Blue County in a Red State

Mark Kiesling has written and will write anything ...

2012-05-26T08:22:45.612-07:00

Mark Kiesling has written and will write anything that preserves the political status quo in Lake County. (I think that he was escorted to the Times' woodshed for his recent column dealing with low ridership on the RBA busses.)

Therefore, Mr. Kiesling defends Ms. Krull because candidates such as Pete Karagan and Erik Krieg rock the status quo boat.

Now that's funny. Sounds like Joe's ego is...

2012-05-26T07:47:41.367-07:00

Now that's funny. Sounds like Joe's ego is a lot bigger than his actual accomplishments.

I was really involved back during Ciabai - Kotso era. The Ciabai take down was a group of individuals of which Joe was involved in but most certainly wasn't the master mind. Thank God for that or Ciabai would have never been takin out.

Wow, Joe's responsible for Pastrick going away and fixing all of the election fraud? Clearly someone's ego is out of whack with reality.

Of course his "influence" ended because Daniels "shifted" towards Washington. That makes only since if you are Joe Zero.

Hey Genius, if Joe Hero were in it only for himsel...

2012-05-25T21:31:16.700-07:00

Hey Genius, if Joe Hero were in it only for himself, where the hell is his paycheck!!! For 30 years he has been actively working to create an environment in which free and fair elections exist in Lake County. He jas dedicated countless hours and personal dollars to stop a-holes like Bob Cantrell and his cronies, particularly Roger Ciabai, from controlling the political arena. If you are too stupid to get it, then thanks for staying away!

Joe Hero is on no paid board, draws no salary, and collects no benefits from his years of dedicated service. KK, on the other hand, has appointed herself to the paid election board and awarded her narcisisstic self republican of the year award. Joe Hero has offered free legal advice, which, if KK had listened, would have prevented her from violating state gaming laws and allowed Bill Fine to run without the burden of his ballot struggle.

Who do you think stood up to the election fraud in EC which resulted in Pastrick going away? As an attorney, Joe Hero is required to report crime because he is an officer of the court. If you don't like Joe Hero, you are either one of the crooked bastards that profits from the corruption, or you are brain-washed into completely insane ignorance.

Joe Hero had enough credibilty with the state gop, before Mitch Daniels decided to look toward Washington, to Roger Ciabai removed from office for trading votes for glass contracts. Now, Mitch Daniels and his crooked buddies are running the show, and they don't want any problems that may stand in the way of his potential vp run or cabinet appointment. Mitch removed the state gop chairman and replaced him with his chief-of-staff. Capish?

And who the hell cares what Ferguson says about anything.

I would have liked to see Mr. Zero successful, but...

2012-05-25T13:08:23.822-07:00

I would have liked to see Mr. Zero successful, but reality shows and was easily predicted that in the end (especially with the way he approaches everything) he would blow it, BIG !!!!!!!!!!

1st, Mr. Zero is only in it for himself and because of that he makes decicions that affect a whole lot of people without regard for what damage may be inflicted on others, not just him.

2nd, he's way too aggressive. Most things, especially when your dealing with ego filled leadership, you need a tactful approach to get the results you want. Zero lacks all forms of TACT !!!!!

I believe I heard Mr. Ferguson once call him a bull in a china shop. That characterization would be correct.

3rd focus, Joe has none! Joe tries to slay multiple dragons (some real, some imagined) and when he has one cornered, he's like a swordsman trying to pull out more swords than his hands can hold. The dragon then laughs and swallows him whole.

If he were a baseball player, he would have never gotten out of rookie ball. His batting average serves as proof.

If you guys are to regain any relevence, you either need to convince Zero to withdraw all his complaints (election board or otherwise) and relegate himself to your bench or disassociate yourself from him altogether.

Believe me, I wish he had succeeded. Unfortunately its called picking your battles. Joe has no clue how to do that. Most battles are best left unfought. You should always ask 1st, is the juice worth the squeeze?

One of the sneakiest guard dogs I ever saw was one that would wag it's tail feverishly like it was happy to see you until you were within in striking distance, then wham! It would lock on to you screaming kicking begging for someone to get this Fucking thing off me until the owner showed up to pull him off.

My advice, before you guys do anything is, find out what Zero would do, then do the exact opposite. Or at least start taking advice from someone who is extremely caucious and calculated. If you keep following Zero's lead, you will become as pigoen holed as that toothless guy in E.C.

Don't become the toothless guy in EC.

I'd step forward and help you guys, but I swore a decade ago to my family I'd get out of and stay out of Lake County politics. But I do like to stay in touch and involved on a minimal level, as to know who the players are.

So, stop digging and go find someone to throw you some dirt to get out of the hole your in.

Good luck!

Her secretary stalks his republican primary oppone...

