Althouse: Today's Wisconsin protest video: the meaning of string, is Althouse a Walker plant?...

March 18, 2011

Today's Wisconsin protest video: the meaning of string, is Althouse a Walker plant?...

... the languorous rotunda, and a long, long row of signs made of pizza boxes:

Meade shot the part where you see me, and I shot the rest and edited.

49 comments:

Carol_Herman said...: The handwriting on each pizza box lid is all the same! And, no one human can eat that many pizzas! Did "Ian's Pizza" give the empty boxes to an artist? They should have added more colored pens.

Oh, you look terrific in a man's hat, Ann! And, I love that Meade asks ya if you're a protester; so you responded "no. Are you a Walker plant."

Yesterday, Meade posted a palm that "walks." Honest. It had lots of legs.

The "protest" now? Not so many legs.

And, the red head in the pony tail looks like the same dame that got interviewed yesterday about "judicial temperance." Which gotta mean you can't go out there in your robes, drunk.

Again, same pretty girl. This time with the sign full of strings. Which just could have been the remnants of a mop.

Where did all the people go?; 3/18/11, 10:39 PM
Indigo Red said...: Long time passing...; 3/18/11, 10:44 PM
X-Ray Tetra said...: What is up with liberals and trains?

I am not joking. I don't understand why they want it badly?; 3/18/11, 10:46 PM
PaulV said...: My sister-in-law was born in Krakow and left Poland just as Solidary was forming. She hates these toads that want to copy the name. The,y do not understand the moral courage the Poles had to face down the Russian and the Polish communists. These state union workers are a bunch of losers wantabees who want to hold on to their own cartel power and exploit the tax payers. They have much in common with the communist apparatchik that exploited the workers in Poland.; 3/18/11, 10:47 PM
Unknown said...: Sounds like the Doo-Dah Parade outside, again.

The girls in the beginning had no clue what they were doing until Ann started giving them ideas. Which is pretty sad if you need the people you regard as the opposition to give you your motivation.

I'd say more paid protesters, but they look like more school kids on another "This is what democracy looks like" field trip.

The last time somebody that clueless went on a trip, it ended up at Jonestown.; 3/18/11, 10:47 PM
Lukedog said...: @Carol

All the people went to work on recall efforts.

The protests inspired people, sure, but the real work is in the recalls and in volunteering for campaigns, etc.

Ian's pizza has received thousands of dollars in donations from people around the world so they have donated many, many pizzas to those protesting at the capitol. So there are a lot of extra pizza boxes I guess.

If I remember, the Art Project with the strings was done by Art Wisconsin.

You and Ann sound like a couple of snotty sorority girls.

It's unfortunate that Althouse is the only lens through which some people will view what is going on Wisconsin.; 3/18/11, 10:59 PM
BJM said...: @Lukedog

It's unfortunate that Althouse is the only lens through which some people will view what is going on Wisconsin.

Blogger's free...go for it.; 3/18/11, 11:11 PM
Mutaman said...: "It's unfortunate that Althouse is the only lens through which some people will view what is going on Wisconsin."

Leave Anne alone. She has important stuff to blog about. Its not like some Wisconsin judge just issued a ruling which is being discussed all over the country. And its not like Anne teaches law at a school in the state of Wisconsin. Let Anne stick to her expertise: editing Meade's videos.; 3/18/11, 11:17 PM
William said...: They reach for pie in the sky and end up with empty pizza boxes in the park......The left is always reaching for pie in the sky, not pizza, but something soft that doesn't require teeth to bite through. Creampie. That's what I'm going to start calling the left: creampiers. Oh, get your minds out of the gutter.; 3/18/11, 11:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Those girls were tall for 2nd graders.

Inane posters.

Perhaps the remaining protesters could be driven from the Capitol by inviting the Rainbow People to set up camp?; 3/18/11, 11:27 PM
Methadras said...: X-Ray Tetra said...

What is up with liberals and trains?

