Now the ALA supports public sector unions seeking to retain their huge benefits at public expense despite many states being broke precisely because of these benefits. For a historical perspective, perhaps the ALA should read:
- "Public Unions Must Go; A Death Knell for Government Unions? If Only," by Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 23 February 2011
- "Even FDR Understood: No Collective Bargaining for Public Servants; There is No Legitimate Role for Government Unions," by Peter Ferrara, Pajamas Media, 23 February 2011
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for example, has said, "The second big issue we must tackle this year is our antiquated and unsustainable pension and benefit system. Nearly 75 percent—3 out of every 4 dollars—of our State's municipal and county budgets are driven by personnel and labor costs."
The ALA supports "standing up for workers' rights" nonetheless:
CHICAGO - As thousands protest proposed collective bargaining legislation in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, American Library Association (ALA) President Roberta Stevens released the following statement in support of those standing up for workers’ rights.
“While governments are facing financial challenges, addressing deficits should not serve as an opportunity to strip away the hard-won right of workers to collectively bargain,” said Stevens.
“As library visits continue to soar, with job seekers and families turning to our libraries to gain new skills and free access to education resources, the value of library service and staff should be recognized and protected.
“The ALA supports library employees in seeking equitable compensation and recognizes the principle of collective bargaining as an important element of successful labor-management relations. We affirm the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively with their employers, without fear of reprisal. These are basic workers’ rights that we defend for thousands of academic, public and school library professionals.”
The American Library Association is the voice of America's libraries and the millions of people who depend on them. With more than 63,000 members, the ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world and represents all types of libraries and librarians.
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Source: "American Library Association President Roberta Stevens on Proposed Collective Bargaining Legislation," by Macey Morales, American Library Association, 24 February 2011.
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| Joyce Latham |
Just to be clear this is the ALA backing unions, "CyberGoddess" and ALA Councilor-at-Large Sue Kamm said, "Former Councilor Ruth Gordon is wondering why ALA hasn't made a statement about the union-busting tactics in Wisconsin. So do I. (Wonder, that is.) If this is a statement that should properly come before ALA/APA, how do we get something started? Enquiring minds want to know." This was days before the ALA President's statement.
As Andrew McCarthy put it, the "Left has demonstrated to an appalled country just how ugly they intend to make things — thug leaders calling for blood in the street, the Nazi/Mubarak/Mussolini rhetoric, lawmakers abdicating their duty and shutting down the legislative process when they can’t get their way." By supporting the unions, the supposedly free speech ALA is implicitly supporting anti-semitism, assault, free speech violations, and "sheer hatred" by union thugs:
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| Tabitha Hale. Christian. American. Capitalist. |
- "'That's Assault!': Union Protester Whacks Young FreedomWorks Activist," by Meredith Jessup, TheBlaze, 24 February 2011.
- "Video: CWA Union Thug Strikes Young Female FreedomWorks Activist; Updated", by Michelle Malkin, Michelle Malkin, 23 February 2011.
- "Union Thuggery Descends On FreedomWorks," by Tabitha Hale, RedState, 23 February 2011.
- "Bad Jew," by FreedomWorksAction, YouTube, 23 February 2011.
"The people driving this train, and driving us into bankruptcy, are left-wing activists whose power hinges on maintaining this perverse system in which unions effectively sit on both sides of the negotiations, passing piles of public money over and under the table." The ALA, siding with unions in yet another left-wing, non-library issue, has placed itself in the driver's seat.
Look for the union label at the ALA.
NOTE ADDED 25 FEBRUARY 2011:
Joyce M. Latham has responded (to all) to a courtesy email I sent to her and all other people named in this blog post as follows: "Worker rights are human rights and libraries are, first and foremost, about human rights. It's good to see ALA weigh in on this. My heart-felt congratulations to Roberta Stevens."
Roberta Stevens replied (to all) as follows: "Thanks, Joyce."
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If you think the left's largely-tongue-in-cheek rhetoric is reprehensible, then I'm sure you've written volumes on how completely insane the rhetoric on the right is.
ReplyDeleteI can respect that you want to fight what you believe to be the good fight; however, when every thing you cite to support your arguments is from sources that are right-leaning to various degrees, I have to conclude that you either 1) intentionally keep yourself ignorant of the other side of these arguments or 2) disingenuously construct your own arguments.
Almost every one of your facts is twisted, misleading, or flat-out incorrect.
