5/21/2004

Fox News Makes Life Easy For Idiots:
So the Rude Pundit was watching Fox "news" early this morning when he saw a report on Wal-Mart's efforts to win approval to build two stores in the currently Wal-Mart-free Chicago. Unlike in Englewood, CA, where a ballot initiative led voters to turn aside Wal-Mart's efforts to destroy small business like so many Godzillas in so many Tokyos, in Chicago a City Council vote has supporters on both sides: those who like their goods at a discount and their workers exploited, and those who believe that giant megacorporations shouldn't be able to rip apart communities. It's a zoning battle, you see. During the piece, the Fox "news reporter" mentioned that some of those who oppose Wal-Mart do so because of Wal-Mart's unfair labor practices, some of which involve actually breaking the law to stop unionization. However, the reporter pointed out, some of the individuals in the union organizing the effort have also broken the law. To be sure, there are some complex issues here, including bringing jobs (low-paying and benefit free, but, sure, yeah, they're jobs) to the South Side.

To Fox, the misdeeds of a few corrupt members of a large union, in this case the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, is morally equivalent with the corrupt policies of a giant corporation. Well, shit, guess that "bad apples" defense can only be trotted out when absolutely necessary, huh?

Just a quick one today - next week: Being Ahmed Chalabi and more degradation and misery in W's America.