Quote Of The Millinium

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. - William Shakespeare

Just Your Average Fitzwalkerstan News Story

I saw this news story and it just rang so clearly of what Scott Walker and the Teapublicans have made of our once and future great state:

Bond has now been set at $250,000 for a woman accused of shooting a coworker at a Neenah Walmart on August 14.

According to WLUK-TV, Justine Boyd, 46, is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in shooting of 56-year-old Sharon Goffard.

According to the criminal complaint, Boyd was apparently upset that Goffard got an easier position at Walmart.

And if you read further down the story, you'll see that the shooting happened in the liquor department.

Guns...liquor...Walmart...

If that doesn't say welcome to Fitzwalkerstan, I don't know what does.

Life In Fitzwalkerstan Caught In One Picture

They say one picture speaks a thousand words.

This screencap says it all when it come to life in Fitzwalkerstan:

Yup, that's it.

No other comment needed.

Fitzwalkerstan 2012 - The Year In Review (Part One)

The year 2012 was a very active on in Fitzwalkerstan, full of ups and downs and more than our fair share of sideways.  To help appreciate some of the things we've been through, here is my take of the year, with all due apologies to the incomparable Dave Barry:

January

The year was barely a couple of days old when this ruggedly handsome and extremely talented writer hit the scene with a timely article in the Shepherd Express about a thing we like to call Walkergate.

The very next day, even before some of the copies of the paper had been delivered, John Doe struck.  Scott Walker's right hand man and bestest friend, Tim Russell, along with Brian Pierick and Kevin Kavanaugh were arrested and charged with crimes ranging from embezzlement to child enticement.

Three weeks later, John Doe struck again, with even greater force.  Darlene Wink and Kelly Rindfleisch were arrested and charged with illegal politicking.

And sandwiched right between these two glorious events was the hand delivery of nearly one million signatures to recall Walker, Rebecca Kleefisch and a handful of state senators.

It was heady times indeed as the people were rising to reclaim their state.  And if the recall didn't get Walker, John Doe would.

To try to distract that voters, Walker reiterated his promise to create 250,000 jobs, even has thousands of jobs were leaving the state.

The month was not all jubilation though.  It was with heavy hear that I said goodbye to my good friend, Tom Foley, aka Illusory Tenant.

But as we were to learn, this was just the beginning of the year.  And just like with Walkergate, we learned, there's more.  There's always more....

February

February was an action packed month as things proceeded on several fronts.

Even though part of the Walkergate scandal included Walker using government resources to go campaigning, he goes and does it again.  In attempt to sway voters, he promised them that he'd create 300,000 jobs and lower their taxes by 10%.

As it turned out, that was the last time Walker spent any time in the state as he started touring the country to raise funds for his recall campaign.

With Walker spending more and more time out of the office, he left his compatriots and cohorts to fend for themselves as more scandals broke, like the super-secret, he-man, money-grubbing, voter-haters club of gerrymanderers.

Walkergate kept rolling along with revelations like the famous Mystery Dumpster O'Fun.  But the big game changer was when Wink decided to take a plea deal and roll all over her co-defendants and who knows who else.

Meanwhile, back at the recall, Kathleen Falk announced she was running and was immediately assailed by both sides because she dared to stand up for workers rights.  There's nothing like a movement shooting itself in its own foot.

Also, the propagandist groups - like Wisconsin Distorter, McGuyver Institute, Franklin Center for Propaganda and American (Rip Out Your) Heartland were exposed for the extensions of Walker's campaign that they are.

February also brought another loss to the movement with the passing of Diane Echelberger, the Pewter Gryphon.

We also learned that Wisconsin was a big old union in its own right, and then we marched into...

March

March came in like a lion with the announcement that the signatures had been verified and that the recall was on.  This was despite the fact that Walker brought in hired mercenaries from Texas to tamper with the recall signatures.

To make things worse for Walker, the bottom was dropping out on his economic plan and and his education "reform."

In order to sway the masses, Walker started promising 400,000 jobs, a 20% tax cut and to polish everyone's car.

But in case, the Republicans started taking diversionary tactics, like trying to muscle through a mining bill written by the mining company.  Further distraction was provided when David "Chokehold" Prosser was charged with ethics violations.  Apparently assaulting another justice is frowned upon.  How was he to know?

