Duffy: There's A Difference Between Muslim And White Terror

Sean Duffy, former reality TV star, took some time from admiring himself in the mirror to appear on CNN with Alisyn Camerota to discuss terrorism.

In the interview, Duffy said that there was a big difference between Muslim terrorism and good, old-fashioned, home grown white terrorism:

"Why isn't the President talking about the white terrorists who mowed down six Muslims praying at their mosque," she asked.

"I don't know," the Wisconsin Republican replied, referencing the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City last month. "There's a difference."

"You don't have a group like ISIS or al Qaeda that is inspiring people around the world to take up arms and kill innocents. ... That was a one off, Alisyn," Duffy added.

Camerota mentioned 1995's Oklahoma City bombing before asking if the Trump surrogate believed that white terrorists exist. But Duffy said those incidents do not compare.

"So you give me two examples, right," Duffy replied. "If you want to compare this one person in the last 10 years that you can give an example ... Oklahoma City bombing was 20 years ago."

And "that's different than the whole movement that has taken place through ISIS, that's inspired attacks," he said.

Camerota also mentioned Dylann Roof, a white man who killed nine black Americans in a Charleston church.

Duffy mentioned the shooting of Gabby Giffords, which was done by Jared Lee Loughner, a white American, who the lawmaker called "a leftist guy."

"And now you see violence and terror in the streets all across America, burning and beating people with Donald Trump hats," he said. "The left has to say violence is wrong."

The lawmaker asked what could be done to address terrorism from white Americans.

"How should we vet that to keep ourselves safe? I will join you in that effort, what do you do," he asked. "It's horrible. what do we do on the white supremacy front to make sure we don't have another attack like Charleston?"

There are no groups that promote white hate or white terror? Has Duffy truly never heard of the KKK? Has Duffy truly never seen the list of hate groups and hate crimes listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center?

Then again, I suppose it's not really too surprising that Duffy doesn't want to admit to anything like white hate, since he has his own history of terrorizing a political opponent who had the nerve to show videos from a movie that he and his wife starred in that promoted gay marriage. (The video has since been scrubbed.)

It's also disingenuous for Duffy to throw up his hands on what to do about white terrorism. Why not do the same thing as they want to do to Muslims? Let's start with profiling white, conservative males, usually with a military background and are frequent listeners to squawk radio and watch Faux News regularly?

More Wit And Wisdom From Rebecca Bradley

Scott Walker's hand-picked political appointee to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Rebecca Bradley, had a bad start to her week when it was revealed that she had written some very hateful comments as a student at Marquette University. Bradley had penned that she had no sympathy for "queers" or "degenerate" drug addicts or anyone else who had AIDS.

Her week has since turned into a horrible, no-good, godawful, horrendous week from hell.

It turns out that with Bradley, just like her friend, Walker, there's more. There's always more.

In another article by Bradley, she argued in favor of personhood and compared abortion to slavery and to the Holocaust:

"I recall a time in history when blacks were treated as something less than human for convenience and financial reasons. I recall a time in history when Jews were treated as non-humans and tortured and murdered. Now, at this point in our sad history, we are perpetrating similar slaughter, only we are killing babies," Bradley wrote in a 1992 column for the Marquette Tribune.

Unlike her comments regarding homosexuals and drug addicts, she cannot back peddle from this. She wrote another column in 2006 repeating similar arguments in favor of allowing pharmacists to deny birth control pills.

It was also revealed this week that Bradley sympathized with Camille Paglia, who had blamed rape victims for the crimes committed against them. On top of that, Bradley had a few choice words about feminists which revealed just how deep her hate goes:

"I intend to expose the feminist movement as largely composed of angry, militant, man-hating lesbians who abhor the traditional family," Bradley wrote, arguing that the feminist movement had been hijacked by the political left, abandoning its role as a defender of women's rights.

Well, gee, isn't that the writing of a well-balanced, impartial judge to be?

So what does Walker have to say now that all this crap is coming out about his hand-picked political appointee who is trying to get elected to a full ten-year term on April 5?

Not a helluva lot:

Speaking Tuesday, GOP Gov. Scott Walker said many people make mistakes in their youth and declined to say whether he would have appointed her to the state's highest court had he known of her anti-gay statements.

Walker said Tuesday that Bradley's 1992 views did not reflect those of young conservative activists, like himself, at the time but declined to condemn them.

"I think a good chunk of society probably has different views than they did in college," he said.

Walker later said that they had thoroughly vetted Bradley and that her judicial writings were just fine. I'm sure it didn't take them long since Bradley has only been a judge for the last three years, after Walker appointed her to circuit court. She spent even less time on the appellate court before Walker promoted her for the third time.

What the mainstream press hasn't caught on to yet, at least not publicly, is that Walker has painted himself into a corner.

If they did indeed do a thorough vetting of Bradley, Walker knew about these writings and her deep-seated and irrational hate and was just dandy with it.

On the other hand, the only other choice is that Walker did not thoroughly vet Bradley and only promoted her for her ideology, meaning he was indeed looking to load the Supreme Court with his cronies to cover his butt, say for a John Doe investigation.

Abele Said Bradley Was "Compassionate About People"

As the gentle reader is surely aware, our friends at One Wisconsin Now uncovered some writings by Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, in which she spewed derision on "queers," drug addicts and other victims of AIDS.  Clearly this in not the attitude of someone who should be in any public office and especially not the highest court in the state.

This is not the only time Bradley has been exposed as a bigot.  Remember that she also worked hard with various groups, including the Federalist Society, to promote voter suppression, target young minorities.

And as I have pointed out in the past, Milwaukee County Executor, er, Executive Chris "Boss" Abele had endorsed Bradley when she was running for reelection as a circuit court judge three years ago.

