Wisconsin Update (March 11/11)

Mike Elk, who along with Mother Jones has been providing great coverage of events in Wisconsin, has some details on the 'Move Your Money' campaign.

M&I Bank is the largest bank in Wisconsin, and was the recipient of $1.7 billion in TARP bailout money from the federal government. The bundled contributions from M&I executives were Walker’s second largest source of campaign funds. According to records provided by the Sunlight Foundation, executives at M&I Bank gave $46,308 to Walker’s campaign. And now, a group of local unions in Wisconsin have threatened to pull their money from M&I Bank unless it denounces Scott Walker’s attack on workers’ rights.

“Walker and his henchmen in the GOP have chosen to ignore the people of Wisconsin, but we all know now that they will listen to their big money donors,” says factory worker David Goodspeed, union member of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 565."This is an opportunity for donors like M&I to be good corporate citizens and do what’s right for the citizens who bailed them out.”

Firefighters said they withdrew $182,000 (or $192,000 -- number varies) from the bank yesterday and are encouraging others to do the same.

When I blogged on this yesterday, I was wrong. The Bank of Montreal doesn't own M&I yet.

A senior union researcher estimates that unions have at least $1 billion invested in M&I Bank, mostly through pension funds. Discussions are going on at the highest levels of the labor movement about how exactly to leverage this financial clout in the political debate in Wisconsin. Since the Bank of Montreal is in process of purchasing M&I Bank, US unions have reached out to the Canadian Labour Congress to urge their involvement in a disinvestment campaign.

Some photos of the demonstration outside the bank here.

Scott Wanker signed the illegally passed union-busting bill this morning in private, but will hold a public ceremonial signing this afternoon, I guess, to rub salt in the wounds of working people.

Having lost this battle, activists are now concentrating on recalling ReThug senators.

The process isn't easy and only two pols have been successfully recalled in state history. There's a formula for how many signatures required depending on the last vote.

Signature gathering is a laborious and costly process that challenges even the best organizations. And, you can be assured that Republicans will try to disqualify as many of the petition signers as possible -- meaning that recall advocates will need well in excess of 15,000 [for each pol] just to be safe.

But, Democrats insist they are well on their way -- having already collected 15 percent of the signatures they needed over the weekend. Liberal groups say that have raised close to $2 million dollars in support.

There's an online poll there at WaPo and currently 71% think the recall will succeed.

Meanwhile, in case anyone still had a lingering doubt about what this bill is really meant to do, a dim-witted ReThug spilled the beans on live telly.

In an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly moments ago, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), one of Walker’s closest allies in the legislature, confirmed the true political motive of Walker’s anti-union push.

Here's what the ijit said (video at the link):

FITZGERALD: Well if they flip the state senate, which is obviously their goal with eight recalls going on right now, they can take control of the labor unions. If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you’re going to find is President Obama is going to have a much difficult, much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin.

It's a two-fer! Reduce the power of unions for your political masters AND your corporate masters. Win-win.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow, another rally will be held. And the farmers are coming! On their tractors! They're calling it Tractorcade.

The hardy tweeps of Wisconsin are joking about the weather forecast for tomorrow. It's going to be warm! 40 degrees F! That's about 4.5 in celsius.

Tractorcade is slated to start at 11 a.m. (Central). I'll look for and post a live feed. The main rally is later but I don't want to miss the farmers.

Organizers are hoping for the biggest rally yet -- at least 100,000 people.

Corporate Feudalism Is on Its Way

As if we need any more proof how fucking useless the MSM is, have a look at Wisconsin.

Millions of Americans were out in the streets this past Saturday, participating in the largest flare-up of labor protests the nation has seen in decades -- yet images like these were conspicuously missing from the major television news networks.

At the rallies' epicenter was Madison, Wisconsin, where over 100,000 gathered in below-freezing temperatures to show solidarity with American workers' right to organize.

The state's newly elected Republican governor, Scott Walker, has proposed legislation that would effectively destroy the public sector unions.

The photos below come from places like Green Bay, Wisconsin; New York, New York; Washington, DC; Springfield, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Tallahassee, Florida; Sacramento, California; Salt Lake City, Utah and many more.

Or, as a tweep put it: 83,000 fat asses on lawn chairs in August v. 100,000 peaceful protesters in February in a snow storm.

Oh, yeah, the media is all over anything to do with TeaDoucheBaggery, but totally ignores hundreds of thousands of people who have a righteous reason to be very angry and scared.

And, as Politicus USA points out, it is NOT just Fux News. It's all the networks and cable channels covering their ears and going lalalalalalala. (If you need to have it explained why, Politicus does a good job on that.)

And it's not much better up here in Canada. Our 'State TV' ran a shortish AP story on Saturday's protests. CTV ran a longer piece, but still from AP.

Global? Don't make me laugh. Two stories -- at least not AP -- from Feb. 18 and Feb. 22. Zip on the nationwide protests on Feb. 26.

Print media is doing a bit better, but with the exception of Mother Jones and Paul Krugman, they're getting the story wrong or at least wildly distorted.

Here's Krugman yesterday.

That Iraq Feeling

I don’t watch cable news, or actually any kind of TV news. But I gather that there’s a virtual blackout on the huge demonstrations in Wisconsin, except on Fox, which portrays them as thuggish and violent.

What that makes me think of is January-February 2003, when anyone watching cable news would have believed that only a few kooks were opposed to the imminent invasion of Iraq. It was quite spooky, realizing that hundreds of thousands of people could march through New York, and by tacit agreement be ignored by news networks whose headquarters were just a few blocks away.

And it’s even more spooky to see it happening all over again.

Spooky? You betcha.

It is NOT just about union-busting. Though that is definitely included as a key ploy to defund Democrats and strip the rest of us from the only organized force standing between us and corporate feudalism.

Also included are corporate goodies like executive powers to sell state assets on a no-bid basis with no legislative input.

It is a naked corporate power grab by TeaBagging pols, bought and paid for by corrupt billionaires like the Koch brothers, who are also major forces in Americans for Properity, the astroturf org behind the TeaBaggers.

How conveeeeeenient.

Lies from the Right are flying fast and furious and from the comments sections at most 'centrist' news sites, they're sticking.

Daily Kos debunks the top ten lying lies.

Michael Moore, who is not in Wisconsin, but in Thompson, Manitoba, calls it a 'global war on the middle class'.

That's why people everywhere need to support Thompson. As Niki Ashton - the MP who represents Thompson and the second-youngest woman ever elected to the Canadian Parliament - says: "It Was Flint Yesterday, It's Us and Wisconsin Today, and Tomorrow It's Going to Be Everyone."

I just went to CBC's contact page and left this message:

Why Isn't CBC Covering Wisconsin?
What's going on there is a war on democracy and the middle class. The US media is virtually ignoring the largest protests since the Viet Nam war. I expected Canadian media to have more balls. Especially our 'state' media.

