"Some people seem to find this country's economic prosperity a burden. They enjoy the fruits of our system - a system built upon competition -- yet wring their hands and complain long and loud when that system necessarily produces an unequal distribution of wealth. Well, I've got news for these people: our culture embraces competition, and Americans love a winner, not a whiner," said Alex Chesnekov, Nuke founder and CEO, in a speech earlier this year. Chesnekov was addressing attacks leveled at his company by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau.

For the past three years Trudeau, author of the nationally-syndicated comic strip "Doonesbury," has utilized his highly public forum to engage in a campaign of innuendo and lies -- a campaign aimed squarely at tarnishing Nuke's reputation as a progressive corporation. It's a matter which has Chesnekov up in arms:

"Industry leaders, with their high-visibility, make tempting targets for those who see 'dark forces' behind every capitalist success story.

"But capitalism isn't evil. Every day, scores of major corporations provide valuable goods and services which improve the lives of millions. These same corporations often invest in communities, make large charitable donations, and work hard to have a positive impact upon the environment. Yet we never see these deeds acknowledged by writers such as Trudeau; rather, we are treated to overstatement, misrepresentation, and outright scorn.

"I should point out that while Mr. Trudeau's concern over the issues of workers' rights and societal injustice is commendable, drawing comic strips does little to actively address the very real suffering that exists in places like Burundi and Vietnam. In contrast, Nuke has aggressively pursued investment opportunities in these countries, providing new jobs and vital employment to over half a million people."

Adds Susan Bretz, Nuke Vietnam's Director of Human Resources, "The notion that Nuke doesn't care about its workers is absurd. A company is only as strong as its weakest link, which is why Nuke works hard to see that it's overseas workers get three full meals a day. Nuke is an international leader in human rights - not the unrepentant violator we are often made out to be."

In the interest of providing a more balanced account, Nuke has secured permission from the United Press Syndicate to reprint some of Mr. Trudeau's strips, and will be presenting these strips together with our rebuttals.

We hope that by doing so we will help to set the record straight, and repair some of the damage inflicted by ill-informed, self-appointed critics like Garry Trudeau.

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