Chucked my Converse
My father has always had a spectrum of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars to choose from. A good deal of my childhood memories include low angle views of banana yellow high tops coming my way. Like most kids I wanted to emulate my father and sport the same iconic sneakers, but they never fit. Always just a little pinch between the toes. Every once in a while I will try on a pair just to be sure and last weekend when I found these… 
(Photos by me) Beautiful Chuck Taylor low tops, that fit just right. Unfortunately nothing can be that simple. They fit to well, something must have changed. Still excited I decided to show them off to my girlfriend and she reminded me “didn’t you say that Nike owns Converse now”. A few years ago I had learned that Nike bought Converse in 1998 and Sure enough “Made in the U.S.A.” was missing from the heel. 
(Pre Nike Converse Photo by http://flickr.com/people/cava_cava/ used under Creative Commons)My father loves these shoes not just because they are stylish, but because they are made in the U.S.A where workers are treated fairly. ”Human rights concerns
Nike has been criticized for contracting with factories in countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico. Vietnam Labour Watch, an activist group, has documented that factories contracted by Nike have violated minimum wage and overtime laws in Vietnam as late as 1996, although Nike claims that this practice has been halted.[16] The company has been subject to much critical coverage of the often poor working conditions and exploitation of cheap overseas labor employed in the free trade zones where their goods are typically manufactured. Sources of this criticism include Naomi Klein’s book No Logo and Michael Moore’s documentaries.
Nike has been criticized about ads which referred to empowering women in the U.S. while engaging in practices in East Asian factories which some felt disempowered women.[17]
During the 1990s, Nike faced criticism for use of child labor in Cambodia and Pakistan as well as Green, Ohio in factories it contracted to manufacture soccer balls. Although Nike took action to curb or at least reduce the practice of child labor, they continue to contract their production to companies that operate in areas where inadequate regulation and monitoring make it hard to ensure that child labor is not being used.[18]
These campaigns have been taken up by many[weasel words] college and universities, especially anti-globalisation groups as well as several anti-sweatshop groups such as theUnited Students Against Sweatshops.[19] Despite these campaigns, however, Nike’s annual revenues have increased from $6.4 billion in 1996 to nearly $17 billion in 2007, according to the company’s annual reports.
A July 2008 investigation by Australian Channel 7 News found a large number of cases involving forced labour in one of the biggest Nike apparel factories. The factory located in Malaysia was filmed by an undercover crew who found instances of squalid living conditions and forced labour. Nike have since stated that they will take corrective action to ensure the continued abuse does not occur. [20]
Following Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the 2008 Olympics, Nike admitted seeking help from “relevant government departments” in the Chinese government to track down and identify an anonymous Internet poster [21]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.
I had conveniently forgotten this when I laced up the chucks that fit so well. After running out of excuses to keep my new kicks, I returned the Nike/Converse Chuck Taylors the next day.
Fortunately chuck low top knock offs manufactured in the U.S.A. are available at http://www.adbusters.org/cultureshop/blackspot/sneaker
and 
at http://nosweatapparel.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=NSS. Not as many colors, but 40 less dollars for Nike.