Walkergate kept alive and well and kept us all titillated with the release of the Rindfleisch transcripts.  It became evident that Walker was getting nervous when he started to change his tune and when he announced that he had formed his legal defense, er, cooperation fund.

The flood of information then started to slow a little, becoming more like a rain shower in...

April

April brought us the "news flash" that Walker is more Nixonian that Nixon was.  But on the bright side, he was setting a role model for other Republicans across the nation of what not to be like.

The recall got bogged down when it Tom Barrett usurped the movement and sharted upon the unions.

On the bright side, we knew that we weren't going to have Kathy "Oh, where did those 17,000 votes come from?" Nickolaus to kick around much longer.

We also learned that Walker was getting really nervous about Walkergate, judging by how much he was spending on cooperating.

On the bright side, yours truly got his second article published in the Shepherd Express.  Even better, you, my dear, dear gentle readers, voted this here blog as Best of the Web.  You like us almost as a gentle spring day in...

May

In May, workers and free minded people hit the phones and the doors as the recall election started reaching the crescendo.

Walker and his administration covered themselves with glory as they literally crapped on the people.  And if he wasn't doing it, his hired hit men were.

The bad news kept piling up for Walker.

We learned that not only was Walker failing in his jobs promise, he was failing in his promise to create 10,000 businesses.  The number of businesses actually decreased by more than 5,000 and that is counting the 45,000 "businesses" he did create in the form of propagandist front groups.

To make it worse, Walker was seen on film with the Mummy Hendricks boasting how he was going to "divide and conquer" the state.

Meanwhile, John Doe was still kicking things up.  Some of the highlights included the naming of the thirteenth member of Walker's campaign/county staff to be given immunity and expansion on Walker's pay to play and bid rigging scandals.

Walker's propagandist goons tried to besmirch the whole proceeding, but the people with real credibility stood up for the DA and the judge.  The real notable thing is that despite all their slander and libel, not one person has yet said that Walker is innocent.

To counter all the negativity, Walker decided to meet only with wealthy campaign donors.  And from his undisclosed location in the Koch Brothers' vault, Walker issued last minute promises to create 1,000,000 jobs, wash everyone's car, cut taxes by 200%, and to find a cure for cancer.

Which leads us to the climax of the soap opera As Fitzwalkerstan Turns (Our Stomachs)...

June

At the beginning of June, things started to boil over.

We learned that Walker had been stonewalling the Walkergate investigation all along.  On top of that, we also learned that he's been doing the same illegal politicking from the governor's office.

Then the impossible happened.  Walker won and Wisconsin lost.  Some way, some how, Tom Barrett was able to again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The state and the nation was reeling.  How the hell did we just reelect the most incompetent and the most corrupt governor in state history?  Well, we didn't.  The electronic voting machines did.

Anyway, Walker went through the same tired song and dance of wanting to work together and even invited legislators to the governor's mansion for a cook out.  Republicans were served prime rib and the Democrats were given weenies. (At least the ones that Joel Kleefisch didn't already eat.)

Unsatisfied with managing to steal the recall for Walker, the right wing then proceeded to commit voter fraud fraud in an effort to retain control of the state senate.  They had the mining company's mining bill to pass, dammit!

Meanwhile, back at the Capitol, Prosser showed his true colors by trying to blame the victim of his assault and battery. (She wouldn't stop choking herself on my hands!)

And as expected, not only did Walker renege on all of his promises, it started becoming apparent how bad things had gotten under the first year and a half of his reign of terror, most notably with the corrections system.

By the end of the month, John Doe had picked himself up, brushed himself off and revealed that there really was a leak in the Walkergate investigations - Charlie Sykes!

The end of June really made everyone shudder.  Walker picked up the right wing's playbook, the Powell memo, and with a wink and a nod, said that he wasn't going to run for President.  No, really.

What would happen to Fitzwalkerstan? Can the state be saved? And with Romney coming out as the Republican nominee for president, could the country?

Stay tuned to see how the story ends...

