Racism Rules The Day

 

By Jeff Simpson

"Hey old man, how can you stand to think that way, and did you really think about it before you made the rules"  Bruce Hornsby

Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Senate passed the Steve nASS racist mascot preservation bill, which allows white people to continue making fun of American Indian heritage no matter how stupid, racist and imbecilic it is.  

Rep. Stephen nASS, R-Whitewater, who represents a portion of Mukwonago, introduced a bill in August that requires a complainant to collect signatures equal to 10 percent of the school district's population to trigger a state review. Complainants would have to prove discrimination at hearing. The Department of Administration, which is controlled by the governor, would make the final call on whether the name must go, rather than DPI, which is run by an elected superintendent. The bill also would invalidate all previous DPI orders forcing schools to drop their nicknames.

 Senator Bob Jauch said it best:

A sad day in the Senate as the majority party adpted the race-baced mascots bill and created unachieveble barriers to the general public to end the use of Native American mascots and logos in wisconsin. The bill was adopted on a 17-16 vote with Senator Schultz offering a sensible compromise that encouraged collaborative discussions between school districts and the Great Lakes Indian Tribal Council as well as Tribes to address the prejudicial affect that these outdated logos and mascots have to demean Native Americans and their culture. It is a bill adopted by a racially insenstive majority who seem clueless to the need for society to act like the 21 century instead of the early 20th century when Native Americans were punished for speaking their language and assmilation was the code for annihilation of a culture. The legislation dishonors our 11 Native American Tribes. Even more embarrassing is the fact that the bill was scheduled during Native American Heritage Month. What a pathetic way to celebrate the incredible contribution of native American culture and traditions that enrich our lives.

 As for what the Wisconsin Indian population feels:

Barbara Munson, an Oneida Indian who chairs the Wisconsin Indian Education Association's Indian Mascot and Logo Task Force, said she hoped the governor has more sense than legislators and will reject the bill.

"This clearly is about race. You can tell some people know that and some people don't," Munson said. "There's a lot of white privilege going on."

let's hope that in election season, Scott Walker has enough sense to veto it.  I am guessing that he will sign it discretely, some Friday afternoon around 4:58 PM.  

PS:  For those scoring at home, Kathleen Vinehout voted against this bill and Mary Burke refuses to speak up about it!  

In other answers, Burke said she opposed a law passed by Republicans requiring voters to show a photo ID at their polling place and said she was skeptical of an effort to change the state's American Indian mascot law for schools.

 

Welcome to Oceania - 2013

FYI- Dem Party Here is your 2014 AD  Campaign

By Jeff Simpson

 By now you have heard that Mike Huebsch, Scott Walker and Chief Erwin made a show of force today and arrested some of the Solidarity singers for doing what they do daily ----- sing!

Two Democratic legislators denounced this crackdown by Scott Walker’s handpicked police chief, David Erwin.

“Chief Erwin and Governor Scott Walker’s militant handling of the daily peaceful singing has escalated this situation unnecessarily,” said Rep. Chris Taylor. “The Capitol rotunda would have been much safer today had Governor Walker given Chief Erwin a little red rubber ball to play with in the corner instead of control of the entire police force. . . . This is the kind of heavy-handed police government you would expect to see in a Third World country, not here in Wisconsin. It must stop.”

State Sen. Bob Jauch was equally indignant.

“It’s just so unnecessary,” he said. “There are more important issues in the state of Wisconsin than as to whether people are singing. Since when is that threatening? You can bring in a gun in the capitol if it’s concealed but you can’t come into your capitol if you’re singing?”

H/T Rebecca Kemble for the video and pics.  She Deserves a Pulitzer!

Apparently Scott Walker's plan is working!   He truly is "Unintimidated"! 

Scott Walker and his divisive, ALEC infused politics is SOLELY responsible for the huge divide in our state.  ONLY two people can stop this now and bring our state back together - 1;. Scott Walker himself(not likely) and 2.  The Voters in WI in 2014!  

This is not my Wisconsin.  

PS:  Now would be a good time for the Mary Burke's, Mark Harris's and anyone else considering a run for Governor,  to step up and weigh.  This is NOT a left/right issue it is a Common Sense issue!  

Recall Robin

Robin Vos, is set on changing the recall rules. As we have come to expect from Robin Vos, he is very estranged from the truth.  Let's take a look at what he has to say and help him out.

Thankfully, it has become crystal clear that people across our state have had enough. It's time to recall the recalls.It's completely understandable that there's voter fatigue.

You can tell how "fatigued: the voters were by the impressive 58% turnout! 

When legislators crafted the recall provision for the state constitution in 1926, most state officials except state senators had two-year terms. The recall was intended to be used only in extreme cases and until now rarely was used. It was not meant to remove officials over one vote that a special interest group didn't like.

 Let's ask Marquette Law Professor Fallone:

 This statement is objectively false. The recall provisions contained in the Wisconsin State Constitution were never intended to be limited in such a fashion. The original design of the right of recall is, in fact, intended to permit voters to recall elected officials for virtually any reason so long as the procedural mechanisms of the State Constitution are followed.

