Give Us Our Flag!

Insult to Injury: Police at the Wisconsin capitol are not just continuing to arrest protesters, Solidarity Singers and residents – including at least one legislator – for simply watching democracy in action; they are arresting veterans, including Veterans for Peace attending their annual convention in Madison. There can be no more potent symbol of what’s wrong here than the image of a phalanx of beefy cops descending on a balding, conscience-ridden veteran of our country’s ill-begotten wars, duly exercising the rights for which he at least thought he was fighting – of them coming after him, seizing his flag, yanking his hands into handcuffs behind him, and unceremoniously hauling him away – and, in one case, dropping him on a marble stairway – while his peaceable cohorts yell “Shame!” Incredible. Also, in case you have any trouble deciding which side you’re on, here are some songs from the Solidarity Singers alongside those from Walker supporters.