McAdams Promises More; JS Doesn't Bother with Prof

The Perfessor and I share the cynicism, but he actually DID something about it.

Public hearings are usually a sham. So when the Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System held a hearing in Milwaukee this afternoon, we weren’t expecting anything great.

The Commission, it seems, has an odd charge. They have been told by Governor Doyle to “(a.) Determine whether discrimination is built into the criminal justice system at each stage of the criminal justice continuum of arrest through parole; and (b.) Recommend strategies and solutions to reduce the racial disparity in the Wisconsin criminal justice system. . . .”

But the second task assumes a particular outcome of the first.

Doh. Yah.

Nonetheless, the Prof presented his stuff:

We rattled off various analyses we have done, all of which show that the “disproportionate” incarceration of blacks in Wisconsin is the result of the fact that blacks disproportionately commit crimes.

And, of course, the response from the Elected Ignoramus was predictable.

Spencer Coggs asked us “are you saying that blacks commit crimes at a greater rate than whites, as opposed to being stopped more often by police?”

We responded “yes, that’s exactly what I’m are saying.”

Coggs then responded that “that’s not what the studies show.”

The Prof says that Coggs' response was "stupefying." There may be better words for it, but you get the general idea.

1) The Prof cites a dozen studies saying that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'

2) The Elected Ignoramus says that 'the studies' do NOT say that 'Gravity Exerts Force.'

Well, here's the good news:

...since we have just finished an article on the subject which will appear in the Fall issue of The Wisconsin Interest,

So we have something worth reading, which will appear soon.

Speaking of "worth reading," why doesn't the JSOnline report mention McAdams' presentation?

From what the JS DOES say, McAdams' remarks would at least serve as "the other guys said..." kinda material. Looks as though the JS' mind is made up.

No facts need interfere here, folks. Move along now...