The Noose Is Loose

By Jeff Simpson

The Trump effect is in full effect in Wisconsin.  At the Wisconsin Badgers football game on Saturday night, someone snuck a costume in to the game of President Obama in a jail uniform and a noose.

At the @UWBadgers game and there is a man with a mask of President Obama and a noose. This is racism, why was this allowed into the stadium? pic.twitter.com/zKEqhdDYny

— 😏 (@woahohkatie) October 29, 2016

 Apparently when they saw these lunatics in the crowd, they went and asked them nicely toremove the noose.  The men agreed, and removed the noose but kept everything else the same.

That is not ok, nor is it covered by the first amendment.   The response should have been stronger and more sever, and many people let them know that.

.@UWMadison

"...must be of an appropriate nature."

Noose around neck of the image of our black president in a jail suit is appropriate? pic.twitter.com/zfd5C1zr0f

— Nigel Hayes (@NIGEL_HAYES) October 30, 2016

The Reverend Alex Gee penned an open letter to the UW:

Free speech?! Ok, then allow me to speak freely...
I find it difficult to express the depth of my disappointment with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If this is not hate speech ... a costume of a black president in a noose, then what is?!
Do I need to remind UW of what the noose represents? But wait, the UW has noted departments and courses in Afro-American studies (this was my department), history, sociology, ethnic studies, ethics, social work, law, religious studies, etc., which are able to explain the horrors of the noose.

           -------------

This speech isn’t free by a long shot. I witnessed the community of families of color, local and out-of-state, refuse to send their kids to Madison because of the mock slave auction. I was there! That snub is one from which the UW has not yet fully recovered.
Take it from a veteran UW promoter, the nation is watching to see if this is a place where diversity is celebrated, or where racist acts are allowed without serious consequences. This issue is no longer merely about the comfort of students of color, it is now about the comfort of white families wanting their students to attend college where diversity is breathed like fresh air and young minds are trained for world-class leadership.
Are we really going to hide behind the free-speech rhetoric?
As a proud alumnus, it had been my hope that the Wisconsin Idea would provoke old-fashioned Wisconsin ingenuity in the area of race relations and diversity much as it has in social policy, patents and life-enhancing innovation.
........
Please, do not call your black friends to commiserate in private. If you really value diversity and the souls of people of color — do something. If you think this is appalling, say so — to someone at UW. This is a time where white people need to talk to white people about what’s really going on here. You can email Chancellor Rebecca Blank at: chancellor@news.wisc.edu, and email Athletic Director Barry Alvarez at wjd@athletics.wisc.edu.
The ball is in your court. I am not interested in more panel discussions, photo-ops or quick-and-dirty community forums in South Madison where you listen to heartfelt concerns and do very little in return.
This issue cannot be delegated to a few staff of color. It is not fair to hold them responsible for the campus when the entire campus is not yet committed to the ideals of diversity and inclusion. The community needs to know that this issue is being handled by the UW at the highest executive level and that resources of time and money are being put towards changing the toxic climate on campus.
Your action will determine how we tell our story about you. This is a perfect opportunity for a great Wisconsin Idea that will once again inspire the world. And if you choose to not make significant change at a very deep level, you will not only have angered a black man, you will have lost a fan.

Typically, our friends on the right, such as racist joke telling, old white guy in Green Bay Jerry Bader writes,

As offensive as this costume was, I believe our university must resist the desire to outlaw forms of speech and political dissent with which we disagree. We strive to build a campus community in which ideas and expression are exchanged freely, but also constructively, respectfully and in a manner that advances educational opportunities for our students.
Almost immediately social media lit up with the type of political polarity we’d expect from such an episode. Many posters felt the image of an African-American in a noose, let alone the President of the United States, should have meant outright ejection from the stadium. Others felt it was a violation of free speech rights to even take the noose. Here are words you won’t read or hear from me very often: I think the university got this exactly right.

 As has been correctly pointed out, prospective UW Students are closely watching to see how we handle this situation.  It has not been handled correctly yet, but it is not the least bit surprising that the right wing that has spent the last six years criticizing the UW System would be on board with something that cause our University system to bring in less students of color.  

