And our winner for Douchebag of the Year is...

Started by Noelle, May 17, 2011, 07:58:12 PM

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Noelle

Scott Walker! with this astounding little piece of legislature:

Quote from: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/121956273.htmlMadison - Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it.

Democrats who controlled the Legislature in 2009 changed the law so that same-sex couples could sign up for domestic partnership registries with county clerks to secure some - but not all - of the rights afforded married couples.

Wisconsin Family Action sued last year in Dane County circuit court, arguing that the registries violated a 2006 amendment to the state constitution that bans gay marriage and any arrangement that is substantially similar.

Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to defend the lawsuit, saying he agreed the new law violated the state constitution. Then-Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, hired Madison attorney Lester Pines to defend the state.

Walker, a Republican, replaced Doyle in January and fired Pines in March. On Friday, Walker filed a motion to stop defending the case.

"Governor Walker, in deference to the legal opinion of the attorney general that the domestic partner registry...is unconstitutional, does not believe the public interest requires a continued defense of this law," says the brief, filed by Walker's chief counsel, Brian Hagedorn.

Hagedorn told Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser that if he could not withdraw from the case, he would like to amend earlier filings to reflect Walker's belief that the registries conflict with the state constitution.

Even if Walker is allowed to withdraw from the case, the law would still be defended in court because gay rights group Fair Wisconsin intervened in the case last year.

Fair Wisconsin attorney Christopher Clark said the governor's move raises legal questions.

"It's not clear to me that a defendant in a lawsuit... can simply walk away from a lawsuit or withdraw," he said.

Pines said Walker's aides never gave him an explanation when they told him to stop working on the case. He said he was troubled by the latest court filing.

"The governor of this state has an obligation to defend laws he doesn't like. And for that matter, so does the attorney general," Pines said. "This shows an utter disrespect for the rule of law."

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie disagreed.

"We don't believe it is in the best interest of the state and its taxpayers to spend additional time and resources defending the legislation," he said in an email.

In 2006, 60% of state voters signed off on changing the constitution to ban gay marriage and a "legal status identical or substantially similar to marriage" for same-sex couples.

Wisconsin Family Action advocated for the amendment. The group first sued the state over the same-sex registries shortly after they were created in 2009, taking its case directly to the state Supreme Court in hopes of getting a quick verdict.

The high court declined to hear the case, and the group then filed a lawsuit last year in Dane County circuit court.

The registries allow same-sex couples to take family and medical leave to care for a seriously ill partner, make end-of-life decisions and have hospital visitation rights. But according to Fair Wisconsin, they still confer only about a quarter of the rights associated with marriage, lacking provisions to allow couples to file joint tax returns or adopt children together.

As of August 2010, about 1,500 same-sex couples had registered with counties.



I can understand why religious people are opposed to same-sex marriage (even if I don't agree), but denying hospital visits to people who are potentially dying? This is what I'd like to call "going above and beyond the call of fuckery". Because when I ask myself, "What would Jesus do?", the answer is obvious: don't let gay people visit people they love who might be dying.

I sure am glad Scott Walker is serious about fiscal matters. Wisconsin will be saving so many dollars on this!

TheGlyphstone

Can we put forward a motion to eject him from the Republican Party now? This man is starting to make even the Tea Partiers (or Teabaggers if you prefer) look like sane, rational, and fair-minded people.

Callie Del Noire

Look at who is key support is. The arch conservative right wingers of the party. The moderates aren't vocal enough to be heard over the bible thumpers and extreme conservatives that are the leadership of the tea party factions and religous groups.

And both groups know that a moderate slow action like the registry is the beginning to a more tolerant and slow change towards same-sex unions/marriages coming mainstream.

itsbeenfun2000

Once again the governor of our state wins the prize


Noelle

Quote from: Callie Del Noire on May 17, 2011, 08:19:40 PM
Look at who is key support is. The arch conservative right wingers of the party. The moderates aren't vocal enough to be heard over the bible thumpers and extreme conservatives that are the leadership of the tea party factions and religous groups.

