Amen!
Hold then in contempt. Do something!
Let the constitutional showdown n begin!!!
TheHill.com - White House contempt:
House Judiciary Committee Democrats warned yesterday they would pursue a contempt of Congress motion if the White House fails respond to subpoenas for testimony and documents related to the firings of U.S. attorneys last year.
The deadline for a response is Thursday, June 28. If the White House does not comply, it opens the possibility of a constitutional showdown between the two branches. In an ironic twist, the Department of Justice (DoJ) would be called on to enforce the contempt motion.
During yesterday’s testimony by Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, panel Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) asked McNulty whether he would enforce such a motion. McNulty responded that he would recuse himself from handling such matters because of an internal DoJ investigation into the U.S. attorneys matter.
One of the contempt motions would likely be directed at Presidential Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, to whom the subpoena for documents was addressed, according to a Democratic aide.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Dick: Un-freakin'-believable
If impeachment hearings to not begin soon, the U.S. will, indeed, be a lawless land.
David Corn:
The following press release sent out today by Representative Henry Waxman is almost unbelievable.
The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information. The Vice President asserts that his office is not an 'entity within the executive branch.'
As described in a letter from Chairman Waxman to the Vice President, the National Archives protested the Vice President's position in letters written in June 2006 and August 2006. When these letters were ignored, the National Archives wrote to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in January 2007 to seek a resolution of the impasse. The Vice President's staff responded by seeking to abolish the agency within the Archives that is responsible for implementing the President's executive order.
Conyers Slams Gonzales’ Deputy Over Voter Caging Greg Palast
He should be slammed up-side the head with a 2x4, just like the old mule, to get his attention, don't ya know..
Conyers Slams Gonzales’ Deputy Over Voter Caging Greg Palast:
Congressman John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, grilled Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty on voter caging. Conyers forced McNulty to reveal that he had, in his original briefing papers, an article by Greg Palast about the attack on Black voters yet did nothing about it.
Read the Transcript ^
Listen to the exchange here and watch this space for more information.^
Envoy: Tehran open to nuclear compromise
Envoy: Tehran open to nuclear compromise - Yahoo! News:
VIENNA, Austria - Key U.S. allies are debating the idea of a nuclear compromise with Iran that would call for only a partial freeze of Tehran's uranium enrichment program — a stance that could put them at odds with Washington, officials said Friday.
The officials — U.S. and European diplomats and government employees — told The Associated Press that the deliberations among senior British, French and German decision-makers were only preliminary and that no conclusions had been drawn.
Germany was supportive, France opposed and Britain noncommittal, they said.
'Nothing is on paper,' said one European diplomat, describing the tentative plan as a 'freeze for peace.'
VIENNA, Austria - Key U.S. allies are debating the idea of a nuclear compromise with Iran that would call for only a partial freeze of Tehran's uranium enrichment program — a stance that could put them at odds with Washington, officials said Friday.
The officials — U.S. and European diplomats and government employees — told The Associated Press that the deliberations among senior British, French and German decision-makers were only preliminary and that no conclusions had been drawn.
Germany was supportive, France opposed and Britain noncommittal, they said.
'Nothing is on paper,' said one European diplomat, describing the tentative plan as a 'freeze for peace.'
How the People May Bring Criminal Charges Against Bush
This could be a winner, eh?
The Existentialist Cowboy: How the People May Bring Criminal Charges Against Bush: "
The people themselves may petition a court to convene a grand jury to investigate Bush's corrupt administration. Such a panel will have the power of the subpoena and the indictment.
It's not just 911 that such a panel might investigate. An overwhelming number of those favoring Bush's impeachment say that there is 'plenty' to warrant Bush's removal from the office he seized.
But, given the recalcitrance of Congress, how are 'the people' to proceed? I recommend the following handbook for the would-be activist: Facts About Grand Juries
Cheney Defiant on Classified Material
Does this not put the nation's security at risk?
Cheney Defiant on Classified Material - washingtonpost.com:
Vice President Cheney's office has refused to comply with an executive order governing the handling of classified information for the past four years and recently tried to abolish the office that sought to enforce those rules, according to documents released by a congressional committee yesterday.
