Sexual Harassment at the Auto Plant

Nearly five years ago, Mitsubishi Motors settled a lawsuit over sexual harassment of women at its Normal auto plant. In 1998, the company paid $34 million, which more than tripled the previous record for the largest settlement in the history of the US government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), after settling an earlier private sexual harassment suit for $9 million. The lawsuits against Mitsubishi, detailing sexism so ugly and outrageous that the company realized it had no hope of prevailing in court, may be the worst publicity Bloomington-Normal has ever received.

In 1994, Peoria lawyer Patricia Benassi filed a private lawsuit accusing the company of sexual harassment, nothing that she heard from harassed women almost immediately after the Mitsubishi plant opened. But it wasn't until 1991 that civil rights law allowed women to recover damages for sexual harassment (up to $300,000), which made litigation possible.

However, the major publicity about Normal didn't reach the national press until April 9, 1996 when, after a 15-month investigation, the EEOC brought charges against Mitsubishi. The EEOC interviewed hundreds of women and found grotesque abuses. The EEOC also condemned "the company's practice of not imposing any meaningful discipline on its employees, and its practice of turning a blind eye to the retaliation of co-workers." [Full Article]

The World Scientists' Warning to Humanity

For the last several months,a document entitled the "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity" has been receiving considerable attention in Bloomington-Normal. It was originally released in 1992 by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and has been reprinted in numerous books, magazines, and informational pamphlets since.

Last December, Dr. Angelo Capparella of Illinois State University's Biology Department delivered an address based on this document to the Illinois Economic Development Policy Conference, held at the Bone Student Center to assist now Governor Blagojevich's transition team.

Dr. Capparella's statement based on the Warning was published in the January 29 issue of the Indy, and he again spoke of the document at Global Review's weekly forum on January 30. The Argus, Illinois Wesleyan's student newspaper, decided to duplicate the global alert in its entirety in its February 7 issue.

The Illinois State University chapter of Student Environmental Action Coalition has made a considerable effort to educate the public about this very important document. [Full Article]

Drug War Goons

On Monday, February 24, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of 55 people associated with distributing drug paraphernalia over the internet. This crackdown, aptly labeled "Operation Pipe Dreams," effectively shut down 11 internet businesses and begins a new page in the Bush Administration's continuance of the nation's "War on Drugs" - a proven failure for many years.

Operation Pipe Dreams, based in Pittsburgh at the office of US attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, is seeking to end the sale of smoking accessories, such as glass pipes and bongs, which have traditionally been marketed for the purpose of smoking tobacco. But, Buchanan and Ashcroft decided to seize up to several million dollars worth of merchandise, because, in the words of Buchanan, "No one would possibly use these items for smoking tobacco." Many popular counter-cultural websites have been completely shut down, such as smokelab.com and puffpipes.com. Others voluntarily shut down their sites out of fear of future attacks by the Attorney General. Rob Smith, owner and operator of 420times.com, issued a statement via e-mail to all of his customers and supporters stating that he is removing his site from the internet until "Bush and Ashcroft leave us alone." The recent raids have instilled fear in many of those who have a vested interest in the $50 million per year industry. One statement in Smith's letter to the public summed up the industry's sentiments best: "I fear jail, like many of you." [Full Article]

Life After Graduation: The Internship

I was at a bar when I had a revelation. I was surrounded by the usual drunkards and thought, "Jesus, I have to get out of here." I made the smoothest exit via the emergency door only to feel this plaguing sense of discontent. It wasn't the bar--but maybe the town, or perhaps the state... was it the country...? Right. I'm told I can graduate in May and I think that's the answer to this feeling of unrest I have. So I am left with one question.

I think many students are not even aware of all the opportunities they have when they graduate. It seems we must either join the traditional work-force (rat race!) or land an internship at a well-known company. It's unavoidable. It is just the next step in our inevitable progression to attain the American dream. Right? [Full Article]