Opinion: In today’s pages: Women against Hillary, shot by Chevron, a deal for AFTRA
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Nigerian Larry Bowoto says he was shot by soldiers in the pay of a Chevron Corp. subsidiary:
I was standing on a drilling platform in the Niger Delta run by Chevron Nigeria Ltd. More than 100 unarmed villagers joined me there to protest the loss of our fish, our clean water and our trees because of Chevron’s oil production activities in our region, and to protest the loss of our traditional ways of supporting ourselves as a result of these activities. The lawsuit I (and others) filed in 1999 contends that Chevron Nigeria’s own documents show that it paid for, transported and supervised Nigerian military and police forces that responded to our protests. They opened fire on us; it is our contention that they did this without warning. Two of the protesters were killed; I and more than 10 others were wounded. Still others were arrested and beaten by the Nigerian authorities.
Columnist Rosa Brooks objects to the notion that Hillary Clinton represents all women. Contributing editor Bill Stall parses Prop. 13 after 30 years and says it’s time for a change. And Dickinson College’s Crispin Sartwell looks at affirmative action for an oppressed minority in academia -- conservatives.
The editorial board endorses legislative candidates and wonders what’s next for SAG now that AFTRA has signed a deal.
On the letters page, readers discuss local parishes paying for the Catholic priests scandal. L.A.’s Susan North says, ‘Let the Vatican have a yard sale. Rome is ultimately responsible, and Rome should pay.’
*Art by Richard Downs