Monthly Archives: September 2008

Uncategorized

Boeing Machinist Union Strikes For Respect

It is a good thing that Boeing dropped out of the controversial air tanker project. Hopefully, they had national security in mind when they found their union was behaving badly. The union leaders were more concerned with respect than a three-year contract offer that includes bonuses totaling at least $5,000 and averaging $6,400, raises averaging 11 percent, pension increases and a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment – $34,000 in average pay and benefit gains per employee.

Tom Wroblewski, president of Machinists District Lodge 751, declared in a statement Friday that Boeing had “disrespected the finest aerospace workers anywhere on the planet” by failing to meet machinists’ expectations.

‘Failing to meet machinists’ expectations?’ Ignorant of anything but gimme gimme gimme, it would be helpful for unions to learn of the consequences of what the union is asking for. Ask any employee in the auto industry what biting your nose to spite your face will get you. Unemployed.

“We’re not greedy, we just want a piece of the pie,” said Scott Daniels as he helped make picket signs late Friday. “They offer us bonuses. We don’t want bonuses.” Machinists want an improved 401k and improved vacation, he said.

It has been three or four decades since raises of 11 percent were remotely considered reasonable. 11% then is like 5% today. Unions need to do something different. Instead of trying to trade roles with management, they should start a new company to their liking. Maybe call it Paradise Inc.. The all-pay and no-work company, where they can get everything they want, whenever they want. Oh, and dues will be 100% of their pay. And as part of their orientation, they get a free CD of Aretha Franklin’s single, R E S P E C T.

link: Contract talks fail; machinists strike Boeing Co.

2008 Election, Politics, Whiners

RNC's Night And The Obama Campaign

The Republican National Party’s convention ended on a much different note than last night. Last night was for the base with the introduction of Gov. Palin, a conservative by most peoples definition. She also answered her critics, primarily Obama himself, with a smile and in a humorous way. Tonight, John McCain gave us his life’s story, putting into context his theme of America first. He pointed out some differences between what Obama wants and what he wants which were issues characteristic to the parties, not attacks of a personal nature.

McCain spoke of his record of reaching out in order to serve Americans of all parties. He asked for the support of democrats, independents, and undecideds, promising to fight for them all. I thought it was unusual to go there at a party convention, but then, that’s John McCain. And, I think he was somewhat successful in his attempt to enlarge the political tent.

McCain also hit on specifics that most Americans want and need to know about like education, the economy, security and the war, freedom, jobs, trade, and the size and role of government. Voters now have a clear choice.

As for the Obama Campaign, they seem to have been taken off message because the only thing I’ve heard Obama talk about for the past week is John McCain. His war room is sending out campaign contribution emails making up stories about the McCain campaign. Obama is touting his role as a community organizer as one of his qualifications to run the country. And about Sarah Palin, Obama is claiming that being a mayor is no qualification to be vice president. So last night, in explaining the difference between a community organizer and a mayor, Gov. Palin was responding to Obama’s claim when she pointed out the obvious, the difference is responsibility.

So the Obama campaign immediately sends out emails saying that by her explanation, Gov. Palin does not care about the jobless, the homeless, and the hopeless. It is as though they were looking at a different show last night than I did. By responding in this way, and buttressed by the media-wing of his campaign, Obama is beginning to look like a whiner by making up stories about his opponent. All the while he is not getting a positive message out to the voters. And to that, I say to the Obama campaign, keep it up.

UPDATE 9/10/08: One week later, the addition of ‘Sarah Palin’ makes this post still current.  As for the Obama Campaign, they seem to have been taken off message because the only thing I’ve heard Obama talk about for the past week is John McCain and Sarah Palin.

2008 Election, Politics

Palin's Speech And Media's Reaction

I tuned to CNN last night to watch the speeches of Thompson, Huckabee, Guiliani, and Palin since FOX, for whatever reason, only carried Palin’s speech live. Watching CNN turned out to be an added bonus for me.

The three men that preceded Gov. Palin all gave good speeches. And the enthusiasm seemed to build on the previous speaker as the program continued, and Gov. Palin’s performance topped them all. Prior to last night, no body knew who Sarah Palin was, where she came from, and what she believes government’s role should be. Answering those questions was her mission last night, and as they say, she hit it out of the park.

