Vicki McKenna, the conservative radio talker in a very liberal town (Madison, Wisconsin), alerted us to how the Wisconsin State Journal carries a very obvious torch for the leftist rabble that trashed the state Capitol earlier this year to protest conservative Gov. Scott Walker's collective-bargaining proposal. They're touting as "news" a protester's persistent Mylar balloon:
The tens of thousands of protesters have left. The metal detectors are gone.
But a small reminder of the massive demonstrations that rocked the state Capitol for weeks on end remains. A mysterious heart-shaped red balloon still floats inside the Capitol dome, where it has hovered high over the rotunda since mid-February.
The helium balloon, which has somehow stayed inflated for more than four months after being released by protesters, has become a symbol of sorts. It now has its own "Capitol Balloon" Facebook page and "The Heart Balloon" Twitter account. The balloon even has caught the eye of the Wisconsin Historical Society, which has been gathering artifacts to chronicle Gov. Scott Walker's plan to dramatically limit collective bargaining for public workers and the ensuing explosion of protests.
"Someday the heart-shaped red balloon will make its final descent, and we hope it may find its way into the Society's collection soon afterward," reads a Historical Society Web page devoted to the balloon.
Historical? A balloon makes history? Even when liberals lose badly, they want to put a balloon in their state scrapbook for all the memories of their losing ways. This seems to be more emotional than rational.
The headline was "Long-lasting heart-shaped balloon in Capitol is 'symbol of our fight' for protest movement".
Reporter Mary Spicuzza -- whose name in the halls of government in Wisconsin ought to be mocked for unseriousness and synonymous with "Swooning Beyond All Reason" -- concluded:
However it got there, lately the balloon has been hovering at about 184 feet, not far from the "Resources of Wisconsin" painting in the inner dome.
Its staying power has inspired quite a fan following.
"I think the Capitol balloon symbolizes the feelings of solidarity that Wisconsinites are feeling, and the love for our Capitol," frequent protester Nicole Desautels Schulte said, looking up at the balloon. "It's something that is not going to give up. The balloon is a symbol of our fight."
