Vid - Fire Still Burning 6/30 11:07am Madsion WI - Webster & Mifflin

Under control but still flaming in corner of building near roof line. It is now about 1:15pm and streets are still blocked with smoldering still going on ... air much clearer!

Other related videos on Youtube.

Vid - Madison WI - Fire - 6/30 9:47am - Near End - Aftermath - Webster & Mifflin

The fire is reported to have been noticed around 5am. The Madison Fire Department arrived quietly and proceeded to get it under control. This video was shot around 9:47 and it is now 10:47. You can see how the equipment has been deployed on Webster St. There is more equipment along Mifflin but things are now slowed down ... most of the ladder water is off. Unfortunately you can also see evidence of personal belongs in the street ... books, papers, window frames ... how sad!

There are, as of now, five videos that I shot on YouTube!

Vid #3 - Madison Downtown Fire 6/30/2011 - 8:52am Webster & Mifflin

Madison - Webster & Mifflin

Better view of two ladders on Webster ... hose is also being used from ground based fire engine ... smoke really affects visibility as it blows back on firemen to the north.

#2 - 6/30 8:50am Madsion WI - Fire Downtown - Ladder Work

There are two ladder hoses being directed from Webster St ... probably another from Mifflin ... lot of smoke and steam!

Coming Our Way? More than 10,000 schools affected by strikes, No 10 confirms

Is this story under the category that it cannot happen here?  Beware claims of "going broke!"  Click the title to learn about strikes in the UK.

From the Guardian ...

...The government is coming under increasing pressure to justify claims that the current system is "unaffordable". The prime minister said this week that it was in danger of "going broke" but the report by the former Labour business secretary, John Hutton, on which the government's reforms are based, confirms that as a share of GDP the cost of pensions peeked last year at 1.9% and is now projected to fall to 1.4% by 2059-60. ...

WI 1848 Forward: Coming Our Way? More than 10,000 #schools affected by strikes, No 10 confirms - #Broke #Underperform

Darling protest rally - where are the jobs -video

Sen. Darling Protest on Umemployment Insurance from Matt Brusky on Vimeo.

6/30 Madsion WI Downtown Fire - Webster & Mifflin - Undercontrol

About an hour after many residents in area noticed!  The Madison Fire Department had evidently arrived quietly on the scene and were doing their job while many of us awoke to the smoke! 6/30/2011.

GOP Candidate in Senate recall has disorderly conduct convictions

Prosser is not alone ... from JSOnline 6/29... irony VanderLeest claims courts are corrupt ... I guess we know what he means ...

A GOP candidate from Green Bay running in a Senate recall race has been convicted of two misdemeanor counts, arrested on other occasions, and now faces another probe by the Oconto County Sheriff's Department. 

The incidents involving David VanderLeest, which were brought forward by Democrats on Wednesday, stem from domestic violence allegations. VanderLeest, 34, helped organize the recall against Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and is the only Republican on the ballot challenging Hansen in the July 19 election.

Click title for full story ...

Recall: GAB update on Hansen

From JSOnline (click title for full story) -

The accountability board had initially found that Nygren had submitted 424 qualifying signatures from voters. But after a number of signatures were challenged by Democrats, the accountability board found that 26 of those were invalid.

An aide to Nygren said he would be releasing a statement soon.

The board also certified Republican challenger David VanderLeest in the recall against Hansen, rejecting challenges that VanderLeest had not gathered enough signatures.

That means that there will be no primary in the Hansen recall election. 

Upd 6/27 - WSJ 6/25 - Prosser allegedly grabbed fellow justice by the neck

Update: 6/27 afternoon

Dane County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Supreme Court Incident

Update: 6/27 morning

When I first saw the WSJ article (on Twitter) and put a blog entry together (about 2:20pm, Saturday afternoon) I was willing to believe that more needed to come out but that the issue of these kinds of interactions, and Prosser's history of name calling, etc., unfortunately made it too believable.  I can only wonder if he has always been like this or is it a more recent expression of personality - draw your own conclusion!  What has been universal is as I related what was reported, that people said, "That can't be true!?"

