The old labor skates liked to ask: whose side are you on? So, let me do the same. Whose side are you on:
- Sheriff David Mahoney, a mainstream Democrat
- Brenda Konkel, Progressive Dane/Green Party champion of vagrants pissing publicly in parks
At issue is a report of the Dane County Task Force (in favor of) Illegal Immigration, which voted 5-2 on Wednesday calling upon the elected sheriff of Dane County to quit cooperating with federal law enforcement when an illegal immigrant is deposited into his jail. And one of the No votes was the sheriff himself.
I ask this question of Kathleen Falk: Sheriff Mahoney took a bullet for you in acquiescing to your policy of returning jail inmates back to the community in ankle bracelets. He did so over the objections of most of his deputies. Do you support your sheriff?
I ask this question of Democrat(ic) party boss Wayne Bigelow: do you support the first Democrat(ic) sheriff in almost 20 years?
I ask this question of County Board chairman Scott McDonell: The sheriff dutifully endorsed your slate of candidates in the last two county board elections. Do you stand with the sheriff now?
I ask this question of the liberal majority on the Dane County Board: The sheriff stood by you when you stood for election. Will you stand with Sheriff David Mahoney now?
I ask this question of Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin: Should the sheriff of Dane County work cooperatively with President Barack Obama's federal government to assure the safety of our communities, especially when there is evidence that terrorists and criminal drug cartels are crossing our porous borders?
I ask this question of the Democrats' candidate for governor, Tom Barrett: As mayor of Milwaukee, your city police force recently made a major bust of illegal alien gangsters by working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If you move into the governor's mansion next January here in Dane County, do you want Sheriff Mahoney to continue his efforts or take the Brenda Konkel line?
The 'Cowards' push back
Conservatives and moderates in this town are accustomed to being called names. First "cavemen" and now "cowards." The Squire of the Stately Manor himself has been called "Not fit to live with decent people" by one on-line foron.
A follow-up question, if I may be permitted, to all: Do you agree with Madison Ald. Steve King, who said the citizens who support the sheriff's policy are "cowards sitting at home, emailing us?"
A second follow-up question: Ald. King also said, "if one of my constituents want to email me something thoughtful I'll listen." Do you agree that the sheriff's supporters are not "thoughtful?"
King made these comments during Tuesday's Madison Common Council meeting in support of a resolution opposing Sheriff Mahoney's cooperation with the federal government.
Now, let me suggest who is the real coward; it is you, Alderman King.
For whatever reasons, Alds. Pham-Remmele, Jed Sanborn, Michael Schumacher, and Joe Clausius were absent; any of them might have voted no -- especially Thuy, a very legal immigrant. But, King looked around, didn't spot any allies, and so caved.
I made an open records request and captured these communications to the Madison Common Council.
Here is Lori Groskreutz of Whitehall Drive:
Thank you Alderman King for calling me a coward for not showing up to the City Council Meetings. Unfortunately, I WORK a full time job, and a part time job to pay MY Property taxes. So this coward taxpayer says Thank you -- This is directed to all city council members, shame on you. Instead of being for the people you are working against the taxpaying citizens. Makes me think to moving my family out of Madison I would not be called a taxpaying coward. Please stay on task of what you all have been elected too.
This telephone call was taken from a Mr. Martin on Dixie Lane:
He intended to attend last night's Common Council meeting but was unable to because he had to care for his 4-year old granddaughter. He called regarding the immigration resolution. He wants to know when the Council is going to wake up and start enforcing the law, and he wonders if the Council would be as willing to introduce a resolution on behalf of the citizens of Madison saying they no longer wish to pay taxes. He also said he is not a coward and resents that he and others were referred to as such. Thanks.
Here is Norman Sannes of Queensbridge Road:
Ald. King, I am one of the as you call "cowards sitting at home e-mailing us." I have attended many council meeting in the past, starting in the 1970's. I know well how the procedure works. In the latest case, Alex Gillis, Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and the pro-illegal alien folks rally their base and fill the council chambers. This is the same tactics the anti-war activists have used in the past. Folks like me that want to voice their opinion have to adjust work schedules and sometimes spend hours waiting to say their piece. Oh, and at least in the past, have to endure groups that do not adhere to council rules (cheering, hissing, etc), then intimidate when the meeting is over.
