Labor Day Tribute - I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night

The people organized to fight for livable wages - job safety - and benefits. The history of the labor movement (not remembered or taught) the military - and private goon squads, hired by the robber barons - attacked and killed many a striker (family members) shows the once upon a time tenacity and courage of ordinary people. Our Labor Department is a joke (corporate appointee), Robert Reich under Clinton was no better. He recently 'joked' that a student asked him if Labor Day represented child birth? Not funny - sad how ignorant we've become. Under President Reagan, unions heard their death knell, when he fired thousands of air traffic controllers. If there had been the fire and passion of a Joe Hill - or Mother Jones, gifted in organizing and plain talk that related to the workers - this whole damn country could have been shut down. If there had been an honest media (not corporately controlled) the people would have been educated as to the true state of affairs. When we speak of heroes, a man, a working man, an immigrant from Sweden, Joe Hill, is never mentioned. The one thing you don't want the people to realize is the real power they hold (when united in a cause). Like Joe remarked, the people had the power to shut down the country! Just as they still have. The attack on protesters in Seattle (against trade agreements - exporting American jobs/industry) was so violent (Ninja troop gassing, beating) in my opinion, was because the people came together. There was almost zero coverage of what really happened (nor in Florida FTAA) and to this day, many citizens (and state - local politicians) do not have a grasp, of what these various (thousands of pages) of agreements (not debated - read - or discussed) voted on (only up or down vote) means to the constituents of their states - their zoning, employment, water rights, and various environmental protections! Meantime - our country's infrastructure with privatization taking over the water, school services, waste, utilities etc. Seattle saw seniors, students, steel workers, textile workers, truck drivers, environmentalists, dock workers etc, untied in their concern (since they had informed themselves). They were beaten down, with agent provocateurs, masked, inciting violence, to give the police an excuse to attack (all planned). The major objective in these protests, (media - special interests), is to keep the greater audience ignorant of these agreements, and secondly to (media's job) present such actions, as a bunch of rag, tag, trouble makers - intent on destruction. It worked. People are 'programed' to believe what the TV tells them! I lived in a mill town. My dad (neighbors) worked in the searing heat of a steel plant. Those who owned the plants lived far from the belching stacks - the pollution and heat. Some of them had a woodland retreat (with all the amenities) above Johnstown, Pennsylvania. They had workmen construct a lake for them for leisurely boating and swimming. They ignored the advice of those maintaining the earthen damn. One day it burst and took out Johnstown. 2,400 people died that day - the town and homes were left in shreds. NOT one person was held accountable and NO compensation was ever paid. Such is the malignant arrogance of great wealth (no different today - robbing pension funds - moving overseas etc). More at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TqqU_CwWIY - JM http://www.rense.com/general78/labor.htm [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on September 4, 2007]

Note: http://www.youtube.com/... http://www.rense.com/ge...