One Interaction With Hate Radio

At least five Limbaugh wannabes spew their venom over the metro Milwaukee radio airwaves. With so many hours of dead air to fill, it is no wonder that many of my progressive friends have been singled-out on these shows. Being a typical activist, I am proud to have been attacked on-air several times by the far-right hate-radio crowd. Today, I would like to talk about one of those times.

In 2011, a member of the Germantown School Board resigned for personal reasons. A call went out for a temporary replacement for this board member, to be appointed by the the rest of the Board. With a 27-year private-sector chemistry career and having taught for several years at the college level, I believed that I have much to offer in such a post. I sent-in my resume and four other people did the same.

A decision was scheduled to be made at the October 10, 2011 Board meeting. In the meantime, the W.O.W. right-wing machine went into high gear. MacIver so-called "Institute" did internet searches on the five candidates. They discovered that-(horror of horrors !)- two of us had signed petitions to recall Alberta Darling. One of the other candidates actually had the gall to work for a nearby school system, so she was probably in a union ! But one woman was a frequent Board meeting visitor who often encouraged the Board to use the "tools" that Governor Walker had imposed on state public schools.

Before the Board decision, Mark Belling took to the airwaves. In his nasally whine, he whipped his listeners into a frenzy about how the unionistas were taking over Germantown schools. He went after me, the other petition signer, and the school employee. He even criticized my wife for being in a TV campaign ad against Darling. He strongly pushed the Walker-loving "Tool" woman for the job. On Belling's encouragement, the rabid right inundated the Board with calls and e-mails.

The evening of the big decision came. Belling's zombies packed the meeting room. Six stood-up and repeated Belling's bleatings about how terrible it was that petition signers would dare to volunteer to serve on the Board. (Actually, they sold me short. I was a petition circulator, responsible for hundreds of signatures) Like Belling, they attacked the school system employee for actually working for a school system (and possibly being a union sympathizer !). To a person, they endorsed the "Tool" woman candidate. Qualifications were not important for the job. Only extreme-right political purity.

One of of the most obsequious of the Belling water-carriers was State Rep. Dan Knodl. Attending in his capacity as an elected official, he criticized me and and other candidates, as well as advocating for "Tool" woman. For those not in his district, Knodl, member of Ozaukee Patriots, was instrumental in jamming through Right-To-Freeload and weakening Wisconsin Prevailing Wage laws.

The Board's vote deadlocked three times until a winner was decided. "Tool" woman was in the final two but ultimately, the school employee won. She had previously been on the Board, and could step right into the job. However, Belling's mob felt cheated. Their candidate did not win. One of the angry Belling-bots shouted, "You are ignoring the will of the people!" and "We are watching you!"

Several years later, both "Tool" woman and the "We are watching you!" guy were elected to the Board, where they remain to this day. And these are two of saner members of the Germantown Board! This is the Board that abandoned Common Core State Standards and, in their place, adopted what have been deemed "among the worst academic standards in the country". 

Because I never listen to hate-radio, I don't know how many other times Belling has felt compelled to influence the Germantown School system. His braying was especially loud in calling for the crucifixion of a district teacher who dared to tear-up a 2-dollar Walker campaign sign at a county fair. Belling certainly has influence and willing informants on our Board. According to him, an unnamed Board member called him to relay confidential information on the sensitive personnel matter involving the teacher.