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!
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We don't care, we don't give a shit!
ReplyDeleteHere is the true Honey Badger: https://www.facebook.com/honeybadgereatscobras
ReplyDelete@Rachael - Then why are you bothering to comment? And who is "we"? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?
ReplyDelete@anonymous - that comment was almost worth the time it took to read it. Almost.
DeleteI look forward to every single one of your posts but unfortunately the Tea Party republicans have found the perfect target for their intolerance in Segway Jeremy Ryan. I live in Madison and am certainly with you and with anyone who opposes Walker--but this small group of Madisonians aside---Jeremy Ryan is considered a circus act here--with tons of adolescent kids egging him on---and has done nothing really substantial except put himself up as a "revolutionary" and considered not only just a joke here but a complete irritant. They will succeed in barring Ryan because it will be applauded by both sides--Anyone who thinks that raiding Hooper's refrigerator in the Capitol is interesting---has become a simple distraction to the Wisconsin movement. We will be all better to be rid of Ryan--both of them. lol
ReplyDeleteYes, Ryan is a nuisance and more of a hindrance than a help, but he is still a person and he still has constitutional rights. It actually concerns me that you are also OK with taking someone else's rights away.
DeleteConstitutional rights? Like the right to bear arms? Seems you use that "constitutional" argument only when it serves you.
DeleteShow me where I said guns should be outlawed. Or are you willing to admit you're a liar?
DeleteAgreed, there is a reason walker is moving it to the Attorney Genera's office because they are a partisan hack outfit, whereas the judges who care about the law are dismissing the vast majority of the tickets because they should have never been given in the first place.
DeleteIts not illegal to be an idiot in Wi or else Robin Vos and scot suder would be on death row!
IMBR I love the constitutional argument for the 2nd amendment, unfortunately the republicans have no idea what the 2nd amendment says....
Completely agree capper, thanks for having a watchful eye on democracy in our once beloved state. (for the terrorists - democracy is not particular to one party) Outrageous that Van Hollen is associated with a campaign, there really should be limits on who can behave with partisanship being involved in a campaign - any campaign,any party, if they cannot be non partisan in their elected non partisan position.
ReplyDeleteah Jeremy, he has some serious medical issues, most of them are not physical. With that said, he has the same rights we do, and I am really tired of the hypocrisy on both sides of the political divide. Rights are rights, we do not get to choose which ones are more important to us and not to others. The TEA (Terrorizing Every American) party haters will scream from the roof top about their freedom of speech and deny the next person theirs. They tout their right to bear arms. and relinquish our right to separation of church and state. They will hand over a woman's right to make decisions over her own body, decisions that no government should be involved in, yet they scream about LESS government! They dare to interfere with Dr. and patient care and demand we hand over our tax funds to the almighty "job creators" with no jobs created, allowing serious corruption and conflict of interest.
Rights are rights. When we give one up to support our opinion we move backwards 50 years. Like my Dad always said - "Opinions are like a$$holes, we all have one". Just because we have an opinion does not mean we use it to hurt others chance at enjoying their Constitutional rights. I question if we are living in the USA anymore. Most days seems like a really bad nightmare of living in a third world country... Fitzwalkerstan - Wisconsin, Inc.
Fantastic comment, 8:12. My dad also used that expression, "Opinions are like a$$holes, we all have one." He always would use that to discredit those who disagreed with his point of view (usually me).
DeleteWhile I can appreciate his saying, other points of view may be more well-informed, following a more precise logic, and thus having a more valid point of view. That was what "reason" was supposed to be about.
Uninformed voters make bad choices, and partisan hack lawyers like Van Hollen could not care less about other's point of view.
Deciding that someone is deserving of state repression using extraordinary legal procedures merely because they are over-the-top places us at the pinnacle of the slippery slope.
ReplyDeleteBad taste is protected by the First Amendment whether self-defined nice people like it or not. The case law is voluminous.
The prosecution of the Russian women's band "Pussy Riot" by the Putin kleptocracy is justified by similiar reasoning.
Let's face it, one person's bad taste is another's art. Either we have equal protection under the First Amendment or we don't, in which case the decision to repress speech is made by politicized and corrupt state functionaries like Van Hollen.
If the law is enforced subjectively without respect to our absolute rights then we have no reason to respect the law. In fact, we have a very good reason to defy it and settle the issue in the streets. Civil disruption is a powerful weapon against elected officials who think they are dictators.
The public is supposed to be guaranteed their right to free speech publicly, even in mass protest.
ReplyDeleteVan Hollen is making these moves now for the November election; the attacks on their policies are clearly taking their toll on the GOP and voters.
VH gets a Fitzgerald flunky out of his daddy's State Patrol to now police the Capital, plus prosecuting past protesters.
Who polices the property across the street from the State Capital?
Michael Best & Friedrich is at 1 S. Pinkney St. They, with Reince Priebus, helped bring Scott Walker to power, arranged Voter ID with ALEC, as well as gerrymandered the new voting districts.
Two blocks south of MB&F is the Koch Industries lobbying office, Koch Companies Public Sector, at 10 E. Doty St. They obviously played a big part in creating Act 10, which has royally screwed up our economy and role of state government.
Why not Bring The Noise again to protest outside these locations? It would make a great story for the lamestream media to cover, plus it would be just in time for the election.
Good idea--bring the protest to the location where those who are governing actually work!
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