Happiness is a Warm Gun

John Burt - Happiness is a Warm Gun.docx

Rep. Burt demonstrating why its important to carry guns at the state house.

In a gallant show of concern for over-run PC-style sympathies at the state capital, House Representative John Burt (R, Goffstown) states that flying the state house flag  at half-mast in respect of the children lost in the Newtown CT tragedy is another example of the politically correct (otherwise known as sensitive, caring and considerate) folks have gone too far this time.

As Susan the Bruce points out quite clearly, Burt knows how and when to show sympathy and concern for children by voting against extending mental health care services for children and voting against the anti-bullying law as well.

Good show Burt!  Burt explains that he’s concerned  too and thinks its time to arm teachers with guns. Total genius we say, because killing kids has shown to be such a good solution in the past, why not turn schools into an all-out war zone?  Teachers have got a bad rap in our society that’s for sure and as recent history tells us there’s no better solution for frustration than a warm gun.

In fact, as William Tucker of Miscellany Blue tells us Burt also recently announced that he believes laws are made for breakin’ and that’s just what he’ll do, as in carrying his weaponry where ever he pleases, whether forbid by law or not.  Because well, nothing should ever get between Burt’s itchy trigger finger and a short shaft, not even public safety or common sense.

We encourage everyone to let Burt know what they think of a legislator empowered with making laws , disrespecting the laws already written.  Here’s his contact information as posted on the NH state representative’s roster:

Representative John Burt,
7 Bay Street, Goffstown NH 03045-2634
Phone: (603)-624-5084
Emailjohn.burt@leg.state.nh.us

Mr. Burt apparently has a website of his own, but you’ll have to look that up yourself, we aren’t into promoting stupid up here in these parts.

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Workers in Chicago Arrested at Protest for Minimum Wage Raise

chicago protesters

In this article from the Chicagoist, workers and protesters demanded that the minimum wage be raise to a living wage level of $15/hour.  As reported below, 21 people were arrested but sympathy among even the arresting cops existed as quoted in the story.

We need more of this action, more everywhere across the country as people are pressed to work for less than what is required to survive.  Contrary to popular opinion and even apparently the opinion of some unions, “protecting the middle class” is not what unions are all about; they also must be about raising living standards for everyone.

The people who serve the middle class — the people who work on weekends, holidays and nights, who turn their hotel sheets, who smile and say “Thank you come again” because if they don’t they’ll get fired all serve many who already make a living wage, who enjoy the protections that unions brought them.

It is in the interest of all Americans to raise the living standard for everyone so that everyone can live a decent life and participate in the economy in a productive and meaningful way.

Read the full story here: 21 Protesters Arrested at Mag Mile Demonstration for Raising the Minimum Wage

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Yes, Right to Work Will Kill the Middle Class — But Why Empower Classism?

Center for American Progress has an excellent in depth article, that we recommend everyone read, on how the Right to Get Union Benefits Without Paying for Them hurts the “middle class”.  Now one would ask, if we’re against classism, why do we find this article so good?

Well, because the article analyzes the economic truths about our current capitalist system.  Its hard for most anyone to deny that the numbers that keep coming up everywhere don’t show that the capitalists and their resulting plutocrat class benefit by squeezing workers to their breaking point — workers are nothing more than a commodity nor different than oil shale, natural gas or water; get as much as you can out of it, as cheaply as possible and then let someone else worry about the resulting damage.

The problem of course with the Americans for Progress analysis is that it supports a frame of “middle class” because some geniuses somewhere get the willies thinking about rubbing ideological elbows with the lumpen proletariat.

Well, here’s a clue; we’re all proletariats, so if you work for a wage or as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, are doing your own thing as a “self employed” (meaning non-covered, under the table employee) “independent contractor” then you are a worker, you trade your labor and time for money.  You don’t have extra cash in the bank to speculate on stocks, business ventures, investments or what have you; your money goes to supporting you and that’s all you got.

Read the article, spread it around, but never forget that we’re all in this together and the ultimate goal to achieving real justice for all and democracy is the destruction of the hierarchy of oppression that capitalism requires to exist; destruction of classism and oppression altogether and the creation of a just, egalitarian socio-economic system.  Its possible.

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Tell it Brother! Michgian Rep Slams Fellow Legislators Hard!

Workers at capital building in Lansing day of vote.

Workers at capital building in Lansing day of vote.

Finally, unfortunately a little too late as Michigan, in a heavily controlled and blocked manner managed to pass the “Right To Work” bill in one of the traditionally strongest union states in the country.  A Democratic Rep from Grand Rapids, Brandon Dillon had finally had enough and called bullshit on the entire lot.  Standing before his fellow legislators he hammers them hard on their slimy tactics in keeping the people from voicing their opinion on this bill before being voted on or allowing amendments, or even allowing the public in to view the voting.

Representative Dillon deserves a pat on the back for his courage in being a truth-teller in front of the fools and stooges who have answered to the ALEC agenda of destroying American labor and breaking the backs of working people across the country.

Click here to get to his website, send him a note, give his office a call.  We need to encourage those who speak truth to power.  This man has principles and we need more of that, what’s most telling is that he points out that his district is not a strong union district; but he demonstrated the ability to see the big picture and not just the interests of the people in his district only.

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Examining the Drug War and Prison-Industrial Complex – “The New Jim Crow” Book Discussion

The New Jim Crow coverOn Sunday, January 20th, activists Brenda and Woullard Lett will be hosting a discussion on the Michelle Alexander book “The New Jim Crow”.

