AR-15s Good 'Wound Ballistics' Make this Semi-automatic Fully Wonderful for Many

AR-15-style rifles were used by Bulletproof
Securities, Inc., to patrol Wisconsin's north
woods to seek anti-mining activists in 2013.
Photo by Rob Ganson.

AR-15 semi-auto rifle is civilian version of U.S. military’s M-16

Good "wound ballistics from AR-15," notes The Atlantic last year

Madison, Wisconsin—In 2013, an armed right wing militia, Bulletproof Securities, Inc. patrolled the Wisconsin north woods with AR-15-style, semi-automatic rifles frightening northern communities concerned about massacre control and devastation to the environment by a now-defunct massive, open-pit mining project.

The open display of this corporate intent to massacre was the subject of wide criticism, but not from Wisconsin Republicans.

The AR-15 is everything you need for home defense or killing terrorists and black men (what's the difference?), or a mining protestor. And, of course, young adults, students.

Now, the newest massacre from Florida using the AR-15-style rifle finds some Americans wondering if massacre is good public policy.

I have no faith in Republicans in Congress or the lunatic in the White House coming to the conclusion that massacre control is needed. Too many lunatics for whom Republicans work.

From USA Today:

Everything armed guards need for pesky Wisconsin protestors.
Pictured above is AR-15-style rifle by an employee of Bulletproof
operating without a license in northern Wisconsin in 2013.
Photo by Rob Ganson.

Dean Hazen, owner of The Gun Experts in Mahomet, Ill., and a master firearms instructor, said the reason mass shooters are turning to the AR-15 is due to a 'copy-cat' mentality more than any feature of the rifle.

'It’s really just a perception thing,' Hazen said. 'There are rifles that are more powerful and more dangerous than that, but they're not being used.'

Hazen said the AR-15 has "gotten a bad rap."

Actually, the rap on AR-15s is well-deserved, and the fact that more dangerous weapons exist does not disconfirm the recent history of American massacres from AR-15s.

From the Miami Herald, quoting a 14-year-old: "... Until we heard screaming and people, not falling, but crashing when they were barricading the door. We knew it wasn’t a joke anymore."

We could have 18 massacres a month, and Republicans would still not do anything for fear of alienating the NRA.

You want massacre control?

Vote out every Republican across America as a first step.

Below, in a video from 2017, the Atlantic's James Fallows discusses another mass shooting—who can remember which one out of the many that have occurred.

DA in Iron County Drops Crazy Charge Against Clean Water Activist

Katie Krow Kloth was targeted by the now defunct Mining
Co., GTAC, and Corrupt Wisconsin DA, Martin Lipske

The capricious charge of preference for a corrupt Wisconsin District Attorney—Felony Bailjumping—was dropped last week against clean water and environmentalist, Katie Krow Kloth in Iron County court in northern Wisconsin.

Before being rebuffed in January by Judge Fox of Price County for an array of contrived charges against Kloth, Lipske instituted the new felony charge of Bail Jumping, a Class H Felony hours before Fox refused a prison term and instead sentenced Kloth to nine months in Iron County jail for actions at a protest against the proposed GTAC mine two years earlier. (Mal Contends)

Reached by phone, Lipske said there is a forbidden area in the forest of Iron County on which Ms. Kloth set foot in January, and this constituted felony bailjumping.

The Bail Jumping charge was without merit, and had Ms. Kloth been convicted of this malicious prosecution, she faced years in prison. The felony charge was dropped.

Instead last week, Lipske on May 27 stipulated at a hearing to a civil infraction, trespassing, under which Kloth will have to pay the Court: $263.50.

Why would Lipske launch this crazy felony charge in the first place?

Lipske is a corrupt, out-of-control District Attorney who should have his license to practice law revoked, again. (Mal Contends) (Mal Contends)

GTAC Mining Protestor Gets New Civil Rights Attorney

Katie Krow Kloth targeted by Mining
Co. and Corrupt Wisconsin DA

A woman protesting the siting of a proposed massive open pit mine in Iron County Wisconsin (since effectively withdrawn) is serving a nine-month jail sentence after Iron County's notorious District Attorney Martin Lipske insisted on filing numerous criminal charges associated with a protest in 2013.

Today, conservationist Katie Krow Kloth was granted a change of attorney, and now local Iron County attorney Anthony Stella will be representing Kloth against another criminal charge, felony bailjumping.

Attorney Anthony 'Tony' Stella is well-known throughout Wisconsin and is regarded highly in civil rights circles and the Wisconsin legal community.

The felony bailjumping charge was tacked on against Ms. Kloth by Lipske, in keeping with Lipske's penchant for employing this charge as a means of maliciously inflicting stress onto disfavored criminal and civil defendants.

This state of affairs in which a sitting district attorney runs his office in a capricious and often volatile manner is virtually unknown outside of isolated Iron County in far-northern Wisconsin.

Local residents describe Lipske, whose law license was suspended for discipline involving "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misconduct" in 1990, as "terrorizing" the county with a sparse population of some 6,000 residents.

Lipske has been practicing in good standing since January 19, 1994, according to the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Lipske was criticized by local residents of Ashland and Iron County, (speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation by Lipske), for stipulating last year to a deferred prosecution of a local politically connected man, Dennis D. Braun, involved in a child sex trafficking crime involving a 14-year-old girl who ran screaming out of hotel after being transported some 600 miles from Milwaukee to a hotel in the town of Mercer in Iron County. (Mal Contends)

Lipske minimized the incident saying, "the man only engaged in kissing the 14-year-old and providing wine." (KBJR News, Oct. 2, 2013), before agreeing to not prosecute Braun.

Braun was granted a liquor license in 2003 by the City of Hurley for an exotic establishment on Silver Street.

