"Adolph Would Be Proud!"

I lived in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood growing up. At one end of the block were the Attore and Nuzzo families; we also had the Tornabene family; there were countless families whose names ended in "vowels". We all had some common bonds because of common culture; when visiting a friend's house, we were undoubtedly asked to eat something; it is impolite to refuse food in an Italian home. I was never impolite! We all were taught respect to older people, and our parents were strict in the enforcement of this rule. Everybody who was old enough was a surrogate parent, with the ability to yell at you; and also to protect you. All of the fathers did very different jobs; there were bankers, dry cleaners, butchers, mechanics and contractors, just to name a few of the different occupations our dads had. Some of them were Republicans, and some of them were Democrats; all of them were Americans who only wanted the best for their nation and their families. Most of the political talk in my house was done in a normal tone of voice; I never heard anything personal said about someone who had a political difference with my parents. I believe this was a credit to their generation; a generation that gave so much to America. I believe it was that way because of what their generation saw before WWII in Europe. Germany was a hotbed of political dissidents and antisemitic hatred. Rioting and rabble rousing caused death and injury to throngs of Germans even before the rise of Adolph Hitler. Poor economics with runaway inflation had nearly destroyed their nation; they all looked to blame one another; sometimes with violent reactions.

This week-end, Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters Union, a union with a very clouded history, spoke at a rally for Barack Obama. The speech was reminiscent of speeches given in Berlin by a short man with a "Chaplin" moustache. It was rhetoric filled with hatred and blame: Josef Goebbels couldn't have written it any better. Hoffa stood on the podium, arms waving in sweeping gestures, shouting at the top of his lungs in condemnation of the members of the TEA Party movement. He indicted those Americans with the problem of our stagnant economic situation. In a "thug-like" phrase, he said they were "son-of-a-bitches", who needed to be "eliminated"! Does this not remind you of the "Little Corporal"? Mr. Hoffa had no facts to prove any of his allegations; only threats and epithets; just hateful rantings! After Hoffa left the speakers stand, Barack Obama took over with his prepared statement; he said nothing of the vocal poison that had preceded him. This was tacit endorsement of hatred by Barack Obama; the man who wanted to "stop the hateful rhetoric". I guess it all depends on who this rhetoric is directed toward; Eh, Mr. Obama?

As Americans, we cannot allow the poisonous verbiage of a street thug incite us to violent action; especially when that thug has so much to gain from his support for the current administration; we all know how Mr. Obama feels about unions and "sweetheart contracts". I laud the TEA Party for their stand against the destruction of our Constitution and expansion of the Federal Bureaucracy. The real threat to America lies in those who wish to silence the truth; and nobody knows how to "shut people up" like the Teamsters!