Year: 2012

Naturally, Fox News Channel sets out to union members look crazy

This is so typical of the propaganda wing of the Republican Party:

Michigan Republicans touched off a firestorm Thursday with an abrupt push to pass right-to-work legislation, in what would be a blow to organized labor in the home of the U.S. auto industry. 

Right-to-work legislation prohibits unions from forcing workers to pay union dues. Unions and their Democratic allies adamantly oppose these laws — but with little warning, Michigan Republicans on Thursday laid the groundwork to, in a matter of days, make their state the 24th with right-to-work legislation. 

“This is all about taking care of the hard-working workers in Michigan, being pro-worker and giving them freedom to make choices,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said. “The goal isn’t to divide Michigan, it is to bring Michigan together.” 

The votes Thursday, though, drew hundreds of union-tied protesters to the capital, some of whom were pepper-sprayed by police when they tried to storm the Senate chamber

via Michigan Republicans draw union ire with sudden votes on right-to-work legislation | Fox News.

I did notice for a while, after the Bush Administration that Fox News Channel had gotten away from the propagandizing for the Republican Party. However it seems that they are back to doing that once again.  For the record, the Union members are sticking up for their rights, given to them by the Government to collectively bargain and organize, if they should see fit to do so.

This is war, and I just picked my side. Republican corporatist assholes, you all want a war with organized labor? You just got yourselves one and you picked the wrong city to invade and try to bust up the unions. I might not be formally in a union, and I might not agree 100% with all the political stances involved with the unions. However, when you start invading my Father’s right to collectively bargain, or in layman’s terms, to keep what he rightfully earned, after working 31 years for the same company —- you and me are going to have a serious problem.  😡

To do what Fox News Channel and Network is doing is borderline Nazi Fascist or Soviet style propaganda, it is anti-american and President Obama needs to step up and ask the FCC to inquire whether Fox News is breaking any laws about disseminating any anti-American propaganda or not.

Again, this is about family and this….is war. 😡

I voted for a Governor, who promised to bring leadership to Michigan, after a Democratic Party Governor fails and what the hell does he do? He pulls some extremist crap like this here? I do not think so; this is war and I just decided that I no longer wish to be associated with his ilk any longer. I gave the Republicans and the Conservatives a chance, but they seem to be bound and determined to push people like me away. So, screw them, let them push me away. I will fight the good fight and they can go count their money.

I did not pick this fight, the Republicans in Michigan did, and I am simply defending my family.

This is why I never did anything with Anonymous

Because sooner or later, the law catches up with you.

A Dallas grand jury has brought charges against Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown stemming from the 2011 hack of intelligence vendor Stratfor Global Intelligence.

Brown isn’t charged with committing the hack; just with possessing and transmitting credit card numbers that were stolen in the incident.

He has been in prison since he was arrested in dramatic and public fashion three months ago after posting a threatening video to YouTube. Brown was talking with acquaintances during a Sept. 12 TinyChat session when the feds burst in and took him away. The chat session was later posted to the internet.

The Anonymous spokesman was charged the next day with threatening a federal officer.

This time the charges are are related to a different incident: the 2011 Stratfor hack where credit card numbers and internal e-mail messages were stolen.

According to the grand jury indictment, dated Tuesday, Brown posted a link to a zipped version of the documents stolen in the Stratfor hack on Christmas day 2011 — that counts as trafficking in “stolen authentication features,” the indictment claims. He’s also charged with possessing stolen credit card numbers, Card Verification Values, and other information related to those credit card numbers.

via Feds Charge Anonymous Spokesperson for Sharing Hacked Stratfor Credit Cards | Threat Level | Wired.com.

Unless you consider logging into their public IRC chat network  as “doing something with them.” I went there, very much a hard leftist sort of a group. Which is, honestly, really not my thing. In fact,  on the Anonops network’s “Newblood” channel there was someone who gave me a hand with setting up Linux Mint 14 on Oracle VM Virtual Box, which really does work well. Before anyone panics, I checked, it was an legit ISO and the system works great on this laptop.

