Uppity Wisconsin - Making Wisconsin Progressive Again

A Day Late and a Dollar Short.

Outraged — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:10:06 -0500

Okay, maybe I'm a day late and a dollar short (maybe two...okay six) but this is cool. If you're like me, possibly this event slipped past you also. What did I miss? Pangea day. The Turkish Daily explains:

"Pangea Day helps people see themselves in others by bringing millions of people together in the cities of Cairo, Dharma, Jerusalem, Kigali, London, New York, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul with a live screening in Sultanahmet Square.

The entire program will be broadcast in seven languages to millions of people worldwide through the Internet, TV and mobile phones.

During the four-hour event there will be 24 short-length film screenings titled “24 Short Films by People Around the World for the World.” The event will kick off at 9:00 p.m. and it is free of charge."

Pangea day is broadcast internationally. SFGate explains it's creation:

All I know is what I read in the papers...

xoff — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:20:37 -0500

... and that ain't much.

I remember years ago when I used to joke about news coverage on WGN-TV in Chicago, which seemed to feature an explosion so often that I called it "The Explosion News at 9."

As of late afternoon on Saturday, this was the entire list of the day's Newswatch on the Journal Sentinel website. They could have used an explosion for a little variety and broader coverage:

UPDATE: Boy who died in fire identified 2:25 p.m. »

Janesville boy dies in fire 1:01 p.m. »

Three wounded in Racine shootings 12:10 p.m. »

Police arrest armed robbery suspects 11:38 a.m. »

Two critically injured in rollover crash 11:12 a.m. »

Man dies in single-car crash 11:09 a.m. »

Cop shoots suspect during foot chase 10:34 a.m

Uniting locally for peace: A Wisconsin rationale

xoff — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:30:54 -0500

"Peace activists have learned that big demos in Washington, DC, alone will not save us. Sure, let's go there, or other big cities to show the peace doves, and Old Glory too, once in a while. But the real engines in this campaign to save ourselves from oblivion are the small but determined protests mounted everywhere across this land. Building a huge and independent movement of enraged and engaged citizens is the way to not only move democracy out of its infancy, but to force the next administration, whether Democratic or Republican, to stop the insane, tragic, cowardly invading of other nations."-- WWII Veteran, author and anti-war activist, Martin Murie.

May 16 is the Third Friday of the month -- Iraq Moratorium #9.

Quoting Murie, some Wisconsin organizers tell us why it's important:

Dear Concerned Citizens,

Citizens' Committee Needed on 911 Center

mal contends — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:41:24 -0500

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

Wisconsin federal taxes to support golf courses and amusement parks - in Baghdad

warmmidwest — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:45:46 -0500

The U.S. Army has developed architectural drawings for a "Tigris Woods Golf and Country Club Resort" for a planned "zone of influence" in Baghdad, and the Boston Herald is reporting that the plans have the support of the Pentagon.

There are also plans for an amusement park.

There are many appaling questions that deserve answers about this given the lack of electricity, running water, civil war atmosphere, much less who will maintain security for people standing in line to ride a rollercoaster in a war zone.

What your tax dollars bought in Iraq - $45 cans of soda, prostitutes, jewelry

warmmidwest — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:57:03 -0500

"Contractors hired to rebuild the country’s infrastructure or provide security have overcharged the U.S. for everything from soft drinks—$45 a can—to gasoline. Millions of dollars in no-bid reconstruction contracts were diverted to things such as Super Bowl tickets, prostitutes, watches, and jewelry. And much of the reconstruction work has been substandard. The U.S., for example, paid $72 million to Parsons, a U.S. contractor, to build a police academy in Baghdad. But the building was so badly put together that raw sewage seeps from its walls and ceilings. “This became the lens through which Iraqis now see America—incompetence, profiteering, arrogance,” said House Democrat Henry Waxman of California, a vocal critic of the war."

There's more at The Week Magazine.

Top Hillary strategist thought primary was winner take all

warmmidwest — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:31:24 -0500

Wow.

HRC's top strategist Mark Penn thought the democratic primary races were a winner-take-all affair. He didn't know that for the past twenty years, it's been proportional representation.

The republican primary race is structured as winner-take-all.

This critical misunderstanding makes sense if you consider Mark Penn is a republican and his PR firm is co-owned by McCain's chief strategist.

Time magazine details HRC's other mistakes.

Misplaced Police Priorities

mal contends — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:40:08 -0500

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 continues 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.

Falk's political payback?

warmmidwest — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:10:15 -0500

The Dane County Sheriff's Department endorsed Kathleen Falk when she ran for Attorney General in 2006.

Now, former Dane County Sheriff's Deputy and current Dane County 911 Center Director Joe Norwick has been loudly, and justifiably criticized for the handling of Brittany Zimmermann's call for help.

It doesn't help that Norwick had no public safety management experience on the level his current position requires. That stands in sharp contrast to this:

“We searched far and wide, and found the best candidate here at home,” Falk said of Norwick.

Is Falk's support of him payback for a past political endorsement?

Milwaukee Co. State Rep. Stone wants Indiana's voter ID law in Wisconsin

warmmidwest — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:47:21 -0500

Do you know what happened in Indiana Tuesday thanks to their adoption of voter ID laws upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court?

Nuns were denied the right to vote. They were in their 80s and 90s and lived in the same residence for most of their lives across the street from Notre Dame University.

And State Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) would like to ensure Wisconsin nuns, the elderly, and disabled get the same treatment.

"It is time that we get this passed here in Wisconsin," growled Stone, who for years has worked to erect barriers to voter participation. "There are no excuses left for not having this as part of our election process." (Capital Times)

So far, Wisconsin's voter ID law is on hold as republicans contemplate how to change the state constitution to get around Governor Doyle's veto power.

Get Uppity!

Ask Jeff Stone why his party wants to disenfranchise Wisconsin voters!

Rep.Stone [at] legis [dot] wisconsin [dot] gov