I am not joking. I don't understand why they want it badly?

It's their latent soviet musings.; 3/18/11, 11:31 PM
Carol_Herman said...: The red head is the same red head. This time she has her hair pulled back in a pony tail. And, doesn't remember Ann's long interview the other day at all.

I guess the magic word would have been "Klopperberg."; 3/18/11, 11:35 PM
Methadras said...: I'm not seeing this video. I'm just seeing the Rand Paul video instead.; 3/18/11, 11:59 PM
vbspurs said...: Methadras wrote:

It's their latent soviet musings.

Freud had a recurring dream of seeing his mother naked on a train, as it entered a tunnel. He psychoanalysed himself and came to the conclusion it was Oedipal longing to have sexual intercourse with his mom (the tunnel representing "insertion", if you get me).

So, yeah, I agree with you, Methadras. Soviets were just raunchy ass pervs.; 3/19/11, 12:06 AM
Unknown said...: @Meade: Hi! Went home for a bit. Sorry for the delay in response. We left off with you telling me to go research Carter’s removal of Collective Bargaining rights, and accusing me of being a hypocrite for not protesting Obama when he hasn’t done anything to restore those rights.

Firstly, the Carter deal. I did google the phrase you asked me to, but that only popped up with a yahoo answers site and a few other ones which didn’t really have any worthwhile information on them. So instead I googled the reform itself, and read the Wikipedia page, Carters speech, and a few other areas to get an idea of why the reform was needed, and what it did.

The reform was needed in response to Nixon’s administration, and did much to protect the rights of Federal employees and ensure that whistle blowers would be safe, if they had a valid claim for abuse or misconduct of a Federal office. It split up the duties of the United States Civil Service Commission, which had been created in 1883, into 3 main departments.
The office of Personnel Management (OPM) deals with "recruiting, retaining and honoring a world-class force to serve the American people." An independent, non-political department aimed at moving towards a merit system and less favoritism or personal influence and deals with the hiring and firing of Federal employees.
The Merit Systems Protection Board was also split from the USCSC, and is there to help ensure Federal employees protection from political influence and general problems of upper management corruption or abuse.

The last and most relevant one to this discussion however, is the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which, according to their website: (http://www.flra.gov/introduction-flra):

“The FLRA is an independent administrative federal agency created by Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (also known as the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute) (the Statute). Pub. L. 95-454, 5 U.S.C. §7101 et seq. The Statute allows certain non-postal federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their choice in decisions affecting their working lives
-resolving complaints of unfair labor practices,
-determining the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation,
-adjudicating exceptions to arbitrator's awards,
-adjudicating legal issues relating to duty to bargain/negotiability, and
resolving impasses during negotiations.”

That doesn’t sound like an abolishment of collective bargaining, but rather the recognition & protection of that right. It’s another bureaucratic layer to go through obviously, but it’s quite different than abolishment.

I looked up articles about Carter abolishing Collective Bargaining Rights but that only really popped up with unbacked claims in the comment sections of articles. If you want to shoot me a link that can detail exactly how Carter’s reform abolished those rights, let me know.

As far the Obama thing goes, I really don’t see your point. Just because Obama isn't fighting to bring it back doesn't mean he's also actively fighting to take it away like is happening around the nation.

For sources I started with just looking at the wiki page for the reform itself, then went to Carter's speech on it, and ventured over to the various home pages of the agencies it created. If you have or know of any good articles or events that detail how the act removed Federal employees right to collectively bargain, let me know.; 3/19/11, 12:09 AM
Fen said...: Luke: It's unfortunate that Althouse is the only lens through which some people will view what is going on Wisconsin.

What a bunch of bull. I can get the MSM narrative on 36 channels and 15 newspapers.

And not a single one has come close to capturing the ignorant little facists in your movement.

Which is why you and MutaLibtard are here every day, whining that Ann is not abiding by your narrative.; 3/19/11, 12:15 AM
Phil 314 said...: Professor;
Why do you toy with them so?