Mining Protester Motion to Dismiss Denied, Faces Trumped-up Charge by Iron County's Corrupt DA

Katie Krow Kloth targeted by Mining Co. and
Corrupt Wisconsin DA, Martin Lipske

Gogebic Taconite mining company (GTAC) opponent, Katie Krow Kloth, appeared at an initial hearing today on Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske's charge of felony bailjumping.

Kloth's motion to dismiss was denied.

An evidentiary hearing [Preliminary hearing] is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2015 at 2:p.m.] to determine whether probable cause exists for the criminal process on this charge to continue.

The case is State of Wisconsin vs. Katie M Kloth (Iron County Case Number 2015CF000001).

Kloth appeared in orange jail attire and hand cuffs, an observer said.

The case is manufactured by GTAC and Idea Drilling company working with Iron County officials to throw Kloth behind bars for as many years as it can get a judge to agree.

Not content to front for Gogebic Taconite mining company (GTAC), Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske is pursuing felony bail jumping charges against Kloth, a mining protester whom Lipske threw the book at for a rowdy political demonstration.

Felony bail jumping charges are the go-to charge for Lipske who is volatile and has a shady history as district attorney; and before that position was suspended for discipline in 1990 for deceit.

After Lipske filed four criminal charges against Kloth for a June 2013 demonstration, Kloth appeared before Price County Judge Douglas T. Fox on January 21, 2015 and received a nine-month jail sentence with seven years probation.

Lipske had asked for a $80,000-plus restitution from Kloth for claimed damages against GTAC, a ludicrous request that was denied was Judge Fox.

Lipske wants the seven-year probation revoked.

Lipske refused to prosecute GTAC's "security" company, Bulletproof Security though Bulletproof acted in contravention of Wisconsin law, after Bulletproof Security's president, Tom Parrella, consulted with Scott Walker's administration in 2013.

Lipske had asked for a $80,000-plus restitution from Kloth for claimed damages against GTAC, a ludicrous request that was denied was Judge Fox.

Lipske wants the seven-year probation revoked.

In 1990, Lipske's license in practice was suspended for two years for professional misconduct.

Mine Protestor Gets Light Jail Sentence, Corrupt Iron County DA Sought Long Prison Term

Katie Krow Kloth targeted by Mining
Co. and Corrupt Wisconsin DA

Updated - Nine-month Jail Term and Small Restitution for Mine Protester and Environmental Activist - DA Martin Lipske's 15-year prison sentence rejected by judge; GTAC's $80,000-plus restitution request rejected by judge [It was originally reported that the sentence is six months, but as the two counts' sentences are running consecutively and not concurrently, the jail term is nine months].

Update: A source in Iron County Wisconsin says Iron County DA Lipske, after being rebuffed today by Judge Fox, is now working on new charges against Ms. Kloth.

Lipske will not be satisfied until he has inflicted as much pain as possible on Ms. Kloth and will contrive virtually any charge in his ongoing abuse of process and malicious prosecution of Ms. Kloth.

The new charge is now Bail Jumping, a Class H Felony, though Ms. Kloth has never missed an appearance.

Reached today by phone, Lipske said there is a forbidden area in the forest of Iron County on which Ms. Kloth set foot.

The case is State of Wisconsin vs. Katie M. Kloth, Iron County Case Number 2015CF000001. Lipske said he is touch with Kloth's attorney, John C. Bachman of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Lipske claims that entering the forbidden zone in the Penokee Hills last Sunday constitutes "Bail Jumping."

 "On Sunday, at least 45 people snowshoed into the 'forbidden zone,' an off-limits mining zone in the Penokees established by Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) through the Wisconsin DNR, to peacefully protest the proposed mining in the region," reports Amber Mullen, Ashland Daily Press.

Objectively, Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske is a despicable human being who should be investigated for misconduct again, and have his license suspended again by the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation.

Lipske said he had no choice but to pursue another felony charge though the political protest case is effectively closed. 

Lipske does have a choice, it's called prosecutorial discretion, but this human garbage is on a vendetta.
 ---
Katie Krow Kloth was sentenced to serve nine months in Iron County jail before a packed courtroom in Hurley, Wisconsin, and was described by the presiding judge as committing an offense on the low end of the spectrum at a political protest in 2013.

Two sentences of six and three months are ordered to be served consecutively by Ms. Kloth who is eligible for work release and has two weeks to report to jail. "Kloth will have five years of probation with the felony charge and two years with the misdemeanor," notes the Ashland Daily Press.

The presiding judge, Price County Judge Douglas T. Fox, said a prison sentence was not "appropriate," and withheld requested prison sentences, rejecting Iron County DA Martin Lipske's appeals.

Lipske is notoriously corrupt and known for fronting for Gogebic Taconite (GTAC).

GTAC's $80,000 request for restitution was rejected in full.

A different company employee, Stacy Saari, was ordered to receive a small restitution from Kloth.

Ms. Kloth, a 27-year-old woman who had no criminal record prior, is an environmental and Native American activist who faced four criminal charges for actions at a 2013 political protest at the proposed GTAC mine site in northern Wisconsin, (see Kaufman, New York Times).

Ms. Kloth had pleaded No Contest to two charges last September.

Kloth's attorney, John C. Bachman of Eau Claire, Wisconsin said he had never seen so many letters of support in a criminal case today as at this hearing.

The Department of Corrections filed a presentencing report with the Court on November 13, 2014, ordered by Price County Judge Douglas T. Fox on September 23, 2014.

"Katie is an intelligent and skilled botanist who has much to teach about the natural world," said environmental activist Rob Ganson of Citizens Concerned about the Proposed Penokee Mine in a letter to  Judge Fox.

Ms. Kloth made a motion for a new judge in March 2014, as is her right (unique among the 50 states) to move for substitution in Wisconsin for no stated cause, though the case stays in the jurisdiction of Iron County.

Good move.

The District Attorney, Iron County's Martin Lipske, is a corrupt jurist, suspended for discipline in 1990, and like Iron County Judge Patrick Madden is not a jurist with whom you want to be dealing when you are protesting the proposed giant open pit GTAC mine in Iron County.

