Thistle and her "It's very frustrating to be an anarchist in America" rant

Move over, Trust Fund Ted Hall, with your "Help us now!" meltdown. Make room, OccuPoet Misty Rowan, you and your "The Huff and Puff of My Frustration." Say hello to Thistle Pettersen and her "It’s very frustrating to be an anarchist in America" rant!

Who is this "Thistle," you ask? A little digging--her blog is thistlespace.org--reveals that she is Kristine "Thistle" Pettersen, "bike activist and folk singer," and someone who likes to go to protests. She's part of a group called "Cycles of Uprising": "Cycles of Uprising is an interactive, bicycle village, folk music show, circus, dance party and adventure that celebrates historic and future uprisings for personal empowerment, social liberation and environmental health and justice. We are a collective of six folks. . . ." "We are a female, queer and transgender tour. We are all white." Well, I'm sorry to hear that your group is all white, Thistle. That must be a heavy burden to bear. But these things go in cycles.

So Thistle and company were in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this month for the recall election. The networks called the election early in the evening for Walker, Barrett conceded, and that was that. But, as you might expect, the next day, June 6, the protesters who were still hanging around were not in a happy mood. The CNN bus was packing up, ready to move out. The interviewer decided to get a reaction from this protester, Thistle. And, man, did he get a reaction! A seven-minute rant, basically. Very entertaining! Her emotions, her facial expressions, her hand gestures--Thistle is the Queen of the Air Quotes--priceless! I don't know who came up with it, but somebody called her "Pippi Bongstocking," and that is perfect!

This is CLASSIC! This is left-wing moonbattery at a high level! First watch the VIDEO, "A Wisconsin Anarchist Reacts to Walker Recall Win," and you will be entertained, I promise. Thistle while you smirk! And then, on top of that, I've transcribed the interview and will post it below. Thistle's thoughts are in Recall-Rant Red, while the commentary of your humble guest correspondent, Charles Henrickson, thinking that Ted Hall, Misty Rowan, and Thistle Pettersen should go on tour as the Three Tempers, is in the [brackets]:

What did you think when NBC called it with, what was it, like, 21, 22% of the. . . ?

I thought, here we go again, America. It’s always this big game of deception and the militaria-industrial-media complex. That’s what I thought.

["Militaria" is a disease you get when the networks don't work.]

What are your thoughts on CNN here?

That they’re a tool of the war machine. And that they lie to the people, in cahoots with the politicians and the war-makers.

[Personally, I think CNN is in cahoots with MSNBC, to drive up Fox News's ratings.]

What was your problem with them last night?

My problem with them last night is that they were calling it “Over,” in front of MY house, MY Capitol, in MY state! Who are these people?? They’re not even from Wisconsin! And they’re calling it “Over,” with a smile on their f***ing face! That is my problem with CNN.

[Thistle, I like your "air mike" move on "Over." Nicely done.]

What happens next for you guys?

Who knows???  We’re f***ing working on paying rent and, and raising children, and. . . .You know, people--huh!--some people are gonna sing songs and, and pretend like it’s okay--that’s what those people are doing over there, um, to make them feel better. Other people are gonna get really angry. Um, it’s not like were “organized,” you know, and it’s not because anarchists are against organization. I am an anarchist, and I am in favor of organization.

[Nice air quote on "organized." But, uh, Thistle, anarchists ARE, by definition really, kind of AGAINST "archy" or organization. Maybe instead of "anarchist" you mean "wild-eyed left-wing moonbat bike activist with a free-floating angst who likes to perform at indie coffee shops and go to whatever the latest protest is."]

They try to destroy our organizing, and they do a good job of it!! And that’s why we’re pissed. And that’s why you can use that always as a weapon. Our anger is a weapon that you use. You know, “Oh, look at the ‘angry, violent protesters.’”

[That was about a TRIPLE air quote! I'm going to give you a 9.8 on that one!]

Well, I’m angry because this society is broken, and there’s no way to fix it, and you keep blaming me, you know, and, and black women with children that are on welfare or whatever. It’s like, no, actually that’s not who we should be blaming. We need to all look at ourselves. We all need to be leaders. Each one of us is a leader, or should develop those leadership qualities, because I’m not “in charge.”

[No, but you are the Queen of "Air Quotes."]

You know what I mean? You ask me what’s next? I don’t know! I’m sad. I’m really depressed. I hardly--I didn’t even want to come out here, because I knew that the Solidarity Singalong would just be singing and not, you know, going up to the offices of the politicians and saying, “Hey, um, you called, uh, the end of the, the recall last night--you conceded, when all the votes weren’t even in.”

[Boycott the Solidarity Singalong! What good are they to the Movement? Who can sing at a time like this??]

You know? Like, if you concede before the votes are in, that increases the, the thought that’s something’s going on behind the scenes. And you want to engender trust within the population, not suspicion. Especially in a situation like this!

