Because of the events in Wisconsin these past two weeks, I'm moved to write this thank you letter....

Thank you.

To the teachers, the firefighters, the nurses, the doctors, the students, the TAs, the professors, the businesses, the people who push papers and those who push brooms, the city employees, the county staff, the state workers, the workers from all walks of life.

To the youth, the seniors, the people with disabilities, the workers of all ages & abilities who stood up for themselves and each other. To those who stood up for us.

To the people who care about unions, pay & benefits, Medicaid, BadgerCare, SeniorCare, power plants, privatization.

To our families, our friends, our neighbors, our daycare centers, our afterschool programs, our neighborhood centers, our YMCAs, our YWCAs, our Boys & Girls Clubs.

To our unions and the unions from throughout the country.

To the fourteen who left and to those who stayed.

To our police officers who supported the peace and the newly-trained peace marshals who worked with them.

To newscasters, local and national.

To the people who care.

Thank you.

For marching, protesting, chanting, drumming, dancing.

For Facebooking, linking, tweeting, connecting people far and near.

For telling our stories with photos, videos, poetry and song.

For organizing the rallies and press conferences in our capital and in your hometown, in our state and across the country.

For staying home with our kids, providing care for them, helping with homework, answering questions, keeping them safe and loved.

For bagels, bagpipes, pizzas and posters.

For sleeping on floors, organizing supports and food, providing supplies and cleaning up after yourselves.

For testifying, inviting media into your lives and homes for interviews, and standing in silent witness.

For teach-ins and peace-training, for meditation, yoga and the hokey-pokey.

For leaving when there was no way forward. For shouting the truth both here and from afar.

For shining the nations spotlight on the hidden stories.

For making me proud of the people in this state.

For laughing, crying, shouting, caring and coming together.

For supporting whats right.

Thank you.

No matter what the future holds, we are changed

We are changed.

We are changed.

We are changed.

Thank you.