Posted By Prentice on March 6, 2011
Post it Note Petitions on the Capitol doors - "Let us in to our Capitol!"
Hi Cherry et al,
I’ve been up at the capitol every day. Very peaceful bunch of protestors. No arrests in 20 days with over a half a million people coming through the square. A couple of citations, but not a single arrest. Not one. The bill is a hundred ways wrong. I’m particularly upset over things like “all our power plants, wetlands, and nature preservation sites about the states are now up for no-bid contracts.” Will allow the governor to sell at any price he sees fit to whenever he wants.
The protestors are 99% local folks. Lots of teachers, some union people, and just a whole lot of concerned families out there. Mainstream media has been skewing it all to seem as if it were out-of-state union thugs, greedy teachers, and 50%/50% pro and con. Not at all the case. With my restaurant only a block away, I’ve been there every day. The greatest amount of pro-bill/tea party/republican folks I ever saw was a total of about 20 on the biggest day, last Saturday. 20 people vs. 100,000 people is the real truth. And, everyone is peaceful.
Here’s a very cool 360 degree virtual reality series of pictures of what’s going on. http://www.tourdeforce360.com/madison_protest/ Look at all the Wisconsin red/greenbay green and gold, orange hunting jackets, families with their kids, Peter Yarrow of Peter/Paul/Mary. Listen to the sounds and the vibe. Is any of this threatening or violent in any way? Or is this our Wisconsin, protesting for what is good and right? You decide. For me, this brought back strong feelings of the past two weeks, and brought me almost to tears about what is being attempted by the Republican Party, it’s backers and the arrogance of Scott Walker.
I feel for your friend Erin, and her stress at working in the capitol, but I also am saddened by the way she is painting the scene, as it really doesn’t match with reality. A relatively small group of theatrical waiters, songwriters, and folks who like to dress up, had a “funeral procession” for democracy, walking up State street, to lots of laughter and spontaneous clapping as they walked up the street. After three days of the capitol being illegally closed (I’d be happy to quote from the Wisconsin constitution on this – very clear), they decided they would make a symbolic run inside, by calling a friend inside to open a door so they could get in. Which worked. They were immediately surrounded by police force, many of whom were laughing, and told them all to leave. Which they did.
I guess I understand that Erin could have felt like “she was in danger.” Much like new teachers coming in to Taiwan and their worries of being robbed, getting lost, taken advantage of. Mostly in their heads. Come on, think of the odds. Over a ½ million people, no arrests? People forgoing showers in order to stay for what they believe in is one thing, but threatening/violent? Not on your life. I feel perfectly safe with Talli, my petite 35lb 4-year-old at my side in all this, and my 8 year old Pippi hand in hand on the other side. It’s a peaceful gathering like Woodstock, only it’s mostly 30-60 something parents and their children and nobody’s taking their clothes off. The theme is fairness/justice rather than brotherly love. From the people I’ve spoken with, and the signs and tenor of the conversations, these are well-educated, college degreed individuals that know exactly what is going on.
Being denied access to government is a really big deal. And the closing of the capitol is a big deal. Losing the right to collectively bargain is a really big deal. There are literally 1000’s of handwritten post it notes on all the doors stating things like “Hi, I was here with my eight year old daughter and you wouldn’t let me in”, “This is so unfair, why are you so afraid of my family?”, along with reprints of Wisconsin’s state constitution quoting line and verse of why this action is illegal. It reminds me of Martin Luther’s 95 grievances. A lot.
What is really important to understand, is this has almost nothing to do with pay and benefits. The unions from the very beginning have made it clear that they are willing to take lower pay, pay a greater portion of insurance premiums and all that. This is about collective bargaining rights. That’s what got most everyone mad about. This is about protecting teachers. You know how hard we work.
Cherry you are a teacher, and a darn good one. I implore you to come and see for yourself what this is all really about. I’d be happy to put you up at my place if you’d like to visit.
Well, I’ve got some dough ready to be rolled into hamburger buns for a pulled pork party next door this evening, and then I’m off to the capitol. Miss you bunches!
Peace,
Prentice
Cherry’s friend and former Academic Director/Director of Curriculum Development at ELSI, the schools where Cherry worked in Taiwan. I am now a father of two, living in Madison, and own a tiny restaurant off the capitol square in Madison. I grew up on a farm outside of Blue Mounds, WI.
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