The Madison Freedom Fighter

The last Freedom Fighter Posting

2006-12-23T03:06:00.000-06:00

This is the end of the road...Politics has no place where I am going.

-Bob

RPW Convention Recap

2006-05-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I attended the Republican Party of Wisconsin's State Convention in Appleton. I was impressed that bloggers were actually welcomed at the convention. Boots and Sabers, Right off the Shore, and Lakeshore Laments among other conservative bloggers attended the convention.

Overall, the conventioneers were upbeat and optimistic. Many looked forward to the November elections, especially "dumping Doyle." Tommy Tompson's speech on Saturday summed up the conventioneers complaints about Doyle with a focus on his lack of leadership and failure to lead on a strong Voter ID bill. No matter what other pundits suggest, Tommy Tompson's speech does exhibit strong support for Mark Green. This was readily apparent in his speech and his humorous claim that the Green Bay Packers would climb out of their slump under Doyle and win the super bowl under Mark Green as Governor.

Mark Green's speech had stern criticisms of Doyle's record, such as failing to lowering property taxes and regressive position on expanding education opportunities:

...
Jim Doyle had his chance to help our taxpayers, and he failed.

He failed by vetoing a property tax freeze three times in just three years and now those taxes have risen another $600 million....

Jim Doyle is standing in the schoolhouse door, blocking thousands of families from their dreams. But you and I are going to kick the door in.

We'll support charters, we'll support choice and we'll support home schooling and we'll never settle for second best when it comes to our kids' education....

It seemed to me though that overall character of Green's speech focused on positive remarks on the character of Wisconin's citizens and ideas for reform.

You are going to hear a lot from me in the coming months about what I think is wrong about the Doyle administration, but it comes directly from a deep-seated belief in what is right about Wisconsin.

Green discussed his beliefs in the importance of family values, Wisconsin's love of the outdoors, strong enforcement of the law, and belief in a Voter ID requirement. Interestingly, Green touched on the fact that is parents are immigrants and his belief that we should honor legal immigrants by "stemming the tide of illegal immigrants."

The Attorney General's race also looks promising for Republicans with two strong candidates in J.B. Van Hollen and Paul Bucher. It is interesting to note that even though both candidates asked for a no-endorsement at the convention J.B. still edged out Paul Bucher in the endorsement process and the straw poll.

You can check out the results and other info about the convention at the Wispolitics Convention Blog.

On the flip side, there were a minor number of protestors outside of the Convention on Saturday. I only noticed one with a sign; they didn't have much of a presence.

This is going to be an exciting election year in Wisconsin.

What happened to Patriotism?

2006-04-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

Drudge links to an article from NBC San Diego where schools are starting to ban patriotic clothing--even the U.S. flag.

Beginning Monday, the Oceanside Unified School District is banning all flags and patriotic clothing. According to school officials, some students are using the garments and flags to taunt classmates.

Some critics of the move are calling it a violation of free speech protections guaranteed by the Constitution.

The American Civil Liberties Union points to the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines. In that case, school officials attempted to stop students who were protesting the Viet Nam War from wearing black armbands.

"The school has to be able to show a strong likelihood that there is going to material and substantial disruption of school, and if they donÂt meet that standard, then they can't censor student speech," said Kevin Neenan of the ACLU.

I understand that school officials want to calm tensions to put learning first and politics second. That is their job.

However, they it may be helpful to sponser open forums where students would be able to make their feelings known on the issues.

Brentlinger said he was shocked on Tuesday when marching immigration-reform protesters tore down the flag outside his business.

"Some of them just grabbed the flag, and pulled it off its aluminum pole, and it got ripped," said Brentlinger.

Last time I checked San Diego was in America. I'm sure that Americans in Saudi Arabia or China don't expect to be able to wave around the Old Glory and not have any emotional backlash. The officals and citizens from those countries would expect that their respective country's flag would have preference at their establishments.

These repeated U.S. flag desecrations show absolute disrespect for America's history and the soldiers that have fought under it.

I thought these reform protestors were for American citizenship? Apparently, by their actions they aren't for America at all.

Not Impressed

2006-04-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

The anti-war referendum passed, yes, but the numbers are not all that impressive. With only 22,000 voting yes and a population of over 208,000, they barely got over 10 percent. In a referendum where it is change vs. a status quo, this shows that people, by in large, just don't care here in Madison. With voting the easiest way to express oneself, the anti-war folks really came up short.

Read more at LIB for results.

Vote Today!

2006-04-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

Exercise your civil duty and vote today.

Information is found here for the Spring Elections.

Students make sure you vote NO on both referendums here.

New Student Government Moving Forward

2006-04-03T10:49:00.000-05:00

The Student Government Blog has just opened pressing forward with taking a cleaner and transparent approach to governance on campus.

Today the ASM referendum portion of the elections have restarted . But many students that have already voted may not be willing to vote again in the candidate portion.

The new Student Government, if it succeeds, may be beneficial for all students.

Brad V. notes:

Even if the Student Government, with its minimalist approach, did nothing while holding the reins of power, students would win. It’s far better to have a student government that does nothing for free than one that does a great deal poorly and expensively. ASM’s classic “breaking the chains” icon seems now to have been an eerie harbinger of its own demise all along. It is the weakest link.

Indeed, if anything this Student Government at least offers an alternative to ASM's multiple failure to hold proper elections.

The Badger Herald's editoral today adds that transparency in a clean government is best reached through simplicity.

The cause of transparency is also aided by simplicity. And as the only necessary objective of a UW student government — once the question of segregated fees is left to the student body itself — is the question of promoting and facilitating shared governance, we believe a minimalist structure would serve this student body best. There is no need for a complex web of committees and campaigns hell-bent on passing meaningless resolutions and bullying the chancellor into black-and-white statements on issues painted in shades of grey. Rather, a basic governmental council meant to facilitate shared governance and a small judicial board to present a much-needed check on power ought to constitute the entirety of the new Student Government.

