Walker secretly declares Jan. 22 Anti-Choice Day, in a backalley where no one can see him

That's right.  It seems that Scott Walker has declared Jan. 22 Anti-Choice Day (behind the backs of the people of Wisconsin, in a backalley where no one can see him)

According to Right to Life Wisconsin, on Jan. 7, 2013 (inaugural day of the legislative term here in Wisconsin), Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed a proclamation declaring Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 (the anniversary of Roe v. Wade) "Protect Life Day:" 

The proclamation, which caught the attention of the indefatigable Rebecca Kemble when it showed up on the Wheeler Report on Friday, Jan. 17 in a Wisconsin Right to Life press release, seems to have first appeared here, on the conservative Catholic website of Doug Lawrence where it was posted by a "Robert K."  There is no mention of it that I can find, anywhere, between these dates.

The proclamation itself is an outrage: it opens with the bold-faced lie that Roe v. Wade made abortions "legal for any reason during the full nine months of pregnancy" and continues on to cite some spurious and uncited statistics about the numbers of "unborn children lost to Wisconsin families."

The entire proclamation is basically a statement indicating that neither the law of the land nor the rights, health and safety of Wisconsin women  are of any significance or concern to the governor.

You'd think official proclamations would make the"news." I don't see it. Do you?

This, of course, is offensive enough. But what is really disturbing is the fact that - if this is for real (and it's almost hard to believe it is) - Scott Walker seems to have tried to push this through as secretly as possible, presumably in the hopes of avoiding massive protests on the 22nd.  No where does such a January 7th proclamation show up on his website, in his news releases, in his list of official proclamations, or in the Wheeler Report archive. The Executive Orders page doesn't show anything more recent than 1/4/13. And his office, strategically, is not open to address the issue.

Is it possible the governor only released a proclamation - issued for and on behalf of the entire citizenry of the state - to special interests groups?  If so, is that even legal?

Does our governor truly have so little respect for his constituents and the dignity of his office that he would  allow a special interest group to make his proclamation public on the Friday of a holiday weekend, knowing no one from his or any other office could respond before the actual day of the proclamation - Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013?  

Was this really orchestrated to prevent the backlash and counterprotest that will surely erupt when the state and the nation discovers that this brazenly anti-choice proclamation has been issued in our name?

On the anniversary of a ruling which cemented the rights of women to take ownership of their reproductive health, our governor has issued a proclamation declaring his total disregard for our rights.  And he has, apparently, done so as he does all things: in the most weaselly way he can.

Many thanks to Rebecca Kemble for bringing this to our attention.  I hope it gets the attention of people who care about upholding the laws that protect our rights everywhere.

Update: Click here for more details in Rebecca Kemble's report. 

Update 2 1/22/13 9:25 am: The Governor's office just confirmed to me that he DID sign this proclamation and that it should have been make public on the Executive Orders page of his website. It is not there. The most recent posting is from 1/4. This proclamation was willfully withheld from the public and issued only to special interest groups, presumably to avoid controversy.

Call Scott Walker's office today at (608) 266-1212 to let him know what you think of his brazen declaration against women's rights to reproductive choice by declaring today, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to be "Protect Life Day." 

According to the Governor's office, the proclamation was signed on Jan. 7, 2013 and should have been part of the public record here.  You can see that the most recent post is 1/4/2013.  Why was this proclamation withheld from the public? How did the special interest groups know about it?  Wisconsin citizens have been duped.

 

One year later: Recalling the Recall

17 January 2013

Dear Solidarifriends,

Today is an important anniversary for Wisconsin.

One year ago today, it was just about this cold and this sunny when we delivered over a million signatures to the GAB.  The energy in the air in Madison that day was thrilling: seeing the results of our combined efforts, our shared concerns, our mutual frustrations and fears, so neatly boxed up and presented to the government was a symbol of the possibility of civic action, the real power of democracy.  It was a day that gave us hope not just in each other and the power of working together, but in the possibilities of dissent, the possibilities of working within the system to ensure that our government is truly of, by, and for, the people.