Not only did Abele endorse her, but his statement regarding the endorsement should leave one wondering about his own judgment and temperament (emphasis mine):

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has endorsed Judge Rebecca Bradley for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge. While her opponent runs divisive political ads, Judge Bradley is drawing support from people all across the political spectrum because she is running a campaign committed to serving the Milwaukee community and not partisan interests.

“I have known Judge Bradley for many years, and I know that she is deeply committed to the Milwaukee community and public service,” said County Executive Abele. “She left a successful legal practice for the Milwaukee County bench because she wanted to give back to the community where she was born and raised. Judge Bradley has developed a reputation among her judicial colleagues and the attorneys who appear before her as an excellent judge with a respectful judicial temperament. I am proud to support Judge Bradley because she is compassionate about people and is making a positive impact on our community in Children’s Court. I am also proud of her commitment to a clean campaign, devoid of misleading attack ads, which show disrespect for the office and have no place in our judicial elections.”

Judge Bradley commented, “I am pleased to have the support of County Executive Abele. It is heartening that he and others recognize my commitment to the Milwaukee community. I will continue to stay positive and focus on the facts in my campaign.”

Given that Abele states that he had known Bradley for several years, surely, he must have picked up on her bigotry. Yet he still endorsed her and said that she was "compassionate about people."  One could conceivably say that her bigotry and hatred were very passionate but no one should call it compassionate.

Then again, if that is the type of attitude that he approves of in others, it could go a long way to explain why he has done the damage to the county and wants to do more.

Seriously, it does put a strong question on Abele's own values and shows that he is not fit to be county executive just as Bradley is not fit to sit on the bench at any level.

Has The GOP Trumped Itself?

I will admit that I am enjoying quite a bit of schadenfreude as the Republicans squirm around with anxiety and despair as it becomes clearer and clearer that Donald Trump has a very good likelihood to be their presidential candidate.  They are calling it an embarrassment and are mewling that Trump isn't even really a Republican.  Their gnashing of teeth, pulling of hair and renting of clothes only increases as one establishment candidate after another drops out of the clown car.

What makes their angst even more enjoyable is that their current situation is completely of their own doing.

Republicans have long practiced racism.  Look at how many states, including Wisconsin, have passed laws aimed at the minorities, such as Jim Crow laws, voter suppression, cutting benefits and selling the futures of their children to education privatizers and profiteers and eventually to for-profit prison systems.  Why are they surprised now that they get an openly racist candidate who has claimed that all Mexican immigrants are rapists and drug dealers?

Similarly, Republicans have made bigotry one of their staples.  They have fought to stop marriage equality, They have cried out for Muslim blood louder than the crusaders in the Middle Ages.  Then they wonder why the majority of their members is supporting a guy who said we should Muslims with bullets dipped in pig's blood.

Republicans have practiced misogyny for a long time.  They pass laws weakening pay equality. They try to dictate to women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies. They don't hesitate to denigrate women at the drop of a hat.  Yet the Republicans are perplexed that their members are supporting a man that judges women solely by their looks and said that he would date his own daughter.

The list could go on but I think the gentle reader gets the idea.  Trump personifies all of the "values" that the Republicans hold dear.  The only difference is that Trump is such a loose cannon that he will say these things out loud and he can't be controlled by the dark money special interests.

The whole situation would be hilarious if it weren't for the fact that the same Republicans who are doing all the complaining and whining don't have the insight to see that the things they claim to hate in Trump already exists in themselves.

Wisconsin Mayor Calls Obama A Muslim, Blames Him For Everything

Bud Hagen, the mayor of Superior, Wisconsin, is getting a lot of heat - and deservedly so - for making an ass out of himself on Facebook:

A Wisconsin mayor is pushing back against criticism for calling President Obama a Muslim, saying he holds the office of the presidency in high regard but has “no respect for the current administration.”

Superior City Councilors are asking for Mayor Bruce Hagen to apologize or resign for a Facebook comment he made on a photo of first lady Michelle Obama.

“Unbelievable! She and her Muslim partner have destroyed the fabric of Democracy that was so very hard fought for,” he wrote, a local Fox News affiliate reported.

City councilor Graham Garfield said a recall for Mr. Hagen is not out of the question, but it would be left up to the public.

“I’m not saying he’s done anything criminal, but he’s certainly put his leadership capabilities in question,” Mr. Garfield told Fox.

Hagen defends his idiocy by claiming the First Amendment Right to Free Speech, not understanding that there is a difference between exercising his right and abusing it. Hagen also said it was OK because he doesn't like Obama or his administration.

Instead of saying what I really think of Hagen, I'll just share how this 22-year old Muslim woman from Superior schooled the old bigot:

Bender said he received a phone call from a constituent who told him it's difficult to be a Muslim in the United States these days. "She was hurt by this," Bender said.

The constituent, Caitlin Shayda Pendleton, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hagen's attempts to defend his comments on the grounds that he doesn't respect the Obama administration aren't valid.

"Obama as a Muslim is not a useful criticism. It adds nothing valuable to discussions on policy," said Pendleton, a 22-year-old Muslim who grew up in Superior and is home from Washington, D.C., to visit family.

Pendleton, a Middle East research analyst, said it's one thing to hear a presidential candidate make such statements.

"To hear the mayor of my hometown is more personal than hearing a presidential candidate saying bigoted things," she said. "He has freedom of speech. He can say what he wants and people who listen to him also have freedom of speech to respond. But what he said is factually incorrect and deeply offensive.

"I have faith when he thinks through his comment, an apology would be sufficient," she said.

The Republicans' Hollow And Hypocritical Response To Syrian Refugees

On Monday, Scott Walker joined the throng of other Republican governors and lawmakers trying to exploit the terrorist attack on Paris by saying that he would refuse to accept any Syrian refugees in Wisconsin:

Gov. Scott Walker on Monday joined a growing list of governors whose states will not accept new Syrian refugees.

