White House paranoia harkens back to 1970's ... Today the Washington Times printed an article about Obama’s DHS crew releasing a report about, and plans to step up efforts to watch, “Right Wing Radical extremists.” Interesting that this is released just before the Tea Parties are scheduled to happen across America. From the article itself: A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines “rightwing extremism in the United States” as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. “It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” the warning says. Notice the clever use of “immigration” instead of “illegal immigration.” Of course genuine extremists groups, usurpers of the rights of others through violence, should be monitored. Individuals who reject “federal authority in favor of state or local authority,” really? This is just one step closer to the normative labeling of anyone that disagrees vocally with the Obama administration as extremist. Speak out heavily against illegal immigration; be careful you could be tagged as a right-wing extremist. Listen to Rush Limbaugh; be careful you could be tagged as a right-wing extremist. Abortion, ditto. Gun control, taxes and on and on. Hey, political correctness has worked like a charm for the left and to a large degree put Barack Obama in the White House. Why not step up the game with a little monitoring and ostracism of the opposition? (bighollywood.breitbart.com)
Tea Party Derangement Syndrome revealed ... You all remember Bush Derangement Syndrome when George W. Bush was blamed for virtually everything that went wrong from the Iraq War to your leaking faucet? [It hasn't really gone away.-ed. I know. I know. Maybe in 40 or 50 years] Well, we now have the arrival of a new phenomenon we can call Tea Party Derangement Syndrome. In TPDS tea party participants are accused of everything from being closet racists to armchair Timothy McVeighs. You can see some amusing examples of this emerging syndrome in the latter comments to my post of the other day - Tea Party role reversal: how to deal with agent provocateurs from the left. Of course, what’s interesting about the Tea Party movement, whatever its success, is that it is pretty much about what it says it is - lower taxes and less government spending. A lot of people, Republican and Democrat, are concerned about our escalating debt and what this might mean for future generations. This is clearly a serious subject for serious discussion from whatever side of the issue you fall out on, but… no matter… the moment something gains momentum out comes the derangement crowd. In a certain way, it’s a sign of success. Are these syndromes a product of the Internet? Well, partly. Never before in history have so few been able to accuse so many so often and so pervasively of so much they didn’t say and don’t mean. On the other hand, the Tea Party movement wouldn’t exist without the Internet (Twitter, etc.). So in a way, it’s equal. I was interviewed early this morning by CNN’s Jim Acosta (for broadcast Wednesday morning - don’t know what they will use) and he asked me if I thought the Tea Party movement was the right’s response (via the Internet) to the ‘netroots. It well may be. And if it is anywhere near as successful as moveon.org, Kos, etc., we are headed for some big changes indeed. Then you will really see some Tea Party Derangement Syndrome! (pajamasmedia.com)
New World Order rolled out ... Most Americans are probably unaware that President Barack Hussein Obama has shockingly agreed to place America's free enterprise system under the control of a world financial government to be ruled from Brussels, Belgium. Obama quietly agreed to this system while attending the G-20 Summit in England earlier this month. During the recent meetings of the G-20, the nations issued a proposal for a "Financial Stability Board" and an International Economic Union that would control all financial institutions around the globe. This includes the United States. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed this U.N. plan as evidence that the nations of the world are creating a New World Order (NWO) - code for world government where nations surrender their sovereignty to international organizations such as the United Nations. Congress can still act to block many of these Obama-endorsed programs, but will it? (rightsidenews.com)Related video: Global collectivist takeover exposed
Obama to subdue Latin leftism ... He rules a country from the left, yet he doesn't have any need to be totalitarian. He has been called a socialist, yet he doesn't jail his political opponents, censor critical media or try to amend the Constitution to prolong his time in power. Just by being himself, our new liberal American president could disarm the Latin American left. When President Obama goes south of the border this week, he has a unique opportunity to change the course of Latin American history. Just by being himself, he could steer Latin America back from its recent decline toward totalitarian socialism. The revival of the old Latin American caudillos, now rebranded as leftists, could come to a screeching halt if Obama plays his cards well. First in Mexico and then in Trinidad and Tobago, where he will participate in the Summit of the Americas with 33 other leaders this weekend, Obama undoubtedly will begin a new chapter in the history of U.S. relations with Latin America and the English-speaking Caribbean. (reporternews.com)