Sol G, a current Freshman Representative, speaks of ASM's inadequacies first hand here and explain his vision and their comming plans for the future of the Student Government.

Over the coming weeks, the Student Government will be holding listening sessions for you, the students, to air your grievances against ASM. We also welcome ASM members. If you can prove there is something worth salvaging, we invite you to try. We will use your suggestions to craft a constitution that reflects a streamlined, efficient and clean vision of government.

As one of their first steps, it seems that Student Government has asked for a full disclosure of the voting procedures to the campus including how the voting program was used to conduct last week's failed elections. An article from the Daily Cardinal notes:

A group of students constituting a government that seeks to replace Associated Students of Madison demanded a full disclosure of the coding used to run ASM’s faulty elections last week.

I'm sure that many students are looking forward to the result of Student Government's listening sessions and the resulting constitution. This will be the first step to Student Government's legitimacy and promise for transparency.

Anti-war leader responds to Jenna...

2006-04-03T00:38:00.000-05:00

I just got an e-mail from Stephanie Jung (kldoscpeyes@gmail.com). In the subject line it said "Response to slander..." and it had a link to a story that Stephanie wrote "with the help of (Bill). So Stephanie, like all anti-war folks, cannot even write a simple post by herself.

First, Stephanie, slander is SPOKEN and what Jenna wrote is not even close to LIBEL. Please, at least get your legal terms down right before you accuse someone of something. So, right off the bat, you sound like any anti-war advocate, you start with an incorrect premise.

Let's look at her (and Bill's) post.

I made a point to the journalist who wrote the article, calling her back, just to clarify again that the views I expressed were independent of Stop the War. The article noted it, but the Republicans have left that part out every time they reference the article.I was at the

College Republican’ vote no panel. And the thing you all miss is that as the Marine told his experiences he was continually justifying the killing of civilians, including an 11 year old child he shot -- saying that “all Iraqis drive crazy” and that it is not easy to tell the good guys from the bad

Fine, then you are sick and demented. You want windows broken on this campus. What happened was a HATE CRIME. Those personnel were doing their job and someone through a brick through their window. Then you say that an act like that will help your movement. That is stupid!

In addition, never call a military member a "baby killer". I will not let you and others like you take us back to the days that personnel were spit on when they returned. Until you spend time in Iraq or have to make a life and death decision, you have no right to call any member of the US military baby killers.

What ideological and political reasons are given for this intimidation and coercion of a society? To "fight terrorism" and "spread democracy", but what does this entail? Indefinite subservience to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Arresting trade unionists, and enforcing Hussein's 1987 law banning trade unions in certain industries.In addition, Steve Burns from Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice is extremely knowledgeable on the reconstruction contracts, and has been doing regular presentations on them. There was one tonight (Sunday April 2nd) at 5pm the Memorial Union Beefeater's room.

This must have been written by Bill...'nough said.

I don't know who was responsible for the broken window. But it was not part of an organized effort of Stop the War. Jenna accuses us of having done this in the past. However, this comes from a smear story by the Mendota Beacon about a complaint filed by an ROTC member from the November 2, 2005 protest. Not only did the UW administration find NO evidence of wrongdoing, but the university police were present and dragged away one high school student (who put up no resistance) to intimidate the protesters who left shortly thereafter. The high school student was not read his Miranda Rights, was detained at the UW police station and interrogated, but was never charged with anything. The complaint filed against Stop the War! by the ROTC is just part of a continued pattern of falsehoods and demonization against Stop the War!

Evidence? Do you decline the fact that members of "stop the war" surrounded the Army ROTC building and intimidated STUDENTS who were inside? No student deserves harassment and EVERY student has the right to study without any threat to their wellbeing. I don't agree with the views of several majors on campus, but I don't go protest them. You and your allies are hateful people who do not respect others and their opinions. That is why one of your comrades through a brick through that window and that is why you and your allies protest and harass your fellow students. That is wrong and you should know that.

As I listened to the Marine and other soldiers talk about their experiences in Iraq, my belief that this war needs to be ended was that much more enforced. I saw them talk about their friends dying over there and having to kill innocent Iraqis. Although it was a "vote no" panel, I can't believe more people weren't as moved as I was. And as I looked around the room and saw all those students dressed in their finest not even realizing what their ignorance is complacent in. I just can't believe that you would value your comfy "way of life" over the lives of so many others. I think we all need to look beyond our sheltered lifestyles and realize there is more to care about than ourselves--people are dying. And with that in mind... it was just a window (replaced within hours and paid for by insurance even).

Did you listen? I don't think you did. Each one of those soldiers said that your referendum was wrong. Each one said that they wanted to go back. Each one said that you would be killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis if we left. You are the one that has to get outside of a sheltered lifestyle. Your life has been so easy. You can vote without fear of death. You can go to school without fear of death. You can dissent against the government without fear of death. That is what the Iraqis had and that is what we are trying to improve. Ms. Jung, you and your anti-war friends have lived a live style far better than 90 percent of the world. You want ignorance, look into a mirror. Stephanie, don't ever send me an e-mail with this kind of crap attached to it. If I want to read trash, I will read the Observer.

"Student Government" Manifesto

2006-03-31T19:25:00.000-06:00

Update: The Student Government has its own blog. Check it out!

Steve S. over at LIB and I have not agreed on some issues, but he has come through with one hell of a piece today in the Herald. Let’s break it apart:

The era of the Associated Students of Madison is over. ASM was a vain, bloated, corrupt and inefficient body that served no one but the resume-padding careerist hacks who profited from the corruption in which they wallowed.

