A Good Morning for Freedom

One advantage of being curmudgeonly is that when good things actually do happen, they can be such a pleasant surprise.  I did not expect the Supreme Court to rule for non-union home heath workers or for Hobby Lobby.  I expected this to be a dark morning for freedom.  But, thanks be to God, I was wrong!

I will note that in both the Harris and Hobby Lobby rulings, four of the justices voted against constitutional freedom.  That confirms that we cannot allow the Senate and the Presidency to remain in the hands of Democrats, and best not allow establishment RINOs to control those institutions either.  We are too close to descending into an anti-constitutional tyranny from which we may never escape.

But for this morning, constitutional freedom has prevailed.  And, for that I am greatly thankful.

Ferndale Public Schools Back Down

Well.  Maybe more people cared about yesterday’s story than I thought.  Outrage over a contract mandating discrimination against Christians has pushed Ferndale (Michigan) Public Schools to back down.  They have promised to remove the offending clause from the contract.  And the teachers union in question has agreed.

The school district’s spokeswoman has stated the district did not even know the language giving preference to people “of the non-Christian faith” sic was in the contract.

I’ll leave it to readers to judge the credibility of that claim.

Discrimination Against Christians in Black and White

Those who scoff at discrimination against Christians in the United States can shut up now.  Said discrimination is now in black and white, namely in a contract between the Ferndale Public School District and the Michigan Education Association teachers union:

Special consideration [for hiring] shall be given to women and/or minority defined as: Native American, Asian American, Latino, African American and those of the non-Christian faith.

The contract reveals an enormous amount of ignorance.  Is there a such thing as “the non-Christian faith”?  Does the Constitution allow this sort of religious discrimination by government at all?  The contract does not speak well of those who teach public school children in Michigan.

But back to the main point.  The contract mandates discrimination against Christians, not to mention White men.

What’s worse is that many so-called Americans are fine with that or just do not care.

Union Thugs & Obama vs. Free Speech UPDATED

The heart of the fight over Right-to-Work in Michigan is generally overlooked – it is a free speech issue.  Unions want to be able to continue to extract forced dues from workers as a condition of employment and then spend those dues on political causes, namely the Democrat Party of course, regardless of the political consciences of those workers.  

That is tyranny.  Saying someone has free speech but then forcing them to fund Democrat (or Republican) political campaigns or lose their jobs is not free speech at all.   And don’t take my word on it.

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. – Thomas Jefferson

Right-to-Work laws end this union tyranny . . . which is exactly why unions have engaged in violence in opposition to the new Michigan Right-to-Work law.

And let there be no doubt of the Left’s hatred of free speech (the freedom of speech of their opponents, of course).  Union thugs tore down an Americans for Prosperity tent.  And Obama has attacked the Michigan Right-to-Work law (and has not condemned the union violence there).

I never thought I’d live to see a Right-to-Work law being passed in Michigan of all places.  They are to be congratulated for standing up to the union thugs and to Obama and for standing up for the free speech of workers.

----

MORE: In taking down that tent, union thugs willfully endangered lives:

As the union members attacked the Americans For Prosperity tent, a woman cried out “there are people under there, oh my God” (at 1:20). At 1:40, as union members start walking on top of the collapsed tent, a man shouted “hey, there are people in there” but again the crowd didn’t stop, and the union members continued walking on the collapsed tent defiantly as the crowd shouted obscenities and cheered.

The Invisible Romney (union) Vote?

One Jazz Shaw has written a perceptive post positing, along with Clark Judge, that some Romney supporters in unions are not showing up in opinion polls. 

For said supporters remain quiet because they do not wish to become a target of union leaders and/or their goons.  They see life as easier if they confine their support to the ballot box and otherwise keep their views to themselves.  And given the thuggish history of many unions, that is very understandable.

I recommend those who are skeptical about this thesis to look not only at the Wisconsin recall results, in which Walker greatly outdid the exit polls, but also some of the comments at the above post, such as this one:

I used to be a member of a trade union and I was a union officer for several years. The whole time I was in the union I had to lie about supporting the Democrats if I wanted to work, and in some cases, to avoid being beaten to a pulp. I was surprised to learn how many other members did the same thing. It’s a lot.


