[comp.sys.next] Druggies leaving Motorola???

daugher@cs.tamu.edu (Walter C. Daugherity) (12/12/90)

This bizarre article was posted by nedludd@ut-emx.uucp (charles s. geiger,
esq.):

Newsgroups: austin.general
Subject: Article in Macweek 11.20.90 Concerning Austin
Keywords: Motorola, drug-testing, Ann Richards, blah
Message-ID: <41124@ut-emx.uucp>
Date: 10 Dec 90 18:35:44 GMT
Distribution: austin
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, Texas
Lines: 45

[Quoted from the "Mac the Knife" column, 20NOV90 issue of
 MacWeek.]

Down Texas way

As is his frequent wont, the Knife decided to extend his
out-of-town excursion a few extra days. After the purifying
experience of a visit to Las Vegas, it seemed only reasonable to
visit the best of all possible Texas Swing towns, Austin. No sooner
had the Knife grabbed his first long-necked Lone Star [I wish
foreigners would stop using Lone Star as an icon of Texas--the
stuff isn't even regionally owned anymore, and it's real swill to
boot--Ed.] than his attention was drawn to a conversation between
the bartender and a couple of other lonesome folks at the bar.
Something about several strangers, rumored to be recruiters from
Intel and IBM, hanging around the Motorola parking lot lately.

  A few simple questions revealed that because of Motorola's
insistence on instituting mandatory random drug testing of all
employees next January, some of its employees have already left or
are planning to leave the company in protest. What got the Knife's
interest is that most of these employees are from the 68040 and
RISC engineering staff. The recruiters were in town to feed on the
disaffected.

  If engineers leave in significant numbers, it's possible that
68040 and RISC development could be delayed. Apparently, the best
way to avoid this mess is for the Austin City Council to pass an
ordinance outlawing employee drug testing. At last count, two
members were for it, two against it, and three were sitting on the
fence. On second thought, perhaps the best course of action would
be to wait until January and let Ann Richards resolve the matter.

[end of article]

And in a national publication! Didn't know our petty local affairs
were of such great interest throughout christendom. Ann Richards
also seems to be famous enough to be a household name among the
educated. Interesting.

-- 
I am, most sincerely,
charles s. geiger, esq.

"Down with all kings but King Ludd" -- Byron

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe that explains the bugs in the 68040? :-)
Of course, maybe the people quitting never used drugs and are standing up
against what they see as an invasion of privacy.
Food for thought....


--
Walter C. Daugherity			Internet, NeXTmail: daugher@cs.tamu.edu
Texas A & M University			uucp: uunet!cs.tamu.edu!daugher
College Station, TX 77843-3112		BITNET: DAUGHER@TAMVENUS
	---Not an official document of Texas A&M---

smithw@hamblin.math.byu.edu (Dr. William V. Smith) (12/12/90)

>Maybe that explains the bugs in the 68040? :-)
>Of course, maybe the people quitting never used drugs and are standing up
>against what they see as an invasion of privacy.
>Food for thought....

Ok, I can see it now ... A room somewhere deep in Motorolaland

"Hey, Billybob, gimme some of that stuff!"
"Stuffit grease ball! I paid good american money for this!
Besides, you ain't finished with yer part of that there
trace design.  Ya'll were the one who said smokin' dope 'increased
ma insites an' abilities ta parform this here complexifyin'
semiconductin' stuff'.  You better get goin' cause them nExt
fellars er a screamin' for thar chips!"
"Aw Billybob, ya know it wern't ma fault that them ashes got
dropped in that last batch!  Jeez, didn't those HP folks hop
when they found out thar was a veryation on the heat
dissipation characteristics? Heh, heh."
;-) ;-)
--
            __________________Prof. William V. Smith____________________
EMail:  smithw@hamblin.math.byu.edu  or  uunet!hamblin.math.byu.edu!smithw
SMail:          Math Dept. -- 314 TMCB; BYU; Provo, UT 84602 (USA)
NeXTmail:                   smithw@mathnx.math.byu.edu
Phone:            +1 801 378 2061         FAX:  +1 801 378 2800

gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (12/13/90)

-------
In article <10818@helios.TAMU.EDU>, daugher@cs.tamu.edu (Walter C. Daugherity) writes...

[article about Motorola employees quitting because of mandatory drug testing]
> 
>Maybe that explains the bugs in the 68040? :-)
>Of course, maybe the people quitting never used drugs and are standing up
>against what they see as an invasion of privacy.
>Food for thought....


I know you probably meant well when you posted your note.  And I see the
smileys in your note.  But there's something really offensive to me about the
tone of it, particularly the title: "Druggies leaving Motorola???", which
implies that those employees who refuse to submit to an invasion of their
privacy are quite possibly guilty of drug use/abuse.  Think about it: if it
were decided that due to whatever reason the police were now allowed to search
anyone's home w/o a warrant, would all those who opposed this be suspected of
being criminals?

Yeah, I know, you didn't mean it that way, but think about it.

In any case, this should probably be taken somewhere else; see followup.

Robert


============================================================================
= gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to =
=            		         * all my opinions are *  compute"         =
=                                * mine                *  -Kraftwerk       =
============================================================================

lwb@pensoft.UUCP (Lance Bledsoe) (12/19/90)

In article <SMITHW.90Dec12090712@hamblin.hamblin.math.byu.edu> smithw@hamblin.math.byu.edu (Dr. William V. Smith) writes:
>
>Ok, I can see it now ... A room somewhere deep in Motorolaland
>
>"Hey, Billybob, gimme some of that stuff!"
	.
	.
	.

Ok, I can see it now ... A room somewhere in Plesant Grove or American Fork

"Lardy Martha!, It sure were a fer ride on my harse from da fark over yonder"
"Golly, Arsen, ya sure are murmurin' a bunch!"
"We were a fixin ta go to the Provo mall, 'ceptin' it be closed at 6pm!"

;-) ;-)

-- 
Lance Bledsoe                       Off:    (512) 343-1111                 
Pencom Software, Inc.               Fax     (512) 343-9650                 
8716 North MoPac #200               UUCP:   cs.utexas.edu!pensoft!lwb      
Austin, Texas  78759                UUNET:  uunet!uudell!pensoft!lwb