Now is a good time to point out that prominent Republican Senator Steve nASS(R-refuses to pay child support), blasted UW's attempt to increase their diversity programs.

A Republican state senator says a new diversity outreach program at the UW-Madison is “sinister.”
Sen. Steve Nass made the comment in reaction to UW-Madison announcing its plans to improve the experiences of minorities on the flagship campus. The plan calls for having new students discuss social differences, a new cultural center for black students and increased opportunities to take ethnic studies courses.
Nass is vice-chair of the Senate’s committee on universities.
Nass said university leaders “constantly complain about lacking money” but “they never lack money for advancing new and more sinister ways of liberal indoctrination of students.”
He said the initiative isn’t about advancing critical thinking, but about “telling students to think and act in ways approved by the liberal leadership of our universities.”

Still trying to confirm if that is Steve nASS in the Trump Costume, but we need to find out the person who we can see identities first.  If you know who this is and how to contact him, please let us know(anonymously if need be) - jeff_simpson7@yahoo.com.

Racism Will Not Be Allowed * (Exceptions May Apply)

By Jeff Simpson


The University of Wisconsin- Madison has suspended the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity(SAE) for continually making racist slurs.

University of Wisconsin-Madison has suspended the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity through Nov. 1 after an investigation found chapter members repeatedly used racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs, and then ostracized a black member who told them to stop, according to documents released by the university.

In other words, just another day in the office of Representative Bob Gannon (R-white hood movement).  



With this suspension, the College Republicans at UW-Madison, are looking for a new place to have their headquarters.  

Welcome to Wisconsin (Some Opinions Allowed)!

BY Jeff Simpson


 Last week, we brought you the story of how UW-Madison Professor Sara Goldrik-Rab has tweeted a few incoming freshman and asked them to do some research on how Scott Walker's latest budget was impacting their investment in their college education.   

The righties were quick to sick the right wing noise machine on Professor Goldrik-Rab for saying things they did not want to hear.   

Lost amongst the noise of the faux outrage from the right, was UW Economics Professor Noah Williams, who just happens to be an advisor to the Scott Walker for President campaign, writing an op-ed that was published in Forbes Magazine.   The op-ed tells us all about the amazing Wisconsin economy.

Before Governor Scott Walker took office in January of 2011, Wisconsin was seeing high unemployment, stagnating incomes and a high tax burden. Fast-forward four years: The state enjoys strong growth in employment and improvements in living standards through higher after-tax incomes. Thanks to a fiscal policy of reducing tax and regulatory burdens while balancing the budget, Wisconsin now outperforms many of its neighbors.

Which leads me to one question(No it is not what state is Mr. WIlliams actually describing?) but the questions I have is why is it ok for Mr. WIlliams to write an op-ed and share his flawed opinion when its not ok for Professor Goldrik-Rab to share her opinion? Could it be in Wisconsin that the only opinion your allowed to voice is to sing the praises of our absentee Governor?  

We Need To Do Our Research!

By Jeff Simpson

When you allow the smartest among us, to do research,we have incredible breakthroughs and people(ie....you, me, our friends, family and neighbors) actually are able to beat diseases and live.

As seen on 60 minutes last night. researchers at Duke University, have started treating aggressive brain cancer with a version of the polio virus, and treating it successfully!

When we elect the people to govern us who are NOT the smartest among us, this is what we get:

In an interview last week, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker fired a shot across the bow of academe. Defending his proposal to cut $300 million over the next two years from the University of Wisconsin (UW) System, Walker opined, “Maybe it’s time for faculty and staff to start thinking about teaching more classes and doing more work.” 

Apparently the researchers who are busy in the lab doing research and saving lives and eradicating disease are not working.   I wonder what Scott Walker thinks a full day of work consists of?

Or this:

 In the wake of Republican victories at the polls last Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos opened another chapter in a contentious relationship with the University of Wisconsin System.

