The American Sheep

The day after a sinister tape of Osama Bin Laden is shown; George Bush begins a campaign to save his domestic spying apparatus. Interesting timing but no one could ever accuse the Bush folks of not capitalizing on fear and threat for their own ends.
Polls show approximately 51 percent of Americans favor their government spying on them to protect them. Question is what are we protecting once we’ve given away most of our freedoms?
Like sheep the American people have followed this man off the edge of the democratic cliff. The rights given up have become so many the U.S. is beginning to resemble a junta in South America.
I hear from the sheep who agree with the treachery of this administration say they “have the right to be protected” from terrorists. I wonder how the revocation of the freedoms this country was supposedly based on protects them.
The same people will tell me the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for our freedom and democracy for the people in those countries. I get confused with this logic.
First they say they are willing to give up those freedoms taken and even more to be protected. But then they say we’re getting young men and women from America and countless innocents killed for freedom and democracy. This isn’t logical or sane. And the issue of terrorists is constantly overlooked by American sheep, many who still believe Iraq somehow had something to do with 9-11.
Many still believe Osama was allied with Iraq when Saddam was in power. Many still believe there were weapons of mass destruction.
The American sheep will allow the poor to go down the drain to be “free and protected”. Hurricane Katrina was clear evidence of that. The cuts in Medicaid and the scam of Medicare will further draw the poorest and the weakest to the very edge of the precipice.
The American sheep will allow their children’s and their grandchildren’s futures to be mortgaged away to make bombs for protection. The education of children will continue to be abysmal as funding continues to go for teaching children how to kill in the military.
The American sheep will allow their jobs to be sold to China by Wal-Mart as they continue to reward Wal-Mart with their business. They will continue to lose benefits like healthcare and pensions at record rates as they continue to rip unions for taking dues to protect them against such losses.
The American sheep will continue to vote, thinking their vote is honestly counted when there is more compelling evidence the 2000 and 2004 elections were stolen by means of electronic voting machines. Machines manufactured by friends of Bush. And it will continue to happen.
The American sheep only bleat loudly when there are threats against the right to carry firearms and the sports and entertainment idols are taken away by real news about the real world.
Like all sheep, the wool will be taken from them and they will become sacrificed at the altar of the powerful and rich. Their pleading eyes will look up at their “masters of war” in confusion and bewilderment.
The American sheep will die on their knees right after they’ve sacrificed the dissenting black sheep to protect themselves. Their security will be a false dream of lies and deceit.
The American sheep will enslave a generation or more of their own to be “protected” from terrorists. They still don’t get the terrorists are the very ones they ask for protection.

Terry
VVAW

Who Does Osama Bin Laden Work For?

I’m always struck by the great timing the Bush Administration seems to have. I mean just as it was getting beat up daily for domestic spying on American citizens and the ongoing death count in Iraq, along comes Osama Bin Laden to bail them out.
And this isn’t the first time Osama seems to have helped out. Back at a time when Bush was floundering in a political morass, Bin Laden struck the twin towers in New York City.
That and the attack on the Pentagon were all George and company needed to make their Plan for a New American Century (PNAC) come to life. As the plan itself said, it would take an event on the par of Pearl Harbor to implement such a plan.
Time and time again since that day in September 2001, Bush has had the greatest timing just as his political fortunes seemed to be at their worst.
When Enron looked to overtake him, suddenly there was a new threat against the American people.
When scandals broke out, there has always seemed to be a threat or emergency condition about to occur.
Even when Katrina’s response was being angrily decried by the American people there seemed to be some event to divert the attention of the people.
I think the one thing that has always been consistent about the diversion of the people from the Bush Administration’s political disasters has been threat and fear.
Tonight I watched the latest news with Osama Bin Laden making new threats against the American people with tape of unknown time and place shown on Aljazeera television. The reporter on CBS mentioned the irony of this newest threat making the case for Bush’s defense of his domestic spying.
Irony seems to follow George wherever he goes. For example his lack of service in a combat zone because of obvious family connections never seemed to be an issue. The lies against a decorated Vietnam combat veteran became “the issue”. That seemed to follow an election in South Carolina where it was an ex-POW being under scrutiny for his record instead of Bush for his lack of record.
I seem to also remember another tape of Osama right before the election of 2004 making threats against the American people. Bush’s failed connection between Bin Laden and Iraq seemed to go by the wayside.
There’s still never been one iota of a connection between Iraq and 9-11 but a seeming mass amnesia occurs every time Osama Bin Laden or al Qaieda is mentioned.
I keep wondering why it’s been so difficult to track down Osama Bin Laden. We seem to be able to read the mail, the email and the minds of most Americans but can’t find a tall terrorist known to people all over the world.
And I keep wondering who in the world does this guy really work for? Sometimes it almost seems he’s George Bush’s greatest ally. But we all know that couldn’t be the case as Bush has told us over and again how much effort has gone into catching the guy.
The effort in Iraq is proof of that very effort it seems.

