Big Saturday Rally in Madison--Michael Moore, Michelle Shocked Praise Wisconsin Protesters

[eowyn_of_rohan]

Source: Progressive

As the Capitol building reopened following two judges' orders to stop prohibiting public access to the building, another huge, sign- carrying crowd massed in downtown Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, March 5.

Once again, there was a festive, playful mood. Protesters carried inflatable palm trees in the frigid weather and signs that read: "Fox News Will Lie About This" (a reference to video of union members screaming and shoving at a rally on Fox's "O'Reilly Factor," which O'Reilly claimed was from Wisconsin, but which clearly showed palm trees and sunshine in the background.)

...(Singer Michelle Shocked said, as she left the stage)..."what's happening in Madison is "amazing." "You have a dream of democracy. But this is the closest I've ever come to experiencing a truly active citizenry."

...Revving up the crowd, (Michael Moore) talked about how a tiny minority of billionaires bought our political process, and torpedoed public spending on things that benefit most people like education, suppressed wages and benefits, and concentrated wealth in a few hands. "But that wasn't enough for them," he said. "Now they want your soul. . . . They want your dignity." Now they are arguing that working people can't even have a place at the table, Moore said.

Read more: http://www.progressive.org/rc030511.html

---

Moore said, "America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash ... It has been transferred in the greatest heist in history from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich."

Despite Wall Street bailouts shortly after the recession began in 2008, "millions lost their jobs anyway, and millions lost their homes," Moore said.

"But there was no revolt ... until now," he said. "On Wisconsin!"

HANG IN THERE - This is NOT slowing down.

[Lifelong Protester]

1. No, we are NOT slowing down. big rallies planned for next Saturday

including, if I saw correctly, a tractorcade.

Love me a good tractorcade!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. I've NEVER wanted to come home from a vacation this badly

Been in the Banana Republic of Florida since this started, surrounded by and arguing with RW'ers ...COmin' home where I belong to join in the protests.:hippie: LOVE the Tractorcade !! WOOT!

[66 dmhlt]

14. Well, Madison now has PALM TREES ...

Well, if you can believe O'Reilly & Faux "news"

[eowyn_of_rohan]

23. Busted! LOL

The rare Palmetto Inflatus - Wisconsin's ONLY variety of Palm tree.

[russspeakeasy]

52. Isn't Fox Lies redundant ?

[drmjg]

57. To My Fellow mid 70's UW Alums...

Next we should have the return of the pink flamingos! I bet Walker thought the protests would only last one week or so. Boy was HE wrong!:hug:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

65. The palms reminded meof the flamingo prank, too

I am really looking forward to the Tractorcade next week - thinking of driving the riding mower uptown and joining in! ;)

[Horse with no Name]

18. I haven't seen a tractorcade in YEARS

:D

[primavera]

21. I hope they can keep it up

My fear is that, if nothing comes along to break the impasse, Walker can afford to out-wait us. Protestors have families to feed: sooner or later, they've got to get back to that priority. And, in the meantime, you known Walker is getting his regular paycheck like clockwork. With this country's 30 second memory, if media attention flags, the public will be back to worrying about Brittany Spear's latest fashion indiscretion and the heroic efforts of the Wisconsin protestors will be forgotten.

[Lifelong Protester]

32. Hey, primavera, we are taking this in shifts. We can't all go EVERY

day, but we are all taking our turns. And there are MORE OF US than those we oppose. Trust me.

[primavera]

64. Oh, I so hope so!

Know that you guys are an inspiration to us all and, although I'm 2,000 miles away and too far to join you in person, I'm there with you in spirit every hour of every day. You guys are true heroes and I am so incredibly proud of you!

[idrahaje]

48. the longer this goes on...

though. they'll remember in a year. then he's in deep shit. Just remember the line from Shawshank Redemption. Andy climbed through the length of 3 football fields of shit to freedom. So it's a year to freedom from a dictator.

[lob1]

61. The righties will accuse you of busing in tractors. LOL.

[JDPriestly]

2. K&R. This is not slowing down. It is just spreading out.

Wisconsin needs to recall the Republicans who voted for the bill.

