The Serfs Speak!

Dear ETS!,

I sent the following e-mail to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries:

I realize the official period for public comments has ended, but I decided to send in an e-mail in the chance it might be read anyway. Like many contractors at Microsoft, I have been working 12, 13, and 14-hour days this week. I basically cancelled my social life, my volunteer activities, sleep, and certain important meals to "give it all" for my team so we could ship our product. And for what? An uncertain future, a company that will eliminate me as soon as it becomes financially prudent, banishment from company parties, the security of knowing that the people who do not put in overtime don't get their contracts renewed?

I strongly encourage you not to rob contractors of a right that belongs to all other workers--the right to a 40-hour week, and the right to be adequately compensated when they are forced to work beyond those 40 hours. Needless to say, if your proposed rule change does go through, I will be moving to California. I have no interest in being exploited for my talents, merely because I "Possess a high degree of theoretical knowledge and understanding of computer system analysis, programming, and software engineering" and "Engage in work that is predominantly intellectual and inherently varied."

Since when did it become a liability to engage in intellectual work? I think this says a lot about American culture. Guess I shoulda been a football player.

--Brian Dellert, Kirkland

Unlivable Wage Jobs

Geov and Eat-The-Staters,

Apropos your news-you-can't-use from 1997 in the Dec. 23 ETS!:

I actually heard sometime in the last week an interview with a head of some service or charitable organization, on the "paradox" of increasing bread lines in an economy of relatively low unemployment. He actually said he couldn't figure out why this could be happening! I guess the immense number of very low paid part-timers who have to have assistance, especially if with families, didn't enter his mind. Couldn't enter his mind because his mind was filled with the celebratory debris being pumped out by politics and mega-media.

--Joe Maizlish, Los Angeles

Reparations

ETS!,

I wonder if the information in American Newspeak's "Dispassionate Objectivity" (ETS! vol. 2, #14, 12/9/97) wasn't third hand? The German government does have two separate payment systems--one for paying pensions to war veterans, and one for paying reparations to victims of concentration camps, etc.

Germany has, since the 1870's, paid pensions for soldiers in the German service. These include black North Africans who fought in East Africa during WWI, and who did not receive pensions until after WWII, when Germany was finally able to locate all older pensioners (the payment of the black soldiers was verified by the following means: since no paperwork existed on these aged men, a German sergeant who knew the rifle drill of WWI gave the old men a broom, and required them to do that particular drill. Anyone who could do it, got the pension).

Yes, it's possible that personnel convicted of war crimes have received pensions, and that victims have not received reparations. But on the whole, Germany has done very well in the matter of reparations--to the tune of billions of dollars. To require the pension fund to pay reparations would scramble records even worse than they already are. If I really wanted to, for example, I could hunt up distant relatives who had been in concentration camps and ask for my part of the reparations. This would be patently unfair, and there are certainly persons with fewer scruples than I who would be willing to attempt it.

And we don't use Social Security to pay for land mine clearances in Vietnam--although we might follow Germany's example in the matter of reparations to a people upon whom we visited so much suffering, for such a long period.

--Donna Barr, Bremerton

Chumbawamba's Politics

Dear ETS!,

I was a bit disappointed to read Alan Benson's analysis, in the Dec. 16 letters section, of Chumbawamba's terrible performance on the David Letterman Show. Think of it this way: of all the informative statements they could have made by altering the lyrics to the generic-sounding "Tubthumper" hit, they chose to say "Free Mumia Abu Jamal." It's a slogan which means nothing to those who don't know of the Mumia case and is not going to change the minds of anyone who is familiar with the case. (At least, I hope celebrity sloganeering is not the way we want to "raise consciousness" of vital issues.)

More telling about Chumbawamba's politics (I happen to love their music and acknowledge they used to have better politics) is that they sold the rights to "Tubthumper" to the makers of "Home Alone 3"--for promotional use, no less! While it was once arguable that the vague, generic lyrics to "Tubthumper" had some political meaning, that argument has been tossed out the window. Evidently, "We get knocked down" refers to the results of an elaborate home-defense system constructed by a child mistakenly abandoned by his family. Borderline cute, but not very political, much less revolutionary. I'm sure it made the band plenty of money, though.

Finally, in response to Alan's insistence that Chumbawamba is a "true anarchist collective," I think it might be important to find out if their roadies have full decision-making input and are paid equally (or more) for their harder work.

--Brian Dominick, Syracuse, NY

Secrets of the CIA

ETS!,

While channel surfing Saturday afternoon, I came across a show on Channel 9 with a segment titled "Secrets of the CIA." Was it the latest in espionage or overthrowing governments? Did it divulge the latest spy operations? No--it was a cooking show on how the CIA makes Tiramesu. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The left side of the TV screen displayed a banner "Secrets of the CIA--Tiramesu." In the remaining portions was a prim and proper chef, wearing the latest in chef's gear showing us how to make Tiramesu (a flavorful Italian whipped cream pastry)--the way the CIA likes it.

I suppose the process of overthrowing governments and shooting people makes one hungry. Public TV makes its day, and it's viewing worth watching. And the U.S. government discovers gourmet cooking. I wonder what President Bill is having for dinner tonight? Under government policies of trickle down economics, perhaps I might be entitled to some of the scraps ... maybe at least, after Sox, the White House cat, gets through with them.

--traveler@serv.net