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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the July 29, 2004
issue of Workers World newspaper
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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.

- END -

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