Lipske, incredibly (but not for Lipske), had charged Kloth on four criminal counts two of which could have resulted in a 15-year prison sentence for an incident during which the alleged victims were seen laughing on tape.

Judge Fox handed down the sentence—some 11 months after Kloth's motion for a substitution of judge—this morning after DA Lipske threw the book at Kloth in typical Lipske-abuse-of-discretion fashion.

The charges stem from a criminal complaint of June 21, 2013.

Kloth had reached a plea deal in September, facing DA Martin Lipske throwing the book at her.

Krow was described as "looking well" yesterday by a long-time resident of Ashland County who spoke with Krow at the produce aisle at Chequamegon Food Coop on Tuesday, January 20th in the city of Ashland.

The same source said, Krow told him, "she has a good feeling about tomorrow's trial and claims to be ready for whatever happens."

Today at the sentencing hearing, Krow was described as "emotional but composed, and remorseful," by an attendee of the hearing.

Kloth is also the victim of a PR campaign against her by Wisconsin GOP-front journals, the Wisconsin Reporter and Media Trackers, among GOP groups.

"[T]he Gogebic Taconite company contributed $700,000 to the Wisconsin Club for Growth during the recall races in 2011 and 2012. According to the John Doe prosecutors, that contribution was coordinated by agents of Gov. Scott Walker. Around the same time, Walker and the Republicans were promoting a bill that was partially written by Gogebic Taconite. That bill eventually passed, giving the company what it wanted for its controversial mine in Iron County." (Rothschild, The Capital Times)

Said Krow in July 2014: "Those who fight against the destruction of the water, land, plants, and human and non-human animals of the Penokee Hills and Bad River Watershed are not ‘terrorists.’ The only terrorists are those who plot to blow up the hills with ammonium nitrate and use the power of the state’s policing apparatus to repress and send fear and division through the communities that oppose them. Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) and Chris Cline have millions of dollars and the support of the state to destroy the Penokees [Hills]," (Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

A support group of Krow's notes:

On June 11th, 2013, Kroft was cited by the Iron County Sherriff for theft due to her alleged involvement in a rowdy protest earlier that day that disrupted bore-hole drilling on the Penokee Range. She was neither arrested nor detained that day.

Ten days later, Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske increased the charges to robbery with use of force (a class E felony), two counts of criminal damage to property and one charge of theft of movable property.

It is apparent that the prosecutor gave into outside political pressure and that the charges were trumped up. The state legislature and powerful mining corporations seek to make an example out of anyone who dares to step out of line

A letter to Judge Fox by Rob Ganson of Citizens Concerned about the Proposed Penokee Mine (Facebook) is reproduced below:

Judge Fox,

Katie Kloth, in my opinion, is guilty of a crime, one like Bill Williams committed in the courthouse in Ashland, when he too, snatched a cell phone against resistance of the owner.

Small crimes like these, like the one perpetrated on 80-year-old Bruce Noble (no charges) occur on the streets of Hurley on a regular basis with no charges forthcoming. Please ask yourself why this particular case was so blatantly over-charged in Iron County.

It is clear on the video that a very minor assault was committed, while the victim’s co-workers, (a burly drilling crew) stood by laughing at the ill considered and rude antics. It is also clear that GTac responded by breaking the law; sending unlicensed mercenaries with military weapons, mercenaries in camo gear and masks, to confront hikers, including my wife. THIS was another sort of assault altogether! This assault was one including the brandishing of military rifles by masked men who seemed like some sort of terrorist cell and NOBODY was charged! The disposition of this case should be the same as it would be absent the political environment responsible for the elevated charges.

Katie is an intelligent and skilled botanist who has much to teach about the natural world, (if little about manners) and not some troublemaker with a record of crime or violence of any kind. I ask that you act in the spirit of justice and impose the slap on the wrist wake up call it would end in were it not for the politics that have so greatly exaggerated it.

Rob Ganson,
Washburn, Wisconsin
---

Bulletproof Securities, Inc, Photo by Rob Ganson

Read as well the refusal of DA Martin Lipske to prosecute the rightwing Bulletproof Securities, Inc. which tried to provoke natives of northern Wisconsin by unlawfully carrying semi-automatic weapons captured in a shot by Rob Ganson that was picked up nationwide.

July 17, 2013

Martin Lipske District Attorney
300 Taconite Street
Hurley, WI 54534

Re: Bulletproof Securities, Inc.

Dear Mr. Lipske:

This is a follow-up to my letter of July 11, calling your attention to several violations committed by Bulletproof Securities, Inc. while their armed personnel were unlawfully present in Wisconsin at the GTAC mine site. Apparently Bulletproof’s application for a Wisconsin license is still under consideration.

In my previous letter I did not specifically point to Wisconsin Statutes Section 134.58, which suggests that some officials and employees of both Bulletproof Securities and GTAC may have committed felonies. Section 134.58 states:

“Any person who, individually, in concert with another or as agent or officer of any firm, joint-stock company or corporation, uses, employs, aids or assists in employing any body of armed persons to act as militia, police or peace officers for the protection of persons or property or for the suppression of strikes, not being authorized by the laws of this state to so act, is guilty of a Class I felony.”

It is difficult to argue that this provision was not violated by the hiring of unlicensed personnel carrying AR-15’s, engaged to conduct surveillance and to protect the employees and property of GTAC.

Given this and the numerous previously listed violations, it is incumbent on your office and state regulatory authorities to insure that Bulletproof Securities, Inc. is not allowed to operate in Wisconsin. In the event Bulletproof officials were to be convicted of these charges, they would lose the right to operate in Arizona as well as Wisconsin. GTAC is presently utilizing Wisconsin personnel, and the tension has de-escalated. It would be counterproductive to reintroduce this firm into Wisconsin, as GTAC has promised. While Governor Walker and others have insisted that you prosecute law-breaking protesters to the fullest extent possible, I am looking for some semblance of an attempt to enforce the laws against out-of-state corporations responsible for criminal activity within our state.

