First, it was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce using cybercrime to try to disrupt and discredit the Service Employees, Change To Win and other progressive groups.  Now, a Tea Party affiliate is planning disruptions of SEIU rallies – with the goal of painting the union as “labor goons.”
 
            A posting by the Sacramento-based so-called “Patriot Action Network” and blogger Mark Williams calls for Tea Partiers to dress themselves in SEIU’s trademark purple T-shirts, use them to hide signs that would alienate voters, then get in front of cameras and “lazy reporters” to chant obnoxious phrases such as “You OWE me.”
 
            Williams said he planned to sign up as an SEIU organizer and declare “Screw the taxpayer,” to “reporters looking for good quotes.”  His plan, and that of the Patriot Action Network, was discovered and relayed to the Daily Kos blog.
 
            Network Executive Director Darla Dawald first posted Williams’ blog, then later took it down and disavowed it.  But she did not disavow other anti-union statements on the Patriot Action Network website.
 
            “Time to get into to gear and organize your troops at the local level in the  areas listed below.  Contact your tea party and anyone else who will support our side.  It's time to show these big labor goons and the country we can organize without big Union and DNC money!  Let us know about your planned counter protests and we will promote it,” Dawald declared.
 
“Attention, taxpayers and Tea Party activists. The Purple Army” – SEIU’s nickname – “is coming to your town.  Don’t let these Big Labor goons monopolize the protest square like they monopolize government workers,” she charged.
 
            Dawald published a specific schedule, city by city from Feb. 22-24, of upcoming SEIU rallies, including events in Sacramento and in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 22.
 
            The Tea Party’s attempt to discredit SEIU follows revelations during the week of Feb. 15 about the Chamber’s campaign against the union and other progressive groups.  It used cyber-crime, such as false documents and e-mails, and hired a lobbyist, which in turn hired three “security” firms, to carry out the deception.
 
That hiring and subcontracting gave the corporate lobby “deniability” –- which was blown when 67,000 internal e-mails involving the lobby and the security companies clearly showed the Chamber was their client.