In honor of the Chicago strike...

[readmoreoften]

The Scab

After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, he had some awful substance left with which he made a scab.

A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles.

When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out.

No man (or woman) has a right to scab so long as there is a pool of water to drown his carcass in, or a rope long enough to hang his body with. Judas was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his master, he had character enough to hang himself. A scab has not.

Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas sold his Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commision in the british army. The scab sells his birthright, country, his wife, his children and his fellowmen for an unfulfilled promise from his employer.

Esau was a traitor to himself; Judas was a traitor to his God; Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country; a scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class.

Author --- Jack London (1876-1916)

In solidarity. By showing courage, you give us hope.

[Taverner]

1. Well, not sure if I agree with Gentleman Jack on that one but... YES!

Any way to send them cash?

Seriously! I want to make sure this is successful!

This is our great sit down strike

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Agreed.

Maybe we can donate to the union itself?

Maybe there is a DUer in Chicago who can walk some food over?

[Taverner]

4. Hey - find me the DUer and I'll find the cash. I'm still working (thankfully)

This is a precedent.

More than just surface value.

[ColbertWatcher]

5. I'm gonna start a thread and see what pops up. n/t

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Amen, Jack London

As the offspring of two union members and the grandchild of a man who worshipped Eugene V. Debs, I cannot express how thrilled I am with these workers and their determined and proper fight.

I was further over the moon when Obama said he supported them. After the gutting of unions that began with Raygun's firing of the air traffic controllers in 1981, I have waited a long time for something like this to begin.

An aside - expensively framed, and hanging in this study of mine, is the obituary of Eugene V. Debs, carefully clipped from an Italian newspaper. I found it in a book of my grandfather's after he died.

It's good to have heroes.

Thanks for this post, read.................

[readmoreoften]

6. A strike is the ultimate character test.

You have a family to feed? So does everyone else.
Kid in college? Ain't the only one.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. As a child,

I walked picket lines with my mother and her friends, members of the ILGWU.

I can still sing "Look For The Union Label."

Solidarity. I learned all about with those women, and I am eternally grateful.

[amborin]

8. and, Kudos to the UE, a proud, radical union

they benefited from radical and communist leadership in the formative years

they're very democratic and activist

no accident that it was the UE that took this action

one of the all time great industrial unions

[bluedawg12]

9. K&R these workers were treated very badly and BofA sucks.