On Sunday, Breitbart.com reported that the United States is supporting a United Nations Resolution for a nuclear-free Middle East.  The resolution targets Israel, but makes no mention of Iran. 

According to the article:

“The resolution adopted by the United Nations on Friday calls on Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and urges it to open its facilities to inspection.

“It also calls for a regional conference in 2012 to advance the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East.

“Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, with around 200 warheads, but has maintained a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its capabilities since the mid-1960s.”

It really doesn’t take much thought to figure out how long Israel will continue to exist in the neighborhood it resides without the threat of using nuclear weapons.  The Arab nations have finally figured out a way that they think they can put an end to the Jewish state wihile looking peace-loving. 

I think Walid Shoebat summed up the situation when he stated, “The Holocaust never ended but the victims have decided to defend themselves…”

America is doing a very foolish thing by siding with the Arab nations against Israel.  We are supporting thuggery instead of democracy.  That sort of thing always comes back to bite you.

Any discussion of the “two-state solution” to the problems in the Middle East needs to consider a few of the things that have happened since Israel turned over the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the Palestinians.  First of all, Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip, gained that control through violence against Fatah.  Secondly, Hamas has, as part of its charter, the pledge to eliminate the state of Israel.  Third, how much of the aid from around the world poured into Gaza has been used to infrastructure–roads, hospitals, industries that produce jobs?  How much has been used to buy weapons?  Is the only profession in Gaza terrorism?

Today, My Way (part of AP news) is reporting that thousands of residents of Gaza are fleeing Gaza–taking advantage of the currently open border between Gaza and Egypt.  Egypt announced today that it was temporarily opening its border with Gaza.  The site also reports that there are two more boats headed for the Israeli blockade.  They are expected to arrive later this week or early next week.

We need to remember why Israel is blockading Gaza.  We also need to mention that this is not a true blockade–the Israelis are letting boats dock in Israel, have their cargo checked, and shipping that cargo to Gaza (if the cargo is not weapons and rockets).  This is not a blockade–it is a necessary move for Israel to survive.  According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1,750 rockets and 1,528 mortar bombs fired from the Gaza Strip struck southern Israel in 2008.  Would any other country in the world be asked to tolerate that kind of continuing attack on civilians?

Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, posted an article at The Weekly Standard about some of the people involved in the incident involving the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla.  The group that put the flotilla together was Turkish IHH (Islan Haklary Ve Hurriyetleri Vakfi in Turkish).  The group was banned by the Israeli government in 2008 for its ties to terrorism finance.  The United States also designated the group as terrorists in 2008 stating that the group was started by the leadership of Hamas in order to transfer money into Hamas.  In the past, the group has provided aid to Muslims, but that is not the total picture of its history.

According to the article:

“…the organization is not a force for good. The Turkish nonprofit belongs to a Saudi-based umbrella organization known to finance terrorism called the Union of Good (Ittilaf al-Kheir in Arabic). Notably, the Union is chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who is known best for his religious ruling that encourages suicide attacks against Israeli civilians.  According to one report, Qardawi personally transferred millions of dollars to the Union in an effort to provide financial support to Hamas.”

Terrorist organizations typically use charities as front organizations to raise money and to do charity work with the aim of radicalizing communities.  Some of the charity work includes paying money to the familites of suicide bombers.  This is not charity as we know it.

This was not an innocent group of well-intentioned people bringing supplies to a besieged Gaza.  Israel (and Egypt) routinely let supplies in after inspecting them.  This was an attempt to get something in without its being inspected.  Please note that Egypt is also attempting to prevent the flow of rockets and weaponry into Gaza–it’s not just Israel.

The ship and its crew and passengers are now in Israel.  Israel is examining the cargo.  There may not be weapons on this ship, but you don’t have to be brilliant to conclude that if this ship had been given uninterrupted passage, the blockade would have ended and the next ship would have been loaded with weapons.

I’m sure we will be hearing more about this in the coming days.  We just need to remember that the war against Israel by Hamas is a propaganda war as well as a military war.

UPDATE:  The news is reporting today that Egypt has opened its border with Gaza.  I would also like to note that the protest signs in Turkey were written in English!

