Facebook and the myth of online privacy

As someone who lost his job because I blogged about a Green Party candidate, I think it very funny people think the internet is "private." I attacked a political candidates "privacy" online. Ooohh. Do people really think that they can just gate off their digital information and assume no one else will see it? Okay, you are a moron if you think it is.

Your "privacy" is null and void in the 21st century. Digital devices can take our photos, voices, writings, pretty much every aspect of our lives could find its way online if we choose to do so. To assume nothing "private" will get online is ludicrous.

I consider anything in life bloggable, unless I receive a written, signed, and notarized statement from an individual who wishes not be "discovered" online. Do that with each blogger and Facebook user. I bid you good luck.

Okay, I don't write about everyone, but just send me an e-mail or txt msg if you have an issue with my blog. I have even been blamed for other's comments! And unless I am aware of them, I don't delete them.

Year 2008 In Review

Wow, what a crazy year! Seriously, don't know how it just blew me away! Literally....

Family and Friends

• Josiah turned 6 on August 19th. We had a small party, with only a few of his friends. He's even funnier and smarter than last year. But also more hyper and bold against authority.
• Josiah finished Kindergarten at Ramsey, started 1st grade there, but couldn't handle 45 minute bus rides to their. So, I had to transfer him to another school. Whatever one was open which was Longfellow. Teachers there have told me, after asking me not to mention their names, that it was a bad school because problem children tended to go there and would adversely influence my child. Yet, Josiah is not able to handle himself on a bus - what makes him so much better?
• Leah Seelhoff moved to the Winona area with her daughters. Siah and I miss them. She's the only real person I used to talk to on a regular basis and not think I was crazy. :D
• On my birthday, I rescued a cat who was starving outside and was very friendly. Josiah wanted to call her "Candy Cane" but she is a Calico. She didn't look like a candy cane at all! So, I gave it some thought and a month later re-named her Kanika ( which sounds very similar to candy cane, but it sounds like a princess name). So, I rescued Kanika from starvation, got her shots, and fixed. And I won't de-claw her because that is just wrong. She is now very healthy and happy!
• My brother Tim moved in with me in January. He stayed until June. After moving to Duluth in October, he came out and SHE is now referred to as Natasa. So, you could say I was my brother's last room-mate. And that I no longer have a brother.
• I did go to my half-brother, Jerich's birthday, and still have the DVD we made of it. But my conservative father seems to have ex-communcated with me. Perhaps he feels we aren't to his liking.
• My Mother moved in with me in October. She found a new partner, Kathy, and will be trucking with her at some point in early 2009.

Financial / Emloyment

• On the last day of April, I was fired for being a political blogger. Yeah, quite illegal. But the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux believe they can trample on their employees Constitutional rights. And they like to be consistent about it. Many of my co-workers were fired this year without written reasons, and were able to get unemployment as well. ( If they applied, which most I have talked to have. ) I have nothing against Native rights. But you fired me because I am a member of the Green Party? Seriously, I think Glyn Crooks has something against Winona LaDuke.
• Took classes at the Minnesota Workforce Center, and improved my resume which improved my ability to get interviews.
• Worked temporarily through Cynthia Cook ( never trust these people ) for the John Roberts Company in Coon Rapids. They fired me because I gave them two weeks notice that I couldn't work on a specific Monday. I could work every day after that, but it didn't matter to them. ( I told them when they hired me of this date and they said it was okay!)
• Even though unemployment was okay, it was stressful filling out dozens of applications and faxing resumes ( occasionally hand delivering). Looking for a job is more than full-time work!
• I wanted my unemployment to last, so I actually took a job at Blockbuster. It was fun, chatting about mindless movies all day ( most of which I have no intention of seeing ). But the pay was pathetic. And residents of Edina are worse snobs than angry gamblers!
• I now work downtown, less than 15 minutes from LRT or bus. I am also a member of a unon: SEIU Local 26.

