Mood:
d'ohTopic: Lib Loser Stories
Labor unions are in disarray. Years of declining influence and a clear shortage of leadership have reduced leaders of the once mighty movement to poaching from one another. As more and more private-sector workers say ‘no thanks’ to big-labor, one can see more failures and consolidation in the future.
AFL-CIO orders SEIU to stop recruiting from rival
The AFL-CIO yesterday ordered the Service Employees International Union to stop efforts to recruit home-care workers in California who belong to a union. Following an administrative hearing Monday in Washington, D.C., the AFL-CIO said in a written ruling that the SEIU is violating the AFL-CIO constitution by soliciting members from the United Domestic Workers. The ruling was the latest in a series of moves for control of the 40,000 members of the UDW. The San Diego-based union was seized by its parent organization last month, triggering court battles, allegations of financial mismanagement by former union officials, and charges that the takeover was done for political purposes. Yet, only hours after the ruling, a group of home-care workers in Riverside County interrupted contract negotiations between the county and the UDW by delivering 3,429 membership cards for the SEIU. That move antagonized the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the organization that has been serving as court-ordered trustee of the UDW since June 30. AFSCME was awarded control of the local union after it alleged that the UDW's officers and executive board were responsible for financial mismanagement, self-dealing and preparing false financial statements to disguise the union's true financial situation. "The organizing in Riverside County is clearly being done by the SEIU in tandem with former officers and employees of the United Domestic Workers," said Gary Frank, associate director of organizing for the 1.4 million-member AFSCME. Frank said Ken Seaton-Msemaji, who was ousted as president of the UDW by court order last month, and Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU Local 434-B, were in Riverside to call for a election to determine which union will represent domestic workers in that county. Calls to Freeman and other SEIU officials were not returned yesterday. Leah Carter, a home-care worker in Riverside who helped gather sign-up cards, said UDW members signed the cards because they wanted a choice in selecting which union will represent them. Frank said many home-care workers have told AFSCME they were deceived into signing the cards and now want to rescind them. Since 2000, the UDW has had the right to organize Riverside County workers. A home-care contract between Riverside County and the UDW expired June 30 and UDW/AFSCME is negotiating on a new contract. Frank said the AFL-CIO decision that blocks SEIU from organizing in Riverside or interfering with UDW operations is similar to a federal court injunction issued June 30 that applies to former UDW officials. He said AFSCME probably will return to federal court to seek to block SEIU organizing efforts. The SEIU, a 1.8 million-member union representing service workers, is one of five unions that is threatening to secede from the AFL-CIO at next week's annual convention in Chicago. San Diego Union-Tribune ~ Michael Kinsman ** AFL-CIO orders SEIU to stop recruiting from rival
Posted by uhyw
at 1:32 PM EDT
Updated: Thursday, July 21, 2005 1:50 PM EDT
don't ask
PETA, perverts and horses
The death of a 45-year-old Seattle man is forcing an uncomfortable debate into the open. Delivered to a hospital by a friend, who promptly fled, it was found that the man had expired from an acute case of peritonitis; a frequently fatal severe inflammation of the inner surfaces of the abdominal cavity, usually caused by an internal perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. The suspicious nature of the death led police to investigate. What they found was shocking, disturbing and grotesque.
Worst of all, it was not exactly illegal in the state of Washington.
The investigation found that the man had died from a perforated colon; caused by having engaged in anal intercourse with a horse. This morbid discovery provoked a more thorough investigation by the King County sheriff’s office, which in turn led to the discovery of a farm in the Enumclaw area, and hundreds of hours of video footage of men engaging in sexual activities with animals, from horses to chickens, goats and sheep.
Sgt. John Urquhart, the investigation’s spokesman, explained that the investigation had found that the farm was well known in Internet chat rooms as a destination for men who wanted to have sex with animals, unbeknownst to neighbors. "A significant number of people," said Urquhart "have likely visited this farm", though he refused to give either a detailed or approximate number since the investigation is still ongoing. A neighboring couple, after being shown some of the video footage, angrily recognized their horse and their own barn.
While it is disturbing that strange men are gathering in the shadier corners of the Internet and forming a growing subculture that is sadly centered around the desire to have a sexual relationship with Mr. Ed, it’s not necessarily a crime either.
As Urquhart explained, engaging with sexual relations with an animal is not illegal in Washington state, which is far from alone in that; fully 17 states do not have laws banning bestiality. To actually file a criminal charge, "you’d have to prove some sort of animal cruelty…and that’s why we’ve got more investigating to do."
In addition to being immoral, at least by Judeo-Christian standards, intercourse with animals is unhealthy for several reasons. It encourages the spread of diseases that might not otherwise be spread, discourages healthy human relationships and fosters unhealthy attitudes and perspectives.
