In a recent report from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reveals that over 76% of applicants to the amped-up voucher program implemented by Gov. Scott Walker and his political cronies do not attend regular public schools. Of these, a whopping 67.3% (!) already attend private schools, with the remainder being home-schooled, attending no school, or out of state applicants. A paltry 24.3%(503 applicants) currently attend regular public school.
This means a few things:
Wisconsin parents and Wisconsin students do NOT believe Wisconsin schools (which lead the nation in graduation rates) are "failing" as our governor and his cronies like to pretend, and are not clamoring over each other to "save" their kids by pushing them into questionably accredited, science-optional, no-accountability private voucher schools like Walker predicted they would. Nor do they believe the myth that private schools are inherently superior to public schools. Because they aren't.
Vouchers are not the "choice" of high-need, low-income taxpayers that we were told (by Walker, and his funders and the mainstream media) they would be. They are the choice of people who could already afford to send their kids to private schools, who are now taking advantage of the outrageous double-dip that is their massive $10,000 tax break for private school tuition coupled with a expansion of the voucher program than allows a government handout in the form of a $6400 coupon toward their kids' education, paid for by the rest of us and siphoned out of the public education fund for the rest of our kids.
People who care about public education would be wise to look for - and hold accountable - candidates who agree that Wisconsin cannot afford to subsidize private school for the rich AND public school for the rest of us. Because if people who care about public education vote, people who put profits before our children - and our collective future - lose.
If you follow Monologues of Dissent on facebook, you may or may not be annoyed by my frequent updates on the Capitol shenanigans in the past few weeks. And while the midwesterner in me feels obligated to apologize (like we do) for my incessant posts on the crackdown that has let to over 100 arrests and citations of those who peacefully assembly in the rotunda at any weekday at noon, the media coverage has been so predictably abysmal and misplaced, that I just feel compelled to make sure that people remain aware of what's actually at stake here.
This is not some tiny, close-knit group of radical weirdos who have some kind of singsong cult like the press would have you think. Every single time I make it down to the Capitol on my lunch break, I see a different crowd - of others, like me, on their lunch breaks or taking time on a day off to speak up against the continued injustices of the Walker administration's iron fist: educators, business professionals, union and non-union workers, vets, students, retirees, PhDs, people with great jobs and people looking for great jobs. Regular people of all walks of life, united by widely varying but equally passionate concerns that if we do not speak out, we jeopardize our collective future, in big and small ways.
And these people are being arrested for charges that simply stagger the mind of any person (like me, and like you) who grew up being told that the foundation of a healthy democracy was an informed and engaged citizenry, that debate and dissent are healthy and productive, and that both our state and federal constitutions specifically designate our right to mobilize and share our concerns:
Right to assemble and petition. Section 4.
The right of the people peaceably to assemble, to consult for the
common good, and to petition the government, or any department thereof,
shall never be abridged.
And yet, the charges, accompanied by totally unnecessary cuffing and detainment: No permit. Unlawful assembly. Criminal trespassing (in the people's house! during regular business hours!). Arrests and countless threats of arrest for "participation" simply for observing - warning tourists and spectators that they must leave or risk arrest. Arrests for documenting the actions of the Capitol police, led by Scott Walker's former body guard. Yesterday, one person received $9000 worth of tickets for "chalking" at $500 each. Last week, a man was taken to the Dane County jail and charged with criminal trespassing for re-entering the building after having been cited for not having a permit. His bail was set for $701. A Vietnam War veteran who fell down the marble stairs as he was marched to the holding area by the palace guard was not immediately issued a citation. It arrived in the mail a few days later at his home address. A state representative was warned she'd be ticketed for watching the arrests from a balcony. These intimidating infringements on our liberties in the form of citations and threats are not just a massive embarrassment to our state, and to our children (who bear witness to a struggle in which their parents are forced to fight the battles that were already fought and won, and learn - against our will - to fear the retaliation of police even as we try to teach them to trust and respect law enforcement), they're a massive affront to anyone who can see the irony of enforcing an unconstitutional rule that forces those who would dissent to get permission from the government to do so.
Do you get what's happening here? $9000 in
tickets IN ONE DAY - 18 counts of "chalking" at $500/each. They are
trying to bankrupt dissidents - or at least put the fear of bankruptcy
in them, since most of the charges will likely be dropped
- so that others are afraid to petition the government. Read that sentence again. Let it sink in.
Over the course of the last two weeks, as Capitol Police have been forced again to crack down with a series of questionably constitutional arrests, I have been struck by the refusal of the presumably free press to accurately or adequately report what is going on in the people's house, and also by the lack of solidarity from those on the right whose "Don't Tread on Me" mantra demands outrage over such heavy-handed abuse of power. The gleefully hateful "counter" by conservatives - who by
all rights should be brandishing their beloved firearms over this
assault on our constitutional right to petition the government (can you
IMAGINE the outrage if President Obama even hinted at the sort of
oppressive measures Walker has codified?) is astounding to me.
To wit (and I use that term loosely):
This land is my land, it is not your land
I got a shotgun, and you don't got one
If you don't get off, I'll call the Sher-iff
This land is private property
What is going on here? The lyrics (seriously: check out those lyrics) of the "We've Got a Permit Singers" aren't just horrible and spiteful and partisan; they are absurdly dismissive of the actual issue at hand, and the mainstream press has followed suit by simply ignoring the central issue that motivates people like me (parents, teachers, concerned citizens) to continue to speak up against the oppressive measures our government has taken to control the discourse. It's not about the recall. It's not about the "ease" of obtaining a permit. It's about our rights. It's about freedom. The freedom to petition the government with our grievances. The right to know what is being done with our money, in our names. The freedom to organize. The right to earn a living wage. The right to free and equitable public education guaranteed by our constitution. The right to have a say in government affairs. The freedom to remind our elected officials know they work for us, not vice versa.
Obtaining a permit for the noontime sing along is not a "no brainer." It's a prima facie absurdity, predicated on the assumption that some core entity or individual is liable for the actions of whatever random group of people might show up on any given day to express, collectively, their on-going concerns with the Walker administration, their draconian austerity measures, and their totalitarian methods. The sing along is a residual articulation of a movement that began with the massive protests of 2011 but has evolved into a peaceful, lasting statement: We are still here. We are paying attention. We care, deeply, and we're not going anywhere.
If you want to sing out, sing out. And if you want to be free, be free. And if you can't make it to the Capitol to do either in person, please consider contributing to the those who are doing so for all us. Similar sing along actions are now being mobilized in Michigan and Texas, as people realize that the collective voice is more powerful than the individual voice, and that the need for citizen action is essential at a time when our voices seem to matter so little to the powers that be.
The rights to freedom of speech, assembly and dissent are not partisan
issues. They are cornerstones of the very possibility of democracy, and
the urgency
of what's happening right now in the Wisconsin state house cannot be
underestimated. We write this off as a handful of
stubborn individuals at the peril of democracy.
The following post was written by a friend who is a retired educator and deeply committed advocate for fair labor and public education. He asks a good question: what's wrong with those who continue to sell out the American Dream in exchange for a greedy handful of the same magic beans that got us into this mess?
Dear Republicans:
What’s Wrong With You?
I am concerned about you. So many of the decisions you have
been making lately haven’t been good for anyone—not even yourselves. The kind
of things that make us human—compassion, acceptance, common sense—seem to be
completely absent from your decision making processes, especially among your
leaders.
Do you have collective amnesia? After we took nearly all the
controls off your banker friends, they went berserk and crashed the economy.
Now you want to eliminate the few controls that we managed to put back on them?
Why? So they can crash the economy again? Don’t you remember we bailed them out
while letting ordinary homeowners swing in the breeze? What keeps you from
seeing that? What’s wrong with you?
Have you been dissed by a cantankerous senior? Has a toddler
drooled some errant mucous on you? Has a handicapped person made you park five
steps further away at Target? Those people--children, the sick, and the aged--bear
the brunt of most of your hostile policy proposals. You want to repeal their
health care, defund their schools and steal their pensions. Why? What’s wrong
with you?
Did your public school teachers fail to teach you about
democracy? About how a bill becomes a law? About the necessity for compromise
in civil society? Any Republican lawmaker who even hints at compromising with
other duly elected lawmakers of the other party is taken to the woodshed and
thrashed. That’s why so many of them sound like punch drunk fighters standing
their ground no matter what. That’s why they’ve voted three dozen times to do
away with a health care law they don’t like and have completely ignored the job
creation legislation that Americans so desperately need. What’s wrong with
them? What’s wrong with you?