Was it that people did not believe me or my account?  No, I don't think so.  They were offended, affronted, shocked, astounded - pick your adjective or adverbs (if you are really stunned)!  This was the behavior of a Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice.  How could he be elected.  How could he be capable of this kind of "stunt".  He evidently is living pretty close to the edge - ~750,000 people in this state better do a little self-reflection before they simply vote ideology without really knowing the candidate.

By later in the day or early evening the situation had become even a little more strange.  I gather Prosser came out first with a "self-defense" argument such that Bradley had to at least counter with her own statement of incredulity.

Prosser should resign but he will not.  He is the precursor of Scott Walker: fostered, selected into, cultivated and promoted by the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

________________________
Prosser seems to not have much decorum left.  If this turns out to be a faithful and truthful account he should resign.

Wisconsin State Journal -

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser allegedly grabbed fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last week, according to at least three knowledgeable sources.
Details of the incident, investigated jointly by Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, remain sketchy. The sources spoke on the condition that they not be named, citing a need to preserve professional relationships.
They say an argument that occurred before the court’s release of a decision upholding a bill to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employees culminated in a physical altercation in the presence of other justices. Bradley purportedly asked Prosser to leave her office, whereupon Prosser grabbed Bradley by the neck with both hands.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_0eccd0ea-9f33-11e0-b4f1-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1QJi2ZdOx

v2 Vos 2005 vs 2011 - no girlfriend(?) now leader Joint Finance

2013 ... and now he is in charge of Assembly ?

_____________
Vos may not be as lonely today as he was in 2005 but he sure has the power to make other people unhappy - From ThinkProgress -

10,000 Wisconsin Residents Have Lost Unemployment Benefits Because Republicans Sat On Their Hands

Wisconsin may soon become the latest state to turn down federal funding to extend unemployment benefits. While extended unemployment benefits ran out April 16 for 10,000 Wisconsinites, Wisconsin Republicans have been delaying a decision to accept additional federal funding for months, claiming that extending benefits create a disincentive to find work.
Many, such as co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee Robin Vos (R), argue there are jobs out there, but people are unwilling to take them, preferring to sit on the cushion of unemployment benefits rather than take a pay cut from what they were making before the recession. But Vos’ statements contradict multiple reports. ...

Robin Vos - is this true??? Match.com no more?

WI 1848 Forward: v2 #Vos 2005 vs 2011 - no girlfriend(?) now leader Joint Finance #JFC #Walker Leads #Gogebic Avalanche

WI 1848 Forward: #Vos 2005 vs 2011 - no girlfriend(?) ldr Joint Finance #JFC :2013 Assembly ldr #ethics #Morality ?  http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/2011/06/vos-2005-vs-2011-no-girlfriend-now.html?spref=tw

VoterID - Human Costs - Legislature does Community Service NOT Update 7/26

While I waited at DMV to renew my license I was impressed by the speed and efficiency by which the staff proceeded.  Check in, get assigned to the right queue, be advised of what you needed, verify that you had it.  Get in this place to get your picture taken, wait, get called to get your license, take a vision test, wait, go get your license.  My renewal was routine but still took an hour.  It took about 10 minutes to get in the door to get checked in at 10am.  The picture taking about another 10 minutes.  Then the major wait ... only 35 minutes to wait to be called (fill out the paper work, write a check while you are waiting) ... vision test... paper work in order. Five minutes to get the plastic card.

There were a lot of people there for less routine reasons.  One of those was to get a "Voter Id Card".  I watched as an elderly woman in a wheel chair pushed by her elderly companion maneuvered all the feet and narrow walking spaces to the opposite end of the room to get a photograph.  I watched as the DMV staff person twisted and turned the wheel chair to get her in to position to take a photograph.  I watched as the the staff person rearranged chairs to give her a reasonable place to wait (probably another 40-50 minutes) before she would have an ID.

