¿Habla
usted español? A new bit of artwork is
decorating the walls of the Mission these days, unsigned and
mysteriously placed there. Not quite the language they teach you in
high school, nevertheless its message is clear.
How
sweat it is. The Maquila
Solidarity Network announces that the balloting has begun for
its Second Annual Sweatshop Retailer Awards. The bestowal of these
coveted prizes on a worthy corporation in Toronto on June 18 will
coincide with the presentation of the “Excellence in Retailing
Awards” by the Retail Council of Canada. Your vote counts. See the
network’s website for details.
Conversion experiences. First,
Bernie Sanders; now, James Jeffords. Last week the soap opera in
D.C. rivaled our melodramatic doings on the West Coast. M. Dennis
Sanders summed it up: “I feel that somebody with more words than I
and hope and honesty in their heart should thank Senator Jeffords
for daring to doing what he feels and knows what is right for the
nation!”
Meanwhile, Dubya was busy demonstrating the
compassionate side of his conservatism, (mis)quoting Dorothy Day in
a Notre Dame commencement address. The May 22 issue of Salon
speculates on the reason for the citation, and its sloppiness: “Worse
still would be if Bush and his staff knew and cared so little about
poverty they didn’t know or care anything about Day or what she
stood for, beyond the fact that she was a Catholic and they need
more Catholic votes. Given the fact that Bush's proposed budget
gives unprecedented tax breaks to the richest of the rich and crumbs
to the poor, the smart money has to be on the last explanation.”
Way to glow! The
irreverent environmentalist magazine Grist reports that an exuberant
Nuclear Energy Institute showered Vice President Dick Cheney with
party favors at a recent conference — super balls that glow in the
dark. Crowed nuclear power executive Christian Poindexter, “In my
wildest dreams, when I was over at the White House in March, I
couldn’t imagine them getting so behind us.”
Grist awards a few glowing balls of its own to the
Save
Our Environment Action Center for its silly video that urges the
man in the White House to “stop monkeying around with the country’s
energy policies.”
Grounded. American
Airlines is a major sponsor and supporter of groups like GLADD, the
Human Rights Campaign, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the AIDS
Action Foundation, DIFFA, AmFAR, and scores of community-based
groups representing gays and lesbians. It is also the first airline
to adopt a written non-discrimination policy covering sexual
orientation in its employment practices.
In an unusual joint letter released to the media
on March 14 by the Family Research Council, Concerned Women of
America, American Family Association, and Coral Ridge
Ministries, American Airlines was openly criticized for its
policy. Radical right leader Beverly LaHaye also went on Christian
“talk radio” to blast American Airlines on the grounds that the
airline’s sponsorship of homosexual “pride” events constitutes
an open endorsement of “promiscuous homosexuality.” She and the
other groups have written Bob Crandall at American Airlines to
complain that the airline has “gone beyond mere tolerance” of
gays and lesbians. American Airlines’ switchboard and emails are
being bombarded now by homophobic and hateful callers who have been
urged by LaHaye and others to demand the company terminate
its gay-friendly policies.
The following petition is being circulated on the
internet. Send it to American Airlines Corporate Communications
Department, MD 5575, P.O. Box 619616, D/FW International Airport,
TX, 75261-9616; or email amrwebmaster@amrcorp.com.
To American Airlines:
We, the undersigned, support your gay/lesbian
rights policies and commend you for your efforts in ending
discrimination. Thank you for your dedication to such issues and
please continue to remain active in the struggle to end
discrimination.
B.C.
