One Million Strong

I received an email from United Wisconsin today:

Today, volunteers from every corner of the state are turning in over 1,000,000 petition signatures to recall Scott Walker.

Incredible.

Together, we have made history. Congratulations, you did it and deserve to celebrate today. You have sent Scott Walker a crystal clear message – our values will not be steamrolled, and our state will not be held hostage any longer. It is time for Walker to go.

This million-strong grassroots movement is an unprecedented achievement, and a resounding victory beyond any legal challenge. Through the cold, snow and rain over 30,000 circulators and volunteers took to the streets to insist that their government work for them.

Today, January 17, we celebrate, and tomorrow we go back to work. You have demanded a recall election and now we must work through the coming months to remove Walker from office.

I'm flabbergasted. From the beginning of this fight nearly a year ago, to the announcement today, I'm completely overwhelmed. I've met so many neighbors who rightly looked at this situation and decided to act. We've knocked on doors, written our representatives, submitted letters to the editor, voted, and volunteered all over the state. This moment is truly historic.

In 60 short days we found a million people looking to change directions in our government. We've taken the state back and exercised our fundamental right as citizens of this country.

Historically, the right tends to lay claim to patriotism. They love to say that this country is the greatest place on earth. They say this as they vote for politicians that tear down the fabric that made us great. They turn their backs as their water is polluted, their air is smogged, their land is sold, their money is taken from them, and their government is made less accountable.

While I witness our methodical destruction of this right wing fanatical leadership, one point is clear to me: This really feels like the greatest country on earth this afternoon. We live in a state full of good people willing to stand up to power in spite of an angry and violent opposition. No one who spits in the face of a recall volunteer deserves to be labeled a patriot. No one who threatens violence on an old lady with a sign truly loves freedom. Those working in opposition to this violent mob deserve medals - all 25,000 of our unpaid volunteers.

There's still more work to do. We have elections to win. Several senators and a lieutenant governor were also recalled. I'll be working hard against you, Senator Terry Moulton. You may be a nice guy and a church-going, family man, but I will fight your political ideas until my last breath is gone.

Good work folks! Celebrate tonight - pat yourself on the back! You've done something amazing here. Let's keep our foot on the gas pedal and keep moving forward. Wisconsin will be ours!

Advocacy for Victims In Peril

I awoke this morning to this news on my facebook feed:

Justice Department officials informed service providers around the state this month it plans to cut grants from its Sexual Assault Victim Services program by 42.5 percent this year.

My wife has spent time as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). A SANE's job is to collect evidence in cases of sexual assault. You've seen the end product on CSI episodes - the rape kit. She's there to begin the official record for use in a court of law. Victims have a choice as to how far they want to proceed in this examination. They can choose to skip the exam, or they can choose to have the SANE collect as much evidence as possible. They can choose to prosecute, or simply seek therapy. How does a victim make an informed, rational decision in the hours after an assault, sitting in a hospital room?

On hand in each case is an advocate. The advocate is a trained volunteer who works with the victim to begin the healing process. Sometimes the advocate spends time teaching the victim about her rights in court. Sometimes she helps the victim navigate the bureaucracy in seeking further psychological help. Other times she just listens.

These advocates are not paid, but the organization that runs the advocacy program does have a paid coordinator and a skeleton crew of staff. They run as lean as they can, and the volunteers are to be commended for their community service. If you ask me, there ought to be more dollars committed to this type of advocacy. Nothing can change the fact that a terrible crime has been committed, but a loving community can go a long way toward recovery. Sometimes all it takes is one positive face. Advocates know this - that's why they volunteer.

WCASA is the organization in Wisconsin that works with social services, law enforcement, and the medical community to aid victims of sexual assault. The article quotes their interim director:

"These are disastrous cuts," Pennie Meyers, interim executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said in a statement. "(The cuts) will serious imperil our members' ability to meet the needs of sexual assault survivors."

Thankfully the cuts have not passed all the way through committee.

The cuts aren't final yet. The Department of Administration must approve them. Then it must submit them to the Legislature's finance committee, which would automatically approve them unless a committee member objects. That would prompt a hearing.

Lena Taylor and Robert Jauch, both members of the fab 14, are on the committee. This means there will be at least one public hearing. I'll be keeping close tabs on this issue as it moves its way through the process. I hope you will, too.

An engaged citizenry can provide bad legislation a quick death. This is about more than just a specific issue, though. I'd like to think I could send someone to Madison that would have the common sense to at least leave this program alone. In a perfect world, we would increase funding for victim advocacy. I'm looking forward to turning over the senate. I'm really looking forward to taking the governor's office back. As bad as things like this seem, they also serve as fuel for us as we brave the cold. Each signature adds forcefulness to our voice. Keep volunteering! Keep fighting! Wisconsin will be ours!

They're Running Scared

It's been a wild ride this first two weeks. I have to say, I always knew we would do well, but the announcement of 300,000 signatures on Monday just about knocked my socks off. I'm so proud of each and every person I've met in this process. The effort displayed, even for something as simple as finding a place to sign, is beyond moving. To see this happen organically like it has is simply amazing.

Right now they think there are 10,000 Ohioans in Wisconsin collecting your signatures - even though so far I know for a fact that the vast majority of signatures have been collected at stationary locations. You have to find a place to sign right now, in the spare ten minutes of your day between the bajillion other things you have to do in your busy life. And you know the people you're working with. If you're like me, you're meeting neighbors and making friendships that will last a lifetime.

There's something brewing, though. There appears to be a direct correlation between our success and their anger. The better we do, the more frightened they get. We see reports every day of harassment, attempted destruction of petitions, physical altercations, and this, which is beyond scary.

It's been great to see the courage in the faces of our volunteers, and the overwhelming willingness to sign petitions. Tonight I spoke with 4 young women who were vehemently opposed to Walker's radical agenda against reproductive rights in Wisconsin. In about two seconds, an ordinary dinner conversation turned into a frank discussion on the state of money in politics. There's a false morality Walker and his allies seem to carry with them every step of the way, even as they come in and essentially give publicly owned resources to the private sector.

I sometimes wonder if that hunger for the moral high ground is rooted in a need to over-compensate for the severely immoral social and economic policies this group routinely carries out. I mean, sure, you're making life harder for poor people, but you're making it easier for them to live Godly lives. You can rest easy knowing that, while you took their money, at least you saved their souls!

The biggest reactionary piece of news I saw this evening was the following article from the Journal-Sentinal regarding new protest rules for the state capitol:

The policy says:

Groups of four or more people must obtain permits for all activity and displays in state buildings and apply for those permits at least 72 hours in advance. The policy requires permits for 100 or more people outside the Capitol. The policy does provide some leeway for spontaneous gatherings triggered by unforeseen events.

 Groups holding demonstrations could be charged for the costs of having extra police on hand for the event. Costs associated with a counterprotest could be charged to that second group.

The costs would be $50 per hour per Capitol Police officer - costs for police officers from outside agencies would depend on the costs billed to the state. The police could require an advance payment as a requirement for getting a permit and could also require liability insurance or a bond.

That's right - your family vacation to the capitol building in Madison just became a protest, and you need a permit, buddy! So, for the sake of argument, let's say you're a great planner, and you call in advance to get the permit. If you have a group of four or more and they decide you're planning on protesting, you could be charged 50 bucks a cop prior to coming to visit your lawmaker.

I've been to rallies where I supported my lawmakers, and I've also been to rallies opposing them. I've also come to a couple just to see what was going on and I'm sure my head would be counted in an official number. What this really means is, if you're coming to pay any attention to your lawmaker, positive or negative, you're demonstrating. The only reason a family of four will be able come to the capitol building from now on will be to admire the architecture. Come to think of it, maybe that will be my next reason for showing up!

On nights like this, I look forward to getting this administration out of power. Any show of anger from the opposition makes me fight harder. Any ridiculous-all-caps-misspelled facebook comment calling me a UNION THUG compels me one step further. You can call me what you want - if being concerned about 65,000 people getting dumped off of Badgercare makes me a union thug, then slap a union label on my forehead and call me Jimmy Hoffa. If I have to choose between an organization that stands up for working people and an organization that beats them down, it's not really a contest. Keep up the fight, folks! We're going to right this ship, one signature at a time. Wisconsin will be ours!

Who is "They" and Why Don't "They" Do Something?

A friend of mine "finally" signed the petition. This is awesome, especially because he's one of the rare independent-minded friends I have. Not that I'm ripping on any of my other friends, but I'll put it bluntly: I'm blessed with a lot of like-minded friends this fall, and I tend to gravitate towards people of the same political bent. I think most of us do that.

ANYWAY, he made a tongue-in-cheek comment about the need for door-to-door canvassing during the recall. His comment was, "Maybe they should do door-to-door canvassing, I had to seek out a petition." My comment back was, "Maybe you should volunteer!" Believe me, we're nearly there. We've been doing well without it thus far in Eau Claire, posting people on busy corners and awaiting drive-thrus. Partially because of this, we've yet to hit the neighborhoods door-to-door.

