The Communicator News

Page 2 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

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Speaking Out

News The Communicator News is a biweekly publication published the 1st and 15th of each month.

In our pages you will find thought provoking commentary, local news, social issues, reviews and entertainment.

We welcome articles, columns, information on events and will review all for publication.

Viewpoints expressed in the Communicator News are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers. We reserve the right to edit and select the materials provided for publication, we do not pay for articles.

Our office is located at 3001 Douglas Ave, for advertising call 262-7520030 or email us at racinecommunicator@ya hoo.com visit us online at www.racinecommunicator.com Email: RacineCommunicator@ yahoo.com Website: RacineCommunicator.com

Brian Krizmanich “I don’t think the important stories are being told.

Racine is a great place, great restaurants, great places to go, but people don’t know that because little is being printed. I ride my bike everyday and it’s beautiful, clean…I hear Chicago this, Milwaukee that. Racine has a lot of positive, Right now down in Pershing Park there’s a dog show.”

Hanief Young Joe Munez ”Lacks interest. We need interesting articles with better local coverage.”

”Racine needs a different angle and a different point of view from the community.

Something a little bit more edgy. Something that digs down and tells you what’s actually going on in Racine.”

Page 3 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

Rocky on the Prowl This is my community. I am a native here.. I've got a lifelong love of this Root River watershed. It's positively FECUND... go look up the word in the dictionary! Lived here all my life! So maybe you have seen me around? I don't miss much, do you? I travel via railroad tracks to the water. When its cold or there's a storm I head for the tunnel system that property owners are told does not exist but can pop you out almost anywhere on a street or in a park as beautiful as West Park. Streets lined with garbage cans and fascinating twists and turns which is part of living in a watershed. I've come to know most of the human residents of Racine as well as my fellow quadrupeds and feathered friend and yes, folks, there are two Racines.

My name is Rocky. It was to check out Sixth Street, one of my favorite places, that I popped out of the tunnel in the middle of Grand and Seventh just yesterday to be utterly flabbergasted......

Whoa now...what is this?

Where is the big green in front of City Hall? Where is the picnic table, Where are the two garbage cans at Harris Square? All I could see through the flying concrete dust, all that could be heard, or tasted or felt was CONSTRUCTION! Total Chaos.

Why would humans do this? I had to know more.

Soon I saw one of my favorite trails made by construction men in yellow and lined with orange and white upside down cans..... a trail made of manufactured sand, my favorite substance because it had just rained and the manufactured sand retains impressions of all who had come before me and which way they went.

Immediately I saw Big Foot's tracks. His trail was fresh and went directly to the steps of City Hall. Big Foot owns a building which looks like it is in the middle of this construction zone and I know him well. He is heading for

the second floor at City Hall and whoa to whomever he meets.

As I continue to survey this spectacular demise of the City Hall Green I spot my friend the uptown rabbit pronouncing that this roundabout is not in the right place and that furthermore it doesn't fit. He is in a protest stance and shouting that Sixth Street should revolt, that Seventh Street should revolt. "Where is the parking? Where is the plan? Who is responsible?"

All through the rabbits rant the gulls are dive bombing humans in the area as they fear for their young nesting atop the Christian Believers Church and City Hall itself. They are really upset.

I hung around long enough to see humans emerge and shout at hard hats and shout at each other.

One human shouted at another, "Go park in front of your own place!" Then the other human shouted back, "You look like you're new here. Maybe you don't know that none of us have any parking....that is why we are on your street parking in front of your place!"

The shouting match was hot!

Hey I just saw the Mayor of this City sneaking out the back door. There is a host of neighbors following him shouting, WHERE IS THE PLAN? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?

A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is slowed and flows almost continuously in one direction around a central island to several exits onto the various intersecting roads.[1] In a modern roundabout, entering traffic must always yield to traffic already in the circle, and roundabouts have additional restrictions on the junction layout to give high safety. Elimination of the opportunity for the most deadly crashes at intersections (T-bone or perpendicular crashes), is the greatest asset of the intersection design. Pedestrians are routed away from the intersection into which automobiles enter to separate crosswalks located at least one full car length outside of the intersection, where they have a refuge between lanes of traffic. This enables pedestrians to only have to cope with traffic coming from one direction at a time, which is traveling slowly enough for visual engagement with drivers and encourages deference toward the pedestrians. Roundabouts, in their modern form, were standardised in the U.K., improving on the experience of traffic circles built in the U.S. following WWII, Modern roundabouts are now common in many countries around the world.

