No "Reagan Day," Say Some Guvs

Great piece in the Capital Times (Madison, WI) on the refusal of Gov. Jim Doyle (D-WI) and others to proclaim Feb. 6 (last Friday) as "Ronald Reagan Day."

Reagan was a fool whose utter lack of comprehension of the polices enacted were on display each time Reagan held a press conference.

Compare that with what we will see tonight as Pres. Obama holds his first prime-time news conference expected to be dominated by questions on the economy as today's news reveals that the "International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the world's advanced economies -- the U.S., Western Europe and Japan -- are 'already in depression.'"

The best that can be said of Reagan is that he was not George W. Bush, but he tried.

Some highlights from the lightweight's two terms as president:

- Huge expansion of the deficit and debt
- Declaring the country of Nicaragua such a threat to the United States' national security that Reagan proclaimed a state of "national emergency"
- Iran-Contra Gate

One can go on.

Reagan commissar Grover Norquist is quoted in the piece. Norquist is the intense Reagan cheerleader who wants more statutes, buildings, holidays and pictures of Reagan installed throughout the U.S. than Stalin ever had in the Soviet Union.

From the Capital Times' feel-good piece on Doyle's refusal to budge on Reagan:

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle was one of only a handful of governors to deny recognition of the late president, according to the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project based in Washington, D.C.

'By refusing to honor President Reagan, Gov. Jim Doyle has put pusillanimous petty partisanship above patriotism,' said Grover Norquist, chairman of the group, in a press release. 'Ronald Reagan was a man loved by the American people and citizens abroad. Ignoring his legacy of leadership ignores the strength and value of freedom and democracy. Gov. Jim Doyle should be ashamed.'

Fifteen governors (14 Democrats and one Republican) refused to issue a proclamation. Five did not respond to the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project's request.

Thank you Gov. Doyle! Always said that you were a good man.

Damn, They're Dumb

Speaking Truth to Power, or Toeing the Line?

Ever wonder if those encrusted with the mantle of "progressive" are more open-minded and rational than political rightwingers?

Here's some evidence that many calling themselves progressive are just as bone-headed as the neocons. See the commentary responding to a piece in Uppity Wisconsin on the Dane County Executive's race at http://www.uppitywis.org/cap-times-civil-liberties-yes

The arguments made against presenting facts on Kathleen Falk's (and former Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler's) joining the War on Drugs and the Fourth Amendment boils down to this: Pointing out the facts on policy, judicial campaigns catering to self-proclaimed impartiality and bad government administration is bad for Democrats and progressives, hence not to be spoken or written.

Vis:

- ... Perhaps you can disclose whether you are paid by the Mistele campaign or the Republican party for the service you are doing for them in attacking Falk. ... It's shocking you can call yourself a progreessive after attacking Butler and now Falk.

- You slammed Louis Butler last year ...

Unconvincing.

Cap Times: Civil Liberties, Yes

It's about time someone spoke up against Kathleen Falk's bone-headed approach to addressing the issue of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) and the non-issue of Wisconsin's alleged drinking "culture" problem.

Falk's criminalization and anti-civil liberties OWI agenda drew reproach from her opponent, Nancy Mistele, at the first debate (January) between the two likely candidates for Dane County Executive in the general election in April.

Mistele hit the statist, heavy-handed Falk program by pointing out that personal responsibility and private action were critical vis a vis government's involvement of changing the "culture," to a round of groans from Falk supporters.

Today's Captial Times hits Falk's approach, though not naming Falk as a leading advocate; [wish they had].

... But the drinking culture of Wisconsin -- rooted as it is in the state's broader culture -- is not the problem. There is nothing wrong, per se, with a drinking culture -- especially if it is rooted in good fellowship and good times. ...

But no moves should be made to implement or fund wrongheaded proposals to permit law enforcement authorities to establish checkpoints on Wisconsin roadways.

No matter how they are operated, checkpoints where motorists are forced to pull over even where there is no indication of impaired driving are a form of unreasonable search and seizure that cannot be sanctioned in Wisconsin. Other states, with less regard for basic liberties, may allow checkpoints. But there is insufficient legal or scientific justification to warrant such an intrusion by state and local authorities in a state that has always set a higher standard when it comes to protecting the right to privacy. ...

Checkpoints draw the attention of law enforcement authorities away from the offenders they say they are out to catch and turn it toward citizens who would not be under suspicion.

Wisconsin can crack down on drunken driving without cracking down on the Constitution.

Myself, I'm waiting for Falk to advocate mandatory arrests for being German, Irish or being in college at UW-Madison.

That ought to fix this alleged drinking "culture" problem.

Kathleen Falk's screw-ups on the 911 Center and UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann murder alone disqualify her from this voter's choice for Dane County Executive. The fact that Falk chooses to advocate chopping away at what little is left of the Fourth Amendment just closes the deal to give Falk the boot. Proust!

Wisc AG Van Hollen hosts McCain 'victory' party

From the Capital Times (Madison, Wis), John Nichols reports:

VAN HOLLEN TO HOST McCAIN "VICTORY" PARTY
After claiming for weeks that there was nothing partisan about his ambitious election season regimen of suing the Government Accountability Board and dispatching attorneys and special agents to polling places where high Democratic turnouts might reasonably be expected, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen comes out of the closet Tuesday night.
He's co-hosting the 'Wisconsin GOP Election Night Party' -- where supporters of John McCain and Sarah Palin will toast their successes or drown their sorrows -- at a Waukesha hotel.
Van Hollen, a McCain campaign co-chair, will be joined by other non-partisan good government activists like Republican congressmen Paul Ryan and Jim Sensenbrenner.

Wisconsin is in the bag folks, no one is complacent here. We'll handle Van Hollen and the pricks here.

But Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Colorado, Nevada and even Pennsylvania, any obstruction problems voting there, go the polls prepared:

- 1-866-OUR-VOTE Hotline (1-866-687-8683)
- Find your local Obama office and vote prepared to call them, http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
- Find your local paper's office and prepare to call them

Pro-Nader WI Site Says Roe v. Wade Safer with McCain!

The Proletariat site contends "It seems to me Roe v. Wade will be a lot safer in a McCain than an Obama presidency," promoting Ralph Nader's appearance in Madison tonight.

Is this guy kidding?

From John McCain's site on women's choice:

Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life Overturning Roe v. Wade John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion.

I have voted for Nader for president before, but I swear some of these pro-Nader people are as deluded and oblivious to facts as the religious right.

Let's hope someone from the Cap Times hits Nader with the question about Nader being concerned that a McCain administration would result in overturning Roe.

Misplaced Police Priorities

Amid the discordant political backdrop, recriminations abound about whether the murder of a 21-year-old UW-Madison woman could have been prevented.

Aside from proposed audits and spirited defenses of the Dane County 911 Communications Center and other Dane County officials, it's worth noting the priorities and policies of local law enforcement agencies here. [I hope not to read the word 'leadership' again; it doesn't exist on this matter.]

As the routine break-up of house parties and the pursuit by police of other frequent illegal college recreational pastimes continue apace here, one wonders if police officers foot-patrolling neighborhoods at night with the objective of protecting property and persons might be a better use of limited police resources vis-a-vis busting a 19-year-old for having a beer or smoking a joint on campus.

And one less parking meter boy (like that pathetic guy who wears the floppy safari hat), and one more officer walking on the street looking out for a female student walking home at night from the library would certainly do.

The culture of skepticism of callers' intent that pervades the 911 call center, '(s)hort-staffed almost always' (Isthmus), ought to draw the attention of the proposed audit, as well.

The imperatives of judgment, discretion, and priorities in public safety become clearer when tragedy strikes.

Local Media for Coverage of Brittany Zimmermann Fall-out

- Isthmus

- Uppity Wisconsin

- Dane County 101

- Capital Times

- Wisconsin State Journal

County/City Resources

- Madison Common Council: Alders

- Board of Supervisors - Dane County, Wisconsin

- Dane County 911 Communications Center

- Madison Police Department

- Dane County Executive

Capital Times' Coverage Lagging in UW-Madison Death

Update: Cap Times back on it: See - Falk apologizes to Zimmermann's family, fiance (Capital Times, May 6) and County Board chair wants answers on 911 problems (Cap Times, May 6).

- Falk apologizes to Zimmermann's family, fiance (Capital Times, May 6)

- Soglin: We all failed Brittany Zimmerman.

via MAL Contends

I was sorry to see the Capital Times hard copy newspaper go, but I told a friend its online iteration was an innovation that would see it stay on the bleeding edge of technology in bringing Dane County residents the news.

But Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal have been massacring the Capital Times in their coverage of the biggest local news story that has residents outraged—the Brittany Zimmermann murder and the failure of the Dane County 911 Center to send a police unit in time to save her life.

No doubt the Capital Times remains dedicated to bringing readers the news, but as measured by breaking coverage, general and investigative reporting, and incisive editorial comment, Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal are the go-to media for the latest on the Brittany Zimmermann murder and the Dane County 911 Center scandal.

The Capital Times has prided itself on its historical commitment to covering local issues of concern to readers.

But its start as an online medium as exemplified in its coverage on the Brittany Zimmermann murder-Dane County 911 Center story is inauspicious.

***Note*** Contributions in memory of Ms. Zimmermann may be sent to:

The “Dollars for Brittany” scholarship fund
Care of the Brittany Zimmermann Memorial Fund
Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union
P.O. Box 279
Marshfield, WI 54449

Cap. Times Calls for Ziegler Resignation

The Capital Times became the first daily newspaper to call for the resignation of Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Annette Ziegler.

We can expect more calls for Ziegler's resignation to follow in the coming months.

Ziegler, elected in the spring of 2007, was hit with denunciations for her conduct as a Washington County judge during her successful campaign that drew little attention from Wisconsin voters.

Ziegler, in violation of Wisconsin judicial conflict of interest rules, presided over dozens of cases in which her family had a financial interest, and failed to disclose to the litigants the conflicts in each case.