Education

• My career goal: dietitian. Will dietitians exist if our society collapses? Probably not, but any education will look good on a resume until then. :D
• I wanted to start college this fall at MCTC. Getting laid off had me post-pone it until January. I intend to go to college even if I have to pay for it myself and move to a smaller place to make it happen.
• I haven't taken any college classes yet owe over $35,000 in co-signed student loans. I was paying Megan Kyllonen's at $400 a month, until I was laid off. Worried I couldn't get another job if they checked my credit rating, I put $8500 of her loan onto my Discovercard. Bad decision, because now I can't pay any of Brandy Kyllonen's loans, which are in default. I will also not be able to pay on Megan's anymore after the payments catch up in February of 2010 ( I think ). What is most ironic about this situation is that I could have had my college paid for by the National Guard, but Brandy insisted that she go. She's 12 credits shy of graduating with an associates degree in culinary arts.

Health

• After being laid off, I lost my health insurance. So did Josiah.
• Within a week of being laid off, I was supposed to have surgery to get teeth removed and then get myself braces. My teeth are very genetically inferior. But without income, or insurance, there was no point in adding $200 a month to my expenses. I canceled my appointments and someday will be able to fix my teeth. ( I already paid for some plaster of my mouth to be made, photos of my teeth at all different angles, a couple consultation appointments. Wish they would have warned me that they would be firing people at random! )
• Been a vegetarian for seven years now ( in November ) !
• I did have a health assessment at Mystic Lake in March. I am very healthy! ( and now I don't work where there is second-hand smoke! )

I look forward to 2009 as a better year and one that I can build towards a better future.

Unemployment Appeal Letter

At this point, I was several weeks into unemployment. I had received no income. I had to wait until I won my appeal case. There was no guarantee I would win an appeal.

Lawyers from the law firm Olson, Allen, & Rasmussen were actively searching my blog. What did they expect to find? They spent hours a day surfing my blogs. I hope they decided to send a check to the Green Party, go carfree, or stop supporting wars. I assumed they would misconstrue some of my blogs to "prove" I didn't deserve my unemployment. A very worrying time indeed, because the economy was just beginning to collapse. Little did I know, they decided it not worth defending their lies in court.

I received a letter about possible healthcare. COBRA would take up more than my entire take home after unemployment, so I declined healthcare coverage for myself and my son Josiah. I would just have to cross my fingers until a new job manifested itself. Of course, I was still hopeful someone at Shakopee Dakotah would come to their senses.

My 401K had also asked me what option I wanted to take. In May it was worth $13,000. About the same as the DOW Industrial Average. If I didn't cash out now, I never could until I retired. Why would I keep my money in a nation that doesn't value me or my rights as a worker? I was angry, and unsure if the economy could cope with $100+ a barrel oil, so I cashed out. In October my 401K would have been worth $8000. SO even with a 10% penalty tax, cashing out in May was well worth it. I sold high, not low. :D

Initial denial of Unemployment

I am confounded as to why the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance denied my claim. I wonder if they do this to prevent people from actually receiving any money. It could be a tactic that they use to "save" taxpayer money. But in actuality, they are only shielding the worst employers from their duties to formerly loyal employees.

Anyone who is denied benefits in Minnesota should appeal and fight it as long as they can.

Why is it that everyone I know that worked at Mystic Lake and is fired without a reason is initially denied? Alan Maki believes that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Develeopment ( DEED ) are conspiring to do this intentionally. This could be true, as Mystic Lake's lawyer didn't even bother to show up to court. I won my appeal, because they never stated in writing why I was fired.

Because I was denied my unemployment, I had to go without income for two months. Fortunately, I had been saving up for an emergency like this.

Appeal process at Mystic Lake

For those who may be fired at Mystic Lake or Little Six, this is the form you are asked to sign to appeal. I went through this process, but unless you know a tribal member personally, you really have no recourse. Or you need a lot of money for a lawyer, which you may not have if you are denied unemployment and have no other source of income. :P

I turned this in with my appeal. I was informed via voice mail that I was denied. The caller almost said she was from Little Earth. Funny how they are only a few blocks away from me and are community-oriented while Mystic Lake is corporate-oriented. Worlds away not just physically but ideologically.

Appeal to Human Resources at Mystic Lake

SMSC Gaming Enterprise
Human Resources Department

I was informed on April 30th, 2008 that my employment at Mystic Lake could not continue due to comments, statements, and individuals on my blog. I was told I had breached the confidentiality agreement that I had signed.

I was told that I had listed names of guests. I searched for this. One un-named guest gave me a button.The button was the primary focus of that post.