AND there is a Canadian connection. See Michael Moore (link included). CUPE sent a delegation too.

Go to Twitter and see for yourself.

Tons of video! Great signs! Singing! People power! Energy! Firefighters! Bagpipes! Pizza donated from bloody Egypt!! Great television, in short. And Madison is not far away.

Get some reporters down there. Don't rely on US news wires.

Do I sound pissed off? I am.

By the way, the Wisconsin state legislature building is still occupied, albeit by far fewer protesters and the cops aren't letting any more in. They've bolted the bathroom windows shut and removed the tops of the bolts, so food can't get in as it did on Saturday. There are people outside trying to get in but they need appointments and have to show ID. Earlier today, 150 off-duty firefighters tried to get in and were not allowed, but seven lobbyists waltzed through.

See where this is going?

There's a call for a rally outside today at 6 p.m.

Here's a (pretty shitty) live traffic cam feed* of the people outside the building.

Sure, Merkin rightwingnutz are nuttier than ours and there are more of them. But isn't what Stevie Peevie's been doing for five fucking years merely a slow-motion version of exactly the same thing?


Previous DJ! posts on the matter here and here.

ADDED: I forgot this bit. In a fit of spectacular pettiness, the GOP House Leader is denying access to photocopiers by the absent Dems' staff.

*Sorry about link. It seems not to be on Capitol anymore.

Wisconsin Pizza Revolution Update

Since I'm not getting much else done, I figured I'd blog on the Pizza Revolution in Wisconsin again.

We progressives have always snorted beer out our noses when we hear the phrase 'left-wing media bias', but it seems maybe the message is getting through to Americans.

Titled 'TheWisconsin Protests Shatter the Myth of Liberal Media Bias', the blogger writes:

Something has happened in the last two weeks that should dispel the widely held misconceptions that the “mainstream” media is liberal and generally supports Democrats. For the second weekend in a row, no labor leaders, such as the AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka, have been invited (as of now) on the Sunday morning shows.

He lists who is booked, rightwingnutbar governors from Wisconsin, Indiana, and New Jersey, union-busters all.

Notice what was missing? The opposing view point. Why might that be? Richard Trumka, the head of the AFL-CIO and probably one of the most charismatic leaders Big Labor has had in ages, has never been on any of the Sunday morning bobblehead shows. Wouldn’t a “liberal” “mainstream” media have had Trumka on at least once by now? He’s been AFL-CIO President since September 16, 2009, and was President of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to 1995.

Then an update: Trumka will appear.

Update: After a coordinated campaign of Tweeting and phone calls to Fischer and show host David Gregory, there was a late change Thursday evening for Sunday’s Meet the Press. The President of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, will be one of the guests for the show, along with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker(R). The change was sent out by Meet the Press’ Executive Producer Betsy Fischer. It’s telling that it took a herculean effort from bloggers and unions supporters to even have Mr. Trumka given the union side of the argument this weekend.

To update the situation there: the ReThuglicans in the Assembly pulled a fast one at about 1 a.m. last night and passed the bill. But, it needs Senate approval and the 'Wisconsin 14' are still hiding out. (The Senate needs a quorum of 20. ReThugs are one short.)

Rumours are flying on Twitter about whether the protesters who are still occupying the legislature will or will not be moved out tonight.

Mother Jones who has been all over this story launched a million sniggers and retweets with this:

Police say they're planning to sleep with #wiunion protesters tonight, demand capitol stays open http://bit.ly/e4KG8w #wiunion

And, in case you missed it, Gov. Walker got punked yesterday by a blogger from Buffalo, NY, pretending to be one of the evil billionaire Koch brothers on the phone. The whole idiotic dealie was recorded. Among other things, Walker responds to fake-Koch's suggestion that they send 'troublemakers' into the protests with: 'we thought about that'.

Oh, really? asks the mayor and police chief.

“I spent a good deal of time overnight thinking about Governor Walker’s response, during his news conference yesterday, to the suggestion that his administration ‘thought about’ planting troublemakers among those who are peacefully protesting his bill,” Police chief Noble Wray said in a statement.

“I would like to hear more of an explanation from Governor Walker as to what exactly was being considered, and to what degree it was discussed by his cabinet members.” Wray added.

“I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforcement officers. Our department works hard dialoging with those who are exercising their First Amendment right, those from both sides of the issue, to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure they can demonstrate safely,” he said.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz also noted that he found Walker’s comments disturbing. He said Walker’s statement was “deeply troubling” especially because of the way the governor followed up by “brushing it off”, referring to Walker’s refusal to address the issue in press conferences and appearances on Wednesday and Thursday.

“The governor of Wisconsin actually thought about planting people in the crowds who might turn these peaceful protests into something ugly?” Cieslewicz asked in a statement.

Hmmm. And there may be further legal trouble for Walker.

"If Wisconsin law forbids coordination with political donors similar to federal law, Gov. Scott Walker is not just in political trouble, but in legal hot water,” said David Donnelly, national campaigns director for the Public Campaign Action Fund, in a statement.

More demos are planned for tomorrow right across the US. And 'The West Wing' is coming to Wisconsin. Actor Bradley Whitford, who played Josh Lyman and who is also a native of Madison, is going to emm-cee the rally.

The pizza part is continuing too. Ian's, the pizza joint taking orders from around the country and the world, has discontinued regular business to serve only the protesters.

You gotta admit -- Wisconsinites (?) really know how to protest. And party.

ADDED: I'm so wound into this, it just occurred to me that people might not understand that this battle is NOT just about union-busting. It's about far more. It's Shock Doctrine come home to roost, according to Paul Krugman.

The Pizza Revolution

Again, I'm transfixed by a revolution being tweeted, only this one isn't in North Africa or the Middle East.

It's in Wisconsin.

Here's some background by Joshua Holland.

What's happening in Wisconsin is not complicated. At the beginning of this year, the state was on course to end 2011 with a budget surplus of $120 million. As Ezra Klein explained, newly elected GOP Governor Scott Walker then "signed two business tax breaks and a conservative health-care policy experiment that lowers overall tax revenues (among other things). The new legislation was not offset, and it turned a surplus into a deficit."

Walker then used the deficit he'd created as the justification for assaulting his state's public employees. He used a law cooked up by a right-wing advocacy group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC likes to fly beneath the radar, but I described the organization in a 2005 article as "the connective tissue that links state legislators with right-wing think tanks, leading anti-tax activists and corporate money." Similar laws are on the table in Ohio and Indiana.

Walker's bill would strip public employees of the right to bargain collectively for anything but higher pay (and would cap the amount of wage hikes they might end up gaining in negotiations). His intentions are clear -- before assuming office, Walker threatened to decertify the state's employees' unions (until he discovered that the governor doesn't have that power).

In short, Walker is union-busting.

And looky at whose behest. The über-evil Koch brothers who have a lot at stake in the state as well as an irrepressible urge to harm people. (Mother Jones has been all over this story and has a reporter on the ground, tweeting like mad.)

