Republican Pushes For Felony Charge Against Wisconsin Labor Cartoonist Mike Konopacki For Parody

[Omaha Steve]

FULL title: Republican Pushes For Felony Charge Against Wisconsin Labor Cartoonist Mike Konopacki For Parody Press Release- 03/16/12

http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1671069

By Doug Cunningham

A Wisconsin Republican State Representative who forced cancellation of an Art In Protest conference at the University of Wisconsin is now trying to get a labor political cartoonist charged with a felony for a satirical press release. After Republican Wisconsin State Representative Steve Nass threatened funding for the University of Wisconsin School over the Art In Protest event that was to feature art used in the Wisconsin Uprising pro-labor protests the school cancelled the event. Labor artist and political cartoonist Mike Konopacki is now being threatened with a possible felony charge for sending a satirical press release with the lawmaker’s letterhead that was briefly published in a Madison newspaper. The press release said Rep. Nass was trying to suppress the display of Wisconsin protest artifacts from the Smithsonian. Konopacki says the real story is here is the suppression of free speech by Nass.

[Mike Konopacki]: “The point of it is - is that nobody is asking about him suppressing the right of people to express themselves. To hang art at the University of Wisconsin, to participate in free expression at the University of Wisconsin. And then also, nobody is questioning his right to intimidate me as an individual, because they’re going after me personally.”

Konopacki believes that the parody press release is protected free speech.

[hobbit709]

1. Proving once again that those mostly easily offended by irony and sarcasm

are the ones least likely to understand it.

[datasuspect]

2. dutchmen making newspaper caricatures of mohammed

was the first thing that came to mind when i read the subject.

christ u akbar! for all our rw wing xtian taliban!

[Brickbat]

3. Konopacki is a treasure. Keep fighting!

[Omaha Steve]

5. Yes he is

I enjoy his work so much.

[alferoutou]

4. With each passing day the GOP becomes more and more

exactly like the Talian.

[Odin2005]

6. Exactly.