The Definition of Terrorism

Many thanks to Attorney General Candidate JB Van Hollen for providing a definition of terrorism in a written statement earlier today.

"Terrorism is a psychological strategy for gaining political/social ends by deliberately creating a climate of fear among the civilian population."

Van Hollen's statement goes on to list several potential terrorist targets located in Wisconsin and numerous acts of violence he says might be related to terrorism.

Creating a a climate of fear for political ends?

Be Affraid. Be Very Affraid.

Wisconsin Attorney General Candidate JB Van Hollen tells reporters that terrorists are training and raising money in Wisconsin. When pressed for specifics, Van Hollen declined saying that divulging any information would make him guilty of a felony.

But Van Hollen did say that the kind of training he was referring to "is not the physical training, not the things you would customarily hear or see, or anything that rises to the level of illegality."

Yeah, because I think we would have noticed that.

Campaign spokesman Brian Fraley defended Van Hollen's refusal to back up his claims that terrorists are alive and well in the dairy state.

"He can't talk about specifics that he dealt with ... as U.S. attorney," said Van Hollen campaign spokesman Brian Fraley. "He can't breach the confidentiality of that office. (But) it would be naive to think there aren't terrorists in Wisconsin."

It's even more naive to think that a former U.S. Attorney can make wild- ass accusations about terrorist activities in the state without being asked to substantiate his claims.

Leistikow Lies

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel kind of whiffed on this story regarding Governor Doyle's use of state planes for campaign purposes. At least they had the decency to burry it in the bowels of the paper yesterday. Here's what the Journal Sentinel should have told us:

On November 17, 2003, Doyle attended a Presidential Candidate forum in Milwaukee with Senator John Edwards. The event was sponsored by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Following a complaint by the Republican Party of Wisconsin that Doyle was using his state office for campaign purposes in conjunction with the event, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the following:

Leistikow said Doyle has two offices - his public taxpayer-supported Capitol office and a separate campaign office."Governor Doyle has a campaign office with three full-time staff, and all the work of these forums is being done by the Democratic Party and the campaign staff," he said.No taxpayer-funded resources are being used in connection with the events, Leistikow said.

The article was published on December 16, 2003.

On Monday the Appleton Post Crescent reported that Governor Doyle's campaign never reimbursed the State of Wisconsin for his use of the state plane to travel to the Edwards event and Leistikow said the Governor's campaign did not pay for the flight because he was there in an official capacity.

Leistikow said the forum was a public event. "The governor wasn't there to endorse any candidate. He was simply there to create a format where Wisconsin residents could see and hear their candidates directly instead of through endless 30-second commercials."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel questioned Leistikow about his inconsistent statements:

Doyle spokesman Dan Leistikow said Monday that those comments were consistent with the state covering the cost of transporting Doyle, because he wasn't there to campaign."The fact that taxpayers didn't organize the event doesn't automatically make it a campaign event," Leistikow said.

In other words, the state paid for the Governor's plane trip to the political event which his campaign helped schedule, but "no taxpayer funded resources" were used because it was a public event that was sponsored by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin which required people to reserve a seat for the event by calling or emailing Party headquarters.

Thanks for clearing that up Dan.

Un-indicted Co-Conspirators in Caucus Scandal Threaten Filibuster on Ethics Reform

Three Madison area legislators are threatening to filibuster the final day of the legislative session if Senate Bill 1 relating to ethics and election reform is not brought the full Assembly for a vote. All three legislators are linked to the illegal campaign activity of the partisan caucuses.

First we have State Representative Mark Pocan. Department of Justice interviews with Assembly Democratic staff reveal that Pocan was deeply involved in campaigning on state time:

• Bjork stated that it was the job of Jeff Plale, Gregory Huber, Antonio Riley, Mark Pocan and Krug to carry the brunt of the fundraising responsibilities. Bjork relayed that there would have been meetings about that in Krug’s office. 11/27/02 Bjork page 3.

