Where is your head … set?
You might not remember the name “Raymond Donovan,” but you will remember what he said. The news media, virulently anti-Republican even 34 years ago, dragged the obscure cabinet member’s name through the mud as a way to dirty up President Reagan until a court of law cleared the man of flimsy corruption charges.
“Where do I go to get my reputation back,” was Donovan’s plaint.
Paul Skidmore could ask the same question.
Apologies are on order, all around. Apologies from 14 progressive city alders. Apologies from The Capital Times. Apologies from anti-police scold Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores who lodged the formal complaint alleging that Paul Skidmore, by name, called her the C-word during a late-night/ early morning session of the Common Council conducted on-line 09-02-20. Apologies are due the alder representing Madison WI’s 9th District who has never been known to utter a cuss word — even in private conversation.
Not likely Skidmore
Determined to ferret out the evil-doer, the City of Madison contracted, at taxpayer expense, a forensic audio study of the proceeding. The results, ably reported by Chris Rickert in the WI State Journal, were inconclusive. “It is not scientifically valid to do a voice comparison on one spoken word.” said the report. (Here in full.) Especially since Zoom merged the individual audio tracks into one file to save storage space. But, the Werkes concludes, based on the USA Forensic’s report, that it is highly unlikely that it was Skidmore. Why?
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- Skidmore’s was not one of the nine microphones that were live when the dastardly word was heard. But, due to Kilfoy-Flores’ complaint, his voice sample was included in the forensic examination.
- Video of the person who said the alleged profanity did not pop up in the Zoom meeting.
- No one in the meeting reacted to the slur at the time it was uttered.
- Based the 10 voice samples and nothing else, the voice could just as well have been Ald. Michael Tierney or Ald. Keith Furman or city staffer Joe Schraven as Skidmore.
- Its examination, Phoenix-based USA Forensic warns, is not definitive nor would its results be admissible in court. Finally:
- The culprit likely was wearing a headset due to proximity to a microphone. That was not Skidmore.
Ann of Althouse sez: “Sounds like it wasn’t Skidmore.”
‘Due to the proximity to the microphone, it’s likely we are working with a headset. It is possible someone could have leaned into a microphone, however the AGC circuit … would have likely attenuated, making that easy to see on a scope.’— Bryan Neumeister, USA Forensic.
Alds. Tierney and Furman plus IT facilitator Joe Schraven all wore headsets during the meeting. The Capital Times reports that they, too, deny uttering the word.
Roll call of shame
“There is little question as to the source,” Ald. Rebecca Kemble said at the time. Irony is lost on the self-described “anarcho-syndicalist.” She used a vile term to describe Mayor Satya and the mayor’s supporters. Kemble hasn’t resigned; she’s running for re-election.
⇒ See also: “C-word stands for progressive Conspiracy.”
⇒ See also: “Blaska is disgusting and gross.” — Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores
“We do not need to see his face,” Kilfoy Flores wrote. “His voice is absolutely unmistakable.”
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Except when it is mistakable. Madison’s progressives know they can’t beat Skidmore on his support for public safety so they resorted to modern-day McCarthyism.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
This is one clear disadvantage of the “Zoom era” for public meetings that we find ourselves in. Vigilantes can launch these spurious and inflammatory complaints, without so much as leaving their armchairs. Moreover, they don’t even have to withstand comments or questioning from other citizens in the Council meeting room at the time. City Council meetings should return to traditional open sessions at the first opportunity.
In any event, I know Paul Skidmore, and he is a good man.
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This report from USA Forensic confirms what I was saying last year when this issue came up.
My previous evaluation of the audio and USA Forensic’s evaluation are right on target with things I wrote on this site and private email conversations I had with both David Blaska and Paul Skidmore between September and November 2020.
It’s nice when industry professionals confirm the opinion of a novice.
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The 14 progressive city alders that attacked and publicly smeared Skidmore for this are welcome to their own slanderous opinions but when it comes to actual fact based opinions they seem to be a few French fries short of a happy meal.
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Steve, Yes, this sorta confirms yer initial essay. That said, the ancient Audacity & Cakewalk programs are crude at best, not at all suitable fer forensic analysis. Kids have loved ’em fer decades to possibly become the next Garage Band of note. I know for a fact that you mean well, as you always do. But even the latest & greatest technology couldn’t conclude anything w/ such a short (and digitally compressed) sample. Keep up the good work !