Yes it was. ASM is full of students who have nothing better to do than take money from students and give it to themselves and their friends.

ASM’s bureaucracy was a corpulent mess of groups with no checks and balances in the system whatsoever. ASM holds all power — there is no appeal beyond it. The Student Judiciary can punish ASM members who break the rules, but consequences are minimal at best and can be overturned by ASM.

(snip)

The current student-fee system is also out of control. There is no mechanism to even allow ASM to reject or reduce any budget. Countless money is wasted on organizations that provide no service to students. ASM’s twisted view of viewpoint-neutrality forced representatives into a position in which they could not say “no” to even the worst student organizations.

So true. Not only are they buddy-buddy with the Administration, but they are full of corrupt, power-hungry folks who try to enforce an impossible standard: viewpoint neutrality.

Candidates and groups have attempted reform for decades. Matt Modell fought vehemently for students’ rights against ASM oppression. Numerous candidates were elected last year on a reformist platform. However, these leaders have been blocked in their efforts for reform by the careerist resume-padders.This can no longer stand.

I was their during the Modell days as a Freshman Representitive. When SSFC actually cut some budgets, the corrupt SJ kicked representatives off of SSFC and reinstated the amounts. This is sickening. There is no room to cut in ASM, only add.

We will be writing a constitution that represents you. We will institute a streamlined government that strips away bureaucracy and petty infighting. We will enact major student fee reform, ensuring transparency and integrity in funding. We will guarantee clean, honest government that is competent and honest. And, at all times, we will take your feedback, opinions and input.

Some suggestions: No salaries for ANY interns or student government leaders. No full time or LTE positions paid for by ASM. And find a way to have a REAL appeals process, not one where everyone is friends with everyone else. This is a golden opportunity that must be seized. I want the Student Government to have control over my seg-fees. Talking about seg-fees, the Student Government should keep event grants, but axe travel grants! Also, a seg-fee cap would be a nice addition.

We have only one request. In your deck of cards, there is a joker card. If you are fed up with ASM’s garbage, if you don’t care about what ASM does, if you want a fresh organization that will work for your interests — pin the joker on your bag or your clothes.ASM has forfeited its right to be taken seriously. Atlas has shrugged — Student Government.

First, an Atlas Shrugged reference…that is awesome. Second, I, for one, will be wearing the joker.

This is not a right-left issue, it is a student issue. The 85 percent of students who do not vote in ASM elections have lost all hope in their government (or never found out what it is). That is how ASM has survived for so long. They hid in the shadows and they make backroom deals. They are driven by money…MY MONEY. So begins a revolution. Overall, the article was a good one. Not just because of what it said, but because of what it did not say. There were no promises that could not be kept, like ASM has done since I have been here. They promise to keep tuition down and they raise Seg-Fees. They promise keep Seg-Fees down, and they back a referendum that will increase fees 200 dollars a year! They lie and they lie to get re-elected. And so it begins…

ASM IS DEAD.

A new "Student Government" is born

2006-03-31T00:27:00.000-06:00

It was quite a scene earlier this evening as about 30 students met in the Rathskeller to mark their departure from the Associated Students of Madison once and for all. This comes a day after ASM once again screwed up an election.

The group of people at the front of the room where from all corners of the political spectrum, but most where in the middle. They had enough with the incompetence of ASM and demanded reform. Their plan is to form their own government (cleverly named "The Student Government").

Some quotes from the meeting:

“We are going to bring students in and involve them in the process.”

“There is no binding agreement that makes them the student government.”

“A Group that is not to the left and not to the right…some were involved in ASM, some were not”

Steve S.:

“ASM is massively inefficient, its an staggeringly unworkable system, its bloated, and reform efforts over the past 20 years have failed. Things must proceed in a new direction. The new direction is Student Government capital S and capital G.”

This is going to be one of the most interesting student government stories in many years. Here we have a group of young students setting up their own government and claiming that they deserve the same rights as ASM. When it comes to a city as crazy as Madison, is it really so hard to accept two student governments at the same campus? It is very true that ASM has become beholden to special interests and their entire purpose now is to fund certain groups and propagate certain beliefs. For many years, many have tried to improve student government and to make it more transparent to all, but, even when in the majority, the structure of the government has made it almost impossible to represent STUDENTS, not just a few ORGANIZATIONS.

That has to change and the Student Government (the new organization) has a great chance to do that. If the old system is broken and it is impossible to fix it, you just have to throw it out and start over. Here at Madison, one of the most progressive places in the country, we should want to experiment and create a NEW government. One that represents STUDENTS and their interests and protects their tuition and pocketbooks, not one that is concerned about a few ORGANIZATIONS and paying stipends. The same campus that created the “Wisconsin Idea” to government currently has one that is by in far inept.

This should be a good one to follow for everyone. I will be sure to update this blog whenever some thing new comes down the pipe.

Tomorrow they are meeting with Laurie Berquam (a representative of the Chancellors office) to discuss the new government. This should be interesting.

For audio from one of the leaders of the separatist movement, visit The Slanty Shanty.

Tomorrow expect:
An objective piece in the Daily Cardinal and the Badger Herald and an Opinion piece in the Herald. As well as a follow-up concerning the Laurie Berquam meeting.

As the "Madison Freedom Fighter" I live for stuff like this. So check back here FIRST for any late breaking news concerning this story. (LIB may be a bit faster in breaking the news as Steve is a leader in the Student Government)

ASM is Chaos - NEW GOVERNMENT FORMING

2006-03-30T14:42:00.000-06:00

There is a coup at UW Madison and it could not be more apparent. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I may begin to sound like Bill A., but it is apparent that something is happening behind the scenes and it is not pretty.

