Baraga County Republicans Display Profanity at a Public Family Event With Sponsors

Wednesday , 12, June 2019 Up North Progressive Sad!, Trumpenreich 1 Comment

Remember when the MAGA chuds got their undies all in a bunch over Governor Whitmer’s 2018 campaign slogan, “fix the damn roads” because she used a swear word? The same people who scolded her for that recently flew this banner in public in L’Anse, Michigan.

Baraga County Republican Party members attended Lake Trout Festival in L’Anse today. The response was tremendous! Dozens of new activists were signed up.

Baraga County is excited to re-elect President Donald J. Trump and the entire conservative ticket. #KeepAmericaGreat

When people join the Republican Party they’re not members, they’re “activists.” Interesting.

This banner was part of a booth at a public event with sponsors and activities for children because this festival is a family event.

Only old white men are allowed to swear in politics. At least their banner didn’t display this catchy slogan.

Yeah, that’s real.

@SenVanderWall and the Big Star Lake Beach Wars: An Angry Constituent Reaches Out to Up North Progressive

Sunday , 9, June 2019 Up North Progressive Candidates, Community, Michigan Republicans 1 Comment

Up North Progressive enjoys receiving comments from readers. Sometimes they are messages of appreciation and support for the content. Sometimes they are messages full of vitriol from conservatives for telling the truth. There are even times when readers make threats because they really hate the truth. Once in a while, a reader leaves a comment because they want to share information and are even willing to go on the record, usually anonymously, because they feel the information is important enough they want to share with others.

And then there is this comment left a little over a week ago using a fake email address so Up North Progressive couldn’t follow up with them.

J smith, it would really be nice if you could provide some method of contact so your story could be told with more detail. It’s understood you don’t like Curt VanderWall (R-Blessed be the fruit) because he allegedly isn’t being very neighborly with his neighbors on Big Star Lake. You’re so angry about it, you want someone to run against him in the next election for the 35th State Senate District.

Up North Progressive did make the effort to follow up with the reader’s comment by contacting The Big Star Lake Association asking if they were aware of VanderWall throwing people off of the beach. About a week later, this is the response received.

Good Afternoon,

I am responding to an email that was sent to our website regarding Mr Vanderwall.

The Big Star Lake Association does not get involved with Riparian rights issues around our lake. Our focus is on recreational activities for members as well as safety and environmental issues.

That being said I am aware of some issues near Mr Vanderwall’s property but to the best of my knowledge he has not thrown anyone off the beach in front of his cottage. His neighbor however is actively pursuing what he believes are his legal rights to his property.

Name Redacted
Big Star Lake Association

The good people of the Big Star Lake Association don’t want to get involved, but they know there are problems with Curt VanderWall and his neighbors. “Actively pursuing legal rights to his property” sounds serious.

J smith, if you or someone else who knows what’s going on at Big Star Lake with Curt VanderWall would like to discuss this issue further, please feel free to contact Up North Progressive. And please use a real email address this time.

Larry Inman Got a Note From His Doctor to Keep His House Seat

Thursday , 6, June 2019 Up North Progressive Michigan Republicans Leave a comment

“The drugs made me do it you can’t kick me out now!”

Using the excuse you were high as a kite when you used extortion to get money for your vote is a hell of a defense.

Or is this to explain why Larry Inman lied to the FBI?

Now that there’s a doctor involved it’s all privileged information.

Stay tuned, this is going to get better in the near future.

You Better Quit Larry We Really Mean It This Time: Michigan State House District 104 is Stuck With Larry Inman to the Bitter End

Wednesday , 5, June 2019 Up North Progressive Michigan Republicans Leave a comment


Yesterday, the Michigan State House drafted a resolution “urging” Larry Inman (R-Would it have been okay if Betsy DeVos wrote the check?) to resign his seat as representative for the 104th State House District. On May, 15, 2019, Inman was charged by a federal court for extortion and lying to the FBI. Inman, claiming the feds didn’t interpret the texts he sent to a union leader correctly because there’s the letter of the text and the spirit of the text, refuses to resign and insists he will remain as the elected legislator of the 104th district until the end of his term.

