidarity Wisconsin. He’s been very active in volunteering for the Kloppenburg/Prosser recount. Below is the letter he submitted to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board which asks for reforms in our electoral process – a process he sees as downright messy in its handling to include open ballot bags and spare ballots stored insecurely. He is also one more in a chorus of voices calling for greater testing and scrutiny of voting machines.
I’ll be checking in on the show but then running in between the Dane County Courthouse and the Hovde Building. In the courthouse, a hearing will commence at 10am on Capitol access. At 11AM, Joanne Kloppenburg will deliver a presser, I presume, on the recount and whether she will challenge the resulting win for Prosser.
Those who have been watching the recount process like hawks have seen discrepencies that defy probability and would stand behind a Kloppenburg legal challenge. However the Democratic party has been mum on the Kloppenburg recount. This suggests tacit disapproval, or a pragmatic concern for too many irons in the fire as the party heads into 9 recall elections in July, or yet more that I am in the dark about. I am no party insider.
Jim’s letter:
James J. Mueller, Attorney at Law
May 31, 2011 Hand Delivered
Board Members
Wisconsin Governmental Accountability Board
212 East Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor
Post Office Box 7984 Madison, WI 53707-7984
Re: The Following Requests:
1) Have the Board schedule Additional Meetings prior to July 12’
2) Permit me to make a presentation to the Board,
3) Guidance to Election Officials regarding the Administration of the Recall Elections
4) Amend the Website Vote Authenticity page to acknowledge the potential for incorrect totals from optical scan devices.
Dear Board Members,
Wisconsin, with its Progressive traditions, is the acknowledged “Ground Zero” for a corporate financed
agenda that attacks many of those traditions. The Recall elections, first scheduled for July 12, could be the
turning point for whether or not those Progressive traditions will survive here and nationally.
Since the Recall Elections will be so important, huge amounts of money will be spent and all of the stops will be pulled out. It is therefore crucial that the Government Accountability Board hold Special Meeting to hear from those of us who have participated in the recent recount and who have concerns about the way our elections are administered.
On the reverse side of this letter I have listed some suggestions as to guidance that could be provided to elections officials. An additional 2 pages show that you have failed to account for the possibility of malfunction or misfeasance producing incorrect totals from the optical scanning devices. I look forward to your positive response to these requests.
Sincerely,
James J. Mueller
Attorney at Law
Wisconsin State Bar Member No. 1017455
Suggestions for Guidance from the GAB to Election Officials for the Recall Elections
1) Allow post election tests of the machine totals (hand count and compare results) before the ballots are sealed into the bags,
2) Inform all Clerks how to properly seal the ballot bags,
3) Establish the procedure that the first thing to do after the polls are closed is to secure all unused ballots, count them and run a 1/4 inch or larger drill bit through them several times in the area for initials.
DRILL GABby, DRILL.
4) Have all of the drilled unused ballots secured in a sealed bag and kept under the control of the County or Municipal Clerk who does not keep the voted Ballots,
5) Have copies of all ballot invoices sent to the GAB. Have the invoices include the number of ballots supplied or weight and weight per ballot,
6) Require that all telephone cords for the voting machine modems are disconnected until after the totals have been run,
7) Inform Clerks that the pre-voting public test that is done only verifies that the machine was properly working at that time for those few votes and that on Election Day undetectable malicious codes can kick in and flip votes.
8) Allow individuals making Public Records requests to inspect the ballots by viewing (not touching) each one before the ballots are sealed into the ballot bags. The display of the ballots should be sufficient so that the inspector can video the ballot and/or count the votes.
This is a brief video I did of the People’s Brat Fest from yesterday. Take a look at how many palm trees they had! They could’ve operated a palm tree scavenger hunt.
Autonomous Solidarity Organization’s first brat fest was a delicious success. In no way is it scaled to match Madison’s supposed world’s largest brat fest. However, the brats served at the regular brat fest are Johnsonville brats.
But there’s another thing going on. Madison is one of the foodie capitols of the nation. While Johnsonville products are not so bad, the purveyors lined up for today’s Alt Brat Fest at Orton park are the exemplars of food that once lived in a herd. Black Earth Meats Jordandal Farms, Goose Chaser Farms,Underground Food Collective… (their products were at “The People’s” too).