Furthermore, you are suggesting that a nationwide organization of librarians is orchestrating a sinister conspiracy to harm children. If you do not recognize how bizarre this is, I honestly suggest you see a counselor to be evaluated for some form of media-fueled paranoia.
Thanks for commenting, Anonymous. Your entire response being of an ad hominem nature let's me know I have hit a nerve. In a 5 sentence comment "you" or "your" was used 13 times. Way to avoid the issue! And I have reason to believe you are the same person from the West Bend, WI, incident who regularly attacks me and avoids the issues here, only this time you are going "Anonymous."
ReplyDeleteThe ALA is in no position to comment outside of the library sphere, particularly where those it supports are open racists, homophobes, thugs who assault innocent bystanders like Tabitha Hale, etc. I am assuming you agree with the assault of Ms. Hale as that only drew comments about my "right-leaning" sources. When the ALA attempts to control local libraries, the ALA's political activities should be taken into consideration, particularly in the present situation.
And I would like to link main stream media sources to support my claims, only MSM does not report negatively on those it supports. Besides, I am happy to link to sources such as Michelle Malkin. Have you read "Hate-a-Rama: The Vulgar, Racist, Sexist, Homophobic Rage of the Left," by Michelle Malkin, Michelle Malkin, 25 February 2011? These are the people the ALA implicitly supports while it ignores the Wisconsin election results.
"Almost every one of your facts is twisted, misleading, or flat-out incorrect." Specify exactly where I went wrong and how. Oh, and try to find a citation to the MSM to support your position.
Most public libraries are considered in these unnecessary and completely unrelated to budgetary attacks on organized labor. In other words, PUBLIC librarians are in government employee or public employees systems and therefore fall under the purview of this issue.
ReplyDeletebut as your links imply, there is not much use for facts on this blog.
john xerxes, thanks for commenting. The facts are that the Governor of Wisconsin ran his campaign on, among other things, rolling back the power of the public unions that now how the power to vacuum up almost 75% of every tax payment. He won on that basis. Elections have consequences. Now the unions are trying to reverse their election losses by hook or by crook, literally, and the American Library Association has linked arms with the unions.
ReplyDeleteFurther, even if a few public librarians would personally benefit from the ALA's support for unions using brute force and undemocratic activity to reverse an election they lost despite millions of dollars of money from taxpayers used to win the election, that still ignores the large majority of librarians not in public unions who will not benefit from undemocratic revolution or from the bankrupting of the state or from continuing to pay a huge percentage of their taxes for public unions to use to elect their own bosses who will then vote them more money.
So the ALA had a few librarians on one side and most librarians on the other yet chose to join those supporting undemocratic, racist, homophobic, and brute force activity. And that is totally consistent with the other non-library issues it imposes itself upon. And that is totally relevant to whether people in local communities should allow the ALA to continue to control their own public libraries.
Lastly, when you make personal attacks such as by implying I choose links that have no facts, then you illustrate you have no substantive argument and must rely instead on ad hominem argument. And you are the second commenter in a row to do so.
Actually, not only are your arguments without substance, but they are false. For example, you talk about "budgetary attacks on organized labor." First, the issue is public unions, not private unions. Second, this is not an "organized attack." Rather, this is the result of an open and fair election, and even one the public unions used their millions to sway but to no avail.
The ALA really looks bad for siding with the public unions on this non-library issue. There is nothing you could say to change that.
You are completely wrong about most of your points.
ReplyDeletePublic Libraries are public institutions. The ALA is right to stand with its members.
Attacking collective bargaining has nothing to do with balancing a budget.
Plus why should Unions apologize for negotiating better benefits? Even though they did agree to meet all of Walker's demands for slashed benefits prior to his stupid and unnecessary malicious political calculation to eliminate collective bargaining.
research Walker's tax cuts and his security fiasco. Or better yet, ask your local public librarian to do it for you, while they are still able to work.
John Xerxes...Walker has all the rights in the world to move for removal of the collective bargaining rights from the union. The union that used these rights for decades to bully municipalities into outrageous taxes and brankrupt budgets will only use them again and again if not stopped right now. Walker is bringing fiscal sanity to state and local budgets of Wisconsin because Wisconsin TAXPAYERS DEMAND it! It's that simple, deny it all you want. The unions lost the elections they tried to buy and now they are using threats and violence to achieve for a small obnoxious minority what the state majority want removed. This is NOT a Banana Republic and the unions are now being seen for the greedy goons they truly are. Taxpayers no longer support them. Get a life!
ReplyDeleteAnon - There is no evidence of bullying. They are hardly goons, as they are teachers and police men and secretaries and security guards.
