Brandon Henak has an interesting account of Milwaukee's St. Patrick's Day parade, held in downtown Milwaukee yesterday.
The atmosphere was cheerful and celebratory in spite of the unusually cold temperatures.
As usual in parades like this, some local politicians participate.
Brandon writes:
Everyone was respectful and cheering for all the candidates as they walked by, except for one gentleman. This person followed County Executive Scott Walker throughout the parade screaming above the happy cheers and clapping coming from everyone lining the route. The man kept pace with Walker hollering that he had “destroyed Milwaukee public transit” and “canceled tons of major bus routes”. Most people looked at him with disgust for trying to spread lies and ruining the atmosphere but, it makes you wonder, just how far will Lena Taylor supporters and those who oppose Scott Walker go? The man has every right to scream falsities all day long but, I think it reflects negatively on Lena Taylor and Democrats in general that their supporters engage in this type of abrasive behavior.
I think Brandon is being too kind when he calls the heckler a "gentleman." I don't think he behaved very gentlemanly.
The heckler picked a terrible time to voice his opinions and protest Scott Walker. It was a boorish, inappropriate thing to do. It was a parade, not a political rally!
I do think this sort of thing is much more likely to hurt Lena Taylor than help her. Very, very poor tactics.
Rather than making Walker look like a bad guy, this man alerted parade-goers to the fact that a Taylor supporter is willing to disrupt a positive community event. In the end, the heckler brought disgrace to Taylor.
9 comments:
I can't stand Lena Taylor but I see no real evidence that this person worked for her. Stick to the facts Mary.
A, when such tactics are commonly used by the Democrats, it's not a hard stretch to consider perhaps, even if Ms. Taylor didn't condone such behavior, that the clown was a very strong supporter.
Side question: Why on earth did they have the parade more than a week before the actual day?
"Anonymous 3:34 PM, March 09, 2008"--
Do you have problems with reading comprehension?
Nowhere in my post did I say that the heckler worked for Taylor. I never made that claim.
"Stick to the facts." Yes, please do.
Kate, I have no idea why the parade was so early. Celebrate early and often, I guess. :)
Mary, I am the Parade Director for the Shamrock Club Downtown St Patricks Parade. If you care to verify any of what you posted in this blog, I am willing to go on record.
www.saintpatricksparade.org
is our website. I was there, I spent time with both Lena Taylor and Scott Walker, and I witnessed some "strange" activities. I also instructed my security team to escort those employing political activities on the parade route to outside the boundaries that I paid for. I've done this for years.
Mayor Barrett and I had a lengthy discussion of the "nuts" on the parade route, as I escorted him to his vehicle.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit, the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin can be NO PART of campaigning or politicing. I take the responsibility seriously.
Yes, there were a few nuts.
Mayor Barrett can attest.
Mr.Walker and his assistant Dorothy Moore are professionals and did not take the bait.
Mary, if you have any questions about the time and/or date of the parade. Call me.
The explanation is quite simple.
Parade Director
www.saintpatricksparade.org
I fail to see the time and date of the parade, as in any way relevant to the behavior of ertzatz protestors, and those who would disrupt a beautiful community event for political gain.
It's unfortunate that some people exploited the parade as an opportunity to make their political points; but it sounds like you were on top of things.
In spite of those headaches, being Parade Director must be a rewarding position.
Thanks to you and the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin for organizing this wonderful event for the community!
Yes, the time and date of the parade is a totally separate issue from the political heckling.
It's funny. Shortly after I responded to Kate's comment, I heard on the radio that Chicago's parade was being held earlier than normal to avoid conflicts with Holy Week.
I found the explanation for the date of Milwaukee's parade on your site.
The parade is earlier than usual this year because of the change in the liturgical calendar concerning the Holy Week and Easter. The Bishops in Ireland changed the official celebration to March 15, in order not to interfere with the celebration of Palm Sunday on March 16, and Easter, on March 23. In Milwaukee, Archbishop Timothy Dolan has changed the date of March 14, 2008.
Ooooh...that's right! Easter is a lot earlier this year. I keep losing track of time, so I can be forgiven. Hey, I'm old...senile, and just generally a blond in gray hair. :)
Easter is really early this year.
"I'm dreaming of a white Easter..."
ACK! Just make sure you keep it up there! LOL I've had about all the snow I can stand.
Post a Comment