They are in the organic, local, that-meat-was-mooing-a-minute-ago crowd. We pay top dollar for their products because the succulence and flavor they guarantee is going to be what you ask for if god forbid you’re ever on deathrow and planning your last meal. Some of us omnivores are also choosing to support the local small farm model out of love for animals or nature or a way of life. I value knowing that the critter I’m eating had some of life as nature intended it on a small local place where a corporation didn’t act as the shadow owner and company store.
Finally, if you are one of the people who have no idea why the People’s Brat Fest palm trees are hilarous, just view the FOX video below. The trees come in at the 38 second mark.
Below the videos is a guest post from a man known as @micwazoo on twitter. We all make fun of how addictive twitter can be or time-wasting. True enough. But twitter has also helped me meet strong, opinionated and caring people from all over Wisconsin, like @micwazoo.
He refers to Tony Schultz. Tony is a farmer who delivered a speech in Madison in March 12 that went viral:
And Tony Schultz gave a speech in Chippewa Falls at Fighting Bob Fest North:
“My Fighting Bobfest Experience, @micwazoo
A week ago I attended the Fighting Bobfest North in Chippewa Falls, and I’m sure glad I made the trip. It was great to see so many people who, like myself, are sick and tired of big corporations dictating how my life should be. The speakers were all great, and very inciteful.
I was really moved by Tony Schultz. Not only did this young man give a very heartfelt speech, but he showed a passion for his livelihood very few people his age have. It was very refreshing to see someone so young, so involved. I noticed quite a few younger people there, and it gave me hope that together, we can get things turned around. It’s going to take all age groups, and we had that mix at Saturday’s event.
It sure was nice to see so many people who feel like I do. Fed up with the way things are going for the middle class. Sick and tired of watching Corporate America and the religious right forcing their agenda’s down our throats through buying politicians. At times it seem’s so overwhelming when trying to figure out which battle to address, but I feel like I’m not alone, and that makes it all seem worthwhile.
I grew up during the 60’s and 70’s and have always been one to not settle for the way things are, knowing that they can always be better. I remember the anger I felt watching the racial issues of the 60’s. And how important Earth Day was for me. I remember working odd jobs in the neighborhood to be able to afford a POW bracelet. And how I detested how the soldiers who faught in Vietnam were treated when they came home.
Between the protests I’ve attended, and Saturday’s event, I’m more energized now than I’ve ever been to help make this country what it once was. A country where neighbor helped neighbor. Where hard work meant you would be rewarded well. Where corporations looked at their employees as their biggest asset. Where dreams were attainable.
I look forward to working with some of the fine people I met on Saturday, and look forward to being a part of the change to a better Wisconsin, and moving towards a better America.”
This is written by guest blogger, Steve. On May 26, Ralph Lang traveled to Madison where he was going to “lay out abortionists because they are killing babies”. He was arrested after his gun accidently fired as he was loading it.
I decided to see if I could find out more about Ralph.
On April 22 Ralph Lang, age 63, lost his mother. Rev. Charles Stoetzel who officiated at the funeral of Ralph’s mother, is the pastor ofSt. John the Baptist Church in Marshfield. The same Church which recently ran this drivel on its website:
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“A woman on the pill … gives the impression that she is receiving her husband fully in the marital embrace, while, in fact, she is shutting down her own fertility in order to ward off his fruitfulness. On a deep level, she is rejecting his life-giving masculinity…”
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Yep, that would drive a person crazy.
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The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign records that in 2000 he gave $200 to the MaryAnn Lippert. According to Wikipedia, Mary Ann Lippert “is a Wisconsin health educator, health administrator, amd (SIC) Republican politician who served one term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. She is currently executive assistant to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.”
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But you may remember MaryAnn as one of Walker’s education advisors in favor of lifting the cap on virtual charter schools and expanding the voucher program statewide. But foolish choices do not a murderer make.
“Wisconsin Republicans were struck down in a blaze of judicial glory” – Sarah Jones, Politicususa.
I wish Judge Maryann Sumi really was a fire-breathing liberal. However, I believe she just respects the Wisconsin constitution and the law.
I learned what I need to know about Wisconsin’s open meetings’ law from watching Peter Barca fire-breathe it on March 9th. But Fitzgerald and his band of tone deaf Republicans couldn’t hear him. Worst case of selective hearing I’ve ever seen.
As you recall, the Dem14’s absence halted the “budget repair bill” because it was a fiscal bill and a quorum must be present to act on fiscal matters in Wisconsin’s senate. Then in a sudden turn of events, Fitz and the pack removed a portion of the larger bill and called it “non-fiscal”. The segmented portion stripped collective bargaining rights from public unions in Wisconsin.
