50-State Blog Network

No guns allowed where he works, but shootouts OK in other county buildings, sheriff says

October 6, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has sensibly proposed continuing a ban on carrying concealed weapons in county buildings, a decision the county can make despite a new concealed carry law which takes effect on Nov. 1.

Guess who disagrees?

The Lone Ranger, Sheriff David Clarke, who used to oppose concealed carry and said it would put his deputies in danger. Now he thinks people need weapons to shoot the bad guys.

Clarke wants people to be able to bring weapons into county buildings -- just not the ones he works in.

The new law prohibits weapons in the courthouse, safety building,jail and Mitchell airport. So Clarke will be safe; only law enforcement personnel can pack guns where he works.

Abele -- after checking with county department heads -- says he also wants to ban weapons in county park buildings, the Mental Health Complex, the zoo, senior centers, the public museum, and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

The City of Milwaukee already has approved posting city buildings with "No weapons" signs. Abele's plan needs County Board approval. The Journal Sentinel reports:

Occupy Wall Street - Huntsville & Birmingham Tonight

October 6, 2011 by Left in Alabama

 

The Occupy Wall Street movement is going local, even in Alabama where the Big Mules have been running the show since  ... well, if not since the beginning of time, at least since the Europeans moved in. 

:

Thursday, October 6 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm, Big Spring Park

Our plan is simple. Be seen, be heard, and do so peacefully and with respect.

We are the 99% and we are Huntsville.

Occupy Birmingham:

Thursday, October 6 , 7 pm at Railroad Park on the west (14th Street) side.

NAVA Hosts Unprecedented Teleconference and Polling Event

October 6, 2011 by Democracy for N...

From the Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA):
NAVA is hosting "Native America Speaks," an unprecedented statewide teleconference and polling event using participants' cell phones and displaying real-time results. The teleconference takes place at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, the Center for Lifelong Education at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe and the UNM Branch in Gallup. An information-gathering booth will also be set up at the Shiprock Fair. 

We are inviting Native American people 18 years old and up, including young people, elders, artists, professionals, voters and nonvoters alike to this event. The digital conference will take place at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 8, 2011. Registration and check-in begins at 9:00 AM. The NAVA is also looking for volunteers, as well as participants. To register online, go to http://t.co/0hl34cP. 

Bright Spot In NM Special Session: Jobs Bill Signed Into Law

October 6, 2011 by Democracy for N...

Yesterday, Governor Susanna Martinez signed Senate Bill 1 into law, the In-State Preference bill sponsored by Senator Tim Keller (D-Bernalillo-17) in the recent special legislative session.  SB-1 was a true bright spot in the recent special session, and is expected to create thousands of new jobs in New Mexico.

Senator Keller and co-sponsor Rep. Larry Larranaga (R-Bernalillo-27) worked with the business community, the Governor’s Office and the Senate Jobs Task Force convened by Majority Floor Leader Senator Michael S. Sanchez (D-Valencia-29), to produce the legislation signed yesterday.

“The enactment of the In-State Preference bill is a shining example of how government should work for the mutual benefit of the people of New Mexico. SB-1 will now create over 3,000 jobs in our state and is the result of nearly two years of bi-partisan collaboration on the part of business stakeholders, the governors’ office and the legislature.”

Latino Heritage Month Reminders

October 6, 2011 by Vivirlatino

Lots  going on regarding Latino Heritage Month, and Meagan, as usual, did a fab job of reminding readers of the complexity of this month’s celebrations. I wanted to highlight a few things for VL readers: 30 Days of Latino Heritage Tumblr page which Maegan created in 2009 is still up and running! You may submit [...]

Want to help build Awake The State?

October 5, 2011 by Kenneth

We’ve done some extraordinary things together, but now it’s time to take the next step and build a lasting movement to fight back against budget cuts and stand up for Florida’s forgotten middle class.

Register for the first ever Awake The State Summit today and make history with us.

From October 22-23, Awake The State organizers and supporters from around the state will come together at the University of Central Florida in Orlando to organize and build a strong movement in every corner of Florida. Since our first successful protest on March 8th, which drew 15,000 Floridians in more than 40 locations from Pensacola to Key West, Awake The State organizers and supporters have started building local networks of allies to make our movement a permanent part of their own communities. We want to nurture and grow these remarkable efforts.

Winner and Loser of the Day

October 5, 2011 by Kenneth

Winner: Everyone — Sarah Palin isn’t running for president.

Loser: Mac users — Apple founder Steve Jobs died.

Walker is for certainty -- except when he isn't

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Here is Scott Walker's own political version of the famous Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in physics:

Republicans are for certainty -- except when that would benefit Democrats. Then, they're for uncertainty.

Walker, commenting on the Department of Revenue's decision to slam small "roll your own" cigaret shops:

"What we hear from employers all the time … is they want the certainty of knowing what the law is, what the rules are, that they're applied universally and across the board."

But when implementing the state's new Voter ID law, the Walker administration has told its Department of Transportation service centers that they are not to volunteer to citizens seeking the IDs the information that, under the law, they don't have to pay the usual $28 fee if they're only going to use the card to get a ballot at a polling place.

So, businesses need certainty to create jobs! But if you're an average citizen? Walker wants you to keep on guessing! Only if you're a member of the opposition, of course.

NRA objects to even minimal training requirements for concealed carry

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

The National Rifle Association says it's "concerned about the implementation of Wisconsin's new concealed carry law," the Journal Sentinel reports:

What's the NRA concerned about -- that people won't get the proper training they need?

No, that they might be required to get too much training -- a whole four hours worth, and have to fire a weapon!

Clearly, someone at the state Dept. of Justice, which is writing but has not yet released the rules, has been leaking to the NRA. That's actually an improvement over what might be expected from Atty. Gen. J.B. Van Hollen. At least he's not letting the NRA write the rules.

But it will be interesting to see whether he has the backbone to stand up to the NRA on this one. Most politicians back down in the face of NRA bluster, even though the organization has had laughably little influence at the ballot box. (Example: Gov. Jim Doyle was their Number One national target for defeat in 2006. How'd that work out?)