Bluestem dearly loves the wind-swept prairies of rural Minnesota, but sometimes even the most confirmed rustic gets in a New York state of mind, especially after shoe shopping. Given the selection some days, it's no surprise we hayseeds end up going barefoot.
A pretend Internet friend calls our attention to Abby Schachter's Capitol Punishment column in today's Post, Sprint, GE cave to left-wing bullying:
Bloomberg reports that left-wing bullies can claim three more scalps this week as Sprint, GE and Western Union have exited the American Legislative Exchange Council, a public-policy group that works with state legislators on proposing and supporting business-friendly legislation. Lately ALEC members have been targeted by left-wing and liberal groups like Color of Change (civil rights) and Common Cause (Koch brothers conspriracy [sic] theorists). . . .
Scalps? The uncouth pastoral multitudes in Minnesota do so try to avoid that turn of phrase, especially given our own history of bounties following the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War.
What we can claim, however, is the presence of Bill Guidera, Finance Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota and a Senior Vice President of News Corporation, public policy division. We noted Mr. Guidera's connection with the American Legislation Exchange Council in Back to 2007: MNGOP Finance Chair & News Corp Veep Bill Guidera cavorts with ALEC.
Guidera represented NewsCorp at an ALEC meeting in 2010. NewsCorp continues to be an ALEC member.
What's that got to Schachter's screed? Why, News Corporation owns the New York Post, which the Post blogger forgot to mention, along with forgetting to spell check. It's standard ethical practice for news organizations to disclose such information when they cover groups to which they belong. Schachter is an associate editor at the Post, so it's surprising she doesn't remember this convention.
The NYP blogger scolds corporations for leaving ALEC and tactics used by critics of the corporate front group:
The problem with opposition to ALEC is that is [sic] has taken the only form the left knows which is to try and stifle free speech with threats of boycotts. So unions like the SEIU have threatened to boycott companies that paid dues to ALEC and now it seems such threats are working.
If we're supposed to be so worried about bullying among kids and teenagers, why are the grown-ups caving in to the same tactics?
A man once said, "Corporations are people, my friend," but Schachter's understanding of personhood and bullying seems far more naive than even we barefoot hayseeds might swallow. How like that isolated high school freshman! No wonder Schachter is unwilling to give voice to her employer's membership in ALEC. Poor defenseless Sprint and General Electric!
Finally, as an acquaintance of Minnesota's premier SEIU blogger, the Thug In Pastels, Bluestem must object to the assertion that "the only form the left knows" of opposition is the boycott.
Oh no. Frequently, sunshine and laughter work just as well.
Photo: Abby Schachter, from Linked In.
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