Some people, perhaps her legislator, knew this woman's ID all of her life.  I wish her legislator had been required as community service to help her get ready to go to DMV this morning, get her into the wheel chair, get her to the car or bus or cab, get the wheel chair a part for transport, arrive at DOT West in Madison, put the wheel chair together and get her into it, get in line and start waiting.

I admire how much this woman wants to vote even though our legislature is willing to spend between $4-$8 million to make it as difficult as possible because she has no ID.

_______Update - someone else with VoterID Experience at same DMV 7/26




WI 1848 Forward: #VoterID - Human Costs - #Legislature does Community Service NOT Update : #AARP #47% #99% vs #1% 7/26

Spkr. Robin Vos - is this true??? Match.com no more?

Everything you wanted to know about Robin Vos but were afraid to ask

We told you Monday about Robin Vos, the Republican state rep from Burlington who was so modest he told everything about his personal tastes on a dating website but didn't reveal he was a legislator, saying he was "self-employed." Earlier post: "Sensitive legislator wants to meet skinny-dipping flirt with money, power."

Soon after that post went up, Vos' page mysteriously became unavailable on the Match.com website.

from the the Xoff Files ... click title to see the story ... only he was self-employed ;-} ... please note this is from 2005 ...

Here and Now  Robin Vos takes over as Assembly Speaker  2013

 

 

Watch Robin Vos takes over as Assembly Speaker on PBS. See more from Here and Now.

WI 1848 Forward: Robin #Vos - is this true??? #Match.com no more? was w/ #ALEC #JFC #Assembly Speaker 2013 #spin

Recall: Alberta Darling - $1 Billion in New Republican Taxes??

State Sen. Alberta Darling "voted to add more than $1 billion in additional spending" while cutting programs such as education and health care 

Look deeper and find out who benefited - 

Sandy Pasch on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 in a news release  ... as mostly true ... rated PoltiFact Wisconsin JSOnline -- from the lead

As Republicans moved to aggressively cut the two-year state budget in the spring of 2011, state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, praised the move to smaller government and no new taxes.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Sandy Pasch, a Democrat from Milwaukee’s North Shore, fought against the cuts, in particular pushing to save funds for SeniorCare, the state’s drug assistance program for some residents over 65.

Now Pasch is running in a recall election against Darling, co-chair of the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.

What’s next for Wisconsin Act 10? June 20th, 2011 By Patti Wenzel

If you thought the battle of Wisconsin Act 10 was over when the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the legislature had not violated the state’s open meetings law, then you haven’t been paying attention.
That lawsuit was just the opening salvo in the union and Democrats’ attempts to overturn the legislation and save collective bargaining for the majority of public employees in the state. Suing on the basis that the Joint Committee of Conference violated the public’s right to notice and access to a March 9 meeting was a long shot – the Legislature always had their own rules and separation of powers card to play – but the the suit went forward and has now played itself out.

 That is the lead in to the story ... click title to get to the Third Coast Digest.

Video - Noam Chomsky - Democracy Now - Madison WI February, Unions, International

Noam Chomsky, MIT, has been on the landscape a long time and has had made major contributions not only to linguistics but to computer science in the form of context-free-grammars.  The fact that he is a social activist in his opinions and life has always attracted me to want to hear what he has to say.  Since the 1970s when I learned about context-free-grammars and at the same time about his social activism I have seen or heard him again and again.  It is no surprise to see him with Amy Goodman and on Democracy Now.  This is I am sure not his first appearance.  The interview is 13+ minutes on the 15th year anniversary Democracy Now - wide ranging with quite a few points about Madison and unions and events since February 11th.

Listen, Think Deep and Think For Yourself -

Part II (?)

NPR - 6/19 - Public Union Strife Redefining Wisconsin's Identity

Professor Kathy Walsh has been on the air before in other interviews talking about her research and face to face interviews with people in their communities (and coffee shops).  The kind of information she passes along helps us all keep things in perspective!  This morning I went looking for more interviews ... I know they are there perhaps on WPR not just NPR.  The title will take you to the audio and story but you can listen here.