"In light of these horrific and tragic attacks, our first priority must be to protect our citizens. Along with governors across the country, I have deep concerns about the Obama Administration’s plan to accept 10,000 or more Syrian refugees, especially given that one of the Paris attackers was reportedly a Syrian refugee," Walker said in a statement. "In consultation with our Adjutant General, who also serves as my Homeland Security Advisor, it is clear that the influx of Syrian refugees poses a threat. With this in mind, I am calling upon the President to immediately suspend the program pending a full review of its security and acceptance procedures. The State of Wisconsin will not accept new Syrian refugees."

Walker joins the governors of states like Michigan, Texas, Massachusetts and Alabama in blocking Syrian refugees from entering Wisconsin for the time being.

In other words, Walker and the other Republicans are turning away tens of thousands of people based on an unsubstantiated rumor.

But that should come as a surprise to no one. When was the last time the Republicans did anything based on facts and truths?

Besides, the Republicans have a tough election year coming up.  How does anyone expect to win if they don't pander to their base's paranoia and bigotry?

But Walker's posturing is just that, emptying posturing. He and the other right wing governors don't have the authority to refuse to the refugees:

The problem for Jindal, Abbott and the other governors opposed to admitting refugees, however, is that there is no lawful means that permits a state government to dictate immigration policy to the president in this way. As the Supreme Court explained in Hines v. Davidowitz, “the supremacy of the national power in the general field of foreign affairs, including power over immigration, naturalization and deportation, is made clear by the Constitution.” States do not get to overrule the federal government on matters such as this one.

Just in case there is any doubt, President Obama has explicit statutory authorization to accept foreign refugees into the United States. Under the Refugee Act of 1980, the president may admit refugees who face “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” into the United States, and the president’s power to do so is particularly robust if they determine that an “unforeseen emergency refugee situation” such as the Syrian refugee crisis exists.

This power to admit refugees fits within the scheme of “broad discretion exercised by immigration officials” that the Supreme Court recognized in its most recent major immigration case, Arizona v. United States. Indeed, in describing the executive branch’s broad authority to make discretionary calls regarding immigration matters, Arizona seemed to explicitly contemplate the circumstances that face President Obama today. The United States may wish to allow a foreign national to remain within its borders, the Court explained, because the individual’s home nation “may be mired in civil war, complicit in political persecution, or enduring conditions that create a real risk that the alien or his family will be harmed upon return.”

Moreover, the Court explained, America could suffer severe foreign policy consequences if the executive does not enjoy broad discretion over immigration matters. “The dynamic nature of relations with other countries,” Justice Anthony Kennedy explained in his opinion for the Court in Arizona, “requires the Executive Branch to ensure that enforcement policies are consistent with this Nation’s foreign policy with respect to these and other realities.”

Again, why let a little thing like reality or the law get in the way of playing to their base's xenophobia and bigotry?

Perhaps Walker is trying to protect us from Muslims like the waiter who risked his life by braving a hail of bullets during the Paris attacks to pull two women to safety?

If Walker and the others were really concerned about our safety, why have they not done anything  for twenty years about profiling white, male former military people like Timothy McVeigh, who killed more people by himself than the terrorists who attacked Paris?  Instead, Walker has made it easier for people like this to commit their atrocities.

Lastly, I am surprised that these so called Christians are willing to take such a stance.  I seem to remember learning as a boy in Sunday School about a seasonal story about Middle Eastern refugees being turned away by cold-blooded fools.

Apparently, Walker missed that lesson too.

Aaron Rodgers Denounces Bigoted Fan

At each NFL football game on Sunday, there was a moment of silence for the people of France who suffered an unimaginable terrorist attack.

Unfortunately, some jerk at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, took the opportunity to prove to the world what an ass he is by yelling an anti-Muslim statement. (Said fool either shouted "Muslim sucks" or "F*ck the Muslims," depending on which account you listen to.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who came off the field after losing another heartbreaking (for Packer fans anyway) loss, still had the wherewithal and class to denounce the fan who yelled that:

"I must admit I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was that made a comment that was very inappropriate during the moment of silence," Rodgers said. "It's that kind of prejudicial ideology that puts us in the position we're in today as a world."

Sad to say, it wouldn't be surprising if Rodgers experiences some blow back for this comment, given the exceptionally base and crass right wingers that keep coming out of the woodwork in Wisconsin.

I will openly admit that I am not really a big Rodgers fan, but I will say that he displayed a lot of class in that statement. Now if only he would get his head on straight during the games...

Walker Implies That Gays Are Pedophiles

Scott Walker apparently has a side bet with Donald Trump to see which one of them can insult the most people before their campaigns crash and burn. Walker's latest example of myopia and bigotry is inplying that gays are pedophiles:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker opened his presidential candidacy speech with a story from his time in Boy Scouts, and he frequently cites being an Eagle Scout to illustrate his Americana appeal and preparedness.

But the Boy Scouts of today is quickly becoming an organization Walker may not recognize.

The Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Committee voted unanimously this week on a directive that would allow gay adults to serve as employees and troop leaders.

In response to the vote, Walker told IJReview:

“I was an Eagle Scout, my kids have been involved, Tonette (Walker) was a den mother.

“I have had a lifelong commitment to the Scouts and support the previous membership policy because it protected children and advanced Scout values.”

Walker did not elaborate on what the children were being protected from, but given his absolute hatred of gay rights, I would presume that he did not mean that gays would feed the kiddies to wild animals or throw them over waterfalls.

Walker Keeps Hate For Gays Alive

Less than a month ago, it was reported that Scott Walker dished out more than a million dollars in his futile effort to stop marriage equality. Despite losing that costly battle, Walker made it abundantly clear that his bigotry and hatred is still burning brightly:

Wearing a suit — with no mention of whether it was from Kohl's — and pacing the stage, Walker was at ease, peppering a few new elements into a stump speech he's given throughout the country as he considers a presidential bid. In his voice, the wear of two days' worth of events across the state could be heard, but his speech drew cheers, stomps and applause.