[Really!!]

You know, it’s like an insult! It’s like a slap in our face! It’s like saying, “Oh, be obedient now. Just go back to what you’re doing. The recall’s over. We concede. I’m such a good man. I’m gonna be a big guy, and”--as if it’s between two guys, you know, Politician A and Politician B. You know, it’s. . . ."

[Actually, Thistle, it WAS between Politician A, Walker, and Politician B, Barrett. And A won. You need to learn the ABCs of politics.]

Anyway, it’s very frustrating to be an anarchist in America, let me tell you.

[You need to go to an Anarchists Anonymous meeting. Only, they don't have regular meeting times, and nobody's in charge, so good luck on that.]

And the more frustrated I get, the more mean you guys become towards me, and I really hate that. So anyway. . . .

[It's the Militaria-Industrial-Media Complex vs. Thistle.]

What would you like to see happen, and what are you afraid is gonna happen, within the next few months?

What I would like to see happen is mass rebellion.

[It's happening, Thistle! Can you see it? The people are RISING UP, getting on their cycles, and MOVING! It's real, it's happening!]

I mean, people rising up and, and channeling their rage into positive, beautiful, poetic, amazing, creative energy, which, I saw a little bit of that last night. I saw a whole lot of that when we took over the Capitol in February and March of 2011. Um, that’s what I would like to see.

[Positive, beautiful rage.]

I’d like to see a return to that energy of cooperation, organizing, people helping each other out, people getting food for each other, um. . . .

[Um, Thistle, that's called PRIVATE initiative, not government programs. It's a conservative concept, actually.]

saying, “We don’t agree with our government, and if we stand together, then we, we win, and we can be forceful and take over this space, because it’s our space.”

[Thistle is lost in space.]

That house, that government is our government. That government does not own me. I own that government. And so I would like for people to have that attitude and come together. That’s what I would like to see.

[The people did come together, This, and they voted for Governor Walker. Again. By an even bigger margin this time. So there ya go.]

What I think is probably gonna see is that the tactics of the government and the military-industrial-media complex work. And people are depressed, they’re divided. We are so worn down! We are so tired! And mad, and reduced, you know. Torture tactics and military tactics work!

[Thistle was tied to the Comfy Chair.]

You know, and then just blame the victim, because I’m angry, and I’m tired, and I’m gonna, like, look haggard or something.

[Haggard? No, Thistle, you look MARVELOUS! Love the Pippi Bongstocking look.]

Because, you know, I’ve just not got my community anymore. You know, unless I just want to go to church and sing hymns and be quiet and just sing hymns. Then I’ve got community. But how real is that?

[As a matter of fact, Kristine Pettersen (Scandinavian? Lutheran?), that church-and-hymn-stuff community is VERY real. You might try it!]

You know, like, they’re, they’re destroying our livelihood, which is the air and the water and the, and the soil, and the ecosystems. It’s being destroyed by the military-industrial-media complex.

[There's that complex again! What IS it with that complex? Always causing trouble!]

And I’m not just gonna sit around--as an individual, I’m not just gonna sit around and watch TV and eat McDonald’s and soothe the wound.

[That's what Pitt does, so at least I give you more credit than I give him.]

I’m gonna fight! I’m gonna fight!

[I'm gonna stomp my little feet!]

So that’s what I’m gonna do. And I love Miles. Miles is my comrade, and he’s also a fighter.

[Miles to go before I sleep.]

And so he and I will at least have our own little duo.

[The Dramatic Duo.]

And Margaret Mead said it, and she said, “Never, um, question what a small group of citizens can do to change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” And there are small groups of citizens in Madison and in Wisconsin that I have a lot of faith and trust in our, in our spark and our dignity, you know, our, our respect for ourselves to rise up in the best way that we can.

[Mead Me in Madison.]

And may it be graceful and poetic and beautiful, so that all of the cops just take off of their riot suits, you know. There was this beautiful, um, chant in Chicago. I went down to Chicago to protest NATO, and there were riot cops in front of the mayor’s house. And they looked all mean and menacing, you know. And, and we all started dancing and saying, “Hey, hey!” Wait, what did we say? We said, “You’re sexy! You’re cute! Take off that riot suit! You’re sexy! You’re cute! Take off that riot suit!”

[You're screwy! You're spaced! You lost the recall race!]

You know, so, that rage that I feel can be channeled into beauty and delight and humor.

[As in the DUmmie FUnnies!]

And that’s what was happening during the Capitol uprising a year and a few months ago. And they don’t want that to happen. Because that means that we’re getting organized, and we’re, you know, self-determining and. . . .

[You're organized anarchists, in short.]

None of that is what they want. They want us to be obedient. And I’m not obedient. Nobody--I am the master of myself. I rule myself. And nobody else rules me, you know, so. . . .

[Thistle, if you rule yourself, I think you need a mass rebellion.]