Tuesday, August 07, 2007
What I am Doing and Why I am Doing it
As some of you have heard by now, I am taking a leave of absence from my job as Field Coordinator of the Central NY Labor Federation effective August 6th. I am going to be the Interim Executive Director of the Syracuse Alliance for a New Economy (SANE). I did not intend to be the Executive Director, but here I am ready to throw myself into this project that I believe in deeply.
Some of you may think that I am crazy for leaving the cozy confines of my work at the Federation. Trust me; the thoughts have come to mind (especially leaving for a group named SANE? There's a joke in there somewhere...) However, I do not believe that anyone in the labor movement is indispensable. We all have our part to do and we all do it in our own way. And no one does anything alone. For all of those people who said that I did all the work - that was NOT true. It was the rank and file union member, who would come in off of a shift, take time away from their family in order to do the work that needed to be done. Those are the people who got stuff done, and made it possible for me to do my work.
Now, for those of you who are concerned, let me explain to you. I am not leaving the Labor movement. SANE is part of a national movement of labor and community groups that are changing the way that economic development is done in local areas. You can find out more by checking out our parent organization's website titled www.communitybenefits.org.
These groups' fights for better paying jobs, better housing, better public transportation, better schools - in a nutshell, better communities. These are the same things that we all have been fighting for in my work at the Greater Syracuse Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and subsequently the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. It's about justice and dignity for working people in our community. I am doing the same work, just with a different hat on (and I'll probably have to end up wearing more ties - yuck!)
This is a six month commitment. At the end of six months, either SANE will succeed, or someone else will pick up where I left off and I will go back to the work at the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. Either way, I stay committed to my community, the labor movement, and most of all, to all of those who made my job possible.
In the meantime, the work at the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO will be in the very capable hands of Rick Oppedisano. Rick is the President of the UAW Local 1826 and the Chapter President of the Working Families Party. Rick will have the office right next to me, so he will not be far should he need anything. So when Rick asks you to do something - DO IT! I will be watching, and more importantly, I will be working along side each and every one of you.
Some of you may think that I am crazy for leaving the cozy confines of my work at the Federation. Trust me; the thoughts have come to mind (especially leaving for a group named SANE? There's a joke in there somewhere...) However, I do not believe that anyone in the labor movement is indispensable. We all have our part to do and we all do it in our own way. And no one does anything alone. For all of those people who said that I did all the work - that was NOT true. It was the rank and file union member, who would come in off of a shift, take time away from their family in order to do the work that needed to be done. Those are the people who got stuff done, and made it possible for me to do my work.
Now, for those of you who are concerned, let me explain to you. I am not leaving the Labor movement. SANE is part of a national movement of labor and community groups that are changing the way that economic development is done in local areas. You can find out more by checking out our parent organization's website titled www.communitybenefits.org.
These groups' fights for better paying jobs, better housing, better public transportation, better schools - in a nutshell, better communities. These are the same things that we all have been fighting for in my work at the Greater Syracuse Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and subsequently the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. It's about justice and dignity for working people in our community. I am doing the same work, just with a different hat on (and I'll probably have to end up wearing more ties - yuck!)
This is a six month commitment. At the end of six months, either SANE will succeed, or someone else will pick up where I left off and I will go back to the work at the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. Either way, I stay committed to my community, the labor movement, and most of all, to all of those who made my job possible.
In the meantime, the work at the Central New York Labor Federation, AFL-CIO will be in the very capable hands of Rick Oppedisano. Rick is the President of the UAW Local 1826 and the Chapter President of the Working Families Party. Rick will have the office right next to me, so he will not be far should he need anything. So when Rick asks you to do something - DO IT! I will be watching, and more importantly, I will be working along side each and every one of you.
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So that's where you went. I met the new Mark, Rick, but only briefly. Good luck with SANE. Gosh that's a great name. If you go back through my blog far enough you'll see I'm working with the Buckel campaign, thanks for putting us in contact. And I'm also working a bit with Dave Stott's campaign.
Doug
Doug
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR OPPOSING (FREEZING) the Fee Trade Agreement FTA.
FROM LEFT DEMOCRAT UNIONS IN COLOMBIA
As all democrat USA workers and you have rightly sensed Ms. Pelosi, the infamous “Free Trade Agreement” could be the only impediment to avoid our ideal and idyllic and central proletarian-workers controlled future. The actual very real reason why we the Colombian and American Chavistic democrat unions oppose the FTA is not “the killings of 2.700 unionists in 20 years in Colombia” as this FTA what really affects is not the lowest number ever organized unions of ours, but 44 million living Colombian citizens.
As Ms Pelosi and democrat unions in America do, THE TRUTH instead is that we deeply hate all three words: we hate FREE as it means that our next future democrat socialistic leader, alter ego of our future Gran Colombian unions unifier President Hugo Chavez, will not be able to nationalize, control and direct the economy in favor of our people and against the “free” capitalistic entrepreneurs that pretend to “freely” exploit and “trade” our labor to export import “agreed” goods to and from the Yankees. We hate TRADE as it corrupts the mind of our people into capitalistic consumist behaviors of American manufactured goods, and we hate AGREEMENT because it is the betrayal to all our goals, on behalf of our actual unconditional 110% pro American ally (puppet-server) president Uribe in “agreement” with evil-republican president Bush.