Fitz waved the new bill by the Legislative Reference Bureau, [probably running by as fast as his short legs could carry him], he said he got their blessing, and called for a 6PM meeting with about 1 hour and 50 minutes notice: less than even the 2 hours which may be used in the case of an “emergency”.
I think Fitzie fearing a loss of Republican votes does not qualify as an emergency.
Now that Judge Sumi has ruled that Wisconsin Act 10 is dead for violation of the law, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments June 6 to determine whether they will consider the case.
I have a feeling they will consider it given the fact that our supreme court has a 5-4 conservative majority and one of them is a real turd.
The Tool has Another Tool
Meanwhile, Walker will continue to put the screws to teachers from the budget side forcing layoffs.
Walker’s budget requires a $500 per-pupil reduction in property tax authority, reducing the money available to the state’s 424 districts by 7 percent, or nearly $600 million, based on a study done by University of Wisconsin-Madison economics professor Andrew Reschovsky.
Walker is using this “tool” to weaken WEAC, Wisconsin’s teacher union. Fewer union teachers means less union dues to collect. Layoffs have begun in Oshkosh, and Kenosha. And where teacher contracts are renegotiated, Walker’s budget gutting looms large and results in reduced pay and benefits.
Reminds me of this oldie – Fitzgerald speaking with FOX on how removing union rights – specifically reducing dues collected – helps to weaken Obama’s base here in 2012.
Mass Transit Parasites
What the heck. Let’s flash back to March 9th just one more time. Immediately following the illegal committee vote and then floor vote by the assembled Senate [Dem14 being in Illinois] the Republican senators scurried to a City of Madison bus, ordering the paying riders off. The band of authoritarian mass transit parasites were whisked away.
Here’s some choice video of that episode:
They rumbled away in the rain on City of Madison property to some location closer to a mall [perhaps their native habitat?] to collect themselves. That weekend they jetted to D.C. for a fundraising dinner where, I presume, they also snorted cocaine and…. Whoa! Ha ha…Sorry. I made up the coke part.You have to admit it’s less absurd than the previous set of events and less criminal.
I’m thrilled to formally welcome and share the keys to this blog with Appleton Wonk! A.W. has done two great guest pieces, which I’ve revived here. Check them out:
Hello everyone! I’m coming to you from the beautiful Fox River Valley as “Appleton Wonk”. I am interested in all things Wisconsin politics and am a big follower of #wiunion on Twitter.
I can be found on Twitter as @Jane_WI. I have been very fortunate to have found very helpful and supportive people in the #wiunion group. They are the best! 🙂 I like reading just about anything I can get my hands on, except for romance novels. I was adopted a few years ago by a cat and he’s been teaching me the fine art of relaxation.
Note: Grand Chute[MAP] is on the edge of Appleton, Wisconsin.
Appleton Wonk: I attended a listening session at the Grand Chute town hall that was held by Michelle Litjens, the freshman Wisconsin Representative in the 56th Assembly District. This district includes part of Outagamie and Winnebago counties. It’s interesting to note that there were no Democratic challengers for this seat, but there were three Republicans that had sought this seat. She has raised quite a few eyebrows in the Twitterverse because of anti-union, anti-protester tweets as seen here…..
Appleton Wonk: Reid Ribble was at the Kwik Trip on West College Avenue in Appleton today to pump people’s gas and get their thoughts on the price of gas. This event was not published on his official web site, but was at the Wisconsin Ag Connection….
It was raining and cold and still it felt good to get out and raise some hell against the radical Republican agenda today.
I pieced together this brief video. There are some episodes I didn’t catch in the video, such as the 4th graders who spontaneously began chanting “recall Walker”. [Hold on – Nick Nice caught that! HERE] The fact that the Solidarity Sing Along group struggled to sing loudly enough to match the protesters’ volume. I didn’t capture the way that some protesters close to the troopers could not look at them in the eye, while others could and did so.
The man you’ll see wearing a suit and raising his fist in response to our chanting at the end of the video is @astrodex on twitter.
WORT was able to record and include his confrontational question of Walker in a press conference as well as Walker’s response. AND WORT FM incorporated some of my interview of @astrodex in their Monday-Thursday evening news show, In Our Backyard. Hat’s off to citizen journalist Craig McComb who pulled this news piece together and was super-nice to work with.