Mike Tapia

When thousands gathered at the Monona Terrace to celebrate, the diversity and range of people present was staggering: I talked to northwoods housewives and Madison lawyers. Farmers, small business owners, professors and artists.  Trade workers and students. Retirees and librarians. Unemployed parents and a couple of people so wealthy you almost wondered why they were lefties. And tons and tons of teachers, every one of whom always says the same thing: this was never about the money. It's about making sure our schools work. Making sure we're allowed to teach.   It was a humbling, gratifying, exhilarating day, and one I will never forget.  When I was asked to be one of the people who held up a zero in the 1,000,000 that was brought out on stage to announce that we had met and exceeded our signature collection goal, I felt supremely honored.  My face hurt from smiling the next day. And when I asked some of those people to share their stories, I was humbled to receive entry after entry cataloging the myriad reasons regular people volunteered in this effort.  "Democracy in a Box: Stories from Wisconsin" is probably the best thing that ever came out of this blog, next to the Brian Williams letter, I guess.

What happened next, as we all know, was less exhilarating.  Almost immediately, the partisan politicking began and with the initial goal checked off our list, the momentum died down a bit as we waited out democracy to see where the recall election would lead us, waited til it was time to go knock on doors to get out the vote (which we did - and how!).  There was debate about candidates, debate about process, a sense of urgency and excitement to get to the election.  But mostly there was the bottomless coffer of out-of-state funds against which we were ultimately powerless.  We did our best. We lost. We learned.  

I always joke that while I play an optimist in my capacity as a community organizer, I'm a pessimist at heart, but it's true. I don't have a particularly rosy view of the state of political affairs or our hopes for changing them, which is why I fight so hard.  (It's also why I'm not a Democrat, but we can save that debate for a different post.)

But I can honestly say that even though we lost the recall election, we made significant victories in building solidarity, awareness, and networks of committed people who are now working locally together to move their communities forward, keep them informed, and do what they can to protect them from the draconian assault on the public good that is the corporatist agenda. We sent a message to Wisconsin and the rest of the country that, if nothing else, we need to speak up, speak out, and act, when those that have been entrusted the power to serve us all are so blatantly coerced into serving the few.

It's been quite a year.  And a year well-spent.  With victories well-earned and defeats well-learned.

Let's use those lessons to take even more productive actions as the Governor and his supermajority reveal their next budget.  Let's speak out together to support fair funding for our schools, to protect our environment and respect our treaties with the people who were here first, fight for full implementation of federal healthcare benefits that will help Wisconsin families get the medical treatment they need, ensure that our civil and constitutional rights are being upheld that we remain free to petition our government at our Capitol without being harassed, intimidated or subject to unconstitutional rules of "decorum." Let's use these lessons in the April 4 elections to ensure that our Supreme Court regains some semblance of dignity and justice and that we make sure every parent and every citizen in the state knows what's at stake in the race for Superintendent of Education.  Let's take our local races seriously and do whatever we can to make sure that the people who hold local office - whatever their personal politics - work to represent the interests of all constituents, not a partisan agenda.

Citizen action works.  Let's work together.

Happy Anniversary.

Forward!
Heather

Walker's State of the State: It's Not Working

Tonight, a week after the US Bureau of Labor ranked Wisconsin #42 in job growth, Scott "Fundraising IS Governing" Walker made his third State of the State address. I was working, so I didn't see it live, but I just got done reading the transcript here.

State of the State.   
Photo by Wendi Kent. Truth-telling by OLB.

Where to begin?

It was the usual fare, and a much-recycled speech, but it did have some lowlights.

Perhaps the low point is where he implied he "quit" college because he was offered a job to work full time.

Or when he says how great it is that the tech colleges "saved millions" by finding new ways to ensure faculty don't earn a living wage.

Or when he bragged about putting money in the "rainy day" fund two years in a row while Wisconsin kids are seeing cut after cut after cut to essential programming at their schools.

Or when he pretends that "rewarding" schools with money based on tests scores will do anything more than serve the kids already lucky enough to live in thriving districts, and take even more money away from the kids who need it most.

Or when he had the unconscionable nerve to take credit for the fully-funded pension fund he's been trying since day one to get his hands on.

Or maybe it was when he implied that the recall was the reason for no jobs.

Or when he made a bunch of excuses for no jobs, then said "but we don't make excuses....we get results." (Those results, of course, being no jobs).

Or his droning about "skilled workers...skilled workers...skilled workers" to once again imply that those currently out of work somehow lack the "skills" needed by employers - a claim for which anyone has yet to provide any proof (as Rebecca Kemble has demonstrated many times over).

Or when he called out by name the unemployed union workers he staged around him to give the impression labor supports his disastrous policies or job-halting measures.

But I think for me it was when he said this:

"Simply put, it is about helping improve the lives of 250,000 more families in Wisconsin.
You see, adding a new job is about more than just a number. Every time another job is created, and a new employee is hired, it means that another family has someone working in their household. For many, that means fewer worries about putting bread on the table or clothes on the backs of their kids—or even making the mortgage payment on the house."

