Principal of the Year

Our fearless leader was named Silicon Valley's Chamber of Commerce Principal of the Year -- and well earned at that. The stat the sold the committee: 188 API point increase in three years. I was one of five staff members that got to attend the $300 a plate dinner. I clean up real good, hit the conference center of the fancy downtown hotel, and take my place among the movers and shakers. See the principal at the top of the escalator, we shake hands and he says: "We're in the mouth of the wolf."

Indeed.

It was fairly standard nonsense, until Magic Johnson begins speaking about how he convinced white-owned, multinational corporations to open chain stores in urban areas. Quite the revolution that, to sell out urban communities to the skeletal claw of Adam Smith. Worse still was Magic's playing up of "urban" stereotypes, "see, minorities, at the movies, we need fried chicken in the vending area" to great applause and much laughter from his white audience. When its over, Principal comes back from the VIP area looks at us all and says, "We gotta schedule time tomorrow to debrief on what just occurred."