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<p>It’s too early to predict how far things will go, but it does appear that the Bush political juggernaut, much like the army’s tanks and armored personnel carriers in Iraq, has begun to show signs of breaking down from overuse.</p>
<p>The big issue at the moment is the administration’s blatant lies about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction–the justification for the American/British war of aggression against Iraq.</p>
<p>The obvious fact that, after all, Iraq did not have such weapons any more by the time of the invasion is leading for mounting calls, both in the U.S. Congress and the British Parliament, for an investigation of the run-up to war, and into how intelligence information was manipulated or manufactured. Perhaps even more important, the American media, which for over half a year played lapdog to Bush and his warhawks, is starting to report more critically about the issue for the first time.</p>
<p>On May 26, media critic Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post published an article airing a set of vitriolic emails between New York Times Iraq bureau chief John Burns and one of the paper’s in-house cheerleader for pre-emptive war, reporter Judith Miller, whose thinly sourced stories repeatedly and breathlessly touted discoveries of WMD sites only to have each discovery subsequently debunked. Those emails make it clear, Kurtz writes, that Miller’s only real source for these stories was Ahmad Chalabi, the convicted swindler being promoted as a potential Iraqi leader by Bush’s warhawks in the Pentagon.</p>
<p>Citing New Yorker writer Seymour Hersh, Kurtz suggests that Chalabi was a key source of WMD “evidence” for the infamously biased “intelligence unit” known as the Cabal set up in the Pentagon by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last fall, when he found he couldn’t get what he wanted from the CIA. Kurtz goes on to say, “Chalabi may have been feeding the (New York) Times and other news organizations the same disputed information.”</p>
<p>Even the Philadelphia Inquirer, which in the run-up to the war was taking a moderately pro-war stance in both its reporting and its editorials, has become more openly critical. On June 1, the paper published a news story by Inquirer Washington bureau reporter John Walcott headlined, “Doubt on war felt at top levels.” In it, Walcott says that the war, which Bush’s top advisers have hoped would be “the centerpiece of Bush’s reelection campaign,” was becoming “a political, diplomatic and military mess.”</p>
<p>He goes on to report that, “A growing number of critics in Congress and some within the administration” are now saying that “much of the administration’s public rationale for the war, and much of its planning for the war and its aftermath, appears to have been based on fabricated or exaggerated intelligence that was fed to civilian officials in the Pentagon by Iraqi exiles.”</p>
<p>Walcott reports that although officials in the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department were all warning that their information was “unreliable at best,” Chalabi and other Iraqi exiles, “got a hearing in two important places. One of these was Rumsfeld’s made-to-order in-house Pentagon “intelligence” team, and the other was “the New York Times.”</p>
<p>Media critic Ed Herman, an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has long monitored the Philadelphia Inquirer, says the Walcott story suggests that a shift has taken place in that newspaper’s political and editorial stance on the Iraq war and the Bush administration’s handling of the issue. The same repositioning seems to be taking place in other media outlets, too.</p>
<p>Coming at a time when the Bush administration is starting to face mounting criticism on a number of fronts–Iraq, economic policy, the Federal Communications Commission’s railroading through of a massive media deregulation plan, and the Justice Department’s abuse of immigrants and its undercutting of civil liberties–it looks like the monolithic consensus within the power structure which has characterized the post 9-11 political environment has begun to fracture.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether these fracture lines will grow, whether elements within the mainstream media will become more critical of administration policy, and whether the largely spineless Democratic opposition will begin to take the offensive.</p>
<p>At a minimum, the cracks in the pro-Bush concensus within the media on Iraq policy provides an opening for progressive politicians like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to get their arguments heard. Kucinich, one of nine candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for president and one of the most consistent and outspoken Congressional critics of the Iraq war, has, along with candidates Al Sharpson and Carol Moseley-Braun, heretofore been largely ignored by the mainstream media (though he has been getting favorable responses from the public on the stump).</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Kucinich announced that he will introduce a Resolution of Inquiry in the House to demand the release of the intelligence that led to the war in Iraq, and to Administration claims that Iraq had tons of biological and chemical weapons, delivery systems, and a ‘reconstituted’ nuclear program. A rarely used House procedure, Kucinich invoked the resolution tactic successfully in March to get the Bush administration to release the controversial 12,000-page weapons report which Iraq had submitted to U.N. weapons inspectors–a report that contained embarrassing evidence that U.S. firms had for years been primary suppliers of WMD-making supplies to Iraq.</p>
<p>“This Administration led this nation into war based on lies,” said Kucinich, in announcing his plan for the new resolution. “I think that this Congress, and the American people, have a right to know what information this Administration had, and how they justify their public comments. Now is the time for truth-telling.”</p>
<p>Dave Lindorff is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512283/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal</a>. A collection of Lindorff’s stories can be found here: <a href="http://www.nwuphilly.org/dave.html" type="external">http://www.nwuphilly.org/dave.html</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | 160 early predict far things go appear bush political juggernaut much like armys tanks armored personnel carriers iraq begun show signs breaking overuse big issue moment administrations blatant lies iraqs weapons mass destructionthe justification americanbritish war aggression iraq obvious fact iraq weapons time invasion leading mounting calls us congress british parliament investigation runup war intelligence information manipulated manufactured perhaps even important american media half year played lapdog bush warhawks starting report critically issue first time may 26 media critic howard kurtz washington post published article airing set vitriolic emails new york times iraq bureau chief john burns one papers inhouse cheerleader preemptive war reporter judith miller whose thinly sourced stories repeatedly breathlessly touted discoveries wmd sites discovery subsequently debunked emails make clear kurtz writes millers real source stories ahmad chalabi convicted swindler promoted potential iraqi leader bushs warhawks pentagon citing new yorker writer seymour hersh kurtz suggests chalabi key source wmd evidence infamously biased intelligence unit known cabal set pentagon defense secretary donald rumsfeld last fall found couldnt get wanted cia kurtz goes say chalabi may feeding new york times news organizations disputed information even philadelphia inquirer runup war taking moderately prowar stance reporting editorials become openly critical june 1 paper published news story inquirer washington bureau reporter john walcott headlined doubt war felt top levels walcott says war bushs top advisers hoped would centerpiece bushs reelection campaign becoming political diplomatic military mess goes report growing number critics congress within administration saying much administrations public rationale war much planning war aftermath appears based fabricated exaggerated intelligence fed civilian officials pentagon iraqi exiles walcott reports although officials cia defense intelligence agency state department warning information unreliable best chalabi iraqi exiles got hearing two important places one rumsfelds madetoorder inhouse pentagon intelligence team new york times media critic ed herman emeritus professor university pennsylvania long monitored philadelphia inquirer says walcott story suggests shift taken place newspapers political editorial stance iraq war bush administrations handling issue repositioning seems taking place media outlets coming time bush administration starting face mounting criticism number frontsiraq economic policy federal communications commissions railroading massive media deregulation plan justice departments abuse immigrants undercutting civil libertiesit looks like monolithic consensus within power structure characterized post 911 political environment begun fracture remains seen whether fracture lines grow whether elements within mainstream media become critical administration policy whether largely spineless democratic opposition begin take offensive minimum cracks probush concensus within media iraq policy provides opening progressive politicians like rep dennis kucinich dohio get arguments heard kucinich one nine candidates seeking democratic partys nomination president one consistent outspoken congressional critics iraq war along candidates al sharpson carol moseleybraun heretofore largely ignored mainstream media though getting favorable responses public stump tuesday kucinich announced introduce resolution inquiry house demand release intelligence led war iraq administration claims iraq tons biological chemical weapons delivery systems reconstituted nuclear program rarely used house procedure kucinich invoked resolution tactic successfully march get bush administration release controversial 12000page weapons report iraq submitted un weapons inspectorsa report contained embarrassing evidence us firms years primary suppliers wmdmaking supplies iraq administration led nation war based lies said kucinich announcing plan new resolution think congress american people right know information administration justify public comments time truthtelling dave lindorff author killing time investigation death row case mumia abujamal collection lindorffs stories found httpwwwnwuphillyorgdavehtml 160 | 548 |
<p>Congress has demonstrated its unconditional love for the Bush administration by handing the war profiteers another $100 billion worth of good reasons to keep the war in Iraq rolling along at full-throttle.</p>
<p>And today there was the President, whose only military experience consists of draft-dodging, going AWOL from a cushy stint in the National Guard set up by daddy, and finishing his term of duty as grounded fighter pilot, calling a press conference to inform Americans for the umpteenth time that the only way to the keep the terrorist at bay is by allowing the slaughtering in Iraq to continue; forever apparently.</p>
<p>Over the past month, the majority of political discussions on cable news talk shows related to Iraq funding bill were focused on how members of Congress and especially those who are presidential candidates are consumed with worry over how their votes on funding will affect the results of the next elections.</p>
<p>Once elected, it would be interesting to find out exactly how long it takes for politicians to lose the ability to feel and vote with their hearts when they know that a policy such as the Iraq war is terribly wrong, without thinking about how the decision will effect the vote tally in the next election.</p>
<p>As citizens, we have no control over our own government. Never in my 57 years on this earth have I been so ashamed to be an American knowing that every day that the war continues we are knowingly allowing our soldiers and innocent Iraqis to be killed or injured with absolutely no justification, other than because politicians believe it will be beneficial to their careers to allow Bush’s failed war policies to continue.</p>
<p>While political commentators discuss voter odds, myself and probably most Americans are sitting at home unable to watch the news without breaking down crying as the latest pictures flash on the screen showing the happy faces of the young soldiers who are now dead, knowing full well that the next night there will be more pictures of dead soldiers because the politicians have made it clear that the citizens paying their salaries have no right to demand that their elected officials put an end to the killing in Iraq.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to take a poll to see how often each politician even looks at the smiling faces of the dead soldiers and the second question in the poll should be, for those who claim that they do look at these faces every day and still vote to give Bush more funding, how many had to use drugs or alcohol to get to sleep during the 7 days following the vote.</p>
<p>For this poll, a high number of drugs and alcohol users would be viewed as positive because the reason for the question is to determine how many politicians still have the capacity to feel guilt.</p>
<p>Congress needs to get one thing straight, the war funding is not about politics, it is about more deaths and injuries every single day that ticks off the calendar all because Bush took this country into a senseless war based on lies. Every single day matters to the soldiers and their families, and to those of us who feel extremely guilty about not being able to find a away to get them out of Bush’s war.</p>
<p>Why is there no in-depth discussion by any members of Congress on political talk shows about where these tax dollars are actually ending up, aside from an occasional flare-up of indignation about Halliburton?</p>
<p>There is nothing positive in Iraq to hold up to show Americans how Iraqis have benefited from all the tax dollars already poured into a bottomless pit.</p>
<p>The issue of war profiteering is like the elephant in the middle of the living room, every member of Congress knows where the funding is going but Americans don’t hear them on talk shows letting people know that these kids are being killed in the name of war profits.</p>
<p>And the statements in speeches made by members of Congress while debating the bills don’t mean anything because 95% of Americans never hear those speeches. Honest politicians should be out screaming to any reporter who will listen to educate Americans about where the hundreds of billions of tax dollars have ended up.</p>
<p>This war is 100 times worse than Viet Nam. A least with Viet Nam, the war profits were not being funneled over the backs of our dead soldiers in plain sight directly into the bank accounts of current and former members of the administrations in power at the time.</p>
<p>Nor were they being funneled to the family bank accounts of the Presidents who were in office during the Viet Nam war.</p>
<p>Former Nixon administration official, John Dean, has said that the Bush administration is worse than the Nixon’s. He’s right; the Bush gang makes the Nixon administration look saintly and gives a whole new meaning to Nixon’s famous line of “I am not a crook.” In comparison to the actions of the current regime, it could indeed be said that Mr Nixon was not a crook.</p>
<p>Its easy to understand why most Republicans are not about to tell the world that the leader of their party is a war profiteering crook but the question remains, when are Democrats going to start addressing the issue of who is benefiting from all this war funding and start publicly naming names along with the companies they are connected with.</p>
<p>They have the ability to draw press coverage and give the specific names of current and former administration officials and Bush family members who have set up companies to profit off the war or steered contracts to companies they now work.</p>
<p>Last year, most clearly in the fall elections, Americans told Bush and Congress to get our troops out of Iraq. Democrats took control of Congress at the new year, and there was Bush in a televised address on January 10, 2007, announcing that he had ordered the deployment of five more combat brigades to serve as sitting ducks in Iraq, in addition to the 15 brigades that were already there. Since then, he has extended combat tours from 12 months to 15 months and announced the deployment of still more troops.</p>
<p>According to an analysis by Hearst Newspapers, when support troops are added in, the total number of soldiers in Iraq is about 162,000, and could be 200,000 by Christmas.</p>
<p>In the years to come, the history books will describe the Bush Presidency and the details of a grand war profiteering scheme nicknamed the “war on terror,” and with that in mind, members of Congress would be wise to start speaking out against the war profiteers to make damn sure that the historians will be able to report that that they were out there calling a spade a spade and trying to put an end to the death for profit disaster in Iraq.</p>
<p>One commentator on a recent cable talk show made the statement that when voting on the Iraq funding; politicians are not in lock step with how strongly Americans feel about ending this war. That comment was an understatement, because Americans are as fed up with politicians debating over the money as much as they are with the war itself.</p>
<p>Members of Congress and the Presidential candidates should quit trying to second guess how American will vote in the next election and think about how much longer they are going to be willing to sit at home in front of their television sets depressed and driven to tears by looking at flashes of the happy faces of soldiers who were killed that day.</p>
<p>As for presidential candidates, the name John Murtha should be added to the ballot, as he seems to be about the only member of Congress willing to go public and speak from the heart when trying to get the rest of Congress to recognize the need for an immediate plan to rescue our young men and women stranded in Iraq.</p>
<p>The candidates that are working hard to try to end the war get little credit or media coverage. Dennis Kucinich is rarely mentioned and he is working tirelessly to come up with ways to get our soldiers out of Iraq.</p>
<p>By the time the 2008 election rolls around, who knows, after weighing the few options available maybe Americans will decide that no candidate who is a current member of Congress and refused to listen to the people on such an important issue as the Iraq war can be trusted to serve as President.</p>
<p>EVELYN PRINGLE can be reached at: <a href="mailto:evelyn-pringle@sbcglobal.net" type="external">evelyn-pringle@sbcglobal.net</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | congress demonstrated unconditional love bush administration handing war profiteers another 100 billion worth good reasons keep war iraq rolling along fullthrottle today president whose military experience consists draftdodging going awol cushy stint national guard set daddy finishing term duty grounded fighter pilot calling press conference inform americans umpteenth time way keep terrorist bay allowing slaughtering iraq continue forever apparently past month majority political discussions cable news talk shows related iraq funding bill focused members congress especially presidential candidates consumed worry votes funding affect results next elections elected would interesting find exactly long takes politicians lose ability feel vote hearts know policy iraq war terribly wrong without thinking decision effect vote tally next election citizens control government never 57 years earth ashamed american knowing every day war continues knowingly allowing soldiers innocent iraqis killed injured absolutely justification politicians believe beneficial careers allow bushs failed war policies continue political commentators discuss voter odds probably americans sitting home unable watch news without breaking crying latest pictures flash screen showing happy faces young soldiers dead knowing full well next night pictures dead soldiers politicians made clear citizens paying salaries right demand elected officials put end killing iraq would interesting take poll see often politician even looks smiling faces dead soldiers second question poll claim look faces every day still vote give bush funding many use drugs alcohol get sleep 7 days following vote poll high number drugs alcohol users would viewed positive reason question determine many politicians still capacity feel guilt congress needs get one thing straight war funding politics deaths injuries every single day ticks calendar bush took country senseless war based lies every single day matters soldiers families us feel extremely guilty able find away get bushs war indepth discussion members congress political talk shows tax dollars actually ending aside occasional flareup indignation halliburton nothing positive iraq hold show americans iraqis benefited tax dollars already poured bottomless pit issue war profiteering like elephant middle living room every member congress knows funding going americans dont hear talk shows letting people know kids killed name war profits statements speeches made members congress debating bills dont mean anything 95 americans never hear speeches honest politicians screaming reporter listen educate americans hundreds billions tax dollars ended war 100 times worse viet nam least viet nam war profits funneled backs dead soldiers plain sight directly bank accounts current former members administrations power time funneled family bank accounts presidents office viet nam war former nixon administration official john dean said bush administration worse nixons hes right bush gang makes nixon administration look saintly gives whole new meaning nixons famous line crook comparison actions current regime could indeed said mr nixon crook easy understand republicans tell world leader party war profiteering crook question remains democrats going start addressing issue benefiting war funding start publicly naming names along companies connected ability draw press coverage give specific names current former administration officials bush family members set companies profit war steered contracts companies work last year clearly fall elections americans told bush congress get troops iraq democrats took control congress new year bush televised address january 10 2007 announcing ordered deployment five combat brigades serve sitting ducks iraq addition 15 brigades already since extended combat tours 12 months 15 months announced deployment still troops according analysis hearst newspapers support troops added total number soldiers iraq 162000 could 200000 christmas years come history books describe bush presidency details grand war profiteering scheme nicknamed war terror mind members congress would wise start speaking war profiteers make damn sure historians able report calling spade spade trying put end death profit disaster iraq one commentator recent cable talk show made statement voting iraq funding politicians lock step strongly americans feel ending war comment understatement americans fed politicians debating money much war members congress presidential candidates quit trying second guess american vote next election think much longer going willing sit home front television sets depressed driven tears looking flashes happy faces soldiers killed day presidential candidates name john murtha added ballot seems member congress willing go public speak heart trying get rest congress recognize need immediate plan rescue young men women stranded iraq candidates working hard try end war get little credit media coverage dennis kucinich rarely mentioned working tirelessly come ways get soldiers iraq time 2008 election rolls around knows weighing options available maybe americans decide candidate current member congress refused listen people important issue iraq war trusted serve president evelyn pringle reached evelynpringlesbcglobalnet 160 160 160 | 741 |
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<p>In <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=70243" type="external">Part I</a> of his interview, Chalmers Johnson suggested what that fall-of-the-Berlin-Wall, end-of-the-Cold-War moment meant to him; explored how deeply empire and militarism have entered the American bloodstream; and began to consider what it means to live in an unacknowledged state of military Keynesianism, garrisoning the planet, and with an imperial budget — a real yearly Pentagon budget — of perhaps three-quarters of a trillion dollars.]</p>
<p>Tom Engelhardt: You were discussing the lunacy of the 2007 Pentagon budget…</p>
<p>Chalmers Johnson:What I don’t understand is that the current defense budget and the recent Quadrennial Defense Review ( <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0319-28.htm" type="external">which has no strategy</a> in it at all) are just continuations of everything we did before. Make sure that the couple of hundred military golf courses around the world are well groomed, that the Lear jets are ready to fly the admirals and generals to the Armed Forces ski resort <a href="http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/home.html" type="external">in Garmisch</a> in the Bavarian Alps or the military’s two luxury hotels in <a href="http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/afrc_worldwide.html" type="external">downtown Seoul and Tokyo</a>.</p>
<p>What I can’t explain is what has happened to Congress. Is it just that they’re corrupt? That’s certainly part of it. I’m sitting here in California’s 50th district. This past December, our congressman Randy Cunningham confessed to the largest single bribery case in the history of the U.S. Congress: $2.4 million in trinkets — a Rolls Royce, some French antiques — went to him, thanks to his ability as a member of the military subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to add things secretly to the budget. He was doing this for pals of his running small companies. He was adding things even the Department of Defense said it didn’t want.</p>
<p>This is bribery and, as somebody said the other day, Congress comes extremely cheap. For $2.4 million, these guys got about $175 million in contracts. It was an easy deal.</p>
<p>The military is out of control. As part of the executive branch, it’s expanded under cover of the national security state. Back when I was a kid, the Pentagon was called the Department of War. Now, it’s the Department of Defense, though it palpably has nothing to do with defense. Hasn’t for a long time. We even have another department of the government today that’s concerned with “homeland security.” You wonder what on Earth do we have that for — and a Dept of Defense, too!</p>
<p>The government isn’t working right. There’s no proper supervision. The founders, the authors of the Constitution, regarded the supreme organ to be Congress. The mystery to me — more than the huge expansion of executive branch powers we’ve seen since the neoconservatives and George Bush came to power — is: Why has Congress failed us so completely? Why are they no longer interested in the way the money is spent? Why does a Pentagon budget like this one produce so little interest? Is it that people have a vested interest in it, that it’s going to produce more jobs for them?</p>
<p>{publish-page-break}</p>
<p>I wrote an article well before Cunningham confessed called <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=1818" type="external">The Military-Industrial Man</a> in which I identified a lot of what he was doing, but said unfortunately I didn’t know how to get rid of him in such a safe district. After it appeared on the Los Angeles Times op-ed page, the paper got a couple of letters to the editor from the 34th district in downtown LA saying, I wish he was my congressman. If he’d bring good jobs here, I wouldn’t mind making something that just gets blown up or sunk in the ground like missile defense in Alaska. I mean, we’ve already spent $100 billion on what amounts to a massive high-tech scarecrow. It couldn’t hit a thing. The aiming devices aren’t there. The tests fail. It doesn’t work. It’s certainly a cover for something much more ominous — the expansion of the Air Force into outer space or “full spectrum dominance,” as they like to put it.</p>
<p>We need to concentrate on this, and not from a partisan point of view either. There’s no reason to believe the Democrats would do a better job. They never have. They’ve expanded the armed forces just as fast as the Republicans.</p>
<p>This is the beast we’re trying to analyze, to understand, and it seems to me today unstoppable. Put it this way: James Madison, the author of our Constitution, said the right that controls all other rights is the right to get information. If you don’t have this, the others don’t matter. The Bill of Rights doesn’t work if you can’t find out what’s going on. Secrecy has been going crazy in this country for a long time, but it’s become worse by orders of magnitude under the present administration. When John Ashcroft became attorney general, he issued orders that access to the Freedom of Information Act should be made as difficult as possible.</p>
<p>The size of the black budget in the Pentagon has been growing ever larger during this administration. These are projects no one gets to see. To me, one of the most interesting spectacles in our society is watching uniformed military officers like General Michael Hayden, former head of the National Security Agency, sitting in front of Congress, testifying. It happened the other day. Hillary Clinton asked him: Tell us at least approximately how many [NSA warrantless spying] interventions have you made? “I’m not going to tell you” was his answer. Admiral Jacoby, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was asked directly about a year ago, are we still paying Ahmed Chalabi $340,000 a month? And his reply was, “I’m not going to say.”</p>
<p>At this point, should the senator stand up and say: “I want the U.S. Marshall to arrest that man.” I mean, this is contempt of Congress.</p>
<p>TE: You’re also saying, of course, that there’s a reason to have contempt for Congress.</p>
<p>CJ: There is indeed. You can understand why these guys do it. Richard Helms, the Director of the CIA back in 1977, was convicted of a felony for lying to Congress. He said, no, we had nothing to do with the overthrow of [Chilean President] Salvador Allende when we had everything to do with it. He gets a suspended sentence, pays a small fine, walks into the CIA building at Langley, Virginia and is met by a cheering crowd. Our hero! He’s proudly maintained the principles of the secret intelligence service, which is the private army of the president and we have no idea what he’s doing with it. Everything they do is secret. Every item in their budget is secret.</p>
<p>TE: And the military, too, has become something of a private army…</p>
<p>CJ: Exactly. I dislike conscription because it’s so easily manipulated, but I do believe in the principle of the obligation of citizens to defend the country in times of crisis. Now, how we do that is still an open question, but at least the citizens’ army was a check on militarism. People in the armed forces knew they were there involuntarily. They were extremely interested in whether their officers were competent, whether the strategy made sense, whether the war they might have to fight was justified, and if they began to believe that they were being deeply lied to, as in Vietnam, the American military would start to come apart. The troops then were fragging their officers so seriously that General Creighton Abrams said, we’ve got to get them out of there. And call it Vietnamization or anything else, that’s what they did.</p>
<p>{publish-page-break}</p>
<p>I fear that we’re heading that way in Iraq. You open the morning paper and discover that they’re now going to start recruiting down to level four, people with serious mental handicaps. The terrible thing is that they’ll just be cannon fodder.</p>
<p>It’s not rocket science to say that we’re talking about a tragedy in the works here. Americans aren’t that rich. We had a trade deficit in 2005 of $725.8 billion. That’s a record. It went up almost 25% in just over a year. You can’t go on not making things, fighting these kinds of wars, and building weapons that are useless. Herb Stein, when he was chairman of the council of economic advisers in a Republican administration very famously said, “Things that can’t go on forever don’t.”</p>
<p>TD:: So put our problems in a nutshell.</p>
<p>CJ:From George Bush’s point of view, his administration has achieved everything ideologically that he wanted to achieve. Militarism has been advanced powerfully. In the minds of a great many people, the military is now the only American institution that appears to work. He’s enriched the ruling classes. He’s destroyed the separation of powers as thoroughly as was possible. These are the problems that face us right now. The only way you could begin to rebuild the separation of powers would be to reinvigorate the Congress and I don’t know what could shock the American public into doing that. They’re the only ones who could do it. The courts can’t. The President obviously won’t.</p>
<p>The only thing I can think of that might do it would be bankruptcy. Like what happened to Argentina in 2001. The richest country in Latin America became one of the poorest. It collapsed. It lost the ability to borrow money and lost control of its affairs, but a great many Argentines did think about what corrupt presidents had listened to what corrupt advice and done what stupid things during the 1990s. And right now, the country is on its way back.</p>
<p>TE: But superpower bankruptcy? It’s a concept nobody’s really explored. When the British empire finally went, we were behind them. Is there somebody behind us?</p>
<p>CJ: No.</p>
<p>TE: So what would it mean for us to go bankrupt?. After all, we’re not Argentina.</p>
<p>CJ: It would mean losing control over things. All of a sudden, we would be dependent on the kindness of strangers. looking for handouts. We already have a $725 billion trade deficit; the largest fiscal deficit in our history, now well over 6% of GDP. The defense budgets are off the charts and don’t make any sense, and don’t forget that $500 billion we’ve already spent on the Iraq war — every nickel of it borrowed from people in China and Japan who saved and invested because they would like to have access to this market. Any time they decide they don’t want to lend to us, interest rates will go crazy and the stock exchange will collapse.</p>
<p>We pour about $2 billion a day just into servicing the amounts we borrow. The moment people quit lending us that money, we have to get it out of domestic savings and right now we have a negative savings rate in this country. To get Americans to save 20% of their income, you’d have to pay them at least a 20% interest rate and that would produce a truly howling recession. We’d be back to the state of things in the 1930s that my mother used to describe to me — we lived in the Arizona countryside then — when someone would tap on the rear door and say, “Have you got any work? I don’t want to be paid, I just want to eat.” And she’d say, “Sure, we’ll find something for you to do and give you eggs and potatoes.”</p>
<p>A depression like that would go on in this country for quite a while. The rest of the world would also have a severe recession, but would probably get over it a lot faster.</p>
<p>TE: So you can imagine the Chinese, Japanese, and European economies going on without us, not going down with us.</p>
<p>CJ: Absolutely. I think they could.</p>
<p>{publish-page-break}</p>
<p>TE: Don’t you imagine, for example, that the Chinese bubble economy, the part that’s based on export to the United States might collapse, setting off chaos there too?</p>
<p>CJ: It might, but the Chinese would not blame their government for it. And there is no reason the Chinese economy shouldn’t, in the end, run off domestic consumption. When you’ve got that many people interested in having better lives, they needn’t depend forever on selling sweaters and pajamas in North America. The American economy is big, but there’s no reason to believe it’s so big the rest of the world couldn’t do without us. Moreover, we’re kidding ourselves because we already manufacture so little today — except for weapons.</p>
<p>We could pay a terrible price for not having been more prudent. To have been stupid enough to give up on infrastructure, health care, and education in order to put 8 missiles in the ground at Fort Greeley, Alaska that can’t hit anything. In fact, when tested, sometimes they don’t even get out of their silos.</p>
<p>TE: How long do you see the dollar remaining the international currency? I noticed recently that Iran was threatening to switch to Euros.</p>
<p>CJ:Yes, they’re trying to create an oil bourse based on the Euro. Any number of countries might do that. Econ 1A as taught in any American university is going to tell you that a country that runs the biggest trade deficits in economic history must pay a penalty if the global system is to be brought back into equilibrium. What this would mean is a currency so depreciated no American could afford a Lexus automobile. A vacation in Italy would cost Americans a wheelbarrow full of dollars.</p>
<p>TE: At least it might stop the CIA from <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=7789" type="external">kidnapping people</a> off the streets of Italy in the style to which they’ve grown accustomed.</p>
<p>CJ: [Laughs.] Their kidnappers would no longer be staying in <a href="http://theprogressivemind.info/2005/06/cia-said-to-leave-trail-in-abduction.html" type="external">the Principe di Savoia</a> [a five-star hotel] in Milano, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>The high-growth economies of East Asia now hold huge amounts in American treasury certificates. If the dollar loses its value, the last person to get out of dollars loses everything, so you naturally want to be first. But the person first making the move causes everyone else to panic. So it’s a very cautious, yet edgy situation.</p>
<p>A year ago, the head of the Korean Central Bank, which has a couple of hundred billion of our dollars, came out and said: I think we’re a little heavily invested in dollars, suggesting that maybe Dubai’s currency would be better right now, not to mention the Euro. Instantaneous panic. People started to sell; presidents got on the telephone asking: What in the world are you people up to? And the Koreans backed down — and so it continues.</p>
<p>There are smart young American PhDs in economics today inventing theories about why this will go on forever. One is that there’s a global savings glut. People have too much money and nothing to do with it, so they loan it to us. Even so, as the very considerable economics correspondent for the Nation magazine, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684835541/nationbooks08" type="external">William Greider</a>, has written several times, it’s extremely unwise for the world’s largest debtor to go around insulting his bankers. We’re going to send <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20060214-1346-cnspacific.html" type="external">four aircraft-carrier task forces</a> to the Pacific this summer to intimidate the Chinese, sail around, fly our airplanes, shoot off a few cruise missiles. Why shouldn’t the Chinese say, let’s get out of dollars. Okay, they don’t want a domestic panic of their own, so the truth is they would do it as subtly as they could, causing as little fuss as possible.</p>
<p>{publish-page-break}</p>
<p>What does this administration think it’s doing, reducing taxes when it needs to be reducing huge deficits? As far as I can see, its policies have nothing to do with Republican or Democratic ideology, except that its opposite would be traditional, old Republican conservatism, in the sense of being fiscally responsible, not wasting our money on aircraft carriers or other nonproductive things.</p>
<p>But the officials of this administration are radicals. They’re crazies. We all speculate on why they do it. Why has the President broken the Constitution, let the military spin virtually out of control, making it the only institution he would turn to for anything — another Katrina disaster, a bird flu epidemic? The whole thing seems farcical, but what it does remind you of is ancient Rome.</p>
<p>If a bankruptcy situation doesn’t shake us up, then I fear we will, as an author I admire wrote the other day, be “crying for the coup.” We could end the way the Roman Republic ended. When the chaos, the instability become too great, you turn it over to a single man. After about the same length of time our republic has been in existence, the Roman Republic got itself in that hole by inadvertently, thoughtlessly acquiring an empire they didn’t need and weren’t able to administer, that kept them at war all the time. Ultimately, it caught up with them. I can’t see how we would be immune to a Julius Caesar, to a militarist who acts the populist.</p>
<p>TE: Do you think that our all-volunteer military will turn out to be the janissaries of our failed empire?</p>
<p>CJ: They might very well be. I’m already amazed at the degree to which they tolerate this incompetent government. I mean the officers know that their precious army, which they worked so hard to rebuild after the Vietnam War, is coming apart again, that it’s going to be ever harder to get people to enlist, that even the military academies are in trouble. I don’t know how long they’ll take it. <a href="http://infowars.com/print/ps/franks.htm" type="external">Tommy Franks</a>, the general in charge of the attack on Baghdad, did say that if there were another terrorist attack in the United States comparable to 9/11, the military might have no choice but to take over. In other words: If we’re going to do the work, why listen to incompetents like George Bush? Why take orders from an outdated character like Donald Rumsfeld? Why listen to a Congress in which, other than John McCain, virtually no Republican has served in the armed forces?</p>
<p>I don’t see the obvious way out of our problems. The political system has failed. You could elect the opposition party, but it can’t bring the CIA under control; it can’t bring the military-industrial complex under control; it can’t reinvigorate the Congress. It would be just another holding operation as conditions got worse.</p>
<p>Now, I’ll grant you, I could be wrong. If I am, you’re going to be so glad, you’ll forgive me. [He laughs.] In the past, we’ve had clear excesses of executive power. There was Lincoln and the suspension of habeas corpus. Theodore Roosevelt virtually invented the executive order. Until then, most presidents didn’t issue executive orders. Roosevelt issued well over a thousand. It was the equivalent of today’s presidential signing statement. Then you go on to the mad Presbyterian Woodrow Wilson, whom the neocons are now so in love with, and Franklin Roosevelt and his pogrom against Americans of Japanese ancestry. But there was always a tendency afterwards for the pendulum to swing back, for the American public to become concerned about what had been done in its name and correct it. What’s worrying me is: Can we expect a pendulum swing back this time?</p>
<p>{publish-page-break}</p>
<p>TE: Maybe there is no pendulum.</p>
<p>CJ:Today, Cheney tells us that presidential powers have been curtailed by the War Powers Act [of 1973], congressional oversight of the intelligence agencies, and so on. This strikes me as absurd, since these modest reforms were made to deal with the grossest violations of the Constitution in the Nixon administration. Moreover, most of them were stillborn. There’s not a president yet who has acknowledged the War Powers Act as legitimate. They regard themselves as not bound by it, even though it was an act of Congress and, by our theory of government, unless openly unconstitutional, that’s the bottom line. A nation of laws? No, we are not. Not anymore.</p>
<p>TE: Usually we believe that the Cold War ended with the Soviet Union’s collapse and, in essence, our victory. A friend of mine put it another way. The United States, he suggested, was so much more powerful than the USSR that we had a greater capacity to shift our debts elsewhere. The Soviets didn’t and so imploded. My question is this: Are we now seeing the delayed end of the Cold War? Perhaps both superpowers were headed for the proverbial trash bin of history, simply at different rates of speed?</p>
<p>CJ: I’ve always believed that they went first because they were poorer and that the terrible, hubristic conclusion we drew — that we were victorious, that we won — was off the mark. I always felt that we both lost the Cold War for the same reasons — imperial overstretch, excessive militarism, things that have been identified by students of empires since Babylonia. We’ve never given Mikhail Gorbachev credit. Most historians would say that no empire ever gave up voluntarily. The only one I can think of that tried was the Soviet Union under him.</p>
<p>TE: Any last words?</p>
<p>CJ: I’m still working on them. My first effort was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805075593/nationbooks08" type="external">Blowback</a>. That was well before I anticipated anything like massive terrorist attacks in the United States. It was a statement that the foreign-policy problems — I still just saw them as that — of the first part of the 21st century were going to be left over from the previous century, from our rapacious activities in Latin America, from our failure to truly learn the lessons of Vietnam. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805077979/nationbooks08" type="external">The Sorrows of Empire</a> was an attempt to come to grips with our militarism. Now, I’m considering how we’ve managed to alienate so many rich, smart allies — every one of them, in fact. How we’ve come to be so truly hated. This, in a Talleyrand sense, is the sort of mistake from which you can’t recover. That’s why I’m planning on calling the third volume of what I now think of as “The Blowback Trilogy,” Nemesis. Nemesis was the Greek goddess of vengeance. She also went after people who became too arrogant, who were so taken with themselves that they lost all prudence. She was always portrayed as a fierce figure with a scale in one hand — think, Judgment Day – and a whip in the other…</p>
<p>TE: And you believe she’s coming after us?</p>
<p>CJ: Oh, I believe she’s arrived. I think she’s sitting around waiting for her moment, the one we’re coming up on right now.</p>
<p>Tom Engelhardt, who runs the Nation Institute’s Tomdispatch.com (“a regular antidote to the mainstream media”), is the co-founder of <a href="http://www.americanempireproject.com/" type="external">the American Empire Project</a> and the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558491333/nationbooks08" type="external">The End of Victory Culture</a>, a history of American triumphalism in the Cold War. His novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558495061/nationbooks08" type="external">The Last Days of Publishing</a>, has recently come out in paperback.</p>
<p>Copyright 2006 Tom Engelhardt</p>
<p />
<p>This article appeared first at <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external">Tomdispatch.com</a>.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | part interview chalmers johnson suggested falloftheberlinwall endofthecoldwar moment meant explored deeply empire militarism entered american bloodstream began consider means live unacknowledged state military keynesianism garrisoning planet imperial budget real yearly pentagon budget perhaps threequarters trillion dollars tom engelhardt discussing lunacy 2007 pentagon budget chalmers johnsonwhat dont understand current defense budget recent quadrennial defense review strategy continuations everything make sure couple hundred military golf courses around world well groomed lear jets ready fly admirals generals armed forces ski resort garmisch bavarian alps militarys two luxury hotels downtown seoul tokyo cant explain happened congress theyre corrupt thats certainly part im sitting californias 50th district past december congressman randy cunningham confessed largest single bribery case history us congress 24 million trinkets rolls royce french antiques went thanks ability member military subcommittee house appropriations committee add things secretly budget pals running small companies adding things even department defense said didnt want bribery somebody said day congress comes extremely cheap 24 million guys got 175 million contracts easy deal military control part executive branch expanded cover national security state back kid pentagon called department war department defense though palpably nothing defense hasnt long time even another department government today thats concerned homeland security wonder earth dept defense government isnt working right theres proper supervision founders authors constitution regarded supreme organ congress mystery huge expansion executive branch powers weve seen since neoconservatives george bush came power congress failed us completely longer interested way money spent pentagon budget like one produce little interest people vested interest going produce jobs publishpagebreak wrote article well cunningham confessed called militaryindustrial man identified lot said unfortunately didnt know get rid safe district appeared los angeles times oped page paper got couple letters editor 34th district downtown la saying wish congressman hed bring good jobs wouldnt mind making something gets blown sunk ground like missile defense alaska mean weve already spent 100 billion amounts massive hightech scarecrow couldnt hit thing aiming devices arent tests fail doesnt work certainly cover something much ominous expansion air force outer space full spectrum dominance like put need concentrate partisan point view either theres reason believe democrats would better job never theyve expanded armed forces fast republicans beast trying analyze understand seems today unstoppable put way james madison author constitution said right controls rights right get information dont others dont matter bill rights doesnt work cant find whats going secrecy going crazy country long time become worse orders magnitude present administration john ashcroft became attorney general issued orders access freedom information act made difficult possible size black budget pentagon growing ever larger administration projects one gets see one interesting spectacles society watching uniformed military officers like general michael hayden former head national security agency sitting front congress testifying happened day hillary clinton asked tell us least approximately many nsa warrantless spying interventions made im going tell answer admiral jacoby head defense intelligence agency asked directly year ago still paying ahmed chalabi 340000 month reply im going say point senator stand say want us marshall arrest man mean contempt congress te youre also saying course theres reason contempt congress cj indeed understand guys richard helms director cia back 1977 convicted felony lying congress said nothing overthrow chilean president salvador allende everything gets suspended sentence pays small fine walks cia building langley virginia met cheering crowd hero hes proudly maintained principles secret intelligence service private army president idea hes everything secret every item budget secret te military become something private army cj exactly dislike conscription easily manipulated believe principle obligation citizens defend country times crisis still open question least citizens army check militarism people armed forces knew involuntarily extremely interested whether officers competent whether strategy made sense whether war might fight justified began believe deeply lied vietnam american military would start come apart troops fragging officers seriously general creighton abrams said weve got get call vietnamization anything else thats publishpagebreak fear heading way iraq open morning paper discover theyre going start recruiting level four people serious mental handicaps terrible thing theyll cannon fodder rocket science say talking tragedy works americans arent rich trade deficit 2005 7258 billion thats record went almost 25 year cant go making things fighting kinds wars building weapons useless herb stein chairman council economic advisers republican administration famously said things cant go forever dont td put problems nutshell cjfrom george bushs point view administration achieved everything ideologically wanted achieve militarism advanced powerfully minds great many people military american institution appears work hes enriched ruling classes hes destroyed separation powers thoroughly possible problems face us right way could begin rebuild separation powers would reinvigorate congress dont know could shock american public theyre ones could courts cant president obviously wont thing think might would bankruptcy like happened argentina 2001 richest country latin america became one poorest collapsed lost ability borrow money lost control affairs great many argentines think corrupt presidents listened corrupt advice done stupid things 1990s right country way back te superpower bankruptcy concept nobodys really explored british empire finally went behind somebody behind us cj te would mean us go bankrupt argentina cj would mean losing control things sudden would dependent kindness strangers looking handouts already 725 billion trade deficit largest fiscal deficit history well 6 gdp defense budgets charts dont make sense dont forget 500 billion weve already spent iraq war every nickel borrowed people china japan saved invested would like access market time decide dont want lend us interest rates go crazy stock exchange collapse pour 2 billion day servicing amounts borrow moment people quit lending us money get domestic savings right negative savings rate country get americans save 20 income youd pay least 20 interest rate would produce truly howling recession wed back state things 1930s mother used describe lived arizona countryside someone would tap rear door say got work dont want paid want eat shed say sure well find something give eggs potatoes depression like would go country quite rest world would also severe recession would probably get lot faster te imagine chinese japanese european economies going without us going us cj absolutely think could publishpagebreak te dont imagine example chinese bubble economy part thats based export united states might collapse setting chaos cj might chinese would blame government reason chinese economy shouldnt end run domestic consumption youve got many people interested better lives neednt depend forever selling sweaters pajamas north america american economy big theres reason believe big rest world couldnt without us moreover kidding already manufacture little today except weapons could pay terrible price prudent stupid enough give infrastructure health care education order put 8 missiles ground fort greeley alaska cant hit anything fact tested sometimes dont even get silos te long see dollar remaining international currency noticed recently iran threatening switch euros cjyes theyre trying create oil bourse based euro number countries might econ 1a taught american university going tell country runs biggest trade deficits economic history must pay penalty global system brought back equilibrium would mean currency depreciated american could afford lexus automobile vacation italy would cost americans wheelbarrow full dollars te least might stop cia kidnapping people streets italy style theyve grown accustomed cj laughs kidnappers would longer staying principe di savoia fivestar hotel milano thats sure highgrowth economies east asia hold huge amounts american treasury certificates dollar loses value last person get dollars loses everything naturally want first person first making move causes everyone else panic cautious yet edgy situation year ago head korean central bank couple hundred billion dollars came said think little heavily invested dollars suggesting maybe dubais currency would better right mention euro instantaneous panic people started sell presidents got telephone asking world people koreans backed continues smart young american phds economics today inventing theories go forever one theres global savings glut people much money nothing loan us even considerable economics correspondent nation magazine william greider written several times extremely unwise worlds largest debtor go around insulting bankers going send four aircraftcarrier task forces pacific summer intimidate chinese sail around fly airplanes shoot cruise missiles shouldnt chinese say lets get dollars okay dont want domestic panic truth would subtly could causing little fuss possible publishpagebreak administration think reducing taxes needs reducing huge deficits far see policies nothing republican democratic ideology except opposite would traditional old republican conservatism sense fiscally responsible wasting money aircraft carriers nonproductive things officials administration radicals theyre crazies speculate president broken constitution let military spin virtually control making institution would turn anything another katrina disaster bird flu epidemic whole thing seems farcical remind ancient rome bankruptcy situation doesnt shake us fear author admire wrote day crying coup could end way roman republic ended chaos instability become great turn single man length time republic existence roman republic got hole inadvertently thoughtlessly acquiring empire didnt need werent able administer kept war time ultimately caught cant see would immune julius caesar militarist acts populist te think allvolunteer military turn janissaries failed empire cj might well im already amazed degree tolerate incompetent government mean officers know precious army worked hard rebuild vietnam war coming apart going ever harder get people enlist even military academies trouble dont know long theyll take tommy franks general charge attack baghdad say another terrorist attack united states comparable 911 military might choice take words going work listen incompetents like george bush take orders outdated character like donald rumsfeld listen congress john mccain virtually republican served armed forces dont see obvious way problems political system failed could elect opposition party cant bring cia control cant bring militaryindustrial complex control cant reinvigorate congress would another holding operation conditions got worse ill grant could wrong youre going glad youll forgive laughs past weve clear excesses executive power lincoln suspension habeas corpus theodore roosevelt virtually invented executive order presidents didnt issue executive orders roosevelt issued well thousand equivalent todays presidential signing statement go mad presbyterian woodrow wilson neocons love franklin roosevelt pogrom americans japanese ancestry always tendency afterwards pendulum swing back american public become concerned done name correct whats worrying expect pendulum swing back time publishpagebreak te maybe pendulum cjtoday cheney tells us presidential powers curtailed war powers act 1973 congressional oversight intelligence agencies strikes absurd since modest reforms made deal grossest violations constitution nixon administration moreover stillborn theres president yet acknowledged war powers act legitimate regard bound even though act congress theory government unless openly unconstitutional thats bottom line nation laws anymore te usually believe cold war ended soviet unions collapse essence victory friend mine put another way united states suggested much powerful ussr greater capacity shift debts elsewhere soviets didnt imploded question seeing delayed end cold war perhaps superpowers headed proverbial trash bin history simply different rates speed cj ive always believed went first poorer terrible hubristic conclusion drew victorious mark always felt lost cold war reasons imperial overstretch excessive militarism things identified students empires since babylonia weve never given mikhail gorbachev credit historians would say empire ever gave voluntarily one think tried soviet union te last words cj im still working first effort blowback well anticipated anything like massive terrorist attacks united states statement foreignpolicy problems still saw first part 21st century going left previous century rapacious activities latin america failure truly learn lessons vietnam sorrows empire attempt come grips militarism im considering weve managed alienate many rich smart allies every one fact weve come truly hated talleyrand sense sort mistake cant recover thats im planning calling third volume think blowback trilogy nemesis nemesis greek goddess vengeance also went people became arrogant taken lost prudence always portrayed fierce figure scale one hand think judgment day whip te believe shes coming us cj oh believe shes arrived think shes sitting around waiting moment one coming right tom engelhardt runs nation institutes tomdispatchcom regular antidote mainstream media cofounder american empire project author end victory culture history american triumphalism cold war novel last days publishing recently come paperback copyright 2006 tom engelhardt article appeared first tomdispatchcom | 1,964 |
<p>Sarah PalinMary F. Calvert/MCT/ZUMA Press</p>
<p />
<p>It may be tough for Sarah Palin to know who her true friends are—especially when journalists go to great lengths to ingratiate themselves with her. The latest batch of <a href="" type="internal">Palin’s gubernatorial emails</a>—released by the state of Alaska last week in response to an open-records request first filed by Mother Jones—contains correspondence showing how right-wing reporters have tried to curry favor with Palin in order to gain access to the glam queen of conservatism.</p>
<p>For instance, the Washington Times, according to a January 12, 2009, email Palin received from Bill McAllister, her press secretary, <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317314-pra-gsp02-0032770.html" type="external">tried to convince</a> Palin to do an online chat by promising she could “control the chat by answering or not answering the questions that you choose to address.” And McAllister noted, “As the Washington Times guy said, maybe the thing to do is concentrate on friendly media and just ignore the others.”</p>
<p>The American Spectator, another conservative publication, took things to another level. In a January 13, 2009, <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317266-pra-gsp02-0032732.html" type="external">email</a>, <a href="http://heartland.org/thomas-cheplick" type="external">Thomas Cheplick</a>, who has been a writer for the magazine and a “freelance reporter” for the conservative Heartland Institute, asked to interview Palin and poured it on thick. He boasted that he had written a <a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2008/02/26/que-sarah-sarah" type="external">piece</a> in early 2008 boosting the then little-known Alaska governor as the perfect choice to be John McCain’s running mate, claiming this article was credited for “launching” Palin. And he explained how he had further helped her become the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee:</p>
<p>You should know that I ensured that [the article] found its way to Rush Limbaugh’s desk—who read it out loud on the air and put up a pro-Palin webpage on rushlimbaugh.com that directly linked to it, and as well as I gave it to McCain’s chief strategist Charlie Black. All this back in February 2008. (Indeed, you’ll have a hard time finding any other articles advocating for her to be chosen as veep that were not linked to me…)</p>
<p>And Cheplick, according to Cheplick, did so much more:</p>
<p>I helped out in many other ‘little’ but very crucial, I assure you, ways too when she got selected and there were initially major doubts about her among very many top social and fiscal conservatives (esp. fiscal conservatives).</p>
<p>In this fine example of source brown-nosing, Cheplick also offered advice to Palin’s communications team:</p>
<p>I know you have the best interests of the Governor at heart (as—believe it or not—I do too), but having worked for [former Reagan aide] Lyn Nofziger, I seriously do believe you are making a huge strategic communications mistake in limiting her from the national media and magazines like the Spectator. Perhaps, Gov. Palin does not want to run again for national office, which is fine, but if she has the fire in the belly to do it again—well, I would stress to you that very soon getting the Governor out there nationally on the “rubber-chicken” circuit is crucial. Remember, Barack Obama’s first visit to New Hampshire was May 2005.</p>
<p>BUT you cannot put her out there on the “rubber-chicken” circuit nation-wide, without her having—like Reagan and Obama—”The Speech”. AND that’s why I want to interview her for a story for the American Spectator.</p>
<p>Cheplick even suggested he would time the article’s release to Palin’s advantage, adding,</p>
<p>[I]t’s crucial in my view that this story gets written about her, and really somewhat soon. The mainstream media, the Left, and elite Americans are succeeding—whether you want to believe it or not—in slowly convincing the American public writ large that Gov. Palin is just like Dan Quayle: “a stupid hillbilly.” That’s a hard and dangerous impression to dislodge once its cemented in the public mind. The theme, instead, that she is not “a stupid hillbilly Governor”, but indeed “a rugged individual with more battle-scars than Caroline Kennedy, a Governor brimming with original and fresh ideas” or something like that, needs to be cemented. This—again—is what I want to do in the story…There are a lot of subtle things I intend to put into this serious piece—that will be widely-circulated, and it will have a profoundly positive effect for her—however, the main theme that I will be returning to over and over will be her rugged individualism, and how she embodies a modern-style of conservatism that is also down-to-earth; how she is how brimming with new conservative policy ideas, which I know she is.</p>
<p>It seems the eager Cheplick was not sufficiently persuasive. He did write a <a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2009/03/27/the-lady-is-preoccupied" type="external">piece</a> for the American Spectator reporting that Palin was just too dang busy with her gubernatorial tasks in Alaska to become involved with conservative movement politics in Washington. (“[A]t the moment she is simply plain loaded with work,” Cheplick wrote.) The article contained no quotes from Palin, but McAllister did talk to Cheplick on the record for the piece.</p>
<p>Palin’s aides, unsurprisingly, seemed interested in mainly setting her up with sympathetic reporters. In December 2008, Human Events, a conservative publication, informed Palin’s office that it intended to name her the “Conservative of the Year,” and John Gizzi, its main Washington correspondent, requested a brief interview with Palin. In processing this request, McAllister sent Palin and another aide an email <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317978-pra-gsp02-0033283.html" type="external">noting</a>, “As you may recall John Gizzi interviewed the Governor back in March and he featured her in the paper as his first pick for VP. The article was a homerun. Gizzi will only write favorably about the Governor.” Palin’s office helped Gizzi by supplying written answers to questions he provided. (Asked about McAllister’s note, Gizzi said, “Well, that is her [sic] conclusion and not my words. But it’s a fair assumption: if you’re going to make someone “Conservative of the Year,” I guess it is safe to say you will write favorably.”)*[See correction below.]</p>
<p>Yet cooperating with conservative journalists could backfire. In January 2009, Palin granted conservative filmmaker John Ziegler an interview for an upcoming documentary. Days later, Ziegler posted excerpts on YouTube in which Palin suggested that if Caroline Kennedy ran for Senate in New York she would receive better media treatment than Palin did due to Kennedy’s elevated social class. In that interview, Palin also accused Katie Couric and Tina Fey of “capitalizing” on and “exploiting” her. Her tinged-with-bitterness remarks were <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17217.html" type="external">reported in Politico</a> and elsewhere.</p>
<p>After the Politico story appeared, Palin was enraged with Ziegler and his team. She <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317440-pra-gsp02-0032868.html" type="external">emailed her aides</a>, “What did they do??? Dear God-did I just get majorly used again????? And are we being exploited? And did they take things out of context?” In <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/314810-pra-gsp02-0027705.html" type="external">another email</a>, she told her aides, “remember they PROMISED the wouldn’t take things out of context to make it sound like I was whining or self-centered in this. Unflippinbelievable.” And in <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317440-pra-gsp02-0032868.html" type="external">a third email</a>, she complained: “Are they SELLING excerpts from the interview? They are snakes for doing this. I trust NO ONE in the media – never again – and I do not want to be a part of this docu anymore. They need to edit me out…”</p>
<p>Palin demanded answers from McAllister:</p>
<p>Bill-what did they tell you before this was agreed upon? You told me they were promising it’d be fair, it was a real docu…that it was the opportunity to help [with] credibility in the media and to set the record straight without sounding whiny…what did they tell you about leaking this stuff for their own gain???</p>
<p>McAllister emailed back: “Nothing, obviously, or I would have objected.”</p>
<p>Two years later, Ziegler would <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/12/the-sarah-palin-i-know/" type="external">describe</a> his relationship with Palin as a long-running love-hate mishmash, claiming that Palin told him posting those YouTube clips had been no biggie. After that episode, Ziegler did go on to cooperate with Palin on other fronts. But he eventually criticized her for developing a “bunker mentality” that froze out one of her most prominent and loyal defenders (him), and he portrayed her as erratic and not supportive of her allies (meaning, him). Ziegler ended up urging Palin not to run for president in 2012.</p>
<p>Palin was always worried about journalists gunning for her. After McCain put her on his ticket, she <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/318640-pra-gsp02-0033965.html" type="external">sent an email</a> headed “Reporters” to family members urging, “Please, no one may talk to reporters. It’s a very ugly situation where they’re looking for any ‘odd’ comments to lead to the destruction of the McCain ticket. Please don’t talk to them or provide photos. The campaign does that, we don’t. Especially here in Minesota we can’t have ANYONE talking to the press. McCain’s people keep remind me that over and over.”</p>
<p>She also was not keen on media reports that sought to penetrate her inner circle. In a March 30, 2009, <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/314746-pra-gsp02-0034751.html" type="external">email to an aide</a>, Palin responded to <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20603.html" type="external">a Politico article</a> on her purported political crew that reported that John Coale, a prominent personal-injury lawyer and major Democratic donor married to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, had become a Palin confidant. The piece noted that Coale said that he and Palin “email back and forth about once a week.” Palin apparently thought Coale was hyping his influence with her. “Argh!!!,” she wrote. “I can’t believe Coale says we email once a week! And others cited in here whom I have not even met! And I could go on…” But she didn’t.</p>
<p>Shortly before that, Palin had another visceral reaction to a Washington Post <a href="http://openline.medialine.com/showthread.php?t=30034" type="external">article</a> that reported on her post-2008-campaign return to Alaska and noted that she had experienced a “bumpy homecoming.” She emailed a copy of the article to her husband Todd and <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/316526-pra-gsp02-0032131.html" type="external">commented</a>,</p>
<p>Would you pray for our strength. And for God to totally turn things around…Enough is enough. May we see victories and feel His hand of mercy and grace.</p>
<p>Todd Palin replied: “I did.”</p>
<p>Correction: This story was wrong to say that Palin responded to Gizzi with written answers. Gizzi notes that Palin granted him a 15-minute phone interview, rather than a written reply. We regret the error. Gizzi also says, “I never provided her with questions.” But an <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/317978-pra-gsp02-0033283.html" type="external">email</a> to Palin from the aide who arranged the interview did state, “His questions will be easy,” and it listed three questions:&#160;“1. How is she feeling now that the campaign is over? 2. What is the next step for her? 3. What does she believe are the defining issues for being a conservative?”&#160;</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | sarah palinmary f calvertmctzuma press may tough sarah palin know true friends areespecially journalists go great lengths ingratiate latest batch palins gubernatorial emailsreleased state alaska last week response openrecords request first filed mother jonescontains correspondence showing rightwing reporters tried curry favor palin order gain access glam queen conservatism instance washington times according january 12 2009 email palin received bill mcallister press secretary tried convince palin online chat promising could control chat answering answering questions choose address mcallister noted washington times guy said maybe thing concentrate friendly media ignore others american spectator another conservative publication took things another level january 13 2009 email thomas cheplick writer magazine freelance reporter conservative heartland institute asked interview palin poured thick boasted written piece early 2008 boosting littleknown alaska governor perfect choice john mccains running mate claiming article credited launching palin explained helped become gops vicepresidential nominee know ensured article found way rush limbaughs deskwho read loud air put propalin webpage rushlimbaughcom directly linked well gave mccains chief strategist charlie black back february 2008 indeed youll hard time finding articles advocating chosen veep linked cheplick according cheplick much helped many little crucial assure ways got selected initially major doubts among many top social fiscal conservatives esp fiscal conservatives fine example source brownnosing cheplick also offered advice palins communications team know best interests governor heart asbelieve noti worked former reagan aide lyn nofziger seriously believe making huge strategic communications mistake limiting national media magazines like spectator perhaps gov palin want run national office fine fire belly againwell would stress soon getting governor nationally rubberchicken circuit crucial remember barack obamas first visit new hampshire may 2005 put rubberchicken circuit nationwide without havinglike reagan obamathe speech thats want interview story american spectator cheplick even suggested would time articles release palins advantage adding crucial view story gets written really somewhat soon mainstream media left elite americans succeedingwhether want believe notin slowly convincing american public writ large gov palin like dan quayle stupid hillbilly thats hard dangerous impression dislodge cemented public mind theme instead stupid hillbilly governor indeed rugged individual battlescars caroline kennedy governor brimming original fresh ideas something like needs cemented thisagainis want storythere lot subtle things intend put serious piecethat widelycirculated profoundly positive effect herhowever main theme returning rugged individualism embodies modernstyle conservatism also downtoearth brimming new conservative policy ideas know seems eager cheplick sufficiently persuasive write piece american spectator reporting palin dang busy gubernatorial tasks alaska become involved conservative movement politics washington moment simply plain loaded work cheplick wrote article contained quotes palin mcallister talk cheplick record piece palins aides unsurprisingly seemed interested mainly setting sympathetic reporters december 2008 human events conservative publication informed palins office intended name conservative year john gizzi main washington correspondent requested brief interview palin processing request mcallister sent palin another aide email noting may recall john gizzi interviewed governor back march featured paper first pick vp article homerun gizzi write favorably governor palins office helped gizzi supplying written answers questions provided asked mcallisters note gizzi said well sic conclusion words fair assumption youre going make someone conservative year guess safe say write favorablysee correction yet cooperating conservative journalists could backfire january 2009 palin granted conservative filmmaker john ziegler interview upcoming documentary days later ziegler posted excerpts youtube palin suggested caroline kennedy ran senate new york would receive better media treatment palin due kennedys elevated social class interview palin also accused katie couric tina fey capitalizing exploiting tingedwithbitterness remarks reported politico elsewhere politico story appeared palin enraged ziegler team emailed aides dear goddid get majorly used exploited take things context another email told aides remember promised wouldnt take things context make sound like whining selfcentered unflippinbelievable third email complained selling excerpts interview snakes trust one media never want part docu anymore need edit palin demanded answers mcallister billwhat tell agreed upon told promising itd fair real docuthat opportunity help credibility media set record straight without sounding whinywhat tell leaking stuff gain mcallister emailed back nothing obviously would objected two years later ziegler would describe relationship palin longrunning lovehate mishmash claiming palin told posting youtube clips biggie episode ziegler go cooperate palin fronts eventually criticized developing bunker mentality froze one prominent loyal defenders portrayed erratic supportive allies meaning ziegler ended urging palin run president 2012 palin always worried journalists gunning mccain put ticket sent email headed reporters family members urging please one may talk reporters ugly situation theyre looking odd comments lead destruction mccain ticket please dont talk provide photos campaign dont especially minesota cant anyone talking press mccains people keep remind also keen media reports sought penetrate inner circle march 30 2009 email aide palin responded politico article purported political crew reported john coale prominent personalinjury lawyer major democratic donor married fox news host greta van susteren become palin confidant piece noted coale said palin email back forth week palin apparently thought coale hyping influence argh wrote cant believe coale says email week others cited even met could go didnt shortly palin another visceral reaction washington post article reported post2008campaign return alaska noted experienced bumpy homecoming emailed copy article husband todd commented would pray strength god totally turn things aroundenough enough may see victories feel hand mercy grace todd palin replied correction story wrong say palin responded gizzi written answers gizzi notes palin granted 15minute phone interview rather written reply regret error gizzi also says never provided questions email palin aide arranged interview state questions easy listed three questions1601 feeling campaign 2 next step 3 believe defining issues conservative160 | 906 |
<p>My fellow Jacobin editor Peter Frase wrote an <a href="" type="internal">impassioned piece</a> recently calling for the Left to move beyond the “comforting.&#160;.&#160;. fable of class as the universal solvent that does away with all identity and leads directly to enlightenment.” In it, he calls out Barbara Ehrenreich, Sam Gindin, and Walter Benn Michaels as proponents of a “common” leftist sentiment that privileges a universalizing and unifying notion of class and rails against “identity” politics, thus ignoring or denying the importance of race and gender.</p>
<p>Frase says the arguments of people like Ehrenreich, Gindin, and Michaels rest on a “flimsy and inadequate reading” of race, class, and gender.&#160;He&#160;raises some important points that are worth fleshing out a bit more, but in order to do so it is necessary to first lay out his argument in brief.</p>
<p>Frase&#160;emphasizes that, contra Ehrenreich/Gindin/Michaels, there is much more to anti-racism and feminism than “liberal diversity politics.” He exhorts the Left to incorporate a more radical vision of abolishing race and gender into its emancipatory narratives and strategies, rather than stopping short at eliminating hierarchy or inequality.</p>
<p>Frase goes further to argue that the problems demonstrated by Ehrenreich/Gindin/Michaels don’t just stem from a stunted treatment of race and gender, but from a fundamental misunderstanding of class itself:&#160;“Ehrenreich et al. speak of class strictly as an abstract&#160;social structure, and race and gender solely as individual&#160;identities. Yet each exists in both dimensions.”</p>
<p>He&#160;argues that not only is class both a structure and an identity, but also that the idea of “the working class” in “leftist rhetoric” is curious and confused. He says “the working class” is an encompassing and vague category, and has historically referred more to a “class-in-itself” rather than a “class-for-itself.” According to Frase, Old Leftists ignore this and privilege a “sociological” understanding of class that substitutes a time- and place-specific industrial worker for the broader concept of the working class. Frase says that these once-powerful actors have been all but disappeared in today’s de-industrialized, post-Fordist world of service work and high finance.</p>
<p>While leftists cling to their dusty notions of class, Frase argues that “the working class” has lost its relevance, even as a sociological category, and has “been assimilated to the language of identity politics, treated as a set of cultural markers and practices that are correlated with having lower wages and fewer educational credentials.” Class today is an identity just like race and gender.</p>
<p>“Traditional class warriors” don’t like this and insist that the dominant treatment of class as an identity rather than a social structure is invalid, but Frase disagrees. He says the problem with “partisans of crude ‘class first’ politics” is that they’re obsessed with an “abstract structural definition of class that nobody directly feels or experiences as their identity.” Frase says the Left needs to open its eyes to the fact that class is a lived identity, and tells bourgeois classists on the Left to stop mocking overweight people who shop at Walmart.</p>
<p>More importantly, Frase argues that the Left needs to realize that just as class is not a universalizing structure, it is also not a universal identity —&#160;the working class is more than white men on a factory line. These “appeals to class degenerate into a kind of cultural populism, more comfortable visualizing the typical worker as a white coal miner rather than a black woman in an elementary school or behind a McDonald’s counter” and more comfortable fighting for higher wages rather than for abortion rights or against police brutality.</p>
<p>Inspiration for Frase’s piece comes from a wonderful 1997&#160; <a href="http://nova.wpunj.edu/newpolitics/issue22/kelley22.htm" type="external">article</a> by Robin D.G. Kelley. The Kelley piece addressed a vocal contingent on the Left who decried “identity politics” as the source of the Left’s decline.</p>
<p>Liberals like Todd Gitlin and Michael Tomasky, and even Ralph Nader and Betty Friedan were all making noise in the late nineties about how an&#160;emphasis on race, gender, and sexuality was distracting and weakening the Left. Their vitriol spurred the emergence (or resurgence) of widespread debate and discussion on the Left about how the intersection of race, class, and gender shapes social relations of power.</p>
<p>Frase contends that we need to revisit this intersection, and I’m inclined to agree.&#160;Understanding how the intersection of race, class, gender (and ethnicity and sexuality) shapes and perpetuates social relations of power at the micro and macro level is a difficult task, not least because the material and ideological basis of existing configurations of power are always shifting in response to political, social, and economic pressures.</p>
<p>Thorny historical questions arise about the role of race, class, and gender in the reproduction of capitalism as a system and, distinctly, about their&#160;relationship to the capitalist mode of production. On a theoretical level, understanding how race, class, and gender interact to produce and reproduce the system is also difficult because, as <a href="http://www.progressive.org/mag_reed1105" type="external">Adolph Reed</a> says, concepts like racism (and sexism) are extremely porous.</p>
<p>The Left’s ability to present a compelling account of power that captures this intersection hasn’t been a linear story of improvement, but compared with the tenor of discussion in the nineties, analyses of power have become significantly more nuanced and historically grounded.</p>
<p>Ehrenreich, Gindin, and Michaels all approach the intersection of race, class, and gender differently and each have strong opinions about how to understand structures of power and make the world a better place. However, the ease with which Frase chucks them into the “crude,” “class first,” down-with-identity camp —&#160;presumably to join the likes of people like Gitlin and Tomasky —&#160;is baffling.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with everything Walter Benn Michaels has to say, particularly on questions of intersectionality, but Frase’s presentation of his analysis of race and class is an oversimplification. Barbara Ehrenreich was a vocal critic of Gitlin’s and Nader’s dismissals of identity, and wrote a withering review of Tomasky’s book-rant <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Possible-Resurrection-Progressive/dp/1476766940" type="external">Left for Dead</a> for the Progressive in 1996.</p>
<p>The article that Frase quotes as evidence of Ehrenreich’s “class bias” was a rumination on how growing income inequality in the late 1990s was negatively impacting the ability of women to achieve the goals of feminism —&#160;not a call for the abolition of gender or race to be sure, but hardly a shout-down of identity politics.</p>
<p>Similarly, Frase’s reading of Sam Gindin’s <a href="" type="internal">piece</a> in the latest issue of Jacobin to paint him as a dogmatic Old Leftist who denies the importance of race and gender in our emancipatory projects is misleading. Gindin prefaces his discussion about building a class movement by saying “the making of the working class is inseparable from the historical interaction of race, gender, ethnicity, and class.”</p>
<p>His argument is, as it has always been, that we must “develop a social force” capable of taking on the “formidable power and resiliency of capitalism.” To radically challenge the contradictions of capitalism, this social force must unite as a class-for-itself (as capital is so good at doing) by drawing together individuals, and their multi-faceted identities, in solidarity.</p>
<p>Beyond his charge that Ehrenreich, Gindin, and Michaels&#160;don’t like identity politics, Frase says they&#160;also don’t understand class and capitalism, as demonstrated by their focus on the structural aspects of class —&#160;namely, that a defining feature of capitalism is the built-in conflict between those who invest private capital to make their livelihood, and those who must support themselves by selling their ability to work for a wage.</p>
<p>Frase says Ehrenreich et. al. don’t understand that class is also part of our identity, our lived experience. But I can’t think of a single person on the Left who denies that class is part of our lived experience.</p>
<p>Anyone who grows up poor feels class acutely in their day-to-day interactions. Choosing to focus on the structural effects of class on life chances doesn’t mean denying that class is also a part of our multi-faceted identity or that capitalism affects us all in different ways.</p>
<p>Frase goes further to say that even when people on the Left do acknowledge class as a part of identity, they pigeonhole that identity into a white, male worker. Frase argues that we should also consider people of color and women as part of the working class. This is another point we can all agree on. I give my students Ehrenreich’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Global-Woman-Nannies-Workers-Economy/dp/0805075097" type="external">Global Woman</a>&#160;— a book about nannies, maids, and sex workers from countries like the Phillippines and Thailand —&#160;to teach them how race, class, and gender intersect with global processes at both a micro and macro level to shape relations of power both in the US and globally.</p>
<p>But Frase is trying to say something more definitive about the interplay of identity and structure. He’s arguing that we can’t abolish class at a structural level if we don’t focus more on identity. It is this part of Frase’s argument that is most problematic in the&#160;present political moment.</p>
<p>The dominant neoliberal consensus today is that class, race, and gender are just issues of identity. The hegemonic narrative claims that race, class, and gender are no longer defining imperatives at all. None of them are structural forces worth bemoaning. None of them have the power to determine our life chances if we don’t want them to.</p>
<p>In fact, it is the invisibility of the structural dimensions of class, race, and gender that defines current social relations of power.</p>
<p>The role of our identities in shaping our lives has taken center stage and has been de-linked from structural forces. It is only at the level of identity that race, class, and gender are visible and politicized. Identity has become everyone’s own personal construction project, to be molded, shaped, and adapted to the vagaries of the market, independent of the structural imperatives of capitalism. We’re told if we work hard we can be anything we want to be, that if we all just treat each other better and become more tolerant we can solve poverty and inequality.</p>
<p>Frase understands that race and gender act on a structural level. He says that like class, “race and gender are part of social systems and not just individual identities,” but instead of moving to examine the structural aspects of race and gender, and how these intersect with structures of class power and privilege, he chooses to focus on class as a facet of identity.</p>
<p>Examining identity is not in itself a problem, but in a discussion of how the Left can develop strategies to challenge the imperatives of capitalism —&#160;and the capitalist mode of production —&#160;Frase’s focus on identity ends up reproducing and reinforcing dominant narratives of neoliberalism.</p>
<p>Class, race, and gender intersect on both a micro and macro level. We know this. The challenge for the Left is to translate this knowledge into emancipatory projects that straddle this intersection —&#160;like a basic minimum income, free higher education and childcare, and single-payer health care.</p>
<p>A project like a basic minimum income benefits all working people, while giving people of color, who are disproportionately poor, much needed support and breathing room. The same applies to projects like quality, free childcare and universal pre-K —&#160;all women and men would benefit, but especially single mothers.</p>
<p>Projects that address the structural aspects of class, race, and gender build solidarity and improve people’s lives in a radical way. In doing so, they open up a space to build the social force necessary to challenge capitalism at both the systemic level and at the level of production.</p> | true | 4 | fellow jacobin editor peter frase wrote impassioned piece recently calling left move beyond comforting160160 fable class universal solvent away identity leads directly enlightenment calls barbara ehrenreich sam gindin walter benn michaels proponents common leftist sentiment privileges universalizing unifying notion class rails identity politics thus ignoring denying importance race gender frase says arguments people like ehrenreich gindin michaels rest flimsy inadequate reading race class gender160he160raises important points worth fleshing bit order necessary first lay argument brief frase160emphasizes contra ehrenreichgindinmichaels much antiracism feminism liberal diversity politics exhorts left incorporate radical vision abolishing race gender emancipatory narratives strategies rather stopping short eliminating hierarchy inequality frase goes argue problems demonstrated ehrenreichgindinmichaels dont stem stunted treatment race gender fundamental misunderstanding class itself160ehrenreich et al speak class strictly abstract160social structure race gender solely individual160identities yet exists dimensions he160argues class structure identity also idea working class leftist rhetoric curious confused says working class encompassing vague category historically referred classinitself rather classforitself according frase old leftists ignore privilege sociological understanding class substitutes time placespecific industrial worker broader concept working class frase says oncepowerful actors disappeared todays deindustrialized postfordist world service work high finance leftists cling dusty notions class frase argues working class lost relevance even sociological category assimilated language identity politics treated set cultural markers practices correlated lower wages fewer educational credentials class today identity like race gender traditional class warriors dont like insist dominant treatment class identity rather social structure invalid frase disagrees says problem partisans crude class first politics theyre obsessed abstract structural definition class nobody directly feels experiences identity frase says left needs open eyes fact class lived identity tells bourgeois classists left stop mocking overweight people shop walmart importantly frase argues left needs realize class universalizing structure also universal identity 160the working class white men factory line appeals class degenerate kind cultural populism comfortable visualizing typical worker white coal miner rather black woman elementary school behind mcdonalds counter comfortable fighting higher wages rather abortion rights police brutality inspiration frases piece comes wonderful 1997160 article robin dg kelley kelley piece addressed vocal contingent left decried identity politics source lefts decline liberals like todd gitlin michael tomasky even ralph nader betty friedan making noise late nineties an160emphasis race gender sexuality distracting weakening left vitriol spurred emergence resurgence widespread debate discussion left intersection race class gender shapes social relations power frase contends need revisit intersection im inclined agree160understanding intersection race class gender ethnicity sexuality shapes perpetuates social relations power micro macro level difficult task least material ideological basis existing configurations power always shifting response political social economic pressures thorny historical questions arise role race class gender reproduction capitalism system distinctly their160relationship capitalist mode production theoretical level understanding race class gender interact produce reproduce system also difficult adolph reed says concepts like racism sexism extremely porous lefts ability present compelling account power captures intersection hasnt linear story improvement compared tenor discussion nineties analyses power become significantly nuanced historically grounded ehrenreich gindin michaels approach intersection race class gender differently strong opinions understand structures power make world better place however ease frase chucks crude class first downwithidentity camp 160presumably join likes people like gitlin tomasky 160is baffling dont agree everything walter benn michaels say particularly questions intersectionality frases presentation analysis race class oversimplification barbara ehrenreich vocal critic gitlins naders dismissals identity wrote withering review tomaskys bookrant left dead progressive 1996 article frase quotes evidence ehrenreichs class bias rumination growing income inequality late 1990s negatively impacting ability women achieve goals feminism 160not call abolition gender race sure hardly shoutdown identity politics similarly frases reading sam gindins piece latest issue jacobin paint dogmatic old leftist denies importance race gender emancipatory projects misleading gindin prefaces discussion building class movement saying making working class inseparable historical interaction race gender ethnicity class argument always must develop social force capable taking formidable power resiliency capitalism radically challenge contradictions capitalism social force must unite classforitself capital good drawing together individuals multifaceted identities solidarity beyond charge ehrenreich gindin michaels160dont like identity politics frase says they160also dont understand class capitalism demonstrated focus structural aspects class 160namely defining feature capitalism builtin conflict invest private capital make livelihood must support selling ability work wage frase says ehrenreich et al dont understand class also part identity lived experience cant think single person left denies class part lived experience anyone grows poor feels class acutely daytoday interactions choosing focus structural effects class life chances doesnt mean denying class also part multifaceted identity capitalism affects us different ways frase goes say even people left acknowledge class part identity pigeonhole identity white male worker frase argues also consider people color women part working class another point agree give students ehrenreichs global woman160 book nannies maids sex workers countries like phillippines thailand 160to teach race class gender intersect global processes micro macro level shape relations power us globally frase trying say something definitive interplay identity structure hes arguing cant abolish class structural level dont focus identity part frases argument problematic the160present political moment dominant neoliberal consensus today class race gender issues identity hegemonic narrative claims race class gender longer defining imperatives none structural forces worth bemoaning none power determine life chances dont want fact invisibility structural dimensions class race gender defines current social relations power role identities shaping lives taken center stage delinked structural forces level identity race class gender visible politicized identity become everyones personal construction project molded shaped adapted vagaries market independent structural imperatives capitalism told work hard anything want treat better become tolerant solve poverty inequality frase understands race gender act structural level says like class race gender part social systems individual identities instead moving examine structural aspects race gender intersect structures class power privilege chooses focus class facet identity examining identity problem discussion left develop strategies challenge imperatives capitalism 160and capitalist mode production 160frases focus identity ends reproducing reinforcing dominant narratives neoliberalism class race gender intersect micro macro level know challenge left translate knowledge emancipatory projects straddle intersection 160like basic minimum income free higher education childcare singlepayer health care project like basic minimum income benefits working people giving people color disproportionately poor much needed support breathing room applies projects like quality free childcare universal prek 160all women men would benefit especially single mothers projects address structural aspects class race gender build solidarity improve peoples lives radical way open space build social force necessary challenge capitalism systemic level level production | 1,047 |
<p>From left: Frank Gaffney; Ginni Thomas; Allen West</p>
<p>Believing they are losing the messaging war with progressives, a group of prominent conservatives in Washington—including the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and journalists from Breitbart News and the Washington Examiner—has been meeting privately since early this year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for “a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation,” according to documents obtained by Mother Jones.&#160;</p>
<p>Dubbed Groundswell, this coalition convenes weekly in the offices of Judicial Watch, the conservative legal watchdog group. During these hush-hush sessions and through a Google group, the members of Groundswell—including aides to congressional Republicans—cook up battle plans for their ongoing fights against the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, progressive outfits, and the Republican establishment and “clueless” GOP congressional leaders. They devise strategies for killing immigration reform, hyping the Benghazi controversy, and countering the impression that the GOP exploits racism. And the Groundswell gang is mounting a behind-the-scenes organized effort to eradicate the outsize influence of GOP über-strategist/pundit Karl Rove within Republican and conservative ranks. (For more on Groundswell’s “two front war” against Rove—a major clash on the right—click <a href="" type="internal">here</a>.)&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>One of the influential conservatives guiding the group is Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, a columnist for the Daily Caller and a tea party consultant and lobbyist. Other Groundswell members include John Bolton, the former UN ambassador; Frank Gaffney, the president of the Center for Security Policy; Ken Blackwell and Jerry Boykin of the Family Research Council; Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch; Gayle Trotter, a fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum; Catherine Engelbrecht and Anita MonCrief of True the Vote; Allen West, the former GOP House member; Sue Myrick, also a former House GOPer; Diana Banister of the influential <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/meet-craig-shirley-and-diana-banister-the-rights-pitch-perfect-conservatives/2013/07/21/63cea20e-dffe-11e2-b94a-452948b95ca8_story.html" type="external">Shirley and Banister PR firm</a>; and Max Pappas, a top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).&#160;</p>
<p>Among the conveners listed in an invitation to a May 8 meeting of Groundswell were Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News Network; Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who resoundingly lost a Maryland Senate race last year (and is now running for a House seat); Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society; Sandy Rios, a Fox News contributor; Lori Roman, a former executive director of the American Legislative Exchange Council; and Austin Ruse, the head of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute.&#160;Conservative journalists and commentators participating in Groundswell have included Breitbart News reporters Matthew Boyle and Mike Flynn, Washington Examiner executive editor Mark Tapscott, and National Review contributor Michael James Barton.</p>
<p>Wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and maker of at least <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20thomas.html?_r=0" type="external">one unsolicited early morning phone call.</a> (Photo: Rex Curry/Zuma)</p>
<p>Former Florida congressman. (Photo: <a href="http://bit.ly/15gzXqG" type="external">Gage Skidmore</a>/Flickr)</p>
<p>Vice president and partner of Shirley &amp; Banister Public Affairs, a powerful right-wing public relations firm. (Photo: <a href="http://www.vmionline.com/secrets/slanding.html" type="external">Viguerie Marketing Institute</a>)</p>
<p>Executive at Breitbart News Network. (Photo: <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenBannon" type="external">Stephen Bannon/Twitter</a>)</p>
<p>National Review contributor. (Photo: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljamesbarton" type="external">Michael James Barton/LinkedIn</a>)</p>
<p>Former Ohio secretary of state, treasurer, and Cincinnatti mayor. Currently a senior fellow at the Family Research Council. Rose to prominence during the 2004 presidential election after accusations of vote suppression in Ohio as secretary of state. (Photo: <a href="http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF08C42.jpg" type="external">Family Research Council</a>)</p>
<p>Former New York City police officer, Secret Service agent, and failed 2012 Maryland US senatorial candidate. (Photo: <a href="http://www.bongino.com/about.html" type="external">Bongino for Congress</a>)</p>
<p>US ambassador to the United Nations (2005-06), senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, noted war hawk. (Photo: <a href="http://www.aei.org/files/2011/11/03/img-bolton-john_155305106540.jpg" type="external">American Enterprise Institute</a>)</p>
<p>Executive vice president of the Family Research Council, longtime military commander, and one of the original US Army Delta Force members. (Photo: <a href="http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF13D32.jpg" type="external">Family Research Council</a>)</p>
<p>Reporter for Breitbart News Network. (Photo: <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/12/02/Investigative-Reporter-Matthew-Boyle-Joins-Breitbart-News" type="external">Breitbart</a>)</p>
<p>Founder of True the Vote, a tea-party-backed poll-watching group that has risen to national prominence since 2010. (Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kheubaum/" type="external">Karl Heubaum/Flickr</a>)</p>
<p>President of Judicial Watch, an organization dedicated to exposing (mostly) left-wing government malfeasance. (Photo: LNI/Zuma)</p>
<p>Editor for Breitbart News Network. (Photo: <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Columnists/Mike-Flynn" type="external">Breitbart</a>)</p>
<p>President of the Center for Security Policy, fervent advocate of the idea that Shariah law is the preeminent threat of our time. (Photo: LNI/Zuma)</p>
<p>Executive vice president of the Federalist Society. (Photo: <a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/author/leonard-a-leo" type="external">Federalist Society</a>)</p>
<p>One-time ACORN whistleblower who now works closely with True the Vote. (Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/" type="external">Gage Skidmore/Flickr</a>)</p>
<p>Former North Carolina congresswoman, champion in the fight against the "stealth jihad" waged by Islamist interns. (Photo: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Sue_Myrick%2C_Official_Portrait_112th_Congress.jpg" type="external">WikiCommons</a>)</p>
<p>A top aide for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and formerly of Freedom Works, one of the original power tea party groups. (Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=526437570712553&amp;set=a.354822561207389.79971.354464547909857&amp;type=1&amp;theater" type="external">Facebook</a>)</p>
<p>Vice president of Family PAC Federal (a conservative political action group) and Fox News contributor. (Photo: <a href="http://www.sandyrios.com/Photos.cfm" type="external">www.sandyrios.com</a>)</p>
<p>Founder of Libertas Global Partners, a political consultancy. Former executive director of the Koch-backed American Legislative Exchange Council. (Photo: <a href="http://libertasglobal.com/aboutus.html" type="external">Libertas Global Partners</a>)</p>
<p>Head of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. (Photo: <a href="http://c-fam.org/en/austin-ruse" type="external">Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute</a>)</p>
<p>Executive editor of the Washington Examiner (Photo: <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/author/mark-tapscott" type="external">Washington Examiner</a>)</p>
<p>Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum; famous for saying that gun control was sexist. (Photo: <a href="http://www.iwf.org/about/gayle-trotter" type="external">Independent Women's Forum</a>)</p>
<p />
<p>Groundswell has collaborated with conservative GOPers on Capitol Hill, including Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Cruz and Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), a leading tea partier. At its weekly meetings, the group aims to strengthen the right’s messaging by crafting Twitter hashtags; plotting strategy on in-the-headlines issues such as voter ID, immigration reform, and the sequester; promoting politically useful scandals; and developing “action items.”</p>
<p>A certain amount of secrecy cloaks Groundswell’s efforts. Though members have been encouraged to <a href="" type="internal">zap out</a> <a href="" type="internal">tweets with a #GSW hashtag</a>, a message circulated to members of its Google group noted that the role of certain advocates should be kept “off of the Google group for OPSEC [operational security] reasons.” This “will avoid any potential for bad press for someone if a communication item is leaked,” the message explained. (The Groundswell documents were provided to Mother Jones by a source who had access to its Google group page and who has asked not to be identified.)</p>
<p>Washington is full of coalitions that meet to coordinate messaging and strategy. For two decades, conservative strategist <a href="" type="internal">Grover Norquist</a>, who heads Americans for Tax Reform, has held his now-famous Wednesday morning meetings for a broad spectrum of Republicans, including conservatives opposed to gay rights and abortion rights and those who favor them, as well as GOPers on different sides of the immigration reform debate. Groundswell, which meets at the same time as Norquist’s group, appears to be a more ideologically pure version of the Norquist confab, and its emergence—given the prominent role of Ginni Thomas and the participation of journalists—prompts several intriguing questions.&#160;</p>
<p>Critics have <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/07/02/new-financial-forms-show-clarence-thomass-wife-continued-to-lobby-against-healthcare-in-2011" type="external">contended</a> that Thomas’ work as a lobbyist opposing Obamacare posed a conflict of interest for her husband, who would rule on the constitutionality of the health care reform initiative. (Clarence Thomas joined the Supreme Court minority that favored striking down the law.) And Common Cause has <a href="http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&amp;b=4773617&amp;ct=9039331" type="external">maintained</a>&#160;that Justice Thomas had a conflict of interest when he participated in the Citizens United case because his wife at the time was running a conservative nonprofit fighting the “tyranny” of President Barack Obama that would benefit from removing limits on such groups’ spending and fundraising. With her involvement in Groundswell—which zeroes in on contentious issues that come before the high court, including voting rights, abortion, and gay marriage—Ginni Thomas continues to be intricately associated with matters on which her husband may have to render a decision. Ginni Thomas did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>The participation of journalists in coordinating messaging with ideological advocates and political partisans raises another set of issues. Conservatives expressed outrage when news broke in 2009 about Journolist, a private email list where several hundred progressive-minded reporters, commentators, and academics exchanged ideas and sometimes bickered. (I was on Journolist, <a href="" type="internal">mainly as a lurker</a>.) The late Andrew Breitbart once <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2010/06/29/Reward---100-000-for-Full-JournoList-Archive--Source-Fully-Protected" type="external">offered $100,000</a> for the full Journolist archives and denounced it as “the epitome of progressive and liberal collusion that conservatives, Tea Partiers, moderates and many independents have long suspected and feared exists at the heart of contemporary American political journalism.” The Groundswell documents show conservative journalists, including several with Breitbart News, colluding on high-level messaging with leading partisans of the conservative movement. &#160; &#160;</p>
<p>How Groundswellers Win “Brownie Points” Notes prepared after a Groundswell meeting held on March 27 <a href="" type="internal">detailed the group’s mission and origins</a>:</p>
<p>Groundswell evolved out of conversations among conservative leaders after the November elections. This is the eighth meeting. Now others are asking to be included. Growth needs to be strategic; it should be made up of senior level people willing to collaborate. It is important to keep a balance of social conservatives, national security conservatives, and constitutional conservatives. Outreach has occurred to incorporate groups with extensive reach: Heritage, Heritage Action, FreedomWorks, AFP [Americans for Prosperity], FRC [Family Research Council] and the NRA, among others…Our country is in peril. This is a critical moment needing critical leadership. We want to protect the strategic collaboration occurring at Groundswell and build on it. Please be careful about bringing guests and clear them ahead of time.</p>
<p>The memo declared that the goal was not to merely ponder, but to be proactive:</p>
<p>What Groundswell is not is a room of note takers. The goal of Groundswell is to sync messages and develop action from reports and information exchanged. Going forward there should be an action item accompanying each report.</p>
<p>At <a href="" type="internal">the March 27 meeting</a>, Groundswell participants discussed one multipurpose theme they had been deploying for weeks to bash the president on a variety of fronts, including immigration reform and the sequester: Obama places “politics over public safety.” In a display of Groundswell’s message-syncing, members of the group repeatedly flogged this phrase in public. Frank Gaffney penned a Washington Times <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/5/putting-politics-over-public-safety/" type="external">op-ed</a> titled “Putting Politics Over Public Safety.” Tom Fitton headlined a Judicial Watch <a href="http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/weekly-updates/politics-over-public-safety/" type="external">weekly update</a> “Politics over Public Safety: More Illegal Alien Criminals Released by Obama Administration.” Peter List, editor of LaborUnionReport.com, authored a RedState.com <a href="http://www.redstate.com/tag/putting-politics-over-public-safety/" type="external">post</a> called “Obama’s Machiavellian Sequestration Pain Game: Putting Politics Over Public Safety.” Matthew Boyle <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/06/26/Immigration-agents-ask-public-lawmakers-to-oppose-bill-on-eve-of-expected-vote" type="external">used the phrase</a> in an immigration-related article for Breitbart.&#160;And Dan Bongino promoted Boyle’s story on Twitter by <a href="https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/350043418094870528" type="external">tweeting</a>, “Politics over public safety?” In a message to Groundswellers, Ginni Thomas awarded “brownie points” to Fitton, Gaffney, and other members for promoting the “politics over public safety” riff.&#160;</p>
<p>There was much more on the agenda for <a href="" type="internal">the March 27 meeting</a> than a single talking point. The group routinely addresses an ambitious to-do list for its campaign against the left. At that session, Groundswellers discussed several immigration-related “action items.” These included attempting to link the pending reform bill to Obamacare and collecting health care reform horror stories to provide to Cruz, a leading opponent of the Senate immigration reform bill. (Cruz has repeatedly <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/06/24/sen_ted_cruz_compares_senate_immigration_bill_to_obamacare.html" type="external">compared</a> the legislation to the health care reform law.)</p>
<p>Groundswell members saw immigration as a life-or-death issue. “If we lose on immigration,” the post-meeting memo noted, “we lose on every other issue. The key to defeating this bill is Sen. Rubio. He can gracefully remove himself from the ‘gang of 8’ and still save face…The messaging on this issue has to be ‘we can’t trust Obama’ to enforce immigration laws after the amnesty.”&#160;</p>
<p>The group also reviewed how best to oppose the confirmation of <a href="" type="internal">Tom Perez</a>, Obama’s nominee for labor secretary. Groundswellers claimed that Perez, then a senior Justice Department official, supported “Muslim Brotherhood organizations and Shariah.” (One Groundswell memo maintained that Perez “is extremely antagonistic toward whites.”) A third agenda item that Wednesday morning was beating back the effort to end the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay Scouts. And there was yet another issue for the Groundswell members to stoke: “John Kerry has family ties to Iran that opens the doors to blackmail and other national security risks. Kerry’s son in law is an Iranian American with extensive family still in Iran.” The post-meeting memo suggested Twitter hashtags to push: #CantTrustObama, #PoliticsOverPublicSafety, #SequesterLies.</p>
<p>“We’re Failing the Propaganda Battle” The Groundswellers feel that they too often lose the political narrative to their progressive rivals. One memo that circulated among members declared, “We must reclaim the language and put ‘a face’ on our messages; tell stories. Write articles on 4th grade level!”&#160;</p>
<p>Notes from <a href="" type="internal">a February 28 Groundswell gathering</a> reflected both their collective sense of pessimism and desire for aggressive tactics: “We are failing the propaganda battle with minorities. Terms like, ‘GOP,’ ‘Tea Party,’ ‘Conservative’ communicate ‘racism.'” The Groundswellers proposed an alternative: “Fredrick Douglas Republican,” a phrase, the memo noted, that “changes minds.” (His name is actually spelled “Frederick Douglass.”) The meeting notes also stated that an “active radical left is dedicated to destroy [sic] those who oppose them” with “vicious and unprecedented tactics. We are in a real war; most conservatives are not prepared to fight.”&#160;</p>
<p>The <a href="" type="internal">notes from the March 20 meeting</a> summed up Groundswell griping: “Conservatives are so busy dealing with issues like immigration, gay marriage and boy scouts there is little time left to focus on other issues. These are the very issues the Left wants to avoid but we need to magnify. R’s cannot beat Obama at his own game but need to go on the offense and define the issues.” The group’s proposed offensive would include hyping the <a href="http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/20/the-fast-and-furious-gun-walking-scandal/" type="external">Fast and Furious</a> gun-trafficking controversy, slamming Obama’s record, and touting Benghazi as a full-fledged scandal. “The problem,” the memo noted, “is Speaker Boehner and [Rep.] Mike Rogers (Intelligence Community) are refusing to deal” with the Benghazi issue. It added, “Leaders can and should be shamed into doing the right thing.”</p>
<p>Another problem for right-wingers, this memo pointed out, was that though “a group of freshmen and sophomore representatives in Congress…are willing and ready to stand up” for conservative causes, “no one is willing to step up and become that leader.” Reflecting the dim view held by Groundswell members of House GOPers, the memo maintained that too many Republican lawmakers were co-opted by power and reluctant to challenge House Republican leaders: “The Speaker holds the control in the House. He controls committees, chairmanships, meeting rooms, etc. Conservatives sell out rationalizing their compromises will position them to advance their agenda through committee work. In reality they are being bought.” Boehner, according to his memo, was too frightened to confront Obama head-on regarding budget issues because he “believes that Newt lost his speakership due to the government shutdown.”&#160;</p>
<p>Venting about weak and squishy GOP leaders was a regular feature of Groundswell gatherings. <a href="" type="internal">One action item put it bluntly</a>:</p>
<p>GAP of REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP: how do we tell them they are failing their base; will lose in 2014 unless they fight for principles (as opposed to show disdain for them and accommodate Obama; O is dividing Rs and they seem clueless: IDEAS NEEDED!</p>
<p>A week later, Newt Gingrich <a href="" type="internal">was scheduled to address the group</a> on the “lack of Republican Leadership right now, and Rove.” For 10 minutes.&#160;</p>
<p>At the March 27 meeting, Groundswellers once more voiced their anger with the GOP establishment and Rove—ideological sellouts, they believed, who undercut conservative candidates in order to back Republicans deemed more electable. They discussed the efforts among conservatives to respond to the Republican Party’s recently released <a href="http://growthopp.gop.com/rnc_growth_opportunity_book_2013.pdf" type="external">autopsy</a>&#160;(PDF) of the 2012 elections, which called on the party to be more inclusive of minorities and less severe on social issues.&#160;</p>
<p>Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, the post-meeting memo huffed, “is sending messages to the party…If we were all gay illegal aliens, the party likes us. He is preparing the way for a change on social issues by giving a warning, ‘don’t go Old Testament’ and advising the party to consider what Rove said about the next nominees could speak favorably of homosexual marriage in the campaign.” The memo summed up Groundswell’s preferred solution to GOP woes: “embrace the libertarian and conservative wing of the party.” &#160;</p>
<p>“I’m Going to Need Help Pushing Back” Shortly after its creation, Groundswell started bolstering interactions between right-wing advocates and conservative members of the Senate and the House. On March 5, Gaston Mooney, a staffer for the Senate Republican Steering Committee, <a href="/documents/739855-redacted-epa-nominee-questions-google-groups" type="external">posted a message</a> to Groundswell’s Google group asking for questions that could be posed to Gina McCarthy, Obama’s nominee to lead the EPA, during confirmation hearings or in meetings between her and individual senators. (She was confirmed as EPA chief this month.)</p>
<p>At <a href="" type="internal">an April 3 meeting</a>, Groundswell members were encouraged to send Paul Teller, executive director of the Republican Study Committee, the caucus of House conservatives, “feasible asks in exchange for raised debt ceiling.” The post-meeting memo noted, “House conservatives want clear consensus on what the conservative grassroots want to see negotiated.” Here was a chance for Groundswellers to shape the next debt ceiling showdown.&#160;</p>
<p>In Groundswell’s first months, one of the most active members in its Google group was Danielle Cutrona, chief counsel to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions. She frequently placed information—speeches, articles, press releases—on Groundswell’s Google group. In February, she <a href="" type="internal">posted opposition research material</a> regarding a judicial appointment and asked members to distribute it: “Any help is much appreciated.” In another message to Groundswell, she requested assistance in opposing the pro-immigration reform GOP establishment. <a href="" type="internal">“I’m going to need help pushing back,”</a> she wrote.&#160;</p>
<p>On <a href="" type="internal">one occasion</a>, Cutrona <a href="http://www.redstate.com/2013/02/27/who-is-going-to-put-an-end-to-the-mccaingraham-circus/" type="external">promoted a column</a> from the conservative site RedState.com. Headlined “Who is Going to Put an End to the McCain/Graham Circus?” this RedState.com post excoriated Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham as “Benedict Arnolds” for retreating on their opposition to Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary and for “their treachery on the issue of illegal immigration.” Cutrona, who occasionally used her official Senate email to communicate with Groundswell members, was encouraging this band of conservatives to spread the word that two party colleagues of her boss were ideological traitors.&#160;A spokesman for Sessions says that this blog post did not reflect Cutrona’s views and “was simply one of scores of diverse news and opinion pieces she emailed on immigration.”</p>
<p>“Even If the Idea Isn’t Perfect, I Can Help Massage It” Several conservative journalists have enthusiastically participated in Groundswell’s deliberations. In March, Mark Tapscott, the executive editor of the conservative Washington Examiner, sent his most recent <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/mark-tapscott-one-dinner-does-not-a-great-divider-unmake/article/2523601" type="external">column</a>&#160; <a href="/documents/739833-redacted-links-fr-mark-tapscott-obamacare-hhs-co" type="external">to group members</a>. It focused on a theme that Groundswellers had resolved to hype: President Obama is a divider. And after a meeting that month, Tapscott <a href="" type="internal">wrote to the group</a>, “Enjoyed hearing from all of you who spoke earlier today. It’s amazing how much we are accomplishing on so many fronts.” But Tapscott tells Mother Jones that after attending one or two meetings at the invitation of Ginni Thomas, he decided to stop participating: “The implication of attending is that you’re participating in their planning, and, as a journalist, I don’t think that’s appropriate. Other journalists may think differently.”</p>
<p>At another Groundswell gathering, <a href="" type="internal">according to the minutes</a>, the members decided to ask Breitbart‘s Stephen Bannon to arrange for his media organization “to get senators on the record regarding their support [or non-support]” of the filibuster that GOP Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz were threatening to mount against the gun control bill. This suggested that&#160;the Groundswellers thought they could task Breitbart News to pursue a story that would be strategically useful for the group. (Breitbart News was already covering the possible filibuster.)</p>
<p>Groundswell has forged a particularly close relationship with Breitbart. Matthew Boyle, one of Breitbart‘s more prominent reporters, has attended Groundswell meetings, used the group as a source for tips and a mechanism to promote his stories, and joined in its efforts to whip up coordinated bullet points to be deployed by conservative advocacy shops. In February, <a href="" type="internal">he tried to enlist the group</a> to push a <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/18/emails-reveal-justice-dept-regularly-enlists-media-matters-to-spin-press/" type="external">story</a> he had written the year before at the Daily Caller, in which he maintained the Justice Department was in cahoots with the liberal group Media Matters to smear conservative whistleblowers and journalists. In a long note addressed to all Groundswellers—written at a time when reporter Bob Woodward was making (what turned out to be inflated) claims about the Obama White House intimidating foes—Boyle said, “Figured this might be a good time to bring this story back up and see if there’s a way to drive it.”&#160;</p>
<p>Boyle said he was hoping to prompt congressional Republicans to launch an investigation. He contended he had only revealed the “tip of the iceberg” and shared his suspicion that many government agencies (State, the CIA, the Pentagon, the EPA, and more) were conspiring with “far left wing groups” to undermine conservatives in the media: “I think we can get at the heart of the Obama admin’s weaknesses here.” He explained: “Any evidence obtained would be more proof of collusion between the administration and the media and far left groups, while at the same time serving as evidence of whatever ridiculously moronic big government policies they’re pushing are.”&#160;</p>
<p>The following month, Boyle <a href="" type="internal">sent a message to Groundswell members</a> seeking tips and offering to help shape stories Groundswellers wanted to disseminate: “I’m saying we can get pieces out fast on Breitbart. Whenever you have an idea, email or call me with a pitch and I’ll do my best to get the story out there. Keep us on offense, them on defense. Even if the idea isn’t perfect, I can help massage it to get there.”</p>
<p>A high-priority cause for Groundswellers is voter identification efforts—what progressives would call voter suppression—and when Groundswellers developed a thread on their Google group page exploring the best way to pitch the right’s voter identification endeavors as a major voting rights case was pending in the Supreme Court, the coalition’s friendly journalists joined right in. Dan Bongino, the ex-Secret Service agent and 2012 Senate candidate, <a href="" type="internal">kicked off the discussion</a>: “We need to reframe this. This narrative of the Left has already taken hold in MD. The words ‘Voter ID’ are already lost &amp; equated with racism. Maybe a ‘free and fair elections initiative’ with a heavy emphasis on avoiding ANY voter disenfranchisement combined with an identification requirement which includes a broader range of documents.”</p>
<p>In response, Tapscott suggested, “How about ‘Election Integrity’?” And Gaffney weighed in: “I like it.” Fitton noted that Judicial Watch had an “Election Integrity Project.” Boyle proposed, “Fair and equal elections,” explaining, “Terms ‘fair’ and ‘equal’ connect with most people. It’s why the left uses them.” Then came True the Vote’s Anita MonCrief: “We do a lot under the Election Integrity Banner. Does not resonate with the people. Voter Rights may be better. We really have been trying to get the messaging right.”&#160;</p>
<p>Minutes later, Breitbart‘s Mike Flynn <a href="" type="internal">tried to change the conversation</a>, noting that Boyle earlier in the week had reported that Obama’s daughters had been vacationing in the Bahamas while the White House had suspended tours due to the sequester. “The Obama White House has never been so exposed to public criticism as they are right now, because of their decision to cancel WH tours,” Flynn wrote. “Everything should be focused on that front.” He declared, “We have to be willing to march to the sound of the guns.” (Earlier in the week, Boyle had posted his story on the Obama daughters on Groundswell’s Google group page, noting, “I think this fits in nicely with that politics over public safety theme…Enjoy.”) Ignoring Flynn’s missive, Engelbrecht, the president of True the Vote, wrote, “We bill ourselves as an Election Integrity Initiative and have found it strikes the right tone.”</p>
<p>In a response to a request for comment regarding his participation in Groundswell’s message-making, Flynn emailed, “We have reporters covering lots of meetings in DC, as I’m sure you do as well. As you know, it provides critical background to know what’s happening on the Hill.” In a subsequent email, Flynn insisted, “[N]either Boyle nor I have spent 1 minute on any messaging. We haven’t spent any time creating talking points.” Flynn added, “[W]e are journalists with a point of view. We are open about that. We attend meetings of conservatives. Where we are allowed, we attend meetings of leftist activists.” Boyle did not respond to requests for comment. &#160;</p>
<p>“We All Lament the Difficulty We Have Persuading Americans” In between the weekly meetings, Groundswellers keep on scheming, frequently using their Google group to share ideas and need-to-know information. The material is often routine: a <a href="" type="internal">John Bolton op-ed</a>, a <a href="" type="internal">press release opposing</a> the nomination of the EPA administrator, a <a href="" type="internal">call to rally support</a> for a Rand Paul filibuster. Often the material reveals the group’s ideological excesses, such as a PowerPoint supposedly proving that John Brennan, the Obama national security adviser who has become CIA chief, is soft on radical Islam. In one post, Ginni Thomas encouraged Groundswell members to watch Agenda: Grinding America Down, a <a href="http://%5Bhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8LkIqu1c8" type="external">documentary</a>&#160;that claims that progressives (including Obama) seek “a brave new world” based on the “failed policies and ideologies of communism” and that an evil left is purposefully “destroying the greatest country in all of world history.” MonCrief posted an email noting that the bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon were “similar to Bill Ayers’ Weather Underground nail bomb.”&#160;</p>
<p>But Groundswellers constantly brainstorm via their Google group in search of a magic talking point, or a silver bullet of messaging. On April 24, Keli Carender, the national grassroots coordinator of Tea Party Patriots, posted a message to the Google group, writing, “We should have a unified name for the immigration bill so that as the other side is calling it ‘reform,’ we present a unified front against that notion. If we’re all calling it different things, their ‘reform’ message will win. We only combat the idea that it is reform if we hammer back with one different phrase/name.” She tossed out a few ideas: “Schumer-Rubio bill,” “anti-security bill,” and “amnesty bill.” Sheryl Kaufman, the communications director for Rep. Jim Bridenstine, chimed in that she was fond of a phrase derived by MonCreif: “‘OBAMAGRATION’—I love it!! Communicates the similarity with Obamacare.”&#160;</p>
<p>When Campaign for America’s Future, a progressive group, sent out an email regarding the sequester headlined “Don’t let Republicans destroy the economy,” Carender sent a message to Groundswell members via the Google group: “What about a ‘stick with sequester’ (or similar) mantra from our side?” Responding to Carender’s note, Peter List of LaborUnionReport.com wrote, “Most Americans don’t understand sequesters. We need to be more clever than the Left on this…Something amusing and easy for LIVs [low-information voters] to understand. Maybe a tie in to Humpty Dumpty (the economy) and all King Obama’s men (‘tax increases’) not being able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. (I’m open to anything…and just made that up.)”&#160;</p>
<p>At another point, List emailed Ginni Thomas <a href="" type="internal">an idea for an anti-Obama ad</a> that he thought could go viral:</p>
<p>A 15 sec internet [YouTube ad] featuring ethnically diverse children on a merry-go-round [soft music]… Nuclear explosion. Two bullet points on the facts. Call to action: Tell President Obama &amp; Congress not to cut our nation’s defense.</p>
<p>Thomas posted the note for all in Groundswell to see. “Brilliant idea,” she commented. “…Taker?”</p>
<p>Several months after Groundswell kicked off, Steven Sutton, vice president of development for the conservative Leadership Institute and a former chief of staff to several House GOPers, proposed a “strategic message development project” for the outfit. “What is needed,” <a href="" type="internal">he wrote</a>, “is an umbrella thematic message under which each specific issue can be magnified and maximized. For those familiar with it, this is an extension and development of the <a href="http://www.yourpatriot.com/Leesburg_Diagram.aspx" type="external">Leesburg Grid</a> (which the Left has co-opted and now uses extensively, and the Right has ignored and allowed to fall into disuse.)”&#160;</p>
<p>Sutton suggested using four main themes: Obama and liberal policies fail; Obama and liberal policies make things worse; there is a lack of leadership in the White House; and Obama “puts politics ahead of people/our country/America.” These themes, he contended, “are best used sequentially, rather than randomly/haphazardly/isolated…The most important thing is to think thematically and drive these messages.” Sutton went on:</p>
<p>Issues matter. Details matter. Substance matters. But theme matters more. Substance matters only as it helps to reinforce the themes.</p>
<p>We all lament the difficulty we have persuading Americans. After all, we have the facts, figures, and data to prove our points. Why can’t we persuade? There are many tactics we can use to help persuade (telling stories, finding victims, tempering tone). But these tactics pale in comparison to the importance of providing a context…a theme…to help people organize their thoughts and opinions.</p>
<p>Groundswell has set itself up as the theme lab for the true-red activists of the conservative movement. Fearing that some hydra of the left has long been running wild, vanquishing the right, and bringing the nation closer to utter ruin, the members of Groundswell have birthed a hydra of their own.&#160;</p>
<p>Additional reporting by <a href="" type="internal">Kate Sheppard</a>.</p> | true | 4 | left frank gaffney ginni thomas allen west believing losing messaging war progressives group prominent conservatives washingtonincluding wife supreme court justice clarence thomas journalists breitbart news washington examinerhas meeting privately since early year concoct talking points coordinate messaging hatch plans 30 front war seeking fundamentally transform nation according documents obtained mother jones160 dubbed groundswell coalition convenes weekly offices judicial watch conservative legal watchdog group hushhush sessions google group members groundswellincluding aides congressional republicanscook battle plans ongoing fights obama administration congressional democrats progressive outfits republican establishment clueless gop congressional leaders devise strategies killing immigration reform hyping benghazi controversy countering impression gop exploits racism groundswell gang mounting behindthescenes organized effort eradicate outsize influence gop überstrategistpundit karl rove within republican conservative ranks groundswells two front war rovea major clash rightclick here160 one influential conservatives guiding group virginia ginni thomas columnist daily caller tea party consultant lobbyist groundswell members include john bolton former un ambassador frank gaffney president center security policy ken blackwell jerry boykin family research council tom fitton president judicial watch gayle trotter fellow independent womens forum catherine engelbrecht anita moncrief true vote allen west former gop house member sue myrick also former house goper diana banister influential shirley banister pr firm max pappas top aide sen ted cruz rtexas160 among conveners listed invitation may 8 meeting groundswell stephen bannon executive chairman breitbart news network dan bongino former secret service agent resoundingly lost maryland senate race last year running house seat leonard leo executive vice president federalist society sandy rios fox news contributor lori roman former executive director american legislative exchange council austin ruse head catholic family human rights institute160conservative journalists commentators participating groundswell included breitbart news reporters matthew boyle mike flynn washington examiner executive editor mark tapscott national review contributor michael james barton wife supreme court justice clarence thomas maker least one unsolicited early morning phone call photo rex curryzuma former florida congressman photo gage skidmoreflickr vice president partner shirley amp banister public affairs powerful rightwing public relations firm photo viguerie marketing institute executive breitbart news network photo stephen bannontwitter national review contributor photo michael james bartonlinkedin former ohio secretary state treasurer cincinnatti mayor currently senior fellow family research council rose prominence 2004 presidential election accusations vote suppression ohio secretary state photo family research council former new york city police officer secret service agent failed 2012 maryland us senatorial candidate photo bongino congress us ambassador united nations 200506 senior fellow american enterprise institute noted war hawk photo american enterprise institute executive vice president family research council longtime military commander one original us army delta force members photo family research council reporter breitbart news network photo breitbart founder true vote teapartybacked pollwatching group risen national prominence since 2010 photo karl heubaumflickr president judicial watch organization dedicated exposing mostly leftwing government malfeasance photo lnizuma editor breitbart news network photo breitbart president center security policy fervent advocate idea shariah law preeminent threat time photo lnizuma executive vice president federalist society photo federalist society onetime acorn whistleblower works closely true vote photo gage skidmoreflickr former north carolina congresswoman champion fight stealth jihad waged islamist interns photo wikicommons top aide sen ted cruz rtexas formerly freedom works one original power tea party groups photo facebook vice president family pac federal conservative political action group fox news contributor photo wwwsandyrioscom founder libertas global partners political consultancy former executive director kochbacked american legislative exchange council photo libertas global partners head catholic family human rights institute photo catholic family human rights institute executive editor washington examiner photo washington examiner fellow independent womens forum famous saying gun control sexist photo independent womens forum groundswell collaborated conservative gopers capitol hill including sens jeff sessions rala cruz rep jim bridenstine rokla leading tea partier weekly meetings group aims strengthen rights messaging crafting twitter hashtags plotting strategy intheheadlines issues voter id immigration reform sequester promoting politically useful scandals developing action items certain amount secrecy cloaks groundswells efforts though members encouraged zap tweets gsw hashtag message circulated members google group noted role certain advocates kept google group opsec operational security reasons avoid potential bad press someone communication item leaked message explained groundswell documents provided mother jones source access google group page asked identified washington full coalitions meet coordinate messaging strategy two decades conservative strategist grover norquist heads americans tax reform held nowfamous wednesday morning meetings broad spectrum republicans including conservatives opposed gay rights abortion rights favor well gopers different sides immigration reform debate groundswell meets time norquists group appears ideologically pure version norquist confab emergencegiven prominent role ginni thomas participation journalistsprompts several intriguing questions160 critics contended thomas work lobbyist opposing obamacare posed conflict interest husband would rule constitutionality health care reform initiative clarence thomas joined supreme court minority favored striking law common cause maintained160that justice thomas conflict interest participated citizens united case wife time running conservative nonprofit fighting tyranny president barack obama would benefit removing limits groups spending fundraising involvement groundswellwhich zeroes contentious issues come high court including voting rights abortion gay marriageginni thomas continues intricately associated matters husband may render decision ginni thomas respond requests comment participation journalists coordinating messaging ideological advocates political partisans raises another set issues conservatives expressed outrage news broke 2009 journolist private email list several hundred progressiveminded reporters commentators academics exchanged ideas sometimes bickered journolist mainly lurker late andrew breitbart offered 100000 full journolist archives denounced epitome progressive liberal collusion conservatives tea partiers moderates many independents long suspected feared exists heart contemporary american political journalism groundswell documents show conservative journalists including several breitbart news colluding highlevel messaging leading partisans conservative movement 160 160 groundswellers win brownie points notes prepared groundswell meeting held march 27 detailed groups mission origins groundswell evolved conversations among conservative leaders november elections eighth meeting others asking included growth needs strategic made senior level people willing collaborate important keep balance social conservatives national security conservatives constitutional conservatives outreach occurred incorporate groups extensive reach heritage heritage action freedomworks afp americans prosperity frc family research council nra among othersour country peril critical moment needing critical leadership want protect strategic collaboration occurring groundswell build please careful bringing guests clear ahead time memo declared goal merely ponder proactive groundswell room note takers goal groundswell sync messages develop action reports information exchanged going forward action item accompanying report march 27 meeting groundswell participants discussed one multipurpose theme deploying weeks bash president variety fronts including immigration reform sequester obama places politics public safety display groundswells messagesyncing members group repeatedly flogged phrase public frank gaffney penned washington times oped titled putting politics public safety tom fitton headlined judicial watch weekly update politics public safety illegal alien criminals released obama administration peter list editor laborunionreportcom authored redstatecom post called obamas machiavellian sequestration pain game putting politics public safety matthew boyle used phrase immigrationrelated article breitbart160and dan bongino promoted boyles story twitter tweeting politics public safety message groundswellers ginni thomas awarded brownie points fitton gaffney members promoting politics public safety riff160 much agenda march 27 meeting single talking point group routinely addresses ambitious todo list campaign left session groundswellers discussed several immigrationrelated action items included attempting link pending reform bill obamacare collecting health care reform horror stories provide cruz leading opponent senate immigration reform bill cruz repeatedly compared legislation health care reform law groundswell members saw immigration lifeordeath issue lose immigration postmeeting memo noted lose every issue key defeating bill sen rubio gracefully remove gang 8 still save facethe messaging issue cant trust obama enforce immigration laws amnesty160 group also reviewed best oppose confirmation tom perez obamas nominee labor secretary groundswellers claimed perez senior justice department official supported muslim brotherhood organizations shariah one groundswell memo maintained perez extremely antagonistic toward whites third agenda item wednesday morning beating back effort end boy scouts americas ban gay scouts yet another issue groundswell members stoke john kerry family ties iran opens doors blackmail national security risks kerrys son law iranian american extensive family still iran postmeeting memo suggested twitter hashtags push canttrustobama politicsoverpublicsafety sequesterlies failing propaganda battle groundswellers feel often lose political narrative progressive rivals one memo circulated among members declared must reclaim language put face messages tell stories write articles 4th grade level160 notes february 28 groundswell gathering reflected collective sense pessimism desire aggressive tactics failing propaganda battle minorities terms like gop tea party conservative communicate racism groundswellers proposed alternative fredrick douglas republican phrase memo noted changes minds name actually spelled frederick douglass meeting notes also stated active radical left dedicated destroy sic oppose vicious unprecedented tactics real war conservatives prepared fight160 notes march 20 meeting summed groundswell griping conservatives busy dealing issues like immigration gay marriage boy scouts little time left focus issues issues left wants avoid need magnify rs beat obama game need go offense define issues groups proposed offensive would include hyping fast furious guntrafficking controversy slamming obamas record touting benghazi fullfledged scandal problem memo noted speaker boehner rep mike rogers intelligence community refusing deal benghazi issue added leaders shamed right thing another problem rightwingers memo pointed though group freshmen sophomore representatives congressare willing ready stand conservative causes one willing step become leader reflecting dim view held groundswell members house gopers memo maintained many republican lawmakers coopted power reluctant challenge house republican leaders speaker holds control house controls committees chairmanships meeting rooms etc conservatives sell rationalizing compromises position advance agenda committee work reality bought boehner according memo frightened confront obama headon regarding budget issues believes newt lost speakership due government shutdown160 venting weak squishy gop leaders regular feature groundswell gatherings one action item put bluntly gap republican leadership tell failing base lose 2014 unless fight principles opposed show disdain accommodate obama dividing rs seem clueless ideas needed week later newt gingrich scheduled address group lack republican leadership right rove 10 minutes160 march 27 meeting groundswellers voiced anger gop establishment roveideological sellouts believed undercut conservative candidates order back republicans deemed electable discussed efforts among conservatives respond republican partys recently released autopsy160pdf 2012 elections called party inclusive minorities less severe social issues160 republican national committee chairman reince priebus postmeeting memo huffed sending messages partyif gay illegal aliens party likes us preparing way change social issues giving warning dont go old testament advising party consider rove said next nominees could speak favorably homosexual marriage campaign memo summed groundswells preferred solution gop woes embrace libertarian conservative wing party 160 im going need help pushing back shortly creation groundswell started bolstering interactions rightwing advocates conservative members senate house march 5 gaston mooney staffer senate republican steering committee posted message groundswells google group asking questions could posed gina mccarthy obamas nominee lead epa confirmation hearings meetings individual senators confirmed epa chief month april 3 meeting groundswell members encouraged send paul teller executive director republican study committee caucus house conservatives feasible asks exchange raised debt ceiling postmeeting memo noted house conservatives want clear consensus conservative grassroots want see negotiated chance groundswellers shape next debt ceiling showdown160 groundswells first months one active members google group danielle cutrona chief counsel alabama sen jeff sessions frequently placed informationspeeches articles press releaseson groundswells google group february posted opposition research material regarding judicial appointment asked members distribute help much appreciated another message groundswell requested assistance opposing proimmigration reform gop establishment im going need help pushing back wrote160 one occasion cutrona promoted column conservative site redstatecom headlined going put end mccaingraham circus redstatecom post excoriated republican sens john mccain lindsey graham benedict arnolds retreating opposition chuck hagels nomination defense secretary treachery issue illegal immigration cutrona occasionally used official senate email communicate groundswell members encouraging band conservatives spread word two party colleagues boss ideological traitors160a spokesman sessions says blog post reflect cutronas views simply one scores diverse news opinion pieces emailed immigration even idea isnt perfect help massage several conservative journalists enthusiastically participated groundswells deliberations march mark tapscott executive editor conservative washington examiner sent recent column160 group members focused theme groundswellers resolved hype president obama divider meeting month tapscott wrote group enjoyed hearing spoke earlier today amazing much accomplishing many fronts tapscott tells mother jones attending one two meetings invitation ginni thomas decided stop participating implication attending youre participating planning journalist dont think thats appropriate journalists may think differently another groundswell gathering according minutes members decided ask breitbarts stephen bannon arrange media organization get senators record regarding support nonsupport filibuster gop sens mike lee rand paul ted cruz threatening mount gun control bill suggested that160the groundswellers thought could task breitbart news pursue story would strategically useful group breitbart news already covering possible filibuster groundswell forged particularly close relationship breitbart matthew boyle one breitbarts prominent reporters attended groundswell meetings used group source tips mechanism promote stories joined efforts whip coordinated bullet points deployed conservative advocacy shops february tried enlist group push story written year daily caller maintained justice department cahoots liberal group media matters smear conservative whistleblowers journalists long note addressed groundswellerswritten time reporter bob woodward making turned inflated claims obama white house intimidating foesboyle said figured might good time bring story back see theres way drive it160 boyle said hoping prompt congressional republicans launch investigation contended revealed tip iceberg shared suspicion many government agencies state cia pentagon epa conspiring far left wing groups undermine conservatives media think get heart obama admins weaknesses explained evidence obtained would proof collusion administration media far left groups time serving evidence whatever ridiculously moronic big government policies theyre pushing are160 following month boyle sent message groundswell members seeking tips offering help shape stories groundswellers wanted disseminate im saying get pieces fast breitbart whenever idea email call pitch ill best get story keep us offense defense even idea isnt perfect help massage get highpriority cause groundswellers voter identification effortswhat progressives would call voter suppressionand groundswellers developed thread google group page exploring best way pitch rights voter identification endeavors major voting rights case pending supreme court coalitions friendly journalists joined right dan bongino exsecret service agent 2012 senate candidate kicked discussion need reframe narrative left already taken hold md words voter id already lost amp equated racism maybe free fair elections initiative heavy emphasis avoiding voter disenfranchisement combined identification requirement includes broader range documents response tapscott suggested election integrity gaffney weighed like fitton noted judicial watch election integrity project boyle proposed fair equal elections explaining terms fair equal connect people left uses came true votes anita moncrief lot election integrity banner resonate people voter rights may better really trying get messaging right160 minutes later breitbarts mike flynn tried change conversation noting boyle earlier week reported obamas daughters vacationing bahamas white house suspended tours due sequester obama white house never exposed public criticism right decision cancel wh tours flynn wrote everything focused front declared willing march sound guns earlier week boyle posted story obama daughters groundswells google group page noting think fits nicely politics public safety themeenjoy ignoring flynns missive engelbrecht president true vote wrote bill election integrity initiative found strikes right tone response request comment regarding participation groundswells messagemaking flynn emailed reporters covering lots meetings dc im sure well know provides critical background know whats happening hill subsequent email flynn insisted neither boyle spent 1 minute messaging havent spent time creating talking points flynn added journalists point view open attend meetings conservatives allowed attend meetings leftist activists boyle respond requests comment 160 lament difficulty persuading americans weekly meetings groundswellers keep scheming frequently using google group share ideas needtoknow information material often routine john bolton oped press release opposing nomination epa administrator call rally support rand paul filibuster often material reveals groups ideological excesses powerpoint supposedly proving john brennan obama national security adviser become cia chief soft radical islam one post ginni thomas encouraged groundswell members watch agenda grinding america documentary160that claims progressives including obama seek brave new world based failed policies ideologies communism evil left purposefully destroying greatest country world history moncrief posted email noting bombs exploded boston marathon similar bill ayers weather underground nail bomb160 groundswellers constantly brainstorm via google group search magic talking point silver bullet messaging april 24 keli carender national grassroots coordinator tea party patriots posted message google group writing unified name immigration bill side calling reform present unified front notion calling different things reform message win combat idea reform hammer back one different phrasename tossed ideas schumerrubio bill antisecurity bill amnesty bill sheryl kaufman communications director rep jim bridenstine chimed fond phrase derived moncreif obamagrationi love communicates similarity obamacare160 campaign americas future progressive group sent email regarding sequester headlined dont let republicans destroy economy carender sent message groundswell members via google group stick sequester similar mantra side responding carenders note peter list laborunionreportcom wrote americans dont understand sequesters need clever left thissomething amusing easy livs lowinformation voters understand maybe tie humpty dumpty economy king obamas men tax increases able put humpty dumpty back together im open anythingand made up160 another point list emailed ginni thomas idea antiobama ad thought could go viral 15 sec internet youtube ad featuring ethnically diverse children merrygoround soft music nuclear explosion two bullet points facts call action tell president obama amp congress cut nations defense thomas posted note groundswell see brilliant idea commented taker several months groundswell kicked steven sutton vice president development conservative leadership institute former chief staff several house gopers proposed strategic message development project outfit needed wrote umbrella thematic message specific issue magnified maximized familiar extension development leesburg grid left coopted uses extensively right ignored allowed fall disuse160 sutton suggested using four main themes obama liberal policies fail obama liberal policies make things worse lack leadership white house obama puts politics ahead peopleour countryamerica themes contended best used sequentially rather randomlyhaphazardlyisolatedthe important thing think thematically drive messages sutton went issues matter details matter substance matters theme matters substance matters helps reinforce themes lament difficulty persuading americans facts figures data prove points cant persuade many tactics use help persuade telling stories finding victims tempering tone tactics pale comparison importance providing contexta themeto help people organize thoughts opinions groundswell set theme lab truered activists conservative movement fearing hydra left long running wild vanquishing right bringing nation closer utter ruin members groundswell birthed hydra own160 additional reporting kate sheppard | 2,963 |
<p>The year-long effort to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and his government has failed. Two or three months ago, it seemed to come close to succeeding, as insurgents took over enclaves in cities such as Homs and Deir el-Zour. There was talk of no-fly zones and foreign military intervention.</p>
<p>Severe economic sanctions were slapped on Syria’s already faltering economy. Every day brought news of fresh pressure on Assad and the momentum seemed to build inexorably for a change of rule in Damascus.</p>
<p>It has not happened. Syria will not be like Libya. The latest international action has been an EU ban on Assad’s wife, Asma, and his mother travelling to EU countries (though, as a UK citizen, Asma can still travel to Britain). As damp squibs go, this is of the dampest. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, claims this increases the pressure on the Syrian government but, on the contrary, it relieves it. Curtailing Asma’s shopping trips to Paris or Rome, supposing she ever intended to go there, shows the extent to which the US, EU and their allies in the Middle East are running out of options when it comes to dealing with Damascus.</p>
<p>“Nobody is discussing military operations,” the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said last week. The insurgent Free Syrian Army has been driven out of strongholds in the central city of Homs, Idlib province in the north and, most recently, Deir el-Zour, in the east. Last Tuesday, Syrian soldiers supported by tanks rolled from four sides into Deir el-Zour, which is about 60 miles from the Iraqi border, forcing the rebels to flee and take shelter in homes and apartments after a short gun battle. Their retreat may make it more difficult to bring guns across the Iraq border from the overwhelmingly Sunni Anbar province. The swift Syrian army advance was in contrast with the month-long siege of the Baba Amr district of Homs which killed hundreds of people and left much of the area in ruins. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have blithely advised arming the insurgents, but there is little sign of them doing so.</p>
<p>What went wrong for the advocates of regime change? In general, they overplayed their hand and believed too much of their own propaganda. By this January, everything they did was predicated on international military intervention, or a convincing threat of it. But this ceased to be an option on &#160;February 4 when Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, backed by the Arab League, calling on Assad to step down. The experience of the US, EU, NATO and the Arab Gulf states in overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi turned out to be misleading when it came to Syria.</p>
<p>This has been the experience of revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries throughout the ages. What succeeds in one country proves a recipe for disaster in another. There was also a misreading of what had happened in Libya. Watching al-Jazeera television, it might appear that heroic rebel militiamen – and at times they were heroic – had overthrown a tyrant but, in reality, military victory was almost wholly due to the NATO air assault. The militiamen were a mopping-up force who occupied territory after air strikes had cleared the way (this was also the pattern in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2003).</p>
<p>Conditions are very different in Syria. The regime has a radicalized core based on the Alawite community, a powerful army and security forces. There have been few high-level defections or military units changing sides. Regime loyalists feel they have no alternative but to fight to the end, and are quite prepared to kill anybody who gets in their way. Economic sanctions do not worry Assad loyalists because a dictatorship can always commandeer resources even when they are reduced in quantity. Assad has already lost the support of most of the Syrian business community. Militarization of the conflict does not pose a threat to the government at this stage; it is more of an irritant, though this could change if guerrilla warfare develops.</p>
<p>In the second half of last year Assad appeared to be facing an all-powerful international coalition. It included Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the US, EU and Turkey. It emerged, however, that everybody was in favor of somebody doing something to bring him down – so long as that somebody was somebody else. There was talk of “safe havens” being established on the Jordanian or Turkish borders, but neither Jordan nor Turkey showed any enthusiasm for an act that would lead immediately to armed conflict with Syria. King Abdullah of Jordan said ruefully that he had nothing against “safe havens” so long as they were a long way from Jordan. Turkey cooled on the idea as it became apparent that it was becoming embroiled in a regional Shia-Sunni conflict that would lead to Iran retaliating against Turkey in defense of its Syrian ally.</p>
<p>The Syrian protesters did everything they could to give the impression that what happened in Libya could be repeated in Syria. They are now being criticized for their divisions and lack of leadership, but probably they felt they had no choice. The uprising had begun among the under-class of Syrians, but by last summer had spread to the middle class. But the use of snipers and death squads by the regime made street protests highly dangerous and they have got smaller in recent months (one of the benefits of the Arab League monitoring team was that it opened the door again to street demonstrations). Protesters now seldom wave olive branches and chant “Peaceful, Peaceful”. Militarization of the protest movement and the increased sectarianism played to the strengths of the regime. Sectarianism not only weakens the opposition inside Syria, it helps divide the coalition facing it abroad. In a presidential election year, US voters do not care much who rules Syria, but they care a lot about al-Qa’ida.</p>
<p>One of Barack Obama’s themes in the presidential campaign will be that it was his administration that killed Osama bin Laden and focused, unlike President Bush, on eliminating the perpetrators of 9/11. The White House does not want al-Qa’ida to show signs of life, so it has been nervous of its increasing role in Syria. For instance, only last week an al-Qa’ida-inspired group called the Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant claimed responsibility for two recent suicide bombings in Damascus that killed more than two dozen people. “We tell the [Syrian] regime to stop the massacres against the Sunnis, otherwise, you will bear the sin of the Alawites,” said the Al-Nusra Front statement. “What is coming is more bitter and painful, with God’s will.”</p>
<p>The Syrian regime will not fall without a radical change in the balance of forces. The appointment of the former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan as a UN-Arab League peace envoy is a face-saver to mask the failure so far of the regime’s opponents.</p>
<p>PATRICK COCKBURN is the author of “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416551476/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Muqtada: Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq.</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | yearlong effort overthrow president bashar alassad government failed two three months ago seemed come close succeeding insurgents took enclaves cities homs deir elzour talk nofly zones foreign military intervention severe economic sanctions slapped syrias already faltering economy every day brought news fresh pressure assad momentum seemed build inexorably change rule damascus happened syria like libya latest international action eu ban assads wife asma mother travelling eu countries though uk citizen asma still travel britain damp squibs go dampest foreign secretary william hague claims increases pressure syrian government contrary relieves curtailing asmas shopping trips paris rome supposing ever intended go shows extent us eu allies middle east running options comes dealing damascus nobody discussing military operations un secretarygeneral ban kimoon said last week insurgent free syrian army driven strongholds central city homs idlib province north recently deir elzour east last tuesday syrian soldiers supported tanks rolled four sides deir elzour 60 miles iraqi border forcing rebels flee take shelter homes apartments short gun battle retreat may make difficult bring guns across iraq border overwhelmingly sunni anbar province swift syrian army advance contrast monthlong siege baba amr district homs killed hundreds people left much area ruins saudi arabia qatar blithely advised arming insurgents little sign went wrong advocates regime change general overplayed hand believed much propaganda january everything predicated international military intervention convincing threat ceased option 160february 4 russia china vetoed un security council resolution backed arab league calling assad step experience us eu nato arab gulf states overthrowing muammar gaddafi turned misleading came syria experience revolutionaries counterrevolutionaries throughout ages succeeds one country proves recipe disaster another also misreading happened libya watching aljazeera television might appear heroic rebel militiamen times heroic overthrown tyrant reality military victory almost wholly due nato air assault militiamen moppingup force occupied territory air strikes cleared way also pattern afghanistan 2001 iraqi kurdistan 2003 conditions different syria regime radicalized core based alawite community powerful army security forces highlevel defections military units changing sides regime loyalists feel alternative fight end quite prepared kill anybody gets way economic sanctions worry assad loyalists dictatorship always commandeer resources even reduced quantity assad already lost support syrian business community militarization conflict pose threat government stage irritant though could change guerrilla warfare develops second half last year assad appeared facing allpowerful international coalition included saudi arabia qatar us eu turkey emerged however everybody favor somebody something bring long somebody somebody else talk safe havens established jordanian turkish borders neither jordan turkey showed enthusiasm act would lead immediately armed conflict syria king abdullah jordan said ruefully nothing safe havens long long way jordan turkey cooled idea became apparent becoming embroiled regional shiasunni conflict would lead iran retaliating turkey defense syrian ally syrian protesters everything could give impression happened libya could repeated syria criticized divisions lack leadership probably felt choice uprising begun among underclass syrians last summer spread middle class use snipers death squads regime made street protests highly dangerous got smaller recent months one benefits arab league monitoring team opened door street demonstrations protesters seldom wave olive branches chant peaceful peaceful militarization protest movement increased sectarianism played strengths regime sectarianism weakens opposition inside syria helps divide coalition facing abroad presidential election year us voters care much rules syria care lot alqaida one barack obamas themes presidential campaign administration killed osama bin laden focused unlike president bush eliminating perpetrators 911 white house want alqaida show signs life nervous increasing role syria instance last week alqaidainspired group called alnusra front protect levant claimed responsibility two recent suicide bombings damascus killed two dozen people tell syrian regime stop massacres sunnis otherwise bear sin alawites said alnusra front statement coming bitter painful gods syrian regime fall without radical change balance forces appointment former un secretarygeneral kofi annan unarab league peace envoy facesaver mask failure far regimes opponents patrick cockburn author muqtada muqtada alsadr shia revival struggle iraq 160 | 639 |
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<p /> NOAH GIMBEL: On Tuesday, January 17, volunteers from the campaign to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker submitted over a million petitions to the state government accountability board. A year ago, Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill drew major global attention to the Midwestern state. Promising to strip the collective bargaining rights from most public-sector workers, the controversial legislation inspired some of the largest labor protests that the state, and indeed the country, had seen in decades. With a Republican majority in both the state house and senate, the bill passed after protestors spent weeks in and around the Capitol. But the opposition of the people of Wisconsin did not die there. They determined to recall the governor.
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<p />Mary Bottari, Director of the Center for Media and Democracy's Real Economy Project, has followed the recall campaign from the start.
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<p />MARY BOTTARI, CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY: Well the drive to recall Scott Walker was truly a grassroots movement. It was folks out in the cold standing by the side of the road waving petitions, setting up permanent little tables in front of coffee shops or in front of grocery stores or department stores, or driving around the state. You could see people of all ages, a lot of retirees out there, some with canes, working really hard on the recall effort. It was organized under rubric of an organization called United Wisconsin, which was grassroots folks just coming together and making this happen. And then they joined forces later in the day with the Democratic party to get those petitions filed.
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<p />GIMBEL: Despite the recall efforts, Governor Walker promises that his job-creation strategy needs more time, and that his union-busting budget cuts are an integral part of his economic policy.
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<p />BOTTARI: Well, Scott Walker's response to all this—and he did not do a lot of interviews on the day the petitions were filed. His talking point on this has been it's out-of-state unions: this whole thing is being rigged up by out-of-state unions, with out-of-state money and out-of-state people and out-of-state volunteers. This is a very familiar theme to Wisconsonites. Wisconsin is in its sixth month of straight job losses right now. We lost 14,000 jobs in November.
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<p />GIMBEL: The success of the recall campaign thus far suggests that Wisconsonites aren't willing to wait patiently for Walker's vision to unfold. But that's not to say that the recall is a sure thing. Last August, recall elections were held in Wisconsin for six Republican state senators. As money flowed into the election from both sides, only two of those seats were lost to Democrats, leaving them one seat short of a majority.
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<p />But according to Mary Bottari, the ideological rift between the governor and the people of the state has since widened even further.
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<p />BOTTARI: Folks just think that trying to ram the bill through the legislature, you know, collecting money from outside the state, outside interests, being associated with groups like ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is just not what we're used to here in Wisconsin. And we slashed $1.6 billion out of schools here in Wisconsin at the same time that we gave $2 billion in tax breaks to our richest citizens and corporations in the state. So these are the issues that people have been dwelling on. And the last poll taken on the recall issue that was made public was in November of last year, and at that point 58 percent of people in the state supported the recall effort.
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<p />GIMBEL: And as recall petitions are counted, those numbers are proving meaningful.
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<p />BOTTARI: The numbers coming out of Wisconsin are astounding. They gathered 1 million signatures for the recall of Scott Walker, the governor, and 900,000 more signatures for the recall of lieutenant governor and four state senators. It was not an easy task to do. Wisconsin has set one of the highest recall bars in the United States of the 19 states that have recall statutes. You have to get 25 percent of the vote from the last statewide election. So these folks had to gather 540,000 signatures to trigger this recall. They doubled that: they got almost 50 percent of the votes in the last statewide election.
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<p />GIMBEL: As a recall election is now almost certain to take place as early as this summer, the people of Wisconsin will now hold primary elections to field a candidate to run against Walker. For his part, the governor will not show up for the race empty-handed.
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<p />BOTTARI: On the day the petition was filed—actually, the hour the petition was filed, Scott Walker was on Wall Street. He was at a fundraiser hosted by Citibank, the world's original too-big-to-fail bank that received $45 billion in federal bailout funds. He was there for a fundraiser. Right now, as he is under recall, he can raise unlimited sums. It's a strange quirk in our recall law, and until election is actually triggered, he can get checks, and unlimited amounts, from people around the United States. And he's making these fundraising forays down to—for instance, he went down to Texas and he got a $250,000 check from Bob Perry, the Texas Swift Boat billionaire. He's now on Wall Street. And that little fundraiser was hosted by Frank Greenberg of AIG, the company that took the American financial crisis and turned it into a global disaster by selling credit default swaps around the world. So that's where Scott Walker was on the day this recall petition was filed.
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<p />GIMBEL: In a year full of elections, the recall of Scott Walker will doubtless be among the most closely watched and the most expensive.
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<p />For the Real News, I'm Noah Gimbel in Washington.
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<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | true | 4 | noah gimbel tuesday january 17 volunteers campaign recall wisconsin governor scott walker submitted million petitions state government accountability board year ago governor walkers budget repair bill drew major global attention midwestern state promising strip collective bargaining rights publicsector workers controversial legislation inspired largest labor protests state indeed country seen decades republican majority state house senate bill passed protestors spent weeks around capitol opposition people wisconsin die determined recall governor mary bottari director center media democracys real economy project followed recall campaign start mary bottari center media democracy well drive recall scott walker truly grassroots movement folks cold standing side road waving petitions setting permanent little tables front coffee shops front grocery stores department stores driving around state could see people ages lot retirees canes working really hard recall effort organized rubric organization called united wisconsin grassroots folks coming together making happen joined forces later day democratic party get petitions filed gimbel despite recall efforts governor walker promises jobcreation strategy needs time unionbusting budget cuts integral part economic policy bottari well scott walkers response thisâand lot interviews day petitions filed talking point outofstate unions whole thing rigged outofstate unions outofstate money outofstate people outofstate volunteers familiar theme wisconsonites wisconsin sixth month straight job losses right lost 14000 jobs november gimbel success recall campaign thus far suggests wisconsonites arent willing wait patiently walkers vision unfold thats say recall sure thing last august recall elections held wisconsin six republican state senators money flowed election sides two seats lost democrats leaving one seat short majority according mary bottari ideological rift governor people state since widened even bottari folks think trying ram bill legislature know collecting money outside state outside interests associated groups like alec american legislative exchange council used wisconsin slashed 16 billion schools wisconsin time gave 2 billion tax breaks richest citizens corporations state issues people dwelling last poll taken recall issue made public november last year point 58 percent people state supported recall effort gimbel recall petitions counted numbers proving meaningful bottari numbers coming wisconsin astounding gathered 1 million signatures recall scott walker governor 900000 signatures recall lieutenant governor four state senators easy task wisconsin set one highest recall bars united states 19 states recall statutes get 25 percent vote last statewide election folks gather 540000 signatures trigger recall doubled got almost 50 percent votes last statewide election gimbel recall election almost certain take place early summer people wisconsin hold primary elections field candidate run walker part governor show race emptyhanded bottari day petition filedâactually hour petition filed scott walker wall street fundraiser hosted citibank worlds original toobigtofail bank received 45 billion federal bailout funds fundraiser right recall raise unlimited sums strange quirk recall law election actually triggered get checks unlimited amounts people around united states hes making fundraising forays toâfor instance went texas got 250000 check bob perry texas swift boat billionaire hes wall street little fundraiser hosted frank greenberg aig company took american financial crisis turned global disaster selling credit default swaps around world thats scott walker day recall petition filed gimbel year full elections recall scott walker doubtless among closely watched expensive real news im noah gimbel washington end disclaimer please note transcripts real news network typed recording program trnn guarantee complete accuracy | 534 |
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<p>The victory of the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) in Switzerland’s parliamentary elections on Sunday has put Europe on edge. The worry is that SVP’s success is a sign of the growing clout of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,8542,711990,00.html" type="external">far-right movements,</a> already buoyed by electoral gains in France, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Denmark.</p>
<p>But some European commentators take a less alarmist view. The Swiss daily, Neue Zuercher Zeitung, writes that compared to some other European right-wing groups, the SVP is rather <a href="http://www.nzz.ch/2003/10/21/english/page-synd4363559.html" type="external">tame</a>:</p>
<p>“The foreign press have likened the People’s Party – which won the largest share of the popular vote on Sunday (26.6 per cent) – to movements led by France’s Jean-Marie Le Pen, Austria’s Joerg Haider, and the Netherlands’ Pim Fortuyn.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Italy’s “L’Unita” newspaper even called Christoph Blocher, the party’s flamboyant figurehead, ‘a Nazi billionaire, who triumphs in Switzerland’s parliamentary elections’.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>[Pascal Sciarini of the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP) in Lausanne] says there are similarities between the People’s Party and other far-right movements in Europe ‘in their nationalist, isolationist, anti-European, anti-immigration and anti-asylum policies’. ‘But one of the main differences is that Blocher and his entourage have never been attacked for being racist or anti-Semitic. There have never been any verbal attacks comparable with those of Haider or Le Pen. The People’s Party is much more subtle,’ Sciarini says.</p>
<p>That’s a view shared by Oscar Mazzoleni, head of Ustat, a political research institute in Ticino. As the author of a recently published study of the People’s Party, he says the Swiss party is heavy on rhetoric, but rather more conventional when it comes to politics.”</p>
<p>But there was nothing tame or subtle about the campaign run by Blocher and his party, with posters portraying asylum seekers as criminals.</p>
<p>London’s Guardian has some details from the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11981,1067412,00.html" type="external">xenophobic campaign</a>that went down well with Swiss voters:</p>
<p>“In the run-up to the polls, the SVP put up election posters of a black face accompanied by the slogan: ‘The Swiss are becoming Negroes.’ They also ran posters showing mugshots of criminals next to the words ‘Our Dear Foreigners’. Last week the United Nations High Commission for Refugees attacked the campaign as ‘atrocious’.</p>
<p>Mr Blocher, 63, is a veteran of the Swiss political scene, as well as a self-made billionaire who owns a chemicals firm. In numerous interviews he has linked immigration with crime, and has said that Albanian and African drugs gangs are responsible for many of Switzerland’s woes.”</p>
<p>The SVP has long done well in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, but now, for the first time, it’s had success in the French-speaking part, thereby becoming a truly national party. The SVP is the fastest growing party in Swiss history. Having received only 12 % of the votes 12 years ago, they now hold 55 of the 200 seats in House of Representatives.</p>
<p>Everyone’s trying to figure out why the SVP fared so well this time. Its hard line on foreigners tapped into a general feeling of insecurity caused by an enduring recession, rising unemployment, and increasing uncertainty about how to finance Switzerland’s social system. The Swiss traditionally had a neutral stance in foreign affairs, something the SVP managed to transform into isolationist and anti-European sentiments. It remains the only major Swiss party that has given a straight “no” answer to joining the European Union, and this directness seems to please many Eurosceptic Swiss. With its crude rhetoric, the SVP has championed many direct democracy propositions against E.U. and U.N. membership, and for tougher immigration and asylum laws. On top of its anti-immigrant agenda, the SVP has proposed many fiscally conservative policies (tax-cuts, small government, cutting social spending — sound familiar?).</p>
<p>In its <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3209586.stm" type="external">European Press Review</a> the BBC discovers further clues to the SVP’s success:</p>
<p>“A commentary in France’s La Croix puts the success of the SVP down to a perceived threat to Swiss identity. The paper describes the party’s success as an ‘extremist upsurge’ which ‘highlights the concern over identity that has taken hold of a country faced with an increasingly open world’.</p>
<p>It observes that throughout the election campaign the party told the Swiss the story of the country’s ‘golden age. As in other European countries, where other populists have found an audience, nostalgic illusions thus continue to exude their venomous appeal,’ the paper concludes.”</p>
<p>Here’s the Guardian again, with its own <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11981,1067412,00.html" type="external">analysis</a>:</p>
<p>“Political observers have ascribed the rise of the far right to several factors: the wave of nationalism that swept across much of Europe after the cold war; the uncertain economic situation; the failure of countries like Austria, Italy, and eastern Germany to come to terms with their fascist past; and the dull consensus politics of places like Holland and France.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Yesterday political commentators said the SVP’s clear-cut victory in Switzerland was not just the result of the party’s foreigner-bashing rhetoric but also rising unemployment – now at 4% – and the country’s faltering economy. ‘This is our version of Thatcherism rather than Haiderism,’ Johann Aesclimann, a Swiss political journalist, said. ‘There is no doubt that Blocher flirts with Haiderism from time to time. But it is also law and order, liberal economic policies and tight fiscal policies which have brought him popular success.'”</p>
<p>The German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung (in German) meanwhile <a href="http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sz/meinungsseite/red-artikel771/" type="external">points out</a> that by focusing only on the far-right, most news-outlets seem to forget that both left-wing parties, the Social Democrats and the Greens, also managed to gain votes. Swiss politics has definitely been more polarized, the paper says, but that doesn’t mean it leans exclusively to the right.</p>
<p>The larger meaning of all this for Europe remains elusive, but the power shift will certainly have a big impact on Swiss politics. Under the so called ‘Magic Formula’, Switzerland’s power sharing arrangement, 7 cabinet seats were divided between the 4 major parties the same way since 1959 with the SVP as the only party to have just one seat. Now the SVP wants two seats, threatening to challenge that equilibrium and throw Switzerland into, by placid Swiss standards, a convulsion.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | victory farright swiss peoples party svp switzerlands parliamentary elections sunday put europe edge worry svps success sign growing clout farright movements already buoyed electoral gains france austria holland belgium germany italy denmark european commentators take less alarmist view swiss daily neue zuercher zeitung writes compared european rightwing groups svp rather tame foreign press likened peoples party largest share popular vote sunday 266 per cent movements led frances jeanmarie le pen austrias joerg haider netherlands pim fortuyn italys lunita newspaper even called christoph blocher partys flamboyant figurehead nazi billionaire triumphs switzerlands parliamentary elections pascal sciarini swiss graduate school public administration idheap lausanne says similarities peoples party farright movements europe nationalist isolationist antieuropean antiimmigration antiasylum policies one main differences blocher entourage never attacked racist antisemitic never verbal attacks comparable haider le pen peoples party much subtle sciarini says thats view shared oscar mazzoleni head ustat political research institute ticino author recently published study peoples party says swiss party heavy rhetoric rather conventional comes politics nothing tame subtle campaign run blocher party posters portraying asylum seekers criminals londons guardian details xenophobic campaignthat went well swiss voters runup polls svp put election posters black face accompanied slogan swiss becoming negroes also ran posters showing mugshots criminals next words dear foreigners last week united nations high commission refugees attacked campaign atrocious mr blocher 63 veteran swiss political scene well selfmade billionaire owns chemicals firm numerous interviews linked immigration crime said albanian african drugs gangs responsible many switzerlands woes svp long done well germanspeaking part switzerland first time success frenchspeaking part thereby becoming truly national party svp fastest growing party swiss history received 12 votes 12 years ago hold 55 200 seats house representatives everyones trying figure svp fared well time hard line foreigners tapped general feeling insecurity caused enduring recession rising unemployment increasing uncertainty finance switzerlands social system swiss traditionally neutral stance foreign affairs something svp managed transform isolationist antieuropean sentiments remains major swiss party given straight answer joining european union directness seems please many eurosceptic swiss crude rhetoric svp championed many direct democracy propositions eu un membership tougher immigration asylum laws top antiimmigrant agenda svp proposed many fiscally conservative policies taxcuts small government cutting social spending sound familiar european press review bbc discovers clues svps success commentary frances la croix puts success svp perceived threat swiss identity paper describes partys success extremist upsurge highlights concern identity taken hold country faced increasingly open world observes throughout election campaign party told swiss story countrys golden age european countries populists found audience nostalgic illusions thus continue exude venomous appeal paper concludes heres guardian analysis political observers ascribed rise far right several factors wave nationalism swept across much europe cold war uncertain economic situation failure countries like austria italy eastern germany come terms fascist past dull consensus politics places like holland france yesterday political commentators said svps clearcut victory switzerland result partys foreignerbashing rhetoric also rising unemployment 4 countrys faltering economy version thatcherism rather haiderism johann aesclimann swiss political journalist said doubt blocher flirts haiderism time time also law order liberal economic policies tight fiscal policies brought popular success german daily sueddeutsche zeitung german meanwhile points focusing farright newsoutlets seem forget leftwing parties social democrats greens also managed gain votes swiss politics definitely polarized paper says doesnt mean leans exclusively right larger meaning europe remains elusive power shift certainly big impact swiss politics called magic formula switzerlands power sharing arrangement 7 cabinet seats divided 4 major parties way since 1959 svp party one seat svp wants two seats threatening challenge equilibrium throw switzerland placid swiss standards convulsion | 589 |
<p>Photo by James Stencilowsky | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>On February 3&#160; <a href="" type="internal">the Washington Post observed</a>&#160;that “the United States can deliver a [nuclear] strike anywhere in the world in&#160; <a href="" type="internal">30 minutes</a>&#160;with astounding accuracy” and questioned the need for “a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons,” quoting the commander of the strategic force, General John Hyten,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">as saying</a>&#160;“I’m very comfortable today with the flexibility of our response options.”&#160;&#160;But it appears that no matter the quantity and world-destroying capability of the US nuclear arsenal, there is always room for more — and more devastating — weapons of mass annihilation.</p>
<p>General James Mattis, the US Secretary of Defence, discussed Washington’s recently composed&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Nuclear Posture Review</a>&#160;(NPR) with the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives on February 6.&#160;&#160;He was attempting to justify the upgrading and huge expansion of the US nuclear arsenal which the Congressional Budget Office&#160; <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/53211" type="external">has estimated</a>&#160; will cost some 1.2 trillion dollars over the next 30 years, and described in detail some of the projects that have been planned. The entire exercise does not fit well with the international&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)</a>&#160;in which it is agreed by almost every country in the world that the nuclear arms race should be halted and that all possible measures should be taken towards achievement of nuclear disarmament.</p>
<p>But Washington’s notions of global nuclear disarmament are curiously ambivalent, as there is unconditional support for Israel’s highly developed nuclear weapons’ capabilities, yet obsessive criticism of North Korea’s program to arm itself with nuclear missiles.&#160;&#160;Nobody can defend or approve of North Korea’s wild nuclear fandangos which are beggaring an already downtrodden and poverty-stricken population on the verge of starvation, but Pyongyang’s&#160; <a href="" type="internal">rationale is</a>&#160;that its policy “is the best way to respond with powerful nuclear deterrent to the US imperialists who are violent toward the weak and subservient to the strong.”</p>
<p>The language is straight out of a 1950s propaganda textbook, although the North Koreans are perfectly serious about their perception of US intentions. The Pyongyang government’s perception of the Nuclear Posture Review may be less measured than those of other nations, but there was no mistaking the&#160; <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/nuclear-weapons-germanys-sigmar-gabriel-calls-on-europe-to-lead-disarmament-push/a-42449629" type="external">disapproval</a>&#160;of China, Germany, Iran and Russia, all of which condemned it in no uncertain terms. Germany’s then foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel (moved in the recent political reshuffle) reflected the stance of much of Europe when he said the NPR indicated that “the spiral of a new nuclear arms race is already underway,” but France and Britain, with their irrelevant but proudly&#160; <a href="" type="internal">brandished</a>&#160;nuclear weapons capabilities, were non-committal, although the UK’s policy apparently&#160; <a href="" type="internal">remains</a>&#160;&#160;that “we’ve made it very clear that you can’t rule out the use of nuclear weapons as a first strike.”</p>
<p>As to the body of the Review, one analyst&#160; <a href="" type="internal">wrote that</a>&#160;“the 2018 NPR fully supports the retention and modernization of the current triad of delivery systems; emphasizes the importance of&#160; <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/tag/nuclear-command-control-and-communications-nc3/" type="external">a modernized and strengthened nuclear command, control, and communications system</a>; and reiterates the need to invest in US nuclear weapons infrastructure, primarily in the national laboratories,” which sums up the overall intention to expand the entire systems of procurement and delivery. The&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42935758" type="external">BBC noted</a>&#160;that the NPR “Low-yield weapons with a strength of under 20 kilotons are less powerful but are still devastating,” and that other proposals include&#160;&#160;update of land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and air-delivered weapons, modification of some submarine-launched nuclear warheads to give a lower-yield or less powerful detonation, and reinstitution of sea-based nuclear cruise missiles. Armageddon here we come.</p>
<p>The NPR is an extension of the US&#160; <a href="" type="internal">National Defense Strategy</a>&#160;which advises vast military expansion to supposedly counter “growing threat from revisionist powers” such as China and Russia. The Cold War is back with a nuclear rush, and the US Military-Industrial complex has been given a major boost, with the Review making 62 references to North Korea, 47 to China, 39 to Iraq and — leaving no doubt where it wants to strike first —&#160;&#160;naming Russia 127 times, which makes nonsense of the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">claim</a>&#160;by the State Department that “we do not want to consider Russia an adversary . . .&#160;This not a Russia-centric NPR.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Washington now rejects</a>&#160;the policies of “sole purpose” (nuclear&#160;weapons to be used to deter only&#160;nuclear&#160;attacks) and “no first use” (nuclear weapons only to be used if another state uses such weapons first). The message to China and Russia is that if the US considers there is a non-nuclear threat to its interests, then there could be a Pentagon nuclear strike.&#160;&#160;The example set to nuclear-armed nations such as India, Israel&#160;&#160;and Pakistan is unambiguous, in that the deterrence aspect of nuclear weapons has been superseded by what might be called “First Threat”, meaning that the more nuclear weapons that can be deployed by a country, the more assured will be its domonance. In the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">words</a>&#160;of the State Department, “the declaratory policy of the United States [is] that we would consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances.”</p>
<p>The Pentagon has gone right back to the dark days described by Daniel Ellsberg in his memoir&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Doomsday Machine</a>. The&#160;Financial Times&#160;review&#160; <a href="" type="internal">summed up the threat of apocalypse</a>&#160;by observing that “Most terrifying of all, Ellsberg discovered, any US attack, whether prompted by the outbreak of a real war or a malfunctioning system, would follow a stunningly inflexible plan. It would result in the indiscriminate obliteration of not only the Soviet Union but also China.”&#160;&#160;And now the inflexibility is the Pentagon’s intention to develop and employ “low-yield” nuclear weapons in the utterly mistaken belief that in some weird way an enemy against whom they are directed will refrain from taking maximum retaliatory action.&#160;&#160;“Low yield” weapons do not contribute to deterrence. They add to the probability of worldwide fire and fury.</p>
<p>A nuke is a nuke is a nuke.&#160;&#160;No country in the world is going to lie back and do nothing when a US bomber drops a “low-yield” weapon.&#160;&#160;How could it possibly know that the attack is not part of a wider foray?&#160;&#160;Or that it will not be followed up by, say, a submarine-launched onslaught by mega-nukes directed at its cities?&#160;&#160;Ellsberg makes the point that nothing should be taken for granted.&#160;&#160;To make this a fundamental part of nuclear policy is lunacy.</p>
<p>The Pentagon and the State Department, abetted by a compliant Congress, try to portray the United States as a peace-loving defender of “vital interests” but when global military spending is examined it is obvious that even without the massive increase in financial allocations for development of yet more nuclear weapons, the US is outlaying staggering sums on maintaining and expanding its military bases and operations around the world.&#160;&#160;The military spending increases approved by Congress are astounding, and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">go well beyond</a>&#160;what even Trump wanted. He had asked for 603 billion dollars for “normal” expenditure and 65 billion for the various wars being fought by the US round the world, but Congress allocated 716 billion, and shares in military equipment producers took an upward&#160; <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/lmt" type="external">leap</a>.</p>
<p>The threat to world peace from intensifying US military operations and confrontational nuclear scheming is increasing day by day. The New Cold War emphasis on massive destruction has brought the world closer to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Doomsday</a>, as noted by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists which states that “nuclear weapons are poised to become more rather than less usable because of nations’ investments in their nuclear arsenals.”&#160;&#160;Since that was written the threat has been increased by Washington’s intentions as laid out in its Nuclear Posture Review.</p>
<p>We are racing towards a low-yield Armageddon.</p> | true | 4 | photo james stencilowsky cc 20 february 3160 washington post observed160that united states deliver nuclear strike anywhere world in160 30 minutes160with astounding accuracy questioned need new generation lowyield nuclear weapons quoting commander strategic force general john hyten160 saying160im comfortable today flexibility response options160160but appears matter quantity worlddestroying capability us nuclear arsenal always room devastating weapons mass annihilation general james mattis us secretary defence discussed washingtons recently composed160 nuclear posture review160npr armed services committee house representatives february 6160160he attempting justify upgrading huge expansion us nuclear arsenal congressional budget office160 estimated160 cost 12 trillion dollars next 30 years described detail projects planned entire exercise fit well international160 nuclear nonproliferation treaty npt160in agreed almost every country world nuclear arms race halted possible measures taken towards achievement nuclear disarmament washingtons notions global nuclear disarmament curiously ambivalent unconditional support israels highly developed nuclear weapons capabilities yet obsessive criticism north koreas program arm nuclear missiles160160nobody defend approve north koreas wild nuclear fandangos beggaring already downtrodden povertystricken population verge starvation pyongyangs160 rationale is160that policy best way respond powerful nuclear deterrent us imperialists violent toward weak subservient strong language straight 1950s propaganda textbook although north koreans perfectly serious perception us intentions pyongyang governments perception nuclear posture review may less measured nations mistaking the160 disapproval160of china germany iran russia condemned uncertain terms germanys foreign minister sigmar gabriel moved recent political reshuffle reflected stance much europe said npr indicated spiral new nuclear arms race already underway france britain irrelevant proudly160 brandished160nuclear weapons capabilities noncommittal although uks policy apparently160 remains160160that weve made clear cant rule use nuclear weapons first strike body review one analyst160 wrote that160the 2018 npr fully supports retention modernization current triad delivery systems emphasizes importance of160 modernized strengthened nuclear command control communications system reiterates need invest us nuclear weapons infrastructure primarily national laboratories sums overall intention expand entire systems procurement delivery the160 bbc noted160that npr lowyield weapons strength 20 kilotons less powerful still devastating proposals include160160update landbased ballistic missiles submarinelaunched missiles airdelivered weapons modification submarinelaunched nuclear warheads give loweryield less powerful detonation reinstitution seabased nuclear cruise missiles armageddon come npr extension us160 national defense strategy160which advises vast military expansion supposedly counter growing threat revisionist powers china russia cold war back nuclear rush us militaryindustrial complex given major boost review making 62 references north korea 47 china 39 iraq leaving doubt wants strike first 160160naming russia 127 times makes nonsense the160 claim160by state department want consider russia adversary 160this russiacentric npr washington rejects160the policies sole purpose nuclear160weapons used deter only160nuclear160attacks first use nuclear weapons used another state uses weapons first message china russia us considers nonnuclear threat interests could pentagon nuclear strike160160the example set nucleararmed nations india israel160160and pakistan unambiguous deterrence aspect nuclear weapons superseded might called first threat meaning nuclear weapons deployed country assured domonance the160 words160of state department declaratory policy united states would consider use nuclear weapons extreme circumstances pentagon gone right back dark days described daniel ellsberg memoir160 doomsday machine the160financial times160review160 summed threat apocalypse160by observing terrifying ellsberg discovered us attack whether prompted outbreak real war malfunctioning system would follow stunningly inflexible plan would result indiscriminate obliteration soviet union also china160160and inflexibility pentagons intention develop employ lowyield nuclear weapons utterly mistaken belief weird way enemy directed refrain taking maximum retaliatory action160160low yield weapons contribute deterrence add probability worldwide fire fury nuke nuke nuke160160no country world going lie back nothing us bomber drops lowyield weapon160160how could possibly know attack part wider foray160160or followed say submarinelaunched onslaught meganukes directed cities160160ellsberg makes point nothing taken granted160160to make fundamental part nuclear policy lunacy pentagon state department abetted compliant congress try portray united states peaceloving defender vital interests global military spending examined obvious even without massive increase financial allocations development yet nuclear weapons us outlaying staggering sums maintaining expanding military bases operations around world160160the military spending increases approved congress astounding and160 go well beyond160what even trump wanted asked 603 billion dollars normal expenditure 65 billion various wars fought us round world congress allocated 716 billion shares military equipment producers took upward160 leap threat world peace intensifying us military operations confrontational nuclear scheming increasing day day new cold war emphasis massive destruction brought world closer to160 doomsday noted bulletin atomic scientists states nuclear weapons poised become rather less usable nations investments nuclear arsenals160160since written threat increased washingtons intentions laid nuclear posture review racing towards lowyield armageddon | 713 |
<p>Sen. Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein at a May 10, 2017 Judiciary Committee hearing.Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA Wire</p>
<p>Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have broken up over Russia.</p>
<p>The committee’s once bipartisan investigation into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice or his campaign colluded with Russia has hit a partisan wall, with Republicans and Democrats saying they will now conduct their own probes. “We made the decision to go and carry it out ourselves,” Feinstein told Mother Jones&#160;on Tuesday. “They can go ahead and do whatever it is they wanted to do.” A Grassley spokesman also said the chairman had decided to proceed with a Republican-only investigation.</p>
<p>Judiciary’s Russia investigation is the latest congressional probe to stall out over GOP efforts to pursue matters Democrats see as gambits to distract or provide cover for the Trump administration. The partisan sparring within the committees looking into various aspects of the Russia scandal has caused concern among Democrats and other observers that Republicans <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/us/politics/russia-investigation-congress-intelligence-committees-gowdy.html?_r=0" type="external">will</a> <a href="" type="internal">fail</a>to complete rigorous probes but will still declare their investigations did not find significant collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.&#160;</p>
<p>Feinstein this summer <a href="" type="internal">agreed</a> to allow Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to pursue tangential probes that appeared aimed at appeasing conservatives wary of investigations of a Republican president. This summer Feinstein signed onto letters Grassley <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-06-22%20CG%20DF%20LG%20SW%20to%20Loretta%20Lynch%20(Clinton%20Lynch%20Emails).pdf" type="external">sent</a> seeking information from former Attorney General Loretta Lynch regarding her role in the Justice Department’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of private email. But Feinstein said Tuesday that their agreement broke down in recent weeks as Republicans insisted on focusing on inquiries into matters such as the sale of a uranium company to Russians while Clinton was secretary of state, and allegations that the Justice Department soft-pedaled its Clinton probe. “The interests are different. We want to do different things than they want to do,” Feinstein said. “Their staff appears to want to take this into a different venue, and that’s Hillary Clinton, and it’s Loretta Lynch. We think it’s collusion and obstruction of justice.”</p>
<p>Grassley last Wednesday sent 14 inquiry letters on matters related to the Russia scandal. The panel previously interviewed Donald Trump Jr. and has sought an interview with Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, about the June 9 Trump Tower meeting where Trump Jr. hoped to receive damaging information on Clinton from the Russian government. Grassley’s Wednesday letters include requests for interviews or information from the other participants in the meeting, including <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-10-18%20CEG%20to%20Kushner%20(June%209%20Meeting).pdf" type="external">Jared Kushner</a>, Trump’s son-in-law, and Russian lawyer&#160; <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-10-18%20CEG%20to%20Veselnitskaya%20(June%209%20Meeting)_Redacted.pdf" type="external">Natalia Veselnitskaya</a>. Grassley on Wednesday also sent a <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-10-18%20CEG%20to%20Lynch%20(Interview%20Request).pdf" type="external">letter</a> seeking an interview with Lynch and another demanding information from Dan Richman, a law professor and friend of James Comey who shared with the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html" type="external">memos</a> that the former FBI director wrote about his interactions with Trump prior to his firing. He sent other letters seeking information from current and former Justice Department officials regarding the Clinton email probe as well as Comey’s firing. Other letters <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-10-18%20CEG%20to%20Victoria%20Toensing%20(Uranium%20Interview%20Request).pdf" type="external">went</a> to various people with a role in the Obama administration’s 2010 approval of the sale of a mining company that gave the Russians control of 20 percent of American uranium reserves.&#160;</p>
<p>Taylor Foy, a spokesman for Judiciary Committee Republicans, said via email that Grassley sent the letters after discussing them with Feinstein “to avoid further delay in reaching an agreement to co-sign them.” Feinstein told Mother Jones that claim is false. “They sent them without me,” she said. “We were told after the fact.” Feinstein said that Democrats “are proceeding ahead” with their own letters, focusing particularly on obstruction of justice. Feinstein faulted Judiciary Committee staff for pushing Grassley in a partisan direction. She said her relationship with the Iowa Republican is good, but the senators agreed in a recent meeting to pursue their own investigative tracks.&#160;</p>
<p>The breakdown on the Judiciary Committee comes as Republicans on three House committees have also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-launch-new-probe-into-obama-era-uranium-deal/2017/10/24/2d7e0c5c-b8d6-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?utm_term=.13d68530254b" type="external">taken up</a> investigative topics that Democrats and other critics see as tangents aimed at drawing attention away from the Trump administration’s ties to Russia. On Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) announced a joint probe by his panel and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee into the uranium deal that Grassley is also looking into. At a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/24/politics/house-investigating-uranium-deal/index.html" type="external">news</a>conference, Nunes grew testy as multiple reporters asked him how his role in the probe jibes with his <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/nunes-to-step-aside-from-russia-probe-236951" type="external">pledge</a> earlier this year to step aside from his panel’s investigation into Russian interference. Nunes’ decision to step aside came after he was forced to admit he had secretly briefed the White House on findings. He said Tuesday that he has not talked to the White House about the uranium matter but will do so “if appropriate.” The House Oversight committee and House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday announced a separate probe into the Justice Department’s handling of its inquiry into Clinton’s email practices.&#160;</p>
<p>Democrats derided these investigations as a Republican smokescreen.&#160;“These investigations were initiated on a partisan basis, and will shed no light on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, but then again they are not intended to do so,” House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a statement.</p>
<p>The partisan brinkmanship that has all but derailed the Russia investigations launched by the Senate Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committee leaves the Senate Intelligence Committee panel the lone panel where both parties appear committed to carrying out a bipartisan inquiry. But even that committee’s chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), has hesitated to defy Trump. At a news conference this month, he&#160; <a href="" type="internal">refused to</a> endorse the&#160; <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf" type="external">conclusion</a>&#160;by US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win election.</p> | true | 4 | sen chuck grassley dianne feinstein may 10 2017 judiciary committee hearingron sachscnp via zuma wire senate judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley riowa ranking member dianne feinstein dcalif broken russia committees bipartisan investigation whether president donald trump obstructed justice campaign colluded russia hit partisan wall republicans democrats saying conduct probes made decision go carry feinstein told mother jones160on tuesday go ahead whatever wanted grassley spokesman also said chairman decided proceed republicanonly investigation judiciarys russia investigation latest congressional probe stall gop efforts pursue matters democrats see gambits distract provide cover trump administration partisan sparring within committees looking various aspects russia scandal caused concern among democrats observers republicans failto complete rigorous probes still declare investigations find significant collusion trump campaign russia160 feinstein summer agreed allow grassley iowa republican pursue tangential probes appeared aimed appeasing conservatives wary investigations republican president summer feinstein signed onto letters grassley sent seeking information former attorney general loretta lynch regarding role justice departments investigation hillary clintons use private email feinstein said tuesday agreement broke recent weeks republicans insisted focusing inquiries matters sale uranium company russians clinton secretary state allegations justice department softpedaled clinton probe interests different want different things want feinstein said staff appears want take different venue thats hillary clinton loretta lynch think collusion obstruction justice grassley last wednesday sent 14 inquiry letters matters related russia scandal panel previously interviewed donald trump jr sought interview paul manafort trumps former campaign chairman june 9 trump tower meeting trump jr hoped receive damaging information clinton russian government grassleys wednesday letters include requests interviews information participants meeting including jared kushner trumps soninlaw russian lawyer160 natalia veselnitskaya grassley wednesday also sent letter seeking interview lynch another demanding information dan richman law professor friend james comey shared new york times memos former fbi director wrote interactions trump prior firing sent letters seeking information current former justice department officials regarding clinton email probe well comeys firing letters went various people role obama administrations 2010 approval sale mining company gave russians control 20 percent american uranium reserves160 taylor foy spokesman judiciary committee republicans said via email grassley sent letters discussing feinstein avoid delay reaching agreement cosign feinstein told mother jones claim false sent without said told fact feinstein said democrats proceeding ahead letters focusing particularly obstruction justice feinstein faulted judiciary committee staff pushing grassley partisan direction said relationship iowa republican good senators agreed recent meeting pursue investigative tracks160 breakdown judiciary committee comes republicans three house committees also taken investigative topics democrats critics see tangents aimed drawing attention away trump administrations ties russia tuesday house intelligence committee chairman devin nunes rcalif announced joint probe panel house oversight government reform committee uranium deal grassley also looking newsconference nunes grew testy multiple reporters asked role probe jibes pledge earlier year step aside panels investigation russian interference nunes decision step aside came forced admit secretly briefed white house findings said tuesday talked white house uranium matter appropriate house oversight committee house judiciary committee tuesday announced separate probe justice departments handling inquiry clintons email practices160 democrats derided investigations republican smokescreen160these investigations initiated partisan basis shed light russias interference 2016 election intended house intelligence committee ranking member rep adam b schiff dcalif said statement partisan brinkmanship derailed russia investigations launched senate judiciary committee house intelligence committee leaves senate intelligence committee panel lone panel parties appear committed carrying bipartisan inquiry even committees chairman sen richard burr rnc hesitated defy trump news conference month he160 refused endorse the160 conclusion160by us intelligence agencies russia interfered 2016 election help trump win election | 577 |
<p>I have little to nothing in common with ultra rich mega-star teen Kylie Jenner. She is furnishing her first home and raking in piles of cash from selling self-branded lipstick while I, at that age, was grappling with a particularly awful DIY haircut — in a socially paralyzing move and against all reason, I decided to give myself lopsided bangs right before I went off to college. So yes, I would say Kylie is winning.</p>
<p>But we do have one thing in common; I lost my virginity to a man who was 18 when I was 16, breaking the law where I lived, and it’s likely Kylie did the same. On this Sunday’s episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” we got our first formal character introduction to Tyga, Kylie’s on-again off-again boyfriend. He comes on the scene as a love interest in the segment featuring her 18th birthday party. But the way the writers and producers, and even Kylie herself, explain away any awkward feelings&#160;about&#160;the 26-year-old father dating the newly-legal Jenner should be alarming to us all, for a litany of reasons.</p>
<p>“Tyga and I have always been friends,” Kylie tells the camera in the kind of video-diary-esque confession popularized by reality TV. “Now that I’m a little bit older, we’re together. And I guess we’ll just see where it goes.” This thinly-veiled narration is juxtaposed against footage of Tyga kissing Jenner and gifting her with a $500,000 Ferrari, hardly the gift you’d give a “friend.”</p>
<p>We all know reality TV is a version of the truth that’s massaged into weekly story arcs at best, and downright fake at worst. Popular blogs like Jezebel’s <a href="https://jezebel.com/tag/keeping-up-with-the-kontinuity-errors?trending_test_three_e&amp;utm_expid=66866090-68.NesmD4FSTbKroxp5qEjtVQ.4&amp;utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fjezebel.com%2Fkeeping-up-with-the-kontinuity-errors-scotts-back-and-1744444119%3Ftrending_test_three_e" type="external">Keeping Up With the Kontinuity Errors</a>&#160;chronicle the fudged timeline of E!’s most popular series, proving time and time again that the producers will stage scenes and splice them up into the episode, manipulating the timeline for our collective consumption. But as far as we know, they’ve never done it to cover up a crime.</p>
<p>When I had sex with my just-slightly-older-than-I boyfriend, nothing happened. My mom was moody for a week or two after I told her, but the world kept on turning. Not everyone gets that lucky. This year, Zachary Anderson of Indiana, 19 at the time, used the dating app Hot or Not&#160;and had sex with a 14-year-old girl who <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3128644/How-19-year-old-ended-bars-sex-offender-list-having-consensual-sex-girl-met-hook-app.html" type="external">lied about her age</a>, claiming to be 17 . When the authorities found out, he spent 75 days in prison and was placed on a 25-year sex offender registry. After public outrage, <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/07/06/22503124/zach-anderson-is-not-a-fiend" type="external">sparked largely</a> by prominent sex advice columnist Dan Savage, the case was re-examined and Anderson’s sex offender status was lifted. Today, he remains on strict probation which prevents him from having any <a href="http://michiganradio.org/post/zach-anderson-19-year-old-sex-offender-will-get-new-sentence#stream/0" type="external">direct contact</a>with someone under the age 17, except a sibling. Worth noting: a man who was misled and unknowingly had sex with a minor one time has had his life altered forever, while the man eight years Kylie’s senior is selling records and scoring a supporting role on a TV show.</p>
<p>A similar scene played out for Kaitlyn Hunt in 2012. The Florida resident, then 18, met and began dating her <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kaitlyn-hunt-jailed-underaged-sex-dating-older-woman-article-1.1615514" type="external">14-year-old girlfriend</a> while the two played on their high school basketball team. When the younger girl’s parents found out, Hunt was charged and spent 120 days in jail. For the following two years, Hunt was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/justice/florida-kaitlyn-hunt-plea-deal/" type="external">required</a> to wear an ankle-monitoring bracelet and remain under house arrest.</p>
<p>In 2005, Genarlow Wilson, an honor roll student and football star from Georgia, spent two years in prison because when he was 17, he had <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/26/wilson.freed/" type="external">oral sex</a>with a 15-year-old girl. Thankfully, his sentence was overturned and he was released, but not before completely derailing his education and causing irreparable pain to his family.</p>
<p>For Kaitlyn, Zachary, Genarlow and countless others, it appears consent was given, but the courts didn’t care. And they wouldn’t in Kylie’s case either, since California law <a href="http://www.freeadvice.com/news/Criminal+Law/consent-not-a-valid-defense-under-california-statutory-rape-law.htm" type="external">dictates</a> that you cannot give consent to sexual activity with an adult if you are under the age of 18.&#160;</p>
<p>Here’s the tricky part: we can’t prove Kylie and Tyga were having sex before she turned 18. But for the pair that’s been <a href="http://www.vh1.com/news/3981/kylie-jenner-tyga-relationship-timeline/" type="external">spotted around town</a> and in each other’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/u2VHPZHGn4/" type="external">Instagrams</a> since she was 16, not to mention&#160;posing as husband and wife in couple’s costumes while she was still underage, I’d say it’s a pretty safe assumption.&#160;</p>
<p>Perhaps the most damning evidence comes in the form of Tyga’s recently-released single “Stimulated,” where he seemingly admits to this wrongdoing. On August 24, two weeks to the day after Jenner’s 18th birthday, Tyga dropped the sexually-explicit track. For posterity and everyone’s general amusement, let’s revisit the lyrics.</p>
<p>“They say she young, I should’ve waited / She a big girl, dog when she stimulated.”</p>
<p>He continues, lest there be even a shadow of a doubt he’s referring to sex:</p>
<p>“I’m stimulated. / I’m at the bank, I’m penetratin’ / I’m puttin’ in. I’m penetratin’ / I’m getting big, I’m stimulated.”</p>
<p>We get it, Tyga. Yyou’re putting your big, hard penis&#160;into a teenage&#160;girl. And when the music video premiered shortly after, starring the youngest Kardashian spawn, it became crystal clear that girl was Kylie Jenner. Unless just moments after she turned 18 the pair went home and had a blissful night of totally legal sex for the very first time, and Tyga was so inspired by it that he wrote, composed, recorded, mixed, and released the song all in two weeks, we can bet something illegal was going on. But hey, stranger things have happened.</p>
<p>One would think Jenner’s massive army of over-protective family members might object, but statements from Kanye West seem to only confirm, if not applaud, the pair’s apparent relationship while she was underage. On The Breakfast Club, a <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2015/02/20/kanye-west-tyga-dating-kylie-jenner-in-love-leaked-interview/" type="external">leaked recording</a> has the father of Saint West saying of Tyga, “I think he got in early. I think he was smart.”</p>
<p>Half-sister Khloe Kardashian’s comments also reflect a cavalier attitude toward the relationship. In her <a href="http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/khloe-kardashian-interview-2015-cover-story?utm_campaign" type="external">cover story</a> for Complex, she brushes off Kylie’s situation. “I think at 16 I was probably fucking someone that was in their 20s, for sure,” she says. “I wouldn’t say I was even dating, probably just sleeping with them. But again Kylie is not a normal 17-year-old.” Khloe’s words only prove how common the Kyga predicament is. What’s not common is that because of Kylie’s celebrity status – because she’s not “normal”– we are encouraged to excuse, to forgive, and to forget, when others aren’t afforded that luxury.</p>
<p>It’s not our job to care about the sex life of a 17-year-old girl, no matter how famous she is. But it is our job to take issue with a government whose fractured laws convict some teenagers of crimes while letting others go free, based largely on whether or not a parent objects. We can’t stand by while our own judicial system forever changes the lives of young adults who had fully consensual sex with other young adults just a few years younger than they are. And we most certainly can’t let a major television network shove lies in our faces to exonerate some while others get persecuted. Kylie’s&#160;18th birthday did not magically transform the friends into lovers. We’re smart enough to know better. Kylie might as well have said, staring blankly into the camera, “Now that I’m a little bit older, I can finally tell you the truth. Now that I’m a little bit older, you can expect to see Tyga as a series regular. Now that I’m a little bit older, my boyfriend won’t go to jail for our relationship.”</p>
<p>The absurd celebrity double standard has never been more apparent, and there’s no easy fix to this. These laws vary from state to state and exist in the first place to protect children. But when a mere matter of months separates puppy love from prison time, who’s really being protected?</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ali_drucker" type="external">Ali Drucker</a> is a writer and editor covering sex, dating, and culture. She lives in New York City.&#160;</p> | true | 4 | little nothing common ultra rich megastar teen kylie jenner furnishing first home raking piles cash selling selfbranded lipstick age grappling particularly awful diy haircut socially paralyzing move reason decided give lopsided bangs right went college yes would say kylie winning one thing common lost virginity man 18 16 breaking law lived likely kylie sundays episode keeping kardashians got first formal character introduction tyga kylies onagain offagain boyfriend comes scene love interest segment featuring 18th birthday party way writers producers even kylie explain away awkward feelings160about160the 26yearold father dating newlylegal jenner alarming us litany reasons tyga always friends kylie tells camera kind videodiaryesque confession popularized reality tv im little bit older together guess well see goes thinlyveiled narration juxtaposed footage tyga kissing jenner gifting 500000 ferrari hardly gift youd give friend know reality tv version truth thats massaged weekly story arcs best downright fake worst popular blogs like jezebels keeping kontinuity errors160chronicle fudged timeline es popular series proving time time producers stage scenes splice episode manipulating timeline collective consumption far know theyve never done cover crime sex justslightlyolderthani boyfriend nothing happened mom moody week two told world kept turning everyone gets lucky year zachary anderson indiana 19 time used dating app hot not160and sex 14yearold girl lied age claiming 17 authorities found spent 75 days prison placed 25year sex offender registry public outrage sparked largely prominent sex advice columnist dan savage case reexamined andersons sex offender status lifted today remains strict probation prevents direct contactwith someone age 17 except sibling worth noting man misled unknowingly sex minor one time life altered forever man eight years kylies senior selling records scoring supporting role tv show similar scene played kaitlyn hunt 2012 florida resident 18 met began dating 14yearold girlfriend two played high school basketball team younger girls parents found hunt charged spent 120 days jail following two years hunt required wear anklemonitoring bracelet remain house arrest 2005 genarlow wilson honor roll student football star georgia spent two years prison 17 oral sexwith 15yearold girl thankfully sentence overturned released completely derailing education causing irreparable pain family kaitlyn zachary genarlow countless others appears consent given courts didnt care wouldnt kylies case either since california law dictates give consent sexual activity adult age 18160 heres tricky part cant prove kylie tyga sex turned 18 pair thats spotted around town others instagrams since 16 mention160posing husband wife couples costumes still underage id say pretty safe assumption160 perhaps damning evidence comes form tygas recentlyreleased single stimulated seemingly admits wrongdoing august 24 two weeks day jenners 18th birthday tyga dropped sexuallyexplicit track posterity everyones general amusement lets revisit lyrics say young shouldve waited big girl dog stimulated continues lest even shadow doubt hes referring sex im stimulated im bank im penetratin im puttin im penetratin im getting big im stimulated get tyga yyoure putting big hard penis160into teenage160girl music video premiered shortly starring youngest kardashian spawn became crystal clear girl kylie jenner unless moments turned 18 pair went home blissful night totally legal sex first time tyga inspired wrote composed recorded mixed released song two weeks bet something illegal going hey stranger things happened one would think jenners massive army overprotective family members might object statements kanye west seem confirm applaud pairs apparent relationship underage breakfast club leaked recording father saint west saying tyga think got early think smart halfsister khloe kardashians comments also reflect cavalier attitude toward relationship cover story complex brushes kylies situation think 16 probably fucking someone 20s sure says wouldnt say even dating probably sleeping kylie normal 17yearold khloes words prove common kyga predicament whats common kylies celebrity status shes normal encouraged excuse forgive forget others arent afforded luxury job care sex life 17yearold girl matter famous job take issue government whose fractured laws convict teenagers crimes letting others go free based largely whether parent objects cant stand judicial system forever changes lives young adults fully consensual sex young adults years younger certainly cant let major television network shove lies faces exonerate others get persecuted kylies16018th birthday magically transform friends lovers smart enough know better kylie might well said staring blankly camera im little bit older finally tell truth im little bit older expect see tyga series regular im little bit older boyfriend wont go jail relationship absurd celebrity double standard never apparent theres easy fix laws vary state state exist first place protect children mere matter months separates puppy love prison time whos really protected ali drucker writer editor covering sex dating culture lives new york city160 | 744 |
<p>Washington football player Sean Taylor is dead at the age of 24, shot and killed at home in front of his partner and 18-month-old daughter. Four people have already been arrested, three of them teenagers.</p>
<p>They were expecting to break into the empty house of a wealthy football player. Instead, they panicked, hit Taylor in the leg with a bullet and ran. The bullet tore into his femoral artery and Taylor died the next day.</p>
<p>It’s the kind of senseless, random violence that makes you put your hands on your ears and squeeze your eyes shut until the tears pry loose. The initial reaction here in D.C. has been an avalanche of unbearable sadness. Hundreds of people left flowers, notes and other offerings in front of the team practice facility. Everywhere you looked people were wearing the team colors of burgundy and gold.</p>
<p>I can understand how strange this must seem at a distance. It’s not like there are shortages of people to mourn in the nation’s capital. D.C. is the violent crime mecca of the United States. We lose children who haven’t seen their 10th birthday to stray bullets.</p>
<p>We have the highest HIV rate in the country, recently described as “an epidemic.” We are where the Masters of War crafted the lies that have led to the deaths of one million Iraqis and 3,900 U.S. troops. And yet we ache for Sean Taylor.</p>
<p>But on the ground in D.C., it somehow makes all the sense in the world. Sean Taylor was drafted as a 20-year-old safety with an almost otherworldly ability to play the game he loved.</p>
<p>Over the last four years, the city has seen him evolve from a talented but undisciplined player, to an All-Pro wunderkind. Off the field_in this era of oversaturated sports coverage_we followed his journey closely from “wild child” to adulthood, to fatherhood.</p>
<p>Media illusion or not, we felt we knew Sean Taylor_and have wept for his family and their loss. There is nothing wrong with this. If anything, we’ve borne witness to people’s capacity to reach out and care.</p>
<p>BUT NOT everyone felt the better angels of their nature emerge. Within hours_minutes_of Taylor’s death, a collection of sportswriters tried to turn this tragedy into to a brazenly racist “life lesson.” They speculated that Taylor effectively got what he deserved, the fruits born of a “thug life.”</p>
<p>Never mind that Taylor was the son of a police chief who attended the same private schools as the Florida wing of the Bush family. The narrative of a young Black athlete dying by gunfire was too succulent to resist. The callous copy ran rampant, and this time went beyond Fox Sports Jason Whitlock’s easily dismissible, painfully predictable hot air.</p>
<p>Far more “respectable” voices like the Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon wrote, “It’s sad, yes, but hardly surprising.” Fellow Post columnist Leonard Shapiro had an entire column called, “Taylor Death Is Tragic But Not Surprising.”</p>
<p>They were only two of many to take this tack. It was such a slap in the face to Taylor’s family, friends and all in D.C. who mourned that Washington Times football beat writer John Mitchell broke the typical press box wall of silence and called Shapiro in anger, “a racist conniving dog of a skunk.”</p>
<p>Sports radio was even worse. Examples stained the airwaves, but the repellent Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio incensed a city by saying, “Sean Taylor, a great player has a history of really really bad judgment, really really bad judgment….I’m supposed to believe his judgment got significantly better in two years, from horrible to fantastic?…’Oh, wah wah wah, sensitivity, he’s a great person, wah wah wah.’ Hey, I don’t care, that’s fine, he died.”</p>
<p>The hypocrisy is breathtaking. If Taylor was white, imagine how this story would be played out: “Hero tragically dies defending his family in home invasion.” Instead, we get yet another example of how sports has become an absolute trash receptacle of racism over the past several years: an acceptable place for troglodytic writers and announcers to yip about “hip hop culture” and “thug life,” being the rot at the heart of professional athletics.</p>
<p>Now that the truth has come out about Taylor’s death, there has been a welcome backlash against the “rush to judgment,” with columnists like ESPN’s Jemele Hill writing, “It’s not like Taylor was out at the club, or at the wrong place, wrong time. If the police thought his past troubles were related to his murder, then I understand it.</p>
<p>“But it seems as if this is being framed as, he got what was coming to him, when he’d been trouble-free for some time. Maybe I’m being oversensitive, but I just have a hard time believing that if Brett Favre got shot, there would be grafs about his personal drug abuse issues.”</p>
<p>Hill’s words are welcome. But frankly we should care less if he was in his home, the club, Baghdad, Brooklyn or Brixton. I don’t care if he went to private school, public school or reform school. No one deserves to die before their 25th birthday. And no family deserves to have their son/lover/father slandered in death by reptilian journalists rehashing their own racist rhetoric.</p>
<p>Yes we weep for Sean Taylor, and by doing so we attempt to reclaim all that a cynical media fronting for a brutal system attempt to take away: our capacity to dare to be human.</p>
<p>DAVE ZIRIN is the author of “ <a href="" type="internal">The Muhammad Ali Handbook</a>” (MQ Publications) and “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931859418/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sports</a>” . You can receive his column Edge of Sports, every week by e-mailing <a href="http://www.edgeofsports-subscribe@zirin.com/" type="external">edgeofsports-subscribe@zirin.com</a>. Contact him at <a href="mailto:edgeofsports@gmail.com" type="external">edgeofsports@gmail.com</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | washington football player sean taylor dead age 24 shot killed home front partner 18monthold daughter four people already arrested three teenagers expecting break empty house wealthy football player instead panicked hit taylor leg bullet ran bullet tore femoral artery taylor died next day kind senseless random violence makes put hands ears squeeze eyes shut tears pry loose initial reaction dc avalanche unbearable sadness hundreds people left flowers notes offerings front team practice facility everywhere looked people wearing team colors burgundy gold understand strange must seem distance like shortages people mourn nations capital dc violent crime mecca united states lose children havent seen 10th birthday stray bullets highest hiv rate country recently described epidemic masters war crafted lies led deaths one million iraqis 3900 us troops yet ache sean taylor ground dc somehow makes sense world sean taylor drafted 20yearold safety almost otherworldly ability play game loved last four years city seen evolve talented undisciplined player allpro wunderkind field_in era oversaturated sports coverage_we followed journey closely wild child adulthood fatherhood media illusion felt knew sean taylor_and wept family loss nothing wrong anything weve borne witness peoples capacity reach care everyone felt better angels nature emerge within hours_minutes_of taylors death collection sportswriters tried turn tragedy brazenly racist life lesson speculated taylor effectively got deserved fruits born thug life never mind taylor son police chief attended private schools florida wing bush family narrative young black athlete dying gunfire succulent resist callous copy ran rampant time went beyond fox sports jason whitlocks easily dismissible painfully predictable hot air far respectable voices like washington posts michael wilbon wrote sad yes hardly surprising fellow post columnist leonard shapiro entire column called taylor death tragic surprising two many take tack slap face taylors family friends dc mourned washington times football beat writer john mitchell broke typical press box wall silence called shapiro anger racist conniving dog skunk sports radio even worse examples stained airwaves repellent colin cowherd espn radio incensed city saying sean taylor great player history really really bad judgment really really bad judgmentim supposed believe judgment got significantly better two years horrible fantasticoh wah wah wah sensitivity hes great person wah wah wah hey dont care thats fine died hypocrisy breathtaking taylor white imagine story would played hero tragically dies defending family home invasion instead get yet another example sports become absolute trash receptacle racism past several years acceptable place troglodytic writers announcers yip hip hop culture thug life rot heart professional athletics truth come taylors death welcome backlash rush judgment columnists like espns jemele hill writing like taylor club wrong place wrong time police thought past troubles related murder understand seems framed got coming hed troublefree time maybe im oversensitive hard time believing brett favre got shot would grafs personal drug abuse issues hills words welcome frankly care less home club baghdad brooklyn brixton dont care went private school public school reform school one deserves die 25th birthday family deserves sonloverfather slandered death reptilian journalists rehashing racist rhetoric yes weep sean taylor attempt reclaim cynical media fronting brutal system attempt take away capacity dare human dave zirin author muhammad ali handbook mq publications welcome terrordome pain politics promise sports receive column edge sports every week emailing edgeofsportssubscribezirincom contact edgeofsportsgmailcom 160 160 | 537 |
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<p>This <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175473/tomgram%3A_steve_fraser%2C_%22de-fault_is_ours%22/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch</a> website.</p>
<p>Call it the Jason Bourne strategy.</p>
<p>Think of it as the CIA’s plunge into Hollywood—or into the absurd. As recent revelations have made clear, that Agency’s moves couldn’t be have been more far-fetched or more real. In its post-9/11 global shadow war, it has employed both private contractors and some of the world’s most notorious prisoners in ways that leave the latest episode of the Bourne films in the dust: hired gunmen trained to kill as well as former inmates who cashed in on the notoriety of having worn an orange jumpsuit in the world’s most infamous jail.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external" />The first group of undercover agents were recruited by private companies from the Army Special Forces and the Navy SEALs and then repurposed to the CIA at handsome salaries averaging around $140,000 a year; the second crew was recruited from the prison cells at Guantanamo Bay and paid out of a secret multimillion dollar slush fund called “the Pledge.”</p>
<p>Last month, the Associated Press <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/penny-lane-gitmos-other-secret-cia-facility" type="external">revealed</a> that the CIA had selected a few dozen men from among the hundreds of terror suspects being held at Guantanamo and trained them to be double agents at a cluster of eight cottages in a program dubbed “Penny Lane.” (Yes, indeed, the name was taken from the Beatles song, as was “ <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/world/13foggo.html" type="external">Strawberry Fields</a>,” a Guantanamo program that involved torturing “high-value” detainees.) These men were then returned to what the Bush administration liked to call the “global battlefield,” where their mission was to befriend members of al-Qaeda and supply targeting information for the Agency’s drone assassination program.</p>
<p>Such a secret double-agent program, while colorful and remarkably unsuccessful, should have surprised no one. After all, plea bargaining or persuading criminals to snitch on their associates—a tactic <a href="http://www.judicialstudies.unr.edu/JS_Summer09/JSP_Week_4/JS710Wk4.LangbeinTorandPleaBargtxt.pdf" type="external">frowned upon</a> by international legal experts—is widely used in the US police and legal system. Over the last year or so, however, a trickle of information about the other secret program has come to light and it opens an astonishing new window into the privatization of US intelligence.</p>
<p>Hollywood in Langley</p>
<p>In July 2010, at his confirmation hearings for the post of the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper explained the use of <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111shrg63996/html/CHRG-111shrg63996.htm" type="external">private contractors</a> in the intelligence community: “In the immediate aftermath of the Cold War…we were under a congressional mandate to reduce the community by on the order of 20%…Then 9/11 occurred…With the gusher…of funding that has accrued particularly from supplemental or overseas contingency operations funding, which, of course, is one year at a time, it is very difficult to hire government employees one year at a time. So the obvious outlet for that has been the growth of contractors.”</p>
<p>Thousands of “Green Badges” were hired via companies like <a href="http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15846" type="external">Booz Allen Hamilton</a> and <a href="http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14898" type="external">Qinetiq</a> to work at CIA and National Security Agency (NSA) offices around the world, among the regular staff who wore blue badges. Many of them—like Edward Snowden—performed specialist tasks in information technology meant to augment the effectiveness of government employees.</p>
<p>Then the CIA decided that there was no aspect of secret war which couldn’t be corporatized. So they set up a unit of private contractors as covert agents, green-lighting them to carry guns and be sent into US war zones at a moment’s notice. This elite James Bond-like unit of armed bodyguards and super-fixers was given the anodyne name Global Response Staff (GRS).</p>
<p>Among the 125 employees of this unit, from the Army Special Forces via private contractors came Raymond Davis and Dane Paresi; from the Navy SEALs Glen Doherty, Jeremy Wise, and Tyrone Woods. All five would soon be in the anything-but-covert headlines of newspapers across the world. These men—no women have yet been named—were deployed on three- to four-month missions accompanying CIA analysts into the field.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608463710/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />Davis was assigned to Lahore, Pakistan; Doherty and Woods to Benghazi, Libya; Paresi and Wise to Khost, Afghanistan. As GRS expanded, other contractors went to Djibouti, Lebanon, and Yemen, among other countries, <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-26/world/36015677_1_security-for-cia-officers-cia-compound-benghazi" type="external">according to</a> a Washington Post profile of the unit.</p>
<p>From early on, its work wasn’t exactly a paragon of secrecy. By 2005, for instance, former Special Forces personnel had already begun openly discussing jobs in the unit at <a href="http://www.911jobforums.com/f58/cia-protection-positions-50431/" type="external">online forums</a>. Their descriptions sounded like something directly out of a Hollywood thriller. The Post portrayed the focus of GRS personnel more mundanely as “designed to stay in the shadows, training teams to work undercover and provide an unobtrusive layer of security for CIA officers in high-risk outposts.”</p>
<p>“They don’t learn languages, they’re not meeting foreign nationals, and they’re not writing up intelligence reports,” a former US intelligence official told that paper. “Their main tasks are to map escape routes from meeting places, pat down informants, and provide an ‘envelope’ of security…if push comes to shove, you’re going to have to shoot.”</p>
<p>In the ensuing years, GRS embedded itself in the Agency, becoming essential to its work. Today, new CIA agents and analysts going into danger zones are trained to work with such bodyguards. In addition, GRS teams are now loaned out to other outfits like the NSA for tasks like installing spy equipment in war zones.</p>
<p>The CIA’s Private Contractors (Don’t) Save the Day</p>
<p>Recently these men, the spearhead of the CIA’s post-9/11 contractor war, have been making it into the news with startling regularity. Unlike their Hollywood cousins, however, the news they have made has all been bad. Those weapons they’re packing and the derring-do that is supposed to go with them have repeatedly led not to breathtaking getaways and shootouts, but to disaster. Jason Bourne, of course, wins the day; they don’t.</p>
<p>Take <a href="http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonatwar/2010/01/remembering_dane_paresi.html" type="external">Dane Paresi</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.181059975239832.45842.131872973491866&amp;type=3" type="external">Jeremy Wise</a>. In 2009, not long after Paresi left the Army Special Forces and Wise the Navy SEALs, they were hired by <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/154739/blackwaters-black-ops" type="external">Xe Services</a> (the former Blackwater) to work for GRS and assigned to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/30/AR2009123000201.html" type="external">Camp Chapman</a>, a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan. On December 30, 2009, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/04/afghanistan-cia-bomber-triple-agent" type="external">Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi</a>, a Jordanian doctor who had been recruited by the CIA to infiltrate al-Qaeda, was invited to a meeting at the base after spending several months in Pakistan’s tribal borderlands. Invited as well were several senior CIA staff members from Kabul who hoped Balawi might help them target Ayman al-Zawahiri, then al-Qaeda’s number two man, who also hailed from Jordan.</p>
<p>Details of what happened are still sketchy, but the GRS men clearly failed to fulfill their security mission. Somehow Balawi, who turned out to be not a double but a triple agent, made it onto the closed base with a bomb and <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/07/19/138158669/the-al-qaida-triple-agent-who-infiltrated-the-cia" type="external">blew himself up</a>, killing not just Paresi and Wise but also seven CIA staff officers, including Jennifer Matthews, the base chief.</p>
<p>Thirteen months later, in January 2011, another GRS contractor, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/magazine/raymond-davis-pakistan.html" type="external">Raymond Davis</a>, decided to shoot his way out of what he considered a difficult situation in Lahore, Pakistan. The Army Special Forces veteran had also worked for Blackwater, although at the time of the shootings he was employed by Hyperion Protective Services, LLC.</p>
<p>Assigned to work at a CIA safe house in Lahore to support agents tracking al-Qaeda in Pakistan, Davis had apparently spent days photographing local military installations like the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps. On January 27th, his car was stopped and he claims that he was confronted by two young men, Faizan Haider and Faheem Shamshad. Davis proceeded to shoot both of them dead, and then take pictures of their bodies, before radioing back to the safe house for help. When a backup vehicle arrived, it compounded the disaster by driving at high speed the wrong way down a street and killing a passing motorcyclist.</p>
<p>Davis was later caught by two traffic wardens, taken to a police station, and jailed. A furor ensued, involving both countries and an indignant Pakistani media. The US embassy, which initially claimed he was a consular official before the Guardian broke the news that he was a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/20/us-raymond-davis-lahore-cia" type="external">CIA contractor</a>, finally pressured the Pakistani government into releasing him, but only after agreeing to pay out $2.34 million in compensation to the families of those he killed.</p>
<p>A year and a half later, two more GRS contractors made front-page news under the worst of circumstances. Former Navy SEALs <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/26/who-was-glen-doherty/" type="external">Glen Doherty</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TyroneWoodsMemorial" type="external">Tyrone Woods</a> had been assigned to a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204712904578092853621061838" type="external">CIA base in Benghazi, Libya</a>, where the Agency was attempting to track a developing North African al-Qaeda movement and recover heavy weapons, including Stinger missiles, that had been looted from state arsenals in the wake of an US-NATO intervention which led to the fall of the autocrat Muammar Qaddafi.</p>
<p>On September 11, 2012, US Ambassador Christopher Stevens was staying at a nearby diplomatic compound when it <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444620104578008922056244096" type="external">came under attack</a>. Militants entered the buildings and set them on fire. A CIA team, including Doherty, rushed to the rescue, although ultimately, unlike Hollywood’s action teams, they did not save Stevens or the day. In fact, several hours later, the militants <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/world/africa/after-attack-in-libya-ambush-struck-rescuers.html" type="external">raided the CIA base</a>, killing both Doherty and Woods.</p>
<p>The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight</p>
<p>The disastrous denouements to these three incidents, as well as the deaths of four GRS contractors— <a href="http://icasualties.org/OEF/Fatalities.aspx" type="external">more than a quarter</a> of CIA casualties since the War on Terror was launched—raise a series of questions: Is this yet another example of the way the privatization of war and intelligence doesn’t work? And is the answer to bring such jobs back in-house? Or does the Hollywood-style skullduggery (gone repeatedly wrong) hint at a larger problem? Is the present intelligence system, in fact, out of control and, despite a combined budget of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/29/your-cheat-sheet-to-americas-secret-intelligence-budget/" type="external">$52.6 billion</a> a year, simply incapable of delivering anything like the “security” promised, leaving the various spy agencies, including the CIA, increasingly desperate to prove that they can “defeat” terrorism?</p>
<p>Take, for example, the slew of documents <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/edward-snowden" type="external">Edward Snowden</a>—another private contractor who at one point worked for the CIA—released about <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/the-nsa-files" type="external">secret NSA programs</a> attempting to suck up global communications at previously unimaginable rates. There have been howls of outrage across the planet, including from spied-upon <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/24/nsa-surveillance-world-leaders-calls" type="external">heads of state</a>. Those denouncing such blatant invasions of privacy have regularly raised the fear that we might be witnessing the rise of a secret-police-like urge to clamp down on dissent everywhere.</p>
<p>But as with the CIA, there may be another explanation: desperation. Top intelligence officials, fearing that they will be seen as having done a poor job, are possessed by an ever greater urge to prove their self-worth by driving the intelligence community to ever more (rather than less) of the same.</p>
<p>As Jeremy Bash, chief of staff to Leon Panetta, the former CIA director and defense secretary, <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/secret-documents-nsa-targeted-germany-and-eu-buildings-a-908609.html" type="external">told</a> MSNBC: “If you’re looking for a needle in the haystack, you need a haystack.” It’s true that, while the various intelligence agencies and the CIA may not succeed when it comes to the needles, they have proven effective indeed when it comes to creating haystacks.</p>
<p>In the case of the NSA, the Obama administration’s efforts to prove that its humongous data haul had any effect on foiling terrorist plots—at one point, they claimed <a href="http://projects.propublica.org/graphics/nsa-54-cases" type="external">54 such plots</a> foiled—has had a quality of genuine pathos to it. The claims have <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-by-nsa-spreads-despite-lack-of-evidence" type="external">proven so thin</a> that administration and intelligence officials have struggled to convince even those in Congress who support the programs, let alone the rest of the world, that it has done much more than gather and store staggering reams of information on almost everyone to no particular purpose whatsoever. Similarly, the FBI has made a point of trumpeting every “terrorist” arrest it has made, most of which, on closer scrutiny, turn out to be of gullible Muslims, <a href="" type="internal">framed by planted evidence</a> in plots often essentially engineered by FBI informants.</p>
<p>Despite stunning investments of funds and the copious hiring of private contractors, when it comes to ineptitude the CIA is giving the FBI and NSA a run for their money. In fact, both of its recently revealed high-profile programs—GRS and the Guantanamo double agents—have proven dismal failures, yielding little if anything of value. The Associated Press account of Penny Lane, the only description of that program thus far, notes, for instance, that al-Qaeda <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/penny-lane-gitmos-other-secret-cia-facility" type="external">never trusted</a> the former Guantanamo Bay detainees released into their midst and that, after millions of dollars were fruitlessly spent, the program was canceled as a failure in 2006.</p>
<p>If you could find a phrase that was the polar opposite of “more bang for your buck,” all of these efforts would qualify. In the case of the CIA, keep in mind as well that you’re talking about an agency which has for years conducted <a href="http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/" type="external">drone assassination campaigns</a> in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Hundreds of innocent men, women, and children have been killed along with numerous al-Qaeda types and “suspected militants,” and yet—many experts believe—these campaigns have functioned not as an air war on, but for, terror. In Yemen, as an example, the tiny al-Qaeda outfit that existed when the <a href="http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/07/02/yemen-strikes-visualised/" type="external">drone campaign began</a> in 2002 has <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304723304577369780858510366" type="external">grown exponentially</a>.</p>
<p>So what about the Jason Bourne-like contractors working for GRS who turned out to be the gang that couldn’t shoot straight? How successful have they been in helping the CIA sniff out al-Qaeda globally? It’s a good guess, based on what we already know, that their record would be no better than that of the rest of the CIA.</p>
<p>One hint, when it comes to GRS-assisted operations, may be found in documents revealed in 2010 by WikiLeaks about joint CIA-Special Operations hunter-killer programs in Afghanistan like <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175287/tomgram:_pratap_chatterjee,_manhunters" type="external">Task Force 373</a>. We don’t actually know if any GRS employees were involved with those operations, but it’s notable that one of Task Force 373’s principal bases was in Khost, where Paresi and Wise were assisting the CIA in drone-targeting operations. The evidence from the WikiLeaks documents suggests that, as with GRS missions, those hunter-killer teams regularly botched their jobs by killing civilians and stoking local unrest.</p>
<p>At the time, Matthew Hoh, a former Marine and State Department contractor who often worked with Task Force 373 as well as other Special Operations Forces “capture/kill” programs in Afghanistan and Iraq, told me: “We are killing the wrong people, the mid-level Taliban who are only fighting us because we are in their valleys. If we were not there, they would not be fighting the US”</p>
<p>As details of programs like Penny Lane and GRS tumble out into the open, shedding light on how the CIA has fought its secret war, it is becoming clearer that the full story of the Agency’s failures, and the larger failures of US intelligence and its paramilitarized, privatized sidekicks has yet to be told.</p>
<p>Pratap Chatterjee, a <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175757/engelhardt_big_bro_wants_you" type="external">TomDispatch regular</a>, is executive director of <a href="http://www.corpwatch.org/" type="external">CorpWatch</a> and a board member of Amnesty International USA. He is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1568583923/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Halliburton’s Army</a> and Iraq, Inc.To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com <a href="http://tomdispatch.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6cb39ff0b1f670c349f828c73&amp;id=1e41682ade" type="external">here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpwwwshutterstockcomcatmhtmllangenampsearch_sourcesearch_formampsearch_tracking_idjsjacjybccxpmp_hsbhfvqampversionllv1ampanyorallallampsafesearch1ampsearchtermspyampsearch_groupamporientampsearch_catampsearchtermxampphotographer_nameamppeople_genderamppeople_ageamppeople_ethnicityamppeople_numberampcommercial_okampcolorampshow_color_wheel1id128637725ampsrcpflwdkabpzyhim1azztpg162gtostillltagtshutterstock story first appeared tomdispatch website call jason bourne strategy think cias plunge hollywoodor absurd recent revelations made clear agencys moves couldnt farfetched real post911 global shadow war employed private contractors worlds notorious prisoners ways leave latest episode bourne films dust hired gunmen trained kill well former inmates cashed notoriety worn orange jumpsuit worlds infamous jail first group undercover agents recruited private companies army special forces navy seals repurposed cia handsome salaries averaging around 140000 year second crew recruited prison cells guantanamo bay paid secret multimillion dollar slush fund called pledge last month associated press revealed cia selected dozen men among hundreds terror suspects held guantanamo trained double agents cluster eight cottages program dubbed penny lane yes indeed name taken beatles song strawberry fields guantanamo program involved torturing highvalue detainees men returned bush administration liked call global battlefield mission befriend members alqaeda supply targeting information agencys drone assassination program secret doubleagent program colorful remarkably unsuccessful surprised one plea bargaining persuading criminals snitch associatesa tactic frowned upon international legal expertsis widely used us police legal system last year however trickle information secret program come light opens astonishing new window privatization us intelligence hollywood langley july 2010 confirmation hearings post director national intelligence james clapper explained use private contractors intelligence community immediate aftermath cold warwe congressional mandate reduce community order 20then 911 occurredwith gusherof funding accrued particularly supplemental overseas contingency operations funding course one year time difficult hire government employees one year time obvious outlet growth contractors thousands green badges hired via companies like booz allen hamilton qinetiq work cia national security agency nsa offices around world among regular staff wore blue badges many themlike edward snowdenperformed specialist tasks information technology meant augment effectiveness government employees cia decided aspect secret war couldnt corporatized set unit private contractors covert agents greenlighting carry guns sent us war zones moments notice elite james bondlike unit armed bodyguards superfixers given anodyne name global response staff grs among 125 employees unit army special forces via private contractors came raymond davis dane paresi navy seals glen doherty jeremy wise tyrone woods five would soon anythingbutcovert headlines newspapers across world menno women yet namedwere deployed three fourmonth missions accompanying cia analysts field davis assigned lahore pakistan doherty woods benghazi libya paresi wise khost afghanistan grs expanded contractors went djibouti lebanon yemen among countries according washington post profile unit early work wasnt exactly paragon secrecy 2005 instance former special forces personnel already begun openly discussing jobs unit online forums descriptions sounded like something directly hollywood thriller post portrayed focus grs personnel mundanely designed stay shadows training teams work undercover provide unobtrusive layer security cia officers highrisk outposts dont learn languages theyre meeting foreign nationals theyre writing intelligence reports former us intelligence official told paper main tasks map escape routes meeting places pat informants provide envelope securityif push comes shove youre going shoot ensuing years grs embedded agency becoming essential work today new cia agents analysts going danger zones trained work bodyguards addition grs teams loaned outfits like nsa tasks like installing spy equipment war zones cias private contractors dont save day recently men spearhead cias post911 contractor war making news startling regularity unlike hollywood cousins however news made bad weapons theyre packing derringdo supposed go repeatedly led breathtaking getaways shootouts disaster jason bourne course wins day dont take dane paresi jeremy wise 2009 long paresi left army special forces wise navy seals hired xe services former blackwater work grs assigned camp chapman cia base khost afghanistan december 30 2009 humam khalil abumulal albalawi jordanian doctor recruited cia infiltrate alqaeda invited meeting base spending several months pakistans tribal borderlands invited well several senior cia staff members kabul hoped balawi might help target ayman alzawahiri alqaedas number two man also hailed jordan details happened still sketchy grs men clearly failed fulfill security mission somehow balawi turned double triple agent made onto closed base bomb blew killing paresi wise also seven cia staff officers including jennifer matthews base chief thirteen months later january 2011 another grs contractor raymond davis decided shoot way considered difficult situation lahore pakistan army special forces veteran also worked blackwater although time shootings employed hyperion protective services llc assigned work cia safe house lahore support agents tracking alqaeda pakistan davis apparently spent days photographing local military installations like headquarters paramilitary frontier corps january 27th car stopped claims confronted two young men faizan haider faheem shamshad davis proceeded shoot dead take pictures bodies radioing back safe house help backup vehicle arrived compounded disaster driving high speed wrong way street killing passing motorcyclist davis later caught two traffic wardens taken police station jailed furor ensued involving countries indignant pakistani media us embassy initially claimed consular official guardian broke news cia contractor finally pressured pakistani government releasing agreeing pay 234 million compensation families killed year half later two grs contractors made frontpage news worst circumstances former navy seals glen doherty tyrone woods assigned cia base benghazi libya agency attempting track developing north african alqaeda movement recover heavy weapons including stinger missiles looted state arsenals wake usnato intervention led fall autocrat muammar qaddafi september 11 2012 us ambassador christopher stevens staying nearby diplomatic compound came attack militants entered buildings set fire cia team including doherty rushed rescue although ultimately unlike hollywoods action teams save stevens day fact several hours later militants raided cia base killing doherty woods gang couldnt shoot straight disastrous denouements three incidents well deaths four grs contractors quarter cia casualties since war terror launchedraise series questions yet another example way privatization war intelligence doesnt work answer bring jobs back inhouse hollywoodstyle skullduggery gone repeatedly wrong hint larger problem present intelligence system fact control despite combined budget 526 billion year simply incapable delivering anything like security promised leaving various spy agencies including cia increasingly desperate prove defeat terrorism take example slew documents edward snowdenanother private contractor one point worked ciareleased secret nsa programs attempting suck global communications previously unimaginable rates howls outrage across planet including spiedupon heads state denouncing blatant invasions privacy regularly raised fear might witnessing rise secretpolicelike urge clamp dissent everywhere cia may another explanation desperation top intelligence officials fearing seen done poor job possessed ever greater urge prove selfworth driving intelligence community ever rather less jeremy bash chief staff leon panetta former cia director defense secretary told msnbc youre looking needle haystack need haystack true various intelligence agencies cia may succeed comes needles proven effective indeed comes creating haystacks case nsa obama administrations efforts prove humongous data haul effect foiling terrorist plotsat one point claimed 54 plots foiledhas quality genuine pathos claims proven thin administration intelligence officials struggled convince even congress support programs let alone rest world done much gather store staggering reams information almost everyone particular purpose whatsoever similarly fbi made point trumpeting every terrorist arrest made closer scrutiny turn gullible muslims framed planted evidence plots often essentially engineered fbi informants despite stunning investments funds copious hiring private contractors comes ineptitude cia giving fbi nsa run money fact recently revealed highprofile programsgrs guantanamo double agentshave proven dismal failures yielding little anything value associated press account penny lane description program thus far notes instance alqaeda never trusted former guantanamo bay detainees released midst millions dollars fruitlessly spent program canceled failure 2006 could find phrase polar opposite bang buck efforts would qualify case cia keep mind well youre talking agency years conducted drone assassination campaigns pakistan yemen somalia hundreds innocent men women children killed along numerous alqaeda types suspected militants yetmany experts believethese campaigns functioned air war terror yemen example tiny alqaeda outfit existed drone campaign began 2002 grown exponentially jason bournelike contractors working grs turned gang couldnt shoot straight successful helping cia sniff alqaeda globally good guess based already know record would better rest cia one hint comes grsassisted operations may found documents revealed 2010 wikileaks joint ciaspecial operations hunterkiller programs afghanistan like task force 373 dont actually know grs employees involved operations notable one task force 373s principal bases khost paresi wise assisting cia dronetargeting operations evidence wikileaks documents suggests grs missions hunterkiller teams regularly botched jobs killing civilians stoking local unrest time matthew hoh former marine state department contractor often worked task force 373 well special operations forces capturekill programs afghanistan iraq told killing wrong people midlevel taliban fighting us valleys would fighting us details programs like penny lane grs tumble open shedding light cia fought secret war becoming clearer full story agencys failures larger failures us intelligence paramilitarized privatized sidekicks yet told pratap chatterjee tomdispatch regular executive director corpwatch board member amnesty international usa author halliburtons army iraq incto stay top important articles like sign receive latest updates tomdispatchcom | 1,425 |
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<p>There are very few good journalists anymore. You know, folks that develop sources and then write what they see and hear with the context provided by those sources and their own knowledge. Folks that write what they see and hear without fear of reprisal from an editor or publisher that must kowtow to their corporate sponsor. There are even fewer such reporters of this nature that write about the war in Iraq. Of those few, Patrick Cockburn may well be the most consistent and informative, if not just the best. This fact alone is reason enough to read his new book, <a href="" type="internal">The Occupation</a>, just published by Verso of London and New York. Cockburn is quite familiar with his subject, having covered the country for well more than a decade. This provides him with a first-hand historical perspective that lets the reader compare the situation in the country before and after Saddam Hussein. Also important is that Cockburn has no program to push, unlike many of his compatriots in the rest of the world’s media that cover Iraq.</p>
<p>The book paints a dismal picture of Iraq–a future that should be obvious to anybody that reads the news and isn’t blinded by the parallel world of the Bush White House (where progress is always being made and turning points are coming soon according). It’s a land where fundamentalist Salafist cells bent on forcing everyone in Iraq to conform to their absolutist-take-no-prisoners version of Islam and Shia militias whose leaders favor Iran battle each other while al-Sadr’s army battles both these elements and the occupiers. Nationalist insurgents and their supporters that oppose US Marines and soldiers. Marines and soldiers who shoot at pretty much anyone they choose without knowing why they are doing so. Corrupt officials on all sides of the battleground and barracks and no one who cares enough to stop them. Shifting alliances everywhere–some made for money, some for religion, and some for politics. In short, the Iraq Cockburn describes is a combination of Hecate’s playground and the “Hell” panel from Hieronymous Bosch’s famous triptych.</p>
<p>Cockburn spends most of the text writing about events in Iraq during the first two years after the invasion. He describes the disintegration of the nation, the growing hatred of the US occupiers, and the consequent growth in the resistance. He details the incompetence of the Bremer reign in Iraq and the arrogance that created and exacerbated that incompetence. From the hiring of political friends with no expertise in running much of anything to the Orientalist assumption that the Iraqis knew nothing about their situation and therefore had no concern about their future, the story told here is one of classic colonialism. Every turning point touted by Washington and London is shown to be as empty as the the words “Iraqi democracy” when spoken by Bush and Blair. Every election is a choice between Iraqi exiles that depend on the occupier’s military to stay in power. Indeed, as I write this piece, the US is “handing over” command of the new Iraqi security forces to the current Prime Minister. Even the Associated Press article reporting this move admits that, like every other so-called transfer of power in Iraq, this transfer of the troop command is more procedural than substantive. Which means, of course, that Washington will still make the calls regarding where the troops go and who they will shoot at. (Think about it–Saigon controlled its own military on paper the entire time the US was at war in Vietnam, yet we all know who called the shots.)</p>
<p>Many have speculated as to whether the disintegration of Iraq along sectarian lines was part of Washington’s intention all along. After all, isn’t that what happened in Yugoslavia, thanks to US covert aid to the Bosnians and Croats, the Dayton Accords, and the 1999 bombardment of Serbia and Kosovo? Indeed, wasn’t the disintegration of the Soviet Union a primary goal of the Cold War? Whether Iraq’s division was a US goal or not, anybody that still believes Bush and Co. invaded Iraq to install democracy is a fool, since every Iraqi effort of that sort has been thwarted, primarily by Washington itself. There is little freedom of the press, little Iraqi control of anything in the country, and no sense of a peaceful future. Hell, even majority rule is denied the men and (few) women elected by those that voted. Cockburn does not provide much analysis as to why this is so in his book, but the situation he describes is a graphic portrait of a nation heading to its end as a physical unit. The facts speak well enough to the tragic situation and remove much of the need for analysis. So that’s what Mr. Cockburn provides in a readable and eloquent manner: the facts.</p>
<p>As far as I’m concerned, the primary drawback to this book is the author’s occasional equating the resistance’s violence and motives to that of the occupiers. While the results of Salafist cells’ car bombs are as repugnant and murderous as the results of a US Marine assault on a mosque or neighborhood in Fallujah or Baghdad, there is a difference in that the former would likely not have happened if the US had not invaded and occupied Iraq. This is not to say that the jihadists’ are right in their murderous attacks, but merely to point out the cause and effect of the US/UK actions. It is, suggests Cockburn, a cause and effect that the occupiers either fail to see or just refuse to see. But then, since Cockburn’s primary job as a reporter is to observe the events, comprehend them, and report them to his readers, that is what he does. Matter of fact, not only is that what he does, he excels at it. For that reason, this book deserves wide circulation, no matter what one thinks of the situation in Iraq.</p>
<p>RON JACOBS is author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859841678/counterpunchmaga" type="external">The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground</a>, which is just republished by Verso. Jacobs’ essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch’s new collection on music, art and sex, <a href="http://www.easycarts.net/ecarts/CounterPunch/CP_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:rjacobs3625@charter.net" type="external">rjacobs3625@charter.net</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | 160 good journalists anymore know folks develop sources write see hear context provided sources knowledge folks write see hear without fear reprisal editor publisher must kowtow corporate sponsor even fewer reporters nature write war iraq patrick cockburn may well consistent informative best fact alone reason enough read new book occupation published verso london new york cockburn quite familiar subject covered country well decade provides firsthand historical perspective lets reader compare situation country saddam hussein also important cockburn program push unlike many compatriots rest worlds media cover iraq book paints dismal picture iraqa future obvious anybody reads news isnt blinded parallel world bush white house progress always made turning points coming soon according land fundamentalist salafist cells bent forcing everyone iraq conform absolutisttakenoprisoners version islam shia militias whose leaders favor iran battle alsadrs army battles elements occupiers nationalist insurgents supporters oppose us marines soldiers marines soldiers shoot pretty much anyone choose without knowing corrupt officials sides battleground barracks one cares enough stop shifting alliances everywheresome made money religion politics short iraq cockburn describes combination hecates playground hell panel hieronymous boschs famous triptych cockburn spends text writing events iraq first two years invasion describes disintegration nation growing hatred us occupiers consequent growth resistance details incompetence bremer reign iraq arrogance created exacerbated incompetence hiring political friends expertise running much anything orientalist assumption iraqis knew nothing situation therefore concern future story told one classic colonialism every turning point touted washington london shown empty words iraqi democracy spoken bush blair every election choice iraqi exiles depend occupiers military stay power indeed write piece us handing command new iraqi security forces current prime minister even associated press article reporting move admits like every socalled transfer power iraq transfer troop command procedural substantive means course washington still make calls regarding troops go shoot think itsaigon controlled military paper entire time us war vietnam yet know called shots many speculated whether disintegration iraq along sectarian lines part washingtons intention along isnt happened yugoslavia thanks us covert aid bosnians croats dayton accords 1999 bombardment serbia kosovo indeed wasnt disintegration soviet union primary goal cold war whether iraqs division us goal anybody still believes bush co invaded iraq install democracy fool since every iraqi effort sort thwarted primarily washington little freedom press little iraqi control anything country sense peaceful future hell even majority rule denied men women elected voted cockburn provide much analysis book situation describes graphic portrait nation heading end physical unit facts speak well enough tragic situation remove much need analysis thats mr cockburn provides readable eloquent manner facts far im concerned primary drawback book authors occasional equating resistances violence motives occupiers results salafist cells car bombs repugnant murderous results us marine assault mosque neighborhood fallujah baghdad difference former would likely happened us invaded occupied iraq say jihadists right murderous attacks merely point cause effect usuk actions suggests cockburn cause effect occupiers either fail see refuse see since cockburns primary job reporter observe events comprehend report readers matter fact excels reason book deserves wide circulation matter one thinks situation iraq ron jacobs author way wind blew history weather underground republished verso jacobs essay big bill broonzy featured counterpunchs new collection music art sex serpents garden reached rjacobs3625charternet 160 160 | 531 |
<p>Qazwsx96/Wikimedia Commons</p>
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<p>Packed with protein, loaded with vitamin C, or <a href="http://thehealthyeatingsite.com/the-health-benefits-of-goji-berries/" type="external">boasting</a> “15 times the amount of iron in spinach,” so-called superfoods continue to seduce health nuts and marketing gurus alike. You probably remember <a href="" type="internal">the quinoa craze</a>, the hype surrounding <a href="" type="internal">coconut oil</a>, the excitement about acai berries, or the hoopla about <a href="" type="internal">kombucha</a>. They’re not <a href="" type="internal">necessarily better for you</a> than more familiar fruits and veggies, but their exotic names and stories convince consumers to fork over extra for these supposed elixirs.</p>
<p>So which superfoods will catch on in 2016? The good news is that this year’s top trends combine appealing nutritional qualities with a lighter environmental footprint than the average provision. The only problem? They don’t necessarily look or taste great, so companies are currently rushing to repackage them for mass appeal.</p>
<p>A roundup of the most promising (but not necessarily appetizing) new superfoods:</p>
<p>Crickets: They thrive in hotter climates and survive off decaying waste and very little water and space, making them seem like the perfect protein for the warming, drought-stricken landscape we humans have engineered for ourselves. Starting in 2014, edible cricket farms have sprung up in Ohio and California; San Francisco’s <a href="http://bittyfoods.com/" type="external">Bitty Foods</a> grinds the bugs into a baking flour, and Six Foods uses them in its “ <a href="http://www.sixfoods.com/#products" type="external">chirps</a>.” But Americans haven’t seemed quite ready to embrace the <a href="http://www.fao.org/forestry/edibleinsects/en/" type="external">age of the edible insect</a>. Marketing research group Blueshift Ideas <a href="http://blueshiftideas.com/content/september-2015-trends-tracker/" type="external">revealed</a> in September that one in five of those surveyed were likely to buy a product with an insect-based ingredient, but that marked a 10 percent decrease in enthusiasm from six months ago. Maybe due to <a href="" type="internal">the bugs’ subtle</a> aftertaste?</p>
<p>Hemp: Many consider hemp a wonder plant—it’s naturally resistant to many pests, it can require <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-fine-hemp-marijuana-legalize-20140626-story.html" type="external">half the water wheat does</a>, it grows in tight spaces and in many climates, and it outcompetes other weeds. But laws prohibiting marijuana cultivation in the United States have meant that production of hemp, which contains miniscule amounts of THC, has also been off limits. As pot prohibition lifts in some states, people have been stockpiling seeds to plant more acres of hemp for use in textiles, building supplies, <a href="http://www.hcn.org/articles/colorados-first-legal-hemp-harvest-since-1957-is-underway" type="external">batteries,</a> and edibles (no, not that kind).</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2014/acs-presspac-january-29-2014/new-analysis-finds-hempseed-oil-packed-with-health-promoting-compounds.html" type="external">a study</a> in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, hemp seed oil contains high levels of minerals, vitamins, and omega-3s. And move over, almond milk: Hemp milk offers <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/19/health/he-milk19/3" type="external">way more</a> omega-3 fatty acids, thought to <a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/omega-3-fats/" type="external">help prevent heart disease</a>. But online reviews of its flavor run the gamut, with some pointing out its “ <a href="http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/five-types-of-non-dairy-milk-reviewed" type="external">pleasant slight maltiness</a>” and others saying “ <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/08/milk-taste-tests-soy-almond-rice-oat-goats-hemp.html" type="external">it tastes like rope</a>.” Bitter notes mean hemp milk might not be the best cream substitute; the blogger behind Veganbaking.net <a href="http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/five-types-of-non-dairy-milk-reviewed" type="external">writes</a> that it made her coffee “almost undrinkable.”</p>
<p>Moringa: I <a href="" type="internal">wrote about this ingredient</a> after attending a San Francisco event called the Future of Food last summer:</p>
<p>Over to the Kuli Kuli Foods table, where women in acid-green aprons peddle samples of bars made of moringa, a leafy plant that Time recently <a href="http://time.com/3544425/superfoods-moringa-tree-breadfruit-prickly-pear-cactus/" type="external">deemed the new kale</a>. Kuli Kuli is the first US company marketing moringa. Its founder, Lisa Curtis, first learned about the plant while in Peace Corps in Niger in 2010. Feeling malnourished on the local diet, she was urged to try the nutrient-dense moringa plant, which is high in calcium, protein, amino acids, and vitamin C. The plant grows super fast and thrives in hot, dry climates. Curtis realized that locals weren’t marketing the superfood because they had no international market, so she set out to create one in the US by importing the plant in powder form. Aside from fueling her own fruit and nut bar company, she tells me that local juice joints around San Francisco are picking it up for use in smoothies. (Side note: Fidel Castro is <a href="http://en.cubadebate.cu/news/2012/10/24/fidel-castro-praises-nutritious-properties-moringa-and-mulberry/" type="external">a huge moringa fan</a>.)</p>
<p>I want to love moringa. If the current California drought is any predictor, we’re going to need plants that survive harsher conditions and provide such an impressive array of nutrients. But this one tastes rather grassy, and goes down like a shot of wheatgrass, which is to say, abruptly. So power to Kuli Kuli, but here’s hoping its moringa recipes continue to evolve.</p>
<p>Seaweed: New Yorker writer Dana Goodyear recently <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/a-new-leaf" type="external">deemed</a> seaweed one of the “world’s most sustainable and nutritious crops.” It requires neither fresh water nor fertilizer to thrive, and it grows at lightning speed. And rather than contributing to our carbon footprint, as many fertilizers and food sources do, seaweed cleanses the ocean of excess nitrogen and carbon dioxide. As far as its benefits on the dinner plate, certain types of the marine algae offer lots of protein and vitamin B12. That’s all well and good, but remember, we’re talking about a type of plant that tends to be dark green or brown, leafy, and slimy. As one of Goodyear’s sources put it, seaweed is going to be “one of the toughest food types to convince Americans to eat.”</p>
<p>Then again, unpalatability hasn’t stopped other obscure ingredients from zooming to the top of American shopping lists in short periods of time. Chia, slightly bland little seeds that puff up with moisture, gained massive momentum due largely to savvy marketing; the number of food products with chia seeds in them shot up more than 1,000 percent between 2009 and 2013, <a href="https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/chia.aspx" type="external">reports</a> Mintel. Many people stomach turmeric, an anti-inflammatory yellow spice that can be acrid on its own, in capsule form. If all else fails, there’s always the blender. Cricket seaweed banana smoothie, anyone?</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | qazwsx96wikimedia commons packed protein loaded vitamin c boasting 15 times amount iron spinach socalled superfoods continue seduce health nuts marketing gurus alike probably remember quinoa craze hype surrounding coconut oil excitement acai berries hoopla kombucha theyre necessarily better familiar fruits veggies exotic names stories convince consumers fork extra supposed elixirs superfoods catch 2016 good news years top trends combine appealing nutritional qualities lighter environmental footprint average provision problem dont necessarily look taste great companies currently rushing repackage mass appeal roundup promising necessarily appetizing new superfoods crickets thrive hotter climates survive decaying waste little water space making seem like perfect protein warming droughtstricken landscape humans engineered starting 2014 edible cricket farms sprung ohio california san franciscos bitty foods grinds bugs baking flour six foods uses chirps americans havent seemed quite ready embrace age edible insect marketing research group blueshift ideas revealed september one five surveyed likely buy product insectbased ingredient marked 10 percent decrease enthusiasm six months ago maybe due bugs subtle aftertaste hemp many consider hemp wonder plantits naturally resistant many pests require half water wheat grows tight spaces many climates outcompetes weeds laws prohibiting marijuana cultivation united states meant production hemp contains miniscule amounts thc also limits pot prohibition lifts states people stockpiling seeds plant acres hemp use textiles building supplies batteries edibles kind according study journal agricultural food chemistry hemp seed oil contains high levels minerals vitamins omega3s move almond milk hemp milk offers way omega3 fatty acids thought help prevent heart disease online reviews flavor run gamut pointing pleasant slight maltiness others saying tastes like rope bitter notes mean hemp milk might best cream substitute blogger behind veganbakingnet writes made coffee almost undrinkable moringa wrote ingredient attending san francisco event called future food last summer kuli kuli foods table women acidgreen aprons peddle samples bars made moringa leafy plant time recently deemed new kale kuli kuli first us company marketing moringa founder lisa curtis first learned plant peace corps niger 2010 feeling malnourished local diet urged try nutrientdense moringa plant high calcium protein amino acids vitamin c plant grows super fast thrives hot dry climates curtis realized locals werent marketing superfood international market set create one us importing plant powder form aside fueling fruit nut bar company tells local juice joints around san francisco picking use smoothies side note fidel castro huge moringa fan want love moringa current california drought predictor going need plants survive harsher conditions provide impressive array nutrients one tastes rather grassy goes like shot wheatgrass say abruptly power kuli kuli heres hoping moringa recipes continue evolve seaweed new yorker writer dana goodyear recently deemed seaweed one worlds sustainable nutritious crops requires neither fresh water fertilizer thrive grows lightning speed rather contributing carbon footprint many fertilizers food sources seaweed cleanses ocean excess nitrogen carbon dioxide far benefits dinner plate certain types marine algae offer lots protein vitamin b12 thats well good remember talking type plant tends dark green brown leafy slimy one goodyears sources put seaweed going one toughest food types convince americans eat unpalatability hasnt stopped obscure ingredients zooming top american shopping lists short periods time chia slightly bland little seeds puff moisture gained massive momentum due largely savvy marketing number food products chia seeds shot 1000 percent 2009 2013 reports mintel many people stomach turmeric antiinflammatory yellow spice acrid capsule form else fails theres always blender cricket seaweed banana smoothie anyone | 559 |
<p>The lead-up to the Constituent Assembly <a href="http://www.investigaction.net/en/venezuela-elections-resurgent-chavismo-and-unrecognised-democracy/" type="external">elections</a> was full of threats and refusals to recognise the results from the US and its subordinates near and far. After the vote took place, with over 8M voters participating, the mainstream media started behaving like the audience of “The Price is Right” (1). Any claim of a different turnout, invariably without any evidence, was thrown at the readers.</p>
<p>But the ideal weapon came when <a href="https://www.smartmatic.com/news/article/smartmatic-statement-on-the-recent-constituent-assembly-election-in-venezuela/" type="external">Smartmatic</a>, the company responsible for the voting machines and software, claimed that “without any doubt” the voting total had been inflated by, according to their “estimations”, at least 1M votes. The Venezuelan electoral authorities (CNE) promptly reacted by saying that the company, while responsible for the system, had <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13279" type="external">no access</a> to electoral data, and as such whatever estimates they produced were baseless. Given that the electoral results were published a few days later, the logical reasoning would put the burden on Smartmatic to release evidence to back their claims. In the press conference, Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica said that the company had not shared the evidence with the CNE because they would not be “ <a href="" type="internal">sympathetic</a>” to it. But why not share it with the western media, which is more than sympathetic to it?</p>
<p>As it turns out, there was no need to present evidence, because the standards are different when it comes to Venezuela. Smartmatic’s press conference was more than enough for the media, who now parrot that it was “ <a href="" type="internal">revealed</a>” that the voting figures were inflated. So any allegation that conforms to the mainstream narrative and goes against the Venezuelan government does not need to be proven, and is used henceforth either as a fact or to provide instant denial. By contrast, the Venezuelan opposition enjoys a free ride when it comes to fact-checking of their statements. We can thank the BBC for a blatant demonstration of these <a href="" type="internal">double standards</a>:</p>
<p>“Venezuela’s electoral authorities said more than eight million people, or 41.5% of the electorate, had voted, a figure the company that provided the voting system said was inflated.</p>
<p>The opposition boycotted the poll and also held an unofficial referendum in which they said more than seven million Venezuelans voted against the constituent assembly.”</p>
<p>The official vote, whose results have been <a href="" type="internal">audited</a>, <a href="http://www.conelmazodando.com.ve/expertos-electorales-resultados-de-la-anc-en-venezuela-son-veridicos-y-confiables-ceela/" type="external">vouched for</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">published</a>, has to be immediately countered, even though Smartmatic provided nothing to back their claims. In comparison, the opposition’s claimed turnout from their “ <a href="http://www.investigaction.net/en/venezuelan-opposition-consultation-playing-alone-and-losing/" type="external">consultation</a>”, of which all records were burned, is free from anyone contradicting it, even though there are strong reasons to doubt it.</p>
<p>The <a href="" type="internal">New York Times</a> went one step further, echoing an opposition leader’s claim that people had voted multiple times. This was in fact proven to be impossible by a <a href="" type="internal">journalist</a>. And we can only wonder where these fears of multiple voting were when this actually did happen during the opposition’s <a href="" type="internal">consultation</a>, an event that the New York Times considered as a supreme democratic event with “ <a href="" type="internal">staggering</a>” results.</p>
<p>But when it comes to double standards, the <a href="http://www.investigaction.net/en/the-guardians-propaganda-on-venezuela-all-you-need-to-know/" type="external">Guardian</a> was determined not to be outdone. Here is what appeared on a <a href="" type="internal">recent piece</a> about Trump’s “military option” threat:</p>
<p>“[Venezuela’s] economy has collapsed in recent years as the country led first by the late Hugo Chávez and then by his successor, Maduro, has resorted to increasingly authoritarian measures to consolidate power.</p>
<p>Trump’s remarks come in the shadow of a 2002 coup attempt against Chávez that he blamed on the US.”</p>
<p>So Maduro’s resort to “authoritarian measures” is not “according to his opponents”, or to fancy “international observers” that always come in handy on these occasions, it is supposed to be an absolute fact. On the other hand, US involvement in the 2002 coup, which has been amply <a href="https://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/chavez-code-golinger.htm" type="external">documented</a>, is just Chávez’s opinion!</p>
<p>And in what is not a case of double standards but rather one of no standards, we have to mention <a href="" type="internal">this article</a> by the Guardian. What happened was the following: the Constituent Assembly <a href="" type="internal">invited</a> the leaders of the opposition-controlled National Assembly to participate in a session to work out their legal status (2) and how both bodies will co-exist. The opposition leaders refused, and the Constituent Assembly <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13322" type="external">assumed power</a> to legislate on some matters, namely national security. The Guardian, clearly preparing for their future as a tabloid (3), titled their article “ <a href="" type="internal">President Maduro strips Venezuela’s parliament of power</a>”, along with a picture of Maduro swinging maracas. It does not get more disingenuous than that.</p>
<p>Shoot first, do not ask questions later</p>
<p>A distinctive reporting technique involves sticking to first impressions, however biased they may be. Let us illustrate with an example: on April 11, Brayan Principal, a teenage resident from a public housing project in Lara state, was shot dead. Rather than gather the facts, the media simply let an <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39585293" type="external">opposition lawmaker</a> state that he thought armed pro-government groups were responsible. And that was that. The <a href="" type="internal">testimony</a> of the victim’s mother, as well as other residents from the project, showed this was another example of an opposition attack against the public housing mission, one of chavismo’s flagship projects. But the media were happy with the initial opinion and not interested in reporting further.</p>
<p>However, no case is more symptomatic than that of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-actor-idUSKBN19J2EZ" type="external">Oscar Pérez</a>. A police officer, he hijacked a helicopter and then proceeded to shoot at and throw grenades at government buildings with people inside. It was more of a stunt than an armed uprising, but still the media were <a href="" type="internal">charmed</a> by a character that would be instantly, and rightly, called a terrorist had he done this anywhere else. And if that was not enough, they started floating this idiotic idea that he might be a “ <a href="" type="internal">government plant</a>”. “This colourful B-movie actor attacked public buildings with grenades. Could it be that he is a government plant?” No, no he is not. He appeared in an <a href="" type="internal">opposition rally</a> a few days later, but none of the outlets that pushed the “government plant” theory bothered to report on it.</p>
<p>A more recent case involved Colombian channels RCN and Caracol being taken off the air in Venezuela. While these channels are well-known for giving a platform to right-wing people like <a href="http://www.noticiasrcn.com/nacional-pais/las-farc-son-socias-dictadura-venezuela-uribe" type="external">Álvaro Uribe</a>, and for being part of large <a href="" type="internal">corporate empires</a>, the <a href="" type="internal">BBC</a> pinpointed this closure to the channels’ close coverage of the events surrounding Luisa Ortega. It appears they were only guilty of doing journalism, just like the BBC pretends to do. The fact that former Mexican president and loyal US servant Vicente Fox had just appeared on these channels telling Maduro to <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13328" type="external">“resign or die”</a> was not worth mentioning.</p>
<p>One wonders if a channel where people came on the air telling Emmanuel Macron, or the Queen of England, to “resign or die” would stay on the air in France or the UK. And where was all this concern about “censorship” when Argentinian president Mauricio Macri ordered <a href="" type="internal">TeleSur</a> taken off the air? (Needless to say, TeleSur never ran anything remotely comparable to these threats)</p>
<p>Silence is golden</p>
<p>Another common technique of biased reporting involves reporting only stories that fit into the mainstream narrative and shying away from anything that might cast doubt on it. For example, OAS chief Luis Almagro always has the floor for his regime-change efforts against Venezuela, which come coated in the language of defending “democracy”. But if the media pointed out his lack of interest in the parliamentary coup in Brazil, or reported on his <a href="" type="internal">praise</a> of Israel’s democracy, then his standing as a “pro-democracy” actor would be very questionable. Similarly, ridiculous statements such as Almagro claiming that Cuba has an “ <a href="" type="internal">occupying army</a>” in Venezuela are nowhere to be found in the mainstream outlets.</p>
<p>Luisa Ortega Díaz (4), former prosecutor turned anti-chavista hero, also benefits from this kind of selective reporting. Now portrayed as a defender of the rule of law, it would be useful to recall that not so long ago she was <a href="" type="internal">vilified</a> by the opposition for the prosecution and conviction of Leopoldo López for his role in the previous edition of the violent guarimbas in 2014. Ortega’s outlandish comparisons of the Venezuelan government to “ <a href="" type="internal">Stalin and Hitler</a>”, were they to be reported, would also make it harder for her to be taken seriously.</p>
<p>Presented by the media as a fierce defender of the Constitution, the idea is to imply that she is a genuine chavista and Maduro and co. have gone off the rails. But her presence in a <a href="http://www.analitica.com/actualidad/actualidad-nacional/capriles-llama-a-formar-un-frente-comun-en-defensa-de-la-constitucion/" type="external">forum</a> “in defence of the Constitution” tells a different story. There she was surrounded by who’s who of the opposition leadership, people who would do away with the Constitution in a heartbeat, and actually did during the 2002 coup.</p>
<p>Ortega and her husband have been accused of running an <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13323" type="external">extortion</a> operation out of the Public Prosecutor’s office, getting money in exchange for not prosecuting companies accused of misuse of subsidised dollars. Ortega’s replacement, Tarek Saab, presented documents of alleged bank accounts opened by members of this circle in UBS bank in the Bahamas. But this evidence, or Ortega’s baffling response that UBS <a href="http://globovision.com/article/ortega-diaz-me-destituyeron-por-denunciar-la-corrupcion-en-venezuela" type="external">does not exist</a> in the Bahamas (!), are not mentioned by western journalists, who could actually investigate the claims if they wanted to.</p>
<p>Sanctions and solidarity</p>
<p>The most recent US-imposed sanctions were a significant escalation that could do serious damage to the average Venezuelan, as opposed to freezing Maduro’s non-existent US assets. With the strategy of street violence clearly exhausted, having been unable to spread unrest to the barrios or to cause a split in the armed forces, there is now a switch towards economic asphyxiation of the country. The US is even resorting to <a href="" type="internal">blocking</a> food shipments destined to Venezuela, so it is clear that the plan is to be rid of the Bolivarian Revolution by imposing as much pain as possible on the Venezuelan people.</p>
<p>For all the media propaganda, chavismo has actually struck a very conciliatory tone in recent years, both in domestic and <a href="" type="internal">international</a> terms. But it should be clear that no dialogue is possible with those who incessantly dig our graves, be they opposition leaders who <a href="" type="internal">call for sanctions</a> and even military <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13316" type="external">intervention</a>, or US officials who would never accept a threat like this in their backyard. Nevertheless, chavismo has political room to manoeuvre with the Constituent Assembly in place, and now might be a good time suspend debt payments and prioritise elsewhere. Ultimately, if the Bolivarian Revolution is to defend itself against imperial aggression, the only way is to increase the power and influence of its greatest resource: a conscientious and mobilised working class.</p>
<p>As for the mainstream media, we should not have illusions about holding the mainstream media to any kind of journalism standards. Anyone on the left should be able to analyse the corporate nature and track record of the major media outlets and figure out which interests they ultimately serve. Rather than lazily echo media propaganda and preach a “ <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/13245" type="external">plague on both your houses</a>” analysis, those who stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan poor and working class have the task of finding and spreading truthful information as a first step in opposing imperialism in Venezuela and Latin America.</p>
<p>Notes</p>
<p>(1) The National Assembly has been in <a href="http://www.investigaction.net/en/the-need-to-radicalise-the-bolivarian-revolution-interview-with-jorge-martin-part-2/" type="external">contempt of court</a> ever since three lawmakers from Amazonas state were sworn-in despite being under investigation for electoral fraud.</p>
<p>(2) Television game-show in which contestants have to guess prices of merchandise, and the audience shouts suggestions.</p>
<p>(3) The Guardian recently announced it will come in <a href="" type="internal">tabloid format</a> (smaller pages) starting in 2018 to save money. UK tabloids are known for their sensationalism and poor standards.</p>
<p>(4) Luisa Ortega has been touring the Americas announcing that she has evidence of corruption involving chavista leaders and Odebrecht. But in line with what we discussed, claims against chavismo never need to be substantiated. Quite frankly, if there was any evidence of something as egregious as Maduro receiving a multi-million dollar bribe from Odebrecht, it would have been out there already, especially when the opposition was closer to taking power by force. The media headlines would have written themselves.</p>
<p>This piece first appeared at <a href="http://www.investigaction.net/en/the-media-on-venezuela-double-standards-and-first-impressions/" type="external">www.investigaction.net</a>.</p> | true | 4 | leadup constituent assembly elections full threats refusals recognise results us subordinates near far vote took place 8m voters participating mainstream media started behaving like audience price right 1 claim different turnout invariably without evidence thrown readers ideal weapon came smartmatic company responsible voting machines software claimed without doubt voting total inflated according estimations least 1m votes venezuelan electoral authorities cne promptly reacted saying company responsible system access electoral data whatever estimates produced baseless given electoral results published days later logical reasoning would put burden smartmatic release evidence back claims press conference smartmatic ceo antonio mugica said company shared evidence cne would sympathetic share western media sympathetic turns need present evidence standards different comes venezuela smartmatics press conference enough media parrot revealed voting figures inflated allegation conforms mainstream narrative goes venezuelan government need proven used henceforth either fact provide instant denial contrast venezuelan opposition enjoys free ride comes factchecking statements thank bbc blatant demonstration double standards venezuelas electoral authorities said eight million people 415 electorate voted figure company provided voting system said inflated opposition boycotted poll also held unofficial referendum said seven million venezuelans voted constituent assembly official vote whose results audited vouched published immediately countered even though smartmatic provided nothing back claims comparison oppositions claimed turnout consultation records burned free anyone contradicting even though strong reasons doubt new york times went one step echoing opposition leaders claim people voted multiple times fact proven impossible journalist wonder fears multiple voting actually happen oppositions consultation event new york times considered supreme democratic event staggering results comes double standards guardian determined outdone appeared recent piece trumps military option threat venezuelas economy collapsed recent years country led first late hugo chávez successor maduro resorted increasingly authoritarian measures consolidate power trumps remarks come shadow 2002 coup attempt chávez blamed us maduros resort authoritarian measures according opponents fancy international observers always come handy occasions supposed absolute fact hand us involvement 2002 coup amply documented chávezs opinion case double standards rather one standards mention article guardian happened following constituent assembly invited leaders oppositioncontrolled national assembly participate session work legal status 2 bodies coexist opposition leaders refused constituent assembly assumed power legislate matters namely national security guardian clearly preparing future tabloid 3 titled article president maduro strips venezuelas parliament power along picture maduro swinging maracas get disingenuous shoot first ask questions later distinctive reporting technique involves sticking first impressions however biased may let us illustrate example april 11 brayan principal teenage resident public housing project lara state shot dead rather gather facts media simply let opposition lawmaker state thought armed progovernment groups responsible testimony victims mother well residents project showed another example opposition attack public housing mission one chavismos flagship projects media happy initial opinion interested reporting however case symptomatic oscar pérez police officer hijacked helicopter proceeded shoot throw grenades government buildings people inside stunt armed uprising still media charmed character would instantly rightly called terrorist done anywhere else enough started floating idiotic idea might government plant colourful bmovie actor attacked public buildings grenades could government plant appeared opposition rally days later none outlets pushed government plant theory bothered report recent case involved colombian channels rcn caracol taken air venezuela channels wellknown giving platform rightwing people like Álvaro uribe part large corporate empires bbc pinpointed closure channels close coverage events surrounding luisa ortega appears guilty journalism like bbc pretends fact former mexican president loyal us servant vicente fox appeared channels telling maduro resign die worth mentioning one wonders channel people came air telling emmanuel macron queen england resign die would stay air france uk concern censorship argentinian president mauricio macri ordered telesur taken air needless say telesur never ran anything remotely comparable threats silence golden another common technique biased reporting involves reporting stories fit mainstream narrative shying away anything might cast doubt example oas chief luis almagro always floor regimechange efforts venezuela come coated language defending democracy media pointed lack interest parliamentary coup brazil reported praise israels democracy standing prodemocracy actor would questionable similarly ridiculous statements almagro claiming cuba occupying army venezuela nowhere found mainstream outlets luisa ortega díaz 4 former prosecutor turned antichavista hero also benefits kind selective reporting portrayed defender rule law would useful recall long ago vilified opposition prosecution conviction leopoldo lópez role previous edition violent guarimbas 2014 ortegas outlandish comparisons venezuelan government stalin hitler reported would also make harder taken seriously presented media fierce defender constitution idea imply genuine chavista maduro co gone rails presence forum defence constitution tells different story surrounded whos opposition leadership people would away constitution heartbeat actually 2002 coup ortega husband accused running extortion operation public prosecutors office getting money exchange prosecuting companies accused misuse subsidised dollars ortegas replacement tarek saab presented documents alleged bank accounts opened members circle ubs bank bahamas evidence ortegas baffling response ubs exist bahamas mentioned western journalists could actually investigate claims wanted sanctions solidarity recent usimposed sanctions significant escalation could serious damage average venezuelan opposed freezing maduros nonexistent us assets strategy street violence clearly exhausted unable spread unrest barrios cause split armed forces switch towards economic asphyxiation country us even resorting blocking food shipments destined venezuela clear plan rid bolivarian revolution imposing much pain possible venezuelan people media propaganda chavismo actually struck conciliatory tone recent years domestic international terms clear dialogue possible incessantly dig graves opposition leaders call sanctions even military intervention us officials would never accept threat like backyard nevertheless chavismo political room manoeuvre constituent assembly place might good time suspend debt payments prioritise elsewhere ultimately bolivarian revolution defend imperial aggression way increase power influence greatest resource conscientious mobilised working class mainstream media illusions holding mainstream media kind journalism standards anyone left able analyse corporate nature track record major media outlets figure interests ultimately serve rather lazily echo media propaganda preach plague houses analysis stand solidarity venezuelan poor working class task finding spreading truthful information first step opposing imperialism venezuela latin america notes 1 national assembly contempt court ever since three lawmakers amazonas state swornin despite investigation electoral fraud 2 television gameshow contestants guess prices merchandise audience shouts suggestions 3 guardian recently announced come tabloid format smaller pages starting 2018 save money uk tabloids known sensationalism poor standards 4 luisa ortega touring americas announcing evidence corruption involving chavista leaders odebrecht line discussed claims chavismo never need substantiated quite frankly evidence something egregious maduro receiving multimillion dollar bribe odebrecht would already especially opposition closer taking power force media headlines would written piece first appeared wwwinvestigactionnet | 1,060 |
<p>UN Security Council Resolution 1973 has bestowed the blessings of international law on NATO’s war with Libya. True, the vote was met with abstentions by China, Indian, Russia, Brazil and Germany, but the assent of former superpowers France and the United Kingdom, six other nations and (of course) the United States was enough to stamp “Operation Odyssey Dawn” with the UN’s great seal. Compliance with international law is proof positive for many intellectuals that this act of war is just and necessary. The estimable Juan Cole, scholar of the Middle East and influential blogger, supports the war because it is legal and multilateral, as do many others on the liberal-moderate spectrum. “The Libya intervention is multilateralism at its best,” says Stephen Szabo, director of the Transatlantic Academy in Washington. (As for the American right, the greater part of it is so reflexively pro-war that reasoned justifications are scarcely necessary.)</p>
<p>Suppose that our act of war in Libya is perfectly legal. This is to overlook the absence of congressional authorization, a clear violation of the US Constitution, but let’s leave that aside for now. If our war in Libya is legal does that make this war prudent, effective, benevolent, worthwhile? Does the legality of this war imply a moral obligation to wage it?</p>
<p>A little reflection shows that legality in itself is never enough to justify any action. It is perfectly legal (for instance) too donate all your worldly wealth to the Scientologists, to Newt Gingrich’s political action committee or to Harvard Law School and then (legally) move your family into a cardboard box. It is perfectly legal to have unprotected sex with a houseful of heroin addicts. It is perfectly legal to — you get the picture. Whatever value we attach to legality, it is never a proxy or substitute for prudence, good sense or morality. Every day we are all presented with choices that though legal would be foolish and destructive.</p>
<p>But the Libya campaign is multilateral—surely that makes the difference? Multilateralism has certainly beguiled many great liberal minds in the past. Norberto Bobbio and Jürgen Habermas, to name two famous examples, were dazzled by the multilateralism of the 1991 Gulf War and eagerly championed the campaign — at first. Once they saw the amazing carnage wrought by the war and its lasting damage to ordinary Iraqis, all of it authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 678, the chastened philosophers muttered recantations. As for the economic sanctions against Iraq, they quickly turned into a cold act of unspeakable cruelty against a civilian population, killing tens of thousands of innocent people trapped in an authoritarian state. These sanctions, authorized by Security Council Resolution 661, were fully multilateral and, as far as the UN goes, perfectly legal. (Former chief sanctions administrator Denis Halliday quit the program in Iraq on the grounds that its actions probably met the UN definition of genocide; needless to say this serious accusation spawned no tribunal or special court.) In short, multilateralism under the auspices of the UN is never a guarantee of prudent or even minimally humane policy.</p>
<p>Bismarck’s greatest cliché likened treaties to sausages; you don’t want to know what goes into their making. Yet the unedifying origins of the UN would make an Upton Sinclair retch. At the founding conference in San Francisco, the US government tapped foreign delegates’ phones, bugged their hotel rooms and left no chance for any outcome other than an institution under the full control of Washington. Despite all the stuck-pig squealing of John Bolton and other jingoistic know-nothings, the UN has never been a diabolical restraint on American adventures abroad—if anything, it’s been a condom for great power prerogatives. Although the UN’s various commissions and bodies do much valuable work, the UN Security Council is no more a democratic forum for the world’s peoples than was the Holy Alliance of 1815.</p>
<p>It is puzzling, then, that our bien-pensant anti-Boltons gesture with such reverence to the resolutions issued by the UN Security Council. (Or perhaps they only pretend to: when the NATO air assault on Serbia in 1999 proceeded without UN authorization, few seemed to mind.) Does the seal of approval of the Security Council really guarantee flawless judgment? Put concretely, if the 2003 invasion of Iraq had obtained a legal permission slip from the Security Council, would that war have been any less calamitous? The question answers itself.</p>
<p>Why then do so many bright people come to find mere legality to be sufficient grounds for war?</p>
<p>Part of the reason is that opposition to Bush and Blair’s invasion of Iraq dwelt heavily on the war’s illegality, which was indeed brazen. It is true enough that international law gave us a readymade vocabulary to articulate much of why that war was so wrong.</p>
<p>And yet the emphasis on law, I think, was misplaced. Inside the United States international law has very little clout and is felt by most Americans, right or wrong, to lack democratic legitimacy. And if you want to convince people of something, why lead with an argument that’s dead on arrival? Especially when there were so many compelling reasons stemming from self-interest as much as compassion. Even in the UK, where international-law talk carries greater currency, it must be acknowledged that legal institutions and arguments failed utterly at forcing New Labour to change its disastrous course in Iraq, or holding officials to account. (Sorry, but the Chilcot Commission’s feeble “grilling” of a cheerful Tony Blair was a bust even as theatre.)</p>
<p>Another reason for our fixation on law is that the antiwar discourse has gotten pulled into the orbit of the human rights industry. Although the Ivy Leaguers who staff these nonprofits do sterling work on a limited set of issues, the lawyered-up lingo of their trade is woefully insufficient as politics. The whole doctrine of human rights bases its legitimacy, in fact, on being expressly apolitical. Not surprisingly then, most of the biggest issues we face both domestically (national healthcare, education, government budget crises) and internationally (whether to stay or leave Afghanistan; immigration policy) are not in the least amenable to human rights covenants or institutions, in practice or even theory. This is not to trash the human rights industry, which within its sphere does much fine work; it is merely to point out that the legal pronouncements of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch offer zero guidance to many our most pressing concerns. (Of course HRW does occasionally stray from its mandate, as when it blurted an endorsement of the Libya War for reasons poorly grounded in human rights doctrine.) Although international law is an important strand in any debate about warmaking, it should never crowd out discussions of interests, morality and consequences. In short, we need to relearn how to talk about foreign policy overtly as politics rather than couched as a legal matter.</p>
<p>After all, our foreign policy discourse has not always choked on legalism. The American “Peace Progressives” of the early 20th century’s interwar years negotiated arms-limitation treaties, got the US out of the Caribbean, prevented war with Mexico, and presciently urged recognition of the Soviet Union—and yet these same peaceniks were also dead against the League of Nations and Wilson’s liberal legalism. Likewise, the antiwar movement of the 1960s tended to invoke international law only ritualistically before quickly moving on to the more urgent reasons to oppose the Vietnam War. Is our dependence on legalism really an advance? It has been too easily forgotten that war is not primarily a matter of law.</p>
<p>CHASE MADAR is a civil-rights lawyer in New York. He reviews and reports for the London Review of Books, Le Monde diplomatique and CounterPunch. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:chase.madar@gmail.com" type="external">chase.madar@gmail.com</a>.</p>
<p>This article was originally published by the <a href="http://www.amconmag.com/" type="external">American Conservative</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | un security council resolution 1973 bestowed blessings international law natos war libya true vote met abstentions china indian russia brazil germany assent former superpowers france united kingdom six nations course united states enough stamp operation odyssey dawn uns great seal compliance international law proof positive many intellectuals act war necessary estimable juan cole scholar middle east influential blogger supports war legal multilateral many others liberalmoderate spectrum libya intervention multilateralism best says stephen szabo director transatlantic academy washington american right greater part reflexively prowar reasoned justifications scarcely necessary suppose act war libya perfectly legal overlook absence congressional authorization clear violation us constitution lets leave aside war libya legal make war prudent effective benevolent worthwhile legality war imply moral obligation wage little reflection shows legality never enough justify action perfectly legal instance donate worldly wealth scientologists newt gingrichs political action committee harvard law school legally move family cardboard box perfectly legal unprotected sex houseful heroin addicts perfectly legal get picture whatever value attach legality never proxy substitute prudence good sense morality every day presented choices though legal would foolish destructive libya campaign multilateralsurely makes difference multilateralism certainly beguiled many great liberal minds past norberto bobbio jürgen habermas name two famous examples dazzled multilateralism 1991 gulf war eagerly championed campaign first saw amazing carnage wrought war lasting damage ordinary iraqis authorized un security council resolution 678 chastened philosophers muttered recantations economic sanctions iraq quickly turned cold act unspeakable cruelty civilian population killing tens thousands innocent people trapped authoritarian state sanctions authorized security council resolution 661 fully multilateral far un goes perfectly legal former chief sanctions administrator denis halliday quit program iraq grounds actions probably met un definition genocide needless say serious accusation spawned tribunal special court short multilateralism auspices un never guarantee prudent even minimally humane policy bismarcks greatest cliché likened treaties sausages dont want know goes making yet unedifying origins un would make upton sinclair retch founding conference san francisco us government tapped foreign delegates phones bugged hotel rooms left chance outcome institution full control washington despite stuckpig squealing john bolton jingoistic knownothings un never diabolical restraint american adventures abroadif anything condom great power prerogatives although uns various commissions bodies much valuable work un security council democratic forum worlds peoples holy alliance 1815 puzzling bienpensant antiboltons gesture reverence resolutions issued un security council perhaps pretend nato air assault serbia 1999 proceeded without un authorization seemed mind seal approval security council really guarantee flawless judgment put concretely 2003 invasion iraq obtained legal permission slip security council would war less calamitous question answers many bright people come find mere legality sufficient grounds war part reason opposition bush blairs invasion iraq dwelt heavily wars illegality indeed brazen true enough international law gave us readymade vocabulary articulate much war wrong yet emphasis law think misplaced inside united states international law little clout felt americans right wrong lack democratic legitimacy want convince people something lead argument thats dead arrival especially many compelling reasons stemming selfinterest much compassion even uk internationallaw talk carries greater currency must acknowledged legal institutions arguments failed utterly forcing new labour change disastrous course iraq holding officials account sorry chilcot commissions feeble grilling cheerful tony blair bust even theatre another reason fixation law antiwar discourse gotten pulled orbit human rights industry although ivy leaguers staff nonprofits sterling work limited set issues lawyeredup lingo trade woefully insufficient politics whole doctrine human rights bases legitimacy fact expressly apolitical surprisingly biggest issues face domestically national healthcare education government budget crises internationally whether stay leave afghanistan immigration policy least amenable human rights covenants institutions practice even theory trash human rights industry within sphere much fine work merely point legal pronouncements amnesty international human rights watch offer zero guidance many pressing concerns course hrw occasionally stray mandate blurted endorsement libya war reasons poorly grounded human rights doctrine although international law important strand debate warmaking never crowd discussions interests morality consequences short need relearn talk foreign policy overtly politics rather couched legal matter foreign policy discourse always choked legalism american peace progressives early 20th centurys interwar years negotiated armslimitation treaties got us caribbean prevented war mexico presciently urged recognition soviet unionand yet peaceniks also dead league nations wilsons liberal legalism likewise antiwar movement 1960s tended invoke international law ritualistically quickly moving urgent reasons oppose vietnam war dependence legalism really advance easily forgotten war primarily matter law chase madar civilrights lawyer new york reviews reports london review books le monde diplomatique counterpunch reached chasemadargmailcom article originally published american conservative 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 744 |
<p>As the chaos in Syria continues to escalate, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s recent three hour hearing entitled “ <a href="" type="internal">US National Security Challenges and Ongoing Military Operations</a>” provided a glimpse into how eager bipartisan Committee members are for the US military to engage ‘Russian aggression.”</p>
<p>The only two witnesses scheduled to testify were the provocative tag-team of <a href="" type="internal">Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter</a> and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff <a href="" type="internal">General Joseph Dunford</a> thus blurring the lines of a Constitutional-democracy’s civilian authority with the military’s subordination to that civilian authority. With the high ranking Dunford seated at Secretary Carter’s elbow, there were repeated occasions when the two spoke with one voice; leaving considerable question as to whether the government’s civilian control and decision-making authority had been usurped by a strident advocacy for war with the military implementing its own autonomy.</p>
<p>It was of special note that the hearing occurred on September 22nd, a mere five days after the September 17th ‘mistake’ air attack by the US on Syrian troops at Deir Ezzor and two days after an attack on the UN humanitarian convoy headed to Aleppo. Like an 800 pound gorilla in the room, there was not one question, not even a mere mention of the Deir Ezzor attack by any committee member while the convoy attack generated considerable agitation – all assuming Russian guilt. Not one Senator of either political party, ever referred to the ‘mistake’ air attack. Clearly, omission of the Deir Ezzor attack had been agreed to by all members of the Committee prior to the hearing.</p>
<p>Given that a major function of this Committee is oversight of its assigned jurisdiction which is the nation’s military apparatus (including the Department of Defense, defense policy, weapons research and development and the security aspects of the country’s nuclear program), the complete lack of curiosity on the part of every member of the Committee regarding the ‘mistake’ air attack is an answer in itself and the Committee’s eagerness to make accusations against another sovereign country without a shred of evidence should be astounding – but it is not.</p>
<p>This hearing of the Armed Services Committee is but one example of how the country’s highest elected officials have relinquished their authority and, in the process, lost their credibility, until we are now looking at a powerful Senate committee like Armed Services with minimal intellectual curiosity, few critical thinking skills and negligible analytical ability. While the Committee deliberately avoided demanding an explanation for the ‘mistake’ at Deir Ezzor, if indeed it was a ‘mistake,’ it did not hesitate to assert inflammatory allegations regarding the UN convoy attack 48 hours after the event and before a credible assessment could be made.</p>
<p>In his opening statement, Secretary Carter went into full gear praising the US military as the “finest fighting force the world has ever known. There’s no other military that’s stronger, or more capable, or more innovative, or more experienced, or with better friends and allies. That’s a fact.”</p>
<p>While no Senator dared challenge Carter’s claim, it remains a mystery how an insurgent gang of flip-flop and turban wearing ‘terrorists” have had sufficient funding and organizational capability to stymie and stalemate the US military for more than a decade. As if on pre-arranged cue, the Committee’s well behaved Greek Chorus could be heard wringing their hands in deference with promises of budgetary support for the Pentagon which apparently has a tough time existing on $700 billion a year.</p>
<p>Some years ago during the Vietnam War, Another Mother for Peace was an integral part of the antiwar movement. Today, with seven out of twenty-six Committee members being female (three Republicans and four Democrats), not one woman expressed anything remotely like a reproach or an independent analysis of why war is productive for either the health or wealth of the nation. Since much of the support for pro-war Hillary Clinton that comes from women is based on her potential of becoming the country’s first female President, apparently it is now politically correct for women to favor endless imperialist wars and militarism as much as men.</p>
<p>In response to Committee Chair John McCain’s (R-Az) opening comments, General Dunford replied with all the authority in the world that “we do not have any intention of having an intelligence sharing arrangement with the Russians.” When McCain pointed out that was Secretary of State John Kerry’s “proposal,” Dunford repeated with conviction “ the US military role will not include intelligence sharing with the Russians.”</p>
<p>Since Dunford’s testimony was on September 22nd , at the time of a UN Security Council meeting taking place with the Ceasefire Agreement in Syria being a hot button topic and since Secretary Carter did not contradict Dunford’s certitude, we can only assume that as the debate raged at the UN, the decision had already been made for the US to not participate in the ceasefire agreement, a key component of which was establishment of a Joint Intelligence Center (JIC). No Senator spoke in favor of the ceasefire or the proposed coordinated effort to target ‘terrorists.”</p>
<p>Sen Jack Reed (D-RI), ranking Democrat of the Committee, recited a glowing tribute of US successes in Iraq against ISIL, vague reference to the Syrian ceasefire not “holding” and his support for President Obama’s decision to keep 8,400 troops in Afghanistan into 2017 after more than a decade of failed war. Reed went on to attack Russia for ‘harassing US air and naval forces in the area” as ‘their aviators have harassed US ships and aircraft deployed to the region.”</p>
<p>Apparently the Senator believes the rest of us are geographically-challenged and do not understand that it is the US that is trespassing and intruding into Russia’s neighborhood and that Russia is not threatening to sail up the Potomac River. Senator Reed, who ought to know better, went on to claim that Russia “continues its pattern of confrontation and antagonistic behavior.”</p>
<p>Not to be outdone, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) who received five military deferments between 1965-1970 and later fraudulently claimed service in Vietnam, did no better with what appeared to be a set-up question: “General, is there any doubt in your mind that Russian planes were responsible for attacking the UN convoy trying to deliver aid to Aleppo?” Dunford pointed the finger at Russia but offered no evidence. During the hearing, Carter affirmed a new standard for US aggression with “Russia is responsible for the strike whether they conducted it or not because they have taken responsibility for the conduct of the Syrians by associating themselves with the Syrian regime.”</p>
<p>Regarding Syria, Blumenthal surpassed every other gung-ho member of the Committee stating that the “US bears a responsibility to use its military forces to stop the bloodshed and needless and senseless killing of civilians.” Apparently a believer in ‘humanitarian war, Blumenthal now favors going to war to stop the killing and bloodshed – not unlike the US intervention in Libya.</p>
<p>Unexpectedly offering a welcome break from the script of mindless militaristic hogwash was Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) who opened with “The situation in Syria is a colossal disaster. I do not believe it had to happen. I believe a wise statesman could have foreseen some of the difficulties we are facing today and we should have been more careful and cautious in our declarations on how we expected Syria to develop over the years. It has not developed as President Obama projected and disaster has been the result.”</p>
<p>Who would have guessed that a 70 year old Senator from Selma, Alabama would express what not one other Senator on the panel had the inner grit to articulate. Sessions, unable to leave the subject, continued that Syria is “such a disaster; hundreds of thousands dead, six million refugees. I do not see an end in sight. General Dunford just said that Assad is not leaving any time soon. Five years ago the President said Assad has to go and is going. He did not go and this is all a result of that.” Sessions then asked Carter “What kind of end do you see for this disastrous conflict? What’s our goal?”</p>
<p>Carter’s predictable response “we are making progress in our counter ISIL campaign” and “US policy in Syria is to end the civil war” and a “political transition from Assad to a government that includes a ‘moderate’ opposition that can run the country.” So Carter’s message was clear: the Obama Administration will settle for nothing less than removing Assad – no matter the costs of violence and human lives sacrificed.</p>
<p>But Sessions was not having any of it as he interrupted Carter’s glib chatter. “I believe we could have done a better job. We need an active American policy, a leadership in the world but we cannot establish all these governments and run them and assure how they will come out in the end. We cannot occupy these countries for decades to assure that. That is just not realistic.” And “A wise statesman would have seen the danger in Syria, a wise statesman would have seen the danger in Libya, and a wise statesman should have seen what could have happened in Egypt. We’ve got to be more realistic in our foreign policy and know what we can do to positively affect the world and what we cannot do. We cannot assure democratic governments though this region and we are now facing a colossal humanitarian disaster.”</p>
<p>Following Sessions, as his words evaporated into thin air with no recognition from any of his Committee peers that his solemn insights deserved some acknowledgment, the more inconsequential banter continued until Sen Mike Lee (R-Iowa) quizzed Carter about the who’s who complexities in Yemen. Citing the “tensions’ of US ally Saudi Arabia fighting the Houthi rebels which are being opposed by AQAP who are alleged foes of the US who are also opponents of the Houthis while the Saudis continue to fund AQAP – leaves the age-old question “which side are you on” to be determined.</p>
<p>Sen. Jeane Shaheen’s (D-NH) frivolous inquiry “what other options do we have that might change the trajectory of what’s happening in Syria?” led to a no-fly zone discussion with Carter responding “there can be no question of grounding US aircraft that are conducting strikes against ISIL. We do that with exceptional precision and care and concern about civilian casualties that no other country can match.” No, seriously. That’s exactly what he said with a straight face and no reference to the “mistake” at Deir Ezzor unless, of course, DE was the precision target.</p>
<p>In further discussion about a No Fly zone, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss) suggested that No Fly be renamed to a ‘more palatable term’, perhaps a BBB (barrel bomb ban) would surely fool the Russians. Carter added that “Secretary Kerry is trying to promote a No Fly zone for Russia and Syria who are attacking the Syrian people” and attempting “a stand-down of the Syrian and Russian Air Force.” There was, of course, no mention that the Russian and Syrian Air Forces have been attacking ISIL for months and to ground the Russians and Syrians would by counter-productive to defeating the jihadists.</p>
<p>Dunford recounted that ‘for us to control all of the air space in Syria would require us to go to war against Syria and Russia’ but clarified his position with the reassurance that imposing a No Fly zone for the Russian and Syrian air forces would not require a full scale war.</p>
<p>While the hearing provided a public platform exposing the country’s decayed political apparatus labeled as bipartisanship with little difference between Democrats and Republicans (with noted exceptions), it was obvious that Committee members prefer to remain in the dark about who bore ultimate responsibility for the Syrian ‘civil’ war. For all the staff and resources at their disposal, every member of the Committee has chosen to ignore that Syria had been on the Pentagon’s regime change hit-list since 2001 and that the CIA moved into Syria seeking ‘rebels’ (later dubbed the Free Syrian Army) after Assad rejected the Qatar pipeline in 2010.</p> | true | 4 | chaos syria continues escalate senate armed services committees recent three hour hearing entitled us national security challenges ongoing military operations provided glimpse eager bipartisan committee members us military engage russian aggression two witnesses scheduled testify provocative tagteam secretary defense ashton carter chair joint chiefs staff general joseph dunford thus blurring lines constitutionaldemocracys civilian authority militarys subordination civilian authority high ranking dunford seated secretary carters elbow repeated occasions two spoke one voice leaving considerable question whether governments civilian control decisionmaking authority usurped strident advocacy war military implementing autonomy special note hearing occurred september 22nd mere five days september 17th mistake air attack us syrian troops deir ezzor two days attack un humanitarian convoy headed aleppo like 800 pound gorilla room one question even mere mention deir ezzor attack committee member convoy attack generated considerable agitation assuming russian guilt one senator either political party ever referred mistake air attack clearly omission deir ezzor attack agreed members committee prior hearing given major function committee oversight assigned jurisdiction nations military apparatus including department defense defense policy weapons research development security aspects countrys nuclear program complete lack curiosity part every member committee regarding mistake air attack answer committees eagerness make accusations another sovereign country without shred evidence astounding hearing armed services committee one example countrys highest elected officials relinquished authority process lost credibility looking powerful senate committee like armed services minimal intellectual curiosity critical thinking skills negligible analytical ability committee deliberately avoided demanding explanation mistake deir ezzor indeed mistake hesitate assert inflammatory allegations regarding un convoy attack 48 hours event credible assessment could made opening statement secretary carter went full gear praising us military finest fighting force world ever known theres military thats stronger capable innovative experienced better friends allies thats fact senator dared challenge carters claim remains mystery insurgent gang flipflop turban wearing terrorists sufficient funding organizational capability stymie stalemate us military decade prearranged cue committees well behaved greek chorus could heard wringing hands deference promises budgetary support pentagon apparently tough time existing 700 billion year years ago vietnam war another mother peace integral part antiwar movement today seven twentysix committee members female three republicans four democrats one woman expressed anything remotely like reproach independent analysis war productive either health wealth nation since much support prowar hillary clinton comes women based potential becoming countrys first female president apparently politically correct women favor endless imperialist wars militarism much men response committee chair john mccains raz opening comments general dunford replied authority world intention intelligence sharing arrangement russians mccain pointed secretary state john kerrys proposal dunford repeated conviction us military role include intelligence sharing russians since dunfords testimony september 22nd time un security council meeting taking place ceasefire agreement syria hot button topic since secretary carter contradict dunfords certitude assume debate raged un decision already made us participate ceasefire agreement key component establishment joint intelligence center jic senator spoke favor ceasefire proposed coordinated effort target terrorists sen jack reed dri ranking democrat committee recited glowing tribute us successes iraq isil vague reference syrian ceasefire holding support president obamas decision keep 8400 troops afghanistan 2017 decade failed war reed went attack russia harassing us air naval forces area aviators harassed us ships aircraft deployed region apparently senator believes rest us geographicallychallenged understand us trespassing intruding russias neighborhood russia threatening sail potomac river senator reed ought know better went claim russia continues pattern confrontation antagonistic behavior outdone sen richard blumenthal dconn received five military deferments 19651970 later fraudulently claimed service vietnam better appeared setup question general doubt mind russian planes responsible attacking un convoy trying deliver aid aleppo dunford pointed finger russia offered evidence hearing carter affirmed new standard us aggression russia responsible strike whether conducted taken responsibility conduct syrians associating syrian regime regarding syria blumenthal surpassed every gungho member committee stating us bears responsibility use military forces stop bloodshed needless senseless killing civilians apparently believer humanitarian war blumenthal favors going war stop killing bloodshed unlike us intervention libya unexpectedly offering welcome break script mindless militaristic hogwash sen jeff sessions ral opened situation syria colossal disaster believe happen believe wise statesman could foreseen difficulties facing today careful cautious declarations expected syria develop years developed president obama projected disaster result would guessed 70 year old senator selma alabama would express one senator panel inner grit articulate sessions unable leave subject continued syria disaster hundreds thousands dead six million refugees see end sight general dunford said assad leaving time soon five years ago president said assad go going go result sessions asked carter kind end see disastrous conflict whats goal carters predictable response making progress counter isil campaign us policy syria end civil war political transition assad government includes moderate opposition run country carters message clear obama administration settle nothing less removing assad matter costs violence human lives sacrificed sessions interrupted carters glib chatter believe could done better job need active american policy leadership world establish governments run assure come end occupy countries decades assure realistic wise statesman would seen danger syria wise statesman would seen danger libya wise statesman seen could happened egypt weve got realistic foreign policy know positively affect world assure democratic governments though region facing colossal humanitarian disaster following sessions words evaporated thin air recognition committee peers solemn insights deserved acknowledgment inconsequential banter continued sen mike lee riowa quizzed carter whos complexities yemen citing tensions us ally saudi arabia fighting houthi rebels opposed aqap alleged foes us also opponents houthis saudis continue fund aqap leaves ageold question side determined sen jeane shaheens dnh frivolous inquiry options might change trajectory whats happening syria led nofly zone discussion carter responding question grounding us aircraft conducting strikes isil exceptional precision care concern civilian casualties country match seriously thats exactly said straight face reference mistake deir ezzor unless course de precision target discussion fly zone sen roger wicker rmiss suggested fly renamed palatable term perhaps bbb barrel bomb ban would surely fool russians carter added secretary kerry trying promote fly zone russia syria attacking syrian people attempting standdown syrian russian air force course mention russian syrian air forces attacking isil months ground russians syrians would counterproductive defeating jihadists dunford recounted us control air space syria would require us go war syria russia clarified position reassurance imposing fly zone russian syrian air forces would require full scale war hearing provided public platform exposing countrys decayed political apparatus labeled bipartisanship little difference democrats republicans noted exceptions obvious committee members prefer remain dark bore ultimate responsibility syrian civil war staff resources disposal every member committee chosen ignore syria pentagons regime change hitlist since 2001 cia moved syria seeking rebels later dubbed free syrian army assad rejected qatar pipeline 2010 | 1,096 |
<p />
<p>Tom luce sits in the living room of the house in which he grew up, not far from the main street of Barre, Vermont. Judy Luce, his wife of 30 years, is in the kitchen making chicken soup. We can hear, now and then, the percussion of pot lids lifted and lowered, and her animated voice as she talks with my six-year-old daughter, whom I have brought to this house on purpose.</p>
<p>It is two months since the Vermont Supreme Court ruled, in Baker v. Vermont , that the state’s constitution entitles same-sex couples to “the same benefits and protections” afforded by Vermont law to married opposite-sex couples and asked the legislature to figure out how to do that. The legislature, in turn, has been seeking the advice of theologians, academics, and legal scholars on gay marriage, domestic partnership, and other possible remedies, an effort that has brought Vermont closer than any state in the union to legalizing the bonds between people of the same sex. The legislature has also been holding public hearings, listening to the opinions of ordinary citizens, people like Tom Luce, a middle-school French teacher and a music director at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, the son of a state policeman, and the descendant of a family that has lived in Vermont since 1787.</p>
<p>“What I see when I look at the people petitioning for same-sex marriage are faith-filled, law-abiding persons adhering to what certainly are the central standards we all require in a marriage,” Tom Luce testified. The House chamber was packed that evening despite a raging snowstorm, and Vermont Public Radio was broadcasting the hearing live.</p>
<p>“I fail to see how granting lesbians and gays the right to marry will pose a danger to the public or to traditional marriage,” Luce went on. His statement was typed; he had been up all night composing it, hoping he would be one of those selected to testify. Now in his 60s and three decades into his marriage with Judy, he assumed he knew something about fidelity, about partnership. At the statehouse, though, he stood alone. Judy Luce, a midwife, was working in Guatemala. “There are some things you have to do as an ‘I,’ not as a ‘we,'” she told him when he said, by e-mail, that he wanted to speak out. To him, this was her blessing.</p>
<p>Blessing is a word that is not uncommon in Tom Luce’s vocabulary, nor in his wife’s. Both are faithful members of St. Monica’s parish, the biggest Catholic church in the state, and the church where Tom was baptized and grew up, and from whose embrace he entered seminary at 18. “I have this compulsion, technically called a vocation, to be centrally involved in the mission of the church,” he explains as we sit together. Still wearing his school clothes, he tugs reflexively on his tie. “I resisted it, but the vocation kept pushing.”</p>
<p>Just then my daughter wanders into the room, right on the heels of the Luce family dog, and commands him to lie down. The two of them wrestle on the carpet, not far from Tom’s feet. He regards them absently. His mind is full already.</p>
<p>“For 13 years I lived a successful celibate life, as a Roman Catholic seminarian and then a priest for the Burlington Diocese,” he had told the crowd at the statehouse. The clock was ticking that night. There was no time, then, to talk of his mission work in the slums of Boston or his public advocacy of marriage for priests — a stance that lost him his collar in 1969 — or of meeting Judy, a former nun, at the wedding of mutual friends, of dancing the hully-gully with her, of falling in love.</p>
<p>There was time only for the essentials, so this is what he said: “I want to close with another fact about myself. Whatever you wish to call the set of physical and emotional characteristics of homosexuality, I have them. I live with them now, and I have lived with them for as long as I can remember. I am 61 years old. I have, however, chosen not to live a gay lifestyle or to call myself gay. This is due in no small part to my Catholic upbringing.É But I want to say to you tonight that I stand in unity with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as they demand their right to marry.” Tom Luce sat down, having said what he needed to say. He had spoken with a peculiar kind of authority, the authority of a man who had played by the rules.</p>
<p>“If the climate had been different when I was growing up,” he tells me, “I might have made a different choice. It still would not have been an easy decision.” For him, homosexuality — his homosexuality — is an idea, a feeling, true but incorporeal. He is gay in his heart, but it is a heart that also holds Judy and their three children and a lifelong commitment to their family. He was putting that on the line when he got up to testify — not his heart and not his family, but their perceptions and the perceptions of his community, and of his students and his church.</p>
<p>But that, exactly, was his point. “Look at me,” Tom Luce seemed to be saying. “I am one of you. I am one of them. Do not be so quick to judge.”</p>
<p>Judgment, though, was swift. Soon after his public testimony he received a fax from the parish priests at St. Monica’s asking him to “take a break” from his music ministry. Later they told him that people would get up and leave the church if he were ever to perform music there again. “They said the overwhelming response was one of anger over my identifying myself as a Catholic and former priest — a betrayal and an unnecessary connection — and my unstated opposition to the teaching of the church on homosexuality,” he says.</p>
<p>“They held to their decision that I should not have any public function whatsoever in the church, including allowing me to run for election for the parish council. I told them that excluding me from music ministry and running for the council was a violent reaction that could only fuel more bigotry. I told them that I expect a compassionate handling of someone like myself rather than responding to angry people who cannot open their hearts.”</p>
<p>My daughter, who had spent time with me at the local Christian bookshop earlier in the day, had heard the owner cite scripture in defense of her position against homosexual marriage. Now, listening to our conversation, she disentangles herself from the dog, rushes over, and whispers in my ear. “I don’t get it,” she says. “Why is it anyone’s beeswax who you get married to?”</p>
<p>I tell her I don’t know — which I believe — and that it is complicated — which I don’t, really. People have made it complicated, on purpose. And then they have solipsistically relied on those complications to “prove” their point. A man showed up at the statehouse hearing with two lengths of pipe that he tried, unsuccessfully, to insert into one another — a failure that demonstrated, he claimed, the unnaturalness of homosexuality. But he could have brought pipe of different diameters, and then what? The woman in the bookshop could have cited Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians in defense of love above all else, and then what would her Bible be advocating?</p>
<p>The Vermont Legislature has been given the opportunity to uncomplicate marriage, to make it a universal declaration of love and commitment, to choose equality over equity in their interpretation of Baker v. Vermont. But while the compromise that has come out of the judiciary committee is far-reaching — a recommendation that the state create something called “civil unions” between homosexual partners to ensure them the same domestic partnership benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy — it will not afford them the easiness and unquestioned acceptance and standing in the community that is one of the immeasurable perks of being married. Equality would have been the beginning of transparency, of fitting in, of it not being anyone’s beeswax to whom you are married, and of it being everyone’s.</p>
<p>In my daughter’s first-grade classroom there is a hand-drawn poster that says, “You can’t judge a person by their religion, physical appearance, age, who they love, family.” Next to it is another that asks, “What does it mean to be brave?” and then spells out the answer: “Believe in yourself and your ideas. Take risks that help you to learn and grow. Be an ally for yourself and other people. Find your voice and speak from your heart. Have empathy for other people. Do what is right in your mind and heart. You are more powerful than you know.” This is why I have brought her to this house. This is why she is listening to Tom speak. He is an object lesson, and so is his wife. If my daughter does not figure this out, I will tell her.</p>
<p>“Why don’t I leave the church?” Tom says, repeating the question I have put to him. He smiles auspiciously. “Can you leave your family? The church is my family. Maybe this is going to be my lasting contribution to it.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | tom luce sits living room house grew far main street barre vermont judy luce wife 30 years kitchen making chicken soup hear percussion pot lids lifted lowered animated voice talks sixyearold daughter brought house purpose two months since vermont supreme court ruled baker v vermont states constitution entitles samesex couples benefits protections afforded vermont law married oppositesex couples asked legislature figure legislature turn seeking advice theologians academics legal scholars gay marriage domestic partnership possible remedies effort brought vermont closer state union legalizing bonds people sex legislature also holding public hearings listening opinions ordinary citizens people like tom luce middleschool french teacher music director st monicas catholic church son state policeman descendant family lived vermont since 1787 see look people petitioning samesex marriage faithfilled lawabiding persons adhering certainly central standards require marriage tom luce testified house chamber packed evening despite raging snowstorm vermont public radio broadcasting hearing live fail see granting lesbians gays right marry pose danger public traditional marriage luce went statement typed night composing hoping would one selected testify 60s three decades marriage judy assumed knew something fidelity partnership statehouse though stood alone judy luce midwife working guatemala things told said email wanted speak blessing blessing word uncommon tom luces vocabulary wifes faithful members st monicas parish biggest catholic church state church tom baptized grew whose embrace entered seminary 18 compulsion technically called vocation centrally involved mission church explains sit together still wearing school clothes tugs reflexively tie resisted vocation kept pushing daughter wanders room right heels luce family dog commands lie two wrestle carpet far toms feet regards absently mind full already 13 years lived successful celibate life roman catholic seminarian priest burlington diocese told crowd statehouse clock ticking night time talk mission work slums boston public advocacy marriage priests stance lost collar 1969 meeting judy former nun wedding mutual friends dancing hullygully falling love time essentials said want close another fact whatever wish call set physical emotional characteristics homosexuality live lived long remember 61 years old however chosen live gay lifestyle call gay due small part catholic upbringingÉ want say tonight stand unity gay lesbian brothers sisters demand right marry tom luce sat said needed say spoken peculiar kind authority authority man played rules climate different growing tells might made different choice still would easy decision homosexuality homosexuality idea feeling true incorporeal gay heart heart also holds judy three children lifelong commitment family putting line got testify heart family perceptions perceptions community students church exactly point look tom luce seemed saying one one quick judge judgment though swift soon public testimony received fax parish priests st monicas asking take break music ministry later told people would get leave church ever perform music said overwhelming response one anger identifying catholic former priest betrayal unnecessary connection unstated opposition teaching church homosexuality says held decision public function whatsoever church including allowing run election parish council told excluding music ministry running council violent reaction could fuel bigotry told expect compassionate handling someone like rather responding angry people open hearts daughter spent time local christian bookshop earlier day heard owner cite scripture defense position homosexual marriage listening conversation disentangles dog rushes whispers ear dont get says anyones beeswax get married tell dont know believe complicated dont really people made complicated purpose solipsistically relied complications prove point man showed statehouse hearing two lengths pipe tried unsuccessfully insert one another failure demonstrated claimed unnaturalness homosexuality could brought pipe different diameters woman bookshop could cited pauls second letter corinthians defense love else would bible advocating vermont legislature given opportunity uncomplicate marriage make universal declaration love commitment choose equality equity interpretation baker v vermont compromise come judiciary committee farreaching recommendation state create something called civil unions homosexual partners ensure domestic partnership benefits heterosexual couples enjoy afford easiness unquestioned acceptance standing community one immeasurable perks married equality would beginning transparency fitting anyones beeswax married everyones daughters firstgrade classroom handdrawn poster says cant judge person religion physical appearance age love family next another asks mean brave spells answer believe ideas take risks help learn grow ally people find voice speak heart empathy people right mind heart powerful know brought house listening tom speak object lesson wife daughter figure tell dont leave church tom says repeating question put smiles auspiciously leave family church family maybe going lasting contribution | 709 |
<p>Janine Jackson interviewed Chip Gibbons about attempts to censor reporting on agriculture for the <a href="" type="internal">September 15, 2017, episode</a> of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">MP3 Link</a></p>
<p>Janine Jackson: Simply put, if an industry goes after people who seek to investigate it, it’s a pretty good indication that they’re doing something they don’t want you to know. This is certainly the case with the animal agriculture industry. The term “ag-gag,” <a href="https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/who-protects-the-animals/" type="external">introduced</a> by New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, describes the slew of laws introduced to target undercover investigations and whistleblowing about the industry. Because, it turns out, when people don’t just hear about but see piglets having their heads bashed against cement floors, or cows too sick to walk being picked up by forklifts, it affects how they feel—and how they act.</p>
<p>(Defending Rights &amp; Dissent, Center for Constitutional Rights)</p>
<p>The battle between those defending the industry’s ability to shroud its practices in darkness and those fighting for our right to see, and then make choices based on that knowledge, is ongoing, and for the most part, and for now, sunshine is winning. A <a href="https://rightsanddissent.org/news/defending-rights-dissent-center-constitutional-rights-release-first-comprehensive-report-ag-gag-laws/" type="external">new report</a> tells the history of that fight: Ag-Gag Across America: Corporate-Backed Attacks on Activists and Whistleblowers comes from Defending Rights &amp; Dissent and the Center for Constitutional Rights. We’re joined now by the report’s primary author. Chip Gibbons is policy and legislative counsel for Defending Rights &amp; Dissent, and a journalist. He joins us now by phone from Washington, DC. Welcome to CounterSpin, Chip Gibbons.</p>
<p>Chip Gibbons: Thank you for having me. I’m a big fan of all of the work that FAIR has done over the years.</p>
<p>JJ: Well, thank you. Let’s start, then, with a definition. We’re talking about a number of different, mostly state laws. So what defines them as “ag-gag”?</p>
<p>CG: Ag-gag laws are any laws that try to prevent the public from knowing what goes on in the animal agriculture industry. They all target documentation and undercover investigations and whistleblowing, but the ways in which they do it vary state by state. But the main practices are prohibiting documentation of agricultural practices, and this is something like passing a law saying you can’t take photo or video inside of an agriculture facility.</p>
<p>The other big way they do this is by prohibiting misrepresentation through job applications. So if I’m an undercover investigator and I’m applying for a job at a factory farm, and the hirer asks me, are you affiliated with PETA?, I’m obviously not going to say yes, or I’m not going to get the job. So the investigator would not be entirely truthful about their background there, and a number of states have made that a crime.</p>
<p>And a third way, and this is actually kind of counterintuitive to a lot of folks, is they impose mandatory reporting requirements for reporting animal cruelty. And a lot of people might say, well, that sounds like that’s helping animals, isn’t this what you want, aren’t there similar laws for child abuse? And the problem with that is that if an undercover investigator reports animal cruelty, he or she or they blow their cover as an investigator.</p>
<p>And these reports, what’s so damning about them, is that they don’t usually take one or two isolated instances of somebody abusing an animal; they document systemic practices, systemic abuse. So you can’t do a long-term investigation that way. And it allows the agricultural industry to then turn around and say, oh, this is an isolated incident, we don’t allow people to smash piglets’ heads on floors, which is the legal and established way of euthanizing piglets.</p>
<p>JJ: The industry didn’t just decide one day to create these laws; they were clearly a response, and they were a response to activists doing just the kind of work that you’re describing, right?</p>
<p>CG: Yeah, that’s the really interesting thing about studying these laws in depth. There’s two waves. There was a series of bills between ’90 and ’91 that don’t get a lot of attention, that are passed in Kansas, Montana and North Dakota. And they’re very much the classic ag-gag bill: no taking a photo or video in an agricultural facility. But the bills really started to heat up starting in 2011. And when we looked back, and we studied each of the different current ag-gag bills that have been passed, we found a very interesting pattern, which was that, in many cases, these were direct responses to investigations.</p>
<p>So you would see PETA or another environmental or animal rights group going into a facility, and they would expose animal cruelty. And in a lot of cases, these resulted in unprecedented prosecutions, people were arrested, changes were made. And these legislators, instead of celebrating that the laws are finally being enforced, when they never had been before, turn around and say, oh, this is quite bad, let’s criminalize the practices that led to these wrongdoings being exposed. And it’s really shocking to think about, that undercover investigators would uncover wrongdoing, in some cases actual criminal conduct; you would have investigations by authorities, prosecutions, arrests, laws actually being able to be enforced for the first time; and the legislature turns around and says, we’re going to make exposing that conduct illegal.</p>
<p>JJ: It is shocking.</p>
<p>CG: It’s shocking.</p>
<p>JJ: It’s counterintuitive, one would hope. But there’s been resistance from the start. I mean, these laws don’t really hold legal water, do they? They may be unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Chip Gibbons: “If you took a video showing wonderful, happy cows, and how much they loved living in a dairy factory, you’re not going to go to jail under these laws.”</p>
<p>CG: Both the laws in Idaho and Utah have been found by district courts to be unconstitutional, for violating the First Amendment and in some cases for violating the 14th Amendment. So when you ban photography inside a factory farm, you run up against the First Amendment for a number of reasons. First of all, for a law to be constitutional, it has to be viewpoint-neutral. And what these laws do is, they only penalize videos that are critical of agriculture, or critical of the factory farms. If you took a video showing wonderful, happy cows, and how much they loved living in a dairy factory, you’re not going to go to jail under these laws.</p>
<p>The other thing is that laws are supposed to be content-neutral, and these laws specifically ban communications about the agriculture industry. They also—in a number of cases, the harm done happens when they’re reported by the press, not the filming itself, so it burdens the free press. In Wyoming, there was actually an issue with the First Amendment’s freedom-to-petition-the-government clause, because the initial version of the law only banned collecting data if your intent was to submit it to a state or federal agency, which is, once again, unthinkable, because it makes sense that a federal agency would want evidence of E. coli in the stream polluting everyone’s drinking water, but the state legislature of Wyoming decided if you do that, they want you in jail.</p>
<p>JJ: You mentioned there being repercussions. I just want to make, as a note: The report does note that when abuse does come to light, it tends to be, or it is, the low-level workers who are fired, as though the minimum-wage guy came up with the idea of, you know, caging pigs in this way, or something like that.</p>
<p>CG: Yeah, I don’t think it will be much of a surprise to your listeners that we have a very unequal justice system. And I think one of the things that’s been most frustrating to the groups that put on these undercover investigators is, it’s never the big corporate shots that go to jail, it’s never the corporate CEOs, it’s always somebody at the bottom of the ladder, who is overworked, underpaid, abused themselves, under a lot of stress. So it is important to not be overly celebratory about these types of prosecutions. I only highlight that they occurred because they’re extremely rare to begin with, at any level, to have animal cruelty prosecutions on a Midwestern farm. I believe the first one was a result of an undercover video.</p>
<p>JJ: Right. Well, the introduction of the term “terrorism” is important, and the use of that term, or “ecoterrorism” or whatever variant. It implies violence, and it kind of shuts people’s brains off, I think—or that’s the hope. I know that you’ve written about the power of crying “terrorism” in other contexts. But what has it meant in the ag-gag fight?</p>
<p>Green Is the New Red ( <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/oregon-bills-label-tree-sits-terrorism/7043/" type="external">5/14/13</a>)</p>
<p>CG: So Will Potter from Green Is the New Red has <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/aeta-analysis-109th/" type="external">documented</a> this in really <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/fbi-undercover-investigators-animal-enterprise-terrorism-act/5440/" type="external">great</a> <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/oregon-bills-label-tree-sits-terrorism/7043/" type="external">detail</a>. As the environmental movement and the animal rights movement gained popularity, there was a state backlash where they started conflating activism with terrorism, and once you do that, you get to open the floodgates for all kinds of legislative repression. In the early ’90s, late ’80s, Congress considers for the first time a law—it’s not an ag-gag law, but it would create federal penalties for crimes against animal enterprises. And the FBI of George H.W. Bush actually comes and testifies against the law, saying, we don’t want this law, there’s already enough laws on the books, there’s state laws that cover this.</p>
<p>And then industry groups started promoting this narrative that there were “animal terrorists,” “ecoterrorists.” And then we had a problem; and if there’s a problem, we need a remedy. And the remedy has been to put together all of these laws, like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. And once you put the laws on the book, that then reinforces the narrative that there’s a problem.</p>
<p>You know, if you said, we want laws to silence our opponents, because people are aware of the environmental impact of our industry, or they’re aware of ethical issues with using animals for commercial purposes, and they don’t like our products anymore, no one would say that was OK. But if you say, oh, we have a terrorism problem, we need anti-terrorism legislation, that’s a completely different story for the public.</p>
<p>And Will Potter got some internal documents, years ago, about the coalition that lobbied for the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and they put an enormous amount of significance on using the word “terrorism,” because they realized when you demonize your opponents as terrorists, you then get to use the harsh legislation. If you just call them “activists” or “critics,” it’s not going to go over very well.</p>
<p>And interestingly enough, the <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/ag-gag-american-legislative-exchange-council/5947/" type="external">model ag-gag bill</a>, which is promoted by ALEC, uses “terrorism” in the name. And if you’re convicted of filming inside a factory farm under the ALEC bill, you then have to register—this part of the bill was never passed anywhere, but it’s worth looking at their thinking — you’d have to register with the attorney general as part of the state animal and ecological terrorist database. So that’s what the other side is thinking. They’re thinking, if you label these people terrorists, then we can make them register, we can shut them down, we can do all that stuff.</p>
<p>JJ: Finally, of course it’s important on its own, but it almost doesn’t need saying that this idea of corporations or companies criminalizing the documentation of these processes, it has meaning and it has impact beyond agriculture.</p>
<p>CG: Yes. So other industries look at ag-gag laws and say, why not us? You know, activists look at ag-gag laws and say, why are you singling out only the agricultural industry for protection; that’s kind of instructive of what your real intent is. But other industries have the same thought, and they say, why can’t we be protected too?</p>
<p>So you’ve seen ag-gag laws gradually expand into general gag laws. And the first instance of this is in Wyoming, which doesn’t criminalize filming inside a farm, but taking samples from rivers, doing what’s called “data trespass.” Because there’s a lot of cattle ranchers. Obviously, cattle ranching is not good for the environment. People take resource data from the rivers to document E. coli and other bacteria in there. And that was the first expansion of it.</p>
<p>But then after that, you saw North Carolina, they created a bill that imposed civil, not criminal penalties like previous ones did, on whistleblowers in every single industry. And then Arkansas did the same thing as well. So you now have these gag bills that can be used, not just in the agricultural industry, but if someone exposes abuse in a nursing home, in a retirement home or anywhere else, it gives their employer the right to sue them. So they’ve basically taken the ag out of ag-gag.</p>
<p>JJ: We’ve been speaking with journalist Chip Gibbons, policy and legislative counsel for Defending Rights &amp; Dissent, and contributor to the book The Henry Kissinger Files, forthcoming from Verso. The report Ag-Gag Across America is available on <a href="https://rightsanddissent.org/news/defending-rights-dissent-center-constitutional-rights-release-first-comprehensive-report-ag-gag-laws/" type="external">RightsAndDissent.org</a>. Chip Gibbons, thank you so much for joining us this week on CounterSpin.</p>
<p>CG: Thank you for having me.</p>
<p>Subscribe: <a href="" type="internal">Android</a> | <a href="" type="internal">RSS</a></p> | true | 4 | janine jackson interviewed chip gibbons attempts censor reporting agriculture september 15 2017 episode counterspin lightly edited transcript mp3 link janine jackson simply put industry goes people seek investigate pretty good indication theyre something dont want know certainly case animal agriculture industry term aggag introduced new york times food writer mark bittman describes slew laws introduced target undercover investigations whistleblowing industry turns people dont hear see piglets heads bashed cement floors cows sick walk picked forklifts affects feeland act defending rights amp dissent center constitutional rights battle defending industrys ability shroud practices darkness fighting right see make choices based knowledge ongoing part sunshine winning new report tells history fight aggag across america corporatebacked attacks activists whistleblowers comes defending rights amp dissent center constitutional rights joined reports primary author chip gibbons policy legislative counsel defending rights amp dissent journalist joins us phone washington dc welcome counterspin chip gibbons chip gibbons thank im big fan work fair done years jj well thank lets start definition talking number different mostly state laws defines aggag cg aggag laws laws try prevent public knowing goes animal agriculture industry target documentation undercover investigations whistleblowing ways vary state state main practices prohibiting documentation agricultural practices something like passing law saying cant take photo video inside agriculture facility big way prohibiting misrepresentation job applications im undercover investigator im applying job factory farm hirer asks affiliated peta im obviously going say yes im going get job investigator would entirely truthful background number states made crime third way actually kind counterintuitive lot folks impose mandatory reporting requirements reporting animal cruelty lot people might say well sounds like thats helping animals isnt want arent similar laws child abuse problem undercover investigator reports animal cruelty blow cover investigator reports whats damning dont usually take one two isolated instances somebody abusing animal document systemic practices systemic abuse cant longterm investigation way allows agricultural industry turn around say oh isolated incident dont allow people smash piglets heads floors legal established way euthanizing piglets jj industry didnt decide one day create laws clearly response response activists kind work youre describing right cg yeah thats really interesting thing studying laws depth theres two waves series bills 90 91 dont get lot attention passed kansas montana north dakota theyre much classic aggag bill taking photo video agricultural facility bills really started heat starting 2011 looked back studied different current aggag bills passed found interesting pattern many cases direct responses investigations would see peta another environmental animal rights group going facility would expose animal cruelty lot cases resulted unprecedented prosecutions people arrested changes made legislators instead celebrating laws finally enforced never turn around say oh quite bad lets criminalize practices led wrongdoings exposed really shocking think undercover investigators would uncover wrongdoing cases actual criminal conduct would investigations authorities prosecutions arrests laws actually able enforced first time legislature turns around says going make exposing conduct illegal jj shocking cg shocking jj counterintuitive one would hope theres resistance start mean laws dont really hold legal water may unconstitutional chip gibbons took video showing wonderful happy cows much loved living dairy factory youre going go jail laws cg laws idaho utah found district courts unconstitutional violating first amendment cases violating 14th amendment ban photography inside factory farm run first amendment number reasons first law constitutional viewpointneutral laws penalize videos critical agriculture critical factory farms took video showing wonderful happy cows much loved living dairy factory youre going go jail laws thing laws supposed contentneutral laws specifically ban communications agriculture industry alsoin number cases harm done happens theyre reported press filming burdens free press wyoming actually issue first amendments freedomtopetitionthegovernment clause initial version law banned collecting data intent submit state federal agency unthinkable makes sense federal agency would want evidence e coli stream polluting everyones drinking water state legislature wyoming decided want jail jj mentioned repercussions want make note report note abuse come light tends lowlevel workers fired though minimumwage guy came idea know caging pigs way something like cg yeah dont think much surprise listeners unequal justice system think one things thats frustrating groups put undercover investigators never big corporate shots go jail never corporate ceos always somebody bottom ladder overworked underpaid abused lot stress important overly celebratory types prosecutions highlight occurred theyre extremely rare begin level animal cruelty prosecutions midwestern farm believe first one result undercover video jj right well introduction term terrorism important use term ecoterrorism whatever variant implies violence kind shuts peoples brains thinkor thats hope know youve written power crying terrorism contexts meant aggag fight green new red 51413 cg potter green new red documented really great detail environmental movement animal rights movement gained popularity state backlash started conflating activism terrorism get open floodgates kinds legislative repression early 90s late 80s congress considers first time lawits aggag law would create federal penalties crimes animal enterprises fbi george hw bush actually comes testifies law saying dont want law theres already enough laws books theres state laws cover industry groups started promoting narrative animal terrorists ecoterrorists problem theres problem need remedy remedy put together laws like animal enterprise terrorism act put laws book reinforces narrative theres problem know said want laws silence opponents people aware environmental impact industry theyre aware ethical issues using animals commercial purposes dont like products anymore one would say ok say oh terrorism problem need antiterrorism legislation thats completely different story public potter got internal documents years ago coalition lobbied federal animal enterprise terrorism act put enormous amount significance using word terrorism realized demonize opponents terrorists get use harsh legislation call activists critics going go well interestingly enough model aggag bill promoted alec uses terrorism name youre convicted filming inside factory farm alec bill registerthis part bill never passed anywhere worth looking thinking youd register attorney general part state animal ecological terrorist database thats side thinking theyre thinking label people terrorists make register shut stuff jj finally course important almost doesnt need saying idea corporations companies criminalizing documentation processes meaning impact beyond agriculture cg yes industries look aggag laws say us know activists look aggag laws say singling agricultural industry protection thats kind instructive real intent industries thought say cant protected youve seen aggag laws gradually expand general gag laws first instance wyoming doesnt criminalize filming inside farm taking samples rivers whats called data trespass theres lot cattle ranchers obviously cattle ranching good environment people take resource data rivers document e coli bacteria first expansion saw north carolina created bill imposed civil criminal penalties like previous ones whistleblowers every single industry arkansas thing well gag bills used agricultural industry someone exposes abuse nursing home retirement home anywhere else gives employer right sue theyve basically taken ag aggag jj weve speaking journalist chip gibbons policy legislative counsel defending rights amp dissent contributor book henry kissinger files forthcoming verso report aggag across america available rightsanddissentorg chip gibbons thank much joining us week counterspin cg thank subscribe android rss | 1,140 |
<p>There has been a long term intra-Democratic party battle between progressive populists and the more Wall Street-oriented wing of the party for 3 decades now, one that (full disclosure) I will admit to having been a happy warrior in on the side of the progressives for that entire time. This week has been a big moment in that battle, as the Third Way amusingly picked Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal as the place to launch an attack on progressives generally but most particularly against Elizabeth Warren.</p>
<p>Jonathan Martin did a nice job of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/us/politics/coalition-of-liberals-strikes-back-at-criticism-from-centrist-democrats.html?hpw&amp;rref=politics&amp;_r=0" type="external">summarizing the back and forth in this article</a>, where I am quoted a couple of times on why progressives would choose to defend Warren so strongly, which great leaders like PCCC and Markos Moulitsas at Dailykos did so well.</p>
<p>However, this isn't really mainly a battle between progressives and "centrists" for the soul of the Democratic party, although there is certainly an element of that, and it is certainly understandable for reporters to talk about it in those traditional political battle terms. But what this is more fundamentally about is a battle between the biggest special interest corporations in the world, who tend to have overwhelming sway over everything in Washington, and those of us who want to confront and rein in their power.</p>
<p>Those interests know they control the Republicans, because Republicans answer to money first and foremost. But Democrats have DNA and ancient roots from ancestors like Tom Paine, Tom Jefferson, Andy Jackson, William Jennings Bryan, FDR, Harry Truman, and the Kennedys -- people who distrusted the big financial firms based in New York, distrusted big corporate trusts in general -- and that DNA is a continuing problem for these Wall Street conglomerates.</p>
<p>The think tanks and political committees they fund on the Democratic side -- in the Clinton era their lead group was the DLC, now it's Third Way -- are asked by the big money guys to come to their defense when the populists start to rise up and upset their applecart, and they do. Yes, this is undeniably a battle between two different wings of the Democratic party, the people wing and the money wing. But it is even more centrally a fight between Wall Street and big business on the one hand, and the politicians who might threaten them -- like Elizabeth Warren.</p>
<p>I actually feel kind of badly on one level for the leaders of these kinds of DC Centrist groups. Al From and Bruce Reed at the DLC, and Jon Cowan at Third Way, are smart policy wonks who are actually very thoughtful and engaging in the kind of policy discussions they enjoy having, and both groups have come up with some good policy ideas and analysis -- the AmeriCorps idea, the Reinventing Government initiative, and the 100,000 cops on the street piece of the 1994 crime bill were all Third Way proposals, and all good ideas.</p>
<p>But what happens to these kinds of groups is that because DC centrism has no broad appeal to regular folks who make the activist and small contributor base of the Democratic party (for some reason, it's hard to raise money through email appeals that call for cutting your grandma's Social Security benefits), these kinds of groups have to rely on corporate special interest contributions. And as politicians who take a lot of money from them know, these special interests expect you to come through for them when they come calling for a favor.</p>
<p>And boy, do they hate the idea of so many people being excited about Elizabeth Warren's common sense populism, so they really needed their friends at Third Way to try and take her down a couple of notches (and throwing in a shot across the bow at Wall Street's new mayor was an important political message, too.) Just like during last year's campaign, when Wall Street was desperate to defeat Warren, so they got Third Way to issue a scathing statement against her that the Chamber of Commerce and other Republican hit groups immediately used against her, Wall Street needed Third Way to come through, and they did.</p>
<p>So Third Way threw in every standard argument that DC Centrists have been throwing at progressives for 30 years. On policy, they were as shrill as Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell about the tax and spend liberals. On politics, they said populists could never win outside of NYC and MA. They said the idea that liberalism was dead in swing states was proven by the defeat of one tax initiative in Colorado. They were wrong about it all, the arguments stale and the facts ignored or mangled, but the Wall Street piper needed to be paid, and paid they were.</p>
<p>I'm not going to spend a long time refuting the arguments that Cowan and Kessler laid out in the WSJ, as tempting as that is, because that is not my main point here and <a href="http://t.co/PejTIvvjLV" type="external">others are doing it well</a>, but in each area I want to say a brief word.</p>
<p>On the policy side, as many economists have already pointed out, they ignored the facts about what Warren is proposing to a remarkable degree, but even more importantly is the elephant in the room: their willingness to ignore the fundamental fairness in the policies Warren is proposing. Cowan and Kessler are determined that seniors get their Social Security benefits cut in order to avoid people making over $118,000 a year paying the same percentage of Social Security payroll taxes as people under that income level. They want seniors' Medicare benefits cut in order to keep the health care industry from having to cut back on the uncontrolled profit-making built into the system. When Warren supports students paying the same interest rates on their college loans that the biggest banks do at the Federal Reserve discount window, they cry out in outrage about how unfair that is to the banks.</p>
<p>They just don't get what side of the fairness fight that Democrats ought to be on.</p>
<p>On the Colorado ballot initiative, they seem gleeful about the failure of the measure to put more money into education, saying that the result in Colorado is "the true 2013 election day harbinger of American liberalism". You know, in state and local initiatives all over the country over the last few years- in blue, red, and purple states, on taxes and spending and the minimum wage and corporate regulation- progressives have won one victory after another, and yet they want you to think that one low turnout odd numbered year initiative in one state is the harbinger signaling the death of American liberalism. Seems a little overdrawn to me, but I'm sure it sounded good to those corporate funders.</p>
<p>And on the overall politics, their argument about de Blasio being from NYC and Warren being from MA meant that populism won't play was hilarious to this Midwesterner, who did all my early politics in red and purple states. (They also ignore that Warren was the only person to beat an incumbent senator last year, with an opponent was a popular and charismatic moderate; and that de Blasio started way behind in the polls to Mayor Bloomberg's designated heir but came roaring back as his message was heard, but hey: I guess you just can't mention inconvenient facts.) They ignore the fact that full-throated progressive populist Sherrod Brown had more money spent against him by Karl Rove and the Chamber than any other Senate candidate, yet never trailed and won Ohio by several more points than Obama; they ignore Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin beating a popular ex-Governor with a great populist message; they ignore Heidi Heitkamp running on her record as a big business-suing Attorney General, and the ideological heir to her old Wall Street-bashing boss Byron Dorgan, and winning an upset come-from-behind victory in ND; they ignore Chris Murphy winning against a candidate willing to spend $50 million with an anti-big money message in CT; they ignore the scores of swing state and district victories in elections for Congress and Governor of candidates with populist campaigns over the last decade, including Al Franken (MN), Tom Harkin (IA), Brian Schweitzer (MT), the Udalls in NM and CO, Jeff Merkley (OR); and they ignore Obama winning re-election by running against income inequality, the Republican refusal to raise taxes on the wealthy, the Ryan budget, Bain Capital and Romney's 47% statement.</p>
<p>Regardless of how wrong their arguments were, Third Way served its purpose by writing its love note to DC/Wall Street centrism in the pages of the WSJ. As the leaders of the fight against Elizabeth Warren, their fundraising coffers will be full in 2014 and beyond. And for our part, progressives did a great job in answering the Third Way's challenge by pushing back and drawing some lines in the sand ourselves. But the question now for us now is not just how to defend our allies like Warren and de Blasio in this kind of intra-party battle- as important as that is, that part is easy, as we have the overwhelming support of Democratic voters and activists.</p>
<p>The far more important question is how we win the bigger more consequential war that sparked this little back-and-forth this week: the war that Wall Street and the other powers that be are fighting to defeat the progressive populist ideas of our leaders and our movement. For all that the political sneering about populist politics that the Third Way has been proven wrong by the swing and red state politicians mentioned above, for all that moderate Democrats like Presidents Clinton and Obama have used populist messages tactically when it suited them, there has not been a progressive economic populist in the White House since LBJ in the 1960s, and Congress hasn't had a clear majority that was economically progressive since 1978 (although we came close in 2009-10).</p>
<p>We need a political strategy that has at its heart the kind of clear, compelling, accessible messaging on the core economic issues that matter to low and middle income Americans that Elizabeth Warren is so good at projecting. We need to stand in solidarity to everyone who is hurting in this economy, and everyone in the modern progressive coalition, which includes young people, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, unmarried women, union members, the LGBT community, and, yes, working class whites who are being crushed by this economy. And, finally, we need to reach out to the small business people and entrepreneurs who are being squeezed and financially hurt by the big businesses trying to push them out of the way.</p>
<p>The most important thing we need to do in order to win the war and not just a skirmish here or there is to understand the nature of that war. This isn't about the left vs. some kind of phony establishment DC/Wall St centrism. Their version of centrism has little support -- the policy proposals we support on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, trade, taxes, investments in education and infrastructure, breaking up the banks, minimum wage, and other issues are all supported by very big majorities of American voters.</p>
<p>Instead, this is a long-term war between a few incredibly wealthy and powerful special interests on one side, and those of us willing to take on those powers that be on the other.</p> | true | 4 | long term intrademocratic party battle progressive populists wall streetoriented wing party 3 decades one full disclosure admit happy warrior side progressives entire time week big moment battle third way amusingly picked rupert murdochs wall street journal place launch attack progressives generally particularly elizabeth warren jonathan martin nice job summarizing back forth article quoted couple times progressives would choose defend warren strongly great leaders like pccc markos moulitsas dailykos well however isnt really mainly battle progressives centrists soul democratic party although certainly element certainly understandable reporters talk traditional political battle terms fundamentally battle biggest special interest corporations world tend overwhelming sway everything washington us want confront rein power interests know control republicans republicans answer money first foremost democrats dna ancient roots ancestors like tom paine tom jefferson andy jackson william jennings bryan fdr harry truman kennedys people distrusted big financial firms based new york distrusted big corporate trusts general dna continuing problem wall street conglomerates think tanks political committees fund democratic side clinton era lead group dlc third way asked big money guys come defense populists start rise upset applecart yes undeniably battle two different wings democratic party people wing money wing even centrally fight wall street big business one hand politicians might threaten like elizabeth warren actually feel kind badly one level leaders kinds dc centrist groups al bruce reed dlc jon cowan third way smart policy wonks actually thoughtful engaging kind policy discussions enjoy groups come good policy ideas analysis americorps idea reinventing government initiative 100000 cops street piece 1994 crime bill third way proposals good ideas happens kinds groups dc centrism broad appeal regular folks make activist small contributor base democratic party reason hard raise money email appeals call cutting grandmas social security benefits kinds groups rely corporate special interest contributions politicians take lot money know special interests expect come come calling favor boy hate idea many people excited elizabeth warrens common sense populism really needed friends third way try take couple notches throwing shot across bow wall streets new mayor important political message like last years campaign wall street desperate defeat warren got third way issue scathing statement chamber commerce republican hit groups immediately used wall street needed third way come third way threw every standard argument dc centrists throwing progressives 30 years policy shrill paul ryan mitch mcconnell tax spend liberals politics said populists could never win outside nyc said idea liberalism dead swing states proven defeat one tax initiative colorado wrong arguments stale facts ignored mangled wall street piper needed paid paid im going spend long time refuting arguments cowan kessler laid wsj tempting main point others well area want say brief word policy side many economists already pointed ignored facts warren proposing remarkable degree even importantly elephant room willingness ignore fundamental fairness policies warren proposing cowan kessler determined seniors get social security benefits cut order avoid people making 118000 year paying percentage social security payroll taxes people income level want seniors medicare benefits cut order keep health care industry cut back uncontrolled profitmaking built system warren supports students paying interest rates college loans biggest banks federal reserve discount window cry outrage unfair banks dont get side fairness fight democrats ought colorado ballot initiative seem gleeful failure measure put money education saying result colorado true 2013 election day harbinger american liberalism know state local initiatives country last years blue red purple states taxes spending minimum wage corporate regulation progressives one victory another yet want think one low turnout odd numbered year initiative one state harbinger signaling death american liberalism seems little overdrawn im sure sounded good corporate funders overall politics argument de blasio nyc warren meant populism wont play hilarious midwesterner early politics red purple states also ignore warren person beat incumbent senator last year opponent popular charismatic moderate de blasio started way behind polls mayor bloombergs designated heir came roaring back message heard hey guess cant mention inconvenient facts ignore fact fullthroated progressive populist sherrod brown money spent karl rove chamber senate candidate yet never trailed ohio several points obama ignore tammy baldwin wisconsin beating popular exgovernor great populist message ignore heidi heitkamp running record big businesssuing attorney general ideological heir old wall streetbashing boss byron dorgan winning upset comefrombehind victory nd ignore chris murphy winning candidate willing spend 50 million antibig money message ct ignore scores swing state district victories elections congress governor candidates populist campaigns last decade including al franken mn tom harkin ia brian schweitzer mt udalls nm co jeff merkley ignore obama winning reelection running income inequality republican refusal raise taxes wealthy ryan budget bain capital romneys 47 statement regardless wrong arguments third way served purpose writing love note dcwall street centrism pages wsj leaders fight elizabeth warren fundraising coffers full 2014 beyond part progressives great job answering third ways challenge pushing back drawing lines sand question us defend allies like warren de blasio kind intraparty battle important part easy overwhelming support democratic voters activists far important question win bigger consequential war sparked little backandforth week war wall street powers fighting defeat progressive populist ideas leaders movement political sneering populist politics third way proven wrong swing red state politicians mentioned moderate democrats like presidents clinton obama used populist messages tactically suited progressive economic populist white house since lbj 1960s congress hasnt clear majority economically progressive since 1978 although came close 200910 need political strategy heart kind clear compelling accessible messaging core economic issues matter low middle income americans elizabeth warren good projecting need stand solidarity everyone hurting economy everyone modern progressive coalition includes young people africanamericans hispanics asianamericans unmarried women union members lgbt community yes working class whites crushed economy finally need reach small business people entrepreneurs squeezed financially hurt big businesses trying push way important thing need order win war skirmish understand nature war isnt left vs kind phony establishment dcwall st centrism version centrism little support policy proposals support social security medicare medicaid trade taxes investments education infrastructure breaking banks minimum wage issues supported big majorities american voters instead longterm war incredibly wealthy powerful special interests one side us willing take powers | 1,004 |
<p>Polio forever seared two images in my mind.&#160; That may account for my reaction to the story in the January 17th New York Times, “After Years of Decline, Polio Cases in Afghanistan Triple in a Year”.</p>
<p>There are other images, of lines of schoolchildren awaiting shots, I among them, in the 1950s.&#160; Of patients with lameness in a leg, or chronic pain years down the road, not being one of the lucky ones like me. &#160; But none is so hard to shake off as the man in the iron lung or the child found dead of asphyxiation.</p>
<p>When I was a little girl my father took me to see the man in the iron lung.&#160; Daddy sang and played piano in a men’s gospel group that performed God’s music for the man, brother of one of the singers.&#160; Only his head protruded from the monstrous hissing contraption.</p>
<p>Years later, not long out of medical school, a nurse colleague told me about the little boy whose needless death still haunted her.&#160; Jeannie had a big heart, had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia.&#160; She left the hospital one night and returned the next morning to find the child dead from a power outage that shut down the ventilator forcing air into his helpless lungs.</p>
<p>Polio famously respects no boundaries of class or nationality.&#160; Still, its mostly under-five-years-old victims are now found exclusively in underdeveloped countries in Africa and Asia.&#160; The highly contagious disease is endemic only in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria.&#160; Cases in non-polio-endemic countries are the result of imported virus.</p>
<p>In 2009-2010 imported virus re-infected 23 countries previously polio-free.&#160; Angola, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been classified as having re-established transmission, i.e., the virus has been spreading again within those countries.&#160; These developments have health officials alarmed, after decades of huge strides toward making polio the second infectious disease after smallpox to be eradicated from the planet.</p>
<p>Efforts to eradicate polio took flight after Jonas Salk developed the first effective vaccine in 1955.&#160; This despite years of being targeted by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover as a suspected communist. &#160; It was in Czechoslovakia and Hungary that the first mass vaccination campaigns, using the Sabin oral vaccine, were carried out starting in 1959.&#160; Czechoslovakia had no reported polio after 1960 and Hungary was declared polio-free in 1969.</p>
<p>The Western Hemisphere was certified polio-free in 1994.&#160; The European Region, including all of the former republics of the Soviet Union, was polio-free as of 1999.&#160; Then, in 2009 polio re-emerged in Tajikistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Pakistan ranked first in 2011 polio cases with 197 of the 643 reported worldwide.&#160; An October 17, 2011 article in the Los Angeles Times, “In Pakistan, polio vaccines cause for fear”, pays lip service to the notion that armed conflict has played a role in Pakistan bearing this distinction. The author refers to the “war against Islamic militants” along the Afghan border and to the migration of people from those areas as main factors in the difficulty of vaccinating people against polio.</p>
<p>The bulk of the article is devoted to the role of radical Islam in sowing irrational mistrust of the vaccines and to anti-Americanism. According to the article, anti-Americanism is fueled by the incident of the killing of 2 Pakistanis by CIA contractor Raymond Davis, and by the decision by Obama not to inform Pakistani leaders before the “US operation” against Osama bin Laden.&#160; And, of course, the phony vaccination pretext used by the CIA to gain access to Bin Laden’s compound before the raid.</p>
<p>Not to suggest these are insufficient explanations for anti-American sentiments, it still shocks this reader that there is no mention of the undeclared war being waged by the US against Pakistan.&#160; A war whose deadly drones have killed over 2000 Pakistanis, including 168 children in the last 7 years.</p>
<p>Where armed conflict exists, population displacement, malnutrition, and lack of access to health services all contribute to civilian death and suffering from all causes, including polio. &#160; Iraq, declared polio-free in 1990, began to see cases in the 90s after the Gulf War and during the sanctions.</p>
<p>Afghanistan was on the verge of eliminating polio in 2001 prior to the launching of the US-led war. Armed conflict has played a role in virtually all countries where polio has persisted or re-emerged.&#160; Nowhere is that more obvious than in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Afghanistan’s 76 reported cases for 2011 (just revised upward to 80), the New York Times article points out, likely reflect many thousands.&#160; “Each detected case is an indicator of hundreds of ‘silent’ ones, mainly children with mild infections who become carriers.”</p>
<p>Although the Times article mentions “conflict” in Afghanistan and quotes Peter Crowley of UNICEF as stating that “security was a factor”, there is not one word about the US war and occupation, now in its 11th year.</p>
<p>President Karzai blamed the Taliban for the tripling of cases, accusing insurgents of blocking vaccination teams, a charge denied by the rebels.&#160; International health officials, reportedly shocked and alarmed by politicization of the issue, corroborated the assertion by the Taliban.&#160; Such an official went on to make the astonishingly naïve statement, perhaps a display of wishful thinking: “Health is not a political thing.”</p>
<p>What is one to take from such a piece in the Times?&#160; Where there is no analysis of such a peculiarly absurd statement, no mention of this longest war in US history.</p>
<p>Much has been written about Muslim opposition to polio vaccination, as in the LA Times, typically focusing not on concerns about safety of the oral Sabin vaccine, but about conspiracy theories.&#160; That applies to Nigeria, the third of 3 currently polio-endemic countries in the world.</p>
<p>In 2003 polio vaccination in Muslim northern Nigeria was halted until vaccine safety could be verified, after which, in 2004, it resumed.&#160; Despite the much written about Muslim mistrust of the West, this author has found not a single reference to the two wars being waged against Muslim countries by the US, let alone about the role of oil in those wars.</p>
<p>Nigeria’s oil reserve is the 7th largest in the world, and the country is the largest exporter of oil in Africa, which supplies the US with over 20% of its oil, more than that from the Middle East.&#160; Nigeria, once the supplier of millions of slaves to the US, is now its largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.</p>
<p>To address the current and historical political factors relevant to all countries experiencing polio outbreaks, including war, colonialism, neoliberalism, imperialism, and the global economic downturn exceeds the scope of this article.</p>
<p>Where armed conflict exists, the strategy to combat polio, buttressed by muddled analysis such as that in the NY and LA Times articles, consists of calls for “Days of Tranquility” and safe corridors so that public health workers, often risking their lives for a pittance in compensation, can carry out vaccination campaigns.&#160; Are brief ceasefires the best we can hope for in the struggle to stop this completely preventable, devastating disease?</p>
<p>The tripling of polio cases in Afghanistan and its spread to many countries previously polio-free are the consequences of over 10 years of war waged by the US and its allies against Afghanistan, and of the undeclared US war against Pakistan.&#160; The stricken children will sear their images in our country’s legacy.</p>
<p>Dr. CATHERINE WILKERSON, MD, is a primary care physician in Michigan.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | polio forever seared two images mind160 may account reaction story january 17th new york times years decline polio cases afghanistan triple year images lines schoolchildren awaiting shots among 1950s160 patients lameness leg chronic pain years road one lucky ones like 160 none hard shake man iron lung child found dead asphyxiation little girl father took see man iron lung160 daddy sang played piano mens gospel group performed gods music man brother one singers160 head protruded monstrous hissing contraption years later long medical school nurse colleague told little boy whose needless death still haunted her160 jeannie big heart peace corps volunteer colombia160 left hospital one night returned next morning find child dead power outage shut ventilator forcing air helpless lungs polio famously respects boundaries class nationality160 still mostly underfiveyearsold victims found exclusively underdeveloped countries africa asia160 highly contagious disease endemic afghanistan pakistan nigeria160 cases nonpolioendemic countries result imported virus 20092010 imported virus reinfected 23 countries previously poliofree160 angola chad democratic republic congo classified reestablished transmission ie virus spreading within countries160 developments health officials alarmed decades huge strides toward making polio second infectious disease smallpox eradicated planet efforts eradicate polio took flight jonas salk developed first effective vaccine 1955160 despite years targeted fbi j edgar hoover suspected communist 160 czechoslovakia hungary first mass vaccination campaigns using sabin oral vaccine carried starting 1959160 czechoslovakia reported polio 1960 hungary declared poliofree 1969 western hemisphere certified poliofree 1994160 european region including former republics soviet union poliofree 1999160 2009 polio reemerged tajikistan shares border afghanistan pakistan ranked first 2011 polio cases 197 643 reported worldwide160 october 17 2011 article los angeles times pakistan polio vaccines cause fear pays lip service notion armed conflict played role pakistan bearing distinction author refers war islamic militants along afghan border migration people areas main factors difficulty vaccinating people polio bulk article devoted role radical islam sowing irrational mistrust vaccines antiamericanism according article antiamericanism fueled incident killing 2 pakistanis cia contractor raymond davis decision obama inform pakistani leaders us operation osama bin laden160 course phony vaccination pretext used cia gain access bin ladens compound raid suggest insufficient explanations antiamerican sentiments still shocks reader mention undeclared war waged us pakistan160 war whose deadly drones killed 2000 pakistanis including 168 children last 7 years armed conflict exists population displacement malnutrition lack access health services contribute civilian death suffering causes including polio 160 iraq declared poliofree 1990 began see cases 90s gulf war sanctions afghanistan verge eliminating polio 2001 prior launching usled war armed conflict played role virtually countries polio persisted reemerged160 nowhere obvious afghanistan afghanistans 76 reported cases 2011 revised upward 80 new york times article points likely reflect many thousands160 detected case indicator hundreds silent ones mainly children mild infections become carriers although times article mentions conflict afghanistan quotes peter crowley unicef stating security factor one word us war occupation 11th year president karzai blamed taliban tripling cases accusing insurgents blocking vaccination teams charge denied rebels160 international health officials reportedly shocked alarmed politicization issue corroborated assertion taliban160 official went make astonishingly naïve statement perhaps display wishful thinking health political thing one take piece times160 analysis peculiarly absurd statement mention longest war us history much written muslim opposition polio vaccination la times typically focusing concerns safety oral sabin vaccine conspiracy theories160 applies nigeria third 3 currently polioendemic countries world 2003 polio vaccination muslim northern nigeria halted vaccine safety could verified 2004 resumed160 despite much written muslim mistrust west author found single reference two wars waged muslim countries us let alone role oil wars nigerias oil reserve 7th largest world country largest exporter oil africa supplies us 20 oil middle east160 nigeria supplier millions slaves us largest trading partner subsaharan africa address current historical political factors relevant countries experiencing polio outbreaks including war colonialism neoliberalism imperialism global economic downturn exceeds scope article armed conflict exists strategy combat polio buttressed muddled analysis ny la times articles consists calls days tranquility safe corridors public health workers often risking lives pittance compensation carry vaccination campaigns160 brief ceasefires best hope struggle stop completely preventable devastating disease tripling polio cases afghanistan spread many countries previously poliofree consequences 10 years war waged us allies afghanistan undeclared us war pakistan160 stricken children sear images countrys legacy dr catherine wilkerson md primary care physician michigan 160 | 704 |
<p>Oakland.</p>
<p>As the trial of former transit cop Johannes Mehserle for the murder of Oscar Grant rushes at breakneck speed toward its conclusion, spurred by the insistence of Judge Robert Perry and political imperative, ominous clouds of injustice begin to crowd the political horizon in anticipation of a verdict, which could come as soon as this week. But while it is this injustice that we should most fear, too many are focusing their fear and the fear of others on the possibility of a repeat of last year’s street rebellions should Mehserle be acquitted or convicted of a lesser charge.</p>
<p>What this view neglects is one basic fact, indeed the most basic fact regarding the Oakland rebellions: that it was only as a result of those rebellions of January 2009 and the fear that they might be repeated that Mehserle was even arrested and put on trial in the first place. Those rebellions were, in fact, the basic precondition for this limited form of “justice” to even be possible. Possible, yes, but far from guaranteed. And yet those who opposed the rebellions from the very beginning, denouncing them with delusions of “outside agitators” as irrational and desperate outbursts–in short, as “riots”–are busily trotting out the same discredited lines as always.</p>
<p>Different Trials, Different Verdicts</p>
<p>Of course, the relative brevity of the Mehserle trial should not fool us. While The People v. Johannes Mehserle has only been underway for a few short days, two other trials have been proceeding informally for 18 months now: The People v. The State and The State v. Oscar Grant.</p>
<p>The trial of The People v. The State was initially played out during the <a href="" type="internal">three</a> <a href="" type="internal">evening</a> <a href="" type="internal">rebellions</a> of January 2009, rebellions sparked not by Grant’s murder, but by the patently hypocritical inaction of the state in response and its patent refusal to treat a murder of a Black youth by a white cop in the same way it would treat any other murder. These rebellions forced the state into action, however defensively, giving rise to Mehserle’s arrest, indictment, and now to his trial for murder.</p>
<p>Thus forced involuntarily into charging a cop with murder, the state and all of its allied institutions responded in the best way they could: by shifting gears, in Gramscian terms, from the coercive to the hegemonic, putting Oscar Grant on trial as a not-so-subtle way of justifying his murder. As a result, The State v. Oscar Grant has been played out largely through the demonization of Grant in the media, a demonization which continues today as an essential part of Mehserle’s defense strategy.</p>
<p>At first, it was the media that put Oscar Grant on trial, disrespecting his death and the suffering of his family by bringing up irrelevant questions about his criminal history, while equally irrelevant aspects of Mehserle’s past were displayed front-and-center, in full view for all those in doubt of where public sympathy should lie in a white supremacist society: Mehserle the murderer thus became Mehserle the “ <a href="" type="internal">gentle giant</a>” who could do no harm. By contrast, those elements of Grant’s history which did not fit the profile of a young thug looking for trouble were systematically erased: Oscar Grant the father, the worker, the friend, the brother and cousin.</p>
<p>More recently, it has been Michael Rains, Mehserle’s attorney and notorious cop lawyer (Rains successfully defended the corrupt “ <a href="" type="internal">Oakland Riders</a>”) who has assumed this role of smear artist. Knowing full well that racism is squarely on the side of his client, and that all he needs to do is to give the (white) public an excuse to pardon one of their own, Rains has deployed an ingenious strategy of <a href="" type="internal">selective leaks</a> in violation of a prevailing gag order.</p>
<p>A Jury of Whose Peers?</p>
<p>But beyond these informal trials in the court of public opinion, if there was a single moment that, more than any other, shoved Mehserle’ brusquely toward an acquittal, it was the jury selection process, and this process, in turn, was heavily conditioned by the trial’s change of venue. Rains is no dummy, and has studied his history: you change the venue and then you stack the jury. After successfully getting the Mehserle trial moved out of Alameda County (but not successfully pushing it as far south as notoriously conservative San Diego), Rains came hard out of the gate, demanding ahead of time that, in open conflict with California law, police officers should be allowed onto the jury.</p>
<p>It has a certain logic to it, doesn’t it? If we are promised a “jury of our peers,” Rains was merely calling the perpetual bluff of the criminal justice system: a (white) cop should be judged by a jury of (white) cops, resulting inevitably in acquittal. But what if the opposite were also the case? What if young Black and Brown men in Oakland were suddenly granted juries of their peers, juries which understood the lose-lose situation of the postindustrial non-economy that is the underside of racist America? It would be acquittals all around and the system would come crashing down upon itself.</p>
<p>But such thought experiments inevitably crash into the hard wall of white supremacy, as it is only white privilege that allows Rains to plausibly demand a jury of peers for Mehserle. Every day, thousands of Black, Brown, and poor enter the justice system without the resources or leverage, in short, without the privilege, to make such demands. While knew he would lose the battle, however, Rains and his client might yet win the war, since by demanding police on the jury they created an opening through which cop culture would infect the jury by other means. In the end, either through utter incompetence on the part of the prosecution or open bias on the part of Judge Perry, a full four members of the final jury have police among their family or friends.</p>
<p>As most of us now know, there is a second aspect to the game, since while Rains was pushing for police or at least their family members to be on the jury, he was pushing equally hard to exclude anyone who might have an unexplained or natural affinity for Oscar Grant’s cause. In other words: Black people. In the final stages of jury selection, Judge Perry dismissed 2 of the original 12 potential Black jurors for identified causes, before Rains summarily dismissed 3 more peremptorily, meaning that no reason was given. Stunningly, given what we have just seen, one of the reasons given for dismissing a potential Black juror was experience with racial profiling. In other words, while jurors with family and friends in the police (and who presumably have some sort of positive feeling toward the police as a result) were admitted, a juror with a single negative experience (of the kind endemic to the Black community) was removed.</p>
<p>In the end, <a href="" type="internal">the defense dismissed</a> 3 Blacks and 4 Latinos, but only 1 potential juror who was white, and the prosecution 4 Latinos (2 with strong police ties), 2 asians, and 1 white. This left the final jury makeup as follows: majority female, with 7 whites and 5 Latinos (some question remains as to the ethnicity of one of the latter).</p>
<p>Rains had played his hand impeccably, and if Oakland burns, he will deserve the lion’s share of the credit, but this is credit that he won’t likely be granted: as we all know, the best way to cheat without being caught is to fix the game beforehand, so when the shit hits the fan, your hand doesn’t get covered with it.</p>
<p>Crocodile Tears in Court</p>
<p>Efforts to humanize Mehserle reached a predictable crescendo when he took the stand to defend himself. While the press feigned surprise, an understanding of the long-term defense strategy, i.e. harnessing white supremacy to garner easy sympathy points, makes Mehserle’s testimony look instead like the natural conclusion of a trial whose conclusion was in many ways predetermined.</p>
<p>And this because his testimony was largely a repeat of the press coverage that had immediately followed the murder. Hours were spent on nominally irrelevant aspects of his background, such as the fact that he was voted “ <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?&amp;entry_id=66583" type="external">most huggable</a>” in high school, and that he was embarrassed by this title at the time. But to insist that such facts are irrelevant is misleading, since they reveal the most basic racist structures that have been operating in this case since day one, the ways in which the media and the white public sought to explain away Grant’s murder despite seeing it before their very eyes. <a href="" type="internal">As I wrote more than a year ago</a> in these very same pages: “One side is automatically condemned; the other automatically excused.”</p>
<p>This sickening display continued when Mehserle returned to the stand Friday, claiming that he had not meant to shoot Grant, that it was all a tragic accident, and that as a result, he too was suffering deeply. Then, in a clearly well-practiced gesture, Mehserle broke down weeping on the stand. This might have proven effective on a jury long-primed to feel sympathy for this “most huggable” “gentle giant,” but it was certainly not convincing in the least for Grant’s friends and family sitting in the court, especially since Rains himself had laughed audibly when a friend of Grant’s who witnessed the killing similarly broke down during prior testimony.</p>
<p>Grant’s mother Wanda was so disturbed that she <a href="" type="internal">got up and left</a>, and 24 year old Tim Killings could finally take it no longer, standing up to shout: “Maybe you should save those fucking tears, dude!” Killings was promptly arrested under suspicion of contempt and as I write this has only just been released.</p>
<p>Nonprofits Protect the State, Again</p>
<p>A growing and increasingly hysterical chorus has begun to warn of the threats faced by the City of Oakland when the verdict comes down. Perhaps sensing the increased likelihood of an acquittal, local government officials and the Oakland police have kicked into full gear, and their interventions have again appeared on both the coercive and the hegemonic levels.</p>
<p>An <a href="http://www.youthradio.org/news/oakland-road-to-riot-rumors-speculation-fuel-fear?tsp=1" type="external">anonymous letter</a> purportedly from a San Leandro police officer clearly seeks to stoke the flames of anxiety: warning of police preparations for massive riots, naming the “Black Bloc” as the threat, and urging readers to stay in their homes after the verdict. Such apocalyptic predictions seemed to be supported by both the publicly-announced <a href="" type="internal">riot-prevention training</a> undergone by OPD and other agencies and by <a href="" type="internal">a message</a> distributed by an emergency medic warning that the police are preparing for a week-long riot in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Hayward and instructing medical responders to prepare for injured civilians. In a nod toward McCarthyite snitch culture, OPD has even established <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15378712" type="external">a special “tip line” for the Mehserle verdict</a>, with an audio recording encouraging that citizens report any and all “anarchist” threats in the coming days.</p>
<p>But explicit threats of force are but one side of OPD’s preparations for the day of the verdict. It recently emerged that Mayor Ron Dellums and the Oakland Police <a href="" type="internal">arranged meetings with representatives of various nonprofit organizations</a> and church leaders active in Oakland in an effort to quell any rebellion in the streets before it starts. While it should not surprise us that the city might attempt to do so, what is more surprising is how easily these mediating forces fell for it, especially given the lessons of the past 18 months.</p>
<p>Thus many of the very same church leaders who played an instrumental role in supporting the Oakland community and organizing to demand justice for 18 months took to their congregations Sunday <a href="http://www.kcbs.com/bayareanews/Religious-Leaders-Call-for-Peace-in-Oakland/7561516" type="external">to insist that people remain at home</a>, employing the “power of prayer” instead of their own power in the streets. More worrying still was the response from ostensibly “radical” nonprofits.</p>
<p>While the nonprofit sector <a href="" type="internal">played a significant role in demobilizing the rebellions</a> of January 2009, providing, in the words of local group <a href="" type="internal">Advance the Struggle</a>, a “buffer” protecting the state, never before had they come out so openly in support of the governing apparatus as would be the case in <a href="" type="internal">a June 23rd email from Nicole Lee</a> of the Urban Peace Movement. Astonishingly referring to the Mayor’s office and the City of Oakland as “allies and partners” Lee (and by the looks of it, several prominent Oakland nonprofits) urges nonprofiteers to “inoculate” their bases so that “outside agitators” will not be able to lead them astray as they did in January of 2009. Evidently, “inoculation” means using revolutionary language in an effort to fool the youth, as Lee, somewhat incredibly, evokes the spirit of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and even Huey P. Newton to conceal her collaboration with the state.</p>
<p>There is no mention of the fact that the “outside agitator” claim, one which originated with OPD itself, was <a href="" type="internal">widely discredited</a> at the time, and that those deploying it were not even themselves present on the streets. There is no recognition of the utter condescension that such a claim entails, reducing youth of color to passive followers of whatever white anarchist attracts their attention. And of course, there is no suggestion whatsoever of what strategy for demanding justice these nonprofits have to offer their “base” beyond negotiations with the enemy.</p>
<p>Rebellion on the Horizon?</p>
<p>While I don’t want to stoke hysteria about an impending riot, nor do I intent to ignore the very real and very justified rage that will greet an acquittal of Mehserle (and likely even his conviction on manslaughter charges, according to a <a href="" type="internal">recent communiqué</a> published by Oakland’s Raider Nation Collective). Toward this end, ominous graffiti has begun to appear near Downtown Oakland reading “L.A. better get it right, or else,” and other considerably less pleasant phrases. Closing arguments are slated to begin any day now, and a rally has already been called to meet at 6pm on the day of the verdict at 14th and Broadway in Downtown Oakland, notably the point of origin of rebellions past.</p>
<p>But while recognizing the possibility of a renewed rebellion in the streets, our efforts should not be focused on preventing it, but rather at refocusing attention on the real violence at work in Grant’s murder and the Mehserle trial. The real violence is that which was suffered by Oscar Grant, his family, and his friends, and this is a violence multiplied a thousandfold across the United States as a whole. It is this violence that permeates the structures of the state, of the judicial system, of jury selection, and of sentencing, and it is this violence that has played out in the Mehserle trial as a dehumanization of Oscar Grant and a sympathetic presentation of Mehserle himself.</p>
<p>This is a violence far more grave than a few broken windows and a burning car or two, and it is a violence far more deeply rooted and insidious to be eliminated by putting a single cop on trial. But when that cop is on trial as a result of mass action in the streets, a transitional victory has been achieved.</p>
<p>Some 18 months ago, <a href="" type="internal">I noted</a> the intuitive rationality of those who took to the streets in the following terms: “we have to do something, and in the face of police impunity, this is all we can do.” This rationality stood against all the claims from the nonprofit left that to do so was utterly irrational. Fortunately, we have been proven correct, and whereas before, we came with but a desperate wager, we now come with the experience of a popular victory.</p>
<p>In such a context, any and all calls for unconditional peace without justice, for community solidarity in collaboration with the police and the state, and for “rational” dialogue with an unreservedly irrational force must inevitably confront the single most important lesson of January 2009: that Mehserle was not arrested due to the peaceful and rational requests of the Oakland community, and nothing could be more violent and irrational than rewriting the history that we have made.</p>
<p>GEORGE CICCARIELLO-MAHER received his Ph.D in political theory at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Oakland, and can be reached at gjcm(at)berkeley.edu</p>
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<p><a href="http://greentags.bigcartel.com/" type="external">WORDS THAT STICK</a></p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | oakland trial former transit cop johannes mehserle murder oscar grant rushes breakneck speed toward conclusion spurred insistence judge robert perry political imperative ominous clouds injustice begin crowd political horizon anticipation verdict could come soon week injustice fear many focusing fear fear others possibility repeat last years street rebellions mehserle acquitted convicted lesser charge view neglects one basic fact indeed basic fact regarding oakland rebellions result rebellions january 2009 fear might repeated mehserle even arrested put trial first place rebellions fact basic precondition limited form justice even possible possible yes far guaranteed yet opposed rebellions beginning denouncing delusions outside agitators irrational desperate outburstsin short riotsare busily trotting discredited lines always different trials different verdicts course relative brevity mehserle trial fool us people v johannes mehserle underway short days two trials proceeding informally 18 months people v state state v oscar grant trial people v state initially played three evening rebellions january 2009 rebellions sparked grants murder patently hypocritical inaction state response patent refusal treat murder black youth white cop way would treat murder rebellions forced state action however defensively giving rise mehserles arrest indictment trial murder thus forced involuntarily charging cop murder state allied institutions responded best way could shifting gears gramscian terms coercive hegemonic putting oscar grant trial notsosubtle way justifying murder result state v oscar grant played largely demonization grant media demonization continues today essential part mehserles defense strategy first media put oscar grant trial disrespecting death suffering family bringing irrelevant questions criminal history equally irrelevant aspects mehserles past displayed frontandcenter full view doubt public sympathy lie white supremacist society mehserle murderer thus became mehserle gentle giant could harm contrast elements grants history fit profile young thug looking trouble systematically erased oscar grant father worker friend brother cousin recently michael rains mehserles attorney notorious cop lawyer rains successfully defended corrupt oakland riders assumed role smear artist knowing full well racism squarely side client needs give white public excuse pardon one rains deployed ingenious strategy selective leaks violation prevailing gag order jury whose peers beyond informal trials court public opinion single moment shoved mehserle brusquely toward acquittal jury selection process process turn heavily conditioned trials change venue rains dummy studied history change venue stack jury successfully getting mehserle trial moved alameda county successfully pushing far south notoriously conservative san diego rains came hard gate demanding ahead time open conflict california law police officers allowed onto jury certain logic doesnt promised jury peers rains merely calling perpetual bluff criminal justice system white cop judged jury white cops resulting inevitably acquittal opposite also case young black brown men oakland suddenly granted juries peers juries understood loselose situation postindustrial noneconomy underside racist america would acquittals around system would come crashing upon thought experiments inevitably crash hard wall white supremacy white privilege allows rains plausibly demand jury peers mehserle every day thousands black brown poor enter justice system without resources leverage short without privilege make demands knew would lose battle however rains client might yet win war since demanding police jury created opening cop culture would infect jury means end either utter incompetence part prosecution open bias part judge perry full four members final jury police among family friends us know second aspect game since rains pushing police least family members jury pushing equally hard exclude anyone might unexplained natural affinity oscar grants cause words black people final stages jury selection judge perry dismissed 2 original 12 potential black jurors identified causes rains summarily dismissed 3 peremptorily meaning reason given stunningly given seen one reasons given dismissing potential black juror experience racial profiling words jurors family friends police presumably sort positive feeling toward police result admitted juror single negative experience kind endemic black community removed end defense dismissed 3 blacks 4 latinos 1 potential juror white prosecution 4 latinos 2 strong police ties 2 asians 1 white left final jury makeup follows majority female 7 whites 5 latinos question remains ethnicity one latter rains played hand impeccably oakland burns deserve lions share credit credit wont likely granted know best way cheat without caught fix game beforehand shit hits fan hand doesnt get covered crocodile tears court efforts humanize mehserle reached predictable crescendo took stand defend press feigned surprise understanding longterm defense strategy ie harnessing white supremacy garner easy sympathy points makes mehserles testimony look instead like natural conclusion trial whose conclusion many ways predetermined testimony largely repeat press coverage immediately followed murder hours spent nominally irrelevant aspects background fact voted huggable high school embarrassed title time insist facts irrelevant misleading since reveal basic racist structures operating case since day one ways media white public sought explain away grants murder despite seeing eyes wrote year ago pages one side automatically condemned automatically excused sickening display continued mehserle returned stand friday claiming meant shoot grant tragic accident result suffering deeply clearly wellpracticed gesture mehserle broke weeping stand might proven effective jury longprimed feel sympathy huggable gentle giant certainly convincing least grants friends family sitting court especially since rains laughed audibly friend grants witnessed killing similarly broke prior testimony grants mother wanda disturbed got left 24 year old tim killings could finally take longer standing shout maybe save fucking tears dude killings promptly arrested suspicion contempt write released nonprofits protect state growing increasingly hysterical chorus begun warn threats faced city oakland verdict comes perhaps sensing increased likelihood acquittal local government officials oakland police kicked full gear interventions appeared coercive hegemonic levels anonymous letter purportedly san leandro police officer clearly seeks stoke flames anxiety warning police preparations massive riots naming black bloc threat urging readers stay homes verdict apocalyptic predictions seemed supported publiclyannounced riotprevention training undergone opd agencies message distributed emergency medic warning police preparing weeklong riot oakland los angeles hayward instructing medical responders prepare injured civilians nod toward mccarthyite snitch culture opd even established special tip line mehserle verdict audio recording encouraging citizens report anarchist threats coming days explicit threats force one side opds preparations day verdict recently emerged mayor ron dellums oakland police arranged meetings representatives various nonprofit organizations church leaders active oakland effort quell rebellion streets starts surprise us city might attempt surprising easily mediating forces fell especially given lessons past 18 months thus many church leaders played instrumental role supporting oakland community organizing demand justice 18 months took congregations sunday insist people remain home employing power prayer instead power streets worrying still response ostensibly radical nonprofits nonprofit sector played significant role demobilizing rebellions january 2009 providing words local group advance struggle buffer protecting state never come openly support governing apparatus would case june 23rd email nicole lee urban peace movement astonishingly referring mayors office city oakland allies partners lee looks several prominent oakland nonprofits urges nonprofiteers inoculate bases outside agitators able lead astray january 2009 evidently inoculation means using revolutionary language effort fool youth lee somewhat incredibly evokes spirit martin luther king malcolm x even huey p newton conceal collaboration state mention fact outside agitator claim one originated opd widely discredited time deploying even present streets recognition utter condescension claim entails reducing youth color passive followers whatever white anarchist attracts attention course suggestion whatsoever strategy demanding justice nonprofits offer base beyond negotiations enemy rebellion horizon dont want stoke hysteria impending riot intent ignore real justified rage greet acquittal mehserle likely even conviction manslaughter charges according recent communiqué published oaklands raider nation collective toward end ominous graffiti begun appear near downtown oakland reading la better get right else considerably less pleasant phrases closing arguments slated begin day rally already called meet 6pm day verdict 14th broadway downtown oakland notably point origin rebellions past recognizing possibility renewed rebellion streets efforts focused preventing rather refocusing attention real violence work grants murder mehserle trial real violence suffered oscar grant family friends violence multiplied thousandfold across united states whole violence permeates structures state judicial system jury selection sentencing violence played mehserle trial dehumanization oscar grant sympathetic presentation mehserle violence far grave broken windows burning car two violence far deeply rooted insidious eliminated putting single cop trial cop trial result mass action streets transitional victory achieved 18 months ago noted intuitive rationality took streets following terms something face police impunity rationality stood claims nonprofit left utterly irrational fortunately proven correct whereas came desperate wager come experience popular victory context calls unconditional peace without justice community solidarity collaboration police state rational dialogue unreservedly irrational force must inevitably confront single important lesson january 2009 mehserle arrested due peaceful rational requests oakland community nothing could violent irrational rewriting history made george ciccariellomaher received phd political theory university california berkeley lives oakland reached gjcmatberkeleyedu 160 160 words stick 160 | 1,415 |
<p>If you walk north on Foster Street&#160;from the center of Durham, NC, you’ll soon pass Durham Central Park, where residents gather every Saturday for the weekly farmers’ market, alongside the food trucks and the skate park and the new playground. Just past that, abutting the park’s property, is a dilapidated, windowless building flanked by signs from a local realty company offering you a chance to “own downtown.”</p>
<p>The signs include stylized architectural drawings of the condos that will soon replace the building and direct you to visit the property’s <a href="http://www.539foster.com/" type="external">website</a>, where you can learn how the property is “Close to everything. Far from ordinary” and how, “With a rich blend of history, creativity and innovation that makes [Durham] the perfect place for work and play, you’ll discover why so many of us love just calling it ‘home.’”</p>
<p>You’ll have to scroll past a number of similar invocations of Durham’s name before you come to any details about the condos themselves. The realtor, it seems, is selling a city first and a condo second. Apparently, buying one of the units “represents a prime investment with priceless quality-of-life dividends.” The product earning those dividends is Durham itself; if the “own downtown” tagline is a bit of a marketing exaggeration, it isn’t much of one.</p>
<p>The notion of privately owning and profiting from a public good is one inherent in capitalism, but the development of Durham represents a contemporary twist.&#160;Developers now aim to re-enclose the little commons we have left — including immaterial goods like our community and our history, in addition to their material bases — and sell them as a commodity.</p>
<p>As corporations follow their <a href="http://qz.com/211970/forget-big-suburban-campuses-innovative-corporations-are-moving-downtown/" type="external">wealthy workers back</a> to urban centers, the notion of personally owning a city’s downtown, and all of the social goods that come with it, has been transformed from a marketing gimmick to an active goal of developers and other capitalists.</p>
<p>Until about a decade ago, Durham was just another small American city with an economy left to stagnate after the departure of the industries that birthed it (tobacco and manufacturing). But, in a small-town version of the “Detroit vs. everybody” mentality, the people of Durham developed a pride in the “grittiness” of the city, seen most visibly in its architecture: large swaths of old factories, closed auto-body shops and gas stations dotting city blocks, old mill villages interspersed between it all.</p>
