Wisconsin is not broken.

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Wednesday March 09, 2011 · 9:14 PM PST

2011/03/09 · 21:14

I just left the WI Capitol building. I was studying for an exam when news came through that the GOP were planning on passing the union-busting provisions of the "budget repair" bill by separating them from the fiscal provisions. To do this, they had to admit that union busting had nothing to do with fiscal policy. When that news came through, I'll admit my first reaction was to reach for a bottle of scotch. When news came through that it passed, something else happened to me. Judging from the crowd inside the capitol, the same thing happened to thousands of people. This fight is only beginning.

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Madison, WI - Why I'm grumpy.

GrumpyWarriorPoet

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Sunday February 27, 2011 · 6:35 PM PST

2011/02/27 · 18:35

I've spent 24 hours trying to edit a diary of yesterday's 100,000 + rally, and I just can't find the words. It feels foolish to try to describe what it's like to disappear into a huge unified crowd filled with positive energy. Tonight we have seen the capitol protesters unite with police officers who refused to arrest or remove them. We have received word (still not directly confirmed, but likely true) that Senator Dale Schultz will no longer support the bill. It's a huge moment for this movement; probably the biggest since the "Fab 14" split town with nary but a "brb." This should be a moment of overwhelming joy.

And I'm pissed off.

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Must we be like our enemies in order to defeat them?

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Must we be like our enemies in order to defeat them?

I think we can win without.

16 votes

Yes. Fight fire with fire.

5 votes

I wish we didn't have to, but we do.

10 votes

Of course not. What the hell's the matter with you?

20 votes

A community building itself in Madison - the People's House.

GrumpyWarriorPoet

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Thursday February 24, 2011 · 4:13 PM PST

2011/02/24 · 16:13

I know others have remarked on some of the facts I'll present today, but all I can give you is my point of view - how I personally have experienced those facts. Today, in the Wisconsin State Capitol, I was struck by the sheer scope of the community that has been built both by and for this fight. Not only is this movement not filled with the thuggery and riotous violence that it's been accused of - it has created the exact opposite. People are living up to the principles they are fighting for, and it's as heartening as ever.

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Today in Madison, I saw my America.

GrumpyWarriorPoet

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Wednesday February 23, 2011 · 3:09 PM PST

2011/02/23 · 15:09

Most of us were raised with a certain vision of this country as a place of community, justice, and mutual support. We were taught that a laborer's job was as honorable as a teacher's, which was in turn as honorable as a scientist's. We were taught that the strength of this nation was our ability to utilize our very diversity for a common good. Most of us lose faith in that vision as we grow up, and I'm no different. Today, on my tenth day at the Wisconsin State Capitol, I saw a glimpse of it, and it both energized and humbled me. I saw the muscle-and-blood reality of "e pluribus unum," and it was beautiful.

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Another day in my WI fight.

GrumpyWarriorPoet

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Tuesday February 22, 2011 · 6:01 PM PST

2011/02/22 · 18:01

We are all beginning to shift our thinking from that of an acute crisis to one of a long campaign. Today, the teachers went back to work. I saw a number of signs at the Capitol proclaiming, "I'm here for XXXXXX because he/she's back at work teaching!" I saw small business owners proclaiming their belief in labor. I saw Corrections Officers by the dozen (thanks to you all!). The Teamsters brought two huge semis. There was another Teahadist protest. I only glanced as we walked around the square, but I'd be stunned if there were more than 200 people. Again, the forces for moderation, debate, and human rights far outweighed those of right-wing extremism.

The main story of the day, though, was how I got TO the Capitol.

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From the front lines in WI - my first diary.

GrumpyWarriorPoet

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Monday February 21, 2011 · 7:45 PM PST

2011/02/21 · 19:45

I would have written this a week ago, but my computer just got out of the shop. I am a graduate student at UW-Madison, and my union was the first to picket the capitol last Monday. I was there. We were a few hundred that day, a few thousand the next, and I'm sure you've heard the rest.

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