L.A. Weekly: Letters to the Editor

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L.A. Weekly - Letters to the Editor, September 18-24 issue.

Dear Editor:
I would like to thank you for your excellent coverage of the campaign to
pass a Free Burma law with the City of Los Angeles.    However, I would
like to call attention to a statement made by one of ARCO's PR spokespeople
that went unchallenged in the article.   ARCO's Al Greenstein insists that
the company's recent withdrawal from Burma had nothing to do with human
rights, but was based purely on economics.

The Free Burma Coalition has successfully pressured dozens of corporations
to withdraw from Burma.    Few however, will ever admit that they are
responding to public pressure; they instead fall back on "economic
reasons."   The bottom line is that because of the organizing efforts of
the Free Burma Coalition at Occidental College, college president and ARCO
board member John Slaughter took a public position against ARCO's project
in Burma.    ARCO has been the target of frequent demonstrations at its
headquarters and gas stations, and has been attacked in giant banners held
over L.A.-area freeways.   ARCO shareholders have constantly had to deal
with opposition to the company's Burma project at their annual meetings.

If corporations like ARCO started acknowledging that principled, organized
grassroots campaigns can actually make an impact, then more people might
begin to get involved in efforts to demand corporate responsibility.   But
we can't have that, can we, Mr. Greenstein?

Brian Neil Rudiger
Los Angeles



Dear Editor:

Many thanks to the Weekly for your continuing coverage of the campaign to
pass a Free Burma ordinance with the City of Los Angeles.   Your sharp look
at the issues is always welcome.   However, concerning Councilman Holden,
let's give credit where credit is due.

Alex Katz, in "Holden Discovers Burma" [September 4-10], infers that
Holden's views on Burma have been influenced by the fact that ARCO has been
a "generous contributor" to his campaigns.     The reality is that
virtually every member of the City Council receives the maximum $500
contribution each election cycle from the company.   Councilman Holden has
long been a supporter of human rights, and was a powerful advocate for
strengthening L.A.'s original South Africa ordinance.   He has been lobbied
heavily by supporters of the military regime, supporters like UNOCAL and
USA Engage, and has nevertheless come out on the right side of the issue.
For that, we should be grateful.

Jocelyn Seagrave
Los Angeles







===================================================
Kevin Rudiger
Burma Forum, Los Angeles
Campaign for Corporate Withdrawal
2118 Wilshire Blvd #383
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310)399-0703 - phone
(310)392-9965 - fax
(310)588-3404 - pager
bfla@xxxxxxxxxxxxx