If your finances allow, please consider a donation to WORT FM. They run a tight ship which is non-commercial and largely volunteer-powered.
If you’re getting this immediately after I post, there is another session near Appleton tonight. More HERE.
Another great guest post from Appleton Wonk . The meeting she describes was held Monday May 23rd in the small community of Grand Chute[MAP] on the edge of Appleton, Wisconsin.
Republican Rep. Litjens was emotional, breaking down in tears at least two times. Rep. Michelle Litjens has gotten some attention lately for her tweets. I’m a little envious. Litjens has only tweeted 40 times in all:
Tell me how it isn’t abuse that we have to sit here on the floor & listen to Dem Kessler decry a detailed story of child abuse from 1973?
Appleton Wonk: I attended a listening session at the Grand Chute town hall that was held by Michelle Litjens, the freshman Wisconsin Representative in the 56th Assembly District. This district includes part of Outagamie and Winnebago counties. It’s interesting to note that there were no Democratic challengers for this seat, but there were three Republicans that had sought this seat. She has raised quite a few eyebrows in the Twitterverse because of anti-union, anti-protester tweets as seen here.
Litjens started the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a group prayer, then went on to briefly discuss a hand out which covered budgetary items. She teared up briefly after the pledge and prayer because she was emotionally moved.
Litjens said many of the Senate Republicans aren’t going along with many of the budget proposals because they are “afraid of recall”. She also said that the “prevailing wage” is too burdensome for government and the number needs to be “rolled back”.
Litjens then took questions from the audience. There were many questions on the controversial state budget. A few times during the meeting she expressed concern that she was talking “above people’s heads” and that many wouldn’t understand what she was talking about because of the complexities of the issues. I firmly believe the average Wisconsin citizen is bright enough to understand political issues and found her attitude to be a bit condescending.
Below are some of the more “interesting” things she discussed.
Someone asked her about auto title and pay day loans. This person pointed out the interest rates for these loans are way too high and should be capped, even at a point as high as 100%. She believes auto title and pay day loans fill a real need in communities. Litjens did say she thought the interest rates charged by these places may be a little too high, but did not mention specifically capping the interest rates charged.
The school voucher system was brought up and Litjens pointed out that the graduation rates for Milwaukee students who participate in this program are higher than if they attend the public schools. An audience member pointed out that even though the graduation rates are higher the children in voucher schools they do not have better test scores than their counterparts in the public schools. Litjens said that she knew this and again pointed out that voucher schools in Milwaukee have higher graduation rates. She also believes that public school funds should go to parochial schools.
Assembly bill 110 was brought into the discussion. This bill is cosponsored by Litjens and was introduced to the Assembly on April 26th of this year. Anniejo at the Daily Kos did an excellent piece on this bill. It can be found here . Someone said that ALEC was behind this legislation. Michelle rolled her eyes and denied this. This bill does not require that the private school have any special needs instructors,special needs curriculum or therapists on staff. Litjens said that this bill will help low income families be able to pull their special needs children out of public school if they are having issues with the school. She doesn’t believe there should be any income requirements for this or any school voucher program because many low income families have no W-2s or 1099s to prove their income.
There was a question of why it is illegal to have voluntary union dues removed from state workers’ paychecks. Litjens said that it helped balance the budget. When asked how it helped balance the budget she said that it was “one less mandate for the employer”. When pressed to answer the question, she said that she did and attempted to move onto the next subject.
Litjens is a firm believer in the Voter ID legislation and believes it is well worth the cost. She said there were 4,500 cases of voter fraud and said that poll workers told her they saw the same people voting five and six times. When asked to cite her source Litjens said she said she didn’t have that information immediately available, but would have her assistant send it via email.
The discussion moved to the protests in Madison. Litjens believes that she the protesters are disrespecting Wisconsin and doing the state a great disservice. She broke down at this point and said that she was tired of being disrespected and talked about how tiring the 62 hours the budget repair bill was debated.
There were many issues covered last night, way too many to cover now. Litjens is hosting another listening session this evening at the Winchester Town Hall, 8522 Park Way, Larsen from 6 pm until 8 pm.
I’ll end this post with the Michelle’s thoughts on how the town hall meeting went. This is what she tweeted after the meeting.
