PfP News: Western PA firefighters climb Pitt's Cathedral of Learning to commemorate 9/11's First Responders

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TPN: Climb honors Sept. 11 First Responders

Firefighters from all over Western Pennsylvania congregated at the Cathedral of Learning Sunday to participate in the city’s first fire climb commemorating the First Responders of 9/11.

Climb organizer Sam Huey was crucial to bringing the event to the Cathedral and reached out to the Chancellor’s Office for approval after contacting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to sponsor the challenge at Pitt.

“The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation was sponsoring a series of [climbs] nationwide. I volunteered down there for the National Memorial Weekend, but I went here,” Huey said. “I contacted the Chancellor’s Office, and they put it through to the council and the in-house attorneys, and they said yes within a week; they approved it right away.”

The firefighters were charged with climbing the Cathedral stairs to the 22nd floor five times, symbolizing the 110 flights of the World Trade Center Towers.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was there to participate.

Remembering 9/11: Never Forget

[This post in remembrance of 9/11 is brought to you from Andy Smith over at American's Progressive Voice.  APV has a thousand activists ready to deliberate with you on the issues; be sure to check them out!  For your opinion and contributions, email peopleforpolity@gmail.com.]

Never Forget...

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America's Progressive Voice:  Andy Smith -- NEVER FORGET

Anti-Flag: Protest song

[Easy Saturday morning post with a good message.  Enjoy!  If you have a song you would like to feature, or would like to contribute an opinion, email peopleforpolity@gmail.com.]

And so the time has finally come.

The bourgeoisie has signed the war decree with proletariat blood.

And that blood which flows from their pen is the closest that they've ever been to the people.

You've been to our shows.

You've sung our songs.

Now we're asking you to add to each chorus you've sung and...

Protest!... Against!... Injustice!... State terror!...

On the streets of the world for the disempowered.

You've sung at our shows;

cheered right over wrong.

Now it's time to hit the streets;

back up those words you've sung!

Because our voices alone this time will not get it done...

Looking to stop a rogue regime?

Well the first one that we must confront is Washington, D.C.

The Bush "terror war;" unconstitutional, unconscionable!

We refuse to let him kill, in our name, for oil!

We know their game;

know they're corrupt!

It's up to us to hit the streets -- time to take our rights back!

Protest!... Against!... Injustice!... State terror!...

On the streets of the world for the disempowered.

You've sung at our shows;

cheered right over wrong.

Now it's time to hit the streets;

back up those words you've sung.

Because our voices alone this time will not get it done...

Because the people, united will get it done!

Protest!... Against!... Injustice!... State terror!...

On the streets of the world for the disempowered!

Transcript of President Obama's "American Jobs Act" speech [VIDEO]

[President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress yesterday.  His plan is called the "American Jobs Act."  The speech was excellent; let's see what happens next.]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and fellow Americans:

Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors jobless, and a political crisis that has made things worse.

Welcome to the (civilian) life, soldier

[Recently I was asked to write a feature on assimilating back into civilian and college life.  The original will be published in the upcoming issue of Pitt Magazine.]

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TPN: A veteran gives advice on assimilation

So there you are. You’ve had this feeling before, this feeling of...anxiety — only this time, it’s different.

This time it’s not about waking up on time, making sure your boots are shined, uniform pressed, and haircut squared away. For us combat veterans, it’s not worrying if your weapon is clean and will fire or if the security team cleared the route properly. This is not that feeling you get right before you leave the wire — that feeling of excitement churned with a dash of worry and a dab of doubt.

But it’s there — different, but there.

Unions have "Stockholm Syndrome:" Where else does Organized Labor have to go? [VIDEO]

[FRSFreeStates brings another post to PfP.  Please check them out daily over at www.frsfreestates.blogspot.com!  If you would like to write a post, please email peopleforpolity.blogspot.com.]

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FRSFreestates: Unions have "Stockholm Syndrome:" Where else does Organized Labor have to go?

It’s pretty obvious that, ideologically, Organized Labor doesn't fit in very well with the Democratic Party; at least it doesn’t anymore.  Organized Labor fits in better with the Democratic Socialist Party or the Green Party; both parties are minor democratically socialist third parties in America.

They fit better because they are socialist themselves and tend to be anti-business, anti-free enterprise, anti-profit, pro-welfare  state, and if anything, would like to see America spend more on its welfare state and expand it like these socialist third parties.

But my question is, “Where does Organized Labor have to go?”

A letter to People for Polity

[This letter was written to us by Mr. Al Franken of America's Political Chat Room.  Be sure to check them out!  In honor of Labor Day, I felt it appropriate to publish it.  If you would like to contribute, please contact peopleforpolity@gmail.com]

Dear People for Polity, 

Labor Day has never been just another holiday to me.

Maybe it's because I've been a member of four unions myself. Maybe it's because, for many years, my family and I received our health care coverage from one of them. But it's been clear to me as long as I've been heading to work every day, American prosperity rests on the backs of working men and women and the families and communities they create.

It's so important that we take a day every year to honor the contributions of the labor movement. They struggled year after year against a system that didn't want to change -- but they didn't give up, and, well you know the end of the story.

Thanks to their fight, middle-class families have pensions and benefits. They can expect and demand fair wages for an honest day's work. And we all have the right to be treated justly and fairly by our employers, not to mention the most innovative of creations -- the weekend.

But the struggle of the working American is more than just our history. Turns out that wasn't the end of the story after all. Today's fight for middle class families and their rights is as important as ever.

Let's take this Labor Day to remember those who came before and recommit ourselves to the fight to preserve and expand America's middle class.

Thanks for standing up for what's right, and have a great day today.

Al Franken