This post was written by a friend of mine who is currently serving in the Marine Corps.  She is an Iraqi war veteran, and I wanted to share her thoughts on Memorial Day.

Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State in the 1850s, said “If the country is worth dying for in a time of war, let us ensure that it is worth living for in a time of peace.”
I grew up in an affluent neighborhood in the Bay Area in California–the type of place where people speak of being proud to be Americans, but only because it is a place where they are allowed to live their accustomed lifestyle. But then again, it was also in the 1980s, a time of peace and prosperity when it was easy to say you love this place. Time had healed the bitter sentiments surrounding Vietnam, and we could all be happy dancing in a ring around the sun, so to speak.
I have now seen life further from the Utopian suburbia of my youth than just about anyone there cares to know. The reality, now, is that we are not a country experiencing peace and prosperity. But that shouldn’t make us any less proud.
I am back in my childhood home this weekend, and it got me thinking about what Memorial Day is. I was here to attend my sister’s Bridal Shower–a gathering of women, most of whom I have known from childhood. As the token neighborhood veteran, I always get quite a few “thank you for your service” niceties.
While the sentiments are always appreciated, I am not ultimately the one who should be thanked. It’s the one who didn’t come home–the one who never got to hear a “thank you for your service.” The one who never got to see a yellow ribbon tied around a tree. They found this country worth dying for, so, in their honor make this country worth living for.
We are engaged in what has been called “The Long War.” It may be a long time before we can agree to call our country “at peace.” So make it worth living for now. Honor those who have giving all by living and drinking in the freedoms of this land. Go exercise your right to freedom of speech and religious practice. Be proud of what makes you unique. Speak for the war, against the war, be gay or straight, worship your god. And do in a way worth living — because thanks to those who have died, you can do it freely. Drink this freedom in. And through living life, we can make this country feel at peace.
As for me, right now I’m going for a run. Because that is what my dear friend the late Maj Megan McClung would want to do today.
Happy Memorial Day, God Bless all who have gone, and all who are yet to come.

The Israel National News is reporting that United States Homeland Security wants to deport Mosab Hassan Yousef because it considers him a terrorist.  Mr. Yousef is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who is a terrorist.  Mosab Hassan Yousef has admitted to terrorist activities in the distant past and later to being a secret agent for Israel.  His book. “Son of Hamas,” details his journey from being a terrorist to Christianity.  The book exposes Hamas terrorism and also deals with Mr. Yousef’s time as a secret agent for Israel.  Mr. Yousef faces a deportation hearing on June 30 at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration Court in San Diego.

According to the article:

“His saga began in January, 2007 when he arrived at an American airport on a tourist visa without interference. “Seven months later, I went to the Homeland Security office, knocked on their door and told them, ‘Hey, guys, I am the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, my father is involved in a terrorist organization, and I would like political asylum in your country.'”

“They were shocked,” Yousef wrote on the blog. “I came to you and told you who I am to wake you up. I wanted them to see that they have huge gaps in their security and their understanding of terrorism and make changes before it’s too late.’

 

“His application for asylum was rejected last February “because there were reasonable grounds for believing he was a danger to the security of the United States and [was] engaged in terrorist activity.””

I have heard this man interviewed.  He is no longer a terrorist and is not a threat to the national security of the United States.  He would actually be a great resource in fighting the war on terror because of his past experience as a terrorist. 

The article concludes:

 

“He (Mosab Hassan Yousef) also claims that he posed as a terrorist while working for Israel. “Yes, I carried a gun,” he wrote. “Yes, I was in terrorist meetings with Yasser Arafat, my father and other Hamas leaders. It was part of my job. And I passed on to the Shin Bet all the information I gathered during those meetings and saved the lives of many people–including many Americans.

“Homeland Security has absolutely no idea of the dangers that lie ahead. For nearly 30 years, I watched from the inside as Hamas dug its claws deeper and deeper into Israel. They started awkwardly, clumsily, but they got good at it. And al-Qaeda is becoming more like Hamas.

“Al-Qaeda started with huge attacks like September 11. But bin Laden has learned from Hamas’s war against Israel how to bleed its enemy. Al-Qaeda understands how effective the Hamas strategy will be on American soil.”

