Protest is Good for You

I wanted to pass along some items that have arrived in my inbox the last few days. Nothing new but interesting reading on the actions and reactions to things in Wisconsin as the recall efforts go forward.

This from Credo Action:
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin speaking about the irregularities in the recent election between David Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg said in a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on April 8th:

"To ensure that the April 5th election for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice is free, fair, and transparent, and to uphold faith in our democracy for ourselves and future generations, I ask for your immediate assistance in investigating these election inconsistencies in Wisconsin.

"Specifically, I urge you to immediately assign the Justice Department Public Integrity Section, which oversees the federal prosecution of election crimes, to investigate the questionable handling of vote records in Waukesha County, Wisconsin."

Justice Prosser's campaign has denounced calls for a federal investigation as "unnecessary," and has called on Kloppenburg to concede the election and reject a recount. Far too many questions remain unanswered for Wisconsin voters to have confidence in these election results.

Now hang on to your hats 'cause here comes a wild one:

An aide to Sarah Palin confirmed via Twitter on Thursday that the former Alaska governor and possible White House contender will attend a tea party tax-day rally on Saturday in Madison, Wis.--where the scent of protest is still fresh after a multi-month tug-of war-between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the pro-union groups targeted by his budget.

Palin in Wisconsin? Will there be a demonstration? Well, you betcha! More on that later. Here's some additional comments from Mike Tate, Wisconsin Dem chair:

Mike Tate, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said in a statement that it “makes sense that [Palin] would come to Wisconsin to celebrate Scott Walker’s war against its working families.” Tate also called attention to the eight GOP state senators facing recall in the current phase of battle in Wisconsin, asking if they will “stand with Sarah Palin as she lavishes praise over the Scott Walker union-busting, anti-family agenda.”

And guess what else? Ms. Palin's rally was sponsored in part by Americans For Prosperity - yup, the same group founded by the Koch Boys! Not a surprise is it?

The Common People stood up to be counted and heard in Neenah. This is what happened there: (I apologize for not being able to embed the links cleverly in my copy)

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20110414/OSH0101/304140124/Story-photos-Emotions-flare-over-budget-Neenah-Joint-Finance-Committee-hearing?odyssey=nav%257Chead

"The ones who normally show up at these hearings are the ones who are opposed." ?? Um, yes. And the point of that is what exactly republican Rep. Robin Vos?

Still the heat has been a bit much for our beleaguered governor. He slipped quietly out the back to Florida for some downtime. Actually the trip wasn't about rest as much as it was to drum up support for a new effort, FrontlineWisconsin.com, that seeks to defend eight Wisconsin GOP senators from a massive recall campaign that now is under way. We need to keep the pressure on these recalls and speak with friends about those efforts. Let's not allow the money guys to pull another rabbit out of their hats. If you have a chance to view The Ed Show, take a peek at the challenge Dennie Kucinich put to Walker in D.C. Go Dennis!

On a very happy and positive note Russ Feingold was honored in D.C. to receive an award for his dedication to the progressive cause. You can read his remarks, very strong ones, at

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/119817439.html

What's happening on the streets these days? What are The People doing? I found these calendar dates.

Tea Party Counter Rally - April 16th 11 am
Visibility Rally - April 16 noon
Run, Democrats, Run - April 16 - 1 pm
Visibility Rally - April 17th 11 am & 2 pm
Solidarity Sing-Along - Monday April 18th - noon in the Capitol
Solidarity Walk - April 18th Verona 5 pm

If you want to check out more opportunities to be involved go to scottwalkerwatch.com and click on Check for Defend Wisconsin's ongoing statewide calendar of events on the right hand side of the screen.

I had lunch with a friend today. We shared our concern over what the tea party/right ring repubs/ultra conservative folks are thinking these days. Makes our heads swim! Cut here, rip there, shred over here. It waters your eyes and makes me kind of sick to my stomach. The only thing for it, as I see it, is to work like hell. And protest. I found this little tidbit in a date book from a couple years ago. You might like it as well.

Protest is Good for You
Protest is not complaining, nor is it sending out negative messages. Pro means "for" in favor of. Test means "to speak" as in testify and testimony. So, protest means "to speak for". Protest is a completely positive endeavor. The media likes to portray peace, environment, and human and animal rights protesters as a fringe element of whining malcontents teetering on the margins of proper society. The truth is that those who step forward to speak their mind are happier and healthier folks than most.

I love it!

Power To All The People!