In Aftermath Of More Mass Shootings, Gun Nuts Stick To Their Guns

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm had a presser on Wednesday at which they pointed out the obvious - there is a clear correlation between the Republicans loosening the gun laws and the spike in crime:

Two top law enforcement leaders in Milwaukee County took aim at the state's concealed carry law as a possible contributing factor in Milwaukee's spike in gun violence this year.

"Since that law has passed, almost every single year, the number of crime guns seized by this department has gone up and the time-to-crime on our most frequently used weapons has decreased," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said Wednesday.

"Now that's correlation not causation, but it's a pretty strong correlation."

The average time-to-crime, which is derived from the date of a gun's original purchase to the date of recovery, has dropped from 10.6 years in 2012 to 8.6 years in 2014 for all guns, according to the department.

In each of 2013 and 2014, 20% of the handguns recovered had a time-to-crime of less than six months.

Flynn made his remarks during a Milwaukee Community Justice Council meeting, which focused on rising numbers of nonfatal shootings — 552 people have been shot this year in the city of Milwaukee as of Nov. 11 — and homicides, which already have reached a decade-high this year.

During the meeting, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm also said his office was concerned about people lawfully carrying concealed weapons "in collaboration with or close proximity or directly with somebody that doesn't have a firearm and next thing you know they're using the lawful firearm for an unlawful purpose."

These simple facts have gotten a couple of local bloggers to get their undies in a bundle.

Sam Hagedorn says that these are lies, all lies!, because if they were true, the cops would have released the numbers of licensed concealed carriers to back up their statements.

Old Lady Robinson makes the same lame argument and adds that Milwaukee is the only place in the state that has seen an uptick in crime.

First, let's take care of that straw man.

If either of these idiots could read, they would have noted that neither man had said that the problem was exclusively with licensed concealed carry people.  Rather, it's more related to the sudden influx of guns that can be stolen, sold or handled irresponsibly.

Secondly, thanks to the NRA, it's not so easy to "just pull up the numbers":

Only upstanding citizens get permits, we were assured. The legislators, the NRA and other pro-gun groups painted pictures of fearless folks armed with a pistol saving a bank from being robbed, a woman from being attacked, a house from being intruded upon, or themselves from being injured. Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald heralded the new law as a great victory for Badger State residents and the Second Amendment.

The Wisconsin politicians, however, made sure that it would be difficult to determine whether the new law actually does what they claim it will do. As in most concealed carry states, the names of people who get permits are not subject to the open records law. So if there’s an incident involving a shooting, for instance, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether either the person doing the shooting or the one who is shot has a permit.

That also means that news media and other public watchdog organizations will have a difficult time determining whether public officials are diligently checking the backgrounds of those who are awarded permits.

Ironically, the shielding of concealed carry permits from public inspection has been a major reason why the gun lobby has been able to claim that concealed carry laws have not caused any problems. The trouble is, because of the secrecy, it’s virtually impossible to prove whether they do or they don’t.

So either these two loudmouths, Hadedorn and Robinson, are damn ignorant or are purposely lying to their readers. I'll let them tell you which they are (but I'd go with both).

And if Robinson thinks that Milwaukee is the only place in the state that's seen an increase in crime, he has his head either in the sand or in his butt.  Again, I'll let him tell you which.

What makes these two clowns shooting off their mouths like they were shooting off their guns is that it comes immediately in the wake of two more mass shootings, bringing the number of mass shootings in this country to more than 350 in just this year.

The Giuliani Privilege

By Jeff Simpson

Rudy "911" Giuliani. former Republican Mayor of New York City, has been everywhere in the news telling anyone who will listen, that there was nothing wrong with Darren Wilson Shooting Michael Brown.  

After days of nation-wide protesting and rioting over the grand jury decision to not indict former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday that prosecutors shouldn't have tried to indict him in front of a grand jury in the first place. Doing so, according to Giuliani, was political theater.
"I don't see how this case normally would even have been brought to a grand jury," said Giuliani, a former prosecutor, on Fox News Sunday. "This is the kind of case—had it not had the racial overtones and the national publicity—where a prosecutor would have come to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence to present to the grand jury."

One thing that Mr. Giuliani has to thank his status and skin color for is that he still has a daughter.

The rebellious daughter of former law-and-order Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was busted today for allegedly stealing makeup from an upscale beauty and skin care shop near her Upper East Side home, officials said.
Cops said Caroline Giuliani, 20, a student at Harvard University, was arrested after security cameras caught her stuffing makeup into her jacket pocket at a Sephora store at E. 86th Street and Lexington Avenue shortly before 2 p.m.
Giuliani, who was in the store by herself, was confronted by a sales clerk and a store security guard, who called police.
Sources said she allegedly stole five items, worth about $100.
During the wait for cops to arrive, store officials established the suspect’s identity, and apparently had a change of heart and declined to press charges. But by then it was too late, and the daughter of the man who built a reputation for being tough on crime was carted out in handcuffs.

Unlike Michael Brown, Caroline lives to shop(lift) another day!   This must be part of the 7% crime that Rudy likes to talk about.