Human Rights R.I.P. ... The U.S. case for isolating Cuba and keeping it out of international meetings such as this week’s Summit of the Americas sounds simple: the country doesn’t have democratically elected leaders, it holds political prisoners, it violates human rights and its citizens can’t travel freely. All perfectly true. But if the logic used for isolating Cuba were applied consistently, neither China nor Saudi Arabia, for example, should have taken part in the London G20 summit. The U.S. State Department estimates China has “tens of thousands” of political prisoners and describes it as “an authoritarian state in which the Chinese Communist Party … is the paramount source of power.” That has made little difference to the close relationship of mutual dependence between the U.S. and China, the largest creditor of the United States. During U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s February visit to China, pragmatism triumphed over human rights concerns as she urged the Chinese to keep buying U.S. treasury bonds. (blogs.reuters.com)
Unions demand that Federal arbitrators take over collective bargaining ... As he considers whether to run for president a second time, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is involving himself in the debate over the Employee Free Choice Act, a measure that is a top priority for labor groups and the focus of a massive public lobbying campaign by business groups that oppose it. Romney used a Monday conference call to attack a little-noticed provision in the bill that would require binding arbitration if a union and a business cannot come to a labor agreement within 120 days, which Romney called "about as un-American a thing as I can imagine." "Legislation of this nature would be calamitous for the U.S. economy, short term and long term," Romney said Monday. "This act represents an unprecedented attack on the individual rights of American workers and American citizens. You're basically saying the workers in a workplace and the management that is running the enterprise will not be able to set their own work rules," added Romney, who as governor vetoed a similar bill in his final year in office in Massachusetts. He called arbitration "a grab of power by the federal government." (thehill.com)
Union Overlords Could Kill My Company ... EFCA, known by many as the “card check” bill is an absolute abomination. Its card check provision would allow union organizers to harass thousands of my company’s employees. Its “binding arbitration” provision would substitute the judgment of a government-imposed busybody for decades of practical know-how developed during the building of a successful company within the free enterprise system. That’s why this fight is personal for me, my family, and thousands of our employees. The fallout from EFCA could be severe. From a business perspective, it would make the already-difficult economy even tougher because the labor market would be much less flexible. And the notion of having the government dictate terms of private contracts is mystifying. But from an employee’s perspective, there is worry that the large economic effect of EFCA will be massive job loss. That this issue is alive at all is a testament to the fact that workplace issues are complex and arcane. Most people have no daily experience with union organizing laws — and it’s an area that’s still misunderstood by those who do deal with the subject. Many people wrongly believe unions do not have fair access to “pitch” employees on their service. Nothing could be further from the truth. Organized labor has relied on these misperceptions because it desperately needs to pass EFCA (or some form of it) to usher in millions of new members and their dues dollars. Of course, if a private business like mine asked the government to pass a law virtually forcing people to pay for my service, there would be unstoppable outrage (much as we have seen from citizens and editorial boards who are aware of EFCA). In part, organized labor needs to continue to fund its political operations. A lesser known concern is that many union-run pension funds have run out of sufficient membership to keep the funds solvent and, consequently, unions are seeking ways to get more people “in the door” to stay afloat. Whatever the reason EFCA is pushed by a special interest, it is not in the interest of working Americans or the free enterprise system. We, and our elected leaders, must continue our promising fight against EFCA and any “compromise” that harms employee rights and the health of our economy. (thetruthaboutefca.com)Labor-state union classes
Labor-state snafu: SEIU dukes it out with AFSCME ... Capitol Bureau colleague Kevin Yamamura has this story about the opposition building against Prop 1A, including the 700,000-member Service Employees International Union's California State Council. What makes the council's position of interest to state workers, of course, is that the measure's defeat would spark more fiscal chaos for state government. And that could mean tougher talks at the bargaining table for state worker unions without a deal after the May 19 special election and, quite possibly, deeper cuts to state government jobs. Kevin writes, "SEIU Local 1000, which represents 95,000 state employees, declined to comment. The state council is an SEIU umbrella organization that handles statewide political issues." By contrast, last month American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 2620, which represents about 5,000 state workers endorsed Prop 1A even though AFSCME international opposed it. We reported that split in this State Worker blog post. (sacbee.com)
