The incredibly positive energy in which many of us have basked at Wisconsin's capitol this week has been magnificent. Never before have I felt such a powerful sense of solidarity with my union brothers and sisters. And I obviously hope that our side does indeed find the means to thwart Badger State Repiglicans' latest assault on sanity and decency.
But let's face it: the odds of our doing so indefinitely are not wonderful, and we'd be pretty damn silly if we didn't ask ourselves NOW what we're prepared to do if the Walker bill does in fact pass at some point. As always, hope for the best -- but prepare for the worst.
If Walker's legislative fecal material becomes law, I say we need to shut down the state -- grind it to a complete halt -- and keep it that way until any union-busting elements in the bill are legislatively reversed. Let's consider some of the logistics and complications involved in doing so:
Taft-Hartley outlaws general strikes. Good. If Waker's union-busting legislation passes, I'd most definitely be up for some serious civil disobedience. What a wonderful opportunity to fill our state's jails to overflowing. For every one of us being bailed out, let's make damn sure that 10 more are arrested and in need of "processing." Filling to overflowing the state's incarceration facilities with grandmas and grandpas (such as myself) should prove to be most picturesque -- particularly after thousands of us oldsters have been subjected to a fiber-deficient jailhouse diet for a few days.
As Rachel Maddow and many others have pointed out, this is not merely about the survival of Wisconsin public employee unions; this is about the survival of the Democratic Party. Such stakes couldn't possibly be higher. The prospect of a final, total, irreversible Republican victory -- and this first domino would be an almost certain harbinger of exactly that -- is truly a matter of life and death in countless ways.
The last few days in Madison have been encouraging in so very many ways -- happy, hopeful, empowering. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have made some very modest contributions to a truly grand effort. Unfortunately, I'm not persuaded that we will permanently prevent Walkers' and his fellow-Repiglicans' diabolical depredations.
If we don't, I would very much like to help shut this state down for as long as it takes to force collective bargaining reinstatement.
Anyone with me? If so, I think NOW is the time to start talking about a general strike.