I guess that answers my question why firefighters in uniform are allowed to participate in a political protest march. It was really a procession toward a ceremony for their dead comrades. That it occurred immediately after the much-promoted Feingold rally was merely a coincidence.
Right? That must be right. Please tell me I'm right. They wouldn't use a ceremony for dead firefighters as a cover for political activity in uniform.
UPDATE: From the same blogger, tweeting 47 minutes ago:
Today's rally starts 11AM #Walkerville 3:30pm time of firefighters bagpipe march. 5:30pm evening speakers #wiunionThere can never be enough ceremonies for the fallen comrades. And coincidences.
UPDATE 2: I've got video from Sunday's rally, which I'm edited to show you how the 2 events were sequenced and interwoven. My video, which will be up fairly soon, shows that as Feingold's speech ended, the crowd was told:
One of our greatest allies has been the firefighters — the firefighters' union. [CHEERS.] They are having a special commemoration for their fallen members, and they've asked us to cheer them on as they march from the Concourse, they're going to take a left around the Capitol. Just the firefighters. But they ask if we wait here 'til they come, they should be here in about 5 to 10 minutes. We want to cheer them on. We want to remember people who've fallen. We want to stand with the firefighters and we're ready for this week.During the wait, there were chants of "Recall Walker" and "What's disgusting? Union busting!" When the firefighters arrive, the crowd cheers "thank you, thank you" — which could mean thank you for your public service, but it is also the cheer that was used throughout the protests to express approval for participating in the protest. We see more of the march as it goes around to the right and over to the Monona Terrace (where the ceremony will take place). You'll see the firefighters — with Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin in formation — followed by civilians, many of whom are carrying protest signs.
So, the ceremony could have been long planned, with no connection to the protests, but: 1. There seems to be another firefighters' march today, 2. The firefighters seem to have coordinated with the announcer at the Feingold rally to some extent, and 3. The crowd (including me and Meade) perceived it as a single, multi-part, anti-Walker event.
AND: Here's the edited video (described in Update 2, above):
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54 comments:
Disrespect is hard earned in some professions, but not impossible.
Question: Were there any fires while this charade was going on?
I'm not a cynical person by nature, but when it comes to the public employees union activists, I honestly cannot think of anything that would shame them.
"I try to be cynical, but I can't keep up."
--Lilly Tomlin, Political Philosopher
I hope not because it would also mean that some of the those 600 were forced into participating in the political activity. They can't all be of a single mind on this.
They've evicted the Red Cross and disrupted a Special Olympics ceremony, they'll do anything. No honor among these scumbags, none.
Hey, these are unionized Wisconsin firefighters. What do you expect? Honor? Pfeh.
They would.
If it makes you feel better Ann. Yes, you're right.
@Moose I am greatly relieved. Now, please help me with today's procession.
Also, Moose, will you agree with me that it is despicable for the protesters to claim that the fire fighters were marching for their cause when they were not.
My opinion is that Walker didn't include emergency services for losing collective bargaining because he was concerned they would strike and cost people their homes and lives. No honor there. Since the police and firefighters have insisted on standing shoulder to shoulder with their brethren from from WEAC and the DMV, they should be treated the same way. Illegal emergency service strikes need to be dealt with by prison.
This sort of stuff makes one sick.
will you agree with me that it is despicable for the protesters to claim that the fire fighters were marching for their cause when they were not.
Are these purposes mutually exclusive? Could be a quinella.
I assume we're not talking about the actual firefighters making the call to piggyback the protesting dipshits? If it was deliberate, it was the Union leaders/Dem politicians/protest organizers that finagled it. It's Flag Day, I'm sure lots of Fire Co.'s are holding ceremonies of some sort.
Anything with a union is corrupt.
Huge fallen firefighter turnout is always a political move.
Nobody liked the guy that much.
In Walkerville, where employment is 100%, they are protesting.
Meanwhile, in Obamaville, unemployment is truthfully around 17%.
Here are the salaries city of Madison firemen are pulling down in 2010. Highest paid was the fire chief, Debra Amesqua, who was paid $132,790 in salary and received approximately $40,000 in benefits. Her pay has risen 50% in the last 10 years.
She's not the only one, of course. Dozens and dozens and dozens of mere assistants are making 6-figure salaries and are set to receive million dollar retirement packages.
It's obscene the kind of salaries these people are pulling down. That they have the gall to show their faces in public to demand even more of our money just shows how little anyone is actually paying attention to these fucking shameless thieves.
Basic qualities like honor and shame are not part of the narcissitic personality. Hell..honor is rare even in "normal" people.
How would the Tea Party play this game?
Every Tea Party rally can include a moment of silence for dead government workers.
I love it when you're sweet and gullible.
