Union Official Compares GOP Push for Right to Work Law in Mich. to Attack on Pearl Harbor

He who first invokes the Nazis during an argument loses, posits Godwin's Law. Allow me to introduce Cook's Corollary to Godwin's Law, whereby he who makes a patently ludicrous analogy to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor forfeits all credibility.

The corollary gets its name courtesy of Steve Cook, president of the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest school employee union. (audio clip after page break)

Cook appeared on Ed Schultz's radio show Friday to condemn GOP lawmakers for attempting to pass a right to work law in Michigan one month after voters rejected a proposed state amendment that would have guaranteed collective bargaining for public- and private-sector workers.

Here's what Cook had to say on the 71st anniversary of Japan's infamous assault against the US Pacific Fleet and other military targets on Oahu (h/t for audio, Brian Maloney at mrctv.org) --

Let me say, it's telling that this should all happen around Pearl Harbor Day because let me tell you something, organized labor has spent about 10 days here in the last two weeks working with the leadership, political leadership in the state. We thought that they were interested in peace. We thought that they were interested in trying to work out an agreement, an arrangement, have a discussion that would keep right to work from coming up. This is what the governor (Republican Rick Snyder) kept telling us, it's not on my agenda. Come to find out that they had every moment we were setting with them had planned for this. So while we were trying to prevent the war that was coming, they were planning for the war all along. So it's telling it should all happen around Pearl Harbor Day. You know, we thought they were working for peace. Turns out we were wrong.

"Peace" defined as Michigan Republicans rolling over and giving unions what they want.

Death toll at Pearl Harbor -- 2,402 American military personnel, and half again as many wounded. Casualties from proposed right to work law in Michigan -- zero.

Assuming for the sake of argument that the law is enacted, think we'll ever see union members holding solemn ceremonies to mark each anniversary of its passage?