At yesterday's protest, some people did their own thing. Here's a friendly gentleman in a "PEACE" hat, with a framed picture of John Lennon, a scattering of sayings, a small "Recall Gov. Scott Walker" sticker, and a lot of postage stamps. The stamps, he told me, were his contribution to the government.
Also in the photograph:
Right side: The man-in-tights blogged here.
Top left: Corrugated cardboard signs, readable in the super-enlargement. Why do people do signs on sorry-ass broken-open cardboard boxes?
Top right: The lined-up police who were keeping the pro- and anti-Scott Walker people apart. I suspected that there was an official police policy to keep the Tea Party crowd from getting big. We were forced to enter the Tea Party group at corner of the block and blocked from walking across the lawn. I expressed my theory to a woman standing next to me, and she said: What do you expect? Whose side do you think the police are on? Meaning: They're all public service employees too.
I said that I wanted to get over to the Tea Party group and complained about the difficulty of getting through the crowd to the entrance point at the corner. Her attitude toward me suddenly changed. She snapped: "You're a Republican?" Pussy that I am, I said: "I just want to get into the Tea Party group." Actually, I'm not a Republican, but I backed away from the challenge so reflexively — a habit of 25 years in Madison — that my conscious rational processes never crystallized into the lucidity that would have produced a simple "no."
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67 comments:
"Ride on the Hog"? Ummm. No thanks, dude.
A shark needs a hog like a fish needs a bicycle.
What is it with the Lefty time warp? It's as if I got in a time maching and showed up at the 1968 march on the Pentagon in a zoot suit.
I just make it a personal policy to never ride on a motorcycle with someone who is obviously baked.
That said, the whole "Ask me for a flower..." think would be a fun peactical joke. When they ask for one, shine a police spotlight in their eyes. ;)
My wife wondered just which way the cops were faced, toward or away from the Tea Party people. If toward then they were afraid that the Tea Party "vicious thugs" would start something, right?
@mesquito, they've taken over the role of Bill Buckley. They're trying to "stand athwart history yelling 'Stop'!"
I would fully expect that the Tea Party would be treated the enemy of the State
A better answer to woman would have been "I am now!"
Actually, I think saying "No, I'm not a Republican" to a public employee partisan would have been the "pussy" response.
As it was, you maintained your cruel neutrality.
I wonder what drug you have to be on for that flower/light comment to have meaning.
TRAIN THE BRAIN - oh, if only he had, but he chose to follow the path of Lennon/Lenin.
PS Ann, you're a tigress on the blog and, I don't doubt, in class. And you've shown a lot of class, initiative, and courage going into the belly of the Beast.
That your gentility comes out sometimes is no weakness; you're no pussy (hate that word), you're a nice person with a big heart. That's why so many people come here.
Capitalist?
No, he's not wearing a North Face jacket.
But he appears to be wearing a pretty expensive (Dale of Norway) sweater.
I got to say, I've lost all patience with the crap hippie thing.
That "do you own thing" moron is a carbon copy of the trash you'll find in Berkeley, Woodstock, An Arbor, etc.
Once you get to know them on a personal level, you discover they are a disaster. Usually on SSI, drugged out all the time...
It ain't usually very pretty, Althouse.
"My wife wondered just which way the cops were faced, toward or away from the Tea Party people. If toward then they were afraid that the Tea Party "vicious thugs" would start something, right?"
They were faced away. They were either protecting the smaller group from the larger, much more well-established crowd or creating a place for the new group to form and be separate from the old group by preventing general flow through the area. You could enter the Tea Party area, but only at the corner.
...my conscious rational processes never crystallized into the lucidity that would have produced a simple "no."
"You'll shoot your eye out...
Althouse."
I sure am enjoying this blog lately. .... Even more than usual. How much fun for you to have so much news and bloggable material right at your doorstep.
Wv: dedin. Hoping these public employee protests are dedin the water... Oops, that's not civil discourse. Oh well, blame the wv.
AA please, a few more WI protest posts today at Althouse as 24/7 saturation is the key to coherent discussion(s).
ok, Althouse hasn't had coherent discussion in quite some time, my bad.
take care
"Ask me for a windowpane, and I will show you infinity".
