June 2, 2011

Wisconsin protesters want to set up a "Walkerville" campsite around one corner of the Capitol Square.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:
The city’s Street Use Staff Commission will have a special meeting Friday to consider the permit application for a state budget rally that would begin Saturday and continue through June 20....

[Gov. Scott] Walker’s proposed budget is being debated by the Legislature’s powerful budget committee this week and is expected to be sent to the full Legislature by the weekend....

The city, which granted a permit for a smaller camp on the terrace of Pinckney Street across from the Capitol in March, is working to balance the rights of free speech with the needs of local businesses, said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who represents most of the Downtown area.

Kelly Lamberty, community events coordinator for the city’s Parks Division, said concerns also include the impact on other permitted events, including the Dane County Farmers’ Market, and licensed vendors assigned to the area.
Go ahead, Madison politicians. Grant that permit. Let the whole state know how hostile Democrats are to business interests. That campsite is right next to a hotel.

And if you actually care about free speech, you'd better be ready to hand out camping permits in a viewpoint neutral way in the future. It can't be that the budget protesters get special privileges.

ADDED: Here's the agenda for the special meeting (PDF). 8:30 a.m. on Friday, June 3. Parks Conference Room 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 108 (City-County Building). "Tent city rally with art, music, teach-ins and food. Discuss set-up, schedule and activities."

UPDATE: Tweets from the meeting.

42 comments:

The Dude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark O said...

Are there no people with actual lives in Wisconsin?

Beta Rube said...

You know Mark O, I live in Wisconsin and I am starting to wonder the same damn thing.

traditionalguy said...

Does this mean a re-occupation of the rotunda and continuous shouts of Shame at the elected officials?

Milwaukee said...

This is what mob rule looks like.

Rent Camp Randall, set up pavilions, and have the meetings there. The Legislators could be under pavilions, whilst the protesters are in the stands. Then there should be room for all the protesters.

Will the voters in the hinterlands see this for the nonsense that it is, and support the Republicans?

I have thought that Governor Walker needs to make Wisconsin a Right-to-Work State. Really give them something to complain about. Don't forget to LoJack the FleaBagger 14 cars.

BJM said...

I say let them, the sideshow will provide excellent freak footage to use against the Dems in the coming election.

Please, louder and faster.

Trooper York said...

Why can't they all camp out with Garage or Roachy?

Michael said...

This is awesome!! More, please, more. Hopefully there will be puppets because before there were no puppets and no mimes.

Henry said...

How much does a "douchenozzle" permit cost?

Automatic_Wing said...

Funny stuff, state workers with above median salaries and 34 days off a year playing at being Depression-era homeless people.

damikesc said...

Remember kids --- you OWE these same lugs who hate you even MORE money than they already leech off from you.

Don't worry --- when you are unemployed, they will still be OK.

Unknown said...

In a democracy, voters deserve what they voted for, no more, no less.

In Wisconsin, either they were stupid to vote for Walker to straighten out the budget, or stupid to support the unions which rob them blind.

Walker should have a "firechat" every week to compare his policy side by side with the unions' and the Dem's demands, telling the voters how much more taxes they would be paying to be nice guys to the unions, and tell them to stop whinning when their tax bills explode.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

It can't be that the budget protesters get special privileges.

Yeah right. After a show of "careful deliberation" the campsite will be approved. Future groups will be turned down based of the disaster that this will become.

Besides, these people have been getting special privileges all along. Why would you think it would stop now?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I think the term they were looking for was "Wankerville".

edutcher said...

Actually, it's "Hooverville", from the Depression.

The Demos are going to overreach the same way they did on the union issue.

Dare we hope ANN and New Meadia Meade will be providing the same unflinching, in-depth coverage we've all come to know and love?

Meade said...

"Why can't they all camp out with Garage or Roachy?"

And doesn't Titus live somewhere near the Capitol?

If the budget protesters, with their drumming and chanting, bother the Titus household, many of us commenters who are big fans of the rare clumbers will be mightily angered and, mark my word, there will be hell to pay. Political payback. The backlash will be huge.

The Drill SGT said...

I understand Ft McCoy is nice in June. I bet Panetta can pull a few strings and get them a permit there :)

MadisonMan said...

This is what Liberal Arts grad students do during the Summer I guess.

Here's to a banner mosquito season.

The Drill SGT said...

MadisonMan said...
Here's to a banner mosquito season.


MM, do I detect a loss of patience with the demonstrators?

You guys get black flies there? I spent the weekend at our camp in upstate NY. mosquitos were awful (wet wet season), the black flies were just starting. They are out for 30-40 days.

Known Unknown said...

Teach-ins?

Lame.

Anonymous said...

Eveytime i start to feel that my view of the protesters as sanctimonious, egocentric, intolerant crybaby assholes is too strident....they go ahead and make me feel as if i am being too generous.

I cant believe that this will play well with most people in WI- although many people dont pay close enough attention to notice the ongoing childish behavior of the left. I've talked to friends that wont believe me when i tell them about the illegal rotunda occupation and the death threats and monetary damage. Even after giving them hints on where to find all of this well documented info (i.e. Here at AA), they wont even check it out. Leading a horse to water, etc.

The left as a permanent victim and the right as the persecutor is too firmly embedded in many peoples minds.

Dan from Madison said...

Mark O won this thread right off the bat at 6.11pm.

MayBee said...

Couldn't this backfire, by demonstrating day after day that the teachers have plenty of time off during the summer to do things like camp?

Karl said...

E.M said "Teach-ins?
Lame"


Yeah. I was thinking along those same lines.

