How to Live in Jack OMalley’s Head Rent-Free

Saturday , 25, April 2020 Up North Progressive Election 2020, Elections, MAGA, Michigan Republicans, Sad! Leave a comment

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Four sheriffs in Northern Michigan announced in a press release they would pick and choose when to enforce Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s constitutional executive order to keep Michiganders safe. State House Rep Jack O’Malley (R – “Screw ya!”) discussed this during a telephone conference with himself, the four sheriffs, and State Senator Curt VanderWall (R – Crabgrass!). Two of those sheriffs confided in residents of their counties they felt forced by O’Malley to sign on to that press release.

It didn’t take long after that for Jack O’Malley to begin one of his daily video tirades on Facebook by pointing out that “Up North Progressive passed this on to me” and then held up to the camera a screenshot from one of his previous videos used in the article published about the four sheriffs. Let it be known here and now that Up North Progressive blogs about northern Michigan politics. Articles about northern Michigan politicians are also published. Up North Progressive NEVER contacts anyone featured in an article in a cheap attempt to get a reaction. It’s always fun though when the subject of an article finds the website and provides free advertising. It’s even better when they decide to leave replies. Thanks, Gary Glenn!

But now that Up North Progressive is living rent-free in Jack O’Malley’s head, let’s discuss some things.

This pandemic crisis the world is dealing with right now is in no way coming to any endpoint. Even the FOB criticized the Governor of Georgia for opening up the state’s businesses too soon (and then immediately denied doing it in true Trump fashion).

Governor Whitmer used her constitutional authority to keep Michiganders safe. Jack O’Malley insinuates the Governor will need to make some compromises in the coming days or face the consequences. This means the Republicans cause the people of Michigan more pain and blame it the Governor to score political points.

This talk of an “economic” patient who demands the blood of Michigander lives to survive has to be some of the most disturbing imagery used by a politician. Yes, Michigan’s unemployment system is terrible. When unemployment in Michigan was low it was still difficult to use and according to a Michigan Works employee who confided with Up North Progressive, it was designed by the previous administration to be difficult enough that people would give up. Now millions every week try to access the system never meant to accommodate so many. It functions by design to frustrate people to the point they just stop trying. That is not Gretchen Whitmer’s fault. That is the fault of the businesses in Michigan that demanded $2 billion in tax cuts. Rick Snyder was more than happy to oblige at the expense of Michigan’s workers.

Now the Michigan Chamber of Commerce demands that Michigan’s economy needs to be reopened not because of workers suffering, but corporate profits are taking a hit.

No economy can recover if the engine of the economy – labor – is too sick to go to work. If they do go back to work, they will infect others, and the disease will continue to spread. A look at meat packing plants in other states where there are no stay at home orders show us what will happen if we reopen the economy in Michigan too soon.

Listening as Jack O’Malley rationalizes sacrificing Michigan lives is necessary to feed the capitalist gods and Governor Whitmer plays ball or else shouldn’t make anyone feel that better days for the state are right around the corner. Quite the opposite.

Oh, and Jack? There was a swastika at the Operation Gridlock rally in Lansing on April 15, 2020.

Enbridge Not Giving Up on Line 5: Tell Them What You Think

Thursday , 23, April 2020 Up North Progressive Enbridge Line 5, Michigan Water Leave a comment

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The Michigan Public Service Commission received an application from Enbridge Energy on April 17, 2020, requesting authority to replace or relocate Enbridge Line 5 into a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. Currently, the 67-year-old pipeline lays on the bottom of the Straits exposed to corrosion and damage from rupturing; dumping millions of gallons of oil into Lakes Huron and Michigan. The potential damage to waters, lake bottom, and shoreline would be catastrophic to wildlife and humans.

During the lame-duck session of 2018, Rick Snyder (R-Hates Clean Water) and the Republican-dominated state legislature passed PA 359. The law allows Enbridge Energy to continue pumping oil through the aged pipeline for 10 years while digging a tunnel under the bridge. Early in 2019, Attorney Dana Nessel submitted an opinion that PA 359 was unconstitutional.