Workers fear, flee SEIU oppression ... Hundreds of Health care workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board calling for a union vote, according to labor organizers. Organizers say the petition was submitted Monday by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, or NUHW, a new labor group headed by former leaders of Oakland-based United Healthcare Workers West. The move follows several years of organizing health care workers at Memorial Hospital. Nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists and others are among those who could be represented by the new labor group, NUHW officials said. “I’ve gotten so many phone calls from workers now,” said Mito Gonzales, a phlebotomist and NUHW supporter who has been part of the organizing effort for the past five years. “A lot of them were afraid to sign anything because they thought their names would be made public and that they would get fired,” Gonzales said. (pressdemocrat.com)
Labor-state Teacher Union thugs sound off ... The Washington Education Association has sent letters to legislators demanding action in exchange for the cash and people support they have given. The same demand by the Washington State Labor Council killed the bill to gag employers speaking to their own employees. True to form, the WEA is trying to kill HB 1410 that does restructuring based on a thorough study. Instead they want more funding. It hasn't worked before - funding has climbed and climbed in real dollars, while measured results have moved little. Rep. Deb Eddy (D, Redmond, Bellevue) blew the whistle in a comment to this entry at Publicola. Publicola is the liberal response to Washington Policy Center. Their blog gives a more thorough report: [WEA sent a letter to] Speaker of the House Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford). The letter condemns a pair of education reform bills. It says, in part: "Our members have contributed time, effort and dollars to candidates we respect and who share our educational values. We have been active and generous regarding candidates on the state level as well... I hope you will be able to alleviate our concerns by ending any consideration of any bill containing the onerous provisions of of HB 1410 and SB5444 in any form or fashion." (soundpolitics.com)
Taxi drivers on strike in Oakland ... Driving a taxicab has never been what I would consider cushy work. Drivers often work shifts as long as 17 hours. They sleep sitting upright in their cabs in airport holding pens while they wait their turn to pick up an arriving passenger. They are away from their families for days at a time. It used to be a modest living, especially for immigrants whose skills back in their native countries weren't easily transferable to the U.S. But with the economy in free fall, cabbies, like a lot of people, are facing tough times. Fewer people are traveling for business and pleasure so there are fewer airport fares. In the Bay Area, JetBlue and Southwest now offer flights out of San Francisco, which has cut into Oakland Airport cab traffic. On Monday, the drivers at Oakland's largest taxi company, Friendly Cab, went on strike. About 30 drivers protested in front of Oakland City Hall. They were back again Tuesday. They're demanding that the city allow them to purchase their own taxi licenses, known as medallions, so that they won't have to lease their cars from Friendly Cab's husband-wife team of Surinder and Baljit Singh. Between three companies, the Singhs control more than half of the 304 medallions issued by the city of Oakland. The drivers say the owners charge them $525 per week to lease their taxis. That's down from the $900 that drivers used to pay when times were flush, but still more, they say, than they can pay. They tried to get the Singhs to lower their so-called "gate" to $400 per week. When Surinder Singh refused to meet with them, their union, the East Bay Taxi Drivers Association, called for a strike. Half of its 100 members have gone on the picket line. (insidebayarea.com)
Unions decide Mayor's future ... Five major labor unions have launched a push to re-elect Mayor Thomas M. Menino, even as the mayor officially remains silent about his political plans. The unions have called a May 2 summit at the IBEW Hall in Dorchester to organize teams to support the four-term mayor. Menino has yet to announce whether he’ll seek an unprecedented fifth four-year term. The Herald reported yesterday that he filmed a campaign ad in West Roxbury on Monday. Sources said union leaders want 100 members from each union to gather signatures urging the mayor to run for re-election. By then, however, Menino’s plans already could be clear, as nomination papers can be taken out beginning April 28. A mailing about the meeting was recently sent out to members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103; Unite Here! Local 26, which represents hotel and restaurant workers; the New England Regional Council of Carpenters; and Service Employees International Union Local 615, which represents maintenance and security workers, and Local 1199, which represents health care workers. Local 26 is headed by Janice Loux, a political ally of Menino’s top strategist, Michael Kineavy, while Local 103’s business manager is longtime Menino loyalist Mike Monahan. The five unions are part of a conglomerate called VictoryBoston, which has posted a Web site to gather members’ contact information. (news.bostonherald.com)
