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Wish I’d heard that Rush caller.
This idea , though, of “union” tradesmen refusing to participate en masse strikes me as wishful thinking.
NYC or NYState-based locals of all trades do NOT pass up
projects like this-—it’s just all a matter of how it plays out politically in the power structure of City and State, which now is embodied in the personages of Mayor Bloomberg, and AG (and Gubernatorial candidate) Andrew Cuomo. These two are the most prominent “Yay-sayers”.
They KNOW there is rapidly growing opposition to this on ALL sides, and Cuomo in particular must recognize his chances for occupying the Governor’s mansion are ALREADY compromised by his lining up behind Bloomberg.
But what would be the alternative if there is a threatened work stoppage/refusal to participate by large enough numbers of tri-state area workers?
Importing workers from elsewhere,( Bin Laden Construction,anyone?) would be the natural and horrifyingly unlikely
scenario. Don’t get me wrong, I DO think a mass refusal to work by locals would be THE best and strongest argument against the Mosque, one that would accomplish all the things that were fondly wished-for with the Landmarks Commission, or even the planned eminent domain move sometime in the future with one of the Governor candidates, namely Carl Paladino. It would further push this whole thing to the boiling point, and push Bloomberg into dictatorial mode, which I don’t think he’s ready for, but can imagine he could easily get to.
Another scenario, and one I hope does NOT come to pass, is that the Mosque will be built somewhere else “not so sensitive”. I think the Islamic conquest symbolism is EVERYTHING to Imam Rauf, so if he is pushed to accept the fact finally that America as a whole does NOT want Cordoba House at Ground Zero, he will lose interest in having it ANYWHERE else. And THAT will show you just what he had on his mind (OBVIOUSLY) all along.