What kind of nerve does he have talking about improving the quality of life for those hundreds of thousands of us who are working multiple jobs and not earning a  living wage?  Who are eligible for BadgerCare but categorically denied coverage?  Who struggle under reduced hours and smaller appointments but are, as of the new year, in Round Two of increased payroll deductions?

At Madison College and UW-Madison (the tech schools and universities he brags about in his address) I see it all the time: skilled, overqualified, public workers who cannot afford to make ends meet.  Professionals with PhDs who have university appointments and qualify for FoodShare.  Dedicated professionals trying to cobble together a living wage with multiple jobs while working toward degrees and "putting bread on the table and clothes on the back of their kids."  The mortgage?  A luxury item! "Foreclosure" echoes in the hallways. And these skilled professionals already HAD the jobs!  Here he is blustering again about 250,000 jobs when Wisconsin is 42nd in job creation and sinking, and implying that the right-to-work style, low-wage, no-benefit jobs he's been courting are going to do anything to "help improve the lives" of Wisconsin families.

These stories aren't unique. They aren't even interesting anymore.  Nothing Walker said tonight was new or interesting, either.  It's just an embarrassment and a disgrace. The failed policies of Scott Walker and his divide and conquer pandering to those who only profit from the demise of our public systems have failed all of us.  I stand, once again, ashamed in the face of his arrogance.

 I'm glad I taught tonight (thanks, common-sense scheduling solutions!) and didn't have to watch this live.  And I'm glad that this agony is tempered by having read this. And then read it again. And again.  It's funny because it's true. My deepest thanks to Giles Goat Boy for the spoonful of sugar to help this bitter pill go down.

Letter to the WI DNR: Don't make our parks "open until closed" to hunting and trapping

You might see traps soon in all but 2 of Wisconsin's state parks. Image.

On December 12, 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource will discuss agenda item 3B1,  a proposal to make our state parks "open until closed" to hunting - a sharp turn from the "closed until open" policy that have kept our parks open to the public year-round, and a provision made possible by the passage of the 2011 Wisconsin Act 168.

Act 168 allows hunting, fishing and trapping (watch out kids!) in state parks. The official deadline for registering to testify at the hearing or submit written testimony was Dec. 11 at 4:00pm, but it's never too late to speak up and spread the word.  The meeting starts at 8:30am at Rm. G09, State Natural Resources Bldg. (GEF 2), 101 S. Webster St., Madison WI 53703.

Below is the letter I submitted as testimony. I hope many others did the same and know that both hunters, cyclists, and nature enthusiasts oppose the proposal for many and various reasons, not least is the increased liability to hunters and the increased danger to others enjoying the parks.

To:
Laurie J. Ross, Board Liaison
Office of the Secretary
Laurie.Ross@wisconsin.gov
608-267-7420
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707-7921

Dear Ms. Ross:

Please accept the following as formal testimony for your hearing on item 3B1 on the December 11, 2012 agenda (plan for management of hunting, fishing & trapping in Wisconsin State Parks in accordance with 2011 Wisconsin Act 168).

I do not support agenda item 3B1 because I believe it poses a direct and dangerous threat to both human life and the wildlife in our parks and unfairly relinquishes our beautiful parks to hunters at the expense of the thousands of families and individuals who enjoy them year-round. 

By making our parks "open until closed" to hunting, you make them "open to hunters and closed to the public."  I would not even consider visiting a park for hiking (as we often do now) knowing it was open for hunting.  This is patently unfair. 

Our parks are our greatest resource and the source of pride and recreational opportunity for all of us. 

I vehemently opposed opening the parks to unlimited hunting and will be forced to seek recreation elsewhere if this item passes, thus disenfranchising me from a public resource my taxes pay to protect.

Please choose wisely to protect our wildlife and safe, pristine parks that are a part of our heritage and tradition.  In this latter respect, I implore you to take seriously the call of two of our most exemplary defenders of the Wisconsin wild:

"Now, it never seems to occur to these far-seeing teachers that Nature's object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each one of them, not the creation of all for the happiness of one. Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation? And what creature of all that the Lord has taken the pains to make is not essential to the completeness of that unit - the cosmos? The universe would be incomplete without man; but it would also be incomplete without the smallest transmicroscopic creature that dwells beyond our conceitful eyes and knowledge."  - John Muir

“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching- even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” - Aldo Leopold

The passage of Act 168 does not render ethical the wholesale release of our parks to special interests.  Please make the decision that both protects our parks and keeps them safe for all Wisconsinites.  Do not make our parks "open until closed" to hunting.

