Chris Wondra . com

I have something important to share with you.

Please follow this link to watch video of “02.18.11 | Assembly Floor Session (Part 4)”

Once at the site, please scroll down to the bottom (at least it was at the bottom at the time of this writing) to “02.18.11 | Assembly Floor Session (Part 4)” and watch the video.

Notice that only 1/2 the room is full as attendance is taken. Be patient. Keep watching for THE most dramatic thing you’ve ever seen. I promise.

Pay close attention to the running time at the bottom of the page. Nothing. NOTHING illustrates better the reason I went to Madison last Friday. Nothing. In total, this video is 31-ish minutes long. But it’s better drama than anything you’ll EVER see on nighttime T.V. This actually happened.

And I was there.

Just a little more back story to help you to understand what you are watching:

During this portion of the Assembly Special Floor Session, a quorum call was ordered at 5:00. Roll call was taken. And Voting began BEFORE 5:00 WHEN DEMOCRATS WERE TOLD TO BE THERE.

At 4:57 Assembly Democrats (in orange) begin to show up.

Eventually, they are able to stop the voting on Special Session Assembly Bill 11 arguing that they had amendments that needed to be taken up. The Assembly speaker agreed and the floor session adjourned until Tuesday, February 22nd.

Please share this. Nothing I can say, or write, or argue, or link to can explain it better.

Again, the only other thing I’d like to say is, please seek to understand.

If you just want to be mad. Be mad.  If you want this bill to pass–that’s fine.  But this is bigger than that.  Way bigger.

If you want to know why, if you want to understand, please watch. I’m a teacher. At my core I work for truth. I work for understanding.  This video of our government at work explains it better than I ever could.  There is no editorializing here.  There are no opinions.

This happened.  And this is what is happening in Wisconsin.  And this is why there were 100,000 people there on Saturday.

Things are happening way too quickly with no opportunity for collaboration or discussion or creative problem solving.

THAT is what is why I can’t sleep at night. THAT is why I’m not eating. THAT is why I HAD to go to Madison on Friday.

From Mary Bell, WEAC president:

By Mary Bell

This evening I stood shoulder to shoulder with AFSCME Council 40 Executive Director Rick Badger in response to the state governor’s attack on public workers. The following is a statement I released to the press:

“We know these are tough times and we have made it clear to the governor and legislators that we are prepared to do our part to help our state recover. This isn’t about protecting pay and benefits – it’s about protecting the right to collectively bargain. That’s what’s being stripped away here – the rights to be represented.

“Wisconsin has a tradition that respects the value of work and the individual workers. Governor Walker in a few short days will have destroyed our traditions and imposed his values on all of us. That’s not how we do it in Wisconsin.

“Without a voice in the schools, without rights to speak up on behalf of students and the education profession, educators are concerned about the future.

“Thousands of teachers and education support professionals have flooded the Capitol this week, raising their voices against a plan to throw out 60 years of labor-management peace.

“Our union is calling all Wisconsinites who are able, to come to the Capitol on Thursday and Friday and stand beside your neighbors, family and friends to help our voices be heard.

“If you can’t get to the Capital, go to your place of worship – and pray. Pray about what kind of a state you want to live with, what kind of state you want for your children.

“Our goal is not to close schools, but to instead to remain vigilant in our efforts to be heard.

“Wisconsin’s governor and Legislature have denied opportunity for discussion and collaboration. By stripping away the rights of workers, they’ve left nothing more than one’s ability to have a voice and to stand together and say this is wrong for Wisconsin.”

The response–which, in reality, began 3 days ago. This reporter makes it sound like this is the first day the capitol has been packed. It’s been packed since Monday like this: