Dumb as a Rock

For John, BLUF:  I am blaming Author Francis Fukuyama for leadng us to think we have reached the peak of human perfection, and thus all that went before is dross.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"UW-Madison chancellor signs off on removing rock seen by some as symbol of racism."

From The Althouse Blog, by Professor Ann Althouse, 5 January 2021.

Here is an excerpt from The Wisconsin State Journal:

The university’s Campus Planning Committee in November unanimously approved recommending the boulder be relocated off university property to a location on or near the National Park Service’s Ice Age Scenic Trail.

UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank accepted the committee’s recommendation on Monday....

The rock’s removal is not yet a done deal.  Because the boulder is located on or near a Native American burial site, the Wisconsin Historical Society needs to sign off and all Native Tribes of Wisconsin need to be notified and given time to provide input....

Some Students want a 70 Ton rock, with a plaque commemorating a former University President, Thomas Crowder Chamberlin (1887-1892)♠ removed because it once had an informal name containing the "N-Word".  This was seen as offensive and emblematic of systemic racism still extant at the Univ3ersy of Wisconsin.

As usual, the Comments at this post at the Althouse Blog are interesting and entertaining.

Personally, I would enlist the students to take their hammers (with safety glasses) to the rock, hammering away until the giant rock is reduced to dust.  Let he who is without sin raise the first hammer.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Professor Chamberlin wrote "The method of multiple working hypotheses", in which he advocated the importance of simultaneously evaluating several hypotheses, rejecting those that conflict with available data, and ending with the one hypothesis supported by the data.  In contrast to to the single ruling theory, which encouraged scientists to find supporting data and not challenge it with difficult tests.  His paper is considered a landmark on the scientific method.

Disrespecting the Opposition

For John, BLUF:  Are local officials following the rules?  I have some reason to doubt.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Voter Fraud in Wisconsin – Massive Dump of Over 100,000 Ballots for Biden All the Sudden Appear Overnight

Here is the sub-headline:

Last night President Trump had a sizable lead in Wisconsin but this morning Sleepy Joe somehow took the lead.

From The Gateway Pundit, by Reporter Joe Hoft, 4 November 2020.

Go to the link and look at the chart and the way the ballots for Biden jump up all at once, in an unnatural way.  About 5:00 AM on the 4th.

I hope this is looked in on by Republican lawyers.

In the mean time, I take it to be a bad look for the Democratic Party Apparatchiks.  They should be smoother than this.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Narrative

For John, BLUF:  In this time of Winnie the Flu there are likely few good answers.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"Why did Gov. Tony Evers, a Wisconsin Democrat, change his mind by trying to postpone the Wisconsin State Supreme Court election this week..."

From The Althouse Blog, by Professor Althouse, 11 April 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

"... when both he and Vice President Joe Biden had just recently said that the voting could proceed?  It's really simple.  Republican areas in the state had turned in many more absentee ballots than Democratic areas.  This was shocking, because most people had assumed the race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders would give Democrats a huge turnout edge.  That's when Evers panicked.  To cancel an election the day before the vote — after your state party realizes it might be getting outvoted in absentees — is a pretty cynical move...  If Evers had canceled the voting earlier, before seeing how many absentee ballots came in from Republican areas, this would not be an issue.  But he wanted to wait until the eleventh hour...."

Writes John Pudner in The Washington Examiner.  By posting this, I'm not saying I agree.  It's just a point of view that I would like to be seen.  I really don't know why Evers did what he did.

This puts a different spin on things.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

UPDATE:  To make the point that this was not just a Primary, but an election for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sun Setting Laws

For John, BLUF:  We have a lot of old and out of date laws on the books, and they need to be replaced, lawfully.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Judge orders 234,000 purged from Wisconsin voter rolls

From MSN, by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Reporters Bruce Vielmetti and Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 December 2019.

Here is the lede plus four:

An Wisconsin judge on Friday ordered the state to remove hundreds of thousands of people from Wisconsin's voter rolls because they may have moved.

The case is being closely watched because of the state's critical role in next year's presidential race.  Ozaukee County Judge Paul Malloy also denied the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin's petition to intervene.

