Expose ALEC? We'll Send the Attack Dogs

Shaking my head in disbelief this morning

Right-wing rag bitching about the costs of an open records request – but that’s not the focus of this entry.

The focus here is about ALEC transparency – or lack thereof.

ALEC has been screaming how transparent they have become - which is an outright lie when you compare current meeting documents to older meeting documents or review their webpage for specific ALEC bills

YET – when a left leaning legislator makes ALEC meetings transparent by reporting on the meetings to left-leaning publications

    the right goes nuts

    ALEC goes nuts

    and the intimidation starts

The right-wing and ALEC don’t want transparency of the mechanisms  of ALEC and this is proof.

The right-wing never ceases to amaze me with their stupidity – their incredulous belief of equivalency in what they do and why they do it.

This morning – trending – is an article that was released by the right-wing funded Media Trackers about open records requests that were made against WI legislator Chris Taylor – back to that later.

 

But really

– it is a right-wing, same old, same old.

Different person, different year

– intimidation of anyone who dares expose their precious ALEC

Most people aren’t aware that back in the day, way back, Republicans did the same thing to a Wisconsin University professor when he dared – yes dared – to start talking about ALEC.  The Republicans filed an open record request against William Cronin because he had the audacity to start exposing ALEC – way before ALECExposed existed.

A Tactic I Hope Republicans Will Rethink: Using the Open Records Law to Intimidate Critics

But the right-wing didn't - - - 

Different person, different year

– intimidation of anyone who dares expose their precious ALEC

The right-wingers are probably saying

Payback is a bitch – you libtards filed open record requests against ALEC members – why can’t we intimidate people who are exposing ALEC?

What these right-wingers are too muddle-headed to understand is that there is no there, there.

Open records requests against someone reporting to the press, about a meeting they attended as part of their legislative duties – what ALEC desperately tries keeps secret – has no feet.

When CMD requested open requests on ALECer Vukmir in WI and ALECer Rep. Stephanie Klick of TX,  the open records requests were to reveal the secret mechanisms of ALEC, the extent that ALEC was going to keep their documents secret to the public.  These were open records requests to make public – what should have been public –the manipulation of our state legislatures by ALEC.

Some might say – well that’s what the right-wingers are doing now – trying to expose records that are secret to the public – BUT that's a spurious argument. 

Open records requests to expose secret ALEC documents that intentionally impact the governing of our country are not comparable to open records requests for records of a legislator exposing ALEC meetings in a magazine article - about content they learned at an ALEC meeting they attended, as part of their legislative duties

Chris Taylor has never hid her relationship with The Progressive – she published her reports on the content of ALEC meetings there, twice.  There’s no there, there.  Yes there might be emails between Taylor and various left leaning organizations – but so what, she’s a liberal.  Really, so what?  What difference does it make that Ms. Taylor is reporting about the content of ALEC meetings and working with left-leaning organizations to do so?  It's historically evident that the right-wing does not report about the content of ALEC meetings - that is how ALEC has stayed under the radar of the public for 40 years.

What is the right-wing media trying to do – silence Taylor for ALEC?

What is the right-wing media trying to do – intimidate Taylor for ALEC?

What is the right-wing media trying to do – and who asked/paid them to do it?

Did Chris Taylor break any laws? Hell no.

Chris Taylor attended a supposedly legislative focused meeting, in her duties as bonafide legislator, 

reported on the meeting to inform the public of what she experienced, 

as a legislator at a supposedly legislative focused meeting.

And the right-wing attack dogs cut loose

What Chris Taylor did was break the secrecy laws that surround ALEC meetings and ALEC is pissed.

What Chris Taylor did – is exactly what the right-wing press doesn’t have the balls to do – report on ALEC.

Yes, ALEC is pissed – no one, absolutely no one, else cares about the content of Taylor’s reporting – except ALEC!

The intentional secrecy of ALEC is destroyed when an attendee reports on the “closed door meetings” of ALEC. The content of those meetings should be public domain and Taylor has made bits and pieces of what she saw/heard public and ALEC is pissed.

How dare someone report what is happening at an ALEC meeting!  How dare they!  ALEC meetings are designed to be secret so the public does not know the evil ALEC is cooking up.

This is Exactly why ALEC will not allow citizen journalists or even left leaning journalists into their meetings.

ALEC knows what is happening at their meetings is WRONG.

ALEC legislators know what they are doing at ALEC meetings is WRONG.

ALEC and ALEC legislators know what they are saying at ALEC meetings is WRONG.

ALEC and ALEC members do not want what they do at meetings reported – cause they know it is WRONG.

ALEC is evidently pissed enough to secretly send right-wing funded media to intimidate and deter.

So what is the right-wing so-called press looking for?

Nothing but sensationalism

Nothing but intimidation

     to shut-up Chris Taylor

The right-wing setting their crosshairs on someone like Chris Taylor – for reporting about ALEC – which by the way – the right-wing media, does not do.

Moral of the story – don’t piss off the American Legislative Exchange Council or the right-wing will send their attack dogs after you.