A former Israeli security agent, identified as “G,” has confirmed Yousef’s account as a secret agent and said that Yousef’s spying saved the lives of many Israelis.  (IsraelNationalNews.com)”

How in the world can we fight a war on terror if Homeland Security can’t even figure out who our enemies are? 

On May 15, AOL News posted a story about Nick Pozzi, who was an engineer with ARAMCO in 1993, when an oil spill larger that what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico happened in the Persian Gulf. 

According to the story:

“But remarkably, by employing a fleet of empty supertankers to suck crude off the water’s surface, Pozzi’s team was not only able to clean up the spill, but also salvage 85 percent of the oil, he says.”

The spill was approximately 70 times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill.  According to the article, Mr. Pozzi has tried on numerous occasions to lend his experience to the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but:

“Shortly after the April 22 sinking of the Deepwater Horizon, he and a friend, Houston attorney Jon King (with whom Pozzi recently launched a business called Wow Environmental Solutions), traveled to Houma, La., headquarters for BP’s response center, to offer up the lessons he’d learned working in the Persian Gulf.

“Ever since, he says, the pair’s been stonewalled.”

Meanwhile, we are watching the marshlands and beaches of Louisiana being destroyed.  Mr. President and BP, please listen to the voices of experience. 

Please follow this link to YouTube.  It is the film clip of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.  Thank you to all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, and thank you to all of those who currently serve in the military.

As we settle in to celebrate the beginning of summer, let’s remember what this three-day weekend is about.  We honor our fallen soldiers and need to remember them, but let’s also remember and honor those from other countries who have defended freedom along with us.

This is a link to a beautiful YouTube video honoring many of the British soldiers who have died while fighting alongside us in Afghanistan.

Charles Krauthammer posted a very interesting commentary at Townhall.com yesterday about the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.  He points out that the first question asked should be, “Why are we drilling in 5,000 feet of water in the first place?”

One of the things not often mentioned is that the environmentalist movement has forced us into that position.  The environmentalist movement has successfully placed the Pacific and nearly all the Atlantic coast off-limits to oil production.   Mr. Krauthammer points out that we have had a ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for thirty years–a place where oil is close to the surface and the risk of environmental destruction would be minimal.  Mr. Krauthammer states that we have pushed the drilling from barren areas to populated areas, from the remote wilderness to a center of fishing, shipping, tourism and recreation.  This has been done, oddly enough, as a result of environmentalists’ actions. 

In terms of the President’s response, Mr. Krauthammer concludes:

“…We expect our presidents to play Superman. Helplessness, however undeniable, is no defense.

“Moreover, Obama has never been overly modest about his own powers. Two years ago next week, he declared that history will mark his ascent to the presidency as the moment when “our planet began to heal” and “the rise of the oceans began to slow.”

“Well, when you anoint yourself King Canute, you mustnt be surprised when your subjects expect you to command the tides.”

We need to keep in mind that oil spills will happen.  We also need to think about making drilling as safe as possible and making sure we do it where we are capable of solving any problems that may arise. 

Today’s Washington Examiner points out that Representative Joe Sestak was not eligible for the job that Bill Clinton supposedly offered him–you know, the job offer that White House counsel Robert Bauer said was legal and that has caused all this controversy. 

This is one place where Representative Sestak’s statements and the White House counsel’s statements are not in agreement.  The problem with not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth is that you have to make sure everyone is on the same page saying the same thing–and you have to remember everything that has been said!   I think someone forgot the details.

I guess this story may be with us for a while.

AFTERTHOUGHT:  I wonder if I would involve Bill Clinton in a coverup knowing how hard he and Hillary fought to regain the White House.  There may be a ton of things going on under the surface here that could prove interesting in the future.

As previously reported at Right Wing Granny on March 15, Democrat Representative Joe Sestak, on February 18, told a talk show radio host that the White House had offered him a high-ranking job in return for dropping out of the Pennsylvania Democrat Primary for Senate.  On February 19, the White House denied the charge.

Frankly, I really didn’t think this was any big deal, but now I am beginning to wonder.  Today’s Washington Times carries the latest details of the story.  The story that was put out by the White House this afternoon is that ex-President Clinton was asked to approach Representative Sestak about accepting a non-paying job in the Obama Administration in exchange for dropping out of the Democrat Primary.