There are a lot of union members who believe that the Democrats are the be all and end all of politics and the saviors of society, and that anyone who doesn’t support them is evil. The true believers are fanatical, utterly intolerant of the slightest dissent, and vicious to those they perceive as heretics. Independents are despised almost as much as Republicans.
There are a lot of union members who will loudly proclaim their love of Obama and fealty to the Democrats and then vote a straight Republican ticket. It’s a simple matter of survival.

Now I do not think this invisible union vote thesis applies to red states in which unions don’t have enough power to be much of a threat.  But I do think some union workers are keeping their opinions to themselves in swing or bluish states where there is a history of union intimidation and violence against those who don’t toe the line.

By the way, I think there are other anti-Obama voters under pollsters’ radar.  There are others who do not wish to become the target of vindictive Lefties (Remember the attacks on Prop 8 supporters?) or who simply do not wish to be seen as RACIST BIGOTS.  They would rather just cast their secret ballots and leave it at that.

And in this toxic environment, I can hardly blame them.

Pelosi and Other House Democrats: Amend Trash the First Amendment

 I am not making this up.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats want a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision and put free speech under the control of Congress.

Of course, the First Amendment as upheld by the Citizens United decision is simple and broad for a reason.  Once you turn Freedom of Speech into “Free speech for me, but not for thee,” you don’t have free speech at all, but something akin to what you have in Venezuela or Cuba, where only favored speech is free, if it can be called that.

 And that is exactly what these Democrats are aiming for.  They wish to muzzle corporations and “special interests” while letting their union buddies continue to extort massive amounts of union dues from workers (which they can do in those states that do not have right-to-work laws) and funnel them to elect Democrats who will favor unions.  Yes, incestuous.  By the way, the recall elections in Wisconsin are about union anger at Gov. Scott Walker saying no to this gravy train.

 And if the Democrats ever get control over political speech, they will muzzle those entities that oppose them while letting unions continue their use of forced dues in elections (which is itself a violation for free speech).  And that’s for starters.

 “Free speech for me, not for thee.”

 Those who have thought those accusing Democrats of being hostile to the Constitution are overwrought or paranoid may apologize in the comments.  Yes, I am forgiving.

 I will give these Democrats credit for one thing, however.  At least they get the process right this time.  If one wants to change the Constitution, the way to do that is through amending the Constitution, not through the usual Democrat practice of ignoring it or getting judges to trash it. 

 Of course, the reason they want to amend the Constitution is because Citizens United will not let them ignore or trash the Constitution in this area for now.  And they want to amend it to rig the political process and to attack freedom, not protect it.  But credit where credit is due and all that.


----


Housekeeping: 
Yes, this post looks slightly different because Google/Blogger changed their blog editor, about which I am not entirely pleased.  I might tinker with this.  Suggestions are welcome.

Wisconsin Police Union Extortion

I am admittedly sensitive about police using their position to go beyond enforcing the law. For example, I do not like it when someone calls me, identifies himself as a police officer, and asks for a donation. Those phone calls end up being short . . . very short.

So you can imagine what I think of a Wisconsin police union engaging in mafia-style extortion against private businesses:

In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company. However, if you join us, we will do everything in our power to publicly celebrate your partnership in the fight to preserve the right of public employees to be heard at the bargaining table.

By the way, the lead author of the extortion letter, Jim Palmer, is a real winner.

Any police officer who uses his position to engage in extortion like this should be fired, now, period.

I may dive further into the thuggery in Wisconsin and elsewhere from unions, Democrats and assorted leftists. For now, Gateway Pundit has numerous examples of such.

Obama vs. Freedom of Speech

I’ve mentioned that Obama supported the public sector unions, their runaway Democrat pets and their antics in Wisconsin.

And, yes, it warms my heart to see those efforts defeated. And I frankly do not care to hear any whingeing about it. Those who subvert and run away from the democratic process are in no position to complain when democracy prevails.

I do not mention this deserved defeat in order to gloat, as tempting as that may be, but to point out that Obama and most Democrats are hostile to your freedom of speech.

Leaving aside the question of whether they are trying to muzzle you (I think if they had their way, they would in a number of ways.), I point out that they force workers and taxpayers to fund political advocacy repugnant to them.

In Wisconsin and elsewhere, Democrats support forced closed shop unions for public sector workers (and private workers as well). In order to have a state government job in Wisconsin, one must pay union dues from one’s salary. And who pays the salaries? That’s right – in effect, taxpayers along with state employees are therefore forced to pay union dues.