Your defense of GTAC’s right to hire Bulletproof’s guards at Katie Kloth’s hearing was troublesome.

It was unrelated to her guilt or innocence, and only served to conflate the issues. No one has ever suggested GTAC has no right to hire private security -- they have every right to hire licensed personnel. Don’t confuse that with utilizing unlicensed, armed security forces in violation of Wisconsin’s criminal laws. Your vigorous stance in support of the hiring appears inappropriate for one charged with the duty to decide whether that hiring led to multiple violations of the law.

Unlike Governor Walker, I am not requesting that you use every weapon at your disposal. I am merely seeking assurances that Bulletproof Securities, Inc. will not be granted a license to operate in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is better served by the continued use of local companies that have demonstrated knowledge of and compliance with the law.

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Stella, Jr.
Copy: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

GTac Mine in Wisconsin Penokee Range Is Stalled, Altered or Dead

"Several of our sources indicate that the GTac mine project in the Penokee Range" is dead (Woods Person), with GTac officials instructed to spend no more money on the project, amid other reports that the proposed massive open pit mine is laying off technical specialists.

The Prairie Badger notes the report has not been verified by GTac officials.

Lee Bergquist of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel quotes a GTac official, saying, "A Gogebic Taconite spokesman said Thursday that the company is considering constructing its massive iron ore mine solely in Iron County because of opposition from officials in adjacent Ashland County."

But GTac official, Bob Seitz, told Journal-Sentinel: "(n)o staff members have been laid off, as the blog reported, he said. The company has six employees, which includes geologists and metallurgists."

A citizens group, Citizens Concerned about the proposed Penokee Mine, is celebrating online.

Iron County attorney, Anthony Stella, notes the plummeting Iron Ore market heading towards $75/ton, writing that an industry periodical, "indicates 'break even' price is $80 for some existing companies. A new company, like GTAC, would likely have much higher production costs due to a lack of current infrastructure and site-specific issues such as the depth of the ore and the use of unproven dry-stacking methods for tailings."

Industry journals support Stella's analysis.

"A deepening supply glut in the iron ore market will force out the bulk of high-cost mine tonnage in the junior mining sphere , reinforcing the majors' dominance over the coming quarters," notes he Business Monitor Online (August 5, 2014)

Many note that before the mine could ever begin operations, GTac would have to litigate in federal court land likely spend $Millions because of existing U.S. Treaty obligations with the pro-environmental Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) band of Native Americans.

Notes Charles F. Wilkinson, arguably the leading legal expert on native American treaties: "This iron mine complex cannot go ahead without a full analysis of the treaty rights of the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) band. ...  Earlier this year (2013) a federal judge in Washington State ruled, under similar circumstances, that the treaties require more than just allowing tribal members to hunt and fish—the treaties also require healthy habitat so that the species can thrive. And, so, the question is: 'Will this mining complex adversely affect the habitat of treaty-protected species?' If so, the proposed mining project will have to be revised or abandoned." (Mal Contends)

Then there's the EPA and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers against which GTac would also likely have to litigate.

Scott Walker's motive is simply to derive as much political capital and campaign money as he can (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), as Walker fights off Wisconsin voters and a law enforcement probe, while pretending he may run for president simultaneously avoiding questions on his plans for elected office.

Wisconsin GOP Nominee Is Pro-Mine in GTac District, Silent about Scott Walker-GTac Scandal

Pro-environment forces fight
against Republicans, secret
money, vandals and GOP determination
to desecrate pristine waters

"There’s not going to be any (economic) opportunity that I can see in the near future other than this [Gogebic Taconite (GTac)] mine," said Jamey Francis, an apparel salesman and city councilman in the town of Hurley. "This is an economic game changer." (Adam Schrager, Quest: The Science of Sustainability)

Meet Jamey Francis, the GOP nominee for the 74th assembly district in northern Wisconsin and alderman for the City of Hurley in Iron County, who thinks obliterating the pristine region of incredible natural beauty is a "game changer" to be pursued in the name of "economic development."

Now-a-days, Francis is silent about the proposed GTac mine, omitting mention of the GTac mine on his campaign site, and listing vague platitudes instead as his "priorities."

He'll face Beth Meyers, the Democratic Party nominee and Bayfield County Board Supervisor.

Beth Meyers is profoundly against the proposed GTac mine that would slash a 1,000-foot-deep, miles-long open pit iron ore mine into the unscathed Penokee Hills region and befoul the pristine waters of Iron and Ashland counties in the 74th assembly district.

The Bayfield County Board passed an anti-mining resolution (With, Wisconsin Citizens Media Coop) in January 2013 by an 11-to-one margin. unalterably opposed to the mining legislation on which GTac lobbied and lavishly spent money as its PR flacks told Wisconsin that GTac was mostly concerned about full employment and a clean environment, (Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

This mining company lie about more jobs is knocked down regularly at the Stella Report from Iron County: "The real joke is that GTac claimed it needed its 200-or-so-page mining bill to speed things up. In fact, they said that was the only reason for the new law. They claimed they couldn't wait more than 300 days for the state to act. They convinced people it was necessary for JOBS NOW. Some poor kids are going to school to prepare for a job that won't be there when they get out," notes Stella.

Wisconsin's 74th Assembly District

Francis doesn't have much of an imagination for economic innovation, or much of an inclination to check out the Penokee Hills Education Project, or any curiosity about the secret $700,000 Scott Walker finagled for his allies from GTac. (Oshkosh Northwestern)

All Francis has to do is have a look at the Iron County website touting the region's environment as a tourism and recreation attraction: "Iron County is a place of incredible natural beauty. With 300 pristine lakes encompassing 34,000 acres of pure water, the only thing that could make it better is Lake Superior coastline. Good thing Iron County has that, too. Come and enjoy an amazing waterfall, or take a long walk on the beautiful sandy beaches of Saxon Harbor."

