Squelched!

ETS!,

Earlier this year, investigative reporter Rick Shenkman did an excellent four piece investigative report on the stealth Port of Seattle for KIRO-TV. To KIRO's credit, three segments ran in February: 1) the Port's plush headquarters at Pier 69, 2) the Port's first class travel boondoggles and then-Port Commissioner Paul Schell's trips to the "Port of Paris," and 3) the Port hiring Mic Dinsmore as Executive Director (as one of the State's highest paid employees) when he never graduated from college, and then using Port money to send him to the U.W. Business School.

The fourth segment was on the Port's antics at upgrading their container terminals to ship even more containers to the Midwest and claiming big buck benefits, but forgetting to add in the costs of "freight mobility." The Port is caught on camera admitting that it screwed up and failed to disclose the costs to the community (from having your taxes fund rail/highway separation projects) of upgrading those terminals.

This segment never ran. Call KIRO-TV: 206-728-7777. Thank them for running their investigative report on the Port of Seattle and tell them you are waiting to see the final episode. After all, it would be embarrassing to have a paper run an investigative report on what happens to investigative reporting at KIRO.

--David E. Ortman, Seattle

Shaky Reasoning

Hello Geov,

Aw shit, even the flavor of your response to John Persak's criticisms and suggestions is a clear indicator that he is on target. Nothing stays the same, and if direct democracy is not in place at ETS! headquarters, then the paper will certainly become less anti-authoritarian--especially if there are any marxists in your midst. But most troubling is your shaky understanding of anarchy, which doesn't push any dogma, but opens the floodgate to allow all dogmas to pour in. "Dogma" is defined as an accepted belief, and as anarchists, our only belief is in direct democracy and not letting one person or group make decisions for others. This is the only cure for the ills reported in your zine, as public outcry and government regulation will at best slow things down. Your claim that anarchists are few in this town is off-base because many are anarchists, but don't know it because they fell for the lies of the capitalists/marxists on this subject, but if you could illuminate them and others about what anarchy really is, then you would go a long way toward creating a definite solution to all man-made problems. If adopting anarchist principles would destroy your paper, then that would speak more about the people involved than anarchy itself.

The tone of your answer to John's letter overshadows any possible merit your arguments may have, a tone we all often have when put on the defensive about something which we passionately care about. If you're not quite up to raising the black flag of anarchy, kick back, have a mixed drink and blow it out cher ass! I, for one, am doing all of the above!

Yours for the anarchist revolution,

--Benjamin F., Seattle

Also, I'm a little confused as to why two self-defined anarchists (you and John Persak), who've never met the full staff of ETS! or been to any recent work parties or meetings, think you know what our decision-making process is, and are so ready to condemn it. That's very authoritarian behavior, don't you think?.