Lawyers for the League and for the Wisconsin Elections Commission indicated they will appeal and asked Malloy to stay his ruling pending those appeals, but he declined.

At issue is a letter the state Elections Commission sent in October to about 234,000 voters who it believes may have moved.  The letter asked the voters to update their voter registrations if they had moved or alert election officials if they were still at their same address.

The commission planned to remove the letter's recipients from the voter rolls in 2021 if it hadn't heard from them.  But Malloy's decision would kick them off the rolls much sooner, and well before the 2020 presidential election.

First off, "hundreds of thousands seems like lazy journalism.  The mailing went to 234,000 voters, per the article. 

Of the 234,000 letters that were sent, about 60,000 were returned as undeliverable as of Dec. 5, according to the Elections Commission. As of then, about 2,300 recipients of the letters said they continued to live at their address and about 16,500 had registered to vote at new addresses.

That is nit-picking.  The real issue is that unelected officials were not following our democratic procedures and allowing appointed officials to override our laws and procedures.

But [Judge] Malloy went further than issuing an injunction.  In granting a writ of mandamus – essentially a court order that a government official or agency do its job – he said he was convinced the commission had a clear, positive, plain legal duty to purge the voter rolls within 30 days.

"I don't want to see someone deactivated, but I don't write the law," said Malloy, who was appointed to the bench in 2002 by Republican Gov. Scott McCallum and has been re-elected by voters.

He said the commission didn't like the policy so it set a new one without following a formal rule-making procedure that would have included notice to the public and a chance for input.

To be filed under "It's All About Me":

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Twitter railed against the ruling.

"I won the race for governor by less than 30,000 votes," he wrote.  "This move pushed by Republicans to remove 200,000 Wisconsinites from the voter rolls is just another attempt at overriding the will of the people and stifling the democratic process."

This is rubbish.  the invocation of 200,000 is sloppy math.  Further, the Governor doesn't talk about how some of those voters might be Republicans.  When someone in my District casts an illegal vote, that is the suppression of my vote.  In my own City, Lowell, a group has sued, and the City folded, so next local election my vote will, in some Districts be reduced in value by a factor of ten.  And Gerrymandering is alive and well.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Identifying Racists

For John, BLUF:  The Professor being talked about basically says that if you expect politeness you are a racist  Ouch.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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University Educator: Mowing Your Lawn & Acting Respectable Is Racist

Here is the sub-headline:

From Freedom Outpost, by Mr Tim Brown, 29 December 2018.

Here is the lede:

Earlier this month, a university educator told the Madison Board of Education why things like civility, time limits and mowing your lawn indicates you are racist.

I am trying to imagine what this nation would be like if we didn't have civility and time limits at say, local government meetings.  The moving of one's lawn is not that big a deal for me.♠  So how does everyone get heard?  Does Government decay to the rule of the bullies?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Truth be told, it is important to my wife, so it gets done.

Where are the Antifa?

For John, BLUF:  The People need to be ever vigilant, and never cut corners with regard to justice.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Wisconsin, the Surveillance State

From The Weekly Standard, 15 December 2017, by Reporter Christian Schneider.

It is more on the John Doe Investigation and corrupt Democratic Party Operatives in Wisconsin.  I wonder why Prosecutor Shane Falk doesn't yet have a wikipedia page.

If you want the Democratic Party side of this, go to Wikipedia, here.

Still, it is Fascism.  The Stasi here in the United States.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Lessons to be Learned

For John, BLUF:  When you think the other party is pure evil you need to check your assumptions, because you are probably wrong.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Governmental accountability board? More like Wisconsin's Secret Police

The sub-headline:

It was a partisan witch hunt masquerading as an inquiry into campaign irregularities. And it might presage the outcome of the Mueller investigation.

An OpEd from USA Today, by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, 11 December 2017.

Here is the lede plus one:

The “Cheesehead Stasi.”  That’s what Twitter humorist IowaHawk called a long-running and politicized investigation organized by Democratic politicians in Wisconsin, targeting supporters of Republican Gov. Scott Walker.  The mechanism for this investigation was an allegedly nonpolitical, but in fact entirely partisan, “Government Accountability Board.”

