WISGOP trying to stiff learned counsel Bob Jambois

Yet they forked over $27K to James Troupis for sheer nonsense.

Even Scott Fitzgerald called Troupis's legal advice "comical."

And Scott Fitzgerald hired James Troupis.

Pay the man. He was stellar and earned every dime. Those very Republican legislative leaders Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald instigated this litigation when they violated the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law.

Robert Jambois on the web.

Jeff Fitzgerald, who is running for U.S. Senate, said he thought that may mean the Assembly does not have to pay the bill, though he did not spell out his legal rationale on that point.

Who will explain it to Jeff Fitzgerald if he's just going to stiff them.

Bruning may have to kill man with own bare hands

Adventures in Third World Procurement

Remember Nebraska's Republican attorney general Jon Bruning?

It gets worse. Much worse.

Hey maybe Conrad Murray has a stash.

MacGyver, Sykes et al beclown selves

"This was another bogus complaint."

At least the Journal-Sentinel didn't pick up this "story."

There is a group being investigated for threatening to pose as recall volunteers and collect signatures, only to later burn them. Then there was the student who did rip up a petition and then idiotically tweeted his man love for Walker by boasting how he did it for him. A 53 year old man in River Falls also shredded a petition. Another man in Madison is going to face charges for ripping up a recall page that had three signatures on it.

Naturally you'll hear nothing of that from MacGyver, Sykes et al.

Because those are the only petitions they'd prefer be signed.

Wisconsin: A Governor Lost in Separated Powers

h/t the author:

If there is anything worse than intentionally neglecting one's constitutional duty to provide a check and a balance against the other other two branches of government, it is bragging that you failed to do so, or announcing, in advance, that you have no intention to do so. Take the new governor of Wisconsin, for example, Scott Walker.

Continue reading ...

Charlie Sykes: "Media front man for the GOP"

Milwaukee Magazine's press critic Erik Gunn:

What's the threshold for reporting claims and allegations produced by someone [Media Trackers] furthering a partisan agenda? . . . Earlier, the same group had pushed what turned out to be a phony claim of fraud in the signing of election recall petitions.

Good question, and, ya think the Journal-Sentinel learned its lesson?

Don't count on it. We have law professors pushing phony claims of fraud.

So what reason is there to expect any better from a newspaper?

So lemme get this straight ...

Conservative Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is accused of sexual harassment, he's able to soldier on. Herman Cain is accused of sexual assault, he's able to soldier on. Herman Cain is accused of having a consensual affair, and so-called religious conservatives, including Fox News host Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist preacher, now decide to sit up and condemn this as the "most damaging allegation" of them all.

That's some seriously atavistic moral theology you got going there fellas.

Sick, even.

Stand Without Walker

Governor unable to attend Stand With Walker rally

Reason to Recall Scott Walker No. 3,945,284

Walker will have another appointment to the commission in March 2013.

Angry WISGOP is angry

Statement.

I suspect the signatories are far more eager than "pushed upon."

"Most statementy statement ever stated." — Abe Sauer

300,000 Recall Walker signatures in 12 days

Not too shabby. 240,000 signatures and 48 days to go.

Cain supports constitutional marriage amendment

As applied to everybody else's sense of "family values," naturally.

"[H]is principled position ... "

Principled. Gimme a break. Conservative Republicans, gotta love 'em.

Pardons best left to courts, says Scott Walker

Convenient, because courts have no authority to grant pardons.

Is this character for real? So we have here a governor who doesn't know the difference between a pardon and an expungement? Incredible.

Sam Brownback is a gigantic baby

Good for Emma Sullivan, 18. You go girlfriend.

If Mike Gableman was an ethical judge

Then he wouldn't have needed to hire this lawyer in the first place.

The court split 3-3 in June 2010 and the [Wisconsin Judicial Commission's] case ended there, with no agreement on whether Gableman lied or violated the ethics code.

That's not quite accurate, it bears repeating, because a three-judge panel convened in September, 2009 on Gableman's motion, meaning, in the vernacular, at Gableman's request. While the panel recommended dismissal of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission's complaint against Mike Gableman, it was upon that question that the Supreme Court split.