And if you are forced to pay union dues, you are forced to finance Democrat campaigns.

Now someone try to explain to me how being forced to finance political causes repugnant to you is not a serious violation of freedom of speech.

But when Democrats have a choice between your freedom of speech and their campaign coffers, guess which they choose. No wonder Democrats adamantly oppose a National Right to Work law which outlaws forced union dues.

Obama also opposes freedom of speech on the issue of whether to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR. With the wonderful sting videos, it has now become even more clear that NPR is a lefty propaganda organ. But Obama still thinks you should continue to be forced to finance CPB and hence NPR, to the tune of $451 million.

This represents not only a complete lack of budget priorities but contempt for your freedom of speech.

What’s next? Will we be required to contribute to the Democrat Party and the Obama campaign in 2012?

Well, now that I think about it, for those of us forced to finance unions in closed shop states – yes – yes, we will.

Fleeing Demorats Are Uniting the Nation . . .

. . . uniting the nation against them, that is. Rasmussen Polls has 67% of voters nationwide disapproving of the tactic of Wisconsin Democrat state senators fleeing the state to stop legislation reducing union power. The dispproval cuts across just about every demographic imaginable, too, even government employees. Well, Democrats support this tactic, barely.

And Demorats have fled Indiana and may flee other states at the behest of their union keepers. Run, Demorats, run! Run to political destruction!

That they are fleeing to protect the power of (NOTE: Content warning at both of the following links.) union thugs like these surely unites people even more!

Evil people digging pits. Check. Then they fall into them. Check.

Democrat Congressman Calls for Union Violence

Do not expect the “mainstream” news media to pay much attention to this. They are too busy inventing violence from the right to pay attention to real violence from the left. But a Democrat Congressman has called for unions to “get out on the streets and get a little bloody.”

“I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary,” Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Ma.) told a crowd in Boston on Tuesday rallying in solidarity for Wisconsin union members.

I have not yet been able to find video, but he reportedly gestured over at a tea party rally when he made those remarks. Given the past record of union violence against tea partiers, that makes his speech even more inexcusable.

Democrats sure are showing their true union colors lately, are they not?

Wisconsin Quacks Who Handed Out Fake Sick Notes to be Investigated

I agree with Allahpundit. The result of any investigation will likely be “wrist slaps for everyone.”

But I am glad I am not the only one outraged by the unethical behavior of those doctors who handed out phony sick notes to union protesters in Madison. Even some of a left of center bent are taken aback:

[Those doctors have] managed to belittle a public trust between physicians, employers and patients. A doctor's sick note is a serious document. It represents an employer's desire to verify through a respected, independent, medically qualified third party the fact of an illness and the true need for convalescence. In the videos now circulating online, we witness multiple members of a noted family medicine department trash one of the well-recognized rights and privileges of their profession, with little forethought as to the consequences.

If I found out my doctor engaged in such behavior (and he would not), I would immediately inform him I no longer required his services. So others can make an informed choice, I hope the names of all the doctors who handed out phony sick notes are publicized.

Wisconsin Democrats Show Their Priorities

If there was ever any doubt that Democrats are in the hip pocket of unions look to Wisconsin.

Given a choice between democracy and compulsory unionism, Wisconsin Democrat senators choose compulsory unionism of course, fleeing the state to thwart the real democratic process. Given a choice between taxpayers, fiscal responsibility and militant teachers unions, they choose the teachers unions.

But maybe I’m not being fair. I mean how can these Democrats choose against democracy if they do not know democracy if bit them on the ass. Take David Obey. In 2010, democracy did bite him on the ass, kicking him out of Congress. Along with the shameless strikers, he compares Gov. Walker with Hosni Mubarak. Uh, the people of Wisconsin just elected Walker the same day they unelected you, sir. He is no dictator. He is trying to do what he was elected to do.

And Madison has much more in common with Europe than with Cairo. As in Europe, we have those taking advantage of taxpayers striking against them when their gravy train is threatened.

Speaking of which, taxpayers are paying the teachers to strike. Most of the teachers are using their taxpayer-paid sick days to protest. Hey Wisconsin, how does it feel like to taken for suckers?

What is happening in Wisconsin proves Gov. Walker’s point – restrictions must be placed on public sector unions. And no one should be forced to join a union to keep their job.