The bonus? Immediately after her speech, the camera returned to Wolf Blitzer and his panel, and every one of them looked stunned at what they had just witnessed. They were in fact, speechless. For me, it was one of those ‘priceless’ moments.

Then I checked in on MSNBC, or as Rush affectionately calls the network, pMSNBC. Chris Matthews had a similar panel at his side and were assessing Palin’s speech. Much to my surprise, well, not really, Matthews leads the discussion with this, ‘how are we going to get her?’ Meaning of course, how are we going to take her out? Will the McCain campaign protect her from a reporter asking a question that can, in their mind, end her campaign?

Reporting news, reporting on a campaign, is not the objective of the Media of 2008. It is clear by this MSNBC panel, and the front pages of the New York Times, that the McCain-Palin ticket is not just running against Obama and Biden. The McCain-Palin ticket is running against the mainstream media as well. Which is why I especially liked Palin’s comment about the media.

‘Here’s a little news flash for those reporters and commentators. I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion, I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this great country.’

2008 Election, Media, Politics

Gov. Palin, For The Right Reasons

The speech she gave tonight was terrific, and John McCain was right, the more we see of Sarah Palin, the more we’ll like her. For this conservative, she did very well. And as good as Romney, and Huckabee, and Guiliani were with their speeches, she topped them all.

Immediately after the speech, watching Wolf Blitzer and his panel at CNN said it all. They were speechless.

Earlier in her speech, Palin told the story of the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull. Lipstick. There were many good points that Palin made. One of my favorites was when she derided the media for saying how she was not qualified over the last few days. Her response was priceless. It went something like this . . .

‘Here’s a little news flash for those reporters and commentators. I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion, I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this great country.’

The crowd was on their feet. For all intents and purposes, she told the media, ITS ON!

Uncategorized

Chavez's CITGO Taps Into U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The very last thing that the United States should be involved with is giving aid to the hemisphere’s idiot, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Especially in the form of tapping 250 thousand barrels of oil from OUR Strategic Petroleum Reserve to feed its Citgo Lake Charles, La. refinery. This because supplies to its refinery were cut off when the Calcasieu Ship Channel is temporarily closed.

Citgo will be allowed to pull 250,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve because of its inability to secure crude in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. The U.S. Energy Department granted the request late Tuesday, so far the only request for fuel from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

You may be wondering why tapping our emergency reserves for Citgo would be to our national interest. Well, apparently it doesn’t have to have anything to do with our national interest. Then again, with Chavez nationalizing U.S. oil companies in Venezuela, (Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips) and threating to use his oil as a weapon against us, why does Citgo fuel have to be on our Navy bases?

related links: U.S. grants Citgo 250K barrels of oil from reserve | Hugo Chavez | Citgo

Media, War On Terror

Anbar Province Under Full Iraqi Control

Didn’t make front page of the New York Times yesterday. Not today either. Gov. Palin’s daughter took that spot in the New York Times. Instead, the Times buries it in the Middle East section today.

On Monday, following a parade on a freshly paved street, American commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police force. The ceremony capped one of the starkest turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago.

link: U.S. Hands Off Pacified Anbar, Once Heart of Iraq Insurgency

2008 Election, Media, Politics

Women's Movement, The Left, And Gov. Palin

It did not take more than a few milliseconds for the left in the media and the blogs to jump into Gov. Palin’s family matters. And they do it for a host of reasons. Primary of which is to use her decision to have her baby rather than abort it, and add her daughter’s situation to derail the Republican ticket. And oh, how in the world can she be vice president when she has 5 children. Especially when the last one was born with Down syndrome?

Laura Ingraham correctly pointed out on FOX last night that the so-called women’s movement, with their take on Gov. Palin, show themselves to be all about and only about liberal women, and not women.

Remember when the so-called feminists, and the political left, were just fawning over Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), saying how courageous and strong a woman she is being able to run a family and the government? She is, you know, second in line of succession for the presidency. Gov. Palin has shown that she can do both, but is now being derided for not just staying home.

What Nancy Pelosi said. . .

‘Maybe it takes a woman to clean house.’ Asked if her remark was deliberately sexist, she replied, ‘It is. Because the fact is a woman represents what’s new, because it’s never happened before.’

related link: The humiliation of a young girl