port lof longviewOn Labor Day, James Hoffa told a pro-union crowd in Michigan to take those Tea Party ‘son of a bitches’ out. He told President Obama, who spoke just after the Teamsters president, that the unions were his army, and they were ready to fight for America.

Apparently the longshoremen (dock workers – yes, I had to look it up) of Washington State were confused as they directed their siege at another union, rather than the ‘violent’ Tea Party.  Hundreds of members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union stormed the port of Longview on Thursday morning, holding six guards hostage, breaking windows, cutting brake lines, and dumping the grain at the center of the dispute.

The union was protesting over the port hiring another union to work there, when they believed that to be their exclusive right. Because, you know, what better way to prove that you’re the best person for a job than to terrorize people and vandalize the facility in which you wish to work?

The union thugs threatened the sergeants called to the scene with baseball bats, claiming that this was just the beginning. A temporary restraining order had been issued several days prior, in anticipation of such an attack. 

The 500 or more longshoremen that violently attacked the Longview port on Thursday, holding guards hostage, openly threatening the police, vandalizing valuable property, and generally making a mockery of protesting for workers’ rights returned to work on Friday.

Say what? Why aren’t these people in prison?

If they can get away with destroying private property, it violates one of the most basic tenants of American life. The right to own property is one of the things that makes America uniquely America. People work hard to be able to own something, whether it’s land, a fancy car, or fantastic shoes … if there’s no right to own property, then what’s the point of working?

Why build up a business if the government isn’t going to provide protection for the owner? With all the things government is trying to take over these days, it would be nice if they actually focused on something they’re supposed to do: Law enforcement.

 

Image via Sam Beebe/Flickr