Guess who is backing the unions and the strikers against Wisconsin taxpayers? Obama and his permanent campaign.

FBI Investigating Georgetown Fellow

I have made no secret of my disdain for Georgetown. But what university fellow could possibly be connected to such nefarious activities as to draw the attention of the FBI?

Why, Andy Stern, of course.

The FBI and the U.S. Labor Department are investigating prominent labor leader Andy Stern in their probe of corruption at the Service Employees International Union, according to two people who have been interviewed by federal agents.

The two organized labor officials met with federal agents this summer to answer questions about a six-figure book contract that Stern landed in 2006 and his role in approving money to pay the salary of an SEIU leader in California who allegedly performed no work.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the investigation. The FBI and the Labor Department’s office of inspector general declined to comment for the record.

The disclosure about the federal inquiry of Stern – who abruptly resigned as president of the 2.2-million member SEIU in April – comes just weeks ahead of contentious congressional elections in which the union is spending an estimated $44 million to support its favored Democratic candidates.

The SEIU has been plagued with several financial scandals since 2008, when the Los Angeles Times reported that Tyrone Freeman, head of the union’s largest California local, misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars from the union. The union ousted Freeman and demanded that he return the money. No federal charges have been filed against him, but SEIU spokeswoman Michelle Ringuette said the union has been cooperating with the FBI.

Remember that Georgetown granted this impeccable man a senior research fellowship earlier this year.

How Jesuit.

Media Ignores Background of Obama’s Union Goon Trumka

Lately, Obama’s buddy AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka has been out front a lot shilling for Obama and Democrats during this election season. Yesterday, CNBC even made him a guest host during Closing Bell.

So a lot of media attention is being showered on Trumka. But neither CNBC, NBC, or anyone else in the “mainstream” news media is paying much attention to his violent and corrupt background. And that even though violence he encouraged, heck practically ordered, endangered mine workers and killed one.

Consider a multi-state coal miners strike organized by the UMW back in 1993. As union president, Trumka ordered more than 17,000 workers to walk off their jobs. He was determined, among other things, to ensure that nobody would find work in a mine without paying dues or agency fees to the union. He explicitly told strikers to "kick the shit out of" employees and mine operators resisting union demands. UMW enforcers obliged him. They vandalized homes, fires shots at a mine office, and cut power to another mine, temporarily trapping 93 miners underground. Worse yet, a union goon on July 22, 1993 murdered heavy equipment operator Eddie York, a nonunion contractor, shooting him in the back of the head in his pickup truck as he drove past strikers at a Logan County, West Virginia work site; a bunch of goons then proceeded to pelt York's would-be rescuers with rocks. Rather than apologize, Trumka offered the following rationalization: "I'm saying if you strike a match and put your finger in, common sense tells you you're going to burn your finger." In other words, Eddie York had it coming.

And it just wouldn’t be right for a union goon like Trumka to not be involved in a little corruption, too:

Trumka's closet skeletons extend to corruption, specifically, a pair of money-laundering schemes, among a half-dozen totaling $885,000 that helped re-elect Teamsters General President Ron Carey in 1996 over his close rival, James P. Hoffa. That election eventually was invalidated, paving the way for Hoffa's current presidency. The Teamsters had been under federal oversight since 1989, the result of an out-of-court settlement of the Justice Department's civil RICO suit against the scandal-ridden union. In his report disqualifying Carey from office, the union's special election officer, Kenneth Conboy, concluded that Trumka had laundered $150,000 from the union through the AFL-CIO to a political advocacy group, Citizen Action, which in turn routed $100,000 of the money to the Carey campaign. Conboy also concluded Trumka had participated in another illegal arrangement in which he either contributed or solicited $50,000 in order to bankroll the Carey campaign.

Congress took an interest in the Teamsters election campaign. Trumka wasn't very talkative. Though not subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce at an April 30, 1998 hearing, he indicated beforehand that he would have taken the Fifth Amendment had he been called.


Yet Trumka’s is one of Obama’s prime front men in his effort to hold on to power. Is it not newsworthy that Obama chooses a man with such a background?

The same news media that ignored Obama’s radical background back in 2008 thinks not. Why am I not surprised.

You might be having a bad election year if . . .

. . . you are Senator Russ Feingold and two of the “regular people” in your anti-“special interests” ad . . . are AFL-CIO officials.