According to the article:

“…White House lawyer Robert F. Bauer said the job offered was a non-paying, advisory board position in the executive branch and that allegations of improper conduct by the administration “rest on factual error and lack a basis in the law.”” 

People who know a whole lot more than I do about how Washington works question the premise that a non-paying position would have been offered–it’s not even a good bribe!  The original statement by Representative Sestak was that someone in the Obama Administration had offered him a high-ranking position.  What was released today makes that statement look like a lie.  One speculation is that the conversation with ex-President Clinton is probably real, but that there may have been another conversation with a member of the Obama Administration that Representative Sestak was referring to.   This is where the legal problems lie.

If Representative Sestak was telling the truth, what was done is a crime.  It does fit the pattern of Chicago politics that seems to run through this administration, but I really doubt that it will be pursued (I would love to be wrong about that!).

Yes, you read the headline right.  It’s not a total stand, but it’s a beginning.  According to Hot Air, the Massachusetts Senate passed a measure (28-10) barring the state from doing business with any company that is not in complaince with federal laws regarding the hiring of illegal immigrants.  The bill also denies in-state college tuition rates for illegal immigrants.  The bill also provides for tougher penalties for creating or using fake identification documents.  The Republicans only hold five seats in the Massachusetts state Senate.  The bill was passed after polling indicated that 84 percent of Massachusetts voters supported tough immigration laws.  The House of Representatives in Massachusetts voted down a measure in late April that would have denied welfare payments to illegal aliens.  I suspect this vote in the Senate is an attempt to placate voters after recent Republican victories in the state.

This measure still has to pass the Massachusetts House and be signed by Deval Patrick.  It should be very interesting to see what happens next. 

On Wednesday, The New York Times ran a short article in their health section about the reversal by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) of their decision on female circumcision in the United States.  They had supported a ceremonial watered-down version of the procedure be allowed in this country in order to keep families from sending their daughters overseas to have the procedure.

According to the article:

“The (original) policy statement ignited a storm of criticism from opponents of female genital cutting. Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, president of the academy, said: “We’re saying don’t do it. Do everything that you can to support that family in this tough time, but don’t be pulled into the procedure.””

I am truly glad they have reversed their policy.  This procedure harms the health of women–it does nothing positive.  It should be made illegal worldwide.

The Detroit News reported today that the International Red Cross is defending its policy of training Taliban fighters in first aid and giving them first aid kits. 

The International Red Cross began the courses in 2006 and will continue as long as they are needed.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard this was to wonder how the Taliban would treat a wounded person they encountered who was not one of them.  The second question was to wonder why anyone would prolong the life of a person dedicated to killing innocent people.  The sad part of this is that the Taliban will not hesitate to kill any member of the Red Cross once the Taliban feels that the usefulness of the Red Cross to their organization is over.  These are not soldiers–they are terrorists.  Until we recognize that fact, we are going to be in danger.  This is the equivalent of aiding and abetting a murderer.

Fox News reported yesterday on a Department of Homeland Security alert given to Texas that a suspected member of the Somalia-based Al Shabaab terrorist group might be attempting to travel to the U.S. through Mexico. 

According to the article:

“Security experts tell FOXNews.com that the influx of hundreds of Somalis over the U.S. border who allegedly have ties to suspected terror cells is evidence of a porous and unsecured border being exploited by groups intent on wrecking deadly havoc on American soil.”

Meanwhile, Breitbart.com is reporting that the State Department has stated that the “US National Guard troops being sent to the Mexican border will be used to stem the flow of guns and drugs across the frontier and not to enforce US immigration laws.”  Does our government think that terrorists can only come across the border in Texas?

The danger in an unsecured border is that an alliance between terrorists and the drug cartels in Mexico could bring numerous people into this country who have no other intention than to do America harm.  Phoenix has become one of the world’s kidnapping capitals because of the crime brought in by the drug cartels.  There have been numerous innocent civilians and policemen killed in the city by illegal immigrants and the people involved in smuggling them.

If we do not secure the borders and become aware of exactly who is in our country, our country will be destroyed before our eyes.

I am not totally familiar with whatever show aired this, but I love the video.  Please follow the link to a discussion of the European debt crisis by John Clarke and Bryan Dawe on ABC News.