Are you having trouble telling right from wrong? In my state
of Wisconsin, law enforcement has been busy arresting 80 year olds for the
crime of singing. More than 100 lawbreakers so far and more every day. In North
Carolina, Moral Mondays have produced about 1,000 arrests (and counting) as
people try to stand in the way of Republicans intent on defunding schools,
making unemployment compensation impossible to get (especially cruel in this
jobless economy), and making the democratic act of voting as difficult as possible.
Do you really think that arresting people who care deeply about their state and
country is helpful? Why? What’s wrong with you?
Has your reading list become too narrow? Do you believe
Atlas Shrugged should be in the nonfiction section? Do you only read the parts
of the Old Testament that focus on retribution and ignore the Christian
injunctions in the New Testament to care for “the least among us?” Your
willingness to impose your religious beliefs on the rest of us, especially
women, is deeply un-American. Look around you. The only other people intent on
imposing their religious beliefs are in places like Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan. Don’t you see those countries aren’t good role models? What’s wrong with you?
Are you mesmerized by rich people? On their way to setting
up new election rules so they can legally buy elections, have they convinced
you that you won’t be the next one thrown under the bus? They’ve flatlined the
incomes of working people, stolen their pensions, undercut their health care
and undermined their schools. Do you really think the rich folks care about
you? Good luck with that. What’s wrong with you?
Have you bought into the strange psychology that government
is the root of every problem? Do you support the Republican threat to shut down
the government this fall if Obama refuses to repeal health care? Shutting down
government has real consequences for our country’s security, for old and sick
people, for schools, for roads, for so many things of value. You wish to put
everyone at risk so you can have one more vote on health care in the House of
Representatives? Go ahead and do it. The whisper of ordinary people just trying
to live their lives without the disruption of political drama is likely to rise
to a shout.
It's been a while since I offered an installment of free and valuable unsolicited advice, and I apologize for the delay! I hope you'll find this tip useful:
I was recently scandalized by a comedian on Comedy Central whose tired premise is shock-appeal dressed as apathy. The majority of his jokes had to do with either rape or domestic abuse. He actually enumerated his rape jokes and let us know more were on the way. The crowd was loving it. I was not. I felt like, in the random flip of a channel, I learned that all the work women and men have done for the past 50 years to get people to take rape seriously had been laughed under the table.
I did some googling. Turns out there's a whole subculture of young, largely-not-that-funny-in-my-opinion comedians vying to out-rape-joke each other in the ratings/pseudo-radical mainstream comedy wars. Which is about the lamest controversy imaginable, and absolutely disgusting to me at a time when men should be clamouring over themselves to help women protect their rights. But it got me thinking, and I don't know what else to do about this problem. Speech is free and laughs sell, so this guy's not going anywhere. Not much we can do about that but maybe petition, or boycott the sponsors, but that just draws attention to the problem and increases its impact; I refuse even to give the comedian in question free publicity by saying his name.
But there is something we can all do. We can stand up and call it out: rape jokes are not funny. Silence is not always consent in the bedroom, but it most certainly is in the world of public opinion. We cannot continue to be silent about this issue in an age when young people are trying to negotiate relationships with each other in a culture that normalizes rape videos, rape jokes, and violence of every kind. Expecting them to sort through that on their own is negligent and unrealistic. We must play active, vocal roles in making sure the kids in our lives grow up prepared to deal with this crap and filter it smartly into the garbage.
So here's my big advice:
Teach your sons and daughters that rape is never, ever, ever, funny. Ever.
Teach them to respect themselves, and each other, by respecting them yourself. Teach them to live with dignity, and to value their rights and their bodies.
Teach them to use their brainpower to make a positive difference.
Teach them how words matter, why it what they say and how they say it is never harmless.
Teach them to trust their voices, and use them.
Teach them that silence is NOT consent when it comes to sex, but silence IS consent when it comes to speaking out for what's right.
Teach them that it's better to speak out and stand alone than to stay silent and share the blame.