In the course of its secretive “John Doe” investigation, the GAB hoovered up millions of personal emails from Republican donors and supporters, and even raided people’s homes, while forbidding them to talk about it:

The line "raided people’s homes, while forbidding them to talk about it" sounds very UnAmerican.  But it does sound like Eastern European Secret Police, like the Stasi.

This is like IRS Official Lois Lerner, but with the power to take records from your home.

This is a warning to Special Counsel Robert Mueller to keep it clean and above board.  Back to Wisconsin, I think, at this point the Cheeseheads need to vote to keep Stasi like Democrats out of office for the next fifty years.

By the way, the OpEd is a pretty quick read and well worth it.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

John Doe Exposed

For John, BLUF:  This was a cynical attempt by Democrats in Wisconsin to use the force of secret investigations to beat back Republicans in State Government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Wisconsin Department of Justice finds that the John Doe investigation was "on a mission to bring down the Walker campaign and the Governor himself."

The author of this purloined Blog Post is Emeritus Law Professor All Althouse, on 8 December 2017.  If she sounds angry it may be because she is.

Here is how the blog post lays out, with a link to the original article:

The Wisconsin State Journal covers the Wisconsin Department of Justice report on the leaking of records from the John Doe investigation into Gov. Scott Walker’s 2012 recall campaign.

In an 88-page report, Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel lays bare the actions of staff at the former Government Accountability Board as they dug into what is described as a previously unknown, secret “John Doe III” investigation into several GOP officials and staffers who were [absolved of the suspicion that they] campaign[ed] out of taxpayer-funded offices….

[T]he report criticizes the “breathtaking” sweep of the three John Doe investigations, which included 218 warrants and subpoenas.  DOJ found the John Doe investigators obtained and categorized several private emails unrelated to campaigns, including 150 personal emails between Sen. Leah Vukmir and her daughter that included health information, and placed them in a folder labeled “Opposition Research” — a term that refers to political dirt collected on opponents….

Schimel concluded the GAB staff didn’t act in “a detached and professional manner” and that it was reasonable to infer “they were on a mission to bring down the Walker campaign and the Governor himself.”  He pointed to a November 2013 email in which [former GAB lawyer Shane] Falk encouraged Schmitz, who was having doubts about the GAB’s legal theory, to “stay strong.”

“Remember, in brief, this was a bastardization of politics and our state is being run by corporations and billionaires,” Falk wrote.  “This isn’t democracy to say the least, but due to how they do this dark money, the populace never gets to know.  The cynic in me says the sheeple would still follow the propaganda even if they knew, but at least it would all be out there so that the influences on our politicians is clearly known.”

I wonder how the cynic in Shane Falk feels about us sheeple getting all of this out here where it can be clearly known.

For those interested in the document, "REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING VIOLATIONS OF THE JOHN DOE SECRECY ORDERS," it can be found here.

Herre is a key paragraph:

As this report describes in detail, the systemic and pervasive mishandling of John Doe evidence likely resulted in circumstances allowing the Guardian leak in the first place, and now prevents prosecutors from proving criminal liability beyond a reasonable doubt.  Moreover, DOJ is deeply concerned by what appears to have been the weaponization of GAB [Government Accountability Board] by partisans in furtherance of political goals, which permitted the vast collection of highly personal information from dozens of Wisconsin Republicans without even taking modest steps to secure this information.

In case you are missing it, Democrats embedded deep in the Wisconsin State Government used their John Doe powers to conduct a broad and secret investigation of Republicans, who they saw, not as an opposition political party, but as enemies of the People.

When one party or another feels it can and should engage all the levers of Government to beat back the political successes of its opposition we have slipped into being a third rate Banana Republic.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wisconsin Government Star Chamber Proceedings Coming to Light

For John, BLUF:  The reason there is a Bill of Rights is to protect us from the Government, which, regardless of party, can slip off the rails from time to time.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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There is some whinging going around about the Wisconsin John Doe case being thrown out.  There shouldn't be.  it is just UnAmerican.  Heck, the whole thing is UnAmerican, including the lash up of Wisconsin officials with the IRS to go after a particular group of political activists.  This kind of thing just gives Democrats a bad name.  The Chicago Way.

This is a situation where the police conducted odd hours raids and told people they couldn't even speak to their lawyers.  At the same time the Government attorneys were leaking to the media, even inviting them to the scenes of raids.  Despicable.♠  And then coordinated with the IRS (what is it, Day 806 of the IRS Scandal?  I think Ms Louis Lerner has a lot to apologize for.)

At any rate, here Law Professor Ann Althouse talking about "The Wisconsin Targets Tell Their Story/After victory in court, conservative activists talk on the record for the first time about their 21-month ordeal."  And, she recommends a must-read story in The Wall Street Journal by Collin Levy. (No subscription? Google some text.)

And, given the Media's cooperation with the corrupt Government officials, can we say there was some BenSmithing going on?♥  Yes, we can.

Did I use the word despicable?  For sure, a Scott Walker victory in 2016 would be nice payback.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  And this is why ordinary citizens should be allowed to sue Government Officials, who would no longer be able to hide behind immunity.  And, besides, tar and feathers is so Nineteenth Century.
♥  (v) A political tactic that disguises itself as journalism in order to protect Democrats, most specifically Barack Obama.

Learning From Mistakes

For John, BLUF:  Mistakes happen, even with the Police.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Sometimes even the Progressive Press gets it, as with this article by Ms Candice Bernd, in Truthout, "Wisconsin Passes First State Law Requiring Independent Investigations of Police-Custody Deaths".  As you read you will note that the person pushing this rock up hill was a former Air Force pilot, who understood the importance of independent mishap investigations to find out what went wrong, so corrective actions could be taken for the future.  In my mind, this is not about punishment, but about the search for the truth.

In case you don't fancy Truthout as a news source, here is an article by Ms Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  "Gov. Scott Walker signs police custody deaths bill".

And, this took place a little year ago, in early 2014.

Regards  —  Cliff

Visit From Paul Ryan

For John, BLUF:  As Republicans we gain hope from successes elsewhere.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I went to the Mass Fiscal Alliance reception for US Rep Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) on Tuesday.  He is from my wife's home town, Janesville.  More important, he is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee.

It was a nice event.  I enjoyed myself.  Met people, including Mr Chip Faulkner, from Citizens for Limited Taxation.  I also met Ms Catherine Roman, Chairman of the North Attleboro Republican Town Committee

A couple of the items covered by Rep Ryan:

• As Republicans we should be pro-market, rather than pro-business.
• There is a certain immorality to the minimum wage.  If a kid can't get a summer job at $8.00 per hour, how is he going to get one at $15.00.♠
• Common Core is dead in the water.  The Feds should work on funding the unfunded mandates the local schools face.
• Because of his position in funding the next race (helping out) he was unwilling to opine on this or that candidate.
• And, he bragged that Congress has passed a budget.

The item on the budget was timely, as noted by The Hill  This was the work of both Rep Paul Ryan and Senator Mike Enzi, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Budget.♥

Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority.

Congressional Republicans scored a major legislative victory on Tuesday as the Senate adopted the first bicameral GOP budget agreement in a decade.

The 51-48 vote capped weeks of work by Republican leaders in the House and Senate, who shepherded the blueprint through a messy debate over defense spending that at times threatened to split their conferences.

The blueprint passed the House last week, and will not require a signature from President Obama.

I hope he takes another look at the top office some time.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  A problem with the Minimum Wage law is that there is much value to youth employment.  A living wage for adults is a different issue.  We need to creativity in this area.
♥  The Ranking Member is Bernie Sanders (S-Vermont) and another minority member is Angus King (I-Maine).  One Republican from our region, Senator Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire)

Leaking in Milwaukee

TRIGGER WARNING:  Article has material which calls into question the integrity of Democrat politicians in Wisconsin.

