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A Progressive Candidate for
Governor of WI?
How about two...one a
Republican?
Jef Hall responds to
unwanted attention
Underheim votes against
women's health
Jef Hall accused of
trespassing
www.thirdpartywatch.com
word on the street
Headlines from around the world!
Today's Front Pages, by Newseum, has a cool interactive map that displays the front page of over
440 newspapers from around the world. Want to know what the rest of the world is reading? This
is wicked cool (and requires Flash plugins and all that modern technology).
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
| In an attempt to make Babblemur! welcoming and inclusive, the following words and descriptions will be avoided on this website when referring to those who are in favor of the Anti-Marriage Amendment: Extremist Anti-Gay Mean-Spirited Discriminatory Religious Right Bigot Zealot Asshat |
Wasn't the Wisconsin Legislature going to ban
Gay Marriage or something?
by babblemur
In 2004 the Wisconsin Legislature passed an Amendment to the WI
Constitution banning Civil Unions, Domestic Partners, Common Law
Marriages, and any arrangement between two people that resembles
a marriage but is not.
To amend the Constitution, the amendment must pass two
successive legislatures, then be placed on the ballot before the
voters. It is likely that the amendment will be re-introduced into the
Legislature during the 2005-2006 session in an effort to put it on the
November 2006 ballot beside the Governor's race. The amendment
reads:
- "Only a marriage between one man and one woman
shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.
A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of
marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or
recognized in this state."
This amendment will hurt real Wisconsin families. It bans
critical rights and responsibilities, like being able to share
health and retirement benefits or take bereavement leave in the
case of a death in the family.
Furthermore, the amendment goes too far. It will not only
ban gay marriage (which is already illegal), it will also ban
civil unions and domestic partnerships.
If you don't think this matters much unless you are gay, consider
this: In Michigan, where a similar amendment passed, a boy-friend
who beats up his girl-friend can no longer be charged with domestic
abuse, it is simple assault (a lesser offense). In Utah, where a
similar amendment passed, restraining orders based on non-married
relationships are being questioned for legality.
For more information or if you want to help stop this, please visit
Action Wisconsin's website.
Ron Paul, Ralph
Nader, and "Hemp
for Victory"
from common dreams
"Congressman Ron Paul, a
libertarian from Texas and
an obstetrician who has
delivered over 6000
babies, is trying to deliver
our farmers from a
bureaucratic medievalism
in Washington that keeps
saying "No" to growing
industrial hemp."
| 28 June 2005 Falk on Lautenschlager While the Doyle Democrats call Spencer Black a traitor for even considering challenging Doyle for Governor, they turn around and beg Kathleen Falk, who challenged Doyle in 2002, to take down Peg Lautenschlager for Attorney General because they perceive her as being weak. Apply that rule to Doyle, who is more popular with Conservatives than Liberals sometimes, and you have to ask why they aren't begging Black to run against Doyle, as a Democrat instead of an Independent. The only weakness Lautenschlager has is lack of support from her own party. If they abandon her, I can think of at least one party that would welcome her... Falk Still Not Shy About AG Talk (WisPolitics) |
| Anonymous Comment on this: "Democrats love Peg, but it is more important to preserve Doyle's veto power and have a candidate that can win the Attorney General seat. Peg's approval ratings in a spring poll were 18%. Name association with Lautenslager = drunk driving in a state car on taxpayer money and time. The video of the arrest is public and available for campaign commercials. It is great to stand up for Peg because she does so many good things, but this is politics and weakening the ticket hurts all of us, and Peg did that to herself. It is not always fair, but considering Falk is the right thing to do." |
| Babblemur replies: I repeat my original assertion: If re-electability is the critical measure of support, then Democrats need to find a candidate other than Jim Doyle for Governor. Doyle has already been named the weakest gubernatorial incumbent nation wide in 2006, and he has demonstrated that he is incapable of mobilizing the base of voters that Democrats need to win. At this rate, I can predict that Democrats will be blaming Greens and Independents (again) when Doyle looses in 2006, because his odds of winning are slim to none. |
| This conversation is continued at: http://babblemur.blogspot.com |
Greens Push for Real Electoral Reforms at Carter-
Baker Hearings, June 30.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Brent McMillan, political director of the Green
Party of the United States, will attend the Carter-Baker Commission on
Federal Election Reform hearings at Rice University in Houston, Texas
on June 30.
Mr. McMillan will submit a brief on behalf of the Green Party
challenging commission members to support numerous systematic
reforms. Greens have led numerous efforts across the U.S. for election
reforms, demanding 'clean elections' plans, Instant Runoff Voting, and
other proposals, and have criticized the failure of the 'Help America
Vote Act of 2002' (HAVA) to ensure accurate vote counts through new
technology.
In November, 2004, after John Kerry quickly conceded the election, Green
presidential candidate David Cobb initiated recount campaigns in Ohio and New
Mexico, mobilizing thousands of volunteers and raising hundreds of thousands of
dollars in small donations for legal expenses after numerous allegations, especially
from African American and young voters, of obstructed and manipulated votes. Rep.
John Conyers (D-Mich.) and a few other Democrats later joined the recount effort;
Mr. Conyers conducted hearings in December, 2004.
Greens have also fought for an end to two-party domination of U.S. politics.
"Democrats have tried to rig elections so only two teams can play. Republicans have
tried to rig elections so only one team can win. Greens demand fair, free, and open
elections," said Brent McMillan. "The only real democracy is multi-party
democracy."
