“ABroader Vocabulary” will stage a “Phoenix Rising” party on Sunday, Nov.30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Broad Vocabulary (2241 S. KinnickinnicAve.), and attempt to reopen the store as a cooperative venture. Anyonewishing to donate their time, talents, ideas or dollars to save thiscommunity resource is invited to attend.
Hero of the Week: Rev. Joseph Ellwanger
OnNov. 14, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute honored Milwaukee’s Rev.Joseph Ellwanger with the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award,citing his “outstanding legacy as a civil rights advocate.” Following achurch bombing in which the daughter of one of his parishioners waskilled, Ellwanger stood out in the 1960s as a white Southern ministerwho actively supported the civil rights movement. He organizeddemonstrations in Birmingham, Ala., to support voting rights forminorities and faced openly hostile crowds who wanted the franchise toremain “whites only.” His activism caught the attention of Dr. MartinLuther King Jr., who sent him to speak with AlabamaGov. George Wallace and President Lyndon Johnson about the necessity ofthe Voting Rights Act. Still active locally, Ellwanger works forWISDOM, a multi-congregational group working for social justice.
Jerk of the Week Milwaukee: City Attorney Grant Langley
Even though Milwaukee residents overwhelmingly approved the Paid Sick Days referendum, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Associationof Commerce (MMAC) is in the process of preparing a lawsuit tochallenge this ordinance. Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley statedthat his staff would be in the courtroom, but he made it clear to the Shepherd thathe is not going to vigorously defend the city in this lawsuit by theMMAC.
Whether sick leave should be a state law and not a city ordinanceis a valid policy question and one that was debated before theelection. Whether one likes the ordinance or believes it will drivesome businesses out of the city is not currently the issue: Thequestion that will be before the court is whether the city has theconstitutional right to enact such a law, not whether it is a good law.It is the mandate of the city attorney’s office to defend all of thelaws of Milwaukee. One of those laws is that businesses in the citymust offer paid sick days to their workers. The city attorney’s officedoes not make policy; it enforces policy. Milwaukee taxpayerspay Langley $143,306 a year to defend the city against lawsuits. Hecan’t simply pick and choose which laws he will defend. Actions like this make Grant Langley the Jerk of the Week.
Blog of the Week: The Town Hall
By Cory Liebmann for One Wisconsin Now www.onewisconsinnow.org
Will Gableman Pursue His “Right” to Libel Next?
Wisconsin Manfacturers & Commerce’s empty suit on the WisconsinSupreme Court, Michael Gableman, has responded to the complaint filedagainst him by the state Judicial Commission. Gableman ran what iswidely acknowledged as one of the sleaziest campaigns in the history ofthe high court.
The specific charges in this matter surroundGableman’s Willie Horton-style TV ad against his opponent,former-Justice Louis Butler. It clearly implied that Butler, whileserving as a public defender, enabled a sex offender to be released andthat the offender then went on to commit more egregious crimes. At bestthe Gableman ad was a clear effort to mislead the public, and at worstit was a premeditated and contemptible lie. Either way Gableman’sactions clearly violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, which is thecase being made by the Judicial Commission.
Part of Gableman’sbreathtaking “defense” against the Judicial Commission is that thestate’s statutes on judicial candidates making misleading or confusingstatements is unconstitutional. Based on that, he apparentlybelieves that he has the right to mislead the public whenever hechooses! Only in Gableman’s small world would an elected official fighttooth and nail to defend his perceived “right” to lie to the publicwithout repercussion. What is next from Gableman? A passionate argumentdefending his imaginary “right” to libel? Actually, as absurd as thatmay sound, one could very reasonably suggest that he is trying to makethat very case right now.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Abailout was necessarybut this bailout is an outrage: a lousy deal forthe taxpayers, no accountability for management and quite possiblyinadequate, so that Citi will be back for more. Amazing how much damagethe lame ducks can do in the time remaining.” Nobel Prize-winningeconomist Paul Krugman, on the $290 billion bailout of Citigroup
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Salty, by Scott Lucey
Taken with a Lomo LC-A 35 mm camera. Location: Port of Milwaukee's salt mountain.
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