Thank you,

Heather DuBois Bourenane

Sun Prairie

Walker's Confidences: John Doe vs the Hill Billy

Governor Walker, still enjoying his prolonged state of pre-indictment,  has been making many sweeping claims these days, but none so forcefully as his two proudest points of alleged confidence:

1. He is "confident" that he is not the subject of the John Doe investigation, and that it ends with the plea deal recently reached with his long-time aide Tim Russell. ("Pure conjecture," said the judge. "The case is still open."  This is his "I'm not a crook" moment, say the rest of us.). 
2. He is "confident" that Gogebic Taconite (GTAC), the Cline Group-owned Florida firm seeking to extract iron from the Penokee Hills of Wisconsin, will return to the "open for business" table now that the Republican Senate majority has been restored. Who will be the "judge" on this claim?  Will it be the people of Wisconsin, who continue to speak out against this plan? Or will it be Walker and his political cronies?  Looks like it's time to speak up again, and people are taking out their pens.

The Wisconsin Citizen's Media Cooperative has posted a wonderfully open letter from one of our friends in the north, calling the governor out on his ploy of creating a false and unwarranted sense of alarm about the "urgency" of mining the Penokees "before it's too late" and the out-of-state extracteers and potential campaign contributers at GTAC lose interest.  The ore's not going anywhere, says "Hill Billy:"

"...turns out that there is no defined ore body in the Penokees, according to the lack of property taxes being paid. Maybe that’s why it appears that we need to rush Mr. Cline’s laws into legislation; the ore body can’t be missed when it was never there to begin with. If that’s the case, Governor, then may we please have your permission to go back down to code orange on the eco-terrorist threat scale now?"

Read the full letter ("No Signs of Iron Ore Body Leaving Wisconsin") here.  Seriously, read it. It's so good.

There's a hearing  on mining regulations scheduled for this morning (Thurs. Nov. 29 at 10:30).  Public comment, however, is always mandatory to the success of democracy and can be delivered any time.  Send yours to:

Governor Scott Kevin Walker  govgeneral@wisconsin.gov 

Members of the Senate Committee on Mining:

Senator Tim Cullen, Chair, Sen.Cullen@legis.wisconsin.gov 
Senator Robert Jauch,  Sen.Jauch@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Jon Erpenbach, Sen.Erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Jim Holperin, Sen.Holperin@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator John Lehman, sen.lehman@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Dale Schultz, Sen.Schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Mary Lazich,  Sen.lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Robert Cowles, Sen.Cowles@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Chris Larson (Democratic Minority Leader) Sen.Larson@legis.wisconsin.gov

One very good question - raised by the ever-vigilant Rebecca Kemble - you might ask them is why Governor Walker's cronies and those with conflict of interest ties to the project are being trusted to assess the impact and feasibility of this mining when exhaustive analysis of these impacts have been published just this year (see the 2012 report: Sulfide Mining Regulation in the Great Lakes Region).  As Kemble notes, "Why mining industry flack Tim Sullivan and their expensive PR campaign is given a privileged position in this discussion when there has already been an extensive analysis of mining laws in the Great Lakes region is very telling."  The well-documented negative environmental impacts of the project, coupled with a relentless push to lower standards and cut corners on regulations, have been the bane of the efforts since day one.

While the mining project is promoted by Walker et al as a chance to bring much-needed "jobs" to the region, GTAC has been unable to demonstrate that a significant number of local jobs would actually be created, or that local economies would be positively impacted by the intrusion of mining initiatives.  The evidence, in fact, seems to point to minimal job creation and even less economic stimulation, due in part to increasingly automated mining practices.  Read more here on how mining creates fewer jobs than they want us to think.

Click here for source of this lovely image and more on the struggle of local residents, including, most vocally, members of the Bad River Band (whose chair, Mike Wiggins, Jr., calls the Penokees "unmineable"), to stop efforts to mine the Penokee region. 
Click here to learn why the first attempt at a mining bill was defeated.

