March 2009 Archives

Ever wonder where Randy Koschnick's campaign gets the funny numbers it uses in its bogus claims about Shirley Abrahamson's record?

Now it can be told, thanks to the latest campaign finance report Koschnick filed with the Government Accountability Board.

Koshnick has gone to Ms. New Math herself -- Jessica McBride Bucher.

She can be relied upon to cook the books according to any recipe you'd like, as she demonstrated by her endless number crunching to try to show that Justice Louis Butler never met a criminal or a defense motion he didn't like.

Koschnick's been trying to make the same case against Abrahamson. No wonder Koschnick's claims about Abrahamson are so far off base.

Ms. Bucher -- that's how she's listed in the reports -- used to do bad math as a hobby, burning the midnight oil and typing furiously on her blog, since closed to visitors. Now she's found someone to pay her -- $1,250 paid so far and another $1,000 still owed her -- for her work.

Wonder if she has malpractice insurance.

Keith Ripp used to be a farmer and heifer raiser. Now he’s “representing” the good people of the 47th district—his home town is Lodi. According to his campaign website, “Agriculture is one of my main issues..it contributes $51.5 billion to the state’s economy.”

But as soon as Ripp fell in with the State Republican   Bad Ideas Caucus in Madison, suddenly farmers, agriculture (12% of all jobs in the state) and the Wisconsin economy took a back seat to petty partisanship. In one of his first votes, Ripp voted against the state economic stimulus bill last month.

My how time flies.

In an epic display of revisionist history worthy of the George W. Bush Library Foundation, Keith Ripp is now talking up the state stimulus package for constituents in his hometown newspaper.

"As far as building construction and equipment they are going to need to upgrade or update, that helps manufacturing," Ripp said. "We're kind of killing two birds with one stone, because we're going to jump-start some construction with this."

By referring to “we” in the above statement, Mr. Ripp should really clarify. We really means the legislators other than Keith Ripp who voted for the stimulus. Keith Ripp voted NO on the stimulus bill. Just to be clear.

Ripp said “hundreds of dairy cooperatives in the state will be able to take advantage of the new law.” Which is funny, cause remember, Ripp voted no.

Randy Koschnick today broke his clean campaign pledge in rip-roarin' style, attacking Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in a 30 second TV ad, that for now, is only available on the "internets."

Judicial integrity and ethics are critical for Wisconsin’s courts and Koschnick's ad is the latest in a series of half-truths and distortions raising serious questions about his ethics.

To read the Wall Street Journal's editorial page (and I would try and avoid), Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen is a lone midwestern warrior who has drawn a line in the sand to stop the endless victimization of the big corporations like AIG which serve our nation so selflessly.

But a month later he took credit for a corporate lawsuit that will bring millions of
dollars to Wisconsin -- and he did it even though the lawsuit was filed by his
predecessor.

The last debate is over, and you have to say one thing for Randy Koschnick: He's consistent.

There's another thing you can say, too. With him on the Supreme Court, you can forget about those pesky checks and balances. What the legislature wants, the legislature gets.

His message in the final debate had a familiar ring:

Koschnick said he would be a judicial conservative who would tend to uphold laws passed by the Legislature as opposed to what he called a judicial activist like Abrahamson who often strikes them down.

He's fond of accusing Shirley Abrahamson of "legislating from the bench."

He's especially fond of accusing her of flouting the will of the legislature in the case of medical malpractice award limits.

Same with spending public money on religious schools. "The legislature passed it, so what's her problem?" is his basic question.

The medical malpractice issue is a centerpiece of his campaign, and of conservative complaints about the Abrahamson court before the right wing bought two seats and took the majority.

Here's the issue, as explained by Dick Mial of the LaCrosse Tribune, who may be seen as slightly more unbiased than I am:

Abrahamson, 75, joined a majority of justices in ruling that a state law capping non-economic damages in a malpractice case at $350,000 is unconstitutional.

After the court struck down the caps in a case involving a child with a paralyzed arm and hand, the Legislature responded by setting a $750,000 cap, which Abrahamson said was the right thing for the Legislature to do.

Koschnick said the court exceeded its authority by striking down a state law when the Constitution did not directly address medical malpractice. In the absence of specific constitutional language, he said, the courts should uphold laws.

"That second-guessing should not be done by the Supreme Court," he said.

"It's not called second-guessing; it's called judicial review of constitutionality," Abrahamson shot back.

Koschnick's interesting take is that the constitution doesn't specifically mention any awards for medical malpractice, so the legislature should be able to do whatever it wants.

Presumably, if the legislature wanted to say that a patient who is brain damaged or incapacitated for life because of medical malpractice by an incompetent surgeon -- or one who'd been sampling the Vicodin -- could not collect more than $100 for pain and suffering, that would be fine with him.

Or maybe it could say there should be no such awards at all. Unfortunately, no one asked Koschnick that question and it seems increasingly unlikely he will ever be in a position where we will get to find out.

This position on what's in and out of the Constitution has all sorts of interesting wrinkles. Take evolution, for example. This from a strangely pro-Koschnick piece by Bill Lueders in Isthmus:

Koschnick admits to personal views that could cause a commotion in Clarence Darrow's grave. "I believe that God created people as people," he says, affirming his belief in creationism over evolution.

But while Koschnick thinks it's good "to give students as much information as possible," he vows to weigh a constitutional challenge involving the teaching of evolution with an open mind. "I'm not going to let my personal religious views decide."

So how would he come down in a dispute between widely accepted science and a religious belief most scientists agree has no basis in fact? Koschnick suggests such deliberations are beyond his purview as a judge.

"I won't look at scientific studies and decide what should be taught," he assures. "That's the role of the Legislature. I'll look at the Constitution." He adds, "I don't read the Constitution to say that schools must teach or must not teach creationism."

There'll be no science in his courtroom, by gum. We'll just have to see what the legislature wants to do, and go right along.

This is the guy people are touting as the best of the conservative candidates in recent years? Good grief.

Fortunately, he'll be back at work in Jefferson County Circuit Court soon, where the worst he can do is screw up a divorce case or throw the wrong evidence out in a murder trial. And we can all breathe easier -- unless, of course, we live in Jefferson County.

Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the Three Mile Island accident on March 28 comes more evidence that the nuclear industry is making Wisconsin a prime target for making nuclear power an option again.

In the last month, Wisconsin has seen a stacked legislative hearing, a drumbeat of pro-nuclear articles in Madison's daily press, and a concerted public relations effort here with visits by two nuclear power advocacy groups.

Now, Diane Farsetta of the Center for Media and Democracy has discovered that the nuclear industry has four lobbyists registered to work the Capitol and state agencies. It's the first time the Nuclear Energy Institute has had lobbyists here since at least 1996, she says in an article at PRWatch.org.

And although more that a dozen states have laws similar to Wisconsin's moratorium, NEI has registered lobbyists in only two other states -- and one per state versus four here. Three of the four are staff members of NEI in Washington, but the fourth is home-grown.

The star lobbyist in Wisconsin -- although he usually isn't identified as a lobbyist -- is Frank Jablonski, a former environmental lawyer who's done a flip-flop on nuclear power. As Farsetta notes, the media love stories about no-nukers who've jumped the fence -- but the story's not quite as good if the convert is on the industry payroll. Jablonski was one of the witnesses at the stacked legislative hearing, but no one mentioned he was on NEI's payroll. He was listed on the hearing agenda as the founder of the Progressive Law Group, his law firm. Nice touch.

Why Wisconsin, a state with a history of anti-nuclear activity that stopped three proposed reactors from being built in the 1970s, passed a moratorium on more plants, and voted 8-1 against a nuclear waste disposal site here?

What makes Wisconsin so attractive to the pro-nukers right now is a set of recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming, which includes a relaxation in the current law on licensing nuclear power plants.

The law now requires there to be a federal storage facility to handle the deadly, high level radioactive waste from the plants before any more can be built. The new law would eliminate that requirement.

Trouble is, after 50 years of producing more waste every day the industry and the government still have no long-term solution. It is piling up at nuclear reactors across the country, including three in Wisconsin.

How dangerous is it? The Environmental Protection Agency says some of it is so deadly it must be kept out of the environment for up to a million years. As I pointed out in a recent op ed column, a mere 15,000 years ago our state was covered by glaciers. So planning for a million years out is going to be tough.

The recommendations aren't going to come up for action in the legislature until later in the year, but the nuclear railroad is building up a head of steam now. Meanwhile, many of the environmental groups that have historically opposed nuclear power in the state -- some of the same groups who helped pass the moratorium law and prevented its repeal in past sessions -- were members of the governor's task force. They have agreed to support the whole package -- which contains some very good changes in the law to sharply reduce and limit greenhouse gas emissions, among other things -- and not try to pick out the parts they don't like.

It is not likely to be a fair fight, with the money all on the industry's side and many of the environmental lobbyists on the sideline. But there will be a solid grassroots effort to keep the current law in place. Count on it. This is still Wisconsin.

Happy TMI Day, everyone.

The endless distortions of Randy Koschnick made news this week after the Jefferson County judge made a statement about the Greater Wisconsin Committee that was patently false according to the Associated Press.

GWC always has meticulous fact-checking for the media for its issue pieces, but Koschnick wasn't going to let a couple facts get in the way.

The Press Conference

How dare you, sir? How dare you not respond immediately and in the manner I expect to my impertinent, demanding and ridiculous question, taken verbatim from Fox talking points and the Republican carpers in the House? Just who do you think you are? The President of the United States, joyously elected by a hopeful and democratic majority? Or the socialist, uppity, elitist who insists on disappointing the carpers who need an instant story every day in order to attempt to stay "relevant"?

I suppose sir you think that your spokesman calling the right wing of their party a "cabal" is OK just because their chief spokesman calls you "Ogabe" on his radio show. You probably think you can just go ahead and be thoughtful and rational even when the female spokespeople on the right wing radio shows and blogs imply that Michelle Obama (or is that Ogabe) is a bitch and call her "trash in the White House". And what about the charges of "Socialism" that we (I mean they) throw around at you and your administration everyday?

Maybe you even think those of us in the mainstream media ought to call attention to the outrageous rhetoric of the opposition party; their complete lack of ideas; the fact that there is data that shows the tax giveaways to the wealthy have not only not worked but contributed to the huge deficits that the President inherited and have resulted very clearly in a transfer of wealth to the already wealthy; that the outrageously expensive war that was engaged on false pretenses continues to cost us billions (while the party that supported it almost 100% carps about deficits); that the country is in a crisis created not by a few bonuses but by a renegade financial, insurance and rating industry that rose to power through an insistence on "no regulation, the market fixes all" philosophy of one primary party that was in charge the majority of the time. Is that what you think? I suppose you think it would be "fair" to point that out.

Well sir, you have another thought coming. We are not going to be labeled the liberal media by being thoughtful or by dismissing arguments or falsehoods or extreme proposals for what they are. I mean this is the new media. Pay attention here because you need to get educated about us. If some argue that hanging someone by their genitals is not torture, they deserve a hearing on their position, don't they? And what if it is torture? They've shown clearly on "24" that it works and if you need it to find out where the next suitcase bomb is hidden well, what are you going to do, stand there and chat? What about the economy? I mean Fannie mae and Freddie Mac are government entities aren't they? They only accounted for 20% of the sub-prime mortgages and aren't a government agency? See - that's what we mean - that's not an answer. That's just some fluffy data.

What's that you say? It's private industry, left to its own devices, unregulated by the government in proper fashion, led to this meltdown? Surely sir you're not implying that the government can do a better job by nationalizing industry and socializing medicine? That's not what you said? Well, sir these are the "questions that are being raised" about your proposal. Therefore, we want answers. Context? Whaddaya mean "context"? Listen, the war on terror was different. See that was a war, and it had generals giving us press conferences and it had some of us "embedded" in the Emerald City (the green zone) where we could report what the newest head of the liberation told us; hey, it had red and orange alerts and stuff and we could wear camies and feel like we actually "served", just like our president.

You people really need to get your act together and understand us. For 30 years we were the "liberal media". Without us how would Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton ever have gotten elected? What's that? Why was there never a "Day 2000" of the Mission Accomplished" like with the hostage crisis? That's just silly. We don't know what you mean. You know, we think it's going to be a long 4 years for you.

Not fooled by the Liberals,
The Media

"Young Gun" Paul Ryan (cue shootin' sound effect) wants to answer critics who say the numbers don't add up when it comes to the GOP's fiscal policy of helping working families by making them pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest billionaires and millionaires.

He's offered a budget plan that includes no numbers.

This is Paul Ryan's repsonse to the historic economic collapse caused by the eight straight GOP budgets he's cheerfully voted for, as well as the $8 trillion insurance and drug company giveaway through Medicare Part D and this godforsaken disaster in Iraq.

If Randy Koschnick is one thing, he’s consistent.

Time and time again, he has grossly distorted Chief Justice Abrahamson’s record. Fortunately, we here at OWN are willing to do the due diligence and research that Koschnick has no interest in doing.

Randy Koschnick has claimed over and over again that Chief Justice Abrahamson “sides with criminals 60% of the time.” I’ve seen Koschnick at several events, and this is 60% number is a constant drum Koschnick beats over and over and over again.

Turns out Koschnick isn’t just consistent, he’s consistently wrong. One Wisconsin Now looked at over 4,000 decisions made by the Wisconsin Supreme Court during the current term of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Chief Justice Abrahamson sided with the state’s position on criminal cases more than 90% of the time.

Randy Koschnick was all too content to pick and choose the cases that would fit his false characterization of Chief Justice Abrahamson—but we did not. We looked at all types of criminal cases that came before the Supreme Court. And the facts are indisputable: either Randy Koschnick is grossly distorting Chief Justice Abrahamson’s record, or he just simply does not understand how the Wisconsin Supreme Court operates. Whatever the truth is, Randy Koschnick is on the wrong side of it.

But this isn’t the only time OWN has caught Koschnick with his hand in the ‘Distortion Jar.’ Remember Koschnick’s breathless criticism of the Chief Justice taking contributions from lawyers? OWN once again did the research, and found that Koschnick took money from lawyers and then ruled on over 1,800 cases involving those lawyers. Koschnick even took money from the District Attorney in Jefferson County, guaranteeing that Koschnick would rule in cases involving a campaign contributor.  Koschnick didn’t recuse from those cases either. Funny how facts can get in the way like that!

Randy Koschnick has zero credibility on judicial ethics. I’m beginning to wonder if he even knows what judicial ethics mean. Our justices must be help to the highest ethical standards, and Randy Koschnick has time and again broken the trust of the people of Wisconsin and shown that he’s all too willing to distort the facts for his own political gain. 

 

 

Scott Walker had some real balls to say he wouldn’t accept federal stimulus dollars to help keep Milwaukee Co. from plunging further into an economic fubar. And while everyone around him could think of exceptional ways to utilize the available money, Walker insisted his plan for Milwaukee Co. wouldn’t rely on government dollars.

Instead, Scott Walker has a hit list—I’ll call it the S-Hit List—of bad ideas aimed at putting less dollars in the pockets of Milwaukee Co. employees.

Let's go back to 2004 for a second. What if it was two weeks before Election Day and YOU, doing a simple Google search, found Karl Rove's internal email traffic with Rummy, Condi, Ashcroft, Miers, Gonzales and the rest of Dubya's cabal. What if, in the strangest of twists, they were using a plain old Yahoo group to communicate with each other, and didn't take the time to make it closed to the public? What if YOU could read for yourself all the wrinkled, ugly truth between the shiny plastic lies that these people were telling in public?

Would you run to publish what you found there?

Would you share it with as many of your friends as fast as you could?

Would you summarize as much of it as possible and post it online, even post it at Kos?

Last week, a good-government group in Wisconsin called Citizen Action filed a complaint against Advocates for Student Achievement, one of those right-wing, pro-voucher outfits that adopted Bush-era doublespeak for a name. I've already done the math and concluded to my own satisfaction that they're pro-voucher, despite their protestations, and that they've engaged in candidate recruitment and training, though they say otherwise, and that they've run their own fundraising operation on behalf of their recommended candidates, though they say they haven't.

I read the Citizen Action complaint, and I understand the point that Citizen Action is making. Wisconsin law says that if you create a political action committee, and it functions as a political action committee, then the PAC has to register itself and make regular campaign finance reports to the appropriate state agency. And Advocates for Student Achievement hasn't done that; it's been busy targeting Milwaukee Public Schools Board President Peter Blewett for defeat, training and raising money for its own candidates -- Redonna Rodgers, Annie Woodward and David Voeltner -- and not taking any calls from the mean old media.

How could I have forgotten to mention in my note last night that someone has already admitted they're behind the second poll targeting Milwaukee Public Schools Board President Peter Blewett, and the trail leads right back to Advocates for Student Achievement, the pro-voucher group that commissioned the first anti-Blewett poll. And once again, the scoop didn't come from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel -- where exactly does the MJS spend its reporting budget? -- but from the steadfast Shepherd Express, and from Lisa Kaiser, the one-woman investigative team covering the MPS Board race.

It makes you wonder if the Journal-Sentinel and the Shepherd Express cover education issues in the same city.

Oh, and I remembered the one big thing that had slipped my mind last night. It seems that when Advocates for Student Achievement behaves like a political action committee -- you know, raising money for candidates, giving money to candidates, recommending candidates, organizing support for candidates -- but doesn't file PAC financial disclosure statements, it may be breaking Wisconsin state law.

It's been an interesting ten days in Milwaukee since I finished adding up all the strange details about Advocates for Student Achievement and concluded that they were, in fact, a pro-voucher front group for unnamed, unknown folks who may or may not live in Milwaukee, or even in Wisconsin. You know what they say: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. Well, according to my math, a whole bunch of ducks got together, appointed themselves in charge, recruited a bunch of candidates to run for the Milwaukee Public Schools Board, then ran a big flag up the pole over the duck clubhouse that read, "We're not ducks, we're not pro-voucher, and vote against that anti-voucher MPS President Peter Blewett." Doesn't take a lot of calculating to figure out they were ducks.

And that their agenda is school vouchers.

And that their primary target is MPS President Peter Blewett.

A campaign to challenge the deployment of National Guard troops to Iraq and Afghanistan is about to ramp up in Wisconsin, with a three-day visit by the lead national legal counsel next week, and five events in Madison and Milwaukee.

Part of a national campaign that is now in some 20 states, it challenges the legal basis for deploying Guard members to those two fronts.

In Wisconsin, a bill has been drafted and will be introduced by two Madison Democrats, State Rep. Spencer Black and State Sen. Jon Erpenbach. It is being circulated now so others can sign on as co-sponsors.

The bill would "direct the governor to review every federal call-up of the National Guard for its legality, and where there is no lawful basis for Guard federalization, to take action to keep the Wisconsin Guard at home."

Ben Manski, a Madison lawyer who is the national campaign director, believes there are solid arguments that the Iraq deployments are illegal. Attorneys also are working on a legal case against the Afghanistan deployment.

Meanwhile, 3,500 Wisconsin Guard members of the Red Arrow Division have been called up and are training in Texas for deployment to Iraq, in the biggest deployment of the state's Guard troops since World War II. In February, a Wisconsin engineer sapper unit from the Rhinelander area left for Afghanistan.

The state Dept. of Veterans Affairs said at the time that:

With this mobilization the Wisconsin National Guard will have approximately 300 soldiers and airmen on duty. Later this month more than 3,000 Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers from across the state will deploy with the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team for a mission in Iraq. Another 75, headquarters soldiers of the Tomah-based 732nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, will be mobilized in May 2009, also for deployment to Iraq.

(For some mysterious reason, none of the DVA news releases about deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan are on their website any more, but I am trying not to think it's a conspiracy.)

The basic argument that sending the Guard to Iraq is illegal is that the reasons cited in the authorization passed by Congress have expired.

Joy First, the Wisconsin organizer, explains:

The authority under which the Wisconsin Guard were deployed to Iraq was the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed by Congress in 2002. That AUMF limited authorized military action to two purposes: 1) to force Iraq to comply with then extant U.N. Security Council resolutions; and 2) to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat allegedly posed by Iraq.

Now that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and we know that Iraq does not have - and never had- any weapons of mass destruction, the original mission has been completed and the 2002 AUMF is not in force. Therefore, there is no legal basis for sending the Wisconsin National Guard to Iraq.

The argument on Afghanistan is not as simple, but it challenges whether Congress, in a stampede to enlist in the "war on terror," abdicated more of its war powers to the president than the Constitution allows.

While its passage may not bring any troops home this year, it would put a law in place to make it harder for the federal government to take our Guard troops for their illegal wars in the future.

That is nothing to sneeze at.