Enbridge so far has tried a number of different tactics to keep the oil and gas flowing. In June Enbridge sued the state demanding enforcement of the unconstitutional law signed by Snyder. Then in a bizarre turn, they paid for sponsorship with The Michigan Association of Counties Conference and got County Boards of Commissioners around the state to pass resolutions supporting the tunnel for Line 5.

It seems none of this has worked, because now they have filed this application with the MPSC. What exactly could this do for Enbridge and their agenda to destroy the Straits no matter what?

Enbridge wants to use Public Act 16 of 1929 to be granted the authority to build their tunnel under the Straits. If the MPSC approves the application, Enbridge may proceed with construction and nobody can stop them, thanks to another law, the Administrative Procedure Act of 1969.

What this means is Enbridge could build their tunnel and put the Straits of Mackinac at risk.

What can we do? First, you can sign up to receive email updates about any filings to Enbridge’s application, which is known as case number U-20763. There is also a public comment period to let the MPSC know what you think of Enbridge’s plan. Written comments can be submitted by email at mpscedockets@michigan.gov or by mail to Michigan Public Service Commission, 7109 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing, MI 48917. Remember to include the case number U-20763 on your comment.

Enbridge Energy wants to undermine the will of Michigan’s residents no matter what. Let the MPSC know how much you disapprove of Enbridge’s plans to keep Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac.

Dying for Trump’s Election Profits: O’Malley and VanderWall Conspire With Four Sheriffs to Commit Pre-Meditated Murder

Wednesday , 15, April 2020 Up North Progressive Community, Election 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, MAGA, Sad!, Trumpenreich 1 Comment

This is one of those days when Up North Progressive throws 400 words away because everything has changed with the passage of hours instead of days. What’s going on in Northern Michigan can only be described as disgusting.

Today the sheriffs of four counties in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan issued a press release stating they would pick and choose when and if they would enforce Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders.

“While we understand her desire to protect the public, we question some restrictions that she has imposed as overstepping her executive authority. She has created a vague framework of emergency laws that only confuse Michigan citizens.”



What motivated the sheriffs of these four counties to issue the line in the sand with the Governor? According to Jack O’Malley, the Republican State Rep for the 101st District and Curt VanderWall are behind undermining of the Governor’s authority, as articulated by Jack O’Malley in this Facebook video.

O’Malley talks at length about the video conference he had with Sheriffs Kim Cole, Ken Falk, Ted Schendel, and Mike Borkovich. The Ludington Police ticketed someone for violating the Governor’s order. Curt VanderWall and Jack O’Malley decided the best way to deal with that was to talk the local county sheriffs in O’Malley’s 101st State House District into defying Governor Whitmer’s orders. The reason O’Malley gives for this discussion is the orders are too confusing and Governor Whitmer is overreaching her authority.

There is nothing confusing about Governor Whitmer’s restrictions. She’s doing her best as the law allows to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state of Michigan. The first set of orders didn’t slow down the spread of the virus fast enough, and it was necessary to require more restrictions. The point of staying home, keeping distance between each other, and proper hygiene is so more of us don’t get sick. All of these stringent measures are working.

So what is the motivation behind O’Malley and VanderWall’s convincing the sheriffs of the 101st State House District it was perfectly fine to ignore the Governor’s executive order?

Trump took to Twitter immediately after Governor Whitmer accurately described how incompetent his administration’s response was to the spreading virus in the United States. Trump’s method of handling the needs of the states is governors who are loyal to him get what they need. Governors who are not loyal are ignored. This is why states such as New York and Michigan, despite swiftly implementing best practices to stop the spread of the virus are struggling, while states loyal to Trump get everything they need. Trump exacerbated the problem by seizing orders for PPE supplies from states, running a classic soviet-style racketeering scheme to control supply.

Literally hours after Mike Shirkey required the state legislature to come to Lansing on April 7, 2020, to vote for a much shorter continuance of Governor Whitmer’s executive order, the state reps and senators went back home and began a coordinated attack on the governor demanding people go back to work as soon as possible. One of the most vocal opponents of Governor Whitmer in Northern Michigan is Curt VanderWall, the other elected official present at the video conference with the four sheriffs of the 101st State House District.

VanderWall barely waited hours after voting to extend Governor Whitmer’s EO to attack the Governor for overreaching and use powers she did not have to restrict nonessential businesses from spreading the virus. It just so happens that Curt VanderWall owns a landscaping “compnay” in Ludington, one of those businesses the Governor listed as being nonessential.

While VanderWall argues with his constituents there’s no reason people can’t go back to work right away without testing, Trump’s loyal followers echo each other like the brainless chuds they are: Whitmer is a dictator. Whitmer can’t lead. Whitmer won’t let us plant gardens. Whitmer won’t let us fill up our bass boats. Whitmer’s on the shortlist for the veepstakes. 

Governor Whitmer is struggling to save your life. She’s fighting with a spray-tanned narcissistic bully blaming everyone else for the disaster he could have prevented but chose not to because it would make him look bad, and now everyone’s out of work and the economy’s tanked and it’s making him look bad.

Jack O’Malley, Curt VanderWall, the entire Republican Party, and especially Covidiot Trump could care less how many of us die as long as they can breathe life into what matters to them most: Keeping their corporate donors happy. Jack O’Malley and Curt VanderWall are being selfish and dismissive of the real threat COVID_19 continues to be to the people of Northern Michigan. Demanding we go back to work while cases of the disease are still growing in some regions of the state is pre-meditated murder. Defying the Governor’s orders to keep us safe by convincing the four sheriffs of the 101st District to ignore businesses who violate the Executive Order will only mean more people are exposed, more people get sick, and unfortunately, more people will die in Rural Northern Michigan. It’s criminal that O’Malley and VanderWall have so little care for human life to put their constituents at risk. Profit over people is the GOP way.

If you would like to let these sheriffs know exactly what you think of their open contempt for human life in their counties, give them a call:

Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office Mike Borkovich: 231-256-8800

Benzie County Sheriff’s Office Ted Schendel: 231-882-4484

Manistee County Sheriff’s Office Ken Falk: 231-723-8393

Mason County Sheriff’s Office Kim Cole: 231-843-3475

How to Concern-Troll Governor Whitmer During a Pandemic With @MIGOP Scripted Talking Points

Sunday , 5, April 2020 Up North Progressive MAGA, Michigan Republicans, Michigan Women, Sad! Leave a comment

You would think during this troubling time Republicans and Democratic Party politicians could put partisan issues aside and together fight the COVID-19 pandemic currently devastating our state. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been in office for about 15 months. She’s made tough decisions nobody likes to protect the people of Michigan. Our Governor also has to put up with a belligerent, pathological liar narcissist bully quick to punish anyone who doesn’t bow and scrape in total worshipful loyalty. Trump’s vindictive, petty name-calling and refusal to cooperate with Governor Whitmer is killing Michiganders, not Governor Whitmer. Instead of backing up the Governor, Michigan Republicans criticize Governor Whitmer over her COVID-19 response.

Last night, Republican State Representative Jack O’Malley posted a video on Facebook claiming he didn’t want to get political. He hasn’t criticized Governor Whitmer, even when he doesn’t agree with her … BUT … he has a couple of other thoughts about things that bother him.

O’Malley starts with the statement, “I know she’s criticized another politician … “ then goes into a rant about her appearance on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show wearing a t-shirt with THAT WOMAN FROM MICHIGAN screen-printed on it.

