Someone wrote me that the “public employees” in Wisconsin reminded her of Chávez and his goons in Venezuela. Actually, they remind me of Cuba. There, the dictatorship sends its loyalists to the homes of those suspected of not being loyalists. They scream, beat on things, denounce, and threaten. The idea is, the “disloyal” Cubans are supposed to quake in their homes, and they do. These tactics are called actos de repudio — “acts of repudiation.” They are a mainstay of the regime.
In Wisconsin, the schoolteachers and other “public employee” beauties are going to the homes of Republican lawmakers, screaming, denouncing, etc. The situation has gotten very bad. We know where you live. Yesterday, I had a talk with Sen. Randy Hopper, recorded here. Republican lawmakers have received threats, and credible ones: threats to their physical well-being. They are not disclosing their movements, whether they are sleeping in their own homes. They are working with law enforcement on how best to protect themselves and their families.
I admire these Republicans, for persisting in the face of these threats, for continuing to do the job that the voters elected them to do. It’s not easy. It would be more comfortable to give in — to give in to the screaming and violent minority. And I don’t know about you, but I never want to hear from the Left about “civility” again. Ever.
One more thing: Years ago, I left the Left, after experiencing some of life, after thinking things through. One of the main reasons I left: It was clear that, if things didn’t go their way, they wouldn’t mind violence at all. They may not commit it; but they wouldn’t mind it. There was no respect for process — democratic process. All that mattered was, “My way.”
I obviously dislike tactics that demean or frighten political opponents. I also appreciate that budgetary constraints require all manner of sacrifices and I'd like to see these public sector employees show more poise at the moment. All that being said, if someone intends to cut my pay, to the detriment of my family, you'd best believe I'd raise one hell of a ruckus. If I don't, you'll do it again with less justification and even less thought.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYour last sentence is interesting, Jay. Rush Limbaugh once said not long after Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker that with today's Democrats "it's THEIR way or NO way."
How immature. Nonetheless, it's time this immaturity was put on full display for everyone to view and analyze, as they are doing in "Mad Town".
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"One of the main reasons I left: It was clear that, if things didn't go their way, they wouldn't mind violence at all. They may not commit it; but they wouldn't mind it."
Bingo. For liberals the ends justify the means. It may be dirty but if the "cause" is worthy any action can be justified.
The unions are all about the children but if half the school year has to be cancelled so teachers can fight for lofty pensions to which they don't have to contribute then it's worth it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh ok. So when Republicans protest like this they are channeling the founders, but when democrats do it they are channeling castro?
It sort of reminds me of the democrat lawmakers who had their addresses published and gas lines cut before the healthcare vote. Or the story I heard yesterday about abortion protesters showing up to the home of abortion providing doctors.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHate to tell you this bud but it's not uncommon for legislators to get wingnuts and weirdos calling up and making threatening noises when controversial legislation comes up. Obviously I have no objection to anyone decrying this sort of thing - and I'll even decry it along with you: I decry! I decry! - but it takes a special kind of imagination to pretend that this is the exclusive tactic of one political disposition or the other. I'd think that this pretty banal point would be obvious to anyone who's "experienced some of life" - maybe you haven't experienced as much as you'd thought!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh Jay,
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou just can't let it go can you. I remember when a bunch of young Republicans busted in on the vote count in Miami-Dade County during the 2000 recount? Where were you whining pleats about civility then?
Or when people marched in Joe Miller's parades openly sporting assault rifles in 2010. Similarly, the open carrying of weapons in Arizona, New Hampshire and other states at Tea Party rally's was nothing but civil right?
And hey nothing bad happened, but don't act like your side has the monopoly on civility because you'd be lying. There's as much Obama Derangement Syndrome as there was ever Bush Derangement Syndrome yet you don't seem to want to acknowledge that.
Either way, a bunch of middle class public employees are fighting for their rights that Governor Walker has decided to strip. These same type of protests are what gained many Americans the weekend, employee health care and many other perks enjoyed by tens of millions of Union and non-Union employees throughout America. And it's funny how you guys take the last election as a mandate, yet ignore the results of the 2010 election in which 25% more Americans voted and which resulted in a huge GOP loss. So it seems that elections in which the GOP does well are the only ones that matter to you guys. Selective in your love of American electoral policy and results I guess.
Funny how @DrPalinIpresume chimes into to lend credence to Jay's point.
This moonbat is copying and pasting the same rant all over the web, trying to turn himself in a rent-a-mob, I guess.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThink about how scared republican lawmakers would be if Democratic leaders were calling for "second amendment remedies" to protect their unions and said they would use "bullets" if "ballots" didn't work.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAggression and intimidation is all that these folks have. Usually, this kind of barbaric behavior backfires.
Let's hope Republicans have one.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse>"a bunch of middle class public employees are fighting for their rights that Governor Walker has decided to strip."
