Counter-marchers organized by Fair Wisconsin chanted some entertaining slogans: “NOM go home!”, “Gay, straight, black, white, we demand our civil rights!”, and “Hey!…Obama…Let momma marry momma!”  Capitol police kept the few NOM speakers behind a cordon, and asked counter-demonstrators to keep the Capitol steps partially clear to allow for people-movement, but otherwise were calm and did not stop pro-equality demonstrators from marching, chanting and generally disrupting the out-of-staters.

So much for the sanctity of marriage people.  What should really worry the NOM people is the demographic of the crowd who showed up to oppose them.  Many in the Fair Wisconsin crowd…maybe 300 or so?…were young, confident and ready to document the whole event with cameras and microphones.  They probably aren’t going to go away anytime soon.  Wisconsin’s 2006 marriage amendment may have been a large battle lost, but the LGBT community definitely has a good chance of winning the war.

• Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), long stuck in Congress
• Pass the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would permit immigration of same-gender partners of U.S. citizens
• Repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), to all same gender couples federal marriage recognition
• End the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which bars sexual minorities from serving openly in the armed forces

The letter comes on the same day that the conservative National Organization for Marriage will rally at the Wisconsin Capitol, and will be met by a counter rally of equal rights supporters who will gather in support of civil rights for all.  Dane County’s large sexual minority population and progressive political record may provide a sizable counter-point to the “marriage is just for us, not you” crowd.  Most people in Dane County think the right to civil marriage should be available to all consenting adults.

The letter and accompanying news release are posted here: http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/100727Dane_Co_LGBT_letter.pdf

The Village of Cross Plains has proposed a “Black Earth Creek Greenway Project,” which would extend Lagoon Street (one street south of Highway 14/Main Street) along Black Earth Creek in order to redevelop the downtown business area.  In May, Dane County Supervisor Kurt Schlicht – who represents the area - contacted me and the County’s Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources (EANR) Committee about his reservations regarding the proposed project.  Schlicht owns a business which lies in the redevelopment area, by the way, and he is not normally “on the same page” with progressive supervisors on land use and environmental issues.

The EANR Committee toured the site and generally raised its collective eyebrows when it saw how close the road would be to the creek…too close to stop more run-off from polluting the creek, it appeared.  Schlicht subsequently asked County Board Supervisors to sign on to a letter to the Cross Plains Village Board expressing reservations about the proposed project.  35 of 37 supervisors signed the letter…not exactly a split decision.  Black Earth Creek is a jewel for fish habitat in Dane County and many environmentalists would oppose any project that would further damage it.

Since then, the Village organized a “walkabout” tour for village residents and officials.  I toured the site with Supervisor Schlicht, and EANR Committee Vice Chair Patrick Downing (southwestern Dane County) was also there.  Turns out the proposal may include an important component which would request that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) “remeander” (read: move) the Black Earth Creek, and remove a substantial amount of concrete in and next to the creek to improve the water quality and fish habitat.  This piece of the project is extremely important and must be the first step in order for area environmentalists to support the whole deal.

Now it’s up to the Cross Plains Village Board to get the message and ensure that the WDNR is on board and ready to address questions about the Black Earth Creek before any extension of Lagoon Street occurs.  The Village Board meets tomorrow evening, Monday, July 19, at 7:00 p.m. to consider the matter again.  We’ll see what happens…in any case, Village officials should now be on notice that their project is being watched by many people who care about the environment in Dane County.

The Committee agenda has three items of interest for local progressives: Resolutions on medical marijuana, curbing federal military spending, and creating a citizens’ advisory panel to study the ethics of UW-Madison research involving non-human primates (monkeys).
• Resolution 70 (primary sponsor, Supervisor John Hendrick) calls for a county-wide referendum on the use of medical marijuana in Dane County for the November 2 election. As the Wisconsin Legislature declined to proceed with legalization of medical marijuana this year, it’s time for local entities to take action. This one has 12 co-sponsors and is likely to pass.

• Resolution 69 (primary sponsor, Supervisor Kyle Richmond…me) asks the Board to support the federal “The War is Making Me Poor Act,” introduced by Florida Congressman Alan Grayson, and to call for a public, federal audit of war spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. This one’s a bit of a “no-brainer.” The National Priorities Project estimates war costs to local communities across the U.S. Want to guess how much for Dane County…? Since the invasion of Iraq: $1.5 billion. Military spending is currently 57% of discretionary spending in the U.S. budget – 57%! – and additional spending on the “wars” (read occupations of sovereign nations) makes it even worse. Grayson’s bill would require these “wars” to be funded through the normal Pentagon budget, and the savings would be used to pay-down the national debt and make income tax deductions for Americans. This one had only 6 co-sponsors but we’re hoping for more support as it moves to the Board floor.

• Resolution 35 (primary sponsor, Supervisor Al Matano) requests that the County Board Chairman appoint a panel to study the ethics of experimenting on non-human primates at the University. A concentrated campaign by the local Alliance for Animals, with considerable lobbying of the County Board, resulted in a letter to the Chancellor this spring from 20 supervisors, and the resolution by Matano, which has 12 cosponsors (including me, for full disclosure). A substitute resolution, which made minor changes to Matano’s original and offered by Supervisor Melissa Sargent, passed the Board’s Health and Human Needs Committee, 5-2, on Tuesday, June 29. If the resolution makes it through the Executive Committee, it will face opposition from the University on the Board floor. So far, however, the Alliance for Animals’ campaign has been resolute and unflinching. Full-court press time….!