Margaret's Musings: Cast out the whole ‘bloody’ lot

Talk about it

If you think I am talking about voting out the recalled senators you are wrong. I am talking about Wisconsinites having the strength and fortitude to cast out the outside interests who invaded our state in February and remain fostering their own agenda, which is concerned with power on a national level.

I would like to hope that both Democrats, Republicans and the huge body of those of us in between would realize that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and our rightfully elected senators and legislators have become pawns in a much bigger game with national implications far beyond saving ‘workers’ rights.’

Every since I discovered and wrote a news story about national union leaders working in Hudson I have kept asking the question why, why, why are they here? No one has answered that question.

In fact, it seems odd that no one seems to think it unusual that thousands of out-of-town union workers were brought into Madison, many flown in from California and paid to protest, who subsequently destroyed property and in some cases have been cited and/or arrested 19 times and have yet to pay a fine. The icing on the cake for me was when the protesters interrupted a ceremony for Special Olympians held on the state Capitol grounds. Or most recently while still in session, our Senator Sheila Harsdorf had to withstand harassment, walking from her office to the senate chamber with ‘protestors’ hurling epithets at her. So is this civilized society?

SEIU leaders in Hudson, using megaphones to lead chants and yes, using intimidations tactics. SEIU leaders presenting themselves as representatives of the teachers union to the area clergy, and some of those very clergy members comparing our freely elected officials to Hitler.

Early on I received a left-hand written, anonymous note, comparing Scott Walker to Hitler. Shortly thereafter I listened to “Night” by Elie Wiesel. I would highly recommend this to anyone of you out there who has the audacity to compare anyone to Hitler, or to any of you who want a refresher on what can happen if history is not remembered and heeded. It is short, powerful and graphic.

The most obvious trail to track was SEIU, which by the way, has endorsed Shelly Moore, the recall candidate challenging Senator Harsdorf.

SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union. Bear with me as I connect the dots.

Under the leadership of Andy Stern, a “close, personal friend” of President Barack Obama, SEIU’s membership grew 30 percent, making it the largest union in the nation with 2.1 million members. Stern, now the president emeritus of SEIU, is credited with being the primary architect of President Obama’s healthcare reform, and ironically, 1.1 million of his union members are healthcare workers. Sort of like the rooster guarding the hen house. According to Wikipedia, he is a frequent visitor to the White House.

To make matters, in my opinion worse, one of the three Obama appointees to the National Labor Relations Board is former SEIU lawyer Craig Becker. The NLRB is suing Boeing, an American company, because it opened a production plant in South Carolina, in an American city, where it will hire hundreds American workers. President Obama has remained silent about this assault on the American jobs. I do not know what Boeing is paying, but the minimum wage in South Carolina is $7.25 per hour. Not the eight dollars per day recently quoted in a letter to the editor.

However, this is how politics works: reward those who gave you the power and in this case, SEIU is listed as one of the ten top heavy hitters in political donations, spending $27 million dollars in independent expenditures alone for Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign. Some reports say it spent over $85 million on democratic candidates in 2008. It is credited in large part for his election.

SEIU, along with ActBlue, the national education association of which Shelly Moore is a national director, and the American Education Association have all been soliciting funds to recall senators in Wisconsin. They are all listed in the heavy hitter category. It might be worth a visit to www.opensecrets.org. You may discover the fat cats in the political game are in fact the Democrats. Nearly all of the press releases we have received soliciting funds to recall the Republican senators funnel their money to ActBlue, which is an online clearing house for Democratic Action. ActBlue has raised over $80,000 for Shelly Moore. A small amount compared to what is expected to be coming into our area on her behalf.

Keep in mind I am presenting what I believe are essentially facts. You may personally decide how this information will or will not affect you or how you choose to act on it.

Along with the connect-the-dot adventure, I was recently given a copy of “Rules for Radicals,” by Saul Alinsky, which I have not finished reading yet. It is however, a well-known plan for revolution from within and an eye-opening primer on what is really going on in America. Again it is up to you as a citizen to determine if this is the path you want our country to take. The book and Alinsky’s theories of revolution were the subject of Hillary Clinton’s master’s thesis.

It is why and how SEIU National Union leaders came to be in Hudson. It is all part of how they operate. Convince the unsuspecting public that they are heroes riding in to rescue the downtrodden. All you have to do is look and you will find that the SEIU has been busy for years under Stern’s leadership, across the nation, from helping elect Democrats to writing pro-union legislation to battling for membership from other unions. Stern is quoted as saying he uses the power of persuasion and when that doesn’t work, he uses the persuasion of power.

On a side note, former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed into law in December of 2009, a bill requiring that the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process be incorporated into the state’s model academic standards for social studies.

I checked with Hudson School District’s curriculum director and she did responded that “Economics is a strand of the state Social Studies standards which are implemented K-12. The standards include: D.8.5: Give examples to show how government provides for national defense; health, safety and environmental protection; defense of property rights; and the maintenance of free and fair market activity. D.8.10: Identify the economics roles of institutions such as corporations and businesses, banks, labor unions, and the Federal Reserve System.”

Sometimes becoming informed is an uncomfortable position. Take it from me, my curiosity as to WHY has not provided me with much comfort. Before, the “mob” action took over our state, I was perfectly happy to listen to and appreciate MPR, imagine I was a middle of the roader and take refuge in that fact that I had friends and hopefully still do from both sides of the ever widening aisle.

Now I find I am carrying around and recommending “Demonic, How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America” by Ann Coulter and reading “Rules for Radicals,” sometimes under cover of a brown paper bag.

Remember, we do not have cable, thankfully and until I saw the word mob in the title of Coulter’s (who is a polarizing personality to be sure) book, I have never read or even recalled hearing her speak. However, since we have been experiencing mob behavior in our state I picked up the book when I was really looking for an escape novel. And guess what, this is almost as good. Well annotated and a fascinating look at history, and yes, the revelation of some facts. I would have been more comfortable not knowing.

We still have a choice as the recalls loom and take over our all too short summer in Wisconsin. You can stand up for democracy and cast out the outsiders or succumb to their plan for our country, which has more to do with power at the top than protecting our future. It is your personal decision. Some would say judgment to make.

Senator Harsdorf, as well as the other Republican Senators, need your support and votes.

As former Governor Thompson recently stated, “Recall elections are intended to divide communities.” This is exactly what the national players want, divide and conquer.

Wisconsin is a tipping point in a much larger game that reaches beyond our borders with implications for the very survival of our nation.

You decide. In the meantime becoming informed and enlightened has been worth the effort and it’s a fascinating journey that has just begun. I will continue to enjoy MPR and NPR even though I may not be as middle of the road as I thought.

Tags: opinion, columns, politics