In fairness, there were many communications supporting the Common Council's 15-0 vote in support of giving illegal immigrants a free pass. They came from people like
- Janet Parker, of the Linda and Gene Farley Center for Peace, Justice & Sustainability, Springdale
- Kelsey Foster, who described herself as a B.A. Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gender & Women's Studies, LGBT Studies
- Operation Welcome Home/Take Back the Land squatter activist Z! Haukeness
- Squatter supporter Dace Zeps of the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood
- Jim Cavanaugh of South Central Federation of Labor
- Kaleem Caire, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Madison
Illegal aliens have an organized lobby
We don't. In fact, the organized illegal immigrant lobby made a major effort to pack the Common Council chambers.
Sal Carranza, president of Latinos United for Change and Advancement issued this communique to the faithful a week before Tuesday's Council meeting:
Dear friends and allies:
Below is the resolution that Resolution sponsor [Resolution sponsor Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff] and other alders will be sponsoring on Tuesday, June 1st at 6:30 p.m. at the City-County Building room 201. As you have heard, the anti-immigrant groups have been very active calling alders and sending nasty e-mails to Shiva and other alders that support compassionate and just treatment of immigrants We need to respond in force!!
So, please e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or do whatever is necessary to tell your alder to support the resolution. And also, very importantly, attend the meeting on Tuesday!!
Si Se Puede!! [Translation: "Yes, it can be done" -- the motto of Cesar Chavez' United Farm Workers]
Stirring a hornet's nest
Will this be a wake-up call for sanity in local government? Can the tea party go local?
Capital Newspaper's website registered over 100 comments as of this morning, almost entirely opposed to the Common Council's insanity. Here is a sampling:
It's unexplainable to push for rights of criminals and illegal immigrants and put our hard working police force in harms way. ... apparently Steve King doesn't find e-mail a form of communication. Maybe folks had to email him because they were too busy attending to work, family or community affairs to attend. Then he changes his mind when he hears a few liberal comments from those in favor at the meeting. It's nice knowing that one of our elected leaders is calling his constituents cowards.
I am embarrassed to say I live in the City of Madison! The actions of this council are making me SERIOUSLY think about moving out of this insanity.
Keep up the good work, Sheriff Mahoney!
All the common council members that voted for this nonsense need to be voted out.
It is interesting how easily the Madison Council caves in if you have an overwhelming number of people that show up support the issue.
Obviously, illegals and their friends have more to lose than we have to gain. So, of course they are going to demonstrate more and be more adamant about the issue.
Here is part of the problem: many respondents thought they could vote out these fools in November. Local elections are always the first Tuesday of April -- common council in odd-numbered years, county board in even years. But voter turnout is less than half that in a fall presidential election.
Kenosha County goes even farther
Kenosha Sheriff David Beth says his department forwards information on every one of its inmates -- not just those with faulty identification -- to immigration officials every day to determine if they are here illegally. For good reason, three years ago an illegal alien shot and killed Kenosha Sheriff's Deputy Frank Fabiano.
Sheriff Beth responds to WISN-TV 12 news in Milwaukee after a wife and mother was killed by a drunk driver, here illegally.
Meanwhile in Milwaukee
Milwaukee police are working hand in hand with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) National Gang Unit in "Operation Community Shield." The two agencies arrested 15 illegal immigrant gang members on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The Milwaukee Police Department's partnership with ICE on this operation will remove some of the violent gang members from the streets of the south side of Milwaukee," Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said.
Who is the mayor of Milwaukee? Why, it's none other than Tom Barrett, the Democrats' candidate for governor of Wisconsin.
Atlanta news station WSBT-TV2 reports that terrorists from places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq make use of the porous border with Mexico to enter the U.S. Why wouldn't they?