Just before he took the stage, Walker told reporters he's holding out hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that states can bar same-sex marriages. But if that's not the case, he suggested that voters should seek a constitutional amendment to allow state-level bans.

"I think the appropriate route is for people across America who care deeply about this issue to pursue a constitutional amendment allowing the states to determine what the definition is," Walker told reporters.

When the Supreme Court declined to hear Wisconsin's case last fall, Walker said, "For us, it's over in Wisconsin." But his comments on Saturday indicated he's not ready to walk away from the fight.

He made no mention of a constitutional amendment in his speech, but reaffirmed his belief that marriage "is between one man and one woman" and that states should be the ones to define the terms.

Just another example showing that Walker wants to be president so badly that he doesn't care whose necks he steps on to get there.

LGBT Ally Chris Abele: Not All Loves Are Equal

In the aftermath of Indiana Governor Mike Pence signing the Right To Bigotry law, scores of companies, groups and governmental bodies have pulled out investments, cancelled events and enacted travel bans to the state in protest. Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic has proposed that Milwaukee County do the same:

Milwaukee County would join other state and local governments, including Dane County, in boycotting travel to Indiana due to a recently passed “religious freedom” law that uses religion as an excuse to discriminate. County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic is simultaneously requesting action along with Dane County Supervisors.

In addition to Dane County, several state and local governments, including Connecticut, New York and Washington along with the cities of Portland, Oregon, San Francisco and Seattle, have announced government-subsidized travel bans to Indiana after Gov. Mike Pence recently signed the measure, which bans all Indiana laws that “substantially burden” people’s ability to follow their religious beliefs when it comes to such matters as treatment of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people.

“Even the Indianapolis Star and the Mayor of Indianapolis have denounced this law,” Dimitrijevic said.“I call on County Executive Chris Abele to issue an executive order banning all tax-subsidized travel to Indiana by Milwaukee County employees. If he does not act, then the County Board should take action through my resolution.”

Companies such as Accenture, Eli Lilly, Levi Strauss and Co. have also issued company bans on doing business in Indiana. Dimitrijevic invited companies in Indiana to re-locate to Milwaukee County.

“We value fairness and equality in Milwaukee County,” Dimitrijevic said. “We have been on the right side of history by adopting domestic partnership benefits and a nondiscrimination ordinance I authored.

“Our taxpayer dollars should not be used to support bigotry, and sitting idly by without action may aid this epidemic. We are the most diverse community in Wisconsin, and I’m sure Indiana companies would benefit from locating in an atmosphere of tolerance.”

One would think that this would be a slam dunk.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is a strong advocate for gay rights. He's donated tens of thousands of dollars of his own money to fight for marriage equality in Wisconsin. When the gay marriage ban was struck down, he again reached into his own pocket to keep the Milwaukee County Courthouse open late and on the weekend so that people could get married.

Yet when he was asked by WTMJ-TV about this, Abele said he refused to impose the travel ban to Indiana.

Abele was not clear why he had this sudden change of heart, but it should be remembered that even though he claims to be a Democrat, he is far from being progressive. He has been known to support the most rabid of teahadists and has praised Scott Walker, especially for Act 10 and other anti-worker legislation. Abele could be just following the lead of Walker and refusing to get involved.

It could be that Abele is still having aspirations to run for US Senator against Ron Johnson and is vying for the conservative vote.

Or it could be that Abele has money invested in Indiana and is putting his love of money over the love shared between people.

Whatever his absurd reasoning might be, Abele needs to reconsider his decision and do the right thing and not the Right thing.

The High Price Of Bigotry The Walker Edition

When Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the Right to Bigotry law on Friday, he set off of a firestorm he hadn't expected. The blow back has been fierce, with people, companies and other entities pulling out of the state or threatening to do so. The biggest of which - so far - has been from Angie's List, which is pulling out of a $40 million, 1,000-job expansion that they had planned for Indiana.

What Pence also did was take the heat off of Scott Walker, his bigotry and its high cost:

The State of Wisconsin's unsuccessful court battle to prevent gay marriage will cost taxpayers more than $1 million, under an agreement released Friday.

State Attorney General Brad Schimel, a Republican, and attorneys for eight gay and lesbian couples reached the agreement after the couples successfully sued to overturn the state's 2006 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

The couples were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which sought $1.25 million to cover its costs because the couples prevailed in their lawsuit. Ultimately, the ACLU will receive nearly $1.1 million, under the stipulation released Friday.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia who believes bans like Wisconsin's are unconstitutional, said that he wasn't surprised at the cost to state taxpayers and that it could have been worse. Gov. Scott Walker, one of the defendants, and then-Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, both Republicans, opposed the same-sex plaintiffs at every level of the federal court system, he said.

"The state never seemed to appreciate how much taxpayer money is expended on this type of litigation in which it was pretty clear from the outset that Wisconsin was going to lose," Tobias said.

The article does not include the cost to taxpayers for the state's attorneys to fight this quixotic battle, the court costs, the loss in work hours for the scores of people that testified, etc., which would raise the cost easily over $2 million.

At least there's a chance that Pence will have to pay for his hatred politically. The only thing that Walker will have to face is the grumblings of some rabid, foam-at-the-mouth, uber conservatives that are mad that he gave up so soon.

Indianapolis - A Great Place To Be A Bigot

Here's a couple of short videos from my home away from home, Crooks and Liars, which are too funny not to share:

The First Rule Of GOP Club

Last week, Jeff Simpson reported about the anti-gay slurs tweeted by Jacob Dorsey, a Republican candidate for the State Assembly.

