Eric Lee | dot net

Found this on the ‘net…I think it’s been widely shared by now!

The American Red Cross in Philadelphia, PA, is accusing a local union, Teamsters Local 929, of blocking a blood delivery to a two-year-old girl, whose life depended on the blood delivery.  According to the article, the union members refused to move until they were told about the girl.  As a result the Red Cross got an injunction against the union so they would stop interfering with blood deliveries to hospitals.  The union went on strike December 3 after a failure to negotiate a new contract.

The reason for the strike?  According to the union, unfair labor practices and pay.  But, according to the Red Cross, there have been no unsafe labor practice complaints by the Teamsters Union. The court that awarded the injunction agreed with the Red Cross. 

The Red Cross is struggling, like other organizatios, through the economic slump.  As a result,  non-union workers are under a pay freeze until June 30, 2010.  This has been a major contention during the contract negotiation, and the union refuses to agree to a pay freeze.

“We are simply asking union employees to make the same sacrifices that their non-union colleagues have already made,” said Anthony Tornetta, Communications Manager for the Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Region. “Their refusal to do so remains a significant issue in these negotiations.”

The union workers are covered both by the International Brotherhood of  Teamsters and the SEIU, and being encouraged to strike by the organization Change to Win.  Their mantra?  They will not stop “until every man, woman and child has quality, affordable care they can count on“.

Change you can believe in.

In the defense of our nation, a president must be a clear-eyed realist. There are limits to the smiles and scowls of diplomacy. Armies and missiles are not stopped by stiff notes of condemnation. They are held in check by strength and purpose and the promise of swift punishment.

George W. Bush

Unfortunately, I don’t think our current president realizes this.  He is neither clear-eyed, nor a realist.  He continues to use diplomacy as though it’s the be-all, end-all of all arguments.  He wants to reduce our nuclear deterrent, while other nations strive to increase theirs.  He wants to essentially cut our defense appropriations.  He is consistently weakening us, and he has obfuscated our purpose as a nation – not only in foreign policy, but in domestic issues as well.

We The People need to wake up and realize what is happening to our country.  Every day we see the vitriol and hatred increase, not only from the left, but from the fringes of the political right also.   And now it seems as though the fringe left and fringe right are turning on themselves as well.  What will it take for this country to come together, as we did after 9/11?  Will it take another terrorist attack, or will it take something worse (i.e., revolution)?  I pray to God not.

I just continue to see the moral decline of this country, and it saddens me.  This is not the country I remember from my childhood, and it’s certainly not the one from September 2001.  We were united.  We all suffered – even those of us who didn’t have any immediate family or friends to die in the terrible attacks of that day.  I saw a patriotism and a love for God and country like I had never seen before.  What happened?

If things do not improve soon, I truly see a revolution or civil outburst happening soon – certainly not as widespread and devastating as our Civil War, but still dramatic in its own right.  We’ve already seen what happens when people are upset with tuition increases.  What do you think will happen when the people of this country finally get tired of the continuous “tax and spend” coming from Washington?  I foresee it being far, far worse.

Looks like all the developing countries have ganged up on the developed countries in Copenhagen:

Negotiations at the UN climate summit have been suspended after developing countries withdrew their co-operation.

Delegations were angry at what they saw as moves by the Danish host government to sideline talks on more emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol.

While it’s not exactly what I was hoping would de-rail the summit, at least something is stopping – at least temporarily – the insanity that is global warming talks.  Apparently the Danish government drafted some papers that are actually benefiting the developed countries over the developing.

I hope the disagreements and dysfunction at the “summit” continue.  We do not need to enter into a meaningless agreement that will end up taking more of our sovereignty away and giving it to the U.N.  If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about, go watch this.

I didn’t get to watch it, but I have read it – a couple of times.  As a conservative and a Christian, I will applaud Obama and his speechwriters for developing and delivering a speech that does, in fact, edify America and champions our cause against global terrorism.  Below are some excerpts of the speech that jumped out at me.

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