Syndical Incivility

During the Health Care fight last year, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA 6th) compared the peaceful grassroots protests by Tea Party activists with the violence in San Francisco during the mid 1970s.  The Lamestream Media persistently propagated the unfounded attribution that Rep. Gabrielle Gifford’s intended assassin was a right leaning wingnut. So much so that the University of Arizona established a National Institute of Civil Discourse.

The Civility Center comes at a propitious time considering the union antics against right-to-work and benefits contribution legislation in Wisconsin to help balance the state budget.  On Saturday there was a counter-protest in Mad-town by Tea Party activists and supporters of Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) reacting to the teacher occupation of the State Capitol.  The Daily Caller documents how union activists tried to sabotage the counter protest by vandalizing the dais’ sound system.  I’m sure that he was only trying to help as he shouted anti-Tea Party invectives.

 During a union rally in Boston to show solidarity with their Badger brethren, Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA 8th) proclaimed:

I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary...

Perhaps that was rhetorical overstatement or just an evocative metaphor.  But union activists have been interpreting that exultation a little too literally of late.

Consider the case of the ASCME “soladarity” rally on the Rhode Island State Capitol steps in Providence. A cameraman for “We the People of Rhode Island” Public Access television was assaulted by an ASCME activists.  In order to convey the contentious altercation for broadcast, Glenn Beck used codewords for the FCC-finable words.  The edited exchange was “He will Fruit Smoothie him in the cookie you Happy Man”. So much for civility.  The Rhode Island State Troopers did haul the assailant way as the assembled crowd chanted “Hey, hey, ho-ho, union busting’s got to go.”

In our nation’s Capital, the Communication Workers of America solidarity assembly took place at the Hall of States near Capitol Hill, which happens to house the DC bureau of Fox News Channel and Freedom Works.  Tabitha Hale, a diminutive 5'1" young female was filming a heated tete-a-tete with a CWA activist.  When the exchange was not going his way, the union thug assaults her twice, including one swipe with his placard. I guess that union signs are more than just trash after a union demonstration.

Apologists will explain away these embarrassing assaults by the left as isolated incidents of a few unstable individuals.  But as Pelosi implored words have consequence and political actors need to assume responsibility.  As for the limited extent of these incidents, it is curious that MoveOn.org is rallying union sympathizers to conduct protests in all 50 states this weekend. This will show if progressives can protest peacefully or if it is syndical incivility.

H/T: Michelle Malkin
H/T: The Daily Caller
H/T: FreedomWorks