<p>Thanks to cheap land and empty storefronts, galleries, bakeries, and restaurants popped up. Now Durham is a place praised by the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/travel/36-hours-in-durham-nc.html" type="external">New York Times</a>, <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/best-places-to-travel-in-2015/49" type="external">Travel + Leisure</a>, and <a href="http://www.southernliving.com/travel/tastiest-town-durham-north-carolina" type="external">Southern Living</a> for its commercial opportunities.</p>
<p>Like other gentrifying areas, the investment came first to housing and retail. But, thanks to conspicuous Durham pride, investors claimed they wanted to be a part of what already existed. Projects like <a href="http://www.bellapartmentliving.com/nc/durham/west-village/" type="external">West Village</a> — a massive complex of offices, lofts, and luxury apartments housed in old tobacco factories — were celebrated for their “creative reuse” of vacant, though historically significant, buildings.</p>
<p>Durham thanked its capitalists for salvaging concrete parts of its past: “Historic buildings are our tangible link to where we came from,” said Wendy Hillis of <a href="http://preservationdurham.org/" type="external">Preservation Durham</a>. “As we become a more global society and everything looks the same everywhere you go, historic buildings and places that add a uniqueness to any community are incredibly important.”</p>
<p>Yet&#160;these tangible parts of Durham’s past are only truly enjoyed by the wealthy. West Village is one of the most expensive housing options available downtown, and its businesses consist largely of stores that refer to themselves as boutiques, with the pricing to match. The same is true of similar developments, almost all of whose costs are prohibitive for the average person. Affluence, it seems, is a prerequisite for partaking fully in Durham’s history and culture.</p>
<p>The process of gentrification didn’t stop with pricing out the poor, however. Now that the local economy has recovered and land values have risen, even the partial protection of Durham’s history that justified the initial investment has become impossible — only fiscally conservative construction projects with easily estimated costs can now be profitably built. Durham’s newest housing options (including a new addition in the West Village complex) no longer match the industrial and brick style; they are the kinds of condos you can find anywhere, not whatever Preservation Durham thought it was safeguarding.</p>
<p>The privatization trend received the most criticism when the <a href="http://preservationdurham.org/index.php/liberty-warehouse/" type="external">Liberty Warehouse</a>, another historic tobacco landmark, was demolished to make room for still more luxury condos. The <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/demolition-to-begin-this-spring-condos-and-retail-to-replace-former-tobacco-auction-house/Content?oid=3814555" type="external">architectural sketches</a> show an amalgamation of bright colors, steel beams, stucco, and glass, none of which can be said to match the style of the city’s cherished history. This despite developers’ claims that they have preserved something of importance by salvaging two sections of the original structure’s exterior walls, which will be “meshed” with the building.</p>
<p>The destruction of Liberty Warehouse elicited such a backlash because of the violence done to Durham’s architecture and the wave of rising housing prices, which now threaten to price out the moderately wealthy residents who previously priced out the low-income residents. Development is promising an authentic connection to a community while it destroys that same&#160;community.</p>
<p>The same logic of gentrification is ubiquitous: Chicago’s historically Hispanic <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/schmich/ct-pilsen-coffee-shop-schmich-met-0128-20150127-column.html" type="external">Pilsen neighborhood</a> now fighting to preserve its defining culture, Berlin’s graffiti-covered squats <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18114863" type="external">now being emptied</a> and readied for development, the areas near Washington, DC’s&#160; <a href="http://gawker.com/irrigating-the-food-desert-a-tale-of-gentrification-1617679708" type="external">Howard University</a>&#160;now filled with new residents brought by businesses supposedly meant to aid the original residents. In each case, the culture of the area — loved because it’s unique, because it’s something that can be billed as authentic — is mined for new profits accessible via land ownership.</p>
<p>Mainstream prescriptions to ameliorate gentrification miss this entirely. At most, <a href="" type="internal">policymakers ask</a> that additional housing be built and set aside for low-income households. Yet development is now not only targeting public land, but the public itself, the very culture that ties a community together. Any response that <a href="" type="internal">simply requests</a> additional units for the poor both fails in accomplishing its stated goal and ignores the danger of privatizing the community itself — a danger that often begins, but does not end, with housing.</p>
<p>The crown jewel of Durham’s recent development is the <a href="https://americantobaccocampus.com/" type="external">American Tobacco Campus</a>. Once the headquarters of the eponymous company, it was bought in 2004 by Capitol Broadcasting and transformed into a sprawling complex of offices, restaurants, and (yet more) luxury apartments. It’s the development project that most local advocates say spurred Durham’s economic turnaround.</p>
<p>Though most can’t afford either an office or an apartment in the complex, American Tobacco does feature a large lawn that is open to the public and that hosts&#160;concerts and other community events. Across the street is the stadium for the Triple-A Durham Bulls (also the property of Capitol Broadcasting) and the Durham Performing Arts Center, a city-owned theater focusing on high-priced marquee events, and thus dependent on the wealthy patrons brought in by American Tobacco.</p>
<p>In short, American Tobacco is a centerpiece of&#160;Durham’s community, praised by even the most ardent critics of Liberty Warehouse’s destruction. But despite the economic good it has done&#160;for Durham, the development has become the lynchpin in the argument for privatizing the public.</p>
<p>And the damage this mode of development has wrought isn’t wholly symbolic. Because it’s privately owned, Capitol Broadcasting can police mass gatherings in ways impossible in truly public spaces.</p>
<p>A note on American Tobacco’s website states: “The American Tobacco Campus is a business and entertainment center. As such, we do not allow activities not usually associated with the safe and orderly operations of workplaces and entertainment. Political protests and demonstrations of any kind are not appropriate to the campus environment and as such are not allowed.” Such commodification inhibits the vitality of that public life, narrowly channeling it into activities and viewpoints approved by private companies.</p>
<p>Of course, that’s not how American Tobacco tells it. A <a href="http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/14362373/" type="external">video</a> produced by an advertising firm representing the corporation and posted on WRAL, a local CBS affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting, frames&#160;the development project as Durham’s savior. The video is titled “Because No One Else Would,” implying that were it not for these noble business executives, Durham would have been left to rot. The goal, it seems, is to own the very existence of the community, to have the city answer to a private firm for its public value. “It’s about community development,” a Capitol Broadcasting employee says of their aims in the video.</p>
<p>American Tobacco is hardly alone. There’s also the <a href="http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/durham/" type="external">21c</a>, the new location of a boutique hotel chain that houses a “contemporary art museum,” and <a href="http://thedurham.com/" type="external">The Durham</a>, another upscale hotel that will include a restaurant whose chef claims will be a “community living room” for the city. These businesses therefore hope to profit from the simple, foundational acts that constitute community. But by selling the idea of community back to the people that create it, they’ve also produced a kind of symbolic company scrip, turning Durham’s public into a privately owned brand.</p>
<p>In Durham it’s to the point where Clarion Content, a progressive local news outlet, has&#160; <a href="http://clarioncontentmedia.com/2015/05/sights-on-the-city-episode-20-at-goldenbelt-with-heather-gordon/" type="external">celebrated</a> the arts operations at Golden Belt, another privately owned factory/mixed-used space, seeing it&#160;as more equitable because it’s “consciously developed” in a poor section of the city and offers short leases. They did not mention that Golden Belt also consists of (even more) luxury lofts that start at $1,200 a month in a neighborhood with a median income of $16,000.</p>
<p>Durham is just one example of the broader move to privatize public space. Another infamous case occurred in San Francisco <a href="http://www.pps.org/" type="external">last year</a>, when a spat flared up between longtime working-class residents and affluent tech workers at a soccer field. Historically a site for pickup games among Latino residents, the city decided to rent the field for a fee, reservable by app.</p>
<p>The city government effectively decided that public areas must be privatized, even if only for an hour at a time. The city imperiled the community that created the demand from which it hoped to profit, all in the name of better serving that same community. (After much public pressure, the city did away with the evening rentals.)</p>
<p>Even when cities are being planned, the importance of keeping the public, public is often lost. Emphasis is placed on “placemaking” as though the existence of certain goods within a city is enough. <a href="http://www.pps.org/reference/11steps/" type="external">The Project for Public Spaces</a>, for example, offers “eleven principles for creating great community places,” but none mention protecting public ownership.</p>
<p>The organization suggests finding&#160;partners in development, apparently unaware&#160;that many of those partners will request privatization as a condition for their involvement and that privatization threatens the ways that “people of all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds can .&#160;.&#160;. access and enjoy a place.”</p>
<p>Once a city’s public areas are privatized, not only can the physical appearance of undesired people in those areas be denied (as at American Tobacco), but the culture itself can be sold as a commodity — all at the expense of the original community, both its physical spaces and the social activities that depend on them.</p>
<p>The urban privatization game is similar to the business models used in the tech industry. Google, Facebook, and similar companies offer free services to attract a large user base. Those accounts are then used to attract additional users, at which point the companies can sell user data, essentially profiting from community-based interactions like sharing memories and wishing friends happy birthday.</p>
<p>In cities&#160;firms have started marketing properties as though they are public areas, masking their private nature in an effort to attract more consumers. Then they point to the role their privatized public plays in the community, at which point they sell the very idea of community back to the public. To go to American Tobacco becomes an essential part of being a Durhamite, and the fact that Capitol Broadcasting owns and controls American Tobacco, and thus whatever part of Durham American Tobacco represents, is effaced.</p>
<p>In essence, real-estate development has now entered into cultural capitalism not by branding its company, but by turning the city in which it owns land into its own personal brand. From here, the door is always left open for additional privatization, and the threat to community grows.</p>
<p>Many claim that private ownership is necessary, especially in areas with faltering economies, in order to build thriving communities. But this argument obscures the role that public investment plays in ostensibly private redevelopment. Even Capitol Broadcasting admits in its self-aggrandizing video that it needed&#160;local government to rebuild American Tobacco.</p>
<p>The question then, isn’t whether the state will be involved but for what end — to facilitate privatization, or to keep community spaces in the public sphere.</p> | true | 4 | walk north foster street160from center durham nc youll soon pass durham central park residents gather every saturday weekly farmers market alongside food trucks skate park new playground past abutting parks property dilapidated windowless building flanked signs local realty company offering chance downtown signs include stylized architectural drawings condos soon replace building direct visit propertys website learn property close everything far ordinary rich blend history creativity innovation makes durham perfect place work play youll discover many us love calling home youll scroll past number similar invocations durhams name come details condos realtor seems selling city first condo second apparently buying one units represents prime investment priceless qualityoflife dividends product earning dividends durham downtown tagline bit marketing exaggeration isnt much one notion privately owning profiting public good one inherent capitalism development durham represents contemporary twist160developers aim reenclose little commons left including immaterial goods like community history addition material bases sell commodity corporations follow wealthy workers back urban centers notion personally owning citys downtown social goods come transformed marketing gimmick active goal developers capitalists decade ago durham another small american city economy left stagnate departure industries birthed tobacco manufacturing smalltown version detroit vs everybody mentality people durham developed pride grittiness city seen visibly architecture large swaths old factories closed autobody shops gas stations dotting city blocks old mill villages interspersed thanks cheap land empty storefronts galleries bakeries restaurants popped durham place praised new york times travel leisure southern living commercial opportunities like gentrifying areas investment came first housing retail thanks conspicuous durham pride investors claimed wanted part already existed projects like west village massive complex offices lofts luxury apartments housed old tobacco factories celebrated creative reuse vacant though historically significant buildings durham thanked capitalists salvaging concrete parts past historic buildings tangible link came said wendy hillis preservation durham become global society everything looks everywhere go historic buildings places add uniqueness community incredibly important yet160these tangible parts durhams past truly enjoyed wealthy west village one expensive housing options available downtown businesses consist largely stores refer boutiques pricing match true similar developments almost whose costs prohibitive average person affluence seems prerequisite partaking fully durhams history culture process gentrification didnt stop pricing poor however local economy recovered land values risen even partial protection durhams history justified initial investment become impossible fiscally conservative construction projects easily estimated costs profitably built durhams newest housing options including new addition west village complex longer match industrial brick style kinds condos find anywhere whatever preservation durham thought safeguarding privatization trend received criticism liberty warehouse another historic tobacco landmark demolished make room still luxury condos architectural sketches show amalgamation bright colors steel beams stucco glass none said match style citys cherished history despite developers claims preserved something importance salvaging two sections original structures exterior walls meshed building destruction liberty warehouse elicited backlash violence done durhams architecture wave rising housing prices threaten price moderately wealthy residents previously priced lowincome residents development promising authentic connection community destroys same160community logic gentrification ubiquitous chicagos historically hispanic pilsen neighborhood fighting preserve defining culture berlins graffiticovered squats emptied readied development areas near washington dcs160 howard university160now filled new residents brought businesses supposedly meant aid original residents case culture area loved unique something billed authentic mined new profits accessible via land ownership mainstream prescriptions ameliorate gentrification miss entirely policymakers ask additional housing built set aside lowincome households yet development targeting public land public culture ties community together response simply requests additional units poor fails accomplishing stated goal ignores danger privatizing community danger often begins end housing crown jewel durhams recent development american tobacco campus headquarters eponymous company bought 2004 capitol broadcasting transformed sprawling complex offices restaurants yet luxury apartments development project local advocates say spurred durhams economic turnaround though cant afford either office apartment complex american tobacco feature large lawn open public hosts160concerts community events across street stadium triplea durham bulls also property capitol broadcasting durham performing arts center cityowned theater focusing highpriced marquee events thus dependent wealthy patrons brought american tobacco short american tobacco centerpiece of160durhams community praised even ardent critics liberty warehouses destruction despite economic good done160for durham development become lynchpin argument privatizing public damage mode development wrought isnt wholly symbolic privately owned capitol broadcasting police mass gatherings ways impossible truly public spaces note american tobaccos website states american tobacco campus business entertainment center allow activities usually associated safe orderly operations workplaces entertainment political protests demonstrations kind appropriate campus environment allowed commodification inhibits vitality public life narrowly channeling activities viewpoints approved private companies course thats american tobacco tells video produced advertising firm representing corporation posted wral local cbs affiliate owned capitol broadcasting frames160the development project durhams savior video titled one else would implying noble business executives durham would left rot goal seems existence community city answer private firm public value community development capitol broadcasting employee says aims video american tobacco hardly alone theres also 21c new location boutique hotel chain houses contemporary art museum durham another upscale hotel include restaurant whose chef claims community living room city businesses therefore hope profit simple foundational acts constitute community selling idea community back people create theyve also produced kind symbolic company scrip turning durhams public privately owned brand durham point clarion content progressive local news outlet has160 celebrated arts operations golden belt another privately owned factorymixedused space seeing it160as equitable consciously developed poor section city offers short leases mention golden belt also consists even luxury lofts start 1200 month neighborhood median income 16000 durham one example broader move privatize public space another infamous case occurred san francisco last year spat flared longtime workingclass residents affluent tech workers soccer field historically site pickup games among latino residents city decided rent field fee reservable app city government effectively decided public areas must privatized even hour time city imperiled community created demand hoped profit name better serving community much public pressure city away evening rentals even cities planned importance keeping public public often lost emphasis placed placemaking though existence certain goods within city enough project public spaces example offers eleven principles creating great community places none mention protecting public ownership organization suggests finding160partners development apparently unaware160that many partners request privatization condition involvement privatization threatens ways people ages abilities socioeconomic backgrounds 160160 access enjoy place citys public areas privatized physical appearance undesired people areas denied american tobacco culture sold commodity expense original community physical spaces social activities depend urban privatization game similar business models used tech industry google facebook similar companies offer free services attract large user base accounts used attract additional users point companies sell user data essentially profiting communitybased interactions like sharing memories wishing friends happy birthday cities160firms started marketing properties though public areas masking private nature effort attract consumers point role privatized public plays community point sell idea community back public go american tobacco becomes essential part durhamite fact capitol broadcasting owns controls american tobacco thus whatever part durham american tobacco represents effaced essence realestate development entered cultural capitalism branding company turning city owns land personal brand door always left open additional privatization threat community grows many claim private ownership necessary especially areas faltering economies order build thriving communities argument obscures role public investment plays ostensibly private redevelopment even capitol broadcasting admits selfaggrandizing video needed160local government rebuild american tobacco question isnt whether state involved end facilitate privatization keep community spaces public sphere | 1,201 |
<p>By Alec MacGillis / ProPublicaThis piece originally ran on <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/health-care-at-risk-for-12000-retired-coal-miners-and-their-families" type="external">ProPublica</a>.</p>
<p>John R. Leach worked for Peabody Energy Corp. in western Kentucky for 23 years. When he retired, he and his wife Rhonda relied on his pension and health benefits not only for themselves but to care for two severely disabled adult children. So when Peabody notified them in 2007 that their benefits were now the responsibility of a spinoff called Patriot Coal, they had a worrisome premonition.</p>
<p>“We said, ‘There’s something going on here that’s not right,'” Rhonda Leach said.</p>
<p>The family’s worries were justified. When Patriot filed for bankruptcy two years ago, retiree benefits for thousands of mining families were put at risk. While Peabody eventually agreed to pay for some of those costs, Patriot is now back in financial trouble. This time around, Peabody is quietly seeking to <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/miner-health-fund-at-risk-due-to-peabody-patriot-dispute/article_73cb7218-2a4e-59df-9971-f71101e097a3.html" type="external">get out of paying</a> for any of its remaining agreed-upon obligations to its retirees.</p>
<p />
<p>“All I could think is, you dirty, low-down rotten scoundrels. How could anyone with a conscience do something like this?” Rhonda Leach said.</p>
<p>Peabody’s maneuver is perhaps the starkest example yet of how corporate engineering by coal companies under increasing economic duress is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/business/energy-environment/coal-miners-struggle-to-survive-in-an-industry-battered-by-layoffs-and-bankruptcy.html?_r=1" type="external">imperiling whatever security workers and retirees still possess</a> after their years of work in frequently dangerous conditions.</p>
<p>It dwarfs another attempt to undermine retired miners’ health benefits as part of the Patriot bankruptcy, which ProPublica <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/dealmakers-drop-plan-divert-millions-health-insurance-retired-coal-miners" type="external">wrote about earlier this month</a>. In that instance, lawyers for Patriot were seeking to redirect for themselves and others involved in the bankruptcy case $18 million that was intended for the health benefits for about 200 retired miners in southern Indiana.</p>
<p>After ProPublica reported on that proposal and both Hillary and Bill Clinton spoke out against it, the lawyers <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/dealmakers-drop-plan-divert-millions-health-insurance-retired-coal-miners" type="external">withdrew that plan</a> from the Richmond, Va., court handling Patriot’s bankruptcy.</p>
<p>What Peabody is now proposing represents a sum eight times as big — $145 million — and a pool of retirees far larger than the southern Indiana group. If Peabody prevails, it will mean that a fund that covers 12,000 retired miners, their dependents and widows — most of them in Kentucky and West Virginia — will run dry early next year, much sooner than expected. This will raise pressure in Congress to bail out the fund with taxpayer money.</p>
<p>Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, issued a statement yesterday about Peabody’s latest plan. “These are people who put their own health and safety at risk for years so the rest of us could have the affordable, reliable electricity we take for granted, and now many suffer from black lung disease and other job-related illnesses,” Clinton said. “They are entitled to the benefits they’ve earned, and which Peabody just two years ago committed to pay. I hope Peabody does the right thing, reverses course, and honors the commitments it’s made.”</p>
<p>The issue has its roots in the <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peabody-energy-completes-spin-off-of-patriot-coal-corporation-58523057.html" type="external">restructuring</a> eight years ago by Peabody, the nation’s largest coal company. It created Patriot Coal and transferred to the new firm 13 percent of its coal reserves and 40 percent of its health care liabilities, the obligations for 8,400 former Peabody employees and dependents. Patriot added responsibility for another 2,300 retirees and dependents when it acquired Magnum Coal, a spinoff from the country’s second-largest coal company, Arch.</p>
<p>Under union contracts, the retirees qualified for their health benefits by working in the mines for at least 20 years.</p>
<p>The implications of the Peabody spinoff weren’t entirely clear at the time, since the coal industry was still in relatively strong shape. But by 2012, coal companies were being pressed by competition from cheap natural gas, new environmental regulations and declining Appalachian reserves. Patriot, with its total liabilities rising to $1.37 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112449/peabody-energys-disappearing-health-benefits" type="external">putting the benefits of its nearly 11,000 Peabody and Arch retirees and dependents at risk</a>.</p>
<p>This drew the attention of <a href="http://www.fox.temple.edu/mcm_people/bruce-rader/" type="external">Temple University business professor Bruce Rader</a>, who wrote an article arguing that Peabody’s maneuver should worry believers in free-market capitalism. “This is a perfect example of the use of the legal system to socialize the costs and therefore lead to a transfer of costs to the general public from the shareholders of a company,” Rader <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112449/peabody-energys-disappearing-health-benefits" type="external">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>But the judge overseeing the case in the bankruptcy court in St. Louis, Kathy Surratt-States, disagreed, and <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324412604578513572460160236?alg=y" type="external">initially granted</a> Patriot’s request to offload more than $1.5 billion in retiree obligations. “Was Debtor Patriot Coal Corporation created to fail? Maybe not. Maybe,” <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113342/judge-approves-peabodypatriot-move-against-retired-coal-miners" type="external">wrote Surratt-States</a>.” Regardless, she continued, the miners’ benefits were probably too generous to begin with: “Unions generally try to bargain for the best deal for their members. However, there is likely some responsibility to be absorbed for demanding benefits that the employer cannot realistically fund in perpetuity, particularly given the availability of sophisticated actuarial analysts and cost trend experts.”</p>
<p>It was only after further legal pressure from the United Mine Workers of America, as well as voluble protests at Peabody’s St. Louis headquarters by union members, that Peabody <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/patriotcoal-bankruptcy-idUSL4N0I00XW20131010" type="external">agreed to a partial compromise</a>. A voluntary employee beneficiary association — VEBA — was established to cover the benefits of the 11,000 retirees and dependents. The VEBA was to be overseen by the union, but it would be funded with $400 million from the coal companies, $310 million of that from Peabody, whose retirees made up more than two-thirds of those in the VEBA.</p>
<p>This was much less than the $1.45 billion that the companies estimated as the benefits’ cost, but it was better than nothing. In exchange, the union gave up an equity stake it had in Patriot, and it had to <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115354/peabody-energys-quiet-settlement-patriot-coals-retired-miners" type="external">pledge not to disparage the companies</a>.</p>
<p>Patriot also obtained new financing from a New York hedge fund, Knighthead Capital, which allowed it to emerge from Chapter 11. But the coal industry declined even more sharply, and earlier this year Patriot filed for Chapter 11 yet again, one of a host of companies to do so. This time, it is <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/blackhawk-mining-wins-patriot-coal-bankruptcy-auction-1442939832" type="external">auctioning off its mines</a>, mostly to another coal venture also backed by Knighthead.</p>
<p>While this bankruptcy has been playing out in Richmond, Peabody made its move in St. Louis, asking the same judge who sided with it two years ago, Surratt-States, to reopen the 2013 agreement that established the VEBA payments. In effect, Peabody argued, it should be allowed out of that agreement with the UMWA and Patriot since Patriot was going out of existence. With more retirees having become eligible for the fund since 2013, it now holds about 12,000 people — 3,500 of them from Arch/Magnum, and the rest from Peabody.</p>
<p>On Oct. 9, Surratt-States granted Peabody’s request to reopen the 2013 agreement and make its case for getting out of its remaining VEBA payments — $75 million due in January and another $70 million a year after that.</p>
<p>Last week, the UMWA filed a challenge, arguing that the fate of the VEBA payments should instead be addressed by the Richmond court handling the Patriot bankruptcy, since if Peabody is allowed out of the $145 million in payments, the union would demand those from Patriot instead. “Peabody remains obligated to fulfill its obligations under the contract to the UMWA, notwithstanding” Patriot’s collapse, the union said. Peabody, it continued, would be “inequitably and unjustly enriched” by being allowed out of the payments. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported on the confrontation <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/miner-health-fund-at-risk-due-to-peabody-patriot-dispute/article_73cb7218-2a4e-59df-9971-f71101e097a3.html" type="external">last week</a>.</p>
<p>Asked about Peabody’s effort to undo the 2013 agreement, a company spokeswoman provided a statement saying simply, “We look forward to gaining additional clarity on the three-party 2013 Settlement Agreement. This court [St. Louis] is the proper place to decide this given it originally settled the 2013 agreement.” The spokeswoman also challenged a reference to those in the VEBA as “Peabody retirees.” “Please note that this is a group of Patriot retirees — not Peabody,” she wrote. In fact, the vast majority of them had in fact worked for Peabody and retired from it prior to the creation of Patriot — after all, they needed to work for 20 years to qualify for benefits, and Patriot has existed since only 2007.</p>
<p>The VEBA was expected to run dry in a few years even with Peabody’s remaining $145 million on the books, given that the payments agreed upon in 2013 amounted to less than a third of the benefits’ expected cost. Anticipating this depletion, there has been <a href="https://whitfield.house.gov/press-release/whitfield-introduces-bill-protect-coal-miners-health-care-benefits" type="external">a move afoot in Congress</a> to put the retirees into the Coal Act fund, which has since 1992 been covering union retirees from shuttered mines.</p>
<p>That fund was for years fed by the interest from fees coal companies were paying to restore abandoned mines, but since 2006 it has been buttressed by $490 million per year in taxpayer money. The proposal to add the VEBA members to the fund has 54 co-sponsors, but is still awaiting a hearing in the House. If Peabody is allowed out of the $145 million obligation, the question of a taxpayer bailout would become far more urgent — the union says the fund could run out as early as January.</p>
<p>The union is gearing up for protests before it comes to that. “We’re going to try to fight as good as we can,” said Kenny Smith, 64, who worked 17 years at Peabody mines in western Kentucky and was the vice president of his union local, and relies on his coverage for his serious heart disease. “We kept our deal and they didn’t keep their deal. Back where I’m from in Harlan County, you tell a man a promise, you keep it.”</p>
<p>The Leaches, who provide their adult children’s home care on their own, depend on the retiree insurance to supplement disability insurance for the extensive costs they incur, everything from replacing feeding tubes to treating staph infections to paying for a special bar that connects their wheelchairs so that Rhonda can more easily take them with her when she goes shopping at Walmart.</p>
<p>She said she was more worried about Peabody widows than about her own children. “I thought about the elderly gentlemen who passed away thinking the one thing they could leave their spouse was a health care and a pension,” she said.</p>
<p>“All I think,” she added, “is that these people are living in a fallen world that’s all about the money. The rest of what I’m thinking you couldn’t print. It wouldn’t be Christian.”</p>
<p>Related stories: For more coverage of labor and Wall Street, read ProPublica’s previous reporting on a plan to <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/dealmakers-drop-plan-divert-millions-health-insurance-retired-coal-miners" type="external">divert money from miners</a> to lawyers, the corporate <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/inside-corporate-americas-plan-to-ditch-workers-comp" type="external">attack on workers’ compensation</a> laws and a hedge fund’s <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/behind-new-jerseys-tobacco-bond-bailout-a-hedge-funds-100-million-payday" type="external">$100 million payday</a>.</p>
<p>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | alec macgillis propublicathis piece originally ran propublica john r leach worked peabody energy corp western kentucky 23 years retired wife rhonda relied pension health benefits care two severely disabled adult children peabody notified 2007 benefits responsibility spinoff called patriot coal worrisome premonition said theres something going thats right rhonda leach said familys worries justified patriot filed bankruptcy two years ago retiree benefits thousands mining families put risk peabody eventually agreed pay costs patriot back financial trouble time around peabody quietly seeking get paying remaining agreedupon obligations retirees could think dirty lowdown rotten scoundrels could anyone conscience something like rhonda leach said peabodys maneuver perhaps starkest example yet corporate engineering coal companies increasing economic duress imperiling whatever security workers retirees still possess years work frequently dangerous conditions dwarfs another attempt undermine retired miners health benefits part patriot bankruptcy propublica wrote earlier month instance lawyers patriot seeking redirect others involved bankruptcy case 18 million intended health benefits 200 retired miners southern indiana propublica reported proposal hillary bill clinton spoke lawyers withdrew plan richmond va court handling patriots bankruptcy peabody proposing represents sum eight times big 145 million pool retirees far larger southern indiana group peabody prevails mean fund covers 12000 retired miners dependents widows kentucky west virginia run dry early next year much sooner expected raise pressure congress bail fund taxpayer money hillary clinton seeking democratic presidential nomination issued statement yesterday peabodys latest plan people put health safety risk years rest us could affordable reliable electricity take granted many suffer black lung disease jobrelated illnesses clinton said entitled benefits theyve earned peabody two years ago committed pay hope peabody right thing reverses course honors commitments made issue roots restructuring eight years ago peabody nations largest coal company created patriot coal transferred new firm 13 percent coal reserves 40 percent health care liabilities obligations 8400 former peabody employees dependents patriot added responsibility another 2300 retirees dependents acquired magnum coal spinoff countrys secondlargest coal company arch union contracts retirees qualified health benefits working mines least 20 years implications peabody spinoff werent entirely clear time since coal industry still relatively strong shape 2012 coal companies pressed competition cheap natural gas new environmental regulations declining appalachian reserves patriot total liabilities rising 137 billion filed chapter 11 bankruptcy putting benefits nearly 11000 peabody arch retirees dependents risk drew attention temple university business professor bruce rader wrote article arguing peabodys maneuver worry believers freemarket capitalism perfect example use legal system socialize costs therefore lead transfer costs general public shareholders company rader wrote judge overseeing case bankruptcy court st louis kathy surrattstates disagreed initially granted patriots request offload 15 billion retiree obligations debtor patriot coal corporation created fail maybe maybe wrote surrattstates regardless continued miners benefits probably generous begin unions generally try bargain best deal members however likely responsibility absorbed demanding benefits employer realistically fund perpetuity particularly given availability sophisticated actuarial analysts cost trend experts legal pressure united mine workers america well voluble protests peabodys st louis headquarters union members peabody agreed partial compromise voluntary employee beneficiary association veba established cover benefits 11000 retirees dependents veba overseen union would funded 400 million coal companies 310 million peabody whose retirees made twothirds veba much less 145 billion companies estimated benefits cost better nothing exchange union gave equity stake patriot pledge disparage companies patriot also obtained new financing new york hedge fund knighthead capital allowed emerge chapter 11 coal industry declined even sharply earlier year patriot filed chapter 11 yet one host companies time auctioning mines mostly another coal venture also backed knighthead bankruptcy playing richmond peabody made move st louis asking judge sided two years ago surrattstates reopen 2013 agreement established veba payments effect peabody argued allowed agreement umwa patriot since patriot going existence retirees become eligible fund since 2013 holds 12000 people 3500 archmagnum rest peabody oct 9 surrattstates granted peabodys request reopen 2013 agreement make case getting remaining veba payments 75 million due january another 70 million year last week umwa filed challenge arguing fate veba payments instead addressed richmond court handling patriot bankruptcy since peabody allowed 145 million payments union would demand patriot instead peabody remains obligated fulfill obligations contract umwa notwithstanding patriots collapse union said peabody continued would inequitably unjustly enriched allowed payments st louis postdispatch first reported confrontation last week asked peabodys effort undo 2013 agreement company spokeswoman provided statement saying simply look forward gaining additional clarity threeparty 2013 settlement agreement court st louis proper place decide given originally settled 2013 agreement spokeswoman also challenged reference veba peabody retirees please note group patriot retirees peabody wrote fact vast majority fact worked peabody retired prior creation patriot needed work 20 years qualify benefits patriot existed since 2007 veba expected run dry years even peabodys remaining 145 million books given payments agreed upon 2013 amounted less third benefits expected cost anticipating depletion move afoot congress put retirees coal act fund since 1992 covering union retirees shuttered mines fund years fed interest fees coal companies paying restore abandoned mines since 2006 buttressed 490 million per year taxpayer money proposal add veba members fund 54 cosponsors still awaiting hearing house peabody allowed 145 million obligation question taxpayer bailout would become far urgent union says fund could run early january union gearing protests comes going try fight good said kenny smith 64 worked 17 years peabody mines western kentucky vice president union local relies coverage serious heart disease kept deal didnt keep deal back im harlan county tell man promise keep leaches provide adult childrens home care depend retiree insurance supplement disability insurance extensive costs incur everything replacing feeding tubes treating staph infections paying special bar connects wheelchairs rhonda easily take goes shopping walmart said worried peabody widows children thought elderly gentlemen passed away thinking one thing could leave spouse health care pension said think added people living fallen world thats money rest im thinking couldnt print wouldnt christian related stories coverage labor wall street read propublicas previous reporting plan divert money miners lawyers corporate attack workers compensation laws hedge funds 100 million payday propublica pulitzer prizewinning investigative newsroom | 999 |
<p>When Muntader al-Zaidi hurled one shoe then another at George Bush in Baghdad last year, he couldn’t have foreseen the fallout. Doubtless inspired by the Iraqi journalist, Jarnail Singh, a veteran Delhi reporter, tossed his shoe&#160; —&#160; a solid Reebok trainer&#160; —&#160;&#160; at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. Jarnail works for the Hindi newspaper, dainik jagran (The Daily Awakening). For the Home Minister, it was a rude awakening. Jarnail Singh was miffed with the Congress Party for fielding two tainted candidates from parliamentary constituencies in Delhi in our ongoing national elections.</p>
<p>The two, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, are tainted by allegations of having participated in the anti-Sikh violence that followed the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1984. That violence remains one of the ugliest chapters in independent India’s history. As many as 3,000 people were slaughtered in a few days, with some being burnt alive by mobs who also looted Sikh properties and homes of billions of rupees. I was in Delhi at the time and have never forgotten the barbarity on the streets. Many of us reporters on those streets had covered violence before, but this was of a level and of a kind that we had never run into and it scorched us forever.</p>
<p>The legal process, as always in India, has been so tardy that very few of those involved have been brought to book&#160; —&#160; and certainly no one of any significance. In short, some very important people have escaped. With the cases and inquiries dragging on for 25 years, even some of the witnesses are dead, have migrated or just decided to clam up for their own safety.</p>
<p>So when the news came that the two high-profile Congressmen were to be fielded as candidates for election to the nation’s parliament, there was obvious dismay, not just among Sikhs, but across diverse sections of society.&#160; The Congress seemed to be living up to the old adage: When there’s nothing left to do, be sure a fool will do it.</p>
<p>Jarnail Singh is a reporter of considerable experience and generally, his colleagues say, very mild-mannered. He certainly chose a good place to put his foot down and his shoe up. This was a press conference with the nation’s home minister, bursting with TV cameras. Jarnail Singh has since made it clear that he bore no personal animus towards the minister. He was just registering his anguish&#160; —&#160; and that of his community. He even wants to meet the home minister and make that clear. &#160;After all, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. At the press conference, though, it was hell for leather.</p>
<p>Very much like Muntader,&#160; Jarnail Singh says he was overcome by emotion (and perhaps live TV coverage) at that stage and felt he had to make his point. Like Muntader, it proved effective. At least in that it grabbed the headlines, prime time&#160; —&#160; and has forced the Congress to reflect, even rethink the wisdom of putting up those two gentlemen for election.&#160; As yet, though, they have not been withdrawn from the poll fray. Like Muntader, Jarnail missed his target (though seated right up front in the first row). It might one day be said of both journalists: their aims were noble, their aim was not. [To be fair to Muntader, his target had to duck. Eds.]</p>
<p>But unlike Muntader, Jarnail has not been brutalised or tortured after the event. He’s been much interviewed on television, though, which I suppose is the dominant form of torture in our times. The embarrassment he caused was also his insurance, in a way. The thought of so much adverse publicity, among other things, saw the Home Minister forgive him immediately. And the media are full of fun headlines:</p>
<p>Minister gets the boot over clean chit to Tytler. Sikh shoe misses Chidu, hits Congress, Tytler, though.</p>
<p>Of course, there are the inevitably prosy edits over how what Jarnail Singh did was ill-advised. The Times of India even went on to ask why do this when “a journalist is free to express his views through his writing”&#160; A line that comes as a stunning revelation to the countless journalists working for the Times who lust for even a speck of such freedom. From Baghdad to New Delhi, all this is giving ‘shoe-leather journalism’ a whole new meaning. &#160;&#160;In fact, even The Times acknowledged this new school as ‘Jarnailism.’</p>
<p>On the whole, the writing here has been far more fun than the crud I saw in the mainstream US media after Bush was shooed out of Baghdad. The line I most vividly recall from the US media at the time was: “The hurling of a shoe at an adversary is a major insult in middle eastern culture.”&#160; As though it would have been a show of warm affection and bonding in the United States or Europe? But let me strike a blow here for our proud civilization over the Mesopotamian. Shoes have another significance in India. They are related to the obscene practice of untouchability. (The cobbler or shoe maker is normally a dalit belonging to one or the other scheduled caste. These groups have faced indescribable discrimination for centuries. Footwear makers have that status in the caste system because they deal with the carcasses of the sacred cow.)</p>
<p>The adorning of a hated one’s portrait with a garland of shoes and chappals often happens in India. It’s happening right now with the protestors who have come out onto the streets inspired by Jarnail. Portraits of Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are also slapped with chappals and stomped on with heavy shoes by protestors digging their heels into the faces on those pictures.</p>
<p>There have also been incidents involving politicians and shoes in the past. One event I attended in Mumbai in the early 1980s was a Youth Congress seminar. The major speaker was a Congress minister and a rising star in the state of Maharashtra. As was mandatory with the Youth Congress, two warring factions quickly attacked each other at their own seminar. Knees were fractured, arms were broken, chairs were freely used as weapons. The subject of the day, of course, was Peace &amp; Disarmament. Perhaps disarmament was taken in too literal and physical a sense.</p>
<p>In the melee, as they say, the minister’s &#160;footwear was lost&#160; —&#160; stolen&#160; (it was, like Jarnail’s, an expensive type)&#160; or just used as missiles in the heated debate on disarmament. He was joshed by reporters about the loss of his shoes after the event. To which the minister responded with some asperity that it was of no consequence since he owned some 42 pairs of footwear. I did ask him whether he had collected all those at one meeting from an angry audience with good throwing skills, but the crack didn’t go down too well.</p>
<p>Jarnail Singh was on television last night. Most gentle, peaceful, and introspective. He had very early&#160; pointed out that while the issue was deep in the hearts of Sikhs, it was also a larger national issue. (On which he is absolutely right.) There was barely a word he said on television&#160; that anyone could grudge. He did not want others to do the same, he said, adding that his&#160; method had been wrong, but his reasons were real and painful. He asserted that he had no intention of humiliating the minister, but it suddenly came upon him that he just had to protest. So he unburdened his sole and that was that.</p>
<p>P. SAINATH is the rural affairs editor of The Hindu and is the author of Everybody Loves a Good Drought. A regular contributor to CounterPunch,&#160; he can be reached at <a href="mailto:psainath@vsnl.com" type="external">psainath@vsnl.com</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | muntader alzaidi hurled one shoe another george bush baghdad last year couldnt foreseen fallout doubtless inspired iraqi journalist jarnail singh veteran delhi reporter tossed shoe160 160 solid reebok trainer160 160160 union home minister p chidambaram jarnail works hindi newspaper dainik jagran daily awakening home minister rude awakening jarnail singh miffed congress party fielding two tainted candidates parliamentary constituencies delhi ongoing national elections two jagdish tytler sajjan kumar tainted allegations participated antisikh violence followed assassination mrs indira gandhi 1984 violence remains one ugliest chapters independent indias history many 3000 people slaughtered days burnt alive mobs also looted sikh properties homes billions rupees delhi time never forgotten barbarity streets many us reporters streets covered violence level kind never run scorched us forever legal process always india tardy involved brought book160 160 certainly one significance short important people escaped cases inquiries dragging 25 years even witnesses dead migrated decided clam safety news came two highprofile congressmen fielded candidates election nations parliament obvious dismay among sikhs across diverse sections society160 congress seemed living old adage theres nothing left sure fool jarnail singh reporter considerable experience generally colleagues say mildmannered certainly chose good place put foot shoe press conference nations home minister bursting tv cameras jarnail singh since made clear bore personal animus towards minister registering anguish160 160 community even wants meet home minister make clear 160after wearer knows shoe pinches press conference though hell leather much like muntader160 jarnail singh says overcome emotion perhaps live tv coverage stage felt make point like muntader proved effective least grabbed headlines prime time160 160 forced congress reflect even rethink wisdom putting two gentlemen election160 yet though withdrawn poll fray like muntader jarnail missed target though seated right front first row might one day said journalists aims noble aim fair muntader target duck eds unlike muntader jarnail brutalised tortured event hes much interviewed television though suppose dominant form torture times embarrassment caused also insurance way thought much adverse publicity among things saw home minister forgive immediately media full fun headlines minister gets boot clean chit tytler sikh shoe misses chidu hits congress tytler though course inevitably prosy edits jarnail singh illadvised times india even went ask journalist free express views writing160 line comes stunning revelation countless journalists working times lust even speck freedom baghdad new delhi giving shoeleather journalism whole new meaning 160160in fact even times acknowledged new school jarnailism whole writing far fun crud saw mainstream us media bush shooed baghdad line vividly recall us media time hurling shoe adversary major insult middle eastern culture160 though would show warm affection bonding united states europe let strike blow proud civilization mesopotamian shoes another significance india related obscene practice untouchability cobbler shoe maker normally dalit belonging one scheduled caste groups faced indescribable discrimination centuries footwear makers status caste system deal carcasses sacred cow adorning hated ones portrait garland shoes chappals often happens india happening right protestors come onto streets inspired jarnail portraits tytler sajjan kumar also slapped chappals stomped heavy shoes protestors digging heels faces pictures also incidents involving politicians shoes past one event attended mumbai early 1980s youth congress seminar major speaker congress minister rising star state maharashtra mandatory youth congress two warring factions quickly attacked seminar knees fractured arms broken chairs freely used weapons subject day course peace amp disarmament perhaps disarmament taken literal physical sense melee say ministers 160footwear lost160 160 stolen160 like jarnails expensive type160 used missiles heated debate disarmament joshed reporters loss shoes event minister responded asperity consequence since owned 42 pairs footwear ask whether collected one meeting angry audience good throwing skills crack didnt go well jarnail singh television last night gentle peaceful introspective early160 pointed issue deep hearts sikhs also larger national issue absolutely right barely word said television160 anyone could grudge want others said adding his160 method wrong reasons real painful asserted intention humiliating minister suddenly came upon protest unburdened sole p sainath rural affairs editor hindu author everybody loves good drought regular contributor counterpunch160 reached psainathvsnlcom 160 | 657 |
<p>I am in Canada for the second time in a month, staying for a week, as I did the last time.&#160; My visits coincided with the 150th anniversary of Canada’s inauguration as a settler-colonial nation.</p>
<p>The foreigner unfamiliar with Canada might make the mortal error of thinking it is just “like” its neighbour to the south.</p>
<p>Well, yes and no.</p>
<p>The drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls could be replicated just about anywhere in the US– one traverses kilometre after kilometre of suburban “developments” punctuated by strip malls and the occasional patch of green in an unremitting monoscape.</p>
<p>Canadian fast-food outlets and chain stores are pretty much the same as in the US (again this could also be said of London or Shanghai), as are the television offerings, but there the cultural overlaps start to end.</p>
<p>Canada has a significant hunting culture involving the use of guns, but at the same time it has many fewer of the gun rampages alas so routine in the US.&#160; According to a Vox <a href="" type="internal">report</a> dated June 14, 2017, citing UN data compiled by the Guardian, “the US has nearly six times the gun homicide rate as Canada, more than seven times as Sweden, and nearly 16 times as Germany”.</p>
<p>I posed this issue to nearly everyone I met during my visits here.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, given that I was attending conferences involving novelists, poets and academics, the responses I got were thoughtful and measured.</p>
<p>Here are some of them:&#160; the Canadian gun registration process is more rigorous and its gun laws more stringent (even pepper spray used as a form of self-defence is statutorily illegal) than in the US.</p>
<p>In the US, where toddlers with access to guns that are improperly stored kill more people than “terrorists”, it is interesting to read this section of Canada’s Criminal Code on what constitutes proof that a weapon was stored in a manner contravening the code’s gun storage rubrics: “the item was stored in an unsafe or careless manner and no reasonable precautions taken for the safety of others (e.g. no trigger locks, out of case, loaded)”.</p>
<p>Americans with oversight of gun-toting toddlers would face jail-sentences if they were Canadians, as opposed to having such cases typically dismissed as mere “accidents”.</p>
<p>Americans own more guns than Canadians (and research shows that more guns invariably translates into more deaths from guns), Canadian politicians are not under pressure from anything like the powerful US gun lobby, and Canadians have more trust in their government to protect them than their US counterparts (who are more likely to believe their own guns do this better than the government).</p>
<p>Other observations regarding guns were anecdotal.</p>
<p>Two Canadians, from its east and west coasts respectively, said they could see the tension and anxiety etched on the faces of New Yorkers and Washingtonians during their visits to US cities such as New York and Washington DC, a contrast with such Canadian cities as Toronto and Vancouver, whose inhabitants are much less discernibly stressed.</p>
<p>These Canadians implied that the psychologically distressed who possess guns are more likely to _ _ _ (readers please fill in the blanks).</p>
<p>Nearly everyone I talked to said it was virtually unknown for Canadians to carry handguns in order to “defend” themselves– this came as a bit of a surprise to this Brit, now thoroughly inured to having his American in-laws carry handguns in the glove compartments of their cars.</p>
<p>I also spent a highly informative couple of days at a reservation for the First Nations of Canada.</p>
<p>There was no back-patting there over the 150th anniversary of Canada’s inauguration.</p>
<p>“My church building on this reservation is older than that”, said the Anglican owner of a restaurant dismissively.</p>
<p>A social worker on the reservation told me: “My real allegiance is to the Mohawk nation, which now lies in both the US and Canada, so there is nothing to celebrate over establishing an official border between Canada and the US.&#160; I have family and relatives in all parts of the Mohawk nation (she was referring to her “American” kinsfolk), and people who had nothing to do with us decided, without any consultation, that our nation should now be in two separate countries– no reason for me to commemorate such stupidity!”.</p>
<p>Anyone who has taken a coast to coast road-trip across the US, taking southern routes mainly, will know how dire “native American” reservations are in the main.&#160; Even the more prosperous ones, such as Cherokee in North Carolina, operate very much on the “make do” principle (in the case of Cherokee NC, this involves legalized gambling and a Disneyfied version of “Indian” life, complete with all the accompanying fakery, such as made-in-China plastic tomahawks and chief’s headdresses for a fancy-dress party).</p>
<p>The reservations in the semi-desert United States further west, deliberately earmarked by the US government for “indigenous settlement” precisely because the barren land sustains neither crops nor grazing (very much a precursor of the sheerly inadequate Bantustans in apartheid South Africa), are nothing short of tragic.&#160; Decent jobs in these visibly distressed western American reservations are scarce, or non-existent, and entire populations are forced to regard a wretched sub-proletarian existence as something of a blessing.</p>
<p>The failure to achieve the modicum provided by a sub-proletarian existence in these areas results in severe deprivation and/or the oblivion conferred by booze and drugs.</p>
<p>The Canadian reservation I visited had none of these obvious shortcomings (admittedly, it could be atypical in this regard– let’s not generalize on the basis of just one example!).</p>
<p>For one thing, the land is fertile enough to allow the planting of corn and other crops, as well as a functioning animal agronomy.&#160; Moreover, it is close enough to places with industry and commerce to offer decent jobs within driving distance of the reservation.</p>
<p>At the same time, the age-old forces conducing to exclusion and marginalization are present, even if they happen to be attenuated here and there.</p>
<p>These, after all, are people from whom an immense amount has been taken, and preciously little given (and that grudgingly), over the course of several centuries.&#160; Colonization cost many First People their lives, and not just because they succumbed to diseases brought by the colonizers for which the First People had no immunity.</p>
<p>Others were murdered for sport (there is no other word for it).&#160; Edward Cornwallis, the British governor of Nova Scotia, issued a scalping proclamation in 1749, offering a cash bounty to anyone who killed a Mi’kmaq person.</p>
<p>Removing, today, some of the more blatant forms of discrimination will not be an adequate counterweight for what has gone on for a very long time.</p>
<p>A few strokes of the legislative pen, no matter how welcome, will not remove what the late Edward Thompson called “the enormous condescension of posterity”.</p>
<p>As is typically the case with the First Peoples of other countries– the aborigines of Australia, the orang asli of Malaysia, the tribal peoples of the Amazon, the people referred to (derogatorily) as “Indios” in Mexico, and so on– governmental steps purporting to rectify their dire situations, even if sometimes forthcoming, are invariably tardy and replete with shortcomings.</p>
<p>The most brutal forms of discrimination, amounting to ethnocide (such as taking children away from their parents and placing them in boarding schools where only English is taught, and banning dancing and drumming during ceremonies on reservations) have been removed by the Canadian government.</p>
<p>What the First Nations have done, in the face of governmental indifference and recalcitrance, is to set-up as many forms of enablement of their own as they can.</p>
<p>The Canadian government, in the name of “democracy”, scrapped the traditional chief system, where tribal decisions were made on the basis of consultation and consensus (and where chiefs, who could only be male, were chosen by women elders, this being a matrilineal society), replacing it with chiefs who were required to be elected.</p>
<p>The First Nations went along with the government’s decree, but simply operated their old chief system alongside the one stipulated by the government.&#160; I was told this has forced the government to consider ways of using both systems in tandem.</p>
<p>The First Peoples have always lagged behind other Canadians, and their subordination will probably continue under the government of Justin Trudeau, who made them some impressive-sounding promises during his successful election campaign.</p>
<p>The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-afn-indigenous-aboriginal-people-1.3354747" type="external">reports</a> that Trudeau made five promises to the First Nations during his election campaign (the following is quoted from the CBC report):</p>
<p>* Launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.</p>
<p>* Make significant investments in First Nations education.</p>
<p>* Lift the two per cent cap on funding for First Nations programs.</p>
<p>* Implement&#160;all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.</p>
<p>* Repeal all legislation unilaterally imposed on indigenous people by the previous government.</p>
<p>This prospectus would be hugely beneficial for the First Nations if implemented.&#160; However, history has taught their people that governments break, rather than keep, their promises.</p>
<p>After all, the <a href="" type="internal">saying</a> that the “white man spoke with a forked tongue” is said to have originated when the French invited the Iroquois to “peace conference” during their war with the Iroquois nation in the 1690s, where their representatives were killed or captured.</p>
<p>Trudeau, like his French counterpart Macron, is a slick, media-savvy operator, serving neoliberalism with a ready smile and an easy turn of phrase.&#160; Journalists who call them an updated version of Tony Blair are not far from the truth.</p>
<p>It is early days yet for Trudeau and Macron, but so far, they have shown themselves to possess Blair’s viper-like qualities, evidenced by their willingness to give Trump a jolly good arse-licking, while distancing themselves (slightly!) from his heartless and destructive policies, invariably with a delicate circumlocution, when they are not in his company.</p>
<p>The indigenous Canadians I talked to are alert to the above, and know they have to govern themselves regardless of who is in power.</p>
<p>Kenneth Surin&#160;teaches at Duke University, North Carolina.&#160; He lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.</p> | true | 4 | canada second time month staying week last time160 visits coincided 150th anniversary canadas inauguration settlercolonial nation foreigner unfamiliar canada might make mortal error thinking like neighbour south well yes drive toronto niagara falls could replicated anywhere us one traverses kilometre kilometre suburban developments punctuated strip malls occasional patch green unremitting monoscape canadian fastfood outlets chain stores pretty much us could also said london shanghai television offerings cultural overlaps start end canada significant hunting culture involving use guns time many fewer gun rampages alas routine us160 according vox report dated june 14 2017 citing un data compiled guardian us nearly six times gun homicide rate canada seven times sweden nearly 16 times germany posed issue nearly everyone met visits surprisingly given attending conferences involving novelists poets academics responses got thoughtful measured them160 canadian gun registration process rigorous gun laws stringent even pepper spray used form selfdefence statutorily illegal us us toddlers access guns improperly stored kill people terrorists interesting read section canadas criminal code constitutes proof weapon stored manner contravening codes gun storage rubrics item stored unsafe careless manner reasonable precautions taken safety others eg trigger locks case loaded americans oversight guntoting toddlers would face jailsentences canadians opposed cases typically dismissed mere accidents americans guns canadians research shows guns invariably translates deaths guns canadian politicians pressure anything like powerful us gun lobby canadians trust government protect us counterparts likely believe guns better government observations regarding guns anecdotal two canadians east west coasts respectively said could see tension anxiety etched faces new yorkers washingtonians visits us cities new york washington dc contrast canadian cities toronto vancouver whose inhabitants much less discernibly stressed canadians implied psychologically distressed possess guns likely _ _ _ readers please fill blanks nearly everyone talked said virtually unknown canadians carry handguns order defend came bit surprise brit thoroughly inured american inlaws carry handguns glove compartments cars also spent highly informative couple days reservation first nations canada backpatting 150th anniversary canadas inauguration church building reservation older said anglican owner restaurant dismissively social worker reservation told real allegiance mohawk nation lies us canada nothing celebrate establishing official border canada us160 family relatives parts mohawk nation referring american kinsfolk people nothing us decided without consultation nation two separate countries reason commemorate stupidity anyone taken coast coast roadtrip across us taking southern routes mainly know dire native american reservations main160 even prosperous ones cherokee north carolina operate much make principle case cherokee nc involves legalized gambling disneyfied version indian life complete accompanying fakery madeinchina plastic tomahawks chiefs headdresses fancydress party reservations semidesert united states west deliberately earmarked us government indigenous settlement precisely barren land sustains neither crops grazing much precursor sheerly inadequate bantustans apartheid south africa nothing short tragic160 decent jobs visibly distressed western american reservations scarce nonexistent entire populations forced regard wretched subproletarian existence something blessing failure achieve modicum provided subproletarian existence areas results severe deprivation andor oblivion conferred booze drugs canadian reservation visited none obvious shortcomings admittedly could atypical regard lets generalize basis one example one thing land fertile enough allow planting corn crops well functioning animal agronomy160 moreover close enough places industry commerce offer decent jobs within driving distance reservation time ageold forces conducing exclusion marginalization present even happen attenuated people immense amount taken preciously little given grudgingly course several centuries160 colonization cost many first people lives succumbed diseases brought colonizers first people immunity others murdered sport word it160 edward cornwallis british governor nova scotia issued scalping proclamation 1749 offering cash bounty anyone killed mikmaq person removing today blatant forms discrimination adequate counterweight gone long time strokes legislative pen matter welcome remove late edward thompson called enormous condescension posterity typically case first peoples countries aborigines australia orang asli malaysia tribal peoples amazon people referred derogatorily indios mexico governmental steps purporting rectify dire situations even sometimes forthcoming invariably tardy replete shortcomings brutal forms discrimination amounting ethnocide taking children away parents placing boarding schools english taught banning dancing drumming ceremonies reservations removed canadian government first nations done face governmental indifference recalcitrance setup many forms enablement canadian government name democracy scrapped traditional chief system tribal decisions made basis consultation consensus chiefs could male chosen women elders matrilineal society replacing chiefs required elected first nations went along governments decree simply operated old chief system alongside one stipulated government160 told forced government consider ways using systems tandem first peoples always lagged behind canadians subordination probably continue government justin trudeau made impressivesounding promises successful election campaign canadian broadcasting corporation reports trudeau made five promises first nations election campaign following quoted cbc report launch national public inquiry missing murdered indigenous women make significant investments first nations education lift two per cent cap funding first nations programs implement160all 94 recommendations truth reconciliation commission repeal legislation unilaterally imposed indigenous people previous government prospectus would hugely beneficial first nations implemented160 however history taught people governments break rather keep promises saying white man spoke forked tongue said originated french invited iroquois peace conference war iroquois nation 1690s representatives killed captured trudeau like french counterpart macron slick mediasavvy operator serving neoliberalism ready smile easy turn phrase160 journalists call updated version tony blair far truth early days yet trudeau macron far shown possess blairs viperlike qualities evidenced willingness give trump jolly good arselicking distancing slightly heartless destructive policies invariably delicate circumlocution company indigenous canadians talked alert know govern regardless power kenneth surin160teaches duke university north carolina160 lives blacksburg virginia | 887 |
<p>Istanbul.</p>
<p>On July 7, the Times [UK] carried <a href="" type="internal">a remarkable report</a> describing the trials and tribulations of the Welsh Guards, who are now engaged in the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It described in riveting detail how accumulating mental and physical stress are grinding down the bodies and minds of what are clearly highly-motivated, well-trained, and competently-led troops. My aim is to elaborate on the Times report by examining its information from a different perspective. My hope is that this will provide a better appreciation of the Taliban’s game.</p>
<p>With the exception of the last sentence in the penultimate paragraph (i.e., “The Taliban fight not to win but to outlast”), which is silly, the Times provides a graphic description of the pressures on the individual British soldiers, and it is an excellent window into the effects of the Taliban’s military art. The information suggests the Taliban’s strategic aim is to wear down their adversaries by keeping them under continual strain and by working on their psychology, or as the late American strategist John Boyd would say, by getting inside, slowing down, and disorienting their adversary’s Observation – Orientation – Decision – Action (OODA) loops. Moreover, the Taliban’s operational art seems particularly focused on the mental and moral levels of conflict. Outlasting, by running away to fight another day whenever faced with superior forces, is a central part of any winning strategy directed toward achieving this aim. (Interested readers can find a brief introduction to OODA loops in the last section of my remembrance of Boyd in the Proceedings of the Naval Institute, <a href="http://www.d-n-i.net/fcs/comments/c199.htm" type="external">Genghis John.</a> And for an example of an implicit application at the mental and moral levels of conflict, see my essay in CounterPunch, <a href="" type="internal">How Obama Won</a>).</p>
<p>The Times report also contains information describing NATO’s operational art. It suggests that NATO’s operational focus is aimed at occupying or cutting lines of communication (LOCs) by occupying checkpoints or outposts. This operational level aim reflects NATO’s belief that control of checkpoints along the LOCs will make it possible to control movement of the Taliban, and thereby make it easier to protect the Afghan population from the Taliban. By definition, if successful, this outcome would slow down and physically disconnect the Taliban’s OODA loops from the political environment, thus establishing the blanket of military security needed for achieving the strategic aim of winning the hearts and minds of the people through political action. But we will see that this is more an exercise in self-referencing than in strategy.</p>
<p>The differences between the Taliban’s art of war and NATO’s art of war raise the question of who has and will maintain the initiative, or in the context of Boyd’s strategic theory, whose OODA loops are really being slowed down, disoriented, and made more predictable in what is an emerging war over the Afghan LOCs?</p>
<p>The Times report does not address this question, but it contains some very suggestive information in this regard.</p>
<p>The Taliban live off the land and have weapons/supply caches throughout Helmand province and Afghanistan. They can and indeed have been ordered by their leader in Helmand, Mullah Naim Barach, to concentrate and disperse at will. The Taliban can do this easily, because they can blend seamlessly into the local culture, should they choose to do so.</p>
<p>The deployed NATO units, on the other hand, are highly-visible alien conventional military forces. Moreover, the NATO foreigners are deployed in easily discerned, static positions: checkpoints, outposts, and base camps. The geographic distribution of the NATO forces in a large number of small outposts makes them vulnerable to a welter of float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee attacks and ambushes, made at times and places of the Taliban’s choosing. The Times report makes it clear that Taliban attacks are aimed at isolating and stressing individual checkpoints and, perhaps, also at triggering a flow of reinforcements to these checkpoints, which could then be ambushed by the Taliban along the long, vulnerable LOCs.</p>
<p>Not mentioned in the Times report is a closely-related, important asymmetry: Conventional NATO forces can not live off the land and are entirely dependent on a massive thru-put of food, fuel, water, ammunition, and spare parts. In this regard, the report does describe a land resupply route along the canal. It says that British forces are forced to move at a snail’s pace, because of the uncertain menace posed Taliban’s ever-present mine threat.</p>
<p>Cheap mines and simple booby traps, which the Pentagon euphemistically labels as IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, as if they represented something new and unexpected, have long proven themselves to be one of the most effective ways to slow down, distract, and disrupt the OODA loops of an attacking adversary. That is because they directly attack the attacker’s mind and slow down or paralyze his decision cycle. Any soldier who has experienced the overwhelming sense of freezing fear created by the mental effect of finding himself ensnared in a minefield during a firefight knows how the known presence of mines can wreck even the best OODA loop.</p>
<p>With this background in mind, let us now place these observations and thoughts in a somewhat different context.</p>
<p>Every conflict, be it conventional or unconventional, embodies an amalgam of physical, mental, and moral effects. The great battlefield commanders have long recognized that strengths and weaknesses in moral and mental effects can be far more influential in shaping outcomes than physical effects. Napoleon, for example, pithily encapsulated this view by saying “the moral is to the material as three to one.” Viewed through a moral and mental lens, the Times report contains information that is strongly suggestive of an asymmetry in the opposing strategies that reflects long standing differences the eastern and western approaches to making war.</p>
<p>Without explicitly saying so, the Times report makes it clear that the Taliban’s strategic target is the mind of their adversary. Its operational schwerpunkt (i.e., main military effort to which all other efforts are subordinated) is also directly aimed at the mind of their adversaries, both in the field or in London and Washington. It is also pretty clear, that the Taliban’s operational schwerpunckt is to use an omnipresent physical menace (manifesting itself through a welter of large and small attacks, and when faced with opposition, running away to fight another day, as well as mine warfare, terror, etc.) is to undermine mental and moral stability of their adversaries. This focus on the mind is a way of war that is entirely consistent with the thinking expressed in the first book ever written on the art war by the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, as well as their modern incarnation in the guerrilla theories of Mao Zedong.</p>
<p>Like the Taliban, the strategic aim of the British operation is also directed toward the mental and moral levels of conflict — namely winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. But in sharp contrast to that of the Taliban, the operational-level schwerpunkt of the NATO forces is entirely physical. It is aimed directly at controlling checkpoints and lines of communication.</p>
<p>The theory behind NATO’s operational schwerpunckt — and remember, it is only a theory — is that through this physical control, NATO forces (i.e., alien outsiders) will provide the means to win at the mental and moral levels of conflict. Borrowing terminology from Mao and applying it to the culture of Afghanistan, NATO forces would do this by physically isolating the Taliban fish from a sea of a people supporting them — people who, in this case, have been conditioned by 30 years of violent civil war in what is perhaps the most xenophobic culture in the world. Once the Taliban are isolated, the NATO military forces would then be able to play the mental and moral game of winning the hearts and minds of the people by providing greater protection, economic aid, and the construction of economic and democratic political infrastructures.</p>
<p>This new strategy, named Clear, Hold, Build by the Americans, is actually the resurrection of a famous old colonialist strategy evolved by Hubert Lyautey (1854-1934) who eventually became a Marshall in the French army and ended his days as a virulent fascist. Lyautey’s theory, named Tache d’huile, a buzz word to connote the idea of spreading oil spots, posited that counterinsurgent forces should aim to secure an ever expanding geographic zone of security, like a spreading oil spot, and then use that security to win over the colonized people (presumably, so the French colonialists could continue to exploit the people and their resources). Each new area secured would provide a basis for further spreading, and so on, clearing and holding ever larger regions. Tache d’huile was tried by the French in Morocco, Vietnam and Algeria and by the Americans in Vietnam with the notorious Strategic Hamlets program. Although it worked sometimes in the short term, the long term results speak for themselves. (Some contemporary counterinsurgency specialists like to point to the case of Malaya as a successful counter-example of clearing and holding, but one must remember that the guerilla fighters in this case were ethnic Chinese who were hated by the ethnic Malayans.)</p>
<p>The problem is that to succeed in the moral and mental game in Afghanistan, NATO’s tache d’huile strategy must establish a blanket physical security so pervasive that highly visible alien aid providers and reformers spread thinly throughout a traumatized, xenophobic, clan-based population will not be picked off one by one by the Taliban, warlords, criminal gangs, or any others who feel threatened by their presence.</p>
<p>But there is more. Not only is the operational focus of the NATO forces physical, it is clearly reflective of and consistent with the interdiction theories of modern western conventional war, particularly those of Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini, a very influential 19th century French theoretician who tried to systematize Napoleon’s art of war. These theories reflect the incontestable fact that western combatant forces are heavily dependent on lines of communication (LOCs) for flows of supplies and reinforcements, and therefore, are highly vulnerable to physical disruption of LOCs. NATO’s heavy dependency raises the ominous question of whether the fallacy of mirror imaging — i.e., assuming the Taliban is vulnerable to something NATO is vulnerable to — is again creating the same mistake it did for the Americans in Vietnam.</p>
<p>History has shown repeatedly that conventionally-inspired military action (especially interdiction operations aimed at choking off the supplies and reinforcements and destroying the so-called safe havens of the adversary) aimed at achieving an unconventional end (winning hearts and minds of the people in a guerilla war) can easily degenerate into a mindless, fire-power centric war driven by conventional military thinking.</p>
<p>The Soviets, for example, tried to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, but lost sight of their goal and eventually became ensnared in a struggle for control of Afghan LOCs. This degenerated into a firepower intensive bloodbath in which the Soviets inflicted horrendous damage; but, in the end, they had to leave Afghanistan with their tail between their legs. Readers interested in the Soviet experience should <a href="" type="internal">click here</a> for a stunning lessons-learned analysis of how nation building Soviet-style failed in Afghanistan. The same kind of degeneration into a mindless applications of firepower happened to US forces in Vietnam. In both cases, all the noble sounding rhetoric about winning hearts and minds of the locals was drowned and forgotten in a sea of mindless body counts and wanton destruction.</p>
<p>As in Vietnam, the tempting response to the welter of Taliban attacks on NATO’s LOCs, checkpoints, and outposts in this war will be to increase NATO’s dependence on high speed reinforcements. But, as the Times report shows, the Brits are learning to their dismay that guerrilla surprise attacks and mine laying activities force ground reinforcements to move at a snail’s pace. The natural response by NATO will be toward a greater reliance on rapid-response reinforcements moved via air to threatened areas by helicopters and Marine V-22s, together with an increase in supporting firepower of air and artillery.</p>
<p>Such an evolution on a large scale would mean that costs to fight the most recent Afghan war will escalate ever more rapidly. Operating these aircraft in high mountain ranges or in the dusty high desert plateaus entails a host of very expensive logistics and operational problems. Moreover, by concentrating the troop reinforcement packages in vulnerable helos and V-22s, NATO will run the risk of far greater troop casualties, when the Taliban learn how to shoot down these reinforcing aircraft as they approach their landing zones, as they surely will. Counter insurgency strategists would do well to remember that the United States lost over 5,000 helicopters in Vietnam, mostly to small arms and machine gun fire as they approached hot landing zones. The Soviets relied more on ground reinforcements (which resulted in a large number of very bloody ambushes), but their helos also got plastered in Afghanistan. NATO strategists would also do well to remember how the “strategists” in both of these earlier wars insensibly became obsessed with bombing lines of communication. In the end, frustration, coupled with the insensible seduction of firepower and conventional dogma, led to attrition and destruction becoming ends in themselves, memorably encapsulated by the American officer who told a reporter, “we had to destroy the village to save it,” and thereby pushed the hearts and minds of the people into the welcoming arms of the insurgents.</p>
<p>No one knows if this kind of ruin is to be our future, but the Times report suggests many of the fatally flawed building blocks are now falling into place.</p>
<p>One unrelated final point: The Times report contains some very interesting information that should be of specific interest to those American officers who have a Haig-like affinity for the comfort of rear echelon command posts. Of the five battle deaths suffered by the Welsh Guards, the Times says three were commanding officers: one a platoon commander, another a company commander, and last, the regimental commander. The British officers at the pointy end of the spear seem to be setting high moral examples by sharing the risks and burdens of the grunts they are leading. It also would not be surprising if the Taliban are targeting commanding officers, but this high percentage of total losses (admittedly 60% of a tiny specific sample makes it impossible to extrapolate) makes one wonder if they are also receiving the requisite intelligence information to do so.</p>
<p>Franklin “Chuck” Spinney&#160;is a former military analyst for the Pentagon. He currently lives on a sailboat in the Mediterranean and can be reached at <a href="mailto:chuck_spinney@mac.com" type="external">chuck_spinney@mac.com</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | istanbul july 7 times uk carried remarkable report describing trials tribulations welsh guards engaged ongoing offensive taliban helmand province afghanistan described riveting detail accumulating mental physical stress grinding bodies minds clearly highlymotivated welltrained competentlyled troops aim elaborate times report examining information different perspective hope provide better appreciation talibans game exception last sentence penultimate paragraph ie taliban fight win outlast silly times provides graphic description pressures individual british soldiers excellent window effects talibans military art information suggests talibans strategic aim wear adversaries keeping continual strain working psychology late american strategist john boyd would say getting inside slowing disorienting adversarys observation orientation decision action ooda loops moreover talibans operational art seems particularly focused mental moral levels conflict outlasting running away fight another day whenever faced superior forces central part winning strategy directed toward achieving aim interested readers find brief introduction ooda loops last section remembrance boyd proceedings naval institute genghis john example implicit application mental moral levels conflict see essay counterpunch obama times report also contains information describing natos operational art suggests natos operational focus aimed occupying cutting lines communication locs occupying checkpoints outposts operational level aim reflects natos belief control checkpoints along locs make possible control movement taliban thereby make easier protect afghan population taliban definition successful outcome would slow physically disconnect talibans ooda loops political environment thus establishing blanket military security needed achieving strategic aim winning hearts minds people political action see exercise selfreferencing strategy differences talibans art war natos art war raise question maintain initiative context boyds strategic theory whose ooda loops really slowed disoriented made predictable emerging war afghan locs times report address question contains suggestive information regard taliban live land weaponssupply caches throughout helmand province afghanistan indeed ordered leader helmand mullah naim barach concentrate disperse taliban easily blend seamlessly local culture choose deployed nato units hand highlyvisible alien conventional military forces moreover nato foreigners deployed easily discerned static positions checkpoints outposts base camps geographic distribution nato forces large number small outposts makes vulnerable welter floatlikeabutterfly stinglikeabee attacks ambushes made times places talibans choosing times report makes clear taliban attacks aimed isolating stressing individual checkpoints perhaps also triggering flow reinforcements checkpoints could ambushed taliban along long vulnerable locs mentioned times report closelyrelated important asymmetry conventional nato forces live land entirely dependent massive thruput food fuel water ammunition spare parts regard report describe land resupply route along canal says british forces forced move snails pace uncertain menace posed talibans everpresent mine threat cheap mines simple booby traps pentagon euphemistically labels ieds improvised explosive devices represented something new unexpected long proven one effective ways slow distract disrupt ooda loops attacking adversary directly attack attackers mind slow paralyze decision cycle soldier experienced overwhelming sense freezing fear created mental effect finding ensnared minefield firefight knows known presence mines wreck even best ooda loop background mind let us place observations thoughts somewhat different context every conflict conventional unconventional embodies amalgam physical mental moral effects great battlefield commanders long recognized strengths weaknesses moral mental effects far influential shaping outcomes physical effects napoleon example pithily encapsulated view saying moral material three one viewed moral mental lens times report contains information strongly suggestive asymmetry opposing strategies reflects long standing differences eastern western approaches making war without explicitly saying times report makes clear talibans strategic target mind adversary operational schwerpunkt ie main military effort efforts subordinated also directly aimed mind adversaries field london washington also pretty clear talibans operational schwerpunckt use omnipresent physical menace manifesting welter large small attacks faced opposition running away fight another day well mine warfare terror etc undermine mental moral stability adversaries focus mind way war entirely consistent thinking expressed first book ever written art war chinese philosopher sun tzu well modern incarnation guerrilla theories mao zedong like taliban strategic aim british operation also directed toward mental moral levels conflict namely winning hearts minds afghan people sharp contrast taliban operationallevel schwerpunkt nato forces entirely physical aimed directly controlling checkpoints lines communication theory behind natos operational schwerpunckt remember theory physical control nato forces ie alien outsiders provide means win mental moral levels conflict borrowing terminology mao applying culture afghanistan nato forces would physically isolating taliban fish sea people supporting people case conditioned 30 years violent civil war perhaps xenophobic culture world taliban isolated nato military forces would able play mental moral game winning hearts minds people providing greater protection economic aid construction economic democratic political infrastructures new strategy named clear hold build americans actually resurrection famous old colonialist strategy evolved hubert lyautey 18541934 eventually became marshall french army ended days virulent fascist lyauteys theory named tache dhuile buzz word connote idea spreading oil spots posited counterinsurgent forces aim secure ever expanding geographic zone security like spreading oil spot use security win colonized people presumably french colonialists could continue exploit people resources new area secured would provide basis spreading clearing holding ever larger regions tache dhuile tried french morocco vietnam algeria americans vietnam notorious strategic hamlets program although worked sometimes short term long term results speak contemporary counterinsurgency specialists like point case malaya successful counterexample clearing holding one must remember guerilla fighters case ethnic chinese hated ethnic malayans problem succeed moral mental game afghanistan natos tache dhuile strategy must establish blanket physical security pervasive highly visible alien aid providers reformers spread thinly throughout traumatized xenophobic clanbased population picked one one taliban warlords criminal gangs others feel threatened presence operational focus nato forces physical clearly reflective consistent interdiction theories modern western conventional war particularly baron antoinehenri jomini influential 19th century french theoretician tried systematize napoleons art war theories reflect incontestable fact western combatant forces heavily dependent lines communication locs flows supplies reinforcements therefore highly vulnerable physical disruption locs natos heavy dependency raises ominous question whether fallacy mirror imaging ie assuming taliban vulnerable something nato vulnerable creating mistake americans vietnam history shown repeatedly conventionallyinspired military action especially interdiction operations aimed choking supplies reinforcements destroying socalled safe havens adversary aimed achieving unconventional end winning hearts minds people guerilla war easily degenerate mindless firepower centric war driven conventional military thinking soviets example tried win hearts minds afghan people lost sight goal eventually became ensnared struggle control afghan locs degenerated firepower intensive bloodbath soviets inflicted horrendous damage end leave afghanistan tail legs readers interested soviet experience click stunning lessonslearned analysis nation building sovietstyle failed afghanistan kind degeneration mindless applications firepower happened us forces vietnam cases noble sounding rhetoric winning hearts minds locals drowned forgotten sea mindless body counts wanton destruction vietnam tempting response welter taliban attacks natos locs checkpoints outposts war increase natos dependence high speed reinforcements times report shows brits learning dismay guerrilla surprise attacks mine laying activities force ground reinforcements move snails pace natural response nato toward greater reliance rapidresponse reinforcements moved via air threatened areas helicopters marine v22s together increase supporting firepower air artillery evolution large scale would mean costs fight recent afghan war escalate ever rapidly operating aircraft high mountain ranges dusty high desert plateaus entails host expensive logistics operational problems moreover concentrating troop reinforcement packages vulnerable helos v22s nato run risk far greater troop casualties taliban learn shoot reinforcing aircraft approach landing zones surely counter insurgency strategists would well remember united states lost 5000 helicopters vietnam mostly small arms machine gun fire approached hot landing zones soviets relied ground reinforcements resulted large number bloody ambushes helos also got plastered afghanistan nato strategists would also well remember strategists earlier wars insensibly became obsessed bombing lines communication end frustration coupled insensible seduction firepower conventional dogma led attrition destruction becoming ends memorably encapsulated american officer told reporter destroy village save thereby pushed hearts minds people welcoming arms insurgents one knows kind ruin future times report suggests many fatally flawed building blocks falling place one unrelated final point times report contains interesting information specific interest american officers haiglike affinity comfort rear echelon command posts five battle deaths suffered welsh guards times says three commanding officers one platoon commander another company commander last regimental commander british officers pointy end spear seem setting high moral examples sharing risks burdens grunts leading also would surprising taliban targeting commanding officers high percentage total losses admittedly 60 tiny specific sample makes impossible extrapolate makes one wonder also receiving requisite intelligence information franklin chuck spinney160is former military analyst pentagon currently lives sailboat mediterranean reached chuck_spinneymaccom 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 1,368 |
<p>Baghdad.</p>
<p>A missile hit the middle of the street outside the Omar Al Faroukh mosque on Palestine Street at about 4:15 this afternoon, just as people were leaving after prayers. Ahmed was walking out behind his friend Umar when he heard an explosion and saw his friend fall. Umar is a student at Rafidain College. He had fragments of shrapnel about 3cm long removed from his liver and abdomen. His lower ribs are fractured and his left hand has shrapnel wounds. His grandfather, Fuad Taher demands that Bush and Blair be charged and brought to court.</p>
<p>Another missile hit, close by, three minutes later. It wasn’t clear from the friends and relatives in the hospital whether it hit the other side of the road or hit a building, but it was close by.</p>
<p>Akael Zuhair was standing in front of his house opposite the mosque: I’m not sure of it was the first or second missile that hurt him, but he’s in a dangerous state in hospital, with shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder, left chest, right forearm and possibly a piece lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain. The doctors were waiting for a skull x ray to show whether the piercing was superficial or deep. He’s 20.</p>
<p>He began to regain consciousness while we were there, thrashing his limbs about while his family and friends tried to hold him still and comfort him and his mum’s tears overflowed. “I am his mother,” she whispered. Nothing else. I held her without a word.</p>
<p>His dad heard the explosion in the street and said the kids came running in to tell him Akael was hit. “Help us,” he said, “because we are attacked in homes and streets and markets. We are not something to be squeezed. We are thank to people in all the world, but especially in America and England. More than a million people in England say no to war. There is not a problem between people. There is a problem with governments.”</p>
<p>Firas Hamid was the last of the victims to come out of surgery, having had two fragments removed from his liver and one from his kidney. His right arm has a compound fracture beneath an open wound. He’s 16 and, like Umar and Ahmed, was leaving the mosque when the explosion happened.</p>
<p>Again, no one could guess what the intended target was. All of the clusters of friends and family we took statements from said there was nothing military in the area, nor any communications towers, which have been devastated in recent days. The most recent was about 5pm today: the Al Baya tower. We know there were deaths but have as yet no details. The El Alawiya was bombed yesterday morning in the early hours and two strikes on Tuesday and Thursday have wrecked the Al Ma’amoun. It’s not possible to make even an emergency call and the doctors said people were coming in in private cars, delaying medical treatment.</p>
<p>Less than two miles north of the mosque and just 15 minutes earlier, Fawzia Kurbaan and her husband Najah Mohammed were waiting for a taxi in the street near their home when, he said, “I felt something strike my hand and legs and I fell to the ground.” He has a fractured right arm and index finger and shrapnel in his right thigh and abdomen. The doctor, Dr Hamid Al-Araji, said he didn’t think the shrapnel had caused any internal injury but he was keeping an eye.</p>
<p>They were fleeing Baghdad for a farm in the countryside, where about 20 families were going to stay. They’d sent their children ahead of them and were waiting for a taxi to go and join them. They had all their possessions with them when it happened and didn’t know yet what had happened to them ” whether they’d lost everything or someone had salvaged it for them. Fawzia showed us what little money they had left, dyed red with Najah’s blood.</p>
<p>The doctors in the Al Kindi were doing a lot of tasks normally associated with nursing staff, checking and emptying and keeping up observations, because there’s a total of 120 nurses in a hospital which, for its size, needs about 550. I mentioned before that most of the nurses in Iraq before the 1991 war were foreigners, who left en masse, more or less. Khalida, the chief nurse who never sleeps, said the international standard ratio is 4 nurses per doctor. Here it’s the other way round: there’s one nurse for every four doctors.</p>
<p>“So,” says Dr Hamid, laughing. “I think the nurses are very lucky.”</p>
<p>Intensive care units were also absent: Akael, with his serious head wound, and Umar, with his mangled liver, could both have better done with at least a blood pressure and heart monitor but, after 12 and a half years of sanctions, most hospitals don’t have enough working units, if any at all, many of the parts being embargoed as dual military and civilian use.</p>
<p>A grain silo seems to have been the target of the attack at 9am on Thursday, about 35kms south of Baghdad on the main road to Wasit. Haitham Abid was driving a lorry past when the missile landed close to the Grain Board building. The lorry crashed and the back part caught fire. He wasn’t sure whether he jumped from the cab or was pulled clear, but his right thigh was badly broken.</p>
<p>All this as well as the bombing of another market yesterday, Al Shu’la: Dr Tariq said there were over 50 deaths and lots of injuries. Someone told me a day or two ago that I wasn’t giving the US enough credit for its efforts to avoid civilian casualties. I’m sorry, maybe I’m missing something, but I’m not seeing the fruits of their “efforts”. How is it that, when these bombs and missiles are guided by the finest technology human minds have developed, they can still land on a street outside a mosque which is emptying, explode into the bodies of elderly couples flagging down taxis and burn lorries next to food silos.</p>
<p>Something’s wrong. There are too many civilian casualties, too far from military targets, for all of these to be mistakes. Either they’re hitting civilians on purpose, to whip up fear in the hope of spurring rebellion, or their weapons are not as precise as they say, in which case they’re not suitable for use in an urban environment. There’s no justification for using any weapons here, but if you can’t hit a military target without causing civilian casualties, you don’t have the right to attack it.</p>
<p>The US has apparently claimed that some of this is done by the Iraqi military to make the US look bad. I can’t rule that out. But anything that comes from an aircraft, at least, is unlikely to be from the Iraqis. It’s doubtful a plane would get far off the ground here without being attacked by the US/UK aircraft. Of course, when it’s all over, the US will provide “proof” that it was the Iraqis, in the form of testimonies by people who will say anything they are told to save their own necks, and we will probably never know the full truth of who did what to whom. Meanwhile, and as ever, the people of Iraq are still dying, still the pawns in everyone else’s political games.</p>
<p>I’m being expelled from Iraq. It looked, for a while, as if we were going to have to leave this morning, but we scored another two days, till Monday, “And then leave this hotel. Leave this country.” Coming from the Foreign Ministry, there’s not really any arguing with that. There’s no shame in it either, being booted out by this government, but it hurts, it aches. I can’t say goodbye to anyone because there are no phones and we can’t go anywhere without a minder and permission from the foreign ministry, and I’m not going to know if they’re safe and I can’t hold them when they’re scared and their phones might not work for months, never mind e mail.</p>
<p>And it seems like, for a lot of journalists, this isn’t a story anymore. Apparently it’s starting to drag. Nothing is happening. “House destroyed by bomb” is a story. “Second house destroyed by bomb” is still a story. Another and another and yet another house destroyed by a bomb is not. There was a flurry of excitement last night when the rumour began to circulate that a hospital had been bombed, but no ” it was only another market, near a hospital. Whole packs of them are leaving now, and that makes getting kicked out even more rubbish (I had to search for a polite way to put that) because there are fewer and fewer witnesses.</p>
<p>So unless everything changes, tomorrow is my last day here. I realized today that it’s not the buildings that rock in the aftershock of the explosions but the whole earth. It feels exactly the same on the ground floor as on the fifth. The bombs have been more frequent today, and closer, than any other day.</p>
<p>Still, I’m going to miss it, miss the Iraqis: I don’t think there’s anyone like them, soldiers sharing warm bread and salty cheese curds with us, standing round a wooden sand-box which does the job as a table, pouring glasses of sugary chai from a metal flask and every one of them giggling like schoolgirls, guns across their shoulders, while Sabah clowns in the face of it all, making jokes in mime about bombs falling, hugging the pillar behind him in half-mock terror, telling us his huge burly mate gets his hair cut by his mum, snorting with uncontrollable laughter.</p>
<p>At least I should make it home in time for my law exam on Thursday. Insha’Allah. We’re waiting to hear from the drivers who went to the Jordanian border today.</p>
<p>JO WILDING can be reached at: <a href="maiilto:/wildthing@burntmail.com" type="external">wildthing@burntmail.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | baghdad missile hit middle street outside omar al faroukh mosque palestine street 415 afternoon people leaving prayers ahmed walking behind friend umar heard explosion saw friend fall umar student rafidain college fragments shrapnel 3cm long removed liver abdomen lower ribs fractured left hand shrapnel wounds grandfather fuad taher demands bush blair charged brought court another missile hit close three minutes later wasnt clear friends relatives hospital whether hit side road hit building close akael zuhair standing front house opposite mosque im sure first second missile hurt hes dangerous state hospital shrapnel wounds left shoulder left chest right forearm possibly piece lodged frontal lobe brain doctors waiting skull x ray show whether piercing superficial deep hes 20 began regain consciousness thrashing limbs family friends tried hold still comfort mums tears overflowed mother whispered nothing else held without word dad heard explosion street said kids came running tell akael hit help us said attacked homes streets markets something squeezed thank people world especially america england million people england say war problem people problem governments firas hamid last victims come surgery two fragments removed liver one kidney right arm compound fracture beneath open wound hes 16 like umar ahmed leaving mosque explosion happened one could guess intended target clusters friends family took statements said nothing military area communications towers devastated recent days recent 5pm today al baya tower know deaths yet details el alawiya bombed yesterday morning early hours two strikes tuesday thursday wrecked al maamoun possible make even emergency call doctors said people coming private cars delaying medical treatment less two miles north mosque 15 minutes earlier fawzia kurbaan husband najah mohammed waiting taxi street near home said felt something strike hand legs fell ground fractured right arm index finger shrapnel right thigh abdomen doctor dr hamid alaraji said didnt think shrapnel caused internal injury keeping eye fleeing baghdad farm countryside 20 families going stay theyd sent children ahead waiting taxi go join possessions happened didnt know yet happened whether theyd lost everything someone salvaged fawzia showed us little money left dyed red najahs blood doctors al kindi lot tasks normally associated nursing staff checking emptying keeping observations theres total 120 nurses hospital size needs 550 mentioned nurses iraq 1991 war foreigners left en masse less khalida chief nurse never sleeps said international standard ratio 4 nurses per doctor way round theres one nurse every four doctors says dr hamid laughing think nurses lucky intensive care units also absent akael serious head wound umar mangled liver could better done least blood pressure heart monitor 12 half years sanctions hospitals dont enough working units many parts embargoed dual military civilian use grain silo seems target attack 9am thursday 35kms south baghdad main road wasit haitham abid driving lorry past missile landed close grain board building lorry crashed back part caught fire wasnt sure whether jumped cab pulled clear right thigh badly broken well bombing another market yesterday al shula dr tariq said 50 deaths lots injuries someone told day two ago wasnt giving us enough credit efforts avoid civilian casualties im sorry maybe im missing something im seeing fruits efforts bombs missiles guided finest technology human minds developed still land street outside mosque emptying explode bodies elderly couples flagging taxis burn lorries next food silos somethings wrong many civilian casualties far military targets mistakes either theyre hitting civilians purpose whip fear hope spurring rebellion weapons precise say case theyre suitable use urban environment theres justification using weapons cant hit military target without causing civilian casualties dont right attack us apparently claimed done iraqi military make us look bad cant rule anything comes aircraft least unlikely iraqis doubtful plane would get far ground without attacked usuk aircraft course us provide proof iraqis form testimonies people say anything told save necks probably never know full truth meanwhile ever people iraq still dying still pawns everyone elses political games im expelled iraq looked going leave morning scored another two days till monday leave hotel leave country coming foreign ministry theres really arguing theres shame either booted government hurts aches cant say goodbye anyone phones cant go anywhere without minder permission foreign ministry im going know theyre safe cant hold theyre scared phones might work months never mind e mail seems like lot journalists isnt story anymore apparently starting drag nothing happening house destroyed bomb story second house destroyed bomb still story another another yet another house destroyed bomb flurry excitement last night rumour began circulate hospital bombed another market near hospital whole packs leaving makes getting kicked even rubbish search polite way put fewer fewer witnesses unless everything changes tomorrow last day realized today buildings rock aftershock explosions whole earth feels exactly ground floor fifth bombs frequent today closer day still im going miss miss iraqis dont think theres anyone like soldiers sharing warm bread salty cheese curds us standing round wooden sandbox job table pouring glasses sugary chai metal flask every one giggling like schoolgirls guns across shoulders sabah clowns face making jokes mime bombs falling hugging pillar behind halfmock terror telling us huge burly mate gets hair cut mum snorting uncontrollable laughter least make home time law exam thursday inshaallah waiting hear drivers went jordanian border today jo wilding reached wildthingburntmailcom 160 | 868 |
<p>Ishmael, the son Abraham and Hagar, stands next to Isaac in Western history as the rejected, expelled and cast away heir of a noble and pure lineage.&#160; The “wicked” and unwanted one initially envious of his brother, but ultimately penitent and reverential. However, in Islamic theology, Ishmael rightly takes his place as the forefather of the Arab tribe; the one who selflessly allowed his body to be sacrificed according to God’s will.&#160; The one who rebuilt a new foundation of the Kaba [the black cubed stone in Mecca which Muslims face while praying] with his father Abraham using the old foundations laid down by Adam.&#160; A forgotten, controversial but essential pillar of history binding divergent cultures in his own unique way while reminding them of their shared traditions and commonalities.</p>
<p>When hearing Ishmael Reed’s name for the first time, most immediately quote the famous passage from Moby Dick, “Call me Ishmael!”&#160; It’s a knee jerk, automatic reaction.&#160; I’ve seen this happen dozens of times; each time the person chuckles at their own presumed wit.&#160; The name, as used by Melville in his classic novel, warrants further examination.&#160; Ishmael, also referring to one who is “exiled,” orphaned” and “alienated,” serves as the novel’s omniscient narrator, meticulously describing his environment and the actors within them, many times with an incisive analysis of their temperament, characteristics and foibles.&#160; Even though he belonged to the crew, he stood aside – both literally and figuratively – to obtain a clearer, more accurate and diverse perspective of his surroundings.&#160; It should be of no surprise to those who haven’t read the novel to discover he’s the last one standing.</p>
<p>Ishmael, being the genetic forefather of Islam, penetrates the psychology and mindset of Sufis, those oft misunderstood, unorthodox yet wise spiritual detectives. Farid-ud Din Attar, the celebrated 12th century Sufi Muslim poet and author of the allegorical poem Conference of the Birds, expounded on the methodology employed by Sufis who use satire to comment on society.&#160; He likened them to actives members of society who must step outside the circle to gain a clearer, panoramic vantage point. Although this relative positioning greatly increases one’s vision, it inevitably yields a quasi isolation of sorts.&#160; A necessary burden and pain, however, to accurately observe the ills and warts of society – to see what others cannot or are unwilling to see about themselves.&#160; The satirist goes a step further; like a brazen daredevil he bluntly points to the society’s warts and holds a mirror to their face forcing them to confront uncomfortable truths and realities once hidden underneath layers of hypocrisy.</p>
<p>II.</p>
<p>I first met Ishmael Reed in 2001 at U.C. Berkeley. An undeclared senior without a clue, I stumbled upon a “Short Fiction Writing Seminar” offered by three English professors: one of them being Ishmael Reed.&#160; Not knowing any of them, I asked an English Professor, “Which one of these should I apply for?” After telling me the styles of the other teachers, he explained Reed this way: “He is more hands off. He doesn’t employ as rigid a structure as the others. He lets you do it more your own way. You have more freedom with how and what you write.”&#160; I was sold.&#160; I didn’t know this Ishmael person, but oddly his name sounded so damn familiar to me.&#160; I kept saying, “I know I’ve heard this name before but where?”&#160; Also, I just liked the name: Ishmael.&#160; So, based on liking a Biblical and Quranic name and given the opportunity to express myself without authoritarian intrusion, the decision was made.</p>
<p>Obstacles, of course, presented themselves.&#160; It seemed you had to “try out” for these prestigious, elite classes and submit an essay along with a 12- 15 page writing sample. The only sample I had which was remotely close to that length was a 10 page absurd, scatological play written in the vein of Rabelaisian, grotesque realism.&#160; It was called “ <a href="" type="internal">All this for an Ass?”</a> omnisciently narrated by The Moorish Jester.&#160; The lead characters were two egotistical, aristocratic nobleman named Vienerschneitz and Cockenblock anxiously awaiting the arrival of Gerf, the simple peasant boy with the simple task of collecting the annual taxes – a plebian tribute to the gluttonous rich. Along the way, Gerf, being a simpleton, trades the ducats to a local Gypsy named “Conchita the Gyspy” for an “ass.”&#160; He arrives to royal court with an “ass” in lieu of the ducats; naturally, hilarity and chaos ensues.</p>
<p>I submitted this insane, over the top, completely ridiculous piece along with a hastily written essay, in pen no less, two minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline outside of the English Department in Wheeler Hall.&#160; A week later I found out – much to my surprise – I was admitted.</p>
<p>What occurred on the first day of this 12-student seminar merits some essay space.&#160; Mind you, the whole time I kept telling myself, “I do not belong in here. How did I get in this class? These guys are all serious gunners. I’m just a joker. Ok, play cool. Play cool.”&#160; Reed hands us a photocopied pamphlet which included the final version of T.S. Eliot’s landmark poem The Wasteland along with his previous drafts, scribbles, rough drafts and notes given to him by an unnamed source.</p>
<p>“Who did Eliot dedicate The Wasteland to?” asks Reed.</p>
<p>I knew the answer but kept quiet. Nobody raised his or her hands.</p>
<p>“Hint: he’s also a famous poet.”</p>
<p>Silence. Then a hand goes up.</p>
<p>“Ezra Pound.”</p>
<p>(Surprised) “Yeah. Do you know why?”</p>
<p>“Pound was Eliot’s mentor when he wrote Wasteland. He kept reading and editing Eliot’s earlier drafts giving him feedback and criticism.&#160; Eliot said without Pound, there would be no Wasteland.&#160; So, that probably explains the dedication.”</p>
<p>Reed, taken aback slightly by the fact that I knew this, gave me a nod and a knowing look.&#160; Subsequent classes involved Reed asking about historical figures (like Pound), dynasties (The Mughal Empire), and landmark cultural events, such as the Crusades, which went completely over the heads of my peers; but, due to a wasted, non existent, nerd-social life I was able to identify and acknowledge these references in class. Many times Reed and I would also talk about international cinema and popular multicultural icons during the class to the chagrin of some of my peers who asked me, “How do you guys know all this obscure stuff?”&#160; Intelligence and competence had nothing to do with this, mind you, just awareness of art, history, and life outside of &#160;“mainstream American” culture.</p>
<p>However, things weren’t always this cheery.&#160; Being that my last name is “Ali,” I was “first up” when presenting stories.&#160; “Do I have to share this story?” I asked incredulously.&#160; “Uh, yes” Reed replied matter of factly.&#160; “Um, do I have to read this out loud in front of everybody?”&#160; Reed just stared at me like I was insane – “Yes!”</p>
<p>The first story ever presented in class was my tale entitled “The Mosquito Story,” which in fact was a theatrical monologue (I had no idea) posing as a short story.&#160; It was first person pov of a single, female mosquito complaining about her uneventful sex life and waiting for her first “suck.”&#160; (I had read that female mosquitoes must first suck blood in order to lay eggs.&#160; Without that initial penetration and drink, they can’t reproduce.)&#160; The female voice, as I described it in class, was a “fake ghetto mosquito,” by which I meant one of the many upper middle class, suburban, educated female peers I knew who wanted to act “Street” without ever setting foot on “the streets.”&#160; The rest of the class understood, but Reed thought I was making fake of “urban ghetto” culture.</p>
<p>Regardless, the piece was a hit.&#160; Reed, much to his dismay I later learned, also praised the piece for its language and wit but he underlined (several times) this telling note on my paper: “Next time, easy on the stereotypes.”</p>
<p>Naturally, I was embarrassed, but later understood where he was coming from. Reed, a savvy and sophisticated listener with a cultivated ear for multicultural dialogue, loathes the cheap use, abuse and commercialization of minority voices by an ignorant mainstream media unwilling to even study or talk to the same ethnic groups they are portraying. With my second piece, <a href="" type="internal">“Rotunda and Bulbus’s 50th Wedding Anniversary,”</a> a morbid and over the top “children’s story” about 2 ogres who secretly plot to kill one another on their wedding anniversary, I seemed to have redeemed myself.</p>
<p>This piece was even a bigger hit than the first.&#160; Reed told me, “See me after class.” I was terrified.&#160; Reason being I had not been to class in nearly 3 weeks due to 9-11.&#160; As a board member of the Muslim Student Association of U.C. Berkeley, my life, especially for that academic year, forever changed when the two towers fell.&#160; I was no longer WAJAHAT ALI the goofy student and undeclared English major, I was WAJAHAT ALI the goofy student and representative of all things Muslim and Middle Eastern. The MSA took a proactive and educational role in leading many diverse student body groups towards mutual understanding and dialogue through a variety of political, cultural, religious and educational programs.&#160; Being a board member, me, and a few other students, were placed unwillingly at the center of the storm.</p>
<p>So, here I am thinking Reed is going to chew me out for being a habitual absentee. Instead, as we walked through the maze that was Wheeler Hall in trying to find his office, he told me, “You’re a playwright. You’re a natural.” I thought the man was nuts. He sat there telling me he wants to pull me out of the class and give me a special assignment: 20 pages of a play.&#160; I begged him to reconsider.</p>
<p>“No, no. You’ll be wasting your time in this class. Listen, you’re a playwright. Write me a play. Write about, you know, about Muslims. Make it about Muslim Americans.”</p>
<p>“But I don’t know how to write…”</p>
<p>“A family.&#160; Make it about a Muslim American family.&#160; You ever read Long Day’s Journey into Night by O’Neil. Yeah?&#160; Do something like that. Ok?&#160; Muslim American family play written by a Muslim American.”</p>
<p>What initially began as a 20 –page project I hesitantly took on just to pass a damn class grew into a professional relationship currently lasting 7 years.&#160; Reed, so impressed by the initial draft of The Domestic Crusaders, decided to invest his own money as the play’s producer and enlisted his extremely talented and dedicated wife, Carla Blank – a noted theatre scholar and director whose <a href="" type="internal">new work KOOL</a> is premiering at the Guggenheim in April –&#160; as the play’s director. This 9-11, <a href="http://www.domesticcrusaders.com/" type="external">The Domestic Crusaders</a> will have its New York premiere at the world famous Nuyorican Theater.</p>
<p>What is important, for sake of this conversation, is Reed’s approach to the cultivation of talent and his dedication towards voicing those marginalized voices often portrayed as tawdry, one-dimensional cartoon characters.&#160; Reed never intruded on my voice; he never censored my words, and most importantly he never told me to “white wash,” “mainstream,” or “sugar coat” the play’s very honest and very raw dialogue.</p>
<p>“Say it like it is. You know – use the language. Don’t be afraid. Use the Arabic and the Urdu. Keep it all in there.&#160; All of the culture and religion stuff, yeah, keep it all in there.&#160; Don’t be afraid.”</p>
<p>That is quintessential Reed.</p>
<p>Reed showed us Eliot’s work to drive home the point that even the heavy hitters and knockout artists need guidance, editing, correction and critique.&#160; No one embarks on the artistic journey alone; those that do never get too far anyhow. Even the titans need a Pound to pound the work into a prime piece without the fat and unnecessary trimmings. Those that cultivate and guide the voice without speaking for the voice – that’s the proper role of a proper mentor. I was lucky enough to learn that valuable lesson from one of the old school literary Jedi Knights: Ishmael Reed.</p>
<p>Reed loves this T.S. Eliot quote and he mentions it often: “Not all ethnic writers are great. But all great writers are ethnic.”</p>
<p>III.</p>
<p>Reed might not agree with my analysis on his style and character. So, let me donate some space to what others, including him, have said about his idiosyncratic literary approach.&#160; A connoisseur of African art, mythology and folklore, Reed likens himself to a Haitian spirit of “Ghede.”&#160; Reed, in his conversations with me, said he invites this comparison because Ghede holds a mirror to the people and shows them their demons, the ones they are unwilling to acknowledge.</p>
<p>The sprit, however, goes by many names and forms.&#160; One of them is “Papa Ghede,” a dark man sporting a top hat with a cigar in his mouth and an apple in his left hand.&#160; He serves as an intermediary between the worlds of the living and the afterlife. His humor is frank, crass and bluntly honest, unadorned with pretentious repression.&#160; His gift, or his curse, lies in his ability to know people by their true intentions, thoughts and shapes.&#160; He also understands the realities of both “worlds.”</p>
<p>Another name is “Gede Nibo,” an intermediary between both worlds but one who “gives voice to the dead spirits that have not been reclaimed.”&#160; Much like those forgotten, silenced, oppressed and muted voices excised from the history books, the narratives, the television talk shows, the radio programs and the textbooks.</p>
<p>According to Yoruba mythology, there is Eshu, one of the trickster-gods, who “plays frequently tempting choices for the purpose of causing maturation.&#160; He is a difficult teacher, but a good one.” <a href="#_ftn1" type="external" />&#160; “Eshu evens out the playing field.&#160; Evens the score.&#160; Checks you, puts you in your place.&#160; Allows you to see your potential, as well as how you so stupidly ruin it on a daily basis.” <a href="#_ftn2" type="external" />&#160; The following story is an excellent example of how Eshu operates:</p>
<p>“Eshu was walking down the road one day, wearing a hat that was red on one side and black on the other.&#160; Sometime after he departed, the villagers who had seen him began arguing about whether the stranger’s hat was black or red.&#160; The villagers on one side of the road had only been capable of seeing the black side, and the villagers on the other side had only been capable of seeing the red half. They nearly fought over the argument, until Eshu came back and cleared the mystery, teaching the villagers about how one’s perspective can alter a person’s perception of reality, and that one can be easily fooled.” <a href="#_ftn3" type="external" /></p>
<p>In playing the role of Ghede and Eshu, Reed, in his unorthodox, combative and highly unique fashion, first coined and named the term “multiculturalism” before it became named and continuously renamed due to the enormously controversial debates surrounding its questioned academic value and scholastic worth.&#160; Reed, along with other ethnic writers, started the “Before Columbus Foundation” to give the “konch” to the silenced tongues.&#160; Under the project’s banner, Reed created the highly respected Annual American Book Awards rewarding a gamut of literary and academic voices that might “slip” under the mainstream radar.&#160; In fact, the ABA recognized Harriet Washington’s landmark work “Medical Apartheid” before the National Book Critics Circle nominated it as a 2007 finalist.&#160; Reed recognizes talent before the talent even recognizes it has talent; he gave Terry “Waiting to Exhale” McMillon the mentorship and encouragement to become a writer when she was still in his writing class.&#160; Reed’s colossal work, the Pulitzer nominated “Mumbo Jumbo,” is so influential that Thomas Pynchon’s “Gravity’s Rainbow” took a stop to give it props.&#160; When analyzing current affairs, Reed’s pen is on point; he was the first one to label Clinton as “the first Black President,” based on his co-opting of African American culture.&#160; Toni Morrison got the credit, but Reed called it first.</p>
<p>Reed says this is all “intellectual combat,” a means for him to use the mind and words as ammunition to battle all the powerful hucksters, shysters, liars, and eloquent hypocrites who speak with forked tongues.&#160; He’s a literary pugilist whose words, like a fighter’s punches, strategically dismantle and knockout adversaries with a swift, unrelenting jabs, hooks and uppercuts.&#160; And, once in a while, a couple of low blows as well.</p>
<p>Some say Reed is an angry mad man swinging wildly and blindly with fists filled with rage and bile at invisible opponents who have long since left the ring.&#160; In essence, they say he’s a shadow boxer taking on demons purely in his own head that are remnants of his overactive, reactionary imagination or hyperbolized manifestations of minor slights and harms foolishly magnified a hundred fold.&#160; The opinion and conclusion belongs to each respective viewer and reader, but what must be marveled at, regardless of your viewpoint, is his prolific and sturdy jab – still punching at the age of 70 without signs of slowing.&#160; He just co-edited a tremendous anthology of American short fiction entitled <a href="" type="internal">Pow-Wow</a> showcasing diverse talent such as Mark Twain, Russell Charles Leong, Zora Neal Hurston, E. Donald Two-Rivers and even Benjamin Franklin</p>
<p>Ishmael, the outcast and the exiled, nonetheless emerges as an important narrator for our times.&#160; The Islamic, Biblical, and figurative link – used in fiction, religion and history – to remind us of those unwanted truths and traditions once lost and forgotten. Whether a trickster, a teacher, a satirist, or a pugilist, sometimes the wise ones must stand apart, either alienated by others or by one’s own choice, to pinpoint and diagnose our flaws and demons as a society.&#160; And then, use words and wisdom to help us heal.</p>
<p>And so we return to the first story.</p>
<p>A version of the old story goes that Ishmael, the “wicked” one, ultimately relented, admitted his error, and eventually revered and recognized his brother.&#160; Another version of the story suggests his brother’s people “rediscovered” Ishmael, relented, and finally acknowledged Ishmael’s rightful status.&#160; And yet another version of the story says that Ishmael really couldn’t care less who relented, recognized, admired or acknowledged, and that he simply turned away from all the noise to go do what he knew best.</p>
<p>He was last seen in the ring – fighting.</p>
<p>WAJAHAT ALI is a Muslim American of Pakistani descent. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist and Attorney at Law, whose work, “ <a href="http://www.domesticcrusaders.com/" type="external">The Domestic Crusaders</a>” is the first major play about Muslim Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at <a href="http://goatmilk.wordpress.com/" type="external">http://goatmilk.wordpress.com/</a></p>
<p><a href="#_ftnref1" type="external" /> http://www.rootsandrooted.org/esu.htm</p>
<p><a href="#_ftnref2" type="external" /> Id.</p>
<p><a href="#_ftnref3" type="external" /> http://www.awostudycenter.com/Articles/art_what_is_esu.htm</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | ishmael son abraham hagar stands next isaac western history rejected expelled cast away heir noble pure lineage160 wicked unwanted one initially envious brother ultimately penitent reverential however islamic theology ishmael rightly takes place forefather arab tribe one selflessly allowed body sacrificed according gods will160 one rebuilt new foundation kaba black cubed stone mecca muslims face praying father abraham using old foundations laid adam160 forgotten controversial essential pillar history binding divergent cultures unique way reminding shared traditions commonalities hearing ishmael reeds name first time immediately quote famous passage moby dick call ishmael160 knee jerk automatic reaction160 ive seen happen dozens times time person chuckles presumed wit160 name used melville classic novel warrants examination160 ishmael also referring one exiled orphaned alienated serves novels omniscient narrator meticulously describing environment actors within many times incisive analysis temperament characteristics foibles160 even though belonged crew stood aside literally figuratively obtain clearer accurate diverse perspective surroundings160 surprise havent read novel discover hes last one standing ishmael genetic forefather islam penetrates psychology mindset sufis oft misunderstood unorthodox yet wise spiritual detectives faridud din attar celebrated 12th century sufi muslim poet author allegorical poem conference birds expounded methodology employed sufis use satire comment society160 likened actives members society must step outside circle gain clearer panoramic vantage point although relative positioning greatly increases ones vision inevitably yields quasi isolation sorts160 necessary burden pain however accurately observe ills warts society see others unwilling see themselves160 satirist goes step like brazen daredevil bluntly points societys warts holds mirror face forcing confront uncomfortable truths realities hidden underneath layers hypocrisy ii first met ishmael reed 2001 uc berkeley undeclared senior without clue stumbled upon short fiction writing seminar offered three english professors one ishmael reed160 knowing asked english professor one apply telling styles teachers explained reed way hands doesnt employ rigid structure others lets way freedom write160 sold160 didnt know ishmael person oddly name sounded damn familiar me160 kept saying know ive heard name where160 also liked name ishmael160 based liking biblical quranic name given opportunity express without authoritarian intrusion decision made obstacles course presented themselves160 seemed try prestigious elite classes submit essay along 12 15 page writing sample sample remotely close length 10 page absurd scatological play written vein rabelaisian grotesque realism160 called ass omnisciently narrated moorish jester160 lead characters two egotistical aristocratic nobleman named vienerschneitz cockenblock anxiously awaiting arrival gerf simple peasant boy simple task collecting annual taxes plebian tribute gluttonous rich along way gerf simpleton trades ducats local gypsy named conchita gyspy ass160 arrives royal court ass lieu ducats naturally hilarity chaos ensues submitted insane top completely ridiculous piece along hastily written essay pen less two minutes 4 pm deadline outside english department wheeler hall160 week later found much surprise admitted occurred first day 12student seminar merits essay space160 mind whole time kept telling belong get class guys serious gunners im joker ok play cool play cool160 reed hands us photocopied pamphlet included final version ts eliots landmark poem wasteland along previous drafts scribbles rough drafts notes given unnamed source eliot dedicate wasteland asks reed knew answer kept quiet nobody raised hands hint hes also famous poet silence hand goes ezra pound surprised yeah know pound eliots mentor wrote wasteland kept reading editing eliots earlier drafts giving feedback criticism160 eliot said without pound would wasteland160 probably explains dedication reed taken aback slightly fact knew gave nod knowing look160 subsequent classes involved reed asking historical figures like pound dynasties mughal empire landmark cultural events crusades went completely heads peers due wasted non existent nerdsocial life able identify acknowledge references class many times reed would also talk international cinema popular multicultural icons class chagrin peers asked guys know obscure stuff160 intelligence competence nothing mind awareness art history life outside 160mainstream american culture however things werent always cheery160 last name ali first presenting stories160 share story asked incredulously160 uh yes reed replied matter factly160 um read loud front everybody160 reed stared like insane yes first story ever presented class tale entitled mosquito story fact theatrical monologue idea posing short story160 first person pov single female mosquito complaining uneventful sex life waiting first suck160 read female mosquitoes must first suck blood order lay eggs160 without initial penetration drink cant reproduce160 female voice described class fake ghetto mosquito meant one many upper middle class suburban educated female peers knew wanted act street without ever setting foot streets160 rest class understood reed thought making fake urban ghetto culture regardless piece hit160 reed much dismay later learned also praised piece language wit underlined several times telling note paper next time easy stereotypes naturally embarrassed later understood coming reed savvy sophisticated listener cultivated ear multicultural dialogue loathes cheap use abuse commercialization minority voices ignorant mainstream media unwilling even study talk ethnic groups portraying second piece rotunda bulbuss 50th wedding anniversary morbid top childrens story 2 ogres secretly plot kill one another wedding anniversary seemed redeemed piece even bigger hit first160 reed told see class terrified160 reason class nearly 3 weeks due 911160 board member muslim student association uc berkeley life especially academic year forever changed two towers fell160 longer wajahat ali goofy student undeclared english major wajahat ali goofy student representative things muslim middle eastern msa took proactive educational role leading many diverse student body groups towards mutual understanding dialogue variety political cultural religious educational programs160 board member students placed unwillingly center storm thinking reed going chew habitual absentee instead walked maze wheeler hall trying find office told youre playwright youre natural thought man nuts sat telling wants pull class give special assignment 20 pages play160 begged reconsider youll wasting time class listen youre playwright write play write know muslims make muslim americans dont know write family160 make muslim american family160 ever read long days journey night oneil yeah160 something like ok160 muslim american family play written muslim american initially began 20 page project hesitantly took pass damn class grew professional relationship currently lasting 7 years160 reed impressed initial draft domestic crusaders decided invest money plays producer enlisted extremely talented dedicated wife carla blank noted theatre scholar director whose new work kool premiering guggenheim april 160 plays director 911 domestic crusaders new york premiere world famous nuyorican theater important sake conversation reeds approach cultivation talent dedication towards voicing marginalized voices often portrayed tawdry onedimensional cartoon characters160 reed never intruded voice never censored words importantly never told white wash mainstream sugar coat plays honest raw dialogue say like know use language dont afraid use arabic urdu keep there160 culture religion stuff yeah keep there160 dont afraid quintessential reed reed showed us eliots work drive home point even heavy hitters knockout artists need guidance editing correction critique160 one embarks artistic journey alone never get far anyhow even titans need pound pound work prime piece without fat unnecessary trimmings cultivate guide voice without speaking voice thats proper role proper mentor lucky enough learn valuable lesson one old school literary jedi knights ishmael reed reed loves ts eliot quote mentions often ethnic writers great great writers ethnic iii reed might agree analysis style character let donate space others including said idiosyncratic literary approach160 connoisseur african art mythology folklore reed likens haitian spirit ghede160 reed conversations said invites comparison ghede holds mirror people shows demons ones unwilling acknowledge sprit however goes many names forms160 one papa ghede dark man sporting top hat cigar mouth apple left hand160 serves intermediary worlds living afterlife humor frank crass bluntly honest unadorned pretentious repression160 gift curse lies ability know people true intentions thoughts shapes160 also understands realities worlds another name gede nibo intermediary worlds one gives voice dead spirits reclaimed160 much like forgotten silenced oppressed muted voices excised history books narratives television talk shows radio programs textbooks according yoruba mythology eshu one trickstergods plays frequently tempting choices purpose causing maturation160 difficult teacher good one 160 eshu evens playing field160 evens score160 checks puts place160 allows see potential well stupidly ruin daily basis 160 following story excellent example eshu operates eshu walking road one day wearing hat red one side black other160 sometime departed villagers seen began arguing whether strangers hat black red160 villagers one side road capable seeing black side villagers side capable seeing red half nearly fought argument eshu came back cleared mystery teaching villagers ones perspective alter persons perception reality one easily fooled playing role ghede eshu reed unorthodox combative highly unique fashion first coined named term multiculturalism became named continuously renamed due enormously controversial debates surrounding questioned academic value scholastic worth160 reed along ethnic writers started columbus foundation give konch silenced tongues160 projects banner reed created highly respected annual american book awards rewarding gamut literary academic voices might slip mainstream radar160 fact aba recognized harriet washingtons landmark work medical apartheid national book critics circle nominated 2007 finalist160 reed recognizes talent talent even recognizes talent gave terry waiting exhale mcmillon mentorship encouragement become writer still writing class160 reeds colossal work pulitzer nominated mumbo jumbo influential thomas pynchons gravitys rainbow took stop give props160 analyzing current affairs reeds pen point first one label clinton first black president based coopting african american culture160 toni morrison got credit reed called first reed says intellectual combat means use mind words ammunition battle powerful hucksters shysters liars eloquent hypocrites speak forked tongues160 hes literary pugilist whose words like fighters punches strategically dismantle knockout adversaries swift unrelenting jabs hooks uppercuts160 couple low blows well say reed angry mad man swinging wildly blindly fists filled rage bile invisible opponents long since left ring160 essence say hes shadow boxer taking demons purely head remnants overactive reactionary imagination hyperbolized manifestations minor slights harms foolishly magnified hundred fold160 opinion conclusion belongs respective viewer reader must marveled regardless viewpoint prolific sturdy jab still punching age 70 without signs slowing160 coedited tremendous anthology american short fiction entitled powwow showcasing diverse talent mark twain russell charles leong zora neal hurston e donald tworivers even benjamin franklin ishmael outcast exiled nonetheless emerges important narrator times160 islamic biblical figurative link used fiction religion history remind us unwanted truths traditions lost forgotten whether trickster teacher satirist pugilist sometimes wise ones must stand apart either alienated others ones choice pinpoint diagnose flaws demons society160 use words wisdom help us heal return first story version old story goes ishmael wicked one ultimately relented admitted error eventually revered recognized brother160 another version story suggests brothers people rediscovered ishmael relented finally acknowledged ishmaels rightful status160 yet another version story says ishmael really couldnt care less relented recognized admired acknowledged simply turned away noise go knew best last seen ring fighting wajahat ali muslim american pakistani descent playwright essayist humorist attorney law whose work domestic crusaders first major play muslim americans living post 911 america blog httpgoatmilkwordpresscom httpwwwrootsandrootedorgesuhtm id httpwwwawostudycentercomarticlesart_what_is_esuhtm 160 | 1,764 |
<p>Photo by Elvert Barnes | <a href="" type="internal">CC by 2.0</a></p>
<p>I was called by an Irish radio station in Dublin to respond to&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/DonaldTrump" type="external">President Donald Trump’s</a>&#160;decision to recognise&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/Jerusalem" type="external">Jerusalem</a>&#160;as the capital of&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/Israel" type="external">Israel</a>. What did I think was going on inside the US President’s mind, I was asked? And I replied immediately: “I don’t have the key to the lunatic asylum.” What might once have seemed an outrageously over-the-top remark was simply accepted as a normal journalistic reaction to the leader of the world’s greatest superpower. And re-listening to the speech that&#160;Trump made in the White House, I realised I should have been far less restrained. The very text of the document is insane, preposterous, shameful.</p>
<p>Goodbye Palestine. Goodbye the two-state&#160;solution. Goodbye the Palestinians. For this new Israeli “capital” is not for them. Trump did not even use the word “Palestine”. He talked about “Israel and the Palestinians” – in other words, of a state and of those who do not deserve – and can no longer aspire to – a state. No wonder I received a call in Beirut last night from a Palestinian woman who had just listened to the Trump destruction of the “peace process”. “Remember&#160;Kingdom of Heaven?” she asked me, referring to Ridley Scott’s great movie of the 1187 fall of Jerusalem. “Well it’s now the Kingdom of Hell.”</p>
<p>It’s not the Kingdom of Hell, of course. The Palestinians have been living in a kind of hell for a 100 years, ever since the Balfour Declaration declared Britain’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, when a single sentence – in which our beloved Theresa May takes such “pride” – became a textbook for refugeedom and the future dispossession of the Palestinian Arabs from their lands. As usual, the Arab response this week was sickening, warning of the “dangers” of Trump’s decision, which was “unjustified and irresponsible” – this piece of fluff produced by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, the so-called protector of Islam’s two holiest places (the third being Jerusalem, although he didn’t quite manage to point that out) – and we can be sure that in the coming days many an “emergency committee” will be formed by Arab and Muslim institutions to deal with this “danger”. They will, as we all know, be worthless.</p>
<p>But it was the linguistic analysis of Noam Chomsky when I was at university – he later became a good friend – which I applied to the Trump speech. The first thing I spotted was, as I mentioned above, the absence of “Palestine”. I always put the word in quotation marks because I don’t believe it will ever exist as a state. Go and look at the Jewish colonies in the West Bank and it’s clear that Israel has no intention that it should exist in the future. But that’s no excuse for Trump. In the spirit of the Balfour Declaration – which referred to Jews but to the Arabs as “existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine” –&#160;Trump downgrades the Arabs of Palestine to “Palestinians”.</p>
<p>Yet even at the start, the chicanery begins. Trump talks about “very fresh thinking” and “new approaches”. But there is nothing new about Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, since the Israelis have been banging on about this for decades. What is “new” is that – for the benefit of his party, Christian Evangelicals and those who claim to be American supporters of Israel – Trump has simply turned away from any notion of fairness in peace negotiations and run with Israel’s ball. Past presidents have issued waivers against the 1995 Jerusalem Congress Act, not because “delaying the recognition of Jerusalem would advance the cause of peace” but because that recognition should be given to the city as a capital for two peoples and two states – not one.</p>
<p>Then Trump tells us that his decision “is in the best interests” of the US. But he can’t explain how – by effectively taking America out of future “peace” negotiations and destroying any claim (admittedly dubious by now) that the US is an “honest broker” in these talks – this will benefit Washington. It clearly won’t – though it might help Trump’s party funding – since it further lowers American power, prestige and standing across the Middle East. Then he claims that “like every other sovereign nation”, Israel has the right to determine its own capital. Up to a point, Lord Copper. For when another people – the Arabs rather than just the Jews – also want to claim that city as a capital (or at least the east of it), then that right is suspended until a final peace comes into existence.</p>
<p>Israel may claim all of Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital – as Netanyahu also claims that Israel is the “Jewish state”, despite the fact that more than 20 per cent of the people of Israel are Muslim Arabs who live inside its borders – but America’s recognition of this claim means that Jerusalem can never be the capital of another nation. And here’s the rub. We don’t have the slightest idea of the real borders of this “capital”. Trump actually acknowledged this, in a line that went largely unreported, when he said that “we are not taking a position on … the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem”. In other words, he recognised the sovereignty of a country over all of Jerusalem without knowing exactly where that city’s borders lie.</p>
<p>In fact, we don’t have the slightest idea of just where Israel’s eastern border is. Does it lie along the old front line that divided Jerusalem? Does it lie a mile or so to the east of east Jerusalem? Or does it lie along the Jordan river? In which case, goodbye Palestine. Trump has awarded Israel the right to a whole city as its capital but hasn’t the slightest idea where the eastern border of this country is, let alone the frontier of Jerusalem.</p>
<p>The world was happy to accept Tel Aviv as a temporary capital – as it was to pretend that Jericho or Ramallah was the “capital” of the Palestine Authority after Arafat arrived there. But Jerusalem was not to be recognised as the Israeli capital even though Israel&#160;claimed it was. Then we have Trump stating that in this “most successful” democracy, “people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience”. I trust he won’t be telling that to the more than two and a half million Palestinians in the West Bank who are not free to worship in Jerusalem without a special pass, or the population of besieged Gaza who cannot hope to reach the city. Yet Trump claims his decision is merely “a recognition of reality”. I suppose his ambassador in Tel Aviv – soon, presumably, in Jerusalem (if only, so far, in a hotel room) – believes this tosh; for it was he who claimed that Israel only occupied “2 per cent” of the West Bank.</p>
<p>And this new embassy, when it is eventually completed, will become “a magnificent tribute to peace”, according to Trump. Given the bunkers into which most US embassies in the Middle East have turned, it’s going to be a place with armoured gates and pre-stressed concrete walls and lots of inner bunkers for its diplomatic staff. But by then, I suppose, Trump will be gone. Or will he?</p>
<p>As usual, we had the Trump waffle. He wants “a great deal” for the Israelis and Palestinians, a peace agreement that is “acceptable to both sides” – even though this is not possible when he’s recognised all of Jerusalem as Israeli before the so-called “final status” talks, which the world still fondly expects to take place between “both sides”. But if Jerusalem is “one of the most sensitive issues” in these talks, if there was going to be “disagreement and dissent” about his announcement – all of which he said – then why on earth did he make the decision at all?</p>
<p>Only when he descended into Blair-like verbosity – that the future of the region was held back by “bloodshed, ignorance and terror” – did it really become too much to stomach any more of these lies. If people are supposed to respond to “disagreement” with “reasoned debate, not violence”, what is the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital supposed to produce? A “debate”, for heaven’s sake? Is that what to “rethink old assumptions” means?</p>
<p>Enough of this twaddle. What more folly can this wretched man dream up and lie about? So what&#160;was&#160;going on in his befuddled mind when he made this decision? Sure, he wants to follow up on his campaign promises. But how come he decided to honour this promise but could not bring himself to say last April that the mass murder of a million and a half Armenians in 1915 constituted an act of genocide? He was obviously frightened of upsetting the Turks, who deny the first industrial holocaust of the 20th century. Well, he’s sure upset the Turks now. I’d like to think he’d taken that into account. But forget it. The guy is crackers. And it will take many years for his country to recover from this latest act of folly.</p> | true | 4 | photo elvert barnes cc 20 called irish radio station dublin respond to160 president donald trumps160decision recognise160 jerusalem160as capital of160 israel think going inside us presidents mind asked replied immediately dont key lunatic asylum might seemed outrageously overthetop remark simply accepted normal journalistic reaction leader worlds greatest superpower relistening speech that160trump made white house realised far less restrained text document insane preposterous shameful goodbye palestine goodbye twostate160solution goodbye palestinians new israeli capital trump even use word palestine talked israel palestinians words state deserve longer aspire state wonder received call beirut last night palestinian woman listened trump destruction peace process remember160kingdom heaven asked referring ridley scotts great movie 1187 fall jerusalem well kingdom hell kingdom hell course palestinians living kind hell 100 years ever since balfour declaration declared britains support jewish homeland palestine single sentence beloved theresa may takes pride became textbook refugeedom future dispossession palestinian arabs lands usual arab response week sickening warning dangers trumps decision unjustified irresponsible piece fluff produced king salman saudi arabia socalled protector islams two holiest places third jerusalem although didnt quite manage point sure coming days many emergency committee formed arab muslim institutions deal danger know worthless linguistic analysis noam chomsky university later became good friend applied trump speech first thing spotted mentioned absence palestine always put word quotation marks dont believe ever exist state go look jewish colonies west bank clear israel intention exist future thats excuse trump spirit balfour declaration referred jews arabs existing nonjewish communities palestine 160trump downgrades arabs palestine palestinians yet even start chicanery begins trump talks fresh thinking new approaches nothing new jerusalem israels capital since israelis banging decades new benefit party christian evangelicals claim american supporters israel trump simply turned away notion fairness peace negotiations run israels ball past presidents issued waivers 1995 jerusalem congress act delaying recognition jerusalem would advance cause peace recognition given city capital two peoples two states one trump tells us decision best interests us cant explain effectively taking america future peace negotiations destroying claim admittedly dubious us honest broker talks benefit washington clearly wont though might help trumps party funding since lowers american power prestige standing across middle east claims like every sovereign nation israel right determine capital point lord copper another people arabs rather jews also want claim city capital least east right suspended final peace comes existence israel may claim jerusalem eternal undivided capital netanyahu also claims israel jewish state despite fact 20 per cent people israel muslim arabs live inside borders americas recognition claim means jerusalem never capital another nation heres rub dont slightest idea real borders capital trump actually acknowledged line went largely unreported said taking position specific boundaries israeli sovereignty jerusalem words recognised sovereignty country jerusalem without knowing exactly citys borders lie fact dont slightest idea israels eastern border lie along old front line divided jerusalem lie mile east east jerusalem lie along jordan river case goodbye palestine trump awarded israel right whole city capital hasnt slightest idea eastern border country let alone frontier jerusalem world happy accept tel aviv temporary capital pretend jericho ramallah capital palestine authority arafat arrived jerusalem recognised israeli capital even though israel160claimed trump stating successful democracy people faiths free live worship according conscience trust wont telling two half million palestinians west bank free worship jerusalem without special pass population besieged gaza hope reach city yet trump claims decision merely recognition reality suppose ambassador tel aviv soon presumably jerusalem far hotel room believes tosh claimed israel occupied 2 per cent west bank new embassy eventually completed become magnificent tribute peace according trump given bunkers us embassies middle east turned going place armoured gates prestressed concrete walls lots inner bunkers diplomatic staff suppose trump gone usual trump waffle wants great deal israelis palestinians peace agreement acceptable sides even though possible hes recognised jerusalem israeli socalled final status talks world still fondly expects take place sides jerusalem one sensitive issues talks going disagreement dissent announcement said earth make decision descended blairlike verbosity future region held back bloodshed ignorance terror really become much stomach lies people supposed respond disagreement reasoned debate violence recognition jerusalem israels capital supposed produce debate heavens sake rethink old assumptions means enough twaddle folly wretched man dream lie what160was160going befuddled mind made decision sure wants follow campaign promises come decided honour promise could bring say last april mass murder million half armenians 1915 constituted act genocide obviously frightened upsetting turks deny first industrial holocaust 20th century well hes sure upset turks id like think hed taken account forget guy crackers take many years country recover latest act folly | 753 |
<p>Two recent interviews apparently given by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak provide evidence that the new wave of reports in the Israeli press about a possible Israeli attack on Iran is a means by which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Barak hope to leverage a U.S. shift toward Israel’s red lines on Iran’s nuclear programme.</p>
<p>An interview given by a “senior official in Jerusalem” to Ynet News Wednesday Israeli time makes the first explicit linkage between the unilateral Israeli option and the objective of securing the agreement of President Barack Obama to the Israeli position that Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapons “capability”.</p>
<p>In the Ynet News interview, the unnamed official is reported as explicitly offering a deal to the Obama administration: if Obama were to “toughten its stance” with regard to the Iranian nuclear programme, Israel “may rule out a unilateral attack”.</p>
<p>Ynet News reporter Ron Ben Yishai writes that Obama “must repeat publicly (at the U.N. General Assembly, for instance), that the U.S. will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and that Israel has a right to defend itself, independently.”</p>
<p>Obama made both statements, in effect, at the conference of the influential American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), but has not repeated them since then.</p>
<p>But the official added a more far-reaching condition for dropping the option of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran, according to Ben Yishai: Obama must also make it clear that his “red line” is no longer evidence of an intention to enrich to weapons-grade levels but the Israeli red line that Iran must not be allowed to have the enrichment capability to do so if Iran were to make the decision.</p>
<p>In the context of that radical shift in the U.S. red line, the Netanyahu government would view the public statements demanded by the official as “a virtual commitment by the U.S. to act, militarily if needed,” according to Ben Yishai.</p>
<p>“The senior Israeli official estimated that should Washington accept the main demands, Israel would reconsider its unilateral measures and coordinate them with the U.S.,” Ben Yishai writes.</p>
<p>The interview indicates that what Netanyahu and Barak are seeking is a U.S. posture on Iran’s nuclear programme that Israel could use to maximise domestic pressure on Obama to attack Iran if he is reelected.</p>
<p>That Israeli interest in leveraging the threat of a unilateral military option to change the U.S. public posture toward Iran is also suggested in an Aug. 10 interview by Haaretz with an official whom interviewer Ari Shavit calls “the decisionmaker”. The unnamed senior official was described in a way that left little doubt that it was in fact Barak.</p>
<p>The unnamed official explicitly linked the Netanyahu effort to keep the unilateral option in play with the need to influence U.S. policy. “If Israel forgoes the chance to act and it becomes clear that it no longer has the power to act,” he said, “the likelihood of an American action will decrease.”</p>
<p>He also hinted at a debate within the Israeli government – presumably between Netanyahu and Barak themselves – over what could realistically be expected from the Obama administration on Iran. “So we cannot wait a year to find out who was right,” said the official, “the one who said that the likelihood of an American action is high or the one who said the likelihood of an American action is low.”</p>
<p>That allusion to different assessments of U.S. action by the Obama administration suggests that Barak may have been arguing that the threat of a unilateral Israeli attack could be used to leverage a shift in U.S. declaratory policy short of an outright U.S. threat to attack Iran. Barak has generally characterised the policy of the Obama administration as tougher toward Iran than has Netanyahu, who has described it in perjorative terms.</p>
<p>Invoking a “genuine built-in gap” between differing U.S. and Israeli “red lines”, the senior official said, “Ostensibly the Americans could easily bridge this gap. They could say clearly that if by next spring the Iranians still have a nuclear programme, they will destroy it.”</p>
<p>But he suggested that such a simple U.S. threat is not realistic. “Americans are not making this simple statement because countries don’t make these kinds of statements to each other,” said the official, adding, “The American president cannot commit now to a decision that he will or will not make six months from now.” The implication was that someone else had been insisting on such an Obama commitment.</p>
<p>The conditions for a deal outlined in the Ynet New interview may represent the more indirect stance Barak was hoping would be a more realistic possibility. But there is no reason to believe that Obama, who has resisted pressure from his own administration to shift his red line in the direction of Israel’s position, would accept such a deal.</p>
<p>The evidence from these two interviews that Israel is eager, if not desperate, for a deal with the Obama administration on Iran suggests that the new wave of reports in the Israeli press in the first two weeks of August about the unilateral Israeli option cannot be taken at face value.</p>
<p>The New York Times reported on Aug. 12 a “frenzy of newspaper articles and television reports over the weekend…suggesting Netanyahu has all but made the decision to attack Iran unilaterally this fall.” But Netanyahu and Barak have always been careful to distinguish between consideration of a unilateral military option and a commitment to carrying it out.</p>
<p>A central objective of the recent press reports – and of the larger Netanyahu-Barak campaign that began earlier this year – has been to make the idea of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites credible, despite all evidence to the contrary.</p>
<p>On Aug. 10, for exampIe, Israel’s television Channel 2 reported that Netanyahu and Barak had been saying in recent conversations that there is “relatively slight chance” that an attack on Iran would “result in a full-scale regional war in the circumstances that have emerged in the Middle East in last few weeks or months.” The report said the “working assumption” is that, although Hezbollah and Hamas would retaliate, “it is assessed that Syria will not react.”</p>
<p>It is neither Syria nor Hezbollah, however, but Iran itself that that worries Israeli military and intelligence officials the most. When challenged by Haaretz’s Shavit on the likely serious consequences of war with Iran, given the hundreds of Iranian missiles capable of hitting Israeli cities, “the decision-maker” argued, “(W)hat characterizes the Iranians all along is caution and patience.”</p>
<p>That argument, aimed at making the threatened attack seem reasonable, involves an obvious contradiction: on one hand, Iran is too cautious to retaliate against an Israeli attack, but on the other hand, it is too irrational to refrain from going nuclear, despite the obvious risks</p>
<p>Barak also argued in the Haaretz interview that Israel could delay the Iranian nuclear programme for eight to 10 years – enough time, he suggested, for regime change to take place. Top Israeli military and intelligence officials have been reported as believing, however, that an attack on Iran would ensure and accelerate Iran’s move toward a nuclear weapon rather than delay it.</p>
<p>In fact, Barak declared on Sep. 17, 2009, “I am not among those who believe Iran is an existential issue for Israel.” And in a Nov. 17, 2011 interview with Charlie Rose, he even denied that the Iranian nuclear programme was aimed at Israel.</p>
<p>GARETH PORTER&#160;is an investigative historian and journalist specialising in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, “ <a href="" type="internal">Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam</a>“, was published in 2006.&#160;Porter received the UK-based Martha Gellhorn Prize for journalism for 2011 for articles on the U.S. war in Afghanistan.The Barak argument on Iran contradicted Netanyahu’s assertion, most recently reported in an Aug. 5 Channel 2 report, that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is “an irrational leader”.</p>
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<p>Featuring recollections of Alexander Cockburn from Jeffrey St. Clair, Peter Linebaugh, Paul Craig Roberts, Noam Chomsky, Perry Anderson, Becky Grant, Dennis Kucinich, Michael Neumann, Susannah Hecht, P. Sainath, Ben Tripp, Alison Weir, James Ridgeway, JoAnn Wypijewski, John Strausbaugh, Pierre Sprey, Conn Hallinan, James Wolcott, Laura Flanders, Ken Silverstein, Tariq Ali and many others …</p>
<p><a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/Annual_Subscriptions.html" type="external">Subscribe to CounterPunch Today to Reserve Your Copy</a></p> | true | 4 | two recent interviews apparently given israeli defence minister ehud barak provide evidence new wave reports israeli press possible israeli attack iran means prime minister benjamin netanyahu barak hope leverage us shift toward israels red lines irans nuclear programme interview given senior official jerusalem ynet news wednesday israeli time makes first explicit linkage unilateral israeli option objective securing agreement president barack obama israeli position iran must allowed nuclear weapons capability ynet news interview unnamed official reported explicitly offering deal obama administration obama toughten stance regard iranian nuclear programme israel may rule unilateral attack ynet news reporter ron ben yishai writes obama must repeat publicly un general assembly instance us allow iran obtain nuclear weapons israel right defend independently obama made statements effect conference influential americanisrael public affairs committee aipac repeated since official added farreaching condition dropping option unilateral israeli attack iran according ben yishai obama must also make clear red line longer evidence intention enrich weaponsgrade levels israeli red line iran must allowed enrichment capability iran make decision context radical shift us red line netanyahu government would view public statements demanded official virtual commitment us act militarily needed according ben yishai senior israeli official estimated washington accept main demands israel would reconsider unilateral measures coordinate us ben yishai writes interview indicates netanyahu barak seeking us posture irans nuclear programme israel could use maximise domestic pressure obama attack iran reelected israeli interest leveraging threat unilateral military option change us public posture toward iran also suggested aug 10 interview haaretz official interviewer ari shavit calls decisionmaker unnamed senior official described way left little doubt fact barak unnamed official explicitly linked netanyahu effort keep unilateral option play need influence us policy israel forgoes chance act becomes clear longer power act said likelihood american action decrease also hinted debate within israeli government presumably netanyahu barak could realistically expected obama administration iran wait year find right said official one said likelihood american action high one said likelihood american action low allusion different assessments us action obama administration suggests barak may arguing threat unilateral israeli attack could used leverage shift us declaratory policy short outright us threat attack iran barak generally characterised policy obama administration tougher toward iran netanyahu described perjorative terms invoking genuine builtin gap differing us israeli red lines senior official said ostensibly americans could easily bridge gap could say clearly next spring iranians still nuclear programme destroy suggested simple us threat realistic americans making simple statement countries dont make kinds statements said official adding american president commit decision make six months implication someone else insisting obama commitment conditions deal outlined ynet new interview may represent indirect stance barak hoping would realistic possibility reason believe obama resisted pressure administration shift red line direction israels position would accept deal evidence two interviews israel eager desperate deal obama administration iran suggests new wave reports israeli press first two weeks august unilateral israeli option taken face value new york times reported aug 12 frenzy newspaper articles television reports weekendsuggesting netanyahu made decision attack iran unilaterally fall netanyahu barak always careful distinguish consideration unilateral military option commitment carrying central objective recent press reports larger netanyahubarak campaign began earlier year make idea unilateral israeli attack iranian nuclear sites credible despite evidence contrary aug 10 exampie israels television channel 2 reported netanyahu barak saying recent conversations relatively slight chance attack iran would result fullscale regional war circumstances emerged middle east last weeks months report said working assumption although hezbollah hamas would retaliate assessed syria react neither syria hezbollah however iran worries israeli military intelligence officials challenged haaretzs shavit likely serious consequences war iran given hundreds iranian missiles capable hitting israeli cities decisionmaker argued characterizes iranians along caution patience argument aimed making threatened attack seem reasonable involves obvious contradiction one hand iran cautious retaliate israeli attack hand irrational refrain going nuclear despite obvious risks barak also argued haaretz interview israel could delay iranian nuclear programme eight 10 years enough time suggested regime change take place top israeli military intelligence officials reported believing however attack iran would ensure accelerate irans move toward nuclear weapon rather delay fact barak declared sep 17 2009 among believe iran existential issue israel nov 17 2011 interview charlie rose even denied iranian nuclear programme aimed israel gareth porter160is investigative historian journalist specialising us national security policy paperback edition latest book perils dominance imbalance power road war vietnam published 2006160porter received ukbased martha gellhorn prize journalism 2011 articles us war afghanistanthe barak argument iran contradicted netanyahus assertion recently reported aug 5 channel 2 report irans supreme leader ali khamenei irrational leader coming september special memorial issue counterpunch featuring recollections alexander cockburn jeffrey st clair peter linebaugh paul craig roberts noam chomsky perry anderson becky grant dennis kucinich michael neumann susannah hecht p sainath ben tripp alison weir james ridgeway joann wypijewski john strausbaugh pierre sprey conn hallinan james wolcott laura flanders ken silverstein tariq ali many others subscribe counterpunch today reserve copy | 813 |
<p>And some of the Pharisees among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.</p>
<p>—Luke 19:39-40</p>
<p>Where does the tremendous power of the occupation of city spaces, particularly the square, come from? The occupation of Tahrir Square in Cairo brought down the Mubarak dictatorship, theindignados&#160;in assembly in the plazas shook the Spanish authorities, and Occupy Wall Street and its offspring across the United States have frightened city and state governments setting off a wave of police repression and state violence. The pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989 led the Chinese Communist Party to send in the army, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands. What is the threat and what is the power inherent in the occupation of city spaces?</p>
<p>After all, these are not the seizures of government buildings and banks, bridges and railroad stations that we associate with the&#160;coups d’état,&#160;Putsches&#160;and revolutions in Italy, Germany, and Russia of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These are not the factory occupations of the 1930s that in France and the United States paralyzed production and threatened the manufacture of profit. True enough: the recent occupations in Egypt were often preceded and accompanied by large strikes and other social protests. Granted: the occupation of the heart of a city wreaks havoc with administration and commerce, and affects the daily life of millions. Conceded: the mass media’s and the social media’s publicity of these events has projected them across the nation and around the world, a political leveraging that magnifies their impact. Yet any or all of these explanations—the accompanying strikes, the disruption of the big cities, and the media impact—fail to provide a compelling explanation for the power of the occupation. There is something more here, something deeper.</p>
<p>We might find more convincing the idea that these occupations are symbolic acts that challenge the dominant economic ideology and delegitimize the state. By taking the city space, the challengers speak truth to power. The occupiers tug at the thread of economic and political authority, until at times it seems as if the whole cloth might simply unravel. The occupation appears as the suggestion of the great upheaval from below, as the token and the harbinger of social and political revolution. While only symbolic, the occupation suggests both a real struggle for power and an alternative society.</p>
<p>Yet, there is more than symbolism here. The occupation is a powerful myth and a social fact. The occupiers, the expectant public, and the threatened authorities all experience the occupation of city space as either an exhilarating manifestation of power, a gut-wrenching shaking of the routines of normal life, or as a menacing threat to the established order of wealth and political power. In the big cities, where the occupation takes on a mass character, students, professionals and workers occupy together; urban cosmopolitanism rubs elbows with plebeian radicalism. But through the day and especially at night, and more so at night in the smaller towns, the occupation has the character of a post-modern, urban millenarianism.</p>
<p>“We will not live this way anymore. We can live differently. We seek deliverance. We seek the better life.” People have gathered in the cities, their numbers relatively small compared to the size of the city as a whole, miniscule compared to the size of the nation—yet they shake the foundations of the state. Though their ostensible political aims are reformist, their belief that the system has failed and their desire for deliverance from it, give the movement a revolutionary character. The middle class and workers, the poor and the homeless join in the city space in an embrace of the movement’s egalitarianism. And what is more revolutionary than the idea of equality? The people stand together saying: “We are equal. Each has voice. We have a common voice. We have found our voice. We are showing a new way to live.”</p>
<p>We are witnessing something that goes beyond the symbolic, something that both threatens the deep foundations of our social structure and, equally important—no, more important— something that touches our deepest spiritual yearnings. The occupation is utopian in the best sense. Whatever its political program, its practice says: “We will no longer live in hatred and competition. We will live in love and community.” And, of course, that would mean turning everything upside down. That is why the occupation frightens and angers the bankers, the CEOs, the politicians and the generals. It says we no longer need your system. We need you no more. We might write of the occupation as Sorel wrote of the syndicalist myth of the general strike, “We thus obtain the intuition of Socialism which language cannot give us with perfect clearness—and we obtain it as a whole, perceived instantaneously.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>The power of the occupation arises not only from the occupiers; it arises from the very bricks and stones of the city, from the iron and steel; it rises out of the pavement. Even if the occupation’s disciples held their peace, the stones would cry out. For the occupation gives expression not only to this moment’s yearning for the other, better world, it recalls and summons up the sweat and blood embedded in the bricks, it hears and echoes the past cry for justice sealed in the stone. The power of the occupation comes from the city itself, for the city is the crucible of culture and civilization.</p>
<p>The city is a palimpsest of our eight thousand-year history of labor and struggle. In the old cities of all continents the original ceremonial center, the ancient warrior citadel, the medieval market town, the bourgeois entrepôt, and the post modern cosmopolis are layered one over the other, each layer the result of one of those epoch-making shifts in human history, the collapse of an old civilization, the rise of a new one out of its ruins.</p>
<p>The first city was a representation of the human being in the cosmos, an architectural image of man and mystery. The sacred space of the city remains. The temple to the gods, later almost entirely buried beneath the church, still remains. The Catholic Church triumphant stands with an equally arrogant disregard upon the Greek Temple and the Egyptian or Aztec pyramid. The Calvinist Reform church having stripped the walls and altars and burned the images in a furious storm of militant iconoclasm, now occupies the old Catholic building filling it with predestinarian pessimism and righteous fervor. The French Revolution’s Temple of Reason, the unfulfilled dram of a rationalist ziggurat to deism, lives on too even without bricks and mortar. Where the twentieth century revolutions passed—in Turkey, Mexico, Russia, China and Cuba—the temple was transformed into the House of the People, the library, the school. Yet everywhere, the spiritual sentiment—here in religious and there in humanistic form—lives on. The city preserves everything. The city is always sacred, as well as profane.</p>
<p>The sacred space and the market place, the citadel and the barracks, the agora and the forum stand at the center of the city, transformed by each new avatar of civilization. The ruling class designs the city in its image, and the laboring classes who built it have put their mark upon it. From the beginning the city—from Greece to Persia, from India to China, from the Aztecs, to the Maya to the Inca—brings empire abroad and class struggle within. In every city the police officer and the jail protect property, ensure exploitation and enforce the rulers’ will. And everywhere, driven by the pulse of economic growth and stagnation, by political corruption and despotism, and by their own organization and consciousness, the people rebel and rise up in bread riots and workers’ strikes, in armed rebellions and, at the right moment, in revolution. They erupt into the city spaces, their presence proclaiming: These are not your spaces. We built them and they are ours!</p>
<p>The old city remembers all of this. The memories live in the popular consciousness, in the community, in the university library. They live in the remains of the old slave market and in the spots on the shore where the stevedores shaped, lined up on the dock before the foremen, hoping to be chosen. They live in the broken stone tubs, buried beneath the streetcar line, later beneath the pavement, where the laundresses labored. The memories live in the monument to the Civil War, in the plaque in the park, in the bust in the museum. They live in the murals and the graffiti, in the bullet holes in the wall and the blood stains on the street. The memories live in the cemeteries, in the Communard Wall, in the mass grave of the victims of the Holocaust, in the cluster of graves of the Haymarket Martyrs. With the occupation of the city, Clio, ridiculed and ignored, distorted and perverted in ordinary times, suddenly finds her place, surrounded by respectful listeners and by assiduous readers: “We must know our history. We must know who fought before us. We must carry on the fight.”</p>
<p>Cities represent the crux of our civilization and our humanity. Rural life provides for us, the mountains and the ocean shore renew us, the suburbs shelter many of us, but the city expresses us. The city enriches our experience, widens our horizons, magnifies our voices, and multiplies our power. We are the city dwellers. We are urban in our essence. The city history lives in us, consciously or unconsciously. This is not some Jungian idea of a racial unconscious. This is our experience. We live the city and the city lives in us. We have lived the growing up into our families and we have lived the handing down to our children throughout our generations in the city. We worked and lived in the city way. We made and ate our meals, used the toilet and bathed ourselves as city folk. We went to the city school and were raised in the temple of the faith—or turned from the faith—as the urban people do. We flirted, romanced, and made love in the city way. We ate in the restaurant and drank in the bar, danced in the club, passed the night in jail, and went to work to the morning in the way city folk do. We are urban in our glance, in our carriage, in our gesture. We are the city and the city is us. We are the occupation and the occupation is the city, not as the city is but as it might be. The occupation’s power is the city itself.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>By the 1850s, “One could divine pretty nearly where the force lay, since the last ten years had given to the great mechanical energies—coal, iron, steam—a distinct superiority in power over the old industrial elements—agriculture, handwork, and learning….The world, after 1865, became a bankers’ world…”</p>
<p>—Henry Adams (The Education of Henry Adams&#160;[New York: Modern Library, 1931], pp. 238 and 247)</p>
<p>With its palaces, its quarters, and its slums, its avenues and its alleys, we embrace the city and we remember its history of work and protest. And what is that history that we remember? What is it that the city remembers of our own modern times?</p>
<p>Industry made the modern city with the banks and exchanges at its center. In London, the City. In New York, Wall Street. In Chicago, LaSalle St. The Stock Exchange, the Grain Exchange, the Merchandise Mart. Capital claimed the city’s core, its heart, and arrayed around it the great museums, the opera houses and music halls, department stores, and the neighborhoods of the rich and well-to-do: the Upper East Side, the Gold Coast, Nob Hill. Capital created neighborhoods for the professionals, for the white collar workers, for the clerks, the secretaries. Further out the steel mills, the stockyards, the rail yards, the docks. The apartment buildings and row houses of the workers, the slums of the poor. The missions and charity houses for the destitute, the parks, the sidewalks, and bridges for the homeless. Capital arrayed the city: gleaming towers at its center and shacks and shanties on the fringe.</p>
<p>The city remembers how capital imposed itself in the workplace. The bank and the corporation, the board and the director, the manager, the supervisor and the foreman, on down the line passed the power of capital and pressed it upon the worker. The workers remember the indignity of the search for a job, hat in hand, résumé in hand, pleading: the shape, the pay-off to the foreman, the harassment, the demand for favors. They remember the speed-up, the stretch-out, the double-shift, the forced over-time. They remember the assembly line, the labor in the mine at the face, the trackmen laying the sleepers and the rails. They remember the long hours in the office cubicle, in the classroom, at the computer terminal. They remember pay-docking, the pay-cut, the layoff, the firing. They remember when the foreman struck them, when he insulted them, when he called them lazy dogs. They remember the pink slip in the envelope and how others turned away, afraid they might be next.</p>
<p>The city remembers how capital imposed itself on government in the city, the state, the country. The banks and corporations bought the selectmen, the aldermen, the councilmen—most of them. The city remembers the deals: street cars, electric power, construction, and real estate, real estate, real estate. The city remembers the money passing from hand to hand, under the table, delivered in the paper bag, handed over with a wink and a smile.</p>
<p>They bought the state legislators, the Representatives, the Senators. The Senate became the rich man’s club. They bought the president when necessary for a pretty price, but it was seldom necessary, for the president was usually a rich man. Or a Nixon, a lower middle class man proud to work in the service of the rich. The rich formed the cabinets, cabinets of bankers, oilmen, mine owners, stockbrokers, and corporate lawyers. Government at the federal level was larceny on a grand scale.</p>
<p>The city remembers how capital created the police, the army and the guard. How they built the armories in the city, fortresses against the working class. How they called out the guard to break the strikes. How, as the empire expanded, they drafted the workers’ sons and sent them to war against Mexico, Spain, Colombia, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Haiti, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Vietnam. The fought for sugar companies, banana companies, mining companies, and oil companies. They fought for capital, against other working people like themselves. And the city remembers the star in the window, the black bunting on the door, the service in the church or temple, the youth’s body in the cemetery. The city remembers, and the stones themselves cry.</p>
<p>The city remembers how capital imposed itself on the society. Remembers how they bought the priests, the ministers, the pastors, and the rabbis—many of them. How they bought the university professors—many of them. The city remembers that they bought up the newspapers, later the radio stations and the television channels. The city remembers how the money from Wall Street flowed to Madison Avenue, and the ad men; the copy writers created the images and words that flowed into the city, to the cottages and the apartments. The city remembers how they encouraged us to buy their stuff, to take out the loan, to go into debt, to mortgage the house, to turn in the insurance policy. The city remembers the corruption and the crooks, the Mafia and the street gangs.</p>
<p>The city remembers what capital has wrought. The city remembers the breadlines, the soup lines, the lines at the Salvation Army mission. The homeless men and women carrying their bags in the sun, the rain, and the snow. The sleeping in the doorways, the sleeping in the subways, the sleeping on the bus. The families sleeping in the cars, the kids held on a sleepless mother’s lap. The city remembers the jobless man who abandoned his family in shame, crying, and those driven mad, the raving lunatic, the suicide.</p>
<p>The power of the occupation is the power of memory, the memory of exploitation and oppression, of insults and slurs. The city remembers that your grandfather was Irish, called a mick, and told that he need not apply. The city knows that your parents were called kikes or chinks, that they called you, and some still sometimes call you, nigger, beaner, and spick. The city remembers that you were called a bitch and a slut. The city remembers Stonewall, remembers that you were called a faggot or a dike. The city remembers those who died from hunger, from beatings and killings in the parks and the alleys, those who died anonymously, unrecorded, unremembered except by the city stones. The stones remember. The city remembers and the stones weep.</p>
<p>The Occupation, drawing upon the city’s memory, our collective memory, our history, calls forth righteous indignation, summons up resistance, threatens rebellion. The power of the occupation is in memory and desire, in the memory of mistreatment and the desire for justice.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>The city remembers the occupations, big and small, loud and quiet, year after year occasionally erupting into the public spaces, seizing the squares, taking the boulevards and avenues. The men at the bench who took their tools and walked out of the shop. The women who walked out of the sweatshop, smiling and blinking into the light of day. Remembers the dockworkers who—surprising everyone, even themselves—stood black and white together and would not load the ship. The city remembers seamen who would not sail when the pay was low and the food was bad. Remembers the agitators who filled Bughouse Square standing on soap boxes preaching the Gospel that the “last shall be first.” Preaching democracy, equality and justice. Preaching socialism and communism.</p>
<p>The city remembers the unions that struck and marched with their banners in English, Yiddish, Italian, and Russian and filled Union Square. Remembers the Wobblies who fought for free speech and filled the jails of the cities of the West Coast. Remembers the crowds of people from the neighborhood who faced down the sheriff and his deputies, broke the locks, and returned the evicted family to its home.</p>
<p>The occupation calls to us, the city demands that we remember. And we remember.</p>
<p>The occupation summons us out of our homes, our apartments, out from under the bridge. The occupation of the present calls upon us to remember the occupations of the past. Drawing upon the memory of the city, we remember every occupation and every call for freedom. We remember how we occupied their squares, their factories, their lunch counters, and their streets. We remember the workers who occupied Haymarket Square in 1886, how the police crushed them and how six in that occupation paid with their lives for it. We remember the Pullman workers who stopped the trains and occupied the rail yards, until the troops broke their strike. We remember the rubber, auto, glass and electrical plants in the 1930s that finally, finally, finally after decades won the right to industrial unions, contracts, decent wages and fair treatment.</p>
<p>We remember the laborers, the share-croppers, the janitors and the maids with their tired feet, who with their children, their brave children, occupied the churches of the cities of the South and would not ride in the back of the busses, would not use the colored-only toilets, would not step off the sidewalk any more. We remember the preacher who recalled Amos and in his deep voice proclaimed, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” And they occupied. We remember how they marched despite the fire hoses and the dogs, marched for themselves and for us, occupying the boulevards and the squares of the South. We remember the African American youth who occupied the lunch counters in the Woolworth’s in the center of the Southern cities and, like a tree standing by the water, would not be moved. We remember occupying today and take up the cry: We shall not be moved!</p>
<p>We remember the women who wearing white occupied the boulevards and avenues of America demanding the Equal Rights Amendment—and we remember how the states and Congress denied them. We remember the LBGTQ activists who, coming out of the closet and into the streets, acting up, and chanting “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” joined the historic on-going, centuries-long occupation of city spaces in the demand for equality. We remember the environmentalists who occupied the trees in the forest and climbed so high that we could see them and hear them in the city crying, “Save our planet!” We remember the immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America, and so many from Mexico, who by the millions occupied the squares of Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and dozens of other cities in 2006, waving their flags and the American flag, demanding equality. We remember all this and this too is the power of the occupation. The power of memory.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Everywhere the flags fly over occupy: the American flag, the black flag, the red flag. Sometimes the peace flag, Go Green flags, flags with green and white bars and the Greek theta, equality flags with the equal sign. The American flags might give the impression of a nationalist movement, and there are nationalist moments, but with the slightest prompting the movement tilts toward internationalism. People cheer Egyptians who were at Tahrir Square. They cheer the Spanish&#160;indignados. They cheer Latino immigrant farm workers speaking to the assembly in Spanish. The movement glories in the World Occupy Day as protesters in hundreds of cities in all the inhabited continents and dozens of nations take to the plazas. Occupy speakers proclaim that we fight not merely for ourselves but for a better world for all. And everyone cheers.</p>
<p>We are reminded by the cheering of our history. Our memories are international. Memories of the great occupations. We remember the revolutions of 1848 and 1917 and 1918, occupying the squares of Europe. We remember the French students and workers occupying Paris in 1968, millions joining the general strike. And too, we remember the Arab and African immigrants who poured into the streets of Paris and other French cities in 2005 to demand equality. We remember the students and the workers who occupied Tlatelolco, in Mexico City in 1968 calling for democracy and against an attack on Cuba by the United States. We remember the hundreds of them shot and killed. We remember the Polish workers of Solidarność&#160;who in 1980 occupied the Gdansk shipyard and then by the millions all the squares of all the cities of Poland. General Jaruzelski crushed their movement, but the Polish occupation was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Communist party dictatorship and its rule in Eastern Europe.</p>
<p>We remember the South African workers who throughout the 1980s poured into the streets of the townships and the cities, from Soweto to Johannesburg, to demand an end to apartheid. We remember the South Korean workers and the Brazilian workers who also in the 1980s organized, and struck and occupied factories to overthrow the military dictators who ruled their countries. We remember the Indonesian students and citizens who in the face of gunfire and killings continued their occupations of the universities and the public squares and drove Suharto from power in 1998. We remember Oaxaca in 2006 where the teachers took the square, followed by the townspeople, in spite of the death squads that killed a score. All of this the occupation remembers. And the memory is our strength. We remember and we occupy.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>We have occupied and won. And we have occupied and lost. And why have we won? And why have we lost?</p>
<p>Occupation is our response to the crisis of capitalism. To the crisis of the economy, to the crisis of war, to the crisis of the environment. Capitalism is crisis and occupation is the response. Since the beginning of capitalism in the 1500s there have been panics, depressions and crises, mostly local then. Every decade since the industrial revolution of 1750 we have had a depression, bank failures, business collapse, unemployment, and misery. Since the nineteenth century every crisis has been a global disaster, misery for millions. The countryside starving, cities in pain. The response to the crisis has been the bread riot, the protest march, the demonstration, the strike, the occupation, the barricades, the uprising—and sometimes the revolution.</p>
<p>The crisis often divides the rulers as they argue over how to resolve it, how to carry out the war, and today what to do about the looming environmental crisis that threatens the planet. Their divisions open space for us. Where they divide, we rush in, pushing them apart. The occupation of the park, of the square, of the street becomes a wedge in that opening, driving the ruling factions apart. They are not, however, so easily divided. They overcome their own division and stand together against us, united in their fear of us.</p>
<p>The smallest infringement on their power creates a political crisis for them. The occupation of the park raises for them the question: Who runs the city? Them or us? Who makes the rules? Them or us? Who has the power? Them or us? The occupation of a park, a square, a street—a thing as small as that—seems to them (before it seems so to us) to be a question (strange as it seems) of dual power. They fear that allowing us to stay in the park and speak out against the system could be the seed of a new society and a new state. There is one power they say, and that power, they say is them. But how to exert that power, how to reestablish their power over the park and the people in it?</p>
<p>The ruling party is a two-handed engine: one hand, the cold fist of iron, the other, the sweaty palm of cooptation. The former is more fierce, the latter more insidious. They are equally dangerous. The iron fist sweeps us from the square, the sweaty palm invites us to the party.&#160;Their&#160;party. At the party, they say, there will be music. We remember the adage: Who pays the piper calls the tune.</p>
<p>Republicans and Democrats, and the right and left of each of those ruling parties, divide among themselves the work of ending the occupation. Some move to drive us from the square with mounted police, clubs and pepper spray. Others, the Democrats mostly, welcome us to the square, only hoping we will back their candidate when the cold, rain, snow and the passage of time have driven us from the square. Taking off their cashmere coats and donning nylon jackets, their pocket stuffed with money from the corporations, foundations, and lobbyists, they come down to say, “We share your frustrations. We share your goals.”</p>
<p>We remember now, now that we are awake, now that we are occupying, the long history of betrayal. We remember the other times that they offered us their hand, invited us to the party. We remember how the Populist farmers’ revolt at the turn of the last century, enticed by William Jennings Bryan, entered the Democratic Party and the farmers movement died. We remember that the unionists of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations entered the Democratic Party and the labor movement—and slept there. We remember that the African American civil rights movement, and the feminist movement entered the Democratic Party and withered there. Where have all the movements gone, long time passing? We remember now, now that we are awake, that they all went into the Democratic Party, and there they passed away.</p>
<p>We have won. We, in the long, historic, never-ending and ascending occupation, from time to time we have won. When have we won? We have won when we overcame our divisions, stuck together and fought. We have won when we retained our independence. We have won when we built movements large enough and powerful enough to become a political force themselves.</p>
<p>In America, in the United States, we have won, partial victories, but we have won. When have we won? We won when, united and independent, the industrialist unionists built the industrial unions in the mid-1930s. We won when, united and independent, the African American civil rights movement and its white allies overturned the Jim Crow system in the South. We won when, united and independent, we ended the war in Vietnam. We won many other victories, partial, sometimes short-lived, all important: for women’s rights, for gay and lesbian, transgender and bisexual rights. We have yet many days to go in the occupation, many miles to walk, many challenges and victories to be won.</p>
<p>Gathering in the city, taking strength from its history, remembering its past and our past, we stand firm. Today, we are Occupy, united and independent. Ask me what democracy looks like? I will tell you: We are what democracy looks like. We are the 99%. You are the 99%. We are the 99%. Occupy!</p>
<p>Dan La Botz is a Cincinnati-based teacher, writer and activist. He has been active in Occupy Cincinnati and is one of the 3,000 or mor occupiers around the country who have gone to jail for the rights to assembly and speak out against the inequalities and injustices of our economic and political system.</p>
<p>This article was first published by <a href="http://newpolitics.mayfirst.org/" type="external">New Politics</a>.</p>
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routines normal life menacing threat established order wealth political power big cities occupation takes mass character students professionals workers occupy together urban cosmopolitanism rubs elbows plebeian radicalism day especially night night smaller towns occupation character postmodern urban millenarianism live way anymore live differently seek deliverance seek better life people gathered cities numbers relatively small compared size city whole miniscule compared size nationyet shake foundations state though ostensible political aims reformist belief system failed desire deliverance give movement revolutionary character middle class workers poor homeless join city space embrace movements egalitarianism revolutionary idea equality people stand together saying equal voice common voice found voice showing new way live witnessing something goes beyond symbolic something threatens deep foundations social structure equally importantno important something touches deepest spiritual yearnings occupation utopian best sense whatever political program practice says longer live hatred competition live love community course would mean turning everything upside occupation frightens angers bankers ceos politicians generals says longer need system need might write occupation sorel wrote syndicalist myth general strike thus obtain intuition socialism language give us perfect clearnessand obtain whole perceived instantaneously power occupation arises occupiers arises bricks stones city iron steel rises pavement even occupations disciples held peace stones would cry occupation gives expression moments yearning better world recalls summons sweat blood embedded bricks hears echoes past cry justice sealed stone power occupation comes city city crucible culture civilization city palimpsest eight thousandyear history labor struggle old cities continents original ceremonial center ancient warrior citadel medieval market town bourgeois entrepôt post modern cosmopolis layered one layer result one epochmaking shifts human history collapse old civilization rise new one ruins first city representation human cosmos architectural image man mystery sacred space city remains temple gods later almost entirely buried beneath church still remains catholic church triumphant stands equally arrogant disregard upon greek temple egyptian aztec pyramid calvinist reform church stripped walls altars burned images furious storm militant iconoclasm occupies old catholic building filling predestinarian pessimism righteous fervor french revolutions temple reason unfulfilled dram rationalist ziggurat deism lives even without bricks mortar twentieth century revolutions passedin turkey mexico russia china cubathe temple transformed house people library school yet everywhere spiritual sentimenthere religious humanistic formlives city preserves everything city always sacred well profane sacred space market place citadel barracks agora forum stand center city transformed new avatar civilization ruling class designs city image laboring classes built put mark upon beginning cityfrom greece persia india china aztecs maya incabrings empire abroad class struggle within every city police officer jail protect property ensure exploitation enforce rulers everywhere driven pulse economic growth stagnation political corruption despotism organization consciousness people rebel rise bread riots workers strikes armed rebellions right moment revolution erupt city spaces presence proclaiming spaces built old city remembers memories live popular consciousness community university library live remains old slave market spots shore stevedores shaped lined dock foremen hoping chosen live broken stone tubs buried beneath streetcar line later beneath pavement laundresses labored memories live monument civil war plaque park bust museum live murals graffiti bullet holes wall blood stains street memories live cemeteries communard wall mass grave victims holocaust cluster graves haymarket martyrs occupation city clio ridiculed ignored distorted perverted ordinary times suddenly finds place surrounded respectful listeners assiduous readers must know history must know fought us must carry fight cities represent crux civilization humanity rural life provides us mountains ocean shore renew us suburbs shelter many us city expresses us city enriches experience widens horizons magnifies voices multiplies power city dwellers urban essence city history lives us consciously unconsciously jungian idea racial unconscious experience live city city lives us lived growing families lived handing children throughout generations city worked lived city way made ate meals used toilet bathed city folk went city school raised temple faithor turned faithas urban people flirted romanced made love city way ate restaurant drank bar danced club passed night jail went work morning way city folk urban glance carriage gesture city city us occupation occupation city city might occupations power city 1850s one could divine pretty nearly force lay since last ten years given great mechanical energiescoal iron steama distinct superiority power old industrial elementsagriculture handwork learningthe world 1865 became bankers world henry adams education henry adams160new york modern library 1931 pp 238 247 palaces quarters slums avenues alleys embrace city remember history work protest history remember city remembers modern times industry made modern city banks exchanges center london city new york wall street chicago lasalle st stock exchange grain exchange merchandise mart capital claimed citys core heart arrayed around great museums opera houses music halls department stores neighborhoods rich welltodo upper east side gold coast nob hill capital created neighborhoods professionals white collar workers clerks secretaries steel mills stockyards rail yards docks apartment buildings row houses workers slums poor missions charity houses destitute parks sidewalks bridges homeless capital arrayed city gleaming towers center shacks shanties fringe city remembers capital imposed workplace bank corporation board director manager supervisor foreman line passed power capital pressed upon worker workers remember indignity search job hat hand résumé hand pleading shape payoff foreman harassment demand favors remember speedup stretchout doubleshift forced overtime remember assembly line labor mine face trackmen laying sleepers rails remember long hours office cubicle classroom computer terminal remember paydocking paycut layoff firing remember foreman struck insulted called lazy dogs remember pink slip envelope others turned away afraid might next city remembers capital imposed government city state country banks corporations bought selectmen aldermen councilmenmost city remembers deals street cars electric power construction real estate real estate real estate city remembers money passing hand hand table delivered paper bag handed wink smile bought state legislators representatives senators senate became rich mans club bought president necessary pretty price seldom necessary president usually rich man nixon lower middle class man proud work service rich rich formed cabinets cabinets bankers oilmen mine owners stockbrokers corporate lawyers government federal level larceny grand scale city remembers capital created police army guard built armories city fortresses working class called guard break strikes empire expanded drafted workers sons sent war mexico spain colombia philippines nicaragua haiti germany italy japan korea vietnam fought sugar companies banana companies mining companies oil companies fought capital working people like city remembers star window black bunting door service church temple youths body cemetery city remembers stones cry city remembers capital imposed society remembers bought priests ministers pastors rabbismany bought university professorsmany city remembers bought newspapers later radio stations television channels city remembers money wall street flowed madison avenue ad men copy writers created images words flowed city cottages apartments city remembers encouraged us buy stuff take loan go debt mortgage house turn insurance policy city remembers corruption crooks mafia street gangs city remembers capital wrought city remembers breadlines soup lines lines salvation army mission homeless men women carrying bags sun rain snow sleeping doorways sleeping subways sleeping bus families sleeping cars kids held sleepless mothers lap city remembers jobless man abandoned family shame crying driven mad raving lunatic suicide power occupation power memory memory exploitation oppression insults slurs city remembers grandfather irish called mick told need apply city knows parents called kikes chinks called still sometimes call nigger beaner spick city remembers called bitch slut city remembers stonewall remembers called faggot dike city remembers died hunger beatings killings parks alleys died anonymously unrecorded unremembered except city stones stones remember city remembers stones weep occupation drawing upon citys memory collective memory history calls forth righteous indignation summons resistance threatens rebellion power occupation memory desire memory mistreatment desire justice city remembers occupations big small loud quiet year year occasionally erupting public spaces seizing squares taking boulevards avenues men bench took tools walked shop women walked sweatshop smiling blinking light day remembers dockworkers whosurprising everyone even themselvesstood black white together would load ship city remembers seamen would sail pay low food bad remembers agitators filled bughouse square standing soap boxes preaching gospel last shall first preaching democracy equality justice preaching socialism communism city remembers unions struck marched banners english yiddish italian russian filled union square remembers wobblies fought free speech filled jails cities west coast remembers crowds people neighborhood faced sheriff deputies broke locks returned evicted family home occupation calls us city demands remember remember occupation summons us homes apartments bridge occupation present calls upon us remember occupations past drawing upon memory city remember every occupation every call freedom remember occupied squares factories lunch counters streets remember workers occupied haymarket square 1886 police crushed six occupation paid lives remember pullman workers stopped trains occupied rail yards troops broke strike remember rubber auto glass electrical plants 1930s finally finally finally decades right industrial unions contracts decent wages fair treatment remember laborers sharecroppers janitors maids tired feet children brave children occupied churches cities south would ride back busses would use coloredonly toilets would step sidewalk remember preacher recalled amos deep voice proclaimed let justice roll like river righteousness like neverfailing stream occupied remember marched despite fire hoses dogs marched us occupying boulevards squares south remember african american youth occupied lunch counters woolworths center southern cities like tree standing water would moved remember occupying today take cry shall moved remember women wearing white occupied boulevards avenues america demanding equal rights amendmentand remember states congress denied remember lbgtq activists coming closet streets acting chanting queer get used joined historic ongoing centurieslong occupation city spaces demand equality remember environmentalists occupied trees forest climbed high could see hear city crying save planet remember immigrants asia africa latin america many mexico millions occupied squares los angeles chicago new york dozens cities 2006 waving flags american flag demanding equality remember power occupation power memory everywhere flags fly occupy american flag black flag red flag sometimes peace flag go green flags flags green white bars greek theta equality flags equal sign american flags might give impression nationalist movement nationalist moments slightest prompting movement tilts toward internationalism people cheer egyptians tahrir square cheer spanish160indignados cheer latino immigrant farm workers speaking assembly spanish movement glories world occupy day protesters hundreds cities inhabited continents dozens nations take plazas occupy speakers proclaim fight merely better world everyone cheers reminded cheering history memories international memories great occupations remember revolutions 1848 1917 1918 occupying squares europe remember french students workers occupying paris 1968 millions joining general strike remember arab african immigrants poured streets paris french cities 2005 demand equality remember students workers occupied tlatelolco mexico city 1968 calling democracy attack cuba united states remember hundreds shot killed remember polish workers solidarność160who 1980 occupied gdansk shipyard millions squares cities poland general jaruzelski crushed movement polish occupation beginning end soviet communist party dictatorship rule eastern europe remember south african workers throughout 1980s poured streets townships cities soweto johannesburg demand end apartheid remember south korean workers brazilian workers also 1980s organized struck occupied factories overthrow military dictators ruled countries remember indonesian students citizens face gunfire killings continued occupations universities public squares drove suharto power 1998 remember oaxaca 2006 teachers took square followed townspeople spite death squads killed score occupation remembers memory strength remember occupy occupied occupied lost lost occupation response crisis capitalism crisis economy crisis war crisis environment capitalism crisis occupation response since beginning capitalism 1500s panics depressions crises mostly local every decade since industrial revolution 1750 depression bank failures business collapse unemployment misery since nineteenth century every crisis global disaster misery millions countryside starving cities pain response crisis bread riot protest march demonstration strike occupation barricades uprisingand sometimes revolution crisis often divides rulers argue resolve carry war today looming environmental crisis threatens planet divisions open space us divide rush pushing apart occupation park square street becomes wedge opening driving ruling factions apart however easily divided overcome division stand together us united fear us smallest infringement power creates political crisis occupation park raises question runs city us makes rules us power us occupation park square streeta thing small thatseems seems us question strange seems dual power fear allowing us stay park speak system could seed new society new state one power say power say exert power reestablish power park people ruling party twohanded engine one hand cold fist iron sweaty palm cooptation former fierce latter insidious equally dangerous iron fist sweeps us square sweaty palm invites us party160their160party party say music remember adage pays piper calls tune republicans democrats right left ruling parties divide among work ending occupation move drive us square mounted police clubs pepper spray others democrats mostly welcome us square hoping back candidate cold rain snow passage time driven us square taking cashmere coats donning nylon jackets pocket stuffed money corporations foundations lobbyists come say share frustrations share goals remember awake occupying long history betrayal remember times offered us hand invited us party remember populist farmers revolt turn last century enticed william jennings bryan entered democratic party farmers movement died remember unionists american federation labor congress industrial organizations entered democratic party labor movementand slept remember african american civil rights movement feminist movement entered democratic party withered movements gone long time passing remember awake went democratic party passed away long historic neverending ascending occupation time time overcame divisions stuck together fought retained independence built movements large enough powerful enough become political force america united states partial victories united independent industrialist unionists built industrial unions mid1930s united independent african american civil rights movement white allies overturned jim crow system south united independent ended war vietnam many victories partial sometimes shortlived important womens rights gay lesbian transgender bisexual rights yet many days go occupation many miles walk many challenges victories gathering city taking strength history remembering past past stand firm today occupy united independent ask democracy looks like tell democracy looks like 99 99 99 occupy dan la botz cincinnatibased teacher writer activist active occupy cincinnati one 3000 mor occupiers around country gone jail rights assembly speak inequalities injustices economic political system article first published new politics 160 | 2,524 |
<p>Photo: Michael Wilson</p>
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<p>When Ernie Chambers returns to work this January, it will be with the knowledge that he isn’t long for the world, at least the world of the Nebraska Legislature, where he has served for 35 years, longer than any other member, current or past. Five years ago, Nebraskans passed a constitutional amendment calling for term limits. Unless the law is overturned, Chambers will be tossed out of office at the end of 2008. With his departure, the unicameral body (Nebraska is home to the nation’s sole one-house legislature) will lose more than institutional memory, because Chambers is distinctive, to start with, and does not attempt to blend in. He wears sweatshirts and jeans amid a forest of suits and ties; his gray beard contrasts with the clean chins of most of his brethren. He’s been described as “left of San Francisco” in a state that for decades has been tightly tucked under the blanket of conservative Republicanism. And, also, he’s black, the lone African American in the Legislature.</p>
<p>Depending on your perspective, that fact means everything or nothing. To Chambers, it is the characteristic by which his enemies, who are legion, define him, and for which they despise him. “They don’t like who I am, and they don’t like what I do,” he says.</p>
<p>But they do help him do it, albeit reluctantly. Because of Chambers, the Legislature routinely backs bills its members wouldn’t otherwise have dreamed of supporting. He cajoled his colleagues into abolishing corporal punishment in schools, correcting the state pension system so that women would be treated equally with men, and backing a switch from at-large municipal elections to district-based voting so that nonwhites would have a chance to serve. Under his sway, Nebraska led the nation in the 1980s in divesting in companies that did business with apartheid-era South Africa. Every session he introduces a bill calling for an end to the death penalty. He once got the Legislature to approve it, but could not overcome the governor’s veto. He later led the Legislature in halting the execution of juveniles and the mentally retarded, ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s nationwide bans.</p>
<p>Chambers is famous for an unsurpassed knowledge of legislative rules, which he uses to derail bills that threaten those he calls the “downtrodden.” This attracts the criticism that he is “the great obstructionist,” better at halting legislation than creating laws. As one colleague observed, “In Washington they call it a filibuster. In Lincoln, they call it Ernie.” Once, Chambers filibustered on the state budget until his colleagues agreed to set aside half a million dollars for a minority scholarship fund. In the 2005 session, he blocked the legalization of concealed weapons, as well as a constitutional amendment protecting the right to hunt, which he said would “trivialize and pollute” the state constitution. In classic Ernie Chambers style, he introduced a raft of riders to the amendment that would protect such other rights as “creating, recreating, conversating and procreating,” “hunting for the link between Noah’s Ark, Joan of Arc and Archimedes,” and “sitting on the front porch on a warm summer evening, drinking a glass of cold lemonade, dreamily watching the silvery moon rise to begin its journey across a darkening velvet sky powdered with stardust.”</p>
<p>Chambers’ mastery of oratory has gotten his arguments—in opposition to a state-paid government chaplain and in support of late-term abortions—cited in at least two cases argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. In the most recent session, he introduced an amendment to toughen the standards for DNA testing by police. The action came after officers in Omaha sought DNA samples from dozens of black men who roughly fit the description of a serial rapist. “Like an oversize dress, the description covers everything and touches nothing,” Chambers wrote in an opinion piece in a local newspaper. “A racial dragnet has been woven to justify random sweeps.” None of the men who were tested turned out to be a viable suspect. Chambers’ amendment required probable cause before a DNA test could be ordered and that samples be returned to those who are cleared. It passed 44-0.</p>
<p>With all that success, Chambers doesn’t feel overburdened with popularity. (One legislator frustrated by Chambers’ intransigence introduced an amendment that would have ceded Chambers’ Omaha district to Iowa.) Chambers feels the term-limit amendment was devised specifically to get rid of him. “This is Nebraska,” he says. “It’s a terrible place to be. It is an ultraconservative, ultra-racist state. I would not advise anybody black to come here.”</p>
<p>“Ernie sees racism when he pours his breakfast cereal,” responds Lee Rupp, a land manager from a rural district who served with Chambers for five years. “His problem is that he doesn’t think politically. He sees everything as right or wrong, with no shades of gray.” Others say Chambers’ perceptions are apt. “When Ernie gets under a person’s skin, which you can do through speech pretty effectively, one of the ways of responding to that is to bring up a racial issue,” says Vard Johnson, an attorney who served alongside Chambers for nine years. “I can tell you that in talking with my own constituents I would hear racially derogatory references made about Ernie Chambers.”</p>
<p>In the long run—and it’s been a very long run—Chambers may be as emblematic of his state as he is exceptional. “The Great Plains has a rich history of this sort of rabble-rousing individual,” says Gary Moulton, professor emeritus of history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Chambers’ detractors should take heed of the state’s populist legacy, he says, one that includes William Jennings Bryan and other ad-vocates for the ignored and voiceless. “Ernie comes out of the ’60s, but if you take a step back you can see that it’s another aspect in the same populist vein,” Moulton says. “Instead of oppressed farmers it’s oppressed minorities.”</p>
<p>Unlike most of his colleagues, Chambers does not supplement his $12,000 legislative salary with other work. In 1984 Chambers successfully sued the state to get reimbursement for senators’ travel and food expenses, but they receive no pension or other benefits. “The Legislature here is a starvation deal,” says Rupp, who became a lobbyist after his stint in the capitol. “Everybody does it to put it on their résumé so they can go on to something else and make a living.”</p>
<p>Chambers, though, has stayed, logging 250,000 miles on his seven-year-old Honda Civic, commuting almost daily between his office in Lincoln and his two-bedroom apartment in a predominantly black district in Omaha. “I do it because I believe in it,” he says. In 2002, Chambers turned 65 and became eligible for Medicare; it was the first time in many years that he’d had health insurance. “I have not accumulated houses or stocks or bonds or anything; this has not been a lucrative office for me,” he says. “I entered the Legislature a poor man, and I will leave the Legislature a poor man.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | photo michael wilson ernie chambers returns work january knowledge isnt long world least world nebraska legislature served 35 years longer member current past five years ago nebraskans passed constitutional amendment calling term limits unless law overturned chambers tossed office end 2008 departure unicameral body nebraska home nations sole onehouse legislature lose institutional memory chambers distinctive start attempt blend wears sweatshirts jeans amid forest suits ties gray beard contrasts clean chins brethren hes described left san francisco state decades tightly tucked blanket conservative republicanism also hes black lone african american legislature depending perspective fact means everything nothing chambers characteristic enemies legion define despise dont like dont like says help albeit reluctantly chambers legislature routinely backs bills members wouldnt otherwise dreamed supporting cajoled colleagues abolishing corporal punishment schools correcting state pension system women would treated equally men backing switch atlarge municipal elections districtbased voting nonwhites would chance serve sway nebraska led nation 1980s divesting companies business apartheidera south africa every session introduces bill calling end death penalty got legislature approve could overcome governors veto later led legislature halting execution juveniles mentally retarded ahead us supreme courts nationwide bans chambers famous unsurpassed knowledge legislative rules uses derail bills threaten calls downtrodden attracts criticism great obstructionist better halting legislation creating laws one colleague observed washington call filibuster lincoln call ernie chambers filibustered state budget colleagues agreed set aside half million dollars minority scholarship fund 2005 session blocked legalization concealed weapons well constitutional amendment protecting right hunt said would trivialize pollute state constitution classic ernie chambers style introduced raft riders amendment would protect rights creating recreating conversating procreating hunting link noahs ark joan arc archimedes sitting front porch warm summer evening drinking glass cold lemonade dreamily watching silvery moon rise begin journey across darkening velvet sky powdered stardust chambers mastery oratory gotten argumentsin opposition statepaid government chaplain support lateterm abortionscited least two cases argued us supreme court recent session introduced amendment toughen standards dna testing police action came officers omaha sought dna samples dozens black men roughly fit description serial rapist like oversize dress description covers everything touches nothing chambers wrote opinion piece local newspaper racial dragnet woven justify random sweeps none men tested turned viable suspect chambers amendment required probable cause dna test could ordered samples returned cleared passed 440 success chambers doesnt feel overburdened popularity one legislator frustrated chambers intransigence introduced amendment would ceded chambers omaha district iowa chambers feels termlimit amendment devised specifically get rid nebraska says terrible place ultraconservative ultraracist state would advise anybody black come ernie sees racism pours breakfast cereal responds lee rupp land manager rural district served chambers five years problem doesnt think politically sees everything right wrong shades gray others say chambers perceptions apt ernie gets persons skin speech pretty effectively one ways responding bring racial issue says vard johnson attorney served alongside chambers nine years tell talking constituents would hear racially derogatory references made ernie chambers long runand long runchambers may emblematic state exceptional great plains rich history sort rabblerousing individual says gary moulton professor emeritus history university nebraskalincoln chambers detractors take heed states populist legacy says one includes william jennings bryan advocates ignored voiceless ernie comes 60s take step back see another aspect populist vein moulton says instead oppressed farmers oppressed minorities unlike colleagues chambers supplement 12000 legislative salary work 1984 chambers successfully sued state get reimbursement senators travel food expenses receive pension benefits legislature starvation deal says rupp became lobbyist stint capitol everybody put résumé go something else make living chambers though stayed logging 250000 miles sevenyearold honda civic commuting almost daily office lincoln twobedroom apartment predominantly black district omaha believe says 2002 chambers turned 65 became eligible medicare first time many years hed health insurance accumulated houses stocks bonds anything lucrative office says entered legislature poor man leave legislature poor man | 628 |
<p>Photo by Jim Mattis | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>Many people view&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/DonaldTrump" type="external">Donald Trump</a>&#160;as the most dangerous&#160;man&#160;on the planet, but next week he flies to&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/SaudiArabia" type="external">Saudi Arabia</a>&#160;for a three-day visit during which he will meet a man who surely runs him a close second as a source of instability. This is deputy&#160;crown&#160;prince&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/mohammed-bin-salman" type="external">Mohammed bin Salman</a>, 31 –&#160;the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia since his father King Salman, 81, is incapacitated by old age –&#160;who has won a reputation for impulsiveness, aggression and poor judgement in the two-and-half years he has held power. Early on he escalated the Saudi role in Syria, thereby helping to precipitate Russian military intervention, and initiated a war in Yemen that is still going on and has reduced 17 million people to the brink of famine. Combine his failings with those of Trump, a man equally careless or ignorant about the consequence of his actions, and you have an explosive mixture threatening the most volatile region on earth.</p>
<p>Prince Mohammed, who is also defence minister, is not a man who learns from his mistakes or even notices that he has made them. Less than a year after his father became king in January 2015, the BND German intelligence agency issued a warning that Saudi Arabia had adopted “an impulsive policy of intervention” abroad and blamed this on the deputy crown prince whom it portrayed as a naïve political gambler. The degree of alarm within the BND about his impact on the region must have been high for them to release such a document which was swiftly withdrawn at the insistence of the German foreign ministry, but its predictions have been fulfilled disastrously in the following eighteen months.</p>
<p>The deputy crown prince is turning out to be not only a gambler, but one who recklessly raises his stakes when in trouble. Proof of this came in an extraordinary but under-reported interview he gave earlier this month, broadcast on al-Arabiya&#160;TV&#160;and Saudi TV, in which he threatens military intervention in Iran. “We will not wait until the battle is in Saudi Arabia, but we will work so the battle is there in Iran,” he says. Speaking in highly sectarian terms, he claims that the Iranian Shia leaders are planning to seize Mecca and to establish their rule over all the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. He believes that “their logic is based on the notion that Imam Mahdi will come and they must prepare the fertile environment for his arrival and they must control the Muslim world.” His diatribe is as anti-Shia as it is anti-Iranian and likely to provoke fears among Shia in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia itself, where Shia make up a tenth of the population, that they will be the victims of an anti-Shia crusade.</p>
<p>It is absurd to imagine that the four or five Shia countries have the ambition or the ability to take over the fifty or more that are Sunni, though Sunni fundamentalists accuse tiny Shia minorities in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Indonesia of plotting to do so. Prince Mohammed appears to give credence to the theory of a grand anti-Sunni conspiracy orchestrated by Iran, saying that, since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Iran has been trying to “control Muslims in the Islamic world and spread the Twelver Jaafari [Shia] sect in the Islamic world so Imam Mahdi comes.”</p>
<p>There is more at play here than Prince Mohammed whipping up religious and nationalist feelings in Saudi Arabia to secure his own power base and fend off his rivals within the royal family. None of his foreign ventures have so far achieved their aims: in Syria in the spring of 2015 Saudi Arabia gave support to the so-called Army of Conquest, consisting primarily of the al-Qaeda affiliate the al-Nusra Front and its then ally Ahrar al-Sham. This won a series of victories against pro-Assad forces in Idlib province but their success led to Russian military intervention later the same year that was a turning point in the war. Saudi influence was marginalised, something that he blames on “former American President Barack Obama [who] wasted many significant opportunities he could have seized to achieve great change in Syria.” In practice, Saudi Arabia was hoping for US military intervention to enforce regime change in Syria along the lines of Iraq in 2003 or Libya in 2011. Obama was privately critical of Saudi actions and the tradition of the Washington foreign policy establishment of giving automatic support to Saudi Arabia and its allies.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, in Yemen Mr Obama gave backing until the last days of his presidency to the Saudi-led bombing campaign which has been devastating the country since March 2015 but has so far failed to win the war for the Saudis’ local allies. It has brought terrible suffering to the Yemeni population of 27 million, of whom the UN estimates that 17 million are “food insecure” including 3.3 million pregnant and breast-feeding mothers and children, some 462,000 under the age of five, who are “acutely malnourished” or, in other words, starving. Saudi-backed forces are poised to attack the Red Sea port of Hodeida, through which come 80 per cent of Yemen’s imports which make up most of its food supplies. If the port &#160;is closed then Yemenis will face the worst man-made famine since Mao Tse-Tung’s Great Leap Forward. Prince Mohammed says the war is all but won, though, mysteriously, in finishing off the other side, “thousands of our troops can fall victims. There will be funerals in all Saudi cities.”</p>
<p>Trump has already ordered greater US support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen, but the deputy crown prince will be primarily bidding for US backing for his confrontation with Iran. Words are already turning into action with reports of the US and Saudi Arabia being at one in planning to stir up an anti-government insurgency among minorities in Iran such as the Baluchis in the south east, something that has been done before but with limited impact.</p>
<p>Saudi leaders were overjoyed by the election of Trump whom they see as sympathetic to them and the Gulf leaders whom he will meet after he arrives in Saudi Arabia on 19 May, before going on to Israel. It is a chilling tribute to the authoritarian instincts of Trump that his first foreign visit as President should be to the last arbitrary monarchies left on earth and to a state where women are not even allowed to drive. On the question of confronting Iran, he is unlikely to be restrained by his Defence Secretary, James Mattis, and his National Security Adviser, HR McMaster, both former generals scarred by America’s war in Iraq, where they see Iran as the main enemy.</p>
<p>The White House is doubtless conscious that the one-time Trump has won universal plaudits in the US was when he fired missiles in Syria and dropped a big bomb in Afghanistan. Trump and Prince Mohammed may be very different in some respects, but both know that fighting foreign foes and waving the flag shores up crumbling support at home.</p> | true | 4 | photo jim mattis cc 20 many people view160 donald trump160as dangerous160man160on planet next week flies to160 saudi arabia160for threeday visit meet man surely runs close second source instability deputy160crown160prince160 mohammed bin salman 31 160the de facto ruler saudi arabia since father king salman 81 incapacitated old age 160who reputation impulsiveness aggression poor judgement twoandhalf years held power early escalated saudi role syria thereby helping precipitate russian military intervention initiated war yemen still going reduced 17 million people brink famine combine failings trump man equally careless ignorant consequence actions explosive mixture threatening volatile region earth prince mohammed also defence minister man learns mistakes even notices made less year father became king january 2015 bnd german intelligence agency issued warning saudi arabia adopted impulsive policy intervention abroad blamed deputy crown prince portrayed naïve political gambler degree alarm within bnd impact region must high release document swiftly withdrawn insistence german foreign ministry predictions fulfilled disastrously following eighteen months deputy crown prince turning gambler one recklessly raises stakes trouble proof came extraordinary underreported interview gave earlier month broadcast alarabiya160tv160and saudi tv threatens military intervention iran wait battle saudi arabia work battle iran says speaking highly sectarian terms claims iranian shia leaders planning seize mecca establish rule 16 billion muslims world believes logic based notion imam mahdi come must prepare fertile environment arrival must control muslim world diatribe antishia antiiranian likely provoke fears among shia iraq lebanon pakistan saudi arabia shia make tenth population victims antishia crusade absurd imagine four five shia countries ambition ability take fifty sunni though sunni fundamentalists accuse tiny shia minorities countries like egypt tunisia indonesia plotting prince mohammed appears give credence theory grand antisunni conspiracy orchestrated iran saying since iranian revolution 1979 iran trying control muslims islamic world spread twelver jaafari shia sect islamic world imam mahdi comes play prince mohammed whipping religious nationalist feelings saudi arabia secure power base fend rivals within royal family none foreign ventures far achieved aims syria spring 2015 saudi arabia gave support socalled army conquest consisting primarily alqaeda affiliate alnusra front ally ahrar alsham series victories proassad forces idlib province success led russian military intervention later year turning point war saudi influence marginalised something blames former american president barack obama wasted many significant opportunities could seized achieve great change syria practice saudi arabia hoping us military intervention enforce regime change syria along lines iraq 2003 libya 2011 obama privately critical saudi actions tradition washington foreign policy establishment giving automatic support saudi arabia allies nevertheless yemen mr obama gave backing last days presidency saudiled bombing campaign devastating country since march 2015 far failed win war saudis local allies brought terrible suffering yemeni population 27 million un estimates 17 million food insecure including 33 million pregnant breastfeeding mothers children 462000 age five acutely malnourished words starving saudibacked forces poised attack red sea port hodeida come 80 per cent yemens imports make food supplies port 160is closed yemenis face worst manmade famine since mao tsetungs great leap forward prince mohammed says war though mysteriously finishing side thousands troops fall victims funerals saudi cities trump already ordered greater us support saudi war effort yemen deputy crown prince primarily bidding us backing confrontation iran words already turning action reports us saudi arabia one planning stir antigovernment insurgency among minorities iran baluchis south east something done limited impact saudi leaders overjoyed election trump see sympathetic gulf leaders meet arrives saudi arabia 19 may going israel chilling tribute authoritarian instincts trump first foreign visit president last arbitrary monarchies left earth state women even allowed drive question confronting iran unlikely restrained defence secretary james mattis national security adviser hr mcmaster former generals scarred americas war iraq see iran main enemy white house doubtless conscious onetime trump universal plaudits us fired missiles syria dropped big bomb afghanistan trump prince mohammed may different respects know fighting foreign foes waving flag shores crumbling support home | 640 |
<p>I finished reading an e-mail from David Axelrod with “This isn’t a game” in the subject line. &#160;The body of the message contained:</p>
<p>Truth be told — with each passing day, more and more Americans&#160; &#160;are unable to get the health care they need, when they need it.&#160; Skyrocketing co-pays and deductibles and soaring insurance premiums are crushing our family budgets and small businesses. Unless we act now, these problems are guaranteed to get worse and worse.</p>
<p>Axelrod wanted me to know that Barack Obama cares about my health and financial situation.&#160; But I don’t have time to watch the video he sent of the president’s prime-time performance about health insurance reform.</p>
<p>Because Mr. Ben Zongo is waiting for my “urgent” reply.&#160; And while I hate to “expose or betray” his trust, I am just too excited to keep this to myself.&#160; You see, Mr. Zongo is&#160; a bank executive who needs my “urgent assistance in transferring the sum of Twenty-Two Million and Six Hundred Thousand united state [sic] dollars.”&#160; To my account.&#160;&#160;He says I’m the “nearest person to the deceased customer.”&#160; I’ve been named the beneficiary of a huge sum of money from someone near and dear who I just don’t happen to know for some reason. Or other.</p>
<p>Excuse me.&#160; I just heard a ping–you know, the sound of an e-mail arrival.</p>
<p>OMG, Christian singles in my area want to meet me. I can contact them “anytime with a flirt message.”</p>
<p>Then, more exciting news from Mr. Tony George who’s written to introduce himself.&#160; I’m pretty thrilled that this VIP, the “Bill and Exchange Manager of Bank of Africa Burkina faso [sic]” is contacting me about something that will bring to my “personal edification ($18.5 million transfer claims).” He says it’s legitimate.&#160; I just have to provide some personal information and get back to him for more details. &#160;Done.</p>
<p>Hey, I just learned I can lose 20 pounds through colon flushing.&#160; Who wouldn’t want this?</p>
<p>And here’s something from eHarmony–where I can find “compatible singles.” There’s a list of dating tips.&#160;&#160;Great!&#160;&#160;I’m definitely going to utilize this one:</p>
<p>Do Not Let It All Hang Out On Your First Date.</p>
<p>You should not give it &#160;all at once in order to get better dating results. You must always leave something to the imagination on every date that you have with a&#160;person.&#160; Most of us would enjoy sustained dating with a person we find mysterious and interesting. The excitement of continuously chasing a date with a person who seems not to run out of surprises every time you meet is&#160; enough reason for you to work for a deeper relationship.</p>
<p>So, I’m developing&#160; a couple of ideas for mystery maintenance that might lead to something meaningful, and I could use your help.&#160; What do you think about my saying this on a first date:&#160; “Bet you can’t guess how I lost 20 pounds?” Or: “Guess how much weight I lost by flushing something?” With either of these questions, I could&#160; continue the mystique with:&#160; “I’ll tell you on the second date.” Or the third. If I really want to be pursued, I could tantalize with: “On a future date, I’ll tell you what I flushed.”</p>
<p>But suppose I spend all the money from Mr.&#160; Ben Zongo or Mr. Tony George on the colon stuff.&#160;&#160;I’d just have to accept the offer from Mr. Ibrahim Mike, another manager from Africa.&#160; He sure has an interesting name. &#160;Sorry for digressing. The amount of $10.5 million could be in my account within “10 to 14 banking days” and this time, I’d actually know the name of my benefactor, Dr. George Brumely, “who died along with his entire family in a plane crash.”&#160; I’m guessing Dr. Brumely read my CP articles and, well, just happened to agree with my politics, so before I forget, I want to thank Jeffrey and Alexander for bringing my views to the attention of Dr. Brumely.</p>
<p>Hmm, I just noticed I’ll actually receive only 40% of the money offered by Mr. Mike, since he has to set aside some of the funds for himself.&#160; That’s okay, though.&#160;&#160;Because there’s another e-mail from Mr. Ebrahim Hamid who’s senior staff with a bank in Dubai.&#160; This guy has $3,000,000.00 for me, quite a nice infusion.</p>
<p>Does anybody know if colon flushing is expensive?&#160; And do these dating services cost an arm and a leg? Christian singles get to flirt free but what if the flirting leads to, er, something athletic? I need answers. Pronto.</p>
<p>I’m really thinking I should make a donation to CounterPunch, but I have to be&#160; sure I have money left after all the flushing, Christian singles, e-Harmonizing, and, hold on, I just received (ping) something from a Mr. Abdoullah Karim who’s calling me his friend.&#160; Wow, this auditor/banker is ready to transfer $20,500,000.00 to me–almost as much as Mr. Zongo. &#160;I will never again have to worry about the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. Have to go–Mr. Karim needs my account info and SSN.</p>
<p>Missy Beattie lives in New York City. She’s written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, she’s a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,’05, she has been writing political articles. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:Missybeat@aol.com" type="external">Missybeat@aol.com</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | finished reading email david axelrod isnt game subject line 160the body message contained truth told passing day americans160 160are unable get health care need need it160 skyrocketing copays deductibles soaring insurance premiums crushing family budgets small businesses unless act problems guaranteed get worse worse axelrod wanted know barack obama cares health financial situation160 dont time watch video sent presidents primetime performance health insurance reform mr ben zongo waiting urgent reply160 hate expose betray trust excited keep myself160 see mr zongo is160 bank executive needs urgent assistance transferring sum twentytwo million six hundred thousand united state sic dollars160 account160160he says im nearest person deceased customer160 ive named beneficiary huge sum money someone near dear dont happen know reason excuse me160 heard pingyou know sound email arrival omg christian singles area want meet contact anytime flirt message exciting news mr tony george whos written introduce himself160 im pretty thrilled vip bill exchange manager bank africa burkina faso sic contacting something bring personal edification 185 million transfer claims says legitimate160 provide personal information get back details 160done hey learned lose 20 pounds colon flushing160 wouldnt want heres something eharmonywhere find compatible singles theres list dating tips160160great160160im definitely going utilize one let hang first date give 160all order get better dating results must always leave something imagination every date a160person160 us would enjoy sustained dating person find mysterious interesting excitement continuously chasing date person seems run surprises every time meet is160 enough reason work deeper relationship im developing160 couple ideas mystery maintenance might lead something meaningful could use help160 think saying first date160 bet cant guess lost 20 pounds guess much weight lost flushing something either questions could160 continue mystique with160 ill tell second date third really want pursued could tantalize future date ill tell flushed suppose spend money mr160 ben zongo mr tony george colon stuff160160id accept offer mr ibrahim mike another manager africa160 sure interesting name 160sorry digressing amount 105 million could account within 10 14 banking days time id actually know name benefactor dr george brumely died along entire family plane crash160 im guessing dr brumely read cp articles well happened agree politics forget want thank jeffrey alexander bringing views attention dr brumely hmm noticed ill actually receive 40 money offered mr mike since set aside funds himself160 thats okay though160160because theres another email mr ebrahim hamid whos senior staff bank dubai160 guy 300000000 quite nice infusion anybody know colon flushing expensive160 dating services cost arm leg christian singles get flirt free flirting leads er something athletic need answers pronto im really thinking make donation counterpunch be160 sure money left flushing christian singles eharmonizing hold received ping something mr abdoullah karim whos calling friend160 wow auditorbanker ready transfer 2050000000 mealmost much mr zongo 160i never worry skyrocketing cost healthcare gomr karim needs account info ssn missy beattie lives new york city shes written national public radio nashville life magazine outspoken critic bush administration war iraq shes member gold star families peace completed novel last year since death nephew marine lance cpl chase j comley iraq august 605 writing political articles reached missybeataolcom 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 519 |
<p>Why is President Bush more concerned with the state of marriage than the state of Louisiana?</p>
<p>That’s what the New Orleans City Business paper asked in early February, a couple of weeks after Bush’s State of the Union address, in which the president called for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, upon learning that Bush’s budget proposal recommended slashing $34 million from the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, leaving the city with a $581 million shortfall for flood control and coastal erosion improvement projects.</p>
<p>Despite more than four hurricanes that have whipped through New Orleans since 2002, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, and personal pleas to the president by Louisiana’s local and state officials to provide much needed funding to rebuild the state’s rapidly disappearing wetlands, the Bush administration declined, shifting its priorities-and federal funds-into its foreign policy initiatives.</p>
<p>Bush said Thursday no one expected the levees in New Orleans to break after Hurricane Katrina. There were warnings.</p>
<p>“Coastal erosion [is] swallowing Louisiana whole at a rate of a football field every 30 minutes,” said the Feb. 14, 2005 story in New Orleans City Business.</p>
<p>The erosion has a direct impact on New Orleans’ ability to absorb the blow of a storm like [Hurricane] Katrina. For every 2.7 miles of wetlands, storm surges are reduced by about one foot, said Sidney Coffee, executive assistant to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, in charge of coastal activities, in an interview with &lt;http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9118570/&gt;MSNBC.</p>
<p>About 1,900 square miles of wetlands have disappeared from the area since the 1930s, and the receding continues at a rate of about 24 square miles per year. Most of the erosion in Louisiana is blamed on the levees, which faithfully steer all the water from the Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. That prevents occasional flooding, keeping area residents above water most of the time. But one unforeseen consequence of the levees has been to cut off wetlands from their life force.</p>
<p>“How is losing vast tracts of valuable state property less important than the nebulous goal of somehow trying to restrict immigration?” the New Orleans paper asked.</p>
<p>Bush’s domestic priorities were dwarfed by the war in Iraq and the so-called war on terror.</p>
<p>The lack of federal funding became so dire that last November Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, at the urging of Louisiana levee districts, considered suing the federal government for a larger share of the $5 billion in royalties from offshore oil and natural gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico just so the state could pay for the work needed to repair its deteriorating coast.</p>
<p>A lawsuit, the levee district said, would grab the nation’s attention and advance the issue of coastal restoration in the federal court system as opposed to being bogged down in legislation on Capitol Hill. The money from the Gulf of Mexico is, after income the Internal Revenue Service brings in, the second largest source of revenue for the federal government.</p>
<p>Blanco said that every year state officials plead with lawmakers to fund ongoing projects to preserve what’s left of the coast and to help fund other endeavors to replace what’s no longer there. Yet every year the state is shortchanged which threatens the very existence of historic cities like New Orleans.</p>
<p>Lawmakers included the proposal in the national energy bill. The legislation called for carving out $540 million-a 10 percent-royalty from oil and gas revenue at the Gulf of Mexico on top of the $800 million or so Louisiana already receives from drilling revenues to fund the coastal restoration project. In June, the Bush administration took the unusual step of sending a letter to House and Senate negotiators advising them to kill the revenue- sharing plan in the final version of the energy bill. It was.</p>
<p>New Orleans resident David Morris was none too happy when he got the news, particularly because a majority of Louisianans voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004.</p>
<p>President Bush has just told Louisiana to go jump in the Gulf,” Morris wrote in a June 17, letter to the Times-Picayune. “This is our president, Louisiana. We helped him win his second term in office, and this is how he thanks us. Our dwindling coastline just isn’t Bush’s concern. Nor is the prospect of New Orleans under 20 feet water.”</p>
<p>JASON LEOPOLD is the author of the explosive memoir, News Junkie, to be released in the spring of 2006 by Process/Feral House Books. Visit Leopold’s website at <a href="http://www.jasonleopold.com/" type="external">www.jasonleopold.com</a> for updates.</p>
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<p>CLARIFICATION</p>
<p>ALEXANDER COCKBURN, JEFFREY ST CLAIR, BECKY GRANT AND THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF JOURNALISTIC CLARITY, COUNTERPUNCH</p>
<p>We published an article entitled “A Saudiless Arabia” by Wayne Madsen dated October 22, 2002 (the “Article”), on the website of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalistic Clarity, CounterPunch, www.counterpunch.org (the “Website”).</p>
<p>Although it was not our intention, counsel for Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has advised us the Article suggests, or could be read as suggesting, that Mr Al Amoudi has funded, supported, or is in some way associated with, the terrorist activities of Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda terrorist network.</p>
<p>We do not have any evidence connecting Mr Al Amoudi with terrorism.</p>
<p>As a result of an exchange of communications with Mr Al Amoudi’s lawyers, we have removed the Article from the Website.</p>
<p>We are pleased to clarify the position.</p>
<p>August 17, 2005</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | president bush concerned state marriage state louisiana thats new orleans city business paper asked early february couple weeks bushs state union address president called constitutional amendment banning samesex marriages upon learning bushs budget proposal recommended slashing 34 million new orleans district us army corps engineers leaving city 581 million shortfall flood control coastal erosion improvement projects despite four hurricanes whipped new orleans since 2002 leaving trail destruction wake personal pleas president louisianas local state officials provide much needed funding rebuild states rapidly disappearing wetlands bush administration declined shifting prioritiesand federal fundsinto foreign policy initiatives bush said thursday one expected levees new orleans break hurricane katrina warnings coastal erosion swallowing louisiana whole rate football field every 30 minutes said feb 14 2005 story new orleans city business erosion direct impact new orleans ability absorb blow storm like hurricane katrina every 27 miles wetlands storm surges reduced one foot said sidney coffee executive assistant louisiana gov kathleen blanco charge coastal activities interview lthttpwwwmsnbcmsncomid9118570gtmsnbc 1900 square miles wetlands disappeared area since 1930s receding continues rate 24 square miles per year erosion louisiana blamed levees faithfully steer water mississippi gulf mexico prevents occasional flooding keeping area residents water time one unforeseen consequence levees cut wetlands life force losing vast tracts valuable state property less important nebulous goal somehow trying restrict immigration new orleans paper asked bushs domestic priorities dwarfed war iraq socalled war terror lack federal funding became dire last november louisiana gov kathleen blanco urging louisiana levee districts considered suing federal government larger share 5 billion royalties offshore oil natural gas drilling gulf mexico state could pay work needed repair deteriorating coast lawsuit levee district said would grab nations attention advance issue coastal restoration federal court system opposed bogged legislation capitol hill money gulf mexico income internal revenue service brings second largest source revenue federal government blanco said every year state officials plead lawmakers fund ongoing projects preserve whats left coast help fund endeavors replace whats longer yet every year state shortchanged threatens existence historic cities like new orleans lawmakers included proposal national energy bill legislation called carving 540 milliona 10 percentroyalty oil gas revenue gulf mexico top 800 million louisiana already receives drilling revenues fund coastal restoration project june bush administration took unusual step sending letter house senate negotiators advising kill revenue sharing plan final version energy bill new orleans resident david morris none happy got news particularly majority louisianans voted bush 2000 2004 president bush told louisiana go jump gulf morris wrote june 17 letter timespicayune president louisiana helped win second term office thanks us dwindling coastline isnt bushs concern prospect new orleans 20 feet water jason leopold author explosive memoir news junkie released spring 2006 processferal house books visit leopolds website wwwjasonleopoldcom updates 160 160 clarification alexander cockburn jeffrey st clair becky grant institute advancement journalistic clarity counterpunch published article entitled saudiless arabia wayne madsen dated october 22 2002 article website institute advancement journalistic clarity counterpunch wwwcounterpunchorg website although intention counsel mohammed hussein al amoudi advised us article suggests could read suggesting mr al amoudi funded supported way associated terrorist activities osama bin laden al qaeda terrorist network evidence connecting mr al amoudi terrorism result exchange communications mr al amoudis lawyers removed article website pleased clarify position august 17 2005 160 | 541 |
<p>I’ve been observing the health “reform” saga on two levels. One is the spectacle of the insurance industry having its way with Congress. The other is the Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles, which provides free health care to the uninsured working poor.</p>
<p>In Congress, the Senate is plodding toward approval of a huge giveaway to the insurance industry. It is considering a proposal requiring almost everyone to buy an insurance policy. But so far, the plan fails to impose any serious regulation on the insurance companies. That’s a blatant gift to an industry that will benefit from the many millions of new policyholders without giving up anything in return.</p>
<p>In California, where I live, we have mandatory auto insurance, but thanks to a voter initiative, Proposition 103, the companies are strongly regulated and consumers are authorized to fight rate increases. Such regulation should be part of any federal health reform legislation. One need only visit a free clinic to find out why.</p>
<p>The Venice Family Clinic is in a couple of utilitarian buildings in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, a quirky mixture of rich, poor and middle class extending a few miles inland from the beach. The clinic also operates seven other sites in the area. It was founded in a storefront in 1970 and has grown into the nation’s largest free clinic. Last year, 24,400 patients were treated at the clinic sites. With each coming in about four times a year, that adds up to roughly 100,000 annual patient visits. Federal, state and Los Angeles County funds, private donations, local hospitals and 1,547 volunteers, including 469 doctors, support the organization. Three-quarters of the patients are without insurance. The rest rely on shrinking government aid programs such as Medicaid. Venice is on Los Angeles’ Westside, the home of many moneyed people, and it’s hard to find a doctor who will work for low Medicaid fees. Hopefully, health insurance reform at the national level would allow family clinic patients to enter the mainstream of medical care.</p>
<p />
<p>I talked to Elizabeth Benson Forer, the clinic chief executive officer, as she showed me around the main facility in a working-class neighborhood. The clinic was clean, quiet and welcoming.</p>
<p>We walked past neat examining rooms, most for general care but some for eye and dental examinations. A shower and clean clothes were available for the homeless. A substantial number of patients suffer from heart disease, diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. These, Forer noted, are “manageable and preventable” ailments. Preventable if you see a doctor, possibly fatal if you don’t.</p>
<p>Forer told me how the insured are falling into the growing ranks of the uninsured. “We see a lot of people who had jobs, insurance, lost their jobs, lost their insurance,” she said. “They had never been to a place that offers free care. They never expected to be here. There are people who were donors who are now patients. We hope in better days they will be donors again.”</p>
<p>The uninsured, she said, constitute “a failure of public policy. We have decided health care is something that should be purchased rather than thinking of it as a basic human need.”</p>
<p>Only the hardest-hearted Republican right-wingers would disagree with that. And they probably won’t win. Some sort of health reform bill is likely to be signed by President Barack Obama, permitting him to claim a big victory.</p>
<p>The legislation is expected to require everyone to have insurance. Policies for the poor, such as the people I saw in the Venice clinic, will be subsidized by the government, although the extent of the subsidies is under sharp debate. The subsidies will probably be expensive, and the more affluent will have to pay for their own health insurance.</p>
<p>Americans will be shocked when they are told they must buy insurance or pay a penalty. “The American people will start to … focus on the coverage and subsidies in the proposals,” <a href="http://www.pacificprogressive.com/2009/08/this-could-be-the-next-big-issue-in-health-reform.html%20" type="external">wrote Drew Altman</a>, president of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. “Will they be viewed as a good deal for the roughly $1 trillion spent over the next 10 years and as a fair deal by people who will now be required to have health insurance coverage?”</p>
<p>One way to assure people of a good — or at least somewhat fair — deal would be to offer them the opportunity of a government insurance plan competing with the private plans that will be available. This is the so-called public option. Such competition might force private companies to keep rates down and prevent them from blindsiding consumers with tricky clauses and conditions. The Senate Finance Committee voted down the public option, but supporters will try to revive it later in the process.</p>
<p>An even better way, however, would be strong regulation, such as Californians imposed on insurance companies with their Proposition 103 in 1988. “The mystery of today’s debate is that tough rate regulation is not being considered,” said Judy Dugan, research director of Consumer Watchdog, a group that has long advocated insurance reform and regulation. She noted that a 2008 Consumer Federation of America study found that since Californians imposed strong regulation, the insurance market has become more competitive, insurance prices are down and insurance company profits “are well above the national average.”Not much of this was heard during the Senate Finance Committee deliberations on the health insurance reform bill. The insurance industry got its way and is now engaged in backroom talks to fine-tune the deal.</p>
<p>There was no discussion of the best solution, Medicare for all, the single-payer system. Anyone proposing that now is considered a wacko, far out of the Washington mainstream.</p>
<p>In the absence of such a sensible plan, regulation has to be the answer.</p>
<p>Without strong regulation, the companies will find ways to get around requirements of the law. For example, the reform legislation is promising guarantees that the companies can no longer refuse to sell policies because of patients’ prior health conditions or drop the ill from their rolls. The insurance companies will undoubtedly try to find loopholes in those guarantees. And even though their revenues will increase thanks to millions of new policyholders, including the healthy, they will find excuses for rate increases.</p>
<p>President Obama foresees reason to celebrate if he signs a health insurance bill this year. But a new law must impose strong regulation on the insurance industry or a consumer backlash could soon sour his victory, a reaction that would extend from the well-off to the working poor.</p>
<p>Bill Boyarsky’s new book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1883318920?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=truthdig20-20&amp;link_code=as3&amp;camp=211189&amp;creative=373489&amp;creativeASIN=1883318920" type="external">“Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times.”</a></p> | true | 4 | ive observing health reform saga two levels one spectacle insurance industry way congress venice family clinic los angeles provides free health care uninsured working poor congress senate plodding toward approval huge giveaway insurance industry considering proposal requiring almost everyone buy insurance policy far plan fails impose serious regulation insurance companies thats blatant gift industry benefit many millions new policyholders without giving anything return california live mandatory auto insurance thanks voter initiative proposition 103 companies strongly regulated consumers authorized fight rate increases regulation part federal health reform legislation one need visit free clinic find venice family clinic couple utilitarian buildings los angeles neighborhood venice quirky mixture rich poor middle class extending miles inland beach clinic also operates seven sites area founded storefront 1970 grown nations largest free clinic last year 24400 patients treated clinic sites coming four times year adds roughly 100000 annual patient visits federal state los angeles county funds private donations local hospitals 1547 volunteers including 469 doctors support organization threequarters patients without insurance rest rely shrinking government aid programs medicaid venice los angeles westside home many moneyed people hard find doctor work low medicaid fees hopefully health insurance reform national level would allow family clinic patients enter mainstream medical care talked elizabeth benson forer clinic chief executive officer showed around main facility workingclass neighborhood clinic clean quiet welcoming walked past neat examining rooms general care eye dental examinations shower clean clothes available homeless substantial number patients suffer heart disease diabetes asthma high blood pressure forer noted manageable preventable ailments preventable see doctor possibly fatal dont forer told insured falling growing ranks uninsured see lot people jobs insurance lost jobs lost insurance said never place offers free care never expected people donors patients hope better days donors uninsured said constitute failure public policy decided health care something purchased rather thinking basic human need hardesthearted republican rightwingers would disagree probably wont win sort health reform bill likely signed president barack obama permitting claim big victory legislation expected require everyone insurance policies poor people saw venice clinic subsidized government although extent subsidies sharp debate subsidies probably expensive affluent pay health insurance americans shocked told must buy insurance pay penalty american people start focus coverage subsidies proposals wrote drew altman president henry j kaiser family foundation viewed good deal roughly 1 trillion spent next 10 years fair deal people required health insurance coverage one way assure people good least somewhat fair deal would offer opportunity government insurance plan competing private plans available socalled public option competition might force private companies keep rates prevent blindsiding consumers tricky clauses conditions senate finance committee voted public option supporters try revive later process even better way however would strong regulation californians imposed insurance companies proposition 103 1988 mystery todays debate tough rate regulation considered said judy dugan research director consumer watchdog group long advocated insurance reform regulation noted 2008 consumer federation america study found since californians imposed strong regulation insurance market become competitive insurance prices insurance company profits well national averagenot much heard senate finance committee deliberations health insurance reform bill insurance industry got way engaged backroom talks finetune deal discussion best solution medicare singlepayer system anyone proposing considered wacko far washington mainstream absence sensible plan regulation answer without strong regulation companies find ways get around requirements law example reform legislation promising guarantees companies longer refuse sell policies patients prior health conditions drop ill rolls insurance companies undoubtedly try find loopholes guarantees even though revenues increase thanks millions new policyholders including healthy find excuses rate increases president obama foresees reason celebrate signs health insurance bill year new law must impose strong regulation insurance industry consumer backlash could soon sour victory reaction would extend welloff working poor bill boyarskys new book inventing la chandlers times | 618 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4672499359/"&gt;White House&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175546/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_the_road_to_amnesia/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch</a> website.</p>