• Bjork stated that Raghu was introduced to the non-leadership Assembly members during a closed caucus meeting at the capital. During that time members were asked to sign up to help with a fundraising event that was coming up…Bjork relayed that during that closed meeting, she believed that Pocan and Plale were “plants” within the meeting, stating “I’ll sign up” with the intent that others would see them and volunteer and also sign up to make calls. This meeting occurred on state property. 11/08/01 Bjork page 14
  
• Turning to ADCC meetings, R.D. said that he, Bjork and Judge would meet with Plale and Pocan usually in Plale’s office in the Capitol every few weeks during an afternoon…During these meetings the group talked about candidate recruitment They would go through each race. Fundraising was also discussed…One focus of the ADCC meetings in Plale’s office was how and when to do events to raise money. 12/03/01 Devaguptapu page 10.

• In 1999, Judge attended two ADCC Meetings that were held in Plale’s Capitol office. Pocan and Devaguptapu were also there. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss fundraising for members including topics such as how to mobilize campaign workers, how to be the most effective, how to raise money for the ADCC and how to put together call lists. 10/16/01 Judge page 2.

Next we have State Representative Joe Parisi who was linked to coordinated Democratic campaign that used state employees and equipment to compile voter lists for the election. Parisi was Dane County Clerk at the time.

This is what former Democratic Party worker Don Fish said about Parisi:

"I had a telephone conversation with Joe Parisi regarding using voter lists developed by the legislature in the spring elections. I mentioned that I was concerned about the source of the lists and suggested I develop new lists for the election. Mr. Parisi agreed this would be betterbut said he believed "there would not be enough time."

Better to get those lists done on time rather than done legally huh Joe?

And who could forget Sondy Pope Roberts and the campaign memo that launched a thousand DOJ interviews?

Wisconsin State Journal reporter Dee Hall wondered why the name and phone number of state employee Jacob Whittwer of the ADCC appeared on a Pope Roberts campaign memo in 2000. Pope Roberts lost her Assembly bid in 2000 but was subsequently elected in 2002.

Jacob Whittwer now works for the State Court of Appeals. How nice for him.

Doyle & Trial Lawyers Kiss and Make Up

Wisconsin Trial Lawyers are breathing a little easier today thanks to Governor Doyle. Doyle vetoed a bill that would have prohibited lawyers from subpoenaing data pertaining to health care quality when suing hospitals, nursing homes and other providers.

The trial lawyers suffered a crushing blow earlier this year when Doyle signed a bill capping the non-economic damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits to a measly $750,000. How are trial lawyers suppose to feed their families with draconian limits like these?

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article reports that contributions from large law firms accounted for over $180,000 in contributions to Doyle last year, but here's a more interesting statistic:

The amount of contributions from lawyers to Doyle this cycle: $965,521.59

Go with the big numbers, I always say.

Is your lawyer a Doyle contributor? Click here to find out.

Regent Smith on Board of Shadowy Issue Group

Brent Smith, one of Governor Doyle's new appointees to the Board of Regents also served on the Board of the Greater Wisconsin Committee (GWC). GWC is one of those shadowy groups who run issues ads against Republican candidates. Smith resigned from the Group when he became president of the state technical college board.

Last year GWC ran ads thanking Governor Doyle for raiding various segregated state funds to pay off the teacher’s union. The $300,000 needed for the ads came from Doyle’s gambling buddies and was laundered through the Democratic Governors Association.

Earlier this year, GWC ran a radio ad ripping Doyle's opponent, Congressman Mark Green for his ties to former Congressman Tom Delay. The ad which was produced by former Doyle consultant, Bill Christofferson was so over the top it sounded like a parody.

Doyle also appointed Mary Cuene to the Board of Regents. Cuene is a Doyle donor, WEAC member, and hippie dancer.

Maybe the Governor can start holding the Board of Regents, GWC and Doyle campaign meetings together.

Now that's government efficiency for you!

New Regent is Old Political Hand

Wispolitics reports that critics are raising questions about the campaign contributions Doyle received from his four new appointees to the UW System Board of Regents. Not only is LaCrosse Attorney Brent Smith a major donor to Doyle's re-election campaign having contributed a total of $4,975, Smith has been helping the Democratic cause for years.

Charlie Sykes 2003 article explains how Smith may have been involved with the illegal campaign activities of Assembly Democratic Caucus under Tom Loftus' leadership.

It's so hard to find good help these days!

IT Mismanagement Continues to Prove Costly

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Patrick Marley reveals two more state computer projects that are behind schedule and way over budget. Together these projects will cost state taxpayers $68.4 million more than originally estimated. These revelations come less than two weeks after the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved an audit of several other troubled projects.

Doyle has touted his Department of Administration for taking control of state information technology resources through his ACE initiative, and DOA officials hail Chief Information Officer, Matt Miszewksi as some kind of genius. Meanwhile these same officials blame other state agencies for the problems.

• 
  DOA Executive Assistant Sean Dilweg told the Joint Legislative Audit Committee:that DOA doesn't have control over what applications agencies run on their computers.
  
• DOA spokesman Scott Larivee said, “…it's up to individual agencies, rather than the administration, to manage the projects.
  

I’m guessing the agencies, which are also headed by Doyle appointees, don’t feel quite so “in control” when it comes to managing IT.

The Choice is Clear

Today is tax day, and while Congressman Mark Green stormed the state calling for an end to Wisconsin’s era as a tax hell, Governor Jim Doyle was claiming victory in the war on taxes, saying Wisconsin’s ranking has gone from 12th to 15th in total state tax burden per $1,000 of personal income since he took office in 2003.

Here are a few things the Doyle press release failed to mention:

• Wisconsin’s state and local taxes are 7th highest in the nation as a percentage of income.
• Wisconsin’s state and local taxes are 10 percent above the national average.
• Wisconsin’s tax ranking lowers only when you add in federal taxes, because federal taxes are based on income and are collected evenly – for the most part --- among the states.
  

So do you want a Governor like Mark Green who thinks Wisconsin taxes are too high because our state and local governments spend too much money, or a Governor like Jim Doyle who vetoed a property tax freeze (three times) and thinks Wisconsin taxes are just right?

Disclosure?

This post by Owen at Boots and Sabers struck me as rather odd.

Either Owen is really naive about the nature of political campaigns or he's shilling for JB Van Hollen.

Owen suggests that Attorney General candidate Paul Bucher deliberately failed to disclose the fact that Wisconsin Right to Life endorsed both Bucher and Van Hollen this week. Imagine that, a political campaign promoting the accomplishments of its candidate while ignoring those of its opponent.

Is Owen suggesting a new set of standards for primary campaigns, a kind of "fairness doctrine?"

The real screw up was on the part of Van Hollen's flak who included the term "dual endorsement" in a press release otherwise devoid of any substantive information regarding Van Hollen's position on issues of concern to Wisconsin Right to Life members, or his own record of protecting life.

Wisconsin Right to Life Endorsements (WRTL) are always coveted so it's hard to imagine why the Van Hollen campaign would acknowledge a primary opponent in their release unless he failed to get WRTL’s nod.

This is not a matter of disclosure. It's not Paul Bucher's job to tell the rest of the world that JB Van Hollen is pro life, that he’s Republican, or that he even exists. The more people Bucher can get to the polls without ever hearing Van Hollen’s name, the more likely he is to win.

Should McDonald's "disclose" the fact that Burger King has toys in their happy meals too?

There’s a big difference between running a winning campaign and commenting on one.

I Count Too

Madison's Deb Mayer calls for passage of HR-550, which she says "would ensure election integrity by requiring a verifiable paper record of voting."

I'm all for Ms. Mayer's paper trail as long as it comes with a photo id requirement for all 50 states.

