It appears Blackwhite is contagious.

Republicans* said and did some really absurd and scary things yesterday.

Scott Fitzgerald, the Senate Majority Leader:

We simply cannot have democracy be held hostage because the minority wants to prove a point.

That's right, Scott Fitzgerald.  It is holding democracy hostage that the Senate Democrats are doing by staying in Illinois.  Because what your fellow Senate Republicans did—rubber-stamping a bill from the Governor's office with a nary a thought to what was in the bill, refusing to support any Democrat's amendment, refusing to submit any of your own amendments unless the Governor asked and voting to block any amendments from even being offered--is democratic.  Being an extension of the Governor's office as members of a separate branch of the government is democratic and the Senate Democrats leaving the state is not.

Scott, if the point of leaving the state was to show that you and your fellow Senate Republicans weren't acting in the interests of democracy, that's a point worth proving.  Because, perhaps, you might become ashamed of your actions and change your minds.  Given that you and your fellow Senate Republicans are still able to register actual figures and facts and all.

Wait, what's this?  You guys found the Senate Democrats to be in contempt?  And...

Along with the finding of contempt came an order that law enforcement detain Democrats and bring them to the Senate chambers.

This can't be right.  We need more:

The Senate voted in the morning that absent Democrats would be in contempt of a Senate rule requiring attendance if they did not return by 4 p.m. When they didn't return, the Senate reconvened and Fitzgerald signed for each missing senator an "order to detain (in the nature of a warrant to arrest and deliver)."

So, Scotty, not only do you and your cohorts find them in contempt for attempting to stop a totalitarian regime from crashing an iron fist through public-unions, but you yourself sign an order to arrest and deliver the Senators?  And that's legal?!

The state constitution says lawmakers can be compelled to attend legislative sessions but does not spell out how that can be done. But the constitution also says legislators can be arrested only for crimes, treason or breach of the peace. 

"The Wisconsin Senate has absolutely no authority to order any of its members arrested or taken into custody in order to compel their attendance," said a legal memo from attorneys Lester Pines and Susan Crawford.

Oh, it's not legal.  That makes sense, totalitarian regimes aren't known for staunchly respecting laws.

Fitzgerald said that Republicans were initially "nervous" about taking such a step, but that Democrats have created a "constitutional crisis."

"This is not about a budget-repair bill or about politics," Fitzgerald said. "This is much bigger than that, and the minority party has forced our hand. . . . They're insulting the very fabric of our representative democracy."

There's a show I like watching: The Ricky Gervais Show.  It takes conversations between Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and a roundheaded buffoon named Karl Pilkington and animates them.  Reading what Scotty just said reminded me of this exchange from the show:

Merchant, reading excerpts from Karl's Diary: "A mate sent me a story on email about a bloke in China who has this weird illness that means he can't have his picture taken." 

[Gervais goes into hysterics]  

Merchant: That's not the weird bit.  "If he tries his body doesn't appear in the photo. " 

Gervais: Don't talk shit! 

Merchant: "He has had group pictures taken and everyone appeared apart from him." 

Gervais: Don't talk shit, that's bollocks!  

Merchant: "The story had a picture next to it of a family photo and it said he was stood at the back but you couldn't see him." 

Gervais: Right, he wasn't in the picture.  

Pilkington: He was in the picture.  

Gervais: No, he wasn't in the picture. 

Pilkington: They done loads of tests and stuff on him.

Gervais: No there's--I haven't done loads of tests. This is bollocks. There's no way this is scientifically possible. What, he's wanted. Yeah, now he's wanted, just a white bit of paper up on the police wall. Have you seen this man? What man? If you see him tell us. You're talking shit.

Scott Fitzgerald Karl Pilkington, don't talk shit.

Wisconsin State Senator Karl Pilkington

Pilkington didn't have anything else to say, did he?  Oh, he did?  Oh, it's just as awful?

[Pilkington] said citizens who see absent Democrats in Wisconsin could report them to police.

Once they return, Democrats would be able to challenge the contempt finding. But Fitzgerald also said that even after Democrats return, Republicans would consider possible discipline for them, such as reprimanding them, censuring them or expelling them from the Senate.

Well that's just great.  Turn citizens into Junior Spies so the Senate Democrats can become unpersons.  Terrific.

* -- except for Senator Dale Schultz of Richland Center. He actually gives a shit about democracy.