Call to Wisconsin Legislators: Reinvest in Public Education

In recent weeks, Scott Walker has been bragging left and right that education will be his "laser focus" for the next biennial budget (having stripped his promise of creating 250,000 jobs from his website and moved on to new things, I suppose), and we all know what he means by "education reform:"  CUTS to public funds for public ed and INCREASES in public funding to education privatization ventures.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Superintendent of Education, Tony Evers, has launched a campaign for both reelection and support of his own proposal for reform in education funding, a program he calls "Fair Funding for Our Future."  This plan, in conjunction with "A Penny for Kids," which proposes a one-cent sales tax increase to directly support public education, could restore school funding to a level that ensures success for all students. The Institute for Wisconsin's Future, with the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools, has put out a call to action:

Now it’s time to do your part. Supt. Evers’ plan won’t find easy sailing in the Capitol, despite the devastation of recent cuts and the desperation of many school districts. You can help the cause by contacting your legislators and telling them to get on board.
If you don’t know who represents you─or how to contact them─click here. Tell them you expect them to sign onto and support “Fair Funding for Our Future.” Don’t forget to let them know you expect them to do the right thing and will hold them accountable in the next election.
In addition to asking legislators to support “Fair Funding for Future,” don’t forget to tell them they need to work equally as hard for “A Penny for Kids,”  a one-cent increase in the state sales tax for our public school kids and their classrooms.

I'm taking this call very seriously. Below is the letter I sent today to my own representatives; I sent a revised version of the same letter to Governor Walker and every State Senator. and I encourage everyone who cares about fair funding for public education to do the same. Feel free to borrow from or copy/paste my letter when writing to your own legislators, or use the suggestions here for more ideas.  Click here to find contact info for your representatives. Be sure to include your full name and contact information when you send your letter.

The time to stand up for public education in Wisconsin is NOW!  Speak up in support of a budget that refunds our schools, promotes quality public education for ALL of our children, and moves Wisconsin forward!

------------------------------

15 November 2012

Dear Senator Miller and Representative Hebl,

Congratulations to both of you on your reelection! I was thrilled to see how resoundingly our neighbors agree that you have both served our community extremely well and I thank you for your continued service and commitment to diligent representation of all the citizens in our district - not just those with whom we are politically aligned.  I have so much respect for your willingness to put community and principle before party and to stand up for working families and members of our communities who are struggling.

With the elections behind us now, I wanted to take time to write to you about the issue that is of the most importance to me personally moving forward: education policy and "reform." 

In recent weeks, Governor Walker has loudly promised (perhaps threatened is a better word) to prioritize education "reform" in his second biennial budget, but we know from his first budget that "reform" is just code for massive cuts and the steady transfer of public funds to privatizing ventures like voucher programs, virtual schools, and for-profit charters.  We have already seen the impacts of the first round of his "reforms:" $792 million in cuts to public education and (illegal) stripping of the rights of public employees, including educators, that have left many of our schools floundering,  So I am first and foremost concerned about the Governor's budget, and am counting on you to stand strong not just for our district but for all those districts who fared less well on the new "school report cards" and who, with less support school boards, have seen draconian cuts to essential programming and heart-breaking lows in teacher and staff morale.  This is not a healthy learning environment for our kids, and it is not - as history and education experts have proven - the road to creating successful graduates ready to enter the workforce and move our economy forward.  It is hurting our schools and forcing districts to make unconscionable choices about which essential programs they have to cut.

With that in mind, I encourage you to fully support Superintendent of Education's "Fair Funding for our Future" plan.  This plan is a good start in restoring the funding that has been gutted from our schools, but more importantly for ensuring that ALL Wisconsin students are funded at a level that ensures a quality education - regardless of where they live, how much money their parents make, or how well their school did on the yet-to-be-proven-useful "report cards."  Dr. Evers' plan accounts for low family income, the dire situations facing many of our rural communities, and those large districts that have few students.  The plan puts a human face on education funding, and rejects the inhumanity off Walker's so-called "reforms" that pit low-income neighborhoods against wealthier districts and penalizes our most vulnerable students.

I hope therefore that you will sign on as supporters of Dr. Evers' "Fair Funding" reform, but I don't believe that is enough.  Simply restoring funding cannot repair the damage that has been done to our education system through decades of cut-based "reforms."  We need to make a significant reinvestment in public education to ensure our kids graduate ready for work or college and ready to serve our communities as responsible citizens. 

For this reason, I also encourage you to support "A Penny for Kids," an initiative of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools.  It proposes a one-cent sales tax increase that would go ensure that all of our schools are funded fairly and that every student has an equal opportunity for academic success.  The 2011-2013 budget paralyzed districts by revoking their autonomy in choosing to use local property taxes to make up for losses in state aid: the budget actually makes it illegal for districts to choose to increase school funding through their taxes once the limit has been reached. Despite the Governor's empty talk of promoting local control of local economies and providing "tools" for districts to use, the state has created a crisis of funding for our schools that can only be solved by either restoring local rights to raise their property tax levies, or by restoring these funds through other means.  "A Penny for Kids" is a fair way to do just that, and would not unfairly tax districts who have already been disproportionately disadvantaged by the previous budgets.

