Mike... slow down don't be so quick to judgment. -- LOL

BREAKING: Americans for Prosperity stages phony altercation at Michigan Right to Work rally By Eclectablog on December 11, 2012 in Events, Labor, Michigan

There’s a video on heavy rotation at Fox News, being massively retweeted by conservatives and Americans for Prosperity, where they talk about the “brutality” and “violence” of union members at today’s rally in Lansing, Michigan to protest Right to Work legislation. The video shows an Americans for Prosperity tent coming down on the front lawn of the Capitol Building.

As it turns out, American for Prosperity (AFP) themselves were responsible for at least one of the tents coming down. Tom Duckworth watched one of the folks that had been in the AFP tent go around and loosen the straps on the tent. According to Duckworth, “the stakes came down from the INSIDE.”

http://www.eclectablog.com/2012/12/breaking-americans-for-prosperity-stages-phony-altercation-at-michigan-right-to-work-rally.html

Mike... some fun advice take a vacation from watching Fox News -- Happy Holidays

Scot, I know people who were there... this isn't from Fox.

Do you even know who this Duckworth guy is? What sort of source is "Eclectablog"? What makes him/them the final word on what happened?

All you need to do is watch any of the dozens of videos shot by people on the ground. We can see with our own eyes.

Of course, perhaps "Eclectablog" and the journalistic powerhouse Metro Times might find evidence that there was some conspiracy to doctor the videos and stage the smashing of Clint's hot dog stand. Until then... they were a mob.

Did you see any protests like this when the Dem's forced the unionization of home health care workers? When conservatives protest the takeover of our healthcare system, they are civil, and clean up after themselves. You don't see their rallies monitored by police in riot gear.

The Railroad Strike of 1877. The first nationwide strike, precipitated by a wage cut for workers on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, spread quickly to lines east of the Mississippi River and as far west as San Francisco. Wherever the strike erupted — Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis — riots broke out and railroad equipment was burned. When the state militia proved incapable of restoring order, President Rutherford B. Hayes sent in federal troops, which resulted in an inevitable clash between the Army and the workers. By the time the strike was over, 100 people had been killed and property damage stood at $10 million.

Mike... When American workers see a livelihood coming to and end -- emotions run high.

Mike... Did you even take the time to read this article? Would be nice to have a balanced response for you -- thanks.

http://metrotimes.com/columns/right-wing-power-grab-1.1415000
By Jack Lessenberry Published: December 12, 2012

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience." -- George Bernard Shaw

Scot, yes I read it when you posted it elsewhere. To call this balanced is absolutely absurd.

Here are a few select clips, beginning with the title. And don't try to suggest that it's taken out of context... it's pulled from almost every paragraph. It is the ESSENCE OF THE CONTEXT. Of course, I skipped the F-bombs.

You post this sort of nonsense... and expect people to take it seriously?

Here are just a few quotes:

Right-wing power grab

fascism with a human face. Or, perhaps, tyranny without a tie.

admired by all of those puppet regimes that used to do Hitler's and Stalin's bidding.

blowing apart the long-established labor-management relationship as we've known it

Right-wingers

blissfully fill the ranks with scabs.

Republicans hate democracy

The special interests gave very specific instructions to their puppets in the Legislature

Livelihood come to an end?

Oh, the drama of it all.

Typical Union behavior.

I was visiting at the Truck Product Center (Opdyke & South Blvd) in Pontiac, back in the mid/late 90's during the last big UAW strike against GM, and witnessed union members banging their picket signs on the vehicles of engineers trying to get into their building to work. I took a couple of pics with my 35mm of union members (thugs) prying some chrome trim rings off the wheels of a custom conversion van that was stopped trying to gain access to the TPC parking lot. The union members were playing "frisbee" with them. I took my film to the local drug store to get developed and when I picked up my pics the next day, those pics and negatives were "strangely missing" --- someone at the store didn't want me circulating those pics.

