Professor criticized Scott Walker and ALEC. GOP groups FOIAed his work email.

madfloridian

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Fri Mar-25-11 03:11 PM
Original message

Professor criticized Scott Walker and ALEC. GOP groups FOIAed his work email.

Edited on Fri Mar-25-11 03:12 PM by madfloridian

Also an education blogger had the GOP groups request his work email as well.

Guess you don't talk about the long reach of The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) without finding yourself in hot water, apparently criticizing the WI governor will bring their wrath as well.

Here is a summary of the attacks on the Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin.

From TPM's Josh Marshall:

My Worlds Collide

William Cronin, pic courtesy of TPM

Bill Cronon -- or William Cronon, as I think of him -- is a Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin. A few days ago he wrote an oped in the Times critical of Gov. Walker and his push to abolish collective bargaining rights for public employees in Wisconsin. About a week before that, he wrote a blog post -- the first in a new blog called Scholar as Citizen -- examining just who's behind this big anti-union push.

He focused on a group called ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council).

Now, so far, nothing particularly controversial about any of this. But then it took a dark turn. Or perhaps better to say, then the story got into gear with everything else we've seen out of the Walker administration over the last three months.

Less than two days after Cronon published the blog post, the Wisconsin Republican Party filed a state open records request to gain access to Cronon's personal emails to get a look at what communications or discussions or sources or anything else went into writing it.

Here is a portion of that letter from the Wisconsin Republican Party requesting Freedom of Information access to Cronon's mails.

Dear Mr. Dowling,

Under Wisconsin open records law, we are requesting copies of the following items:

Copies of all emails into and out of Prof. William Cronon's state email account from January 1, 2011 to present which reference any of the following terms: Republican, Scott Walker, recall, collective bargaining, AFSCME, WEAC, rally, union, Alberta Darling, Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke, Rob Cowles, Scott Fitzgerald, Sheila Harsdorf, Luther Olsen, Glenn Grothman, Mary Lazich, Jeff Fitzgerald, Marty Beil, or Mary Bell.

We are making this request under Chapter 19.32 of the Wisconsin state statutes, through the Open Records law. Specifically, we would like to cite the following section of Wis. Stat. 19.32 (2) that defines a public record as "anything recorded or preserved that has been created or is being kept by the agency. This includes tapes, films, charts, photographs, computer printouts, etc."

TPM also today points out that the GOP of WI has their collective noses out of joint at having their requests spoken about publicly in a negative way. Too bad for them.

Wis. GOP.. Attacks On Our Open-Records Request Against Professor Are 'Chilling'

"Like anyone else who makes an open records request in Wisconsin, the Republican Party of Wisconsin does not have to give a reason for doing so," state GOP executive director Mark Jefferson says in a new statement Greg Sargent reports -- with Jefferson then tearing into critics for trying to intimidate the GOP.

"I have never seen such a concerted effort to intimidate someone from lawfully seeking information about their government," Jefferson writes. "Further, it is chilling to see that so many members of the media would take up the cause of a professor who seeks to quash a lawful open records request. Taxpayers have a right to accountable government and a right to know if public officials are conducting themselves in an ethical manner."

Sounds like the bullies don't like being picked on and called out on their actions.

Here is something from the education blogger who has put up with these requests for a while.

Some thoughts from just one of many teachers in the crosshairs.

Ben Velderman. Picture courtesy of Fred Klonsky's blog

Why me?

Why is the Education Action Group going after me?

Because I’m outspoken. Because I’m a union guy. Because people listen and respect what I have to say. Because I have an activist history. Because they wrongly thought I’m vulnerable. Because they want to scare others. Because they’re bullies. Because they sneak around likes snakes in the grass and lie about who they are.

And then they cry like babies when we shine the light on them.

They demand (demand!) that my district fire me because I printed a picture of that little weasel, Ben Velderman, on my blog.

They cried, “The unwarranted attack on Mr. Velderman, who was simply carrying out the instructions of his supervisor, can be viewed online at preaprez.wordpress.com.”

Here is the New York Times op ed of the Professor Cronon on March 21.

Wisconsin’s Radical Break

But Mr. Walker’s assault on collective bargaining rights breaks with Wisconsin history in two much deeper ways as well. Among the state’s proudest traditions is a passion for transparent government that often strikes outsiders as extreme. Its open meetings law, open records law and public comment procedures are among the strongest in the nation. Indeed, the basis for the restraining order blocking the collective bargaining law is that Republicans may have violated open meetings rules in passing it. The legislation they have enacted turns out to be radical not just in its content, but in its blunt ends-justify-the-means disregard for openness and transparency.

This in turn points to what is perhaps Mr. Walker’s greatest break from the political traditions of his state. Wisconsinites have long believed that common problems deserve common solutions, and that when something needs fixing, we should roll up our sleeves and work together — no matter what our politics — to achieve the common good.

Mr. Walker’s conduct has provoked a level of divisiveness and bitter partisan hostility the likes of which have not been seen in this state since at least the Vietnam War. Many citizens are furious at their governor and his party, not only because of profound policy differences, but because these particular Republicans have exercised power in abusively nontransparent ways that represent such a radical break from the state’s tradition of open government.

Perhaps that is why — as a centrist and a lifelong independent — I have found myself returning over the past few weeks to the question posed by the lawyer Joseph N. Welch during the hearings that finally helped bring down another Wisconsin Republican, Joe McCarthy, in 1954: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?

These new Republicans are not going to let up in their attacks on everything kind and decent. It may be time for the New Democrats to stand up and call them out on their tactics....instead of calling for "bipartisanship" with extremists.