Best way -- walk door to door. Talk to each other, and talk to voters. Explain to people what has really happened to our economy.

We've been robbed -- just as surely as if someone had walked into a bank and taken out the money at gunpoint.

Wall Street was just a little more clever about how they did it.

[quaker bill]

8. and in being more clever

they took far more money. Using weapons, one can perhaps get a sack of money out of a bank, quite possibly get killed trying and likely at least end up in prison. Using computers, one can apparently get all the money out of a bank, and not even go to jail for it. (Heck, you might even get bailed out with gov't funds for the losses.)

[kag]

33. More than that...

You'll get appointed to the president's cabinet!

[Plucketeer]

37. Yeah

and get assigned the mission of "making it all better"! :crazy:

[russspeakeasy]

53. Or become Governor of Florida.

[defendandprotect]

45. Well, it required a great deal of help from TWO presidents ... Bush/Obama bail outs -- !!

[Lugnut]

3. K&R n/t

[sueh]

4. On, Wisconsin. On, workers of America!

[Lastactiongyro]

5. Start RECALLING REPUKE EVERYWHERE!

DUers whatever state your in start a recall drive. Dig a little deep and you will find dirt on these people.

[madmax]

6. Thank you Wisconsin, I can't say it enough. K&R

[Vidar]

7. Bravo, Wisconsin, and a special thanks to Michael Moore who has also

done marvelous things for my community of Traverse City, Michigan! Here, he paid for the renovation of grand old theater, where he shows first rate, provocative flics, rather than the normal commercial drivel, not to mention sponsoring an annual film festival, which brings in a fair amount of money & the politest tourists we've ever seen. Thank you for all your efforts, Michael.

[Enthusiast]

9. But no one from Wall Street

has been prosecuted for fraud. Just a bit suspicious.

[TBF]

10. Unfortunately most of what they've done is legal - this is capitalism in all it's glory. nt

[Enthusiast]

13. Couldn't they at least nail

the ones from the ratings agencies that gave the trash mortgages triple A ratings? Surly those ratings were not legal. Couldn't they at least prosecute predatory lenders for intentionally misleading the borrowers? Couldn't "our" government act on our behalf by investigating this obvious malfeasance with every power at their command? You know, rather than using every power at their command to protect Wall Street criminals?

[reformist2]

16. It's obvious people at the ratings agencies were bribed.

If the Feds seriously went after them, the ratings guys would have to rat out the bankers who put them up to it, and soon all of Wall Street would be torn down.

[No Elephants]

44. Didn't need to be bribed per se. The legit fees are great--and if you don't play ball,

they simply stop hiring you and hire an agency that will.

Same for the banks who participated, the appraisers who overvalued real estate for those banks, the investment bankers and lawyers and accountants all over the place.

Honest and brave employee to boss: "Something is very wrong with this."

Boss to hHonest and brave employee to boss: Well, if we don't do it, someone else will and we'll be out of business before long. So, we'd only be hurting ourselves without helping anyone else."

Honest and brave employee to self. "I need my paycheck to feed my family and everyone else IS doing it, so there would be no honorable place I could apply if I quit here and this is the only kind of work I do. I'd better sit down and shut up fast. I fact, I wish I hadn't said anything in the first place. Next time, I'll know better than to open my big, naive mouth."

[Enthusiast]

67. Good explanation. So what is your solution

to Wall Street malfeasance?

[No Elephants]

39. We're looking only forward when it comes to Bushco and Wall Street.

Not so much, however, when it comes to you and me or Manning.

[No Elephants]

41. Yes but I think you mean mortgage backed securities and other derivatives.

Mortgages themselves don't get rated by rating agencies. However, appraisers did overvalue properties so banks could justify the overblown mortgage loans they were giving.

(Actually, the term "mortgage loan" is beoming something of a misnomer, but that's another story.)

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Not hard to stay legal when you own the lawmakers.