I am not going as far as the SLAC folks, but one of their statements in the Herald was interesting.

“It looks awfully shady,” SLAC member Ashok Kumar said. “The election that is asking the most money out of students — the most important election [is cancelled] … by the power invested in Tim Leonard.”

It does indeed look shady. It is time that students stop just taking this abuse from the government. The power of government needs the consent of the governed and I no longer consent any power to this so called “government.”

I am by no means an anarchist, but I am a realist. This “student” government has become far too powerful and as finally broken the preverbal camel’s back. Instead of looking after all students, they protect an elite few. Instead of collecting seg-fees for the many, they collect it for the few. They are willing to do whatever it takes to pass this Union Referendum including destroying the democracy here at UW Madison. Don’t give ASM your consent any longer. Their vote is invalid and their leaders are inept (Eric Varney excluded). The day of ASM is beginning to set and in the twilight students will find a new voice.

Update: New Student Government is rising to power. The Daily Cardinal has a story that some students are getting together to form an alternative to ASM.

Citing “evident corruption and general incompetence” among other grievances against ASM, the group of students, including UW-Madison freshman and Dane County Board candidate David Lapidus, said they plan to meet tonight at the Rathskellar to formulate the new government.

Nice!

ASM chair and UW-Madison senior Eric Varney said the movement would need signatures from 10 percent of the student body to get a new student government proposal put on the ballot. If the new government wins by a two-thirds majority, ASM will be forced to disband, but only if 10 percent of the student body votes.

Here, Eric Varney is wrong. The vote only has to happen if Lapidus and the rest of the separatists hold the ASM constitution as valid. My inclination is that they don’t and therefore, they don’t have to follow ASM’s rules. Nowhere in state-statues does it say that ASM is the official Student Government of UW Madison, therefore, their rise to power is based largely on the consent of students and the lack of real competition has made them the default power in Madison. If the separatists do not recognize the ASM constitution, the “poison pill” option does not exist.

The last helicopter: why the US must stay in Iraq

2006-03-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

The Last Helicopter…

The Wall Street Journal had an excellent editorial today about the foreign perceptions of US Foreign policy. AMIR TAHERI, the article’s author, used the imagery of “the last helicopter” to set the scene.

(note: the link to the article doesn't work because it is for "subscribers only.")

To hear Mr. Abbasi tell it the entire recent history of the U.S. could be narrated with the help of the image of "the last helicopter." It was that image in Saigon that concluded the Vietnam War under Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter had five helicopters fleeing from the Iranian desert, leaving behind the charred corpses of eight American soldiers. Under Ronald Reagan the helicopters carried the bodies of 241 Marines murdered in their sleep in a Hezbollah suicide attack. Under the first President Bush, the helicopter flew from Safwan, in southern Iraq, with Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf aboard, leaving behind Saddam Hussein's generals, who could not believe why they had been allowed (to) live to fight their domestic foes, and America, another day. Bill Clinton's helicopter was a Black Hawk, downed in Mogadishu and delivering 16 American soldiers into the hands of a murderous crowd.

I could not agree with this passage more. Every President since Ford has his “last helicopter” which pushed us out of a conflict. Bill Richardson, of the “Say No to Cut and Run”, a group opposed to the April 4th Referendum, said something similar at a panel last night. Each time we left a war zone in such a way, it has emboldened our enemies. It is time to end this cycle of running when the going gets tough.

The most interesting aspect of the piece was the fact that no foreign leader believes that the last helicopter will or could happen under Bush. But everyone in the middle east is preparing for 2008. Both allies and enemies are looking to the future and they see a President, be it Republican or a Democrat, who will leave the middle east. The new power broker is Iran in this world.

Mr. Ahmadinejad's (Iran’s President) defiant rhetoric is based on a strategy known in Middle Eastern capitals as "waiting Bush out." "We are sure the U.S. will return to saner policies," says Manuchehr Motakki, Iran's new Foreign Minister.
Mr. Ahmadinejad believes that the world is heading for a clash of civilizations with the Middle East as the main battlefield. In that clash Iran will lead the Muslim world against the "Crusader-Zionist camp" led by America. Mr. Bush might have led the U.S. into "a brief moment of triumph." But the U.S. is a "sunset" (ofuli) power while Iran is a sunrise (tolu'ee) one and, once Mr. Bush is gone, a future president would admit defeat and order a retreat as all of Mr. Bush's predecessors have done since Jimmy Carter.
Mr. Ahmadinejad also notes that Iran has just "reached the Mediterranean" thanks to its strong presence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. He used that message to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to adopt a defiant position vis-à-vis the U.N. investigation of the murder of Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon. His argument was that once Mr. Bush is gone, the U.N., too, will revert to its traditional lethargy. "They can pass resolutions until they are blue in the face," Mr. Ahmadinejad told a gathering of Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical Arab leaders in Tehran last month.

(Emphasis added)
It is a sad state of affairs when Iran’s President Ahmadinejad, the same fellow who called for Israel to be “wiped off the map”, is waiting for Bush to leave office. He knows that Bush won’t bend to his tyranny, but he hopes that the next President will. This should be a lesson to every anti-war protestor out there. The truth is, and the dictators and tyrants of the middle east know it, is that George W. Bush is no match for them. Ahmadinejad even called the transformation in the middle east a “brief moment of triumph” for Bush. When his presidency is up, they expect that America will continue on its course of not caring about the rest of the world and retreat to our comfort zone.
This is why the anti-war movement in America is killing American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. All of our enemies are just “waiting Bush out.” They believe with every fiber of their essence that if they can wait just 2 more years, they will win. We as a nation must send the unequivocal message that we are in it for the long run, no matter who is President. Be them Democrat, Republican, or other, we, as a nation will not leave. This would kill the insurgency in a week, because all hope would be lost. The “last helicopter” would disappear from their dreams. But, instead, Madison is set to vote to pull out the troops, yet again, emboldening the insurgency.
We live in a dangerous world and our enemies, the ones that want to destroy America and kill Americans, are hoping that Bush leaves. It is disturbing when liberals and terrorists are on the same side of an issue: their hatred of Bush and his ideology. Well, this isn’t the first time liberals and terrorists have agreed on an issue, they both did want the patriot act defeated.