Terry Leichner
VVAW

MHCD and MLK

It’s more than ironic Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) received an award of excellence in honor of Martin Luther King. Managers attended the award luncheon on MLK Day due to hard work of their employees.
A dedicated staff of nurses, mental health workers and therapists were being acknowledged for their service to the severe and persistently mentally ill in the city of Denver.
Approximately half of the 6500 clients of MHCD are people of color.
The line staff had the day off. Many were in attendance at the yearly Marade to honor Dr. King.
They weren’t invited to the luncheon celebrating their excellence.
The employees of MHCD are represented by SEIU 105. The contract between the union and the corporation was recently being negotiated until management stopped the talks. Instead the management immediately implemented the proposal union members voted down by a 94% margin.
The management’s contract offer removed healthcare and all other benefits to newly hired part time workers with less than a 30 hour weekly schedule.
Even Wal-Mart offers prorated benefits to its part time workers.
So, the great irony is the center received an award for work of its employees to honor a man who was a steadfast supporter of unions.
Martin was killed in Memphis at the time he was there to support the all black sanitation worker’s union.
The other irony is MHCD works with a large number of clients without healthcare. They see first hand the problems being uninsured cause every day. And still they dictated removing healthcare for a group of their employees.
In addition they dictated all employees losing sick days and needed time off from an incredibly stressful work environment.
Yet another irony; a center for mental health makes the work environment for their award winning staff even more difficult.
The day after the King holiday, over 50 union members used their lunch hours to do informational picketing at one site of MHCD. They did this despite emails from managers suggesting the picket might dissuade clients from entering the center for treatment.
Managers apparently didn’t see increased stress of employees losing valuable time off or other employees’ lack of insurance affecting client care.
I’m pretty sure which side of this picket line Martin would have chosen.