2012-05-25T11:47:33.506-07:00

Her secretary stalks his republican primary opponent's organization meeting- taking photos of license plates- kk does nothing. He then displays a handgun when approached by supporter of his republican opponent, she punishes the witnesses who made statements to the po-pos. Then she promotes the dirtbag to vice-chairman. She single-handedly destroyed republican mayosrhips in the most repyblican town in lake county. She cost the lcrcc a thousand bucks by committing illegal gambling in the presence of the head of the indiana gaming commission and the AG. She does nothing to address the bloated voter rolls in Gary. She does nothing to address insufficient voter machines in munster and dyer. She improperly distributes the number of delegate spots in certain towns to help her friends and hurt her enemies, possibly controling the caucus votes at the convention. And now she tampers with a very important national database and Cocktailing Kiesling calls for her victims to jump ship?! How does this dope maintain employment at the times?

Joe Hero has integrity, ethics, tenacity, and a dedication to the rule of law that kk can't even begin to comprehend.

Two step Joe is nothing more than a malcontent hel...

2012-05-25T10:41:25.079-07:00

Two step Joe is nothing more than a malcontent hell bent on destroying anyone in his way to the nut house!

The rules have been made up as we move along. In o...

2012-05-25T10:01:52.405-07:00

The rules have been made up as we move along. In other words, the rules are a moving target. They get bent, changed , ignored and manipulated to fit the needs of the moment.
I no longer trust and no longer have faith in a system that is no different than a Dictatorship.

Mr. Zero did not dream up the challenge to Mr. Fin...

2012-05-25T05:30:36.775-07:00

Mr. Zero did not dream up the challenge to Mr. Fine's candidacy. Mr. Zero was helping Fine on that campaign.

I hope that the state party has told Kim to ignore Mr. Zero, if she had done that two years ago none of this would have happened.

As is often the case, the answers to the questions...

2012-05-25T05:08:09.290-07:00

As is often the case, the answers to the questions are in the party rules.
It would be to everyone's advantage if those who concern themselves with party matters obtained a copy of the rules and spent as much time reading them as they do posting questions about them.

Just in case some people don't get it, Joe Her...

2012-05-25T05:03:11.953-07:00

Just in case some people don't get it, Joe Hero has zero credibility with the state GOP.
His latest diatribe proves that he has no sense and cannot control his mouth. He accuses everyone who disagrees with him (which is just about everyone)of engaging in a corrupt conspiracy, without a shred of evidence to support the claims.
Ironically, it was Mr. Zero who dreamed up the challenge to Bill Fine and fed it to the Democrats.
That certainly didn't help the Republican in that race. Some might think that's a conspiracy, and some might think that claiming to be Republican while aiding the Democrats is corrupt.
Anyone who wishes to have a future in the GOP should avoid him like the plague which he is.Continuing to associate with him can only damage one's credibility at this point.
Wise up and work with the party. Perhaps if enough people do so, KK will also wise up, stop paying attention to Mr. Zero (as she's been advised to do), dump the maniac and concentrate on being chairman for the rest of her term.

Anonymous - There are party rules. I expect everyb...

2012-05-24T20:29:36.195-07:00

Anonymous - There are party rules. I expect everybody to abide by them. Given the nonsense going on, I've concentrated my involvement in GOP politics on a particular strategic issue, liberating board of election records electronically. That is coming to a successful conclusion.

For my next task, I'm going to have to start talking to a lot more republican activists. I'm going to ignore predictions and warnings and act like none of that has happened and if we actually have a functioning party that runs by the rules, I'll have my say and the party will be better for it and there will be more Republicans in Lake County at the end of the process.

The alternative is that the party will violate its rules and will do so in such a way that it can't just be ignored. I'm going to take a leap of faith that it won't come to that. I encourage others to do the same and be prepared for either eventuality. If it is going to work, starting off humble and helpful will be a key to success.

Krull gives the loon Janiec the keys to the cookie...

2012-05-24T13:40:09.716-07:00

Krull gives the loon Janiec the keys to the cookie jar. Meanwhile Lawson is running unopposed.

Something is wrong here. Very wrong.

At the end of the day every organization will stan...

2012-05-24T13:01:09.658-07:00

At the end of the day every organization will stand or fall based on its ability to engender confidence within its membership.

Confidence building begins and ends with the leadership of the organization.

In the matter at hand (Voter Vault tampering)it is clear that someone was horseing around with the rating system which casts doubt on what should be a very powerful political resource for candidates and the party.

Apparently the State organization has in the past, given access to the County Chairmen through out the state which enables those chairmen to make changes to individuals' rating within that system. Such a delegation of power is based in large part on the feeling that those chairmen will be judicious in their use of the power and will be held to account.

If the report in today's Times newspaper is accurate, the Lake County Chairman further delegated access and presumably the power to edit to her right hand man, George Janiec, who was described in the article as "manager of Voter Vault activities".

This raises a number of questions: 1. Did she have the authority to do so?
2. If so, was he given unfettered access to the data base which would allow him to edit that data?
3. Was she aware of any editing that was being done or maintain any oversight over the process?
4. Was there any sort of a verification system in place by her or the State organization which would provide for some notice to be given to a person whose history, data, etc. was being changed so as to allow that person/candidate to challenge the changes before they went into effect?

If these simple questions can't be answered then it seems to me that the whole system is meaningless and will in the end have been a huge waste of resources to create.