Obama to rescue oppressed gov't workers at West Point ... Hundreds of federal employees mustered at James I. O'Neill High School Tuesday night to plot against a privatization study that could cost them their jobs at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. "Brothers and sisters, I want you to hang in there...We're not giving up!" hollered John Gage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represent's the more than 300 public works positions that were outsourced recently to a private firm based in Georgia. That work force switch was decided by a federal job efficiency study, called an A-76, initiated by the Bush administration in 2006 and completed last month. The study forced West Point's directorate of public works to bid against private contractors. The Ginn Group Inc., which has won similar contests at other military installations, beat out West Point's workers. Since the hammer fell, a growing legion of support has gathered behind West Point's federal employees. Veterans, Army leaders and local officials have spoken out on their behalf, some writing strongly worded letters to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. (recordonline.com)
UFCW exposed in ugly dues raid ... Around the Murray’s Chicken plant, the predominantly Spanish speaking workers call their union “La Union Patron,” the bosses’ union. That’s because, says factory worker Rosa Turcios, the International Union of Journeymen & Allied Trades hasn’t done much for a decade other than take $16 a month from their paychecks. Turcios, a 59-year-old native of El Salvador, says she’s earned a cumulative raise of 20 cents in six years. She now makes $7.35 an hour. And working conditions have never been good, she said “(Workers) want a change,” Turcios said, speaking through an interpreter at her apartment, a short walk from the factory on Main Street in South Fallsburg. “They want to feel good about their life. She and other workers are attempting to organize with The United Food and Commercial Workers International. The UFCW claims more than half an estimated 250 workers signed a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board to call an election, where workers would have a choice between unions, or opt for no union representation. (recordonline.com)International Collectivism
Latin Leftist ends hunger strike a winner ... Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has ended his five-day hunger strike after Bolivia's congress approved a new election law. The law permits Morales to stand again for election on December 6, reserves 14 congressional seats for indigenous candidates and permits expatriates to vote. The Bolivian president spent several nights on a mattress on the floor of Bolivia's presidential palace, surrounded by banners and supporters and chewing coca leaves to ward off hunger after beginning the strike. Recent polls suggest that Morales, the Andean nation's first indigenous president and a critic of the United States who has yet to announce his candidacy, will most likely win re-election. He also said that he had received supportive phone calls from Hugo Chávez, the Venezuela president, and Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba. Morales, a former coca farmer, has said he once went without food for 18 days in 1998 to protest against the then-government's policy on coca, the raw material for cocaine revered by Bolivian Indians for its medicinal and nutritional properties, Reuters reported. (aljazeera.net)
Tortured Nicaraguan beauty-dissident given U.S. asylum ... Auxiliadora Martinez, a Nicaraguan political refugee, has been granted asylum in the United States and is no longer fearing for her life after hundreds of phone calls and letters, numerous prayers and countless marriage proposals in response to WND's exclusive story just last week "I want to thank you readers of WorldNetDaily for all your kind words," Martinez said. "Today, I have received an affirmation of the greatness of your country and nation. I received notice that I have been granted asylum." Martinez, 23, was beaten with sticks, shot at, nearly raped and almost murdered – all because she fought for free elections. While she was a campaign organizer for Eduardo Montealegre, former Constitutionalist Party candidate for Managua mayor in 2008, she was tortured by Nicaragua's Sandinista regime. Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega has employed neighborhood committees called Citizens Power Councils, or CPCs, used by his corrupt Sandinista party to spy on citizens, intimidate and torture them. Martinez told WND the CPCs attacked her with large rocks, sticks, mortars and sprays of gunfire. A gang of Sandinista CPCs tried to rape and kill her because she was part of a group protesting the legitimacy of the 2008 municipal elections. For Martinez' full story, see WorldNetDaily's original report. CPCs fired homemade mortars into Martinez' mother's home and put her name on a torture list. (worldnetdaily.com)
Paranoid Latin communist rakes free press ... Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has accused local television channels of making "open calls to subversion," warning them that his government controlled transmission frequencies. "They need to remember...the signal belongs to the state. They are not the owners of the signal, the radio spectrum. They own equipment, antennas, but nothing more," Chávez said Tuesday. "They have started a campaign of defamation," he said during a news conference in Caracas with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. It was the latest in a series of taut exchanges between the controversial leftist leader and the media. Chávez has previously blamed the media for being complicit in a 2002 coup attempt, in which he was briefly removed from power. In May 2008, RCTV - a private television station - ceased transmission after 53 years when Chávez refused to renew its broadcasting rights. He accused the station's directors of having conspired to overthrow him. (easybourse.com)