Terry Leichner, RN

The Charade and Credibility

A recent posting in the discussion room of a peace and justice coalition here in Colorado concerned the alleged plot of the American government in the 9-11 attacks. Of course there have been numerous theories ranging from possible to ludicrous.
One member wrote in response he felt these types of posting shouldn’t be allowed because they create the impression of extremism which could possibly “alienate” moderates. He felt the coalition would lack “credibility” if radical viewpoints were allowed in the discussion rooms.
I disagree. A discussion room seems the appropriate area to discuss possible conspiracies of the government.
There have been engineering reports stating the towers couldn't have come down from just an airplane flying into the buildings.
I don't say I agree with all the conspiracy theories but I don't feel it takes away "credibility" to discuss them. And to whom are we trying to be "credible"? And who are the moderates we alienate?
This whole issue of "credibility" arose in the UPJC and ANSWER rift recently. And it keeps coming up with a dividing effect upon the coalitions for peace and justice.
If we're saying we are trying to be "credible" to the Democratic Party, I object! For some reason the Democrats are afforded undeserved "credibility".
Where were they when the regime took this country to war? Why did it take them three years to realize it was a ruse and power grab? Why were they part of the ruse? The major players of the party continue to support the war.
UPJC, to me, is just pimping for the Democrats and I resent their divisive tactics.
A sad thing I see in the peace and justice movement is the unwillingness to become radicalized enough to even be thought of as a force to reckon with.
I know words like radical, Marxist, anarchy, conspiracy and four-letter words don't meet everybody's comfort level. I don't believe we shut down discussion because they aren't part of our agenda, though.
Many believe there was a larger conspiracy. And as we see what has unfolded with the regime, would we have thought torture would be ratified as a method to treat prisoners?
Would we have believed their response to Katrina?
What was the PNAC all about if not a conspiracy of sorts?
Who would think Denver cops or cops across the nation would get away with murder and no public response would occur except from the communities of color and poverty where it happened?
I fail to see why we should seek "credibility" from the oppressors.
Martin Luther King didn't seek "credibility" when he went to the lunch counters or marching into Selma. He sought justice and respect. The racist police and government considered him an extremist.
Malcolm X was considered an extremist. I remember the white response to him. I was a white adolescent in the community at the time.
I read Malcolm’s bio and several other books about the black American experience and discovered Malcolm was a visionary. He would not bow down or beg for "credibility". The white oppressors continuously tried to discredit him but his truth wouldn't allow for it happen.
I seriously think we are delusional if we think we're going to effect the essential and necessary changes with political lobbying and rallies.
The history I've read, both mainstream and alternative, indicates it took "radical" actions of communities joining together like the Civil Rights movement.
It also took radical actions like formation of the Black Panthers, the Brown Berets, the Chicago Eight and VVAW. It scared the hell out of the government oppressors.
I’ve only gone back one generation in my remarks but every major social change in this country came about because of ”radical" actions.
Unionism, child labor laws, the suffrage movement and countless other social changes were the result of brave people standing up to oppression regardless of the possible consequences.
We have the great examples of Sisters Carol, Ardeth and Jackie, Kathy Kelly and Rachel Corrie in the most recent times..
And on the local level here in Denver I know two or three radical voices that refuse to be quiet. They called out the politicians yesterday at the Marade (the annual MLK march) sponsored by State Farm and the Denver Department of Safety (aka the Denver PD and Firefighters).
Sure they made us all uncomfortable yelling in megaphones about police brutality and oppression right here in Colorado. I’m sure most thought they were extremists. You get that way when your brother is nearly killed by the police or you face many years in jail after a police attack when speaking out at a public meeting.
Why does the entity responsible for killing Paul Childs, Frank Lobato and several others here in Denver end up sponsoring the Marade?
I think we need to question seeking "credibility" if we're in a coalition sponsored by the very organization most communities of color fear and hold great anger toward.

Terry Leichner
VVAW

My Brother is Gone: Tookie Williams 1953-2005

My friend and brother, Larry Hales, posted this on a site of our local peace coalition. As is usual, Larry gave us something powerful to think about. Thanks, my brother.

This letter was sent to Dennis Bernstein, host of Flashpoints on KPFA 94.1FM, who forwarded it to the Bay View for publication.
It will be read live on Flashpoints Friday, Dec. 30, at 5 p.m. PT.
Dear Dennis,
I have been on San Quentin's death row for 23 years. I am also an avid listener of KPFA and Flashpoints for the true investigative journalism that you do.
I recently read in the Bay View newspaper ofthe letter you wrote to Stanley Tookie Williams. Tookie was one of my closest and dearest friends.
The prison administration was clearly aware of this, so on Dec. 9 San Quentin officials launched a preemptory strike by removing me and seven other death row prisoners from East Block and placing us in solitary confinement at the Adjustment Center, pending a false "investigation" into our involvement in a plot to assault staff if Tookie was executed.
On Dec. 16, I appeared in front of the Classification Committee and was told by the warden that there is an investigation, but in the meantime he placed me on a walk-alone exercise yard - a small kettle with a sink and toilet combo.
He placed me on 90-day property control, where I have no personal property in my cell and I can't go to canteen to purchase cosmetics and food items. The other seven individuals got the same treatment.
My friend's death is too fresh to talk about, but I woke up in the middle of the night to write this poem, "My Brother is Gone," which I would like you to read over the air.
I have no idea if you will ever receive this because my mail is being delayed.
I will ask the guys who have radios to be on the lookout for you.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Adisa