[Pacifist Patriot]

19. +1000

[No Elephants]

46. They did not stay legal (but repeal of Glass-Steagall did enable them--and zero has changed.)

[handmade34]

17. not necessarily "capitalism"

if the lobbyists hadn't been able to write the laws and laws were written for the common good by the common people, this would not happen... I don't support capitalism but what Smith had in mind was different

but I guess that is all just semantics

[socialist_n_TN]

25. Your last sentence says it all.........

You can look at textbook definitions 24/7 and bemoan this not being "capitalism", but when push comes to shove, capitalism is what the capitalists SAY it is. Especially the capitalists who influence economic policy. And folks, this IS capitalism.

Now, I personally believe that this is the ultimate result of ANY capitalist system anyway (it just took a little while to get here AGAIN), but you've got to fight what you SEE not what's in the dictionary.

[defendandprotect]

49. Michael Moore says it best: "Capitalism is an evil -- and you can't regulate evil" --

also see my signature below with full comment by Moore!!

[donquijoterocket]

36. definitely

Not what Mr. Smith had in mind.People forget his first work was titled The Theory of Moral Sentiments which proposes a view of man quite different from the contemporary perspective of the rampant capitalists.Some of his views on taxation sound almost akin to Karl Marx.
"The subject of every State ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the State." I doubt you'd get the Koch bros. to sign on to that.
Or to this.he necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. . . . The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess. . . . It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.

[No Elephants]

40. Wrong. Fraud abounded and fraud is illegal. There were other violations of law as well.

[defendandprotect]

47. Crimes percipitated the bail outs -- and deregulation permitted those crimes ...

so technically, you're correct --

Same with "Savings & Loan theft and embezzlements" --

Crime covered up --

What it makes clear and what every American should understand is that

"Unregulated capitalism is merely organized crime!"

[srf Rantz]

12. Michael Moore American Hero

I met Michale Moore in 2004 just a couple days before the election that gave us back W.

after we finished our conversation and I started to walk away, I turned and said to him: "Thank you sir, for what you do. you are a true american hero." He replied "Thank YOU sir."

then he turned to give his full polite attention to the next person waiting to talk to him.

here's the full story I wrote that night

http://www.whatnow.us/bbb/MeetingMichaelMoore.htm

[defendandprotect]

50. How about Sen. Bernie Sanders for president in 2010 - on Dem ticket and MM as VP?

That would be a strong economic team and a strong anti-war team --

Biden has been running around for a year now calling for Israel to attack Iran!

Biden says, "Israel would be JUSTIFIED in attacking Iran" -- !!!


:nuke:


Sanders could not only run on a Dem ticket -- he would bring back long time Dems who

have voted in years -- and the 2010 absentees -- also liberals from all third parties!!

[Marblehead]

20. end

the fed, they have been steeling trillions for decades

[Botany]

22. I got a phone call last night from a guy @ the protest; 50,000 people

This thing is not slowing down.

BTW this is from the guy @ the protest.


AN OPEN LETTER FROM WISCONSIN
March 4, 2011

Hi. My name’s Neil Diboll. I’m the owner of a small business called Prairie Nursery in Westfield, WI. We grow native flowers and grasses to help people restore habitat and create healthy natural landscapes here in Wisconsin and the Midwest. I believe that businesses can and should make a positive contribution to their communities, their employees, and the environment, while earning a fair profit.

I don’t normally get involved in politics, but there have been some deeply troubling developments in our state government lately. In particular, our new governor, Scott Walker, has been using tactics that seem both unfair and divisive as he attempts to advance his Budget Repair Bill through the state legislature, while allowing little opportunity for discussion among the affected parties.

Governor Walker is blaming the public employee unions for much of the 3.6 billion dollar state budget shortfall in Wisconsin. He has demanded that they make concessions in their benefits, and give up their collective bargaining rights. The employees have agreed to Governor Walker’s terms for increasing contributions to their health care and retirement plans. But they are understandably reluctant to give up their collective bargaining rights, especially after taking a 6% to 8% cut in their pay as the governor has demanded.

Many public employees in Wisconsin have also foregone raises in the past five years, and some have had their wages cut by 3% to 5% through mandatory furlough days in the past 18 months. The net effect is a wage reduction of between 6% and 13% for most public employees.

Now I am not a big union guy. It’s easy to look at public employees with great benefits and be jealous. I know, because I’ve done it myself. But when you actually look at the facts, the vast majority of government employees make significantly lower salaries than private sector workers in similar jobs with the same level of education. Historically, the state has attempted to compensate for this disparity by providing excellent health care and retirement benefits for public workers.

We’re going through some very tough economic times. People are losing their jobs and even their homes. My business has struggled to stay afloat the past few years. I make less money today than I did ten years ago. Lots of my friends who own small businesses are in the same boat. It’s not a pretty picture.

We all have to share the pain, and our public employees have agreed to do what Governor Walker has asked of them. But he isn’t satisfied with that. He wants to cripple the public employee unions by revoking their collective bargaining rights, saying their wages are the primary cause of the budget shortfall. Except he’s got his facts all wrong.

The present budget crisis was not caused by overpaid, wasteful public employees. It is the result of 30 years of fiscal mismanagement by both Democrats and Republicans alike. But the single largest cause of this crisis is a steep drop in tax revenues due to the worst recession since the Great Depression. Did public employees cause that? No. It was precipitated by irresponsible big banks, mortgage lenders, and speculators, playing fast and loose with our money.

Some of these are the same people who donated tens of thousands of dollars to Scott Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, and paid for countless advertisements to help him get elected. And now Scott Walker is blaming the public employees for a problem largely caused by the very corporate interests that paid to get him elected. Sounds pretty fishy to me.

I moved to Wisconsin in 1974 when I was 20 years old. I had never been anywhere like Wisconsin before. The people were like one big family. I wanted to live in a place like that, and I’ve been here ever since. But now there’s a bully in our family. His name is Scott Walker. He adamantly refuses to sit down and talk with the public employees that plow our roads, staff our hospitals, and carry out all the jobs we have come to take for granted. Just like a schoolyard thug, Scott Walker says it’s his way or the highway.

This is simply not the way we do business in Wisconsin. Our family of citizens is too important to be divided by one man, who seems to care more about his national political aspirations than about the people of our great state. He may think that his refusal to sit down and work together is a sign of strength, but it’s actually a complete and utter failure of leadership when we need it the most.

Scott Walker says he idolizes Ronald Reagan. Perhaps he should listen to what President Reagan said to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners at their 100th annual convention in Chicago on September 3, 1981:

I can guarantee you today that this administration will not fight inflation by attacking the sacred right of American workers to negotiate their wages. I want to express again my belief in our American system of collective bargaining and pledge that there will always be an open door to you in this administration.”

Perhaps Governor Walker should pay heed to these words of the Great Communicator. He could put aside the threats and grand-standing, and meet with his fellow citizens to solve our pressing budget problems. Then we could all get back to the business of creating jobs and fixing our economy, instead of fighting among ourselves.

Neil Diboll, President
Prairie Nursery, Inc.
Westfield, WI

[Bozvotros]

24. Now, that is a great letter NT

[Botany]

27. please pass this letter around to your friends ... thanx

n/t

[howaboutme]

62. That is a good letter but his last sentence hits on something.

"Then we could all get back to the business of creating jobs and fixing our economy, instead of fighting among ourselves."

His last sentence hits on what this is all about. "They" don't yet want to create jobs and fix the economy. "They" want the economy to double dip for political reasons. "They" also want the masses infighting instead of thinking about and getting angry about those who actually did us in and then benefited. They = PTB.

[starzdust]

26. Reagan

The great communicator was anything but for unions. Take a closer look and you can see that he was a tool (B-actor) for the uber rich corporations that have been destroying unions ever since. Those who put R and his corporate cronies in office have been brain washed into accepting capitalism holy grail in the biblical sense. Too many Americans have been drinking the cool aide for over a century. Can you tell I've just watched Michael Moore's Capitalism - A Love Story again?

I identify with Senator Sanders, he is a Democratic Socialist, and so am I and damn proud of it.

[Botany]

28. The point is not that Reagan was a good union man but to the right ...

... he is worshiped like a saint and it is nice to hang "the right" w/ the words
of their own St. Ronnie

[russspeakeasy]

55. "Ronnie the Demented"..