The word roundabout dates from the early twentieth century,[1] In the U.S., the term traffic circle is used where entering traffic is either controlled by stop signs, traffic signals, or is not formally controlled at all and speed of vehicles may remain unchanged. The term, roundabout, is reserved for circular flow intersections where entering traffic must yield to traffic already in device, with the intention to calm the traffic and enable the highest flow possible through the intersection along with the highest safety for pedestrians and cyclists.[2] Not all modern roundabouts are strictly circular, some being elongated to include several former intersections, but the traffic always follows a circular flow.

Page 4 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

NECKBONEOLOGY: Are Black Bars Being Targeted?

No doubt you’ve used that old expression, “What’s the difference?” I know I have, usually when someone thinks I’ve used the wrong word for something and

By Kenneth Lumpkin

they try to tell me how I should have said it. Let me give you an example. Let’s say I’m having a conversation with someone, and I refer to another individual as a “racist”, possibly because I heard the gentleman talkin’ about “nig***s”.

My conversational partner may correct me and say, “You mean, he’s a bigot. I know the man and he’s not a racist”, and my reply might be “What the h*ll is the difference?”.

In fact, there is a difference, and knowing the difference can lead to greater understanding, possibly even friendships, between people that would never be expected. I’m not saying there won’t be some work involved, but we know that Black folks have always had to work a

little harder, so we ought to be good at it.

And all work isn’t backbreaking labor, sometime’s it just means thinking a little deeper. Believe me, if growing up in the pre-civil rights South taught me anything, it’s that it’s very nice to have a choice between thinking and pickin’ cotton.

Now, speaking of growing up in the South, it was very ordinary back then for White folks to refer to Black folks as º“nig***s”. And strangely enough, not all of those who did so were racists who hated Black folks. Certainly many were, but to assume that all were would be an example of prejudice. And we know that prejudice is an unfavorable opinion based on inadequate facts. There’s enough of that in the world, you don’t need to be adding to it. I admit, the “n” word is sometimes enough to make you want to grab a stick and knock the stupid off someone, but that response can lead to even worse circumstances.

But as ugly as that word can be, and as much anger as it brings up, some people really do use it in a non-malicious manner, almost like calling someone German or Italian. They just need to be educated (and a stick is probably not the best tool for that job).

By the way, if you think learning is tough, try teaching. My friends who are teachers tell me it can be an absolute joy, which is often what makes them stick with it, but it can also feel frustratingly impossible at times.

One of those times when it’s going to

You May Be A Liberal!

Like a duck who doesn’t know he’s wet, some reasonably bright people have no idea that they are knee-jerk liberals. Now there is a blog ‘ You Just Might be a Liberal — to help them decide.

There are a number of helpful tips which can help you reveal your true political colors. For example, ‘If you spend more time at ‘Peace’ rallies than at church’You Just Might be a liberal’

Here’s a few more.

‘If you believe the Dixie Chicks got all those Grammys because of their singing ability instead of their politics….You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you think Charlie Sheen is a better role model than George W. Bush…You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you believe Bill Clinton “Never had sex with that woman, Miss Lewinski.”

You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you didn’t find “Brokeback Mountain” the least bit creepy…You Just Might be a Liberal’ ‘If you’ve never been north of 125th Street or west of the Hudson River but think you know how Alaska should drill for oil…You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you think Al Franken is funny….You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you feel the UN should have control over America’s foreign policy….You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you think Michael Moore is incredibly sexy….You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you hate the military, big oil and Halliburton but “Support Our Troops”…You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you’ve ever called Forbes magazine a “Capitalist Tool” and meant it in a bad way…You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you “teach” in any of the Humanities Departments of any major college…You Just Might be a Liberal.’