Back to Joy First's memo:

This campaign is really about following the law as set forth by the U.S Congress. With this legislation, the states can begin to reassert their historic national defense responsibilities and to honor the Constitution's genius for distributing power over issues of war and peace.

Having a newly elected administration in Washington does not change the need for this legislation. In fact, this is exactly when we should emphasize the rule of law as a moral and practical requirement to the use of military force. This is an opportunity to close the door on eight years of presidential lawlessness, and to set our national defense policy on a better track.

Much more information, petitions, and resources are on the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice website. To get involved, contact Joy First: jsfirst@tds.net

Many supporters of Milwaukee’s private school voucher program, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, have been on a never ending crusade against MPS. They have worked very hard to convince the public that nothing good is happening at MPS. While it is true that MPS is an underfunded urban school district that faces tremendous challenges, there has been real progress that these opponents of public education refuse to admit. In fact, since the 2000-2001 academic year, the MPS graduation rate has risen by 38%. This is a very positive development that is the result of real improvements in MPS during the last 8 years.

"Trying to eliminate Saddamwould have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossibleWe would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraqthere was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

- George Herbert Walker Bush, from his memoir, A World Transformed (1998)

CNBC has had a field day lately promoting itself as "not at fault" in the face of a Jon Stewart gig on the haplessness of CNBC's financial reporting. "Yes we did". "There are bigger villains!" "He's just a smart a** comedian - it's easy to criticize later." Cramer's made the rounds and sometimes been joined by sweet faced Erin****** to defend themselves, attack Stewart and make excuses. .

What's worse is that the "mainstream" media has fallen all over itself to help them make excuses by giving them free airtime and then failing (AGAIN) to seriously challenge their behavior as financial pundits, instead attacking Stewart. (We grant exception to Viera who at least posed the question - "they have a point, don't they?") Why can't we get a media capable of self-examination? Why can't we get any serious reporting in this country even after calamities have occurred much less before?

First, we can now recognize what I had to several months ago when I turned off CNBC for good. The nature of the financial and banking and insurance industries is that they speak only one language - "Ugh, Free Market Good - Regulation Bad!"
Though Cramer and some of the daytime reporters may not be completely bamboozled by this language, they are toiling in the same locker room. Larry Cudlow shouts free market at the screen every night ad nauseum. Simpleton Santelli attacks the President's plan for a bail out without ever once giving a critical look at the financial markets who played a major role. The exec's come on and get babied by supposed "reporters". When they get caught with their reportorial pants down, they go on tour, not to acknowledge their complacency and complicity but to squeal "not me! not me!"

Thus the locker room analogy. If you've ever had the privilege to change in a locker room at a country club or overhear the political discussion in the grill, you will hear no voice of dissent over profits, regulation, so-called free markets, tax and spend democrats and the like. While the right loves to attack the left for political correctness, there is no bigger herd of sheep in the world than the Wall Street/Business cabal and they do not bridge having anyone dissent. The word "advocate" is considered a dirty word, in the same class as traitor.

This "newspeak" of the wealthy is repeated day in day out at their meetings, in the locker rooms, at their parties, fund raisers and political gatherings to the point of ensuring that anyone who does not speak it is isolated and about as welcome as a skunk at a picnic.

The "financial reporters" throughout the land missed the pushing of mortgages by brokers looking for places to invest money, the AAA rating of unowned credit swaps and unsecured assets and mortgages, and the ramping up of an unsustainable market and economy because they are spending way too much time in the grill and the locker room. The best (perhaps only) analysis of the reporting on this disaster, has come from the Comedy Channel. If it weren't so damned catastrophic, it would be hilariously ironic.

So should we expect fireworks enthusiast Charlie Sykes, and the Mr. Pibb to his right wing Dr. Pepper Mark Belling, to call for Rep. Don Pridemore to be sent to Gitmo over the press release sent from his state office using state tax dollars attacking DPI candidate Tony Evers and to support anti-public education advocate Rose Fernandez?

Oh yeah, Pridemore and Fernandez are ultra-conservatives. Sykes and Belling will conveniently keep their blow holes shut, no doubt.

I mean it’s not like Sykes and Belling had called for the full weight of law enforcement to be thrust down upon the skull of an educator who sent out an email supporting Fernandez’s opponent in the race.

This year, our elected officials will spend billions of our tax dollars on uniforms and other clothing for public employees like police officers and firefighters. Unfortunately, most of this gear is made in sweatshops by workers forced to work long hours for poverty wages in inhumane and abusive conditions.

Sweatshops not only exploit low-wage workers; they also speed up the race to the bottom that has cost Wisconsin so many jobs, as companies search the globe for the most lax labor standards and cheapest labor costs. With the global economy reeling, now more than ever our tax dollars should-and can-support higher standards that level the playing field for U.S. workers and support worker organizing around the world.

That's why the SweatFree Wisconsin Campaign is calling on Governor Jim Doyle and local elected officials to act now to end tax dollar support for sweatshops. Governor Doyle can do this by signing an Executive Order that establishes an ethical purchasing policy for our state and by joining the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium. Local leaders can pass ordinances doing the same. An ethical purchasing policy and membership in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium would begin to direct our tax dollars towards companies that meet a set of labor standards based on the rights of freedom of association, collective bargaining, a non-poverty wage, reasonable work hours, and a workplace free of verbal or physical harassment - and to provide incentives to companies that want to do business with our state.

This month, we'll have an opportunity to hear directly from workers who toil in sweatshops to make uniforms and other products for our cities and states, and from those affected by this race to the bottom right here in Wisconsin. SweatFree Communities and the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition have organized the Economic Stimulus Worker Tour, which will visit several locations across Wisconsin next week.

At the event, we'll hear from Elizabeth Gutierrez Reyes, who worked 15 years in the Honduran garment industry before becoming an organizer and educator for garment workers through FESITRADEH, a Honduran labor federation. Elizabeth, who is also a nurse, has extensive knowledge of Dickies de Honduras, a factory in Choloma, Honduras that makes uniforms for the popular Dickies brand. Dickies supplies many U.S. cities and states with work pants, including the State of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee, but behind the label is a history of repression of human rights and labor rights.

Joining Elizabeth will be Maritza Vazquez from Puerto Rico, who works for Propper International, a major producer of military and law enforcement apparel. Maritza and fellow employees are organizing to improve conditions in their factories. Workers have filed a lawsuit against Propper for damages of $225,000 related to unpaid work, alleging that the company did not grant legally required paid sick days and vacation days. Workers in the lawsuit also claim that Propper reduces employees' agreed-upon hourly wages when workers' production falls short of quota.

Sachin Chheda, Director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, will join the workers to connect the dots between global worker exploitation and manufacturing job loss right here in Wisconsin.

Locations include:
Tuesday, March 24, 12 noon - 1:00 pm
Marquette University, Milwaukee
Alumni Memorial Union Room 407, 1442 W. Wisconsin Avenue

Tuesday, March 24, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Union Fireside Lounge, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., Milwaukee, Wisc.

Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Madison Labor Temple
1602 S. Park St, Room 109, Madison, Wisc.

