To the Fifth Estate,
As a result of the Airports and Airways Bill, which was passed by Congress recently, all air travel within or from the U.S. commencing after July 1, will involve changes in U.S. Transportation taxes. The local Media has done a fine job in keeping the truth from the public as they usually do.
All Air Transportation will now be taxed at 8%. It was 5% before July 1—an increase of 3%. The Law prohibits showing the fare and tax separately. On any ticket issued, no tax must be written on it, ONLY THE BASE FARE. The law further states that any ticket agent or travel agent who violates this provision of the law (showing the tax on the ticket) is guilty of a misdemeanor. And they call this the land of the free—bullshit!
The government is trying to hide the tax from the people by not letting them know how much they are being taken for. And are holding the ticket agents responsible for making sure the tax is concealed from the Public’s eye.
You have a right to know, as a tax payer, how much you are being taxed, but according to these new regulations, it’s none of your damn business, People of Amerika.
So, the next time you fly and you find yourself paying three to five dollars more, don’t blame the airlines or the ticket agents,blame Trickey Dick and the Congressional Puppet Show who want to bleed every cent they can out of you.
All Power to the People.
Bob Swek
Traffic/Rate Desk North Central Airlines
To the Fifth Estate:
More on Fort Wayne—”the heart and lungs room.” [See Brass Boiling over Fort Wayne Exposé: Spec. Brown Transferred As More Irregularities Charged, FE #106, May 28-June 10, 1970 .] About fifty of us lined up along three walls of a room. The doctor stood at the fourth wall and asked that anyone with a history of heart or lung trouble step into the center of the room.
He would examine them (last). He then went to the first person in line and listened to first his heart for about four seconds with a stethescope, then his lungs. He began to spend less and less time on each subsequent “examination.”
When I saw that after he had checked about two thirds of the people, he had reduced his “examination” to a tap on the chest and a tap on the back with the stethescope, I held my breath. I was the last person in line. When he got to me I was about ready to burst. He tapped my chest and back with the stethescope.
“Next station,” he said.
Name withheld
Dear Editors:
I think your paper is sorry. Secondly I feel that any man who doesn’t have brains enough to get a haircut and wash his funky ass and doesn’t have enough guts to fight for his country is a sorry S.O.B.
The first time I see a commie carry a VC flag or burning an American flag I will take the VC flag shove half it up he or she’s ass break the other half off and beat them to within an inch of their greasy hide.
I have killed but I am not a baby killer, murderer or fascist pig, but a United States soldier serving his country to preserve peace in the free world.
It’s apparent to me that you people are communists and don’t deserve to be citizens of our free country. You don’t know how good you have it. If you don’t believe me come over here and see for yourself. If you have enough guts, print this.
S-Sgt. John St. Clair
401-47-9872
HHC, 3rd Bn. 173 BED. APO San Francisco, Ca. 96387
Staff note: Dear Sarge: Your charges are stupid and your threats are meaningless, but perhaps some of the thousands of GIs in Vietnam that read our paper could answer you better than we could. After all, they are “over there” too. If anybody decides to write, please send us a copy so we can reprint it in the paper.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You made a serious political mistake listing the fire doing $100,000 worth of damage at Long Island University on May 9 (and probably other similar occurrances were listed too) on the pages “Warfare 1970” [FE #106, May 28-June 10, 1970]. Unfortunately, this is merely a reflection of the idea held by some movement people that any property destruction represents a step forward.
Destruction of property per se does not move the country closer to revolution. Anyone who believes it does greatly underestimate the power of U.S. monopoly capitalism. Thus, our targets should be related to US imperialism, racism, or some other aspect of oppression carried out by American capitalism.
If the target is chosen randomly without consideration of the role it plays,the left won’t be in a better position because of its destruction. For example, there are important differences between the bombing of a corner grocery store and the bombing of property belonging to General Dynamics.
The former’s relation to the perpetration of oppression is quite ambiguous at best while the relation to it by the latter is quite clear.
To relate this to the fire which destroyed several departmental offices at LIU, the fire (assuming it was caused by arson) did nothing to raise consciousness due to its tenuous link to the killing and suffering caused by US imperialism.
Above all, we must remember the correctness of Chairman Mao’s statement that political strategy should determine military strategy. We don’t (or at least shouldn’t) engage in bombings or arson because we think it’s fun or can’t think of anything better to do. The targets we choose must be chosen with the idea of helping to promote consciousness raising rather than at random. In short, sabotage should be regarded as only one aspect of a broad strategy.
Walter Robinson
Bronx, N.Y.
Dear brothers and sisters:
If you should be coming back from Canada, please take every caution possible. The United States customs freaks are trying to bust whomever they can. Pulling over all, even slightly real people.
They’ve put a house trailer there so we can be searched quickly then either jailed or released. There is little chance of escaping unless contraband is concealed effectivly.
It is good if we all stop being careless. It is difficult to win a revolution behind bars.
R.N.B.
Dear Fifth Estate:
Albert Kahn Associates, Inc., architects and engineers of hundreds of auto factories, are celebrating their 75th anniversary. Albert Kahn got his ideas about running a white-collar office from Henry Ford. As a result, Kahn draftsmen worked long hours for little pay. They were always very, very tired. Here is a story about one of those employees:
“Mr. Kahn, I’d like to take tomorrow off.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t had a day off in ten years.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Mr. Kahn, my wife is going to have a baby.”
“Wonderful! Go ahead, take a day off.”
When the amployee reappeared in the office, Albert Kahn greeted him with a smile.
“Well, what about the baby?”
“The baby?”
“Yes, yes. Don’t you remember? You said your wife was going to have a baby.”
The employee looked solemnly at Albert Kahn and said: “Oh, Mr. Kahn that won’t be for another nine months.”
Alan Mather.