From 4/30/2011 - 4min: Wisconsin's Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

...University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Kathy Cramer Walsh says voters here have always had their disagreements, "but Wisconsinites, in general, are good at sort of smoothing over differences and getting along. And right now we're not getting along, and it's blown out into the open. I'd say it's pretty different. It feels un-Wisconsin-like to me."...

On the Media 6/17 Echo Chamber ReVisited - NPR - Internet Effects

About 18 minutes of deep food for thought from NPR and On The Media

Recall in Glendale WI only 1 of 6 Polling Locations open?

Speaks for itself, from "Glendale Now" -

Glendale opens only one polling location for recall election

By MARY BUCKLEY

Posted: June 15, 2011 |(3) Comments

Glendale - Plan to vote at City Hall on July 12.
The Common Council on Monday decided to open only one of its six polling locations for the recall election for the 8th District State Senate Race. Sen. Alberta Darling, who is being recalled, will be on the ballot as well as Sandy Pasch, who currently represents the 22nd Assembly District.
If more candidates submit the paperwork to run for the seat, the July 12 election will be a primary with a general election to follow in August. City Administrator Richard Maslowski said the election does not include all city voters as the 6th Aldermanic District and part of the 1st Aldermanic District are not part of the 8th Senate District.
"We will save some money by having one common polling place," Maslowski said.
There is no funding for special elections in the city's 2011 budget.
Mayor Jerry Tepper wondered if one poll would be enough.
"It seems there could be a large turnout," he said. "If we have everything at City Hall, it could discourage some electors." ...

VoterID: Voting and Recall - National Perspective and WI

Need to Know from PBS gives a national perspective on the last several months.  They make the point that all legislatures tinker with voting requirements.  Is this time different (since November 2010)?  See what you think!

On the same subject a short clip from one of the hearings in Wisconsin has also been attached.  On a personal opinion note when I see this kind of objective, factual reporting I think I know why Republicans seem interested in finding ways to diminish public broadcasting.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Back to Wisconsin - May 3, 2011

Some past entries (not in chronological order) :

Upd2- WisEye - JFC - Voter ID - Rep Roys speaks ou...

JFC Monday Voter ID - Wisconsin Voter ID Bill 2011...Poll Tax or Fraud Protection

JFC Monday Voter ID - Wisconsin Voter ID Bill 2011...$5.7 cost

Voter ID - AB7 Amendments - Unfinished advances

Voter ID Amendments Put Students At Risk

WI 1848 Forward: #VoterID: Voting and Recall - National Perspective and #WI - #walker #Pridemore on camera

6/17 Sam Mayfield - Star Reporter of Capitol Police Citizen Management

Sam Mayfield continues to report on events at Madison State Capitol.  This report is from last nights rally and protests ... with a few other people commenting about what people in Wisconsin can do now and in the future to get Wisconsin back on track.

Either before or after posting this she evidently proceeded to court to deal her previous arrest by Officer Corcoran.

Wisconsin Recalls - AP 6/15

Wis. Dems protest ruling allowing recall elections for 3 Dem senators, allege widespread fraud by  DINESH RAMDE  Associated Press

 MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Democratic Party wants a court to invalidate thousands of signatures collected on recall petitions in recent weeks, a move that if granted would effectively end recall efforts targeting three Democratic state senators. ...

Unfortunately the Republican Assembly has taken the first step, the Senate will act and the Governor will sign - passing the"budget" before the recall elections will take place.  In the next several months we will see the human price as the budget ripples through towns, villages, cities and counties. Probably even worse is that it may be years before the real cost is fully appreciated - kids that don't get a good education, cannot afford to go to college or are not prepared to succeed when they get there.

The problem is ... it can get worse ... focus on the recalls of the Republican Senators and make it happen!  Governor Walker will still try to privatize state owned power plants, privatize DNR, cut Medicaid for the most in need, the list goes on,  etc. - use this knowledge to stay motivated and working for the Governor's recall!

