------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the July 29, 2004 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
BUSH CONFRONTED AT WIS. WHISTLE STOPS
By Bryan G. Pfeifer
A coalition of labor, environmental, lesbian/gay/bi/trans, women's rights and other progressive organizations led by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO confronted the racist war criminal George W. Bush on his campaign tour of Wisconsin on July 14.
Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and now Secretary of Health and Human Services, participated in Bush's entourage. Thompson is responsible for the onslaught of the "W-2" attacks on welfare, various school "choice" programs and other draconian state policies in Wisconsin now exported nationally and internationally. Most of these policies were largely written by right-wing groups such as the Heritage Foundation and financed by the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation.
At all three stops in Waukesha, Fon dulac and Ashwaubenon, Bush was met by hundreds of protesters with banners, placards and chants like "Drop Bush--not bombs," and "Bring back our jobs."
Wisconsin has lost over 70,000 manufacturing jobs over the past five years alone; the majority were union jobs. Although organized labor's primary focus at these protests was to increase support for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, other independent class-conscious elements participated.
"As soon as I heard George Bush was going to be here, I knew I was going to be here," said Jason Holt of Green Bay. "I'm not a Democrat. I'd rather see a third party. Someone other than the money mongers and the Democrats." (Green Bay Press Gazette, July 15)
Organizations participating in the protests included Action Wisconsin, AFSCME, the Fondulac Education Associ ation, the Greater Green Bay Labor Council, Independent Media Center--Milwaukee and Madison, NARAL, the Madison Area Peace Coalition, Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace, the Waukesha County Labor Council and Wisconsin Citizen Action.
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