State Tea Party Leader in Brookfield Receives Threat
Caller asks Wisconsin Tea Party Patriots State Coordinator Michael Hintze "if he was wearing a bullet-proof vest" before hanging up.
Police are increasing patrols near the Brookfield home of a state tea party leader who has pushed for greater health and pension concessions from public employees after he received a veiled death threat over the weekend.
Wisconsin Tea Party Patriots State Coordinator Michael Hintze told police when he answered a call on his cell phone about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, a male voice "asked if he was wearing a bullet-proof vest" and then hung up.
The caller's identity had been blocked, and AT&T could not trace the call, which came up as a "private caller." Police likely will be unable to trace the call since it was blocked, Police Capt. Jim Adlam said Monday.
Hintze asked for increased patrols near his Brookfield residence and planned to purchase equipment that would allow future calls, should they occur, to be traced. Extra patrols are occurring.
Adlam said there was not a history of problems or threats to Hintze.
Hintze told police he believed the call was targeting Hintze for his role as the tea party leader. He said his cell phone number is listed on a tea party web site.
Numerous Republican legislators received an emailed death threat amid the controversy surrounding Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, which eliminating most collective bargaining for most public employees and requires some to pay increased pension and health contributions. State Senate Republicans passed the repair bill last week in the absence of Democrats who fled the state. Walker signed it after the state Assembly approved it by a 53-42 vote.
Hintze was the top signature on a the list of 52 state and national tea party organizations that sent a Feb. 23 letter to the governor urging him to follow through with his election mandate for fiscal reforms.
The letter said in part: "During your campaign you said that, 'We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots.' We agree."
Hintze also was quoted in a Feb. 14 press release backing the governor's controversial budget repair bill.
"Wisconsin Tea Party Patriots strongly support Gov. Scott Walker's insistence that state and municipal workers pay a larger share of the cost of their health care and pension benefits," the release said.
It said the tea party would watch which state and local officials try to block the governor's efforts.
"We will remember that opposition; we will work tirelessly to ensure that the opponents to restore fiscal sanity to the State of Wisconsin and its municipalities face a different kind of reality at the next election," Hintze said in the press release.
The weekend phone call to Hintze remains under investigation.
Mark
1:36 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011
And they complained about the T- party????? Tone it down after the shooting in Arizonza???? Even if I agreed with the view on the Union side I would not particapte with nuts like this. Just think if T party organizers did 1/100th of what we are seeing here. Jesse Jackson, Michael Moore, out of state protesters. death threats, graffetti on buildings, trashing the capitol, senators leaving the state so local sell out liberal boards and union backers can make deals on current contracts extending them before the laws take effect because we have a bleeding heart in Madison who is granting them the full 10 days to review???? You lost in November! show up at work and through the process in 2 years legally and above board take another run at it or move move on.org to another state or country but stop complaining
A. J. Kunz
2:39 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011
Please see page 2 of the Sunday, March 13 Journal Sentinel for the facts about Michael Moore's comment re: the Forbes 400 having a combined net woth in excees of the combined net worth of 40% of the entire population of the U.S. Please also see the facts there about your assetion that the Capitol was "trashed". Please take notice that the largest communities in Wisconsin, the ones that the governor claims he is helping, have spoken out against the governor's plan. Please explain why it makes greater sense to cut life-lines for the poor, ill, elderly and education rather than to ask those with incomes greater than $250,000 (or even $1,000,000) a year to contribute a little bit more? Please explain how you feel "trickle down" from big business and the wealth will indeen trickle down when it has almost never done so in all of history.
Mark
9:40 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
No one is hurting the poor and elderly. They are not wandering the streets. Education in wisconsin gets over $8000/ student in public schools. We are taxed enough we need to cut spending!!!!! I have taken over a 35% cut in pay do to economic conditions not due to labor contracts Get out of the tunnel you live in
Kevin Burnett
12:20 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
How do you define "trickle down" and what is the stated objective of it?
David Keup
3:03 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011
This caller is so pathetic! Its to bad Michael Hintze didn't have a service called "Trapcall" installed on his phones. It would have automatically picked up the number of the caller. More information at this link, http://www.trapcall.com/offer/?utm_source=offer&utm_medium=referral.
Elaine Blonigen
4:02 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011
Those making $250 of more are not necessarily "rich" and if they are they worked to get it, good for them. I always held the philosphy that when I worked for someone and they paid me that it was my job to be sure the company was profitable so I could keep my job. A lot of small businesses fall into the $250 category & are the backbone of this country. I believe they represent about 70% of our jobs. The public workers still have their jobs and their benefits. No one is going to starve or die because of this new law.
All politicians get money from outside interests. I don't want to demonize anyone because there are two sides to every viewpoint but so many have peripheral vision. That is what our soldiers fight for every day so we can have these discussions. Unfortunately, anger gets in the way of acknowledging we all live in this "free" country & have the right to express our opinions. We should get on our knees & thank God for our freedoms and ask him to forgive us for "trashing" each other. I'm sure if we met each other face to face, we could certainly disagree but hopefully we would gain respect for each others opinions. Democracy means you have the right to vote them out or recall them but it doesn't give anyone the right to kill them. Really!? Are we so full of anger that we've lost our humanity. I don't like President Obama either or his policies but I've accepted that I'll wait to express that opinion with my vote...not death threats to get my way. Sigh!
Caryl Sewell
9:32 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Take a look at what is happening to the schools and government in Detroit and Michigan. Many of us fear this heavy handed approach is in our future. Http://nyti.ms/e1YmfQ
Jen06
6:11 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Who has been in charge in Detroit since 1962?
Eric
4:24 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Isn't it ironic that the citizens of Libtardia, who have neither the stones nor the tools necessary to carry out a death threat, are the only ones making them?
j wolter
8:36 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
The lefties on here are too delusional to understand the issues here.