Saturday, July 11, 2020

GET ME REWRITE: 5 Wisconsin Supreme Court justices wield their rubber stamps



Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidates 3 of Tony Evers' budget vetoes but keeps Scott Walker's.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/10/2020)
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative legal group, filed the lawsuit against the vetoes last summer. The group said Evers violated the state Constitution by fundamentally altering the Legislature’s policies in the state budget, usurping a power not given to the governor in the state Constitution.



3/11/2020 update, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again", sez Rick Esenberg and his lily-white colleagues", starts here.


Reported in Conservative legal group asks Supreme Court to overrule decision halting voter purge.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/11/2020)


2/28/2020 update, " "As clean and white as the faces of our board of directors", Rick should have added", starts here.

Photo credit:  WILL

Quoted in Appeals Court strikes down voter purge ruling, allowing voters to stay on rolls.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 2/28/2020)


2/19/2020 update, "Racial and ethnic makeup of board of directors and staff of 'conservative law firm' makes it likely that 'unnamed parents' are white", starts here.


The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is a 'free-market' group that is currently on a voter suppression binge  Moreover, one of whose biggest champions, Michael Grebe, is a huge fan of Scott Walker, donating thousands of dollars to his campaigns.
                                                                                                                                                                     êMeet Michael H. White
Source:  WILL

2/4/2020 update, "Notice anything about the board of directors and staff of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty?", starts here.   
The incorrigibly retrograde WILL has most recently been in the news for this transphobic action:



Original 12/14/2019 post, "WILL:  Doing the important national work of voter suppression", starts here.


And who's this Michael Grebe guy?

You really haven't been paying attention, have you?

Just a sampling of the Grebe family largesse.


Related reading:
Who's Behind Scott Walker's Rise to Power.  (Governing, 3/31/2015)
The Republican governor's opponents wanted to know whether the Milwaukee group helped draft the bill or coached those who testified for it. Their suspicions were rooted in the fact that Michael Grebe, one of Walker's closest advisers, leads the powerful yet mostly inconspicuous voice for American conservatism. Diane Hendricks, a billionaire roofing-supply executive who is Walker's top individual donor, is on its board. 
Behind Scott Walker, a Longstanding Conservative Alliance Against Unions.  (The New York Times, 6/8/2015)
Less than a week after he was elected governor of Wisconsin in 2010, Scott Walker went to Milwaukee at the invitation of his political patron, Michael W. Grebe. 
Mr. Grebe was Mr. Walker’s campaign chairman. He was also president of the Bradley Foundation, a leading source of ideas and financing for American conservatives. And the bankers, industrialists and public intellectuals on the foundation’s board wanted to honor the state’s next governor over dinner at Bacchus, a favorite restaurant of the city’s elite.
Influence Peddler of the Month - Michael W. Grebe.  (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, 1/4/2016)
Most recently, Grebe served as GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign chair during his three successful elections in 2010, 2012 and 2014. In Wisconsin, Grebe contributed nearly $111,000 to GOP and conservative legislative and statewide candidates between January 1995 and June 2015. Topping the list of recipients was Walker, at about $30,000, followed by former Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen at $12,000.

Completing the circle jerk:



Related post:
Judge Paul Malloy: GOP pay to play the voter suppression way.  (12/13/2019)

'Disturbing and cruel'? Meet Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller




Original 8/14/2018 post, "Uncle David is horrified by the behavior of his nephew Stephen Miller", starts here.

Photo credit:  Gage Skidmore (Wikipedia)

Stephen Miller’s Uncle Calls Him a Hypocrite in an Online Essay.  (The New York Times, 8/13/2018)

The essay is found at Politico.

Stephen's resume indicates that this behavior is just a logical progression.
  • communications director for Sen. Jeff Sessions
  • press secretary for Rep. Michele Bachmann

Related post:
LOCK THEM UP!! LOCK THEM UP!! LOCK THEM UP!! LOCK THEM UP!! (9/26/2017)
Donald Trump, starring in the all-white, all-male cast of The Men Who Came to Dinner.  (3/4/2017)

Friday, July 10, 2020

Coronavirus wishful thinking (Ron DeSantis edition)



It's been all bad for Florida since then.




Original 7/6/2020 post, "Coronavirus gibberish", starts here.


Reported in Florida Gov. DeSantis downplays COVID surge, suggests it was more prevalent than state admitted.  (Herald-Mail Media, 7/6/2020)

What the fuck is he trying to say?  This overfed (not so) long-haired leaping gnome for Trump is totally out of his element.