Fitzwalkerstan Cartoon Of The Day

Swiped from Facebook:

Life In Fitzwalkerstan: A Classic Tale

While running for governor, Scott Walker set up a caucus scandal type of operation inside the Milwaukee County Executive's Suite. Said operation, which would eventually come under a John Doe investigation known as Walkergate, was vast and expansive in its corruption. There was no law that Walker and his gang of hoodlums were afraid of breaking in their pursuit of seeing Walker in the governor's office.

At this point in time, the Walkergate investigation has yielded four convictions on a wide array of charges. The first person to be charged and convicted was railroad tycoon William E. Gardner, who so wanted to see a Walker administration that he was willing to illegally donate corporate money to Walker's campaign.

Gardner's railroad empire, Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company, ran through most of southern and eastern Wisconsin, utilizing state-owned tracks. This obviously made the decisions of the future governor important to the success of his business.

In order to gain influence on Walker's decision making, Gardner had employees make political donations to Walker's campaign and then reimburse them with his company's money.

Gardner was arrested, charged and convicted of making illegal campaign contributions. Thus he will forever be in the history books as the first of the Walker Six to be convicted.

But his efforts did not go unnoticed or unrewarded by Walker. To reward his wannabe benefactor, Walker made changes in the law and in administrative code which was favorable to Wisconsin & Southern.

As if to rub it in the face of every good Wisconsinite, the Governor of Fitzwalkerstan flaunted his pay for play antics by having a model Wisconsin & Southern train circling the Christmas tree.

Furthermore, it looked like Gardner was about to cash in on his efforts to further the cause. Another railroad company, Watco Transportation Services, which is based in Kansas, was buying Wisconsin & Southern. It was purely coincidental that Watco's largest customer was none other than Koch Industries. Officials from both companies denied up and down that there was any correlation between Watco's relationship to the Kochs, Walker's relationship with the Kochs and Gardner helping Walker out. They wouldn't lie, right?

But the story doesn't end there, because, as the gentle reader already knows, in Fitzwalkerstan, there is more. There is always more.

It turns out that Watco has been slowly but steadily siphoning jobs from Wisconsin to Kansas. First, the payroll and accounting jobs were taken over by the main office in Kansas and those Wisconsin jobs ended.

Now more jobs are about to head south as well:

While Gov. Scott Walker and other state officials are focused on bringing jobs to Wisconsin, Watco Transportation Services, which in January bought Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, is sending them out of state, a source with knowledge of the workings of the company says.

Of the approximately 250 people who work for Wisconsin & Southern, at least 30 can expect to see their positions transferred to Watco’s company headquarters in Pittsburg, Kan. The changes at Wisconsin & Southern since it was sold have left some managers demoralized and looking for new jobs, says the source, a longtime Wisconsin & Southern manager who doesn’t want to be named for fear of repercussions.

The situation has already resulted in the departure of some managers, says the source, which was confirmed by a state official.

"A few managers have left, but I think that was of their own accord -- I'm not sure," says Frank Huntington of the state Department of Transportation's Bureau of Rails and Harbors.

The jobs potentially being transferred are administrative and managerial positions at the railroad’s Milwaukee headquarters, but could also include dispatching and customer service, leaving only repair, track maintenance and locomotive personnel. Payroll and accounting functions have already been sent to Kansas, says the source.

Yuppers, classical Fitzwalkerstan tale so far. Pay for play, Walkergate, corruption, job losses and intimidation. The only thing missing is betrayal.

Oh, wait, I spoke too soon!

Look at what really happened to Gardner who sacrificed his career and his freedom for Walker:

One position that's been vacated is that of former Wisconsin & Southern President Bill Gardner, who, according to the source, was pushed out last month after complaining about the way Watco has gone about operating the railroad. A flashpoint between Watco and Gardner was the firing of a company manager, which Gardner objected to.

In January, Watco bought 90 percent of the railroad from Gardner, who kept 10 percent ownership of the company. The financial terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed, but the source says Watco purchased the 90 percent share of the company for $63 million. Gardner’s take was pushed to over $70 million when he sold his remaining stake in the company last month.

My story Wednesday quoted a Wisconsin & Southern official saying Gardner left the company on good terms to pursue other opportunities in the rail industry.

That official, Ken Lucht, director of community development, did not return calls on Thursday.

