Dear Mr. Walker,
The chant "Walker is a weasel, not a badger" has earned a special resonance this week as you continue to scurry in and out of the Capitol in secret, hiding from your constituents and deluding yourself about your alleged "popularity" by only allowing people with whom you agree to come within 1000 feet. In a way, I don't blame you. It must be terribly embarrassing to take such a foolish and stubborn stance.
However, I must insist that you add your efforts to usurp our Capitol as your palace to the list of unconstitutional activities for which you will be impeached, and hopefully, criminally prosecuted.
"The Legislature cannot prohibit an individual from entering the capitol or its grounds 59 Atty. Gen. 8." --The Wisconsin Constitution, Article 1 Section 4
In the face of the refusal of even the police to serve as your rat king guards, I would hope that you take this opportunity to apologize to the people of Wisconsin for stealing our house, and pretending it belongs to you and the party of the rich. Knowing you will not do so, I ask that you strongly consider resigning.
Knowing you're unlikely to read this in the next few hours, I may or may not see you this afternoon, when my children and I will be shouting outside - and inside - the Capitol building. I'll be the one screaming "Whose house? OUR HOUSE!" and "Negotiate, not legislate!" My kids will likely be shouting "Walker is a weasel, not a badger." That's one of their favorites, for obvious reasons.
The sooner you resign the better for this state, and for this country,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Open letters and unsolicited commentary for lovers of justice, hyperbole, and complaint.
letter to Tim Culver, Sun Prairie School District Administrator
On Feb. 17, educators throughout Wisconsin were called upon by WEAC (Wisconsin Education Association Consortium, their union) to call in sick to rally at the Capitol in defense of their collective bargaining rights, as Scott Walker threatened to push his budget bill through in a matter of days without hearing public testimony. Sun Prairie teachers called in on the 17th and returned to school on the 18th; other districts' teachers called in sick for many more days. On the 18th, our family brought in a cake and a thank you note for the teachers at our school, thanking them for teaching our kids the importance of standing up for their rights. I later learned we seemed to be the only family who'd stepped up publicly in support of the teachers and launched a Teacher Appreciation campaign and emailed parents on our school email list encouraging them to show our teachers some love during this trying and exhausting struggle. On Feb. 20, Tim Culver posted this "FAQ" blog and emailed all SPASD parents advising them to read it. This was my response, which I also shared with the teachers and staff at our school and the Sun Prairie School Board (which later passed a resolution in opposition to the budget bill).
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Dear Mr. Culver,
While I understand that you are in a very delicate position, I felt that the tone of your email was unfairly unsupportive of the Wisconsin teachers who have been forced, of necessity, to take action to defend their rights by our governor's attempts to push his budget bill through so quickly. Your email presumes that the reader is "against" the teachers' actions, which belittles those who support them. Your dismissive suggestion, that we might applaud these efforts, is offensive and biased, and makes it seem like parents who support the teachers are a minority - something which does not, in my experience, seem to be the case at all.
I am particularly appalled that you suggest we contact the school to thank the teachers who DID report to work on the 17th. I am doing exactly the opposite: I want to thank every single teacher who called in sick for teaching my kids what democracy really looks like. This is the best lesson in civics they could have provided - they taught our kids that when it's time to stand up, you stand, even when that action is difficult and unpopular. I have already thanked the teachers at Bird School for their efforts, and I hope other parents will do the same during this shameful time when people dare to publicly disparage our hard-working teachers for making the painful decision to take the only action they felt they could.
I hope that the teachers who dared stand up for their rights - knowing, undoubtedly, that their administrators would not be on their side - are not severely punished. They certainly have the full support of our family. I would also have hoped that the district dared take a stronger stance in support of its wonderful teachers. As proud as I am of the teachers, I feel ashamed of your response.
Sincerely,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Proud SPASD parent, and proud supporter of SPASD teachers
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update: On March 15, 2011, I sent this letter to Tim Culver, having read his much-changed blog entries over the next couple of weeks:
Dear Mr. Culver,
I'm not sure if you read the message I sent last month, but I wrote it in response to your initial InspirED blog post after the SPASD teachers' "sick day" action.
I just wanted to follow that up by acknowledging that I really appreciate the more balanced and measured tone of your recent blog posts, which present the budget situation much less apologetically and give Sun Prairie families a much more clear sense of the crisis at hand. These posts seem much more carefully reasoned and less of a knee-jerk reaction to what you might have perceived as the initial parent responses, which makes me think perhaps I was a little harsh in my own knee-jerk reaction to that first post.
