Storms of All Kinds

Wow! I've been absent for many days. A couple of those were in the hospital. I'm fine but what a eye-opener that is! I expect the bill to be about the weight of a sailing ship! Let's see if I can catch up from well over a week.

You most likely know Prosser ended up taking the Supreme seat. Yes, I know, it is very sad because who can possibly believe that the recount and anything to do with that actually came up honest? I don't. It was a sad day.

Did you know the Wisconsin Wave in is Chicago today? Yup.

The Wisconsin Wave arrives at Chicago's Lake Michigan shore . . . and returns to Governor Walker's offices in Madison . . . this Wednesday. See you there:

~ WEDNESDAY, MAY 25TH ~

Chicago: Lessons from Wisconsin
6:00PM, CHICAGO: Come hear from Wisconsin union leaders and organizers about the past, present, and future of Wisconsin organizing, and what it means for all of us. Speakers include Joe Conway, president of Fire Fighters local 311 and Ben Manski, executive director of Liberty Tree and coordinator of the Wisconsin Wave. More info here: http://wisconsinwave.org/events/chicago-lessons-wisconsin

On the very local front, I am excited about a group that has formed in my hometown of Janesville. They're calling themselves Democracy Rocks - Janesville and they began their activities with a meeting last evening on health care called Dying for Health Care. There were quite a few people there and I am positive more will come. We are all hungry down here at the grass roots level for action that we can connect to and other we can meet to not only give us hope but new friends as well. Democracy Rocks was born out of the Obama campaign but when I spoke with an organizer she said the past few months since February 11th have been encouragement for the group to really put feet on the ideas. I look forward to many good discussions our of this energy!

I must depart from Wisconsin politics to comment on the weather. The weather that has hit the Plains and Midwestern part of the country is unprecedented. It isn't just an historical anomaly or some re-visit of 100 years ago - this is global climate change and it is here to stay and get alarmingly worse. How can people still deny this fact? I am amazed at the educated, street smart and otherwise savvy folks who continue to deny the science and, more so, the reality.

All of my prayers and whatever goodwill I can send go to the people in all the southern states, Oklahoma, Kansas and other hard-hit states. We lived in Omaha, Nebraska for three years. I felt like Auntie Em every single day each summer, especially the last summer. My tiny baby, the dog and I spent a lot of time under the stairs waiting out the lengthy warnings and sirens. Andy nearly crossed paths with a twister on his way home from Master's classes on a motorcycle. It is starkly frightening and the constant threat of powerful storms and potential tornadoes produces anxiety that doesn't easily fade. Many blessings for relief and help to all the people affected by these monster, new storms.

Stay safe!
Power To All The People!

Coffee Klatsch

Friday, at work, someone asked me if I had heard the latest on Scott Walker, our infamous governor. "I'm worried", I said. We both laughed and then she told me what she had heard. You won't be surprised, it's more of the same. Privatization. Here's what the State board wrote the end of April on this issue. Scroll down on the right to a gray box; inside the last item is The State Board wants changes in several items.....

http://vfwofwi.com/

This is Support The Troops? What shame.

Seems Walker may be back in Washington again if he accepts Darrell Issa's invite. Issa is all about currying favor with corporate money, especially the Koch Boys.

"House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa invited Wisconsin Gov. Walker to testify to the committee about fixing state and municipal budgets. It was an interesting choice of witness. Walker has, in recent weeks, become a walking symbol of exactly the way Americans don't want to solve government budget crises. He caused a national uproar when he proposed taking away the collective bargaining rights of public workers...and then snuck his union-busting bill through the state legislature in the middle of the night."

This was PFAW's Marge Baker writing about Walker's deep ties to the Koch Boys. Read her entire article on the Huffpost.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marge-baker/issas-budget-hearings-bro_b_849905.html

All this money to buy our elections, in the latest incarnation as the Citizens United decision, twirls my gray matter. So, I went to Stephen Colbert to help me sort some of this out and he just happened to be interviewing Russ Feingold. Take a look.

http://www.progressivesunited.org/action/colbertvideo?utm_source=sp3901421&utm_medium=e&sc=sp3901421

All humor aside, which we desperately need right now, Feingold's effort to raise money - in the legal manner - may be one strong hope for the coming elections because I can't imagine what kind of money The Donald has to spend to elect himself. And speaking of that, did you see President Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner? If you haven't it is in the interest of your health, your funny bone, to see the President in action. Watch the long version but first just take a few seconds and make yourself happy today by watching this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bqEn8AXzJ4

So obviously I am in need, myself, of some chuckles. I have to admire Obama for addressing, with humor, some of the most ridiculous non-issues out there. His slam dunk on Trump may possibly stop this insanity that Trump would consider a run next year. All things are possible.

And many things look pretty awful. This article on Care2 is brief but chilling.

http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/tea-party-running-for-school-board/

This Monday morning I am thinking about the President's announcement last late evening that Osama Bin Laden is dead. Over a decade ago we all watched in horror as something unimaginable happened to the people of New York and to us. Many years before that Ollie North, during the Iran Contra hearings, let Bin Laden's name slip as he testified. Again, during Bill Clinton's time in office, Bin Laden's name surfaced. You may have the same feeling I do. Good, good this is over. But this will change very little in terms of why people choose terrorism to address their anger and what about the wars still raging and why did we spend so much blood going after Saddam Hussein? The answer to those questions lies in the shadows of corporate greed and our own addiction to oil, our mainline drug of choice.

Once again, I remember a scene from Ghost Busters. The guys are standing on top of Dana Barret's building. The woman from another dimension has just told them to choose the form of the 'Traveler'. Everyone is to empty their heads of all thoughts so the Traveler cannot take form but Dan Akroyd thinks of something - the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and sure enough the big guy appears. We can't know what form the Traveler will take - is he Donald Trump? Is it Sarah Palin? Or is it something we see every day and don't recognize? Something so common place and accepted and ordinary that it would pass us without causing alarm?

I'm going to get another cup of coffee, write some letters, do some reading and have a great day. We have lots of clear thinking to do and much organizing.

Power To All The People!