In 1951, John Patrick Hunter, a reporter for the Capital Times,typed the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, six amendments from the Constitution's Bill of Rights and the Fifteenth Amendment giving ex-slaves the right to vote into the form of a petition and headed to a park where families were celebrating the Fourth of July. Of the 112 people he asked to sign, twenty accused him of being a Communist. Many more agreed with the sentiments expressed but were afraid that signing the document might get them in trouble with Senator Joe McCarthy. -- John Nichols in The Nation, after Hunter's death in 2003.
What brings that to mind today is the experience of One Wisconsin Now (OWN) -- the news media always says "liberal-leaning one Wisconsin Now or something similar -- at the state Republican convention this weekend.
OWN showed up at the convention of tax-haters and deficit-haters with a petition asking delegates to oppose billion dollars in irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations unless there was a way to pay for them. Both the convention's darling, Scott Walker, and his primary opponent for governor, Mark Neumann, have proposed such tax cuts on top of a $2-billion state budget deficit.
We won'r know how many dleegates would have signed, because the GOP had security throw OWN out and removed from the grounds.
Not exactly an example of democracy in action. Sometimes that First Amendment can be such a pain.