The Wisconsin & Southern source says Gardner was basically shoved out the door. The source says that Watco had originally promised Gardner that he could stay with the company to help “take it to the next level” by expanding Wisconsin & Southern’s operations with access to Watco’s rail lines and corporate connections. But after taking control of the railroad Watco brought in its own management team, which told Gardner he would no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations.

Calls to Gardner’s home earlier this week were not answered. Watco Cos. CEO Rick Webb didn’t return messages Thursday seeking comment. The company’s chief information officer, Cheryl Correll, also didn’t return a phone call.

Ah, now it's a classic Fitzwalkerstan tale.

The only thing is I really don't understand why so many people are having such a hard time learning the moral of these tales and keep supporting Walker and his friends. You'd think that the sense of preservation would kick in at some point. Then again, one might have said that about the folks at Jonestown too.

A Moniker Too Far

I admit, I threw up in my mouth a little when I saw this in my email inbox tonight:

Excuse me! What?! Team Wisconsin?!

Hell, Walker isn't even from Wisconsin. He's an invasive species from Colorado!

If they want to call themselves anything, it should be Team Fitzwalkerstan.  Or maybe the Brownshirts.  Or Koch's Cabana Boys

But not Team Wisconsin, dammit!  With all the crap going on, I think it might be time to go back to the protests everywhere Walker goes.

De Pere could be the next launch of the next round.

The Difference Between Fitzwalkerstan And Michigan

Meet Paul Smith, a city councilman from Sterling Heights, Michigan. Please pay attention to the signs that Mr. Smith is holding in this taped interview, courtesy of Crooks & Liars, and keep in mind that he is an elected official:

 For more background, here is an excerpt of a story which appeared in The Detroit News:

In the video posted on YouTube, Smith, a tea party member, displayed signs showing illustrations of the impaled head of the president, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm with a noose around her neck and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with bullet holes in her face. The signs also included slurs against undocumented immigrants and gay people. [...] Reached Wednesday, Smith said he sees nothing offensive about the images, which he said were "good old First Amendment speech." "Yeah, it's harsh, but it's a harsh world, it's a harsh game," Smith said. "As long as you don't use a real weapon, it's fair game."

Now, we've had our own fair share of these nut job Teapublicans in Fitzwalkerstan, serving in the state legislature, the governor's office and even the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. Hell, we've even sent some of these damned fools to Washington. So, while I find that Mr. Smith's behaviors are of course offensive and regrettable, they aren't shocking. What did amaze me is their reaction to Smith's outrageous behaviors:

The City Council called for Councilman Paul Smith to resign over a video that shows him holding inflammatory signs depicting violence against President Barack Obama and others during a tea party rally in 2009. The council on Wednesday passed a resolution, 6 to 1, with Smith the "no" vote, urging Smith to resign. He is in his first term on the council. Mayor Pro Tem Michael Taylor said he began drafting the resolution after he saw the video. He described the images in the video, which runs 3minutes and 15 seconds, as "incredibly disturbing." "It's beyond unreasonable for anyone to do, and it's obvious we're dealing with someone who is completely irrational," he said.

Mind. Blown.

They're actually holding this goof accountable for his behaviors and taking him to task for them.

If Mr. Smith was in Fitzwalkerstan, he'd be defended by squawk radio and right wing bloggers. Then Media Trackkkers, MacGuyver Institute and Fitzwalkerstan Distorter and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel would suck up to him and call him a state hero. He'd end up getting a cushy spot, with a hefty raise, in Scott Walker's administration.

And if anyone were to criticize him or boo him, well, it'd be that person that would be harassed and pilloried for it.

If you don't believe me, look at what happens every time Robin Vos, Glenn Grothman, either Fitzgerald, either Kleefisch or Scott Walker opens their mouth.

Tin Soldiers, Tin Badges

Last week, I pointed out that rights are becoming rather scarce in Fitzwalkerstan, especially the right of Free Speech.

Not only is the constitutional right to Free Speech becoming increasingly scarce, but the brownshirts are getting downright violent to anyone who tries to exercise it.

In Madison, the new commandant of the Capital Police, Dave Erwin, is already trying to make a name for himself by cracking down on peaceful protesters. Because you know, people singing about workers rights is a threat to our society or something like that.