Thursday, March 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Carl Wimberly Hall, Room 102, La Crosse, Wisc.

Friday, March 27, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Room TBA, Stevens Points, Wisc.

Saturday, March 28, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Economic Meltdown Conference, Milwaukee: Real Solutions for Working People, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, lunchtime plenary
Plumbers Local 75, 11175 W. Parkland Ave., Milwaukee

Check out the Economic Stimulus Speaker Tour events page to RSVP!

GOP Rep. Paul Ryan, our state's most reliable Bush lap dog and in whose failed policies are the foundation, walls and roof of our global economic collapse, continues to complain about President Obama's budget.

This is an alarming 2009 trend. President Obama announces steps to clean up the Bush-GOP economic disaster and Ryan dashes to the camera to denounce it.

It remains to be seen how long Ryan will continue to get a complete free pass.

Thursday marks six years since the "shock and awe" invasion rocked Iraq and the US kept the world safe from Saddam Hussein's non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

Dick Cheney continues to insist we "won" the war in Iraq because there is a new democratic government there. There's also a new Democratic government here, and that, too, is in large part a result of the invasion and occupation.

The Obama administration isn't talking about a 100-year war, as John McCain did. Right now, it's not quite three more years until all US troops leave -- and move to Afghanistan.

So why are the antiwar groups demonstrating? Are they never satisfied?

Well, I'm not, and I hope you're not, either. Events across the country this week will mark the anniversary itself on Thursday. Friday is the Iraq Moratorium observance held on the Third Friday of every month, and Saturday is the day for marches in Washington, California -- and Milwaukee.

Wisconsin is a hotbed of antiwar activity, and organizers have planned at least 23 events that I know of, and others that I don't.

Join them if you can:

Ashland: ::: Chequamegon Coalition for Peace and Justice Vigil - Peaceful Demonstration Friday, March 20 3:30-5pm, Ashland Post Office.

Chippewa Falls: ::: Iraq Moratorium Vigil for Peace 3-21-09 11, Corner of Bridge and River Streets in downtown Chippewa Falls. Veterans for Peace and their supproters will gather for an hour in observance of Iraq Moratorium Day. Bring a sign or two and a friend or three.

Dodgeville: ::: March 20, Grassroots Citizens for Peace Monthly Vigil. Third Friday of each month, 4 p.m. in front of the Iowa County Courthouse. Join us for our monthly vigil, followed by our monthly planning meeting in which we organize public education programs, music and poetry nights and family events. Become part of the growing movement for a more just and peaceful world!*

Eau Claire: ::: Voices for Peace Institute. Stand for an end to the Iraq Occupation. Some signs will be provided but feel free to bring your own! On Fri., Mar. 20, we will be standing on the corner of Bracket Avenue and Business US Hwy 53 (right next to Jimmy Woo's) on the third Friday each month from 4 to 6 PM. Please come and stand with us when you can, between 4pm and 6pm, for as long as you can. If at all possible, bring a sign (small or large). Show Eau Claire that we want to bring an end to this war. Hope to see you there! mgebhard@saintbede.org *

Elm Grove: ::: 3/19, Thursday, 4–5 pm, 6th anniversary of the Iraq War. Peace Service at Notre Dame, 13105 Watertown Plank Road: 4-4:30 p.m. prayer service in APR Room (near the lobby entrance); 4:30-5 p.m., public witness on Watertown Plank Road. Pease join us in praying and advocating for PEACE. Contact: S. Lillia Langreck, at llangrec@ssnd-milw.org

Green Bay: ::: March 20, Friday, 7 pm Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace in Iraq. West Side Moravian Church, 1707 S. Oneida St. The service will be held to mark the six year anniversary of the Iraq War. For more information, please contact Rev. Marian Boyle, 920-499-4433, or pastor@wsmoraviangb.org

Hayward: ::: Peace North will sponsor an Iraq Moratorium vigil for peace on Friday, Mar.  20, from 4-6 pm on the corner of Highway 27 & 63 in downtown Hayward. Bring a sign and a friend and some warm clothes! Good parking. Great people.

Janesville: ::: (Updated!) Rock Valley Fellowship of Reconciliation continues to hold an Iraq Moratorium vigil which is held on the Third Friday of every month. Meet at 4 p.m. on the corner of Blackbridge Rd. and Milton Ave. in Janesville with signs, including "Honk for Peace" signs. kholcombe8117@charter.net for more info. *

LaCrosse: ::: War Moratorium/Veterans for Peace Peace Vigil, March 19 & 20, 2009 4-6:00pm (16:00-18:00 hrs) Cass Street Bridge (Corner of Cass St & 3rd Ave). Bring signs, wear black(if possible) or black armbands. Hit'em in the pocketbook...BUY NOTHING for 3 DAYS: 19th,20th,21st, BOYCOTT WORK & SCHOOL. Contact napeacefulwarior@yahoo.com or cvmaren@mwt.net*

Madison: :::Saturday, Mar. 21, 11 am - noon. Monthly Peace Rally at the Mall, sponsored by Madison Area Peace Coalition.. This is an informational picket - held the third Saturday of each month - that calls for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Bring signs or borrow the ones provided. This is an exciting and empowering event that is appropriate for all ages. Help us count the “Honks for Peace!” East Towne Mall this month, West Towne in April. Email Helena White at hspw@att.net

Madison :::3/19 Thurs 5 pm Town Hall Meeting and Potluck; Obama: Wrong on Afghanistan & Torture. Madison. At the SCFL Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park Street. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition. Please join us on the 6th anniversary of the Iraq invasion. The program will begin with a potluck supper, followed by a panel discussion to include what actions you can take such as the upcoming rally on April 4. This event is co-sponsored by the Madison Area Peace Coalition and Veterans for Peace #25. Please contact Buzz Davis at 608-239-5354 if you would like to co-sponsor or help with the food. 

Manitowoc: ::: Peace Vigil. Lakeshore Peacemakers hold a weekly vigil for peace, and on the Third Friday for the Iraq Moratorium, 4:30-5 p.m. , 8th Street & Maritime Drive. Contact: huntel@comcast.net *

Menomonie: ::: Iraq Moratorium/Healthcare Not Warfare demonstration, 3-20-09, 4-5 pm. In front of Menomonie Market Coop, 521 2nd St. East. The Red Cedar Peace Initiative will be standing for Healthcare Not Warfare in observance of the March Iraq Moratorium Day. Bring a sign, a friend and your enthusiasm.

Milwaukee: ::: Postcards from the Front: Impact of the War on Our Community." Thursday, March 19, 10-11:30 a.m.,MATC Milwaukee Campus, Main Building, M616, 1015 N. 6th Street. Panelists: Aimee Davis, MATC faculty, Veteran, Iraq War; Becky Quesada, MATC staff, military family member; Vera Roddy, Veteran, Mental Health Technician, Desert Shield/Desert Storm; Maurice Sprewer, MATC student, MATC Veterans Club. Sponsored by: MATC International Student Organization, ESL Department, and Office of Student Life, in cooperation with MATC Veterans Club and Latino Student Organization. Free and open to the public .