For John, BLUF:  There is a reason to vote people out of office beyond incompetence and that is lack of integrity.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Professor Elizabeth Price Foley seems to be the InstaPundit's go to guy regarding the John Doe case in Milwaukee, instituted by Democrat DA John Theodore Chisholm.  In today's episode she delves more deeply into the question of who leaked the "pre-dawn paramilitary-style raid of the home of Cindy Archer".  Yes, this so secret you can't even tell your mother or your lawyer raid made the newspaper, the same day.

Well, it is unlikely Cindy Archer leaked to the paper and we have the admission of Reporter Patrick Marley that he was on the front lawn of Ms Archer during the raid.  Apparently he didn't get the tip, based on Reporter Jason Stein, who actually wrote the article, saying he got the leak.

The thing about leaks is you get prosecuted (persecuted?) based on how the Government feels about you.  Ask Scooter Libby.♠

We know that leaking a Warrant prior to its execution is a Class I Felony in Wisconsin.  So, does it appear as though DA John Theodore Chisholm leaked the Warrant, but is home free because there is no one to go after him, or does it appear as though DA John Theodore Chisholm realizes there was a leak but is unwilling to see justice done in this case, presumably because he thinks that Ms Cindy Archer et al are the scum of the earth and therefore don't deserve justice in this issue of leaking.  I am going with "C"—All of the Above.

Shame.

Even if Ms Archer is guilty of something, and it appears she isn't, this whole investigation doesn't rise to the protections of the Star Chamber and is an affront to the rights of Englishmen, as was won on Runnymede 800 years ago this year.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The thing to be aware of is that if you contradict yourself or say something that isn't true you can be brought up on charges of lying to a federal officer.  You have to be careful in an interview, especially if you are innocent.

Justice in Secret is Justice Denied

TRIGGER WARNING:  This may reflect badly on Democrats in Wisconsin.

For John, BLUF:  So, is this going to be "in camera".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Back in March the Wisconsin Supreme Court elected to not hold oral arguments in the infamous John Doe case brought by Milwaukee DC John Theodore Chisholm, citing secrecy problems. It is discussed here in an article by Andrew Beckett, 'Wisconsin Supreme Court will not hear arguments in John Doe case".

The state Supreme Court will not hear oral arguments in a legal challenge to a John Doe investigation into potential illegal campaign coordination between conservative groups and Governor Scott Walker’s campaign.

In a 4-2 decision released late Friday afternoon, the high court said its decision was based on concerns about the impact of a secrecy order issued in the proceedings, which would prevent them from being able to publicly identify some plaintiffs in the case.  Several of the unnamed groups targeted by the probe have argued that their activity was not illegal, and a judge sided with that position more than a year ago in halting the investigation.

Have I mentioned that this has some appearance of corruption.

Regards  —  Cliff

Leaking in Wisconsin

TRIGGER WARNING:  Suggests certain Democrats in Wisconsin are corrupt.

For John, BLUF:  Abuse by our prosecutor folks can not be abided.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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At the Althouse blog there is a further discussion of the "John Doe" issue and in this case the question of if the apparently corrupt Milwaukee DA, John Theodore Chisholm, was responsible for tipping off the press.  Since this is a "John Doe" action, and thus so secret one can not even have a Grand Jury,♠, or contact one's own lawyer, one would think that tipping off the press, the Fourth Estate, would be out of bounds.  Apparently not.

The original National Review article is here.

So, one question is if DA John Theodore Chisholm thinks that he personally incorporates justice and is above the law?  He must see himself in that way or he would resign, with an apology for allowing this John Doe action to go on and on.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Grand juries are a protection for the People against a central government, recognized 800 years ago in the Magna Garta.  It is incorporated in our US Constitution.

John Doe May Move to the National Level

For John, BLUF:  I have mentioned this before.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Over at Instapundit Ms Elizabeth Price Foley gives us an update on the Wisconsin John Doe imbroglio. Today she notes that Friday the US Supreme Court may look into this:

WILL SCOTUS AGREE TO HEAR WISCONSIN “JOHN DOE” CASE?:  The Supreme Court will decide Friday whether to grant review on a case relating to the infamous Wisconsin “John Doe” investigation of conservative groups that supported Governor Scott Walker and his reform of public sector union collective bargaining.

What DA Chisholm did is disgusting.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

A Misunderstanding

For John, BLUF:  I think I must have been soft peddling it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I was critiqued, off line, on my post on the Milwaukee DA, Lawyer John Theodore Chisholm:

For one it makes no sense?  What are you trying to say?

Just so I am clear:

• The Prosecutor appears to be corrupt.
• The Prosecutor seems to have gone after Republican activists in the Milwaukee area because they were threatening the Democrat stranglehold.
• The Prosecutor, having told the folks raided that they couldn't even talk to their lawyer, leaked it all to the press.
• Did I mention the Prosecutor appears to be corrupt?
• I figure the judge was likely also, from the reports.

And DA Chisholm makes former IRS Executive Lois Lerner look like a choir girl.

We do all know who Ms Lois Lerner is, don't we?

Regards  —  Cliff

Suppression of Rights

For John, BLUF:  The only good news out of this is that DA Chisholm was not able to sabotage Scott Walker's run for governor.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Writing in USA Today Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds gives us "Wisconsin's dirty prosecutors pull a Putin".

Corrupt prosecutors.  Corrupt.  unAmerican.  Ugly and scary.

And here is his 20 April Blog post.

“HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT!”:  But it’s not your stereotypical white-officer-in-minority-neighborhood situation, where we are admonished by the political left that “Black Lives Matter.“  Instead, it’s in America’s Heartland, Wisconsin.  And the targets are–gasp!–conservatives who supported modification of Wisconsin’s collective bargaining rules for public employees.  In this terrific new piece at National Review Online, David French breaks down the shocking excessive force used against conservative targets of the so-called “John Doe” investigation.  In the words of one target, “Anne”:

“It’s a matter of life or death.”

That was the first thought of “Anne” (not her real name).  Someone was pounding at her front door.  It was early in the morning — very early — and it was the kind of heavy pounding that meant someone was either fleeing from — or bringing — trouble.

“It was so hard.  I’d never heard anything like it.  I thought someone was dying outside.”

She ran to the door, opened it, and then chaos.  “People came pouring in.  For a second I thought it was a home invasion.  It was terrifying.  They were yelling and running, into every room in the house.  One of the men was in my face, yelling at me over and over and over.”

It was indeed a home invasion, but the people who were pouring in were Wisconsin law-enforcement officers.  Armed, uniformed police swarmed into the house. Plainclothes investigators cornered her and her newly awakened family.  Soon, state officials were seizing the family’s personal property, including each person’s computer and smartphone, filled with the most intimate family information.

Why were the police at Anne’s home? She had no answers.  The police were treating them the way they’d seen police treat drug dealers on television.

In fact, TV or movies were their only points of reference, because they weren’t criminals.  They were law-abiding.  They didn’t buy or sell drugs.  They weren’t violent.  They weren’t a danger to anyone.  Yet there were cops — surrounding their house on the outside, swarming the house on the inside.  They even taunted the family as if they were mere “perps.”

As if the home invasion, the appropriation of private property, and the verbal abuse weren’t enough, next came ominous warnings.

Don’t call your lawyer.

Don’t tell anyone about this raid.  Not even your mother, your father, or your closest friends.

The entire neighborhood could see the police around their house, but they had to remain silent.  This was not the “right to remain silent” as uttered by every cop on every legal drama on television — the right against self-incrimination.  They couldn’t mount a public defense if they wanted — or even offer an explanation to family and friends.

Don't call your lawyer?

OK, to restate, this is from an article in the National Interest, to be found here.

Let us name names.  We are talking about Milwaukee District Attorney, John Theodore Chisholm.  His actions, as reported by the National Interest make him sound worse than Ms Louis Lerner, formerly of the IRS (You do know it is Day 712 of the IRS Scandal).  No, this is more like Germany in the 1930s and early 1940s, when the Prosecutors and Judges thought they were doing the right thing, but in fact they were doing the most awful things.

There is nothing more dangerous in politics than certitude.  Certitude has given us not just the Holocaust, whose machinery killed more than Jews, but also the Armenian Genocide, the deaths of hundreds of thousand of Greeks and Turks in a population exchange, the Ukraine Holodamor, other Soviet purges for millions of people, the German/Soviet effort to destroy the intelligentsia of Poland, the Great Leap forward in China, Pol Pot and the Killing Fields, Rwanda and now what Deash is doing in the Middle East.  I am sure I missed some.

Here is Blogger, and Wisconsin Law Professor Ann Althouse back in September of last year.  Yes, the Deep State.

Did I mention that Milwaukee District Attorney John Theodore Chisholm presents as scum, an anti-democracy putz?

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Chief Justice of Wisc Sues the People

For John, BLUF:  Biting the hand that feeds you.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Law Professor and Blogger Ann Althouse gave us a look at happenings in Wisconsin, where the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Ms Shirley Abrahamson, has filed a suit against the state in Federal Court, seeking to defer implementation of a recently passed voter initiative, which would change the way the Chief Justice is selected.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorializes, "Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson should drop her lawsuit".

I think it is pretty interesting, a Chief Justice suing his or her state over a ballot initiative, although we do have sort of an example in Massachusetts with the Clean Election Law.  In this case the Speaker of the House thwarting the will of the People.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Scott Walker Isn't That Tough

For John, BLUF:  It is amazing what people will write if you pay them for writing.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Professor Ann Althouse we have a link a New York Times article by Reporter Nate Cohen, "Scott Walker’s Electoral Record Is Less Impressive Than It Looks".♠  The article then goes on to show how other Republicans did better than other winning Republicans in the same election years.

From the article:

Gov. Scott Walker is the rare conservative favorite who emphasizes electability.  He won three contests in four years in Wisconsin, which hasn’t voted for the Republican candidate in a presidential election since 1984.  He did so without compromising on the Republican Party’s core principles; instead, he prevailed in a high-profile fight with organized labor.

Mr. Walker might well prove to be a stronger general election candidate than Mitt Romney.  That’s not a very high bar.  But his electoral record — three wins in governor’s races in four years in Wisconsin, including a recall election — isn’t as impressive as it looks.

There you have it.  Governor Scott Walker isn't all that impressive.  His wins aren't that strong.  And, of course, he never graduated from college.  And his wife is way older than he is.  And, in a real election, a Presidential election, the younger voters will turn out and swamp those older voters.  So, Democrats, don't let Mr Scott spook you.  He just isn't that good.♥

So, here is how Professor Althouse ends her blog post:

Which brings us back to Cohn.  He observes that all 3 of Walker's victories came in non-presidential years, where Republicans get the advantage of lower turnout from the younger people who tend more toward Democrats.  That is, Wisconsin is and remains a blue state, where Walker should lose, but elections are skewed in the off years.

All I can leave you with is a quip from another Midwest Governor, Adlai Stevenson:

In America any boy may become President, and I suppose it's just one of the risks he takes.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  For readers of The New York Times that would be Mr Scott.
♥  On the other hand, we have no indications that he has been running Wisconsin out of a private EMail server in his basement.

Governor Walker's Style

For John, BLUF:  Althose says:  That's not Wisconsin style.  Get used to it, coasties."  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Law Professor Ann Althouse has a blog post, "Non-Wisconsinites, I need to explain something about Scott Walker♠ to you that you are missing."

Those of you who think that he's a neophyte, that he hasn't yet learned how to step up to answering a question. You don't get it.  You are a neophyte.  You haven't yet learned how to step up to understanding Scott Walker.

I'm talking to people like WaPo's Dana Milbank, who wrote a column called "Scott Walker’s cowardice should disqualify him," based on Scott Walker's response to Rudy Giulian's "I do not believe that the president loves America."

And, by the way, a lot of folks fall into saying their opponent, or the person they are running against, if it isn't their opponent, is unpatriotic.  In this case over the Federal Debt.♥

Hat tip to the Althouse blog.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  For readers of The New York Times that would be Mr Scott.
♥  For reference, the US National Debt on 22 February is a Bit north of a hundred billion dollars north of $18 Trillion.