Monday, May 21, 2012

Cowardice as an Art Form - Updated!

As Paul Ryan (R-Wall St.), has been saying, "courage is on the ballot".  Scott Walker and all of his supporters failed massively in Janesville(ironically Paul Ryan's home town) over the weekend.  This full page advertisement appeared out of the blue ON people's Janesville Gazette all over Janesville.

For those that can not see, it supposedly lists all of the teachers in Janesville who signed the recall petitions, and their salary and then has a form to sign on the bottom asking to opt out of these "radical teachers" classroom.   They then use Verify the Recall as their source.

And who put out this ad, calling teachers out by name and salary?  Why the people are anonymous of course.  

Scott Walker and his cronies have outdone themselves this time.  Their cowardice, attempts to Bully and Intimidate and  Divide and Conquer are on display for everyone in Wisconsin to see.   When you see the kind of people the Walker brigade are, you realize it is not a pretty sight!  

I guess Paul Ryan supports Tom Barrett after all.  

Do not worry, we at Cog_Dis will continue investigating until we find the cowards behind this ad!!    if you have any information, let us know!

Stay Tuned!   

UPDATED:  The Janesville Gazette brings us more to this story and a little about who was behind it:



Citizens for Responsible Government, also known as CRG Network, filed a freedom of information request with the School District of Janesville on March 29, said Brett Berg, spokesman for the district. Those figures were used to create the flier, said CRG Executive Administrator Chris Kliesmet.

"The group and its representative, Orville Seymer, filed a freedom of information request for a list of all Janesville district teachers, their job titles and annual salaries," Berg said.

When contacted by The Gazette, Seymer said he knew the names of local participants but was asked not to release them.

"They want to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation," Seymer said. "However, this is all public information."

The flier lists the names and salaries of 321 teachers whose salaries range from $59,344 to $75,695. The district employs 765 teachers; the lowest salary is $34,676.

"We did most of the grunt work at the request of people over there," Kliesmet said. "We did the freedom of information request and gathered the data. People in the area printed the flier and distributed it."

At least Superintendent Karen Schulte stepped up:

Schulte said she was shocked when someone showed her the flier Saturday. She said it was interesting that she saw the flier at Craig High School, where 400 people—including teachers—were volunteering to package food to be sent to feed the hungry in Haiti.

"I think it's wrong to go after any group that has an honest profession," Schulte said. "I don't understand where this intense anger is coming from."
so while this hate group was distributing anonymous hate fliers over the weekend,  the teachers that they are attempting to demonize were busy organizing a food drive for the people of Haiti.   Nuff Said


One last thing though, about those exorbitant have's of the Janesville School District:

 Only two teachers make more than $74,000. Salaries are based on a salary schedule that awards pay raises for years on the job to a maximum of 17 years and for continuing education up to the doctoral level. Teachers pay out of their own pockets to take the graduate courses. Teachers also receive extra pay for additional duties, such as coaching.
 765 teachers in the Janesville School District and only 2 make more than $70/k year.  The nerve of them...

CRG contact info:

 crg@crgnetwork.com   |   414-801-0800







45 comments:

  1. I don't see what you are worked up about Jeff, the salaries are public records its not like any laws have been broken. Teachers started this and they are now paying the price for being crybabies.

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    1. Teachers are not crybabies. Shame on you for suggesting such a thing about the hardworking people who help our kids every day.

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    3. Ummm no the teachers ARE crybabies. We are talking about people who went on strike because their candidate didn't win. And who have now set up a doomed recall effort. Doomed why, because the counties in the State that followed the Governor's directives are doing great, those that threw fits ended up losing money and teachers. Sounds to me like the man has a clue, a proven track record and the right to do everything he did.

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    4. Pandora, if you were going to leave the same comment, why didn't you do it under your name, like you originally had done? Are you ashamed of your lies?

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    5. Does WATF know more about this printed tactic?

      WATF seems like typical sockpuppet lately....

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    6. Good call, Capper.

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  2. The Overpass Light Brigade regrets your conjoining the word "brigade" with the word "Walker" and asks that you cease such unholy textual union.

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  3. Walker's people are using the recall signatures like an enemies list. Rapid supporters know what to do with it.

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  4. Walker's people appear to be bullies. Good for the teachers, though. You did the right thing sticking up for your schools and your students.