‘If you feel anyone who disagrees with you is brain damaged….You Just Might be a Liberal.’

By and large the humor is sharply pointed and could draw blood from a few thin skinned liberals. Written by Rod Pennington ‘ who also has the ‘You Might be a Conservative’ Blog — that is just as brutal to the folks on the right as ‘You Just Might be a Liberal’ is to the people on the left.

If you’re looking for your daily chuckle, this is a great place to start.

feel impossible is when you are attempting to educate a bigot. A bigot is someone who is intolerant of opinions that are different from his (or her) own and absolutely unwilling to change. So, it is possible for someone to be a bigot, without being a racist. People who hate homosexuals or different religions, for example, are also bigots though “some of their best friends” might be of a different race.

They may have been brought up to believe that there’s nothing inherently wrong with the “N word” and they intend to go on using it without regard to other folk’s feelings or opinions, which they of course consider to be less valid than their own.

One of the truly strange things about bigots, is that they can often behave in the most charitable and generous manner.

This can result in situations that confound the mind. Like the story of the Redneck who stopped on a country road to help a Black man change a flat tire. The man with the flat had no jack because his son had used it and failed to return it to its proper place.

The Redneck jacked the car up and went about most of the work of changing that tire for the man, even sharing some hand cleaner and a towel he carried in his own trunk. The Black man offered to pay him, which he refused, and as they shook hands and smiled the Redneck said, “Yeah, I ain’t never had no problem with nig***s”. It’s difficult for the brain to process that kind of information without emotions getting in the way.

Bigotry is an uncomfortable thing to be around, even when it’s not directed toward you. Hearing offensive remarks directed toward anyone, almost demands a response, even though it often leads to

conflict. But we have seen what unchecked bigotry can lead to, an example being the horrible shootings that occurred recently in Oak Creek.

Racists are difficult enough to deal with, but they can sometimes be educated out of their racism, bigots can almost never be educated out of their hatred, whether it’s based on race, religion, gender or something else.

Sometimes the problem is a belief that they are somehow being victimized by those they hate. They believe that life owes them more, and the only thing standing between them and what they deserve, is the group that they have grown bigoted against. If a person sees himself as a failure, and refuses to accept responsibility for it, will look for someone else to blame.

It’s in our nature to blame someone who doesn’t look or act like us, and it’s easier and safer if they have less power.

This type of behavior can be observed in pack animals, like wolves. One would hope that humans would evolve past this, but I know that not everyone believes in evolution I realize I haven’t offered any solution here, I don’t have any. It just seems to me that bigotry, hatred and prejudice are NOT solutions. Maybe we can work together to have less of those.

Kenneth Lumpkin is a member of Racine County Board for the past 14 years and is the former owner and publisher of the Insider News.

His Neckboneology artificals delve into issuers that he say, “People want to know about but is to afraid to ask.”

We would love to hear your comments on this column.

Ridgewood Hosts 2nd Annual Classic Car & Motorcycle Show September 14

Racine – On Friday, September 14th, Ridgewood Care Center, Racine County’s skilled nursing facility, will hold its second annual Classic Car & Motorcycle Show. The show will run from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on the facility grounds, 3205 Wood Road in Mount Pleasant.

Complimentary popcorn and snocones will be available to all. Raffle prizes and concessions will also be available. From 2:30 to 4:30,

Page 5 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

Chicago-based singer and guitarist Matt Cantlon will present a great mix of classics, rock, country and pop.

From 5:00 to 6:00, Elvis will grace us with his presence.

Admission for visitors is free, and so is registration for persons exhibiting their cars and motorcycles.

Exhibitors even get a free lunch and raffle ticket.

Anyone interested in showing a car or motorcycle should call Shannon Benson at 262-898-1365.

Mitt Romney puts muzzle on running mate Paul Ryan on campaign trail Ryan, the nation's most controversial budget architect, is often described as the intellectual leader of the House Republican caucus. But Romney's presidential campaign headquarters in Boston seems, for now, to prefer that the 42-year-old father of three talks about camping and milking cows instead of the fiscal proposals that made him a conservative hero Ryan, who wrote a plan to overhaul Medicare as chairman of the House Budget Committee, did not use the word "Medicare" with voters over the first four days as the vice presidential candidate.