I ask that you take time to learn more about this program, and sign on in support of "A Penny for Kids."

Thanks again to both of you for your service and commitment to our kids!

Best,
Heather

Happy Constitution Day! Guest post by Callen Harty

On Reading the Constitution Day (or Wisconsin Irony Day)  

by Callen Harty

Originally published on September 17, 2012 at A Single Bluebird.

Thanks to Callen for reposting here.

September 17, 2012

Dear Governor Walker,

I will be stopping by the Wisconsin Capitol again this afternoon as I have done almost every day since March of 2011 to sing four verses of “We Shall Overcome” in the rotunda.  But because last week you declared today “Read Your Constitution Day” I am also bringing a copy of the Bill of Rights to read after I sing, and I may break out in a rendition of the national anthem after that if I have any voice left.  I so appreciate the Constitutions of both the United States and Wisconsin that grant me the right to speak openly about my government and my feelings about it that I felt it would be appropriate to take advantage of your designated day to offer more than my usual song.

After I am done I plan on stopping by your office to give you the copy of the Bill of Rights from which I will read.  I am presuming in advance that despite living almost 50 of my 55 years in Wisconsin that I have still not accumulated enough wealth to be allowed into your office to see you in person, so I am writing this letter to thank you for your declaration to honor the Constitution.  I want to hand deliver it because my previous letters haven’t received any kind of serious response, unless you count automatically generated replies serious, so I can only guess that someone else is opening them and not passing them on to you.

I’ll let that go for now because the point of this letter is to thank you for your declaration.  In an age where all of your fellow Tea Party patriots firmly believe that the President of the United States is trying to overturn the Constitution and the rights it grants all of us I believe that a day to recognize the importance of the Constitution is a great idea.  While I don’t believe that President Obama intends to undo the foundation of our country I am concerned about certain things like indefinite detention and attempts to limit speech and peaceable assembly.

It is difficult to consider that either my President or my Governor would intentionally undermine or ignore the rights or the will of the people.  Still, I have concerns.  One of the reasons I wanted to give you a copy of the Bill of Rights is because I am afraid that perhaps you are only reading the Constitution as it was originally written and don’t understand that the Bill of Rights is actually considered part of the Constitution.  If you weren’t aware of it, it is really the first ten amendments to the Constitution (and there are many others after those first ten) and all of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are valid and are legally considered part of the Constitution.

I know that you believe the Second Amendment is important because I have seen how you have paid special attention to it for your friends in the National Rifle Association (NRA).  They are incredibly lucky they have so much money that they can give to you to help raise your awareness.  I can only hope that my simple letter may help you realize that other parts of the Bill of Rights are equally important.  I feel bad that you didn’t know this and that somewhere in your years of educational pursuits you didn’t come across it.  When you read it (or have someone read it for you) you may be shocked to discover that in Wisconsin and in all of the United States citizens have the right of free speech.  We can legally protest our government, hold signs that mock the government, and more.  We have the right to gather in groups—as long as it’s peaceful—so that we can bring our concerns right to the heart of government.  And that’s all just in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, along with freedom of the press and prohibitions on the establishment of religion by governments and protections for those who want to practice their own religions.  It is no wonder we consider ourselves the greatest country in the world, as these are incredible promises.

Clearly, the founding fathers of Wisconsin agreed with the importance of these rights so much that they were enshrined in our own State Constitution.  As citizens of the great state of Wisconsin we have protections of these rights from both our state and federal governments.  As you know (I’m presuming again), a significant part your job, if not the most important, is to uphold the Constitution.  I’m sure that’s one of the reasons that you are encouraging all citizens to read it, so that we, too, can do our best to honor it.  I believe that I do that regularly when I show up at the Capitol to express my point of view through the free speech granted in both Constitutions under which I live and I am really glad to know that you appreciate that.

Thank you again for drawing attention to the Constitution and to the rights it guarantees.  It is too easy as a society for us to forget that we live under a government that was designed to be of, by, and for the people and that our leaders are employed by us.  This reminds us that it is not only our right, but our duty, to make sure the rights granted remain ours as long as this state and country shall endure.

