From the Washington Times:
Inside a South Florida Wal-Mart last Thursday, union-sponsored protesters handed out empty, gift-wrapped boxes to children and made them cry, according to multiple witnesses—and it appears that the arrests of two of the protesters may have been part of a grand strategy designed by Big Labor-backed WakeUpWalMart.com.
Yet despite internal WakeUpWalMart.com communication—obtained exclusively by this columnist—indicating that the union-funded front instructed its protesters to test police patience, the organization is now playing the race card since the two protesters arrested (out of 15 total) are both black.
Late in the afternoon last Thursday, two people dressed as elves, and, in the words of an employee, someone who “kind of looked like Santa,” walked into the North Lauderdale Wal-Mart armed with empty, gift-wrapped boxes and WakeUpWalMart.com fliers. According to several Wal-Mart employees and the sheriff’s office, the presents were given to a number of children, and at least one, a 4-year-old boy, opened the gift inside the store.
Discovering that the box was empty, the little boy started crying.
WakeUpWalMart.com, for its part, stands by the claims of its protesters that no boxes were given to children, but no one denies that empty, gift-wrapped boxes were brought inside the store. The symbolism, it seems, is fairly obvious: Wal-Mart’s promises on health care are, well, empty. Except to a kid. To a small child, such a stunt is just mean.
Well, sure. That, and everybody knows there’s no such thing as a black elf.
So, y’know—don’t even think about it, Jesse!
(via Mike Krempasky)
A black elf?
I thought all the elves nowadays were too busy spiking bulldozers vice making toys.
For example, I heard Hermie was arrested trying to forcibly remove the teeth of a logging executive. The nerve of these guys. From Loggers to Wal-Mart Shoppers. Have they no shame?
Proving once again that Carl Hiaasen writes documentaries.
God, am I glad I don’t live in South Florida. To be fair, South Floridians probably share that sentiment.
The Drow have gone union?
If I cared more, I would actually look into this, but everytime I here this griping about Wal-Mart and Healthcare all I can think about is that my wife worked there for 10 years, we were both on the healthcare and it was acceptable program. Not as good as the company I am with now, but it was a legitimate healthcare plan.
I live in the south, worked for wal-mart myself while in college, and can tell you that their pay and their benefits are above the average for most of the smaller southern communities in which they mainly operate. People fight to get out of the other local grocery/dept store retailers and get to wal-mart for better pay.
If they all look like that, I’m going Union.
Sure they’ll kill ya, but hey you’ll die with a smile.
Careful with the union bashing…they are non peaceful people…
“At Least 203 Americans Killed Since 1975: According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR), more than 10,000 incidents of union violence have been reported in America’s newspapers, and on television and radio, since 1975. But media-reported union violence constitutes only the tip of the iceberg. Samplings of police and company records collected by NILRR and other scholars indicate that 80-90% of violent union incidents are never reported in the media.
When combined, reported and unreported incidents of union vandalism, assault and battery, arson, and even murder may number over 100,000! Union violence hits communities across America and wreaks a staggering toll in personal injury, property damage, lost work, and lost production.â€Â
LINK: http://www.nrtwc.org/fuva109.pdf
See here for a pro-union cesspool:
http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2005/12/20/un-transit/#comments
Years ago in Ohio, on a housing project I was working on, union goons snuck in overnight and cut the wiring flush to the box, on the electrical panels of 20 houses, after the sheet rock was up.
In Alaska approximately ten years back, a non-union electrical contractor won a half a million decision against the IBEW for destruction of material, harassment of workers, vandalism and assult. The union said that the decision infringed on their right to free speech. The judge called it extortion.
In 1986 after a bitter strike with extensive violence and sabotage, a local Alaska utility board vote brought in two new members that were pro-union. The additional two members created a pro-union majority on the board and the strike was terminated with the union winning their demands and a new director installed. The new director was pro-union and allegedly at union direction fired 55 employees who were not supportive of the union over the next six months.
I had a good friend of mine who was a manager at a small gorcery chain in Ohio that was the target of unionization over a two year period. The goons removed the lug nuts from all four tires on his car, twice during this time.
In the above same episode, goons broke into one of the stores one night after closing and turned off all the refrigiration. All the affected items in freezers and coolers were ruined and had to be replaced.
These are just things that come to mind off the top of my head and of which I have personal knowledge. And I could go on, but you get he picture.
So with all of the above described violence, are you surprised that the unions are mostly, democrat run?
Unions, for the people, yeah that’s the ticket.
I was in Detroit during a strike against the newspapers. A few pipe bombs were found in newspaper vending machines. Caltrops were spread on parking lots.
So far as I know, no one was ever prosecuted. I did say it was Detroit.
In all fairness, Tim (not Tim P), there were a LOT of anti-union comments in that post, which to me was surprising, since Buzzmachine leans left.
I take this as good news. New Yorkers are PO’d about this – the transit union has no PR with which to work with, so I would imagine this will get solved pretty quickly.
I’d be surprised if it weren’t.
TV (Harry)
tw: blood. No blood for labor!!
Robert Crawford,
If you’re talking about ‘94-’95, I was there, too.
I *loved* it when they choppered the papers out of the plant to the distribution centers.