I could totally do this hippie thing. Totally.
"Ask me for a shovel, and I'll give you a hole."
Show me some bud, and I will ask you for a light.
"Ask me for soap, and I'll give you a quizzical look."
Great reporting. I've been linking up up like a mofo: 'Wisconsin Protests: 'A Massive Onslaught Against Democracy'.
"Ask me for a light, and I'll show you my one-hitter".
wv: "holett"...a rural commode.
"Ask me for soap, and I'll give you a quizzical look."
Now you know why water trucks with big hoses are one of the more effective methods for shutting down hippie protests. ;)
I don't think anyone is worried about anything getting started. You really wouldn't be able to determine it from AA's absurdly biased posts, but these protests are incredibly peaceful and, in all fairness, quite a bit of fun. I've talked to the Tea Party activists as well as the pro-unioners, and everyone has been incredibly friendly.
Regardless of the signs, many of which I'd classify as "extreme," people are having a blast. It's actually really great to be in Madison right now. And honestly, if you're having a hissy fit from the "Walker--can I modestly kick you in the nuts?" sign, come off your high horse. It's a funny sign, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who said it wasn't.
The guy in the cap doesn't look as if he's missed too many meals, either.
PS Notice shiloh/PB&J no longer says, "carry on".
He's been carrying on for some time all by himself.
Your typical leftist rally, except for the puppets. Where are the large puppets?!
Don't these young people have the creativity to come up with their own chants and memes?
Is demonstration won't be complete until the candlelight vigil.
It's always somewhat amusing when your relatively new to a political blog and some fool thinks your someone else.
For the record, I'm almost always shiloh, if taken shiloh24, back in the day, I used spruance, my first USN ship, occasionally ie DD-963 U.S.S. Spruance.
PB&J lol
Anchors Aweigh ~ carry on
btw, speaking of shiloh24, the Daytona 500 is underway ie priorities!
ciao
Ann,
Actually, I'm not a Republican, but I backed away from the challenge so reflexively — a habit of 25 years in Madison — that my conscious rational processes never crystallized into the lucidity that would have produced a simple "no."
I tell you, I'm loving this new candor you're engaging in - a lot. No hiding, no diversions, just the straight skinny - the truth - served up fresh. It's also refreshing to read.
Whether you do right or wrong, telling the truth takes the sting out, allows for forgiveness and understanding, maintains truest (a biggie for me) and reminds us of our connection as fallible human beings worthy of respect. It's like a layer of protection against criticism (from me, anyway.) So you didn't say "no" when you should've? That's cool:
Next time you can tell the old bitch to mind her own beeswax.
Big hug.
I understood that the Police Union came out for Walker in the election and has been exempted from the new law he is trying to pass (quid pro quo?).
Why wouldn't they be pro-Tea Party?
Is = This.
demonstration won't be complete until the candlelight vigil.
There was supposed to have been one last week some time. Not sure if it happened.
Truest = trust
Actually, 3 small police union locals supported Walker, out of a huge number who did not support him. So no, what you suggest is inaccurate.
Bring back Castro, we want Che!
Even if they did, what could would Che be without any freakin' hands? Huh?
"Ask me for a doctor's note, and I'll give you a paid sick day."
I understood that the Police Union came out for Walker in the election and has been exempted from the new law he is trying to pass (quid pro quo?).
Why wouldn't they be pro-Tea Party?
You understood incorrectly.
Out of 314 police and firefighter locals in Wisconin, only 4 supported Scott Walker.
And I can guarantee you that police and firefighters will be addressed in the future. It was tactically brilliant to exempt them for now given the protests that have occurred. But after the bill is passed (and it eventually will), Walker will have the necessary leverage to tackle the police/firefighter unions.
It's a funny sign, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who said it wasn't.
Hey Bob! You know what else is funny? How you totally disappeared after we busted you as being a transparent propagandist spouting obviously false talking points in that other thread!
Care to apologize for that at all? Or are we just supposed to pretend, in the new civility, that you never did that?
It's a funny sign, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who said it wasn't.
I thought it was stupid.