 

Support WiscNet, Libraries and Education

WiscNet, libraries and education in general need our support - please let your legislators know how important you think they are.  Click the title above to get to a list of legislator's emails which can be cut and pasted easily.

If you need some background please see the comment by Tad Pinkerton in Madison.com -

Dear Editor: My colleagues and I brought the Internet to the University of Wisconsin System and to other higher education institutions in Wisconsin, and to public schools and libraries throughout the state through a nonprofit association called WiscNet. The budget proposal that would prohibit future work of this kind is a travesty. Research depends on using the very latest communications tools and capacity to be competitive, and these tools are not provided in Wisconsin by telecommunications companies. The UW-Madison must buy its access to them wholesale, and supplement them substantially with its own networking expertise. This expertise and capacity are then made available in the rest of the state through WiscNet. ...

The full piece - Tad Pinkerton: State budget attack on WiscNet a travesty

 

As a graduate in Computer Science from UW-Madison and knowing Tad, I concur with his statements and want to acknowledge his service to our state.  Please support WiscNet by using these lists to send your message more easily.

Democracy - Republican Style - Assembly Gallery - Rules

The exclusion list of what you can take into the Assembly Gallery seems, as the photo records, to be pretty long!  So you can bring your voice and your eyes but little else - which seems to be what the Republicans are encouraging.  Make sure you do not "Public Display or Demonstration"  ... but if you do they will only "ask you to leave" NOT!

Taxpayers get ready  ... they taped those signs on the marble ... not even painter's tape ... get ready for another $7.5 million Capitol repair bill.

WI 1848 Forward: #Democracy - #Republican Style - Assembly Gallery - #Rules  : #GOP #DEMS #WiVote WWiUnion #47% vs #1

Now We Know - Income Disparity Makes People Unhappy

Ya think so?  From Science Daily summary (click the title) -

ScienceDaily (June 13, 2011) — Many economists and sociologists have warned of the social dangers of a wide gap between the richest and everyone else. Now, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, adds a psychological reason to narrow the disparity -- it makes people unhappy.

... Interestingly, the psychologists found, the inequality blues did not afflict Americans at the top.. For instance, for the richest 20 percent, income disparity or its absence did not affect their feelings about fairness and trust -- or their happiness -- one way or the other.

WI 1848 Forward: Now We Know - #IncomeDisparity #MakesPeopleUnhappy - #Inequality #47% vs #Elites  - WI 1848 Forward:

More Strange - Collective Bargaining NOT or Collective Ideology by Republicans

Let's see was it not just a month ago that a $636 million dollar surplus was identified and now to balance the budget the Legislature just has to have collective bargaining in the budget (if the Supreme Court does not go along with them)!  The Governor wants to hand out between $6K and $7K tax breaks for every kid in Milwaukee County so they can go to corporate schools ... and he wants to do it for other counties too!  Is it not also the case that the Governor is going change rules for Seniorcare and Badgercare so fewer people are eligible ... that is not a tax increase?  Does the Governor think that reducing the income of most state and municipal employees income by more than 10% is not a tax increase.  Those are just the things I can easily recall ... who are the Republicans kidding ... and Fitzgerald thinks the Democrats are lying?  He is just picking on the people he thinks he has prevented from voting ... next time!  Ask a preacher's son WWJD!

6/13 State Patrol Arrives by the Bus Load(s) at Capitol - Madison 7:30am

Buses were stopping on Doty St and dropping off State Patrol Officers by the City-County Building and then en masse jaywalking across the street.  Does it take 120 officers plus(?) to open two more doors to the Capitol.  Maybe they are here to arrest Secretary Mike Huebsch since he has been violating Court orders to open the Capitol for at least a couple of months!

Ah! Probably not ... gee what is going on!!!!

