The war started in earnest tonight

[MannyGoldstein]

Negotiations are over, the skirmishing has begun. Massed troops are now pouring into the field of battle.

They've been planning for this moment for years. We have not.

They have experienced generals. We do not.

But we have truth, and we are in the right. We can win, but it will be long and brutal, and we can rely only on ourselves.

Godspeed, Working America.

[mike_c]

1. SOLIDARITY!

We will win!

[wial]

2. oh don't worry

we're going to kick their asses this way to Tuesday.

[Bandit]

32. Just like we did last November?????

:shrug: I only hope America has finely awakened to what these Republicans are truly about.. It is not for a better America, that is apparent to almost all.

[midnight]

3. Do we have the law on our side?

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Right now, not so much

We've allowed crazies to sit at the Supreme Court, and that is the Law.

[XanaDUer]

4. For what it's worth

the majority of Americans are really against these policies embodied by Walker, Rick Scott, et al.

[RagAss]

5. You know what?

We're already dead...so good luck stopping us !

[Scruffy1]

36. I agree, learned my death song long ago.

The main function of life was never about the individual but about the survival of the group, species, tribe, family or social unit. Besides the world will get along fine without me and at my age death is more imminent anyway. But then of course I've always been crazy and given to fantasies like equality, fairness, justice and freedom.

[malaise]

7. Solidarity Forever

Go Wisconsinites!!

[Drale]

8. The only reason they seem to be winning is because of Fox

we need to make it our #1 goal to get Fox taken off the air by any means necessary. You kill the shepard and the sheep are leaderless.

[RandomThoughts]

9. I think things will work out.

Although I usually don't comment on names, when I see a name in some context it is a comment on my perception of what that name means, so not about the individuals but about the concept as I understand the use of the names.


So I went to the barber, guy who has cut my hair since I was very young, (literally, not metaphoric Samson reference)

While I was at the barber shop, getting a trim, I look down at the place you put your foot on when sitting in the chair, it said Kochs. No joke, I chuckled, looked at the wall, and there was a few things on the wall of the barber shop. I thought it odd the Kochs name being a foot stool, so I look around the shop.

Saw a few things.

A milk man flyer with a familiar face on it.
A plaque with "Die hard fan on it"
And some notice on the notes board "friend to friend"

Then there was the model tin can air planes all over the barber shop, but that is another story. :)
Literally a guy makes tin can airplanes out of beer and soda cans, the barber said the guy has made 1000s of them over the years.

His name was also there, 20$ air planes, made by Bob Yearwood. The Magnificent Seven reference in that is awesome!


So I am confident :D


True story.

[Lucinda]

23. :)

:hi:

[bvar22]

10. !

Who represents THIS American Majority?

Rhetoric,, promises, and excuses mean NOTHING.
"By their WORKS you will know them."

[Major Hogwash]

34. This all started with Bush during debates with Gore; he said "I don't have to accept your numbers."

No, he just pulled other numbers out of his ass and look where we are now!!

[wiggs]

11. If rules were broken to pass this law, and it appears that might be the case, then

I'd like to see union attorneys, or ACLU, show up tomorrow in front of a judge and get an injunction against the gop gov signing the bill...or against the bill taking effect.

can be done.

In the meantime, recall. Strike. March.

You are right, they've been preparing for this for decades and with billions of dollars invested in think tanks, media outlets, lobbying, etc. They did it for moments like these, to stop a popular outrage from getting started.

[ejbrush]

12. Fix. Bayonets.

N/T

[Horse with no Name]

13. There was a time when "they" had experienced Generals

And "we" did not:





I have faith here!

[MannyGoldstein]

14. And Lee was ultimately beaten by Grant

But those are the exceptions. Let's pray for another exception.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I will only qualify it

the war has been joined.

They won the battle, but now that the war has finally been joined...

As to experienced generals... they are emerging as we speak.

[MannyGoldstein]

16. They took the hill, but the battle is not yet lost

Let's see if they can keep it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Exactly, they won this battle but the war has just begun

[NightWatcher]

18. it's only a war if The People fight back, without that it's just the same old slaughter

[eilen]

19. We can import some experienced hands

H1B some strike leaders from France, Tunisia, Egypt.

These Wisconsinites, many old German stock-- don't piss them off, stubborn as hell once you put a bee in their bonnet (which takes a lot to do). More stubborn than mules and that is stubborn. They won't give up until they have satisfaction.