"...Pussy that I am..."
I wasn't going to say anything, but now that the door is open...I noticed that Althouse seemed very weak and mealy-mouthed in her video interrogations/interviews, that she's posted.
I wasn't sure why blogger-Althouse seemed to be capable of much more venom than in-person-Althouse.
It could be that a lot of folks (excluding Methadras, especially at Chinese restaurants) are more polite (or more timid) in face to face dialogs, than they are when they're jabbering to the tubes.
"What is it with the Lefty time warp?"
And, some TPers think that they're reenacting the Revolution. So, time warpage is a bi-partisan affliction.
Ed,
Not in a million years would I write the following.
"btw, speaking of shiloh24, the Daytona 500 is underway ie priorities!"
Not that there's anything wrong w/ that [for other people].
I'm counting down the seconds to another event. Hopefully those yahoos over there don't mess up the important things.
P.S.
Ed, you must appreciate that I've changed my name-thingy to better match your sensibilities (btw, I actually prefer the new name, myself).
Do I need to switch to 'koskid' before you're satisfied?
As a gen Xer I have to say that the Beatles are the most over rated cultural force in all of human history.
I came to that conclusion yesterday when hearing a Paul McCartney tune Maybe I'm Amazed and realized that he is a less-talented-than-John-Tesh pop musician who got lucky and played it safe. Paired with the self infatuated John Lennon, the pair ripped a scar on western culture that will require the passing of multiple generations of "can't think for themselves wannabes" to heal.
Been doin' too many bong hits but you want to sound profound and maybe get laid? Google "John Lennon quote" on your smartphone and, man, you are there.
Thought Experiment: Image the were no Beatles.
Refreshing, isn't it?
(sorry Ann - I know you like the Beatles, but how overplayed can the equivalent of the "Backstreet Boys drop acid" can a band be?)
You're right, I was wrong. No way to get around that fact--obviously, I should've looked deeper into the issue. Although, being originally from NJ, I still don't think the deficit is that bad (mainly because in NJ, ours was...well, way, way worse).
Regardless, it still doesn't change the fact that these protesters are peaceful...and that goes for all of them, Tea Party or Pro-Union. AA is an instigator--it's what she does (same with Meade). She goes up to people with the intention of inciting them, and it works. I've seen her try it in the classroom before, too, but she knows far too much about ConLaw for us to attempt to challenge her!
"Bring back Castro, we want Che!
Even if they did, what could would Che be without any freakin' hands? Huh?"
That's a lonely protestor. The slogan the protestors were chanting (shown in another thread) bothered more: 'the people, united, will never be defeated!'
I heard that chant far too much in my Cuban days: 'El pueblo, unido, jamas sera vencido!', so I'm kind of sensitive about that.
Does anybody know the origin of the slogan? I'd like to know who is copying whom.
Bob -
Good of you to admit that you were capable of error. That's not something a propagandist does.
The protests were definitely largely peaceful, I will give you that. But never forget that underneath all the talk about taxing and spending lies a man from the government with a gun on his hip.
"As a gen Xer I have to say that the Beatles are the most over rated cultural force in all of human history."
Yes, they're horrible!!!
Their songs are gussied up children's sing along jingles. Awful.
And one more thing, Bob -
If this little incident has a silver lining, maybe it will be to prompt you to be a little bit more skeptical of your ideological allies? Propagandists come in all persuasions.
Don't be a tool. Don't be a useful idiot. Think for yourself.
Why are there no lenses in this mans glasses?
Answering my own question: Pro-Chilean Communist propaganda. (And a very one-side, pro-Communist Wikipedia article.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_People_United_Will_Never_Be_Defeated!
Bleh.
What do you expect? Whose side do you think the police are on?
Union see, union do.
And you can be sure the cops are really pissed that they can't be out on the road shaking down Tea Partiers, issuing citations left and right, conducting random no-knock raids, terrorizing children and senior citizens, planting evidence and conspiring with equally corrupt prosecutors. And amoral, scumbag judges.
Lord, if you people only knew what goes on out here, out beyond the ivy walls and TV courts.