For the Supreme Court's purposes, the panel is owed zero deference.

Thus the ethics complaint remains pending against Mike Gableman and it's noteworthy that the Commission never withdrew the complaint — which was the recommendation of Gableman's three Republican allies on the Supreme Court — but only suspended its prosecution. Despite the panel's recommendation, all three judges found that Mike Gableman violated one or another of two separate judicial ethics provisions.

The statutory framework governing the prosecution of judicial ethics violations in Wisconsin is incoherent, as dramatized by the Gableman imbroglio, and as far as I'm aware, the legislature hasn't done a darn thing about it, even though four of the last six Republicans elected to the Supreme Court have found themselves parties to some ethical transgression or other. The latest, David Prosser, is under investigation.

And Mike Gableman should be too, once again, for his questionable testimony to Dane County Sheriff's Office investigators last summer.

Ironically, these justices are responsible for determining whether Wisconsin's lawyers are adhering to their own code of professional ethics. Fortunately the lion's share of those cases have to do with the handling of clients' money, from which objective standards obtain.

But given the unpredictable and unprecedented nature of Wisconsin politics, surely it won't be too long until Gableman has to decide a case where an individual running for judicial office slandered her opponent.

As for Gableman disqualifying himself from the present dispute: dream on. Gableman refused to remove himself from a set of criminal appeals in spite of his clearly articulated disdain for criminal defendants and the criminal defense bar generally. Any attempts to get Gableman to stand aside in this case have about as much chance as those trying to get Clarence Thomas out of the federal health care dispute: slim and none.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel quote of the day

"Though Riemer is not a flaming liberal — he supports school vouchers, for example ... "

What in the world is that supposed to mean?

Scott Walker even lies to Charlie Sykes

It says here.

However I would argue lying to Charlie Sykes is morally defensible.

Glenn Grothman wants to violate the constitution

Grothman pushes for more accountability [sic] on petitions:

Glenn Grothman's bill would require petition gatherers' statement of authenticity to be in the form of an affidavit, acknowledged by an officer authorized to administer oaths, affirm the circulator's identity and state that the circulator appeared before the officer and executed the statement in the officer's presence.

It's debatable whether Republican Senator Grothman's "hamper[ing], restrict[ing] or impair[ing]"* would be legal before the recalls got rolling, but it's almost certainly illegal now that the recalls are underway. There's some real desperation among the WISGOP leadership in the Senate, where Grothman stands to lose his position as assistant majority leader.

Changing the rules during the game, is what Glenn Grothman is up to.

And you don't get to do that. Sorry bub. Eat your peas.

* See Sec. 12, Para. 7.

Dear Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

We know whose side you're on. It's not ours.

Scott Walker's Dept. of Workforce Development

Is not so great at developing its own departmental workforce:

"In two weeks, I have not been given the opportunity to speak with you, yet you speak directly with my staff."

Scott Walker's political appointees have some management skillz.

Ain't it Republicans who always complain about gummint incompetence?

Let's suppress the student vote in Wisconsin

This is an actual column in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

[Wisconsin] Republicans still have some procedural maneuvers available that could allow them to block the acceptance of technical college IDs. I hope they use them. ... After watching some of the repulsive antics of many rabid Walker haters over the last year, does anyone think some won't stoop to voter fraud to get their way? Why give them more of an opportunity?

Amazing. He wants to block voting based on purely imaginary "fraud."

Come to think of it, that's what the photo ID bill itself is for, isn't it.

"Other people believe there's significant [voter] fraud. There's a lot of people that feel that there is." — Rep. Jim Ott, 11.15.11

Forward!

Candy and ice cubes were thrown at Mark Belling

Charlie Sykes used his credibility as a noted author and journalist, and his stature as an employee of Journal Communications, to lend validity to a false story and then used his position as a conservative radio talk-show host to verify the claims. [After settling the libel action] Sykes went on the air bellowing about how he was ready to have his day in court. — Robert Miranda

Hilarious.