[Tsiyu]

34. Neil has a way with words

Tell him that's a great letter. :thumbsup:

"This is simply not the way we do business in Wisconsin. Our family of citizens is too important to be divided by one man, who seems to care more about his national political aspirations than about the people of our great state. He may think that his refusal to sit down and work together is a sign of strength, but it’s actually a complete and utter failure of leadership when we need it the most."





Bookmarking this thread

[No Elephants]

51. Reagan headed a union--was it SAG? It's related to why he switched from Dem to Pub

when McCarthy was hounding Hollywood and also how he met Nancy.

[disndat]

29. Walker and the Koch Bros.

are making Obama '12, a shoo-in.
Repeat after me! "The workers united will never be DEFEATED."

[LittleGirl]

30. Thank you for posting this

Watching the link with Michael Moore's speech was worth about 5 kleenexes. What a way to start a Sunday!

I have been keeping up with WI (as an Indiana Hoosier) because our state is trying to push the same agenda here. And the points Michael made, hit home and made me cry. We've had it.

Thanks again.

[Mulhane]

31. What corporation will do anything without an ironclad contract?

How's it happen that employees don't have the same right?

[nolabear]

35. Wonder if we can find those palm trees around here?

I'd gladly display one on my balcony in solidarity.

[howaboutme]

38. The target of protest needs redirected to Wall St

The people...average hard working people, have been manipulated by big money and politicians and the big media to attack and fight their own, instead of having their anger directed to where it rightfully belongs on Wall St. We should be marching by the millions and demanding that the bankers be held accountable for the economic destruction and that their personal wealth should be attached to help pay off our debt and help those that they screwed.

[bertman]

42. If this keeps up I might have to take my summer vacation in Wisconsin. REC. nt

[idrahaje]

43. Proof that Wisconsin still has their sense of humor...

Never lose that. Humor will beat out anger every day :) Very hard to beat up people who dancing and singing and catch this on video... This is partially the Egypt method. Peaceful rally's. Other parts of the world it won't work. (Libya) ie I assume someone was trying to provoke something but putting those bullets around.

[No Elephants]

54. I disagree with Moore. This is ALL about money. Union busting anywhere,

public or private, deprives unions of dues and collective bargaining fees. It also drives down salaries and benefits for everyone, public or private, union or not. It also drives down union memberships and the amount of dollars and effort unions can put into the Dem Parcty.

Of course, a non-liberal Dem Party is much less of a threat, which is probably why the Koh brothers donated to the DLC. However, ALL Dems simply must do certain things, like seeming to be, if not pro-union, then at least more pro-union than Pubs.

They could give a shit about your souls and dignity, one way or the other.

If your having your dignity made them richer, there'd probably even be laws about it. And, if it costs them no dollar, they'll happily bloviate about it, so as to seem to have hearts, much as they do with the troops.

As for your souls, fundies tend to vote Republicon, and Republicons are thought to be better for the rich. So, again, $.


The story I read in LBN yesterday, saying the Wisconsin 14 are reportedly negotiating for minor changes seemed ominous. I hope it's bs.

[lovuian]

56. They have awakened the sleeping giant

Woohoo
:woohoo: what do people have to lose

if they don't fight back ...they will lose everything

[G_j]

58. solidarity

!!

[myrna minx]

59. K&R n/t

[Major Hogwash]

60. I'll bet George Bush is watching at home wondering when a hurricane will hit Madison.

Because Katrina did such a good job for his administration.

[Corruption Winz]

63. Sometimes, Michael Moore can overstate things...

Due to passion behind an issue. This time... is not one of them. He's completely on the mark. There is plenty of money in this country, it's just in the hands of a select few.

[Mosaic]

66. And don't let corporate media

distract you with all the Charlie Sheen nonsense. Class war should be news 24/7, if we had a real media. We know we don't.

[Steerpike]

68. I love Michael Moore

MM is just the best there is! Gotta love that guy!

[I-LOVE-PELOSI]

69. Michael Moore is an ass!