Voting...America's National Pastime

2006-03-29T12:49:00.000-06:00

I was going to post this piece this morning, but didn't publish it b/c I had class:

As we all go off and vote in the ASM elections and soon city elections concerns of election irregularities reign supreme.

ASM in the past has had problems even keeping track of the votes. My concern is with the pastime of voting socially. People used to go into the polls and vote together.

I guess I am a bit old fashioned, but I like paper ballots.

After class, I tried to get some of my friends to vote and found out that ASM messed up again.

As of Wednesday morning, an unprecedented 15% of the UW student body had already cast votes in the Spring 2006 ASM elections. Wednesday’s numbers far exceeded voter turnout projections when compared to previous elections.

While ASM is pleased to see such a rise in participatory democracy, it has created an unpredicted technical concern in the voting system. As a result ASM has announced that it will postpone elections in order to review the system and ensure that every student has opportunity to cast an equal vote and have their voices heard.

This is absolute irresponsible on the part of the ASM elections committee. They should always hope for the best and plan for the worst.

The best of course that all eligible students will vote in the election. And perhaps all of them would vote for themselves.

This failure again within a couple of years shows the repetitive incompetence of the student government here.

There should not have to be a postponement of elections. The results should NOT have had to be erased. This is not how elections are to be conducted in America and is not a good example for the future

It seems that ASM may not have been so forth comming as to the problems with the electronic election system and a full report should be made immediately as to why the problem was caused and why the system was not able to handle such a 'high' turnout.

I am frustrated by this happening again, as I was a poll worker in the fall of 2003 when the elections had to be rescheduled.

Elizabeth Conklin, manager of DoIT’s Internal Applications group, which maintains the election software said DoIT is responsible for the incident.

“DoIT accepts full and complete responsibility for this unfortunate incident,” she said. “The ballots were lost due to a failure on our part to completely reset the election system after it was successfully tested ahead of the election. We’ve taken steps to ensure that this will not happen again.”

Well it happened again...

Herald misses the point...

2006-03-29T11:06:00.000-06:00

I was mad last night after the socialists barged into the College Republican meeting and called everyone cowards, but after reading the Badger Herald this morning, I am furious.

The article, written by Drew Hamm, is all at once poorly written, extremely biased, and not based in reality.

Let’s break it down:

First the title: “Anti-war activist interrupts College Republicans”

Yeah, that did indeed happen. But that is not what the meeting was about and even though the anti-war folks were amusing and all, most of the speaking and attention was on the three Iraqi War veterans speaking to the audience. I blame this more on the news editor than the writer though. A better title: UW College Republicans hear from Veterans.

3rd and 4th paragraph:

Members of the UW Stop the War! movement attended the meeting to voice their support of the referendum. However, when Stop the War! member Chris Dols became too “disruptive,” two UW police officers asked him to leave.“It is a little hypocritical for them to publicly denounce Stop the War! when they won’t even debate us,” Dols said.

The first quote in the article is from Mr. Dols. Why is this? The event was about the anti-troop referendum they quote Mr. Dols after he is asked to leave the meeting. The writer also uses the infamous “editorial quotation” to describe him as disruptive. Well, as a witness to the event, Mr. Dols was extremely disruptive. He was physically unable to keep still when the veterans were talking and would not stop adding his two cents. It was only AFTER he called the panel and crowd cowards, after he pointed out that a veteran killed a child, after he was taken to the curb with FACTs, was he asked to leave after one of his 2 minute soliloquies. It is obvious he was never taught how to be quiet when others are talking. But the reporter found it so newsworthy to talk about it that he went on with dribble.

The overall opinion of the panelists was that they love the people of Iraq, and that the response from Americans has been overwhelmingly positive since returning home.

Don’t forget, Hamm, that they also preached time and time again that the Iraqi people WANTED THEM THERE. And that every one of the veterans said that those pushing this referendum are in fact AGAINST the troops.

The dialogue went back and forth for a majority of the meeting on whether or not the troops should leave.

No, it was more like:
Veterans: No, we should stay, we want to stay until the job is done.
Anti-war folks: No, all troops want to leave no.
Veterans: No, we want to stay and help the Iraqi people build a democracy.
Anti-war folks: You kill children and you want to come home.

The Anti-war folks must have found it disheartening and horribly ironic that the same folks that they want to bring home are willing to go back. The same folks that they want to save from this “evil war”, want to fight for the rights of the Iraqi people. Ha.

“We are all for getting these soldiers out of harm’s way,” Dols said. “I want you and all your friends home.”

Okay Chris, what if the soldiers WANT to stay in Iraq? Then what? The Reporter forgot about the quote from Mike Hahn which said that there are record re-enlistment numbers in the Army and impressive numbers in the Marine Corp. It seems that the reporter was more interested in Chris Dols than in the veterans at the front of the room.

This was one of the only topics that the two sides agreed on during the meeting.

No, they didn’t agree. Although they want everyone to come home, the veterans and all of their fighting friends still over there want to stay until the JOB IS DONE! Again, the reporter must have been outside the room at that point interviewing Chris Dols.

