Ed Garvey: Gear up for Granny D and Bob Fest

Ed Garvey  —  8/26/2008 7:26 am

Doris "Granny D" Haddock will once again grace center stage at Fighting Bob Fest at the Sauk County Fairgrounds in Baraboo on Sept. 6.

She is 98 years of age, and she has shared nearly all of those 98 with those committed to social and economic justice and clean campaigns. She literally walked across this nation at the age of 90 in support of public financing of elections.

We welcome her return to Bob Fest. She personifies the fest's spirit.

When asked her theme for this Fighting Bob Fest, she quickly responded, "public financing of elections" at the state level. "We need to take back our elections from the corporations and special interests that have taken them over. We will take back our democracy as our legacy to our children and those coming after us."

And she promises a reward if we achieve this fundamental goal. "We can truly save our continent, our world, our planet. This is the job for we the people."

That is her call to action for the crowd in Baraboo.

When friends ask what they can do to make this a better country, I suggest they listen closely to the wisdom of our 98-year-old superstar.

This year's program is our best, thanks to The Evjue Foundation, The Capital Times, anonymous John, and a hundred dedicated volunteers who put on this chautauqua. Granny D has issued the call and I'm confident Bill McKibben will respond by challenging us to step up the effort to save the planet. No one has fought harder for the rights of women than Arvonne Fraser. I know Arvonne will challenge us to act.

Outgoing UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley hit the nail (Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce) on the head on his way out. A special invitation will go to Wiley. He knows firsthand how the special interests have damaged our state.

And Mike McCabe of the Democracy Campaign will add his strong voice in support of Granny D's call for reform. Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate, will force all of us to wonder if there is a place for third, fourth and fifth parties.

A leader inspired by Granny D, Tammy Baldwin, the first woman elected to represent Wisconsin in Congress, will challenge us, and so will one of the crowd's favorites, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, the first African-American elected to Congress from Wisconsin.

What a thrill to have Phil Donahue and his movie "Body of War" as part of the event. The theme of peace begins with Donahue's film Friday night at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison.

And fest keynoter Scott Ritter, former U.N. chief weapons inspector in Iraq, will inspire us to work toward our goal of peace.

I don't know if we could hold a successful Fighting Bob Fest without our pal Jim Hightower, but I don't want to find out. This will be Jim's sixth Bob Fest. We need his humor and analysis.

Peter Leidy and the Raging Grannies will entertain, but with a message of hope and challenge. (The Grannies in New York went to the Selective Service Board and demanded they be taken instead of our young people. The response? They were arrested.)

Bob McChesney will issue his call to action on Internet freedom, a responsive Federal Communications Commission, and an end to consolidation in the media.

All that and I have not mentioned the workshops on water, food, peace, climate change, the life of Fighting Bob La Follette, and the shame of the challenge from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce to an independent judiciary.

Remember, there's no charge to get in but it would be a shame to leave without making a contribution. Check www.fightingbobfest.org for more information, and see you at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, when Dave Zweifel and Megan Yost open the program.

Ed Garvey is a Madison lawyer, political activist and the editor of the fightingbob.com Web site.

Ed Garvey  —  8/26/2008 7:26 am