WISGOP Befouls Themselves In Failed Smear Job

Brad Schimel, the Republican candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General was having a very bad week last week, so the Wisconsin Republican Party decided to step in and help their guy out.

Susan Happ

What WISGOP did was issue a press release condemning Schimel's opponent, Democrat Susan Happ, as being soft on crime:

Susan Happ should be making sure that repeat criminal offenders have increased attention by public safety officials in order to prevent future incidents. Unfortunately, her soft-on-crime record indicates she does not hold this basic criminal justice philosophy. In August 2009 as Jefferson County District Attorney, Happ charged Christopher Hamlin with multiple felonies related to an incident in Watertown, which required the help of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad, before Happ abruptly dropped the case.

Facing a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, Christopher Hamlin was charged with two Class H Felonies – Possession of an Improvised Explosive and Possession of Illegally Obtained Prescription Drugs. Hamlin was charged as a repeat offender as a result of having been previously convicted of a felony, but Happ failed to see the case through. In fact, she suddenly dropped the case less than a month after it was filed.

“It is alarming that Happ abruptly dismissed charges on an intoxicated individual who possessed a pipe bomb with unknown intentions, ignoring grave public safety concerns,” said Joe Fadness, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Voters should take note of these troubling cases within Susan Happ’s soft-on-crime record, as they have potential drastic consequences on Wisconsin’s communities.”

However, WISGOP forgot a couple, three things.

One, they forgot that Schimel shown himself to be soft on crime by refusing to prosecute another Republican who admitted to destroying evidence in the ongoing John Doe investigation into Scott Walker.

Another thing they forgot was that the guy that Happ supposedly let go is currently serving a seven year jail term in federal prison:

A 21-year-old Waterloo man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for possessing a pipe bomb.

Christopher Hamlin was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in federal court in Madison.

He pleaded guilty to charges in December, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

WISGOP and Schimel also forgot that when Happ dismissed the charges, she went on record referencing the federal conviction and how her office had worked with the feds on the case.

Maybe they forgot the last part because Schimel has said he would fight the feds on things like Obamacare.

I don't know, but I would think that someone who works with the feds to put dangerous criminals away would be a better choice for Attorney General than a corrupt fool. But then again, I'm not a Republican.

Cross posted at Crooks and Liars

Wait! What? You Expect Me To Govern

By Jeff Simpson

Excellent piece from James Causey in today's JSonline:

Mr. Causey feels that the violence epidemic in Milwaukee is one that Scott Walker needs to address.

More than 200 people have been shot int he city of Milwaukee so far this year, and Gov. Scott Walker has been ​too quiet on the issue.

Some may say that the Milwaukee shooting epidemic is not an issue for Walker

​;​

 instead

​,​

 it should be something that local leaders need to figure out. I disagree.

When more than 33 children have been shot in the biggest city in your state, and hundreds of adults have suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds, the governor should be in Milwaukee working with local officials to come up with solutions.

Mary Burke has also brought this up:

In May, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke said that legislators have shown more interest in voter suppression than in addressing gun violence in Milwaukee. Walker called Burke's statement "hogwash," but I ask, have you seen anything from Madison proving that Burke's claim is false?

Walker showing he is a brilliant campaigner and once you scratch the surface, there is no there there.   Scott Walker even told us that he would love to help MIlwaukee out but then other cities would want his help and attention also.  






Then like all excellent columns, Mr. Causey offers up some solutions. 

We need more leadership at the table and I'm not talking about another press conference or a community meeting. We need bold ideas that go beyond gun buybacks. We need to seriously think about enforcing the curfew laws for young people; expand programs ​such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, focus on jobs and early childhood education and more investment in people and not prisons.

While I would argue that there is zero leadership at the table now, we do need more.  It appears as though we can not wait for Scott Walker to take the lead, unless of course, the areas of violence in Milwaukee would like to start a community fundraising effort to collect donations for Friends of Scott Walker.  

I would also add to Mr. Causey's list, we need to start holding private/voucher schools accountable.   How much of a difference could the $2,000,000 of public money that Lifeskills Academy stole from the taxpayers of Wisconsin have made in the inner city?  How about if the kids in the inner cities were actually going to schools where the teacher student ratio was manageable and the walls were not crumbling down and outdated?   

Like all problems, this is fixable, unless there is no interest by the "leaders" of our state to do so.   That would mean the Governor of our state would have to do what he was elected for - actually governing.   

Unfortunately for the people of Wisconsin, he never had any intentions of doing that! 

 

 

 

Mayor Tom Barrett Versus The Street Thugs

Four years ago, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, as he was leaving State Fair with his family, was physically assaulted by a good who beat the mayor severely.  Barrett suffered a broken hand and several broken teeth.  Fortunately, Barrett is no Illinois cream puff and recovered fully.

On Tuesday, two more thugs - Robin "Ratman" Vos and Slobbin' Bob Donovan - took to the streets on  Milwaukee's south side.  Purportedly, the reason for this was to make some kind of demonstration about the rash of shootings that has happened in the past few weeks.

In reality, the Republicans are desperately trying to find something - anything - to distract people from the atrocious job they've been doing.

But before Ratman and Slobbin' could get into any mischief, Barrett showed up to talk to the ne'er-do-wells:

Barrett paid a surprise visit to Donovan and the GOP lawmakers gathered to discuss his efforts against crime.

He said he welcomed the state legislators' attempt to better understand the neighborhood and would give them access to any information they wanted about the city.

Patrick Curley, Barrett's chief of staff, said the mayor visited the event to "elevate the conversation."

Barrett, Vos and Darling had a "brief but constructive conversation" before the tour, Curley said, noting they would meet again soon.

Foiled from being to run rampant on the streets, Vos sniped at Barrett with the most unbelievable comment I've ever seen (emphasis mine):

Vos said he sometimes feels Barrett is prepared to arrive anywhere he knows there is a camera. The Democratic mayor should be less partisan, the speaker added.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Vos actually had the nerve to accuse anyone of being too partisan.

It should be noted that while Donovan and Vos kvetched about the mayor's plans to address the crime issue, they offered no plans, ideas or suggestions themselves. In fact, Vos came out and said that the city should not look to the State for any assistance whatsoever.

Barrett wasn't alone in calling out the theatrics of the Dumbtastic Duo.  State Representative Josh Zepnick issued a blistering response:

In response to Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) and other Republican legislators visiting Milwaukee’s South Side today on a neighborhood walk, State Representative Josh Zepnick renewed his call for the state to provide $500,000 in matching funds to help pay for increased police overtime.

Zepnick added that along with those dollars, a modest funding request, Republicans should work to change the state's concealed-carry law to ban individuals convicted of three or more misdemeanors in a five-year period from getting a permit, and mandatory minimum sentences for illegal gun holders.

And, like the City of Milwaukee requested during the State Budget process, struggling neighborhoods would greatly benefit from providing more money for tearing down abandoned houses…many zip codes in Milwaukee were among the hardest hit statewide by the housing foreclosure crisis and lack of jobs.

Furthermore, Milwaukee continues to need state support for a crime-fighting program that uses cutting-edge technology to help police officers detect when and where shots are fired. These kinds of tools not only help the hard-working men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, they provide neighborhood support all when Milwaukee faces declining tax revenues from State government and a still recovering economy.

Both of these initiatives were voted out of the State Budget by Republicans and to quote the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial page, “that’s not helping Milwaukee, that’s helping the criminals.”

State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa also issued a press release, making some of the same points and also calling out Vos' phoniness:

Zamarripa concluded, “While I appreciate Speaker Vos spending his day in the 8th Assembly District, it’s time for him and other legislative Republicans in Madison to walk the walk to address this problem instead of simply talking the talk in front of a camera.”

The Republicans really having nothing to say about the rash of shootings that Milwaukee has experienced lately. There has been an increase in shootings and other violent crimes all over the state.

It should also be pointed out that it was the Republicans like Vos who passed the Walker/ALEC agenda which depressed the state's economy.  It was also Vos and his fellow ALECites that have been treating Milwaukee like dirt and treating minorities as if they were subhuman.  To this miasma, they also made guns so easily available.

One does not need to have an above average IQ to see that this is the recipe to disaster.

If Ratman and Slobbin', not to mention Scott 'Weaselman" Walker and his allies are so concerned about the shootings and other crimes, they would be working with all due haste on passing laws that actually create jobs, on reasonable gun control laws and restoring the rights and respect for the minorities.

The fact that they are not even interested in solving the problems they created shows that the bad guys don't always have to be the ones physically pulling the trigger.

Yup, We Need More Guns All Right

Three stories that came across my desk in the past day or so showing how guns keep us oh so much safer.

Guns help with work place disputes:

A shooting inside manufacturing plant on the northwest side left two men dead Thursday evening, police said.

A 58-year-old supervisor was shot multiple times by a 23-year-old employee who then shot himself, police said.

The shooting was reported about 6 p.m. at TCI, or Trans-Coil International, which has its corporate headquarters at 7878 N. 86th St. The plant is in the Granville Woods Business Center, south of W. Bradley Rd.

Police said the 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at a hospital. The 23-year-old man was found inside the plant with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a handgun was recovered at the scene.

Guns can also help you keep your cows from being annoyed by low flying planes:

A central Wisconsin dairy farmer frustrated by a low-flying crop duster was cited for disorderly conduct when he took matters into his own hands.

Louis Olson said the plane was passing less than 30 feet above his Edgar farm and was spooking his cattle. Olson said he called the Marathon County Sheriff's Department, but a dispatcher told him without the plane's tail number, it would be hard to do anything.

That's when Olson said he told the dispatcher he'd shoot down the plane to get the tail number. He said he got his shotgun and fired.

But, Olson tells WSAW-TV he didn't shoot at the plane, but fired his shotgun into a field. Olson admits he may have overreacted, but doesn't regret getting law enforcement's attention about the problem.

Guns can also allow people to show how ignorant people can be:

Walton Henry Butler, 59, was arrested by Gulf County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday night for shooting 32-year-old Everett Gant, who is black, in the head with a .22 caliber rifle.

According to a charging affidavit obtained by The Star, Butler had referred to Pamela Rogers’ child and other children at his apartment complex with racial slurs.


Gant was shot between the eyes when he went to Butler’s apartment to confront him over the remarks, the documents said. Butler allegedly closed his sliding glass door and left Gant bleeding on ground outside.

The suspect contacted 911 and had finished his dinner before Gulf County Sheriff Joe Nugent arrived.

Nugent recalled that Butler appeared “inconvenienced” by the arrest, saying that “he had only shot a n*gger.”

“He was brought to the investigation unit where he was interviewed and basically admitted to shooting the victim and said he shot a, used a racial slur, and said that is what he shot and acted like it was not like a big deal or anything to him,” Nugent told WJHG.

I'd hate to see where our country would be if we didn't have so many guns so readily available. Hell, we might even see a drop in crime or even worse, we might evolve into a civilized nation!

Walkergate: The Reek Of Desperation

The Republicans are becoming so afraid of the ramifications of the ongoing Walkergate investigations and trials that they are starting to flail around in a blind panic.

There's no telling what's got them so scared.  It could be that they're afraid that Tim Russell will make the smart decision and cut a plea deal.  They might be afraid that one of the other people charged or being investigated will turn state's witness.  They might be afraid that more charges are about to hit.  It might be that their internal polls show that Scott Walker's corruption is really hurting him.

Whatever the reason or reasons, they are frantic with terror.

Case in point: Today former Waukesha County District Attorney and failed candidate for Attorney General sent a letter to the guy that beat him, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asking him to take over the Walkergate investigation.

The letter is nonsensical in its hysteria.

 Bucher complains of leaks from the DA's office but gives no evidence of any.  Bucher also complains that the rights and reputations of the accused are being harmed, which is pretty damn ironic coming from a previous prosecutor that has done a lot of grandstanding from atop people's reputations, especially when he was making his failed run for Attorney General. Bucher rises to the height of absurdity by suggesting that the extremely partisan Van Hollen take the case away from Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisolm to protect it from being politicized.

No, really.  He actually said that.

Van Hollen wisely declined from intervening into the investigation and prosecutions, although the reason for this decision is not exactly clear.

According to Van Hollen, he states he doesn't have the authority to take a case away from an elected county district attorney.  But that is pretty much what he did with the trial of Rory Kuenzi, a guy from Waupaca County who was suspected of killing another young man in a drunk driving hit and run.

DA Chisolm reports that Van Hollen's department had originally been involved with the Walkergate investigation and helped with the conviction of railroad tycoon William Gardner.  Chisolm states that the state pulled out when the investigation started going after Walker's people because Van Hollen represents Walker and did not want to be in embroiled in a conflict of interest.

Lisa Kaiser, of the Shepherd Express, comes up with a number of valid points including being afraid of what will be discovered during the investigation in general and of angering the Republican machine.  Kaiser also points out that the case regarding Brian Pierick, who is facing child enticement charges, could be a major embarrassment for Van Hollen.  It was Van Hollen's agency that OKed the hiring of Pierick to work with kids.

Sadly, the nonsense does not end with Bucher's histrionic letter or Charlie Sykes' breathless grasping at straws, endlessly repeating the hysterical and inane allegations.

Nope, now they gotta bring in the clowns.

The grossly misnamed Citizens for Responsible Government, the pet attack dogs for Scott Walker, are bringing their circus back to town.  Via Vincent Schmuki's Facebook page, who has teamed with CRG before, is touting an upcoming event hosted by CRG (the spastic keyboard is all his):

OK FOLKS, HERE IT IS! Your opportunity to hear and understand the JOHN DOE PROCESS and how you personally can get involved in STOPPING THE CORRUPTION that we are seeing! This seminar is April 21st 10am-12:30pm at Serb Hall (51st and Oklahoma in West Allis) To sign up CALL CRG-Citizens for Responsible Gov't. 414-801-0800. This will be run by Former Wauk Cnty D.A. PAUL BUCHER (there is a small $10 cost that will go towards hall rental)

I think that Schmuki is missing the point.  Walkergate is the vehicle to stop the corruption.  Unless their values are so upside down that they think that adhering to the law is now a sign of corruption, which is entirely possible.

Anyway, Schmuki posted that along with the following poster:

Well, CRG should know about starting their own John Doe complaints, since they tried that against me two years ago, falsifying their "evidence" in order to do so.  (How much you want to bet I'll have to go through the same garbage again now?)  Seeing how it came just weeks after Darlene Wink and Tim Russell were busted campaigning on county time, it's pretty obvious that it was a purely retaliatory move, trying to deflect attention and heat from Walker's stealth campaign team during the contested gubernatorial election.

I have to admit, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around this.  It's just that bizarre.  Can you imagine going to a rally to support people who have been accused of running a version of the caucus scandals?  I wonder if there will be some person selling "Free Scott Walker" or "Free The Walker Six" buttons and T-shirts.