Anyhow, this dude is going up the river for a long time. I feel sorry for his Mother; I mean the dude freaked out and was trying to protect his Mom. Something I know very well about. I am quite protective of my Mother and Father too. He did that, and is now going to have pay the piper. This is why I never got involved with anything illegal, internet or otherwise. Because the law always catches up with you. The Wheels of justice turn slow, but they do turn.  If you are a lawbreaker, and the Government decides your number is up, its all over but the court case and crying in jail then. If you are not well off, you are done. As my uncle (Dad’s youngest brother)  found out back in the 1990’s. He fell into hard times, start dealing blow and weed; wanted to make some quick money. One of his friends, got busted for possession with intent to distribute and of course, he sung like a yellow canary and they nailed my uncle, big time.

He pulled 15 years in prison for it too. This is why I keep my nose clean. Because jail sucks. I have never been there and I do not intend to go there, if I can at all help it!

Some encouraging news for my Dad

Some good news for my Dad.

(Reuters) – The proposed Michigan “right-to-work” law will not apply to existing union contracts, a leading sponsor of the proposal said on Friday, which may blunt its immediate impact on the huge auto industry in the state.

Michigan Republicans pushed through the state legislature on Thursday a law making the payment of union dues voluntary in the private sector. The state Senate also voted to apply this to the public sector except for police and fire unions.

Republican lawmakers, who hold majorities in both chambers of the legislature, could give final approval to the laws on Tuesday and Republican Governor Rick Snyder could immediately sign them, Amber McCann, spokeswoman for state Senate Majority Leader Richard Richardville, said on Friday.

“Right-to-work” could be signed into law within a week in the cradle of the U.S. auto industry, a stunning blow to organized labor in the United States.

The law would actually take effect at the end of March, Richardville said on Thursday.

But the legislation has a so-called “grandfather” clause exempting existing union contracts until they expire, said Republican state Senator Arlan Meekhoff, a sponsor of the plan.

[…]

“I don’t think this will hurt the UAW with the (Detroit automakers) as much as it will hurt unions trying to organize nonunion companies in Michigan,” Schwartz said.

via Michigan right-to-work law exempts existing union contracts | Reuters.

Just the same, the whole idea of Government essentially blocking Union organizing rights is asinine. Which is why I no longer will be supporting the Republican Party.

Special Comment: The Republican Party has lost me again

My 67 Year old Father, who the Republican Party decided to rob blind. His name is Charlie Adkins. General Motors Employee for 31 Years. He is retired and living the good life.

I am not quite sure where to begin this editorial, so I will just start writing and I hope everything will just fall into place.

I am sure that by now you know about Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder and his sudden swerve into the extreme right. As a disillusioned former Democrat, who voted for him, despite the fact that I come for a Democratic Party voting family; I am extremely angry at him right now and the Republican Party in Michigan.

Rick Snyder came off to me as a moderate Republican, someone who was not interested in pursuing some sort of radical agenda or in causing this sort of chaos in Michigan. Well, needless to say, I and many others who voted for him, despite our feelings about the Republican Party as a whole; have egg on our faces.

This idiotic move was nothing more than an appeasement to the Republican base. There was talk of a primary challenge by someone in the Republican Party of Michigan; I do not know who it was, but it obviously scared Snyder into taking this huge swerve.

There will be consequences for this overreach of partisan Government. My earlier posting showed some of it. If there was not enough support to get Governor Snyder recalled, there will be now. The organized labor movement is on full alert now and they are extremely pissed off and rightly so. The Democratic Party base is now totally energized and when this happens, things happen and people get taken out of office and quickly.

I will also let this out as well. I made this threat in an earlier blog posting. The Bush-era is over, and the Obama era is now in its second term. The Republican Party of Michigan and Nationally; as far as this writer is concerned, have demonstrated that they have no interest in protecting people like my Father. They have shown me, that they would rather destroy everything which my Father worked, for 31 years at General Motors. They have shown this writer that they would like to see my Father fairly earned retirement taken from him. They have shown to me, that they want to see my Father’s social security taken from him and his Medicare taken from him as well.

Because of these facts, I have decided to make the following announcement. The announcement is this: My vote for 2014 and 2016 are now officially up for grabs. The Republican Party is trending towards something that I simply cannot support and that is an extremist position towards unions and organized labor. Furthermore, they have proven to me, that they are not interested in protecting our Seniors, like my Mother and Father.

Therefore, because of that, I am now, officially rescinding my support of the Republican Party as a whole and basically of the Conservative movement. I still consider myself a “right of center.” A moderate Conservative or a Blue Dog Democrat, if you want to call me that. I still believe in the idea of American greatness and Reagan’s idea of optimism.

However, I do not believe in this awful misuse of Government power by the Republican Party of Michigan to undermine the ability of people to collectively bargain, if they should choose to do so. This is nothing more overreach and it is morally wrong and I, as am American cannot support it. This is what Hitler and the Nazi’s did and this is what the Soviet Empire did as well. It is fascism of the highest order and I cannot and will not support it. For the record, I have always believed that, and now it is time to put my convictions to use.

Therefore, there are changes coming to this blog. I will removing a good deal of the RSS feeds, save maybe one. To be honest, I do not really agree with any of them anymore. I will be adding some from a different perspective. Some people might be offended by them; but, that is just too bad. When a political party chooses fascism over liberty, something must be done and someone must take a stand.

Consider this my stand.

Cross-Posted to DailyKos

This is pretty much spot on

This is from a progressive blog, but man is she ever right:

I don’t really care why Snyder folded; the problem is that he did. Now Lansing has triggered all kindsa turmoil that we coulda shoulda avoided. Here are just a few of the ramifications of what one shitty nerd did yesterday:

1. Snyder ruined his own reputation as a moderate. Mind you, those of us who pay attention already knew he was a right wing loon. Now everyone else finally knows too. Here’s hoping we see no more of those bullshit editorials by the NYT on how Mr Snyder breaks the mold. I’d like to say I toldja so but if you are receptive to that message then you are already kicking yourself.

2. Snyder demonstrated that his “word” is worthless. We all know the difference between what he said and what he did. ’nuff said.

3. Snyder has cemented his legacy as a Dictator Governor. Removing local governments, pepper-spraying protesters, locking people out of the Capitol. Detroit will probably riot again. Rick Snyder brought us civil unrest.

4. Snyder’s agenda will stall. Though since he’s never been honest about what’s on it, this may be hard to measure.

Those are just some of the consequences to Snyder. I’m not making any predictions on his re-election, though I am pretty confident that he just lost. Here are some of the consequences for the rest of us:

1. People are going to get their asses beat in union shops. Say what you want about union thugs, I know you will anyway. But if you join a union shop and you take union benefits and let the union people take all the risk and you refuse to help, someone is going to fuck with you. If you understood the history of labor, you would understand the violence. If you don’t like it, you’ve got the freedom to work at a non-union shop. Sayonara, leech.

2. Discrimination against union members will increase. Union busting shops will offer better wages and benefits to the folks who refuse to pay union dues. Some of the right wingers will use this as evidence that unions aren’t needed, but that’s because they’re stupid. Once the union goes away, so will the incentive to offer perks.

3. Recalls will begin. Targeted recalls against House and Senate members will begin as soon as possible. That’s not me organizing them; there were already talks underway. The interesting thing about recalls this time is that the people who generally do not support them are actually in favor of them now. I predict we will take out 2 House members and 1 Senator, and we will take over the legislature in 2014. Some of those House seats we might not be able keep because they’ll be in Republican territory, but a conservative Democrat might be able to hold them. (Snyder will not be a target of a recall)

4. Gerrymandering reform will begin this decade. If you have to lie about your intentions and lock people out of the Capitol, you know you are going against the wishes of the people. The way to fix that is to fix the gerrymandering system that allows the Republicans to keep control of our government even though they are the clear minority in the state.

5. The right to steal law will be repealed. We’ll have this fight all over again, and we’ll win. And it will be easier because we’ll be in the majority.

via And the republican party accelerates its decline into nothingness.

Spot on….

Pearl Harbor 71 years Ago Today

It has been 71 years since Pearl Harbor.

The Images:

A civilian killed during the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The Speech:

youtube placeholder image

A Nation went to war:

People mobbing a Navy recruitment station upon hearing what happened at Pearl Harbor. I wonder if it would happen today?

Victory:

We Won.
Germany Surrenders
Japan Surrenders

May we never forget this sacred day.

God Bless America.

 

So much for transparency

I guess that is another promise broken, WaPo reports:

At a meeting with the Business Roundtable on Wednesday morning, President Obama publicly warned Republicans that he would not negotiate over the debt ceiling. But after those opening remarks, reporters were ushered out of the room so Obama could talk to the gathered CEOs in private. 

“”Yeah, I  think the press is … they’ve probably got enough there to spin a story,” Obama said as the reporters were kicked out of the room. 

via Press kicked out of Obama Q & A.

I guess Cornell West was right: