Attribution: uwdigitalcollections, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries not to get in the way as Phyllis and friends work out an introduction to the city bus system so they can get to the Capitol for such things as political demonstrations. The keeper, in the meantime retreats to a support capacity and passes along his advice from his reporter days of covering protests on the UW campus during the wild 1960’s.
            *If you run with the wild and hairy student protesters, you will know the burning sting of teargas and the misery of ineffective men’s room rinses.
            *If you sit with them in their take-over of Memorial Union, you may get a billy club poke in the ribs from a Sherrif Leslie deputy during the forced evacuation, maybe even from Joe himself.
*If they suddenly accuse you of being a Madison cop as you sit in the midst of their Bascom Hall sit-in, wave your ID until an acquaintance vouches for your identity and the lynch mob inertia abates.
            *When you check out the protestors in the night at the big burning Mifflin Street barricades with the special armored Sheriff vans crashing through them, believe your eyes and remember what outrageous things you are seeing as the cultural framework itself seems to be on fire.
*Use your protest memory to know that such an unbelievable threat is here again, only worse.
*Phyllis and friends don’t need to be teargassed but given the present POTUS insanity it could happen.
Use a lot of water in the rinsing!
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