It took me a while to find a guest I had actually named. This would be Michael Cavlan. He was a candidate for U.S. Senate. I didn’t vote for him ( don’t tell him ) but I do work with him on a number of political issues and causes, primarily in Minneapolis. I had just gone to the Minneapolis City Council that very day with other activists to try to stop the Midtown Burner. This is what excited me about seeing Michael that very day. He is an acquaintance of mine who would be quite upset if he were to find out that I were losing my job because I spoke about him.
The employees names I mentioned are those I have spent time with outside of work.
Nowhere did I say the work policies that I was discussing were from Mystic Lake. Nor did I seek to harm the business or clients of Mystic Lake.

I must concede that you explain things in a context that you might understand, but others do not. I mentioned Mystic once instead of the location that it was at! It’s like I assumed readers would understand its distance from where I live.

I did some research to find precedence regarding employees let go due to blogging. One individual from Microsoft took photos inside of their building and posted this online. A Google employee who was new to the job wrote about every aspect explicitly about his introduction to the company and what he did his first week there. A Starbucks employee used expletives very liberally on his blog to express what he thought personally of his supervisor. The above are security concerns, and I can understand the employer’s perspective. But I do not see my blog within the criteria parameters necessary for dismissal.

I did not receive a warning for the confidentiality policy. I looked at my policy handbook and could not find a copy of this policy, and request that I receive one.

This moment could be an opportunity. More positive things could be said about Mystic Lake online.

Please re-employ me because I have not done anything egregious to deserve such treatment from my long-term employers.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,


-Kevin Chavis

Mystic Lake Excellence Award

I received this award only four months before being fired for my Green Party activism. The guidelines for the award are:

• Consistent and exceptional performance. A one-time incident does not meet the criteria for this award
• Only a manager or supervisor within team member's department may recognize a nominee for this award
• Only active, non-exempt team members are eligible

Obviously, I had shown commitment to outstanding service, and few questioned this. I was never fired by the Slots Department. A tribal member active in the DFL or Republican party may have decided that Green Party member do not deserve employment. Michelle Christensen, my departmental manager, did not want to have to abide by their unlawful action in late April 2008. This ordeal makes me wonder if Green is the new Red. I have never cared about Communism, yet I am treated like I am a Communist. Capitalism may not cause our society to collapse, our addiction to oil and hydrocarbons will. Mark my words in permanent marker across your screens. :P

Free Speech and the working class

This is probably the most ridiculous thing casino workers could deal with working at Mystic Lake : no talking. Seriously. And that is on top of cancer causing second-hand smoke!

Beginning this summer, they have new core standards. These standards are very positive and guest-centric and not new in any real way. They are standards for the entire corporation. Then there are position-specific standards that are decided by those in charge of our department. The one Americans should take issue with is the "no-talking" standard. Specifically it states: "The team member refrained from unnecessary and/or personal inter-team member conversations while in the presence of guests or in visible guest areas."

The purpose of the no-talking standards is that( in their words): The team member should remain focused on the importance of guest service and leave personal conversation off the [work] floor. Team members should be circulating area spending available time with guests. Therefore, cordial hellos and goodbyes need not apply with those you work with. ( And they are being enforced! )

The First Amendment appears to not apply to American citizens working for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Of course, they also have rules that state talking about unions is grounds for dismissal. And this was a community living in squalor and dire poverty less than thirty years ago. Now they mimic the ruling class with such eloquent precision.

Incident with a few neighbors

I had an incident with some people at a town-home behind my residence. I do not know the details of how the town-home association resolves this situation, but I was assured that it would be resolved. But I am aware that they had some people living there that should not have been, and hope that the more responsible elements of the family were not punished for trying to help relatives out.

I am thankful that I do not have to leave my home in fear of some sort of physical attack. I have never felt that until this incident during my entire residency in Minneapolis. There are times when I may see an individual that I am wary of ( especially when I lived in Stevens Square ) but this rarely happens.

I think the best way to learn about an area that you live, especially one with a negative stigma like Phillips, you have to actually be engaged in it. You spend time outside at the park just sitting or reading a book. You go to neighborhood events, and you walk to the corner stores. You start to get a sense of "normal" in where you live and notice when something seems out of the ordinary.

I would like to thank the town-home association and the City of Lakes Community Land Trust for their work on this.