TonyPalmeri.Com Update for July 3, 2004
1. On the 4th, remember Fred: As in Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave turned abolitionist gadfly in the mid 19th century. I teach a course called "History of American Public Address," and whenever people ask me what I consider to be the greatest American speech ever delivered, Douglass' "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" is always near the top of the list. The speech was delivered in Rochester, NY on July 5th, 1852. It's as radical today as it was the day Douglass delivered it. Here's an excerpt:
"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?
"I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.
"There is not a nation on this earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.
"Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies
and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every
abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday
practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity
and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival."
The full text can be found here http://douglassarchives.org/doug_a10.htm
2. Greens in 4th of July parade: The Lake Winnebago Green Party will be well represented at the Oshkosh 4th of July Parade. We will have signs and literature for the Time for Tony for 54th Assembly District and Clean House With Rittenhouse 6th Congressional District races. Our student supporters will unveil their new "Campus Greens for Palmeri" t-shirts, and representatives from QH20 (Queer on the Water) have accepted the Green's invitation to join us in the march. I think we're also going to distribute some Green literature that comes with sunflower seeds.
3. Palmeri Deconstructs Don Kettl: My latest "Media Rant" for the Valley Scene deals with the issue of the responsibilities of University of Wisconsin professors. There are few topics that I take more seriously, especially at a time when the UW is under assault from Jim "The New Democrat" Doyle in a manner as bad or worse than anything former guv Tommy Thompson pulled off during his 14 illustrious years in the corruption chamber (aka state capitol). Here's the rant: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants28.htm
4. Citizens For Responsible Government Announce Petition Drive: My friend Cheryl Hentz from Eye on Oshkosh is one of the leaders of a movement to change the form of government in Oshkosh. http://www.tonypalmeri.com/crg1.htm
5. Rittenhouse at the Rally: 6th Congressional District Green Party candidate Carol Rittenshouse delivered this speech at a recent peace rally in Oshkosh:http://www.tonypalmeri.com/chwr.htm
6. Doyle's Disgrace: Job Creation Act Already Wrecking Environment -- When I take office in January of 2005, one of my immediate tasks will be to dismantle the disgraceful "Job Creation Act," a monstrosity so bad that our friend Curt Andersen at the Green Bay News Chronicle called it possibly the worst piece of legislation ever passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. Worst ever. Critics of this crapola are often accused of exaggerating the extent to which the legislation will actually harm Wisconsin's water and air quality. Yet even the conservative Tomah Journal was forced to expose the bad effects of the bill: http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=234
7. No Goodman at WPR: A Wisconsin Public Radio listener emailed the station and requested that WPR put Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! on the air. The response from WPR is shocking in its arrogance and ignorance: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/wpr.htm
8. Dubya: "My job is to do my job": Irish reporter Carole Coleman conducted a 10 minute interview with President Bush recently that should shame and embarrass virtually every American journalist working in Washington today. Coleman asks pointed questions, clearly rattling the president who during the interview cannot find a way to make his Karl Rove fed talking points fit as answers to intelligent questions. You can get the interview here: (scroll down): http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0624/primetime.html
9. New Time for Tony photos:
*Palmeri with Representative Spencer Black (when Tony takes office in January of 2005, he will work closely with Rep. Black on repealing the Job Creation Act, restoring the Public Intervener, and taking politics out of the Department of Natural Resources): http://www.tonypalmeri.com/tonyspencer.htm
*Palmeri with an activist role model, founder of Global Exchange and Code Pink, Medea Benjamin: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/tonymedea.htm
*Palmeri with Gail Shea, former Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/tonygail.htm
*Palmeri with Tom Brown, Oshkosh Ave. Bridge bridge tender (Tom signed Tony's nomination papers, and was so impressed with the Green Party platform that he invited Time For Tony supporters to tour the bridge): http://www.tonypalmeri.com/tonytom.htm
*Singer Michelle Shocked playing a free concert outdoors in beautiful downtown Milwaukee as part of the national Green Party convention: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/shocked.htm (note: she rocked!!).
Best,
-Tony