March, 10 2011, 11:46am EDT
Wisconsin Struggle: Now Come the Tractors
The Wisconsin State Journal reports: "'General Strike!' Thousands Storm, Reoccupy Wisconsin Capitol in Response to Legislative Votes."
WASHINGTON
The Wisconsin State Journal reports: "'General Strike!' Thousands Storm, Reoccupy Wisconsin Capitol in Response to Legislative Votes."
ROBERT KRAIG
Kraig is executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. He has been at the Capitol in Madison and is closely following developments. He said today: "[Gov. Scott] Walker has been claiming that this is about the budget, but he's trying to ram this union-busting legislation through by removing the budget portions of it."
Kraig wrote the piece "Walker's National Guard comments a thinly veiled threat against workers."
BEN MANSKI
Manski is executive director of the Liberty Tree Foundation and a spokesperson for the new umbrella group Wisconsin Wave. He is a lifelong Wisconsinite and a public interest attorney. Manski said today: "Some who are claiming that the vote means things are over -- like the New York Times today -- could not be more out of touch. The resistance to what Walker is doing is broadening."
JOHN PECK
Peck is with Family Farm Defenders, which has announced that on Saturday: "Farmers from across the dairyland will bring tractors and solidarity to the [Wisconsin] capitol to fight for labor rights and a just state budget. Rural communities will be disproportionately hurt by the cuts to education and BadgerCare, as well as Gov. Walker's decision to eliminate funding for other sustainable agriculture initiatives such as the Buy Local Buy Wisconsin program."
KABZUAG VAJ
Vaj is a co-founder and current co-executive director of the group Freedom Inc. She is a long-time advocate for women of color and a Hmong refugee. Vaj and her family have been active community members in Madison for more than 25 years. She said today: "In the past few weeks we have been fighting for more than just workers rights. For Wisconsin's most vulnerable communities, i.e (communities of color, immigrants, children, and poor people), Walker's agenda eliminates services and creates laws that will destroy our quality of life in Wisconsin. Overturning current racial profiling laws, mascot laws and creating an Arizona-like [immigration] law in Wisconsin, Walker is indeed waging war on all of us."
Resource page, which includes a video feed: commondreams.org/wisconsin_rising
Community radio in Madison: https://www.wort-fm.org
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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