Send Letters to editor@ncc-1776.org
Note: All letters to this address will be considered for
publication unless they say explicitly Not For Publication
[Letters to the editor are welcome on any and all subjects. Sign your
letter in the text body with your name and e-mail address as you wish
them to appear, otherwise we will use the information in the "From:"
header!]
’Twas the night before Earth Day
Spent the remainder of my day husbanding my little piece of the planet—mostly cleaning up the mess that Mother Dirt left in her wake of destruction over the course of the winter that seems to be finally about to let go.
Not quite ‘The Perfect Day’ but was not bad. After tending the greenhouse and sizing up some leftover lumber as a potential mount for the Vortex fan , I started working on the cleanup of leaves smothering the sand garden between the pond and the inlet of the watercourse. Pulled out the invading chickweed and other cool season weeds. It’s always a fight to keep those things at bay. Looking forward to getting a small propane tank for the weed burner that will make things a little easier and mimic the process of wild fires that keep weeds from invading and overwhelming such plants in the wild. Plus give them a boost of potash from the burnt leaves and grasses.
With the spring flowers, waterfalls running , the sun coming out again late day it was a pleasant evening at the site. Japanese Pond Turtles returned to their outside enclosure after a winter in the greenhouse. And the Euro Ponds in their pool looked like they were mating! Not perfect but not bad. Unfortunately I was too busy to take anymore pictures.
So tomorrow is the day—Earth Day and my birthday; shared by a few others including the infamous tyrant who started the Soviet Union about a hundred years ago. Vladimir Lenin. As I said previously this time last year: it’s better than Hitler&meash;I suppose—even though the commies ended up murdering way more people than the Nazis. They say Earth Day and Lenin’s birthday is just a coincidence but there are many of us who think otherwise.
There is a story that broke this week about someone who was about as whacky about the cause of saving the planet as you can get. A man who set himself on fire and burned to death protesting climate change. At first it seemed quite amusing; this environmentalist whacko and a lawyer to boot—talk about getting rid of two birds with one stone—I said to my friend Ray. Yet later I could not help feel bad for him—I too love the planet and life in general in spite of all its problems and imperfections. This man could have used a good hobby to channel his energy away from being an activist busybody which was obviously bringing him nothing but frustration and sorrow. And in the end didn’t do much to save a planet that might not really need saving.
Oh well—at least this fellow was willing to walk the walk unlike many others in that movement who would rather get others to die or suffer for the cause. It will be a cold day in hell before Algore sets himself on fire, or gives up meat and flying around in private jets for that matter!
Jeff Fullerton
[email protected]
Was that worth reading?
Then why not:
Lately
Recently the American Federation of Teachers cut its ties with Wells Fargo, among other things, it threatened to stop recommending that its members stop using Wells Fargo to get home mortgages. They are doing this because Wells Fargo refused to cut its tie with gun makers and the National Rifle Association.
Recently the American Federation of Teachers cut its ties with Wells Fargo, among other things, it threatened to stop recommending that its members stop using Wells Fargo to get home mortgages. They are doing this because Wells Fargo refused to cut its tie with gun makers and the National Rifle Association.
The AFT has 1.7 million members (possible customers). The NRA represents 5 million people (possible customers). One wonders why Wells Fargo chose to back the NRA. It gets better.
NRA members and AFT members represent what a math teacher would call intersecting sets. Some people are members of both groups. In Texas and some other states these co-members may choose to leave their union over this. In many others they may not have this option. Texas is a “right to work state”, you don’t have to belong to a union to get and hold a job including teaching. Many other states are “union shop states” where you must join the union to keep a job. For some teachers in some districts AFT is The Union. Join or lose your job.
A disclaimer: I belong to a different teachers’ union/association, YTA/TSTA/ NEA which at the national level is anti-gun. I am also a member of the NRA. I justify this because I have observed that teachers and other workers need the union to protect their interests from certain bosses. Last year I was the beneficiary of a court settlement between the union and my school district over pay several teachers should have gotten and didn’t.
What course I will take if NEA takes as large a step supporting gun control as Aft did is clear. However, there are multiple unions representing teachers in my district, I can always transfer to one that is more supportive of gun rights. (assuming such exists). As mentioned earlier, Texas is a right to work state. Also, I’m getting near time to retire. Come the day, I’m in a position where I can tell the Union "What have you done for me lately?" These options are open to me and thousands of other teachers.
However, what about my fellow teachers who don’t work in RTW states or who don’t have a choice of unions to help protect their rights and professional interests? Of course they have the option to try to take control of their local, state, and possibly even national unions. Still, until they accomplish this they are subject to having their dues and representation forcibly diverted to support a cause they oppose.
I have always supported both unionism and right to work. This clash between a national union’s pushing gun control (and other liberal causes) against the beliefs and interests of many of their members illustrates why we need RTW protection. On the other hand it would be foolish to deny that teachers and other workers need their unions as a tool to defend their interests.
At least or now, Wells Fargo has demonstrated its support for gun rights, remember that in your banking choices. As long as unions have agendas other than pay, benefits, work place conditions, and protecting workers from unfair treatment there will be times when differences of opinion between leaders and members make the option to quit the union without losing your job vital.
A.X. Perez
[email protected]
Was that worth reading?
Then why not:
This site may receive compensation if a product is purchased
through one of our partner or affiliate referral links. You
already know that, of course, but this is part of the FTC Disclosure
Policy
found here. (Warning: this is a 2,359,896-byte 53-page PDF file!)
TLE AFFILIATE