Isn't this protest ready for hospice?; 3/19/11, 12:18 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: There it is, all laid out. The entire contents of the collective mind, splayed in open vivisection, and not a single one of those pizza boxes addresses the central issues of the bill or the concerns of WI taxpayers. I haven't a fraction of the patience that you show each day. The conversations you've recorded run precisely like these boxes.; 3/19/11, 1:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Arguments that go like:

"[some broad social grouping] are [some pejorative.]" are unpersuasive and, frankly, childish.

In other words, only an knave or a fool could say that reality escapes any group, let alone all republicans.; 3/19/11, 2:17 AM
Unknown said...: vbspurs said...
Methadras wrote:

It's their latent soviet musings.

Freud had a recurring dream of seeing his mother naked on a train, as it entered a tunnel. He psychoanalysed himself and came to the conclusion it was Oedipal longing to have sexual intercourse with his mom (the tunnel representing "insertion", if you get me).

Hitchcock uses the device at the very end of "North By Northwest" as Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint (clothed) take their honeymoon trip back to New York.

PS Spellcheck flagged vb's British spelling of psychoanalyzed. Stupid routine only speaks 'Mercan, not English.; 3/19/11, 5:24 AM
Terrye said...: Don't these people have anything else to do?; 3/19/11, 6:37 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: The fedora gives you that oh so Drudge look.; 3/19/11, 7:40 AM
AllenS said...: Let Mutaman stick to her expertise: asshattery.; 3/19/11, 7:46 AM
Lucius Septimius said...: Toying with the dim undergraduate girls must have been fun -- you showed remarkable restraint.

My parsing would be that it is Gilly suit; camouflage making it difficult to see the hard deep red Bolshevism that leaks beneath these astroturf protests. Or something -- there is at least a two volume set of comp-lit essays one could spin out of that one sign.

So how long before the evvvvviiiilllll Koch brothers buy out Ian's pizza and crush the rebellion through their wicked capitalist might? Meanwhile, I wonder if anyone has yet accused Ian's of using the legitimate protests of horrible oppressed workers as an opportunity for free advertising.; 3/19/11, 8:28 AM
SGT Ted said...: More Drama Queenery as they live out their pathetic revolutionary fantasies of fighting "Oppression" that doesn't exist.; 3/19/11, 8:40 AM
SGT Ted said...: Want to fight real oppression? Join the military and serve in Afghanistan, where you can kill people who actually desire to oppress women, homosexuals and non-muslims.

Can't do that? Then shut up about freedom and human rights. You are a coward.; 3/19/11, 8:43 AM
traditionalguy said...: We are back from a week down at Amelia Island lacking a working computer, but I have been reading the Althouse Blog between golfing and overeating. The "string" image appears to be a message from the bullies that they plan to form a rope with which to hang the property owning voters by the neck. Obama's message to them is to tighten the noose just like does. A similar Kenyan tradition is used by the Mau Mau revolutionaries called "Necklacing", which is the act of hanging a tire around a rope bound enemy's neck, filling it with gasoline and lighting it. The sly Obama has been using sneaky regulatory choke holds to tighten nooses on the USA's Coal and Oil Industries. He already has the Banking Industry strung up in a fatal choke hold. The end message is to strangle economic viability until the revolution has all power and the property owners have been effectively destroyed. Since Gov. Walker's opposing approach is to save the economic viability of the State, his type is the worst enemy that Obama's revolution faces.; 3/19/11, 8:54 AM
Lucius Septimius said...: re: traditional guy

I like it ... though there is always a danger in trying to find coherence in Axis II distorted thinking.

Picked a good weekend for golf I daresay.; 3/19/11, 8:59 AM
Unknown said...: The girls in the video were almost definitely high school students--there's some sort of tournament going on in Madison, and the city has been absolutely mobbed with kids and their parents. It's impossible to go anywhere on State Street without having your movement slowed to a near-crawl.