When he finally touched on the health care insurance program for seniors, he did so only in broad strokes after Romney himself first outlined the campaign's talking points.

"We will not duck the tough issues," Ryan said Friday in Virginia. "We will lead."

But Ryan has been directed to avoid taking questions from reporters who travel with him, and to agree only to a few carefully selected interviews. He is known for sketching budget graphs on napkins to explain his ideas, but this past week it was Romney who used a white board during a news conference to help detail his own plan â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one he says is virtually identical to Ryan's.

"I'm joining the Romney ticket," Ryan told an Ohio television station this week. "It's not the other way around. So I'm supporting the Mitt Romney plan."

Some of the Republican Party's most passionate voters see it a different way. Reluctant to support Romney during the GOP primary, they favor Ryan and his ideas more than the former Massachusetts governor who will head the party's ticket.

Romney hopes that Ryan's conservative credentials and his boyish enthusiasm will help him solidify support from the base of his party and close the "likability gap" with President Barack Obama, who remains relatively popular in spite of the nation's struggling economy.

Yet Romney does not want Ryan's plans to overshadow his own candidacy. Advisers suggest that Ryan's role will change over time. He is eager to do more, and a week after his selection became official, there are already signs that he's beginning to play a more active role.

The congressman planned to visit a retirement village in Florida on Saturday, where he was expected to help reassure nervous seniors that his plans are designed to save Medicare, not end it. Still, Romney's campaign managers want him to proceed with caution.

Romney's team remembers well the problems caused by running mates who may have been trusted prematurely to play a prominent role in a presidential race â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008 and Sen. Dan Quayle in 1988, among them.

The Republican presidential campaign has gone to great lengths to remind voters that Romney's way rules.

Before Ryan first addressed Medicare in Ohio this week, large signs were placed in front of and behind the podium reading, "The Romney Plan." After spending his first two days campaigning with Romney, Ryan will be at his side again in the week ahead for at least one campaign appearance.

The candidates, labeled as "America's Comeback Team" in Romney's campaign signs, are set to appear together in New Hampshire's largest city on Monday. It is expected to be first of what may be many joint appearances in the coming days.

When they are together, the gregarious Ryan helps Romney shed his sometimes wooden image, and they seem to draw larger crowds together than Romney does on his own.

Just don't expect Ryan to start charting his Medicare

plans on stage. His proposal to turn the guaranteed health care program for people 65 and over into a voucher-like system creates significant political challenges for the Romney-Ryan ticket â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and for Republicans across the country. Many seniors don't fully understand the proposal, and Obama's re-election campaign is aggressively condemning the plan as something that would "end Medicare as we know it."

That's largely why Romney is easing Ryan into the debate. While Ryan explained his complicated plans at length during dozens of Medicare town hall-style meetings before becoming Romney's running mate, those kinds of meetings probably are over because they're considered too politically dangerous to continue.

Instead, Ryan is being encouraged to discuss his young children, his working-class background and his love of the outdoors as the American people get to know him.

"Let's play stump the running mate later. Right now I

want to enjoy the fair," Ryan said when asked about Medicare at the Iowa State Fair.

"We do cow-milking contests in Wisconsin," he continued. "I usually lose to a 17-year-old woman who grew up on a dairy farm, who's wearing like a sash and tiara."

Despite the cautious approach, Romney's advisers are expecting Ryan to stumble at times early on as his record faces unprecedented scrutiny. Already, some concerns have popped up.

He reversed course on Thursday and acknowledged lobbying the government for stimulus money after twice denying he had done so.

The admission came only after the release of letters, with his signature, asking for millions of the program's dollars on behalf of two companies in his home state.

And while he has tried to avoid diving into the specifics of his Medicare plan, a reporter pushed him to explain an apparent contradiction during an impromptu lunch meeting in Ohio.

In the interview, Ryan said he never would have included a $700 billion Medicare cut in his budget if Obama hadn't done it first.

"He put those cuts there," Ryan said of the president.