Gunslinger of the House, Lee Chatfield, (R – immune to level 9 TSA abjuration spells), and Christine Greig, (D-Farmington Hills), co-sponsored the resolution draft, which cites the Michigan Constitution’s oath of office and several Michigan House rules about how not to openly be a criminal while serving in public office. Michigan Republicans insist they are the icons of virtue and morality in politics with great examples in recent memory like Cindy Gamrat, Todd Courser, Rick Snyder, and John Engler. They certainly won’t let Larry Inman get away with this outrage.

So far, Inman has been booted from the Republican House Caucus and all of his committee seats. Inman, joking that he should have called instead of texting insists he is being misrepresented and his texts were taken out of context.

In the Era of Trump, why are Republicans surprised when their members holding down ballot offices behave just like Trump? The White House currently houses a reality TV star who made his money laundering Russian mob money, accepted money from people in exchange for influence in his administration to pay for his inauguration, and used campaign funds to pay hush money to porn stars Trump slept with when Barron was a newborn. The current Secretary of Education publicly bragged about buying votes in the Michigan Legislature to get what she wants. The former governor poisoned Flint with lead, exposed thousands of children to the toxic metal and killed 13 people. Yesterday we found out the Republicans deliberately hid evidence from the investigation into that disaster. Honestly, Larry Inman is behaving like the typical Republican. We’ll have to wait and see if Lee Chatfield can manage to muster up the votes to expel him.

The Snyder Legacy Updated: The Nerd’s Mobile Seized in Flint Water Crisis Investigation

Monday , 3, June 2019 Up North Progressive Flint Water, Nerd Problems Leave a comment

Rick Snyder and his lethal emergency manager law may finally be receiving the justice it deserves. On May 19, 2019, warrants were issued to seize the mobile devices of the former Governor and over sixty other state officials involved with the cover-up of the Flint water disaster. Included with the Governor’s Office were warrants for former employees of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Technology, Management and Budget, and Department of Health and Human Services. Attorney General Dana Nessel appointed Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud to handle the investigation into Snyder’s administration.

The AG’s office under the management of Bill Schuette brought charges on fifteen officials, some still working for the state. The new Solicitor General, using warrants signed by a Flint Judge, now has newly uncovered evidence hidden from or by the previous investigation, according to an FOIA request obtained by the Associated Press:

The warrants came after Hammoud this year reported that boxes of records were discovered in the basement of a state building, including phone extractions and a “trove” of other materials stored on hard drives that allegedly had not been turned over in response to the subpoenas.

The warrants include the devices of Dan Wyant, former director of the MDEQ, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, Snyder’s proxy Richard Baird, and former Chief of Staff Dick Posthumus.

Hammoud fired Todd Flood, the former special prosecutor working on the case for the past three years in April of 2019, accusing him of mishandling evidence. Flood’s investigation did lead to fifteen people being charged with various crimes related to the Flint crisis, but so far none of them have spent any time in prison for their involvement. Flood and his team of lawyers who worked on the case insist they all acted professionally.

As stated in recent motions, the prosecution is aware of substantial potential evidence that was not provided to the original prosecution team from the onset of the investigation … The team is currently in the process of obtaining this evidence through a variety of means, including search warrants. The team is also conducting a thorough review of existing and newly received evidence pertaining to the Flint water crisis.

Hammoud’s investigation with this new evidence will hopefully bring justice to the people of Flint who have been living with this crisis since 2014. The water in Flint is still undrinkable and the residents still rely on bottled water to drink, cook, and clean. Legionnaire’s Disease deaths caused by the contaminated water from the Flint River is now up to thirteen, with conservative estimates of ninety people total affected. Thousands of people were exposed to lead, including 6,000 children. Snyder’s lasting legacy of his administration will always be his emergency managers and the devastation they waged on the people of the state of Michigan. May this new investigation brings the consequences Rick Snyder deserves as soon as possible.