And how far is Erwin willing to go to return "normalcy" to the Capitol? Well, as far as condoning violence, apparently with or without just cause:

Erwin recently met with legislative aides who were feeling threatened or intimidated by protesters who have come into the aides' offices to berate them and have followed them to their cars. He suggested they try filming a demonstrator and, if that didn't work, punching the person with their free hand.

"I said if it wasn't working you could try to hit them," Erwin said.

Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) had a person in his office with a box cutter in the spring of 2011 and said he thought it was a good idea that Capitol police are having panic buttons installed in some legislative offices so staff could call police in an emergency.

But after talking with several aides who were in the meeting with Erwin, Hulsey said it was bizarre advice to recommend hitting someone with police nearby. He said several Democratic aides left the meeting early because they were taken aback by Erwin's suggestion.

"I was kind of amazed by that," Hulsey said.

But Madison isn't the only place with this new breed of stormtrooper.

In Milwaukee, under the auspices of the Cowboy Sheriff, David Clarke, there has been an incident of violence by a deputy against an innocent Overpass Light Brigade protester.

From the press release issued by Voces de la Frontera and the OLB is a description of the course of events:

Milwaukee police arrived at the bridge around 9:00 pm, after supporters had been holding lights reading "PALERMOS - NEGOTIATE" for about an hour. The first MPD responders stated they had been called to the bridge by the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department. They stated that they were unsure as to why they had been called, and waited for the Sheriffs Department to show up.

Deputy Callies of the Sheriff's Department soon arrived and immediately stormed on to the bridge, which was filled with striking Palermo workers and their families holding signs, including several young children. Around 30 people were present in total, including many community supporters. Deputy Callies demanded that the lights be taken down and turned off. He then stated loudly that he would be arresting everyone on the bridge for disorderly conduct.

At this point, close to twenty police vehicles had arrived or were en route (witnesses counted one paddy wagon, two bicycle police, two motorcycle police, six Milwaukee police squads, including a K-9 unit, and nine Milwaukee County Sheriff vehicles). Lisa Moline of OLB tried to reason with Deputy Callies, who grew more and more agitated that he was being challenged on the constitutionality of his order to shut the message down.

As the video clearly captures, Deputy Callies then turned around lunged at a woman who was videotaping his tirade. He forcibly reached for her camera, pushing himself into her (most likely realizing she had just captured his entire episode digitally). In the process, he grabbed the woman’s arm and ripped the camera phone out of her hand, giving no explanation for the confiscation, despite pleading efforts from the woman as to why her camera phone was stolen. He then tore another supporter's phone away in the exact same manner. Click here for videos of the above incident.

Eventually more officers arrived on the bridge. Many of the MPD officers seemed uncomfortable with the actions of Deputy Callies, and once he left the bridge, one officer told supporters they could go back onto the bridge with the lights, and that it was “all a misunderstanding". By that point, many supporters were intimidated by the Sheriff department's actions and had already left.

The OLB has had countless visits by numerous local law enforcement agencies during their bridge actions of the past nine months. They have always been calm and civil, and have repeatedly resulted in the reaffirmation of the legality of their actions. Office Callies' aggressive response is the single exception to this respectful relationship.

Voces de la Frontera and OLB will be filing a Freedom of Information Act request to determine the process for which orders were given for Friday's action to be broken up- and why this particular message led to this particular response. Additional charges against Deputy Callies are currently being filed by the woman whose hand was injured when he grabbed her cell phone.

We are also asking the many elected officials who have endorsed and supported Voces and OLB actions in the past to demand a public investigation of this unacceptable violation of freedom of speech.

And from the website for Occupy Riverwest is some raw footage of the assault:



Fortunately, despite the Republicans' best efforts, we are still a land of laws, and their attempt at totalitarian rule is not working. The people involved with the Milwaukee incident have filed a complaint against the deputy in question and have filed open records requests to find out who gave which orders and when. Likewise, in Madison, the ACLU is ready to step in and teach Chief Erwin an expensive lesson on the Constitution.

As the saying goes, it's hard to keep a good man down. And Wisconsin is chock full of good men and women that won't stay down and won't stay silenced until we have our state back.

Live In Fitzwalkerstan? No Rights For You!

Ah yes, good old Fitzwalkerstan, where the corrupt Scott Walker and his Republican cohorts simply cannot bear the thought that someone might be able to live freely or have constitutional rights.

