http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/category_rss/ethicalgov Earlier this year marked the first time that a sitting Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice was disciplined by her own colleagues on the court. Now, only months after Annette Ziegler received a reprimand, the state Judicial Commission has filed a complaint against Michael Gableman , the empty suit that WMC helped install on the high court in April. The Judicial Commission’s complaint centers on a sleazy ad run by Gableman that was widely condemned not only as race baiting but also as being completely false. Specifically the Gableman ad suggested that Louis Butler, when working as a public defender, got a child molester out of prison, allowing him to commit another sex offense. As a matter of fact, the offender actually remained in prison and did not commit the subsequent crime until after he was released on parole. Gableman’s ad was a clear attempt to deceive the public by suggesting that Butler’s work somehow resulted in the offender’s release. That is simply not true and that is the reason that the Judicial Commission filed the complaint and said the following: “By publishing the advertisement in willful violation of (the state’s judicial ethics code), Judge Gableman engaged in judicial misconduct.” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjy http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjy/commentary#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:38:22 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjy Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHjy/ After Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed his frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board (GAB), he claimed that his motives were not partisan. He went on to claim that his position as John McCain co-chair played no role in the suit even though the action could help McCain by disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of legal voters in Wisconsin. After his repeated denials, the media began to learn of multiple contacts that high level Van Hollen aides had with high level Republican Party operatives about the suit. It was not long after these contacts that Van Hollen filed the lawsuit. As if we have not already seen enough evidence of Van Hollen’s judgment being clouded by rank partisanship, now we actually have audio evidence of partisan plotting at the Republican convention in St. Paul. Wispolitics has obtained a recording  of J.B. Van Hollen addressing Wisconsin delegates to the Republican National Convention. In his remarks he clearly gives the partisan bunch a small taste of what he has planned for Wisconsin voters: “We are out there front and center everyday and you'll be hearing much more from the Department of Justice in the coming months about doing what we can to make sure that those people who have illegally and illegitimately registered to vote, don't have the opportunity on election day to show up and take away your vote by casting one that is not legal.” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9/commentary#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:40:14 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHj9/ Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen refused to join a civil lawsuit along with 11 other states against one of the nation's largest predatory lenders, which just netted a record-$8.4 billion settlement. Financial disclosure records show Van Hollen owned stock totaling as much as $150,000 in at least three subprime lenders. Attorney General Van Hollen should explain to Wisconsin why he didn't join both Republican and Democratic Attorneys General in this critical lawsuit. Knowing Van Hollen has up to $150,000 in stocks of three other companies which have done major subprime lending raises serious concerns about his inaction on this case and cases which may arise in the future. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHjY http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHjY/commentary#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:10:29 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHjY Scot @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/b15bea43ee26199f1d_l7awmvb5t.jpg Scot @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHjY/ J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, (GAB) is political mischief that could complicate voting for as many as 1 million people in Wisconsin. One Wisconsin Now, the League of Women Voters, municipal clerks, the GAB itself and many others have taken a stand against J.B. Van Hollen. Now the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Milwaukee Teachers Association are entering the fray . Both organizations submitted a filing to the Dane County judge responsible for the case, arguing that Van Hollen’s checks are unreliable and could bar about 135,000 people who registered to vote in 2008 from the polls. The organizations also pointed to GAB figures that 15 percent of 53,515 registrants since August had failed the checks because of non-matches. Most of the non-matches are due to clerical errors, misspellings, a missing middle initial or an old address on a driver’s license. Even four of the six judges on the GAB board didn’t get exact matches . http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8/commentary#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:24:25 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHj8/ Last week One Wisconsin Now filed a complaint against Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce , the state’s big business lobby. The complaint was filed as a result of WMC’s lead lobbyist saying that they “actively lobbied for final passage of the UW budget” even though that activity was never reported to the Government Accountability Board as required under law. OWN’s effort to hold the powerful special interest organization accountable drew the same old laughable refrain of victimhood. Deservedly WMC has been on the receiving end of much criticism for their increasing partisanship, undue influence, and for the toxic political atmosphere that they have created. People are increasingly beginning to hold WMC accountable and they apparently don’t like it. After OWN asked concerned citizen’s to contact WMC board members asking them to change course WMC staff howled about “harassment.” Obviously they don’t understand the concept of being held accountable to the public for their many questionable actions. Now that WMC is again being held accountable for failing to follow the rules they once again are trying to play the role of a victim. WMC’s resident Jokeman Jim Pugh has repeated their laughable “harassment” claim rather than fully coming clean about the situation. Does WMC really expect us to believe that such a powerful special interest is a victim merely for being held accountable? If they really are serious then they are not likely to find much sympathy. They just might learn that the joke is actually on them. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjd http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjd/commentary#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:32:31 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHjd Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHjd/ A state equal rights officer has found enough evidence to believe that J.B. Van Hollen’s Justice Department demoted its head of the public integrity section in retaliation. Joell Schigur’s demotion came after she dared to question a plan to provide Van Hollen with taxpayer-funded security while attending a political convention. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that her demotion came only days before her two-year probationary period was over and only months after receiving a positive review. Specifically, the equal rights officer stated that there is “probable cause” that Van Hollen’s DOJ violated state whistleblower laws by demoting Schigur after she dared to question his security plan. This initial determination has been just the latest development in Van Hollen’s on going conflict between his partisan hires and the long-time law enforcement professionals at the Department of Justice. This conflict led to the premature retirement of universally respected Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Jim Warren. At that time he said that he felt that his “retirement” was “shoved down his throat” by Van Hollen’s crew. During that very same month the head of the special assignments bureau, Carolyn Kelly, was suspended and later demoted. In this internal battle, Van Hollen’s partisans appeared to be winning, but this recent finding of probable cause could change the equation. If they are found to have committed wrongdoing, both Van Hollen and his underlings should be held fully accountable. Wisconsin deserves a DOJ that focuses on legitimate law enforcement and not on internal power plays by partisan hacks. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCh http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCh/commentary#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:51:44 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCh Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCh/ One Wisconsin Now has filed a complaint with the state’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) against Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and its seven-member special interest army for failure to report lobbying activities. In an August 20, 2008 memo authored by WMC’s chief lobbyist Jim Buchen claims “WMC actively lobbied for final passage of the UW budget,” yet no lobbying activity was reported by WMC to the GAB for the University of Wisconsin budget, as required under law. This WMC memo was released shortly after out-going UW Chancellor John Wiley criticized them for the “toxic” political atmosphere that they have created in Wisconsin. In the memo, Buchen claims that WMC tried to influence legislation on the UW budget but it does not list the UW as a budget bill subject in which it lobbied in 2007-2008. In addition, GAB’s listing for lobbying activities for the UW budget does not include WMC as having registered any lobbying. When a lobbying entity files with the GAB they are also required by statute to list the general areas of legislative action that they are trying to influence. WMC’s own website does not indicate that it lobbies on higher education or funding the UW. WMC may have undue influence with conservatives in the state legislature, but it still can’t ignore the same laws that every other lobbying group must follow. This situation should force WMC to finally come clean. Did they fail to follow the law, or was their chief lobbyist being dishonest when he suggested that the group tried to help the UW? WMC should be required to answer the question and be held accountable for their actions. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCR http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCR/commentary#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:05:57 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCR Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCR/ It's time the Government Accountability Board to act on the recommendations of the former State Elections Board and penalize All Children Matter for violating Wisconsin election laws in 2006. The Election Board ruled last year that All Children Matter broke the law, but the pro-private school vouchers group hit with a stunning $5.2 million fine in Ohio this April for illegal money funneling has yet to be punished by the GAB. All Children Matter remains under investigation in Wisconsin after the State Elections Board determined in November 2006 it violated rules about express advocacy in opposing John Lehman's bid for the State Senate. A mailing by All Children Matter prompted a complaint by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals and the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association. The former Elections Board agreed that All Children Matter violated campaign laws for failing to register with the state prior to the $35,000 it spent directly advocating against Lehman. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp/commentary#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:18:22 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp Scot @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/b15bea43ee26199f1d_l7awmvb5t.jpg Scot @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCp/ Hundreds of thousands of legal voters are at risk – but we only get utter silence from the McCain campaign. The media has been reporting that Wisconsinites have received absentee ballot applications from the John McCain for President campaign with incorrect return addresses, which would likely prevent the registration and processing from being completed. The people of Wisconsin deserve real answers about this McCain mailing immediately and we need a full investigation by law enforcement. Not only could this lead to voters failing to receive their absentee ballots, it also could cause chaos on election day as those who did not receive their ballots scramble to cast their vote. The easy solution would seem to be: check the records, inform people who received an incorrect application and make sure no one is disenfranchised. Unfortunately the McCain campaign refuses to tell us the exact number and won’t even be interviewed about the scope of the problem. One Republican official has said that “hundreds of thousands” of absentee ballot applications have been mailed by the McCain campaign. We need a formal investigation. Just last week, Attorney General JB Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced a new task force focusing on election issues. While the prudence of having Van Hollen, the McCain campaign state co-chair, is certainly up for question, the task force must investigate this matter and assure the public their right to vote is not being compromised by an intentional disenfranchisement scheme by the McCain campaign. You can make your voice heard now by signing a petition for a complete investigation of the misleading McCain mailing, at SaveWisconsinsVote.org . If you have actually received one of these mailings, you can also use the site to file a formal complaint. Fair and clean elections are a critical issue for the state of Wisconsin and protecting the right to vote is essential to our Democracy. Please Take Action Today! http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn/commentary#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:38:06 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCn/ If there was ever any doubt that J.B. Van Hollen’s lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board was partisan at its core, the latest events this week should eliminate it. First, in a surprise to no one, the Republican Party of Wisconsin has decided to jump into the lawsuit and has filed a motion in the case. Now the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that the Republican Party Chairman, Reince Priebus, has admitted to having conversations with Van Hollen’s top aide and Deputy Attorney General Ray Taffora. This is in addition to the contact that republican lawyers have also had with the Wisconsin Department of justice before the partisan suit was filed. Previously Van Hollen and his aides had denied contact with Republican officials but now after OWN’s open records request and serious inquiry by the media, we are finding that these initial statements were not accurate. We already knew that Van Hollen was presiding over a DOJ war between law enforcement professionals and his partisan hires , but now it looks like he has gone even further. Van Hollen has turned the Wisconsin Department of Justice into the taxpayer-financed legal arm of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the McCain for President campaign. The public is not going to stand by and let J.B. Van Hollen use our own tax dollars to take away our voting rights. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV/commentary#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:29:47 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCV/ The highly respected Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's School of Law, has a comprehensive, well researched and documented white paper by Justin Levitt on recent allegations of voter fraud allegedly occurring in Wisconsin and other states within the last eight years, entitled, "The Truth About Voter Fraud." Once you read it, your eyes will be opened to the sham that is being perpetrated upon the U.S. voters. In fact, one could easily argue that the widespread rumors of voter fraud exist to confuse the populace and further deepen the cynicism of our electoral process. These efforts may also serve a larger agenda to keep real voting reform off the table, that is, extending the time people are allowed to cast votes; make it LESS burdensome for people to vote in the first place; and acts by political campaigns to buy votes, among many others. A nonpartisan task force is being created to investigate the claims of voter fraud in Wisconsin. They could save a lot of time and money by simply reading this excellent report RIGHT NOW. Since the 2004 election, there have been persistent, unsubstantiated rumors of voter fraud in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular. Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen, who is also co-chairman of the Wisconsin campaign of presidential candidate John McCain, is knowingly using these unsubstantiated rumors in his efforts to suppress legitimate votes in Wisconsin this November. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj/commentary#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:32:25 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj User from Madison, WI User from Madison, WI 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCj/ J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, could disenfranchise up to 1 million legitimate voters in November. Much of that could happen because of very minor discrepancies such as a middle initial, clerical error or an old address appearing on a driver’s license. Even four of the six judges that make up the GAB board found that their own personal information did not totally match. To drive the point home even more, Michael Horne blogging at Milwaukee World , checked voting records to see if J.B. Van Hollen himself could fall victim to his own partisan mischief. Horne finds some of the following: ...I don't think he'd pass his own test. JOHN BYRON VANHOLLEN is the same guy as JOHN B VAN HOLLEN, who