>Since the Rapture was (ahem) yesterday, I thought it was a good time to bring out this story once again.

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>I couldn’t do it. I started to write about the control freaks we have in our state legislature right now, not to mention in the governor’s office. I couldn’t do it. My shoulders went up to my earlobes, the back of my neck tightened, and my stomach twisted in knots.

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>Walkerville is a symbolic movement currently going on in (of course! You guessed it) Madison, WI. Protesters have set up tents and small shelters around the Capitol grounds and scheduled events to call attention to the risks of the proposed state budget and the governor’s extreme agenda. Walkerville, they say, represents the equivalent of a Depression-era Hooverville.

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>Dear Governor Walker;

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>

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>One Wisconsin Now felt compelled to raise money for the recall cause – but not to fund a candidate or circulate petitions. This progressive organization raised $10,000 to create a reward fund: a reward for information about recall petition destruction.

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>Pizza: I love to pile on veggies and herbs. Spinach, basil, oregano. Peppers, onions, garlic. Tomatoes and tomato sauce.

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>2011 has been difficult year for me and for Wisconsin teachers in general. Thanks to our soon-to-be former governor, Scott Walker, we have lost salary, benefits, and bargaining rights. But our state has lost much more. A colleague found this online, and I thought it was worth sharing. Credit goes to the Solidarity Singers for spreading the word; I don’t know who wrote the lyrics.

(Dramatic tempo change and a grand pause — )

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>

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This is an encore from 2008. 2008?!?! How can it be that a post I wrote in 2008 is still relevant? No, don’t answer that.

I get my news from a variety of sources: my local newspaper, news websites online, and more. I find people who are like-minded online, too. This primary election — you know, the longest one in recent history — isn’t as dull as some say. In fact, even as I worry that Party conflicts may provide the opposition with too much ammunition, I’m finding it downright fascinating.

Teaching is a political profession. Besides the internal district politics, administrative power and control, my daily work is affected by decisions made in the state capital and in Washington, D.C. When my friends tell me that they just want to “close their doors and teach,” I want to grab them by the shoulders, look them in the eyes, and say, “You can’t shut out the laws! You need to help make them! And change them!” And then I want to go home and write a letter to my senators and congressional reps.

A few years ago Rod Paige, then Secretary of Education, called my national association (the NEA) a nasty name. He asserted that our tactics were terrorist in nature. I wrote letters. I sent emails. Many, many educators did the same. By calling teachers terrorists, he put us in the category of those with whom our government is at war. This kind of outlook in the Bush cabinet has been very damaging to public education.

Now the NEA (National Education Association) is looking for slogans to help publicize the need for professional wages in education. I have a few ideas, and I know there are clever educators who can access their inner salesperson and come up with a really good campaign. What do you think, boys and girls? Women and men? Ladies and gentlemen of the classroom and beyond? Educating everyone takes everyone — in the village and beyond — and it’s not cheap.

My slogan thoughts so far:

Do the math: pay like a pro.
No Classroom Left Unfunded
A “free” Public Education is priceless, not costly.

There are slogans built into existing quotes, too:
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

But for now, I’ll keep informed on the upcoming election and I’ll keep writing creative and effective lesson plans to connect with students in every way I can. I feel fortunate to work in a great field, one where I can make a difference. My votes can help ensure support from the legislatures and the White House.

Yours can, too.

And if you’d like an updated perspective, look to The Broad Side. You’ll see why this is sadly still relevant.

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Oh, Lego. This would be awesome. I’d buy a set to sit on my desk at school. After all, it’s art and it’s history, both of which are on my course load.

Justices in Lego Brick

Unfortunately, this set of fancy Lego sculptures can’t be purchased anywhere yet. The Lego design team refuses to manufacture the female Supreme Court justices, claiming the set would be too political. 

I guess I’ll have to settle for the Lego White House model.

If you’d like to sign a petition to pressure Lego into making this awesome historical piece, look no further than here. 

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I’m not posting a Harvest Monday because, well, I haven’t harvested much of anything in the past week. I picked a bit of rhubarb to complete a batch of rhubarb-strawberry butter, but otherwise, it’s been a maintenance week for the gardens. In case you’re wondering, here’s the “harvest” from Saturday’s farm market.

This barely fit on the counter.

Some of the goodies are for eating now, and some are for putting up – storing for later. From left to right: blueberries, now; strawberries, now and later; grapeseed oil and smoky sea salt, now and later; carrots, now; tomatoes, now; mushrooms, now; lettuces, now; peas, later; more lettuces, now; asparagus, later. Oh, I forgot the cheeses. Block of cheddar, for eating now. Cheese curds, for sharing with La Petite. We sampled a few to make sure they were tasty.

The Facebook comments on this picture got interesting. I joked (sort of) that I was prepping for the Walker Apocalypse. Many teachers I know are in a Cautiously Paranoid condition; we know the future of public education in our state is shaky, at best. We’re looking to provide for our families one way or another. My method consists (in part) of filling the freezer and the pantry with decent food, mostly organic, much locally grown.

If you want to see harvests that will make you hungry, visit Daphne’s Dandelions. If you want to see more of what’s happening in Daisy’ pantry and freezer, stay tuned. I’m simmering a batch of strawberry-rhubarb butter right now, as I type. The house smells wonderful.

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“Because you’re common, Cinderella.” The stepmother’s line goes on. “Your mother was common and so are you. Only you can wash your face and put on a clean dress, but underneath, you’ll still be common.”

“Don’t you want our students to be more than just common?” -anonymous legislator proposing to repeal Common Core Standards in Wisconsin.

From Dictionary dot com:

• belonging equally to, or shared alike by, two or more or all in question
• pertaining or belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or culture; public
• joint; united
• widespread; general; ordinary
• of frequent occurrence; usual; familiar
• hackneyed; trite
• of mediocre or inferior quality; mean; low

None of these examples or definitions really fit the Common Core Curriculum. The question remains: what is it? What does Common Core mean? What is the impact of Common Core on students? On teachers? On mandated  state tests?

When Governor I-Walk-The Party-Line announced he is running for president, he was firm. “No Common Core!” he shouted to the crowd. Here’s the big question: what does Walker think it is? Frankly, I’m not sure he knows Common Core beyond its usefulness as a sound bite.

Here’s my challenge, readers. If/when you have a chance to interact with the Governor, ask him to define Common Core. Let’s see what the man really knows – and what he really doesn’t know.

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Dear Facebook;

Your algorithm failed mightily on this one. I follow several prominent progressives and local activists. One of them must have mentioned the issue below. Oh, Facebook, rest assured that I do NOT like and will NOT follow the page or group that posted this advertisement.

Facebook, WTH were you thinking?

Shudder. Those key word searches are not doing a good enough job of filtering posts for my interests. Facebook, let’s make a deal. How about you stop sending me things you think I might “like” and just let me see what my friends have to say. Okay?

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Readers; do you remember Grandma Daisy? She contributed to the blog as part of the Voter’s Voice series. Grandma Daisy’s voice gave Compost Happens a different perspective: the perspective of looking back in time, viewing events with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight. Well, folks, take yourselves back to the future and look at the creativity of Wisconsin citizens and the reaction from the top.

Oh, grandkiddos, you might remember that in the recall election of 2012, Governor Walker’s supporters weren’t exactly showing their best sides. Campaign signs spelled governor with an -er, as if the voters either didn’t know the difference or didn’t care. 

You might also remember the Overpass Light Brigade and the Solidarity Singers. Walker had money on his side, so his opponents invested in creativity and time. Both the OLB and the Singers continued their activity after the election. They publicized issues in non-violent methods designed to get attention rather than cause trouble. 

The Governor and his security detail didn’t see it that way. The Solidarity Singers sang protest songs in the Capitol rotunda every weekday at noon. The Capitol Police, acting on a hastily-made policy requiring permits for any public gathering, began making arrests and issuing tickets. For singing, you say? I hear you, children. Singing in the rotunda was now a crime. 

The tactic backfired, of course. Instead of discouraging protesters, the aggressive action encouraged more people to show up and make noise, er, music. The Solidarity Singers stood up for their first amendment rights to free speech and the peaceably assemble. They knew that the greater number of arrests simply meant more PR for their actions and their issues. 

As you might expect, young ‘uns, there were naysayers. There were folks who showed up just to watch the handcuffs go on and to poke fun at the so-called musical mayhem. You might not be surprised, I dare say, that some of the naysayers were in the same category as those who displayed error-filled yard signs.

Who?

Readers, Grandma Daisy is back and ready to tell tales of the elections of 2016. What will this feisty feminist have to say on the road to the White House? Predictions, anyone?

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I laughed out loud – almost snorted coffee out my nose, to be honest. It wasn’t funny, though. It was…highly ironic is the best I can do. Ridiculous? Unbelievable? Illogical? Unreal? All of the above.

Governor Walk-a-Mile-in-my-Shoes, according to one of his top advisers, is running as a “Uniter”. His campaign managers have decided to market him as one who cooperates, reaches across the aisle, and works in a bipartisan fashion.

Let’s see. Gov. Walk-My-Way introduced what he called a budget repair bill that was really a union busting bill. He knew the votes would be split right down the party aisle with a win on his side, so he wanted to rush it in for a vote. Did he reach out to the Democrats in the Senate? Hum the Jeopardy theme while you mull this over.

Time’s up! He couldn’t reach out to the Democrats. They left the building to delay a vote because without them, there would be no quorum, and without a quorum, budget bills cannot come up for a vote. Meanwhile, he reached out to the Democratic Senators by threatening to send state troopers to round them up. Instead of waiting patiently, those on the left side made a run for the border: the Illinois border.

Enough about the rapid evacuation of the Senate. We were talking about Mr.Walker as peacemaker, one who unites. Let’s see: anyone remember the video of Walker with his billionaire sponsor, telling her how he would handle the union busting bill? “Divide and conquer,” he told her. He must have had different campaign advisers then because divide and conquer doesn’t mean the same thing as unite and concur.

How about name calling? I keep hearing the term “Union Thug” tossed around, but it seems the only time Walker actually used the term was when he was asked how he would deal with the terrorist group ISIS and he drew a comparison to his “handling” of thousands of public employees marching on the Capitol. I won’t blame the gov for creating the phrase until I can find a reliable source that quotes him, but the point still stands. Scott Walk-my-way-or-the-highway is not one who unites. The Gov. is not one to reach across the aisle or pursue bipartisan cooperation.

Back to my first reaction. Ironic, at the least, this vision of Walker. Ridiculous? Unbelievable? Illogical? Unreal? Yes. All of these, at least, and more.

Feel free to leave more reactions in the comments, folks. I’m listening.

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It’s literal and it’s figurative. There’s a storm brewing in my state.

Skies are clouding over and the temperature is dropping. The radar shows lots of green (rain) with patches of yellow and red representing the stronger storms within. The forecast predicts thunderstorms overnight and through tomorrow.

That’s the literal storm.

On the figurative side we have a storm of ideology, a flood of hard feelings, and the thundering sound of voters wanting their voices heard. There’s a yard sign here and a bumper sticker there, with patches of letters to the editor representing the strong emotions within. And this, the figurative storm, continues.

I first posted this in spring of 2012 as we headed toward a recall election – the recall that Scott Walker survived. in the all-too-long lead up to the 2016 presidential election, winds are swirling and the storm is gathering strength.

I prepare for literal storms with a fire in the fireplace and my tiny seedlings under cover in the mini-greenhouse. We unplug the computers to prevent trouble in the event of power surges.

Preparation for an election storm isn’t quite so easy. We can unplug the landline the day before the election to avoid the thundering sound of the Get Out the Vote phone calls. I’m always  on edge all day on Election Tuesday, awaiting results that carry as much meaning for me personally and professionally as the meaning and messages that are national in nature.

After this storm passes, the winds of change will pick up. The perfect storm of anger, disillusionment, and disbelief fighting with self-righteousness and misinformation threatens to blow up into a cyclone of another kind. The resulting funnel cloud will…well, let’s not think about it.

We’re already experiencing a dark and stormy period in Wisconsin history. It’s beyond frightening to imagine that storm spreading to the nation.

Readers, we’re all in its path. How do you hunker down and prepare for a storm that’s political in nature? Leave a comment.

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Dear Donald;

Since you have so little respect for me, I don’t believe “Mr. Trump” will do. Your perspective on women is unbelievable. I mean this sincerely; I can’t believe that any decent man in the 21st Century would refer to women as bimbo, disgusting, fat pig, gold digger, 

But Donald, you outdid yourself when you knocked Megyn Kelly for being a strong debate moderator. You called her a lightweight, one attempting to be tough. Your statement would have been bad enough if you stopped there, but what came next was (I have to pause and take a breath) – what came next was this. “You could see that there was blood coming out her eyes, blood coming out of her [brief pause] wherever.”

Make no mistake, Don, we know exactly what you meant. By implying that Kelly was tough on you because she was menstruating, you put yourself down much more than you did her. Ever see the movie Annie Hall? They had this discussion in Annie Hall, how the male lead responds to everything the female lead says by blaming it on her period. 1977, Don. The movie came out in 1977. The calendar today says 2015.

Hey, Don. I’ve got news for you. Women make up just over 50% of the American electorate, and we vote. You have insulted a lot of individual women during your very public life, but they’re not the women that ought to worry you.

You should be worried about women who vote.

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It was a dark night in a city that likes to keep its secrets. No, wait, that’s Guy Noir, private eye, creation of Garrison Keillor. The story I’m about to tell took place in a city that used to be known for open doors and transparency of government. Used to be known, I said.

It was late at night and approaching a major holiday weekend when a new item was slipped into the massive state budget document soon to come to a vote in Wisconsin. This action, this insert of a new little piece, was done quietly. Delicately.

The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) added a policy item changing Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. They chose their timing carefully: late at night on July 2, the Thursday preceding a long holiday weekend. The Powers That Be on the JFC hoped that legislators would return to work refreshed and relaxed and completely unaware of the changes.

They were wrong. This being Wisconsin, the birthplace of progressive politics, the people found out.

The changes exempted legislative communications from the law; shut down public access to all records created in the process of drafting legislation (any rough drafts, emails, written analysis papers); and specified that the Legislature could freely exempt any record from disclosure simply by passing a rule or policy. (source: Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council) In a nutshell, legislators could keep under wraps anything they wish to hide.

In keeping with the shadowy tone of secrecy, no one on the JFC would admit to authoring or contributing to this outrageous action. Some even walked away from reporters rather than answer questions.

Let’s jump to the final chapter of the mystery. As word got out that the suggested changes had come from Governor Walker’s Office, the insertion was quietly deleted. No one knew for sure, but the scent trail led to the top, and the top wasn’t willing to risk the biennial budget to the very vocal opposition.

So, folks, Governor Presidential Wannabe Walker didn’t have to admit his role, if any, in a potential gut of Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. And therein lies the danger: whether Walker suggested the changes or not, his office climate allowed and even encouraged this kind of action.

Is this dark and sneaky atmosphere the kind of climate we want in the White House?  I’ll answer that: absolutely not.

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