Unions Receive Increasingly Scary Threats Of Violence For Town Hall Participation

[IndianaGreen]

Source: Huffington Post

Unions Receive Increasingly Scary Threats Of Violence For Town Hall Participation

Union officials continued to receive a barrage of threats on Friday evening and into Saturday punctuated by warnings that if organizers were sent to counter-demonstrate at health care town halls they would be met with violence.

An official with the AFL-CIO, a federation of labor organizations, passed on what he described as a "pretty direct threat" to those union hands who were showing up to balance out anti-Obama demonstrations being waged at local Democratic forums.

"I will be going to a local town hall this weekend, all you union members BEWARE!" an emailer wrote at 9:40 Saturday morning. "We will be waiting for you. better make sure you have arrangements with your local ER. today is the day when the goon meets the gun. see you there."

The email was first sent to the media-watching organization Newshounds before being passed to Eddie Vale, a spokesman for the AFL-CIO. The IP address used to post the email was traced back to Georgia.

The AFL-CIO isn't the only labor organization to be on the receiving end of threats of violence. During a day in which a woman called up its national office threatening to use her Second Amendment rights should her First Amendment rights be repressed, officials at the Service Employees International Union continued to be deluged with emails and phone calls with ominous undertones.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/08/unions-receive...

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This was the modus operandi of Mussolini's Black Shirts and Hitler's Brown Shirts: to use fear and violence to stiffle the opposition to fascism.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TerribleLarryDingle]

2. Why does this not surprise me?

I'm really surprised no one has been killed yet. These guys are fucking nuts.

[Iowa]

12. Pfft... this is probably some 30-something soft, pudgy, Young-Republican who has never been laid...

...and is living with his Mom. The only violence these types ever do is to themselves - involving one hand and a tissue.

[Dr.Phool]

16. Yeah, just like the guy in Pittsburgh.

Or the Holocaust Museum.
Or the one who shot George Tiller.
Or the guy who killed all the liberals at the UU church in Tennessee.

These people have guns. They're nuts. And they're getting public support from the Republican Party, and all of their yammering talking heads.

This shit is going to escalate.

[IndianaGreen]

26. And they think they are doing GAWD's word

and they can get lots of guns, thanks to NRA sabotaging efforts by cities and municipalities to control gun violence.

[NJCher]

29. the truth is, we don't know

Remember how Cheney was filled with fear after 9/11? Republicans are notorious for being chickens.

At the same time, they are also known for their violence, e.g. Timothy McVeigh.


Cher

[patrick t. cakes]

3. there are some pretty bad boys in the union

i know some (ex member of electrical workers local 347 myself)
let the games begin.

[Old Codger]

27. LOL

The seem to think that they are the only ones who have guns and ammo and know how to use them, they may be in for a surprise real quick... I personally most likely will not go to any town hall type meetings if I did I would go armed... that one that says they are going to exercise their second amendment rights if someone tries to stop their first amendment rights doesn't seem to get the fact that they are attempting to stop others from exercising their first amendment rights also... they named two streets after these guys, one way and dead end... not to many branches on their family trees for sure.

[marasinghe]

43. yeah. 'judy bullyani's' little boys in blue tried that sh*t with the nyc fire & construction unions.

if i remember rightly, it was on the steps of city hall. at the end of the day, no union workers required ambulance transportation; though some cops had to visit the ER for R&R.

[pscot]

4. I'm sure our union brothers and sisters

all over America are probably too scared to even let the cat out.

[truthisfreedom]

5. Wow. The right wing is showing its Neanderthal side more and more these days.

Threatening violence just for being outnumbered by the real majority?

We should have killed off all of these Neanderthals back when it was the only justice we had. We could have a much more peaceful world.

[Robb]

6. Bluster.

The union members will be met with crickets. And one guy who suddenly remembers something important he needs to attend to elsewhere.

These GOP-inspired thugs are cowards, and are fueled only by ignorance.

Union members are fueled by history.

[demosincebirth]

7. "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag." -- Sinclair Lewis

[bemildred]

8. Time to dust off RICO and prosecute these tools. nt

[sasquatch]

10. +1

[windowpilot]

9. IBEW LU. #46 MEMBER.

This Good Brother FLE wants to play, it's time we take it to the streets.