It turns out that this jerk wasn't just homophobic, but a full-fledged racist as well.


The only thing that surprises is that no one found him making misogynistic and sexist remarks as well.

Anyway, it got to be too much for WISGOP leaders and they forced him out of the race, even though that it will lock the seat for Deb Kolste, the Democratic incumbent:

The Republican candidate who apologized last week for a “hurtful" Twitter comment about gays admitted Tuesday he had posted other derogatory comments and dropped out of the 44th Assembly District race.

When asked Tuesday about newly discovered comments on social media, Jacob Dorsey told The Gazette he was ending his campaign against Rep. Deb Kolste, D-Janesville.

Dorsey's name, however, will remain on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election.

Last week, the 19-year-old Dorsey apologized for a comment about gays he admitted was “hurtful" and had posted in December on Twitter.

Tuesday, he acknowledged other inappropriate posts to social media sites.

In comments made on various YouTube videos, Dorsey used derogatory terms in reference to blacks and homosexuals.

He also used a vulgarity as a verb ahead of Abraham Lincoln, the nation's first Republican president.

His YouTube comments were made between a year and two years ago, well before he entered the Assembly race in May.

Dorsey said Tuesday he regrets the comments made by a child he no longer considers himself to be.

“I have decided to withdraw from the race due to insensitive remarks that have surfaced from years past,” Dorsey said in a statement to The Gazette. “This race has been extremely hard on my family and myself.”

Keep in mind that the Teapublicans weren't upset by what Dorsey said. They are just upset that he got caught saying it.

It's much like the way they were OK with Bill Kramer sexually assaulting and harassing women until it became public knowledge.

How can I say that the Teapublicans weren't upset by Dorsey or Kramer?  Easy. Just look at their own behaviors.

The fact that the Teapublicans look at the LGBT community as second class citizens is evident by the way they are fighting tooth and nail to keep their ban on same-sex marriages.  Trying to deny a whole group of people the same rights that you enjoy is just plain hateful.

Racism is prevalent in Fitzwalkerstan, as shown by the Jim Crow Laws, the plantation economic policies and the racist comments that keep coming from that group, ranging from Jason Thompson, son of TOMMY!! to Scott Walker's campaign to the race baiting from squawk radio.

Likewise, these teahadists also show their sexism and misogyny with their perpetuation of the rape culture, sexist comments and laws weakening women's rights and equal pay.

So Dorsey's crime obviously wasn't being a homophobic, racist jerk.  That's just par for the course for the WISGOP.

Dorsey's crime was violating the first rule of the GOP Club - he openly spoke about his racism and bigotry.

Charlie Sykes Wants Extra Rights

By now, the gentle reader has surely heard the news accounts about Michael Sam, a young man who was drafted in this past weekend's NFL draft.  Not only was it news worthy because Sam was one of the few elite college football players with enough talent to make it to the big times, but because Sam is openly gay.

A gay football player in itself isn't anything new. Vince Lombardi had gay players playing for him when he coached the Green Bay Packers fifty years ago..

However, when Sam got the call that he made the draft, he celebrated like most people would - he kissed his loved one in a moment of celebration.  However, this one innocent act has gotten the right wing acting like it was the end times.

Which brings us to Charlie Sykes, main squawker at WTMJ-AM (who is waiting to change their call letters to WGOP).  Sykes laments that a player for the Dolphins had called the kiss as "horrible" and then was fined for his bigotry:

Now we know that the only acceptable reaction to this man-on-man lip lock was celebration or silence. Or perhaps gratitude that the display of affection was not more graphic.

Dissent or objection was, apparently, not permitted. But the Dolphins’ Don Jones had not gotten the memo. He tweeted out a single word: "horrible."

To be sure, Sam’s reaction was spontaneous, emotional and probably quite genuine. But here’s the thing: so was Jones’s. One was acceptable and celebrated. The other was not.

In the rest of his article, Sykes shows us that he is truly turning a new leaf. Not only is he still the same old race baiter that he always has been, but now he has a stronger sense of homophobia.

Sykes demonstrates this by saying that the blow back that the right is getting for their bigotry is a vast left wing conspiracy to give gays extra rights.

The thing that Sykes and his fellow bigots won't admit is that they would never have said a word if Sam was straight and kissed his girlfriend. (Unless she was white, of course. But that's a whole other issue.)
So it's not that the gays want to have any extra rights. They just want to have the same rights.

If anything, it's people like Sykes that want extra rights.  They want to spout their hatred and not take any responsibility or accept any consequences for it.

Proud To Be

A very powerful message from the National Congress of American Indians:



This should be required viewing for the entire WISGOP caucua and Scott Walker, who just legalized bigotry and racism. But then again, I doubt that they would be able to understand the message.

Tip of the crown to Heather DuBois Bourenane.

Clarke Needs To Return Award

Last year, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was named "Sheriff of the Year" by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), an extreme right-wing collection of nut jobs.  Among some of the questionable things that have come from the CSPOA was their stands that the federal government was a bigger threat than terrorists and that they wanted to nullify any federal laws with which they didn't agree.

When confronted by Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on their level of nuttiness, Clarke said he was proud of the award:

"I am extremely proud and humbled at the same time for this recognition by an association of my peers," Clarke said in a statement.

Then he added: "Have you ever been recognized by an association of writers as Journalist of the Year? If you ever are, and I read about it, I will congratulate you, not try to poop on your recognition."

The CSPOA are again in the news for taking their nuttiness to a new level, wanting to take Utah back from the homosexuals:

On Saturday, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) organized what it called an “uprising” in Utah to protest a federal court’s decision that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby struck down the ban, then upheld his ruling three days later, leading Utah conservatives to take extreme measures to oppose it.