The Daily Show is a “late night chucklehead show” as O’Malley calls it, but this interview with Governor Whitmer completely lacks the usual comedy elements of the parody news program. What Jack is really mad about is she’s wearing that t-shirt on the show. For over three years Republicans have to pretend they’re just fine with every abhorrent thing Trump says or they will anger their base, which happens to be Trump’s cult followers. O’Malley also brings up rumors that Biden may have shortlisted her for the veepstakes but insists he doesn’t want to go there by going there. “Stop with all this national stuff!” He blusters. Instead of backing up the Governor Michigan Republicans instead criticize Governor Whitmer over her COVID-19 response.

Poor Jack O’Malley. If only Trump had thicker skin and no twitter account, then no one would know “that woman from Michigan” is Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Jack O’Malley moves on to those couple of things that bother him. The first thing is Michigan’s overwhelmed unemployment system. When the number of claims being filed jumps up by 4000 percent, there’s going to be some downtime until changes are made for the system to accommodate all of the people who now can’t go to work because Trump played golf when he should have been working to stop the spread of the pandemic and save American lives.

O’Malley then complains about the Stay at Home order because it includes landscapers and contractors. He admits that landscaping in Detroit may be hazardous, but up north it’s completely different, so let those people go back to work.

Jack O’Malley doesn’t exactly say how landscaping downstate is different from landscaping up north. No matter where landscapers work they’re moving from location to location potentially spreading the virus throughout the region where they work. Just because landscapers in northern Michigan have to travel long distances to get from job to job (do they really though) doesn’t mean they’re less likely to infect others and spread the disease. More people are home right now. Don’t they have time to mow, trim, and prune their own lawns?

Jack finishes his 6 minutes ‘I’m not criticizing the governor’ criticism of the governor with a good old-fashioned patronizing statement for Governor Whitmer:

“If you’re scared and you think oh my gosh we should all just be at home. Just hang in there!”

And then holds up a piece of paper with the Governor’s constituent services telephone number. He stresses repeatedly to be polite when calling. He knows his base well enough to warn them not to use the typical Cult45 hate speech and death threats.

Complaining about the overloaded unemployment system issue seems fairly straightforward, but the complaint about the stay at home order and how it’s not fair to landscapers seems odd. It’s not fair to anyone that we’re forced to stay home and not do the things we normally do. Like, earn paychecks so we can pay our bills, rent, and house notes.

Jack O’Malley isn’t that unique of a snowflake, however. Over in the 97th State House District, Jason Wentworth quoted in yesterday’s Detroit News also brought up the issues with the unemployment office’s website and phone lines being inaccessible. Wentworth also complains about the stay at home order and how it’s just not fair for … wait for it … landscapers and contractors.

And at the time of this writing over at Off The Record Republican Bill Ballenger is admonishing Governor Whitmer for daring to stand up to Trump by patronizingly suggesting we deserve better behavior from Whitmer than Trump. No, seriously. He said that.

What is the purpose of all of these Republicans parroting talking points on a Sunday morning? This Coming Tuesday, April 7, 2020, the state legislature will consider Gretchen Whitmer’s extension on the stay at home order. Whitmer wants people to stay home for another 70 days. Michigan Republicans are worried about the states’ landscapers.

Good time to complain about t-shirts and interviews on chucklehead late shows. You can always rely on Republicans to behave like Republicans. Profits before people.

So it goes.

Committee to Ban Fracking Wins Court of Appeals Lawsuit!

Thursday , 2, April 2020 Up North Progressive Election 2020, Environment Leave a comment

Are You Ready For Some Good News? The Committee to Ban Fracking, the intrepid organization from Charlevoix, Michigan, won their lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Appeals on April 2, 2020. The years-long battle to give the citizens of Michigan the right to decide if they want fracking to continue to Michigan now goes to the Secretary of State. If all goes the way it should, the people of Michigan will have the opportunity to bran fracking in the state.

On November 5, 2018, the committee brought 270,962 signatures to the State of Michigan Bureau of Elections. Enough valid signatures would put the ballot proposal on the 2020 ballot. The Director of Elections refused to take the 47 boxes of petitions. The Committee to Ban Fracking sued the Director of Elections and the Secretary of State in the Michigan Court of Appeals. The court refused to take any action on the suit.

