The State of Wisconsin is in political turmoil, because of many things-- the extreme agenda written by ALEC, a corporate think tank, that is selling us off to the highest bidder (or some political cronies) under the guise of solving our debt. I know that this is a lie, but if you are still ambivalent, that is, if you believe that tough on crime legislation written by private prison companies can help our state, or that Pfizer knows how to "fix" medicaid, then please check out
Alecexposed.org to learn how the issues nearest and dearest to your heart are being used to promote corporatization via the American Legislative Exchange Council.

In addition to this, there is a concerted effort to quash free speech and transparency in government. The Legislature will take up a bill that eliminates the few campaign finance rules that exist in this state. The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in this state has purposely and consistently dodged complaints, not allowed the board members to see complaints, and certified the KloppenBerg/ Prosser recount before it even had the official results of the recount. An Election official recently testified before the GAB about election fraud in a public meeting.
That meeting was held this Monday, and notice was in fact posted 24 hours in advance; but the notice was put on a bulletin board in the capitol, it was not online, and it was difficult for people to find out about and attend.
IN addition to all of this, The public is not allowed to film the Senate or Assembly, even though the constitution clearly states that this is their right. The Assembly rules violate the constitution, and a small group has decided to challenge this rule.

What ensued was interesting-- Minorities were targeted before the white kids. There is a prevailing idea that the white middle class is just in this movement for the "fun". I am sure that many think that about my actions, but the reality is that civil disobedience in any form is really difficult. I believe that targeting the brown kids is a police tactic-- an attempt to separate.

The police are doing their job, but so are the protestors.

The death Penalty.....

From Wednesday Night's Presidential debate;
‎"...moderator Brian Williams noted to Perry that his state "has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times."

As Williams tried to continue asking his question, the crowd broke into applause..."

Also,
Perry Stated that he didn't lose sleep over whether an innocent man had been executed.

Lovely People. Republicans are often wonderful People who represent and support some really horrible things.

Politics and Religion

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. I read the Book of Mormon Regularly, say prayers, attend the temple, and teach my kids in Family Home Evening. I really believe in the Gospel and I try to live it.

Ironically it is the Gospel that prompts me to be involved in the political struggles of my state and nation. The Book of Mormon often talks about the dangers of the rich being prideful, and discriminating against the poor; the rich become prideful because of their "fine twined linen" and "chances for learning". The pride of the church becomes a stumbling block for those who are not of the church. There is even a story in the Book of Mormon when everyone is at peace, and they mention that instead of everyone being known as "nephites and lamanites" and "Ishmaelites" (names of different groups of people descended from Nephi, Laman, and Ishmael) 'there was no manner of -ites among them' So racial equality was an important part of their peace. obnviously there is more to the Book of Mormon, but these are recurrent themes. There is a great warning against pride.

Now Modern Mormon culture is not such a wonderfully clear cut place. Mitt Romney and Glenn Beck are also members of the LDS church. SO is the senior Missionary that I met who recommended that I read "The 5,000 year leap" which is white supremecist propoganda. He also talked at length about how red hair is going extinct.

Mitt Romney wants to run for president in 2012. However he is being financed by big business both over and under the table. Romney's Platform is the ALEC agenda-- which promotes the lie that debt brought on by corporate tax breaks can only be solved by cutting services to the poor--

Glenn Beck uses hate speech mixed with LDS phraseology to promote the same message.

I don't want either any of these men to leave the church; they are more likely to repent if they are reading the book of mormon and going to church. Someday I hope that they will see the error of their ways.
I want the church to work harder to stop a lie that is pervasive in LDS culture. I want the church to officially denounce the lie that poor people are poor because they deserve it, and that the rich are successful because they deserve it.
I hear this lie all of the time, it is phrased differently, but it amounts to the same message.

Voter ID and civil disobedience

Tonight the Wisconsin Assembly passed the most restrictive Voter ID bill in the nation. We previously have had one of the highest voter turnouts in the country, but this bill will change all that. Very few forms of ID will be accepted- current valid drivers license, military ID, student IDs with certain parameters (none of the current student IDs meet these parameters), or a state-issued photo ID card. This will disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters, as outlined in this article from One Wisconsin Now. Senator Bob Jauch gave great testimony on this bill as well.

This photo ID card will be free if you say that you can not pay for the card. There was an amendment proposed that would require DMVs to tell people that the card is free; but that amendment was not passed. Also tabled were amendments to extend the hours of all state DMVs, require weekend hours so that people who work 8-5 jobs can obtain these ID cards without taking time off work. Getting to a DMV to obtain this ID card will be a major hurdle, as there are several counties with no DMV, and plenty more with DMVs that are open a few days a month. Here is a map of Wisconsin DMVs open more than 2 days a week. Indiana has a similar law, but they also have a lot more DMVs. At least one in every county, open 4-5 days a week. This law might not be overly burdensome in Indiana, but in Wisconsin it is.

The only evidence -besides theoretical situations and hearsay- that the GOP offered was a report from the Milwaukee Police department. Apparently it had been requested by a chief of police who left before it was compelted, and then the next chief of police saw the report and refused to sign it because he said that it was a partisan and politically motivated. There were, in 2004 11 cases of questionable ballots- 3 of these were situations in which photo ID would have prevented the fraud.
After this bill was passed, The associated Solidarity Organization did some planned direct action- they yelled at the reps "hey you don't have ID- you can't vote!" and then chanted "Shame" or "welcome to Jim Crow, WI". Three guys got really upset- they yelled, were removed, then walked around the capitol getting in the face of representatives. Some of the Democrats were even upset by the behavior.

The ASo then went outside, had s little meeting, and then yelled at the author of the Bill Jeff Stone, as he got in his car, and left. Stone also ran 2 red lights, but some of the ASO was also chasing his car. That was bad behavior. I do not approve.

The guy who did the most shouting in the faces of Republicans, was a person that I have admired throughout the protest. He has been focused and measured, and a leader in guiding people to channel their frustration into productivity. I think that his behavior was bad, but He is a black guy, in the 18-24 demographic. 77% of young people in this group do not possess a valid drivers license, and will have to obtain a state ID in order to vote. The republicans repeatedly argued throughout this entire process that they are not being racist.

This policy is racist. It affects people of color much more than those who are not of color. It hurts the rural, the elderly, and the poor by limiting their ability to vote. I think that the lies about the racism in this bill were particularly sour for our friend. He was just pushed too far. I think that members of the GOP don't think that it is racist -- they don't understand- I know that I do not understand what it is to be a minority. To have your own rights and freedoms just taken away is a terrible thing. This kid reacted appropriately. The actions of the assembly were wildly inappropriate. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. This bill is nasty, and make no mistake- its sole purpose is to reduce the democratic vote. I just hope that we can get the senate replaced and this nonsense reversed before the 2012 elections.

Americans against the TEA Party

I have a new favorite group.

Blatant Racism in the GOP

Is there a context where this sort of statement is okay? How can we say that the TEA Party is not racist when their candidates say these sorts of things.

Oklahoma is considering a repeal of affirmative action for state jobs- And the GOP says that this sort of move is not racist; here is the horrible defense. from Sally Kerns. She has said stuff like this before-- She apologized and claimed to have misspoke- and I am sure that she didn't mean to actually express the hate in her heart verbally; A key component to advancing a racist agenda is to claim that it is to deny that it is deliberately racist.

Mitt Romney is doing all that he can to appeal to the extreme far-right racism of the TEA party. He recently suggested that we should 'Hang Obama'. This wording looks like a mistake- but it is not. Obama is a black man, and Southern racists- the demographic of the TEA Party- have engaged in lynch mobs as recently as the 1970's. Plenty of people are alive who remember this practice. It was not random- the victim always 'deserved it' for some reason or another. To use an allusion to this horrible practice in order to bolster support from the extreme right is disgusting. It was deliberate. Romney has to go to great lengths to make up for his shortcomings. As governor of Massachutes he created a successful universal healthcare plan that helped people and gained bipartisan support- and He is a Mormon, which is not christian enough for the far-right.

Because he is not quite 'right' enough, I believe that he is one of the more dangerous candidates. He will go to great lengths to show that he is even more racist and committed to destroying public institutions than the next guy.

Perhaps I will launch an "anyone except MIT" campaign. Step #1 make an awesome yard sign!

truth will out

Truth will out. Documents from the American Legislative Exchange Council and Mackinac institute have been leaked. No one knows exactly what is in this mess, but If its anything like the rest of their agenda, it is pretty disgusting.

Apparently Anonymous got these from the Chamber of Commerce; I am not above suspecting that this release is a ploy-- The ALEC 'accidently' forgot to block some legislation this week- it looked incredibly extreme and may have been meant to lead people off the more threatening mainstream agenda of voter suppression and unlimited political funding.

I am not sure exactly what is going on, but I trust the Daily Kos- they are fairly accurate, and willingly admit it when they make mistakes. I do not trust the ALEC; so I will be reading through their dirty laundry.

Fascism in America

THe Protests as the Capitol have been wodely criticized for comparing Hitler to Walker. Perhaps this is warranted, as Walker is not killing people. We should not dilute the horror of the Holocaust by comparing it to the current Power grab in this country.

However, The Walker Administration has a lot of fascist elements. Henry Wallace wrote about the dangers of Fascism, back in the 1940's. It seems like this list was written for today. Before I knew that it was written 70 years ago, I thought that it was specifically about the current right wing power grab. I can not stress how disturbing this is.

The Tea Party is Racist, They are; they support racist policies like voter suppression. Their paranoia is being twisted around by big business to garner public support for regressive causes. This is following a pattern, and its not a good one. The supporters of Walker, the AFP, McIver Institute, Bradley institute, Koch Industries, etc. They are all on the wrong side of history. But by the time there is irrefutable evidence of this, it will be too late. The regressive pro-business anti-regulation policy of the Walker/Koch/ALEC may be enough to trigger a depression.

Remember, When Fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

ending the Tea party

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis, 1935 --Talk of foresight--


My new mission in life is to expose and bring down the Americans for Prosperity and their associated groups. I don't usually seek to destroy entire political parties, but AFP is especially dangerous and they have shown their willingness to support evil in Michigan and Wisconsin.
They are in support of lies. They advocate against scientific knowledge, via creationism and the false global warming 'debate'. They lobby for less education and to reduce the assistance given to the poor, even while reducing revenue from other sources. This is wrong; they are wrong and I am going to make sure that everyone knows this.
The Tea party is over.
I am committed to peaceful methods.

campaign contributors

Check out this awesome map of campaign contributors!

Alberta Darling's Contributors include Foley & Lardner, a law firm that is also helping to draft the Emergency Fiscal Management law for Milwaukee county and the state of Wisconsin. There are no campaing contribution limits for persons subject to a recall, so Darling can get all the money she wants from who ever she wants.

Recently The Americans for Prosperity has formed numerous small groups. The Citizens for america were one such group that was registered at a po box in Beaver dam, though one of its top people was also an employee of Americans for prosperity. Such groups do not have to dislcose their donors, but it was very obvious that their money came directly from Koch industries and AFP. I bet that Foley and Lardner also have some pretty strong Koch Connections.

hate speech

The Supreme Court has been very reluctant to prosecute hate speech.

We have a huge freedom of speech right in this country. Unfortunately, Citizens United lifted some restrictions on speech that allow employers to directly market politics to their employees. Unions, btw, have never had this amount of power. Koch Industries has been taking advantage of the Citizens United ruling by marketing their version of reality to their employees. Of course, I believe that the Kochs arranged the Citizens United case and its outcome, so this is to be expected.

There are also some hate groups in this country. Places that promote racism and hate under the guise of patriotism and religion. I just spent some time on the John Birch Society website, and these guys are so disgusting. They have thier fake history that is then used to justify their agenda. They profess to be religious- promoting christian values- but then also have a stated mission to reverse civil rights. I am not sure if I feel sick from seeing their misinformation, or from the fact that I know so many people that believe their lies.

The Americans for Prosperity is the literal second generation of JOhn Birch SOciety. They have removed the obvious racism, and it looks like they are trying to tone down the religiosity and anti-semitism. They are also much more active in promoting the politics of big business. The AFP and John Birch still share one important element; misinformation. There are a lot of scare tactics and paranoia about socialism (Yikes! why would anyone want to be like Canada?). It is disgusting.

What do I do?
I have been thinking about this for a bit, and I am in a unique situation. I know a lot of Americans for Prosperity. I know that their rhetoric is false and full of lies. I know a lot about campaign finance and the ALEC. I need to associate with the AFP, and try in a non threatening way to point out fallacies in the AFP propoganda. This is a battle of hearts and minds.

Benton Harbor, MI

In Benton Harbor, MI the State Government has used the city's fiscal instability to remove power from democratically elected city officials. This is the first community to have local government dissolved under Michigan's new Emergency Fiscal management law. Coincidently the representative who sponsored the law was on the board of a golf course development that had a difficult time taking over a major city park in Benton Harbor last year. Using a financial crisis to grab power is always wrong, as we well know here in Wisconsin.
I am supporting the people of Benton Harbor in their right to govern themselves and resist this blatant power grab. I hope that Walker sees the wave of resistance to this undemocratic action and rethinks the EFM bill that he has been preparing for Wisconsin.

ALEC update

ALEC is trying desperately to save its public image. It has just released a list of donors, and though it will not reveal as much as we would like, it is telling. Even republicans do not want corporations writing their legislation. As this organization is being exposed, they know that their behavior is reprehensible, and that the public will not support them. The misinformation campaign might work- but I hope that it won't.
This vast far right power grab needs to go down.

Repubs cut the sound system.......again.

April 11th, the Joint Finance Budget hearing was cut off at the scheduled closing time, despite people being in line to speak. The Republicans got up and left, but the Democrats, including State Senator Lena Taylor stayed to listen to the remainder of the speakers. Of Course, Lena Taylor had to tell this to the crowd with a bullhorn because Representative Robin Vos Turned off the sound system. Yes, he cut the microphones.

Eerily similar to the Move by Jeff Fitzgerald to cut the microphones of the Assembly Democrats during the 1:30 am roll call vote that was closed before several of the Dems were able to even register their votes.

Here we have a pattern- cutting off microphones (Vos & Fitzgerald)- also, not meeting with or returning phone calls from Union Leaders (Scott Walker) -Restricting the ability of the public to vote (SB 6) This adds insult to injury. The Walker administration got a lot of criticism for refusing to meet with the Assembly Democrats, so Walker set up some meetings. According to Rep Brett Hulsey, they were purely for show- but there is at least a semblance of the correct democratic process.
Some Republican Senators have felt public pressure from the recalls, and have since backpedaled on their support for Walker's Budget and the rest of the far-right Agenda. Lets not trust these people any further than we can throw them; but they need to at least act like they are being accountable to their constituents.

At least we have the show of democracy here. Michigan is actually getting rid of democratic rule for its poorest residents.

the tangled web

Just in case you are not yet convinced that all the powers on the far-right are combining together to destroy the State of Wisconsin, here is an article outlining some of the connections.

And if that is not enough, Leaders of the TEA Party movement have also been linked to white supremacists groups. This is really not news, as the Koch Bro.s' father was a founding member of the John Birch Society, whose expressed mission was to reverse civil rights. The latest incarnation shies away from the anti-civil rights message- often citing their minority members as evidence that they are "not racist" of course, anyone familiar with the civil rights movement knows that it was a movement of the lower middle class and poor. The Wealthy blacks did not participate nearly as much, and indeed some were opposed.

The fact that the AFP, Tea Party, and Koch industries have close connections with lots of racist groups does not mean that they themnselves must be racist; but they also openly support policies and legislation that hurt the poor more than the rich or middle class. Perhaps they are not truly racist, but rather classist, as their ideas and goals- which are pedaled to them by big businesses like Koch industries under the guise of being 'pro-industry' -support policies that will make the poor poorer, limit education, reduce wages, and limit aid for those who are least able to help themselves.

Mark Pocan infiltrated ALEC

State Representative Mark Pocan attended an actual ALEC meeting a few years ago,-undercover of course- and reported on it. In light of the recent scrutiny the group had been under, he has reposted it on his site.

I was especially intrigued by the report that there were no socially conservative causes on the board. They were exhibitors outside, but were not a part of the actual law making groups. This seems to confirm the idea that the ALEC legislation is written and lobbied to benefit big business, and it is then wrapped in conservative Christianity so that it will appeal to the masses.

I don't know if this will be exposed right now- so many people are willing to believe the big lies told by the big money. Eventually the truth will come out, and I have to work as hard as I can to expose these lies.

sing -a -long

I have been attending the Solidarity Sing A Long in the Capitol Rotunda several days a week. This is my new mode of protesting. I feel that it is visible, and makes a nice statement. I can also bring my kids, and it is also sustainable. I can literally go every week day, and still live my normal life.

Plus, I have learned a lot of new songs!

Waukesha, Waukesha.

The Daily Kos has an interesting article that suggests election fraud in Waukesha in 2004. I have also been very surprised by the glaring bias in the media lately. The evening news is spinning this situation in favor of the governor. I know they have sponsors, and they have to be conservative - can't jump to conclusions,etc. But I am very disturbed by their glaring inaccuracies. I won't trust them again.

Channel 27 did a story on the Joint Finance Committee hearings. They then presented a survey with the question
Should JFC hearings be conducted differently?
here are the responses as listed and announced;
1. YES -with extended hours 49%
2. NO- 30%
3. YES- 20%

SO, if you aren't paying attention, it looks like 49% of the people think that the JCF committee should do things differently, when in reality this survey was written this way to split the "yes vote" so it looks like the people surveyed are more divided on the question.
In reality, the survey results should have read

1. Yes- 69%
2. No- 30%

This is more accurate because it conveys the meaning of the question. This wasn't some mistake. The 'News' team put this in to mislead the public.
I hate it when numbers are used to misrepresent data.

The bias and lies in the media are not too surprising, They have to be careful not to cry foul too early. They have advertisers and need to keep on the side of pro-business whenever possible. It is unfortunate that so many get information from the evening news and think of it as an unbiased source. I will not make that mistake again.

All beliefs are not equal.

Michigan is having its own round of freedom of information requests used as intimidation for professors doing labor-related research.

The fairness doctrine is difficult to argue against. Giving the 'other side' a chance to have a say seems valid as a rule, but when the 'other side' has ulterior motives - like they produce fossil fuels, then their opinion on such issues as global warming is really not valid. Unfortunately through ALEC oil companies get to draft their own laws, which are then rubber stamped by their GOP counterparts.

The 'fairness' idea breaks down when we bring science and research into the picture. When they are proven incorrect, the Koch agenda cites "beliefs" and cries "biased research". OFcourse they want researchers who do not believe in global warming, but these are rare because everyone who is qualified to be an expert learns enough about the environment that to deny global warming (though there is plenty debate on how to fix it) would be an outright lie. A few experts will lie- there are quacks in every field- but this is a case of knowledge, not some biased conspiracy.

All beliefs are not equal. The story of Nehor in the Book of Mormon is a good example of this.

I find it interesting in the end of the story, Nehor finally admits his lie, but his followers do not renounce their beliefs, so damage is still done. He must have had a very compelling argument, perhaps something to gratify pride. I wonder how similar Nehor's arguments were to the marketing of lies that we hear today.

Harry Reid is my hero

Harry Reid is standing for what is right. He is pressing the GOP on their budget bill, and the GOP is holding it up because they want to strip funding from Planned Parenthood and cultural programs like NPR- now this could be 100% fiscally motivated- except that it isn't. Plenty of bigwig Republicans are encouraging the GOP to cut a deal- the GOP already got the cuts that it originally wanted.

Planned parenthood provides reproductive health services to women for low or no cost. It is a favorite topic for the GOP because it involves the twin evils of sex and helping the poor. Harry Reid is standing firm, asking the GOP point blank if they are willing to shut down the government just to show that they are against birth control and privately funded abortions.

The GOP is dodging the question, because they are ashamed of their agenda and know that it is wrong. I am so proud of my fellow Mormon. Through his example I have a way to be a member of this church and still stand up for social justice. Thank you Harry Reid, for giving me a role model in being politically active.

I hate the authoritarian nature of so much of LDS culture. Harry Reid is sort of my one and only example of integrity. Mitt Romney might have started out fine, but as he is now a republican he has started the inevitable GOP radicalization to the far-right in order to win Tea Party and Koch Brothers' Support. He is a sell-out, and I find that especially disgusting.

Greatest fraud is not just in Waukesha.

If I were going to rig an election, I would pick Waukesha County. I would use a former employee who had already been involved in a few scandals, and I would use an election official who openly mocked experts who suggest that her secretive go-at-it along vote tallying methods where a bad idea. In short, I would choose Kathy Nikolaus.

The recount will tell us if there was actual fraud involved. I suspect massive incompetence.

Another theory is that this vote delay is a sort of trick in itself, as it drags out the Prosser victory and the recount may distract from the much more important recall efforts across the state.

I am sure that the Walker administration along with the Koch brothers and other corporate interests are very capable of fraud. I am not sure if they would do it in such a blatant, trackable way. This is a serious issue, but other injustices are happening in this state right now.

Republican legislators are following the lead of Walker with little or no question. Walker's agenda will defund and then privatize schools and prisons. There is a proposal to impose a stringent 'voter id' at the polling place. This would make it more difficult for some to vote, and would not prevent in-person voter fraud as it is virtually non-existent.

The ALEC is a group of corporations that write legislation that is then given to gop lawmakers. The ALEC is pretty successful, and many of their bills are being proposed as laws here in Wisconsin. But this group does not work for the best interest of the people- it works for the companies that it represents.
The GOP is allowing drug companies to write Badgercare reform, they are allowing private school corporations to write Public school reform, they are rubber-stamping environmental regulations authored by the very polluters that they are supposed to be regulating. Walker says that this is about debt, and that his reforms benefit our grandchildren, but this is an outright lie. These laws benefit those that wrote them; they are not for the good of the people of Wisconsin.

This is the fraud in the state of Wisconsin.

alec's private enterprise board

This list has been removed from the public portion of the ALEC website- someone is ashamed- but I think that it is important to see who exactly is writing this legislation that our GOP is rubber stamping into existence.

The private enterprise board is just one arm of ALEC.

For a better explanation and analysis of ALEC, please see alternet or scholarcitizen.williamcronon.net

ALEC Private Enterprise Board Chairman

--------------------------------------------------------

Mr. W. Preston Baldwin, Centerpoint360 (2011 Chairman)

Private Enterprise Board Members (as of December 1, 2010)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ms. Sano Blocker, Energy Future Holdings

Mr. Don Bohn, Johnson & Johnson

Mr. Jeff Bond, PhRMA

Mr. Bill Carmichael, American Bail Coalition

Mr. Derek Crawford, Kraft Foods, Inc.

Mr. John Del Giorno, GlaxoSmithKline

Mr. Matt Echols, Coca-Cola Company

Mr. Jim Epperson, Jr., AT&T Services, Inc.

Mr. Michael Hubert, Pfizer Inc

Ms. Teresa Jennings, Reed Elsevier, Inc.

Mr. Ken Lane, DIAGEO

Mr. Kelly Mader, Peabody Energy

Mr. Bernie McKay, Intuit, Inc.

Mr. Mike Morgan, Koch Industries, Inc.

Mr. Kevin Murphy, ExxonMobil Corp.

Mrs. Sandra Oliver, Bayer Corporation

Mr. David Powers, Reynolds American Inc.

Ms. Maggie Sans, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Mr. Russell Smoldon, Salt River Project

Mr. Toby Spangler, Altria Client Services, Inc.

Mr. Roland Spies, State Farm Insurance Co.

Mr. Pat Thomas, United Parcel Service

Mr. Jerry Watson, Chairman Emeritus

prosser's 'victory' fund

Justice Prosser's home website is soliciting unlimited private donations for a 'victory' fund to ensure that the recount is done in such a way that 'Prosser's victory is preserved' I do not doubt that a recount could change the results, in 2004 a recount in the Washington state gubernatorial race yielded 723 uncounted ballots. However, Kloppenburg is the winner of the election. Prosser's campaign is requesting the recount, which means that he actually did come in with 209 fewer voted than Kloppenburg.

The Koch Brothers were able to inject a lot of money into this election by setting up a non profit dumbie non-profit. Cognitive Dissidence has a pretty good analysis of the situation. Prosser's interests outspent Kloppenburg's outside supporters 3:2. They still could not buy the election, so now it appears that there is an attempt to buy the recount.

In Wisconsin recounts are funded by the state if the margin of victory is within .5%. In this election 1.4 million votes were cast, with record turnout for a spring election. The recount will be long, and is generally conducted by the poll workers, with the majority of the cost being shouldered by local governments.

I guess that local government officials might be a bit biased against the Walker agenda, as his 'budget repair' takes a lot of state funding away from local governments, and limits the ability of local governments to raise money through property taxes. All this while giving tax breaks to corporations, increasing funding for highways, and reducing government oversight.

People involved in government know that Walker's agenda is bad news. Perhaps this is why Prosser and (let's not kid ourselves) the Koch Brothers are setting up a fund to 'oversee' the recount. I would not put any sort of fraud past the Walker administration, I have confidence that the Elections Board will conduct itself appropriately.

I am afraid that the Republicans will trump up charges of voter fraud and use their ready masses of angry tea partiers to get support for "Voter ID" which will disenfranchise the poor and young, and which are two groups of people that the Walker Agenda hopes to disenfranchise. It is an article of faith among Tea Partiers (Koch Brothers, ALEC) that people who oppose them aren't a part of the 'real america' which is part of their justification for Voter ID and removing same-day voter registration. Senate Bill 6 is a travesty.

klopp

Kloppenburg won the supreme court election by a scant 209 votes. There will be a recount, so it is not quite official. This is a really big deal because a sitting supreme court justice is very difficult to unseat. Prosser proclaimed his support for Walker early on, he then spent a lot of time denying that early support and pleading his impartiality. I was very concerned about his opinion that judges need not recuse themselves form cases involving their campaign contributors.

Kloppenburg is qualified, she is capable, but most importantly she is not Prosser, and has never expressed her commitment to his agenda (or against it). I see her as the only hope for a balanced court. I do not expect her to outlaw all of Walker's laws, but I do expect her to act in accordance with the law. Unfortunately our GOP lawmakers have been subverting court orders, and then claiming "Judicial activism" when the court does not uphold their shady ways.

This election is a sort of referendum on the Walker agenda. Walker claims in this statement, that the state is divided between the big cities Madison and Milwaukee (where he used to live) and the rest of the state where the "true citizens" live. I hear this from conservatives all the time; the whole 'us and them' mentality. I also believe that in this case it does not apply. Plenty of rural conservative places voted Kloppenburg (janesville), while Lacrosse voted Prosser.

I think that a lot of people voted for Prosser who will also recall Walker. I do not think that the reverse is true.

it will be a long fight.

Paul Ryan is the latest TEA party candidate to propose massive cuts and government privatization under the banner of saving money. His Plan is very closely related to that of Gov Walker for Wisconsin. It sounds reasonable to cut spending when there is a shortfall, but Paul Ryan and Gov. Walker did not come up with these ideas on their own. Their budget repairs are a cut and paste job taken from the 'budget repair toolkit' of the ALEC.
ALEC is made up of private corporate interests that pay lots of money to write model legislation. That is then introduced by the GOP lawmaker side of the business. This is different from what we think of as normal lobbying because it is highly organized, very successful, and secretive. The official ALEC membership is secret, as are the corporations that sit on each committee, and the amount of Money that is paid to belong to each committee.
William Cronon wrote about this shady organization, on his blog (scroll down a bit) the post prompted a Freedom in Information request from the DOA, which was meant to intimidate and embarrass him.
The ALEC, Fox News, The John Birch society, The Americans for Prosperity, and increasingly corrupt GOP politicians on the State and National level are all a part of this big-business takeover of government. I am fighting it here in Wisconsin, but the movement is larger than us. We are just now recounting our latest Supreme court election. Outside interest groups outspent Joanne Kloppenburg 3:2. The main 'nonprofit' funding the Prosser campaign was connected to and funded by the Koch Brothers- who also fund the Americans for Prosperity and very likely bribed national supreme court justices to get the Citizens United decision.
We need all non-profits' membership/contributors to be public record. We also need Citizens United to be overturned. We need to get the word out and expose the corporate greed machine that is the ALEC. We need to recall as many Republican Senators as possible here in Wisconsin. I believe that if people know about what is going on, then they will revolt.

Civil rights is an interesting analogy for the current protest. All minorities suffered under jim crow in the south. But the middle class black population did not participate much in the civil rights movement. As Condoleeza Rice said "if we had waited for the middle class, we would still be waiting". There was a lot of opposition to civil rights; plenty of ant-civil rights groups pointed out that Jim Crow was legal, that it wasn't perhaps a constitutional right to drink from every drinking fountain, and that plenty of places have it worse. I imagine that there was a sneer and an eyeroll when anti-civil rights people derisively said that slavery was wrong, but that there was no relation between that great evil and eating in a segregated restaurant.

I find it very interesting that the John Birch Society, which was well known for their anti-civil rights campaign also vehemently denied that they were a racist organization. The Americans for Prosperity are also funded by the Koch family, albeit a new generation. The AFP also embraces a less explicit anti-civil rights mission, mostly clothed as being pro-american by cutting entitlements and the social safety net, as well as busting unions- which benefit all workers, but benefit minorities most by mandating equal pay for equal work. They also advocate policies like Voter ID which will disenfranchise the poor. Because of these and other claims, the AFP is constantly denying allegations that its policies are classist and racially motivated. They like to point out that they have a few black members. This is true. There are black people in the AFP, and they are very popular, because practically every member of the AFP has a black friend that they love to talk about.
Far from excusing the AFP from any racist tendencies, this just proves that caucasians do not have a monopoly on gullible people.

This is going to be a long fight. It is starting to pick up some steam here in Wisconsin, but it is far from over. Civil rights took over a decade, and there are still battles to fight on that front. Exposing the GOP corporate law machine, and reforming our national campaign finance laws may take just as long. There are plenty of skeptics, plenty of detractors, and a whole lot of misinformation. I am in this for the long haul, and I have never appreciated the words of Dr. Martin Luther King more than I do now when I read;

"We shall overcome because Carlisle is right. "No lie can live forever." We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is right. "Truth crushed to earth will rise again." We shall overcome because James Russell Lowell is right. "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne." Yet that scaffold sways the future. We shall overcome because the Bible is right. "You shall reap what you sow." With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when all of God's children all over this nation - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual, "Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God Almighty, We are Free At Last."
-MLK

ALEC links

The actual ALEC website tells us a lot about its intentions, everything from the "workfare" to the "parents rights amendment" but as we can not read many of its documents, or find its membership, we need other sources to find out the truth behind this shady group. Here is a nice article on the workings of ALEC.

ALEC is run by private corporations who pay money to join, and then pay even more money to actually write 'model legislation'. Since the bills are written by corporations paying top dollar, the bills are all very pro-business. Many of these bills are then lobbied to the republican lawmakers who are also ALEC members, they pay only $100/yr, and they are lobbied and treated to conventions by the ALEC who then get them to enact the 'model legislation'.

In effect, Private business interests are writing legislation. The legislation, like Arizona's recently overturned 1070 immigration law is sold to the public as the work of conservative legislators doing their best to serve the interest of the people, but in reality that law was written by private prison companies that hope to profit from the incarceration of illegal aliens.

Much of the Current budget strife here in Wisconsin doesn't make a lot of sense- why does our budget eliminate an early-out program for prisoners? Why does the 'budget repair' actually call for LESS regulation for roads projects? A lot of these can be answered by the simple fact that the 'Budget repair' proposed by Walker and the GOP legislators is written by, and in the best interest of, private companies.

The healthcare changes alone have been drastic; It seems that the cuts could have been made without appointing Dennis Miller to make all change of eligibility decisions instead of congress. But this change was not made for the benefit of the public, it is made in the name of 'fiscal responsibility' which when spoken by Scott Walker and his cronies means 'they are responsible for fiscally benefiting the ALEC".

There is even more to this movement; Business interests are first and foremost, but Paul Weyrich (prominent member of ALEC) has even more of his agenda written up in his 2001 book The Integration of Theory and Practice.

SHAME!

ALEC = corporations write legislation

The American Legislative exchange Coalition or ALEC is a group of corporate businessmen from the private sector who draft model legislation which they then encourage their republican members to enact. They claim to propose 1000 pieces of legislation a year, and that 18% of that becomes law.
This group is made up of corporate businessmen who pay $1000/year for membership, and then another $2,500 to $5,000 to be a part of one of their specialized bill-drafting groups. The membership is pretty secretive, though the public members can sometimes be tracked through other methods.
This is much more dangerous than a typical lobbying group because in this case private business and corporations are actually drafting legislation, and then this stuff is sold to gullible American public as something that is in the best interest of the public.
Large portions of Scott Walker's Budget repair bill come directly from the 'budget repair tool kit'. Some of the budget repair proposed might be in the public interest, but I know for sure that 100% of it is in the best interest of the big business corporations that drafted the original legislation with the ALEC.
The ALEC is very concerned with fighting "Obamacare" and I am sure that many Americans feel this way as well, but are we all comfortable with a fight against Obamacare that is headed up and written out by pharmacuetical companies?! How can their fight be in the best interest of the American people when they are paying so much money to ensure that it is in their own interest.

I think that this argument is valid for everything that is proposed on the ALEC website. The Arizona 1070 immigration bill came from this group. Why are private companies so concerned with illegal immigration? This bill was probably co-written by companies that operate private prisons, that stand to benefit from the criminalization of illegal immigration. I am sure that the union busting agenda of the Walker administration has nothing to do with the public interest.

It is particularly ironic that Walker has demonized teachers, nurses, prison guards, and other public employees by calling them lazy and selfish for protesting the drastic changes his administration has brought in reducing funds and stripping them of their right to collectively bargain for benefits and workplace conditions. In addition to the many lies that Mr. Walker has perpetrated, perhaps the worst is that he claims to be motivated by concern for the public good, when in fact he is concerned for the good of the companies and corporations that have drafted the extreme ALEC legislation that his sham administration is rubber-stamping.

Doyle budget repair VS Walker budget repair

Doyle's Budget repair vs. Walker's Budget repair

There is an idea that Walker's budget repair bill is roughly equivalent to Doyle's 2009 budget repair bill.

There are similarities; both were passed or attempted to be passed in a short amount of time with no public testimony.

The differences are many. Doyle's budget repair was not nearly as divisive as Walker's BRB. It did not prompt a Filibuster from the opposing party, and no Republicans fled the state. Is this because the Repubs all firmly believed that the governor and majority party should be blindly followed in every situation? Perhaps. It also could be because Doyle's BRB was not abhorrent to the Republicans. The main complaints about the Doyle BRB is that it increased taxes. It did raise taxes by 360 million, as well as a retroactive hospital tax. The hospital tax raised the total taxes raised to 1.2 billion, however the hospital tax would bring in federal funds, so the hospitals wanted to be taxed. The unwanted taxes were also raised, and plenty of Republicans were unhappy.

I believe that raising taxes in this manner is not equivalent to stripping effective collective bargaining rights from public employees, selling state power plants in no-bid contracts, restructuring badger care so that an appointee makes all eligibility decisions instead of the legislature, allowing companies to pollute wetlands, expanding the Milwaukee voucher program without requiring equivalent testing, and all of the other inflammatory craziness that the Walker bill contains.

Unlike Walker's BRB, all of the representatives were allowed to vote when approving the Doyle budget repair. The Democrats did not try to vote before the Republicans arrived, and I can't seem to find this specific data, but I don't think that their microphones were turned off. furthermore, I believe that Doyle had many influences for his budget repair bill, but there is no Democratic equivalent to the ALEC which is a collaborative effort between owners of large corporations and republican lawmakers to draft "model legislation" which is then promoted by the republican lawmakers around the country. Walker's Budget repair Bill is full of Alec-inspired legislation.

The Doyle BRB, though far from perfect, was not nearly as divisive or far reaching as the Walker BRB. Raising taxes on capitol gains by 60% as well as increasing income taxes for the wealth(over 225K) to 7.75% was not as far-reaching as stripping effective collective bargaining from public employees.

Finally, at some point this debate becomes a "my value" versus "your values" situation. I believe that people are sincere when they say that such-and-such legislation reflects their culture, beliefs, and core values.
I do not believe in moral relativism. I believe that people can be manipulated and that there are and have been a lot of really bad ideas in the world that have been excused as culture and heritage. I believe that promoting the interests of the powerful and wealthy at the expense of the poor and colored is wrong.

Walker's school 'reform'

Walker is reforming schools.
Some, like the Tea party are happy about it.

Others are worried that it will ruin the education system here in Wisconsin.

Walker's plan from his Campaign site, mentions retaining, rewarding and training qualified teachers. Though the "non fiscal" budget repair bill AB11 effectively strips teachers of their collective bargaining rights, which many felt was disrespectful, certainly not rewarding, and will be a factor in many of them not being retained, as they seek better opportunities in states where they are valued as professionals, not just the latest punching bag of the far-right.

I am also very concerned about expanding the voucher program in Milwaukee public schools.
The vouchers will be available to more students than ever before.
vouchers need not pay the full tuition (parents will chip in for the rest)
private schools need not do the same testing as the public schools.

This is all done in the interest of creating "competition" but many believe that this program will result in funneling money away from public schools into private religious schools, and that the private schools may be subpar as they are not required to ahve certified teachers,
also, many of the problems of Milwaukee public schools are due to the low socio-economic status of the MPS students. nearly 20% of MPS kids are qualified for special education, and these kids need extra attention and have problems.

I found one comment especially poignant;

Lianne Schroeder - Feb 27, 2011 9:08 PM

10

I would be very interested to know who Walker is getting advice from
on these reforms and what research supports these decisions. As a
student in Learning Sciences, I have gained an understanding of just
how difficult it is to define "good" teaching and how poorly standardized
tests correlate with what we students to know and how we want
teachers to teach!

Teacher and school evaluation is not easy to understand or change and I
am highly skeptical of Walker's ability to be able to make informed
decision or to even understand the advice he might be presented with.

Walker claims that he needs to get rid of collective bargaining to give
local administration the tools they need to deal with the upcoming
budget cuts but then he is going to come in with sweeping reforms of
his own, taking control away from local administration.
***********************************************

Well said. I am absolutely sure that expanding the voucher program statewide is next on the list of Walker's crazy tea party agenda. This will create institutional racism, it will not 'solve' the education system, because the private schools will not have some special silver bullet that the public schools do not, on the contrary, the private schools will have less- qualified teachers, less oversight, and as a result a sub-par education. Perhaps their tuition fees will limit their students to only the most economically advantaged, so the inequalities in education will be hidden. Perhaps the parents that subscribe to the Tea party ideology will be dazzled by the vanilla pudding classmates, they may not understand or value education in general, and if they are like Walker, they will not understand math, so they will believe Walker when he says that the private schools have improved learning by 7.5 million, or 350,oo0 or some other significant amount that he will have to get back to you about.

Since the attack on my dear state of Wisconsin, I have decided to take down the TEA party, I know there are a few divisions, but specifically the Americans for Prosperity, the group here is WI that has been funding pro-walker ads, sponsored the "stand with walker" bus tour, and the nearly 2,ooo strong pro-walker rally on the square, which Sarah Palin decided to skip last minute because of the poor turn out, and perhaps the 66,ooo peaceful pro-union protesters.

SO, here are some links, these are sort of fun, but the message is very real, and very troubling.

I can't watch this and laugh. It is all too close to home. Glenn Beck is a Mormon! We share a religion; I hope that his spiritual journey will eventually lead him to more self-awareness and rejection of these beliefs, but for now his actions are a force for evil.

protesting update

Protesting is really hard. It is not just some self-serving self-righteous cake walk, yes there is sometimes free pizza, but it is also really cold. My arms are getting stronger from holding up signs, and recently I have been trying to fit my running back into my life by running "laps of shame" for the shameful actions of the government. Friday I did 5 laps with my jogging stroller. There was also an Elder March- senior citizens with picket signs, power wheelchairs, guitars, and banners. One lady had a walker with a sign that said "at least this walker is useful".


I love the diversity of the crowd, but when the crowd is thin, or when I talk to pro-walker supporters and hear them criticize public employees as selfish, lazy, useless, etc. It gets difficult. I mean this budget bill as it is written will mean the end of our public schools as we know them. It severely limits programs like food assistance and badger care. I hate learning that there exist people in the world who actually think that eliminating the social safety net is a good idea. I still believe strongly in what I am doing, but it gets difficult when I have to act alone.


I will go to hell and back for my assembly democrats. These people are my heroes. I also have great respect for the fabulous 14 and their flight to Illinois to delay the passage of this bill, and there is plenty of work ahead for them; there is a lot of crazy legislation being proposed, and I plan on showing up often and speaking my opposition to this radical agenda.

I now believe that the success of the protest will require exposing the TEA party and the Americans For Prosperity PAC for what they really are; racist, frightened, selfish and classist. I think that it is sad that it has come to this, but the radical right is attacking my state, so I am fighting back.

boycott flier

Picket WIBA ** Sunday Mar 6^th 3-5pm ** 2651 South Fish Hatchery rd

Rightwing talk radio station WIBA is home to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Vicki McKenna. This station vilifies public workers and is fanning the flames of the war on the middle class. Stand up to these hotheads with a picket sign! Bring your friends for a peaceful protest to show WIBA that Madison doesn’t like liars.

boycottwalker.blogspot.com

Picket WiBa ** Sunday Mar 6^th 3-5pm ** 2651 South Fish Hatchery rd

Rightwing talk radio station Wiba is home to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Vicki McKenna. This station has been vilifying public workers and fanning the flames of the war on the middle class. Stand up to these hotheads with a picket sign! Bring your friends for a peaceful protest to show Wiba that Madison doesn’t like liars.

boycottwalker.blogspot.com

protest- outdoors!!

The capitol is effectively closed. It was opened by a court order Monday, but that only lasted for a short time. There are a lot of different excuses circulating;
the protesters inside are not cooperating,
they are cleaning the building and will not be allowed in until it is clean, etc.


Scott Walker gave a budget address Tuesday, and he got his supporters in via an underground tunnel from the Risser justice center. I am sure that he felt all persecuted. He puts on a good show of pretending to be threatened by the protest, but he is such a liar.
He kicks the people out of the capitol now, the people kick him out Jan 4 2012.

And what would appease the demonstration? What is so unreasonable that we are sleeping outdoors in 15 degree weather? Negotiate with the Democratic representatives, and do not restrict collective bargaining by public employees. This budget has a lot of issues, it is painful, etc. But those two issues are the main problem.

There was another court decision that determined that the capitol could in fact remained closed and restricted because the protest caused loud noises and the chanting was threatening to gov. Walker. Of course, if he wants to infuriate his citizens, I think that he should at least have to hear us be angry about it. The weasel refused to talk to the assembly democrats, he is ignoring them, and now he is trying to ignore the rest of the people in his state that don't agree with him. I understand that a massive community sleepover is inconvenient, but so is removing our collective bargaining rights. As one lovely sign so eloquently expressed;
"did you expect to take away our rights without a WILD RUMPUS?"

This person posed as the statue of liberty on Saturday. pretty great costume!

At the doors of the capitol you can leave a note with your feelings on it. The Dane COunty sherriff removed their supporting officers from the capitol saying that they are not "palace guards" they are still helping to patrol, but refuse to do any of the semi-legal dirty work.

And the protests haven't stopped. perhaps fewer people are camping out overnight, but I actually prefer to be outdoors, I slept way better than I ever did inside, and I get to make a pretty powerful statement just by sleeping. The low was 15 this morning, and I was okay. I can do this for a long time. If it rains I will just come back the next day.

This sign is on a memorial to union soldiers. I though it was incredibly clever.
I also saw a sign that said "out out damn Scott". We are so creative.
You really shouldn't mess with Wisconsin!

protest

even dogs know that this bill is bad news...

reform prisons to save money! Don't attack collective bargaining!

atleast voldemort was NOT elected.... so sad, so sad.

Knitters for negotiation!!



This is a pretty good crowd. THere is also a real diversity of ages and types of people. The protestors who are occupying the capitol are mostly students, but those outside are largely


invoking the spirit of fighting Bob...The pro-labor 4-time presidential cabinet and Wisconsin native. His statue in the capitol has flowers on it.


FOx news has reported all sorts of lies about this protest over teh last two weeks. They are not just biased, they are telling lies. So, when a fox news camera man came into the crowd, we all shouted "fox news lies!" loud and constantly until he left. FOX really shouldn't make enemies in WIsconsin. We are tough people- we fish through ice.

This is a non violence protest, not non-violinist.
Violinists are welcome, especially violinists for labor.

tea party

The Tea Party is not a grass-roots effort, or even conservative backlash by angry middle aged racists white people. Unlike white supremecists, tea partiers are not all obviously genuinely evil....
There is a lot of advertising and thought going into organizing and manipulating a certain demographic into believing that the Tea Party is good for America. There is a lot of country music and rose colored history.

The Tea Party is bankrolled by some America's richest, who are looking to gt even richer with their own libertarian off-the-wall agenda.

Here is a really good article on this phenomenon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html

I am especially worried about this issue, as my current governor imagines himself to be a Tea partier, and has close ties with the founding members of this movement, the Koch Brothers. Right now, in MY state of Wisconsin He is trying to effectually eliminate public sector unions. He is using the Budget crisis as a backdrop for his evil plan, which he readily admitted in a pranked phone phone call to who he thought was David Koch.

Usually I am all about diversity of political opinion, but when a far right agenda masquerades as grass-roots, and a lying governor admits that MY state is the first domino in what he and his minnions hope will be the entire nation, I need to take a stand.

The real agenda is probably close to the politics of David Koch's 1980 vice presidential bid;

Clark–Koch ticket promised to abolish Social Security, the Federal Reserve Board, welfare, minimum-wa­ge laws, corporate taxes, all price supports and subsidies for agricultur­e and business, and U.S. Federal agencies including the SEC, EPA, ICC, FTC, OSHA, FBI, CIA, and DOE.[2][11­] The ticket proposed legalizati­on of prostituti­on, recreation­al drugs, and suicide.

source;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/avg_american/scott-walker-buffalo-beast-phone-prank_n_827058_78495477.html

This is the agenda of the people that have my governor in their pocket. I am scared, and you should be too!!

me in the media

WOW!
look at what these crazy protesters are up to now.

Far right, gray shirt, I am so proud of my fellow citizens right now. I feel like people care enough to take action. I believe in my assembly democrats. THey inspire me, and I am participating for them as well as my own peace of mind.

I have been angered and saddened by the misrepresentations of the protest in the capitol. The facts are; 7 days, no arrests. The group is loosely organized- the TAA (teaching assistants association) is "in charge" but most protestors are not associated with the TAA. Yet, this group is self-policing. There are yoga classes, nonviolence training, and the heart-wrenching testifying before assembly democrats -recorded on wisconsin eye- of individuals and their personal stories and their individual feelings on the budget reform bill.

I won't go into all of the inaccuracies and outright lies, but I want to show what I have seen, my personal testimony about the high quality of people who are participating in this action.

Here is the drum circle. People did this for a while, and after the national anthem and reading the names of those killed in the bay view rollermill shooting, several people got sponges and buckets and cleaned the floor. There is also a fund to clean the capitol after the protest is over.

This is an incredibly safe and secure place. There were a lot of people around this sign, it was on a pillar on the rotunda ground floor near the drum circle, but no one stole the dollar. WOW!

My fellow citizens are really smart and creative people.

The poster on the left is a play on the Anton Dodson "bed intruder" song.

I like the "He's a weasel not a Badger" idea. There is a tradition of social justice and worker rights in this state. We are the home of Battling Bob!

In addition to the usual compants, Scott Walker's proposed budget, It also seems very un-wisconsin. We are not willing to compromise our schools, we are willing to fund great libraries, and we like to have widllife preserves and wetlands. We like education and we like to help others. the whole world is watching but to me this is a very real battle for the Wisconsin I have come to love and the big business craziness that will earn Scott Walker street cred with the tea party.

=

Peaceful Protest

He said that it wasn't the second coming, but it was important enough that he show up. I don't know what you can tell from the picture, but it was a really great costume.

This group meditated silently for several hours. Just a sign announced them.

A lot of signs appealed to historical themes. Likethis reference to animal farm.

I also saw a "What would Howard Zinn do" sign, referring to the author of the extensive

and accurate A peoples' HIstory of the United States" I suspect that Mr. Walker would be less willing to strip public employees of some collective bargaining rights if he knew more about the history of labor and worker rights in this country.

Some of our popular romaniticized view of history may be to blame.

This Sign reads "Democracy is 2 wolves and 1 sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed sheep disputing the vote." The sheep has a 'peaceful protest' sign. The quote is attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

.

People were allowed to sleep in the north and east wings, as the assembly and senate

were meeting the following morning in the south and west wings.

The view looking up.

Some firefighters joined the protest tonight, they informed us that the Governor had tried to get us to leave by claiming that we presented a fire hazard. However this capitol has no fire code, so he will have to do something else. Personally, I am willing to sleep outside.

a peaceful protest. Apparently our governor is "scared for his own well being". He is afarid of us "union thugs" who have taken over

t

he