According to the wikipedia -
"A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific frame of time or an academic scope of the topic. Teach-ins are meant to be practical, participatory, and oriented toward action..."

Seems that "teach-in" is a fancy term for a circle jerk.

MadisonMan said...

The organizer is a licensed lobbyist. As if you needed for convincing that lobbyists are evil.

The plus side? It's only two weeks -- June 4 through 20th. I wonder what they'll do on June 20th when it becomes plain that the budget is nowhere near passing. (How many times in the past decade has the biennial budget been passed on time? Once?)

I do wonder what they'll do to protect their "campers" from severe weather, as Wisconsin enters its severe weather season. Nocturnal thunderstorms can be quite potent at this time of year -- the Barneveld Tornado, after all, was early in the morning on 8 June 1984.

Chuck66 said...

Putting the Whacko in Madison Whacko.

Anonymous said...

Smells Like team Spirit...

Summer of discontent....again...still.

BTW- Glad you're back Meade--clown posse has been back at it-harassing legislators with vuvulas, leading child tour groups in song, etc. for a solid week before Althou.se even heard about it.

Chuck66 said...

Two of my Wisc public school relatives are protesting the new rules by retiring. Yup. Age 55 (give or take a year) and they don't have to work another day for the rest of their lives.

My sister flew to Texas this past weekend to lay on the beach for three days. It's not easy being a teacher.

garage mahal said...

Oh my gosh, tents?

Secret tape: GOP considered spoiler candidate to challenge Shilling

Meade said...

The city [...] granted a permit for a smaller camp on the terrace of Pinckney Street across from the Capitol in March [...] Mayor Paul Soglin said city officials are trying to figure out how to allow the right to free speech without turning the Capitol Square into a campground.

In March, Mayor Dave was our pandering mayor.

Now it's June, and Mayor Soglin is back in charge. In his previous terms as mayor, Soglin led the redevelopment of State St. and the Capitol Square. Lefty unionista supporters of his recent campaign will put heavy pressure on him to cater to the anti-Walker budget protesters but I predict he will do the right thing and serve greater Madison by telling them their first amendment rights are not being impinged, they should support local commerce by not blocking the sidewalks, pay for their own pizza, and patronize Madison's excellent hotels.

He should also tell them to grow up, ask not what Madison can do for them, ask what they can do for Madison.

Beta Rube said...

So one party wants to see a contested primary on the other side, and that is news why?

You really are losing it GM. Some quality time in a tent encampment might be just the thing.

Anonymous said...

"Soglin led the redevelopment of State St. and the Capitol Square."

I am trying to figure out why I dislike your use of the term "led." In part, it has to do with my dislike of Soglin and his city's history of failure with regards to children's education.

Specifically, minority children's education in the city of Madison sucks compared to white students based on graduation rates and college performance. Soglin had power to fix this when Soglin used his power for something else, evidently.

Also, I consider politicians, Soglin included,the precise opposite of leaders in the sense many follow the trail that they believe leads to their reelection; Other considerations are to be damned as distractions.

Joanna said...

Apparently, there were a few more arrests tonight. Sigh.

Freder Frederson said...

And if you actually care about free speech, you'd better be ready to hand out camping permits in a viewpoint neutral way in the future.

Well why don't you test them Ann. Apply for a permit.

It really annoys you that people care so much about this that the protests continue, doesn't it?

I guess you only care about free speech when the speaker agrees with you.

MadisonMan said...

I read about that in the paper today, too, Joanna. Sigh is right.

On the other hand, the Red Cross went back to the Capitol to get blood. Link.

Jamieson said...

Ah, the Great Depression: Hoovervilles, widespread poverty, unemployment, rampant government meddling with the economy, NRA/union thuggery and intimidation. Those were the days!

TMink said...

The pun is on Hooverville. But the pun is a lie. People who lived in Hooverville were destitute. They worried about where they would get their next meal.

This is more faux outrage and ersatz theatre.

Trey

vet66 said...

Freder; We had planned on stopping for awhile in Madison during our vacation this year. Having waded through protest groups outside Travis AFB during my return from WestPac on several occasions during the late 60's we have changed our plans.

My fellow veterans and I do not choose to suffer the same indignities at the hands of the offspring of the parents who insulted us as we ran the gauntlet. The $1,000+ we would have spent on diesel, RV parks and various shopping will be better spend outside Wisconsin.

Until the good folks who live outside the Madison echo chamber regain control of their state you may rest assured that I will be passing the word to my fellow veterans and friends that the protestors will not be given an audience by us. It is a pity as we were looking forward to the market place and square.

garage mahal said...

Would expect to see even more cops and firefighters at the rallies now that they slipped in at 12:30 last night the motion to strip their CB rights as well.

roesch-voltaire said...

As predicted the Walker budget now cuts the police and fire departments, so it seems Walkerville is a big tent that includes TAs, teachers, state workers, the disabled, farmers, the police, and Meade who will now have some more reporting opportunities!

Milwaukee said...

If, indeed, emergency services are also losing their collective bargaining, then authorities need to be prepared to call in back up, and fire striking workers. After firing them prosecute them for endangering lives. Considering how police and fire have protested shoulder-to-shoulder with the others, why should they be spared?

This whole thing is terribly unfair. Under proposed law, if a person is in a public sector, they can't be forced to join a union. If they are in the private sector, they can be forced to join a union. Governor Walker: Make Wisconsin a Right-to-work state!

Spartacus said...

Release a few coffee cans full of red ants in "Walkerville", it will become a ghost town practically overnight.