Uppity Wisconsin

Michael Horne, intrepid reporter and author of Milwaukee World, is reporting that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is suing State Senator Dan Kapanke for violating campaign laws:

The party also alleges Kapanke failed to fully comply with its request for communications about the event by his political staff members. [The party had in its possession, an e-mail composed by a Senate staffer on state time inviting legislators to participate in the event. That would be an illegal use of state resources, if the event were indeed to be found to be political in nature. However, that same e-mail was not included in Kapanke's response to the public records request, as one might expect.]

The suit also asks for staff time records and much other data, presumably to see if Senate staff members were on the state's clock while working the event. Kapanke didn't hand that stuff over, either. In an August 3rd, 2009 final demand letter to Kapanke, Attorney Michael Maistelman wrote "Your failure to follow Wisconsin law is because to do so would reveal even more serious violations on your part."

Make sure to read the entire post, including the addenda and updates, as well as the comment thread.

Cross posted at Cog Dis, among other places.

New Hampshire just joined the list of states allowing gay marriage, after a quick trip through the legislature and a world-record-breaking signing by the governor. 

And yet, Wisconsin has somehow lost its progressive way on this issue.  2006 was the sad year in which Wisconsin legalized discrimination, both legally and morally.  It's time to fix this. Let's try again.  Let's keep trying until we get it right.

This editorial from the Milwaukee alt weekly, the Shepherd Express, gives us more helpful background on Milwaukee US Attorney Steven Biskupic's curious habit of prosecuting Democrats and how it ties in to the US Attorney Purge. It also asks these important questions:

US Attorney Purge smoke comin' out of Wisconsin: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIOb_GoE

Rep. Conyers (D-MI) put out the word that he now has evidence that some of those RNC emails contain more information about Wisconsin US Attorney Steven Biskupic. All eyes on Wisconsin.

Once in a blue moon I get to talk about an issue that I know something about. In this case, it's email. I've been an email administrator for a long time now in one capacity or another. So I find some of this discussion re: the RNC and White House email kind of interesting.

So it sounds like Karl Rove et al have been trying to make an end run around the White House email system by funneling a lot of mail through the RNC mail system instead. Okay, this may be illegal, and it certainly violates the government policies if it has happened. Spokes-folks are saying that the rules are just too complicated (I've read 'em, they sound pretty straightforward to me - what part of "thou shalt not" do Republicans seem to find so hard to comprehend?) and it certainly is sounding to me like this was an intentional attempt to hide communications that might be frowned upon by - er --- well, the public, the law, the voters, and just about everyone else.

This morning's New York Times carries an article on its front page discussing the bogus "widespread voter fraud prosecution" throughout the country, and features Wisconsin. Makes you proud, eh?

In Wisconsin, where prosecutors have lost almost twice as many cases as they won, charges were brought against voters who filled out more than one registration form and felons seemingly unaware that they were barred from voting.

One ex-convict was so unfamiliar with the rules that he provided his prison-issued identification card, stamped “Offender,” when he registered just before voting.

If only it were just Wisconsin. It's a story that isn't going to die any time soon.

Some links for further reading:

 The Dems on the Hill are also getting curious about what's been happening in the Milwaukee (Eastern District of Wisconsin) US Attorney's office. Here's the letter they sent today. 

Senate Democrats ask Alberto Gonzales for documents related to the U.S. attorney in Wisconsin.

Today's New York Times carries an editorial on the continuing scandals involving pressure to investigate trumped-up charges against Democrats throughout the country, and its relationship to the federal prosecutor findings. It uses Georgia Thompson as the prime example. The issue being raised here and elsewhere is - If some prosecutors were fired for not pursuing enough cases that benefited the Republicans - what did the others do to keep their jobs? 

As Congress investigates the politicization of the United States attorney offices by the Bush administration, it should review the extraordinary events the other day in a federal courtroom in Wisconsin. The case involved Georgia Thompson, a state employee sent to prison on the flimsiest of corruption charges just as her boss, a Democrat, was fighting off a Republican challenger. It just might shed some light on a question that lurks behind the firing of eight top federal prosecutors: what did the surviving attorneys do to escape the axe?