Marijuana Alone Won’t Fix the Damn Roads But It Could Help

Thursday , 30, May 2019 Up North Progressive Governor Gretchen Whitmer Leave a comment

The Michigan Policy Conference on Mackinac Island is wrapping up today. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the new auto insurance reform law that will hopefully lower the highest premiums in the country. Noted along with the irony that the governor signed the bill while visiting the one place in the state where cars are not allowed is the continued issue over how to fund fixing Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure.

One of the selling points of approving the new recreational marijuana law in the 2018 election was the revenue generated from sales could be used to fix the roads Republicans raised taxes and fees to do, then tossed the money into the general fund and spent it on whatever. Governor Whitmer, however, doesn’t seem convinced marijuana would be much help.

$2500 of marijuana per year seems pretty low. It costs a cigarette smoker smoking one pack a day about the same amount of money, and the taxes Michigan imposes on tobacco sales are pretty hefty. Taxes on marijuana sales can’t pay for all of the road repairs Michigan needs, but it could help.

Governor Whitmer supported legalizing recreational marijuana. She knows that it won’t cover all of the costs, but like tobacco, not everyone in the state uses marijuana. Recreational marijuana users will likely be more than willing to do their part to generate money to fix the damn roads. What Whitmer is trying to get across to the people of Michigan is even with taxes from marijuana sales, the 45 cent gas tax is still needed to really raise the funds Michigan needs to repair and replace our crumbling roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

In Memoriam

Monday , 27, May 2019 Up North Progressive Uncategorized Leave a comment

Two Michigan Republicans Made Headlines This Week: Guess Which One the @GOP’s Mad At

Saturday , 18, May 2019 Up North Progressive Sad! Leave a comment

This has been a banner week for Republicans demonstrating just how ethically bankrupt they are. On May 15, 2019, State House District 104 Rep Larry Inman did a little oopsie when he deliberately texted leadership of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and other unions demanding donations for his no vote on a bill to strip prevailing wage laws in the state. A federal grand jury indicted him for bribery, fraud, and lying to the FBI. Inman, of course, says the texts to the union leaders were completely taken out of context and he has no intention of resigning his office. This is Inman’s last term as a state rep, but you know he’s thinking about 2020.

State Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield (R – Loaded, unregistered firearms are a-okay at the airport in Emmet County) said Inman needs to go and others insist if Inman doesn’t resign on his own, then Chatfield needs to expel him from the State House. Inman embarrassed the Michigan GOP, but since Republicans have no shame when it comes to beating the working people of this state into the ground with low wages, no voice at the ballot box, no health care, and treating women like chattel, we will just have to wait and see what happens next.

But come the weekend and a challenger appeared to cause Republicans even more problems. Justin Amash (R – Pretends to be a rebel but still tows the GOP line 99% of the time) of Michigan’s 3rd US Congressional District made a public statement on Saturday that Donald Trump is a horrible person doing horrible things and they’re all worth being impeached. The Democratic Leadership in Washington can’t even commit to doing what they should have started doing as soon as Nancy Pelosi had her hands on the gavel again, and here’s this Republican of all people saying it’s time to kick Donald and the rest of Trump Crime Family out of the White House.

Amash didn’t tweet any great revelation. Republicans know this is the truth even without reading the Mueller report which they haven’t. Republicans, in order to maintain control of government by any means necessary, know Trump is a criminal and trash and a moron and they don’t care. Republicans are perfectly happy with a White House administration with no understanding of the Constitution, the Rule of Law, or even a sense of human decency.

Both Dum Dum and Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel tweeted their disappointment a member of the Republican Party grew a spine and tweeted the truth. As for Amash, GOP gerrymandering of Michigan’s congressional districts make Amash ironclad safe – at least until the districts are redrawn so all Michigan votes matter again.

