Thursday, February 24, 2011

(sticky, scroll for newer)



Avenging Apostate mentioned this in a comment. I remember hearing about it on Fox (I think) on Tuesday (I think) (things are happening way to fast). They cited Mother Jones for it. Click the photo and it will take you to the original facebook page.

Anyone still thinking this is all random coincindence?

“Egypt Supports Wisconsin Workers: One World, One Pain”
Shukran jazilan, Muhammad Saladin Nusair!
“Egypt Supports Wisconsin Workers: One World, One Pain”


And then there's this which Fox also covered briefly:

Pizza from Egypt to Wisconsin with love

CAIRO: Some Egyptians feel a sense of solidarity with the American workers demonstrating for their rights in Madison, Wisconsin. Whether the timing was coincidental or not, the demonstration which began shortly after Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down has drawn the attention of Egyptians.

In a touching act of solidarity, Egyptians have even sent pizza to the demonstrators in Wisconsin’s capital.

Commentators have wryly suggested that Wisconsin’s theatrical demonstration was, perhaps in part, influenced by the wave of demonstrations across the Middle East and successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

By Wednesday, people from more than forty countries – including Morocco, Antarctica, Denmark, Croatia, Afghanistan, and Qatar – had ordered pizza from Ian’s on State Street for the Madison demonstrators, as well as people from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, but Egypt was one of the first.

Staff at Ian’s have been working tirelessly to fulfill all the orders from around the globe, using Twitter and Facebook to keep fans updated and keeping a list on their blackboard of all the countries which have donated pizza: by Thursday afternoon, they were up to 48. What’s more, every pizza comes with a story: recipients are told the donor’s name where he or she is from.

Facebook photo albums show stacks of pizza boxes, car trunks loaded with water and soda, and demonstrators holding signs such as, “worker’s rights are human rights” posing next to the pizzeria’s sign.

The overwhelming support for the Wisconsin demonstrators has included some unusual offers, including one from an Arkansas man identified as “Wolf” who told Ian’s staff he would give one free skydive to any Arkansas resident who ordered pizza for the demonstrators.

The demonstrations in Wisconsin began after Republican leaders in the state introduced a bill which would cut collective bargaining rights of state employees, dubbed the ‘Budget Repair Bill.’ Students from the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated alongside the teachers, health care workers, and other state employees who would love their rights to collective bargaining if the bill passes.

Students have been a driving force in keeping discussions going, even sleeping in the capital building.

On February 14, three days after Egypt’s Mubarak resigned as president of Egypt, 14 Democrat senators made headlines when they literally fled the state in order to stall voting on the bill. They succeeded: there were not enough legislators in the senate to constitute a quorum, meaning the vote cannot take place until the senators return.

Wisconsin’s Republican governor Scott Walker dismissed the boycott as a “stunt” and called for the group to return.

If passed, the bill would end a half-century of advancement in worker’s rights in Wisconsin.

The controversy in Wisconsin has brought talk of unions and labor rights to households across the country. Bill, a 24-year-old Virginia teacher, said on his Facebook status, “I would like everyone complaining about labor unions this past week to immediately work every weekend, because without unions, you wouldn’t have the weekend. You should also give up all ovetime pay, because without unions, you’d be regularly working 12 hours a day. Be sure to give up your healthcare, retirement benefits, safe working conditions, and lunch break as well.”

In Indiana, as well, Democrats have boycotted Republican attempts to slash labor union rights by simply not attending congress sessions. Only two of Indiana’s 40 House Democrats showed up for a session on Tuesday morning. With only 58 lawmakers present, the House fell far short of the 67 required for a quorum.

24 comments:

Epaminondas said...

So let me get this straight, the demonstrators in Egypt desperate for democracy wish to abrogate the democratic vote OF MILLIONS taken last November in order to show solidarity with a few thousand state employees demonstrating in Madison, whose purpose will result in the end of the responsible fiscal entity known as Wisconsin

Damien said...

Midnight Rider,

This is interesting, but it doesn't really prove a connection between what is going on in Egypt and what is going on in Wisconsin. Also keep in mind that regardless of the out come in Egypt or Wisconsin Mubarak is a dictator and Walker is not. In addition based on polls we've seen of Egyptians, most likely they have radically different long term goals.

cjk said...

Actually they have everything to do with one another.
They're both lawless, MOBS, with a selfish indifference as to how their behavior will eventually affect others.

Anonymous said...

Damien,

I don't think there's a DIRECT connection between the protesters in Egypt and those in Wisconsin. But I am leaning toward a connection nonetheless.

It doesn't really matter that the protesters have different motives. Look at the history of Islam and Socialist/Communist regimes.

I mean, it does seem a little fishy to me that all the Muslims (real Muslims, most of them) and socialists decided to start their protests at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Epa,

LOL!

Damien said...