Don't believe me? Well take a look at two stories that broke today.

In one story, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is again trying to circumvent the course of due justice by pleading for the second time in four months for the Supreme Court to bypass the appellate court and arbitrarily impose a restriction on the people's right to vote.

Keep in mind that there has not been one documented case of voter fraud in which the voter suppression law would have made a difference. In other words, the only "problem" that Van Hollen and the Republicans are trying to resolve is that they could lose elections if people are allowed to exercise their right to vote as guaranteed in the constitution.

Also keep in mind that this would throw the electoral system into chaos. In the most recent elections, there have been a multitude of stories of poll workers not being clear on the current status of voting laws and giving people incorrect information and wrongfully denying some people their right to vote.

Lastly, and maybe most significantly, Van Hollen has a direct conflict of interest since he is the campaign co-chairman of Tommy Thompson, who is running for the US Senate. Van Hollen cannot ethically file a lawsuit asking for the voting rights of people who are more likely to vote against his candidate during the height of the campaign season.

Then again, since when do the Republicans give two hoots about ethics?

In the other story, we see that Van Hollen is also sending his underlings to go after more political opponents.

Someone from Walker's administration or the legislature has asked the Attorney General's office to pursue a civil forfeiture case against Segway Jeremy Ryan, a well-known protester.

Now, anyone who has been following Fitzwalkerstan news for the past year and a half knows who Ryan is and that sometimes his behavior is over the top. But in the incident they have chosen to squander state funds on (remember - the state is broke!), Ryan's alleged crime is going into a legislative chamber with - gasp - a sign and a camera! Obviously, the fiend must be stopped at all costs! The barbarian was trying to exercise his right to Free Speech!

The article goes on to state that the brownshirts are very hush hush when asked if they are planning on going after the Solidarity Singers.

The Republicans like to compare Scott Walker and themselves to the honey badger, a particularly tough and vicious beast.

At the rate they're going though, it won't take them long to learn that the honey badger ain't shit compared to the Sconnie Badger!

Fitzwalkerstanese 101

In Fitzwalkerstan, even though the language sounds like English, it really is a foreign language.

For example, creating jobs really means losing more jobs than are created.

Another good example is "without raising taxes" means raising taxes on the poorest of the poor, raising fees on everyone and causing the local governments and school boards to raise their taxes through the roof to cover the state's short shrifts.

And who could forget the classics of "I am not a target of the John Doe investigation and "We are cooperating with the investigation" means I have hired three high priced attorneys to fight the corruption charges coming my way?"

As I'm sure the gentle reader has picked up on by now, in Fitzwalkerstan, almost everything is said opposite of its true meaning.

But just to keep people on their toes, sometimes things mean exactly what they say to a literal point.

An example of this is in Washington County where the term "fire water" doesn't mean a racially charged term for alcohol. Thanks to a pipeline break* spilling more than 50,000 gallons of gasoline and poisoning at least 17 wells, fire water means just that:

On the bright side, at least these people are being treated better than Joel Kleefisch's constituents who had another kind of poisoning in their wells. Then again, the people near the gas spill is in the heart of Walker territory. He can't afford to kill off the hub of his supporters. Not yet anyway.

*I wonder if this will at least give us a momentary reprieve from the Republicans incessant carping about the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Walker Budget Keeps On Working! Part CXXXI - Fitzwalkerstan Reclaims #1 Edition

Again, Scott Walker leads Fitzwalkerstan to its former position as Number One - in job losses:

Wisconsin’s loss of 13,200 jobs in June was the largest in the nation, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in California (+38,300), followed by Ohio (+18,400) and North Carolina (+16,900).

The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Wisconsin (-13,200), followed by Tennessee (-12,100) and Maryland (-11,000).

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate grew in June to 7.0 percent from 6.8 percent in May.

I'm sure that all of the people who voted for Walker - twice - are sure proud of themselves.

Walker said that the job numbers would explode as soon as he won the recall election. Which shows what happen when one puts their fate in the hands of an uneducated corporate-puppet and doesn't know the difference between the words "explode" and "implode."

They Call It The Fitzwalkerstan Special

What you don't get with each purchase is a vac, since the state's Republicans already suck.