Since 2003, the vice president's staff has not cooperated with an office at the National Archives and Records Administration charged with making sure the executive branch protects classified information. Cheney aides have not filed reports on their possession of classified data and at one point blocked an inspection of their office. After the Archives office pressed the matter, the documents say, Cheney's staff this year proposed eliminating it.
Meet the New Bosses
It was bound to happen.
The major bloggers, the big guns, so to speak, did however, go the way of their predecessors in a relatively short period of time.
We don't have any bosses around here. No one tells us what we can write, when or about whom. Very little is out-of-bounds.
We like it like that. The true revolution will be leaderless for the most part. That is at it should be, at this point in our history.
Meet the New Bosses:
Last June, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, former soldier, one-time Reagan Republican, and proprietor of the wildly successful liberal blog Daily Kos, sent an email to an invitation-only listserv known as Townhouse. Consisting of some 300 liberal bloggers, journalists, activists, and consultants, the list was an outgrowth of weekly strategy sessions held at a D.C. bar—a forum for brainstorming on issues and tactics, and a means of creating a 'unified message,' as Moulitsas later put it. Its members were bound by one main rule: Nothing from the list was to be quoted or distributed, which, this being politics, meant that a leak was bound to happen.
The major bloggers, the big guns, so to speak, did however, go the way of their predecessors in a relatively short period of time.
We don't have any bosses around here. No one tells us what we can write, when or about whom. Very little is out-of-bounds.
We like it like that. The true revolution will be leaderless for the most part. That is at it should be, at this point in our history.
Meet the New Bosses:
Last June, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, former soldier, one-time Reagan Republican, and proprietor of the wildly successful liberal blog Daily Kos, sent an email to an invitation-only listserv known as Townhouse. Consisting of some 300 liberal bloggers, journalists, activists, and consultants, the list was an outgrowth of weekly strategy sessions held at a D.C. bar—a forum for brainstorming on issues and tactics, and a means of creating a 'unified message,' as Moulitsas later put it. Its members were bound by one main rule: Nothing from the list was to be quoted or distributed, which, this being politics, meant that a leak was bound to happen.
What to Do About Joe?
How about a big whopping does of Haldol and a padded cell?
What to Do About Joe?:
Listening to Senator Joseph Lieberman ☼ these days, it's difficult to believe that this is the man who was once Al Gore's running mate and not some Pioneer or Ranger or Mis-adventurer raising money for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
The Washington Post chronicled the Senator's recent 'Jomentum' as he continues to carry water for the neocons, touting 'evidence' to support an attack on Iran last Sunday on Face The Nation (and again on Friday); opposing the vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto 'R. for Recall' Gonzales; telling CNN that the surge in Iraq 'has worked'; and telling Fox News that 'he was more in sync with ‘the leading Republican candidates for the presidential nomination,' especially on ‘Islamist extremist terrorism,' which he called ‘the defining issue of our time.''
"Republicans Begin to Cannibalize Their Own"
Let's all celebrate the feast!
Hoorah!
The Progressive Daily Beacon: "Republicans Begin to Cannibalize Their Own":
A. Alexander, June 22nd, 2007
They're called cannibals for a reason. They eat people. And, so it would seem, when they're hungry they eat their own.
At least that is what is happening in the Republican Party. And, of course, by now everyone knows 'Republican' is synonymous with 'cannibal.' Okay fine, in fairness to Republicans they don't literally eat their own, at least it hasn't been officially documented; but of late and in a very real, albeit only in the political sense, they've taken to consuming the flesh of their fellows.
It wasn't that long ago, just last week, that every Jack Abramoff bought-n-paid-for Republican was salivating like a Pavlovian dog awaiting to make an appearance on one of the radical right-wing's many radio propagandist programs. Inside-the-beltway Republican politicians had even taken to commandeering nonsensical lines and policy positions that were created or advocated by the most nutty and extreme among the radio propagandists.
For all intents and purposes, it appeared to be an electoral match made in heaven.
Then, in 2006, the Republicans were routed from Congressional control and the party and became about as popular as Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter at an evangelical revival.
Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey
I think we should all issue signing statements. Anyone of us knows more about the law than Junior does.