Avenging Apostate,

Its not impossible that this is just a coincidence, especially since the people in Wisconsin public sector unions have good reason to start protesting right now. Weather you agree with them or not, it makes sense that they would, if you pay attention to what Governor Walker has said that he wants to do. Its easy to imagine why members of any union would not want to give up their collective bargaining rights. What's going on in Wisconsin would probably be going on, even if the protests in Egypt were not happening. For that reason despite the fact the a connection between what is going on in both places is possible, according to Occam's razor, the belief that the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one, it is just a coincidence, that they are both happening at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Damien,

Of course it is not IMPOSSIBLE. I never suggested it was.

As I said, I am leaning toward the possibility. I don't have any evidence to prove it either way. There could be a connection and there couldn't.

At this moment, there being a connection is just as plausible for me as there not being a connection. We'll see how it turns out though.

Pastorius said...

Damien said: I don't think there's a DIRECT connection between the protesters in Egypt and those in Wisconsin.


I reply: I think the connection is clearly not at the level of the protesters. But, I do not think it is unreasonable to suspect that there could be a connection at the organizing level.

Damien said...

Pastorius,

What reason do you have to suspect that?

Anonymous said...

I think the connection is clearly not at the level of the protesters. But, I do not think it is unreasonable to suspect that there could be a connection at the organizing level.



yep.



-- greece riots

The Associated Press, which also captured part of the attack, included an interesting fact in its report — many of the protesters were carrying red communist flags.



-- Thousands protest against high food prices in Delhi


-- Angola: people threat to do the same as in Egypt.

-- UK: grassroots protests spread from Wales to Mississippi


Web and Twitter-driven campaign against tax avoidance gains foothold in America with 20 chapters across US


-- Iran's president predicts wave of unrest in Middle East will spread to Europe, North America.


-- "Protest demonstrations inspired by those in the Middle East have been mounted in three North Korean cities."


-- ...

Pastorius said...

Only that protests are breaking out started by Socialists and Islamists all over the world.

Also, there is this:

http://emergingcorruption.com/2011/02/must-read-russia-china-radical-islam-and-the-latin-american-threat-to-us-survival/

this:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/vans-grand-plan-to-span-the-land-a-union-protest-at-every-state-capitol/

and this:

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201102240018

Anonymous said...

Pastorius

Why was my comment... censored??

Anonymous said...

«http://emergingcorruption.com/2011/02/must-read-russia-china-radical-islam-and-the-latin-american-threat-to-us-survival/»


Russia and China have islamic groups causing trouble too.

Pastorius said...

Anonymous,
Blogger now seems to censor out commeents from anonymi if they contain links. However, I received your comment in the mail

Yes, Russia and China have trouble with Islamists too. But, the USA does not sell nuke stuff to Iran or NoKo, do we?

We're the bad guys. They are not, from the perspective of International Socialists and Jihadists.

Pastorius said...

Here is another thread where we are having almost the same conversation:

http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2011/02/star-tribune-irans-president-predicts.html

My suggestion is, if you want to leave links, either acquire a name, or break the links into pieces over several lines.

That will be a pain in the ass for me, but at least you'd get your point across instead of being "censored".

Anonymous said...

Yes, Russia and China have trouble with Islamists too. But, the USA does not sell nuke stuff to Iran or NoKo, do we?

We're the bad guys. They are not, from the perspective of International Socialists and Jihadists.



China and Russia are making a stoopid move.


My suggestion is, if you want to leave links, either acquire a name, or break the links into pieces over several lines.

That will be a pain in the ass for me, but at least you'd get your point across instead of being "censored".



Thanks.

Pastorius said...

Anonymous,

You wrote: China and Russia are making a stoopid move.


I respond: Yes, instead of appesers merely feeding the alligator, they are warriors who believe they can use the alligator as a weapon against us.

It's still an alligator isn't it?

Anonymous said...

It's still an alligator isn't it?

It's a cross of an alligator and a snake.

Unknown said...

Hmmmm......What's the role of the media in all this ?I'm thinking google , facebook , twitter all the people who just met with Obama, if you want to wage a (Civil)war you need good communication lines.

Pastorius said...

Yes, Epa, you're right about that.

It's like the saying, Workers of the World Unite ...

UNITE FOR WHAT?

There is no chance in hell that situations of workers will be in any way similar throughout the world. So, uniting does not do any good, unless one believes that Management is always, ALWAYS the enemy of the workers.

And, that is an ignorant position.

Damien said...

Epaminondas and Pastorius

Lets also keep in mind that if the Egyptians choose an Iranian style theocracy, (which we have good reason to thing might happen after Mubarak is gone) many of the protesters in Wisconsin maybe sorry that they ever claimed solidarity with them.

Anonymous said...

Damien,

I don't see the following happening. Especially seeing what kinda people are protesting in Wisconsin.

many of the protesters in Wisconsin maybe sorry that they ever claimed solidarity with them.

ciccio said...

It is true that the Unions were the first demand decent working conditions, it is as true as the communists were the first to treat the Russian peasant like a human being and you all know where that ended. Hitler built the Autobahn, the Volkswagen; Mao Tse Tung got rid of the Chinese warlords;history is a
long line of people and bodies that started off with a good idea, got power and were totally corrupted by that same power. And so it is with the unions. If you don't break them now they will break you.

Pastorius said...

Very well put, Ciccio. Great comment. Thanks.