News events from the Madison area.

[The Tourist]

(Moderators, please move this if it is in the wrong section.)

Over the past few days we have had threads which touch on the events happening in my area of Madison, Wisconsin. As you may remember, I stated that I had lost faith in our area's ability to police our area, and my distrust of a wolf hunting season.

I ask you to find today's copy (May 3, 2008) of our Wisconsin State Journal.

On the front page is a story about the family of a murder victim who are now going directly to the State Attorney General because they have "lost faith" in the police.

On page five of our "Local" section is a story about a turkey hunter who accidentally shot a gray wolf, thinking it was a coyote.

Oh, did I mention that the wolf was wearing a radio collar.

Clearly, I have no idea on how recent dynamics have produced the change in my area. My suspicion is that Madison (and many parts of Wisconsin) is such a marshmellow "hippy dippy" area that solid policing is not needed, that people love animals and a few shots of brandy are normal for any real man.

Well, I moved here in 1968 to go to college, and lots of that was true. It is also true that even then policing was poor at best. A radical branch of the bully-boy police called "The Affinity Squad" arrested and roughed up a man who later became our mayor.

These events would never, and could never happen in most cities. Good night, citizens would be torching urban areas if many of same dissatifaction happened in their towns.

My personal view of these events does not galvanize my views or boil my blood. I'm saddened.

You cannot walk here at night, and I suggest you wear kevlar during any hunting season. You're in The Peoples' Republik of Madison, twenty-five square miles surrounded by reality. Oh, and if you're a problem drinker, come on down, it's no problem here.

 

[cracked butt]

On the front page is a story about the family of a murder victim who are now going directly to the State Attorney General because they have "lost faith" in the police.

On page five of our "Local" section is a story about a turkey hunter who accidentally shot a gray wolf, thinking it was a coyote.

Oh, did I mention that the wolf was wearing a radio collar.

I couldn't find the article, but my bet is that the hunter reported the incident regardless of the fact that he's going to face steep fines. If so, that says a lot about the character of the hunter who could have easily taken the other fork in the road and walked away from it without any form of consequences- and no, the DNR does not give any leniency towards people who report their own violations.

 

[cracked butt]

You cannot walk here at night, and I suggest you wear kevlar during any hunting season. You're in The Peoples' Republik of Madison, twenty-five square miles surrounded by reality. Oh, and if you're a problem drinker, come on down, it's no problem here.

I lived in Madison for about a month once, that was enough for me.....

If you want to see problem substance abusers, come on over to Milwaukee. I don't live there (nobody could pay me enough to live in that cesspool), but I've gotten a pretty good education while driving to work and back through the 'ghetto' part of town. Before 8AM you will see people lined up in 3 places in that area: the liquor stores, the methadone clinic, and the welfare office. On the way home if you are unlucky enough to get caught at a red light, there's a good likelyhood that a bum who smells like piss and booze will approach your car looking for a handout- if I have a sandwich leftover, I might give it to him/her, but never money. Coming home when working second shift, there's a likelyhood that you'll be detoured off the main road and deeper into the 'hood' because someone got shot at a stop-and-rob.

The city has had a long history of police chiefs that are either corrupt or have racial agendas (One of the former chiefs caused the city to loose a large amount of moeny in a settlement because he only promoted black officers). If a cop shoots a suspect during the arrest, the cop has in the past been pretty much hung out to spin in the wind. Recently a cop pulled over a drunk Hmong, and had to fight the man using his radio as a weapon as the driver sped off witht he officers arm caught in the door. The instant reaction was for the Hmong community to have a protest march and start filing paperwork over racism and police brutality.

You just can't win when everything is topsy-turvey, the population is insane, or worse yet, have become dependent on entitlements.

 

[The Tourist]

Yes, the hunter reported the incident. Yes, he will be fined.

My debate is that something is happening to my area--and that influences my point in our discussions--and I'm not sure that same position happens throughout the USA.

When I refer to "drunken townie hunters," a fellow member here might live in the pristine areas of Wyoming where the majority of the people he knows are professional class sportsmen.

