Union Breaking?

As I listen to the news this morning, I'm hearing people from both sides of the political aisle talk about union breaking efforts by the Republican governor of Wisconsin.  One side says it is, the other side says it's simply management of issues on the table.  In my professional life, I've been exposed to the stories from both sides of the issue of unions - protection of workers' rights, and the abuses that allow workers who should be fired to retain their positions.  Where do I come down personally, without a doubt I will support the union ideal while speaking of the abuses, and the need to address those abuses.  It is not right for a worker to fail to do their job, yet retain that position over someone else who hasn't been there long enough but IS doing the job is fired or down-sized out of a position.  Neither is it right for corporate America to say to an older worker, you're no longer needed, and your pension and benefits are hurting our bottom line, so you and those benefits are out!

This is especially true when one considers how well corporate America is doing!  Business is doing better than ever, the wealthy are quickly moving to the point where modern America will become a feudal state again, with corporations instead of political royalty in the positions of power.  We all remember that following Hurricane Katrina, or after the British Petroleum oil spill, the multinational petroleum companies were pulling down 300 % profits, while the workers of America and other countries suffered under the unreasonable increases in prices - yet they told us they WEREN'T gouging, but only covering reasonable business expenses -- really, guys? 

It interests me that the Republicans who did all they could to kill stimulus and hurt the middle class, now want us to believe they are truly concerned about small business and the muddle class.  I guess that's why they want to break unions, and allow corporate America to continue to raise prices, cut benefits, and exercise unfair business practices that discriminate against older workers, and allow companies to walk away from contractual promises to provide retirement funds to workers who helped those same companies gain the financial status they currently enjoy.  Somehow, it appears the word "fair," needs to be revisited, so we can again understand that it means to be "fair" to workers.

Think about it!  And remember that there are companies are doing everything they can to keep unions out of their workplaces. 

Michelle Bachmann

Michelle!  Get a life!

This woman, quickly becoming an icon of today's GOP, can't keep her feet out of her mouth!  Now, she's picking a fight with Michele Obama over rules that would allow new mothers to breast feed at work or to get breast pumps to help them keep their children growing on mother's milk rather than formula or cow's milk.  Hmm, Michelle, I've heard for decades that mother's milk is much better for newborns, improving their immune system and helping them have a healthier start to life - are you saying we should just tell mothers NOT to give the best start possible to their children, or that we should tell employers they can fire new mothers, because they "shouldn't" be able to breast feed at work?  Sounds like some of the backward people I new in the mid 70s!  People who said they wouldn't be offended if a new mother breast feed, then criticized her for doing so, in spite of her being careful not to subject them to the sight of her breast.

The GOP desperately needs to decide if they want to be considered a serious political party, and simply a gathering group for a wildly crazy group of people.  Limbaugh, Beck, Bachmann, and others simply are making the grand old party look wackier and wackier.  I can only hope some one's good sense starts to function, and soon. 

REALLY?!

I am finding myself more and more incensed by the attacks of anti-abortionists on doctors who provide a legally recognized and acceptable procedure to women.  I vehemently disagree with those on the radically right fringe, BUT I do NOT encourage my friends or those who think like I do to go out and kill those on the RRF!  I do NOT post "Wanted" ads on my blog site or through email, asking others to plan and execute violence against the RRF.  So, why is it acceptable for those on the RRF, especially those in the anti-abortion movement, to do these things, and to brag about "successful fatal attacks as a means of stopping what they claim to be against.  I would defy any of those in the groups mentioned to show where the so-called Christian faith of their profession allows for this sort of violent attacks! 

Short of an Old Testament period when Israel's prophets and scripture writers were focused on the nation's ability to gain a land and build a nation, God hasn't been a God that says, "Hey, go kill those who don't believe as you do, because that's a reasonable way to effectively stop those things you don't agree with."  And, if they will look closely and with an open-mind at the New Testament, they will find that Jesus doesn't condone violence as a means to stopping evil - even when that evil was aim at his own death.

It was a lesson so powerfully learned by those closest to Jesus, that when THEY were faced with violence to stop them, THEY also stood against violence to protect themselves.

Yet, NOW, we have those who claim - claim, but don't show any real belief in the teachings of their master - the name of the Christ, say that it is "acceptable" to God, to the Church, and to Society to kill in order to stop those whose beliefs are different from theirs.  These people defile my beliefs, the foundations of this country, and the basis of a common faith in the God who is creator of all.

They exaggerate, politicize and ignore the truth about those people with whom they disagree.  Most who support a woman's legal right to an abortion, most, also would like to see abortion become totally unnecessary in our society.  How do we accomplish that?  Why, by respecting individuals - not raping children or unwilling women (even wives, because "No," means NO!), by making sure EVERY child is wanted, and teaching our children - who are doing the same things children have been doing for centuries - how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.  Midwives have, for centuries, known and made available plants and concoctions that would abort unwanted pregnancies; but a male-dominated society didn't want that to happen, because it meant they didn't have the power and control of their world as they thought they did.

I don't care whether you believe in abortion or not; I don't care if you are Republican or Democrat or Independent; I don't care if you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or some other faith - it is time for us to stand together and say, "We WILL NOT tolerate violent attacks to show opposition to another's beliefs - but will in fact STAND TOGETHER to say each person in this country is allowed to determine their own belief system in a constitutionally protected right!  It is time for the wackos learn we won't tolerate this violent approach!

Don't be silent!  Think about it, and speak up!

Christian Hypocrisy

I drove by a sign today on the way from work, and had a rather strong momentary reaction that led to some deeper reflection.  The sign said, "Because God loves you, we love you."  Simply enough, profound if true.  The problem is that while Christians across the board profess to love their neighbors, far too many of them only love the acceptable ones.  Funny, having been a pastor for over 30 years, I don't recall reading where Jesus ever allowed for that condition.  The command was very clear, very succinct - Love your neighbor as yourself.  Period.  No qualifiers.  So, why do those who claim to follow the Master have such a hard time with it?

Perhaps the real problem is that we'd have to let go of our cherished prejudices if we honored that command.  We'd have to love and accept the presence of druggies, drunks, violent people, prostitutes; give up our homophobia, our racism, our religious bigotry toward Jews, Muslims, Liberals, and drop our deep-seated political prejudices as well.  Horrors!  Imagine it!  A church were all are welcome to come, pray, and worship God as they felt led to do - not forced into our own little mold.

Hm, maybe Jesus was on to something more profound in that little command than in nearly anything else he taught.  And recall that in his story to illustrate the neighbor, he chose a hated Samaritan - a mixed-blood who descended from those who refused the Jewish leadership's command to send foreign spouses and children away following the return of the Jews from Exile.  Hated, because they heard a deeper call from God, perhaps?  Imagine the "stuck in the craw" feeling of those who tried to trap Jesus, only to have him slip that little tidbit in on them.

Perhaps the church would find itself relevant, desirable, important and influential - if only they would listen to that command and act on it as presented.  Love your neighbor - all of them -as you love yourself.

Uh-oh!  There's another cherished belief challenged!  I grew up hearing the church say, you should love God first and foremost, others second and yourself last and least.  So, how do we love our neighbor as ourselves, if we don't love ourselves?  Does loving self mean we don't try to improve?  No, but it gives us the right motivation, and allows us to accept that if we aren't perfect, God still loves us.  Ow!  Two powerful lessons that just might start to transform the whole image and concept of church if actually accepted and practiced!

Think about it!

Michelle Who? Really?

Can it really be true that a psycho like Michelle Bachmann thinks she has a shot at the presidency?  Does she think that a repeat of the Palin fiasco is likely to succeed a second time around?  After all of her completely off  the wall rhetoric, after what to me was truly seditious speech, the woman should be running for the north woods and hiding herself away from the very people she SAYS she represents!  She is just as rabid with her speech as the FORMER Alaskan governor, or Rush, or Beck, or any of the others willing to incite unrest rather than trying to bring the people of the nation together to help turn things around. 

Rather than help people out of work, she's one of those calling for reductions of social services, saying that to try to help people is socialism, that all those who had life going well for them should get their guns and protect their rights  to have all they wanted and more, while others were forced to live on absolute minimums of resources - if that.  And now she wants to be sent to Washington D.C. as the commander in chief?  I cannot imagine being asked to follow the leadership of someone like that!

What other war would we find ourselves involved in?  How many other people, citizens of this country or those who listened to the plaque on the Statue of Liberty about the huddled masses, hungry and poor coming here for a new and better life will be sent back into deadly situations, or turned out on the streets because some banker talked them into more of a loan than they needed, or because their job was gone, and they couldn't pay the bills? 

And on top of hear that kind of stuff, we learn that Comcast, who had bought NBC, wanted Olbermann off the air - the cornerstone and foundation of the MSNBC prime time and late night lineup - and they managed it!  Am I unhappy Keith getting the settlement he did?  No.  Would I like a similar settlement to get me to leave my job?  You bet, but no one is going to buy up Wal-mart and get rid of me, because I'm a loud voice AGAINST the nastiness of the Right.  So, I don't need to worry, or do I with people like Bachmann and Palin wanting to take over the White House?!  I'll tell you the truth, that last is a truly scary thought to me!  Truly scary!!  It should be to you as well!

Think about it!

Inspirational or Inflamatory?

Once again, the inflammatory speeches of the Tea Party and right fringe candidates has raised its ugly head!  I'm a firm believer in free speech, but how do we justify the extent to which the right has taken that constitutional right?  When do we start saying, when you cause violence by your speech, you have crossed the line.  When do we hold people accountable for jacking up the anger of one part of the citizenry to attack another?  Why should a right-winger radical be allowed to walk into a town-meeting setting, pull a automatic pistol and open fire, killing several and wounding three times that number, just because he disagrees with a Jewish-American progressive female congressional member?

Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, Bachmann and their ilk need to he held accountable for their inflammatory speeches, that stand in stark contrast to the inspirational speeches that are part of our country's great history, including Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech that have helped people stay the course, uphold their ideals in the face of violence and given heart to the nation.  Speeches about revolution, remembering the lessons of the revolution, a little revolutions is good once in a while - all these are simply meant to keep the radical fringe in arms - and they will always "step away" from the violence their own language has inspired.  Sure enough, the Tea Party leadership spoke of this latest incident as heinous - really?  Then why the language that inspires these actions?

Get real, political rightists; recognize that your speech incites riot to a degree that is unacceptable, that takes lives and leads to disgusting incidents of violence of one person or side of an argument against another - usually several fringers against a singled out progressive.  Take responsibility for your speech!  Learn the lesson recent history is teaching and curb the language of hate!

Wake up, progressives, and stand up to hate slant of the right fringe.  It's time to start taking action, and no, I don't mean taking up guns - that only plays into the hands of the right.  I mean discussion ways to bring peer pressure to bear that will help make this a country of debate, not a country sinking back into the old West mentality of the man with the fastest gun being the power.  The lesson of history is that this only leads to shotguns in alleys waiting to take down the fast gun.  MLK Jr. showed us a better way, following the steps of a man named Jesus of Nazareth - who was also a model for a man named Gandhi.  Let's take up the challenge, and help lead our country in the correct direction!

Republican Two-Face in Spades

During the last 2 years (and similar periods in the past of my voting life), the Republicans haven't ceased to blame Democrats for all the ills they perceived in government in America.  Now, with Republicans holding the strength they do, they are NOW saying they can't be held responsible for the ills that may come from their extreme stands.  Tonight, as I listened to Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, as a Democrat pointed out that the Republicans had blocked effort after effort to help the ailing economy, the Republican guest responded by saying extreme stands were necessary, and the no one could hold Republicans accountable for the ills that could come from those stands.  So, apparently for the Republicans, what is good for the goose is NOT good for the gander.  Hmm!  I wonder how the elections of 2012 might appear if the Republicans get their way over the next 2 years, and even the pundits are raising this concern.

The conversation was about raising the national debt ceiling, and, yes, that is a major concern to us all, especially in these trouble economic times - but perhaps we should look first at the multinational corporations and their percentage of profit, their multimillion dollar salaries for CEOs and directors, their lack of tax dollars paid to the government and their efforts NOT to pay benefits, NOT to care for their workers.  Perhaps we should be looking at the amount paid to congressional leaders who are already millionaires.  Perhaps we should listen to someone like Steve Forbes, and his proposal for a flat tax - no deductions, not exceptions.  Everyone pays 10% of income as federal taxes.  Think about how the corporations would start pumping millions into the national treasury, how the multi-millionaires and billionaires would start pumping dollars into the treasury currently being support and carried on the backs of the most heavily taxed group in America - the working class!

Who has been responsible for more harm to this picture?  Republican benefits for the richest of the rich in America - at the expense of the working stiffs of this country.    Democrats have raised taxes, yes, and through those paid down national debt on more than one occasion,  They have provided services to Americans that Republicans don't want offered to those who pay their salaries. 

Perhaps it's time to adopt my father's attitude late in his voting life - not voting for an incumbent, so the channels of influence and graft in Washington can't become ingrained.  Oh, I realize we have some who go to Washington looking to get in on that system as soon as possible, so they can become part of the rich elite of the nation, but if enough elections went this way, perhaps congressional representatives would start to remember they are there to represent our interests, not to get rich.

Anger is there and expressed on the right, but it is there on the left as well.  We need to stop being the quiet progressives, and start raising our voices to counter the right - understanding when we do that we may encounter those rightists who are willing to use violence to quiet our voices.  There is no reasonable argument against this nation not doing better for its citizens in light of how much many other industrialized nations are doing for their citizens.  We simply are becoming the story line of many science fiction stories of a future where corporations control life. 

Think about it, raise your voice, and be proudly progressive!