The absurdity of this cannot be overemphasized.

Citizens for Responsible Government, a self-described taxpayer advocacy group, is sponsoring a rally featuring Paul Bucher, who ran for Attorney General as a law and order candidate, in order to smear and denigrate the judicial system in defense of people accused of using taxpayer-funded equipment on taxpayer-funded time to do illegal campaigning, stealing money from veterans and sexually assault children.

Please note that no where and at no time does any of these people claim that Walker or any of his staffers are innocent.  Just that the system is bad for holding them accountable.

You just can't make this stuff up.  I wouldn't be surprised if the next stunt won't be the Republicans calling for a special session so they can retroactively legalize illegal campaigning.  In order to create jobs, of course.

Was Stalker Inspired By Media Trackkkers?

A few weeks ago, Media Trackkkers put out one of their propaganda hit pieces in which they tried to scare people from signing recall petitions, claiming that there was no protection for the people that signed it. They later had to admit that the recall petitions would become public record when they were filed, which negated their scare tactic.

Now, just a few days ago, it appears a deranged man might have been inspired by their suggestion:

A Dane County resident named Michelle, who asked that her identity be kept private because Stoll had already obtained some of her personal information, characterized a call she received from him Nov. 25 as harassing.

“It’s 10:30 at night and there’s apparently somebody who knows where you live. It’s just a very unnerving and frightening feeling.”

Michelle said Stoll was a stranger to her, refused to identify himself and challenged her to defend her decision to sign a recall petition.

“When this person seemed to be getting a little bit hostile, I ended the phone call and immediately contacted the authorities.”

Stoll told 27 News he used video from a 27 News story on the recall effort to get identifying information on people who signed petitions. The story was ninety seconds in length and included less than ten seconds of names, numbers and signatures on recall petitions, but that videotape was in motion and not highlighted.

Another Dane County resident, who also requested anonymity, said Stoll called her home three times shortly after the 27 News broadcast. The resident said she refused to answer Stoll’s final call, but an answering machine recorded it.

“You can’t even defend your position, now you won’t answer the phone,” the caller said in the recorded message reviewed by 27 News.

“You’ve signed a petition, where they put your name and number up on TV and you’re behaving like a (expletive) coward.”

Now, there is nothing to indicate a causal relationship between the Media Trackkker's false report and the stalker's action, but one must admit, the coincidence is rather eerie.

And with all the video camera and phone cams that the RWNJs are using to try to intimidate petition canvassers, it makes one wonder what they are up to.

Cowardly Attack Shows Right's Lack of Confidence in Walker

Monday, as the state was waiting in eager anticipation for midnight to strike and the recall of Scott Walker to start, some yet unknown cowardly miscreants used a Denial of Service attack on the United Wisconsin website, causing the site to fall..  United Wisconsin is the grassroots group that is organizing the recall efforts.

While the identities of the criminals are not known yet, there is no doubt that it was done in an effort to deny the people from reclaiming their state back.

Yet, just as with Walker's budget disrepair bill failed to break our wills, the hackers' attack failed to slow people down.  Thousands of people gathered at various stations around the state for their chance to be among the first to sign the recall petitions.

Not only that, but the United Wisconsin site is back up and operating!  There is also the Recall HQ website, which is another place that one can download their own recall petitions to get the signatures of one's family, friends and neighbors. (I'm printing my copies out even as I'm typing this.)  At the Recall HQ site, one can also download the petitions for Senators Van Wanggaard, Terry Moulton and Pam Galloway.

But not only did the act of these brigands fail, it also showed their hand.  And that hand was shaking in terror, since they have obviously have no confidence that Walker will be able to win a recall election without them resorting to illegal means.

And that's something that I can finally agree with them about.

Just What I Needed To End Another Week In Paradise

So after pulling yet another day of overtime, I come home tired and ready for the weekend.  But when I come home, I find that there are cops all around our apartment building.  I joked with a couple of the officers as I pulled into the driveway, just thinking about getting in and relaxing, and not as much why there police there.

As I pulled into the parking lot, a lot of the neighbors were outside.  Some were grilling out, but most were standing around chatting.  As I went to get the stuff out of my car, one of the neighbors called out to me, asking me if I had heard "the news."

My first thought was Scott Walker's faux pas of the day, when it turned out he had been planning his traditional budget showboating at a private business which turned out to be owned by a convicted felon.

But that wasn't "the news" to which my neighbor referred.  It turned out to be the story of the man killed in Brookfield a couple of days ago.  It was rather shocking to find out that another one of our neighbors is accused of being a murderer to say the least.

As I absorbed and digested this new information, a couple three thoughts kept coming up.

One was "Holy #%#!! I live next door to a murderer!"

Another was how many lives these two affected with their unthinking, callous act of brutality.  Not only the victim and his family, but they also affected her husband, family and neighbors.  My neighbor not only shocked everyone in the building, but he has also effectively abandoned his elderly father who lived with him and depended on him.

The third thought was that even with something so alarming as finding out that the big burly guy who was your neighbor is an accused murderer, I still feel no desire or need to carry a gun.  After all, it would have been useless to me.  And if this recent admission to the Waukesha Bar Bell Hotel could kill a person so gruesomely, imagine what he would have done if killing had already been made so much easier by the ignoramuses in Madison, like Alberta Darling or Scott Walker.

Republicans, Tea Partiers Commit Violence At The Capitol

Well, here's a story you won't ever hear on Faux News or squawk radio.

Former state Senator Dave Zien and two of this thug teahadist buddies went to Madison to advocate for the new gun law.  While at the Capitol, they decided to sully its reverent halls by bringing the first acts of physical aggression and violence since the protests started four months ago:

A participant in the daily, non-violent Solidarity Sing Along at the state Capitol suffered a broken tooth when he was punched in the face by one of two men who were draping a "Don't Tread on Me" flag over the heads of singers, the leader of the sing-along said.

State Department of Administration spokeswoman Carla Vigue said the singer who was punched, Michael J. Dickman of Madison, saw the two men draping the flag over others and came over and grabbed it. Dickman was cited by Capitol Police for disorderly conduct, she said.

Henry C. Rahr of Green Bay was arrested on a tentative charge of battery, and another man holding the flag, Eugene C. German, of Shorewood, Minn., also was cited for disorderly conduct, Vigue said.

Rahr was released from the Dane County Jail after posting $650 on the tentative battery and disorderly conduct charges, according to jail records.

So much for their lies of being for peace or even for the people. They only want two things: money and power. And they are willing to go to any extreme to get either of those things.

But there are a few other things to point out besides the abhorrent and inexcusable behavior of these two-bit thugs.

One thing I haven't seen reported anywhere but at Blue Cheddar is that Zien himself proves to be a horrible role model by being aggressive, verbal abusive and threatening to the solidarity singers.  Why is afraid of singers singing about things like solidarity, mutual support and making one's way through life should be threatening to anyone, but there it is.

Then there is the details of the assault that Rahr committed as written in the first hand witness accounting of the deplorable act of unnecessary violence, via First Draft:

Just as they were draping their flag across my face, a member of the sing along came over, told the men to stop it, and pulled their flag down. instantly, the shorter tea partier grabbed this guy in a headlock and punched him in the mouth which resulted in a broken tooth. The guy who got punched did not initiate any physical force against either of the tea partiers holding the flag, he just was grabbing and trying to pull down their flag, never touching either of the men until he was trying to get himself free from the headlock. Some more sing along people came over and tried to break up the fight. moments later the police came upstairs to assess the situation. Several eyewitnesses including myself gave statements to the police and everyone who was involved in the assault.

It should be also noted that one of the aggressors, Eugene C. German, is from Minnesota. And here Scott Walker was feigning concern about it being the unions who were going to bring in out of state people to cause mayhem. Either Walker has secretly joined the unions or he's just a flaming hypocrite.

I have also heard that German may be a gun dealer, which leads to another question.  If these yahoos are willing to resort to such violence because someone was singing or because someone tried to prevent them from accosting another person, are they really examples of  someone you would want to be in possession of a firearm? Instead of just a simple battery, it could have easily escalated into a bloodbath.

Lastly, I have yet to hear Walker, or either of the Fitzgerald boys, or any other Republican of note to condemn this act of violence. I would take it as to mean that they condone such behavior.  Like we needed yet another reason to recall the lot of them than they think they can now go and suppress free speech through physical intimidation and/or assault.

Only When It Affects Them

Cindy Kilkenny gets on her soapbox, taking her righteous indignation out on me. My trespass was that I was not thoroughly shocked enough by a couple of pictures of the aftermath of whatever happened at Mayfair Mall Sunday evening.

The thing that Cindy apparently does not understand is that this sort of thing is, most unfortunately, not all that uncommon in the poorer parts of the city. However, because it is so commonplace, it barely makes the news anymore, unless it is somehow extraordinarily sensational.

The local paper no longer covers every mugging in the inner city. They don't mention when a corner store on the corner of 27th and Vliet St has an unruly customer causing mayhem. They don't report every beating, every bit of vandalism or any other "petty crime" which happens in the poorer areas of our community. Heck, I personally doubt that even most of them get reported to the police anymore.

The most one might find in print or on the Internet would be the police blotters of the CommunityNOW subsidiary of the Journal Company, and even then, they are in no way comprehensive of all the crimes that occur.

So, no, I can't find myself working up any outrage because some clothes got knocked down at a suburban mall. Do I approve of it? Of course not. That type of behavior is inappropriate whether it be at the mall, a Walmart or at the corner store in the inner city.

If I were to be incensed about anything, it would be that it only became an issue for some people when it started to impact them more directly, by happening at a place they might patronize. Where were they when this stuff was already happening in the inner city or other places of our community?

Or I could be become angry about the fact that this is just gaining their attention while this sort of bad behavior has become so commonplace in some areas that people just shrug it off as being part of life, when it really ought not to be.

Another thing that I could easily become outraged at is the automatic, thinly veiled racist comments that already one of Cindy's commenters has left at the time of this posting.