From Hurley in Iron County, Francis could make a trip to Lake Superior faster than a five-mile commute on the Madison Beltline during rush hour.

Jamey Francis doesn't read much either.

From the New York Times:

Last year, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and the Republican-controlled State Legislature approved the world’s largest open-pit iron ore mine, a gash in the northern part of the state that could be as long as 21 miles, a half-mile wide and 1,000 feet deep.

The mine legislation was bad enough from an environmental point of view: It allows the operator to fill streams with mine waste, eliminates public hearings and reduces the taxes the operator would have to pay.

It turns out to be even more shocking from an ethical viewpoint. Newly released documents show that the mine operator, Gogebic Taconite, secretly gave $700,000 to a political group that was helping the governor win a 2012 recall election. Mr. Walker had urged big corporations to give unlimited amounts, without fear of public disclosure, and many companies that wanted favors from the state happily obliged. Once the recall failed, the favors began to flow, even at the expense of the state’s natural resources.

Jamey Francis doesn't have to read; today's Wisconsin's Republicans just need to do what they're told by the people who bankroll the GOP.

"When some think-tank comes up with the legislation and tells you not to fool with it, why are you even a legislator anymore? You just sit there and take votes and you're kind of a feudal serf for folks with a lot of money," said retiring Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center). (Craver, The Capital Times)

This means destroying Wisconsin's natural resources in exchange for money the Koch brothers, GTac and other special interests lavish Wisconsin Republicans like the some $15-million for the mining legislation GTac wrote.

GTac and billionaires secretly poured a lot more money into the coffers of Wisconsin Republicans, after which Scott Walker asked for more.

The Man Behind the Proposed GTac Mine in Wisconsin

America's leading asshole - Christopher Cline

Christopher Cline is a billionaire living variously in Palm Beach, mega-yachts, hiding behind his extraction conglomerates with a long history of poisoning huge tracts of land and water, leaving area residents and governments to clean up his toxification.

Known as the new New King of Coal, Cline doesn't bother much with his public image, beyond avoiding as much as possible the public eye, as he looks at the Illinois Basin for more coal extraction and fracking and northern Wisconsin for the largest open pit mine on the planet in a pristine area that for now draws tourists from out-of-state.

The coverage of Cline in the American press has been relegated to celebrity pieces on whom Cline is dating with an occasional piece on Cline buying up stock in the extraction industry. Cline manages somehow to keep an extremely low profile.

Bios of Cline are typically written by environmental activists noting how destructive and oblivious cline is to the health of the people his extraction operations destroy:

Although Cline’s lifestyle appears to be all about champagne and caviar, the basis of his wealth presents a far darker story than the golden-hued online tour of his 33,413 square foot mansion in North Palm Beach, Florida.

According to an extensive 2010 profile of Cline in Bloomberg Markets Magazine, he became "a billionaire by betting on a dirty fuel the world can’t get enough of." (Pember, Indian Country Today)

I'll poison your land and water, buy the politicians and there's nothing you can do about it, is the position of this gaping asshole of a man, pictured above-right, next to his Mine Games Yacht (unless he's already sold the $ 28-million, 161-foot toy for a more expensive yacht). (Fabrikant, New York Times)

The new problem is that Cline is trying to begin operations in pristine northern Wisconsin in Iron and Ashland counties by ripping open the largest open pit mine in the planet looking to make some more $ millions from iron ore extraction (eventually), expressing no concerns that his proposed open pit mine would release into the pristine environment various toxic amounts of mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals, sulfates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, and simply ignoring what looks bad such as the release of sulfuric acid into area rivers, streams and lakes.

Penokee Hills range in northern Wisconsin - Perfect for a
massive open pit iron ore mine, claims Christopher Cline

For now, most legal experts see high hurdles before Cline could begin operations no matter how many Wisconsin Republicans are trying to help Cline destroy the Penokee Hills range in northern Wisconsin, pictured at right. (Kaufman, New York Times)

Political opposition has galvanized against the very idea of disturbing a pristine wilderness, as Cline is now allied now with the Koch brothers. (Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal)

Supported by Scott Walker (and opposed by Walker presumptive Democratic Party opponent, Mary Burke), the proposed Gogebic Taconite mine would toxify the pristine "headwaters of the Bad River, which flows into Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world and by far the cleanest of the Great Lakes. Six miles downstream from the site is the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose livelihood is threatened by the mine." (Kaufman, New York Times)

Iron County Wisconsin is a corrupt political jurisdiction, where the rule of law has long been supplanted by political and personal alliances.

Yet, even Iron County touts the grandeur of its natural resources and habitats as a "place of incredible natural beauty. With 300 pristine lakes encompassing 34,000 acres of pure water, the only thing that could make it better is Lake Superior coastline. Good thing Iron County has that, too. Come and enjoy an amazing waterfall, or take a long walk on the beautiful sandy beaches of Saxon Harbor."

Why despoil such an amazing environment: Corruption and convenience, and the sociopathic drive for extraction of natural resources for profit, whatever the consequences of poisoning the surrounding environment and residents.

The CIA has a term for the type of human being who would inflict mass casualties intentionally by injecting toxic agents into populations: Terrorist.

"Terrorists have considered a wide range of toxic chemicals for attacks. Typical plots focus on poisoning foods or spreading the agent on surfaces to poison via skin contact, but some also include broader dissemination techniques," reads a public CIA site dealing with the delivery devices of toxins and other "typical agents ... available to al-Qa'ida and other terrorist groups."

Unfortunately, for Americans the extraction industry is not listed as a terrorist organization.

Fortunately for Americans, we still do have the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers and a federal court system protecting the habitat and environment of protected species under federal law that Cline would need to navigate before he begins his plan of destruction.

