First robin

The telltale call in the wee hours of the morning, herald of spring. This year, a robin has moved in so close to my little flat that I have resigned myself to the reality that when the windows are open this year, I will be awakened long before dawn. No way around it.

Lake Michigan shore, Feb 2010 - Photo: Margaret Swedish

And this year the windows are open early. Record warmth has spread across the country, while I'm still wondering what happened to my winter. I am missing deep in my soul the frozen lake, the ice sculptures formed when the winter storms send waves crashing on the rocks and bluffs. I am missing the unforgettable, awe-striking sound of water undulating beneath the ice sheets on the lake's surface, the sounds of cracking, the almost imperceptible motion of the ice that if you really pay attention to it can make you feel dizzy, as if the earth itself is gently rocking, rocking.

We are shattering records by 30-40 degrees. I say to my friends, if it's 82 in March, what will it be in July?

Are we scared yet?

Or does the robin song in the hours before dawn annoy the sleep-deprived, the busy workers, the ones who stayed up late playing Wii games?

Walker in violation of court order

This morning a Wisconsin court issued an injunction against the police shut-down of the Capitol. Police, under orders, are refusing to allow people to enter the building.  Parties are arguing in court for the order to be enforced and for the injunction to be made permanent.

The court undoubtedly ruled this way because keeping people from entering the State Capitol is a violation of the Wisconsin State Constitution, which reads:

Our house

Article I, §4 – ANNOT. The legislature cannot prohibit an individual from entering the capitol or its grounds. 59 Atty. Gen. 8.

Pretty simple. A fairly straightforward statement that citizens must have access to the building in which their government meets, deliberates, and legislates.

What is it about these supposed 'law and order' rightist politicians who violate the law whenever it serves their interests? In this case, the interest is quite personal. Walker is trying to save himself from the embarrassment of vocal critics in the rotunda as he delivers his proposed budget, a plan to gut this state's social services and destroy government - the plan of the right wing and their corporate sponsors.

My guy, Sen. Chris Larson, took time today to thank me for my emails - not the formal response, the quick one from a mobile phone.  31 years old. Can't wait to vote for him again.

Meanwhile, my brother is outside one of the Capitol entrances, waiting with a bunch of social workers, cops out of uniform and others to get in as soon as possible. Life is good. When people are awake and engaged in the cause of justice, life is good.