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Question of the day

October 6, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Is David Clarke running for something?

Or is he just in heat for publicity?

He has delusions of grandeur, once ran an embarrassingly bad campaign for mayor of Milwaukee.

He considered running for county executive when Scott Walker was elected governor, but the Republican bosses told him it was Jeff Stone's turn, so he backed off.

Chris Abele's up in April, and doesn't have an opponent.  It's a free ride for Clarke, but a loss could really hurt his standing. 

Meanwhile, Clarke's always been a publicity hound, so he's loving the attention and happy to pick a fight every day, whether it's about the budget, guns, or illegal immigrants.  And the media just eat it up. 

It may energize the right wing base, but he sounds a lot like someone who's off his meds.  And that could be a problem.

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:

Grown-ups, guns and just gone-crazy: In Arizona now, Wisconsin soon

October 6, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

So what's Wisconsin going to be like when the new Republican-enabled concealed-carry gun law takes hold? Well, it may be a lot like Arizona. That's a state with an insanely laissez-faire concealed-carry law. Hendrik Hertzberg, political writer for the New Yorker magazine, reported on a recent incident there where an entire military base went to Condition Red over a reported gun sighting. "The base was locked down, emergency vehicles were summoned, and automated alert messages went out, advising people to stay indoors, away from windows," Hertzberg wrote.

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?)