Citizen groups insist their voices are heard before Cline executes his project of terror by extraction.

Wisconsin environmental activist, Frank Koehn, remains optimistic of stopping the would-be terrorist, Cline: "With the mercenaries he hired, Chris Cline shows that he’s just another rich guy who’ll try to take our resources and pollute our water. It’s not the first time this happened, and they’ve all failed. He will, too." (Pember, Indian Country Today)

Don't Ingest Arsenic, No Matter What GTac Mining Co Tells You

While the proprietors of the proposed Gogebic Taconite (GTac) open-pit mine in Wisconsin may tell you that ingesting arsenic is a harmless act, don't believe them.

Arsenic is a toxin, a cancer-causing agent that can be found in the Earth's crust, a fact some will tell you disconfirms arsenic's danger.

Take Bill Williams, president of GTac.

Don't believe Williams. He and GTac are in northern Wisconsin, and in a premeditated act they will poison the residents and toxify the waters, if the have their way in ripping open the largest open pit mine on the planet in Iron and Ashland counties.

The Center for Public Integrity has a piece today by David Heath entitled What to do if your drinking water contains arsenic? The short answer is stop immediately.

But politicians like Wisconsin State Rep. Tom Tiffany (Hazelhurst, Wisconsin) and Scott Walker have other ideas: Front for the GTac mining companies and the families up north can move, if they don't like it.

Meanwhile, the fight goes on:

"With contaminants such as mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals, sulfates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides being released from mining tailings' waste dust, waste rock, ore transportation and ore processing, the air and water quality in northern Wisconsin could have been seriously polluted," notes the Wisconsin Sierra Club, accessing the Proposed Taconite Mine in the Penokee Range in Northern Wisconsin. "While we were seriously concerned about (Christopher Cline's) mining ventures destroying our beautiful lands, endangering the lives of our workers and surrounding community members, and pollution from mining dirtying our clean air and water, we found that Chris Cline was living in a 33,000 square-foot house (pictured right) and enjoyed taking his investors on his 164-foot-long yacht named, 'Mine Games'. Wisconsin simply couldn't risk being a pawn in this sort of 'game.'"

The Front Line in Iron County, Wisconsin

Wisconsin is under siege by billionaires, the Koch brothers and Christopher Cline.

The feds are coming to help restore the rule of law against Scott Walker.

In the mean time, resistance remains strong in far northern Wisconsin.

By William Brown, Citizen Concerned about the proposed Penokee Mine

Great view of the final touches going on the new wigwam at HELP Village. [HELP is an acronym for the Harvest Educational Learning Project, alerting the press, and anyone interested in the repercussions of the proposed GTac iron ore mine in Ashland and Iron counties, specifically the predictable poisoning of the environment, including the water and habitats of Native-American treaty-protected species.]

A great deal of love and respect for the people managing this movement on a daily basis. A great honor to be involved and welcomed to help build.

 Do what you can to support these people out there. ... They are the front line!

Motion Granted for New Judge in Gtac Protester Case

Katie Krow Kloth

Update: Per order, assigning judge/judicial assignment order, Price County Circuit Court Judge Douglas T. Fox will preside.

Katie Kloth, an environmental and Native American activist who is facing four criminal charges for alleged actions at a 2013 political protest, made a motion for a new judge today, approved by Iron County Judge Patrick J. Madden.

The proposed Gogebic Taconite (Gtac) mine site is the source of widespread political opposition in Wisconsin, that in turn has seen the Koch brothers getting involved in local Iron County races over the mine.

Kloth's motion for substitution follows repeated public assertions made by citizen environmentalists and activists that Kloth would have trouble getting a fair trial in Judge Madden's courtroom because he is biased in favor of the proposed mine, (GTac), longtime Iron County residents note.

No rationale for the motion by Kloth has been made public, and the source for this development is the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access system.

A perception of bias is often the basis for seeking motions for judicial substitutions in criminal cases, and in itself implies nothing about the presiding judge.

The Iron County Circuit Court is located in the Ninth Judicial District, Wisconsin.

A friend of the Kloth family reports that the family is not returning media calls.

The Iron County DA, Martin Lipske, has a disturbing history of corruption, including overcharging politically disfavored defendants.

- Piece is updated to reflect the fact that seeking judicial substitutions in criminal cases does not in itself imply bias on the part of the presiding judge. There is a multiplicity of reasons for a defendant to move for a judicial substitution. In this case Judge Madden is in the tank for the mining company. -

Racists in Hurley, Wisconsin Bar: Mother-f***ing Indians, Get Out

William Brown

Scholarship and activism come together in Wisconsin following an ugly racist incident

Updated—Racism is thriving in Hurley, Wisconsin, specifically  Freddie's Old Time Saloon and Hall of Fame where "fu**ing Indians" are not welcome.

The rightwing is active in Hurley, Wisconsin: Koch brothers, Americans for Prosperity and GTac make quite the unholy trinity, or if you like, half a six-pack of a**holes.

They are supported by racists and corrupt local officials, including Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske and Iron County Circuit Court Judge Patrick "Madman" Madden.

Racism and corruption when combined make a combustible compound.

William Brown is a Native American and he and three friends were visiting Freddie's Old Time Saloon and Hall of Fame Saturday night in Hurley (in Iron County) on Silver Street,  a quarter-mile-long stretch of road with some 20 bars and half a dozen strip clubs.

Mr. Brown describes what happened next (see also Mr. Brown's Facebook page):

So. Pardon the rant. But me and three others were just chased out of this establishment [Freddie's Old Time Saloon & Hall of Fame] and called 'fucking Indians.' In the owners words.... you mother fucking Indians get the fuck out of here....we paid our bill after we noticed their policy on supporting mining. I asked the owner how they felt about mining on ceded territory and she said fuck you Indians...and this owner put her hands on me. Being the better man I walked out of the establishment and we are well down the road. Please make this aware and do not support this establishment. The owner called 911 and reported a gang of drunk and disorderly Indians because I asked a service and or business......for those that doubt....racism is alive and well in the world and it apparently resides strongly in Hurley, WI. I will tell all those reading this that this only Strengthened the Ogichidaag resolve..... I have never felt more like a warrior than today...by resisting the urge of my Dna to react in a negative way. For ourselves, for my children, for your children..... For all...... I say burn the fires! No mine, no disrespect.... one love! !!!!!!!

Appropriate an activist with the spirit of Brown runs into extraordinarily vile racism, just after I just sent some fellow activists up north an email I received last Summer from Charles F. Wilkinson, Moses Lasky Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School.

Katie Kloth - Environmental Activist

I had been corresponding with these folks on the eve of the arraignment of Katie Krow Kloth, a woman whom the corrupt Iron County district attorney is trying to have thrown in prison for her action at a political rally. [Point of fact, Ms. Kloth is an environmental activist who deserves a civil citation for disorderly conduct at a political rally, but the DA who has a history of this kind of crap is charging her with four criminal offences.]

I first met Charles F. Wilkinson on April 20, 1990, covering a symposium for the Capital Times he and human rights activists, scholars and jurists were giving on racism and spearfishing up north in 1990 (Rundell Lecture Series, sponsored by the Oliver Rundell Fund and the UW-Madison Law School's Institute for Legal Studies).

Wilkerson said the hunting and fishing rights controversy in northern Wisconsin at the time is "an epic case study in race relations, a symbol of the age-old threshold between the majority society and racial minorities.''

Among those in the audience were Wisconsin's most distinguished jurists and Native American rights activists, all coming together to denounce repulsive developments up north.

Charles Wilkinson

"Racism is detestable and virulent,'' said Wilkinson. "My guess is the people of Wisconsin will not allow it to continue in this vicious and senseless fashion for many more years.''

On the eve of Katie Kloth taking on the same forces of corruption, hate and racism, Wilkinson may not know it, but his good will and scholarship live forever in northern Wisconsin.

And the spirit and resolve of William Brown has already won the war for peace against vicious, senseless racism, though I suspect Brown knows this.

Monday, many will stand in solidarity with Katie Kloth, a warrior for peace not even the lies of Martin Lipske can slander.

Lipske can be certain many people and I will be monitoring these legal proceedings closely.

District Attorney's Ethical Breach Printed in Wisconsin State Jounral

Katie Kloth

Update: Motion Granted for New Judge in Gtac Protester Case; good call, you do not want Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske and Judge Patrick Madden in the same court room as a criminal defendant.

On Monday, Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske will attempt to overcharge and in an abuse of office typical of Lipske shut down and ultimately imprison a 20-something political protester, Katie Kloth.

The arraignment for Kloth for actions at a protest last year is Monday, March 24.

Lipske will be acting on behalf of GTac, or Gogebic Taconite for whom the corrupt Lipske works, with an eye out for its private security army, Bulletproof Inc., whom Lipske protected despite clear and repeated violations of Wisconsin statutes.

Turns out the ethically challenged district attorney has already committed a breach of the rules for ethical conduct for Wisconsin attorneys.

Lipske violated Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule [SCR 20:3.6  Trial publicity], stating:  "(a) A lawyer who is participating or has participated in the investigation or litigation of a matter shall not make an extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter."

The violation occurred in Lipske's statement made to Steven Verburg of the Wisconsin State Journal (July 17, 2013).

The State Journal headline reads: "Details of harassment incident at mine show a troubling threat, prosecutor says."

Here is Lipske's quote: '"The details on the [alleged criminal] incident (of Katie Kloth and a small group) help explain why the Gogebic Taconite mining company hired heavily armed security guards from Arizona who wore camouflage and masks, Lipske said," and

"What is the appropriate response for the company? They don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-end security, but how much do they need to protect those people?"

Kochs Target Iron Co Races, as Corrupt Judge and DA Target Mining Protestor

Beautiful Penokee Range in
Iron County (Wisconsin).
"The Penokee-Gogebic Range
consists of two steep, parallel ridges
that dominate the local
landscape rising 1,200
feet above nearby Lake Superior.
The topography of the area
and the variety of soil conditions
 result in a wide range of habitat
that supports a diverse
group of species and
natural communities."
(Nature Conservancy)

Update II: Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske—inclined to shoot his mouth off in service to favored litigants such as the GTac mining company—should read Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule [SCR 20:3.6  Trial publicity]:  "(a) A lawyer who is participating or has participated in the investigation or litigation of a matter shall not make an extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter."

Now, I'm no attorney, but Lipske's statement made to Steven Verburg of the Wisconsin State Journal (July 17, 2013) sure seems to me like a "extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter."

State Journal headline reads: "Details of harassment incident at mine show a troubling threat, prosecutor says."

Here is Lipske's quote: '"The details on the [alleged criminal] incident (of Katie Kloth and a small group) help explain why the Gogebic Taconite mining company hired heavily armed security guards from Arizona who wore camouflage and masks, Lipske said."

On a different matter, hey Lipske, you ever ask for a favor in exchange for performing specific duties of your office?  Just checking it, friend.

Update: District Attorney Martin Lipke, working in service to GTac, reportedly wants mine protestor Katie Kloth to pay $10,000s to GTac because GTac brought in Bulletproof Security—heavily armed with assault weapons, unlicensed and operating illegally under Wisconsin law—to provide "security" against a handful of unarmed, young protesters and Native Americans growing rice and sharing traditional meals with journalists and visitors to the area, often at the Lac Courte Oreilles Harvest and Educational Camp.

