tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15478478331868997312023-11-15T05:32:27.479-08:00Artists United For Wisconsin WorkersAttention Artists! We Need Your Support!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12566686774348349121noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1547847833186899731.post-41907986088474308692011-03-07T11:34:00.000-08:002011-03-13T10:27:48.470-07:00"Bread and Roses," A Statement From Artists United in Solidarity With Wisconsin's Public Sector Workers<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We, the undersigned musicians, artists and cultural workers state our wholehearted support for Wisconsin’s public sector workers in their battle against Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s draconian anti-union bill. Furthermore, we demand the Governor immediately rescind the aforementioned bill, despite its recent approval by the state Senate. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Governor Walker has threatened to do away with any collective bargaining power for Wisconsin’s public sector unions. Tens of thousands of teachers, office workers, nurses, public parks employees and others have been hung out to dry, the security of their families’ futures thrown into deep question. If successful, it’s only a matter of time until all workers in every sector and every state face the same attacks.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The toll of this will go well beyond simple bread and butter. As artists, we understand that a robust culture is dependent on everyone having access to the means to create and express themselves. A further decline in working people's living standards, in essence, means that the arts and all the finer things in life will become the providence of the privileged.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gov. Walker and others in support of this legislation have waxed sanctimonious about “shared sacrifice” in the name of balancing the state’s budget, but we know better. We know from history that troubled economic times always bring with them politicians seeking to pay for a crisis on workers’ backs. Walker obviously plans to walk in this same ignoble tradition.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We also know that in times like these, workers learn to fight back. History is filled with such heroic men and women who stood up for their rights to dignity and recognition in this country and beyond. From Cairo to Madison, today’s workers appear ready to do the same. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When ordinary folks recognize their own power, it can change everything. Such moments have produced some of the best music, art and writing of all time. “This Land Is Your Land.” “Guernica.” <i>The Grapes of Wrath</i>. The question for every artist, worker and community member today is the same today as it was then: “Which Side Are You On?”</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Signed,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/binladenblowinup"><b>BBU</b></a>, hip-hop group, Chicago </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/socialistmc"><b>Son of Nun</b></a>, activist and emcee, Baltimore</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><a href="http://phillipmorris.us/">Phillip Morris</a></b>, rapper, Chicago </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Alewitz"><b>Mike Alewitz</b></a>, muralist and artistic director, Labor Art & Mural Project, New Britain, CT </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://emergencemedia.org/invincible"><b>Invincible</b></a>, hip-hop artist and activist, Detroit </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.buckyhalker.com/"><b>Bucky Halker</b></a>, musician and labor historian, Chicago </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Jared Paul</b>, Strange Famous Records on AFW </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Alan Hague</b>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/prayersforatheists">Prayers for Atheists</a> (and member of AFSCME), Providence, RI </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://agents-of-change.com/wordpress/"><b>Agents of Change</b></a>, Chicago </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.sociarts.com/"><b>Socially Conscious Arts | SOCIARTS</b></a>, Los Angeles</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Reebee Garofalo, </b>musician, <a href="http://honkfest.org/">HONK!</a> Organizing Committee </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.matcallahan.com/"><b>Mat Callahan</b></a>, musician and author of <i>The Trouble With Music</i> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://rebelfrequencies.blogspot.com/"><b>Alexander Billet</b></a>, music journalist, Chicago </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Parviz Azad</b>, composer and pianist, Woodland Hills, CA </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://stillhavetoprotest.blogspot.com/"><b>Trish Kahle</b></a>, fiction writer, poet and blogger, Winston-Salem, NC</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Pedram Moallemian</b>, writer and artist, Los Angeles </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/12Petals"><b>12Petals Media Group</b></a>, San Francisco</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Maryam Tabibzadeh</b>, author of <a href="http://www.persiandreams.org/"><i>Persian Dreams</i></a>, Raleigh, NC </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Phillip Grant</b>, anthropologist, translator and poet, Irvine, CA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Nalika Gajaweera</b>, anthropologist, artist and teacher at UC Irvine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Mark Clinton</b>, poet, political scientist, teacher, Holyoke, MA </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.dancesilkroad.org/"><b>Afsaneh Art & Culture Society - Ballet Afsaneh</b></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, San Francisco</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>DC Larson</b>, former CD reviewer for <i>Rockabilly Magazine</i> and freelancer, Waterloo, IA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Steven Damewood</b>, co-founder, Art for a democratic Society (A4dS), Oakland, CA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Nick Farza</b>, composer and producer, <a href="http://www.masquemusicart.com/">MASQUE MusicArt</a>, Boston</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/gcsband"><b>Generic Concession Stand</b></a>, band, Philadelphia </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Sh Massoudi</b>, artist and teacher, California</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.rebeltimerecords.com/"><b>Rebel Time Records</b></a>, Hamilton, Ontario </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Bahar Badizadegan</b>, artist, musician, DJ, organizer and activist, Los Angeles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/"><b>Benjamin Solah</b></a>, horror writer and poet, Melbourne, Australia </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Bita Shafipour</b>, artist and activist, Santa Monica, CA</span><br />
<a href="http://accountantsofhomelandsecurity.com/"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Accountants of Homeland Security</span></span></b></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">, sketch comedy group, Chicago</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Negin Karbassian</b>, artist, Los Angeles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Fereshteh Amin</b>, educator, Los Angeles CA</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://matthewf.net/"><b>Matthew Filipowicz</b></a>, comedian, cartoonist, satirist, Chicago </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Kevin Holm-Hudson</b>, music theory professor, University of Kentucky </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Max Monclair</b>, graphic artist and media observer, Omaha, NE</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Eric Hagstrom</b>, block print maker and wood carver, Madison, WI</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Jerry Briardy</b>, artist/musician, Omaha, NE </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://wallybrooker.wordpress.com/"><b>Wally Brooker</b></a>, musician and journalist, Toronto</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Attention Artists! We Need Your Support!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12566686774348349121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1547847833186899731.post-52784640829644003232011-03-07T11:30:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:31:17.166-08:00VideoTom Morello, Wayne Kramer, Tim McIlrath, Ike Reilly and Street Dogs performing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in front of Wisconsin's Capitol on February 21st:<br />
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Jasiri X, "American Workers vs. Multi-Billionaires," filmed in and around the occupied State Capitol:<br />
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Street Dogs' "Up the Union," Rally for Your Rights, February 21st, Madison:<br />
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Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) performing "Which Side Are You On?" at February 26th rally in Madison:<br />
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Kramer, Morello and Street Dogs, "Kick Out the Jams," Rally for Your Rights:<br />
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<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PaY_PvprGbs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Attention Artists! We Need Your Support!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12566686774348349121noreply@blogger.com0