On the panel is Melissa Ryan, New Media Director of NOI. Also here is Senator Larson, Emily Mills, Chris Liebenthal, and Max Love. Emily Mills is a blogger with Isthmus, a co-editor of blog dane101, and a musician. Chris Liebenthal is a Milwaukee County social worker, activist, and avid blogger at multiple locations – though he’s best known as the man behind Cognitive Dissidence. Max Love is a UW student who helped organize protest and occupation at the Capitol in Madison. He’s with Badger Impact and he’s blogging the unflagging protest of UW Madison’s community at tenacious transparency. Moderating is Tom Foley who blogs at illusory tenant with a mix of biting humor and legal acumen.
Senator Chris Larson was elected in Fall of 2010 and was amongst the 14 Wisconsin Senators – the “Dem 14” or “Fab 14” – who left for Illinois onFebruary 17, 2011 to halt action on Scott Walker’s regressive “Wisconsin Act 10”.
I made haste to hear most of Dave Obey’s speech to a crowd of at least 350. We were in a whitewashed cement floor exhibition hall on folding chairs facing a stage covered in red, white, and blue bunting. A light and steady drip of rain came down outside. The audience wasn’t wearing farm seed caps but their appearance seemed conservative to me – likely because Bob Fest attracts a 40-year-old and up crowd and because we were in rural Wisconsin. Or maybe I think they look conservative because I live on the near east side of Madison where a good number of people have dreadlocks, nose piercings, and blue hair.
Audience at Fighting Bob Fest North 2011
An activist I know from Obey’s district once said Obey is a well-loved crochety son of a bitch who knows how to say what his 7th congressional district constituents need to hear back home while he gets things done in Washington. Obey is now 72-years-old, retired, and walks with a cane, but he’s still got it. He broadcast a tight, well-paced speech. His audience leaned forward at his words a little. Their first standing ovation came when Obey said he wore black that day to signify he is in mourning over Scott Walker’s regressive Wisconsin Act 10.
It’s a statement even more weighty if you’ve heard this Johnny Cash song – which an audience of this vintage and rural location couldn’t avoid, having lived under a constant flow of AM and FM country music:
“Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times….”
He called Scott Walker’s behavior mean and thuggish. He called today’s brand of Ayn Rand politicians only the most current form of a wealthy elite that has been striving to rid the United States of rights for the working class since FDR. He jabbed at the hypocricy inherent in “so-called Christians” working to strip away the social contract.
Obey rounded out his speech with the call to action: “We can fight. We can start by standing up for the Dem14” In response, the crowd stood up for Obey, with some hoots and one woman calling out loudly, “Recall!”
And then Dave Obey did talk recalls, calling on the crowd to show they stood by Wisconsin’s Democratic senators by working on recall efforts adding,
“We didn’t start the recall process but we sure as hell can finish it.”
If this were Madison, the lone woman’s outburst would’ve broken into a chant of the word “recall” and the conclusion of Obey’s speech would’ve led to the crowd chanting “thank you”. Here nobody took up the recall chant. But at the speech’s conclusion, one man did begin to chant “Obey!” . Half the crowd picked up the chant and the entire crowd stood for the time it took Obey to leave the stage.
Dave Obey’s seat is now in the hands of former reality TV star and professional lumberjack, Republican Sean Duffy.
Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne wrote at Obey’s retirement: “Obey was a committed progressive in Wisconsin’s great tradition. He never tried to be fashionable. Practical forms of old-fashioned social justice were just fine by him. He’d argue with Republicans, but also with people on his own side when that was necessary. He always knew his stuff. And he wasn’t afraid.”
And Obey told Dionne: “There’s no way in hell a progressive district like mine is going to a conservative Republican.”
But it did. I remember making fun of Duffy’s lumberjack background during last fall’s election, but people in Wausau corrected me, saying that Duffy was playing up lumberjacking to success in the woodsy north – as we see by his win. Here’s one of Duffy’s lumberjack ads:
Pat Kreitlow is now working to win the seat back for the Dems. He was busy meet ‘n’ greeting at the fest before he dashed off to Merrill for a labor picnic that day.
I milled around to different booths promoting the 10am Monday – Saturday online radio show Steve and I do (I think I just did it again) and inviting people to be on the show. A few themes kept on popping up in conversation: people are overwhelmed with the Republican agenda but heartened to see such a big crowd at the very first official Fighting Bob North; no local television or newspapers had come to the event; the Chippewa and Eau Claire media are glaringly conservative. One woman called the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram “fish wrap”.