The Director of Elections tried to illegally change their mind on an earlier court ruling in 2016 when the court told the Committee to Ban Fracking when they collected enough additional signatures they could file their petitions. Two years later, the Director of Elections attempted to block that filing.

On Thursday, April 2, 2020, the Court of Appeals decided for the plaintiffs. They did everything required and the Board of Canvassers must treat the filing as if successfully filed on November 5, 2018. That means the ballot proposal was filed in time for the 2020 election.

“In sum, plaintiffs submitted an initiative petition that was facially compliant with all statutory requirements. The Secretary was required to pass it on to the Board for the Board to determine the validity of the petition and canvass the signatures. If the Board rejects the petition, plaintiff may seek review before the Supreme Court. See MCL 168.479.”

What happens next is the Board of Canvassers will certify that the committee gathered enough valid signatures within the 180-day window (they did). The State Legislature then has 40 days to enact the proposal. If they do nothing, it goes to the 2020 general election ballot.

Congratulations and thank you to the Committee to Ban Fracking. All of your hard work will give the people of Michigan the opportunity to let their voices be heard.

Great Lakes Tissue Toilet Paper Sale Every Wednesday: The Times We Live In

Tuesday , 17, March 2020 Up North Progressive Community Leave a comment

Today is the March 10, 2020 Michigan Presidential Primary!

Tuesday , 10, March 2020 Up North Progressive Election 2020, Presidential Primary 2020 Leave a comment

It’s vitally important that every registered voter goes to the polls today and vote. There are some important changes with voting in 2020 thanks to people voting for those changes in the 2018 general election.

You can now vote by absentee ballot without a specific reason for needing one. If you didn’t get your ballot in the mail, you have until 8:00 PM tonight to deliver it in person to the County Clerk’s office.

If you’re not registered to vote and want to vote, you can register to vote today by going to your county or city clerk’s office or township office. If you will be 18 on or before November 3, 2020, you are eligible to vote and can register today. Bring a form of ID or proof you live in the voting precinct when you register. Go do it now!

No excuses, Michigan. Vote!

Now ICE Leases TWO Prisons in Michigan

Thursday , 20, February 2020 Up North Progressive GEO Group, Punk Prison, Trumpenreich Leave a comment


On February 12, 2020 the Lake County Board of Commissioners approved with unanimous vote to accept a contract from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The contract will allow ICE to move prisoners from North Lake Correctional Facility, owned by GEO Group, to the shuttered Lake County jail annex located in Baldwin.

The annex up until October of 2019 was leased by the Michigan Department of Corrections as part of their Residential Reentry Program. The facility housed parolees, men and women prisoners, and eventually expanded into residential reentry. The facility, which has a capacity of 300 only had 20 residents at the time of its closure. The building is owned by Lake County and the dwindling population provided by MDOC couldn’t justify the cost of keeping the jail open.

The promise of rehiring personnel laid off with the closure of the jail annex persuaded the Lake County Board of Commissioners to unanimously vote in favor of the offer made by ICE. This new ICE facility will work with the Lake County Sheriff Department which currently handles transporting prisoners from NLCF. Undersheriff Wesley Bierling says rehiring corrections staff will take pressure off the County Sheriff for transportation.

Over the last six months, they have had around 200 releases. Every day we would be driving somewhere, picking someone up and dropping them off somewhere else. That would require two corrections officers from our jail.

Not only will the Lake County Sheriff provide transportation for prisoners released from NLCF, they will also work with ICE to transport anywhere within the ICE field office based in Grand Rapids, which services 13 counties in West Michigan.

When the Lake County jail annex closed last year, the County Board of Commissioners was faced with the problem of finding someone who could legally use the facility. Publicly owned facilities cannot be leased to private companies. The fact that an ICE facility will be located on a major Michigan highway, M 37, should also be cause for concern.