There have been growing protests. People have been peacefully occupying the state capital building all week. DJ! reported on the arrival of the firefighters -- exempt from this legislation, by the way -- a few days ago.

Then 'The Mubarak of the Middle West' made a bad situation worse. He went on CNN and claimed he had received 19,000 emails from the quiet majority -- where have we heard that before? --backing his position.

He also got his TeaBagging buddies to organize a counter-demo. The Teabaggers were bussed in and held their rally yesterday. The most generous estimate of the number was 1,000 people, described as all white. One tweep reported that s/he was standing 20 feet from their bleating bullhorn and couldn't hear any of it over the real protesters' noise.

But the good, progressive people of Wisconsin weren't having any of this crap. Yesterday, they turned out for what can only be described as a MASSIVE demonstration. Teachers, nurses, snow-plow drivers, students, firefighters. Working people. Ordinary people.

Numbers were bouncing around yesterday, but today there seems to be a consensus on 80,000.

And it was a party. The signs were hilarious. (My fave: 'If you can read this, thank a teacher'.)

And, not surprisingly, spelled correctly. Unlike this classic from the Tea Baggers. It reads: 'Your fired!'

A protester in Egypt's Tahrir Square sent his message of support: 'Egypt supports Wisconsin. One World. One Pain'.

Protesters were angry, but also good humoured.

Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Wisconsin Professional Firefighters Association, which has been a high-profile participant in the demonstrations, surveyed the crowd while recounting Walker’s boast about the 19,000 e-mails.

“I think I have 19,000 people behind me,” said Mitchell.

Pointing to one edge of the massive audience arrayed before him, he said: “And 20,000 there.”

He pointed to the other edge of the crowd: “And 20,000 there.”

Finally, he pointed down State Street, the thoroughfare that stretches from the Capitol to the University of Wisconsin campus, which was packed with students who have backed the unions: “And 20,000 there.”

On Twitter, Tea Baggers were spreading lies about violence, doctors signing sick notes for protesters, homeless from Chicago bussed in (the 'outsiders' dictators love to invent), and so on.

Today, the City of Madison issued a statement, saying that there had been not one single arrest and thanking the people for their good order. It included this:

As previously indicated, the goal of law enforcement has been to provide a safe environment for democracy to take place. That goal has been realized for yet another day.

(If that statement were a brick, I'd throw it through Toronto Chief Bill Blair's window.)

So, the pundits are punditting: Will this movement of real, working Americans take fire as in North Africa and the Middle East? In Ohio or Indiana, maybe, where similar legislation is pending.

Obviously, I dunno about that, but it certainly captured the imaginations of a helluva lot of Americans, Canadians, and at least one Egyptian.

For me, the most heart-warming part was this. Someone had tweeted that two restaurants -- one a pizza place -- had been delivering food to the protesters occupying the legislature. The phone number of the pizza place was posted. People from around the country and at least three other countries, Canada among them, ordered and paid for $2,500 worth of pizza to be delivered.

People power! Solidarity! Social media! Pizza!

All great and important and exhilarating.

But the most important part is that the Tea Baggers are totally exposed for what they are: bigoted idiots in thrall to evil billionaires who pay them to protest FOR government, specifically for Republican government, AGAINST working people. They can never be taken seriously -- if they ever were -- again.

Wisconsin Recall and Mike Harris Jr.

DJ!, like all good democracy lovers, has taken an interest in Wisconsin.

Yesterday, six recall elections were held. There haven't been many successful such political moves in the US.

Democrats needed to beat three ReThuglican incumbents to regain the majority and help thwart Scott Walker's Koch-funded corporate feudalist agenda.

Hopes were high. Democrats worked their asses off.

In the end, Dems won just two seats.

Rather than feel crestfallen, Alternet says:

Last night's recall elections were the Republicans' to lose. And they lost two seats, while Democrats lost nothing.

Not only did they lose nothing, they've gained some important push-back momentum.

But, on the other hand, the big money came out too.

If, as some pundits declared, last night's recall elections for Wisconsin state Senate offer a preview of what the 2012 presidential elections will look like, we can look forward to millions of dollars of uncertain provenance spent on sneering TV ads to arrive at a result to be determined by a few thousand votes counted by an unreliable official, under inevitable accusations of vote tampering.

Have a look at what Corporate Murka is prepared to spend to destroy democracy.

Mike McCabe has never seen anything like it.

He runs the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan group tracking the flow of money in Badger State politics—though, presently, "torrent" may be the best way to describe the state's campaign finance environment. In the run-up to next week's recall elections targeting six Republican state senators, outside advocacy groups have flooded Wisconsin with millions in campaign spending. McCabe estimates that nearly $31 million has been spent on the recalls in about four months' time. It's a staggering sum considering $3.75 million was spent on the entire slate of state races in 2010. Recall spending "is totally off the charts," he says. "This is so out of whack from everything we've ever seen."

Catch that? Nearly ten times as much as for a regular statewide election.

Both sides were spending. But.

While the spending is more or less even, here's the big difference between the two sides: The left-leaning groups usually disclose their donors, while the right-leaning groups mostly don't. For McCabe, the geyser of dark money is the big story of the recalls. He says two-thirds of the recall spending derives from undisclosed sources, and he blames the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision for allowing so much anonymous spending.

I hope USians are waking up.

Next week, Sconnies get to do it again. Two Democrat incumbents are facing recall votes of their own.

And in October, Ontarians will have a chance to stand up against the corporations. We've run this vid before, but we like it.



Today, I saw this editorial, which starts: 'It’s no surprise that Mike Harris Jr. — excuse us, make that Tim Hudak —'.

I like that. Think I'll steal it.

Egypt in Wisconsin?

Some Merkins seem to be clueing in to the deep deep ugliness that is Teabagging, and in particular, its loathing for unionized workers. Well, except for firefighters.

Wisconsin is leading the way.

In all, Republicans now hold five of seven governorships in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Last year, they held two.

The story is the same for legislatures in those seven states. Republicans now hold power in six of the seven lower chambers of the legislature (called the House in some states and the Assembly in others) – up from one last year. They also hold five of the seven state Senates. Only Illinois has bucked the trend, with Democrats controlling the General Assembly and the Senate and Democrat Pat Quinn the governor.

Walker [Wisconsin's governer] was the first of the Midwest’s four new Republican governors to push for weakening collective bargaining. But Ohio and Michigan already have bills targeting unions in the works, too.

. . .

In a time when large and tense demonstrations have become increasingly rare in America, the Wisconsin protests could provide an Egypt-like moment, says Norman Ornstein, a fellow at the nonpartisan American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

"If there's a big tea party demonstration in Madison, we may see a direct clash, just as we had in the streets of Cairo," he says.

One protester's sign at the capitol said, "Impeach Scott Mubarak" – a direct reference to protests that led Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign last week.