Wisconsin 2020 elections: Who's running in the 12th Assembly district?



LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) was elected to the Assembly in November 2018.

Ozell seems to be off the radar.




Source:  Ballotpedia

2020 Wisconsin election posts:
14th Senate District.  (2/24/2020)
16th Senate District.  (1/28/2020)
26th Senate District.  (4/4/2020)
30th Senate District.  (1/18/2020)

1st Assembly District.  (5/8/2020)
2nd Assembly District.  (7/5/2020)
3rd Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
4th Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
6th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
8th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
9th Assembly District.  (7/9/2020)
11th Assembly District.  (7/9/2020)
29th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
35th Assembly District.  (5/25/2020)
44th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
48th Assembly District.  (3/12/2020)
63rd Assembly District.  (5/29/2020)
67th Assembly District.  (5/4/2020)
69th Assembly District.  (1/16/2020)
76th Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
82nd Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
96th Assembly District.  (5/3/2020)

GET ME REWRITE: Cody Horlacher likes the GOP gerrymandering models just as they are



Letter to the Editor: The most gerrymandered state in the country.  (Cambridge News & Deerfield Independent, 7/5/2020)

Here's the gerrymandered district that Cody has represented since 2015.


Notice something of a pattern here for southeastern WI Assembly district?



Related posts:
GET ME REWRITE: Wisconsin Republicans like the current shape of things when it comes to redistricting.  (1/25/2020)
Deranged former governor with hair on fire.  (7/19/2019) 
Broken record: The WIGOP gerrymander messaging of power-mad Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.  (12/2/2018)
In a close vote, male-dominated Columbia County Board of Supervisors endorses gerrymandering of state and congressional legislative districts.  (1/22/2018)
Wisconsin redistricting: Judges saw evidence, reached obvious conclusion, part 1.  (1/28/2017)
Wisconsin redistricting: Judges saw evidence, reached obvious conclusion, part 2.  (1/28/2017)
Wisconsin redistricting: Judges saw evidence, reached obvious conclusion, part 3.  (1/28/2017)

James Gray (1932-2020) Warren High School class of 1950



1950 Dragon yearbook


1967 Warren City Directory
1983 Warren City Directory

The popularity of James as a baby name is graphed here.  Let's take a look at son Gregg.  


Gregg made the best of his relative brief stint on the baby names chart, spending 10 years (1955-64) in the top 200 and peaking at #167 in 1962.

Other members of the WHS class of 1950:
2020
Mabel Morse Horner.  (2/4/2020)

2019
Donald Cable.  (8/27/2019)
Clifford LeRoy Maze.  (7/9/2019)
Robert Lundmark.  (7/1/2019)
Donald Baldensperger.  (1/26/2019)

2018
John White.  (10/12/2018)
Geraldine Downey Gustafson.  (10/7/2018)

2017
Helen Quiggle Kroemer.  (7/9/2017)
Dale Witherell.  (5/31/2017)
Betty Reynolds Mahan.  (4/4/2017)
Helen Kane Scalise.  (2/23/2017)

2016
William Lemmon.  (8/30/2016)
Joan Kondak Vernon.  (8/3/2016)
Barbara Reist Cook.  (7/7/2016)
Mary Sikstrom Bauer.  (6/20/2016)
Robert Jones.  (6/4/2016)

2015
Lewis McCullough.  (7/6/2015)
Joan Marlene Campbell Berdine.  (2/18/2015)

2014
Glen Valentine.  (8/18/2014)

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Wisconsin 2020 elections: Who's running in the 11th Assembly District



Jason Fields (D-Milwaukee) was first elected to the Assembly in November 2004 and served for 3 terms.  He ran again in 2016 and was re-elected in 2018.  He is not on the ballot in 2020.

Fields ran for Milwaukee City Comptroller in 2020, winning a 3-way February primary with 43% of the vote but losing the April general election by 998 votes out of 81,943 cast.

4 Democrats and 1 Republicans are running to succeed Fields.



Dear Orlando,

The GOP has absolutely no presence in this districtYou are being played.

Best,

Retiring Guy


The obscene art of the Wisconsin gerrymander, part 1

WTF!!   Deja vu all over again, Robin!