ICE is coming to northern Michigan. The Democratic Party winning the election in November becomes more critical every day.

Enjoy an Extra Day of Michigan Free Fishing Weekend with This Cool Trick: Fish Hate It

Monday , 10, February 2020 Up North Progressive DNR Leave a comment

The first Michigan Free Fishing Weekend of 2020 will be this Saturday, February 15, through Monday, February 17, 2020. During this weekend, anyone in Michigan can fish without a license. All other fishing regulations still apply. Anyone wanting to use boating access sites at state parks during the Michigan Free Fishing Weekend can do so for free.

This coming weekend is also the time The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be upgrading their license and permit purchasing system. If you need to buy a permit or license for anything other than fishing, you need to apply for it now or wait until 12:00 PM on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, when the new purchasing system goes live.

And since you can’t buy any fishing licenses until then, the DNR will allow an extra day of Michigan Free Fishing Weekend on Monday, February 17, 2020. State parks will also be free on Monday.

Many state parks have planned events happening during the Michigan Free Fishing Weekend. Winter festivals, ice fishing derbies and other events are already scheduled all over the state. You can check for dates and locations at by clicking this link.

Enjoy an extra day of free fishing this weekend during the DNR’s Michigan Free Fishing Weekend this February 15th through the 17th.

@TruckerRandy and Friends Use “Resolution” to Nullify Common-Sense Gun Laws: It’s Not Very Effective

Monday , 3, February 2020 Up North Progressive MAGA, Sad!, Trumpenreich Leave a comment

Have you bothered to read the minutes of your County Board of Commissioners lately? When did you last attend a meeting? Have you ever attended a meeting? True, they like to convene those meetings during the middle of the day when most people are at work. If you’re too busy to be bothered to even read up on what’s happening, keep in mind the people Up North Progressive is going to talk about today definitely are going to meetings, and what they’re up to is alarming.

Red hats, second amendment fetishists, and valknut wearing neo-nazis converged on Richmond, Virginia, on January 20, 2020, to protest the state’s legislature adopting common-sense gun laws to protect Virginians. Most Americans regarded the midlife crisis LARP at the Virginia capital a bad day to find parking in Richmond. For the participants, however, it was a call to bring the crazy back to their home state.

Randy Bishop aka “Trucker Randy” attended the Type 2 Diabeetus gathering for 2A rally. Now he’s back in Michigan using his radio show and social media for his Second Amendment resolution campaign. This is how it works:

  1. Download this blank resolution document, edit out (YOUR COUNTY’S NAME) and replace it with your county’s name.
  2. Take it to your County Board of Commissioners meeting and demand they put it on their agenda and bring it to a vote.
  3. Call up all of your 2A loving friends and have them show up at the meeting so it looks like lots of people support it.
  4. …
  5. PROFIT!

According to Trucker Randy and everyone else involved in this project, this magic document will nullify any common-sense gun law they don’t like. The magic 2A sanctuary county resolution empowers the County Sheriff to ignore state and federal government laws involving guns.

What Randy Bishop and his gun-loving friends don’t understand is that resolutions at the county level deal with policies for how the county government will function. These policies affect the budget, personnel, the various agencies and so on.  There are limits to a County government’s legislative powers. All resolutions and ordinances passed by the local government require permission from the Governor. Any policy or ordinance that conflicts with laws at the state level is not enforceable.

The red flag law Trucker Randy and the rest of the 2A gun fetishists are worried about was introduced last year to the Michigan Legislature but hasn’t been assigned to a committee. These people are so terrified of their guns being taken away they think they need this resolution in place before a law exists. Protection to do things like this.

Or this.

Or this.

Or this.

Their agenda is to intimidate every County Board of Commissioners into passing this resolution. Five counties have approved it so far, and there will be more in a matter of days. Now would be a good time to take the time to check in on what’s happening. These people will be there demanding their 2A protection resolution in your county as soon as possible.