The College Republicans set up the “Vote No” panel to educate students on their views on the issue. Dols requested to be on the panel but was denied because he had views opposing the College Republicans’ stance.

Of course he was denied. He came to the meeting and just asked to be on the panel. Even though he was NOT on the panel, he still spoke out of turn and acted like a 5 year who no one wants to play with. He whined the entire meeting…obviously into the author’s year. This was a vote NO panel, it was designed to let the campus know the other side of the issue without the threat of rudeness and disrespect. The last time the College Republicans participated in a panel with the left, it was 1 on 5 and the conservative was hissed any time he spoke. That is not a debate, that is disrespect towards the first amendment. What right do the anti-war folks have to coming to our meeting and taking over? What right does Chris Dols have in coming into our meeting and being disrespectful. They have every right to come and listen and to ask short pointed questions, but after that, they are infringing on our first amendment rights. They by no means have or deserved the right to have a “heckler’s veto” at UW Madison. They are in the majority and they have decided to continue to oppress conservative thought. Only now, they have come to the one place that we can say something without the sighs or the hisses or the disrespect that we get in every class and in every other group on campus.

Dols and his constituents came into the meeting and called the College Republicans “cowards” for not debating him, which set off a yelling match between the panelists and Dols.

Yep, more talking about Dols. Again, the BH should be ashamed for running this piece.

Despite the differing opinions, Smith said she thought the meeting went well.

It did go well. It would have gone better if the anti-war folks would shut up and listen instead of assuming they are always right. There were 3 Iraq War veterans and instead of learning from their first person experiences, the anti-war kids “know” that their propaganda is right and the soldiers are wrong. For shame.“It is good for debate and discourse,” she said.She said she decided ahead of time that debate between the two sides would not be productive, however, as she said a “token conservative” at a Stop the War! meeting would just be “shouted down” and “attacked.”

Indeed.

This story was horrible and for the first time in a long time, the Daily Cardinal’s coverage was so much better that I cannot even compare the two. Drew Hamm should be fired…or sent to the Madison Observer, because with this kid of reporting, that is where he belongs.

From a paper who formed in opposition to the anti-war movement of the '60s, the Herald should be ashamed.

CRs Overrun by Hippies

2006-03-28T23:31:00.000-06:00

Tonight, the UW College Republicans were overrun by hippies. The CRs organized a "Vote No Panel" to get the facts out there about the anti-troop referendum that the City of Madison is holding next week. The panel was moderated by Madison's favorite radio personality, Vicki McKenna and included three Iraqi War Veterans.

As the meeting got underway, about a half dozen "Stop War Now" folks came into the room. Their leader, Chris Dols, lead the way. Of course, the anti-war folks are attracted to any form of media available and with reporters from the Herald and the Cardinal on hand, they could not resist in making a scene.

Be it calling the panel and the CRs "cowards" or talking so much out of turn that the UW Police had to escort him out of the room, Chris Dols was his normal self. Yes Chris, we get it, your parents did not pay attention to you as a kid and now you need everyone to pay attention to everything you say. Well, guess what, NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION. There were Iraq war veterans talking about what is happening over there and you could not keep you mouth shut for more than a minute. Shame on you!

Other than Dols, the rest of the hippies were pretty well behaved. The Vote NO panel did a great job in defending the Iraqi war and setting the record strait. The truth just hurts the anti-war folks so much that they don't want to listen.

They invited several of the veterans to a "public forum" to be held next week. As normal, any liberal forum includes 10 liberals, 1 conservative and a yelling crowd of folks who all agree with each other. It is to be held at library mall (sounds like a rally) and two of the veterans are going to participate. Odds are, they will be called baby killers and murderers.

The truth of the situation is simple: those that support this referendum are against the troops and don't understand what is happening over there. As the veterans said over and over again, if we pull out, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis will die in a horrible blood bath and the ba'athist regime will kill all of those that helped us thus far. Shame on you all!

Listen to my opinion on this and other issues at The Slanty Shanty

Saddam does not care about Iraq

2006-03-28T22:29:00.000-06:00

I'm not surprised that Saddam does not care about his own people, but for him to say it straight out is a different story.

Interviewer: This reminds me that in one of your speeches, you said that you would leave Iraq a country without a people.

Saddam Hussein: What is the people worth without Saddam Hussein?! What is it worth? Iraq is entirely Saddam Hussein. "Long live Iraq" means "long live Saddam Hussein." What is Iraq worth without Saddam Hussein?

Interviewer: You keep on with those slogans? You still cling to them...

Saddam Hussein: I was brought up on it. How do you want me to go back on this? Iraqis hear these things about me as soon as they come out of their mothers' wombs. [...] I repeat: Iraq without Saddam Hussein isn't worth two bits. Therefore, it will make me happy if Iraq turns into ashes.

I call to punish 'Izzat Al-Duri, because he burned my heart.

Interviewer: Why, because he published a statement without your permission?

Saddam Hussein: He gave a speech without me knowing it. The punishment that I want for him is to cut off his tongue and ears.

Interviewer: Why cutting off his tongue and ears?

Saddam Hussein: To make him the same as all the renegades whose tongues and ears I cut off. And if 'Izzat Al-Duri continues giving speeches in sign language, like the deaf do, I demand that his hands be cut off. And so on and so forth, until 'Izzat Al-Duri is finished, and we get rid of this degenerate.

Lock him up and throw away the key.

I'm Back...

2006-03-28T21:09:00.000-06:00

Although all is well over at madison.com, I have decided to resurrect the original freedom fighter blog for two reasons. First, I am going to cross link to the madison.com site which should be good all around and second, because the layout is just so bad over there. I enjoy having a side bar!!!

