Skip to content

Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم

Breaking news on the Israeli national security state

Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Donate to Tikun Olam
  • Comment Rules
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home
  • 2005
  • April
  • 27
  • Microsoft Does Partial Turnaround on Gay Rights
  • Politics & Society
  • Seattle
  • Technology-Security

Microsoft Does Partial Turnaround on Gay Rights

Richard Silverstein April 27, 2005
Share It!
Gates

Bill Gates: "Aw shucks, does
anybody care what I think?"

(credit: Ted S. Warren/AP)

Thank God, Bill Gates is weighing in on the controversy generated by Microsoft’s withdrawal of support for a Washington State bill to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation.  Because his minions, Brad Smith (corporate counsel) and CEO Steve Ballmer have made a mess of things up till now.  Gates apparently feels discomfort with the company’s previous position (or has felt enough heat from his employees and the blogworld to have second thoughts) and may reverse it (according to an interview with the Seattle Times) come the next legislative session:

"Next time this one comes around, we’ll see," he [Gates] said. "We certainly
have a lot of employees who sent us mail. Next time it comes around
that’ll be a major factor for us to take into consideration."

Well, that’s OK as far as it goes, but by no means good enough.  This reminds me of the country that announces its going to war.  After a good drubbing on the battlefield, it wants to withdraw but can’t quite wrap its arms around the idea that it might have to backpedal from a really stupid idea.  It doesn’t want to lose face.  That’s what Bill faces.  His guys really messed up.  But he can’t quite admit that and say: "Yeah, we messed up and we won’t mess up next time around.  We’ll gonna throw everything we’ve got behind the bill and hope to see it pass."  That would be nice to hear.

Instead we hear this fumfering around:

"Well, we didn’t expect that kind of visibility for it," Gates said.
"After all, Microsoft’s position on a political bill — has that ever
caused something to pass or not pass? Is it good, is it bad? I don’t
know.

"Is my being behind it good? Look at the referendums I’ve been behind.
I’ve lost gun control — I’m looking really good on that one," he
quipped.

Gee, is having Microsoft behind a bill really important to its passage?  That’s a tough one: one of the state’s biggest private employers, economic engine of the state’s economy, the state’s richest businessman.  I don’t know.  It might have some slight beneficial impact to have MS behind it, don’t you think?

Bill, I’ve got news for you.  People in this state (especially legislators) look to Microsoft for leadership on all sorts of issues.  So in case you don’t know it already, YES, the company’s support is instrumental in the potential success of this legislation.  Why anyone should have to tell you that is beyond me.  I think you’re merely being modest or else disingenuous (take your pick depending on your view on Bill Gates).

Apparently, Bill got the message that people are really pissed off at the company.  But he still doesn’t get what it would take to get the company back on track:

"It’s perfectly fair for us to be scrutinized on anything," he said.
"We didn’t realize that one would get that level of scrutiny, but
there’s people who care a lot. They care a lot about the issue."

Yes, and I hope they won’t let you or Microsoft off the hook until you do the right thing and put a full court press on the legislature the next time this bill comes to a vote.

Related

Continue Reading

Previous: PBS: Looking for a Few Good Right-Wing Viewers?
Next: Microsoft and Ralph Reed: Strange Bedfellows?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Stories

US-Iran Nuclear “Understanding” Imminent Agreement promises to substantially reduce regional conflict
  • Mideast Peace
  • Technology-Security

US-Iran Nuclear “Understanding” Imminent Agreement promises to substantially reduce regional conflict

June 16, 2023 15
IDF Plans for Imminent Attack on Iran to Include Civilian Targets Official IDF study urges attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, government buildings, communications and industrial targets
  • Mideast Peace
  • Technology-Security

IDF Plans for Imminent Attack on Iran to Include Civilian Targets Official IDF study urges attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, government buildings, communications and industrial targets

May 28, 2023 16
Gaza: House of Slaughter Israeli source: we knew there were women and children in the homes we attacked
  • Mideast Peace
  • Technology-Security

Gaza: House of Slaughter Israeli source: we knew there were women and children in the homes we attacked

May 9, 2023 21

Donate via Paypal

Recent Posts

  • Azerbaijan: Israeli Arms Sales, Greased Palms, Ethnic-Conflict
  • Why I Won’t Pray in Shul Tonight on Kol Nidre:
  • Bibi to Meet Musk, Biden
  • Saudi Arabia to Normalize With Israel, Palestinian Authority to Get Billion-Dollar Buyoff
  • Settler Aided Murder of Palestinian, Defiled Memory of 18-Month-Old Murdered Baby Taunting: “Ali’s on the Grill!”

Search

Archives

Pages

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Publications (author page)

  • Jacobin Magazine
  • The Nation
  • The New Arab
  • Al Jazeera
  • Truthout

Meta

  • Entries RSS
Logout

You may have missed

Azerbaijan: Israeli Arms Sales, Greased Palms, Ethnic-Conflict
  • Mideast Peace

Azerbaijan: Israeli Arms Sales, Greased Palms, Ethnic-Conflict

September 29, 2023 2
Why I Won’t Pray in Shul Tonight on Kol Nidre:
  • Mideast Peace

Why I Won’t Pray in Shul Tonight on Kol Nidre:

September 24, 2023 11
Bibi to Meet Musk, Biden
  • Mideast Peace

Bibi to Meet Musk, Biden

September 12, 2023 2
Saudi Arabia to Normalize With Israel, Palestinian Authority to Get Billion-Dollar Buyoff
  • Mideast Peace

Saudi Arabia to Normalize With Israel, Palestinian Authority to Get Billion-Dollar Buyoff

September 7, 2023 14

Published by Tikun Olam LLC and fiscally sponsored by Media Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Donate & Subscribe

Thanks for visiting Tikun Olam. It breaks exclusive stories on Israel-Palestine. It offers news often banned by the Israeli military censor or a judicial gag order. Please subscribe to new posts–and tell all your friends!

Support my unique work with a tax-deductible donation to Media Alliance, my fiscal sponsor.

Be a Mensch: Support Tikun Olam!

Thanks for visiting Tikun Olam. It breaks exclusive stories on Israel-Palestine, often not yet published anywhere, including Israel. Please subscribe to new posts–and tell all your friends!

Support my unique work with a tax-deductible donation to Media Alliance, my fiscal sponsor.