Vos said he wants university research to be geared toward helping the state's economy, "not on ancient mating habits of whatever."

Robin Vos will never be accused of understanding any topic he speaks to, but it is interesting that he speaks to helping the economy when research brings in a billion dollars a year and Robin Vos brings in failed marriages, forced ultrasounds and low wages.  

Gerrymandered districts or not, can we please STOP electing stupid people?

An Admission About Our University System

By Jeff Simpson - Cross posted at Purple Wisconsin.

 As anyone with even a passing interest in The Wisconson Badgers football program knows, Coach Gary Anderson resigned this week for  a chance to live a life of obscurity, coaching at Oregon State.  

This move appears to be a step down,which leaves much speculation as to why he would do that.  One of the main possibilities that people have been bandying about, is that Coach Anderson was frustrated that Wisconsin's Academic Standards are too high.  

BadgerBlitz.com @McNamaraRivals: I can confirm that Mohamed Barry and #Wisconsin have parted ways. Academic standards at Wisconsin were an issue.

Let's get real, that was so 2010.  Wisconsin's current Governor and gerrymandered State Legislature have had the University of WIsconsin System on their radar to attack since they have been in power.   There is no other reason that they would appoint Rep. Steve Nass to be chair of the Assembly's Colleges and University committee.   

Scott Walker and the Republicans in charge, did not just stop there, they also made sure to cheapen the reputation of the University of Wisconsin system and diminisht he accomplishment of the college degree.   They implemented a "flexible option" degree.   

Madison – Governor Scott Walker released the following statement today after the University of Wisconsin (UW) System announced that UW-Milwaukee and UW Colleges received approval to begin providing Flexible Option degrees:

Our budget included $2 million to fund start-up costs for this first-in-the-nation approach, and I’m pleased to see this come to fruition because we’re making it easier for people to pursue higher education. This is great news for students and workers, and I thank UW System faculty and staff and the UW System Board of Regents for their hard work on this bold and innovative improvement.

YES!  You too can get your college degree and even skip the actual college part of it!   As Yakov Smirnoff might say --- "What a State!"

But Wait, there's more!   As if attacking the University System from the outside was not enough, they decided to plant a proverbial virus on the inside.   They created a new position for the University System called Vice President of Political Cronyism and, despite the fact that the interview committee begged not to hire him, hired Scott Walker's good friend Jim Villa.

Qualifications be dammed!  

The University of WIsconsin is still, for the time being, a World Class Institution but our politicians are working on that.  

While I too want to know Coach Anderson's thinking in leaving Wisconsin after two years, lets get real about our Academic Standards.   If you are one, who thinks we absolutely should not lower ourselves to help certain people get into our Universities, you have had your chance to speak up three times now.   

That ship has sailed and it does not appear to be coming back.

 

The Future of UW-Madison

By Jeff Simpson

Indisputably, one of the key economic drivers in Wisconsin is the University of Wisconsin and the University system.  UW-Madison, is a world renowned university that has produced superstar alumnus in all aspects of life from musicians, to actors to businessmen to scientists and everything in between.

While the stories are endless, one recent one specifically stood out to me.

A prominent UW-Madison scientist is studying the Ebola virus on campus.Yoshihiro Kawaoka, who is better known for flu research, is conducting two types of Ebola studies, said Rebecca Moritz, a campus biosafety manager.One project uses genetic material from Ebola, and the other uses a strain of the virus that is missing a key protein, Moritz said. The strain can grow only in a particular cell line containing the protein and is not infectious in animals or humans, she said.Kawaoka is testing potential drug therapies for the virus and “understanding how Ebola does what it does,” she said. “There’s really not a lot known about this virus.”

Ebola is a nasty, deadly disease where the people who do die from it, die a horrible death.  It is understudied, underfunded and on the verge of being a global problem.   Imagine if you will, the economic boom, long lasting residual effects and humanitarian good that would come with Mr. Kawaoka finding a cure?

Now lets get back to reality.  It appears, thanks to unethical, bitter partisan redistricting, that the republicans will continue as the majority party in the legislature.