One Hundred Years Ago And One Year Ago: The Folly Of Greed And Hubris

April 15, 2012 is an auspicious day for the world and for Fitzwalkerstan.

One hundred years ago today, the RMS Titanic sank into the icy depths of the Atlantic Ocean, whose waters were as dark as the night sky overhead. The tragedy took more than 1,500 lives. It's sinking is being memorialized around the world.

Most people will tell you the ship was sunk because of damage done to the ship's hull after striking an iceberg.  Historians will tell you that it was sunk by greed and folly.  The builders of the ship tried to skimp on the cost and used cheaper rivets.  The folly was extended when the captain had the ship go faster than advisable given the time of year and reportedly ignored warnings of icebergs.

Phil Scarr has found some interesting data which shows the priority of the culture of that time, as evidenced by the percentages of the people saved broken down by passenger class.

To this day, people are still intrigued by the story of the Titanic, as evidenced by further explorations and discoveries about the ship's watery grave and continuing discussions of the people and the events of that fateful night.

One year ago, the RMS Scott Walker ran into his own version of an iceberg, in the form of a congressional panel in front of whom he had to give sworn testimony regarding his Budget Disrepair Bill and specifically about the union busting Act 10.

Walker's greed and hubris was exposed as Representative Gwen Moore laid out the fact that there was no financial crisis until Walker artificially created it by handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to his corporate sponsors; when Representative Bruce Braley (D-IA) grilled him about hiring Brian Deschane, the son of a rich lobbyist, whose not only didn't have a degree but did have two drunk driving convictions; when Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) forced Walker to admit that he never campaigned on attacking workers the way he did; and when Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) took both of Walker's ham and cheese sammiches and ate them in front of him while Walker was forced to admit that attacking the workers, stripping them of their rights, saved the state no money.

Remember these facts, presented under oath, whenever you see a Walker commercial where he says he had to balance the budget, where he is so full of integrity he could just burst, when he said that he attacked the workers in order to save taxpayers money.

They're also handy talking points when confronted with a Walker-supporter that tries to regurgitate his lies.

Just ask them: Was Walker committing perjury then or is he lying now?  Then stand back and take cover as their heads explode.

Another Feather In Maistelman's Hat

Michael Maistelman had been having a very good year in Fitzwalkerstan.

He's been lauded as a Leader in the Law.  He has had his name all over the place thanks to the ongoing recalls, Walkergate and his expertise in election laws, such as Scott Walker's Legal Cooperation Fund and the Voter Suppression Law.  And that's not to mention his greatest honor, which is being the resident elections expert for Cognitive Dissidence.

Now he has another acknowledgement of his expertise.  Maistelman has been named special counsel for the City Of Muskego (pdf, page 38), while they look at the possibility of undergoing their own recalls of the mayor and two councilmen.

Now you understand why I consult with him and take his word on the issues facing Fitzwalkerstan before any beneficiary of the Bradley Foundation.  If you want sound advice, go with the ones that know what they're talking about.

Good Friday In Fitzwalkerstan

Traditional Bible teachings tell us Good Friday is the celebration of Christ dying on the cross for us.

In Fitzwalkerstan, Scott "Pontius Pilate" Walker ordered that the women of Fitzwalkerstan should be the ones crucified.

And for a no-fun-at-all fact:  According to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH), in Wisconsin, women only make 75 cents for every dollar men make.

Is Scott Walker A Conservative Without A Conscience?

John Dean, who served as counsel to President Richard Nixon and was a key figure in the Watergate scandal, is taking a look at Scott Walker. In the first part of a two-part article series, he takes a look at what he calls "Double Highs", people who scored extremely high in both social dominant traits and for having submissive followers. Here is an excerpt explaining what he means by these terms:

This testing reveals, in varying degrees, that social dominators (authoritarian leaders) have the following recurring traits: They’re typically men; they are dominating; they oppose equality; they are desirous of personal power; they are amoral, intimidating and bullying, faintly hedonistic, vengeful, pitiless, exploitive, manipulative, and dishonest; they will cheat to win; they are highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, and/or homophobic), mean-spirited, militant, and nationalistic; they tell others what they want to hear, take advantage of “suckers,” and specialize in creating false images to sell themselves.

They may or may not be religious, but usually they are both political and economic conservatives and/or Republicans.