The event is free and will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 669 Union Street in Manchester at 11:45 am.  The event will be informal with a potluck lunch (please bring something to share).  Please RSVP by registering for the event here.

Michelle Alexander has opened up the discussion about how racism has continued to permeate our criminal justice system and other areas of our society, effectively keeping in place a system similar to the southern Jim Crow racist laws of the past.

This issue and awareness of Michelle Alexander’s book is a must-have for all of those concerned about the current movement to privatize prisons across the United States and the troubling elements of denial of justice that comes from that.

This interview gives an excellent overview of the topics covered in her book:

This is an open discussion to begin to explore ways in which can work to undo these oppressive cultural systems and free all of us finally from the tragic past of race-based oppression and move into a more just future. Excellent summary of Jim Crow and the new prison industrial complex:

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Tipping Point: The End of Oil – Free Film Showing and Action Planning

The documentary film Tipping Point: The End of Oil will be shown free on January 13th at the Wilton Town Hall Theater in Wilton, NH.

After the film a planning/discussion session will take place to talk about possible direct actions in the near future in New Hampshire around the issues brought up in the film.

Everyone is encouraged to attend!

Sponsored by the NH Green Coalition and 350.org nh

Wilton Town Hall Theater

December 12, 2012

Sarah Springer's avatarToday in Labor History

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Today is a global day of action for ratification of International Labour Organization Convention No. 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, which establishes the first global standards for the estimated 50-100 million domestic workers worldwide, the vast majority of whom are women and girls.  Six countries have signed on to date.

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December 13, 1924

Sarah Springer's avatarToday in Labor History

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Samuel Gompers dies at the age of 74. Gompers served as president of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 to his death.  What does labor want?   Gompers said, “We want more school houses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more constant work and less crime; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures, to make manhood more noble, womanhood more beautiful and childhood more happy and bright.”

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Socialist Candidates Gains History Making 29% of Vote in Washington State

Kashama Sawant campaigning last fall

In a stunning change-up of the electoral landscape, 20,000 people in a Seattle Washington district voted for a socialist candidate for state rep.  Many in America hope for the day when the political conversation on the left has the same place at the table it did historically, long before the American policies of political repression.

The Socialist Alternative Party celebrates what they rightly see as a victory, even though they might not have won the house seat, they certainly have put a showing in Seattle that is newsworthy:

Socialist Wins 29% of the Vote in Seattle — Historic Opportunities to Challenge Corporate Politics

By Philip Locker
“This is just the beginning!” Kshama Sawant promised supporters and voters on behalf of Socialist Alternative at an excited election night party on November 6 in Seattle, WA. While the presidential race was mainly about what to vote against (see article Right Wing Rejected in the Elections), an inspiring campaign in Seattle’s 43rd district for Washington state house offered working-class voters a real alternative. The ongoing vote count at the time this article was written has Kshama Sawant winning over 29%, pointing toward a final number of over 20,000 votes.
Socialist Alternative ran against Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House and the most influential Democratic legislator in Washington state. Chopp represents the Washington establishment, a well-deserved target for the anger of frustrated, poor, working-class people, and young people in Seattle. The vote for Sawant marks the strongest opposition by far that Speaker Chopp has faced during his entire 18 years in office.This record-breaking vote for an independent working-class candidate has raised the confidence of workers, young people, and activists that it is possible to struggle against looming budget cuts from the “fiscal cliff,” attacks on public sector workers, education, and other social programs.

In Washington state, the Democratic Party won the governor’s race and maintained their majority control over both houses in the state legislature. They will likely propose a further round of vicious budget cuts to social services early next year, while they allow corporations such as Boeing, Amazon, and Microsoft to get away without paying barely any taxes. Sawant, a union activist and teacher, commented, “Public sector unions like mine need to prepare for strike action against budget cuts. Workers and youth need to be ready to occupy the Olympia state capitol building against attacks on our living standards.”

Based on this election breakthrough and the links built during the campaign, Socialist Alternative is using the profile and authority it has won to help to build a fight-back against all attacks on working people and oppressed groups in the coming weeks and months.

Sawant and Socialist Alternative are also forming a broad electoral alliance with other left-wing forces to use this result as a launching pad for a far bigger challenge to the Democratic Party. Concretely, Socialist Alternative is organizing for 2013 a slate of independent left-wing candidates to run for mayor and for all the open city council seats, all of which are currently held by Democrats. “We will go after them!” Sawant declared to huge applause of excited supporters on election night.

Read more here.

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Worst Right-Wing Messaging Evah!

Worst Marketing Decision Ever: Drycleaner Puts “Pro-life” Message on Their Hangers

From Dependable Renegade that got it from RH Reality Check:

There is a branch of anti-choice activists that will use pretty much anything as a medium for their message: newspaper ads, graphic signs displayed in front of schools, bus stop benches. You would think they would know well enough to leave one place untouched, though. Wire coat hangers.

You would be wrong.

Springdale Drycleaners of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been etching “Choose Life” ads on wire coat hangers used to hang dry-cleaning.

What’s worse is that this seems to be an ongoing effort. Reports of the “choose life” coat hangers already were on the internet back in March of 2011, when Joe.My.God posted a picture of the hanger then. And before that on Regretsy in 2010. So despite over two years of attention, the business continues to think this is an excellent cross-advertising campaign. In fact, the practice was losing them customers as far back as August of 2010, but still the dry-cleaner continues to use hangers as a place to offer inappropriate propaganda.

As NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin said on Facebook, it’s a reminder of why we will never let them make us go back.

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