Therefore, ANY REAL OR MADE UP EXCUSE you Ms Pelosi and USA democrat workers use to please oppose the FTA with Colombia is valid and supports greatly our ideals. Within our context, a leftist proudly revolutionary war now 50 years old, per each 100.000 inhabitants in Colombia only 4 union workers are killed whereas 33 common civilians and 86 policemen die out of this internal revolutionary war. So, although the “2.700 unionists killed in 20 years” have never ever in the history of Colombia been so LOW like now, from 213 in 2001 before Uribe to 26 during this 100% PRO BUSH YANKEE REPUBLICAN URIBE government, and URIBE HIM SELF has made all our own victorious revolutionary terrorism-born paramilitary to demobilize, unarm and in jail, including at least 30 congressmen for the very first time in our 50 revolutionary years, this small fact can easily be media-ticaly ignored, in exactly the way American democrat workers and you Ms Pelosi are doing.
Fortunately, our Army of the People, the glorious FARC has killed and kidnapped (2.000 per year including 3 “free trader”-supporter Americans now for 6 years) and so many more hundred of thousands of civilians and “free trade” entrepreneurs and capitalistic exporters and democratic politicians. In the name of our glorious revolution we proudly count 649 kids and 6.043 adults amputated and killed just by our land mines, so that just this is well over so many more than any “killed of our union workers” in our leftist revolutionary history. So far this proportion is really very satisfactory to us as we are in fact the creators of this context. Any how, for sure our and your strength Ms Pelosi is that one union worker killing is so much more valid and noisy that 44 million “free traders” or hundreds of civilians kidnapped some now for more than ten years, you just can easily inveRt this minor truth for the purpose of disproving that evil republican unfair and forced FTA.
Actually for us workers in Colombia, like in VENEZUELA, our real goal is to diminish and eliminate all private entrepreneurial capitalistic exploitation of man by man. Its our socialistic revolutionary fight against those who “free”ly export and “trade” our labor and raw materials. Our goal is to concentrate all the economy in the hands of a good centralized social liberal democrat workers-only government parallel to that of Hugo Chavez the great democrat-workers-unions-unifier of the world. The revolution source in Venezuela is the oil that the American people suck and pays for, and in Colombia it will be the cocaine that our revolutionary Army of the People FARC protects, control and export and trade for huge revenues to arm and feed our people against any “free” what ever “trade” exporters importers. Yes Senator Pelosi you are SO right, we do not need any help or “trade” exports nor any “free” industry-entrepreneurs to export any other goods to any other country or market, less so we need yours, and we thank democrat party for opposing them by opposing this FTA.
Peoples approval of our actual capitalistic “democratic” president Uribe by 83% of our 83% politically wrong people is also a factual proof of the above, but don’t worry. This never before seen 83% approval after 6 years in power, does not relate to us, the actual REAL FREEDOM fighters killers and kidnapers revolutionaries proud to be and do, democrat unions that oppose Bush consumistic, capitalistic and “free trade” entrepreneurial non governmental controlled FTA.
Opening you markets to our exporters exploitative “free trade” entrepreneurs can be the very worst thing you can do for our democrat ideals CHAVISTIC Unified Latin democrat Unions for centralized economy and social socialistic revolutionary justice. Please do NOT allow that evil president of yours to approve the FTA with our country and against our people and our real goals and ideals. We deeply thank you Ms Pelosi and American democrat worker-union-voters in advance for all your efforts in this regard. The less FTA you give Colombia, the bigger our revolutionary Army of the People FARC will do in agreement with our glorious Gran Colombian democrat workers-union unifier: HUGO CHAVEZ FRIAS.
PS. Admired and respected Ms. Pelosi, we also know you will please certainly succeed in eliminating all the moneys given to the “Plan Colombia” that is so badly hurting our revolutionary forces, and will please abandon as well Irak (come on, WWI and WWII “freedom American heroes” ended also cowardly during and after our glorious revolutionary victory and your humiliated defeat in Vietnam). Your continued support to our socialistic workers unions armed nationalistic anty-global revolution and independence is more than greatly appreciated by our undisputed leader of Latin America HUGO CHAVEZ, in the name of all XXI century socialistic revolution in the world.
THANK YOU ALL DEMOCRAT AMERICA!!!!
COLOMBIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
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FROM LEFT DEMOCRAT UNIONS IN COLOMBIA
As all democrat USA workers and you have rightly sensed Ms. Pelosi, the infamous “Free Trade Agreement” could be the only impediment to avoid our ideal and idyllic and central proletarian-workers controlled future. The actual very real reason why we the Colombian and American Chavistic democrat unions oppose the FTA is not “the killings of 2.700 unionists in 20 years in Colombia” as this FTA what really affects is not the lowest number ever organized unions of ours, but 44 million living Colombian citizens.
As Ms Pelosi and democrat unions in America do, THE TRUTH instead is that we deeply hate all three words: we hate FREE as it means that our next future democrat socialistic leader, alter ego of our future Gran Colombian unions unifier President Hugo Chavez, will not be able to nationalize, control and direct the economy in favor of our people and against the “free” capitalistic entrepreneurs that pretend to “freely” exploit and “trade” our labor to export import “agreed” goods to and from the Yankees. We hate TRADE as it corrupts the mind of our people into capitalistic consumist behaviors of American manufactured goods, and we hate AGREEMENT because it is the betrayal to all our goals, on behalf of our actual unconditional 110% pro American ally (puppet-server) president Uribe in “agreement” with evil-republican president Bush.
Therefore, ANY REAL OR MADE UP EXCUSE you Ms Pelosi and USA democrat workers use to please oppose the FTA with Colombia is valid and supports greatly our ideals. Within our context, a leftist proudly revolutionary war now 50 years old, per each 100.000 inhabitants in Colombia only 4 union workers are killed whereas 33 common civilians and 86 policemen die out of this internal revolutionary war. So, although the “2.700 unionists killed in 20 years” have never ever in the history of Colombia been so LOW like now, from 213 in 2001 before Uribe to 26 during this 100% PRO BUSH YANKEE REPUBLICAN URIBE government, and URIBE HIM SELF has made all our own victorious revolutionary terrorism-born paramilitary to demobilize, unarm and in jail, including at least 30 congressmen for the very first time in our 50 revolutionary years, this small fact can easily be media-ticaly ignored, in exactly the way American democrat workers and you Ms Pelosi are doing.
Fortunately, our Army of the People, the glorious FARC has killed and kidnapped (2.000 per year including 3 “free trader”-supporter Americans now for 6 years) and so many more hundred of thousands of civilians and “free trade” entrepreneurs and capitalistic exporters and democratic politicians. In the name of our glorious revolution we proudly count 649 kids and 6.043 adults amputated and killed just by our land mines, so that just this is well over so many more than any “killed of our union workers” in our leftist revolutionary history. So far this proportion is really very satisfactory to us as we are in fact the creators of this context. Any how, for sure our and your strength Ms Pelosi is that one union worker killing is so much more valid and noisy that 44 million “free traders” or hundreds of civilians kidnapped some now for more than ten years, you just can easily inveRt this minor truth for the purpose of disproving that evil republican unfair and forced FTA.
Actually for us workers in Colombia, like in VENEZUELA, our real goal is to diminish and eliminate all private entrepreneurial capitalistic exploitation of man by man. Its our socialistic revolutionary fight against those who “free”ly export and “trade” our labor and raw materials. Our goal is to concentrate all the economy in the hands of a good centralized social liberal democrat workers-only government parallel to that of Hugo Chavez the great democrat-workers-unions-unifier of the world. The revolution source in Venezuela is the oil that the American people suck and pays for, and in Colombia it will be the cocaine that our revolutionary Army of the People FARC protects, control and export and trade for huge revenues to arm and feed our people against any “free” what ever “trade” exporters importers. Yes Senator Pelosi you are SO right, we do not need any help or “trade” exports nor any “free” industry-entrepreneurs to export any other goods to any other country or market, less so we need yours, and we thank democrat party for opposing them by opposing this FTA.
Peoples approval of our actual capitalistic “democratic” president Uribe by 83% of our 83% politically wrong people is also a factual proof of the above, but don’t worry. This never before seen 83% approval after 6 years in power, does not relate to us, the actual REAL FREEDOM fighters killers and kidnapers revolutionaries proud to be and do, democrat unions that oppose Bush consumistic, capitalistic and “free trade” entrepreneurial non governmental controlled FTA.
Opening you markets to our exporters exploitative “free trade” entrepreneurs can be the very worst thing you can do for our democrat ideals CHAVISTIC Unified Latin democrat Unions for centralized economy and social socialistic revolutionary justice. Please do NOT allow that evil president of yours to approve the FTA with our country and against our people and our real goals and ideals. We deeply thank you Ms Pelosi and American democrat worker-union-voters in advance for all your efforts in this regard. The less FTA you give Colombia, the bigger our revolutionary Army of the People FARC will do in agreement with our glorious Gran Colombian democrat workers-union unifier: HUGO CHAVEZ FRIAS.
PS. Admired and respected Ms. Pelosi, we also know you will please certainly succeed in eliminating all the moneys given to the “Plan Colombia” that is so badly hurting our revolutionary forces, and will please abandon as well Irak (come on, WWI and WWII “freedom American heroes” ended also cowardly during and after our glorious revolutionary victory and your humiliated defeat in Vietnam). Your continued support to our socialistic workers unions armed nationalistic anty-global revolution and independence is more than greatly appreciated by our undisputed leader of Latin America HUGO CHAVEZ, in the name of all XXI century socialistic revolution in the world.
THANK YOU ALL DEMOCRAT AMERICA!!!!
COLOMBIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
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