As it gains momentum, the union protest movement is likely to draw in young social-justice activists, Obama supporters, and even religious groups who fight for the dispossessed, says Bruno.

Last night, in Madison, the state capital, there was a huge demonstration. The place went nuts when off-duty firefighters marched in support -- complete with bagpipes! Note that firefighters, along with police and state patrol, were specifically exempted from the legislation.

Solidarity!



For another innovative ploy, the state's Democratic senators have fled the state to deny the legislature the necessary quorum to pass the bill. Creative.

Wisconsin Update (March 4/11)

A lot has happened in Wisconsin. I'll try to catch interested readers up but first, an emblematic moment of what has to be the most civil civil uprising in history.

Back here I reported on Fux News's hilarious lie about 'union thuggery' -- with the oopsie! of palm trees in the background. (Watch video here.)

Almost instantly, palm trees did sprout in Madison, captured by matt_is_a_nerdj.



To recap a little: the Capitol building was occupied -- perfectly peacefully -- for about two weeks. Before Scott Wanker Walker's budget speech on March 1, the building was mostly cleared -- again perfectly peacefully -- and cops were letting people in on a one-for-one basis. One out, one in. People had to show ID, get searched, be accompanied at all times, etc. Much confusion about which entrances were open to whom, what the new rules were.

The state Constitution has a bit in it about the Capitol and its grounds being open to the people. So, one of the big unions filed an injunction to get it open again. A judge who heard the initial pleadings ordered the building opened.

Which was promptly ignored.

Another judge took up the matter more fully. There were a lot of witnesses so the hearing continued the next day.

The proceedings were live-tweeted by two observers: Analiese Eicher and ACLU Madison.

On the open-'er-up side, witnesses said stuff like: no damage, no mischief, no problems.

On the keep-'er-shut side, witnesses had horrifying tales of intimidation (too many Dem reps wearing orange t-shirts!), debauchery (women and men using the same bathroom!!), imminent danger (buncha live bullets found on the grounds somewhere!!!), and wanton destruction (blue painter's tape holding signs on marble walls!!!!).

That witness claimed that clean-up was going to cost $7.5 million!!!!!!

Hilarity ensued on Twitter. Several people quipped that it would cost that much only if the evil Koch Industries did it on a no-bid basis. Others said that demonstrators had consulted with officials about what kind of tape to use and were told that blue painter's tape was fine.

In other words, totally typical lying bullshit.

Meanwhile, in another lovely piece of political theatre, some Dem representatives moved their office furniture out windows so they could meet constituents who couldn't get in to see them. Remember, this is March in Wisconsin.

Back at the hearings, the lawyers were getting all constitutional in their final arguments. First amendment rights vs. safety and health, blahblahblah.

The lawyer for the union, Peg Lautenschlager, herself a former Attorney General, was quite splendid.

The judge made a sensible decision that the union and demonstrators were able to accept. Building to be open during the same hours as before the ruckus, with some security measures to be negotiated. No more camping out. But reasonable access.

This was yesterday. The remaining occupying demonstrators left last night.

The big drama this morning was whether or not the building would be open and under what circumstances at 8 a.m.

It was!

Watch live-feed from a volunteer here.

No more drums or vuvuzelas though.

The 'Wisconsin 14' (the Dem senators who are denying the ReThugs a quorum on the supposedly minor bill that set this all off) remain on the lam. They've been found in contempt by the remaining senators.

The Senate resolution calls for the Senate sergeant at arms to, with or without force, and with or without the help of any law enforcement officers, take missing members into custody and bring them to the Capitol - any time of the day or night.

Beside the point of how the hell this can be done, there are questions of the very legality of the order.

Gov. Wanker has threatened 1,500 state workers with layoff notices as early as today if the delinquent senators don't return. One tweep pointed out that this is classic spousal abuse strategy: 'Look what you've made me do'.

Today there's going to be a rally with Jesse Jackson in attendance. That'll get up the Tea Baggers' noses.

More demonstrations are planned for tomorrow. No doubt with out-of-state union goons.

Speeches! Drums! Lawyers! Palm trees!

Meanwhile, the corporate feudalist agenda continues to be advanced elsewhere, including Ohio, where the Tea Baggers also have an unstoppable majority.

Excellent piece from Mother Jones on how the Wisconsin Pizza Revolution was organized.

And previous DJ! reports: here, here, here, here, and here.

Wisconsin Update (March 1/11)

I'm torn, I'm torn. Got things to do, but want to continue to witness the awesome people power on display in Wisconsin.

So, for those who might also be obsessed interested, here are a few links.

First, an interview with someone who's still occupying the Capitol and has been from the beginning.

Next, an illuminating read on why the Right is attacking unions, ACORN, and Planned Parenthood.

And here's some very good news. The tide may be turning in favour of the unions.

By a modest margin, more say they back Wisconsin’s public employee unions rather than the state’s governor in their continuing dispute over collective bargaining rights. Roughly four-in-ten (42%) say they side more with the public employee unions, while 31% say they side more with the governor, Scott Walker, according to the latest Pew Research Center survey, conducted Feb. 24-27 among 1,009 adults.

To catch you up on overnight developments: There are about 100 people still inside. More wanted to get in but weren't allowed, so they pitched tents outside. They were then told they couldn't pitch tents there. Tents were taken down and about 50 people slept outside in February/March in Wisconsin with just sleeping bags and blankets.

They are using pizza boxes from donated pizza for insulation.

Those Sconnies, as I now know to call them, are some tough mo-fos.

UPPERDATE: Judge has issued an order to have the Capitol open to the public! Effective immediately. The people are winning. A little.

When Legislators Practise Medicine

I'm going to a dermatologist this afternoon to get my various bumps and spots looked at. And there's a thingy on my collar bone I want removed. I know what it is -- a spot of unpleasantly named bother called senile keratosis. The doc will blast it with liquid nitrogen and it will burn, then itch for a few days, then fall off.

Let's say there's a pill instead that will accomplish the same thing.

I go to the doctor (walk, streetcar, subway, more walk) to get the pill. Doc inspects, measures, tells me what to expect, answers questions. He also ensures I wasn't 'coerced' into wanting the thingy gone. I sign forms. Then I'm told to come back in 24 hours to get the pill.

Next day, I walk, streetcar, subway, more walk back. The same doctor has to see me to give me the pill. He gives me the pill and watches me take it.

Then 12 to 18 days later, I have to come back to get it checked out by the same doctor again.

If the doc does not follow this rigamarole, he or she can be charged with a felony, pay a fine of $10,000 and/or spend three-and-half years in jail.

Ridiculous, yes?

But this is what happens when legislators meddle in health care. It is what will happen now in Wisconsin when a woman wants a medical abortion.

RH Reality Check talked to a doc in Wisconsin about this new law. He said: 'If we follow the FDA rules and follow protocol, we would violate this law. And we have no ability to defend ourselves.'

By making failure to follow the new law a felony, Act 217 has made it nearly impossible for doctors to defend themselves legally without considerable expense. Although a doctor would be covered for potential malpractice under malpractice insurance, he or she would need to pay all court fees out of pocket if charged with a felony, as the insurance would not cover it.  "What we do would be 'defensible,' but we'd have to pay to defend it."

Dr. Broekhuizen is nearly certain that the law is unenforceable, and too vague to not be enjoined.  But who as a doctor wants to put his or her career in jeopardy, as well as shoulder the entirety of the legal costs, just to test it out? It's that unwillingness that anti-choice legislators are capitalizing on with their regulations, and it's one that doctors and pro-choice advocates didn't really expect to see. "We were a little naive," he admitted.

And how about the patients? Three visits, three round-trip expenses, loss of pay, childcare costs, etc., etc., etc.

So Planned Parenthood abruptly suspended performing medical abortions in the state.

By suspending medical abortions, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has taken a bill that was signed quietly, quickly, and right before a major holiday as an attempt to pass it mostly unnoticed, and turned it into a huge public policy debate over who should be creating medical protocol -- the FDA or the state legislature. 

Calling Act 217 a set of "minimum safety standards" for patient care and ending the potential for "tele-med" abortions, anti-choice legislators likely assumed the bill would go into effect without fanfare, Dr. Broekhuizen surmised. Then later, an "overzealous prosecutor" could charge a doctor based off of one of the vague, legally-ambiguous points in the law, putting medical abortion availability for the entire state at risk.

But instead, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has acted first. Perhaps anti-choice politicians were a little naive, as well.

Thursday, Canada's legislators are going to debate whether the Criminal Code definition of 'human being' should be extended to include fetuses.

What could possibly go wrong with that?

The Radical Handmaids have some ideas.

Criminalizing Contraception

As 40 Days of Harassment kicks off, many bloggers and columnists are noting -- yet again -- the idiocy of the 'pro-life' position on contraception.

You'd think the people most dead-set against abortion would be the most avid cheerleaders for contraception.

You'd be dead wrong.

Antonia Zerbisias often reposts on her blog what she calls her treeware column with links added. Here's yesterday's, with a clarification added.

There are states – most recently Florida – where there are bills to ban contraception. Some pharmacists and doctors, both here and in the U.S., are refusing to provide the pill to patients, even married adult women.

We interrupt this column for a clarification:

The proposal in Florida is for a state constitutional amendment that critics assert would result in criminalization of the Pill. It wouldn't be the first time there have been legislative moves to ban some contraceptives, including the pill.

Then she links to my post about the celebrations the fetus fetishists are having over the success of their many incremental attacks in various US statehouses. Note that there were 300 initiatives against abortion and 60 against contraception.

At RH Reality Check, blogger Hunter Stewart ventures to Wisconsin to check out the 40 Days of Harassment campaign there.

There are two family planning clinics in central Wisconsin – one in Wausau, one in Stevens Point – that have been picketed by typical religious right-wing anti-choicers over the past two years. What’s not typical is that these clinics do not provide abortions. Nor do they provide referrals or even medical counseling for abortions, because their federal grant restrictions explicitly prohibit them from doing so. The people of Wisconsin know this. The protesters know this. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that this family planning clinic dispenses contraception – condoms, birth control pills, and emergency contraception. The protesters I spoke with in Wisconsin believe that “the morning-after pill” is the equivalent of murder. They even believe that the birth control pill is a form of murder. (Since in some cases it prevents the fertilized egg – which they would call “the embryonic person” – from implanting in the uterine wall.)

And condoms? One protester told me that condoms encourage men to use women “for sex without repercussions.” But isn’t it the woman who has to deal with the real “repercussions” of a pregnancy? You would think an anti-abortion activist, of all people, would see the use of condoms.

But no. “If you want to have sex,” he told me, waving his finger in the air, “make sure you can deal with the consequences. Which are children.”

Are we clear on this? Fetus fetishists are NOT about the baybeez. They are about control and punishment of mainly women, but men too, who have sex for reasons other then procreation.

The campaign is incremental. Throwing up niggling little laws here and there to restrict access to both abortion and contraception. Howling about pharmacists FORCED to dispense products a patient's doctor has ordered, but that the pill-counter finds morally objectionable. Launching idiotic bullshit campaigns like The Pill Kills. Lying about what emergency contraception or Plan B actually does. Lying about what ordinary hormonal contraception actually does. Shrieeeeking about the life-threatening dangers of the abortion pill.

Because, ultimately, what they want is CONTROL over everybody's reproductive systems. To that end, they want to criminalize abortion AND all forms of 'artificial' contraception.

Make no mistake about it. There is no common ground with these people.

Harbingers of a Majority

For Canadian readers of DJ! who may not be following events in the Excited States, two matters. And they do matter, because if Stevie Peevie gets a Majority, this is exactly where Canada is headed.

Item 1

This week Rethugicans stole the Wisconsin Supreme Court election -- I know, weird to elect judges, but hey, otherwise they might be 'activist' judges.

A little back ground: when Rethug Gov Scott Walker pulled his TeaBag-, Majority- and Koch-feuled union-busting attack on the middle class, a number of recall efforts started, but democrats (small and Large) saw an early chance to rebuke (at least) the Thugs in the Supreme Court election on April 5. The good people of Wisconsin campaigned hard for a woman named JoAnne Kloppenberg (D) against incumbent David Prosser (R).

And for a heady but short time, it looked like they were winning a little. Kloppenberg held a 204-vote lead.

Then, ooopsie!

The Political wing of the Tea Party Terrorists have found 7,582 votes for their pet Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate.

The Clerk involved took her computer systems off the State network so vote tallies could not be verified. Some history:

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus’ decision to go it alone in how she collects and maintains election results has some county officials raising a red flag about the integrity of the system.

Nickolaus said she decided to take the election data collection and storage system off the county’s computer network – and keep it on stand-alone personal computers accessible only in her office – for security reasons.

Check the link for Nickolaus's history of electoral oopsies.

And, oddly enough, the 'found' votes are just enough to avoid a state-funded recount. So, if anyone wants to investigate, it's gonna cost big time. Remember Al Franken's long drawn-out ordeal?

When Michael Moore said: 'They may have the money but we have the numbers', perhaps he should have added: 'But then again, they have the money to corrupt the numbers'.

Sad and disheartening as that is -- not to mention the precursor of much more to come -- dig this.

Item 2

The entire US federal government is about to grind to a halt over Planned Parenthood.

Yes, ladies, the greatest country in the world will stop paying its bills and its soldiers, teachers, and public servants because you sluts insist on having some say over your own bodies, or to use the latest swear word, 'uterus'.

Negotiations on the federal budget failed yet again last night, with reports coming out of Washington that the two parties are more or less in agreement on the numbers, but that they cannot agree on several “social” issues:

Republicans are threatening to shut down the government unless Democrats agree to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. They’re also demanding the de-funding of the UN Populations Fund and the Environmental Protection Agency, because if you’re slutty enough to get accidentally pregnant, your unplanned children don’t deserve to breathe clean air.