<p>It’s the saddest reading around: the little announcements that dribble out of the Pentagon every day or two—those terse, relatively uninformative death notices: rank; name; age; small town, suburb, or second-level city of origin; means of death (“small arms fire,” “improvised explosive device,” “the result of gunshot wounds inflicted by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform,” or sometimes something vaguer like “while conducting combat operations,” “supporting Operation Enduring Freedom,” or simply no explanation at all); and the unit the dead soldier belonged to. They are seldom 100 words, even with the usual opening line: “The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.” Sometimes they include more than one death.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external" /></p>
<p>They are essentially bureaucratic notices designed to draw little attention to themselves. Yet cumulatively, in their hundreds over the last decade, they represent a grim archive of America’s still ongoing, already largely forgotten <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175336/tomgram%3A_engelhardt,_war_is_a_drug/" type="external">second Afghan War</a>, and I’ve read them obsessively for years.</p>
<p>Into the Memory Hole</p>
<p>May is the official month of remembrance when it comes to our war dead, ending as it does on the long Memorial Day weekend when Americans typically take to the road and kill themselves and each other in far greater numbers than will die in Afghanistan. It’s a weekend for which the police tend to <a href="http://douglascountysentinel.com/view/full_story/3294899/article-Memorial-Day-Holiday-Big-increase-in-traffic-fatalities-predicted" type="external">predict</a> rising fatalities and news reports tend to celebrate any <a href="http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=464577" type="external">declines</a> in deaths on our roads and highways.</p>
<p>Quiz Americans and a surprising number undoubtedly won’t have thought about the “memorial” in Memorial Day at all—especially now that it’s largely a marker of the start of summer and an excuse for cookouts.</p>
<p>How many today are aware that, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day" type="external">Decoration Day</a>, it began in 1865 in a nation still torn by grief over the loss of—we <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/civil-war-toll-up-by-20-percent-in-new-estimate.html" type="external">now know</a>—up to 750,000 dead in the first modern war, a wrenching civil catastrophe in a then-smaller and still under-populated country? How many know that the first Decoration Day was held in 1865 with 10,000 freed slaves and some Union soldiers parading on a Charleston, South Carolina, race track previously frequented by planters and transformed in wartime into a grim outdoor prison? The former slaves were honoring Union prisoners who had died there and been hastily buried in unmarked graves, but as historian Kenneth Jackson <a href="http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/25705.html" type="external">has written</a>, they were also offering “a declaration of the meaning of the war and of their own freedom.”</p>
<p>Those ceremonies migrated north in 1866, became official at national cemeteries in 1868, and grew into ever more elaborate civic remembrances over the years. Even the South, which had previously marked its grief separately, began to take part after World War I as the ceremonies were extended to the remembrance of all American war dead. Only in 1968, in the midst of another deeply unpopular war, did Congress make it official as Memorial Day, <a href="http://www.hnn.us/articles/127087.html" type="external">creating</a> the now traditional long holiday weekend.</p>
<p>And yet, when it comes to the major war the United States is still fighting, now in its 11th year, the word remembrance is surely inappropriate, as is the “Memorial” in Memorial Day. It’s not just that the dead of the Afghan War have largely been tossed down the memory hole of history (even if they do get official attention on Memorial Day itself). Even the fact that Americans are still dying in Afghanistan seems largely to have been forgotten, along with the war itself.</p>
<p>As the endlessly <a href="http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/poll-only-27-percent-support-afghanistan-war-1.3707773" type="external">plummeting</a> opinion polls indicate, the Afghan War is one Americans would clearly prefer to forget—yesterday, not tomorrow. It was, in fact, regularly classified as “the forgotten war” almost from the moment that the Bush administration turned its attention to the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and so declared its urge to create a Pax Americana in the Greater Middle East. Despite the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175176/tomgram:__state_of_surge,_afghanistan/" type="external">massive “surge”</a> of troops, special operations forces, CIA agents, and civilian personnel sent to Afghanistan by President Obama in 2009-2010, and the ending of the military part of the Iraq debacle in 2011, the Afghan War has never made it out of the grave of forgetfulness to which it was so early consigned.</p>
<p>Count on one thing: there will be no Afghan version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Lin" type="external">Maya Lin</a>, no Afghan Wall on the National Mall. Unlike the Vietnam conflict, tens of thousands of books won’t be pouring out for decades to come arguing passionately about the conflict. There may not even be a “who lost Afghanistan” debate in its aftermath.</p>
<p>Few Afghan veterans are likely to return from the war <a href="http://hnn.us/articles/31396.html" type="external">to infuse</a> with new energy an antiwar movement that <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/12656055-418/iraq-afghan-veterans-against-war-return-medals.html" type="external">remains small</a> indeed, nor will they worry about being “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0814751474/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">spit upon</a>.” There will be little controversy. They—their traumas and their wounds—will, like so many bureaucratic notices, disappear into the American ether, leaving behind only an emptiness and misery, here and in Afghanistan, as perhaps befits a bankrupting, never-ending imperial war on the global frontiers.</p>
<p>Whistling Past the Graveyard of Empires</p>
<p>If nothing else, the path to American amnesia is worth recalling on this Memorial Day.</p>
<p>Though few here remember it that way, the invasion of Afghanistan was launched on a cult of the dead. These were the dead civilians from the Twin Towers in New York City. It was to their memory that the only “Wall” of this era—the <a href="http://www.911memorial.org/" type="external">9/11 Memorial</a> at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan—has been built. Theirs are the biographies that are still remembered in <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175437/tom_engelhardt_let%27s_cancel_9/11" type="external">annual rites nationwide</a>. They are, and remain, the dead of the Afghan War, even though they died before it began.</p>
<p>On the other hand, from the moment the invasion of Afghanistan was launched, how to deal with the actual American war dead was always considered a problematic matter. The Bush administration and the military high command, with the Vietnam War still etched in their collective memories, feared those uniformed bodies coming home (as they <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175017/tom_engelhardt_body_count_nation" type="external">feared and banished</a> the “body count” of enemy dead in the field). They remembered the return of the “body bags” of the Vietnam era as a kind of nightmare, stoking a fierce antiwar movement, which they were determined not to see repeated.</p>
<p>As a result, in the early years of the Afghan and then Iraq wars, the Bush administration took relatively draconian steps to cut the media off from any images of the returning war dead. They <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55816-2003Oct20?language=printer" type="external">strictly enforced</a> a Pentagon ban, in existence since the first Gulf War, on media coverage and images of the coffins arriving from the war fronts at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. At the same time, much publicity was given to the way President Bush <a href="http://busharchive.froomkin.com/A54460-2004Apr6.html" type="external">met privately</a> and emotionally—theoretically beyond the view of the media—with the families of the dead.</p>
<p>And yet, banned or not, for a period the war dead proliferated. In those early years of Washington’s two increasingly catastrophic wars on the Eurasian mainland, newspapers regularly produced full-page or double-page “walls of heroes” with tiny images of the faces of the American dead, while their names were repeatedly <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-614916.html" type="external">read</a> in somber tones on television. In a similar fashion, the antiwar movement toured the country with little “cemeteries” or displays of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-01-22-chicago-boots_x.htm" type="external">combat boots</a> representing the war dead.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608461548/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />The Pentagon ban ended with the arrival of the Obama administration. In October 2009, six months after the Pentagon rescinded it, in an obvious rebuke to his predecessor, President Obama traveled <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100015312/barack-obama-was-right-to-see-coffins-coming-back-to-dover/" type="external">to Dover Air Base</a>. There, inside a plane bringing the bodies of the dead home, he reportedly prayed over the coffins and was later photographed offering a salute as one of them was carried off the plane. But by the time the arrival of the dead could be covered, few seemed to care.</p>
<p>The Bush administration, it turns out, needn’t have worried. In an America largely <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175507/tom_engelhardt_remotely_piloted_war" type="external">detached from war</a>, the Iraq War would end without fanfare or anyone here visibly giving much of a damn. Similarly, the Afghan War would continue to limp from one disaster to the next, from an American <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/murder-in-afghanistan-spiegel-tv-s-kill-team-documentary-a-754554.html" type="external">“kill team”</a> murdering Afghan civilians “for sport” to troops <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-marines-soul-searching-urinating-video/story?id=15353762#.T7w7Gr89aUc" type="external">urinating</a> on Afghan corpses (and videotaping the event), or <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/18/nation/la-na-afghan-photos-20120418" type="external">mugging</a> for the camera with enemy body parts, or an American sergeant <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2012/0323/Sgt.-Robert-Bales-charged-with-premeditated-murder-of-17-Afghans" type="external">running amok</a>, or the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175509/engelhardt_turse_blown_away" type="external">burning of Korans</a>, or the raising of an <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/09/us-military-marines-nazi-ss-flag-photo" type="external">SS banner</a>. And, of course, ever more regularly, ever more unnervingly, Afghan “allies” <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47440148/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/t/us-led-imperative-peril-trained-afghans-turn-enemy/" type="external">would turn their guns</a> on American and NATO troops and blow them away. It’s a phenomenon almost unheard of in such wars, but so <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-two-soldiers-20120513,0,7092854.story" type="external">common</a> in Afghanistan these days that it’s gotten its own label: “green-on-blue violence.”</p>
<p>This has been the road to oblivion and it’s paved with forgotten bodies. Forgetfulness, of course, comes at a price, which includes the escalating <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/06/2011629145430649752.html" type="external">long-term costs</a> of paying for the American war-wounded and war-traumatized. On this Memorial Day, there will undoubtedly be much cant in the form of tributes to “our heroes” and then, Tuesday morning, when the mangled cars have been towed away, the barbeque grills cleaned, and the “heroes” set aside, the forgetting will continue. If the Obama administration has its way and American special operations forces, trainers, and advisors in reduced but still significant numbers <a href="http://news.antiwar.com/2012/05/22/for-public-consumption-nato-pullout-wont-actually-remove-troops-from-afghanistan/" type="external">remain</a> in Afghanistan until perhaps <a href="http://video.msnbc.msn.com/dylan-ratigan-show/47253169#47253169" type="external">2024</a>, we have more than another decade of forgetting ahead of us in a tragedy that will, by then, be beyond all comprehension.</p>
<p>Afghanistan has often enough been <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175040/tom_engelhardt_the_imperial_unconscious" type="external">called</a> “the graveyard of empires.” Americans have made it a habit to whistle past that graveyard, looking the other way—a form of obliviousness much aided by the fact that the American war dead conveniently come from the less well known or forgotten places in our country. They are so much easier to ignore thanks to that.</p>
<p>Except in their hometowns, how easy the war dead are to forget in an era when <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175507/tom_engelhardt_remotely_piloted_war" type="external">corporations go to war</a> but Americans largely don’t. So far, <a href="http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx" type="external">1,980</a> American military personnel (and significant but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/world/asia/afghan-war-risks-are-shifting-to-contractors.html" type="external">largely unacknowledged</a> numbers of private contractors) have died in Afghanistan, as have 1,028 NATO and allied troops, and (despite <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39036" type="external">U.N. efforts</a> to count them) unknown but staggering numbers of Afghans.</p>
<p>So far in the month of May, 22 American dead have been listed in those Pentagon announcements. If you want a little memorial to a war that shouldn’t be, check out their hometowns and you’ll experience a kind of modern graveyard poetry. Consider it an elegy to the dead of second- or third-tier cities, suburbs, and small towns whose names are resonant exactly because they are part of your country, but seldom or never heard by you.</p>
<p>Here, then, on this Memorial Day, are not the names of the May dead, but of their hometowns, announcement by announcement, placed at the graveside of a war that we can’t bear to remember and that simply won’t go away. If it’s the undead of wars, the deaths from it remain a quiet crime against American humanity:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15244" type="external">Spencerport</a>, New York</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15248" type="external">Wichita</a>, Kansas</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15250" type="external">Warren</a>, Arkansas</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15251" type="external">West Chester</a>, Ohio</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15253" type="external">Alameda</a>, California</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15256" type="external">Charlotte</a>, North Carolina</p>
<p>Stow, Ohio</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15257" type="external">Clarksville</a>, Tennessee</p>
<p>Chico, California</p>
<p>Jeffersonville, Kentucky</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15275" type="external">Yuma</a>, Arizona</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15276" type="external">Normangee</a>, Texas</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15277" type="external">Round Rock</a>, Texas</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15280" type="external">Rolla</a>, Missouri</p>
<p>Lucerne Valley, California</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15282" type="external">Las Cruses</a>, New Mexico</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15296" type="external">Fort Wayne</a>, Indiana</p>
<p>Overland Park, Kansas</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15300" type="external">Wheaton</a>, Illinois</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15299" type="external">Lawton</a>, Oklahoma</p>
<p>Prince George, Virginia</p>
<p><a href="http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15304" type="external">Terre Haute</a>, Indiana.</p>
<p>As long as the hometowns pile up, no one should rest in peace.</p>
<p>Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the <a href="http://americanempireproject.com/" type="external">American Empire Project</a> and the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608460711/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The American Way of War: How Bush’s Wars Became Obama’s</a> as well as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/155849586X/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The End of Victory Culture</a>, runs the Nation Institute’s <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch.com</a>. His latest book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608461548/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The United States of Fear</a> (Haymarket Books). To listen to Timothy MacBain’s latest Tomcast audio interview in which he discusses what Americans should consider remembering on Memorial Day, click <a href="http://tomdispatch.blogspot.com/2012/05/tomdispatch-founder-and-author-most.html" type="external">here</a> or download it to your iPod <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=j0SS4Al/iVI&amp;amp;subid=&amp;amp;offerid=146261.1&amp;amp;type=10&amp;amp;tmpid=5573&amp;amp;RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Ftomcast-from-tomdispatch-com%2Fid357095817" type="external">here</a>. [Note on Further Reading: For those interested in exploring the history of Memorial Day, there’s no better place to visit than the always fascinating website <a href="http://hnn.us/articles/12140.html" type="external">History News Network</a>.&#160; For carefully put together records on American and NATO deaths in Afghanistan, visit <a href="http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx" type="external">icasualties.org</a>. &#160;Simply to keep up on American war news, not always the easiest thing in the mainstream media these days, make sure to visit <a href="http://www.antiwar.com/" type="external">Antiwar.com</a> (as I do daily).] Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch and join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tomdispatch" type="external">Facebook.</a> To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com <a href="http://tomdispatch.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6cb39ff0b1f670c349f828c73&amp;id=1e41682ade" type="external">here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotoswhitehouse4672499359gtwhite houseltagtflickr story first appeared tomdispatch website saddest reading around little announcements dribble pentagon every day twothose terse relatively uninformative death notices rank name age small town suburb secondlevel city origin means death small arms fire improvised explosive device result gunshot wounds inflicted individual wearing afghan national army uniform sometimes something vaguer like conducting combat operations supporting operation enduring freedom simply explanation unit dead soldier belonged seldom 100 words even usual opening line department defense announced today death soldier supporting operation enduring freedom sometimes include one death essentially bureaucratic notices designed draw little attention yet cumulatively hundreds last decade represent grim archive americas still ongoing already largely forgotten second afghan war ive read obsessively years memory hole may official month remembrance comes war dead ending long memorial day weekend americans typically take road kill far greater numbers die afghanistan weekend police tend predict rising fatalities news reports tend celebrate declines deaths roads highways quiz americans surprising number undoubtedly wont thought memorial memorial day allespecially largely marker start summer excuse cookouts many today aware decoration day began 1865 nation still torn grief loss ofwe knowup 750000 dead first modern war wrenching civil catastrophe thensmaller still underpopulated country many know first decoration day held 1865 10000 freed slaves union soldiers parading charleston south carolina race track previously frequented planters transformed wartime grim outdoor prison former slaves honoring union prisoners died hastily buried unmarked graves historian kenneth jackson written also offering declaration meaning war freedom ceremonies migrated north 1866 became official national cemeteries 1868 grew ever elaborate civic remembrances years even south previously marked grief separately began take part world war ceremonies extended remembrance american war dead 1968 midst another deeply unpopular war congress make official memorial day creating traditional long holiday weekend yet comes major war united states still fighting 11th year word remembrance surely inappropriate memorial memorial day dead afghan war largely tossed memory hole history even get official attention memorial day even fact americans still dying afghanistan seems largely forgotten along war endlessly plummeting opinion polls indicate afghan war one americans would clearly prefer forgetyesterday tomorrow fact regularly classified forgotten war almost moment bush administration turned attention invasion iraq 2002 declared urge create pax americana greater middle east despite massive surge troops special operations forces cia agents civilian personnel sent afghanistan president obama 20092010 ending military part iraq debacle 2011 afghan war never made grave forgetfulness early consigned count one thing afghan version maya lin afghan wall national mall unlike vietnam conflict tens thousands books wont pouring decades come arguing passionately conflict may even lost afghanistan debate aftermath afghan veterans likely return war infuse new energy antiwar movement remains small indeed worry spit upon little controversy theytheir traumas woundswill like many bureaucratic notices disappear american ether leaving behind emptiness misery afghanistan perhaps befits bankrupting neverending imperial war global frontiers whistling past graveyard empires nothing else path american amnesia worth recalling memorial day though remember way invasion afghanistan launched cult dead dead civilians twin towers new york city memory wall erathe 911 memorial ground zero lower manhattanhas built biographies still remembered annual rites nationwide remain dead afghan war even though died began hand moment invasion afghanistan launched deal actual american war dead always considered problematic matter bush administration military high command vietnam war still etched collective memories feared uniformed bodies coming home feared banished body count enemy dead field remembered return body bags vietnam era kind nightmare stoking fierce antiwar movement determined see repeated result early years afghan iraq wars bush administration took relatively draconian steps cut media images returning war dead strictly enforced pentagon ban existence since first gulf war media coverage images coffins arriving war fronts dover air force base delaware time much publicity given way president bush met privately emotionallytheoretically beyond view mediawith families dead yet banned period war dead proliferated early years washingtons two increasingly catastrophic wars eurasian mainland newspapers regularly produced fullpage doublepage walls heroes tiny images faces american dead names repeatedly read somber tones television similar fashion antiwar movement toured country little cemeteries displays combat boots representing war dead pentagon ban ended arrival obama administration october 2009 six months pentagon rescinded obvious rebuke predecessor president obama traveled dover air base inside plane bringing bodies dead home reportedly prayed coffins later photographed offering salute one carried plane time arrival dead could covered seemed care bush administration turns neednt worried america largely detached war iraq war would end without fanfare anyone visibly giving much damn similarly afghan war would continue limp one disaster next american kill team murdering afghan civilians sport troops urinating afghan corpses videotaping event mugging camera enemy body parts american sergeant running amok burning korans raising ss banner course ever regularly ever unnervingly afghan allies would turn guns american nato troops blow away phenomenon almost unheard wars common afghanistan days gotten label greenonblue violence road oblivion paved forgotten bodies forgetfulness course comes price includes escalating longterm costs paying american warwounded wartraumatized memorial day undoubtedly much cant form tributes heroes tuesday morning mangled cars towed away barbeque grills cleaned heroes set aside forgetting continue obama administration way american special operations forces trainers advisors reduced still significant numbers remain afghanistan perhaps 2024 another decade forgetting ahead us tragedy beyond comprehension afghanistan often enough called graveyard empires americans made habit whistle past graveyard looking waya form obliviousness much aided fact american war dead conveniently come less well known forgotten places country much easier ignore thanks except hometowns easy war dead forget era corporations go war americans largely dont far 1980 american military personnel significant largely unacknowledged numbers private contractors died afghanistan 1028 nato allied troops despite un efforts count unknown staggering numbers afghans far month may 22 american dead listed pentagon announcements want little memorial war shouldnt check hometowns youll experience kind modern graveyard poetry consider elegy dead second thirdtier cities suburbs small towns whose names resonant exactly part country seldom never heard memorial day names may dead hometowns announcement announcement placed graveside war cant bear remember simply wont go away undead wars deaths remain quiet crime american humanity spencerport new york wichita kansas warren arkansas west chester ohio alameda california charlotte north carolina stow ohio clarksville tennessee chico california jeffersonville kentucky yuma arizona normangee texas round rock texas rolla missouri lucerne valley california las cruses new mexico fort wayne indiana overland park kansas wheaton illinois lawton oklahoma prince george virginia terre haute indiana long hometowns pile one rest peace tom engelhardt cofounder american empire project author american way war bushs wars became obamas well end victory culture runs nation institutes tomdispatchcom latest book united states fear haymarket books listen timothy macbains latest tomcast audio interview discusses americans consider remembering memorial day click download ipod note reading interested exploring history memorial day theres better place visit always fascinating website history news network160 carefully put together records american nato deaths afghanistan visit icasualtiesorg 160simply keep american war news always easiest thing mainstream media days make sure visit antiwarcom daily follow tomdispatch twitter tomdispatch join us facebook stay top important articles like sign receive latest updates tomdispatchcom | 1,169 |
<p>On this day three years ago a total of 2,973 people died in America at the hands of 19 Islamic terrorists in the most devastating domestic attack the US had ever experienced (the War of 1812 only killed 2,260 Americans, even although the Brits burned down the White House).</p>
<p>The 9/11 event was immediately denounced as an act of war, which it was (though by whom?), and the Bush administration quickly promised constant war against terrorist “evil” in reply, a notion the president continues to re-iterate.</p>
<p>But Americans have yet to be offered 9/11 in any historical context. Indeed, any discussion of terrorism as acts of war that is not 100% condemnatory is branded as unpatriotic. Because of this, U.S. citizens are missing important truths and cannot weight the attack of three years ago in any sensible way.</p>
<p>It is curious, too, that trying to find a detailed analysis of the 9/11 deaths is a difficult task. On the world wide web, the most recent breakdown of the figures come from an article in a newspaper in Iowa. Is there a reluctance because the total, almost never stated precisely but at 3000, does not quite blend with the hysterical invective that still blurs discussion about its implications?</p>
<p>In historical terms of war casualties worldwide, 9/11 was a relatively minor event. But because for two centuries Americans have lived invulnerably, protected by two vast oceans and confident no foreigners could invade or even bomb them, the Sept 11 carnage was psychologically catastrophic. Americans said it changed the world, but in fact Americans, or the US government, are making the most changes.</p>
<p>Some comparisons: From September to May 1941-42, the Nazi bombing blitz on Britain killed 40,000, all civilians and 5,000 of them children. At that rate Americans would have to experience identical 9/11s once a week for over three months to equal Britain’s suffering.</p>
<p>America’s worst losses of its own were in the Civil War (1861-65), when a total of 214,938 on both sides died in combat. But in the early hours of one day, March 10, 1945, more than 300 US B-29 planes fire-bombed Tokyo in a meticulously planned air-raid that incinerated 108,000 Japanese in their homes. Of those, 88,000 were never identified and all were civilians, many children.</p>
<p>Turning to larger statistics of World War II (some of which do vary), we find megadeath. The number of Chinese civilians who died was 7.75 million; Soviet Union, 7 million; Germany, 2.75 million; Japan, 672,000. Then there is a zero — the United States lost no civilians, say some statistics. Others put it at 6,000, but those were non-military citizens killed abroad, not at home.</p>
<p>World War I was the notorious charnel house. On July 1, 1916 on the first day of the battle of the Somme, opver 20,000 British soldiers were killed, mostly by German machine guns. It was the worst disaster in British military history. In the navy battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916, the Brits lost 6,097 sailors and 14 ships, with the Germans suffering “only” 2,551 deaths and 11 ships for a day’s total of 8,648 dead.</p>
<p>But what about those sissy French? Between August 4, 1914, the first day of the war, and the 29th of that month, 260,000 French soldiers had perished. By the autumn the French had lost more men than the whole of the US army’s deaths in the entire 20th century.</p>
<p>The US lost 47,752 military personnel in the Vietnam war (1964-73) and another 33,629 in Korea (1950-53). Its total killed in combat in World War II was 292,000, more than Britain, which lost 264,000. But 2.05 million Chinese military were killed and 1.3 million Japanese.</p>
<p>These were set wars, it may be said, and the “war” against terror is not so formalised. True, but again no statistics are offered. For instance, although the terrorist “Troubles” in Northern Ireland lasted from 1969 to 1998, the total killed on all sides exceeded 9/11 by 495, for a total of 3,468 in a part of the UK with only a population of 1.5 million, about the same as Manhattan, during that time.</p>
<p>If we are seeking civilian deaths on 9/11 we should exclude the Pentagon’s 125 deaths. Not all of them were in uniform, but official web sites are poor on any breakdown. Removing them all drops the total to 2,848, a shocking number to be sure, and one which offers for the bereaved no comfort in comparison.</p>
<p>But that is not the point. It is that the world is a shockingly violent place and Americans should be advised of this.</p>
<p>Professor Rudolph Rummel, of the University of Hawaii and formerly Yale, is the acknowledged expert on what he calls “domicide” or death by government. These are killings brought about by official orders or policies of governments whether or not elected democratically (and the worst are usually not).</p>
<p>In his book called <a href="" type="internal">Death by Government</a> (1994 Transaction Publishers, NJ), Dr Rummel estimates that the world domicide total from 1945 to the end of the last century was over 80 million. That figure may include acts of genocide, but does not take in deaths by famine. It exceeds by five times the international total killed in World War II, and in that war far more civilians perished than people in uniform.</p>
<p>Meanwhile President Bush is claiming that his wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have made not only the US, but the world “a safer place” from terrorism. Unfortunately this is not true.</p>
<p>The world total for 2002 was about 750 people killed. Last year it was around 650. This year it already exceeds 1,000, including the recent deaths in the Russian school, the 191 killed in Madrid in March, and the 271 in the Shiite festival in Iraq the same month.</p>
<p>None of this should detract from the solemnity of today’s anniversary. But the figures offered above should be marked, as well as the 9/11 dead mourned.</p>
<p>CHRISTOPHER REED can be reached at: <a href="mailto:christopherreed@earthlink.net" type="external">christopherreed@earthlink.net</a></p>
<p>[Editors’ Note: We have some minor quibbles with a few of CHRISTOPHER REED’s numbers, in an otherwise edifying column. <a href="http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm" type="external">Military deaths during the Civil War are generally recorded at being somewhere between 620,000 and 700,000, a figure which rightly includes deaths of the wounded, prisoners-of-war and by disease</a>. Add in civilian casualties and the Civil War death toll probably exceeds 1.25 million. By one estimate, one-in-ten American families suffered a casualty in that bloodfest. On one September day alone, more than 22,000 fell on a field in Maryland called <a href="http://www.civilwarhome.com/antietam.htm" type="external">Antietam</a>–8 times the number of casualties of 9/11. Pearl Harbor also deserves mention in any tally of attacks on America. On that December day in 1942, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/usar/PHcas.html" type="external">2,403 Americans died, including 68 civilians</a>. The death count was slightly less than the 9/11 attacks, but the American population was then roughly half of its present size. The events of 1812, lost in the misty corridors of history to many, remain fresh in the minds of both the Cockburn and St. Clair households. Cockburn’s relative, <a href="http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/Heritage/1797/people/cockburn.html" type="external">Rear Admiral George Cockburn</a>, sacked Washington and feasted off of Dolly Madison’s china, while the relatives of Kimberly Willson-St. Clair hosted Little Jimmy Madison and Dolly in the Maryland countryside (now buried under subdivisions) on their flight from Washington, set aflame by Cpt. Cockburn’s torch-wielding terrorists/liberators. AC/JSC]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | day three years ago total 2973 people died america hands 19 islamic terrorists devastating domestic attack us ever experienced war 1812 killed 2260 americans even although brits burned white house 911 event immediately denounced act war though bush administration quickly promised constant war terrorist evil reply notion president continues reiterate americans yet offered 911 historical context indeed discussion terrorism acts war 100 condemnatory branded unpatriotic us citizens missing important truths weight attack three years ago sensible way curious trying find detailed analysis 911 deaths difficult task world wide web recent breakdown figures come article newspaper iowa reluctance total almost never stated precisely 3000 quite blend hysterical invective still blurs discussion implications historical terms war casualties worldwide 911 relatively minor event two centuries americans lived invulnerably protected two vast oceans confident foreigners could invade even bomb sept 11 carnage psychologically catastrophic americans said changed world fact americans us government making changes comparisons september may 194142 nazi bombing blitz britain killed 40000 civilians 5000 children rate americans would experience identical 911s week three months equal britains suffering americas worst losses civil war 186165 total 214938 sides died combat early hours one day march 10 1945 300 us b29 planes firebombed tokyo meticulously planned airraid incinerated 108000 japanese homes 88000 never identified civilians many children turning larger statistics world war ii vary find megadeath number chinese civilians died 775 million soviet union 7 million germany 275 million japan 672000 zero united states lost civilians say statistics others put 6000 nonmilitary citizens killed abroad home world war notorious charnel house july 1 1916 first day battle somme opver 20000 british soldiers killed mostly german machine guns worst disaster british military history navy battle jutland may 31 1916 brits lost 6097 sailors 14 ships germans suffering 2551 deaths 11 ships days total 8648 dead sissy french august 4 1914 first day war 29th month 260000 french soldiers perished autumn french lost men whole us armys deaths entire 20th century us lost 47752 military personnel vietnam war 196473 another 33629 korea 195053 total killed combat world war ii 292000 britain lost 264000 205 million chinese military killed 13 million japanese set wars may said war terror formalised true statistics offered instance although terrorist troubles northern ireland lasted 1969 1998 total killed sides exceeded 911 495 total 3468 part uk population 15 million manhattan time seeking civilian deaths 911 exclude pentagons 125 deaths uniform official web sites poor breakdown removing drops total 2848 shocking number sure one offers bereaved comfort comparison point world shockingly violent place americans advised professor rudolph rummel university hawaii formerly yale acknowledged expert calls domicide death government killings brought official orders policies governments whether elected democratically worst usually book called death government 1994 transaction publishers nj dr rummel estimates world domicide total 1945 end last century 80 million figure may include acts genocide take deaths famine exceeds five times international total killed world war ii war far civilians perished people uniform meanwhile president bush claiming wars afghanistan iraq made us world safer place terrorism unfortunately true world total 2002 750 people killed last year around 650 year already exceeds 1000 including recent deaths russian school 191 killed madrid march 271 shiite festival iraq month none detract solemnity todays anniversary figures offered marked well 911 dead mourned christopher reed reached christopherreedearthlinknet editors note minor quibbles christopher reeds numbers otherwise edifying column military deaths civil war generally recorded somewhere 620000 700000 figure rightly includes deaths wounded prisonersofwar disease add civilian casualties civil war death toll probably exceeds 125 million one estimate oneinten american families suffered casualty bloodfest one september day alone 22000 fell field maryland called antietam8 times number casualties 911 pearl harbor also deserves mention tally attacks america december day 1942 2403 americans died including 68 civilians death count slightly less 911 attacks american population roughly half present size events 1812 lost misty corridors history many remain fresh minds cockburn st clair households cockburns relative rear admiral george cockburn sacked washington feasted dolly madisons china relatives kimberly willsonst clair hosted little jimmy madison dolly maryland countryside buried subdivisions flight washington set aflame cpt cockburns torchwielding terroristsliberators acjsc 160 160 | 685 |
<p>Egalitarian justice (or fairness) has been Topic A for political philosophers since even before 1971, when John Rawls published his monumental <a href="" type="internal">A Theory of Justice</a>.&#160; Rawls is widely hailed as the most important English-speaking political philosopher since John Stuart Mill.&#160; Whether this assessment will stand the test of time, it is beyond dispute that, for the past four decades, his influence has been unequalled in academic precincts.&#160; It would be fair to say that, as a result, we now have a deeper understanding than we used to about what justice and equality involve and about why they matter.&#160; It would also be fair to say that these advances have had no real world political impact at all.</p>
<p>Insofar as Rawls’s philosophical views reflect a political orientation, it is social democratic, though with an American tinge – reflecting the New Deal liberal settlement and the aspirations of left-leaning (but, alas, also Cold War Anti-Communist and pro-imperialist) Democrats from the Truman period through Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and beyond.&#160; In other words, it represented a political orientation that was already beginning to fade from real world politics just as it was becoming hegemonic in academic circles.</p>
<p>From the 1980s on, Rawls’s work came to focus as much on issues of political legitimacy and democratic theory as on egalitarian justice, and again he carried others along with him.&#160; This turn only widened the gap between academic theorizing and real world politics.&#160; The difference is particularly striking where the issues in question involve protections for basic s and liberties.&#160; Rawls and his co-thinkers consistently advanced positions to the left of those promoted by the comparatively liberal Supreme Court of the Earl Warren era, just as that third branch of government was reverting back to its traditional and, by now, firmly entrenched role as a defender of elite interests and enabler of money driven, anti-democratic politics.</p>
<p>Could it be that, thanks to Occupy Wall Street, this very anomalous situation – where a way of thinking that flourishes in a premier ideological institution, the university, has almost no resonance in the mainstream political culture – is about to change? &#160; Could a sense of the urgency of egalitarian justice be taking hold of the collective consciousness of “the 99%”?&#160; I would venture that this is so; that something like what Rawls had in mind seems to be developing into something like what Marx had in mind when he spoke of consciousness becoming a “material force.”</p>
<p>This would be a welcome development, especially now.&#160; Philosophically informed, liberal egalitarian accounts of justice and equality, along with empirical investigations consistent with this perspective, can clarify and deepen the otherwise muddled intuitions about justice and equality that flourish in liberal quarters.&#160; In that sense, they can provide a theory of the practice of the Occupy movements.</p>
<p>But we should be wary about taking that theory at its word insofar as it, like so much else in our intellectual culture, is dissociated from a deeper understanding of the economic social and political context within which the intuitions to which it gives theoretical expression arise.&#160; The sea change that now seems underway cannot be explained just by pointing out indefensible inequalities that, to a greater or lesser extent, have always been with us.&#160; Why would awareness of these inequalities become a political factor only now?&#160; &#160; The answer is not hard to discern, at least in broad outline: the movement’s rise and its trajectory from this point on respond to developments inherent in the nature of capitalism today.</p>
<p>This point can be difficult to appreciate because, in recent decades, the institutions that shape popular consciousness have largely succeeded in obscuring the problematic nature of capitalism in our historical period and in installing the idea that there is no feasible or desirable alternative to it.&#160; Despite their support for equality, liberal egalitarians are culpable on this account too; though, it must be said that, in A Theory of Justice and in some of the critical literature to which it gave rise decades ago, issues of political economy, though never central, were not entirely ignored.</p>
<p>Because the conceptual resources necessary for contextualizing the charge that economic inequalities are becoming acutely unfair have gone missing, it is no surprise that when Occupy activists seek to explain themselves they sometimes focus just on the injustice of the system in place without referring to the economic structure that generates these inequalities.&#160; What is surprising, and also heartening, is that they don’t do so more often; that instead personal stories generally take precedence over global moral indictments.&#160; This is characteristic of consciousness raising efforts and it is entirely apt.</p>
<p>It is also wise.&#160; Around the time that Rawlsian political philosophy became hegemonic in academic circles, an inclination to ethicize political questions emerged as well.&#160; In part, this was a late and misguided consequence of student demands for “relevance.”&#160; But, whatever the intentions of those who championed “progressive” academia’s ethical turn, it was also a way to defuse the political turmoil of the preceding period.</p>
<p>At best, ethicization misses the point; more often, it disguises what is essentially a political stance, representing it in a misleading and inauthentic way.&#160; Focusing just on the ethical issues the Occupy movement raises does both.&#160; That focus can be benign.&#160; And, insofar as it motivates welcome political engagement, it can be beneficial.&#160; But, even when it is, it obscures what the stakes really are, and that will likely become debilitating as the movement expands and deepens.</p>
<p>The potential danger is especially evident when ethicizers insist that the Occupations have nothing to do with what they, along with defenders of the 1%, derisively call “class war.”&#160; It is telling that in his much-touted Osawotomie, Kansas speech last week, where the born-again “populist” Barack Obama invoked the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal, that this was the line he took.&#160; It is a tribute to the Occupy movements that Obama should find such a line opportune.&#160; But it should also be a warning to those who focus only on the injustice of the inequalities that afflict us, and not also on their underlying causes; in other words, to those who are soft on capitalism.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>It is interesting to observe how Team Obama has dropped the Franklin Roosevelt references of four years ago, and is now endeavoring to attach itself instead to FDR’s distant relative, Teddy.</p>
<p>Teddy Roosevelt was an unabashed imperialist and militarist; Obama is these things too, though, it seems to go against his nature.&#160; He is therefore less blatant and more discreet than TR, who was nothing if not gung ho on war and on America’s imperial destiny.&#160; Obama is no Rough Rider charging up the San Juan Hills of the world’s oil producing regions – he leaves that to the economic conscripts he puts in harm’s way or out-sources the task to unaccountable mercenaries.&#160; And the “big sticks” he carries – and lobs at every opportunity! — are drones on remote control.&#160; But these differences are more stylistic than substantive, and mainly have to do with the differences between an imperial power on the rise a hundred years ago and one currently in decline.</p>
<p>It is remarkable how, during his time in office, Roosevelt was thought well of abroad, and that Obama still is.&#160; Indeed, for both Presidents, the gap between reputation and reality is so extreme that they both won Nobel Peace Prizes. &#160; In TR’s case, the prize was arguably deserved, since he did help broker an end to the 1905 Russo-Japanese War.&#160; Obama got his prize just as he was rebranding one of Bush’s wars, escalating another, and starting or ratcheting up no one quite knows how many “low(er) intensity conflicts” of his own.</p>
<p>But TR’s domestic policies were another matter. The Square Deal was about trust busting and conservation and regulating wild capitalism.&#160; One has the impression that Obama is more comfortable with this side of the TR legacy, but all he does about it is talk a good earful; that and offer up a few half-hearted initiatives which he folds as soon as Republicans or Blue Dog Democrats object.&#160; Roosevelt really was a Progressive and, as such, an enemy of many a capitalist, though of course not of capitalism itself.&#160; Obama toadies up to capitalists.&#160; That he was not laughed off the stage of the auditorium where TR once promoted his Square Deal only indicates how much more consciousness raising remains to be done.</p>
<p>Even more distressing was the reaction of liberal pundits to Obama’s Osawotomie Address.&#160; Could they still be so invested in cheerleading for Democrats that they ignore the past three and a half years or, for that matter, what is going on now in plain sight?&#160; Who would have thought that silver-tongued words could still beguile the evening lineup on MSNBC?&#160; “Fool me once,” the saying goes, “shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” &#160; Occupiers know better than to be shamed.&#160; Fear-mongering pundits and the people they scare by driving home what whack jobs Republicans are and how retrograde their base is are another story.</p>
<p>Therefore, thank you Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for overruling your own Food and Drug Administration’s decision to sell Plan B contraceptives over the counter.&#160; Not really, of course, because, as you know, the harm you’ve done far outweighs the good of knocking a modicum of sense back into the liberal commentariat.&#160; But thank you nevertheless.&#160; It’s not just that you gave in to the Republican base even before the hot air had cleared out of Osawotomie.&#160; Recalling Obama’s own recent capitulation on smog controls, you helped him diss his most ardent supporters again, while purposefully denying his administration’s express policies and his purported determination to let science be its guide.</p>
<p>And thank you too Barack Obama for chiming in gratuitously in support of this outrage with disingenuous sophistries about the possibility of eleven year olds doing themselves harm.&#160; One can only wonder about liberals who, after that, still cut Obama slack.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Even before Osawotomie, it was already evident that the majority of appeals to justice or fairness today come not from participants in the Occupy movement, but from Democrats intent on coopting that movement and enlisting it in behalf of Obama’s reelection.</p>
<p>Obama’s Osawotomie speech expanded the focus somewhat, but it remains the case that, for the most part, when Democrats talk of unfairness, what they have in mind is just that the super-rich don’t pay quite enough in taxes.&#160; This is one side of a remarkably shallow, but highly polarized, “debate” in which the other side claims that taxing the well-off is self-defeating – because the rich are “job creators” who need to hold onto as much of their market generated income and wealth as possible if prosperity is to “trickle down” for the benefit of all.</p>
<p>It bears mention that the tax proposals Democrats advance are not even pale approximations of what Rawlsian justice calls for; they hardly even count as redistributive.&#160; The proposal is just that those who have been making out like bandits in recent decades should be taxed a little bit more than they currently are – maybe at Clinton-era levels, but certainly not to the extent they were back in the days when Republicans still liked Ike.</p>
<p>For liberal egalitarians, redistributive taxation should aim at equality except insofar as inequalities increase the share going to the least well off – as they might if they incentivize increased productive contributions.&#160; Rawls’s point was that this is what the prevailing understanding of justice as fairness implies.&#160; If he was right, this news has yet to reach the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>It therefore follows that either the philosophers have seriously misinterpreted the world or that the Democrats are not the least bit interested in changing it.&#160; Is it not obvious which is the case?&#160; And then how hard is it to see that when Democrats speak of injustice, they are only disguising their real – very political – intent?</p>
<p>Obama and his minions want modestly higher tax rates at the very top of the income distribution to help legitimate the very regime the Occupy movement implicitly (and increasingly explicitly) opposes.&#160; They think they can do that just by smoothing out some rough edges.&#160; No edge could be rougher than the (almost) free ride accorded the 1% who take in some 25% of the country’s income and who control more than 40% of its wealth, or the near immunity from taxation enjoyed by the corporations and financial institutions whose predations brought the Great Recession on and who, being “too big to fail,” were then bailed out at taxpayer expense.&#160; The sheer outrageousness of this may not be enough to get the goat of the “values voters” the Obama administration is evidently still trying to court, but it flagrantly offends the democratic sentiments of the 99% whose support, or at least acquiescence, is indispensible for keeping the status quo intact.</p>
<p>It is relevant that both Democrats and Republicans also seem to think that the first order of business nowadays is to pay down the federal debt.&#160; That there should be a consensus on a position so stunningly wrong- headed calls for an explanation.&#160; But notice, first, that, on the face of it, this conviction should weigh in overwhelmingly on the side of taxing the rich.&#160; That the Democrats have not yet clearly won the debate into which they are trying desperately to channel awareness of the failings of the system they help sustain attests to the continuing efficacy of the ideological mechanisms that shape the way political struggles are waged in the United States and, of course, to the characteristic inclination of the party Obama exemplifies and leads to cave first and blame the other side later.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Republicans have less need to disguise their objectives because, after three decades of getting their way with only token opposition, the high fliers who still (barely) own the Grand Old Party and the (somewhat) less fortunate one-per centers who identify with them have become too self-confident to care, while the hordes of useful idiots they’ve enlisted to their cause are so devoted to retrograde cultural values and nativist know-nothingism that they don’t care either.</p>
<p>But there are still Republicans who, from time to time, feel a need to justify themselves, and not all of them go as far as their front-runner du jour, Newt Gingrich, in exemplifying the old saw that “the less they know, the less they know it.”&#160; Some of them, mostly C students like the much-heralded Paul Ryan, are besotted with the inane nostrums of pseudo-philosopher Ayn Rand.&#160; But there are also a few A students, philosopher Robert Nozick most famously, who have concocted theories of justice of their own.&#160; Nozick was not a committed Republican; he was apolitical.&#160; Ironically, though, his views have had more real world impact than Rawls’s, at least until now.</p>
<p>Nozick’s account of justice revived John Locke’s long dormant defenses of property rights and market transactions. &#160; His arguments were clever enough for political philosophers of all stripes to find them engaging, and not just for pedagogical purposes.&#160; Still, Nozick’s influence in academic circles has been limited and mainly invidious.&#160; But because his work does seem to provide a rationale for minimizing state power and taxing the rich as sparingly as possible, some of it has filtered out into the mainstream.</p>
<p>However, despite what most libertarians suppose, the political implications of neo-Lockean theories of justice are far from clear.&#160; What Nozick defended was clean capitalism – where property is acquired and transferred in ways that violate none of the rights Locke and his followers deemed inviolable.&#160; Actually existing capitalism bears not the slightest resemblance to this ideal.&#160; Therefore even if Nozick’s defense of private property and markets could be sustained – which, I would hazard, it cannot – nothing would follow that justifies real world market-generated distributions.&#160; The implications of neo-Lockean theories of justice are, at best, indeterminate.</p>
<p>This is why the B students who populate right-wing think tanks and who therefore do influence Republican policy usually defend existing inequalities on the grounds that market mechanisms produced them and that markets are always right, provided only that governments don’t interfere with their operations.</p>
<p>Insofar as they have reasons for holding this view, they are inferred from neo-classical economists’ accounts of how abstract market economies operate when a host of unrealizable conditions (no information asymmetries, no economies of scale, no monopoly price distortions, and so on) obtain.&#160; According to that theory, free markets – including futures markets for any financial instrument anyone might want to buy — will arrive at equilibrium states in which every economic agent’s distributive share accurately reflects their productive contribution.&#160; In that sense, market distributions are just.&#160; [They are also, in theory, maximally efficient, according to a definition of efficiency that bares only a distant relation to what the word means in plain English, but that gives credence to Adam Smith’s conjecture about the beneficial consequences of an untrammeled market’s “invisible hand.”]&#160; But, again, these results hold only for abstract models of economies that have as little to do with the real world as Nozick’s clean capitalism does.</p>
<p>Defenses of market arrangements on grounds of justice are rationalizations for positions held for other, non-rational, causes; not grounds for conviction in themselves.&#160; In this sense, they are like theology.&#160; Some nine hundred years ago, Saint Anselm described the famously arcane argument he contrived to establish the existence of God as “faith seeking understanding.” &#160; That characterization is apt for today’s pro-market theologians as well, though they are usually less self-aware than Anselm was about the cognitive bearing of their own arcane endeavors.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>For these ideologues, the faith they defend comes to nothing more exalted than support for the limitless greed of the 1%.&#160; This is as much a fool’s errand as trying to establish that God exists, but there is a market for both species of folly.&#160; Market theology is especially in demand nowadays because plutocrats now need all the ideological support they can muster – inasmuch as, unlike thirty years ago, their interests and everyone else’s have come to be glaringly at odds.</p>
<p>For fortuitous, and non-reproducible, reasons, it was possible for some three decades after World War II for (small-d) democratic aspirations to cohere fairly well with the requirements of capitalist development, and for a booming capitalism to improve the lot of many, though hardly all, people.&#160; This was an historical anomaly; capitalism and democracy are normally at odds – not just because a system based on private ownership and market arrangements removes the economic sphere from popular control, but also because popular control threatens the hold capitalists have over productive assets; it threatens capitalists’ power.</p>
<p>By the mid or late 70s, the era of capitalist expansion that made it possible to bring the less well off along and therefore for inequality to diminish and a semblance of fairness to obtain had run its course.&#160; All developed capitalist economies then entered into a protracted period in which, for political reasons, the inherent tension was papered over in a variety of ways – mainly by incurring public and private debt.&#160; These evasions were ultimately unsustainable, as we now can see. &#160; They also increased the political and economic power of those at the very top of an increasingly unequal income distribution, while vastly diminishing the power of those institutions, labor unions especially, that advanced justice and democracy in the post-War years.</p>
<p>It looks now like there are no panaceas left, no matter how much they are needed if everything is to stay the same.&#160; Certainly, the ones that kept the lid on for so long are now thoroughly exhausted.&#160; Thus we find ourselves where OWS says we are: with the 99%, fighting to make life better for almost everyone, and the 1% using their considerable power – and our increasingly dysfunctional political system — to keep them down, the better to hold onto what they’ve got.&#160; This is what the bipartisan – indeed, worldwide — turn towards austerity is about.</p>
<p>So yes indeed, the increasing inequalities around us are intolerably unjust; and yes, the occupations, not the coming electoral circus, is what democracy looks like.&#160; But that’s not the whole story or even the main part.&#160; OWS is, or is becoming, the main locus of political class struggle in our time; and what is at stake ultimately is nothing less than the future of capitalism itself.&#160; If our future, the future of the 99%, is finally to turn course and change for the better, it is urgent that this understanding be accorded its rightful place and that, along with consciousness of the moral failings of the inequalities that afflict us, it too becomes a material force in the years ahead.</p>
<p>ANDREW LEVINE&#160;is a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, the author most recently of THE AMERICAN IDEOLOGY (Routledge) and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">POLITICAL KEY WORDS</a>&#160;(Blackwell) as well as of many other books and articles in political philosophy. He was a Professor (philosophy) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Research Professor (philosophy) at the University of Maryland-College Park. &#160;He is a contributor to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion</a>, forthcoming from AK Press.&#160;</p> | true | 4 | egalitarian justice fairness topic political philosophers since even 1971 john rawls published monumental theory justice160 rawls widely hailed important englishspeaking political philosopher since john stuart mill160 whether assessment stand test time beyond dispute past four decades influence unequalled academic precincts160 would fair say result deeper understanding used justice equality involve matter160 would also fair say advances real world political impact insofar rawlss philosophical views reflect political orientation social democratic though american tinge reflecting new deal liberal settlement aspirations leftleaning alas also cold war anticommunist proimperialist democrats truman period lyndon johnsons great society beyond160 words represented political orientation already beginning fade real world politics becoming hegemonic academic circles 1980s rawlss work came focus much issues political legitimacy democratic theory egalitarian justice carried others along him160 turn widened gap academic theorizing real world politics160 difference particularly striking issues question involve protections basic liberties160 rawls cothinkers consistently advanced positions left promoted comparatively liberal supreme court earl warren era third branch government reverting back traditional firmly entrenched role defender elite interests enabler money driven antidemocratic politics could thanks occupy wall street anomalous situation way thinking flourishes premier ideological institution university almost resonance mainstream political culture change 160 could sense urgency egalitarian justice taking hold collective consciousness 99160 would venture something like rawls mind seems developing something like marx mind spoke consciousness becoming material force would welcome development especially now160 philosophically informed liberal egalitarian accounts justice equality along empirical investigations consistent perspective clarify deepen otherwise muddled intuitions justice equality flourish liberal quarters160 sense provide theory practice occupy movements wary taking theory word insofar like much else intellectual culture dissociated deeper understanding economic social political context within intuitions gives theoretical expression arise160 sea change seems underway explained pointing indefensible inequalities greater lesser extent always us160 would awareness inequalities become political factor now160 160 answer hard discern least broad outline movements rise trajectory point respond developments inherent nature capitalism today point difficult appreciate recent decades institutions shape popular consciousness largely succeeded obscuring problematic nature capitalism historical period installing idea feasible desirable alternative it160 despite support equality liberal egalitarians culpable account though must said theory justice critical literature gave rise decades ago issues political economy though never central entirely ignored conceptual resources necessary contextualizing charge economic inequalities becoming acutely unfair gone missing surprise occupy activists seek explain sometimes focus injustice system place without referring economic structure generates inequalities160 surprising also heartening dont often instead personal stories generally take precedence global moral indictments160 characteristic consciousness raising efforts entirely apt also wise160 around time rawlsian political philosophy became hegemonic academic circles inclination ethicize political questions emerged well160 part late misguided consequence student demands relevance160 whatever intentions championed progressive academias ethical turn also way defuse political turmoil preceding period best ethicization misses point often disguises essentially political stance representing misleading inauthentic way160 focusing ethical issues occupy movement raises both160 focus benign160 insofar motivates welcome political engagement beneficial160 even obscures stakes really likely become debilitating movement expands deepens potential danger especially evident ethicizers insist occupations nothing along defenders 1 derisively call class war160 telling muchtouted osawotomie kansas speech last week bornagain populist barack obama invoked spirit teddy roosevelts square deal line took160 tribute occupy movements obama find line opportune160 also warning focus injustice inequalities afflict us also underlying causes words soft capitalism interesting observe team obama dropped franklin roosevelt references four years ago endeavoring attach instead fdrs distant relative teddy teddy roosevelt unabashed imperialist militarist obama things though seems go nature160 therefore less blatant discreet tr nothing gung ho war americas imperial destiny160 obama rough rider charging san juan hills worlds oil producing regions leaves economic conscripts puts harms way outsources task unaccountable mercenaries160 big sticks carries lobs every opportunity drones remote control160 differences stylistic substantive mainly differences imperial power rise hundred years ago one currently decline remarkable time office roosevelt thought well abroad obama still is160 indeed presidents gap reputation reality extreme nobel peace prizes 160 trs case prize arguably deserved since help broker end 1905 russojapanese war160 obama got prize rebranding one bushs wars escalating another starting ratcheting one quite knows many lower intensity conflicts trs domestic policies another matter square deal trust busting conservation regulating wild capitalism160 one impression obama comfortable side tr legacy talk good earful offer halfhearted initiatives folds soon republicans blue dog democrats object160 roosevelt really progressive enemy many capitalist though course capitalism itself160 obama toadies capitalists160 laughed stage auditorium tr promoted square deal indicates much consciousness raising remains done even distressing reaction liberal pundits obamas osawotomie address160 could still invested cheerleading democrats ignore past three half years matter going plain sight160 would thought silvertongued words could still beguile evening lineup msnbc160 fool saying goes shame fool twice shame 160 occupiers know better shamed160 fearmongering pundits people scare driving home whack jobs republicans retrograde base another story therefore thank health human services secretary kathleen sebelius overruling food drug administrations decision sell plan b contraceptives counter160 really course know harm youve done far outweighs good knocking modicum sense back liberal commentariat160 thank nevertheless160 gave republican base even hot air cleared osawotomie160 recalling obamas recent capitulation smog controls helped diss ardent supporters purposefully denying administrations express policies purported determination let science guide thank barack obama chiming gratuitously support outrage disingenuous sophistries possibility eleven year olds harm160 one wonder liberals still cut obama slack even osawotomie already evident majority appeals justice fairness today come participants occupy movement democrats intent coopting movement enlisting behalf obamas reelection obamas osawotomie speech expanded focus somewhat remains case part democrats talk unfairness mind superrich dont pay quite enough taxes160 one side remarkably shallow highly polarized debate side claims taxing welloff selfdefeating rich job creators need hold onto much market generated income wealth possible prosperity trickle benefit bears mention tax proposals democrats advance even pale approximations rawlsian justice calls hardly even count redistributive160 proposal making like bandits recent decades taxed little bit currently maybe clintonera levels certainly extent back days republicans still liked ike liberal egalitarians redistributive taxation aim equality except insofar inequalities increase share going least well might incentivize increased productive contributions160 rawlss point prevailing understanding justice fairness implies160 right news yet reach democratic party therefore follows either philosophers seriously misinterpreted world democrats least bit interested changing it160 obvious case160 hard see democrats speak injustice disguising real political intent obama minions want modestly higher tax rates top income distribution help legitimate regime occupy movement implicitly increasingly explicitly opposes160 think smoothing rough edges160 edge could rougher almost free ride accorded 1 take 25 countrys income control 40 wealth near immunity taxation enjoyed corporations financial institutions whose predations brought great recession big fail bailed taxpayer expense160 sheer outrageousness may enough get goat values voters obama administration evidently still trying court flagrantly offends democratic sentiments 99 whose support least acquiescence indispensible keeping status quo intact relevant democrats republicans also seem think first order business nowadays pay federal debt160 consensus position stunningly wrong headed calls explanation160 notice first face conviction weigh overwhelmingly side taxing rich160 democrats yet clearly debate trying desperately channel awareness failings system help sustain attests continuing efficacy ideological mechanisms shape way political struggles waged united states course characteristic inclination party obama exemplifies leads cave first blame side later republicans less need disguise objectives three decades getting way token opposition high fliers still barely grand old party somewhat less fortunate oneper centers identify become selfconfident care hordes useful idiots theyve enlisted cause devoted retrograde cultural values nativist knownothingism dont care either still republicans time time feel need justify go far frontrunner du jour newt gingrich exemplifying old saw less know less know it160 mostly c students like muchheralded paul ryan besotted inane nostrums pseudophilosopher ayn rand160 also students philosopher robert nozick famously concocted theories justice own160 nozick committed republican apolitical160 ironically though views real world impact rawlss least nozicks account justice revived john lockes long dormant defenses property rights market transactions 160 arguments clever enough political philosophers stripes find engaging pedagogical purposes160 still nozicks influence academic circles limited mainly invidious160 work seem provide rationale minimizing state power taxing rich sparingly possible filtered mainstream however despite libertarians suppose political implications neolockean theories justice far clear160 nozick defended clean capitalism property acquired transferred ways violate none rights locke followers deemed inviolable160 actually existing capitalism bears slightest resemblance ideal160 therefore even nozicks defense private property markets could sustained would hazard nothing would follow justifies real world marketgenerated distributions160 implications neolockean theories justice best indeterminate b students populate rightwing think tanks therefore influence republican policy usually defend existing inequalities grounds market mechanisms produced markets always right provided governments dont interfere operations insofar reasons holding view inferred neoclassical economists accounts abstract market economies operate host unrealizable conditions information asymmetries economies scale monopoly price distortions obtain160 according theory free markets including futures markets financial instrument anyone might want buy arrive equilibrium states every economic agents distributive share accurately reflects productive contribution160 sense market distributions just160 also theory maximally efficient according definition efficiency bares distant relation word means plain english gives credence adam smiths conjecture beneficial consequences untrammeled markets invisible hand160 results hold abstract models economies little real world nozicks clean capitalism defenses market arrangements grounds justice rationalizations positions held nonrational causes grounds conviction themselves160 sense like theology160 nine hundred years ago saint anselm described famously arcane argument contrived establish existence god faith seeking understanding 160 characterization apt todays promarket theologians well though usually less selfaware anselm cognitive bearing arcane endeavors ideologues faith defend comes nothing exalted support limitless greed 1160 much fools errand trying establish god exists market species folly160 market theology especially demand nowadays plutocrats need ideological support muster inasmuch unlike thirty years ago interests everyone elses come glaringly odds fortuitous nonreproducible reasons possible three decades world war ii smalld democratic aspirations cohere fairly well requirements capitalist development booming capitalism improve lot many though hardly people160 historical anomaly capitalism democracy normally odds system based private ownership market arrangements removes economic sphere popular control also popular control threatens hold capitalists productive assets threatens capitalists power mid late 70s era capitalist expansion made possible bring less well along therefore inequality diminish semblance fairness obtain run course160 developed capitalist economies entered protracted period political reasons inherent tension papered variety ways mainly incurring public private debt160 evasions ultimately unsustainable see 160 also increased political economic power top increasingly unequal income distribution vastly diminishing power institutions labor unions especially advanced justice democracy postwar years looks like panaceas left matter much needed everything stay same160 certainly ones kept lid long thoroughly exhausted160 thus find ows says 99 fighting make life better almost everyone 1 using considerable power increasingly dysfunctional political system keep better hold onto theyve got160 bipartisan indeed worldwide turn towards austerity yes indeed increasing inequalities around us intolerably unjust yes occupations coming electoral circus democracy looks like160 thats whole story even main part160 ows becoming main locus political class struggle time stake ultimately nothing less future capitalism itself160 future future 99 finally turn course change better urgent understanding accorded rightful place along consciousness moral failings inequalities afflict us becomes material force years ahead andrew levine160is senior scholar institute policy studies author recently american ideology routledge and160 political key words160blackwell well many books articles political philosophy professor philosophy university wisconsinmadison research professor philosophy university marylandcollege park 160he contributor to160 hopeless barack obama politics illusion forthcoming ak press160 | 1,861 |
<p>What makes America unsafe? Is it a welcoming attitude towards ordinary law-abiding Muslims and other disparate peoples scattered across the globe? Or is it the enactment of policies that indiscriminately and unfairly harm average people?</p>
<p>If you’re President Trump, it’s undoubtedly the former. Trump has spent the last few days attacking the judge who stayed his Muslim ban, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/828342202174668800" type="external">claiming</a> it “put our country in such peril” and&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/829299566344359936" type="external">that without the ban</a> “we can never have the security and safety to which we are entitled.”</p>
<p>But a recently released letter to President Obama written by alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad suggests a different conclusion.</p>
<p>The eighteen-page <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article131466809.ece/binary/ksmlettertoobama.pdf" type="external">letter</a>, dated January 8, 2015 and written while Mohammad was serving time in Guantanamo, was obtained by the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article131466294.html" type="external">Miami Herald</a> from Mohammad’s lawyers after a court-ordered thirty-day review period to remove any sensitive information. The letter lays out Mohammad’s grievances against the United States and makes clear what we have long known from other terrorists’ testimonies: that it’s a decades-long, destructive and largely bipartisan Washington foreign policy that drives such men to commit acts of terror, not the supposedly malevolent influence of a fundamentalist version of Islam.</p>
<p>Mohammad’s defense attorney, David Niven, told the Miami Herald that Mohammad began writing the letter in 2014 during Israel’s 2014 <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28439404" type="external">Operation Protective Edge</a>, which levelled whole neighborhoods in Gaza and killed more than two thousand Palestinians in fifty days, the vast majority of which were civilians and many of which were children. Indeed, just four sentences in, Mohammad accuses Obama of having hands “still wet with the blood of our brothers and sisters and children who were killed in Gaza,” citing the horrific statistics coming out of the assault.</p>
<p>A large part of the letter is devoted to answering the question, “Why did 9/11 Happen? And Why May it Happen Again?” Central to the causes of such attacks, according to Mohammad, is Israel’s nearly seventy-year old occupation of Palestine and its continued apartheid policies against the Palestinian people.</p>
<p>“The war crimes perpetrated in Palestine since 1948, and those taking place in Gaza today, are the clearest indication of why 9/11 happened, and why it may happen again in the future,” Mohammad writes immediately after posing the question.</p>
<p>Indeed, resentment at Israel’s policies, and continued US support for said policies, is shot through the letter. Dozens of angry references to Israel, Gaza, and the plight of the Palestinians line its text, including Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/witness-gaza-shelling-first-hand-account" type="external">slaying of four children</a> on a Gaza beach in 2014, and its <a href="http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/control_on_air_space_and_territorial_waters" type="external">continued domination</a> over Palestinian airspace, waters, and <a href="https://www.afsc.org/resource/restricted-movement-occupied-palestinian-territory" type="external">movement</a>. Enclosed with the letter is a map of Palestinian loss of land between 1946 and 2010.</p>
<p>At one point, Mohammad strikes a Trumpian note, arguing that the United States’ substantial financial support for Israel comes at the expense of its own domestic stability.</p>
<p>“Do you realize that Israel is a wealthy nation with a higher per capita income than Romania, Spain, Egypt, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, while the US is an increasingly indebted country damaging its own social programs in favor of your spoiled, coddled, pampered baby, Israel?” he writes. (Mohammad isn’t totally accurate: At least as of this year, according to World Bank figures, South Korea’s per capita is income is slightly higher than Israel’s; Saudi Arabia’s is substantially higher. Still, the point stands.)</p>
<p>Mohammad goes on to label Obama “the president of soup kitchens and food stamps” who cuts “money from the budget for US education and health programs” while “providing money to put the tools of killing and destruction into the hands of Israel to be used against Palestinian and Lebanese Muslims.” (In his final year in office, Obama signed off on the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-idUSKCN11J12R" type="external">largest military aid package to any country in history</a>, which went to Israel).</p>
<p>Israel’s policies aren’t the sole focus of Mohammad’s ire. Throughout the letter, he lists off a litany of US policies that have enraged him, including:</p>
<p>Ironically, despite his condemnation of Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians and his disapproval of sanctions — which he says “are the most brutal form of war because they punish an entire population” — Mohammad has no problem applying the same warped logic to the American public, claiming they “bear full responsibility for the crimes” of Israel and Middle Eastern dictators.</p>
<p>It would be easy to write off the letter as disingenuous grandstanding. After all, he at one point discusses Osama bin Laden’s supposed “mercy and compassion” on the basis that 9/11 killed few children and didn’t target residential homes — which, while true, is hardly enough for a moral exculpation of the heinous act of 9/11.</p>
<p>But this letter is hardly the first time the public has been explicitly told by perpetrators of terror that Western governments’ foreign policies are responsible for the rage behind anti-Western terrorist attacks.</p>
<p>As Thomas Hegghammer has pointed out, bin Laden and al-Qaeda spent the years before and after 9/11 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/dec/03/osamabinladenstruepriorities" type="external">railing against</a> Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as other Israeli actions. His earliest public speeches in the 1980s called for a boycott of US goods over its support for Israel. In a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bin-laden-palestinian-cause-prompted-9-11/" type="external">2008 speech</a>, he said that “the Palestinian cause has been the main factor that, since my early childhood, fueled my desire, and that of the 19 freemen [the September 11 bombers].”</p>
<p>“The events that affected my soul in a direct way started in 1982 when America permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon,” he said in a <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2004/11/200849163336457223.html" type="external">2004 speech</a>. “As I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish the oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America.”</p>
<p>In bin Laden’s 2002 “ <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver" type="external">letter to America</a>,” the word “Palestine” appears thirteen times, and conditions in Palestine are the very first thing bin Laden discusses — at length — in relation to the question, “Why are we fighting and opposing you?” In the same letter, he also cites the suffering caused by the Iraqi sanctions, albeit using the wildly inflated number of 1.5 million dead children.</p>
<p>This isn’t just true of bin Laden. The 2010 Times Square would-be bomber was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/nyregion/16suspect.html?ref=faisal_shahzad" type="external">radicalized over a period of years</a> thanks to his anger over the invasion of Iraq, the Guantanamo Bay prison, and drone bombings, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062102468.html?hpid=moreheadlines" type="external">complained about drone attacks on Pakistan</a>&#160;in his trial. The Fort Hood gunman was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html" type="external">fiercely opposed</a> to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. One of the killers of British soldier Lee Rigby said he was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10507092/Lee-Rigby-murder-trial-Im-a-soldier-just-like-Drummer-Rigby...-I-killed-him-because-this-is-war.html" type="external">motivated by his “disgust”</a> at the Iraq War. One of the Charlie Hebdo shooters was radicalized by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/08/paris-attack-suspect-cherif-kouchi-jailed-terror-offences-2008-charlie-hebdo" type="external">images of torture at Abu Ghraib</a>. The Orlando nightclub gunman, while almost certainly partly influenced by his own conflicted sexuality, also <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-15/orlando-gunman-wanted-to-stop-us-bombing-afghanistan/7511586" type="external">told a 911 operator</a> he wanted “America to stop bombing” Afghanistan. The list <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/10/11/us-military-operations-are-biggest-motivation-for-homegrown-terrorists-fbi-study-finds/" type="external">goes on</a> and <a href="http://archive.northjersey.com/news/boston-marathon-bombing-suspect-says-anger-fed-by-u-s-wars-1.585099" type="external">on</a> and <a href="https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/what-terrorists-are-really-angry-about" type="external">on</a>.</p>
<p>Despite this, the Trump administration is continuing — or even escalating — the foreign policy excesses of the Bush and Obama administrations that have fuelled the rise of such terrorism. Under Obama, the population of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/12/22/map-the-spread-of-israeli-settlements-in-the-west-bank/?utm_term=.24d948bab1e8" type="external">grew by 25 percent</a> between 2009 and 2014; now, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/world/middleeast/israel-settlement-expansion-west-bank.html?_r=0" type="external">encouraged by Trump’s win</a>, Israel has expanded these settlements and retroactively <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/07/513905691/israel-passes-law-retroactively-legalizing-settler-homes-on-palestinian-land" type="external">legalized nearly 4,000 illegal homes</a> in the West Bank.</p>
<p>Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/world/middleeast/donald-trump-yemen-commando-raid-questions.html" type="external">approved</a> a commando raid in Yemen that resulted in the death of <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-missed-target-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-raid-a7566211.html" type="external">as many as thirty civilians</a>, including the eight-year old sister of the sixteen-year old American who was drone bombed by Obama in 2012 and which saw its chief target escape unharmed. (According to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-yemen-raid-agree-to-policy-barack-obama-would-not-do-james-matthis-qassim-al-rimi-a7566861.html" type="external">The Independent</a>, the raid was urged on by General James Mattis, who was meant to be a “ <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/us/politics/james-mattis-defense-secretary.html" type="external">stabilizing and moderating force</a>” on the new president). Experts are <a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2017/02/08/nine-young-children-killed-full-details-botched-us-raid-yemen/" type="external">already warning</a> that terrorists will use the incident to recruit the disaffected.</p>
<p>It’s not as if the Trump administration is oblivious to this. Michael Flynn, his National Security Adviser (and one of the men who reportedly attended the dinner where Trump was briefed on the Yemen raid), has <a href="http://inthesetimes.com/article/19679/donald-trump-national-security-adivisor-islamophobia-michael-flynn" type="external">repeatedly stressed</a> the inadequacy and self-defeating nature of a purely military strategy to combat terrorism, and warned in a 2010 paper that “merely killing insurgents usually serves to multiply enemies rather than subtract them.”</p>
<p>Yet despite this, the administration appears to have no intention of reversing course on the decades of failed foreign policy which has only served to inflame terrorism. In fact, it’s doubling down on even more extreme measures like its Muslim ban, which even <a href="http://www.vox.com/2017/1/28/14424758/ryan-pence-ban" type="external">Trump’s own appointees</a> have warned will create blowback. Confirming <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/30/politics/trump-ban-boosts-isis-recruitment/" type="external">experts’ worst fears</a>, ISIS supporters are already celebrating the executive order as an “ <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-supporters-mock-trumps-muslim-9724416" type="external">invaluable service</a>” to the group, which bases its recruitment on a narrative of indiscriminate Western warfare on Muslims. Indeed Trump’s candidacy, with his Islamophobic policies and promises of war crimes to come, has <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/oct/10/hillary-clinton/clinton-said-terrorists-use-trumps-remarks-about-m/" type="external">already been used</a> in terrorist recruitment videos.</p>
<p>Of course, such discriminatory policies will do nothing to protect Americans. As Khalid Shaikh Mohammad’s letter and the testimony of other terrorists make clear, the factors which make the United States less safe are staring us in the face. But don’t expect any American leaders to listen.</p> | true | 4 | makes america unsafe welcoming attitude towards ordinary lawabiding muslims disparate peoples scattered across globe enactment policies indiscriminately unfairly harm average people youre president trump undoubtedly former trump spent last days attacking judge stayed muslim ban claiming put country peril and160 without ban never security safety entitled recently released letter president obama written alleged september 11 mastermind khalid shaikh mohammad suggests different conclusion eighteenpage letter dated january 8 2015 written mohammad serving time guantanamo obtained miami herald mohammads lawyers courtordered thirtyday review period remove sensitive information letter lays mohammads grievances united states makes clear long known terrorists testimonies decadeslong destructive largely bipartisan washington foreign policy drives men commit acts terror supposedly malevolent influence fundamentalist version islam mohammads defense attorney david niven told miami herald mohammad began writing letter 2014 israels 2014 operation protective edge levelled whole neighborhoods gaza killed two thousand palestinians fifty days vast majority civilians many children indeed four sentences mohammad accuses obama hands still wet blood brothers sisters children killed gaza citing horrific statistics coming assault large part letter devoted answering question 911 happen may happen central causes attacks according mohammad israels nearly seventyyear old occupation palestine continued apartheid policies palestinian people war crimes perpetrated palestine since 1948 taking place gaza today clearest indication 911 happened may happen future mohammad writes immediately posing question indeed resentment israels policies continued us support said policies shot letter dozens angry references israel gaza plight palestinians line text including israels 1982 invasion lebanon slaying four children gaza beach 2014 continued domination palestinian airspace waters movement enclosed letter map palestinian loss land 1946 2010 one point mohammad strikes trumpian note arguing united states substantial financial support israel comes expense domestic stability realize israel wealthy nation higher per capita income romania spain egypt south korea saudi arabia us increasingly indebted country damaging social programs favor spoiled coddled pampered baby israel writes mohammad isnt totally accurate least year according world bank figures south koreas per capita income slightly higher israels saudi arabias substantially higher still point stands mohammad goes label obama president soup kitchens food stamps cuts money budget us education health programs providing money put tools killing destruction hands israel used palestinian lebanese muslims final year office obama signed largest military aid package country history went israel israels policies arent sole focus mohammads ire throughout letter lists litany us policies enraged including ironically despite condemnation israels collective punishment palestinians disapproval sanctions says brutal form war punish entire population mohammad problem applying warped logic american public claiming bear full responsibility crimes israel middle eastern dictators would easy write letter disingenuous grandstanding one point discusses osama bin ladens supposed mercy compassion basis 911 killed children didnt target residential homes true hardly enough moral exculpation heinous act 911 letter hardly first time public explicitly told perpetrators terror western governments foreign policies responsible rage behind antiwestern terrorist attacks thomas hegghammer pointed bin laden alqaeda spent years 911 railing israeli occupation palestine well israeli actions earliest public speeches 1980s called boycott us goods support israel 2008 speech said palestinian cause main factor since early childhood fueled desire 19 freemen september 11 bombers events affected soul direct way started 1982 america permitted israelis invade lebanon said 2004 speech looked demolished towers lebanon entered mind punish oppressor kind destroy towers america bin ladens 2002 letter america word palestine appears thirteen times conditions palestine first thing bin laden discusses length relation question fighting opposing letter also cites suffering caused iraqi sanctions albeit using wildly inflated number 15 million dead children isnt true bin laden 2010 times square wouldbe bomber radicalized period years thanks anger invasion iraq guantanamo bay prison drone bombings complained drone attacks pakistan160in trial fort hood gunman fiercely opposed iraq afghanistan wars one killers british soldier lee rigby said motivated disgust iraq war one charlie hebdo shooters radicalized images torture abu ghraib orlando nightclub gunman almost certainly partly influenced conflicted sexuality also told 911 operator wanted america stop bombing afghanistan list goes despite trump administration continuing even escalating foreign policy excesses bush obama administrations fuelled rise terrorism obama population illegal israeli settlements west bank grew 25 percent 2009 2014 encouraged trumps win israel expanded settlements retroactively legalized nearly 4000 illegal homes west bank last month trump approved commando raid yemen resulted death many thirty civilians including eightyear old sister sixteenyear old american drone bombed obama 2012 saw chief target escape unharmed according independent raid urged general james mattis meant stabilizing moderating force new president experts already warning terrorists use incident recruit disaffected trump administration oblivious michael flynn national security adviser one men reportedly attended dinner trump briefed yemen raid repeatedly stressed inadequacy selfdefeating nature purely military strategy combat terrorism warned 2010 paper merely killing insurgents usually serves multiply enemies rather subtract yet despite administration appears intention reversing course decades failed foreign policy served inflame terrorism fact doubling even extreme measures like muslim ban even trumps appointees warned create blowback confirming experts worst fears isis supporters already celebrating executive order invaluable service group bases recruitment narrative indiscriminate western warfare muslims indeed trumps candidacy islamophobic policies promises war crimes come already used terrorist recruitment videos course discriminatory policies nothing protect americans khalid shaikh mohammads letter testimony terrorists make clear factors make united states less safe staring us face dont expect american leaders listen | 871 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/8555063338/in/photostream"&gt;Pete Souza&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p>Last week, conservative talk show host and media mogul Glenn Beck decided to let his listeners in on what he dubbed “the biggest story in American history.” It’s called System X. “If you don’t stop it,” he <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/beck-system-x-upon-us-and-it-will-destroy-america-and-system-freedom-we-know-it" type="external">warned</a>, “American history is over as you know it.”</p>
<p>As Beck explained it, a little-known Department of Education program, supported by rich philanthropists, business interests, and the United Nations, was turning public schools into the world’s next great data-mining frontier. Using carrots offered up in the 2009 stimulus bill, the federal government and its contractors could compile hundreds of points of data on your kids and use it for who knows what. The result: “System X: a government run by a single party in control of labor, media, education, and banking; joined by big business to further their mutual collective goals.”</p>
<p>The gateway to this dystopian future, which Beck predicted would lead to some portions of the United States embracing <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/beck-common-core-designed-train-us-be-serf-state-ruled-china-and-islam" type="external">Nazism</a>, was President Barack Obama’s controversial push for a new national curriculum known as Common Core. The conspirators are far-ranging. Rupert Murdoch is in on it. So is the American Legislative Exchange Council, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Jeb Bush.</p>
<p>Beck’s not the only person fighting Common Core. Lawmakers in 18 states have considered legislation to block the implementation of the curriculum standards. Five—Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia—have successfully rejected or partially rejected Common Core. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell reiterated his opposition to Common Core in late March, just one week after Texas Gov. Rick Perry went on Beck’s program to denounce it.</p>
<p>On the most basic level, the fight over Common Core is same fight parents and policymakers have been waging over public education for the last century, centering on two basic questions: What is the appropriate level of federal involvement in local schooling? And if we did settle on an umbrella curriculum, what should it actually look like? Education reformer <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2013/02/26/why-i-cannot-support-the-common-core-standards/" type="external">Diane Ravitch</a>, for one, opposes Common Core on the grounds that, while there should be a set of national education tenets, she believes “such standards should be voluntary, not imposed by the federal government.”</p>
<p>But in the hands of activists like Beck, Common Core has taken on a more ominous tone. The long-standing fever swamp fears of enforced secularism and multiculturalism, like those promoted by now-Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) <a href="" type="internal">in the 1990s</a>, have been given a digital makeover.</p>
<p>The core itself is what it sounds like—a broad curriculum standard. States that choose to accept Common Core gain access to a pot of billions of federal dollars. Social conservatives have never liked that kind of incentive game, especially when it’s connected to a Democratic president. (GOP Rep. Rob Bishop, whose Utah district is ground zero for the anti-Common Core movement, called the Common Core a “hook” from which the state could never extricate itself.)</p>
<p>According to its critics, the most nefarious consequence of Common Core is a data collection program that’s part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus). The idea is to better track student demographic and achievement data to figure out what’s working and what’s not, and respond accordingly. Some of the biggest names in American politics and business support the idea. In 2011, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/us-education-database-idUSBRE92204W20130303" type="external">teamed up</a> with the Carnegie Foundation and an educational subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. to develop a database of student data that states can access for free until 2015. (After that it will charge an annual fee.) At a speech at the White House last November, Shawn T. Bay, CEO of the education data company eScholar, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=9RIgKRNzC9U" type="external">called</a> Common Core “the glue that actually ties everything together” in the Department of Education’s Big Data push.</p>
<p>A writer at the anti-core site Truth in Education synthesized the movement’s fears <a href="http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/open-letter-to-parents-of-public-schooled-children/" type="external">thusly</a>:</p>
<p>There will be a massive data tracking system on each child with over 400 points of information collected. This information can be shared among organizations and companies and parents don’t have to be informed about what data is being collecting. They will collect information such as: your child’s academic records, health care history, disciplinary record, family income range, family voting status, and religious affiliation, to name a few. Big brother will be watching your child from preschool till college (P20 Longitudinal Data System). You, the parent, are UNABLE to opt your child out of this tracking system.</p>
<p>According to anti-Common Core activists, the government won’t only collect student data from test scores and paperwork—they’ll also use actual lab experiments. Beck cited a February <a href="http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/OET-Draft-Grit-Report-2-17-13.pdf" type="external">draft report</a> released by the Department of Education on the future of learning technology. Among other things, the report highlighted studies that had used tools such as a “wireless skin conductance sensor,” “functional magnetic resonance imaging,” and a “posture analysis seat” to measure how students learn. As Beck <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/27/indoctrination-and-data-mining-in-common-core-heres-why-americas-schools-may-be-in-more-trouble-than-you-think/" type="external">put it</a>, “This is like some really spooky, sci-fi, Gattaca kind of thing.” But the Department of Education draft report didn’t actually recommend that these tools be incorporated into the classroom.</p>
<p>Critics also take issue with what’s in the standards—particularly the math portion. Writing about the math standards in The Atlantic last November, retired educator Barry Garelick <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/11/a-new-kind-of-problem-the-common-core-math-standards/265444/" type="external">feared</a> that kids would become “‘little mathematicians’ who don’t know how to do actual math.”</p>
<p>But as Kathleen Porter-Magee and Sol Stern point out at the conservative <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/344519/truth-about-common-core-kathleen-porter-magee" type="external">National Review Online</a>, much of the criticism about the contents of&#160; Common Core has been based on misinformation, if not “deliberate misunderstanding.” Although conservative critics like Michelle Malkin allege that Common Core brushes aside classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, it in fact holds up Harper Lee’s novel as an “ <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf" type="external">examplar</a>” of what students should be taught.</p>
<p>For now, most GOP lawmakers’ concerns about the Common Core focus on the curriculum and the idea of federal control, not Big Data. But the Obama administration is wary of Common Core taking on a life of its own in the conservative fever swamps. Last February, when South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley suggested she might block the implementation of Common Core in her state, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a statement <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-secretary-education-arne-duncan-1" type="external">punching back</a>.</p>
<p>Citing the endorsements of Republican governors like Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Bill Haslam of Tennessee, and Chris Christie of New Jersey, Duncan dismissed Haley’s concerns as little more than tinfoil-hat trolling: “The idea that the Common Core standards are nationally-imposed is a conspiracy theory in search of a conspiracy.”</p>
<p>Then again, when has that ever stopped Glenn Beck?</p> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotoswhitehouse8555063338inphotostreamgtpete souzaltagtflickr last week conservative talk show host media mogul glenn beck decided let listeners dubbed biggest story american history called system x dont stop warned american history know beck explained littleknown department education program supported rich philanthropists business interests united nations turning public schools worlds next great datamining frontier using carrots offered 2009 stimulus bill federal government contractors could compile hundreds points data kids use knows result system x government run single party control labor media education banking joined big business mutual collective goals gateway dystopian future beck predicted would lead portions united states embracing nazism president barack obamas controversial push new national curriculum known common core conspirators farranging rupert murdoch american legislative exchange council bill melinda gates jeb bush becks person fighting common core lawmakers 18 states considered legislation block implementation curriculum standards fivealaska minnesota nebraska texas virginiahave successfully rejected partially rejected common core virginia gov bob mcdonnell reiterated opposition common core late march one week texas gov rick perry went becks program denounce basic level fight common core fight parents policymakers waging public education last century centering two basic questions appropriate level federal involvement local schooling settle umbrella curriculum actually look like education reformer diane ravitch one opposes common core grounds set national education tenets believes standards voluntary imposed federal government hands activists like beck common core taken ominous tone longstanding fever swamp fears enforced secularism multiculturalism like promoted nowrep michele bachmann rminn 1990s given digital makeover core sounds likea broad curriculum standard states choose accept common core gain access pot billions federal dollars social conservatives never liked kind incentive game especially connected democratic president gop rep rob bishop whose utah district ground zero anticommon core movement called common core hook state could never extricate according critics nefarious consequence common core data collection program thats part american recovery reinvestment act stimulus idea better track student demographic achievement data figure whats working whats respond accordingly biggest names american politics business support idea 2011 bill melinda gates foundation teamed carnegie foundation educational subsidiary rupert murdochs news corp develop database student data states access free 2015 charge annual fee speech white house last november shawn bay ceo education data company escholar called common core glue actually ties everything together department educations big data push writer anticore site truth education synthesized movements fears thusly massive data tracking system child 400 points information collected information shared among organizations companies parents dont informed data collecting collect information childs academic records health care history disciplinary record family income range family voting status religious affiliation name big brother watching child preschool till college p20 longitudinal data system parent unable opt child tracking system according anticommon core activists government wont collect student data test scores paperworktheyll also use actual lab experiments beck cited february draft report released department education future learning technology among things report highlighted studies used tools wireless skin conductance sensor functional magnetic resonance imaging posture analysis seat measure students learn beck put like really spooky scifi gattaca kind thing department education draft report didnt actually recommend tools incorporated classroom critics also take issue whats standardsparticularly math portion writing math standards atlantic last november retired educator barry garelick feared kids would become little mathematicians dont know actual math kathleen portermagee sol stern point conservative national review online much criticism contents of160 common core based misinformation deliberate misunderstanding although conservative critics like michelle malkin allege common core brushes aside classics kill mockingbird fact holds harper lees novel examplar students taught gop lawmakers concerns common core focus curriculum idea federal control big data obama administration wary common core taking life conservative fever swamps last february south carolina republican gov nikki haley suggested might block implementation common core state secretary education arne duncan released statement punching back citing endorsements republican governors like mitch daniels indiana bill haslam tennessee chris christie new jersey duncan dismissed haleys concerns little tinfoilhat trolling idea common core standards nationallyimposed conspiracy theory search conspiracy ever stopped glenn beck | 656 |
<p />
<p>I live in a sunny, picturesque neighborhood of San Francisco called Noe (Noh-ee) Valley. It has quiet streets, magnificent views, four coffee bars, three bookstores, two bakeries, two parks, a half-dozen fine restaurants, the church featured in the Whoopi Goldberg movie Sister Act, and lovingly restored Victorian and Edwardian homes. In many ways, Noe Valley is an urban oasis where people of astonishingly diverse backgrounds live shoulder-to-shoulder in surprising harmony: owners and renters; young and old; families and childless; straight and gay/lesbian; Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish; and white, Asian, and African-American, including recent immigrants from France, Thailand, China, and the Philippines.</p>
<p>The neighborhood’s popularity and tranquillity have driven housing prices sky-high, but many residents choking on rent or mortgage payments believe that they have purchased reasonable safety from crime. As I overheard one woman say to another outside our local Starbucks coffee shop recently, Noe Valley is a place where a single woman can feel safe going out alone after dark for a decaf latte. It’s a good place, she added, to raise a family.</p>
<p>I agree–my little corner of the cosmos is a reasonably decent place to raise a family. But anyone who calls Noe Valley “safe” is living in a daydream. I know because I’m a devoted reader of the police column in our monthly neighborhood newspaper, the Noe Valley Voice. In a typical month, our 100-block neighborhood experiences a few burglaries and car thefts, one or two muggings or sexual assaults, and a half-dozen acts of vandalism. (Actual neighborhood crime figures are undoubtedly higher; the police column covers only reported crimes.)</p>
<p>The Noe Valley Voice police column describes local crimes in considerable detail. Last spring, a man in his teens armed with a handgun held up another man in mid-afternoon in front of the corner store within spitting distance of my front door. The gunman fled on foot right past my house. More recently, three men (one with a gun) held up a corner store</p>
<p>five blocks from my home, but only a block from the spot where my 8-year-old son catches the school bus. Within the last two years, one neighbor’s new Honda Accord was stolen, and another’s Mitsubishi suffered a smashed window and electrical damage resulting from a stereo/tape heist. Another neighbor lost two TVs, two VCRs, and a stereo in a home burglary. Last December, the DA’s office announced that a priest at St. Paul’s, the Sister Act church, was under investigation for allegedly embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the parish kitty. Last year, a local realtor was shot to death in his office four blocks from my home. Finally, the other night, a neighbor called to say she’d seen a creepy guy lurking around her front door, and would I please come out and make some noise to send him on his way, if he was not already gone? He was.</p>
<p>Now what do you think of my sunny, picturesque neighborhood? Would you venture out alone at night? Would you pony up the $479,000 my neighbors four doors down are asking for their 3-BR, 2-BA Edwardian? Or would you rather take your hard-earned nest egg and move to the suburbs, where everyone knows it’s safer? You might try Petaluma, the charming town an hour north of here where American Graffiti was filmed. . .and where Polly Klaas was abducted and murdered in October 1993. Or Grass Valley, a lovely, historic mining town in the Sierra foothills. . .where two 16-year-old girls were murdered last summer near a remote teen hangout well-known to locals but not to outsiders, strongly suggesting a resident killer. Or Concord, an upscale suburb an hour east of San Francisco, where in 1987 my beautiful, free-spirited, 21-year-old cousin, Melissa, was sexually assaulted and knifed to death shortly after stepping off a BART train.</p>
<p>One hundred years after historian Frederick Jackson Turner announced the closing of the frontier, most Americans continue to believe that they can pull up stakes and get a new start in a better, safer place somewhere else. Many people who live outside of urban America seem to believe that God grants personal safety beyond city limits. Every time a grisly horror unfolds in some far-off corner of the country, the papers always quote the locals as saying, “Things like that just don’t happen here.” But “crime can happen anywhere,” says Wilbur Rykert, Ph.D., a former Michigan state trooper who directs the National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. “Where was Michael Jordan’s father robbed and murdered? Out in the boonies. Crime is everyone’s concern.”</p>
<p>Of course, some places have more crime than others. I live about a mile from two different hotbeds of crime–probably closer to crack-gun-gang territory than most Mother Jones readers, but still far enough away so that for me, and I daresay for the vast majority of you, moving somewhere else wouldn’t take us much farther out of harm’s way. Which means we’re all too close to crime for comfort. What can we do?</p>
<p>One common response is to retreat into blissful ignorance, to turn the page quickly when the headlines refer to blood and gore. But when it comes to crime in one’s own neighborhood, ignorance is not bliss. It’s a significant risk factor for victimization. That’s why each month, the first thing I read in the Noe Valley Voice is the police report. Most criminals commit their crimes within a mile or so of where they live, according to Rykert, so every crime in my neighborhood represents a potential threat to me and to my family. I’m by no means alone in my fascination with neighborhood crime. According to Tonda Rush, president of the National Newspaper Association, similar police columns are among the most avidly read sections of the 4,000 community newspapers they represent. Why? “Because,” she explains, “any crime that happens next door to me is a major crime.” The conventional wisdom is that crime is worse than ever, that the good old days have been blown away by drug dealers’ Uzis.</p>
<p>However, a careful look at the crime rate shows something truly astonishing: Beyond headlines describing the new (and very scary) younger-than-ever face of crime–11-year-olds gunning each other down for Air Jordans–the good old days are now. The crime rate has actually been falling slowly but steadily for 20 years, and currently it’s lower than it has been at any time since 1973, when reliable statistics were first compiled. This remarkable decline has occurred despite the growth of the violence-plagued drug economy, the cutbacks in social services, and the millions of guns sold (and stolen) over the last two decades. The drop in crime has been consistently underreported by the media, but it comes from the Census-Justice Department’s twice-yearly victimization surveys, begun in 1973 to supplement FBI statistics.</p>
<p>According to Census estimates, in 1973 there were 35.7 million rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, and thefts. By 1992, crime had fallen 6 percent to 33.6 million. Some criminologists say the reason for the decline is one that rarely makes it into the great national debate: demographics. They contend that the crime rate is contingent upon the number of young men in the population. During the Depression, hard times took a bite out of the birthrate, and by the time that generation of young men became adolescents, many left the country to fight in World War II, a big reason why the 1940s gained a reputation as an era of comparative safety on the streets. Then came the post-World War II baby boom. By the mid-1960s, “juvenile delinquency” had become a major problem. The baby bust followed, and by 1973 the crime rate began falling.</p>
<p>But for several years now, the birthrate has been rising. “You don’t need a crystal ball to predict a rising crime rate in the first decade of the next century,” says Richard H. Girgenti, New York state director of criminal justice. “Demographics have always been the best predictor of future crime.”</p>
<p>Overwhelmingly, street criminals are young men. More than 80 percent of those arrested are male. Men aged 15 to 24 account for 40 percent of all arrests, and men 15 to 34 account for 70 percent. Why? Because no one makes a career out of street crime. Criminals rob and steal on and off for a few years until they grow up and make a startling discovery: Considering all the costs and benefits, the income from crime versus the risks to life, limb, and freedom, a job–any job, even one at the minimum wage–pays better.</p>
<p>For street criminals, crime is a grubby, risky existence. In 1992, the average mugging netted $672 in cash and property (watches, jewelry, etc.), the average burglary $1,278, according to victims’ reports to police. Those numbers are almost certainly inflated. Many victims pad their losses, gleefully stealing from insurers. Meanwhile, thieves must sell stolen property at a substantial discount to unload it quickly with no questions asked. Assuming, I believe generously, that crooks net 50 percent of what statistics say they steal, a criminal from one of the crime hot spots near me would have to pull eight burglaries a month just to afford rent and groceries in San Francisco’s comparatively low-rent Mission District. But my neighborhood has only two or three burglaries a month, not even enough to support one burglar at poverty level.</p>
<p>Given their youth and lack of education, street criminals are typically people with little competence in the adult world. In addition, says Marc Mauer, assistant director of The Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C., organization specializing in criminal justice policy, “Half of all violent offenses are committed by people intoxicated on alcohol and/or other drugs.”</p>
<p>Street criminals are not masterminds. They go for the easiest available targets. That’s why people aged 15 to 34 account for the majority of crime victims–in about two-thirds of all violent (non-murder) crimes and three-fifths of homicides.</p>
<p>I was mugged at age 24, a demographic cliche. Though a Phi Beta Kappa college grad, I was still basically a stupid kid. As I skirted a park while walking home alone from a friend’s house around midnight, two black teenagers suddenly appeared, stuck a gun in my back, and snatched my wallet. I lost $80.</p>
<p>My home was burglarized the following year. (My wife and I left a window unlocked, and I believe a smarmy neighbor hit us.) But I haven’t been victimized since. That’s another demographic cliche: Victimization statistics clearly show that risk declines steadily with age, as we become older and, often in spite of ourselves, wiser. But ironically, while the risk of becoming a victim plummets with age, fear of crime rises. I’m more anxious about street safety now than I was 20 years ago, even though I haven’t had a problem in two decades. And I’m very nervous about my children’s safety. I’m not alone. A recent Gallup Poll commissioned by Parenting magazine showed that 54 percent of parents feared their children might be kidnapped. A child’s actual kidnapping risk is one in 300,000, about the odds of being hit by a pop-up at a major league baseball game.</p>
<p>Because fear grows with age, a declining crime rate offers cold comfort. As we grow older and more cautious, we feel the streets are meaner than ever–even when it’s clear that they’re not.</p>
<p>Liberals blame crime on poverty, racism, and lack of educational and job opportunities, which leave people so bereft of hope that they fall victim to anti-social rage. The conservative line is that the ACLU has hog-tied the police and forced the courts to coddle criminals when we ought to lock them up and throw away the key.</p>
<p>Both sides also blame crime on the breakdown of the family, but for different reasons. Liberals maintain that a lack of childcare, social services, and affordable health care turns the disadvantaged into vengeful victims. Conservatives insist that liberal secularism–sex education and opposition to school prayer–has rent the nation’s moral fabric.</p>
<p>Political progressives dismiss the pro-prison argument with one quick statistic: In 1980, there were 139 prisoners per 100,000 Americans; this figure had doubled to 373 per 100,000 as of last June, when the number of state and federal prisoners topped 1 million for the first time. “More than ever,” says sociologist Marvin Wolfgang, a professor of criminology and law at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, “we are locking ’em up and throwing away the key. Does anyone feel safer? I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>But conservatives have a point: Punishment can be an effective deterrent when it is immediate, certain, and severe. Touch a hot stove once or twice, and you stop doing it because the punishment meets these criteria. But the criminal justice system does not. Prison sentences are neither immediate nor certain, thanks to the little detail of innocent until proven guilty.</p>
<p>So conservatives dump their karmic eggs into the severity basket. Crime, they argue, is a rational choice, and criminals will stop choosing it when the potential cost (decades in prison) outweighs the potential gain ($402 from the average convenience-store robbery in 1992). Hence their “three strikes and you’re out” initiatives.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, however, some thoughtful conservatives disagree. “Swift and certain punishment,” says noted conservative criminologist James Q. Wilson, a professor of management at the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, “is more effective than severe penalties.” And long-term incarceration is incredibly expensive, about $20,000 a year per prisoner, estimates Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Project. Keeping prisoners locked up costs $30 billion a year. “We could send them all to college for less,” he says.</p>
<p>What about the liberal view? Being a person of the left, I’ve tried to make myself believe that poverty and racism cause crime. I’ll venture that they contribute to some people’s crimes, but guess what? Leading liberal criminologists remain unconvinced. Wolfgang, a liberal who has worked as a consultant to many anti-poverty programs, says: “There is no consistent correlation between poverty and crime. The studies go back 100 years, and they show only a weak correlation at best. Most poor people are law-abiding, and many rich people break the law.”</p>
<p>Poverty alone may not cause much crime, but both liberal and conservative criminologists agree that a few pilot programs developed to combat the culture of poverty have shown some promise for crime prevention. Wolfgang points to a half-dozen intensive Head Start-type programs around the country. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Project in Ypsilanti, Mich., for example, reduced lifetime arrests by 50 percent, and boosted its students’ high school graduation rates and adult earnings. Even Wilson, the conservative, agrees that these programs have improved their participants’ lives. But he argues that the crime-terrorized public is in no mood for costly social work that takes a decade to produce even modest results.</p>
<p>As for racism, the left’s other hallowed cause of crime, I confess to considerable confusion. African-Americans have, of course, endured awful treatment, and continue to suffer discrimination that would enrage a saint. But they are not alone: Early Chinese immigrants were virtually slaves, and until recently, they were victims of cruel discrimination. Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II, and emerged after the war to find their homes and businesses stolen. Yet victims of anti-Asian racism don’t fill our prisons. Young black men do. Even allowing for racist police who arrest more innocent black men than innocent members of other racial groups, still, African-Americans, who comprise only 12 percent of the population, account for 30 percent of all arrests.</p>
<p>Black men are also disproportionately crime victims. Compared with the general population, black men from age 12 to 24 are almost 14 times as likely to meet violent death. Jesse Jackson recently said that black men kill more black men each year than the total number of blacks whites lynched during the entire period from Reconstruction to the present day.</p>
<p>On the street, to avoid assault, I do my best to avoid knots of young men. But most of all, I avoid young black men. I doubt there’s an honest white liberal who acts differently. Does that make me–us–racist? Or prudent? Or both? I honestly don’t know. But, statistically speaking, to behave otherwise tempts fate. Some African-American leaders seem to be coming to a similar conclusion. With black-on-black crime decimating their communities, a few are beginning to suggest that instead of fighting racism to reduce crime, perhaps black people should fight crime to reduce racism and, at the same time, to secure their own safety.</p>
<p>A confession: Your author has a criminal past. I never did anything truly awful, but if I’d been caught and convicted every time, I might be serving a life sentence today under California’s three-strikes-and-you’re-out law. I don’t know what causes Crime with a capital “C.” But I know what caused my own crimes–a strange combination of impulse, alienation, and opportunity. I committed my crimes driven by a momentary impulse I can’t really explain. I consider myself a thoughtful person, but I don’t recall thinking much about my criminal escapades. I just did them. I believe everyone experiences criminal impulsiveness. How else can you explain affluent executives padding their expense account or cheating on their taxes? What else explains a priest embezzling?</p>
<p>I committed all of my crimes, predictably, from age 15 to 25. I wasn’t a bad kid, but I felt disconnected from the adult world. There were too many damn rules, too many restrictions. Then Vietnam came along, revealing what I considered egregious hypocrisy on the part of the elders who could send me off to die. When Henry Kissinger, the strategist behind the bombing in Southeast Asia, won the Nobel Peace Prize, I felt alienated. Of course, poverty and racism are also alienating, and I believe they play a role in some people’s crimes, but not in mine.</p>
<p>Personally, I think opportunity is the key to crime. What poor black kid in his right mind would keep mugging people if he could pad an expense account, or bilk savings and loan investors, or embezzle from a church? The poor schmuck mugs because he has no opportunity to commit more lucrative, less grubby crimes. With the exception of murder (which usually involves family or acquaintances), the vast majority of crimes are opportunistic in nature.</p>
<p>Impulse, alienation, and opportunity. I seriously doubt that the left or right, the church or state, the family or schools will ever rid us imperfect human beings of our criminal impulsiveness. I see it already in my son. Not long ago, he swiped some money off our kitchen counter that had been left for a baby-sitter. Why? “I don’t know,” he said. “It was there.”</p>
<p>I also seriously doubt that the alienation engendered by youth, poverty, racism, or Bill making the basketball team over Jim can ever be eliminated. As a person of the left, I abhor all the nefarious “isms,” and want to see liberty, justice, and single-payer health care for all. But I’m not holding my breath. And I confess considerable discomfort with letting people off the hook simply because they’ve been victimized in one way or another. Who hasn’t?</p>
<p>That leaves reducing criminal opportunity as our best bet for controlling crime. As Robert Frost wrote: “Good fences make good neighbors.” Good dead bolts help, too. That’s why all successful crime prevention programs focus on opportunity control–street smarts to prevent assault, and “target-hardening” to prevent burglary.</p>
<p>Successful crime prevention programs also work hard to foster neighbor-to-neighbor communication, which helps minimize alienation. Many leftists I know pooh-pooh neighborhood watch programs because they smack of Big Brother, involve cooperation with the police, and don’t do anything about poverty and racism. But the fact is, they work, which is more than I can say for the political rhetoric of either the left or the right. Personally, I can take or leave neighborhood watch signs. They’ve proliferated to the point that they’ve become meaningless. But neighborliness helps minimize the alienation that nudges some people down the wrong road.</p>
<p>On my block, most of us know each other by name. We know (more or less) who belongs and who doesn’t, who’s home and who’s away. A few months ago, an old friend came to visit whom I hadn’t seen in years. Standing on my front deck, he asked about the neighborhood. I quickly sketched miniprofiles of most of the neighbors in the immediate vicinity. He was astonished that I knew so many of them. I replied that I make it my business to know all the young boys on my block, and I make damn sure that they know me. I want them to feel some neighborliness toward me and mine when they enter their crime-prone years.</p>
<p>My belief in neighbor-based crime prevention received a major boost recently when, for the first time, two economists developed a complex economic model demonstrating that neighborhood action is a crucial factor in controlling crime. George Akerlof and Janet Yellen, a husband-and-wife team from the University of California at Berkeley, showed that community action–specifically block groups in close contact with the police–raised the “cost” of crime to the criminals by increasing the certainty of punishment.</p>
<p>In the last year or so, we’ve had a fair amount of turnover on our block, with several homes and rental units changing hands. According to a recent census analysis, my block’s transience is by no means unusual–20 percent of the nation’s households moved during the 15 months before the 1990 census. For renters, the figure was 40 percent. That kind of turnover ratchets up the general level of alienation and is a big reason why picking up stakes and moving elsewhere doesn’t buy safety. New arrivals disrupt the area’s sense of community, and they bring the very crime-breeding alienation they left their former communities to escape.</p>
<p>I’ve now lived on my block eight years, and I’m enough of an old-timer to feel concerned about the recent turnover. So recently my wife and I organized a little potluck dessert party in honor of the new arrivals. Most of our immediate neighbors came. There were no formal crime prevention speeches. There didn’t have to be. Everyone was an urban survivor (knock on wood), in love with San Francisco and Noe Valley, but also perpetually, realistically nervous about crime. The neighbors knew exactly why we’d invited them, and thanked us for taking the initiative. They dutifully signed in with address, phone number, and the names of everyone in their household. (A few days later, I distributed copies up and down the block.)</p>
<p>At the potluck, two neighbors with new cars were concerned about auto theft. One had bought The Club, the bar that locks across the steering wheel, interfering with a thief’s ability to steer. The other had installed a car alarm. We teased the alarm owner because it had blared a few false alarms. The teasing was good-natured, but its message was clear: Those false alarms annoyed the hell out of us.</p>
<p>I have nothing against silent alarms that ring at private security companies, but for home and car security, on-site siren alarms are fundamentally wrongheaded. False alarms alienate the very neighbors alarm owners depend upon to call the police. Safety springs not from obnoxious sirens that indicate entry, but from shrewd target-hardening that prevents entry in the first place. I have neither a home alarm system nor metal grilles on my street-accessible windows, but I’ve taken the safety precautions police recommend. The typical burglar is willing to work for only a few minutes to break into a home or car. Any more, and the target loses its appeal. It would take a concerted effort for a burglar to break into my home, more time and trouble than the intoxicated young turkeys who commit breaking-and-entering crimes are willing to invest.</p>
<p>I confess that I’ve taken no special precautions with our two cars, but I take comfort in car-theft statistics. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, an insurance industry group in Washington, D.C., car thieves gravitate toward newer, “sexier” cars, like the Jeep Cherokee one neighbor recently acquired. They don’t have much interest in our cars, a 10-year-old Ford and an 8-year-old Plymouth. In fact, my neighbors’ new cars protect mine, because any thief with half a brain would choose theirs.</p>
<p>Our new-neighbors party was an enjoyable low-key affair. After the car security discussion, the conversation turned to gardening, skiing, and the sale of our corner store, a key meeting place on our block. Kids ran around, people laughed, and all enjoyed chatting with the neighbors they knew and meeting the new arrivals. We all knew that any of us could be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time at the wrong end of some nut’s automatic weapon. But we also knew that a great deal of our crime risk was centered right here–in our neighborhood, on our block. If nothing else, I believe that concern about crime is a good excuse to party.</p>
<p>But I party with both eyes open. I like my neighbors, but you can’t be too careful. After everyone departed, I checked all our door and window locks–just to be sure.</p>
<p />
<p /> | true | 4 | live sunny picturesque neighborhood san francisco called noe nohee valley quiet streets magnificent views four coffee bars three bookstores two bakeries two parks halfdozen fine restaurants church featured whoopi goldberg movie sister act lovingly restored victorian edwardian homes many ways noe valley urban oasis people astonishingly diverse backgrounds live shouldertoshoulder surprising harmony owners renters young old families childless straight gaylesbian catholic protestant jewish white asian africanamerican including recent immigrants france thailand china philippines neighborhoods popularity tranquillity driven housing prices skyhigh many residents choking rent mortgage payments believe purchased reasonable safety crime overheard one woman say another outside local starbucks coffee shop recently noe valley place single woman feel safe going alone dark decaf latte good place added raise family agreemy little corner cosmos reasonably decent place raise family anyone calls noe valley safe living daydream know im devoted reader police column monthly neighborhood newspaper noe valley voice typical month 100block neighborhood experiences burglaries car thefts one two muggings sexual assaults halfdozen acts vandalism actual neighborhood crime figures undoubtedly higher police column covers reported crimes noe valley voice police column describes local crimes considerable detail last spring man teens armed handgun held another man midafternoon front corner store within spitting distance front door gunman fled foot right past house recently three men one gun held corner store five blocks home block spot 8yearold son catches school bus within last two years one neighbors new honda accord stolen anothers mitsubishi suffered smashed window electrical damage resulting stereotape heist another neighbor lost two tvs two vcrs stereo home burglary last december das office announced priest st pauls sister act church investigation allegedly embezzling tens thousands dollars parish kitty last year local realtor shot death office four blocks home finally night neighbor called say shed seen creepy guy lurking around front door would please come make noise send way already gone think sunny picturesque neighborhood would venture alone night would pony 479000 neighbors four doors asking 3br 2ba edwardian would rather take hardearned nest egg move suburbs everyone knows safer might try petaluma charming town hour north american graffiti filmed polly klaas abducted murdered october 1993 grass valley lovely historic mining town sierra foothills two 16yearold girls murdered last summer near remote teen hangout wellknown locals outsiders strongly suggesting resident killer concord upscale suburb hour east san francisco 1987 beautiful freespirited 21yearold cousin melissa sexually assaulted knifed death shortly stepping bart train one hundred years historian frederick jackson turner announced closing frontier americans continue believe pull stakes get new start better safer place somewhere else many people live outside urban america seem believe god grants personal safety beyond city limits every time grisly horror unfolds faroff corner country papers always quote locals saying things like dont happen crime happen anywhere says wilbur rykert phd former michigan state trooper directs national crime prevention institute university louisville kentucky michael jordans father robbed murdered boonies crime everyones concern course places crime others live mile two different hotbeds crimeprobably closer crackgungang territory mother jones readers still far enough away daresay vast majority moving somewhere else wouldnt take us much farther harms way means close crime comfort one common response retreat blissful ignorance turn page quickly headlines refer blood gore comes crime ones neighborhood ignorance bliss significant risk factor victimization thats month first thing read noe valley voice police report criminals commit crimes within mile live according rykert every crime neighborhood represents potential threat family im means alone fascination neighborhood crime according tonda rush president national newspaper association similar police columns among avidly read sections 4000 community newspapers represent explains crime happens next door major crime conventional wisdom crime worse ever good old days blown away drug dealers uzis however careful look crime rate shows something truly astonishing beyond headlines describing new scary youngerthanever face crime11yearolds gunning air jordansthe good old days crime rate actually falling slowly steadily 20 years currently lower time since 1973 reliable statistics first compiled remarkable decline occurred despite growth violenceplagued drug economy cutbacks social services millions guns sold stolen last two decades drop crime consistently underreported media comes censusjustice departments twiceyearly victimization surveys begun 1973 supplement fbi statistics according census estimates 1973 357 million rapes robberies assaults burglaries thefts 1992 crime fallen 6 percent 336 million criminologists say reason decline one rarely makes great national debate demographics contend crime rate contingent upon number young men population depression hard times took bite birthrate time generation young men became adolescents many left country fight world war ii big reason 1940s gained reputation era comparative safety streets came postworld war ii baby boom mid1960s juvenile delinquency become major problem baby bust followed 1973 crime rate began falling several years birthrate rising dont need crystal ball predict rising crime rate first decade next century says richard h girgenti new york state director criminal justice demographics always best predictor future crime overwhelmingly street criminals young men 80 percent arrested male men aged 15 24 account 40 percent arrests men 15 34 account 70 percent one makes career street crime criminals rob steal years grow make startling discovery considering costs benefits income crime versus risks life limb freedom jobany job even one minimum wagepays better street criminals crime grubby risky existence 1992 average mugging netted 672 cash property watches jewelry etc average burglary 1278 according victims reports police numbers almost certainly inflated many victims pad losses gleefully stealing insurers meanwhile thieves must sell stolen property substantial discount unload quickly questions asked assuming believe generously crooks net 50 percent statistics say steal criminal one crime hot spots near would pull eight burglaries month afford rent groceries san franciscos comparatively lowrent mission district neighborhood two three burglaries month even enough support one burglar poverty level given youth lack education street criminals typically people little competence adult world addition says marc mauer assistant director sentencing project washington dc organization specializing criminal justice policy half violent offenses committed people intoxicated alcohol andor drugs street criminals masterminds go easiest available targets thats people aged 15 34 account majority crime victimsin twothirds violent nonmurder crimes threefifths homicides mugged age 24 demographic cliche though phi beta kappa college grad still basically stupid kid skirted park walking home alone friends house around midnight two black teenagers suddenly appeared stuck gun back snatched wallet lost 80 home burglarized following year wife left window unlocked believe smarmy neighbor hit us havent victimized since thats another demographic cliche victimization statistics clearly show risk declines steadily age become older often spite wiser ironically risk becoming victim plummets age fear crime rises im anxious street safety 20 years ago even though havent problem two decades im nervous childrens safety im alone recent gallup poll commissioned parenting magazine showed 54 percent parents feared children might kidnapped childs actual kidnapping risk one 300000 odds hit popup major league baseball game fear grows age declining crime rate offers cold comfort grow older cautious feel streets meaner evereven clear theyre liberals blame crime poverty racism lack educational job opportunities leave people bereft hope fall victim antisocial rage conservative line aclu hogtied police forced courts coddle criminals ought lock throw away key sides also blame crime breakdown family different reasons liberals maintain lack childcare social services affordable health care turns disadvantaged vengeful victims conservatives insist liberal secularismsex education opposition school prayerhas rent nations moral fabric political progressives dismiss proprison argument one quick statistic 1980 139 prisoners per 100000 americans figure doubled 373 per 100000 last june number state federal prisoners topped 1 million first time ever says sociologist marvin wolfgang professor criminology law wharton school university pennsylvania locking em throwing away key anyone feel safer dont think conservatives point punishment effective deterrent immediate certain severe touch hot stove twice stop punishment meets criteria criminal justice system prison sentences neither immediate certain thanks little detail innocent proven guilty conservatives dump karmic eggs severity basket crime argue rational choice criminals stop choosing potential cost decades prison outweighs potential gain 402 average conveniencestore robbery 1992 hence three strikes youre initiatives surprisingly however thoughtful conservatives disagree swift certain punishment says noted conservative criminologist james q wilson professor management john e anderson graduate school management ucla effective severe penalties longterm incarceration incredibly expensive 20000 year per prisoner estimates marc mauer sentencing project keeping prisoners locked costs 30 billion year could send college less says liberal view person left ive tried make believe poverty racism cause crime ill venture contribute peoples crimes guess leading liberal criminologists remain unconvinced wolfgang liberal worked consultant many antipoverty programs says consistent correlation poverty crime studies go back 100 years show weak correlation best poor people lawabiding many rich people break law poverty alone may cause much crime liberal conservative criminologists agree pilot programs developed combat culture poverty shown promise crime prevention wolfgang points halfdozen intensive head starttype programs around country highscope perry preschool project ypsilanti mich example reduced lifetime arrests 50 percent boosted students high school graduation rates adult earnings even wilson conservative agrees programs improved participants lives argues crimeterrorized public mood costly social work takes decade produce even modest results racism lefts hallowed cause crime confess considerable confusion africanamericans course endured awful treatment continue suffer discrimination would enrage saint alone early chinese immigrants virtually slaves recently victims cruel discrimination japaneseamericans imprisoned world war ii emerged war find homes businesses stolen yet victims antiasian racism dont fill prisons young black men even allowing racist police arrest innocent black men innocent members racial groups still africanamericans comprise 12 percent population account 30 percent arrests black men also disproportionately crime victims compared general population black men age 12 24 almost 14 times likely meet violent death jesse jackson recently said black men kill black men year total number blacks whites lynched entire period reconstruction present day street avoid assault best avoid knots young men avoid young black men doubt theres honest white liberal acts differently make meusracist prudent honestly dont know statistically speaking behave otherwise tempts fate africanamerican leaders seem coming similar conclusion blackonblack crime decimating communities beginning suggest instead fighting racism reduce crime perhaps black people fight crime reduce racism time secure safety confession author criminal past never anything truly awful id caught convicted every time might serving life sentence today californias threestrikesandyoureout law dont know causes crime capital c know caused crimesa strange combination impulse alienation opportunity committed crimes driven momentary impulse cant really explain consider thoughtful person dont recall thinking much criminal escapades believe everyone experiences criminal impulsiveness else explain affluent executives padding expense account cheating taxes else explains priest embezzling committed crimes predictably age 15 25 wasnt bad kid felt disconnected adult world many damn rules many restrictions vietnam came along revealing considered egregious hypocrisy part elders could send die henry kissinger strategist behind bombing southeast asia nobel peace prize felt alienated course poverty racism also alienating believe play role peoples crimes mine personally think opportunity key crime poor black kid right mind would keep mugging people could pad expense account bilk savings loan investors embezzle church poor schmuck mugs opportunity commit lucrative less grubby crimes exception murder usually involves family acquaintances vast majority crimes opportunistic nature impulse alienation opportunity seriously doubt left right church state family schools ever rid us imperfect human beings criminal impulsiveness see already son long ago swiped money kitchen counter left babysitter dont know said also seriously doubt alienation engendered youth poverty racism bill making basketball team jim ever eliminated person left abhor nefarious isms want see liberty justice singlepayer health care im holding breath confess considerable discomfort letting people hook simply theyve victimized one way another hasnt leaves reducing criminal opportunity best bet controlling crime robert frost wrote good fences make good neighbors good dead bolts help thats successful crime prevention programs focus opportunity controlstreet smarts prevent assault targethardening prevent burglary successful crime prevention programs also work hard foster neighbortoneighbor communication helps minimize alienation many leftists know poohpooh neighborhood watch programs smack big brother involve cooperation police dont anything poverty racism fact work say political rhetoric either left right personally take leave neighborhood watch signs theyve proliferated point theyve become meaningless neighborliness helps minimize alienation nudges people wrong road block us know name know less belongs doesnt whos home whos away months ago old friend came visit hadnt seen years standing front deck asked neighborhood quickly sketched miniprofiles neighbors immediate vicinity astonished knew many replied make business know young boys block make damn sure know want feel neighborliness toward mine enter crimeprone years belief neighborbased crime prevention received major boost recently first time two economists developed complex economic model demonstrating neighborhood action crucial factor controlling crime george akerlof janet yellen husbandandwife team university california berkeley showed community actionspecifically block groups close contact policeraised cost crime criminals increasing certainty punishment last year weve fair amount turnover block several homes rental units changing hands according recent census analysis blocks transience means unusual20 percent nations households moved 15 months 1990 census renters figure 40 percent kind turnover ratchets general level alienation big reason picking stakes moving elsewhere doesnt buy safety new arrivals disrupt areas sense community bring crimebreeding alienation left former communities escape ive lived block eight years im enough oldtimer feel concerned recent turnover recently wife organized little potluck dessert party honor new arrivals immediate neighbors came formal crime prevention speeches didnt everyone urban survivor knock wood love san francisco noe valley also perpetually realistically nervous crime neighbors knew exactly wed invited thanked us taking initiative dutifully signed address phone number names everyone household days later distributed copies block potluck two neighbors new cars concerned auto theft one bought club bar locks across steering wheel interfering thiefs ability steer installed car alarm teased alarm owner blared false alarms teasing goodnatured message clear false alarms annoyed hell us nothing silent alarms ring private security companies home car security onsite siren alarms fundamentally wrongheaded false alarms alienate neighbors alarm owners depend upon call police safety springs obnoxious sirens indicate entry shrewd targethardening prevents entry first place neither home alarm system metal grilles streetaccessible windows ive taken safety precautions police recommend typical burglar willing work minutes break home car target loses appeal would take concerted effort burglar break home time trouble intoxicated young turkeys commit breakingandentering crimes willing invest confess ive taken special precautions two cars take comfort cartheft statistics according highway loss data institute insurance industry group washington dc car thieves gravitate toward newer sexier cars like jeep cherokee one neighbor recently acquired dont much interest cars 10yearold ford 8yearold plymouth fact neighbors new cars protect mine thief half brain would choose newneighbors party enjoyable lowkey affair car security discussion conversation turned gardening skiing sale corner store key meeting place block kids ran around people laughed enjoyed chatting neighbors knew meeting new arrivals knew us could caught wrong place wrong time wrong end nuts automatic weapon also knew great deal crime risk centered right herein neighborhood block nothing else believe concern crime good excuse party party eyes open like neighbors cant careful everyone departed checked door window locksjust sure | 2,475 |
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<p>Photo by DonkeyHotey | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
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<p>When I wrote a few weeks ago that the Middle East would at some point reach out and grab America’s crackpot President, I never guessed it would do so at such speed. Nor that the entire fandango would come wrapped up in a Hitler fiasco which dumped the White House madmen back in another hole. Nor, indeed, that an American media which had identified Trump as insane should so quickly fall into line and regard the firing of 59 Cruise missiles at Syria as a change of US foreign “policy”.</p>
<p>What were they talking about? There is no policy – because the President appears deranged, because most of his colleagues are barking, and because Washington no more cares about the Arab world when Syrians are gassed than it does when the Egyptian President “disappears” his own people, or when the Saudis bomb civilians in Yemen, or when US-supported Iraqi forces kill civilians trapped in Isis-held western Mosul.</p>
<p>But let’s start with <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/adolf-hitler" type="external">Hitler</a>. A President who doesn’t read books and reacts instead to night-time television news pictures obviously doesn’t know his history. The same clearly applies to his pet chump <a href="" type="internal">Sean Spicer</a>.</p>
<p>It’s not just a question of leaving Hitler’s ghost alone; never, ever, compare anything to the horrors Hitler unleashed on the world in the Second World War. Obviously, if the White House really wanted to dump on Assad – whose name, I notice, they still cannot pronounce correctly – it should have compared the Syrian President with <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/SaddamHussein" type="external">Saddam Hussein</a>, who really did use gas “against his own people”.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>But there’s a problem there, too. Because the moment you mention Saddam, you recall for your audience all the lies and “fake news” the George W Bush White House spewed out about the Iraqi dictator before its illegal 2003 invasion – “fake news” assisted at the time, let us remember, by The New York Times. And then you also remind your audience that the whole Iraqi adventure ended in a bloodbath for Iraqis and utter catastrophe for the United States. So Saddam is out – and Hitler has to be brought back to life yet again.</p>
<p>And yes, we compared Saddam to Hitler. Indeed&#160;another well known chump, the son of our present Queen,&#160;reportedly told a woman who had lost relatives in the Holocaust that Putin was doing in Ukraine “just about the same as Hitler”. Moscow called this “outrageous”. That was almost exactly two years ago.</p>
<p>Of course, Spicer simply could not grasp that Hitler used a chemical weapon called Zyklon B with which the Nazis gassed up to a million of the six million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust. No, they were not fired from the air. Actually, they were dropped through the roof of the gas chambers. But Hitler certainly did use gas “on his own people” since many of the murdered Jews had been German citizens, some of whom had actually fought for their country in the First World War.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>And there’s a clue for poor old Spicer. He might, I suppose, have referred to the German use of chemical weapons in the First World War. But the Kaiser doesn’t actually have the cachet of Hitler in the hate stakes, and the British then used gas themselves (so we can’t compare Arab dictators to the Brits). Besides, I have my doubts that Spicer could even give the dates of the First World War. Nor Trump, for that matter.</p>
<p>In his sloppy excuses later, Spicer actually apologised not only to survivors of the Holocaust but to “anyone who was offended”. That would include anyone who cares about the truth and about history and about facts.</p>
<p>Then Spicer said his words were a “blunder” and that they were “inappropriate” and “insensitive”. But they were not “insensitive” – they were a disgrace. Arab leaders have also made some pretty “insensitive” and “inappropriate” comments about the Holocaust, so now I suppose we must put Spicer alongside them.</p>
<p>Did Assad use chemical weapons in the recent attack? Or was this an al-Qaeda weapons store which the Syrians blew up (which wouldn’t actually let Syria off the hook, since the aftermath of such an attack would obviously kill civilians)? The problem is that we know Assad’s opponents have chemical weapons – some captured, I suspect, from Syrian government stocks before Assad handed them over to the West for destruction on Putin’s orders. Other chemicals passed across the northern frontier of Syria from Turkey (Nato member and a “friend” of the West, before Erdogan went bonkers). And if the Syrian military did use chemicals “on their own people” why should they do so when they are now winning their war with Isis and when such use would clearly embarrass Putin?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yet oddly, the American media have fallen back into Saddam mode. Not only are they seriously talking about Trump’s “policy” in the Middle East (something he clearly doesn’t have) but are talking, in&#160;The New York Times last week, about Assad’s “depravity” – precisely the word the US press used about Saddam when they were supporting Bush’s path to war in Iraq and publishing his lies about the Iraqi dictator.</p>
<p>Oddly, the Americans started suggesting further missile strikes, not just if Assad uses chemicals, but if he uses barrel bombs again. The trouble with this argument is that the regime has been using barrel bombs for three years. Was this also a change in Trump policy? I doubt it. I think the White House are just so ill informed and plain dumb that they don’t know when barrel bombs were first used in the Syrian war.</p>
<p>Trump’s team then appeared to roll back on the barrel bombs threat. Perhaps someone tipped them off about this little bit of history, too?</p>
<p>Gas, cruise missiles, barrel bombs, Hitler and the American media. Mix them all up and I suppose you get Trump’s new policy in the Middle East.</p> | true | 4 | photo donkeyhotey cc 20 wrote weeks ago middle east would point reach grab americas crackpot president never guessed would speed entire fandango would come wrapped hitler fiasco dumped white house madmen back another hole indeed american media identified trump insane quickly fall line regard firing 59 cruise missiles syria change us foreign policy talking policy president appears deranged colleagues barking washington cares arab world syrians gassed egyptian president disappears people saudis bomb civilians yemen ussupported iraqi forces kill civilians trapped isisheld western mosul lets start hitler president doesnt read books reacts instead nighttime television news pictures obviously doesnt know history clearly applies pet chump sean spicer question leaving hitlers ghost alone never ever compare anything horrors hitler unleashed world second world war obviously white house really wanted dump assad whose name notice still pronounce correctly compared syrian president saddam hussein really use gas people 160 theres problem moment mention saddam recall audience lies fake news george w bush white house spewed iraqi dictator illegal 2003 invasion fake news assisted time let us remember new york times also remind audience whole iraqi adventure ended bloodbath iraqis utter catastrophe united states saddam hitler brought back life yet yes compared saddam hitler indeed160another well known chump son present queen160reportedly told woman lost relatives holocaust putin ukraine hitler moscow called outrageous almost exactly two years ago course spicer simply could grasp hitler used chemical weapon called zyklon b nazis gassed million six million jews slaughtered holocaust fired air actually dropped roof gas chambers hitler certainly use gas people since many murdered jews german citizens actually fought country first world war 160 theres clue poor old spicer might suppose referred german use chemical weapons first world war kaiser doesnt actually cachet hitler hate stakes british used gas cant compare arab dictators brits besides doubts spicer could even give dates first world war trump matter sloppy excuses later spicer actually apologised survivors holocaust anyone offended would include anyone cares truth history facts spicer said words blunder inappropriate insensitive insensitive disgrace arab leaders also made pretty insensitive inappropriate comments holocaust suppose must put spicer alongside assad use chemical weapons recent attack alqaeda weapons store syrians blew wouldnt actually let syria hook since aftermath attack would obviously kill civilians problem know assads opponents chemical weapons captured suspect syrian government stocks assad handed west destruction putins orders chemicals passed across northern frontier syria turkey nato member friend west erdogan went bonkers syrian military use chemicals people winning war isis use would clearly embarrass putin 160 yet oddly american media fallen back saddam mode seriously talking trumps policy middle east something clearly doesnt talking in160the new york times last week assads depravity precisely word us press used saddam supporting bushs path war iraq publishing lies iraqi dictator oddly americans started suggesting missile strikes assad uses chemicals uses barrel bombs trouble argument regime using barrel bombs three years also change trump policy doubt think white house ill informed plain dumb dont know barrel bombs first used syrian war trumps team appeared roll back barrel bombs threat perhaps someone tipped little bit history gas cruise missiles barrel bombs hitler american media mix suppose get trumps new policy middle east | 527 |
<p>It is a tragic irony that, more than 55 years ago, one desperate people seeking sanctuary from murderous racism decimated another–and continue to oppress its scattered survivors to this day. In 1948, about 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland, their land and possessions taken by the new Jewish state of Israel. This included the Jerusalem home of my grandparents, Hanna and Mathilde Bisharat, which was expropriated through a process tantamount to state-sanctioned theft.</p>
<p>Today, many assume that to achieve Middle East peace, we Palestinians must surrender our right to return to our homes and homeland. Millions of Palestinians–with memories and photographs of our stolen properties, keys to our front doors, and an abiding sense of injustice–are expected to swallow our losses in order to facilitate a “two-state solution.”</p>
<p>But it’s not that simple. Although Israel has claimed that Palestinians willingly abandoned Palestine after being urged to leave in radio broadcasts by Arab leaders, a review of broadcast transcripts by Irish diplomat Erskine Childers in 1961 revealed that Palestinians were exhorted by Arab leaders to stay, not leave their homes. In fact, Yigal Allon, commander of Palmach, the elite Zionist troops, and later Israeli foreign minister, launched a whispering campaign to terrorize Palestinians into flight.</p>
<p>Nor were we simply unintended victims of a war launched by the Arab states against Israel. As far back as the late 19th century, leaders of Political Zionism (the movement to create a Jewish state in Palestine) advocated “transfer” of the Palestinians, by force if necessary. In 1948, Jews owned only 11% of the land allocated by the United Nations to the Jewish state–not enough for a viable economy. As David Ben-Gurion said in February 1948 before he became prime minister of Israel: “The war will give us the land. The concepts of ‘ours’ and ‘not ours’ are peace concepts only, and in war they lose their whole meaning.”</p>
<p>Zionist leaders knew that an Arab minority of 40% would challenge the Jewish demographic dominance they sought. Hence, nearly half of the Palestinian refugees ultimately expelled were forced out before the Arab states attacked Israel in May 1948. Israeli historian Benny Morris documented 24 massacres of Palestinian civilians, some claiming hundreds of unarmed men, women and children, during subsequent fighting. Thousands more Palestinians were, like the residents of Majdal (now Ashkelon)–a southern coastal city 15 miles north of the Gaza Strip–chased across the border into Gaza after the armistice of 1949.</p>
<p>Palestine had to be “cleansed” of its native population to establish Israel as a Jewish state. Ironically, those who today protest that the return of the refugees would destroy Israel unwittingly confirm this viewpoint, for the refugees are simply the Palestinians and their offspring who would have become Israeli citizens had they not been exiled.</p>
<p>Israel’s denial of responsibility for the refugees and rejection of their repatriation (intransigence that was condemned early on by a U.S. official as “morally reprehensible”) is nearly as offensive as the original expulsion itself. Israel welcomed immigrant Jews from all over the world but shot Palestinians who tried to return to recover movable property, harvest the fruit of their orchards or reclaim their homes. Oxford professor Avi Shlaim concluded in his book “The Iron Wall” that “between 2,700 and 5,000 [Palestinian] infiltrators were killed in the period 1949-56, the great majority of them unarmed.”</p>
<p>Nothing the Palestinians had done merited this treatment, something the international community has consistently recognized. A 1948 U.N. resolution recognizing the Palestinian right of return has been annually–and almost unanimously–reaffirmed ever since. The Palestinian right of return is also supported by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.</p>
<p>The two-state solution envisioned today would probably ameliorate the conditions of the one-third of the Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There, Palestinians face incessant military attacks that have demolished homes and orchards and killed an average of nearly 70 Palestinians per month over the last three years. A smothering matrix of closures, curfews and checkpoints restricts movement and has caused unemployment to soar to more than 70% and threaten Palestinian children with malnutrition. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers, shock troops in the grinding 36-year campaign to seize and colonize yet more Palestinian land, speed through the West Bank and Gaza Strip on “Jewish only” roads. The oppressive features of Israeli military occupation were entrenched long before Palestinians resorted in the mid-1990s to the desperate–yet still indefensible–tactic of suicide bombings to slow the colonizing juggernaut.</p>
<p>But this two-state solution would not address the concerns of 1.2 million Palestinians living in Israel as second-class citizens. Palestinian citizens there possess formal political rights–that much Israel can afford after expelling most Palestinians in 1948. But these Palestinians have restricted access to land (most real property in Israel is owned by the state or the Jewish National Fund and is leased to Jews only). They are also forced to carry identity cards that brand them as non-Jews, and they cannot serve in the armed forces (the key to many benefits in Israeli society). Palestinian towns and villages are starved of resources, with many lacking connections to the country’s electrical or water systems. Government policies, from immigration to family planning, are designed to counter the “demographic threat” Israelis fear in the higher birthrate of Palestinian citizens. Israeli law enshrines the principle that Israel is the “state of the Jewish people,” and it lacks firm guarantees of the legal equality of all citizens.</p>
<p>Nor would the two-state solution fairly redress the rights of diaspora Palestinians–permitting us only return to a new, already overcrowded and underfunded “statelet” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.</p>
<p>There is no bar to implementing the Palestinians’ right of return. If there is room in Israel for a million Russian immigrants (including many non-Jews), there is room for those Palestinians who would elect return over other legal options. The sole obstacle is Israel’s desire to maintain a “demographic balance” favorable to Jews.</p>
<p>Why is it self-evident that our international legal rights should give way to cement dominance of Jews over Palestinians in Israel? Why is this assumption unquestioned–especially in the U.S., which fought a civil war for the ideal of equal rights under the law? How do claims that are 2,000 years old trump our rights when we have modern deeds in hand? Why should Palestinians pay for a European holocaust? Why do U.S. officials–including our two Democratic senators in this multicultural state–unconditionally support Israel with billions in tax dollars while ignoring glaring contradictions between Jewish exclusivism and truly democratic values? Would Americans tolerate any group placing its religious symbol on the national flag, appropriating the state for some citizens rather than all and pursuing policies systematically giving privileges to its members over others?</p>
<p>Palestinians are prepared to sacrifice for a just and therefore lasting peace, but not to simply formalize our dispossession and exile or our institutionalized subordination in Israel.</p>
<p>Isn’t it time to explore a way for Jews to co-inhabit Israel/Palestine without excluding, dominating and oppressing Palestinians? The past cannot be undone–but the future can be. We, Israelis and Palestinians together, should be seeking to form a society founded on tolerance and mutual respect for each other’s humanity, a country that would truly be the “light unto nations” that Israel always aspired to be. When title to our home is restored–and the rights of its current occupants have been fully respected–I hope one day to stand in front of it with my family and welcome neighbors and visitors of all faiths and backgrounds, as my grandparents did before 1948.</p>
<p>GEORGE BISHARAT is a professor at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | tragic irony 55 years ago one desperate people seeking sanctuary murderous racism decimated anotherand continue oppress scattered survivors day 1948 700000 palestinians expelled homeland land possessions taken new jewish state israel included jerusalem home grandparents hanna mathilde bisharat expropriated process tantamount statesanctioned theft today many assume achieve middle east peace palestinians must surrender right return homes homeland millions palestinianswith memories photographs stolen properties keys front doors abiding sense injusticeare expected swallow losses order facilitate twostate solution simple although israel claimed palestinians willingly abandoned palestine urged leave radio broadcasts arab leaders review broadcast transcripts irish diplomat erskine childers 1961 revealed palestinians exhorted arab leaders stay leave homes fact yigal allon commander palmach elite zionist troops later israeli foreign minister launched whispering campaign terrorize palestinians flight simply unintended victims war launched arab states israel far back late 19th century leaders political zionism movement create jewish state palestine advocated transfer palestinians force necessary 1948 jews owned 11 land allocated united nations jewish statenot enough viable economy david bengurion said february 1948 became prime minister israel war give us land concepts peace concepts war lose whole meaning zionist leaders knew arab minority 40 would challenge jewish demographic dominance sought hence nearly half palestinian refugees ultimately expelled forced arab states attacked israel may 1948 israeli historian benny morris documented 24 massacres palestinian civilians claiming hundreds unarmed men women children subsequent fighting thousands palestinians like residents majdal ashkelona southern coastal city 15 miles north gaza stripchased across border gaza armistice 1949 palestine cleansed native population establish israel jewish state ironically today protest return refugees would destroy israel unwittingly confirm viewpoint refugees simply palestinians offspring would become israeli citizens exiled israels denial responsibility refugees rejection repatriation intransigence condemned early us official morally reprehensible nearly offensive original expulsion israel welcomed immigrant jews world shot palestinians tried return recover movable property harvest fruit orchards reclaim homes oxford professor avi shlaim concluded book iron wall 2700 5000 palestinian infiltrators killed period 194956 great majority unarmed nothing palestinians done merited treatment something international community consistently recognized 1948 un resolution recognizing palestinian right return annuallyand almost unanimouslyreaffirmed ever since palestinian right return also supported human rights watch amnesty international twostate solution envisioned today would probably ameliorate conditions onethird palestinians living israeli military occupation west bank gaza strip palestinians face incessant military attacks demolished homes orchards killed average nearly 70 palestinians per month last three years smothering matrix closures curfews checkpoints restricts movement caused unemployment soar 70 threaten palestinian children malnutrition meanwhile israeli settlers shock troops grinding 36year campaign seize colonize yet palestinian land speed west bank gaza strip jewish roads oppressive features israeli military occupation entrenched long palestinians resorted mid1990s desperateyet still indefensibletactic suicide bombings slow colonizing juggernaut twostate solution would address concerns 12 million palestinians living israel secondclass citizens palestinian citizens possess formal political rightsthat much israel afford expelling palestinians 1948 palestinians restricted access land real property israel owned state jewish national fund leased jews also forced carry identity cards brand nonjews serve armed forces key many benefits israeli society palestinian towns villages starved resources many lacking connections countrys electrical water systems government policies immigration family planning designed counter demographic threat israelis fear higher birthrate palestinian citizens israeli law enshrines principle israel state jewish people lacks firm guarantees legal equality citizens would twostate solution fairly redress rights diaspora palestinianspermitting us return new already overcrowded underfunded statelet west bank gaza strip bar implementing palestinians right return room israel million russian immigrants including many nonjews room palestinians would elect return legal options sole obstacle israels desire maintain demographic balance favorable jews selfevident international legal rights give way cement dominance jews palestinians israel assumption unquestionedespecially us fought civil war ideal equal rights law claims 2000 years old trump rights modern deeds hand palestinians pay european holocaust us officialsincluding two democratic senators multicultural stateunconditionally support israel billions tax dollars ignoring glaring contradictions jewish exclusivism truly democratic values would americans tolerate group placing religious symbol national flag appropriating state citizens rather pursuing policies systematically giving privileges members others palestinians prepared sacrifice therefore lasting peace simply formalize dispossession exile institutionalized subordination israel isnt time explore way jews coinhabit israelpalestine without excluding dominating oppressing palestinians past undonebut future israelis palestinians together seeking form society founded tolerance mutual respect others humanity country would truly light unto nations israel always aspired title home restoredand rights current occupants fully respectedi hope one day stand front family welcome neighbors visitors faiths backgrounds grandparents 1948 george bisharat professor university californias hastings college law 160 | 741 |
<p>On June 13, ANSWER has called for a national day of action in support of the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles. Actions are scheduled in at least a dozen North American cities, with the following demands:</p>
<p>No Asylum for Luis Posada Carriles Extradite him to Venezuela for Trial End the 45-Year U.S. War Against Cuba Free the Cuban 5 anti-terrorists from U.S. prison</p>
<p>The most ambitious is the one which will be held in El Paso, Texas, where Posada Carriles’ immigration hearing will be held that day; because his previous hearing was held in Miami at 7 a.m., presumably to discourage demonstrations, the demonstration in El Paso starts at 6:30 a.m. (!) Demonstrations in other cities are scheduled at more “civilized” hours. Details of all the actions can be found on the ANSWER website.</p>
<p>There are a number of reasons why the struggle to extradite Luis Posada Carriles, which might seem at first to be a peripheral issue, is of vital importance to progressives and antiwar activists in the United States.</p>
<p>First, there is a simple matter of justice for Posada Carriles’ victims. Those victims were more than just numbers (“73 dead”), or more than just a symbol (“the entire Cuban junior fencing team”) – each one of them was a real person, with a real life, and a real family, and their deaths weren’t just the single tragedy of a downed airliner, they were 73 individual tragedies. Gloria LaRiva, the national coordinator of the <a href="http://www.freethefive.org/" type="external">National Committee to Free the Cuban Five</a> and one of the leading Cuba solidarity activists in the U.S. for many years, was in Cuba recently where she interviewed relatives of those victims; here’s what the family of one of them had to say:</p>
<p>“Ricardo Cabrera, 22, was part of Cuba’s national fencing team. Fresh from a Pan-American competition in Venezuela, the entire team, women’s and men’s division, had won every gold medal in Caracas. Thrilled with their victory, they were heading home.</p>
<p>“His sister, Lilia Caridad Cabrera, still cries when she speaks of her brother. ‘I was 16 years old. They came to tell us about the plane as I was leaving for school in the morning. That day, sadness came to reside in our home. He was studying architecture. As a youth, he grew up in the process of the Revolution. As the oldest, he gave us younger siblings a lot of guidance and support. My family has never recovered from his loss. We can’t accept the idea that at only 22 years, he died from such a horrible and sad death.</p>
<p>“‘I want to ask the American people: please unite with us, don’t shelter Posada Carriles in the United States. Help us get justice. He needs to receive justice or he will continue to commit terrorism, including against the people of the United States. Please understand our feelings of sorrow that engulf us. Help us win justice.'”</p>
<p>The second reason to fight for the extradition of Posada Carriles is to expose the hypocrisy of the U.S. in its claims to be fighting a “war on terror.” The invasion of Afghanistan, even though completely illegal, at least arguably had something to do with fighting terrorists, although many would say that oil pipelines and domestic political considerations were larger motivations. The invasion of Iraq, however, had nothing whatsoever to do with combating terrorism. The truth is that those wars themselves, the decade-long embargo (and continual bombing) of Iraq which preceded the invasion of Iraq, as well as the American bombing campaign against Yugoslavia have been the most signficiant acts of terrorism to take place in the world in the last decade, and the United States isn’t fighting a war on terror, it’s fighting a war of terror, and the more people understand that, the easier it will be for us to put an end to it.</p>
<p>But the United States isn’t just being hypocritical in sheltering terrorists like Posada Carriles, it is also completely complicit in his actions (and the actions of many other anti-Cuban terrorists), and exposing that complicity is the third reason to support the campaign against Luis Posada Carriles. We already know from files that have been released that the U.S. had prior knowledge of the bombing of the Cubana airliner; other documents certainly exist which expose the U.S. role in anti-Cuban terrorism, the support for the Contras attempting to overthrow the Nicaraguan government, the recent coups against Chavez in Venezuela and Aristide in Haiti, and so many more. Demanding that the U.S. release all its files is one more aspect of the fight to extradite Posada Carriles, and exposing both the hypocrisy and the complicity of the United States is, at its core, exposing the nature of U.S. foreign policy, and weakening support for that foreign policy among the American people.</p>
<p>And last but not least, supporting the extradition of Posada Carriles is important because forcing the U.S. to extradite him will be a victory for Cuba, for Venezuela, and for all countries where U.S. imperialism has intervened and continues to intervene by sponsoring covert (and sometimes overt) actions. As a socialist, I support the Cuban revolution, and the revolutionary “process” which is taking place in Venezuela. But even if you just consider yourself a radical, an anarchist, a progressive, or even a liberal, and even if you don’t believe socialism is the “right answer” for humanity, you still have to believe that Cuba, and Venezuela, and every other country, have the right to chart both a foreign policy and an economic policy of their own choosing, free of interference (and blockades, coups and attempted coups, terrorist actions, and every other kind of pressure) from the United States.</p>
<p>Cuba isn’t hated by the United States government because of any supposed repression of its citizens; there are dozens of countries around the world who would deserve the focus of such anger that the U.S. reserves for Cuba, but most of them are U.S. allies. Cuba isn’t even hated by the United States because it’s a tiny area of the world where the capitalist system can’t extract additional profits, because the potential amounts involved wouldn’t put a dent in the bottom line of the U.S. economy. No, Cuba is hated by the United States, and has been the object of attempts to overthrow its government by military force or economic pressure for 46 years, because of the example it sets for the people of the world. The example that a country, even a small country just 90 miles from the United States, can actually chart an independent course in the world, a course involving an independent foreign policy and an economic system designed around the needs of its own people, and not around the needs of multinational corporations. And Venezuela is hated by the United States not because of any supposed affronts to “democracy”, but because it is following the Cuban example, not with an idea of slavishly duplicating the Cuban experience, but simply with the idea that the Venezuelan people should make their own decisions, in their own best interests.</p>
<p>The relationship of the U.S. government with Luis Posada Carriles is a weak link for the U.S. because it is so obvious how hypocritical they will be if they don’t extradite him to Venezuela to face justice. For that reason support for that extradition is of critical importance, and far from just the minor matter of the immigration status of one individual. Join in the actions on June 13 and help strike a blow against U.S. foreign policy.</p>
<p>Eli Stephens is the editor of Left I on the News ( <a href="http://lefti.blogspot.com/" type="external">http://lefti.blogspot.com</a>)</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | june 13 answer called national day action support extradition luis posada carriles actions scheduled least dozen north american cities following demands asylum luis posada carriles extradite venezuela trial end 45year us war cuba free cuban 5 antiterrorists us prison ambitious one held el paso texas posada carriles immigration hearing held day previous hearing held miami 7 presumably discourage demonstrations demonstration el paso starts 630 demonstrations cities scheduled civilized hours details actions found answer website number reasons struggle extradite luis posada carriles might seem first peripheral issue vital importance progressives antiwar activists united states first simple matter justice posada carriles victims victims numbers 73 dead symbol entire cuban junior fencing team one real person real life real family deaths werent single tragedy downed airliner 73 individual tragedies gloria lariva national coordinator national committee free cuban five one leading cuba solidarity activists us many years cuba recently interviewed relatives victims heres family one say ricardo cabrera 22 part cubas national fencing team fresh panamerican competition venezuela entire team womens mens division every gold medal caracas thrilled victory heading home sister lilia caridad cabrera still cries speaks brother 16 years old came tell us plane leaving school morning day sadness came reside home studying architecture youth grew process revolution oldest gave us younger siblings lot guidance support family never recovered loss cant accept idea 22 years died horrible sad death want ask american people please unite us dont shelter posada carriles united states help us get justice needs receive justice continue commit terrorism including people united states please understand feelings sorrow engulf us help us win justice second reason fight extradition posada carriles expose hypocrisy us claims fighting war terror invasion afghanistan even though completely illegal least arguably something fighting terrorists although many would say oil pipelines domestic political considerations larger motivations invasion iraq however nothing whatsoever combating terrorism truth wars decadelong embargo continual bombing iraq preceded invasion iraq well american bombing campaign yugoslavia signficiant acts terrorism take place world last decade united states isnt fighting war terror fighting war terror people understand easier us put end united states isnt hypocritical sheltering terrorists like posada carriles also completely complicit actions actions many anticuban terrorists exposing complicity third reason support campaign luis posada carriles already know files released us prior knowledge bombing cubana airliner documents certainly exist expose us role anticuban terrorism support contras attempting overthrow nicaraguan government recent coups chavez venezuela aristide haiti many demanding us release files one aspect fight extradite posada carriles exposing hypocrisy complicity united states core exposing nature us foreign policy weakening support foreign policy among american people last least supporting extradition posada carriles important forcing us extradite victory cuba venezuela countries us imperialism intervened continues intervene sponsoring covert sometimes overt actions socialist support cuban revolution revolutionary process taking place venezuela even consider radical anarchist progressive even liberal even dont believe socialism right answer humanity still believe cuba venezuela every country right chart foreign policy economic policy choosing free interference blockades coups attempted coups terrorist actions every kind pressure united states cuba isnt hated united states government supposed repression citizens dozens countries around world would deserve focus anger us reserves cuba us allies cuba isnt even hated united states tiny area world capitalist system cant extract additional profits potential amounts involved wouldnt put dent bottom line us economy cuba hated united states object attempts overthrow government military force economic pressure 46 years example sets people world example country even small country 90 miles united states actually chart independent course world course involving independent foreign policy economic system designed around needs people around needs multinational corporations venezuela hated united states supposed affronts democracy following cuban example idea slavishly duplicating cuban experience simply idea venezuelan people make decisions best interests relationship us government luis posada carriles weak link us obvious hypocritical dont extradite venezuela face justice reason support extradition critical importance far minor matter immigration status one individual join actions june 13 help strike blow us foreign policy eli stephens editor left news httpleftiblogspotcom 160 | 664 |
<p>Considering the cynicism many of us feel about the current state of American education, at least with the curriculum there is one vast improvement from the past: its diversity.&#160; In the excellent public schools I attended in Iowa in the 1940s and 50s, I learned absolutely noting about our country’s diversity—unless Pocahontas is supposed to count.&#160; Though I concentrated on American literature for both my BA and MA, I never once encountered an African American writer. It pains me to admit this because I took several courses in American literature from a distinguished professor, who was a Negro, to use the racial designation of the time.&#160; He even directed my MA thesis on William Faulkner, but it was not until after I graduated that I discovered that he had one of the finest private collections of works by African American writers in the United States.&#160; But never a mention of any of those books, or their writers, while I was enrolled in his courses.</p>
<p>By the mid-1960s, awareness of American’s literary diversity had begun to change.&#160; There was growing admiration for Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, but less for Richard Wright and almost contempt for earlier African American writers.&#160; When I initially tried to convince publishers that novels by these writers (especially those of the Harlem Renaissance) ought to be brought back into print, I met with no enthusiasm.&#160; I’m talking about such writers as Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen.&#160; I was repeatedly informed that their novels were not worth reprinting, yet slowly things began to change and a few publishers met the challenge.&#160; It was from such an atmosphere that Henry Louis Gates, Jr. began his impressive academic career.&#160; Though he was certainly not alone, Gates—probably more than anyone else—helped mid-wife the rebirth of interest in African American literature.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008</a> is a stupendous undertaking, chronicling the African American contribution to America, beginning with the first Africans to reach these shores—thirty Africans, as part of Vasco Núñez de Balboa’s “expedition, which “discovered” the Pacific <a href="" type="internal" /> Ocean in 1513—and concluding with Barak Obama’s inauguration.&#160; When you consider those two polarities, you understand how remarkable that contribution has been.&#160; In between, &#160;Gates’ book—in his own words—“ranges from the exploration of the New World and the long ordeal of slavery through Emancipation and the Civil War; from the era of Reconstruction through Jim Crow and World War I; from the Great Migration of 1910 to 1930—including the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age—through the Great Depression and World War II; from the civil rights movement and its aftermath, and the Black Power insurgence, on to the age of hip-hop and of the Joshua Generation, leading to the election of the first African American president of the United States.”</p>
<p>The text (composed of dozens and dozens of brief essays) is illustrated with hundreds of illustrations (many in color) in what can only be regarded as a cornucopia of riches, the highs and the lows of African American life in the United States, the heroes and the heroines of a distinct culture and—once again to Gates’ credit—the less-well known activities and lives of “significant men and women long forgotten.”&#160; Gates proclaims that this book is for a general audience, but I can attest to the fact that if you are already knowledgeable of African American history, there are surprises here throughout the entire volume.&#160; I count myself as one of the informed readers, having taught African American literature for twenty-five or more years, and yet I couldn’t have been more delighted (and rewarded) by some of the stories recorded in this volume and many of the startling photographs I have never seen before.</p>
<p>For example, a toss-aside fact which, if I once heard, I have totally forgotten: “Mexico received more slaves than the United States did.” Or, to mention another startling revelation in this volume, the Boston physician, Zabdiel Boylston, writing an account of his first awareness of African small-pox inoculation: “I had from a Servant of my own, an account of [inoculation] being practiced in Africa.&#160; Enquiring of my Negro-man Onesimus, who is a pretty Intelligent Fellow, Whether he had ever had ye Small-Pox; he answered, both, Yes, and, No; and then told me, that he had undergone an Operation, which had given him something of ye Small-pox, &amp; would forever preserve him from it. He described ye Operation to me, and shew’d me in his Arm ye Scar.”&#160; Boylston was writing in 1726, describing an incident revealed to him in a letter written ten years earlier by Cotton Mather, revealing “how in 1713 an African brought a life-saving medical technique to the greater European world.”</p>
<p>The forgotten and the unsung are also revealed in illustration after illustration in Life upon These Shores.&#160; There’s a reproduction of a pencil and watercolor, by Lieutenant Frances Meynell, titled “View of the Deck of the Slave Ship Alabanoz,” drawn in 1846.&#160; I have never seen this painting before, never encountered such a horrifying “visual” of the Middle Passage, replete with dozens of slaves on top of one another in wretchedly cramped circumstances.&#160; Or, to mention another illustration—an advertisement for Pullman Compartment Cars—sometime from the 1930s, showing two men (who oddly look Middle Eastern), seated at a table, drinking spirits and served by a Pullman porter.&#160; On still one more, a “Save the Scottsboro Boys” donation pin, “created by the Communist Party—affiliated International Labor Defense, the organization that represented the Scottsboro defendants.”&#160; The good and the bad, ugly stereotypes, derogatory images, racist documents—all are here, including several pages of color illustrations in a section called “Sambo Art.”</p>
<p>Henry Louis Gates, Jr’s Life upon These Shores: Looking at African American History has been conceptualized and executed with loving care and rigorous intellectual grounding.&#160; Though clearly timed for gift-giving during the holiday season, the book should just as accurately be regarded as a major resource document for the future.&#160; Simultaneously, the Library of&#160; America has issued a two-volume collection of nine novels of the Harlem Renaissance (five from the 1920s and four from the 1930s), edited by Rafia Zafar.&#160; Though there is no general introduction, there is a plethora of background material—a time line of the era, biographical information about each writer, and textual notes—at the end of each volume. The novels include Cane (1923), by Jean Toomer; Home to Harlem (1928), by Claude McKay; Quicksand (1928), by Nella Larsen; Plum Bun (1928), by Jessie Redmon Fauset; and The Blacker the Berry (1929), by Wallace Thurman.&#160; And in the second volume: Not without Laughter (1931), by Langston Hughes; Black No More (1931), by George S. Schuyler; The Conjure-Man Dies (1932), by Rudolph Fisher; and Black Thunder (1936), by Arna Bontemps.</p>
<p>As with Gates’ Life upon These Shores, the Library of America collection of Harlem Renaissance Novels chronicles the lives of African Americans from every possible background (rural and urban, the North and the South, low-life to upper class, the educated and the uneducated) in a rich panoply of narrative styles and sub-genres.&#160; For me, Jean Toomer’s Cane is the masterpiece of the period, a widely innovative modernist text, as significant for American literature of the era as the greatest novels by William Faulkner.&#160; The unique power of Toomer’s vision is narrated by poems, vignettes, brief character sketches, and a lengthy section which reads as if it had been intended to be a film script, yet all these works in concert with one another present a over-arching image of black life in the United States, at a time when people were leaving the South and migrating to the North in search of greater riches.</p>
<p>Nella Larsen’s Quicksand—the second most important novel of the first volume—relates the sad story of Helga Crane, her difficulties of fitting in, of finding a niche where she can survive in a world that has largely cut her off from her people because of her education.&#160; Larsen daringly exposed the obstacles confronting black women seeking&#160; mates in an environment where black men had lesser education and prospects than many black women—sadly a situation still unequal today.</p>
<p>Of the second volume, mention should be made of George S. Schuyler’s wicked satire, Black No More. &#160;Schuyler—a black conservative, who wrote a syndicated column for many years—narrates the story of a physician who prefects a process for removing the melanin from dark skin, making black people white.&#160; The result of this hilarious transformation is that soon there are no black people left in the United States.&#160; So who is there to discriminate against?&#160; Who is going to do all the menial tasks that black people have done for years?&#160; I’m not going to tell you how this “problem” is resolved.&#160; You’ll have to discover that for yourself by reading Black No More and the other eight novels in this fabulous addition to The Library of America’s on-going offerings.</p>
<p>What better gifts for the holiday than these two elegant compilations of African American life in the United States.</p>
<p>Henry Louis Gates, Jr.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008</a>. &#160;Knopf, 487 pp., $50.</p>
<p>Rafia Zafar, ed.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Harlem Renaissance Novels</a>.&#160; Library of America, 2 vols., 1725 pp., $70.</p>
<p>Charles R. Larson is Emeritus Professor of Literature at American University, in Washington, D.C.&#160; His books include <a href="" type="internal">Invisible Darkness: Jean Toomer and Nella Larsen</a>.&#160;Email: <a href="mailto:clarson@american.edu" type="external">clarson@american.edu</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | considering cynicism many us feel current state american education least curriculum one vast improvement past diversity160 excellent public schools attended iowa 1940s 50s learned absolutely noting countrys diversityunless pocahontas supposed count160 though concentrated american literature ba never encountered african american writer pains admit took several courses american literature distinguished professor negro use racial designation time160 even directed thesis william faulkner graduated discovered one finest private collections works african american writers united states160 never mention books writers enrolled courses mid1960s awareness americans literary diversity begun change160 growing admiration ralph ellison james baldwin less richard wright almost contempt earlier african american writers160 initially tried convince publishers novels writers especially harlem renaissance ought brought back print met enthusiasm160 im talking writers jean toomer claude mckay langston hughes nella larsen160 repeatedly informed novels worth reprinting yet slowly things began change publishers met challenge160 atmosphere henry louis gates jr began impressive academic career160 though certainly alone gatesprobably anyone elsehelped midwife rebirth interest african american literature life upon shores looking african american history 15132008 stupendous undertaking chronicling african american contribution america beginning first africans reach shoresthirty africans part vasco núñez de balboas expedition discovered pacific ocean 1513and concluding barak obamas inauguration160 consider two polarities understand remarkable contribution been160 160gates bookin wordsranges exploration new world long ordeal slavery emancipation civil war era reconstruction jim crow world war great migration 1910 1930including harlem renaissance jazz agethrough great depression world war ii civil rights movement aftermath black power insurgence age hiphop joshua generation leading election first african american president united states text composed dozens dozens brief essays illustrated hundreds illustrations many color regarded cornucopia riches highs lows african american life united states heroes heroines distinct culture andonce gates creditthe lesswell known activities lives significant men women long forgotten160 gates proclaims book general audience attest fact already knowledgeable african american history surprises throughout entire volume160 count one informed readers taught african american literature twentyfive years yet couldnt delighted rewarded stories recorded volume many startling photographs never seen example tossaside fact heard totally forgotten mexico received slaves united states mention another startling revelation volume boston physician zabdiel boylston writing account first awareness african smallpox inoculation servant account inoculation practiced africa160 enquiring negroman onesimus pretty intelligent fellow whether ever ye smallpox answered yes told undergone operation given something ye smallpox amp would forever preserve described ye operation shewd arm ye scar160 boylston writing 1726 describing incident revealed letter written ten years earlier cotton mather revealing 1713 african brought lifesaving medical technique greater european world forgotten unsung also revealed illustration illustration life upon shores160 theres reproduction pencil watercolor lieutenant frances meynell titled view deck slave ship alabanoz drawn 1846160 never seen painting never encountered horrifying visual middle passage replete dozens slaves top one another wretchedly cramped circumstances160 mention another illustrationan advertisement pullman compartment carssometime 1930s showing two men oddly look middle eastern seated table drinking spirits served pullman porter160 still one save scottsboro boys donation pin created communist partyaffiliated international labor defense organization represented scottsboro defendants160 good bad ugly stereotypes derogatory images racist documentsall including several pages color illustrations section called sambo art henry louis gates jrs life upon shores looking african american history conceptualized executed loving care rigorous intellectual grounding160 though clearly timed giftgiving holiday season book accurately regarded major resource document future160 simultaneously library of160 america issued twovolume collection nine novels harlem renaissance five 1920s four 1930s edited rafia zafar160 though general introduction plethora background materiala time line era biographical information writer textual notesat end volume novels include cane 1923 jean toomer home harlem 1928 claude mckay quicksand 1928 nella larsen plum bun 1928 jessie redmon fauset blacker berry 1929 wallace thurman160 second volume without laughter 1931 langston hughes black 1931 george schuyler conjureman dies 1932 rudolph fisher black thunder 1936 arna bontemps gates life upon shores library america collection harlem renaissance novels chronicles lives african americans every possible background rural urban north south lowlife upper class educated uneducated rich panoply narrative styles subgenres160 jean toomers cane masterpiece period widely innovative modernist text significant american literature era greatest novels william faulkner160 unique power toomers vision narrated poems vignettes brief character sketches lengthy section reads intended film script yet works concert one another present overarching image black life united states time people leaving south migrating north search greater riches nella larsens quicksandthe second important novel first volumerelates sad story helga crane difficulties fitting finding niche survive world largely cut people education160 larsen daringly exposed obstacles confronting black women seeking160 mates environment black men lesser education prospects many black womensadly situation still unequal today second volume mention made george schuylers wicked satire black 160schuylera black conservative wrote syndicated column many yearsnarrates story physician prefects process removing melanin dark skin making black people white160 result hilarious transformation soon black people left united states160 discriminate against160 going menial tasks black people done years160 im going tell problem resolved160 youll discover reading black eight novels fabulous addition library americas ongoing offerings better gifts holiday two elegant compilations african american life united states henry louis gates jr160 life upon shores looking african american history 15132008 160knopf 487 pp 50 rafia zafar ed160 harlem renaissance novels160 library america 2 vols 1725 pp 70 charles r larson emeritus professor literature american university washington dc160 books include invisible darkness jean toomer nella larsen160email clarsonamericanedu160 160 | 875 |
<p>Then trample and dance, thou Oppressor! For thy victim is no redressor; Thou art her sole possesor Of her corpses and clods and abortions– they pave the path to the grave.</p>
<p>Hearest thou the festival din Of death and destruction and sin, And Wealth crying Havoc! within? Tis the bacchanal triumph that makes Truth dumb, Thine Epithalamium.</p>
<p>Lines Written During the Castlereagh Administration Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1819</p>
<p>There’s a ritual scene in many westerns of the 50s. A drunken gunslinger picks out a frail bar patron, bullies him into the street and barks, “Dance”. When the befuddled man doesn’t respond immediately, the smirking gunslinger fires his six-shooter at the feet of the unlucky dupe until he is forced to dance a sadistic jig. The nervy townsfolk clap to the beat of the bullets. They’d better.</p>
<p>So it goes in Baghdad. Iraqis dance in the streets. Flowers are piled on top of M-1 tanks. The bronze idols of a power maddened regime are smashed.</p>
<p>Is it jubilation over the fall of Saddam? Or relief because the American bombs have finally stopped falling? Is the outcry one of genuine gratitude for liberation? Or a sensible attempt to ingratiate themselves with their conquerors? Or a mixture of the above? Remember the Shi’ia cheered the entry of the Israelis into Lebanon.</p>
<p>The war was a cakewalk after all: the path paved by the bodies of Iraqi civilians and conscripts, who died defenseless against a storm of remote control bombs.</p>
<p>The three week invasion offered barely a battle to speak of: a few small arms firefights, a couple of wobbly Scuds launched harmlessly into the Kuwaiti desert, an ambush or two. That was about the most the Iraqis choose (or could) mount. Even the gurus of 4th Generation Warfare must feel cheated that the much-ballyhooed asymmetrical street fight never really materialized. The Americans killed nearly as many American and British soldiers as the Iraqis did.</p>
<p>This begs the question: if it was so easy, why was it necessary? How big of a threat was the Beast of Baghdad, after all? Did his rusting army, even the supposedly fearsome Republican Guard, really pose any kind of the threat to the US? Or even the pampered sheiks of Kuwait?</p>
<p>The relentlessly hyped arsenal Weapons of Mass Destruction were never used, if they even existed in any militarily useful condition to begin with. The long-range rockets were never launched. The oil wells and dams were never dynamited, despite Rumsfeld’s pompous claims about “environmental terrorism”-surely one of the crudest hypocrisies yet uttered by this apex hypocrite.</p>
<p>Why was it necessary? Who benefits? What will happen once the military moves on?</p>
<p>These are questions that will never get serious answer over here. Indeed, the questions may even never be asked, in the scripted kabuki shows that are passed off as Bush press conferences.</p>
<p>Too bad. They are the only questions that really matter.</p>
<p>So Bush and Blair wallow in their triumph, the Beavis and Butthead of the new Imperium. Blair at least seems harried, a bit chastened by the bitter upheaval against him in Britain and by acting as a hatchet man for the Dauphin from Crawford.</p>
<p>Bush drifts deeper and deeper in messianic stupor each day. He has assumed a new pose: chin lifted, eyes fixed on the heavens as if waiting on his next communication from God. Where is the Goya of <a href="" type="internal">Los Caprichos</a> when you need him most?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, American war profiteers and fundamentalist preachers are poised to descend on Iraq like carrion feeders. US troops have been instructed to pray before they begin their daily routine of destruction and death-making. Army chaplains withhold water to parched civilians in exchange for Christian baptisms. Franklin Graham, minister to the President, hovers in Jordan, like a vainglorious Rasputin, itching to unleash his robotic minions on the people of Iraq to desecrate their religion and rack up conversions to his apocalyptic brand of Christianity like a body count for the Lord.</p>
<p>Halliburton executives are no doubt dejected that Saddam’s men didn’t torch more oil wells in southern Iraq and must be pinning their hopes on errant smart bombs to make up for the shortfall by doing damage to the northern oil fields outside Kirkuk. Billions are at stake. The war must go on.</p>
<p>One of the other corporate sponsors of the Iraq invasion is Fluor-Daniel, the southern California-based company staffed by former Pentagon and CIA officials. Fluor is a front-runner in the quest to get the $600 million contract to rebuild Iraq’s roads and public buildings. It has a financial stake in wide-spread looting.</p>
<p>Fluor bills itself as an environmental services company though its track record is more harrowing than Dow Chemical’s. In the mid-90s, Fluor took over the management of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, arguably the most polluted site in North America. Aggressive cost-cutting measures and radioactive waste don’t mix, as the people of the Pacific Northwest discovered to their horror when Fluor’s mismanagement of the site nearly caused an explosion that would have spewed radioactive debris from Spokane to Portland. Fluor’s flirtation with a real dirty bomb makes Saddam’s nuclear program look like a high school chemistry lab.</p>
<p>But it gets worse. Fluor’s tactics are as vicious as any American company since the days of Anaconda Copper. In a lawsuit filed last week, a lawyer for South African workers details how Fluor brutalized and exploited its black workers. “This company has a long history of human rights violations in South Africa,” says John Ngcebetsha, a lawyer for the workers. “It cares nothing about the society’s in which it works and its involvement in Iraq would be disastrous.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit claims that Fluor hired former members of the South African secret police to work as security guards and then dressed them up in Ku Klux Klan robes to smash a strike by workers protesting meager wages and horrid working conditions. Good morning, Baghdad: Let freedom ring.</p>
<p>Over at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld and his loathsome henchman Paul Wolfowitz busily plot a new round of threat inflation and target other recalcitrant regimes. Lately, the talk has been of smashing Syria and the old whipping boy, Qaddafy, in Libya. Iran and North Korea are already on the hit list as part of the infamous Axis of Evil. One wonders what lesson they’ve taken from all this? Will preemptive wars send a “use it or loose it” message to Pyongyang and Teheran. Does it make a nuclear strike on South Korea or Japan a near certainty?</p>
<p>Also watch for the war-plotters to shift the crosshairs back closer to home, back to the other obsession of the Reagan era: Central and South America. Of course, they’ve never really stopped.</p>
<p>The Pentagon’s proxy war continues unabated in Colombia. In Venezuela, the CIA tried to topple Chavez once and failed. They will try again. Bolivia is becoming unruly. Lula must be taught a lesson. And, in a regime fixated on settling old scores, the biggest prize of all sits only 90 miles away: Castro’s Cuba, another nation emaciated by a cruel embargo. Already there are reports of renewed CIA mischief in Havana. Rest assured, the Bush gang doesn’t want Castro to die in power. His toppling would be their ultimate glory.</p>
<p>Early on I held out some hope that the fatuous Rumsfeld might be forced out as a result of his incessant meddling with the war plan. But now he preens in triumph, like Scipio Africanus overseeing the final humiliation of Carthage. His mania has been only been whetted. Rumsfeld is man of overweening vanity. He publicly relishes each big blast, scoffing as the corpses pile up in rotting mounds in the morgue at Al-Kindi Hospital, like the Vincent Price character in Roger Corman’s darkly prescient masterpiece, The Masque of the Red Death. Rumsfeld’s rationalizations for war are a facile game of three card monte.</p>
<p>Why did Rumsfeld make the assassination- by-bunker- buster-bomb of Saddam and his family such an unyielding obsession? The bungled hits cost tens of millions each, put US pilots at risk and slaughtered dozens of nameless innocents. It seems obvious that the Bush gang desperately wants to avoid a war crimes trial, where the legitimacy of their invasion might be put to a fatal legal test.</p>
<p>Official lawlessness is the new order of the day and corporate looters roam the globe, packing cruise missiles as their dance card.</p>
<p>So heed to the music and step fast. The dance of death has only just begun.</p>
<p>JEFFREY ST. CLAIR’s new book, Been Brown So Long, It Looked Like Green to Me: the Politics of Nature, will be published in September by Common Courage Press.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | trample dance thou oppressor thy victim redressor thou art sole possesor corpses clods abortions pave path grave hearest thou festival din death destruction sin wealth crying havoc within tis bacchanal triumph makes truth dumb thine epithalamium lines written castlereagh administration percy bysshe shelley 1819 theres ritual scene many westerns 50s drunken gunslinger picks frail bar patron bullies street barks dance befuddled man doesnt respond immediately smirking gunslinger fires sixshooter feet unlucky dupe forced dance sadistic jig nervy townsfolk clap beat bullets theyd better goes baghdad iraqis dance streets flowers piled top m1 tanks bronze idols power maddened regime smashed jubilation fall saddam relief american bombs finally stopped falling outcry one genuine gratitude liberation sensible attempt ingratiate conquerors mixture remember shiia cheered entry israelis lebanon war cakewalk path paved bodies iraqi civilians conscripts died defenseless storm remote control bombs three week invasion offered barely battle speak small arms firefights couple wobbly scuds launched harmlessly kuwaiti desert ambush two iraqis choose could mount even gurus 4th generation warfare must feel cheated muchballyhooed asymmetrical street fight never really materialized americans killed nearly many american british soldiers iraqis begs question easy necessary big threat beast baghdad rusting army even supposedly fearsome republican guard really pose kind threat us even pampered sheiks kuwait relentlessly hyped arsenal weapons mass destruction never used even existed militarily useful condition begin longrange rockets never launched oil wells dams never dynamited despite rumsfelds pompous claims environmental terrorismsurely one crudest hypocrisies yet uttered apex hypocrite necessary benefits happen military moves questions never get serious answer indeed questions may even never asked scripted kabuki shows passed bush press conferences bad questions really matter bush blair wallow triumph beavis butthead new imperium blair least seems harried bit chastened bitter upheaval britain acting hatchet man dauphin crawford bush drifts deeper deeper messianic stupor day assumed new pose chin lifted eyes fixed heavens waiting next communication god goya los caprichos need meanwhile american war profiteers fundamentalist preachers poised descend iraq like carrion feeders us troops instructed pray begin daily routine destruction deathmaking army chaplains withhold water parched civilians exchange christian baptisms franklin graham minister president hovers jordan like vainglorious rasputin itching unleash robotic minions people iraq desecrate religion rack conversions apocalyptic brand christianity like body count lord halliburton executives doubt dejected saddams men didnt torch oil wells southern iraq must pinning hopes errant smart bombs make shortfall damage northern oil fields outside kirkuk billions stake war must go one corporate sponsors iraq invasion fluordaniel southern californiabased company staffed former pentagon cia officials fluor frontrunner quest get 600 million contract rebuild iraqs roads public buildings financial stake widespread looting fluor bills environmental services company though track record harrowing dow chemicals mid90s fluor took management hanford nuclear reservation washington state arguably polluted site north america aggressive costcutting measures radioactive waste dont mix people pacific northwest discovered horror fluors mismanagement site nearly caused explosion would spewed radioactive debris spokane portland fluors flirtation real dirty bomb makes saddams nuclear program look like high school chemistry lab gets worse fluors tactics vicious american company since days anaconda copper lawsuit filed last week lawyer south african workers details fluor brutalized exploited black workers company long history human rights violations south africa says john ngcebetsha lawyer workers cares nothing societys works involvement iraq would disastrous lawsuit claims fluor hired former members south african secret police work security guards dressed ku klux klan robes smash strike workers protesting meager wages horrid working conditions good morning baghdad let freedom ring pentagon rumsfeld loathsome henchman paul wolfowitz busily plot new round threat inflation target recalcitrant regimes lately talk smashing syria old whipping boy qaddafy libya iran north korea already hit list part infamous axis evil one wonders lesson theyve taken preemptive wars send use loose message pyongyang teheran make nuclear strike south korea japan near certainty also watch warplotters shift crosshairs back closer home back obsession reagan era central south america course theyve never really stopped pentagons proxy war continues unabated colombia venezuela cia tried topple chavez failed try bolivia becoming unruly lula must taught lesson regime fixated settling old scores biggest prize sits 90 miles away castros cuba another nation emaciated cruel embargo already reports renewed cia mischief havana rest assured bush gang doesnt want castro die power toppling would ultimate glory early held hope fatuous rumsfeld might forced result incessant meddling war plan preens triumph like scipio africanus overseeing final humiliation carthage mania whetted rumsfeld man overweening vanity publicly relishes big blast scoffing corpses pile rotting mounds morgue alkindi hospital like vincent price character roger cormans darkly prescient masterpiece masque red death rumsfelds rationalizations war facile game three card monte rumsfeld make assassination bybunker busterbomb saddam family unyielding obsession bungled hits cost tens millions put us pilots risk slaughtered dozens nameless innocents seems obvious bush gang desperately wants avoid war crimes trial legitimacy invasion might put fatal legal test official lawlessness new order day corporate looters roam globe packing cruise missiles dance card heed music step fast dance death begun jeffrey st clairs new book brown long looked like green politics nature published september common courage press 160 | 845 |
<p>Conservative Louisiana Sheriff Newell Normand last month publicly criticized “that idiot,” former Gov. Bobby Jindal, saying he had led his state off a fiscal cliff, and the law enforcement official went on to admonish his fellow Republicans for following obstructionist leaders and resisting tax increases aimed at covering budget problems the Republican governor left behind.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/02/normand_on_jindal_a_better_cul.html" type="external">New Orleans Times-Picayune</a>, Louisiana faces a $943 million budget shortfall between now and the end of the fiscal year on June 30. “The state is also estimated to face a $2 billion shortfall in the 2016-17 budget year,” the paper states.</p>
<p>Normand, the sheriff of Jefferson Parish, accused Jindal, whom he once endorsed, of “trying to rewrite history” since leaving office earlier this year.</p>
<p>“What a mess,” Normand said at the Metropolitan Crime Commission’s annual awards luncheon. “Bobby Jindal was a better cult leader than Jim Jones. We drank the elixir for eight years. We remained in a conscious state; we walked to the edge of the cliff, and he watched. And guess what? Unlike Jim Jones, he did not swallow the poison. What a shame.”</p>
<p />
<p>Normand assaulted his party’s support of austerity economics and its obedience to Grover Norquist, president of the lobbying group Americans for Tax Reform and one of austerity’s chief proponents. Before the 2012 elections, Norquist got 95 percent of congressional Republicans to sign a pledge not to increase income taxes on businesses and individuals.</p>
<p>“We cannot cut our way to a balanced budget, because some of the programs that are on the chopping block are the ones that are going to affect everyone of us up here,” Normand continued. “And we do not have the assets or the resources necessary to make up for it. We’re facing enough challenges today. We do not need to face the stupidity of our leadership as it relates to how we’re going to balance this budget and talking about these silly issues because we’re worried about what Grover Norquist&#160;thinks. To hell with Grover Norquist!”</p>
<p>Normand urged his listeners to abandon obstructionist leaders and pursue compromise with their political colleagues.</p>
<p>“We have some systemic, fundamental issues that need to be addressed, and it can’t be handled by parties. It’s got to be handled by intellectual individuals, void of a party, void of an overarching philosophy, working together. And what’s really incredible to me? Compromise is now a dirty word.”</p>
<p>Here’s a transcript of Normand remarks, provided <a href="http://cenlamar.com/2016/02/24/transcript-of-sheriff-newell-normands-fiery-speech-to-hell-with-grover-norquist/" type="external">by CenLamar.com</a>:</p>
<p>What a mess. Bobby Jindal was a better cult leader than Jim Jones. We drank the elixir for eight years. We remained in a conscious state; we walked to the edge of the cliff, and he watched. And guess what? Unlike Jim Jones, he did not swallow the poison. What a shame.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that he’s now out there on Twitter and on public spaces trying to rewrite history, and we hadn’t even figured out what history is. We know we face a $2 billion to $2.2 billion budget shortfall next year, somewhere between $700 million and $900 million between now and June 30. And he’s trying to get everybody to believe that he did a phenomenal job.</p>
<p>We have to just say no.</p>
<p>I’m a Republican, but I’m not a hypocrite. We have to look at ourselves critically as a party and figure out where we are, what we’re going to be about.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter that the Republican leadership in this state is now saying and trying to blame Gov. John Bel Edwards, [who’s] only been in office a little bit over forty days, is absolutely incredulous to me.</p>
<p>This guy’s a friggin’ genius. In less than 45 days, he&#160;has screwed this state up so bad—in the history of the state, the largest budget deficit. That’s what they’re trying to get us to believe.</p>
<p>Come on folks; we have to wake up. Let us be honest about what we’re doing.</p>
<p>We did this to ourselves, myself included, because I endorsed that idiot [Jindal].</p>
<p>And now, we’re going to try and play partisan politics as it relates to this. And as Leon pointed out: Mental health, going to get cut. Bigger problem for criminal justice, right? We’re talking about shutting down five state prisons that house 8,000 inmates. I think it’s just under a third that come from our region.</p>
<p>You think they’re going home to Bunkie [a Louisiana town]?</p>
<p>We better get concerned. We better wake up. We better be honest. We better talk about the issues because we are going to pay the price, and we’re going to pay dearly. …</p>
<p>So I asked you last year, I made the same call, a call for action. We better get all over this thing. We better be honest about our approach.</p>
<p>We cannot cut our way to a balanced budget, because some of the programs that are on the chopping block are the ones that are going to affect everyone of us up here. And we do not have the assets or the resources necessary to make up for it.</p>
<p>We’re facing enough challenges today. We do not need to face the stupidity of our leadership as it relates to how we’re going to balance this budget and talking about these silly issues because we’re worried about what Grover Norquist&#160;thinks.</p>
<p>To hell with Grover Norquist! I don’t care about Grover&#160;Norquist! We’re worrying about the ATR report card [referring to Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist’s organization]? Give me a break.</p>
<p>We are the folks that are seeing the degredating (sic) situations out on the streets of this state, each and every day. Seven officers shot and killed last year. Officers getting hurt every day. And the few and little resources we have and the services that try to deal with the illnesses of drug addition and others, they are going to be cut, is absolutely incredulous to me.</p>
<p>Medicaid expansion, for example, provides significant sustenance for us to deal with some of those issues within the walls of the prison and our local jails.</p>
<p>And I have to sit there and listen to my Republican counterparts talk about gobbledygook—blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah—and I’m so sick and tired of hearing “Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama.” You know how much intellect it takes to blame something on somebody else? This much (motions a zero with his hand).</p>
<p>Propose a solution. Let’s work together and collaboratively and toward an outcome that’s going to make sense for us as a society. That is what we need to do, and that needs to be the call of action in this state. …</p>
<p>We are at not only a crossroads maybe in the city of New Orleans; we’re at a crossroads in the state of Louisiana, as to who we’re going to be, what we’re going to be, and how we’re going to be.</p>
<p>We have some systemic, fundamental issues that need to be addressed, and it can’t be handled by parties. It’s got to be handled by intellectual individuals, void of a party, void of an overarching philosophy, working together. And what’s really incredible to me? Compromise is now a dirty word.</p>
<p>How many people in this room are married?</p>
<p>How many people in their marriage don’t compromise? Raise your hand.</p>
<p>—Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Alexander Reed Kelly</a>.</p> | true | 4 | conservative louisiana sheriff newell normand last month publicly criticized idiot former gov bobby jindal saying led state fiscal cliff law enforcement official went admonish fellow republicans following obstructionist leaders resisting tax increases aimed covering budget problems republican governor left behind according new orleans timespicayune louisiana faces 943 million budget shortfall end fiscal year june 30 state also estimated face 2 billion shortfall 201617 budget year paper states normand sheriff jefferson parish accused jindal endorsed trying rewrite history since leaving office earlier year mess normand said metropolitan crime commissions annual awards luncheon bobby jindal better cult leader jim jones drank elixir eight years remained conscious state walked edge cliff watched guess unlike jim jones swallow poison shame normand assaulted partys support austerity economics obedience grover norquist president lobbying group americans tax reform one austeritys chief proponents 2012 elections norquist got 95 percent congressional republicans sign pledge increase income taxes businesses individuals cut way balanced budget programs chopping block ones going affect everyone us normand continued assets resources necessary make facing enough challenges today need face stupidity leadership relates going balance budget talking silly issues worried grover norquist160thinks hell grover norquist normand urged listeners abandon obstructionist leaders pursue compromise political colleagues systemic fundamental issues need addressed cant handled parties got handled intellectual individuals void party void overarching philosophy working together whats really incredible compromise dirty word heres transcript normand remarks provided cenlamarcom mess bobby jindal better cult leader jim jones drank elixir eight years remained conscious state walked edge cliff watched guess unlike jim jones swallow poison shame fact matter hes twitter public spaces trying rewrite history hadnt even figured history know face 2 billion 22 billion budget shortfall next year somewhere 700 million 900 million june 30 hes trying get everybody believe phenomenal job say im republican im hypocrite look critically party figure going fact matter republican leadership state saying trying blame gov john bel edwards whos office little bit forty days absolutely incredulous guys friggin genius less 45 days he160has screwed state badin history state largest budget deficit thats theyre trying get us believe come folks wake let us honest included endorsed idiot jindal going try play partisan politics relates leon pointed mental health going get cut bigger problem criminal justice right talking shutting five state prisons house 8000 inmates think third come region think theyre going home bunkie louisiana town better get concerned better wake better honest better talk issues going pay price going pay dearly asked last year made call call action better get thing better honest approach cut way balanced budget programs chopping block ones going affect everyone us assets resources necessary make facing enough challenges today need face stupidity leadership relates going balance budget talking silly issues worried grover norquist160thinks hell grover norquist dont care grover160norquist worrying atr report card referring americans tax reform norquists organization give break folks seeing degredating sic situations streets state every day seven officers shot killed last year officers getting hurt every day little resources services try deal illnesses drug addition others going cut absolutely incredulous medicaid expansion example provides significant sustenance us deal issues within walls prison local jails sit listen republican counterparts talk gobbledygookblah blah blah blah blah blahand im sick tired hearing obama obama obama obama know much intellect takes blame something somebody else much motions zero hand propose solution lets work together collaboratively toward outcome thats going make sense us society need needs call action state crossroads maybe city new orleans crossroads state louisiana going going going systemic fundamental issues need addressed cant handled parties got handled intellectual individuals void party void overarching philosophy working together whats really incredible compromise dirty word many people room married many people marriage dont compromise raise hand posted alexander reed kelly | 620 |
<p>Texas Gov. Rick Perry.&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/5855954942/sizes/z/in/photostream/"&gt;Gage Skidmore&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>On October 19, 2010, shortly before Texans voted to elect their governor, Democratic candidate Bill White <a href="http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/10881/ap-rick-perrys-appointees-at-trs-involved-in-a-series-of-ethical-lapses-and-insider-deals" type="external">took aim</a> at Republican incumbent Rick Perry with what he called a “smoking gun.” He revealed <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/39669397/TRS-Whistleblower-Memo-From-Green-to-Wright" type="external">a leaked internal memo</a> written in 2009 by Michael Green, an investment director-turned-whistleblower at the state’s $100 billion public-teacher pension fund, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The memo accused TRS brass and Perry-appointed trustees of pressuring employees to violate ethics rules and possibly state law by reversing negative outlooks to positive ones on a slew of questionable investment deals. As it turned out, big-time Perry donors ran many of the investment funds cited in the memo. It was, White <a href="http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2010-texas-governors-race/white-perry-friends-profited-from-trs-deals/" type="external">claimed</a>, a classic case of crony capitalism, and it merited an independent investigation.</p>
<p>The memo sparked a brief media firestorm, but Perry soon squashed the controversy. He pointed to probes by TRS and a Travis County district attorney, both of which found nothing wrong, as proof that Green’s memo and White’s claims were much ado about nothing. “There is no ‘there’ there,” he said. There would be no new investigation, and with that the scandal vanished. Perry cruised to a third term as Texas’ longest-serving governor.</p>
<p>But now, Michael Green’s first-ever public comments on the case since blowing the whistle, as well as interviews with former TRS attorneys, suggest a troubling picture:&#160;It appears Perry relied on deeply flawed investigations to sweep a potentially embarrassing controversy under the rug. Additionally, interviews with former TRS employees and a review of state records show how Perry politicized the state teachers’ fund by stacking its board with political allies and donors—appointees who allegedly have promoted investment funds connected to Perry.</p>
<p>In the case of the Travis County DA, Green says the attorney investigating never once contacted him during the months-long probe before closing the case. “They dropped the ball,”&#160;Green told Mother Jones. “I just don’t believe they did any serious investigating.”</p>
<p>As for TRS’s internal probe, the fund hired an attorney whose conflicts of interest with TRS had derailed him from a previous job with the fund, and whose report has been criticized publicly as superficial and inadequate by two former TRS attorneys.</p>
<p>Andrew Wheat, research director at Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit group that tracks the flow of money in Lone Star State politics, says the GOP&#160;presidential contender’s handling of <a href="http://www.trs.state.tx.us/info.jsp?submenu=about&amp;page_id=/about/about_trs" type="external">his state’s largest retirement fund</a>, which has more than 1.3 million members,</p>
<p>speaks to Perry’s broader governing style. “The governor has a very strong stomach for the appearance of impropriety,” he says. Perry’s support for political donors and allies, Wheat adds, makes for “an astonishing patronage system.”</p>
<p>The Investigation That Wasn’t</p>
<p>Green, then a director of TRS’s private-markets division, fired off his memo to TRS higher-ups in April 2009. He made no mention of politics, but described how investment employees felt pressure from Perry-appointed board members to favor funds with ties to Perry donors. (The Texas governor appoints all nine members of the board of trustees; three by direct appointment, the others at the recommendation of local and state education officials.) Green wrote that Britt Harris, TRS’s chief investment officer, had been “manipulated by Board members and investment managers to the detriment of TRS’s beneficiaries.” Green alleged that on numerous occasions Harris told him, “I manage a fund with billions of dollars in assets—upsetting a board member or friend of the fund over the investment of a few hundred million dollars doesn’t make sense.”</p>
<p>The blowback was swift. Green <a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/teacher-pension-fund-keeps-man-who-raised-investing-987785.html" type="external">was put on leave</a> with full pay and benefits and later left the fund for good.</p>
<p>Green later met with an attorney and investigator with the Travis County DA’s office, a preliminary meeting where he laid out his allegations. They told him his case was a serious one, he says, and that they’d contact him for more information.</p>
<p>But they never did, Green says. “The Travis County DA’s office made no attempt to follow up with me after our initial meeting until after they sent me a letter saying the case was closed,” he says. Green even offered to turn over his phone records as proof that the Travis County DA never called him back prior to its determination that it had found no criminal violations. (Green declined to comment on the record about the contents of his memo and his time at TRS for fear of retribution in Texas’ finance industry, in which he still works.)</p>
<p>Gregg Cox, an attorney who heads the Travis County DA’s Public Integrity Unit, which handled the investigation, disputes Green’s version of events. He says staffers tried to contact Green on multiple occasions, but Green never called back. “He failed to give us enough information to substantiate his allegations,” Cox says, “and he failed to provide us with additional information to allow us to go forward, so the investigation was closed after some attempts to try to corroborate what he said.” Cox declined to provide investigators’ notes or other records of the calls, citing the possibility that new evidence could surface and the case could potentially be reopened.&#160;</p>
<p>Green also points out that the day his memo became public he did finally receive a call from the head of the Travis County DA’s office, demonstrating their ability to reach him. Cox confirmed that call took place.</p>
<p>William Black, an expert in financial crime at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, says that if Green’s account is accurate, then the DA’s probe was “a farce.” Follow-up conversations are essential to investigating complicated financial issues, he explains, not only for additional information and clarification but also to gauge the credibility of a whistleblower. “Nobody would ever do a serious investigation without talking to the complainant witness and without following up,” Black says.</p>
<p>Two former TRS attorneys with decades of experience at the fund also raised questions about TRS’s internal probe and its decision to hire Democrat Roel Campos, a former commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission with the <a href="http://www.cooley.com/about" type="external">powerful Cooley Godward Kronish law firm.</a> Campos’ nine-page report ( <a href="http://www.trs.state.tx.us/about/news_releases/campos_related_report.pdf" type="external">PDF</a>) ultimately dismissed all of Green’s most serious allegations. (Campos did recommend that TRS beef up its ethics rules and “improve communications” between staffers like Green and TRS higher-ups, which the fund agreed to do.)</p>
<p>Hiring an outside attorney, in theory, created the appearance of independence. But Campos came with baggage. The year before, he&#160;sought employment—at $950 an hour, no less—as TRS’s fiduciary counsel, ensuring that trustees and investment staffers do their due diligence and get the most bang for beneficiaries’ bucks. His bid for the gig was <a href="http://www.trta.org/viewUpdate.cfm?updateid=77825EF8-15C5-EA6D-345E33E2F2D97EA7" type="external">derailed</a> by Texas GOP state Sen. Robert Duncan, who discovered that many of Campos’ and his firm’s clients were from funds competing for TRS cash, creating a major conflict of interest.</p>
<p>How, then, could Campos really be independent in his investigation into Green’s memo? His hiring “raised red flags,” says former TRS general counsel William Baker. “I would not have pursued hiring him myself, and I would not have recommended hiring him.” (Campos, who has since moved to a different law firm, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)</p>
<p>Critics also took issue with Campos’ report for its lack of rigor. Ian Lanoff, a leading pension fund expert who was TRS’s fiduciary counsel for 12 years before the Green controversy, dismissed it as a “so-called investigation.” Paul Burka, the senior executive editor of Texas Monthly, <a href="http://texasmonthly.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&amp;title=BurkaBlog+%3A%3A+The+TRS+internal+investigation&amp;urlID=459151012&amp;action=cpt&amp;partnerID=989&amp;fb=Y&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.texasmonthly.com%2Fblogs%2Fburkablog%2F%3Fp%3D8171%26click_code%3D2e2f00bd76bf684c963392e80aa33f5c." type="external">slammed</a> the report as “pablum,” writing, “It makes no effort to deal with the details of Green’s memo.”&#160;</p>
<p>Baker, too, says Campos’ report fell short of what he expected from a veteran attorney, suggesting Campos glossed over potential problems during the investigation. “When I looked at [Campos’ report],” he says, “I was not impressed with it.”</p>
<p>A spokeswoman for TRS, Juliana Fernandez Helton, wrote in an email that&#160;TRS saw no conflict hiring Campos to investigate Green’s allegations. “As a former federal prosecutor, former SEC Commissioner, and a licensed Texas attorney, Mr. Campos had outstanding credentials and experience, and he carried out his responsibilities in an independent and impartial manner,” she said.</p>
<p>Board Games</p>
<p>Perry has a history of appointing donors and allies to state agencies, boards, and commissions. According to Texans for Public Justice ( <a href="info.tpj.org:reports:pdf:Perry%2520Patronage2010.pdf" type="external">PDF</a>), 21 cents out of every dollar in the $83 million Perry raised between 2001 and June 2010 came from his own appointees or their spouses. TRS is no exception.</p>
<p>When Rick Perry began his first term as governor in December 2000, only one of TRS’s nine governor-appointed trustees had clear political ties—and that was to Gov. Ann Richards, George W. Bush’s predecessor. Since then, TRS’s board has included a half-dozen Perry donors who, over the past decade, have worked on his reelection campaigns and given him more than $150,000. Three of them&#160;have chaired the TRS&#160;board.</p>
<p>In 2002, Perry directly appointed <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jarvis-hollingsworth/39/131/63b" type="external">Houston attorney Jarvis Hollingsworth</a> to the TRS’s board, and in 2005, Perry <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/finance/entries/2008/08/28/index.html" type="external">made the unusual move</a> of replacing existing chair Terence Ellis, who was not a Perry appointee, with Hollingsworth—before Ellis’ term was up. Hollingsworth gave Perry $15,100 in campaign contributions between 2002 and 2010.</p>
<p>In March 2006, Perry named Jim Lee, a key member of his reelection finance team, to the TRS board; he did the same in November 2007 with R. David Kelly, another campaign financier. A few months later, Perry promoted Jim Lee to chairman of TRS’s board and also personally appointed Robert Gauntt, an investment manager, to the board. Gauntt had given Perry $5,000 in campaign donations before his appointment, and would give Perry $65,000 more in the next two years. In October 2009, Perry used another direct appointment to add Todd Barth, a real estate executive who donated $16,500 to Perry before his appointment and $10,000 shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>And as early as last month, Perry <a href="http://governor.state.tx.us/news/appointment/16533/" type="external">extended</a> Kelly’s tenure on the board and <a href="http://www.tcta.org/teacher_resources/trs_social_security/governor_appoints_four_to_trs_board" type="external">appointed</a> Joe Colonnetta, a Dallas investor, to the board. Colonnetta gave Perry almost $50,000 between November 2008 and September 2010.</p>
<p>In September 2008, Perry-appointed board members selected Brian Guthrie, a Perry staffer, as TRS’s new deputy director. The move raised eyebrows because it appeared to overlook TRS’s chief operating officer, Pattie Featherston, who had been in line for the job after more than three years at TRS.</p>
<p>Perry’s choice of Jim Lee as TRS chair was, in retrospect, a dubious one. As a fundraiser Lee was prodigious; Perry even loaned Lee to Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 campaign to help rake in cash. But the board <a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/2009/10/11/1011trs.html" type="external">chafed</a> under Lee’s combative management style. After 10 months in charge, Lee unexpectedly resigned amidst <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-investor-who-quit-board-had-gambling-debt-1733370.php" type="external">media reports</a> that he’d defaulted on $110,000 in gambling debts owed to the Bellagio in Las Vegas. (TRS said Lee left to “pursue a new business venture.”) No matter: Perry soon <a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/2009/10/11/1011trs.html" type="external">booted</a> Lee’s replacement from the chairman’s seat, a veteran public school teacher and superintendent named Linus Wright, without giving a reason. The new chair, Perry announced, would be R. David Kelly, a top financier on his reelection campaign. (Kelly is <a href="http://www.trs.state.tx.us/media.jsp?page_id=/about/board_of_trustees" type="external">the chair today</a>.)</p>
<p>Perry’s other appointees to the TRS board appeared to cause conflict. In February 2008, Mark Henry, a school superintendent and TRS trustee, wrote in an email to Hollingsworth that a rift had opened between Perry’s allies and the rest of the board. “Jarvis I believe that there are two boards,” Henry <a href="http://www.texasisd.com/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=29&amp;num=69959" type="external">wrote</a>. “One that functions in the light of day and one that meets with staff to make decisions, then secures enough votes and has no concern about the opinions of a few of us.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.americanindependent.com/150209/tx-heads-of-firms-highlighted-in-trs-memo-have-given-more-than-700k-to-gov-perry" type="external">money trail</a> between Perry and TRS went beyond the boardroom. Several investment firms mentioned in Green’s memo—the firms TRS executives pressured employees to rally behind despite their objections—were run by deep-pocketed Perry donors, according to Texas campaign finance records. Gary Petersen, managing director at EnCap Investments, a private equity firm specializing in oil and gas investing, showered Perry with $605,500 in donations between 2003 and 2010. Another principal at EnCap, David Miller, gave Perry $25,000 in June 2010.</p>
<p>Tom Hicks, founder of HM Capital Partners, a national private equity firm cited in the Green memo, gave Perry $86,000 in 2009 and 2010. Ex-HM partner <a href="http://www.capitalroyalty.com/about-us/people/charles-tate/" type="external">Charles Tate</a> gave Perry upwards of $300,000 between 2000 and 2010. Another company in the memo was private equity firm Lee Equity Partners, whose founder, Thomas H. Lee, donated $5,000 to Perry in 2008.</p>
<p>And Perry himself has been criticized for angling to use money from TRS and the state employees’ retirement system for state transportation projects like toll roads. TRS officials countered that toll roads aren’t necessarily a smart investment, and that any pressure to invest in state projects could break with their responsibility to maximize returns for retired teachers.</p>
<p>A Perry spokesman did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</p>
<p />
<p>The political patronage at TRS aligns with what’s gone on under Perry at the state’s main economic development funds, the Emerging Technology Fund and Texas Enterprise Fund, as well at other state agencies and commissions, says Andrew Wheat of Texans for Public Justice. “This is one of the real crony capitalist states in America,” he says. “It’s all very cozy and it all works out very well for everyone, except for the taxpayers and the public.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | texas gov rick perrylta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotosgageskidmore5855954942sizeszinphotostreamgtgage skidmoreltagtflickr october 19 2010 shortly texans voted elect governor democratic candidate bill white took aim republican incumbent rick perry called smoking gun revealed leaked internal memo written 2009 michael green investment directorturnedwhistleblower states 100 billion publicteacher pension fund teacher retirement system texas memo accused trs brass perryappointed trustees pressuring employees violate ethics rules possibly state law reversing negative outlooks positive ones slew questionable investment deals turned bigtime perry donors ran many investment funds cited memo white claimed classic case crony capitalism merited independent investigation memo sparked brief media firestorm perry soon squashed controversy pointed probes trs travis county district attorney found nothing wrong proof greens memo whites claims much ado nothing said would new investigation scandal vanished perry cruised third term texas longestserving governor michael greens firstever public comments case since blowing whistle well interviews former trs attorneys suggest troubling picture160it appears perry relied deeply flawed investigations sweep potentially embarrassing controversy rug additionally interviews former trs employees review state records show perry politicized state teachers fund stacking board political allies donorsappointees allegedly promoted investment funds connected perry case travis county da green says attorney investigating never contacted monthslong probe closing case dropped ball160green told mother jones dont believe serious investigating trss internal probe fund hired attorney whose conflicts interest trs derailed previous job fund whose report criticized publicly superficial inadequate two former trs attorneys andrew wheat research director texans public justice nonprofit group tracks flow money lone star state politics says gop160presidential contenders handling states largest retirement fund 13 million members speaks perrys broader governing style governor strong stomach appearance impropriety says perrys support political donors allies wheat adds makes astonishing patronage system investigation wasnt green director trss privatemarkets division fired memo trs higherups april 2009 made mention politics described investment employees felt pressure perryappointed board members favor funds ties perry donors texas governor appoints nine members board trustees three direct appointment others recommendation local state education officials green wrote britt harris trss chief investment officer manipulated board members investment managers detriment trss beneficiaries green alleged numerous occasions harris told manage fund billions dollars assetsupsetting board member friend fund investment hundred million dollars doesnt make sense blowback swift green put leave full pay benefits later left fund good green later met attorney investigator travis county das office preliminary meeting laid allegations told case serious one says theyd contact information never green says travis county das office made attempt follow initial meeting sent letter saying case closed says green even offered turn phone records proof travis county da never called back prior determination found criminal violations green declined comment record contents memo time trs fear retribution texas finance industry still works gregg cox attorney heads travis county das public integrity unit handled investigation disputes greens version events says staffers tried contact green multiple occasions green never called back failed give us enough information substantiate allegations cox says failed provide us additional information allow us go forward investigation closed attempts try corroborate said cox declined provide investigators notes records calls citing possibility new evidence could surface case could potentially reopened160 green also points day memo became public finally receive call head travis county das office demonstrating ability reach cox confirmed call took place william black expert financial crime university missourikansas city says greens account accurate das probe farce followup conversations essential investigating complicated financial issues explains additional information clarification also gauge credibility whistleblower nobody would ever serious investigation without talking complainant witness without following black says two former trs attorneys decades experience fund also raised questions trss internal probe decision hire democrat roel campos former commissioner securities exchange commission powerful cooley godward kronish law firm campos ninepage report pdf ultimately dismissed greens serious allegations campos recommend trs beef ethics rules improve communications staffers like green trs higherups fund agreed hiring outside attorney theory created appearance independence campos came baggage year he160sought employmentat 950 hour lessas trss fiduciary counsel ensuring trustees investment staffers due diligence get bang beneficiaries bucks bid gig derailed texas gop state sen robert duncan discovered many campos firms clients funds competing trs cash creating major conflict interest could campos really independent investigation greens memo hiring raised red flags says former trs general counsel william baker would pursued hiring would recommended hiring campos since moved different law firm respond multiple requests comment critics also took issue campos report lack rigor ian lanoff leading pension fund expert trss fiduciary counsel 12 years green controversy dismissed socalled investigation paul burka senior executive editor texas monthly slammed report pablum writing makes effort deal details greens memo160 baker says campos report fell short expected veteran attorney suggesting campos glossed potential problems investigation looked campos report says impressed spokeswoman trs juliana fernandez helton wrote email that160trs saw conflict hiring campos investigate greens allegations former federal prosecutor former sec commissioner licensed texas attorney mr campos outstanding credentials experience carried responsibilities independent impartial manner said board games perry history appointing donors allies state agencies boards commissions according texans public justice pdf 21 cents every dollar 83 million perry raised 2001 june 2010 came appointees spouses trs exception rick perry began first term governor december 2000 one trss nine governorappointed trustees clear political tiesand gov ann richards george w bushs predecessor since trss board included halfdozen perry donors past decade worked reelection campaigns given 150000 three them160have chaired trs160board 2002 perry directly appointed houston attorney jarvis hollingsworth trss board 2005 perry made unusual move replacing existing chair terence ellis perry appointee hollingsworthbefore ellis term hollingsworth gave perry 15100 campaign contributions 2002 2010 march 2006 perry named jim lee key member reelection finance team trs board november 2007 r david kelly another campaign financier months later perry promoted jim lee chairman trss board also personally appointed robert gauntt investment manager board gauntt given perry 5000 campaign donations appointment would give perry 65000 next two years october 2009 perry used another direct appointment add todd barth real estate executive donated 16500 perry appointment 10000 shortly thereafter early last month perry extended kellys tenure board appointed joe colonnetta dallas investor board colonnetta gave perry almost 50000 november 2008 september 2010 september 2008 perryappointed board members selected brian guthrie perry staffer trss new deputy director move raised eyebrows appeared overlook trss chief operating officer pattie featherston line job three years trs perrys choice jim lee trs chair retrospect dubious one fundraiser lee prodigious perry even loaned lee rudy giulianis 2008 campaign help rake cash board chafed lees combative management style 10 months charge lee unexpectedly resigned amidst media reports hed defaulted 110000 gambling debts owed bellagio las vegas trs said lee left pursue new business venture matter perry soon booted lees replacement chairmans seat veteran public school teacher superintendent named linus wright without giving reason new chair perry announced would r david kelly top financier reelection campaign kelly chair today perrys appointees trs board appeared cause conflict february 2008 mark henry school superintendent trs trustee wrote email hollingsworth rift opened perrys allies rest board jarvis believe two boards henry wrote one functions light day one meets staff make decisions secures enough votes concern opinions us money trail perry trs went beyond boardroom several investment firms mentioned greens memothe firms trs executives pressured employees rally behind despite objectionswere run deeppocketed perry donors according texas campaign finance records gary petersen managing director encap investments private equity firm specializing oil gas investing showered perry 605500 donations 2003 2010 another principal encap david miller gave perry 25000 june 2010 tom hicks founder hm capital partners national private equity firm cited green memo gave perry 86000 2009 2010 exhm partner charles tate gave perry upwards 300000 2000 2010 another company memo private equity firm lee equity partners whose founder thomas h lee donated 5000 perry 2008 perry criticized angling use money trs state employees retirement system state transportation projects like toll roads trs officials countered toll roads arent necessarily smart investment pressure invest state projects could break responsibility maximize returns retired teachers perry spokesman respond multiple requests comment political patronage trs aligns whats gone perry states main economic development funds emerging technology fund texas enterprise fund well state agencies commissions says andrew wheat texans public justice one real crony capitalist states america says cozy works well everyone except taxpayers public | 1,368 |
<p>Watching retired Gen. Colin Powell refer to the parable of the Good Samaritan during Sunday’s Memorial Day ceremonies on the Mall in Washington, it struck me that Powell was giving hypocrisy a bad name. Those familiar with the Good Samaritan story and also with the under-reported behavior of Gen. Powell, comeback kid of the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM), know that the two do not mesh.</p>
<p>Powell’s well-documented disregard for those who have borne the brunt of the battle places him in the company of the priest and the Levite – in the Good Samaritan parable – who, seeing the man attacked by robbers on the side of the road, walked right on by.</p>
<p>Sadly, Powell has a long record of placing the wounded and the vulnerable on his list of priorities far below his undying need to get promoted or to promote himself. Powell’s rhetoric, of course, would have us believe otherwise.</p>
<p>At the Memorial Day event, Powell hailed our “wounded warriors” from Iraq and Afghanistan as the cameras cut to several severely damaged veterans. Lauding the “love and care” they receive from their families, Powell noted in passing that some 10,000 parents are now full-time care providers for veterans not able to take care of themselves.</p>
<p>It was a moving ceremony, but only if you were able to keep your eye on the grand old flag and stay in denial about thousands of wasted American lives, not to mention tens and tens of thousands wasted Iraqi lives — as well as many thousands more incapacitated for life — and not ask WHY.</p>
<p>“Noble Cause?”</p>
<p>The wounded warriors’ former commander in chief, President George W. Bush, argued that the deaths were “worth it.” They were casualties suffered in pursuit of a “noble cause.”</p>
<p>Some claim that to suggest that those troops killed and wounded were killed and wounded in vain is to dishonor their memory, belittle their sacrifice, and inflict still more pain on their loved ones.</p>
<p>But Bush never could explain what the “noble cause” was, despite months and months of vigils by those camping outside the Bush house in Crawford asking that question. Our hearts certainly go out to the wounded, and to the families of the killed or wounded.</p>
<p>But I think that the surest way to dishonor them all is to avoid examining the real reasons for their loss, and to use lessons learned so that their own sons and daughters will not be sacrificed so glibly.</p>
<p>I lost many good Army colleagues and other friends in Vietnam. Back then, generals and politicians – the military and civilian leaders who promoted Powell and the careerists like him – helped to obscure the real reasons behind that carnage, too. And that was even before the corporate media became quite so fawning.</p>
<p>As the hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on and the casualties continue to mount, I feel an obligation to do what I can to help spread some truth around — however painful that may be. For truth is not only the best disinfectant, it is the best protection against such misadventures happening again…and again.</p>
<p>It is, I suppose, understandable that only the bravest widows and widowers — and parents like Cindy Sheehan whose son Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City on April 4, 2004 — have been able to summon enough courage out of their grief to challenge the vacuous explanations of Bush and people like Powell.</p>
<p>You can see it in microcosm in the Sheehan family. Casey’s father, Pat Sheehan, cannot agree that Casey’s death was in vain. Pat told me that Casey met an honorable death, since he was sent to rescue comrades pinned down by hostile forces in Sadr City.</p>
<p>No one can be sure what was going through Casey’s mind. And only later did it become clear that, rather than “volunteering” for an ill-conceived rescue mission, Casey, a truck mechanic, was ordered onto that open truck by superiors unwilling to risk their own hides. (This is what one of Casey’s comrades on the scene later told his mother.)</p>
<p>But let us assume that Casey was nonetheless eager to rescue his comrades. This still begs the question that I asked Pat Sheehan: Why were Casey and his comrades in Iraq in the first place? What was the “noble cause?” Pat’s reaction, or lack thereof, almost made me regret having asked him. Remembering it almost makes me want to stop this essay here. Almost.</p>
<p>With ministers, priests and rabbis officiating at funerals and other memorial services for “the fallen” and spinning their own renditions of “Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori” – “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country” – small wonder that even those who should know better choose this escape from reality. There is so much pain out there…and if denial helps, well…</p>
<p>It does not help when it comes to charlatans like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell — the latter now trying to re-establish his poster-boy status with an eagerly cooperative FCM.</p>
<p>Aside from those whose TVs are stuck at Fox News and radios at Rush Limbaugh, fewer and fewer Americans now believe the lingering lies. Even funeral directors and preachers tread sparingly with the once-familiar rhetoric — used cynically in Washington to facilitate further careless carnage — that these dead “must not have died in vain.”</p>
<p>Isaiah on the Mall</p>
<p>Besides the Good Samaritan parable, Powell quoted from Isaiah about bringing comfort to the people. Surely Isaiah did not mean this to be done with lies on top of lies. Isaiah was no shrinking violet. He got himself killed for speaking out bluntly against lies that in his time justified the oppression of those on the margins.</p>
<p>I imagine this is what Isaiah would say to us now:</p>
<p>“Hear this, Americans. It is time to be not only sad, but also honest. You must summon the courage to handle the truth, which is this: our young warriors and (literally) countless Iraqis died in vain, and there is no excuse for their needless sacrifice. Nothing will bring them back — least of all meretricious rhetoric that is an insult to their memory. “Their sacrifice was in vain, hear? Our task now is two-fold: (1) Bury the dead with respect and care for the wounded and their families; and (2) ensure that the truth gets out, so that a war built on lies will not soon happen again.”</p>
<p>Isaiah, I think, would add that this is also precisely why we owe it to the “fallen” and their families to hold to account those responsible for sending them into battle “on false pretenses,” to quote then-Senate Intelligence Committee head, Jay Rockefeller last June.</p>
<p>After a five-year investigation and a bipartisan vote approving the Senate Intelligence Committee report, Rockefeller summed it up: “In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent.”&#160; As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.”</p>
<p>There is plenty of blame to go around — to be shared by an adolescent president who liked to dress up and call himself a “war president,” and openly savored presiding over what he called “the first war of the 21st Century.”</p>
<p>Not to mention the power-hungry, sadistic bent of the men he chose to be vice president and secretary of defense and the treachery of CIA seniors George Tenet and John McLaughlin.</p>
<p>The Enabler</p>
<p>But there would have been no war, no dead, no limb-less bodies, no loved ones for whom to recall Isaiah’s words of comfort or mention the Good Samaritan, if Colin Powell had a conscience — if he had not chosen to “walk right on by.”</p>
<p>Let’s face it; neither the Texas Air National Guard’s most famous pilot nor the five-times-draft-deferred former vice president had the credibility to lead the country into war — especially one based on a highly dubious threat.</p>
<p>They needed the credibility of someone who had worn the uniform with some distinction — someone who, though never in command of a major Army combat unit, had been good at briefing the media while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the glorious Gulf War in 1991, which most Americans have been led to believe was virtually casualty-free.</p>
<p>Actually, since we are trying to spread some truth around, this is worth a brief digression.</p>
<p>The Casualty-Lite Gulf War</p>
<p>According to Powell’s memoir, My American Journey, before the attack on Iraq Powell was warned by his British counterpart, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir David Craig, about the risks involved in bombing Iraq’s so-called “weapons of mass destruction” installations. After Powell told him that this was indeed part of the plan, Craig expressed particular worry about release of agents from biological installations: “A bit risky that, eh?”</p>
<p>Powell writes that he told Craig the attendant risk of release was worth it and: “If it heads south, just blame me.”</p>
<p>Powell writes he was “less concerned” about chemical exposures. He should have been more concerned, not less. As the hostilities ended, U.S. Army engineers blew up chemical agents at a large Iraqi storage site near Kamasiyah. About 100,000 U.S. troops were downwind. Many of those troops are now among the 210,000 veterans suffering from nervous and other diseases — and FINALLY now receiving disability payments for what came to be known as Gulf War Syndrome.</p>
<p>Far from his pre-war posture of “just blame me,” Powell joined Pentagon and CIA efforts to cover up this tragedy. When reports of the horrible fiasco at Kamasiyah hit the media, he erupted in macho outrage saying that, were he still on active duty, he would “rape and pillage” throughout the government to find those responsible.&#160; Of course, Kamasiyah happened during his watch. Typically, the FCM reported his macho remark, and then gave him a pass.</p>
<p>Despite numerous veterans’ pleas for support, Powell, in effect, went AWOL on the issue of Gulf War illnesses, never acknowledging that he shared any of the responsibility.</p>
<p>He took no interest and, in effect, made a huge contribution to the unconscionable delay in recognizing Gulf War illnesses for what they are. One out of every four troops deployed to the Gulf in 1991 are now receiving the benefits to which they have long been entitled — no thanks to Gen. Powell.</p>
<p>You didn’t know that? Thank the FCM and its persistent romance with Gen. Powell. Sorry for the digression; just had to get that off my chest.</p>
<p>Useful Uniform</p>
<p>Back to the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld quest for someone to sell the attack on Iraq, someone whom the media loved, someone with military credentials who would do what he was told.</p>
<p>Perhaps they had read Powell’s memoir, in which he brags about his subservience to the “wisdom” of those up the line. They needed someone who was not too bright but could be eloquent — someone who was so used to taking orders that he would squander his own credibility for his boss, if the boss would just ask.</p>
<p>Not too bright? Apparently, during the three years between when Powell and I, as fledgling infantry officers, had been instructed at Fort Benning on counterinsurgency, the Army’s understanding of how to fight it had improved.&#160; Either that, or Powell was not able to master the key learnings of the course.</p>
<p>Here is what Powell writes in his memoir about how he bought into his superiors’ notion about how to win hearts and minds — what Powell calls “counterinsurgency at the cutting edge”:</p>
<p>“However chilling this destruction of homes and crops reads in cold print today, as a young officer I had been conditioned to believe in the wisdom of my superiors, and to obey. I had no qualms about what we were doing. This was counterinsurgency at the cutting edge. Hack down the peasants’ crops, thus denying food to the Viet Cong…It all made sense in those days.”</p>
<p>“Duty, Honor, Country” is what I remember made sense in those days. That was the watchword for young Army officers in the early Sixties — not supreme faith in the wisdom of superiors and blind obedience. But most of the rest of us did not make it beyond colonel.</p>
<p>Easy Prey</p>
<p>Small wonder that the hapless Powell was easy prey for Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld. They needed him to sell the war to the American people and, they hoped, to the rest of the world.</p>
<p>It is hard to fathom what “wisdom” Powell saw in his superiors’ decisions; what is clear is that he lacked the courage to challenge them, whether out of blind faith, a highly exaggerated – and dubiously moral – notion of obedience, a lack of conscience, or simple cowardice.</p>
<p>Tell lies to support the White House decision for war on Iraq?&#160; No problem. As was his wont, Powell saluted sharply, even though four days prior to his Feb. 5, 2003 U.N. speech he and his chief of staff, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, had decided that some of the “intelligence” the White House had conjured up to “justify” war was pure “bull—t,” according to Wilkerson.&#160; Powell ended up using it anyway.</p>
<p>Powell and his handlers were acutely aware that war would be just weeks away after Powell spoke. One small but significant sign of this was what seemed to me the earliest cover-up related to the soon-to-begin attack on Iraq.</p>
<p>It was a literal cover-up, accomplished even before Powell conducted his post-speech press briefing in the customary spot in front of the Security Council wall adorned with a reproduction of Picasso’s famous anti-war painting, Guernica.</p>
<p>Prior to the press conference, that wall hanging had been covered up by another fabric. Some PR person had recognized the impropriety of trying to justify a new war of aggression with Guernica as backdrop. As usual with Powell, the speech and press conference went swimmingly, and the gullible or shameless (your choice) FCM was embarrassingly generous with their accolades.</p>
<p>Blame-Shifting</p>