If we're going to all that trouble to verify votes, shouldn't we make sure they're cast legally in the first place?

Kathleen ---The Mean Green Intervening Machine

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is at it again.

Falk, feeling pressure from her green lefty base, is trying to keep power transmission lines from being built in her own backyard (Dane County). Never mind that Dane County's electrical demand grows on average by something like 7% a year. The Falkers don't want power plants in Dane County, they don't want transmission lines, they just want to be green and be wired in and culturally at the cutting edge - consuming energy at phenomenal rates doing it.

This is just like our Kathleen to obstruct after the horse is out of the barn. Remember her infamous opposition to the expansion of Highway 12 while fatality rates climbed and traffic counts soared?

DOA CYA

Friday the State Department of Administration announced that it was canceling the third phase of the controversial Silver Oak Solutions contract because DOA officials did not think future savings projections would be realized.

The decision comes just two days after DOA Executive Assistant Sean Dilweg appeared before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Wednesday the committee approved an audit of several ongoing IT projects including the ACE initiative state sever consolidation project. During the meeting, Senator Rob Cowles suggested that a complete audit of the Doyle Administration's ACE initiative might be appropriate in the future.

Is Doyle is trying to avoid a full audit of his ACE imitative by pulling the plug on Silver Oaks now. And if so, what is he trying to hide?

They Say the Mind is the First Thing to Go

Take DPW Chair Joe Wineke, who was never accused of being a great thinker to begin with.

Yesterday after Congressman Paul Ryan announced he was returning money he received from Tom Delay’s political action committee, Wineke sent out this press release calling on Mark Green to return the money he received from Tom Delay’s PAC from 1997 to 2003.

Mark Green should follow the lead of his Republican colleague Paul Ryan and immediately clean his campaign of more than $30,000 in tainted cash he took from the indicted former House Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay, said Joe Wineke, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

3 months ago, after Green announced that he was returning the money he had received from Delay, Wineke said Ryan should follow Green’s lead.

Wineke said Ryan should follow the lead of U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, who returned $31,000, or risk attack being attacked.

Why doesn’t Wineke call on Jim Doyle to return the $20,000 he received from Adelman travel or the tens of thousands of dollars Doyle raised when his top DOT officials put the squeeze on transportation engineers doing business for the state?

That's simple: There's only one Delay PAC, but Doyle has taken hundreds of bundled checks from the employees of dozens of companies with state contracts.

Keep talking about corruption Joe. I'm sure that's exactly what Doyle wants to run on this Fall.

Lust for power blinds Doyle's path to the high road

The Superior Telegram ran this editorial asking a question the rest of the media missed about the Equis contract amendment:

Doyle says the full 25 percent will never be paid. So why is it even in the contract?

Now it's up to the rest of the media to ask Governor Doyle and his top DOA officials directly, just don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. You see, Doyle really doesn't care how things look or what people think of him so long as he's still Governor. That's why he never returned the Adelman Travel contributions and why he still hasn't run a single television or radio ad despite his tanking approval ratings and substantial war chest.

Jim Doyle is hanging onto all his campaign cash so he can run the slimiest most expensive campaign in Wisconsin history. Who cares if nobody likes or respects him so long as he's still Governor?

Assuring Contributions for the Election Initiative (ACE)

In an earlier post, I called the Doyle Administration's ACE imitative "Access, Corruption and Extortion." A reader provided the title for this post after recent MSM coverage of campaign contributions from two more out of state firms who received lucrative contracts with the State of Wisconsin. These revelations appeared here on March 19th.

Governor Doyle’s comments regarding the Equis contract amendment which provides a 25% commission on the sale of state property, along with the lack of information provided by DOA on Equis’ role in the Sanger Powers Correctional Facility tells me there is more to both parts of this story.

I also believe the title of this post will prove to be right on the money. We need to take a closer look at how many of these same companies have paid to play in other Blue states in recent years.

It's good to be back, but it was better to be on vacation.