Here’s what the Republicans are demanding, in convenient and infuriating bullet point form, thanks to the New York Times:

• No federal financing for Planned Parenthood because it performs abortions. Instead, state administration of federal family planning funds, which means that Republican governors and legislatures will not spend them.
• No local financing for abortion services in the District of Columbia.
• No foreign aid to countries that might use the money for abortion or family planning. And no aid to the United Nations Population Fund, which supports family-planning services.

'More or less in agreement' except for UTERUSES GOING ROGUE!!!!!

(Aside to skeptics: Yes, at DJ!, we do occasionally exaggerate. Check the bloody links. This is true.)

OK, the Excited States have always been particularly insane when it comes to abortion and women's rights. But they gone totally batshitoverthetoploco BECAUSE last November's elections gave the Tea Baggers a Majority.

Majority, as in 'we can do whatever the fuck we want and you can go suck lemons' or bleach or Lysol or other creative concoctions.

Again, we are taught that women's rights are always negotiable.

Coincidentally, a gang of NeoTheoCons here in Canada, who happen to number way too many fetus fetishists among them, want the very same thing. A Majority.

And they need us wimmins on their side -- or the sidelines -- in order to get it.

We cannot let this happen.

Vote. Vote strategically.

And drag every woman you know -- and every friend of women -- to the polls.

There's a saying: 'When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross.'

Well, when it comes to Canada, it will come wrapped in apathy and waving a double-double.

Wacky Walker in Wisconsin

What's it all about, Scotty?

Your Koch-sucking sycophant RepubliCon legislators have no sense of humour? Guess not, they're about to make punking a crime.

From here:

Aren't there already laws against fraud and harassment and terrifying people in Wisconsin? Because this sort of makes it look like legislators are primarily motivated by the need to make "making Scott Walker look stupid" a criminal offense.

And just by way of proof that RightWingNutJob derangement is not confined to Wisconsin, Republican legislators in Texas are cracking down on dusky-skinned illegals - unless they're slaving away for below-minimum-wages as domestic workers.

Wisconsin Update (March 2/11)

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker delivered his much anticipated/dreaded budget yesterday amidst huge controversy about who was allowed into the chamber to hear it. (There were rumours -- yet to be confirmed -- that Tea Bagger supporters were being spirited into the building through tunnels.)

Canadians will not be surprised to read the Democratic reaction, including the petty bit about where it took place (bold mine).

The location for the Democratic Assembly leaders' response to Gov. Scott Walker’s budget address was symbolic of how little regard their Republican colleagues must have for them.

They were forced to use the office of the minority leader, Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). It’s not a small office, but with about a dozen news outlets present -- half of them setting up TV cameras -- it was extremely cramped and stuffy. Several reporters sat on the floor, and others had to listen in from the next room.

Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) apologized for the small quarters and then added, "We weren’t allowed access to a larger room."

With such little power, what chance do the Democrats have in beating back against Walker’s budget, which calls for severe cuts to education and human services?

"It’s a very perilous time," agrees Rep. Kelda Helen Roys (D-Madison). But, she added, "Walker has managed to do in one fell swoop probably what no Democratic politician could have, which is awaken the voices of the people."

The main strategy -- or hope -- Democrats are banking on is that the already historic mobilization against Walker’s agenda will continue and grow. Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) said: "This budget is so overreaching there are going to be many more citizen groups outraged. These are such deep cuts in health care and education.... This is not a Wisconsin people will recognize."

He's slashing funds for education and health care, increasing funds for prisons. As one tweep put it: 'He wants us poor, sick, ignorant, and scared.'

In typical NeoCon double-speak, Walker claimed that cutting money for cities and municipalities gives them the 'tools' to get their budgets under control.

In a 'take-that-you-pinko-commie' fit of juvenile pique, he also cut the state's recycling program.

To which, tweep FreyaFoust replied:

WI kills recycling program. Please send all used toilet paper to Koch Industries corporate office for recycling.

Koch Industries owns Georgia Pacific, huge manufacturer of paper products including Dixie cups. Good background on them in The New Yorker.

And in a move the so-conned won't like, he plans to close the female juvenile detention centre and mix the bad boys with the bad girls. Given that he's also axed funding for contraception, that oughta go well.

Other sorta random observations from your obsessed humble observer:

In a show of balls, solidarity, and disgust: Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney said he pulled his officers from barring the Capitol's entrances because he didn't want to put them in the 'position of being palace guards'.

Fucked News is doing its usual sterling job of making shit up reporting. First, a reporter who first claimed he had been 'punched' by a demonstrator, had to recant a little when the video demonstrated that the punch was, at worst, 'a pat'.

Same reporter was on the air when Fux aired footage of 'union thuggery' -- except, whoopsie! -- there were palm trees in the background.

Other Fux claims that 'union thugs' were bussed in are neatly spiked by zinovy08, who said: 'The bused in union thugs brought palm trees with them to Madison, WI.'

And, of course it continues. The hearing yesterday to open the Capitol to its people, as stipulated in the state constitution, is continuing today. It is being live-tweeted by two people: Analiese Eicher and ACLUMadison, who's having twitter problems at the moment. I'm following and will update.

In the meantime, watch working people and unions fight back.



Like Cons everywhere, these ReThugs are simply bullies. And pretty quick with the 'thug' word, all things considered.

UPPERDATE: BoingBoing confirms: Tea Bagging ringers snuck in through civil defense tunnels.

What's Disgusting?

Union Busting!

First Wisconsin where union-busting won -- for the moment. Now it's breaking out all over the US.

The Ohio Senate has passed a bill that takes Wisconsin union-busting one step further, Reuters reports. The bill prohibits collective bargaining for nearly 62,000 workers and blocks 300,000 others (including firefighters, police, and public school teachers) from striking or negotiating about health care benefits. In Indiana, House Democrats, taking a cue from Wisconsin legislators, have left the state to prevent a vote on a bill that limits collective bargaining rights. Idaho has approved a measure to limit public school teachers' right to bargain collectively. Michigan is on track to approve a law that would allow the state to break union contracts. And union dues or collective bargaining are also on the line in Iowa, New Hampshire, Kansas, Tennessee, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Washington, Alaska, and Arizona.

And you probably won't hear a peep about it from the corporate media.

So, while other bloggers are on important stories about Japan, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Canadian politics, I'm trying to follow events in the US. It's not easy, but now that the action has moved to Michigan, Michael Moore is helping a lot.

A couple of days ago, he published an open letter to his fellow Michiganders. It's titled: Do Something.

Friends and neighbors,

The call has gone out and I'm asking everyone who can to take Wednesday off and head to the State Capitol in Lansing to protest the cruel and downright frightening legislation currently being jammed down our throats.

What is most shocking to many is that the new governor, who ran against the Tea Party and defeated the right wing of his party in the primaries -- and then ran in the general election as "just a nerd from Ann Arbor" who was a moderate, not an ideologue -- has pulled off one of the biggest Jekyll and Hyde ruses I've ever seen in electoral politics.

Governor Snyder, once elected, yanked off his nice-guy mask to reveal that he is in fact a multi-millionaire hell-bent on destroying our state and turning it over to his buddies from Wall Street.

He lists what Snyder has done in the past eight weeks. Then calls for a rally today.

Yesterday, however, AARP, American Association of Retired People, bussed in about 1,000 seniors to protest at the state capitol.

Tuesday's rally organizers said Snyder wants to provide a $1.8 billion tax cut for businesses and make up the lost revenue at the expense of seniors, low-income workers and children. They don't like his idea to end a tax break for the working poor or to deeply cut services such as public education.

I mean, really, you do not piss off the wrinklies.

Last night, some people tried to occupy the building, but left peacefully when they were asked.

Today's rally has just begun. And of course the corporate media is lalalala-ing its ass off. But you can watch a shitty live feed here.

On Twitter, I'm following the hashtags #MIUnion #MadMI #MadNation and #1u (one union).

The speaker now just said: 'This is just one battle in a very long war.'

Yup. And it may get scary fast if it spreads further.

UPDATE: Oh dear. I didn't know they were going to do this. They are going to try to get into the building. Numbers range from 2,000 to 5,000. Speaker warning about provocateurs, telling people to take photos with their phones.

UPPERDATE: It's still going on. More and more people. They go outside and listen to speeches for a while. Then they come back into the building. Amazing energy.

Pity the Poor Canadian Anti-Choice Movement: Lost and Losing

I've been thinking about the Canadian fetus freak movement lately and how despondent they must be. I mean, they've had absolutely no wins here and some -- admittedly minor -- defeats (see New Brunswick, PEI, and Ontario).

Yes, they litter the landscape with their idiotic underground fetus flags and gory postcards, but really, what have they got to show for their relentless SHRIEEEKING?

As compared to the US, where fetus freaks have been having an orgy of misogyny for the past four or five years.

I watch this stuff and even I get waaaay behind. This recent one, from Wisconsin, takes a cake of some kind.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said this week that he would sign a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy that does not contain exceptions for rape and incest victims, if the bill reaches his desk. The measure also contains a less-discussed provision that would allow the father to sue the doctor for "emotional and psychological distress" if he disagrees with the abortion, regardless of his relationship with the woman having the procedure.

Got that? Some rando guy can sue a doctor for performing an abortion on some woman he may or may not have had sex with. Reports did not detail whether DNA tests would be required.

The USian anti-choice festival includes all kinds of legislation on extended waiting periods, mandated lying by doctors, bans on telemed abortions, bans on certain methods of abortion, vicious parental notification rules, hyped up "safety" requirements for clinics, totally bogus claims of "fetal pain," egregious funding cuts for healthcare orgs that might possibly, sometime, maybe discuss abortion with patients.

Et fucking cetera.

Here in Canada, they got bupkis.

So, the latest fundraising SHRIEEEK from LieSite titled "Don’t Be Silent!"struck me as funny. (There is randomly strewn bold in this that I'm too lazy to reproduce.)

We can no longer afford to deny the hard truth: the threats to the freedoms of Canadians like you and me who believe in the sanctity of life and the traditional family are growing every day. 

Right now the push to implement Wynne’s sex-ed curriculum is in high gear, the legalization of euthanasia country-wide is on our doorsteps, and abortion extremists have even taken away the rights of pro-life doctors in Ontario to refuse to refer for abortions!

Now, more than ever, the unique investigative reporting of LifeSite is needed to combat the manipulation of the mainstream media and the growing anti-life and anti-family sentiments across Canada.  

However, with only 10 days remaining in our summer fundraising campaign,we have only raised $8,000 towards our absolutely minimum goal of $200,000.

Summer fundraising campaign? They have one for each season? Meaning they need to raise $800,000 a year?

Wow. That's a lot of dough to raise when you've got absolutely nothing to show for it.

A couple of weeks ago, I was also amused by the Fetal Gore Gang's revisiting of their three-year old wet squib of a campaign to appropriate the historic Abortion Caravan.

That might have been better titled "How we tried to hijack a prochoice icon and then got lost in Ottawa somewhere and failed to show up for the grand finale to the great amusement of our critics."

But on further reflection, I realized that the fetus freaks have had a recent victory.

They singlehandedly elected weirdo Patrick Brown as leader of the Ontario Conservative Party. (I refuse to put the word "progressive" in there.)

If you're interested in Ontario politics and/or grassroots organizing, read that Interim article.

Ontario zygote zealots were stoked that they had TWO double-plus good fetus freak candidates, Brown and McNaughton, contesting all-but-annointed Christine Elliott.

Then the dirty tricks started.

The week before the vote, pro-lifers began receiving a flyer from Concerned Conservatives of Ontario, which claimed Brown was not pro-life or pro-family, going so far as to attack him for being a bachelor without kids who could not understand family issues. CLC’s [Campaign Life Coalition] Jeff Gunnarson told The Interim this was a dirty trick, probably carried out by the Elliott campaign or one of her supporters.

CLC contacted their supporters with mailings, email reminders, and a voice blast urging them to vote for Brown and ignore the bogus Concerned Conservatives letter.
…

CLC supporters came out in force. McNaughton told The Interim in April that pro-life and pro-family voters were the most motivated to vote in the leadership, and it appears he was correct. According to numerous sources within the Brown campaign, their voter identification efforts found that about three-quarters of CLC supporters who bought a membership voted in the leadership contest. That, as one put it, “is an astonishingly high number.”

YAY! Congratulations, anti-choice. For as long as Brown is leader, you've guaranteed a non-Conservative government in Ontario.

Image source.

Classy Cops vs Toronto's Lying Thugs

Big surprise! The Flop and Flail doesn't think Chief Bill Blair should resign over the gigantic cock-up -- with associated lies, coverup, and bullshit -- that was the G20 in Toronto.

Back in February and March, Madison, Wisconsin, was the site of huge, angry protests. Here's a statement from the police department on February 19 (bold mine).

On behalf of all the law enforcement agencies that helped keep the peace on the Capitol Square Saturday, a very sincere thank you to all of those who showed up to exercise their First Amendment rights. You conducted yourselves with great decorum and civility, and if the eyes of the nation were upon Wisconsin, then you have shown how democracy can flourish even amongst those who passionately disagree. As of 5:00 p.m., no major incidents had been reported. There have been no arrests. However, discourse and discussion was - at times - loud and heated. That was to be expected. As previously indicated, the goal of law enforcement has been to provide a safe environment for democracy to take place. That goal has been realized for yet another day.

As I said at the time:

If that statement were a brick, I'd throw it through Toronto Chief Bill Blair's window.

