Wisconsin. Before Scott Walker and his merry band of Republican thugs, when you heard the word Wisconsin what did you think about? If you never visited Wisconsin, I would be willing to bet that you thought about cheese, brats, the Packers, Brett Favre, Vince Lombardi or beer. If you had visited the state, you probably would think about some of the above but would come away remembering the beautiful scenery, corn fields, dairy farms with red barns, and how nice everyone was.
Now we are in the Scott Walker year and I weep for my home state. While a lot of things have stayed the same the one thing that defined us as a people—our “niceness”—has been stripped away by the right. Instead of debating on issues those on the right have decided to use hatred, threats and violence to fight the recall. I would compare them to a cornered animal; however, that would not be fair to the animal as it is using instinct to survive. In my eyes those on the right, led by the likes of right wing talk radio hosts Charlie Sykes and Vicki McKenna, are acting like spoiled toddlers. Toddlers who after getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar blame the cookie jar for all of their problems.
I think the veneer on Wisconsin nice started wearing thin a few years ago when the dreadful amendment went into our state constitution that legalized discrimination against homosexuals. The bigots won that round and killed a little bit of what it means to be a Wisconsinite when that amendment was approved.
During the protests in February and March the right did everything they could do to discredit the movement. Calling the protestors “slobs", leaving bullets outside the Capitol, and saying it would cost millions to repair the damage to our beloved Statehouse. It never really passed violent rhetoric at this stage of the game; however, that would soon change.
With the start of the recall we have seen violent rhetoric kicked up a notch. Death threats against people collecting recall signatures, felony acts against signature gatherers. Recall signs stolen and vandalized.
This is not my Wisconsin. The right claims that the recall effort is being led by out of state, union thug agitators—seriously? Does she look like an out of state, union thug agitator?
The answer is no: She is a Wisconsin schoolteacher.
When I attended the Recall Walker rally on November 19th, 2011 I saw a man full of hate. He came to the rally with his “I support Walker” sign just looking for a fight. At one point, while passing a young man speaking out against the injustices of the world, the pro-Walker man was saying just loud enough for all to hear “Cry me a river.” When he stopped at his car he looked at my family and me with our Recall Walker stickers on and me carrying my Recall Walker sign, I nodded and said, “Hello.” The Walker supporter looked so deflated that I was nice to him.
Of course not all of the right’s vile behavior comes from the recall efforts:
A commissioner on the board that makes final decisions in cases involving workplace discrimination says Wisconsin law does not prohibit anti-gay harassment on the job.
Her two fellow commissioners strongly disagree.
Laurie McCallum, who was recently appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to a six-year term on the state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission, wrote that the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act applies only to sexual harassment. That contention was the basis for her dissenting opinion in a case involving Milwaukeean Chris Bowen, a machine operator who was subjected to years of anti-gay harassment as an employee of Stroh Precision Die Casting.
If the name sounds somewhat familiar to you…Laurie McCallum is the wife of former Republican Governor Scott McCallum.
I do not understand how hatred, bigotry, violent rhetoric and actual acts of violence are acceptable. In a sane world members of Wisconsin’s Republican party would be speaking out against the actions that we have seen over the last week. Sadly their silence on the matter speaks volumes of how they really feel. They were quick to denounce a frustrated young man who poured beer on a Republican legislator’s head; however, they have not once denounced a single violent act by the right, and I do consider destroying recall petitions violent acts.
There is hope though—Blue Cheddar posted this on her Facebook page on Thanksgiving Day:
Had a thanksgiving meal & bloody mary at the Avenue bar-restaurant and simultaneously watched the Packers the whole time --little slice of heaven there.
Had my "Recall Walker Volunteer' badge pinned to the coat. Guy sees it and comes up to me to tell me his petition gathering stories and ask me about some petition gathering locations. He said he got lots of signatures at the mall but then a woman yelled at him and said she'd get a cop. A mall security cop then rousted him from his spot. Dude called him a "nazi" but was just disgusted, not really that angry and not deterred.
I told him about the recall drive-thru spot tomorrow behind Arby’s, East Washington. We shook hands. Patted backs. Wished each other a Happy Thanksgiving. It's like this everywhere I go. We don't know each other but we're in this together.
What gives me hope is that some of us understand that it is necessary to remove Scott Walker from office, because his brand of politics is not the "Wisconsin Idea." It is an understanding that allows total strangers to approach each other and discuss collecting signatures for the recall. That is the Wisconsin I know and grew up in. That is the Wisconsin I want back. I want my conversations to center around the Green Bay Packers and not on, “What have the Republican’s done now.” I want people like Charlie Sykes and Vicki McKenna off the air in Wisconsin—their brand of hate does not belong here.
Scott Walker has torn my state apart, and it will take years to repair the damage that he and his merry band of marauders have done, not only to overturn the heinous laws he has passed, but to bring “Wisconsin nice” back—to make you think of beer, brats, cheese and Aaron Rodgers when you think of Wisconsin, not what Scott Walker has done to my home state.
RECALL WALKER! RECALL KLEEFISCH!