Scott Walker Returns To The Scene

By Jeff Simpson

Today, on Memorial Day 2014, Scott Walker attended a "wonderful ceremony at Wood National Cemetery":

Governor Scott Walker

11 hours ago

Wonderful ceremony at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee.

 Roughly, one third of arsonists have to return to the scene of the crime and since Scott Walker was elected with the agenda being incendiary and of conquering this state, 

Despite it being a sacred place and final resting spot for many of our deceased veterans, Wood National Cemetery was collateral damage in Scott Walker's war on Wisconsin.  

Gov. Scott Walker's budget bill includes a provision that would repeal a law that prohibits a freeway rehabilitation project from adding vehicle lanes on I-94 adjacent to Wood National Cemetery.
Like other parts of the region's freeway system, the stretch of I-94 between N. 25th and N. 70th streets is deteriorating. But planning for that stretch of roadway, including plans for widening, was met with opposition from neighbors living in the Story Hill neighborhood.
Many grave sites in Wood are adjacent to the shoulder of the freeway. Widening the freeway in that stretch would require moving the graves.

 What's the problem with that?
 

Al Richburg, director of Wood National Cemetery, which is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said the agency's longtime position is "that when a vet is interred, it is considered a final and lasting resting place. It's final to us."
Richburg said Wood has 38,886 graves for veterans and their families. He said he did not know how many grave sites were adjacent to the freeway.

It really is too bad that the graves of our veterans are in the way, but as Jared Kellner found out, NOTHING gets in the way of Scott Walker's political ambitions. 

As the saying (kind of) goes, dead men give no campaign contributions.  

God Works in Mysterious Ways

 

By Jeff Simpson

That saying has never been more relevant than current day Wisconsin.  

Apparently, God has been having chats with our very own Scott Walker.    When Scott Walker took the phone call from (who he thought/hoped and prayed was David Koch), Scott Walker opened up like he never has before.  When your talking to your boss, its best to be honest and Scott finally was.  Walker let the fake Koch, know plenty but the biggest gem was that Scott Walker "had thought about" adding violence to what was an incredibly peaceful protest.  

Koch: We’ll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.
Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that —because we thought about that. The problem—the, my only gut reaction to that is right now the lawmakers I’ve talked to have just completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this…[explains that planting troublemakers may not work.] My only fear would be if there’s a ruckus caused is that maybe the governor has to settle to solve all these problems…[something about '60s liberals.]…Let ‘em protest all they want…Sooner or later the media stops finding it interesting.

We thought about that but we figured it would not help us politically so we passed. 

Well when planning violence against women and children, Scott Walker turned to the  person most people do in these situations.   Jesus the ultimate violent/political tactition:

 “I looked up and said, ‘I hear you, Lord,’” writes Walker. “God was sending me a clear message to not do things for personal glory or fame. It was a turning point that helped me in future challenges, helped me stay focused on the people I was elected to serve, and reminded me of God’s abundant grace and the paramount need to stay humble.”

Yes dear Servant do not attack women and children for personal glory and fame.....stay your veer humble self, was the message that Jesus sent!  

Hallelujah!  

Yes it is hard for some who is perfect in every way, like Scott Walker to be humble!  Luckily he has a pipeline to God to keep reminding him to be so.  

Let's hope that God calls Scott Walker in a John Denver Oh, God! kind of way and not in a BTK killer fashion!    Maybe its time we take a lesson from 70's Movie and lock all of these politicians who talk to God and have them answer some questions:

The question I want the Scott Walker / Jesus team to answer is:  Why did God direct you to cover up the death of 15 year old Jared Kellner? 

Hypocrisy, Thy Name Be Wigderson

James Wigderson - who is a blargher and a contributor to the propaganda sites MacIver Insitute and White Wisconsin - laments that the killer of a two year old child was sentenced to only six years in prison, which was a year more than prosecutors had recommended.

I cannot say that I could argue with him on that point.

But Wigderson jumped in the deep end of the hypocrisy pool with his last line:

The lives of children are cheap in Milwaukee County.

That is pretty ballsy talk from a man who actively participated in the political cover up of the death of fifteen year old Jared Kellner.  Kellner was killed when a facade fell off of the O'Donnell Park parking garage and fell on top of him.  

If I recall correctly, not only was Walker not charged - much less receive any jail time - he was elected governor.

I wonder how Wigderson feels about his help in cheapening Jared's life.

Governor Walker is Special

By Jeff Simpson

 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

I remember hearing the story of how infrastructure in Milwaukee fell on a 15 year old boy and killed him in front of his family.   I remember thinking what I always think when I hear stories of children dieing(especially as a father) of how horrible that would be and how I can not even imagine having to bury one of my children.    Which, I would assume, is the first thought of most people.  With some notable exceptions! 


Scott Walker and his campaign team! 

Their first thought was - what can we do to minimize the damage to our campaign and political future.  

Walker's top aide and great friend Tim Russell was extremely worried as to Scott Walker's location when the tragedy happened:

 [Former Walker aide Tim] Russell asked the email chain where Walker was following the incident, warning “Scott cannot be at a fundraiser or something like that. He’ll be eaten alive.”

 Fortunately, the Walker campaigned dodged a bullet and Scott Walker was surprisingly NOT at a fundraiser and was able to go start doing campaign damage control within the hour:

Walker's cellphone battery had died; within an hour, Gilkes assured Russell and others that Walker had arrived at the accident scene.

"He needs to lead and be on top of the entire situation," Gilkes reported. "ALL of us need to back him up and ensure he is on top of the entire situation — Scott needs to be front and center for the media.

At least Scott Walker was alive unlike Jared Kellner who was the victim of Walker's lack of interest in actually governing.   

 Yesterday a 30 foot wide concrete wall fell from the County parking garage near Summerfest, fatally injuring a 15 year old boy and injuring two others. This was a case where a death could have been avoided had Walker paid more attention to governing, and less attention to politicking.

The parking garage under O’Donnell park has had structural problems for years — almost since the day it was built. Past County Executives have dedicated sufficient funds to maintain the structure and assure safety for the public. Sadly, O’Donnell Park was named after former County Executive Bill O’Donnell who did pay attention to County infrastructure and yes, he did raise taxes to pay for County needs and ensure public safety. It has always struck me as being an unfitting memorial to name an ailing parking garage after a former giant in County politics.

Walker has chosen to neglect the garage infrastructure to save money so he can position himself as champion of the taxpayer for his run for Governor. Of course Walker had to use this tragedy as an opportunity to grab a little media attention for himself. In an interview near the O’Donnell parking garage Walker said, “For me, personally, obviously it rips my heart out”… For a man who has built his career on doing as little as possible to keep government providing services and infrastructure, his claim that it “rips my heart out” rings hollow. With chunks of concrete falling from other County buildings and with neglected maintenance needs, this tragedy was entirely predictable.

Tonight there are two parents who have lost a son because Walker has decided that politics is more important than safety.

Scott Walker made this a campaign issue before the body was cold, as he had his campaign staff take over the PR, so much so that the actual Milwaukee County Chief of Staff, that was paid by the taxpayers, to actually handle situations like this, had to re-introduce himself to the campaign staff(in a series of private email conversations). 

Earlier this year, Walker's spokesman emphasized that most of the contact between Walker's top campaign and county aides dealt with "routine" matters.
In the new emails, Gilkes is often directing Walker's county staff on what to do.
Tom Nardelli, Walker's county chief of staff, became so frustrated that he wrote to Walker and his top county aides on July 8, 2010, and felt compelled to remind them that he was still chief of staff.
“Just in case anyone cares what I think as COS, let me assure you all that Open Records Requests will be handled as they have always been handled: Timely, courteously and with the detail Corporation Counsel requires both upon receipt and upon release.”
“Any questions?” Nardelli wrote. "Direct them to me in this office only!”
He signed the email: "Tom Nardelli, Chief of Staff (remember?)."

To late Keith Gilkes was running the show and readers of our blog know who Keith Gilkes is.   Gilkes is the person who runs from the press and his one claim to fame, is that he ORDERED everyone on Walkers staff to delete anything that might make Scott Walker look bad in the wake of the death of a 15 year old child.  

See these "special people" never ever asknowledged that a 15 year child died,  They did not acknowledge that a human being was dead, crushed in front of his parents, and he did not have to be.  It was Scott Walker that they wanted to make sure went unscathed, everyone else is collateral damage.  What is the life of a 15 year old when we are talking an ascendency to the Presidency here.    

Walker when asked softballs about the revelations that we actually have on paper says :

 "In the midst of the campaign, I didn't want that very tragic situation to evolve into a political issue," Walker said.

That would be like an alcoholic drinking because he does not want to be tempted to drink.  His campaign staff was leaping into action before the family could even be notified so that excuse is weak.   We can however take Walker's word that his campaign staff does not run the state the way they ran the county.

  In his press briefing, Walker said he does not let his current campaign team call the shots for his gubernatorial staff on state issues.

 I mean if Scott Walker says it, it has to be true...right?

Another interesting tidbit that came out of these emails, is that they knew that they had an ace in the hole.  they knew that Journal Sentinel reporter Jesse Garza, would  help Scott Walker get "good ink".  

In another email, Russell wrote Journal Sentinel reporter Jesse Garza had gotten a message to him that he was willing to help Walker get “good ink” if the county exec wanted to speak with the reporter.

It takes a very special person to hear about the tragic death of a 15 year old, and your first thought is "how will this effect my campaign".   

