So. Hopefully - after hours on the phone, I'll now be on my way to Iowa on Sunday. Technically I'll leave here Saturday night and train across to Manchester and wait through the early hours until my flight leaves (first via Paris CDG) just after 6:00am Sunday. Right now, it all looks good with 95% + of all flights now back in operation, but given recent events I'm not counting on anything until I'm en route to Iowa. Even then I'll be keeping an eye out for mavericky plumes and getting all hopey that there's no changey.I've managed to get a big chunk of Impact work out of the way, so that'll all be in the hands of the designer. As long as I get regular PDFs of the pages sent through, I think we'll all be okay. There will be some reviews to get done before the end of the month, but I should be able to manage that.
On the rant front, I couldn't help noticing the news-story about an employee of communications giant Geico and the US Tea Party that's currently circulating. You can get a more specific run-down of at least one side of the argument from the blog of the man involved D C Douglas (http://www.myvoiceoverguy.com/voice-over/freedomworks-geico-tortious-interference/ ) but essentially - even according to Fox News - what happened was that Douglas, perhaps inadvisedly left a pointed message on the voice-mail of Tea Party party FreedomWorks USA. Annoyed at some of their own attitudes he casually enquired how many mentally-retarded worked there and how long before someone got killed because of their actions. The wording may have been stupid and perhaps leaving his phone-number was even more ill-advised. But what FreedomWorks did next is... troublesome.
They called him back, established his identity, found his Facebook page, realised he was involved in doing voice-work for Geico and then put Douglas' message on their own website, published his contact details and told people to ring Douglas AND his employee and to complain about his attitude. A lot of people did. Subsequently, Geico decided to not employ Douglas any more. Douglas is suing for what is called Tortious Interference (essentially his professional life being hit unfairly).
A top FreedomWorks rep just appeared on Fox News (with bright and breezy Megyn Kelly burbling that Douglas must have some nerve to sue people he insulted) and the rep refuted that Douglas has any case he can bring. The rep also says that they make no apologies for publicising Douglas's details and that future employers have a right to know about the leanings of a person they want to hire.
Really? Because... no. The the last time I checked, this the selfsame Tea Party that complains that they are being unfairly targetted by the media, that say they have a right to express their opinions and believe its unAmerican to be penalised, harrassed or brow-beaten for doing so. Douglas may have proven himself a bit of an idiot for doing what he did - but unless Douglas called from Geico's building or he himself explicitly brought them into the complaint against FreedomWorks, then as far as I can see Douglas has an excellent case for harrassment. FreedomWorks, on the other hand, looks like hate other people going after them personally, but are more than happy to release the hounds to destroy someone's unconnected career when it suits.
It's good to talk. It's good to fly. Both should be done without a great big honkin' shadow hanging over your head because of what you do in your spare time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMUVFctJ2Xw