VIDEO: WI, MN, MI get their protest on

Skirmishes in the War on Workers continue on land and on sea. In Wisconsin, floating protests of Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker have become an art form. The one you see on youtube (above) took place on July 2, when Tonette Walker threw a garden party at the governor's residence on Maple Bluff.

The Daily Isthmus reports:

Saturday's protest was organized very quickly, says Arthur Kohl-Riggs, who organized the event through the "Shit Scott Walker Is Doing To My State" Facebook page he operates. He learned about the party Friday night and created a Facebook event Saturday morning.

Kohl-Riggs was pleasantly surprised that the turnout included people who had not met prior to the protest. The flotilla consisted of two kayaks, two canoes and a paddleboat.

"Saturday was kind of a test drive," Kohl-Riggs says. He has since created a Facebook event called "A Summer Full of #wiflotilla" to organize future lake shore protests. Flotilla protesters are also organizing with the Twitter hashtag #wiflotilla.

Guess that is what democracy floats like. (Look for the "Stop the War on Workers" sign in the video.)

In shuttered Minnesota, protesters set up a Downeyville outside of the state Capitol  today. They're following the example of Walkerville, Bloombergville and Christieville. You'll recall Minnesota has shut down because extremist Republican lawmakers refuse to tax millionaires. Downeyville is named after Edina Rep. Keith Downey, who wants to cut 5,000 state jobs and destroy government unions.

The Minnesota Independent quotes Jenifer Munt, AFSCME spokeswoman:

“We’re trying to make sure people understand what’s at stake with an all-cuts budget,” Munt told the Minnesota Independent. “The shutdown gives people a taste of what that would be like, but the Republican budget proposals as they stand today are far worse than the shutdown for the average person in Minnesota.”

Aside from the playful aspects of the event, it represents a push by the public employee unions MAPE and AFSCME to put pressure on Republican moderates who might help shift their caucuses towards compromise with Gov. Mark Dayton to end the state government shutdown. Republicans have so far shown little willingness to change their positions.

Judging by the photos, it looks as if a thousand people -- government workers, we're told -- joined the protest, many with "We Want To Work" signs. It wasn't the first protest in St. Paul over the shutdown, and it won't be the last. Minnesota's unions say they have actions planned throughout the month of July. Meanwhile, the shutdown is costing a lot of money.

Yesterday in Michigan, state employees protested a plan to privatize a veterans home (what a great way to say "thank you" to our veterans). And give Michiganders credit for trying to recall Rick Snyder and the heinous emergency financial manager (governor-appointed local dictator) law. Eclectablog is a great place to follow those efforts.

And let's not forget our brothers and sisters in Egypt, who are planning a massive protest in Tahrir Square tomorrow.