This is The World According to Buchs - Keepin’ it moving since 2003!

At about 12:30 this afternoon, I was sitting at the computer (shocker!), and heard what sounded like drums beating and a crowd chanting outside. I took a peek off the balcony and was treated to a front row seat for the 2005 Milwuakee May Day Parade, brought to you by the Milwaukee Chapter of the United Anarchist Association.

Judy asked what the MayDay thing was about, and I thought that it had to do with the old Russian Communist party. You can read a little bit about what the Communist Manifesto has to say about it, or you can probably just ask Les to tell you all about it — not that he’s a communist (and not that there’s anything wrong with that), he’s just a very knowledgeable guy on these sorts of things..

I did a bit of quick research on the anarchist’s connection to May Day, and found this page that explains the 1887 case of 8 Chicago demonstrators. They were arrested, in part, for striking in favor of the 8-hour work day. Four of the accused where executed, a fifth hung himself in prison, and the other three were eventually pardoned by the governor.

Google occassionaly “dresses up” their site logo in honor of various holidays. No such luck today. So, in honor of May Day and those wacky anarchists, I’ve posted my own version. Enjoy.

As long as I’m at it, here’s a nice little poem about the incident, brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society:

Five score years so soon are gone
That crown that fateful hanging day,
Yet still the years live on and on
And never will they go away!

Eight doomed martyrs spoke their dreams:
An eight-hour day, their modest hope;
For such effrontery it seems
Four lives were snatched by hangman’s rope!

But by a miracle of fate
The voices still ring loud and clear;
The voices stilled by cruel hate
Are heard today, this hundreth year!

So many years have passed them by,
Yet louder still the timeless call
Rings ’round the world, a battle cry
For workers’ rights, for peace for all!

Raise high the flag, you workers brave,
March strong and steady, side by side,
On First of May this hundredth year,
So not in vain those martyrs died!