They still aren't answering the phones

at my state Senator's office, so I decided to drive on up to Madison to see it I could deliver my message in person. He's a Republican, so presumably he's still in the state.

It was pretty crowded inside the capitol when I arrived, but good spirits, very positive. It was loud in the rotunda, in a good way. Despite anything you may have seen about the crowds being unruly, this isn't the case. People made way for one another, parents had kids there. It was all very positive. The police had certain areas closed off and nobody challenged them about it.

I decided not to try to find Senator Shultz's office, so just joined in a couple of chants. If he was actually in his office he should have been able to hear them from there.

Went outside and walked around the capitol square a few times and enjoyed the growing company of folks. It was a beautiful sunny day, though the breeze was a bit brisk on the lake side. Stood next to some good firefighters during the noon rally, then headed on home.

If anyone wants more background on what's happening here, Talking Points Memo has had some decent coverage. (I linked to just one of their stories. There are others as well.)

Apparently the Tea Party folks are sending in a group to "counter protest" tomorrow. I just hope that they aren't able to provoke the kind of unpleasant confrontation they are undoubtedly looking for. I'll say this again from my own experience, so far the protesters have been determined but entirely peaceful.