Sincerely,
Callen Harty

9/11: On memory and messaging

Dear friends,

I am a reluctant observer of 9/11, whose tragedy came hand-in-hand with a jingoistic and racist fervor that had direct negative impacts on my multicultural family and changed the tenor of American politics forever for the worse. 

I remember exactly where I was when I heard that the Towers had been attacked: I was stopping for a coffee on my way to Arabic class. I remember my friend completely distraught in class, shaking scared as she raced back home so she could be next to the phone to receive news from her family in New York. I remember a heady confusion of shock, tears, anger, concern, hope, pride, and solidarity as people all over the world came together in sympathy and support.  I remember the shockingly immediate negative reactions of suspicion, distrust, and even hatred that I saw right here in Wisconsin, and all over the country. I remember my disgust at how the tragedy was exploited into war-mongering. I remember how within weeks if you didn't plaster American flags all over your car, yourself, your words, you were "with the enemy."  I remember the stories of the victims' families who were not afforded insurance coverage, the rescue workers who continued to suffer injuries, faces of kids who would never again see their parent, parents who would never again see their children. I remember all of that. 

So 9/11 is always uneasy. For all of us.  We want to honor the dead, honor the day. But every year it seems increasingly impossible to do that without politicizing and romanticizing the tragedy, and the way our emotions and memories are so predictably manipulated is growing tedious and offensive. We need to be firm about facing up to the realities that led to - and from - that day, but we also need to keep the humanity of that tragedy in focus.  I found this beautifully sobering photo today on facebook on the Tom Joad page and think the caption really puts things into perspective. I repost it here with permission. 

I hope one day we find a way to honor the dead in a way that disrespects neither the living nor the truth.

Heather

Well, it's 9/11 again and that means it's time for us all to remember that we're Americans and put aside our differences, right? It's the day the entire world came together and people from Iran to France, from Brazil to Malaysia, were waving American flags and holding candlelight vigils. Yes, there was a candlelight vigil in Tehran for the victims of 9/11. Do you remember?

No, we don't. We've forgotten all about that. We've forgotten who to blame and how it was allowed to happen. There is all manner of filth and lies being told on conservative Facebook pages today about how Democrats are to blame for the attacks of 9/11. It made me stop and think back to the things that I recall about our national nightmare.

I remember White House counterterrorism coordinator, Richard Clarke, prowling the halls of the West Wing, BEGGING National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice for a meeting - but the responsibilities for counterterrorism had been assigned, by executive order, to the office of the Vice President, Dick Cheney. Mr. Cheney resisted any meeting, finally scheduling one for September 10th. Remember?

I remember CIA counterterrorism chief, J. Cofer Black's warning to then-CIA Director George Tenet about the likelihood of an attack, within the United States, by Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

And I remember that George made a compelling case for NSA Rice, pulling together all the fragments of intelligence his agency had gathered, bringing into sharp focus the very real possibility of an attack within our borders. All summer long, the CIA chief kept pressing Rice for a policy position or authorization for assets from the White House.

From all reports, this was weighing heavily on George Tenet. He wasn't sleeping well, because he was steeped in the details of his analysts and told Richard Clarke "I feel it coming. This is going to be the big one." Both men did whatever they could to get the Bush White House to authorize immediate action - and allow the agency to coordinate with other branches of the federal government to take action. They wanted to put defensive positions in place that might curtail, or minimize what they felt would be a devastating attack.

Do you remember what J.Cofer Black said following the CIA's meeting with Sec. Rice? Because I remember him saying "The only thing we didn't do was pull the trigger to the gun we were holding to her head."

I also remember the intelligence brief labeled "Bin Laden Threats Are Real." I remember the Presidential Daily Brief with a similar title: "Bin Laden determined to strike in US." And I absolutely, positively remember that the day after Bush received that sobering assessment of the threats facing the American people, he was carefree and joked with the press corps (while on vacation at his ranch in Texas) about his impending 55th birthday - not the impending attacks.

I remember the Project for a New American Century bemoaning the lack of political will to invest more billions into NextGen military hardware "absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event — like a new Pearl Harbor."

I remember that intelligence services from at least eleven other countries sent urgent warnings to their counterparts in the States about the impending attack.

I remember George Tenet recalling that “the system was blinking red.” And I remember that, despite routinely being scrambled within twenty minutes when contact is lost with any airplane, on 9/11 our fighter jets were on the ground two hours into the event.

I remember Bush reading "My Pet Goat." I remember that millions upon millions of dollars were made in the stock market, betting against American and United Airlines.

