Has anyone called for a General Strike?

[Lifelong Protester]

A day of general striking, across all industries? This is a union method, and I want to know if anyone in this country is willing to lead such a thing. Is this not what they do in France? Shut the country down for a day?

For Pete's sake, we have to start taking to the streets, folks. The 'they' they are coming for is all of US.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Dear Agent Mike, please note I did not rec this thread and only accidentally kicked it. n/t

[rvablue]

15. Why, Colbert Watcher, do you post this same comment on multiple threads?

Why?

:freak:

[anigbrowl]

26. Desperate bid for attention?

[rvablue]

28. No anigbrowl, don't know why you need to taunt me over what I asked CWer,

but it is the second time today that I've seen the same nonsensical response and was innocently asking why.

Do you have a problem with that?

And in 3...2...1...snarky, silly answer coming back..............

[anigbrowl]

32. I was suggesting it as an answer to your question, not an opinion of you.

Repeatedly posting the same gag in multiple topics (ie as CW seems to be doing0 looked to me like a desperate bid for attention on his part, not yours.

[rvablue]

34. Yikes.....I'm really sorry..........

:blush:

Misread.....and, of course, it now makes perfect sense.

Again, I'm really sorry!

[anigbrowl]

36. Let's argue about it for 20 messages anyway

It seems to be the thing to do, why mess with success?

[rvablue]

61. ...

:rofl:

Why not....if you look below it looks like poster in question wants to keep up the intrigue.

On second, let's not.....as I'm not up for satisfying the drama.

[ColbertWatcher]

40. Are you familiar with who Agent Mike is? n/t

[Dinger]

42. Shhhhhh, Same Here (nt)

[roguevalley]

62. A day needs to be chosen and spiraled around the internet,. to

unions, etc and then acted upon. I would do it.

[rockymountaindem]

2. I believe that sympathy strikes (which is what this really is)

are against the provisions of the lovely Taft-Hartley bill.

[Odin2005]

19. That law needs to be repealed and publically burned. n/t

[readmoreoften]

29. Burning it publicly should be the first thing we do during the general strike.

How many of us can they arrest? Someone has to do the cleaning and cooking and filing and HVAC maintenance for the upper classes?

[tomp]

59. you know the government will go after legal infractions of unions...

...in a heartbeat. war crimes, election fraud, politicizing the ag's office, not so fast.

[mucifer]

3. people are too scared to lose their jobs to strike.

[spanone]

52. yep, people remember when rayguns fired all the striking air traffic controllers

[moondust]

4. What I'd like to see.

All the non-union workers at the foreign auto plants in the south go on strike in support of the UAW and demanding unionization.

[BelgianMadCow]

56. THAT IS THE SPIRIT!

and I see too little of it here

[wundermaus]

5. (They are waiting for us in the streets)

Minimalism - buy only what is absolutely necessary and keep doing that for a few weeks (or even months)... and watch the machinery of greed come to a grinding halt. Nothing gets the attention of the greedy like not getting their hands on your money.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Odin2005]

20. Fuck scabs and people who support them.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Odin2005]

23. It's called working class SOLDIARITY, my wacko libertarian friend.

Something your mind would never understand. :eyes:

[Wednesdays]

24. Maybe some pizza deliveries are in order tonight.

;)

[Odin2005]

25. I hope so, this nitwit belongs in Freeper-ville, not here.

[JDPriestly]

39. You are describing what is happening.

Our Christmas shopping list is very small this year. We are getting smaller, useful things, things people should have in any event.

And I hope to bake cookies for gifts for the first time in about 50 years. Cookie-baking hints (Nothing complicated. I'm not very good at baking.) and recipe ideas are welcome.

[LeftyMom]

6. We'd need jobs to strike.

I'm going to go laugh bitterly to myself at the idea though, if you don't mind.

[Lifelong Protester]

7. Well, perhaps General Strike isn't the name it should go by

Just a general (small g) day of NO WORK in this country. I am for taking it to the streets, folks. We are pretty close to having not much to lose. I really don't feel like we can hang on until the 20th.

I agree with the poster on minimalism, to a point, but then I am just punishing folks who sell me food, clothing, necessities.