The CSPOA’s “uprising” consisted of a meeting in which a standing-room only crowd of same-sex marriage opponents watched PowerPoint presentations about the federal government overstepping its authority. Organizers and speakers claim that Governor Gary Herbert has failed the people of Utah, and that it is up to the sheriff’s to “take back” the state from “the homosexuals.”

Former Graham County, Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack said that “[t]he people of Utah have rights, too, not just the homosexuals. The homosexuals are shoving their agenda down our throats.”

Now that the CSPOA has crossed the line and is espousing blatant bigotry, it's time for Clarke to denounce the group and return the award that these crackpots gave him.  Unless, that is, he feels that he is somehow being honored by having his name tied to a group of homophobic goofs.  If Clarke doesn't return his award, we can only presume that he agrees with the homophobic stance of this group, making him unfit for office.

Now, I really don't expect Clarke to suddenly change course and do the right thing by returning the award and distancing himself from these reprobates.  After all, we are talking about a guy that is willing to bend the law enough to keep Fran McLaughlin, one of Scott Walker's former staffers who did politicking on county time, as his mouthpiece.

What I do expect is for people to get fed up with Clarke and his crazy antics and his bigoted friends and ousting him by voting for Chris Moews.  It's time for Milwaukee County to stand up for itself and get rid of this sideshow clown that we have for a sheriff now.

The Battle For Milwaukee

Via a Huffington Post article written by  Michael B. Sauter and Thomas C. Frohlich, we are referred to a report from 24/7 Wall Street which ranked the largest 100 cities in the country based on how well the cities are being run.

Image courtesy of
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee did not do very well at all, coming in as the tenth worst ran city in the nation:

10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Population: 599,000 (28th largest)
> Credit rating: Aa2, stable
> Violent crime per 100,000: 1,294 (10th highest)
>; 2012 Unemployment rate: 10.1% (27th highest)

Milwaukee struggles with poverty and high crime rates. Last year, a typical household made just over $34,000, and nearly 30% of people lived beneath the poverty line, considerably worse than the country’s figures. There were nearly 1,300 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2012, more than three times the national rate of 387 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The city’s socioeconomic problems were among the reasons Moody’s assigned Milwaukee a Aa2 rating. The agency also expressed management-related concerns, specifically highlighting the city’s debt burden and the complexity of its debt financing.

Unsurprisingly, people like the race baiters at White Wisconsin used this to take jabs at Mayor Tom Barrett.  Lefties are turning around and trying to put the blame on Scott Walker and the Teapublican legislature.

But to lay this at the feet of any one individual is terribly naive and ignorant.  This has been happening for generations and has a root that is deeper on the right than on the left, although it is very pervasive on both sides.

The problems listed in the report has a lot to do with the ongoing racism in this city and this state.

In April 2013, Milwaukee was found to be the most segregated area of the nation.  I pointed out at that time that the segregation was happening on more than just a geographical level.

For decades, Milwaukee school children have been getting set apart by having a large portion of their education funding diverted to support the education privatizers and profiteers, even though these private schools have been repeatedly been shown to be worse than public education.  Not only has the problem never been corrected, in recent years, the siphoning of funds has been greater, making it even more difficult for children to get a good education.

Milwaukee is also segregated electorally.  First there is Scot Walker and the Teapublican legislature reinstating Jim Crow laws and poll taxes, making it harder for many minorities to vote.  Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele furthered the problem by diminishing the representative government the county once enjoyed.  At least locally, it's now harder to vote and you have less of a voice even when you do vote.

Speaking of losing one's voice, let us not forget the bias in the media.  Radio station aimed at a black audience can't stay on the air while WTMJ teams up with the Koch-funded Club for Growth to keep spewing their race baiting.

Along the same line, a gas station in Washington County can make the news in Milwaukee, but the escalated wave of crime in the city itself barely gets mentioned.  It's as if the corporate media wants people to believe that the money from a exurban gas station is more important than the life of a young black man in the inner city.  Oh, wait, that's exactly what they are doing.

Milwaukee's segregation is also economical.  Abele fights any and all efforts to have a minimum wage come to Milwaukee.  Mayor Tom Barrett went against the will of the people and squashed the law requiring paid sick time for workers in the city.  On top of that, there are the Teapublicans that are looking for any chance they get to cut people off of unemployment, food stamps and Badger Care.

And when one considers the other constant issues of segregation, like how a black man has a one in three chance of being incarcerated, it's not surprising that things are going to hell in a handbasket.

All of this ingrained racism, segregation and oppression is really brought home in a blog post written by a former Milwaukeean who eloquently speaks of her experiences here:

I am fully aware that what plagues my family and so many people in Milwaukee is a combination of poor public policy, mass segregation, over incarceration and an even poorer education system. I chose to move away from Milwaukee not the work. I choose to focus my energy and adult working life on public policies where zip code doesn’t dictate destiny, where parental income doesn’t so easily transfer, where schoolhouses can be an oasis of hope.

I left my burden somewhere on the sidewalk cracks of Hadley Street on the north side of Milwaukee just as I would in the torn up rubble of the Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago. I’ll never get Milwaukee tattooed on my chest. I probably will never be able to vacation with my family members in some incredible safari resort in Kenya and many of them will likely never board a plane to see what life is like for their cousin, sister, friend in Brooklyn. And while I continue to mourn that Huxatble dream of going back ‘home’ to a place that is safe, supportive, and where people understand me, I’ve learned that the best I could do is be safe, supportive, and understanding to them.

I learned from Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie that: stories matter. I learned that stories empower, humanize and can also repair broken dignity. But, as Ms. Adichie often says, this is just one story. It is just one story of Milwaukee and the memories I bury at the airport each and every time I board my plane back to my home where my friends, job and family await me on the East Coast. I will reminiscence about Milwaukee as my grandparents once did of Mississippi, as a place with much history but with no future for me.