Extraordinary Session - By Pass Open Meetings - Treat the Public Like Mushrooms

When you read the "DefendWisconsin" State Budget to be Rushed Through Extraordinary Session  implications you should panic.  Demonstrations are great but they are likely to be too late and the Republicans will get the budget through w/o significant debate and for that matter most of us will not even know what and when things are happening.  They are really trying to keep the lid on "publicity" ... counting on as Kapanke (Olsen, Darling, Hopper, et al)  that the electorate will sleep through his recall and the "establishment press" will not be able to keep up either ... and the public will sleep through this and there will be no national coverage!


Start calling and emailing and contacting your representatives now!  Some group emails for Republicans are provided below to make collective contact easier.  Here is an excerpt from the DefendWisconsin article -

Here are some of the special features of the extraordinary session:

• No notice of hearing before a committee shall be required other than posting on the legislative bulletin board, and no bulletin of committee hearings shall be published.

• The daily calendar shall be in effect immediately upon posting on the legislative bulletin boards. A printed calendar isn’t required.

• Any point of order shall be decided within one hour.

• There can be No motions to postpone action to a day or time certain.

• Any motion to advance a proposal and any motion to message a proposal to the other house may be adopted by a majority of those present and voting.

• The session can be expanded to include any other legislation, including new legislation.

Tell them to stop this and debate the issues and in effect to keep Open Meetings going ... none of this last minute maneuver to keep us in the dark and "feed/treat us like ...".

Access WI Legislature

Sorry it is not complete  but it does provide access to many in a group format so you can write one email and send as bcc so each gets it individually w/o disclosing other recipients .

Why SocSec and Public Pensions Need Support - NPR 401(k) Fees Can Shave Thousands From Nest Egg

Everyone should have access to a "public pension" system. They are far more efficient in terms of cost and an individuals effort to manage a 401K (etc.).  The NPR story of course uses a $100K balance ... everybody has that much ... right!

But most of those plans have fees and hidden expenses. And as personal finance columnist Ron Lieber of The New York Times tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer, those fees can mean that an investor pays more than $1,000 annually.

... "The problem is, if you're losing that much money each year, over time, and you're investing over many decades in these funds, it's a lot of money to be losing each year," Lieber says. "I mean, it's $1,500 out of a $100,000 balance each year."

Those losses add up. Over several decades, an investor could pay more than $100,000 in fees by the time retirement arrives. Federal law says that such fees have to be "reasonable," Lieber says. But most investors have no point of comparison to know where to draw the line.

Hear the NPR story by clicking on the title above.

WI 1848 Forward: #SocSec & Public #Pensions Need Support - #NPR #401(k) Fees Shave Thousands From Nest Egg #47% #AARP

World SafetyNet - Make It Bigger Not Smaller - NPR

More than 1 billion people in the world are living with some sort of disability, according to a new international survey. That's about 15 percent of the world's population, or nearly one of every 7 people.

The above is from the story by NPR which makes you wonder about Wisconsin and what Governor Scott Walker wants to do to Medicaid recipients in our state.  WWJD.

Nearly 1 In 7 People On Earth Is Disabled, Survey Finds

The report includes a foreword by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who can't feed himself or get dressed or speak without assistance because of his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a debilitating and usually fatal disease. He says there's a moral duty to help disabled people.

WI 1848 Forward: World #SafetyNet - Make It Bigger Not Smaller - #NPR : #Obama #47% #99% #Dems #OWS vs #1% #Elites 

Walkerville "Sold Out" Monday 6/6 M&I Bank - Fire Engine- Video

Just a short video of Fire Engine as it passed the "rally" protesting banks being "bailed out" and people being sold out! From Monday Noon Rally!

Upd#4 6/11 - Citizen Management - Capitol Police Style - Monday evening WORT interview

... and more ...



A further update from the reporter -







One should try to have all the facts before drawing conclusions but someone once said something like ... "what am I going to believe my lying eyes".  The words exchanged or the sequence of events leading up to this "video" may not be totally clear but it does speak for itself.  I understand that one of the individuals detained(?) was interviewed Monday evening (last night) on WORT.  In the interest of full disclosure I have briefly met that person.  I am going to find that WORT interview ... hope the rest of the "press establishment" will try to shine some bright light on these seemingly new Capitol police tactics.

