Kpt. Otto: Poor soul, get out of that situatution and get another job for 6.00 an hour. Flint: There are better jobs out there. When I quit fast food, I went into Telemarketing. Which also sucked... which I think might even be easier to organize than fastfood. Then to get any more pay... I had to relocate about 400 miles, leaving behind my family and friends. Now I'm earning $20/hour doing computer work. But its still a job and I would still benefit from having a union. A union just isn't about wages... its about selfrespect, dignity and democratic control. Something the retired Kpt. Otto might talk alot about... but does he practice it? If you don't have democracy where you spend most of your waking hours (your job!) do you really have it at all?
Kpt. Otto: With what you've put up with 3 years you can become a private in the army.
Flint: Join the army! What a great idea! I'll go sign up to kill and be killed right now! I can be going around the world for "humanitarian" interests... like the 200,000 dead in Iraq (half of which are civilians) directly from bombing... or the Million dead from starvation and sickness. I can go to Chiapas, Mexico or Columbia where the U.S. Government has trained death squads who assassinate anyone who raises their voice (or is suspcted of whispering about) human rights, unionism or democracy. Maybe I can be lucky and go to Yugoslavia where I'll intercede on behalf of nationalists who agree to IMF fiscal policy and kill those nationalists who don't! Maybe if I'm really lucky I'll be involved in intelligence and can help destablize the democratic government any country that doesn't agree with the New World Order.
But hey, support our troops right! Any question of our military adventures just shows your unpatriotic.
Kpt. Otto: We need followers like you. We are not interested in leaders like yourself.
Flint: The IWW has two beliefs when it comes to leaders.
Were All Leaders!
We Have No Leaders!
People don't need bosses, they need to be treated like equals... each capable of making decisions for themselves. And decisions made by everyone together will reflect the interests of everyone... rather than decisions being made by a small hierarchy... be it your boss on the job, your military commander, your dean or the politician who claims to "represent" you.
Kpt. Otto:That Jones fellow has about the worst advice I"ve ever read in history.
Flint: Since your retired... maybe you should take time to read more history now. Most of the benefits people have in the US today come from the direct action of unions. The 8 hour day, the end of child labor, safe working conditions, overtime pay, pensions, health insurance... almost everything that stops work from being something other than wage slavery had to be fought for by people willing to stand up for themselves and their fellow workers. Since labor has been backpedalling since the 70s, many of these privileges and rights have eroded. Were going to have to fight to get them back.
Kpt. Otto: My garbage man gives better advice than that clown.
Flint: I imagine the garbage man is already in a union. Many muncipal employees are.
Kpt. Otto:You can be anything you want in life, but don't listen to the Jones.
Flint: Yeah... better not listen to me. You might do something crazy like not do what your told. The entire fabric of society will come crashing down. It'll be chaos if people stop following orders their bosses give them. I mean... thats what democracy is right... mob rule? Thats crazy talk. Now shut up and do what your told.
Kpt. Otto: Good luck in the Army!!!
Flint: Go interesting places, meet interesting people and then kill them.
Solid,
Flint
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McSpotlight: Ack, sorry about the first one getting through.
None.
