Activites

SO, we have been super busy for the last few months;
In June we went to Washington for 3 weeks and visited our families. Benjamin's Brother Alex graduated with his associates' degree, and I got to see my Sister Lena's house. It was pretty fun. We also discovered that our kids are great at traveling! We stopped by Yellowstone National Park, Mt Rushmore, and a bunch of other historical sights; Our kids traveled really well. We didn't even bring along a movie player!
Also, at 12 noon Wisconsin time we all sang a couple of Songs from the Solidarity Sing a Long. My kids saw one day that it was 12 noon in Wisconsin (10am in Washington) and they started singing 'Bring back Wisconsin to me' and 'watch him stew'. I have never been more proud. Except perhaps the time when my 2 year old raised his little fist during the chorus of "Solidarity Forever".

I have also been able to get back into helping with the recall efforts. I have gone canvassing for Fred Clark and the Democratic Party a few times already, but this weekend I got to be a part of 'Get Out the Vote'. I went door-to-door and encouraged or reminded People to vote on Tuesday. It was quite different from working with the Democratic Party. My main hang up was remembering to tell people which group I was with.

By the way, if you vote in a primary election for a democrat, then you are instantly labeled as a democrat leaning voter. So if you vote in primaries across party lines, be prepared to get lots of visitors around election time!!

This week I am planning on attending the assembly "debate" on the State's redistricting plan. It violates current law, so a new law will also be passed to make it legal. Then every city and county will have to redraw their lines, and set aside their own carefully made maps that they have been making for the past few months.

This will cost money, but I am sure that it will be pushed through like everything else.

I really hope that these "taxed too much" people show up and protest the unconstitutional waste of public money that this redistricting entails.

The Assembly has also hired a set of lawyers to represent them- these lawyers drew up the redistricting plans, and they will stay on after the redistricting is over. The State Government has a legal team already, but they are not being used; Perhaps this is to avoid the scrutiny surrounding their dealings.

I put nothing past the Republican Party of Wisconsin. I believe that they are capable of every crime that exists. I also beleive that their support plays off of peoples' fears and latent racist and classist ideas. In America today there is a large group that will blindly follow this extreme fascist agenda simply because it is wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.

Great blog

Awesome blog that I will now follow;

http://bdgrdemocracy.wordpress.com/

Henry Wallace

Henry A. Wallace wrote this article on fascism in the New York Times in April of 1944. It is pretty relevant today in Madison, WI. I think that many Walker supporters would disparage this article as being alarmist, as many elements of the TEA Party and ALEC are described quite accurately.

“When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." -Sinclair Lewis

arizona's immigration law---from ALEC!

Arizona's Immigration law was written by and fro the private prison industry. NPR did a nice story on this connection. Illegal immigration is a problem that needs to be addressed in this country. The solution is complicated; the ALEC is attempting to capitalize on the issue with a 'solution' that will benefit the private prison industry.

alecwatch

Here is a good report on the ALEC. I think that alecwatch.org is going to become one of my favorite websites. The Alec is launching a PR campaign. They have been in the new lately, and that is bad for them. The ALEC is currently launching a public relations campaign. Their message is essentially to say that their highly organized, secretive, and effective model is a form of free speech, that other people do the same thing, and it is really nothing to worry about. William Cronon has a great analysis which disputes this claim. This issue is addressed under the heading 'a cautionary note'

If the extent of their corrupting influence in known, the public will be angry. The funders of ALEC may be boycotted. Their ROC (return on corruption) will be negative.

Mark Pocan infiltrated ALEC

Mark Pocan Infiltrated ALEC a few years back, here are his observations.

That there are not socially conservative causes in ALEC seems to confirm the idea that they really are all about maximizing profits for large corporations. After the legislation comes out of the ALEC, it is then wrapped in a flag and couched in Christian values before it is sold to the American People.

The marketing of this stuff is amazing. Advertising is expensive, and it works. Plenty of people believe this stuff, who are otherwise nice normal people. I believe that once the lies are exposed, that these same people will look at the origins of this agenda, and realize that they have been used.

It is good to have family values, it is good to have personal responsibility and work hard. It is wrong for your elected government to tell you that their legislation is for the good of the people when in actuality it is written by and for the good of large corporations.

Glaxoclinesmith should not write medicaid prescription re-embursement legislation. Koch Industries should not write environmental regulations. Private charter schools should not write school reform. These things are wrong; wrong for every state that adopts these measures, and they are wrong for Wisconsin.

Even if everyone in the state joins the tea party and Walker becomes the president, I will still say this is wrong, because it is. The truth will out; maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will and when it does I am going to be on the right side of history.

a reason to recall

Here is a good reason to oppose the Walker agenda.

http://scottwalkerisgoingtokillme.blogspot.com

Even if nothing else, this story alone is reason enough to oppose the big business legislation that is taking over our state. This makes me sick, actually, it makes me really proud of the sunburn I got Sunday afternoon canvassing for the recall of Alberta Darling.