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It's the statement that counts..
Author: Scoopster    Date: 2011-12-28 11:00:00

Hi everybody reading out there! Sorry for the preemptive morning blog today - normally I would ask before leap-frogging the normal order here and even when I do that I get a nasty case of writers' block and don't usually follow through. However in this case I just read something that made my blood boil and I feel compelled to fore-go part of my sleep cycle to write about it.

And of course, what would be a better setting for political shenanigans these days than Wisconsin.

As you may know, the recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker is steaming hotly despite the cold midwestern winter. An excellent article published Tuesday by the Christian Science Monitor provides some insight into the state GOP's tactics to fight the recall - by discrediting the petitions being circulated by Wisconsin's residents and suing the state Government Accountability Board claiming that they're not "verifying" the signatures on those petitions. Meanwhile, their corporate purse-holders are working the other side of the coin:

One group asking registered voters to sign false names to the petitions is one actually against the recall: Mines For Wisconsin, a Milwaukee-based group that opposes unions and supports a pending mining bill that relaxes environmental standards for mining in the state.

The group, which is open in saying it is trying to torpedo the recall, is asking people to sign “Adolf Hitler” to the petitions. In fliers circulating the state, the group tells people “it is not illegal to sign ‘Adolf Hitler’ on a petition. Hitler was willing to destroy Germany in order to get his ideals in place. This is similar to what the recall people are doing in Wisconsin.”


So let me get this straight.. they are protesting the recall effort by not only deliberately signing the petitions with a fake name, but also the name of the most notorious dictator of the last century?

If I may, I've got a quick bit of advice for the folks at "Mines for Wisconsin". I've been an active participant in several protests in my life, and in a couple instances I've started them. From this I've learned many important lessons - one of them being in order for a protest to be successful, it needs a clear message or statement that the public masses can understand easily. In fact, that was a major criticism that many of us had about the Occupy movement in general.

So I ask all of you reading this today to think to yourselves - what kind of statement is made when a protest encourages people to deliberately and fraudulently sign the name "Adolf Hitler" to a public recall election petition? Think hard let that burn an image in your mind for a moment. Then turn that mental image into action by lending a hand with the recall effort or by sending a few bucks to the folks at United Wisconsin who are working tirelessly to fight back against those who would invoke such imagery in their quest to consolidate power away from the citizens and into the hands of the billionaire Koch brothers.

This concludes our mental exercise for today. Please, join me in the comments below for some coffee, frivolity and further discussion of the day's events.
 

29 comments (Latest Comment: 12/29/2011 02:01:17 by Raine)
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Comment by Scoopster on 12/28/2011 13:47:40
Ooof.. Just dropped half a cup of coffee on the floor of the bus.

Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 13:57:30
When I was at the movies on Christmas day there was a trailer for Meryl Streep's new one, "The Iron Lady." Since it is about Maggie Thatcher, I will not being seeing that. We hates her, we hatessss her! (Maggie, not Meryl)

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 13:58:50
Morning

I don't understand why they would feel the need to be so ugly - why not just say "we don't think you should sign and here's why" Seems like it more about hurt people and bullying them then it is about doing something positive

Comment by BobR on 12/28/2011 14:05:37
Thanks for the pre-emptive blog Scoopster! I was about to put up a stub and start scrambling (still being on vacation and all). You saved my bacon

Comment by TriSec on 12/28/2011 14:07:53
I believe turning in fraudulent signatures on a voter petition is a crime in this Commonwealth. Of course, investigating and prosecuting becomes quite difficult.



Comment by BobR on 12/28/2011 14:08:00
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning

I don't understand why they would feel the need to be so ugly - why not just say "we don't think you should sign and here's why" Seems like it more about hurt people and bullying them then it is about doing something positive

It seems that the idea is to discredit the petitions, and dilute the real signatures with fakes, so the petitioners don't know how many real signatures they have. Also - it would force the state to verify every single signature, thus slowing the process down.

Comment by Raine on 12/28/2011 14:08:52
Good Morning!

One thing I really love is a premptive blog -- and this was a damn good one to boot.

Adolf hitler... REALLY? This is about the stupidest idea I think I have heard -- the only thing that might be stupider is the people signing the petitions with that name.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 14:12:55
Quote by BobR:
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning

I don't understand why they would feel the need to be so ugly - why not just say "we don't think you should sign and here's why" Seems like it more about hurt people and bullying them then it is about doing something positive

It seems that the idea is to discredit the petitions, and dilute the real signatures with fakes, so the petitioners don't know how many real signatures they have. Also - it would force the state to verify every single signature, thus slowing the process down.



well, when you put it that way I get it - still think its just mean though.

But I would think that UW has the process for verification signatures streamlined at this point. Obviously anyone who signs Hitler or Justin Beiber or a famous name can be X-ed through right away.

Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 14:19:51
The whole Hilter thing is so sophemoric. And self-defeating.

Comment by Scoopster on 12/28/2011 14:25:03
Quote by Mondobubba:
The whole Hilter thing is so sophmoric. And self-defeating.

Exactly.. they could've used any name they wanted for their purpose, but they deliberately chose to use that name en masse.

Of course, the ironic part is that instead of their intended goal of making the recall petition drive look bad, they made themselves look even worse.

Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 14:26:03
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.

Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 14:27:01
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Mondobubba:
The whole Hilter thing is so sophmoric. And self-defeating.

Exactly.. they could've used any name they wanted for their purpose, but they deliberately chose to use that name en masse.

Of course, the ironic part is that instead of their intended goal of making the recall petition drive look bad, they made themselves look even worse.



The stunning lack of imagination that the right wing shows is truly a wonder to behold.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 14:27:51
Quote by Mondobubba:
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.


Hey that reminds me, I don't have your address! I don't think sending something to Mondo, Jacksonville works the same as sending something Santa Claus, North Pole

Comment by TriSec on 12/28/2011 14:44:30
In other news, when It's TriSec's time to go, I hope that Prospect Hill (Waltham) glows red, cranes congregate in a tree in front of my house to show how sorry they are, and it snows for four hours because "how can the sky not be sad?"

"What a fantastic show!" - BBC reporter in Pyongyang.


Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 14:48:26
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.


Hey that reminds me, I don't have your address! I don't think sending something to Mondo, Jacksonville works the same as sending something Santa Claus, North Pole


You have me email?

Comment by Raine on 12/28/2011 15:01:00
ALright everyone -- see you on the south side! :hugs:

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 15:04:45
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.


Hey that reminds me, I don't have your address! I don't think sending something to Mondo, Jacksonville works the same as sending something Santa Claus, North Pole


You have me email?



just ya book of faces

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 15:06:15
Quote by Raine:
ALright everyone -- see you on the south side! :hugs:


Your guys travel safe!


Comment by Mondobubba on 12/28/2011 15:22:39
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.


Hey that reminds me, I don't have your address! I don't think sending something to Mondo, Jacksonville works the same as sending something Santa Claus, North Pole


You have me email?



just ya book of faces


get up with me this evening on the book of the face and I'll get that for ye.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 15:28:05
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Raine and Bobber, got your card in the mail yesterdee. Nifty! Thanks so much.


Hey that reminds me, I don't have your address! I don't think sending something to Mondo, Jacksonville works the same as sending something Santa Claus, North Pole


You have me email?



just ya book of faces


get up with me this evening on the book of the face and I'll get that for ye.





Comment by trojanrabbit on 12/28/2011 15:29:02
Hmmm. Lucky's hiding this morning. Made a quick appearance then darted back to his safety spot. Won't even come out for treats.

Comment by velveeta jones on 12/28/2011 16:09:47
Morning!

Well, one thing about signing AH on the petition, at least they would be easy to weed out. But..... what a bunch of crap.

Comment by livingonli on 12/28/2011 16:54:16
Good morning all. Love how the GOP's tactics get sleazier and sleazier. The more shit they do, the more I know I would never support them on anything.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 12/28/2011 17:01:58
RI GOP warns their primary ballot may be empty as no candidate has filed with the required 1000 signatures.

What's worse is that none have any workers "on the ground" in RI.

VA, you're a bunch on wankers, we'll show you how it's done.

Comment by Scoopster on 12/28/2011 17:23:09
Quote by trojanrabbit:
RI GOP warns their primary ballot may be empty as no candidate has filed with the required 1000 signatures.

What's worse is that none have any workers "on the ground" in RI.

VA, you're a bunch on wankers, we'll show you how it's done.

Are there even a thousand registered Republicans in this state?!

Comment by wickedpam on 12/28/2011 17:23:32
Quote by trojanrabbit:
RI GOP warns their primary ballot may be empty as no candidate has filed with the required 1000 signatures.

What's worse is that none have any workers "on the ground" in RI.

VA, you're a bunch on wankers, we'll show you how it's done.



geez, you'd think no one is excited about their candidate or something

Comment by livingonli on 12/28/2011 17:36:58
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by trojanrabbit:
RI GOP warns their primary ballot may be empty as no candidate has filed with the required 1000 signatures.

What's worse is that none have any workers "on the ground" in RI.

VA, you're a bunch on wankers, we'll show you how it's done.



geez, you'd think no one is excited about their candidate or something

I guess insanity can only go so far.

Comment by TriSec on 12/28/2011 19:08:27
http://www.citytowninfo.com/images/education-news/some-companies-encourage-napping-at-work-to-increase-productivity-10090901.jpg


TriSec Gives Up.



Comment by Raine on 12/29/2011 02:01:17
HOME!!!