Wisconsin is home to a multitude of outstanding citizens who have fought for the very fabric of our democratic government against a radicalized Republican Party that has become home to a faction of corrupt, militaristic reactionaries. Here are a few who have fought for freedom and the rule of law:
Russ Feingold – Feingold’s dedicated work for the preservation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights have won him the respect of citizens the world over.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin – In the face of the war on women’s reproductive rights, Planned Parenthood has stood fast in their service to women, and won a landmark legislative achievement for women protecting their right to health care.
Attorney Lester Pines and every organization who successfully fought our corrupt Attorney General in the Van Hollen v. WI GAB Voter Suppression Case.
Navy veteran Keith Roberts — An innocent victim of the U.S. Dept of Justice and U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA), Roberts continues his court battles that have made it greatly more difficult for the VA to actually jail our veterans for receiving benefits to which they are entitled.
Jennifer Loewenstein, Associate Director of the Middle East Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Loewenstein is a brilliant voice speaking out against the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza.
Showing posts with label feingold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feingold. Show all posts
Dec 31, 2008
Oct 31, 2008
Feingold Hits Van Hollen
Update: Former AG Lautenschlager: Van Hollen wants to suppress voters
From the Capital Times:
October 31, 2008
The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen
Attorney General
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Dear Mr. Attorney General:
I am writing to express my strong concern about your October 28 announcement that 'as part of election integrity efforts the Wisconsin Department of Justice will be sending assistant attorneys general and special agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation to various locations around the state on Election Day ... to ensure compliance with state laws governing elections.' I am unaware of any specific criminal investigation to which these efforts pertain.
I appreciate that your office must be prepared to respond to incidents, if any, that may arise on Election Day. But the announcement and execution of your plans may have the effect of discouraging legitimate voters from attempting to cast their votes, and I urge you to reconsider your decision. If, however, you decide to proceed with these plans, I ask that you provide detailed information about how Department of Justice employees will be deployed, including the locations to which they will be deployed, how those locations were chosen, and a detailed description or copies of the instructions these employees will be given.
In order to try to ensure that legitimate voters are not discouraged or intimidated by your actions, I also encourage you to ensure that criminal law enforcement personnel are not deployed at polling stations. It is widely acknowledged that the presence of criminal law enforcement personnel at polling stations may discourage and intimidate legitimate voters -- even where the intent may be to facilitate voter access. Wan J. Kim, who served as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division from 2005 to 2007, has observed that '(federal) prosecutors being involved in voter access issues would lead to intimidation at the polls.' As a precaution against any possibility or appearance of intimidation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 23 that the federal government employees deployed to polling stations this Election Day will not include criminal prosecutors.
I appreciate your immediate attention to this request and look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
From the Capital Times:
October 31, 2008
The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen
Attorney General
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Dear Mr. Attorney General:
I am writing to express my strong concern about your October 28 announcement that 'as part of election integrity efforts the Wisconsin Department of Justice will be sending assistant attorneys general and special agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation to various locations around the state on Election Day ... to ensure compliance with state laws governing elections.' I am unaware of any specific criminal investigation to which these efforts pertain.
I appreciate that your office must be prepared to respond to incidents, if any, that may arise on Election Day. But the announcement and execution of your plans may have the effect of discouraging legitimate voters from attempting to cast their votes, and I urge you to reconsider your decision. If, however, you decide to proceed with these plans, I ask that you provide detailed information about how Department of Justice employees will be deployed, including the locations to which they will be deployed, how those locations were chosen, and a detailed description or copies of the instructions these employees will be given.
In order to try to ensure that legitimate voters are not discouraged or intimidated by your actions, I also encourage you to ensure that criminal law enforcement personnel are not deployed at polling stations. It is widely acknowledged that the presence of criminal law enforcement personnel at polling stations may discourage and intimidate legitimate voters -- even where the intent may be to facilitate voter access. Wan J. Kim, who served as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division from 2005 to 2007, has observed that '(federal) prosecutors being involved in voter access issues would lead to intimidation at the polls.' As a precaution against any possibility or appearance of intimidation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 23 that the federal government employees deployed to polling stations this Election Day will not include criminal prosecutors.
I appreciate your immediate attention to this request and look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
Apr 11, 2007
Sen. Feingold's Statement on US Atty Flap
by Michael Leon
From Sen. Feingold's site:
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on the 7th Circuit Court Decision to Release Georgia Thompson and the Ongoing U.S. Attorney Investigation
April 10, 2007
“The Seventh Circuit acted decisively to correct what appears to have been a miscarriage of justice in the Georgia Thompson case. In light of ongoing concerns about the politicization of U.S. Attorneys' offices around the country, I am seeking further information from the Department of Justice on how this case and voter fraud cases after the 2004 election came about and whether there was improper political pressure to pursue them.”
The victims in this affair were not just the American public, but specifically Georgia Thompson, a profile in courage.
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From Sen. Feingold's site:
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold on the 7th Circuit Court Decision to Release Georgia Thompson and the Ongoing U.S. Attorney Investigation
April 10, 2007
“The Seventh Circuit acted decisively to correct what appears to have been a miscarriage of justice in the Georgia Thompson case. In light of ongoing concerns about the politicization of U.S. Attorneys' offices around the country, I am seeking further information from the Department of Justice on how this case and voter fraud cases after the 2004 election came about and whether there was improper political pressure to pursue them.”
The victims in this affair were not just the American public, but specifically Georgia Thompson, a profile in courage.
###
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