"We would never have done it in the first place."

The defense represented a deviation from the Romney campaign's talking points and overshadowed what was supposed to be a made-for-TV stop at local hotdog restaurant.

Page 6 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

CommunicatorReview

BLOOD SKULL

Music

Messenger Contact Lauren Jean (414) 544-6638 The Blood Skulls, the first band to enter into this newspaper because the first issue needs to be kick ass, and as Frank Donohue puts it, “an artistic hard rock metal type.” None of them really know the genre of themselves since they simply play for the people and their friends. They have quite the following in Racine, even though they joked around with me when I asked them if they loved the fame, “ like basement fame?” Tony says. The Blood Skulls, hard describe, hard to define, but always a good time we all say. They first played in Gurnee Mills at a place called Swing State back when the band first started in Spring of 2010. They said it was a lot of fun and sort of laughed about it saying how they'd never go back there again, but lately they've played from the back of Breaking Billiards on Douglas and High St, to The Brass Monkey with Dr. Destruction off of Washington on Junction Ave, to the Mosquito Inn on 4 mile. The Blood Skulls also head up to Milwaukee and play at a bar called Quarters out in Riverwest, and now they've reached out to Kenosha to spread their metal art at Hattrix with Die Monster Die, another fellow band. Though if your

not a metal head that doesn't necessarily mean you won't like them. One of the questions I asked them was “What kind of music do you guys listen to and what made you get into music anyways?”

Frank Donohue the lead guitarist, singer, and writer responds, “Guns and Roses” is what really got him to start playing. Tony Rit the lead guitarist, singer, and writer says “Smashing Pumpkins and Slayer.” Adam Gilboy on drums said “Frank Zappa and Jazz, Tom Wiats.”

David Rommelfanger on bass says, “Simple Plan”. These guys have quite the humor to them and they told me they really like to bring the energy and most of all just bring the fun. I would say they are somewhat underground music, if I may, around here that is.

They have a sound you don't hear to much and if you like old rock then you'll like them. All the band mates enjoy different styles of music and genres so the natural collaboration of the group is pretty extraordinary. “Red” is the color that has been chosen to mainly represent the band.

The Blood Skulls is best described by Frank D. as “...being like ying and yang..ying yang..twins.” Adam G. goes, “yeah like night and day, like good and evil and you can decide for yourselves which one are.” When you look a Frank D. and Tony R. you can see the slight difference between their music styles and they don't collab at all which is the most oddest and unique part of this band. They have two lead guitarists, singers, writers, and they get all get along just fine. They have a certain connection between the music rather then the writing. They'd tweak each others songs, but if they were to try to write together lyrics or music, “We'd never stop fighting.” Tony R. says.

“We're trying to get Walter White to come to our show.” -David “He'd kill us with all his meth...”- Tony “It's my territory.” - Frank Their album is called “Love Cult” and it has 8 perfected songs and few names of the songs are as follows: Love Cult, The Blood Skulls, Sugar Veins, Haunt Your Dreams...et. There is one witness I happened to catch to help explain the essence of a Blood Skull show. Her name is Elyssia Wagner and she described it as, “Feels like you know everyone there.

They're pretty intuitive with the audience.” And it definitely is that way as you'll see Tony taking breaks, talking in the mike to the people, it's just an all around great time. “We just got new equipment. Adam just got a new drumset.

It's a huge asset to our band. It just boosts our...” - Frank D. “It's worth like more then all our lives.” Tony R. “boosts our spirits.” - Frank D. It is a pretty nice drumset with all these cool new sounds; percussion, tambourine, and a cowbell. It seems like they have a lot options to work with now. They'll be playing on Halloween at the Brass Monkey with Dr. Destruction again, and

there will be face painting for free so everyone can look their spooky best while jammin to these guys. Check out our issues as we'll be featuring The Blood Skulls and their upcoming gigs along with other Racine undiscovered talent. You can also see what they're up to on their Blood Skull Facebook where they have other information on themselves and other bands if your interested. Have a Happy Halloween!

Names of the members left to right: Tony Rit, David Rommelfanger, Frank Donohue, and Adam Gilboy.