It's so endearing.
And, yes, those wonderful union men simply didn't have time for the wardrobe change.
Yeah.
Dat's da ticket.
How are things in Wankerville?
Oops. Unfortunate typo on my part. If only Blogger had an edit comment feature.
Even assuming that fallen firefighters are somehow able to attend conventions, I fail to see why they need their own convention center.
Why on the roof?
On the roof so Richard Trumka can survey the Capitol below and shout "Mine! It's all mine!" before raing a SEIU flag?
Why on earth would I want to pay a good salary to attract the best candidates to become Madison firefighters? If they are making a reasonable middle class income and doing a good job, which they are doing, that is just another sign of how bad unions are.
I'm also disappointed there's not more boots-on-the-ground Walkerville coverage here.
Some new Meadia this is.
2 reasonable middle class salaries and the next thing ya know
You're THE RICH.
DA MAN
The Oppressor.........
HANG EM HIGH & TAX THE CARCASS!
bitur lololol
Why on earth would I want to pay a good salary to attract the best candidates to become Madison firefighters?
I seriously doubt that Madison is trying to attract the best candidates.
Don't know the specifics of Madison, but in just about every other city in the country, test standards have been lowered or thrown out in favor of rigid racial quotas and favoritism toward blacks.
So, I sincerely doubt your underlying thesis.
Fire Fighters are well trained for the once or twice a year that we need them to use the equiptment. The free time factor in being a Fire Person leads to their becoming chronic gossips and slanderers. I blame boredom. You EMS guys do a great job, and have my thanks. But stay away from the waiving the bloody shirt style of politics if you want respect.
they're going to take a left around the Capitol
God forbid they take a right.
So, RV, why not pay firefighters $5 Million each?
Why not $20 Million a year?
You want the best, right?
But don't we all know from 9/11 that the Firefighters are The Heroes??
They go into burning buildings lesser humans exit when on fire!
What they want, as Heroes, should be given. With only asking them if that is enough for all their heroism and don't they want more pay and perks... allowed!
Same with Hero Teachers. Who go into classrooms lesser mortals wish to flee from!
There are many other Hero groups of government employees. The distinction after 9/11 is if they are not unionized, we are supposed to always adress them by "thanking them for their service" 1st (as standard protocol). And ask the unionized ones if their leaders think enough to adequately reward The Heroes is coming from greedy, selfish taxpayers.
Lots of things are starting to happen again in Madison right now. They are trying to build momentum again in time for the recall elections.
Also interesting is that Biddy Martin just announced she will be leaving to go to Amherst. I bet the union folks are pretty happy about that, because many of them hate her for what they perceive to be her willingness to work with Walker on the UW system deal.
The commie, roesch-voltaire has asserted that Madison pays well to attract the best candidates as firemen.
I suspect that the quota system is really ruling the hiring issue and that far less qualified blacks are being hired and promoted over whites.
Anybody know the story in Madison?
Ricci vs New Haven seems to be the standard story.
Remember that nasty little cunt, Emily Bazelon? From a family of generations of lawyers, judges and writers. She was right here arguing that firefighters don't need to be literate or strong. It's a job anybody can do, including illiterate blacks and 90 lb. women.
And, this little bitch who got a leg up in life through her family connections, argued that the generational devotion of white families to firefighting in Boston was proof of racism and discrimination.
Meade and Althouse please be safe..
"Why on the roof?"
The roof of Monona Terrace is a beautiful space with gardens, seating, and a magnificent view of Lake Monona.
Why on earth would I want to pay a good salary to attract the best candidates to become Madison firefighters?
Why on earth would we want to pay a good salary to attract the best candidates to become (fill in the blank)?
Is there any logical limit to this rationale? $100/hour to attract the best DMV staff. $200,000/year to attract the best elementary school reading coaches. And so on ad infinitum. Reasonable middle class income is whatever I say is reasonable and middle class. Oh wait this rationale only applies to public employees.
Fire the lot of them, and bust the union.
Then rehire any of them that want to be firefighters rather than union organizers and political pawns.
MarkG: Oh, I'm sure they're not all of a single mind - but the coercion can easily be far more subtle than just being ordered to go.
After all, there's a consistent pattern of people in Union jobs who don't follow the Union line suffering... "accidents".
Democrats using their dead as political props? Wellstone? King? Edwards?
You really have to ask?
They have no shame.
Why on earth would I want to pay a good salary to attract the best candidates to become Madison firefighters?
You don't. You want everyone else to pay them a good salary.
Firefighters are just like everybody else. Most are braver and they do put their lives on the line. But like most everybody they would like to make money and work less.
