[jjstafford]

Okay, I've bit my tongue as long as I can hold out, but I have to reply now.

First, for those of you who don't know, I might be referred to as a Kodak "brat". My father worked for Kodak Canada for 36 years, retiring in 1984 when I was 28. Indirectly, I was fed, clothed, housed and educated with Kodak $ and Kodak knowledge for all of my formative years.
[...]
This is a long, round-about way of saying to those who who have nothing good to say about Kodak, that you might wish to moderate your opinion somewhat.

I have used the Kodak Company history under Mister Eastman as the sterling example of how a private company can excel in terms of product development, care of the employees (hugely generous), and public works. I won't stop doing that.

But that was then, and this is now and the contrast of 'then' to 'now' is serving so far as a good historical example of what can happen under the new American capitalist ethic of the public company.

I pray Kodak does not do what so many companies have - abandon pensions, screw the retired and employees. The fact that they can legally do this, and that they DO this points to something truly gone wrong.

I hope that Kodak continues to honor it's commitment to employees.

It is also in particular a request to jjstafford - please change your avatar - it is really irritating to be presented time and time again with the image of someone urinating over a symbol of something that has value for thousands of people, and has particular value to those of us who rightly feel a strong feeling of loyalty to an organization which has personnally benefitted us greatly. I know that if my father saw it, it would make him sick, and considering the thousands of photographers of all types that he helped in his years of work, that seems incredibly unfair.

If we were all to be given a special privilege to be guaranteed our individual distates would not be offended, freedom of expression would be dead.

Sean has already taken it upon himself to remove my Avatar. He has already censored it on your behalf. I hope you are happy. Perhaps you can post a list of your other sensitivities are so that we don't offend you again.