ReplyDeleteBut its okay if you want to make up stories about it. There is a whole section in public libraries staffed by municipal employees, most of them union, who will be happy to shelve your novel.
I'm another anon and I'm responding to xerxes.
ReplyDeleteThis blog provided a number of examples of union thugs evidencing "bullying" at a minimum. It even included a picture of that 5" 1' girl Tabitha Hale assaulted by that CWA thug. Also a link to her blog describing the assault. Can you believe that big man attacked that little girl? And she was just standing there taking pictures like everyone does!
Yet xerxes didn't see any of that. Instead he says, "There is no evidence of bullying. They are hardly goons, as they are teachers and police men and secretaries and security guards. But its okay if you want to make up stories about it."
Xerxes doesn't get to make up his own facts.
Anon 2 - First of all, that supposed attack has nothing to do with the point we were talking about. But thanks for trying to further muddy the waters with unrelated and silly information.
ReplyDeleteOkay, clear up the waters. Explain how the ALA is right to support union thugs seeking unsustainable benefits. Then explain how an organization that promotes the undemocratic activities of public unions is supposed to be considered authoritative in local community libraries. And provide reliable sources to back up your claims.
ReplyDeleteIf you can ask those questions with out the conservative talking point rhetoric that clearly muddies the waters, I will be happy to answer your questions.
ReplyDeleteOkay. Clearly you are here to divert from the issues by making ad hominem arguments, among other things, like your complaint about my "rhetoric."
ReplyDeleteI did not appreciate your attack on the Wisconsin Governor where you talked about "Walker's demands for slashed benefits prior to his stupid and unnecessary malicious political calculation to eliminate collective bargaining." So you called him "stupid," "calculating," and "malicious." Since he ran on the platform of rolling back union power and won, that means you also called the people of Wisconsin stupid, calculating, and malicious.
Your comments here never vary from being personal attacks or from diverting from the issues. You are no longer welcome to comment on my blog if your comments contain personal attacks, no matter how careful you may word them. I will remove any more of your comments if they contain personal attacks.
Lastly, the comments section is to discuss the issues, not to provide a forum for attacking me, my commenters, and the people I discuss in my blog posts. I simply am not playing your game any longer.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHeheheh... SafeLibraries, I believe it is you who called the people of Wisconsin those things. Shame on you. I will grant you that it is your right to live a deluded life devoid of any connection to public libraries. You obviously don't have a clue what it is like to work in both union and non-union library environments. There are benefits and drawbacks to both as I've worked in a few libraries and seen what happens.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the right on their victory. I'm perfectly happy to shrug like Atlas and let all of you destroy America as you are so willing to do. The next election you won't be so happy or so victorious and the left won't have to lift a finger. Watch your world crumble before your eyes. Have a nice day. :)
Ah, another conservative censor in operation. When the going gets too tough, out comes the muzzle against the opponents (the chap censored above).
ReplyDeleteIt's actually amusing.
Especially as it done in the cause of defending yourself against alleged 'ad hominem' attacks. The AH defense is the oldest and most predictable term in the crap bloggers repertoire. You roll out your sweeping generalizations about union protesters (they're all thugs, racists etc), and then you have the temerity to bitch about others making generalizations about you and your side.
You're just another conservative hypocrite who runs for cover every time the going gets too tough.
As I say, amusing.
When one leaves a comment on my blog posts, right at the top it says, "Comments of a personal nature and linkspam may be removed." I let him go on attacking people for a while, then I finally applied the policy with which everyone must apply.
ReplyDeleteYou see, this is a forum for discussing ideas, When it devolves into name calling, then it just becomes a waste of time. It has nothing to do with "censorship"--it's about selection.
Your comments, for example, add nothing of any substance. I will selectively leave them in, however, to further evidence the likes of you as this is what the ALA implicitly supports: "The next election you won't be so happy or so victorious and the left won't have to lift a finger. Watch your world crumble before your eyes."
"Union Member Attacks, Injures Tea Party Activist at MoveOn.org-organized Rally," by Chuck DeVore, BigGovernment, 26 February 2011.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Juan Williams at NPR.
ReplyDeleteFunny, but Juan Williams said something honest and innocent, and with great sensitivity. That is the complete opposite of what happened here.
ReplyDeleteIf you can abide by the simple rules, namely, "Comments of a personal nature and linkspam may be removed," then you may continue to contribute.
