Anarchists to blame for Chicago violence
On May 20, I participated in a peaceful anti-war rally and march in Chicago, protesting NATO. The march ended at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Cermack Road. I walked into the intersection to watch veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan speak and throw their Global War on Terror medals in the direction of the NATO summit at McCormick Place.
The ceremony ended with instructions to disperse west (away from the NATO summit). The intersection was surrounded by police, but the exit route was being used as an entrance for hundreds of Black Bloc Anarchists. It soon became apparent that they intended to force their way east to the NATO summit. That road was blocked by a solid wall of armed and armored police on horses. Peace activists attempted to stop the impending violence, but the Black Bloc was beyond reason. They threw water bottles and the thin, soft wood sticks used to hold peace signs. They linked arms and advanced into the horses.
Soon, bloody young men in black staggered back through the crowd with head wounds from police batons. The horses surged forward, causing a human compression wave that almost knocked me down as I assisted an injured anarchist out of the intersection. The battle was brutal, but it was not police brutality. The Black Bloc Anarchists forced the confrontation.
I have been to Chicago many times. I attended a peace rally and march there with 15,000 people in 2007. I have never seen so many police in my life. The “Police State” was just a phrase until I saw the reality of it in Chicago. This is not the future that the peace movement is working toward.
The media have not accurately reported what occurred, and the actions of a few hundred anarchists have eclipsed the intention of the thousands of peace activists who filled Michigan Avenue. We want to end the Mideast wars and to use the money saved to create a better future. We do not want to bring war (and the costly police state) to America.
Too many young Americans see no future for themselves. We must create more opportunity or we will see more young people desperate enough to do what I witnessed in Chicago.
Tim Tiernon, Fort Wayne for Peace, Veterans for Peace
RTW was illegal
Before Mitch Daniels leaves office here, he has some unfinished business he needs to take care of. He needs to strike down the right-to-work law in this state. The RTW is an illegal law.
The law is illegal because it strikes down the time-honored system of majority rules. It is also illegal because it supposedly provides workers who choose not to pay union dues with “free union representation.” Such an arrangement would be in violation of federal labor and wage laws in this country.
There is also this issue that employers are forbidden to agree to allow automatic payment of union dues through payroll deduction. At the same time, employers are withholding, by law, both federal and state taxes through automatic payroll deduction.
There were those people who that had legitimate concerns about this RTW law. One of the concerns was that somewhere in the background lurking behind the scenes were special interest groups.
As I recall, Daniels in promoting the RTW law claimed he believed in individual rights and individual choice. He claimed that no one should be forced to join a union or be forced to pay union dues. No one should be forced to do things against their wishes.
Sound good? That was an interesting claim considering that here in Indiana taxpayers are being forced to pay state taxes. And property owners are being forced to pay property taxes. And he wasn’t concerned about individual rights of the bar owners in New Haven when he signed the smoking ordinance we now have in this state. Kevin M. Brinegar claims that the RTW law was “simply the right thing to do for Indiana.” Let me tell you. The time will never come that passing an illegal law is good for our state.
Daniels made it a point that his top priority was the RTW law. He promoted it. He signed the bill into law. Now he needs to step up and clean up this mess.
If Daniels chooses to not strike down the RTW law this issue is going to be waiting on whoever the next governor is. And whomever the next governor is shouldn’t have to clean up this mess.
Curtis J. Ransom
Boycott bad idea
I would like to address the letter by Ronald Ross, who stated, “If large numbers of people who oppose gay marriage will boycott these businesses, it will hit them where it hurts, in the income. And when their income gets hit, then they will start to pay attention.”
It is sad that Ross believes hurting a business will coerce a business owner to abandon their own opinion and take his stance; and even more disappointing that he feels suggesting that tactic is ethical. What makes our country so great is that we are free to have our own opinions. To suggest boycotting or hurting someone’s livelihood just because you do not agree with their politics or beliefs is a lot more socialistic than anything President Obama has ever stood for.
Ginger Gadoci
New Haven
