• by November 9, 2007

Re the story on the WGA strike: The lessons of history are the key. The producers once said DVD wasn't a big thing, and we all know how inaccurate and self-serving that became. The writers got screwed by the billions. Now the powers that be are saying the same thing about all digital media and all new distribution systems: The new media are not profitable.

Let's tell the truth. The U.S. constitution is about two issues, freedom and equality. The producers and distributors are ignoring both key rights of our democratic society here. The freedom of the writers to control what they write. And the equality of the writers when it comes to recognizing they must receive their fair compensation for WHATEVER DEVELOPS from now on in the new digital media.

If the producers and distributors don't think there is any clear financial payoff now in the digital media, then they should also be happy to agree to receive what they are insisting is not there: no money at all. Their claim to reality is B.S. and everyone knows it. That is the reason for the strike and why, if the writers are not fairly compensated, it will go on for a long, long time.