[bood69]

I was somewhat puzzled by my reluctance to write about the
recent presidential coup. Since then I have come to realize
that what I was reacting to was not just the presidential
election, but a change in our readiness to accept and excuse
the dishonesty that runs through most of the more prominent
aspects of our culture.

Examples: Obviously the spectacle of the Supreme Court of our
country playing lickspittle to political hacks. We have since
heard that some of the Justices would not retire until a
Republican was in office to pick their successors. The minority
opinion was that the greatest loss was the loss of trust and
confidence in the Supreme Court as a body of men and women
who are above petty politics and would adhere strictly to truth
and, in so doing would serve our interests well. This is certainly
the most prominent and probably the most egregious example.

Consider the fact that very large corporations have been and
are being found to have known that the practices they were
following were killing people; but they have continued on
with such practices and worked hard to conceal them, rather
than changing their actions and protecting us.

Look at automobile companies, drug companies, asbestos
companies, construction companies, food preparation companies
and now power companies; in the last fifty years, and before,
these companies have been crucially negligent of our welfare.
The worst part of it all is that they have, for the most part,
been able to "cut their losses," pay off at a reduced rate, and
retain the 'privilege' of taking gross advantage of all of us.

The basic teaching to men and women who behave this way is
that they must learn to have no conscience and no concern for
the welfare of their fellow man or their descendants. They
must learn to tell the big lie---tell it loudly, tell it over and
over again, and never admit anything remotely having to do
with culpability.

Our culture worships business. We are not proud of the fact
that we have developed means of distribution that are the
envy of the world, we ARE proud of the money and the profit
that businesses make. We don't influence business directly,
but business exercises appalling influence on every aspect
of our lives. I believe that business, national and/or multi-
national influenced this past election powerfully. I am not
speaking here of small business so much as I am of the huge
national and multi-national businesses that are getting bigger
and more influential merger by merger. I can think of no
reason on earth why votes should not be recounted, by hand
(as W. Bush recommended), if there was the slightest suspicion
of irregularity. We are being and continue to be governed by the
people we give money and business to not by those we elect
to represent our interests.

How could this have happened? Since we see this pervasive
dishonesty happening all the time and in every aspect of our
lives, what's to be done? In school we are taught that we
elect "public servants" who serve us by protecting us from
such depredations. What nonsense! Our elected officials
behave like royalty. Our "representatives" are the servants
of business and the money business gives them. Take a good
look at the way in which our representatives are trying to
craft (craftily) a campaign financing reform that fools us
into believing they are doing something. All they really are
trying to do is substitute the names of the top executives
of companies for corporate names. Then tell me our power
to vote doesn't scare the powerful.

Not all of our elected officials are crooks, just enough of
them to kill any chance at all of us getting a fair shake.
An honest politician is treated with scorn and ridicule
and has no recourse at all. He or she is expected to learn
well that one must "go along to get along." Until this is
well learned (and demonstrated) she or he is demeaned,
slighted and denied access to the sources of voting power.
The current cultural ethos is inflexibly against them.

There you have it for good or for aye. I find myself, not
more but less, tolerant of the encroaching sanctity of
dishonesty and chicane. Business, however "big," is not
now and should never be sacrosanct. Our concerns over
business should not blind us when business steals from
us. Nor should it still our voices when business and the
morals it teaches perverts our most important right, the
right to vote, and by voting to exercise some control over
our governance.

Thanks for reading this,

Charles R. Fulweiler Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer


This was sent to me by e-mail as part of C&G's "e-news." Apparently, when you sign up for notification about software upgrades and offers they include the DNC talking points for free. Somehow I doubt that all of C&G's customers presume that the election was a sham and a "coup," aided and abetted by the Supreme Court. I sure as hell don't, I was not amused, and I won't be buying anymore of their products.

What does everyone else think?

[CaseCom]

I always make sure to decline all that "e-news" crap whenever I sign up for stuff. That is pretty obnoxious, though, using his company's sales channel as a personal soapbox. What if all Windows users got "A Personal Message from Bill Gates"?

Boycott if you want, but why not Talk Back to the CEO? Or e-mail the guy: [email protected]

I did notice that the guy's face and a link to his page are now featured prominently on the C&G home page.


Kinda creepy.

[Edit: danged UBB code!]

[This message has been edited by CaseCom (edited 01-30-2001).]

[Gregg]

Why write to the *former* CEO of the company?

You think the "board" approved that tirade?

[WDL]

I don't use the CEO's political views on my Macs - I use the software
his company creates - and it works beautifully on all 3 of my Macs.

The owner of one of the most popular older casinos in Las Vegas is a
Hitler lover and used to hold celebrations every April to commemorate
Hitler's birthday (until he got hit with a $500,000 fine by the Nevada
gaming commission) - this keeps me out of his casino, but it doesn't stop
me from going to Las Vegas.

WDL

[Scott_H]

Which is why I'll continue to buy Mac software not not C&Gs.

[Misha]

Actually C&G doesn't really create any of its software, it just publishes it (read: handles everything other than programming). Much like Ambrosia has been doing for years with a lot of its games.

Now with SoundJam gone (they still have the right to sell it, but let's face it, sales are not going to be great), Conflict Catcher being effectively dead, and its other utilities (Grammarian, Spell Catcher) falling behind as well, the company is getting caught between a rock and a hard place. There is no more talent.

At Macworld SF their booth had a large sign saying, effectively, "LET US PUBLISH YOUR SOFTWARE." And the company's only "new" product was a bundle of (mostly) dated utilities.

C&G has a lot of cash, I'm sure, so I doubt they will whither up and die any time soon, but they really need a new killer app to promote...

[bood69]

Just to update everyone-- I sent an e-mail to the e-news box and they were kind enough to respond. I wrote:

> I subscribed to your e-news for updates and offers on C&G software, not to read some tired liberal tripe. I will never buy your products again, EVER.

And they replied:

Thank you for taking the time to send your comments. We look forward to your continued interest in the future.

Sincerely,


Eamon Winston
Casady and Greene Inc.
[email protected]

Don't bet on it!

[bookrat]

LOL. Ah the wonders of technology and automated replies.



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