Well, the Ob.LBC content here is basically an observation on one place to
avoid... smiley warranted, however: :-)
I drove the spouse and in-laws to Flint, Michigan from Chicago this past
weekend to attend a surprise 80th-birthday party for Aunt Tillie-- she's
fine, thanks for asking, and sends her regards...
Anyway, Flint must be second only to Detroit in the level of automotive
testosterone in the air. Buick has been based here pretty much since its
inception, and one hardly ever sees Fords on the street, let alone any
imports. Our hotel was opposite the General Motors Truck and Bus factory,
a sprawling complex of huge buildings with understated signs such as
"Building No. 5" ("We've got FOUR MORE just like this one!!!"). You just
knew that you could scribble any design on paper that involved bending
large quantities of thick steel, and they'd get it done. It might require
a bit more money than first thought, and possibly a few extra men to
properly supervise, but there was nothing that couldn't be built.
The reception itself was at the local United Auto Workers union hall,
Local Number 598, I believe. It was a fairly recent building, lovingly
crafted by union labor, we'll bet, filled with mementos of the glory days
gone by, when workers fought the good fight against evil and corrupt
management. Indeed, stepping outside for some air, we found ourselves
opposite the headquarters of Chevrolet/Pontiac of Canada, an imposing,
older structure with concrete columns surrounding the front doors to
give an air of Something Happened Here. Perhaps it is revealed in grainy
black-and-white footage preserved in TV documentaries. We were civilians
that night and that battle is long gone, so I don't know what we missed.
They have, however, identified a new enemy, one from offshore. The foreign
cars have infiltrated our shores when we weren't paying attention, or weren't
taking them seriously enough, but now they're here and the UAW local has
declared itself an outpost of America, where imports are not welcome. A sign
at the entrance to the private parking lot declares in no uncertain terms
that foreign cars are not welcome, and "may be towed away at owner's expense.
Buy American!". I'm not sure whether some of those workers don't actually
have a Little British Car squirreled away at home, but I didn't want to ask.
Andrew C. Green
Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@hermes.dlogics.com
441 W. Huron UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg
Chicago, IL 60610 FAX: (312) 266-4473
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