We shall start with the following:
Number 1: We do not recognize the Bush administration as legitimate. This statement stems from the fact that the very Supreme court ruling that put them in the White House was, itself, unconstitutional, in that it applied only to Bush v. Gore and no other case. The Supremes are not suppose to rule on just one single case and not have their ruling apply to all similar ones, because it is their job to rule on the law itself, not individual cases..
So much for the 2000 election.
We won't even get into election 2004, for the moment, but we all know what happened in Ohio and Florida and several Western states.
The point being, we do not recognize the Bush administration as being the legitimate leaders of this country.
Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey - New York Times:
President Bush is notorious for issuing statements taking exception to hundreds of bills as he signs them. This week, we learned that in a shocking number of cases, the Bush administration has refused to enact those laws. Congress should use its powers to insist that its laws are obeyed.
The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan arm of Congress, investigated 19 provisions to which Mr. Bush objected. It found that six of them, or nearly a third, have not been implemented as the law requires. The G.A.O. did not investigate some of the most infamous signing statements, like the challenge to a ban on torture. But the ones it looked into are disturbing enough.
Precedents Begin to Fall for Roberts Court - New York Times
Stare Decisis my Stare ass.
These two will change everything they can, including Roe V. Wade, which will, unfortunately, not stop abortions. But it will create jobs, for back alley abortion practitioners, while the well-to do just go to Canada or Switzerland or somewhere.
Just simply making something illegal doesn't stop it, especially when the people see how little their own leaders think of the law.
Precedents Begin to Fall for Roberts Court - New York Times:
Both Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. assured their Senate questioners at their confirmation hearings that they, too, respected precedent. So why were they on the majority side of a 5-to-4 decision last week declaring that a 45-year-old doctrine excusing people whose “unique circumstances” prevented them from meeting court filing deadlines was now “illegitimate”?
It was the second time the Roberts court had overturned a precedent, and the first in a decision with a divided vote. It surely will not be the last.
These two will change everything they can, including Roe V. Wade, which will, unfortunately, not stop abortions. But it will create jobs, for back alley abortion practitioners, while the well-to do just go to Canada or Switzerland or somewhere.
Just simply making something illegal doesn't stop it, especially when the people see how little their own leaders think of the law.
Precedents Begin to Fall for Roberts Court - New York Times:
Both Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. assured their Senate questioners at their confirmation hearings that they, too, respected precedent. So why were they on the majority side of a 5-to-4 decision last week declaring that a 45-year-old doctrine excusing people whose “unique circumstances” prevented them from meeting court filing deadlines was now “illegitimate”?
It was the second time the Roberts court had overturned a precedent, and the first in a decision with a divided vote. It surely will not be the last.
CIA Skeletons, The Mortal Sins of Dick Cheney, The Nobility Of Al Gore
And where will that get us?
Why focus on the CIA skeletons of yesteryear. when we have plenty today, falling out of every agency of government, to keep us busy for the next 25 years.?
Methinks this is another Bushite misdirectioon.
The Hill’s Pundit Blog » CIA Skeletons, The Mortal Sins of Dick Cheney, The Nobility Of Al Gore:
Soon, CIA Director Michael Hayden will release documents that describe major misdeeds of the CIA in darker days, after General Antonio Taguba went public in The New Yorker with charges of an Abu Ghraib cover-up.
A great and noble debate will begin in America. Revelations about past and current misdeeds will bring into focus what went wrong in the Iraq war, and why opponents of these policies are voices of American patriotism.
Why focus on the CIA skeletons of yesteryear. when we have plenty today, falling out of every agency of government, to keep us busy for the next 25 years.?
Methinks this is another Bushite misdirectioon.
The Hill’s Pundit Blog » CIA Skeletons, The Mortal Sins of Dick Cheney, The Nobility Of Al Gore:
Soon, CIA Director Michael Hayden will release documents that describe major misdeeds of the CIA in darker days, after General Antonio Taguba went public in The New Yorker with charges of an Abu Ghraib cover-up.
A great and noble debate will begin in America. Revelations about past and current misdeeds will bring into focus what went wrong in the Iraq war, and why opponents of these policies are voices of American patriotism.
Bush pick for No. 3 at Justice withdraws
Leahy nails it.
Mercer didn't want to testify under oath, again.
Bush pick for No. 3 at Justice withdraws - Yahoo! News:
Bill Mercer sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales saying it was unlikely that the Senate would confirm him as associate attorney general, a post he has held on an interim basis since September. He plans to leave Washington and turn his full attention to his work as U.S. attorney for Montana.
'With no clear end in sight with respect to my nomination, it is untenable for me to pursue both responsibilities and provide proper attention to my family,' Mercer wrote.
The Judiciary Committee had scheduled a hearing on Mercer's nomination for Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the committee had said senators needed the facts from an investigation into the firings of several federal prosecutors before he could be confirmed.
'The White House has found many ways to keep sunlight from reaching some of the darker corners of the Bush Justice Department, but this is a new one,' Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. 'With a confirmation hearing looming next Tuesday, they have withdrawn this nomination to avoid having to answer more questions under oath.'
Mercer is the sixth senior Justice Department official to leave the tight-knit circle of Gonzales' advisers in the wake of the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last December.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Conyers seeks Contempt of Congress against White House
Fat chance that the Bushites will give in on this one.
Be prepared to go all the way to the Supremes.
Conyers seeks Contempt of Congress against White House:
Showdown at the DC Corral via The Hill
House Judiciary Committee Democrats warned yesterday they would pursue a contempt of Congress motion if the White House fails respond to subpoenas for testimony and documents related to the firings of U.S. attorneys last year.
The deadline for a response is Thursday, June 28. If the White House does not comply, it opens the possibility of a constitutional showdown between the two branches. In an ironic twist, the Department of Justice (DoJ) would be called on to enforce the contempt motion.
Be prepared to go all the way to the Supremes.
Conyers seeks Contempt of Congress against White House:
Showdown at the DC Corral via The Hill
House Judiciary Committee Democrats warned yesterday they would pursue a contempt of Congress motion if the White House fails respond to subpoenas for testimony and documents related to the firings of U.S. attorneys last year.
The deadline for a response is Thursday, June 28. If the White House does not comply, it opens the possibility of a constitutional showdown between the two branches. In an ironic twist, the Department of Justice (DoJ) would be called on to enforce the contempt motion.
The New 1% Doctrine
Excellent!
So, when are we going to, somehow, hold them accountable.
It had better be damned soon, or the economic collapse will become evident, and all hell will break lose.
Oh well, maybe things have become so bad that nothing short of external American outrage can hope to bring back justice.
The New 1% Doctrine:
As far as I can tell, the Hindenburg pilots masquerading as our executive branch have two goals for media management on Iraq.
First and foremost, they must convince us that we are facing a viable and imminent existential threat.
But of no less importance, they must also demonstrate that they and they alone can guarantee our collective salvation. Of course, one can’t but help notice that such aims are mutually exclusive – with the success of one, our naked emperor loses the other by default.
Yet balanced efficiently, Jonestown the American people have historically proven willing to cede virtually unlimited authority. Anyone caught paying attention will have noticed an administration quite adept at maintaining such an equilibrium.
Sure, it was rocky there for a while with Iraq galloping toward civil war, but it seems our darling Machiavelli’s have found a way to accomplish both aims in one swoop – arrest some flaming idiots and call them terrorists (deepest apologies to Signore Machiavelli for comparing him to our president).
Do You Ever Hear Voices?
Interesting and worth a moment or so of contemplation
Do You Ever Hear Voices?:
On June 13, 2007, on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert interviewed the author of Muses, Madmen and Prophets, Daniel B. Smith who spoke about how hearing voices is not always psychotic and could actually be a good thing.
I began to 'hear voices' shortly after I began the practice of lectio-divinia/holy reading, in the year 2000, which was two years after beginning the practice of Centering Prayer as outlined by Father Michael Keating.
The 'voices' speak to me in scripture verses, except for 'DO SOMETHING!' which has been the most persistent and loudest, and began the second I looked into the eyes of George, a little boy of Bethlehem.
Violent Rhetoric About The Clintons Falls On Deaf Ears At Secret Service---But Watch What You Say About Bush
It's vile, is what it is.
BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com: Violent Rhetoric About The Clintons Falls On Deaf Ears At Secret Service---But Watch What You Say About Bush: "
By MARC McDONALD
Right-wing nutcase Michael Graham's latest controversy---in which he said he wanted to see someone 'whack' the Clintons in a Sopranos spoof isn't the first time he's used violent rhetoric when discussing the Clintons. In 2003, Graham said of Hillary Clinton: 'I wanted to bludgeon her with a tire iron.'
Such inflammatory language is nothing new for the right-wing. Recall how Ann Coulter once wrote that the debate over Bill Clinton should be about 'whether to impeach or assassinate.'
Recall also the comment by Jesse Helms in 1994: 'Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard.'
Or G. Gordon Liddy's comment in 1995, when discussing how he'd used stick figures of the Clintons for target practice. 'Thought it might improve my aim,' he said.
I guess the right-wing nut-cases excuse the above inflammatory comments as 'humor.'
BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com: Violent Rhetoric About The Clintons Falls On Deaf Ears At Secret Service---But Watch What You Say About Bush: "
By MARC McDONALD
Right-wing nutcase Michael Graham's latest controversy---in which he said he wanted to see someone 'whack' the Clintons in a Sopranos spoof isn't the first time he's used violent rhetoric when discussing the Clintons. In 2003, Graham said of Hillary Clinton: 'I wanted to bludgeon her with a tire iron.'
Such inflammatory language is nothing new for the right-wing. Recall how Ann Coulter once wrote that the debate over Bill Clinton should be about 'whether to impeach or assassinate.'
Recall also the comment by Jesse Helms in 1994: 'Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard.'
Or G. Gordon Liddy's comment in 1995, when discussing how he'd used stick figures of the Clintons for target practice. 'Thought it might improve my aim,' he said.
I guess the right-wing nut-cases excuse the above inflammatory comments as 'humor.'
Guest Of CNN’s Beck: Watching Someone Murder The Clintons Would Be ‘Great’
It must be about ratings because it sure as hell isn't about news; unless one thinks that there are sick people like this guy is news. In that case I would have to wonder if one has been living in a cave.
Let's just forget, for a moment, that this kind of talk is just short of calling for the murder of two of our fellow citizens and maybe, their daughter. (Gee wouldn't that be fun?)
Doesn't CNN realize that this kind of psychotic babble is terrible for the country.
Yes, hatefulness exists in America. Always has. But should news organizations be legitimizing it by hiring the hate-mongers and having guests who say things like this?
It's insane!!!
Think Progress » Guest Of CNN’s Beck: Watching Someone Murder The Clintons Would Be ‘Great’:
Guest Of CNN’s Beck: Watching Someone Murder The Clintons Would Be ‘Great’
Last night on CNN Headline News, host Glenn Beck and former GOP consultant and radio host Michael Graham discussed a new video of President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoofing the final episode of the Sopranos.
During the conversation, Graham asked Beck if he wanted to see the Clintons murdered in the video. “[S]eriously, Glenn, didn’t you at one point want to see, like, Paulie Walnuts or someone come in and just whack them both right there. Wouldn’t that have been great?” Beck responded with a smile, “No, I did not want to see that.” Graham said, “C’mon. … I wanted that.”
Watch it:^
Let's just forget, for a moment, that this kind of talk is just short of calling for the murder of two of our fellow citizens and maybe, their daughter. (Gee wouldn't that be fun?)
Doesn't CNN realize that this kind of psychotic babble is terrible for the country.
Yes, hatefulness exists in America. Always has. But should news organizations be legitimizing it by hiring the hate-mongers and having guests who say things like this?
It's insane!!!
Think Progress » Guest Of CNN’s Beck: Watching Someone Murder The Clintons Would Be ‘Great’:
Guest Of CNN’s Beck: Watching Someone Murder The Clintons Would Be ‘Great’
Last night on CNN Headline News, host Glenn Beck and former GOP consultant and radio host Michael Graham discussed a new video of President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoofing the final episode of the Sopranos.
During the conversation, Graham asked Beck if he wanted to see the Clintons murdered in the video. “[S]eriously, Glenn, didn’t you at one point want to see, like, Paulie Walnuts or someone come in and just whack them both right there. Wouldn’t that have been great?” Beck responded with a smile, “No, I did not want to see that.” Graham said, “C’mon. … I wanted that.”