. . . some of your “safe” seats suddenly aren’t so safe after all.


MORE:

. . . July existing home sales drop 27.2% . . . and it is not a typo.

Georgetown Appoints Union Thug Andy Stern

I admit right off the top I have never been a fan of Georgetown. I lived next to it during a summer internship in 1981 and was unimpressed. I’ve been unimpressed with their frequent betrayals of catholic values. I was angered by their suspension of InterVarsity, even after the university backed down. Yes, I even hate their basketball team, too. Its thuggish style is bad for the game. My personal nickname for the team is Goontown.


Now it seems Georgetown likes thugs as fellows as well. For some reason, they have appointed Andy Stern, the past president SEIU to a senior research fellowship. For those not familiar with SEIU, it is a union with a well-earned reputation for both political and physical thuggery. Among other things, their goons have roughed up a number of tea party activists.


Yep, I think the name Goontown fits well. Jesuits at their worst.

Bob Casey’s Priorities

Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania got elected because he was thought to be similar to his revered dad: a somewhat reasonable, non-kneejerk liberal who is strongly pro-life. But this Spring he betrayed his father’s values by placing the passage of Obamacare above the lives of unborn children.

Now we get to see a further glimpse of his real priorities. He is pushing a bail-out of union pension plans.

Thus Bob Casey throws unborn children under the Obamacare bus, but does his best to take care of his union buddies.

What a sleaze. What a disgrace to his father’s good name.

BREAKING: OBAMA SENDS IN GOONS AND BROWNSHIRTS. VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT.

Like any Dear Leader with a totalitarian streak, Obama cannot abide “the people” standing up and opposing him on the nationalization of health care (and of just about everything else). That’s not on the Leftist script.

So he sends in the brownshirts and the union goons.

And the results are predictable and immediate. Town halls are stacked with the goons and brownshirts, and not so pliant citizens are locked out. And violence breaks out. Tampa and St. Louis are only the first instances and, sad to say, likely only a small taste of what is to come.

By the way, I warned you about this sort of thing on Inauguration Day.

------

A personal note: I understand if some of my good readers think I am being alarmist. And I do not presume to know whether Obama and his administration is totalitarian. But again and again, his administration is acting the way totalitarian regimes act. And our freedoms are under attack, very direct attack now. And that is reason for alarm.

Postal Workers Who Refuse to Deliver BNP Leaflets Should Be Fired

In the UK, about 100 postal workers are refusing to deliver leaflets from the British National Party. Their Labourite union is supporting them, of course, and is oh-so-outraged that they may have been threatened with being fired.

Heck, it is an outrage if they are not fired (after first being given a second chance to do their jobs). Who gave these workers and their union vetoes on free speech? Their job is not to censor political speech but to deliver the frickin’ mail. Or is free speech in the UK so endangered that postal workers and unions can suppress it at will?

By the way, rubbish like this only increases support for the BNP. Keep angering the electorate with more and more outrages against freedom – and Labourites are doing a great job of that – and more of the electorate will vote for the party which most caters to that anger.

Unions vs. Taxpayers

Even while the economy is hurting and governments at all levels deal with budgetary issues, labor unions are busy shaking down taxpayers with the support of Obama and Democrats.

This aspect of Obama’s agenda – and it is part of Obama’s agenda; the taxpayer bail-out of GM and Chrysler is really a sweetheart bail-out of the UAW, and there’s more to come – has not gotten the attention it deserves. One reason for that is his strategy of pushing for so much – tax hikes, skyrocketing spending, cap-and-trade, socialized health care, the Obama Youth, “hate crime” laws etc. etc. etc. – that it is difficult to oppose it all. Opposing Obama is like opposing a serial firestarter. But his support of unions is an important part of his push to make us more like Europe where unions can bring a country to its knees.

Already, unions use forced dues from workers to push their political agenda. I shudder to think how much more power they will use against us under Obama.

An aside: a little history comes to mind. We had similar problems with unions in the 70’s and with Democrat support of their excesses. Then the air traffic controllers made the mistake of going on strike for absurd demands in 1981 . . . under Ronald Reagan. He swiftly fired them and banned them from being rehired. And their union was quickly decertified.

Not surprisingly, that did wonders for dealing with overreaching labor unions. But now we have a president who rewards their excesses.

*sigh* I miss Ronald Reagan.