[Peace-discuss] Fw: Fight for just treatment of all workers

Thu Dec 18 02:40:30 CST 2008

Davin J,
I know that what you say is 'way too often the case, and it may have been thus at the time. But what good did it do for those folks to attack Conyers?? Did that make Conyers say, O gosh, I better buck my colleagues and earn their disapproval if I wanna stay in Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan's good graces??  And the next time there's a flap, maybe Conyers'll be even less likely to stick his neck in a noose... because those activists didn't go after the bad guys, they went after a not-as-good-as-they-hoped pretty good guy. Sometimes I wonder if (some, too many) peace activists are doing more harm than good to the peace process.
 --Jenifer 

--- On Wed, 12/17/08, unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net> wrote:

From: unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: Fight for just treatment of all workers
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 4:48 PM

Jenifer,

That's the story ( your description ) I origianlly read about, and at the time it didn't make sense. People like Ciny Sheehan and Code Pink ( two of the main players involved in the sit-in ) are not " stupid " people. Code Pink in particular have been instrumental and succesful in working with decent and " leaning " members of Congress for years.
Why would they have a sit-in in Conyer's office, considering all the initiative and work he had done ?
It didn't make any sense !

However, this scenario described by the article at www.infowars.org , that Conyers got " cold feet " because of internal political pressure from Nancy Pelosi and the DNC, that impeachment was " off the table " seems a lot more plausible.
If this is the case, I could see why they did the sit-in.

This wouldn't be the first time it happened. The most recent case is the Banking bail-out.
When the bill was voted down the first time, 80 % of the Congressional Black Caucus voted against it, people like Sheila Jackson, Barbara Lee, and Maxine Walters. Then low and behold, Obama had a meeting with the caucus and everyone of them "towed the line" and voted FOR the Bank bail-out bill the second time.

The DNC has a LOT of power within the Democratic party. Look what they did to Cynthia McKinney, not once but TWICE !
Also there was a concerted effort to get Dennis Kucinch defeated in the Dem primary in his congressional diestrict ( the challenge came within days of his refusing to bow out of the Presidential primary race and filing a lawsuit to get access to the Obama / Clinton / Edwards so called debate ) and there was an EXTREMELY well funded and organized republican opponent ( for the first time in over a decade ) after Kucinich beat the dem congressional primary challenger.
The republican didn't beat Kucunich, but a message was sent by the DNC. 

You have to understand how the DNC / DLC operate. They are all about the corporate agenda, bottom line !
They would rather have a populist / progressive dem candidate lose to the republican candidate more often than not, then help them win. 
This is a proven well documented fact.

In the next few years, progressive forces are probably going to have to do a LOT of congressional office sit-ins and other forms of non-violent pressure to put some backbone into some of these Dems. That is, those who still have SOME principles and backbone, and haven't de-evolved into total corporate squids.

David J.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jenifer Cartwright 
To: Peace-discuss List ; John W. ; unionyes 
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: Fight for just treatment of all workers

Well, that wasn't MY take on the story -- Conyers tho't the activists should have been protesting in the offices of those members who weren't already on their side, not pushing him, Conyers (who was on their side) and expecting him to accomplish miracles on his own -- he was working on getting necessary support from others in his committee but didn't have the votes.. Here's the link:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/34921

Imho, this is a perfect example that some activists need to learn when/where/how to apply pressure, and remember who their friends and enemies are. No possible good can come from humiliating and pissing off those who already support you!! These guys lost a whole lot more than they gained, duh.
 --Jenifer

--- On Wed, 12/17/08, unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net> wrote:

From: unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: Fight for just treatment of all workers
To: "Peace-discuss List" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>, "John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 7:26 AM

When and what situation was that John ?

Not that I am doubting you, just wanting to know some facts for my own info..

David J.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John W. 
To: unionyes 
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: Fight for just treatment of all workers

"The single most important thing that we can do to help manufacturing, to help retirees, to help working people, to help our children and grandchildren and our communities is fight for universal health care."   Can't disagree much with that.  But I'll just mention that the last time the "grassroots" tried to provide John Conyers with support/pressure for one of his own initiatives - the impeachment of the Butcher in the White House - Conyers turned on them like a rabid dog, and then ran away from his own former principled position like a scared rabbit.  So much for grassroots support....

On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 11:14 PM, unionyes <unionyes at ameritech.net> wrote:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: GreggShotwell at aol.com 
To: undisclosed-recipients: 
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:41 AM
Subject: Fight for just treatment of all workers

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Detroit's Big Three automakers have a $2,000 per vehicle cost disadvantage over their foreign rivals -- largely because of legacy and benefits costs. "Let's get rid of that cost disadvantage," Romney told "Meet the Press."

The Republicans want to destroy the unions. The Democrats want to keep them in the corral. We do not have a Labor Party in America. We are the leaders we have been waiting for. This issue isn't solely about auto workers, or union organized workers, it's about all workers.

The single most important thing that we can do to help manufacturing, to help retirees, to help working people, to help our children and grandchildren and our communities is fight for universal health care. Retirees don't have any excuses not to show up for marches, sit-ins, or letter writing campaigns. The Obama health care plan is inadequate for our needs. John Conyers' bill HR-676 is set up and ready to roll. He just needs support from the grass roots. Conyers will be pressured to back down and go along with Obama's plan. We should all write to John Conyers, express our appreciation for his perseverance in this struggle for Health Care Justice, and encourage him to stand his ground and don't back down. Half way measures will not work. All retirees need assurance of health care. All workers would be in a better bargaining position if they were assured of basic health care. Our children and grandchildren will have a brighter future if we fulfill our
 responsibility to them. The generation that introduced two tier wages owes it to the next generation to fight like hell for universal single payer health care. Let's make HR-676 our legacy to them.

Thirty-nine state AFL-CIO federations, over 100 Central Labor Councils and 400 local unions have endorsed HR-676, John Conyer's "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All" bill. [www.johnconyers.com/healthcare] The first step is to unite the huge reservoir of support for single payer in thousands of local unions and labor bodies.  To take that step, a number of labor federations and unions are planning a national meeting of labor organizations that
support HR 676,"Medicare for All." >  Labor for Single-Payer Healthcare Meeting      
                                                   January 10-11, 2009
                                                   The Crowne-Plaza - Downtown St. Louis
For additional information> www.laborforsinglepayer.org  
or contact Organizing Committee Coordinator Mark Dudzic at  201-314-2653 or mdudzic at igc.org

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