Now, Ziegler, awaiting discipline for her conduct on the bench as a county judge, is taking criticism for refusing to recuse herself, as a current Supreme Court justice, from a case that is a high priority of the corporate lobbying group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, that spent over $2 million (surpassing the amount spent by Ziegler’s campaign) to elect Ziegler to her current judgeship.

Excerpts from the editorial:

Scandal-plagued Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler has refused to recuse herself from deliberations on a tax case that is a top priority of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the corporate lobbying group that spent more than $2 million to aid her election bid earlier this year.

In so doing, she has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that she lacks not just the integrity but the judgment that must always be required of a jurist.

Ziegler does not merely refuse to embrace even the most basic standards of legal ethics. Her actions of recent days indicate that she does not even understand those standards.

It is for this reason that Ziegler must leave the Supreme Court bench. ...

As a national watchdog on judicial ethics issues, James Sample, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, has observed, "The argument could certainly be made that it would be reasonable to question her impartiality (in this case)."

But we don't have to take Sample's word for it. Ziegler has effectively admitted the conflict.

Early in November, the justice disclosed in a letter to lawyers representing the parties involved in the case that WMC had been a key supporter of her campaign. But the letter from Ziegler, whose shamelessness has extended to openly lying to the voters of Wisconsin about the facts of her ethical abuses, also informed the lawyers that she intended to participate in deliberations regarding the tax case.

That combination of an admission of a conflict and a refusal to recuse is what disqualifies Ziegler from further service on the court. And if she does not recognize that fact, then the other justices must speak up to assert a basic standard of judicial responsibility. ...

It does not matter what the court decides in this specific case. The damage runs deeper. When a justice admits to a conflict in a case and then goes ahead and participates in deliberations regarding that case, the whole matter of the high court's legitimacy as a fair arbiter of legal disputes is called into question. ...

Should the Supreme Court, as widely expected, not expel Ziegler (and Ziegler’s resignation is possible, but not likely), the perceived integrity and impartiality of the judiciary will sink to the level of the most cynical of politicians.

Should Wisconsin citizens then decide that Ziegler's current term (set to expire on July 31, 2017) is too long to bear, a citizen recall requiring over 500,000 signatures in a given 60-day period is the only recourse to rid our state of this disgrace to the cause of judicial integrity.

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Free the Cuban Five

I was not able to attend last night's address by Leonard Weinglass in Madison, the famed civil rights attorney, addressing the case of the Cuban Five.

The Capital Times ran a letter by Robert Kimbrough publicizing the event.

For those not familiar with this case, Kimbrough's letter provides an excellent introduction. [For more information, see the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five.]

The facts of the case represent an all-too-common occurrence in America under the Bush regime: Innocent people brutalized, and due process and fair hearings prevented by a corrupt U.S. Attorney.

Writes Kimbrough:

On Sept. 12, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, for many years the chief aide to Colin Powell and former faculty member at many U.S. military "colleges," attended a lecture at Howard University's Law School (Washington, D.C.). The speaker was Leonard Weinglass; his subject was "The Cuban Five."

Wilkerson had never heard of the Cuban Five. He said he "was stunned by what counselor Weinglass revealed." But he was not surprised. After "four years inside the Bush administration," he knew "the depths to which our government is capable of sinking." He concluded that "this case is truly the bottom of the pit."

If highly placed Wilkerson did not know about the Cuban Five, surely a massive number of Madisonians remain equally uninformed. ...

Weinglass is a most accomplished U.S. criminal defense attorney and a preeminent civil rights lawyer known for his defense of high-profile political clients. Among those he has defended are Angela Davis, Daniel Ellsberg, the Chicago Seven and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Weinglass is currently counsel to one of the Cuban Five, Antonio Guerrero, and he is the lead lawyer among the team of all the lawyers working on behalf of each of the Five. We in the United States have not seen such a famous lawyer on the left since Clarence Darrow.

The Cuban Five are Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labanino, Rene Gonzalez, and Fernando Gonzalez. They are in five separate U.S. prisons for simply defending Cuba from acts of terrorism carried out by extremist right-wing groups in Miami. Rene was sentenced to 15 years, Fernando 19 years, Ramon and Antonio for life, and Gerardo two life sentences plus 15 years. On Sept. 12, 2007, they began their 10th year of incarceration.

The Cuban Five never harmed anyone, were not destructive, did not try to gather state secrets, and were never a threat to the security of the United States.

On the other hand, confessed anti-Cuba terrorists walk freely in Miami. For example, Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carilles, longtime CIA agents, openly brag that they masterminded the Oct. 6, 1976, explosion of two bombs planted on a Cuban airline flight from Barbados to Cuba, killing all 73 aboard.

Noam Chomsky has said: "It's an amazing case! Here are Cubans who are infiltrating illegal, terrorist organizations in the U.S. But the infiltrators are arrested, not the terrorists. It's astonishing!"

For complete information and documentation on the Cuban Five: (Link to) http://www.freethefive.org/.

Robert Kimbrough is a member of the Free the 5 Madison Committee, Veterans for Peace, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Madison Area Peace Coalition, and Socialist Party of Wisconsin

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