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Contents this page were published in the January/February, 1998 edition of the Washington Free Press.
WFP, 1463 E. Republican #178, Seattle, WA -USA, 98112. -- WAfreepress@gmail.com
Copyright © 1998 WFP Collective, Inc.
The Best of American Newspeak
Buy Nothing Day
The Adbusters organization, out of Vancouver, Canada, has produced a commercial that has failed to meet the high standards of our three major networks. Against the backdrop of a pig, the ad questions overconsumption, calling on consumers to participate in Buy Nothing Day on the day after Thanksgiving. Despite having cash in hand, the ad was rejected by NBC because, in the words of VP Richard Gitter, the ad was "inimical to our legitimate business interests." An understandable reply. But CBS went even further in a letter rejecting the commercial, announcing that Buy Nothing Day is "in opposition to the current economic policy in the United States." They did not say if criminal penalties would be invoked against nonconsumers. (Wall Street Journal 11/19)
Superior Wages Await You
Nike was burned once again when an internal report on working conditions by accounting firm Ernst and Young was leaked to the press. The report describes a factory near Ho Chi Minh City where employees were working an average of 65 hours a week to earn an entire $10. Besides great wages, Ernst and Young also looked at the quality of the work environment and discovered the factory exceeded local standards for carcinogens by a mere 177 times. But lest you begin worrying, it should be known that Nike has an "action plan" to deal with the situation. They also have reassuring words spoken by PR representative Vada Manager. "There's a growing body of documentation," he says, "that indicates that Nike workers earn superior wages and manufacture products under superior conditions." Mr. Manager would not say where they were growing their documents, or which fertilizer they were using. (New York Times 11/8)
The New Spin on Trees
Last year the timber industry discovered it couldn't sell salvage logging on federal lands to the Congress. But what to call it? Representatives Helen Chenowith and Bob Schaeffer, both from Colorado, finally found an answer. Its name is the "Community Protection and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Act," aimed at eliminating the build-up of the well know hazardous fuel known amongst the uncultured as "trees." More specifically, it's aimed at culling "predominantly" dying timber. But the best part is in the fine print where we discover the depth of the timber industry's concern for the environment in these words: "Because of the strong concern for the safety of human life and property, and the protection of water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat, a sale... shall not be precluded because the costs of the sale may exceed the revenue derived by the sale." Looks like you gotta go to a Weyerhaeuser lobbyist to find genuine environmentalism. (H.R. 2458)
Hair Splitting for Fun and Profit
Scientists at the University of California's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory had a problem. They were working on a nifty $40 million particle accelerator that could be used to x-ray nuclear warheads and so assist in the development of new warheads. Unfortunately, their charter barred them from weapons production or even classified resarch. A dilemma until lab director Charles Shank stepped in to cut the Gordian knot at a public meeting in Berkeley. Said Shank: "I think it's inaccurate to say this lab is involved in a weapons program. The lab is building an accelerator that will be used by others in a weapons program." A fine distinction. The lab reportedly will be issuing T-shirts with the message "Our hands are clean, others are dirty." (San Francisco Chronicle 12/6)
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