Who knew that the protests sweeping the Arab world would end up in Wisconsin. The delightfully infectious popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya seem to have struck a chord back in the good old USA. Determined not to be outdone by the Arab street, union workers in Wisconsin are taking it to the streets to oppose the decapitation of their collective bargaining rights. Who says you can’t teach an old dog old tricks. A few weeks ago, I believe folks in Wisconsin would have taken this legislation laying down but with the Arab world in flames and the example of people power in full effect, those aging Wisconsin hippies have recalled what it is like to participate in an old-fashioned civic protest. The irony is delicious. The fact that Wisconsin’s demonstrators run no risk of being gunned down like the protesters in Libya, however, is a sobering reason to reflect on why our system is worth fighting for. In the Arab world, men and women are fighting and dying for rights that we too often take for granted.
Street Protests in…Wisconsin?
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