Ps. If your reading this and your in a band or go to the studio and want your name or band out there let me know, call me!

Page 7 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

Shelia Sheets prepares bar for opening.

New Northside Bar To Feature Food and Beverage Two Sheets To The Wind Bar & Grill A new bar and grill will open Friday August 31 at 3316 Douglas Ave. The former Chinese Restaurant was handsomely transformed into 2 Sheets to The Wind Bar & Grill. The bar's name derived from the owners names Trent and Shelia Sheets, Shelia said "we don't take ourselves to seriously , we have fun and we want our customers to have fun."

The large bar is surrounded with big screen televisions, a pool table and dart machines. The couple said dart teams will start soon and there will also be pool leagues and of course baseball teams in the summer months.

The kitchen menu consists of deep fried appetizers, chicken wings, special made sandwiches and a Friday night fish fry. Trent said "The northside was lacking a place with enough room to watch different games, have a beer and eat chicken wings with your buddies."

There's plenty of parking located next to the Dairy Queen on Douglas Ave. Hours are 12 noon to 2am daily.

Page 8 The Communicator News, August 1-15, 2012

Page 9 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

Voter-ID Fight Gets Down to the Wire in Wisconsin We may be months away from Election Day, but in states fighting legal battles over newly minted voter-ID laws, time is short. These laws, which require residents to show government-issued identification to vote, have been shown to disenfranchise poor and minority voters in the first place. But as I've written before, the timeframe for implementing them poses another major problem; just look at Pennsylvania, where volunteers and activists are rushing to inform residents about a voter-ID law passed in March.

The fact is, comprehensive voter-education efforts can hardly be conducted in two months. It is this basic issue— whether there is enough time to properly implement voter-ID laws before November 6—that has kept voter-ID from going into effect in many states.

But in Wisconsin, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is hoping there's still time for one last full-court press to rescue the state's strict voter-ID law. State courts in two different cases—one brought by the League of Women Voters, the other by the Milwaukee NAACP—have already ruled that it violated the state constitution.

Normally, at this point the attorney general would file an appeal to the state Court of Appeals, which kicks off a lengthy process. Then, only after the appeals court had made its ruling would the case go to the state Supreme Court (assuming one side wanted to take the case further).

Given that currently there are two separate challenges to the law, that would likely happen twice. In short, there's almost no way the state could fully and fairly implement the law by Election Day. But Van Hollen has nonetheless asked the state Supreme Court to bypass the Court of Appeals and take the case directly. He also wants two different cases against the voter-ID law consolidated so that things can move more quickly.

Finally, while court proceedings continue, the attorney general wants the Supreme Court to suspend the rulings from the lower courts and allow the law to go into effect immediately.

Why? It's all "in a determined effort to ensure the law will be in place for the November 6, 2012, general election."

Van Hollen has asked the state Supreme Court to fast-track the cases before, when they were still being heard in the lower courts. The Supreme Court refused.

The lower-court judges wrote strongly

worded opinions against the law. In the requirements" before the trial began. Dara case brought by the League of Women Lindenbaum, associate counsel to the Voters, the judge determined that the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, photo-ID requirement "impermissibly notes that for months, her group and otheliminate[d] the right of suffrage altogeth- ers have told people that they do not need er for certain constitutionally qualified to bring an ID to the polls. If the lower electors." In the NAACP case, the court court's decision gets reversed, they'll have found that more than 9 percent of regislittle time to inform voters of the change. tered voters in the state lacked the necesFurthermore, poll workers will sary ID—over 300,000 people statewide; have to learn the ins the judge also pointed to the lack of falland outs of back plans for those who could not obtain an ID, and noted that elderly and African American voters would be disproportionately affected. ,068 Both judges granted ned 2 d i m a dy ex -frau injunctions.

A stu f election ears Besides those cono y cases e past 12 ses cerns, now there's an h t 10 ca . r y l e n v o o n even more pressing reanatio ound and f r imperso study, son to stop the law from te e of vo ing to th ion going into effect: There's d r ill o c m c simply not enough time A he 146 h t i s in t left to implement it. "…W red voter ing r te "The time factor alone is regis States du 0 cases d e reason for the Supreme se 1 Unit e, tho ut of m i Court to not put this thing t that ent one o illion back in limbo," says Denise s repre every 15 m s."