Unions only serve to "protect" jobs that could easily be replaced --- Except for police and fire.....they should always have job protections since they put their life on the line every day and don't get paid nearly enough for what they do.

Mike... not sure why Jack writes editorials for Metro Times -- He does support 'freedom of speech' and Metro Times is a good place to vent... and they let you use the those 'F-bombs' that is a hurdle for some readers. I don't know Jack -- just like a lot of his words. Mike... before your so quick to dismiss what Jack has to say...? "you post this sort of nonsense... and expect people to take it seriously? -- absolutely absurd" Mike your comment... before you continue to 'put your foot in your mouth'... LOL here is some info on Jack Lessenberry.

http://www.michiganradio.org/people/jack-lessenberry

A Detroit native, Jack recognized that he wanted to become a journalist during his graduate studies at the University of Michigan. (He had previously set out to be a historian.) Now, he boasts thirty years of eclectic journalism experience. Jack has worked as a foreign correspondent and executive national editor of The Detroit News, and he has written for many national and regional publications, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Oakland Press. Currently, he is a professor of journalism at Wayne State University and a contributing editor and columnist for The Metro Times, The Traverse-City Record Eagle, and The Toledo Blade...in addition to his work at Michigan Radio. -- to be continued...

Jack Lessenberry

Throughout his years of journalism experience, his favorite memories are of interviewing Gerald Ford about Watergate in 1995 and winning a national Emmy for a documentary about Jack Kevorkian in 1994. On a personal note, Jack stopped watching TV -- except for documentaries -- when Mr. Ed was canceled.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jack-lessenberry/6/a44/877

Education
Master of Arts (MA), Journalism at University of Michigan

Experience
Senior Political Analyst, Michigan Radio; Ombudsman, Toledo Blade
October 1998 – Present (14 years 3 months)

Professor
Wayne State University
Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Higher Education industry
January 1993 – Present (20 years)

Languages
French, German,Russian, some Spanish; smattering of Japanese

Mike...

Back to your response to Jack's editorial -- I did ask for a balanced response from you. Why did you only take the time to point out the criticism he took at the legislative procedure or the Republican Party? Why did you fail to point out Jack's criticism of unions? "But today's 'labor movement' is a bunch of sometimes-squabbling unions, each concerned with protecting the special interests of a small, specific and usually declining group of specialized workers." Jack Lessenberry. 1/2 of his editorial was criticism of the union movement. Hmmm, sound like you only like to post words that supports a personal agenda...? And you are incapable of discussing an issue without balance. Or sounds like your quick to judgment without taking the time to research the subject or person... Mike I thought you liked teachers.

Mike... Some friendly advice for 2013... America is a great nation full of intelligent thought -- lets both take the time to read and accept a multitude of opinions before formulating our own.

Livelihood come to an end? "Oh, the drama of it all." -- Mike Reno

Mike...

Don't know if this is some kind of poor joke on your part or if this another quick to judge comment? It's difficult to wear the shoes of another. I have written numerous posts defending gay or women's rights -- but yet I'm not gay or a female -- but I am a defender of the constitution and don't like comments that trample it's good intent. And now I find myself defending unions -- yet I have never been a union member. All organizations have 'bad apples' the Catholic Church or a College Football Program are great examples; is now anything that has to do with the Catholic Church or a College Football bad? My personal experience with union members -- all good... 30+ years producing American car commercials... grips, gaffers, directors of photography, actors, actress, voice-over actors, performance drivers, car prep, car haulers... all union... all great folks to work with. 8+ years experience Rochester Hills City Council... the guys and gals up at City Hall or down at the DPS, The Fire Department and Oakland County Sheriff Department all union... We're lucky to have everyone of them -- I have said numerous times we have the very best municipal employees on planet earth!

I know who he is... so? Famous people can write hysteria too.

And what he was producing was not journalism... it was dogma. There was nothing insightful or thought-provoking in that piece... it was just chocked-full of insults and irrational emotion.

You are free to revere him.

So Mike, why so quick to judge this Holiday Season -- (this is going to be again a sad day in American history my prayers go out to those parents) -- your comments may lump you into this club of thinkers: Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Sean Hannity or Daryl Patrishkoff -- I would hope your comments would not reflect that club. Mike.. Happy Holidays thanks for taking the time to read Jack's editorial.

dogma

1. A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a church.
2. An authoritative principle, belief, or statement of ideas or opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true. See Synonyms at doctrine.
3. A principle or belief or a group of them: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present" (Abraham Lincoln).

Mike... this time you lost me what does Jack's editorial have to do with church?

doug... not defending, just posting a touch of balance reporting. Please when you have time read this article... my opinion this sums what went down in a fair and balanced way -- please take the time to read the whole article -- thanks.

http://metrotimes.com/columns/right-wing-power-grab-1.1415000
By Jack Lessenberry Published: December 12, 2012

doug... name calling "union thugs" to over the top for me -- more like a culture seeing its livelihood coming to and end -- with emotions running high.

Of course, you don't include the link. Here it is:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/41332_Another_Breitbart_Fake_Outrage_Bites_the_Dust-_Crowder_Admits_He_Shoved_Union_Members

You (and that website), could not possibly have more twisted and distorted those comments! It's outrageous!

Here is EXACTLY what he said about "provoking them":

"...And I’ve been very honest about this… when they started ransacking the tent, yeah, me and some men went out there and while there were women and people in the tent. Older people, some people in wheel chairs, by the way, in the tent, and we didn’t get violent with them, but we did try to push them off the tent. That is true. We tried to push them off the tent they were destroying, because as you saw, there were women in there. There were poles, there were beams, there were pots of hot coffee, a hot dog stand, in that tent. OK, it was a big tent, with a lot of equipment, and they started destroying it."

He goes on to describe the fear facing that mob.

Admission that he instigated it? Your silly Breitbart comment was written by the goofball who wrote the article, and is not attributable to Crowder.

What were you saying again about facts?

You are still just making things up: "The main issue was the crying martyr when it was evident that the entire event was set up and instigated to the point of achieving the desired results."

If you want to save face... just admit you didn't watch the video, and had made a mistake by believing what that goofball littlegreenballs writer said.

As it stands now, you are just digging a deeper hole.

Mike,

Are you getting tired of this dialog yet? They want us to deny what we saw and heard with our own ears and eyes to fit their agenda.

Next they will say the Democrat did not say "there will be blood in the streets", maybe he was just joking.

Just look at how the peaceful Tea Party events were covered and how the violent Occupy Wall Street events were covered, the media is twisting many things to distract from the facts. These posts above are no different, however that is my opinion!

Thanks for letting me know how foolish I look in digging a hole Mike. I sure wouldn't want to post anything that made me look foolish. I guess mentioning that breibarted video and saying how the edited video doesn't show the true events, makes it look to you like I am digging a hole. Did you see the other videos that showed Crowder pushing the guy that hit him to the ground first? THAT is the breitbarted version of video that I was referring to. That video doesn't fit too well with your r/tp/con meme of only the right is correct though, so anyone who dares question the bubble just HAS to be in the wrong. We sure can't allow that conservative bubble to be pierced by facts, logic, or reality.

Why is it that conservatives only see or hear what they want, and ignore all else? I noticed that you jumped on how wrong you claimed I was for posting MY opinion, in of all places an opinion blog, while failing to address any other issues I raised. Is editing videos okay for anyone, for any reason, or is it just okay for the right to do it? Is the sneaky manner in how this legislation was pushed through how you want to see ALL laws pushed through, or is it strictly available as a r/tp/con method?

cont. below

How sad. Here is video of the union folks carving up the $35,000 RENTED tent to take home pieces as a souvenirs. And the story of how the owner of the tent is likely to face increased insurance rates as a result.

http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/18070

Maybe these are conservatives disguised as union members? We'll watch for the REAL story in the Metro Times and on "Eclectablog"