My Brother is Gone: Stanley Tookie Williams, 1953-2005

I want the world to know
I walked, lived
and blossomed
during the time of his presence
My emotions are too raw
my senses are too frayed
to tell them tell anyone
for 20 brass-knuckled years
we struggled together
forging a bond
cemented by our faith,
love and brotherhood
Our way was not always smooth
as a well manicured lawn
We blazed the path as warriors
knowing in the end
the highest form of warriorism
is laying down the sword.
My brother is gone
No longer will I gaze upon
his glistening mahogany colored skin
look into his gentle eyes
or grip his hulk-shaped hands
No longer will we greet each other
with a brotherly hug
or bump fists
No longer will I hear his soft spoken voice,
see his warm smile
or be in his charismatic presence
No longer will I see his boyish grin
and smooth gait
No longer will we laugh together
or I poke fun at his shyness
whenever he got a compliment
No longer will we catch
each other's eyes
from across the yard
acknowledging
our whereabouts
No longer will I probe
his razor sharp mind
or excite
his insatiable curiosity
because my brother
was murdered
at San Quentin prison
Dec. 13, 2005, 12:36 a.m.
My brother is gone.
I cursed those who
rejoiced upon hearing
the news of his death
now that they are spared
from the muscle of his mind
Though my heart aches
my rage festers
no revenge of bullets,blades
or bloodshed
will bring my brother back
My brother is gone.
I watched him shed
the shackles of his old image,
become reborn in a new spirit
I named him Ajamu,
"He who fights for what he wants.
"He fought against all odds,
against the naysayers
who sought to pigeonhole
and fossilize him
in his lowest state
He rose above it
to build a legacy
that will be talked about
for years to come
As the energy emptied
from his body
and his life was no more
I yearned to bury him
in the African way
As I wrap him in silk
Sing freedom songs
you are free my brother
free from the perils of a country
that daggers Black pride
emasculates Black strength
and kills Black hope
I wanted to be able
to chant healing mantras
to take with him
on his final journey
weigh his heart
on the scales of Maat
ensuring his passage
through the underworld
so that Ausar
will welcome him
My brother is gone
I will not weep
as others will weep
I will not break
as others will break
I will not mourn him
as others will mourn him
I will not celebrate him
as others will celebrate him
He has left me
with plenty
but taken a part
of me with him
I shall honor him
as I honor every freedom fighter
I will love him in death
as I loved him in life
We shall meet again my brother
as we planned at the crossroads.

Write to Steve at Steve Champion, C58001,
San Quentin State Prison,San Quentin, CA 94974

Connect the Dots

I read and hear many discussions about the wars and it's clear what the cost of war is about.
It's about the legacy of Martin Luther King being systematically destroyed by the regime of white power brokers.
It's about a police force that thinks with a little gap of time the citizens will forget the murders of children and the oppressed. They think because the victims were black and brown they'll be forgotten and the cops who killed will be back on the job with little consequence.
It's about a mental health center already failing in the mission to serve the medically indigent bullying it's workers. It's about the center comparing healthcare to Wal-Mart.
It's about the most oppressed class of citizen, the mentally ill, once again being victimized by the bean-counters.
The cost of war is about humans being labelled as illegal because they cross a border to feed their families and themselves.
It's about corrupt in action and in mind politicians using the plight of the poor to win elections and divert us from the true illegals. The bastards in power who think we bring democracy by bombing homes with children asleep. The illegals who torture humans and try to change the law rather than change their behaviors.
The cost of war is the failure of our society to provide adequate schools for our children but finding huge sums of money to fight illegal wars and build highways.
It's about blatant cronyism by a morally corrupt system of government led by a morally corrupt administration spouting religious cliches while all the time breaking international laws and the laws of God.
The cost of war is about 12 percent of the world's population consuming 80 percent of it's goods. We all know who we are and we are part of the problem.
The cost of war is about struggling families having both parents working and still not being able to have the human right to medical care.
It's about so-called Christian hospitals charging the medically indigent 7-10 times more for the same procedure an insured patient's insurance company pays.
It's about collection agencies hired by the Christian hospitals dogging the uninsured families and destroying their credit to the point they can't buy a house or a car on credit.
The cost of war is about the highest infant mortality rate of all "developed nations".
It's about the lack of prenatal care for poor mothers without insurance.
It's about babies being born prematurely because the mother didn't get that care.
The cost of war is about imprisoning a generation of black and brown brothers and sisters because there's a lack of treatment for addictive substances.
It's about inhumane caging of humans for a cost much higher than the treatment would have cost.
The cost of war is about allowing Darfur and Rwanda to die of genocide and disease without lifting a finger to prevent the slaughter.
It's about starving Iraqi children for a decade before bombing them.
The cost of war is about the steady erosion of freedom for the citizens of this nation so frightened about the events of September 2001 they capitulate to be "protected".
It's about going along with fascist tactics and calling them patriotic.
It's about destroying and ostracizing any person daring to object and dissent.
I could continue with a multitude of examples.
The essential idea and concept of what this war is costing us must go beyond the soldiers and the victims of the direct combat.
Billions of dollars are diverted from the needs of the poorest and weakest and from future generations.
My grandchildren may never know clean air and the right to speak out against injustice.
Katrina will happen again, and again, we will see the poor sacrificed.
There is a Katrina in every state waiting to happen and the cost of war will allow the same result.
It is past time for us to talk about the costs of war that we've ignored or put on hold.
It does not dilute or take away the focus of stopping the war to include all who are victimized by the war.
We allow large organizations to tell us what we should focus on doing but we are being scammed by them.
They have an agenda to seize power but do they have an agenda to make the truly necessary changes?
The dots of the cost of war are there for us to connect. Revealing the truth, however ugly, is the only true way we can stop the oppression of constant war, constant war industry and constant corruption of our government.
The Constitution is a piece of historical rhetoric starting off with "we the people". We the people are the only ones capable of bringing revolution against tyranny.

