Thoughtful man, Gateway Rick. Well, we'll learn more about who he is by what he does. But defeating these bills is not adequate. We have to defeat the culture of death.

Incidentally, I know the current Supreme Court has, for the first time in history, ruled that the Second Amendment means there is a constitutional right to bear arms.

The ruling did not, however, say gun control was unconstitutional. Frankly, any sane person ought to know that what was called "arms" in 1787 bears about as much relationship to a Bushmaster semiautomatic as a mouse does to a mountain lion, except both are "mammals."

We can choose to fight for culture and life or we can permanently embrace a world of killing and death.

Seems to me that may be not only a fight worth making, but perhaps the most important fight of all.

Getting rid of Right to Work: After the lame-duck session of the Legislature rammed through legislation outlawing the union shop last week, many workers felt helpless.

The solons had shrewdly stuck some appropriated money into the union-busting bill. Anytime they do that with a law, it means voters cannot collect signatures to put it on the ballot to try to get rid of it, as happened last month in a referendum on the governor's first emergency manager law.

But there is, in fact, still a way to try to get Right to Work before the people. Here's how: When you can't do a referendum, try an initiative. Citizens would need to collect more than 258,088 valid signatures over 180 days, on petitions asking the Legislature to reconsider and repeal right to work.

Naturally, this Legislature will almost certainly say no. But if they do, they'll have to put Right to Work on the ballot, elections experts in the Michigan Secretary of State's Office told me last week. That wouldn't be till November 2014.

But that would give labor a shot. When Rick Snyder signed right to work into law, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin said, "The effort to reverse this wrong-headed action and restore a Michigan that encourages middle-class jobs ... begins today."

OK, well, if he and everyone else opposed to Right to Work is serious, I've just given you a road map. So take it.

Jack Lessenberry opines weekly for Metro Times. Send comments to

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