I can't get to Madison to be boots on the ground, but I did find a way to be useful nonetheless. There have been a few diaries lately about the community that has sprung up in Madison. See (ok, can't work the links, but look around for moving stuff) , for example. These good people from all walks of life have been looking after each others' needs, physically and financially. They have been the models of Good Citizens as they use their First Amendment rights; the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
These folks need all kinds of support...
I sent cereal, drink mixes, plastic silverware, granola bars among other things. I'm not sure how I got onto these http://www.defendwisconsin.org/ folks to start, but I did. Now that I think of it I have since seen them on the telly and heard them on the radio. They are the Teachers Assistants. Grad School folks. I contacted them via their web page. They have set up a kitchen and are cooking meals. They are coordinating a lot of the Community, as well as phone banking and helping as a liaison between the University and the Capitol. They also told me that they were going to be "removed" from the Capitol building at 6pm Saturday, and the address they gave on their website was for direct shipping to the room they have been working out of in the Capitol. They gave me an alternate address and an updated list of needs.
I can't tell you how good I felt while doing this labor of love. When I brought the goods to the local shipping spot the owner was curious and asked if I had family there, and what I was doing this for. I told him I did not have family there, but I was doing this for every American. As an odd aside, as I was moving my boxes in and writing a Solidarity note to include in the boxes, he was on the phone talking about the trouble his small business was having, and that he wanted to wait until early summer to make any decisions. Let's not forget that small businesses are affected by this too.
I do have friends in Madison and have been in touch. If the response is large they are willing to help me coordinate the collection of supplies and getting them where they need to go. This would be in addition to, or as an alternative to funneling everything through the TAA.
The address for the Teacher's Assistants is:
TAA Office
254 W. Gilmore Street
Madison, WI 53703
Update: I heard just now that they may not be removed from the Capitol building on Saturday. Seems the pub's voted it in, tried to blame it on a police request, but the police are saying "Oh, no, not us. We had nothing to do with this, and we refuse to forcibly remove anyone". Game, set, match.
Do the lies and lack of responsible behavior never end?