I met a team of people working to offer an alternative to the local “fish wrap” with the Chippewa Valley Media Project. They gave out stacks of an honest-to-goodness printed on paper newspaper with a photo of Wisconsin’s legendary “Fighting” Bob LaFollette shaking his fist in the air on the front page.
Next in Part 3, the Chippewa Valley Media Project and in Part 4, hundreds of sand mines threaten water and air in Northwest Wisconsin
One of my chief accomplishments Saturday was waking at 4AM and arriving early for a 5:30AM meet-up with my driver for the day, Russell. I left Madison for the first Fighting Bob Fest North in Chippewa Falls with a rain slicker, two peanut butter sandwiches, a small computer, and any number of things I imagine a good girl or boy scout would bring on a long journey.
If you’re unfamiliar, previous to 2011, Wisconsin had 1 such fest and it occurred in Baraboo. This year there are two, the 2nd being a huge Fighting Bob Fest South to occur in Madison on September 17th at the Alliant Energy Center.
I grew up in Clark County, due East of Chippewa Falls. My yearly trip to the Northwest Wisconsin State Fair guaranteed greasy food, nauseating rides, a look at freshly groomed livestock, a family-friendly pop rock concert, and a truck pull. That was Christmas in July. So, I still carried a bit of squirmy excitement for those fairgrounds when I headed off to this lefty political fest.
Pictured: Steve Hanson of UppityWis.org and Kristen Dexter
We weren’t on time for the kick-off at 9AM – coming maybe at 9:35AM – by which time the parking lot was almost full. A couple of hours later I overheard volunteers panicking as they discussed how to handle overflow parking.
Steve and I did our daily online 10AM radio show from his phone as we sought cover from a light rain. We had to seek some outdoors and quiet since the exhibition hall was full of the din of Wisconsinites raging against Scott Walker, Incorporated.
Kristen Dexter joined us to discuss the Wisconsin Liberty Project (facebook page), which briefly summed up, intends to gather funds to get progressive messaging out to Wisconsin. That includes radio spots during peak drive times. We let Kristen do most of the talking. Here is a 7 minute segment from the show:
I had the thought tonight, “How great it is that the world is ending. I can quit thinking about Wisconsin politics for 1 minute.”
So, with that in mind, I’m selecting some songs for the chosen ones-music for the journey:
Who knows. Maybe nobody is really taking this seriously though. Google trends should tell me:
As big a deal as the rapture is, it’s #3, topped by Macho Man Randy Savage, a former professional wrestler who recently passed away, and the Buffalo Bill NFL team
Hot Searches (USA) 1. macho man randy savage 2. buffalo bill
3. rapture may 21 2011
Now what about #4. What’s up with that? 4. zombie apocalypse
CDC is having some fun with the rapture: “In a blog post by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan, readers are told that if zombies did start roaming the streets – like in a scene from Night of the Living Dead – CDC would conduct an investigation like it would for any other disease outbreak.” More HERE.
5. harold camping may 21
I had no idea that Harold Camping is a Christian radio station jock at WFME-FM in New Jersey who is prepping for a giant earthquake at 5:56PM 5/21 “followed by the “Rapture,” where worthy souls will be instantly transported to heaven”. Maybe he’s not so convincing because “there was disagreement among the staff of six as to whether Saturday really is the beginning of the end of the world.”
6. cdc
7. slim jim
The popularity of the Slim Jim search hooks back to the #1 search, Macho Man. He loved that meaty snack food. More HERE. 8. center for disease control
9. december 21 2012
December 21, 2012 is supposed to also be an “end of the world” date I’m guessing that people are confused and wondering which one it is – May 21, 2011 or the 2012 date.
What this tells me is that I should seriously consider coming up with a doomsday theory. Short of that, I could write about zombies, Slim Jim snacks, or the NFL. But I still have my pride. I REFUSE to write about wrestling stars from the 80’s. Unless, that is, they get elected to office in Wisconsin.
Ed Schultz interviews Senators Taylor and Risser on his show. This includes footage of Senator Mike Ellis cutting off the longest serving public servant in the United States, my Senator, Fred Risser who serves Madison, in the 26th district. Senator Lena Taylor serves district 4 in Milwaukee.
Since I have your attention on voter ID (voter suppression), I and co-host Steve Hanson will be interviewing Andrea Kaminski on our daily online radio show at 10AM next Wednesday. Ms. Kaminski is Executive Director of League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. She’ll clarify what aspects of this voting bill will be implemented before the recall elections on July 12 as opposed to later. I hope we’ll also cover how you and I can help get the right information out to voters so they aren’t caught in “gotcha” moments at the polls.