The Hill is reporting today on the progress of a new tax relief and unemployment aid package that is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate this week.   Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says that the Republicans would oppose the package because the Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure would add $134 billion to the federal deficit over ten years. 

According to the article:

“(Senator Harry) Reid said Tuesday he would be willing to hold the Senate in session over the holiday weekend to pass a $58.8 billion emergency supplemental and the extenders package, which Democrats say would create jobs.”

Hasn’t anyone figured out yet that extending unemployment benefits may win you votes in the short term, but it does not create jobs.  If people know they have two years of unemployment, they tend to wait longer before seriously looking for a job. 

Pay attention to the language used in this discussion.  According to the article:

“”We know they’ll try to blame Republicans for their own inability to come to an agreement if we don’t go along with their effort to add another $130 billion to the deficit by the end of the week,” he said.
 
“”So let’s be perfectly clear: There’s one reason Democrats are having trouble getting an agreement on this bill and one reason only — and that’s because it’s so blatantly reckless,” McConnell added.” 

Washington has been in the habit of overspending other people’s money for a long time.  This November, we need to examine our Senators and Representatives who are running for re-election, see how much debt they have added to the budget, and if they have overspent, vote them out of office.

The New Orleans Times-Pacayune reports today that the Jefferson Parish Council fully supports Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s efforts to build a berm to protect the marshes of Louisiana.  The Parish Council decided to back the plan without knowing how much it will cost.  This gives you an idea of how desperate the situation is becoming.

We have all seen pictures of the dead animals and the dying marsh grass.  Hopefully BP will be able to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the very near future, but meanwhile, Louisiana has to deal with the oil that is already headed into their wetlands.

According to the article:

“For three weeks, Jindal and local officials have pressured the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the project, a move that would free up money and dredging equipment to begin building the sand berms. The Jefferson council said today it’s still waiting a response.”

I realize that there are concerns that building barriers could have a negative environmental impact, but has anyone considered that the oil continuing to flow inland will definitely have a negative environmental impact.  It is time for the federal government to get out of the way and let Governor Jindal handle the situation–it seems as if he is the only person with any authority that is interested in cleaning up the mess.  The Louisiana south coast is a beautiful area, and the state of Louisiana needs to be allowed to do what is necessary to clean up the mess.

Today’s Washington Examiner posted an editorial about the growing dependence of Americans on government handouts.  The editorial points out the private sector paychecks have declined to 41.9 percent of personal income during the first quarter of 2010.  In December 2007, it was 44.6 percent.  The personal income received from government programs has climbed to 17.9 percent, plus another 9.8 percent for government employees, bringing us to a total of 27.7 percent.  According to the editorial, the remaining personal income is from “small business proprietor profits, farm profits, privately funded pensions, investment sales and dividents, and insurance annuities.”

As the number of people dependent on government grows, Heritage Foundation’s Index of Dependency is rapidly rising.  It increased 13.9 percent for 2009, the biggest increase since 1962. 

The editorial states:

“The problem is that government only redistributes income to dependent individuals after taking it from productive individuals, a process that is reflected in tax returns.”

Keeping in mind that whatever the government subsidizes increases, this does not bode well for the future of our country.  We are encouraging dependency while discouraging productivity.

As America fights two wars and is watching the situation on the Korean peninsula, President Obama chooses to ignore his customary Presidential duties on Memorial Day.  Yesterday’s Washington Post reported that the President intends to spend Memorial Day in Chicago. 

According to the article:

“Vice President Biden and his wife will appear in Obama’s place, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as holding a breakfast for Gold Star families — families whose loved ones died in military service — at the White House earlier that day.”

President Obama will speak at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, which is south of Chicago, on Memorial Day.

Townhall.com reported yesterday that Congress is getting ready to pass a tax increase on oil.  The new tax would be 32 cents a barrel, which Congress estimates will raise about $11 billion over the next decade.  The current tax on a barrel of oil is 8 cents.  The stated purpose of the tax is to ‘clean-up’ the oil spill in the Gulf.  The obvious question is, “Since BP is responsible for cleaning up the oil spill, the cost to the government is not going to be anywhere near $11 billion, so why are we increasing taxes on oil?”

