From Rural Wisconsin – What it meant for one United Wisconsin County Coordinator to “Carry a Box”

Sheila Danielson (County co-coordinator) shared this story with the Jackson County recall celebration last Thursday night in Black River Falls. Nearly one hundred volunteers, State Senator Kathleen Vinehout, and staff from Congressman Ron Kind’s office were in attendance to thank each other for their efforts in gathering 3,000 signatures to recall Scott Walker countywide. The goal  for Jackson County was about 1,700 signatures to recall Walker based on 25% of the vote in the Gubernatorial election. The volunteer effort collected  25% of the total eligible voters signatures in the county; a representation in Rural Wisconsin that this is a statewide effort, even in truly “purple” regions of Wisconsin. I was particularly moved to hear this, and other personal stories as to how Scott Walker’s policies have negatively affected neighbors and friends.

Please share this moving tribute to those who “carried a box”, gathered signatures, and sustain this grassroots movement:

“What It Meant for me to carry a Box 

Oh my, what it meant to carry a box?  You would think the words and feelings would come easy.  Right?  Happy?  Yes.  Excited?  Yes?   Proud?  Yes!  I was elated when I heard we had 1,000,000 + Signatures.  And yes, I was making history.  But still those words didn’t cover what I was feeling? 

Aah, then I realized what I felt.  Responsibility!  People trusted me with their future. Here I am carrying a box filled with signatures representing people’s dreams, their despair over how their lives have changed because of job loss and loss of job benefits, their loss of health insurance, their loss of long-time friendships, their loss of family relationships, loss of security, loss of their homes.

And their fear.  And on top of that, Wisconsin and the world were watching me!!  No wonder the box was so heavy!! 

And then came anger because we shouldn’t have to be having a recall.  Wisconsin’s constitution, Article 1, under the Declaration or Rights  tells us that we have certain inherent rights, and among those is/are? life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.   For me, the word that stands out in Article I is liberty, which means freedom from a government or political system in which the ruler exercises absolute power; liberty means the power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, according to choice, and these liberties are being taken away from us.  

Then I realized those signatures represent much more than that.  They represent hope, happiness, security, liberty, and most importantly – power.  We are no longer powerless!!   We are taking our power back!!!  1,000,000 + Wisconsinites are no longer powerless!!  We have started the process of taking our power back. 

Now my box wasn’t so heavy anymore!!!!”

 

Solidarity – and Forward!