Democrats, Zionism Target Liberty in Wisconsin

Over 850 people hit the streets in Ashland, Wisconsin
No Kings march. (Image from Ros Nelson, Facebook). 

Democrats Give Up Ship to Zionists

Commentary

Madison, Wisconsin — Wisconsin remains peace-and-liberty-minded. Peace movement flourishes here as exemplified in No Kings protests across the state last Saturday, seeing Jewish Voice for Peace and Vets for Peace folk, for example, as well as 1,000s of anti-ICE folks.

But elected Wisconsin Democrats in the state Capitol and Congress don't get the message of the people. 

In fact, Wisconsin Democrat politicians reject peace-and-liberty commitments of the people whom they represent, and Zionist work abounds among elected officials.

Wisconsin Democrat Pols Equal Zionists

The day before the No Kings demonstrations, Gov Tony Evers (D) signed into law Zionist-pushed legislation, (Assembly Bill 446; 2025 Wisconsin Act 143). 

The Zionist Act adapts absurd political definitions of anti-Semitism to further anti-liberty, thought-control purposes of aiding criminal sanction, codifying Zionist tenets, right as Zionist movement commits Genocide and annexes land, ala Nazi Germany, South Africa, and other totalitarian movements, (Wisconsin Examiner; The Capital Times; The Progressive Magazine).

The anti-Semitism definitions were adopted by the ironically self-defined International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, a project advocating punitive criminal sanction worldwide for voicing thought at variance with Apartheid-Zionist thought. 

For example, the anti-Semitism definition would bring criminal sanction for, "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis," (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), if a legal claim is made of discrimination, or prejudicial action.

Some 37 states adopt some manner of Zionist thought control, as countries across the Western world even criminalize slogans calling for peace and human rights.

In practice, the new Zionist codification of alleged hate speech would empower Wisconsin municipalities' police, for example, to walk up to a citizen holding a sign condemning Israeli Apartheid, or torture, or rape, or Genocide, write a citation for disorderly conduct or some other bullshit municipal ticket, then under color of, and with aid of anti-Semitism statute, pursue hate-crime enhancer charges.

Notes Howard Schweber, UW-Madison First Amendment scholar, "But they’re [Wisconsin speech-code advocates] saying in all the contexts in which we already have laws that … target racist or prejudicial actions, where the claim is that the action is anti-Semitic, this is the definition we’ll use to test that claim," (Jacobs, The Capital Times).

And the hell with the First Amendment. Wisconsin already has a hate crime statute on the books.

In Wisconsin, municipal citations are first litigated in municipal courts, kangaroo courts in which Due Process rights are virtually non-existent. [See an illustration of mass politically motivated police actions and adjudication in action when 1,000s of citations from 2011-12 at the Wisconsin Capitol were written for singing or walking by and listening during anti-Gov. Scott Walker thought actions. All citations, after years of litigation, were thrown out and found violative of the First Amendment.]

All criminal prosecutions of lawful speech require is a dishonest cop and a crooked district attorney. As a lifelong Wisconsinite, I can assure such people exist.

Zionist work is about crushing dissent and liberty, just as Gov Scott Walker did.

UW-Madison Takes Aim at Anti-Genocide Student Government

The University of Wisconsin at Madison last week officially condemned a student government resolution advocating a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions action against the Apartheid entity of Israel.

Reports the Badger Herald daily student newspaper: 

"The University of Wisconsin said Wednesday that it is disappointed with the passage of an Associated Students of Madison (ASM) resolution, according to a UW press release. The resolution issued a number of flawed, unrelated and illegal demands, according to the press release."

The ASM resolution, introduced by Students for Justice in Palestine, calls for the Universities of Wisconsin to divest from BlackRock index funds, which contain holdings in weapons manufacturers that supply weapons and military technology to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan and the Israeli Defense Force, according to the resolution."

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D)

Tammy Baldwin offers her Zionist perspective on a recent PBS Wisconsin interview, by omitting mention of Israel altogether in her discussion of the Israeli-U.S. war against Iran.

Sen Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) leads 
the Wisconsin congressional delegation in 
accepting Israel Lobby funds. Baldwin is a
reliable vote for the Israeli Lobby, and is
known as calculating and mealy-mouthed.

