BadgerBlogger on Fox6

Our friend Jeni from Sheboygan Shenanigans and Sheboygan Spirit has been one of the few voices critical of the shenanigans that have been going on in her home town, Sheboygan Wi. and this includes being critical of Sheboygan's Mayor, Juan Perez. In fact, Jeni spearheaded a recall effort against Perez.

Now, apparently is time for payback. Recently, Jeni received a letter from the Sheboygan City Attorney, Stephen G. McLean, demanding that she remove a link to the main page of the Sheboygan Police Department. Jeni did remove the links, even though there is absolutely nothing inappropriate about linking to the very public main page of the police department, a page that one would think they would want people to use. Shortly after receiving this letter and removing the links, a Lieutenant from the Sheboygan Police Department followed up with a phone call, telling her she is the subject of a police investigation. Mark Belling has confirmed that this lieutenant was ordered by Sheboygan Police Chief David E. Kirk.

Very interestingly, on the Chief's webpage, he includes the following statement:

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Lastly I like to have an open door policy. In this case, an open website policy. We want to hear your opinion on the Sheboygan Police Department whether it's good, bad or otherwise.

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He is inviting people to use the website, but he is ordering a private citizen not to add a link to the site... Want my opinion Chief Kirk?

This is a clear illegal abuse of power by government officials of a small town that think they are running their own little fiefdom, but the word is out and the watchdogs have been alerted and we are watching.

Note to Jeni: Were I you, I would document EVERY contact with every one involved in this. Names, numbers, times, everything you can. I would also consider contacting the District Attorney and the Attorney Generals Office, heck, maybe the U.S. Attorney, there may be Civil Rights violations in this! Don't let them silence you, you have done noting wrong.

A mayor can not use a city attorney and police department as his own private intimidation squad. The Mayor, City Attorney and Police Chief have all overstepped their authority by using the coercive power of government to intimidate and silence critics! The First Amendment reads:

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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It is illegal for government to abridge the freedom of speech or prohibit the right of the people to petition the government for a redress of grievances... HOW DARE the elected officials of Sheboygan do this to a private citizen!

Citizens of Sheboygan, you must end this, contact your elected officials and demand that this abuse of power end. You might also want to contact your news paper and demand that they cover this story!

Please spend a few minutes listening to Mark Belling's coverage, he supplies details from contacts that he has made to Sheboygan officials. (As of 9 p.m. the audio has still not been posted. I will link to it ASAP, but I felt this should be posted, so I will update it as it becomes available)

Peter is also on the story: HARASSMENT IN SHEBOYGAN

You all know the story of the Sheboygan Judge that freed a convicted child molester after he tried to entice yet another child in a park. This judge took the very unusual step of overruling a jury conviction because he declared that the park pavilion he was trying to entice the girl to, did not meet the definition of "secluded".

I was frustrated by this decision, so I packed up and drove to Sheboygan to see the park for myself... And guess what I found? Yep, plenty of secluded spots within a few yards of this pavilion.

Come over to my place and see the video tour I made of this park.

Road trip to dispel Judge Van Akkeren’s ruling that overturns jury guilty verdict

Wauwatosa is in the process of investigating four nonprofit senior care assisted living facilities to see if there is a way they can tax the seniors, whose average age is 85. These are people that have divested themselves of the majority of their assets to “buy in” to the facility, then they continue to pay a monthly rent for a small apartment. They get the peace of mind knowing that their needs will be taken care of if their health fails and they need more care.

Apparently, to some Wauwatosa authorities, this is a luxurious way to live. Yes, the apartments are nice, but not luxurious, and they have worked hard their whole lives, these people shouldn’t begrudge these older folks a nice place to live out their Golden Years. This asinine plan would raise the rent payments of these seniors by about $200 a month… But they have paid enough! Keep your money grubbing mitts off of these members of our Greatest Generation. They have paid your taxes for their whole long lives, they fought wars against fascism and totalitarianism abroad, and the Great Depression at home. It is time that we, no, it is time that YOU, the elected officials that represent these people, to show them the respect they deserve!

Wauwatosa Mayor Theresa M. Estness (famous for her Michael McGee Jr. hugs) claims that this is all up to the City Assessor, who happens to be a temporary person at this time. This is of course a steaming pant load! She is the Mayor, it is her decision if this plan goes on. Jay spoke with State Representative Leah Vukmir, who has been fighting this fight on behalf of our seniors, and she makes it clear that this would be in violation of state law, so it would also involve Wauwatosa taxpayers in a legal battle that they would probably lose.