Also, I am not sure what Scaramento has to do with the Union busting activities of a corrupt and maliciously doctrinaire Governor in the pocket of greedy WI business men, but I suppose in the myopic world view of this blog it seems relevant.
ReplyDeletePlus, given the tea party's use of ridiculously costumed undercover agent provocateurs - like James O'Keefe - who is to say Richard Andazola did not steal that jacket from a union hall just to provoke and fight? My guess is that he was working with the filmmakers to discredit the Teamsters.
Given Gov. Walker, himself, admits to thinking about setting loose a group of agitators to stir up trouble and make the Union protesters look violent.
Oh my. More personal attacks, this time more about the Wisconsin governor, before he was "stupid," now he's "corrupt and maliciously doctrinaire," then wandering into conspiracyville when attacking still others.
ReplyDeleteJohn, you realize this is a blog about the American Library Association, right?
"Educating people and politicians about who controls public libraries. Citizens should, not the American Library Association. If your local library is applying ALA policy instead of local law/policy, learn from this blog what can be done to reverse that."
May I ask you to please take your diatribes somewhere else? I don't see that your comments or my responses really accomplishes that much. We both have other things to do, do we not?
While I am writing, let's look at the ABC News 10 story that was the top link in the BigGovernment story you derided:
"An amateur videographer caught a shoving match on tape. The video showed a face to face argument right before Richard Andazola, 28, of Stockton, shoved a tea party activist.
"'He bum rushed across the street, came right at us, swung his bullhorn at me, hit me in the hand and then put his hand around my throat and started choking me,' Rodney Stanhope of Placerville said.
"The video doesn't show the choking incident, but clearly shows the shoving. Because of it, Sacramento Police officers cited Andazola for battery.
"Andazola tells a different story though.
"'He was spitting on me, he's bigger than me, and I told him to get off of me,' Andazola said. 'I was backing up and he was staying on me 'til the point that he spit in my mouth.'
"That incident was the only one that occured. The rest of the demonstration fizzled out with arguments yelled across 10th Street."
Then, John, you topped it off with, "Given Gov. Walker, himself, admits to thinking about setting loose a group of agitators to stir up trouble and make the Union protesters look violent." Wonderful! And no citation, as is your style. You understand Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals perfectly! Coincidence?
Walker as Liar - first by not revealing the plan, then lying that he was transparent about his plan's motives. The facts are against his claims. more lies
ReplyDeleteSecond, STUPID. Why he would have engaged in such blantant and frank discussion with someone who simply claimed to be his wealthy rainmaker is, simply, idiotic.
Third, Gov. Walker is in the pocket of big business. here. and here.
Sorry no fox news blogs included.
Didn't like the links? Too many facts? Oh wait, is it because I called his behavior what it actually is?
ReplyDeleteIts a bit convenient, and self-serving to your points, what you choose to keep and what you choose to delete.
Hey! You didn't give me a chance to read the links. Wait before unloading, please.
ReplyDeleteOh. I see. Google stopped them. I'll go mark it as not spam now.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I see you have a rational basis for your personal attacks on the governor.
ReplyDeleteAs to "stupid," I see you think he is stupid for taking a prank call. That may be your judgment but I would need to see more evidence before I'll agree he is stupid. I do know "social engineering" is used all the time and is often successful in causing trouble. I do not think all the victims of social engineering are stupid. Even if they were, it would still be wrong to call them stupid. I hope you are never the victim of social engineering.
As to PolitiFact, I see they are accurate, but they are extremely nitpicky, and I have to wonder if they were nitpicky or even bothered to review statements like Nancy Pelosi saying the "healthcare" bill will have to pass first for people to know what was in it.
In the governor's case, they said, "There is no dispute that Walker campaigned on getting concessions on health and pension benefits from state employees. And, to be sure, that is an important part of the measure." The nitpicky part is that they called him on not advising directly about the bargaining changes. Okay, that's fair, but it's nitpicky. If I heard there would be "concessions on health and pension benefits from state employees," I would assume that would be mean everything that goes along with that, not some single aspect.
So, I see why you are calling him a liar, but it's really a word game that must be played to make that the truth.
Your link from Center for Media and Democracy is not credible. Neither is Common Cause of Wisconsin.
Be that as it may, this is not a forum for attacking people. Please take your attacks, even if rationally based, elsewhere.
"Facts Overshadowed by Rhetoric As Debate Over Union Rights Bill in Wisconsin Forges Ahead," by Scott Bauer and Patrick Condon, Associated Press, 26 February 2011.
ReplyDelete