This apes a recent trend in which writers absurdly minimize or obscure Israeli involvement in the Israeli-U.S. war against Iran, (Foreign Policy; Jewish Currents; CounterPunch; ScheerReport). 

Iran War? Who? Israel?

From social media, to columns in weekly newspapers such as the Mount Horeb Mail, Baldwin takes the Zionist line on anti-Semitism and Israeli wars. [Full disclosure. I wrote in a reply to Baldwin's PBS Wisconsin interview: "Typical Baldwin. Not one word about Israel (Baldwin took $700,000 from Israel Lobby), national security state, a moral assessment. Baldwin was vacuous and clueless. How can you address the Israeli-U.S. War against Iran, and not mention Israel?"]

Meanwhile, fellow Zionists in Congress such as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla) work with the police to target anti-Zionist thought, lest the American people put a stop to American support for the Zionist entity, Israel. 

In Miami Beach, police visit the homes of those citizens who dare voice disapproval of Israel.

The aim is intimidation. Now, one woman is suing. 

Wasserman Schultz and similarly-minded Zionists will not stop.

As antisemitism rises, I helped coordinate local law enforcement and Jewish leaders to keep our communities safe.

We need to come together and fight hate in all forms. pic.twitter.com/Yzn7GrobI2

— Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@RepDWStweets) March 29, 2026

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Wisconsin people remain tied to best traditions, but we face a time when virtually all state and federal elected representatives are First Amendment illiterates and pro-Zionist cowards, preferring passive compliance over active thought. 

The country witnesses Zionist attempts to criminalize lawful public dissent, disregarding liberty and open discussion of governments—human work that remains not just personal liberty but an essential part of our free society, and simple decency.

But not if  Zionists and allies get their way. 

Israel doesn’t just bomb small Palestinian children in their homes or snipe them in their skulls

It tortures them until their parents confess

The apartheid regime continues to do the unspeakable and our rulers force us to pay for it https://t.co/Ucc0aPGO8z

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 29, 2026

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MICHAEL LEON is a writer living in Madison, Wisconsin. His writing has appeared nationally in The Progressive, In These Times, and CounterPunch.

Determined Volunteers Search for Missing Wisconsin Teen

A volunteer searching for a missing 13-year-old girl in
Barron County Wisconsin is full of burrs after eight hours.
"Going into hour eight of the search. Dense woods, deep bogs,
long cornfields, with just a tiny sprinkle of flat, open land.
But nothing like what Jayme could be going through,
so we press on", said the volunteer on social media.

"Barron County (Wisconsin) Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald thanked the 2,000 volunteers who spent Tuesday walking through marshes, wooded areas and fields looking for anything that might lead authorities to 13-year-old Jayme Closs," the Associated Press reports.

Ms. Closs' parents were apparently murdered in October and the young woman is presumed endangered and missing by Wisconsin law enforcement.

Search volunteers are described as scared and determined as they venture through unpleasant terrain in search of clues.

Below, a resident of Barron County and a young mother, describes the experience of searching for Ms. Closs.

"Going into hour eight of the search. Dense woods, deep bogs, long cornfields, with just a tiny sprinkle of flat, open land. But nothing like what Jayme could be going through so we press on", said the volunteer.

I Love Black People! Even in Fitchburg

Don't know what your living situation is, but a black man moves in a couple doors up and watch the property taxes in the hood move right on down.

Black people [depicted above-right from Google Images] are like magic this way; no way white guys can do that.

Reprinted below is a short column from last month, and mal invites members of my neighborhood association's newsletter—the Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg, Wisconsin (bordering Madison)—to explain why they ran a house and street number in the Spring issue and accused the people there of being "uninvited ... drug dealers" and printing a less-than-convincing evidential basis for their conclusion. Do please post a comment below.

I called the cops last month and they said they don't know anything about drug dealers at any specific house near where the Jamestown Neighborhood Association [is that whites-only] asserts "(t)here is suspicion of drug dealing".

But after I made several passive observations [that's sociology talk for a non-invasive looking at stuff] near the address the past several weeks, I did notice a few black people walking about. Yes. I see black people.

I do hope that if the people holding ongoing suspicions of drug dealing were to see my brother-in-law [he's a black man] and sister visiting from Milwaukee that they cut them some slack even though he is black as midnight, has a quasi-Afro and often gets downright cocky, taking on a disturbing air of arrogance after winning repeated games of Scrabble, for instance.

