The Progressive says “Collective Bargaining Lives Again in Wisconsin”

The Wisconsin State Journal’s headline for the same news is “State Workers Found In Contempt”.



A defeat of Walker’s cold war on workers is too much for this newspaper to broadcast in plain language in a headline.
Too much for even one day.

We all know that the Koch Kourt Wisconsin Supreme Court will have its way with this issue on November 11th. That’s TWENTY WHOLE DAYS (and a few hours) of guaranteed extra freedom for Wisconsin workers.

...


These shortening, dark days must be unbearable for the board members of Lee Enterprises. I hope the doldrums don’t seep into the Associated Press. Mary Junck, the Director on Lee Enterprises’ Board also serves as Chair on the AP board.

UPDATE: The online version of this Wisconsin State Journal story is headlined “WERC staffers held in contempt for ignoring ruling in Act 10 challenge” – as of 6:43PM Central Time.

It appears the state-related case opened in February 2012, meaning it was active at the same time as the one focusing on Walker's county aides. However, several sources said they became aware of the newer probe only in the past month and that much of the recent activity has taken place in Madison.

...


The most obvious connection to Walker staffers in Milwaukee County and current Walker staff in Madison is obvious – the possibility that campaigning is being conducted on the taxpayer dime. Recent emails from high level Walker staff regarding the mining bill drafting process may confirm that this type of activity is occurring, and thus confirm Bice’s “unconfirmed rumors.”

An email from then – Walker Chief of Staff Keith Gilkes pgs 11-12 of the document*) on January 30, 2011 from his Champion Group email to his new government email account references campaign fundraising to a lobbyist for Gogebic Taconite.

...

In this scenario, we find that staffers for Fitzgerald and his brother, former State Representative Jeff Fitzgerald and a staffer from Congressman Paul Ryan were sharing emails on their private emails regarding the gerrymandering.

Under Kissick's settlement, groups like the Solidarity Sing Along no longer need a permit to gather at the Capitol. They can alternatively notify the DOA by phone, email, in person or via a form supplied by the state.

...

Kissick is upset, however, at the State Capitol Advance Notification form posted on the Capitol Police website. He says it asks for information that is not required under the terms of the settlement, including a name.

"You can anonymously notify, and then you can give a contact," he says. The form also doesn't communicate that groups can simply email notification to the DOA or notify in person.

Kissick says his ACLU lawyers are in discussion with the DOA about these details now.

INSURRECTIONISM TIMELINE



On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court embraced the National Rifle Association’s contention that the Second Amendment provides individuals with the right to take violent action against our government should it become “tyrannical.” The following timeline catalogs incidents of insurrectionist violence (or the promotion of such violence) that have occurred since that decision was issued.

...

January 12, 2011—After it is reported on by the Columbia Free Times, Palmetto State Armory removes an advertisement from its website for a personalized assault rifle accessory. €œ”Palmetto State Armory would like to honor our esteemed congressman Joe Wilson with the release of our new €˜You Lie €™AR-15 lower receiver,” € the ad reads. A picture of Wilson holding a rifle and standing in the company’s gun shop appears on the same webpage. The ad refers to an incident in September 2009 when Wilson disrupted a speech by President Barack Obama in the U.S. Capitol and claimed that impending health care reform legislation would not provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.

...

November 2, 2011—Four men are charged with conspiracy to kill officials of the federal government in Gainesville, Georgia. The men—one of whom is listed as a “captain” in the 440th Squad of the Georgia Militia—had conducted surveillance on IRS and ATF buildings in Atlanta, which they were planning to attack with explosives, firearms, and biological weapons. The ringleader of the group indicates that the plot is based on the self-published novel “Absolved” by former Alabama militia leader Mike Vanderboegh. Vanderboegh, a Fox News commentator, previously made national headlines in March 2010 when he encouraged pro-gun activists to vandalize the offices of Democratic Members of Congress in response to their votes for health care reform.

August 12, 2013—South Florida business owner Jason D. Simione is arrested and charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder, one count of threatening to throw, place or discharge a destructive device, and one count of child abuse. A SWAT team searched the 39-year-old’s Dania Beach home and recovers 68 rifles, shotguns and handguns, including a .50 caliber sniper rifle; and approximately 60,000 to 70,000 rounds of ammunition. Detective Ricky Libman of the Broward Sheriff’s Office states, “[Simione has] made statements to me and his employees about how unhappy he is with government policy, specifically [President Barack Obama].” Broward Judge John Hurley tells Simione, “[Your] employees said you repeatedly have threatened the President of the United States, saying that he should be murdered.”

The book details the extravagant expenses of Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican of Georgia, for instance, whose leadership PAC spent $10,000 on golf at Pebble Beach, nearly $27,000 at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and $107,752 at the exclusive Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla. The amount Mr. Chambliss spent at the Breakers in the 2012 election cycle, the book reports, is three times what the senator gave to the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the same period.

Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, racked up $65,000 in expenses during the 2012 cycle at a resort on South Carolina’s exclusive Kiawah Island, the book says. That was more than he transferred to his party’s senatorial committee, despite raising $1.1 million.

...

Democrats come out looking equally profligate. The book points out that Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York used his leadership PAC to pay for a painting of himself that cost $64,500. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut used hers to pay for catered parties at her home several times a month.

The book also seeks to draw attention to the influence that businesses have over elected officials, which has become a galvanizing cause for conservatives like Mr. Schweizer and Tea Party activists, whose brand of politics thrives on the tension of outsiders working against a system they believe is corrupted by insider interests.

If Mr. McConnell is serious about improving his party’s reputation and ending government by threat, there’s an easy first step: Establish a mechanism to prevent the use of the debt ceiling as a weapon. In fact, such a mechanism exists, and the minority leader invented it in 2011. It’s called the McConnell rule, and it’s time to make it permanent before the current agreement runs out on Feb. 7.

This rule, which was used in last week’s settlement and other agreements for the last two years, allows the president to raise the debt ceiling and then gives Congress a chance to disapprove it. If Congress passes a disapproval measure, the president can veto the legislation. The two chambers would then each need a two-thirds majority to override the veto and prevent the debt limit from rising, which is politically unattainable and is likely to remain so.

In any case, the debt ceiling may have reached the end of its useful life last week after President Obama and Senate Democrats refused to negotiate, and Republican leaders showed that they would back down before letting the Treasury default. It’s a World War I-era contrivance that was never used to extract concessions until the Tea Party got hold of it in 2011, and it ought to be formally abolished. It doesn’t limit the debt, which is determined only by the amount Congress spends and takes in. Its only purpose is to give voters the illusion that Congress is acting as a responsible steward over borrowing.

But Congress loves illusions, and if it insists on preserving this one it should at least make sure that no fanatical faction of a political party can use the limit to threaten the economy with the disaster of default. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has proposed writing the McConnell rule into permanent law. If Republicans want to hear a huge sigh of national relief, they’ll take him up on it.