Two Michigan Republicans. One doing typical Republican things which of course means illegal things but in this current, nothing matters timeline we live in no one will likely do a damn thing about it until the feds cart Larry Inman off to prison. The other doing the right thing and the entire GOP is more than willing to hang Justin Amash as an example for the rest of degenerate trash that makes up the GOP what will happen to them if they fall out of line.

The Republican Party is the party of no values, no ethics, and no honor and they are perfectly fine with that. The question is, are you?

It’s That Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Saturday , 4, May 2019 Up North Progressive Community Leave a comment

The hunt begins!

@CoreCivic and @WeAreGeo Tug of War: North Lake Correctional Facility Has a Future (Again)

Friday , 3, May 2019 Up North Progressive GEO Group, Punk Prison 4 Comments

In the world of for-profit incarceration, one company’s loss is another company’s gain. GEO Group announced on May 2, 2019, their successful contract bid with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to house 5,000 prisoners for the next ten years. CoreCivic, formerly CCA, issued a statement the day before the Federal Bureau of Prisons ended a contract for housing over 2,200 prisoners. CoreCivic and GEO Group are the two largest for-profit corrections companies in the United States and are in constant competition to pad their bottom lines in an ever-shrinking market. The White House position to treat legal asylum seekers as criminals is just the boost both companies need to keep their shareholders happy.

While 400 employees in Natchez, Mississippi, will soon find themselves at the unemployment office, Baldwin, Michigan, once again will have a line forming through the doors and into the street at the local Michigan Works! office as former and new employees reapply for their jobs at North Lake Correctional Facility. It appears GEO Group’s plans to reopen the prison may be happening very soon.

Since the prison opened in 1998 North Lake Correctional Facility has spent more time shuttered than open. Originally the “punk prison” was a juvenile detention facility until 2005. In 2011 and 2015 GEO Group tried to reopen the prison with inmates from California, Vermont, and Washington State. California changed their mind and decided they would save money keeping their prisoners in California. The Vermont contract for 700 prisoners was never fully utilized by the Vermont Department of Corrections. By the time North Lake canceled the contract in 2017, only 300 prisoners were housed in the 1,800-bed prison. Washington’s contract for 1,000 beds was never fulfilled and the layoffs at the Baldwin prison had already begun by October of 2015.

In 2018 GEO Group announced they would pay for upgrades to the village of Baldwin’s sewer system in anticipation of winning a contract with the Federal Bureau of prisons for possibly as many as 22,000 prisoners. Sewer upgrades are definitely needed to handle the volume of sewage produced by 1,800 prisoners, but GEO Group has other problems they need to face if they really intend to hire the staff needed to reactivate North Lake to capacity. In 2015, GEO Group imported a large number of people to the Baldwin area from other states as well as downstate, and the new employees had a difficult time finding housing when they arrived. Some lived in hotels for months until a house or apartment became available. Since these people had to find homes in Big Rapids, Cadillac, and as far away as Ludington, the promise that the influx of new people in the community would boost the economy never really happened. Part of the deal GEO Group made with the state of Michigan in 2015 included hiring as many local qualified people as possible. Perhaps they could stick to this policy a bit more vigorously this time around, as it became very apparent to the locals in a matter of weeks that not many people from Lake County were hired as promised.

Governor Whitmer already blocked the sale of a state prison to a for-profit prison management company in February. It seems pointless to open another for-profit prison in Michigan when the GEO Group-owned prison already in the state sits empty for years at a time. Currently, 36 jobs are listed for North Lake Correctional Facility on the GEO Group website. Don’t get too excited, most of the jobs are for positions GEO Group hired internally in 2015 for the Vermont and Washington contracts.

It’s important to remember the constant struggle between CoreCivic and GEO Group will continue as both corporations desperately battle to fill prison beds in a country fed up with putting more people in prison. How long North Lake stays open this time will also depend on who wins the presidency in 2020. The current humanitarian crisis at the border created by the oppressive policies of the Trump Administration is one of many major factors angering Americans and building momentum to evict the Trump Crime Family from the White House. Both CoreCivic and GEO Group will heavily fund politicians to ensure their new cash cow doesn’t dry up any time soon.