Shiiiiiiit, I'm going to go get myself some KFC and a big can of Mickey's.

---

Neighborhood Association as Cop-Wanna-Be

Mar 20, 2009

Fitchburg, Wisconsin - The Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg (bordering Madison) believes that it has seen the enemy in its midst: Drug dealers.

And in its Spring 2009 newsletter, the neighborhood association identifies a specific house number on a street named King James Way, writing that "There is suspicion of drug dealing at xxxx King James Way. ... If we don't let drug dealers know they're unwelcome, they'll come—uninvited," urging neighbors to call the police should they view suspicious activity and "this kind of behavior."

No doubt then, the newsletter is rigorous in supporting its accusation and compiles a compelling fact base before making this specific accusation in its widely distributed newsletter.

Wrong.

The sole piece of evidence in support of its singling out the address in question reads: "Cars have been pulling up and stopping for a very short time period leading to this suspicion."

That's it, a "suspicion". It's reckless to engage in this kind of public accusation without a compelling fact base.

Neighborhood Association as Cop-Wanna-Be

Fitchburg, Wisconsin - The Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg (bordering Madison) believes that it has seen the enemy in its midst: Drug dealers.

And in its Spring 2009 newsletter, the neighborhood association identifies a specific house number on a street named King James Way, writing that "There is suspicion of drug dealing at xxxx King James Way. ... If we don't let drug dealers know they're unwelcome, they'll come—uninvited," urging neighbors to call the police should they view suspicious activity and "this kind of behavior."

No doubt then, the newsletter is rigorous in supporting its accusation and compiles a compelling fact base before making this specific accusation in its widely distributed newsletter.

Wrong. The sole piece of evidence in support of its singling out the address in question reads: "Cars have been pulling up and stopping for a very short time period leading to this suspicion."

That's it, a "suspicion". It's reckless to engage in this kind of public accusation without a compelling fact base.

What if innocent people live at the identified address? It's best to leave these matters to the police, and not a less-than-careful neighborhood association that apparently lacks a driving commitment to gathering facts before making accusations.

If innocent people live at this address, they likely have been libeled.

Exclusive: Alleged Gruesome Kidnapper Described as “Outgoing and Friendly” by Former Coworker

© 2008 Michael Leon
A man charged with 12 felonies for "allegedly kidnapping ... two men, stripping them, chaining them up in his home, beating them and sexually assaulting them several times" (Wisconsin State Journal, July 15) outside Wisconsin Rapids is described by a former coworker interviewed by mal contends as "friendly, with a good sense of humor."

Edward Lanphear is also being investigated for possible links to the murder of UW-Madison student, Brittany Zimmermann, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, though police say at this time that there is no direct connection other than the facts that Lanphear and Zimmermann are both from Wood County, and that Lanphear had a newspaper article about the Zimmermann case at his residence.

In this exclusive interview conducted by phone, the former coworker, who worked with Lanphear for some eight years in the 1980s and 1990s at the then Consolidated Papers Inc., a paper company based in Wisconsin Rapids, now known as NewPage Corporation, said of Lanphear, "He never, ever gave you the impression of being violent, or even being capable of things like that."

The coworker, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the topic in the small town of Saratoga where the coworker lives, said, upon reading of the story in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune online, "I was dumbfounded. I mean this is completely out of character of the guy I remembered. ... He was outgoing and a big hunter. ... He invited me to go hunting with him once at the Arctic Circle."

Constitutional Incompetence

Dane County's response to the lawsuit filed by the parents of the murdered UW-Madison student, Brittany Zimmermann, is mystifying: the U.S. Constitution "does not require municipalities to rescue persons in distress."

The suit will likely get tossed, but so what?

A young woman was killed, and Dane County failed her.

Settle the suit, and help put this tragedy behind the grieving family. There may not be a constitutional right mandating that our community protects our citizens, but there is an uncontroversial public policy imperative.

Ed Treleven in the Wisconsin State Journal reports:

A federal civil rights lawsuit filed against Dane County and a former 911 dispatcher by the parents of homicide victim Brittany Zimmermann should be dismissed because the county has no constitutional obligation to protect individuals from the acts of others, a response to the lawsuit states.

The response, written as a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, was filed late last month by private attorneys representing Dane County and former dispatcher Rita Gahagan. They were sued last month by Kevin and Jean Zimmermann in U.S. District Court over the response of the 911 center to a call made from their daughter's cell phone around the time of her death on April 2.

For more information, see:

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

***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

Citizens' Committee Needed on 911 Center

Update: Dane County (Madison, WI) Board spins wheels on Zimmermann 911 call controversy

Two committees of the Dane County Board of Supervisors are meeting tonight to gather information on the performance of the Dane County 911 Communications Center in the wake of the murder of Brittany Zimmermann.

Board Chair Scott McDonell and others have called for an audit of the Center focusing on its procedures and whether its procedures are being followed.

It is suggested that such an audit be conducted by an outside firm, free of political considerations.

Good idea.

To complement this reasonable course of action, Dane County needs the establishment of a paid citizens' committee composed of broad communities of interests, devoid of elected officials, and certainly free of civil servants in Dane County, including those serving in the County Executive's office.

Such a committee ought to have as its deliverables:

- The establishment of specific directives to improve the performance of the 911 Communications Center

- A report based on testimony from citizens' use of the 911 service, testimony from UW officials in light of the administration's charge of in loco parentis (and the related duty to prevent the murder of UW students), and the testimony from law enforcement personnel on public safety.

Hard questions need to be asked.

The communities of interests ought to include representatives of the University administration, students, residents, bloggers, retirees, metaphorical bomb throwers, professors, and as wide a cross-section of the county as feasible, and should be fully funded by the City and County.

For example, the members ought include such people as the curmudgeon at the Rustic, the Vietnam vet on Butler Street, and most anybody free of 911-related career and political considerations, but indignant about the fact that We all failed Brittany Zimmerman.

Elected and non-elected civil servants, and law enforcement officials have been making statements today that they are saying too much, perhaps interfering with police investigations.

Maybe so, but many, perhaps most, residents feel a lack of trust toward the County and City on this matter, and secrecy in the absence of a citizens' committee is not the best course of action at this point.

It's worth noting that this issue came to light becaue of the investigative reporting of Jason Shepard in Isthmus and that the community and Shepard were obstructed during and after his piece.

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

Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?

Glenn C. Loury at the Boston Review asked a much-needed question. Why does America take away so many of its citzens' liberties? According to a 2005 report of the International Centre for Prison Studies in London, the United States—with five percent of the world’s population—houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates. Our incarceration rate (714 per 100,000 residents) is almost 40 percent greater than those of our nearest competitors (the Bahamas, Belarus, and Russia). Never before has a supposedly free country denied basic liberty to so many of its citizens. In December 2006, some 2.25 million persons were being held in the nearly 5,000 prisons and jails that are scattered across America’s urban and rural landscapes. ... One third of inmates in state prisons are violent criminals, convicted of homicide, rape, or robbery. But the other two thirds consist mainly of property and drug offenders. Why? Writes Loury: A more convincing argument is that imprisonment rates have continued to rise while crime rates have fallen because we have become progressively more punitive: not because crime has continued to explode (it hasn’t), not because we made a smart policy choice, but because we have made a collective decision to increase the rate of punishment. Loury posits the war on drugs and America's continuing essential racism as other contributing factors to the obscenely high incarceration rate, and correctly identifies and indicts the American voters who routinely reward the punitive-inclined policymakers. But I think Loury ignores the two main culprits: Fear and fear-mongering careerism. The fear that a family will typically feel for another family member in an violence-obsessed media-society and the political careerists (like in Dane County, Wisconsin, District Atty Brian Blanchard and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson) who will cater to the most base instincts and insecurities clears the field for the punitive-inclined policymakers who in their liberty-depriving, family-destroying frenzy make America about as freedom-loving a place domestically as it is a peace-loving presence in its foreign policy abroad. Loury does make mention of a population "(s)toked by fear and political opportunism ... ," but in a depoliticized society like the United States where fear and lavish attention to the trivial and meaningless (celebrity, reality shows, sports and so on) continue, I think Loury needs to link the violent prison-industrial complex as a logical outgrowth of our depoliticized culture maintained by the corporate-media. Encouraging a population not to think will inevitably result in more state violence such the liberty-destroying criminal justice system domestically. ###