We’re seriously bordering on becoming a police state…
Senate Republicans Thursday ordered the arrest of their 14 Democratic colleagues, who fled the state two weeks ago to avoid a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill.
It’s unclear whether the resolution to force the senators back to the Capitol is constitutional. The state Constitution prohibits the arrest of legislators while in session unless they’re suspected of committing felonies, treason or breach of the peace.
Democrats say the Republicans are overreaching, and have consulted an attorney for an opinion on whether the GOP actions are legal.
“The Republicans have gone around the bend,” said Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee. “They’ve just increased their bullying tactics and are producing an even greater divide in our state.”
While lawyers for Sen. Fitzgerald have argued
the order to arrest the 14 Democratic State Senator who have fled the state have argued the order is constitutional, as each house of the state legislature “may compel the attendance of absent members,” here’s what the Article 4, Section 15 of the Wisconsin Constitution says about the arrest of legislators:
Section 15. Members of the legislature shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest; nor shall they be subject to any civil process, during the session of the legislature, nor for fifteen days next before the commencement and after the termination of each session.
It’s also worth noting that the Senate resolution calls for the Senate sergeant at arms to take the missing State Senators into custody “with or without force,” because apparently Sen. Fitzgerald and his Republican colleagues in the State Senate condone the use of force against their Democratic colleagues.
So what’s next…do we all surround our senators and say I am Spartacus?
I wish we were able to hold fundraisers for each of our Democratic state senators to help with their expenses. The DPW legal staff should check to see if there’s a way to ensure that contributions violate no laws or ethics codes.
And I wish we could form teams to go down and protect our senators from teabagging goons, or protect their families back home. I can absolutely guarantee you that there are a bunch of progressive jack pine savages up here in the northwoods who’d volunteer for the job in the blink of an eye.
That was a huge strategic blunder on the Republican’s part. The Dems are weary of being away from their families and now they have an end game, which lets them return and save face.
If I’m the democrats I arrange for Lassa to be arrested because she’s now 7 months pregnant, Make sure they get some great photos of her being dragged off to the Senate afte she leaves an Ob/gyn appointment. No one is going to fault Lassa for going to see her physician. But if someone like Cullen is the one picked up, he gets faulted for being weak and returning to WI.
Has anyone seen this video clip of my Assemblyman, Nick Milroy, being tackled by out of jurisdiction cops onto the capitol floor?
http://www.wkow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14185537
Nick is a veteran, first Gulf War. He served in the Navy and the reserves from 1992 to 2000. And he’s tackled by cops for trying to get into his office to retrieve some clothes.
I look forwardd to the day, and it’s coming soon, when it will be almost universally agreed upon that this slice of Wisconsin history is the most disturbing and disgraceful of the last 100 plus years.
How about those bright lights over at BadgerBlather? I’d love to hear you weigh in on this one.
I’ve seen that video, and it’s disturbing, to say the least.
I can’t see how people actually defend that. It’s clear that the policeman pushed him first when he was walking up and he was holding out an ID card before he got pushed again, before he decided to push back.
Furthermore: the capitol wasn’t closed to the representatives right? Or was it only open to conservative republicans? I guess I can accept it as a freedom tackle or something against union socialist communist nazi mexican muslim satanist mafia union thugs who want to sacrifice our children to the great demon to cause the apocalypse in 2012 so we can have one giant gay orgy.
Since Walker and the Fitzgerald boys are so big on law and order, I call upon the US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin to open an investigation into whether Walker/Fitzgerald conspired to deny American citizens their civil rights.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/02-10
Here’s a link to the US Attorney’s office.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/wiw/USA.html
Call them and ask them to investigate Walker/Fitzgerald. What they may have been planning may be a federal crime, punishable by up to ten years in prison. Call now!