Teach them to love themselves, and to shine that love out into the word without fear. Teach them to take pride in who they are. Teach them that the only person's whose judgment really matters to them is their own.
Teach them to be confident enough in themselves and their talents that they won't one day find themselves on a stage somewhere grasping for approval by attempting to normalize something they know is awful, pretending their actions have no impact on the world.
Teach your sons and daughters that rape is never, ever, ever, funny.
#MomsNotLovinIt takes on McDonald's predatory marketing to kids of color and in public schools
Issues related to both education and exploitation of children are usually at the heart of my ethical and political preoccupations, and I have written often on both my concerns about exploitative marketing toward children (most specifically in the gendered markets that dominate the "girl aisle" and the invasive marketing of McDonald's into our classrooms) and the need for parents, students and educators to form a united coalition to protect the integrity and quality of education. So I was excited to learn of some upcoming events designed to address these issues and bring more concerned people together in support of moving forward to protect our children and stand up for fair practices in advertising as well as promote healthy living.
Our friends at Corporate Accountability International have planned social media events connected to their Value [the] Mealcampaign in an attempt to draw attention to - and combat - the manipulative and predatory marketing practices that the McDonald's corporation routinely engages in to advertise explicitly to children. To this end, they've announced a series of "Tweetchats" on Mondays in July to address various issues with McDonald's deceptive and unscrupulous practices. To participate, follow @StopCorpAbuse on Twitter and join in the conversation on the hashtag #MomsNotLovinIt on the scheduled dates!
July 8:McDonald's targeted marketing to youth in
communities of color, hosted by LaDonna Redmond, of the Campaign for Food Justice Now, a food justice
activist who took on nutrition in Chicago public schools before moving to the Minneapolis area, where she continues her efforts.
July 15: McDonald's predatory marketing in schools (something with which I've had personal experience). That
Tweetchat will be hosted by Leah Segedie of Mamavation, who also has recent experience
with McDonald's marketing to her young child at school.
Throughout these events, they've got a great lineup of folks
participating, including Michele Simon of Eat Drink Politics and MomsRising, so please join in and help spread the word. The first step toward meaningful action is to educate ourselves and come together on the issues that matter to all of us!
I know that our inclination is to think "McDonald's can market however they want. It's up to parents to choose what their kids do or don't eat," but whenever this discussion comes up, it
never ceases to amaze me how resistant people are to addressing the
perverse tactics of marketers. I think we are brainwashed by the
capitalist machine to think of ourselves as "free to choose" and
therefore impervious to unscrupulous campaigns, when all of the evidence
proves otherwise. Why is it ok with us that McDonald's (and many other
companies) have targeted campaigns that attempt to manipulate children
and trick them into thinking unhealthy food is healthy? Or that they
use age-inappropriate movies (and toys associated with them) to push
their products? Or that they market to kids at all - when the parents
are the ones buying the food? Why is it ok to disproportionately target
kids of color? We ignore the severity of this issue at our peril, and
whatever personal choices we make about what to eat (or not), we cannot
deny the impact of these incredibly pervasive, successful and proven
marketing strategies. I invite all of you to open your minds to this issue and join in the conversation. The least we can do is know what we're up against.
Read more about how McDonald's explicitly targets children of color in this must-read article by Naa Oyo A. Kwate, Ph.D., "McDonald's Exploitative Roots Go Deep."
You can also take action by signing Corporate Accountability International's petition: Tell McDonald's: Stop Marketing Junk Food to Our Kids. Health care professionals can click here to sign on to a similar open letter of petition.
Special thanks to Corporate Accountability International's Lillyanne Daigle for reaching out to MoD with details on these important events, and to our good friends at Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood for connecting us by cross-posting my piece on the McDonald's math-vertisement I found in my daughter's kindergarten workbook.
Today
in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker signed SB-206, the fast-tracked Vaginal Ultrasound Bill, which never saw a minute of public hearing, into law. He did this, like he does most things, behind closed doors and out of the public eye - trying to slip this most invasive of laws into being on the Friday of a holiday weekend, when he hopes most of us will be out having too good a time to pay attention to what's being done in our name, and at our expense, at the Capitol. We're reminded of his secret declaration, on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, of "Protect Life Day." Apparently a man's decision to sign a bill into law is deeply personal and none of our affair.
This law requires healthcare professionals to perform a
medically useless procedure for the sole purpose of degrading and
humiliating patients into feeling guilty about obtaining an abortion,
regardless of the circumstances. The law, which was immediately met with
lawsuits, violates the most basic of our privacies.
All over the country, similar big-government measures to control
reproductive healthcare decisions and our relationships with our doctors
are on the table with our exposed bodies.
It may be time to call on healthcare professionals as well as their patients to take a stand. If those we entrust with our government continue to betray the public trust, at what point can we no longer rely on those who we entrust with our bodies to defend our right to professional, humane, impartial, medical care? When will the demand that medical professionals abandon their oaths to perform uncivil and unnecessary procedures necessitate a new demand for civil disobedience? We are headed down a strange and slippery slope, and it will be difficult to find foothold in the hypocritical moralizing at the heart of these measures.
Doctors and other medical professionals have been speaking out against the damage done to Wisconsin patients and families under Walker's austerity policies for over two years now. Ordinary people have taken to the streets and petitioned the Capitol time and again, only to be mocked, ignored, and subdued. What is the tipping point?
Wisconsin citizens may have learned that raising our voices in the streets has no impact
in Fitzwalkerstan, but that doesn't mean they've gone away, or that they aren't paying attention. Together with the teachers, doctors, and scores of public and private sector employees suffering under this administration, they are
watching. They are working. They will defend our rights. And we will stand together. Note: Special thanks to MoD fan Jennifer Berns Ryan, for inspiring this
image by pointing us to the World Medical Association's oath of conduct.
CALLING ALL WISCONSINITES! It's time to call on Gov. Desperado and demand he come to his senses!
I think it's high time we let Gov. Walker know that "desperado" is an insult, not a compliment. Of the people, by the people, for the people. Megalomaniacal lone wolf is not the most admirable quality in a leader.
The $68 billion budget has been passed by both houses and goes to his desk, where his veto power determines the fate. Walker says he plans to sign the budget into law by July 1 - that gives us a week to try to reach him.
Call. Write. Share. Repeat. Email: govgeneral@wisconsin.gov Snail mail: Office of Governor Scott Walker 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702 Phone: (608) 266-1212
In 2012, Scott Fitzgerald warned us: "If you think this budget is scary, wait until the next one," and the Senate held good on that threat by passing a kick-the-can budget more damaging than the last one by far. Rejection of federal healthcare funds will force 95,000 Wisconsinites off BadgerCare AND cost tax payers millions. Statewide voucher expansion and a double-dip tax credit for private school tuition doubles down on the attempt to decimate our excellent public schools. In addition, the budget provides a tax break that will only benefit the most wealthy, wages war on independent watchdogs in a purely political attack on the Center for Investigative Journalism, massive borrowing for crony highway projects, restrict public access to the Gogebic Taconite mine currently being blasted into the Penokees, strips local control even further, and opens the door to Dog the Bounty Hunter-style bondsmen. Further, it gives widely unpopular and unproven voucher schools carte blache by eliminating accountability, removing open records requirements, and not requiring certification or licensure of teachers or demanding uniformity of instruction. The end result: higher property taxes and fewer resources for the public schools already reeling under the $1.6 billion cut in the previous biennium - the largest cut to public education in any state in US since the Great Depression.
Worst of all to anyone who cares about fiscal responsibility: the budget leaves us with a $664 million dollar deficit in the next biennium.
It's unlikely that Gov. Walker will begin listening to his constituents at this late stage in the game. It's even less likely that if he does, he'll be influenced by our pleas. And the comic part is that we all know he's more likely to use his veto power for evil than good. But that does not excuse us from the task of speaking out, it only intensifies the urgency of doing so.
The
voices of reason in the Senate and Assembly were powerless against the
nepotistic majority, but if we have learned anything since Scott Walker
took office, it's that dissent is mandatory in the face of abuses of
power, especially when the public is routinely disregarded and refused
opportunity to participate in legislative discourse. Our silence is
consent, and we maintain it at our peril. We have an obligation, to our children and to those who have not been paying attention, to expose this budget for what it is and raise our voices in dissent: not in our name, and not on our watch. The world was watching in 2011. And the world should be watching now. This is what happens when your government is sold to the highest bidder. You get what they paid for. Let's hope the Governor comes to his senses. Before it's too late.
It's official. Wisconsin Republicans finally admit - aloud, on record, and on the Assembly floor, that it's lucky for them we don't live in a democracy. And after throwing citizens out of the Assembly gallery for exercising their constitutional rights (which violate his arbitrary rules), Bill Kramer confirms: In Wisconsin, we live in an unconstitutional republic. The short clip below from June 13, 2013, the day the Assembly shamefully voted to pass SB206, a bill which went from conception to delivery in 10 days, is so, so worth watching.
In which a Democratic assemblyman - the honorable Gary Hebl - stands up to acknowledge the concerned citizens who had been forcibly removed from the gallery despite having done nothing to violate the rules, and a Republican assemblyman - one Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer - chastizes him, mockingly saying:
"I'm really sorry if you feel that hurts democracy. Luckily, we live in a Republic."
The only saving grace in this is that I am very proud to say that Gary Hebl is my own representative, and I can't thank him enough for standing up for us. Thanks, too, to the indefatigable Rebecca Kemble for documenting these events and editing the video of these Capitol shenanigans.
It's one thing to point out the difference between "democracy" and "republic." It's another thing altogether to openly mock and disparage democracy. And it's a third, and criminal, thing to demonstrate so vividly one's contempt and disregard for the Constitution.
“I call on every woman in Wisconsin to stand up and say ‘My body, my choice’.” - Rep. Melissa Sargent
Dear friends, I was at the Capitol on Thursday to bear witness to the Assembly's passage of a bill that violates the very personal relationship between a woman and her family, her doctor and her body. This bill was introduced on June 3 and the only public hearing for it was held on June 5, before most of us even had any idea such legislation was even possible - or legal. Click here for Harriet Rowan's excellent coverage of SB206 for PRWatch. I went to the Capitol myself because I felt women were shut out of that process, and that health care and mental health professionals were not afforded ample opportunity to speak out against the medically unnecessary and psychologically traumatic implications of forcing women and girls to undergo invasive, pointless (and often painful) transvaginal ultrasounds and give up their insurance coverage if they do not report their rapes before seeking an abortion (a consequence especially invasive for young victims, as Rep. Mandy Moore so chillingly pointed out in sharing her story). I wanted to share that even though I do not advocate abortion (and who does?! No woman "wants" or thinks it's "fashionable" to get an abortion, as the bill's sponsor, Sen. Mary Lazich so disingenuously lied on the Senate floor), I will not stand idly by as we turn back the clock on our access to reproductive health and insurance coverage. Without the Planned Parenthood offices that will be shut down by this bill, thousands of Wisconsinites will not have access even to affordable birth control, which only contributes to the numbers of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. I've said this before but it stands saying again: it is the greatest possible hypocrisy to claim to be "pro life" and then deny funding to the nation's #1 preventer or abortions and unwanted pregnancies. Even FOX news knows that. Throughout
the state, women and men are stunned by this big government
intervention into our lives and looking for ways to speak out. On the legislative floor, many Democratic leaders stood to courageously share their own stories to stress how deeply invasive this policy is. Rep. Sondy Pope and Rep. Mandy Wright had particularly stirring stories to share (thanks to Rebecca Kemble for the video):
Rep. Melissa Sargent has issued the following challenge, and it is a challenge I will do my best to accommodate by offering a safe space to share our stories and raise our voices together:
“I call on every woman in Wisconsin to stand up and say ‘My body, my choice’.”
I offer this page as a space to do that. The men and women of Wisconsin need to stand together and say strongly, in a unified voice, that we will not accept these intrusions and that personal health decisions and women's bodies need to be respected by the law and those who govern. This invasion into our most intimate privacy has forced many of us who are otherwise very private to feel exposed, ashamed, and violated by the very powers set in place to protect us. If we do not have the freedom to protect our own bodies, and our own choices, what value are our other freedoms? Silence is consent.
Share your story. Let Wisconsin and the rest of the country know why you think we need to stand up for women's rights. If you'd like to add your voice to those who have already spoken out, send me your story by email to: monologuesofdissent@gmail.com. Be sure to include your city and whether you wish to remain anonymous or go by your initials. If you don't want to share your story, but would like to simply sign on your name to this effort so that your voice is counted, let me know. After we collect our stories, we will share them with our legislators, and I'll continue to update this post as they continue to come in. I hope that you'll take this call seriously, and join me in standing up and speaking out. They might have the majority vote, but they cannot silence the majority voice. Forward. Heather
I briefly wore this piece of tape over my mouth in the Assembly gallery to express the overwhelming feeling of being silenced and shut out from the legislative process. We were handed these tiny fliers full of unconstitutional "rules" and told to remove the tape. What have we come to when concerned, law-abiding citizens are made to feel that dissent has been criminalized in our statehouse? I think my friend Mary Worley of Worley Dervish said it best: "I
sat in the gallery today (for the first time ever, actually) from about
1:15 until 3:15pm. I started out with tape across my mouth with the word
"nondebatable" written on it. Eventually I was told I had to remove it.
I asked (!) whether I could put my hand over my mouth and was told that
I could, although apparently some were
told that they could not. Supposedly this quiet, unobtrusive action was a
violation of the rule against "displays." Unbe-frickin-lievable. So not
only are we being silenced, but our very mild, quiet objection to being
silenced is being silenced. Message from the Wisconsin GOP to the women
of Wisconsin: Sit down and shut up."
This photo by Leslie Amsterdam captures the gallery as women are told to remove the tape from their mouths. Just after this, when some women cheered a rousing speech by Rep. Sandy Pasch, Speaker Mike Ellis arbitrarily ordered an entire row of the gallery to be cleared. Seeing the entire back row of the gallery lined with cops ready to physically eject the silent mothers, grandmothers, and allies present was too much for many of us to bear. It was a day of tears. I ashamed to let my daughter know that we are still, in 2013, fighting for our rights to contraception and reproductive health.
WISCONSIN WOMEN SPEAK. THEIR STORIES START HERE: _________________________________________________
From JoAnna Pautsch, Dane County:
I'm
not ready to play nice, I'm not ready to back down. I'm still mad as
hell & I don't have time to go round & round & round.
I have struggled
to find the perfect words to describe my 4-hour experience in the state
assembly gallery this past Thursday. At first thoughts, the only words
that would come from heart & mind to mouth were, “FUCK YOU,
Republicans in office & anyone who supports legislation that
suppresses the rights of & endangers the lives of human beings” AND
“in the last two years, I’ve learned from Republicans what it truly
feels like to hate.” I thought, “I can’t post that. I need to post
something profound that gets the point across how very corrupt our
government is.” How people need to pay attention to what is happening
right in front of their complacent, ignorance-is-bliss noses, & do
something about it. How I watched Republican Assembly
person Bill Kramer, in the position of Speaker, laugh with another
Republican colleague during testimony regarding sexual assault. The
consistent hubris displayed by him & his Republican colleagues up
there on their “thrones” making faces while passionate testimony was
being given. How most of the Republicans, including Speakers Vos &
Kramer, ignored most testimony & refused to offer their own
testimony, answer questions, or debate. How most of the Republicans
weren’t even in the room most of the time (only during roll call). How
the ones who remained simply to push the voting buttons of their
colleagues were reading magazines, browsing Facebook & sleeping in
their chairs. (It was so unbelievable to me, I had to take photos -
which is against the capitol law. I can have a gun in my hand, but not a
camera or phone). How Republicans gave this legislation 10 days of
“light of day”, while complaining that others needed to be tabled due to
“only 3 months of light of day”. How WE THE PEOPLE are paying for this
mockery of a democratic process...monetarily & socially. How
most of the citizens in the viewing gallery were escorted out (some
arrested) for either refusing to remove tape from their mouths or for
allegedly clapping after an amazing testimony – that’s it. How the
Democrats respectfully turned their chairs to face them & listened
intently when the three sole Republicans chose to speak. How I’ve never
been more disappointed in my country, state & government as I am
now. How I’ve never been prouder of some of our Democrat Assembly
people. Or how our almost 13yo daughter asked if we could
please move to Canada or Europe to escape the regression &
oppression of humans in this country. And how I explained to her that we
must do all we can to positively change this one first, but are
researching which states and/or countries would be the best fit for us
because ours has betrayed us. And how these Republicans in office think
they can use their religion to legislate a state / a nation of people of
many religions or no religion at all. I thought my first
thoughts might be inappropriate, might offend some on my page, might
make me a target or regretful. But I’ve taught my children to “say what
you mean, mean what you say” and stand up for the truth…stand up for
what is right. If you disagree, discuss it with me. Give me facts to
support your position. This is mine. If it offends someone enough for
them to lose respect for me, end a relationship or leave my page, please
go…I am so over it! Back to work!!
