Congressman F. Jim Sensenbrenner must have way too much time on his hands. He must be spending it reading all of the right wing blog hysteria over flood victims in Milwaukee actually getting aid. Earlier this week people in Milwaukee’s central city stood in line to get food vouchers. There was apparently some confusion and frustration at the site which led to some pushing and shoving prompting a police response. After the incident right wing bloggers went completely nuts. Suddenly they declared the incident a full blown “riot” even though it had very few of the traits that one would associate with an actual riot.

Next they started overanalyzing pictures in the paper, doing fashion checks on those that stood in line. They began to show outrage because some of the people seeking aid actually had cell phones. Oh the horror! They even went to another sleazy low by commenting on the flood victim’s weight, and wondering why they would need food. It has really been a disgusting display feeding into all of the same racist stereotypes that apparently still plague our society. Now F. Jim Sensenbrenner has decided to jump in, trying to give some legitimacy to many of the fowl things being said on the right.

The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute's article by John McAdams, defending the huge disparity in incarceration rates for blacks and whites, continues to spark debate.

We wrote about it yesterday, saying that McAdams's findings seemed to suggest a remedy like 40 acres and a mule.

Paul Soglin weighed in with the suggestion that McAdams's approach would also suggest that Milwaukee could tolerate more black murders.

Conservative Rick Esenberg responded to Soglin.

And Soglin offered a rebuttal to Esenberg.

And Esenberg volleys back.

It's an interesting back-and-forth, a much better exchange than the usual name-calling that takes place in the Cheddarsphere.

As every waitress/waiter seems to say these days, "Enjoy!"

Does Wisconsin lock up too many blacks?

When it's John McAdams asking that question, and the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute is paying for the study* , you can be pretty sure what the answer is going to be.

Of course not.

In fact, McAdams, who holds the endowed Wingnut Chair of Political Science at Marquette University, seems surprised we aren't locking up more blacks for longer sentences than we do now.

Paul Soglin has already done an analysis and found that under the model used by McAdams, we are not only not locking up enough blacks, but are well below expectations for homicides in Milwaukee, too. There is room for quite a few more murders.

It's hard to know where to begin with McAdam's "study," funded by WPRI, a far-right "think tank." Perhaps here:

Veterans for Peace reminds us that it was 40 years ago today that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared: This madness must cease!

Veterans for Peace says:

April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech at Riverside Church in New York City. King understood the death and destruction the United States was causing in Vietnam was poisoning America's soul. "Now it should be incandescently clear that no one who has concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war." This is no less true in Iraq.

From Paul Soglin's Waxing America blog

Blacks in Wisconsin Prisons - Governor Jim Doyle is creating a panel to study the high incarceration rate of blacks in Wisconsin prisons. Doyle orders new panel on blacks in state prisons: Far too many of our citizens, particularly African-American males, are serving time in... paul soglin [Paul Soglin - Waxing America]

The report on which all of this is based is truly interesting reading. We tend to think of ourselves in Wisconsin as being progressive and - well, perhaps a little less bigoted than the rest of the country. Apparently we're wrong, at least when it comes to the prison system. The chilling stats about young black men in prison in Wisconsin should bring in to question what our commitment in the state to fairness really is. I'm glad to see that Governor Doyle is concerned about this - but perhaps we should have all been concerned quite some time ago.

Monday, January 15, 7 PM
Place: English Lutheran Church, 16th and King Streets

Program to include Excerpts of M L King's speech given at Riverside Church in New York City, music and more. An opportunity to meet and dialogue with other concerned folk. Refreshments.

Free and open to public. please bring a donation for WAFER Food Pantry.

Flier attached for download if you want to post them around your area.