The obscene art of the Wisconsin gerrymander, part 2


Wisconsin 2020 elections: Who's running in the 9th Assembly District



Marisabel Cabrera (D-Milwaukee) defeated 8-term incumbent Josh Zepnick in the August 2018 Democratic election.  She was unopposed in the general election.  This time around, she has a primary and general election challenger.


The art of the Wisconsin gerrymander
Source:  Ballotpedia

2020 Wisconsin election posts:
14th Senate District.  (2/24/2020)
16th Senate District.  (1/28/2020)
26th Senate District.  (4/4/2020)
30th Senate District.  (1/18/2020)

1st Assembly District.  (5/8/2020)
2nd Assembly District.  (7/5/2020)
3rd Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
4th Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
6th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
8th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
9th Assembly District.  (7/9/2020)
29th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
35th Assembly District.  (5/25/2020)
44th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
48th Assembly District.  (3/12/2020)
63rd Assembly District.  (5/29/2020)
67th Assembly District.  (5/4/2020)
69th Assembly District.  (1/16/2020)
76th Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
82nd Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
96th Assembly District.  (5/3/2020)

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

GET ME REWRITE: GOP donor Steve Corrigan vows most-sanitized event you've ever attended!!!


Reported in Brown County Fair organizer vows 'most-sanitized event you've ever encountered '.  (Green Bay Press Gazette, 7/8/2020)


But wait, there's more!

Glenmore wedding barn owner faces $18,000 in fines.  (Green Bay Press Gazette, 11/23/2014)
The town of Glenmore has hit him up with 27 citations for hosting weddings at the barn without proper rezoning permits, town lawyer Bob Gagan said. Corrigan has a Feb. 12 trial scheduled before Municipal Court Judge Cletus Huber. 
This summer, Corrigan scrambled to reschedule more than a dozen weddings after Brown County Judge Kendall Kelley declined to extend a temporary order that would have allowed them.

Steve's level of trust on a scale of 1 to 10?

Donald Trump jawbones on education



Trump Leans on Schools to Reopen as Virus Continues Its Spread.  (The New York Times, 7/7/2020)

According to Merriam-Webster, the first-known use of 'jawbone', as in 'to speak forcefully' occurred in 1965.  

Other coinages from the same year include:
  1. cherry-pick
  2. credibility gap
  3. hardwired
  4. head case
  5. lose-lose
  6. slickster

Donald Trump sez U.S. has lowest COVID mortality rate in the world. In reality, we're no. 9



Stop saying Trump is ‘in denial.’ The truth is much worse.  (Washington Post, 7/8/2020)


Not to mention #1 in total cases



 and #1 in total deaths


Wisconsin 2020 elections: Who's running in the 8th Assembly District



JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee) was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010.  She is not running for re-election.  She now serves on the Milwaukee Common Council.

2 Democrats and 2 Republicans are vying for this open seat.




2020 Wisconsin election posts:
14th Senate District.  (2/24/2020)
16th Senate District.  (1/28/2020)
26th Senate District.  (4/4/2020)
30th Senate District.  (1/18/2020)

1st Assembly District.  (5/8/2020)
2nd Assembly District.  (7/5/2020)
3rd Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
4th Assembly District.  (7/6/2020)
6th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
8th Assembly District.  (7/8/2020)
9th Assembly District.  (7/9/2020)
29th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
35th Assembly District.  (5/25/2020)
44th Assembly District.  (2/21/2020)
48th Assembly District.  (3/12/2020)
63rd Assembly District.  (5/29/2020)
67th Assembly District.  (5/4/2020)
69th Assembly District.  (1/16/2020)
76th Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
82nd Assembly District.  (5/13/2020)
96th Assembly District.  (5/3/2020)

Paul Dennis Mahaffy (1941-2020) Warren High School class of 1950



1959 Dragon yearbook


1967 Warren City Directory
1983 Warren City Directory
  • Still at same address

The popularity of Paul as a baby name is graphed here.  Let's take a look at son Jacob.

Source:  Social Security Administration

After a decades-long slow decline, Jacob managed to turn things around in the 1960s, vaulting into the top 10 by 1993, where he spent the next 24 years.  He was the #1 baby name for boys 14 years running, from 1999 to 2012.

Other members of the class of '59
2020
George Ball.  (5/27/2020)
Gary Rowley.  (4/25/2020)

2018
Linda Lou Tuller Weilacher.  (2/20/2018)
Caroline Blythe Haslet.  (1/28/2018)

2017
Leona Mead Harrington.  (12/15/2017)
Martha Cline Peed.  (9/6/2017)
Carla Mae Gay.  (8/1/2017)
Sharron Lord Rose.  (6/29/2017)
Helen Long Sykes.  (5/24/2017)
William Sweigert.  (4/23/2017)
Raymond Kane.  (1/7/2017)

2016
Suzanne Spattifor Carlson.  (6/27/2016)

2015
David Valone.  (3/7/2015)

2014
Daniel Otterbein.  (9/20/2014)
Jeanne Williams.  (5/25/2014)
Clara Swanson Carlson.  (5/22/2014)

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Dear Scott Fitzgerald, You don't play the Milwaukee/Madison card when the county you represent ranks 7th of 72 in COVID cases per 100,000 people. Best, Retiring Guy


That would be Dodge.



Reported in Legislative leaders signal Wisconsin will maintain county response as coronavirus cases climb.  (Channel3000, 6/29/2020)

Scott Walker legacy: Paying obeisance to mining interests


To the detriments of residents where these polluting mines were located.


12/9/2019 update, "Scott Walker:  Pay to play the Hi-Crush way", starts here.



Reported in Judge allows Hi-Crush lawsuits to proceed but requires neighbors to document harms.  (Madison.com, 12/9/2019)

Another piece of Walker's shameful legacy as Governor.



8/3/2014 update, "Office of the Governor:  Scott Walker Continues his "Thank You for Your Contributions" , starts here.

Morning briefing: Sand mine Gov. Scott Walker touted settles state pollution case.  (Capital Times, 8/2/2014)

See hush money contributions below.   But unlike three other cases where sand mining companies paid fines for violating state regulations, the Justice Department didn't issue a news release detailing the agreement with Hi-Crush Proppants LLC, which agreed to pay $52,500 in forfeitures on June 5, according to records filed in Eau Claire County Circuit Court. 'It certainly raises my eyebrows and it certainly seems like there's politics behind it,' said Anne Sayers, program director of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters



And how has Hi-Crush found a way to "maintaining a positive relationships with Wisconsin communities surrounding their facilities"?

Disrespecting a county moratorium.  Despite a one-year ban on new frac sand operations in Trempealeau County, a Texas-based company is looking to build one by using a loophole. Hi-Crush Proppants has been working for more than a year to get approval to build an $80 million, 700-acre mine and processing center in the Town of Lincoln. At the end of August, the Trempealeau County Board passed a moratorium that blocks any new sand facility from being approved for one year. Hi-Crush seems to have found a way around that: General counsel Mark Skolas says the company has petitioned to have their property annexed by the neighboring cities of Whitehall and Independence. (Company Looks To Build Frac Sand Mine In Trempealeau County Despite Moratorium, Wisconsin Public Radio, 9/12/2013)

Other frac sand mining posts:
What a mere $8,000 will buy you in the Scott Walker House of Favors,  (3/30/2014)
Frac sand mining and property values: Homeowners vs. landowners.  (3/30/2014)
Nevertheless, transparency would have been in the general pubic's best interest.  (3/15/2014)
Wisconsin Towns Association has second thoughts about that "gentler" frac sand mining regulation bill. (3/4/014)
Scott Walker likely to support Tom Tiffany's new mining bill.  (2/27/2014)
The vision of Trempealeau County as one big mining operation -- nipped in the bud.  (2/20/2014)
Glenwood City Council members defeat their recall challengers by a hair.  (12/18/2013)
Wyoming's Republican Governor has a message for Wisconsin mining industry's "Tom Terrific".  (11/24/2013)
The mining industry's "Tom Terrific" gets pushback from his Republican colleagues.  (11/18/2013)
In so many words: Dear Sen. Tiffany, Your bill sucks, Sincerely, Pepin County Board.  (11/13/2013)
Follow the Gogebic money.  (11/7/2013)
Sand mine industry leaders put our minds at ease.  (11/5/2013) 
Scott Walker donor promises jobs, permanence for Independence and Whitehall residents.  (10/29/2013) 
Sen. Tom Tiffany's sand mine bill a hot potato.  (10/28/2013) 
Another Walker campaign donor for SB349.  (10/25/2013)
Expensive to the Tune of $430,505.49 (as of June 30, 2013).  (10/25/2013) 
The Nipper Chronicles: The frac sand mining masters speak.  (10/18/2013)
Things aren't so tranquil in Glenwood City Wisconsin lately  (10/10/2013)