Yesterday I blogged about my preparations for
the Denver rally held in support of Wisconsin workers.
Today I am back with a full report.
The good news: the weather was beautiful and lots of sane people showed up.
The bad news: a bunch of ill-informed, resentful people also made an appearance
(one person even self-identifying as an extremist):
Here’s the very first photo I took from the lower steps (apparently at the exact moment
everyone’s arms got tired and they lowered their signs):
I got there a couple minutes late and was on the outer fringes of main crowd and speeches,
but my little sign was an immediate hit:
(I was interviewed by Jonathan Brown of NPR/CPR
but have not tracked down his report so don’t know if I made the cut.)
However, not everyone understood by my sign that I supported workers and their
right to collective bargaining. When I walked silently past the anti-union crowd on my
way out, one man said about my sign, "That’s a good one." I was stunned until
I looked at my photos later on and saw this:
(And yes, those are Colorado State Patrol officers.
They formed a line between the groups, appearing simultaneously bored and tense).
Here’s a sampling of the support and goodwill flowing from Colorado to Wisconsin
(and other states preparing for their own union-busting assaults) . . .
And, perhaps the day’s most compelling argument:
It was a good day and I’m so glad I rallied.
Zippy joined me, and we ran into other friends (Happy Birthday again, Ron!)
and I hope the brave people in Wisconsin don’t back down
in the face of Governor Walker’s ideological war on unions.
(Lest there be any doubt this stand-off has nothing to do with budget deficits and everything to do
with ideology, follow the story regarding billionaire Tea Party-backer David Koch and Gov Walker).
Also, please remember: The unions early-on accepted the wage and benefits reductions;
they are only demanding their right to collective bargaining.
Wisconsin, we are with you!
All good thoughts headed your way . . .
I thought your sign could be for either group depending on where one saw greed in action … but good you were out in support ;o)
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It never occurred to me people might misconstrue my sign. The good news is I had the sign with me again at Saturday’s rally, and no one had a problem. 🙂
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