Is viewpoint discrimination (and reverse racial discrimination) at work here?
An Open Letter to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne:
While maintaining that Madison Police had not referred our complaint to you (See part #1), you made several arguments that reveals your inclination to let slide six months of intimidation and harassment against elected officials of the Madison school district and — most egregiously — common, ordinary citizens who dare speak before their elected school board on a matter of governance.
- You observed that the school district now seems poised to renew its contract with MPD for educational resource officers (EROs, aka: cops in schools), so why pursue the matter? That’s like saying the shooting victim survived, so why prosecute? What you seem to dismiss is the on-going intimidation of citizens by a clearly organized and rehearsed campaign of harassment conducted under the auspices of Freedom Inc.
- You criticized the school board for aborting its meeting October 29. You were not present; you did not witness the disruption. We did. The seven members, school Supt. Jennifer Cheatham, and legal counsel Matt Bell may be irredeemably liberal, but they are not stupid people. Having no plan in place to restore order, the school board did the next best thing in order to prevent mayhem. Indeed, one of the four complainants called 911 and police responded, but only after the school board fled into the night.
- You argued that the school board adopted tighter security after October 29, problem solved. That is like saying that because a homeowner installed security devices this morning, he should disregard the burglary the night before.
- You said you sat through the disruption of the Dane County Board in November 2017 and no one was prosecuted. That is because no one filed a complaint. The four of us ARE filing a complaint.
- You appear to regard the activities of Freedom Inc. as a classic civil rights protest modeled after Martin Luther King Jr. It is no such thing. The day after the October 29 disruption, the father of an eight-grade student e-mailed me:“I don’t think anyone that is not of sound physical stature, or backup, should go and speak in light of what I witnessed last night. Please do not use my name, I have three little children I need to protect from this violent mob-like people.” (This father has attached his name to the complaint, however, and is willing to testify.)
- I asked if your expressed reluctance to prosecute amounted to viewpoint discrimination. If older white men had broken up a school board meeting and harassed people of color they would be posting bail.Chief Koval told me on November 27 that MPD kicked the matter up to your office because “I am disinclined to charge someone when there is no likelihood of prosecution.”It is clear that Freedom Inc. has intimidated even Chief Koval. Freedom Inc. has inoculated itself against prosecution by playing the race card, by donning the mantle of victimhood, and by claiming that police are predators. One of its minions summarized this theme this way at the 07-18-18 school board meeting:
“No matter how, whatever stipulations you put on a police officer going into a school, they’re doing to do whatever they want to do and what they are trained to do … which is kill black kids, and harass black kids.”
- Finally, I warned that — in effect — you aint seen nothin’ yet. The mob shut down a school board meeting that was only “receiving” a committee report recommending retention of EROs. Some time in the next six months, the school board will debate and vote on an actual contract with MPD. That is when the rubber will hit the road.
You can forestall further violence
Mr. Ozanne, as I told you in our face-to-face Monday morning, my entire career has centered around respect for the First Amendment right to free political speech, first as a newspaper reporter, then as a spokesman for public officials, including Gov. Thompson, and also as an elected county official. That right to free speech does not include sanctioning the heckler’s veto, physical intimidation, and mob behavior.
I also told you that an acquaintance had offered to enlist The Proud Boys at future school board meetings to counter the Freedom Inc. social justice warriors. Having never heard of this group, I Googled them. Wikipedia describes then as a neo-fascist organization. I told my acquaintance under no circumstances do I want such an organization involved. It is possible that my wishes may not prevail. It is possible that others may conclude that where disruption by some is excused, disruption by others will be tolerated.
Mr. Ozanne: Will you enforce the law? Will you end the harassing tactics and forestall future of local government by charge the ringleader of these disruptions with misdemeanor disorderly conduct?
Will you stand against mob rule in Dane County?
Part #1: Why won’t you prosecute the mob?
Education
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How in god’s name did an incompetent a$$hole like Ozanne ever get to be a DA? Oh, right, an even bigger a$$hole appointed him. And since he’s black he’ll never be voted out of office in Madison.
While your letter is a model of sweetness and light, it will have no effect whatsoever on policy. You’re writing to a committed ideologue who is incapable of being swayed by reasoned argument or factual analysis.
“If older white men had broken up a school board meeting and harassed people of color, they would be posting bail.” No, they’d be in a tumbrel on their way to the guillotine.
