Wisconsin’s “labor movement” protesters have adopted a couple of new symbols.
The first, of course, is the very word “Solidarity”, although to be fair its use by radical left-wing labor activists long-predates the Polish “Solidarity” movement. Since nobody retired the number, I suppose they can put it on their jersey.
But the “raised fist” is a pretty loaded symbol. It’s been used by (according to this Wikipedia bit, with me adding a few bits of emphasis):
* Albanian National Liberation Front
* American Indian Movement
* Anarchist Black Cross
* Black Panther Party
* Democratic Labour Party of Brazil
* Earth First!
* Women’s Liberation
* Food Not Bombs
* International Brigades
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
* Italian Radical Party
* Jewish Defense League
* Kach
* National Equality March
* Otpor
* Parti Sosialis Malaysia (Socialist Party of Malaysia)
* Revolutionary Socialist Workers’ Party (Turkey)
* Red Front Fighters’ League
* Saor Éire (1967-1975)
* Socialist International
* Socialist Party of England and Wales
* Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
* Socialist Youth Front
* United Farm Workers
* Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front
Not to mention, if I recall correctly, Mussolini’s Camicia Neri, the “Black Shirts”.
Now, they can pick any symbol they want. It’s a free country.
It’s just that with all the nation’s media and self-appointed social consciences having the victorian vapours over the most tangential symbolism among the Tea Party, it’s kinda odd that there’s no comment about a symbol that is linked on the one hand with a lot of violence, even terrorism (not that the unions seem averse to that, if only rhetorically)…
…and on the other with various Civil Rights movements – as if the “Right” to demand others pay for a standard of living they themselves cannot afford is on par with the right to vote and be considered equal before the law.
Just saying.
(Via Torin K at the TPL)
Solidarity? Solidarity with who?
Anyone in Wisc. who pays taxes is their prey. It’s like wolves asking for solidarity from the sheep.
I can’t get outraged. I would rather be motivated. Read any credible biography of George Washington or John Adams and you will understand.
Here’s something everyone is encourages to FACT CHECK:
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Public employee unions are guilty of “a long train of abuses”, and have approached “absolute Despotism”.
Yeah, on second thought I can get outraged.
To really demonstrate the solidarity with the gov’t unions the clenched fist sould be shown clutching a pair of private sector working man’s balls.
Oh, hello there.
In a previous thread, Doggone pooped out the following lie:
“Wisconsin had a modest surplus until they recently went into this current fiscal crisis by giving money they didn’t have and couldn’t afford to corporations as inducements….which look a lot like payoffs for campaign contributions.”
FACTCHECK!
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/feb/18/rachel-maddow/rachel-maddow-says-wisconsin-track-have-budget-sur/
Fist? I thought that was four sucking piglets pushing the weakling off a sow’s tit.
So the Red Star online is reporting another bunch of gubmint union thugs are on their way to WI. Apparently, a group from the similarly economically challenged LA County, CA are coming up here. Someone should alert the Milwaukee PD that the unions are still importing thugs.
I would like to suggest that when reaponding to deegee’s poopings, we call BITCHSLAP! instead of FACTCHECK!
Mull it over amongst yourselves and get back to me.
BITCHSLAP is sexist. Reamed would be more appropriate.
What? Nobody of the DemonRAT media bitches picked up the language/symbolism driving the discussion meme yet? Shocking! “ObamaCare” = abomination, “Solidarity” = [crickets]
Oh, and anyone wants to take bets when the DemonRAT media will lament the fact that we are no longer the nation of laws?
Oh, and Mitch, you owe swiftee $10. Rahm had been elected mayor.
LearnedFoot’s tenacity is teh awesome.
Doggie….Doggie Dimwit….where ARE YOU?!?!?!
Has the Doggie vacated the state like her heroes in the Wisconsin senate and Indiana house? Or is she on, a fact-finding mission?
That graphic reminds me of why a lot of Wisconsinites wish we could annex the U.P. — then the protesters could have the perfect hand gesture.
Rahm had been elected mayor.
Pfft. Rahm’s decorators were taking measurements in Da Mayor’s office before he left DC.