Such whining and complaining from the union about how ‘unfair’ that was.
Heh.
unions = parasites
I live in WV (coal counrty/ land of entitlement). The violence is not nearly as bad as it once was. I have not heard of a homocide in the past couple of years. It’s just a matter of time though….
Ho Ho Ho, Be-otch!
Well around these parts it’s baseball (actually football), mom’s apple pie, and Wal-Mart in that order. In small towns people talk about going over to the Wal-Mart like “northern elites” talk about going to the theatre. I never worked for Wal-Mart but wouldn’t have minded it at all in my starting out days before I became a “professional” and above that kind of thing. But I know many people who do work there and have not once heard a complain about “benefits”. Kroger grocery stores was the biggest grocery chain here. Then it unionized. Kroger is all but gone now. I could see a unionized Wal-Mart going the same way. My experience with unions is like with all socialist institutions. Talk a good “for the little people” line, but in practice, a dictatorship of, by, and for the dictators.
There was a time, especially in factory towns and coal mines, that unions were needed and did much good. Now? whether you’re union or not, just try to do business in the big cities with unionized building supers, etc. Pay the parking lot guy, the elevator guy gets his cut, which must be shared with the super. Oh, you want to leave some tools by the truck (or in the truck?) pay another guy, as well as a full-time worker you have to bring in. Please, do not get me started.
That was one of the truly mystifying things for me about living in Alaska. You expect a place that bills itself “The Last Frontier” to have some semblance of a do-it-yourself pioneer spirit, but Alaska has one of the most collectivist cultures I’ve ever endured.
And I grew up in California!
My father was member of the Teamsters union in So California back in the 80’s. I was in the service then back east and there was a local grocery worker strike in So California at the time. I remember one day seeing reports on national TV showing that a scab truck driver was assaulted when an M-80 firecracker was shot into the cab of his truck while driving. I remember thinking to myself, “What kind of animal would do such a thing?” Then the call came from my mother stating that my father had been arrested for the assualt. No charges were filed and he was released the next day. Just goes to show you what the Union mentality is and how far individuals will go, and how easily they can be persuaded into committing violent acts…My father was otherwise a very gentle person….
Lew, are you in Chicago?
People will do extreme things to protect their money.
Not much violence in my least favorite unions, but in their way, they do more harm than just about any other union in the country. I’m speaking of the NEA, or its partner in intolerance the AFT.
You either join the union to keep your job, and thereafter watch your dues float away from your workplace to any and every Democrat running for office, no matter how lame. Or you don’t join the union, pay dues anyway, and watch the dues you pay float into every little Democrat’s pocket.
Either way, advantage to teachers is relatively nil these days, except school days are shorter, the school year is shorter, the test scores are sinking like a rock and NCLB is the unions’ bogeyman. Largely because it expects teachers to, I don’t know, do a better job of teaching. But that’s okay, because tenure keeps the schools from doing anything to teachers who can’t perform anyway.
Like most unions, there was a time when teachers’ unions served an important purpose in education. Not anymore. Maybe if schools operated on the WalMart principle we’d have better schools.
Walmart is a great American success story. The left hates it, but the left hates all success stories.
The idea that Jesus wouldn’t shop at Walmart, which these union crazies have been spouting, simply doesn’t wash. To suggest that Jesus would oppose free market practices and instead embrace the socialism of guaranteed health care for workers shows a profound misunderstanding of scripture.
I remember years ago when the (Greyhound?) strike was going, and I seen on the news that someone was shooting up the busses with passengers on board.
Also…
Many many moons ago I worked in a union building in Chicago. We had ordered some very specialized equipment from a one-off manufacturer and part of the contract stated that the manufacturer had to deliver the equipment to the building. Sensitive stuff and what not. Anyway, because the building was union they could not unload at the dock. They also had to handcart the equipment up 10 flights of stairs because the frieght elevator mysteriously went on the fritz when the building sups were screaming at them to get that “ef’n truck off his dock” Lots of other stories like that in my tenure at that building.
Reminds me of a Port Arthur, Texas, little theater production of “The Sound of Music.” They had black Nazis. The audience seemed unable to suspend its disbelief.
But then again, as Rummie once said, “You goes to war wit de army you gots.”
Well that explains all the hippies with Groucho glasses and the W stickers on their tie-dyes I’ve been seeing there. Hung me up for awhile, I’ll tell you.
They had a great deal on patchouli!
DON’T JUDGE ME.
dougj, have you ever even KISSED a girl?
I bet she lives in Canada.
No Robert, I live in Texas. That happen to Kroger in Chicago too?
That’s what I’ve heard.
Hmmm.
You know it takes a special kind of asshole to do that to a little kid.
I’ve been in Chicago all my 40+ years, but I don’t ever recall Kroger being out here – it’s always been Jewel and Dominick’s. Maybe Kroger’s were around in the suburbs.
Here’s a fun union story – my grandmother had a flower shop. Did a good business, but not a huge honking Wal-Mart-like success. Two delivery drivers. Local Teamster goons said they wanted to unionize the drivers. Drivers and my grandmother all told them thanks, but no thanks.
My grandmother’s shop had all the windows smashed out that night.
Now you tell me: how is this different from the local Mustache Pete mobster selling “protection” to the local merchants?