Milwaukee: ::: Peace Action-Wisconsin and Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace sponsor a rush hour vigil in the heart of downtown, from 5 to 6 p.m. on the Third Friday of every month at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue. There are signs, flags, banners, music, pets for peace, leafleting, and interaction with drivers and pedestrians. Join us. Peace Action 414/964-5158 or email IraqMoratorium@wi.rr.com*

Milwaukee: :::Saturday, Mar. 21, rally and march to mark the 6th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, sponsored by Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace, which includes Iraq Moratorium-Wisconsin.  Rally at 1 p.m., Civic Square/Clas Park, 10th & Wells, on south side of court house. Part of national "Yes We Can: End U.S. Occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Fund Human Needs at Home.  March to follow.  

Minocqua: :::Northwoods Peace Coalition, Saturday, March 21, 10:50 a.m. until noon, in Minocqua, at the junction of highways 51 and 70. It is the day after the third Friday, Wisconsin’s declared day of the month to demonstrate for peace as part of the national Iraq Moratorium.

Rice Lake: ::: The People for Peace will be standing at the corner of Knapp and Main St's on the north end of downtown Rice Lake on Friday, Mar. 20, from 4-6 pm.  Please make a small, or large, sign if you can, and BRING SOMEONE ELSE WITH YOU! Join us!emailto:botmrung@centurytel.net

Ripon: :::Peace Vigil every Third Friday of the month on the square. 4:30-5:30pm. Bring yourself! kgallaway54971@yahoo.com*

Sheboygan: ::: Vets for Peace Peace/Anti War Concert, March 21 6:30 pm at EBCO, 1350 Erie Ave (Hwy 23) at Water Street.  This is our fifth annual with 15 presenters featuring Peter Tracy from Santa Monica, Cal. Ten musicians, poets, Sapphire Spirit Dancers, John Heckinlively as Billy Bob Far-right of Racine, etc for only $8 at the door or $6 advance.  E-mail:   efilemyr@hotmail.com

Superior: ::: Iraq Moratorium Picket for Peace, 3-20-09, 4-5 pm, Corner of Broadway and Hammond Avenues. The Grandmothers for Peace will be standing for peace on March 20th in observance of Iraq Moratorium Day.

Viroqua: ::: Friday, Mar. 20, 12 noon weekly peace vigil at the Post Office on Jefferson St. Come for all or part of the hour, standing witness to the human and economic costs of the War. Info :amz1357@frontiernet.net *

Waupaca: ::: Monthly vigil for peace. Downtown, on the town square. 3rd Friday of each month, in support of the Iraq Moratorium., 5-6 p.m. All welcome. For more information, contact People for Peace at bonni@waupacaonline.net or see http://wpfpmeetings.blogspot.com/

Woodruff: ::: 12 noon - 1 pm . Silent Prayer Vigil for Peace, Holy Family Church, in the small chapel. Contact: Sr. Ann Wittman atcrossings@holycrosssisters.org . All are welcome to join in this weekly witness for peace.

On Monday, union members and retirees in La Crosse helped kick off a National Week of Grassroots Action in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. This bill, which was recently introduced in the U.S. Congress, is crucial to building an economy that works for everyone.

Visit the Wisconsin Employee Free Choice Act blog to watch a video in which IAHFI Local 19 member Kristian Platten describes the difference that being a union member has made in his life:

http://employeefreechoice.typepad.com/wi/2009/03/la-crosse-working-lunch-in-support-of-employee-free-choice.html

UA Local 434 hosted the event in their training facility. Union members from AFGE, ATU, BCTGM, IUOE, IAM, IBEW, LIUNA, OPCMIA, UA, UAW, and UURWAW called and wrote letters to Senator Kohl, Senator Feingold, and Representative Kind, thanking them for supporting this critical legislation.

“Although majority sign-up has always been a lawful way for workers to form a unions, companies are now allowed to veto that choice. This forces workers into an election process that is manipulated by companies to intimidate, harass, coerce, or even fire workers,” Said David Branson, Business Agent for UA Local 434. “This is an urgent crisis for workers, blocking their freewill and their ability to bargain for a better future.”

Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Terry Hicks describes current labor law as “dismal.” He went on to add that, “This is a question of power. Corporations don’t want to give that up.”

Local media in La Crosse took notice. Here are some of the stories about the Employee Free Choice Act following the event.

On television: http://www.wkbt.com/global/story.asp?s=9978571

On the Radio: (be sure to scroll down to 3/10/09) http://www.wpr.org/news/newsstories.cfm

http://1410wizm.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=2251

UA Organizer Joe Moenck summed up why so many working people are taking action. “The system is broken, and needs to be fixed. The Employee Free Choice Act is the way that we are going to get that done.”

Outagamie County Executive Toby Paltzer, a GOPer, issued a press release today that makes Scott Walker look even more like a jerk for denying Milwaukee Co. their deserved share of stimulus dollars.

It just never ends, does it?

Now, rich corporate CEO’s are all a-flutter over *gasp* paying workers a fair wage. In Gov. Doyle’s budget, a new provision requires companies that receive help from the state to pay their workers the prevailing wage.

J. Michael Mooney,  chairman of the MLG group, an investment and real estate developer, called the idea of a paying a decent wage to workers “economic suicide.” A quick look at MLG’s Real Estate Investment website shows they have a portfolio value of $330 million. They have a “presence” in four states: Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota and Texas. The “Executive Board” of MLG is a bunch of rich white guys. I guess the diversity policy at MLG only applies to what label designer suit each white male board member wears. Excuse me if I don’t sympathize with this pompous Uncle Money Bags.  

“This would be a bad idea in good times,” Mooney also says. So when the economy is down, not the right time for fair pay. And when the economy is up isn’t good either. I’m still trying to figure out when would be a good time for Mr. Mooney to share some of his wealth with his workers…yeah not finding one. This guy and the corporatists at WMC will NEVER find time for fairness.

But I guess there’s a part of me that expects it from these top 2%-ers. Paying their workers a fair wage would mean less money in their pockets, and while it certainly is greedy, self-serving, and un-American,  it’s the standard of these flag-waving, chest-bumping robber barons. After all, this is the same crowd that cheered while President Bush cut taxes for the rich in a time of war! Guys like Mooney and WMC don’t want to pay their fair share to support the troops, and they don’t want to pay their fair share to the workers.  They never have, and if they had their way, they never would.
 
If you can’t pay a prevailing wage in Wisconsin to your employees then you shouldn’t be in business. There, I said it. Go. Leave. Get out already. Take WMC with you. Then finally the real people of Wisconsin might get a break from the never-ending crying and bitching and moaning from greedy businesses who don’t give a shit about workers. Workers are the ones who make you rich! We’re the ones who buy your goods. We’re the ones that labor endlessly, and whose efforts these corporatists so willingly exploit. It’s the workers who toil away for whatever scraps they can grab from the owners who hoard their wealth.