So...I was just at a CR meeting and the anti-war folks called marines "cowards." More to come before this evening is over.

Army Station Vandalization is Not Speech

2006-03-28T11:55:00.000-06:00

The Daily Cardinal reports that the Army recruiting station at University Square has been vandalized here.

"Army employees were startled Monday afternoon when a brick crashed through the window of the campus Army Recruiting Station, 73 University Square, around 2:30 p.m.
Army officers were in the building when the window shattered, but were unable to catch the vandal."

But what is even more ridiculus Jung's opinion on destruction of private property:

Stephanie Jung of Stop the War said the broken window could give the Madison anti-war movement the spark it needs.

“It is going to take more than people rallying on Library Mall,” Jung said. “I think actions that will eventually get people onto the streets are what we need. I think this action could be something like that.”

There is no excuse for destroying someone else's property and successful protests occur when a clear message is presented without violence and destruction. Even though there is no clear suspect as to who threw that brick, clearly the perpetrator was targeting the army station during broad daylight to send a message.

This is another clear message that people like Jung are not supporting our troops.

Where's Bob?

2006-03-27T23:12:00.000-06:00

So Madison's favorite "Red-head" conservative is AWOL from blogging. In an attempt to guilt him into blogging feel free to leave comments. To hold people off until then, check the Slanty Shanty show for some political commentary from Bob (supposedly from Freedom Fighter) and Brad from Letters in Bottles.

There is a ton of issues Bob should be speaking out against such as the Iraq referendum, securing the border debate, and the Governor's race.

Start your engines.

Vote No on Both ASM Referendums

2006-03-27T23:05:00.000-06:00

Today March 28 at 8 am voting opens online for UW-Madison students at http://vote.asm.wisc.edu until March 30 at 8 pm.

All students should vote and take into consideration extremely important issues such as tuition fees, textbook programs, and referendums among others when voting for candidates. But most importantly, two major referendums on the ballot may have drastic effects on cost of attending the University. The first is an increase of segregated fees of $96 a semester to pay for renovations at Memorial Union and a new building for Union South. The second is the "Living Wage" referendum to mandate a pay hike of $10.23 an hour for LTE workers.

The Badger Herald editoral board has come out against both referendums on the Union referendum here and the wage hike here. Mike from the Mendota Beacon has an excellent article here. Voting no is one option for students to help keep down the cost of tuition as any extra costs of attending the University.

Many students who are trying to pay their way through college work many hours a week and full-time during summers, without the help of their family, to attend Madison. They do not need the burden of working an additional month part-time to pay for higher segfees. Check out my previous blog on the Union referndum here.

This leads to the second referendum, which would artificially inflate the wages of workers.

The Badger Herald sums up the idiocy of this referendum by asking these questions: "While the imposition of a living wage seems noble in the abstract, its implications need to be considered. Do students scooping Babcock Ice Cream at Memorial Union need a living wage? Does the student swiping IDs at the SERF deserve a wage hike?"

We attend college to learn more skills and obtain higher paying jobs. Certain jobs are higher paid, because they require higher education and skills that the average high school graduate does not have.

We want a system where people are paid for the quailty and difficulty of work they do. This is a reason why college professors deserve more pay than a trash collector. Being a college professor requires more education and skills to specialize in their field to fully teach students that specialization.

People should earn their higher wages through more education or raises for hard work. We all have to start somewhere near the bottom, either mowing lawns, delivering papers, or working at a grocery store--like I did. But all those jobs gave me an incentive to push forward, earn an education, and earn raises for hard work.

This is a society we live in and should live in. Not a fantasy world where we are all paid equally to do any type of work--no matter how much education or skills we have. That stinks of Socialism and Communism. We want our doctors, teachers, and scientists to be paid more for knowing more, because they earned it.

How do we know how much workers should be paid for the skills and education a person has?

We don't know and neither does SLAC. But employers do and they should be allowed to determine how much to pay their workers and not by a faulty mandate.

Vote NO on both referendums.

The Freedom Fighter has moved!

2006-02-02T02:34:00.000-06:00

The Madison Freedom Fighter has moved to bigger better location at madison.com. I'm the same ol' red headed conservative, only now I have a server where I can upload podcasts and stream video!

Check it out!! (link)

http://www.madison.com/post/blogs/freedomfighters/index.php

MFF Update and Retooling

2006-01-30T01:32:00.000-06:00

MFF Readers,

The Madison Freedom Fighter is undergoing a major overhaul. Over the next week, we will be moving to a new location (at madison.com) as well as increasing our content and capabilities. MFF will have podcasts, a/v content, as well as a couple new contributors in addition to yours truly.

Because of this, the number of posts and response to comments will be low over the next few days. But fear not, for the Madison Freedom Fighters will be up and running by weeks end. Please continue to check back from time to time over the next couple of days, but don't you even think about touching that blogroll, because Madison's best blog is just going to be getting better!

Thanks,

Bob T.

P.S. To curve any comments on any statements I made (i.e Madison's best blog), I have turned off the comments for this post. Advantage Bob.

I've crossed over to the dark side

2006-01-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

Well, after years of mocking them, I have joined the legions of Mac supporters across the US. Yesterday I bought the brand new IMac. As a life long PC user and Mac hater, it took me a while to get used to the idea of a Mac in my house hold. But I have to admit, it is AWESOME. I have a 20 inch screen and the entire unit is a thing of beauty.

Who says conservatives cannot change?

Update: I just created my first podcast. I will start uploading them next week.

Follow up: Herald gets the story wrong

2006-01-27T12:31:00.000-06:00

One major line in the story is just wrong:

Healy, whom Davis described as “extremely apologetic” during Thursday’s meeting, said the Beacon believed and continues to believe its decision was well within its legal rights.