<p>Once it became clear — by mid-2003 — that there were no WMD stockpiles or mobile bio-weapons labs or anything else that had been conjured up in the U.N. speech, Powell smoothly shifted the blame to the CIA, and his fans in the FCM transformed Powell into a noble victim, now tragically suffering from a “blot on my record” for no real fault of his own.</p>
<p>Though it is abundantly clear that then-CIA Director George Tenet and his accomplice/deputy John McLaughlin did play a treacherous role, no CIA director has ever made a secretary of state worth his salt do anything — and certainly not help start an unnecessary war.</p>
<p>Besides, it is a safe bet that what was already clear to us Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) was at least equally clear to Powell. On the afternoon of Powell’s U.N. speech, we formally warned President Bush that the evidence adduced by Powell fell far short of justifying an attack on Iraq and that such an attack would be a huge fillip to terrorism around the world.</p>
<p>And since it was obvious that Powell had thrown in his lot with those rolling the juggernaut to war, we urged the president to “widen the circle of your advisers beyond those clearly bent on a war for which we see no compelling reason, and from which we believe the unintended consequences are likely to be catastrophic.”</p>
<p>Suave Martinet</p>
<p>Why Powell simply saluted, in full knowledge that his imprimatur would grease the skids to a highly dubious war can be debated. It may be as simple as the clues he provided in his memoir about honoring the “wisdom of superiors” and his penchant to obey, even when it made little sense and even when lots of folks would lose their homes and their lives.</p>
<p>Who was the colonel in Vietnam who insisted he was duty bound to destroy a village in order to save it from the communists? Powell was cut from similar cloth, albeit with a greater sense of subtlety and a much better knack for PR.</p>
<p>In April 2006, Powell admitted to journalist Robert Scheer that top State Department experts never believed that Iraq posed an imminent nuclear threat, but that the president followed the misleading advice of Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA in making the claim.</p>
<p>It may simply be that by the time other generals promote you to general (the current system) you have distinguished yourself first and foremost by saluting smartly — by obeying and not asking too many questions.</p>
<p>But why Powell acquiesced is less important than THAT he went along. Though perhaps not the brightest star in the galaxy, he certainly was aware he was being co-opted, and that he needed not only to bless the war but also to wax enthusiastic about it, in order to remain welcome in the White House.</p>
<p>Surely he had learned something since his days in Vietnam — something about the “wisdom” of superiors, and of blind obedience. He could have said no, but he just did not have it in him to do so.</p>
<p>Powell’s stature (especially with the FCM) made his blessing of the Iraq War especially valuable to Cheney/Rumsfeld and the war-hungry neocons.</p>
<p>“The Only Guy Who Could Perhaps Have Stopped It”</p>
<p>Don’t take my word for it. Take it from the quintessential Republican elder statesman, former Secretary of State James Baker — hero of the Florida escapade that stopped the recount in Florida and, with the help of the U.S. Supreme Court, gave the 2000 election to George W. Bush. In his book The War Within, Bob Woodward wrote: “Powell…didn’t think [Iraq] was a necessary war, and yet he had gone along in a hundred ways, large and small…He had succumbed to the momentum and his own sense of deference — even obedience — to the president…Perhaps more than anyone else in the administration, Powell had become the ‘closer’ for the president’s case on war.”</p>
<p>On Oct. 19, 2008, Tom Brokaw asked Powell about this on “Meet the Press;” Brokaw alluded to Woodward’s revelations and how Baker had grilled Powell when he appeared before the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group. Here’s Brokaw quoting Woodard’s book:</p>
<p>“‘Why did we go into Iraq with so few people?’ Baker asked. … ‘Colin just exploded at that point,’ [former Secretary of Defense William] Perry recalled later. ‘He unloaded,’ [former White House Chief of Staff and now CIA Director Leon] Panetta added, ‘He was angry. He was mad as hell.’… Powell left [the Iraq Study Group meeting].</p>
<p>“Baker turned to Panetta and said solemnly. ‘He’s the only guy who could have perhaps prevented this from happening.’”</p>
<p>I added the bold, so you wouldn’t miss it.</p>
<p>Powell responded to Brokaw’s question by again pointing his finger at the CIA – “a lot of the information that the intelligence community provided us was wrong” – and then insisting that his war role wasn’t that consequential.</p>
<p>Stung by Baker’s observation, Powell said, “I also assure you that it was not a correct assessment by anybody that my statements or my leaving the administration would have stopped” going to war.</p>
<p>Unlike the Good Samaritan who went out of his way to help a stranger in trouble, Powell simply looked to his own convenience, carefully protecting his status within the Bush administration and keeping his place at fashionable Washington dinner parties.</p>
<p>Whether he could have stopped the war or not, the truth is that Colin Powell didn’t even try. He would not risk his reputation for all those victims – Iraqi and American – who have died or suffered horribly from an unnecessary war. The blot on his record was self-inflicted; the FCM is likely to run out of Clorox trying to remove the stain.</p>
<p>RAY McGOVERN was an Army officer and CIA analyst for almost 30 year. He now serves on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. He is a contributor to <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Imperial Crusades: Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia</a>, edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair (Verso). He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:rrmcgovern@aol.com" type="external">rrmcgovern@aol.com</a></p>
<p>A shorter version of this article appeared at Consortiumnews.com.</p> | true | 4 | watching retired gen colin powell refer parable good samaritan sundays memorial day ceremonies mall washington struck powell giving hypocrisy bad name familiar good samaritan story also underreported behavior gen powell comeback kid fawning corporate media fcm know two mesh powells welldocumented disregard borne brunt battle places company priest levite good samaritan parable seeing man attacked robbers side road walked right sadly powell long record placing wounded vulnerable list priorities far undying need get promoted promote powells rhetoric course would us believe otherwise memorial day event powell hailed wounded warriors iraq afghanistan cameras cut several severely damaged veterans lauding love care receive families powell noted passing 10000 parents fulltime care providers veterans able take care moving ceremony able keep eye grand old flag stay denial thousands wasted american lives mention tens tens thousands wasted iraqi lives well many thousands incapacitated life ask noble cause wounded warriors former commander chief president george w bush argued deaths worth casualties suffered pursuit noble cause claim suggest troops killed wounded killed wounded vain dishonor memory belittle sacrifice inflict still pain loved ones bush never could explain noble cause despite months months vigils camping outside bush house crawford asking question hearts certainly go wounded families killed wounded think surest way dishonor avoid examining real reasons loss use lessons learned sons daughters sacrificed glibly lost many good army colleagues friends vietnam back generals politicians military civilian leaders promoted powell careerists like helped obscure real reasons behind carnage even corporate media became quite fawning hostilities iraq afghanistan drag casualties continue mount feel obligation help spread truth around however painful may truth best disinfectant best protection misadventures happening againand suppose understandable bravest widows widowers parents like cindy sheehan whose son casey sheehan killed sadr city april 4 2004 able summon enough courage grief challenge vacuous explanations bush people like powell see microcosm sheehan family caseys father pat sheehan agree caseys death vain pat told casey met honorable death since sent rescue comrades pinned hostile forces sadr city one sure going caseys mind later become clear rather volunteering illconceived rescue mission casey truck mechanic ordered onto open truck superiors unwilling risk hides one caseys comrades scene later told mother let us assume casey nonetheless eager rescue comrades still begs question asked pat sheehan casey comrades iraq first place noble cause pats reaction lack thereof almost made regret asked remembering almost makes want stop essay almost ministers priests rabbis officiating funerals memorial services fallen spinning renditions dulce et decorum est pro patria mori sweet fitting die ones country small wonder even know better choose escape reality much pain thereand denial helps well help comes charlatans like bush cheney rumsfeld powell latter trying reestablish posterboy status eagerly cooperative fcm aside whose tvs stuck fox news radios rush limbaugh fewer fewer americans believe lingering lies even funeral directors preachers tread sparingly oncefamiliar rhetoric used cynically washington facilitate careless carnage dead must died vain isaiah mall besides good samaritan parable powell quoted isaiah bringing comfort people surely isaiah mean done lies top lies isaiah shrinking violet got killed speaking bluntly lies time justified oppression margins imagine isaiah would say us hear americans time sad also honest must summon courage handle truth young warriors literally countless iraqis died vain excuse needless sacrifice nothing bring back least meretricious rhetoric insult memory sacrifice vain hear task twofold 1 bury dead respect care wounded families 2 ensure truth gets war built lies soon happen isaiah think would add also precisely owe fallen families hold account responsible sending battle false pretenses quote thensenate intelligence committee head jay rockefeller last june fiveyear investigation bipartisan vote approving senate intelligence committee report rockefeller summed making case war administration repeatedly presented intelligence fact reality unsubstantiated contradicted even nonexistent160 result american people led believe threat iraq much greater actually existed plenty blame go around shared adolescent president liked dress call war president openly savored presiding called first war 21st century mention powerhungry sadistic bent men chose vice president secretary defense treachery cia seniors george tenet john mclaughlin enabler would war dead limbless bodies loved ones recall isaiahs words comfort mention good samaritan colin powell conscience chosen walk right lets face neither texas air national guards famous pilot fivetimesdraftdeferred former vice president credibility lead country war especially one based highly dubious threat needed credibility someone worn uniform distinction someone though never command major army combat unit good briefing media chairman joint chiefs staff glorious gulf war 1991 americans led believe virtually casualtyfree actually since trying spread truth around worth brief digression casualtylite gulf war according powells memoir american journey attack iraq powell warned british counterpart marshal royal air force sir david craig risks involved bombing iraqs socalled weapons mass destruction installations powell told indeed part plan craig expressed particular worry release agents biological installations bit risky eh powell writes told craig attendant risk release worth heads south blame powell writes less concerned chemical exposures concerned less hostilities ended us army engineers blew chemical agents large iraqi storage site near kamasiyah 100000 us troops downwind many troops among 210000 veterans suffering nervous diseases finally receiving disability payments came known gulf war syndrome far prewar posture blame powell joined pentagon cia efforts cover tragedy reports horrible fiasco kamasiyah hit media erupted macho outrage saying still active duty would rape pillage throughout government find responsible160 course kamasiyah happened watch typically fcm reported macho remark gave pass despite numerous veterans pleas support powell effect went awol issue gulf war illnesses never acknowledging shared responsibility took interest effect made huge contribution unconscionable delay recognizing gulf war illnesses one every four troops deployed gulf 1991 receiving benefits long entitled thanks gen powell didnt know thank fcm persistent romance gen powell sorry digression get chest useful uniform back bushcheneyrumsfeld quest someone sell attack iraq someone media loved someone military credentials would told perhaps read powells memoir brags subservience wisdom line needed someone bright could eloquent someone used taking orders would squander credibility boss boss would ask bright apparently three years powell fledgling infantry officers instructed fort benning counterinsurgency armys understanding fight improved160 either powell able master key learnings course powell writes memoir bought superiors notion win hearts minds powell calls counterinsurgency cutting edge however chilling destruction homes crops reads cold print today young officer conditioned believe wisdom superiors obey qualms counterinsurgency cutting edge hack peasants crops thus denying food viet congit made sense days duty honor country remember made sense days watchword young army officers early sixties supreme faith wisdom superiors blind obedience rest us make beyond colonel easy prey small wonder hapless powell easy prey bushcheneyrumsfeld needed sell war american people hoped rest world hard fathom wisdom powell saw superiors decisions clear lacked courage challenge whether blind faith highly exaggerated dubiously moral notion obedience lack conscience simple cowardice tell lies support white house decision war iraq160 problem wont powell saluted sharply even though four days prior feb 5 2003 un speech chief staff col lawrence wilkerson decided intelligence white house conjured justify war pure bullt according wilkerson160 powell ended using anyway powell handlers acutely aware war would weeks away powell spoke one small significant sign seemed earliest coverup related soontobegin attack iraq literal coverup accomplished even powell conducted postspeech press briefing customary spot front security council wall adorned reproduction picassos famous antiwar painting guernica prior press conference wall hanging covered another fabric pr person recognized impropriety trying justify new war aggression guernica backdrop usual powell speech press conference went swimmingly gullible shameless choice fcm embarrassingly generous accolades blameshifting became clear mid2003 wmd stockpiles mobile bioweapons labs anything else conjured un speech powell smoothly shifted blame cia fans fcm transformed powell noble victim tragically suffering blot record real fault though abundantly clear thencia director george tenet accomplicedeputy john mclaughlin play treacherous role cia director ever made secretary state worth salt anything certainly help start unnecessary war besides safe bet already clear us veteran intelligence professionals sanity vips least equally clear powell afternoon powells un speech formally warned president bush evidence adduced powell fell far short justifying attack iraq attack would huge fillip terrorism around world since obvious powell thrown lot rolling juggernaut war urged president widen circle advisers beyond clearly bent war see compelling reason believe unintended consequences likely catastrophic suave martinet powell simply saluted full knowledge imprimatur would grease skids highly dubious war debated may simple clues provided memoir honoring wisdom superiors penchant obey even made little sense even lots folks would lose homes lives colonel vietnam insisted duty bound destroy village order save communists powell cut similar cloth albeit greater sense subtlety much better knack pr april 2006 powell admitted journalist robert scheer top state department experts never believed iraq posed imminent nuclear threat president followed misleading advice vice president dick cheney cia making claim may simply time generals promote general current system distinguished first foremost saluting smartly obeying asking many questions powell acquiesced less important went along though perhaps brightest star galaxy certainly aware coopted needed bless war also wax enthusiastic order remain welcome white house surely learned something since days vietnam something wisdom superiors blind obedience could said powells stature especially fcm made blessing iraq war especially valuable cheneyrumsfeld warhungry neocons guy could perhaps stopped dont take word take quintessential republican elder statesman former secretary state james baker hero florida escapade stopped recount florida help us supreme court gave 2000 election george w bush book war within bob woodward wrote powelldidnt think iraq necessary war yet gone along hundred ways large smallhe succumbed momentum sense deference even obedience presidentperhaps anyone else administration powell become closer presidents case war oct 19 2008 tom brokaw asked powell meet press brokaw alluded woodwards revelations baker grilled powell appeared bakerhamilton iraq study group heres brokaw quoting woodards book go iraq people baker asked colin exploded point former secretary defense william perry recalled later unloaded former white house chief staff cia director leon panetta added angry mad hell powell left iraq study group meeting baker turned panetta said solemnly hes guy could perhaps prevented happening added bold wouldnt miss powell responded brokaws question pointing finger cia lot information intelligence community provided us wrong insisting war role wasnt consequential stung bakers observation powell said also assure correct assessment anybody statements leaving administration would stopped going war unlike good samaritan went way help stranger trouble powell simply looked convenience carefully protecting status within bush administration keeping place fashionable washington dinner parties whether could stopped war truth colin powell didnt even try would risk reputation victims iraqi american died suffered horribly unnecessary war blot record selfinflicted fcm likely run clorox trying remove stain ray mcgovern army officer cia analyst almost 30 year serves steering group veteran intelligence professionals sanity contributor imperial crusades iraq afghanistan yugoslavia edited alexander cockburn jeffrey st clair verso reached rrmcgovernaolcom shorter version article appeared consortiumnewscom | 1,783 |
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/paul-wolfowitz-obama-should-do-more-to-aid-in-libya.html" type="external">Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Paul Wolfowitz</a></p>
<p>The president acted bravely in choosing to strike at Osama bin Laden. Will he act on behalf of the people of Libya next? Former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz makes the case for further decisive action in the Middle East, in the current issue of Newsweek.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/paul-wolfowitz-obama-should-do-more-to-aid-in-libya.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/what-osama-bin-ladens-death-means-to-a-son-of-911.html" type="external">If My Dad Were Still Here</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Max Giaccone</a></p>
<p>Max Giaccone was 10 years old on 9/11, when the towers fell and he lost his father. In this week's Newsweek, Giaccone on what Osama bin Laden's death means to him.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/what-osama-bin-ladens-death-means-to-a-son-of-911.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/george-w-bush-officials-on-osama-bin-laden-death.html" type="external">George W. Bush Officials on Osama bin Laden Death</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Mike Giglio</a> and <a href="" type="internal">R.M. Schneiderman</a></p>
<p>Obama finished the job, but taking out Osama bin Laden was one of the Bush administration’s top goals. W.’s top aides, from key confidante Karen Hughes to Rumsfeld deputy Steven Bucci, reflect on the kill.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/george-w-bush-officials-on-osama-bin-laden-death.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/why-osama-bin-laden-was-killed-by-navy-seals-and-not-taken-alive.html" type="external">Why Bin Laden Was Not Taken Alive</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Paul Campos</a></p>
<p>Capturing al Qaeda’s leader could have yielded useful intelligence—but would have led to a political and legal circus, and embarrassed the U.S. The political reality is that the president had no choice, writes Paul F. Campos.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/why-osama-bin-laden-was-killed-by-navy-seals-and-not-taken-alive.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/navy-seal-combat-video-helmet-cams-did-obama-watch-the-bin-laden-raid.html" type="external">Navy SEAL Helmet Cams: Did Obama Watch the bin Laden Raid Video?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Ian Yarett</a></p>
<p>The iconic White House Situation Room photo has led to speculation that officials were viewing the raid—live via helmet cam. Ian Yarett on how combat video works.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/navy-seal-combat-video-helmet-cams-did-obama-watch-the-bin-laden-raid.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/osama-bin-laden-dead-photos-will-give-closure.html" type="external">Photos Will Give Closure on Osama</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Ralph Begleiter</a></p>
<p>As much more sensitive classified material flows from WikiLeaks, it's important to publicly document the death of bin Laden. Ralph Begleiter on why releasing the Osama photos would be a lesson for the world in transparency.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/osama-bin-laden-dead-photos-will-give-closure.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/fatima-bhutto-pakistan-is-playing-dumb-in-bin-laden-death.html" type="external">Pakistan Is Playing Dumb</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Fatima Bhutto</a></p>
<p>The Islamabad establishment has been feigning ignorance for years. Fatima Bhutto on the price ordinary Pakistanis pay as their leaders allow the country to fall apart.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/fatima-bhutto-pakistan-is-playing-dumb-in-bin-laden-death.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/tony-blair-america-is-prepared-to-act.html" type="external">Tony Blair Sees Justice in bin Laden's Death</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Tony Blair</a></p>
<p>However long it’s taken, someone who set about deliberately killing large numbers of innocent people was finally brought to justice.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/tony-blair-america-is-prepared-to-act.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/osama-bin-laden-he-died-a-fool-and-has-no-legacy-says-dana-vachon.html" type="external">Osama bin Laden Died a Fool and Has No Legacy</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Dana Vachon</a></p>
<p>Osama bin Laden thought he was launching a revolution, but by the time he died the Arab Spring and America’s mortgage meltdown made him irrelevant. Novelist Dana Vachon on the terrorist’s non-legacy.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/06/osama-bin-laden-he-died-a-fool-and-has-no-legacy-says-dana-vachon.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/pervez-musharraf-on-the-raid-and-death-of-osama-bin-laden.html" type="external">Pakistan's Former Prez: U.S. Broke the Rules</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Mike Giglio</a></p>
<p>Pervez Musharraf calls the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden a violation of his nation’s sovereignty. Newsweek’s Mike Giglio interviews the former president in this week’s issue.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/pervez-musharraf-on-the-raid-and-death-of-osama-bin-laden.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/situation-room-secrets-audrey-tomasan-to-burn-bags.html" type="external">The Secrets of the Situation Room: From Audrey Tomasan to Burn Bags</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Daniel Stone</a></p>
<p>The Situation Room is one of the most secure conference rooms in the world; only a few people ever get to see it in action. Daniel Stone decodes the secrets hiding in the Sit Room.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/situation-room-secrets-audrey-tomasan-to-burn-bags.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/bin-laden-kill-independents-still-not-sold-on-obama.html" type="external">It's the Economy, Stupid</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Douglas Schoen</a></p>
<p>Why has President Obama's post-Bin Laden bounce been so limited, especially among Independents? Douglas Schoen, analyzing the new Newsweek/Daily Beast poll, finds an answer in Thursday's jobless jump.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/bin-laden-kill-independents-still-not-sold-on-obama.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/tom-clancys-dead-or-alive-did-it-predict-the-osama-raid.html" type="external">Did Tom Clancy Predict Raid?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Nick Summers</a></p>
<p>In Dead or Alive, the author, who previously foretold how passenger planes could be used as weapons, paints an eerily accurate picture of the terrorist’s takedown.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/05/tom-clancys-dead-or-alive-did-it-predict-the-osama-raid.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/osama-bin-laden-dead-photos-why-obama-wont-release-them.html" type="external">Why Obama Won't Release Osama bin Laden's Death Photos</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Daniel Stone</a></p>
<p>Grisly shots of Osama bin Laden’s corpse won’t be released, the president decided today. Daniel Stone explains the controversial judgment call—and how the “gory” images could have backfired.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/osama-bin-laden-dead-photos-why-obama-wont-release-them.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/pakistani-official-says-cia-was-warned-of-suspicions-about-bin-laden-compound.html" type="external">Did CIA Ignore Bin Laden Warning?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Philip Shenon</a></p>
<p>The Pakistani Foreign Ministry says it told U.S. intelligence of suspicions about the compound in Abbottabad where bin Laden was found. Philip Shenon reports on the claim’s credibility.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/pakistani-official-says-cia-was-warned-of-suspicions-about-bin-laden-compound.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-death-heightens-tensions-in-kabul.html" type="external">Bin Laden's Death Heightens Tensions in Kabul</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Ann Marlowe</a></p>
<p>There were no celebrations in the Afghan capital on the news of bin Laden's killing. Some hoped Mullah Omar and other terrorists would return to Afghanistan from their Pakistani refuges, but mostly a state of alert was ratcheted up, writes Ann Marlowe.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-death-heightens-tensions-in-kabul.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/osama-bin-laden-death-operation-reveals-pakistans-betrayal-of-us-trust-and-aid.html" type="external">Bin Laden Death Reveals Pakistan's Betrayal</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Richard Miniter</a></p>
<p>That Osama bin Laden could hide for years in Pakistan shows that Afghanistan is a sideshow. Richard Miniter says the real war is in Pakistan, which treats al Qaeda terrorists like family.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/osama-bin-laden-death-operation-reveals-pakistans-betrayal-of-us-trust-and-aid.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/with-bin-laden-dead-mullah-omar-should-be-next.html" type="external">Mullah Omar Should Be Next to Go</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Allan Dodds Frank</a></p>
<p>Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda’s No. 2, may be many analysts’ pick as the top terrorist target in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, but Allan Dodds Frank says the Navy SEALs should hunt down a far more important spiritual leader: Mullah Omar.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/with-bin-laden-dead-mullah-omar-should-be-next.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/death-of-bin-laden-how-dna-swiftly-identified-his-body.html" type="external">How DNA Swiftly Identified Bin Laden</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Casey Schwartz</a></p>
<p>The quick killing, identification, and burial of the al Qaeda mastermind may raise some skepticism, but the latest DNA technology enables exactly this kind of speed, writes Casey Schwartz.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/04/death-of-bin-laden-how-dna-swiftly-identified-his-body.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-family-and-biographer-reacts-to-his-death.html" type="external">The Bin Ladens' Family Struggle</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Jean Sasson</a></p>
<p>The co-author of a memoir by Osama bin Laden’s son and one of his wives shares the reaction of the family and her thoughts on the news—and what he means to them.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-family-and-biographer-reacts-to-his-death.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/the-republicans-bin-laden-dilemma-for-2012-presidential-campaign.html" type="external">The GOP's 2012 Jitters</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Howard Kurtz</a></p>
<p>Obama just took out the world’s top terrorist—providing a burst of momentum just as the 2012 race begins. Howard Kurtz on the GOP dilemma—and why the Dems’ advantage may be short-lived.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/the-republicans-bin-laden-dilemma-for-2012-presidential-campaign.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama-confirms-al-qaeda-leaders-killing.html" type="external">‘Justice Is Done’</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Howard Kurtz</a></p>
<p>The president’s announcement that a U.S. team assassinated Osama bin Laden, nearly 10 years after 9/11, is a morale boost for the U.S.—and will likely stand as Obama’s greatest achievement.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama-confirms-al-qaeda-leaders-killing.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-read-longform-journalism-about-the-al-qaeda-terrorist.html" type="external">The Decade's Best Osama Reads</a>By <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p>
<p>From the time he slipped from our grasp in Tora Bora to the obituary of "The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism," The Daily Beast picks the best longform journalism about Osama bin Laden.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-read-longform-journalism-about-the-al-qaeda-terrorist.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-newspaper-headlines.html" type="external">Front Pages From Around the World</a>By <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p>
<p>It was a death that shocked the world: From screaming insults against the “butcher of 9/11” to shots of cheering crowds, see how the papers covered Osama Bin Laden’s downfall.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-newspaper-headlines.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/obama-approval-numbers-after-bin-laden-kill.html" type="external">Obama Approval Numbers After Bin Laden Kill</a>By <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p>
<p>While the public lauds the president’s performance killing Bin Laden, he got no overall bounce in a new Newsweek/Daily Beast poll. Also: Obama vs. Bush on terror and Obama vs. Trump in 2012.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/obama-approval-numbers-after-bin-laden-kill.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/al-qaeda-retaliation-terror-red-alert-zones.html" type="external">Al Qaeda Retaliation: Terror Red Alert Zones</a>By <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast</a></p>
<p>After bin Laden’s death came ominous warnings of retaliation from several al Qaeda members. From New York to Indonesia, these are the regions that are amping up security and bracing for the worst.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/al-qaeda-retaliation-terror-red-alert-zones.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-photos-is-he-really-dead.html" type="external">Conspiracy Theorists Doubt Osama's Death</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Josh Dzieza</a></p>
<p>Osama bin Laden conspiracy theories have been circulating ever since September 11. Josh Dzieza on calls for photos of his corpse as proof that the man hunt is really over.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-photos-is-he-really-dead.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-courier-abu-ahmad-al-kuwaiti.html" type="external">Osama bin Laden's Courier: The Man Who Led the U.S. to bin Laden</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Josh Dzieza</a></p>
<p>Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, the big question is how did the U.S. catch him? Josh Dzieza on the man who blew the terrorist leader’s cover.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-ladens-courier-abu-ahmad-al-kuwaiti.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-was-my-neighbor-in-abbottabad.html" type="external">Osama Was My Neighbor</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Ron Moreau</a> and <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">Sami Yousafzai</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-was-my-neighbor-in-abbottabad.html" type="external">Osama Was My Neighbor</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Ron Moreau</a> and <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">Sami Yousafzai</a></p>
<p>Residents from the upscale neighborhood where bin Laden spent his last days talk to Newsweek/Daily Beast about hearing the firefight, living next to bin Laden, and mourning the loss of a leader.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-was-my-neighbor-in-abbottabad.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-twisted-love-life.html" type="external">Osama Bin Laden's Twisted Love Life</a>By <a href="" type="internal">David A. Graham</a></p>
<p>When the Navy SEALs stormed bin Laden’s compound, he reportedly used his wife as a human shield. David Graham on the terrorist leader’s marriages, divorces, and numerous children. Plus, The Daily Beast's full coverage of bin Laden's death.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-twisted-love-life.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-inside-his-pakistan-compound.html" type="external">Inside Osama bin Laden's Pakistan Compound</a>By <a href="" type="internal">David A. Graham</a></p>
<p>When he was killed Sunday, Osama bin Laden was hiding in plain sight—in a small town next to Pakistan’s military academy. David A. Graham on the clues that gave him away, and how the U.S. Navy practiced for the raid.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-inside-his-pakistan-compound.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-controversial-sea-burial.html" type="external">Osama Bin Laden's Controversial Sea Burial</a>By <a href="" type="internal">McKay Coppins</a></p>
<p>Within hours of his death, the U.S. Navy discarded Osama bin Laden’s body in the Arabian Sea, outraging both Glenn Beck and radical Muslim clerics. McKay Coppins on the government’s rationale.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-controversial-sea-burial.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-timeline-life-and-death-of-a-terrorist.html" type="external">Osama bin Laden: Life and Death of a Terrorist</a>By <a href="" type="internal">McKay Coppins</a></p>
<p>Bin Laden’s death marks the end of a long, successful career in senseless jihad. From founding the al Qaeda terrorist network to masterminding the 9/11 attacks, a timeline of his life and atrocities. Plus, read full coverage of bin Laden's death.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-timeline-life-and-death-of-a-terrorist.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-death-will-reopen-americas-911-wounds.html" type="external">Osama Death Will Reopen America's 9/11 Wounds</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Jessica Stern</a></p>
<p>Bin Laden’s death will remind America of everything it has sacrificed in the decade since 9/11—making the moment not only an opportunity to rejoice, but a time to grieve what the nation has irretrievably lost.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-death-will-reopen-americas-911-wounds.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/salman-rushdie-pakistans-deadly-game.html" type="external">Salman Rushdie: Pakistan's Deadly Game</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Salman Rushdie</a></p>
<p>Are we really supposed to believe that Pakistan didn’t know Osama bin Laden was living there for five years? Salman Rushdie on why it’s time to declare the country a terrorist state.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/salman-rushdie-pakistans-deadly-game.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-his-pakistan-protectors.html" type="external">Why the U.S. Acted Alone</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Christopher Dickey</a></p>
<p>Islamabad’s Al Qaeda allies complicated the hunt for Public Enemy No. 1. Christopher Dickey on how the U.S. went over the heads of bin Laden's Pakistan protectors.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-his-pakistan-protectors.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/al-qaeda-after-bin-ladens-death.html" type="external">Who Was Hiding Bin Laden?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Bruce Riedel</a></p>
<p>The terror mastermind was finally found in Pakistan's heartland. Who will lead in the post-Arab spring era? Bruce Riedel on the unanswered questions bin Laden left in his wake.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/al-qaeda-after-bin-ladens-death.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Obama’s Greatest Accomplishment?</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Andrew Sullivan</a></p>
<p>The president who found and killed Osama bin Laden—a terrorist who attacked American soil—will be very difficult not to re-elect. Andrew Sullivan on Obama's new glow.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Blogging the Arc of Justice</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Andrew Sullivan</a></p>
<p>The Dish’s Andrew Sullivan charted the night's astounding events—noting that Sunday was the anniversary of both George W. Bush’s "Mission Accomplished" and the announcement of Hitler's death.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-death-time-to-end-war-on-terror.html" type="external">The War on Terror Is Over</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Peter Beinart</a></p>
<p>Bin Laden’s death gives the U.S. a golden opportunity to bury the war on terror—a distraction, Peter Beinart argues, that distorted America’s foreign policy for too long.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-death-time-to-end-war-on-terror.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-pakistan-haven.html" type="external">Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan Haven</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Asra Q. Nomani</a></p>
<p>It’s not shocking that Osama bin Laden was found in a comfortable Pakistan mansion—what’s shocking is that the U.S. pretends the country isn’t a harbor for terrorists.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-pakistan-haven.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-death-and-al-qaedas-battle-against-irrelevance.html" type="external">Al Qaeda On the Ropes</a>By <a href="" type="internal">P.J. Crowley</a></p>
<p>Bin Laden’s death doesn’t end the terror cell. But it’s the latest in a series of major setbacks. Ex-State Dept. spokesman P.J. Crowley on the group’s battle against irrelevance.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-ladens-death-and-al-qaedas-battle-against-irrelevance.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-the-reaction-from-pakistan.html" type="external">The Anger from Pakistan</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Eliza Griswold</a></p>
<p>As the world reels from the death of Osama Bin Laden, the mood in Karachi is changing from indifference to anger at the continuing American presence there. Eliza Griswold reports from Karachi.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-the-reaction-from-pakistan.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/how-obama-and-the-west-wing-managed-bin-laden-news.html" type="external">How the News Was Managed</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Daniel Stone</a></p>
<p>From making sure nothing leaked to deciding which room Obama would use to make his announcement, White House officials carefully orchestrated how the world would be told about the killing of the al Qaeda leader, Daniel Stone reports.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/02/how-obama-and-the-west-wing-managed-bin-laden-news.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-death-911-victims-relatives-express-happiness-and-caution.html" type="external">Death of Bin Laden: 9/11 Relatives Happy But Cautious</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Shushannah Walshe</a></p>
<p>Families of World Trade Center and other 9/11 victims say the killing of the al Qaeda mastermind is welcome news—but warn that angered terrorists may strike again, reports Shushannah Walshe.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-death-911-victims-relatives-express-happiness-and-caution.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-dead-911-families-react.html" type="external">Watch Video: Osama's Death Doesn't Bring Closure for 9/11 Families</a>By <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Beast Video</a></p>
<p>When President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed, celebrations erupted across the country—but for those who lost loved ones on 9/11, the news was bittersweet. WATCH VIDEO of their reactions to the al Qaeda mastermind's death.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-dead-911-families-react.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-death-why-he-should-have-been-captured-not-killed.html" type="external">Bin Laden Should Have Been Captured, Not Killed</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Geoffrey Robertson</a></p>
<p>As the White House admits bin Laden was unarmed, Geoffrey Robertson argues that the U.S. missed its chance to take the terrorist alive, detail his crimes in court—and rob him of martyrdom.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/osama-bin-laden-death-why-he-should-have-been-captured-not-killed.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/bin-laden-killed-arab-worlds-mixed-reaction.html" type="external">Arab World's Mixed Reaction</a>By <a href="" type="internal">Fadel Lamen</a></p>
<p>As America celebrated the bin Laden killing, the response in the Middle East was more equivocal. Fadel Lamen translates the thoughts of angry leaders, probing columnists and Internet jihadis.</p>
<p><a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/05/03/bin-laden-killed-arab-worlds-mixed-reaction.html" type="external">MORE &gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p>Watch Obama's Speech</p>
<p>Photo: Inside the bin Laden Compound</p>
<p>Photos: <a href="/content/dailybeast/galleries/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-s-death-the-world-reacts.html" type="external">The World Reacts</a></p> | true | 4 | hit gaddafi nextby paul wolfowitz president acted bravely choosing strike osama bin laden act behalf people libya next former deputy defense secretary paul wolfowitz makes case decisive action middle east current issue newsweek gtgt dad still hereby max giaccone max giaccone 10 years old 911 towers fell lost father weeks newsweek giaccone osama bin ladens death means gtgt george w bush officials osama bin laden deathby mike giglio rm schneiderman obama finished job taking osama bin laden one bush administrations top goals ws top aides key confidante karen hughes rumsfeld deputy steven bucci reflect kill gtgt bin laden taken aliveby paul campos capturing al qaedas leader could yielded useful intelligencebut would led political legal circus embarrassed us political reality president choice writes paul f campos gtgt start finish day top stories daily beast speedy smart summary news need know nothing dont navy seal helmet cams obama watch bin laden raid videoby ian yarett iconic white house situation room photo led speculation officials viewing raidlive via helmet cam ian yarett combat video works gtgt photos give closure osamaby ralph begleiter much sensitive classified material flows wikileaks important publicly document death bin laden ralph begleiter releasing osama photos would lesson world transparency gtgt pakistan playing dumbby fatima bhutto islamabad establishment feigning ignorance years fatima bhutto price ordinary pakistanis pay leaders allow country fall apart gtgt tony blair sees justice bin ladens deathby tony blair however long taken someone set deliberately killing large numbers innocent people finally brought justice gtgt osama bin laden died fool legacyby dana vachon osama bin laden thought launching revolution time died arab spring americas mortgage meltdown made irrelevant novelist dana vachon terrorists nonlegacy gtgt pakistans former prez us broke rulesby mike giglio pervez musharraf calls us raid killed osama bin laden violation nations sovereignty newsweeks mike giglio interviews former president weeks issue gtgt secrets situation room audrey tomasan burn bagsby daniel stone situation room one secure conference rooms world people ever get see action daniel stone decodes secrets hiding sit room gtgt economy stupidby douglas schoen president obamas postbin laden bounce limited especially among independents douglas schoen analyzing new newsweekdaily beast poll finds answer thursdays jobless jump gtgt tom clancy predict raidby nick summers dead alive author previously foretold passenger planes could used weapons paints eerily accurate picture terrorists takedown gtgt obama wont release osama bin ladens death photosby daniel stone grisly shots osama bin ladens corpse wont released president decided today daniel stone explains controversial judgment calland gory images could backfired gtgt cia ignore bin laden warningby philip shenon pakistani foreign ministry says told us intelligence suspicions compound abbottabad bin laden found philip shenon reports claims credibility gtgt bin ladens death heightens tensions kabulby ann marlowe celebrations afghan capital news bin ladens killing hoped mullah omar terrorists would return afghanistan pakistani refuges mostly state alert ratcheted writes ann marlowe gtgt bin laden death reveals pakistans betrayalby richard miniter osama bin laden could hide years pakistan shows afghanistan sideshow richard miniter says real war pakistan treats al qaeda terrorists like family gtgt mullah omar next goby allan dodds frank ayman alzawahri al qaedas 2 may many analysts pick top terrorist target wake osama bin ladens death allan dodds frank says navy seals hunt far important spiritual leader mullah omar gtgt dna swiftly identified bin ladenby casey schwartz quick killing identification burial al qaeda mastermind may raise 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rushdie pakistans deadly gameby salman rushdie really supposed believe pakistan didnt know osama bin laden living five years salman rushdie time declare country terrorist state gtgt us acted aloneby christopher dickey islamabads al qaeda allies complicated hunt public enemy 1 christopher dickey us went heads bin ladens pakistan protectors gtgt hiding bin ladenby bruce riedel terror mastermind finally found pakistans heartland lead postarab spring era bruce riedel unanswered questions bin laden left wake gtgt obamas greatest accomplishmentby andrew sullivan president found killed osama bin ladena terrorist attacked american soilwill difficult reelect andrew sullivan obamas new glow gtgt blogging arc justiceby andrew sullivan dishs andrew sullivan charted nights astounding eventsnoting sunday anniversary george w bushs mission accomplished announcement hitlers death gtgt war terror overby peter beinart bin ladens death gives us golden opportunity bury war terrora distraction peter beinart argues distorted americas foreign policy long gtgt osama bin ladens pakistan havenby asra q nomani shocking osama bin laden found comfortable pakistan mansionwhats shocking us pretends country isnt harbor terrorists gtgt al qaeda ropesby pj crowley bin ladens death doesnt end terror cell latest series major setbacks exstate dept spokesman pj crowley groups battle irrelevance gtgt anger pakistanby eliza griswold world reels death osama bin laden mood karachi changing indifference anger continuing american presence eliza griswold reports karachi gtgt news managedby daniel stone making sure nothing leaked deciding room obama would use make announcement white house officials carefully orchestrated world would told killing al qaeda leader daniel stone reports gtgt death bin laden 911 relatives happy cautiousby shushannah walshe families world trade center 911 victims say killing al qaeda mastermind welcome newsbut warn angered terrorists may strike reports shushannah walshe gtgt watch video osamas death doesnt bring closure 911 familiesby daily beast video president obama announced osama bin laden killed celebrations erupted across countrybut lost loved ones 911 news bittersweet watch video reactions al qaeda masterminds death gtgt bin laden captured killedby geoffrey robertson white house admits bin laden unarmed geoffrey robertson argues us missed chance take terrorist alive detail crimes courtand rob martyrdom gtgt arab worlds mixed reactionby fadel lamen america celebrated bin laden killing response middle east equivocal fadel lamen translates thoughts angry leaders probing columnists internet jihadis gtgt watch obamas speech photo inside bin laden compound photos world reacts | 1,381 |
<p>As if the right needed to add to its anti-democratic pedigree, Republican leaders have flocked to Tegucigalpa to bolster the junta in Honduras.</p>
<p>Nine Congressional Republicans – including seven in the past week as the crisis heats up — have now met with Roberto Micheletti, who took power after a military coup June 28.</p>
<p>This is a coup that has been denounced by everyone from the Organization of American States to the United Nations, which passed a resolution calling “categorically on all states to recognise no government other than that” of the elected president, Manuel Zelaya. No state has recognized Micheletti as president.</p>
<p>But U.S. Republicans have.</p>
<p>“He is the president of Honduras,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday. “Some people tell me ‘de facto’ government, but under the Constitution of the Republic I am seated here with the president of this country and it’s a great honor.”</p>
<p>Leading us further down the rabbit hole is South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Foreign Relations committee, who visited Micheletti and his backers Oct. 2: “We saw a government working hard to follow the rule of law, uphold its constitution, and to protect democracy for the people of Honduras.”</p>
<p>Consistent with every other country, from Venezuela on the left to Colombia on the right, U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy has been to not recognize or meet with Micheletti.</p>
<p>Since contact with Micheletti is in direct conflict with stated U.S. interests, these nine Republicans, as well as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has aided them, seem to have broken U.S. law. The Logan Act says that anyone who without government authorization “directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”</p>
<p>Tomas Ayuso, a research fellow at the Council on Hemispheric affairs who spent the summer reporting on the crisis from Tegucigalpa, agrees. The members of Congress meeting with Micheletti “are in violation of the Logan Act,” he said.</p>
<p>There have been three Republican trips to Honduras to meet with Micheletti: a July trip by House members Connie Mack (R-Florida) and Brian Bilbray (R-California); last week’s trip by Senators Jim DeMint (R- South Carolina), Aaron Schock (R-Illinois), Peter Roskam (R-Illinois), and Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado); and Monday’s visit by House members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Florida), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida).</p>
<p>Though ignorance of the law is no defense, could it be that our representatives didn’t know about Obama’s policy of not meeting with Micheletti? No.</p>
<p>Mack’s report from his trip, for example, reads: “After ending the luncheon, the Ambassador re-emphasized the Obama Administration’s policy of no contact with Honduran President Micheletti. Congressman Mack nonetheless demanded that all sides should have their arguments heard, and therefore insisted on the meeting.”</p>
<p>How is that not a violation of the Logan Act?</p>
<p>Incidentally, Mack has called the Organization of American States “dangerous” for supporting Zelaya – an elected leader – and not Micheletti – a coup leader. By that logic, he finds every country in the world dangerous.</p>
<p>That Republicans would wage battle against democracy comes as no surprise. But how Democrats let them get away with sabotaging the stated interests of the United States is another matter.</p>
<p>Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, tried to stop DeMint’s trip to Honduras, but when DeMint appealed to McConnell, he wound up riding to Honduras in a Pentagon airplane. How could Obama not have known that his own Defense Department was thwarting him? Why hasn’t the airplane matter been investigated?</p>
<p>Obama has been disturbingly blasé about the coup, perhaps because Zelaya had become a critic of the United States in the vein of Chavez. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even called Zelaya’s attempted return “reckless.” But Obama now has begun rescinding visas for backers of Micheletti, and he has cut off $30 million in aid to Honduras.</p>
<p>These moves come more than two months after the coup, and Obama’s hesitation has only girded Micheletti’s will. “[U.S. officials] are doing these piecemeal steps to see how the de facto regime responds,” said Vicki Gass of the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group. “And each time the de facto regime remains intransigent, they up the ante, but it takes them way too long.”</p>
<p>Opponents ousted democratically elected Manuel Zelaya for trying to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution. They accuse him of wanting to get rid of the single-term limit, a charge he denies. In a pre-dawn raid, the military seized a pajama-clad Zelaya and sent him to Costa Rica. He snuck back into the country Sept. 21 and has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy, surrounded by Micheletti’s soldiers.</p>
<p>That hasn’t stopped Republicans from arguing that the United States should support a putsch that even one of its leaders has admitted is illegal.</p>
<p>In an interview with the Miami Herald, the Honduran military’s chief lawyer, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza, acknowledged that it was an illegal military-led coup: “In the moment that we took him out of the country, in the way that he was taken out, there was a crime.”</p>
<p>Inestroza justified the move by saying that merely imprisoning Zelaya would have led to bloodshed, because his supporters would have demonstrated for his release. “We know there was a crime there,” he said. “[But] what was more beneficial, remove this gentleman from Honduras or present him to prosecutors and have a mob assault and burn and destroy and for us to have to shoot? If we had left him here, right now we would be burying a pile of people.”</p>
<p>As for the raft of U.S. Republicans backing the coup (and refusing to call it a coup), their fear is something else: socialism.</p>
<p>“This is about trying to stymie the Obama administration’s efforts in Latin America and the Republicans’ obsession with Hugo Chavez and their concern about his expanding influence in the region,” Dan Erikson, a senior associate at the nonpartisan Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington, told the Associated Press.</p>
<p>Whether or not the Republican trips are found to be illegal, they are surely helping Micheletti dig in his heels. The toxic soup is likely to boil over after the Nov. 29 election, whose results the United States and other countries have said they will not recognize because of the coup and crackdown on civil liberties.</p>
<p>Meanwhile Republicans blow on for freedom, somehow keeping their faces straight. “The way out of this problem is to respect the free and fair elections that the people of Honduras are going to have,” said Ros-Lehtinen, whose sterling right-wing creds include cheerleading the U.S. invasion of Iraq and telling Israel after it bombed Syria: “We are a better world because you did that.”</p>
<p>“I will tell my colleagues (U.S. Congressmen) to come to Honduras, not to see the newspapers, CNN or any media, to come here to meet with the legitimate government to listen their aspiration of living in peace and democracy,” Ros-Lehtinen said.</p>
<p>This aspiration apparently includes shutting down two media outlets, banning freedom of assembly, and arresting over a thousand protesters. The crackdown has killed eleven people, according to the Committee for Families of the Disappeared and Detainees in Honduras, or Cofadeh. On Sept. 30, Micheletti rounded up the 55 farmers who had occupied the National Agrarian Institute to protest the coup, and a judge ordered 38 of them to be held on charges of sedition.</p>
<p>Joining Ros-Lehtinen in her Oct. 5 visit was Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his younger brother, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. All three are Cuban exiles long driven by opposition to Fidel Castro. The Diaz-Balarts are sons of Rafael Diaz-Balart, minister of the interior under the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, overthrown by another coup leader, Castro, in 1959.</p>
<p>The anti-democratic instincts of the right are not limited to politicians with such a personal kite in the sky.</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal gave a platform to Micheletti on its op-ed page, on which amid all the rationalizations for the coup, he writes, “Regarding the decision to expel Mr. Zelaya from the country the evening of June 28 without a trial, reasonable people can believe the situation could have been handled differently.” And here’s how the fair-and-balanced Journal editors sugarcoat Micheletti: “Mr. Micheletti, previously the president of the Honduran Congress, became president of Honduras upon the departure of Manuel Zelaya. He is a member of the Liberal Party, the same party as Mr. Zelaya.”</p>
<p>Departure? The only departure here is from the world of reason, in which we can call a military seizure of a president a coup and not an act of freedom, and see it as something that needs to be resisted by other governments before there’s a lot more blood spilled.</p>
<p>BRENDAN COONEY is an anthropologist living in New York City. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:itmighthavehappened@yahoo.com" type="external">itmighthavehappened@yahoo.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | right needed add antidemocratic pedigree republican leaders flocked tegucigalpa bolster junta honduras nine congressional republicans including seven past week crisis heats met roberto micheletti took power military coup june 28 coup denounced everyone organization american states united nations passed resolution calling categorically states recognise government elected president manuel zelaya state recognized micheletti president us republicans president honduras said rep ileana roslehtinen ranking republican house foreign affairs committee monday people tell de facto government constitution republic seated president country great honor leading us rabbit hole south carolina senator jim demint member foreign relations committee visited micheletti backers oct 2 saw government working hard follow rule law uphold constitution protect democracy people honduras consistent every country venezuela left colombia right us president barack obamas policy recognize meet 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rflorida mario diazbalart rflorida though ignorance law defense could representatives didnt know obamas policy meeting micheletti macks report trip example reads ending luncheon ambassador reemphasized obama administrations policy contact honduran president micheletti congressman mack nonetheless demanded sides arguments heard therefore insisted meeting violation logan act incidentally mack called organization american states dangerous supporting zelaya elected leader micheletti coup leader logic finds every country world dangerous republicans would wage battle democracy comes surprise democrats let get away sabotaging stated interests united states another matter sen john kerry chairs foreign relations committee tried stop demints trip honduras demint appealed mcconnell wound riding honduras pentagon airplane could obama known defense department thwarting hasnt airplane matter investigated obama disturbingly blasé coup perhaps zelaya become critic united states vein chavez secretary state hillary clinton even called zelayas attempted return reckless obama begun rescinding visas backers micheletti cut 30 million aid honduras moves come two months coup obamas hesitation girded michelettis us officials piecemeal steps see de facto regime responds said vicki gass washington office latin america human rights group time de facto regime remains intransigent ante takes way long opponents ousted democratically elected manuel zelaya trying hold referendum rewriting constitution accuse wanting get rid singleterm limit charge denies predawn raid military seized pajamaclad zelaya sent costa rica snuck back country sept 21 holed brazilian embassy surrounded michelettis soldiers hasnt stopped republicans arguing united states support putsch even one leaders admitted illegal interview miami herald honduran militarys chief lawyer colonel herberth bayardo inestroza acknowledged illegal militaryled coup moment took country way taken crime inestroza justified move saying merely imprisoning zelaya would led bloodshed supporters would demonstrated release know crime said beneficial remove gentleman honduras present prosecutors mob assault burn destroy us shoot left right would burying pile people raft us republicans backing coup refusing call coup fear something else socialism trying stymie obama administrations efforts latin america republicans obsession hugo chavez concern expanding influence region dan erikson senior associate nonpartisan interamerican dialogue think tank washington told associated press whether republican trips found illegal surely helping micheletti dig heels toxic soup likely boil nov 29 election whose results united states countries said recognize coup crackdown civil liberties meanwhile republicans blow freedom somehow keeping faces straight way problem respect free fair elections people honduras going said roslehtinen whose sterling rightwing creds include cheerleading us invasion iraq telling israel bombed syria better world tell colleagues us congressmen come honduras see newspapers cnn media come meet legitimate government listen aspiration living peace democracy roslehtinen said aspiration apparently includes shutting two media outlets banning freedom assembly arresting thousand protesters crackdown killed eleven people according committee families disappeared detainees honduras cofadeh sept 30 micheletti rounded 55 farmers occupied national agrarian institute protest coup judge ordered 38 held charges sedition joining roslehtinen oct 5 visit rep lincoln diazbalart younger brother rep mario diazbalart three cuban exiles long driven opposition fidel castro diazbalarts sons rafael diazbalart minister interior usbacked cuban dictator fulgencio batista overthrown another coup leader castro 1959 antidemocratic instincts right limited politicians personal kite sky wall street journal gave platform micheletti oped page amid rationalizations coup writes regarding decision expel mr zelaya country evening june 28 without trial reasonable people believe situation could handled differently heres fairandbalanced journal editors sugarcoat micheletti mr micheletti previously president honduran congress became president honduras upon departure manuel zelaya member liberal party party mr zelaya departure departure world reason call military seizure president coup act freedom see something needs resisted governments theres lot blood spilled brendan cooney anthropologist living new york city reached itmighthavehappenedyahoocom 160 | 841 |
<p>Really, we have no choice.&#160; We think that reducing human beings to functionaries, careerists, people serving machines or the profit motive or people smoothly adapting ourselves, because we can, to increasingly dehumanized conditions (albeit with lots of opportunity for travel) has no consequence, that we can simply allow our creative nature, our spiritual being, to atrophy and the effect is not worth wondering about.</p>
<p>A CounterPunch article (Notes On Empire and Spiritual Death: a Recent Episode, by Paul Street),&#160; rightly concludes after reviewing the history of horrors perpetrated by imperialist America on the “browner” people of the world, that we are, as a nation, spiritually dead.&#160; There’s no arguing that point! But here’s what I wonder:&#160; if we took to the streets in a sudden mass refusal, shut the government down, produced an effective revolution, then would we be spiritually alive?&#160; The act of rising up itself might re-kindle awareness of our long-repressed humanity, the spurned yearnings of our souls for beauty, for lives of meaning and purpose, for the safety of stable community, the warmth of human traditions passed down in families, but how can we be sure of that, as we see little evidence that most people – ever more adapted to disintegration – are aware they even miss these things?</p>
<p>Nor do we see much evidence of understanding that to regain lives rooted in real community, lives in which it is possible to feel that we truly matter and are a comfort to each other and to ourselves, is a very costly enterprise, entailing real sacrifice;&#160; it is a stepping down from the American dream of technical progress and material prosperity, contracting into smaller, materially stripped-down living that most people would be repulsed by as too constricting and frankly boring.&#160; To revive communities&#160; will demand a re-education in the skills of a bygone era, including the communication skills of men and women (“in the plural,” that is, as political beings) who can “talk with and make sense to each other and themselves”-&#160; skills necessary for the&#160; experience of meaningfulness in the world, as Hannah Arendt wrote in <a href="" type="internal">The Human Condition</a>.</p>
<p>By and large it is the people we are supposed to despise and regard as enemies (i.e., the ones we bomb) who’ve retained more of these traditional, community building and maintaining skills; perhaps we hate them for what we perceive they have that we have irretrievably lost.</p>
<p>In D.H. Lawrence’s <a href="" type="internal">The Rainbow</a>, which my husband and I have been reading together this winter,&#160; the protagonist, 17-year-old Ursula Brangwen visits her Uncle Tom, manager of a colliery that is just 7 years old, around which the ugly coal town of Wiggiston has sprung up. With her is her beloved teacher, Winifred Inger, whom she is hoping will be a romantic match with her uncle. Ursula is shocked as they drive through the town, and greets her uncle with these words:</p>
<p>‘But is this place as awful as it looks?’ [asks Ursula]</p>
<p>‘It is just what it looks,’ [Tom] said. ‘It hides nothing.’</p>
<p>‘Why are the men so sad?’</p>
<p>‘Are they sad?’</p>
<p>‘They seem unutterably, unutterably sad,’ said Ursula, out of a passionate throat.</p>
<p>‘I don’t think they are that.&#160; They just take it for granted.’</p>
<p>‘What do they take for granted?’</p>
<p>‘This—the pits and the place altogether.’</p>
<p>‘Why don’t they alter it?’ She passionately protested.</p>
<p>‘They believe they must alter themselves to fit the pits and the place, rather than alter the pits and the place to fit themselves.&#160; It is easier,’ he said</p>
<p>‘And you agree with them,’ burst out his niece, unable to bear it.&#160; ‘You think like they do – that living human beings must be taken and adapted to all kinds of horrors.&#160; We could easily do without the pits.’</p>
<p>‘I suppose their lives are not really so bad,’ said Winifred Inger, superior to the Zolaesque tragedy.’</p>
<p>Later, Ursula continues her observations.&#160; “She knew her Uncle Tom perceived what was going on.&#160; But she knew moreover that in spite of his criticism and condemnation, he still wanted the great machine.&#160; His only happy moments, his only moments of pure freedom, were when he was serving the machine.&#160; Then, and then only, when the machine caught him up, was he free from the hatred of himself, could he act wholely, without cynicism and unreality.”</p>
<p>Who reads D.H. Lawrence these days? And with what regard is he held by our intellectual gatekeepers? In my undergraduate years,&#160; Lawrence was disparaged by feminists whose larger movement, in the end, came to imitate the educated “neoliberal” woman, Winifred Inger,&#160; opting to serve the machine instead of humanity. What greater feminine hero than the impassioned Ursula has ever been created? In the society at large,&#160; Lawrence is known for one book only, the infamous and titillating (to a society terminally sequestered in adolescence),&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Lady Chatterley’s Lover</a>.&#160; I dare say no one understood – no one wanted to understand – what Lawrence was saying to us.&#160; That’s what makes his sacrifice as an artist even more dreadful and poignant but also exemplary.&#160; One cannot take up the truth and expect anyone can actually hear you.&#160; One or two, maybe a few more.</p>
<p>Long ago I heard the poet Robert Bly make a point that I agree sounds wacky, though intuitively it has always sounded right to me.&#160; It was in a talk he gave on Romantic poet William Blake,&#160; discussing the non-optional role of creative work in achieving full humanity(as well as I can recall it these many years later).&#160; Bly asserted that inasmuch as people fail to use our creative energy, the unused ‘shadow’ portion does not disappear, it goes to ‘serve the Pentagon.’&#160; In my own case,&#160; as long as I served Moloch (which is how Ursula saw her uncle Tom’s work), even part time, which I did for over 30 years teaching at a local college (for every job serves Moloch), I could not fully know how right Bly was.&#160; Even such slight hedging makes humanity – that is, full humanity that includes the passionate imagination, the soul, impossible.&#160; In serving the corporate system, one’s energy is not burned properly in the fueling of one’s own vitality, and acting and speaking, but is being picked up somewhere else, wreaking violence in some unconscious, shadow arrangement.</p>
<p>We all hedge.&#160; Like Tom Brangwen we remain uneasy outside of our job life and, ever more so, outside of our virtual, mediated life.&#160; In this way, we participate in the decline of the American soul that has produced our ongoing crisis in leadership; in that sense, we get the leadership we deserve.</p>
<p>In Utica, there survives a remnant, now mainly in their 80’s, who remember old East Utica, the richly ethnic area settled mainly by the Italian and Middle-Eastern immigrants of the late 19th- early 20th century migrations, that evolved into a community of working class people, steeped in old country traditions of food, gardens, poetry, music, and the mother tongue, the memory of which remains powerfully alive in these people to this day, such that I do love being among them.&#160; Most of those who are children and grandchildren of the original immigrants long ago removed to the suburbs, or to Florida or places further west.&#160; I understand there are many East Utica ex-pats on the West coast (where Annette Funicello, Utica’s most famous daughter emigrated with her family in the early 1950’s), who look each other up (or did at one time) to connect, motivated – I presume – by the potent sweetness of the remembered ethnic, neighborhood bonds.</p>
<p>Most immigrants who came to these shores in those earlier southern European waves, to our great loss, assimilated successfully.&#160; Those sweet memories of that East Utica remnant are like a poem whose esoteric meaning the rest of us, raised in the suburbanized reality that replaced that earlier one, cannot penetrate.&#160; Growing up outside of Utica in the tract housing of Sunset Manor, as I did, populated by entirely white people who were eager to own their own home, perhaps to escape the limitations of life in too-close proximity to family and busybody neighbors,&#160; one did not even faintly imagine something as rich and vivid and felt as East Utica.&#160; But we adapted to the less interwoven, less lovely, less “plural” environment we found ourselves in, just as the coal miners adapted to the atrocity of the “the pits and the place.”</p>
<p>A young woman friend who is a farmer, spoke in the little Sunday morning “Temenos” group that meets next door to our Cafe in Utica, about her thought that we adults ought to retain the clear-sighted eyes of innocence she sees in her young niece and nephew who are astonished at “unutterably sad” things like landfills, or spraying pesticides, which we the adults, take for granted.&#160; To the eyes of the little children, as to Ursula’s eyes, the soul’s perspective has not been rationalized or made obedient to the demands of assimilation and adaptation.&#160; Indigenous water protectors at Standing Rock, too, might be seen as having not only retained their innocence but also attained the will to protect it, and with it, their capacity to act.</p>
<p>It seems to me imperative now, if our spiritual deadness is to be a matter of serious concern and not just strong rhetoric, to restore that innocence which is health in the soul.&#160; There is a way to do it that, though not institutionally religious, is religious work: I suggest we each return to art-making as non-optional activity, for I see this as the only way, available and open to all,&#160; to&#160; hush the powerful voice of self-condemnation for which there is no effective counter in a post-Theistic world.&#160; Commitment to art-making, to cultivating working relationships with the creative spirit, can awaken the spiritually dead,&#160; and make conceivable a downward, contracted version of living that, though not painless, would never be boring, our energies used up in serving beauty, with none left over for bombing.</p> | true | 4 | really choice160 think reducing human beings functionaries careerists people serving machines profit motive people smoothly adapting increasingly dehumanized conditions albeit lots opportunity travel consequence simply allow creative nature spiritual atrophy effect worth wondering counterpunch article notes empire spiritual death recent episode paul street160 rightly concludes reviewing history horrors perpetrated imperialist america browner people world nation spiritually dead160 theres arguing point heres wonder160 took streets sudden mass refusal shut government produced effective revolution would spiritually alive160 act rising might rekindle awareness longrepressed humanity spurned yearnings souls beauty lives meaning purpose safety stable community warmth human traditions passed families sure see little evidence people ever adapted disintegration aware even miss things see much evidence understanding regain lives rooted real community lives possible feel truly matter comfort costly enterprise entailing real sacrifice160 stepping american dream technical progress material prosperity contracting smaller materially strippeddown living people would repulsed constricting frankly boring160 revive communities160 demand reeducation skills bygone era including communication skills men women plural political beings talk make sense themselves160 skills necessary the160 experience meaningfulness world hannah arendt wrote human condition large people supposed despise regard enemies ie ones bomb whove retained traditional community building maintaining skills perhaps hate perceive irretrievably lost dh lawrences rainbow husband reading together winter160 protagonist 17yearold ursula brangwen visits uncle tom manager colliery 7 years old around ugly coal town wiggiston sprung beloved teacher winifred inger hoping romantic match uncle ursula shocked drive town greets uncle words place awful looks asks ursula looks tom said hides nothing men sad sad seem unutterably unutterably sad said ursula passionate throat dont think that160 take granted take granted thisthe pits place altogether dont alter passionately protested believe must alter fit pits place rather alter pits place fit themselves160 easier said agree burst niece unable bear it160 think like living human beings must taken adapted kinds horrors160 could easily without pits suppose lives really bad said winifred inger superior zolaesque tragedy later ursula continues observations160 knew uncle tom perceived going on160 knew moreover spite criticism condemnation still wanted great machine160 happy moments moments pure freedom serving machine160 machine caught free hatred could act wholely without cynicism unreality reads dh lawrence days regard held intellectual gatekeepers undergraduate years160 lawrence disparaged feminists whose larger movement end came imitate educated neoliberal woman winifred inger160 opting serve machine instead humanity greater feminine hero impassioned ursula ever created society large160 lawrence known one book infamous titillating society terminally sequestered adolescence160 lady chatterleys lover160 dare say one understood one wanted understand lawrence saying us160 thats makes sacrifice artist even dreadful poignant also exemplary160 one take truth expect anyone actually hear you160 one two maybe long ago heard poet robert bly make point agree sounds wacky though intuitively always sounded right me160 talk gave romantic poet william blake160 discussing nonoptional role creative work achieving full humanityas well recall many years later160 bly asserted inasmuch people fail use creative energy unused shadow portion disappear goes serve pentagon160 case160 long served moloch ursula saw uncle toms work even part time 30 years teaching local college every job serves moloch could fully know right bly was160 even slight hedging makes humanity full humanity includes passionate imagination soul impossible160 serving corporate system ones energy burned properly fueling ones vitality acting speaking picked somewhere else wreaking violence unconscious shadow arrangement hedge160 like tom brangwen remain uneasy outside job life ever outside virtual mediated life160 way participate decline american soul produced ongoing crisis leadership sense get leadership deserve utica survives remnant mainly 80s remember old east utica richly ethnic area settled mainly italian middleeastern immigrants late 19th early 20th century migrations evolved community working class people steeped old country traditions food gardens poetry music mother tongue memory remains powerfully alive people day love among them160 children grandchildren original immigrants long ago removed suburbs florida places west160 understand many east utica expats west coast annette funicello uticas famous daughter emigrated family early 1950s look one time connect motivated presume potent sweetness remembered ethnic neighborhood bonds immigrants came shores earlier southern european waves great loss assimilated successfully160 sweet memories east utica remnant like poem whose esoteric meaning rest us raised suburbanized reality replaced earlier one penetrate160 growing outside utica tract housing sunset manor populated entirely white people eager home perhaps escape limitations life tooclose proximity family busybody neighbors160 one even faintly imagine something rich vivid felt east utica160 adapted less interwoven less lovely less plural environment found coal miners adapted atrocity pits place young woman friend farmer spoke little sunday morning temenos group meets next door cafe utica thought adults ought retain clearsighted eyes innocence sees young niece nephew astonished unutterably sad things like landfills spraying pesticides adults take granted160 eyes little children ursulas eyes souls perspective rationalized made obedient demands assimilation adaptation160 indigenous water protectors standing rock might seen retained innocence also attained protect capacity act seems imperative spiritual deadness matter serious concern strong rhetoric restore innocence health soul160 way though institutionally religious religious work suggest return artmaking nonoptional activity see way available open all160 to160 hush powerful voice selfcondemnation effective counter posttheistic world160 commitment artmaking cultivating working relationships creative spirit awaken spiritually dead160 make conceivable downward contracted version living though painless would never boring energies used serving beauty none left bombing | 865 |
<p>Baba died on the morning of April 24, 2011. According to his own spiritual calculations, he was scheduled to depart earth in 2022.</p>
<p>While I understand the grief of the followers, I do not understand the disposition towards worship. I usually do not fathom any kind of mass belief, so this is not to single out an individual. Not individual, say the faithful, it is Bhagwan. We need gods. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is god, and Sachin was not going to celebrate his birthday because he wanted to pray for Satya Sai Baba’s recovery.</p>
<p>At 85, he did lead a full life. He was known for his miracles, more magical than any magician’s. Unfortunately, his own bodily organs failed and no doctors could revive them. Strangely enough, even the prayers of the devotees could not nor his own divine powers.</p>
<p>This is a profound disclosure of the spirituality business. Many people need guidance; many people suffer from some sort of misery. Wealth, education and even therapy do not work. They prefer being part of a gathering where a guru offers solace by the mere fact of her/his existence. It is a rockstar phenomenon, a classic case of collective catharsis.</p>
<p>I was witness to it at Baba’s Whitefield ashram almost 15 years ago. I admit it was as a voyeuristic tourist that I went. A blue plastic shade covered a huge tent-like area. People were ambling about and most were foreigners. As I recollect, it was only Whites, a phenomenon that is noticeable in most such ashrams. You rarely see Blacks or other races, although there is considerable Japanese presence at the Osho ashram, because he had this thing about Zen. These foreigners wore carelessly draped cream-coloured sarees and bindis on the forehead; the men were in kurta-pyjama. At a water-tap a woman, her hair coiled at the nape of her neck, bent to drink water by cupping the palm of her hand. It was a memorable image, reminiscent of villages as seen in Bollywood films.</p>
<p>There was a canteen across the road run by the ashram. It was packed with people. Long wooden benches and tables. I am not sure if one had a choice, but the stuff on my plate was terribly spicy and as tears ran down my eyes, I watched the rest whose palates were even less trained for such food. They were eating with their fingers, seemingly enjoying every morsel. I thought to myself that perhaps this is what the spiritual journey is all about – getting used to whatever is on your plate.</p>
<p>Back to the main ashram, they said Baba was going to give a darshan. The ground was dusty, but a platform was ready; soon there would be a throne for him to sit in and deliver his sermon and bless the congregation. Some had already begun reserving their places on the floor.</p>
<p>What were they looking for? They could read hundreds of tomes on spiritualism from several masters; they could be believers without moving from their homelands. They chose to travel all those miles just to become a part of the enterprise and get a glance of the man. Is this faith or is it about auto-suggestion where you begin to believe in your own delusions? How much of a role does any guru play in this, except for being a conduit to their greater search for going beyond the material? Can people not give up luxuries in their own environment and contribute to their societies? Where does the guru fit in when they cook, clean and eat humble meals? Is it not a contradiction to see the person they have faith in sitting on a gilded throne and being hailed by the most powerful people, people who are willing to publicly be obsequious, unmindful of their reputations? Does that make them spiritual when after the ‘special’ moment they are back to their corporate offices and ministerial bungalows dictating policies that are hardly austere?</p>
<p>Baba had declared himself the incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi; the latter’s devotees are not necessarily his worshippers and that itself should say something.</p>
<p>It is also pertinent to note that when it comes to proving faith-healing and miraculous powers, it is the poor who are brought forward. It can be deduced that for them just a touch of any god-like creature is enough of a status leap. You won’t see them rubbing shoulders at community canteens with the rich devotees. Therefore, the Satya Sai Baba empire had little to do with his ability to produce Rolex watches out of thin air and vibhuti (holy ash) from his palms. Both have been challenged and proven by the Rationalist Society, but it has not affected the attitude of the faithful, even the ones with reasoning powers.</p>
<p>This is more likely about channelising wealth into a nirvana factory. Baba’s educational and health institutions are often quoted as examples of the good work beyond the ashram. These are commendable activities, but they also encourage people to owe their knowledge and their lives to Baba. Besides, there is a lot of money involved in maintaining ‘international standards’. Attempts to probe into the functioning of not only this but any religious organisation always meet with a dead-end because among the believers are those who run the investigating agencies. Any other improprieties are also shut up. Will any people’s movement have the courage to look into the financial dealings at the several ashrams and even madrassas and missionary-run outfits?</p>
<p>Complicit in this is the media. Rarely has any media group raised questions and when they do there is an arching over backwards to give a balanced picture. I was once told to “go slow” on religious figures for one of my columns, although I had written about Imam Bukhari of Delhi’s Jama Masjid and the Pope earlier. In a casual conversation with someone much later, I discovered that the editor was a devout worshipper. It makes one wonder, then, what balance we are speaking about when there are already treacly tributes pouring in.</p>
<p>Ever since Baba took ill, news reports gave a daily update. It is fine since he does have enormous appeal and people were concerned. However, it was distressing to read about security arrangements at Puttarpathi, where his main operations are run from and in the ashram where he will be kept in state now. The forces are there because there will be a rush of VIPs. I can already imagine people killing themselves in grief. Who will do so? The poor. Not the rich and influential.</p>
<p>What does it tell us about the prospect of individuals as institutions? As Satya Sai Baba had once said, “Devotion has to be unintermittent, uninterrupted, like the flow of oil from one vessel to another.” Pity, he did not keep another vessel ready. Who will be in charge of the various organisations run by the private trust? It will be interesting to see how things unfold and whether Baba’s legacy can continue under the tutelage of his trusted aide, an IAS officer, or his nephew. It is unlikely. There will be a fight for the spoils. Spiritualism goes on the ventilator.</p>
<p>FARZANA VERSEY is a Mumbai-based author-columnist. She can be reached at <a href="http://farzana-versey.blogspot.com/" type="external">http://farzana-versey.blogspot.com/</a></p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | baba died morning april 24 2011 according spiritual calculations scheduled depart earth 2022 understand grief followers understand disposition towards worship usually fathom kind mass belief single individual individual say faithful bhagwan need gods cricketer sachin tendulkar god sachin going celebrate birthday wanted pray satya sai babas recovery 85 lead full life known miracles magical magicians unfortunately bodily organs failed doctors could revive strangely enough even prayers devotees could divine powers profound disclosure spirituality business many people need guidance many people suffer sort misery wealth education even therapy work prefer part gathering guru offers solace mere fact herhis existence rockstar phenomenon classic case collective catharsis witness babas whitefield ashram almost 15 years ago admit voyeuristic tourist went blue plastic shade covered huge tentlike area people ambling foreigners recollect whites phenomenon noticeable ashrams rarely see blacks races although considerable japanese presence osho ashram thing zen foreigners wore carelessly draped creamcoloured sarees bindis forehead men kurtapyjama watertap woman hair coiled nape neck bent drink water cupping palm hand memorable image reminiscent villages seen bollywood films canteen across road run ashram packed people long wooden benches tables sure one choice stuff plate terribly spicy tears ran eyes watched rest whose palates even less trained food eating fingers seemingly enjoying every morsel thought perhaps spiritual journey getting used whatever plate back main ashram said baba going give darshan ground dusty platform ready soon would throne sit deliver sermon bless congregation already begun reserving places floor looking could read hundreds tomes spiritualism several masters could believers without moving homelands chose travel miles become part enterprise get glance man faith autosuggestion begin believe delusions much role guru play except conduit greater search going beyond material people give luxuries environment contribute societies guru fit cook clean eat humble meals contradiction see person faith sitting gilded throne hailed powerful people people willing publicly obsequious unmindful reputations make spiritual special moment back corporate offices ministerial bungalows dictating policies hardly austere baba declared incarnation sai baba shirdi latters devotees necessarily worshippers say something also pertinent note comes proving faithhealing miraculous powers poor brought forward deduced touch godlike creature enough status leap wont see rubbing shoulders community canteens rich devotees therefore satya sai baba empire little ability produce rolex watches thin air vibhuti holy ash palms challenged proven rationalist society affected attitude faithful even ones reasoning powers likely channelising wealth nirvana factory babas educational health institutions often quoted examples good work beyond ashram commendable activities also encourage people owe knowledge lives baba besides lot money involved maintaining international standards attempts probe functioning religious organisation always meet deadend among believers run investigating agencies improprieties also shut peoples movement courage look financial dealings several ashrams even madrassas missionaryrun outfits complicit media rarely media group raised questions arching backwards give balanced picture told go slow religious figures one columns although written imam bukhari delhis jama masjid pope earlier casual conversation someone much later discovered editor devout worshipper makes one wonder balance speaking already treacly tributes pouring ever since baba took ill news reports gave daily update fine since enormous appeal people concerned however distressing read security arrangements puttarpathi main operations run ashram kept state forces rush vips already imagine people killing grief poor rich influential tell us prospect individuals institutions satya sai baba said devotion unintermittent uninterrupted like flow oil one vessel another pity keep another vessel ready charge various organisations run private trust interesting see things unfold whether babas legacy continue tutelage trusted aide ias officer nephew unlikely fight spoils spiritualism goes ventilator farzana versey mumbaibased authorcolumnist reached httpfarzanaverseyblogspotcom | 585 |
<p>The massacre in Oslo has focused attention on the toxic influence of the Islamophobic blogosphere from which Anders Breivik cut and pasted much of his manifesto.</p>
<p>But it’s important to recognise that the far right blogs do more than simply disseminate hatred – that, with the blogosphere, the demagogues of anti-Muslim bigotry have stumbled upon an organizational form that resolves some of the traditional problems besetting racial populism.</p>
<p>Historically, the racist right builds from those we might call the social etceteras, thatstrata sitting uncomfortably between the main classes of industrial society. Classical fascism, for instance, was based upon individuals simultaneously resentful of big capital and fearful of losing their hard-won shreds of respectability. Shopkeepers, professionals, small business owners, bureaucrats, retirees, the unemployed: people conscious of being screwed by the banks, but also fretting about immigrants flooding their suburbs. The characteristic ‘two-facedness’ of racial populism (shrill denunciations of Wall Street alongside exposes of culturalMarxism) reflects its supporters’ sense that they are squeezed from above and below, with no evident solution at hand.</p>
<p>That means that the supporters of the racial right are often the most atomized elements of society. There’s no innate ties of solidarity between two small businessmen – indeed, they’re in competition with each other — and there’s even less of a bond between a small businessman and a declassed factory worker.</p>
<p>How, then, do you organize this aggregation of flotsam and jetsam, people without any particular collectivity other than a shared sense of not fitting in? The traditional answer is via political activity that in and of itself contrasts with the hopeless isolation of everyday existence. Hitler famously wrote of how his mass marches served to ‘burn[…] into the small, wretched individual the proud conviction that, paltry worm as hewas, he was nevertheless a part of a great dragon.’ For classical fascism, meetings, rallies and street violence served not simply to advertise the movement but to excite supporters, to give them a collective sense of participating in a grand adventure.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, precisely because populism grows, as Marx put it, ‘by the simple addition of homologous magnitudes, much as potatoes in a sack form a sack of potatoes’, keeping organisations together always proved difficult for the far right. That’s why racial populist groupings typically form around a charismatic, authoritarian leader, a single figure who can keep followers in-line via force of will. Even so, they tend to grow very quickly – and then spectacularly implode, as various followers decide that they, too, would like to be fuhrer.</p>
<p>That’s why the blogosphere matters.</p>
<p>Blogs are unique in that they allow supporters to feel an ownership of a political project without giving them any actual control. They are, to put it another way, simultaneously participatory but undemocratic.</p>
<p>That’s why the major Islamophobic blogs should be understood not simply as providing ideas for their followers but as offering them an experience.</p>
<p>It is, after all, far easier to become politically active online than in a traditional organisation. There’s no limit to how much you can post in the comments thread of a ‘counter-jihadi’ website: if you choose, you can spend all day holding forth about the forgeries on Obama’s birth certificate without ever leaving your La-Z-Boy recliner. Very quickly, you find yourself part of a community, recognizing and being recognized by other members. Through that participation, you can forge a new identity, one that’s exciting and meaningful.</p>
<p>In real life, you might be a retired dentist, aggrieved at your vermicular existence; on Michelle Malkin’s site, you’re ‘Mightydragon55’, Hammer of Islam and agent of counter-jihad.</p>
<p>The major sites periodically launch blog-wars and other online campaigns, and these serve to cadreise their followers. Where the far-right of the past blooded its recruits via street battles with the Left, today, you can prove your mettle and bondwith your comrades by joining a snarky pile-on against some progressive site.</p>
<p>Yet, while blogs enable involvement, they don’t require democracy.</p>
<p>As soon as you launch a real life political organisation — even one on the far right — the question of decision-making (elections, congresses, etc) comes to the fore. Which, inevitably, raises the vexed issue of who gets to play Hitler and who has to be Germany.</p>
<p>In the blogosphere, it’s different. The most popular sites are built around a single magnetic figure, whose accepted role is to lay down on a daily basis the political line that everyone else follows. A right-wing blog community can thus be much more stable than a right-wing organisation, simply because, online, top-down leadership goes without saying.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the anonymity of the blogosphere encourages a rhetorical escalation that’s very useful for the far right.</p>
<p>If you attend a political meeting, you might think twice about shouting out your desire to herd immigrants into camps, for fear you’ll have to explain yourself to your neighbours. But as ‘Nordicwarrior’ you need feel no such constraints, and can express yourself, as TS Eliot once put it, with ‘the braggadocio of the mild-mannered man safely entrenched behind his typewriter’.</p>
<p>Which means, of course, there’s a certain unreality to online politics, with the commenter writing all-cap screeds as ‘Wrath of Thor’ just as likely to be an aggrieved grand-dad as a skinhead or stormtrooper.</p>
<p>That being said, Oslo showed the folly of taking comfort from the extremity of online Islamophobia. If you visit, say, Atlas Shrugs, proprietor Pamela Geller often seems to be hallucinating on demand. Hers is a world in which Obama’s not only a Muslim: he’s both the secret son of Malcolm X and a drug-addicted Kenyan jihadi, engaged in extramarital dalliances with crack whores.</p>
<p>Yet Breivik hailed Geller as a savant, an authority whom he quoted extensively throughout his manifesto.</p>
<p>The organisations of the far right, while growing, are still comparatively small. But the Islamophobic blogosphere stretches across the globe, providing a network that allows every angry shopkeeper to marinate in extravagant fantasies of racial war and creeping sharia – not just reading about the stuff but, crucially, participating in a community in which such views are accepted without question. Given the combination of all-encroaching paranoia and rhetorical violence, it’s not so very surprising if the online world occasionally leaks bloodily into reality.</p>
<p>So what follows?</p>
<p>Most importantly, the Left needs to take Islamophobia seriously. It’s easy to snigger at the oddballs and nutters who find Muslims lurking behind every bush. But the anti-Islam sentiment is fast becoming a key tenet of the far-right,structurally identical to the anti-Semitism of the early twentieth century.</p>
<p>Nor is it useful simply to urge restraint, to call, Jon Stewart-style, for a rhetorical de-escalation. Right-wing populism grows because it appeals to those who feel that they have their backs to the wall. In the twenty-first century’s climate of austerity and economic crisis, many people do not feel calm – and nor should they. The Islamophobes channel genuine insecurities about job losses and social disintegration into imaginary threats from the caliphate.</p>
<p>In that respect, then, the growth of the far right represents, as always, a perpetual reminder of the failure of the Left, not online but in the real world. If we don’t come up with answers, there will also be an Anders Breivik who does.</p>
<p>Jeff Sparrow is the editor of <a href="http://web.overland.org.au/" type="external">Overland</a> magazine and the author of <a href="" type="internal">Killing: Misadventures in Violence</a>.</p> | true | 4 | massacre oslo focused attention toxic influence islamophobic blogosphere anders breivik cut pasted much manifesto important recognise far right blogs simply disseminate hatred blogosphere demagogues antimuslim bigotry stumbled upon organizational form resolves traditional problems besetting racial populism historically racist right builds might call social etceteras thatstrata sitting uncomfortably main classes industrial society classical fascism instance based upon individuals simultaneously resentful big capital fearful losing hardwon shreds respectability shopkeepers professionals small business owners bureaucrats retirees unemployed people conscious screwed banks also fretting immigrants flooding suburbs characteristic twofacedness racial populism shrill denunciations wall street alongside exposes culturalmarxism reflects supporters sense squeezed evident solution hand means supporters racial right often atomized elements society theres innate ties solidarity two small businessmen indeed theyre competition theres even less bond small businessman declassed factory worker organize aggregation flotsam jetsam people without particular collectivity shared sense fitting traditional answer via political activity contrasts hopeless isolation everyday existence hitler famously wrote mass marches served burn small wretched individual proud conviction paltry worm hewas nevertheless part great dragon classical fascism meetings rallies street violence served simply advertise movement excite supporters give collective sense participating grand adventure nonetheless precisely populism grows marx put simple addition homologous magnitudes much potatoes sack form sack potatoes keeping organisations together always proved difficult far right thats racial populist groupings typically form around charismatic authoritarian leader single figure keep followers inline via force even tend grow quickly spectacularly implode various followers decide would like fuhrer thats blogosphere matters blogs unique allow supporters feel ownership political project without giving actual control put another way simultaneously participatory undemocratic thats major islamophobic blogs understood simply providing ideas followers offering experience far easier become politically active online traditional organisation theres limit much post comments thread counterjihadi website choose spend day holding forth forgeries obamas birth certificate without ever leaving lazboy recliner quickly find part community recognizing recognized members participation forge new identity one thats exciting meaningful real life might retired dentist aggrieved vermicular existence michelle malkins site youre mightydragon55 hammer islam agent counterjihad major sites periodically launch blogwars online campaigns serve cadreise followers farright past blooded recruits via street battles left today prove mettle bondwith comrades joining snarky pileon progressive site yet blogs enable involvement dont require democracy soon launch real life political organisation even one far right question decisionmaking elections congresses etc comes fore inevitably raises vexed issue gets play hitler germany blogosphere different popular sites built around single magnetic figure whose accepted role lay daily basis political line everyone else follows rightwing blog community thus much stable rightwing organisation simply online topdown leadership goes without saying furthermore anonymity blogosphere encourages rhetorical escalation thats useful far right attend political meeting might think twice shouting desire herd immigrants camps fear youll explain neighbours nordicwarrior need feel constraints express ts eliot put braggadocio mildmannered man safely entrenched behind typewriter means course theres certain unreality online politics commenter writing allcap screeds wrath thor likely aggrieved granddad skinhead stormtrooper said oslo showed folly taking comfort extremity online islamophobia visit say atlas shrugs proprietor pamela geller often seems hallucinating demand world obamas muslim hes secret son malcolm x drugaddicted kenyan jihadi engaged extramarital dalliances crack whores yet breivik hailed geller savant authority quoted extensively throughout manifesto organisations far right growing still comparatively small islamophobic blogosphere stretches across globe providing network allows every angry shopkeeper marinate extravagant fantasies racial war creeping sharia reading stuff crucially participating community views accepted without question given combination allencroaching paranoia rhetorical violence surprising online world occasionally leaks bloodily reality follows importantly left needs take islamophobia seriously easy snigger oddballs nutters find muslims lurking behind every bush antiislam sentiment fast becoming key tenet farrightstructurally identical antisemitism early twentieth century useful simply urge restraint call jon stewartstyle rhetorical deescalation rightwing populism grows appeals feel backs wall twentyfirst centurys climate austerity economic crisis many people feel calm islamophobes channel genuine insecurities job losses social disintegration imaginary threats caliphate respect growth far right represents always perpetual reminder failure left online real world dont come answers also anders breivik jeff sparrow editor overland magazine author killing misadventures violence | 673 |
<p>Why six years after police killed an unarmed black man and the city was rocked by riots, has everything in Cincinnati come down to the building of a jail? How did the liberals’ darling Todd Portune end up joing hands with cnservative moral crusader Sheriff Simon Leis? Why has the Democratic Party placed all of its chips on 800 more jail beds in a city and a county with a declining population? Why have not only Democrats and Republicans, but also the corporations and the labor unions joined together to build a jail that is opposed by the NAACP and most black Cincinnatians? How did what began as a search for racial reconciliation lead to a jail that is to many here the emblem, that is, both the symbol and the reality of racial discrimination?</p>
<p>In April 2001 Cincinnati was shocked by a police officer’s killing of 19-year-old, unarmed black man named Timothy Thomas and then convulsed by an inner-city riot with arson and looting, a black urban rebellion much like one that had taken place thirty years before. The city-suddenly shaken by the realization that in three decades it had made no progress whatsoever in race relations-came all at once to its feet with gasp. Pastors, priests and rabbis summoned their congregations who prayed for understanding, reconciliation and peace.</p>
<p>The city council showed sudden new interest in long-neglected issues of poverty and housing. Mayor Charles Luken created a blue-ribbon commission charged with improving police-community relations. After a suit by the Black United Front and the ACLU, a Federal judge took charge of overseeing the reform of the Cincinnati police under the Collaborative Agreement. There were promises of summer jobs for youth and pledges to bring economic development to the old, inner-city neighborhoods of Cincinnati.</p>
<p>African American groups, with little faith in such promises, called for another boycott of Cincinnati-in addition to the one already enforced by the gay community-until the local government could create economic and social justice for the Cincinnati’s black people. City Hall responded with a public relations campaign proclaiming that Cincinnati was all the things they wished it were and that we knew it was not. The gay and black boycotts continued for years, until gays won and blacks gave up, but by then the white power structure had tasted victory at Taste of Cincinnati and Oktoberfest and blacks had forgotten the boycott and returned to the Black Family Reunion. Progress and Poverty</p>
<p>For the last six years the city has wrestled with its identity, and there was some undeniable progress. The notorious city ordinance prohibiting gays and lesbians from invoking civil rights law to defend themselves from discrimination was overturned in a referendum. In what was clearly a vote against the old white power structure, the city elected Mark Mallory, an African American, to be its mayor, defeating Councilman David Pepper. SEIU’s Justice for Janitors campaign brought union organization, higher wages, and health benefits to some of the city’s lowest paid workers. We even passed by referendum a no smoking ordinance for bars and restaurants to protect the health of workers and the public, despite the tobacco lobby’s attempt to confuse us with a look-alike proposition,</p>
<p>Yet after six years, things had not improved much in the neighborhoods, and in some ways they have gotten worse. Cincinnati and Hamilton County employers continued to move further out into the surrounding suburbs in both Ohio and neighboring Kentucky. Cincinnati’s unemployment rate is now 5 percent and black unemployment over 10 percent, while unemployment for black teenagers has reached a staggering 30 percent. Poverty seems to have become endemic.</p>
<p>In 2007 Cincinnati, a city of 317,000 people, 53 percent of them white and 42 percent black, won the title of third poorest city in the nation after Detroit and Buffalo. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that Cincinnati had 27.8 percent of its residents living in poverty, up from number 8 in 2006 with 25 percent among the poor, and up from number 22 in 2004 with 19.6 living in poverty. In many black neighborhoods the poverty level is much higher than almost one third in poverty in the city.</p>
<p>The poverty hits children hard. The river city has a scandalous infant morality rate of 13.1 per 1,000-about the same as Jamaica and French Guiana. The Hamilton County is not far behind with a rate of 10.5, far worse than that for Ohio at 7.6 or the United States at 6.8 per 1,000. (Just to put things in perspective, the rate for Sweden with a national health care system is 3.2 per 1,000.) Cincinnati’s high school drop out rate is reported between 50 or 75 percent, depending on who’s counting and how. Students who were once dropouts, for example, have now become part of the virtual education program that has yet to prove it works.</p>
<p>Interestingly, according to the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, violent crime in Cincinnati rose at the slowest rate in the state in 2006, just 1.2 percent. But, while other violent crimes were down, murder in Cincinnati went up an alarming 10 percent-presumably driven by the violence of drug gangs-though that 10 percent was less than half the increase in Cleveland and Columbus where murders rose by over 20 percent. With these sorts of problems, perhaps it is not surprising that Cincinnati’s population has been declining for decades and Hamilton County’s for the last several years as people have moved to distant counties or across the state line to Kentucky where the past of the segregated city is mirrored in the present of the big houses and green lawns of the segregated suburbs. Now It Has All Come Down to a Jail</p>
<p>As is apparent to all, Cincinnati and Hamilton County have many problems-yet strangely enough as we approach the November election the one problem that occupies center stage, the one issue that has been the focus of attention is not education, employment, improving race relations, or that vague but inspiring notion of social justice, but rather the building of a new county jail. The construction of a new Hamilton County jail has become the central issue in local politics and the focus of an unprecedented cooperation between liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. Urged on by David Pepper, son of a Proctor &amp; Gamble CEO, Democrat Todd Portune of the County Commission, has embraced the notorious right-wing sheriff Republican Simon Leis, and the three together have pledged to build a new jail come hell or high water.</p>
<p>Other things are going on of course. There has been Operation Vortex/Operation Take Back Our Streets a joint effort by the Cincinnati Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriffs to drive criminals out of Over-the-Rhine in order to make the area more attractive to investors and developers. Those developers, led by 3CDC, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, which has more or less replaced the city’s defunct planning department, smile upon the removal of poor blacks to make way for the creative class, the young, the hip, the childless, the folks with surplus expendable income. The operation has turned Vine St., Over-the-Rhine’s principal thoroughfare, into the main street of a ghost town and has driven crime into nearby communities and even into the suburbs. A new arts center has become the anchor for investors, developers and the creative class-but most of them have yet to arrive.</p>
<p>Then too there’s the decade old off-again, on-again Banks Project, a multi-million dollar commercial and residential development project planned to be built on the Ohio River. The city’s elite and investors debated whether or not to have 30-story towers along Second Street that might block the view of corporate leaders sitting in the mahogany rooms of an older generation of skyscrapers. The Banks-if it ever gets built-will be an expansion of Cincinnati’s downtown meant to attract Fortune Five Hundred companies and to employ that creative class that if all goes as planned will live among the boutiques and trendy restaurants of the new Over-the-Rhine where once German immigrants, the Appalachians, and African Americans lived.</p>
<p>But the central struggle isn’t being fought over 3CDC’s makeover of Over-the-Rhine, nor over the multimillion dollar Banks Project. Like a chess match where for several moves everything seems focused on what might otherwise simply be an insignificant pawn, so in Cincinnati all of the powers-that-be and all of the people that oppose them have focused their energies on the issue of the new Hamilton County Jail that-in a city and county with declining population-would add 800 prisoner beds. The Odd Fellows: Leis-Pepper-Portune</p>
<p>Sherrif Simon Leis, a conservative moral crusader who closed down Last Tango in Paris when it was to be shown at a Cincinnati theater in 1972 and convicted Larry Flynt of Hustler magazine of obscenity in 1977, is the heavy in this drama. Leis’s central role in closing down the exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment at the Contemporary Arts Center in 1990 brought him national notoriety and the opprobrium of artists, intellectuals, and those who valued First Amendment rights. Several months later a jury found the Maplethorpe photographs were not obscene and a decade later Mapplethorpe’s photos were shown in Cincinnati in a retrospective. The times had changed and even Cincinnati had changed, but Leis held on to his power and sought to expand it. At the center of his ambitions was a new county jail that he has fought for throughout the last 15 years.</p>
<p>Leis and his various Republican and Democratic allies have argued that the jail is necessary to replace or supplement already existing jail space, some of it older space renovated only a few years ago and some of it relatively new, including the modern Justice Center finished in 1985. The immediate principal beneficiary of a new jail would be Leis who would oversee the new expanded facility and a much larger budget. The Sheriff’s opponents counter that the county has enough jail space if only it were properly administered. The jail they point out regularly houses alcohol and drug abusers accused of pissing in the park, the homeless found sleeping on the streets, the mentally ill found wandering the city lost in their psychotic fears and fantasies, and many poor people who would be released if they could make bail or if there were a functioning night court. Leis, however, wants a bigger jail not a better run one.</p>
<p>Last year Leis’s fellow Republican Phil Heimlich put forward the plan for a bigger jail with the 800 additional beds to be paid for by a regressive sales tax. Carl Lindner, the multimillionaire, former owner of Chiquita Brands, and dominant figure in the Republican Party, backed up Leis and Heimlich. The County Commissioners-then two Republicans and one Democrat-put the issue to the voters as a referendum on the November 2006 ballot. But the people didn’t want it. Conservatives argued that it cost too much, while progressives argued that the jail was no way to fight crime and the regressive sales tax was no way to pay for it. Cincinnati Progressive Action, a small group of local activists, created No Jail Tax PAC and carried out an educational campaign stressing the need for education, jobs, and facilities for mental health and drug and alcohol addiction. While Lindner and other backs of the jail put up $250,000, No Jail Tax opponents raised about $1,000 to oppose it. Voters left, right and center went to the polls in large numbers and defeated the jail tax.</p>
<p>Hemilich’s jail went down to defeat, so did Heimlich himself, and former mayoral candidate Democrat David Pepper, Jr., a Cincinnati City Councilman who had originally introduced what became one of the country’s harshest anti-marijuana laws, was elected to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. Leis, Pepper and Portune then took up the jail issue anew, now adding some modest mental health and drug treatment programs for jail prisoners, but still calling for the additional 800 beds. And, as with Heimlich’s jail, the new facility would be financed by a regressive sales tax-an even larger tax-falling heaviest on working people and the poor. Portune and Pepper then passed the measure at the three-member Board meeting over the contrary vote from Republican Pat DeWine, imposing a new jail on citizens who had only a few months before rejected a similar proposal. Two white men had voted for a jail that if built would, like every other jail and prison in the country, house an inordinate number of black people. Voters, however, still had the right to put the measure on the ballot, and immediately the organizing began.</p>
<p>Furious that the commissioners had voted for the jail when only a few months before it had gone down to defeat in a county-wide referendum, critics of the jail tax launched a campaign for another referendum. Opponents of the jail were led by the NAACP and included Cincinnati Progressive Action and the Green Party on the left and COAST (Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes), various Republican officials, and the Libertarian Party on the right. Those groups created a tacit alliance and cooperated in circulating petitions to give citizens the right to vote on the jail in the November 2007 election. Leis, Pepper and Portune responded by taking their case to dozens of groups around the county, urging voters not so sign the petitions which, they said, would only delay the inevitable. But citizens rushed to sign the petitions at local church fairs, block parties, and summer festivals. The opposing groups, led by the NAACP’s grassroots activists, collected over 54,000 signatures, with 38,961 of them declared valid, 10,000 more than the number needed to put the issue on the ballot. The Jail: The Democratic Party Stakes All its Chips</p>
<p>The Democratic Party has decided to make the jail the issue of the election, invoking party to discipline to keep the unions, the social service agencies, and new city council candidates in line. Pepper and Portune prove to be a potent pair, the Janus face of the Democratic Party. Pepper’s face turns toward the corporate powers. It was Pepper, son of a P&amp;G CEO, who played a crucial role on the Cincinnati City Council in multimillion dollar concessions to keep Convergys and Kroger from leaving Cincinnati. Portune’s face turns toward the social service agencies and other do-gooders who have depended upon him during the Republican lean years to keep them afloat. Pepper and Portune, having added some in-jail mental health and substance abuse programs, claim that building a new, bigger jail is now a progressive measure. Now known as Issue 27, the jail proposal, would raise the county’s sales tax a half-cent for eight years, lower it a quarter-cent for seven years and then eliminate it after 15 years. The tax would build a new $198 million, 1,800-bed jail an $11 million juvenile detention facility. Hamilton County, its population still declining, would have the biggest jail in Ohio.</p>
<p>The Democratic Party plays a powerful in Cincinnati’s labor and social movements-not in providing leadership, but in exerting discipline over those that might get out of line. Democrats have told the unions that they must not only support the party’s candidates but also its jail tax. So unions that one might expect to a progressive position-such as the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers or the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-have toed the line. The Building Trades, of course, can be counted on to support building anything so long as it provides jobs for their almost all white membership. Similarly Todd Portune has made it clear to social service organizations that serve the poor and that he has often lobbied for that he expects them to support the jail. Liberal Democratic City Council candidates have also been told that they will be expected to support the jail or loose the party’s support.</p>
<p>The only major organization in the city that has had the courage to stand up to the Democratic Party on this issue is the NAACP chapter led by Christopher Smitherman. Smitherman, a stockbroker, a fiscal conservative and a former city councilman, infuriated the establishment and especially the police department when he attempted to use his seat on the city council to examine the institutional racism of the city. Smitherman’s demands for answers to police killings and his suggestion that the police department was controlled by an old white boys network of former graduates of the once-white West Side’s Elder High School Hamilton led to accusations by County Prosecutor Michael K. Allen that Smitherman himself was involved in “racial profiling.” Shocked an angered by the reaction to his attempts to get at the truth of Cincinnati’s racism, Smitherman became the council’s angry young man. The media turned on him and Smitherman went down to defeat in the 2007 elections.</p>
<p>More determined than ever to fight the racism of the white establishment, Smitherman then ran for president of the NAACP promising to make the organization a more aggressive presence in the region, winning only after a bitter organizational and legal battle with his opponent Edith Thrower. Smitherman, whose moderate politics were long ago overtaken by his sense of indignation at the racist treatment of African Americans in Cincinnati, has proven to be one of the few people in the city with the courage to speak out and to act, no matter what the establishment thinks, conservative or liberal. At the same time his essentially conservative political views make it possible for him to work with the right-wing Republican anti-tax crowd led by Pat DeWine. Smitherman seems not to realize that his conservative worldview and his search for racial justice are at odds, but thankfully it is the latter that seems to drive him.</p>
<p>Smitherman speaks for many black Cincinnatians when he says, “Until the justice system is fair in Hamilton County, the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP cannot support building a new jail. The NAACP knows well that the sentences and punishments for African Americans are harsher and longer. It is this disparity in the justice system that underscores the discrimination of African-American people in Hamilton County and across the nation.” (Kevin Osborne, “Jail Break,” City Beat, Sept. 12, 2007.)</p>
<p>The Cincinnati Democrats, locked in the embrace of Republican Sheriff Leis and apparently oblivious to the racial divide that they are exacerbating, have turned the jail into the central political issue for November. What explains this strange turn of events? Some speculate that Portune and Pepper must believe that their alliance with Leis on this issue will make it feasible for them to portray themselves as the party of law and order and therefore to win enough independent and Republican votes to turn their two-to-one majority on the County Commission into a permanent state of affairs. Portune will certainly find it a lot easier to run for office in the next election if he doesn’t have to contend with Sheriff Leis and Carl Lindner.</p>
<p>In any case, Pepper and Portune seem to be able to count on Cincinnati’s Democratic Party which during the last national election became a much better organized and more disciplined outfit. Whether or not that democratic organization can deliver the voters, particularly black voters remains to be seen. As they take the case to the people, the new liberal activists of the party organization may wonder if a Democratic Party victory on this issue is really worth it if in the end it means that Simon Leis has a bigger jail and a bigger budget and that black Cincinnati feels betrayed. What will Cincinnatians say to themselves six years after Timothy Thomas was killed and the riots broke out, that we have a bigger jail? And here we thought all that soul searching had something to do with racial and social justice.</p>
<p>DAN La BOTZ is a Cincinnati-based teacher, writer and activist. He is a member of Cincinnati Progressive Action (CPA) and No Jail Tax PAC (nojailtax.org).</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | six years police killed unarmed black man city rocked riots everything cincinnati come building jail liberals darling todd portune end joing hands cnservative moral crusader sheriff simon leis democratic party placed chips 800 jail beds city county declining population democrats republicans also corporations labor unions joined together build jail opposed naacp black cincinnatians began search racial reconciliation lead jail many emblem symbol reality racial discrimination april 2001 cincinnati shocked police officers killing 19yearold unarmed black man named timothy thomas convulsed innercity riot arson looting black urban rebellion much like one taken place thirty years citysuddenly shaken realization three decades made progress whatsoever race relationscame feet gasp pastors priests rabbis summoned congregations prayed understanding reconciliation peace city council showed sudden new interest longneglected issues poverty housing mayor charles luken created blueribbon commission charged improving policecommunity relations suit black united front aclu federal judge took charge overseeing reform cincinnati police collaborative agreement promises summer jobs youth pledges bring economic development old innercity neighborhoods cincinnati african american groups little faith promises called another boycott cincinnatiin addition one already enforced gay communityuntil local government could create economic social justice cincinnatis black people city hall responded public relations campaign proclaiming cincinnati things wished knew gay black boycotts continued years gays blacks gave white power structure tasted victory taste cincinnati oktoberfest blacks forgotten boycott returned black family reunion progress poverty last six years city wrestled identity undeniable progress notorious city ordinance prohibiting gays lesbians invoking civil rights law defend discrimination overturned referendum clearly vote old white power structure city elected mark mallory african american mayor defeating councilman david pepper seius justice janitors campaign brought union organization higher wages health benefits citys lowest paid workers even passed referendum smoking ordinance bars restaurants protect health workers public despite tobacco lobbys attempt confuse us lookalike proposition yet six years things improved much neighborhoods ways gotten worse cincinnati hamilton county employers continued move surrounding suburbs ohio neighboring kentucky cincinnatis unemployment rate 5 percent black unemployment 10 percent unemployment black teenagers reached staggering 30 percent poverty seems become endemic 2007 cincinnati city 317000 people 53 percent white 42 percent black title third poorest city nation detroit buffalo us census bureau reported cincinnati 278 percent residents living poverty number 8 2006 25 percent among poor number 22 2004 196 living poverty many black neighborhoods poverty level much higher almost one third poverty city poverty hits children hard river city scandalous infant morality rate 131 per 1000about jamaica french guiana hamilton county far behind rate 105 far worse ohio 76 united states 68 per 1000 put things perspective rate sweden national health care system 32 per 1000 cincinnatis high school drop rate reported 50 75 percent depending whos counting students dropouts example become part virtual education program yet prove works interestingly according ohio office criminal justice services violent crime cincinnati rose slowest rate state 2006 12 percent violent crimes murder cincinnati went alarming 10 percentpresumably driven violence drug gangsthough 10 percent less half increase cleveland columbus murders rose 20 percent sorts problems perhaps surprising cincinnatis population declining decades hamilton countys last several years people moved distant counties across state line kentucky past segregated city mirrored present big houses green lawns segregated suburbs come jail apparent cincinnati hamilton county many problemsyet strangely enough approach november election one problem occupies center stage one issue focus attention education employment improving race relations vague inspiring notion social justice rather building new county jail construction new hamilton county jail become central issue local politics focus unprecedented cooperation liberal democrats conservative republicans urged david pepper son proctor amp gamble ceo democrat todd portune county commission embraced notorious rightwing sheriff republican simon leis three together pledged build new jail come hell high water things going course operation vortexoperation take back streets joint effort cincinnati police department hamilton county sheriffs drive criminals overtherhine order make area attractive investors developers developers led 3cdc cincinnati center city development corporation less replaced citys defunct planning department smile upon removal poor blacks make way creative class young hip childless folks surplus expendable income operation turned vine st overtherhines principal thoroughfare main street ghost town driven crime nearby communities even suburbs new arts center become anchor investors developers creative classbut yet arrive theres decade old offagain onagain banks project multimillion dollar commercial residential development project planned built ohio river citys elite investors debated whether 30story towers along second street might block view corporate leaders sitting mahogany rooms older generation skyscrapers banksif ever gets builtwill expansion cincinnatis downtown meant attract fortune five hundred companies employ creative class goes planned live among boutiques trendy restaurants new overtherhine german immigrants appalachians african americans lived central struggle isnt fought 3cdcs makeover overtherhine multimillion dollar banks project like chess match several moves everything seems focused might otherwise simply insignificant pawn cincinnati powersthatbe people oppose focused energies issue new hamilton county jail thatin city county declining populationwould add 800 prisoner beds odd fellows leispepperportune sherrif simon leis conservative moral crusader closed last tango paris shown cincinnati theater 1972 convicted larry flynt hustler magazine obscenity 1977 heavy drama leiss central role closing exhibition robert mapplethorpe perfect moment contemporary arts center 1990 brought national notoriety opprobrium artists intellectuals valued first amendment rights several months later jury found maplethorpe photographs obscene decade later mapplethorpes photos shown cincinnati retrospective times changed even cincinnati changed leis held power sought expand center ambitions new county jail fought throughout last 15 years leis various republican democratic allies argued jail necessary replace supplement already existing jail space older space renovated years ago relatively new including modern justice center finished 1985 immediate principal beneficiary new jail would leis would oversee new expanded facility much larger budget sheriffs opponents counter county enough jail space properly administered jail point regularly houses alcohol drug abusers accused pissing park homeless found sleeping streets mentally ill found wandering city lost psychotic fears fantasies many poor people would released could make bail functioning night court leis however wants bigger jail better run one last year leiss fellow republican phil heimlich put forward plan bigger jail 800 additional beds paid regressive sales tax carl lindner multimillionaire former owner chiquita brands dominant figure republican party backed leis heimlich county commissionersthen two republicans one democratput issue voters referendum november 2006 ballot people didnt want conservatives argued cost much progressives argued jail way fight crime regressive sales tax way pay cincinnati progressive action small group local activists created jail tax pac carried educational campaign stressing need education jobs facilities mental health drug alcohol addiction lindner backs jail put 250000 jail tax opponents raised 1000 oppose voters left right center went polls large numbers defeated jail tax hemilichs jail went defeat heimlich former mayoral candidate democrat david pepper jr cincinnati city councilman originally introduced became one countrys harshest antimarijuana laws elected hamilton county board commissioners leis pepper portune took jail issue anew adding modest mental health drug treatment programs jail prisoners still calling additional 800 beds heimlichs jail new facility would financed regressive sales taxan even larger taxfalling heaviest working people poor portune pepper passed measure threemember board meeting contrary vote republican pat dewine imposing new jail citizens months rejected similar proposal two white men voted jail built would like every jail prison country house inordinate number black people voters however still right put measure ballot immediately organizing began furious commissioners voted jail months gone defeat countywide referendum critics jail tax launched campaign another referendum opponents jail led naacp included cincinnati progressive action green party left coast citizens opposed additional spending taxes various republican officials libertarian party right groups created tacit alliance cooperated circulating petitions give citizens right vote jail november 2007 election leis pepper portune responded taking case dozens groups around county urging voters sign petitions said would delay inevitable citizens rushed sign petitions local church fairs block parties summer festivals opposing groups led naacps grassroots activists collected 54000 signatures 38961 declared valid 10000 number needed put issue ballot jail democratic party stakes chips democratic party decided make jail issue election invoking party discipline keep unions social service agencies new city council candidates line pepper portune prove potent pair janus face democratic party peppers face turns toward corporate powers pepper son pampg ceo played crucial role cincinnati city council multimillion dollar concessions keep convergys kroger leaving cincinnati portunes face turns toward social service agencies dogooders depended upon republican lean years keep afloat pepper portune added injail mental health substance abuse programs claim building new bigger jail progressive measure known issue 27 jail proposal would raise countys sales tax halfcent eight years lower quartercent seven years eliminate 15 years tax would build new 198 million 1800bed jail 11 million juvenile detention facility hamilton county population still declining would biggest jail ohio democratic party plays powerful cincinnatis labor social movementsnot providing leadership exerting discipline might get line democrats told unions must support partys candidates also jail tax unions one might expect progressive positionsuch cincinnati federation teachers coalition black trade unionistshave toed line building trades course counted support building anything long provides jobs almost white membership similarly todd portune made clear social service organizations serve poor often lobbied expects support jail liberal democratic city council candidates also told expected support jail loose partys support major organization city courage stand democratic party issue naacp chapter led christopher smitherman smitherman stockbroker fiscal conservative former city councilman infuriated establishment especially police department attempted use seat city council examine institutional racism city smithermans demands answers police killings suggestion police department controlled old white boys network former graduates oncewhite west sides elder high school hamilton led accusations county prosecutor michael k allen smitherman involved racial profiling shocked angered reaction attempts get truth cincinnatis racism smitherman became councils angry young man media turned smitherman went defeat 2007 elections determined ever fight racism white establishment smitherman ran president naacp promising make organization aggressive presence region winning bitter organizational legal battle opponent edith thrower smitherman whose moderate politics long ago overtaken sense indignation racist treatment african americans cincinnati proven one people city courage speak act matter establishment thinks conservative liberal time essentially conservative political views make possible work rightwing republican antitax crowd led pat dewine smitherman seems realize conservative worldview search racial justice odds thankfully latter seems drive smitherman speaks many black cincinnatians says justice system fair hamilton county cincinnati branch naacp support building new jail naacp knows well sentences punishments african americans harsher longer disparity justice system underscores discrimination africanamerican people hamilton county across nation kevin osborne jail break city beat sept 12 2007 cincinnati democrats locked embrace republican sheriff leis apparently oblivious racial divide exacerbating turned jail central political issue november explains strange turn events speculate portune pepper must believe alliance leis issue make feasible portray party law order therefore win enough independent republican votes turn twotoone majority county commission permanent state affairs portune certainly find lot easier run office next election doesnt contend sheriff leis carl lindner case pepper portune seem able count cincinnatis democratic party last national election became much better organized disciplined outfit whether democratic organization deliver voters particularly black voters remains seen take case people new liberal activists party organization may wonder democratic party victory issue really worth end means simon leis bigger jail bigger budget black cincinnati feels betrayed cincinnatians say six years timothy thomas killed riots broke bigger jail thought soul searching something racial social justice dan la botz cincinnatibased teacher writer activist member cincinnati progressive action cpa jail tax pac nojailtaxorg 160 | 1,889 |
<p>Bill Clinton was the worst thing to happen to the Democratic Party and to progressives since that racist warmonger Woodrow Wilson won the presidency and dragged the US into the First World War.</p>
<p>Clinton, by posing as a progressive, confused and undermined, and ultimately betrayed the liberal/progressive wing of the party, shattering what was left of the New Deal coalition and leaving the American left adrift and riven by the conflict between those who thought the Democratic Party was the only viable vehicle for progressive reform and those who thought it was hopelessly in the grip of corporate interests.</p>
<p>Barack Obama offers the hope of bringing that era of debilitating confusion to an end.</p>
<p>Not because he is the Great Black Hope of progressives, but because he has taken the concept of selling out to corporate interests and compromising with Republicans to such remarkable heights that progressives hopefully can no longer be confused about the irretrievably corrupted nature of the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>On virtually every issue of importance, President Obama has sided with corporate interests and the wealthy.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; On the issue of war and peace, he has sided with the military-industrial complex, with a policy of permanent occupation of Iraq and endless war in Afghanistan, as well as continued funding of the country’s colossal armory of death, from strategic missiles and submarines to aircraft-carrier-group armadas to high-tech fighter squadrons and space weaponry.</p>
<p>On civil liberties, he has sided with the police state, supporting continuation of the Bush/Cheney administration’s insidious National Security Agency spying program, defended military spying within the US, and refused to prosecute obvious abuses by the prior administration.</p>
<p>On torture, the Obama administration is continuing the imprisonment and torture of captives in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world at Bagram Air Base and, probably, at other secret sites, and instead of closing Guantanamo as promised, is looking into transferring that hellhole of torture and abuse to one or several sites in the mainland US.</p>
<p>Health care reform has become a sad joke, with the emerging “reform” bill looking for all the world like the Rube Goldberg creation of the Clinton era that properly went down in flames. Instead of taking on the insurance industry, the hospital companies and the pharmaceutical industry and other parts of the profit-making medical-industrial complex, Obama cut deals with all of them behind closed doors, assuring that their profits would be left untouched, and that they could essentially write their own “reform” bill through the offices of bought-and-paid members of Congress like Senator Max Baucus.&#160; Obama and his congressional allies carefully kept any discussion of the single-payer idea—essentially Medicare for all, and the approach that even Obama himself admits would be cheaper and more universal—out of sight and off the table.</p>
<p>&#160;Finally, there’s economy and banking reform. Here Obama didn’t even make a pretense of taking a progressive approach. There is a stimulus program, but half of it was in the form of tax cuts—token for the poor and middle class and significant for the rich and for businesses, and half in the form of federal grants, often for unneeded projects like roads and road repair which go to some of the higher paid members of the working class, leaving the poor and the ununionized with no job help. Meanwhile, bankers were the recipients of trillions of dollars in bailout assistance, while nothing was done to break up the huge mega-bank holding companies that brought on the financial and economic crisis in the first place. Instead of picking economic advisers and bank regulators from the many talented system critics like Nobelists Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman, Obama picked veterans of the Bush/Cheney administration, and Wall Street shills like Larry Summers and Timothy Geithner.</p>
<p>Last fall, I and many progressives urged voters to elect Obama, not because we thought he was a progressive, but because we hoped that his background—community organizer, raised by a single mother, experience living in a third world country (Indonesia), multi-racial—would lead him to make at least some right decisions. We, or certainly I, hoped too that the energized young and working class electorate that came out for him in the fall would continue to press him aggressively to do the right thing on war, environment, civil liberties and the economy.</p>
<p>I was wrong on the first count: Obama has been a corporatist through and through on all the major issues that matter. And I was wrong on the second. Most of the left in the US, from the labor movement to the environmentalist movement to the anti-war movement, has to date remained glumly quiescent as Obama has sold them out on each of their key issues.</p>
<p>But here is the silver lining: The sell-out this time is so much more blatant, and so much more serious, than it was with Clinton, and for all the talk about Obama’s ability to string words together, he is so much less of a charismatic figure than the gregarious Bill Clinton, that he is unlikely to hang on to the ardent support that propelled him to his victory last November. The disappointment and sense of betrayal among progressives this time is palpable, especially because, while Clinton, by 1994, had the excuse that he was working with a Republican, or partially Republican Congress, Obama has solid control of both houses, but refuses to use it. If, as I expect, the recession continues to deepen, with more and more people losing jobs and homes, if, as I predict, health care continues to be unaffordable and inaccessible, and if, as I am equally certain, Iraq explodes and the war in Afghanistan continue to worsen, the left is going to see Obama and the Democrats in Congress as the failures and corrupt frauds they are, and will abandon them.</p>
<p>That leaves the question of what to do, and where those frustrated progressives will turn.</p>
<p>I don’t claim to have the answer to that. Clearly the labor movement needs to recognize that hitching its fortunes to the Democratic Party has been and will continue to be a dismal failure. It needs to pull all its political money back and only support those who are 100&#160; per cent&#160; allies in the struggle for the rights of workers. No money for the party as a whole. It should also go back to the pioneering work of people like the late Tony Mazzocchi of the Oil and Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, who before his death was tirelessly working to establish an American labor party.</p>
<p>If the ever fractious US left, and the somnolent labor movement, cannot come together as one, there is little hope of political change in America. At that point the alternative would be an increasing militancy over these critical issues, outside of the electoral arena—something that has to happen anyhow, regardless of whether a real third party force can be put together.&#160; We know that simply organizing occasional polite marches in Washington, or in key cities, accomplishes nothing. We have learned that email campaigns to deluge members of Congress with canned opinions don’t work. What has worked, and will always work, is massive campaigns of civil disobedience, tent cities in Washington, organized disruption of war preparations, and door-to-door organizing. The corrupt hacks who inhabit the halls of Congress and the White House will not do the right thing just because it is the right thing, or because we ask them nicely. They may, if we make them fear that they will actually lose our votes in the next election. For the most part, incumbent Democrats know that the people who peacefully march down Connecticut Avenue are still likely to vote for them come the next election. They’re not going to be so sure about people who are being hit by tear gas and water cannons and who are being hauled off en masse to jail at protests.</p>
<p>We may need to start sending that stronger message.</p>
<p>DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His latest book is “ <a href="" type="internal">The Case for Impeachment</a>” (St. Martin’s Press, 2006 and now available in paperback). He can be reached at <a href="mailto:dlindorff@mindspring.com" type="external">dlindorff@mindspring.com</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | bill clinton worst thing happen democratic party progressives since racist warmonger woodrow wilson presidency dragged us first world war clinton posing progressive confused undermined ultimately betrayed liberalprogressive wing party shattering left new deal coalition leaving american left adrift riven conflict thought democratic party viable vehicle progressive reform thought hopelessly grip corporate interests barack obama offers hope bringing era debilitating confusion end great black hope progressives taken concept selling corporate interests compromising republicans remarkable heights progressives hopefully longer confused irretrievably corrupted nature democratic party virtually every issue importance president obama sided corporate interests wealthy 160160160160160160 issue war peace sided militaryindustrial complex policy permanent occupation iraq endless war afghanistan well continued funding countrys colossal armory death strategic missiles submarines aircraftcarriergroup armadas hightech fighter squadrons space weaponry civil liberties sided police state supporting continuation bushcheney administrations insidious national security agency spying program defended military spying within us refused prosecute obvious abuses prior administration torture obama administration continuing imprisonment torture captives afghanistan elsewhere around world bagram air base probably secret sites instead closing guantanamo promised looking transferring hellhole torture abuse one several sites mainland us health care reform become sad joke emerging reform bill looking world like rube goldberg creation clinton era properly went flames instead taking insurance industry hospital companies pharmaceutical industry parts profitmaking medicalindustrial complex obama cut deals behind closed doors assuring profits would left untouched could essentially write reform bill offices boughtandpaid members congress like senator max baucus160 obama congressional allies carefully kept discussion singlepayer ideaessentially medicare approach even obama admits would cheaper universalout sight table 160finally theres economy banking reform obama didnt even make pretense taking progressive approach stimulus program half form tax cutstoken poor middle class significant rich businesses half form federal grants often unneeded projects like roads road repair go higher paid members working class leaving poor ununionized job help meanwhile bankers recipients trillions dollars bailout assistance nothing done break huge megabank holding companies brought financial economic crisis first place instead picking economic advisers bank regulators many talented system critics like nobelists joseph stiglitz paul krugman obama picked veterans bushcheney administration wall street shills like larry summers timothy geithner last fall many progressives urged voters elect obama thought progressive hoped backgroundcommunity organizer raised single mother experience living third world country indonesia multiracialwould lead make least right decisions certainly hoped energized young working class electorate came fall would continue press aggressively right thing war environment civil liberties economy wrong first count obama corporatist major issues matter wrong second left us labor movement environmentalist movement antiwar movement date remained glumly quiescent obama sold key issues silver lining sellout time much blatant much serious clinton talk obamas ability string words together much less charismatic figure gregarious bill clinton unlikely hang ardent support propelled victory last november disappointment sense betrayal among progressives time palpable especially clinton 1994 excuse working republican partially republican congress obama solid control houses refuses use expect recession continues deepen people losing jobs homes predict health care continues unaffordable inaccessible equally certain iraq explodes war afghanistan continue worsen left going see obama democrats congress failures corrupt frauds abandon leaves question frustrated progressives turn dont claim answer clearly labor movement needs recognize hitching fortunes democratic party continue dismal failure needs pull political money back support 100160 per cent160 allies struggle rights workers money party whole also go back pioneering work people like late tony mazzocchi oil chemical atomic workers union death tirelessly working establish american labor party ever fractious us left somnolent labor movement come together one little hope political change america point alternative would increasing militancy critical issues outside electoral arenasomething happen anyhow regardless whether real third party force put together160 know simply organizing occasional polite marches washington key cities accomplishes nothing learned email campaigns deluge members congress canned opinions dont work worked always work massive campaigns civil disobedience tent cities washington organized disruption war preparations doortodoor organizing corrupt hacks inhabit halls congress white house right thing right thing ask nicely may make fear actually lose votes next election part incumbent democrats know people peacefully march connecticut avenue still likely vote come next election theyre going sure people hit tear gas water cannons hauled en masse jail protests may need start sending stronger message dave lindorff philadelphiabased journalist columnist latest book case impeachment st martins press 2006 available paperback reached dlindorffmindspringcom 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 721 |
<p>One year after the GOP's brutal post-election "autopsy" <a href="http://goproject.gop.com/RNC_Growth_Opportunity_Book_2013.pdf" type="external">report</a>, the party has shunned meaningful changes to its governing agenda and is instead relying on stylistic shifts to make itself relevant to the changing American electorate.</p>
<p>In a joint <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/03/17/the_growth_and_opportunity_project_a_one-year_check-up_121953.html" type="external">op-ed</a> published Monday in RealClearPolitics.com, the authors of the Republican National Committee report, which was released one year ago today, emphasized and re-emphasized their recent efforts to expand voter outreach, adopt the latest technologies and craft a message that appeals to voters outside their core tent. They expounded on their successes in those areas in a conference call with reporters in the afternoon.</p>
<p>Conspicuously missing in both venues was a single policy change embraced by the congressional GOP in the wake of the RNC's introspective look at where its party went astray.</p>
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<p>That's not because Republican operatives didn't want policy changes. The 100-page report last year warned of electoral doom if the GOP didn't, for instance, embrace comprehensive immigration reform.</p>
<p>"[A]mong the steps Republicans take in the Hispanic community and beyond we must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. If we do not, our Party's appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only," the report said. It elevated the threat level: "If Hispanic Americans perceive that a GOP nominee or candidate does not want them in the United States (i.e. self-deportation), they will not pay attention to our next sentence."</p>
<p />
<p>The party responded with a resounding "meh." While a group of Senate Republicans joined Democrats to pass an immigration overhaul in 2013, Senate GOP leaders voted against it every step of the way. And the majority House Republican leaders have signaled they <a href="" type="internal">won't act</a> on the issue after a backlash from their base. In fact, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/steve-king-amendment-deport_n_3397126.html" type="external">only</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/12/house-immigration_n_4950425.html" type="external">two</a> immigration-related bills that the House GOP has brought up and passed since the 2012 election would effectively require Obama to deport people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.</p>
<p>Another issue that the RNC urged Republicans to shift on was gay rights, describing it as a "gateway" issue for young voters in particular.</p>
<p>"Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays," the report read. "If our Party is not welcoming and inclusive, young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out."</p>
<p>The response? Nah. Republicans stuck to their guns against gay rights, first by spending some $3 million to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act - and <a href="" type="internal">losing</a> in the Supreme Court. Then they reaffirmed their opposition to same-sex marriage in the official party platform. And House Speaker John Boehner <a href="" type="internal">nixed</a> the Senate-passed Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which beefs up protections for LGBT individuals in the workplace. All this despite recent <a href="" type="internal">polling</a> finding that a majority of young people in their own party support same-sex marriage.</p>
<p />
<p>More broadly, the autopsy report called on Republicans to be more "inclusive and welcoming" toward younger voters and many (read: unmarried) women. "When it comes to social issues, the Party must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming," the authors pleaded. "If we are not, we will limit our ability to attract young people and others, including many women, who agree with us on some but not all issues."</p>
<p>Other than finding new ways to sell their policies and <a href="" type="internal">holding workshops</a> teaching candidates to talk to women, it's hard to discern a GOP course change on the substance. Over the last year, for instance, House Republicans have passed a <a href="" type="internal">variety</a> of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/no-taxpayer-funding-for-abortion-act_n_4681743.html" type="external">bills</a> aimed at restricting legal abortion and have pushed the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare's mandate for employers to cover birth control without co-pays in their insurance plans.</p>
<p>TPM checked in with the RNC on what policy recommendations congressional Republicans adopted from the report. RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski didn't point to any, but told TPM in an email that immigration was a difficult problem, arguing that the authors of the report "weren't prescriptive on what [reform] looks like" and that "leaders on the Hill have been working on and discussing immigration issues." On gay rights, she pointed out that RNC Chair Reince Priebus has "discussed the need for a change in tone" over the last year.</p>
<p>On the conference call, RNC committeeman Henry Barbour downplayed the GOP's stubbornness on immigration reform and touted the party's voter outreach efforts.</p>
<p>"We are staffing people of color in various communities across the country to engage them and have conversations with them," he said. "I think the RNC should be commended."</p>
<p>A new RNC ad campaign reveals the extent to which the Republican party is relying on style shifts as opposed to a substantive rethinking of its policies. It features an Asian woman, a black woman, a Hispanic man and a white male hipster proudly declaring that they're Republicans.</p>
<p />
<p>The GOP's resistance to modernizing its agenda isn't likely to harm the party in the 2014 congressional elections, where Republicans have a <a href="" type="internal">structural advantage</a> due to an older, whiter and more male mid-term electorate. The GOP's core tea party and evangelical constituencies - which represent its resistance to change - are likely to turn out. The 2016 election is where the party is shaping up to pay a steep price if it doesn't overhaul its approach to governing.</p>
<p>"The best thing for the party is to focus on 2014 and 2016 will take care of itself," said Barbour.</p> | true | 4 | one year gops brutal postelection autopsy report party shunned meaningful changes governing agenda instead relying stylistic shifts make relevant changing american electorate joint oped published monday realclearpoliticscom authors republican national committee report released one year ago today emphasized reemphasized recent efforts expand voter outreach adopt latest technologies craft message appeals voters outside core tent expounded successes areas conference call reporters afternoon conspicuously missing venues single policy change embraced congressional gop wake rncs introspective look party went astray thats republican operatives didnt want policy changes 100page report last year warned electoral doom gop didnt instance embrace comprehensive immigration reform among steps republicans take hispanic community beyond must embrace champion comprehensive immigration reform partys appeal continue shrink core constituencies report said elevated threat level hispanic americans perceive gop nominee candidate want united states ie selfdeportation pay attention next sentence party responded resounding meh group senate republicans joined democrats pass immigration overhaul 2013 senate gop leaders voted every step way majority house republican leaders signaled wont act issue backlash base fact two immigrationrelated bills house gop brought passed since 2012 election would effectively require obama deport people brought us illegally children another issue rnc urged republicans shift gay rights describing gateway issue young voters particular already generational difference within conservative movement issues involving treatment rights gays report read party welcoming inclusive young people increasingly voters continue tune us response nah republicans stuck guns gay rights first spending 3 million defend antigay defense marriage act losing supreme court reaffirmed opposition samesex marriage official party platform house speaker john boehner nixed senatepassed employment nondiscrimination act beefs protections lgbt individuals workplace despite recent polling finding majority young people party support samesex marriage broadly autopsy report called republicans inclusive welcoming toward younger voters many read unmarried women comes social issues party must fact deed inclusive welcoming authors pleaded limit ability attract young people others including many women agree us issues finding new ways sell policies holding workshops teaching candidates talk women hard discern gop course change substance last year instance house republicans passed variety bills aimed restricting legal abortion pushed supreme court strike obamacares mandate employers cover birth control without copays insurance plans tpm checked rnc policy recommendations congressional republicans adopted report rnc spokeswoman kirsten kukowski didnt point told tpm email immigration difficult problem arguing authors report werent prescriptive reform looks like leaders hill working discussing immigration issues gay rights pointed rnc chair reince priebus discussed need change tone last year conference call rnc committeeman henry barbour downplayed gops stubbornness immigration reform touted partys voter outreach efforts staffing people color various communities across country engage conversations said think rnc commended new rnc ad campaign reveals extent republican party relying style shifts opposed substantive rethinking policies features asian woman black woman hispanic man white male hipster proudly declaring theyre republicans gops resistance modernizing agenda isnt likely harm party 2014 congressional elections republicans structural advantage due older whiter male midterm electorate gops core tea party evangelical constituencies represent resistance change likely turn 2016 election party shaping pay steep price doesnt overhaul approach governing best thing party focus 2014 2016 take care said barbour | 514 |
<p>Two decades ago, the garbage barge, the Khian Sea, with no place in the U.S. willing to accept its garbage, left the territorial waters of the United States and began circling the oceans in search of a country willing to accept its cargo: 14,000 tons of toxic incinerator ash. First it went to the Bahamas, then to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bermuda, Guinea Bissau and the Netherlands Antilles. Wherever it went, people gathered to protest its arrival. No one wanted the millions of pounds of Philadelphia municipal incinerator ash dumped in their country.</p>
<p>Desperate to unload, the ship’s crew lied about their cargo, hoping to catch a government unawares. Sometimes they identified the ash as “construction material”; other times they said it was “road fill,” and still others “muddy waste.” But environmental experts were generally one step ahead in notifying the recipients; no one would take it. That is, until it got to Haiti. There, U.S.-backed dictator Baby Doc Duvalier issued a permit for the garbage, which was by now being called “fertilizer,” and four thousand tons of the ash was dumped onto the beach in the town of Gonaives.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for public outcry to force Haiti’s officials to suddenly “realize” they weren’t getting fertilizer. They canceled the import permit and ordered the waste returned to the ship. But the Khian Sea slipped away in the night, leaving thousands of tons toxic ash on the beach.</p>
<p>For two years more the Khian Sea chugged from country to country trying to dispose of the remaining 10,000 tons of Philadelphia ash. The crew even painted over the barge’s name — not once, but twice. Still, no one was fooled into taking its toxic cargo. A crew member later testified that the waste was finally dumped into the Indian Ocean.</p>
<p>The activist environmental group, Greenpeace, pressured the U.S. government to test the “fertilizer.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Greenpeace found it contained 1,800 pounds of arsenic, 4,300 pounds of cadmium, and 435,000 pounds of lead, dioxin and other toxins. But no one would clean it up.</p>
<p>The cost of the cleanup at Gonaives had been estimated to be around $300,000. Philadelphia’s $130 million budget surplus would more than cover it, but Philadelphia lawyer Ed Rendell — then mayor of that city and later Chairman of the Democratic National Committee — refused to put up the funds. Joseph Paolino, whose company (Joseph Paolino and Sons) had contracted to transport the waste ash aboard the infamous Khian Sea garbage barge owned by Amalgamated Shipping, refused as well.</p>
<p>In July of 1992, the U.S. Justice Department — under pressure from environmental groups throughout the world — finally filed indictments against two waste traders who had shipped and dumped the 14,000 tons of Philadelphia incinerator ash. Similar indictments were brought against three individuals and four corporations who illegally exported 3,000 tons of hazardous waste to Bangladesh and Australia, also labeled as “fertilizer.” But none of the waste traders were charged with dumping their toxic cargo at sea, nor even with falsely labeling it as fertilizer and abandoning it on the beaches of Haiti, Bangladesh, and Australia. They were charged only with lying to a grand jury. (“Indictments Announced in Philadelphia’s Haiti Ash Scandal; Greenpeace Calls for Immediate Cleanup,” Greenpeace News, July 14, 1992, and “Philadelphia and U.S. EPA Get Unexpected Ash Packets,” Greenpeace Waste Trade Update, March 22, 1991.)</p>
<p>A month earlier, similar watered-down indictments were announced against three individuals and four corporations who illegally exported 3,000 tons of hazardous waste to Bangladesh and Australia, also labelled as “fertilizer.” Meanwhile, the government stonewalled, for years; it took more than a decade for the U.S. government to clean up the waste.</p>
<p>U.S. law was interpreted to protect the dumpers, not the dumped on. Unwilling recipients of toxic wastes are offered no recourse. In recent years, much of the waste from industrialized countries is exported openly, under the name of “recycled material.” These are touted as “fuel” for incinerators generating energy in poor countries. “Once a waste is designated as ‘recyclable’ it is exempt from U.S. toxic waste law and can be bought and sold as if it were ice cream. Slags, sludges, and even dusts captured on pollution control filters are being bagged up and shipped abroad,” writes Peter Montague in Rachel’s Weekly. “These wastes may contain significant quantities of valuable metals, such as zinc, but they also can and do contain significant quantities of toxic by-products such as cadmium, lead and dioxins. The ‘recycling’ loophole in U.S. toxic waste law is big enough to float a barge through, and many barges are floating through it uncounted.”</p>
<p>Every year, thousands of tons of “recycled” waste from the U.S., deceptively labeled as “fertilizer,” are plowed into farms, beaches and deserts in Bangladesh, Haiti, Somalia, Brazil and dozens of other countries. The Clinton administration followed former President George Bush’s lead in allowing U.S. corporations to mix incinerator ash and other wastes containing high concentrations of lead, cadmium and mercury with agricultural chemicals and are sold to (or dumped in) unsuspecting or uncaring agencies and governments throughout the world. (Greenpeace Toxic Trade Campaign, “United States Blocks Efforts to Prohibit Global Waste Dumping by Industrial States,” December 2, 1992.)</p>
<p>These dangerous chemicals are considered “inert,” since they play no active role as “fertilizer” — although they are very active in causing cancers and other diseases. Under U.S. law, ingredients designated as “inert” are not required to be labeled nor reported to the buyer.</p>
<p>President Clinton — expanding the policies of his ignominious predecessors — continued to obstruct the rest of the world from regulating the disastrous international trade in hazardous wastes. At a critical March 21-25 1994 international conference in Geneva, the United States stood with only a handful of waste-producing countries against the entire world in opposing a resolution banning the shipment of hazardous wastes to non-industrialized countries.</p>
<p>Shadowy covert operations figures spent the next two decades promoting schemes involving the shipment to Haiti of U.S. toxic wastes.</p>
<p>In November 1993, Time Magazine reported that a former U.S. government operative had detailed “an elaborate plan to tap U.S. aid funds for low-interest loans that would be used to transport New York City garbage to Haiti, where it would be processed into mulch to fertilize plants bioengineered to provide high-quality paper pulp. ‘We could collect $38 a ton for the garbage,’ claims [Henry] Womack … who helped oversee construction of the base that the Reagan Administration-backed contras used to stage attacks against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.” Womack has similar dreams for Haiti: “We’d make a bundle, and the government could get enough to pay the whole army’s salaries.” (Jill Smolowe, “With Friends Like These: A Host of Shadowy Figures is Helping Haiti’s Military Rulers Hatch a Plot to Sideline Aristide Permanently,” Time Magazine, November 8, 1993.) Womack lived in a South Miami house with a couple: the sister of Michel François, who headed the death squads in Haiti and served as chief of its national police, and her husband.</p>
<p>Although most agents are not usually as candid as Womack, such plans are common. In August 1991, for example, Almany Enterprises, a company also headquartered in Miami, proposed shipping 30 million tons of incinerator ash from various U.S. cities to Panama over the subsequent four years. Almany would pay the government only $6.50 per ton of toxic waste received in Panama. The ash is believed to be highly contaminated with cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. Almany proposed to landfill the ash in marshlands near the free zone of Colon. Dozens of similar schemes are rampant. Throughout the Caribbean and Central America the devastating health crisis is exacerbated — if not directly caused — by international capital’s “recycling” of toxic wastes. (Indeed, Haitian women who have emigrated to the U.S. have been found to have double or triple the cervical cancer rates as women born in the U.S.)</p>
<p>Said Ehrl LaFontant of the Haiti Communications Project: “Instead of repatriating Haitian refugees to Haiti, the U.S. government should repatriate this toxic waste back to its own country.”</p>
<p>Toxic waste dumping in Haiti was, after all, a lucrative source of income for the Duvalier dictatorship. Former Haitian despot Duvalier profited handsomely in his relationship with the U.S., to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. That relationship included allowing U.S. toxic fertilizer to be dumped in Haiti, at the expense of the Haitian people.</p>
<p>Duvalier’s U.S.-based lawyer, Ron Brown, also did well, economically, by their relationship. In the early 1980s, Brown was a partner at the powerful Washington law firm of Patton, Boggs &amp; Blow. Duvalier secured his services by paying him $150,000 as a retainer, and Brown went to work for the brutal dictator on Capitol Hill. Before his death while flying over Yugoslavia and scouting U.S. investment opportunities, Brown had been personally linked to Lillian Madsen, who had married into an extremely wealthy Haitian family with vast holdings in coffee and beer. (She later divorced.) Madsen lived in an expensive Washington townhouse that had been purchased for her in 1992 by the commerce secretary himself and by his son, D.C. lobbyist Michael Brown. The Madsens were major backers of Duvalier and among the main domestic financial backers of the September 1991 coup against elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Brown uttered nary a word to support the return of Aristide and democracy to Haiti, nor did he protest the U.S.’s toxic practices there.</p>
<p>Brown also represented Fritz Bennett, the brother of Michelle Bennett Duvalier, wife of the deposed dictator, when the brother was arrested in Puerto Rico for trafficking in narcotics. (Michelle Duvalier’s touch with reality herself can be somewhat shaky, as when, in exile, she said: “Flee Haiti? Why do you say we were fleeing Haiti? The president and I decided it was time to leave. Nobody can ever say we had to leave Haiti. We wanted to go.”)</p>
<p>Brown was also the subject of a scandal involving Vietnamese businessman Nguyen Van Hao, who was the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Development under the corrupt U.S.-backed Saigon dictatorship in the early 1970s. Hao alleged that Brown agreed to be paid $700,000 in exchange for his help in lifting a trade embargo against Vietnam. Hao, who previously lived in Haiti, and Brown had a mutual Haitian friend, Marc Butch Ashton — Lillian Madsen’s brother-in-law. Ashton was a financial advisor to Baby Doc. A large landholder and owner of Haiti Citrus, a lime exporter, Ashton allegedly used a squad of 40 Tonton Macoutes death squads to guard his properties. Poor farmers who leased their land to Haiti Citrus say they were intimidated and tortured by Ashton’s thugs when they tried to get better terms. (Counterpunch, December, 1993)</p>
<p>Brown himself detailed his services to Duvalier in a nine-page memo. Brown’s letter, written in French on Patton, Boggs &amp; Blow letterhead, blamed Monsieur Le President’s problems on an unfair image created by the U.S. media. As to his efforts on Haiti’s behalf, Brown wrote that “We continue to dedicate a considerable amount of time to the improvement of relations between the Republic of Haiti and members of congress and the American government, with the goal of substantially increasing American aid to Haiti. Early success in this regard,” crowed Brown, “is essentially the result of our Washington team.” (Counterpunch, December 1993)</p>
<p>Brown also informed Duvalier that he was looking after Haiti’s long-term interests by maintaining good relations with leading American political figures:</p>
<p>“While we have always enjoyed excellent relations with the government of President Reagan, we have also established personal contacts with almost all the Democratic candidates in order to ensure that we continue to have access to the White House regardless of who wins the presidential election in 1984.” Brown boasted that his “leading role in the Democratic National Committee has served us in these efforts, while a certain number of my colleagues in the Republican Party assure the permanence of our access and the excellence of our relations with the government of President Reagan.”</p>
<p>Juan Gonzalez, writing in the New York Daily News, continued the story:</p>
<p>“When Brown wrote his memo, Amnesty International had accused the Duvalier regime of torture, detentions without trial and `disappearances’.</p>
<p>“Here is some of what Brown reported to Baby Doc:</p>
<p>” ‘Despite the unfair image of Haiti by the American media, and despite the opposition expressed by some members of Congress, it is certain that today … a growing number of people — both members of Congress and government officials — stand ready to defend the interests of Haiti. This … is essentially due to the work of our Washington team. …</p>
<p>” ‘We continue to pay a great deal of attention to the Black Caucus and to other liberal members of Congress … [who] are now, thanks to our efforts, ready to help. Although some of them continue to make negative comments about Haiti, all, without exception, have proved to be cooperative on the issue of aid.’ “</p>
<p>Brown was reporting on his success in getting Congress to say one thing but do another. On foreign aid, he proved more than worth his annual retainer. While he represented Haiti, annual U.S. assistance increased from $35 million to $55 million.</p>
<p>Brown offered not a word in the memo about human rights.</p>
<p>Brown went on to serve as President Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce, which is one of the agencies that oversees toxic waste shipments and promotes corporate investment in Haiti, particularly in the notorious assembly zones established by the International Monetary Fund’s structural adjustment program there. (The assembly zones were populated by the IMF’s removal of 1/3rd of the rural population from their lands, now to be used for export crops to the U.S. and elsewhere).</p>
<p>In his confirmation hearings before the Senate, Brown was not asked a single question concerning toxic wastes, nor of his relationship with the Duvalier dictatorship.</p>
<p>MITCHEL COHEN hosts “Steal This Radio,” a weekly show on <a href="http://www.NYTalkRadio.net" type="external">http://www.NYTalkRadio.net</a>, and is the Chair of WBAI radio’s (99.5-FM) “Local Station Board”. He works with the Brooklyn Greens / Green Party.</p> | true | 4 | two decades ago garbage barge khian sea place us willing accept garbage left territorial waters united states began circling oceans search country willing accept cargo 14000 tons toxic incinerator ash first went bahamas dominican republic honduras bermuda guinea bissau netherlands antilles wherever went people gathered protest arrival one wanted millions pounds philadelphia municipal incinerator ash dumped country desperate unload ships crew lied cargo hoping catch government unawares sometimes identified ash construction material times said road fill still others muddy waste environmental experts generally one step ahead notifying recipients one would take got haiti usbacked dictator baby doc duvalier issued permit garbage called fertilizer four thousand tons ash dumped onto beach town gonaives didnt take long public outcry force haitis officials suddenly realize werent getting fertilizer canceled import permit ordered waste returned ship khian sea slipped away night leaving thousands tons toxic ash beach two years khian sea chugged country country trying dispose remaining 10000 tons philadelphia ash crew even painted barges name twice still one fooled taking toxic cargo crew member later testified waste finally dumped indian ocean activist environmental group greenpeace pressured us government test fertilizer us environmental protection agency greenpeace found contained 1800 pounds arsenic 4300 pounds cadmium 435000 pounds lead dioxin toxins one would clean cost cleanup gonaives estimated around 300000 philadelphias 130 million budget surplus would cover philadelphia lawyer ed rendell mayor city later chairman democratic national committee refused put funds joseph paolino whose company joseph paolino sons contracted transport waste ash aboard infamous khian sea garbage barge owned amalgamated shipping refused well july 1992 us justice department pressure environmental groups throughout world finally filed indictments two waste traders shipped dumped 14000 tons philadelphia incinerator ash similar indictments brought three individuals four corporations illegally exported 3000 tons hazardous waste bangladesh australia also labeled fertilizer none waste traders charged dumping toxic cargo sea even falsely labeling fertilizer abandoning beaches haiti bangladesh australia charged lying grand jury indictments announced philadelphias haiti ash scandal greenpeace calls immediate cleanup greenpeace news july 14 1992 philadelphia us epa get unexpected ash packets greenpeace waste trade update march 22 1991 month earlier similar watereddown indictments announced three individuals four corporations illegally exported 3000 tons hazardous waste bangladesh australia also labelled fertilizer meanwhile government stonewalled years took decade us government clean waste us law interpreted protect dumpers dumped unwilling recipients toxic wastes offered recourse recent years much waste industrialized countries exported openly name recycled material touted fuel incinerators generating energy poor countries waste designated recyclable exempt us toxic waste law bought sold ice cream slags sludges even dusts captured pollution control filters bagged shipped abroad writes peter montague rachels weekly wastes may contain significant quantities valuable metals zinc also contain significant quantities toxic byproducts cadmium lead dioxins recycling loophole us toxic waste law big enough float barge many barges floating uncounted every year thousands tons recycled waste us deceptively labeled fertilizer plowed farms beaches deserts bangladesh haiti somalia brazil dozens countries clinton administration followed former president george bushs lead allowing us corporations mix incinerator ash wastes containing high concentrations lead cadmium mercury agricultural chemicals sold dumped unsuspecting uncaring agencies governments throughout world greenpeace toxic trade campaign united states blocks efforts prohibit global waste dumping industrial states december 2 1992 dangerous chemicals considered inert since play active role fertilizer although active causing cancers diseases us law ingredients designated inert required labeled reported buyer president clinton expanding policies ignominious predecessors continued obstruct rest world regulating disastrous international trade hazardous wastes critical march 2125 1994 international conference geneva united states stood handful wasteproducing countries entire world opposing resolution banning shipment hazardous wastes nonindustrialized countries shadowy covert operations figures spent next two decades promoting schemes involving shipment haiti us toxic wastes november 1993 time magazine reported former us government operative detailed elaborate plan tap us aid funds lowinterest loans would used transport new york city garbage haiti would processed mulch fertilize plants bioengineered provide highquality paper pulp could collect 38 ton garbage claims henry womack helped oversee construction base reagan administrationbacked contras used stage attacks sandinista government nicaragua womack similar dreams haiti wed make bundle government could get enough pay whole armys salaries jill smolowe friends like host shadowy figures helping haitis military rulers hatch plot sideline aristide permanently time magazine november 8 1993 womack lived south miami house couple sister michel françois headed death squads haiti served chief national police husband although agents usually candid womack plans common august 1991 example almany enterprises company also headquartered miami proposed shipping 30 million tons incinerator ash various us cities panama subsequent four years almany would pay government 650 per ton toxic waste received panama ash believed highly contaminated cadmium copper lead zinc almany proposed landfill ash marshlands near free zone colon dozens similar schemes rampant throughout caribbean central america devastating health crisis exacerbated directly caused international capitals recycling toxic wastes indeed haitian women emigrated us found double triple cervical cancer rates women born us said ehrl lafontant haiti communications project instead repatriating haitian refugees haiti us government repatriate toxic waste back country toxic waste dumping haiti lucrative source income duvalier dictatorship former haitian despot duvalier profited handsomely relationship us tune hundreds millions dollars relationship included allowing us toxic fertilizer dumped haiti expense haitian people duvaliers usbased lawyer ron brown also well economically relationship early 1980s brown partner powerful washington law firm patton boggs amp blow duvalier secured services paying 150000 retainer brown went work brutal dictator capitol hill death flying yugoslavia scouting us investment opportunities brown personally linked lillian madsen married extremely wealthy haitian family vast holdings coffee beer later divorced madsen lived expensive washington townhouse purchased 1992 commerce secretary son dc lobbyist michael brown madsens major backers duvalier among main domestic financial backers september 1991 coup elected president jeanbertrand aristide brown uttered nary word support return aristide democracy haiti protest uss toxic practices brown also represented fritz bennett brother michelle bennett duvalier wife deposed dictator brother arrested puerto rico trafficking narcotics michelle duvaliers touch reality somewhat shaky exile said flee haiti say fleeing haiti president decided time leave nobody ever say leave haiti wanted go brown also subject scandal involving vietnamese businessman nguyen van hao deputy prime minister economic development corrupt usbacked saigon dictatorship early 1970s hao alleged brown agreed paid 700000 exchange help lifting trade embargo vietnam hao previously lived haiti brown mutual haitian friend marc butch ashton lillian madsens brotherinlaw ashton financial advisor baby doc large landholder owner haiti citrus lime exporter ashton allegedly used squad 40 tonton macoutes death squads guard properties poor farmers leased land haiti citrus say intimidated tortured ashtons thugs tried get better terms counterpunch december 1993 brown detailed services duvalier ninepage memo browns letter written french patton boggs amp blow letterhead blamed monsieur le presidents problems unfair image created us media efforts haitis behalf brown wrote continue dedicate considerable amount time improvement relations republic haiti members congress american government goal substantially increasing american aid haiti early success regard crowed brown essentially result washington team counterpunch december 1993 brown also informed duvalier looking haitis longterm interests maintaining good relations leading american political figures always enjoyed excellent relations government president reagan also established personal contacts almost democratic candidates order ensure continue access white house regardless wins presidential election 1984 brown boasted leading role democratic national committee served us efforts certain number colleagues republican party assure permanence access excellence relations government president reagan juan gonzalez writing new york daily news continued story brown wrote memo amnesty international accused duvalier regime torture detentions without trial disappearances brown reported baby doc despite unfair image haiti american media despite opposition expressed members congress certain today growing number people members congress government officials stand ready defend interests haiti essentially due work washington team continue pay great deal attention black caucus liberal members congress thanks efforts ready help although continue make negative comments haiti without exception proved cooperative issue aid brown reporting success getting congress say one thing another foreign aid proved worth annual retainer represented haiti annual us assistance increased 35 million 55 million brown offered word memo human rights brown went serve president clintons secretary commerce one agencies oversees toxic waste shipments promotes corporate investment haiti particularly notorious assembly zones established international monetary funds structural adjustment program assembly zones populated imfs removal 13rd rural population lands used export crops us elsewhere confirmation hearings senate brown asked single question concerning toxic wastes relationship duvalier dictatorship mitchel cohen hosts steal radio weekly show httpwwwnytalkradionet chair wbai radios 995fm local station board works brooklyn greens green party | 1,408 |
<p>On a trip to Rwanda in March 1998, President Bill Clinton issued what has come to be known as the “Clinton apology.” Speaking on the Kigali Airport tarmac, he (in)famously stated: “We come here today partly in recognition of the fact that we in the United States and the world community did not do as much as we could have and should have done to try to limit what occurred [in Rwanda].” He then added in true Clintonesque style:</p>
<p>It may seem strange to you here, especially the many of you who lost members of your family, but all over the world there were people like me sitting in offices, day after day after day, who did not fully appreciate [pause] the depth [pause] and the speed [pause] with which you were being engulfed by this unimaginable terror.</p>
<p>By “unimaginable terror,” Clinton was referring to the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 in which Hutus, in a campaign orchestrated by the Hutu-led government, slaughtered an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu political moderates. “We did not act quickly enough after the killing began,” he apologized. “We should not have allowed the refugee camps to become safe havens for the killers. We did not immediately call these crimes by their rightful name: genocide.”</p>
<p>In this mea culpa, “Slick Willie” artfully dodged his and U.S. culpability in facilitating the genocide. As the old adage asks: What did he know and when did he know it? According to Samantha Power, the Harvard foreign policy scholar and now with the Obama National Security Council, Clinton woke up to the horrors of Rwanda while reading a “New Yorker” article by Philip Gourevitch. She reports that he forwarded the article to his national-security adviser, Sandy Berger, demanding: “’How did this happen?,” adding, ‘I want to get to the bottom of this.’”</p>
<p>And getting to the bottom of it he surely didn’t. As Power reminds us, “The President’s urgency and outrage were oddly timed. As the terror in Rwanda had unfolded, Clinton had shown virtually no interest in stopping the genocide, and his Administration had stood by as the death toll rose into the hundreds of thousands.” [Power, “Bystanders to Genocide,” Atlantic, September 2001]</p>
<p>Clinton, secretary of state Madeleine Albright and others within his administration knew for years what was taking place in Rwanda and did little to halt the genocide. After the bloodletting ceased, Clinton awoke from a somnambulist stupor, saxophone in hand, and, being America’s “first black president,” flew to Kigali to apologize. His apology rang hollow to those who had suffered due to Clinton’s inaction.</p>
<p>The question before President Obama is whether he will, like Clinton and many other of his predecessor, awake from his presidential slumber in a few years and travel to Kinshasa to make yet another apology for his and his administration’s failed policies with regard to the slaughter taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)? Standing aside in the face of horrendous slaughter, be it formally “genocide” or another form of mass killing, rape and pillage, is as American as apple pie. Sadly, Obama seems to be continuing this ignoble tradition.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>The DRC has been in a state of war since 1994 when the Rwanda Genocide spilled across its eastern border. Civil struggle, ethnic conflicts, foreign invasions and battles over mineral wealth have repeatedly overwhelmed this fragile country. Estimates of those killed since the outbreak of the “First Congo War” in 1996 range from 3 million (Human Security Report) to 5.4 million (International Rescue Committee). No matter which estimate one accepts, the ongoing slaughter taking place in the DRC represents the greatest bloodletting since World War II.</p>
<p>Oxfam International recently released a study, “Now, The World Is Without Me,” assessing the growing horror of violence being inflicted on the noncombatant population in the DRC, especially the systematic campaign of rape of women and young girls. The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative conducted the study. More than 4,000 rape victims were interviewed from 2004 to 2008 in a hospital in the eastern city of Bukavu.</p>
<p>Rape has long been an instrument of war, a tactic used to terrorize the noncombatant population. [See “’The Hard Hand of War’: Rape as an Instrument of Total War,” CounterPunch, April 4, 2008] In the DRC, members of the Congolese army, Rwandan militias and armed gangs have raped tens of thousands of women. According to the Oxfam report, there has been a 17-fold increase in civilian rape over the past few years. More than 9,000 people, including men and boys, were raped in 2009.</p>
<p>The study’s findings are deeply disturbing:</p>
<p># 60 percent of rape victims surveyed were gang raped by armed men;</p>
<p># 56 percent of assaults were carried out in the family home by armed men;</p>
<p># 16 percent took place in fields and almost 15 percent in the forest;</p>
<p># 57 percent of assaults were carried out at night.</p>
<p>Sexual slavery was also reported, affecting 12 percent of the women with some being held captive and repeatedly raped for years.</p>
<p>More revealing as to the spread of the “fog of war” to civil society is the finding that in 2008 civilians committed 38 percent of the rapes, compared to less than 1 percent in 2004. The study notes: “These findings imply a normalisation of rape among the civilian population, suggesting the erosion of all constructive social mechanisms that ought to protect civilians from sexual violence.”</p>
<p>Rape is an act of violation and, in a traditional or patriarchal society, a mark of shame often borne by the victim for years. The Oxfam study reports that female rape victims feel stigmatized by the act of violation, that they are somehow responsible for the crime perpetrated against them. They often are rejected by the their families and 9 percent report being abandoned by their spouse. They often do not seek medical care for fear of being identified as a victim; only 12 percent come to the local hospital within a month of the assault and over half of the women waited more than a year before seeking treatment. Sadly, very few women came for treatment in time to prevent HIV infection.</p>
<p>“Rape of this scale and brutality is scandalous,” said Krista Riddley, director of Oxfam’s humanitarian policy. “This is a wake-up call at a time when plans are being discussed for UN peacekeepers to leave the country. The situation is not secure if a woman can’t even sleep safely in her own bed at night.” Susan Bartels, Harvard’s chief researcher, warns, “Sexual violence has become more normal in civilian life. … The scale of rape over Congo’s years of war has made this crime seem more acceptable.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>America has a long history of denying immoral socio-political barbary. It starts with Thomas Jefferson, who not only wrote eloquently as to the rights of human subjects, but accepted the horrors of slavery as part of the fabric of the new nation and, as a slave-owner, fathered six children with a slave woman he clearly loved.</p>
<p>Andrew Jackson, the valiant commander of the victorious forces in the Battle of New Orleans, waged a vicious war against America’s native people, most notably his slaughter of the Seminole and Creek Indians in 1817. As he advised, “We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war.”</p>
<p>The first modern genocidal war took place amidst World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Between 1915-1916, Turkish troops slaughtered an estimated 1 to 1.5 million ethnic Albanians. Efforts by Woodrow Wilson to make Armenia an official U.S. protectorate were rejected by Congress in 1920; however, later that year, the Republic of Armenia was established.</p>
<p>As the climate for America’s entry into the 1940s European conflict intensified into what would become a second world war, it is now clear that Franklin Roosevelt and his closest advisors knew about Nazi anti-Semitism, concentration camps and the mass imprisonment of Jews. Whether they knew that Jews and others were being exterminated in gas chambers remains an open question.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Roosevelt approved Operation Thunderclap, the firebombing of Dresden in which tens of thousand of noncombatants were incinerated. He also seems to have known of mad-dog Curtis LeMay’s plan to firebomb Tokyo and other Japanese cities and kill hundreds of thousand of noncombatants. More so, he approved the development of the nuclear weaponry that would incinerate noncombatants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. FDR did not live long enough to give the final order to bomb Japan; this honor fell to his replacement, Harry Truman.</p>
<p>In the half-century since the end of world war, mass slaughter has been institutionalized. China’s politically-orchestrated famine of1958-1961 saw between 15 and 40 million people suffer and die. An estimated one million people were killed due to the partition of Pakistan; two million were exterminated in the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979. During this period, American’s great conservative leader, Ronald Reagan, approved the killing of tens of thousands of populists in Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua and other parts of Latin America. Clinton’s decision to have NATO undertake a 78-day bombing assault on Serbia in 1999 seems to be the lesson he learned from his failure to halt the Rwanda Genocide. However, the terrorization of noncombatants and the rape of the civilian female population taking place in the Congo signals a new, degenerate, stage in modern warfare.</p>
<p>President Obama is not unaware of the horrors of that defile the Congo. As a Senator, he sponsored a bill approved in December 2006 to provide relief and promote democracy in Congo. He also cited rape in the Congo as part of his Nobel Prize speech rationalizing just war:</p>
<p>Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure – and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one. … The same principle applies to those who violate international laws by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur, systematic rape in Congo, repression in Burma – there must be consequences.</p>
<p>So, what are the consequences for the continuing slaughter inflicted in the Congo?</p>
<p>So far these consequences seem only cosmetic. In 2009, Hillary Clinton visited the Congo, only her non-diplomatic outburst due a translation error garnered headlines while the ongoing ware in the DRC was ignored. Obama appointed Howard Wolpe as a special advisor for the region. One only wonders whether he will be any more successful then his colleagues Sen. George Mitchell for Israel-Palestine and Richard Holbrooke for Afghanistan-Pakistan.</p>
<p>Sadly, as DRC President Joseph Kabila is seeking to have the UN’s 20,000 peacekeeping mission withdrawn, the decision by Obama’s UN representative Susan Rice to not participate in the Security Council’s scheduled visit to the DRC helped scuttle the trip. This may signal the UN’s capitulation to Kabila’s demands.</p>
<p>Having visited Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 slaughter, Rice remarked: “I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of decomposing corpses outside and inside a church. Corpses that had been hacked up. It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.” Apparently truly shocked, she added, “It makes you mad. It makes you determined. It makes you know that even if you’re the last lone voice and you believe you’re right, it is worth every bit of energy you can throw into it.”</p>
<p>One can only wonder where Rice’s anger, along with that of Obama and Clinton, are with regard to the rape and murder taking place in eastern Congo? Most likely, if the UN peacekeepers are withdrawn, the slaughter will increase and more women will be victims of rape and abuse.</p>
<p>DAVID ROSEN is the author of “ <a href="" type="internal">Sex Scandals America: Politics &amp; the Ritual of Public Shaming</a>” (Key, 2009); he can be reached at <a href="mailto:drosen@ix.netcom.com" type="external">drosen@ix.netcom.com</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://greentags.bigcartel.com/" type="external">WORDS THAT STICK</a></p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | trip rwanda march 1998 president bill clinton issued come known clinton apology speaking kigali airport tarmac infamously stated come today partly recognition fact united states world community much could done try limit occurred rwanda added true clintonesque style may seem strange especially many lost members family world people like sitting offices day day day fully appreciate pause depth pause speed pause engulfed unimaginable terror unimaginable terror clinton referring rwandan genocide 1994 hutus campaign orchestrated hutuled government slaughtered estimated 800000 tutsis hutu political moderates act quickly enough killing began apologized allowed refugee camps become safe havens killers immediately call crimes rightful name genocide mea culpa slick willie artfully dodged us culpability facilitating genocide old adage asks know know according samantha power harvard foreign policy scholar obama national security council clinton woke horrors rwanda reading new yorker article philip gourevitch reports forwarded article nationalsecurity adviser sandy berger demanding happen adding want get bottom getting bottom surely didnt power reminds us presidents urgency outrage oddly timed terror rwanda unfolded clinton shown virtually interest stopping genocide administration stood death toll rose hundreds thousands power bystanders genocide atlantic september 2001 clinton secretary state madeleine albright others within administration knew years taking place rwanda little halt genocide bloodletting ceased clinton awoke somnambulist stupor saxophone hand americas first black president flew kigali apologize apology rang hollow suffered due clintons inaction question president obama whether like clinton many predecessor awake presidential slumber years travel kinshasa make yet another apology administrations failed policies regard slaughter taking place democratic republic congo drc standing aside face horrendous slaughter formally genocide another form mass killing rape pillage american apple pie sadly obama seems continuing ignoble tradition drc state war since 1994 rwanda genocide spilled across eastern border civil struggle ethnic conflicts foreign invasions battles mineral wealth repeatedly overwhelmed fragile country estimates killed since outbreak first congo war 1996 range 3 million human security report 54 million international rescue committee matter estimate one accepts ongoing slaughter taking place drc represents greatest bloodletting since world war ii oxfam international recently released study world without assessing growing horror violence inflicted noncombatant population drc especially systematic campaign rape women young girls harvard humanitarian initiative conducted study 4000 rape victims interviewed 2004 2008 hospital eastern city bukavu rape long instrument war tactic used terrorize noncombatant population see hard hand war rape instrument total war counterpunch april 4 2008 drc members congolese army rwandan militias armed gangs raped tens thousands women according oxfam report 17fold increase civilian rape past years 9000 people including men boys raped 2009 studys findings deeply disturbing 60 percent rape victims surveyed gang raped armed men 56 percent assaults carried family home armed men 16 percent took place fields almost 15 percent forest 57 percent assaults carried night sexual slavery also reported affecting 12 percent women held captive repeatedly raped years revealing spread fog war civil society finding 2008 civilians committed 38 percent rapes compared less 1 percent 2004 study notes findings imply normalisation rape among civilian population suggesting erosion constructive social mechanisms ought protect civilians sexual violence rape act violation traditional patriarchal society mark shame often borne victim years oxfam study reports female rape victims feel stigmatized act violation somehow responsible crime perpetrated often rejected families 9 percent report abandoned spouse often seek medical care fear identified victim 12 percent come local hospital within month assault half women waited year seeking treatment sadly women came treatment time prevent hiv infection rape scale brutality scandalous said krista riddley director oxfams humanitarian policy wakeup call time plans discussed un peacekeepers leave country situation secure woman cant even sleep safely bed night susan bartels harvards chief researcher warns sexual violence become normal civilian life scale rape congos years war made crime seem acceptable america long history denying immoral sociopolitical barbary starts thomas jefferson wrote eloquently rights human subjects accepted horrors slavery part fabric new nation slaveowner fathered six children slave woman clearly loved andrew jackson valiant commander victorious forces battle new orleans waged vicious war americas native people notably slaughter seminole creek indians 1817 advised fighting hostile armies hostile people must make old young rich poor feel hard hand war first modern genocidal war took place amidst world war collapse ottoman empire 19151916 turkish troops slaughtered estimated 1 15 million ethnic albanians efforts woodrow wilson make armenia official us protectorate rejected congress 1920 however later year republic armenia established climate americas entry 1940s european conflict intensified would become second world war clear franklin roosevelt closest advisors knew nazi antisemitism concentration camps mass imprisonment jews whether knew jews others exterminated gas chambers remains open question nevertheless roosevelt approved operation thunderclap firebombing dresden tens thousand noncombatants incinerated also seems known maddog curtis lemays plan firebomb tokyo japanese cities kill hundreds thousand noncombatants approved development nuclear weaponry would incinerate noncombatants hiroshima nagasaki fdr live long enough give final order bomb japan honor fell replacement harry truman halfcentury since end world war mass slaughter institutionalized chinas politicallyorchestrated famine of19581961 saw 15 40 million people suffer die estimated one million people killed due partition pakistan two million exterminated cambodian genocide 19751979 period americans great conservative leader ronald reagan approved killing tens thousands populists chile el salvador nicaragua parts latin america clintons decision nato undertake 78day bombing assault serbia 1999 seems lesson learned failure halt rwanda genocide however terrorization noncombatants rape civilian female population taking place congo signals new degenerate stage modern warfare president obama unaware horrors defile congo senator sponsored bill approved december 2006 provide relief promote democracy congo also cited rape congo part nobel prize speech rationalizing war sanctions must exact real price intransigence must met increased pressure pressure exists world stands together one principle applies violate international laws brutalizing people genocide darfur systematic rape congo repression burma must consequences consequences continuing slaughter inflicted congo far consequences seem cosmetic 2009 hillary clinton visited congo nondiplomatic outburst due translation error garnered headlines ongoing ware drc ignored obama appointed howard wolpe special advisor region one wonders whether successful colleagues sen george mitchell israelpalestine richard holbrooke afghanistanpakistan sadly drc president joseph kabila seeking uns 20000 peacekeeping mission withdrawn decision obamas un representative susan rice participate security councils scheduled visit drc helped scuttle trip may signal uns capitulation kabilas demands visited rwanda wake 1994 slaughter rice remarked saw hundreds thousands decomposing corpses outside inside church corpses hacked horrible thing ive ever seen apparently truly shocked added makes mad makes determined makes know even youre last lone voice believe youre right worth every bit energy throw one wonder rices anger along obama clinton regard rape murder taking place eastern congo likely un peacekeepers withdrawn slaughter increase women victims rape abuse david rosen author sex scandals america politics amp ritual public shaming key 2009 reached drosenixnetcomcom words stick 160 | 1,113 |
<p>Comments presented at the July 14 launch of the Coalition for Peace, Revolution and Social Justice at a public meeting at the Westside Peace Center, Culver City.</p>
<p>In 2011, the world was abuzz with the spirit of the Arab Spring, a revolutionary movement for social justice, freedom and human dignity which aimed to overthrow authoritarian states in the Middle East. This movement seemed to come out of nowhere but was actually the result of decades of deep mass dissatisfaction with worsening poverty and political repression under authoritarian regimes such as those of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria.</p>
<p>The revolts in Tunisia and in Egypt involved the participation of youth and women as well as large labor unions. They led to the overthrow of the dictators, Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt. The uprising in Syria against the regime of Bashar al-Assad had the most diverse composition, involving youth, workers, women, and not only the Sunni Arab majority but also the Kurds, an oppressed national minority, as well as members of the Alawite Muslim minority, Christians, Assyrians and the Druze Shi-a community. The Arab Spring was really a Middle Eastern Spring that involved non-Arabs and even extended to protests against poverty and corruption in Israel. It was also preceded by the Iranian Green movement, a mass protest movement against the fraudulent presidential election in 2009 which lasted several months before it was brutally crushed by the Iranian government.</p>
<p>It was the spirit of the Middle Eastern Spring that many consider to have been the inspiration for the Occupy Movement which was also a response to the 2008 global economic crisis. The first Occupy protest to receive widespread attention was Occupy Wall Street in New York City’s Zuccotti Park in September, 2011. It became a global movement which spread to 30 countries and all the continents, and stated that it was anti-capitalist. It focused on opposing the influence of corporations in politics, called for a more equitable distribution of income and for tax reform. Its defining slogan became: “We are the 99%.”</p>
<p>Now let’s return to the Middle East today in 2017. The masses of both Tunisia and Egypt are worse off economically, face greater corruption and higher unemployment than they did before 2011. In Egypt, after the election of Mohammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood as president, and after the ensuing mass dissatisfaction, a military coup by General Al-Sisi restored the old regime.</p>
<p>In Syria, the diverse and powerful mass protests for social justice, democracy and human dignity were brutally repressed by the Assad regime. Between 2011 and 2016 the majority of the Syrian people continued to resist Assad’s death machine which directly or indirectly killed over 500,000 innocent people and caused the displacement of 12 million or half the population, close to 6 million of which have become refugees in other countries. The Syrian revolutionaries under siege mostly by the regime faced counter-revolutionary religious fundamentalist forces, including Al-Qaida and ISIS, which had been let out of prison or let in the country by the Assad regime. The revolutionaries were also assaulted by military intervention from Iran and Russia which supported the Assad regime. The Gulf states intervened to promote religious fundamentalism and to destroy revolution. Turkey intervened to crush the Kurdish struggle for self-determination in the Rojava region and to promote religious fundamentalism. Although the U.S. and European governments offered some initial help to the secular anti-Assad opposition, they really wanted the regime to stay to maintain “stability” in the region. Their imperialist logic would have never allowed them to support the genuine revolutionaries. The U.S. intervened in 2014 under Obama to destroy ISIS.</p>
<p>Today, although there are still expressions of mass resistance to both the Assad regime and the religious fundamentalists in Syria, the Syrian revolution has been destroyed. One million people are still under siege mostly by the Assad regime. Over 300,000 political prisoners are in Assad’s dungeons, and over 12 million people are still internally displaced or refugees in other countries.</p>
<p>Now let’s return to the United States in 2017. &#160;Six years after the rise of the Occupy Movement, we have seen the electoral victory of Donald Trump, the epitome of capitalism, an outright racist and misogynist. Trump received almost 63 million votes or 3 million votes short of Hillary Clinton’s almost 66 million. But thanks to the rules of the Electoral College, he was able to declare victory. Trump’s victory has marked a regression from liberal democracy toward racist authoritarianism. His administration has openly included Alt Right white supremacists and has appointed outright racists to key judicial posts, hence lifting the veneer of democracy that has hidden the reality of racism and white supremacy in this country. Furthermore, this administration is systematically assaulting laws that are supposed to defend civil rights, consumers, immigrants and the environment.&#160;&#160; It makes openly arbitrary and personal decisions. Its nepotism casts aside claims to democracy or meritocracy.</p>
<p>As far as foreign policy is concerned, U.S. intervention in Iraq and Syria has led to indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas in the name of the war against ISIS. Trump is attempting to start a wider war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, threatening to attack Iran, threatening to start a war against the insane and hawkish regime of North Korea, using a hawkish language toward China, and taking steps to build a wall on the Mexican border to prevent the entry of Latino immigrants. His administration has also succeeded in imposing a travel ban which severely restricts the entry into the U.S. of people from six majority-Muslim nations.</p>
<p>So, how did we get from the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement to this suffocating reality of counter-revolution and the rise of racist authoritarianism? Why couldn’t the global Occupy Movement forge alliances with revolutionaries in the Middle East on the basis of a thorough challenge to the capitalist system?</p>
<p>First, it has to be acknowledge that the revolutionary movements that became known as the Arab Spring had many internal contradictions, namely class bias, sexism, various forms of ethnic and religious prejudice, homophobia and the lack of an alternative to capitalism. Although the uprising in Syria involved the participation of Kurds and religious minorities, it wasn’t able to offer a banner that was truly inclusive. Most Arab leaders of the Syrian revolution did not welcome any talk of Kurdish self-determination or federalism. Hence the Assad regime was able to take advantage of the class and ethnic divisions that already existed in Syrian society. The Kurdish Rojava region in northern Syria has been able to offer a model which includes secularism and women’s rights. But its leadership, the Democratic Union Party, PYD or YPG embodies certain authoritarian practices and views, and has engaged in off and on non-aggression pacts with the Assad regime.</p>
<p>What about the Occupy Movement? What were its defects? I would argue that its main defect was that it reduced anti-capitalism to simply being against income inequality, big corporations, Wall Street and neoliberalism.</p>
<p>If we return to Marx’s&#160;Capital, and Marx’s&#160;Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts&#160;or Humanist Essays, we will learn that capitalism is not simply an unjust mode of distribution. It is a&#160;mode of productionbased on alienated labor, an extreme mental /manual division of labor that turns work into a meaningless, undifferentiated, monotonous activity, and turns the human being into a cog in a machine. It alienates us not only from our products but also from our potential for free and conscious activity and from other human beings. Since labor under capitalism is alienated and mechanical, it is expressed in a uniform and undifferentiated symbol such as value or money. &#160;Hence, capitalism as a system based on alienated labor and value production is not limited to the private property of the means of production and a market economy or neoliberalism. It can also exist as state-capitalism, a form of which I would argue existed in the former Soviet Union, Maoist China and their satellite countries. Another form of it existed in Nazi Germany. More democratic forms of it have existed in welfare states.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Occupy Movement’s limited understanding of capitalism as free markets and neoliberalism allowed people like Trump and other nationalist populists like him around the world to use the language of anti-globalization to appeal to many opponents of globalization and to promote an authoritarian state capitalism as an alternative.</p>
<p>Another major defect of the Occupy Movement was that it limited imperialism to simply Western imperialism. Hence, many of those on the Left who claim to be anti-imperialists have supported the Assad regime in Syria because it has claimed to be against U.S. imperialism and its regional imperialist backers, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Some leftists have openly supported Russian imperialist intervention in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as Iranian regional imperialist or sub-imperialist intervention in Syria and Iraq. This unprincipled and inhuman attitude, this failure of those who claim to be against capitalism to see the connection between capitalism and the rise of imperialist powers other than those in the West, was another one of the factors that led to the destruction of the Syrian revolution.</p>
<p>I began this presentation by asking how we went from the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement to the destruction of the Syrian Revolution and the rise of racist authoritarianism.</p>
<p>I would argue that in 2011 humanity had an unprecedented chance to launch a global anti-capitalist movement. That chance was lost however both because of counter-revolutionary forces such as repressive regimes, imperialist intervention and religious fundamentalism in the Middle East, and because of defects within the revolutionary movements in the Arab Spring and within the Occupy Movement in the West. The Occupy Movement that&#160;did&#160;claim to be anti-capitalist, reduced anti-capitalism to being merely against income inequality, and neoliberalism. The movement did not address the issue of how to overcome the alienation arising from the capitalist mode of production and how that alienation related to racism, sexism, misogyny and homophobia. The movements in the East and the West failed to connect because of the lack of an affirmative humanist alternative to capitalism. As a result, the capitalist drive for profitability which had encountered a major crisis in 2008 was able to use the language of anti-globalization, and appeal to racism, sexism and homophobia to win over parts of the global working class. Thus authoritarian state capitalist regimes such as those in China and Russia which were treated as exceptions to capitalism have now become the image of the future of the rest of humanity.</p>
<p>Any effort to challenge this ominous reality has to begin by asking what is capitalism? What is imperialism? Why are they intertwined with racism, sexism, heterosexism, militarism?&#160;&#160; Where do we begin to develop an affirmative humanist alternative to capitalism? How do we create international solidarity with struggles for social justice around the world? These are questions that <a href="https://cprsj.wordpress.com" type="external">the Coalition for Peace, Revolution and Social Justice</a> will be addressing in its future panels and actions.</p>
<p>Frieda Afary produces the blog&#160;Iranian Progressives in Translation ( <a href="https://www.iranianprogressives.org/" type="external">https://www.iranianprogressives.org</a>) and is a member of The Alliance of Syrian and Iranian Socialists ( <a href="https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/latest-additions" type="external">https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/latest-additions</a>).</p>
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<p><a href="/filter/tips" type="external">More information about formatting options</a></p> | true | 4 | comments presented july 14 launch coalition peace revolution social justice public meeting westside peace center culver city 2011 world abuzz spirit arab spring revolutionary movement social justice freedom human dignity aimed overthrow authoritarian states middle east movement seemed come nowhere actually result decades deep mass dissatisfaction worsening poverty political repression authoritarian regimes tunisia egypt libya syria revolts tunisia egypt involved participation youth women well large labor unions led overthrow dictators ben ali tunisia mubarak egypt uprising syria regime bashar alassad diverse composition involving youth workers women sunni arab majority also kurds oppressed national minority well members alawite muslim minority christians assyrians druze shia community arab spring really middle eastern spring involved nonarabs even extended protests poverty corruption israel also preceded iranian green movement mass protest movement fraudulent presidential election 2009 lasted several months brutally crushed iranian government spirit middle eastern spring many consider inspiration occupy movement also response 2008 global economic crisis first occupy protest receive widespread attention occupy wall street new york citys zuccotti park september 2011 became global movement spread 30 countries continents stated anticapitalist focused opposing influence corporations politics called equitable distribution income tax reform defining slogan became 99 lets return middle east today 2017 masses tunisia egypt worse economically face greater corruption higher unemployment 2011 egypt election mohammad morsi muslim brotherhood president ensuing mass dissatisfaction military coup general alsisi restored old regime syria diverse powerful mass protests social justice democracy human dignity brutally repressed assad regime 2011 2016 majority syrian people continued resist assads death machine directly indirectly killed 500000 innocent people caused displacement 12 million half population close 6 million become refugees countries syrian revolutionaries siege mostly regime faced counterrevolutionary religious fundamentalist forces including alqaida isis let prison let country assad regime revolutionaries also assaulted military intervention iran russia supported assad regime gulf states intervened promote religious fundamentalism destroy revolution turkey intervened crush kurdish struggle selfdetermination rojava region promote religious fundamentalism although us european governments offered initial help secular antiassad opposition really wanted regime stay maintain stability region imperialist logic would never allowed support genuine revolutionaries us intervened 2014 obama destroy isis today although still expressions mass resistance assad regime religious fundamentalists syria syrian revolution destroyed one million people still siege mostly assad regime 300000 political prisoners assads dungeons 12 million people still internally displaced refugees countries lets return united states 2017 160six years rise occupy movement seen electoral victory donald trump epitome capitalism outright racist misogynist trump received almost 63 million votes 3 million votes short hillary clintons almost 66 million thanks rules electoral college able declare victory trumps victory marked regression liberal democracy toward racist authoritarianism administration openly included alt right white supremacists appointed outright racists key judicial posts hence lifting veneer democracy hidden reality racism white supremacy country furthermore administration systematically assaulting laws supposed defend civil rights consumers immigrants environment160160 makes openly arbitrary personal decisions nepotism casts aside claims democracy meritocracy far foreign policy concerned us intervention iraq syria led indiscriminate bombings civilian areas name war isis trump attempting start wider war saudi arabia iran threatening attack iran threatening start war insane hawkish regime north korea using hawkish language toward china taking steps build wall mexican border prevent entry latino immigrants administration also succeeded imposing travel ban severely restricts entry us people six majoritymuslim nations get arab spring occupy movement suffocating reality counterrevolution rise racist authoritarianism couldnt global occupy movement forge alliances revolutionaries middle east basis thorough challenge capitalist system first acknowledge revolutionary movements became known arab spring many internal contradictions namely class bias sexism various forms ethnic religious prejudice homophobia lack alternative capitalism although uprising syria involved participation kurds religious minorities wasnt able offer banner truly inclusive arab leaders syrian revolution welcome talk kurdish selfdetermination federalism hence assad regime able take advantage class ethnic divisions already existed syrian society kurdish rojava region northern syria able offer model includes secularism womens rights leadership democratic union party pyd ypg embodies certain authoritarian practices views engaged nonaggression pacts assad regime occupy movement defects would argue main defect reduced anticapitalism simply income inequality big corporations wall street neoliberalism return marxs160capital marxs160economic philosophical manuscripts160or humanist essays learn capitalism simply unjust mode distribution a160mode productionbased alienated labor extreme mental manual division labor turns work meaningless undifferentiated monotonous activity turns human cog machine alienates us products also potential free conscious activity human beings since labor capitalism alienated mechanical expressed uniform undifferentiated symbol value money 160hence capitalism system based alienated labor value production limited private property means production market economy neoliberalism also exist statecapitalism form would argue existed former soviet union maoist china satellite countries another form existed nazi germany democratic forms existed welfare states unfortunately occupy movements limited understanding capitalism free markets neoliberalism allowed people like trump nationalist populists like around world use language antiglobalization appeal many opponents globalization promote authoritarian state capitalism alternative another major defect occupy movement limited imperialism simply western imperialism hence many left claim antiimperialists supported assad regime syria claimed us imperialism regional imperialist backers israel saudi arabia leftists openly supported russian imperialist intervention middle east ukraine well iranian regional imperialist subimperialist intervention syria iraq unprincipled inhuman attitude failure claim capitalism see connection capitalism rise imperialist powers west another one factors led destruction syrian revolution began presentation asking went arab spring occupy movement destruction syrian revolution rise racist authoritarianism would argue 2011 humanity unprecedented chance launch global anticapitalist movement chance lost however counterrevolutionary forces repressive regimes imperialist intervention religious fundamentalism middle east defects within revolutionary movements arab spring within occupy movement west occupy movement that160did160claim anticapitalist reduced anticapitalism merely income inequality neoliberalism movement address issue overcome alienation arising capitalist mode production alienation related racism sexism misogyny homophobia movements east west failed connect lack affirmative humanist alternative capitalism result capitalist drive profitability encountered major crisis 2008 able use language antiglobalization appeal racism sexism homophobia win parts global working class thus authoritarian state capitalist regimes china russia treated exceptions capitalism become image future rest humanity effort challenge ominous reality begin asking capitalism imperialism intertwined racism sexism heterosexism militarism160160 begin develop affirmative humanist alternative capitalism create international solidarity struggles social justice around world questions coalition peace revolution social justice addressing future panels actions frieda afary produces blog160iranian progressives translation httpswwwiranianprogressivesorg member alliance syrian iranian socialists httpswwwallianceofmesocialistsorglatestadditions 160 information formatting options | 1,033 |
<p>Among the stranger features of the 2016 election campaign was the success of Donald Trump, a creature of globalization, as an America First savior of the white working class. A candidate who amassed billions of dollars by playing globalization for all it was&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/28/five-ways-donald-trump-benefits-from-the-globalization-he-says-he-hates/?utm_term=.9344dbdd0a3a" type="external">worth</a>—he manufactured clothes and accessories bearing his name in low-wage economies and invested in corporations eager to outsource—won over millions of voters by promising to keep jobs here in the U.S.</p>
<p>Admittedly, only&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/05/its-time-to-bust-the-myth-most-trump-voters-were-not-working-class/?utm_term=.68286de15fb8" type="external">a third</a>&#160;of his voters earned less than $50,000 a year and&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/white-working-class-trump-cultural-anxiety/525771/" type="external">cultural and racial resentment</a>, not just economic grievances, drove many of them to Trump.&#160; Still, in an ever more economically unequal America, his populist economic message resonated. It helped him win the presidency by peeling off white working class votes in key regions, particularly the industrial Midwest. Now, he’s stuck with his populist narrative, and here’s the problem for him: it’s not likely to work—not given the economic realities of this planet, not for long anyway.</p>
<p>In the&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/us/politics/tpp-trump-trade-nafta.html" type="external">Oval Office</a>, as on the&#160; <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/trump-says-hell-bring-jobs-back-to-america-economists-are-skeptical" type="external">campaign trail</a>, Trump’s refrain remains that the economic woes of American workers, including stagnant wages and job insecurity, are the fault of predatory Asian and Mexican exporters, aided and abetted by inept&#160; <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-blames-incompetence-of-prior-administrations-for-us-trade-deficit-with-china/article/2640259" type="external">past presidents</a>&#160;who inked lousy trade deals.&#160; During campaign 2016, he promised to kick down doors abroad and force countries running surpluses, notably China, to buy more from the United States or face huge tariff hikes. &#160;He railed against companies that relocate production abroad, depriving Americans of jobs.</p>
<p>Trump’s economic nationalism is, of course, a con job.&#160; He did, however, effectively employ the demagogue’s artifice, which invariably lies in crafting simplistic answers to complicated questions and creating plausible scapegoats for complicated problems. In fact, workers in industries the United States dominated for decades are in distress because of irreversible historic changes and the absence, thanks to a staggeringly lopsided distribution of wealth and political power in America, of progressive policies that would better prepare them to cope with the changes that have occurred in the international economy.</p>
<p />
<p>But first, a little history.</p>
<p>For nearly three decades after World War II, the United States dominated the global marketplace in big-ticket industries like steel, automobiles, passenger aircraft, shipbuilding, and heavy machinery. &#160;That hegemony was bound to fade. &#160;As a start, America’s postwar economic primacy owed much to the ravages of that global conflict.&#160; After all, the industrial bases of Japan and Germany lay in ruins.&#160; Wartime allies Britain and France faced long, arduous recoveries. &#160;But the economies of those industrialized, technologically advanced countries were bound to recover—and by the mid-1970s they had. &#160;By then, America’s near-monopoly was ending.</p>
<p>Between 1965 and 2010, the share of the national market held by America’s steelmakers and carmakers&#160; <a href="http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/12/facts-of-day-us-auto-industry.html" type="external">plunged</a>&#160;from nearly 90% to 45%. By the 1970s, they were already complaining about an influx of “cheap imports” and lobbying Washington to enact countermeasures. Now regarded as the ultimate free trader, President Ronald Reagan would indeed oblige them.&#160; In 1981, for instance, he limited Japanese&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/06/opinion/auto-quota-we-asked-for-it-president-reagan-s-decision-let-lapse-import-quota.html" type="external">automobile</a>&#160;sales in the U.S., while&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/02/business/us-raises-tariff-for-motorcycles.html" type="external">hiking tariffs</a> tenfold on motorcycle imports to save Harley-Davidson. &#160;European and Japanese steel companies would soon face&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/19/business/reagan-seeks-cut-in-steel-imports-through-accords.html" type="external">similar restrictions</a>.</p>
<p>Seen in historical perspective, Washington’s reaction to trade competition was hardly unique. &#160;Britain, too, had preached free trade during its economic heyday—until, that is, its imperial predominance began to wane. In the nineteenth century, the zenith of British free trade cheerleading, the United States relied heavily on&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/01/trumps-protectionist-economic-plan-is-nothing-new/512585/" type="external">protectionism</a>&#160;to ensure the growth of its nascent industrial base. As its economic power expanded, however, its own version of such cheerleading began.&#160; Now, China is fast becoming an economic superpower. Unsurprisingly, at conclaves like the&#160; <a href="http://time.com/4635963/xi-jinping-china-davos-world-economic-forum-trade-donald-trump/" type="external">Davos</a>&#160;World Economic Forum at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation&#160; <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41937426" type="external">summit</a>, President Xi Jinping is predictably starting to sound more like Adam Smith than Karl Marx, just as Donald Trump’s&#160; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/11/10/remarks-president-trump-apec-ceo-summit-da-nang-vietnam" type="external">speeches</a>&#160;during his November whirlwind trip through Asia are coming to resemble nineteenth-century American rationales for protectionism.</p>
<p>Since the 1970s, workers in places like Detroit, Bethlehem, and&#160; <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-13/business/fi-8949_1_caterpillar-products" type="external">Peoria</a>&#160;have faced another challenge: a range of new sources of competition, especially the “Asian tigers” like South Korea and Taiwan.&#160; Once considered inferior, their products have by now become a hallmark of quality, making South Korean or Japanese cars, cellphones, computers, and television sets ubiquitous in this country.</p>
<p>Now, China, which&#160; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/10/china-surpasses-us-world-largest-trading-nation" type="external">took</a>&#160;the top spot in world trade from the U.S. in 2013, is poised to do what Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan already did here ( <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/business/china-gac-trumpchi.html?_r=0" type="external">cars included</a>). &#160;And India waits in the wings.</p>
<p>These historical trends suggest that President Trump’s protectionism is already doomed. &#160;The point isn’t that international trade always benefits American workers;&#160; <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/free-trade-puts-americans-out-work-robert-reich-tpp-436994" type="external">it doesn’t</a>.&#160; Trade, national or global, redistributes wealth, especially because the largest and most successful companies have long ceased to think in terms of national markets.&#160; They set up shop wherever it’s most profitable, using complex global supply chains. When it comes to Apple’s&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/technology/iphone-china-apple-stores.html" type="external">iPhone</a>, for instance, more than 200 suppliers worldwide provide parts for final assembly in China.&#160; Good infrastructure and a workforce with skills that match corporate requirements matter.&#160; Yet wage differentials aren’t irrelevant either; that’s partly why China, Mexico, and Vietnam have attracted massive amounts of job-creating investment—and why&#160; <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/india-s-fdi-inflows-at-a-record-60-1-billion-in-2016-17/story-7a8pt2u7e8IJttptDQcwhO.html" type="external">India</a>, too, has begun to do so.</p>
<p>The relevant question isn’t whether the global economy can be redesigned to protect American workers—it can’t—but what their government will do to help them to gain the skills needed to compete effectively in a rapidly changing marketplace. &#160;Reforming public education might be a good place to start (but don’t look to Donald Trump to do it).&#160; If American workers are to do better in the global marketplace, this country’s public schools must ensure that their students graduate with the math, science, and other skills needed to get decent jobs.&#160; That, however, would mean attacking the inequality that’s increasingly been built into the public education system (as into so much else in this society).</p>
<p>Horace Mann, the nineteenth-century American educator, referred to public schooling as “beyond all human devices… the great equalizer of the condition of men, the balance wheel of the social machinery.”&#160; Since the early years of the republic, Americans have embraced the idea that schooling is critical in helping individuals realize their aspirations and in guaranteeing equality of opportunity. &#160;In principle, there has been a consensus that economic circumstances beyond the control of children shouldn’t block their way into the future.&#160; In practice, it’s been quite a different story, partially because of how public schools are funded.</p>
<p>Local property and business taxes are the largest source of support for them, so kids born into a community crammed with pricey homes and thriving businesses will attend well-funded public schools that attract good teachers with decent working conditions and salaries. Such students are more likely to have smaller classes, more guidance counselors, nurses, and psychologists, more computers per pupil, better textbooks and instructional equipment, richer curricula, and better libraries.</p>
<p>In addition to local taxes, which provide 45% of public school funds, state revenues provide another 46%, and federal assistance an additional 9%.&#160; Some state governments also offer extra money to poorer school districts, but&#160; <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/most-states-have-cut-school-funding-and-some-continue-cutting" type="external">not enough</a>&#160;to begin to close the gap with more affluent ones.&#160; In any case, those funds have been falling since 2008. Additional federal support doesn’t come close to leveling the playing field.&#160;</p>
<p>The United States is one of the few countries in the 35-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a grouping of wealthy nations, in which central government funding plays such a limited role in reducing disparities between schools.&#160; In those countries, national budgets provide, on average,&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/business/a-rich-childs-edge-in-public-education.html" type="external">more than 50%</a>&#160;of school funding.</p>
<p>Public schools in affluent communities have another advantage. &#160;Thanks to their incomes, professional qualifications, social networks, and experience, the parents of students in such schools are far more capable of raising private money to supplement school budgets, which means extra educational equipment and instructional materials, and more staff.&#160;&#160; Most such private fundraising is done by parent-teacher associations (PTAs), which tend to be more active and more successful in affluent communities.&#160; (Indeed, poor districts may lack PTAs altogether.)</p>
<p>Consider a typical California&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/rich-parents-school-inequality/431640/" type="external">example</a>.&#160; In Hillsborough, where the median family income is&#160; <a href="https://datausa.io/profile/geo/hillsborough-ca/" type="external">$229,000</a>, the school district raised an extra $1,500 per student; in Oakland, where median income was just under&#160; <a href="https://datausa.io/profile/geo/oakland-ca/" type="external">$58,000</a>, it was only $100 per student. &#160;Similarly, in wealthy northwest Washington, D.C., four elementary schools raised&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-parent-groups-in-northwest-dc-raise-thousands-for-schools/2017/04/12/22d42ef2-1f94-11e7-a0a7-8b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.bd2d80203970" type="external">$300,000 apiece</a>&#160;in one year, sums unthinkable for schools in Washington’s poorer communities like those east of the Anacostia River, where the median household income is&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/housing-complex/blog/20835238/poverty-in-dc-is-getting-worse-east-of-the-anacostia-river-study-finds" type="external">$34,000</a>.&#160; Such differences are the norm nationally.</p>
<p>It’s true that PTA funding— <a href="https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2017/04/18074902/ParentFundraising-report-corrected.pdf" type="external">$245 million</a>&#160;in 2010 (an increase of 300% since 1990)—looks like a drop in the bucket compared to total government spending on kindergarten-through-12th-grade education ( <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/financing-education-national-state-and-local-funding-and-spending-for-public-schools-in-2013" type="external">$603 billion</a>&#160;in 2013).&#160; That, however, misses the point, since the private funding is so concentrated in wealthy neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Money can’t fix everything, but it counts for a lot in an ever more unequal society. &#160;And there’s overwhelming&#160; <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/The-Widening-Income-Achievement-Gap.aspx" type="external">evidence</a>&#160;that the educational success gap between the wealthiest 10% of Americans and the rest has been growing for decades — unevenly since the 1940s, at an accelerated rate since the 1970s, and by 30%-40% percent between 1991 and 2010. If you want graphic proof of how the income-achievement divide matters, it’s easy to find: students in schools with greater resources (including wealthy parents), for example, regularly&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/03/05/these-four-charts-show-how-the-sat-favors-the-rich-educated-families/?utm_term=.956faedad8f4" type="external">do better</a>&#160;in standardized tests and essentially any other metric of academic achievement.</p>
<p>And remember, student&#160; <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/27/study-finds-impact-attending-poor-high-school-follows-one-college" type="external">performance</a>&#160;in high school increases the likelihood both of college attendance and success once there.&#160; All of this indicates the obvious: that one way to improve the economic prospects of American workers would be to ensure that the public school system provides all students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy that privileges people who have solid technical know-how. &#160;Channeling more funds to schools in poorer communities would, however, require sacrifices from the segments of society that our “populist” president really represents.&#160; So perhaps you won’t be surprised to discover that, though Education Secretary Betsy DeVos&#160; <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/what-betsy-devoss-emphasis-on-choice-means-for-school-segregation/" type="external">favors</a> “school choice,” neither she nor her boss seems to have the slightest interest in doing anything about the growing inequalities and inequities of public education, which Trump’s cherished “base” of working and lower-income people need the most. In fact, cuts in his education budget total about&#160; <a href="https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2017-05-25/donald-trumps-education-budget-cuts-are-an-assault-on-the-american-dream" type="external">$10 billion</a>&#160;and target a raft of programs that help poor and working-class families.</p>
<p>Once employed, workers will face challenges throughout their lives that their parents, let alone grandparents, couldn’t have imagined. &#160;No matter what Donald Trump does about trade pacts and tariffs, companies will continue to shift production overseas to stay ahead of their competitors, which means that well-paying manufacturing jobs in America will continue to disappear. &#160;They will also export some of what they make abroad back to the United States, increasing job insecurity and driving down wages. &#160;Trump’s rants won’t reverse this well-established trend.</p>
<p>Add in one more thing:&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/upshot/the-long-term-jobs-killer-is-not-china-its-automation.html?_r=0" type="external">automation</a>, robotics, self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce will continue to reduce the role of human labor in the economy, even as they create new jobs with&#160; <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jev9/BV-TTSP.pdf" type="external">skill premiums</a>. &#160;Those with high-end jobs (banking, the law, scientific research, and medicine, among others) will, of course, continue to earn significant incomes, but workers without a college education in the service sector, which already&#160; <a href="https://www.trade.gov/publications/ita-newsletter/1010/services-sector-how-best-to-measure-it.asp" type="external">accounts</a>&#160;for nearly 80% of the country’s gross domestic product, will find it ever tougher to get higher-paying jobs with decent benefits.&#160; This, in turn, means that they will have an even harder time saving for retirement, paying for their childrens’ educations, liquidating accumulated debts, or covering the cost of medical care.</p>
<p>So what to do?</p>
<p>A progressive tax code that actually favored those in Trump’s base and others like them would be one way to start to rectify the situation, but that’s a pipedream in this era.&#160; The two versions of the Trump-backed tax “reform” bill now in Congress tell us everything we need to know about who will gain and who will lose in his populist America.&#160; They couldn’t be more wildly regressive.</p>
<p>Take corporate taxes.&#160; To skirt the present 35% tax on corporate income, American companies have stashed&#160; <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/28/companies-are-holding-trillions-in-cash-overseas.html" type="external">$2.6 trillion</a>&#160;in&#160; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-offshore/big-u-s-firms-hold-2-1-trillion-overseas-to-avoid-taxes-study-idUSKCN0S008U20151006" type="external">overseas tax havens</a>&#160;like Ireland, Luxembourg, Bermuda, and the Netherlands, among other places. If the tax bill passes, corporations will be able to bring that money home and pay only 12% in taxes on it, a bonanza for corporate America.&#160; It’s been argued that such companies will then invest the repatriated funds here, creating new jobs, but the tax plan offers them absolutely no incentives to do so and imposes no penalties if they don’t.&#160; Oh, and that proposed corporate tax cut will be&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/15/in-political-gamble-gop-gives-permanent-tax-cuts-to-corporations-but-not-people/?utm_term=.d6202cba3305" type="external">permanent</a>.</p>
<p>More generally, the truly wealthy have particular reason to celebrate.&#160; By 2024, the legislation eliminates the estate tax, which only they now pay.&#160; Though it provides less than&#160; <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/estate-tax-provides-less-one-percent-federal-revenue/" type="external">one percent</a>&#160;of federal revenues, scrapping it would shrink those revenues by $269 billion over a decade. That&#160; <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-the-federal-estate-tax" type="external">exceeds</a>&#160;the annual budgets of the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention combined.</p>
<p>There’s more:&#160; <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0de96cb6-c4ce-11e7-a1d2-6786f39ef675" type="external">47%</a>&#160;of the gains from the proposed tax cuts will benefit the wealthiest 1% of taxpayers, while the prospective bill won’t touch the biggest financial burden carried by young middle- and working-class Americans: college loans. &#160;Student debt, which has ballooned by&#160; <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/student-loan-balances-jump-nearly-150-percent-in-a-decade.html" type="external">$833 billion</a>&#160;since 2007, now totals&#160; <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-the-federal-estate-tax" type="external">$1.45 trillion</a>.&#160; (The average monthly payment: $351.)</p>
<p>Republican tax policies further skew wealth distribution toward the richest 0.1%. &#160;Big tax cuts that favor this exclusive group are also likely to reduce government revenue, increasing the odds of further spending cuts to programs that benefit workers.</p>
<p>Take job retraining. The United States currently devotes a pitiful 0.05% of its gross domestic product to worker retraining, ranking&#160; <a href="http://www.hamiltonproject.org/charts/labor_market_training_expenditures_as_a_percent_of_gdp_in_oecd_countries_20" type="external">21st</a>&#160;out of 29 OECD countries for which data is available.&#160; And prospective budget cuts suggest that there will be no improvement on this front (where the president has already proposed a&#160; <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/24/news/economy/trump-budget-job-training-programs/index.html" type="external">40%</a>&#160;cut in funds).&#160; The&#160; <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2017/03/17/428535/president-trumps-budget-breaks-promises-workers/" type="external">21% cut</a>&#160;planned for the Department of Labor will, for instance, slash several job training and employment assistance programs, affecting nearly three million people.&#160; And here’s one for your no-good-deed-goes unpunished file: Trump plans to&#160; <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/why-the-appalachian-regional-commission-matters/519876/" type="external">eliminate</a>&#160;the Appalachian Regional Council ( <a href="http://tucson.com/opinion/national/robert-reich-ways-in-which-trump-has-let-down-supporters/article_a6b1b9e2-06ed-57ad-9f94-fb4e59a9ed1f.html" type="external">ARC</a>), which since 1965 has provided job retraining to coalminers while reducing poverty and boosting high school graduation rates significantly.&#160;&#160; <a href="http://time.com/4793315/donald-trump-budget-appalachian-regional-commission/" type="external">Ninety-five percent</a>&#160;of the counties the ARC covers voted for Trump.</p>
<p>It’s the same story when it comes to apprenticeships, widely and successfully subsidized in countries like&#160; <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-07-05/germanys-professional-training-program-remains-a-model-for-other-countries" type="external">Germany</a>&#160;to create a skilled working class. By contrast, the United States now spends a paltry&#160; <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/15/trump-wants-a-10-fold-increase-in-apprenticeships-in-five-years-with-the-same-budget.html" type="external">$95</a>&#160;million on such programs and while Trump has&#160; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbernick/2017/07/10/trump-wants-5-million-apprenticeships-heres-how-hard-it-is-to-create-just-a-few/3/#484680332205" type="external">called for</a>&#160;five million additional apprenticeships in the next five years, a tenfold increase, he’s suggested no additional funding for such a program.&#160; Consider that the definition of not putting your money where your mouth is.</p>
<p>A partnership among community colleges and companies, supplemented by federal funds, could create nationwide apprenticeship programs that would benefit workers and companies.&#160; Furthermore, nearly 90% of those who complete apprenticeships not only land jobs but earn an average yearly salary of&#160; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-companies-turn-to-german-training-model-to-fill-jobs-gap-1474911069" type="external">$50,000</a>—nearly 12% above the national median wage. Two million American manufacturing jobs will remain unfilled during the next decade for want of adequately trained workers.</p>
<p>Modernizing the nation’s&#160; <a href="https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/" type="external">decrepit infrastructure</a>&#160;could create a range of new jobs (as it did in the&#160; <a href="http://www.laboreducator.org/newdeal2.htm" type="external">New Deal</a>&#160;era of the 1930s).&#160; But the federal government’s supposed role in President Trump’s much-vaunted infrastructure&#160; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/07/president-donald-j-trump-works-rebuild-american-infrastructure" type="external">“plan”</a>&#160;to revamp&#160;the country’s disintegrating roads, rail lines, bridges, ports, dams, levees, and inland waterways is to “get out of the way”; it will, that is, be confining its contribution to the trillion-dollar plan to&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/306847-five-things-to-know-about-trumps-infrastructure-plan" type="external">$137 billion</a>&#160;(mainly in tax credits), though experts&#160; <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/09/news/infrastructure-report-card/index.html" type="external">reckon</a>&#160;that revamping the country’s infrastructure would actually require a&#160; <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2017/05/12/how-historic-would-a-1-trillion-infrastructure-program-be/" type="external">$4 trillion</a>&#160;investment over a decade.&#160; Private investors will undoubtedly cherry-pick the most profitable projects and so will get a&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/report-trumps-1-trillion-infrastructure-plan-shovels-money-at-wealthy-investors/2016/12/01/ed0c3c16-b7dc-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html?utm_term=.04b517ea53ef" type="external">windfall</a>&#160;from this tax subsidy.&#160; American workers, not so much.&#160; Sad!&#160;</p>
<p>Rising college costs, stagnant wages—adjusted for inflation, hourly pay has increased a mere&#160; <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/10/why-wages-arent-growing-in-america" type="external">0.2%</a>&#160;annually over the past four decades—and the weight of student debt will make it ever harder for Americans to upgrade their skills.&#160; But when it comes to the working class he claims to care deeply about, Donald Trump’s deeds don’t go beyond symbolism—publicizing his&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/us/politics/donald-trump-diet.html" type="external">love</a>&#160;for Big Macs and Kentucky Fried Chicken, engaging in bellicose bombast, trash-talking trade agreements, threatening to raise tariffs, and blaming undocumented immigrants for everything from crime to unemployment.&#160; None of this will actually mitigate the challenges that confront workers, which will only grow in an America in which the&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/19/bernie-sanders-is-right-the-top-0-1-have-as-much-as-the-bottom-90/?utm_term=.b121a6bdd006" type="external">top 0.1%</a>&#160;have about as much wealth as the bottom 90%.</p>
<p>As is always true when it comes to rulers with an autocratic bent, the question is: When will Trump’s base get wise to his populist charade?&#160; When will the promises he continues to make, from a new deal with China to a new wall with Mexico, begin to ring hollow? Or will they?</p>
<p>Rajan Menon, a&#160; <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/176291/" type="external">TomDispatch&#160;regular</a>, is the Anne and Bernard Spitzer Professor of International Relations at the Powell School, City College of New York, and Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. He is the author, most recently, of&#160; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199384878/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention</a>.</p> | true | 4 | among stranger features 2016 election campaign success donald trump creature globalization america first savior white working class candidate amassed billions dollars playing globalization was160 worthhe manufactured clothes accessories bearing name lowwage economies invested corporations eager outsourcewon millions voters promising keep jobs us admittedly only160 third160of voters earned less 50000 year and160 cultural racial resentment economic grievances drove many trump160 still ever economically unequal america populist economic message resonated helped win presidency peeling white working class votes key regions particularly industrial midwest hes stuck populist narrative heres problem likely worknot given economic realities planet long anyway the160 oval office the160 campaign trail trumps refrain remains economic woes american workers including stagnant wages job insecurity fault predatory asian mexican exporters aided abetted inept160 past presidents160who inked lousy trade deals160 campaign 2016 promised kick doors abroad force countries running surpluses notably china buy united states face huge tariff hikes 160he railed companies relocate production abroad depriving americans jobs trumps economic nationalism course con job160 however effectively employ demagogues artifice invariably lies crafting simplistic answers complicated questions creating plausible scapegoats complicated problems fact workers industries united states dominated decades distress irreversible historic changes absence thanks staggeringly lopsided distribution wealth political power america progressive policies would better prepare cope changes occurred international economy first little history nearly three decades world war ii united states dominated global marketplace bigticket industries like steel automobiles passenger aircraft shipbuilding heavy machinery 160that hegemony bound fade 160as start americas postwar economic primacy owed much ravages global conflict160 industrial bases japan germany lay ruins160 wartime allies britain france faced long arduous recoveries 160but economies industrialized technologically advanced countries bound recoverand mid1970s 160by americas nearmonopoly ending 1965 2010 share national market held americas steelmakers carmakers160 plunged160from nearly 90 45 1970s already complaining influx cheap imports lobbying washington enact countermeasures regarded ultimate free trader president ronald reagan would indeed oblige them160 1981 instance limited japanese160 automobile160sales us while160 hiking tariffs tenfold motorcycle imports save harleydavidson 160european japanese steel companies would soon face160 similar restrictions seen historical perspective washingtons reaction trade competition hardly unique 160britain preached free trade economic heydayuntil imperial predominance began wane nineteenth century zenith british free trade cheerleading united states relied heavily on160 protectionism160to ensure growth nascent industrial base economic power expanded however version cheerleading began160 china fast becoming economic superpower unsurprisingly conclaves like the160 davos160world economic forum asiapacific economic cooperation160 summit president xi jinping predictably starting sound like adam smith karl marx donald trumps160 speeches160during november whirlwind trip asia coming resemble nineteenthcentury american rationales protectionism since 1970s workers places like detroit bethlehem and160 peoria160have faced another challenge range new sources competition especially asian tigers like south korea taiwan160 considered inferior products become hallmark quality making south korean japanese cars cellphones computers television sets ubiquitous country china which160 took160the top spot world trade us 2013 poised japan south korea taiwan already cars included 160and india waits wings historical trends suggest president trumps protectionism already doomed 160the point isnt international trade always benefits american workers160 doesnt160 trade national global redistributes wealth especially largest successful companies long ceased think terms national markets160 set shop wherever profitable using complex global supply chains comes apples160 iphone instance 200 suppliers worldwide provide parts final assembly china160 good infrastructure workforce skills match corporate requirements matter160 yet wage differentials arent irrelevant either thats partly china mexico vietnam attracted massive amounts jobcreating investmentand why160 india begun relevant question isnt whether global economy redesigned protect american workersit cantbut government help gain skills needed compete effectively rapidly changing marketplace 160reforming public education might good place start dont look donald trump it160 american workers better global marketplace countrys public schools must ensure students graduate math science skills needed get decent jobs160 however would mean attacking inequality thats increasingly built public education system much else society horace mann nineteenthcentury american educator referred public schooling beyond human devices great equalizer condition men balance wheel social machinery160 since early years republic americans embraced idea schooling critical helping individuals realize aspirations guaranteeing equality opportunity 160in principle consensus economic circumstances beyond control children shouldnt block way future160 practice quite different story partially public schools funded local property business taxes largest source support kids born community crammed pricey homes thriving businesses attend wellfunded public schools attract good teachers decent working conditions salaries students likely smaller classes guidance counselors nurses psychologists computers per pupil better textbooks instructional equipment richer curricula better libraries addition local taxes provide 45 public school funds state revenues provide another 46 federal assistance additional 9160 state governments also offer extra money poorer school districts but160 enough160to begin close gap affluent ones160 case funds falling since 2008 additional federal support doesnt come close leveling playing field160 united states one countries 35member organization economic cooperation development oecd grouping wealthy nations central government funding plays limited role reducing disparities schools160 countries national budgets provide average160 50160of school funding public schools affluent communities another advantage 160thanks incomes professional qualifications social networks experience parents students schools far capable raising private money supplement school budgets means extra educational equipment instructional materials staff160160 private fundraising done parentteacher associations ptas tend active successful affluent communities160 indeed poor districts may lack ptas altogether consider typical california160 example160 hillsborough median family income is160 229000 school district raised extra 1500 per student oakland median income under160 58000 100 per student 160similarly wealthy northwest washington dc four elementary schools raised160 300000 apiece160in one year sums unthinkable schools washingtons poorer communities like east anacostia river median household income is160 34000160 differences norm nationally true pta funding 245 million160in 2010 increase 300 since 1990looks like drop bucket compared total government spending kindergartenthrough12thgrade education 603 billion160in 2013160 however misses point since private funding concentrated wealthy neighborhoods money cant fix everything counts lot ever unequal society 160and theres overwhelming160 evidence160that educational success gap wealthiest 10 americans rest growing decades unevenly since 1940s accelerated rate since 1970s 3040 percent 1991 2010 want graphic proof incomeachievement divide matters easy find students schools greater resources including wealthy parents example regularly160 better160in standardized tests essentially metric academic achievement remember student160 performance160in high school increases likelihood college attendance success there160 indicates obvious one way improve economic prospects american workers would ensure public school system provides students knowledge skills needed succeed global economy privileges people solid technical knowhow 160channeling funds schools poorer communities would however require sacrifices segments society populist president really represents160 perhaps wont surprised discover though education secretary betsy devos160 favors school choice neither boss seems slightest interest anything growing inequalities inequities public education trumps cherished base working lowerincome people need fact cuts education budget total about160 10 billion160and target raft programs help poor workingclass families employed workers face challenges throughout lives parents let alone grandparents couldnt imagined 160no matter donald trump trade pacts tariffs companies continue shift production overseas stay ahead competitors means wellpaying manufacturing jobs america continue disappear 160they also export make abroad back united states increasing job insecurity driving wages 160trumps rants wont reverse wellestablished trend add one thing160 automation robotics selfdriving vehicles artificial intelligence ecommerce continue reduce role human labor economy even create new jobs with160 skill premiums 160those highend jobs banking law scientific research medicine among others course continue earn significant incomes workers without college education service sector already160 accounts160for nearly 80 countrys gross domestic product find ever tougher get higherpaying jobs decent benefits160 turn means even harder time saving retirement paying childrens educations liquidating accumulated debts covering cost medical care progressive tax code actually favored trumps base others like would one way start rectify situation thats pipedream era160 two versions trumpbacked tax reform bill congress tell us everything need know gain lose populist america160 couldnt wildly regressive take corporate taxes160 skirt present 35 tax corporate income american companies stashed160 26 trillion160in160 overseas tax havens160like ireland luxembourg bermuda netherlands among places tax bill passes corporations able bring money home pay 12 taxes bonanza corporate america160 argued companies invest repatriated funds creating new jobs tax plan offers absolutely incentives imposes penalties dont160 oh proposed corporate tax cut be160 permanent generally truly wealthy particular reason celebrate160 2024 legislation eliminates estate tax pay160 though provides less than160 one percent160of federal revenues scrapping would shrink revenues 269 billion decade that160 exceeds160the annual budgets food drug administration environmental protection agency centers disease control prevention combined theres more160 47160of gains proposed tax cuts benefit wealthiest 1 taxpayers prospective bill wont touch biggest financial burden carried young middle workingclass americans college loans 160student debt ballooned by160 833 billion160since 2007 totals160 145 trillion160 average monthly payment 351 republican tax policies skew wealth distribution toward richest 01 160big tax cuts favor exclusive group also likely reduce government revenue increasing odds spending cuts programs benefit workers take job retraining united states currently devotes pitiful 005 gross domestic product worker retraining ranking160 21st160out 29 oecd countries data available160 prospective budget cuts suggest improvement front president already proposed a160 40160cut funds160 the160 21 cut160planned department labor instance slash several job training employment assistance programs affecting nearly three million people160 heres one nogooddeedgoes unpunished file trump plans to160 eliminate160the appalachian regional council arc since 1965 provided job retraining coalminers reducing poverty boosting high school graduation rates significantly160160 ninetyfive percent160of counties arc covers voted trump story comes apprenticeships widely successfully subsidized countries like160 germany160to create skilled working class contrast united states spends paltry160 95160million programs trump has160 called for160five million additional apprenticeships next five years tenfold increase hes suggested additional funding program160 consider definition putting money mouth partnership among community colleges companies supplemented federal funds could create nationwide apprenticeship programs would benefit workers companies160 furthermore nearly 90 complete apprenticeships land jobs earn average yearly salary of160 50000nearly 12 national median wage two million american manufacturing jobs remain unfilled next decade want adequately trained workers modernizing nations160 decrepit infrastructure160could create range new jobs the160 new deal160era 1930s160 federal governments supposed role president trumps muchvaunted infrastructure160 plan160to revamp160the countrys disintegrating roads rail lines bridges ports dams levees inland waterways get way confining contribution trilliondollar plan to160 137 billion160mainly tax credits though experts160 reckon160that revamping countrys infrastructure would actually require a160 4 trillion160investment decade160 private investors undoubtedly cherrypick profitable projects get a160 windfall160from tax subsidy160 american workers much160 sad160 rising college costs stagnant wagesadjusted inflation hourly pay increased mere160 02160annually past four decadesand weight student debt make ever harder americans upgrade skills160 comes working class claims care deeply donald trumps deeds dont go beyond symbolismpublicizing his160 love160for big macs kentucky fried chicken engaging bellicose bombast trashtalking trade agreements threatening raise tariffs blaming undocumented immigrants everything crime unemployment160 none actually mitigate challenges confront workers grow america the160 top 01160have much wealth bottom 90 always true comes rulers autocratic bent question trumps base get wise populist charade160 promises continues make new deal china new wall mexico begin ring hollow rajan menon a160 tomdispatch160regular anne bernard spitzer professor international relations powell school city college new york senior research fellow columbia universitys saltzman institute war peace studies author recently of160 conceit humanitarian intervention | 1,802 |
<p>Kevin G. Hall, is the national economics correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers. Previously he served as Latin America correspondent. During his career he has reported from Mexico City, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., for the Journal of Commerce and United Press International. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.</p>
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<p /> PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Paul Jay in Washington. Kevin Hall of McClatchy Newspapers reports that on April 20 the big Italian oil company Eni put off its deal with Gazprom, the big Russian oil company, connected to its president, Vladimir Putin, put off a deal that would have given Gazprom a big stake in Libyan oil. That's been an objective of US foreign policy for at least three years. Kevin went through WikiLeaks documents and found the following cable. At the time, Silvio Berlusconi was about to become Italy's prime minister, and the embassy urged headquarters to twist his arm, writes Kevin. Then he quotes the cable. Post, meaning the embassy, would like to push the new Berlusconi government to force Eni to act less as a stalking horse for Gazprom interests. The confidential cable said, quoting, Eni, which is 30 percent owned by the government of Italy, seems to be working in support of Gazprom's efforts to dominate Europe's energy supply and against US-supported US efforts to diversify energy supply. Now joining us in the studio to talk about the new scramble for oil and controlling Europe's energy supplies is Kevin Hall. Thanks for joining us.