Carol--I'm guessing there weren't a lot of people because it was Friday. Believe me, I really hope the protests have subsided, mainly because they've turned this city into a circus. I want everything to return to normalcy, drunk undergrads and all.; 3/19/11, 9:05 AM
Big Mike said...: Reality escapes Republicans!?!?!

Which reality is that, may I ask? The reality that Obama seems to have just declared war on Libya without consulting Congress? The reality that we're out of money? The reality that we're running 10% unemployment and there's no end in sight? Which reality?; 3/19/11, 9:07 AM
Unknown said...: Mike,
Obama doesn't need to consult Congress. He can deploy troops, if he wants, without a declaration of war for up to 60 days. Come on buddy, read the War Powers Resolution Act. He just needs to give Congress 48-hours notice.; 3/19/11, 9:11 AM
Big Mike said...: @Carl, so you're saying yesterday was that notice? The contrast between Obama's casual "oh, by the way" with the careful steps that the two Bushes took to line up bipartisan Congressional support for Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan is stunning.; 3/19/11, 9:33 AM
Caledonia Unplugged said...: Noticed the same thing Carol did - those signs were all made by the same person.

Also, whatever happened to hunger strike guy - didn't see him in the Rotunda?; 3/19/11, 9:34 AM
Unknown said...: Mike,
This isn't Iraq, Kuwait or Afghanistan. This is most likely going to be a quick military strike. This isn't going to be anything like Afghanistan (a disaster) and I doubt we'll be there very long. Also, I never said what Obama said was his authorization of war. However, the difference between this and Bush II's moves are that this isn't unilateral action. We'd be going in (whenever that happens) with the full support of the UN.; 3/19/11, 9:38 AM
Anonymous said...: TRUTH: Public servants are the beneficaries of confiscatory compulsory taxation whose practice and rates border on criminal.

TRUTH: When taxes are cut it benefits the taxpayer by increasing his net income. If you do not benefit when taxes are cut, then you, by definition are not a taxpayer.

TRUTH: The State of Wisconsin, along with most Municipalities are Corporations for profit and Trust. They claim allodial title and eminent domain. Government Corporations claim the exclusive right to conduct war and have murdered uncounted millions.

These Protestors are the Brown Shirts of Obama, blindly attacking and destroying to create a Fascist State. Lies are their tools, intimidation is their weapon. Transformation is their goal. Useful idiots, all.; 3/19/11, 9:45 AM
ConstitutionalConservative said...: What is the most frightening and chilling aspect of seeing all of these young people being used as pawns in an ideological battle such as this, is that it will add years (maybe decades?) to the usual process of young folk growing up and understanding what personal responsibility means.

Since a great deal of the current national existential crisis is, and has been, exacerbated by the citizenry's collective ignorance and self-absorbed culture of indulgence, just think of how much further in the hole the bulk of these kids are at this point, because they have been used as pawns and have now personalized and internalized these culturally suicidal memes and philosophies. As I said, it is downright chilling.; 3/19/11, 9:46 AM
roesch-voltaire said...: I think it is a metaphor for how long this story will string us along.; 3/19/11, 9:50 AM
Carol_Herman said...: Our choices in Libya stink. Americans have finaly learned arabs are not like us. And, if Gaddafi is tossed, in comes Iran's Al-Kay-Duh guys.

If I had to guess? Lots of Americans shrugged at what's going on, now. We've learned a thing or two since 9/11.

As to "crowds" coming to Madison; this is good for business. People aren't sleeping in their cars.

Out here, where I live near Pasadena, I can remember when my son's school had a field trip to Sacramento. (Which meant flying the kids there. And, an overnight.) Sacramento has wooden streets. And, the kids were taken on horse and wagon rides.

As to the eruption of the teachers that just happened, it may have gotten it's spark "wildcat." Then, the thugs from the union did their thing.

