September 1, 2001
Globalization Protests in San Jose?
By THE ASSIMILATED PRESS
Filed at 2:32 p.m. PT
SAN JOSE, CA (AP) -- -- Representatives from around the world prepare for
high-level discussions in San Jose on September 10-14, at the International
Unicode Conference. After violence marred earlier globalization meetings in
Seattle, Genoa and Mexico, the authorities are on the alert. "While this
meeting is markedly different in focus from previous meetings," says San
Jose spokesperson Jane Lien, "we are concerned about a particular fringe
group."
Although not explicitly named by police, the reference was clearly to the
Klingon Freedom League. Although hidden from public eye, the KFL has been
growing in power and influence, and has been recently linked to underground
anti-WTO organizations in Verne, France and Dos Toevsky, Russia. Members are
particularly incensed by the recent decision by the Unicode Consortium to
reject the encoding of the Klingon script. "We are outraged at
discrimination -- standard has over 90,000 characters for languages all over
world, but they don't see fit to add few characters we need!" said an
unnamed spokesman. "All modern computer products using Unicode: if we
retreat, it is putting knife to throat of our language and culture!".
Most Klingons do not share these views. For recent immigrants such as
Dwar'dek Hram, the economy is at the forefront. In the past, H-1 visas have
been easy to come by; trained Klingons offer many skills that are neglected
by American universities. Schooled to find the least chink in an opponent's
armor, he was much in demand as a test engineer. "I crush pitiful [older]
programs in minutes," he boasted, "it is without honor. Unicode programs are
more worthy opponents -- with same program for all countries, there are not
dozens of versions with t'valek flaws to assault." Yet it is a double-edged
sword for Dwar'dek and others -- honorable opponents, but less work.
The hope is that the majority of Klingons will show restraint in San Jose.
Prominent Klingon economist and Nobel laureate Nibot Semaj calls for the
IMF, World Bank and WTO to be strengthened instead, stressing that ``I don't
have the slightest thing in common with these anti-globalization
revolutionaries.'' CIA sources indicate that the KFL efforts are focused
instead on the upcoming meeting of European Union finance ministers in
Liege, Belgium later this month, and do not anticipate disruptions in San
Jose.
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