I was at the School Board meeting last month and spoke out in favor of the teachers and against the proposed Budget Bill. I was really thrilled to see the Board adopt a resolution to take a public stance against the move to eliminate collective bargaining, and am happy to hear more support for our wonderful teachers in your own posts. So, thank you. Our community needs to come together to defend its schools now - this is a key moment. I'm happy to help in any way I can.
Best,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
While I understand that you are in a very delicate position, I felt that the tone of your email was unfairly unsupportive of the Wisconsin teachers who have been forced, of necessity, to take action to defend their rights by our governor's attempts to push his budget bill through so quickly. Your email presumes that the reader is "against" the teachers' actions, which belittles those who support them. Your dismissive suggestion, that we might applaud these efforts, is offensive and biased, and makes it seem like parents who support the teachers are a minority - something which does not, in my experience, seem to be the case at all.
I am particularly appalled that you suggest we contact the school to thank the teachers who DID report to work on the 17th. I am doing exactly the opposite: I want to thank every single teacher who called in sick for teaching my kids what democracy really looks like. This is the best lesson in civics they could have provided - they taught our kids that when it's time to stand up, you stand, even when that action is difficult and unpopular. I have already thanked the teachers at Bird School for their efforts, and I hope other parents will do the same during this shameful time when people dare to publicly disparage our hard-working teachers for making the painful decision to take the only action they felt they could.
I hope that the teachers who dared stand up for their rights - knowing, undoubtedly, that their administrators would not be on their side - are not severely punished. They certainly have the full support of our family. I would also have hoped that the district dared take a stronger stance in support of its wonderful teachers. As proud as I am of the teachers, I feel ashamed of your response.
Sincerely,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Proud SPASD parent, and proud supporter of SPASD teachers
-----------------------------------
update: On March 15, 2011, I sent this letter to Tim Culver, having read his much-changed blog entries over the next couple of weeks:
Dear Mr. Culver,
I'm not sure if you read the message I sent last month, but I wrote it in response to your initial InspirED blog post after the SPASD teachers' "sick day" action.
I just wanted to follow that up by acknowledging that I really appreciate the more balanced and measured tone of your recent blog posts, which present the budget situation much less apologetically and give Sun Prairie families a much more clear sense of the crisis at hand. These posts seem much more carefully reasoned and less of a knee-jerk reaction to what you might have perceived as the initial parent responses, which makes me think perhaps I was a little harsh in my own knee-jerk reaction to that first post.
I was at the School Board meeting last month and spoke out in favor of the teachers and against the proposed Budget Bill. I was really thrilled to see the Board adopt a resolution to take a public stance against the move to eliminate collective bargaining, and am happy to hear more support for our wonderful teachers in your own posts. So, thank you. Our community needs to come together to defend its schools now - this is a key moment. I'm happy to help in any way I can.
Best,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Your contempt for the people of Wisconsin. 4 March 2011
Dear Mr. Walker,
Your refusal to even acknowledge receipt - much less respond - to any of the many messages I have sent you in recent weeks speaks volumes of your general contempt for the citizenry of Wisconsin.
Perhaps you refuse to answer my messages because I am a teacher, and therefore in your view, undeserving of attention and below your station. Perhaps it's because I'm in TWO unions and therefore doubly toxic to the welfare of this state, since I both pay taxes AND contribute two-fold to my own benefit packages. Or perhaps it's because I'm a graduate student and therefore just another example of the "60s hippie Madison liberal" that put this state on the national map as a beacon of progressive values. Perhaps it's because I'm a woman, and incapable of making decisions or contributing to public conversations (say, about whether or not I should have sex, or get pregnant, or receive health care). Perhaps it's because you cannot read, which would explain in part your complete disregard for the Constitution of our state. If the latter is true, I am happy to recommend a community literacy program.
Perhaps you care so little about what we have to say that you think you can simply ignore us, even as you continue to insult us with your daily press sessions. Good luck with that.
We are not going anywhere. We will continue to insist upon the restoration of our rights and dignity until you agree to engage in dialogue, or, and preferably, resign.
Signed, a productive member of civil society and fierce advocate of your resignation,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Your refusal to even acknowledge receipt - much less respond - to any of the many messages I have sent you in recent weeks speaks volumes of your general contempt for the citizenry of Wisconsin.
Perhaps you refuse to answer my messages because I am a teacher, and therefore in your view, undeserving of attention and below your station. Perhaps it's because I'm in TWO unions and therefore doubly toxic to the welfare of this state, since I both pay taxes AND contribute two-fold to my own benefit packages. Or perhaps it's because I'm a graduate student and therefore just another example of the "60s hippie Madison liberal" that put this state on the national map as a beacon of progressive values. Perhaps it's because I'm a woman, and incapable of making decisions or contributing to public conversations (say, about whether or not I should have sex, or get pregnant, or receive health care). Perhaps it's because you cannot read, which would explain in part your complete disregard for the Constitution of our state. If the latter is true, I am happy to recommend a community literacy program.
Perhaps you care so little about what we have to say that you think you can simply ignore us, even as you continue to insult us with your daily press sessions. Good luck with that.
We are not going anywhere. We will continue to insist upon the restoration of our rights and dignity until you agree to engage in dialogue, or, and preferably, resign.
Signed, a productive member of civil society and fierce advocate of your resignation,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Your shameful behavior as governor. 3 March 2011
Dear Mr. Walker,
The depths of your disrespect for the people of Wisconsin seem to be boundless. Barring first responders from the Capitol! Have you no respect for the Constitution of this state?
I am pleased, however, to learn that you are a proponent of abortion rights, as is evidenced by your desire to see so many more unplanned pregnancies in our state by refusing to allow insurance companies to cover birth control. How very considerate, and what a "money saver"! Nothing's cheaper, in the long run, than pregnancies, births and child care costs.
You are a disgrace to Wisconsin and the shame of a nation.
Please resign,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
The depths of your disrespect for the people of Wisconsin seem to be boundless. Barring first responders from the Capitol! Have you no respect for the Constitution of this state?
I am pleased, however, to learn that you are a proponent of abortion rights, as is evidenced by your desire to see so many more unplanned pregnancies in our state by refusing to allow insurance companies to cover birth control. How very considerate, and what a "money saver"! Nothing's cheaper, in the long run, than pregnancies, births and child care costs.
You are a disgrace to Wisconsin and the shame of a nation.
Please resign,
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Time to govern. 27 Feb. 2011
Dear Mr. Walker,
Enough is enough of your political games. Listening to your constituents is not "optional," whether you like it or not. The people of Wisconsin have spoken and the world is listening: YOU MUST NEGOTIATE. Time to swallow your pride, come to the table, and accept that you cannot simply legislate away our rights, as much as you'd like to. I'm afraid democracy doesn't work like that.
It's time to treat your office with the dignity it deserves and to treat the people of Wisconsin with the respect they deserve. If you can't do that, resign.
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Enough is enough of your political games. Listening to your constituents is not "optional," whether you like it or not. The people of Wisconsin have spoken and the world is listening: YOU MUST NEGOTIATE. Time to swallow your pride, come to the table, and accept that you cannot simply legislate away our rights, as much as you'd like to. I'm afraid democracy doesn't work like that.
It's time to treat your office with the dignity it deserves and to treat the people of Wisconsin with the respect they deserve. If you can't do that, resign.
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Your Budget Bill. 21 Feb. 2011
Dear Gov. Walker,
I am ashamed of the tyrannical way you are conducting yourself as governor. How dare you try to bypass the democratic process and force your bill through without allowing time for reflection and debate? This is not how democracy works. Perhaps you could have learned that lesson had you not dropped out of college.
In the meantime, please have your staff register my vote of NO WAY! on your proposed budget bill. You cannot legislate away my collective bargaining rights. You might not respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but I sure do. And so does the rest of Wisconsin. You're not fooling anyone with your drummed-up "crisis" and I look forward to your recall in 2012.
Heather DuBois Bourenane
I am ashamed of the tyrannical way you are conducting yourself as governor. How dare you try to bypass the democratic process and force your bill through without allowing time for reflection and debate? This is not how democracy works. Perhaps you could have learned that lesson had you not dropped out of college.
In the meantime, please have your staff register my vote of NO WAY! on your proposed budget bill. You cannot legislate away my collective bargaining rights. You might not respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but I sure do. And so does the rest of Wisconsin. You're not fooling anyone with your drummed-up "crisis" and I look forward to your recall in 2012.
Heather DuBois Bourenane
Monologues of Dissent, an introduction
So I started by writing to Scott Walker nearly every day in earnest, pleading with him, almost begging, really, as a fair-and open-minded constituent that he listen to our concerns, and take them seriously. He didn't write back. Not even an auto-reply. I figured it was because everyone else was also writing passionate pleas and it was just taking his staff a long time to sort through them. So I kept writing. But he didn't write back.
So here I am, creating a blog for lovers of justice and hyperbole to enjoy, and lovers of Scott Walker to seethe over (preferably in silence, as he seems to prefer), and to soothe my own worried mind. I hope they inspire some hateful letters of your own, which you can deliver to deaf ears yourselves by emailing govgeneral@wisconsin.gov.You can contact me at monologuesofdissent@gmail.com.
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