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  5. WATF, then why don't the people who paid for this ad make their names public record?

    I want to see if they DIDN'T sign the recall petitions, so I can hate on them, take their jobs away from them, keep children away from them. . . .

    If the donors of the ad don't proudly boast of paying for this ad, they're being crybabies.

    (As for the rest of your statement, you're clearly an idjit who can't tell a cart from a horse.

    (And you're a pinko commie crybaby, too.)

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  6. @Anonymous 12:33 AM- I already do this. I've looked up my doctor, dentist, chiropractor, their assistants, etc. Any that did NOT sign a petition, I've changed practitioners. And sent a letter exactly why. I don't have kids, or I'd do the same thing with regards to their practitioners.

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    1. That's a good way to discredit putting an add in the paper.
      Almost like your using the petitions to make an "enemies list".

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    2. No, that's practicing the free market system and putting your money where your mouth is. Don't like it much when it's used against you, eh?

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    3. I guess that confirms the Divide part of his goal is complete. Now to finish it off with "Conquer".

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    4. Dude, it's only 7:30 in the morning. It's too early for you to be drinking.

      That comment makes no sense. I mean, more than most of yours don't.

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  7. The Janesville Gazette is reporting that the cowards behind this craven attack is the asshats at Citizens for Responsible Government.

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  8. I say that we give our total support to the teachers whose names appeared on this list. Thank you for trying to make Wisconsin the place it is supposed to be. I am proud of you.

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  9. One of the drawbacks of being a public employee is that your whole C&B (compensation & benefits) package is in the public domain. That being said, I guess I don't see the harm since the numbers are out there already. Is this slimy? Sure. But I'm surprised that you're surprised.

    Let's remember (and remind the thread-trolls) that research has repeatedly shown that public employees are paid 5 - 8% less than their private sector counterparts in Wisconsin controlling for educational levels. I don't think the teacher's have anything to be ashamed of or to apologize for.

    The alternative, to not publish public worker salaries, is fraught with peril... Open government, sunshine, etc.

    This is yet another pathetic attempt by the GOP to "divide and conquer," to disrupt the emerging solidarity among the middle-class.

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    1. You dont see the harm because your not a public employee who has had their name and salary plastered all over the city in a verified hate piece.

      There were zero good intentions meant with this hate piece. They did not publish this list for any reason what so ever but to intimidate and harass these people for signing the recall petition.

      Everytime someone yells at harasses, intimidates, hurts etc...someone on this list(and people on this list will be affected) then Orville Seymer, will feel a sense of accomplishment.

      This is about right and wrong not right/left. No one wants there to be less public records or access to information but there is something to be said for being a decent human being. There are many reasons for teacher salaries and information to be public but using it to turn the city against you for the sin of making $50/k a year or signing the recall petitions is absolutely NOT one of them. There is NO context whatsoever that what CRG did here is ok. NONE.....

      They are Wisconsin's own republican hate group version of free republic...what horribly despicable people they are....

      Orville Seymour should be charged with every crime against anyone on this list has to endure!

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  10. By the way, I'm all for getting a list of Wisconsin CEOs who did not sign the petition and publish that in the MJS. For a full-page ad, I'd kick in $200 to see that happen!

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  11. There is a huge billboard in Green Bay that says walker fixed it, Don't Falk it up, we can't Barrett. No name on it either. What coward crybabies!

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    1. Not signing doesn't mean "for Walker". I know several people who didn't sign who will vote for Barrett and Mitchell. Also, people I know tell me the same thing about people they know.

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    2. John Menard and the WMC lords?

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    3. I love that billboard I pass it twice a day!

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  12. Wow. McCarthyism, pure and simple. The decent people of Wisconsin won't stand for such a vile attack on teachers like this.

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  13. If its Paul Ryan (R-Wall St.), then it would have to be Tom Barrett (D-Milk Carton)
    Do you really think he will make things better for the unions? Did he in Milwaukee?

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    1. Sorry should have posted this here:

      I'm not to drunk to know that is a lie.

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  14. The Janesville Gazette has a front-page story about this. You can't read the full article just yet. I read it in the paper version this morning but didn't keep a copy. It's much worse than you imagine. CRG is behind it. They requested the info and passed it to several individuals in Janesville who created the flyer, but CRG won't reveal their names. Ah, the courage! The language of the flyer claims teachers are Marxist, are dumbing-down the curriculum, and more, and encourages people to ask to have their student transferred to a "non-radical" classroom. The superintendent says she'll "throw them in the trash" if they receive any.

    (To which, I'd add, she should not do... after all, they would be public records, and the public could request them like any other school communication. In theory, we could publish a database of everyone who thinks their kid is in a radical classroom.)

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    1. Important point, JF. There is no reason to throw these requests away and there may be several reasons keep them.

      And like every cloud, there may be a silver lining to this situation.

      If the wingers with kids do remove them from those classrooms led by recall-signing teachers, the average intelligence level of the classes is likely to rise dramatically.

      Fewer winger kids should also result in fewer behavioral problems like bullying and disruptive outbursts.

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    2. Dave is right. We should be more than happy to have people pull their kids from classrooms. With the overcrowding occurring, this would ease the strain on those classes, benefiting the students and their teachers. Also, where do they think their kids are going to go? There are only so many teacher. The irony is that still want to use public schools. What morons.

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    3. Dave, your response cracks me up. Thanks, I needed that, as this story so angers me.

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    4. Is this CRG, the same parent group to Shirl LaBarre and her CRG?

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    5. Humor or not, Dave makes a good point of getting the winger kids out of the schools.

      Conservatives really only value their own everything, until they have to pay for it, then they complain. It's hard to live in excess, ya know.

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  15. What do you mean by a flyer being ON a newspaper? (When I read this post last night, my eyes must have been weary; I thought I read that the story was in the newspaper. Or did this post say so? And "a full-page advertisement is a term for an IN a newspaper.

    From the newspaper's report, this is not a full-page ad. This is a flier separate from the newspaper -- other than that a group illegally used the newspaper's delivery tubes, for which the newspaper may take action.

    In sum, what are you trying to say? Yes, I'm appalled by this smear tactic, and I was appalled by the Janesville Gazette last night for this smear tactic . . . but this morn, I'm wondering whether this post is a smear tactic, too?

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    1. Ugh, it's still too early. Trying again with the first paragraph above:

      What do you mean by a flyer being ON a newspaper? (When I read this post last night, my eyes must have been weary; I thought I read that the story was in the newspaper. Or did this post say so? And "a full-page advertisement" is a term for an ad IN a newspaper.)

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    2. all of the information i got was that this was placed ON their ppaper or in their newspaper tubes in the morning

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  16. Just because the teachers' salaries are public record, their names weren't. It's still dirty pool. Condone it at your own peril; just remember that it might be you on that kind of list one day, and then it might not be so easy to point fingers.

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    1. bs SCOTT the names of teachers are public record, they don't like that fact, don't really care. Turn off the tears the state is tired of liberals acting like babies

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    2. Oh, they did more than that cupcake. They violated the teacher's civil rights and civil service laws.

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  17. How screwed up are these people? They chastise and retaliate against those who lawfully particpate in consitutionally protected civil discourse (in fact the argument could be made constitutionally mandated), perverting their constitutionally protected speech and freedom to assicociate, while doing do so anonymously to avoid retaliation?

    WTF

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  18. While this all may be "public information", that doesn't make it right for a group of "anonymous citizens" to publish a list of names in the newspaper and then requset for strangers to somehow retaliate against those who have been named, simply because they have a different political viewpoint. Those teachers had every right to sign a recall petition. We don't publish lists of how teachers voted in an election, because it would be unethical, not to mention tasteless. Frankly, I'm perfectly happy to be seeing that at least SOME of these teachers are actually earning a living wage, even if it's not enough of them.

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  19. Thank you, Anonymous 2:57, for clarifying the point that others seem to want to miss.

    Yes, we public employees' salaries are public record, and people can find them (with some getting off their butts, not sitting on them reading something delivered to them), and etc.

    But this flier calls for RETALIATION against good people, teachers, for exercising their rights under the state constitution. This flier calls for them to be harassed at their workplace -- and worse, because I know a lot of teachers, for them to feel terrible for their students caught in the middle of this, if those poor kids' parents follow up on this.

    Anyone who says "so what" to this: You will be next. These crazies are not done. And then, when you hear "so what," listen closely.

    You will not hear support from us, because we'll be gone from your "so what" state. Nice new slogan you got there. Why not just "Backward"?

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