Hi Tony, Meanwhile in America, the attack against the US working class continues as the prez targets labor unions. Seth Politics: Bush rolls back policies favored by organized labor The Associated Press CRAWFORD, Texas (February 17, 2001 3:32 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - President Bush on Saturday rolled back government policies favored by organized labor. The White House said the move would create "fair and open" competition for government contracts. Bush issued four executive orders on separate aspects of labor policy, including one to make it easier for union workers to stop their dues from being used to pay for political activities. The others deal with union-management relations on government contracts and in the government's own workplace. Union officials, informed of Bush's intentions days ago at the AFL-CIO meeting in Los Angeles said the orders were needlessly antagonistic. Edward C. Sullivan, president of the AFL-CIO's building and construction trades department, said Friday his union would seek relief in federal courts. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush's actions would make for easier competition between unionized and nonunion contractors seeking federal projects, a change that could save taxpayers money. "Government contracting decisions should be neutral, neither requiring nor prohibiting project labor agreements," Fleischer said. "Government contracting should also be fair and open to ensure that all workers can compete for jobs on a level playing field as well as contractors, particularly small, minority or women-owned businesses." Specifically, Bush's orders: Require federal contractors to post a notice telling workers they have a right under a 1988 Supreme Court ruling not to pay portions of their dues that sponsor political activities. Unions are a prime source of money and grass-roots organizing for Democrats. Revoke the "project labor agreement," which requires contractors in many federally financed projects to be unionized. The provision, employed at the discretion of states, is an issue in an expensive proposal to replace the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on heavily traveled Interstate 95 between Virginia and Maryland. Dissolve the National Partnership Council, a Clinton organization that sought to get government agencies and unions to resolve their differences. Revoke a Clinton policy of job protection for employees of contractors at federal buildings when the project is awarded to another contractor. Seth From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Tony Abdo) Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 13:32:26 -0600 (CST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [CrashList] Why Iraq Was Bombed on Friday ....or Que opinas tu Dave Duke? Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The question is.... Why was Iraq bombed on Friday? It is an entirely different question from.... Why was Iraq bombed, Period? The answer to that, involves The Middle East, Europe, Russia, and the geopolitical message of letting the world know once again, who the Chief Terrorist will continue to be. But why Friday, and not Thursday or Saturday? Does it even matter what day of the week the bombs were dropped? Who even cares? Well the answer to that, is that the Republican Right Wing would have cared. Precisely because they are at odds with George and family over a key political issue; US/ Mexican relations. Pete Wilson rises from his political grave like a half-undead vampire. The Republican Party is split right down the middle between The Rabid National Chauvinists, and the Republican Businessmen. And it was necessary to bomb Iraq Friday, to keep this division from tearing usunder. And most of all, to keep it out of public light. Here was the problem Friday for Bush..... How to go to Mexico and hug Fox ala Clinton? And not get burned by the more rabid sections of his own Party? They hate Mexicans, and Bush promising a new day ahead in US/ Mexican immigration, binational policing cooperation, and new travel and immigration laws is not something that they are ready to embrace! Yet that is the promise way down South beyond Dixie. The Texas business community is at odds with their Republican cohorts in the rest of the nation. Their only regional allies within the Republican Party are with the Miami/ Cuban oriented Florida Republicans. But 'free trade' means money, and 80% of the Mexican/ US flow of products enters or leaves via Texas. NAFTA is Texas. And Texas Republicans are in a new love affair with their senyorita, Mexico... with Fox at the reign. It's more than just 'free trade', too. It's Pemex, oil, and natural gas. Texas business interests are the US enterprises that most shall benefit off any pillage of Mexican natural resources. Texaco for Mexico! OK, Cousin Slim? Well Cousin might not be totally happy, but he is now worth $8 billion US dollars. He probably won't be protesting too hard. So back to Friday, the day Iraq got bombed...... This was also the day Dubya went down to Guanajuato to practice his Spanish, and to eat some food better prepared than the usual Tex-Mex. Family day for the Bushes and Foxes! Hugs, smiles, and hand clasps all around. All for Mexican TV. But US TV was another story. It was just another routine day where the family Bush slaps Saddam around. Like Father, like Son. All the Hard Right Evangelical Nuts, Military Gung Hoers, and Jesse Helms Wannabes could hardly get bitter with Dubya for being like dad?! Could they? One of the benefits of living here on the Great Divide (the Tex-Mx border), is that one gets two propaganda systems for the price of one! And what a beauty it is, to see how in little more than 6 months the Mexican Propaganda System has gone from selling support for 'dictatorship', to selling support for neo-liberal 'democracy'. Those Mexicans hardly blinked an eye. It truly is like our Two Party System here at home. And I'm beginning to feel more safe now! The Mexican side had little to say about the bombs, and lots about the hugs. The US side had lots to sayabout bombs, and little about hugs. And that's why Iraq got bombed on Friday. It's going to be hard balancing act for Dubya. His supporters are even holding Texas state legislative sessions in Spanish! Can he hold the Republican Pearly Gates open for the Tex-Mex professional crowd to swing inside and away from the Democratic Party, or will he get bashed in by The Traditionalists? Que opinas tu Dave Duke? Que viva Mexico? O que se chingue Mexico? Tony Abdo _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com _______________________________________________ CrashList website: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base