And both groups know that a moderate slow action like the registry is the beginning to a more tolerant and slow change towards same-sex unions/marriages coming mainstream.

I don't disagree with you at all. It's sad that suddenly we have this loud group that's desperately trying to pull the sheet further to the right to the point they simply seem desperate and reactionary. Their resistance to change is at a point where I feel like it's practically antiquated, like we're seeing some kind of last roar of the ghost of 1950s past. It's a shame that moderate Republicans aren't getting more attention and it's a shame that assholes (for lack of a more eloquent term for what's going on here) like Scott Walker have to be the face of the party. I want desperately to like the GOP at least a little, but they really don't make it easy for me to be moderate when things like this come about.

TheGlyphstone

Pretty much. I've more-or-less sworn off politics entirely, and intend to vote Elder Party (Cthulhu/Dagon 2012! Why Vote For The Lesser Evil?) for the forseeable future until one party or the other manages to convince me they actually represent anything close to actual citizens, instead of their own respective special interest groups and lobbyists - it doesn't help that I'm almost literally centrist, split evenly on issues between the left and right wings.

But "Republican" has become almost an epithet, shorthand for "religious gay-hating warmonger", and it's depressing. I voted Red in my first and for the time being only presidental election, wasn't terribly displeased to lose, and have since seen the party I tentatively aligned with a hairs-breath more than the other be swallowed up by incredibly vocal lunatics.

Serephino

What confuses me is this fucknut has outright broken the law by ignoring court orders, and he's still in office?  For the love of god, WHY!?  He has proven time and time again he's a corrupt bully.  If I, or any other private citizen blatantly broke the law like that, we'd be thrown in jail.  What makes him so special?  At the very least, he needs tossed out on his ass. 

itsbeenfun2000

Quote from: Serephino on May 17, 2011, 08:53:04 PM
What confuses me is this fucknut has outright broken the law by ignoring court orders, and he's still in office?  For the love of god, WHY!?  He has proven time and time again he's a corrupt bully.  If I, or any other private citizen blatantly broke the law like that, we'd be thrown in jail.  What makes him so special?  At the very least, he needs tossed out on his ass. 


Because in order to impeach him you would have to get the congress in the state to agree he has broken the law. Both Republican control ed and in his hip pocket for now. How much longer they are willing to stick their political careers on this nutbag is beyond me.

Jefepato

I'm not sure I understand how Wisconsin Family Action has standing to file these lawsuits.

Callie Del Noire

I see..

-Stripping the teachers of the right to collectively bargain
-Set things in motion to put his puppets in place on school boards and municipalities by curtailing their budget shortfalls after killing budgets.
-Planning to sell off the utilities on a no bid sale that is clearly a pay off to someone.
-Impeding/ignoring the judiciary at several turns.

Oh yeah..he loses control of the state house he's impeached first week in.

krakenknight

Agreed there is a difference between opposing gay marriage on religious ground (People are entitled to exclude others on religious grounds so long as its peaceful) but this is just mean spirited. Its not being moral its just being a total ass. I see no reason to deny people their loved ones regardless of colour, creed or sexual preference.

meikle

Quote from: Noelle on May 17, 2011, 07:58:12 PMWisconsin will be saving so many dollars on this!

Presently, our Governor is about doing as much damage as he possibly can to our state before the pretty hefty recall efforts in Wisconsin go through in the next couple of months.

I'm pretty sure his personal Mission Statement is "Fuck all y'all."
Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth, you fuckin' monster.

O and O and Discord
A and A

Noelle

I heard water safety regulations got told to fuck off recently, too. I'd like to think this is Russ Feingold's revenge after being voted out!

RubySlippers

In Wisconsin's defense they used to vote in nice moderate right wing a bit Republicans that could govern like Governor Thompson who my father still liked a good manager and leader that was sensible in his view. But thankfully this is a bigger electoral state like Florida I'm hoping this will put Obama back in office and maybe over add some Democrats to Congress.