Scott Walker and his staff are very special. 

His father must be so ashamed.   

Read all of the emails here!

Judas Plale Gets His Thirty Pieces of Silver

14Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

-Matthew 26:14-16

Last fall, Jeff Plale, former state senator, was soundly defeated in the primary by Chris Larson, who went on to win the office in the general election. Plale, who is more of a Republican than a true Democrat, lost because he failed to fight for the causes important to his constituents, such as passing the sales tax which would have saved Milwaukee County's transit and parks systems from further decline and had been approved by county voters in a referendum.

In return, Plale turned around and betrayed Wisconsin's working families and Wisconsin tax payers by joining Russ Decker in voting against the Tentative Agreements that the state had reached with the unions.

The news coming out of Madison today is that Scott Walker has rewarded Plale for his betrayal of the Wisconsin people by appointing him to a state position. From WisPolitics:

"Plale, who lost his seat in the September Dem primary, will serve as administrator of the Division of State Facilities, according to an e-mail sent to DOA staff this morning. The notice touted Plale's work on the State Building Commission."

This is actually even more outrageous than it would seem on the surface, as if the obvious corruption and back door dealings weren't bad enough.

Not only has Walker rewarded Plale for playing along with his grandstanding regarding the unions, but Plale's appointment serves another purpose for Walker.

With Plale as the administrator of the Division of State Facilities, it all but guarantees that there never will be an independent investigation into the cause of the tragedy at O'Donnell Park, in which 15 year old Jared Kellner was killed when a 27,000 pound slab of concrete fell on him.

This maneuver fits in snugly with the proposal Walker is having pushed through the state legislature, which would eliminate many protections and rights for the citizenry against the misdoings of businesses and/or incompetent, corrupt politicians.

Between Plale being able to block any attempts for an independent investigation, and the "tort reform" bill sapping the rights of Jared's parents, any responsibility Walker and his habit of deferred maintenance might have had in the O'Donnell tragedy will probably never be known.

A Mother's Anguish

Yesterday, I told you of the inexcusable bill that Scott Walker wants enacted first. Said piece of trash bill is to severely limit the liability that someone might face for causing injury or even death to an innocent person.

Among the many people who came to Madison to testify against this horrendous display of greed and contempt for the people of Wisconsin, was Dawn Kellner, the mother of Jared Kellner, who was killed on June 24, 2010, when a 27,000 pound concrete facade fell off of O"Donnell Park.

Here is her prepared statement regarding the bill:

Good afternoon. My name is Dawn Kellner.

When I said goodbye to my son on June 24, 2010, I had no idea it would be the last time I spoke to him. I didn’t know I would never hear his voice or get a hug from him again. I didn’t know that we would never spend another Christmas together.

My fifteen year old son, Jared, died on June 24, 2010, while walking to Summerfest in Milwaukee. He was crushed by a 13 ½ ton piece of concrete that fell from the O’Donnell Park parking structure. We know that this concrete slab was a ticking time bomb. The contractors cut corners and did not follow the original plans. Governor Walker, then Milwaukee County Executive, called this installation “inexcusable.” This is what happens when profits are put over safety and my son paid the ultimate price. No criminal prosecution has resulted from my son’s senseless death. I had to hire my own lawyers to go after those responsible for my son’s death.

I have to ask a jury to make sure that those responsible are held accountable and punished.

After my son died, Governor Walker told the media that he wanted to reach out to me to join in any potential lawsuit. So why is it that his very first proposal as Governor is to protect people like those who killed my son? Nobody wants to put hard-working businesses out of business, but this bill protects bad businesses like those that killed my son. Why? Why does Governor Walker want to protect the worst of the worst? Punitive damages keep bad businesses in check. They stop businesses from cutting corners and putting people’s lives in jeopardy. But this bill removes that check. It encourages cutting corners, puts profits over public safety, and endangers everyone.

My motivation for being here today is not just to remember Jared’s senseless death. I want all of you to think of your family and the families you represent around this State and I want you to think about what this past Christmas would have been like without them. That is my life now. Heaven forbid that one of your family members should die because of “inexcusable” acts like Jared did. And heaven forbid that you would be prevented from holding accountable those that intentionally disregard your rights. Jared’s motto was to “Live Life.” His right to “Live Life” was

taken away from him that day and no one else should lose that right.

This bill is a slap in the face to my son and the family of the next Jared Kellner and a slap on the back to bad businesses that cut corners and put profits over safety. As a tribute to Jared, I ask Governor Walker and this panel to not pass these laws.

Also, via Wisconsin Eye, is the video of the testimony. It is very hard for someone to watch it and not feel strong emotions about how her family would be re-victimized if this bill would be passed. Ms. Kellner's testimony starts at the 7 hour 19 minute mark. (Yes, you can forward to that point without listening to it all. Although the other parts were also very moving.)