Well, it stinks. It isn't a deal that progressives liked, not many Democrats either. And down the road where the can is rolling around, are more stinky things waiting, many of them the same ones we just watched Washington play dodge ball with for too many weeks. I joined a rally this Tuesday in my community to protest Paul Ryan's vote. Of course Mr. Ryan was the author of much of this mess, if not the single author then certainly the scribe and the town crier. He took his version of Cut, Slash and Burn to his tea party friends and what resulted was the debacle we have recently watched, the republican congress people dressed like cheer leaders for corporate money and the wealthiest of Americans.
There were about 15 people at the rally with signs about Mr. Ryan losing his balance - as when he ordered a $350 bottle of wine for dinner. (That wasn't in southern Wisconsin, our wine here costs about $8.95 for red and sometimes $10.95 for white). Someone had a sign that was elegant in its simplicity and considering the noon hour sported temperatures of 90 with a heat index of 111, simplicity was refreshing: We Live In Your District, Too. So true. How many millionaires live in this town of 60,000? In this county? Can't be too many people. But there are lots and lots of Common People who live in the county.
We stood on the corners and showed our signs. Mine said Don't Destroy Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. One woman asked me if I had read The Deal before I came down to rally. I had not. She pointed to my sign and said - "Well, we don't have to worry about those, they're safe, they aren't going to touch those now." Are we that naive? I told her I wasn't that trusting and when this Committee forms, if it looks like a small version of congress then where will we be? Back on the phones, back in the streets.
And come to think of it, we should be in the streets all the time now. We are witnessing the bold theft of whatever it was we expected and believed our Democracy was and is but will never be again. Signs?! At least those but our bodies and our actions and our voices will be required more and more.
Here are some of the things I've been reading when I sit down to the Internet.
From People for The American Way:
"We can do this ... because we must do this. The Tea Party-created debt limit crisis was yet another reminder of how high the stakes are ... and how high they continue to be. So many of you have given time, energy and money to PFAW's Recall the Right campaign to take back the Wisconsin Senate from the Far Right and turn the tide nationally against Tea Party economics. THANK YOU.
The debt deal and the crisis from which it was born reveal the dysfunction of our political culture. The right-wing Republican positions on taxation, spending and deficits -- which unfortunately have set the agenda this last year -- have absolutely nothing to do with sound economics ... and everything to do with a dogged commitment to extreme right-wing orthodoxy and making the government, at every level, subservient to powerful corporate interests."
Be sure to check out this AlterNet Hot News & Views link to Rachel Maddow talking about the upcoming Wisconsin elections and dirty politics.
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/?akid=7356.297081.LJc_r1&id=643623&rd=1&t=2
Also, for a breath of fresh air, watch Matt Damon school the media on teachers.
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/643618/matt_damon_continues_defending_teachers%2C_makes_libertarians_look_silly/#paragraph3
It's less intense on the thermometer today. A relief. Still, I can see that dented can shining in the sun down the dusty road where it lies. I have work to do.
Power To The Common People!
Wisconsin Needs A Moral Compass
Showing posts with label wisconsin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisconsin. Show all posts
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Gardening A Deal In The Heat
It's going to get blistering in the next couple days here in Southern Wisconsin and across the Midwest as a huge high pressure dome caps our climate. Weather alerts on the ready for high heat and humidity. I hope everyone is prepared for dangerous weather.
It's going to be hot in Washington, too. I read this morning that President Obama is "fed up" with the Republicans and their waffling, lying, maneuvering and walked out yesterday on the stalemated discussions. What that actually means is anyone's guess at this point. But it is the 15th of July and no deal in sight yet. Talk about a heat index!
Also read an article by Bill McKibben (one of my heroes) on the dangers of the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport tar sands oil across Canada and down the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico making, as McKibben says, North America into the Saudi Arabia of the West. McKibben and others have started a website - www.tarsandsaction.org - to invite people to come to Washington D.C. between August 20th and September 3rd to peacefully protest. As McKibben says in this AlterNet article:
"it could result in the largest civil disobedience actions in the climate-change movement’s history on this continent, as hundreds, possibly thousands, of concerned activists converge on the White House in August. They’ll risk arrest to demand something simple and concrete from President Obama: that he refuse to grant a license for Keystone XL, a new pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico that would vastly increase the flow of tar sands oil through the U.S., ensuring that the exploitation of Alberta’s tar sands will only increase."
Sounds like Washington will be hit with a heat wave this late summer! Good - we need to exercise our right to speak out when our lives and the health of the planet is at stake and to demand that our lands remain untouched by further "development".
And how do we know that peaceful protest actually can make a difference? Because I have the giddy pleasure of passing on something that tells me this is true. Did you hear the story of Julie Bass? She lives in Oak Park, Michigan and after the city of Oak Park ripped up her front yard to do some work, she was left with a mess. Instead of planting a new lawn - what a hassle that is! - she decided to grow a vegetable garden to help her feed herself and her six children. What a great idea! Until the city saw her flourishing garden where neighborhood kids were coming to help and threatened Julie with a misdemeanor charge and 93 days in jail. The outcry was deafening. People started petitions, wrote letters, made calls to the city planner's office. People from all over the world converged, virtually, to aid Julie and to let the Oak Park city officials know this was a waste of resources and quite plainly, stupid. It worked! Julie is not going to go to jail for growing broccoli, squash, beans and flowers in her front yard.
Now that is what I'm talking about! Power to the People!
We've got more work to do in Wisconsin. More protests, more letter writing, more calling. It's hard work but it is also important work. The ole cow hands on the Double Cross Ranch aren't going to take a long vacation so we can't afford to take one either. When the real Democrats won this week I thought I saw some bread crumbs leading towards Wisconsin's Moral Compass. Might be wrong but just maybe, just maybe there's a path to that critically needed direction finder.
Meanwhile, take a moment to send up a blessing for Julie Bass and her kids - for the neighborhood kids, too. It's one of those stories that constitute bread crumbs for me. It's a moral compass kind of story. We the People knew what was right and spoke the truth of it to the powers and supported a person we didn't know. Now she's a new friend, long distance, and we can think of her and how her garden is growing. Nice.
Power to The Common People!
It's going to be hot in Washington, too. I read this morning that President Obama is "fed up" with the Republicans and their waffling, lying, maneuvering and walked out yesterday on the stalemated discussions. What that actually means is anyone's guess at this point. But it is the 15th of July and no deal in sight yet. Talk about a heat index!
Also read an article by Bill McKibben (one of my heroes) on the dangers of the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport tar sands oil across Canada and down the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico making, as McKibben says, North America into the Saudi Arabia of the West. McKibben and others have started a website - www.tarsandsaction.org - to invite people to come to Washington D.C. between August 20th and September 3rd to peacefully protest. As McKibben says in this AlterNet article:
"it could result in the largest civil disobedience actions in the climate-change movement’s history on this continent, as hundreds, possibly thousands, of concerned activists converge on the White House in August. They’ll risk arrest to demand something simple and concrete from President Obama: that he refuse to grant a license for Keystone XL, a new pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico that would vastly increase the flow of tar sands oil through the U.S., ensuring that the exploitation of Alberta’s tar sands will only increase."
Sounds like Washington will be hit with a heat wave this late summer! Good - we need to exercise our right to speak out when our lives and the health of the planet is at stake and to demand that our lands remain untouched by further "development".
And how do we know that peaceful protest actually can make a difference? Because I have the giddy pleasure of passing on something that tells me this is true. Did you hear the story of Julie Bass? She lives in Oak Park, Michigan and after the city of Oak Park ripped up her front yard to do some work, she was left with a mess. Instead of planting a new lawn - what a hassle that is! - she decided to grow a vegetable garden to help her feed herself and her six children. What a great idea! Until the city saw her flourishing garden where neighborhood kids were coming to help and threatened Julie with a misdemeanor charge and 93 days in jail. The outcry was deafening. People started petitions, wrote letters, made calls to the city planner's office. People from all over the world converged, virtually, to aid Julie and to let the Oak Park city officials know this was a waste of resources and quite plainly, stupid. It worked! Julie is not going to go to jail for growing broccoli, squash, beans and flowers in her front yard.
Now that is what I'm talking about! Power to the People!
We've got more work to do in Wisconsin. More protests, more letter writing, more calling. It's hard work but it is also important work. The ole cow hands on the Double Cross Ranch aren't going to take a long vacation so we can't afford to take one either. When the real Democrats won this week I thought I saw some bread crumbs leading towards Wisconsin's Moral Compass. Might be wrong but just maybe, just maybe there's a path to that critically needed direction finder.
Meanwhile, take a moment to send up a blessing for Julie Bass and her kids - for the neighborhood kids, too. It's one of those stories that constitute bread crumbs for me. It's a moral compass kind of story. We the People knew what was right and spoke the truth of it to the powers and supported a person we didn't know. Now she's a new friend, long distance, and we can think of her and how her garden is growing. Nice.
Power to The Common People!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wisconsin Cowgirls Shake It On Thursday
I know, I know.....being silly is recommended by just about every spiritual practice in existence. Hey, Deepak Chopra advises it, so does my three-year old great niece and she should know! So I want to share my favorite e-card with you. Trust me, it's classic Wisconsin with classic 60s music. What cud be butter? (ouch, that was bad wasn't it?) Why, you ask, am I departing from witty political comment? Because it's a great day in Wisconsin, not too hot and not too humid and after many days of both, everyone deserves a few moments of levity. And because this just gets me moovin'!
Enjoy a July Wisconsin break.
http://www.care2.com/send/card/5526
Take that Scott Walker.
Power To All The Common Cowgirls!
Enjoy a July Wisconsin break.
http://www.care2.com/send/card/5526
Take that Scott Walker.
Power To All The Common Cowgirls!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Dear Mr. Walker.......
Open letter to the Governor of Wisconsin from a constituent.
I am writing from a community in southern Wisconsin. We pay attention to things down here just like our brothers and sisters all over the state. We've been paying attention since February 11th when the young folks in Madison decided to support their educators by going in to the streets and shouting about fair play, honest wages, and how angry they were that you were going to take away their teachers collective bargaining rights and the collective bargaining rights of many other public employees. We've been paying attention since thousands of us traveled to Madison to protest your night time flights of fantasy, your under-handed and under-the-table deals and the knowledge of who actually pulls your strings.
We're still paying attention. How do I know this, Mr. Walker? Because I see more and more signs in the windows of homes in the community in which I live, more bumper stickers, more yard signs declaring RECALL WALKER! I have one in my window, too. That is not a surprise to me but my question is, is it a surprise to you? And if it is something of a surprise, why would that be true? Oh, I know, you probably think we're all a bit simple-minded out here in Common Middle Class Land or what will be left of it when you're done. I know, we liberals/progressives are just daft when it comes to finances and budgets and support structures. We can't be depended on to guide the ship of state with a steady hand on the tiller. We'd sail off the edge of the known world with all our silly social programs trailing along behind us. We don't have the backbone to dish out the tough love you and your cohorts do to rein in this out-of-control nearly bankrupt state. Thank goodness you are here to save us!
Anyway, that's what I imagine you are thinking. I might be way off in left field though. You might not be thinking anything of the sort. You might be thinking that concealed carry is just the ticket or that ending collective bargaining is Just In Time political maneuvering ala others of your kind across the U.S. or that Judge Prosser simply has a bit of a temper but otherwise is a peach of a fellow or that Paul Ryan's draconian plans for state and federal support services are nothing but line items in the war on the middle class which was overdue according to you and others of your kind.
That's what I imagine. Because, Mr. Walker, I can't imagine a person who has the best interests of the people of his state at heart doing even one of the things you have done since you have been in office in Wisconsin. Because, Mr. Walker, I think you are in the pocket of the Koch Bros., and who knows who else and they make or break your agenda. Because I think the office of the governor of Wisconsin has been bought by Big Business and you are the Big Business hired gun.
The other day a patient with whom I visited told me she had moved from Wisconsin to Illinois. When I asked her why she told me that Wisconsin is going down the tubes, that it isn't friendly to regular people and that it is becoming a state of governmental outlaws. Are you an outlaw Mr. Walker? Is Scott Fitzgerald an outlaw? Do you work for the Koch Boys, the wealthy ranchers who own everything and everyone and hire people like you to do their dirty work? Is Wisconsin returning to the days of the Wild West?
I can only say beware the pitch forks and torches, Mr. Walker. When the citizens lose so much that they can barely subsist, there may be more marches and more protests. Civil unrest is a mighty thing to be responsible for, Mr. Walker.
I remain in solidarity with the Common People just like me.
Power to All the People!
I am writing from a community in southern Wisconsin. We pay attention to things down here just like our brothers and sisters all over the state. We've been paying attention since February 11th when the young folks in Madison decided to support their educators by going in to the streets and shouting about fair play, honest wages, and how angry they were that you were going to take away their teachers collective bargaining rights and the collective bargaining rights of many other public employees. We've been paying attention since thousands of us traveled to Madison to protest your night time flights of fantasy, your under-handed and under-the-table deals and the knowledge of who actually pulls your strings.
We're still paying attention. How do I know this, Mr. Walker? Because I see more and more signs in the windows of homes in the community in which I live, more bumper stickers, more yard signs declaring RECALL WALKER! I have one in my window, too. That is not a surprise to me but my question is, is it a surprise to you? And if it is something of a surprise, why would that be true? Oh, I know, you probably think we're all a bit simple-minded out here in Common Middle Class Land or what will be left of it when you're done. I know, we liberals/progressives are just daft when it comes to finances and budgets and support structures. We can't be depended on to guide the ship of state with a steady hand on the tiller. We'd sail off the edge of the known world with all our silly social programs trailing along behind us. We don't have the backbone to dish out the tough love you and your cohorts do to rein in this out-of-control nearly bankrupt state. Thank goodness you are here to save us!
Anyway, that's what I imagine you are thinking. I might be way off in left field though. You might not be thinking anything of the sort. You might be thinking that concealed carry is just the ticket or that ending collective bargaining is Just In Time political maneuvering ala others of your kind across the U.S. or that Judge Prosser simply has a bit of a temper but otherwise is a peach of a fellow or that Paul Ryan's draconian plans for state and federal support services are nothing but line items in the war on the middle class which was overdue according to you and others of your kind.
That's what I imagine. Because, Mr. Walker, I can't imagine a person who has the best interests of the people of his state at heart doing even one of the things you have done since you have been in office in Wisconsin. Because, Mr. Walker, I think you are in the pocket of the Koch Bros., and who knows who else and they make or break your agenda. Because I think the office of the governor of Wisconsin has been bought by Big Business and you are the Big Business hired gun.
The other day a patient with whom I visited told me she had moved from Wisconsin to Illinois. When I asked her why she told me that Wisconsin is going down the tubes, that it isn't friendly to regular people and that it is becoming a state of governmental outlaws. Are you an outlaw Mr. Walker? Is Scott Fitzgerald an outlaw? Do you work for the Koch Boys, the wealthy ranchers who own everything and everyone and hire people like you to do their dirty work? Is Wisconsin returning to the days of the Wild West?
I can only say beware the pitch forks and torches, Mr. Walker. When the citizens lose so much that they can barely subsist, there may be more marches and more protests. Civil unrest is a mighty thing to be responsible for, Mr. Walker.
I remain in solidarity with the Common People just like me.
Power to All the People!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
What's Happening in Wisconsin?
Good late morning!
My goodness but there's lots of news on the lines this morning. I'll begin with something I received from One Wisconsin Now.
Dear Jeanie:
I was so outraged after watching to the Assembly Republicans smirk and sneer as they moved to pass Gov. Scott Walker’s Voter Suppression Bill today, I simply had to leave their hearing.
Tell me, how is making it harder for legal voters like seniors, students, minorities and working families to cast their ballot going to create jobs? It won’t. It will just make elections easier for corporate candidates, like Walker, Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke and Alberta Darling, who serve the Koch Brothers, Big Oil and the Health Insurance cartel.
So, I left and came back to the office so I could tell you exactly what’s in this Voter Suppression Bill, and how with your help, we are going to do everything we can to stop it. Wisconsin is desperate for good-paying jobs, but instead we have Republicans focused on suppression our voting rights. Here’s our analysis of the Voter Suppression Bill:
* It requires voter identification that will disenfranchise untold thousands of seniors, students, minorities and working Wisconsinites
* It makes unprecedented restrictions on absentee voting
* It increases residency requirements for new Wisconsinites
* It creates barriers for voters with disabilities
And why are Scott Walker and Wisconsin’s legislative Republicans hell bent on attacking our freedom? Because they want to rig our elections.
This is an enormous fight, but One Wisconsin Now has never backed down from challenging any voter suppression. You and I know how high the stakes are in this fight. Thank you for everything you do.
Scot
One Wisconsin Now
PS: The Assembly Republicans voted to pass this bill out of committee so it can come to the floor as soon as possible.
Walker has not stopped in his push to strip Wisconsin of just about everything. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear arguments on collective bargaining rights on June 6th. This is from scottwalkerwatch.com - "While the Supreme Court will continue the legal process on the first attempts by Walker to bust unions, the collective bargaining language may be put into the recent budget talks, making the possible protests to happen all over again. Here is the timeline:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court said Wednesday it will hear arguments in June over whether a judge had the authority to block implementation of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to eliminate most collective bargaining powers from nearly all state workers. The court asked both sides of a lawsuit challenging the legislation to submit arguments by May 18 explaining why the justices should take the case and, at the same time, why it should either undo or uphold the lower court’s action. Oral arguments are set for June 6."
And while that is planned for June, this is happening under the radar. Makes me mad as hell.
"Something bad is happening under the mainstream media radar regarding the Wisconsin Supreme Court recount. The General Accounting Board had requested that electronic voting machines used during the election were to have the ballots printed out and hand counted. That’s not happening. Ballots in unmarked bags, confusing count numbers making votes magically appearing and other oddities are not being reported. Even Barb Hansen, hired by Waukesha County after County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus recused herself from the recount has stated the recount “is not pretty” regarding how recounting procedures are being done."
Read the entire post at www.scottwalkerwatch.com. Write to your legislator and ask for honest information from him or her on how they think the process is proceeding. Ask them to look in on that and ask for transparency in this critically important procedure. We deserve to know what's happening!
Call your legislator: 877-753-5578
This citizen participation takes lots of effort - we need to keep at it. I was at meeting yesterday down in Illinois. At one point I spoke about participatory democracy and how We The People in Wisconsin had awakened to that in a phenomenal way on the 11th of February. Citizens woke up to the awareness that they are the ones who can make a difference even if it takes monumental effort over a sustained period of time and that, in fact, it is the only thing that will make a difference. We The People!
So, in the spirit of Bob La Follette, the following are some tidbits from the protest.
http://solidaritywisconsin.com/feedpage
http://www.politicususa.com/en/scott-walker-two-faced-too-late
and talk about the spin meisters!
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/2011/05/10708/scott-walker-champions-state-employees
Andy and I are off to Ohio this weekend for my Dad's 90th birthday. That's something isn't it? He's pretty connected to things at 90. He reads several daily papers, several scientific magazines and other periodicals. I doubt if I'll have time to blog while visiting - for me that's like chewing gum and doing anything! But I'll be back on Tuesday with whatever news has burst forth.
Happy Mother's Day to all you common, wonderful, beautiful mothers!
Power To All The People!
My goodness but there's lots of news on the lines this morning. I'll begin with something I received from One Wisconsin Now.