Terry Leichner
I object and I dissent!!!

Mental Health Center of Denver Now the Wal-Mart of Behavioral Health

After recent negotiations by Mental Health Center of Denver and the employee union SEIU 105 reached a stalemate, the union members held a vote on the proposed contract of the management team. By a 94 percent against vote the management was told in clear terms what its employees thought of the proposal.
A few days later Mental Health Center of Denver implemented their proposal anyway.
Some anti-union types may celebrate this as a victory but they had better watch out for what they wish for.
One of the key issues in the contract was management’s demand to deny all benefits to any newly hired employees working less than thirty hours. This would include healthcare benefits.
The SEIU 105 represents registered nurses, psychiatric case-managers and therapists working with the persistently mentally ill clients of the City and County of Denver.
The clients of these professional workers are the unheard of and unknown last bastion of oppressed peoples. They are struggling to maintain a glimmer of hope for some normalcy while hearing the voices of schizophrenia. They are struggling to find security while having intrusive suicidal thoughts of major depression. They are struggling to have peace of mind while their minds race in a manic phase of bipolar illness. They look to their nurses, case-managers and therapists for comfort and guidance while having panic attacks of an anxiety disorder.
The mentally ill in our society are the forgotten oppressed people. A large proportion of America looks upon a person with a major mental illness as slackers or a drain. They stigmatize men, women and children who have physical illnesses of the brain causing horrible and terrifying results in hallucinations, constant depression, mania and anxiety.
The advocates for these men, women and children are the members of SEIU 105. The nurses, case-managers and therapists are the front lines of mental health. They are the men and women who have direct contact with the oppressed men, women and children with major mental illnesses.
Many may think the employees of a mental health center make great money. They’re wrong. Most of the men and women of the Mental Health Center of Denver have upper degrees in human services and get paid less than a grocery clerk or a transit driver. Many have to depend on a spouse or another job to have an income to pay back loans for college and have places to live.
During negotiations the Mental Health Center of Denver management suggested to the union employees they should compare their wages and benefits to employees of Wal-Mart. Even a state legislator chastised the management for such a comparison. The management never apologized to its employees.
The Mental Health Center of Denver has long advocated for citizens who lacked insurance but failed to meet guidelines for government assistance. They’re called the medically indigent. This group of people has grown to almost 40 percent of the American people.
Mental Health Center of Denver was morally correct to advocate for the medically indigent because all people deserve treatment for medical conditions.
Now under the new conditions of the management for part-time employees, Mental Health Center of Denver has created new medically indigent citizens. Part-time employment at mental health centers is a norm of long standing. It’s just always been a norm to provide these employees coverage of health benefits at some level until this time.
The Mental Health Center of Denver teaches citizens about the need for taking care of their stress and good mental hygiene. They talk to the community about mental health issues to make the mentally ill accepted by society. They talk with pride about the dedicated nurses, case-managers and therapists.
When the center was far less busy and there was far less stress, management agreed there should be two “mental health days” each year for employees in addition to vacation days and sick days. They took a progressive step of recognizing mental health was as important as physical health.
Now when the milieu has become more stressful and increasingly busier the center management has taken away all accrued sick days and lumped them into a modified PTO system. The end result is employees work harder under greater stress with less time off available.
It must be remembered the Mental Health Center of Denver is run by psychiatrists. These are MD specialists in psychiatric care. It baffles the mind medical doctors with a specialty in mental health could in good faith offer their employees such choices in their employment.
It is like the psychiatric care concept of management has been suspended to provide an unethical choice to the employees of the Mental Health Center of Denver.
Ethics and standards seem to only matter to management when the employee is expected to uphold them. There’s a double standard when management is to be held accountable.
At one time in the recent past the Mental Health Center of Denver was named the Mental Health Corporation of Denver. The name was changed to focus more on clinical care. Now it seems, like Wal-Mart, it should go back to the corporation name.