[wundermaus]

16. It's war, ya know.

It isn't going to be pretty and innocent people do get hurt. But if we all hunker down together and watch out for each other and go minimalist then we can starve the parasites that infect our political and economic bodies. Regarding another post - As for the unemployed and the foreigners that will take jobs from us... I say horse-feathers. That post misses the whole concept of minimalism. Hell, foreigners (immigrants like my grandparents) and the unemployed (people like your mother or father, sister or brother) have as much right to a job as any of us do. Try the divide and conquer crap on somebody else.

[readmoreoften]

30. Nope. It has be called a STRIKE, not a consumer mentality "opt out" day.

There is solidarity in a strike. There is no solidarity in "buy nothing day" or "opt of out work day".

In reality, even if one day was taken off of work the capitalists will treat it as if it were an unexpected holiday. The power of a strike lay in the reality that no one knows when it will end.

For the past decade, demonstrations have only demonstrated our weakness. It's time to do things for real and put pressure on the ruling class. Of course, a political will is necessary and that isn't there yet.

[taterguy]

41. We should try it a week from next Thursday

Just to see what happens

[Xipe Totec]

8. ...

Les Mis: Red and Black

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyNRnHNsP6c

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. I have for years

Now, I'm out of a job so my resolution to strike
doesn't mean much.

But I still support a national strike.

[Chisox08]

12. A week without the workers

If all workers were to stop working and spending for one week it would hit those greedy assholes where it hurts. This is the best time to do this and next year no shopping what so ever on Black Friday.

[Lifelong Protester]

13. I do understand what folks are saying about being afraid,

of not having a job, not wanting to lose a job, etc. Ok, then how about doing this on a weekend? I do not think that we need only employed people to have this make an impact. It is the NUMBER of people. Lordy, in many countries just the hint of a national day of protest puts the fear of God into the government.

This is going to be a depressing Christmas season anyway, so let's get to it. Doing SOMETHING is better than rolling over and letting the bastards put us down again.

We all said the Republicans were not going to go quietly, and they are making SURE they completely foul up this country as much as they can before they leave the stage.

Voices need to be HEARD!

[readmoreoften]

31. I agree about Christmas. There are bigger issues than 'ruining' Xmas.

A "happy new year" is important too.

[ColbertWatcher]

14. We need to protest the greedy GOP in their offices. n/t

[mudesi]

17. Several thousand times

The people are too spoiled.

[Odin2005]

18. K&R

[enigmatic]

22. It's time for a General Strike

This has to come to a head; this is about as good a time as any.

Harry Reid has failed; he needs to resign. Now.

[kath]

27. It's time. Just realized that tomorrow is Dec. 12. 8 yrs since the coup.Should have been a general

strike back then, in protest of the Felonious Five stopping the counting of votes and appointing * as Resident.
Maybe we wouldn't be in the shit we're in today if we'd taken to the streets back then.

[1]

33. has there ever been a "general strike" in america? n/t.

[Doremus]

35. Let's do this thing. Pick a date, any date.

Doesn't matter if one is employed or not.

Just grab your pitchfork and join the picket line in solidarity.

God I wish this would happen. I am SO THERE. We need another 'million man/woman march' to show those privileged corporatists called senators who has the POWER (and it ain't them).

[Blaze Diem]

37. Perhaps another "Tea Party" is in order...

I really shudder to think what surprises may be in store for this Nation in the final month of GwBush's reign.
He's not done with us yet.

[Waiting For Everyman]

38. I'm ready. SOLIDARITY!

Time for another March on Washington?

I'd rather see a boycott of foreign cars, but Dems/liberals aren't willing to do that, apparently. (Pretty sad.)

[slackmaster]

43. It's hard to pull off a general strike when only about half of the population is on your side

I believe this country is divided just about evenly on support of the UAW and unions in general, as it is on many things.

[lonestarnot]

44. Half's ass. I don't believe that.

[slackmaster]

55. Poll: 61% oppose auto bailout - December 3

http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/economy/automakers_poll/?postversion=2008120312

Just one data point. Feel free to impugn the source or do whatever you want to deal with the cognitive dissonance the information creates in your mind.

[sandyd921]

66. More recent poll had only 41% against, 46% for. n/t

[malaise]

45. A caller on WJ a few minutes ago

:D

[blindpig]

46. It's gonna take organization.

To be successful, these things require a lot or coordination and the unions are the organizations in place. Look to the UEW for leadership, their successful action at Republic Windows is a model for all. They put it on the line and showed the value of solidarity.

Not next Thursday but maybe this summer. To go about it halfassed would be to invite demoralization. Start to organize now, get the word out, organize communities, stockpile necessities communally. Talk it up, talk it up, talk it up, have informal meetings, bring up the issues at every opportunity.

With proper preparation we can show those bastards who's boss, we the people.

[progressoid]

47. For Pete's sake, it's never going to happen.

Ever.

[blindpig]

49. Why not? n/t

[progressoid]

54. Well, let's see...

Regardless of the logistical problems, or the ineffectiveness of a single day strike...

It's pretty safe to say that most of the 46% that voted R won't do it.

Add to that a large number of Dems that won't do it.

And those (non-union) people that don't have job protection and can't afford to lose their already shitty jobs.

Plus those of us that are self-employed (if I don't work for a day, it only hurts me and my small business clients).

Don't forget the 7+ % unemployed - they would have no effect.

And what are we left with?

[slackmaster]

57. I've never had union protection, and have very little paid time off of my job now

It would create a significant hardship for me to call in sick for a whole day and not spend the time exclusively taking care of personal business.

I think a lot of us are in the same boat.

[blindpig]

58. Yes, it will require shared sacrifice.

It will require more than tip-tapping on the keyboard, as we do now.

You don't seem to realize how much people are hurting, and how much more hurt is in the pipeline, you ain't seen nothin' yet. The precipitous drop in oil prices are a harbinger of a massive slowdown of the world economy for the next year, at least. There's gonna be a lot more unemployment, those people will be ready. A great portion of people of color will be ready. All of those D's&R's that you speak of, I think you'll be surprised, politics is in the end about bread & butter. When that gets thin, they'll be ready.

As I posted above, this cannot work as a spur of the moment thing, it would take organization, it would take a lot of agitation by those most ready. And who said just one day, we strike until we get what we want.

We need to have solidarity with our fellow workers, we hang together or we hang separately(as we are now). I run a small shop, I'm ready to do what needs to be done. Are you?

[progressoid]

60. "we strike until we get what we want"

"we strike until we get what we want"
-Good luck with that. Even on sites like this, we can't agree on what we want.

"You don't seem to realize how much people are hurting"
- You couldn't be more wrong.

"And who said just one day,"
- The OP said one day.

"I run a small shop, I'm ready to do what needs to be done. Are you?"
- Nope. If the next few months are like the last few months, I could be out of business. So a strike would be moot for me since I would already be unemployed.

[screembloodymurder]

48. Bingo!

To the streets.

[ogneopasno]

50. How about we all sit and talk about it, and wonder who will start it, and then have a nice weekend?

Nothing against the OP. I just see these threads all the time and think, "Well, we're not there yet."

[Lifelong Protester]

53. Maybe, but I've been there for "Turn Your Back", I've been

there for "Not One Dime". I took part in what I believe was the last occupation of a college building (1974) in solidarity with minority students whose scholarships were being considered the first to go in a budget downsizing. In other words, as my name here suggests, I put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

I realize someone has to step up to the plate, and I appreciate suggestions that lead us in that direction.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

51. ROFLMAO!

:rofl:

[sarcasmo]

63. Kick, back to the main page. Let me know what date.

[bertman]

64. Kick, kick, kick--ed back up. Let's define "General Strike". I'm thinking more of a

national day of protest-type general strike. NOT UNION-ORGANIZED, but done by the GENERAL public to show their utter rejection of the policies that our government is currently endorsing.

By General Strike I mean everyone who is sympathetic to the cause WHO IS NOT IN AN ESSENTIAL (to health and safety) OCCUPATION stays home from work and does not buy anything. So, EMT's, emergency room Docs, police, firefighters, and people in other critical services don't get to participate. Unless they can downsize their operation without hurting anyone's physical well-being.

Let's say only 30% of working age Americans participated. Just imagine the impact that would have on the lives of every person in this country. Traffic unbelievably low. Lots of businesses closed in solidarity. A day of no spending would send an economic message of incredible proportions. it would be weird as hell and visible to everyone regardless of where they were--except maybe in Alabama (just sayin'). And it would be pervasive to the point that all people in the U.S. would be affected in some way, even if it was realizing that so many of their countrymen are willing to do it.

I'm a small business owner and I would gladly pay every employee to take the day off if he/she offered to participate willingly. But, if they want to work that's fine too.

I and one of my employees have discussed this possibility a number of times when we got so furious with Bush we couldn't take it anymore. I'm ready. Who's going to be the organizer and go to jail first?

[DearAbby]

65. !!!

:thumbsup: