More Madness in Madison.

Wait a minute...
Are they locking the Capitol keeping the protesters out, or truth be told, are they keeping everyone out who wants to visit their State Capitol in the normal daytime business hours? (You might say, only protesters are wise to visit these days. But what of all the Winter Season athletes, and families, travelling to Madison this time of year, who often combine their sports events with a trip to the State Capitol? They can't get in to see the place either? What exactly are the facts of who gets in, and who doesn't? These policies make no sense.)

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
MADISON, Wis. — The administration of Gov. Scott Walker abruptly locked out protesters from the Capitol on Monday morning, the latest gambit in the showdown between the new Republican governor and demonstrators rallying against his plan to strip public employee unions of almost all of their collective bargaining power.

About 60 demonstrators who had slept in the statehouse overnight remained inside as of noon Monday, and they banged drums, sang and danced in the rotunda. They had access to restrooms and, given the dwindling size of the group, appeared to have a decent supply of food. There was no indication that the police were preparing to arrest or eject them, and several said in interviews that they had no intention of leaving.

And why should those who remain inside be allowed then to stay? Grandfathered in?? They ought to be arrested if they don't vacate tonight -- no overnight guests, period.

And I see Jim Palmer -- referenced here -- made the NYT, giving a quote that to me, looks like he doesn't quite understand how the chain of power goes. Somebody set him straight, please. And clean up the building fully, by arresting those who don't voluntarily evacuate by tonight.

“Cooler heads prevailed,” said Jim Palmer, the executive director of the 11,000-member Wisconsin Professional Police Association. “They had said they were going to clear the place out, and then they thought the better of it. Now it’s clear that law enforcement professionals are running the show.”

Funny thing is... I never knew Jim to be a liberal at all. Funny how your attitudes/politics change when your own pocketbook might be at stake, eh?

Bang a Drum; Get It On... Hippie is as hippie does.

ADDED: Worth scrolling through that 2008 newsletter, if you still believe that union dues are necessary solely to protect workers' rights. The Waste!