once lived at 816 Chalfont Drive, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, when he served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. But a search of "J. B. Van Hollen" (with or without the space) would not turn up his name in the state register of voters, even though he uses the initials and the space as his legal designation in court documents and when he ran for election, and in his official biography in the Wisconsin Blue Book… And, once you find out his first name is John, things don't get much better, since when he was registered in Sun Prairie on November 5th, 2002, he went by JOHN B VAN HOLLEN, [no middle name, and a space between "Van" and "Hollen"]… Oh, by the way, it appears that Van Hollen registered at the polls, since he also voted on November 5th, 2002, on the spot, according to records. Apparently Van Hollen likes the convenience of registering at the polls -- I wonder what sort of ID he had to produce when he registered in Waunakee on September 14th, 2004 -- also an election day! That's when he signed up as JOHN BYRON VANHOLLEN -- adding a middle name, and merging his two last names into one. How perfect is that? I wonder if someone will put him on a list and challenge his right to vote at the polls? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM/commentary#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:34:55 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCM/ It now appears that Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s office is admitting that top officials at the Wisconsin Department of Justice consulted with Republican Party operatives regarding the filing of J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the state’s Government Accountability Board. The suit could cause as many as 1 million voters to be disenfranchised, an action that is likely to serve the political interests of the John McCain presidential campaign, for which Van Hollen serves as a state co-chair. Shortly after the partisan suit was filed and a full week before these latest allegations of coordination, OWN filed an open records request with DOJ. In it we demanded full disclosure by the DOJ, asking for any and all documentation of communications that they may have had with Republican operatives prior to filing the partisan lawsuit. They finally admitted to such communications yesterday and today it’s time that they turn over the records that we requested a full week ago. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx/commentary#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:45:58 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCx/ Since J.B. Van Hollen filed his frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, his partisan action has been panned far and wide. From OWN to the League of Women Voters, to the nonpartisan retired judges that serve on the GAB board and many others. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said that his suit “smells of political mischief.” Now the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is lampooning Van Hollen’s latest actions. In a blog entitled, “ Our Very Own Katherine Harris ” Mike McCabe makes the following points: J.B. Van Hollen seems intent on becoming Katherine Harris. Unlike Harris's Florida, Wisconsin does not allow partisan officials to run our elections. We entrust that task to a politically independent agency under the direction of a nonpartisan board of retired judges. That arrangement is obviously not to the liking of Van Hollen, who is the highest ranking elected Republican in the state and co-chairman of John McCain's presidential campaign in Wisconsin. He is suing the agency and the former judges who head it in an effort to get people kicked off the voter rolls. He insists it's necessary to protect us against voter fraud. He is undeterred by the fact that voter fraud is more rare than a financially stable investment bank. He is even less sensitive to the considerable collateral damage his crusade will do. In his apparent zeal to emulate Katherine the Great, Van Hollen hardly waited for the ink on his lawsuit to dry before announcing that he is forming an "election fraud task force." It's hard to believe many voters will put much trust in a task force headed by someone so heavily invested in making sure John McCain is the next president. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg/commentary#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:29:43 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCg/ Shortly after becoming the Co-Chair for John McCain’s Wisconsin Campaign, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said the following : “I’m honored to help lead John McCain’s Wisconsin campaign, and I’m looking forward to his victory in November.” The next thing you know Van Hollen is filing a frivolous lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin (which he is supposed to represent) which will, if successful, give an advantage to McCain while disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters. Now we find the McCain Campaign Co-Chair at a Milwaukee press conference announcing the creation of a new “joint task force to investigate any allegations of election-related improprieties.” The real whopper of the press conference came when Van Hollen had the nerve to say that “fair elections are not a partisan issue.” This from the same guy that filed a frivolous partisan lawsuit to disenfranchise specific groups of voters? Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was forced to admit that his suit “ smells of political mischief .” Now we are supposed to trust him to fairly investigate things surrounding the same election that he has a clear stake in? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB/commentary#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:37:33 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCB/ JB Van Hollen, the Republican Attorney General who also coincidentally serves as the co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign, was on Wisconsin Public Radio today talking about his partisan lawsuit to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters in predominately Wisconsin's cities. Over and over again Van Hollen referred those opposing his partisan lawsuit, such as the non-partisan League of Women Voters, the Governmental Accountability Board and its six retired judges, as well as disability and voter rights groups as his "opponents." http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHB9 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHB9/commentary#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:00:41 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHB9 Scot @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/b15bea43ee26199f1d_l7awmvb5t.jpg Scot @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHB9/ Wisconsin’s Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is trying to remake himself into the very image of Florida’s infamous Katherine Harris. His filing of a frivolous lawsuit against the state’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) is little more than a politically calculated move to serve his party masters and apparently to suppress votes in November. When the GOP didn’t get their way from the nonpartisan GAB, they turned to their highest ranking official in the state to make mischief with our most basic right as citizens. In preparation for the storm of criticism that he knew he was going to take for such a blatantly partisan action, Van Hollen taped an interview about the matter with Wisconsin Eye Wednesday. The interview raises only more questions about his actions and the potential impact on voters in November. In the interview Van Hollen, in a tellingly preemptive move, says that he wouldn’t be surprised if people accused him of filing this lawsuit because of his party affiliation. The AG “doth protest too much methinks” to borrow a famous phrase. Obviously people are going to think that partisanship is at work because that is exactly where everything points. Van Hollen is a co-chair of the McCain presidential campaign, which stands to gain from the suppression of the voters that would be most likely impacted. Van Hollen is the highest ranking Republican in the state and his actions and argument follow exactly what his party said prior to their rejection at the nonpartisan GAB. So, yes, obviously anyone that is paying attention is going to question Van Hollen’s real motives. Even the state’s largest newspaper, which is often too milquetoast when it comes to the darlings of the right wing, flatly says that Van Hollen’s action “ smells of political mischief .” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHB4 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHB4/commentary#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:52:37 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHB4 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 3 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHB4/ How comical is that the Wisconsin representative to the so-called “Palin Truth Squad” is Margaret Farrow ? The “Squad” presumably will criticize anyone who brings up Sarah Palin’s ethics scandal , truth bending , right-wing extremism and revisionist history. Or those who point out that Palin refuses to talk to reporters and won’t answer questions. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHBk http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHBk/commentary#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:08:28 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHBk Scot @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/b15bea43ee26199f1d_l7awmvb5t.jpg Scot @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHBk/ John McCain and the right wing have dubbed his choice for running mate, Sarah Palin, as a reformer. McCain has gone even further actually calling Palin his “soul mate.” That is difficult to believe unless McCain has totally abandoned his oft-professed hatred of earmarks. The Associated Press has compared Palin’s 20 month record as Governor of Alaska, with her more recent rhetoric on earmark reform. The simple version is that the rhetoric about her being a “reformer” does not even come close to matching her record on earmarks and pork barrel spending. The report reveals that under Palin’s leadership, Alaska has asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects. That is more per person than any other state has received. Alaska’s requests to Congress during her first year in office exceeded $550 million which amounts to more than $800 per resident. Although she distances herself from it now, Palin was supportive of the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” during her 2006 campaign for governor. Surely this is not the kind of “reform” that John McCain was talking about is it? To make things even more awkward, in the past John McCain has actually listed Palin’s earmark requests as objectionable . Has he conveniently forgotten his objections or has he simply forgotten his own standards? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHBb http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHBb/commentary#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:53:23 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHBb Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHBb/ Update: Readers can contact the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (MJS) on this matter at: Letters to the Editor http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=766191 Milwaukee, Wisconsin—Donna Ganong is a 70-year-old widow running a corner tavern on Milwaukee's near-south side. In early July, Mrs. Ganong tried to help a crying, hungry dog in an alley, and the Milwaukee police fined her $350 for her trouble. Located at the corner of 1400 West Orchard Street and South 14th Street, Ganong’s Corner, has seen its share of life, though the neighborhood bar is not much of a blip on the Milwaukee radar screen. Apparently the people don't matter all that much to the Milwaukee police either. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/CHGp http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/CHGp/commentary#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:19:17 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/michaelleon/CHGp User from Madison, WI User from Madison, WI 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHGp/