Vol. 3 - January 26, 2021
In this issue: Oh hey, money! | Death Mask/Essay | Read local | The big picture | The bright side | For your earhole | Now read this | Final frame
Oh hey, money!
I started this newsletter intending to make it free to read for anyone interested and I am still committed to that mission. I am also a person who has spent many years working and learning and putting in the time and energy so that I could (hopefully) provide a worthwhile service like this to my community, and there’s no shame in asking to be compensated for such efforts! We should all value ourselves and each other more, frankly!
So I have gone ahead and added the option to support this newsletter with your money - but ONLY if you feel so moved and have the means to do so. You will now notice “Subscribe” buttons at the top and bottom of each newsletter, where you can still sign up for free or choose to become a monthly or yearly sustainer. Anything and everything counts and is deeply appreciated! Your contributions also help make this newsletter sustainable for me and accessible to those who don’t have the scratch to spare on my ramblings.
I’m 100% just glad that you’re here, regardless! As always, please feel free to forward/share/recommend this newsletter with others, too.
Death Mask
“Is your state run by a bunch of men that will control women's access to healthcare but refuse to put on masks? You better find out.”
Those words open fellow newsletter writer (and crack reporter) Lyz Lenz’s most recent installment. She writes specifically about the Iowa Legislature but could just as well be remarking on Wisconsin’s own predicament. Or any number of other state legislatures, to be honest.
In Iowa, Republican’s are working on anti-choice legislation. In Wisconsin, where the GOP-run Legislature hasn’t bothered to pass ANY bills since last April (because there certainly hasn’t been anything pressing to deal with, has there?), the first order of business for the new year is to attack the current public health emergency order, including the statewide mask mandate.
Yesterday, the state senate voted to overturn the order, and the mask mandate with it, claiming that Gov. Evers has overstepped his authority as governor by not going through the Legislature to get it done.
Where to start? Other than an immediate and burning desire to see every last one of these craven ghouls recalled from office and made to pick up trash on the side of the road for the rest of their sad little lives….
The bill next heads to the Assembly, where it’s scheduled for a vote on Thursday. Worth noting is that it currently has no co-sponsors in there and Robin Vos has not indicated whether or not it has enough support to pass. I’m not holding my breath for the gerrymandered horror-majority to actually do the right thing for once, but the tiny spark of hope still burns in my chest, what can I say?
The argument for the move is particularly rich--that Evers somehow overstepped and needed to have the Legislature pass the emergency order--when you consider the absolute refusal of GOP leadership to convene their respective bodies for anything. Six-thousand two-hundred sixty-eight dead Wisconsinites as of this writing and the only thing elected Republicans have deigned to lift a finger to do is stonewall any and all efforts to fight the pandemic and keep their constituents safe. Remember when they forced us to hold a primary election in person? Good times, good times.
Now they’re crying foul over Evers and DHS using their due authority to protect the people of the state, knowing full well they’ve got nothing good to offer in replacement. The COVID-19 relief bill now working its way through the Legislature has just had several potential poison pill items reintroduced by Assembly Republicans after the Senate removed them in hopes of bipartisan support. In short, things are a mess, businesses are struggling, and people are suffering and dying because the most extreme partisans control the lawmaking process.
Back to the mask mandate: I am alternately heartbroken and incandescent with rage over this one. Masking is one of the few, solid, preventative measures we have easily at our disposal to fight the spread of the virus. Especially as new, mutated, more transmissible (and potentially more fatal) variants begin to spread across the U.S., this is the worst possible time to remove the mandate. (Which, P.S. New guidance strongly urges double-layering your masks when indoors around other people, and/or if you’re medically vulnerable)
A blanket, statewide rule makes clear the seriousness of the problem and provides guidance at a time when clarity is so desperately needed. It provides uniform enforcement for smaller businesses that may otherwise struggle to deal with customers who casually or pointedly decide not to wear masks in public places. It forces the hand of businesses that would otherwise put their employees in danger (ask me about how FedEx treats its workers!). Most importantly, mask wearing is proven to drastically cut down on the spread of the virus and/or the severity of illness if you catch it. In other words, masks save lives.
Shouldn’t that be everyone’s goal? You wouldn’t know it by how Republicans in the Legislature have been acting (or failing to act) over the past year.
If you’re as infuriated as I am, now is the time to call your Assembly representatives and tell them exactly how you feel about it: toll-free legislative hotline at 1-800-362-9472 (266-9960 in Madison). Then consider running for office or supporting awesome new candidates, especially if you live in a district with current representation that insists on denying science and basic human compassion. Oh and, if you haven’t yet, request your absentee ballot for the spring elections. If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that local elections matter more and have more direct impact on our everyday lives than do national contests.
We’re not nearly out of the woods yet. Major national emergencies have a way of highlighting the cracks, fissures, and inequities that already exist in a society and the pandemic is doing a bang-up job of just that. I know I’m exhausted and scared and miss live music and hugging my friends and desperately want this to be over. I’m sure you do, too. But we won’t get there unless we all buckle down, band together, and do/demand what’s right. It’s going to take all of us, each bringing our own unique skills and talents to bear, to undo the harm that’s been done. It will take all of us to imagine--and then implement--something better.
Read local
Articles and other good reading related to Madison and Wisconsin
“DNR orders new plan to stop spread of PFAS at Madison airport after experimental treatment fails” - We live right on Starkweather Creek, in one of the city’s last affordable enclaves for renters and homeowners, and see the impacts of the rampant pollution on the daily. It’s infuriating to know that so little care or attention has been paid over the years to the problem, even after the DNR ordered responsible parties to clean up their mess. It’s been nothing but foot dragging and misdirection since, including now, as the article makes clear the folks in charge of the clean-up are continuing to delay and obfuscate. If you’re looking for a local organization doing great work on the issue, that brings an environmental justice lens to the problem, check out/support the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization.
Meanwhile, Gov. Evers has indicated he will seek legal action against the companies responsible for dumping PFAS into the environment. Good on him.
I had the pleasure of talking with Jonathan Zarov at WORT FM’s Eight O’Clock Buzz last week and, as always, am impressed with myself for being remotely coherent that early in the morning. We chatted about the article I wrote regarding transphobic stickers in Tenney Park. Give it a listen.
The good folks who run WisEye - the free, public TV/online coverage of Wisconsin Legislative proceedings - have indicated that they’re running out of money and may have to implement a paywall. This would be a huge loss for public access to and oversight of our democratic proceedings and I can only hope that donors step up to help. Ideally, we’d also see no-strings-attached, permanent funding by the state.
Holy balls! Wausau Mayor (and former roller derby skater) Katie Rosenberg announced this week that the city will become the first in Wisconsin to join a guaranteed income pilot program. Not exactly universal basic income, but a heck of a good start. Unsurprisingly, things like guaranteed housing and income tend to help people!
The big picture
National news and commentary.
“America Is Back, Indeed” [Rebecca Traister for The Cut] “With Biden we’ve restored our country’s favorite tradition: basic, middling, white patriarchy…. I remain gutted that this nation elected Donald Trump—ushering in an era of families sundered and 400,000 needlessly dead—because it could not bring itself to elect his female opponent, and even more furious that many people are still trying to explain why that preference was rational. I am all too aware that Trump built his murderous power on the politics of white resentment, and that, in turn, the man we have elected to get us out of this mess was put forward in part because he conforms to the very racial and gendered expectations of American power that ultimately delivered us Trump’s ghoulish authoritarianism.”
A quick but great thread on the challenges and necessity of dismantling white supremacy in our organizations from Dr. Jacquelyn Gill: “Lone hero narratives are white culture. Rugged individualism is white culture. Over-intellectualizing is white culture. Selfishness is white culture. Inflexibility is white culture. And these things? They’re barriers to real, systemic change.”
“They Call Themselves ‘Patriots:’ Trump’s scheme for a new third party rooted in far-right extremism” [David Neiwert for The Daily Kos] “‘Patriot,’ however, is not just any old name. It’s a self-descriptive name that has long been used by the conspiracist Bircherite radical right, for decades a cauldron of extremist behavior ranging from Oklahoma City to the Bundy standoffs to the January 6 Capitol insurrection, spawning such movements as militias and sovereign citizens and inspiring numerous acts of violence. It’s an unmistakable dog whistle to the American extremist right.”
“Unemployment insurance is broken. What would it take to fix it?” [Samantha Fields for Marketplace] We’re dealing with the serious fallout of a broken UI system right here in Wisconsin, largely thanks to years of inaction and neglect on the part of Republicans (though Democrats are not entirely innocent here, either). I am all for a massive overhaul of UI, but in thinking about a federal takeover to make it more equitable and sustainable, I can’t help but go back to the idea of universal basic income (or, like what Wausau is trying, guaranteed income for those in particular need). In a better world, we simply wouldn’t tie people’s worth and ability to meet basic needs to what job they did or didn’t have at a given time.
The bright side.
What’s good?
It’s Girl Scout cookie season! I was a proud scout from Daisies all the way through Cadets, even earning my silver award, thank-you-very-much. So it was really cool to learn about Troop 6000 in New York City, which is a troop formed specifically for young people experiencing homelessness. And you can order cookies from them (or simply donate)! P.S. My favorites have been and will always be tagalongs, although thin mints fresh from the freezer are pretty baller, too.
Support local Madison venues struggling during pandemic closures! A bunch of local musicians and sound engineers have put together Virtual Venue Love Fest, which will stream on Sunday, Feb. 14 from noon to 9 p.m. and feature a variety of bands playing live from different stages across the city. It’s free but donations will go directly to support participating venues. No worries if you’re not on Facebook, either - the event will broadcast across multiple platforms!
Have you filled out your March Plaidness bracket yet?
For your earhole
I’ve been deep into the archives of the You’re Wrong About podcast over quarantine and can’t recommend it enough. A (hilarious, gay) researcher/reporter and a (droll, delightful) writer dig into some of pop culture’s most notable events and figures and explain the real story behind the myths we’ve told ourselves. I particularly recommend the Disco Demolition Night episode, which is one of the more wonderfully gay and musical installments AND a fascinating look at the Black, queer history of an oft-maligned but honestly wonderful genre of music.
Meanwhile, one of my favorite dream-pop outfits, Still Corners, has a new album out for 2021: “The Last Exit” would be a great soundtrack for a nostalgic roadtrip across the expanses of Americana. For now, we can just chill out at home and dream of one while listening.
Now read this
The Phoenix is climate reporter Eric Holthaus’ newsletter and he provides excellent coverage of environmental and climate related news happening around the world, with particular focus on how climate change is disproportionately impacting indigenous and low-income communities.
Ctrl Alt-Right Delete is the newsletter of savvy political operative and one-time Wisconsinite Melissa Ryan. She’s spent years doing the difficult and often thankless work of tracking far-right extremists online and IRL.
Final frame
‘Til next time.
Thanks for reading! Hit me up with questions, comments, suggestions, and tips on great hiking spots.
Disclaimer/Disclosure: I am employed by the Wisconsin chapter of The Nature Conservancy. However, any and all opinions expressed in this newsletter are mine alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of my employer.
I still catch myself singing the theme song to “Salute Your Shorts” sometimes.