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georgessson wrote, “Steve, Yes, this sorta confirms yer initial essay.”
Maybe you could have stopped at this point; but nope, you chose to continue.
georgessson wrote, “That said, the ancient Audacity & Cakewalk programs are crude at best, not at all suitable fer forensic analysis.”
A sword is an ancient tool that is still very effective when the user knows how to use it. The fact is that you use what you have to accomplish the task.
georgessson wrote, “Kids have loved ’em fer decades to possibly become the next Garage Band of note.”
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to take this one as an insult or not. Here’s a fact for you genius; those pieces of software are great tools and it’s not just kids that use them. I was in a professional recording studio in Nashville some years ago that was using the the SONAR Producer products as one of their tools of the trade, they liked it enough to learn it and keep it, this was enough to convince me to upgrade from my older Cakewalk to the then current SONAR Producer. I also had ProTools at one point but I liked SONAR better. I rarely use SONAR anymore. I don’t know what your bias is against these pieces of software is and I don’t really care but just because you’re biased against them doesn’t mean they aren’t still good tools and it’s only for kids.
georgessson wrote, “I know for a fact that you mean well, as you always do. But…”
I’m not exactly sure how you think you “know for a fact” that I mean well, and of course you had to add that “but…” which is contrasting what was previously stated.
georgessson wrote, “…even the latest & greatest technology couldn’t conclude anything w/ such a short (and digitally compressed) sample.”
On this point we agree and I think the evaluations show that. You can’t definitively state exactly who stated the word but you can effectively state that it’s not likely to be the person who was accused based on the evaluation.
georgessson wrote, “Keep up the good work !”
Thanks, I’ll try to.
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These are awful people who will lie for any or no reason to advance their radical “cause” no matter who gets destroyed.
Apologize to a white man that they all lied about??? Why that is racist violence to even say that!
Now will they spare no expense to get to the bottom of the Justhea Smollstein alleged racial attack hoax?
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Apologize, heck no! The ends justifies the means for them.
As we’ve been shown over and over again for the last 10+ years, these progressive extremists really don’t give a damn about actual facts they just smear and smear in the court of public opinion hope some of the crap they’re slinging sticks to the wall and shifts opinions in the voting booth. They’re unethical political hacks.
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As I said after the Althea Bernstein investigation, I want my money back.
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“Skidmore’s was not one of the nine microphones that were live when the dastardly word was heard. But, due to Kilfoy-Flores’ complaint, his voice sample was included in the forensic examination.”
reminds me of:
A policeman sees a drunk man searching for something under a streetlight and asks what the drunk has lost. He says he lost his keys and they both look under the streetlight together. After a few minutes the policeman asks if he is sure he lost them here, and the drunk replies, no, and that he lost them in the park. The policeman asks why he is searching here, and the drunk replies, “this is where the light is”.
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Chevy Chase, will you come out of retirement and fake falling down air force one steps again? Everything fine, strong like bull!
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The petty vindictiveness of Madison liberals apparently knows no bounds. It’s truly mind-boggling how insecure they are, how unwilling to allow even a single voice of dissent to puncture the bubble of their self-regard.
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I know people who follow Dave’s blog to keep track of the inner machinations of Madison city government. Far as I know they do not comment and seem like rational grounded common sense individuals.
These folks claim that certain council members exhibit clear telltale signs/behavior of demonic possession and so they formed a prayer circle to call in the healing Light of Christ.
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Seems to me that there is a lot of this attacking the man or woman and not the message from the progressives in the city, county, state and national levels. At the surface level I think it the easy way out to try to destroy a person with a different point of view. On the next level down I think it a Marxist way of debasing the individual and not arguing against their point of view. At the lowest level I think it demonic as satan always tries to destroy the individual as the individual is made in God’s image.
Ultimately that is the root of this. Destroy the individual and you will destroy the free expression of your thoughts, ideas, and ideology. People will be herded into groups to have their group identity be exalted or to be ground down into bits.
We are not made as a group. God made us as individuals. You will be judged as an individual, not as a group.
That is why the progressives find people like Paul to be so troubling. He will not go in lock step with the progressives and socialists on the city council. He is an individual.
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Apologizing take’s a certain level of self awareness, empathy, and humility. These are not traits that progressives have in abundance.
Can Skidmore sue?
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