Tomorrow’s the spring election day here in Wisconsin, and in nearby St. Francis, there’s not a declared candidate on the ballot for Municipal Judge. However, UWM student Kyle Duerstein, who recently came under fire for some racist comments, is running a write-in campaign for the position. Here’s an example of a flier Duerstein is handing out:
What’s really interesting is the timing of Duerstein’s run, which seems to have been planned so that there wouldn’t be a lot of time to get the word out regarding the real Kyle Duerstein, but what I’m really curious about is what qualifications Kyle Duerstein has that would make him an effective municipal judge. Does Duerstein possess a law degree? I’m told he doesn’t, just as I’m told he doesn’t even possess a college degree. While I’m not a resident of St. Francis, Kyle Duerstein strikes me as the wrong choice to serve as that city’s municipal judge, and I hope the voters of St. Francis are smart enough to elect anyone but Kyle Duerstein.
Editor’s note: This post was edited for clarity by the original author on April 8, 2018.
Good God. I have to say something.
While I am proud to be a recent graduate of UWM, being exposed to Mr. Duerstein’s bloviations and appeals to old-boys privilege was the most disappointing. He was one of the blowhards that comprised the student government from 2006 to 2008. That same student government seemed to draw its inspiration from the neoconservatives that ran the Bush Administration. They tried to pass a modern Sedition Act that would bar the student newspaper from printing commentary that was critical of the student senate. They worked to eliminate student groups, including the Women’s Resource Center. And one must not forget that the former student government was kicked out after being accused of embezzling $10,000 from a student group.
I could tell from my limited interaction with that group that its members would later seek actual public office, and I fear for the public if that happens. Mr. Duerstein played a prominent role in this dysfunctional and very unpopular student government. His record in it should be thoroughly aired and examined.
Jason, thanks for your perspective. I do recall hearing about all the issues surrounding the UWM student government during the time period you referenced, but it’s nice to get some first hand perspective on things.
Just to add a little balance – not with regard to Mr. Duerstein whom I know nothing about, but generally to the idea that bad student government is a left/right issue…
When I was at UW-Madison, something similar happened. Of course being Madison, it was a very left leaning student government, but their corruption was so severe that there was a successful effort to eliminate it entirely. Candidates ran on the promise that they would disband the student government (WSA) and an overwhelming majority of them won, and did just that.
In general, I think student government can probably give the pros a run for their money in terms of corruption and incompetence. The history of student government at Madison is many things: hilarious, absurd, sad, corrupt, pathetic and crazy. I don’t know that it was ever effective, representative or good.
To “add a little balance” is a meaningless phrase by today’s standards. Instead, here is facts: Duerstein lost.
By JSonline, The final tally was 203 votes for Hemmer [the sitting judge] to 23 for Kyle Duerstein and 15 for Ellen Ferentz.
At least the voters of St. Francis were smart enough to stay away from Duerstein.
So, some facts for you guys. I mean, it’s obvious that you guys ignore the facts when they don’t fit your objective (I thought you hated Bush, stop emulating him), but you do need to know the facts anyway.
I was not in student government when Joe Ohler authored the Sedition Act. I did not ever vote for it, and I was in fact opposed to it. I was not involved in student government when $10,000 was embezzled. I was not involved in student government when attempts were made to shut down the Women’s Resource Center. The comments you refer to regarding rape are not true. That blog post was made in response to a UWM Post editor who made a photo essay and corresponding captions signifying that it is every woman’s secret fantasy to be raped, to which I responded that she was extraordinarily stupid for saying such a thing, and that she had obviously not ever met a rape victim, and perhaps she could be enlightened by speaking with one, ironically, the same message communicated by the Women’s Resource Center on the issue. I continued by saying that if being raped was truly her fantasy, that perhaps someone could fulfill her longing for the experience.
I recognize that by providing you with the real facts on the issue, that you are now devastated, as it does not fall in line with the narrative and anti-conservative, anti-first amendment attitude you wish to propagate, specifically against me, and for that I apologize that I’ve ruined your day. In the marketplace of ideas, however, the truth is important. And before this comment, the truth was incredibly absent.
Kyle, there’s absolutely nothing you could say to “devastate” me or anyone else who comments here, nor could your ruin anyone’s day.
However, since you’re attempting to explain away the things you’ve written in the past, I’d love to hear your explanation for your comments about African-Americans, comments which I linked to in my original post.
I think the Milwaukee Drum answers your questions quite well. Why didn’t you chose this link on their coverage? Oh wait, it didn’t fit your objective.
http://themilwaukeedrum.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/tmd-exclusive-kyle-duerstein-interview/
Here is Duerstein’s recollection of what he wrote as evidenced above:
“I responded that she was extraordinarily stupid for saying such a thing, and that she had obviously not ever met a rape victim, and perhaps she could be enlightened by speaking with one…
Although Duerstein quickly removed his EXACT words, one blog perserved them. Here are the words of the boy who would be judge:
, Kyle Duerstein, wrote (but later deleted), “Sara DeKeuster ought be[sic] raped today. And after that, she ought be [sic] raped tomorrow, by someone else . . . she might be killed by her attacker. Maybe then, she’ll get it, and if not, she’ll be dead, and the world will be a less f*$!ed up place.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what I remember Duerstein writing about the whole rape thing.
Duerstein didn’t like this woman putting her rape fantasy into writing. A fantasy is a thought, nothing more. So what does Duerstein do? He thinks up his own rape fantasy and puts it in writing. But in Duerstein’s rape fantasy he isn’t the victim, the woman is, and Duerstein uses his avenging fantasy rapists to prove that he, Duerstein, is right, and the woman wrong.
What is interesting is that he says she should be raped today. Is that enough? Not by half. She should also be raped tomorrow. Here is the interesting point in understanding how venomous and hateful Duerstein is: “by someone else…”
You see it wouldn’t be degrading enough for her to be raped two days in a row by the same guy. No, she must endure two separate attacks by different assailants. Only then is she sufficiently punished for her thought, according to Duerstein.
He writes “she might be killed by her attacker.” One might think at this point Duerstein would garner some sympathy for her, but no, her death in his fantasy proves him, the omnipotent one, right and her, the woman, wrong. After she is dead, the woman will then know she was wrong. Not exactly your garden variety judicial linear thinking, but the point is that in Duerstein’s fantasy, his point being avenged by his fantasy rapists is all that matters to him.
Far from the concern for rape victims that Duerstein says his words demonstrate, his fantasy in fact dreams up two rapes and a death as a means to prove his point to the dead but still somehow cognitively able woman. Her thought condemns her to rape, degradation, and death in Duerstein’s fantasy. One can almost see him rubbing his sweaty, chubby hands together as he writes this trash.