There's a very serious dispute going on between longshoremen and officials at the Port of Longview, Washington.
CNN's Carol Costello clearly doesn't grasp the gravity of the situation, for in an "American Morning: Wake Up Call" report Monday, she couldn't control her laughter (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Let's move on to this story [Laughs] out of Washington state. I don't know why it makes me laugh because it shouldn't because there was a horrible confrontation between longshoremen and the media. So, watch what happens when a news crew just tries to ask questions of these union people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. Get your camera out of here. That's none of your business (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Unless you want trespassing, get out of here now. Get out of here now!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK.
UNIDENTFIEID MALE: Don't (EXPLETIVE DELETED), partner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not the PR staff, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worry about who I'm with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: [Laughs] I don't think he's the PR staff. But, come on, Tim. They're longshoremen. What else do you expect? [Laughs]
TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS RADIO: Well, I understand that he identified himself as blank you blank sucker. That's his official name. I'm not sure what his title is.
I also wonder what kind of top-secret information might be on these pieces of paper that are posted outside of the building so that anybody walking by could probably see what they are. But this stems a long standing disagreement between the longshoremen's union. And that was KGW in Portland and they have gone out to get the comment and one can only imagine that this guy's never heard of the Internet because he will probably be pretty famous pretty darn soon.
COSTELLO: I guess so. Do even know what they were so upset about? I mean, was the media bothering them? I mean --
FARLEY: Oh, yes, well, that was the point. It's being more heavily covered there. But this is the union that's upset about the fact the company there is outsourcing some of the jobs, they claim and they're taking away some of their rights.
This has been turned into by right wing bloggers as more of an issue that stemmed from what we were seeing from James Hoffa last week, about taking them out. It's unrelated to that. But it plays into the narrative that the unions are thugs. And that something that can't be helping the unions right now.
Tim Farley, thanks as always. Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS radio.
FARLEY: Thanks.
Yeah, that's some funny stuff, there. Maybe Costello - as a CNN anchor - should clue herself in to what's going on at this port.
As KGW reported at its website Thursday (emphasis added):
Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.
A federal judge ordered union protesters to stop using illegal tactics Thursday as they battle for the right to work at a new grain terminal in Washington state.
U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton issued a preliminary injunction to restrict union activity, saying there was no defense for the aggressive tactics used in recent days.
Duscha also said that six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack.
"This was not like the peaceful protests we've seen in the past. The protesters today were loud, aggressive and assaulted my officers," added Cowlitz County Sheriff Mark Nelson. "When our officers went in to make peaceful, lawful trespass arrests, they were rushed by a mob of hundreds of protesters who were resistive and throwing things at the officers."
Yeah, that's some funny stuff, isn't it?
Why is it that no matter what union members do - including taking hostages and breaking the law - they can expect total unwavering support from their shills in the media.
But when average citizens get together at a Tea Party rally to peacefully ask their government to balance its budget, such folks are ridiculed as violent, racist homophobes trying to destroy America?
It's a grave new world, isn't it?
(H/T NB reader Ray Rodda)