That whole attitude of racism, whether it is by choice or some subconscious part of their upbringing, the whole laissez faire mentality when it doesn't directly impact them, or whatever their motivation might be, does nothing to stop these problems, but actually enables them to fester.

The irony of it all is that I, being portrayed as the Every Liberal, is being chastised for not being duly upset when this has happened to them. However, they were not upset, or sometimes, even aware, that this was occurring elsewhere.

Deer Killer Convicted

I told the gentle reader that earlier this week, Rory Kuenzi, the bastard that thought it to be great fun to chase down, torture, kill and mutilate a small group of deers, was facing trial for the murder of a young man in Waupaca County.

Today, the jury got the case and was able to reach the verdict in less than two hours:

It took a jury less than two hours to convict Rory Kuenzi in the 2004 death of Kevin McCoy.

Six years after the death of Kevin McCoy, the past has finally caught up with Rory Kuenzi. Kuenzi was found guilty of fatal hit and run and homicide while operating a vehicle under the influence.

"I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison. He knew what he did and he lied about it from the beginning," said James McCoy, Kevin McCoy's father.

I'd still like to see them got through and have to face charges for the deer they tormented and killed, but this is a start.

Kuenzi Trial Starts Monday

Rory A. Kuenzi is the butthead who, along with his brother and a buddy of theirs, thought it would be great sport to chase down, torture and kill some deer in a snow-covered field in Waupaca County a couple of years ago.

It turns out that Kuenzi also allegedly involved in a hit and run homicide before that. But due to inept investigations by the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department, it looked like he might get away with it. The state stepped in, did their own investigation and found enough evidence that they are taking it to trial.

After some attempts at postponing the hearing, it is scheduled to start this Monday.

The defense has laid out their strategy to get their client off the hook on this one, but methinks it might be pretty hard to argue away how Kuenzi's DNA got on the victim's leg, especially when a witness helped him move the body off the road said that Kuenzi had taken the victim by feet and legs during the move.

I Suggest A New Penalty Enhancer

Since there is a penalty enhancer for hate crimes, can we have an enhancer for crimes of stupidity?

From WSAW-TV:

Beloit Police responded to a reported animal cruelty investigation at the Wal-Mart parking lot, located at 2785 Milwaukee Road around 1245 hours on 07/06/2010. A concerned employee of the store was alerted to a dog left in a locked vehicle in the parking lot and called for police assistance when the employee found a dog locked in a Chevy Monte Carlo in the lot.

Police responded and found a 2 year old pit bull locked in the vehicle. It was in extreme distress inside the vehicle. The doors were locked there was not sufficient ventilation in the vehicle. The outside temperature was 86 degrees. Attempts to contact the owner or responsible party for the vehicle were unsuccessful.

Officers broke out the windows of the vehicle and attempted to rescue the animal. Rock County Animal Control responded to the scene and assisted in the recovery of the animal. The animal died at the scene. It had been left in the vehicle for nearly four hours.

Upon completing an investigation into the matter, police arrested for Felony Mistreating an Animal, Resulting in Death:

Anisha N. Butalla Female/White DOB: 12/21/1985
Wausau, WI

Butalla had reportedly left the dog in the vehicle for several hours while she was attending a court matter in Janesville. Butalla returned to the scene sometime after rescue personnel were on scene. Butalla was held in custody at the Rock County Jail pending a court appearance.

The only thing that could be said for this young woman is that at least it wasn't a baby.

It Was Bound To Happen

From JSOnline:

Milwaukee police are investigating a robbery in which a man took a handgun from another man who was openly carrying the gun in a holster on his hip, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The robbery occurred Friday on a sidewalk in the 7000 block of N. Teutonia Ave., police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said.

The robber approached the 34-year-old victim and asked for a cigarette, Schwartz said. The victim gave the robber a cigarette, but the robber then pointed a handgun at the victim and took the victim's gun from his holster, she said.

So now because of this wannabe Lone Ranger, we have a criminal thug with not just one, but two guns. Lovely.

Odds are that the guy had a false sense of security because he was packing heat. Who would mess with him, right? After all, he had a gun.

But what good does the gun do if you don't have the common sense to be aware of your surroundings and are that unaware of what's going on around you?

The Chief has more, based on WTMJ's radio news report on the incident.

The thing that amazes me is how this gun donor and commenters on JSOnline think this proves the need for concealed carry. The only way that would have made anything better is that the perpetrator might not have been aware that the fool had a gun and so wouldn't have stolen it.

Holy Handcuffs! Batman Arrested!

I wonder if they used Batcuffs:

Ashland police officers on Monday arrested a man dressed as Batman for violating a condition of his probation.

Officers were called to the area of Third Avenue East and Main Street at approximately 4 p.m. after calls that Ryan Defoe, 27, was attempting to direct traffic, Ashland Police Chief John Paitl said Tuesday.

I also wonder just what he was on probation for, and what the conditions of said probation were.