They are certainly entitled to protest against Walker if that is what they want. They will of course have to suffer the consequences of the disapproval of those who think that Walker and his budget moves are right. You pay your union monies and you take your choice.
Shouting Thomas is right that the standards for firefighting have been lowered terribly by affirmative action and the demand for gender equality. The dumbing down of standards have made it a much more dangerous profession that it ever was before. People like Rochy and the other lefties are the ones who support this type of nonsense and make their jobs much more dangerous. No on would begrudge a woman who is physically able to perform the tasks a firefighter has to perform. There are some who can. But they are outlier's and not the ones who forced their way onto the job.
Those firefighters might want to stop and think about who really has their best interests at heart. I don't think they will but they should.
I have several firefighters in my family. The job has changed tremendously in the past ten years.
I remember my uncle saying "give me ten drunk fireman and I can put out any fuckin fire you got."
He made Tommy Gavin look like Wally Cox.
One of the worst most heinous things I ever saw was when Hillary Clinton, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins went to the remembrance for the firefighters and cops killed in 911 that they held in Madison Square Garden.
The week before they were out getting arrested in front of One PP demanding that the cops in the Diallo shooting be railroaded and sent to jail. Once 911 came they cried crocodile tears and said how much they supported the cops and the fireman. It was a big bag of bullshit. They wouldn't piss on a fireman if he was on fire. They consider every cop a criminal and all the sinners’ saints.
They feel the same way about honor and duty as they do about their marriage vows.
Despicable. Devious. Duplicitious. Democrats.
" ... give me ten drunk fireman and I can put out any fuckin fire you got."
In Boston, the firefighters literally show up to fires drunk and high on cocaine. Several of them have been killed because they were so fucking stoned when they arrived to the fire. One had to be shot by a citizen during a road rage. Even they cound coke in his car. Another was caught smoking crack right on the street.
That is, when they can even GET to the fires without crashing their piss-poorly maintained vehicles into our buildings and killing more people.
A lot of them are flaming racists, even publicly posting their vicious hate rants. When they're punished, it's not uncommon for them to be caught violating terms of their probation either. This Boston-suburb hack threatened to blow up a house and the news media had to hound the department until they finally fired him.
Heros?
Yeah, right.
Drug addled thugs and gangstas protected by their union mafia.
What percentage of the fireman involved in the procession were getting paid their hourly wage? That't what I want to know.
Being drunk on the job is a part of my Irish heritage and I resent your implication that there is something wrong with it Nevadabob.
Sometimes you need a few snorts to fact the horror.
Putting women in bras in no easy task.
Your stories about Boston firefighters are another reason why I am glad that my taxes support the Madison group who are exceptional in comparison. Last year I had an ex-SEAL in my class who was taking engineering courses but planned on joining a fire department. He claimed the tests were tough and thought he would be lucky to get a job in Madison or any other city. Frankly I consider the starting salary of $43,353 too low for a person like him, and do not resent those who make double that.
Just like Medicare, salary, pensions and benefits for police and firemen will be a great challenge for fiscal conservatives.
It so easy for us to say those who put their lives on the line to protect us are heroes.
What's the right salary for a "hero"?
Milwaukee said...
My opinion is that Walker didn't include emergency services for losing collective bargaining because he was concerned they would strike and cost people their homes and lives. No honor there. Since the police and firefighters have insisted on standing shoulder to shoulder with their brethren from from WEAC and the DMV, they should be treated the same way. Illegal emergency service strikes need to be dealt with by prison.
6/14/11 10:05 AM
Make them personally liable for harm caused by going out on strike including forfeiture of their pension.
RV: if they can earn better money doing something else, no one is stopping them from doing so.
" Phil 3:14 said...
Just like Medicare, salary, pensions and benefits for police and firemen will be a great challenge for fiscal conservatives.
It so easy for us to say those who put their lives on the line to protect us are heroes.
What's the right salary for a "hero"?"
Obviously a lot less than what those fireman earn. last I heard combat infantrymen in Afghanistan aren't nearly anything like what those fireman earn. And just like the soldier, the fireman and the cops are volunteers and not draftees and unlike the soldier, they can quit anytime.
Like any other product or service, you have no idea how much it should cost or how good it can be until there is some competition. Unions and quotas prevent that.
What's the right salary for a "hero"?
About $24,000-38,000 a year. At least that's in the range of what Specialist Sal Giunta and SFC Leroy Petry were making when they earned the Congressional Medals of Honor.
"Fire Fighters are well trained for the once or twice a year that we need them to use the equiptment."
sarge here these fireboyz is also the city paramedics ever one of em thar go on calls all day long an are way smarter an more fit then yer average fatass emt or small town volunteer ff madison got the best of the best in most every way thas why itz thar best small city in the country eat yer heartz out
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