Standing Up To A Bully

... into the spirit of his role [Hitler] in
"You Can't Do Business With Hitler"
is Abrasha Robofsky...
Office of War Information radio play, c. 1942.
Photographer: Howard Liberman
Library of Congress FSA/OWI archive

And you can't do business with Republicans.

Though it sure is impressive to see Democrats with the spine to emulate a Republican, by crossing state lines to prevent a quorum.

Indiana Dems followed that lead, as the Republicans spread their war on workers to more states.

In trying to keep up with events during insanely busy work days, I've been relying on audio—even if comes through one ear, while the other listens to someone on the phone.

In the midst of all this, there was a point in the last few days when I heard a Wisconsin ReThug [state legislator?] say something like, collective bargaining for public employees "isn't historic: it was only passed in the '70s..."

As if it hadn't taken centuries for workers to get that far, in the face of the money and power always arrayed against them.

And as if that post-New Deal/pre-Reagan middle-class was just a foolish experiment.

Which is exactly what their team has always believed.

The Kochs have come this far in buying themselves state governments; they are ready to bring on the feudalism, once and for all.

And they want all that's coming to them.

The Wisconsin legislature may not be able to pass budget measures without a quorum, but can take up other bills.

John Nichols said it on the Thom Hartmann show today, and here are quotes from proposed legislation; the Wisconsin locals I've been hearing interviewed expect the Koch-owned legislature to quickly sell off public assets to the boss, at no-bid prices.

Privatized government owned by these plutocrats and unfettered by regard for environmental or labor standards: it's what they invest in.

Plutocrats are the same the world over, even if the specific situations they exploit may vary.

A dictator in one place may be out to maintain his family's dynasty by paying mercenaries to slaughter peaceful protestors.

Here in the land of the free, the Kochs' and other wealth can freely (if stealthily) buy media, politicians, and bamboozled tea partiers.

There's no one to take a stand against them, their servants, and their astroturf, other than the real grassroots.

Photo: Center for Media and Democracy