C/T AsSeenInWI

Sick Bastard, Sicker Excuse

This guy, if found guilty, deserves all that he is going to get and then some:

Prosecutors have charged a caretaker who claims he accidentally raped an elderly resident at the nursing home where he works.

Douglas McGregor, 35, has been charged with second-degree rape in an incident that occurred at the Weatherly Inn at Lake Meridian, an assisted living facility for Alzheimer's patients.

The alleged rape took place last week when an employee heard the 71-year-old woman crying in her room, according to Kent police. The employee opened the door and found McGregor standing over the woman with his genitals exposed.

"She was a vulnerable adult and she was in no position to give consent for any type of sexual activity," said Lt. Lisa Price. "This is a heinous crime. This is despicable."

When questioned by detectives, McGregor claimed his sexual contact with the victim was accidental after she broke the button on his pants, exposing him.

Private Agency Guards Allowed Dangerous Inmate To Escape

Beside the horrors they are facing in Haiti, the other big news for the past couple of days was the brazen escape and eventual recapturing of Justin Welch, who is alleged to have been part of a murder in the Milwaukee area.

It is a very good thing that they caught this dangerous man. But from the story of his capture, this stood out to me (emphasis mine):

On Thursday, Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said the North Atlantic Extradition Service van should never have stopped at the Van Buren rest area.

"When we contracted with them, we were provided with their policies, which prohibit stopping at public restroom facilities. The protocol is to stop at local jail facilities for restroom breaks," Schimel said.

North Atlantic Extradition, based in Columbus, Miss., is a private prisoner transport company. Its officials did not respond to requests for comment.

At the rest area near Fort Smith, Ark., guard Michael Nowland, 29, of Columbus, Miss., brought Welch and four other inmates into the restroom.

The other guard, Marian Pulliam, 35, of West Point, Miss., was sleeping when the van pulled off the interstate and was not aware that the van was making a stop, Grill said.

[...]

He also robbed a truck driver who was in the restroom of his jacket and cell phone, Grill said.

Grill said the guard did not check to make sure the restroom was empty before bringing the prisoners into it. The guard should have done that, he said.

Welch left the restroom and then awakened the sleeping Pulliam at gunpoint. Grill said Welch fired several shots at Pulliam as he fled in the van. Pulliam, who was not armed, was not injured.

Odds are that the contract with the private agency wasn't all that cheaper than having two deputies go down to retrieve Welch. But any money saved was lost with the cost of the massive manhunt, not to mention the costs to the victims that were harmed and/or robbed by Welch while he was on the lam.

Given the fetish that Scott Walker and David Clarke has for privatizing everything, this is a really scary thought of what could happen here.

Walker's Poor Law & Order Posturing

The right wing bloggers, like Owen Robinson and Patrick Dorwin, are starting the complaints of Governor Jim Doyle releasing prisoners early in an effort to decrease overcrowding and to supposedly save money.

Without going into the fairness, or lack thereof, of some of the sentencing guidelines, I can't say that they are wrong in their complaints. If someone does the crime, they should be held responsible for their actions.

That said, at least the bad guys in the state prisons had lost some freedoms and the ability to commit major crimes. The same cannot be said for those locked up in Milwaukee County's House of Correction.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting of a prescription forgery ring that was busted, with the ring leader calling the shots on the entire operation while sitting in the House of Correction:

The group’s goal was to move 450 pills per day at a street value of between $45 and $80 per pill, Schoonover said. They switched doctors’ names about once a month and drove to pharmacies all over the region in hopes of avoiding detection.

Reno, identified as the ringleader, continued running the operation even while he served time in the House of Correction on a cocaine possession charge from May 2007 through January, Schoonover said.

From the House, Reno made 3,600 minutes worth of calls to his girlfriend on the outside, telling her which runners to work with, which bogus prescription pads to use and which pharmacies to go to, Schoonover said. Often, she drove the runners to the pharmacy and waited outside with the disposable cell phones, answering them while posing as a nurse or receptionist and verifying the prescriptions.

The majority of the time that Reno was locked up, but still plying his illegal trade, was while Scott Walker was in charge of the HOC, before he realized he was not up to the task and abdicated his duties by dumping the mess on Sheriff David Clarke.

Of course, Walker's track record of being good in the law and order business is not a very stellar one.

As a state legislator, he tried to revamp the system by introducing "Truth in Sentencing." But like most things he touches, he screwed it up royally, sticking tax payers with huge bills, but little to show for it.

Walker's overseeing of the HOC has been less than stellar as well, with the facility having a number of problems, as pointed out in a federal audit done a couple of years ago.

Most recently, Walker learned that executiving is hard work when he furloughed deputy sheriffs and correction officers for eight days in 2010. Walker claims it was unintentional, but that claim has to be taken with a grain of salt. Either way, it shows that Walker is either soft on crime, or that he is just incompetent. Either way, it should make anyone pause if they think he is anyway fit to be governor, especially on a "tough on crime" platform.

While the right might have a legitimate gripe about Doyle releasing prisoners, with Walker in charge, it doesn't matter if they're locked up or not. That is not someone I want in charge of public safety on any level.