The recent events in Madison have confirmed my belief that Democracy is under assault. Not from foreign terrorists, not from some drug lord, not from some mysterious Force of Evil. But, from our own democratically elected leaders.
Say what you will, Scott Walker was elected Governor of Wisconsin in a free election. The mid-term elections of 2010 saw astounding gains for Republicans across America. State Houses and Legislatures flipped to Republicans, shocking even old political hands at the ‘Red Tide’ that swept America.
Some of the most radical candidates imaginable won handily. In my beloved Arkansas, a white supremacist ‘sympathizer’ (read outright racist) was elected a State Representative. This man, Loy Mauch is an avowed ‘Confederate Revivalist.’ Another individual was a County GOP chair and when his racist sympathies were made public was forced to resign from his post. Miraculously, just weeks later, he was reappointed to a position of influence in the state GOP. It was either the fastest rehabilitation in history or he was just too valuable to the state party to lose.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my home state. My family came here in the 1850’s from North Carolina by way of Tennessee. You can interpret that geographical odyssey to mean just what it is; my ancestors were Scots-Irish mountain people. Fiercely independent, suspicious of government and the hardest working people you would ever want to meet. In my family research, I have documented over twelve close kinsmen who fought for the Confederacy in the ‘Great Unpleasantness’ that was the War Between the States. As far as I can figure, the bulk of them fought because they felt their homeland had been invaded, since none of them owned slaves. (Of course, there were the Conscription Acts which pretty much said, join the army or we’ll hang your ass.) So my ‘Confederate Credentials’ are impeccable.
That being said, I swore an oath in 1967 to support and defend, with my life if necessary, the Constitution of the United States of America. I am 62 years old; I have never renounced that oath, formally or informally. I participated in the killing of the people that my democratically elected leaders said were the enemies of my country. I have obeyed the laws of the land (well, mostly) all my life. I have served my country and my state as a public employee. I believe my loyalty to this nation is beyond question.
My grandfather raised me. My Mom and I lived with him and he was the only father I ever knew. He was one of the organizers of the Carpenters and Joiners Union Local in a small Arkansas lumber mill town in the ‘30’s. To describe him as a ‘mean son-of-a-bitch’ might border on under-statement. He was to put it mildly, a ‘Union Man,’ in my childhood, ‘working people’ were held up as the highest order of mankind. The ‘bosses’ were people who were ready to take anything they could and the devil take the hindmost. They were an enemy to be foiled at every turn.
The ‘Bosses’ have always been in charge and they will always be in charge. They have the power because they have the money. It’s that ‘Golden Rule’ – The guy that’s got the gold, makes the rules. But, here’s the thing – gold will not build a car, plow a field, nurse a sick patient or teach a child. Labor does that which gold cannot. The time-honored method for Labor to force the guy with the gold to change the rules is to withhold that labor; forcing the Boss to either eat his gold, or turn it loose in a fair and equitable manner. This country was built on the backs of Labor. Railroads and highways do not build themselves; hospitals do not run themselves; busses do not run themselves, everything requires Labor. Without Labor, everything comes to a screeching halt.
The only thing standing against Labor being treated fairly is fear. Fear of losing your job and throwing your family into poverty. Fear of displeasing the powerful and bringing retaliation. Fear of alienating friends and family by taking a radical stand for justice. However, when anger and frustration replace the fear, action is not long behind. It is time for action, not words. Our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin have shown us what democracy looks like. Let us follow their lead and stand up on our hind legs and fight the good fight!
Tonight I watched a ‘Progressive Revival Meeting.’ It was on Free Speech TV, streaming live from the Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI. I’m sure that you can watch parts or all of it on GriTV. It was the most inspirational political meeting I have ever seen. It was a collection of speakers that displayed a progressive fervor that has for so long been missing from our discourse. Dennis Kucinich, Laura Flanders, Jim Hightower, Rachel Conniff, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to name a few.
Here’s the link: http://www.grittv.org/
Dennis Kucinich gave one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard any politician deliver, including Barack Obama. To doubt this man’s passion is like denying the sunrise. No wonder the corporate media want to ignore him. He has been ‘the voice crying in the wilderness’ for years now. But in the light of the events in Madison, his message rings truer now than ever before.
I was mad before, now I am even madder. I am mad because our government is failing us. I am mad because so many Obama voters sat on the sidelines and handed our government, State and Federal over to a gang of thieves and liars; beholden only to their corporate masters. I am mad because in just about every state where the ‘Red Tide’ swept through, tax breaks for the rich and budget cuts for the poor are being passed every day.
So, I say, “If you ain’t mad as hell, you ain’t been paying attention!”
Updated by Arkieboy at Sun Mar 13, 2011, 04:15:09 PM
My thanks to all who have read this diary. I am not a formally educated man. I like to say that I am 'self-taught' and the instructor was an idiot. I don't usually get this much attention on my few diaries. But I have obviously hit a nerve with this one. In the comments I was given credit for the term 'Wisconsin Rebellion', but I heard it yesterday on the livestream from Madison... But, by God, a Rebellion is what we need! A peaceful, but no holds barred battle for the ballot box.
Updated by Arkieboy at Sun Mar 13, 2011, 04:15:20 PM
My thanks to all who have read this diary. I am not a formally educated man. I like to say that I am 'self-taught' and the instructor was an idiot. I don't usually get this much attention on my few diaries. But I have obviously hit a nerve with this one. In the comments I was given credit for the term 'Wisconsin Rebellion', but I heard it yesterday on the livestream from Madison... But, by God, a Rebellion is what we need! A peaceful, but no holds barred battle for the ballot box.