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<p />KEVIN HALL, NAT'L ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT, MCCLATCHY: Thanks for having me.
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<p />JAY: So elaborate a bit. This context [incompr.] certainly are factors that go into the Libyan conflict that we're following now.
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<p />HALL: Well, it underscores the kind of global hunt/scramble for oil. The famous book The Prize by Daniel Yergin, the oil historian, kind of laid that out. And this is kind of the latest extension of that. The Libyan situation ties to development of oil in the Caspian region and places I can't even pronounce, coupled with Libya, coupled with Europe and Russia. What happened specifically [snip] in Libya, rather, is Gazprom was going to partner in Libya with Eni, which is the largest player. The Italians are the largest player in Libya, which had been a former Italian colony.
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<p />JAY: And were getting along quite well with Gaddafi.
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<p />HALL: And were getting along quite well with Gaddafi. And that story--we know how that one goes. The reverse of that is that Eni in exchange was going to get access to a project that the Russians were trying to do in the Caspian region called South Stream. South Stream competed with a project that the US has been pushing for the better part of a decade called the Nabucco project. It was going to take natural gas from the eastern border of Turkey, bypass Russia, and provide supplies to Europe through that route, I think through Bulgaria, Romania, basically bypassing Russia. And what all these documents show, there was about--.
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<p />JAY: So these are pipeline wars.
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<p />HALL: Pipelines, yeah. And, well, all these documents show--and there's about 1,800 documents that mentioned Gazprom--is that the Cold War is alive and well in terms of trying to contain Russia's energy power. Russia is the largest producer of energy--not the largest exporter, but they have more oil and natural gas produced in Russia than anywhere in the world. Most of that goes to Europe. And so the scramble for this development in the Caspian region, in Azerbaijan and places like that, is tied to whether that stuff goes through Russia or around Russia, and the US has worked real hard to make sure it goes around Russia, so that the Europeans aren't dependent on one source. We've seen how the Russians have used oil and natural gas against the Ukraine, against Georgia, against Belarus. So they've certainly shown their willingness to use oil as a weapon in their own strategic interest, you know, looking at it from their point of view. And the Libya example was just one [crosstalk] small example [crosstalk]
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<p />JAY: Of course, US policies always seem--its dominance in the Middle East and oil also is a very big strategic piece of its strategic puzzle, not just this question of oil supplies for the United States. But let's jump back to the Libya context, because there's another piece of background which you write about in your article, which is Eni, the Italian company, was also finding a way to invest in Iranian oil, which was also putting it at odds with US foreign policy.
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<p />HALL: Right. Eni have been in Iran long before the current Islamic government, back in the time of the Shah, and lost a lot of money when the change came. Remember that whole unsavory incident in the '70s with the embassy and everything? In that, what Eni was trying to do at around 2006, 2007 time frame was take Iranian oil out, produced jointly with Iran, and they were going to--they found a kind of way to suspend reality: as the US was trying to put pressure on Iran because of its nukes program, they were trying to sell this on the open market. And then they would--it wouldn't be counted as a--it'd be valued in present-day dollars, but it'd be treated as the debt that Iran owes Italy. So it kind of means suspending all time and space and, you know, not valued in former currency but current rates.
<p />
<p />JAY: In order to find ways around possible sanctions.
<p />
<p />HALL: Right, and it did not sit well with the US government.
<p />
<p />JAY: So you've got the Italian oil companies already at odds with the US over Iran. The Italian oil company is going to, through its deals with Gazprom, allow the Russians to take a big stake in Libyan oil. And then you have the French. As we head towards the Libyan war, the French Total have a small piece of the Libyan oil game, but I suppose they would like a bigger piece of it. And then you wind up having a French-American push to overthrow Gaddafi and essentially shove Gazprom out. I mean, I guess we're not saying one and one necessarily equals two, but it sure--it makes one think about it.
<p />
<p />HALL: Yeah, it's not necessarily causation, but there's--you might suggest there's correlation. And clearly this shows the degree to which oil is kind of the back story to so much that happens. As a matter of fact, we went through 251,000 documents--or we have 250,000 documents that we've been pouring through. Of those, a full 10 percent of them, a full 10 percent of those documents, reference in some way, shape, or form oil. And I think that tells you how much part of, you know, the global security question, stability, prosperity--you know, take your choice, oil is fundamental.
<p />
<p />JAY: And fundamental to most countries' foreign policies,--
<p />
<p />HALL: Right.
<p />
<p />JAY: --including this one.
<p />
<p />HALL: Front and center.
<p />
<p />JAY: Well, we'll do more. As you keep going through WikiLeaks, we'll do more, 'cause this oil story continues into Latin America and other places.
<p />
<p />HALL: Yeah, [crosstalk] lot more.
<p />
<p />JAY: And we'll do more of this. But those who had said it's not all about oil, they ain't reading WikiLeaks.
<p />
<p />HALL: It is all about oil.
<p />
<p />JAY: Thanks for joining us. And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
<p />
<p />End of Transcript
<p />
<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | true | 4 | kevin g hall national economics correspondent mcclatchy newspapers previously served latin america correspondent career reported mexico city saudi arabia miami los angeles washington dc journal commerce united press international speaks spanish portuguese paul jay senior editor trnn welcome real news network im paul jay washington kevin hall mcclatchy newspapers reports april 20 big italian oil company eni put deal gazprom big russian oil company connected president vladimir putin put deal would given gazprom big stake libyan oil thats objective us foreign policy least three years kevin went wikileaks documents found following cable time silvio berlusconi become italys prime minister embassy urged headquarters twist arm writes kevin quotes cable post meaning embassy would like push new berlusconi government force eni act less stalking horse gazprom interests confidential cable said quoting eni 30 percent owned government italy seems working support gazproms efforts dominate europes energy supply ussupported us efforts diversify energy supply joining us studio talk new scramble oil controlling europes energy supplies kevin hall thanks joining us kevin hall natl economics correspondent mcclatchy thanks jay elaborate bit context incompr certainly factors go libyan conflict following hall well underscores kind global huntscramble oil famous book prize daniel yergin oil historian kind laid kind latest extension libyan situation ties development oil caspian region places cant even pronounce coupled libya coupled europe russia happened specifically snip libya rather gazprom going partner libya eni largest player italians largest player libya former italian colony jay getting along quite well gaddafi hall getting along quite well gaddafi storywe know one goes reverse eni exchange going get access project russians trying caspian region called south stream south stream competed project us pushing better part decade called nabucco project going take natural gas eastern border turkey bypass russia provide supplies europe route think bulgaria romania basically bypassing russia documents show jay pipeline wars hall pipelines yeah well documents showand theres 1800 documents mentioned gazpromis cold war alive well terms trying contain russias energy power russia largest producer energynot largest exporter oil natural gas produced russia anywhere world goes europe scramble development caspian region azerbaijan places like tied whether stuff goes russia around russia us worked real hard make sure goes around russia europeans arent dependent one source weve seen russians used oil natural gas ukraine georgia belarus theyve certainly shown willingness use oil weapon strategic interest know looking point view libya example one crosstalk small example crosstalk jay course us policies always seemits dominance middle east oil also big strategic piece strategic puzzle question oil supplies united states lets jump back libya context theres another piece background write article eni italian company also finding way invest iranian oil also putting odds us foreign policy hall right eni iran long current islamic government back time shah lost lot money change came remember whole unsavory incident 70s embassy everything eni trying around 2006 2007 time frame take iranian oil produced jointly iran going tothey found kind way suspend reality us trying put pressure iran nukes program trying sell open market wouldit wouldnt counted aitd valued presentday dollars itd treated debt iran owes italy kind means suspending time space know valued former currency current rates jay order find ways around possible sanctions hall right sit well us government jay youve got italian oil companies already odds us iran italian oil company going deals gazprom allow russians take big stake libyan oil french head towards libyan war french total small piece libyan oil game suppose would like bigger piece wind frenchamerican push overthrow gaddafi essentially shove gazprom mean guess saying one one necessarily equals two sureit makes one think hall yeah necessarily causation theresyou might suggest theres correlation clearly shows degree oil kind back story much happens matter fact went 251000 documentsor 250000 documents weve pouring full 10 percent full 10 percent documents reference way shape form oil think tells much part know global security question stability prosperityyou know take choice oil fundamental jay fundamental countries foreign policies hall right jay including one hall front center jay well well keep going wikileaks well cause oil story continues latin america places hall yeah crosstalk lot jay well said oil aint reading wikileaks hall oil jay thanks joining us thank joining us real news network end transcript disclaimer please note transcripts real news network typed recording program trnn guarantee complete accuracy | 716 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman nicknamed Rocky. A daughter of former migrant farmworkers. A child of politics.</p>
<p>These female candidates for the House embody Democratic hopes in a rough election year.</p>
<p />
<p>President Barack Obama’s unpopularity is a drag on his fellow Democrats, and no one is talking seriously about breaking the GOP lock on the House in midterm elections, when the president’s party traditionally loses seats.</p>
<p>But Democrats, after robust recruiting of female candidates, are counting on women to knock out a few GOP men.</p>
<p>That’s where Rocky from New Mexico — 39-year-old Roxanne “Rocky” Lara — comes in.</p>
<p>The former Eddy County commissioner, who got her nickname from an uncle, is an underdog against Republican Rep. Steve Pearce in a district that stretches across the southern part of the state. The five-term conservative has $1.4 million cash on hand in a district that leans Republican.</p>
<p>Lara is counting on winning over voters with a record of bipartisanship, working-class issues such as raising the minimum wage, support for an immigration overhaul in a Hispanic-leaning district and, in a break with liberals, backing of the Keystone XL pipeline. She adds a dose of gender politics.</p>
<p>Pearce, in his memoir published this year, wrote that the “wife is to voluntarily submit, just as the husband is to lovingly lead and sacrifice.” The Baptist lawmaker’s writings were based on his reading of the Bible.</p>
<p>In a recent interview, Lara said her campaign is drawing “the contrast between my experience, my beliefs and my values and what I’m going to work for, compared to those 1950s beliefs that Congressman Pearce lives by.”</p>
<p>In California, 39-year-old Amanda Renteria is the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, was educated at Stanford and Harvard, and was the first Latina chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. She worked for two of the 20 women in the Senate — Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.</p>
<p>Renteria is looking to unseat first-term Rep. David Valadao, a third-generation farmer, in the Central Valley. She disagrees with Obama’s efforts to cut crop insurance in a district the president won with 55 percent of the vote, and criticizes her rival as immigration legislation founders in the GOP-controlled House.</p>
<p>She says that sends a clear message of disrespect to families and the Hispanic community, and offers a saying in Spanish. The translation: “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.”</p>
<p>In Florida, Gwen Graham, 51, is trying to emulate the campaign success of her father, Bob Graham, a former governor and senator, in a race against two-term Rep. Steve Southerland in the Panhandle. She criticizes his vote against the Violence Against Women Act, has adopted her father’s “work days” to gain insights into the lives of Florida residents and insists that she’ll be a pragmatic Democrat in his mold.</p>
<p>Graham says complaints that she was riding her father’s coattails initially held her back.</p>
<p>“I don’t think if my father had had a son that there would have been that hesitation to make sure that I had all the skill sets before I offered myself for office,” she said.</p>
<p>The three candidates, who recently sat down for an interview with The Associated Press, are part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program focused on the party’s high-profile candidates in competitive races. Their bids this election year underscore the gender divide between Democrats and Republicans.</p>
<p>Sixty-three of the 199 Democrats in the House are women, compared with just 19 of the 233 Republicans. Democrats have recruited 102 women to run for open seats and challenge incumbents this election, compared with 66 Republicans, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.</p>
<p>“You cannot recruit women while you’re prosecuting a war on women,” said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., chairman of the campaign committee. He criticized the GOP record on health care, opposition to Democratic bills such as raising the minimum wage and efforts to block the Violence Against Women Act, which passed last year with overwhelming Democratic support.</p>
<p>Not so, say Republicans, who describe the Democratic claims of a GOP “war on women” as false arguments engineered for political purposes. As for the numbers, Reps. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., and Diane Black, R-Tenn., are working on getting more women elected to the House, helping with fundraising, campaign staff and messaging.</p>
<p>Their record so far is mixed. Republicans expect Mia Love, a former mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, to easily win an open seat, and they are upbeat about state Del. Barbara Comstock’s prospects in claiming an open seat in northern Virginia.</p>
<p>Another opportunity recently slipped away in a Florida special election primary.</p>
<p>“The universe that we have to work with is only open seats and challenger seats,” Wagner said. “I try to remind folks. It’s not like we’re running Republican women against some of our Republican male members that are currently serving.”</p>
<p>Wagner is certain that the number of Republican women will increase in the House. She counts up 24 women with potential.</p>
<p>“Some will get there. Some won’t. I think we’re going to grow our numbers,” says Wagner, a former co-chairman of the Republican National Committee.</p>
<p>Lara, Renteria and Graham are intent on increasing the Democratic numbers, spending 80 percent of their time raising money, a crucial step. The three laugh in agreement when asked the hardest part of campaigning.</p>
<p>“Having to get dressed up every day,” they say.</p>
<p>Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</p> | true | 4 | washington ap woman nicknamed rocky daughter former migrant farmworkers child politics female candidates house embody democratic hopes rough election year president barack obamas unpopularity drag fellow democrats one talking seriously breaking gop lock house midterm elections presidents party traditionally loses seats democrats robust recruiting female candidates counting women knock gop men thats rocky new mexico 39yearold roxanne rocky lara comes former eddy county commissioner got nickname uncle underdog republican rep steve pearce district stretches across southern part state fiveterm conservative 14 million cash hand district leans republican lara counting winning voters record bipartisanship workingclass issues raising minimum wage support immigration overhaul hispanicleaning district break liberals backing keystone xl pipeline adds dose gender politics pearce memoir published year wrote wife voluntarily submit husband lovingly lead sacrifice baptist lawmakers writings based reading bible recent interview lara said campaign drawing contrast experience beliefs values im going work compared 1950s beliefs congressman pearce lives california 39yearold amanda renteria daughter mexican immigrant educated stanford harvard first latina chief staff us senate worked two 20 women senate democratic sens dianne feinstein california debbie stabenow michigan renteria looking unseat firstterm rep david valadao thirdgeneration farmer central valley disagrees obamas efforts cut crop insurance district president 55 percent vote criticizes rival immigration legislation founders gopcontrolled house says sends clear message disrespect families hispanic community offers saying spanish translation tell friends ill tell florida gwen graham 51 trying emulate campaign success father bob graham former governor senator race twoterm rep steve southerland panhandle criticizes vote violence women act adopted fathers work days gain insights lives florida residents insists shell pragmatic democrat mold graham says complaints riding fathers coattails initially held back dont think father son would hesitation make sure skill sets offered office said three candidates recently sat interview associated press part democratic congressional campaign committees red blue program focused partys highprofile candidates competitive races bids election year underscore gender divide democrats republicans sixtythree 199 democrats house women compared 19 233 republicans democrats recruited 102 women run open seats challenge incumbents election compared 66 republicans according center american women politics rutgers university recruit women youre prosecuting war women said rep steve israel dny chairman campaign committee criticized gop record health care opposition democratic bills raising minimum wage efforts block violence women act passed last year overwhelming democratic support say republicans describe democratic claims gop war women false arguments engineered political purposes numbers reps ann wagner rmo diane black rtenn working getting women elected house helping fundraising campaign staff messaging record far mixed republicans expect mia love former mayor saratoga springs utah easily win open seat upbeat state del barbara comstocks prospects claiming open seat northern virginia another opportunity recently slipped away florida special election primary universe work open seats challenger seats wagner said try remind folks like running republican women republican male members currently serving wagner certain number republican women increase house counts 24 women potential get wont think going grow numbers says wagner former cochairman republican national committee lara renteria graham intent increasing democratic numbers spending 80 percent time raising money crucial step three laugh agreement asked hardest part campaigning get dressed every day say copyright 2014 associated press rights reserved material may published broadcast rewritten redistributed | 529 |
<p>Berlin.</p>
<p>es, the double horror is reaching Germany too. The shots in a shopping center in Munich, killing ten people and injuring another at least 27 are bloody symptoms of an ailment which has already shocked – or killed – so many in a Paris dance hall, a Brussels airport, a Norwegian holiday island, a seaside promenade in Nice, a dancehall in Orlando – and market places in Baghdad – and so many, many more. Those pulling triggers or otherwise doing the killing are often young males, up-rooted by the waves of mass migration of recent years, who feel rejected by their newly-found locations which have not become homes, who have difficulties finding proper education, an occupation, a decent job, a wife and family, and who feel rejected by the society forced upon them by events, most commonly because of their nationality or religion. This leads to crime, frequently to increased misogyny, and in a few cases – rare but never rare enough, such alienation, the feeling of being humiliated, sometimes exaggerated but all too frequently well-founded, leads to a violent reaction and the murder of as many as they can reach – and themselves as well.</p>
<p>Religious bigotry and fanaticism often play a role, as they have with nearly every other religion&#160; in certain places and periods. I would also submit that a lust to kill may not only be inspired and strengthened by bigotry and a desire for vengeance. I am convinced that a constant diet of violence and cruelty in films, in games, in videos, in books takes its toll on some in the population. Not everyone fed on this diet wants to try out killing for himself. But there are a few who do, and a few is more than sufficient. Manufacturers make their goods in order to sell them, and people buy commodities in order to use them. When it is as easy for the violent few, like everybody else, to buy weapons as easily as loaves of bread – even assault guns – then symptoms of a grave and dangerous ailment are revealed, indeed the symptoms of a sickening society, now extended so cruelly to Munich in Germany.</p>
<p>Indeed, according to the latest police reports, neither religion nor ISIS nor nationalism played a role with the unhinged young man in Munich – of Afghani descent but German born and bred. The motivation was not connected with Afghan nationalism or Islamic beliefs. Unfortunately, this may not prevent new increased waves of fear and hatred in Bavaria and Germany, directed, with the willing assistance of the gutter media and many in the social media, against all immigrants, or all Muslims.</p>
<p>But his action was rather caused by the kind of twisted emotions witnessed at Columbine High School and Sandy Hook School, with symptoms closely related to that ailment so commonly demonstrated in many such killings. In the USA some people buy weapons because they like shooting pheasants or ducks or deer. Let them, I say, as long as they don’t endanger whole species. Some like the sport of shooting, testing their eyes and their fingers against a distant target. Let them enjoy their sport! And some may indeed fear for the safety of their home and loved ones, though this reasoning is beset by many flaws. But some want weapons clearly for reasons of hatred, most commonly hatred of people they believe inferior to themselves, plus the fear that such “inferior” people are no longer willing to remain in inferior positions, and can thus endanger their own imagined superiority, something they fear losing since it is often all they have left in a hard, difficult world. They see themselves encircled by myriad many-colored dangers – derived largely from such hatred and fear. ”They want to take our weapons away!” they cry.&#160; “Protect our rights! Raise the barricades even higher!” And for this purpose assault rifles are an optimal resource – unless or&#160; until you get tanks and planes and drones.</p>
<p>And some do get tanks, planes and drones. This affliction has spread – not just recently – to all the world. The wars in Korea, against Vietnam, against Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, even Panama and Grenada – and against Palestine – have all been against people who often did not have pale white skins. More important, they refused to behave the way inferiors were supposed to behave toward their “betters”, courageous men in uniform waving stars and stripes or in suits and ties extolling democracy (but always democracy plus free)! Such insubordinate rebellion must be chastised and brought to heel, in the past, not always so successfully, in Hanoi or the Bay of Pigs, today in Tripoli, Ramallah, Caracas – or all too similarly with darker-skinned brothers and sisters in Ferguson, St. Paul or Baton Rouge.</p>
<p>Is it surprising that some such people, hearing of bombs dropped against Bagdad or Kunduz, in Fallujah or Tripoli, seeing videos of&#160; unmanned drones firing into wedding gatherings and other undesirable activities in a dozen countries, killing parents or brothers and sisters, learning of uranium and phosphorous poisoning which will remain for generations, and finding no outlets for their rage and sorrow, seek vengeance, even wild vengeance against the whole world which they see as hostile? Sadly, they have found no better way of protesting, one without the horror but with higher chances of results.</p>
<p>This is where Germany again fits in. Though clever or lucky enough to avoid direct involvement in Iraq and Libya, it joined in the destruction and killing in Afghanistan, which has not led to more rights for women or anyone else, but only to more and more misery.&#160; It has tested the waters in other regions as well, sending weapons, advisors, or soldiers to Mali, to its artillery units along Turkey’s border and in its AWAC spy planes over Syria. It is supplying a dozen wars and conflagrations, not only with Heckler &amp; Koch’s hand-held weapons but with tanks, planes and submarines, some of them easily adaptable for atomic mass murder. Now, in addition to the white skin motivation, so reminiscent of colonial days, a new rationale is being built up: “Hit the Russians”! In this lucrative new endeavor, soldiers in tanks and planes from Germany, retracing the heavy tramp or the dogfights and bombing raid routes of their grandfathers, are joining the USA, Britain, and 27 other countries in constant military maneuvers along the Russian border, not far from its second-largest city, St. Petersburg. And Germany’s Secretary of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen, is demanding billions and billions more to build up the armed forces, for “defense” she says. Defense against whom or what? Who is even dreaming of attacking Germany? Is the shoe really on the other foot? Germany may have to remain a junior to its partner across the Atlantic, but that leaves plenty of room for growing power and wealth in Europe– and in Asia and Africa as well.</p>
<p>When a country goes on a course of attack against others, can it be surprised when some retaliate? Can it mourn the brutal deaths in European centers but ignore its own killing of men, women and children in Afghanistan, simply because they were killed “cleanly” from the air, not close up with an axe or a rifle? But then, after all, they were not Germans!</p>
<p>Munich is a pleasant city to visit, with wonderful art works. And yet, eighty-odd years ago, its Brown House, center of Nazi domination, sent out its killers to destroy resistance in Germany, then in Spain, and then to conquer the world. Before that war had ended the city and its people paid a bitter price. Bavaria, of which it is the capital, perhaps the most beautiful German state, is also furthest to the right among them, and is the home of the largest number of weapons manufacturers. Its politicians have shown the most vigor directed against the refugees.</p>
<p>Behind the pious men and women preaching democracy and human rights to justify their maneuvers abroad are giant, wealthy forces, many of whom were already powerful and guilty in the years of the Brown House. They disguise their costly expansion by misleading Bavarians and all Germans into seeing the cause of all their worries, problems and hardships in the waves of refugees, fleeing the wars and the poverty for which these very powers are to blame. The story is almost exactly like that of their soul-mates in Britain, France and other regions, but especially in the most powerful of them all, the USA – with the current diatribes against immigrants, Mexicans, Muslims and any other scapegoats except the truly guilty ones.</p>
<p>Can the people of Munich and Germany, in the USA and elsewhere, learn from the bitter past and join with many among the refugees and with Muslims and people of every religion, or none at all, in getting to the roots of these terrible problems, whose names can be found on nearly every business page? Such actions, and not the ever-mounting surveillance and hysterical attacks on human rights and human beings, are the only real long-run answer to horrible news items like the one from Munich and which are now becoming so prevalent everywhere. True enough, this is neither a quick nor an easy answer. But in the long run, I am convinced, it is the only genuine answer.</p> | true | 4 | berlin es double horror reaching germany shots shopping center munich killing ten people injuring another least 27 bloody symptoms ailment already shocked killed many paris dance hall brussels airport norwegian holiday island seaside promenade nice dancehall orlando market places baghdad many many pulling triggers otherwise killing often young males uprooted waves mass migration recent years feel rejected newlyfound locations become homes difficulties finding proper education occupation decent job wife family feel rejected society forced upon events commonly nationality religion leads crime frequently increased misogyny cases rare never rare enough alienation feeling humiliated sometimes exaggerated frequently wellfounded leads violent reaction murder many reach well religious bigotry fanaticism often play role nearly every religion160 certain places periods would also submit lust kill may inspired strengthened bigotry desire vengeance convinced constant diet violence cruelty films games videos books takes toll population everyone fed diet wants try killing sufficient manufacturers make goods order sell people buy commodities order use easy violent like everybody else buy weapons easily loaves bread even assault guns symptoms grave dangerous ailment revealed indeed symptoms sickening society extended cruelly munich germany indeed according latest police reports neither religion isis nationalism played role unhinged young man munich afghani descent german born bred motivation connected afghan nationalism islamic beliefs unfortunately may prevent new increased waves fear hatred bavaria germany directed willing assistance gutter media many social media immigrants muslims action rather caused kind twisted emotions witnessed columbine high school sandy hook school symptoms closely related ailment commonly demonstrated many killings usa people buy weapons like shooting pheasants ducks deer let say long dont endanger whole species like sport shooting testing eyes fingers distant target let enjoy sport may indeed fear safety home loved ones though reasoning beset many flaws want weapons clearly reasons hatred commonly hatred people believe inferior plus fear inferior people longer willing remain inferior positions thus endanger imagined superiority something fear losing since often left hard difficult world see encircled myriad manycolored dangers derived largely hatred fear want take weapons away cry160 protect rights raise barricades even higher purpose assault rifles optimal resource unless or160 get tanks planes drones get tanks planes drones affliction spread recently world wars korea vietnam iraq afghanistan libya syria even panama grenada palestine people often pale white skins important refused behave way inferiors supposed behave toward betters courageous men uniform waving stars stripes suits ties extolling democracy always democracy plus free insubordinate rebellion must chastised brought heel past always successfully hanoi bay pigs today tripoli ramallah caracas similarly darkerskinned brothers sisters ferguson st paul baton rouge surprising people hearing bombs dropped bagdad kunduz fallujah tripoli seeing videos of160 unmanned drones firing wedding gatherings undesirable activities dozen countries killing parents brothers sisters learning uranium phosphorous poisoning remain generations finding outlets rage sorrow seek vengeance even wild vengeance whole world see hostile sadly found better way protesting one without horror higher chances results germany fits though clever lucky enough avoid direct involvement iraq libya joined destruction killing afghanistan led rights women anyone else misery160 tested waters regions well sending weapons advisors soldiers mali artillery units along turkeys border awac spy planes syria supplying dozen wars conflagrations heckler amp kochs handheld weapons tanks planes submarines easily adaptable atomic mass murder addition white skin motivation reminiscent colonial days new rationale built hit russians lucrative new endeavor soldiers tanks planes germany retracing heavy tramp dogfights bombing raid routes grandfathers joining usa britain 27 countries constant military maneuvers along russian border far secondlargest city st petersburg germanys secretary defense ursula von der leyen demanding billions billions build armed forces defense says defense even dreaming attacking germany shoe really foot germany may remain junior partner across atlantic leaves plenty room growing power wealth europe asia africa well country goes course attack others surprised retaliate mourn brutal deaths european centers ignore killing men women children afghanistan simply killed cleanly air close axe rifle germans munich pleasant city visit wonderful art works yet eightyodd years ago brown house center nazi domination sent killers destroy resistance germany spain conquer world war ended city people paid bitter price bavaria capital perhaps beautiful german state also furthest right among home largest number weapons manufacturers politicians shown vigor directed refugees behind pious men women preaching democracy human rights justify maneuvers abroad giant wealthy forces many already powerful guilty years brown house disguise costly expansion misleading bavarians germans seeing cause worries problems hardships waves refugees fleeing wars poverty powers blame story almost exactly like soulmates britain france regions especially powerful usa current diatribes immigrants mexicans muslims scapegoats except truly guilty ones people munich germany usa elsewhere learn bitter past join many among refugees muslims people every religion none getting roots terrible problems whose names found nearly every business page actions evermounting surveillance hysterical attacks human rights human beings real longrun answer horrible news items like one munich becoming prevalent everywhere true enough neither quick easy answer long run convinced genuine answer | 813 |
<p>Being HIV positive for almost ten years now, I have had my fair share of serious and not so serious infections which have at times seen my immune system succumb and often come close to collapse. I would believe that I had full-blown Aids only to revert back to being HIV positive after some interventions.</p>
<p>In December 1999, on the eve of the new millennium, I was raped by two young men. I don’t know if that was when I contract HIV. &#160;But I distinctly remember in December 2003, a sexual liaisons with someone who knew his status, and apparently, was on a mission to infect as many women as possible by luring them to his house, never intending to use a condom. As intelligent – and HIV aware – as I was, especially because I was at the time a volunteer at an HIV &amp; Aids24 hour trauma centre (IKhaya Lobomi), just outside Botha’s Hill in that magnificently well sculptured landscape known as The Valley of a Thousand &#160;Hills, I fell prey to his scheme. He won his quest.</p>
<p>And now he’s dead. I met him just before he died several years ago on the street. He looked like he was suffering ; losing his balance as he wobbled by. I never said a word to him, nor him to me. His physical condition told all and I dared not mocked him.</p>
<p>But immediately after I had slept with him I had a truly horrible vaginal thrush, which became uncontrollable, covered with red blisters. Oh! The pain from itching! I knew, immediately, that it was him. I called Patience, who did an HIV blood test which came back HIV negative. However she said to me “Sis Faith – we will only be certain after another test in three months.”</p>
<p>So together with a woman doctor who was also a volunteer at Ikhaya Lobomi, a gynecologist, Patience tried to manage this infection. Not every prescribed medication would work immediately, which meant that, at night, while people were preparing to sleep, the itch would come back in an unforgiving manner.</p>
<p>I would yank and pull my hair, sit in a cold bath and scratch, while crying</p>
<p>I would yank and pull my hair, sit in a cold bath and scratch, while crying. I had someone in hand always willing to help and I would phone him. I remember that late one night, I had, all alone oblivious to the danger I was putting myself in as a woman, &#160;walked to the police station to call him. When he got to me we drove to the doctor’s house. Without a hint of being upset or offended, the doctor welcomed us into her home.</p>
<p>That night she gave me beeswax based medication. It became a breakthrough salve when I applied it. So that infection was overcome. While this was all happening, I had just been employed on contract by SABC Radio to specially report on events taking place prior, during and after, the 2004 local elections.</p>
<p>This was the highlight of my media career. During this contractual employment, another infection hit me, and this one, right on my face. It was dermatitis: like thousands of black ants crawling furiously all over my face. And I was scared to scratch my face – you know how egotistical we women are when it comes to our faces.</p>
<p>I endured this bad itch without scratching my face. I was scared of scaring it so I would just pat it all over with the palms of my hands. Patience said another HIV test was due. And it came back positive. Right then I had no time to emotionally deal with the news I was concerned about my face. I remember thinking that at least my SABC contract was for radio and not television, so the people who heard my voice did not know my predicament. I also remember saying to God, how can He allow this infection to be in my face because as much as I was HIV positive, I was still a woman and that my face meant a lot to me.</p>
<p>The way I had excelled in my job at the SABC, everyone was gunning for me to become fully employed but the gun has stopped with a certain male official.</p>
<p>Again, as much as it was a man who did not want to help me advance in my career, and as &#160;it was a man who had deliberately infected me with HIV, it was also a man who provided constant emotional, physical, mental and financial support: my ex. To him I was still intelligent, mentally challenging, funny and sexy – as well as a lot of headache at times. I gave him flak.</p>
<p>So what is the issue? Incidences of daily infections for youth in their twenties is about 8 per cent. In South Africa, experts say over 17 000 people die every single day from Aids. Currently, there are 6 million people living with HIV. The infection rate amongst pregnant women has risen from 29.4 per cent last year to 30 per cent this year.</p>
<p>In South Africa women have no ownership, or rights, over their vaginas</p>
<p>I can bet that most of the 6 million living with HIV are women, from the working class, from poor communities, or unemployed. The reason why I say that I can bet the gender primarily infected and impacted with HIV in South Africa are females women is because poor and unemployed women – and even some from the working class – have no ownership, or rights, over their vaginas (and I can be polite and say reproductive organs – but I won’t). This is so because of their financial dependency on men.</p>
<p>The excellent research results from a handful of African organisations and universities integrated as the EU-Africa project: CoBaSys (Community Health Systems for HIV Treatment) says much of the same: the highest rates of infection come from women stuck in financially dependent relationships where the only right is the right of the man. Women without income, fighting for daily bread, turn to risky sex work. Women caught in poverty traps with little opportunity for water and waste sanitation, living in close quarters with too many people, are easily re-infected. Women afraid of violence and abuse, stigmatization, being labeled adulterous and other similar vicious outcomes, like abandonment, may be too frightened or intimidated to pursue testing and treatment. The extra costs – $2 or more, to travel to clinics that are based so far away, make it impossible. If they try it becomes dangerous for their lives, and costly for the businesses they leave behind, which feed their children. Women women women, the report says, are always hit hardest, and they explain the reasons why.</p>
<p>I can go on and say &#160;every six minutes a woman dies in South Africa at the hands of a man she has been intimate with – whether &#160;a husband, the &#160;father of her child or a lover. &#160;I can say according to the statistics, every few minutes &#160;a woman is beaten up and raped &#160;in South Africa – but then we know that the statistics include reported cases, not those that were kept quiet. Which means that if we had to report all the rape cases and the cases of violence against women, we will no longer be repeating that after every few minutes a woman is either raped or beaten in South Africa. We would be saying, rather, that there is no time at all where a woman is not raped, beaten, violated emotionally and psychologically. We will not need 16 days of Activism to raise awareness against this scourge – we will speak about it every day because it happens every hour, every minute and every second even as I speak.</p>
<p>Poor and unemployed women, women from the working class and to some extent women from the middle class, have been forced by men to forfeit their reproductive rights in issues pertaining to sex and protection from HIV. Women who are dependent on men for their livelihood are forced not to use protection from STDs and HIV infection. Married women have to sleep with cheating husbands without condoms, knowing that they have been unfaithful with other women, knowing they did not use protection during sexual encounters with those women.</p>
<p>Friends of mine who are sex workers say that married men especially from the middle class and the upper classes up their prices when they want to have sex with them without a condom. Most of my sex work friends are drug addicts and are only in the street to get money for another fix and sometimes would accept such proposals knowing that more money means going to the street less to sell one’s body to get high.</p>
<p>Unemployed women depending on their partners can hardly negotiate the using of protection because they get told, I pay the rent, I buy the food and your clothes, and I take care not just only of you but also of your children. That is why it is not so hard to understand that these women who depend on their lovers for their livelihoods sometimes sacrifice their daughters’ reproductive rights at the altar of sexual abuse by their lovers and these cases go unreported, again because of financial dependency.</p>
<p>Some women make a mistake of patting men on their backs by saying, he’s such a good man because he does not abuse – but there shouldn’t be patting on their backs at all because there shouldn’t be a scenario of some abuse.</p>
<p>As one man on a radio station stated a few weeks ago, to people who were being abused, ‘Silence increases Violence’. I would like that to be every individual’s thought for the day.</p>
<p>Faith ka-Manzi is a South African writer and poet who has been living in Cato Manor for more than a decade. Born almost 44 years ago in Durban, she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities at the then University of Natal (now UKZN) in 1999 majoring in English and History. She is a former mainstream media journalist for Daily News (with a column – Keeping the Faith), Mail&amp;Guardian, SAPA, Business Day, SundayWorld, SABC among others. Faith is now based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where she writes and translates works mainly advocating socio-economic, political and environmental issues pertaining to civil society, especially the poor.</p>
<p>This essay originally appeared in <a href="http://www.theafricareport.com/" type="external">The Africa Report</a>.</p> | true | 4 | hiv positive almost ten years fair share serious serious infections times seen immune system succumb often come close collapse would believe fullblown aids revert back hiv positive interventions december 1999 eve new millennium raped two young men dont know contract hiv 160but distinctly remember december 2003 sexual liaisons someone knew status apparently mission infect many women possible luring house never intending use condom intelligent hiv aware especially time volunteer hiv amp aids24 hour trauma centre ikhaya lobomi outside bothas hill magnificently well sculptured landscape known valley thousand 160hills fell prey scheme quest hes dead met died several years ago street looked like suffering losing balance wobbled never said word physical condition told dared mocked immediately slept truly horrible vaginal thrush became uncontrollable covered red blisters oh pain itching knew immediately called patience hiv blood test came back hiv negative however said sis faith certain another test three months together woman doctor also volunteer ikhaya lobomi gynecologist patience tried manage infection every prescribed medication would work immediately meant night people preparing sleep itch would come back unforgiving manner would yank pull hair sit cold bath scratch crying would yank pull hair sit cold bath scratch crying someone hand always willing help would phone remember late one night alone oblivious danger putting woman 160walked police station call got drove doctors house without hint upset offended doctor welcomed us home night gave beeswax based medication became breakthrough salve applied infection overcome happening employed contract sabc radio specially report events taking place prior 2004 local elections highlight media career contractual employment another infection hit one right face dermatitis like thousands black ants crawling furiously face scared scratch face know egotistical women comes faces endured bad itch without scratching face scared scaring would pat palms hands patience said another hiv test due came back positive right time emotionally deal news concerned face remember thinking least sabc contract radio television people heard voice know predicament also remember saying god allow infection face much hiv positive still woman face meant lot way excelled job sabc everyone gunning become fully employed gun stopped certain male official much man want help advance career 160it man deliberately infected hiv also man provided constant emotional physical mental financial support ex still intelligent mentally challenging funny sexy well lot headache times gave flak issue incidences daily infections youth twenties 8 per cent south africa experts say 17 000 people die every single day aids currently 6 million people living hiv infection rate amongst pregnant women risen 294 per cent last year 30 per cent year south africa women ownership rights vaginas bet 6 million living hiv women working class poor communities unemployed reason say bet gender primarily infected impacted hiv south africa females women poor unemployed women even working class ownership rights vaginas polite say reproductive organs wont financial dependency men excellent research results handful african organisations universities integrated euafrica project cobasys community health systems hiv treatment says much highest rates infection come women stuck financially dependent relationships right right man women without income fighting daily bread turn risky sex work women caught poverty traps little opportunity water waste sanitation living close quarters many people easily reinfected women afraid violence abuse stigmatization labeled adulterous similar vicious outcomes like abandonment may frightened intimidated pursue testing treatment extra costs 2 travel clinics based far away make impossible try becomes dangerous lives costly businesses leave behind feed children women women women report says always hit hardest explain reasons go say 160every six minutes woman dies south africa hands man intimate whether 160a husband 160father child lover 160i say according statistics every minutes 160a woman beaten raped 160in south africa know statistics include reported cases kept quiet means report rape cases cases violence women longer repeating every minutes woman either raped beaten south africa would saying rather time woman raped beaten violated emotionally psychologically need 16 days activism raise awareness scourge speak every day happens every hour every minute every second even speak poor unemployed women women working class extent women middle class forced men forfeit reproductive rights issues pertaining sex protection hiv women dependent men livelihood forced use protection stds hiv infection married women sleep cheating husbands without condoms knowing unfaithful women knowing use protection sexual encounters women friends mine sex workers say married men especially middle class upper classes prices want sex without condom sex work friends drug addicts street get money another fix sometimes would accept proposals knowing money means going street less sell ones body get high unemployed women depending partners hardly negotiate using protection get told pay rent buy food clothes take care also children hard understand women depend lovers livelihoods sometimes sacrifice daughters reproductive rights altar sexual abuse lovers cases go unreported financial dependency women make mistake patting men backs saying hes good man abuse shouldnt patting backs shouldnt scenario abuse one man radio station stated weeks ago people abused silence increases violence would like every individuals thought day faith kamanzi south african writer poet living cato manor decade born almost 44 years ago durban awarded bachelor arts humanities university natal ukzn 1999 majoring english history former mainstream media journalist daily news column keeping faith mailampguardian sapa business day sundayworld sabc among others faith based university kwazulunatal writes translates works mainly advocating socioeconomic political environmental issues pertaining civil society especially poor essay originally appeared africa report | 886 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Robert Rosenthal knows groundbreaking journalism. The award-winning reporter, now the executive director of The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), was working at The New York Times when it published the Pentagon Papers, and he tells Truthdig Editor in Chief <a href="" type="internal">Robert Scheer</a> about his experience with leaks and “fake news” in this week’s episode of KCRW’s “ <a href="https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/scheer-intelligence/hamilton-fish-breathing-fresh-life-into-journalism" type="external">Scheer Intelligence</a>.”</p>
<p>“The adversarial relationship between journalism in this country and power has existed [for decades],” he tells Scheer, “and governments will use, abuse and spin information and hope they don’t get caught.”</p>
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<p>This led Rosenthal to The <a href="http://cironline.org/person/robert-j-rosenthal" type="external">Center for Investigative Reporting</a>, where he became executive director in 2008. He says he is proud of the CIR for helping to “create a new model” of storytelling on the internet.</p>
<p>“The simple way I describe it is, if you think of a wheel … in the center of that wheel is the story. But build a news organization where every spoke is a different platform, a different way to tell a story,” he tells Scheer. “So you embrace the technology, and deliver storytelling to people in ways they’re most comfortable with.”</p>
<p>The two discuss the need for more successful business models for investigative journalism, as well as the rise of fake news. “There’s great reporting being done, and yet,” Scheer says, “the basic journalistic model is broken.”</p>
<p>Rosenthal agrees, noting that there is a vast difference “between media and journalism.”</p>
<p>“Whether you want to call it fake news, propaganda, distortion,” Rosenthal says, “these are all very dangerous tools that really are accelerated and weaponized in the age of the internet.”</p>
<p>After Scheer notes that more media outlets are finally beginning to challenge White House narratives now that Donald Trump is in office, Rosenthal responds: “The best journalists challenge that. But they’ve also been part of that system. … It’s quite seductive to be covering the president of the United States. … there’s a coziness that I’ve always thought was uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>Listen to the full conversation in the player above. Read the transcript below. Find past editions of “Scheer Intelligence” <a href="" type="internal">here</a>.</p>
<p>RS: Hi, this is another edition of Scheer Intelligence, where the intelligence comes from my guests. In this case, Robert Jon “Rosie”–is it Jon or Yon?–“Rosie” Rosenthal.</p>
<p>RR: You got it all. Thank you.</p>
<p>RS: I got it all there.</p>
<p>RR: Great to be here.</p>
<p>RS: And, ah, who I have known both as a working editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, on occasion when I’ve written for the publication. But going back to your history, you were the, ended up being the editor of a major American newspaper the Philadelphia Inquirer. And first you went there working as a journalist; you came from a journalistic family, and one of the themes of this podcast series is to isolate these American originals; out of the crazy-quilt of American culture, somehow we produce a range of people who have integrity, are interesting in different ways, stand for something. And I’d put you firmly in that category. You got into journalism, I believe, because your father was a journalism professor at, we used to call it CCNY, the City College of New York; it’s now a part of CUNY. But it was one of those great public experiments in education. Of those of us who went to City College, and that included Abe Rosenthal of The New York Times and Colin Powell of the State Department, we all felt we were going to the best school in the world. And was that your first taste of journalism? You grew up in New York, and–?</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, my father, as you said, Irving Rosenthal, started the journalism program at City College in the 1930s. It was the height of the Depression, and he did that. And I grew up really, what I remember is he would come home in the evening, and in those days there were a lot of newspapers in New York and he’d bring home six or seven newspapers: The New York Times, the Herald-Tribune, Telegram and Sun, New York Post, Daily News. And I just always read newspapers. And what I read, mainly, was sports. But the other thing that I always recall is that we’d be in the car, we’d be driving somewhere, and somebody would be on the radio from anywhere in the world, and he’d say, “He was a student of mine,” or “She was a student of mine.” In fact, for those listeners who know who Daniel Schorr was, he was actually in my father’s first class; he was one of the most distinguished public radio journalists, he was on Nixon’s enemies list. And the man, Mike Oreskes, who runs NPR today, was also a student of my father’s. So that’s a big arc of time. But I grew up, really through osmosis, just loving to read, and always had this sort of romanticism, especially about being a foreign correspondent.</p>
<p>RS: So you had the inspiration of your father, and so forth. And you went to work for The New York Times after college, and you worked there for a few years. And the reason, one reason why I wanted to do this interview with you, is you’re not one of the old fogies. I mean, we’re old fogies. But you’re not one of them who thinks the good old days were great and today sucks and all that; you’re actually, I should have mentioned, you’ve been running the Center for Investigative Reporting, based in Oakland and Emeryville. Which is a new model of journalism; it’s, you’re multimedia, you’re–in fact, this station, KCRW, carries your Reveal series and other programs that you generate. And so what I like, when I run into people like you, is that I like it when they say, hey–in some ways, this is much more exciting.</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, I–well, what happened to me, as you mentioned, I eventually, with no plan, became the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, where I’d worked for a long time and I’d been a foreign correspondent. And I became the editor in 1998, when the Inquirer was arguably one of the best papers in the United States; it was a Pulitzer Prize factory, it was an incredibly talented, ambitious newsroom. It was part of the Knight-Ridder chain, it was the flagship paper; it was the biggest paper with the most revenue. And I became the editor in ‘98 and was fired almost four years later because the business model for newspapers really collapsed, as we know. And I was a journalist, I wasn’t a businessman, and had difficulties with the corporate people; I’m sure they would tell you they had difficulties with me. And for about a year before I got fired, I knew I’d either get fired that day, or I’d quit. Well, I never could quit because I was too loyal to the staff; there were 630 people when I started. And then after a year, I had many job offers on the East Coast, but I came to San Francisco, as you alluded to, and became the managing editor of the Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle. But after four years there, I was really fed up with corporate media and the inability to really, I think, grab the opportunity of the Internet, and also figure out new ways to tell stories. And I did go to the Center for Investigative Reporting at the beginning of 2008, and I’m very proud of the fact that CIR was the first nonprofit investigative reporting organization established in ‘77. But when I got there, it was about to close, and there were six or seven people, and it was the height of the recession. And in the last nine years, CIR has grown 10-x, and it’s done a lot of really important, what I would call social justice journalism. But more importantly, it also helped create a new model of really embracing the storytelling. And the simple way I describe it is, if you think of a wheel–and this is what I did in 2008–in the center of everything in the organization is the story. So in the center of that wheel is the story, but build a news organization where every spoke is a different platform, a different way to tell a story. So you embrace the technology and deliver storytelling to people in ways they’re most comfortable with. So it could be a podcast today, it could be radio, it could be audio, it could be video, it could be an animation, it could be data visualization, it could be text, obviously; video. We’ve done plays, we’ve worked with spoken-word poets, transforming in deep reporting to those platforms. So it’s really getting at and reaching an audience in the way it wants to get information. And obviously social media has also exploded, the ability to publish and reach vast audiences with the right story.</p>
<p>RS: Yeah, no question. It’s exciting. I run, you know, I’m the editor of Truthdig magazine. And you know, in the old days, a small, socially conscious publication would probably be like The Nation or The New Republic; they’d be lucky to get 50,000 readers, and now if we don’t get millions, you know, certainly over the course of a month if we don’t get a few million we think we’re going out of business. So I understand that. The one thing, though, with the new model is–no, clearly, with the Internet you’ve got the best and worst of all worlds. You’ve got a way of getting a story out there so people are reading it an hour later in Beijing, they’re reading it in London, or all sorts of places. What you don’t have is a way of paying them in the traditional model. And the Center for Investigative Reporting–I happened to go up there a few weeks ago and talk with your buddy Phil Bronstein, who used to be the editor of the San Francisco Examiner and then the Chronicle when the Hearst paper brought it over–you guys have a budget of around, what, $11 million a year? You got about 75 people on the staff, it’s a big–it looks like a high-tech firm, it’s there in the center of the high-tech center of Silicon Valley of Emeryville! [Laughs] And you guys look as trendy and as modern as can be. And the interesting thing–I do want to stress this–it’s a model of journalism that is absolutely critical now, because a lot of the good reporting is being done by tax-exempt organizations that can get money from foundations, right? You know, and that’s really feeding a lot. And yet, it’s commercial, for-profit companies like The New York Times that you’re teaming up with.</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, we don’t team up that often with the Times for lots of different reasons. But the model also is based in one of the things we did; we sort of turned the whole idea of competition and collaboration inside out. Because in the old days, you know, if you were doing a big story at a newspaper, you didn’t want anybody to know. But when I came to CIR, if we put a story on our website, hardly anybody would see it. So we were able to begin building trust and work with newspapers, radio, television, you name it, to take our stories to a much bigger audience. And it’s also partnering and working with them on stories. So you go to a news organization like CNN or a radio station around the country, KPCC, KCRW here, we’ve worked with. And you do stories with them, and you multiply the ability of the journalist to not only do the work and accelerate it, but you’re taking strength to strength; you’re melding strengths. So this was a really different idea, you know, eight, nine years ago, and it’s really taken hold. And it works, and I think it’s absolutely essential to really do this high-quality work. Because the business model does not exist yet for deep, long-form investigative reporting on whatever platform you’re doing it on. It’s highly expensive, and it’s–a lot of great work’s being done, but it’s not central to the business model of for-profit media.</p>
<p>RS: Well, so I want to get to that. Because you know, for the people who are–there’s a lot of talk now about fake news, and it’s blamed on the Internet, you know, because obviously people can post things all over the place, and so forth. But the fact is, by the standards of traditional, real news reporting–getting the facts, getting the documents, you know, making the connections, doing the legwork and so forth–the fact is, there’s great reporting being done. And yet, the basic journalistic model is broken, OK? So even, you know, once-lush papers like the LA Times, where I worked for 29 years and so forth, where they could even fly us first-class–oh, stay longer, go get the story–it was called the velvet coffin at one point, because you could fall asleep out there working on your two-month story. But The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, they always had a tremendous amount of resources–they can’t cover those stories now. And one way–and you know, it’s one thing to say you team up with KCRW, which is also a nonprofit 501(c)3 or something. But it’s a little more awkward to see these commercial newspapers that are still responding to stockholders have to earn a profit, you know, and yet are teaming up with the nonprofit. And I think it’s valid, and you know, Truthdig is a hybrid organization; most of us out there who can cover anything have to get some, you know, foundation support to help it going. But do you think this could turn? Do you think somebody like Donald Trump or someone else is going to say, hey, wait a minute! You know, just as they used to attack NPR, and do now, might they say: What is The New York Times doing in bed with, say, ProPublica–which is a tax-exempt organization, right? They’re using money that would have otherwise gone to taxes–</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, I think–well, we’re not paying the for-profits. But there’s absolutely potential vulnerability, because what happens is there’s something called a 501(c)3 for a nonprofit journalism organization, which is an IRS tax-exempt status. So if people give us money, or a foundation, you know, they get a tax break. And obviously foundations, that’s their job to give away money; individuals it’s a different question, when you’re raising money. Yeah, I think there’ll be political pressure. I think the fact of the matter is that the nonprofit journalism space has grown in the last seven to 10 years with the collapse of legacy media and journalism, and also an awareness on the part of funders that these organizations like ours–ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity, many others–can do really good and important work. And the big difference, though, Bob, is that I–when someone comes to work at CIR, what I’ll literally tell them is: You need to do the best and most important work of your career, and the stories have to make a difference. Because if they do, that’s our business model. I don’t care, honestly, if 10 million people see it, but if you do a story and the right U.S. senator waves it around and legislation changes, or a problem is, people are suddenly aware of a problem in the community they live in, and action is taken, at least, to positive change–that’s our metric of success. And it’s a really different model, because the quality of the work the people at CIR do is really what sustains us. I mean, it’s got to make–and the work has to make a difference, and we’re not–we’re nonpartisan. The goal is–and you know, when President Obama was president, we did a lot of stories that the Obama administration didn’t like. Obviously now, with Trump being president, there’s plenty of stories to do. So, but we also go deeper into places where you’re away from the glare and the spotlight of Washington and New York, because a lot of the, what I call the information deserts, exist around the country where newspapers and other news organizations have been eviscerated. And we haven’t even really begun to talk about, you know, what I call the difference between media and journalism and the divide we’re in in this country now around information, whether you want to call it fake news, propaganda, distortion. And these are all very dangerous tools that really are accelerated and weaponized, in a sense, in the age of the Internet.</p>
<p>RS: OK. So on that thought, and I’m going to take issue with you, but let me just take a break here, and I’ll be back in a moment….I’m back with Robert Rosenthal. And you know, he’s getting up there in age, but he’s been running the Center for Investigative Reporting, which is about as modern and new-media as you can get; they operate in all forms, you know, video and radio and social media and everything else. But your roots go back to being a young kid coming out of college and working at The New York Times at a time when Daniel Ellsberg brought the Pentagon Papers. And for people who don’t know this history, there was a record that had been compiled in the Pentagon; it was an accurate history of how we got into Vietnam. It was done during the late sixties for Robert McNamara. And anyone who read it knew the war made no sense. Well, the war went on, and millions of people got killed after it. And so Daniel Ellsberg, reading this thing and working on it, said the public has a right to know. That always becomes the real question: is this information–and in his case, he went to The New York Times. In Snowden’s case, he went to The Guardian and The Washington Post. They won Pulitzer Prizes for this, right? So the basic decision about the value of that, news value, in the case of most of these whistleblower cases, is really made by respectable news organizations.</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, and you know, that really makes the difference, I think, is the ability to tell the story. And people look at the whistleblowers, and some people call them traitors, and some people call them heroes. But based on what American democracy is, and the role of the press and journalism in that democracy for well over 200 years now, is to challenge authority and do things that are really uncomfortable. And there have been moments, like you know, when the Nixon administration enjoined the Times from publishing after the third stories came out–</p>
<p>RS: Put us there–wait a minute, you were there, you were in The New York Times newsroom. You were a young kid, you had just come out of college–right? OK, put us there. What happened?</p>
<p>RR: Well [Laughs], I was 22, and I worked on the foreign desk. I’d been at the Times like about six months, and I’d been a copy boy, which meant you ran all over the newsroom. And actually I was the Internet, because you’re bringing paper–in basket, out baskets; it’s hard to conceive of what that was like today with technology and the way newspapers are published, or media works. And I got a phone call one night, and someone had to track me down, because I was at a friend’s house. And it was one of the editors at The New York Times, and he basically got on the phone and he said: “We want you to come to Room 1111 at the Hilton Hotel tomorrow. Bring enough clothes for a month and don’t tell anybody where you’re going.” And at first I said, “What?!” Anyway, I showed up the next day, and within a few hours I was Xeroxing top-secret documents. But it was an incredible experience, because I was inside the bubble, so to speak, with really talented journalists–I was 22–who were writing and editing and putting together–and the Times had to move everybody offsite, because we were dealing with thousands and thousands of pages of classified documents, which no newspaper had ever received. And there was a real risk that everybody who touched any of them would be arrested under the Espionage Act, or we didn’t know what. So the Times moved a team of people to the Hilton, which is on Sixth Avenue at about 56th Street, I think, in New York. And we worked out of suites of rooms there for a couple of months. And I slept in the room [Laughs] with the Pentagon Papers, because one of my jobs was two huge filing cabinets, and if people needed documents for quoting or research, I’d have, I knew where everything was; I could keep, I kept track of it. And every day was about 16 or 18 hours. And on June 13th, 1971, the first stories came out.</p>
<p>RS: In The New York Times, and then Nixon denounced it?</p>
<p>RR: Well, the first day there wasn’t a big reaction. And the headline was “The Secret History of the Vietnam War,” which was, which this was, which showed from the end of World War II and President Truman, right through Johnson’s presidency–it actually was not about the Nixon administration at all, because it had been written and finished–</p>
<p>RS: No, but I mean Nixon was in power.</p>
<p>RR: Nixon was the president. And on the second day, they flipped out, because they realized this was top secret stuff. And even though when you hear the Nixon tapes, he basically was saying, you know, this is really about the democrats, this could hurt Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, you know, his brother, blah, blah, blah. But then they stopped, they tried to stop the Times from publishing with an injunction, saying this was, national security was being threatened. The Times refused, and then the court stepped in. And after about 16 days, the Supreme Court ruled that the Times could keep publishing. Meanwhile, Ellsberg was scurrying around the country handing out chunks of the Pentagon Papers; the Post got some, The Washington Post; the Boston Globe [got] a special lot of papers. And one of the things people don’t really understand, that as a result of this leak, the Nixon White House unleashed the plumbers, which led to Watergate, that led to the downfall of his presidency, to find out who Ellsberg–they knew, they were pretty sure it was Ellsberg, but they actually were thinking of killing him at one point. And the story was, you know, some people consider it one of the most important stories of the last part of the 20th century.</p>
<p>RS: Right. But now we look back and say, oh! Edward Snowden, he released too much, or he did it the wrong way! Ellsberg’s the hero! But I remember at that time, like you say, the Nixon administration wanted to kill him; they wanted to ban The New York Times and go after–</p>
<p>RR: Kissinger, on one of the tapes, refers to Ellsberg as “the most dangerous man in America.”</p>
<p>RS: Yeah. Right. And we’ve never actually had the legal decision about whether The New York Times could be prosecuted for publishing it, because it ended up in a deadlock decision here in Los Angeles–</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, well, after the case got–and Ellsberg, actually what they were afraid of–it’s a little bit of history here, and he has a new book coming out–they were afraid he knew that they were, they had secret plans to use nuclear weapons in North Vietnam. And that’s what they were really afraid of, that he would leak that; he didn’t know it at the time. But he has, anyway, he–</p>
<p>RS: Yeah. So our government might commit the greatest war crime, and kill these people in Vietnam with nuclear weapons, but we can’t be in on the debate. And I don’t know, to my mind–because I had already been in Vietnam when I read the Pentagon Papers, I’d done a lot of research, I’d written about it. And what was different about it was, here they couldn’t keep doing their fake news. Because up to then–and I have to get back to that word, it ticks me off [Laughs], having spent a lot of my life exposing government fake news of lots of different governments–the fact of the matter is, they put out a lie that this was a war for democracy. Same thing with the Iraq war. All fake news. And people need to be reminded of it, you know? And yes, there’s one good thing about the Trump administration: people are now expecting their president to give them fake news. They are alert. The media is alert. We’re finally getting in this situation where the media wants to call out the president. But you go back long enough to remember a time when, no, they hesitated to do that.</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, I think the adversarial relationship between journalism in this country and power has existed, and I don’t disagree at all. I mean, governments will use and abuse and spin information and hope they don’t get caught and disclosed. And I think the awareness now, you know, because of the situation we’re in with President Trump and his, you know–not only is it fake news, it’s, the media, he says, is an enemy of the people, a threat to democracy. These, in my opinion, are incredibly dangerous language, and it can lead to God knows what. And I also think that, you know, this divide around where you get your information is dangerous. But you’re absolutely right: fake news, disinformation, abuse, has always existed, and the best journalists challenge that. But they’ve also been part of that system. The Washington press corps–it’s quite seductive to be covering the President of the United States. I don’t think under this administration that happens, but there’s a coziness that I’ve always thought was uncomfortable.</p>
<p>RS: Why do we do this? I mean, we ain’t getting any younger; why do we care? Why do we want to reach people? And you know, people forget, journalism can be a very risky occupation. And when you got into it, it actually didn’t pay very well. [Laughter] It wasn’t ‘til–you know, I mean, we were the ink-stained wretches, as I recall. And people would even question, you know, like the old joke about a rabbi, is that a job for a Jewish boy? [Laughter] You know, I would hear this stuff of–”Why do you want to do journalism?” I mean, I was studying engineering at City College; I didn’t take your father’s course. I thought that, you know, journalism, well, I’d be a loser, even then–with television, the pay scale. But you, you–and with a great reporter from the LA Times, I just would like to close. Because it isn’t a game. People that take journalism seriously, quite often they risk jail, they risk all–you know, horrible circumstance. And there was a story, I remember reading it, and it concerned you and Chuck Powers, who was a guy I really had a lot of respect for at the LA Times. And just, let’s conclude, so people know–gathering the news is–well, Edward Snowden right now, his life has been messed up. You know, he’s got to be worried about, now, what happens in Russia, what happens here, where’s the CIA. And you got in the midst of that. And so why don’t we sort of wrap this up by you talking about–</p>
<p>RR: OK.</p>
<p>RS: –really, being imprisoned by one of the most fearsome individuals in the world as you were trying to do your job.</p>
<p>RR: Well, it was in 1982. And I think, just to–you’re right, I think journalism, the best journalists are very passionate, creative, driven people. And they’re risk-takers, and at the same time, no journalist starts to get rich. [Laughs] But no, I always wanted to be a war correspondent, and I wanted adventure, and I loved all kinds of things when I was a reporter. And in 1982, when I’d just started being the Africa correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer, in the spring of ‘82 I went to Uganda. And Idi Amin–who some of you may know who he is, or was–one of the most brutal dictators ever, and really a savage African leader–had just been deposed in a civil war, but had unleashed all kinds of forces. And I went into Uganda, and there was a huge slaughter which wasn’t getting a lot of attention, in an area north of Kampala, the capital, called Luweero, where the army was rampaging. And it ended up killing, it was later discovered–took about six years–over 300,000 people. And I went into this area as a reporter one day, and then I came back to Kampala and I told Chuck, who Bob just mentioned worked for the LA Times, what I’d seen. Anyway, we got picked up, we went back the next day, we got picked up and we were taken to a place called Bombo barracks. And, long story short, I’m lucky I’m alive. But a few hours after they detained us, we were put in a, really a dungeon, that had about six inches deep on the floor of, you know, feces and urine. On some of the walls there were bloody handprints. I wrote a story, I called them “the silent screaming hands,” where people had been hit with machetes and killed. And we were whipped, we were kept only, thank God, only for three days. But I learned a lot about being helpless, and also empathy when you are being helpless. And after three days, because somebody had to go back to Kampala and left a note in the gate of the American embassy and said two Americans were arrested and beaten in Bombo barrack. Accountability kept us alive, I think. And I came out, and I got back to Nairobi a couple days later, and sat at an old typewriter, and for seven hours wrote a story [Laughs] that was in a lot of newspapers that weekend. It was a narrative account of what happened. But as a journalist, and even in my life, it really did teach me, as I said, about what it feels like to be truly helpless and face adversity and think you could die at any second. And also empathy for the people, the Africans who didn’t get released because somebody was looking for them.</p>
<p>RS: Who is going to own the media? Who is going to have power? And you have a situation–oh! The Washington Post, it’s great that Jeff Bezos, who [Laughs] owns Amazon, bought the Washington Post. And oh! Great, he’ll keep it going, and they’ll get real pay, and we know there are very good journalists there. But isn’t it also true that it’s not likely the Washington Post will cover Amazon’s connection to build a cloud for the CIA? Or it might not cover working conditions at a company like Amazon, or some of the contradictions of a marketing system that rules out local enterprise?</p>
<p>RR: Yeah, I think this is obviously an inherent conflict. And I think personally, and I can’t speak for everybody, anytime I became aware of a situation that could have created a negative perspective on anyone associated with the newspapers I worked for, my biggest fear was not to do that story, if you could nail it and prove you were right. Because the credibility of the institution was the most important thing to me. And I think, you know, The New York Times has an expression, “without fear or favor”–in other words, you do the story if you can prove it’s true. And I think that, to me, is the foundation of the best journalism. And having credibility within an institution or an organization that does that is really the most valuable asset it can have in terms of what you bring to the public. And I think right now we’re in this world, obviously, where a lot of this stuff is blurred because we have mission-driven business models that are clearly political. And the most, you could argue that the most influential publisher in the world right now, tweets, and can reach an instant audience, millions and millions of people, and be amazingly disruptive to whatever’s going on. So this has all changed. So I do think it gets back to what I would consider the credibility of the organization, and at the same time, I know in my own career there were times my publishers would be really pissed off that we were doing this story, but nothing ever got stopped. The way things got stopped, though, was money. And I’ll give you a really good example. Because people, they would cut funding, so you couldn’t do investigative reporting, or you couldn’t send somebody somewhere. In the spring of 2001, before 9/11 happened, I worked with a great reporter named David Zucchino at the Inquirer. And I knew that no one was reporting from Afghanistan. And we actually talked about going to find Bin Laden and find out what was going on. And he could take risks; he may not have gotten to Bin Laden, but it was really, what is going on with Bin Laden and the Taliban and that whole thing–because he had vanished, if you think about it. And I went to the publisher, and this was going to break beyond budget, and I told him what I wanted to do. And I said this is going to be really dangerous; this guy can do it; I want to send a photographer. And he said, who gives an “f” about Afghanistan? And he wouldn’t give me the money. Because it wasn’t something that would bring in any revenue. So to me, that is another place of risk we haven’t talked about, and it can be a whole ‘nother conversation. That’s really, with the collapse of media and newspapers and local media and local newspapers around the country, it’s really a problem we don’t focus on enough. Because just think about all the communities that have no journalists, and nobody’s watching what anybody’s doing.</p>
<p>RS: Ah, I don’t want to end on a depressing note. I want–no, I think, the fact of the matter is, you don’t have to be doing this quite this way. You could have said, hey, I was held in jail and I was tortured, and I’m not, you know, I was whipped, and I’m not doing this anymore–you didn’t do that. You kept being a foreign correspondent. And I think there’s something in the breed of journalists, that has now fortunately expanded–because we now have women journalists, we have brown and black journalists, we have people who can speak different languages because their parents were born in different countries or they themselves were. And–and, to my mind, the really exciting thing, because of the Internet and translation functions and so forth, I know last night at four, five o’clock in the morning I was reading stories from the Irish and the Chinese press. So can we end on the idea that if, as a young person out there who is thinking about journalism, that actually this might be the best time?</p>
<p>RR: I agree. I’m not pessimistic. I think if you’re a storyteller and you want to be a journalist, combining those skills, there’s never been a time like this in terms of the ability to tell stories in new ways. You know, I grew up writing in newspapers, and that’s great. But I mean, if I knew how to do animations or shoot video or even could tweet creatively–I mean, there’s limitless opportunities to reach audiences now and tell stories. What I believe in, though, is deeply fact-based reporting and then storytelling. And, but storytelling–we haven’t talked a lot about it–was central to everything I believed in, because we’re all hardwired for stories. And we’re also hard-wired for listening and seeing. And each way you tell a story opens up opportunities to use different senses, in a way. So I love storytelling, and the technology has enabled storytelling, anybody can become a storyteller if you know how to do it well and you have the right story. And connect–I mean, part of storytelling is creating empathy and relevance, and sometimes outrage.</p>
<p>RS: Well, that does it for this edition of Scheer Intelligence. My guest has been Robert Rosenthal, one of the greats in American journalism. Our producers are Josh Scheer and Rebecca Mooney. Here at KCRW, Kat Yore and Mario Diaz were the terrific engineers. See you next week.</p>
<p>—Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Emma Niles</a></p> | true | 4 | 160 robert rosenthal knows groundbreaking journalism awardwinning reporter executive director center investigative reporting cir working new york times published pentagon papers tells truthdig editor chief robert scheer experience leaks fake news weeks episode kcrws scheer intelligence adversarial relationship journalism country power existed decades tells scheer governments use abuse spin information hope dont get caught led rosenthal center investigative reporting became executive director 2008 says proud cir helping create new model storytelling internet simple way describe think wheel center wheel story build news organization every spoke different platform different way tell story tells scheer embrace technology deliver storytelling people ways theyre comfortable two discuss need successful business models investigative journalism well rise fake news theres great reporting done yet scheer says basic journalistic model broken rosenthal agrees noting vast difference media journalism whether want call fake news propaganda distortion rosenthal says dangerous tools really accelerated weaponized age internet scheer notes media outlets finally beginning challenge white house narratives donald trump office rosenthal responds best journalists challenge theyve also part system quite seductive covering president united states theres coziness ive always thought uncomfortable listen full conversation player read transcript find past editions scheer intelligence rs hi another edition scheer intelligence intelligence comes guests case robert jon rosieis jon yonrosie rosenthal rr got thank rs got rr great rs ah known working editor san francisco chronicle occasion ive written publication going back history ended editor major american newspaper philadelphia inquirer first went working journalist came journalistic family one themes podcast series isolate american originals crazyquilt american culture somehow produce range people integrity interesting different ways stand something id put firmly category got journalism believe father journalism professor used call ccny city college new york part cuny one great public experiments education us went city college included abe rosenthal new york times colin powell state department felt going best school world first taste journalism grew new york rr yeah father said irving rosenthal started journalism program city college 1930s height depression grew really remember would come home evening days lot newspapers new york hed bring home six seven newspapers new york times heraldtribune telegram sun new york post daily news always read newspapers read mainly sports thing always recall wed car wed driving somewhere somebody would radio anywhere world hed say student mine student mine fact listeners know daniel schorr actually fathers first class one distinguished public radio journalists nixons enemies list man mike oreskes runs npr today also student fathers thats big arc time grew really osmosis loving read always sort romanticism especially foreign correspondent rs inspiration father forth went work new york times college worked years reason one reason wanted interview youre one old fogies mean old fogies youre one thinks good old days great today sucks youre actually mentioned youve running center investigative reporting based oakland emeryville new model journalism youre multimedia yourein fact station kcrw carries reveal series programs generate like run people like like say heyin ways much exciting rr yeah iwell happened mentioned eventually plan became editor philadelphia inquirer id worked long time id foreign correspondent became editor 1998 inquirer arguably one best papers united states pulitzer prize factory incredibly talented ambitious newsroom part knightridder chain flagship paper biggest paper revenue became editor 98 fired almost four years later business model newspapers really collapsed know journalist wasnt businessman difficulties corporate people im sure would tell difficulties year got fired knew id either get fired day id quit well never could quit loyal staff 630 people started year many job offers east coast came san francisco alluded became managing editor chronicle san francisco chronicle four years really fed corporate media inability really think grab opportunity internet also figure new ways tell stories go center investigative reporting beginning 2008 im proud fact cir first nonprofit investigative reporting organization established 77 got close six seven people height recession last nine years cir grown 10x done lot really important would call social justice journalism importantly also helped create new model really embracing storytelling simple way describe think wheeland 2008in center everything organization story center wheel story build news organization every spoke different platform different way tell story embrace technology deliver storytelling people ways theyre comfortable could podcast today could radio could audio could video could animation could data visualization could text obviously video weve done plays weve worked spokenword poets transforming deep reporting platforms really getting reaching audience way wants get information obviously social media also exploded ability publish reach vast audiences right story rs yeah question exciting run know im editor truthdig magazine know old days small socially conscious publication would probably like nation new republic theyd lucky get 50000 readers dont get millions know certainly course month dont get million think going business understand one thing though new model isno clearly internet youve got best worst worlds youve got way getting story people reading hour later beijing theyre reading london sorts places dont way paying traditional model center investigative reportingi happened go weeks ago talk buddy phil bronstein used editor san francisco examiner chronicle hearst paper brought overyou guys budget around 11 million year got 75 people staff bigit looks like hightech firm center hightech center silicon valley emeryville laughs guys look trendy modern interesting thingi want stress thisits model journalism absolutely critical lot good reporting done taxexempt organizations get money foundations right know thats really feeding lot yet commercial forprofit companies like new york times youre teaming rr yeah dont team often times lots different reasons model also based one things sort turned whole idea competition collaboration inside old days know big story newspaper didnt want anybody know came cir put story website hardly anybody would see able begin building trust work newspapers radio television name take stories much bigger audience also partnering working stories go news organization like cnn radio station around country kpcc kcrw weve worked stories multiply ability journalist work accelerate youre taking strength strength youre melding strengths really different idea know eight nine years ago really taken hold works think absolutely essential really highquality work business model exist yet deep longform investigative reporting whatever platform youre highly expensive itsa lot great works done central business model forprofit media rs well want get know people aretheres lot talk fake news blamed internet know obviously people post things place forth fact standards traditional real news reportinggetting facts getting documents know making connections legwork forththe fact theres great reporting done yet basic journalistic model broken ok even know oncelush papers like la times worked 29 years forth could even fly us firstclassoh stay longer go get storyit called velvet coffin one point could fall asleep working twomonth story new york times wall street journal always tremendous amount resourcesthey cant cover stories one wayand know one thing say team kcrw also nonprofit 501c3 something little awkward see commercial newspapers still responding stockholders earn profit know yet teaming nonprofit think valid know truthdig hybrid organization us cover anything get know foundation support help going think could turn think somebody like donald trump someone else going say hey wait minute know used attack npr might say new york times bed say propublicawhich taxexempt organization right theyre using money would otherwise gone taxes rr yeah thinkwell paying forprofits theres absolutely potential vulnerability happens theres something called 501c3 nonprofit journalism organization irs taxexempt status people give us money foundation know get tax break obviously foundations thats job give away money individuals different question youre raising money yeah think therell political pressure think fact matter nonprofit journalism space grown last seven 10 years collapse legacy media journalism also awareness part funders organizations like ourspropublica center public integrity many otherscan really good important work big difference though bob iwhen someone comes work cir ill literally tell need best important work career stories make difference thats business model dont care honestly 10 million people see story right us senator waves around legislation changes problem people suddenly aware problem community live action taken least positive changethats metric success really different model quality work people cir really sustains us mean got makeand work make difference notwere nonpartisan goal isand know president obama president lot stories obama administration didnt like obviously trump president theres plenty stories also go deeper places youre away glare spotlight washington new york lot call information deserts exist around country newspapers news organizations eviscerated havent even really begun talk know call difference media journalism divide country around information whether want call fake news propaganda distortion dangerous tools really accelerated weaponized sense age internet rs ok thought im going take issue let take break ill back momentim back robert rosenthal know hes getting age hes running center investigative reporting modern newmedia get operate forms know video radio social media everything else roots go back young kid coming college working new york times time daniel ellsberg brought pentagon papers people dont know history record compiled pentagon accurate history got vietnam done late sixties robert mcnamara anyone read knew war made sense well war went millions people got killed daniel ellsberg reading thing working said public right know always becomes real question informationand case went new york times snowdens case went guardian washington post pulitzer prizes right basic decision value news value case whistleblower cases really made respectable news organizations rr yeah know really makes difference think ability tell story people look whistleblowers people call traitors people call heroes based american democracy role press journalism democracy well 200 years challenge authority things really uncomfortable moments like know nixon administration enjoined times publishing third stories came rs put us therewait minute new york times newsroom young kid come collegeright ok put us happened rr well laughs 22 worked foreign desk id times like six months id copy boy meant ran newsroom actually internet youre bringing paperin basket baskets hard conceive like today technology way newspapers published media works got phone call one night someone track friends house one editors new york times basically got phone said want come room 1111 hilton hotel tomorrow bring enough clothes month dont tell anybody youre going first said anyway showed next day within hours xeroxing topsecret documents incredible experience inside bubble speak really talented journalistsi 22who writing editing putting togetherand times move everybody offsite dealing thousands thousands pages classified documents newspaper ever received real risk everybody touched would arrested espionage act didnt know times moved team people hilton sixth avenue 56th street think new york worked suites rooms couple months slept room laughs pentagon papers one jobs two huge filing cabinets people needed documents quoting research id knew everything could keep kept track every day 16 18 hours june 13th 1971 first stories came rs new york times nixon denounced rr well first day wasnt big reaction headline secret history vietnam war showed end world war ii president truman right johnsons presidencyit actually nixon administration written finished rs mean nixon power rr nixon president second day flipped realized top secret stuff even though hear nixon tapes basically saying know really democrats could hurt kennedy ted kennedy know brother blah blah blah stopped tried stop times publishing injunction saying national security threatened times refused court stepped 16 days supreme court ruled times could keep publishing meanwhile ellsberg scurrying around country handing chunks pentagon papers post got washington post boston globe got special lot papers one things people dont really understand result leak nixon white house unleashed plumbers led watergate led downfall presidency find ellsbergthey knew pretty sure ellsberg actually thinking killing one point story know people consider one important stories last part 20th century rs right look back say oh edward snowden released much wrong way ellsbergs hero remember time like say nixon administration wanted kill wanted ban new york times go rr kissinger one tapes refers ellsberg dangerous man america rs yeah right weve never actually legal decision whether new york times could prosecuted publishing ended deadlock decision los angeles rr yeah well case gotand ellsberg actually afraid ofits little bit history new book coming outthey afraid knew secret plans use nuclear weapons north vietnam thats really afraid would leak didnt know time anyway rs yeah government might commit greatest war crime kill people vietnam nuclear weapons cant debate dont know mindbecause already vietnam read pentagon papers id done lot research id written different couldnt keep fake news thenand get back word ticks laughs spent lot life exposing government fake news lots different governmentsthe fact matter put lie war democracy thing iraq war fake news people need reminded know yes theres one good thing trump administration people expecting president give fake news alert media alert finally getting situation media wants call president go back long enough remember time hesitated rr yeah think adversarial relationship journalism country power existed dont disagree mean governments use abuse spin information hope dont get caught disclosed think awareness know situation president trump knownot fake news media says enemy people threat democracy opinion incredibly dangerous language lead god knows also think know divide around get information dangerous youre absolutely right fake news disinformation abuse always existed best journalists challenge theyve also part system washington press corpsits quite seductive covering president united states dont think administration happens theres coziness ive always thought uncomfortable rs mean aint getting younger care want reach people know people forget journalism risky occupation got actually didnt pay well laughter wasnt tilyou know mean inkstained wretches recall people would even question know like old joke rabbi job jewish boy laughter know would hear stuff ofwhy want journalism mean studying engineering city college didnt take fathers course thought know journalism well id loser even thenwith television pay scale youand great reporter la times would like close isnt game people take journalism seriously quite often risk jail risk allyou know horrible circumstance story remember reading concerned chuck powers guy really lot respect la times lets conclude people knowgathering news iswell edward snowden right life messed know hes got worried happens russia happens wheres cia got midst dont sort wrap talking rr ok rs really imprisoned one fearsome individuals world trying job rr well 1982 think toyoure right think journalism best journalists passionate creative driven people theyre risktakers time journalist starts get rich laughs always wanted war correspondent wanted adventure loved kinds things reporter 1982 id started africa correspondent philadelphia inquirer spring 82 went uganda idi aminwho may know wasone brutal dictators ever really savage african leaderhad deposed civil war unleashed kinds forces went uganda huge slaughter wasnt getting lot attention area north kampala capital called luweero army rampaging ended killing later discoveredtook six yearsover 300000 people went area reporter one day came back kampala told chuck bob mentioned worked la times id seen anyway got picked went back next day got picked taken place called bombo barracks long story short im lucky im alive hours detained us put really dungeon six inches deep floor know feces urine walls bloody handprints wrote story called silent screaming hands people hit machetes killed whipped kept thank god three days learned lot helpless also empathy helpless three days somebody go back kampala left note gate american embassy said two americans arrested beaten bombo barrack accountability kept us alive think came got back nairobi couple days later sat old typewriter seven hours wrote story laughs lot newspapers weekend narrative account happened journalist even life really teach said feels like truly helpless face adversity think could die second also empathy people africans didnt get released somebody looking rs going media going power situationoh washington post great jeff bezos laughs owns amazon bought washington post oh great hell keep going theyll get real pay know good journalists isnt also true likely washington post cover amazons connection build cloud cia might cover working conditions company like amazon contradictions marketing system rules local enterprise rr yeah think obviously inherent conflict think personally cant speak everybody anytime became aware situation could created negative perspective anyone associated newspapers worked biggest fear story could nail prove right credibility institution important thing think know new york times expression without fear favorin words story prove true think foundation best journalism credibility within institution organization really valuable asset terms bring public think right world obviously lot stuff blurred missiondriven business models clearly political could argue influential publisher world right tweets reach instant audience millions millions people amazingly disruptive whatevers going changed think gets back would consider credibility organization time know career times publishers would really pissed story nothing ever got stopped way things got stopped though money ill give really good example people would cut funding couldnt investigative reporting couldnt send somebody somewhere spring 2001 911 happened worked great reporter named david zucchino inquirer knew one reporting afghanistan actually talked going find bin laden find going could take risks may gotten bin laden really going bin laden taliban whole thingbecause vanished think went publisher going break beyond budget told wanted said going really dangerous guy want send photographer said gives f afghanistan wouldnt give money wasnt something would bring revenue another place risk havent talked whole nother conversation thats really collapse media newspapers local media local newspapers around country really problem dont focus enough think communities journalists nobodys watching anybodys rs ah dont want end depressing note wantno think fact matter dont quite way could said hey held jail tortured im know whipped im anymoreyou didnt kept foreign correspondent think theres something breed journalists fortunately expandedbecause women journalists brown black journalists people speak different languages parents born different countries andand mind really exciting thing internet translation functions forth know last night four five oclock morning reading stories irish chinese press end idea young person thinking journalism actually might best time rr agree im pessimistic think youre storyteller want journalist combining skills theres never time like terms ability tell stories new ways know grew writing newspapers thats great mean knew animations shoot video even could tweet creativelyi mean theres limitless opportunities reach audiences tell stories believe though deeply factbased reporting storytelling storytellingwe havent talked lot itwas central everything believed hardwired stories also hardwired listening seeing way tell story opens opportunities use different senses way love storytelling technology enabled storytelling anybody become storyteller know well right story connecti mean part storytelling creating empathy relevance sometimes outrage rs well edition scheer intelligence guest robert rosenthal one greats american journalism producers josh scheer rebecca mooney kcrw kat yore mario diaz terrific engineers see next week posted emma niles | 3,041 |
<p>The apartheid government of South Africa came to power in 1948, the same year that the State of Israel was created in Palestine. Having lived and witnessed the legacy of Zionism, I wonder sometimes if this shared birth year was not an accidental prophecy.</p>
<p>Both governments were born on the miserable premise of entitlement for a select group of people. This entitlement, to land rights and resources, spawned laws and societies that measured human worth by human irrelevancies. In the case of South Africa, it was skin color. In the case of Israel, it is religion. In both lands, the privilege accorded to the chosen group came at the expense and detriment of the natives–the ‘un-chosen.’</p>
<p>As if we were children of a lesser God, we were uprooted from our ancestral homes and piled like garbage into wretched refugee camps or exiled into drifting oblivion. As if they were not quite human, black souls of South Africa were dumped in abject ghettos. In the Holy Land, where religion has no physical features, everyone carries color-coded ID cards and drives cars with color-coded plates. That is how oppression discriminates there.</p>
<p>During the gist of Apartheid’s cruelty, Nobel Laureate and Archbishop Desmund Tutu went to the land of my mothers. He stood in Jerusalem on Christmas Day of 1989 and said before an audience “I am a black South African, and if I were to change the names, a description of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank could describe events in South Africa.”</p>
<p>Last month, Desmund Tutu gave a lecture in Boston, where he affirmed Israel’s right to security, but added “What is not so understandable, not justified, is what it does to another people to guarantee its existence. I’ve been very distressed during my visits to the Holy Land; it reminds me so much of what happened to us, black people, in South Africa during the apartheid rule.”</p>
<p>Many have long pointed to the tragic parallels between Israel and Apartheid South Africa where one people cruelly control the lives and fate of another. In Hebron, where 600 Uzi-toting Jewish settlers live among 240,000 Palestinians, 85% of the water is diverted to the few Jewish settlers. The remainder is rationed among Palestinians. The reality is a cruel contrast between a people with swimming pools amidst green lawns and a people who must share bathing water.</p>
<p>The shared values of Zionism and Apartheid spurred the nostalgic reflection in Henry Katzew’s book, South Africa: A Country Without Friends, in which he said: “What is the difference between the way in which the Jewish people struggles to remain what it is in the midst of a non-Jewish population, and the way the Afrikaners try to stay what they are?” (Die Transvaler, quoted by R. Stevens in Zionism, South Africa and Apartheid.)</p>
<p>Most people no longer recall that Israel remained a close ally with South Africa when the world embarked on a global boycott against it. Few remember that the weapons used to mow down young boys in Soweto were supplied by the State of Israel.</p>
<p>And long after the injustice of Apartheid fell to its knees, Ehud Barak made an offer for a Palestinian State in the style of apartheid’s bantustans. He was widely hailed as “brave” and his offer as “far reaching.” But to those of us who saw the map or witnessed the reality, the “97% concession” was clearly apartheid, cleverly repackaged and renamed. His offer was a patchwork of isolated islands hemmed on all fronts by Jewish-only settlements and Jewish-only roads.</p>
<p>Author Breyten Breytenbach was dispatched in March to the occupied territories as part of a delegation from the International Parliament of Writers. Upon his return he wrote:</p>
<p>“I recently visited the occupied territories for the first time. And yes, I’m afraid they can reasonably be described as resembling Bantustans, reminiscent of the ghettoes and controlled camps of misery one knew in South Africa.”</p>
<p>Breytenbach, too, is familiar with apartheid. He spent seven years in prison under the “Terrorism Act” in South Africa-the same act under which Mandela was imprisoned.</p>
<p>Yet a brutal Israeli occupation endures long after apartheid collapsed and it builds tall barriers throughout the land, long after the world understood the wickedness of the Berlin Wall.</p>
<p>Israel’s ironic denial of Palestine’s right to life (repeated again this month by its ruling party) spurs the hearts that fought apartheid like few others.</p>
<p>In an open letter to Ariel Sharon Breyten wrote: “there can be no peace through the annihilation of the other, just as there is no paradise for the ‘martyr’ you have not broken the spirit of the Palestinian people.”</p>
<p>Desmund Tutu uttered the questions that baffle us all. “My heart aches,” he said. “Why are our memories so short? Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolition, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden?”</p>
<p>It makes my heart ache, too. The anger and helplessness I felt in Jenin and Ramallah subside now to a constant ache. But I keep looking to the final similarity between Zionism and Apartheid. The fruition of that accidental prophecy. The time when the subjugation of my people will end. When the institution of religious exclusivity will crumble in Palestine and Israel like apartheid did in South Africa.</p>
<p>Susan J. Abulhawa is a Palestinian living in Pennsylvania. She is the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine, a non-profit organization dedicated to building playgrounds and recreation areas for Palestinian children living under military occupation. To find out more about this vital project, visit: <a href="http://www.playgroundsforpalestine.org/" type="external">http://www.playgroundsforpalestine.org/</a></p>
<p>Susan can be contacted at: <a href="mailto:JABROLE@aol.com" type="external">JABROLE@aol.com</a></p>
<p>This article originally appeared in Dissident Voice, a semi-regular newsletter dedicated to challenging the lies of the corporate press and the privileged classes it serves: <a href="mailto:dissidentvoice@earthlink.net" type="external">dissidentvoice@earthlink.net</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | apartheid government south africa came power 1948 year state israel created palestine lived witnessed legacy zionism wonder sometimes shared birth year accidental prophecy governments born miserable premise entitlement select group people entitlement land rights resources spawned laws societies measured human worth human irrelevancies case south africa skin color case israel religion lands privilege accorded chosen group came expense detriment nativesthe unchosen children lesser god uprooted ancestral homes piled like garbage wretched refugee camps exiled drifting oblivion quite human black souls south africa dumped abject ghettos holy land religion physical features everyone carries colorcoded id cards drives cars colorcoded plates oppression discriminates gist apartheids cruelty nobel laureate archbishop desmund tutu went land mothers stood jerusalem christmas day 1989 said audience black south african change names description happening gaza strip west bank could describe events south africa last month desmund tutu gave lecture boston affirmed israels right security added understandable justified another people guarantee existence ive distressed visits holy land reminds much happened us black people south africa apartheid rule many long pointed tragic parallels israel apartheid south africa one people cruelly control lives fate another hebron 600 uzitoting jewish settlers live among 240000 palestinians 85 water diverted jewish settlers remainder rationed among palestinians reality cruel contrast people swimming pools amidst green lawns people must share bathing water shared values zionism apartheid spurred nostalgic reflection henry katzews book south africa country without friends said difference way jewish people struggles remain midst nonjewish population way afrikaners try stay die transvaler quoted r stevens zionism south africa apartheid people longer recall israel remained close ally south africa world embarked global boycott remember weapons used mow young boys soweto supplied state israel long injustice apartheid fell knees ehud barak made offer palestinian state style apartheids bantustans widely hailed brave offer far reaching us saw map witnessed reality 97 concession clearly apartheid cleverly repackaged renamed offer patchwork isolated islands hemmed fronts jewishonly settlements jewishonly roads author breyten breytenbach dispatched march occupied territories part delegation international parliament writers upon return wrote recently visited occupied territories first time yes im afraid reasonably described resembling bantustans reminiscent ghettoes controlled camps misery one knew south africa breytenbach familiar apartheid spent seven years prison terrorism act south africathe act mandela imprisoned yet brutal israeli occupation endures long apartheid collapsed builds tall barriers throughout land long world understood wickedness berlin wall israels ironic denial palestines right life repeated month ruling party spurs hearts fought apartheid like others open letter ariel sharon breyten wrote peace annihilation paradise martyr broken spirit palestinian people desmund tutu uttered questions baffle us heart aches said memories short jewish sisters brothers forgotten humiliation forgotten collective punishment home demolition history soon turned backs profound noble religious traditions forgotten god cares deeply downtrodden makes heart ache anger helplessness felt jenin ramallah subside constant ache keep looking final similarity zionism apartheid fruition accidental prophecy time subjugation people end institution religious exclusivity crumble palestine israel like apartheid south africa susan j abulhawa palestinian living pennsylvania founder playgrounds palestine nonprofit organization dedicated building playgrounds recreation areas palestinian children living military occupation find vital project visit httpwwwplaygroundsforpalestineorg susan contacted jabroleaolcom article originally appeared dissident voice semiregular newsletter dedicated challenging lies corporate press privileged classes serves dissidentvoiceearthlinknet 160 | 533 |
<p>Over the last few days, a member of the Big Apple Circus’ flying trapeze act has been encouraging Neil Kahanovitz to “Come up and swing.”</p>
<p>“Part of me really wants to do it, really wants to do it,” Kahanovitz told me in his mobile office, next to the big top itself in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Square. “The mind says, ‘Do it.’ The body says, ‘You can’t.’ I suspect at some time before the season is over, I’ll probably get up there and swing.” His eyes are twinkling with the prospect.</p>
<p>His wife, Suzanne, has told him succinctly, and sensibly: “Don’t do anything stupid.”</p>
<p>Kahanovitz, the chairman of the <a href="https://www.bigapplecircus.com/" type="external">Big Apple Circus</a>, is both a former trapeze performer himself and one of America’s leading spinal surgeons—who has operated on three Supreme Court justices. He is also a partner in Big Top Works, the new owners of the Big Apple Circus who bought it in February after its nonprofit incarnation went bust. This is, Kahanovitz has said, the second time he has run away to join the circus.</p>
<p>The pressing question facing Kahanovitz, as the Big Apple Circus returns after being forced to cancel its 2016-17 season is, can he—and Big Top partners Richard Perlman, Jim Price, and Barry Salzman of the Compass Partners investment firm—save it from extinction in its 40th anniversary year.</p>
<p>In Kahanovitz, there exists both a romance of the circus that dates back to his childhood, and the cherished experience of living that dream, alongside the cold, hard financial realities of making the Big Apple Circus a profitable concern.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz is an agile and handsome 68, with salt and pepper hair, and his love of circus is clear in all that he says, talking, for example, about the Big Apple Circus being an example of the modern, intimate circus, rather than the three-ring circuses of yore made famous in <a href="" type="internal">Cecil B. DeMille</a>’s The Greatest Show on Earth.</p>
<p>The Big Apple Circus, which feels snug and intimate under its blue awning, has no seat more than 50 feet away from the ring, and since Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus <a href="" type="internal">closed</a> after 146 years earlier this year, claims to be America’s pre-eminent circus, employing that art form’s best performers.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz grew up in Baltimore, the first of his family to go to college. His father Jake was a bartender, his mother Bettie a housewife. He has a younger sister, Lynn, who is a retired teacher.</p>
<p>As a child he was only interested in two things, he said: working for the circus and becoming an orthopedic surgeon. At 4, his mother took him to see the Ringling Bros. circus in Baltimore. There, he recalls hearing a big noise and from then on was terrified of clowns until he was 7 or 8.</p>
<p>At elementary school, he “devoured” any book he could find on the circus, especially putting on clown makeup, and, aged 8, built a trapeze in his backyard from a broomstick and two pieces of rope. “It was absolutely fascinating. I just found the whole thing magical.”</p>
<p>He was also a “pretty serious student. I realized my way out of whatever trap I was in—and I grew up in a happy, middle-class home—was to go to medical school.”</p>
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<p>At 13, Kahanovitz broke his elbow playing ice hockey, and was fascinated by the surgeons repairing his arm using a couple of pins. “The orthopedic surgeon who did it was like a god to me. I wanted to be just like that guy.”</p>
<p>One morning, en route to another day of his senior year at high school, Kahanovitz saw the Ringling Bros. circus setting up at an arena near the train yard. With a friend, he went to investigate.</p>
<p>“It was like magic,” he said. “It was like walking into Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! To see this magical transformation of an arena, which I had been to a million times to watch hockey games, now transformed with guys climbing around the girders dropping wires for the trapeze and the animals coming in, was amazing—a defining moment.”</p>
<p>Kahanovitz later landed a summer job at the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros Circus, as a “candy butcher,” selling cotton candy and popcorn to audiences.</p>
<p>Someone got hurt in the trampoline act; and trampolining was something Kahanovitz had already done as training for diving. “I told them I had never done trampolining in front of more than two people. They said they’d try me out, and it worked out.</p>
<p>“I did the comedy. I was the guy falling off, or going through the springs, and doing somersaults off the trampoline, with my pants flying off. The guy who did the more serious tricks was much better than I will ever be. He would do somersaults and I would catch him on my shoulders.”</p>
<p>His trampoline partner taught him how to do aerial moves, and so Kahanovitz graduated to the aerial trapeze next.</p>
<p>“You’d have to be crazy not to be scared,” Kahanovitz recalled of preparing to launch himself from the trapeze platform for the first time.</p>
<p>“You never forget the first time swinging off what they call the pedestal. You grab the trapeze and fly off. There’s this exhilarating feeling of the wind and air whipping by your head, and you have this sense of flight that’s so cool. You are pretty scared to death. You think, ‘What am I doing up here?’ Once you get used to it it’s thrilling, and you’re able to interact with the audience, and play off the audience for comedy.”</p>
<p>Kahanovitz stayed with the circus for five years, delaying going to medical school. His parents were not happy: “I think what they said was a variation of ‘Are you out of your mind?’ I also think they thought I was crazy and would never come back.</p>
<p>“There were no cellphones in those days. They had no idea where I was. I’d call them from a payphone once a week. But when the circus came to Washington and Baltimore they’d come to see me and were very proud.”</p>
<p>It sounds very unique, being stuck between a passion for circus and passion for becoming a spinal surgeon.</p>
<p>“I just felt they were both things I wanted to do. As much as circus intrigued me, medicine also really intrigued me. As a young person, it’s not unusual having different desires you want to fulfill. I felt as passionate about one as I did the other.”</p>
<p>Finally, Kahanovitz went to medical school, then spent five years doing orthopedic surgery in a series of hospitals in the Los Angeles area. He did different electives in joint replacement, hand surgery, and spine surgery—and it was for the latter that he felt the same excitement, “in terms of both challenge and possibilities,” as he had for the circus.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz has never operated on anyone associated with the circus, but he has been around some pretty graphic injuries suffered by performers.</p>
<p>By then a third-year medical student, Kahanovitz was at Los Angeles Airport on Aug. 6, 1974, about to join a group of circus performers for an engagement in Hawaii, when Muharem Kurbegovic, the so-called Alphabet Bomber, exploded a device, killing three and injuring 36 others.</p>
<p>“Our bus had just pulled up, and I remember the window just falling out. There was a boom and smoke. Until the paramedics came, I was the only one with any medical training. There were so many badly injured people: One guy had a big hole in his chest, others were badly bleeding. I will never forget it; the destruction, and the smell which was a rubbery, acrid smell I have never smelled since: a combination of flesh and the explosion that is something you never want to smell.”</p>
<p>At the circus Kahanovitz has seen acrobats who have fallen, generally during aerial trapeze, or from the high wire, like a performer in <a href="" type="internal">Wisconsin</a> who landed on his head and died. He himself has gotten “banged up, but nothing serious.” He is, he said smiling, known as “Doc Neil” in the circus world.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz’s career in spinal surgery has been stellar by any measure, with a series of high-profile posts, like running the spinal-deformity unit in a New Orleans hospital, and working as a chief of spinal surgery in a New York hospital, and then head of spine surgery at a Washington D.C hospital. He became an authority on using electrical stimulation to get bones to heal in the spine, and is a former president of the <a href="https://www.spine.org" type="external">North American Spine Society</a>.</p>
<p>He said Americans’ general spinal health, particularly our muscles, has not been helped by office life, with many sitting at desks and looking at computers for long periods of time.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz operated on <a href="" type="internal">Supreme Court</a> Justices <a href="" type="internal">Anthony Kennedy</a> (his neck), William Rehnquist, and Byron White (both their lower backs). “The security outside the operating room was intense. You realized this wasn’t an average Joe in the neighborhood.” (He received a Commendation from the United States House Physician’s Office for these surgeries.)</p>
<p>Kahanovitz also went with other specialists to help treat victims of the devastating Armenian earthquake of December 1988, which led to Kahanovitz being awarded the Order of the Supreme Soviet Medal of Personal Courage.</p>
<p>“People there were partially paralyzed or had terrible, unstable spinal injuries having been trapped in buildings,” Kahanovitz recalled. “Had we not gone there, these people would not have been cared for or would have ended up completely paralyzed or disabled forever. To be able to go over there and do something for these people, who would not have had any possibility for receiving that level of care, really stood out as a highlight of my career.”</p>
<p>Kahanovitz stopped operating a year and a half ago, when the opportunity to run the Big Apple Circus came up. “There wasn’t anything I was truly passionate about that would make me work 12 to 15 hours a day when this came along,” he said, smiling. “I am working harder and longer hours than I ever have.”</p>
<p>I said that he did not seem too dejected about this.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz smiled. “You can probably tell that I’m not the kind of guy who would look forward to a quiet day on the porch.”</p>
<p>He has produced plays and musicals on <a href="" type="internal">Broadway</a>, in London’s West End, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Off-Broadway, and he is excited that, himself having worked with Delilah Wallenda, the Big Apple Circus will host the wire skills of her son Nik, famous for such feats as walking the tightrope slung across the Niagara Falls. Nik is the seventh generation of the circus act-performing family.</p>
<p>Wallenda will attempt to construct the seven-person pyramid on the high wire with The Fabulous Wallendas, while The Flying Tunizianis will attempt the quadruple somersault on the trapeze—the first time in circus history that both legendary feats will be performed under the same big top.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I have heard anything but that people are excited to see us back,” said Kahanovitz of the anticipation for the Big Apple Circus’ return.</p>
<p>At one arts event, he said, he was asked over and over again, “How does it feel to save the circus in America?”</p>
<p>“If this doesn’t work,” Kahanovitz told me, “we’ve lost part of American history and tradition. It’s something that generations and generations of people have taken their children to, and that will disappear. That will be gone.”</p>
<p>How long will Kahanovitz and his business partners give it before they decide that the circus is or isn’t coming?</p>
<p>“I think we’ll see if people come,” he replied crisply.</p>
<p>Then he smiled: “Let’s walk around.” We exited his trailer office and headed towards the big top, which had many workmen in little forklift trucks and groups of huddled workers talking logistics, and scaling up rigging, as quick and graceful as gazelles. A huge pile of sand was in the middle of the arena awaiting leveling off. A stage-design backdrop of the New York City skyline awaited positioning.</p>
<p>“There are smaller circuses out there,” said Kahanovitz. “There will always be circuses, but not at this level—meaning size and quality.”</p>
<p>He called Perlman last year, after being asked if he knew anyone who would want to buy the Big Apple Circus. If Perlman and his colleagues had not invested in it, said Kahanovitz, the Big Apple Circus would have survived in name only and likely have been forced to relocate.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz initially thought he would work in a marketing role. “I had no idea I would end up running this thing. To be honest with you, I haven’t had a chance to enjoy it. I am so focused and caught up in making it work, because there is so much at stake.”</p>
<p>After its residency at Lincoln Square the circus will go on tour, and then, said Kanahovitz, hopefully expand.</p>
<p>So, retirement is a distant prospect, I suggested.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz smiled. After his work in Armenia, someone said to him, “Why don’t you just stop for a day and just enjoy what you’ve done?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Kahanovitz said smiling. “Even this morning, my wife said to me, ‘This is the last one, no more big projects.’ But she’s said that before.’”</p>
<p>As we watched the furious hive of human activity, the shouting, and the honking of trucks, Kahanovitz revealed that a year and a half ago he discovered he had a daughter (and two grandchildren) he never knew existed.</p>
<p>His long-lost daughter Stephanie wrote to him to say: “47 years ago you had a blind date at a drive-in in Ashton, Virginia. I was born nine months later.”</p>
<p>It was shocking, he said, but ultimately lovely, as Stephanie and her children, Lilli, 16, and Audrey, 13, have become part of the family. (Stephanie had been put up for adoption, and lost her adoptive mother and brother in a car accident; her adoptive father had died in another car accident.)</p>
<p>He also two daughters with Suzanne: Lexi, a writer and producer in Los Angeles, and Katie, who works in real estate in New York. Both are planning weddings this year.</p>
<p>Kahanovitz and I wandered around the ring, he recalling a documentary about a small circus company whose presenter asked one circus member why he loved doing what he was doing. The response: “If you have to ask you’ll never understand.”</p>
<p>Kahanovitz said, “That’s so true. That morning I went down to see the circus in Baltimore was like going from a black and white movie to technicolor. “</p>
<p>Near a rack of colorful clothes, Lolis Vargas, the Big Apple Circus’ head of wardrobe, said her family was one of five generations of circus performers. As a young girl, she learned how to walk the high wire, fly the trapeze, and ride elephants. “You have no fear when you’re young,” she said. “This is the rebirth of circus. It’s in our blood, it really is. We say we have sawdust in our blood.”</p>
<p>Vargas’ son is an acrobatic clown, and her daughter does an aerial act. “It’s my life, it’s what I love to do,” said Vargas. “I love the circus: just being part of it, moving from city to city, country to country. It’s a wonderful world. You can learn from the circus. It’s a United Nations. You meet people from all over the world, and learn to accept other cultures and languages. This is a community.”</p>
<p>There were other performers backstage—muscular, lithe, and again speaking of belonging and being part of multi-generational circus families. There were also pens holding the 18 ponies that feature in the show, the animals resting or munching on food.</p>
<p>The circus is an utterly self-contained community: the ultimate live/work space. In another part of Damrosch Square are all the performers’ mobile homes, with plant pots and foldout chairs outside. In the mobile canteen, where everybody eats all their meals, tacos and tuna casserole were being prepared for lunch.</p>
<p>Perlman and Price, there to meet with Kahanovitz, looked optimistically, and realistically, towards the big top. “We will see if people still have an appetite for it,” said Perlman. As well as the financial fortunes of a show, an entire way of life—and huge swathes of intertwining family and cultural histories—are at stake.</p>
<p>His family have never seen Kahanovitz perform. He had finished his circus life, or thought he had, by the time he was married, and yet—if his heart wins out over his head—they may yet see him up on the high wire, relishing the wind and air whipping past his face once again.</p>
<p>Clowns, Kahanovitz assured me, no longer scared him. “The Big Apple Circus scares me if it doesn’t work, but I’m sure it will.”</p>
<p>As we said farewell, I asked Kahanovitz how genuinely hopeful he was that he could save the Big Apple Circus.</p>
<p>“With everything that they do, I tell my children ‘Go out there and do it, try it. You won’t know till you do,’” he replied.</p>
<p>So yes, Suzanne Kahanovitz might want to prepare to see her husband back up on that trapeze.</p>
<p>The Big Apple Circus is at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Square from October 27 to January 7. <a href="https://www.bigapplecircus.com/" type="external">Book tickets here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | last days member big apple circus flying trapeze act encouraging neil kahanovitz come swing part really wants really wants kahanovitz told mobile office next big top lincoln centers damrosch square mind says body says cant suspect time season ill probably get swing eyes twinkling prospect wife suzanne told succinctly sensibly dont anything stupid kahanovitz chairman big apple circus former trapeze performer one americas leading spinal surgeonswho operated three supreme court justices also partner big top works new owners big apple circus bought february nonprofit incarnation went bust kahanovitz said second time run away join circus pressing question facing kahanovitz big apple circus returns forced cancel 201617 season heand big top partners richard perlman jim price barry salzman compass partners investment firmsave extinction 40th anniversary year kahanovitz exists romance circus dates back childhood cherished experience living dream alongside cold hard financial realities making big apple circus profitable concern kahanovitz agile handsome 68 salt pepper hair love circus clear says talking example big apple circus example modern intimate circus rather threering circuses yore made famous cecil b demilles greatest show earth big apple circus feels snug intimate blue awning seat 50 feet away ring since ringling bros barnum amp bailey circus closed 146 years earlier year claims americas preeminent circus employing art forms best performers kahanovitz grew baltimore first family go college father jake bartender mother bettie housewife younger sister lynn retired teacher child interested two things said working circus becoming orthopedic surgeon 4 mother took see ringling bros circus baltimore recalls hearing big noise terrified clowns 7 8 elementary school devoured book could find circus especially putting clown makeup aged 8 built trapeze backyard broomstick two pieces rope absolutely fascinating found whole thing magical also pretty serious student realized way whatever trap inand grew happy middleclass homewas go medical school start finish day top stories daily beast speedy smart summary news need know nothing dont 13 kahanovitz broke elbow playing ice hockey fascinated surgeons repairing arm using couple pins orthopedic surgeon like god wanted like guy one morning en route another day senior year high school kahanovitz saw ringling bros circus setting arena near train yard friend went investigate like magic said like walking baz luhrmanns moulin rouge see magical transformation arena million times watch hockey games transformed guys climbing around girders dropping wires trapeze animals coming amazinga defining moment kahanovitz later landed summer job clyde beatty cole bros circus candy butcher selling cotton candy popcorn audiences someone got hurt trampoline act trampolining something kahanovitz already done training diving told never done trampolining front two people said theyd try worked comedy guy falling going springs somersaults trampoline pants flying guy serious tricks much better ever would somersaults would catch shoulders trampoline partner taught aerial moves kahanovitz graduated aerial trapeze next youd crazy scared kahanovitz recalled preparing launch trapeze platform first time never forget first time swinging call pedestal grab trapeze fly theres exhilarating feeling wind air whipping head sense flight thats cool pretty scared death think get used thrilling youre able interact audience play audience comedy kahanovitz stayed circus five years delaying going medical school parents happy think said variation mind also think thought crazy would never come back cellphones days idea id call payphone week circus came washington baltimore theyd come see proud sounds unique stuck passion circus passion becoming spinal surgeon felt things wanted much circus intrigued medicine also really intrigued young person unusual different desires want fulfill felt passionate one finally kahanovitz went medical school spent five years orthopedic surgery series hospitals los angeles area different electives joint replacement hand surgery spine surgeryand latter felt excitement terms challenge possibilities circus kahanovitz never operated anyone associated circus around pretty graphic injuries suffered performers thirdyear medical student kahanovitz los angeles airport aug 6 1974 join group circus performers engagement hawaii muharem kurbegovic socalled alphabet bomber exploded device killing three injuring 36 others bus pulled remember window falling boom smoke paramedics came one medical training many badly injured people one guy big hole chest others badly bleeding never forget destruction smell rubbery acrid smell never smelled since combination flesh explosion something never want smell circus kahanovitz seen acrobats fallen generally aerial trapeze high wire like performer wisconsin landed head died gotten banged nothing serious said smiling known doc neil circus world kahanovitzs career spinal surgery stellar measure series highprofile posts like running spinaldeformity unit new orleans hospital working chief spinal surgery new york hospital head spine surgery washington dc hospital became authority using electrical stimulation get bones heal spine former president north american spine society said americans general spinal health particularly muscles helped office life many sitting desks looking computers long periods time kahanovitz operated supreme court justices anthony kennedy neck william rehnquist byron white lower backs security outside operating room intense realized wasnt average joe neighborhood received commendation united states house physicians office surgeries kahanovitz also went specialists help treat victims devastating armenian earthquake december 1988 led kahanovitz awarded order supreme soviet medal personal courage people partially paralyzed terrible unstable spinal injuries trapped buildings kahanovitz recalled gone people would cared would ended completely paralyzed disabled forever able go something people would possibility receiving level care really stood highlight career kahanovitz stopped operating year half ago opportunity run big apple circus came wasnt anything truly passionate would make work 12 15 hours day came along said smiling working harder longer hours ever said seem dejected kahanovitz smiled probably tell im kind guy would look forward quiet day porch produced plays musicals broadway londons west end chicago los angeles offbroadway excited worked delilah wallenda big apple circus host wire skills son nik famous feats walking tightrope slung across niagara falls nik seventh generation circus actperforming family wallenda attempt construct sevenperson pyramid high wire fabulous wallendas flying tunizianis attempt quadruple somersault trapezethe first time circus history legendary feats performed big top dont think heard anything people excited see us back said kahanovitz anticipation big apple circus return one arts event said asked feel save circus america doesnt work kahanovitz told weve lost part american history tradition something generations generations people taken children disappear gone long kahanovitz business partners give decide circus isnt coming think well see people come replied crisply smiled lets walk around exited trailer office headed towards big top many workmen little forklift trucks groups huddled workers talking logistics scaling rigging quick graceful gazelles huge pile sand middle arena awaiting leveling stagedesign backdrop new york city skyline awaited positioning smaller circuses said kahanovitz always circuses levelmeaning size quality called perlman last year asked knew anyone would want buy big apple circus perlman colleagues invested said kahanovitz big apple circus would survived name likely forced relocate kahanovitz initially thought would work marketing role idea would end running thing honest havent chance enjoy focused caught making work much stake residency lincoln square circus go tour said kanahovitz hopefully expand retirement distant prospect suggested kahanovitz smiled work armenia someone said dont stop day enjoy youve done dont know kahanovitz said smiling even morning wife said last one big projects shes said watched furious hive human activity shouting honking trucks kahanovitz revealed year half ago discovered daughter two grandchildren never knew existed longlost daughter stephanie wrote say 47 years ago blind date drivein ashton virginia born nine months later shocking said ultimately lovely stephanie children lilli 16 audrey 13 become part family stephanie put adoption lost adoptive mother brother car accident adoptive father died another car accident also two daughters suzanne lexi writer producer los angeles katie works real estate new york planning weddings year kahanovitz wandered around ring recalling documentary small circus company whose presenter asked one circus member loved response ask youll never understand kahanovitz said thats true morning went see circus baltimore like going black white movie technicolor near rack colorful clothes lolis vargas big apple circus head wardrobe said family one five generations circus performers young girl learned walk high wire fly trapeze ride elephants fear youre young said rebirth circus blood really say sawdust blood vargas son acrobatic clown daughter aerial act life love said vargas love circus part moving city city country country wonderful world learn circus united nations meet people world learn accept cultures languages community performers backstagemuscular lithe speaking belonging part multigenerational circus families also pens holding 18 ponies feature show animals resting munching food circus utterly selfcontained community ultimate livework space another part damrosch square performers mobile homes plant pots foldout chairs outside mobile canteen everybody eats meals tacos tuna casserole prepared lunch perlman price meet kahanovitz looked optimistically realistically towards big top see people still appetite said perlman well financial fortunes show entire way lifeand huge swathes intertwining family cultural historiesare stake family never seen kahanovitz perform finished circus life thought time married yetif heart wins headthey may yet see high wire relishing wind air whipping past face clowns kahanovitz assured longer scared big apple circus scares doesnt work im sure said farewell asked kahanovitz genuinely hopeful could save big apple circus everything tell children go try wont know till replied yes suzanne kahanovitz might want prepare see husband back trapeze big apple circus lincoln centers damrosch square october 27 january 7 book tickets | 1,519 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58344114@N00/105586525/in/photolist-akack-8tXqsf-nh1wu-nh1wa-nh1vF-81pVoL-6FW8b7-7ica9F-5T2Xaw-5T2WqG-5T2Wb1-5T2X1J-5SXBAi-5SXAwM-5SXAWg-dzZWfv-5kHT5w-5nvr7f-gFpDB-4Jp6J7-cF4FE-cF58L-9aPAZH-d8tX8w-7EBAgP-7EFrcu-9Eajjb-9EajfW-9EajaQ-9E7pZg-9E7pNP-9EajqE-cNFMZY-cNFNjC-cNFQpq-cNFQ5b-6pnwvB-6pnwtT-fAVwpP-2XEPXJ-6pnwzp-7ZMfvv-7Aiw13-73fFSF-4pff83-5kQKif-5kLu7R-d9Ui3z-dqJUa-5kQKso-2bhXYK"&gt;Michael Baird&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175473/tomgram%3A_steve_fraser%2C_%22de-fault_is_ours%22/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch</a> website.</p>
<p>We Americans have funny notions about foreign aid. Recent polls show that, on average, we <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/07/the-budget-myth-that-just-wont-die-americans-still-think-28-percent-of-the-budget-goes-to-foreign-aid/" type="external">believe</a> 28 percent of the federal budget is eaten up by it, and that, in a time of austerity, this gigantic bite of the budget should be <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0307/Surprise!-Americans-want-to-slash-foreign-aid-to-10-times-its-current-size" type="external">cut back</a> to 10 percent. In actual fact, <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0307/Surprise!-Americans-want-to-slash-foreign-aid-to-10-times-its-current-size" type="external">barely 1 percent</a> of the federal budget goes to foreign aid of any kind.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external" />In this case, however, truth is at least as strange as fiction. Consider that the top recipient of foreign aid over the past three decades isn’t some impoverished land filled with starving kids, but a wealthy nation with a per-head gross domestic product on par with the European Union average, and higher than that of Italy, Spain, or South Korea.</p>
<p>Consider also that this top recipient of such aid—nearly all of it military since 2008—has been busily engaged in what looks like a nineteenth-century-style colonization project. In the late 1940s, our beneficiary <a href="http://www.merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/pal-refugee-citizen-pal-is.html" type="external">expelled</a> some 700,000 indigenous people from the land it was claiming. In 1967, our client seized some contiguous pieces of real estate and ever since has been <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-palestinians-israel-prisoners-idUSBRE97C0Z620130814" type="external">colonizing</a> these territories with nearly 650,000 of its own people. It has divided the conquered lands with myriad checkpoints and roads accessible only to the colonizers and is building a 440-mile <a href="http://www.btselem.org/separation_barrier/statistics" type="external">wall</a> around (and cutting into) the conquered territory, creating a geography of control that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/world/middleeast/un-panel-says-israeli-settlement-policy-violates-law.html" type="external">violates</a> international law.</p>
<p>“Ethnic cleansing” is a harsh term, but apt for a situation in which people are driven out of their homes and lands because they are not of the right tribe. Though many will balk at leveling this charge against Israel—for that country is, of course, the top recipient of American aid and especially military largesse—who would hesitate to use the term if, in a mirror-image world, all of this were being inflicted on Israeli Jews?</p>
<p>Military Aid to Israel</p>
<p>Arming and bankrolling a wealthy nation acting in this way may, on its face, seem like terrible policy. Yet American aid has been flowing to Israel in ever greater quantities. Over the past 60 years, in fact, Israel has absorbed close to a <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/business/u-s-aid-to-israel-totals-233-7b-over-six-decades.premium-1.510592" type="external">quarter-trillion dollars</a> in such aid. Last year alone, Washington sent some <a href="https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf" type="external">$3.1 billion</a> in military aid, supplemented by allocations for collaborative military research and joint <a href="http://www.jinsa.org/publications/research-articles/us-israel-cooperation/us-israel-joint-training-increase-missile-defen" type="external">training</a> exercises.</p>
<p>Overall, the United States covers <a href="https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf" type="external">nearly one quarter</a> of Israel’s defense budget—from tear gas canisters to F-16 fighter jets. In their 2008-2009 assault on Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces <a href="http://www.palestine-studies.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/jps/10341.pdf" type="external">made use of</a> M-92 and M-84 “dumb bombs,” Paveway II and JDAM guided “smart bombs,” AH-64 Apache attack helicopters equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles, M141 “bunker defeat” munitions, and special weapons like M825A1 155mm white phosphorous munitions—all supplied as American foreign aid. (Uniquely among Washington’s aid recipients, Israel is also <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf" type="external">permitted</a> to spend 25 percent of the military funding from Washington on weapons made by its own weapons industry.)</p>
<p>Why is Washington doing this? The most common answer is the simplest: Israel is Washington’s “ally.” But the United States has dozens of allies around the world, none of which are subsidized in anything like this fashion by American taxpayer dollars. As there is <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2012/0302/War-talk-on-Iran-forces-the-issue-Is-Israel-a-formal-US-ally" type="external">no</a> formal treaty alliance between the two nations and given the lopsided nature of the costs and benefits of this relationship, a far more accurate term for Israel’s tie to Washington might be “client state.”</p>
<p>And not a particularly loyal client either. If massive military aid is supposed to give Washington leverage over Israel (as it normally does in client-state relationships), it is difficult to detect. In case you hadn’t noticed, rare is the American diplomatic visit to Israel that is not greeted with an in-your-face <a href="http://photos.denverpost.com/2013/03/18/photos-jewish-settlements-point-of-contention-ahead-of-obamas-visit-to-israel/" type="external">announcement</a> of <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-defies-us-on-settlement-expansion/" type="external">intensified</a> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-israel-palestinians-settlements-20140110,0,4668032.story" type="external">colonization</a> of Palestinian territory, euphemistically called “settlement expansion.”</p>
<p>Washington also <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22967.pdf" type="external">provides</a> aid to Palestine totaling, on average, $875 million annually in Obama’s first term (more than double what George W. Bush gave in his second term). That’s a little more than a quarter of what Israel gets. Much of it goes to projects of dubious net value like the development of irrigation networks at a moment when the Israelis are destroying Palestinian cisterns and wells elsewhere in the West Bank. Another significant part of that funding goes toward training the Palestinian security forces. Known as “Dayton forces” (after the American general, Keith Dayton, who led their training from 2005 to 2010), these troops have a grim human rights <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/palestinepapers/2011/01/2011125145732219555.html" type="external">record</a> that includes acts of torture, as Dayton himself has <a href="http://transparency.aljazeera.net/en/projects/thepalestinepapers/201218205912859354.html" type="external">admitted</a>. One former Dayton deputy, an American colonel, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/25/mi6-palestinian-papers-rejectionists-plan" type="external">described</a> these security forces to al-Jazeera as an outsourced “third Israeli security arm.” According to Josh Ruebner, national advocacy director for the US Campaign to End the Occupation and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1781681201/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace</a>, American aid to Palestine serves mainly to entrench the Israeli occupation.</p>
<p>A Dishonest Broker</p>
<p>Nothing is equal when it comes to Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip—and the numbers say it all. To offer just one example, the <a href="http://imeu.net/news/article0021968.shtml" type="external">death toll</a> from Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 2008-2009 assault on the Gaza Strip, was 1,385 Palestinians (the majority of them civilians) and 13 Israelis, three of them civilians.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1781680698/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />And yet mainstream opinion in the US insists on seeing the two parties as essentially equal. Harold Koh, former dean of the Yale Law School and until recently the top lawyer at the State Department, has been typical in <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2737&amp;context=fss_papers" type="external">comparing</a> Washington’s role to “adult supervision” of “a playground populated by warring switchblade gangs.” It was a particularly odd choice of metaphors, given that one side is equipped with small arms and rockets of varying sophistication, the other with nuclear weapons and a state-of-the-art modern military subsidized by the world’s only superpower.</p>
<p>Washington’s active role in all of this is not lost on anyone on the world stage—except Americans, who have declared themselves to be the even-handed arbiters of a conflict involving endless failed efforts at brokering a “peace process.” Globally, fewer and fewer observers believe in this fiction of Washington as a benevolent bystander rather than a participant heavily implicated in a humanitarian crisis. In 2012, the widely respected International Crisis Group <a href="http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/middle-east-north-africa/israel-palestine/122-the-emperor-has-no-clothes-palestinians-and-the-end-of-the-peace-process.aspx" type="external">described</a> the “peace process” as “a collective addiction that serves all manner of needs, reaching an agreement no longer being the main one.”</p>
<p>The contradiction between military and diplomatic support for one party in the conflict and the pretense of neutrality cannot be explained away. “Looked at objectively, it can be argued that American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East have, if anything, made achieving peace between Palestinians and Israelis more difficult,” writes Rashid Khalidi, a historian at Columbia University, and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/080704475X/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Brokers of Deceit: How the US Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East</a>.</p>
<p>Evasive Silence</p>
<p>American policy elites are unable or unwilling to talk about Washington’s destructive role in this situation. There is plenty of discussion about a one-state versus a two-state solution, constant disapproval of Palestinian violence, occasional mild criticism (“not helpful”) of the Israeli settlements, and lately, a lively debate about the global boycott, divestment, and sanction movement (BDS) led by Palestinian civil society to pressure Israel into a “just and lasting” peace. But when it comes to what Americans are most responsible for—all that lavish military aid and diplomatic cover for one side only—what you get is either euphemism or an evasive silence.</p>
<p>In general, the American media tends to treat our arming of Israel as part of the natural order of the universe, as beyond question as the force of gravity. Even the “quality” media shies away from any discussion of Washington’s real role in fueling the Israel-Palestine conflict. Last month, for instance, the New York Times ran an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/world/middleeast/power-vacuum-in-middle-east-lifts-militants.html" type="external">article</a> about a prospective “post-American” Middle East without any mention of Washington’s aid to Israel, or for that matter to Egypt, or the Fifth Fleet parked in Bahrain.</p>
<p>You might think that the progressive hosts of MSNBC’s news programs would be all over the story of what American taxpayers are subsidizing, but the topic barely flickers across the chat shows of Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, and others. Given this across-the-board selective reticence, American coverage of Israel and Palestine, and particularly of American military aid to Israel, resembles the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062073567/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Agatha Christie novel</a> in which the first-person narrator, observing and commenting on the action in calm semi-detachment, turns out to be the murderer.</p>
<p>Strategic Self-Interest and Unconditional Military Aid</p>
<p>On the activist front, American military patronage of Israel is not much discussed either, in large part because the aid package is so deeply entrenched that no attempt to cut it back could succeed in the near future. Hence, the global BDS campaign has focused on smaller, more achievable targets, though as Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the Jerusalem Fund, an advocacy group, told me, the BDS movement does envision an end to Washington’s military transfers in the long term. This makes tactical sense, and both the Jerusalem Fund and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation are engaged in ongoing <a href="http://endtheoccupation.org/section.php?id=451" type="external">campaigns</a> to <a href="http://thejerusalemfund.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/3061" type="external">inform</a> the public about American military aid to Israel.</p>
<p>Less understandable are the lobbying groups that advertise themselves as “pro-peace,” champions of “dialogue” and “conversation,” but share the same bottom line on military aid for Israel as their overtly hawkish counterparts. For instance, J Street (“pro-Israel and pro-peace”), a Washington-based nonprofit which bills itself as a moderate alternative to the powerhouse lobbying outfit, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), <a href="http://jstreet.org/blog/post/the-usisrael-relationship-and-foreign-aid_1" type="external">supports</a> both “robust” military aid and any <a href="http://jstreet.org/blog/by_tag/Iron%20percent20Dome" type="external">supplemental disbursements</a> on offer from Washington to the Israeli Defense Forces. Americans for Peace Now similarly <a href="http://peacenow.org/page.php?name=tsws-support-aid-not-criticism" type="external">takes the position</a> that Washington should provide “robust assistance” to ensure Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” At the risk of sounding literal-minded, any group plumping for enormous military aid packages to a country acting as Israel has is emphatically not “pro-peace.” It’s almost as if the Central America solidarity groups from the 1980s had demanded peace, while lobbying Washington to keep funding the Contras and the Salvadoran military.</p>
<p>Outside the various factions of the Israel lobby, the landscape is just as flat. The Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank close to the Democratic Party, regularly <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/report/2013/08/05/71422/creating-an-environment-conducive-to-progress-in-israeli-palestinian-peace-talks/" type="external">issues</a> pious statements about new hopes for the “peace process”—with never a mention of how our unconditional flow of advanced weaponry might be a disincentive to any just resolution of the situation.</p>
<p>There is, by the way, a similar dynamic at work when it comes to Washington’s second biggest recipient of foreign aid, Egypt. Washington’s <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33003.pdf" type="external">expenditure</a> of more than $60 billion over the past 30 years ensured both peace with Israel and Cold War loyalty, while propping up an authoritarian government with a ghastly human rights record. As the post-Mubarak military restores its grip on Egypt, official Washington is currently at work <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/13/congress-to-give-egypt-1-5-billion-in-aid.html" type="external">finding</a> ways to keep the military aid flowing despite a congressional ban on arming regimes that overthrow elected governments. There is, however, at least some mainstream public <a href="http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/leahy-administration-trying-to-have-it-both-ways-on-egypt-aid/" type="external">debate</a> in the US about ending aid to the Egyptian generals who have violently reclaimed power. Investigative journalism nonprofit ProPublica has even <a href="http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/f.a.q.-on-%C2%97-aid-to-egypt-where-does-the-money-go-who-decides-how-spent" type="external">drafted</a> a handy “explainer” about US military aid to Egypt—though they have not tried to explain aid to Israel.</p>
<p>Silence about US-Israel relations is, to a large degree, hardwired into Beltway culture. As <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/?fa=expert_view&amp;expert_id=145" type="external">George Perkovich</a>, director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-what-about-israels-nuclear-weapons/2012/08/31/390e486a-f389-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_print.html" type="external">told</a> the Washington Post, “It’s like all things having to do with Israel and the United States. If you want to get ahead, you don’t talk about it; you don’t criticize Israel, you protect Israel.”</p>
<p>This is regrettable, as Washington’s politically invisible military aid to Israel is not just an impediment to lasting peace, but also a strategic and security liability. As General David Petraeus, then head of US Central Command, <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2010/03/201031732237498901.html" type="external">testified</a> to the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2010, the failure to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians makes Washington’s other foreign policy objectives in the region more difficult to achieve. It also, he pointed out, foments anti-American hatred and fuels al-Qaeda and other violent groups. Petraeus’s successor at CENTCOM, General James Mattis, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/07/22/2336271/former-centcom-head-us-pays-security-price-for-israeli-palestinian-conflict/" type="external">echoed</a> this list of liabilities in a public dialogue with Wolf Blitzer last July:</p>
<p>“I paid a military security price every day as a commander of CENTCOM because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel, and that [alienates] all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us because they can’t come out publicly in support of people who don’t show respect for the Arab Palestinians.”</p>
<p>Don’t believe the generals? Ask a terrorist. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks now imprisoned at Guantanamo, told interrogators that he was <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/gitmo20090310.pdf" type="external">motivated</a> to attack the United States in large part because of Washington’s leading role in assisting Israel’s repeated invasions of Lebanon and the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians.</p>
<p>The Israel lobby wheels out a battery of arguments in favor of arming and funding Israel, including the assertion that a step back from such aid for Israel would signify a “retreat” into “ <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/aipac-head-isolationism-extremely-dangerous-for-israel-1.506986" type="external">isolationism</a>.” But would the United States, a global hegemon busily engaged in nearly every aspect world affairs, be “isolated” if it ceased giving lavish military aid to Israel? Was the United States “isolated” before 1967 when it expanded that aid in a major way? These questions <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175764/" type="external">answer</a> themselves.</p>
<p>Sometimes the mere act of pointing out the degree of US aid to Israel <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49062149/#.UusjdXlL1G4" type="external">provokes</a> accusations of having a special antipathy for Israel. This may work as emotional blackmail, but if someone proposed that Washington start shipping Armenia $3.1 billion worth of armaments annually so that it could begin the conquest of its ancestral province of Nagorno-Karabakh in neighboring Azerbaijan, the plan would be considered ludicrous—and not because of a visceral dislike for Armenians. Yet somehow the assumption that Washington is required to generously arm the Israeli military has become deeply institutionalized in this country.</p>
<p>Fake Peace Process, Real War Process</p>
<p>Today, Secretary of State John Kerry is leading a push for a renewed round of the interminable American-led peace process in the region that has been underway since the mid-1970s. It’s hardly a bold prediction to suggest that this round, too, will fail. The Israeli minister of defense, Moshe Ya’alon, has already publicly <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.568868" type="external">mocked</a> Kerry in his quest for peace as “obsessive and messianic” and added that the newly proposed framework for this round of negotiations is “not worth the paper it’s printed on.” Other Israeli high officials blasted Kerry for his mere mention of the potential negative consequences to Israel of a global boycott if peace is not achieved.</p>
<p>But why shouldn’t Ya’alon and other Israeli officials tee off on the hapless Kerry? After all, the defense minister knows that Washington will wield no stick and that bushels of carrots are in the offing, whether Israel rolls back or redoubles its land seizures and colonization efforts. President Obama has boasted that the US has never given so much military aid to Israel as under his presidency. On January 29th, the House Foreign Affairs Committee <a href="http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/press-release/us-%20percentE2%20percent80%20percent93-israel-strategic-partnership-bill-unanimously-passed-house-foreign-affairs" type="external">voted</a> unanimously to upgrade Israel’s status to “major strategic partner.” With Congress and the president guaranteeing that unprecedented levels of military aid will continue to flow, Israel has no real incentive to change its behavior.</p>
<p>Usually such diplomatic impasses are blamed on the Palestinians, but given how little is left to squeeze out of them, doing so this time will test the creativity of official Washington. Whatever happens, in the post-mortems to come there will be no discussion in Washington about the role its own policies played in undermining a just and lasting agreement.</p>
<p>How much longer will this silence last? The arming and bankrolling of a wealthy nation committing ethnic cleansing has something to offend conservatives, progressives, and just about every other political grouping in America. After all, how often in foreign policy does strategic self-interest align so neatly with human rights and common decency?</p>
<p>Intelligent people can and do disagree about a one-state versus a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. People of goodwill disagree about the global BDS campaign. But it is hard to imagine what kind of progress can ever be made toward a just and lasting settlement between Israel and Palestine until Washington quits arming one side to the teeth.</p>
<p>“If it weren’t for US support for Israel, this conflict would have been resolved a long time ago,” says Josh Ruebner. Will we Americans ever acknowledge our government’s active role in destroying the chances for a just and lasting peace between Palestine and Israel?</p>
<p>Chase Madar (@ChMadar) is a lawyer in New York, a <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175781/tomgram%20percent3A_chase_madar,_the_criminalization_of_everyday_life/" type="external">TomDispatch regular</a>, and the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1781680698/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The Passion of [Chelsea] Manning: The Story behind the Wikileaks Whistleblower</a> (Verso).</p>
<p>Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tomdispatch" type="external">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://tomdispatch.tumblr.com/" type="external">Tumblr</a>. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Ann Jones’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608463710/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return From America’s Wars—The Untold Story</a>. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com <a href="http://tomdispatch.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6cb39ff0b1f670c349f828c73&amp;id=1e41682ade" type="external">here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotos58344114n00105586525inphotolistakack8txqsfnh1wunh1wanh1vf81pvol6fw8b77ica9f5t2xaw5t2wqg5t2wb15t2x1j5sxbai5sxawm5sxawgdzzwfv5kht5w5nvr7fgfpdb4jp6j7cf4fecf58l9apazhd8tx8w7ebagp7efrcu9eajjb9eajfw9eajaq9e7pzg9e7pnp9eajqecnfmzycnfnjccnfqpqcnfq5b6pnwvb6pnwttfavwpp2xepxj6pnwzp7zmfvv7aiw1373ffsf4pff835kqkif5klu7rd9ui3zdqjua5kqkso2bhxykgtmichael bairdltagtflickr story first appeared tomdispatch website americans funny notions foreign aid recent polls show average believe 28 percent federal budget eaten time austerity gigantic bite budget cut back 10 percent actual fact barely 1 percent federal budget goes foreign aid kind case however truth least strange fiction consider top recipient foreign aid past three decades isnt impoverished land filled starving kids wealthy nation perhead gross domestic product par european union average higher italy spain south korea consider also top recipient aidnearly military since 2008has busily engaged looks like nineteenthcenturystyle colonization project late 1940s beneficiary expelled 700000 indigenous people land claiming 1967 client seized contiguous pieces real estate ever since colonizing territories nearly 650000 people divided conquered lands myriad checkpoints roads accessible colonizers building 440mile wall around cutting conquered territory creating geography control violates international law ethnic cleansing harsh term apt situation people driven homes lands right tribe though many balk leveling charge israelfor country course top recipient american aid especially military largessewho would hesitate use term mirrorimage world inflicted israeli jews military aid israel arming bankrolling wealthy nation acting way may face seem like terrible policy yet american aid flowing israel ever greater quantities past 60 years fact israel absorbed close quartertrillion dollars aid last year alone washington sent 31 billion military aid supplemented allocations collaborative military research joint training exercises overall united states covers nearly one quarter israels defense budgetfrom tear gas canisters f16 fighter jets 20082009 assault gaza israeli defense forces made use m92 m84 dumb bombs paveway ii jdam guided smart bombs ah64 apache attack helicopters equipped agm114 hellfire guided missiles m141 bunker defeat munitions special weapons like m825a1 155mm white phosphorous munitionsall supplied american foreign aid uniquely among washingtons aid recipients israel also permitted spend 25 percent military funding washington weapons made weapons industry washington common answer simplest israel washingtons ally united states dozens allies around world none subsidized anything like fashion american taxpayer dollars formal treaty alliance two nations given lopsided nature costs benefits relationship far accurate term israels tie washington might client state particularly loyal client either massive military aid supposed give washington leverage israel normally clientstate relationships difficult detect case hadnt noticed rare american diplomatic visit israel greeted inyourface announcement intensified colonization palestinian territory euphemistically called settlement expansion washington also provides aid palestine totaling average 875 million annually obamas first term double george w bush gave second term thats little quarter israel gets much goes projects dubious net value like development irrigation networks moment israelis destroying palestinian cisterns wells elsewhere west bank another significant part funding goes toward training palestinian security forces known dayton forces american general keith dayton led training 2005 2010 troops grim human rights record includes acts torture dayton admitted one former dayton deputy american colonel described security forces aljazeera outsourced third israeli security arm according josh ruebner national advocacy director us campaign end occupation author shattered hopes obamas failure broker israelipalestinian peace american aid palestine serves mainly entrench israeli occupation dishonest broker nothing equal comes israelis palestinians west bank east jerusalem gaza stripand numbers say offer one example death toll operation cast lead israels 20082009 assault gaza strip 1385 palestinians majority civilians 13 israelis three civilians yet mainstream opinion us insists seeing two parties essentially equal harold koh former dean yale law school recently top lawyer state department typical comparing washingtons role adult supervision playground populated warring switchblade gangs particularly odd choice metaphors given one side equipped small arms rockets varying sophistication nuclear weapons stateoftheart modern military subsidized worlds superpower washingtons active role lost anyone world stageexcept americans declared evenhanded arbiters conflict involving endless failed efforts brokering peace process globally fewer fewer observers believe fiction washington benevolent bystander rather participant heavily implicated humanitarian crisis 2012 widely respected international crisis group described peace process collective addiction serves manner needs reaching agreement longer main one contradiction military diplomatic support one party conflict pretense neutrality explained away looked objectively argued american diplomatic efforts middle east anything made achieving peace palestinians israelis difficult writes rashid khalidi historian columbia university author brokers deceit us undermined peace middle east evasive silence american policy elites unable unwilling talk washingtons destructive role situation plenty discussion onestate versus twostate solution constant disapproval palestinian violence occasional mild criticism helpful israeli settlements lately lively debate global boycott divestment sanction movement bds led palestinian civil society pressure israel lasting peace comes americans responsible forall lavish military aid diplomatic cover one side onlywhat get either euphemism evasive silence general american media tends treat arming israel part natural order universe beyond question force gravity even quality media shies away discussion washingtons real role fueling israelpalestine conflict last month instance new york times ran article prospective postamerican middle east without mention washingtons aid israel matter egypt fifth fleet parked bahrain might think progressive hosts msnbcs news programs would story american taxpayers subsidizing topic barely flickers across chat shows rachel maddow chris hayes others given acrosstheboard selective reticence american coverage israel palestine particularly american military aid israel resembles agatha christie novel firstperson narrator observing commenting action calm semidetachment turns murderer strategic selfinterest unconditional military aid activist front american military patronage israel much discussed either large part aid package deeply entrenched attempt cut back could succeed near future hence global bds campaign focused smaller achievable targets though yousef munayyer executive director jerusalem fund advocacy group told bds movement envision end washingtons military transfers long term makes tactical sense jerusalem fund us campaign end israeli occupation engaged ongoing campaigns inform public american military aid israel less understandable lobbying groups advertise propeace champions dialogue conversation share bottom line military aid israel overtly hawkish counterparts instance j street proisrael propeace washingtonbased nonprofit bills moderate alternative powerhouse lobbying outfit american israel public affairs committee aipac supports robust military aid supplemental disbursements offer washington israeli defense forces americans peace similarly takes position washington provide robust assistance ensure israels qualitative military edge risk sounding literalminded group plumping enormous military aid packages country acting israel emphatically propeace almost central america solidarity groups 1980s demanded peace lobbying washington keep funding contras salvadoran military outside various factions israel lobby landscape flat center american progress washington think tank close democratic party regularly issues pious statements new hopes peace processwith never mention unconditional flow advanced weaponry might disincentive resolution situation way similar dynamic work comes washingtons second biggest recipient foreign aid egypt washingtons expenditure 60 billion past 30 years ensured peace israel cold war loyalty propping authoritarian government ghastly human rights record postmubarak military restores grip egypt official washington currently work finding ways keep military aid flowing despite congressional ban arming regimes overthrow elected governments however least mainstream public debate us ending aid egyptian generals violently reclaimed power investigative journalism nonprofit propublica even drafted handy explainer us military aid egyptthough tried explain aid israel silence usisrael relations large degree hardwired beltway culture george perkovich director nuclear policy program carnegie endowment international peace told washington post like things israel united states want get ahead dont talk dont criticize israel protect israel regrettable washingtons politically invisible military aid israel impediment lasting peace also strategic security liability general david petraeus head us central command testified senate armed services committee 2010 failure reach lasting resolution conflict israelis palestinians makes washingtons foreign policy objectives region difficult achieve also pointed foments antiamerican hatred fuels alqaeda violent groups petraeuss successor centcom general james mattis echoed list liabilities public dialogue wolf blitzer last july paid military security price every day commander centcom americans seen biased support israel alienates moderate arabs want us cant come publicly support people dont show respect arab palestinians dont believe generals ask terrorist khalid sheikh mohammed mastermind 911 attacks imprisoned guantanamo told interrogators motivated attack united states large part washingtons leading role assisting israels repeated invasions lebanon ongoing dispossession palestinians israel lobby wheels battery arguments favor arming funding israel including assertion step back aid israel would signify retreat isolationism would united states global hegemon busily engaged nearly every aspect world affairs isolated ceased giving lavish military aid israel united states isolated 1967 expanded aid major way questions answer sometimes mere act pointing degree us aid israel provokes accusations special antipathy israel may work emotional blackmail someone proposed washington start shipping armenia 31 billion worth armaments annually could begin conquest ancestral province nagornokarabakh neighboring azerbaijan plan would considered ludicrousand visceral dislike armenians yet somehow assumption washington required generously arm israeli military become deeply institutionalized country fake peace process real war process today secretary state john kerry leading push renewed round interminable americanled peace process region underway since mid1970s hardly bold prediction suggest round fail israeli minister defense moshe yaalon already publicly mocked kerry quest peace obsessive messianic added newly proposed framework round negotiations worth paper printed israeli high officials blasted kerry mere mention potential negative consequences israel global boycott peace achieved shouldnt yaalon israeli officials tee hapless kerry defense minister knows washington wield stick bushels carrots offing whether israel rolls back redoubles land seizures colonization efforts president obama boasted us never given much military aid israel presidency january 29th house foreign affairs committee voted unanimously upgrade israels status major strategic partner congress president guaranteeing unprecedented levels military aid continue flow israel real incentive change behavior usually diplomatic impasses blamed palestinians given little left squeeze time test creativity official washington whatever happens postmortems come discussion washington role policies played undermining lasting agreement much longer silence last arming bankrolling wealthy nation committing ethnic cleansing something offend conservatives progressives every political grouping america often foreign policy strategic selfinterest align neatly human rights common decency intelligent people disagree onestate versus twostate solution israel palestine people goodwill disagree global bds campaign hard imagine kind progress ever made toward lasting settlement israel palestine washington quits arming one side teeth werent us support israel conflict would resolved long time ago says josh ruebner americans ever acknowledge governments active role destroying chances lasting peace palestine israel chase madar chmadar lawyer new york tomdispatch regular author passion chelsea manning story behind wikileaks whistleblower verso follow tomdispatch twitter join us facebook tumblr check newest dispatch book ann joness soldiers wounded return americas warsthe untold story stay top important articles like sign receive latest updates tomdispatchcom | 1,675 |
<p>One could not imagine too many things that would leave Pat Buchanan at a loss for a cogent opinion. But, along with the riverboat casinos in Mississippi and portions of the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain, Hurricane Katrina appears to have also cast the conservative commentator’s thoughts adrift, one hopes, temporarily.</p>
<p>This is not to say that he has been silent. Actually, the Drowning of New Orleans has elicited two blistering articles from the erstwhile presidential aspirant. In his latest thoughts, published on his website, <a href="" type="internal">The American Cause</a>, Buchanan employs the usual force of his eloquence and erudition to vent his fury.</p>
<p>Only, he seems in a tizzy upon whom to vent it.</p>
<p>While the general note among the opinion community has been one of shock and outrage, with varying degrees of emphasis on the lackadaisical holiday mood that was to the set the tone for the languorous response, Buchanan’s attention has been engaged by an entirely different aspect.</p>
<p>Reading Buchanan’s latest, it doesn’t appear that he is exercised over the serial tragedies of the cyclone, the poverty that forestalled evacuation, the breaking of the levees, the flooding, the starvation, the looting, the horrors in the Superdome and Convention Center, the admission by the FEMA and DHS chiefs that they knew nothing about the thousands assembled at these venues, or a President who seemed to be living in a different world.</p>
<p>Instead, what appears to rankle Buchanan is the charge of racism that has been raised against the Bush administration. It is to this that he devotes the bulk of his two articles on Katrina. Now he rails at Kanye West for saying George Bush doesn’t care about black people, now he tears into Nancy Pelosi calls Bush ‘oblivious, in denial, dangerous’ now he cries that Jesse Jackson and the Black Caucus are playing the race card. Even Hillary Clinton the Careful does not escape his scattershot of scorn.</p>
<p>For a moment there, he tells himself (and us), Bush’s presidency seemed threatened. Then the tide (no pun intended) turned. How does he conclude that? Because, he says, the chatter on the nation’s talk radio stations has turned from calls to send in the 82nd Airborne and outrage at FEMA to anger at the race-baiters. He exults that the nation saw how most of those looting were black, as were most being rescued, while most doing the rescuing were white. He draws draws solace from some statistics that only 13% of the country thinks Bush could be held responsible for New Orleans.</p>
<p>When he ran in 2000, Buchanan famously said that he did not leave the Republican Party, it had left him. But, as they say, you can take the lad out of the country but not the country out of the lad. Buchanan rallies instinctively circles the wagons in any major crisis, even as he did before the elections last November, after a year of brilliant criticism of Bush policies. One cannot blame Buchanan. Psychologists tell us that in times of confusion, we all revert to the things we know best. And Buchanan, like everyone else, is nonplussed by Katrina. The torrent has washed away all the nonsense about trickle down economics, starving big government, and worse, long-held beliefs of American omnipotence. Buchanan the political animal grasps that New Orleans spells curtains for the Republican Party next year (making the usual allowances for the Democratic genius for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory). He knows the incompetent in the White House has ruined it for a generation of Republicans.</p>
<p>The sheer pain of watching this unfold reduces Patrick J. Buchanan the lucid analyst to Pat Buchanan, puffy-eyed pugilist, throwing wild suggestions in every direction like a flailing boxer in a late round.</p>
<p>Here’s one of Pat’s suggestions: Don’t abandon Michael Brown to the wolves, he tells Bush. Don’t offer him up to the lynch mob (sic). The very next day, Brown was first moved and quit shortly after.</p>
<p>And then, in a sudden roundhouse swing that lands him in an entirely different ring, he turns on Bush’s nomination of John Roberts — saying he did it in a desperate attempt to shift attention from New Orleans. It is not Buchanan’s complaint that this would be playing politics, his problem is that Bush did not nominate Antonin Scalia. And in an exhibition of spite that would shame young William (the hero of Richmal Compton’s books), he sticks his tongue out one final time at the Democrats and advises Bush to nominate Michael Luttig or Edith Jones for Sandra Day O’Connor’s post, just to show ’em.</p>
<p>If further proof is needed of Pat Buchanan’s Katrina-induced concussion, just consider this: the Mexican Army is camping north of the border these days. Not one word about this in Buchanan’s articles. I rest my case.</p>
<p>NIRANJAN RAMAKRISHNAN is a writer living on the West Coast. He can be reached at <a href="" type="internal">njn_2003@yahoo.com</a>. His blog is at <a href="http://njn-blogogram.blogspot.com/" type="external">http://njn-blogogram.blogspot.com</a>.</p>
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<p>CLARIFICATION</p>
<p>ALEXANDER COCKBURN, JEFFREY ST CLAIR, BECKY GRANT AND THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF JOURNALISTIC CLARITY, COUNTERPUNCH</p>
<p>We published an article entitled “A Saudiless Arabia” by Wayne Madsen dated October 22, 2002 (the “Article”), on the website of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalistic Clarity, CounterPunch, www.counterpunch.org (the “Website”).</p>
<p>Although it was not our intention, counsel for Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has advised us the Article suggests, or could be read as suggesting, that Mr Al Amoudi has funded, supported, or is in some way associated with, the terrorist activities of Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda terrorist network.</p>
<p>We do not have any evidence connecting Mr Al Amoudi with terrorism.</p>
<p>As a result of an exchange of communications with Mr Al Amoudi’s lawyers, we have removed the Article from the Website.</p>
<p>We are pleased to clarify the position.</p>
<p>August 17, 2005</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | one could imagine many things would leave pat buchanan loss cogent opinion along riverboat casinos mississippi portions bridge lake pontchartrain hurricane katrina appears also cast conservative commentators thoughts adrift one hopes temporarily say silent actually drowning new orleans elicited two blistering articles erstwhile presidential aspirant latest thoughts published website american cause buchanan employs usual force eloquence erudition vent fury seems tizzy upon vent general note among opinion community one shock outrage varying degrees emphasis lackadaisical holiday mood set tone languorous response buchanans attention engaged entirely different aspect reading buchanans latest doesnt appear exercised serial tragedies cyclone poverty forestalled evacuation breaking levees flooding starvation looting horrors superdome convention center admission fema dhs chiefs knew nothing thousands assembled venues president seemed living different world instead appears rankle buchanan charge racism raised bush administration devotes bulk two articles katrina rails kanye west saying george bush doesnt care black people tears nancy pelosi calls bush oblivious denial dangerous cries jesse jackson black caucus playing race card even hillary clinton careful escape scattershot scorn moment tells us bushs presidency seemed threatened tide pun intended turned conclude says chatter nations talk radio stations turned calls send 82nd airborne outrage fema anger racebaiters exults nation saw looting black rescued rescuing white draws draws solace statistics 13 country thinks bush could held responsible new orleans ran 2000 buchanan famously said leave republican party left say take lad country country lad buchanan rallies instinctively circles wagons major crisis even elections last november year brilliant criticism bush policies one blame buchanan psychologists tell us times confusion revert things know best buchanan like everyone else nonplussed katrina torrent washed away nonsense trickle economics starving big government worse longheld beliefs american omnipotence buchanan political animal grasps new orleans spells curtains republican party next year making usual allowances democratic genius snatching defeat jaws victory knows incompetent white house ruined generation republicans sheer pain watching unfold reduces patrick j buchanan lucid analyst pat buchanan puffyeyed pugilist throwing wild suggestions every direction like flailing boxer late round heres one pats suggestions dont abandon michael brown wolves tells bush dont offer lynch mob sic next day brown first moved quit shortly sudden roundhouse swing lands entirely different ring turns bushs nomination john roberts saying desperate attempt shift attention new orleans buchanans complaint would playing politics problem bush nominate antonin scalia exhibition spite would shame young william hero richmal comptons books sticks tongue one final time democrats advises bush nominate michael luttig edith jones sandra day oconnors post show em proof needed pat buchanans katrinainduced concussion consider mexican army camping north border days one word buchanans articles rest case niranjan ramakrishnan writer living west coast reached njn_2003yahoocom blog httpnjnblogogramblogspotcom 160 160 160 160 clarification alexander cockburn jeffrey st clair becky grant institute advancement journalistic clarity counterpunch published article entitled saudiless arabia wayne madsen dated october 22 2002 article website institute advancement journalistic clarity counterpunch wwwcounterpunchorg website although intention counsel mohammed hussein al amoudi advised us article suggests could read suggesting mr al amoudi funded supported way associated terrorist activities osama bin laden al qaeda terrorist network evidence connecting mr al amoudi terrorism result exchange communications mr al amoudis lawyers removed article website pleased clarify position august 17 2005 160 | 532 |
<p />
<p>Four years ago, I published an essay in Mother Jones magazine called “ <a href="/mother_jones/JA96/borsook.html" type="external">Cyberselfish</a>,” in which I criticized the dominant libertarian culture of the high-tech universe. Now, it’s almost a half-decade later, and in the dot-com bubble that has bloomed and mostly burst, where high-tech has gone mainstream, and the Brownian noise of day-trading hums incessantly, surely nothing I wrote way back then could possibly still be true.</p>
<p>Wrong.</p>
<p>My new book, “Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High-Tech,” describes the religion of high-tech, if religion is understood to be a set of mostly unconscious, commonly-held, collective beliefs. And religion, like all human culture, perseveres, even when regimes change (or fail to — witness the 2000 elections.)</p>
<p>For example, consider the case of Cisco, that fine company which, along with Al Gore, brought you and continues to bring you the Internet. Cisco has a valuation far far in excess of any Old Economy company you can think of, and is one of the Big Three of the New Economy — Intel and Microsoft being the other two.</p>
<p>Funny thing, Cisco ended up paying no federal income tax last year. Amazing what you can do with the wonders of stock-option accounting. But what’s even more amazing, and more telling, is that folks all over Northern California high-tech think this a fine thing: Cisco creates jobs and wealth and isn’t this enough?</p>
<p>Yet, as I wrote in the introductory chapter to <a href="http://www.cyberselfish.com" type="external">my book</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>“Quiz: where would you want to do business in 2000? In Russia where there’s no regulation, no central government, no rule of law; or in Northern California where the roads are mostly well-paved and well-patrolled and trucks and airplanes are safer than not, where the power grid is usually intact and the banking system is mostly fraud-free and and mostly works, where construction of new buildings is inspected to make sure they are basically safe and sound, where people mostly don’t have to pay protection money, and the majority of law enforcement personnel are not terribly corrupt or brutal? If gangs steal computer chips from factories, these thefts are investigated and the perps prosecuted. And government, through subsidy and regulation and supervision, is the invisible hand behind this relatively peaceful, mostly prosperous scene, making wealth-creation possible.</p>
<p>That government had anything positive to do with any of these structures, checks, and balances that influence so much of how we all live and work (and high-tech so flourishes) is invisible to technolibertarians. Yet these political technolibertarians driving their Hummers home to pricey mansionettes off Woodside Road derive as much benefit from these government interventions as do the poor schnooks driving their Ford LTDs to so-passé factory jobs within commuting distance of Kankakee.”</p>
<p />
<p>I won’t even mention the decades-long government funding for the Internet and the microprocessor industry without which there wouldn’t have been a Cisco. But I will instead mention a recent nasty epidemic of food-poisoning that just erupted at a Mexican restaurant in San Mateo county (that’s north Silicon Valley). Turns out the restaurant hadn’t been inspected in more than a year because — surprise! — it turns out budget cuts made it impossible to hire enough health inspectors. But hey, government is the Great Satan and we all believe in self-regulation and who needs taxes?</p>
<p>Cisco has also been in the middle of a recent controversy because it wants to develop a 688-acre, 22,000-person campus in Coyote Valley, the last undeveloped open space in the environs of San Jose. The current mayor and planning commission are for it; the <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/CiscoThreatensCoyote0899.html" type="external">Sierra Club</a> and the local <a href="http://savecoyotevalley.org/" type="external">Audubon Society</a> are against it — these two oppponents we would expect.</p>
<p>But also against the development are a former San Jose mayor and a former San Jose planning commissioner, as are the cities and counties to the south and west of the proposed complex. They have all seen what unregulated growth and no planning or funding for infrastructure can do. They have witnessed the effects of the ’70s-era tax-revolt ballot initiative known as Proposition 13 — which capped property taxes and in turn encouraged cash-poor municipalities zone light-industrial to nurture their impovershed taxbases — has done to Northern California in general and their own communities in particular. It’s not a pretty sight.They don’t want Silicon Valley’s housing, social, environmental, and transit problems to continue to be further exported to them. But these are complex political and social issues, which the Valley always likes to pooh-pooh away.</p>
<p>The proposed Cisco complex will provide 22,000 parking spaces, but no retail and no housing. Traffic? Pollution? Housing costs? These are someone else’s problem. We believe in the free market!</p>
<p>The fight is an interesting one, for the argument made by the San Jose planning commission in favor of the project is that its “economic, legal, social, and technological benefits outweigh its environmental impact.” Which is truly weird, because last time anyone looked, Silicon Valley was not hurting for jobs. After all, the Valley seems to be a gaping maw for ever greater numbers of imported workers arriving with H1-B visas.</p>
<p>In any event, Cisco’s concession is to offer $3 million in to help preserve open space, and help the <a href="http://www.greenbelt.org/" type="external">local Greenbelt Alliance</a> raise the other $97 million needed to effectively protect what little remaining open space remains. This last-ditch effort hinges on a proposed ballot measure to raise $50 million in taxes — taxes the region wouldn’t need to scrape for if its mega-rich local high-tech businesses like Cisco paid any taxes at all.</p>
<p>Yet Cisco isn’t nearly as bad a corporate citizen as others in high-tech. Its obliviousness to the notion of the commons is strictly par for the technolibertarian course, as further evidenced by the company’s rather typical track record with philanthropy.</p>
<p>Consider the complicated pavane between high-tech and philanthropy. There is a universally acknowledged truth that if a cat loves you, it will give you a dead rat, whether you want a dead rat or not. In high-tech, pretty much the most common instantiantion of communitarian impulses is in the donation of computers, i.e. dead rats.</p>
<p>Ted Turner and John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, got into a fine row out in California this summer past at an Entrepreneurs’ Forum luncheon. Chambers went on about Cisco’s fine corporate largesse, evidenced through its Cisco Academies, the fancy name given to the curricular materials Cisco provides to high-schools and junior colleges to train the next generation of Cisco technicians. Oops, I mean network troubleshooters.</p>
<p>Turner rightfully blasted Chambers for his primo cat-dead rat thinking: “Half the people in the world don’t have electricity. How are you going to get a computer in their hands? I think it’s a little self-serving of the computer industry to give away computers, not unlike drug dealers giving out the first hit on the house.”</p>
<p>And as for Cisco, what about those people who have other or more pressing desires and talents than those that might lead them to being graduates of the Borg Institute of Technology? Where does the company get off on saying there is other than at best enlightened self-interest in offloading the cost of training its future technicians onto public institutions?</p>
<p>But there’s John Morgridge, Chairman of the Cisco board, giving an address to the Commonwealth Club of California, about “Philanthropy in the New Internet Economy” and the glories of the Cisco Academies: “The Internet has spawned a new generation of philanthropists — with a vision that doesn’t always mesh with the old way of doing things.”</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s called tunnel vision, and unfortunately there isn’t 20-minute laser surgery available in the local strip-malls to correct it.</p>
<p>These proposals, that schools ought to be treated like startups (yeah, right, what do you do with the kids who aren’t best of breed? What’s the IPO here?), that philanthropy ought to be treated as a startup (what is the meaning of business discipline when funding the arts? What the ROI on funding 2.3 ballets as opposed to 1.7?) are religious pieties, and not fieldnotes from the frontlines of a new economy and a new society.</p>
<p>A friend of mine who writes for Business Week tells me on the monthly conference call he’s part of with the CEO of Cisco, dark mutterings are intimated about the threat of government, a dark force always present just below the horizon, to high-tech. Which is ridiculous, for both Bush and Gore and their parties have come a courtin’ like mad to high-tech. (Money! Status! Export dollars!)</p>
<p>Their doing so is an interesting gesture, because the question could be asked, “Why should those in mainstream politics be pining after those in high-tech, when high-tech, for the most part, could care less?” Unrequited love affairs, one-sided crushes, are so much less interesting than meaningful relationships of endowed with the capacity for some sort of mutual aid and assistance.</p>
<p>And what’s really loopy about someone from Cisco carrying on like this is that when Cisco first got going back in the late ’80s, its main customer was the federal government, because who else was funding the Internet back then, and buying internetworking equipment? Cisco and the US government are long-time companions.</p>
<p>But Cisco is as fine an exemplar as one could hope to find of how that technolibertarianism just keeps on biting the hand that gives it the hand-outs.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | four years ago published essay mother jones magazine called cyberselfish criticized dominant libertarian culture hightech universe almost halfdecade later dotcom bubble bloomed mostly burst hightech gone mainstream brownian noise daytrading hums incessantly surely nothing wrote way back could possibly still true wrong new book cyberselfish critical romp terribly libertarian culture hightech describes religion hightech religion understood set mostly unconscious commonlyheld collective beliefs religion like human culture perseveres even regimes change fail witness 2000 elections example consider case cisco fine company along al gore brought continues bring internet cisco valuation far far excess old economy company think one big three new economy intel microsoft two funny thing cisco ended paying federal income tax last year amazing wonders stockoption accounting whats even amazing telling folks northern california hightech think fine thing cisco creates jobs wealth isnt enough yet wrote introductory chapter book quiz would want business 2000 russia theres regulation central government rule law northern california roads mostly wellpaved wellpatrolled trucks airplanes safer power grid usually intact banking system mostly fraudfree mostly works construction new buildings inspected make sure basically safe sound people mostly dont pay protection money majority law enforcement personnel terribly corrupt brutal gangs steal computer chips factories thefts investigated perps prosecuted government subsidy regulation supervision invisible hand behind relatively peaceful mostly prosperous scene making wealthcreation possible government anything positive structures checks balances influence much live work hightech flourishes invisible technolibertarians yet political technolibertarians driving hummers home pricey mansionettes woodside road derive much benefit government interventions poor schnooks driving ford ltds sopassé factory jobs within commuting distance kankakee wont even mention decadeslong government funding internet microprocessor industry without wouldnt cisco instead mention recent nasty epidemic foodpoisoning erupted mexican restaurant san mateo county thats north silicon valley turns restaurant hadnt inspected year surprise turns budget cuts made impossible hire enough health inspectors hey government great satan believe selfregulation needs taxes cisco also middle recent controversy wants develop 688acre 22000person campus coyote valley last undeveloped open space environs san jose current mayor planning commission sierra club local audubon society two oppponents would expect also development former san jose mayor former san jose planning commissioner cities counties south west proposed complex seen unregulated growth planning funding infrastructure witnessed effects 70sera taxrevolt ballot initiative known proposition 13 capped property taxes turn encouraged cashpoor municipalities zone lightindustrial nurture impovershed taxbases done northern california general communities particular pretty sightthey dont want silicon valleys housing social environmental transit problems continue exported complex political social issues valley always likes poohpooh away proposed cisco complex provide 22000 parking spaces retail housing traffic pollution housing costs someone elses problem believe free market fight interesting one argument made san jose planning commission favor project economic legal social technological benefits outweigh environmental impact truly weird last time anyone looked silicon valley hurting jobs valley seems gaping maw ever greater numbers imported workers arriving h1b visas event ciscos concession offer 3 million help preserve open space help local greenbelt alliance raise 97 million needed effectively protect little remaining open space remains lastditch effort hinges proposed ballot measure raise 50 million taxes taxes region wouldnt need scrape megarich local hightech businesses like cisco paid taxes yet cisco isnt nearly bad corporate citizen others hightech obliviousness notion commons strictly par technolibertarian course evidenced companys rather typical track record philanthropy consider complicated pavane hightech philanthropy universally acknowledged truth cat loves give dead rat whether want dead rat hightech pretty much common instantiantion communitarian impulses donation computers ie dead rats ted turner john chambers ceo cisco got fine row california summer past entrepreneurs forum luncheon chambers went ciscos fine corporate largesse evidenced cisco academies fancy name given curricular materials cisco provides highschools junior colleges train next generation cisco technicians oops mean network troubleshooters turner rightfully blasted chambers primo catdead rat thinking half people world dont electricity going get computer hands think little selfserving computer industry give away computers unlike drug dealers giving first hit house cisco people pressing desires talents might lead graduates borg institute technology company get saying best enlightened selfinterest offloading cost training future technicians onto public institutions theres john morgridge chairman cisco board giving address commonwealth club california philanthropy new internet economy glories cisco academies internet spawned new generation philanthropists vision doesnt always mesh old way things yeah called tunnel vision unfortunately isnt 20minute laser surgery available local stripmalls correct proposals schools ought treated like startups yeah right kids arent best breed whats ipo philanthropy ought treated startup meaning business discipline funding arts roi funding 23 ballets opposed 17 religious pieties fieldnotes frontlines new economy new society friend mine writes business week tells monthly conference call hes part ceo cisco dark mutterings intimated threat government dark force always present horizon hightech ridiculous bush gore parties come courtin like mad hightech money status export dollars interesting gesture question could asked mainstream politics pining hightech hightech part could care less unrequited love affairs onesided crushes much less interesting meaningful relationships endowed capacity sort mutual aid assistance whats really loopy someone cisco carrying like cisco first got going back late 80s main customer federal government else funding internet back buying internetworking equipment cisco us government longtime companions cisco fine exemplar one could hope find technolibertarianism keeps biting hand gives handouts | 863 |
<p>“A Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary (1972; 1976) examples first printing of the word (jazz) in relation to music, The Bulletin, San Francisco, March 6, 1913, ‘Its members trained on ragtime and jazz.'” (1)</p>
<p>“What is the ‘jazz?’ Why, it’s a little of that ‘old life,’ the ‘gin-i-ker,’ the ‘pep,’ otherwise known as the enthusiasalum” Edward “Scoop” Gleeson, San Francisco Bulletin, March 6, 1913. (2)</p>
<p>“Spell it Jass, Jas, Jaz, or Jazz ­ nothing can spoil a Jass band. Some say the Jass band originated in Chicago. Chicago says it came from San Francisco ­ San Francisco being away across the continent.” Victor Record Review, March 7, 1917 (3)</p>
<p>Born in the slum and dockside streets of the port city of New Orleans, and at the rural crossroads of American South, and popularized in the dance halls and cabarets of Chicago in the years before the Great World War, the roots and origins of the African American music called “Jazz” have been researched and documented for almost a century in a slew (slua, a multitude) of scholarly articles, popular magazines, books, newspapers, plays, radio shows, television documentaries, and Hollywood films. (4)</p>
<p>Condemned and vilified as a “cultural plague” by the yackin’ (éagcaoin, pron. yeeag-keen, complaining, lamenting) upper-middle class swells (sóúil, comfortable, wealthy) and cultural gatekeepers of the early 20th century, today at the beginning of the 21st, Jazz music is enshrined at the highest level of American culture by elite institutions like the Smithsonian Institute, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, NYC’s Lincoln Center, and the American Public Broadcasting Network.</p>
<p>Foundational Jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charles Mingus have been honored by Presidents, Parliaments, Prime Ministers, Kings, and Queens.</p>
<p>Jazz music has jazzed up High Society.</p>
<p>But dat ol’ woid “Jazz” is still a motherless child..</p>
<p>The Oxford English Dictionary, the Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and the American Heritage Dictionary all agree that the origin of the word Jazz is “not known.”</p>
<p>Jazz, n, 1913. American English, a kind of ragtime dance (sic), perhaps related to earlier jasm, energy, drive (1860) apparently of African origin…The source of Jazz in English is not known. By 1922 jazz was applied to the music (sic)…originating among American Blacks. The meaning of energy, excitement, pep is first recorded in 1913, again perhaps influenced by the earlier jasm.” (5)</p>
<p>Writers, crackpots, and scholars have proposed a mind-boggling variety of etymologies for the word Jazz: the name of a dancing slave named “Jasper” the moniker of the mythical musician “Jasbo” Brown;” the French word “chasse” for the gliding dance step that gave us the American word “sashay;” the Creole French “jaser,” meaning “useless talk;” a New Orleans perfume called “jasmine;” and the Arabic “jazib,” meaning “one who allures.” (6)</p>
<p>John Philip Sousa, the American march composer and band leader believed the word “Jazz” came into American speech through “Jazzbo,” 1890’s Vaudeville slang for the rousing rollick of the finale, when performers would come back out on stage to gad about and cavort for the audience. (7)</p>
<p>The birth of the music called “Jazz” within African-American culture has led others to look for an origin in African languages, such as the Mandingo “jasi” and the Wolof “yees,” meaning to “step out of character.” But, these etymologies have been rejected by American and African language scholars.</p>
<p>There is no evidence of the words Jass or Jazz in any African-American slave narratives, oral histories, folk songs, or recorded vernacular speech, prior to 1913. The late Alan P. Merriam, Professor of Anthropology, wrote in 1974: “I have never found the word in Africa.” (8)</p>
<p>Jesse Sheidlower, editor at large for the Oxford American English Dictionary, wrote in Slate magazine, in December, 2004: “The African etymology of jazz was fabricated by a New York press agent in 1917.” (9)</p>
<p>The press agent was the glib master of baloney and hoopla, Walter Kingsley, whose tongue-in-cheek article on the new word Jass: “Whence Comes Jass?” was published in August 1917 in the NY Sun. Kingsley’s phoney African etymology of Jazz was first exposed as a scam (‘s cam, is crooked, dishonest, a deception) by the writer and researcher Dick Holbrooke, who reprinted it in full in Storyville jazz magazine in January, 1974. (10)</p>
<p>“Variously spelled Jas, Jass, Jaz, Jazz, Jasz, and Jascz. The word is African in origin. It is common on the Gold Coast of Africa and in the hinterland of Cape CastleIn his studies of the creole patois and idiom of New Orleans Lafcadio Hearn reported the word ‘jaz,’ meaning to speed things up was common among blacks of the South and had been applied by the creoles (sic) as a term to be applied to music of the syncopated type No doubt the witch doctors and medicine men on the Congo used the same term at those jungle “parties” when the tom-toms throbbed and their sturdy warriors gave their pep an extra kick (ed. italics) My own personal idea of jazz and its origin is told in this stanza by Vachel Lindsay:’ Fat black bucks in a wine barrel roomWith a silk umbrella and the handle of a broom. Boomlay, Boomlay, Boomlay BOOM.’ Lindsay is then transported to the Congo and its feats and revels and he hears, as I have heard, a ‘thigh bone beating on a tin pan gong.’ Mumbo Jumbo is the god of jazz. Be careful how you write of jazz else he will hoodoo you.” (11)</p>
<p>If so, a hoodoo (uath dubh, pron. hooh dooh, a dark specter, a malevolent phantom) haunts the slick hack Walter Kingsley’s “ground sweat” (grian suite, sunny site, fig. grave) for writing such racist tripe (dríb, filth).</p>
<p>Kingsley’s faux-linguistic treatment of the word “Jass” has been quoted in the academic echo chambers by dude (dúd, numbskull) scholars, historians, lexicographers, and etymologists” galore (go leor, plenty, abundant, enough.) His facile, literate mullarkey on the word “Jass” was nothing more than a cute (ciúta, a clever quip, an ingenious trick) publicity gimmick (camóg, a crooked device; an equivocation, a trick) to boost his Big Shot (Séad, Seád, pron. “shod,” a jewel, fig. a big chief) client Florenz Ziegfeld’s summer musical spectacular Midnight Frolic, which featured the new hot music called “Jass” on the cool snazzy (snasach, pron. snassah, elegant) roof of the swank (somhaoineach, pron. suhwainek, wealthy, profitable) New Amsterdam hotel in midtown Manhattan. The NY Sun’s editors got the joke and Flo Ziegfeld’s advertising moolah (moll óir, pile of gold or money), humorously entitling Kingsley’s piece: Whence Comes Jazz? — Facts from the Great Authority on the Subject. (12)</p>
<p>Kingsley’s putative source, the writer Lafcadio Hearn, never used the word “Jazz” or “Jass” or “Jaz” in any of his books, articles, or letters, a fact confirmed by Richard Holbrooke and Hearn’s biographers. But, the Hearn bunkum (buanchumadh, pron. buan-kumah, perpetual invention, long made-up tale, fig. a shaggy dog story), and Kingsley’s outrageously racist NY Sun article continues to be cited by American and English dictionaries. (13)</p>
<p>African-American Musicians’ Hatred for the Word “Jazz”</p>
<p>The words “Jass” or “Jazz” were not used by any of the foundational African-American New Orleans musicians — from Buddy Bolden and Bunk Johnson to Joe “King” Oliver, Sidney Bechet, and Louis Armstrong — prior to the release of the first “Jass” record in history: Dixieland Jass One Step and Livery Stable Blues, in New York City, in March 1917. (14)</p>
<p>Louis Armstrong wrote in 1944: “I moved back home with my mother (in 1918). I was working at Tom Anderson’s Cabaret ­ located on ‘Rampart…Lots of Big Shots from Lulu White’s used to come there…And I was playing the Cornet. We played all sorts of arrangements T’wasn’t called ‘Jazz’ back there in those days They played a whole lot of Ragtime music. We called it Dixie ­ Jazz, in the later years.” (15)</p>
<p>The influential New Orleans Creole reedman Sidney Bechet, who was a native speaker of French Creole Vernacular, called the music “ragtime” all his life. In his autobiography, “Treat It Gentle,” Bechet set the tone for succeeding generations of African American musicians, who have expressed contempt and even hatred for the name “Jazz” for their music: “What does Jazz mean to you when I come up behind you: ‘Jazz,’ I say, ‘what does that do to you? That doesn’t explain the music.” (16)</p>
<p>Bechet wrote: “But let me tell you one thing: Jazz, that’s a name the white people have given to the music (my italics). There’s two kinds of music. There’s classic and there’s ragtime. When I tell you ragtime, you can feel it, there’s a spirit right in the word…But Jazz ­ Jazz could mean any damn’ thing: high times, screwing, ballroom. It used to be spelled Jass…” (17)</p>
<p>In 1968, at the height of the Black Nationalist movement, in back to back newspaper columns by San Francisco music critics Ralph Gleason of the Chronicle and Philip Elwood of the Examiner, the Chicago bandleader and drummer “Big Black” got right to the point: “We should kill Jazz, wipe jazz out…Jazz is not the proper name for anybody’s musicThe truth is that jazz as a word is vulgar and profane and we should tear it down and then there won’t be any jazz clubs, there will be music houses. The jazz image is a funky image. We ought to get a coffin and have a parade and bury it….It got the name through sarcasm, through misunderstanding…and jazz is no title for this music.'”</p>
<p>“They slapped that ‘jazz’ on the Black man’s music to make sure everyone would treat it as an inferior kind of artistry.” (18)</p>
<p>Chico Hamilton was interviewed by Les Tomkins in 1972: “The fact is music is a multi-billion dollar business now; it’s come a long way. They’ve got away from using the word jazz, in many cases, and as a matter of fact, it’s not a good word anyway. Originally, it didn’t have anything to do with music. That’s Mr. Ellington’s bone of contention also, that it should be called something else.” (19)</p>
<p>Duke Ellington said naming African-American music “Jazz” was equivalent to calling it a “four letter word.” At a meeting of the California Arts Commission in Monterey in the 1960s, when one of the Commission members said that the word Jazz came from New Orleans, Duke Ellington said: “They didn’t learn it there” Ellington later added, “By and large, jazz always has been like the kind of man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with. The word ‘jazz’ has been part of the problem. In the 1920s I used to try to convince Fletcher Henderson that we ought to call what we were doing ‘Negro music.’ But it’s too late for that now. This music has become so integrated you can’t tell one part from the other so far as color is concerned.” (20)</p>
<p>In 2003, Pianist and composer Billy Taylor confirmed that the negative attitude of African American musicians towards the word “Jazz” hasn’t changed since Sidney Bechet’s day. He spoke to Ben Wattenberg on the PBS program Think Tank.</p>
<p>Ben Wattenberg. “Is it true that Ellington never said that he played Jazz; that’s not a word he used?”</p>
<p>Billy Taylor: “He hated the term, as many jazz musicians do. We’re saddled with it. But the music was always called something by someone that had nothing to do with the music itself. So the (term) ragtime came from other sources. The term Dixieland, swing, almost all of the categories that jazz is divided or subdivided into were named by people who didn’t have nothing to do with the music. And all of the musicians hated the term (my italics) because they felt that the terms were too confining… So the terms, we’re saddled with them. (Duke Ellington) called Jazz Negro music, because he was trying to write music that reflected the thoughts and feeling and the expressions and emotions of the African American race… … “Actually (Ellington) was an international musician…jazz was created by African slaves and it came out of the spiritual, it came out of some of the work songs…They were not allowed to bring any cultural supports…as people who were a part of this country. And so that’s why African music is African American, and it’s what happened when people of African descent had to refashion their cultural expressions to fit a new situation.” (21)</p>
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<p>II San Francisco “Jazz” ­ 1913</p>
<p>In a series of groundbreaking articles exploring the origin of the word Jazz, written between 1938 and 1981, the world-class San Francisco sanasán (vocabularist, etymologist), researcher, archivist, and folklore collector, Peter Tamony, shocked Jazz scholars when he revealed that the word “Jazz” burst into print for the first time in the history of the American language in the spring of 1913, in the sports pages of the San Francisco Bulletin in the jazzy prose of a natty (néata, neat, dapper) 27 year old San Francisco Irish-American baseball scribe with the snazzy moniker of “Scoop” Gleeson.</p>
<p>It is a testament to the strength of Peter Tamony’s pre-Cyber Age grassroots scholarship that since the 1938 publication of his first article on the 1913 birth of the word “jazz” in San Francisco, only one earlier published example of “jazz” has been discovered by countless researchers, scouring thousands of published sources with the aid of computers. In 2004, using an historical newspaper data base and computer search engine, NYU librarian George Thompson found the word “jazz” in an anonymously written sports snippet in The Los Angeles Times, published on April 2, 1912, entitled Ben’s Jazz Curve. Curiously, the “jazz” fizzled out in The L.A. Times after this single appearance. But, less than a year later, the new word “jazz” sizzled into print in San Francisco forever. (43)</p>
<p>In a series of “Special Dispatches” written from the San Francisco Seals baseball team’s spring training camp at Boyes Hot Springs, Sonoma county, forty miles north of the city, and from Recreation Park stadium in the heart of the old Mission District, sports reporter “Scoop” Gleeson used the new word “Jazz” more than forty times in March and April, 1913. This hot word “Jazz” soon spread like verbal wildfire to the Bulletin sports headlines, other reporters, feature stories, and even the cartoons. (44)</p>
<p>Gleeson’s first use of the word “Jazz” was on March 3rd, 1913: “McCarl has been heralded all along the line as a “busher,” but now it all develops that this dope is very much to the “jazz.” (45)</p>
<p>What “Scoop” Gleeson was saying here in early 20th century vernacular was that local baseball “experts,” fans, and sports writers had put out the skinny” that the new Seals rookie George McCarl was an inexperienced “bush leaguer,” or rural amateur league player. But, all this bad talk and gossip (dope) was nothing but the “Jazz,” meaning a lot of “hot air” and baloney (béal ónna, pron. bail owny, foolish talk). Young George McCall, “Scoop” wrote, was an “experienced player” with six years of professional baseball experience. (46)</p>
<p>Then three days later on March 6th, 1913, under the full page banner headline: “Seals Return From the Spa to Tackle the Famous White Sox!” the Bulletin editors gave “Scoop” Gleeson a full front page ballyhoo, a four paragraph, two column-wide lead, set in boldface type, to define the hot new word “Jazz” to San Francisco baseball fans.</p>
<p>“Come on, there Professor, string up the big harp and give us all a tune Everybody has come back to the old town full of the old ‘jazz’ and they promise to knock the fans off their feet with their playing.</p>
<p>“What is the ‘jazz?’ Why, it’s a little of that ‘old life,’ the ‘gin-i-ker,’ the ‘pep,’ otherwise known as the enthusiasalum. A grain of ‘jazz’ and you feel like going out and eating your way through Twin Peaks. It’s that spirit which makes ordinary players step around like Lajoies and (Ty) Cobbs</p>
<p>“‘Hap’ Hogan gave his men a couple of shots of ‘near-jazz’ last season and look what happened — the Tigers became the most ferocious set of tossers in the league. Now the Seals have happened upon great quantities of it in the quiet valley of Sonoma and they’re setting the countryside on fire.” (47)</p>
<p>What did this hot new word “Jazz” mean to “Scoop” Gleeson in March 1913? The synonyms he used for “Jazz” were “pep,” “enthusiasalum,” the “gin-i-ker,” and “spirit.”</p>
<p>“Pep” is “hot” like pepper, from which it is derived, and is defined by Roget’s Thesaurus as “energy,” “spirit,” “fire,” and “vim.” While Scoop’s marvelous invented word “enthusiasalum” showed that the young “Scoop” Gleeson had linguistic pizzazz. (48)</p>
<p>But what did the mysterious synonym “gin-i-ker” mean? And how were great quantities of “Jazz” setting the Sonoma countryside on fire?</p>
<p>The answer is Irish.</p>
<p>The “Gin-i-ker” is the phonetic spelling of the Irish word-phrase “Tine Caor” (pron. jin-i-ker) and means “raging fire and lightning.” It is the gin-i-ker (tine caor, a thunderbolt of fire) that produces “Jazz” (Teas, pron. jass, heat). (49)</p>
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<p>Gin-i-ker Tine caor (pronounced jin-i-ker) Raging fire, lightning.</p>
<p>Tine, al. Teine (pron. jin-ih, chin-eh), fire; conflagration, incandescence; luminosity, flash. (50)</p>
<p>Caor (pron. kayr), a thunderbolt, a meteor, a round mass of flame, a glowing object. (51)</p>
<p>Jazz is the phonetic spelling of the Irish and Gaelic word Teas, meaning “heat and highest temperature.”</p>
<p>Jazz Teas (pron. jass or chass) Heat, warmth, passion, excitement, fervor, ardor, zeal, enthusiasm, anger, and highest temperature. (52)</p>
<p>The ancient Irish word Teas (pron. jass, heat) was reborn in a 20th century Irish American gob (cab, pron. cob, mouth) as Jazz: the hottest American word of the 20th century.</p>
<p>Teas spelled “jazz” by “Scoop” Gleeson holds within it the divine racket (raic ard, loud ruckus) and clamour (glam mór, great howl) of the “Jazz” (Teas, pron. jass, heat, passion, excitement) of Irish American Vernacular and African American Music.</p>
<p>Jazz is always jazzy (teasaí, pron. jassy, hot, exciting, and passionate).</p>
<p>Jazzy Teasaí (pron. jassy or chassy), adj. Hot, warm, passionate, exciting, fervent, enthusiastic, feverish, angry. (53)</p>
<p>But how does an Irish word spelled Teas, which looks like it sounds like the English word “tease,” become pronounced “Jass” in an Irish or American puss (pus, a mouth, lips, fig. a face)?</p>
<p>The Jazz (Teas, pron. jass, heat) of the Affricate</p>
<p>“The Rule of Tír” (tír, land, country) states that the Irish word Tír can be correctly pronounced “jeer, cheer, or tear” in the Irish language. So, too, the Irish word Teas, meaning “heat,” can also be pronounced “jass” in Ulster and North Mayo, “chass” in Connaught, or “t’ass” in Munster, the three living dialects of the Irish language.</p>
<p>In Ulster and Connaught Irish, and in the languages of Scots-Gaelic and Manx, the word Teas, meaning “heat,” is pronounced “jass” or “chass” and is called an affricate, which is a speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point.</p>
<p>The sound of the slender consonant “T” in the Irish word Teas (pron. “jass” or “chass”), meaning “heat,” is created by blocking the air and then releasing it with friction against the palate. The sound produced resembles the “J” in the English word “joy” or the “Ch” in “chair.” (54)</p>
<p>The fricative friction of the affricate produces the “heat” of Teas (pron. “jass” or “chass,” heat, highest temperature), which is itself a word that is in a constant state of “Jazz” both in its meaning and in the natural physical law embodied in its articulation.</p>
<p>Dig it or not (Tuig é nó ná, pron. dig ay no naa, understand it or not), Jazz is an Irish and American word with naturally jazzy (teasaí, pron. “jassy.” hot) onomatopoeia.</p>
<p>The Waters of Boyes Hot Springs, California</p>
<p>On March 8th, 1913, “Scoop” Gleeson wrote that the San Francisco Seals baseball team kept their Jazz in a can. . “Spence the catcher zipped the old pill around the infield. He opened a can of ‘jazz’ at the tap of the gong. Henley the pitcher put a little more of the old ‘jazz’ on the pill.” (55)</p>
<p>On March 14th, “Scoop” told his readers precisely where to find the Jazz. It was in the jazzy (hot) waters of Boyes Hot Springs where, he wrote: “there’s “jazz” in the morning dew, “jazz” in the daily bath, and “jazz” in the natural spring water” (56)</p>
<p>It was the Jazz of the gin-i-ker at the earth’s core that caused the jazzy spring water of Boyes Hot Springs to bubble up and effervesce with 135 degrees Fahrenheit of natural Jazz.</p>
<p>On a website, almost ninety years later, the Mission Springs Hotel in Boyes Hot Springs, California, in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon, is still extolling the heat and healing properties of the natural spring water on its website: “Paradise found – where Mother Nature has generously combined health enhancing water and minerals heated to 135 degrees of perfection, 1,100 feet within the Earth’s core.”</p>
<p>It is the earth’s water in a sizzle that is the hydrothermal womb where the “old jazz” became “life.” (57)</p>
<p>By March 29th, 1913, the San Francisco Seals were a lifeless fizzle; though Scoop’s snazzy prose still had pizzazz. “Scoop” used the hot new word Jazz more than ten times in this single story. (58)</p>
<p>Under the headline: “Now the Local Players Have Lost the “Jazz” and Don’t Know Where to Find It, “Scoop” lamented: “The poor old Seals have lost their ‘jazz’ and don’t know where to find it. It’s a fact, gentle reader, that the ‘jazz,’ the pepper, the old life, has either been lost or stolen, and that the San Francisco club of today is made up of ‘jazzless’ Seals.</p>
<p>“There is a chance that the old ‘jazz’ was sent by parcel post, which may account for its failure to arrive yesterday</p>
<p>“The Seals pitcher, “Cac” Henley will need a gallon of ‘jazz’ From the way the White Sox stacked up, one might have suspected that they were inoculated with the ‘jazz’ during their stay in the Valley of the MoonSuffice it to say that the Seals were without the ‘jazz’ and they played in last season’s faulty style. …. Manager Del had better send for the ‘jazz’ wagon — Quick! Quick! Bring on the old ‘jazz!'”</p>
<p>Then on April 10th, 1913, the word “Jazz” brought its Irish American verbal heat and excitement to the comics for the first time in history. In a five-column wide Bulletin sports page cartoon headlined: “Justin Fitzgerald, the Santa Clara Lightning Bolt,” the speedy Fitzgerald was drawn by the cartoonist Breton as the personification of the “gin-i-ker” with the head of a man and a lightning bolt for a body. (59)</p>
<p>In the cartoon the hapless Seals’ infielders lurch and stumble, while the young slugger (slacaire, a batter) zaps around the bases like a “blue streak.” In the cartoon’s foreground, a fan in a slouch hat cracks to three cronies (comh-róghna, pron cuh-roney, fellow-favorites, mutual-sweethearts) in the stands: “He’s full of the ‘old jazz.'”</p>
<p>In the background of the cartoon, beyond the left field fence of Recreation Park at 15th and Valencia, in the Mission District’s old “Irishtown” neighborhood, Breton has sketched in the steeple of Mission Dolores Cathedral and the hills of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks.</p>
<p>In the hot spring of 1913, on the eve of a Great World War, there were thousands of native Irish-speakers and their first-generation Irish-American children living in the breac-Ghaeltachta parishes and neighborhoods surrounding the old Seals’ stadium. Their old Mission District spiel (speal, cutting satiric speech) was peppered with the phonetic Jazz of the Irish language. (60)</p>
<p>In 1920, the U.S. Federal Census recorded hundreds of breac-Ghaeltachta, containing thousands of Irish speakers in American cities as geographically diverse as San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Springfield, Illinois, Butte, Montana, and Portland, Maine. (61)</p>
<p>By mid-April 1913, the word Jazz had become so hot in San Francisco that Bulletin columnist Ernest Hopkins devoted an entire feature story to this local verbal phenomenon. Hopkins’ jazzy column was a lulu, illustrated with a cartoon of a dude (dúd, a dolt, a numbskull) in a swell three-piece suit, presumably Hopkins himself, precariously balancing the letters J-A-Z-Z on the tip of his middle-class snoot (snua ard, lofty visage.) (62)</p>
<p>In Praise of “Jazz” A Futurist Word Which Has Just Joined the Language by Ernest Hopkins, April 5, 1913, S.F. Bulletin</p>
<p>This column is entitled “What’s Not in the News” but occasionally a few things that are in the news leak in. We have been trying for some time to keep these things out, but hereby acknowledge ourselves powerless and surrender.</p>
<p>This thing is a word. It has recently become current in the Bulletin office through some means which we cannot discover but would stop up if we could. There should be every precaution taken to avoid the possibility of any more such words leaking in to disturb our vocabulary.</p>
<p>This word is “JAZ.” It is also spelt “Jazz,” and as they both sound the same and mean the same, there is no way of settling the controversy. The office staff is divided into two sharp factions, one of which upholds the single z and the other the double z. To keep them from coming to blows much Christianity is required.</p>
<p>“JAZZ” (We change the spelling each time so as not to offend either faction) can be defined, but it cannot be synonymized. If there were another word that exactly expressed the meaning of “jaz,” “Jazz” would never have been born. A new word like a new muscle only comes into being when it has been long needed.</p>