This story was broken by WISN radio's Jay Weber, but the sad thing is, most of the media has refused to touch this story. I guess a local government attempting to drastically raise the taxes of hundreds of elderly people, just isn't sexy enough to report on. To their credit, Chanel 12 has run a story on one of the four facilities, but they failed to mention the hundreds of others in the other facilities.

I have been keeping my readers abreast if the situation on my home blog, including links, audio and video, hopefully we can get the FOX 6 blog readers involved in ending this travesty before it's to late.

Wauwatosa to attempt to tax the elderly and infirm living in assisted living facilities

Update on Wauwatosa’s effort to tax elderly in assisted living facilities

Wauwatosa tax grab against elderly assisted living residents to get MSM news coverage

This past Wednesday Aug. 1, there was a gang shooting involving very young gang-bangers (the victim was 11, not 13 as reported by the paper) on the south side of Milwaukee, it garnered all of 5 sentences…

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13-year-old’s shooting may be gang related
A south side shooting in which a 13-year-old boy was critically wounded is suspected of being gang-related, police reported this morning.

Police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said two 13-year-old boys were riding a bike when there was an exchange of gang signs with a 14-year-old boy, who then fired a weapon, hitting one of the other boys in the back.

The shooting happened about 10:10 p.m. in the 1100 block of W. Scott St.

The 13-year-old is expected to survive. The shooter is in police custody.

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But this story has taken a twist that still has not been reported in the major news outlets. This story was broken by the El Conquistador, Milwaukee’s Spanish newspaper and reported to a wider audience by Mark Belling.

It seems that the shooter (who is only 14), ran into a house after shooting the 11 year old, who apparently is now paralyzed. The house that the shooter ran into is the home of County Board Supervisor Peggy West. The shooter was reportedly at the location to see West’s daughter, but when police searched, he was not found in the home, but was later arrested later.

An 11 year old boy is shot in a gang shooting, the gang-banger that pulled the trigger ran into the home of a county board member. How is this not news?

You can listen to Mark Belling's report, here, and follow up at BadgerBlogger.com

Update: Clarification

Just a quick update, other radio outlets have started reporting on this story, and this morning County Board Supervisor Peggy West came on the Charlie Sykes radio program to answer some questions. Both West and in an email to me, Public Information Manager Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Harold Mester, confirm that the police report is clear that the shooter did not enter the home of Supervisor West after the shooting and information West gave, helped police track down and arrest the shooter. West also says that her family is now receiving death threats. Keep an eye on Sykes Writes, Charlie will be posting the audio, it is not up now, but I will post a link this evening.

Any other airplane freaks (like me) out here? I have started a new feature on my main blog, every few days I post Warbird Porn, it has information and pictures of a different military aircraft. So if you, or someone you know is a military aircraft buff, stop in and check it out, comments are open, so free to chat about our shared passion.

The Alderman called his radio show today, I have the audio here. Don't miss him singing a little ditty at the end. 

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Today, the Alderthug's uncle was arrested for bribing people to vote for McGee... I posted about this while it was going on, but I thought now one was listening... But I guess John Chisholm and the MPD were. So I got to say, I Told You So!

Woah, now we know why police moved in when they did. It appears that the electronic surveillance and wiretaps may have saved someone a horrible beating and perhaps a life.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: McGee discussed homicide, assault
Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee and two other men discussed killing a man and settled on a "beat down," said District Attorney John Chisholm said in court today.

McGee's attorney, Glen Givens, said prosecutors are confused about street language and at worst the trio were guilty of planning a battery, which is a misdemeanor.

It was not revealed who the intended victim was, but it was over an alleged burglary.

At one point, the men talk about "peeling back his wig" and "sew his cap together," Chisholm said.

The judge allowed the case to move forward but refused to unseal the complaint, pending a preliminary hearing.

Milwaukee's Alderthug has been busted, and this time, it isn't E. Michael McCann's inept self that he has to deal with, it is US Attorney, Steven Biskupic, a Federal Prosecutor with a string of political corruption convictions under his belt.

The press conference today should be interesting.  

The paper is reporting that McGee was arrested earlier than planned, on Memorial Day, because they expected a threat of violence... Hopefully McGee's supporters won't do anything crazy.

As always with the McGee's, I will be providing coverage at BadgerBlogger.com. I will also post updates here.

Today is the day we set aside to remember the Defenders of Freedom that are no longer with us. Please, between the bratwurst and potato salad, stop to remember the brave men and women that have given their lives in defense of freedom. They don’t always get it, but they deserve the utmost respect from every American and free person around the world. We should all Thank God for their sacrifices.