Ms Kaminski’s comment on the messy passage of the vote suppressing bill Wisconsin AB7 is below the video.
In Rush to Restrict Voting, Senate Majority Disregards Decency Andrea Kaminski, Executive Director of LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WISCONSIN ® May 19, 2011
MADISON: In its rush to pass legislation to restrict voting before the recall elections, the majority party in the state Senate has shown an utter disregard for common respect and fair process. Proponents of
the bill like to point out the long periods the Legislature has devoted to “debate” of the issues, but their steamroller tactics have only undercut debate.
Earlier this week they systematically rejected almost 30 amendments to the photo ID bill offered by the minority party. The amendments would have made the law less restrictive for voters and saved millions of tax dollars. For example, one amendment would have protected elderly citizens who have been regular voters for decades but do not need a driver’s license. Another would have provided the funding needed to educate local election officials and voters in the new procedures. Yet another proposed to save millions of dollars by allowing UW-System student ID cards to be eligible for voting with an expiration date of four years rather than two years. The majority steadfastly refused to comment on the amendments, and they apparently did not see any reason to defend their flawed bill.
Finally, they cut off debate Thursday just as Senator Fred Risser was describing how one provision of the bill could affect an individual who cannot sign the poll book because of arthritis. He explained that, as the bill is written, election officials could withhold a ballot from such a person if they think she actually could sign the book. The majority would not wait a few minutes for Senator Risser to finish his statement, and they certainly were not going to consider this serious flaw in the legislation. They went ahead and took the vote while he was still speaking. Eight Senate Democrats did not participate in the vote because of the shameful procedural breach. Who can blame them, when members of the majority party show no regard for their equally-elected colleagues across the aisle?
Citizens expect their representatives to thoughtfully consider how the legislation they wish to pass will affect people in the state. We expect them to work out ways to accomplish their objectives while protecting the interests of all citizens. That was the goal of the framers of our state and national constitutions, and generations of lawmakers have worked to develop procedures to protect against abuse of power. It appears that those in power now would throw all of that away.
The League of Women Voters calls on Governor Walker to consider the significant problems with this bill and veto it, saving Wisconsin the cost of implementation, reduced participation in elections and possibly legal challenges. We urge the Legislature to act quickly to appropriate funds for the Government Accountability Board, which has little time to train local election officials and educate voters in the few weeks before the recall elections this summer. It is the responsibility of the Legislature to commit the funds to support the laws they pass. It is the least they could do.
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that promotes informed and active participation in government. Through member-led research, education and advocacy, the League works to improve public participation in the democratic process and to champion public policy goals that are beneficial to all. There are 16 local Leagues in Wisconsin. More information at www.lwvwi.org.
I’ll be at this Saturday’s Fighting Bob Fest North having a great time shooting the breeze and hanging out with Steve Hanson of Uppity Wisconsin at a booth. I’ll also be recording some taped chats with speakers. I’ve heard rain is coming but I have a raincoat and there are things called “roofs” and “tents”, so I think it will work out. Here’s the web site and the facebook page.
I went to my first Fighting Bob last summer and it was a hoot. There were oodles of speakers, booths, food, local beer, and music that tended to the folksy side. So no hip-hop or jazz, but otherwise it was great.
From the Fighting Bob Fest North site: “As former Senator Russ Feingold has made clear since last November’s election, the Progressive movement must regenerate itself and address today’s critical problems. The FightingBobFest theme of “Money and Democracy” will be the subject of speakers who will share information, ideas, opinions and motivation to continue fighting the threats to our freedom and justice when elections and campaigns are bought and sold.”
FREE: Admission to Fighting Bob Fest is FREE, however a $20 donation is requested to cover the costs associated with putting on the Fest. And you don’t have to register, but they’d like you to for planning’s sake HERE.
Carpooling: We should have a 5:30AM and 8:30AM contingent leaving from Madison to Chippewa Falls on Saturday for those who need this. Look at the facebook page for more info on that by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.
Location: the fairgrounds in Chippewa Falls, a place I fondly recall for hosting the first “rock” concert I saw [ Juice Newton. It was free.] This fairgrounds has all the marks of civilization such as paved walkways, large plumbed bathrooms, and exhibition halls. I’m mentioning this in case “fairgrounds” makes a few of you think “gravel parking lot”.
blue cheddar 