The Enumclaw case highlights two increasingly important ideological debates. The first, and seemingly the more minor of the two (for the time being) is within the animal rights movement, and centers around whether animals should be treated as identical to humans. On the one side, stands PETA and Peter Singer, a founder of the animal rights movement. On the other stands the Humane Society and Friends for Animals.
Peter Singer, a father of the animal rights movement, is no stranger to controversy. For his support of infanticide, euthanasia and abortion as morally justifiable, he has earned the ire of individuals and groups from all cross the political spectrum from the National Council of Disability to the Wall Street Journal.
This is completely unsurprising given Mr. Singer’s political position, preference utilitarianism; the belief, traditionally tied to hedonism, that the action that an individual must take is the one that best minimizes suffering and maximizes pleasure. In a 2000 review of a book, he defended bestiality, noting that while taboos against oral sex, contraception, masturbation and homosexuality have all largely been done away with, bestiality has not.
He went on to explain that its taboo was a mere pretext for distinguishing ourselves from animals, "erotically and any other way", and thus denying them fair treatment. He explained that some intra-species relationships could lead to "mutually satisfying conclusions".
While he came under heavy fire for his comments, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk not only defended Singer, but also bestiality. "If a girl gets sexual pleasure from riding a horse, does the horse suffer? If not, who cares? If you French kiss your dog and he or she thinks it's great, is it wrong? We believe all exploitation and abuse is wrong…If it isn't exploitation and abuse, it may not be wrong."
PETA, it has been suggested, defends bestiality as a backdoor to equating animals with humanity. If animal human relationships are equal to human relationships, then eating an animal would become tantamount to cannibalism. However, her statements beg the question: how do you know when an animal is being sexually exploited.
It might prove difficult to prove, as it’s very hard to get a straight answer from a horse in regards to the question "Mr. Ed, did you voluntarily enter a sexual relationship with Ingrid Newkirk, or did she force you into it?" A more real example involves Phillip Buble, who claims to be married to his dog, and that his marriage is just as valid in the eyes of God as any other marriage.
Meanwhile, the Humane Society is struggling to get a law passed in Washington that outlaws bestiality.
The larger debate, for the time being, is set within the context of American, indeed Western, society as a whole. Is it ethical and/or beneficial to legislate even seemingly basic morality, and does it violate the separation of church and state? The answer to that question is going to become increasingly more bizarre, disturbing and downright unhealthy habits, sexual and otherwise, are brought to light and the West moves further and further towards moral relativism. It can only be hoped that the right answer isn’t found too late.
No animals were harmed or molested in the writing of this article. The author ate a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch, but that’s it.
silly
Ex-con minister puts faith in Hillary
A Park Slope minister is praying he will be allowed to stay in this country - and counting on Sen. Hillary Clinton to be his guardian angel.
Chibueze Okorie, whose congregants at Gethsemane Presbyterian Church are prison inmates and former convicts, could be ordered deported by a federal immigration judge today for a 1989 drug conviction.
"I hope they will drop this case," Okorie said. "I hope they will see how much I have achieved since my release from prison."
Since he was released from an 18-month sentence in 1991, Okorie has dedicated his life to the Eighth Ave. church.
He has helped troubled kids in East Harlem and was awarded a New York City Council Citation for his exemplary service.
Even so, authorities want to deport the Nigerian native. Federal law requires convicted felons leave the country.
Okorie is scheduled to appear in Manhattan immigration court this morning for a removal hearing before Judge Elizabeth Lamb.
Okorie has received help from some powerful forces, including Clinton (D-N.Y.), who believes Okorie has paid his debt to society.
Praising his "unusual and enormous contribution to his community" and his own rehabilitation, she wrote to immigration officials asking that his case be dropped.
"Mr. Okorie's deportation would be a significant loss to the growing number of people he currently counsels," she wrote. "I urge you to dismiss Mr. Okorie's [case]."
Okorie said nearly 20 elected officials have written letters to immigration authorities requesting he be allowed to stay, and one from the Corrections Department for his work counseling Rikers Island inmates.
Immigration officials said they do not comment on pending cases.
"Mr. Okorie is having his day in court before an independent administrative judge," said Mark Thorn, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.
Okorie was busted soon after he first came to this country after working as a driver for a heroin dealer in East New York. The current case was brought against Okorie when he applied for a green card in 2001.
Commenting about the removal action, Okorie said, "I feel like I'm still in prison."
sharp
TV shots of the man suspected of throwing a grenade during Bush's speech >>>>>
Grenade attack suspect arrested
A man suspected of throwing a hand grenade at President George Bush was arrested in Georgia last night, but not before he shot dead a police officer involved in the hunt.
Interior ministry officials said the man had been cornered in a suburb of the capital Tbilisi and a shootout ensued in which the policeman was killed and another wounded.
The suspect was also wounded in the clash in the Vashli-Jvari district, and escaped into nearby woods. Dozens of police combed the area and later emerged with the suspect, who was covered in blood, news reports from Tbilisi said.
"As a result of an exchange of fire, started by the young suspect, one of the anti-terrorism officers has been killed and the suspect himself was wounded," the interior minister, Vano Merabishvili, told reporters.
Rustavi-2 television showed pictures of a dark-haired man being hustled into a police vehicle by officers.
The live grenade landed 30 metres away from the podium where Mr Bush was addressing tens of thousands of Georgians on May 10. On Monday the authorities released four photographs of the suspect, taken from TV footage of the address.
They showed a man in his late 20s, wearing a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses, together with a trimmed beard. He has not been named, but a reward was offered for information leading to his capture.
It was not clear last night if this offer had led to the armed clash.
The grenade-throwing incident was only disclosed by US authorities once Mr Bush had left Georgia.
It blighted a landmark visit, the first by the US president to one of three former Soviet Union states to have undergone a protest-led regime change in the space of 18 months.
Georgian police initially dismissed the device as a mock-up. They said that, even if it had not been deflected by a girl in the crowd and missed the podium, it had been disarmed and was harmless.
But that claim was contradicted by FBI experts who said preliminary tests of the grenade had shown it was live and had only missed detonating because the activation device had deployed too slowly.
There has been speculation that pro-western Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili, who led the rose revolution, was the intended target.
special
Limbaugh top political talk in NYC for April-June 2005
LOS ANGELES - 
Dean Also Sees Conspiracy in Roberts Pick
DNC chief Howard Dean joined liberal group MoveOn.org in claiming President Bush's nomination of John Roberts was an effort to deflect attention from Plamegate.
Late Tuesday Dean issued a statement blasting the Roberts nomination while questioning the timing of the announcement.
"Faced with a growing scandal surrounding the involvement of Deputy White House chief of Staff Karl Rove and Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis Libby in leaking the identity of a covert CIA operative, President Bush announced his nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court late this evening," Dean's statement began.
Dean continued:
"It is disappointing that when President Bush had the chance to bring the country together, he instead turned to a nominee who may have impressive legal credentials, but also has sharp partisan credentials that cannot be ignored.
"Democrats take very seriously the responsibility to protect the individual rights of all Americans and are committed to ensuring that ideological judicial activists are not appointed to the Supreme Court.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee will now have the opportunity to see if Judge Roberts can put his partisanship aside, and live up to a Supreme Court Justice's duty to uphold the rights and freedoms of every American and the promise of equal justice for all."
Dean: Republicans will "scapegoat" immigrants
Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean told the National Council of La Raza in Philadelphia today that he expected the Republicans to "scapegoat" immigrants in the 2006 election.
In a speech to the annual convention of hispanic leaders, Dean said the GOP tried to generate fears about blacks through the quota issue in the 2002 election and about gays through the marriage issue last year.
"In 2006, it's going to be immigrants," he said. "You wait and see."
Republican chairman Kenneth Mehlman, in his own address to the group, did not respond to Dean's comments directly. He later told reporters that the allegation was "laughable" and said that President Bush had put together what Mehlman called "the most diverse administration in history."
smelly
Former Vice President Al Gore, and chairman and co-founder of Current, an upcoming independent cable television network, takes questions from television critics during a preview presentation of Current Monday, July 18, 2005, at the 2005 Summer Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Current TV debuts August 1. >>>>>
Gore: New TV Channel Won't Be Partisan
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Former Vice President Al Gore, co-founder of a new television channel launching next month, said he's shunning politics - and so is his media venture.
"I consider myself a recovering politician. I'm on step nine," Gore told a meeting Monday of the Television Critics Association.
The 2004 Democratic candidate for president was asked if he was concerned the 24-hour news and information channel, called Current, would be perceived as having a political slant. It's scheduled to launch Aug. 1.
"I think the reality of the network will speak for itself. It's not intended to be partisan in any way," said Gore, Current's co-founder (with businessman Joel Hyatt) and chairman of the board.
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<<<<< Former Vice President Al Gore, chairman of the board and co-founder of Current, along with television producers and hosts Laura Ling and Gotham Chopra, present the upcoming independent cable television network, during a preview, Monday, July 18, 2005, at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Current TV network debuts Aug. 1.
suave
Reporter Remains on Guardian's Staff
Reporter Shall Remain
The British left-wing newspaper The Guardian (search) is acknowledging that one of its reporters belongs to a radical Islamist group banned in parts of Europe and Asia, but it's refusing to fire him.
The Guardian says that while Dilpazier Aslam, who's been reporting on the London bombings from Leeds, is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the organization which has been accused of funding terrorist operations in Central Asia, and banned in Germany for anti-Israeli propaganda, is legal in Britain. But, The Guardian tells