A link and a quote from Emily Mills (Isthmus) has been added below and the WORT interview moved as well!

Emily's Post: An open letter to the #wiunion movement (Isthmus) on Tuesday 06/07/2011

From that source -

So when several dozen protesters made it into the building Monday via a door that has otherwise been locked, it was hard to fault them for it. The police response to the breech, however, was wildly inappropriate. Jesse Russell and others took video of what happened, and Nick Nice wrote about it:

I walked in the King St. doors and just as I entered I saw a wall of about 10 or so officers running towards the entrance. They were all primarily State troopers & Capitol police, I recognized a few of them as people who had been working security the past few times I'd visited the Capitol. I sort of scooted over to the right-hand side and stopped to watch what they were going to do. As I was watching, I saw them grab a girl and violently throw her against the marble wall and arrest her... They were being so rough with her that myself and others started yelling at the cops to leave her alone. While I was trying to get some shots I asked an officer what she was being arrested for and she told me that 'she was trying to run away from them.' I couldn't believe what I was seeing just a few feet away from me. The whole scene was quite chaotic but there weren't that many people observing it. I'd say maybe a dozen to 20 people at most. One guy was so upset by it that he went right up by the officers arresting her demanding to know what was up. At this moment a female officer came up to me and told me that I had to leave the building. I told her that I had a right to be there and she had no right to remove me. She left me alone as a few seconds later a burly bald-headed cop violently grabbed the man by the neck. The officer who was talking to me joined her other officers in violently assaulting this man for no reason whatsoever. They slammed this guy so hard into the hard marble walls that I thought they were going to kill him.

 WORT interview link (starts short bit in)

For those interested earlier photos of the rally!

Walkerville Noon Rally - some middle images - 6/6/11

Walkerville "Sold Out" Monday 6/6 M&I Bank - Fire Engine- Video

WI 1848 Forward: v2 #4 6/11 - Citizen Management - #Capitol Police Style - Monday evening interview #WORT #Madison #47% 

WI 1848 Forward: v2 #4 6/11 - Citizen Management - #Capitol Police Style - Sam #Mayfield interview #WORT #Madison #47%

 

Walkerville Noon Rally - some middle images - 6/6/11

Walkerville (Madison - Capitol) : Arrived late and unfortunately had to leave early... these are images from part of the march from State and then to the M&I building and then around the square back to State.  Firefighters were leading march with bagpipes playing.  Some from the rally then went to the Capitol and it seems some are being arrested(?) and detained in the basement ... reasons unkown?  Some videos later - depends on quality?

State St corner

M&I Bank

Firefighters - Stencils on Sidewalk - State St Capitol side

NYTimes: Disabled, Abused, Dead - What's Ahead In Wisconsin??

Of course this story about what has been going on in New York will never happen in Wisconsin - we hope!  It does sadly highlight a sometime problem with "state institutionalization" and "for profit institutionalization".  The drive to save money, reduce costs, or whatever you call it always ignores the victim or equivalences the care provided by family with that provided for the "state or private entity".  We need both and should prefer family care and support those willing to provide it!

The the NYTimes:  A Disabled Boy’s Death, and a System in Disarray

... Yet on a February afternoon in 2007, Jonathan, a skinny, autistic 13-year-old, was asphyxiated, slowly crushed to death in the back seat of a van by a state employee who had worked nearly 200 hours without a day off over 15 days. The employee, a ninth-grade dropout with a criminal conviction for selling marijuana, had been on duty during at least one previous episode of alleged abuse involving Jonathan.

