Think Gettysburg:
Gettysburg was a battle in a war over federalism and states’ rights — in this case the dubious and odious “right” to treat human beings as chattel — a cause that has given the phrase a notorious name for over a century and a half. Madison (ironically, named after a Founder and drafter of the Constitution) is also a battle over states’ rights — in this case the right of a state to rein in the new slaveholders — public employee unions who extort taxpayers to give them better wages and benefits than those who provide their funding by threatening to shut down vital services if their demands aren’t met. And this time, the new slavemasters are being supported by Washington. Let us hope that in this new civil (so far) civil war, in the cold winter battle of Madison, unlike on that hot July day in southern Pennsylvania, the rebels against the central government win, because this time, it will be in defense of human liberty.
Is it okay to call this a “new civil (so far) civil war”?
Because I was told doing so makes one a fringe extremist who polite society must self-righteously shun.
At any rate, I don’t think it very helpful. Truth is oftentimes messy and ugly: shouldn’t we therefore just do the civil thing and pretend that what we’re witnessing play out on the streets in Madison (and soon in other cities) is a just a kind of friendly battle over competing ideas — and not something that is, on an existential level, a very real battle for our country’s being?
I mean, we as a political movement want to attract “moderates” and “independents,” right? And we all know that such people are too stupid to understand anything that ventures beyond basic, milquetoast cant…
First!
Under the Gettysburg analogy, is Gov. Walker the modern-day Joshua chamberlain?
It’s a balancing act, attracting new voters to primitive ideologies.
I mean the founders were OK for the time, but we got internet and stuff, so we’re like, smarter now.
Plus it’s hard to scare people with threats of lost liberty, when I can watch any fucking movie I want!
Woe!, I got a little rush there.
So, to sum up, I think we need a snazzy slogan and a theme song. It’s a sad fact of life, but you ain’t selling noth’in without a snazzy slogan and a theme song.
Down with Hitler!
Stating the truth is not fringe extremism.
At least, it isn’t once that truth has been uttered by a fringe extremist, thereby granting you permission to go ahead and speak the truth. And conveniently allowing you to avoid crediting an earlier source.
Ain’t the inertubes grand!
And, not to take anything away from Walker, but there are few, if any moments in American history that can be compared to Chamberlain’s actions on that second day. Without his command the entire Union position could have been flanked, rolled up, and the entire town lost. There probablt would have been no third day, nor a Pickett’s charge, just another ignoble Union defeat in a long line of them.
[W]e as a political movement want to attract “moderates” and “independents,” right?
The problem with having moderates and independents in your line is that they’re always getting flanked. They don’t know how to refuse the line. Consequently, they’re always getting rolled up when you need them to stand and make a fight.
ThomasD: yes, it was a singular moment. It’s not too much of a stretch to say Chamberlain may well have saved the Union from losing the whole she-bang-a-bang right then and there. It’s fair to say that the Confederates quite certainly would have rolled up the Union lines had he not held, as they were, indeed, trying to flank.
Ernst: good way to fit the analogy. It also demonstrates the necessity of those moderates and independents. Chamberlain was singularly spectacular because he was standing on the flank of lots of ordinary men. Without that flank to stand on, his stand would have been spectacular, but ultimately fruitless.
Fire the doctors who are filling out fake medical excuses (if you can come out into 40 degree weather and scream bullshit you are not sick) the ones that work at work at the UW Hospital are on the states dime.
Fire all the teachers who expect us to pay for bogus sick days.
It is fraud.
What sort of example to the kids is a teacher who defrauds the system?
Fire them. If they are on TV or bring an excuse signed by one of the stealing motherf***** MD’s.
Bye.
Go work in North Dakota GTFO
Why we have to fight: the government unions…
Not yet a Gettysburg. This fight is not yet physical to the point of 7,500 deaths. Let’s hope that never happens again on our home soil. But this fight will have significant consequences, as many people’s eyes will be opened. We may never see unions the same way again.
“We may never see unions the same way again.”
There is a different way to see them than as they are?
Well, not us. The vast majority of unwashed others.
So consider yourself shunned you civil warmonger you. But hey! “Polite society” is highly overrated. Do you know any members of polite society? I certainly don’t, but I’ve a feeling they’d be terrible bores. All sniffy, with their little pinkies in the air and doilies on the furniture. Sorts who’d serve a nice non-alcoholic fruit punch at their Superbowl party.
When you think about it, being shunned by polite society is a mark of honor…. Well, unless they’re shunning you for wearing your wife’s girly jeans. They have a point about that.
Swen has a great point. Polite Society IS highly overrated.
Sure, til you want your wife to run down to the store and get you some ice cream.
Some people just prefer latin-root words to greek. Sure, they had the NAMBLA thing going too, but unlike the greeks at least the Romans weren’t all gay about it.
Neil Young and Woody Guthrie are cocksuckers too. There is nothing romantic about union thuggery.
There is nothing romantic about union thuggery.
Left-wing violence is groovy. All the cool college kids aren’t running around with Che Guevara t-shirts for nothing.
Also, as long as we’re making Civil War analogies, I’ll just point out that the South won at Bull Run, and Chancellorsville, and Second Manassas, and so on. And it made no difference. The Anaconda and the North’s advantage in population and industrial capacity meant that eventually the South would lose. If the Union didn’t turn back Lee at Gettysburg then they would have at the next battle, or the one after, or the one after that.
So, uh, which side are we again?
Anystreet.org just sent out an email announcing counter-protests at all the “solidarity” protests the SEIU is planning at state capitols around the country this week.
Check with your local tea party or Anystreet.org for more info on where you can go to show your support for Governor Walker.
My grandfather was an organizer for the UMW back in the 20s and 30s, that is the stuff folk singers like to romantisize. That has jackshit to do with what is happening now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1iR2Wi3u5o
Just sayin
h/t alargeregular.com
Bonn Scott has been dead for 30 years. 30 years.
Bmoe, my dad was a shop steward at Lockheed in Marietta when they went through some serious strikes. And I do mean serious.
When he retired, they were about to go on strike on something he just couldn’t understand, and my dad is truly brilliant. He gave a speech explaining why this was not the time. They laughed at my dad, he quit, 4 days later they caved.
We’re umpiring together today. It’s opening day. He don’t miss it one bit.
I hate the wording “states’ rights”. People have rights; governments have powers. If those powers act to secure those rights, they are just powers.
The distinction is crucial in the context of a debate on what “rights” government employees should have. I submit that there are no rights of government employees qua government employees. No one has any right to wield power over others (which is what governments do). There is no “right to be a government employee”, whether the office in question be “sanitation worker”, “President of the United States”, or anything between. In a Republic, the powers of government are restrained. That means that when one accepts a government job, that includes accepting limitations on how the power inherent in that job will be used.
And that means that you accept that as a government employee, you will not have the same liberty as you have as a private citizen. Gov. Walker is trying to place limits on government employees that will benefit the citizens of Wisconsin. This is entirely consistent with a Constitutional Republic, which is why the Proglodytes despise him so.