Or, you might live in a hurricane damaged part of the USA and have a bone to pick with the Federal government. My unhappiness is local, and it's getting worse.

BTW, I was born in Milwaukee, in the Flourist/Silver Springs area. Find a guy who grew up in the Villard area, and you probably could pick me out of a crowd. I know the name of my city is Maw-walk-key, and I know what Kinnikinnick is, and how to pronounce it. I'll get you a decent deal on a real stiletto.

 

[buck460XVR]

I couldn't find the article, but my bet is that the hunter reported the incident regardless of the fact that he's going to face steep fines. If so, that says a lot about the character of the hunter who could have easily taken the other fork in the road and walked away from it without any form of consequences- and no, the DNR does not give any leniency towards people who report their own violations.

I assume the radio collar had a tad to do with his reporting of the mistaken kill. There are a lot of urban myths about the abilities of those collars to report when and where collared animals meet their demise. Hopefully the loss of the endangered species designation will make the punishment a bit less severe for the hapless hunter. I shot two coyotes myself while turkey hunting this spring, only after taking the time to properly identify them as such.

I too stay the 'ell away from Madison, except for Badger Hockey games............

 

[The Tourist]

I too stay the 'ell away from Madison

In many ways, I'm ashamed to hear that. I think of myself as having ties to Mad City that are just as strong as my ties to Milwaukee.

Then in another breath, I admit that I uprooted my wife and moved over the city border and bought property in a bedroom community.

I'd like to proffer some ideas as to why this happened as it relates to this forum, firearms and security.

As you know, Wisconsin has no CCW provision. Most of that hinges on the head-in-the-sand opinions of our governor, Jim Doyle. He still banters that Wisconsin is one of the safest cities in the USA.

And while he might throw credible numbers at the issue to dazzle you with statistics, we are also the becoming the area with the fastest growing crime problem. Heck, I don't want to walk in a Madison parking ramp after dark.

We've had some grizzly murders here, all while many of the liberals squeak that no changes are needed. During the last three weeks I've had clients ask me for self-defense knives. We take the issues of safety and security for granted so often, until we lose them.

Wisconsin needs a realistic discussion on joining the rest of the country.

 

[cracked butt]

And while he might throw credible numbers at the issue to dazzle you with statistics, we are also the becoming the area with the fastest growing crime problem. Heck, I don't want to walk in a Madison parking ramp after dark.

A few years ago, on the Ithmus forums, I read something about violent rape becoming a big problem in Madison along hiking trails and in parks but the authorities have swept it under the rug- is this true?

Most of that hinges on the head-in-the-sand opinions of our governor, Jim Doyle. He still banters that Wisconsin is one of the safest cities in the USA.

Of course it is*, nothing is going to happen to Doyle so long as he has the State Patrol providing 24/7 security for him.



*for Jim Doyle

 

[Standing Wolf]

...while he might throw credible numbers at the issue to dazzle you with statistics...

Statistics are for the living. They don't do the victims a speck of good; neither, for that matter, do leftist extremist politicians.

 

[Karl Hungus]

I really feel for you guys in Madison. I could never live there. To be fair - we've got problems in N WI as well (Crandon shooting last fall - 4+ hour police response time), but Madison is just way too nutty. I suppose it may very well be one of the safest cities in the US as long as you're not a female college student - an awful lot of them have been turning up brutally murdered lately.

Looks like the wolf hunt is a non-issue for the time being. Of course that doesn't mean more "hunters" won't be mistaking them for turkeys or squirells or large mouth bass.

 

[The Tourist]

more "hunters" won't be mistaking them

I believe it was two years ago that a whitetail hunter drove to a registration area after he tagged an elk.

I mean, you're kneeling over this huge animal putting on your whitetail tag, and you don't notice it's another species...

Every year there stories from hunters who have heard a full magazine from a Browning BAR expended, and the guy still misses.

My concern here is that I never hear of similar stories from guys in other states. If the crime rate inches up, I hear outrage. Yikes, in some places they would string up a slob hunter. I'm just concerned that these events--including a spate of murders--now center in Wisconsin.