|
|
 |
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
|
|
#2
02-06-2012, 08:52 PM
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
__________________
"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts 
|
|
#4
02-08-2012, 11:13 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
Your fixation with petty accusations in a State you don’t live in seems to serve as an opiate for your ongoing, hypocritical, tightrope act. Like cheering Obama’s bailout of Bank of America and a short time later supporting OWS condemnation of Bank of America. Let me guess you’re no longer anti-Super PACs, or still anti-PAC, but just when they involve Republicans. Until you change from preferences and feelings to morals and principles as determining factors when engaged in political choice you will continue to balance on the tightrope of hypocrisy as preferences and feelings change all too often. Be forewarned though as subjective moral truths are universal and cannot be culturally or socially excused or ignored. That may be too big of a hurdle for you to jump, titanium knee and all. On second thought it’s probably easier for you to stay up on the tightrope and hope you don’t fall. Meanwhile I’ll sit back and continue enjoying the circus. Carry on.
|
|
#5
02-08-2012, 01:12 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
#6
02-08-2012, 01:55 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Former aide to Walker pleads guilty to two felonies
Its a sorry state when citizens try to dismiss and justify the commission of felonies by the office of their elected officials.
Quote:
__________________
"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts
|
|
#7
02-08-2012, 02:01 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Everything you need to know about the scandal embroiling Wisconsin's governor
Scott Walker and the Secret "John Doe" Investigation Explained (Updated)
Everything you need to know about the scandal embroiling Wisconsin's governor. A dark cloud hangs over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. A "John Doe" investigation launched in May 2010 has embroiled former Walker staffers and appointees from his time as Milwaukee County executive, his job before winning the governorship in November 2010. The investigation, led by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, has led to home raids targeting former staffers with close ties to Walker and numerous felony charges for election law violations, embezzlement, and misconduct in office. Walker says he has "fully cooperated" and "will continue to cooperate" with the John Doe probe. The governor is confident he won't be implicated, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last September, because he held himself to high standards learned from his parents. "Certainly, they got me to the rank of Eagle Scout, and I continue to have that kind of integrity," he told the paper. What's a John Doe investigation, anyway? Here, "John Doe" doesn't refer to one person. It is a secret legal proceeding akin to a grand jury investigation in which a prosecutor secretly gathers information on a number of individuals to find out if crimes were committed. A John Doe probe must be green-lit by a judge; in this case, according to court records, former appeals court judge Neal Nettesheim approved an investigation on May 5, 2010. As part of a John Doe investigation, witnesses may be granted immunity from prosecution if they agree to testify under oath. If it's learned that a witness didn't tell the truth, however, he or she could face charges. Court records list six individuals who have been granted immunity in the investigation, including Cullen Werwie, Walker's chief spokesman; Rose Ann Dieck, a fixture in Milwaukee County Republican politics; and Kenneth Lucht, a lobbyist for Milwaukee-based Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Co. Why does the scandal matter? The probe looms large over Walker at a time when he's trying to defend himself for a well-organized, popular recall campaign to oust him from office. Walker raised $12.1 million in 2011, a chunk of which will fund ads arguing that he's an honest, fair, job-creating governor. Yet the John Doe investigation could undermine Walker's standing with the public, experts say. "It will already be a campaign issue but how much voters focus on it is yet to be seen," notes Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin. "Certainly it is not what a candidate wants to be happening during an election." What has happened so far? Here's the blow-by-blow in the John Doe probe so far: May 2010: A source close to the John Doe investigation says it was likely triggered by press reports that Darlene Wink, Walker's constituent services coordinator for Milwaukee County, posted online comments on news stories in which she praised Walker and disparaged his opponents while on the job—that is, on the taxpayer's dime. Wink resigned hours after the Journal Sentinel's Dan Bice learned of her frequent postings and questioned her about them. While at work on her county computer, Wink also allegedly organized a fundraiser for Walker (PDF) and wrote press releases for the Milwaukee County GOP. The probe widened later that May. Prosecutors began looking at allegations that a Walker donor, Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Co. CEO William Gardner, violated state elections law with excessive donations to Walker's gubernatorial campaign and by offering to reimburse employees who personally donated to the campaign. The news that John Doe prosecutors set their sights on Gardner's Walker donations appeared in an April 2011 criminal complaint (PDF). (Gardner later pled guilty to violating election law; his railroad company paid a $166,900 fine.) August 2010: Law enforcement officials searched Wink's home as part of the John Doe probe. They also seized the work computer of Tim Russell, Walker's former deputy chief of staff and Milwaukee County's housing administrator, dragging a close Walker ally into the investigation. (Months later, Russell's home and office would be raided as well.) November 2010: A day before the November general election, the probe inched closer to Walker after investigators subpoenaed emails from his gubernatorial campaign. September 2011: The John Doe probe burst into public view again in September 2011, when a dozen FBI agents raided the Madison home of Cynthia Archer, who was a high-ranking administrator for Walker when he was running Milwaukee County. Agents reportedly seized a hard drive and a box of unidentified items. December 2011: Andrew Jensen, a real estate broker and Walker donor, was arrested in December for allegedly refusing to cooperate with prosecutors in the John Doe probe. He was not charged with a crime. (Jensen's attorney, Patrick Schott, said he had no comment on the matter.) January 5, 2012: In a bombshell announcement, investigators charged Walker appointees Tim Russell (PDF) and Kevin Kavanaugh (PDF) with embezzling $60,000 intended for a veterans support organization called Operation Freedom. (Russell's attorney, Michael Maistelman, had no comment.) The staffers used the money to pay for vacations to Hawaii and the Caribbean, wedding parties, and pro-Walker campaign websites. In a strange twist, Russell's boyfriend, Brian Pierick, was also caught by John Doe investigators and charged (PDF) for sending sexually-explicit text messages to a then-17-year-old high school student, among other things. (Warning: Pierick's complaint contains graphic language. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.) January 26, 2012: Late last month, two more county staffers who worked for Walker were charged (PDF) with operating a secret email network within Walker's office while he was Milwaukee County executive. The two employees, Darlene Wink (PDF) and Deputy Chief of Staff Kelly Rindfleisch (PDF), allegedly used the secret network to coordinate political fundraising for Walker and 2010 lieutenant governor candidate Brett Davis. Wink's attorney, Peter Wolff, says Wink plans to plead guilty to the two misdemeanors outlined in the DA's criminal complaint. Rindfleisch's attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, says the DA's felony charges are "a little heavy-handed" and that Rindfleisch will plead not guilty in the case. Gimbel added that he hopes to move the case out of Milwaukee County to Columbia County, in central Wisconsin, where Rindfleisch legally lives. Walker has denied knowledge of Wink or Rindfleisch's activities. But Walker critics seized upon an email of his included in the Rindfleisch criminal complaint as evidence that Walker may have known what was going on. The email, which is reproduced below, was sent soon after the Journal Sentinel revealed Wink's on-the-clock politicking in May 2010. Walker sent it using his gubernatorial campaign email account; the recipient was Tim Russell ("her" is Darlene Wink): Through her attorney, Wink stressed that Walker knew nothing about the political activities going on in his office. Walker spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said in a statement that Walker "expected everyone to follow the law and made that clear publicly and privately." What comes next? Good question. Since John Doe probes are by definition secretive, it's unclear what shoe will drop next. In late January, Walker agreed to meet with the Milwaukee County DA's office, which had requested a meeting with Walker about the investigation. Walker also claimed to have hired two criminal lawyers for the meeting. State Democratic and union officials say Wisconsinites will go to the polls to vote in Walker's recall election in late April or early May. The exact date depends on legal challenges and how long GOPers want to draw out the process. Whether Milwaukee County DA Chisholm, who one knowledgeable source says is "frustrated" by the probe's snail-like pace, will have closed the book on the John Doe by then is anyone's guess. *** UPDATE 1, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 11:13 a.m.: Darlene Wink, an aide to Scott Walker in the Milwaukee County executive's office, pled guilty to two misdemeanors [plea bargained down from two felonies, in exchange for cooperating with the ongoing investigation] resulting from work she did organizing fundraisers for Walker's gubernatorial campaign while on the county clock. Wink will cooperate with investigators in the ongoing John Doe probe under her plea deal. Her sentencing will take place on May 15, with a maximum of six months in jail and $2,000 in fines [her sentencing won't take place until she has a chance to cooperate with investigators] http://motherjones.com/politics/2012...tion-explained
__________________
"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts
|
|
#8
02-08-2012, 02:47 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Breaking: WI GOP Legislature now in trouble
The corruption, lies, theft of taxpayer money and cheating in Wisconsin appears to be deep throughout the current elected Republican Party.
"The speaker of the assembly, Fitzgerald, has contracted, at the expense of Wisconsin taxpayers, with the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLC, to redraw the maps of the Wisconsin legislative districts, and has convinced all the Republican members of the legislature to sign, via MB&F, nondisclosure agreements with regard to all of this. This law firm purported to contract with the legislature to do public business (redistricting) of an intensely political nature behind closed doors, shutting out the democratic process, as well as the opposition party and the public in general. And all of this was done while being paid by the public." BREAKING: GOP Legislature Held Secret Meetings, Solicited Unlawful Agreements While Mapping New Voting Districts February 6, 2012 Voces de la Frontera attorneys discover violations of Open Meetings law, Wisconsin Constitution in efforts to hide state redistricting process Attorneys for Voces de la Frontera have discovered that employees of Republican legislative leaders, working under the direction of an attorney paid by Wisconsin taxpayers, engaged in secret, unlawful activities in redesigning the state’s electoral maps in an effort to hide from the public their goal of consolidating partisan power. A verified complaint was filed yesterday by Voces de la Frontera’s attorneys with the District Attorney for Dane County alleging violations of both Wisconsin’s Constitution and statutes governing open meetings. http://www.vdlf.org/about/media/pres...es.php?pid=147
__________________
"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts
|
|
#9
02-09-2012, 03:32 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
don't run out of ammo.
|
|
#10
02-09-2012, 03:42 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
December 2011: Andrew Jensen, a real estate broker and Walker donor, was arrested in December for allegedly refusing to cooperate with prosecutors in the John Doe probe. He was not charged with a crime. (Jensen's attorney, Patrick Schott, said he had no comment on the matter.)
That is the best part. SS anyone?
__________________
don't run out of ammo.
|
|
#11
02-09-2012, 04:10 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 Repeated violations of open meeting laws. Theft of taxpayer money. Illegal campaign activities. Illegal legislative activities. Sexual activity with a minor. Governor's former office aides arrested for multiple felony charges in expanding investigation. Wow, if this were the Wisconsin Democratic party and elected officials, I somehow doubt you guys would be rushing to defend the behaviour. It's sad that nobody steps up to say, "I support the guy, but if there was illegal activity, I do not support that". "Unions" don't sign recall petitions. Wisconsin citizens did. If the citizens want to keep Walker and the four Republican legislators, they will vote them in. If they want them out, they will vote them out. This is completely legal, and the constitutional state's right of the citizens to force recall elections if they want to.
__________________
"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts Last edited by Riot : 02-09-2012 at 04:31 PM.
|
Hybrid Mode