What is the Republican Party stance on the UW-Madison?

They think so little of the University and its benefits to WIsconsin that they put the buffoon Steve nASS in charge of the Colleges and Universities Committee and have cut well in excess of $300 Million from their budget.

When your priorities are split between running for the next job and pushing a far right extreme ideology,  the people of Wisconsin suffer.  And suffer long term!

We have two fixes for this.  1.  Mr. Kawaoka can start donating tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party and spend his time lobbying(or get newly appointed ALEC stooge Jim Villa to do it for him) or we can vote the current group of republicans out.

Do we really want the future of UW-Madison in Steve nASS's hands?

Vote as if the future of our Great State depends on it, because it does!!

Legislative Misconduct

By Jeff Simpson

If your currently enrolled in the University of Madison, and you turn in a paper, you know there are certain standards of conduct that you must follow.  One of the most important rules to follow, and one that holds dire consequences if you do not follow, is plagiarism.  

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the English 100 Program expect students to present their work honestly and to credit others responsibly and with care. University policy states: “Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education and of the University of Wisconsin system” (Wisconsin Administrative Code 14.01). Plagiarism is a serious offense, and it can occur in drafts as well as in final papers. Because this course relies heavily on sharing knowledge and information in the learning and writing processes, it is important that students learn how to work with sources without plagiarizing. Plagiarism includes all of the following:

• cutting and pasting from another source without using quotation marks and citing the source;
• using someone else’s words or ideas without proper documentation when quoting and paraphrasing;
• copying any portion of your text from another source without proper acknowledgement;
• borrowing another person’s specific ideas without documenting the source;
• having someone rewrite or complete your work (This does not include getting and using feedback from a writing group or individual in the class.);
• turning in a paper written by someone else, an essay “service,” or from a World Wide Web site (including reproductions of such essays or papers); and
• turning in a paper that you wrote for another course, or turning in the same paper for more than one course, without getting permission from your instructors first.

In all of the above cases, plagiarism has occurred when the use of someone else’s words and/or ideas takes place without proper citation and documentation no matter what kind of text is the origin of the words and/or ideas. That is, material must still be documented even if it comes from a source such as an e-mail, personal writing, oral or written interviews, classroom conversations, or formal presentations or lectures—not just from materials published as books, journal articles, or essays in popular magazines or websites.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has established a range of penalties for students guilty of plagiarism or academic dishonesty. Appropriate penalties include a reduced grade, a failing grade for an assignment, a failing grade for the course, or even suspension or expulsion from the university. All instances of plagiarism are reported to the English 100 administration. For more information, see http://www.wisc.edu/students/conduct/uws14.htm.

In Wisconsin, we have a legislator who not only is guilty of plagiarism, but also too lazy to even have his own comment about a bill he introduced.

Not only did Kleefisch decide to introduce very similar legislation, which he is calling the Flexibility for Working Families Bill, in Wisconsin.
But he also decided to swipe quotes from three congressmen sponsoring the federal measure and to claim them as his own in a formal email to all members of the state Assembly and Senate.
Compare for yourself.
In a May 8 press release touting House passage of the federal proposal, there appears this quote:
"In order to have a healthy economy, we need to remove barriers that deny parents flexibility that fosters success at home and work," said Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). "By giving working families and employers the voluntary flexibility to rearrange work schedules, we are letting them do what is best for their family. We're giving them the freedom to take a sick child to the doctor, spend time with family, or collect overtime wages."
Now take a look at Kleefisch's Dec. 5 email to his 131 colleagues explaining the need for his proposal, providing a Legislative Reference Bureau analysis and seeking co-sponsors:
"In order to have a healthy economy we need to remove barriers that deny parents flexibility which fosters success at home and at work. By giving working families and employers the voluntary flexibility to rearrange work schedules, we are letting them do what is best for their family. We are giving them the freedom to take a sick child to the doctor, spend time with family or collect overtime wages."
Exactly the same — sans attribution — give or take an Oxford comma and a contraction.
But that's not the only time the political conservative appears to have borrowed liberally.
Kleefisch, who is married to Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, also cobbled together quotes from Republican Reps. John Kline of Minnesota and Martha Roby of Alabama.
In the federal press release, Kline said, "Workers in the private-sector deserve the same choice and flexibility enjoyed for decades in the public-sector. This legislation won't solve all the challenges Americans face, but it will help make life a little easier for those struggling to balance the demands of family and work. I urge our Senate colleagues to join this effort and help send this commonsense proposal to the president's desk."
Roby added, "Our message to the American people is this: We want to get Washington out of the way of how you use your time. Talk to just about any working mom and dad and they'll tell you they need more time. They need just one more hour in the day to be able to take care of responsibilities and make life work."
In his email to Wisconsin lawmakers, Kleefisch combined the two quotes without attributing them.
But first, the Oconomowoc Republican deleted Kline's reference to the bill landing on the president's desk and Roby's statement about the need for Washington to get out of the way — sentiments that weren't particularly relevant to Wisconsin legislation.
So this is what appeared as Kleefisch's justification for his bill:
"Workers in the private sector deserve the same choice and flexibility enjoyed for decades in the public sector. This legislation won't solve all the challenges working families face, but it will help make life a little easier for those struggling to balance the demands of family and work. Talk to just about any working mom or dad and they will tell you they need more time. They need just one more hour in the day to be able to take care of responsibilities and make life work."

If Joel Kleefisch were attending UW- Madison, he would be begging for his career right now, and probably lose his appeal.   In the state legislature for this misconduct, the consequences equal - zero.    Which is understandable because his spokes person has declared that plagiarism is no longer an issue:

Ashlee Moore, a staffer for Kleefisch, took responsibility for putting together the email. Moore said she had no idea how the quotes from the federal lawmaker ended up in her lengthy note to Kleefisch's colleagues.
"It wasn't intentionally done," Moore said.
OK, that may be a little hard to believe, given the edits and lack of attribution.
But Moore then wrote back to say everything is OK.
"These statements should have been attributed to their respective authors," Moore wrote via email. "However, we have since gotten permission from both Congressman Roby, as well as Congressman Walberg to use these quotes in this fashion."

Apparently, there is a reason that the rest of the caucus allows Joel to vote for them, they have him trained to push buttons. 

Maybe they should teach him the English language.  

What A Tangled Web They Weave

Ed Garvey has a column in The Cap Times which highlights an unholy alliance between UW and WPRI:

In Wisconsin, St. Norbert’s College polling is used by public radio and public TV. And now we also have the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute/University of Wisconsin-Madison poll -- a “partnership” between right-wing WPRI and our great state university’s political science department. Whoa, Nelly! The institute apparently needed credibility to persuade people to pay attention to the Bradley Foundation poll, so it is easy to figure out its goal in creating this “partnership”: instant credibility. (No one has ever accused WPRI of neutrality on issues of importance to the Bradley Foundation.) In essence the institute rents the good name of the UW.

Garvey details how they did an open records requests and found that, basically, all of the WPRI - UW polls are tainted and only go to push the neoconservative agenda of the Bradley Foundation.

As Garvey and others points out, it throws doubt on anything that this group produces. Garvey et alia have also raised questions about the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel publishing WPRI's reports like they are gospel truth. That is easily explained, since I've already shown the incestuous relationships with the Bradley Foundation's Michael Grebe, Journal Communication's Steve Smith and wannabe governor Scott "It's my turn, dammit" Walker.

And to deepen the ties to Charlie Sykes, who already has been shown to be in the midst of this mess, is the fact that old Chuckles is a member of WPRI's brigade of propagandists.

In summary, WPRI is a front for the Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation and WPRI, lacking credibility on their own, are using UW as their beard. And as for Sykes and Walker, they each of an arm of the Bradley Foundation so far up their posteriors, their resembles to Mortimer Snerd is more than coincidental.

In other words, you can't believe a word from the lot of them.

Cross posted at Whallah!