Lieberman, a staff attorney t u oter abo with the Advancement Project, the tive v c e p s pro a voting-rights group. The new requirements Advancement Project and the ACLU have filed a federal lawsuit against the photo-ID law, but given that state courts have already suspended the law, they have put their challenge on hold. But if the Supreme Court decides to hear the case, Lieberman says the federal suit will move forward. But even at a breakneck pace, says Lieberman, it will take time for the both sides to collect the necessary evidence, and more time for the court to hear the case and write an opinion. She estimates there is little chance the Supreme Court could decide the case sooner than a month from now. That would leave scant time for voter outreach and education should the court rule the law can move forward.

The problem is compounded by the fact that voter outreach organizations will have to do an about face if the Supreme Court upholds the law. The law has been suspended since early March, when Judge David Flanagan ordered the state Government Accountability Board to "cease immediately any effort to enforce or implement the photo identification

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in short time; Lindenbaum said some voters who called her organization's hotline reported being improperly asked for ID. "Having this decided this close to the election is a terrible idea," says Lindenbaum. "This really needs to be put on hold."

The reason Republicans want to have the law in place before November has everything to do with gaining a partisan advantage. Since the requirements disproportionately have an impact on nonwhite and low-income voters—those more like-

ly to vote Democratic—GOP lawmakers hope it will give them a boost at the polls.

With close elections, every percentage point matters, and Wisconsin is already a battleground state in a tight presidential race.

Strict

voter-ID laws are already laden with political implications—most people know that on the whole, Republicans like the laws and Democrats don't. But their partisan effects will only grow if there's not enough time to educate voters. Such politics are yet another reason for the Supreme Court to refuse to hear the case, says Lieberman.

Any decision at such a late stage would look politically motivated. "The issue is too politicized in a state like Wisconsin to be able to pretend that the political implications are not there," she says. "There's no way the court is going to be able to shake the sort of political stench that's going to be attached to it."

When Will the Second Aldermanic District be Represented On April 3rd 2012 Krystyna Sarrazin won the 2nd district aldermanic race from former Alderman Eric Marcus, winning with more than 100 vote difference. Since Sarrazin’s swearing in as alderwomen April 17, 2012 and appointment to the Public Safety and License committee her attendance has been questioned.

From April 17th thru August 21st 2012 there have been 10 common council meetings Sarrazin has missed 5, Sarrazin has attended 3 of the 7 Public Safety and Licensing meetings from April 23rd to August 13th 2012. The 2nd district encompasses the Southside of Racine, bounded by Lake Michigan on the east,

Page 10 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

21st Street on the north, 11th Street to the south, westerly to roughly Racine Street.

The aldermanic race became controversial after an article in the local paper (“Deputies recommend abuse charges to Alderman”) on April 2, 2012 one day before the election. Misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct charges were filed on Marcus the day of election. Marcus has pleaded not guilty and has asked for a jury trial, scheduled for October 2012.zAldermanic positions pay $ 6,900 per year. Sarrazin was email asking for a response to this story nothing was received as of press time.

SUPPORT YOUR DOUGLAS AVENUE BUSINESSES For reasonable Douglas Avenue support advertisement call: Lisa @ 920-475-8481

Individuals Hair Salons 3901 Douglas Ave Racine, WI 53402 Each operator has her own phone number.

Cheryl: 262-639-5949 Hair stylist Diane: 262-389-5840 Hair stylist Jenny: 262-639-2575 Hair stylist, Nail tech Jody: 262-639-6701 Hair stylist Laurin: 262-721-8911 Hair stylist, Nail tech, eye lashes Liz: 262-752-1659 Hair stylist

SKIN VIVE Facials, Skin care, Airbrush Tanning, Body Treatments, Waxing, Microdermabrasion Jackie: 262-898-2951

Page 11 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012

Page 12 The Communicator News, September 1-15, 2012