Given the heat the Tea Party groups took, where they were falsely accused of mayhem and racist remarks ... turns out the truth came out (via Breitbart). And, the Internet spread the word.

The media's been losing business ever since! But for retailers in Madison, Wisconsin? Crowds bring an uptick.

The cops didn't get violent, either.

What we've actually seen recorded here, is that free speech and assembly was met with more free speech! More eyeballs have seen what's happened.

And, the best test? More people keep coming back. Up ahead, not every police department in America is going to be supportive of union folk, against the rest of us.

There's a political issue also on the table that needs to be resolved.; 3/19/11, 9:57 AM
Winding down said...: ???A conspiracy---Fitzgerald brothers run both houses of the state legislature -- both born Chicago. Must be some connection to the Daley clan and BHO. just sayin; 3/19/11, 10:09 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: We'd be going in (whenever that happens) with the full support of the UN.

Oh yeah, as long we have a sternly worded letter from the UN in our back pocket I'm sure things will go splendidly. That's sure to make all the difference.; 3/19/11, 10:11 AM
Big Mike said...: @Carl, but does your precious Obama have the full support of the American people? Can he successfully wind down the end game in Iraq, prosecute the war in Afghanistan, and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya with only one carrier?

You, he, and Hillary Clinton are overreaching.; 3/19/11, 10:26 AM
Lincolntf said...: Which is more ironic, Libya being on the UN Human Rights Council or Barack "Peace Prize" Obama attacking an African nation that poses no threat to the U.S.?; 3/19/11, 10:31 AM
Unknown said...: Lincolntf--I'd say they pose the same threat that Iraq did when we went in under Bush II. That is to say, none. Maybe we can fabricate evidence again to justify going in.

I am not in favor of military action, mainly because I think it's a waste of time, lives and money. However, there's an absurd amount of hypocrisy from you conservative morons--you're against Libya, but were almost definitely for Afghanistan and both invasions of Iraq. When Saddam invaded Kuwait and we went in, they posed no threat. Still, we went in...hell, we even had the UN's approval.; 3/19/11, 11:39 AM
Lincolntf said...: The most important question Carl, is when does Obama get his massive payout from the "War Machine"? I remember that being another constant in criticism of U.S. military action. Does Barack get a % for every child maimed by US bombs, or was that just a special deal for Cheney?; 3/19/11, 11:49 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Shorter Carl:This whole bombing of Libya thing is a terrible idea, but don't you wingnuts dare oppose it!; 3/19/11, 12:07 PM
Phil 314 said...: I just went through the pizza box parade a second time and stopped to read each one. This is the one that's most telling:

Mom, I changed my address to the Capitol floor

Surely the adults are in control.

(History lesson to learn from this: Never put the University in the same city as the Capitol.); 3/19/11, 12:22 PM
Unknown said...: Vote in this poll in support of Scott Walker..

http://www.journaltimes.com/polls/html_e7df0506-44fc-11e0-b687-001cc4c002e0.html#pd_a_4647768%23pd_a_4647768_; 3/19/11, 3:23 PM
X-Ray Tetra said...: Lincolntf--I'd say they pose the same threat that Iraq did when we went in under Bush II. That is to say, none. Maybe we can fabricate evidence again to justify going in.

I am not in favor of military action, mainly because I think it's a waste of time, lives and money. However, there's an absurd amount of hypocrisy from you conservative morons--you're against Libya, but were almost definitely for Afghanistan and both invasions of Iraq. When Saddam invaded Kuwait and we went in, they posed no threat. Still, we went in...hell, we even had the UN's approval.

Fuck UN. They are nothing but a corrupted pests. You have something on your face, it look like a shit. Oh sorry! It is your face.; 3/19/11, 11:49 PM
Rusty said...: What is up with liberals and trains?

Mussolini got em to run on time!

It's how you take people you don't like to places you don't know and do things to them you don't talk about.; 3/19/12, 6:09 AM