Watch it:^
C-SPAN shares Lamb skewers on air
Good for Brian.
Savage is....well.... savage.
C-SPAN shares Lamb skewers on air - Politico.com:
Michael Savage vs. Brian Lamb.
Sounds like the unlikeliest of media showdowns, right?
Well, it's happening right now, it's bloody, and Lamb is winning.
First, some quick background. Talkers magazine recently awarded Savage -- a radio host whose talk show I enjoy -- a Freedom of Speech award. Savage did not pick up the award in person at a gathering in New York. Instead, he sent a speech on DVD. C-SPAN cameras were at the conference and covered parts of it but not the taped Savage speech.
How did Savage react? By selling a DVD of the speech on his website with these messages: 'See the Speech that C-Span Banned!' and 'See the Speech Too Hot for Left-Wing C-Span!' He even posted a list of C-SPAN phone numbers and e-mail addresses, including that of C-SPAN president and CEO Lamb."
Savage is....well.... savage.
C-SPAN shares Lamb skewers on air - Politico.com:
Michael Savage vs. Brian Lamb.
Sounds like the unlikeliest of media showdowns, right?
Well, it's happening right now, it's bloody, and Lamb is winning.
First, some quick background. Talkers magazine recently awarded Savage -- a radio host whose talk show I enjoy -- a Freedom of Speech award. Savage did not pick up the award in person at a gathering in New York. Instead, he sent a speech on DVD. C-SPAN cameras were at the conference and covered parts of it but not the taped Savage speech.
How did Savage react? By selling a DVD of the speech on his website with these messages: 'See the Speech that C-Span Banned!' and 'See the Speech Too Hot for Left-Wing C-Span!' He even posted a list of C-SPAN phone numbers and e-mail addresses, including that of C-SPAN president and CEO Lamb."
Eco Justice Can We Take Back America Without Confronting
Good question.
Danny Schechter: Eco Justice Fight Needs To Go Beyond Union Fight: Can We Take Back America Without Confronting The Debt Crisis? | BuzzFlash.org:
Writing on TomPaine.com, Dmitri Iglitzin reprised labor's challenge and eroding position.
'In many ways, the lack of overwhelming support for EFCA is surprising. Under current law, workers who want to form a union must currently undergo a risky, grueling, and time-consuming 'pre-election' period that culminates, if they're lucky, in an election held under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If they're not lucky, the workers are instead fired or otherwise discriminated against. One recent study, conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, found that about one in five union organizers or activists can expect to be fired during the pre-election period.
'Should the workers succeed in unionizing, moreover, their chances of ever obtaining a collective bargaining agreement with their employer are grim. According to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a federal agency, nearly half of newly organized bargaining units fail to negotiate a first contract within two years of a successful organizing drive. The result of these barriers to successful unionizing is manifest in the steady decline of union membership, now 12 percent of the workforce (7.4 percent in the private sector), down from 20 percent in 1983 and 35% in the '50s.
Danny Schechter: Eco Justice Fight Needs To Go Beyond Union Fight: Can We Take Back America Without Confronting The Debt Crisis? | BuzzFlash.org:
Writing on TomPaine.com, Dmitri Iglitzin reprised labor's challenge and eroding position.
'In many ways, the lack of overwhelming support for EFCA is surprising. Under current law, workers who want to form a union must currently undergo a risky, grueling, and time-consuming 'pre-election' period that culminates, if they're lucky, in an election held under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If they're not lucky, the workers are instead fired or otherwise discriminated against. One recent study, conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, found that about one in five union organizers or activists can expect to be fired during the pre-election period.
'Should the workers succeed in unionizing, moreover, their chances of ever obtaining a collective bargaining agreement with their employer are grim. According to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a federal agency, nearly half of newly organized bargaining units fail to negotiate a first contract within two years of a successful organizing drive. The result of these barriers to successful unionizing is manifest in the steady decline of union membership, now 12 percent of the workforce (7.4 percent in the private sector), down from 20 percent in 1983 and 35% in the '50s.
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