In turn, recurring traits that, in varying degrees, are found in authoritarian followers—a group that includes both men and women—are as follows: They are submissive to authority but aggressive on that authority’s behalf. They are conventional and highly religious, with moderate to little education. They trust untrustworthy authorities, exhibit prejudice (particularly against homosexuals, women and followers of religions other than their own), and are mean-spirited, narrow-minded, intolerant, bullying, zealous, dogmatic, and uncritical toward chosen authority. Moreover, they are hypocritical, inconsistent and contradictory, prone to panic easily, highly self-righteous, and moralistic. They are strict disciplinarians, and are severely punitive; they demand loyalty and return it; they exhibit little self-awareness, and they, too, are usually political and economic conservatives and/or Republicans.

There is, however, another—and exceptional—type of authoritarian. When testing social dominators, scientists noticed an incomparable situation: They occasionally found persons who garnered high scores for their cold, calculating dominance, yet also gained high scores on the tests for submissive followers. How, it was asked, could the same person test high on both scales, since these traits are seemingly inconsistent? Social scientists labeled these people “Double Highs” because of their high scores on both testing scales.

I think we already know the answer to whether Walker is a "Double High." That excerpt describes Fitzwalkerstan to a tee.

A Sign Of The Times

Boutique law firm opens in Walkersha County:

 It provides local employers in the heart of the country with the unparalleled legal resources and expertise of one of the largest workplace law firms, in addition, to access to a distinguished team of local, regional and state-wide labor and employment law practitioners.

Wisconsin's 2011 Top Ten

State Senator Julie Lassa sent out a fundraising email blast today.  It stood out to me due to the fact that she included her Top Ten high low lights of the past year in Fitzwalkerstan. Here they are:

2011 is quickly drawing to a close and what a year it has been here in Wisconsin. For many of us it is hard to recognize the state that we love since Republicans took control of the legislature and the governor's mansion in January.

In looking back at the past year, I thought I would put together a list of Top 10 Highlights, or in this case, a Top Ten list of Lowlights for 2011.

10. Gov. Scott Walker tells fake "David Koch" caller that he thought about placing troublemakers into peaceful crowd of men, women and children protesting his so called "budget repair" bill.

9. A top republican staffer admits in federal court sworn deposition that GOP used ten years of election data to redraw legislative and congressional district lines but it was not meant to favor GOP in elections.

8. While saying that Wisconsin is broke, Republicans manage to scratch together $2.3 billion for tax giveaways to big corporations.

7. Still asserting their "no tax increase" pledge Republicans raise taxes on middle class families and seniors by nearly $70 million. (Shhh don't tell Grover Norquist or maybe his pledge only matters if it involves the top 1%).

6. Republicans honor Veterans by giving $2 million for storage space at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum while cutting $2 million from low income and homeless veterans assistance programs.

5. Republican leaders decide that the state's Open Meetings Law doesn't apply to a hastily called dark of night meeting where they vote to end workers' rights. Shockingly Justice Prosser and a GOP dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court decide that lawmakers don't have to follow the law.

4. Governor Walker and majority of Republicans gleefully end 50 years of workers' rights while chanting the state is broke. Please see #8.

3. Republicans claimed to have made education a priority. They cut nearly $2 billion from K-12 public schools and higher education while at the same time giving $40 million more to private voucher schools. Apparently they only made private education a priority.

2. Governor Walker decides to eliminate health insurance coverage for 50,000 to 65,000 men, women and children.

1. While Gov. Walker and the GOP focus like a laser on jobs, Wisconsin has the dubious honor in leading the nation in lost jobs in November, making it the fifth straight month of job losses.

Unfortunately with so many lowlights in the State of Wisconsin this year, it was hard to decide which ones should make the Top 10 list. This is especially true when it comes to the state's strict new Voter ID law, new laws to favor powerful special interests over consumers in court and allowing a mining company to write a mining deregulation bill.

They are good points, although I don't know that I would have put them in quite that same order. For example, I think the Koch phone call really shows Walker lack of ethics and thus should be much higher up the list.

Only In Fitzwalkerstan...

Nothing like adding one more thing to help make Wisconsin the laughing stock of the country:

The law firm bringing a suit against the state's elections agency advised the Legislature on how to write the very law it is suing over.