Both of us are joking - a little. He is right - it's time for us to start with the door-to-door work. We're doing well so far without it, but that work is likely to be coming soon. Not everyone drives past us and has time to stop just then. And I know he's a busy guy - two little kids and a job with weird hours. I can't fault him that much for not volunteering.

On the other hand, I've been blessed to meet so many folks that chip in any spare time they have to this effort. It's overwhelming. It makes me wonder, if we had a little more time and a few more people, just what we could accomplish. We could move mountains in Wisconsin.

We don't always have the energy all the time to get out and hit the pavement. I know I don't - I need time to rest, to relax, play music, and spend time with my family. I'm probably not the leading volunteer out of Eau Claire. But that's the best thing about it - you don't need to be either. One hour, one Saturday, two hours on a Thursday afternoon, just a little bit here or there - you can make the difference. You can be one more person that stood up to power in Wisconsin.

They rely on you staying home, not paying attention, and accepting the status quo. You challenge it with every comment, every signature you get, every happy honk you hear, and believe it or not, every negative comment you choose to ignore.

There is not a prize for the best volunteer. If there is, I don't think I'll win it. I've seen too many great people out there giving more than I could even imagine. But there is no greater reward worth striving for than a better government.

So, to my friend who has not volunteered yet - it's awesome that you posted your political preference on your facebook page in the first place. It's awesome that you signed. To my other friends working hard out there in the trenches, THANK YOU! Our victory is there in every moment that our hearts are in it. Keep moving ahead! Signature after signature, vote after vote, conversation after conversation - we will win this fight simply because it's being fought. As long as apathy remains dead, our cause lives a very healthy life. Wisconsin will be ours!

Screaming and Hollering

"I can hire one-half of the working class to kill the other half." - Jay Gould, 19th Century Industrialist

"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - John Steinbeck

Today I stood on a busy corner with a group of 3 ladies as we collected signatures for the recall of Governor Scott Walker. It's Black Friday, meaning hoards of people are out getting the deals for Christmas shopping. Apparently, it's also open season for screaming at recall volunteers.

The good news first: We collected loads of signatures in this prime location. We had a steady stream of folks coming up to sign. I even helped a blind guy sign the petition. That's right: legally, he just needs to make his mark. He was able to write his name on the dotted line like everyone else. That's democracy for you!

The kind of off-putting news was the level of anger directed at our group of people. We tried to have fun with it, keeping score of the number of drive-by screamers by the color of car they drove. I was maroon. That meant that every time a person in a maroon car screamed violently at us, I got a point in my favor. I ended my 2 hour session with 3 points. Losing to white was sort of obvious, as white is a more popular color. I think white had 4 points, and blue had 3 points.

But I have to say, the level of violence directed at us is a bit frightening. Last night volunteers went out essentially all hours of the night, gathering signatures from people in line for Target and Best Buy. Apparently people nearly called the cops on a gentleman who was physically threatening people.

It's obvious: we aren't just fighting billionaires far away. We're up against a paranoid group of people right here in our own communities. The idea of self-governance is so far removed from some folks that they seem to see our very democracy as a thing to be stamped out. And not lightly - violently!

I'd like to think that we'll bridge this gap, and let cooler heads prevail. But I don't exactly know how that happens, if all of our dialogue takes place with me on a street corner and you driving through a stop light with your foot on the gas.

I became fast friends with the ladies on the corner today. We are going through something uniquely ours, taking grief for it, dusting ourselves off, and smiling when the next kind citizen walks up to sign our petitions. Maybe the angry yelling man or woman will always exist in the political landscape, but we can make them footnotes in history. Someday they will be embarrassed to admit that they behaved so ridiculously.

We, on the other hand, have a moment in time that we will always be proud to remember. The entire reason I began this blog was in order to have a written record of my thoughts and experiences through this fight. One day, decades later, I want to look back and be proud of what we accomplished. My kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids - they will all know what we did in Wisconsin in 2011. We stood up to power, we fought past Mister and Mrs. Angrypants, and we stemmed the tide of right-wing power, both in our state and in our country. Keep working, keep volunteering, and keep fighting. Don't stop. Our state motto is Forward. Let's keeping moving, kids! Wisconsin will be ours!

Why I'm Signing the Petition To Recall Scott Walker

Today Wisconsin embarks on a historic journey into unprecedented territory for our state. In a few hours, I'll be signing the petition to recall Scott Walker.

I'm done listening to the billionaires who ruined our economy tell us we need to sacrifice more. I'm tired of seeing laws passed that funnel money into the pockets of few at the expense of many. I'm sick of hearing that very practice referred to as "shrinking government."