What a classy, professional police service the people of Madison have.

Why do Torontonians have to put up with a bunch of liars and thugs?

Blair must resign.


Image source

In Chain Emails We Trust.

There she goes again. In the course of a speech she delivered at a fund-raising banquet for Wisconsin Right to Life Sarah Palin leveled more claims against progressives and RINOs. Though she didn't use the term "Death Panels", Palin suggested that those who aren't members of The Fetus©™ fetishists organizations are plotting to eliminate grandpa & grandma as well as handicapped children like her son Trig.

What may they feel about an elderly person who doesn’t have a whole lot of productive years left,” Palin asked an audience of about 5,000 who paid $30 each to hear her speak in an airplane hangar-like exhibition hall at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds just outside of Milwaukee.

“In order to save government money, government health care has to be rationed… [so] than this elderly person that perhaps could be seen as costing taxpayers to pay for a non-productive life? Do you think our elderly will be first in line for limited health care? “And what about the child who perhaps isn’t deemed normal or perfect per someone’s subjective measure of their use or questionable purpose in the eyes of a panel of bureaucrats making our health care decisions for us,” she
continued.

Palin did not expressly raise the prospect of government-mandated “death panels” to determine who lives or dies – the incendiary and inaccurate charge she made over the summer about Democratic health care plans—but repeatedly suggested that liberal social policies could lead to de facto euthanasia.

But the inadvertent highlight of her speech was extemporaneous remarks about the expression "In God We Trust" and its location on US coins.

Noting that there had been a lot of “change” of late, Palin recalled a recent conversation with a friend about how the phrase “In God We Trust” had been moved to the edge of the new coins. “Who calls a shot like that?” she demanded. “Who makes a decision like that?” She added: “It’s a disturbing trend.”

Unsaid but implied was that the new Democratic White House was behind such a move to secularize the nation’s currency. But the new coins – concerns over which apparently stemmed from an email chain letter widely circulated among conservatives – were commissioned by the Republican-led Congress in 2005 and approved by President Bush.

Grasping at straws or rather, using the content of chain emails to prop up her creds with assorted rightwing nutters, religious zealots and teabaggers, Sarah Palin continues on her self-proclaimed 'maverick' path.

It Has Arrived

'When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross.'

And creating emergencies that have to be fixed by draconian measures.

Last night, ReThugs in Wisconsin and Michigan stole democracy. In what is a doubtlessly illegal move, the Wisconsin 'Budget Repair Bill' that guts union powers was stripped of spending issues -- though it wasn't really -- to make it passable without a quorum. In other words, passable despite the fact that all 14 Democratic Senators are out of state to prevent just this.

And then it was passed.

One Republican voted against it.

In the video posted by Buckdog you can hear protesters shouting 'Shame' in the background.

Remember that the unions had already made all the financial concessions called for in the bill. But they wouldn't agree to having their rights fucked with.

Scott Walker, elected governor by 52% of voters, kept saying that the the bill was all about the budget. The people kept saying it was all about union-busting.

Unions called for an emergency rally this morning. The #WIUnion twitter tag is rolling like mad but it's clear that protesters are at the Capitol again. Locked out. State troopers are guarding the doors and riot gear has arrived.

Just now, people are tweeting that cops are dragging out the protesters who managed to get into the assembly area.

You think that's bad?

Over in Michigan -- Michigan for chrissake -- there is practically no opposition to the ReThugs and looky what they passed yesterday.

A day after facing hundreds of rowdy, pro-union protesters that filled the state Capitol, the Senate voted on Wednesday to grant broad new powers to emergency managers who oversee financially struggling cities and schools, including the authority to void union contracts and remove elected officials.

Got that? Remove elected officials.

And just for extra ReThug frothy fun, there are also new taxes on the poor and elderly. And, of course, it strips unions of collective bargaining rights.

Michael Moore was on the Rachel Maddow Show last night.

Watch.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This is how it starts, folks.

ADDED: Good summary from the Guardian.

Wisconsin Update (March 5/11)

Still obsessed with intensely interested in Wisconsin.

Catching up:

Last night, all protesters left the capitol building. Here they are singing their way out.

Another MASSIVE demonstration is planned for today. And it has a theme -- suits! That's in reaction to ReThug senator Grothman who called the protesters 'slobs'. Such a lovely guy.

Furthermore, Grothman has opposed increased funding for anti-smoking bills and voted against the bill that was passed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars. He argued that Martin Luther King Jr. day should not be a paid holiday. He introduced legislation that would remove the requirement to disinfect municipal water systems, although a 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak killed 104 Milwaukee residents and made thousands extremely ill.

There are rumours that Michael Moore may show up.

There are pleas for more supplies.

@FrauMorris RT @opencapitol: Please RT: This wkend more "3M Super-Sticky" Post-Its Needed! Stores near sold-out. Help people be heard #wiunion #wearewi

(They've been leaving messages stuck to the locked doors of the capitol.)

And there are weather forecasts.

@RobinMarohn RT @muskrat_john: "Partly crowdy with a chance of bagpipes..." #wiunion

And if you love Rachel Maddow, go watch her gloat.

In related news, that $7.5 million clean up bill fell yesterday to a mere $350,000. Today it appears to have fallen even more.

@thewhereblog In 1 day, the estimate for damage to the capitol from #wiunion went from $7.5 million to $0. Now *that's* a budget repair bill

('Budget Repair Bill' is the supposedly 'minor' bill that caused the initial fuss.)

More later.

UPDATE: Confirmed. Michael Moore will be there.

Abortion criminalizers plan assault.

The New York Times provides a good overview of the attack plan US fetus fetishists are developing to take down a woman's right to a safe and accessible medical intervention to end a life-threatening pregnancy.

The politics of abortion have changed profoundly in some larger states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“We’re facing the biggest threat to reproductive rights we’ve ever faced in this state,” said Lisa Subeck, executive director for Naral Pro-Choice Wisconsin.

In Michigan, because of the switch to an anti-abortion governor, “the dominos are lined up well for us this time,” said Ed Rivet, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan. For starters, advocates hope to pass a state ban on the procedure opponents call partial-birth abortion that had been vetoed twice. After that, he said, “We have quite a list.”

Many defenders of abortion rights argue that because the election hinged largely on the economy and the role of government, officials did not receive a mandate for sweeping new social measures. “This last election was not about these issues at all,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We now are concerned about a real overreaching by some state legislators and governors that will make it very difficult for women to access reproductive health care.” [...]

The abortion rate in the United States, which had declined steadily since a 1981 peak of more than 29 abortions per 1,000 women, stalled between 2005 and 2008, at slightly under 20 abortions per 1,000 women, according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute.

So, expect abortion criminalizers to regurgitate their usual lies about abortion as they crank up their war against women's right to control their reproductive capacity - in effect, to overturn Roe v. Wade not at the Supreme Court level but incrementally in women's lives, where it will cause them the most harm.