Terry Leichner, RN
Psychiatric Nurse with 22 years experience with the persistently mentally ill
Former RN Supervisor at Mental Health Corporation of Denver
Former union pipe-fitter and union company owner
Former union RN at Kaiser for SEIU 105

It's Clear Bloomberg Didn't Get It

Larry and Abdul Henderson (l) in Ft. Collins, CO

My friend, Larry Hales, who would also fit the description of dignity, sent this article to me before Christmas. Sorry, Larry, that I'm just now getting it posted but thank you for all you do in the struggle.
Larry is one of the quiet heroes of the movement of peace and justice. He does most of his talking with his actions. I've been fortunate enough to hook up with him on several occasions. I love hanging with him because he makes me think outside the box of conformity. I love hanging with him because he sees outside the borders of the corporation USA, Inc..
Larry is dignity and grace personified. He's intense a lot of the time, which is something I hope he can be able to soften a little. No, I don't want him to tone it down. I just worry about my friend's well-being. I want him to have joy and happiness in his life.
But I just presume Larry is too intense. Hopefully, out of my presence, he is loose as hell and gets the relief of laughter and fun in his life.
I see most brothers and sisters of this movement as wonderful people like Larry. Just one thing I suggest we all do on occasion. Lighten up, laugh, have humor about what we do even as serious as it is and nuture ourselves occasionally with something other than the movement.
Anyway, here's the article sent by my friend and brother, Larry. I hope we all can work to "get it".
Peace,
Terry


Date:
Fri, 23 Dec 2005 17:16:38 -0000
Subject:
[CCJP-discuss] It's clear Bloomberg just didn't get it
It's clear Bloomberg just didn't get it By Errol Louis, New York Daily News columnist Mayor Bloomberg yesterday confirmed that he stood by every word of his televised outburst against the Transport Workers Union's leadership at the height of this week's strike. He called them "thuggish," "selfish," "frauds" and the like. A host of critics, such as state Sen. Kevin Parker of Brooklyn, now accuse the mayor of being racially divisive. "We only need to look back to the day and time when MTA workers first gained the kind of pension and benefits which are now being called 'cushy.' The complexion of the union was sure of a different hue at that time," says Parker, the son of a transit worker. "Now that the Transit Authority workforce is majority black and Hispanic, they are suddenly 'spoiled,' 'selfish' and 'overpaid,'" Parker says. "Are these colors of the race card too obscure to see? Not from my view." Parker has a point. In August of 2004, when aggrieved members of the 91% white Fire Department of New York were protesting every public appearance by Bloomberg and threatening an illegal strike during the Republican National Convention, Bloomberg's spokesman, Ed Skyler, called the protesting firefighters "thugs." But Bloomberg himself took pains to not to repeat the slur, telling the New York Sun, "I wasn't brought up that way." And yet, when it came to the city's transit workers, the mayor's home training eluded him. Bloomberg's rant was not only divisive, it betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of our city and its history. As the Wall Street Journal Online wrote in a revealing story earlier this year, the MTA "has been a haven for African-Americans seeking upward mobility since the 1940s, when Adam Clayton Powell Jr. joined other Harlem activists in pressing city-owned and private transit lines to hire more blacks." The article described the career of Valerie Beatty, a Harlem native who at 25 years old was a black single mother on food stamps - until she snagged a job as a subway cleaner at $18,000 a year. Beatty ended up in her early 40s as a motor inspector earning $50,000 a year, with a house on Long Island and her sons in college. Food stamps in the ghetto versus self-sufficiency, health care, a house in the suburbs and kids in college: For native New Yorkers, especially black New Yorkers, that's all this week's strike was ever about. It's why TWU chief Roger Toussaint risked fines and imprisonment and kept repeating the word "dignity" that so baffled and enraged Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki. Toussaint probably deserves a ticker-tape parade but will have to receive his glory on the installment plan: standing ovations in churches, union halls and almost any place he shows his face in black neighborhoods. The Trinidadian and Tobagonian-born former train cleaner gave Bloomberg a lesson in real courage, dignity and determination. Toussaint brought the city to a halt with five words to his members - "shut it down, then talk" - a power that even the billionaire mayor will never possess. And after ensuring that a path to the middle class will remain open to his members, Toussaint ended the strike yesterday with an equally terse order: "Hold your head high when you report to work." It brought to mind that word again. Dignity. Originally published on December 23, 2005