[jimlup]

20. I don't know if the retoric of "war" is a little too strong but I wonder

if this is indeed the first shot in a new American Civil war. And I'm not exaggerating ...

SHIT!!!!!!

[readmoreoften]

22. It's not too strong. Strikes are wars. Important wars.

The only wars that can really change anything for the better, actually.

[Zax2me]

21. Kick. REC.

[Lifelong Protester]

24. K & R

another serious over reach that must be met by us, the people.

I'm in.

[lonestarnot]

25. K & R It's on!

[upi402]

26. We have the numbers and they are incapable of doing their own work

It's a result of the lazy political apathy in America that makes it necessary.

[deacon]

27. Solidarity. n/t

[dreamnightwind]

28. I don't like the war meme

I was sick during the Egypt revolt, streamed Al Jazeera the whole time, for a week or so. I saw bravery, courage, insistence, ingenuity, brotherhood/sisterhood, and 1 bad-ass battle that lasted a day or so, where the people stood their ground, without weapons, and refused to back down.

What I did not see, was a war. They did it right, and it worked.

War feeds right into the power structure. They're incredibly well-armed and ready for war. And they'll find a way to turn us against each other in a war, left against right. We don't want that path.

It just takes enough determined people, to stand up and insist on change, in the streets, shutting down business as usual, refusing violence unless clearly attacked, refusing to give in no matter what.

Millions of us, in the streets, in the capitols, in the banks, in the television stations.

[tavalon]

29. Yes, it did

But if Wisconsin workers remain non violent and non mobile, then workers have won this war already.

[Wisconsin_2_Nation]

30. We are smart, they are not

We have the numbers, they have none.

WE have strength on our sides, they are cowards.

We have God on our side(who has been waiting patiently for this moment to help empower us)...they have the devil's minions.

We have the true American spirit filling our souls...they have no soul.

It is pretty clear who is going to win here, and throughout the nation. It is only a matter of time.

Thank you Wisconsin for jump starting the second American Revolution!!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

31. Power to the people

the real people

[felix_numinous]

33. Peaceful protests by more and more people

and the support of uniformed law enforcement and army will get us where we need to go. We need to find common ground with the men and women in uniform, so that we have something to bargain with. That is what stopped the war in Viet Nam, the soldiers refused to fight.

I am not saying this is easy, but as long as men and women can be recruited to follow orders to turn against their own families, then we are in trouble. We have to appeal to everyone, people in government, people in law, people in intelligence--everyone--to see what is happening in this country, and get law enforcement on our side. Just my 2 cents.

[dreamnightwind]

35. Dream Act

They'll entice soldiers from poorer nations with citizenship as a reward.

[Scruffy1]

37. The reason I think peaceful protests will fail.

The legislature has already passed or will soon pass the union busting bill. Even if is later thrown out by the courts
it will get passed in a different version. I'm not pinning much hope on the recall, either. Getting people out to a special election is tough and the opposing candidates need to be glory getters. But the real problem with elections is that the fascists have so much power and control that opposing candidates can just play I'm not as bad as him and get away with it. The whole electoral process has shifted to the center right.
The crowds assembled in Madison have not changed the vote one bit. They just look out their window and say "So what, we have the power." If it turns violent the media will finally start giving the story some coverage and the Pres can say something like "A pox on both their houses" (FDR).
The only possible solution is to organize labor in mass-both union and currently non union and develop enough solidarity in the working class to make politicians very afraid. Scott Walker was just being factual when he told "DavidKoch" that a hundred thousand protesters was a drop in the bucket out of several million citizens. This is partly because union membership has dwindled below the Mendoza line. Until we can organize more workers in the low wage service sectors we will have little power. Labors position is about where it was in 1900 with the Knights of Labor being the aristocrats of labor and little industrial or service sector organizing. The main difference is public sector employees and the goal is to take away their power, leaving only a few construction trades being organized
Having said all that I will be in Madison this weekend to help organize for a general strike. But make no mistake, we have allowed the fascists to seize power and they will never give an inch. It will be a long hard struggle with a lot of suffering in order to reestablish the rights of workers. It will take dedicated organizers and committed workers willing to go the extra mile to actually change things.
I speak from over forty years of trying to stop wars and being a union organizer.
Solidarity Forever

[felix_numinous]

38. I wonder if this will turn to a general strike.

There are so many union workers, it would put a stop to things like trucking and trash pick up, and so many others. This could escalate especially if people start to join and form new unions. People together can refuse to work, refuse to be a part of their machine.

It seems like there is a 'Stage 2' to this standoff.