Views in brief
More to the Olympics than George Bush
HELEN REDMOND is right to point out the rabidly nationalist coverage of the Olympics in the American media ("Nothing golden about the Olympics").
However, having watched two weeks of coverage from Mexico City, it is worth pointing out that most of the rest of the world saw the Games as a confirmation of China as a rising power and the inability of the U.S. to dominate the world at will.
Michael Phelps aside, the U.S. struggled just to keep up. And, far from Bush's presence at the opening ceremonies putting an American stamp on the Games, he was a footnote in international coverage. In fact, Bush faded into an almost irrelevant spot amongst the tens of thousands of spectators lucky enough to witness the unbelievable spectacle of dance, music and fireworks.
One does not have to be a supporter of the Chinese state's methods to understand that U.S. imperialism is not the only game in town. And besides, behind all the posturing, there is still something beautiful and moving about teamwork and competition, victory and defeat and a genuine appreciation of sport.
Todd Chretien, Oakland, Calif.
What really happened in Ohio?
THANK YOU for what you are doing at SocialistWorker.org. I look forward to making the site a part of my daily reading.
I did want to bring something you left out in your description of what happened in Ohio between the California Nurses Association (CNA) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) ("Behind the SEIU-CNA conflict").
You failed to mention the important fact that before SEIU District 1199 got the "backroom deal" that included a vote without an organizing drive, 1199 fought a vicious three-year campaign against the Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) that included marches on the bosses and everything else you'd expect in a hard-fought three-year organizing drive.
Eventually, the CHP bosses broke and agreed to allow an election. District 1199 agreed to a "ceasefire" if the CHP would allow a vote to go through, which would have given all the workers in this chain of hospitals a union.
Why would you leave that out? Did you all even know about the background? All those folks are today without a contract and a union because the CNA busted the three-year drive and spoiled the vote at the last possible second.
Is that what you think of when you think of a militant union? The whole thing breaks my heart, and what's worse, these workers fought very hard to get SEIU 1199 in. They should be represented by a union and have a contract right now. They don't because of another union which has no intention of ever organizing them. Nor was the CNA around more than three years ago when SEIU District 1199 first came knocking.
I just can't understand why fellow working-class people could look at this and say either side is justified in union-busting. This is the impression (CNA=good, SEIU=bad) that I received from your description of the successful union-busting campaign the CNA led in Ohio.
Working people should not be fighting like this. In this instance, the article did a poor job of explaining what actually happened in Ohio. It's very disheartening to me.
Jim Conway, from the Internet
SW was right about The Dark Knight
FOUR THESES regarding The Dark Knight ("Batman's war of terror"):
First, the Batman story inherently glorifies conservative vigilantism--it is the whole premise of the story. That is why the social and political content of all Batman movies is questionable.
That point holds no matter how well or poorly the particular Batman movie is made. That doesn't make it a crime to enjoy them; it does, however, make it stupid to try and defend them.
Second, the liberalism of the latest installment is what makes the film all the more insipid. It is necessary to destroy the "enemy"--chaos, terrorism, crime, evil, etc.--but by doing so we are in danger of becoming like our enemy. The point is trite and about as deep as an evaporating wading pool.
Batman represents good, however. He always catches himself before going too far, and that reinforces our belief that the good guys--billionaire men in capes and tights, "crusading" district attorneys, honest cops, etc.--will in the end work for what's "right" and keep us all safe.
Third, how does the film end? Batman takes the heat, knowing that in the end, he will be called in when the dirty work, like kidnapping Chinese businessmen and bringing them back to the U.S., needs doing. We may fear his vigilantism, we may berate him for his unorthodox methods, but, by God, without him...
Fourth, the scene on the boats (where the Joker tries to get the respective passengers and crews to blow each other up) isn't just about counterposing faith in humanity with the Joker's lack of faith. The point of that scene is to show that the "enemy" who wants to tear our society down--the crazy terrorist who wants to wreak havoc for the fun of it--is outside the realm of humanity. "We"--all Americans, from Black prisoners to whining businessmen--come together in the end to stand up to "chaos." This is a deeply patriotic, reactionary message, wrapped up in a liberal bow.
The Dark Knight does indeed tap into a cultural vein, and this explains how its popularity has risen far beyond its quality as a film. It is too long (two-and-a-half hours for a cartoon!), the action is relentless and always at the same intensity and tempo, and, therefore, ultimately boring, and the only humor comes when the Joker is on the screen. Without Heath Ledger's brilliant performance the film would be flat as a pancake.
Paul D'Amato, Chicago
No kindness in the House of Corrections
I HAVE a friend currently in custody at the House of Corrections in Franklin, Wis. He is awaiting trail. He cannot afford his bail and has been denied a signature bond.
He takes a lot of medication daily. His dosage has been cut in half, and he was told there was no way they could give him his medication as prescribed. He suffers from a shaking disorder of the extremities. He has fallen due to the lack of medication several times and was told by the nurse that, if the infirmary was called again on his behalf, she would give him a shot to stop the shaking--but that the side effects would probably paralyze him for two days, and he would have to remain in isolation during that time.
Needless to say, my friend spends most of his time in bed for fear of falling and the nurse being called.
I find it ironic that we are kinder and more humane to people in other countries than we are to our own. I know that people are incarcerated for a reason, but whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? Or, how about just a little kindness for a fellow human being?
Dedra Richardson, from the Internet
Don't fight for cheaper oil
WHILE I certainly agree that Exxon's profit is disgusting and unnecessary, I do not agree that we should be fighting for lower oil prices ("Misery for workers, profits for the rich").
Fossil fuels are destructive of the environment, and that affects workers disproportionately. Higher oil prices create all the right incentives to conserve that are a necessary prerequisite to a clean-energy revolution we should all embrace.
A more direct and effective approach to dealing with the hunger caused by the rising price of fuel would be to subsidize food for the people who have the most difficulty paying for it and rethinking trade policies that completely cut off local agricultural self-sufficiency in the name of comparative advantage.
David J. Barboza, Los Angeles
