Leah Vukmir, dope genius

"Shrill, uncompromising, ideological, and personally unpleasant."

— Milwaukee Magazine

Wisconsin lawmaker Leah Vukmir (R-Gilles Custard Stand), who is by her own admission smarter than U.S. Supreme Court Justices David Souter and Sonia Sotomayor combined, opposes efforts to make cannabis available to terminal cancer patients because it's "a ruse":

I think what I resent most is this facade that you are putting forth, using people who are dying of cancer or who have other illnesses as your shield. I think it's nothing more than a ruse for you to move towards full legalization of marihuana.

The bill, said the legislator, "is part of a secret plot to legalize recreational marihuana." Which she personally resents. The most.

Of course this is exactly the sort of nonsense one expects from conservative Republicans, but Vukmir is also a registered nurse.

In a letter to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Commander of the Waukesha County Metropolitan Drug Unit agreed with Rep. Vukmir, and claimed the devil weed "is a marginal painkiller at best."

Remove all the unsubstantiated qualifiers and you're left with "painkiller," which is what Nurse Vukmir prefers to deny terminal cancer patients, based on her own personal resentments.

'Sanction not this palliative, on account of these idiosyncratic political phantasies that I harbor,' Vukmir is in essence saying.

Last night I happened across a teevee commercial for Cymbalta, a drug for clinical depression, which is debilitating for many people, but is not quite terminal cancer.

Severe liver problems, sometimes fatal, have been reported.

So there is one legal pharmaceutical that can kill you — even in prescribed doses — whereas the main side effect of marijuana is said to be a heightened awareness of the Ren & Stimpy soundtrack.

And now the paranoiac ravings of Leah Vukmir, who has scheduled no hearings on the hepatic mortifications of Cymbalta nor any other considerably more dangerous yet currently legally available drugs.

On the other hand, Rep. Vukmir believes terminal cancer patients have a constitutional right to keep and bear submachine guns and surface-to-air missiles up and down the Avenues of Manhattan.

But they must not be allowed to smoke a joint to help alleviate their suffering. Who said compassionate conservatism went out with Bush.

Or that elected Republicans are devoted to liberty.

The Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics

The Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics is holding a public hearing this morning at 10:30. Among the agenda items is a proposal to make Chief Justice an elected position (currently it's awarded by seniority).* As there are four conservative Republicans on the Supreme Court, which is composed of seven justices, it's obvious what the resolution's sponsors are up to. For some reason Republicans harbor an intense dislike for the present Chief Justice, Shirley Abrahamson, and would like to see her replaced.** Ironically, three of those four Republicans have had their problems pursuant to the conjunction of "judiciary" and "ethics." Justice Annette Ziegler was publicly reprimanded for violating ethics guidelines. Justice David Prosser is now the subject of a Wisconsin Judicial Commission investigation concerning allegations he was involved in a physical altercation with one of his colleagues. And then of course there is Mike Gableman, the poster boy for Wisconsin's code of judicial ethics, which Gableman believes unconstitutionally abridges his First Amendment right to defamation.

Here's hoping someone raises these issues at today's hearing.

The resolution's partisan sponsors are pretty much asking for it.

* Among the resolution's sponsors is Senator Leah Vukmir, who called Justice Sonia Sotomayor and former Justice David Souter "dim bulbs."

Most lawyers can only aspire to be so dim. Funny thing is, Justice Souter wrote a watershed opinion*** a few years ago, which Vukmir has most likely never even heard of, raising the bar for prospective civil plaintiffs. In other words, it acts as a heightened guarantee against the "frivolous suits" that Leah Vukmir et al are otherwise so fond of bellyaching over.

So you tell me who's the dim bulb in this array. It ain't David Souter.

** Probably because she's brilliant, and this necessarily offends them.

*** I understand citations to it broak teh Lexis-Nexis, as the kids say.

Local paper discovers another law professor

One who's actually examined Sonia Sotomayor's record.

In contrast to the one committed instead to rehearsing conservative Republican talking points and implying — not only without any evidence but against all evidence — that Judge Sotomayor is unable to separate her personal views from the process of judging, and that Sotomayor will get on an activist breakaway once she's freed from the constraints of the lower district and appellate courts.