There was never any question that Bulletproof operated illegally, yet Lipske refused to press criminal charges against Bulletproof, instead Lipske actually supplied free public relations for the criminal actor, Bulletproof: "The details on the [alleged criminal] incident (of Katie Kloth and a small group) help explain why the Gogebic Taconite mining company hired heavily armed security guards from Arizona who wore camouflage and masks, Lipske said." (Steven Verburg. Wisconsin State Journal)

Bulletproof also made "false statement(s) in connection with (its) application for a license or permit," a violation of  Wisconsin Statute 440.26(6)(a)(3), as Steve Horn reported in December 2013. Bulletproof's president, Tom Parrella had claimed "to have reached out to local officials in two counties and to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) before he sent his employees to northern Wisconsin. But officials with those counties and the DNR deny this."

Lipske again refused to prosecute.

One would think this inequitable treatment, this selective prosecution, would perhaps supply grounds for dismissal of charges, or a substitution of judges.
---
"Iron County is a place of incredible natural beauty. With 300 pristine lakes encompassing 34,000 acres of pure water the only thing that could make it better is Lake Superior coastline. Good thing Iron County has that too. Come and enjoy an amazing waterfall or take a long walk on the beautiful sandy beaches of Saxon Harbor."

So notes the official website of Iron County in northern Wisconsin, population of some 5,200 residents, most of whom know each other personally or by reputation.

Rightwing money pouring into Iron County wants to see pristine lakes, watersheds and rivers fouled by toxins from a proposed massive, open-pit mine—brought and paid for by billionaire mining mogul, Christopher Cline, and one cog in his extraction operations: GTac or Gogebic Taconite.

The Wisconsin State Journal is reporting the Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is dropping over a 1,000 political pamphlets defaming residents in Iron County as "anti-mining radical(s)" in an effort to elect pro-mining members of the Board of Supervisors in the April 1 election. (Verberg)

"A well-funded Wisconsin conservative group is blasting seven county board candidates in sparsely populated Iron County, calling them 'radical anti-mining' environmentalists," reports Verberg.

No election is too small for the Koch brothers, and they are wreaking havoc on a planetary scale.

North of Wisconsin in Canada, a subsidiary of Koch Industries is the largest lease holder in Canada’s oil sands, reports EcoWatch.

One pro-mining resident, Saxon Assistant Fire Chief Karl Krall, "said he wonders where they (AFP)are getting their information. Krall said he is a strong proponent of the mine, and he is puzzled and angry about being described as a job-killing radical on the material sent to his friends, neighbors and potential voters in the district where he is a candidate," reports Verberg. 'Everybody in the town except me got the flyer saying I’m an anti-mine radicalist. It’s a joke,' said Krall."

Katie Kloth - A woman whose spirit
is as beautiful as the Penokees. The
rightwing hates her and is out to
destroy Ms. Kloth's life because of
her opposition to the Gtac mine.

Katie Kloth

What is not so funny about Iron County, is mining protestor Katie Kloth, a 20-something, anti-mining protestor about to get the book thrown at her, already overcharged by Iron County's notoriously corrupt District Attorney Martin Lipske.

The 26-year-old Kloth raised her voice at an anti-mining protest and is accused of stealing a cell phone and smashing it.

For this, Kloth is being subjected to an abuse of office by Lipske, who has a history of outrageous conduct of this nature.

Kloth faces three misdemeanors and one felony charge

Kloth's arraignment hearing is Monday, April 24.

Judge Patrick Madden and Iron County District Attorney Martin Lipske

I spoke to some Iron County folks (not Don Miller) the last few days, and as much as they detest Lipske, they believe few outside Iron County have any idea how corrupt this isolated county is, and specifically point to Judge Patrick J. Madden, presiding over Kloth's arraignment.

"I hope Katie Kloth's lawyers know whose courtroom they are walking into when they go before Madden. You think Lipske is corrupt; Madden is worse. I can prove plenty of stories of criminal conduct, but a lot of people could get hurt, but I'll still pull the trigger when the time is right," says a long-time resident, speaking to me, and asking to remain anonymous because of feared retaliation and the sensitivity of the topic. "At least the spotlight is on these __holes for a while."

Tiny and beautiful Iron County is a focus of billionaires, Christopher Cline and the Koch brothers.

The District Attorney and Circuit Court judge are corrupt, and fronting for GTac and the billionaires.

Now, 27-year-old Katie Kloth, a socially conscious woman with no criminal record, is going to get the book thrown at her as Lipske and Madden do the mining company's dirty work.

Last year, Lipske tried to charge a 76-year-old farmer, "Barrel Bob" Gollubske, a gentle farmer from Kimball in Iron County, with "bomb scares" and terrorizing the community after Gollubske called the FBI and said he is afraid of what the Gtac is planning on doing, and then complaining to the DNR.

Gollubkse had long said destructive blasting by a local asphalt company would be nothing compared to GTac's plan to blast open their proposed 26-mile-ling open-pit mine.

All criminal charges against Gollubske were dismissed in December 2013 because the charges were fabricated, ludicrous and intended to intimidate anti-mining sentiment; Gollubske's lawyer, Jeff Scott Olson of Madison, had successfully moved for a judge substitution in August last year.

Gollubkse said by phone in December, "I feel happy, I fell relieved, but my wife you know, she had a heart attack over this, a quadruple bypass, and thanks to Marshfield (Clinic). Being called a terrorist, how it felt. I still can't believe I was accused of being a terrorist."

 Lipske is a sociopath with no conscience about lying and literally destroying lives.

Madden is worse, having reportedly recruited Lipske to become Iron County District Attorney after Lipske's law license was suspended from 1990-1994 for misconduct, under the category of "Suspended for Discipline" for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misconduct" in 1990.

Perfect qualifications for DA in Iron County.

Madden, aka "Madman" and Lipske run their horror show in isolated Iron County. Other Wisconsin jurists cannot comment on corruption of their colleagues other than filing notice with the State Bar of Wisconsin Bar, actually an obligation.

Light and media attention are now being shone on their actions, and this site will be monitoring events closely.