Displaying 3,991 To 4,020 Of 5,146 Comments RS – not at all! I’ve never subscribed to the issue of human insignificance in light of either eternity or the universe. We all, each, give meaning to both. Otherwise it would just be empty space hanging around for a very long time…Where’s the fun in that? » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:13 pm It’s a fact I cannot wrap my mind around except to say, Oh, WOW! » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:09 pm It may seem an oxymoron, but this helps the labor movement even as these guys make millions and want millions more. Still and all, it’s more about the rank and file who do NOT make millions, and they’ve started showing up at these events in OH, WI etc. Nothing like solidarity! » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:08 pm Most all cats do project a bored, “you talking to ME?” quality. Until dinner time anyway. I’ve had a couple that were more like dogs playing for attention, trying to please, but it’s the cats’ unwillingness to defer to me that makes me like them. I’m turning into a cat as I grow older. “You talkin’ to ME?” » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:07 pm Stunning, Buddy – and cats DO catch light in their fur that way. It has a marvelous feel to it all! Thank you for sharing your gifts AND Oskar. » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:04 pm Hi RS – Thank you for this! I was in Charleston for the first time in 1998. I was blown away by the willingness of white people to be open about how much their heritage depended on the work of slaves. I confess that as a Yankee I don’t expect honesty about that in the South. The beauty of the houses, especially around the Battery, was all the work of slaves. I also learned about the practice that, I think, was unique to SC in allowing slaves to work for money after their work for their master (OWNER) was done. That money allowed them to purchase their freedom and set up as master craftspeople. North of Charleston is Blackville, which I stumbled over driving back roads. The second community of ‘free people of color’ in the US c. 1831 (the first was New Philadelphia in Illinois) it has a hand- painted sign on the town limit saying its history. That’s where many who’d bought freedom wound up and survived the Civil War, the Klan, and all the upheavals of change. Magnificent. SC has lousy politicians but GREAT heritage. You can’t unring a bell, and you can’t untell this story. Lots and lots of us are listening. Thank you for that link. It’s powerful stuff. » Posted By choicelady On March 12, 2011 @ 5:01 pm An old Peanuts cartoon – Charlie Brown comes upon Linus who is staring off fixedly with lines around his enlarged eyes. Charlies says, “What are you doing!?” Linus replies – “I’m practicing to be a fantic! Not just ANY fanatic but a WILD EYED fanatic!” These folks probably followed suit, topped off with drugs. Learned it all at their laudunum-laced-mamas’ knees. » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 9:02 am kes – ’cause he just did. It’s how he gets through his day. ZombieGuv. » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 8:58 am These fascinate me, and you did that brilliantly! » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 8:22 am Don’t cross your fingers. Stand with Mother Jones here – pray for the dead. Fight like hell for the living. It’s just starting, and we need every person in the action. No bystanders. We don’t have the Koch money and apparatus. We just have one another. That’s how it’s always been. That’s how it will always be. The Planet is populated mostly with people who have had on-the-ground actions in their lives and understand you can’t be passive. So you’re in good company here. » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 7:30 am Exactly – and that’s what he said election night. It’s on us. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport. » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 7:28 am RS – It’s coalitions of unions, faith groups, farmers, and other action groups such as US Uncut. Don’t look for a single entity – it’s people working together from wherever they stand rather than looking for a leader. “Progressive” groups are notably missing since they are mostly networks without actual members – no Coffee Party, MoveOn, etc. They have helped galvanize people to join, no doubt about it, but they are the supporters, not the organizers. If you want in, contact your central labor council and help out there. » Posted By choicelady On March 10, 2011 @ 7:26 am So do I, tex. One of the best friends I ever had was a cop outside of Chicago. I loved him dearly. He died last year of cancer, and it’s still tearing me to pieces. I rely on cops – good ones – because I know when I’m out of my league. I know what’s decency and what’s not. I trust the cops who kept me safe until I could get away from danger. I have no beef with them. But this is a turning point. As one who spent years on the streets, I know you HAVE to, and watching the people rise gives me more hope than I’ve had since, well I don’t know when. I’m back in the brawl with labor, with Egyptians and Tunisians and now Libyans standing for democracy on street corners. The fight for labor remains the most risky overall- it’s amazing how many Americans hate other Americans for just wanting a decent life. So a week or so ago I got shoved around by a goon who protested our demonstration for public workers, but it was pretty insignificant compared to what I’ve been through. We will win this because it’s not pretense, it’s real. People standing for what’s right takes time, but we keep the gains we get. We are on a move! It’s exhilarating! » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:32 pm I worked my butt off for that bill because I READ it and know how good it is. Most people never did and either like baggers think it’s SOCIALISM or a sell out of single payer for which, I would add, we had a whopping 85 votes TOPS. It’s a really good start for a national system that has already helped people HERE on this list. Don’t knock it until you’ve read it. I’m a single payer person, but this bill is GOOD – not the Romney or Schwarzenegger shit both of which I opposed. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:24 pm Our fault. Not voting is chicken shit. Snotty pretenders who want Big Daddy decided they were too good to vote. Well now the REAL people are doing the REAL stuff, and I’m back in it on the streets with them. I don’t want the Prez out here, too – it’s OUR work, OUR fight. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:20 pm Sorry about Vietnam, tex. Got a friend with heavy PTSD. It hurts to watch, so I respect your experience, one I will never know. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:16 pm Oh forgot – got arrested once for “assaulting” a guy 6’4″ 250 lbs. I’m 5′ tall. I’ve been to jail for justice. I did win the case when the judge sized us up. And laughed. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:15 pm RAcial brawl 1965 in which I was hit by a car driven by people who disapproved of the man I was with. Had to flee my home thanks to a racist mob waiting for me later that day. Street brawls and riots 1988-2000 defending women’s clinics. Been hit, punched,kicked, thrown on my ass, smacked, spit on, and had my hair pulled and clothes torn. Stalked FIVE times by RW extremists and had five friends and acquaintances murdered by same. Currently under the gun by the Christian Embassy that stalks my house and vandalizes things. On a national “hit list” targeted for death. Sat out in the woods with a friend living undercover for infiltrating white extremist groups and we got “found” and were surrounded by them til they learned we had guns. That enough? Oh – I organized for McGovern in ’72 as well. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:12 pm I could not get that to open. Whatzit? » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:07 pm The buck STARTS with US. We’re just getting warmed UP. Since when is the US president a street brawler? Bito and I and several others have long histories of “on the line”, sometimes with violence, sometimes not. No US president EVER has done that, and now is NOT the time to start. He’s doing just fine letting us run the show. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:06 pm Your creds, tex? » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:02 pm Many of us KNOW this, but it is not and never has been the president on the streets. It’s OUR job. I’ve done it – fought hand to hand to keep my rights against the extremists. Still am if needed. So the point here is…? » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 11:01 pm Been there, done that several times. I, a small white older middle-class woman, have had more street fights than most of y’all. I won them, too. Yes, I AM talking physical encounters, several with MEN bigger than I. I agree about the 2 x 4 though I was NEVER the one with it. But knowing you have to stand your ground is why I stand equally firmly on the position that this is OUR fight, not the President’s, and that what WE win we keep. He can’t do it for us. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:59 pm I have NO interest in putting the President on the lines where he could easily be killed. Get over needing symbols please – I’m fine with him doing HIS job and letting us do ours. He’s sending in his Secretary of Labor just as FDR did with Mrs. Perkins (hats off, bito!) That’s what she’s there for. I do NOT need an instant rerun of Nov. 22, thanks all the same. He’s made very powerful statements in support of people’s right to bargain, and that’s what LEADERSHIP is all about. We did not need FDR on the hustings – we needed him to have our back. Same with Obama. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:56 pm ghsts – we’ll be looking for you! Good on you, as Molly would have said! » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:49 pm Look – charles Koch is on the boards of several other companies – Westar Energy, Invista (makes spandex etc., a Koch customer), Intrust Financial, Rent-a-Center (which should be boycotted anyway for its gouging of poor people), Cardinal Ethanol, AT&T, Metal-Fab, Spirit Aero-Systems. First we need to see which are union or would be impacting the unions if we went after those interlocks and targeted their products. AT&T is CWA, but they could stand the boycott. Rent-a-Center is a GREAT target. Intrust I know nothing about, but financials are always good. The issue is never as simple as we’d like, but we CAN figure this out and do it well. Hurting the union folks will only get pushback FROM unions and ON unions. Girard was the first to step up to the plate in OH where the meme from the GOP and too many damned papers is that public workers are sucking up money from unemployed steelworkers. Girard, national USW president stood up WITH the Ohio public employees and won’t back down. He has moved retirees and laid off former USW into the supportive column for public employees. Make sure we don’t push him away. In this battle the Kochs are definitely side players – yes, they financed Walker, but they are not the only ones AND their role is collateral NOT central. We have to be as strategic as we can be. It’s hard work. It must be done. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:47 pm Don’t boycott UNION MADE products! We may not be able to stop the Kochs that way. It will hurt their workers who are members of the Steel Workers’ Union. We have to go after their finance issues. We’re working on it. They are privately held, but you can find out who holds their “paper” and put the squeeze on those financial institutions. Fight their sweetheart TAX deals. But don’t boycott union-made products! » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:31 pm Be VERY careful with this – the US Steelworkers represent the workers who MAKE these things. They don’t want a boycott because falling sales will justify the Kochs going after the workers and busting THAT union. Already spoke to them – a boycott would be counterproductive for labor. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:28 pm Amen, Cher! You are absolutely correct! What ever changed because the President did it? Legislation and executive action FINISH the process, they cannot start it. We’ve been sitting around griping but doing too little for decades. From abolition to Vietnam, it was the people, NOT the elected officials who first had to DEMAND change. WE are democracy, not the president, not the congress. WE have to do this so we can reverse the politics by demanding what we want, openly, visibly, emphatically. When was the last time we got off our keesters and ACTED? It’s been YEARS. This is great stuff, and I want the president OUT of it so attacks on him are not a diversion from the issues. I salute his discretion. I even more salute the PEOPLE! » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:25 pm Every labor person in the US is who. The rest don’t matter. She’s a damned sight better than Reich who was SUCH a wuss under Bill Clinton it was pitiful. NOW he has a bully pulpit, but he did piss all when he was Sec’y of Labor. Solis has far more integrity than Reich because Obama is letting people drive this movement. One of his BEST attributes is giving us back control over our own lives. We think we want Big Daddy – we are far better off on our own first. Our actions and our willingness to stand firmly for our rights is what EVERY major movement has had to do to move forward. Nothing – absolutely NOTHING – builds solidly from the top down. Only from the bottom up. Time to reclaim our destiny. » Posted By choicelady On March 9, 2011 @ 10:21 pmComments Posted By choicelady
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