Dear Jeanie:
I was so outraged after watching to the Assembly Republicans smirk and sneer as they moved to pass Gov. Scott Walker’s Voter Suppression Bill today, I simply had to leave their hearing.
Tell me, how is making it harder for legal voters like seniors, students, minorities and working families to cast their ballot going to create jobs? It won’t. It will just make elections easier for corporate candidates, like Walker, Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke and Alberta Darling, who serve the Koch Brothers, Big Oil and the Health Insurance cartel.
So, I left and came back to the office so I could tell you exactly what’s in this Voter Suppression Bill, and how with your help, we are going to do everything we can to stop it. Wisconsin is desperate for good-paying jobs, but instead we have Republicans focused on suppression our voting rights. Here’s our analysis of the Voter Suppression Bill:
* It requires voter identification that will disenfranchise untold thousands of seniors, students, minorities and working Wisconsinites
* It makes unprecedented restrictions on absentee voting
* It increases residency requirements for new Wisconsinites
* It creates barriers for voters with disabilities
And why are Scott Walker and Wisconsin’s legislative Republicans hell bent on attacking our freedom? Because they want to rig our elections.
This is an enormous fight, but One Wisconsin Now has never backed down from challenging any voter suppression. You and I know how high the stakes are in this fight. Thank you for everything you do.
Scot
One Wisconsin Now
PS: The Assembly Republicans voted to pass this bill out of committee so it can come to the floor as soon as possible.
Walker has not stopped in his push to strip Wisconsin of just about everything. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear arguments on collective bargaining rights on June 6th. This is from scottwalkerwatch.com - "While the Supreme Court will continue the legal process on the first attempts by Walker to bust unions, the collective bargaining language may be put into the recent budget talks, making the possible protests to happen all over again. Here is the timeline:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court said Wednesday it will hear arguments in June over whether a judge had the authority to block implementation of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to eliminate most collective bargaining powers from nearly all state workers. The court asked both sides of a lawsuit challenging the legislation to submit arguments by May 18 explaining why the justices should take the case and, at the same time, why it should either undo or uphold the lower court’s action. Oral arguments are set for June 6."
And while that is planned for June, this is happening under the radar. Makes me mad as hell.
"Something bad is happening under the mainstream media radar regarding the Wisconsin Supreme Court recount. The General Accounting Board had requested that electronic voting machines used during the election were to have the ballots printed out and hand counted. That’s not happening. Ballots in unmarked bags, confusing count numbers making votes magically appearing and other oddities are not being reported. Even Barb Hansen, hired by Waukesha County after County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus recused herself from the recount has stated the recount “is not pretty” regarding how recounting procedures are being done."
Read the entire post at www.scottwalkerwatch.com. Write to your legislator and ask for honest information from him or her on how they think the process is proceeding. Ask them to look in on that and ask for transparency in this critically important procedure. We deserve to know what's happening!
Call your legislator: 877-753-5578
This citizen participation takes lots of effort - we need to keep at it. I was at meeting yesterday down in Illinois. At one point I spoke about participatory democracy and how We The People in Wisconsin had awakened to that in a phenomenal way on the 11th of February. Citizens woke up to the awareness that they are the ones who can make a difference even if it takes monumental effort over a sustained period of time and that, in fact, it is the only thing that will make a difference. We The People!
So, in the spirit of Bob La Follette, the following are some tidbits from the protest.
http://solidaritywisconsin.com/feedpage
http://www.politicususa.com/en/scott-walker-two-faced-too-late
and talk about the spin meisters!
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/2011/05/10708/scott-walker-champions-state-employees
Andy and I are off to Ohio this weekend for my Dad's 90th birthday. That's something isn't it? He's pretty connected to things at 90. He reads several daily papers, several scientific magazines and other periodicals. I doubt if I'll have time to blog while visiting - for me that's like chewing gum and doing anything! But I'll be back on Tuesday with whatever news has burst forth.
Happy Mother's Day to all you common, wonderful, beautiful mothers!
Power To All The People!
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