After talking to Jeff Healy, he said that he did not appologize about a thing and after the meeting Mr. Davis was upset with him. To apologize is to think you did something wrong and Jeff and the rest of the Beacon's leadership don't think they did anything wrong.

What the hopla is about: From the Beacon story.

They allegedly wrote insulting remarks on the whiteboard attached to Brian Roberts’ door in Ogg Hall. Roberts is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender liaison, which gives him free housing in Ogg.

The four allegedly tore down pictures of two men without shirts kissing and other pictures from the liaison’s public bulletin board. One or more of the men also allegedly spit on the door of the liaison. Altogether, the four face 17 felony charges.

Roberts wrote those who live near him after the incident, “I hope that events like last nights will not happen in our community ever again, but if they should, I will continue to confront them and hope that my fellow housemates will be there to back me up.”

Roberts e-mailed his floor about the incident and he is protrayed in a positive light. He did his job as an LGBT liaison and he put himself in harms way by comfronting the 4 individuals. The Beacon reported as such. The first amendment is a powerful ally and just because one doesn't like the Beacon doesn't mean they don't have a right to publish what they did. I don't like the Madison Observer (so much so that I won't even link to their website), but I have never said that anything they wrote was outside of their freedom of speech. There was no malicious intent and without such there is no need to bash the Beacon for reporting the facts.

The Beacon Stands up for the Truth - Herald beats up on the little guy

2006-01-27T11:53:00.000-06:00

The Badger Herald has resorted yet again to attacking the Mendota Beacon in a negative light. The Beacon published a photo and the name of the alleged victim in the "hate crime" committed in December. Even though this individual sent out an e-mail to his floor IDing him as such, some believe his identity should be protected.

From the Herald story:

Perhaps most troubling to UW, Davis said, is what he called the questionable motives Anderson had for exposing the liaison's identity.

I can say without a doubt that Grant as no biases against this individual and the only reason he wanted to publish it is because it is the truth. That is the goal of journalism, isn't it.

But there is no law that stops an independent newspaper from publishing a photo. The story the Beacon ran was positive as well. In my opinion (for disclosure, I used to be the Managing Editor of the Beacon) the story the Beacon ran was fair and objective. It portrayed the "victim" almost as a hero. Running after these bigots even in the face of a personal threat.

From my time working with the Beacon and with the Jeff and Jenna, I can tell you that it is totally unafraid. Do your worst Main Stream Media, because Madison's finest citizen journalism is going to continue to spread the truth.

By the way, perhaps the Herald should write a positive piece about the Beacon for once. I doubt that will ever happen though, because when you see the Beacon, they see themselves 35 years ago. I know two members of the inagural Herald staff, one is my landlord, the other works up at the Capitol, they both worked for the paper in 1969. Both of them have supported the Beacon, just shaking their head when they read the Herald. What a shame.

Update: With such disrespect towards the Beacon, it is interesting that three opinion columnists currently employed by the Herald are alumni of the "openly conservative" newspaper. They hire Beaconites but won't speak favorably about the Beacon.

Update 2: Now Beacons are disappearing from across the campus. I love free speech in Madison! The Herald will probably write a story about how the Beacons take up too much space on the newsracks and how the liberals are justified in destroying the paper. HT: Jenna I am, of course, not accusing the Herald of stealing the papers.

Update 3: I am indeed towing the Beacon line.

Update: Isthmus readers chime in

2006-01-26T21:49:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I was profiled for a cover story in the Isthmus last month. Well, Madison has responded...here's what they had to say and my response to each:

"I'm surprised this angry, contentious young man has such a bleeding heart for the Iraqi people." - Nicole Gruter, Menona

First, I'm not an angry person. The question that you should be asking is how can Ms. Vogeler turn her back on the Iraqi people. The "progressives" want to work with the UN and want America to be more active in world problems. If we sent troops into the Darfur region of Sudan, would you be okay with American foreign policy? I am proud to support a President that has given 25 million people the right to vote for the first time in their lives.

"...one look at Robert Thelen's pinched, angry-looking face should be enough to alert anyone that he is a rabid right-winger. Think about it: From Bill O'Reilly to Ann Coulter to Rush Limbaugh to Dick Cheney...there is a meanness in their persona..." - Keith Stephens, Monroe

Thanks Keith, I take it as a complement to be compared to Dick Cheney and Bill O'Reilly. We are not mean, we are passionate.

"Robert Thelen III maintains that Bush won 'a landslide victory' in 2004. I think he needs to bone up on his math." - Charles Tranberg

Bush had the largest vote total ever and was the first President since Reagan (correction: Since the 1988 election of GB Sr.) to get a true majority of the vote in one of the most competitive elections ever. So, it was an impressive, message sending victory.

"I was disappointed to see how slanted your story was. It's a shame that Thelen had to play the "limited-life experience" foil to Vogeler's hard-luck, blue-collar activist. Fortunately, Thelen doesn't seem the type to be driven from his cause so easily" - Zachary Wyatt

Thanks Zachary. I agree that the story was slanted, but I expected such from the Isthmus. The truth is, most of the anti-war folks in Madison are left-overs from the Vietnam era and the average pro-victory advocate is in college. BTW: this is one of two positive comments.

In one comment I was even compared to Hitler, another one called me bully. Yet another said my interview was full of "know-it-all, know-nothing, inane and erroneous, red-headed yes-man full of third-rate, two bit, first grade prattle?"

I find it interesting that most of the readers who responded used some sort of personal attack in their statement. This is how the anti-war left argues. First an attack, then some talking points they were fed by a Captimes article or a blog and because they don't understand the significance of the talking points, they end with another personal attack. Insecurity is rampant in the anti-war left.