There are lots of companies out there who would gladly take help from the state AND pay their workers fairly. If Mooney doesn’t want help from the taxpayers, he can stick it. Don’t take the money then. That leaves more room for the kind of companies we want here in Wisconsin: profitable companies that care about community, the environment, and paying their workers fairly.

Your March Badness 2009 bracket is ready.

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/marchbadness/

March Badness is One Wisconsin Now's tournament where you choose what's the worst of the worst on the right so far in 2009.

Click here to go directly to your March Badness 2009 bracket and pick what you think is the worst of the worst from conservatives.

The ballots were tallied and in our play-in game, you voted House Minority Leader John Boehner's grandstanding obstructionism over Sen. Norm Coleman's never-ending legal circus.

No recount. No nonsense. Norm Coleman: You lost.

We've got eight match-ups in two divisions - the Hannity Division and the O'Reilly Division. In each contest, you choose between two offensive right-wing acts to see what moves on to the next round.

Click here to fill out your March Badness 2009 bracket.

It's easy. And it's a fun way to make your voice heard about the nonsense of the right wing in 2009.

After you've cast your votes, you can also print out a bracket and keep up-to-date on all the "winners."

The Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate today, launching the legislative battle to restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.

Check out this awesome statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney marking the occasion:

Today is a banner day for working Americans, a milestone on the road to rebuilding our nation’s middle class – and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time. We thank the House of Representatives and the Senate for introducing the Employee Free Choice Act, which will restore workers’ freedom to bargain for fair wages, job security, better health care and secure pensions. Special thanks also goes to Congressman Miller, Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Harkin for being the lead sponsors and champions for America’s working families.

We are confident the Employee Free Choice Act is going to become the law of the land.

The introduction of this bill so early is a strong message that Congress is ready to move forward to help working families build an economy that works for everyone. It is common sense legislation that makes good on a simple promise: If a majority of employees in a workplace want a union, they should be able to have a union and bargain for a better life.

That’s why the Employee Free Choice Act has broad public support. Independent polling shows that 73 percent of the public supports it – and that support comes from every region, every demographic group and every political party. Even moderate and liberal Republicans support the Employee Free Choice Act, as do a wide array of progressive and public interest allies of working families.

Still, the debate will be tough. Wealthy corporate interests don’t want to give up power and they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to lie about what the bill does. But hard working Americans will not let their voices be silenced by wealthy CEOs and corporate lobbyists. Already, all across the country, working men and women are mobilizing at the grassroots, calling on Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Passing the Employee Free Choice Act will allow workers to have a voice at work, lift their standard of living and build stronger communities as well as stronger families. The bill will allow workers to form a union if a majority indicates in writing that they want one, taking away the right of corporations to demand a ballot election they can readily manipulate. Workers can also choose a ballot election if they prefer – but it will be their choice, not their company’s.

Working families here in Wisconsin must fight hard to pass this legislation. Call Senator Kohl and Senator Feingold and ask them to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act today:

For Senator Kohl, call 866-207-2060.

For Senator Feingold, call 608-828-1200 (Middleton), 414-276-7282 (Milwaukee), or 920-465-7508 (Green Bay).

Tournament time is here, and we need your help to pick the winners.

We designed our own bracket and filled it with the worst-of-the-worst we've heard from the right so far this year -- it's called March Badness 2009 and your vote decides the winner.

http://www.OneWisconsinNow.org/MarchBadness

We're stuck on 17 entries, so we've got to have a play-in game. Click on the March Badness logo or go to http://www.OneWisconsinNow.org/MarchBadness to cast your vote for one of these two:

Is it the legal circus surrounding Norm Coleman? Or the obstructionism of House Minority Leader John Boehner? Go to OneWisconsinNow.org/MarchBadness to cast your vote now!

The winner will advance to the official March Badness 2009 bracket that comes out Thursday. So make sure to vote now at http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/MarchBadness and stay tuned this week for the full March Badness bracket and to help pick the "winners."

There’s a huge rift in conservatism these days. On the one hand, you have a faction that looks back in dismay at three losing election cycles and is trying to retool their message in hope for a better outcome in the future. On the other hand, you have a faction too stubborn to abandon their extreme views, not because they necessarily think they can still win elections, but because they don’t want to admit their views were ever that extreme in the first place. Over the weekend, the latter faction showed up in hundreds to the Defending the American Dream Summit put on by Americans for Prosperity.

One Wisconsin supporters! Please take a moment to take action for a budget that is supportive of immigrants in Wisconsin. Follow the link to change.org where you can automatically send letters to your state representatives asking them to do two important things.

1) Support a budget provision that would allow undocumented immigrant students who have graduated from WI high schools the opportunity to attend wi colleges at in state tuition rates.

2) Create a budget provision that would allow for undocumented immigrants to get a driver's certificate which would allow them to legally drive in Wisconsin. A licensed driver is a safer driver and we need safe roads in WI!

You can take action here:

http://www.change.org/ideas/932/view_action/support_immigrant_communities_in_wisconsin_state_budget

In the weeks since Steve Kagen became an official cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, dozens of letter to the editor have been sent to newspapers across District 8. Check out these awesome letters from union members, many of which directly thank Kagen for supporting this important piece of legislation:

Frank Helebrant, March 6:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903060563

William Mencheski, March 6:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090306/GPG0603/903060564/1271/GPG06

Jesse Jacques, March 1:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903010740

Ingrid N. Justman, March 1:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990301005

Don VandenBusch, March 1:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903010745

Joeseph Heyrman, February 26:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902260563

Dan Rickel, February 26:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902260495

Greg Young, February 26:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902260497

Dennis Delie, February 24:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902240559

Randal Hanus, February 21:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902210535

John Dillion, February 19:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902190582

Dennis Bomberry, February 18:
http://www.peshtigotimes.net/?id=11097

Derk Lesniak, February 17:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902170432

Lynette Biedermann, February 8: Appleton Fox Cities Post-Crescent, link unavailable.

Michael Bolton, February 7: Appleton Fox Cities Post-Crescent, link unavailable.

Gerri Pieczynski, Feburary 6: Stevens Point Journal, link unavailable.

Robert J. Agen, February 4:
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902040510

National AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and WI AFL-CIO President David Newby also weighed in with this opinion editorial in the February 27th Green Bay Press-Gazette: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090227/GPG0706/902270634/1269/GPG06

Of course, not all letters submitted are chosen for publication. Greater Green Bay Labor Council President Tony VanderBloemen estimates that at least 15 additional letters have been sent to newspapers in District 8 during the past two weeks.

Now that the Republicans have opened the MacIver Institute, yet another GOP front group to go with the Wisconsin Public Research Institute, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, Wisconsin Institute for Leadership, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, Coalition for America’s Families, Club for Growth, All Children Matter, Americans for Tax Reform, Wisconsin Family Council and School Choice Wisconsin (whew), One Wisconsin Now thought it might be good for the media to have information on exactly who the leaders of this Republican operation are.

Cory Liebmann did some phenomenal investigation as the group readied its launch. One of the key figures surrounding this new organization is former Assembly Speaker, Republican Scott Jensen. Jensen, who was convicted in the so-called caucus scandal and currently spends his time making money from pro-privatizing public education forces.