"Are they all fine with Lena Taylor, a respected member of their party in the legislature, being an accessory to voter fraud?"

These days Charlie Sykes is still accusing people of serious crimes.

Falsely? Could be a problem for the radio shouter and his employers.

Sykes based his statement on an e-mail he received from a listener. When he learned that the e-mail contained factual errors, he removed the posting from his blog within hours on November 12, 2004. Nevertheless, the posting was still available through Internet searches several months later.

That's one savvy fella right there. His disciples call him "the Blogfather."

Bury the lead much?

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki signaled this week that the church would oppose some of those claims, because they are beyond the statute of limitations, but would continue to pay therapy and counseling costs for victims. That move could potentially bar victims from some of the church's most notorious offenders, such as the late Father Lawrence Murphy, who is believed to have molested as many as 200 deaf boys over the years, from being compensated through the bankruptcy.

Seventeenth of 17 paragraphs.

Also, where's Wisconsin Senator and constitutional expert Ron Johnson? He opposes those legal reforms that favor victims of child sexual abuse.

Clinging to his guns and his religion

Guy who allegedly tried to assassinate Obama.

Jesus, check.
Firearms, check.
Right-wing politics, check.

The total package.

The wing-nuts who cried fraud

Cory Liebmann, with the historical perspective.

"Other people believe there's significant [voter] fraud. There's a lot of people that feel that there is." — Rep. Jim Ott, 11.15.11

Others believe in faeries and feel there are leprechauns 'n' sprites.

And oh by the way the homeless, too, are a scourge.

Lawyer: Pepper spray "food product, essentially"

Only 5.3 million Scoville units per individual serving.

Where else but Fox News would you find this quality of apologetic.

See also:
Pepper spraying cop, he is everywhere.
Human trafficking, it's study abroad, essentially.

Media Trackers needs to put up or shut up

Recently we had Rick Esenberg, a professor of law at Marquette University, accusing nine Madison doctors of "fraud" even though there was no finding of any fraudulent behavior on the part of the doctors.

Then we had Prof. Esenberg's fellow Bradley Foundation beneficiary Charlie Sykes accuse two young women in Milwaukee of "recall fraud," even though both were well beyond voting age. Today we have this:

"[Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor] was, in fact, an accessory to one felon voting on April 5 when that individual, whenever that person was ineligible to vote under Wisconsin statutes," said Brian Sikma, a spokesman for Mequon-based Media Trackers.

Intentionally procuring, assisting, or advising someone to vote at any election if that person does not have the necessary elector qualifications is itself a felony. In other words, Mr. Sikma is accusing Sen. Taylor of committing a felony. Where's Sikma's evidence? He has none, because:

"At best, this is gross negligence that undermines the integrity of the election process," the Mequon-based Brian Sikma said.

Well, which is it? Negligence — "gross" or otherwise — denotes the absence of intent. So basically this character is accusing Sen. Taylor of a crime, but then he claims "at best" she didn't commit a crime. All of which is dutifully repeated, without any explanation, by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Apparently Brian Sikma doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, but he did manage to convince the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel to generate a headline referring to voter fraud "allegations."

What they don't tell you is there's no substance to any of these "allegations" and there's no such thing in Wisconsin as "negligently" assisting someone to vote, even if Sen. Taylor had anything to do with the voting at all, and indeed there are no facts presented supporting the proposition that she did have anything at all to do with the voting.

Suffice to say this is not exactly local journalism's finest moment.

And we have months more of this B.S. to look forward to, where you can accuse anybody of anything you want, without facts or argument.

Pathetic.

Wisconsin conservatives attack the homeless now

Incredible.

Is this the sort of thing that Governor Walker's "leadership" inspires?

eta: And guess who clambers aboard.

Meet Charlie Sykes's "fraudulent" petitioners

Accusations of recall fraud fall flat:

"I feel like it's bad because you're judging a book by its cover and you don't know anything about us," said Ms. Love, who is 20.

Got that right. They saw your picture. That's all they needed to know.

Where are the photos with ID cards? The JS article says the DPW provided them, but why not show them and let viewers/readers decide? Media Trackers — here's some video evidence, we'll give you our opinion and even put a ? in the title to make it clear we're not making factual claims. JS — here's a claim the Democrats are making. We believe it, therefore, we don't have to show you the supposed "proof" the Democrats provided.

Nice try, counselor, but your reckless desperation is showing.

That's former Mike Gableman clerk/current Rick Esenberg associate — at the latter's Bradley Foundation-funded Kulturkampf law boutique, incidentally — Tom Kamenick demanding the two young ladies relinquish their right to privacy and assume the burden of production. Seems to me the burden is on Charlie Sykes, Media Trackers, and their disciples and in that production they all of them failed rather spectacularly.

Full retraction and apology from Charlie Sykes in the morning, I'm sure.

Stellar work, you Bradley Foundation "intellectuals."

GOP would never use courts to implement policy

Never, ever. Only liberals would do a thing like that, don't you know.

Come to think of it I might even have learned that bit of common wisdom from somebody that the Bradley Foundation paid to say it.

Maybe one of its "intellectuals." Definitely one of its hypocrites.

Charlie Sykes, ex post facto equivocator

Journal Communications, Inc.'s marquee performing hominid Charlie Sykes has "updated" his website in acknowledgement of a few facts he'd deliberately ignored earlier. Claims the medium wave shouter: "As I said this morning, viewers are invited to reach their own conclusions."

But that certainly is not what he said on his website this morning. There he announced unequivocally, "Recall Fraud Captured on Videotape" and "This video speaks volumes about the tactics, the ethics, and the practices of the recall organizers." That's all. This clown is so full of it.

I'm told Charlie Sykes is actually taken seriously in certain quarters.

Oh look, Bradley Foundation "intellectual" lied?

In shocking Journal-Sentinel exposé:

[Conservatives questioned] whether someone under 18 has signed a petition to recall Scott Walker but Graeme Zielinski, spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, released photos of the two holding their IDs that say they are 20 and 22 years old.

And conservatives didn't merely "question," they accused.

Just a reminder that this is what Journal Communications, Inc. is using the publicly-owned radio frequency 620 kHz for — spreading political lies.

Meet your Bradley Foundation "intellectuals"

This is always good for a laugh.

More fraud accusations from Bradley "intellectuals"

Charlie Sykes — "Recall Fraud Captured on Videotape"

Can you see the "fraud"? Because I can't. False accusations of fraud are becoming a habit with the Bradley Foundation's stable of "intellectuals."

Pretty desperate already, they are. Not to mention wildly irresponsible.

Michael Grebe, a lawyer by both profession and temperament

Really. Well maybe he better look into what his beneficiaries are saying.

"Speaking of fraud, can WTMJ PLEASE stop airing the Right Size Smoothies ad?" — Charlie Sykes blog commenter CleoOne

Haha. Is consumer fraud paying Charlie Sykes's bills?

Wisconsin, meet your enemy

"In some way or another, most [local] conservatives, I guess, would have a connection to us," said Michael Grebe.

The Bradley Foundation.

Where Charlie Sykes is an "intellectual." rofl

Funnier still, the Bradley Foundation promotes "competent government," which apparently refers to powerful legislative committees chaired by the likes of Jim Ott, Mary Lazich, Leah Vukmir, and Glenn Grothman.

And their top attorney plays fast and loose with legal terms of art.

Nothing terribly "intellectual" about that either.

Recall Scott Walker: 105K signatures in four days

Heather DuBois Bourenane, a volunteer with United Wisconsin, announced that more than 105,000 signatures to recall Scott Walker have been collected in the first four days of the process.

435,000 to go, and 56 days.

Republicans angry Ozanne follows Republican law

Item: Dane County district attorney won't charge Facebook poster

Hey, if you don't like it, then stop electing Republican judges:

Some factors that courts and juries should consider when applying this test include, but are not limited to . . . whether [the threat] was communicated directly to its victim. — Jon P. Wilcox

Justice Wilcox was elected with the kind assistance of Mark "Banned From Politics" Block. His successor is WMC Justice Annette Ziegler.

Now here the threat was communicated directly to its victim.

When the governor was notified, he cranked out a form letter.

And they're pissed off at Ozanne? Get real.

Wing-nut treasurer misleads about recall petitions

Isn't that special. This character is a "constitutional officer."

Wisconsin treasurer Kurt Schuller tweeted some legal advice ...

And he's not a lawyer either. Got some real dandies over there folks.

Scott Walker cares deeply about your death threats

The first comment is the governor of Wisconsin's form letter response.

Disgraceful.

Sure Walker gets a lot of mail, but you'd expect the public relations geniuses who surround him to take note of a letter that begins, "Dear Scott Walker, Today I received a death threat to me and my family."

But no.

Do recalls cause the heartbreak of psoriasis?

Check out this laughably transparent, self-serving propaganda:

[R]ecall fever is sweeping Wisconsin politics ... and a top Republican wonders if the political turmoil is weakening the will of employers to expand.

Not coincidentally, the said "top Republican" is Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, who is getting recalled as we speak.

Organizers* announced they collected 50,000 recall petitions during the first 48 hours. They need about 540,000 signatures in 60 days. So expect to hear all manner of fabricated nonsense from Wisconsin Reporter and their WISGOP taskmasters for the next little while.

You remember Wisconsin Reporter, they pilfered the other party's documents. They are not journalists, they are a Republican front.

* Download a petition at this link. Do it for Wisconsin Reporter.

Chief Flynn doesn't care about #OWS protesters

"They can sit and freeze their butts off, I don't care."

As they discussed their options, a white van somehow skirted police barricades on the west end of the bridge and sped past, close to the demonstrators. Police halted the van on the other end of the bridge and arrested its driver. — Journal-Sentinel

Okay well he cares about them a bit.

Charlie Sykes wants WRTL charged also

Charlie Sykes petitions the Milwaukee County district attorney:

Will you be as zealous in commenting on promises to pay cash and/or other free inducements in return for signatures?

See, this is what I'm sayin'!

(The medium wave dissembler lives in Ozaukee County so apparently Scott Walker's* "tort reforms" included for wing-nut forum shopping.)

* Download a recall petition at the link. Do it for Charlie Sykes.

eta: Speaking of Charlie Sykes:

MKE alderman Bob Bauman said the number of streetcar opponents speaking Wednesday was "pretty pathetic," considering the volume of talk radio commentary against the project.

Poor Sykes is slipping since he singlehandedly elected David Prosser.

Madison doctors "openly engaged in fraud"

Comical:

One of the most amazing things was to see doctors openly engaged in — it's not too strong a word — fraud and justify it on the grounds of "social activism." — law professor Rick Esenberg

It's not too strong a word, he says. That was a baseless accusation when he made it in February and it remains a baseless accusation today:

Attorneys for the doctors stressed that there was no finding they issued any fake sick notes or engaged in fraudulent behavior.

We presume Rick Esenberg, being a professor of law, knows what fraud means and that it's a pretty serious accusation to make, especially with not one shred of support. But "fraud" was — and still is — the standard wing-nut refrain. What do they care that there was "no finding" of any fraudulent behavior. Funnier still is that a few months earlier, Esenberg had admonished Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate for mistakenly claiming that — of all people — Herman Cain's notorious chief of staff, Mark "Banned From Politics" Block had committed a crime.

Moreover Esenberg said Tate's comments "may themselves have legal consequences." As far as I'm aware, they didn't. And of course Mark Block is in all kinds of trouble these days, and his candidate is a liar.

Ladies and gentlemen, your conservative and fact-free Republicans.

Bomb thrower still celebrating Prosser election

Officers found that the rock was thrown just above a sign supporting the recall of Scott Walker. In addition, there was a note taped to the rock making reference to voting for last spring's Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Sore losers are common, derangedly obsessive sore winners much less so.

Walker: March showed disregard for my neighbors

Such as this neighbor?

