Stand With The Bad River Band!

Despite overwhelming opposition to the proposed mining bill, and the fact that it is not going to create on stinking job, Scott Walker and the Republicans ramrodded the bill through, with Walker signing it into law last week.

Along with environmentalists, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe has vowed to fight this every step of the way.

Now you can show your support too.  They have a paypal account set up for the Bad River Watershed's legal defense fund, if you will.  Just go to their website and you will see the button on the top of the left column.

And remember, when you help them, you're actually helping out everyone in that part of the state.  Heck you're actually helping the entire state!

So give today, if you can.

Republican's Gerrymandering Scandal Deepens

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the scandal involving the Republicans' unethical gerrymandering just got a whole lot deeper. The Republicans, who have been rather less than cooperative with the federal court, are now suspected of having destroyed an untold amount of digital evidence:

In the two weeks the plaintiffs have had hard drives, forensic examiner Mark Lanterman has determined documents were deleted in June, July and November. He also found some of them contained "wiping" software meant to delete files so that they cannot be recovered.

The internal and external hard drives come from the three computers that legislative aides, lawyers and consultants used to draw the maps. One of the nine hard drives had a stripped screw, dents and scratches and is unreadable.

Lanterman did not tell the court how many documents had been deleted from the hard drives, but a lawyer for the plaintiffs called the number "substantial."

This is on top of the fact that we've learned that the Republicans all had to sign oaths of silence regarding the gerrymandering process:

Included in the documents released Monday was a set of talking points that stressed that those who discussed the maps could eventually be called as a witness in a court case.

"Public comments on this map may be different than what you hear in this room. Ignore the public comments," the talking points also say.

Despite their oaths, their corruption was exposed for all to see.

It will be interesting to see what the forensic investigation yields. If there was indeed tampering of evidence, there could be serious charges involved. Ideally, this case would have already been referred to the FBI for further investigation to see exactly just who was involved with the evidence tampering and have them brought to justice.

Interestingly, Scott Walker has had nothing to say about any of this. But then again, he's probably afraid that any comment he might make would only serve to remind people that Walkergate also involved the destruction of digital evidence. It was Darlene Wink's willingness to testify regarding this that helped her get a plea deal with the DA's Office.

I also couldn't help but notice that not one of the right wing pundits have mentioned the new findings.  Apparently corruption is only OK if a Republican does it.

Lastly, even though it should be so obvious that it needn't be pointed out, the question that should be on everyone's mind is that if the Republican is so wonderful, why do they need to resort to such secrecy, such corruption as to destroying the evidence of their work.  If it was such a good thing, one would think that they would be screaming it from the building tops.

Obviously, the answer is that their agenda is not good for the state or its citizens.  Their agenda only goes to serve their corporate masters, who don't really give a damn about any of us except how much more they can squeeze from us.

Well, At Least It Wasn't The Protesters

Remember when Randy Hopper got nailed for drunk driving (the first time)?  He blamed it on the stress from the protests, the recalls, and solidarity.

Well, old Randy Randy just got out-Hoppered in the lame excuse department:

Delegate Don Dwyer, a Republican from Anne Arundel, told The Capital of Annapolis that his drinking increased toward the end of last year’s General Assembly session.

Dwyer said he felt sold out when colleagues voted last year for same-sex marriage, an issue he spent years working against. Voters affirmed gay marriage in the state in November, leading to the first same-sex weddings in the state on Jan. 1.

Dwyer also separated from his wife in November 2011.

He has acknowledged that he was under the influence of alcohol when his boat collided with another vessel on the Magothy River in August. Several people were injured.

If your using people getting equal rights as an excuse to drink yourself so stupid that you're injuring several people, you have bigger problems than you realize.

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.

Walker Puts A Chokehold On Lady Justice

A lot of times, when a shady deal involving a politician is revealed, it's a matter of quid pro quo, or in more vernacular terms, one hand washing another. However, in Fitzwalkerstan, the ruling class' hands are so filthy that they will never be washed clean.