Well, the tax is part of a much larger picture.  There is a bill in the works that Congress hopes to pass before Memorial Day.  The bill includes a one-year extension of some popular tax breaks that expired at the end of last year, and expanded unemployment benefits which include health insurance subsidies.

The House could vote on this as early as today, the Senate is hoping to vote on it by the end of the week.  This tax will impact everyone.  It will be a hidden tax, so many Americans may not be aware of why the cost of some items suddenly increases.  It will increase heating bills in the winter, the cost of gasoline, and will have a ripple effect, raising prices throught the economy.  This will slow down the economy and could bring us to a double-dip recession.

Please watch to see who votes in favor of this tax increase.  Anyone who votes for this needs to be voted out of office in November.

UPDATE:  Representative Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, has introduced House Resolution 1374 stating that all revenues from the now 8-cents-a-barrel oil tax should be used to clean up the spill and for no other purposes.  See Thomas.gov for further developments.  This could be interesting.

Christians And Jews United For Israel (CJUI) held a rally Sunday in Brookline, Massachusetts.  It may have been reported in the major media, but I couldn’t find it.  It was reported on the organization’s website, cjui.org.  Pictures of the rally and videos of one speaker can be found on the website.  Supporting Israel is important for the United States.  Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East and has been a steadfast ally of the United States since it was recognized as a country in 1948.  Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and has been since 1948.  The people who rallied in Brookline on Sunday understand this and support Israel.  Please visit their website to learn more about them.

This is a picture from the rally in Brookline on Sunday.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune is probably one of the best sources on what is happening with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The people of Louisiana are facing major environmental damage from the spill.  As the parent of children who own a home in New Orleans, this is something I am watching carefully. 

Amid all the blame that is being thrown in every direction, Louisiana Governor Boby Jindal has stated that he will do what it takes to protect the marshlands of his state.  Governor Jindal has stated that:

“the state is not waiting for federal approval to begin building sand barriers to protect the coastline from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.” 

Thank God for someone who is more interested in action than placing blame.

The article further states:

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the environmental impacts from the emergency barrier proposal. The Corps didn’t immediately respond to e-mails and telephone messages.”

This is not the time for studying the barrier proposal–it is the time for putting the barriers in place to protect that land that has not yet been impacted by the oil spill.  Hopefully, the barriers can be put in place before any more major damage is done.  Thank you, Governor Jindal, for being willing to solve a problem rather than simply blaming someone for it.

As more people become familiar with the Arizona immigration law, they are finding out that it is less likely to result in racial profiling than the federal laws concerning immigration.  The law is ten pages long and easily read, but there seems to be a problem with people reading it.  Arizona has posted the following video on You Tube.  Click on the link for a great video!

Yesterday’s Eagle Tribune, a Merrimack Valley (Massachusetts) newspaper, posted an article about a strike that has been going on at Shaw’s distribution center in Methuen, where workers distribute meat, dairy and produce to all 176 Shaw’s Supermarkets and Star Markets in New England.  About 250 employees are on stike, saying that Shaw’s refuses to give them affordable health insurance.  The strike began on March 7th. 

According to the article:

“Three hundred union workers originally went on strike after rejecting a contract offer on March 7. They survived on $100 a week from the union and on donated food. The strikers lost health insurance on April 1, forcing them to miss medical appointments and sign up for COBRA or MassHealth. Things improved for them when the state awarded them unemployment benefits starting with the week ending May 1.

“People involved in the strike say there’s no end in sight.”

As anyone who lives in Massachusetts knows, healthcare insurance costs have skyrocketed since the state healthcare reform act was passed in 2006.  We would all like affordable health insurance, but until that law is repealed in this state, we can expect our costs to rise.

The article also points out:

“Shaw’s says on its website that, on average, the Methuen workers earn $19.06 per hour, and their weekly health insurance premiums are below the national and regional average. Shaw’s said its first contract offer would be its best, and the company has so far kept that promise; it hasn’t returned to the table with anything the union would accept.”

The dispute between the union and Shaw’s will be worked out by both parties in the future.  Meanwhile, I resent the fact that my tax dollars are being used to pay workers on strike.  These are people who have chosen not to work at this point, and they should not be entitled to unemployment insurance.