Things can get better, but only when we start raising all of our boats and not those of a select few.  The majority of citizens in the City of Milwaukee are African American. It is utter foolishness to think that you can hold down the majority of the population and have any kind of success.

We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. We need to allow people to take off for sick children without fear of losing their jobs or their homes.  We need to allow all people to have an equal voice and has an equal chance.  Most of all, we need to call out and condemn the racism that permeates almost every aspect and region of not only Milwaukee but all of Wisconsin.

And if our elected officials - regardless of what party they are in- refuse to make these things happen, we need new leaders who will.  The corporatization of our country has gone too far.  We need to start taking our city, our county, our state and our country back.

But as long as we keep electing politicians that are more worried about the corporate special interests and their money than the people they're supposed to be representing, don't expect things to get better.  They would rather play the same game of finger pointing every time one of these reports comes out instead of actually leading.

Grothman: It's Already Too Easy For Blacks To Vote

The state's Teapublicans' blatant racism and efforts to suppress the black vote caught the eye of the national media, according to this story by Zachary Roth of msnbc.com:

Wisconsin Republicans are pushing a bill to end early voting on the weekend. The measure would make it harder for people in the state’s most populous areas to cast a ballot—and it would hit blacks especially hard.

But state Sen. Glenn Grothman, a Republican who is sponsoring a Senate version of the bill, told msnbc it’s already easy enough to vote.

“Between [early voting], mail absentee, and voting the day of election, you know, I mean anybody who can’t vote with all those options, they’ve really got a problem,” he said. “I really don’t think they care that much about voting in the first place, right?”

The measure, which passed the state assembly Thursday, would give municipalities two choices for early voting, known in the state as in-person absentee voting: they could offer it either from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays in the two weeks before an election; or at any time on a weekday, but not to exceed 30 hours per week, again in the two weeks before an election.

That would mean a reduction in early voting hours for the state’s two biggest cities, Milwaukee and Madison—which are also its most important Democratic strongholds.

Between the voter suppression, the gerrymandering and all the other crap that the Teapublicans are pulling, it's a pretty clear message that their agenda isn't popular and the only way for them to hold onto power is to perpetually rig the system.

The Us Versus Them Mentality

A friend of Cog Dis pointed out three articles that are rather telling in the problems that we are facing as a state and a nation.

The first article is from NPR and shows why Milwaukee is the most segregated urban area in the nation:

The University of Wisconsin researchers say their analysis was truly eye-opening. They found that Wisconsin's incarceration rate for black men — 13 percent — was nearly double the country's rate. "We were so far above everybody else. That just sort of stunned us when we saw that," says Professor John Pawasarat, who studied two decades of Wisconsin's prison and employment data. Pawasarat found that nearly 1 in 8 black men of working age in Milwaukee County had served some time in the state's correctional facilities. At 13 percent, the rate was about 3 percentage points above Oklahoma's — the state with the second highest rate of incarceration for black males. (Gene Demby wrote about this same topic and noted that Wisconsin also has the highest rate of Native American men who are behind bars. One in 13 Indian men are incarcerated.) 

"The explosion really took place in the year 2000 to 2008 where mandatory sentencing, three strikes was put in place and it more than tripled the population in just a few years, which meant about half of the black men in their 30s or early 40s in Milwaukee County would have spent time in the state's correctional facilities. And two-thirds of the men come from the six poorest zip codes in Milwaukee," says Pawasarat.

In case one was living in a cave for the past two decades, the truth in sentencing and other similar laws were spearheaded by a then state legislator named Scott Walker.

Another thing that Walker and the other Teapublicans have excelled at was building up a deep-seated resentment, based on misconception, against areas like Milwaukee and Madison. This bears out in a recent study done by UW-Madison:

Kathy Cramer, a UW-Madison political scientist who describes herself as a lifelong Wisconsinite, said that over the last six years, she has been talking to people in communities around the state about how they view politics. She said that one theme she has heard is resentment in rural areas and small towns toward the state’s largest cities, especially Madison. 

“A lot of what I hear is, ‘You folks down in Madison just don’t get it. You don’t understand what rural life is like, how hard we work,'" she said. 

Cramer said that people often wrap the state government, the university and a perceived liberal community in Madison in one bundle -- and see condescension and elitism. A common perception is that “decision-makers in Madison ignore us, they don’t pay attention to what people in rural areas of Wisconsin want or think. And they make decisions and expect us to abide by them and don’t take the time to come out here and listen," she said. 

Cramer said the divide shapes political conflict and makes it hard for both sides to communicate with one another, much less get along. She said this was especially apparent during contentious times, like the state Capitol protests following the Act 10 legislation banning many forms of collective bargaining for most public employees in the state. 

She said she loves the state’s tradition of civil politics, and hopes that we can return to that. 

“There are things that people can connect on, but unfortunately once the venom of ‘us versus them’ gets inserted, it’s really hard to overcome that," she said.

That's a pretty impressive scam they have going. The Republicans trash the state and then point fingers at the liberals in Madison, ignoring the fact that they have been the ones in control for the past two years. It's like a mass Stockholm Syndrome where large groups of people are sympathizing with their oppressors.

The disconnect among the haves and have nots has been shown to be the fact that rich and powerful just don't give a fig about anyone but themselves:

A growing body of recent research shows that people with the most social power pay scant attention to those with little such power. This tuning out has been observed, for instance, with strangers in a mere five-minute get-acquainted session, where the more powerful person shows fewer signals of paying attention, like nodding or laughing. Higher-status people are also more likely to express disregard, through facial expressions, and are more likely to take over the conversation and interrupt or look past the other speaker. 

[...] 

In politics, readily dismissing inconvenient people can easily extend to dismissing inconvenient truths about them. The insistence by some House Republicans in Congress on cutting financing for food stamps and impeding the implementation of Obamacare, which would allow patients, including those with pre-existing health conditions, to obtain and pay for insurance coverage, may stem in part from the empathy gap. 