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Gary L. Kriewald wrote, “You’re writing to a committed ideologue who is incapable of being swayed by reasoned argument or factual analysis.”
I get the fact that you dislike the DA, but Incapable? I’d certainly like to see some evidence to support that claim of incapable; no twisting, just present the facts.
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Dave…thanks for fighting the good fight on this one. It’s become clear that DA Ozanne is a central casting Social Justice Warrior with no inclination to protect the society that writes his paycheck. He’s also proven inept when he’s chosen to prosecute cases. (I, and my fellow bicycle riders are aware that, based on Ozanne’s proclivity to lose no-brainer negligent vehicular homicide cases, we’re fair game for “distracted” drivers.) The root of the problem can be seen on any Dane County ballot where numerous races (including DA) are uncontested. Until a legal paladin appears and is willing to run against Mr. Ozanne, and win, we, and our society will endure our ongoing slog away from advanced civilization.
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Gordon Sussman wrote, “He’s also proven inept when he’s chosen to prosecute cases. (I, and my fellow bicycle riders are aware that, based on Ozanne’s proclivity to lose no-brainer negligent vehicular homicide cases, we’re fair game for “distracted” drivers.)”
Interesting that you put 100% of the blame on distracted drivers and assume no neglect on the part of some bike riders.
I’ve had no less than two dozens incidents where I’m driving down a particular street coming up on a rural cross road with tree lined roads where bikers frequent and bikers simply ride straight through their stop sign and out in front of traffic sometimes two or three wide. This is a common occurrence, I’ve nearly hit bikers and I’ve nearly hit cars in front of me that have to lockup their brakes. Furthermore, there are a couple of intersections in my “metro” area where bikers coming towards the intersection and see cars coming on the cross streets they don’t want to stop so they just whip over into the marked crosswalk at the last second and ride out into traffic. These are just a couple of unique traits I see in bikers in my area; not stopping at stop signs, can’t hold a reasonably straight line when riding close to the edge of the road, they turn their head to look behind them and turn into traffic; not all bikers are the innocent victims of distracted drivers that you are trying to portray them to be, some are simply ABUSING their right to share the road and physically put themselves in the direct path of harm. I don’t care who you are, if yo’re on a bike and you pull your 10 pound bike carrying your fragile human self in front of a 2000+ motor vehicle moving in excess of 30 mph then you’re a damn fool and you might end up to be a damn dead fool and ruin someone else’s life in the process.
I have immense respect for bikers that respect the laws of the road, the laws of physics, use common sense, and make sincere efforts to share (not try to dominate) the roads. As for the rest of the self-absorbed ignorant fools, I just hope their abuse of their right to share the road and their ignorant invincibility dome doesn’t put one of them on the hood of my vehicle.
You can take your “we’re fair game for “distracted” drivers” BS and shove it.
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Zoltar…either you don’t follow local news or you let your anger (and likely mental unwellness) blind you to reality. You can start here for proof of Izzy’s incompetence and do your own research from there: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/courts/mazomanie-driver-acquitted-of-negligent-homicide-for-death-of-bicyclist/article_c8a543cc-6884-5543-a02e-1b7d22718b62.html
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Gordon Sussman wrote, “you let your anger (and likely mental unwellness)”
Now you’re just being a jerk. Bite me!
Gordon Sussman wrote, “blind you to reality”
Who’s reality, your hyperbolic version of reality? You are terribly biased n this topic and I’m far from blind.
I’ve damn near killed three or four bikers because of their outright negligence!. The only reason they are not dead right now is because I just happen to already know they are notoriously negligent in those areas and I am a diligent defensive driver. What really pisses me off is when these dumbass bikers overtly break traffic laws and ride straight through stop signs into traffic causing drivers to slam on the brakes and blast their honk the horn, the bikers flip the vehicle driver the bird as if they had the right of way.
Gordon Sussman wrote, “You can start here for proof of Izzy’s incompetence”
You’re providing that as some kind of proof that DA Ozanne is incompetent? Well Mr. Sussman what you provided is only proof that you’re incompetent at providing supporting evidence to support this particular argument.
Here is a quote from closing arguments to the jury directly from the document you provided, “Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser urged jurors to consider what drivers should be doing behind the wheel when they should be paying attention to what’s in front of them, and said they should only find Fries not guilty if they’re OK with inattentive drivers hitting cyclists.”
1. It wasn’t DA Ozanne that was standing in front of a jury uttering those words in their closing argument.
2. Those words to the jury from Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser are quite strong and certainly NOT incompetently spoken.
3. Why aren’t you blaming the Defense attorney for getting this particular biker killer acquitted?
4. Why aren’t you bashing the members of the jury for allowing a biker killer to walk free?
The fact is that the jury found the driver innocent of the charges based on the facts; you can’t accept that, that’s your problem. For the record Mr. Sussman; If I had been on that jury, I would have voted to convict the inattentive driver, there are consequences to inattentive driving and I believe that drivers should be paying close attention to driving a 2000+ pound motor vehicle.
Any way you choose to present it, your statement that because of DA Ozanne incompetence (which you haven’t proven) “we’re fair game for “distracted” drivers” is hyperbolic garbage.
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Here is a point that would save lives: make it illegal for bikes to be on any roads where the speed limit is over 35 mph.
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Great two post blog Dave!
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+ 1!
The Gotch
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Circle Jerk! Gotch is the Catcher!
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Bill,
Your comment is straight up trolling.
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@Bill Everley;
”Circle Jerk!”
Circles ’round to YOUSE!
What youse spot is what youse GOT!!!
The Gotch
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For how many months or years would MOB rule prevail? Perhaps it is better to accept it and allow them to wallow in the contradictions of one-party rule. Honestly, among the “noble citizenry,” how many really care?
Animal Farm is instructive because, as one critic wrote, it is an eternal parable of life. When given the opportunity (and responsibility) to save themselves from oppression, the barnyard animals fail. Like The Proles, it is an ineluctable aspect of their collective and individual identities. Consider the evidence all the large metro centers that are, and have been, run by the Dims—-consistently historical records of failure. Ya can’t make fried chicken from birch bark, even if the stove is hot and the salt shaker is full.
What is the point of trying to save or reform the system? Life is too short to bother. Take up golf or fishing. Even Karl Marx suggested the same in The German Ideology. Move to the country, away from the poison of urban life in Dane. Save yourself, Dave.
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bye bye.
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richard lesiak wrote, “bye bye.”
Animal House School of Thought: Animal House School of Thought are underlying thoughts of a person that causes them to talk, write, and act like a sophomoric moron.
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Interesting idea Tom, why don’t you try to convince the Progressives, Democratic Party, anti-Conservative bigots, anti-Police bigots, anti-white bigots, anti-civil discourse bigots, Political Antiology idiots, socialist minded fools, race baiting cretins, and Marxists to just go home, shut up, and let Conservatives run things?
Go ahead Tom, I dare you.
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The Proud Boys are neo-fascists like the American we honor on November 11 are neo-fascists.
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wadwizard wrote, “The Proud Boys are neo-fascists like the American we honor on November 11 are neo-fascists.”
I hope you know that that opinion doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to those that want to label the group as neo-fascists. The labeling is what counts to the political left so the group is publicly shunned as evil and therefore anything they do or say can equally be labeled evil, it really makes no difference at all if the group is actually neo-fascists or not. “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” Joseph Goebbels The ones making the claims are actually the ones acting like fascists.
Personally I have no idea whether the group is actually neo-fascist as labeled, what’s clear to me is that they want to silence their right to free speech.
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Fair point.
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wadwizard,
Dave wrote, “I told my acquaintance under no circumstances do I want such an organization involved.”
Dave is absolutely correct in not wanting this group involved. The fact that they have been labeled as neo-fascists by social justice warriors would taint anything they support or oppose and it would also taint anyone that happens to support some of the same political, social, or moral ideas.
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I’d wager that Dave has been (erroneously) labeled as neo-fascists, too. It’s what they do.
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wadwizard wrote, “I’d wager that Dave has been (erroneously) labeled as neo-fascists, too. It’s what they do.”
No doubt.
I’ve had some labels spewed at me in the not so distant past, one of those times was accompanied with an ignorant swing and a miss.
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Unlike most assholes that throw the term around, my knowledge of Nazis isn’t based on fevered imaginings and Hollywood. I’ve never seen anything to indicate that the Proud Boys are fascists of any stripe. They are simply labeled fascists because they are vocal in their belief that western culture and American ideals are superior. They are also not afraid punch leftist garbage like ANTIFA square in the face.
The left labels them fascist because they are to the right of Anita Shakur. The establishment right goes along with this because they don’t want the whole thing to burn down before they finish stuffing the silverware in their pockets. The Proud Boys should be a prototype for the right, not an aberration.
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