ACTION KYLE

THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!

From this evenings Rochester Democrat and Chronicle :" Members of some of the area’s largest labor unions and their supporters gathered in front of City Hall late this afternoon to support union workers in Wisconsin and other states.Nearly 500 people withstood one-degree wind chills on Church Street in a show of union solidarity.“All right, brothers and sisters, are we one with Wisconsin? Are we one?” said James Bertolone, president of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation. “We’ve had a hostile corporate takeover in Wisconsin. …This is not what Wisconsin voted for.”
About a dozen speakers rallied the crowd, who repeatedly shouted: “We are one! We are one! We are one!”Wisconsin workers are fighting proposed deep cuts to collective bargaining rights for nearly all of the state’s public workers, posed by legislation supported by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.Union leaders in Indiana and Ohio are organizing to fight similar anti-union proposals there.
Among the numerous unions represented in the local rally were Teamsters Local 118, New York State United Teachers, Communication Workers of America, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers, Service Employees International Union and unions representing Rochester’s firefighters and police unions."

Where are we going in this country ? VERY middle class workers, teachers, policemen, hotel workers.. the back bone of us, made the enemy ? Read some of the comments in the above D&C story, hateful mean things. I just don't in any way what so ever get it. Are we as a nation really going to allow the Republicans to dismantle ever single new deal advancement that has come along?

"I am tired of paying taxes to pay your salary "...omfg. Have we become such a navel gazing country that we can not see that the rising tide lifts all boats? Do you not drive on roads, over bridges.. in the VAST majority of cases are your kids NOT getting a damn good education?? You want to talk unfair, how about all us child free folk paying to send your mealy mouth lot through 13 years of public school. Do you think your taxes pay for all of it? BUT, I understand that an educated society is better for us all....

A very large group for a pretty quickly organized rally, and it was C-O-L D, a very raw wind whipping through downtown Rochester.

This guy was a little bit of a media hound, but was getting the point across.

The unionized policeman was pretty laid back.

Lots of good tv coverage.

As a rule, I am not a big fan of this sort of thing , I mean the only ones I have ever been to were gay rights events, but this one made me feel pretty darn good. Like I said, a VERY cold afternoon, the sun was starting to set, getting colder and a VERY mixed crowd of people were out, as one, for what is right. 

Afterward we went to the Empire State Pride Agenda meeting at the very post Apocalyptic concrete block Unitarian Church... after first going to the Universalist Church... you can understand our confusion.

 This is an old church, not this building.. but the congregation, Susan B. Anthony was a member here, really.

( sigh ) after the high of the multitudes of American workers and their allies out in the cold, fighting for the rights of all working class Americans! .. this was sort of sad. The same 6-7 lgbt activists that always turn out... at least there was pizza.

This is the new Todd... nice enough guy. Didn't seem very organized. BIG fan of a Continental breakfast. Lives with a straight woman he calls , jokingly, his wife. Those types tend to get on my last nerve, but really, seemed very nice, way , way willing to give him a second chance.

About this building, I don't think you call it a Church, I could be wrong. It was designed by some big name architect, and it very... strange. All concrete brick, very rough to the touch. BEAUTIFUL smooth poured concrete floors, as the meeting dragged on, I was mentally re-decorating the room as my very mid century bedroom. They use all of the vast hallways as an art gallery. Very cool space, just not what gets me to " the thin spaces" that religion calls for.....

A full evening!