As political scientists have noted, redistricting and gerrymandering have led to the creation of more and more safe districts, in which elected officials don’t even have to encounter many voters from the rival party, much less empathize with them. Social distance makes it all the easier to focus on small differences between groups and to put a negative spin on the ways of others and a positive spin on our own. 

Freud called this “the narcissism of minor differences,” a theme repeated by Vamik D. Volkan, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia, who was born in Cyprus to Turkish parents. Dr. Volkan remembers hearing as a small boy awful things about the hated Greek Cypriots — who, he points out, actually share many similarities with Turkish Cypriots. Yet for decades their modest-size island has been politically divided, which exacerbates the problem by letting prejudicial myths flourish.

The author goes on to note what many of already innately know - that these barriers to communication fall if we let ourselves get to know people from the other side as individuals instead of just part of "them."  It's more difficult to hate someone that you know personally.

By keeping the citizenry separate from them, the ruling class feels no inhibition about inflicting the pains that they have on the average person - whether it's the tantrum by Republicans in Washington to the multitude of atrocities committed by Walker and his ilk or Chris Abele's attempts to profiteer off of the mentally ill and county workers.  If they actually knew who they were harming by their actions, they would be less likely to take those actions.

That's something to think about when you're contemplating which political candidate you're going to vote for.  Are they someone who sees you and understands what you're going through or they someone who sees through you as if you're not there?

Karma Catches Up To Kreiser

Two years ago, a state employee named Chris Larsen was terminated from his job.  His sin was to send out an email saying that people were able to get free picture ID's despite a memo from Steve Krieser, third in command at DOT.  Via Caffeinated Politics, the incriminating email read thus:

Steve Krieser

“Do you know someone who votes that does not have a State ID that meets requirements to vote? Tell them they can go to the DMV/DOT and get a free ID card. However they must ask for the free ID. a memo was sent out by the 3rd in command [Steve Kreiser] of the DMV/DOT. The memo specifically told the employees at the DMV/DOT not to inform individuals that the ID’s are free. So if the individuals seeking to get the free ID does not ask for a free ID, they will have to pay for it!!

“Just wanted everyone to be informed!! REMEMBER TO TELL ANYONE YOU KNOW!! ANYONE!! EVEN IF THEY DON’T NEED THE FREE ID, THEY MAY KNOW SOMEONE THAT DOES!! SO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!”

Amazingly, nothing happened to Krieser, even though his order was unethical at best.

Fast forward two years and Karma has finally caught up with him when he went on a racist tirade about a sticker that was supposed to represent a hunting permit for illegal immigrants:

In a stunning online rant, a top Gov. Scott Walker appointee likened illegal immigrants to Satan during a Facebook debate over a bumper sticker declaring open season on foreigners living in the U.S. without documentation.

"You may see Jesus when you look at them," Steven Krieser, assistant deputy secretary at the state Department of Transportation, wrote Tuesday regarding illegal immigrants. "I see Satan."

Krieser wrote that a "stream of wretched criminals" is crossing the border without obstruction. These individuals, he said, "completely ruined" entire states and industries, breeding "the animus that many American citizens feel toward them."

Walker's response was swift and dramatic.

Less than two hours after his office was informed of the rant, Walker fired Krieser. The gubernatorial appointee had been paid $96,628 a year as the No. 3 official at DOT.

"These comments are repugnant, completely unacceptable, and have no place in Governor Walker's administration," said Tom Evenson, spokesman for Walker. "Governor Walker condemns his views, and they do not represent the governor or his administration in any way."

Krieser's exact comments was the usual ill-informed claptrap that one would expect to hear from radio squawkers like Charlie Sykes or Mark Belling:

Sorry Joe, but I'm not with you on this one. The sticker is probably over the top, and while some people are undoubtedly motivated by racial animus, I think you err in insinuating that opposition to illegal immigration generally is driven primarily by racism.

As one of your other commenters here pointed out, it's pretty easy for a person to sit in Madison, Wisconsin, and tut-tut people in Arizona and some of the other states that have been completely ruined by illegal immigration and cast aspersions on their frustration with the complete inability of our federal government to defend the sovereignty of our borders. The whole social safety net and educational systems of entire southern states have been crushed under the weight of these criminals who commit another crime with every breath they take here, having snuck across the border. They routinely steal the identities of millions of legitimate, actual Americans, causing untold grief and billions in individual and business losses annually. Long-time landowners along the Mexican border - American taxpaying citizens trying to live out life on their own land, have seen their ranches completely overrun with violent criminals who routinely raid their homes and trash their land as the stream of wretched criminals continues to flow unabated to the north, day after day, night after night. And the whole service and agricultural employment sector has been skewed against actual Americans as unscrupulous, treasonous employers have replaced citizens with "undocumented" help for which they pay no tax, pay no unemployment insurance, pay no workers compensation, etc.

Then, on top of it all, we get to be treated to the incredible chutzpah of hundreds of thousands of these criminals marching in the streets in broad daylight, demanding all the benefits of citizenship from a country whose laws they are breaking even as they are standing there. The illegals themselves have bred the animus that many American citizens feel toward them You may see Jesus when you look at them. I see Satan. And if they don't like it here, hey, the door they came through to get here swings both ways.

Walker was correct in firing Krieser, but it does leave me wondering did he do it because it was the right thing to do or because he couldn't have Krieser making him look bad as he tries to gain some traction of his presidential bid.

Sadly, given the kinds of garbage coming from Walker's administration, firing Krieser is akin to throwing a deck chair off of the sinking Titanic.

Finally, but not least, credit needs to go to Representative Josh Zepnick for standing up and taking the bigoted Krieser on.  This is what we need more of from all our elected officials on all levels of government.