Judge Randy Koschnick, would-be Supreme Court member, defends his willingness to try to get killer Ted Oswald off, while working as a public defender, by saying that Paul Bucher, then Waukesha County DA, who prosecuted the case, said Koschnick did a great job and has endorsed him.

That's certainly not what Bucher said at the time of the trial. In fact, he called the Oswald defense concocted by Koschnick "garbage."

Details here.

An unusual closed hearing on nuclear power -- closed in the sense that only invited speakers will get to talk -- has been scheduled by two legislative committees for next Thursday, March 12.

At first glance, it looks like one more stop in the railroad job that seems to be barreling down on Wisconsin, with the aim of making it easier to build new nuke plants here. There are some consumer and environmental advocates on the list, but they are outnumbered.

It's conveniently scheduled for Two Rivers, away from the population centers, so only the dedicated few will attend. If you possibly can, consider attending to show that you oppose any easing of the laws.

Two Rivers is best known as the home of one of the state's troubled nuclear power plants, Point Beach, which always seems to be under repair. Maybe the committees will get a tour and "briefing about how safe it all is.

There is a full court press on -- excuse the mixed metaphors -- to ease the restrictions on nuclear plants in the state, which have been in place since 1983. One thing that has not changed since 1983 is the lack of a solution to the question of how to safely dispose of high level nuclear waste, although the plants produce more of it every day.

An easing of what has been a de facto moratorium on nuclear plant construction has been proposed as part of a package of changes endorsed by the governor's task force on climate change, which is now drafting legislation based on its report. Even the environmental and consumer advocates on the task force supported the change, as a tradeoff to get some of the other things they wanted in the package.

The Citizens Utility Board and Clean Wisconsin, who are on the schedule, both took part in the task force, as did Forrest Ceel, the union rep who will testify, and State Sen. Jeff Plale, who chairs the Senate Committee holding the hearing. The "Greenpeace" person listed is one who has switched sides and now favors nukes, which explains why he was invited.

You have to wonder: What time does this train get to Peoria? The railroad is building up quite a head of steam.

The hearing (official notice follows) has a high-powered line up, and it is important that we show strong support for our current state statute. Physicians for Social Responsibility and others hope to rally a group of "Clean Energy Advocates" outside with signs supporting sustainable energy over nuclear reactors for electricity production.

Activists who can be there to support our current state statute can contact Steve Books, email address books24u@aol.com. Or just show up.

INFORMATIONAL HEARING
Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail

The committees will hold an informational hearing on the following items at the time specified below:

Thursday, March 12, 2009
1:30 PM
Council Chambers
Two Rivers City Hall
1717 East Park Street
Two Rivers, WI 54241

This will be a joint hearing with Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities. The Committee will take testimony from the following invited speakers only.

Public Service Commission (PSC)
A representative from the PSC will testify to the committees regarding nuclear power in Wisconsin.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
A representative of the NRC will testify regarding nuclear power in the United States.

Dr. Patrick Moore
Dr. Moore is the Chairman and Chief Scientist of Greenspirit Strategies. He is also the Co-Chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASE). Dr. Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace.

Frank Jablonski
Mr. Jablonski is a founding partner of the Progressive Law Group, LLC.

Charlie Higley
Mr. Higley is the Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB).

Katie Nekola
Ms. Nekola is the Energy Program Director for Clean Wisconsin.

Dominion Resources
Dominion operates the Kewaunee Power Station in Carlton, WI. A representative from Dominion resources will testify regarding their operations in Wisconsin.

Forrest Ceel
Mr. Ceel is the Assistant Business Manager / President of IBEW Local #2150.

Mark Buss
Mr. Buss is the Business Manager for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 400.

Sudden media economic darling Paul Ryan was on CNBC this morning.

Before going forward, if you haven't watched last night's Daily Show analysis of the utter and complete failure of CNBC to do anything other than give bad financial tips and suck up to corporate CEOs, go to www.ComedyCentral.com and watch it.

It starts with a drubbing of frothing moron turned cowardly dodger Rick Santelli. And goes into just how terrible CNBC was perpetuating the lack of oversight and awful advice which help lead to our nation's GOP-managed economic implosion.

The envelope, please. The winner is...

Madison's Capital Times:

Randy Koschnick is soft on facts.

No one knows if the Dow's bottom is going to be at 6,500 as Nouriel Roubini, Dr. Doom, predicted a few months back. We're all hoping now that he was optimistic.

Two things are certain: The stimulus bill signed by Obama is woefully inadequate and Obama should make clear the comprehensive recovery program that he intends sooner rather than later.

Ask someone on the street what Obama is doing to address the economic crisis left by Bush and he couldn't tell you, but they would like to be inspired very soon.

 

In an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Attorney General Van Hollen is stated to have said “that eliminating partisanship from the judiciary is the best way to ensure that judges remain impartial.” So…in the Judiciary branch of the State government partisanship has no place? When Attorney General Van Hollen said that eliminating partisanship from the judiciary is the best way for judges to remain impartial, maybe he forgot that the attorney general is part of the judiciary.

Maybe he also forgot about his earlier chairmanship of the McCain Campaign in Wisconsin and his questionably “nonpartisan” challenge to thousands of voting records. A challenge against voter fraud that he had originally promised to fulfill to Wisconsin delegates at the Republican National Convention. Here is a man who is proven to be partisan in his actions as Attorney General and who tries to hide that partisanship when it is discovered, specifically with the voter fraud case.

If being non-partisan is the best way to remain impartial then it must be impossible for a member of the judiciary to be impartial, because Attorney General Van Hollen has shown how partial he really is.  

Last week, One Wisconsin Now pointed out how the non, non-ideological Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and its long-time face Todd Berry can be found this coming weekend speaking to the right-wing freakfest that is the Americans for Petroleum, er... Americans for Prosperity event in Milwaukee.

A who's who of state Republican electeds will be on hand to bemoan the irresponsible economic policies of the last eight years of Bush and 14 years of Jensen-Gard-Huebsch the last month of President Obama and Wisconsin Democrats.

Also on the docket, and fresh from her appearance at the Republican Lincoln Day dinner, Department of Public Instruction candidate Rose Fernandez.

From Stephanie Bloomingdale of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. An idea whose time is way past. Bloomingdale is a member of OWN's board of directors.

Judicial ethics are essential in Wisconsin.

Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick has made the claim Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson sides with criminals 60 percent of the time. While a number of media outlets have reported this phantom figure, Koschnick has refused to adequately explain what this number represents or how he arrived at it.

Equally disconcerting is that implicit in Koschnick’s argument using these statistics is that he is promising to always vote in favor of a prosecutor’s side, regardless of the merits of the case. The Judicial Code of Conduct is clear judicial candidates are specifically prohibited from promising how they will rule on cases.

You may have seen this story last week in the Wisconsin State Journal about a four-way jabfest between One Wisconsin Now, Mark Pocan, Nass, and the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (Leah Vukmir took a swing too, but her press release was so ridiculous nobody really took it serious).