TWU Strike: Americans Don't Get It

Until Americans get the fact there are two Americas, the brave men and women like Roger Touissant and the Transport Workers Union will be seen as radical.
What's radical is the robber barons like Bloomberg, Coors, Bush, Nacchio and so many others will continue to hold the bulk of the world's wealth and allow men and women to starve and die.
The robber barons have ruled this land since day one and men and women like Touissant have rebelled against the oppression. We, the middle class allow them to be knocked down and discredited.
Malcom X had a message we didn't want to hear. We allowed the death squads of the rich to strike him down.
When Martin Luther King began to oppose the war and speak of radical action he was killed.
We look at King George today and feel he's taken away the right to dissent. That right has merely been tolerated up to a point, anyway. In the poor neighborhoods that were exposed to us briefly after Katrina the right to dissent has always been the fight to dissent.
At least with George we know where he stands without question. Bloomberg, Koch, and Guiliani have weaseled their way into NYC with glib talk and big bucks and become "beloved" to some. To the poor they have been just more of the same tyranny.
Isn't it about time middle class and white America look at the struggle being fought by true heroes of American life and speak up? We jumped at the chance to join Cindy Sheehan in Crawford as we rightfully should have. But we continuously fail to support causes such as unionism, such as the poor against the powerful in struggles that take us outside of our comfort zone.
Too much hostility, too much anger, too much possible violence is the mantra used to excuse ourselves of supporting the causes.
Hell yes there is anger and hostility! And it's only because of men and women like Touissant and Malcom who have tried to be rational and bring the reality to light there's not been an outpouring of great violence.
That day of violence is getting closer as we continue to look the other way at the plight of the poorest. I don't advocate it but I predict it. And I'll understand it when it occurs even if it's me that becomes targeted.
I continually wonder why the peace and justice movement doesn't connect the poverty and oppression with the war. Oh in intellectual conversations we do but in practical strategies we don't. Too much information, not focused enough, we need to keep it simple....so we just talk about the war.
I heard complaints there were people not focused on the war only in the D.C. rally and I said...yeah they're right. But I was wrong and so were they.
Life is complicated and complex; one action has effects on another. A war costing billions impacts all our lives and especially the lives of those who can least afford it.
Our outrage should include that viewpoint whether it is the poor American disenfranchised or the poor Iraqi unemployed and uprooted by the cost of war.
Sure this is rambling. So is life. How can we continue to say our focus should be in just one area?
How can we tell the homeless we're working on helping you by stopping the war? How do we tell the mentally ill we're going to help you after we get the war stopped? How do we tell the children of the ghetto we'll get you some good education right after we stop the war?
How do we tell a mom we'll help feed your kids as soon as we get the war stopped?
Each sector of life in America and throughout the world has a story to tell about how the wars of the ruling class have damaged them in some way. All those stories make up the connected puzzle of life which should be told.
The story of TWU is one of the stories we need to tell and we need to support.

