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Wisconsin Protests, Monday, February 21, 2011

by PR Watch Admin — February 21, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • TOM MORELLO IN MADISON, THE NIGHTWATCHMAN AND LEAD GUITARIST, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

    MOVE ON CALLS OUT GOVERNOR WALKER

    Move On, the Internet activist group, came to the aid of Wisconsin today, calling Walker out for saying he had received "19,000" emails in support of his proposal to end collective bargaining when some 200,000 people had taken to the streets this past week. Move On sent an alert to its Wisconsin members asking them to send an email to Walker letting him know how they feel, stay tuned for the count. Excerpt from the Move On alert:

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Sunday, February 20, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 20, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 1:00 a.m. - From Ben Manski: Police have stopped removing materials after TAA and other activists talked to them. Officers who were removing signs, etc were from new jurisdictions. New signs and materials, banners, etc, will be needed
    tomorrow.

    8:00 p.m. - The Associated Press is reporting that Ian's Pizza in Madison has received 40 calls as supporters across the nation have sent $2,500 worth of pizza to the capitol. Where are the cheese curds? The Huffington Post reports that some of the pizzas were sent from supporters in Egypt.

    5:06 p.m. - Brendan Fischer reports that pizza, water and bagels are still being handed out, and that rally leaders are reiterating the message that the protest must be kept peaceful, and that the Capitol must be treated with respect.

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Saturday, February 19, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 19, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 8:00 p.m. - Signing off.

    Saturday's rallies were the largest yet! News reports have put the number of Walker protesters at the Capitol today at 70-80,000 compared to 3-5,000 for Tea Party participants.

    5:00 p.m. - TEA PARTY RALLY

    Brendan Fischer reports on the Tea Party rally:

    In what appears to be the largest day of protests yet, opponents of the budget repair bill filled the capitol square and paraded through packed streets while Walker supporters, Tea Party members, and conservative activists congregated in the state capitol's East spur. Approaching the spur at the height of the noon rally (organized by the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity), a deafening mix of competing chants ("Kill the bill!" "Pass the bill!" "Si se puede!" "What's disgusting? Union busting!") made it difficult to hear the speakers.

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Friday, February 18, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 18, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 10:30 p.m. - Mary Bottari: WI Congressional Rep. Paul Ryan who was far from the protests in Washington this week, said disapprovingly that WI was beginning to look a lot like Cairo. Today, one person responded with a sign in 20 degree weather: "I thought Cairo would be warmer."

    10:00 p.m. - ASSEMBLY'S ABRUPT ADJOURNMENT CAPS CHAOTIC DAY IN CAPITOL

    A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter gives a dramatic account of what happened on the Assembly floor today:

    The Assembly teetered on the brink of chaos Friday evening but then adjourned peacefully after Republicans rescinded a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill that the GOP lawmakers took without Democrats present.

    In the Wisconsin Assembly on Friday, Republican leaders had called lawmakers to the floor at 5 p.m. to take up Walker's bill to fix a budget shortfall by cutting public worker benefits and bargaining rights. But they began business just before that hour, when Democrats were not yet on the floor.

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Thursday, February 17, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 17, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 9:30 p.m. - IN THREE WORDS: DECEPTIVE, DISHONEST, DESTRUCTIVE

    Mary Bottari: Outside the capitol, I bumped into UW Professor (Law, Political Science, Sociology, Public Affairs) Joel Rogers and asked him to explain the budget number to me. The national media can't seem to decide if Wisconsin has a budget deficit or not, or whether $30 million in concessions being demanded from workers is significant or not. Rogers explained that the $3.5 billion shortfall projected over the next biennium is about half what the one projected last time, which Wisconsin survived, and that $30 million was both trivial and dwarfed by new concessions unions had already offered to make. Says Rogers, "you just can't make sense of this as a deficit reduction strategy. It's a political strategy. Destroy public sector unions and you destroy the campaign organization of your opposition, Democrats. Of course he won't ever just say this." Rogers thinks the budget repair bill is "in three words: deceptive, dishonest, destructive. Deceptive because its not what people elected him to do. He's got no mandate to take away worker rights. Dishonest because unions are really not the source of our budget problems. A lousy national economy is, and unions are anxious to work with him in surviving in it. They're really not the problem, but can be part of the solution. And it's destructive because their help is needed. Nothing is gain by blowing up a 50 year tradition of public sector collective bargaining that was born in Wisconsin and gives a lot of people a great deal of civic pride."

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 16, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 10:10 p.m. - GOOD OLE DAYS

    Mary Bottari reports that another protestor says she yearns for the good old days when republicans were somewhat reasonable.

    10:00 p.m. - WEAC INVITES TEACHERS AND CITIZENS TO CAPITOL

    Wisconsin's largest teacher's union, Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), announced that its 98,000 teachers and citizens across the state are invited to the state capitol tomorrow to visit their state legislators. This means that schools across the state will be closed. Check your local TV listings for news on your local school district. Madison Schools are closed.

    We're Better Looking and Easier to Talk To

    by PR Watch Admin — February 9, 2009 - 4:41pm

    Media and democracy can mean a lot of things -- getting rid of payola pundits, ensuring disclosure of fake news and challenging government propaganda. But it also means using technology to further democratize new media. That’s one goal of our newly-redesigned website.

    One of the first things you'll probably notice is the three feature boxes on the home page.

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