Day 13

A cold, snowy day in Madison started off the day which organizers hoped would be the largest protest march in Wisconsin history. The previous record was set one week prior. First thing in the morning rumors were abounding that the buses would bring in people from all over the state were having to leave the people behind because they didn't have enough space. Hours before the rally began we were already at numbers equal to the previous rally. Marching through the snow and cold people young, elderly, disabled stood up for their rights.

Two weeks into the struggle, threats of lay offs and delays of medicaid payments, have failed to deter the protesters. Not only were they not frightened, they were emboldened. They saw the threats for what they were and came out in greater numbers. The crowds were likely around 100,000. At the same time tens of thousands of people gathered in cities across the country, including Topeka, Kan., Los Angeles and Portland, Maine, to stand in solidarity with Wisconsin.

Entering the day, I assumed that tensions would be higher. People would be scared or nervous due to the governor's threats, but instead people were happy. They exerted confidence, humor, and joy that showed that they believed they would win. In the matter of two weeks they exerted a show of strength that seemed impossible before hand. As the minority party in government the Democrats delayed a process that seem inevitable to result in a defeat and the opponents of the bill staged the largest protests in Wisconsin history, surprising even the Vietnam War protests.

As this day ends we feel strong. While we are aware that the governor won't cave, he has painted himself in a corner with his rhetoric and he know he would never do anything that indicts that he was wrong. However, we hope that the senators will listen. They will realize that if they don't know listen to the people they will suffer when the next election cycle comes. We have hope that we will win, but are pragmatic and know that nothing is certain. Whether we win or lose, we have shown that we are united, powerful and will fight for what is right.