Wisconsin's Right Wing Shorter

Conform or else!

This morning, TMJ4 came out with a report about a state employee and her husband who received a threatening letter in the mail. Apparently, according to the sender of the letter, a miscreant's miscreant that completely misnamed himself "American Patriot," the family's offense worthy of threats was that she was a public employee and he opposed Scott Walker.

If this cravenly coward was truly an American or a patriot, he or she would know to respect the Freedom of Speech. But this idiot doesn't even want them to have the freedom of independent thought.

It was also learned today that Bill Christofferson also received a threatening letter from some reprobate too afraid to put their name to their letter of hate:

Thug Letter

I'm not a little surprised that these letters didn't come in the form of letters cut out of a magazine and glued to a piece of paper.  They did however manage to confirm that they have atrocious grammar and were too dull to recognize that Bill isn't a public sector employee.

But this isn't the first time that people on the left have been threatened for speaking out.

I have received two such threats in the past year, one made openly and one via an unpublished comment which read "I have a hollowpoint with your name on it, Chris."

Zach Wisniewski and Jeff Simpson, over at Blogging Blue each have their takes on these deplorable acts.

But down to be outdone in the deplorable department, local squawker Charlie Sykes and his audience actually complaining that TMJ4 actually aired the story.

I've got a couple, three things to say about all of this:

1. If you don't like the fact that your behaviors make you look bad, don't do them.
2. It is pitiful that the right, not being able to come up with a cogent defense of their positions, have to resort to bullying and intimidation tactics in an effort to suppress dissenting voices.
3. I am still an American and a Wisconsinite and I will continue to act as a free person.  If you don't like it, that's your problem.

Welcome To My World, Professor Cronon

Professor William Cronon is a history professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  He also recently became a blogger.  His inaugural post was an amazing piece showing the influence of a Koch Brothers-funded group, ALEC, on the Republicans' war on America as they systematically try to destroy unions, disenfranchise voters and destroy public services in several states around the country.

Within a couple of days of posting that highly popular article, the Wisconsin GOP got into action and filed a open records request against Professor Cronon's email.  Cronon correctly explains the McCarthyite reason behind this request:

Cronon theorizes, based on the keyword requests, that Wisconsin Republicans are trying to catch him in violation of state university rules by using a state email account to engage in “lobbying and electioneering to try to unseat these Republican legislators.” In other words, he says, Wisconsin Republicans want to damage him professionally in response to his criticism of them.

“That’s what they’re hoping to find,” Cronon says. “They’re trying to intimidate me. What they’re saying is that if an academic raises these kinds of questions, we’re going to make his life really uncomfortable. Intimidating people from asking legitimate questions is a McCarthyite tactic.”

Cronon says the Wisconsin GOP will not find evidence of what they’re looking for. “It’s not there,” he says.

When questioned about their intimidation tactics, WISGOP not only willfully admitted it, they tried to turn the facts upside down and accuse Cronon of trying to intimidate them. As Greg Sargent writes:

That is quite remarkable. Wisconsin Republicans are not only unabashedly doubling down on the request, but they’re also accusing Cronon of intimidation, because he is objecting to their demand for access to his private emails. Also note that the party offers no explanation for why they think there are any questions over whether Cronon behaved in an “ethical manner.” That alone should raise suspicions that the Wisconsin GOP’s use of the open records law — one that’s ironically meant to foster good and clean government — is really about retaliation against Cronon for his criticism of elected officials. 

It’s worth noting that at a time when the national media had largely moved on from this story, this will only renew media scrutiny on Wisconsin Republicans and could add more energy to the drive to recall them.

Republicans can be so desperate to discredit an opponent, that I could see them going as far as making up things. Sadly, I also wouldn't be surprised if Cronon has received threats against him and/or his family.

And yes, I say these things with an unfortunate certainty, because these things have already happened to me.

The day after we launched Milwaukee County First, we were assaulted on the radio by Charlie Sykes (who also went after me personally), Mark Belling, and Vicki McKenna.  Judging by their vile squawks, one would have thought we were the Visigoths setting out to sack Rome.  Shortly thereafter, I had a number of open record requests filed against my emails and my time sheets.  One of these "investigators" was none other than Orville Seymour, half of the misnamed Citizens for Responsible Government.  (Orville spends more time filing open record requests than he does working on the apartment building he owns, which explains why people refer to him at the same time they talk about Lee Holloway.)

When these searches turned up empty, as did their fears that we were going to be just like CRG and try to bully people, things quieted down for a year.

Then came along Darlene Wink.

Wink was the co-vice chair of the Milwaukee Republicans and also one of Walker's aides when he was county executive.  Wink was also leaving remarks on JSOnline during county hours.

About a month after this story broke, those fine folks at CRG decided to try to take the heat of off Scott Walker by filing a criminal complaint against me, alleging that I was blogging on county time and on county equipment.  To support their false allegations, they submitted "proof" which ended up meaning that they were complaining that I blogged on my furlough days, vacation days, and even on holidays, like Labor Day and Memorial Day, on which the entire county was closed. On one of my posts that they submitted, they went as far as redacting the entire top portion which specifically mentioned that I was on furlough that day!

All I can say is "Thank God, that I am so lucky to have so many dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear friends.

The charges were never pursued since they were unsubstantiated.  Further forensic reports also specified that I indeed never blogged from work.

And no, CRG, nor Charlie Sykes, who gave them air time, ever bothered to apologize for their libel.

Since that time, I have also received an untold number of threats to my career and even to my life.  I have also had an actor or actors going around trying to impersonate me, leaving vulgar and inappropriate comments using my name and avatar.  Fortunately, I have been around long enough that most people, even those that disagree with me, recognize these trolls for what they are.

So you see, the unfortunate events that Professor Cronon is experiencing is not new, but are very typical of Walker's brand of politics.

One thing that I can take slight pleasure in all of this is that it looks like CRG is losing their stranglehold on local government.  They have been behind a number of failed recall attempts over the past several years.  And it was WISGOP themselves who are going after Professor Cronon, when normally they would have sent a front group like CRG after him.  And when the Republicans played their usual tit-for-tat game and started attempts of recalling Democratic Senators, they went to Utah to bring in a gang of professional political hit men to do the job, instead of working with CRG.

But it is this kind of thuggish behavior exhibited by Walker and the GOP, either directly or indirectly through front groups will not silence the people. Rather, it will only serve to keep the flames of anger burning bright as we see one right after another being trampled on, all for the sake of their own greed.

As I have said on more than just one occasion, their downfall will be their failure that there are somethings more important than money.