One Day Longer, 25 Months Stronger: the Solidarity Sing Along Draws Hope From the Next Generation

[hue]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/12/1201368/-One-Day-Longer-25-Months-Stronger-the-Solidarity-Sing-Along-Draws-Hope-From-the-Next-Generation

The moment we've all been waiting for finally hit as Scott Walker's regime codified onto the books the next phase of the Wisconsin Capitol Crackdown on freedoms of speech, assembly and right to petition one's government for a redress of grievances with the release of "emergency" rules amending the state Administrative Code. These draconian "emergency" measures are being implemented without any public hearing under the justification that the Solidarity Sing Along poses some sort of imminent threat to public health, safety and welfare.

The Solidarity Sing Along, which has been taking place every weekday at the Capitol since March 11th, 2011, began outside at noon today in the dreary and cold drizzle, as it always does when a permitted event is taking place inside. Around 12:30, we learned that the school orchestra had finished up their performance on the 1st floor of the Rotunda. We briefly discussed the situation in our typical anarchistic manner and decided to head into the Capitol to finish out the rest of the Sing Along indoors, singing Move on Over as the 30 to 40 singers left our spot in Lady Forward's shadow and marched up the Capitol steps.

Almost as soon as we entered the building, a very large group of schoolchildren being escorted along with Senator Dave Hansen stopped to watch and listen to what this crazy bunch of singers was all about. There were smiles aplenty on the faces of the kids and their teachers and they warmly clapped along with us to, I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister, a personal favorite of mine which many people enjoy clapping along with during every round of the chorus. It was hard for any of us not to smile when only an hour earlier my State Assemblywoman, Chris Taylor, had held a press conference where she vehemently and eloquently stood with us and defended the right of all citizens to peaceably assemble and engage in political speech in the public forum of the Capitol rotunda.

Then a funny thing happened. The next song that someone spontaneously began to sing was the classic folk song, If I Had a Hammer, a joyous and upbeat four-verse tune that would be familiar to many people who happened upon our gathering. By now the nearly 100 pairs of inquisitive, youthful eyes were transfixed as they gazed upon us while standing nearby in gaps between the ground floor columns which encircle and support our city center. A group of a dozen or so kids bound into the center of the Rotunda to take in the beauty of the dome as the music enveloped them, but most stayed on the fringes to observe. I had hordes of kids standing on either side of me. By the 3rd verse, I could hear the sound of rhythmic clapping beginning to echo around the Rotunda and from the hallway behind me. Worth noting is that SSA participants, while free to clap along to their heart's content throughout the hour, don't typically do so to this particular song and I didn't see a single participant clapping.

[Scuba]

1. Excellent coverage of the Solidarity Singers and what they do ...

... not so much about why they do it.

I know at least one DU member is a regular with the Solidarity Singers. Thank you all!

And thank you, hue.

[Worried senior]

2. As a fellow Wisconsinite

I clap with you too.

So glad Dave Hansen got to be there too. He is a wonderful man, not my senator as I'm stuck with Tiffany but I have adopted Dave because he works for all of us.