Wisconsin Progressives: Our Rights Are at Risk
The Capital Times, Madison, WI
Wisconsin's
annual gathering of progressives, Fighting Bob Fest, named for Robert
M. La Follette (pictured above), took place this weekend. Are tyranny
and oppression here to stay in the good ol' US of A?
“We have
long rested comfortably in this country upon the assumption that
because our form of government was democratic, it was therefore
automatically producing democratic results,” wrote Robert M. La
Follette in 1912. But, he cautioned, “Tyranny and oppression are just
as possible under democratic forms as under any other.”
Nine decades later, La Follette's warning seems prophetic.
The
current administration in Washington and its minions in Congress and
state capitols across the country in recent years confirmed the
concerns expressed by the former Wisconsin governor and senator about
the vulnerability of the nation's democratic institutions. We see the
evidence of their nefarious intent in the vile Patriot Act, which
allows federal officials to enter the homes of Americans without
presenting search warrants, to bug our phones and computers, and to
review our library records.
(Click here to read the rest of the editorial.)
Crowd Roars as Speakers Bash Bush
The Capital Times, Madison, WI
BARABOO – For the progressive political junkie it was ecstasy – 10
hours of adrenaline during a crucial but insecure political season.
About 3,500 people gathered Saturday at the Sauk County Fairgrounds on
the outskirts of Baraboo for the third annual Fighting Bob Fest, a free
celebration honoring the memory of the revered Wisconsin populist
progressive Robert M. “Fighting Bob” La Follette.
…U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, served up a keynote address that verbally annihilated President George W. Bush.
First, he needled Republicans.
“Six weeks until Election Day and there's still one question we haven't
heard from Republicans: Are you better off today than you were four
years ago?” Harkin said.
“Bush has driven this country into a ditch at home and a quagmire
abroad. He's driven the country deeper into debt and deficit. He's
driven over our Bill of Rights and the U.N. Charter like it was so much
trash in the streets,” he continued.
“If Bush had been a truck driver he would have had his license pulled for being a habitual reckless driver a long time ago.”
(Read the complete article here.)
Thanks to Don Jones in Madison for this article.
Blog For Iowa 