And I remember that the Bush administration stonewalled the investigation into what happened on 9/11 for 441 days, until shamed into doing something by the Jersey Girls, four widows of 9/11 who were relentless in their pursuit of the truth. And I know that the truth of what happened, is not contained within the pages of the report finally filed by the The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

I remember 9/11. Do you?

 - by  Tom Joad

 

Walker takes hypocrisy to the next level in latest E-update

1 September 2012

Dear Scott Walker,

Thanks for your latest E-Update.  Considering that it came just a day after the national brouhaha, I was surprised and disappointed that it did not contain an apology or redaction for your embarrassing tripling-down on Paul Ryan's oft-repeated lie that President Obama is somehow responsible for the closing of the Janesville GM plant that went under during the catastrophic years of wasteful spending under Bush.  Had the plant survived into the current administration, it may well have been saved by the automobile industry bailout that help revive so many other American plants.  Hearing you not only repeat - but further embellish - Ryan's lie was excruciating: an embarrassment to all Wisconsinites and a slap in the face to the Janesville workers still reeling from the job losses there.

Source

But what REALLY struck me was what you did choose to discuss in your taxpayer-funded propaganda E-Update: in choosing this forum to make a shockingly whiny and disingenuous complaint  that the Secretary of Health and Human Services did not respond directly to your bullying demands that the administration not help our most needy (a demand so arrogant that Mitt Romney has it displayed on his campaign website),  you revealed - once again - that your trademark arrogance has not waned a bit post-recall election.  Jumping on the "Romney's lies are my lies" bandwagon, your letter to her ignores the fact that the Secretary's new welfare-to-work proposal would "be focused on improving employment outcomes" for struggling families and makes a number of absurd and deeply offensive contentions about how the plan would instead discourage people from seeking work.

I find it terribly ironic that you complain that Sec. Sebelius didn't respond directly but sent you what you claim is a "form letter" response to your complaints about welfare, given that you don't even give your own constituents the same courtesy.  Well, first of all, she did not send you a "form letter," even though many of her points were probably recycled from other communications. She replied directly and specifically to your concerns.  As someone who receives many auto-responses (like the ones you send) and form letters (like the ones elected officials who respond to their constituents send), I know the difference, and find it very unprofessional of you to misrepresent her response like that to the citizens of our state.  And you're probably not reading this letter, but most people who are know that I have been writing you with my concerns for the past year and a half plus.  (In outrage over your refusal to respond to the concerns of your constituents, I make my letters to you open. They're part of the Open Record, anyway, as you're sure to make threatening note of in your auto-reply.) To date I have received ZERO responses, beyond the auto-reply that tells me you're too busy to care about what I have to say but will nonetheless "keep [my] specific comments in mind."  If your office produces form letters, I have never received one.  Neither, to my knowledge, has a single other person I know. And I know many, many people who write you regularly.

How is it, exactly, that you think you're so much more important than the people you govern?  How is it that you think you deserve courtesies you are unwilling to offer yourself? How is it that you dare pretend to govern those to whom you can not even be persuaded to acknowledge, much less address?

More importantly, though, how dare you brag that Wisconsin so well-serves its poorest families when you broke your own promise not to raise taxes by CUTTING the Earned Income Tax Credit that you claim in your letter to the Secretary helps keep struggling Wisconsinites afloat!?

And how dare you pretend to know ANYTHING about the people in Wisconsin who are suffering under the boot of your tax increases when coupled with your cuts to wages, benefits and social services? How dare you imply that - given just the tiniest bit of Big Government Coddling, we would dance at the chance to never work a day in our lives?  How can you so openly show such contempt and disrespect for the hardworking people of your own state?  I LOVE working.  It's pretty much all I do.  I have four separate state jobs - all of which combined do not provide a living wage post-Act 10.  My husband works full time.  And we still qualify for Food Share, thanks to your helpful "tools" and "reforms."  So maybe next time you write to Secretary Sebelius you can keep those specific comments in mind.  Maybe you'll keep in mind that the policies you support are the ones that led to the unemployment of all those still-hurting Janesville workers. Maybe you'll keep in mind that while the rest of the country puts to work the Obama administration's reforms and sees actual job growth, Wisconsin has led the nation in job losses because of your stubborn refusal to move forward.

And maybe she'll respond with a nice form letter, letting you know she'll keep YOUR specific comments in mind, too.

See you at the ballot box in 2014.  I won't hold my breath about hearing from you sooner.

Heather DuBois Bourenane
Sun Prairie