So my family (on my mother's side) has, what we like to call, email wars. Mostly political stuff--my cousin is more of an anarchist but aligns himself more along with conservatives and my uncle is a republican. My mother, sister, and I are all liberals (although my mother describes herself as a conservative liberal).
As I was going through the day's emails, I got really irritated by three little words. My mother and my sister were explaining why it is that we will never vote for a conservative...here is the low down...
When I was but a kid, my Dad had an okay job at Eastern Airlines. When he graduated high school, he went into the Navy and upon his return, he entered into the work force--working for Eastern Airlines at Boston's Logan Airport. He transferred to Atlanta, met my mom, got married and had two amazing little girls. Tired of living in Georgia (with a fear that his darling daughters might have a southern accent), we moved to Florida and he transferred with Eastern...this was in 1987. And shortly after, our plot thickens. Frank Lorenzo, the then owner of Continental Airlines, bought Eastern. And when Frank Lorenzo was raping Eastern Airlines, stealing from them, giving it to his other airlines, President Bush (Sr) didn't not intervene because Frank Lorenzo had given A LOT of money to his campaign. When the Union was forced to strike, it was the secretary of transportations JOB to step in and resolve it. Elizabeth Dole, who held that position at the time, did not. What my d\Dad was making was inconsequencial to what happened. The fact is my dad had 20+ years with them and will never see a dime of the retirement that he paid into, because the way the system was set up, Dad was essentially paying his money to the guys who had already retired, and the guys paying in now, would be paying his. Obviously, there is no one paying in anymore. He got Union strike pay, and I'm pretty sure it was $175 every 2 weeks. There was no reason why food stamps should have been unavailable to us. They make rule exceptions all the time in times of need. Bush could have stepped in on that one too. He chose not to. There are laws in effect to protect workers from things like this, the union is there to help facilitate their protection. That is why we hate republicans, there is nothing that anyone can say to change that, and we will never vote for one as long as blood is coursing through our veins. To us, they are vile through and through, only care about themselves, big business and money.
This is what my sister wrote to explain our view points...but shortly after, Mom stepped in:
Bush did step in. He penalized Eastern Airlines workers by mandating that they would not be allowed to receive food stamps, unemployment, health care and the whole lot. He also said they were barred from applying for government jobs.
To the Union Haters that are reading this:
The IAM (international association of machinists) chose to go on strike BECAUSE....
Frank Lorenzo was allowed to buy Eastern Airlines from President/Astronaut Frank Borman. He bought it with JUNK BONDS. After taking control, he sold off Eastern's Assets, like hotels around the world. He poured the money into his own airline, Continental.
He then took Eastern's computer system, Systems 1 and bought it for 10 million dollars from EAL. He didn't have to pay that back to them for 20 years and in the meantime started charging them 1 million dollars a month to use the system.
I could go on and on. Because of these shenanigans, the pilots honored the IAM strike as did the flight attendants. Everyone knew they had been 'franked' again.
Frank Borman, and his 92 Vice Presidents were a financial drain. Everyone likes to blame the labor costs, but their salaries were 100 times the cost of a union worker. Larry never even made what we called the industry standard, like Delta, United, American workers did. In fact, we lived with wage freezes most of the time.
Delta did an ad that showed how their employees donated enough money back to the company to buy a new jet. Eastern responded with an ad that said "Our employees have donated enough in wage concessions to purchase 13 jets!" and it was true.
The only good thing to come out of all of this is that Frank Lorenzo was never allowed to run an airline again. It is said he went after Eastern because as a young man, he was fired at his job at Eastern Airlines.
This all happened 21 years ago this March 4th. What our president did to us and the 33,000 families at Eastern Airlines was evidenced by his cronyism and his devotion to the rich, not the working class Americans.
So now you know the background...
To all of this the conservative answer to these emails were these three little words: "Get over it."
This infuriated me. Getting over it is easier said than done. The mere fact that someone is telling us to get over something really enrages me; simply because by saying it lessens our struggle--as if it doesn't matter at all. It does matter.
I agree that hatred will only breeds more hate...but what does indifference bring? I will not be ignorant of those mistakes that were made. I will not be indifferent to the bullshit that occurred. I will not just sit there and say, "oh..yeah..I'm over this.." because I'm not. I don't think I ever will be--but you know what? I take that fire, that passion, that "hatred" and I use it to exercise my vote. I tell the fat cats from both parties what I want. I turn that anger and put it into something positive.
There is a Fenian poem titled "Who Dares to Say" and it calls Irish Nationalists together in recognition of things past and how we're to react in the future...I love this poem--and I'm going to share it with you. I have no idea who wrote it and if I do find out, I will let you know. In reading both of the emails my mom and sister sent as well as this poem, you will better understand me as a person, writer, and woman. Enjoy.
Who Dares to Say
Who dares to say forget the past to men of Irish birth?
Who dares to say cease fighting for our place upon this earth?|
Let remembrance be our watchword and our dead we'll never fail,
Let their graves be to us as milestones on that blood soaked one-way trail.
Remember how Owen Roe fought, port Leister mill beside
No man can say a coward fell, when Hugh O'Donnell died
Remember Ruadh and Sarsfield and forget whoever will,
That glorious stand at Limerick at Kilnacadin Hill.
How Emmett's gallant handful in historic Dublin town,
Came out to give their challenge to the forces of the crown.
And then for a time twas silence.
Was Ireland's struggle done?
The answers in the negative, thundered many a fenian gun.
And then when England thought she'd won,
That we at last were meek,
Roared forth a glorious challenge Of the men of Easter week.
Remember how our soldiers fought the scum of many lands,
Fought the scum of British prisons, and Britain's Black and Tans.
And then by men we trusted, this land of ours was sold.
They sold our friends to enemies as Judas did of old.
Remember how in Kerry they butchered our lads like swine.
God, think of Ballyseedy where they tied them to a mine!
How Rory and Liam, Dick and Joe to glut the imperial beast,
Were murdered while in prison On our Blessed Lady's Feast.
How an overworked revolver,as he rushed from that hotel,
Rode a rebel's last defiance,as Cathal Brugha fell.
Hear we not the voice of Connolly, the workers soldier friend?
The conquered soul asserts itself and we shall rise again!
For freedom, Yes! and not to starve and not for rocks or clay,
But for the lives of Ireland's working class We fight and die today.
And what, says Cathal Brugha, if the last man's on the ground,
If he's lying weak and helpless and his enemies ring him round,
If he's fired his last bullet, if he's fired his last shot
And they say "Come into the empire"
He should answer-I will not!
Then back, back to that one-way trail
Ní sía ceangal saoirse is the war cry of the Gael
While our country stands beside us with the blood of martyrs set,
Wayside crosses to remind us
Who dares to say forget?
While Emmett's tomb is uninscribed,
Until we our rights assert,
Until our country takes its place,
Among the nations of the earth.
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