Today, I will fly a special flag in front of my house, it only flies on special days like Memorial Day. It was given to me by my Grandmother a few years ago, just days after the death of my Grandfather, a proud member of Our Greatest Generation and World War 2 veteran. There is nothing special about this flag… to most people. It wasn’t flown over the White House or a battlefield, but it was the flag that my Grandfather proudly flew in front of his house, I now keep it and fly it on special occasions like this, in honor of his memory, and the memory of those that didn’t make it back home.

 

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It’s the soldier, not the reporter who has given us Freedom of the Press.

It’s the soldier, not the poet, who has given us Freedom of Speech.

It’s the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.

It’s the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the Right to a Fair Trial.

It’s the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who gives the protester the right to burn the flag.

~Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

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May God continue to Bless America.

You wouldn’t know it from the media coverage, but Milwaukee is considering a Franklin style Sex offender restriction ordinance. Thanks to Kevin Fisher, we have a few details.

UPDATE: Milwaukee, sex offender ordinance

 We need to keep on our city officials, let them know that we NEED this to protect our kids.
 

What a day... A few days ago, the air conditioner compressor on my truck froze... the pulley wouldn't spin at all, so the belt was just sliding over the pulley. I actually made it to and from work a few times, but I made it to the weekend!

The way my trucks belts are set up, I could not just get a shorter belt to bypass the A/C, trust me, I tried LOL even bothered mechanics at work, but it was a no-go.

So I bought an air conditioner bypass, basically just an idler pulley that fits in the same spot as the A/C unit, $30 for that, or I could have gone to a junk yard and gotten an A/C unit out of another truck, but I don't need it, so why bother... By the way, a new compressor would have been a couple hundred bucks, I'm not spending that on a truck that's almost 20 years old, even if it does still run great.

Anyway... I thought, cool, pop the belt, release the pressure in the system (there was none, so no worries) two bolts and slap it back together... NOT SO FAST!

There was actually another bolt hidden so far under everything else that I couldn't get to it. I worked for probably 3 hours total before I realized that it just wasn't going to come out, it was so tight that with my limited space, I could get no torque on it at all, so I finally broke down and had to remove this whole big mounting bracket from the engine block, some of those bolts weren't much easier to get to either... Finally I get this whole thing off with the tensioner gizmo all attached too, and I was able to get it out of the engine compartment and lay it on the ground so I could get at that #$*@& bolt...

That bolt was so dog gone tight that I had to brace the bracket with the a/c unit against a truck tire, stand on it with one foot and use a pipe on the end of a wrench to get enough leverage, and I STILL almost couldn't break that bolt free, but with much effort, it came off... I then threw the A/C compressor at the ground just as hard as I possible could! (That'll teach you!)

After that, it all went back together very easily, 10 or 15 minutes later, it was all back together and I started it up and drove around the block, nothing blew up and flew off, so I guess I am now good to go. What should have been a half hour project screwed up an entire wonderful spring day. Whoever put that one single bolt where it was needs to be hunted down and shot!

In the process, I sliced my wrist trying to get that bolt out, then I took a chunk of meat out of my finger tip getting that bracket out...Next time, I'm takin' it to a mechanic!

I wasn't sure what category to post this under, since there is no place to whine and moan, but now the truck is back on it's wheels,  I can get back into traffic, so Traffic it is!

Fox 6 covered a rally on Palmer & Concordia last night, an area that I am in every day. This shows what can happen when brave citizens unite to fight against the gangs and drug dealers. I am at this intersection at least once a day (including yesterday just before the rally, when the Fox6 news crew was waiting for the event to begin) and unlike some of the neighborhoods I work in, I do feel safe here, so I thank these fine folks for their hard work, and I hope that their efforts are duplicated across this city.

For those that visit this blog that seem to think that all of black Milwaukee is enabling the thugs and don't care, watch this and know that there are more good people like these than some of you think. People and groups like this must be supported, not dismissed behind a wall that some would like to build around the inner-city.

Deputy Tim Johnson will be speaking about the Wisconsin Move Over Law. Deputy Johnson as you will recall, was the Milwaukee Sheriffs Deputy that was struck by a car as he worked an accident scene on Milwaukee's highways. He has made a remarkable recovery, so if you are able, stop in and wish him well in his continued effort to get back to work. And thank him, and all of our law enforcement officers for the work they do.

If you don’t know who Deputy Johnson is, here are my past posts about him.

Deputy Tim Johnson Guest Speaker

Rasmussen Online is sponsoring an event and Tim Johnson and the Johnson family will be speaking on Wisconsins Move Over Law and on Tim’s recovery. A question and answer period will be held at the end. This will be open to all public. Please come out and help support getting the Move Over Law heard.

When: Monday May 21st, 2007
Where: The Best Western Airport Hotel and Conference Center
Mitchell Ballroom
5105 S Howell Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53207
414-769-2100

Event Start Time: 5:30 p.m.

Anyone who is interested on becoming a Rasmussen online student can meet with the Rasmussen Representatives.

See Tims website at deputytim.com

Alderman Tony Zielinski has just announced the reintroduction of the Anti-Gang Loitering Ordinance that was struck down last year, by one vote. I hope with the growing violence we have seen over the past few years, we can get the support of our elected officials, and give the police officers on the street the added tools they need.

Our elected city officials talk the talk, but now is the time to walk the walk, we need to control crime and not allow it to control us.

Ald. Zielinski, chief sponsor of the ordinance, said it gives police the ability to be proactive while keeping city streets safe this summer. “Timing is everything, and if ever there was a time to give police such a useful tool in their work in some of our toughest neighborhoods – now is that time.”

You can read Alderman Zielinski’s press release here.

I have a few comments to make about the murder of 4 year-old Jasmine "Juicy" Owens, and the "new policing plan" that was announced by the chief of police, today.

First of all, I think that the placement in the paper of all of this violence (6 overnight shootings with two murders) is telling. We have become so desensitized by all of the shootings, that even the murder of a child couldn’t break the front page, this story was buried on page 3. During a press conference scheduled to announce a new plan to crackdown on violent crime, Mayor Tom Barrett had this comment.

“Some gutless thug decided he would solve his problem by shooting a 4-year-old girl. What a tough guy. He can brag about that to all of his buddies that he took out a 4-year-old girl.”

Good lip service Mayor, but you have shown time and time again that you are unable, or unwilling to do what needs to be done to actually combat this sort of crime.

Another person that has always offered talk, but has never really supported the tough policing needed to combat these thugs, is Alderman Willie Hines. In a press statement issued today, he had this to say.

My heart goes out to the family of the four-year-old girl who was fatally shot as she sat outside her home on the 2800 block of N. 29th Street. This tragedy occurred in the 15th District, which I represent. It occurred in a neighborhood that I know intimately. How we got to this point is perhaps a matter of opinion, but the action we must take is not. There is a time to build community and there is a time to strike with decisive force. When fouryear- old girls are gunned down as they sit on their front stoop, we are well past the point of relying merely on our own grassroots community-building initiatives. We must strike fear in the hearts of criminals. We must put aside all differences and focus the full brunt of our police resources on making our streets safe once again. I implore citizens of Milwaukee and the 15th District to collaborate with police officers, especially those from the Fifth District. And I implore the Milwaukee Police Department to seek out innovative partnerships with concerned citizens, clergy and commercial entities.

If any individual has any information pertaining to the murder of the young child on 29th Street, please contact law enforcement representatives at the Fifth District Police Station: (414) 935-7252. Citizens can report anonymously.

I pray to God that he means it this time and is willing to support “the full brunt of our police resources on making our streets safe once again.” But Alderman Hines has a reputation for talking a good game, then failing to support the police trying to do their thankless job. Remember when Captain Frankovis, a proven crime fighter with a proven track record, who, after one of his cops was threatened by the thugs and was transfered out by Hegerty, Hines was one of his most vocal critics. Let us hope that this tragic death of a child has Alderman Hines ready to put his money where his mouth is.

We must strike fear in the hearts of criminals. We must put aside all differences and focus the full brunt of our police resources on making our streets safe once again.

The really frustrating thing is, after every particularly heinous crime like this, we get politicians posing for holy pictures and talking tough, then organizing a march through the neighborhood, and a week later it is all but forgotten.

Milwaukee needs tough policing, just like Hines called for, but we need to realize that this is not a short term thing, we need to hit the thugs where it hurts and keep at it. Maybe a good way that the Milwaukee Common Council could show their support for the police is to revisit the anti-loitering ordinance that they didn’t have the guts to enact last year. This would give our officers another tool that they can use in combating the thugs that have taken over our streets.

Getting back to Chief Hegerty’s plan, she filled us in today on her proactive policing, the sort of things that Captain Frankovis proved worked, the sorts of things that Alderman Bob Donovan, Sheriff David Clarke and retired MPD Captain Glenn Frankovis proposed a few months ago, and were immediately told by the chief, that she was already doing those things. The next thing you know, she will call for the National Guard and claim that it was he plan all along.

Already local NAACP president, Jerry Ann Hamilton is questioning the new policy. She fears racial profiling, but what we must do is THUG PROFILE!