Terry Leichner

The Speech George Wrote Before Editing

The Speech George Wrote Before the Editors got to It

My fellow ‘Mericans. I come before you tonight to lie once again about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
It seems we may have underestimated your stupidity. We now know that when we failed to produce WMD’s , you were ok to have us keep on killing. After all there was Saddam still to catch after we failed so miserably in catching Osama.
Once we found Saddam, we saw you were ok with us continuing the killing to establish democracy. Even after we got caught with the torture thing it went away until that fucking McCain kept bring it up.
I brought in Alberto Gonzales to interpret things so the torture would seem legal. I brought in a new Supreme Court Justice to pad the court against any possible vote against us.
I rigged another election without Jeb’s help this time. Thanks to my friends over at Diebold for all their efforts, by the way. I knew I could screw the poor blacks in Cleveland without much being said. And John and I agreed if he let me win this time the Skulls would work for him later on.
John did a brilliant job in losing an election that was in the bag waiting for him to win. I think his idea of the Swifties was the best thing since Karl skewered that fucking McCain in South Carolina. Even better than fucking over Max Cleland. These stupid Vietnam veterans will never learn the rich don’t give a fuck about them losing some jungle war in some place I can’t even find on the map.
Well this summer, there were a lot of problems. First some crazed bitch stakes herself out at my ranch area’s road demanding to talk to me. Just because she lost a kid in the war. Hell, bitch, freedom ain’t free and it’s an all voluntary military.
Next, a bunch of damn blacks didn’t have enough sense to leave New Orleans when we blew the levees to protect the rich and the oil. And apparently most of ‘em can’t swim too well either. Brownie did a great job of waiting until I woke to let me know what was happening. He knows I need my eight hours every night.
But were they happy down there when we sent my mama to the Astrodome?  Hell they tore up the Superdome until it will be next season until the Saints can play there. And it wasn’t me who let all those school buses sit while a bunch of blacks got flooded. It was another black man.
Yeah, sure they told me to declare an emergency but there weren’t none until the hurican came along. I couldn’t  act on something that didn’t happen.
Now it seems some of you are upset cause we have a few problems. I’m sure we can fix it so Dick, Karl and Tom will get off. And the Halliburton folks have promised to pay a few bucks more a week to those Pakis and Indians they hired to serve chow to our brave troops.
Sure, we’ve lost over 2000 brave ‘Mericans to the war. War’s hard. We all need to sacrifice. We can cut and run like that coward Kerry wanted us to do back in ‘Nam or we can stand and fight. If 9-11 didn’t scare you then just think of another 9-11. That’s what we face. 9-11 was a tragic moment in our lives and I don’t want another 9-11. 9-11 is why we fight over there so we won’t have to fight here and have another 9-11.
I have been told we’re winning in Iraq and just need to get the Iraqi police trained to pull our troops out. We have a choice here today…we can push forward and win or we can leave and lose. I will not let us lose. So it’s up to the ‘Merican people to decide where you stand.
We will merely tap your phones to discover where you stand. All the things we hear will be private and never be used against any ‘Merican that shows support for ‘Merica.
Don’t worry ‘Merica, be happy. We’re winning our struggle against insurgent Arab, fundamentalists, Islamics, Buddhist, Hindu, black, brown and olive skinned terrorist to prevent another 9-11. Good Christians like James Dobson will lead the way to the new ‘Merica..
My fellow ‘Mericans, we shall prevail against all who threaten our freedoms and all who try to use them against us. We will assure the rights of all ‘Mericans will be protected unless they’re on our list. We have made out lists and we’re checking them twice. We’ll be making visits to those on the dark side of terrorism.
We currently have contracted for forty more secret prisons to send the terrorists to in countries that have legal torture.
This will keep us from breaking the laws. We don’t break the law in this ‘Ministration. We are a country of laws.
Fear not ‘Merica, my ‘ministration is in charge and will be so as long as we have to be.
God bless ‘Merica. Goodnight.
And remember, smiling won’t break your face.
Georgie