Dear Democratic Grassroots Strategists & Tacticians

Dear Grassroots:

I am not a strategist nor tactician, but I notice it took women 50 - 60 years (or a couple of thousand years, depending on your view) to get the right to vote. And, I am old enough that I have seen women gain and lose reproductive rights in my adult life time.

So, I'm thinking we are underestimating the job ahead of us.

Women suffragists engaged in aggressive agitation & relentless lobbying; clever publicity stunts; non-violent confrontation; creative civil disobedience; actions that were versatile and imaginative; street speaking; huge demonstrations. They put on huge and clever parades and pageants. They picketed the White House for months on end. The endeavored to get arrested. They campaigned to be recognized as political prisoners.

American women engaged in a 12 day/170 mile hike and a 225 mile march. They piloted airplanes, had swimming competitions and climbed mountains - for the cause of getting the right to vote.

In Great Britain, women broke windows, bombed houses, burned homes and churches, cut phone lines, spit at police and politicians, cut/burned suffrage slogans into the turn at stadiums, sent letter bombs (really?), chained themselves to railings, attacked a doctor with a whip, rushed the House of Commons, attacked a PM with a hatched and another man with a meat cleaver. There were not interested in "non-violent protest" although in general their aim was no violence toward people - just toward property.

In case anyone is confused about where I stand, I believe that the state of Wisconsin and most of the political process in the USA is under the control of very big money & power. Money & power run the political process in our country. Let's call it corporatism.

I don't want to point fingers and hurt feelings, but I don't think most Democratic politicians and leaders have a clue what to do about the current political reality - certainly not the DPW or state politicians here in WI. They are fighting their mo/thers' political battles: dial and knock. Dial and knock. Raise money.

And, we have a grassroots who are not united and so far have not yet decided to work together with modern strategies and tactics. Marching around the capital didn't do it.

Dear Suffragists, we need you right about now! We need to all come together to defeat Walker & the corporate agenda for Wisconsin and the USA! We need to get smart. Get a message that gets right to the heart. Get that message out! Get candidates that THE PEOPLE support! And, then just follow the Suffragist - no, not the violent stuff! Silly.

The creative, versatile, imaginative stuff!

Oh, I love you all!

Let's do it!

Vivian