So, do any of the Kossacks out there doubt the ability of we Wisconsinites to parley the history-making protests at the center of our fair mid-western metrotropolis into action and real compelling change? Doubt no more.
Hello constant reader, this is again, "invisble woman"'s partner in life and and love; your pal, "Mr. Fantastic". What follows is a description of what I like to call, "Operation: Badger Justice". More after the jump.
As is well known, Scott Walker is a peerless tool. He is a man so bent on furthering the ideological war (bought and paid for by coroporations and billionaires so grossly wallowing in wealth that destroying the lives of entire socio-economic classes seem to be a hobby) that he is willing to sell off the state's infrastructure and throttle the economic power of the middle and working classes to do so. For the time being, these plans have been put on hold, due mostly to the understandable reaction of the very people he sought to sell out at the behest of his billionaire benefactors.
Yes, as we all know, Walker's stand-alone "Budget Repair" bill passed, and indeed he has submitted a ghoulish budget that his party's majorities in the Assembly and the Senate will likely support with the sort of pie-eyed glee that is more commonly associated with Rush Limbaugh finding a 200 count bottle of Oxycontin and an unopened box of Twinkies than it is legislation.
BUT, as many of us have said, these victories have the potential of being phyrric, rather than actual... if we, the citizens of Wisconsin...people proud of their progressive heritage and union traditions, take our protests (both in terms of numbers and energy) and transform them into organized actions with clear goals and purpose. Hence, Operation: Badger Justice. I can tell you, dear reader, for the 1st time, I feel a sense of growing confidence that phase 1 of this strategy has a decent chance of success! Phase 1 being the election of Joanne Kloppenburg over the incumbant and corporate candidate, David Prosser.
Today, invisible woman and I were part of a rather ingenious, well-organized and highly visible campaign event designed to support the candicacy of Joanne Kloppenburg for Wisconsin Supreme Court. This event was NOT organized by Judge Kloppenburg's campaign. Sadly, with little more than a week left, with the exception of an upcoming debate and some local "meet and greets", the Kloppenburg campaign has been stunningly silent. However, we have noticed that with their OWN MONEY, many people are creating, copying and distributing their own leaflettes and buttons, purchasing and printing their own yard/window signs, and are now executing campaigns of visibility!
This was such an event. "invisible woman" and her sister (in keeping with the superhero motif, let's call her "wonder woman") paid for and then created a series of sandwich boards that (when lined up) on one side spelled, "P-R-O-S-S-E-R = W-A-L-K-E-R" and on the other side, the signs spelled, "V-O-T-E K-L-O-P-P-E-N-B-U-R-G". We lined ourselves up on a pedestrian bridge which spans above one of the mostly highly travelled streets in Madison; E. Washington Ave., right at rush hour. We must have been seen by more than 2500 vehicles in a little more than an hour. Now this in and of itself, while exceedingly cool, does not inspire the promised inspirational glee... but this does:
photos here
http://www.flickr.com/...
http://www.flickr.com/...
There was a nearly CONSTANT cacaphony or car horns, totally tuneful truck beeps and a myriad of thumbs-up by passers by. The lone voice of disagreement came in the form of a man in what appeared to be a new model BMW who while approaching the overpass, amid the symphony of supportive honks, gave us the finger. I, however, noticed that his was an Indiana plate... so I won't even count him. Point is: neither during the beginning of Bush's ill-conceived war with Iraq, nor during the days of any presidential campaign did I hear as many honks as I did today. People are plugged in, folks. Even a state supreme court race is drawing passion not only from activists and the civic-minded, but by rank-and-file citizens who seem poised to VOTE in their precincts as they have with their horns.
We will be going out again on Wednesday if any kossacks close by would like to be a letter or punctuation mark for the future. Message us if you'd like you're available