[8 track mind]

20. Teamsters. Local 997.

If you need help let me know. I'm tired of this shit.

[pfitz59]

31. ATU 1576

here

[Edweird]

11. This will not end well

for the 'teabaggers', bwahahaha....

[Odin2005]

13. Here come the fascists.

[amb123]

14. And one of the primary groups that Fascists always attack are . . .

Labor Unions

[Hansel]

15. But, but, but they're just exercising their rights to free speech.

Don't you remember when the left threatened the right with gun violence during the Bush years? Why didn't you say anything about them when they... Oh wait. Never mind.




Where are all of them there apologists for these thugs anyway?

[sasquatch]

17. "Where are all of them there apologists for these thugs anyway?"

On 99.5% of AM talk radio.

[freebrew]

18. Doesn't Sibelius , et al have security?

Has this been sent to the FBI(Dems are in power now you know).
If the message was sent from another state, it's a federal crime.
People have been threatened, government officials have been threatened.
Enough of the crap with the TV opinion heads trying to tell what's going on, this has to be investigated and
someone or some group needs to be prosecuted and jailed.
And that includes the shitheads like limbo and bekk.(misspellings intentional).

[muntrv]

19. Enough is enough! Use the Bush/Cheney Patriot Act on these bastards!

[New Dawn]

21. Targeting trade unionists and the left is what fascism is all about...

So that the capitalist class can rule without any trace of domestic opposition. US workers better wake up, before it is to late.

[alfredo]

22. teabaggers are nutz

[pasto76]

23. Unions have historically gone to polling places to maintain the peace

back in the day, voter oppression efforts by the late Chief Justice Rhenquist were dismanteled by union members defending everyone's right to vote. Funny that current opposition to EFCA is that unions are against letting folks vote in private.

SGT PASTO
Ironworkers Local #24

[Omaha Steve]

24. The Omaha rally is next Saturday at noon in Omaha (Memorial Park)

I'll be there. Guaranteed. I'm old school. I have a scar on my nose from a scab back in the early 80's. Hinky Dinky (UFCW) strike. He was killed by a drunk driver a few years later.

K&R!

[Posteritatis]

25. Historically speaking, isn't this a bit knife-to-a-gunfightish? (nt)

[Grinchie]

28. This is typical rhetoric seen on Topix and the Honolulu Star Bulletin threads.

Especiallt vocal are these Anti Union agitators in regards to defending Lindle Lingle and her massive layoff threats, unitary executive, Queen Lingle approach to gutting the Hawaii Government Employee's Union, which has been held in high regard until the recent economic collapse. It seems that all the good they've done to keep at least a moderate comparison of wages in one of the more expensive places to live in the United States, they are being thrown to the Wolves with despicable attacks, comparing them to criminals, nazis, and all sorts of vile shit.

It is clear that it is the Republican party behind all of it, because they all use the same talking points, and it has been going on for months now.

The loss of the election Broke their Brains, and now they are looking for anything that will make them feel part of some effective group.

I just hope that the AFL-CIO has enough clout to get authorities to send a few detectives to knock on the doors of these out of work, lots of free time on their hands, haters and do a nice crisp perp walk in manacles to the local jail.

I want to see these idiots defend their threats with the First Amendment and see how far that takes them. I hope it takes them as far as the Fifth Amedment..

[slackmaster]

30. Counter-disruption is not the best way to handle disruption of a public meeting

The best way to do it is to enforce the rules of order. One person is in charge of the meeting and has absolute power to eject anyone who does not cooperate. People who defy orders to vacate become trespassers and are subject to arrest.

[Chan790]

37. Having been in charge of a parliamentary meeting that got rowdy...

you've pretty much got to have a riot break out or have someone idiotically take a swing at a peace officer to actually get the police to make an arrest in these situations.

Can't blame them sadly, you just know that Limpdick and Hannity will each be on the radio the next day talking about the cop by name (probably along with his/her home address) who oppressed the free speech of the offensive twit who got arrested.

Things were a lot calmer back when there was an expectation that sergeants-at-arms and baseball umpires would be armed in the course of their duties.

[slackmaster]

39. Sometimes adjourning the meeting is the only thing you can do

Things were a lot calmer back when there was an expectation that sergeants-at-arms and baseball umpires would be armed in the course of their duties.

In all the videos of distrupted town hall meetings, I haven't seen one that couldn't have been brought to order by six men in yellow T-shirts with "SECURITY" printed on the back.

[Doctor_J]

44. Oh god

It figures that a member of the gun culture would advocate giving in to the terrorists by adjourning the meeting.

[slackmaster]

48. If failed to prepare for problems and allowed the meeting to get out of control, you blew it

(Referring to the moderator, chairperson, organizer, etc. as "you".)

And the meeting is over.

I certainly don't advocate use of deadly force to keep people from shouting.

[senseandsensibility]

32. This is very scary

but I am proud of our brothers and sisters for standing up. What kind of person threatens a working person for using their free speech rights? I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but this needs to be covered in the corporate media. However, the media will cover for these thugs, as we all know. If unions were threatening violence, it would be "breaking news" on all channels.

[electricD]

33. stand up and be counted

IBEW Local 474 here

[Crowman1979]

34. It ain't the first time!

History is rife of Poor RW tools following their rich masters to earn rewards of pittance, all for the cause of stopping the labor movement.

[Ishmael1]

35. An Idea For Town Hall Attendees. Bring Lollipops To Town Halls. Suckers For Suckers!

I've been posting this idea around the web and at the AFL-CIO website. It's what I'll be doing at my Town Hall on 8/22.

Suckers For Suckers!

Bring bags of Lollipops to your Town Halls. Hand them out to RW disruptors. Our slogans:

Suckers For Suckers!

At least Democrats GIVE you Suckers instead of PLAYING you for Suckers!

Think of the TV images. RW whackos screaming their heads of while peaceful Dems and Union Members hand out Suckers to them. Let the nation know who the REAL Suckers are.

[tomreedtoon]

36. Will this wake up the unions? I guess not.

They rolled over for management when it came to firing their members and outsourcing their jobs. Why should they stop submitting just because Republicans want to actually kill them?

[Dinger]

41. ? (nt)

[tomreedtoon]

42. Question mark, no comment...are you a shop steward?

That's pretty much the reaction I got from my local all the time...what is the union doing, how can we members help, can you help me get a job since I was unfairly laid off?

But of course, a really national union guy would provide the (? nt) to really important questions: why are our industries shutting down? Why were our jobs outsourced to India? Why can't we get jobs here? Why aren't we accusing CEO's and guys with MBA's of being traitors to our country and our families? What the hell good is being a Union member when the union won't stand against abuses?

So I guess your reply indicates that you're a shop steward hoping to work in the union's national office.

ON EDIT: Well, there was one benefit to union membership. I could get membership to Sam's Club...which puts more money into the anti-union activities of Wal-Mart. Thanks, Union!

[prolesunited]

38. Isn't making threats of violence illegal?

Where are the arrests? Why is no one in jail?

[Doctor_J]

45. Not for wingers

There is no law for them in the country. Just like in Nazi Germany, laws are only enforced against the left.

[snot]

40. K&R'd. Watched "Hoffa" last nite; woke at 4 thinking about it.

It's worth some thought. Mamet did a decent job, I think, tho' I'm ignorant of the history.

Seemed to boil down to, most of us serve one boss or another. Some bosses care more about their employees than others.

One of the most striking lines: "They'd rather some people die... for your mistake... than that they lived... but that they lacked a leader." (per http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104427/quotes )

[guitar man]

46. not a good idea

Threatening a union isn't a wise thing to do.

[justiceischeap]

47. Apparently these folks have forgotten what it took to form the first unions

The union was built on busting heads. Not that I'm condoning that but just reiterating history. Do these people really want to fuck with Union Members? It's teh stupid all over again.

[Bombero1956]

49. one stop shopping

with the firefighter's union they'll get their asses kicked and then we'll give them first aid before they get carted off to the ER. LOL