Sotomayor's primary transgressions? She's too honest, too candid.

It could be worse, I suppose, and it will surely get worse beginning on July 13, when Sonia Sotomayor faces a gaggle of Republican Senators who don't even know what "fundamental right" means and pretend to be oblivious to the Militia Clause of the Second Amendment.

Prediction: If and when the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the Second Amendment restricts State and local governments, Associate Justice Sotomayor will be among the majority* and conservative Republican avatar Clarence Thomas will dissent.

* Assuming the Court accepts one or more of the currently percolating cases in which Judge Sotomayor did not participate.

Coming soon: Leah Vukmir believes Sonia Sotomayor is pretty "dim" and moreover, is hostile to the constitutional right of illegal aliens to keep and bear submachine guns and surface-to-air missiles.

Joe the Plumber, McIlheran share highest awards

AFP will honor SE Wisconsin's Edward R. Murrow of hyperlinking

To the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's political calumnist and perennial laughingstock Patrick McIlheran, goes a Teabag Pulitzer.

Sadly, Mr. McIlheran was passed over for the Nobel Prize in Dendrochronology. McIlheran is to receive his distinguished award from a fellow constitutional scholar, Wisconsin State lawmaker Leah Vukmir, who famously pronounced United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor even dimmer than David Souter.*

Patrick McIlheran, a.k.a. "Mr. Science," is the gold standard bearer for the conservative Republican intelligentsia in Milwaukee.

Earlier: Plumber don't owe John McCain sheeit.

* If this is dim, then I don't want to be smart.

Then why didn't Leah Vukmir just deny it?

What's known in the trade as "blowing smoke":

A nonpartisan legislative attorney said the request could be denied for being too broad in scope. — Agent MacGyver

An intriguing narrative from Cory Liebmann.

"At some point, an overly broad request becomes sufficiently excessive to warrant rejection pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1)(h)." State ex rel. Gehl v. Connors, 2007 WI App 238, ¶ 24.

Given David J. Gehl's extraordinary series of increasingly sweeping open records requests, it's difficult to conceive of Mr. Liebmann's request as having attained anything even approaching that point.

Wing-nut jurisprude goes off message

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was in MKE tonight ...

Long after Obama is out of office we'll have to live with the intellectual lightweights he (Kohl and Feingold) appointed to the Supreme Court. Introducing Kagen ...

Can't even spell her name.

You know what's funny is the most articulate recommendation and support for Justice Kagan's nomination came from Miguel Estrada, who not too long ago was the wing-nut juridical hero par excellence.

And there is Justice Kagan chatting with Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge and legendary conservative constructionist Frank Easterbrook. Think he thinks Kagan is an "intellectual lightweight"?

Doubt it.

By the way, Wisconsin State Senator Leah Vukmir pronounced former Associate Justice David Souter "dim" and then Obama's other appointee to the Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "even dimmer."

Perhaps a debate could be arranged. So, evidently these views are shared not just among anonymous online conservative Republicans but voiced and encouraged by their elected political leaders.

Good to know. Especially on July 12.

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.

Scott Walker would regulate his own recall

Two fine accounts of Tuesday's disturbing committee hearing, which was chaired by State Senator Leah Vukmir, who is known primarily at this space for having declared former and current Justices of the United States Supreme Court David Souter and Sonia Sotomayor "dim bulbs."

Version the longer, by Rebecca Kemble

Version the shorter, by Steve Hanson

♫ Let the Eeeagle Scout soar . . . ♪

A message from the 14th Ass. District

Thanks to George H.W. Bush for not only giving us the dim-glow of Justice Souter, but for appointing his even dimmer successor to the bench.

— Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa)

What, no thanks for Clarence Thomas?

h/t Heartland Hollar.

"Collective bargaining will not be taken away."

State Sen. Leah Vukmir lies to citizens last night.

Why should people sit there and be lied to?

"Let's shut up and let her talk." — F. James Sensenbrenner.

Note the ruckus doesn't erupt until the two Republicans flee.

More:

It seemed the elected officials just didn’t like the line of questioning and were on the defensive from the start.

Poor dears.