The things they are fighting for are not "rights", they are perks and benefits which the employers of the "public employees" - that would be the public - no longer wish to give away.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ chris - all I can say to the teacher is welcome to the real world. In the private sector I have had my pay cut in bad times, and if I didn't like it I was told to go find another job. Deal with it. We can't afford these perks any more, and this will spread to the rest of the country. Public Employees need to learn what it is like to live in the real world, bad pay, no raises, and few benifits that you pay most of. The Private sctor folk I know of would kill for the deal they are complaining about. This just shows how far we have gone and how much we still have to fix in this country. Thanks you lefty loons and your unions. too bad there is no money left for you. . .
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ Chris G.
"All that being said, if someone intends to cut my pay, to the detriment of my family, you'd best believe I'd raise one hell of a ruckus."
Really. Your comment is very strange. If my employer choose to cut my pay, I could accept the pay-cut or look for a job elsewhere. The same is true if my employer choose to fire me. I do not have a claim on someone else's property.
If I agree to a certain amount of money for a certain action, one cannot change the amount after I have performed the action. However, one can certainly change the amount prior to my performing the action. I can then decide whether or not I wish to perform the action for the new amount.
Would you raise a ruckus if your employer raised your pay without your permission? -- Willing worker -- willing employer.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ bobbytwotimes
I wish you were kidding.
"...when Republicans protest like this they are channeling the founders...."
"...democrat lawmakers who had their addresses published and gas lines cut before the healthcare vote. Or the story I heard yesterday about abortion protesters showing up to the home of abortion providing doctors."
I missed Republicans doing this. I do recall the gas line story. Of course, it was about the a congressman's brother's propane tank and grill. I missed the follow-up story, because there was not one.
Are you really going to compare abortion protesters to this? Most abortion protesters are people praying outside of clinics.
You have thrown-up some odd outliers to compare to common leftist tactics. Your comment is pathetic.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe real reason the Democrat legislators left the state in this delaying tactic is to provide time for both public and private intimidation to work. We can see the union and leftist thugs protesting and shutting down schools. And the personal threats and demonstrations at private homes show that the thugs are attempting to break the will of enough GOP lawmakers to force modification of this bill.
Thugs who use force like this only respect force in return. Counter-protesting and physically stopping these vile, greedy jerks is the only possible response. I hope that Walker takes the steps needed to halt these attempts at intimidation and fires all government workers who have left their jobs without permission
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"These same type of protests are what gained many Americans the weekend, employee health care and many other perks enjoyed by tens of millions of Union and non-Union employees throughout America."
Those are what I like to call the foundational myths of organized labor. Union supporters like to claim credit for all sorts of things that happened either before most American industries were organized or independent of the labor movement.
I'm no great fan of Henry Ford but he was the one who gave workers the weekend, decades before the auto industry was organized. You see Ford was all about productivity, and he figured out that if there was a 5 Day, 40 hour week, with 8 hour workdays, he could run his factories 24 hrs a day. So it was Henry Ford who introduced the 5 day week, not the unions.
Ford also established an employee health clinic in 1913.
As for wages, they were going up dramatically in the early part of the 20th century, again, long before most American industries were organized.
My favorite quote about the labor movement is:
"the greatest sin that a businessman can commit against a worker is to operate a business without a profit because then there is no security for the worker."
- Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYes, many times over on the reason for leaving the left. The hypocrisy is not limited to violence, but the violence shows the limitless hypocrisy. That and the ability to ignore truth for narrative.
That's my experience throughout my Nixon to Reagan naive period.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Republican lawmakers have received threats, and credible ones: threats to their physical well-being. They are not disclosing their movements, whether they are sleeping in their own homes. They are working with law enforcement on how best to protect themselves and their families."
The Republicans, including especially Gov. Walker, should be doing everything they can to make this well known to the general public. The Governor should talk about it whenever he talks to the press. If the press doesn't report it, he should demand to know why they haven't reported it, until they do so. It's an important part of the story, and the press can't be allowed to cover up for the thugs.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseany threat is unacceptable, period. but i think the main thing to take away is not that those on the left are crazy, but crazies exist on both sides of the isle. we could look at those on either side of the debate, exploit a couple of the extreme examples and then extend their actions to the entire group, but we all know this is an unfair way of understanding the situation. all in all, most conservatives and most liberals are civil people.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse40,000 people protested today without a single arrest. Yes, these public employees are truly a violent, screaming minority.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe the unions should win. What will WI look like with 14.5% bonds? Of course the bonds will never be paid (think GM Bonds liberals, yoiu'll pay for those in the end game) so Wisconsin would crash and the taxpayers could then discuss it with the teachers.
I imagine that discussion would make this amateur Union protest look pretty since the "discussion" would closely resemble the Committee of Public Vigilance. The scum teachers think they're tough, we'll see.
What they don't know is their real sworn enemy are Leninists, waiting.
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