I would suggest that the State committee, though it dismissed the charges and chose not to remove the chairman, did find that that there was laxity in the manner in which she handled the Voter Vault system and access to the editing process. I point simply to the Times article again wherein it is reported that the State party leadership reportedly have agreed to "keep Kim (Lake County Chairman Kim Krull) from having any kind of editing access---through 2012-- and will take over. . .safeguards."

Hopefully this latter action by the State party leadership will put a stop to such activity and will ensure the entegrity of the system, thereby building confidence in the Republican Party organization.

Further, I hope that the chairman will take from this a hard learned lesson that one in her position has to be careful of whom she entrusts with such powers to represent herself and the Lake County Republican Party.

I question if that is the case, however, when the first words out of the mouth of Mr. Janiec, the so-called Voter Vault Manger was that these allegations were "specious" and "smacked of a personal vendeta". I doubt the State Leadership would agree with that characterization or else they would have allowed the status quo to continue.

The chairman appointed Mr. Janiec to the position he enjoys--perhaps she ought to consider removing him, which is within her power to do, or at a minimum she should consider stuffing a sock in his mug so his inane and self serving utterances are muted.

Perhaps then, the people who look to the County GOP leadership will have the confidence to believe that the organization which she was elected to LEAD is worthy of their confidence and support in the future.

What is at stake in all of this is far larger than the individuals involved.

TM, That's assuming we have a welcoming proce...

2012-05-24T11:37:57.910-07:00

TM,

That's assuming we have a welcoming process. When the Vice Chair for the county insists on creating a blood bath for his primary election (see Janiec recording right side home page) how can we all expect to have our say and participate in a welcoming manner.

May I suggest simply acting like normal Republican...

2012-05-24T10:31:21.659-07:00

May I suggest simply acting like normal Republicans might be each one of our best strategies? Normal Republicans show up, have their say, participate and help the party.

Let's do that.

I expect it would have good results.

Like I said in the post, I'm just waiting for ...

2012-05-24T09:49:55.777-07:00

Like I said in the post, I'm just waiting for her next act of revenge. We know that she has tried to "Star Chamber" elected committeemen. What more can she do?

I always take my flip cam with me, one day I hope to document some of these antics.

Time will tell whether the chairman has taken a le...

2012-05-24T09:12:01.320-07:00

Time will tell whether the chairman has taken a lesson from all of this. Her record would suggest she is a slow learner, but then perhaps she has had some tutelage from the state that will curb her excesses.

Putting on "Big Girl Pants" requires Kim...

2012-05-24T09:05:05.364-07:00

Putting on "Big Girl Pants" requires Kim Krull to be willing to resolve the problem.

I don't hold much faith she has the courage to do so.

This entire situation is rediculous. The party lea...

2012-05-24T08:46:47.689-07:00

This entire situation is rediculous. The party leadership handled it in a ham handed manner. Rather than address the concerns about tampering with appropriate concern, they were dismissive from the outset and attacked those people whose histories were distorted.

There was a problem--the fact that the state committee while dismissing the charges--restricted the Chairman's editing ability is proof of that.

When a problem like this comes up address it forthrightly and with dispatch--that way people will have confidence in the leadership and the party organization as a whole.

The real losers in this type situation are those who give untold hours of their time to promote the Republican party only to see those efforts eclipsed by adolescent behavior.

It's past time for everyone involved to put on their big girl/boy pants and grow up.

That's what you get for letting Hero handle yo...

2012-05-24T07:13:50.618-07:00

That's what you get for letting Hero handle your problems.

Are you ready to retire Hero and let someone who has a little more logic handle this?

So much for being a "republican" in Lake...

2012-05-23T14:53:10.644-07:00

So much for being a "republican" in Lake County F#%@ em all and let god sort them out!

Thanks for commenting, Steve, I really appreciate ...

2012-05-23T13:26:49.672-07:00

Thanks for commenting, Steve, I really appreciate the feedback!

link to article of which I spoke of above: http:/...

2012-05-23T13:23:46.381-07:00

link to article of which I spoke of above:

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/go-midwest-young-man-indianas-plan-to-steal-california-jobs/257466/

buzzcut, you made my day! After reading the below...

2012-05-23T13:21:39.206-07:00

buzzcut, you made my day! After reading the below article (which I shared with friends & family), I was left wanting to know if this guy was a liberal...'cause it sure felt like it. I found your site by simply "googling" Morton Marucs Liberal. Ha!

Three kudos - you have earned my award for "quote of the day"!

steve tanton
rfd Illinois

It's a 2009 study and doesn't even appear ...

2012-05-23T12:01:03.698-07:00

It's a 2009 study and doesn't even appear to cover the relevant facts which is offensive vs defensive gun uses. Cars overwhelmingly improve lives, even save them. That's why we tolerate the carnage we have on our roads every year. It's the balance that matters for public policy.

Guns should be judged by the same standard. Is private gun ownership and carry legislation leading to, on net, more live Hoosiers or more dead ones? From all the data that I've seen it overwhelmingly saves lives. There is a price to pay but it is a price well worth paying.