Wisconsin - Republicans crash recall event. Damages done to property.

[Scuba]

From Madison.com:

Supporters of GOP senator crash recall challenger’s event

Tensions were high and one man’s camera was busted in Baraboo on
Thursday as supporters of Republican Sen. Luther Olsen — who is
facing recall — disrupted a press conference organized by
Democrats.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_1049de64-6c83-11e0-857f-001cc4c002e0.html

[Oceansaway]

1. k & r...nt

[lonestarnot]

2. At what point do we say we have had enough of your shit and stop

looking like cowering flakes. Why isn't the camera dude going to press charges? Did the fuck who fucked up the camera look a little worse for his "error in judgment?"

[hayu_lol]

3. This is where 'it' will start...

at some point, at some time, at some event where the pressure has mounted to the breaking point...repugnants will get knocked on their collective asses.

If our leadership cannot see us, hear us--and they have not, then the gloves have to come off if we are to survive as a nation.

[Zorra]

12. The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike

(If a lot of us start researching and discussing methods of peaceful directdirect action, and use our imaginations to invent new actions and form a consensus as to how to most effectively employ mass peaceful direct action, we can bring the plutocrats to their knees with the least amount of pain to real people)

The Settlement

Fearing that the strike would spread to other cities, the Federal Government of Canada ordered Senator Gideon Decker Robertson to mediate the dispute. After hearing both sides, Robertson settled in favour of the strikers and encouraged City Council to accept the civic employee's proposal. Bolstered by their success, the labour unions would use striking again to gain other labour and union reforms.

The 1919 General Strike

The Royal Commission which investigated the strike concluded that the strike was not a criminal conspiracy by foreigners and suggested that "if Capital does not provide enough to assure Labour a contented existence ... then the Government might find it necessary to step in and let the state do these things at the expense of Capital."

This strike is now considered the largest general strike in Canadian history and debated to be the largest in North America.<9>

Organized labour thereafter was hostile towards the Conservatives, particularly Meighen and Robertson, for their forceful role in putting down the strike. Combined with high tariffs in the federal budget passed in the same year (which farmers disliked), this contributed to the Conservatives' heavy defeat in the 1921 election. The succeeding Liberal government, fearing the growing support for hard left elements, pledged to enact the labour reforms proposed by the Commission.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_General_Strike

[MedleyMisty]

15. Wow

They used the conspiracy by foreigners propaganda back then too?

Sad to see socialists and labor rights people falling for that ages old propaganda in relation to Libya.

But yeah - I totally agree with your point. But it looks like first we're going to have to break through some denial. Too many people still think that voting is the way to go.

I've noticed that a lot of people default to "Vote for Democrats or take up arms." It's like peaceful civil disobedience and strikes don't even enter into their thought process. There's only the status quo or violence. So we have a lot of educating to do, first to even just introduce the idea, much less explain it and how it works and get it organized.

But I'm up to it. Because the life of the planet is at stake, and that is worth everything.

[defendandprotect]

10. The response to this has to be coming from law enforcement --

because it is the rightwing which will thrive on this violence --

just as they did in 2000!

And, it must come from our Democratic Party -- but will it?

What response did they make in 2000?

[Doctor_J]

20. When a few dozen teabaggers

are hauled off in body bags. Not before.

[QED]

4. This reminds me the thugs protesting FL recounts in 2000

[mfcorey1]

5. kick

[flamingdem]

6. Exactly what I thought reading this nt

[drm604]

7. Yes. I wonder who these "supporters" were

and if they're even residents of Wisconsin.

[BIGFOOTSDADDY333]

9. tom delay's staffers and the izod rebellion

[defendandprotect]

8. Could we be more paralleling Hitler's rise ... ???

The people the right wing has sent in now are the bottom of the barrel thugs

ready to do anything --

from the 2000 GOP fascist rally to stop the vote counting in Miami-Dade County --

to the T-Baggers -- the only way the rightwing can rise is by violence!


And, we've had more than 50 years of rightwing political violence --

coming out into the open on 11/22/63 when they not only took our president, but

also took our people's government.

[socialist_n_TN]

29. My first thought defend was.......

"Can we call them Brown Shirts yet?"

[meow mix]

11. calling in the brown shirts

must be feeling desperate lol

[Cascadian]

13. Welcome to the new reality!

Expect to see more of this. Wisconsin has become a prime flashpoint in the new kind of tension. It won't get better, it is going to get worse. I would advise all progressives and lefties to start carrying baseball bats and bricks to defend ourselves.





John

[SlimJimmy]

14. Absolutely not. Carrying weapons is the last thing we, as progressives, need to do.

I find it amazing that a progressive would even recommend such a thing.

[Cascadian]

16. To defend ourselves.

It's getting dangerous out there! The days of the hippies and Kumbyah are over! We as progressives NEED to start preparing to defend ourselves and fight back if the time demands. I am sick of this flower child business! What has it gotten us? NOWHERE!

John

[SlimJimmy]

18. BS in the extreme. Say what you want, but the teabaggers don't generally

carry weapons to their rallies. A few very isolated cases does not make arming ourselves necessary. If you want things to escalate out of control, keep advocating this type of behavior. But I won't.

[Cascadian]

19. I don't know if you noticed but it's getting scary out there!

I am not escalate the situation, I am talking about defending one's own self against any potential attack. I not going to sit down, hold hands, and sing Kumbyah while some right-wing nut job beats the crap out us. I am going to stand up for myself.

John

[SlimJimmy]

26. I can't believe for one second that you are advocating bringing baseball bats to rallies. That is

beyond what any decent person would ever contemplate. Is this the kind of thing you would tell your son, daughter, or grandchild to do? Is this the message that progressives want to send to America?

[defendandprotect]

39. I'm with you ... and I presume you read about the attack on the RECALL rally -- ????

Haven't read all of that thread myself -- but hope to catch up with it again!!

One of my major concerns re the T-baggers was the further aggression beyond

other rw groups -- we started with Pat Buchanana/GE debate agggression -- bigotry

being made mainline - and here we are all the way to the T-baggers bringing rifles

and guns in their boots to political rallies -- Democratic Town Hall Meetings!!

It's the "sprark" the rw is looking for -- violence to create more confusion and

polarization --

and they've repeated this from the GOPs radicalization of the NRA to the violence

of the "pro-lifers" - and no one has stopped them yet!!

GOPs/NRA targeted not only liberal and moderates in the Democratic Party, but also

the GOP's own liberals and moderates -- thereby handily moving the Congress/nation

to the right!


:)

[Doctor_J]

22. Someone's nbeen listening to Limpballs too much

teabaggers are almost always armed, and they don't mind waving guns at people they don't agree with.

[SlimJimmy]

27. In your feversh mind maybe. But I have seen no such evidence of any of that. I just

can't believe that any progressive would advocate bringing a baseball bat to a rally.

[defendandprotect]

40. It's enough to be concerned with ... but response should not be VIOLENCE ....

[Doctor_J]

21. There ya go

let's just keep running away when they attack. We'll be just like Gandhi! :sarcasm:

[SlimJimmy]

25. Out of all of the "tea parties" that have been held over the last few years,

how many Democrats have been attacked? Give me a break. This is just a ridiculous line of thought, and doesn't help our position one bit.

[socialist_n_TN]

30. ANYBODY that HAS been attacked since Kennedy

has been on the left. Keep your head in the sand if you want, but I'm going to react like the MILITANT left does when attacked. I'll defend myself. I'm a big believer in self defense.

[SlimJimmy]

32. I am more than capable of defending myself. But I will never advocate bringing a baseball bat to a

rally. That is not a progressive value.

[socialist_n_TN]

34. According to the RWers, we're supposed to be a bunch

of pacifist wimps too. It sounds like you're trying to reinforce that stereotype. The old time union enforcers used to keep order in the meetings with sticks. Do you think that this type of disruption of the left is new? It's as old as the capitalism/socialism battle itself.

So Jimmy are you going to be able to defend yourself against a RWer with a baseball bat with your bare hands? I've trained in self defense for 30 years and all I'll say is that I MIGHT be able to do it. Could you?

I won't bring a knife to a gun fight. It'll be graduated response, but if they want to up the ante, I'll be in.

[SlimJimmy]

36. Yes, I can defend myself. And that's all I'll say about that. As far as bringing a

baseball bat to a rally, I will never do it, and I will never advocate that anyone else does either. And to the old time union leadership using sticks to keep order at meetings. That went out thirty years ago.

[socialist_n_TN]

37. 30 years ago they didn't need sticks to keep

the provocateurs in line. They weren't that bold yet. That was more like 70 or 80 years ago, but the RW is making all that's old new again.

If they're going to play brown shirt, I WILL NOT be cowed. And if they want to dance, we'll dance.

[SlimJimmy]

38. Then have at it. If I'm attacked (which is highly unlikely) I'll defend myself.

But I'm not going in looking for a fight. Your mileage may vary.

[LiberalAndProud]

28. As for me, I will follow Gandhi's example. YMMV.

[ejbrush]

17. I do not carry a weapon on my person.

I do, however, have a gym sock in my coat pocket. Which, by coincidence, has about 12 ounces of #4 birdshot inside.

[upi402]

23. Union thugs my ass

When RWers accuse liberals of something... it means that's exactly what they're up to.

[WillyT]

24. K & R !!!

:kick:

[socialist_n_TN]

31. OK, if they're going to play the brown shirt game.........

we can put enforcers out there too. This kind of thing just pisses me off to the max. And I WILL defend myself and others. I'm trained that way.

[xchrom]

33. Please, don't defend me.

I will never to defende me or the cause.

[socialist_n_TN]

35. I can't promise that.

It's been indoctrinated into me to defend somebody who's getting beat up. Anyway, I HATE bullies.

[mountainlion55]

41. Flying Squads

Flying squads were used by strikers against scab thugs. The squads were comprised of people who had the balls to literally fight the goons!
We must become much more militant in our protests. People have to be willing to get hurt if you really want change. Money never sleeps and it wants to make you a slave!!!:mad:

[socialist_n_TN]

42. Yep. They won't pay attention otherwise............

If you're not willing to defend yourself and be arrested for your cause, it's not much of a cause.


MUCH MORE MILITANT. Now that doesn't necessarily mean violence, but we can't shrink from violence in self defense.

BTW, welcome to DU.

[Drew Richards]

43. Agression vrs Passivity..how about just Security instead?

I too am getting fed up and wishing to respond to violence in kind but,

My rational side has a different solution...

How about we start seeding these meetings with hired, bonded under-cover security personnel armed with tasers to "remove" these outside agitators...

before you go crying "don't tase me bro"

This seems to be legal and less destructive than shoulder strikers with bats that are not licensed, bonded and trained to deal with violence.

And the Republicans have been doing this with paid off duty police for years now.

Just my two cents :)