Previous blog :

Medicaid: Death by a Thousand Cuts or Ten Thousand or More - Making It Personal

An Immoral budget and Walker's War on the Safety Net

The Madison Times: Faith groups ask WWJD? by A. David Dahmer May 27, 2011

WI 1848 Forward: #NYTimes: Disabled, Abused, Dead - What's Ahead In #Walker 's Wisconsin??  #Medicaid #Medicare #AARP

Madison - Capitol - East Mifflin in the Rain - Walkerville 6 6 2011 Monday AM Pics/V

Walkerville at Capitol 6 6 2011 Monday 5:30AM. Just a few unedited pictures, mostly from this morning. A rough video is available below. It is raining with reports of severe storms in Reedsburg.

6 4 2011 Saturday evening

Sunday evening 6 5 .. great music

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain - Sleeping in chair

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain

Morning 6 6 Walkerville rain

Saturday Checking out Walkerville 6 4

Saturday Checking out Walkerville 6 4

#Walker -ville WI 1848 Forward: #Madison - #Capitol - Tents East Mifflin in the Rain - 6.6.2011 Monday AM Pics/V

Health Care, SeniorCare, BadgerCare, Medicare - Budget Impacts

This excerpt is from a WI 1848 Forward blog entry I put together back in March 2011.  To see Steve's website just click on the title above.  At the time it was motivated by a Guest Opinion Column by Steve Salmon in the Wisconsin State Journal -

What does Governor Walker really intend to do? He wants more flexibility (block grants) from the Federal government, which I guess means he wants to decide how to spend the money, which I guess means he will decide who is eligible and what they are eligible for. I guess that is why he is also asking the Wisconsin Legislature to turn over administrative rule writing to him!

Medicaid: Death by a Thousand Cuts or Ten Thousand or More - Making It Personal

Steve's Opinion piece can be found at WSJ -

Guest: Steven Salmon: Wisconsin budget cuts will hurt the disabled

Walkerville when it is not freezing ...soon ...!? 6/4-6/20 Budget Awareness!

The We are Wisconsin alliance is applying for a permit for this Saturday through June 20th to camp out on the Mifflin Street side of the Capitol Square in downtown Madison!  If you did not know it there were people camping outside the Capitol way back when in the freezing cold, especially when access to the Capitol was non-existent to difficult, which unfortunately is still the case despite court orders.

From the article at DefendWisconsin.org and Wisconsin State Journal -

Wiith lawmakers gearing up for a vote on the state budget, a “Walkerville” camp similar to the one that sprang up during the protests at the state Capitol earlier this year may be returning this weekend — this time to the terraces of Mifflin and Carroll streets.

We Are Wisconsin, an alliance of community groups, labor unions and others, has asked the city for a permit to set up the camp across from the Capitol to provide information about Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposals and efforts to recall Republican legislators who voted to eliminate bargaining rights for most public employees.

More Strange - Your license: made in California by TMJ4

We owe so much to the Wisconsin Republican led Legislature and our U.S. Representative Sensenbrenner.  If you do not have clue start following Sensenbrenner Watch.  Sensnebrenner was the big push behind "Real ID" and of course our Legislature our own Voter ID with DOT in charge (practically).  Now you vote with a "paper receipt" are the probable consequences except that the local "clerk" at the voting office will make you do it "provisionally" because you do not have a proper "picture ID".


From the article -

Starting this fall, Wisconsin driver's license cards will no longer be printed in Wisconsin.  Instead, the state will outsource the work to a company that will print the cards in California.

Under the new plan, Wisconsin drivers will still go to the DMV office to complete paperwork, have their eyes checked, and have their photograph taken as normal. However, the local DMV office will only issue a printed paper receipt that can be used while the actual printed license card is being manufactured in California.  The temporary paper receipt will have a driver's photo on it and can be used as identification at the airport or to vote, the DOT said.

If that last sentence is true why do we need "picture ID's" ... one could just pass the "paper with picture" or fudge it a bit around for a few weeks ;-}.  Isn't this all just silly!  This again is a case of "more expensive" being sold as saving money.

WI 1848 Forward: More Strange - Your license: made in California by TMJ4 #WI Drivers #DOT #Jobs