And as it seems to be the trend in Fitzwalkerstan, another new day exposes another new scandal.Or at least a new turn in an old one.

In 2011, David "Chokehold" Prosser made a statement that he would be "a complement" to Scott Walker's administration.

And by complement, he meant rubber stamp.

Shortly after his seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court was securely bought and paid for, with the help of thousands of suddenly found votes, Prosser made good on his words.  He rubber stamped Act 10 into law. As I wrote at the time:

Now word as come out that the "Supreme Court" of Wisconsin has, without apparent deliberation or research of the law, has ruled the open meetings laws to be invalid and that our elected officials (or at least the Republican ones) are above the law and don't need to adhere to the laws that they themselves had passed. Needless to say, WMC spent tons of money in making sure that Annette Ziegler, Michael Gableman and David Prosser were on the bench, just so that they could shred the Constitution and the law books and make irresponsible decisions like this one.

And if you don't want to listen to me, Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson said pretty much the same thing:

Justice Shirley Abrahamson accused the majority of reaching a hasty decision that’s light on legal analysis, opening them up to the unnecessary charge that they “reached a pre-determined conclusion not based on the facts and the law, which undermines the majority's ultimate decision.”

Abrahamson agreed in her opinion that the the challenge to the legislation raises fundamental constitutional questions. But she did not join the majority opinion because she believes the court should follow its own rules and the constitution in such a case. Thus, she believes the case should have followed the normal appeal route rather than the court taking original jurisdiction and issuing a decision that gives the case “short shrift.”

Now, Prosser's poor judgment, or utter lack of any judgment, is also in hot water. No matter how much the Bradley Center's Christian Schneider might try to obfuscate the issue, if not just fabricate things out of thin air, Prosser is still facing an investigation into the allegations that he put a chokehold on Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.

Well, Scott Walker wasn't going to just idly stand by and let Prosser fall victim to his own intemperate temper. No sirree, Bob! A tool like Prosser's rubber stamp was too valuable to let go that easy. After all, without Prosser on the bench, who knows what could happen? Walker might actually have to start following the law and the people might actually have their constitutional rights upheld. Walker couldn't have any of that!

In a shocking article* by Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, we learn that Walker consulted with former state legislator and former Prosser aide, John "Hand me another brewski" Gard for names to be appointed to the commission investigating Prosser's assault on Justice Bradley.

Walker made his appointments within days of getting the names from Gard, without even the formality of an interview.

So who are these legal scholars that Walker appointed to the commission to investigate Prosser? Well, they're not exactly legal scholars. Walker appointed an anesthesiologist, a dentist and a housewife. Previously, Walker had appointed a Spanish translator and a dean from Marquette University.

But if they're not legal scholars, what are their qualifications to set on a commission investigating a Supreme Court Justice? Gard explained it this way in an email he sent to Walker:

"These are not people who require any hand holding - they are fiercely conservative and will never wimp out," Gard wrote. "There will be no surprises."

Of Barrette, Gard wrote: "I laid out what we were looking for and (he) said he would do it if needed."

Obviously, Walker's goal was not to have a qualified commission, but to stack the deck so that the commission could rubber stamp the human rubber stamp as being innocent. Given Prosser's impulsiveness and lack of forethought, Prosser could easily prove to be his his own worst enemy in an honest investigation.

With these appointees, Walker's hand-picked, "fiercely conservative" minions who "will never wimp out" have a 5-4 majority on the commission.

I think the gentle reader can deduce what kind of outcome Walker expects from his appointees to the commission, and it doesn't necessarily have to do with upholding the law and or delivering justice.

The gentle reader should also not be surprised at the level of corruption coming from Walker and his administration.  The revelations so far from the Walkergate investigation are ample indication that Walker has no concern or regard for the law or for ethics.

But these furthering shenanigans could go to explain why the federal investigators are taking so long to issue any indictments or bring Walker in for arraignment.  There's already so much criminal activity that it boggles the mind, and as I always say, when it comes to Scott Walker, there's more.  There's always more.

*The article is not shocking that Walker would be this corrupt. What is shocking is that the corporate media would allow it to be published.