BTW, check out @MayorEmanuel on twitter; hi-fucking-larious!
Wisconsin should really annex the UP of Michigan. THAT would take care of the fist!
What? A Democrat fixing an election in Chicago? That’s just crazy talk.
Uh, this isn’t a newsflash guys. Last week I saw a Union Protestor hold up a piece of paper that said “Worker of the World Unite”. Of course the irony of all this is that their beloved idol, Karl Marx, never did an honest day of work in his life. I believe his wife said something along the lines like, I wish he would stop writing about money and go out and get a job. Someone needs to educate these people about their “leaders” and “founders”. Most of them despised the common man.
Marxism is a joke. It claims to be _the_ final explanation of everything — it’s not God, it’s not Creation, Fall, Redemption, it’s . . . wait for it . . . economics.
That’s right, economics is behind everything.
Ever read Marx? What a waste of time. Turgid prose, metaphysical ideas firmly grounded in mid 19th century continental philosophy. It’s a joke. It isn’t anything like Marxists believe it is. It is so bad at modeling human behavior it has to be revised, after the fact, to explain what happened.
So WWI was the final stage of capitalism as capitalist dynasties wielded their nations in War to claim the last of Man’s available resources.
Except it wasn’t the final stage of capitalism. Massive revision required.
Then WW2 was supposed to be the final stage of capitalism.
It wasn’t. People became _richer_ after WW2, not poorer. Oops. Time for another revision.
Then the Soviet Union lost the Cold War. Then the Chinese embraced state capitalism. There is no longer an international labor movement worth the name.
Still, to its adherents, we are just one revolutionary movement away from the Workers Paradise.
The real lure of Marxism is that it has evolved to mean that a progressive elite is justified in seizing control of society’s resources and directing them as they see fit. Who is this elite? Just as in Lenin’s and Stalin’s time, the elite is lawyers, philosophers, writers, artists, the intellectuals; in short, everyone who feels that someone else must work to put meat on their table.
“Who is this elite? Just as in Lenin’s and Stalin’s time, the elite is lawyers, philosophers, writers, artists, the intellectuals; in short, everyone who feels that someone else must work to put meat on their table.”
Terry, your list is incomplete.
Should I have added public employees?
Perhaps, and also CEOs.
I am not quite sure that I understand your response, Leslie.
If you are talking about CEO’s of large for-profit corporations, they are hired by board members who represent investors. They eat as well as they do because they have made money for their investors. This is quite a different circumstance than most intellectuals, lawyers, artists, etc, find themselves in. Successful CEO’s find that their labor is in great demand and so they can work the marketplace. Intellectuals, etc, try to flee the marketplace.
I work for a non-profit that does scientific research. I imagine that there are many small time entrepeneur CEO’s that make less money than I do and work harder for it.
“…and also CEOs”
Um, gee, Leslie, I’m guessing you haven’t been around many CEOs. I have, and you may rest assured that they work damn hard.
mnbubba I am not sure what Leslie meant by “CEO’s”. Private non-profits have ceo’s or directors that fill the same position. I am certain that there is a person at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting who makes executive decisions and answers to its board.
I thought that I might have been painting with too broad a brush when I wrote “lawyers, philosophers, writers, artists, the intellectuals” but on reconsidering my words I think that they are accurate. You can find anti-marxist “lawyers, philosophers, writers, artists, [and] intellectuals”, but I believe that overall they are a distinct minority and are virtually unrepresented in our public and semi-public institutions.
“The real lure of Marxism is that it has evolved to mean that a progressive elite is justified in seizing control of society’s resources and directing them as they see fit.”
It seems that although not considered progressives and certainly not considered pro-marxist, CEOs as a group are nevertheless heavily involved in seizing control of society’s resources as well or more so then the other groups you mentioned Terry.
You say “ceo’s” and “seizing”, Leslie.
Which CEO’s do you mean? As I mentioned, CEO’s are employees. They are neither kings nor gods. They have no sovereign power to “seize” anything.
I think that you are engaged in sloppy thinking, Leslie.
Leslie’s been hitting the anarchist bong too much.