The Green Party of the United States and various state Green Parties have proposed
a wide range of proposals to help the U.S. live up to its promise of democracy:
- Voter-verified paper ballots to provide an auditable record of votes cast on
computer voting machines; voting machine source code designed to be open
for public inspection and verification before and after an election. "If we fail
to reform computer voting by 2008, we'll witness abuses that dwarf what
happened in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004," said David Cobb, who will
also attend the June 30 Carter-Baker hearings. More information: 2004
Cobb/LaMarche Campaign and archives of the Ohio and New Mexico
recounts <http://www.votecobb.org>.
- Repeal of ballot access rules enacted by Democrats and Republicans to
hinder third parties and third party and independent candidates. "Rules that
favor two parties over all others inherently violate the principle of fair,
democratic elections," said Peggy Lewis, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States. "Presidential campaign debates should be sponsored by
citizens' organizations that welcome third party participation, not by the
Commission on Presidential Debates, which is corporate-sponsored and
owned and operated by and for Democrats and Republicans."
- Instant Run-off Voting, Proportional Representation, and Cumulative
Voting to replace current Winner-Take-All and At-Large systems, to ensure
that election winners enjoy the support of a majority of voters, and to
afford minority populations of all kinds with representation in legislative
bodies, school boards, and other bodies. More information: Center for
Voting & Democracy <http://www.fairvote.org>.
- Public funding for political campaigns; free and fair access to the public
airwaves for all political candidates.
- Various steps to broaden voter participation: universal or at least same-day
registration; an Election Day holiday; elections that take place over two
days (perhaps during a weekend).
- Fully restored citizenship for all persons convicted of felonies upon
completion of their sentences, including the right to vote and to run for
elected office; the right to vote for prisoners.
- Statehood for the District of Columbia, affording D.C.'s majority African
American population full political self-determination, legislative autonomy,
and voting representation in Congress.
- National legislation to enforce the right to vote, as established in the 14th
Amendment, Section 2 in the U.S. Constitution. Such legislation would
override the Supreme Court's claim in Bush v. Gore (2000) that no
guaranteed right to vote exists in national elections.
"Such legislation would be analogous to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which enforces
Section 1 of the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law," said
Asa Gordon, Executive Director of the Douglass Institute of Government and chair
of the D.C. Statehood Green Party's Electoral College Task Force. "Rep. Jesse
Jackson, Jr. [D-Ill.] has proposed a 'voting rights amendment', but a constitutional
amendment is unwarranted and would be difficult to pass, requiring ratification by
two thirds of the states. Section 2 already guarantees every adult citizens' right to
vote, since this section punishes states for denying this right to any group of voters.
An act of Congress enforcing Section 2 could be passed with a simple majority and
immediately implemented."
Democratic and Republican officials have not responded to citizens' pleas for
enforcement of Section 2. During the December 8, 2004 forum on voting irregularities
in Ohio in the national election, Rep. Conyers, when asked why the voting rights
remedy in Section 2 had never been applied, declared "I do not have an exact
comment as to why we haven't used it in the past." Informed by Asa Gordon of his
civil action to enforce Section 2, Rep. Conyers asked Mr. Gordon to "make sure that
we get the benefit of this historic lawsuit to our members so that we may take it
under consideration[.]"
The Supreme Court has affirmed the validity of Amendment 14, Section 2
(Richardson v. Ramirez (1974), in an opinion written by Justice William Rehnquist);
the later voting rights amendments merely modify its application to areas of
discrimination by race and sex.
More information: Douglass Institute of Government <http://members.aol.
com/electorsus/map.htm>; "U.S. Constitution Mandates Penalties for States Where
Votes are Obstructed," Green Party press release, December 16, 2004 <http://www.
gp.org/press/pr_2004_12_16.html>.
Abolition of 'corporate personhood', in recognition that the 14th Amendment was
enacted to protect the rights of humans, not corporations.
"We have allowed corporations to flout responsibility, damage human communities
and the environment for the sake of profit, escape punishment for crimes, and erode
American democracy for nearly 150 years," said David Cobb. "We must enforce
corporate charters and abolish the privilege of limited liability." More information:
Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County <http://www.duhc.org>.
and welcome, I feel no
concern from it; but I
should suffer the misery of
devils, were I to make a
whore of my soul..."
-Thomas Paine
A Progressive Candidate for
Governor of Wisconsin?
by babblemur
Spencer Black (D-Madison) considering run for
Governor against Doyle
Former Democratic leader of the state assembly Black
is being courted to run as an independent against
Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. Doyle and others
have responded by indicating that if Black runs, the
Republicans win. Spencer Black is a former regional
director of the Sierra Club and has been in the State
Legislature for 20 years. Black on Doyle: "...I think he
has fallen short in a number of areas, especially
environmental issues, energy policy, tax policy,
university (funding) and (campaign) reform".
So who are the shadowy unnamed figures that have
approached Black? The People's Legislature? Ed
Garvey? The Green Party? The Illuminati?
Black Eyes Gov Race (Capital Times)
Black considers running against Doyle (Wisconsin
State Journal)
Dissident Lefties look for Spoiler to challenge
Doyle as Independent (Xoff Files
24 June 2005
How about two Progressive Candidates,
one of them...a Republican?
Why Mike Ellis Should Run by Marc Eisen,
WisOpinion.com
The Republican Party of Warren Knowles, Lee
Dreyfus and Tommy Thompson - pro-education,
pro-growth and attuned to the state's rich legacy of
governmental activism - has seemingly been taken over
by God's true believers and smooth-talking Amway-like
salesmen pitching tax-freeze nostrums and chastity
belts, while denigrating the university and demonizing
gay people. (-Marc Eisen)
"We need to get the special interests out of the game,"
Ellis says. "We need to use public money to fund
elections. If we did that, the Legislature could break
free from the tentacles of the special interest groups.
Then we could solve problem number one: bad
budgeting."