The Thought Police: Coming To A Workplace Near You

Illustration: Whitehouse.org




I think "Thought Police" is an Orwellian term of art, at least, & I'm just sure Karl Rove is on it.

There outta be a law.

A woman in San Diego, California, lost her job over a bumpersticker advertising a progressive talk radio station, Air America, on her car.

That's all it said. But her vigilant (or vigilante) boss said, upon seeing it, said, "The country is on high alert. For all I know you may be Al-Queda." And fired her.

A North County (California) newspaper reported, "In a civil suit filed at the county courthouse in Vista, Linda Laroca is targeting both her former manager, Beverly Fath, and the company she briefly worked for last year, Advantage Sales and Marketing, Inc.

"Laroca, who was hired by the company as a sales representative, is seeking lost wages and damages for wrongful termination for violations of both public policy and the state labor code. She is also claiming state constitutional violations and emotional distress.

WHAT, you say? The California Labor Code prohibits employers from controlling or directing the political activities of employees? How subversive is that?

"In her Feb. 21 claim, Laroca asserts that on Oct. 8, three weeks after she started working for the marketing company, Fath called her on a Saturday and requested they meet at a nearby grocery store parking lot so Laroca could pass on some documents Fath needed.

"During the brief encounter, Laroca charges, the manager pointed to the bumper sticker--the only one on Laroca's car-- and remarked that it was a new sticker and called it 'that Al Franken left-wing radical radio station.'"

Laroca alleges in her suit that Fath then told her, "The country is on a high state of alert. For all I know, you could be al-Qaida."

"A stunned Laroca laughed nervously at the statement, the suit alleges, and then was dealt 'the final blow' when Fath fired her on the spot.'"

Demon Princess thinks it really is not offensive enough that someone (the Secret Service?) prowls the parking lots checking when Bush speaks, checking for evidence of anti-Christ/anti-Bush bumperstickers, since the President of America refuses to tolerate dissent of any nature from the people who elected him, after all, & accordingly "vets" attendees to his ostensibly public functions. Not trusting to chance, he also plants right-wing (the new "politically correct" crowd) sympathizers everywhere: public speeches, press conferences, etc.

However, we really must do more in the private world. It's appreciated that shopping malls boot teens wearing subversive slogans on their T-shirts, but we should definitely bump the action up a notch.

I say we reward employers like Beverly: extra-credit tax breaks, for instance, work them into the Patriot Act provisions, which will be the lasting legacy of the Bush Administration. A proud hallmark, if you will.

It's downright wrong to punish well-meaning employers with horrendous laws protecting the so-called "rights" (more accurately, wrongs), & crimes against the State of Oceania, with laws like the California Labor Code.

Karl, get on that. And start thinking about how we can get Citizens to snitch on their neighbors, and children on their parents. Think tax cuts for the adults, & lifetime supplies of, well, whatever ordinary kids these days like.

Dubya says, the Decider decides what's right.