People were signing recall petitions at a table set up in Cale Ziemer's driveway. His N. 68th St. home is a few houses from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's. — Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Sounds like a whole lot of them are pretty pleased.

eta: The Brawler debunks the obligatory Charlie Sykes horseshit.

Milwaukee gun enthusiast invites weapons charge

Interesting tale:

"My client very much believes she was within her rights," attorney Rebecca Coffee said. "But the issue remains unresolved — what effect does elimination of the unlawful transport [of a gun] statute have on the new concealed carry law? It's understandable that people want to know what's legal and what's not legal. There's some unresolved interpretation here."

And that's why the DA needs to charge Wisconsin Right to Life also.

What's the Treasurer of Wisconsin up to today?

Campaigning pretty hard for Scott Walker, from the looks of it.

On the public dime?

Jim Ott's critical thinking skills quote of the day

"Other people believe there's significant [voter] fraud. There's a lot of people that feel that there is." — Rep. Jim Ott, 11.15.11

That's a Wisconsin lawmaker justifying his Republican Party's photo ID law that will make it more difficult for more people* to exercise what Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack says is a First Amendment right. But the really sad thing is that's as good as their argument gets.

Ott went on to convict three individuals — who were named in the press but not charged with anything — of voter fraud with no evidence at all.

And this character is actually in charge of a legislative committee.

* Democratic-leaning demographics, not coincidentally.

Lester Pines explains how politics works

The issue is not about the Governor and the Legislature cutting spending. That would have been accomplished without trying to destroy or marginalize public employee unions. Governor Walker's attempt to do so was motivated by a desire to eliminate the main opponents of the political and social agenda of the [national] Republican Party, not to ensure that State and municipal budgets were balanced. Majority Leader Fitzgerald has acknowledged that. The opposition to Governor Walker derives from his gross political miscalculations that were caused by hubris. If a governor tries to eliminate his political opponents he must ensure that he is completely successful or they will come back to haunt him, just as the unions have done to Governor Walker. Like it or not, that is how politics works. — Lester Pines

On teh web: Lester Pines.

Scott Walker shuts down three Waukesha schools

"We have 25 schools," says a School District of Waukesha board member in a Scott Walker defense campaign video. But according to the district's website, "There are 28 schools in the district." Off to a flying start.

"Walker, he gave us options that reduced our biggest costs."

Schools!

Fitzgerald suddenly appalled at presidential politics

Big Fitz speculates:

"Is this going to be a fight that ultimately is going to be OK'd by the White House and is President Obama involved in it and really is this about Wisconsin being ground zero for the president?" Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said. "If you see 30, 40 million dollars dumped in, you know it's about presidential politics and not just about recalling Governor Walker." — WisPolitics

Perhaps Scott Fitzgerald has forgotten he revealed to Fox News in March that the WISGOP agenda was devoted to thwarting Obama's reelection chances in Wisconsin. Or else he hopes others have forgotten. In either event Sen. Fitzgerald certainly has no grounds to complain about it now.

After all, he started it. No crying towel for him.

Occupy Penny's Farm

Down On Penny's Farm — The Bently Boys

Wisconsin — Your recalls begin Tuesday

Ed Fallone: The Original Intent of the Recall Power

Great stuff, as usual, required reading from Prof. Fallone.

WISGOP warned us about election fraud

Little did we know it was planned by WISGOP disciples.

Will Scott Walker and his acolytes condemn these cheap tricks?

"Carried ... Fitz first."

Recall Senate Majority Leader Republican Scott Fitzgerald:

Scott Fitzgerald presided over at least two legislative sessions that we believe violated Wisconsin’s open meetings laws, and he coordinated the most egregious case of partisan gerrymandering our State has ever seen.

Yep.

Ron Johnson: "Pandering" to veterans

According to RoJo's very own guru, Jim DeMint.

Those crazy kids and their Twilight novels

Bound masochist draws the line after 299th puncture wound

Taste the whip ...

WISGOP to hold thorough public hearing today

Pretty much says it all.

