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| Althouse on creative captioning and other shenanigans in Madison |
| 2011-03-10 |
| The usual suspects get it wrong NYT caption -- "Protesters assembled outside a door that the police were blocking at the Wisconsin Capitol on Wednesday" -- wilfully obscures that the mob overran the police last night and took over the building. And look at that photograph -- illustrating what is their main article on the Wisconsin protest right now! A noble state trooper stands calmly on the inside, while 3 gentle, wistful individuals peer in through the windows of the securely closed doors. A nice lesson in how to lie with photographs and captions. Scroll down to see our coverage of the anarchic doings at the Capitol. Protesters came through the windows and doors last night, hooting and stampeding and sending the police into retreat. The NYT article begins... CHICAGO -- A bill sharply curtailing collective bargaining rights for government workers in Wisconsin is due for a vote in the State Assembly on Thursday morning, where it is all but sure to pass. The State Senate approved similar legislation Wednesday with only Republican members casting votes; the chamber's Democratic minority, who fiercely oppose the measure, remain out of the state. Chicago! What about the mob scene? Well, there's this in paragraph 6: Democrats in the State Assembly complained bitterly, and protesters, who had spent many days at the Capitol, continued their chants and jeers. Uh, yeah. Chants and jeers... And taking over the building, climbing in windows? Nothing. The article goes on, but there's nothing more about the protests, and NYT readers are left with the inane, deceptive image of that photograph and caption. And with this contribution, mom is offline, having given up discussing politics for Lent |
| Posted by:mom |
| #8 I'm surprised the Capitol police there hadn't planned for something like this happening, considering what has gone on up until now. It's MADison. What makes you think it didn't go according to the police plan? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-03-10 20:00 |
| #7 This wouldn't have happened in Virginia (and not just because we don't have public unions). I know some Capitol Police officers. If a mob had tried to do anything like this here, every Capitol police officer, state trooper, city and county police officer and deputy within a hundred square miles would have shown up to put a stop to it - and not very politely either. I'm surprised the Capitol police there hadn't planned for something like this happening, considering what has gone on up until now. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2011-03-10 19:44 |
| #6 The Bolsheviks storming the Duma once again. Well, at least the first one's were armed. The governor can call out the militia, which is every able bodied male 17 to 45 in the state which can not be federalized. The unions really don't want a repeat of that. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-03-10 19:29 |
| #5 If Walker had called out the National Guard, Obama could have federalized the Guard and trumped him. I don't think Walker wanted to run that risk unless it was clear that the police were completely unwilling to do their jobs. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2011-03-10 19:21 |
| #4 OK, if the Capitol Police (if they exist in WI), the Madison City police, the Dane County Sheriff's Department, and the State Police are unwilling and/or unable to uphold the law and stop these protesters from interfering with elected officials doing their job, why doesn't the governor call out the National Guard? Any Guardsman who refuses a direct order to clear the Capitol building because he is a member of a union can and should be court-martialed. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2011-03-10 18:46 |
| #3 Only "teabaggers" make Death Threats too. Everybody knows that. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-03-10 16:51 |
| #2 Only Dems get death threats. Everybody knows that. |
| Posted by: Fred 2011-03-10 16:09 |
| #1 I noticed there was nothing reported about the death threats made to Republican legislators in Wisconsin. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-03-10 13:33 |