From Liz Morrison:
I would like to have my name added as supporting this effort. Women have
fought too long and too hard for equality that should have been ours all
along and we should not have to go back and fight this battle again.
The idea that one group of people (Republican/Tea Party white men and
women) actually believes that any human being deserves fewer rights than
those they enjoy is totally repugnant to me. Every woman in Wisconsin
should be livid and speaking out about the trampling of their rights by
Scott Walker and his minions.
Chrissy Morrissey shares her letter to Speaker Pro Tem Sen. Mike Ellis:
Senator Ellis,
That was really quite an outburst recorded by WI Eye yesterday. It is playing all over the internet,
10 thousand plus views on you tube in 24 hours. Hopefully local news
media has picked it as well. I wouldn't know about that, as I find TV
news mostly irrelevant. May
this finally be your downfall. May the Fox Valley voters at last see
you for what you are. You are a villain who takes food and medicine from
children. You are a misogynist. You are a spineless tea party ass
kisser. You are a traitor to the environment of this naturally beautiful
state. You are a shill for the private education industry. You are not a
nice man. AND YOU ARE MOST CERTAINLY NOT A DOCTOR! Local
friends who have never previously engaged in politics on Facebook are
OUTRAGED! And I say it's about damn time they realize what you are doing
in Madison while claiming to represent us. This legislation has NOTHING
to do with saving babies. It is about punishing women for being the
sexual creatures that nature intended. The republican desire to limit
birth control for women is further proof of this outdated prudishness. If
the republican majority cared anything for children you would not
consider private school vouchers at the expense of public education. You
would not be cutting medical care for families and nutrition programs
for children. You would not be allowing sand frac mining and open pit
mining, both of which pose serious health risks to children, to choke
off state water supplies. You would legislate sensible guns laws that
would protect children from intentional homicides and accidents caused
by careless gun owners. You would work at creating real jobs that earn
real living wages for the parents of these children that you have no
intention of feeding, clothing or educating. You are nothing short of
ridiculous in your flagrant hypocrisy. Are
you incensed by my disrespectful tone Senator? You are not deserving of
respect. You are a disgrace. You have disrespected the people of this
state for far too long. You have disrespected the women of this state
with your votes to abuse their rights. You are not better than your
constituents. Your job is to serve us. Please
watch yourself in action. You are an embarrassment to the Fox Valley
and the State of Wisconsin. You do us all a disservice as the Senator
from the 19th district.
an excerpt: I’m so proud of the brave fighting women legislators of
Wisconsin—Senator Kathleen Vinehout, Representatives Chris Taylor,
Melissa Sargent, Sondy Pope, Mandy Wright, to name only a few—and so
grateful to them for sharing their painful, personal experiences,
especially in front of a legislature that is so obviously unmoved and
indifferent. They stood up and spoke on our behalf, for the women and
families of Wisconsin, at no small cost to themselves, so that others
could see what this bullying legislature and governor are doing to us
and the contemptuous way they’re doing it.
Add
to that not only the circumvention of all but the most minimal public
input, but also the quashing of even the mildest form of public protest
imaginable. Our silent objection to being silenced—putting tape over our
mouths—was forbidden. Our role has been relegated to that of passive,
voiceless recipient. Is it any wonder that many of us feel that GOP
legislators are abusing the women and families of this state, not only
by forcing those seeking a legal abortion to get an unnecessary and
invasive medical procedure, but also by excluding us from the
legislative process, even when it concerns us so very personally and
directly? Even the state's medical professionals
have not had any input. While our voices are silenced, this is the loud
and clear message of the Wisconsin GOP to the women of the state: Sit
down and shut up!