<p>This remarkable and satisfactory-sounding word, however, means something like life, vigor, energy, effervescence of spirit, joy, pep, magnetism, verve, virility, ebulliency, courage, happiness, ­ oh, what’s the use? ­ JAZZ.</p>
<p>Nothing else can express it.</p>
<p>You can go on flinging the new word all over the world, like a boy with a new jack-knife. It is “jazz” when you run for your train; “jaz” when you soak an umpire; “Jazz” when you demand a raise; “jaz” when you hike thirty-five miles of a Sunday; “Jazz” when you simply sit around and beam so that all who look beam on you. Anything that takes manliness or effort or energy or activity or strength of soul is “jaz.”</p>
<p>We would not have you apprehend that this new word is slang. It is merely futurist language, which as everybody knows is more than mere cartooning.</p>
<p>“Jazz” is a nice word, a classic word, easy on the tongue and pleasant to the ears, profoundly expressive of the idea it conveys – as when you say a home-run hitter is “full of the old jaz.” (Credit Scoop.) There is and always has been an art of genial strength; to this art we now give the splendid title of “jazz.”</p>
<p>The sheer musical quality of the word, that delightful sound like the crackling of an electric spark, commends it. It belongs to the class of onomatopoeia. It was important that this vacancy in our language should have been filled with a word of proper sound, because “jaz” is a quality often celebrated in epic poetry, in prizefight stories, in the tale of action or the meditative sonnet; it is a universal word, and must appear well in all society.</p>
<p>That is why “pep,” which tried to mean the same but never could, failed; it was a rough-neck from the first, and could not wear evening clothes. “Jazz” is at home in bar or ballroom; it is a true American. “(Ernest Hopkins, S.F. Bulletin, April 19, 1913)</p>
<p>Less than a week later, on April 25th, “Scoop” spelled out the Irish definition of the American word Jazz for his San Francisco readers: “H.E.A.T. is a staple product of Los Angeles and Manager Dillon must have had some of it expressed to Oakland for use in the third game. However, the Seals invoked the aid of “jazz” which keeps equally in hot or cold weather and were thus able to win out on a 3 to 2 score.” (63)</p>
<p>By May 1st “Scoop” Gleeson was writing poems to the elusive “jazz.”</p>
<p>The old Wolf sat in the clubhouse door, Hoping that his team might score. The game rolled on, but he WOULD not go, Because he loved those umpires so. (Help! The old “jazz” is out again!). .(64)</p>
<p>By the end of May 1913 the Seals were 9-13 and totally out of “jazz” — in last place. On June 5th, “Scoop” Gleeson blamed the loss of the old Jazz on an old Irish jinx: “Too long have the Oaks proved to be the hoodoofor the Seals.” (65)</p>
<p>Then on July 7th in another large Breton cartoon on the front page of the sports section, a distraught father rushes about, frantically searching for a bottle of “Jazz” water to revive his sick baby (the S.F. Seals.) But, in store after store, he is unable to find the life-giving “Jazz” to save his kid (cuid, a chuid, a term of affection, mo chuid, my darling) (66)</p>
<p>By July 24th, the Seals were truly sick kids and had lost 15 of the last 16 games. In August, they were in the cellar of the Pacific Coast League without a drop of “Jazz.”. At the end of the 1913 baseball season, the San Francisco Seals had finished 5th out of 6 teams. (67)</p>
<p>But that “futurist” San Francisco Irish American Vernacular word “Jazz” was just starting to sizzle into the consciousness and print of American speech and culture.</p>
<p>In early June, 1913, the San Francisco “Jazz” had already whizzed east into Indiana. In a feature story entitled “Best Sellers in City Slang,” the Fort Wayne Sentinel reported that the “old jazz” was the “newest slang term in San Francisco.” (68)</p>
<p>By the Fall of 1913, Jazz jumped like an electric spark from the baseball diamond to the boxing ring. In The Oakland Tribune on October 4th, the slugger (slacaire, a batter; a mauler, a bruiser) in the story wasn’t a Seal hitting a baseball with a smack (smeach, pron. smack, a whack) and a wallop (bhuail leadhb, pron. whual lob, a mighty blow), but two palookas dukin’ (tuargain, pron. duargin, hammering, slugging) it out in the ring: “The Sailor was off his feet last night, although Clabby handed him shots of the old _-jazz which made the ex-sailor’s knees sag.” (69)</p>
<p>The Jazz of Ireland and San Francisco was on its way to becoming the hottest new word of the 20th century.</p>
<p>DANIEL CASSIDY is founder and co-director of An Léann Éireannach, the Irish Studies Program, at New College of California in San Francisco. Cassidy is an award-winning filmmaker and musician. His research on the Irish language influence on American vernacular and slang has been published in the New York Observer (“Decoding the Gangs of New York”), Ireland’s Hot Press magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Lá, the Irish-language newspaper. His book, The Secret Language of the Crossroad: How the Irish Invented Slang, will be published by CounterPunch Books in Spring 2007. Cassidy was born in Brooklyn and lives with his wife Clare in San Francisco. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:DanCas1@aol.com" type="external">DanCas1@aol.com</a> Footnotes (abridged version)</p>
<p>(1) Cited in Peter Tamony, Jazz: The Word, And Its Extension To Music, JEMF Quarterly, Spring, 1981, p. 10.</p>
<p>(2) Edward “Scoop” Gleeson, San Francisco Bulletin, March 6, 1913, p.13</p>
<p>(3) Victor Record Review, March 7, 1917; cited in Peter Tamony, Jazz: The Word, And Its Extension To Music, JEMF Quarterly, Spring, 1981, p. 10.</p>
<p>(4) Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong: In His Own Words, ed. Thomas Brothers, Oxford, 1999, pp. 23-24, 38, 83: “T’wasn’t called Jazz back there in those days,” pp. 218-219; Sidney Bechet, Treat It Gentle: An Autobiography, N.Y., 1960, 1978, pp. 1-5; pp. 62-67; Alan Lomax, Mr. Jelly Roll: The Fortunes of Jelly Roll Morton, New Orleans Creole and “Inventor of Jazz,” Berkeley, 1950, 1973, 2001, p. x, pp. 124-126.</p>
<p>(5) Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, Robert K. Barnhart, editor, 1988, USA, p. 551; Oxford Dictionary Online, Oxford Univ. Press, 2005, http;//dictionary.oed.com, 5/31/2005; “Jazz…origin unknown.”</p>
<p>(6) Peter Tamony, Origin of Words, San Francisco Wasp, March 17, 1938, p. 5; Tamony, Jazz, The Word, Jazz: A Quarterly of American Music, ed. Ralph Gleason, Phillip Elwood, October, 1958, pp. 34-45 ; Tamony, JEMF Quarterly, Spring, 1981, pp. 9-11; Dick Holbrooke, Our Word Jazz, Storyville magazine, January, 1974, p. 58.</p>
<p>(7) Tamony, Jazz, The Word, Jazz: A Quarterly of American Music, p 35; OED Online, March 31, 2005,</p>
<p>(8) Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, p. 551; Tammany, Jazz, The Word, p. 46; Holbrooke, Our Word Jazz p. 58; Fradley H. Garner and Alan P. Merriam, The Word Jazz, The Jazz Review, Vol. 3, No. 3, March-April, 1960, pp. 39-40. David Meltzer, Writing Jazz, San Francisco, 1996, p. 3, quoting Eileen Southern on ‘Jazzbo Brown’ etymology.</p>
<p>(9) Jesse Sheidlower, <a href="http://slate.msn.com/" type="external">MSN Slate Magazine Online</a>, , December 11, 2004)</p>
<p>(10) Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, p. 789, “Phony or phoney, adj. not genuine, fake, sham. 1900American English; perhaps an alteration of Earlier English slang fawney a gilt brass ring used by swindlers (1781), borrowed from the Irish fáinne ring.”</p>
<p>(11) Holbrooke, Our Word Jazz, Storyville magazine, pp. 56­58.</p>
<p>(12) Tamony, JEMF Quarterly, p. 11: “Merriam-Garner materiallays to rest the alleged Arabic-African roots of the word. It details failoure to find the word ‘jaz’ in the literary work of Lafcadio Hearn; Holbrooke, p. 58, citing Lafcadio Hearn biographers Bisland, Krehbiel, Brenner, Thomas, Tinker, Hutson, et al.</p>
<p>(13) <a href="http://dictionary.oed.com/" type="external">OED Online</a>, March 31, 2005, quotes the August 1917, Kingsley NY Sun article and quotes a Dr. Bender, quoted in the NY Times in 1950, who cites Lafcadio Hearn bogus “Creole dialect” jazz meaning “to hurry up.”</p>
<p>(14) Louis Armstrong, In His Own Words, NY, 1999, pp. 83, 218, 175</p>
<p>(15) Louis Armstrong, In His Own Words, pp. 33, 83. Big Shot: “Seód, al. seud, [Irish, séad], a jewel, often used figuratively, Hero, valiant man, chief or warrior.” Faclair Gaidhlig Bu Beurla Le Dealbhan, Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary, Glasgow, 1901, 1994, p. 808; see also Robert Goffin, Horn of Plenty: The Story of Louis Armstrong, N.Y. 1947, pp. 109, 111: “(In 1917) Joe Olivershowed Louis a letter from Freddie Keppard. In it Freddie reported that the new music known as ragtime in New Orleans was called Jazz in Chicago and it was creating a torm.”</p>
<p>(16) Treat It Gentle, An Autobiography, Sidney Bechet, p. 3; Martin Williams, Jazz Masters of New Orleans, 1967, NY, p. VI )</p>
<p>(17) Bechet, p. 3</p>
<p>(18) Philip Elwood, SF. Examiner-Chronicle, Sunday , November 10, p. B4/1-2; Ralph Gleason, SF. Chronicle, Nov. 1, 1968, p. 47, col. 7-8.</p>
<p>(19) <a href="" type="internal">Transcript of 1972 Interview</a>: Chico Hamilton with Les Tomkins online</p>
<p>(20) Tamony, JEMF Quarterly, p. 13; Ralph J. Gleason, S.F. Chronicle, Nov. 1, 1968, p. 47, col. 7-8..</p>
<p>(21) PBS Online, Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/thinktank/transcript727.html" type="external">official transcript of interview with Dr. Billy Taylor</a>, 2003;</p>
<p>(43) ) Peter Tamony, Origin of Words, San Francisco Wasp, March 17, 1938; Tamony, Jazz, The Word, Jazz: A Quarterly of American Music, ed. Ralph Gleason, Phillip Elwood, October, 1958: Scoop Gleeson 1938 article “I Remember: The Birth of Jazz” in S.F. Call-Bulletin, Sept,. 3, 1938, reprinted in full, p. 40; Tamony, JEMF Quarterly, Spring, 1981. NYU librarian, George Thompson, using a computer search engine discovered one earlier baseball “jazz” on April 2, 1912 in anonymously written article in Los Angeles Times, part III, pg. 2: Ben’s Jazz Curve. However, the old “jazz” fizzled in L.A. Times and did not reappear again until 1917-1918.</p>
<p>(44) San Francisco Bulletin newspaper: see especially: March 3, 6, 8, 14, 24, 29, April 2, 9, 10 (also Breton cartoon), 14, 25, May 1, 1913</p>
<p>(45) SF Bulletin, Mar. 3, 1913, p. 13</p>
<p>(46) Dineen, p. 821. Ónna, a., simple, silly.</p>
<p>(47) S.F. Bulletin, March 6, 1913, p. 16, cols. 6-7.</p>
<p>(48) The Original Roget’s Thesaurus, 1852, 1965, N.Y., p. 102</p>
<p>(49) Teine caor, al. tine caor: a raging fire, lightning. Dineen, p. 1200.</p>
<p>(50) Teine, Dineen, p. 1200; tine, Ó Dónaill, p 1235; teine, Dwelly, p. 943.</p>
<p>(51) Caor, Dineen, p. 163, Ó Dónaill, p. 189; caoir, p. 163, caor, p. 165</p>
<p>(52) Teas, Dineen, pp. 1194-95, Ó Dónaill, pp. 1221-22, Dwelly, p. 942. Teas, heat, passion; Irish synonyms: ainmhian, an-suim, díochracht, díograis, grá, paisean, teasaíocht. Corpas Comhthreomhar Gaeilge-Béarla, Kevin P. Scannell. 2004: &lt;http://borel.slu.edu/cgi-bin/cc.cgi&gt;</p>
<p>(53) Teasaí, Dineen, pp. 1194-95, Ó Dónaill, pp. 1221-22, Dwelly, p. 942.</p>
<p>(54) Mícheál Ó Siadhail, Learning Irish, pp. 2-4, Sec. 4, 5, 6. The realization of the slender consonants varies somewhat from dialect to dialect; for example [t´] is an affricate [t_] in Ulster, a palatalized [tj] in Connacht, and an apical postalveolar [t] in Munster.–Eamonn Mhac an Fhailigh, “The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo.” Notes on affricates: The slender T and D. Daltaí Boards: The Irish pronunciation rule of the slender T. The Rule of Tír. Daltaí Board, Padraig, Jan 28, 2005. http://www.daltai.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html. “ <a href="http://www.daltai.com/discus/messages/board-topics.html" type="external">Taunt…of uncertain origin.</a>” (Barnhart, p. 1118.)</p>
<p>(55) S.F. Bulletin, March 8, 1913, p. 12</p>
<p>(56) S.F. Bulletin, March 14, 1913, p.20. See also “jazzers.”</p>
<p>(57) <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/FA/en/CDA/Home/Hotels/AboutHotel/CDHotelHistory/htm" type="external">History of Mission Springs Hotel</a>, Sonoma County, California. Online:</p>
<p>(58) S.F. Bulletin, March 29, 1913, p. 26. (see also March 14, 1913</p>
<p>(59) S.F. Bulletin, April 10, 1913, p. 14 (see also: April 2, 1913, p. 17.</p>
<p>(60) Fourteenth Census of the United States, San Francisco: Assembly District 22, see examples: 508 ­ 534 Connecticut Street; 605-665 Arkansas Street; Precinct 27, SD4; Dolores Street; Assembly Dist. 25, Precinct 28, SD4: see 2688, 2690 24th Street,1069-1081 Dolores Street; Precinct 88, 1061-1065 Dolores St.; Precinct 48-50; Precinct 52; Precinct 150-159.</p>
<p>(61) 14th Census, Kings County, NY (Brooklyn), see examples: ED 910-912 (Greenpoint); 14th Census, Springfield, Illinois see: ED 119-120; Portland, Maine.</p>
<p>(62) Holbrooke, Storyville, Hopkins’ article reprinted, pp. 52-55; S.F. Bulletin, April 5, 1913, back page number illegible.</p>
<p>(63) S.F. Bulletin, April 25, 1913, p. 19. “Seals SizzleH.E.A.T.”</p>
<p>(64) S.F. Bulletin, May 1, 1913, p. 16</p>
<p>(65) S.F. Bulletin, May 1-31, 1913. May 1, 1913, subhead, p, 16. “Hoodoo, May 29, 1913, “Seals in Last Place.”</p>
<p>(66) S.F. Bulletin, July 7, 1913: Breton cartoon: You Could Save Time by Calling Up the Undertaker First, p. 14.</p>
<p>(67) S.F. Bulletin, July 24, p. 15, Seals Lose 15 of 16 games; July 31, 1913, Seals in “cellar;”</p>
<p>(68) Fort Wayne Sentinel, Box: Best Sellers in City Slang, June 4, 1913, pg. 8, col.5. (69) Oakland Tribune, October 4th, 1913, pg. 8 (illegible), col. 7.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | supplement oxford english dictionary 1972 1976 examples first printing word jazz relation music bulletin san francisco march 6 1913 members trained ragtime jazz 1 jazz little old life giniker pep otherwise known enthusiasalum edward scoop gleeson san francisco bulletin march 6 1913 2 spell jass jas jaz jazz nothing spoil jass band say jass band originated chicago chicago says came san francisco san francisco away across continent victor record review march 7 1917 3 born slum dockside streets port city new orleans rural crossroads american south popularized dance halls cabarets chicago years great world war roots origins african american music called jazz researched documented almost century slew slua multitude scholarly articles popular magazines books newspapers plays radio shows television documentaries hollywood films 4 condemned vilified cultural plague yackin éagcaoin pron yeeagkeen complaining lamenting uppermiddle class swells sóúil comfortable wealthy cultural gatekeepers early 20th century today beginning 21st jazz music enshrined highest level american culture elite institutions like smithsonian institute kennedy center performing arts nycs lincoln center american public broadcasting network foundational jazz musicians like louis armstrong duke ellington sidney bechet sarah vaughan ella fitzgerald charles mingus honored presidents parliaments prime ministers kings queens jazz music jazzed high society dat ol woid jazz still motherless child oxford english dictionary barnhart dictionary etymology merriamwebster dictionary american heritage dictionary agree origin word jazz known jazz n 1913 american english kind ragtime dance sic perhaps related earlier jasm energy drive 1860 apparently african originthe source jazz english known 1922 jazz applied music sicoriginating among american blacks meaning energy excitement pep first recorded 1913 perhaps influenced earlier jasm 5 writers crackpots scholars proposed mindboggling variety etymologies word jazz name dancing slave named jasper moniker mythical musician jasbo brown french word chasse gliding dance step gave us american word sashay creole french jaser meaning useless talk new orleans perfume called jasmine arabic jazib meaning one allures 6 john philip sousa american march composer band leader believed word jazz came american speech jazzbo 1890s vaudeville slang rousing rollick finale performers would come back stage gad cavort audience 7 birth music called jazz within africanamerican culture led others look origin african languages mandingo jasi wolof yees meaning step character etymologies rejected american african language scholars evidence words jass jazz africanamerican slave narratives oral histories folk songs recorded vernacular speech prior 1913 late alan p merriam professor anthropology wrote 1974 never found word africa 8 jesse sheidlower editor large oxford american english dictionary wrote slate magazine december 2004 african etymology jazz fabricated new york press agent 1917 9 press agent glib master baloney hoopla walter kingsley whose tongueincheek article new word jass whence comes jass published august 1917 ny sun kingsleys phoney african etymology jazz first exposed scam cam crooked dishonest deception writer researcher dick holbrooke reprinted full storyville jazz magazine january 1974 10 variously spelled jas jass jaz jazz jasz jascz word african origin common gold coast africa hinterland cape castlein studies creole patois idiom new orleans lafcadio hearn reported word jaz meaning speed things common among blacks south applied creoles sic term applied music syncopated type doubt witch doctors medicine men congo used term jungle parties tomtoms throbbed sturdy warriors gave pep extra kick ed italics personal idea jazz origin told stanza vachel lindsay fat black bucks wine barrel roomwith silk umbrella handle broom boomlay boomlay boomlay boom lindsay transported congo feats revels hears heard thigh bone beating tin pan gong mumbo jumbo god jazz careful write jazz else hoodoo 11 hoodoo uath dubh pron hooh dooh dark specter malevolent phantom haunts slick hack walter kingsleys ground sweat grian suite sunny site fig grave writing racist tripe dríb filth kingsleys fauxlinguistic treatment word jass quoted academic echo chambers dude dúd numbskull scholars historians lexicographers etymologists galore go leor plenty abundant enough facile literate mullarkey word jass nothing cute ciúta clever quip ingenious trick publicity gimmick camóg crooked device equivocation trick boost big shot séad seád pron shod jewel fig big chief client florenz ziegfelds summer musical spectacular midnight frolic featured new hot music called jass cool snazzy snasach pron snassah elegant roof swank somhaoineach pron suhwainek wealthy profitable new amsterdam hotel midtown manhattan ny suns editors got joke flo ziegfelds advertising moolah moll óir pile gold money humorously entitling kingsleys piece whence comes jazz facts great authority subject 12 kingsleys putative source writer lafcadio hearn never used word jazz jass jaz books articles letters fact confirmed richard holbrooke hearns biographers hearn bunkum buanchumadh pron buankumah perpetual invention long madeup tale fig shaggy dog story kingsleys outrageously racist ny sun article continues cited american english dictionaries 13 africanamerican musicians hatred word jazz words jass jazz used foundational africanamerican new orleans musicians buddy bolden bunk johnson joe king oliver sidney bechet louis armstrong prior release first jass record history dixieland jass one step livery stable blues new york city march 1917 14 louis armstrong wrote 1944 moved back home mother 1918 working tom andersons cabaret located rampartlots big shots lulu whites used come thereand playing cornet played sorts arrangements twasnt called jazz back days played whole lot ragtime music called dixie jazz later years 15 influential new orleans creole reedman sidney bechet native speaker french creole vernacular called music ragtime life autobiography treat gentle bechet set tone succeeding generations african american musicians expressed contempt even hatred name jazz music jazz mean come behind jazz say doesnt explain music 16 bechet wrote let tell one thing jazz thats name white people given music italics theres two kinds music theres classic theres ragtime tell ragtime feel theres spirit right wordbut jazz jazz could mean damn thing high times screwing ballroom used spelled jass 17 1968 height black nationalist movement back back newspaper columns san francisco music critics ralph gleason chronicle philip elwood examiner chicago bandleader drummer big black got right point kill jazz wipe jazz outjazz proper name anybodys musicthe truth jazz word vulgar profane tear wont jazz clubs music houses jazz image funky image ought get coffin parade bury itit got name sarcasm misunderstandingand jazz title music slapped jazz black mans music make sure everyone would treat inferior kind artistry 18 chico hamilton interviewed les tomkins 1972 fact music multibillion dollar business come long way theyve got away using word jazz many cases matter fact good word anyway originally didnt anything music thats mr ellingtons bone contention also called something else 19 duke ellington said naming africanamerican music jazz equivalent calling four letter word meeting california arts commission monterey 1960s one commission members said word jazz came new orleans duke ellington said didnt learn ellington later added large jazz always like kind man wouldnt want daughter associate word jazz part problem 1920s used try convince fletcher henderson ought call negro music late music become integrated cant tell one part far color concerned 20 2003 pianist composer billy taylor confirmed negative attitude african american musicians towards word jazz hasnt changed since sidney bechets day spoke ben wattenberg pbs program think tank ben wattenberg true ellington never said played jazz thats word used billy taylor hated term many jazz musicians saddled music always called something someone nothing music term ragtime came sources term dixieland swing almost categories jazz divided subdivided named people didnt nothing music musicians hated term italics felt terms confining terms saddled duke ellington called jazz negro music trying write music reflected thoughts feeling expressions emotions african american race actually ellington international musicianjazz created african slaves came spiritual came work songsthey allowed bring cultural supportsas people part country thats african music african american happened people african descent refashion cultural expressions fit new situation 21 160 ii san francisco jazz 1913 series groundbreaking articles exploring origin word jazz written 1938 1981 worldclass san francisco sanasán vocabularist etymologist researcher archivist folklore collector peter tamony shocked jazz scholars revealed word jazz burst print first time history american language spring 1913 sports pages san francisco bulletin jazzy prose natty néata neat dapper 27 year old san francisco irishamerican baseball scribe snazzy moniker scoop gleeson testament strength peter tamonys precyber age grassroots scholarship since 1938 publication first article 1913 birth word jazz san francisco one earlier published example jazz discovered countless researchers scouring thousands published sources aid computers 2004 using historical newspaper data base computer search engine nyu librarian george thompson found word jazz anonymously written sports snippet los angeles times published april 2 1912 entitled bens jazz curve curiously jazz fizzled la times single appearance less year later new word jazz sizzled print san francisco forever 43 series special dispatches written san francisco seals baseball teams spring training camp boyes hot springs sonoma county forty miles north city recreation park stadium heart old mission district sports reporter scoop gleeson used new word jazz forty times march april 1913 hot word jazz soon spread like verbal wildfire bulletin sports headlines reporters feature stories even cartoons 44 gleesons first use word jazz march 3rd 1913 mccarl heralded along line busher develops dope much jazz 45 scoop gleeson saying early 20th century vernacular local baseball experts fans sports writers put skinny new seals rookie george mccarl inexperienced bush leaguer rural amateur league player bad talk gossip dope nothing jazz meaning lot hot air baloney béal ónna pron bail owny foolish talk young george mccall scoop wrote experienced player six years professional baseball experience 46 three days later march 6th 1913 full page banner headline seals return spa tackle famous white sox bulletin editors gave scoop gleeson full front page ballyhoo four paragraph two columnwide lead set boldface type define hot new word jazz san francisco baseball fans come professor string big harp give us tune everybody come back old town full old jazz promise knock fans feet playing jazz little old life giniker pep otherwise known enthusiasalum grain jazz feel like going eating way twin peaks spirit makes ordinary players step around like lajoies ty cobbs hap hogan gave men couple shots nearjazz last season look happened tigers became ferocious set tossers league seals happened upon great quantities quiet valley sonoma theyre setting countryside fire 47 hot new word jazz mean scoop gleeson march 1913 synonyms used jazz pep enthusiasalum giniker spirit pep hot like pepper derived defined rogets thesaurus energy spirit fire vim scoops marvelous invented word enthusiasalum showed young scoop gleeson linguistic pizzazz 48 mysterious synonym giniker mean great quantities jazz setting sonoma countryside fire answer irish giniker phonetic spelling irish wordphrase tine caor pron jiniker means raging fire lightning giniker tine caor thunderbolt fire produces jazz teas pron jass heat 49 160 giniker tine caor pronounced jiniker raging fire lightning tine al teine pron jinih chineh fire conflagration incandescence luminosity flash 50 caor pron kayr thunderbolt meteor round mass flame glowing object 51 jazz phonetic spelling irish gaelic word teas meaning heat highest temperature jazz teas pron jass chass heat warmth passion excitement fervor ardor zeal enthusiasm anger highest temperature 52 ancient irish word teas pron jass heat reborn 20th century irish american gob cab pron cob mouth jazz hottest american word 20th century teas spelled jazz scoop gleeson holds within divine racket raic ard loud ruckus clamour glam mór great howl jazz teas pron jass heat passion excitement irish american vernacular african american music jazz always jazzy teasaí pron jassy hot exciting passionate jazzy teasaí pron jassy chassy adj hot warm passionate exciting fervent enthusiastic feverish angry 53 irish word spelled teas looks like sounds like english word tease become pronounced jass irish american puss pus mouth lips fig face jazz teas pron jass heat affricate rule tír tír land country states irish word tír correctly pronounced jeer cheer tear irish language irish word teas meaning heat also pronounced jass ulster north mayo chass connaught tass munster three living dialects irish language ulster connaught irish languages scotsgaelic manx word teas meaning heat pronounced jass chass called affricate speech sound consisting stop fricative articulated point sound slender consonant irish word teas pron jass chass meaning heat created blocking air releasing friction palate sound produced resembles j english word joy ch chair 54 fricative friction affricate produces heat teas pron jass chass heat highest temperature word constant state jazz meaning natural physical law embodied articulation dig tuig é nó ná pron dig ay naa understand jazz irish american word naturally jazzy teasaí pron jassy hot onomatopoeia waters boyes hot springs california march 8th 1913 scoop gleeson wrote san francisco seals baseball team kept jazz spence catcher zipped old pill around infield opened jazz tap gong henley pitcher put little old jazz pill 55 march 14th scoop told readers precisely find jazz jazzy hot waters boyes hot springs wrote theres jazz morning dew jazz daily bath jazz natural spring water 56 jazz giniker earths core caused jazzy spring water boyes hot springs bubble effervesce 135 degrees fahrenheit natural jazz website almost ninety years later mission springs hotel boyes hot springs california sonomas valley moon still extolling heat healing properties natural spring water website paradise found mother nature generously combined health enhancing water minerals heated 135 degrees perfection 1100 feet within earths core earths water sizzle hydrothermal womb old jazz became life 57 march 29th 1913 san francisco seals lifeless fizzle though scoops snazzy prose still pizzazz scoop used hot new word jazz ten times single story 58 headline local players lost jazz dont know find scoop lamented poor old seals lost jazz dont know find fact gentle reader jazz pepper old life either lost stolen san francisco club today made jazzless seals chance old jazz sent parcel post may account failure arrive yesterday seals pitcher cac henley need gallon jazz way white sox stacked one might suspected inoculated jazz stay valley moonsuffice say seals without jazz played last seasons faulty style manager del better send jazz wagon quick quick bring old jazz april 10th 1913 word jazz brought irish american verbal heat excitement comics first time history fivecolumn wide bulletin sports page cartoon headlined justin fitzgerald santa clara lightning bolt speedy fitzgerald drawn cartoonist breton personification giniker head man lightning bolt body 59 cartoon hapless seals infielders lurch stumble young slugger slacaire batter zaps around bases like blue streak cartoons foreground fan slouch hat cracks three cronies comhróghna pron cuhroney fellowfavorites mutualsweethearts stands hes full old jazz background cartoon beyond left field fence recreation park 15th valencia mission districts old irishtown neighborhood breton sketched steeple mission dolores cathedral hills san franciscos twin peaks hot spring 1913 eve great world war thousands native irishspeakers firstgeneration irishamerican children living breacghaeltachta parishes neighborhoods surrounding old seals stadium old mission district spiel speal cutting satiric speech peppered phonetic jazz irish language 60 1920 us federal census recorded hundreds breacghaeltachta containing thousands irish speakers american cities geographically diverse san francisco boston new york city springfield illinois butte montana portland maine 61 midapril 1913 word jazz become hot san francisco bulletin columnist ernest hopkins devoted entire feature story local verbal phenomenon hopkins jazzy column lulu illustrated cartoon dude dúd dolt numbskull swell threepiece suit presumably hopkins precariously balancing letters jazz tip middleclass snoot snua ard lofty visage 62 praise jazz futurist word joined language ernest hopkins april 5 1913 sf bulletin column entitled whats news occasionally things news leak trying time keep things hereby acknowledge powerless surrender thing word recently become current bulletin office means discover would stop could every precaution taken avoid possibility words leaking disturb vocabulary word jaz also spelt jazz sound mean way settling controversy office staff divided two sharp factions one upholds single z double z keep coming blows much christianity required jazz change spelling time offend either faction defined synonymized another word exactly expressed meaning jaz jazz would never born new word like new muscle comes long needed remarkable satisfactorysounding word however means something like life vigor energy effervescence spirit joy pep magnetism verve virility ebulliency courage happiness oh whats use jazz nothing else express go flinging new word world like boy new jackknife jazz run train jaz soak umpire jazz demand raise jaz hike thirtyfive miles sunday jazz simply sit around beam look beam anything takes manliness effort energy activity strength soul jaz would apprehend new word slang merely futurist language everybody knows mere cartooning jazz nice word classic word easy tongue pleasant ears profoundly expressive idea conveys say homerun hitter full old jaz credit scoop always art genial strength art give splendid title jazz sheer musical quality word delightful sound like crackling electric spark commends belongs class onomatopoeia important vacancy language filled word proper sound jaz quality often celebrated epic poetry prizefight stories tale action meditative sonnet universal word must appear well society pep tried mean never could failed roughneck first could wear evening clothes jazz home bar ballroom true american ernest hopkins sf bulletin april 19 1913 less week later april 25th scoop spelled irish definition american word jazz san francisco readers heat staple product los angeles manager dillon must expressed oakland use third game however seals invoked aid jazz keeps equally hot cold weather thus able win 3 2 score 63 may 1st scoop gleeson writing poems elusive jazz old wolf sat clubhouse door hoping team might score game rolled would go loved umpires help old jazz 64 end may 1913 seals 913 totally jazz last place june 5th scoop gleeson blamed loss old jazz old irish jinx long oaks proved hoodoofor seals 65 july 7th another large breton cartoon front page sports section distraught father rushes frantically searching bottle jazz water revive sick baby sf seals store store unable find lifegiving jazz save kid cuid chuid term affection mo chuid darling 66 july 24th seals truly sick kids lost 15 last 16 games august cellar pacific coast league without drop jazz end 1913 baseball season san francisco seals finished 5th 6 teams 67 futurist san francisco irish american vernacular word jazz starting sizzle consciousness print american speech culture early june 1913 san francisco jazz already whizzed east indiana feature story entitled best sellers city slang fort wayne sentinel reported old jazz newest slang term san francisco 68 fall 1913 jazz jumped like electric spark baseball diamond boxing ring oakland tribune october 4th slugger slacaire batter mauler bruiser story wasnt seal hitting baseball smack smeach pron smack whack wallop bhuail leadhb pron whual lob mighty blow two palookas dukin tuargain pron duargin hammering slugging ring sailor feet last night although clabby handed shots old _jazz made exsailors knees sag 69 jazz ireland san francisco way becoming hottest new word 20th century daniel cassidy founder codirector léann Éireannach irish studies program new college california san francisco cassidy awardwinning filmmaker musician research irish language influence american vernacular slang published new york observer decoding gangs new york irelands hot press magazine san francisco chronicle lá irishlanguage newspaper book secret language crossroad irish invented slang published counterpunch books spring 2007 cassidy born brooklyn lives wife clare san francisco reached dancas1aolcom footnotes abridged version 1 cited peter tamony jazz word extension music jemf quarterly spring 1981 p 10 2 edward scoop gleeson san francisco bulletin march 6 1913 p13 3 victor record review march 7 1917 cited peter tamony jazz word extension music jemf quarterly spring 1981 p 10 4 louis armstrong louis armstrong words ed thomas brothers oxford 1999 pp 2324 38 83 twasnt called jazz back days pp 218219 sidney bechet treat gentle autobiography ny 1960 1978 pp 15 pp 6267 alan lomax mr jelly roll fortunes jelly roll morton new orleans creole inventor jazz berkeley 1950 1973 2001 p x pp 124126 5 barnhart dictionary etymology robert k barnhart editor 1988 usa p 551 oxford dictionary online oxford univ press 2005 httpdictionaryoedcom 5312005 jazzorigin unknown 6 peter tamony origin words san francisco wasp march 17 1938 p 5 tamony jazz word jazz quarterly american music ed ralph gleason phillip elwood october 1958 pp 3445 tamony jemf quarterly spring 1981 pp 911 dick holbrooke word jazz storyville magazine january 1974 p 58 7 tamony jazz word jazz quarterly american music p 35 oed online march 31 2005 8 barnhart dictionary etymology p 551 tammany jazz word p 46 holbrooke word jazz p 58 fradley h garner alan p merriam word jazz jazz review vol 3 3 marchapril 1960 pp 3940 david meltzer writing jazz san francisco 1996 p 3 quoting eileen southern jazzbo brown etymology 9 jesse sheidlower msn slate magazine online december 11 2004 10 barnhart dictionary etymology p 789 phony phoney adj genuine fake sham 1900american english perhaps alteration earlier english slang fawney gilt brass ring used swindlers 1781 borrowed irish fáinne ring 11 holbrooke word jazz storyville magazine pp 5658 12 tamony jemf quarterly p 11 merriamgarner materiallays rest alleged arabicafrican roots word details failoure find word jaz literary work lafcadio hearn holbrooke p 58 citing lafcadio hearn biographers bisland krehbiel brenner thomas tinker hutson et al 13 oed online march 31 2005 quotes august 1917 kingsley ny sun article quotes dr bender quoted ny times 1950 cites lafcadio hearn bogus creole dialect jazz meaning hurry 14 louis armstrong words ny 1999 pp 83 218 175 15 louis armstrong words pp 33 83 big shot seód al seud irish séad jewel often used figuratively hero valiant man chief warrior faclair gaidhlig bu beurla le dealbhan illustrated gaelicenglish dictionary glasgow 1901 1994 p 808 see also robert goffin horn plenty story louis armstrong ny 1947 pp 109 111 1917 joe olivershowed louis letter freddie keppard freddie reported new music known ragtime new orleans called jazz chicago creating torm 16 treat gentle autobiography sidney bechet p 3 martin williams jazz masters new orleans 1967 ny p vi 17 bechet p 3 18 philip elwood sf examinerchronicle sunday november 10 p b412 ralph gleason sf chronicle nov 1 1968 p 47 col 78 19 transcript 1972 interview chico hamilton les tomkins online 20 tamony jemf quarterly p 13 ralph j gleason sf chronicle nov 1 1968 p 47 col 78 21 pbs online think tank ben wattenberg official transcript interview dr billy taylor 2003 43 peter tamony origin words san francisco wasp march 17 1938 tamony jazz word jazz quarterly american music ed ralph gleason phillip elwood october 1958 scoop gleeson 1938 article remember birth jazz sf callbulletin sept 3 1938 reprinted full p 40 tamony jemf quarterly spring 1981 nyu librarian george thompson using computer search engine discovered one earlier baseball jazz april 2 1912 anonymously written article los angeles times part iii pg 2 bens jazz curve however old jazz fizzled la times reappear 19171918 44 san francisco bulletin newspaper see especially march 3 6 8 14 24 29 april 2 9 10 also breton cartoon 14 25 may 1 1913 45 sf bulletin mar 3 1913 p 13 46 dineen p 821 Ónna simple silly 47 sf bulletin march 6 1913 p 16 cols 67 48 original rogets thesaurus 1852 1965 ny p 102 49 teine caor al tine caor raging fire lightning dineen p 1200 50 teine dineen p 1200 tine Ó dónaill p 1235 teine dwelly p 943 51 caor dineen p 163 Ó dónaill p 189 caoir p 163 caor p 165 52 teas dineen pp 119495 Ó dónaill pp 122122 dwelly p 942 teas heat passion irish synonyms ainmhian ansuim díochracht díograis grá paisean teasaíocht corpas comhthreomhar gaeilgebéarla kevin p scannell 2004 lthttpborelslueducgibincccgigt 53 teasaí dineen pp 119495 Ó dónaill pp 122122 dwelly p 942 54 mícheál Ó siadhail learning irish pp 24 sec 4 5 6 realization slender consonants varies somewhat dialect dialect example affricate t_ ulster palatalized tj connacht apical postalveolar munstereamonn mhac fhailigh irish erris co mayo notes affricates slender daltaí boards irish pronunciation rule slender rule tír daltaí board padraig jan 28 2005 httpwwwdaltaicomdiscusmessagesboardtopicshtml tauntof uncertain origin barnhart p 1118 55 sf bulletin march 8 1913 p 12 56 sf bulletin march 14 1913 p20 see also jazzers 57 history mission springs hotel sonoma county california online 58 sf bulletin march 29 1913 p 26 see also march 14 1913 59 sf bulletin april 10 1913 p 14 see also april 2 1913 p 17 60 fourteenth census united states san francisco assembly district 22 see examples 508 534 connecticut street 605665 arkansas street precinct 27 sd4 dolores street assembly dist 25 precinct 28 sd4 see 2688 2690 24th street10691081 dolores street precinct 88 10611065 dolores st precinct 4850 precinct 52 precinct 150159 61 14th census kings county ny brooklyn see examples ed 910912 greenpoint 14th census springfield illinois see ed 119120 portland maine 62 holbrooke storyville hopkins article reprinted pp 5255 sf bulletin april 5 1913 back page number illegible 63 sf bulletin april 25 1913 p 19 seals sizzleheat 64 sf bulletin may 1 1913 p 16 65 sf bulletin may 131 1913 may 1 1913 subhead p 16 hoodoo may 29 1913 seals last place 66 sf bulletin july 7 1913 breton cartoon could save time calling undertaker first p 14 67 sf bulletin july 24 p 15 seals lose 15 16 games july 31 1913 seals cellar 68 fort wayne sentinel box best sellers city slang june 4 1913 pg 8 col5 69 oakland tribune october 4th 1913 pg 8 illegible col 7 160 160 160 | 4,155 |
<p>[Editors’ Note: This essay is an excerpt from the excellent new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158322579X/counterpunchmaga" type="external">PowerTrip: U.S. Unilateralism and Global Strategy After September 11</a>, part of the Open Media series published by <a href="http://www.sevenstories.com/" type="external">Seven Stories Press</a>. The book is edited by John Feffer and includes essays by writers and scholars from <a href="http://www.fpif.org/" type="external">Foreign Policy in Focus</a>, including William Hartung, Mel Goodman and Ahmed Rashid.]</p>
<p>It was a powerfully symbolic gift, coming as it did from one of the world’s poorer countries to the world’s richest. In June 2002, a Maasai village in Kenya presented its most precious resource, fifteen head of cattle, to the United States as an expression of solidarity for the tragedy of September 11. “To the people of America, we give these cows to help you,” read banners at the ceremonial handover of the cattle from Maasai elders to the U.S. ambassador.183 The gift was all the more poignant since the U.S. government still has not compensated the families of the Kenyan victims of terrorism who died in al-Qaeda’s1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi.</p>
<p>This was the latest of a long string of gestures of sympathy from different parts of Africa. Immediately after September 11, the Organization of African Union (OAU, since renamed African Union) expressed its “full solidarity” and “deepest condolence,” and African leaders, even those usually at odds with the United States, offered their support. Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi sent condolences for the “horrific” attacks and offered to donate his blood to the U.S. victims. Sudan, which once housed Osama bin Laden, offered cooperation in tracking al-Qaeda terrorists. Ethiopia, Djibouti, Nigeria, and Kenya, among others, shut down or froze suspected terrorist financial networks operating in their countries, while once-leftist Eritrea offered the United States use of its territory and port as a military base to fight terrorism. Nigeria, home of Africa’s largest Muslim population, drafted antiterrorist legislation, while South Africa offered its support for U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to fight terrorism. And during an African summit in Dakar in October 2001, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade proposed an African Pact Against Terrorism and created a regional counterterrorism intelligence center, with U.S. assistance.</p>
<p>At the same time, several African governments opportunistically hitched their own counterinsurgency campaigns to Washington’s global war on terrorism. In Africa’s longest-running civil war, the Sudanese government labeled Christian and animist separatists as terrorists; Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki, a liberator turned increasingly dictatorial, used the post­September 11 period to crack down on dissent; and Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe termed his largely nonviolent political opponents “terrorists.” Close U.S. allies Daniel arap Moi in Kenya (voted out of office in December 2002) and Olusegun Obasanjo in Nigeria tried to bolster their own hold on power by forging closer ties with the U.S. military.</p>
<p>But in this mix of genuine sympathy and political opportunism, many Africans were wary, as well, of being too closely associated with Washington’s war on terrorism. African states feared repercussions both from and on their own Muslim populations. Roughly 40 percent of Africans are Muslims with large concentrations in North Africa, the East African coast, and West African countries such as Nigeria and Senegal. In the days after September 11, there were scattered street celebrations in Muslim strongholds in northern Nigeria and Somalia, and subsequent anti-American protests in Sudan, South Africa, and Kenya. African leaders also feared that the United States would pursue its war on terrorism throughout the continent. By January 2002, as U.S. military attacks in Afghanistan wound down, the United States turned its sights on a handful of countries suspected of harboring al-Qaeda terrorists, including Libya, Egypt, Sudan, and Somalia. “These governments are afraid they might be the next U.S. target, and are therefore clearly keen to show they are cooperating in the war against terrorism,” commented a diplomat stationed in Nairobi.</p>
<p>Somalia, with its lack of a stable central government, was most clearly in Washington’s crosshairs. Its transitional government hastily declared bin Laden persona non grata and arrested eight Iraqis and a Palestinian as terrorist suspects. The detentions were largely symbolic; as one U.S. government adviser noted, those detained were probably “a few poor Iraqi migrants looking for cooking jobs in Mogadishu.” Indeed, the United States, while continuing to deny Somalia diplomatic recognition, took extremely crippling measures against this impoverished country with only rudimentary state functions. Contending that it may have ties to al-Qaeda, the United States branded as “terrorist” the indigenous group al-Itihad al-Islami (AIAI), which is fighting for an Islamic state. Most damaging, the United States closed down al-Barakat, Somalia’s biggest employer and largest remittance bank-cum-telephone service, thereby cutting off both communications and $500 million a year sent home by Somali expatriates. The United States also severed Somalia’s Internet links, monitored international air flights, and sent naval forces to barricade the coast. As in Afghanistan, the United States sought the use of local and regional surrogate forces. For instance, the Somali Restoration and Reconciliation Council (SRRC), an Ethiopian-backed group, helped the United States identify possible terrorist bases. The leader of SRRC is the son of Mohammed Aidid, the Somali clan leader that U.S. Special Forces were pursuing so unsuccessfully in the early 1990s. September 11 has created many strange bedfellows, but this Somalia campaign netted no significant al-Qaeda operatives. TERRORISM IN AFRICA</p>
<p>Africa, of course, has not been untouched by terrorism, some homegrown, some linked to international networks. As early as 1990, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak began warning that international terrorism represented a bigger danger than war. In 1995, Islamic fundamentalists targeted Mubarak in an assassination attempt that may have been orchestrated by al-Qaeda. In the wake of September 11, Egyptian police rounded up twenty-two professionals who belonged to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, while Tunisia and other countries have sought to crack down on their own brands of politicized Islam. Algeria, for instance, has been fighting a decade-long war against Muslim fundamentalists. “Each North African country has its own bin Laden,” editorialized the French-language Arab weekly Jeune Afrique in the wake of September 11. At a 1992 meeting in Algiers, the OAU passed a resolution at its meeting calling for enhanced cooperation in fighting terrorism, and in 1999, again in Algiers, the organization adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.</p>
<p>Over the last decade, Sudan has been a major U.S. concern, labeled a “rogue state,” denied diplomatic recognition, and placed off-limits to U.S. investors. From 1991 to 1996, bin Laden was based in the Sudan, and the al-Qaeda leader claimed his operatives were involved in the 1993 killing of American marines in Mogadishu, Somalia. The United States also viewed Sudan as an operational base for al-Qaeda’s August 7, 1998, simultaneous bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 and injured thousands, mainly Africans. In retaliation, the Clinton administration launched a cruise missile attack, destroying what it claimed was an al-Qaeda chemical weapons facility, but which subsequent investigations found was a pharmaceutical factory. Yet during the 1990s, there were diplomatic crosscurrents, as Sudanese officials met secretly with the FBI and CIA in an effort to combat terrorism, even offering, according to some reports, to help apprehend bin Laden. After September 11, the Khartoum government immediately announced it would cooperate in the search for Islamic terrorists and revealed publicly that U.S. intelligence agents were already operating in Sudan.</p>
<p>In the United States, however, these steps toward engagement with Sudan’s National Islamic Front government are opposed by an unlikely coalition of religious right organizations and African-American churches, human rights groups, and labor unions. They are backing Christian guerrilla groups in southern Sudan who, for nearly half a century, have been waging a civil war demanding self-determination. Complicating the political landscape, U.S. corporations, circumscribed by the embargo, have watched with frustration as Chinese and Canadian petroleum companies invested in Sudan’s largely unexplored but potentially large oil reserves. Once again, powerful but strange bedfellows have pushed Sudan onto the Bush administration’s Africa agenda.</p>
<p>Libya, the North African country Washington has long considered at the top of its terrorism list, did not make it into President Bush’s “axis of evil.” Following the terrorist attacks, Qaddafi quickly declared that “the United States has the right to vengeance” and then revealed that Libya had been providing intelligence about al-Qaeda to the United States. Yet relations between the two countries remain far from normalized. In 2003, the Bush administration extended for another year the strict trade, investment, and travel sanctions imposed on Libya in 1986 (in retaliation for the suspected Libyan bombing of a Berlin discotheque) and rejected Libya’s draft statement apologizing for the 1989 terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Washington’s rejection of this statement, which had been accepted by both Britain and the victims’ families, delayed both Libya’s removal from the State Department’s list of countries that sponsor terrorism and Libya’s payment of compensation to the families, reported to total $2.7 billion. After Iraq, one political analyst told the New York Times, “Libya is either No. 2 or No. 3 on the list of nations the hard-liners want to go after.”</p>
<p>The State Department’s 2001 report on terrorism accurately stated that “most terrorist attacks in Africa stem from internal civil unrest and spillover from regional wars” in, for instance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. However, the report noted that both al-Qaeda and the Lebanese Hizballah “have a presence in Africa and continue to exploit Africa’s permissive operating environment-porous borders, conflict, lax financial systems, and the wide availability of weapons-to expand and strengthen their networks.” The State Department put several African insurgencies on its list of terrorist groups, including the Sudanese-backed Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda and the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone.</p>
<p>As U.S. preparations for war against Iraq mounted, the Horn of Africa became an increasingly important outpost in the war on terrorism. A Navy command ship was stationed off the Horn’s coast on an “open-ended mission” to “track, frustrate and eliminate” al-Qaeda terrorists. By early 2003, some eight hundred U.S. special operations forces and CIA paramilitaries and fifteen hundred marines were operating from an abandoned French Foreign Legion post in tiny Djibouti, just across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, Osama bin Laden’s ancestral homeland and the suspected hideaway of al-Qaeda operatives. This first U.S. base in Africa in the post­Cold War era is also useful for observing suspected terrorists in neighboring Somalia.</p>
<p>Eastern Africa has also continued to be the site of al-Qaeda attacks. In November 2002, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at an Israeli-owned beach hotel in Mombasa (killing ten Kenyans, three Israelis, and the three bombers) and for the failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli charter jet with shoulder-launched missiles. Coming just weeks after the deadly bombing of a tourist nightclub in Bali, the Mombasa incident was part of what an al-Qaeda spokesman vowed would be a widening war against the “Christian-Jewish alliance” of the United States and Israel and its other allies. Indeed, within a few weeks, the United States and other countries issued tourism travel warnings of a terrorist plot against the Muslim resort island Zanzibar. OIL AND SECURITY</p>
<p>One year after the September 11 attacks, the lead story in the New York Times proclaimed that “Africa, the neglected stepchild of American diplomacy, is rising in strategic importance to Washington policy makers, and one word sums up the reason: oil.” In early 2002, the newly created African Oil Policy Initiative Group (AOPIG), composed of congressional members, administration officials, industry executives, consultants, and investors, drew up a blueprint for U.S. energy and mineral resource interests in Africa. As House Subcommittee on Africa chair Ed Royce (R-CA) explained, “African oil should be treated as a priority for U.S. national security post 9-11, and I think that post 9-11 it’s occurred to all of us that our traditional sources of oil are not as secure as we once thought they were.”</p>
<p>U.S. imports of crude oil from West Africa-Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon-equal 15 percent of total imports and are set to rise to 25 percent by 2015, according to the National Intelligence Council. In his 2001 National Energy Policy Report, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney projected that the area would be “one of the fastest-growing sources of oil and gas for the American market.” Expansion plans include reopening the U.S. consulate in Equatorial Guinea, where off-shore reserves have been recently discovered, a new embassy in oil-rich Angola, construction of a pipeline linking southern Chad to Atlantic ports, increased military exchanges with West African countries, and a possible new U.S. naval base on Sao Tome and Principe, a tiny, two-island nation strategically located in the Atlantic oil-bearing basin of the Gulf of Guinea.</p>
<p>With civil war and unrest in Colombia and Venezuela, upheavals in the Middle East and war looming with Iraq, Africa was playing “an increasingly important role in our energy security,” Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told the House International Relations Committee in June 2002. Shortly afterward, Secretary of State Powell was dispatched to visit Gabon, Sao Tome, and Angola, oil-rich countries that rarely, if ever, have been visited by a high-level U.S. official. Powell avoided Nigeria, the most important African oil supplier to the United States, where popular resistance continues to grow against oil companies in the Niger Delta region. Quietly, however, the Bush administration has increased its military ties to Nigeria, while pressuring it to pull out of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the quota and price-setting cartel. As one oil industry official explained, “There is a long-term strategy from the U.S. government to weaken OPEC’s hold on the market and one way to do that is to peel off certain countries.” By summer 2002, Bush’s Africa policy was characterized as “build the military and extract the oil.”</p>
<p>While most current military training programs predate September 11, the United States has sought to strengthen relations with African police, military, and security forces in a bid to identify Islamic radicals and secure access to oil resources. At present, nearly every sub-Saharan country receives International Military Education and Training (IMET) funding. U.S. Special Forces, through the African Crisis Response Initiative started in 1997, have trained eight thousand troops from Senegal, Ghana, Mali, and other countries. Both South Africa and Kenya received lists of suspects from the United States and agreed to cooperate.</p>
<p>In Kenya, a key U.S. ally from the Cold War era and central to any U.S. antiterrrorist operations against Somalia, three thousand U.S. Marines participated with Kenyan troops in large-scale military exercises in February 2002. In the run-up to the December 2002 presidential elections, many Kenyans feared the expanded focus on security and counterterrorism would push democratization to the back burner. Indeed, during President Moi’s final state visit to Washington in early December 2002, President Bush made no public appeal for peaceful and fair elections. Despite Washington’s official silence, Kenya’s December elections took place without violence or corruption, and the next day Moi turned over power to opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki.</p>
<p>While Kenya’s political transition was smooth, U.S. policy makers worried that domestic conflict and social collapse in a number of African countries would provide opportunities for Islamic fundamentalists to recruit or to exploit criminal financial networks. As Africa Subcommittee Chair Ed Royce argued, “The general weakness of African governments as well as the civil strife, which exists in several countries, makes parts of the continent hospitable grounds for terrorist operations.” The U.S. focus on security has brought African states with Muslim populations under close scrutiny, while military training is being expanded, new intelligence relationships are being forged, and alleged African links to global criminal networks are being probed. After September 11, reports began to surface of possible al-Qaeda connections to criminal gangs in Mozambique, diamond smugglers in Sierra Leone, and black-market purchases of raw uranium and money laundering with tanzanite gems in Tanzania. South Africa closed a number of bank accounts because of possible terrorist connections and, along with several other states, rushed through legislation on money laundering and monitoring telecommunications.</p>
<p>But this threat has not prompted the U.S. military to intervene directly in Africa. Post-Vietnam and post-Mogadishu (where eighteen marines were killed during a UN mission in 1993), Bush continues to oppose sending U.S. forces into Africa’s several civil wars. Instead, the United States is promoting regional peacekeeping forces led by South Africa and Nigeria, a view reflected as well in the peace and security initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).</p>
<p>DIFFERING U.S. AND AFRICAN AGENDAS</p>
<p>A growing discomfort with U.S. unilateralism has increased anti-American sentiment across the continent and prompted calls for UN rather than U.S. leadership in the war on terrorism. Within just two weeks of the September 2001 attacks, Egyptian President Mubarak warned that Washington’s “cure should not be more bitter than the illness.” Terrorism is far from the most critical problem confronting the continent. Poverty, AIDS, protracted violent conflicts between countries, debt burdens, and the breakdown of states have all ranked higher on the agendas of African leaders and regional organizations. As Salih Booker, director of the U.S.-based policy organization Africa Action, wrote, “Whether measured by numbers killed or nations wounded, by economies upended or families crushed, the AIDS pandemic is a deadlier global threat than that posed by terrorist groups. The war on AIDS is more important than the war on terrorism.” Yet, after September 11, the U.S. government began to look at Africa almost exclusively through the lenses of terrorism and oil.</p>
<p>When the Bush administration took office, it signaled that Africa would remain a low priority, economically and strategically. During the Cold War, the U.S. foreign aid and alliances in Africa were largely aimed at checking Soviet and Chinese influence. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration proclaimed that free market prescriptions-trade, not aid; export-led growth; and structural adjustment policies-would define its relations with Africa. But less U.S. foreign direct investment goes to Africa than any other world region-less than one percent of the total in 2001 -and over half of that goes to the oil industry. And Clinton’s much-touted trade access bill, the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), helped increase African exports (mainly textiles) to the United States for a handful of countries, including Mauritius, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Kenya.</p>
<p>The Bush administration continues to press African economies to privatize, open up to foreign capital, develop “good governance” practices, and uphold agreements to end conflicts in the Congo and elsewhere. At the same time, the administration has modestly increased development assistance, while favoring neoliberal protégés such as Mozambique, South Africa, and Nigeria. U.S. contributions still lag far behind Europe, and by mid-2002, the $700 million that the United States had committed for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative had yet to be disbursed. Most of the Bush administration’s $2.2 billion in total aid to Africa for 2003 was not appropriated by Congress.230 Meanwhile, the United States provided only a modest contribution of $200 million to the UN Global AIDS Fund, which estimates its needs at $7 to $10 billion.</p>
<p>By the time Americans commemorated the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, African support and goodwill, as symbolized in the gift of cattle, had largely vanished. The Bush administration’s unilateralist policies combined with its aggressive and narrow obsession with security and oil in Africa have increasingly alienated many Africans. In September 2002, Africa’s most respected statesman, Nelson Mandela, charged in uncharacteristically bitter language that “the attitude of the United States is a threat to world peace.” Mandela, who had supported the U.S. war in Afghanistan, lashed out at Bush officials for pursuing war in Iraq. He went a step further, charging that in the eyes of many, U.S. actions-from not paying compensation to Africans killed or injured in the two embassy bombings, to snubbing the world summits on racism and sustainable development (both held in South Africa), to showing contempt for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan-contain “that element”: racism. This racism, which also underlies U.S. designs on African oil, the prioritizing of counterterrorism over tackling poverty and AIDS, and the militarizing of the continent, has distorted Washington’s perception of what truly matters to Africa and Africans.</p>
<p>MARTHA HONEY is Executive Director of the enter on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, a Joint Program of Stanford University and the <a href="http://www.ips-dc.org/" type="external">Institute for Policy Studies</a>. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:Martha@ips-dc.org" type="external">Martha@ips-dc.org</a></p> | true | 4 | editors note essay excerpt excellent new book powertrip us unilateralism global strategy september 11 part open media series published seven stories press book edited john feffer includes essays writers scholars foreign policy focus including william hartung mel goodman ahmed rashid powerfully symbolic gift coming one worlds poorer countries worlds richest june 2002 maasai village kenya presented precious resource fifteen head cattle united states expression solidarity tragedy september 11 people america give cows help read banners ceremonial handover cattle maasai elders us ambassador183 gift poignant since us government still compensated families kenyan victims terrorism died alqaedas1998 bombing us embassy nairobi latest long string gestures sympathy different parts africa immediately september 11 organization african union oau since renamed african union expressed full solidarity deepest condolence african leaders even usually odds united states offered support libyas muammar qaddafi sent condolences horrific attacks offered donate blood us victims sudan housed osama bin laden offered cooperation tracking alqaeda terrorists ethiopia djibouti nigeria kenya among others shut froze suspected terrorist financial networks operating countries onceleftist eritrea offered united states use territory port military base fight terrorism nigeria home africas largest muslim population drafted antiterrorist legislation south africa offered support usled diplomatic efforts fight terrorism african summit dakar october 2001 senegalese president abdoulaye wade proposed african pact terrorism created regional counterterrorism intelligence center us assistance time several african governments opportunistically hitched counterinsurgency campaigns washingtons global war terrorism africas longestrunning civil war sudanese government labeled christian animist separatists terrorists eritrean president isaias afewerki liberator turned increasingly dictatorial used postseptember 11 period crack dissent zimbabwean leader robert mugabe termed largely nonviolent political opponents terrorists close us allies daniel arap moi kenya voted office december 2002 olusegun obasanjo nigeria tried bolster hold power forging closer ties us military mix genuine sympathy political opportunism many africans wary well closely associated washingtons war terrorism african states feared repercussions muslim populations roughly 40 percent africans muslims large concentrations north africa east african coast west african countries nigeria senegal days september 11 scattered street celebrations muslim strongholds northern nigeria somalia subsequent antiamerican protests sudan south africa kenya african leaders also feared united states would pursue war terrorism throughout continent january 2002 us military attacks afghanistan wound united states turned sights handful countries suspected harboring alqaeda terrorists including libya egypt sudan somalia governments afraid might next us target therefore clearly keen show cooperating war terrorism commented diplomat stationed nairobi somalia lack stable central government clearly washingtons crosshairs transitional government hastily declared bin laden persona non grata arrested eight iraqis palestinian terrorist suspects detentions largely symbolic one us government adviser noted detained probably poor iraqi migrants looking cooking jobs mogadishu indeed united states continuing deny somalia diplomatic recognition took extremely crippling measures impoverished country rudimentary state functions contending may ties alqaeda united states branded terrorist indigenous group alitihad alislami aiai fighting islamic state damaging united states closed albarakat somalias biggest employer largest remittance bankcumtelephone service thereby cutting communications 500 million year sent home somali expatriates united states also severed somalias internet links monitored international air flights sent naval forces barricade coast afghanistan united states sought use local regional surrogate forces instance somali restoration reconciliation council srrc ethiopianbacked group helped united states identify possible terrorist bases leader srrc son mohammed aidid somali clan leader us special forces pursuing unsuccessfully early 1990s september 11 created many strange bedfellows somalia campaign netted significant alqaeda operatives terrorism africa africa course untouched terrorism homegrown linked international networks early 1990 egyptian president hosni mubarak began warning international terrorism represented bigger danger war 1995 islamic fundamentalists targeted mubarak assassination attempt may orchestrated alqaeda wake september 11 egyptian police rounded twentytwo professionals belonged banned muslim brotherhood tunisia countries sought crack brands politicized islam algeria instance fighting decadelong war muslim fundamentalists north african country bin laden editorialized frenchlanguage arab weekly jeune afrique wake september 11 1992 meeting algiers oau passed resolution meeting calling enhanced cooperation fighting terrorism 1999 algiers organization adopted convention prevention combating terrorism last decade sudan major us concern labeled rogue state denied diplomatic recognition placed offlimits us investors 1991 1996 bin laden based sudan alqaeda leader claimed operatives involved 1993 killing american marines mogadishu somalia united states also viewed sudan operational base alqaedas august 7 1998 simultaneous bombings embassies kenya tanzania killed 224 injured thousands mainly africans retaliation clinton administration launched cruise missile attack destroying claimed alqaeda chemical weapons facility subsequent investigations found pharmaceutical factory yet 1990s diplomatic crosscurrents sudanese officials met secretly fbi cia effort combat terrorism even offering according reports help apprehend bin laden september 11 khartoum government immediately announced would cooperate search islamic terrorists revealed publicly us intelligence agents already operating sudan united states however steps toward engagement sudans national islamic front government opposed unlikely coalition religious right organizations africanamerican churches human rights groups labor unions backing christian guerrilla groups southern sudan nearly half century waging civil war demanding selfdetermination complicating political landscape us corporations circumscribed embargo watched frustration chinese canadian petroleum companies invested sudans largely unexplored potentially large oil reserves powerful strange bedfellows pushed sudan onto bush administrations africa agenda libya north african country washington long considered top terrorism list make president bushs axis evil following terrorist attacks qaddafi quickly declared united states right vengeance revealed libya providing intelligence alqaeda united states yet relations two countries remain far normalized 2003 bush administration extended another year strict trade investment travel sanctions imposed libya 1986 retaliation suspected libyan bombing berlin discotheque rejected libyas draft statement apologizing 1989 terrorist bombing pan 103 lockerbie scotland washingtons rejection statement accepted britain victims families delayed libyas removal state departments list countries sponsor terrorism libyas payment compensation families reported total 27 billion iraq one political analyst told new york times libya either 2 3 list nations hardliners want go state departments 2001 report terrorism accurately stated terrorist attacks africa stem internal civil unrest spillover regional wars instance democratic republic congo liberia sierra leone however report noted alqaeda lebanese hizballah presence africa continue exploit africas permissive operating environmentporous borders conflict lax financial systems wide availability weaponsto expand strengthen networks state department put several african insurgencies list terrorist groups including sudanesebacked lords resistance army northern uganda revolutionary united front sierra leone us preparations war iraq mounted horn africa became increasingly important outpost war terrorism navy command ship stationed horns coast openended mission track frustrate eliminate alqaeda terrorists early 2003 eight hundred us special operations forces cia paramilitaries fifteen hundred marines operating abandoned french foreign legion post tiny djibouti across gulf aden yemen osama bin ladens ancestral homeland suspected hideaway alqaeda operatives first us base africa postcold war era also useful observing suspected terrorists neighboring somalia eastern africa also continued site alqaeda attacks november 2002 alqaeda claimed responsibility suicide car bombing israeliowned beach hotel mombasa killing ten kenyans three israelis three bombers failed attempt shoot israeli charter jet shoulderlaunched missiles coming weeks deadly bombing tourist nightclub bali mombasa incident part alqaeda spokesman vowed would widening war christianjewish alliance united states israel allies indeed within weeks united states countries issued tourism travel warnings terrorist plot muslim resort island zanzibar oil security one year september 11 attacks lead story new york times proclaimed africa neglected stepchild american diplomacy rising strategic importance washington policy makers one word sums reason oil early 2002 newly created african oil policy initiative group aopig composed congressional members administration officials industry executives consultants investors drew blueprint us energy mineral resource interests africa house subcommittee africa chair ed royce rca explained african oil treated priority us national security post 911 think post 911 occurred us traditional sources oil secure thought us imports crude oil west africanigeria angola equatorial guinea gabonequal 15 percent total imports set rise 25 percent 2015 according national intelligence council 2001 national energy policy report us vice president dick cheney projected area would one fastestgrowing sources oil gas american market expansion plans include reopening us consulate equatorial guinea offshore reserves recently discovered new embassy oilrich angola construction pipeline linking southern chad atlantic ports increased military exchanges west african countries possible new us naval base sao tome principe tiny twoisland nation strategically located atlantic oilbearing basin gulf guinea civil war unrest colombia venezuela upheavals middle east war looming iraq africa playing increasingly important role energy security energy secretary spencer abraham told house international relations committee june 2002 shortly afterward secretary state powell dispatched visit gabon sao tome angola oilrich countries rarely ever visited highlevel us official powell avoided nigeria important african oil supplier united states popular resistance continues grow oil companies niger delta region quietly however bush administration increased military ties nigeria pressuring pull organization petroleum exporting countries opec quota pricesetting cartel one oil industry official explained longterm strategy us government weaken opecs hold market one way peel certain countries summer 2002 bushs africa policy characterized build military extract oil current military training programs predate september 11 united states sought strengthen relations african police military security forces bid identify islamic radicals secure access oil resources present nearly every subsaharan country receives international military education training imet funding us special forces african crisis response initiative started 1997 trained eight thousand troops senegal ghana mali countries south africa kenya received lists suspects united states agreed cooperate kenya key us ally cold war era central us antiterrrorist operations somalia three thousand us marines participated kenyan troops largescale military exercises february 2002 runup december 2002 presidential elections many kenyans feared expanded focus security counterterrorism would push democratization back burner indeed president mois final state visit washington early december 2002 president bush made public appeal peaceful fair elections despite washingtons official silence kenyas december elections took place without violence corruption next day moi turned power opposition candidate mwai kibaki kenyas political transition smooth us policy makers worried domestic conflict social collapse number african countries would provide opportunities islamic fundamentalists recruit exploit criminal financial networks africa subcommittee chair ed royce argued general weakness african governments well civil strife exists several countries makes parts continent hospitable grounds terrorist operations us focus security brought african states muslim populations close scrutiny military training expanded new intelligence relationships forged alleged african links global criminal networks probed september 11 reports began surface possible alqaeda connections criminal gangs mozambique diamond smugglers sierra leone blackmarket purchases raw uranium money laundering tanzanite gems tanzania south africa closed number bank accounts possible terrorist connections along several states rushed legislation money laundering monitoring telecommunications threat prompted us military intervene directly africa postvietnam postmogadishu eighteen marines killed un mission 1993 bush continues oppose sending us forces africas several civil wars instead united states promoting regional peacekeeping forces led south africa nigeria view reflected well peace security initiative new partnership africas development nepad differing us african agendas growing discomfort us unilateralism increased antiamerican sentiment across continent prompted calls un rather us leadership war terrorism within two weeks september 2001 attacks egyptian president mubarak warned washingtons cure bitter illness terrorism far critical problem confronting continent poverty aids protracted violent conflicts countries debt burdens breakdown states ranked higher agendas african leaders regional organizations salih booker director usbased policy organization africa action wrote whether measured numbers killed nations wounded economies upended families crushed aids pandemic deadlier global threat posed terrorist groups war aids important war terrorism yet september 11 us government began look africa almost exclusively lenses terrorism oil bush administration took office signaled africa would remain low priority economically strategically cold war us foreign aid alliances africa largely aimed checking soviet chinese influence 1990s clinton administration proclaimed free market prescriptionstrade aid exportled growth structural adjustment policieswould define relations africa less us foreign direct investment goes africa world regionless one percent total 2001 half goes oil industry clintons muchtouted trade access bill africa growth opportunity act agoa helped increase african exports mainly textiles united states handful countries including mauritius lesotho mozambique kenya bush administration continues press african economies privatize open foreign capital develop good governance practices uphold agreements end conflicts congo elsewhere time administration modestly increased development assistance favoring neoliberal protégés mozambique south africa nigeria us contributions still lag far behind europe mid2002 700 million united states committed heavily indebted poor countries initiative yet disbursed bush administrations 22 billion total aid africa 2003 appropriated congress230 meanwhile united states provided modest contribution 200 million un global aids fund estimates needs 7 10 billion time americans commemorated first anniversary terrorist attacks african support goodwill symbolized gift cattle largely vanished bush administrations unilateralist policies combined aggressive narrow obsession security oil africa increasingly alienated many africans september 2002 africas respected statesman nelson mandela charged uncharacteristically bitter language attitude united states threat world peace mandela supported us war afghanistan lashed bush officials pursuing war iraq went step charging eyes many us actionsfrom paying compensation africans killed injured two embassy bombings snubbing world summits racism sustainable development held south africa showing contempt un secretary general kofi annancontain element racism racism also underlies us designs african oil prioritizing counterterrorism tackling poverty aids militarizing continent distorted washingtons perception truly matters africa africans martha honey executive director enter ecotourism sustainable development joint program stanford university institute policy studies reached marthaipsdcorg | 2,145 |
<p>A Muzak rendition of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" echoed through the Jakarta airport's domestic terminal shortly after dawn. A 40-year-old man wearing knockoff Ray-Ban Wayfarers and an Al Jazeera baseball cap shuffled along with a large cardboard box poked with holes tucked under his arm. A minor celebrity within the world of international jihad, Farihin Ibnu Ahmad, aka "Yasir," was barely known outside of it. He was renowned for his violent pedigree, although few people other than militants would have recognized his broad, hangdog face. He sidled up to a plainclothes security officer and thrust the box toward him.</p>
<p>On the ride to Sulawesi, Ibnu Ahmad listened to John Lennon's "Imagine" over and over through a pair of flimsy earphones. "Al Jazeera," he would joke from time to time, pointing to his cap.</p>
<p>"Will the X-ray machine kill them?" he asked. The officer pulled back one of the box's dog-eared corners to reveal a pair of rabbits, mottled black and white, noses twitching wildly at the unfamiliar smells of stale coffee and perfume. Ibnu Ahmad (ibnu in Indonesian, like bin in Arabic, means "son of") wanted to know if he should check the rabbits or if he could carry them on the plane. The officer glanced up from the rabbits to Ibnu Ahmad's face, half hidden beneath the baseball cap. Though I was there to meet Ibnu Ahmad, I scooted furtively to the other side of the corridor, certain he was about to be arrested.</p>
<p>The rabbits should have been the least of the security officer's concerns: Ibnu Ahmad was a killer, and member of Jemaah Islamiyah, a lethal group of Southeast Asian militants notorious for the 2002 Bali bombings, which left 202 people dead. The militants' ties to al Qaeda were precisely through men like Ibnu Ahmad.</p>
<p>For generations, Ibnu Ahmad's family has been part of an Islamist movement first opposing Western colonialism and later fighting for Indonesia to become an Islamic state. When he was 16, Ahmad's family offered him a choice: Did he want to be an Islamic teacher or a fighter? He chose to be a fighter, and in 1987 he shipped out to al Qaeda's Al-Sadda camp in the saw-toothed, snowy mountains on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, to fight in the jihad against the Soviets. He learned to build explosives and heard a couple of sermons given by Abdullah Azzam, the Palestinian preacher who served as Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor. Azzam believed that every Muslim was duty bound to fight or pay for global jihad until the holy lands of Islam were restored to their former glory. He preached that Islam's future lay in reviving its ideal, seventh-century past by whatever means necessary.</p>
<p>When Ibnu Ahmad returned to Indonesia in the '90s, he brought with him a bloody, millennarian worldview intended to overthrow the secular government, and a network of contacts. In Jakarta, the nation's buzzing capital, he became one of Jemaah Islamiyah's most ardent deputies. In 1996, when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the architects of the 9/11 attacks, visited Jakarta, Ibnu Ahmad served as his tour guide. He did the personal bidding of Hambali (aka Riduan bin Isomuddin, known as al Qaeda's kingpin in Southeast Asia), and he helped plan an attack on the American embassy in Jakarta.</p>
<p>"The instruction was to drive a suicide truck into the U.S. embassy, or get a helicopter to bomb them from above," Ibnu Ahmad said. The plan, apparently, did not work out. His surveillance photographs of the embassy building proved too blurry to show to al Qaeda higher-ups in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>In August 2000, the group ended up bombing the Philippine ambassador's residence instead, killing two Indonesians and injuring the ambassador. Most recently, Ibnu Ahmad was imprisoned twice for waging jihad against Christians on the island of Sulawesi, one of the largest of the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia's vast archipelago.</p>
<p>With 240 million people, eight of 10 of whom are Muslims, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. (Protestants make up about 6 percent of the rest of population; Catholics, 3 percent; Hindus, less than 5 percent.) Indonesia is also a vibrant young democracy, which held its first presidential elections only in 2004. In 1998, after 32 years in power, the strong centralized government of President Suharto collapsed and political power spread to the outlying islands. On Sulawesi, power became something worth fighting for, and Christians and Muslims began to battle over local elections. As in Nigeria (where military dictatorship ended in 1999), in Indonesia's wobbly new democracy, political and religious affiliations soon reinforced one another.</p>
<p>Once the religious violence began, Ibnu Ahmad traveled by boat to Sulawesi to train his Muslim brothers in how to fight a guerrilla war against infidels. His training in Afghanistan hadn't been about killing Christians, however, but about overthrowing the secular government. Back at home in Indonesia, there were arguments among the militants as to whether these skirmishes were the right ones to fight. Ibnu Ahmad went to Sulawesi anyway, where he was caught carrying 31,000 rounds of ammunition, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. He wasn't interested in talking about the electroshock or waterboarding he was subjected to in prison. "My brain doesn't work right, it's like a broken computer," was all he would say. But evidence of his treatment seemed all too visible in his absent stares and broken teeth.</p>
<p>Apparently the security officer at the Jakarta airport didn't recognize Ibnu Ahmad: After allowing the rabbits to be checked, he let him go without incident. Ibnu Ahmad strolled back across the gleaming terminal to where I stood with Zamira Loebis, a journalism professor and Time reporter in her forties, who was traveling along with us to interpret. From beneath her blunt bob, Loebis' eyes found mine in disbelief that Ibnu Ahmad had been allowed to check the rabbits as luggage. An animal lover, she had a household full of cats and dogs; she'd even rescued two parrots from different religious battlegrounds.</p>
<p>These rabbits were a gift for Ibnu Ahmad's newborn son and his second wife, Farhia, 28, whom he had met while still in prison on Sulawesi, where the three of us were headed this morning. "Fathers used to come to the prison to marry their daughters off to us," he said wistfully.</p>
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<p>Otherwise, Ibnu Ahmad was broke. This is where I came in. For the price of his plane ticket home, and the chance to see his wife and child, he was going to show me how he had grafted a war of worlds onto this local conflict. He missed the days when he was a folk hero, when the difference between good and evil was glaringly clear, when identity and ideology were as simple as fear, a face mask, and the scrawl of a cross or a crescent on a wall. For the past two years, lack of funding and divisions over the meaning of jihad had been tearing Jemaah Islamiyah militants apart, and their beliefs and tactics seemed to have lost favor among local people and prospective recruits. Several months before our trip, three Christian teenage girls had been beheaded on Sulawesi while walking to school; one's head, wrapped in a black plastic bag, was dropped on the front step of a local church. A fourth teenager, Noviana Malewa, had also been attacked, but survived. No one had been arrested yet for these crimes, but most thought the attackers must have come from among the hard-core fighters such as Ibnu Ahmad. Now the former heroes were pariahs.</p>
<p>On the ride to Sulawesi, Ibnu Ahmad listened to John Lennon's "Imagine" over and over through a pair of flimsy earphones. "Al Jazeera," he would joke from time to time, pointing to his cap. He liked to tease me about the differences between our two worlds, which he viewed as being in opposition: America and I and all Christians on one side, he and Al Jazeera and the world's Muslims on the other. The conflict in Indonesia, however, was much more complicated. Every government arm that received counterterrorism funding from the international community, namely the U.S. and Australia, had a stake in the conflict. It was clear that the conflict had little to do with religion per se and everything to do with competition over who controlled the local government and, by extension, the economy. These realities hadn't occurred to Ibnu Ahmad, who clung to his worldview and the peace of mind it seemed to provide him, oblivious to the fact that the rest of his country had moved beyond the jihad he thought he was fighting.</p>
<p>Ibnu Ahmad's rabbits were shivering but alive when they came out of baggage claim, their brown fur spiked like hedgehog quills. We were in Palu, central Sulawesi's main city; the dingy airport was full of scowling men in sunglasses and short-sleeve button-down shirts, the universal uniform of intelligence. Along with jungle rot and sea brine, menace hung in the moist air. Palu felt like a place of exile and disappearances.</p>
<p>Excerpted from The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam by Eliza Griswold. Published in August 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. Copyright - 2010 by Eliza Griswold. All rights reserved.</p>
<p>Plus: <a href="" type="internal">Check out Book Beast, for more news on hot titles and authors and excerpts from the latest books</a>.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Eliza Griswold</a> is a Schwartz fellow at the <a href="http://www.newamerica.net/" type="external">New America Foundation</a>. Her book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374273189/thedaibea-20" type="external">The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Islam and Christianity</a> comes out this month from FSG.</p> | true | 4 | muzak rendition beethovens ode joy echoed jakarta airports domestic terminal shortly dawn 40yearold man wearing knockoff rayban wayfarers al jazeera baseball cap shuffled along large cardboard box poked holes tucked arm minor celebrity within world international jihad farihin ibnu ahmad aka yasir barely known outside renowned violent pedigree although people militants would recognized broad hangdog face sidled plainclothes security officer thrust box toward ride sulawesi ibnu ahmad listened john lennons imagine pair flimsy earphones al jazeera would joke time time pointing cap xray machine kill asked officer pulled back one boxs dogeared corners reveal pair rabbits mottled black white noses twitching wildly unfamiliar smells stale coffee perfume ibnu ahmad ibnu indonesian like bin arabic means son wanted know check rabbits could carry plane officer glanced rabbits ibnu ahmads face half hidden beneath baseball cap though meet ibnu ahmad scooted furtively side corridor certain arrested rabbits least security officers concerns ibnu ahmad killer member jemaah islamiyah lethal group southeast asian militants notorious 2002 bali bombings left 202 people dead militants ties al qaeda precisely men like ibnu ahmad generations ibnu ahmads family part islamist movement first opposing western colonialism later fighting indonesia become islamic state 16 ahmads family offered choice want islamic teacher fighter chose fighter 1987 shipped al qaedas alsadda camp sawtoothed snowy mountains border afghanistan pakistan fight jihad soviets learned build explosives heard couple sermons given abdullah azzam palestinian preacher served osama bin ladens spiritual mentor azzam believed every muslim duty bound fight pay global jihad holy lands islam restored former glory preached islams future lay reviving ideal seventhcentury past whatever means necessary ibnu ahmad returned indonesia 90s brought bloody millennarian worldview intended overthrow secular government network contacts jakarta nations buzzing capital became one jemaah islamiyahs ardent deputies 1996 khalid sheikh mohammed one architects 911 attacks visited jakarta ibnu ahmad served tour guide personal bidding hambali aka riduan bin isomuddin known al qaedas kingpin southeast asia helped plan attack american embassy jakarta instruction drive suicide truck us embassy get helicopter bomb ibnu ahmad said plan apparently work surveillance photographs embassy building proved blurry show al qaeda higherups afghanistan august 2000 group ended bombing philippine ambassadors residence instead killing two indonesians injuring ambassador recently ibnu ahmad imprisoned twice waging jihad christians island sulawesi one largest 17000 islands make indonesias vast archipelago 240 million people eight 10 muslims indonesia populous muslim country world protestants make 6 percent rest population catholics 3 percent hindus less 5 percent indonesia also vibrant young democracy held first presidential elections 2004 1998 32 years power strong centralized government president suharto collapsed political power spread outlying islands sulawesi power became something worth fighting christians muslims began battle local elections nigeria military dictatorship ended 1999 indonesias wobbly new democracy political religious affiliations soon reinforced one another religious violence began ibnu ahmad traveled boat sulawesi train muslim brothers fight guerrilla war infidels training afghanistan hadnt killing christians however overthrowing secular government back home indonesia arguments among militants whether skirmishes right ones fight ibnu ahmad went sulawesi anyway caught carrying 31000 rounds ammunition tried convicted imprisoned wasnt interested talking electroshock waterboarding subjected prison brain doesnt work right like broken computer would say evidence treatment seemed visible absent stares broken teeth apparently security officer jakarta airport didnt recognize ibnu ahmad allowing rabbits checked let go without incident ibnu ahmad strolled back across gleaming terminal stood zamira loebis journalism professor time reporter forties traveling along us interpret beneath blunt bob loebis eyes found mine disbelief ibnu ahmad allowed check rabbits luggage animal lover household full cats dogs shed even rescued two parrots different religious battlegrounds rabbits gift ibnu ahmads newborn son second wife farhia 28 met still prison sulawesi three us headed morning fathers used come prison marry daughters us said wistfully start finish day top stories daily beast speedy smart summary news need know nothing dont otherwise ibnu ahmad broke came price plane ticket home chance see wife child going show grafted war worlds onto local conflict missed days folk hero difference good evil glaringly clear identity ideology simple fear face mask scrawl cross crescent wall past two years lack funding divisions meaning jihad tearing jemaah islamiyah militants apart beliefs tactics seemed lost favor among local people prospective recruits several months trip three christian teenage girls beheaded sulawesi walking school ones head wrapped black plastic bag dropped front step local church fourth teenager noviana malewa also attacked survived one arrested yet crimes thought attackers must come among hardcore fighters ibnu ahmad former heroes pariahs ride sulawesi ibnu ahmad listened john lennons imagine pair flimsy earphones al jazeera would joke time time pointing cap liked tease differences two worlds viewed opposition america christians one side al jazeera worlds muslims conflict indonesia however much complicated every government arm received counterterrorism funding international community namely us australia stake conflict clear conflict little religion per se everything competition controlled local government extension economy realities hadnt occurred ibnu ahmad clung worldview peace mind seemed provide oblivious fact rest country moved beyond jihad thought fighting ibnu ahmads rabbits shivering alive came baggage claim brown fur spiked like hedgehog quills palu central sulawesis main city dingy airport full scowling men sunglasses shortsleeve buttondown shirts universal uniform intelligence along jungle rot sea brine menace hung moist air palu felt like place exile disappearances excerpted tenth parallel dispatches fault line christianity islam eliza griswold published august 2010 farrar straus giroux llc copyright 2010 eliza griswold rights reserved plus check book beast news hot titles authors excerpts latest books eliza griswold schwartz fellow new america foundation book tenth parallel dispatches fault line islam christianity comes month fsg | 926 |
<p>By Derek Willis / <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/that-time-i-was-investigated-for-voter-fraud" type="external">ProPublica</a></p>
<p>Here’s how I learned that someone voted as me in the 2012 general election.</p>
<p>On March 26, 2014, three investigators from Maryland’s Office of the State Prosecutor sat at my dining room table and showed me a signature on a photocopy taken from a D.C. poll book. The scrawl looked more like a seismograph reading and was so unrecognizable that it took me a minute to realize that I was looking at it upside down. Turning the picture over didn’t make it much better.</p>
<p>“No, that’s not my handwriting,” I told them.</p>
<p />
<p>Somebody had clearly voted using my name. But why? And how did state officials figure it out?</p>
<p>In-person voter impersonation is vanishingly rare, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/" type="external">many studies</a> have shown. The claims put forth by Donald Trump that voter fraud in places like Philadelphia could rig the election against him have very little evidence behind them, <a href="https://electionlawblog.org/?p=87081" type="external">according to election experts</a>.</p>
<p>Absentee ballot fraud – people violating state laws on the distribution, collection and submission of mail ballots – is the more likely and more commonly prosecuted crime. Even for these kinds of scams, a definitive total of cases is hard to come by since voting records are maintained by several thousand different local governments.</p>
<p>In Montgomery County, Maryland, where I live, a woman named Linda Earlette Wells <a href="http://osp.maryland.gov/2014/02/27/2013-sept-11-linda-earlette-wells-agreed-statement-of-facts/" type="external">cast a provisional ballot in the name of her dead mother in the 2012 election</a> (Wells was a registered Florida voter at the time). After doing so, she called the county’s board of elections and told an employee that she had used her mother’s name and ID to vote and wanted to cancel the ballot. By pleading guilty, Wells was <a href="http://osp.maryland.gov/2014/02/27/2013-sep-11-montgomery-county-resident-pleads-guilty-to-voter-fraud/" type="external">sentenced to probation</a> without a conviction appearing on her record. Hers was one of two cases of voter fraud brought by Maryland authorities since 2012.</p>
<p>I voted early in 2012, because at the time I worked at The New York Times and was expected to be in the newsroom in Manhattan on Election Day. When the investigators came to visit me in 2014, the picture of the poll book they showed me was from a polling place I hadn’t voted in for eight years, having long since moved out of the city and into the nearby Maryland suburbs. Somehow, my name had remained on the D.C. voter rolls, and someone had apparently taken advantage of it.</p>
<p>Voting in someone else’s name is difficult to arrange. You’d need to know that the person you were attempting to vote as was not going to show up themselves, and you’d need that person to live in a jurisdiction where the vote would help elect or defeat someone. D.C. isn’t known for having competitive races, and in <a href="https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2012/November-6-General-Election/" type="external">2012</a> there was one citywide contest – an at-large city council seat – that was less than a blowout. I struggled to think why voting as me would be worth doing, and also how it was possible to do it.</p>
<p>When you move from one state to another (or, in my case, from the District to Maryland), registering to vote in your new jurisdiction creates a new record there, but doesn’t always cancel the old one.</p>
<p>The District does have a process for removing voters who <a href="https://www.dcboee.org/faq/voter_reg.asp#2" type="external">do not vote once every four years</a> from the rolls, but that clearly didn’t happen in my case. Without a national election authority, it’s up to states to find and investigate issues of voter fraud. One way to make that job easier is to keep <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/10/18/upgrading-voter-registration" type="external">accurate voter lists</a>, and tools such as online voter registration systems can help. An accurate voter list makes it less likely than mistakes will occur at the polls.</p>
<p>In my case, I registered in Maryland when I got my driver’s license, an option encouraged by the <a href="http://www.mva.maryland.gov/motor-voter/" type="external">Motor Voter Act</a>, but since Maryland and the District separately maintain voter lists, there was no immediate trigger that caused my D.C. voter registration to be cancelled. I didn’t check, either.</p>
<p>So how did the Maryland investigators know that someone claiming to be Derek Willis appeared to vote in both Maryland and D.C. in 2012? And why did it take them so long to show up at my door?</p>
<p>After each election, local election authorities produce what are known as “voter history” files that show, for a given election, which registered voters actually voted (but not how they voted, of course). These files are public records in most states. Political parties and campaigns often pay vendors to maintain voter files to help them identify and target voters, but members of the public and government officials can also access voter history in most places. In my case, it’s likely that Maryland officials compared their own voter history files to D.C.’s, looking for people with the same name and date of birth or age who appeared on both.</p>
<p>That process doesn’t guarantee that people identified as voting in both jurisdictions are, in fact, the same person. Journalists are familiar with the pitfalls of this kind of “fuzzy matching” based on names and ages. And though we don’t share a birthday or a jump shot, I get mistaken for <a href="http://www.ukathletics.com/sport/m-baskbl/2015/roster/559d907be4b01c7eefd5ec97" type="external">University of Kentucky basketball forward Derek Willis</a> often enough on social media that I was once invited on a Kentucky radio show to talk about it.</p>
<p>There is no federal government agency that maintains a comprehensive set of voter registration and history records. It’s unlikely that the federal government could even compel states to participate in one; the constitution hands the power to run elections squarely to the states. However, some 20 states and the District of Columbia participate in a data-sharing project called the <a href="http://www.ericstates.org/" type="external">Electronic Registration Information Center</a>.</p>
<p>The ability to match voter information across state lines is one reason the Maryland investigators showed up at my doorstep. They asked me where I was on Nov. 6, 2012, and whether I had voted in D.C. that day. Once I explained where I had been on Election Day (and was able to provide some evidence of it), the investigators’ interest diminished. When I called the office this fall to find out what, if anything, happened, I was told case was dropped, and since there was no way to tell who had voted in my name in D.C. that day, there were no other leads to follow.</p>
<p>To be sure, I don’t know if whoever signed my name did so with fraud in mind. He or she could have simply signed in the wrong place in the poll book. It would have been a particularly frustrating crime. Even that “close” at-large city council race was <a href="https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2012/November-6-General-Election/" type="external">won by nearly 70,000 votes</a>.</p>
<p>This election year, some people claim voter fraud goes under-reported and unprosecuted. The three investigators from the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor who sat at my dining room table would surely disagree, and a <a href="https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/pdf/VoterFraudCases-8-7-15-Merged.pdf" type="external">listing of voter fraud cases compiled by the Heritage Foundation</a> from public reports includes instances from dozens of states that involve prison sentences for the perpetrators, albeit involving different kinds of crimes.</p>
<p>After the investigators left my house that day, the first thing I did was call up the D.C. Board of Elections web site to check my voter registration record. By that time, they had finally gotten me off their rolls.</p>
<p>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.</p> | true | 4 | derek willis propublica heres learned someone voted 2012 general election march 26 2014 three investigators marylands office state prosecutor sat dining room table showed signature photocopy taken dc poll book scrawl looked like seismograph reading unrecognizable took minute realize looking upside turning picture didnt make much better thats handwriting told somebody clearly voted using name state officials figure inperson voter impersonation vanishingly rare many studies shown claims put forth donald trump voter fraud places like philadelphia could rig election little evidence behind according election experts absentee ballot fraud people violating state laws distribution collection submission mail ballots likely commonly prosecuted crime even kinds scams definitive total cases hard come since voting records maintained several thousand different local governments montgomery county maryland live woman named linda earlette wells cast provisional ballot name dead mother 2012 election wells registered florida voter time called countys board elections told employee used mothers name id vote wanted cancel ballot pleading guilty wells sentenced probation without conviction appearing record one two cases voter fraud brought maryland authorities since 2012 voted early 2012 time worked new york times expected newsroom manhattan election day investigators came visit 2014 picture poll book showed polling place hadnt voted eight years long since moved city nearby maryland suburbs somehow name remained dc voter rolls someone apparently taken advantage voting someone elses name difficult arrange youd need know person attempting vote going show youd need person live jurisdiction vote would help elect defeat someone dc isnt known competitive races 2012 one citywide contest atlarge city council seat less blowout struggled think voting would worth also possible move one state another case district maryland registering vote new jurisdiction creates new record doesnt always cancel old one district process removing voters vote every four years rolls clearly didnt happen case without national election authority states find investigate issues voter fraud one way make job easier keep accurate voter lists tools online voter registration systems help accurate voter list makes less likely mistakes occur polls case registered maryland got drivers license option encouraged motor voter act since maryland district separately maintain voter lists immediate trigger caused dc voter registration cancelled didnt check either maryland investigators know someone claiming derek willis appeared vote maryland dc 2012 take long show door election local election authorities produce known voter history files show given election registered voters actually voted voted course files public records states political parties campaigns often pay vendors maintain voter files help identify target voters members public government officials also access voter history places case likely maryland officials compared voter history files dcs looking people name date birth age appeared process doesnt guarantee people identified voting jurisdictions fact person journalists familiar pitfalls kind fuzzy matching based names ages though dont share birthday jump shot get mistaken university kentucky basketball forward derek willis often enough social media invited kentucky radio show talk federal government agency maintains comprehensive set voter registration history records unlikely federal government could even compel states participate one constitution hands power run elections squarely states however 20 states district columbia participate datasharing project called electronic registration information center ability match voter information across state lines one reason maryland investigators showed doorstep asked nov 6 2012 whether voted dc day explained election day able provide evidence investigators interest diminished called office fall find anything happened told case dropped since way tell voted name dc day leads follow sure dont know whoever signed name fraud mind could simply signed wrong place poll book would particularly frustrating crime even close atlarge city council race nearly 70000 votes election year people claim voter fraud goes underreported unprosecuted three investigators maryland office state prosecutor sat dining room table would surely disagree listing voter fraud cases compiled heritage foundation public reports includes instances dozens states involve prison sentences perpetrators albeit involving different kinds crimes investigators left house day first thing call dc board elections web site check voter registration record time finally gotten rolls propublica pulitzer prizewinning investigative newsroom | 659 |
<p>Haiti’s Judicial and Executive Branches are both getting what they deserve this holiday season- each other. After 22 months of close collaboration to trample Haiti’s Constitution and democracy, they have now turned their destructive energies on each other. The Cour de Cassation (Supreme Court) outraged Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue on December 8 by decreeing that Dumarsais Simeus was wrongfully disqualified from the upcoming Presidential elections. Latortue retaliated the next day by firing five of the Cour’s justices, replacing them with henchmen. The judiciary went on strike, which has shut down the justice system for four weeks.</p>
<p>It is a measure of how far Haiti has strayed from constitutional rule since the February 2004 coup d’etat that both sides in this dispute are wrong. The Cour de Cassation wrongly reinstated Simeus’ illegal candidacy not once, but twice. Simeus cannot be President because the Constitution requires Presidential candidates to have lived in the country for the last five years, and to have never taken foreign citizenship. Mr. Simeus readily concedes in media interviews that he resides in Southlake Texas and has obtained U.S. citizenship. The Cour de Cassation could not go so far as to ignore the Constitution’s plain prohibitions, but it came close. Instead of saying that the citizenship and residency bars do not apply, the Justices ruled that they had no evidence of Simeus’ U.S. residency and citizenship- unlike the dozens of journalists who have asked him.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Latortue’s objection to the Cour’s decision is right, but he is the wrong man to make it. The same residency requirement applies to Presidents and Prime Ministers alike, and Mr. Latortue lived in Boca Raton Florida for years before being illegally installed as Prime Minister by the U.S. and Haitian elites in March 2004. The Constitution requires an interim government to hold elections within 90 days from taking office, but Latortue will have 700 days in office, at the very least.</p>
<p>Latortue’s response to the Cour’s decision is equally wrong. As in the U.S., justices in Haiti can only be removed through specific procedures, for duly established wrongdoing or permanent physical or mental incapacity. Latortue did not even give lip service to any of these procedures, he just fired the justices. Later his aides claimed that the justices were old and needed to be retired, but the Constitution does not recognize that claim.</p>
<p>The justice system’s expressed outrage at the executive branch’s interference was justified in principle, but disingenuous coming from a judiciary that had loyally backed Mr. Latortue’s attacks on the rule of law for almost two years. The courts have routinely freed convicted mass murderers who support the government, while holding government critics indefinitely on absolutely no evidence.</p>
<p>Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste, for example, was arrested without a warrant in October, 2004. When the government could produce no evidence against him, a courageous judge, Judge Fleury, ordered him released. The Minister of Justice then forced Judge Fleury off the bench, with the support of the Trial Court’s Chief Judge, and without complaint from the Cour de Cassation’s judges, or even ANAMAH, the Haitian judges’ association.</p>
<p>Judge Fleury was replaced by another judge, Judge Peres, who was head of ANAMAH, and active in the anti-Lavalas opposition before the coup. Fr. Jean-Juste was re-arrested in July, again without a warrant. The case was given to Judge Peres, who has obediently held Fr. Gerry in prison for five months now despite a complete lack of evidence. This “pre-trial” detention may be a death sentence- Fr. Jean-Juste has just been diagnosed with leukemia. The kind of leukemia he likely has can be treated, but not in Haiti’s prisons.</p>
<p>Amnesty International, the UN Human Rights Commission, 45 members of the U.S. Congress and human rights groups all over the world have criticized the injustice of Fr. Jean-Juste’s persecution. Not one member of the Haitian judiciary has spoken against it, at least in public.</p>
<p>The Cour de Cassation itself led the charge in dismantling the Raboteau massacre case, the centerpiece of the fight to establish the rule of law under Haiti’s elected governments. The case had been heralded as a landmark in the fight against impunity by the UN and human rights groups when the trial concluded in November 2000. Those convicted appealed at the time, which they had the right to do, but the Cour refused to rule on the case, which it had no right to do. The massacre victims smelled a rat as 2001 turned to 2002 and 2003, without any action- they feared that the court was dragging its feet, keeping the case technically open until it could be reversed by a government sympathetic to the convicts.</p>
<p>The foot-dragging was amply rewarded in March 2004, when Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was named Interim President (although Prime Minister Latortue has all the power). The rat was pulled from the Justices’ robes last summer, when they threw out the Raboteau trial on the grounds that the case was inappropriately sent to a jury. This decision was unjustified and outrageous- the justices themselves had approved sending the case to the jury in 1999, and the defendants never even objected. But no one in the judiciary complained.</p>
<p>There is no satisfaction in seeing Haiti’s two remaining branches of government getting what they deserve, because the real burden of this dispute falls, as always on the poor. The judges and ministers may be truly outraged, but they are not spending their lives Haiti’s prisons, under conditions that a U.S. court has likened to a slave ship. Almost everyone in jail in Haiti is poor- in a justice system where money talks, the well-off quickly walk. Ninety-five percent of them have never been convicted of a crime. Their hopes for justice were always slim, but with the courts shut down for four weeks, their hopes are now none.</p>
<p>All of this bodes poorly as elections in Haiti- currently scheduled for January 8, but certain to be postponed for the fifth time- approach. The electoral law gives the Cour de Cassation the last word on most electoral disputes. The electoral preparations by the unconstitutional Provisional Electoral Council have so far been consistently mismanaged and biased in favor of Mr. Latortue’s allies, so the actual voting will undoubtedly generate disputes. The disputes will go to a Court which had lost most of its credibility even before it became stacked with Latortue’s henchmen. In its current state, the Cour will have neither the ability nor willingness to curb the Interim Government’s most blatant electoral abuses. That, in the end, may be the whole point.</p>
<p>Brian Concannon Jr., Esq. directs the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, <a href="http://www.ijdh.org/" type="external">www.ijdh.org</a>, and is a former OAS Elections Observer and UN Human Rights Observer in Haiti.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | haitis judicial executive branches getting deserve holiday season 22 months close collaboration trample haitis constitution democracy turned destructive energies cour de cassation supreme court outraged interim prime minister gerard latortue december 8 decreeing dumarsais simeus wrongfully disqualified upcoming presidential elections latortue retaliated next day firing five cours justices replacing henchmen judiciary went strike shut justice system four weeks measure far haiti strayed constitutional rule since february 2004 coup detat sides dispute wrong cour de cassation wrongly reinstated simeus illegal candidacy twice simeus president constitution requires presidential candidates lived country last five years never taken foreign citizenship mr simeus readily concedes media interviews resides southlake texas obtained us citizenship cour de cassation could go far ignore constitutions plain prohibitions came close instead saying citizenship residency bars apply justices ruled evidence simeus us residency citizenship unlike dozens journalists asked prime minister latortues objection cours decision right wrong man make residency requirement applies presidents prime ministers alike mr latortue lived boca raton florida years illegally installed prime minister us haitian elites march 2004 constitution requires interim government hold elections within 90 days taking office latortue 700 days office least latortues response cours decision equally wrong us justices haiti removed specific procedures duly established wrongdoing permanent physical mental incapacity latortue even give lip service procedures fired justices later aides claimed justices old needed retired constitution recognize claim justice systems expressed outrage executive branchs interference justified principle disingenuous coming judiciary loyally backed mr latortues attacks rule law almost two years courts routinely freed convicted mass murderers support government holding government critics indefinitely absolutely evidence fr gerard jeanjuste example arrested without warrant october 2004 government could produce evidence courageous judge judge fleury ordered released minister justice forced judge fleury bench support trial courts chief judge without complaint cour de cassations judges even anamah haitian judges association judge fleury replaced another judge judge peres head anamah active antilavalas opposition coup fr jeanjuste rearrested july without warrant case given judge peres obediently held fr gerry prison five months despite complete lack evidence pretrial detention may death sentence fr jeanjuste diagnosed leukemia kind leukemia likely treated haitis prisons amnesty international un human rights commission 45 members us congress human rights groups world criticized injustice fr jeanjustes persecution one member haitian judiciary spoken least public cour de cassation led charge dismantling raboteau massacre case centerpiece fight establish rule law haitis elected governments case heralded landmark fight impunity un human rights groups trial concluded november 2000 convicted appealed time right cour refused rule case right massacre victims smelled rat 2001 turned 2002 2003 without action feared court dragging feet keeping case technically open could reversed government sympathetic convicts footdragging amply rewarded march 2004 chief justice boniface alexandre named interim president although prime minister latortue power rat pulled justices robes last summer threw raboteau trial grounds case inappropriately sent jury decision unjustified outrageous justices approved sending case jury 1999 defendants never even objected one judiciary complained satisfaction seeing haitis two remaining branches government getting deserve real burden dispute falls always poor judges ministers may truly outraged spending lives haitis prisons conditions us court likened slave ship almost everyone jail haiti poor justice system money talks welloff quickly walk ninetyfive percent never convicted crime hopes justice always slim courts shut four weeks hopes none bodes poorly elections haiti currently scheduled january 8 certain postponed fifth time approach electoral law gives cour de cassation last word electoral disputes electoral preparations unconstitutional provisional electoral council far consistently mismanaged biased favor mr latortues allies actual voting undoubtedly generate disputes disputes go court lost credibility even became stacked latortues henchmen current state cour neither ability willingness curb interim governments blatant electoral abuses end may whole point brian concannon jr esq directs institute justice democracy haiti wwwijdhorg former oas elections observer un human rights observer haiti 160 160 | 630 |
<p>Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney appears to be proving himself to be the classic political opportunist. He rose to fame, after amassing a considerable personal fortune, when he came close to defeating perennial incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy in an unexpectedly close race in 1994. He then enhanced his national stature by rescuing the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics from financial disaster, salvaging their tainted reputation as he did so. Capitalizing on this accomplishment, and his near miss in 1994, he honed his liberal credentials, espoused his support for abortion rights, gun control and equal protection for gays, and was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002.</p>
<p>Following an uneventful tenure, Mr. Romney set his sites on a more impressive residence several hundred miles south of Boston; he announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. He seems to believe that this goal necessitates a new Mitt Romney, one that any but the most ardent right wing zealots will find most unappealing.</p>
<p>Let us explore Mr. Romney’s vision for America.</p>
<p>America on the World Stage: Senator Barrack Obama, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has said the he would meet with the leaders of Syria, Iran and North Korea. Said Mr. Romney: “The president of the United States does not bestow our dignity and the power of our reputation around the world around those people.”</p>
<p>The U.S. can claim little dignity today, as it ferociously attempts the annihilation of a nation whose only crime is the possession of vast amounts of oil. America’s reputation, in shreds for the same reason, has little power today. Perhaps like Mr. Bush, Mr. Romney would prefer to simply rattle his saber at those nations, call them clever names like the ‘axis of evil,’ and pretend that their millions of citizens can be ignored. Or perhaps, more dangerously, he would embark on nation-building military adventurism and invade them, with the same degree of success as Mr. Bush has had in Iraq.</p>
<p>Iraq: Regarding this beleaguered nation, it appears that Mr. Romney, for reasons only his handlers know, has decided to hitch his wagon to Mr. Bush’s falling star. As Iraqis continue to suffer in their bloody, U.S.-spawned civil war, and as the American public increasingly wants U.S. soldiers withdrawn, Mr. Romney has stated that he is ‘absolutely committed’ to winning in Iraq. He, again like Mr. Bush, has yet to define what that means. Regarding the troop surge, he said this: “[A]t this stage the right course is the troop surge. No one has put forward a Plan B that is superior to that one.” He is apparently unfamiliar with the bill sent to and vetoed by Mr. Bush that provided a timetable for ending U.S. involvement in Iraq in an orderly manner.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is Mr. Romney’s confusion about the start of the war that leads him to believe so strongly in escalation.</p>
<p>During the June 6 Republican debate, the former Massachusetts governor made an amazing statement. When asked if, knowing what we all know now (no weapons of mass destruction, no nuclear designs, etc.), it was a mistake for the U.S. to invade Iraq, Mr. Romney said the following: if “…Saddam Hussein had opened up his country to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspectors and they’d come in and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction — had Saddam Hussein therefore not violated United Nations resolutions — we wouldn’t be in the conflict we’re in. But he didn’t do those things, and we knew what we knew at the point we made the decision to get in.”</p>
<p>In analyzing the debate, CNN’s Paul Begala pointed out the following: “On September 17 of 2002, the Iraqi government, under Saddam Hussein, allowed IAEA weapons inspectors into their country. Over 250 of them went, led by Hans Blix. They searched the whole countryside and found nothing. While they were still searching, on March 17 of 2003, George W. Bush told them to get out ‘cause he was starting a war. And, on March 20th, we started the war.”</p>
<p>One wonders why Mr. Romney has any credibility left at all, when he either does not know these facts or chooses to ignore them. It is hard to determine which is less excusable.</p>
<p>Guantanamo: Much of the world was horrified when conditions at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center were exposed. Here prisoners are denied the basic rights that most Americans take for granted. They can be held indefinitely without being charged, and are not provided access to legal representatives. They are subjected to ‘interrogation techniques’ that by any reasonable definition constitute torture. Up until the end of June 2006, the Bush administration went so far as to say they were not even entitled to the protections mandated by the Geneva Conventions; the Supreme Court on that day ruled against Mr. Bush.</p>
<p>What are Mr. Romney’s thoughts on this cruel, inhumane center of torture? Said he: “I am glad [detainees] are at Guantanamo. I don’t want them on our soil. I want them on Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo.” Mr. Romney seems to dismiss the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ as easily as he apparently dismisses the notion of human rights.</p>
<p>Social Issues: Mr. Romney once said that his views on gun control would not endear him to the National Rifle Association (NRA). Candidate Romney has stated he’s been a hunter all his life, although he had to amend ‘all his life’ to two hunting experiences.</p>
<p>Gubernatorial candidate Romney supported a woman’s right to choose; presidential candidate Romney opposes abortion.</p>
<p>In 1994, senatorial candidate Romney promised to be a more effective leader on establishing “full equality for America’s gay and lesbian citizens” than incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy. Presidential candidate Romney supports a constitutional amendment on marriage, and opposes allowing same-sex households to adopt through religious organizations.</p>
<p>Much has been said about Mr. Romney’s membership in and devotion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). There appears to be a general feeling among some of the media that should the American voter be unfortunate enough to actually elect him president (or perhaps he will lose and be appointed by the Supreme Court), he will change the nation’s capital to Salt Lake City, and govern as directed by that religion’s leaders. Those with this concern forget that Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader and the bane and nemesis of any Republican president, worships at the same church. The subject of Mr. Romney’s religion is irrelevant, and is only a distraction from his extremist and perilous views.</p>
<p>Even allowing for the possibility that Mr. Romney has learned more about the issues on which he has flipped from one view to flop to another, and has legitimately changed his opinion, his view of America and the world is frightening.</p>
<p>A Romney presidency would see an even greater erosion of civil rights for Americans, endless and spreading war, and an increasingly polarized society. Americans who want more of the same, more of what the last six years have wrought, will support Mr. Romney. It is hoped that the vast majority of voters will quickly reject him once the primary season begins, at which point he can return to harmless obscurity.</p>
<p>ROBERT FANTINA is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Desertion and the American Soldier</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | former massachusetts governor mitt romney appears proving classic political opportunist rose fame amassing considerable personal fortune came close defeating perennial incumbent senator ted kennedy unexpectedly close race 1994 enhanced national stature rescuing 2002 salt lake city olympics financial disaster salvaging tainted reputation capitalizing accomplishment near miss 1994 honed liberal credentials espoused support abortion rights gun control equal protection gays elected governor massachusetts 2002 following uneventful tenure mr romney set sites impressive residence several hundred miles south boston announced candidacy republican presidential nomination seems believe goal necessitates new mitt romney one ardent right wing zealots find unappealing let us explore mr romneys vision america america world stage senator barrack obama candidate democratic presidential nomination said would meet leaders syria iran north korea said mr romney president united states bestow dignity power reputation around world around people us claim little dignity today ferociously attempts annihilation nation whose crime possession vast amounts oil americas reputation shreds reason little power today perhaps like mr bush mr romney would prefer simply rattle saber nations call clever names like axis evil pretend millions citizens ignored perhaps dangerously would embark nationbuilding military adventurism invade degree success mr bush iraq iraq regarding beleaguered nation appears mr romney reasons handlers know decided hitch wagon mr bushs falling star iraqis continue suffer bloody usspawned civil war american public increasingly wants us soldiers withdrawn mr romney stated absolutely committed winning iraq like mr bush yet define means regarding troop surge said stage right course troop surge one put forward plan b superior one apparently unfamiliar bill sent vetoed mr bush provided timetable ending us involvement iraq orderly manner perhaps mr romneys confusion start war leads believe strongly escalation june 6 republican debate former massachusetts governor made amazing statement asked knowing know weapons mass destruction nuclear designs etc mistake us invade iraq mr romney said following saddam hussein opened country iaea international atomic energy agency inspectors theyd come theyd found weapons mass destruction saddam hussein therefore violated united nations resolutions wouldnt conflict didnt things knew knew point made decision get analyzing debate cnns paul begala pointed following september 17 2002 iraqi government saddam hussein allowed iaea weapons inspectors country 250 went led hans blix searched whole countryside found nothing still searching march 17 2003 george w bush told get cause starting war march 20th started war one wonders mr romney credibility left either know facts chooses ignore hard determine less excusable guantanamo much world horrified conditions guantanamo bay detention center exposed prisoners denied basic rights americans take granted held indefinitely without charged provided access legal representatives subjected interrogation techniques reasonable definition constitute torture end june 2006 bush administration went far say even entitled protections mandated geneva conventions supreme court day ruled mr bush mr romneys thoughts cruel inhumane center torture said glad detainees guantanamo dont want soil want guantanamo dont get access lawyers get theyre soil dont want prisons want people said ought close guantanamo view ought double guantanamo mr romney seems dismiss concept innocent proven guilty easily apparently dismisses notion human rights social issues mr romney said views gun control would endear national rifle association nra candidate romney stated hes hunter life although amend life two hunting experiences gubernatorial candidate romney supported womans right choose presidential candidate romney opposes abortion 1994 senatorial candidate romney promised effective leader establishing full equality americas gay lesbian citizens incumbent senator ted kennedy presidential candidate romney supports constitutional amendment marriage opposes allowing samesex households adopt religious organizations much said mr romneys membership devotion church jesus christ latterday saints mormons appears general feeling among media american voter unfortunate enough actually elect president perhaps lose appointed supreme court change nations capital salt lake city govern directed religions leaders concern forget nevada senator harry reid democratic senate majority leader bane nemesis republican president worships church subject mr romneys religion irrelevant distraction extremist perilous views even allowing possibility mr romney learned issues flipped one view flop another legitimately changed opinion view america world frightening romney presidency would see even greater erosion civil rights americans endless spreading war increasingly polarized society americans want last six years wrought support mr romney hoped vast majority voters quickly reject primary season begins point return harmless obscurity robert fantina author desertion american soldier 160 | 699 |
<p>Extra!, March/April 2002</p>
<p>The proper topic for an occasion like this, I suppose, is pretty obvious: It would be the question of how the media have handled the major story of the past months, the issue of the “war on terrorism,” so-called, specifically in the Islamic world. Incidentally, by media here I intend the term to be understood pretty broadly, including journals of commentary, analysis and opinion; in fact, the intellectual culture generally.</p>
<p>It’s a really important topic. It’s been reviewed regularly by FAIR, among others. However, it isn’t really an appropriate topic for a talk, and the reason is that it requires too much detailed analysis. So what I’d like to do is take a somewhat different approach to it, and ask the question of how should the story be handled, in accord with general principles that are accepted as guidelines: principles of fairness, accuracy, relevance and so on.</p>
<p>Let’s approach this by kind of a thought experiment. Imagine an intelligent Martian–I’m told that by convention, Martians are males, so I’ll refer to it as he. Suppose that this Martian went to Harvard and Columbia Journalism School and learned all kinds of high-minded things, and actually believes them. How would the Martian handle a story like this?</p>
<p>I think he would begin with some factual observations that he’d send back to the journal on Mars. One factual observation is that the war on terrorism was not declared on September 11; rather, it was redeclared, using the same rhetoric as the first declaration 20 years earlier. The Reagan administration, as you know I’m sure, came into office announcing that a war on terrorism would be the core of US foreign policy, and it condemned what the president called the “evil scourge of terrorism” (New York Times, 10/18/85). The main focus was state-supported international terrorism in the Islamic world, and at that time also in Central America. International terrorism was described as a plague spread by “depraved opponents of civilization itself,” in “a return to barbarism in the modern age” (Washington Post, 10/26/84). Actually, I’m quoting the administration moderate, Secretary of State George Schultz.</p>
<p>The phrase I quoted from Reagan had to do with terrorism in the Middle East, and it was the year 1985. That was the year in which international terrorism in that region was selected by editors as the lead story of the year in an annual AP poll, so point one that our Martian would report is that the year 2001 is the second time this has been the main lead story, and that the war on terrorism has been redeclared pretty much as before.</p>
<p>Furthermore, there’s a striking continuity; the same people are in leading positions. So Donald Rumsfeld is running the military component of the second phase of the war on terrorism, and he was Reagan’s special envoy to the Middle East during the first phase of the war on terrorism, including the peak year, 1985. The person who was just appointed a couple of months ago to be in charge of the diplomatic component of the war at the United Nations is John Negroponte, who during the first phase was supervising US operations in Honduras, which was the main base for the US war against terror in the first phase.</p>
<p>Exercising the power element</p>
<p>In 1985, terrorism in the Middle East was the lead story, but terrorism in Central America had second rank as the story of the day. Schultz, in fact, regarded the plague in Central America as what he called the most alarming manifestation of it. The main problem, he explained, was “a cancer right here in our hemisphere” (Reagan vs. The Sandinistas, Thomas Walker, ed.) and we want to&#160; cut it out and we’d better do it fast because the cancer was openly proclaiming the goals of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and was just about to take over the world. And it was really dangerous. The danger was so severe that on Law Day 1985, the president announced a state of national emergency because of, as he put it, “the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States” posed by this cancer. (Law Day, incidentally, is the day that in the rest of the world is commemorated as a day in solidarity with the struggles of American workers. In the United States it’s a jingoist holiday, May 1.)</p>
<p>This state of emergency was renewed annually until finally the cancer was cut out. Secretary of State Schultz explained that the danger was so severe that you can’t keep to gentle means; in his words (4/14/86), “negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table.” He condemned those who “seek utopian legalistic means like outside mediation, the United Nations and the World Court while ignoring the power element of the equation.”</p>
<p>The United States had been, in fact, exercising the power element of the equation with mercenary forces based in Honduras, under the supervision of John Negroponte, while it was successfully blocking pursuit of utopian legalistic means by the World Court, the Latin American countries, and of course the cancer itself, bent on world conquest.</p>
<p>The media agreed. The only question that arose, really, was tactics. There was the usual hawk/dove debate. The position of the hawks was expressed pretty well by the editors of The New Republic (4/2/84). They demanded, in their words, that we continue to send military aid to “Latin-style fascists…regardless of how many are murdered,” because “there are higher American priorities than Salvadoran human rights,” or anywhere else in the region. That’s the hawks.</p>
<p>The doves argued, on the other hand, that these means were just not going to work, and they proposed alternative means to return Nicaragua, the cancer, to the “Central American mode” and impose “regional standards” on it. I’m quoting the Washington Post (3/14/86, 3/19/86). The Central American mode and the regional standards were those of the terror states El Salvador and Guatemala, which were at that time massacring, torturing and devastating in ways I don’t have to describe. So we had to return Nicaragua to the Central American mode as well, according to the doves.</p>
<p>The op-eds and editorials in the national press were divided on this roughly fifty/fifty between the hawks and the doves. There were exceptions, but they’re literally at the level of statistical error. There’s material on this in print, and has been for a long time if you want to take a look. (See Necessary Illusions, Noam Chomsky, for sources.) In the other major region where the plague was raging at that time, in the Middle East, uniformity was even more extreme.</p>
<p>Same war, different targets</p>
<p>Well, the intelligent Martian would certainly pay great attention to&#160; all of this very recent history, in fact with remarkable continuity, so that the front pages on Mars would report the so-called war on terror is redeclared by the same people against rather similar targets, although, he would point out, not quite the same targets.</p>
<p>The depraved opponents of civilization itself in the year 2001 were in 1985 the freedom fighters organized and armed by the CIA and its associates, trained by the same special forces who are now searching for them in caves in Afghanistan. They were a component of the first war on terror and acting pretty much the same way as the other components of the war against terror.</p>
<p>They didn’t hide their terrorist agenda that began early on, in fact in 1981, when they assassinated the president of Egypt, and continuing. That included terrorist attacks inside Russia severe enough so that at one point they virtually led to a war with Pakistan, although these attacks stopped after the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, leaving&#160; the ravaged country in the hands of the US favorites, who turned at once to mass murder, rape and terror–generally described as the worst period in Afghanistan’s history. They’re now back in charge outside of Kabul. According to this morning’s Wall Street Journal (1/22/01), two of the major warlords are now approaching what could turn out to be a major war. Let’s hope not.</p>
<p>All of this is headline news in Martian press–along, of course, with what it all means to the civilian population. That includes vast numbers of people who are still deprived of desperately needed food and other supplies, although food’s&#160; been available for months but can’t be distributed because of conditions; that’s after four months.</p>
<p>The consequences of that we don’t know, and in fact will never know. Because there’s a principle of the intellectual culture that although you investigate enemy crimes with laser-like intensity, you never look at your own–that’s quite important–so we can only give very vague estimates of the number of Vietnamese or Salvadoran or other corpses that we’ve left around.</p>
<p>The heresy of moral equivalence</p>
<p>As I say, this would be headlines on Mars. A good Martian reporter would also want to clarify a couple of basic ideas. First of all, he’d like to know what exactly is terrorism. And, secondly, what’s the proper response to it. Well, whatever the answer to the second question is, that proper response must satisfy some moral truisms, and the Martian can easily discover what these truisms are, at least as understood by the leaders of the self-declared war on terrorism, because they tell us, they tell us constantly, that they are very pious Christians who therefore revere the Gospels, and have certainly memorized the definition of “hypocrite” given prominently in the Gospels, namely the hypocrites are those who apply to others the standards that they refuse to accept for themselves.</p>
<p>So the Martian understands, then, that in order to rise to the absolutely minimal moral level we have to agree, in fact insist, that if some act is right for us then it’s right for others, and if it’s wrong when others do it then it’s wrong when we do it. Now that’s the most elementary of moral truisms, and once the Martian realizes that, he can pack up his bags and go back to Mars. Because his research task is over. He would be unlikely to find a phrase, a single phrase in the vast coverage and commentary about the war on terrorism that even begins to approach this minimal standard. Don’t take my word for it; try the experiment. I don’t want to exaggerate–you can probably find the phrase now and then, way out at the margins, though very rarely.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, this moral truism is recognized within the mainstream. It’s understood to be an extremely dangerous heresy, and therefore it’s necessary to erect impregnable barriers against it, even before anybody exhibits it, even though it’s so rare. In fact, there’s even a technical vocabulary available in case anybody would dare to engage in the heresy, to involve themselves in the heresy that we should abide by moral truisms that we pretend to revere. The offenders are guilty of something called moral relativism–that means the suggestion that we apply to ourselves the standards we apply to others. Or maybe moral equivalence, which is a term that was invented, I think, by Jeane Kirkpatrick to ward off the danger that somebody might dare to look at our own crimes.</p>
<p>Or maybe they’re carrying out the crime of America-bashing, or they’re anti-Americans. Which is a rather interesting concept. The term is used elsewhere only in totalitarian states, for example in Russia in the old days, where anti-Sovietism was the highest crime. If somebody were to publish a book in Italy, say, called The Anti-Italians, you can imagine what the reaction would be in the streets of Milan and Rome, or in any country where freedom and democracy were taken seriously.</p>
<p>An unusable definition</p>
<p>But let’s suppose that the Martian isn’t deterred by the inevitable tirades and stream of vilification, and suppose he persists in keeping to the most elementary moral truisms. Well, as I said, if he does that, he can just go home, but suppose out of curiosity he decides to stay on and look a little bit further. So, what will happen? Well, back to the question, what is terrorism?-an important one.</p>
<p>There is a proper course for a serious Martian reporter to follow to find the answer to that: Look at the people who declared the war on terrorism and see what they say terrorism is; that’s fair enough. And there is in fact an official definition in the US code and Army manuals, and elsewhere. It is defined briefly. Terrorism, as I’m quoting, is defined as “the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious or ideological in nature…through intimidation, coercion or instilling fear.” Well, that sounds simple; as far as I can see, it’s appropriate. But we constantly read that the problem of defining terrorism is very vexing and complex, and the Martian might wonder why that’s true. And there’s an answer.</p>
<p>The official definition is unusable. It’s unusable for two important reasons. First of all, it’s a very close paraphrase of official government policy–very close, in fact. When it’s government policy, it’s called low-intensity conflict or counterterror.</p>
<p>Incidentally, it’s not just the United States. As far as I’m aware, this practice is universal. Just as an example, back in the mid 1960s the Rand Corporation, the research agency connected with the Pentagon mostly, published a collection of interesting Japanese counterinsurgency manuals having to do with the Japanese attack on Manchuria and North China in the 1930s. I was kind of interested–I wrote an article on it at the time comparing the Japanese counterinsurgency manuals with US counterinsurgency manuals for South Vietnam, which are virtually identical (Liberation, 9-10/67). That article didn’t fly too well, I should say.</p>
<p>Well, anyhow, it’s a fact, and as far as I know it’s a universal fact. So that’s one reason you can’t use the official definition. The other reason you can’t do it is much simpler: it just gives all the wrong answers, radically so, as to who the terrorists are.</p>
<p>So therefore the official definition has to be abandoned, and you have to search for some kind of sophisticated definition that will give the right answers, and that’s hard. That’s why you hear that it’s such a difficult topic and big minds are wrestling with it and so on.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there is a solution. The solution is to define terrorism as the terrorism that they carry out against us, whoever we happen to be. As far as I know, that’s universal–in journalism, in scholarship, and also I think it’s a historical universal; at least, I’ve never found any country that doesn’t follow this practice. So, fortunately, there’s a way out of the problem. Well, with this useful characterization of terrorism, we can then draw the standard conclusions that you read all the time: namely, that we and our allies are the main victims of terrorism, and that terrorism is a weapon of the weak.</p>
<p>Of course, terrorism in the official sense is a weapon of the strong, like most weapons, but it’s a weapon of the weak, by definition, once you comprehend that “terrorism” just means the terrorism that they carry out against us. Then of course it’s true by definition that terrorism is a weapon of the weak. And so the people who write it all the time, you see it in the newspapers or the journals, they’re right; it’s a tautology, and by convention.</p>
<p>Textbook terrorism</p>
<p>Suppose the Martian goes on to defy what are apparently universal conventions, and he actually accepts the moral truisms that are preached and he also even accepts the official US definition of terrorism. I should say that by this time he’s way out in outer space, but let’s proceed. If he goes this far, then there certainly are clear illustrations of terrorism. September 11, for example, is a particularly shocking example of a terrorist atrocity. Another equally clear example is the official U.S.-British reaction, which was announced by Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, chief of the British defense staff, and reported in a front- page story in the New York Times in late October (10/28/01). He informed the people of Afghanistan that the United States and Britain would continue their attack against them “until they get the leadership changed.”</p>
<p>Notice that this is a textbook illustration of international terrorism, according to the official definition; I won’t reread it but if you think about it, it’s just a perfect illustration.</p>
<p>Two weeks before that, George Bush had informed the Afghans, the people of Afghanistan, that the attack will go on until they hand over wanted suspects. Remember that overthrow of the Taliban regime was a sort of afterthought brought in a couple of weeks after the bombing, basically for the benefit of intellectuals so they could write about how just the war is.</p>
<p>This of course was also textbook terrorism: We’re going to continue to bomb you until you hand over some people we want you to hand over. The Taliban regime did ask for evidence, but the US contemptuously dismissed that request. The U.S., at the very same time, also flatly refused to even consider offers of extradition, which may have been serious, may not have been; we don’t know because they were rejected.</p>
<p>The Martian would certainly record all of this, and if he did a little homework he would quickly find the reasons, adding many other examples. The reasons are very simple: The world’s rulers have to make it clear that they do not defer to any authority. Therefore they do not accept the idea that they should offer evidence, they do not agree that they should request extradition; in fact, they reject UN Security Council authorization, reject it flatly. The US could easily have obtained clear and unambiguous authorization-not for pretty reasons, but it could have obtained it. However, it rejected that option.</p>
<p>And that makes good sense. In fact, there’s even a term for this in the literature of international affairs and diplomacy. It’s called establishing credibility. Another term for it is declaring that we’re a terrorist state and you’d better be aware of the consequences if you get in our way. Now that’s, of course, only if we use “terrorism” in its official sense, as it’s defined in US government legal code and so on, and that’s unacceptable for reasons that I mentioned.</p>
<p>Uncontroversial cases</p>
<p>Let’s go back to the moral truism. According to official doctrine, which is almost universally accepted and described as just and admirable and obviously so, the United States is entitled to conduct a terrorist war against Afghans until they hand over suspects to the United States, which refuses to provide evidence or request extradition, or, in Boyce’s later terms, until they change their leadership. Well, anyone who is not a hypocrite in the sense of the Gospels will therefore conclude at once that Haiti is entitled to carry out large-scale terrorism against the United States until it hands over a murderer, Emmanuel Constant, who has already been convicted of leading the terrorist forces that had the major responsibility for four to five thousand deaths.</p>
<p>No question about the evidence in this case. They’ve requested extradition repeatedly, most recently on September 30, 2001, right in the midst of all the talk about Afghanistan being subjected to terrorism if it doesn’t hand over suspected terrorists. Of course, that’s only four or five thousand black people. I guess it doesn’t count quite as much.</p>
<p>Or perhaps they should carry out massive terror in the United States. Since they can’t bomb, maybe bioterror or something, I don’t know, until the United States changes its leadership, which is, in fact, responsible for terrible crimes against the people of Haiti right through the twentieth century.</p>
<p>Or certainly, keeping now to moral truisms, Nicaragua is entitled to do the same, incidentally targeting the leaders of the redeclared war on terrorism, the same people often. Recall that the terrorist attack against Nicaragua was far more severe than even September 11; tens of thousands of people were killed, the country was devastated, it may never recover.</p>
<p>Also, this happens to be an uncontroversial example, so we don’t have to argue about it. It’s uncontroversial because of the judgment of the World Court condemning the United States for international terrorism, backed up by the Security Council in a resolution calling on all states to observe international law–mentioning no one, but everyone knew who they meant–vetoed by the United States, Britain abstaining. Or the judgment of the General Assembly in successive resolutions confirming the same thing, opposed by the United States and one or two client states. The World Court ordered the United States to terminate the crime of international terrorism, to pay massive reparations. The US responded with a bipartisan decision to escalate the attack immediately; I already described the media reaction. All of this continued until the cancer was destroyed and it continues right now.</p>
<p>So in November 2001 there was an election in Nicaragua, right in the middle of the war on terrorism, and the United States radically intervened in the election. It warned Nicaragua that the United States would not accept the wrong outcome, and even gave the reason. The State Department explained that we cannot overlook Nicaragua’s role in international terrorism in the 1980s, when it resisted the international terrorist attack that led to the condemnation of the United States for international terrorism by the highest international authorities.</p>
<p>Here all of this passes without comment in an intellectual culture that is simply dedicated passionately to terrorism and hypocrisy, but I guess it might have had some headlines in the Martian press. You might look and see how it was treated here. You might also incidentally try out your favorite theory of “just war” in this uncontroversial case.</p>
<p>Domesticating the majority</p>
<p>Nicaragua, of course, had some defense against the U.S.-run international terrorism being carried out against it under the pretext of a war on terrorism. Namely, Nicaragua had an army. In the other Central American countries, the terrorist forces that were armed and trained by the US and its clients were the army, so not surprisingly the terrorist atrocities were far worse. That’s the Central American mode that the doves said we have to return the cancer to. But in this case the victims weren’t the state, and therefore they could not appeal to the World Court or to the Security Council for judgments that would be rejected, tossed into the ashcan of history, except maybe on Mars.</p>
<p>The effects of that terror were long-lasting. Here in the United States, there’s a good deal of concern- very properly as a matter of fact-about the very wide-ranging effects of the terrorist atrocities of September 11. So, for example, there’s a front-page article in the New York Times (1/22/02) about the people who are beyond the reach of benefits for the tragedy that they suffered. Of course, the same is true for those who are victims of vastly worse terrorist crimes, but that’s reported only on Mars.</p>
<p>So you might try to find the report, say, of a conference run by Salvadoran Jesuits a couple of years ago. The Jesuits’ experiences under US international terrorism were particularly grisly. The conference report (Envio, 3/94) stressed the residual effect of what it called the culture of terrorism, which domesticates the aspirations of the majority, who realized that they must submit to the dictates of the ruling terrorist state and its local agents or they will again be returned to the Central American mode, as recommended by the doves at the peak of the state-supported international terrorism of the ’80s. Unreported here, of course; maybe headlines on Mars.</p>
<p>Enthusiastic partners</p>
<p>Actually, the Martian might notice some other interesting similarities between the first and the second phase of the war on terror. In the year 2001, just about every terrorist state you think of was eagerly joining in the coalition against terrorism, and the reasons are not hidden.</p>
<p>We all know why the Russians are so enthusiastic: they want US endorsement for their monstrous terrorist activities in Chechnya, for example.</p>
<p>Turkey was particularly enthusiastic. They were the first country to offer troops, and the prime minister explained why. This was in gratitude for the fact that the United States alone was willing to pour arms into Turkey–providing 80 percent of their arms in the Clinton years–in order to enable them to expedite some of the worst terrorist atrocities and ethnic cleansing of the 1990s. And they’re very grateful for that, and so they offered troops for the new war on terrorism. Incidentally, none of this counts as terrorism, remember, because by the convention, since we’re carrying it out it’s not terrorism. And so on down the list; I won’t go through the rest.</p>
<p>And the same, incidentally, was true of the first phase of the war on terrorism. So the announcement by Admiral Boyce that I quoted was a close paraphrase of words of the well-known Israeli statesman Abba Eban in 1981. That was shortly after the first war against terrorism was declared. Eban was justifying Israeli atrocities in Lebanon, which he acknowledged were pretty awful, but justified, he said, because “there was a rational prospect that affected populations would exert pressure for a cessation of hostilities” (Jerusalem Post, 8/16/81). Notice that’s another textbook illustration of international terrorism in the official sense.</p>
<p>The hostilities that he was talking about were at the Israel-Lebanon border, overwhelmingly Israeli in origin, often without even a pretext, but backed by the United States, so therefore they’re not terrorism by convention and they’re not part of the history of terrorism. At the time, with decisive US support, Israel was carrying out attacks in Lebanon, bombing and other atrocities, to try to elicit some pretext for a planned invasion. Well, they couldn’t get the pretext, but they invaded anyway, killing about eighteen thousand people and continuing to occupy southern Lebanon for about 20 years with many atrocities, but all off the record because the US was decisively supporting it.</p>
<p>Prize atrocities</p>
<p>All of this peaked-the post-1982 attack, in 1985, and that was the peak year for U.S.-Israeli atrocities in southern Lebanon, what were called the Iron Fist operations; these were large-scale massacres and deportations of what the high command called “terrorist villagers. ” These operations, under Prime Minister Shimon Peres, are one of the candidates for the prize of the worst international terrorist crime in the peak year of 1985, remember, when terrorism was the leading story of the year.</p>
<p>There are other competitors. One of them, also in early 1985, was a bombing in Beirut, a car bombing. The car bombing was outside a mosque timed to go off just when everybody was leaving to insure the maximum number of casualties. It killed 80 people and wounded more than 250, according to the Washington Post Weekly (3/14/88), which gave a pretty grisly account of it. Most of them were women and girls, but it was a heavy, strong bomb, so it killed infants in their beds and all kinds of other atrocities. But that doesn’t count, because it was organized by the CIA and British intelligence, so therefore it’s not terrorism. So that’s not really a candidate for the prize.</p>
<p>Now, the only possible other competitor in the peak year of 1985 was the Israeli bombing of Tunis, which killed 75 people; there were some grisly accounts of it in the Israeli press by good reporters. The US cooperated in the atrocity by failing to inform its Tunisian ally that the bombers were on their way. George Shultz, secretary of state, immediately called the Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, to inform him that the United States had considerable sympathy for this action, as he put it. However, Shultz drew back from open support for this international terrorism when the Security Council condemned it unanimously as an act of armed aggression, with the US abstaining.</p>
<p>Let’s continue to give Washington and its clients the benefit of the doubt, as in the case of Nicaragua, and let’s assume that the crime was only international terrorism, not the far more serious crime of aggression, as the Security Council determined. If it was aggression, then, observing moral truisms, we move on to Nuremburg trials.</p>
<p>Those are the only three cases that come anywhere near that level in the peak year of 1985. A couple of weeks after the Tunis bombing, Prime Minister Peres came to Washington, where he joined Ronald Reagan in denouncing “the evil scourge of terrorism” in the Middle East. None of this elicited a word of comment, and that’s correct because by convention none of it is terrorism. Recall the convention: It’s only terrorism if they do it to us. When we do much worse to them, it’s not terrorism. Again, the universal principle. Well, the Martian might notice that, even if it’s not discussable here.</p>
<p>I got my favorite review in history when I did write about this some years ago. It was a review in the Washington Post (9/18/99), a two-word review by their Middle East correspondent, who described it as “breathlessly deranged.” I kind of like that. I think he was wrong about the breathless–if you read the article, it was pretty calm-but deranged is correct. I mean, you have to be deranged to accept elementary moral truisms and to describe facts that shouldn’t be described. That’s probably true.</p>
<p>Contemptible excuses</p>
<p>Let’s get back to the Martian. He might be puzzled about the question of why 1985 is the peak year for the return to barbarism in our time by depraved opponents of civilization itself, referring to international terrorism in the Middle East. He’d be puzzled because the worst cases by far of international terrorism in the region just are down the memory hole, like international terrorism in Central America. And lots of other cases. Current ones, in fact.</p>
<p>However, some cases from 1985 are remembered, well remembered, and rightly, because they are terrorism. The official prize for terrorism for that year goes to the hijacking of the Achille Lauro and the murder of a crippled American, Leon Klinghoffer. Everyone knows about that one. Correctly; it was a terrible atrocity. Now, of course, the perpetrators of that atrocity described it as retaliation for the Tunis bombing a week earlier, a vastly worse case of international terrorism, but quite rightly we dismissed that excuse with the contempt that it deserves.</p>
<p>And all of those who do not regard themselves as cowards and hypocrites will take the same principled stand with regard to all other violent acts of retaliation, including, for example, the war in Afghanistan, which remember was undertaken with the clear and unambiguous expectation that it might drive millions of people over the edge of starvation. As I said, we’ll never know. For principled reasons.</p>
<p>Or lesser atrocities, such as those retaliations in the Israeli-occupied territories right now–with full US support, as always, so they’re not terrorism. The Martian would surely report on page one that the United States right now is once again using the pretext of the war on terror to protect and probably escalate terrorism by its leading client state.</p>
<p>The latest phase of this began on October 1, 2000. That’s when Israeli helicopters–which when you read that, that means US helicopters with Israeli pilots, provided in the certain knowledge that they are going to be used for what they’re used for. From October 1, the first days after the current Intifada began, Israeli/US helicopters began to attack unarmed Palestinians with missiles, killing and wounding dozens of them. There wasn’t any pretext of self-defense.</p>
<p>Clinton did respond on October 3, two days later, by sending Israel the largest shipment of military helicopters in a decade along with spare parts for Apache attack helicopters that had been sent in mid-September. The press cooperated by refusing to report any of this–not failing, notice, but refusing; they knew all about it.</p>
<p>Last month the Martian press would certainly have headlined Washington’s intervention to expedite the further escalation of the cycle of terror there. On December 14, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for implementation of the Mitchell proposals and sending international observers to monitor reduction of violence. It went at once to the General Assembly, where it was opposed by the US and Israel also; therefore, it disappears. And you can check the coverage.</p>
<p>A week earlier, there was a conference in Geneva of the high contracting parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention, who are obliged by solemn treaty to enforce it. The Convention, as you know, was instituted after World War II to criminalize the atrocities of the Nazis. The Convention strictly bars virtually everything the US and Israel do in the occupied territories, including the settlements that were established and expanded with US funding and full support, increasing under Clinton and Barak during the Camp David negotiations. Israel alone rejects this interpretation.</p>
<p>When the issue came to the Security Council in October 2000, the US abstained, apparently not wanting to take such a blatant stand in violation of fundamental principles of international law, particularly given the circumstances of their enactment. The Security Council therefore voted fourteen-zero to call upon Israel to uphold the Convention, which it was again flagrantly violating. Pre-Clinton, the US had voted with the other members to condemn Israel’s “flagrant violations” of the Convention. That’s consistent with the Clinton practice of effectively rescinding international law and earlier UN decisions for Israel-Palestine.</p>
<p>The media tell us that Arabs believe that the Convention applies to the territories, which is not false, although there’s kind of an omission–the Arabs and everybody else. The December 5, meeting, including all of the European Union, reaffirmed the applicability of the Convention to the territories, the illegality of settlements; called on Israel, meaning the US and Israel, to observe international law. The US boycotted the meeting, thereby killing it. You can check the coverage again.</p>
<p>These acts again contributed to the escalation of terrorism there, including its most severe component, and the media contributed in the usual way.</p>
<p>Responses to terrorism</p>
<p>Suppose, finally, that we join the Martian observer and we depart from convention radically. We accept moral truisms. If we can rise to that level, we can then, and only then, honestly raise the question of how to respond to terrorist crimes.</p>
<p>One answer is to follow the precedent of law-abiding states, the Nicaraguan precedent, for example. Of course that failed, because they ran up against the fact that the world is ruled by force, not by law, but it wouldn’t fail for the US However, evidently that’s excluded. I have yet to see one phrase referring to that precedent in the massive coverage of the last couple of months.</p>
<p>Another answer was given by Bush and Boyce, but we instantly reject that one because nobody believes that Haiti or Nicaragua or Cuba and a long list of others around the world have the right to carry out massive terrorist attacks against the United States and its clients, or other rich and powerful states.</p>
<p>A more reasonable answer was given by a number of sources, including the Vatican, and was spelled out by the preeminent Anglo-American military historian, Michael Howard, last October. Actually, it’s published in the current issue of Foreign Affairs (1-2/02); that’s the leading establishment journal. Now Howard has all the appropriate credentials, a lot of prestige; he’s a great admirer of the British Empire, even more extravagantly of its successor in global rule, so he can’t be accused of moral relativism or other such crimes.</p>
<p>Referring to September 11, he recommended a police operation against a criminal conspiracy whose members should be hunted down and brought before an international court, where they could receive a fair trial, and if found guilty be awarded an appropriate sentence. That was never contemplated, of course, but it sounds kind of reasonable to me. If it is reasonable, then it ought to hold for even worse terrorist crimes. For example, the US international terrorist attack against Nicaragua, or even worse ones nearby and elsewhere going up to the present. That could never be contemplated, of course, but for opposite reasons.</p>
<p>So honesty leaves us with a dilemma. The easy answer is conventional hypocrisy. The other option is the one adopted by our Martian friend, who actually abides by the principles that we profess with grand self-righteousness. That option is harder to consider, but imperative if the world is to be spared still worse disasters.</p>
<p>Noam Chomsky, author, linguist and social critic, gave this talk at FAIR’s 15th anniversary celebration at New York City’s Town Hall (1/22/02).</p> | true | 4 | extra marchapril 2002 proper topic occasion like suppose pretty obvious would question media handled major story past months issue war terrorism socalled specifically islamic world incidentally media intend term understood pretty broadly including journals commentary analysis opinion fact intellectual culture generally really important topic reviewed regularly fair among others however isnt really appropriate topic talk reason requires much detailed analysis id like take somewhat different approach ask question story handled accord general principles accepted guidelines principles fairness accuracy relevance lets approach kind thought experiment imagine intelligent martianim told convention martians males ill refer suppose martian went harvard columbia journalism school learned kinds highminded things actually believes would martian handle story like think would begin factual observations hed send back journal mars one factual observation war terrorism declared september 11 rather redeclared using rhetoric first declaration 20 years earlier reagan administration know im sure came office announcing war terrorism would core us foreign policy condemned president called evil scourge terrorism new york times 101885 main focus statesupported international terrorism islamic world time also central america international terrorism described plague spread depraved opponents civilization return barbarism modern age washington post 102684 actually im quoting administration moderate secretary state george schultz phrase quoted reagan terrorism middle east year 1985 year international terrorism region selected editors lead story year annual ap poll point one martian would report year 2001 second time main lead story war terrorism redeclared pretty much furthermore theres striking continuity people leading positions donald rumsfeld running military component second phase war terrorism reagans special envoy middle east first phase war terrorism including peak year 1985 person appointed couple months ago charge diplomatic component war united nations john negroponte first phase supervising us operations honduras main base us war terror first phase exercising power element 1985 terrorism middle east lead story terrorism central america second rank story day schultz fact regarded plague central america called alarming manifestation main problem explained cancer right hemisphere reagan vs sandinistas thomas walker ed want to160 cut wed better fast cancer openly proclaiming goals hitlers mein kampf take world really dangerous danger severe law day 1985 president announced state national emergency put unusual extraordinary threat national security foreign policy united states posed cancer law day incidentally day rest world commemorated day solidarity struggles american workers united states jingoist holiday may 1 state emergency renewed annually finally cancer cut secretary state schultz explained danger severe cant keep gentle means words 41486 negotiations euphemism capitulation shadow power cast across bargaining table condemned seek utopian legalistic means like outside mediation united nations world court ignoring power element equation united states fact exercising power element equation mercenary forces based honduras supervision john negroponte successfully blocking pursuit utopian legalistic means world court latin american countries course cancer bent world conquest media agreed question arose really tactics usual hawkdove debate position hawks expressed pretty well editors new republic 4284 demanded words continue send military aid latinstyle fascistsregardless many murdered higher american priorities salvadoran human rights anywhere else region thats hawks doves argued hand means going work proposed alternative means return nicaragua cancer central american mode impose regional standards im quoting washington post 31486 31986 central american mode regional standards terror states el salvador guatemala time massacring torturing devastating ways dont describe return nicaragua central american mode well according doves opeds editorials national press divided roughly fiftyfifty hawks doves exceptions theyre literally level statistical error theres material print long time want take look see necessary illusions noam chomsky sources major region plague raging time middle east uniformity even extreme war different targets well intelligent martian would certainly pay great attention to160 recent history fact remarkable continuity front pages mars would report socalled war terror redeclared people rather similar targets although would point quite targets depraved opponents civilization year 2001 1985 freedom fighters organized armed cia associates trained special forces searching caves afghanistan component first war terror acting pretty much way components war terror didnt hide terrorist agenda began early fact 1981 assassinated president egypt continuing included terrorist attacks inside russia severe enough one point virtually led war pakistan although attacks stopped russians withdrew afghanistan 1989 leaving160 ravaged country hands us favorites turned mass murder rape terrorgenerally described worst period afghanistans history theyre back charge outside kabul according mornings wall street journal 12201 two major warlords approaching could turn major war lets hope headline news martian pressalong course means civilian population includes vast numbers people still deprived desperately needed food supplies although foods160 available months cant distributed conditions thats four months consequences dont know fact never know theres principle intellectual culture although investigate enemy crimes laserlike intensity never look ownthats quite importantso give vague estimates number vietnamese salvadoran corpses weve left around heresy moral equivalence say would headlines mars good martian reporter would also want clarify couple basic ideas first hed like know exactly terrorism secondly whats proper response well whatever answer second question proper response must satisfy moral truisms martian easily discover truisms least understood leaders selfdeclared war terrorism tell us tell us constantly pious christians therefore revere gospels certainly memorized definition hypocrite given prominently gospels namely hypocrites apply others standards refuse accept martian understands order rise absolutely minimal moral level agree fact insist act right us right others wrong others wrong thats elementary moral truisms martian realizes pack bags go back mars research task would unlikely find phrase single phrase vast coverage commentary war terrorism even begins approach minimal standard dont take word try experiment dont want exaggerateyou probably find phrase way margins though rarely nevertheless moral truism recognized within mainstream understood extremely dangerous heresy therefore necessary erect impregnable barriers even anybody exhibits even though rare fact theres even technical vocabulary available case anybody would dare engage heresy involve heresy abide moral truisms pretend revere offenders guilty something called moral relativismthat means suggestion apply standards apply others maybe moral equivalence term invented think jeane kirkpatrick ward danger somebody might dare look crimes maybe theyre carrying crime americabashing theyre antiamericans rather interesting concept term used elsewhere totalitarian states example russia old days antisovietism highest crime somebody publish book italy say called antiitalians imagine reaction would streets milan rome country freedom democracy taken seriously unusable definition lets suppose martian isnt deterred inevitable tirades stream vilification suppose persists keeping elementary moral truisms well said go home suppose curiosity decides stay look little bit happen well back question terrorisman important one proper course serious martian reporter follow find answer look people declared war terrorism see say terrorism thats fair enough fact official definition us code army manuals elsewhere defined briefly terrorism im quoting defined calculated use violence threat violence attain goals political religious ideological naturethrough intimidation coercion instilling fear well sounds simple far see appropriate constantly read problem defining terrorism vexing complex martian might wonder thats true theres answer official definition unusable unusable two important reasons first close paraphrase official government policyvery close fact government policy called lowintensity conflict counterterror incidentally united states far im aware practice universal example back mid 1960s rand corporation research agency connected pentagon mostly published collection interesting japanese counterinsurgency manuals japanese attack manchuria north china 1930s kind interestedi wrote article time comparing japanese counterinsurgency manuals us counterinsurgency manuals south vietnam virtually identical liberation 91067 article didnt fly well say well anyhow fact far know universal fact thats one reason cant use official definition reason cant much simpler gives wrong answers radically terrorists therefore official definition abandoned search kind sophisticated definition give right answers thats hard thats hear difficult topic big minds wrestling fortunately solution solution define terrorism terrorism carry us whoever happen far know thats universalin journalism scholarship also think historical universal least ive never found country doesnt follow practice fortunately theres way problem well useful characterization terrorism draw standard conclusions read time namely allies main victims terrorism terrorism weapon weak course terrorism official sense weapon strong like weapons weapon weak definition comprehend terrorism means terrorism carry us course true definition terrorism weapon weak people write time see newspapers journals theyre right tautology convention textbook terrorism suppose martian goes defy apparently universal conventions actually accepts moral truisms preached also even accepts official us definition terrorism say time hes way outer space lets proceed goes far certainly clear illustrations terrorism september 11 example particularly shocking example terrorist atrocity another equally clear example official usbritish reaction announced admiral sir michael boyce chief british defense staff reported front page story new york times late october 102801 informed people afghanistan united states britain would continue attack get leadership changed notice textbook illustration international terrorism according official definition wont reread think perfect illustration two weeks george bush informed afghans people afghanistan attack go hand wanted suspects remember overthrow taliban regime sort afterthought brought couple weeks bombing basically benefit intellectuals could write war course also textbook terrorism going continue bomb hand people want hand taliban regime ask evidence us contemptuously dismissed request us time also flatly refused even consider offers extradition may serious may dont know rejected martian would certainly record little homework would quickly find reasons adding many examples reasons simple worlds rulers make clear defer authority therefore accept idea offer evidence agree request extradition fact reject un security council authorization reject flatly us could easily obtained clear unambiguous authorizationnot pretty reasons could obtained however rejected option makes good sense fact theres even term literature international affairs diplomacy called establishing credibility another term declaring terrorist state youd better aware consequences get way thats course use terrorism official sense defined us government legal code thats unacceptable reasons mentioned uncontroversial cases lets go back moral truism according official doctrine almost universally accepted described admirable obviously united states entitled conduct terrorist war afghans hand suspects united states refuses provide evidence request extradition boyces later terms change leadership well anyone hypocrite sense gospels therefore conclude haiti entitled carry largescale terrorism united states hands murderer emmanuel constant already convicted leading terrorist forces major responsibility four five thousand deaths question evidence case theyve requested extradition repeatedly recently september 30 2001 right midst talk afghanistan subjected terrorism doesnt hand suspected terrorists course thats four five thousand black people guess doesnt count quite much perhaps carry massive terror united states since cant bomb maybe bioterror something dont know united states changes leadership fact responsible terrible crimes people haiti right twentieth century certainly keeping moral truisms nicaragua entitled incidentally targeting leaders redeclared war terrorism people often recall terrorist attack nicaragua far severe even september 11 tens thousands people killed country devastated may never recover also happens uncontroversial example dont argue uncontroversial judgment world court condemning united states international terrorism backed security council resolution calling states observe international lawmentioning one everyone knew meantvetoed united states britain abstaining judgment general assembly successive resolutions confirming thing opposed united states one two client states world court ordered united states terminate crime international terrorism pay massive reparations us responded bipartisan decision escalate attack immediately already described media reaction continued cancer destroyed continues right november 2001 election nicaragua right middle war terrorism united states radically intervened election warned nicaragua united states would accept wrong outcome even gave reason state department explained overlook nicaraguas role international terrorism 1980s resisted international terrorist attack led condemnation united states international terrorism highest international authorities passes without comment intellectual culture simply dedicated passionately terrorism hypocrisy guess might headlines martian press might look see treated might also incidentally try favorite theory war uncontroversial case domesticating majority nicaragua course defense usrun international terrorism carried pretext war terrorism namely nicaragua army central american countries terrorist forces armed trained us clients army surprisingly terrorist atrocities far worse thats central american mode doves said return cancer case victims werent state therefore could appeal world court security council judgments would rejected tossed ashcan history except maybe mars effects terror longlasting united states theres good deal concern properly matter factabout wideranging effects terrorist atrocities september 11 example theres frontpage article new york times 12202 people beyond reach benefits tragedy suffered course true victims vastly worse terrorist crimes thats reported mars might try find report say conference run salvadoran jesuits couple years ago jesuits experiences us international terrorism particularly grisly conference report envio 394 stressed residual effect called culture terrorism domesticates aspirations majority realized must submit dictates ruling terrorist state local agents returned central american mode recommended doves peak statesupported international terrorism 80s unreported course maybe headlines mars enthusiastic partners actually martian might notice interesting similarities first second phase war terror year 2001 every terrorist state think eagerly joining coalition terrorism reasons hidden know russians enthusiastic want us endorsement monstrous terrorist activities chechnya example turkey particularly enthusiastic first country offer troops prime minister explained gratitude fact united states alone willing pour arms turkeyproviding 80 percent arms clinton yearsin order enable expedite worst terrorist atrocities ethnic cleansing 1990s theyre grateful offered troops new war terrorism incidentally none counts terrorism remember convention since carrying terrorism list wont go rest incidentally true first phase war terrorism announcement admiral boyce quoted close paraphrase words wellknown israeli statesman abba eban 1981 shortly first war terrorism declared eban justifying israeli atrocities lebanon acknowledged pretty awful justified said rational prospect affected populations would exert pressure cessation hostilities jerusalem post 81681 notice thats another textbook illustration international terrorism official sense hostilities talking israellebanon border overwhelmingly israeli origin often without even pretext backed united states therefore theyre terrorism convention theyre part history terrorism time decisive us support israel carrying attacks lebanon bombing atrocities try elicit pretext planned invasion well couldnt get pretext invaded anyway killing eighteen thousand people continuing occupy southern lebanon 20 years many atrocities record us decisively supporting prize atrocities peakedthe post1982 attack 1985 peak year usisraeli atrocities southern lebanon called iron fist operations largescale massacres deportations high command called terrorist villagers operations prime minister shimon peres one candidates prize worst international terrorist crime peak year 1985 remember terrorism leading story year competitors one also early 1985 bombing beirut car bombing car bombing outside mosque timed go everybody leaving insure maximum number casualties killed 80 people wounded 250 according washington post weekly 31488 gave pretty grisly account women girls heavy strong bomb killed infants beds kinds atrocities doesnt count organized cia british intelligence therefore terrorism thats really candidate prize possible competitor peak year 1985 israeli bombing tunis killed 75 people grisly accounts israeli press good reporters us cooperated atrocity failing inform tunisian ally bombers way george shultz secretary state immediately called israeli prime minister yitzhak shamir inform united states considerable sympathy action put however shultz drew back open support international terrorism security council condemned unanimously act armed aggression us abstaining lets continue give washington clients benefit doubt case nicaragua lets assume crime international terrorism far serious crime aggression security council determined aggression observing moral truisms move nuremburg trials three cases come anywhere near level peak year 1985 couple weeks tunis bombing prime minister peres came washington joined ronald reagan denouncing evil scourge terrorism middle east none elicited word comment thats correct convention none terrorism recall convention terrorism us much worse terrorism universal principle well martian might notice even discussable got favorite review history write years ago review washington post 91899 twoword review middle east correspondent described breathlessly deranged kind like think wrong breathlessif read article pretty calmbut deranged correct mean deranged accept elementary moral truisms describe facts shouldnt described thats probably true contemptible excuses lets get back martian might puzzled question 1985 peak year return barbarism time depraved opponents civilization referring international terrorism middle east hed puzzled worst cases far international terrorism region memory hole like international terrorism central america lots cases current ones fact however cases 1985 remembered well remembered rightly terrorism official prize terrorism year goes hijacking achille lauro murder crippled american leon klinghoffer everyone knows one correctly terrible atrocity course perpetrators atrocity described retaliation tunis bombing week earlier vastly worse case international terrorism quite rightly dismissed excuse contempt deserves regard cowards hypocrites take principled stand regard violent acts retaliation including example war afghanistan remember undertaken clear unambiguous expectation might drive millions people edge starvation said well never know principled reasons lesser atrocities retaliations israelioccupied territories right nowwith full us support always theyre terrorism martian would surely report page one united states right using pretext war terror protect probably escalate terrorism leading client state latest phase began october 1 2000 thats israeli helicopterswhich read means us helicopters israeli pilots provided certain knowledge going used theyre used october 1 first days current intifada began israelius helicopters began attack unarmed palestinians missiles killing wounding dozens wasnt pretext selfdefense clinton respond october 3 two days later sending israel largest shipment military helicopters decade along spare parts apache attack helicopters sent midseptember press cooperated refusing report thisnot failing notice refusing knew last month martian press would certainly headlined washingtons intervention expedite escalation cycle terror december 14 us vetoed security council resolution calling implementation mitchell proposals sending international observers monitor reduction violence went general assembly opposed us israel also therefore disappears check coverage week earlier conference geneva high contracting parties fourth geneva convention obliged solemn treaty enforce convention know instituted world war ii criminalize atrocities nazis convention strictly bars virtually everything us israel occupied territories including settlements established expanded us funding full support increasing clinton barak camp david negotiations israel alone rejects interpretation issue came security council october 2000 us abstained apparently wanting take blatant stand violation fundamental principles international law particularly given circumstances enactment security council therefore voted fourteenzero call upon israel uphold convention flagrantly violating preclinton us voted members condemn israels flagrant violations convention thats consistent clinton practice effectively rescinding international law earlier un decisions israelpalestine media tell us arabs believe convention applies territories false although theres kind omissionthe arabs everybody else december 5 meeting including european union reaffirmed applicability convention territories illegality settlements called israel meaning us israel observe international law us boycotted meeting thereby killing check coverage acts contributed escalation terrorism including severe component media contributed usual way responses terrorism suppose finally join martian observer depart convention radically accept moral truisms rise level honestly raise question respond terrorist crimes one answer follow precedent lawabiding states nicaraguan precedent example course failed ran fact world ruled force law wouldnt fail us however evidently thats excluded yet see one phrase referring precedent massive coverage last couple months another answer given bush boyce instantly reject one nobody believes haiti nicaragua cuba long list others around world right carry massive terrorist attacks united states clients rich powerful states reasonable answer given number sources including vatican spelled preeminent angloamerican military historian michael howard last october actually published current issue foreign affairs 1202 thats leading establishment journal howard appropriate credentials lot prestige hes great admirer british empire even extravagantly successor global rule cant accused moral relativism crimes referring september 11 recommended police operation criminal conspiracy whose members hunted brought international court could receive fair trial found guilty awarded appropriate sentence never contemplated course sounds kind reasonable reasonable ought hold even worse terrorist crimes example us international terrorist attack nicaragua even worse ones nearby elsewhere going present could never contemplated course opposite reasons honesty leaves us dilemma easy answer conventional hypocrisy option one adopted martian friend actually abides principles profess grand selfrighteousness option harder consider imperative world spared still worse disasters noam chomsky author linguist social critic gave talk fairs 15th anniversary celebration new york citys town hall 12202 | 3,180 |
<p>By Nick Cull</p>
<p>There are many things that trouble me about the death of Robert Ethan Saylor. Stories of police brutality always carry the special chill that comes with a violation of the public trust even when the perpetrators are off duty and moonlighting as mall cops. I hate that, despite the Maryland chief medical examiner declaring the manner of death as homicide, a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/robert-ethan-saylor-charges_n_2958217.html" type="external">grand jury found there was no case</a> to be brought. I hate the detail of the broken throat bones in the autopsy report that point to strangulation. And as a father to someone who, like Saylor, has an extra chromosome, I feel frightened when I see the words “26-year-old man” “Down syndrome” and “killed” in the same headline. I feel so sad to read the telling details that illuminate his personality: that Saylor called for his mom as the officers pressed him to the floor of a movie theater lobby; that friends recalled him as warm and affectionate; that he was such a fan of police dramas on TV that he tried calling 911 to ask officers about their work.</p>
<p>But that is not the limit of my unease. I am also troubled that so many people seem not to have heard about the case more than six months after Saylor’s death.</p>
<p>The facts of the case are as follows: On a Saturday night in mid-January, Saylor and his caregiver went to a Regal movie theater near his home in New Market, Md., to see “Zero Dark Thirty.” When the movie ended, the caregiver went to get her car and left Saylor outside. He re-entered the theater as if to watch the movie again and was told by the management that he had to either buy a new $10 ticket or leave. When he failed to do either, sheriff’s deputies who were moonlighting as security guards at the mall where the theater was located were called in and the confrontation escalated into a scuffle. The sheriff’s deputies restrained Saylor with handcuffs and forced him onto the floor at which point he became “unresponsive.” He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office suspended the off-duty deputies involved, but reinstated them after the grand jury’s decision.</p>
<p />
<p>There has been local coverage of Saylor’s death in Maryland, and the lively online network of parents and activists who support and seek to advance the cause of people with special needs has been talking about what seems like an outrageous miscarriage of justice. The <a href="http://www.ndss.org/about-ndss/newsroom/news-archive/an-update-on-ndss-actions-in-response-to-the-death-of-robert-ethan-saylor/" type="external">National Down Syndrome Society</a> has petitioned the Justice Department to investigate with a view to creating better guidelines for interactions between the police and people with special needs, but the issue has not jumped into the wider community of concern.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Part of the problem is the fragmentation that has come with social media. In our wired world, some stories stay within closed loops of people directly concerned with an issue by virtue of shared race, location or other marker of identity. That is understandable. Yet Saylor’s story has been reported in <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-08/opinions/37557042_1_police-officer-police-custody-police-academies" type="external">The Washington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/opinion/ethan-saylors-death-and-a-cry-for-down-syndrome-understanding.html" type="external">The New York Times</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/18/robert-saylors-death-homicide-mentally-ill_n_2711629.html" type="external">The Huffington Post</a>. It’s also attracted notice on some right-wing websites and the libertarian <a href="http://www.policemisconduct.net/robert-ethan-saylor-garrity-precedent/" type="external">Cato Institute’s blog</a> that keep an eye out for violations of individual liberty. But the trail of mainstream media commentary soon runs cold. WTOP news in Washington, D.C., did a story on the case, but NPR has not mentioned it and neither, it would seem, have its local affiliates. There has been nothing in The Daily Beast. Sources with a track record of sound coverage in the civil rights domain such as Mother Jones and Truthdig (until this piece) have also passed over the story. Some parents in the Down syndrome community began an email campaign to try to get journalist George Will, whose son Jon has the genetic condition, to say something about Saylor in a column but he hasn’t done so.</p>
<p>What does this mean? Perhaps the case is not clear cut. The grand jury certainly thought so. Perhaps a 300-pound man (as Saylor was) who resists and swears at cops when they attempt to remove him from a movie theater has to expect to be handcuffed and thrown to the ground. Perhaps the confrontation was an appropriate way to deal with the misdemeanor of ducking back into a theater. Perhaps having a bad temper, disliking being touched by strangers and having a weak heart create some sort of co-responsibility on Saylor for what happened? I suspect not. Would guidelines for dealing with people like Saylor have helped? It seems that the officers concerned didn’t even <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-08/opinions/37557042_1_police-officer-police-custody-police-academies" type="external">follow the procedures</a> for restraining typical, let alone special needs, people.</p>
<p>One thing that those who have been following the story detect is an underlying lack of empathy for someone with special needs, on the part of the management and the deputies who seem to have exacerbated the situation and perhaps on behalf of the wider society. The Down syndrome support community is well aware that other categories of people who have been mistreated by the police have attracted national coverage; other names have become causes célèbres. One of the troubling things about Saylor’s case is the nagging fear that the silence is not a response to careful consideration of the available evidence but a symptom that in the last analysis in the America of 2013, people with an intellectual disability simply do not count.</p>
<p>Editor’s note: The author contacted the headquarters of Regal Entertainment Group multiple times during the writing of this piece to comment on the Saylor case. The company thus far has not responded.</p>
<p>Nick Cull is a professor of communication at the University of Southern California where he directs the masters program in public diplomacy. He writes and researches about the political impact of the media and his recent books include “The Decline and Fall of the United States Information Agency: American Public Diplomacy, 1989-2001” and (with James Chapman) “Projecting Tomorrow: Science Fiction and Popular Cinema.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | nick cull many things trouble death robert ethan saylor stories police brutality always carry special chill comes violation public trust even perpetrators duty moonlighting mall cops hate despite maryland chief medical examiner declaring manner death homicide grand jury found case brought hate detail broken throat bones autopsy report point strangulation father someone like saylor extra chromosome feel frightened see words 26yearold man syndrome killed headline feel sad read telling details illuminate personality saylor called mom officers pressed floor movie theater lobby friends recalled warm affectionate fan police dramas tv tried calling 911 ask officers work limit unease also troubled many people seem heard case six months saylors death facts case follows saturday night midjanuary saylor caregiver went regal movie theater near home new market md see zero dark thirty movie ended caregiver went get car left saylor outside reentered theater watch movie told management either buy new 10 ticket leave failed either sheriffs deputies moonlighting security guards mall theater located called confrontation escalated scuffle sheriffs deputies restrained saylor handcuffs forced onto floor point became unresponsive taken hospital pronounced dead frederick county sheriffs office suspended offduty deputies involved reinstated grand jurys decision local coverage saylors death maryland lively online network parents activists support seek advance cause people special needs talking seems like outrageous miscarriage justice national syndrome society petitioned justice department investigate view creating better guidelines interactions police people special needs issue jumped wider community concern part problem fragmentation come social media wired world stories stay within closed loops people directly concerned issue virtue shared race location marker identity understandable yet saylors story reported washington post new york times huffington post also attracted notice rightwing websites libertarian cato institutes blog keep eye violations individual liberty trail mainstream media commentary soon runs cold wtop news washington dc story case npr mentioned neither would seem local affiliates nothing daily beast sources track record sound coverage civil rights domain mother jones truthdig piece also passed story parents syndrome community began email campaign try get journalist george whose son jon genetic condition say something saylor column hasnt done mean perhaps case clear cut grand jury certainly thought perhaps 300pound man saylor resists swears cops attempt remove movie theater expect handcuffed thrown ground perhaps confrontation appropriate way deal misdemeanor ducking back theater perhaps bad temper disliking touched strangers weak heart create sort coresponsibility saylor happened suspect would guidelines dealing people like saylor helped seems officers concerned didnt even follow procedures restraining typical let alone special needs people one thing following story detect underlying lack empathy someone special needs part management deputies seem exacerbated situation perhaps behalf wider society syndrome support community well aware categories people mistreated police attracted national coverage names become causes célèbres one troubling things saylors case nagging fear silence response careful consideration available evidence symptom last analysis america 2013 people intellectual disability simply count editors note author contacted headquarters regal entertainment group multiple times writing piece comment saylor case company thus far responded nick cull professor communication university southern california directs masters program public diplomacy writes researches political impact media recent books include decline fall united states information agency american public diplomacy 19892001 james chapman projecting tomorrow science fiction popular cinema | 528 |
<p>GOP congressional candidate Lou Ann Zelenik&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/louannzelenik/"&gt;Lou Ann Zelenik&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>When the caliphate comes to Middle Tennessee, Lou Ann Zelenik will be ready.</p>
<p>During her first run for Congress in 2010, Zelenik, a Republican county commissioner and business owner, focused like a laser on what what she considered to be the greatest crisis facing her community:&#160;the impending Islamist takeover of the Bible Belt. Zelenik blasted her primary opponent,&#160;then-state Sen. Diane Black, for supporting the construction of a new Islamic community center in Murfreesboro, a small city about 45 minutes east of Nashville. “This isn’t a mosque,” Zelenik <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/tennessee-goper-zelenik-slams-opponents-for-not-stopping-muslim-center-campaign-warns-of-sharia-law.php" type="external">told</a> Talking Points Memo at the time. “They’re building an Islamic center to teach Sharia law. That is what we stand in opposition to.” Black, the favorite going into Election Day, held on by 335 votes and was elected to the House that fall.</p>
<p>On Thursday*, Zelenik is out for revenge—and this time it’s personal. In Tennessee’s 6th District, an area so conservative local Democrats aren’t even fielding a candidate this November, Zelenik and Black are quietly waging one of the nastiest campaigns of the 2012 cycle, complete with a lawsuit, a super-PAC&#160;sugar daddy, and allegations of federal crimes.</p>
<p>Since losing to&#160;Black in 2010, Zelenik has ratcheted up the anti-Islam rhetoric that defined her first campaign. After the election, she founded the Tennessee Freedom Coalition, a conservative Christian organization dedicated to, among other things, educating “citizens on the realities of Sharia” and stopping “the growth of Radical Islam.” Last November, TFC held its inaugural “Constitution or Sharia?” conference, which featured luminaries like <a href="" type="internal">David Yerushalmi</a>&#160;(the&#160;architect of the national movement to ban Islamic law from being applied in state courts) and the Center for Security Policy’s <a href="" type="internal">Frank Gaffney</a>, who has accused anti-tax activist Grover Norquist of being allied with the Muslim Brotherhood. In May, Zelenik hosted the controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is most famous for saying “there is no such thing as ‘moderate Islam'” and arguing Muhammad was a terrorist.</p>
<p>In 2011, two state legislators who have since endorsed Zelenik introduced a bill to define Islam as treasonous. The legislation, if passed, would have effectively prohibited Muslims from practicing their religion in the state. Earlier this month, a coalition of tea party groups and county Republican committees filed a&#160; <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/tennessee_tea_party_bill_haslam.php" type="external">formal complaint</a>&#160;with&#160;the state’s Republican governor,&#160;Bill&#160;Haslem, for appointing a Muslim woman to helm a state agency.</p>
<p>But the three-year-long fight over the Murfreesboro mosque remains Zelenik’s signature issue. When a county judge ruled this spring that construction of the mosque should be halted because the Islamic center hadn’t gone through the proper process, Zelenik declared “a victory for all Middle Tennessee who have been the victims of ‘taqqiya’ (Islamic lying for the sake of advancing Islam) during this entire process.”</p>
<p>Although defenders of the Islamic center, including the Department of Justice, cited the Muslim community’s First Amendment freedom to worship, Zelenik cried foul: “This was not an issue of freedom of religion,” she wrote. “Islam does not claim to be a religion, but a social and political system that intends to dominate every facet of our lives and seeks to dominate it’s host culture by any means including force and violence.” (The&#160;Justice Department later overruled the county court and mandated that the community center be allowed to open in time for Ramadan.)</p>
<p>In theory, not much separates Black, who was rated the most conservative member of Congress by National&#160;Journal, and Zelenik, a proud tea partier, on basic policy. Support for the Murfreesboro mosque and public professions of tolerance notwithstanding, Black has even taken the initiative in combating radical Islam herself. As a state senator, she cosponsored “Tennessee Laws for Tennessee Courts,” a law, based on Yerushalmi’s draft legislation, that was designed to protect the state from creeping Shariah. In her first term in&#160;Washington, she took the lead in repealing (or attempting to, anyway) President Barack Obama’s health care law.</p>
<p>But Black’s conservative voting record hasn’t satisfied her base. RedState founder Erick Erickson, who calls Black “ <a href="http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/07/12/diane-black-vs-lou-ann-zelenik-in-tennessee-6/" type="external">a terrible congress critter</a>,” has endorsed Zelenik and encouraged his readers to give to her campaign. “Here is a case…where we can pick off a terrible Republican, replace them with a better Republican, and not lose the seat,” he argued last week.</p>
<p>The real source of the bad blood between Zelenik and Black isn’t about policy at all. It dates back to the end of their last campaign, when Black’s husband capped off the primary victory by immediately filing a lawsuit against Zelenik and a television advertising firm she had worked with, Bright Media. Black alleged that Zelenik defamed his forensic science company, Aegis Sciences, by running campaign ads accusing his wife of steering state contracts to the firm. On the advice of her lawyer, Zelenik then backed out of a subsequent GOP “unity tour” of the district in support of Black.</p>
<p>“If Jim, Gary, Dave, or Kerry had won, I would be with them every step of the way on the unity tour, or whatever they needed my help on,” she said, referring to the four other GOP candidates. “THEY did not sue.” Although Bright Media settled out of court, the case was resolved in Zelenik’s favor in May. (The court ruled that Zelenik’s ads were accurate, and therefore unimpeachable. Black is appealing.) One week after the decision came down,&#160;Zelenik announced she would run against Black again.</p>
<p>Although she’s been outspent heavily, Zelenik has picked up support from two outside super-PACs, both of which are supported by just one donor—Andrew Miller, a health company executive, Tennessee Freedom Coalition officer, and, until June, a Zelenik campaign staffer. In early July, Miller—who the campaign says left abruptly on June 1—started his own super-PAC, Citizens 4 Ethics in Government, based out of an UPS&#160;office in a strip mall outside Nashville. The group has now spent $177,483 on independent expenditures on behalf of Zelenik, all of which has come from Miller. Another outfit, Congressional Elections PAC (which on Friday changed its name to USA PAC), has chipped in another $80,000. According to the PAC, that money also came from Miller, although he didn’t found it—it’s the creation of Texas millionaire Leo&#160;Linbeck&#160;III, best known for spearheading the anti-incumbent super-PAC <a href="" type="internal">Campaign for Primary Accountability</a>. Neither Miller nor a Linbeck spokesman responded to requests for comment on&#160;Friday, but Miller bragged to USA&#160;Today that he’s already spent at least $250,000 on ads attacking Black.</p>
<p>The Black campaign’s response to Miller’s super-PAC spending has been to accuse Miller and Zelenik of illegally coordinating their campaign activities—a federal crime if true.&#160;“Andy Miller resigned our campaign at the end of May. He didn’t say what he was doing,” Jay Heine, Zelenik’s campaign manager, insists.&#160;(Heine went even further in an interview with the Tennessean, calling the Black campaign&#160;“ <a href="http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2012/black-claims-zelenik-coordinating-with-independent-group/" type="external">delusional and paranoid</a>” for alleging that the Zelenik campaign was coordinating with Miller.)</p>
<p>On one level, though, Zelenik has already won; Black has gone from a backer of tolerance to a vocal mosque skeptic. When the Department of Justice ruled in favor of the Murfreesboro mosque in&#160;July, the congresswoman immediately blasted off a statement accusing the Obama administration of playing favorites, alleging that the DOJ&#160;spurns Christianity but “will meddle in a local zoning matter to promote Islam.”</p>
<p>The kicker: During the congressional redistricting process, the Murfreesboro mosque was removed from Black’s district. Heine claims that’s what caused Black’s change of heart. “I guess the difference was that now that they no longer can vote for her,” he says.</p>
<p>Correction: This article originally misstated the date of the Tennessee primary.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | gop congressional candidate lou ann zeleniklta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotoslouannzelenikgtlou ann zelenikltagtflickr caliphate comes middle tennessee lou ann zelenik ready first run congress 2010 zelenik republican county commissioner business owner focused like laser considered greatest crisis facing community160the impending islamist takeover bible belt zelenik blasted primary opponent160thenstate sen diane black supporting construction new islamic community center murfreesboro small city 45 minutes east nashville isnt mosque zelenik told talking points memo time theyre building islamic center teach sharia law stand opposition black favorite going election day held 335 votes elected house fall thursday zelenik revengeand time personal tennessees 6th district area conservative local democrats arent even fielding candidate november zelenik black quietly waging one nastiest campaigns 2012 cycle complete lawsuit superpac160sugar daddy allegations federal crimes since losing to160black 2010 zelenik ratcheted antiislam rhetoric defined first campaign election founded tennessee freedom coalition conservative christian organization dedicated among things educating citizens realities sharia stopping growth radical islam last november tfc held inaugural constitution sharia conference featured luminaries like david yerushalmi160the160architect national movement ban islamic law applied state courts center security policys frank gaffney accused antitax activist grover norquist allied muslim brotherhood may zelenik hosted controversial dutch politician geert wilders famous saying thing moderate islam arguing muhammad terrorist 2011 two state legislators since endorsed zelenik introduced bill define islam treasonous legislation passed would effectively prohibited muslims practicing religion state earlier month coalition tea party groups county republican committees filed a160 formal complaint160with160the states republican governor160bill160haslem appointing muslim woman helm state agency threeyearlong fight murfreesboro mosque remains zeleniks signature issue county judge ruled spring construction mosque halted islamic center hadnt gone proper process zelenik declared victory middle tennessee victims taqqiya islamic lying sake advancing islam entire process although defenders islamic center including department justice cited muslim communitys first amendment freedom worship zelenik cried foul issue freedom religion wrote islam claim religion social political system intends dominate every facet lives seeks dominate host culture means including force violence the160justice department later overruled county court mandated community center allowed open time ramadan theory much separates black rated conservative member congress national160journal zelenik proud tea partier basic policy support murfreesboro mosque public professions tolerance notwithstanding black even taken initiative combating radical islam state senator cosponsored tennessee laws tennessee courts law based yerushalmis draft legislation designed protect state creeping shariah first term in160washington took lead repealing attempting anyway president barack obamas health care law blacks conservative voting record hasnt satisfied base redstate founder erick erickson calls black terrible congress critter endorsed zelenik encouraged readers give campaign casewhere pick terrible republican replace better republican lose seat argued last week real source bad blood zelenik black isnt policy dates back end last campaign blacks husband capped primary victory immediately filing lawsuit zelenik television advertising firm worked bright media black alleged zelenik defamed forensic science company aegis sciences running campaign ads accusing wife steering state contracts firm advice lawyer zelenik backed subsequent gop unity tour district support black jim gary dave kerry would every step way unity tour whatever needed help said referring four gop candidates sue although bright media settled court case resolved zeleniks favor may court ruled zeleniks ads accurate therefore unimpeachable black appealing one week decision came down160zelenik announced would run black although shes outspent heavily zelenik picked support two outside superpacs supported one donorandrew miller health company executive tennessee freedom coalition officer june zelenik campaign staffer early july millerwho campaign says left abruptly june 1started superpac citizens 4 ethics government based ups160office strip mall outside nashville group spent 177483 independent expenditures behalf zelenik come miller another outfit congressional elections pac friday changed name usa pac chipped another 80000 according pac money also came miller although didnt found itits creation texas millionaire leo160linbeck160iii best known spearheading antiincumbent superpac campaign primary accountability neither miller linbeck spokesman responded requests comment on160friday miller bragged usa160today hes already spent least 250000 ads attacking black black campaigns response millers superpac spending accuse miller zelenik illegally coordinating campaign activitiesa federal crime true160andy miller resigned campaign end may didnt say jay heine zeleniks campaign manager insists160heine went even interview tennessean calling black campaign160 delusional paranoid alleging zelenik campaign coordinating miller one level though zelenik already black gone backer tolerance vocal mosque skeptic department justice ruled favor murfreesboro mosque in160july congresswoman immediately blasted statement accusing obama administration playing favorites alleging doj160spurns christianity meddle local zoning matter promote islam kicker congressional redistricting process murfreesboro mosque removed blacks district heine claims thats caused blacks change heart guess difference longer vote says correction article originally misstated date tennessee primary | 746 |
<p>In which the author, exclusively for CounterPunch, goes by train but also by ferry, bicycle, plane, and rental car from Nairobi, Kenya, to Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa. This is Part IV. <a href="" type="internal">To read part I, click here</a>.</p>
<p>The Tazara express train waylaid in Mlimba, Tanzania—for almost three days.</p>
<p>The Tanzania to Zambia Express: Already Five Hours Late</p>
<p>I could have lingered longer in Dar es Salaam. The old downtown is pleasant and surprisingly free of traffic, although the suburbs have the same congestion as Nairobi. At least Dar has installed some dedicated bus lanes. But I needed to pick up my train ticket to Zambia around noontime, from Juni, one of the railroad clerks. I was told her reservations window would be closing two hours before the train departed for Zambia at 15:50, for the two-day journey.</p>
<p>As with the Chinese-built train stations in Kenya, the Tazara terminal is closer to the airport than downtown, but still has all the hallmarks of Chinese construction, another monument from the Great Leap Forward School of Architecture. It could well be a station in Sichuan or Tsingtao, assuming that the Chinese would allow something this rundown to remain open for business.</p>
<p>I found Juni behind a grilled window in the main hall, which, even hours before the train was to leave, was a beehive of passengers hauling around their luggage (much of it packed in canvas sacks, a bit the way Santa Claus lugs his stuff) and of kids running around the grand waiting room.</p>
<p>Once I had my ticket in hand (car 1202, compartment 3, berth 2), Juni explained to me that the train was now scheduled to leave at 20:00, nine hours from now. It had been late in arriving from Kapiri Mposhi, the terminal in Zambia. (Tazara stands for The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority, which alas only operates four trains a week.)</p>
<p>I thought about going into Dar es Salaam, but was nervous that Tanzanian Railways—not exactly Deutsche Bahn—might decide to move up the departure time and that I would be idling in a café or on a public beach when the Mukuba Express rolled away. The next train did not leave for four days.</p>
<p>The Reading Room of the Tazara Station</p>
<p>By 15:00 the main concourse of the terminal was full of Africans, who occupied every chair or were sprawled in the corners. First class passengers—I was one—were huddled into a lounge off the main hall in what looked like a Greyhound waiting room, except none of the chairs came with those arm-loaded televisions.</p>
<p>From vendors I could buy cookies and bottles of water, but the station (now with more than a thousand people in it) had no food. For entertainment, I was back to my Kindle, which became the lifeline of what I was starting to call my “reading safari.”</p>
<p>Having finished the al-Qaeda history and Out of Africa, I moved on to Paul Theroux’s <a href="" type="internal">Dark Star Safari</a>, his 2002 account of his travels—mostly on buses and in minivans—from Cairo to Cape Town. But he did ride the Tazara rails, at least from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya in eastern Tanzania, about which he wrote:</p>
<p>The Tanzanians, under the leadership of the muddled Maoist Julius Nyerere, soon had a line south from Dar es Salaam into Zambia, entirely the work of Mao-sponsored Chinese railwaymen, chanting the Great Helmsman’s Thoughts as they hammered spikes and fastened rails. This was 1967, at the beginning of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which Tanzania too embraced in a superficial and self-destructive way.</p>
<p>I have been reading Theroux’s books since Christmas 1975, when my father gave me <a href="" type="internal">The</a>Great Railway Bazaar, an account of riding trains from London to the Far East, and back on the Trans-Siberian. Theroux went east through the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, India, and Vietnam, and along the way, he writes: “I decided that travel was flight and pursuit in equal parts.” Elsewhere he notes that it is “better to go first class than to arrive.”</p>
<p>I have writer friends who consider Theroux insufferable, someone who goes abroad in search of monsters. (“At my lowest point, when things were at their most desperate and uncomfortable, I always found myself in the company of Australians, who were like a reminder that I’d touched bottom.”) But I find his cynicism a relief, I like and admire his writing, and I applaud anyone, well into their sixties and seventies, who bestirs himself to ride night trains across Turkmenistan or Namibia.</p>
<p>Nor, in my view, is he required to sing the praises of the places he visits. All I expect from him is the truth, which is what he delivers. Many of his impressions match my own. For example, he writes about African cities:</p>
<p>Urban life is nasty all over the world, but it is nastiest in Africa—better a year in Tabora [a town in central Tanzania] than a day in Nairobi. None of the African cities I had so far seen, from Cairo southward, seemed fit for human habitation, though there was never a shortage of foreigners to sing the praises of these snake pits—how you could use mobile phones, and send faxes, and log on to the Internet, and buy pizzas, and call home—naming the very things I wanted to avoid.</p>
<p>I had almost nine hours to kill in the Dar es Salaam railroad station, and for most of that time I had the pleasure of reading Dark Star Safari. Occasionally I would wander in the stationmaster’s office and ask questions about the departure time (it remained 20:00) or I would walk along the platforms and peer into the few local trains that were departing for the Dar suburbs. Overall, Tanzania is a bus, not a train culture, and the station was ghostly.</p>
<p>I bought bottles of water and a package of Oreos (health food by local standards). Mostly I just read, happy to follow Theroux down the eastern spine of Africa. He spends the most time in Uganda and Malawi, where he lived and worked in the 1960s. As I read I marked passages, and here are some that I highlighted on my Kindle:</p>
<p>—“It is almost impossible to exaggerate the fatness of corrupt African politicians.”</p>
<p>—“Even when I lived and worked in Africa, I regarded safari people as fantasists, heading into the tamest bush in zebra striped minibuses, with hampers of gourmet food.”</p>
<p>—“‘The economy is improving—it’s back to where it was in 1970,’ an economist told me.”</p>
<p>—“I was in no hurry—I wasn’t due anywhere—yet whenever I arrived in an African city I wanted to leave.”</p>
<p>—“Tanzania had reached a dead end on the socialist path, and as an economic failure, both in industry and agriculture, the country was advertising itself as a superior collection of game parks, inviting foreigners to take pictures of its endangered species and to spend money.”</p>
<p>—“That’s what happened in Africa: things fell apart.”</p>
<p>Yes, he can be strident and dismissive, but anyone who can turn an eight-hour wait in a Dar es Salaam train station into an afternoon at the British Museum Reading Room earns my respect.</p>
<p>The Night Train Across Tanzania: An Equatorial Coolness</p>
<p>The train finally departed at 20:30, although not before the husband of one of the first-class passengers drove his SUV onto the platform and parked it near to her sleeping car. No one seemed to care.</p>
<p>In fact, one of the remarkable things about the Mukuba Express was that it ran without a conductor. There was menial staff all over the train—people serving drinks and meals, or cleaning the cars—but there was no conductor with a whistle, hat, or pocket watch. I am sure the speeches of Nyerere could explain why. Maybe such direction suggests imperial domination?</p>
<p>Because Tazara is, effectively, a Chinese train, first class meant four to a compartment, as it does on the Beijing to Xian overnight train. My bunk mates were a couple from the Congo and a cheerful Tanzanian named Haley, although he spent most of his time elsewhere on the train, as if working a second job.</p>
<p>The porter made life difficult for the Congolese couple because they had not purchased tickets for a family compartment, and on Chinese trains the sexes don’t mix. But after a long discussion, the subject was closed, so I am assuming that a glass ceiling was broken with small, unmarked bills.</p>
<p>I gave the couple my lower bunk, and tucked myself into an upper berth, which was designed with the Chinese in mind, thus narrow and cramped. An overhead fan rattled through the night, and we had the windows open, despite a security warning that thieves could climb in at station stops. I found this African night to be cool and fresh, much to my relief. New York in July is hotter and more humid that equatorial Africa in October.</p>
<p>I slept well in my lair until 7:00 when I got up and, to my delight, discovered a cold-water shower at one end of the sleeping car. &#160;I washed and shaved, thinking: “I am in Africa, on a train that works well, and in two days I shall be in Zambia, close to the Congolese border.” The railroad god was in his heaven, and all was right with the world.</p>
<p>Breakfast in the dining car—it had the look of a fifties diner—was a greasy egg folded in half that was served with white tea, Wonder Bread, and a hot dog that I suspect could have survived a nuclear winter. At least there was hot food on the train.</p>
<p>During breakfast, the train stopped in a countryside town called Mlimba, which was little more than a platform next to a hillside. I was following our progress on one of my many maps and from a page in Cook’s Overseas Timetable, which indicated that we were 496 kilometers from Dar es Salaam. I did the math and figured that in the last twelve hours the “express” had only averaged 24.8 m.p.h. Still, it was moving in the right direction.</p>
<p>Little did I know, while gagging on the milky English tea, that the Mukuba Express would not leave Mlimba, which is off the grid, for almost three days.</p>
<p>Wasting Away in Mlimba: Stranded for Two Days in Tanzania</p>
<p>The first indication that something was amiss was an announcement that the train was delayed (something obvious by this point). It would be the only announcement for the next two days; the rest of the communication came through rumor and hearsay that passed along the platform as if it were a prison yard.</p>
<p>Nor throughout the delay was anyone in authority present with the train. There were some security types in the last car of first class, although I suspect most of them were off-duty soldiers who were heading home. But neither in the Mlimba station nor on the train was any person in charge. In terms of leadership, the Mukuba Express was a ghost train.</p>
<p>I knew we were in for a long delay when I noticed that the engine was being uncoupled from the train, and taken away from the station. From the steps of the station, the engineless train—a long line of about sixteen cars—looked like a landlocked Titanic, although in this case one without a band playing “Nearer my God to Thee.”</p>
<p>Pretty soon, everyone on the train moved onto the platform, which took on the quality of a remote African village, although one without USAID or Africare.</p>
<p>Americans would have gone crazy, demanding information or refunds, but to the Africans on board, well, it was just another day in Africa. Everyone was well mannered; even the many traveling babies, wrapped against their mothers, were great.</p>
<p>For the first day, the passengers had no idea about the nature of the problem. There were rumors of a wreck ahead on the tracks. No one knew for sure. It was like one of those delays on the New York City subway—“We got holding signals”—that never ends.</p>
<p>I bought water, Fanta, hard-boiled eggs, and bananas from the many vendors that descended upon the shipwreck. At times in the club car, at least until my battery died, I worked on my computer. Other times I would read in the shade on the platform, wishing that I was traveling with a folding beach chair.</p>
<p>The sun was warm, but it wasn’t stifling and occasionally there was a cool breeze that passed through the train, although after a Korean couple had their backpacks (along with their passports) stolen from their compartment, a laager mentality embraced the first class carriages.</p>
<p>Windows were locked, rumors were exchanged, and compartments were watched, although anyone from Mlimba village, as best I could tell, was welcome to wander through the train, which despite emotive tripwires was open to the world.</p>
<p>I read most of Alexandra Fuller’s African memoirs, <a href="" type="internal">Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight</a>, which is about her African childhood during the Rhodesian civil war, during which both the country and her family—while loving—come apart at the seams. (She writes: “After Olivia dies, Mum and Dad’s joyful careless embrace of life is sucked away, like water swirling down a drain. The joy is gone. The love has trickled out.”)</p>
<p>Fuller is an admirable woman and engaging storyteller. In the memoir, she writes: “What I can’t know about Africa as a child (because I have no memory of any other place) is her smell; hot, sweet, smoky, salty, sharp-soft. It is like black tea, cut tobacco, fresh fire, old sweat, young grass.”</p>
<p>By contrast some spots along the Mlimba platform smelled like sour milk.</p>
<p>All Aboard the Fuck All Express</p>
<p>When it got dark, I decided my best option was to crawl into my upper bunk and to sleep for eleven hours. Unlike the first night, the second was hot and stifling, as, with the engine gone, the cars had no electricity and the ceiling fans were idle. Plus the train crew had locked up the bathrooms and the shower.</p>
<p>The next morning, wanting to clean up, I retreated to the nearby woods and there took a shower from a water bottle in which I punched holes in the bottom. I shaved from a plastic bowl and ate breakfast in the diner—the same greasy egg and hot dog. The charm of the first morning was beginning to wear thin.</p>
<p>At breakfast, however, I made friends with an Irish woman, Mary, who was traveling with a group of young men straight out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. As she explained me to me, they “had issues.” Most were covered head-to-toe with tattoos and they consumed a prodigious amount of beer, at least when they weren’t smoking pot on the platform.</p>
<p>They had come to Africa to do manual labor on an orphanage near Lake Malawi. At first glance they appeared fairly sinister—on the lam from an IRA cell—but I befriended them during the long delay, as we passed many hours together on the platform, doing very little.</p>
<p>I asked them about Belfast, the politics of Northern Ireland, the British army, their mates, footie, their local pubs, and they were amused when I suggested that the train be renamed the Fuck All Express.</p>
<p>I admired their leader Mary, who for more than sixteen years has lived in Tanzania and has supported a number of orphanages. And best of all, she had cell service on her smartphone, and could tell me what was going on up the tracks. She reported that a laden copper train, from the Congo to the coast, had wrecked in a horseshoe curve, wiping out the tracks and scattering the copper for more than half a mile. It was on the local news.</p>
<p>By mid-morning, Mary had pictures on her phone of the train wreck. Her photos showed how a fully loaded copper train overturned in the curve, with rails washed down a hillside. She was convinced that our train would never get through the blocked pass, and she had ordered several vans, at a cost of $600, to drive out to Mlimba and retrieve the lads. “They’re getting restless,” she whispered to me, “and that’s not good.”</p>
