The holidays are such a special season in Wisconsin

Especially this year. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool Santa. He has a surprise up his sleeve for the boy who was really naughty.

Night Flight

Canada Geese taking off at dusk from Tiedeman's Pond in Middleton -- wild, raucous honking, beating of powerful wings and water splashing everywhere. There's something primal about it.

What Scott Walker Fears Most of All

He should. More and more of the 99% are waking up to what he has done to their state -- and their kids' schools. They're signing recall petitions because they want their state back.

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

A Cheesehead reclaiming her state one "I Signed Recall Walker" sticker at a time.

They stopped laughing. Now they're fighting (dirty). Next we win.

First the Republicans laughed at the Recall movement. Then they started fighting, and fighting dirty. That's what a lot of the voter suppression and redistricting funny business was all about. Now anti-recall fanatics are starting to go after people collecting signatures with their cars. Next we win.

"Wisconsin Can't Wait! Recall Walker."

Why have 300,000 people signed recall petitions in less than two weeks? What's the rush?

Because Wisconsin can't wait. Normally, when we hold an election and are unhappy with the result, we wait until the next election to "throw the bum out." The social contract underlying democratic self-government gives elected officials a reasonable amount of time to try out their policies.

A politician who is runs on a stealth campaign with a secret agenda that even many supporters wouldn't agree with breaks that contract. Claiming a mandate for policies that violate most people's standards of fairness shows contempt for democracy.

That's why Wisconsin can't wait, and why recalling Scott Walker is the only recourse the people have. Three more years is too long to wait.

Vanishing Point

Lake Michigan, Kohler-Andrae State Park, Sheboygan, WI.

The war on workers: At Walker's current rate of job creation, it will take Wisconsin until 2025 to climb back to pre-recession employment rates

Scott Walker says his policies are working. He's right about one thing -- the Walker administration's war on workers certainly is working. In October, Wisconsin lost more jobs than any other state. The Walker administration prefers to point out that Wisconsin actually gained 14,000 private-sector jobs in the last year (while losing 8,000 public sector jobs). True enough. But at this anemic job growth rate, it will take Wisconsin until 2025 to climb back up to pre-recession employment levels. That's one way to keep labor costs down. Walker's corporate sponsors must be beaming.

Fortunately, there is a way to stop this war on workers. It's called the recall.

"Hey, Walker -- The only 'tool' I see is you!"

Speaking of tools: Scott Walker talks a lot about the "tools" his union-busting budget gives municipalities and school districts, but the sign suggests this woman at the Nov. 19 Recall Rally in Madison isn't buying it. Nor are most of the people of Wisconsin, judging from the 300,000 who signed recall petitions in just the first 12 days.