Thursday, December 22, 2005
. . . words can never hurt me you
When Mayor Bloomberg calmly stated that he was angered at the transit union workers for striking, I enjoyed the measured tone he used and I enjoyed watching him clearly verbalize his defense of his city. He pointed out the fundamental fact that public workers striking is illegal. He also said that some of their demands are completely out of line, particularly since they are for future workers. And then he said that union leaders had "thuggishly turned their backs on New York City and disgraced the noble concept of public service." Which got the union leaders all riled up and accusing him of racism. So I searched news sites for an explanation and the best I can find is that they're connecting unconnectable dots. They're jumping from union membership being three-quarters black and hispanic to the Mayor making racial slurs. Talk about reverse and bad logic. If I say Winston Churchill was a brilliant leader, does it mean I think all white men are brilliant leaders? Of course not. So why does Bloomberg's description imply anything? And just incidentally, it was Toussaint who invoked Rosa Parks' name, mentioning her bravery in defying the law when she rode the bus, thus introducing race into a discussion where it neither existed nor belongs. I guess some people will do anything for a fight.
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