Dialogue welcome, but “brown shirt” label crosses the line
A column published Friday detailed some of the efforts undertaken over the past ten years by the St. Louis chapter of Jobs with Justice, a national movement that advocates for fair wages and other work-related issues.
The column noted that Lara Granich, the director the local chapter, is proud to call herself a community organizer. It also pointed out that some do not think kindly of that job description, notably fans of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.
When writing about a community organizer, it seemed prudent — if not fair — to take note of an opposing viewpoint.
In the further interest of fairness, here is reader Mike Lee’s (unedited) response:
Give Mr. Lee this: At least he had the guts to sign his real name. He was even so bold as to send the e-mail from his company account, J&J Sales Reps near Westport. I have a pretty thick skin and, as a journalist, welcome a healthy dialogue on job-related issues as much as anyone. But a thinly-veiled suggestion that I am a fascist by someone who knows nothing about me, my values or my family crosses the line. So, I called Mr. Lee and asked how he’d feel if I posted his observations.
His response:
(11 votes, average: 2.91 out of 5)
Loading ...
What’s scary is, some people think that paying someone millions is reasonable. NOBODY, save influential world leaders, works hard enough to earn that kind of money.
What we’re battling here are generations of a being rich tradition. Granich grew up in the working class, most folks against looking out for the low man did not.
John, if you think world leaders deserve that kind of money, I weep for the world you live in. The world leaders serve the people, and we are not getting value for our investment. Rush and other like him are small business men and women. They make their money based on advertisers who realize a nice return for having their products sold on the radio and TV shows they operate. This is called capitalism. I am not sure what your brand of economic theory represents, but it does not appear to be capitalistic. A better analogy for you would be Hollywood stars getting 25MM for a movie that bombs. In our society you should pay for results. Period. Rush et al get them. Our political leaders, on both sides of the aisle do not.
This is probably the most petty thing that I have read in a while. If that is what the writer was going for, good for you I guess.
After muddling through the disparaging remarks and a minefield of spelling errors, I’m not sure what to make of the opposing viewpoint. I’m not sure I would pass it on to any employees — not a great snapshot of the boss.
Mike Lee’s missive makes me weep for the future of the Industrial Wholesale Supply Sales Industry.
i believe i know ms. granich. she’s a great person who does good work. beyond that, this post, the uncut letter included, and the response—priceless. xie xie, gracias, danke, cheers!
Limbaugh is a hugh entertainer and radio personality.
When did Rush Limbaugh change his name to “hugh?” Or is there a radio personality named Hugh Limbaugh I haven’t heard of, yet.
____I think we can all relax and not worry about the future of Mr. Lee’s trade, as I’m certain he has an assistant who edits his business letters and proposals for syntax, spelling, capitalization, and content.
At least - - I hope so…
Otherwise there may be a lot of in-house snickering at J&J Sales Reps…
Wow, I’ll make note never to post comments that a writer at the Post dislikes, otherwise he’ll out me and tell everyone where I work and how I make a living. Talk about using the bully pulpit - especially when it says “email will not be published” on the log-in. If I were Mr. Lee I’d be talking to a good attorney.
John H,
Mr. Lee sent his observation to my Post-Dispatch e-mail account. I contacted him personally to inform him I was considering posting his comments on the STLJobWatch blog. He assented during our telephone conversation and followed up in the e-mail response published above. I can assure you I would never publish the name of a reader or his or her company in a comment attached to this blog. Thanks for writing.
Steve Giegerich