Mark "Banned From Wisconsin Politics" Block lied

Shocking, I know. By the way, how the heck do you get banned from the most dishonest game in town (Wisconsin Supreme Court elections)?

That's quite the achievement.

"Officials of both parties have been threatened."

Then why is this story entirely about the Republican Scott Walker?

And lest we forget.

D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Quote of the Day

"We are obliged — and this might well be our most important consideration — to presume that acts of Congress are constitutional. Appellants have not made a clear showing to the contrary." — Seven-Sky a.k.a. Sevensky v. Holder

Better luck next time.

Recall Scott Walker, the Heathen

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil[*], neither also is it in them to do good.

— Jeremiah 10:2-5

* Debatable.

Herman Cain: The playlist

The Treniers — Uh Oh (Get Out Of The Car)

Newt you devious bastidge

What if the Cain Story Came from . . . Gingrich!

They'd be fools if they didn't

Scott Walker campaign donor forms Scott Walker recall committee

Always watch out for "earliest possible dates." Things happen on them.

In Walker's case, unlimited financial contributions.

"Loophole" WISGOP

Assume a man kills his wife in cold blood in the family home without witnesses. I suggest that a man who is willing to kill his wife is not squeamish about committing perjury. If he takes the stand and claims that he mistakenly thought she was an intruder, under AB 69, the jury must be instructed that he is presumed to have reasonably believed that force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself. The jury, in effect, is prevented from considering if his act was unreasonable. Although no prosecutor, judge, or defense attorney knows of a single case where a home owner has been criminally charged for shooting an intruder, each of us is sadly aware of many cases where spouses kill each other. This law erects a presumption in favor of abusive spouses. — The Section opposes Assembly Bill 69.

That's criminal defense lawyers who oppose it.

Not to put too fine a point on it ...

Wisconsin Special Session "Back to Work" A Shitstorm of Stupidity

Because sometimes you have to be blunt.

Nick Milroy for Governor

Why not?

Get thee behind me, Sen. Moulton

Recall on Sen. Terry Moulton (see comments)?

We remember him.

Leftist high-tech lynching of Herman Cain continues

Via notorious Democratic left-liberal muckrakers ... Pajamas Media.

What gets me is that the women at the center of the controversies are abiding by their non-disclosure agreements while Herman Cain is running around not-so-subtly disparaging them, although that may change soon.

Can you say "constructive waiver," Herman Cain?

Meanwhile Cain's popularity is soaring among the "Family Values" set.

Our Blocks are so much better than their Blocks

Working illegally in concert with a Supreme Court justice's campaign

Not surprisingly, a conservative Republican Supreme Court justice, who was fined $10,000. That court monitors attorneys' professional ethics.

Which may well be the darkest joke in the State.

Wilcox: Fined $10K
Ziegler: Public reprimand
Gableman: Violated two ethics provisions
Prosser: Under investigation

Although the theory of moral authority still works on paper, I suppose.

Clothing suggestion for #WIUnion protesters

Since signs are Verboten in the Wisconsin legislature's public galleries but concealed, loaded handguns are happily allowed, just wear one of these.

They can't have you arrested for that.

Assemblyman Robin Vos: Conflict of interest much?

Lawmaker's public bill could reduce lawmaker's own private legal bill

Amusingly, Robin Vos is the guy who wants to amend the constitution, restricting the right to recall politicians to ethical misdeeds in office.

Celebrating concealed carrying in Wisconsin

An off-duty officer was in front of the pretzel shop at Southridge Mall at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday when he reached in a pocket to get money for a purchase when his gun accidentally went off.

Yeehaw! And this is someone with presumably extensive firearms training. As of last Tuesday, now anybody with a couple hours' gun course can accidentally discharge their weapons at the shopping mall.

Wisconsin Republican refuses to break the law

And for this he gets his State Capitol office vandalized.

Citizens of Wisconsin! Jeremy is out of marijuana.

Unless I'm mistaken, Emily Mills is a credentialed member of the State Capitol press corps. While the First Amendment does not bind this tiny gaggle of "protesters," they invoke it often enough that they might want to consider its spirit, in particular its guarantee of a free press.

Last time Miles Kristan verbally accosted Emily Mills, dane101 took an ignore approach. Now that he ganged up on her again last night with Jeremy Ryan we aren't sure we can ignore him anymore. A Capitol officer had to step in and tell them to cool their jets. We're currently discussing options, perhaps legal options, because Miles is creating an unsafe atmosphere for Emily to do her job. He clearly has anger management issues and at some point he's going to physically hurt someone. — Jesse Russell

Via Blogging Blue (do watch the video clip).

Thanks, guys, for handing Steve Nass the occasion to declare victory.

That's some real strategic genius right there.

MacGyver lie mostly true, sez @PolitiFactWisc

Shorter PolitiFactWisc:

Teh MacGyverz claimed that a State employee contract provision "gave some employees $4 for bringing in their own lunch." Except the State employees do not get $4 just for bringing their lunch to work; the reimbursement applies only when they are required to eat while continuing to work through their lunch period.

MacGyver asserted claim X. X is false. Therefore, X is Mostly True.

Got it.

WISGOP cancels lawbreaking session

Senate Bill 268 Relating to: the initial applicability of 2011 Wisconsin Act 43 with respect to special and recall elections.
By Senators Lazich and Grothman; cosponsored by Representatives Pridemore and Thiesfeldt.

Note: This meeting has been cancelled.

It was to address its burdensome notary public requirement as well.

WISGOP lawbreaking delayed until tomorrow

Reports WisPolitics.

Sen. Lazich and friends held a committee hearing yesterday — although Lazich did most of the talking, alternating between witness and committee chair, and most of that talking was largely incoherent* — to discuss the immediate partial enforcement of Wisconsin's proposed electoral redistricting plan, which by law is not scheduled to take effect until November, 2012. Wisconsin has a bicameral legislature and according to State statute, each Senate district must be composed of three Assembly districts (there are 99 Assemblypersonages and 33 Senators). Lazich's initial proposal called for only the new Senate districts to take effect immediately but yesterday she raised the possibility of having only selected Senate districts take effect immediately, while all the Assembly districts wouldn't take effect until one year from now.

But any Senate district not composed of three Assembly districts would be illegal. Take Sen. Lazich's own district 28 (please!). It's composed of Assembly districts 82, 83, and 84. This is the case under the current districting and remains the case under the proposed redistricting. However the new Senate district 28 contains only most of old Assembly district 82, only most of old Assembly district 83, about half of old Assembly district 84, plus bits of old Assembly districts 7, 15, and 33.

Now I'm no mathematician, but that sure ain't three Assembly districts.

And unless I missed it, nobody at yesterday's hearing pointed that out.

* For example, Lazich said that in the event of an unsuccessful recall election, the subject incumbent would be immune from subsequent challenge for one year. In fact the subject incumbent would be immune for the rest of her term, which in the case of a State Supreme Court justice could be upwards of nine years. It seems to me that if Sen. Lazich wants to make alterations in the law, she might first familiarize herself with its provisions. That can't be too much to ask of a legislator.

Reince Priebus inadvertently tells the truth

"People are starved for [Scott Walker's] leadership." — R. Preibus

Walker Unveils His Wisconsin Food Stamp Starvation Scheme

Bice scoop had everything going for it but timing

Mark Block won't talk about the other Cain scandal — David Weigel

Koch Bros./"Tea Party" favorite Mark Block was "banned from politics" for three years for his role in running the election campaign of a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Jon P. Wilcox. What is it with conservative Republicans and Wisconsin Supreme Court elections?

It's a less than noble history. Justice Wilcox's successor, Justice Annette Ziegler, was imposed a public reprimand for 11 violations of the State code of judicial conduct. Next came the notorious Mike Gableman, and then the latest conservative Republican to face election, Justice David Prosser, is under investigation by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.

Justices. Of the Supreme Court.

Wing-nut quote of the day

Our blacks are so much better than their blacks. — Ann Coulter