I heard that chant far too much in my Cuban days: 'El pueblo, unido, jamas sera vencido!', so I'm kind of sensitive about that.
Does anybody know the origin of the slogan? I'd like to know who is copying whom.
I would guess it's a Latin American slogan, as it rhymes and has a nice rhythm in Spanish but just sounds odd in English.
PS I thought it was "La gente, unida, nunca sera vencida" - that's the version I heard in Chile.
Bob said...
Regardless, it still doesn't change the fact that these protesters are peaceful...and that goes for all of them
I was just over at Gatewaypundit's blog, and he's got video of a peaceful protester being arrested for assault on the Tea Partiers.
I've seen her try it in the classroom before, too, but she knows far too much about ConLaw for us to attempt to challenge her!
Isn't that WHY you are in the classroom? To learn more about ConLaw and to be able to challenge the professor?
Paging Titus
Bob: Bob said...
Regardless, it still doesn't change the fact that these protesters are peaceful...and that goes for all of them
Guess thats why 9 of them have been arrested by police...
Bob: if you're having a hissy fit from the "Walker--can I modestly kick you in the nuts?" sign, come off your high horse
Uhm... fuck you? Yes, fuck you.
After a month of being lectured by the Left on the need for civility, finger-wagging 24/7 over "violent rhetoric" you have the gall to come in here and say that?
I mean, we knew you didn't really mean it, but geez... have some fricken shame.
Plus the one arrested trying to destroy the speakers the tea party planned to use.
Yeah, the flower thing worked out so well at Kent State.
Based on all these signs, I conclude that if you belong to a Wisconsin public-employees' union you're likelier to have a big picture of Hitler around the house than a piece of white cardboard.
Now I know who pb&j is and he/she doesn't like the Beatles.
Robin Williams said quite eloquently, if you remember the '6os, you weren't really there.
Was always more a Lennon fan than McCartney as McCartney is one of the most disliked/hated musicians in the music industry.
The Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix etc. will stand the test of time, much like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Gershwin, Glenn Miller etc. imo
Today's music, if one can call it music, not so much.
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And since we're totally O/T (10) years ago Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died at Daytona and if he's watching today's Daytona 500, he's turnin' over in his grave ...
carry on
You know, if everyone would just adopt this guy's laid back live and let live attitude the world would...oh fuck it.
"if he's watching today's Daytona 500, he's turnin' over in his grave"
He's probably waiting for the F1 season to start.
America is truly exceptional by almost every measure. But, sadly, we're behind the curve, regarding motor sports.
BTW, could the Southern states mandate that these folks must stop being lefties? If banning 'french fries,' in favor of 'freedom fries' made sense to Rs in congress, I think Rs in the South should make these folks reverse direction, so that they're righty turners.
But, this could overwhelm the drivers.
It'd be better to suspend the spectators on their heads so that, as they watch upside down, from their perspective the drivers would be turning right.
I'm a problem solver!
"The stamps, he told me, were his contribution to the government."
Likely one of his very few.
He's probably waiting for the F1 season to start.
F1 is a bigger snooze :::zzz::: than NASCAR, although Sebastian Vettel coming into the last race in 2010 in 4th place and winning the championship was pretty exciting.
The 2011 Daytona 500 sucked, too many stupid wrecks, but I'm glad Trevor Bayne won. Was rooting for either Jr. or Jeff Gordon ~ but anyone but Kurt frickin' Bush!
Congrats to the Wood Brothers as David Pearson is smilin'.
>
btw, F1 was really exciting in 2000/2001 when Michael Schumacher won 9 of 17 races ~ 2002 11 of 17 ~ 2003 6 of 16 and 2004 13 of 18 races. At least they had some competition the past couple years!
boogety, boogety, boogety
Actually, I'm not a Republican, but I backed away from the challenge so reflexively — a habit of 25 years in Madison — that my conscious rational processes never crystallized into the lucidity that would have produced a simple "no."
Ann if you decide to retire in Boulder don't lose that habit!
PB&J, The Beetles were standing on the shoulders of those who came before them. Those who came after were doing the same. I have the Beatles on my Ipod, but I don't have any illusions about them. Some of it is just fun music.
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