I want to grow old in a state that values its neighbors and its communities. Scott Walker's dream of Wisconsin is a modern feudalistic nightmare, leaving our fate in the hands of 21st century lords of industry as we patiently wait for their scraps.

The laws he passes to "spur competition" instead stifle it. He professes to protect human life and then guts social programs for the poor, the elderly, and the unemployed. He takes that money and dangles it in front of waiting entrepreneurs - folks whose only interest in our state is our willingness to labor cheaply on their behalf. And we're supposed to thank him, and them, for the favor.

This fall, I'm signing the petition because I want to deliver a message to the oligarchs of America: their factories, businesses, schools, and hospitals exist because of the people. We work every single day to keep their outfits operating. Without our labor, they have nothing. When an economic downturn happens, they gladly fire half of us and tell us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Then they ride off into the sunset with cash overflowing from their pockets.

In Wisconsin, they're taking everything they can, for a variety of reasons that don't even stand up to basic levels of scrutiny. From unemployment compensation, to BadgerCare, to reproductive health rights, to water quality, to a good education - all of these things that make sense to provide as a society are being leveled. They've even made it harder to get a decent beer at the end of the day.

They slap the label of progress on these cuts as the money rolls into their coffers. We're told to thank them for their "strong leadership."

Enough is enough.

I still think back to this past February, when the halls of the capital building echoed with chants, songs, drums, and yes, bagpipes. Wisconsin came alive, in the dead of winter, and began the slow pendulum swing toward justice again. All over the country, people awoke from their slumber and started fighting back.

We have nothing to lose - the worst-case scenario is that we maintain this terrible status-quo for a little while longer. But every legislative session Scott Walker calls, Wisconsin loses that much more. It's time to make a stand.

In many ways over the months we've already shown our power. Here again, we've got a chance at defining the debate. This fall we decide whether Wisconsin will belong to the oligarchs, or to the people. So pick up a clipboard, canvass, volunteer at a recall office, bring in handwarmers, cook a crockpot full of food, SIGN A PETITION! - any way you can pitch in helps add to the overall effort. This is a groundswell that will not stop until we've reached election day with a new governor. Let's make history! Wisconsin will be ours!

Toll Roads Coming?

This morning on my way to work, I listened to a discussion about the possibility of toll roads coming to Wisconsin. I'm not a fan of toll roads in general, in part due to their monetary inconvenience, and in part because the whole reason I'm on an expressway is to avoid unnecessary stops. My wife and I have had the pleasure of driving through nearly every state in the lower 48. I can tell you from experience that toll roads are no better (and are sometimes worse) than a plain-old interstate highway system.

The frustrating thing about this morning's conversation? Both guests were of the general opinion that we need toll roads now. It was upsetting that no one was there to argue the case for an option that has long been the status quo for many states all over the country. The only difference was that the right-wing guest didn't want elected officials setting the toll prices. That's right - no "Government Politician"ought to be controlling your tolls! In other words, let's make our roads private from now on, and let the "free market" decide how much you get to use the interstate.

It's been a long-running joke that Tea Party advocates complain about socialism while driving on socialized highways and protesting in public parks. Apparently this is the new solution - take even more property away from the public, and put it in private hands. I wonder how much money I would need in order to buy an interstate highway in Wisconsin and charge a toll for it. It sounds like it's going to be pretty cheap for someone in the near future.

In return, users of the road will get a longer commute, an extra chunk removed from their wallets on a per-use basis, the same old tax bill they always had at tax time, and, just my hunch, probably a poorly managed road with more potholes than we started with. Why fix a pothole if you're only accountable to the random poor shlubs driving to work every day? At least now, in theory, the taxpayers have a say, and there are engineers working on behalf of the state DOT to resolve issues. What the right appeared to espouse this morning was a completely private, unaccountable highway system.

Thankfully(?) the right wing commentator spent most of his time arguing against teacher pensions anyway. I'm not sure he got a lot of points across. But at this point, I'm not sure it matters all that much. UNLESS...

....Unless we can recall Scott Walker. That's right! Rumblings are all over the place inside the meeting rooms and on conference calls between recall groups. The recall is coming, folks. Right now we're just talking about timing, funding, and coordination. We did it this spring and we're going to do it again! I'm excited to see what happens. It's going to be a great 60 days. We're going to see our friends organized like they've never been before. Hundreds of thousands of signatures will not be an easy task. We're going to do it, ladies and gents. Scott Walker will be on the bread lines next to the rest of us in a few short months. Wisconsin will be ours!