 Ouch, Robin Vos is beyond stretching the truth at this point, but lets continue, because now he revises history:

If we don't recall the recalls, lawmakers will be in constant campaign mode, and taxpayer dollars will continue to go down the drain. We also don't want our elected leaders to shy away from the tough votes in fear of being recalled. Following the defeat of the mining legislation this past session, there was an effort to begin recalling state Sens. Dale Schultz and Bob Jauch. While we didn't agree with their vote against the jobs bill, it shouldn't be enough to warrant a recall.

Mr, Vos forgets that he was one of the people who advocated the most, to run fake democrats in the primaries, thus costing our great state hundreds of thousands of dollars:

 “We are encouraging Republicans to vote in the Democratic primaries,” state Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester),

Wait, there is more, (there is always more).   Vos points out that there was an effort to recall Sens, Schultz and Jauch for their vote against the bill that Gogebic Taconite Mining company wrote(which was never a jobs bill).

Yet this is the perfect example for why the recalls do not need to be messed with.  When Shrill LaBarre, tried to recall Senator Jauch, she massively failed.   Which shows that if you do your job and represent your constituents, you will not get recalled.   Also the people in Wisconsin understood that the Robin Vos mining bill was not a jobs bill but a giveaway to the Gogebic!  The people of Wisconsin also understand thatthe Schultz/Jauch bipartisan mining bill, was the actual jobs bill and it is too bad the fitzgerald family would not bring it to the floor for a vote.  Once again the republicans put the blind far right partisanship over the peoplel of WI.

I actually think we do not recall a politician for writing a ridiculous LTE(we would be too busy and there are even more ridiculous letters by politicians than this).  I also think that we should not recall a politician over one vote(for the record, none of these recalls were over one vote).

However, as Vos says "We need to limit recalls to a malfeasance in office"! let's take a look at that.

mal·fea·sance

 [mal-fee-zuhns] Show IPA

noun Law .

the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust).

 We are limiting recalls to malfeasance in office, it doesn ot look good for Robin Vos's career.  Let's look at his record.

1.  Vos has perpetually lied about the recall results in Racine by crying fraud when there is none there! It has gotten so bad that the GAB has pointed out it is HARMFUL to the election process.    

2.  Vos recently blatantly broke the law by accepting tens of thousands of dollars of legal services for "free" and would not reveal who paid for them.   An ethics violation that was very much in CONTRARY TO LAW.

3.  Vos's only real contribution as a member of the legislature is to write bills that personally help him financially.   Which of course falls under the definition of "wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust)".

4.  Vos has spent his time as Wisconsin chair of ALEC, getting flown around the country(also at taxpayer expense) and was a key figure in the top secret, incredibly expensive, partisan, unethical redistricting process.   Which falls under ALL of the definition of Malfeasance.   
  
Is the thrice divorced, ethically void Robin Vos  really the person we want changing our state Constitution? I do however admire him attempting to change the rules, but still allowing for his own recall.   There is a reason that a politician as morally bankrupt and willing to lie as robin vos would want to remove the checks and balances on politicians.  If you are that bad at your job, of course you do not want checks and balances.  


The question is do we let him??

Let's put someone in office who is NOT a clown for the secret moneyed interest of ALEC , someone who cares about morals, and ethics and actually representing their district!   


That person is Kelley Albrecht, find her on facebook here and her website here! 

What State Do These Guys Live In?

It surely is NOT Wisconsin, unless of course the editorial staff was to busy watching Donald Driver in Dancing with the Stars.  In one of their most ridiculous editorials ever, they argue that endless recalls hurt Wisconsin.  The problem with that of course, is that it is a false premise!  

No one wants endless recalls, hell we would like our politicians to explain to us what they planned on doing when they were campaigning.   Unfortunately Scott Walker did the exact opposite.  When you govern so egregiously, and lie so blatantly, you become subject to a recall by the citizens.   When there are numerous videos like this out there and you make phone calls like this - this happens and recalls are justified.    

On the other hand, when you try and recall politicians who are governing according to the will of the people, the extremists might try and recall them, but those recall efforts will crash and burn.  

So your premise that we will have "endless recalls" is false.  This state has proven that if a politician is doing their job, they will not be subject o being recalled and if they are not they will face the will of the people before their term is up.  

In case you do not believe me, just look at Shril LaBarre, she tried to recall the honorable Senator Jauch and despite having unlimited resources, massively failed!   

Endless recalls would hurt the state of Wisconsin, but since we have proven that to be impossible, we see what really hurts Wisconsin is politicians who say one thing and govern according to ALEC. When a Governor's main governing strategy is to "divide and conquer." 

This recall is more than justified.  Please vote Tom Barrett on June 5th!  

Shirl LaBarre

STRIKES OUT!   So much for the never ending election cycle and political retribution.  Thanks to Shril Labarre for proving that you have to be seriously corrupt to mobilize the people into wanting to recall you!  People do not want to recall a politician who is actually representing their district!  

Wonder if Robin Vos took notice?