Anonymous fliers target Wisconsin teachers who signed Scott Walker recall petitions

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Daily Kos

By Laura Clawson

Janesville, Wisconsin, teachers who signed—or simply may have signed—petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker are being targeted by an anonymous group. The group, fronted for by Citizens for Responsible Government, a conservative Milwaukee organization, filed freedom of information requests and obtained the names, job titles, and salaries of every teacher in Janesville, then produced a flier listing the names and salaries of the 321 highest-paid teachers. The flier urges recipients to look for the teachers' names on a list of recall petition signers and:

At the bottom of the flier is a "Parents' Rights Protection Form" urging parents to send it to Superintendent Karen Schulte and request that "my child be assigned to a classroom taught by a non-radical teacher during the 2012-2013 school year." [...]

Schulte said if she receives any of the requests, "they're going in the trash."

If everyone who signed a petition to recall Walker is a radical, Wisconsin has a lot more radicals than most of us would have guessed. As for the anonymous people putting out the flier: "They want to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation," [Citizens for Responsible Government spokesman Orville] Seymer said. "However, this is all public information."

Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/22/1093947/-Anonymous-fliers-target-Wisconsin-teachers-who-signed-Scott-Walker-recall-petitions

[geardaddy]

1. Let me guess.

They're funded by the Koch bros.

[louis-t]

2. What, no photos of teachers with bullseyes on their heads?

Teabaggers are getting soft.

[bluestateguy]

3. And this is why teacher tenure is important

And no doubt that is next on Walker's shopping list.

Tenure insulates teachers from being fired, demoted or punitavely reassigned on the basis of their political views.

Any parent who does not like the politics of their child's teacher is welcome to withdraw from the school all together and pay for private school.

[Smarmie Doofus]

18. Exactamente. nt

[lark]

4. Good

Get the teabaggers offspring out of there. They are just poisoning the well for the other kids anyway, making it harder for them to get a good education in the face of all the right wing lies.
The test scores will go up once the tightie whities are out of there. BTW - in case you are wondering, I'm as white as they come.

[Iliyah]

5. I saw a Dem's poll that has

Heil Walker only 3% ahead of Bennett. Now if they are so far ahead as many other polls show, y'think they would have no reason to do this type of "coward" bullying (what tea brats love to do, besides waving their guns).

I'm one of those who believe that the race is tightening up and a possible win for Bennett by numbers but we all know that the GOP will try and steal it.

The insane party of no are always spouting out about "FREEDOM" but we all know it only means if you totally think the way they do bullshit.

I hope the teachers stand their ground and don't be intimidated by these assholes.

[OKNancy]

6. applause for Superintendent Karen Schulte

Schulte said if she receives any of the requests, "they're going in the trash."

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. The real radicals are walker and the cronies he whores for.

[starroute]

8. More from Blue Cheddar blog

http://www.bluecheddar.net/?p=21241

At first I assumed that Orville Seymer, a CRG Network Field Operations Director, ran the ad. To double-check, I put in a call to Chris Kliesmet of CRG (Citizens of Responsible Government). He said that CRG helps citizens make open records requests and Orville helped a citizen make the request to get teacher salary information. He said CRG helps citizens pro bono and helps them stay anonymous adding that CRG has been doing this service for 10 years. I told him that although I understand the importance of open government, I am troubled by what happens when records are used against individuals in a politically charged environment. I didn’t record the call but took notes including this phrase Chris used to dismiss me, “Democracy is a contact sport”.

Orville Seymer is technically doing “non-partisan” records work. Right-o. Can you guess who he stands with?

“Orville Seymer of Milwaukee helped hold up a 10-foot pro-Walker sign in the rain and frigid temperatures. “We’re supporting the removal of collective bullying,” he said in April of 2011 to a Waukesha Freeman reporter.

“Citizens for Responsible Government” [or should I say their political branch?] worked to install Scott Walker in his first gig as Milwaukee County Executive. CRG and its members promote starve-government-at-all-costs tactics that usually focus on Milwaukee County. In a spirit of openness that CRG would approve of, I share that Orville Seymer can be reached at 414-573-8709 [that's according to an announcement about the failed recall against Sen. Jauch, which CRG assisted].

[ladym55]

9. This is truly despicable

I guess when you are a teacher, you are not permitted to have any viewpoint at all. Wow. Given the massive salaries teachers earn, I suppose they should not expect the right to exercise a role in government.

And as always, the right-wingers remain anonymous. THEY can threaten and bully, but oh, my don't question them.

[Ricochet21]

10. How pathetic he is

[madrchsod]

11. the newspapers are pissed because they used their boxes

at least they were smart enough to not use the postal boxes. do they think this will change anyone`s mind? i wonder how many more teachers they`ll piss off?

[Pakid]

12. Just how low can conservatives go

Pretty dam low next thing you know they will take to making threat against people who signed kids. Lets just say it Republican don't believe in Americas freedom. But then this is the same political party who in the 1930's tried to overthrow FDR and install fascism( little known fact of history). Their family's today are the one spending all the big money now to get what they want an end to America as we know it!!!!!!!!!

[WIProgressive88]

13. I'm a resident of Janesville, and I'm glad to see this story getting some attention.

This is beyond outrageous; these people are cowardly thugs whose purpose is to bully and intimidate those who don't share their extreme right-wing beliefs. Those involved should not be allowed to remain anonymous, they need to be exposed for the fascist creeps that they are.

[la la]

14. walker followers absolutely detest teachers...

even retired ones! i found a facebook page ( through DU!) 'we are firing employees who sign recall petitions' or some such schitt as that---the admins are cretins ( no disrespect to cretins) looked up my facebook wall, saw i was a retired home ec teacher and it went downhill from there ;&gt got thrown off the page 3 times, called a t..t, c..t, b...h, 'fix me a sammich' blah blah blah...they are the type who hate teachers because they didn't do well in school, and of course, it was all the teacher's fault...i might just go back there and see what's happenin' and ask them if they belong to this specific conservative group!

[lunasun]

15. At first I thought it was the group Anonymous

my child be assigned to a classroom taught by a non-radical teacher during the 2012-2013 school year.............
published salary...............
........ so unbelievable but a true story I

[davidpdx]

16. What a bunch of douchebags!

[Blue Owl]

17. Anonymous? Well fuck me with a Koch spoon...

n/t

[Iwillnevergiveup]

19. This Wisconsin recall

is turning out to be almost as important as the 2012 election. At the very least, a recall of Walker could badly damage Koch influence and pave the way for a significant Democratic victory in state-wide and national races. Good on the superintendent!

[OKNancy]

20. Kick