<p>I went with Mary to the office of the “station manager,” but he had left his post and gone ahead to inspect the wreck (as there was no cell phone coverage at the scene of the accident). In his place was an office full of “railway officials” who shrugged when we asked about the status of the delay.</p>
<p>When I showed the pictures on Mary’s phone to my compartment mate, Patrick, from the Congo (he works in the copper business in Katanga), he said there was no way they could clear the wreck in less than four days. He suggested that we should explore other options—a taxi or a bus—for getting out of Dodge.</p>
<p>Patrick had the idea to hire a taxi in Mlimba (the village was across the tracks), fill it with train passengers, and ride it to the nearest bus station, about three hours away.</p>
<p>Because I was traveling with a complete set of Tanzanian roadmaps and railroad timetables, we huddled over them, as if planning a breakout.</p>
<p>My fear was that our train would be canceled or returned to Dar es Salaam, which would have ended my African adventure. I would be back where I had started in Dar es Salaam. All my plans and hotel reservations in Zambia and Zimbabwe would be lost. I saw my three months of planning, and lifetime of African dreaming, going up in the charcoal smoke that wafted over the Mlimba platform.</p>
<p>Back in Dar, I could perhaps have flown to from Tanzania to Zambia, but I wasn’t hopeful of a ticket for less than $500, and Mary had told me the air service was spotty, with the next flight in three days.</p>
<p>Plus after 30 hours on the Mlimba platform, I was losing some admiration for the efficacy of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority. Still no announcements had been made. No police were on hand to guard the train. The only thing we had in hand were rumors, which every six hours indicated that the train would be moving in another six hours.</p>
<p>The Great Taxi Escape</p>
<p>Patrick and I climbed through a freight train in Mlimba yards and walked into the windswept town of Mlimba—we looked like “strangers” in a TV Western—where the taxi fleet consisted of about four soccer-mom minivans from the 1990s, all of which had baling wire around their bumpers.</p>
<p>One driver, Mahmud (he was from Zanzibar), said that for $100 he would drive us to Mafinga, about three hours away. There he said we could catch “a big bus” to Mbeya, the largest city in western Tanzania. (The phrase “big bus” in Africa is one of endearment, affection, and respect.)</p>
<p>Mahmud’s vehicle was a Japanese-made minivan, at least twenty years old. He said that the day before he had squeezed ten train passengers into the rear seats, which normally held four or five (grade-school soccer players?).</p>
<p>It was a seller’s market, and we took the offer. I didn’t think I needed another twenty-hours on the Fuck All Express—with luggage being stolen and Patrick telling me: “Wait until the nearby gangs hear that an express train is stuck on the tracks.” (In turn my other friends on the train asked, “Do you really want to go anywhere with people from the Congo?” although I came to like and trust Patrick.)</p>
<p>At least if I made it to Mbeya, I would be in position to catch a bus to Zambia and resume my African journey. Otherwise, I might well have called it quits in Dar es Salaam and made my fortune there as a taxi driver.</p>
<p>Patrick, his wife, and I collected our bags from the compartment. We offered space in the getaway car to some of our train friends, but they temporized, looked at their phones (for religious inspiration?), and spoke wistfully about trying to get a refund from Tazara. So the last taxi to Shanghai—well, Mafinga—left without them.</p>
<p>I sat in the front seat with my briefcase on my lap. Patrick and his wife were in back. Using a water bottle, Mahmud filled the car radiator (never a good sign), and we took off in the direction of an antenna on the top of the nearby mountain, on what felt like a smuggler’s run.</p>
<p>For more than hour on dirt trails and winding roads, we bobbed and weaved through the mountains and potholes until we entered a small village nestled under the crest of a hill. A man seemed to be warning us of something ahead, but Mahmud, now a driver on a mission, scoffed until we turned a corner and found a truck on its side, completely blocking the road. We were shit out of luck, part II.</p>
<p>Half the village and every small boy in the district had swarmed around the wreck, either to carry away fallen loot (I assume) or clear the road. I was reminded of a passage from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, in which Marlow, heading up the river toward Kurtz, comes across a rail car near the river. He describes “an undersized railway-truck lying there on its back with its wheels in the air. One was off. The thing looked as dead as the carcass of some animal.” That was our truck.</p>
<p>Like the fallen copper train, the truck had capsized in a narrow pass. There was no getting around it. The idea of the hour was to gather all the menfolk of the village and, with a rope, drag the fallen beast to an opening beside the road. I thought the truck looked awfully big to respond to a game of tug-of-war, especially as some of the tuggers were small boys frolicking around the wreck.</p>
<p>Needless to say, the truck did not budge under the rope, and we faced the prospect of driving back down the mountain to the stalled train, when another car approached the wrecked truck from the far, downhill side of the accident.</p>
<p>The driver was a man also named Patrick. He was heading to Mlimba to rescue his wife who was herself stuck on the train. Seeing us—a vision of cash-flow paradise—he decided to abandon his wife and take us to the Mbeya bus, in exchange for the second half of the fee. (Investment bankers make the same calculation when they depart their Vineyard vacations to close another deal.)</p>
<p>In his 1995 sedan, we bumped along dirt roads for another two hours to Mafinga, where we took more money out of a cash machine (my role in the enterprise) and flagged down a bus heading to Mbeya, a city in western Tanzania, about three hours away.</p>
<p>Don’t Try This at Home</p>
<p>It was a Congolese bus, heading to Lubumbashi in the Katanga region. The bus business in Africa isn’t exactly over-regulated, and the driver was cruising this route in search of passengers. Colorfully painted with African street scenes, the bus had the air of the 1980s, although bus years, in Africa, strike me as similar to those of dogs.</p>
<p>I took the window seat I was offered; mercifully no one wanted to sit next to me. For the next several hours, as it was now dark, I dozed and watched the in-bus movie, Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio, a thriller about gemstones and terrorists in Nigeria. There was no sound but the formulaic dialogue was easy to imagine. (Nor is Leo exactly Sir Laurence Olivier.)</p>
<p>We arrived in Mbeya around 23:00. Patrick suggested that we stay on the Congolese bus to the Zambian border at Tunduma, another two hours, where he said it would be easy to find a through bus to Ndola, where all of us were headed. I was game, as I didn’t want to leave my cocoon, not at least until the movie was finished. (Leo was knocking off diamond thugs with Rambo-esque ease.)</p>
<p>Ndola (northern Zambia) was where I had booked a hotel and where the Dag Hammarskjöld memorial is located. Under the old plan, the Tazara train was to have arrived near there on Sunday afternoon. Now it was Sunday night, and I had yet to leave Tanzania.</p>
<p>When we got to Tunduma at 1:00, we collected our bags, with the idea of walking to a nearby guest house for short night of rest and to clean up. &#160;But a man in the bus parking lot—it looked like Osama’s house, less all the porn, in Zero Dark Thirty—warned us against walking anywhere.</p>
<p>Patrick said wisely: “I think we have to sleep on the bus,” which was already in night mode, with the two drivers sound asleep on a mattress in the front and with a handful of passengers snoring in the back.</p>
<p>I climbed back on the bus, curled up in my seat with my feet across the aisle, and slept perfectly until 5:45.&#160;We got a tuk-tuk to the Sacse High Class Hotel (it’s a relative expression), where for $10 the hotelier agreed to let us wash, sleep for an hour, and eat breakfast in what he called their Internet café (albeit one with neither wi-fi nor coffee.)</p>
<p>Despite mosquitos in the room the size of baby eagles, the bed was heavenly, at least for my forty-five-minute disco nap. On the downside, the shower was broken and hot water was non-existent. Still, I was happy with the High Class, even if it didn’t give out any Marriott Rewards points.</p>
<p>I showered with cold water from a bucket, which was on a par with train washing in the woods, and rinsed my backpack and some clothes, which were covered with dust from the mountainous dirt roads. For breakfast I ordered an omelet. At least this time the Wonder Bread was toasted and came with jam.</p>
<p>By 8:30 Patrick, his wife (now starting to fade into unhappiness from the hard journey), and I were passing through the Tunduma frontier, a modern immigration center between Tanzania and Zambia, in what is otherwise a raucous strip of hawkers, minivans, and buses. I paid the obligatory $50 for an entry visa—the going price in East Africa, much the way all museums cost $15 for foreigners.</p>
<p>Patrick had done well to guide us through the border, although his wife, prone to pouting, now had the look of a hostage of the Symbionese Liberation Army. But Patrick was wrong in thinking Tunduma would be a goldmine of buses all headed to Ndola.</p>
<p>The “bus terminal” (okay, a parking lot) had two buses heading for Ndola, but they were leaving in the afternoon. Under a new Zambian law, both would drive until 21:00 and then pull into a laager for the night, as the Congolese bus had circled its wagons in Tunduma. It would be another twenty-four hours until either bus arrived in Ndola.</p>
<p>Zambia has had too many bus wrecks, and it had passed this new law against night driving, without any compassion for all the drivers that have to talk on their cell phones, while driving one-handed.</p>
<p>Back Onboard the Fuck All Express</p>
<p>While dickering with the bus ticket brokers in the OK Bus Corral—think of the pit of the New York Stock Exchange, but throw in some fine dust—a friend of ours from the Fuck All Express called to say that the train had moved through the wreckage and was approaching Mbeya. In five hours, it would be at our border town, Nakonde.</p>
<p>With this bulletin from the frontier, I decided to bail on bus world (despite its excellent film festivals) and return to the train. What was another five-hour wait for this express?</p>
<p>I had given up hope for Ndola but relished the idea of finally seeing the Zambian landscape while being alone in a first class compartment.</p>
<p>In our walk across the border, we had acquired the local equivalent of an Indian scout, a fix-it man by the name of Ibrahim. He went with us everywhere, negotiated for us at the bank to change money, and guided us around the many bus parking lots and ticket market emporiums.</p>
<p>After I said good-bye to Patrick and his wife, Ibrahim walked me down some back lanes to the Nakonde railroad station, which was next to a teaming market and slum but still something of an oasis. The station platform was empty, as in theory the train was due two days ago.</p>
<p>Ibrahim wanted me to check into a guest house—the commissions were better—but instead I made up my mind to spend the day, yet again waiting for the train, in the shade of a tree next to the platform.</p>
<p>From the station’s “first-class” lounge (think of the decor of an interrogation center), I found a plastic chair and dragged it outside. Nearby was a police station, so I never felt uneasy. Plus every school kid in the district came by to inspect the oddity under the tree.</p>
<p>From the market I had cold bottles of water, hard-boiled eggs, and cookies, and I spent the day lost in my books—as happy a day as I had on the trip.</p>
<p>I finished Alexandra Fuller’s sad memoir—in it she writes, of her baby sister’s accidental drowning: “No one ever came right out and said in the broad light of day that I was responsible for Olivia’s death and that Olivia’s death made Mum go from being a fun drunk to a crazy, sad drunk and so I am also responsible for Mum’s madness. No one ever came right out and said it in words and with pointing fingers. They didn’t have to.” And I made a start on a political history of Zimbabwe by journalist Peter Godwin.</p>
<p>According to a ticket agent at the station, the Fuck All was due in at 15:00, but it arrived at 19:20. During the wait, I read, listened (on a podcast) to Lewis Lapham interview Peter Brooks about his excellent new book, <a href="" type="internal">Flaubert in the Ruins of Paris: The Story of a Friendship, a Novel, and a Terrible Year</a>, and made friends with the beleaguered Nakonde station manager, who seemed to love his job, despite having to handle trains that were sometimes three days late.</p>
<p>As for the wreck, he chalked it up to fate on a tight curve in the mountains, not the over-demand for Congolese coltan, so necessary in the manufacture of cell phones.</p>
<p>At 19:20, when I climbed back on the train, I was shocked to find it empty. Before there were at least twelve coaches packed with families and cardboard boxes. But they were all gone, as were nearly all the passengers in the two first-class cars.</p>
<p>The porter greeted me as someone back from the dead, although it was the train that had the look of having ferried souls to the underworld.</p>
<p>I ate dinner alone in the dining car (the menu had not changed; it was still road-kill chicken and rice) and went to bed early, exhausted by my taxi relay over the mountains and short night wedged into the Congolese bus—but perversely I was happy with my shore excursion from the cruise ship in hell.</p>
<p>Across Zambia On an Empty Train</p>
<p>I woke up with the sun glowing on the long horizon. In the foreground, there was scrubby bush, broken occasionally by small encampments of native villages—circular houses made of brick and thatched roofs, prairie chapels of a kind.</p>
<p>Although it was my fifth day on the train, this stretch of Zambia was the first African landscape that I had seen. I passed the day working on my computer, reading books on my Kindle, taking a shower, and staring at my maps and timetable, while trying to work out when we might arrive in Kapiri. (The porter in the sleeping car thought maybe in another twelve hours.)</p>
<p>In the remote station of Kasama, our train pulled alongside Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa, a long line of luxury cars being pulled by two freshly painted diesel engines.</p>
<p>Rovos Rail is a private rail company, similar to the Orient Express in Europe, that is owned and operated by Mr. Rohan Vos, who in 1989 took over a few carriages and a dilapidated station in Pretoria. He has since turned them into Africa’s finest rail company, with trains that ply the tracks from South Africa to Namibia, Botswana, and all the way up to Dar es Salaam.</p>
<p>I had met Vos at several travel fairs in Europe and admired him for creating a thriving private rail company, at a time when few countries, especially in Africa, show any interest in trains. I knew this particular train was on a journey from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam (presumably without a two-day wait on the platform in Mlimba).</p>
<p>As we glided past The Pride of Africa, I looked through the windows at what appeared to be a dream: there were upholstered compartments with double beds, dining cars set with fine china and crystal, what looked like a movie or a speaker’s car (with chairs set up in rows), and several well-stocked, elegant bars, where I know Rovos serves some of the finest wines in the world. At the back of the train, there was an open observation deck, where a small group of passengers was clustered with their cameras.</p>
<p>From my spartan Tazara compartment I felt a little like Nick Carraway, the great Gatsby’s neighbor and the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel’s narrator, who, in looking across his lawn toward Long Island Sound, reflects: “The one on my right [Gatsby’s house] was a colossal affair by any standard … My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor’s lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month.”</p>
<p>Up next: Ndola, Zambia—who killed Dag Hammarskjöld. <a href="" type="internal">To read part III, please click here.</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | author exclusively counterpunch goes train also ferry bicycle plane rental car nairobi kenya pretoria johannesburg south africa part iv read part click tazara express train waylaid mlimba tanzaniafor almost three days tanzania zambia express already five hours late could lingered longer dar es salaam old downtown pleasant surprisingly free traffic although suburbs congestion nairobi least dar installed dedicated bus lanes needed pick train ticket zambia around noontime juni one railroad clerks told reservations window would closing two hours train departed zambia 1550 twoday journey chinesebuilt train stations kenya tazara terminal closer airport downtown still hallmarks chinese construction another monument great leap forward school architecture could well station sichuan tsingtao assuming chinese would allow something rundown remain open business found juni behind grilled window main hall even hours train leave beehive passengers hauling around luggage much packed canvas sacks bit way santa claus lugs stuff kids running around grand waiting room ticket hand car 1202 compartment 3 berth 2 juni explained train scheduled leave 2000 nine hours late arriving kapiri mposhi terminal zambia tazara stands tanzania zambia railway authority alas operates four trains week thought going dar es salaam nervous tanzanian railwaysnot exactly deutsche bahnmight decide move departure time would idling café public beach mukuba express rolled away next train leave four days reading room tazara station 1500 main concourse terminal full africans occupied every chair sprawled corners first class passengersi onewere huddled lounge main hall looked like greyhound waiting room except none chairs came armloaded televisions vendors could buy cookies bottles water station thousand people food entertainment back kindle became lifeline starting call reading safari finished alqaeda history africa moved paul therouxs dark star safari 2002 account travelsmostly buses minivansfrom cairo cape town ride tazara rails least dar es salaam mbeya eastern tanzania wrote tanzanians leadership muddled maoist julius nyerere soon line south dar es salaam zambia entirely work maosponsored chinese railwaymen chanting great helmsmans thoughts hammered spikes fastened rails 1967 beginning great proletarian cultural revolution tanzania embraced superficial selfdestructive way reading therouxs books since christmas 1975 father gave thegreat railway bazaar account riding trains london far east back transsiberian theroux went east balkans turkey iran india vietnam along way writes decided travel flight pursuit equal parts elsewhere notes better go first class arrive writer friends consider theroux insufferable someone goes abroad search monsters lowest point things desperate uncomfortable always found company australians like reminder id touched bottom find cynicism relief like admire writing applaud anyone well sixties seventies bestirs ride night trains across turkmenistan namibia view required sing praises places visits expect truth delivers many impressions match example writes african cities urban life nasty world nastiest africabetter year tabora town central tanzania day nairobi none african cities far seen cairo southward seemed fit human habitation though never shortage foreigners sing praises snake pitshow could use mobile phones send faxes log internet buy pizzas call homenaming things wanted avoid almost nine hours kill dar es salaam railroad station time pleasure reading dark star safari occasionally would wander stationmasters office ask questions departure time remained 2000 would walk along platforms peer local trains departing dar suburbs overall tanzania bus train culture station ghostly bought bottles water package oreos health food local standards mostly read happy follow theroux eastern spine africa spends time uganda malawi lived worked 1960s read marked passages highlighted kindle almost impossible exaggerate fatness corrupt african politicians even lived worked africa regarded safari people fantasists heading tamest bush zebra striped minibuses hampers gourmet food economy improvingits back 1970 economist told hurryi wasnt due anywhereyet whenever arrived african city wanted leave tanzania reached dead end socialist path economic failure industry agriculture country advertising superior collection game parks inviting foreigners take pictures endangered species spend money thats happened africa things fell apart yes strident dismissive anyone turn eighthour wait dar es salaam train station afternoon british museum reading room earns respect night train across tanzania equatorial coolness train finally departed 2030 although husband one firstclass passengers drove suv onto platform parked near sleeping car one seemed care fact one remarkable things mukuba express ran without conductor menial staff trainpeople serving drinks meals cleaning carsbut conductor whistle hat pocket watch sure speeches nyerere could explain maybe direction suggests imperial domination tazara effectively chinese train first class meant four compartment beijing xian overnight train bunk mates couple congo cheerful tanzanian named haley although spent time elsewhere train working second job porter made life difficult congolese couple purchased tickets family compartment chinese trains sexes dont mix long discussion subject closed assuming glass ceiling broken small unmarked bills gave couple lower bunk tucked upper berth designed chinese mind thus narrow cramped overhead fan rattled night windows open despite security warning thieves could climb station stops found african night cool fresh much relief new york july hotter humid equatorial africa october slept well lair 700 got delight discovered coldwater shower one end sleeping car 160i washed shaved thinking africa train works well two days shall zambia close congolese border railroad god heaven right world breakfast dining carit look fifties dinerwas greasy egg folded half served white tea wonder bread hot dog suspect could survived nuclear winter least hot food train breakfast train stopped countryside town called mlimba little platform next hillside following progress one many maps page cooks overseas timetable indicated 496 kilometers dar es salaam math figured last twelve hours express averaged 248 mph still moving right direction little know gagging milky english tea mukuba express would leave mlimba grid almost three days wasting away mlimba stranded two days tanzania first indication something amiss announcement train delayed something obvious point would announcement next two days rest communication came rumor hearsay passed along platform prison yard throughout delay anyone authority present train security types last car first class although suspect offduty soldiers heading home neither mlimba station train person charge terms leadership mukuba express ghost train knew long delay noticed engine uncoupled train taken away station steps station engineless traina long line sixteen carslooked like landlocked titanic although case one without band playing nearer god thee pretty soon everyone train moved onto platform took quality remote african village although one without usaid africare americans would gone crazy demanding information refunds africans board well another day africa everyone well mannered even many traveling babies wrapped mothers great first day passengers idea nature problem rumors wreck ahead tracks one knew sure like one delays new york city subwaywe got holding signalsthat never ends bought water fanta hardboiled eggs bananas many vendors descended upon shipwreck times club car least battery died worked computer times would read shade platform wishing traveling folding beach chair sun warm wasnt stifling occasionally cool breeze passed train although korean couple backpacks along passports stolen compartment laager mentality embraced first class carriages windows locked rumors exchanged compartments watched although anyone mlimba village best could tell welcome wander train despite emotive tripwires open world read alexandra fullers african memoirs dont lets go dogs tonight african childhood rhodesian civil war country familywhile lovingcome apart seams writes olivia dies mum dads joyful careless embrace life sucked away like water swirling drain joy gone love trickled fuller admirable woman engaging storyteller memoir writes cant know africa child memory place smell hot sweet smoky salty sharpsoft like black tea cut tobacco fresh fire old sweat young grass contrast spots along mlimba platform smelled like sour milk aboard fuck express got dark decided best option crawl upper bunk sleep eleven hours unlike first night second hot stifling engine gone cars electricity ceiling fans idle plus train crew locked bathrooms shower next morning wanting clean retreated nearby woods took shower water bottle punched holes bottom shaved plastic bowl ate breakfast dinerthe greasy egg hot dog charm first morning beginning wear thin breakfast however made friends irish woman mary traveling group young men straight troubles northern ireland explained issues covered headtotoe tattoos consumed prodigious amount beer least werent smoking pot platform come africa manual labor orphanage near lake malawi first glance appeared fairly sinisteron lam ira cellbut befriended long delay passed many hours together platform little asked belfast politics northern ireland british army mates footie local pubs amused suggested train renamed fuck express admired leader mary sixteen years lived tanzania supported number orphanages best cell service smartphone could tell going tracks reported laden copper train congo coast wrecked horseshoe curve wiping tracks scattering copper half mile local news midmorning mary pictures phone train wreck photos showed fully loaded copper train overturned curve rails washed hillside convinced train would never get blocked pass ordered several vans cost 600 drive mlimba retrieve lads theyre getting restless whispered thats good went mary office station manager left post gone ahead inspect wreck cell phone coverage scene accident place office full railway officials shrugged asked status delay showed pictures marys phone compartment mate patrick congo works copper business katanga said way could clear wreck less four days suggested explore optionsa taxi busfor getting dodge patrick idea hire taxi mlimba village across tracks fill train passengers ride nearest bus station three hours away traveling complete set tanzanian roadmaps railroad timetables huddled planning breakout fear train would canceled returned dar es salaam would ended african adventure would back started dar es salaam plans hotel reservations zambia zimbabwe would lost saw three months planning lifetime african dreaming going charcoal smoke wafted mlimba platform back dar could perhaps flown tanzania zambia wasnt hopeful ticket less 500 mary told air service spotty next flight three days plus 30 hours mlimba platform losing admiration efficacy tanzania zambia railway authority still announcements made police hand guard train thing hand rumors every six hours indicated train would moving another six hours great taxi escape patrick climbed freight train mlimba yards walked windswept town mlimbawe looked like strangers tv westernwhere taxi fleet consisted four soccermom minivans 1990s baling wire around bumpers one driver mahmud zanzibar said 100 would drive us mafinga three hours away said could catch big bus mbeya largest city western tanzania phrase big bus africa one endearment affection respect mahmuds vehicle japanesemade minivan least twenty years old said day squeezed ten train passengers rear seats normally held four five gradeschool soccer players sellers market took offer didnt think needed another twentyhours fuck expresswith luggage stolen patrick telling wait nearby gangs hear express train stuck tracks turn friends train asked really want go anywhere people congo although came like trust patrick least made mbeya would position catch bus zambia resume african journey otherwise might well called quits dar es salaam made fortune taxi driver patrick wife collected bags compartment offered space getaway car train friends temporized looked phones religious inspiration spoke wistfully trying get refund tazara last taxi shanghaiwell mafingaleft without sat front seat briefcase lap patrick wife back using water bottle mahmud filled car radiator never good sign took direction antenna top nearby mountain felt like smugglers run hour dirt trails winding roads bobbed weaved mountains potholes entered small village nestled crest hill man seemed warning us something ahead mahmud driver mission scoffed turned corner found truck side completely blocking road shit luck part ii half village every small boy district swarmed around wreck either carry away fallen loot assume clear road reminded passage joseph conrads heart darkness marlow heading river toward kurtz comes across rail car near river describes undersized railwaytruck lying back wheels air one thing looked dead carcass animal truck like fallen copper train truck capsized narrow pass getting around idea hour gather menfolk village rope drag fallen beast opening beside road thought truck looked awfully big respond game tugofwar especially tuggers small boys frolicking around wreck needless say truck budge rope faced prospect driving back mountain stalled train another car approached wrecked truck far downhill side accident driver man also named patrick heading mlimba rescue wife stuck train seeing usa vision cashflow paradisehe decided abandon wife take us mbeya bus exchange second half fee investment bankers make calculation depart vineyard vacations close another deal 1995 sedan bumped along dirt roads another two hours mafinga took money cash machine role enterprise flagged bus heading mbeya city western tanzania three hours away dont try home congolese bus heading lubumbashi katanga region bus business africa isnt exactly overregulated driver cruising route search passengers colorfully painted african street scenes bus air 1980s although bus years africa strike similar dogs took window seat offered mercifully one wanted sit next next several hours dark dozed watched inbus movie blood diamond leonardo dicaprio thriller gemstones terrorists nigeria sound formulaic dialogue easy imagine leo exactly sir laurence olivier arrived mbeya around 2300 patrick suggested stay congolese bus zambian border tunduma another two hours said would easy find bus ndola us headed game didnt want leave cocoon least movie finished leo knocking diamond thugs ramboesque ease ndola northern zambia booked hotel dag hammarskjöld memorial located old plan tazara train arrived near sunday afternoon sunday night yet leave tanzania got tunduma 100 collected bags idea walking nearby guest house short night rest clean 160but man bus parking lotit looked like osamas house less porn zero dark thirtywarned us walking anywhere patrick said wisely think sleep bus already night mode two drivers sound asleep mattress front handful passengers snoring back climbed back bus curled seat feet across aisle slept perfectly 545160we got tuktuk sacse high class hotel relative expression 10 hotelier agreed let us wash sleep hour eat breakfast called internet café albeit one neither wifi coffee despite mosquitos room size baby eagles bed heavenly least fortyfiveminute disco nap downside shower broken hot water nonexistent still happy high class even didnt give marriott rewards points showered cold water bucket par train washing woods rinsed backpack clothes covered dust mountainous dirt roads breakfast ordered omelet least time wonder bread toasted came jam 830 patrick wife starting fade unhappiness hard journey passing tunduma frontier modern immigration center tanzania zambia otherwise raucous strip hawkers minivans buses paid obligatory 50 entry visathe going price east africa much way museums cost 15 foreigners patrick done well guide us border although wife prone pouting look hostage symbionese liberation army patrick wrong thinking tunduma would goldmine buses headed ndola bus terminal okay parking lot two buses heading ndola leaving afternoon new zambian law would drive 2100 pull laager night congolese bus circled wagons tunduma would another twentyfour hours either bus arrived ndola zambia many bus wrecks passed new law night driving without compassion drivers talk cell phones driving onehanded back onboard fuck express dickering bus ticket brokers ok bus corralthink pit new york stock exchange throw fine dusta friend fuck express called say train moved wreckage approaching mbeya five hours would border town nakonde bulletin frontier decided bail bus world despite excellent film festivals return train another fivehour wait express given hope ndola relished idea finally seeing zambian landscape alone first class compartment walk across border acquired local equivalent indian scout fixit man name ibrahim went us everywhere negotiated us bank change money guided us around many bus parking lots ticket market emporiums said goodbye patrick wife ibrahim walked back lanes nakonde railroad station next teaming market slum still something oasis station platform empty theory train due two days ago ibrahim wanted check guest housethe commissions betterbut instead made mind spend day yet waiting train shade tree next platform stations firstclass lounge think decor interrogation center found plastic chair dragged outside nearby police station never felt uneasy plus every school kid district came inspect oddity tree market cold bottles water hardboiled eggs cookies spent day lost booksas happy day trip finished alexandra fullers sad memoirin writes baby sisters accidental drowning one ever came right said broad light day responsible olivias death olivias death made mum go fun drunk crazy sad drunk also responsible mums madness one ever came right said words pointing fingers didnt made start political history zimbabwe journalist peter godwin according ticket agent station fuck due 1500 arrived 1920 wait read listened podcast lewis lapham interview peter brooks excellent new book flaubert ruins paris story friendship novel terrible year made friends beleaguered nakonde station manager seemed love job despite handle trains sometimes three days late wreck chalked fate tight curve mountains overdemand congolese coltan necessary manufacture cell phones 1920 climbed back train shocked find empty least twelve coaches packed families cardboard boxes gone nearly passengers two firstclass cars porter greeted someone back dead although train look ferried souls underworld ate dinner alone dining car menu changed still roadkill chicken rice went bed early exhausted taxi relay mountains short night wedged congolese busbut perversely happy shore excursion cruise ship hell across zambia empty train woke sun glowing long horizon foreground scrubby bush broken occasionally small encampments native villagescircular houses made brick thatched roofs prairie chapels kind although fifth day train stretch zambia first african landscape seen passed day working computer reading books kindle taking shower staring maps timetable trying work might arrive kapiri porter sleeping car thought maybe another twelve hours remote station kasama train pulled alongside rovos rails pride africa long line luxury cars pulled two freshly painted diesel engines rovos rail private rail company similar orient express europe owned operated mr rohan vos 1989 took carriages dilapidated station pretoria since turned africas finest rail company trains ply tracks south africa namibia botswana way dar es salaam met vos several travel fairs europe admired creating thriving private rail company time countries especially africa show interest trains knew particular train journey cape town dar es salaam presumably without twoday wait platform mlimba glided past pride africa looked windows appeared dream upholstered compartments double beds dining cars set fine china crystal looked like movie speakers car chairs set rows several wellstocked elegant bars know rovos serves finest wines world back train open observation deck small group passengers clustered cameras spartan tazara compartment felt little like nick carraway great gatsbys neighbor f scott fitzgerald novels narrator looking across lawn toward long island sound reflects one right gatsbys house colossal affair standard house eyesore small eyesore overlooked view water partial view neighbors lawn consoling proximity millionairesall eighty dollars month next ndola zambiawho killed dag hammarskjöld read part iii please click 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 2,996 |
<p>Cameco, the Saskatchewan-based uranium mining colossus, is currently in Federal Court facing charges by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)&#160;that it illegally avoided a stunning $2.2 billion in Canadian income taxes. It is not only the largest such case in Canadian history but one of the most shameless tax dodges ever hatched by a Canadian corporation. The court case has been delayed for years and just the fact that it has finally made it before a judge is good news. But the news could quickly turn bad if, facing defeat, Cameco makes a pitch to settle for less than the full amount. That would be a miscarriage of justice.</p>
<p>It is absolutely critical that the government not make a deal with Cameco for a smaller sum — as often happens in these cases. Because this is no ordinary case. Cameco is a rogue corporation, contemptuous of the country it operates in, and so arrogant in its tax avoidance scheme that it can’t even bother to try to justify it. Confronted by the facts, Cameco just repeats its executive mantra: “We believe that it was established in accordance with sound business principles and in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.”</p>
<p>At a time when more and more attention is being paid to off-shore tax havens and the billions we lose to them, Canada needs to make an example of this irresponsible corporate “citizen.”</p>
<p>Here’s the bare bones of the scheme. In 1999 Cameco decided to dramatically reduce its income tax bill by setting up a subsidiary in Zug, Switzerland, where the tax rate is 10 per cent — compared to the (then) Canadian rate of about 27 per cent.&#160;At the time the price was at rock bottom — $10 a pound. That’s the price the Saskatchewan head office charged its Swiss “subsidiary.” Then came the windfall manoeuvre: Cameco drafted a 17-year uranium supply agreement at a fixed price of $10 a pound. It was simplicity itself: Cameco would sell literally all of its uranium through the Swiss subsidiary and it would sell it for whatever the world price was. That world price went to almost $140 a pound in 2007 and is now around $35. All the revenue earned above $10 a pound was taxed in Switzerland at the low rate. (An insignificant amount is actually sold in Europe and, of course, not an ounce of the stuff ever finds its way to Zug.)</p>
<p>This scheme is known as “transfer pricing” and sometimes it is perfectly legitimate — companies that sell their products in multiple countries “sell” them to subsidiaries which then sell them in their jurisdiction and get taxed on the profits. But more and more multinationals have been abusing the law that allows this — including Apple, “based” in Ireland, which is now facing a <a href="" type="internal">US$15-billion tax bill</a> from the European Commission for its abuse of transfer pricing.</p>
<p>But Apple actually sold its products in European countries and has 5,500 employees in Ireland. Cameco? Not so much. According to a 2014 Globe and Mail <a href="" type="internal">story</a>:</p>
<p>“While Cameco says Cameco Europe has its own board of directors and a full-time CEO, documents in the case reveal the European company had no other full-time employees, and no stand-alone office, instead renting space from the law firm performing its legal work.”</p>
<p>Virtually all the substantive work was performed in Canada.</p>
<p>All of the uranium is mined in Canada, all of Cameco’s sales are negotiated and completed in Canada, and literally all of its profits are generated in Canada. The company’s scheme is pure scam which is why fair-tax activists in Saskatchewan call the company Scameco. A citizens’ group, Saskatchewan Citizens for Tax Fairness, has been on Cameco’s case for several years — paying for a billboard demanding Cameco pay up and collecting 36,000 names on a petition which it presented to the federal government.</p>
<p>But it isn’t just citizens’ groups looking askance at Cameco. Investment research firms, like Veritas, have questioned the company’s scheme. In 2013 company analyst Pawel Rajszel <a href="" type="internal">stated</a>:</p>
<p>“[A]ll the upside has been transferred to the subsidiary. Meanwhile all the risk has stayed with Cameco Canada. … It’s strange that the company would have created this Swiss subsidiary without having any real operations in Switzerland.”</p>
<p>A Veritas report concludes: “It is therefore difficult to see a reasonable business purpose to [Cameco Europe’s] existence, beyond tax minimization.” In a further comment, Mr. Rajszel told The Globe and Mail in 2014: “Based on our review of Cameco’s [first quarter] results, the dispute with the CRA may force the company to borrow funds and/or cut its dividend in order to finance the back tax payments.” Does that suggest Cameco’s clever tax dodge could actually expose it to a charge of failing to carry out its fiduciary duty to its shareholders?</p>
<p>Another business-focussed group has been sniffing around Cameco’s problems. <a href="http://www.thebottomlinenews.ca/" type="external">The Bottom Line</a>, a Canadian publication which bills itself as a “Forensic Accounting and Fraud” magazine, has been in contact with Saskatchewan Citizens for Tax Fairness about the case.</p>
<p>Companies like Cameco have for too long framed the tax haven issue as business as usual. But that is now clearly changing and people are starting to see this behaviour for what it is: the legalized theft of Canadian government services. Cameco started off as a public mining company and its technology was developed in Canada with the help of Saskatchewan government money. The Canadian transportation infrastructure allows them to get their uranium to market, they have enjoyed decades in a stable economy, with low inflation, cheap money, low crime and the legal protection accorded a “corporate citizen” under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Their workers received free and/or subsidized education and Cameco doesn’t have to pay health insurance for its employees — as companies in the U.S. do. Adding insult to injury, the (federal) taxes Cameco is avoiding are amongst the lowest in the developed word: 15 per cent compared, for example, to 35 per cent in the U.S.</p>
<p>Ironically — or maybe not — while the CRA is going after Cameco, Saskatchewan’s unabashedly pro-business premier Brad Wall has said almost nothing about the case (the timid NDP opposition has said even less). That seems a bit strange given that Saskatchewan’s share of the proceeds, if the CRA wins, would be over $700 million. Governments may govern in the era of globalization, but giant companies rule. It is long past time that we put a stop to it. A great first step would be for the CRA to refuse to negotiate and get all of our money back. Then we need to change the law.</p> | true | 4 | cameco saskatchewanbased uranium mining colossus currently federal court facing charges canada revenue agency cra160that illegally avoided stunning 22 billion canadian income taxes largest case canadian history one shameless tax dodges ever hatched canadian corporation court case delayed years fact finally made judge good news news could quickly turn bad facing defeat cameco makes pitch settle less full amount would miscarriage justice absolutely critical government make deal cameco smaller sum often happens cases ordinary case cameco rogue corporation contemptuous country operates arrogant tax avoidance scheme cant even bother try justify confronted facts cameco repeats executive mantra believe established accordance sound business principles accordance relevant laws regulations time attention paid offshore tax havens billions lose canada needs make example irresponsible corporate citizen heres bare bones scheme 1999 cameco decided dramatically reduce income tax bill setting subsidiary zug switzerland tax rate 10 per cent compared canadian rate 27 per cent160at time price rock bottom 10 pound thats price saskatchewan head office charged swiss subsidiary came windfall manoeuvre cameco drafted 17year uranium supply agreement fixed price 10 pound simplicity cameco would sell literally uranium swiss subsidiary would sell whatever world price world price went almost 140 pound 2007 around 35 revenue earned 10 pound taxed switzerland low rate insignificant amount actually sold europe course ounce stuff ever finds way zug scheme known transfer pricing sometimes perfectly legitimate companies sell products multiple countries sell subsidiaries sell jurisdiction get taxed profits multinationals abusing law allows including apple based ireland facing us15billion tax bill european commission abuse transfer pricing apple actually sold products european countries 5500 employees ireland cameco much according 2014 globe mail story cameco says cameco europe board directors fulltime ceo documents case reveal european company fulltime employees standalone office instead renting space law firm performing legal work virtually substantive work performed canada uranium mined canada camecos sales negotiated completed canada literally profits generated canada companys scheme pure scam fairtax activists saskatchewan call company scameco citizens group saskatchewan citizens tax fairness camecos case several years paying billboard demanding cameco pay collecting 36000 names petition presented federal government isnt citizens groups looking askance cameco investment research firms like veritas questioned companys scheme 2013 company analyst pawel rajszel stated upside transferred subsidiary meanwhile risk stayed cameco canada strange company would created swiss subsidiary without real operations switzerland veritas report concludes therefore difficult see reasonable business purpose cameco europes existence beyond tax minimization comment mr rajszel told globe mail 2014 based review camecos first quarter results dispute cra may force company borrow funds andor cut dividend order finance back tax payments suggest camecos clever tax dodge could actually expose charge failing carry fiduciary duty shareholders another businessfocussed group sniffing around camecos problems bottom line canadian publication bills forensic accounting fraud magazine contact saskatchewan citizens tax fairness case companies like cameco long framed tax issue business usual clearly changing people starting see behaviour legalized theft canadian government services cameco started public mining company technology developed canada help saskatchewan government money canadian transportation infrastructure allows get uranium market enjoyed decades stable economy low inflation cheap money low crime legal protection accorded corporate citizen charter rights freedoms workers received free andor subsidized education cameco doesnt pay health insurance employees companies us adding insult injury federal taxes cameco avoiding amongst lowest developed word 15 per cent compared example 35 per cent us ironically maybe cra going cameco saskatchewans unabashedly probusiness premier brad wall said almost nothing case timid ndp opposition said even less seems bit strange given saskatchewans share proceeds cra wins would 700 million governments may govern era globalization giant companies rule long past time put stop great first step would cra refuse negotiate get money back need change law | 609 |
<p>Stetson J. Bradford III met up with his fellow CEO F. Reginald Lawless for a brow-to-brow lunch at the Penthouse Reverie Room high above Wall and Broad Streets in New York. As charter members of the 40-year Corporate Supremes Club, they had serious business to discuss before Thanksgiving weekend in 2011.</p>
<p>The topic numero uno was: Is the Occupy Wall Street movement and its around the country the precursor to the giant peoples upheaval that they and their brethren have feared ever since Wall Street collapsed the American economy in 2008 and sent the bill to the taxpayers?</p>
<p>Over their large whiskey sours prior to consuming their lobster lunch, they shared their innermost thoughts in nearly whispered tones and grave visages:</p>
<p>Bradford: “I’m worried, Reg, that this could be the big one all of us have been dreading. It is always the ruffians and the demagogues who are the vanguard. Remember the sacking of the Bastille?”</p>
<p>Lawless: “I beg to differ, Stet. It is always the middle class that raises the banner of revolt, at least in the past couple of centuries. These people down at Zuccotti Park aren’t relatable to the majority of people, what with their sanitation <a href="" type="internal" />problems and worsening influx of the homeless and vagrant crowd in their public spaces.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “Maybe so, but look at the daily mass media coverage of these people calling themselves the 99 percent. I’ve never seen anything like the TV and newspaper reports on these encampments everywhere. Also the polls show they have more support for their message against inequality than the Tea Partiers did. Recall what Abraham Lincoln said about what can be done with the ‘public sentiment.’”</p>
<p>Lawless: “Let me calm you, Stet. We know from our disheveled infiltrators what is going on in all these encampments, except maybe small ones like in little Niles, Michigan. It’s our sort of jobs program. Barring some flash provocation caught on video, like a sneering Wall Street trader kicking a child beggar into the gutter, the Occupiers will soon be frozen off the public consciousness both by winter’s coming and a bored media.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “Why do you say this? They must be very determined to stay and sleep in these uncomfortable parks night and day, setting up tables for first aid, legal aid and even a library. You know, libraries with radical materials have historically been dangerous influences on the multitudes.”</p>
<p>Lawless: “Time out, Stet. Let me show you why they are here today and will mostly be gone tomorrow. Do they have leaders? No, they proudly reject leaders and even the very trait of leadership. Show me a successful movement or business or union drive, and I’ll show you leaders. It can’t happen without leaders to give form and direction over time, no matter how unpleasant they may be.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “You’re right up to a point. But a mob doesn’t have to have leaders. It just has to have emotion, motive, a target and a sudden jolt or spark that can come from anywhere.”</p>
<p>Lawless: “With modern, high-tech crowd controls, mobs can be spotted very early with corner surveillance cameras and dispersed in a hundred ways. Our good police – public and private – get tremendous adrenaline bursts in the face of advancing mobs.”</p>
<p>“But Stet, there is more. Occupy has no agenda or program that millions can relate to. Sure ‘inequality, inequality, 99 percent, 99 percent’ make good slogans because people believe them to be true. After all, don’t we really? But without either a religious fervor, some kind of ideological ‘ism,’ – both out of tune with the times – all they’re left with are actual reforms for which they have little interest or patience. This is where they’re really missing the boat and the vehicle of change. Because they detest politics.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Lawless: “Stet, why do you think our higher class spends so much money and time and influence on Congress? Because that is where the desired action or inaction reside in our governmental system. Arouse Congress and we get tax breaks, subsidies, bailouts, contracts, giveaways and little enforcement of the laws against us. Freeze Congress and the masses get nothing, worse they get rollbacks of protections for their economic well-being, health, safety, children and their shrinking pay, jobs and pensions.</p>
<p>So, by detesting politics, they avoid surrounding members of Congress at their offices back home or on Capitol Hill. They avoid the single victory that could be theirs in this election year. And that is raising the federal minimum wage to $10 per hour to where it was, inflation adjusted, in 1968.</p>
<p>And that doesn’t count doubling worker productivity whose health our class regularly appropriated for our coffers. You know, Stet, over 70 percent of people polled support keeping the minimum wage raises current with inflation. Hundreds of groups of influence want it – at least they are on the record like the AFL-CIO, the National Council of La Raza, the NAACP, social service and religious charity groups – just about everybody.</p>
<p>But none are on the ramparts. Like a long train ready to go without the fuel. Guess who can supply the fiery energy? The Occupiers. And they can galvanize all these groups to pour it out on members of Congress. Imagine the gratitude of 35 million workers who are now making ten dollars or less per hour for their families. Imagine a victory in an ocean of gridlock to whet the appetite of tens of millions of Americans for more of what they call their fair share. Once the masses get moving, as you know, they’re hard to stop.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “Well, why don’t they go with all those tens of billions of dollars that can go into the pockets of these people now earning between $7.25 and $10? Seems obvious. And it’s not going to affect our business. Our golfing buddies may be making several thousand dollars an hour, but none of our employees make less than $10, except maybe for the janitors in our offices.”</p>
<p>Lawless: “I’ll tell you why, but pardon the repetition. The Occupy people are increasingly bickering amongst themselves in an imploding way while dispiriting themselves with the endless democratic assemblies where majority rule is out. They do not want leaders, or a real-life agenda. They are tussling with anarchists and hired provocateurs, and they disdain any discipline, much less paying full-time organizers. One might uncharitably say they are not serious about anything described as victory – even one in their hands that will bring them great admiration.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “You almost make me feel sorry for them. They could be our sons and daughters, Reg. They mean well.”</p>
<p>Lawless: “Let them mean well. I’ll give them that, any day, so long as they don’t mean much more of anything else. How about another whiskey sour, Stet, before we get to those credit default swaps in Greece.”</p>
<p>Bradford: “Cheers, Reg. Cheers.”</p>
<p>(Stetson J. Bradford III and Reginald Lawless are fictional representations of Fortune 500 CEOs)</p>
<p>Ralph Nader&#160;is a consumer advocate, lawyer and author of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!</a>&#160;He is a contributor to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion</a>, forthcoming from AK Press.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | stetson j bradford iii met fellow ceo f reginald lawless browtobrow lunch penthouse reverie room high wall broad streets new york charter members 40year corporate supremes club serious business discuss thanksgiving weekend 2011 topic numero uno occupy wall street movement around country precursor giant peoples upheaval brethren feared ever since wall street collapsed american economy 2008 sent bill taxpayers large whiskey sours prior consuming lobster lunch shared innermost thoughts nearly whispered tones grave visages bradford im worried reg could big one us dreading always ruffians demagogues vanguard remember sacking bastille lawless beg differ stet always middle class raises banner revolt least past couple centuries people zuccotti park arent relatable majority people sanitation problems worsening influx homeless vagrant crowd public spaces bradford maybe look daily mass media coverage people calling 99 percent ive never seen anything like tv newspaper reports encampments everywhere also polls show support message inequality tea partiers recall abraham lincoln said done public sentiment lawless let calm stet know disheveled infiltrators going encampments except maybe small ones like little niles michigan sort jobs program barring flash provocation caught video like sneering wall street trader kicking child beggar gutter occupiers soon frozen public consciousness winters coming bored media bradford say must determined stay sleep uncomfortable parks night day setting tables first aid legal aid even library know libraries radical materials historically dangerous influences multitudes lawless time stet let show today mostly gone tomorrow leaders proudly reject leaders even trait leadership show successful movement business union drive ill show leaders cant happen without leaders give form direction time matter unpleasant may bradford youre right point mob doesnt leaders emotion motive target sudden jolt spark come anywhere lawless modern hightech crowd controls mobs spotted early corner surveillance cameras dispersed hundred ways good police public private get tremendous adrenaline bursts face advancing mobs stet occupy agenda program millions relate sure inequality inequality 99 percent 99 percent make good slogans people believe true dont really without either religious fervor kind ideological ism tune times theyre left actual reforms little interest patience theyre really missing boat vehicle change detest politics bradford mean lawless stet think higher class spends much money time influence congress desired action inaction reside governmental system arouse congress get tax breaks subsidies bailouts contracts giveaways little enforcement laws us freeze congress masses get nothing worse get rollbacks protections economic wellbeing health safety children shrinking pay jobs pensions detesting politics avoid surrounding members congress offices back home capitol hill avoid single victory could election year raising federal minimum wage 10 per hour inflation adjusted 1968 doesnt count doubling worker productivity whose health class regularly appropriated coffers know stet 70 percent people polled support keeping minimum wage raises current inflation hundreds groups influence want least record like aflcio national council la raza naacp social service religious charity groups everybody none ramparts like long train ready go without fuel guess supply fiery energy occupiers galvanize groups pour members congress imagine gratitude 35 million workers making ten dollars less per hour families imagine victory ocean gridlock whet appetite tens millions americans call fair share masses get moving know theyre hard stop bradford well dont go tens billions dollars go pockets people earning 725 10 seems obvious going affect business golfing buddies may making several thousand dollars hour none employees make less 10 except maybe janitors offices lawless ill tell pardon repetition occupy people increasingly bickering amongst imploding way dispiriting endless democratic assemblies majority rule want leaders reallife agenda tussling anarchists hired provocateurs disdain discipline much less paying fulltime organizers one might uncharitably say serious anything described victory even one hands bring great admiration bradford almost make feel sorry could sons daughters reg mean well lawless let mean well ill give day long dont mean much anything else another whiskey sour stet get credit default swaps greece bradford cheers reg cheers stetson j bradford iii reginald lawless fictional representations fortune 500 ceos ralph nader160is consumer advocate lawyer author of160 superrich save us160he contributor to160 hopeless barack obama politics illusion forthcoming ak press 160 | 667 |
<p>The talking heads were full of blather about the year of the woman after a handful of mostly Republican women won primaries Tuesday. Is the last hurrah of the feminist movement to put a bunch of antiabortion Republican females in public office? Or do most women, like every other group, have real political interests, which mere anatomy can not represent?</p>
<p>California voters, a majority of whom are female, are going to have a chance to <a href="http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/COI-09-January-Mail-Ballot-Voting-Rise.pdf" type="external">answer the question</a>. Both candidates for the California Senate seat this year will be women: Ex-Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, the Republican nominee, squares off against the incumbent senator, Democrat Barbara Boxer. Fiorina is antiabortion. She has been a <a href="http://www.californiality.com/2010/03/carly-fiorina-christian-conservative.html" type="external">speaker</a> at the evangelical megachurch Willow Creek, which requires any gay or lesbian members to <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-willow-story,0,5176591.story" type="external">practice celibacy</a> and is officially <a href="http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/hybels/general.htm" type="external">opposed to abortion</a>. Boxer, by contrast, recently earned a 100 percent pro-choice score from NARAL Pro Choice America; gets similar reviews from the gay lobby Human Rights Campaign, and she <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Fiorina-t.html?pagewanted=all" type="external">supports</a> the most expansive health-care reform, including a public option.</p>
<p>There is a deeper difference between Fiorina and Boxer. It’s the difference between the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&amp;q=Amy+Thoma,+Fiorina's+spokeswoman,+predicted+that+more+women+will+rally+behind+Fiorina+as+more+of+them+hear+details+of+%22how+she's+lived+the+American+dream,%22+starting+out+as+a+receptionist+and+climbing+to+become+the+first+and+only+woman+to+lead+a+Fortune+20+company.&amp;rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-Address&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&amp;rlz=1I7SNYR" type="external">candidate’s autobiography</a>and what’s good for the people she would like to represent.</p>
<p>Boxer was the earliest supporter of the Violence Against Women Act. Fiorina once said "the glass ceiling doesn't exist." But maybe both candidates qualify as feminist choices. Sarah Palin, the antiabortion conservative icon, has been proclaiming herself a feminist since the 2008 election. After all, didn't she figure out a way to "have it all"—a passel of children, a first dude, and a big job in the public sphere? Palin sure looks more like Betty Friedan than those liberal mommybloggers pushing their strollers around the Upper West Side all day. Palin recently used the F word again at a meeting of the antiabortion Republican women's activist group Susan B. Anthony List, extending the brand to the conservative women flooding into politics, both at the grassroots and candidate level. "Mama Grizzlies," she called the new conservative feminists, lured from the kitchen table where, unlike her, they apparently spend most of their time, to save the nation's unbalanced checkbook from women-threatening things like health care. Their desire to criminalize abortion is merely a way of showing respect for women who can easily combine unexpected pregnancies with any other life plans, she says.</p>
<p>• <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2010/06/10/barbara-boxer-hair-gaffe-will-cost-carly-fiorina-plenty.html" type="external">Nicolle Wallace: Carly’s Sorority Girl Curse</a>When Palin went "feminist," the "feminist blogosphere" lit up like a scoreboard at a hockey mom game, as young bloggers struggled to reconcile their oath never to judge another woman's "choices" as unfeminist with Palin's application for sisterhood. They were in a tight place. After all, the female bloggers hadn't been long on feminist standards: <a href="http://www.feministing.com/archives/007196.html" type="external">Put a ring on it</a>. Change your name to your <a href="http://dir.salon.com/mwt/feature/2003/10/16/names/index.html" type="external">husband's name</a>. <a href="http://www.mothersmovement.org/features/05/hirshman/homebound_1.htm" type="external">Quit your job</a> to stay home with your babies. Don't support the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/13/hellhathnofury" type="external">pro-choice</a> woman candidate for president. Don't report <a href="http://jezebel.com/5022019/my-sexual-assault-is-not-your-political-issue" type="external">your rapist</a>. Don't leave your <a href="http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2009/04/why-do-they-stay.html" type="external">batterer</a>. All decisions immune from feminist judgment. What's special about opposing abortion?</p>
<p>Still, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052802263.html" type="external">several</a> of the sensible ones <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/schultz/index.ssf/2010/05/if_sarah_palin_is_a_feminist_t.html" type="external">framed reasons</a> why, even in these anti-judgmental times, feminism is not advanced by putting someone in office who wants to make abortion illegal and opposes health care and labor policies that might allow working women to have some, if not all, of it. Salon's <a href="http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/06/01/palin_feminism/index.html" type="external">Rebecca Traister</a> even took the argument a step further, warning the people who took feminism and feminist voters for granted that they were in a two-way race for a change.</p>
<p>But there is a deeper, more fundamental difference between Fiorina and Palin for that matter and Boxer, a difference that brilliantly illuminates the current debate about whether any woman in office is a plus for feminism. It's the difference between the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&amp;q=Amy+Thoma,+Fiorina's+spokeswoman,+predicted+that+more+women+will+rally+behind+Fiorina+as+more+of+them+hear+details+of+%22how+she's+lived+the+American+dream,%22+starting+out+as+a+receptionist+and+climbing+to+become+the+first+and+only+woman+to+lead+a+Fortune+20+company.&amp;rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-Address&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&amp;rlz=1I7SNYR" type="external">candidate's autobiography</a>and what's good for the people she would like to represent. Palin points to her own happy life as an example of why women should not need control over how many babies they have. When asked why she wants to make abortion criminal, Fiorina answers with a wrenching personal story about how she and her second husband found they could not have babies, causing her to realize what a "precious gift life is." Pressed, she says that her beloved husband Frank's mother had some childbearing issue and was counseled to have an abortion (which would have been criminal at the time, so who knows what actually was said). Had her mother-in-law aborted, she concludes that she, Carly, would have been deprived of her wonderful husband. Boxer's positions are, largely, unrelated to her autobiography. Abortion is, in her words, about "women's rights, women's health, and the ability to control our own lives." <a href="http://www.progressive.org/mag_intv0705" type="external">Even though Boxer</a> and her husband Stewart are worth several million dollars, she still thinks poor people should get health care, a prospect that <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/why-women-need-healthcare-reform" type="external">disproportionately benefits women</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to the obvious nonsensical aspect of generalizing from one experience to 300 million Americans—if Frank had turned out to be a jerk like Carly's first husband, would that mean abortion should be mandatory?—Fiorina and Palin's pitches reveal graphically how selfish their brand of feminism is. With the addition of a hefty dose of good luck, and, in Fiorina's case, the value of a privileged family background, they made it. So their public policy is not to make it any easier for any woman who comes after them with, say, control of her reproduction or health care separate from her husband's job. Somehow the brilliant light of their narcissism is supposed to blind voters to the fact that there's another response to making it. Here's what real—not grizzly—mothers do: Make it easier for the young ones coming along next.</p>
<p>Linda Hirshman is a retired professor of philosophy. She is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670038121/thedaibea-20/" type="external">Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World</a>. She is writing a book about the gay revolution.</p> | true | 4 | talking heads full blather year woman handful mostly republican women primaries tuesday last hurrah feminist movement put bunch antiabortion republican females public office women like every group real political interests mere anatomy represent california voters majority female going chance answer question candidates california senate seat year women exhewlettpackard chief executive carly fiorina republican nominee squares incumbent senator democrat barbara boxer fiorina antiabortion speaker evangelical megachurch willow creek requires gay lesbian members practice celibacy officially opposed abortion boxer contrast recently earned 100 percent prochoice score naral pro choice america gets similar reviews gay lobby human rights campaign supports expansive healthcare reform including public option deeper difference fiorina boxer difference candidates autobiographyand whats good people would like represent boxer earliest supporter violence women act fiorina said glass ceiling doesnt exist maybe candidates qualify feminist choices sarah palin antiabortion conservative icon proclaiming feminist since 2008 election didnt figure way alla passel children first dude big job public sphere palin sure looks like betty friedan liberal mommybloggers pushing strollers around upper west side day palin recently used f word meeting antiabortion republican womens activist group susan b anthony list extending brand conservative women flooding politics grassroots candidate level mama grizzlies called new conservative feminists lured kitchen table unlike apparently spend time save nations unbalanced checkbook womenthreatening things like health care desire criminalize abortion merely way showing respect women easily combine unexpected pregnancies life plans says nicolle wallace carlys sorority girl cursewhen palin went feminist feminist blogosphere lit like scoreboard hockey mom game young bloggers struggled reconcile oath never judge another womans choices unfeminist palins application sisterhood tight place female bloggers hadnt long feminist standards put ring change name husbands name quit job stay home babies dont support prochoice woman candidate president dont report rapist dont leave batterer decisions immune feminist judgment whats special opposing abortion still several sensible ones framed reasons even antijudgmental times feminism advanced putting someone office wants make abortion illegal opposes health care labor policies might allow working women salons rebecca traister even took argument step warning people took feminism feminist voters granted twoway race change deeper fundamental difference fiorina palin matter boxer difference brilliantly illuminates current debate whether woman office plus feminism difference candidates autobiographyand whats good people would like represent palin points happy life example women need control many babies asked wants make abortion criminal fiorina answers wrenching personal story second husband found could babies causing realize precious gift life pressed says beloved husband franks mother childbearing issue counseled abortion would criminal time knows actually said motherinlaw aborted concludes carly would deprived wonderful husband boxers positions largely unrelated autobiography abortion words womens rights womens health ability control lives even though boxer husband stewart worth several million dollars still thinks poor people get health care prospect disproportionately benefits women addition obvious nonsensical aspect generalizing one experience 300 million americansif frank turned jerk like carlys first husband would mean abortion mandatoryfiorina palins pitches reveal graphically selfish brand feminism addition hefty dose good luck fiorinas case value privileged family background made public policy make easier woman comes say control reproduction health care separate husbands job somehow brilliant light narcissism supposed blind voters fact theres another response making heres realnot grizzlymothers make easier young ones coming along next linda hirshman retired professor philosophy author get work manifesto women world writing book gay revolution | 550 |
<p />
<p>Granta Books</p>
<p>To see long excerpts from “The Dig” at Google Books, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=n0n_BgAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=The+Dig+by+Cynan+Jones&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=zpgPVbjNBcekNui5g8AI&amp;ved=0CCAQuwUwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=The%20Dig%20by%20Cynan%20Jones&amp;f=false" type="external">click here</a>.</p>
<p>“The Dig” A book by Cynan Jones</p>
<p />
<p>Set in rural Wales, Cynan Jones’ “The Dig” is the story of a collision between two men: an unnamed badger baiter known only as “the big man” and Daniel, a grief-shattered, widowed sheep farmer. It is both deeply moving and profoundly disturbing.</p>
<p>This is a spare, slim volume at a mere 154 pages, with brief chapters and truncated paragraphs, some no more than a sentence long. Yet its power is undeniable and its brevity is part of that power, as is the beauty of the language, in the same way a poem can sometimes have a stronger emotional punch than a novel.</p>
<p>In North America not many people know of badger baiting. It was, after all, outlawed in Britain in 1835, although that hasn’t stopped the illegal practice and sadly there has recently been a resurgence. What exactly is it? Badger baiting is a blood sport, similar to dog fighting. Dogs, usually terriers, are sent into setts (badger dens) where the badger is cornered, assuming the dog isn’t killed, and then dug out and caged. Later, this captured badger is tossed into a pit and set upon by dogs. Bets are placed. A baiting session typically results in the death of the badger, and often in serious injuries to the dogs. Badgers are frequently maimed, in ways I find too horrible to describe here, in order to give the dogs a better chance.</p>
<p>Jones uses the idea of the badger and the sett as an allegory, he says, “for the way we try to create a safe space for ourselves and the things we care for, and how some external force can break into and destroy that.”</p>
<p>The safe space Daniel has tried to create is the farm where he imagined he and his beloved wife would pass their days, and bring children as well as lambs into the world. But that dream ended when his wife died after being kicked in the head by a friend’s horse. The brutality of the badger baiting is juxtaposed against the lyric beauty of the story of lost love. Daniel hauls himself through the exhausting work of lambing, and the author’s crystal-sharp observations of country life are put to excellent use. Daniel recalls the “nest-like thing she could be to his tiredness.” Jones’ descriptions of the gentle relationship between Daniel and his wife are wonderful and we grieve with him when we read passages like this one:</p>
<p>“The scent of her was in the room and it almost choked him to understand how vital to him this was. … He made soft fists of his hands, stretching the weariness in them. I wonder if she feels from me the thing I feel about her when I touch her. Not in sex, which he understood now was a different thing from everything else. I just mean when I touch her skin before we sleep and I understand all the things beneath it. … He looked at where she slept. I can’t imagine living without that.”</p>
<p>On Daniel’s farm, however, there are recurring reminders of his wife’s death. In one passage Daniel battles to deliver a stillborn two-headed lamb, sawing off the second head to allow the body to exit the ewe. “He broke through the bone and the head lolled and he made taut the apron of meat and veins to go through them until the head came off.” He leaves for a moment and when he returns he sees “the ewe was licking the severed head and he felt sick well up in him. He tried to fight off the image of the destroyed head, of her destroyed head.”</p>
<p>The book has an unsentimental sense of place, even in nostalgic passages such as this one in which Jones describes the women of his mother’s type, who had a “staid, farmhouse traditionalism”:</p>
<p>“If you were hurt, their responses would be nurse-like and unsympathetic but their remedies would work, and if you were to make one of them angry it would be a great and dangerous thing. They are like this because they have been charged for generations with keeping their men working by feeding and repairing them, and there is no room for sentimentalism in that. You would not find kinder people, but their kindness would be in essential things and they would pour it on you.”</p>
<p>And then there’s “the big man,” who stalks the countryside with his dogs, hunting badgers to bait. The comparisons to Hemingway and, perhaps more appropriately, to Cormac McCarthy, are unavoidable: the über-masculinity; the relationship to the land and a dying way of life; the nearly pornographic violence; and an antagonist, similar to Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men,” who seems nearly cartoonish in his savagery. It’s this portrayal of “the big man” that is one of the few flaws of the novel. He is unnamed. He has almost no history. We never know what motivates him, or what has influenced him to become this sadist. He is more of a cipher than a real character, and with no way for the reader to identify with him or feel any sympathy for him, the plot becomes an exercise in waiting for the inevitable. His only area of vulnerability is that he doesn’t want to go back to prison, but that isn’t enough to develop any real concern for him.</p>
<p>Having said that, his presence is malevolent and pervasive as an encroaching plague, and the scenes of actual badger baiting some of the most visceral I’ve read. They couldn’t be more gruesome, and I choose not to quote them, but they are masterfully written.</p>
<p>Jones pays great attention to language, and here again are echoes of McCarthy in the prose style with its limited punctuation, King James biblical cadence, elliptical sentence structure and numerous repetitions. Occasionally his effort feels strained and too self-aware, as in an early paragraph composed entirely of “The night rippled with stillness” and this over-written passage:</p>
<p>“He looked up at the bare ash branches, mercurial and somehow elephantine, rising out through the low flood-lights and they hardly stirred, making the sound seem very far away. A distant white noise. A noise bearing some primitive hushed whisper of the permanence of vast things.”</p>
<p>As we near the end of the book the climax is no real surprise, no matter how we wish it might be different. And having arrived at the end, it’s hard to believe we began only 154 pages ago. Although not quite a perfect novel, its vision of death, grief and violence will certainly linger with me for a long time. I might even say it will haunt me. Jones is a fearless writer, and this is an accomplished work.</p> | true | 4 | granta books see long excerpts dig google books click dig book cynan jones set rural wales cynan jones dig story collision two men unnamed badger baiter known big man daniel griefshattered widowed sheep farmer deeply moving profoundly disturbing spare slim volume mere 154 pages brief chapters truncated paragraphs sentence long yet power undeniable brevity part power beauty language way poem sometimes stronger emotional punch novel north america many people know badger baiting outlawed britain 1835 although hasnt stopped illegal practice sadly recently resurgence exactly badger baiting blood sport similar dog fighting dogs usually terriers sent setts badger dens badger cornered assuming dog isnt killed dug caged later captured badger tossed pit set upon dogs bets placed baiting session typically results death badger often serious injuries dogs badgers frequently maimed ways find horrible describe order give dogs better chance jones uses idea badger sett allegory says way try create safe space things care external force break destroy safe space daniel tried create farm imagined beloved wife would pass days bring children well lambs world dream ended wife died kicked head friends horse brutality badger baiting juxtaposed lyric beauty story lost love daniel hauls exhausting work lambing authors crystalsharp observations country life put excellent use daniel recalls nestlike thing could tiredness jones descriptions gentle relationship daniel wife wonderful grieve read passages like one scent room almost choked understand vital made soft fists hands stretching weariness wonder feels thing feel touch sex understood different thing everything else mean touch skin sleep understand things beneath looked slept cant imagine living without daniels farm however recurring reminders wifes death one passage daniel battles deliver stillborn twoheaded lamb sawing second head allow body exit ewe broke bone head lolled made taut apron meat veins go head came leaves moment returns sees ewe licking severed head felt sick well tried fight image destroyed head destroyed head book unsentimental sense place even nostalgic passages one jones describes women mothers type staid farmhouse traditionalism hurt responses would nurselike unsympathetic remedies would work make one angry would great dangerous thing like charged generations keeping men working feeding repairing room sentimentalism would find kinder people kindness would essential things would pour theres big man stalks countryside dogs hunting badgers bait comparisons hemingway perhaps appropriately cormac mccarthy unavoidable übermasculinity relationship land dying way life nearly pornographic violence antagonist similar anton chigurh country old men seems nearly cartoonish savagery portrayal big man one flaws novel unnamed almost history never know motivates influenced become sadist cipher real character way reader identify feel sympathy plot becomes exercise waiting inevitable area vulnerability doesnt want go back prison isnt enough develop real concern said presence malevolent pervasive encroaching plague scenes actual badger baiting visceral ive read couldnt gruesome choose quote masterfully written jones pays great attention language echoes mccarthy prose style limited punctuation king james biblical cadence elliptical sentence structure numerous repetitions occasionally effort feels strained selfaware early paragraph composed entirely night rippled stillness overwritten passage looked bare ash branches mercurial somehow elephantine rising low floodlights hardly stirred making sound seem far away distant white noise noise bearing primitive hushed whisper permanence vast things near end book climax real surprise matter wish might different arrived end hard believe began 154 pages ago although quite perfect novel vision death grief violence certainly linger long time might even say haunt jones fearless writer accomplished work | 556 |
<p>I was considering having myself dusted with ash and measured for sackcloth last week, so many are the current predictions of impending apocalypse.</p>
<p>There’s the contingent that follows the ancient Mayan calendar and predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012, some of whom have made bad movies about it. Others believe the Rapture arrives even earlier — next month, in fact, on May 21. You can see their billboards announcing Judgment Day along major US highways and their squadrons of RV’s making the rounds of American cities, spreading the news.</p>
<p>Of course, this isn’t the first time the planet’s End of Days has been anticipated. You’ll remember the Y2K hysteria in the months before the year 2000 arrived. An even greater panic – albeit without the stockpiling of batteries and freeze-dried pizza — allegedly consumed Europe prior to the first millennium, in 1000. (One story claims that at the stroke of midnight the entire terrified population of Iceland converted to Christianity. That’s what I call a baptism by fire.)</p>
<p>Here at home, in the 19th century, Baptist preacher William Miller said our collective tickets would be punched on October 22, 1844. Earth’s failure to oblige that day became known as The Great Disappointment.</p>
<p>“A lot of times these prophecies gain traction when difficulties are happening in society,” Loyola University in New Orleans Professor Catherine Wessinger told the Associated Press. “Right now, there’s a lot of insecurity, and this is a promise that says it’s not all random, it’s part of God’s plan.”</p>
<p>So if God’s plan calls for the Rapture on May 21, how come the Republicans moved the date of their first presidential candidates’ debate from May 2 to September 14? Do they know something we don’t know? Because otherwise, it sure seems they’re doing their best to speed us on our way to the eve of destruction.</p>
<p>Last week’s government shutdown threat was just their latest attempt to send us spiraling further into a morass of inchoate discontent and outright hostility to the plight of those in need, not to mention endangering an economy in fragile recovery. Attaining $38 billion in budget cuts at the expense of the poor and no cost to corporate America, it is, as President Obama himself said, “The biggest annual spending cut in history.”</p>
<p>At the same time we were inflicted with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity,” a long-term budget proposal that would slash $6.2 trillion over the next decade, take money away from education and alternative energy investments, privatize Medicare, cut health care services for seniors and the disabled, radically alter Medicaid, but keep funding a bloated defense industry, subsidies for oil companies and tax breaks for the nation’s richest.</p>
<p>Just to rub it in, the cover of the April 7 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek touts “The Billionaire’s Guide to Paying No Taxes” and announces, “The More You Make, the Less You Pay.” Reporter Jesse Drucker writes, “For the 400 U.S. taxpayers with the highest adjusted gross income, the effective federal income tax rate fell from almost 30 percent in 1995 to just under 17 percent in 2007, according to the IRS. And for the approximately 1.4 million people who make up the top 1 percent of taxpayers, the effective federal income tax rate dropped from 29 percent to 23 percent in 2008. It may seem too fantastic to be true, but the top 400 end up paying a lower rate than the next 1,399,600 or so.”</p>
<p>Rep. Ryan’s proposal is magical thinking at its worst, a hocus pocus of numbers adrift from reality. In its initial analysis the Congressional Budget Office found that after ten years, increases in the deficit because of tax cuts would exceed the savings from Ryan’s spending reductions. At that point the debt predictions improve, but only because if his Medicare privatization becomes reality “most elderly people would pay more for their health care than they would pay under the current Medicare system.”</p>
<p>It ignores the fact that millions of Americans can’t find jobs, that hunger is mounting and foreclosures are rising; that we’re engaged in three overseas combat operations (wars!) at the same time, and our national infrastructure is crumbling.</p>
<p>And yet, the Democrats go into battle against all of this armed with feather dusters, barely putting up a fight. We’ll see what happens when President Obama addresses the nation Wednesday night, but note that all of this takes place as Obama sets out to procure a billion dollars for his reelection campaign. According to The Wall Street Journal, at a meeting in Washington last month his campaign manager “asked 450 donors to raise $350,000 each by the end of 2011.” That money ain’t coming from car washes and bake sales.</p>
<p>Several Democratic and progressive organizations have announced their intention to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing massive and frequently anonymous corporate campaign contributions – the decision those same folks attacked so vehemently during the midterm elections and ensuing Republican victories. The Los Angeles Times reminded us of what the president said just last October: “The American people deserve to know who’s trying to sway their elections, and you can’t stand by and let the special interests drown out the voices of the American people.”</p>
<p>Why is there no general outcry, no outrage beyond that of the committed few? That’s the real Great Disappointment. Are we just too busy struggling with our individual lives or have we been lulled into anesthetized, otiose complacency by an overload of Internet stimulus, reality television and the pursuit of happiness via Facebook and consumer goods? Have our shortened attention spans dulled our willingness to engage in any kind of debate?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a new CNN poll has blow-dried bloviator Donald Trump tied for first place among potential Republican presidential candidates. And The New York Times says Arizonans are painting their front lawns green rather than be fined by homeowner associations for unsightly brown grass. The trend began when realtors sought to enhance the curb appeal of foreclosed-upon and abandoned properties.</p>
<p>Good grief. Maybe it’s the End of Days after all.</p>
<p>MICHAEL WINSHIP was senior writer at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and is president of the Writers Guild of America, East.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | considering dusted ash measured sackcloth last week many current predictions impending apocalypse theres contingent follows ancient mayan calendar predicts end world december 21 2012 made bad movies others believe rapture arrives even earlier next month fact may 21 see billboards announcing judgment day along major us highways squadrons rvs making rounds american cities spreading news course isnt first time planets end days anticipated youll remember y2k hysteria months year 2000 arrived even greater panic albeit without stockpiling batteries freezedried pizza allegedly consumed europe prior first millennium 1000 one story claims stroke midnight entire terrified population iceland converted christianity thats call baptism fire home 19th century baptist preacher william miller said collective tickets would punched october 22 1844 earths failure oblige day became known great disappointment lot times prophecies gain traction difficulties happening society loyola university new orleans professor catherine wessinger told associated press right theres lot insecurity promise says random part gods plan gods plan calls rapture may 21 come republicans moved date first presidential candidates debate may 2 september 14 know something dont know otherwise sure seems theyre best speed us way eve destruction last weeks government shutdown threat latest attempt send us spiraling morass inchoate discontent outright hostility plight need mention endangering economy fragile recovery attaining 38 billion budget cuts expense poor cost corporate america president obama said biggest annual spending cut history time inflicted house budget committee chairman paul ryans path prosperity longterm budget proposal would slash 62 trillion next decade take money away education alternative energy investments privatize medicare cut health care services seniors disabled radically alter medicaid keep funding bloated defense industry subsidies oil companies tax breaks nations richest rub cover april 7 edition bloomberg businessweek touts billionaires guide paying taxes announces make less pay reporter jesse drucker writes 400 us taxpayers highest adjusted gross income effective federal income tax rate fell almost 30 percent 1995 17 percent 2007 according irs approximately 14 million people make top 1 percent taxpayers effective federal income tax rate dropped 29 percent 23 percent 2008 may seem fantastic true top 400 end paying lower rate next 1399600 rep ryans proposal magical thinking worst hocus pocus numbers adrift reality initial analysis congressional budget office found ten years increases deficit tax cuts would exceed savings ryans spending reductions point debt predictions improve medicare privatization becomes reality elderly people would pay health care would pay current medicare system ignores fact millions americans cant find jobs hunger mounting foreclosures rising engaged three overseas combat operations wars time national infrastructure crumbling yet democrats go battle armed feather dusters barely putting fight well see happens president obama addresses nation wednesday night note takes place obama sets procure billion dollars reelection campaign according wall street journal meeting washington last month campaign manager asked 450 donors raise 350000 end 2011 money aint coming car washes bake sales several democratic progressive organizations announced intention take advantage supreme courts citizens united decision allowing massive frequently anonymous corporate campaign contributions decision folks attacked vehemently midterm elections ensuing republican victories los angeles times reminded us president said last october american people deserve know whos trying sway elections cant stand let special interests drown voices american people general outcry outrage beyond committed thats real great disappointment busy struggling individual lives lulled anesthetized otiose complacency overload internet stimulus reality television pursuit happiness via facebook consumer goods shortened attention spans dulled willingness engage kind debate meanwhile new cnn poll blowdried bloviator donald trump tied first place among potential republican presidential candidates new york times says arizonans painting front lawns green rather fined homeowner associations unsightly brown grass trend began realtors sought enhance curb appeal foreclosedupon abandoned properties good grief maybe end days michael winship senior writer bill moyers journal pbs president writers guild america east 160 160 160 160 | 625 |
<p>Several weeks ago in Massachusetts, acting Governor Jane Swift approved a bill that exonerates the accused witches hung in 1692 and 1693 during the Salem Witch Trials. The women were the last of the 20 victims to be cleared by the legislature since their executions more than three centuries ago. Although the descendants of the victims are elated, the decision comes a little too late for the twenty-four men and women who were hanged, crushed to death or died in prison during the witch-hunt.</p>
<p>All 20 of the guilty verdicts were based on the testimony of four young girls who decided to wreak havoc on the community</p>
<p>What have we learned about rushing to judgment and imposing the death penalty over these last 300-years? Not as much as we might hope.</p>
<p>According to Rob Warden, Executive Director for the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law, there are at least 46 Innocent Americans currently on death row. Mr. Warden’s studies reveal that erroneous eyewitness testimony–whether offered in good faith or perjured -is no doubt the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions in the U.S. criminal justice system.</p>
<p>The Center on Wrongful Convictions identified and analyzed 70 cases involving 86 people (84 men and two women) who had been sentenced to death but legally exonerated based on strong claims of actual innocence.</p>
<p>The analysis revealed that of the 86 legally exonerated persons, eyewitness testimony played a role in the convictions of 46 (53.5%). And eyewitness testimony was the only evidence against 33 defendants (38.4%).</p>
<p>Another prevailing factor in wrongful convictions is incompetent defense counsel and prosecutorial misconduct–which often seems to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, there are countless death penalty cases that sound more like exaggerated TV movies of the week than actual encounters with the American justice system.</p>
<p>These horrendous stories include intoxicated defense attorneys in the courtroom who are jailed for the night to ‘dry out’ before giving closing arguments. A husband and wife defense team in which neither one had tried a death penalty case before. And in Texas, a defense lawyer literally slept through most of the trial and had to be awakened when it was his turn to present evidence.</p>
<p>Is it the reverence we feel for our capital courts which allows these cases to remain cloistered in anonymity and thus continue? Perhaps if we met some of the victims of our court room dramas we would hold the justice system more accountable.</p>
<p>Meet Abu-Ali Abdhur’Rahman. He is 50 year old African-American Muslim Cherokee. And he is a death row statistic.</p>
<p>Ali’s conviction was based solely on the statement of one witness, Duvalle Miller–who in fact exchanged his own 1st degree murder charge for his testimony. This particular eyewitness was a co-worker of Abu-Ali’s who mysteriously disappeared for an entire year two days after the crime. Only when he was captured and questioned did Mr. Miller offer his “eye witness” account which identified Abu- Ali as the murderer. Unlike Miller, Abu-Ali went to work as usual the morning after the crime.</p>
<p>Abu-Ali was subjected to a revolving door of incompetent defense lawyers who for various reasons were unable to give him adequate representation. One in particular later admitted to having never prepared for his case and called no witnesses on his behalf at the trial. It was also the egregious misconduct on the part of the prosecution that played a significant role in Abu Ali’s death sentence.</p>
<p>Due to torturous physical and sexual abuse throughout childhood and adolescence, Abu-Ali had been diagnosed with debilitating mental illnesses that were left untreated for most of his life. These conditions cause him to black out in times of extreme stress. Hence, Ali does not remember exactly what happened that night. It was only through hypnosis that he was able to disclose the events of that evening and the identity of the real murderer–Duvalle Miller.</p>
<p>Abu-Ali’s defense attorneys failed to learn about his mental disorder, and although the prosecuting attorney did have prior knowledge of his condition, this information was never presented at trial.</p>
<p>Also not presented to the jury was crucial blood evidence proving that Abu-Ali did not commit the murder. Again the defense attorneys were asleep on the bench while the prosecutor–who knew about the lack of blood evidence–witheld the information from both defense counsel and the jury.</p>
<p>This would explain why eight of the jurors have recently signed affidavits expressing outrage at the failure of Abu-Ali’s defense attorneys to present the crucial evidence. Several of the jurors stated if they had known the facts they would never have voted for the death penalty. The state requires a unanimous vote to obtain a death sentence. If the facts of this case were presented Abu-Ali would not be sitting on death row.</p>
<p>In 1998 when Tennessee Federal District Court Judge Todd Campbell finally heard all the evidence in Abu-Ali’s case, he concluded that the ineptitude of the defense council alone justified overturning the death penalty sentence. The Sixth Circuit Court reversed that decision.</p>
<p>In spite of Judge Campbell’s decision and all of the evidence, last month the U.S. Supreme Court denied Abu-Ali’s appeal–which means they will not review the case.</p>
<p>This is a severe blow in a long line of punches endured by Abu-Ali throughout his life. As a toddler he was often beaten until his screams were kicked out of him. Until last month, Abu-Ali held out hope that finally the Supreme Court would hear his cry for justice. It didn’t happen.</p>
<p>Death row inmates are invisible and silent unless we are determined and committed to seeing and hearing them.</p>
<p>As unbelievable as this gross negligence may seem, Abu-Ali’s case in not that unusual.</p>
<p>You don’t have to march in protests to be a promoter of justice. Wearing a button with the name of a death row inmate who has been unjustly sentenced can be a powerful act. Writing a letter to a state representative or to the editor of the local paper can be immensely valuable.</p>
<p>The average (mean) time between the arrest of the defendant and his or her exoneration in the eyewitness cases is just short of 12 years.</p>
<p>Let’s remember all of the men and women who were wrongly executed by so-called righteous, law-abiding citizens in Salem Massachusetts. And then let us try to imagine what 12 unjust years of a death sentence does to the human spirit.</p>
<p>To receive a “don’t Kill Abu-Ali” button or to learn more about Abu-Ali and how you can help, visit: website: <a href="http://www.abu-ali.org/" type="external">http://www.abu-ali.org</a>, or write Abu-Ali Fund, PO Box 121754, Nashville TN 37212</p>
<p>Molly Secours is a writer, videographer and racial dialog facilitator in Nashville TN. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:mollmaud@earthlink.net" type="external">mollmaud@earthlink.net</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | several weeks ago massachusetts acting governor jane swift approved bill exonerates accused witches hung 1692 1693 salem witch trials women last 20 victims cleared legislature since executions three centuries ago although descendants victims elated decision comes little late twentyfour men women hanged crushed death died prison witchhunt 20 guilty verdicts based testimony four young girls decided wreak havoc community learned rushing judgment imposing death penalty last 300years much might hope according rob warden executive director center wrongful convictions northwestern university school law least 46 innocent americans currently death row mr wardens studies reveal erroneous eyewitness testimonywhether offered good faith perjured doubt single greatest cause wrongful convictions us criminal justice system center wrongful convictions identified analyzed 70 cases involving 86 people 84 men two women sentenced death legally exonerated based strong claims actual innocence analysis revealed 86 legally exonerated persons eyewitness testimony played role convictions 46 535 eyewitness testimony evidence 33 defendants 384 another prevailing factor wrongful convictions incompetent defense counsel prosecutorial misconductwhich often seems go unnoticed unfortunately countless death penalty cases sound like exaggerated tv movies week actual encounters american justice system horrendous stories include intoxicated defense attorneys courtroom jailed night dry giving closing arguments husband wife defense team neither one tried death penalty case texas defense lawyer literally slept trial awakened turn present evidence reverence feel capital courts allows cases remain cloistered anonymity thus continue perhaps met victims court room dramas would hold justice system accountable meet abuali abdhurrahman 50 year old africanamerican muslim cherokee death row statistic alis conviction based solely statement one witness duvalle millerwho fact exchanged 1st degree murder charge testimony particular eyewitness coworker abualis mysteriously disappeared entire year two days crime captured questioned mr miller offer eye witness account identified abu ali murderer unlike miller abuali went work usual morning crime abuali subjected revolving door incompetent defense lawyers various reasons unable give adequate representation one particular later admitted never prepared case called witnesses behalf trial also egregious misconduct part prosecution played significant role abu alis death sentence due torturous physical sexual abuse throughout childhood adolescence abuali diagnosed debilitating mental illnesses left untreated life conditions cause black times extreme stress hence ali remember exactly happened night hypnosis able disclose events evening identity real murdererduvalle miller abualis defense attorneys failed learn mental disorder although prosecuting attorney prior knowledge condition information never presented trial also presented jury crucial blood evidence proving abuali commit murder defense attorneys asleep bench prosecutorwho knew lack blood evidencewitheld information defense counsel jury would explain eight jurors recently signed affidavits expressing outrage failure abualis defense attorneys present crucial evidence several jurors stated known facts would never voted death penalty state requires unanimous vote obtain death sentence facts case presented abuali would sitting death row 1998 tennessee federal district court judge todd campbell finally heard evidence abualis case concluded ineptitude defense council alone justified overturning death penalty sentence sixth circuit court reversed decision spite judge campbells decision evidence last month us supreme court denied abualis appealwhich means review case severe blow long line punches endured abuali throughout life toddler often beaten screams kicked last month abuali held hope finally supreme court would hear cry justice didnt happen death row inmates invisible silent unless determined committed seeing hearing unbelievable gross negligence may seem abualis case unusual dont march protests promoter justice wearing button name death row inmate unjustly sentenced powerful act writing letter state representative editor local paper immensely valuable average mean time arrest defendant exoneration eyewitness cases short 12 years lets remember men women wrongly executed socalled righteous lawabiding citizens salem massachusetts let us try imagine 12 unjust years death sentence human spirit receive dont kill abuali button learn abuali help visit website httpwwwabualiorg write abuali fund po box 121754 nashville tn 37212 molly secours writer videographer racial dialog facilitator nashville tn reached mollmaudearthlinknet 160 | 630 |
<p>Photo courtesy of flickr user &lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvjantzen/2142042027/" target="new"&gt;M.V. Jantzen&lt;/a&gt;.</p>
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<p>On Wednesday afternoon, as President Barack Obama was leaving the White House for a town hall meeting in California, he spoke for 15 minutes to reporters about the AIG controversy. Responding to the rising rage over the $165 million or so in bonuses paid to executives at the bailed-out insurance firm, Obama noted that he was quickly developing policies to prevent future AIG-like catastrophes. And he slammed Wall Street’s culture of “excess greed, excess compensation, excess risk taking.” To demonstrate that he’s committed to battling such greed, the president cited his work in the Senate to rein in executive compensation. Noting that he and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) had each introduced legislation on this front in 2007, Obama declared that “there were some people who attacked us, saying government has no business doing that.”</p>
<p>One of Obama’s opponents at that time was Mark Patterson, a lobbyist then for Goldman Sachs, the investment banking firm, which opposed the Frank-Obama initiative. Yet Patterson is now chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the embattled point man in the Obama administration’s endeavor to undo the notorious AIG bonuses. That is, a Washington influence-peddler who worked against Obama’s effort to limit excessive corporate pay is now a key member of the Obama administration team that is supposed to contain excessive compensation in the AIG case and in general.</p>
<p>In 2007, Frank, the chairman of the House financial services committee, introduced <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR01257:@@@R" type="external">H.R. 1257</a>, the Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act. The bill required public companies to allow shareholders to hold nonbinding votes on executive compensation plans. The measure—dubbed “say on pay”—was a modest step, though only one of the few attempts then to address exorbitant salaries. It did not limit pay for corporate managers; the legislation would merely permit shareholders to express their displeasure with compensation packages. Corporations would be free to ignore the outcomes of these symbolic votes. Still, the banking industry opposed the bill. And Goldman Sachs, for which Patterson was a registered lobbyist from September 2005 to April 2008, was no fan of “say on pay.” Sachs’ chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, who took home at least $70 million in 2007, <a href="" type="external">has argued</a> that shareholders are “less sophisticated and have less understanding” of compensation issues than corporate board members.</p>
<p>According to lobbying disclosure forms ( <a href="" type="internal">PDF</a>), Patterson was one of four Goldman Sachs lobbyists registered to work on HR 1257. How the group tried to influence congressional action on the bill is not revealed in the documents, but given Goldman Sachs’ opposition to this reform, Patterson and the others were surely not trying to help the measure pass. (In January, a Treasury official confirmed to the Associated Press that Patterson’s lobbying portfolio included this compensation measure.)</p>
<p>Despite industry opposition, the House approved Frank’s bill on a 269-to-134 <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll244.xml" type="external">vote</a> on April 20, 2007. That same day, Obama introduced <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01181:" type="external">a version</a> of the legislation in the Senate. The bill, which initially attracted only five cosponsors, was referred to the Senate banking committee. Weeks later, Obama sent a letter to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the chair of that committee, asking him to hold a hearing on the proposed law. Obama <a href="http://blog.executivedisclosure.com/default,month,2007-05.aspx" type="external">wrote</a>:</p>
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<p>I believe public discussion and debate over executive compensation packages would force corporate boards to think twice before signing over millions of dollars to CEOs. Certainly, many CEOs are ably steering their firms and deserve their paychecks. But the rate at which executive pay has grown, as compared to stagnating wages among American workers, is rightfully frustrating shareholders and employees alike, especially given the lackluster performance of many of the companies paying these high salaries.</p>
<p>Dodd, then running against Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries, apparently was not convinced. He held no hearings on the bill, and the measure met a quiet death in his committee. (Whatever Patterson had done, he could claim a success.) But on the campaign trail last year, Obama repeatedly touted the legislation to show he was serious about corporate reform. At an Indiana press conference in April 2008, he <a href="http://www.barackobama.com/2008/04/11/obama_discusses_plan_to_give_s.php" type="external">said of the measure</a>, “This isn’t just about expressing outrage. It’s about changing a system where bad behavior is rewarded—so that we can hold CEOs accountable, and make sure they’re acting in a way that’s good for their company, good for our economy, and good for America, not just good for themselves.”</p>
<p>As vice president for government relations at Goldman Sachs, Patterson, who had previously been policy director for Sen. Tom Daschle, handled a wide assortment of financial, banking, patent, energy, and insurance issues. He worked on tribal gaming matters. And he was registered to lobby on credit default swaps and carbon trading. Because of his lobbying activities, Patterson did not meet the tight ethics rules Obama adopted to slow down Washington’s ever-spinning revolving door. His appointment—which was not subject to Senate confirmation—was questioned by White House reporters and criticized by government reform outfits. But the Obama administration granted Patterson a waiver, and the ex-Goldman Sachs lobbyist was able to join Treasury. (Goldman Sachs has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal rescue of AIG; the fallen insurance firm, which has received $170 billion in funds from the Federal Reserve, has used that money to pay Goldman Sachs $6.8 billion.)</p>
<p>A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs would not provide any details regarding Patterson’s lobbying. And the Treasury Department and the White House each declined to comment on Patterson’s past lobbying for Goldman Sachs or his present work for Geithner.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, while recounting his and Frank’s attempts to enact “say on pay” legislation, Obama pointed to their measures as examples of “smart regulations” that enhance “oversight, transparency, accountability.” And he remarked, “All we’re trying to say is you’ve got to be accountable to somebody. And it’s that measure of accountability that I think is part of what has made America strong, and we have to get back to those kinds of values.” But Geithner’s right-hand man was not long ago paid well to undermine those values. How Patterson has gone from serving Goldman Sachs to serving the Obama administration is a tale that could use some more transparency.</p>
<p>UPDATE: After this story was posted, a Treasury Department spokesman issued a comment: “Mark Patterson is in full compliance with the administration’s strict ethics policy, and has recused himself from discussions on this and all other issues he worked on during his time in the private sector.” Does this mean that Geithner’s chief of staff cannot be involved in conversations and decisions regarding corporate compensation issues, including the AIG bonuses? If so, wouldn’t that place Geithner at a disadvantage as he tries to handle such matters? We’ve asked Treasury for a response to these questions.</p>
<p>You can follow David Corn’s articles and media appearances via Twitter by clicking <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcorndc" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | photo courtesy flickr user lta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotosmvjantzen2142042027 targetnewgtmv jantzenltagt wednesday afternoon president barack obama leaving white house town hall meeting california spoke 15 minutes reporters aig controversy responding rising rage 165 million bonuses paid executives bailedout insurance firm obama noted quickly developing policies prevent future aiglike catastrophes slammed wall streets culture excess greed excess compensation excess risk taking demonstrate hes committed battling greed president cited work senate rein executive compensation noting rep barney frank dmass introduced legislation front 2007 obama declared people attacked us saying government business one obamas opponents time mark patterson lobbyist goldman sachs investment banking firm opposed frankobama initiative yet patterson chief staff treasury secretary timothy geithner embattled point man obama administrations endeavor undo notorious aig bonuses washington influencepeddler worked obamas effort limit excessive corporate pay key member obama administration team supposed contain excessive compensation aig case general 2007 frank chairman house financial services committee introduced hr 1257 shareholder vote executive compensation act bill required public companies allow shareholders hold nonbinding votes executive compensation plans measuredubbed say paywas modest step though one attempts address exorbitant salaries limit pay corporate managers legislation would merely permit shareholders express displeasure compensation packages corporations would free ignore outcomes symbolic votes still banking industry opposed bill goldman sachs patterson registered lobbyist september 2005 april 2008 fan say pay sachs chief executive lloyd blankfein took home least 70 million 2007 argued shareholders less sophisticated less understanding compensation issues corporate board members according lobbying disclosure forms pdf patterson one four goldman sachs lobbyists registered work hr 1257 group tried influence congressional action bill revealed documents given goldman sachs opposition reform patterson others surely trying help measure pass january treasury official confirmed associated press pattersons lobbying portfolio included compensation measure despite industry opposition house approved franks bill 269to134 vote april 20 2007 day obama introduced version legislation senate bill initially attracted five cosponsors referred senate banking committee weeks later obama sent letter sen chris dodd dconn chair committee asking hold hearing proposed law obama wrote believe public discussion debate executive compensation packages would force corporate boards think twice signing millions dollars ceos certainly many ceos ably steering firms deserve paychecks rate executive pay grown compared stagnating wages among american workers rightfully frustrating shareholders employees alike especially given lackluster performance many companies paying high salaries dodd running obama democratic presidential primaries apparently convinced held hearings bill measure met quiet death committee whatever patterson done could claim success campaign trail last year obama repeatedly touted legislation show serious corporate reform indiana press conference april 2008 said measure isnt expressing outrage changing system bad behavior rewardedso hold ceos accountable make sure theyre acting way thats good company good economy good america good vice president government relations goldman sachs patterson previously policy director sen tom daschle handled wide assortment financial banking patent energy insurance issues worked tribal gaming matters registered lobby credit default swaps carbon trading lobbying activities patterson meet tight ethics rules obama adopted slow washingtons everspinning revolving door appointmentwhich subject senate confirmationwas questioned white house reporters criticized government reform outfits obama administration granted patterson waiver exgoldman sachs lobbyist able join treasury goldman sachs one biggest beneficiaries federal rescue aig fallen insurance firm received 170 billion funds federal reserve used money pay goldman sachs 68 billion spokesperson goldman sachs would provide details regarding pattersons lobbying treasury department white house declined comment pattersons past lobbying goldman sachs present work geithner wednesday recounting franks attempts enact say pay legislation obama pointed measures examples smart regulations enhance oversight transparency accountability remarked trying say youve got accountable somebody measure accountability think part made america strong get back kinds values geithners righthand man long ago paid well undermine values patterson gone serving goldman sachs serving obama administration tale could use transparency update story posted treasury department spokesman issued comment mark patterson full compliance administrations strict ethics policy recused discussions issues worked time private sector mean geithners chief staff involved conversations decisions regarding corporate compensation issues including aig bonuses wouldnt place geithner disadvantage tries handle matters weve asked treasury response questions follow david corns articles media appearances via twitter clicking | 675 |
<p>It is official: Sweden is in love. At least with its Crown Princess and with the monarchy.</p>
<p>Last Saturday, June 19, Crown Princess Victoria married her former gym teacher Daniel Westling, a young man of what would long ago have been called humble origins, hailing from the small town of Ockelbo a few hundred miles north of Stockholm.</p>
<p>The Swedish monarchy seems stronger than ever.</p>
<p>Things might have been quite different. In November 1917, the Crown Princess´s grandfather´s grandfather, Gustaf V, was nervously packing his suitcases and planning to leave the country, not only because the Bolsheviks were taking over next door in Saint Petersburg but also because there were hunger riots all over Sweden and plenty of domestic revolutionary talk.</p>
<p>The Swedish wartime prime minister, Hjalmar Hammarskjold (father of the future UN secretary general) was called “Hungerskjold”, because he would not stop food exports to warring Germany in spite of desperate scarcity at home. The Swedish Queen, Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm´s cousin, lambasted Swedish politicians who refused to join up with their Germanic brethren in WW I. The monarchy was definitely not popular and the entire situation shaky.</p>
<p>King Gustaf eventually unpacked his suitcases. Even though Social Democratic leader Hjalmar Branting in his heart was a republican (in the European sense of the word) and his party program demanded the abolition of the monarchy, Branting preferred a constitutional revolution extending the vote to all Swedish men and women. Establishing the republic was not a priority.</p>
<p>So Gustaf V settled down in his palace and reigned until his death in 1950. Even then the Social Democrats, in power for nearly two decades, were&#160; unwilling to do radical constitutional changes. Gustaf VI Adolf, at 68 already past retirement age, took over and, expiring in 1973 at the age of 92, left the throne to the present monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf, a young man of 27.</p>
<p>The young king, at the age of one, in 1947, had lost his father, Gustaf Adolf, in an air crash at Copenhagen airport. His uncle, Count Folke Bernadotte, in 1948 was murdered in Jerusalem by members of the Jewish terrorist&#160; Lehi gang, led by Yitzak Shamir, later on Israel´s prime minister.</p>
<p>Efforts have been made to democratize the Swedish monarchy, in tune with the modern world. The King, according to the Constitution, has no political power and does not even formally appoint governments – which is the task of the Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag. The monarch´s role is purely representative, mostly heading trade delegations to foreign lands. On Christmas Day every year, the King addresses Swedish nationals at home and abroad on radio and television.</p>
<p>Born into an equal opportunity monarchy, Victoria as the first-born will inherit the crown, even though she has a younger male sibling, Carl Philip, who would have become Crown Prince under the old order (the Constitution was changed in the late 1970s, after Victoria was born).</p>
<p>The present royal family are the descendants of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a social upstart from southern France, who, thanks to the French Revolution, became one of Napoleon´s generals and finally Marshal of France. When Swedish politicians in 1810 offered Bernadotte the Swedish crown, they hoped that with his military experience he would help Sweden regain lost territory, viz Finland, from Czarist Russia. Bernadotte, transformed into Sweden´s King Karl XIV Johan, was no fool. He clearly recalled Napoleon´s disastrous Russian campaign and initiated a long peaceful reign which would become almost emblematically Swedish for the next two hundred years. The present king´s father-in-law, the Crown Princess´s late grandfather, Walter Sommerlath, emigrated to Brazil in the 1920s and in exile became a member of the German Nazi party on Decmber 1, 1934. (His membership card can be inspected at the German Bundesarchiv in Berlin.) Sommerlath´s daughter Silvia, born in wartime Germany in 1943 when the family had moved back, was one of the German hostesses at the Munich Olympics in 1972, where she met the future Swedish King.</p>
<p>Swedish republicans (not to be confused with the US phenomenon) are facing an uphill task. The Royals are undoubtedly popular. Even Carl XVI Gustaf, whose greatest public relations achievement was to marry his new-found German-Brazilian girl friend Silvia, has over the years, obtuse though he is, gathered public sympathy, particularly in his moving speech after the 2004 Asian tsunami which claimed the lives of some 600 Swedish Thailand visitors. The King said he regretted not being a fairy tale monarch who could restore everything back to normalcy.</p>
<p>Crown Princess Victoria is far from obtuse, in fact extremely articulate – and probably has increased her popularity by marrying her man of the people, Daniel Westling, who now becomes a Prince and a Duke and as the King´s son-in-law and the husband of the future Queen is be addressed as “Your Royal Highness”. The wedding ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of the Swedish Lutheran Church. The Bishop of Stockholm was&#160; excluded, probably because she is a Lesbian.</p>
<p>Some pointed questions were raised within the Lutheran Church as to how the Crown Princess should be escorted to the altar. In what almost turned into an “Altargate” crisis, critics asked if it wouldn´t be a practically feudal exercise, if the King handed over his daughter to another male person as a piece of property. Or could it be interpreted as the King in fact handing over his daughter to the People, incarnated in young Daniel Westling, the Prince-to-be?</p>
<p>A few days before the wedding, a very Swedish compromise was worked out: the King would walk his daughter half-way to the altar, then withdraw and follow behind the couple to the altar in the Storkyrka (“Big church”) of Stockholm.</p>
<p>So will the monarchy go on for ever and ever? Shortly before the wedding, a young Swedish author, Jens Liljestrand, in the Malmö newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet offered a surprising alternative. In an interview taking place, science fiction-wise, a few years into the future, the present Crown Princess has turned into a nearly anonymous Mrs Victoria Westling.</p>
<p>Since her brother and her sister were equally unwilling to take over the throne, Victoria´s abdication immediately after her father´s death gave Swedish politicians the option either to offer the kingdom to another available royal family or finally turn Sweden into a republic. In Liljestrand´s alternative future, Queen Victoria carried on for a few years while the Swedish parliament worked out the transition. After that she retired into “civilian” life. Had she in fact been a closet republican all along? Not at all.</p>
<p>“I did love the idea of monarchy”, Victoria Westling says regretfully in Liljestrand´s interview. “The monarchy was a nice concept, and it had been working quite well, at least in Sweden. But in our present type of society, with extreme intimacy and extreme lack of respect, and all the paparazzi around, the monarchy is no longer feasible. As far as I am concerned, the monarchy died with Diana in that car in Paris.”</p>
<p>BJÖRN KUMM is a journalist living in&#160;Malmö, Sweden. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:kumm@telia.com" type="external">kumm@telia.com</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://greentags.bigcartel.com/" type="external">WORDS THAT STICK</a></p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | official sweden love least crown princess monarchy last saturday june 19 crown princess victoria married former gym teacher daniel westling young man would long ago called humble origins hailing small town ockelbo hundred miles north stockholm swedish monarchy seems stronger ever things might quite different november 1917 crown princesss grandfathers grandfather gustaf v nervously packing suitcases planning leave country bolsheviks taking next door saint petersburg also hunger riots sweden plenty domestic revolutionary talk swedish wartime prime minister hjalmar hammarskjold father future un secretary general called hungerskjold would stop food exports warring germany spite desperate scarcity home swedish queen victoria kaiser wilhelms cousin lambasted swedish politicians refused join germanic brethren ww monarchy definitely popular entire situation shaky king gustaf eventually unpacked suitcases even though social democratic leader hjalmar branting heart republican european sense word party program demanded abolition monarchy branting preferred constitutional revolution extending vote swedish men women establishing republic priority gustaf v settled palace reigned death 1950 even social democrats power nearly two decades were160 unwilling radical constitutional changes gustaf vi adolf 68 already past retirement age took expiring 1973 age 92 left throne present monarch carl xvi gustaf young man 27 young king age one 1947 lost father gustaf adolf air crash copenhagen airport uncle count folke bernadotte 1948 murdered jerusalem members jewish terrorist160 lehi gang led yitzak shamir later israels prime minister efforts made democratize swedish monarchy tune modern world king according constitution political power even formally appoint governments task speaker swedish riksdag monarchs role purely representative mostly heading trade delegations foreign lands christmas day every year king addresses swedish nationals home abroad radio television born equal opportunity monarchy victoria firstborn inherit crown even though younger male sibling carl philip would become crown prince old order constitution changed late 1970s victoria born present royal family descendants jean baptiste bernadotte social upstart southern france thanks french revolution became one napoleons generals finally marshal france swedish politicians 1810 offered bernadotte swedish crown hoped military experience would help sweden regain lost territory viz finland czarist russia bernadotte transformed swedens king karl xiv johan fool clearly recalled napoleons disastrous russian campaign initiated long peaceful reign would become almost emblematically swedish next two hundred years present kings fatherinlaw crown princesss late grandfather walter sommerlath emigrated brazil 1920s exile became member german nazi party decmber 1 1934 membership card inspected german bundesarchiv berlin sommerlaths daughter silvia born wartime germany 1943 family moved back one german hostesses munich olympics 1972 met future swedish king swedish republicans confused us phenomenon facing uphill task royals undoubtedly popular even carl xvi gustaf whose greatest public relations achievement marry newfound germanbrazilian girl friend silvia years obtuse though gathered public sympathy particularly moving speech 2004 asian tsunami claimed lives 600 swedish thailand visitors king said regretted fairy tale monarch could restore everything back normalcy crown princess victoria far obtuse fact extremely articulate probably increased popularity marrying man people daniel westling becomes prince duke kings soninlaw husband future queen addressed royal highness wedding ceremony conducted archbishop swedish lutheran church bishop stockholm was160 excluded probably lesbian pointed questions raised within lutheran church crown princess escorted altar almost turned altargate crisis critics asked wouldnt practically feudal exercise king handed daughter another male person piece property could interpreted king fact handing daughter people incarnated young daniel westling princetobe days wedding swedish compromise worked king would walk daughter halfway altar withdraw follow behind couple altar storkyrka big church stockholm monarchy go ever ever shortly wedding young swedish author jens liljestrand malmö newspaper sydsvenska dagbladet offered surprising alternative interview taking place science fictionwise years future present crown princess turned nearly anonymous mrs victoria westling since brother sister equally unwilling take throne victorias abdication immediately fathers death gave swedish politicians option either offer kingdom another available royal family finally turn sweden republic liljestrands alternative future queen victoria carried years swedish parliament worked transition retired civilian life fact closet republican along love idea monarchy victoria westling says regretfully liljestrands interview monarchy nice concept working quite well least sweden present type society extreme intimacy extreme lack respect paparazzi around monarchy longer feasible far concerned monarchy died diana car paris bjÖrn kumm journalist living in160malmö sweden reached kummteliacom words stick 160 | 691 |
<p>Environmental campaigner Dr Rosemary Mason has just written to the UK’s Policy Advisor Nigel Chadwick at the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of Health and Safety Executive (HSE).</p>
<p>She also sent Chadwick a 19-page document ( <a href="" type="internal">Monsanto_has_committed_slow_poisoning_of_the_people_of_Wales</a>) in which she asserts that&#160;Monsanto has engaged in the slow poisoning of the people of Wales with PCBs and Roundup. This, she says, is with the help of the British government, the Expert Committee on Pesticides, the Health and Safety Executive, Defra, the Royal Society, European Food Safety Authority, European Chemicals Agency, the German Rapporteur Member State, the BBC, the BMA and Rupert Murdoch.</p>
<p>Mason also discusses how Monsanto has committed ecocide with Roundup in Wales thanks to Swansea City Council’s authorised the spraying of it on city roadsides. A total of 518 kg was used in 2016.</p>
<p>She mentions her long and unsatisfactory many years’ history of correspondence with the HSE about pesticides, which has failed to stimulate appropriate regulatory action despite the firm evidence she has provided about the damaging effects of biocides throughout the UK and across the globe.</p>
<p>As with many of her previous documents, Mason outlines how Monsanto has conspired to keep its money-spinning,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">disease-causing product</a>&#160;(glyphosate-based) Roundup on the market via a combination of deception, the manipulation of science and regulatory processes and the co-option of key figures – the same company that&#160;was also involved in the cover up of&#160;Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).</p>
<p>Monsanto in Wales: PCBs and toxic dumping</p>
<p>Mason states:</p>
<p>“Wales is the site of the worst environmental disaster that the public has never heard of because there was a massive cover up for more than 40 years.”</p>
<p>She describes the role of the British government in colluding with Monsanto by&#160;outlining how Monsanto poisoned the environment in Wales with the dumping of toxins from its factory there, where it manufactured PCBs and other dangerous chemicals. The company knew about the health risks of PCBs long before they were banned.&#160;Company papers subsequently released show that for more than 30 years Monsanto had sat on lab tests results that indicated PCBs were fatal to rats and other animals.</p>
<p>It stopped making PCBs in Anniston (US) in 1971 because of scandals about PCBs on the health of the population and wildlife. However, the British government agreed to ramp up production at the Monsanto plant in Newport, Wales.</p>
<p>Toxic waste from the increased production was dumped at various quarries in Wales and one in the north of England.&#160;The British government, which knew of the dangers of PCBs in the environment in the 1960s, allowed their production in Wales until 1977.</p>
<p>Mason notes the extraordinary lengths to which the British government went to protect Monsanto and cover up the truth.&#160;One quarry has been found to contain at least 67 toxic chemicals. Seven PCBs have been identified, along with vinyl chlorides and naphthalene. A few years ago, the unlined quarry was found to be still leaking (the pollution of water has been occurring since the 1970s). The waste and groundwater contain significant quantities of poisonous, noxious and polluting material.</p>
<p>PCBs are chemicals persist in the environment and will never disappear from Wales.</p>
<p>Mason argues:</p>
<p>“The continual leak of Monsanto’s toxic chemicals will carry on for many years from Brofiscin, Maendy or one of the other five quarries around Wales in which toxic chemical waste was carried in the past by lorries bearing&#160;IWD/Purle and Monsanto logos.”</p>
<p>Mason describes how important research has been ignored by regulators and governments over the years that showed how various agrochemicals and other man-made chemicals in the environment are changing humans: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, chlordane, lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, toxaphene, heptachlor, dioxin, atrazine and dacthal – all identified as endocrine disruptor chemicals.</p>
<p>As a resident of Wales, Mason notes that in&#160;1973, she swapped being poisoned by PCBs leaking into the Cardiff water supply for Monsanto’s test bed for its flagship glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup in Swansea. In her various papers, Mason has provided disturbing descriptions of how glyphosate has been used liberally in South Wales and data relating to the deteriorating health of residents as well as degradation of the environment and biodiversity across the UK.</p>
<p>Yet, due to government collusion with the agrochemical sector, European directives have been sidelined, regulatory processes subverted and ‘business as usual’ remains the order of the day.</p>
<p>Business as usual &#160;</p>
<p>The British Government enjoys very close financial relationships with Monsanto, Syngenta, AstraZeneca, Bayer CropScience and Dow Chemicals. Mason states:</p>
<p>“The UK government supported the Glyphosate Task Force (GTF), a consortium of companies joining resources and efforts in order to renew the European glyphosate registration with a joint submission (most companies produce their own formulated glyphosate products).”</p>
<p>She then highlights how private corporations are shaping the government’s research agenda in Britain in a way that serves their own interests:</p>
<p>“In 2010 Michael Pragnell, founder of Syngenta and former Chairman of CropLife International, was appointed as Chairman of&#160;Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and by 2011 CRUK was donating money (£450 million/year) to the Government’s Strategy for UK Life Sciences and AstraZeneca (Syngenta’s parent company) was providing 22 compounds to academic research to develop medicines in the UK.&#160;One Corporation promotes cancer; the other Corporation tries to cure it.”</p>
<p>Whether it is CRUK, the Francis Crick Institute or&#160;the Oxford Martin Commission (see Mason’s letter to the OMC&#160; <a href="" type="internal">here</a>) for Future Generations, Mason draws attention to the fact that these bodies, which say they are concerned about health and disease, appear to do their best to avoid addressing the issue of transnational agrichemical companies and their products.</p>
<p>She asks:</p>
<p>“When did Oxford University lose its way? Was it when the Global Corporations came in with money to offer for services? Sir Richard Doll the epidemiologist who, together with Austin Bradford Hill, worked out that smoking caused cancer became Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University in 1969 and a Companion of Honour in 1996 for ‘services of national importance’. Only after his death it was discovered between 1976 and 2002 that he had been paid by Monsanto to defend Agent Orange and PCBs in Court.”</p>
<p>And it gets worse. The EU Commission (EC) has announced that it is planning to extend authorisation for glyphosate for a further ten years. The decision is based on the latest evaluation published by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) declaring glyphosate to be safe. The EC has actually approved 14 new import authorisations for genetically engineered plants resistant to herbicides. All these plants will contain residues from spraying. Several of the genetically engineered plants recently approved for import are not only resistant to glyphosate but also to combined applications of other dangerous herbicides, such as 2,4-D, dicamba, glufosinate and isoxaflutole.</p>
<p>Mason has already&#160; <a href="" type="internal">written to the ECHA</a>&#160;concerning its flawed evaluation of glyphosate.</p>
<p>Key figures are dismissive of Mason’s work</p>
<p>If you read&#160; <a href="https://independent.academia.edu/RosemaryMason" type="external">Rosemary Mason’s series of documents</a>, you will be impressed with the amount of information she has placed in the public domain. What might be more impressive is that her evidence is always supported with reference to many official reports and (peer-reviewed) scientific studies. Her work is not just about the science behind chemicals and their impacts on people and nature. She brings to the table analyses that also delve deep into the politics of policy- and decision-making.</p>
<p>For all the effort put in, the recipients of her open letters seem to dismiss or ignore what she has to say. These are high-level figures often working in publicly funded institutions and whose agencies – at least in theory – are seeking to balance the interests of the public with commercial interests to the benefit of everyone involved.</p>
<p>However, the response to her letters seems to be ‘thanks but no thanks, we have all this covered’, even though Mason has produced page after page of evidence to show they have not got it covered and are colluding with the agrochemical sector to privilege its interests ahead of all else.</p>
<p>While Mason writes about the poisoning of people, water, soil and food, what her writing is ultimately about is corruption in high places and a neoliberal capitalism that regards regulation as a barrier to lining the pockets of highly paid CEOs and shareholders.</p>
<p>What it amounts to is a crime against humanity because the whole of humanity is paying the price. From Wales and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">the US</a>&#160;to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Argentina</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsantos-violence-in-india-the-sacred-and-the-profane/5581536" type="external">India</a>, the impacts of transnational agribusiness and the rolling out of its toxins are clear to see.</p>
<p>The media largely remains silent on the issue of agrochemicals and disease, preferring to parrot a narrative about individual choice and lifestyle being responsible for various illnesses (see&#160; <a href="" type="internal">this</a>). This conveniently diverts attention from the role of the agrochemical sector and how public institutions and governments are colluding with the industry to frame legislation and polices to ensure business as usual.</p>
<p>Green Revolution: money-spinning chemical revolution</p>
<p>The Green Revolution was a chemical revolution based on proprietary seeds and chemical inputs, monocropping and ultimately debt. It was exported across the world and pressed into the service of US geostrategic interests and corporate profit.&#160;The model is&#160;not only&#160; <a href="" type="internal">unsustainable</a>&#160;but has and has been underpinned by a resource-grabbing, food-deficit producing US foreign policy agenda for many decades, assisted by the WTO, World Bank and IMF (for instance, see ‘ <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/sowing-the-seeds-of-famine-in-ethiopia/366" type="external">this</a>&#160;and ‘ <a href="http://fpif.org/destroying_african_agriculture/" type="external">this</a>).</p>
<p>Mason has discussed in her many documents the loss of biodiversity and the devastating impact on health as a result of this model of farming. In her new document, she refers to Iowa in the US with is chemical-drenched fields and monocultured of GM Roundup Ready corn: no birds, no bees, no insects in a world where corn is king.&#160;Anything that might eat corn, hurt corn, bother corn is destroyed.</p>
<p>Some 100 years ago, the same fields were home to 300 species of plants, 60 mammals, 300 birds, hundreds and hundreds of insects. That all gave way to industrialised ‘efficiency’ courtesy of a Monsanto model of agriculture propped up by&#160; <a href="" type="internal">billions of dollars&#160;</a>of&#160;taxpayer handouts. A water-intensive model of agriculture that turns soil into degraded chemical cocktails and humans into carriers of disease.</p>
<p>Monsanto’s whole business model is&#160; <a href="" type="internal">based on conquest</a>.&#160;It captures markets and key institutions, destroys competition and relies on the US government to maintain its profits and access to regions of the world. It relies on the US state to keep the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">fundamentally crisis-ridden</a>&#160;neoliberal agenda on track by facilitating corporate imperialism.</p>
<p>There are&#160; <a href="" type="internal">genuine alternatives</a>&#160;( <a href="https://foodfirst.org/fertile-ground-scaling-agroecology-from-the-ground-up/" type="external">see this</a>&#160;as well) to the prevailing chemical-intensive model of agriculture and the massive social, environmental and health costs it entails. To be genuinely effective, however, these alternatives must go hand-in-hand with rejecting the prevailing moribund doctrinaire economics of neoliberalism, while at the same time continuing to hold to account the corrupt corporations that drive and profit from it as well as key figures in public institutions who facilitate the needs of these companies.</p> | true | 4 | environmental campaigner dr rosemary mason written uks policy advisor nigel chadwick chemicals regulation directorate health safety executive hse also sent chadwick 19page document monsanto_has_committed_slow_poisoning_of_the_people_of_wales asserts that160monsanto engaged slow poisoning people wales pcbs roundup says help british government expert committee pesticides health safety executive defra royal society european food safety authority european chemicals agency german rapporteur member state bbc bma rupert murdoch mason also discusses monsanto committed ecocide roundup wales thanks swansea city councils authorised spraying city roadsides total 518 kg used 2016 mentions long unsatisfactory many years history correspondence hse pesticides failed stimulate appropriate regulatory action despite firm evidence provided damaging effects biocides throughout uk across globe many previous documents mason outlines monsanto conspired keep moneyspinning160 diseasecausing product160glyphosatebased roundup market via combination deception manipulation science regulatory processes cooption key figures company that160was also involved cover of160polychlorinated biphenyls pcbs monsanto wales pcbs toxic dumping mason states wales site worst environmental disaster public never heard massive cover 40 years describes role british government colluding monsanto by160outlining monsanto poisoned environment wales dumping toxins factory manufactured pcbs dangerous chemicals company knew health risks pcbs long banned160company papers subsequently released show 30 years monsanto sat lab tests results indicated pcbs fatal rats animals stopped making pcbs anniston us 1971 scandals pcbs health population wildlife however british government agreed ramp production monsanto plant newport wales toxic waste increased production dumped various quarries wales one north england160the british government knew dangers pcbs environment 1960s allowed production wales 1977 mason notes extraordinary lengths british government went protect monsanto cover truth160one quarry found contain least 67 toxic chemicals seven pcbs identified along vinyl chlorides naphthalene years ago unlined quarry found still leaking pollution water occurring since 1970s waste groundwater contain significant quantities poisonous noxious polluting material pcbs chemicals persist environment never disappear wales mason argues continual leak monsantos toxic chemicals carry many years brofiscin maendy one five quarries around wales toxic chemical waste carried past lorries bearing160iwdpurle monsanto logos mason describes important research ignored regulators governments years showed various agrochemicals manmade chemicals environment changing humans polychlorinated biphenyls pcbs ddt chlordane lindane aldrin dieldrin endrin toxaphene heptachlor dioxin atrazine dacthal identified endocrine disruptor chemicals resident wales mason notes in1601973 swapped poisoned pcbs leaking cardiff water supply monsantos test bed flagship glyphosatebased herbicide roundup swansea various papers mason provided disturbing descriptions glyphosate used liberally south wales data relating deteriorating health residents well degradation environment biodiversity across uk yet due government collusion agrochemical sector european directives sidelined regulatory processes subverted business usual remains order day business usual 160 british government enjoys close financial relationships monsanto syngenta astrazeneca bayer cropscience dow chemicals mason states uk government supported glyphosate task force gtf consortium companies joining resources efforts order renew european glyphosate registration joint submission companies produce formulated glyphosate products highlights private corporations shaping governments research agenda britain way serves interests 2010 michael pragnell founder syngenta former chairman croplife international appointed chairman of160cancer research uk cruk 2011 cruk donating money 450 millionyear governments strategy uk life sciences astrazeneca syngentas parent company providing 22 compounds academic research develop medicines uk160one corporation promotes cancer corporation tries cure whether cruk francis crick institute or160the oxford martin commission see masons letter omc160 future generations mason draws attention fact bodies say concerned health disease appear best avoid addressing issue transnational agrichemical companies products asks oxford university lose way global corporations came money offer services sir richard doll epidemiologist together austin bradford hill worked smoking caused cancer became regius professor medicine oxford university 1969 companion honour 1996 services national importance death discovered 1976 2002 paid monsanto defend agent orange pcbs court gets worse eu commission ec announced planning extend authorisation glyphosate ten years decision based latest evaluation published european chemicals agency echa declaring glyphosate safe ec actually approved 14 new import authorisations genetically engineered plants resistant herbicides plants contain residues spraying several genetically engineered plants recently approved import resistant glyphosate also combined applications dangerous herbicides 24d dicamba glufosinate isoxaflutole mason already160 written echa160concerning flawed evaluation glyphosate key figures dismissive masons work read160 rosemary masons series documents impressed amount information placed public domain might impressive evidence always supported reference many official reports peerreviewed scientific studies work science behind chemicals impacts people nature brings table analyses also delve deep politics policy decisionmaking effort put recipients open letters seem dismiss ignore say highlevel figures often working publicly funded institutions whose agencies least theory seeking balance interests public commercial interests benefit everyone involved however response letters seems thanks thanks covered even though mason produced page page evidence show got covered colluding agrochemical sector privilege interests ahead else mason writes poisoning people water soil food writing ultimately corruption high places neoliberal capitalism regards regulation barrier lining pockets highly paid ceos shareholders amounts crime humanity whole humanity paying price wales and160 us160to160 argentina160and160 india impacts transnational agribusiness rolling toxins clear see media largely remains silent issue agrochemicals disease preferring parrot narrative individual choice lifestyle responsible various illnesses see160 conveniently diverts attention role agrochemical sector public institutions governments colluding industry frame legislation polices ensure business usual green revolution moneyspinning chemical revolution green revolution chemical revolution based proprietary seeds chemical inputs monocropping ultimately debt exported across world pressed service us geostrategic interests corporate profit160the model is160not only160 unsustainable160but underpinned resourcegrabbing fooddeficit producing us foreign policy agenda many decades assisted wto world bank imf instance see this160and mason discussed many documents loss biodiversity devastating impact health result model farming new document refers iowa us chemicaldrenched fields monocultured gm roundup ready corn birds bees insects world corn king160anything might eat corn hurt corn bother corn destroyed 100 years ago fields home 300 species plants 60 mammals 300 birds hundreds hundreds insects gave way industrialised efficiency courtesy monsanto model agriculture propped by160 billions dollars160of160taxpayer handouts waterintensive model agriculture turns soil degraded chemical cocktails humans carriers disease monsantos whole business model is160 based conquest160it captures markets key institutions destroys competition relies us government maintain profits access regions world relies us state keep the160 fundamentally crisisridden160neoliberal agenda track facilitating corporate imperialism are160 genuine alternatives160 see this160as well prevailing chemicalintensive model agriculture massive social environmental health costs entails genuinely effective however alternatives must go handinhand rejecting prevailing moribund doctrinaire economics neoliberalism time continuing hold account corrupt corporations drive profit well key figures public institutions facilitate needs companies | 1,032 |
<p>Photo by Rob Kall | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>Is the U.S. in the midst of yet another period of moral panic?&#160;&#160;Since its founding, the nation has witnessed numerous periods of social or political disturbance over a perceived “moral” or “values” issue, often involving sex.&#160;&#160;During these periods, controversy reached a crisis level — and the nation shuddered.&#160;&#160;Is this what’s emerging as the new feminist movement’s rage against male sexual abuse morphs from a personal issue to a public-policy concern?</p>
<p>Early Puritan settlers accused, shamed, tried and imprisoned over 200 people for witchcraft.&#160;&#160;About 30 people, mostly elder women, were convicted of sexual congress with Satan — and executed.</p>
<p>Centuries later, during the WW-I era, evangelical moralists forced the closing of dozens of “red-light” districts, zones of iniquity, in cities throughout the country..&#160;&#160;Religious moralist also had 30,000 women seized without warrants or due process as national security threats, alleged prostitutes who might infect the nation’s male fighting force.&#160;&#160;These women were forced to endure a medically examination for a venereal disease and, if found to be infected, were imprisoned.&#160;&#160;This period of moral panic culminated in the passage of the 19th&#160;Amendment establishing Prohibition; it’s the only Amendment to be repealed.</p>
<p>A century later, moral panic involves two issues, abortion and sex offenders.&#160;&#160;The religious right has sought to not simply prohibit abortions by women for cause (e.g., rape, harm to them or their fetus), but also for choice (e.g., unwanted pregnancy).&#160;&#160;A 2010 <a href="" type="internal">Rand report</a> finds that between&#160;1973 (following the&#160;Roe v. Wade&#160;decision) and 2003, abortion providers were the targets of more than 300 acts of extreme violence, including arson, bombings, acid attacks and murders.</p>
<p>The outing of Catholic priests for sexual abuse – often of minors, boys and girls – in the early-2000s focused public attention on a criminal practice long tolerated by the Church.&#160;&#160;A <a href="" type="internal">2011 report</a> by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an update of an earlier study, found that&#160;from 1950 to 2002 some 10,667 individuals had made allegations of sexual abuse and that Catholic dioceses identified 6,700 unique accusations against 4,392 U.S. clergy.&#160;&#160;Recently, a Queens, NY, priest, Adam Prochaski – known as “Father Pervert,” “The Pig” and “Lurch” – was outed for alleged offenses against 34 females and one male who allegedly being sexually abused between 1970 and 1994.</p>
<p>The current public rage regarding sexual abuse – and worse — of women and girls (and some men/boys) by leading males of the entertainment, political and other sectors involves both sex and power.&#160;Dubbed by some the “Weinstein Effect,” a growing number of&#160;people (mostly women) have come forward to accuse famous or powerful men of sexual misconduct.&#160;&#160;It is a forceful break from the&#160;culture of silence that has long protected such men from being held accountable for their misdeeds.</p>
<p>Some progressive feminists have raised concerns that this movement may slip into a conservative, neo-puritan anti-sex campaign.&#160;&#160;Two episodes of sex-policy reaction are easily recalled: (i)&#160;the&#160;Antipornography Civil Rights Ordinance proposed by&#160;Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon&#160;that argued that&#160;pornography was a violation of women’s civil rights (it was adopted by the Indianapolis city council in 1984 and found unconstitutional) and (ii)&#160;Tipper Gore’s 1985 campaign,&#160;the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC),&#160;to label music lyrics for profanity and other objectionable content.&#160;&#160;Whether the #MeToo movement will spawn a moral panic remains to be seen.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Larry Nassar, MD, USA Gymnastics&#160;doctor&#160;and Michigan State University, was convicted on charges of molested 150-plus girls and women, including Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.&#160;&#160;Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced him to 40 to 175 years in prison, declaring,&#160;“I just signed your death warrant.”&#160;&#160;Adding,&#160;“It is my honor and privilege to sentence you. You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again. You have done nothing to control those urges and anywhere you walk, destruction will occur to those most vulnerable.” This sentence followed a 60-year sentence for&#160;violating federal child pornography charges.</p>
<p>Perhaps most remarkable about the Nassar case is that it did not turn into a moral panic.&#160;&#160;Two earlier pedophile scandals — the McMartin Day School and Jerry Sandusky — led to moral panics in which the purported offenders were arrested, tried and convicted.&#160;&#160;These panics were based on over-aggressive prosecutors,&#160;alleged “recovered memories” and disturbing media reports.</p>
<p>The&#160;McMartin Preschool of Manhattan Beach, CA, was the site of in 1983 of the gravest recovered-memory charade in the contemporary period.&#160;&#160;The school was closed and&#160;five of its staff prosecuted based on the students’&#160;recovered memories of sexual abuse.&#160;&#160;After more rigorous investigation, little to nothing of the sexual abuses that were originally claimed actually occurred, yet many peoples’ lives were ruined.</p>
<p>The trial, conviction and imprisonment of&#160;Jerry&#160;Sandusky is an illuminating example of how&#160;moral outrage can turn into a moral panic when a perfect target captures public attention.&#160;&#160;He&#160;was a Penn State football coach who served for thirty years (1969-1999) as an assistant its legendary head-coach, Joe Paterno.&#160;&#160;He also founded The Second Mile, a charity for at-risk youths.</p>
<p>However, on November 4, 2011, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report initially accusing&#160;him&#160;of&#160;sexually abusing eight young boys over a period of at least 15 years.&#160;&#160;A month later, two additional boys came forward claiming they had been abused, raising the total of accusers to ten. He&#160;was charged with 48 counts of sexual abuse including “involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.”&#160;&#160;But did he commit the acts he was convicted of perpetrating?</p>
<p>Mark Pendergrast, a science writer and&#160;author of more than a dozen books, provides&#160;an invaluable case study into how questionable accusations and outrage could rapidly snowball into a moral panic.&#160;&#160;In&#160;his&#160;recently-published book,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Most Hated Man in America:&#160;Jerry Sandusky&#160;and the Rush to Judgment</a>&#160;(Sunbury Press), he&#160;argues that Sandusky’s arrest, prosecution, trial and final imprisonment was a miscarriage of judgement and believes he should receive a new – and fair – trial.</p>
<p>After careful coaching from aggressive law-enforcement officials, therapists discovered repressed memories and opportunistic civil-litigation attorneys, the alleged victims fundamentally changed their stories, their memories.&#160;&#160;The author&#160;takes particular aim at those promoting recovered-memories theories, specifically many of the psycho-therapist who assisted the victims to recall long-suppressed memories of sexual abuse.&#160;&#160;During the Sandusky scandal, this form of psychotherapy captured much media attention and became a short-lived self-help fad, with numerous scholarly/academic studies and popular books published about the topic.&#160;&#160;Stories about recovered memories regularly appeared in the local media and spread to the&#160;New York Times&#160;and&#160;The Washington Post as well as CNN and NBC, ensuring that the Sandusky case became a national story.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>One of the unexpected outcomes Donald Trump’s presidency is that it helped fuel a growing moral outrage among an increasing number of Americans, women and men, about immoral sexual conduct.&#160;&#160;His victory in the face of unquestionable immoral – if not illegal – engagements with nearly two-dozen women who publicly accused him of abuse fostered an unexpected result.</p>
<p>If immoral conduct can be celebrated by the macho-man president, why should not the truth about an ever-growing list of men accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct be similarly outed?&#160;&#160;In the world of Trump’s moral order, a man should own the immoral, if not illegal, sexual activities he engaged in.</p>
<p>Public shaming did not work during the ’16 election but is beginning to during Trump’s presidency.&#160;&#160;Three factors have been critical: (i) the male figure had power, wealth or standing, (ii) there were more than one female victim and they were willing to go public with their stories, and (iii) public exposure through credible media outlets gave the accusations legitimacy.</p>
<p>Unexpectedly, Trump’s arrogance likely contributed to the outing of movie-mogul Harvey Weinstein.&#160;&#160;His victory has fostered a deeply-felt sense of outrage among many women, especially – initially — well-educated, white professionals who felt “entitled” to be treated as someone more than a sex object.&#160;&#160;They were shamed — outraged! – and, with time, fought back.</p>
<p>In the past, the Weinstein exposé would have been dismissed as just one more sensational sex scandal: guys will be guys.&#160;&#160;As suggested by the initial hands-off policy of New York’s DA Cyrus Vance – a policy extended to&#160;Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. – Weinstein walked.&#160;&#160;But something deeper was simmering.</p>
<p>In 2006, Tarana Burke launched the&#160;#MeToo movement&#160;to, in her words, “support survivors of sexual violence, in particular black and brown girls ….”&#160;&#160;In 2017, the&#160;hashtag went viral,&#160;personal experiences of debasement morphed into a social movement.&#160;&#160;The recently-launched #TimesUp campaign may succeed where earlier efforts — like those following Anita Hill’s 1991 Senate testimony — faltered.</p>
<p>Popular reaction to increased outing of male sexual abuse makes clear that a perpetrator’s wealth, power or&#160;mea culpa&#160;– “I’ll seek counseling” — is not enough.&#160;&#160;A growing number of women insist that personal sexual abuse is not isolated or private, but an endemic feature of most social relations and all-too-common in male-dominated sectors, whether Hollywood/entertainment, Wall Street/finance or Silicon Valley/high-tech. The ongoing outing of upper-crust male notables and executives suggests that something more long-term is at play.</p>
<p>For centuries, macho-male patriarchy defined U.S. military culture, but things have slowly changed with more women in uniform.&#160;&#160;In 2015, there were 1,340,533 active-duty troops, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard — and&#160;15 percent of active-duty military personnel (approximately 200,000) were women – up from 11 percent in 1990.&#160; Equally significant,&#160;14,900 service members were officially reported to have been sexually assaulted in 2015, 5,400 fewer than the 20,300 sexual assault victim reports estimated in 2014.&#160;&#160;The <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1168765/dod-releases-latest-military-sexual-assault-report/" type="external">Defense Department reported</a> that in 2015, one in three service members reported their assaults an increase from one in four people in 2014; a decade earlier only one in 14 service members reported the crime.</p>
<p>Some more-progressive feminists worry that the campaign against male sexual abuse may contribute to a conservative backlash, a moral panic reminiscent of those symbolized by&#160;Dworkin and&#160;Gore in the 1980s.&#160;&#160;In&#160;a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Le Monde&#160;Op-Ed</a> on January 9th, 100 French women called for a rejection of the “puritanism” that they believed to be at the core of the #MeToo movement, a “hatred of men.”&#160;&#160;Among the signatures were Catherine Deneuve, Catherine Millet, Joëlle Losfeld and Ingrid Caven.&#160;&#160;The story was picked up by the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Hollywood Reporter</a>, but sufficiently mangled as to make the underlying critique unintelligible.</p>
<p>The Op Ed takes issue with a number of assumptions that underscore some of the campaign against sexual abuser.&#160;&#160;First, they worry that the campaign is an overreach.&#160;&#160;They are concerned about an accused whose “only wrong was to have touched a knee, tried to steal a kiss, spoken of ‘intimate’ things at a business dinner, or to have sent sexually explicit messages to a woman who was not attracted to them.”&#160;&#160;They are also concerned from a basic civil-liberties perspective that the campaign’s targeting of up-market males is taking place in public, through the media, and with the accused not “being given the opportunity to respond or defend themselves, [and] are put on the same level as sex offenders.”</p>
<p>However, their gravest concern warns, “This fever to send ‘pigs’ to the slaughterhouse, far from helping to empower women, in reality serves the interests of the enemies of sexual freedom, religious extremists, the worst reactionaries, and those who, in the name of a weighty notion of the good and of the Victorian morality that goes with it, view women as ‘special’ beings, as children with adult faces, demanding to be protected.”&#160;&#160;In conclusion, they insist: “We think that the freedom to say no to a sexual proposal does not deny the freedom to solicit. And we consider that it is necessary to know how to respond to this freedom to solicit differently than by locking oneself into the role of prey.”</p>
<p>Surprisingly, for all the civil liberties and humanistic sexuality defended by those who backed the&#160;Le Monde&#160;Op-Ed, the issue of power was not addressed.&#160;&#160;One can only wonder if they’d ever read Simone&#160;de Beauvoir, let alone&#160;Michel Foucault?&#160;&#160;Sex is both natural and social, the pleasure of the living body and the mores determining power, practices and pleasures.&#160;&#160;In a public domain like the workplace, power is the glue that holds social relations together.</p>
<p>The almost-daily revelations about sex-related scandals involving Trump, Nasser or other men accused of abuse or worse are a moral time-bomb, one in which outrage can easy turn-into – or be manipulated into – a panic.&#160;&#160;Public rage needs to be guided by caution or it could collapse into mass hysteria like that inflicted on Puritan-era witches and Sandusky.</p> | true | 4 | photo rob kall cc 20 us midst yet another period moral panic160160since founding nation witnessed numerous periods social political disturbance perceived moral values issue often involving sex160160during periods controversy reached crisis level nation shuddered160160is whats emerging new feminist movements rage male sexual abuse morphs personal issue publicpolicy concern early puritan settlers accused shamed tried imprisoned 200 people witchcraft160160about 30 people mostly elder women convicted sexual congress satan executed centuries later wwi era evangelical moralists forced closing dozens redlight districts zones iniquity cities throughout country160160religious moralist also 30000 women seized without warrants due process national security threats alleged prostitutes might infect nations male fighting force160160these women forced endure medically examination venereal disease found infected imprisoned160160this period moral panic culminated passage 19th160amendment establishing prohibition amendment repealed century later moral panic involves two issues abortion sex offenders160160the religious right sought simply prohibit abortions women cause eg rape harm fetus also choice eg unwanted pregnancy160160a 2010 rand report finds between1601973 following the160roe v wade160decision 2003 abortion providers targets 300 acts extreme violence including arson bombings acid attacks murders outing catholic priests sexual abuse often minors boys girls early2000s focused public attention criminal practice long tolerated church160160a 2011 report john jay college criminal justice update earlier study found that160from 1950 2002 10667 individuals made allegations sexual abuse catholic dioceses identified 6700 unique accusations 4392 us clergy160160recently queens ny priest adam prochaski known father pervert pig lurch outed alleged offenses 34 females one male allegedly sexually abused 1970 1994 current public rage regarding sexual abuse worse women girls menboys leading males entertainment political sectors involves sex power160dubbed weinstein effect growing number of160people mostly women come forward accuse famous powerful men sexual misconduct160160it forceful break the160culture silence long protected men held accountable misdeeds progressive feminists raised concerns movement may slip conservative neopuritan antisex campaign160160two episodes sexpolicy reaction easily recalled i160the160antipornography civil rights ordinance proposed by160andrea dworkin catharine mackinnon160that argued that160pornography violation womens civil rights adopted indianapolis city council 1984 found unconstitutional ii160tipper gores 1985 campaign160the parents music resource center pmrc160to label music lyrics profanity objectionable content160160whether metoo movement spawn moral panic remains seen larry nassar md usa gymnastics160doctor160and michigan state university convicted charges molested 150plus girls women including olympic gymnasts simone biles gabby douglas aly raisman mckayla maroney160160judge rosemarie aquilina sentenced 40 175 years prison declaring160i signed death warrant160160adding160it honor privilege sentence deserve walk outside prison ever done nothing control urges anywhere walk destruction occur vulnerable sentence followed 60year sentence for160violating federal child pornography charges perhaps remarkable nassar case turn moral panic160160two earlier pedophile scandals mcmartin day school jerry sandusky led moral panics purported offenders arrested tried convicted160160these panics based overaggressive prosecutors160alleged recovered memories disturbing media reports the160mcmartin preschool manhattan beach ca site 1983 gravest recoveredmemory charade contemporary period160160the school closed and160five staff prosecuted based students160recovered memories sexual abuse160160after rigorous investigation little nothing sexual abuses originally claimed actually occurred yet many peoples lives ruined trial conviction imprisonment of160jerry160sandusky illuminating example how160moral outrage turn moral panic perfect target captures public attention160160he160was penn state football coach served thirty years 19691999 assistant legendary headcoach joe paterno160160he also founded second mile charity atrisk youths however november 4 2011 pennsylvania grand jury released report initially accusing160him160of160sexually abusing eight young boys period least 15 years160160a month later two additional boys came forward claiming abused raising total accusers ten he160was charged 48 counts sexual abuse including involuntary deviant sexual intercourse indecent assault unlawful contact minor corruption minors endangering welfare children160160but commit acts convicted perpetrating mark pendergrast science writer and160author dozen books provides160an invaluable case study questionable accusations outrage could rapidly snowball moral panic160160in160his160recentlypublished book160 hated man america160jerry sandusky160and rush judgment160sunbury press he160argues sanduskys arrest prosecution trial final imprisonment miscarriage judgement believes receive new fair trial careful coaching aggressive lawenforcement officials therapists discovered repressed memories opportunistic civillitigation attorneys alleged victims fundamentally changed stories memories160160the author160takes particular aim promoting recoveredmemories theories specifically many psychotherapist assisted victims recall longsuppressed memories sexual abuse160160during sandusky scandal form psychotherapy captured much media attention became shortlived selfhelp fad numerous scholarlyacademic studies popular books published topic160160stories recovered memories regularly appeared local media spread the160new york times160and160the washington post well cnn nbc ensuring sandusky case became national story one unexpected outcomes donald trumps presidency helped fuel growing moral outrage among increasing number americans women men immoral sexual conduct160160his victory face unquestionable immoral illegal engagements nearly twodozen women publicly accused abuse fostered unexpected result immoral conduct celebrated machoman president truth evergrowing list men accused engaging inappropriate sexual conduct similarly outed160160in world trumps moral order man immoral illegal sexual activities engaged public shaming work 16 election beginning trumps presidency160160three factors critical male figure power wealth standing ii one female victim willing go public stories iii public exposure credible media outlets gave accusations legitimacy unexpectedly trumps arrogance likely contributed outing moviemogul harvey weinstein160160his victory fostered deeplyfelt sense outrage among many women especially initially welleducated white professionals felt entitled treated someone sex object160160they shamed outraged time fought back past weinstein exposé would dismissed one sensational sex scandal guys guys160160as suggested initial handsoff policy new yorks da cyrus vance policy extended to160dominique strausskahn ivanka trump donald trump jr weinstein walked160160but something deeper simmering 2006 tarana burke launched the160metoo movement160to words support survivors sexual violence particular black brown girls 160160in 2017 the160hashtag went viral160personal experiences debasement morphed social movement160160the recentlylaunched timesup campaign may succeed earlier efforts like following anita hills 1991 senate testimony faltered popular reaction increased outing male sexual abuse makes clear perpetrators wealth power or160mea culpa160 ill seek counseling enough160160a growing number women insist personal sexual abuse isolated private endemic feature social relations alltoocommon maledominated sectors whether hollywoodentertainment wall streetfinance silicon valleyhightech ongoing outing uppercrust male notables executives suggests something longterm play centuries machomale patriarchy defined us military culture things slowly changed women uniform160160in 2015 1340533 activeduty troops including serving us coast guard and16015 percent activeduty military personnel approximately 200000 women 11 percent 1990160 equally significant16014900 service members officially reported sexually assaulted 2015 5400 fewer 20300 sexual assault victim reports estimated 2014160160the defense department reported 2015 one three service members reported assaults increase one four people 2014 decade earlier one 14 service members reported crime moreprogressive feminists worry campaign male sexual abuse may contribute conservative backlash moral panic reminiscent symbolized by160dworkin and160gore 1980s160160in160a160 le monde160oped january 9th 100 french women called rejection puritanism believed core metoo movement hatred men160160among signatures catherine deneuve catherine millet joëlle losfeld ingrid caven160160the story picked the160 hollywood reporter sufficiently mangled make underlying critique unintelligible op ed takes issue number assumptions underscore campaign sexual abuser160160first worry campaign overreach160160they concerned accused whose wrong touched knee tried steal kiss spoken intimate things business dinner sent sexually explicit messages woman attracted them160160they also concerned basic civilliberties perspective campaigns targeting upmarket males taking place public media accused given opportunity respond defend put level sex offenders however gravest concern warns fever send pigs slaughterhouse far helping empower women reality serves interests enemies sexual freedom religious extremists worst reactionaries name weighty notion good victorian morality goes view women special beings children adult faces demanding protected160160in conclusion insist think freedom say sexual proposal deny freedom solicit consider necessary know respond freedom solicit differently locking oneself role prey surprisingly civil liberties humanistic sexuality defended backed the160le monde160oped issue power addressed160160one wonder theyd ever read simone160de beauvoir let alone160michel foucault160160sex natural social pleasure living body mores determining power practices pleasures160160in public domain like workplace power glue holds social relations together almostdaily revelations sexrelated scandals involving trump nasser men accused abuse worse moral timebomb one outrage easy turninto manipulated panic160160public rage needs guided caution could collapse mass hysteria like inflicted puritanera witches sandusky | 1,250 |
<p>Total financial collapse, once a problem only for developing countries, has now come to Europe. The International Monetary Fund is imposing its “austerity measures” on the outer circle of the European Union, with Greece, Iceland and Latvia the hardest hit. But these are not your ordinary third world debtor supplicants. Historically, the Vikings of Iceland repeatedly repulsed British invaders; Latvian tribes repulsed even the Vikings; and the Greeks conquered the whole Persian empire. If anyone can stand up to the IMF, these stalwart European warriors can.</p>
<p>Dozens of countries have defaulted on their debts in recent decades, the most recent being Dubai, which declared a debt moratorium on November 26, 2009. If the once lavishly-rich Arab emirate can default, more desperate countries can; and when the alternative is to destroy the local economy, it is hard to argue that they shouldn’t. That is particularly true when the creditors are largely responsible for the debtor’s troubles, and there are good grounds for arguing the debts are not owed. Greece’s troubles originated when low interest rates that were inappropriate for Greece were maintained to rescue Germany from an economic slump. And Iceland and Latvia have been saddled with responsibility for private obligations to which they were not parties. Economist Michael Hudson writes:</p>
<p>“The European Union and International Monetary Fund have told them to replace private debts with public obligations, and to pay by raising taxes, slashing public spending and obliging citizens to deplete their savings. Resentment is growing not only toward those who ran up these debts . . . but also toward the neoliberal foreign advisors and creditors who pressured these governments to sell off the banks and public infrastructure to insiders.”</p>
<p>The Dysfunctional EU: Where a Common Currency Fails</p>
<p>Greece may be the first in the EU outer circle to revolt. According to Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Sunday’s Daily Telegraph, “Greece has become the first country on the distressed fringes of Europe’s monetary union to defy Brussels and reject the Dark Age leech-cure of wage deflation.” Prime Minister George Papandreou said on Friday:</p>
<p>“Salaried workers will not pay for this situation: we will not proceed with wage freezes or cuts. We did not come to power to tear down the social state.”</p>
<p>Notes Evans-Pritchard:</p>
<p>“Mr Papandreou has good reason to throw the gauntlet at Europe’s feet. Greece is being told to adopt an IMF-style austerity package, without the devaluation so central to IMF plans. The prescription is ruinous and patently self-defeating.”</p>
<p>The currency cannot be devalued because the same Euro is used by all. That means that while the country’s ability to repay is being crippled by austerity measures, there is no way to lower the cost of the debt. Evans-Pritchard concludes:</p>
<p>“The deeper truth that few in Euroland are willing to discuss is that EMU is inherently dysfunctional – for Greece, for Germany, for everybody.”</p>
<p>Which is all the more reason that Iceland, which is not yet an EU member, might want to reconsider its position. As a condition of membership, Iceland is being required to endorse an agreement in which it would reimburse Dutch and British depositors who lost money in the collapse of IceSave, an offshore division of Iceland’s leading private bank. Eva Joly, a Norwegian-French magistrate hired to investigate the Icelandic bank collapse, calls it blackmail. She warns that succumbing to the EU’s demands will drain Iceland of its resources and its people, who are being forced to emigrate to find work.</p>
<p>Latvia is a member of the EU and is expected to adopt the Euro, but it has not yet reached that stage. Meanwhile, the EU and IMF have told the government to borrow foreign currency to stabilize the exchange rate of the local currency, in order to help borrowers pay mortgages taken out in foreign currencies from foreign banks. As a condition of IMF funding, the usual government cutbacks are also being required. Nils Muiznieks, head of the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute in Riga, Latvia, complained:</p>
<p>“The rest of the world is implementing stimulus packages ranging from anywhere between one percent and ten percent of GDP but at the same time, Latvia has been asked to make deep cuts in spending – a total of about 38 percent this year in the public sector – and raise taxes to meet budget shortfalls.”</p>
<p>In November, the Latvian government adopted its harshest budget of recent years, with cuts of nearly 11%. The government had already raised taxes, slashed public spending and government wages, and shut dozens of schools and hospitals. As a result, the national bank forecasts a 17.5% decline in the economy this year, just when it needs a productive economy to get back on its feet. In Iceland, the economy contracted by 7.2% during the third quarter, the biggest fall on record. As in other countries squeezed by neo-liberal tourniquets on productivity, employment and output are being crippled, bringing these economies to their knees.</p>
<p>The cynical view is that that may have been the intent. Instead of helping post-Soviet nations develop self-reliant economies, writes Marshall Auerback, “the West has viewed them as economic oysters to be broken up to indebt them in order to extract interest charges and capital gains, leaving them empty shells.”</p>
<p>But the people are not submitting quietly to all this. In Latvia last week, while the Parliament debated what to do about the nation’s debt, thousands of demonstrating students and teachers filled the streets, protesting the closing of a hundred schools and reductions in teacher salaries of up to 60%. Demonstrators held signs saying, “They have sold their souls to the devil” and “We are against poverty.” In the Iceland Parliament, the IceSave debate had been going on for over 140 hours at last report, a new record; and a growing portion of the population opposes underwriting a debt they believe the government does not owe.</p>
<p>In a December 3 article in The Daily Mail titled “What Iceland Can Teach the Tories,” Mary Ellen Synon wrote that ever since the Icelandic economy collapsed last year, “the empire builders of Brussels have been confident that the bankrupt and frightened Icelanders must finally be ready to exchange their independence for the ‘stability’ of EU membership.” But last month, an opinion poll showed that 54 percent of all Icelanders oppose membership, with just 29 percent in favor. Synon wrote:</p>
<p>“The Icelanders may have been scared out of their wits last year, but they are now climbing out from under the ruins of their prosperity and have decided that the most valuable thing they have left is their independence. They are not willing to trade it, not even for the possibility of a bail-out by the European Central Bank.”</p>
<p>Iceland, Latvia and Greece are all in a position to call the bluff of the IMF and EU. In an October 1 article called “Latvia – the Insanity Continues,” Marshall Auerback maintained that Latvia’s debt problem could be fixed over a weekend, by a list of measures including (1) not answering the phone when foreign creditors call the government; (2) declaring the banks insolvent, converting their external debt to equity, and having them reopen with full deposit insurance guaranteed in local currency; and (3) offering “a local currency minimum wage job that includes healthcare to anyone willing and able to work as was done in Argentina after the Kirchner regime repudiated the IMF’s toxic package of debt repayment.”</p>
<p>Evans-Pritchard suggested a similar remedy for Greece, which he said could break out of its death loop by following the lead of Argentina. It could “restore its currency, devalue, pass a law switching internal euro debt into [the local currency], and ‘restructure’ foreign contracts.”</p>
<p>The Road Less Traveled: Saying No to the IMF</p>
<p>Standing up to the IMF is not a well-worn path, but Argentina forged the trail. In the face of dire predictions that the economy would collapse without foreign credit, in 2001 it defied its creditors and simply walked away from its debts. By the fall of 2004, three years after a record default on a debt of more than $100 billion, the country was well on the road to recovery; and it achieved this feat without foreign help. The economy grew by 8 percent for 2 consecutive years. Exports increased, the currency was stable, investors were returning, and unemployment had eased. “This is a remarkable historical event, one that challenges 25 years of failed policies,” said economist Mark Weisbrot in a 2004 interview quoted in The New York Times. “While other countries are just limping along, Argentina is experiencing very healthy growth with no sign that it is unsustainable, and they’ve done it without having to make any concessions to get foreign capital inflows.”</p>
<p>Weisbrot is co-director of a Washington-based think tank called the Center for Economic and Policy Research, which put out a study in October 2009 of 41 IMF debtor countries. The study found that the austere policies imposed by the IMF, including cutting spending and tightening monetary policy, were more likely to damage than help those economies.</p>
<p>That was also the conclusion of a study released last February by Yonca Özdemir from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, comparing IMF assistance in Argentina and Turkey. Both emerging markets faced severe economic crises in 2001, preceded by chronic fiscal deficits, insufficient export growth, high indebtedness, political instability, and wealth inequality.</p>
<p>Where Argentina broke ranks with the IMF, however, Turkey followed its advice at every turn. The end result was that Argentina bounced back, while Turkey is still in financial crisis. Turkey’s reliance on foreign investment has made it highly susceptible to the global economic downturn. Argentina chose instead to direct its investment inward, developing its domestic economy.</p>
<p>To find the money for this development, Argentina did not need foreign investors. It issued its own money and credit through its own central bank. Earlier, when the national currency collapsed completely in 1995 and again after 2000, Argentine local governments issued local bonds that traded as currency. Provinces paid their employees with paper receipts called “Debt-Cancelling Bonds” that were in currency units equivalent to the Argentine Peso. The bonds canceled the provinces’ debts to their employees and could be spent in the community. The provinces had actually “monetized” their debts, turning their bonds into legal tender.</p>
<p>Argentina is a large country with more resources than Iceland, Latvia or Greece, but new technologies now allow even small countries to become self-sufficient. See David Blume, Alcohol Can Be a Gas.</p>
<p>Local Currency for Local Development</p>
<p>Issuing and lending currency is the sovereign right of governments, and it is a right that Iceland and Latvia will lose if they join the EU, which forbids member nations to borrow from their own central banks. Latvia and Iceland both have natural resources that could be developed if they had the credit to do it; and with sovereign control over their local currencies, they could get that credit simply by creating it on the books of their own publicly-owned banks.</p>
<p>In fact, there is nothing extraordinary in that proposal. All private banks get the credit they lend simply by creating it on their books. Contrary to popular belief, banks do not lend their own money or their depositors’ money. As the U.S. Federal Reserve attests, banks lend new money, created by double-entry bookkeeping as a deposit of the borrower on one side of the bank’s books and as an asset of the bank on the other.</p>
<p>Besides thawing frozen credit pipes, credit created by governments has the advantage that it can be issued interest-free. Eliminating the cost of interest can cut production costs dramatically.</p>
<p>Government-issued money to fund public projects has a long and successful history, going back at least to the early eighteenth century, when the American colony of Pennsylvania issued money that was both lent and spent by the local government into the economy. The result was an unprecedented period of prosperity, achieved without producing price inflation and without taxing the people.</p>
<p>The island state of Guernsey, located in the Channel Islands between England and France, has funded infrastructure with government-issued money for over 200 years, without price inflation and without government debt.</p>
<p>During the First World War, when private banks were demanding 6 percent interest, Australia’s publicly-owned Commonwealth Bank financed the Australian government’s war effort at an interest rate of a fraction of 1 percent, saving Australians some $12 million in bank charges. After the First World War, the bank’s governor used the bank’s credit power to save Australians from the depression conditions prevailing in other countries, by financing production and home-building and lending funds to local governments for the construction of roads, tramways, harbors, gasworks, and electric power plants. The bank’s profits were paid back to the national government.</p>
<p>A successful infrastructure program funded with interest-free national credit was also instituted in New Zealand after it elected its first Labor government in the 1930s. Credit issued by its nationalized central bank allowed New Zealand to thrive at a time when the rest of the world was struggling with poverty and lack of productivity.</p>
<p>The argument against governments issuing and lending money for infrastructure is that it would be inflationary, but this need not be the case. Price inflation results when “demand” (money) increases faster than “supply” (goods and services). When the national currency is expanded to fund productive projects, supply goes up along with demand, leaving consumer prices unaffected.</p>
<p>In any case, as noted above, private banks themselves create the money they lend. The process by which banks create money is inherently inflationary, because they lend only the principal, not the interest necessary to pay their loans off. To come up with the interest, new loans must be taken out, continually inflating the money supply with new loan-money. And since the money is going to the creditors rather than into producing new goods and services, demand (money) increases without increasing supply, producing price inflation. If credit were extended for public infrastructure projects interest-free, inflation could actually be reduced, by reducing the need to continually take out new loans to find the elusive interest to service old loans.</p>
<p>The key is to use the newly-created money or credit for productive projects that increase goods and services, rather than for speculation or to pay off national debt in foreign currencies (the trap that Zimbabwe fell into). The national currency can be protected from speculators by imposing exchange controls, as Malaysia did in 1998; imposing capital controls, as Brazil and Taiwan are doing now; banning derivatives; and imposing a “Tobin tax,” a small tax on trade in financial products.</p>
<p>Making the Creditors Whole</p>
<p>If the creditors are really interested in having their debts repaid, they will see the wisdom of letting the debtor nation build up its producing economy to give it something to pay with. If the creditors are not really interested in repayment but are using the debt as a tool to exploit the debtor country and strip it of its assets, the creditors’ bluff needs to be called.</p>
<p>When the debtor nation refuses to pay, the burden shifts to the creditors to make themselves whole. British economist Michael Rowbotham suggests that in the modern world of electronic money, this can be accomplished by creative banking regulators simply with a change in accounting rules. “Debt” today is created with accounting entries, and it can be reversed with accounting entries. Rowbotham outlines two ways the rules might be changed to liquidate impossible-to-repay debt:</p>
<p>“The first option is to remove the obligation on banks to maintain parity between assets and liabilities . . . . Thus, if a commercial bank held $10 billion worth of developing country debt bonds, after cancellation it would be permitted in perpetuity to have a $10 billion dollar deficit in its assets. This is a simple matter of record-keeping.</p>
<p>“The second option . . . is to cancel the debt bonds, yet permit banks to retain them for purposes of accountancy. The debts would be cancelled so far as the developing nations were concerned, but still valid for the purposes of a bank’s accounts. The bonds would then be held as permanent, non-negotiable assets, at face value.”</p>
<p>If the banks were allowed either to carry unrepayable loans on their books or to accept payment in local currency, their assets and their solvency would be preserved. Everyone could shake hands and get back to work.</p>
<p>ELLEN HODGSON&#160;BROWN is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Web of Debt: the Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free</a>. She can be reached through her <a href="http://www.webofdebt.com/" type="external">website</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | total financial collapse problem developing countries come europe international monetary fund imposing austerity measures outer circle european union greece iceland latvia hardest hit ordinary third world debtor supplicants historically vikings iceland repeatedly repulsed british invaders latvian tribes repulsed even vikings greeks conquered whole persian empire anyone stand imf stalwart european warriors dozens countries defaulted debts recent decades recent dubai declared debt moratorium november 26 2009 lavishlyrich arab emirate default desperate countries alternative destroy local economy hard argue shouldnt particularly true creditors largely responsible debtors troubles good grounds arguing debts owed greeces troubles originated low interest rates inappropriate greece maintained rescue germany economic slump iceland latvia saddled responsibility private obligations parties economist michael hudson writes european union international monetary fund told replace private debts public obligations pay raising taxes slashing public spending obliging citizens deplete savings resentment growing toward ran debts also toward neoliberal foreign advisors creditors pressured governments sell banks public infrastructure insiders dysfunctional eu common currency fails greece may first eu outer circle revolt according ambrose evanspritchard sundays daily telegraph greece become first country distressed fringes europes monetary union defy brussels reject dark age leechcure wage deflation prime minister george papandreou said friday salaried workers pay situation proceed wage freezes cuts come power tear social state notes evanspritchard mr papandreou good reason throw gauntlet europes feet greece told adopt imfstyle austerity package without devaluation central imf plans prescription ruinous patently selfdefeating currency devalued euro used means countrys ability repay crippled austerity measures way lower cost debt evanspritchard concludes deeper truth euroland willing discuss emu inherently dysfunctional greece germany everybody reason iceland yet eu member might want reconsider position condition membership iceland required endorse agreement would reimburse dutch british depositors lost money collapse icesave offshore division icelands leading private bank eva joly norwegianfrench magistrate hired investigate icelandic bank collapse calls blackmail warns succumbing eus demands drain iceland resources people forced emigrate find work latvia member eu expected adopt euro yet reached stage meanwhile eu imf told government borrow foreign currency stabilize exchange rate local currency order help borrowers pay mortgages taken foreign currencies foreign banks condition imf funding usual government cutbacks also required nils muiznieks head advanced social political research institute riga latvia complained rest world implementing stimulus packages ranging anywhere one percent ten percent gdp time latvia asked make deep cuts spending total 38 percent year public sector raise taxes meet budget shortfalls november latvian government adopted harshest budget recent years cuts nearly 11 government already raised taxes slashed public spending government wages shut dozens schools hospitals result national bank forecasts 175 decline economy year needs productive economy get back feet iceland economy contracted 72 third quarter biggest fall record countries squeezed neoliberal tourniquets productivity employment output crippled bringing economies knees cynical view may intent instead helping postsoviet nations develop selfreliant economies writes marshall auerback west viewed economic oysters broken indebt order extract interest charges capital gains leaving empty shells people submitting quietly latvia last week parliament debated nations debt thousands demonstrating students teachers filled streets protesting closing hundred schools reductions teacher salaries 60 demonstrators held signs saying sold souls devil poverty iceland parliament icesave debate going 140 hours last report new record growing portion population opposes underwriting debt believe government owe december 3 article daily mail titled iceland teach tories mary ellen synon wrote ever since icelandic economy collapsed last year empire builders brussels confident bankrupt frightened icelanders must finally ready exchange independence stability eu membership last month opinion poll showed 54 percent icelanders oppose membership 29 percent favor synon wrote icelanders may scared wits last year climbing ruins prosperity decided valuable thing left independence willing trade even possibility bailout european central bank iceland latvia greece position call bluff imf eu october 1 article called latvia insanity continues marshall auerback maintained latvias debt problem could fixed weekend list measures including 1 answering phone foreign creditors call government 2 declaring banks insolvent converting external debt equity reopen full deposit insurance guaranteed local currency 3 offering local currency minimum wage job includes healthcare anyone willing able work done argentina kirchner regime repudiated imfs toxic package debt repayment evanspritchard suggested similar remedy greece said could break death loop following lead argentina could restore currency devalue pass law switching internal euro debt local currency restructure foreign contracts road less traveled saying imf standing imf wellworn path argentina forged trail face dire predictions economy would collapse without foreign credit 2001 defied creditors simply walked away debts fall 2004 three years record default debt 100 billion country well road recovery achieved feat without foreign help economy grew 8 percent 2 consecutive years exports increased currency stable investors returning unemployment eased remarkable historical event one challenges 25 years failed policies said economist mark weisbrot 2004 interview quoted new york times countries limping along argentina experiencing healthy growth sign unsustainable theyve done without make concessions get foreign capital inflows weisbrot codirector washingtonbased think tank called center economic policy research put study october 2009 41 imf debtor countries study found austere policies imposed imf including cutting spending tightening monetary policy likely damage help economies also conclusion study released last february yonca Özdemir middle east technical university ankara comparing imf assistance argentina turkey emerging markets faced severe economic crises 2001 preceded chronic fiscal deficits insufficient export growth high indebtedness political instability wealth inequality argentina broke ranks imf however turkey followed advice every turn end result argentina bounced back turkey still financial crisis turkeys reliance foreign investment made highly susceptible global economic downturn argentina chose instead direct investment inward developing domestic economy find money development argentina need foreign investors issued money credit central bank earlier national currency collapsed completely 1995 2000 argentine local governments issued local bonds traded currency provinces paid employees paper receipts called debtcancelling bonds currency units equivalent argentine peso bonds canceled provinces debts employees could spent community provinces actually monetized debts turning bonds legal tender argentina large country resources iceland latvia greece new technologies allow even small countries become selfsufficient see david blume alcohol gas local currency local development issuing lending currency sovereign right governments right iceland latvia lose join eu forbids member nations borrow central banks latvia iceland natural resources could developed credit sovereign control local currencies could get credit simply creating books publiclyowned banks fact nothing extraordinary proposal private banks get credit lend simply creating books contrary popular belief banks lend money depositors money us federal reserve attests banks lend new money created doubleentry bookkeeping deposit borrower one side banks books asset bank besides thawing frozen credit pipes credit created governments advantage issued interestfree eliminating cost interest cut production costs dramatically governmentissued money fund public projects long successful history going back least early eighteenth century american colony pennsylvania issued money lent spent local government economy result unprecedented period prosperity achieved without producing price inflation without taxing people island state guernsey located channel islands england france funded infrastructure governmentissued money 200 years without price inflation without government debt first world war private banks demanding 6 percent interest australias publiclyowned commonwealth bank financed australian governments war effort interest rate fraction 1 percent saving australians 12 million bank charges first world war banks governor used banks credit power save australians depression conditions prevailing countries financing production homebuilding lending funds local governments construction roads tramways harbors gasworks electric power plants banks profits paid back national government successful infrastructure program funded interestfree national credit also instituted new zealand elected first labor government 1930s credit issued nationalized central bank allowed new zealand thrive time rest world struggling poverty lack productivity argument governments issuing lending money infrastructure would inflationary need case price inflation results demand money increases faster supply goods services national currency expanded fund productive projects supply goes along demand leaving consumer prices unaffected case noted private banks create money lend process banks create money inherently inflationary lend principal interest necessary pay loans come interest new loans must taken continually inflating money supply new loanmoney since money going creditors rather producing new goods services demand money increases without increasing supply producing price inflation credit extended public infrastructure projects interestfree inflation could actually reduced reducing need continually take new loans find elusive interest service old loans key use newlycreated money credit productive projects increase goods services rather speculation pay national debt foreign currencies trap zimbabwe fell national currency protected speculators imposing exchange controls malaysia 1998 imposing capital controls brazil taiwan banning derivatives imposing tobin tax small tax trade financial products making creditors whole creditors really interested debts repaid see wisdom letting debtor nation build producing economy give something pay creditors really interested repayment using debt tool exploit debtor country strip assets creditors bluff needs called debtor nation refuses pay burden shifts creditors make whole british economist michael rowbotham suggests modern world electronic money accomplished creative banking regulators simply change accounting rules debt today created accounting entries reversed accounting entries rowbotham outlines two ways rules might changed liquidate impossibletorepay debt first option remove obligation banks maintain parity assets liabilities thus commercial bank held 10 billion worth developing country debt bonds cancellation would permitted perpetuity 10 billion dollar deficit assets simple matter recordkeeping second option cancel debt bonds yet permit banks retain purposes accountancy debts would cancelled far developing nations concerned still valid purposes banks accounts bonds would held permanent nonnegotiable assets face value banks allowed either carry unrepayable loans books accept payment local currency assets solvency would preserved everyone could shake hands get back work ellen hodgson160brown author web debt shocking truth money system break free reached website 160 | 1,567 |
<p>By <a href="http://www.walterbrasch.com/" type="external">Dr. Walter Brasch</a></p>
<p><a href="http://ceodetails.com/86-Rex-W.-Tillerson.html" type="external">Rex W. Tillerson</a>, a resident of Bartonville, Texas, like many of his neighbors was upset with his city council. That’s not unusual. Many residents get upset at their local governing boards. And so they went to a city council meeting to express their concerns that the council was about to award a construction permit.</p>
<p>The residents were upset that the Cross Timbers Water Supply Corp. planned to build a 160-foot tall water tower. That tower would be adjacent to an 83-acre horse farm Tillerson and his wife owned, and not far from their residence. The residents protested, and then <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804" type="external">filed suit</a> to stop construction. The tower would store water to be sold to companies that needed it for high-volume horizontal fracturing of oil and gas wells, the process known as fracking.</p>
<p>Each well requires three to nine million gallons of water, up to 10,000 tons of silica sand, and 100,000 gallons of toxic, often carcinogen, chemicals. The process of horizontal fracking, about a decade old, to extract oil and gas from the earth presents severe health and environmental problems.</p>
<p>The residents, all of whom are in the visual distance to the water tower, said that construction of the water tower would impact their views. They argued that during construction and after the tower was built, there would be excessive traffic and noise.</p>
<p>Michael Whitten, who represents Tillerson, told the&#160;Wall Street Journal&#160;his client was primarily concerned about the impact the tower would have upon property values.&#160;The plaintiffs bought their homes so they could live in an “upscale community free of industrial properties, tall buildings and other structures that might devalue their properties and adversely impact the rural lifestyle they sought to enjoy,” according to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/water20140220.pdf" type="external">the suit</a>.</p>
<p>Rex W. Tillerson isn’t your typical resident. He’s the CEO and the chairman of the board of ExxonMobil, the third largest corporation in the world, and the company that leads all others in exploring, drilling, extracting, and selling oil and gas. It’s also a company that has had more than its share of political, social, and environmental problems. Tillerson was an engineer when the Exxon Valdez fouled the western shore of the United States in 1989. By 2004, he was the company’s president.</p>
<p>In 2012, Tillerson was given $40.3 million in compensation, including salary, bonus, and stock options, according to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/highest-paid-in-the-u-dot-s-ceos" type="external">Bloomberg News</a>. His company had $453 billion in revenue for the year, and a net income of $45 billion.</p>
<p>When you have that much money, every million or so dollars matters, especially if a large ugly tower impacts not just your view but your quality of life and the value of your property.</p>
<p>Large ugly rigs, the kind that go up when ExxonMobil and other companies begin fracking the earth, also affect the people. The well pads average about eight acres, mostly cut from forests and agricultural areas. Access roads, some of which upset or destroy the ecological balance of nature, need to be built. Other roads receive heavier-than-normal damage because of the number of trucks, often more than 200 a day, that travel to each well site.</p>
<p>As early as 2010, a PennDOT official told the Pennsylvania state legislature that the cost, at that time, to fix the roads was over $260 million. Increased diesel emissions, concentrated in agricultural areas, also affect the health and safety of the people.</p>
<p>The noise from the traffic and from around-the-clock drilling affect the people, causing stress and numerous health issues, according to psychologists Diane Siegmund and Kathryn Vennie, both of whom live in the Marcellus Shale part of Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>When the rigs go up, property values decrease. Banks and mortgage companies are refusing to lend money to families who wish to take out second mortgages or who wish to buy property that has wells on it or is even near a well pad. Insurance companies are not writing policies, even if the homeowner opposes drilling but whose home is near those well pads.</p>
<p>In 2012, Rex W. Tillerson said that opponents of fracking are manufacturing fear, and then laid out a corporate truth when he said that his company has in place “risk mitigation and risk management practices . . . to ensure [oil and gas development] can be developed in a way that mitigates risk—it doesn’t eliminate it, but when you put it into the risk versus benefit balance, it comes back into a balance that most reasonable people in society would say, ‘I can live with that.’”</p>
<p>Thus, the energy industry is telling the people there will be&#160;accidents. There will be deaths. There will be health and&#160;environmental consequences. But, they are acceptable because “mitigation” allows a corporation to accept errors, injuries, illnesses, environmental destruction, and even death if they believe there is a “greater [financial] good” that outweighs those risks.</p>
<p>It is the same argument that Ford used in the 1970s when it <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1977/09/pinto-madness" type="external">decided not to recall</a>and repair the Pinto because it estimated the cost to pay compensation for injuries and deaths from faulty construction would be significantly less than the cost of a recall.</p>
<p>There is something more about Rex W. Tillerson. He’s proud of his association with the Boy Scouts. He’s a former Eagle Scout and was president of the national Boy Scouts of America. (Both the Boy Scouts and ExxonMobil have their headquarters in Irving, Texas.)</p>
<p>Part of the Scout Oath is to “do your duty to God and your country.” A partial interpretation of that is “by working for your country’s good and obeying its laws, you do your duty to your country.” Within the past six months, ExxonMobil has paid more than $5 million in fines and penalties for not obeying the country’s laws.</p>
<p>The 12th part of the Scout Law is to be reverent. A widely-accepted interpretation of that law, according to Scouting Trail, is: “As a Scout experiences the wonders of the outdoors, stormy weather and calm blue skies, pounding surf and trickling streams, bitter cold and stifling heat, towering trees and barren desert, he experiences the work of God. . . . We need to play the role of steward rather than king—tending and caring for our world instead of taking all we can for our own comfort.”</p>
<p>Protesting the construction of a water tower because it might lower property values, even for selfish purposes, is Tillerson’s right as a citizen. But, destroying God’s world to maximize your profits is not his right.</p>
<p>Guest commentator Dr. Brasch, an Eagle Scout and an award-winning journalist, is the author of 20 books. His latest book is&#160; <a href="http://www.greeleyandstone.com/mediaroombooks/frackingpennsylvania.html" type="external">Fracking Pennsylvania</a>, an in-depth investigation of the economic, political, environmental, and health effects of fracking.</p> | true | 4 | dr walter brasch rex w tillerson resident bartonville texas like many neighbors upset city council thats unusual many residents get upset local governing boards went city council meeting express concerns council award construction permit residents upset cross timbers water supply corp planned build 160foot tall water tower tower would adjacent 83acre horse farm tillerson wife owned far residence residents protested filed suit stop construction tower would store water sold companies needed highvolume horizontal fracturing oil gas wells process known fracking well requires three nine million gallons water 10000 tons silica sand 100000 gallons toxic often carcinogen chemicals process horizontal fracking decade old extract oil gas earth presents severe health environmental problems residents visual distance water tower said construction water tower would impact views argued construction tower built would excessive traffic noise michael whitten represents tillerson told the160wall street journal160his client primarily concerned impact tower would upon property values160the plaintiffs bought homes could live upscale community free industrial properties tall buildings structures might devalue properties adversely impact rural lifestyle sought enjoy according suit rex w tillerson isnt typical resident hes ceo chairman board exxonmobil third largest corporation world company leads others exploring drilling extracting selling oil gas also company share political social environmental problems tillerson engineer exxon valdez fouled western shore united states 1989 2004 companys president 2012 tillerson given 403 million compensation including salary bonus stock options according bloomberg news company 453 billion revenue year net income 45 billion much money every million dollars matters especially large ugly tower impacts view quality life value property large ugly rigs kind go exxonmobil companies begin fracking earth also affect people well pads average eight acres mostly cut forests agricultural areas access roads upset destroy ecological balance nature need built roads receive heavierthannormal damage number trucks often 200 day travel well site early 2010 penndot official told pennsylvania state legislature cost time fix roads 260 million increased diesel emissions concentrated agricultural areas also affect health safety people noise traffic aroundtheclock drilling affect people causing stress numerous health issues according psychologists diane siegmund kathryn vennie live marcellus shale part pennsylvania rigs go property values decrease banks mortgage companies refusing lend money families wish take second mortgages wish buy property wells even near well pad insurance companies writing policies even homeowner opposes drilling whose home near well pads 2012 rex w tillerson said opponents fracking manufacturing fear laid corporate truth said company place risk mitigation risk management practices ensure oil gas development developed way mitigates riskit doesnt eliminate put risk versus benefit balance comes back balance reasonable people society would say live thus energy industry telling people be160accidents deaths health and160environmental consequences acceptable mitigation allows corporation accept errors injuries illnesses environmental destruction even death believe greater financial good outweighs risks argument ford used 1970s decided recalland repair pinto estimated cost pay compensation injuries deaths faulty construction would significantly less cost recall something rex w tillerson hes proud association boy scouts hes former eagle scout president national boy scouts america boy scouts exxonmobil headquarters irving texas part scout oath duty god country partial interpretation working countrys good obeying laws duty country within past six months exxonmobil paid 5 million fines penalties obeying countrys laws 12th part scout law reverent widelyaccepted interpretation law according scouting trail scout experiences wonders outdoors stormy weather calm blue skies pounding surf trickling streams bitter cold stifling heat towering trees barren desert experiences work god need play role steward rather kingtending caring world instead taking comfort protesting construction water tower might lower property values even selfish purposes tillersons right citizen destroying gods world maximize profits right guest commentator dr brasch eagle scout awardwinning journalist author 20 books latest book is160 fracking pennsylvania indepth investigation economic political environmental health effects fracking | 618 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />British Ambassador to UN, Matthew Rycroft shakes hands with Raed Saleh, leader of UK funded/created White Helmets. ( <a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewRycroft1/status/856987919222964225" type="external">Photo: Twitter)</a></p>
<p>J. Michael Springman <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-atlantic-council-syria-white-helmets-needed/5586972" type="external">Global Research</a></p>
<p>On April 24, 2017, the Atlantic Council hosted a program promoting the White Helmets, the supposed Syrian Civil Defense force. The event, held in conjunction with its Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, was titled “Ending the War On Civilians: A Discussion With Syria’s While Helmets.” The Council, an allegedly non-partisan Washington, D.C. think tank, asserts that it “shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more secure and prosperous world.”</p>
<p>The group, which had previously awarded the White Helmets its Freedom Award June 5, 2016, definitely wanted to shape policy choices. Like a previous event at Georgetown University in November 2016 (Global Research November 17, 2016:&#160; NATO’s “White Helmets” Are Syria’s “Black Hats” and Georgetown University Supports Them), the occasion was aimed at reinforcing American misconceptions of the legitimate Syrian government.</p>
<p>Throughout the 90 minute event, Jehad Mahamed, Liaison Officer, Syria Civil Defense; Manal Abazeed, Volunteer, Syria Civil Defense; their interpreter, Kenan Rahmani,&#160;Policy Advisor at the Syria Campaign; and Faysal Itani, Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center pushed the idea that the Syrian government was making war only on civilians. They urged the audience of some 20-30 people to pressure the American government to stop the Syrian war and bring peace to the country. According to the glib, seemingly well-rehearsed panelists, the White Helmets couldn’t help the innocent casualties if the Syrian government and the Russians were bombarding them.</p>
<p>The group recounted the problems Syria faced as the result of Bashar al-Assad‘s war:&#160; no jobs, no security, no schools, no education. Six years of conflict has traumatized the country’s children, they said. According to the White Helmets, Iran and Hezbollah aid and plus their militias greatly exacerbate the situation. Those fighters, they claimed, were embedded in the Syrian army. In a surprising twist, the panelists noted that they were sending casualties they had rescued (3,000 from Deraa alone) to Israel and Jordan for treatment. Israel, the representatives asserted, had the most open borders in the region.</p>
<p>In response to a question from the Hariri Center’s Faysal Itani, Jehad Mohamed claimed that President Donald J. Trump‘s Tomahawk strike had brought them new hope. Prior to that, Mohamed opined that the situation was desperate&#160; because of barrel bombs and “well-documented”&#160; poison gas attacks. No one could stand up to the Syrian government he contended. Manal Abazeed argued that Trump’s strike ended their despair. She thought that someone will finally stop the killing and terminate the hostilities. Apparently arguing for more American attacks, Abazeed said that one strike was not enough. She alleged that air bases, other than the one Trump bombed, were still launching air raids on civilians.</p>
<p>The panelists insisted that they were apolitical, seeking only an end to war. They just wanted the United States to build a movement to stop the conflict. Amazingly, despite subsisting on funds and monies from other countries such as Japan, they said they don’t need outside support or finances. They only wanted to reach the American people and obtain needed funds for Syrian families. Additionally, they went on to say they helped anyone who needed their aid and did not ask if they were for or against the Syrian government.</p>
<p>A member of the audience, Alex Abouhuessein, spoke up and said that Washington, D.C. needs people to tell the real story about Syria. Continuing, she held that few people here really know what is going on in that country. Another, Mohammed Ghanem, from the Syrian American Council, thanked the panelists and all the White Helmets for their heroic work. He maintained that anyone questioning the “Syrian Civil Defense” was a conspiracy theorist.</p>
<p>When several audience members probed the White Helmets’ ties to NATO’s intelligence services and their funding or the Helmets’ links to terrorists, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, the only response given was a smirk. That included a question on their belief that the United States really cares about Syria. However, when one woman asked them about their vague concept of “safe zones”, they happily launched into an explication of how all the countries of the region needed to create them and establish “no fly zones” as well. The podium members quickly backtracked when the interlocutor quizzed them about Israel’s participation and would it end its aerial attacks on Syrian installations. The speedily revised story was that Israel was bombing THEIR army, Syria’s army. The panelists wanted all bombing to stop, including that by the Russians and the Israelis.</p>
<p>The White Helmets added that there were not enough sanctions on Syria and the present ones were ineffective.</p>
<p>The existing measures, such as limiting travel by government bureaucrats, did not prevent Syria from buying oil from ISIS or Iran, they noted. Failure to pressure the regime kept it running. This made it hard, as Abazeed said, for them to teach others their rescue techniques, including, astonishingly, their new-found ability to defuse land mines and disarm unexploded munitions. The White Helmet volunteer added they could lend their expertise to other countries, such as those devastated by earthquakes.</p>
<p>The Atlantic Council is, obviously, an arm of the neocon Establishment. Its policies, such as promoting the White Helmet extremists, come directly from its deplorable Directors, people such as:&#160; Richard L. Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State; Dennis Blair, former United States Director of National Intelligence; Wesley K. Clark, retired General and former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe for NATO; Stuart E. Eizenstat, previous holder of high level positions at the Commerce, State, Treasury Departments as well as the White House; &#160;and David H. Petraeus, retired General, 10th head, US Central Command, and one-time CIA Director.</p>
<p>To find sources of fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and blatant propaganda, you needn’t go any further than Washington, D.C. think tanks.</p>
<p>J. Michael Springman quesitons the White Helmets during the Atlantic Council conference. WATCH ~</p>
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<p>***</p>
<p>LINKS &amp;&#160;MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WHITE HELMETS:</p>
<p>Original investigative report:&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The REAL Syria Civil Defence&#160;Exposes Fake White Helmets as Terrorist-Linked Imposters</a></p>
<p>White Helmets: ‘A Pseudo&#160;NGO’ <a href="" type="internal">CrossTalk: ‘White Helmets, Really?’ with Vanessa Beeley, Eva Bartlett &amp; Patrick Henningsen</a></p>
<p>Report by Patrick Henningsen <a href="" type="internal">AN INTRODUCTION: Smart Power &amp; The Human Rights Industrial Complex</a></p>
<p>Open Letter by Vanessa Beeley <a href="" type="internal">White Helmets Campaign for War NOT Peace – Retract RLA &amp; Nobel Peace Prize Nominations</a></p>
<p>Staged&#160;Rescue Videos <a href="" type="internal">(VIDEO) White Helmets: Miraculous ‘Rag Doll Rescue’</a></p>
<p>Mainstream Media: Fake News <a href="" type="internal">CNN’s Claim That ‘White Helmets Center in Damascus’ Was Hit by a Barrel Bomb</a></p>
<p>White Helmets and Mayday Rescue: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_Defense" type="external">The Syrian Civil Defence: Wikipedia</a></p>
<p>21st Century Wire compilation of key information&#160;on the White Helmets: <a href="" type="internal">Who are the Syria White Helmets?</a></p>
<p>21st Century Wire article on the White Helmets: &#160; <a href="" type="internal">Syria’s White Helmets: War by Way of Deception ~ the “Moderate” Executioners</a></p>
<p>Cory Morningstar report: <a href="http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/2014/09/17/syria-avaaz-purpose-the-art-of-selling-hate-for-empire/" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/2014/09/17/syria-avaaz-purpose-the-art-of-selling-hate-for-empire/" type="external">Investigation into the funding sources of the White Helmets, Avaaz, Purpose, The Syria Campaign</a></p>
<p>Report by Scott Ritter: <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/white_helmets_inherent_contradiction_americas_syria_policy_20161005" type="external">The ‘White Helmets’ and the Inherent Contradiction of America’s Syria Policy</a></p>
<p>Open letter to Canada’s NDP Leader on Nobel Prize: <a href="" type="internal">Letter to NDP from Prof. John Ryan protesting White Helmet nomination for RLA and Nobel Peace Prize</a></p>
<p>White Helmets: Bogus Claims: <a href="" type="internal">‘We Saved 60,000’ – Bogus Claim by Syria’s White Helmets Raises Even More Questions</a></p>
<p>READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: <a href="" type="internal">21st Century Wire Syria Files</a></p>
<p>SUPPORT 21WIRE – SUBSCRIBE &amp; BECOME A MEMBER @ <a href="https://21wire.tv/membership/plans/" type="external">21WIRE.TV</a></p> | true | 4 | british ambassador un matthew rycroft shakes hands raed saleh leader uk fundedcreated white helmets photo twitter j michael springman global research april 24 2017 atlantic council hosted program promoting white helmets supposed syrian civil defense force event held conjunction rafik hariri center middle east titled ending war civilians discussion syrias helmets council allegedly nonpartisan washington dc think tank asserts shapes policy choices strategies create secure prosperous world group previously awarded white helmets freedom award june 5 2016 definitely wanted shape policy choices like previous event georgetown university november 2016 global research november 17 2016160 natos white helmets syrias black hats georgetown university supports occasion aimed reinforcing american misconceptions legitimate syrian government throughout 90 minute event jehad mahamed liaison officer syria civil defense manal abazeed volunteer syria civil defense interpreter kenan rahmani160policy advisor syria campaign faysal itani senior fellow rafik hariri center pushed idea syrian government making war civilians urged audience 2030 people pressure american government stop syrian war bring peace country according glib seemingly wellrehearsed panelists white helmets couldnt help innocent casualties syrian government russians bombarding group recounted problems syria faced result bashar alassads war160 jobs security schools education six years conflict traumatized countrys children said according white helmets iran hezbollah aid plus militias greatly exacerbate situation fighters claimed embedded syrian army surprising twist panelists noted sending casualties rescued 3000 deraa alone israel jordan treatment israel representatives asserted open borders region response question hariri centers faysal itani jehad mohamed claimed president donald j trumps tomahawk strike brought new hope prior mohamed opined situation desperate160 barrel bombs welldocumented160 poison gas attacks one could stand syrian government contended manal abazeed argued trumps strike ended despair thought someone finally stop killing terminate hostilities apparently arguing american attacks abazeed said one strike enough alleged air bases one trump bombed still launching air raids civilians panelists insisted apolitical seeking end war wanted united states build movement stop conflict amazingly despite subsisting funds monies countries japan said dont need outside support finances wanted reach american people obtain needed funds syrian families additionally went say helped anyone needed aid ask syrian government member audience alex abouhuessein spoke said washington dc needs people tell real story syria continuing held people really know going country another mohammed ghanem syrian american council thanked panelists white helmets heroic work maintained anyone questioning syrian civil defense conspiracy theorist several audience members probed white helmets ties natos intelligence services funding helmets links terrorists jabhat alnusra response given smirk included question belief united states really cares syria however one woman asked vague concept safe zones happily launched explication countries region needed create establish fly zones well podium members quickly backtracked interlocutor quizzed israels participation would end aerial attacks syrian installations speedily revised story israel bombing army syrias army panelists wanted bombing stop including russians israelis white helmets added enough sanctions syria present ones ineffective existing measures limiting travel government bureaucrats prevent syria buying oil isis iran noted failure pressure regime kept running made hard abazeed said teach others rescue techniques including astonishingly newfound ability defuse land mines disarm unexploded munitions white helmet volunteer added could lend expertise countries devastated earthquakes atlantic council obviously arm neocon establishment policies promoting white helmet extremists come directly deplorable directors people as160 richard l armitage former deputy secretary state dennis blair former united states director national intelligence wesley k clark retired general former supreme allied commander europe nato stuart e eizenstat previous holder high level positions commerce state treasury departments well white house 160and david h petraeus retired general 10th head us central command onetime cia director find sources fake news misinformation disinformation blatant propaganda neednt go washington dc think tanks j michael springman quesitons white helmets atlantic council conference watch media error formats supported sources found links amp160more information white helmets original investigative report160 real syria civil defence160exposes fake white helmets terroristlinked imposters white helmets pseudo160ngo crosstalk white helmets really vanessa beeley eva bartlett amp patrick henningsen report patrick henningsen introduction smart power amp human rights industrial complex open letter vanessa beeley white helmets campaign war peace retract rla amp nobel peace prize nominations staged160rescue videos video white helmets miraculous rag doll rescue mainstream media fake news cnns claim white helmets center damascus hit barrel bomb white helmets mayday rescue syrian civil defence wikipedia 21st century wire compilation key information160on white helmets syria white helmets 21st century wire article white helmets 160 syrias white helmets war way deception moderate executioners cory morningstar report investigation funding sources white helmets avaaz purpose syria campaign report scott ritter white helmets inherent contradiction americas syria policy open letter canadas ndp leader nobel prize letter ndp prof john ryan protesting white helmet nomination rla nobel peace prize 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<p>An election race you may have missed last November found Fred Horch losing to the Democratic candidate, Alex Cornell du Houx, by less than 150 votes. Horch also beat the Republican candidate by over 250 votes.</p>
<p>Horch was the Independent Green candidate and the reason you may not have heard about this race was that it was for state representative in the town of Brunswick, Maine, and involved less that 4,000 voters.</p>
<p>Which makes it all the more odd that I kept seeing TV commercials for Horch’s Democratic opponent including one that featured former governor Angus King.</p>
<p>State representative seats don’t usually merit that sort of attention and a Green opponent hardly ever.</p>
<p>But in Maine, Greens actually matter and the Democrats take them quite seriously. In fact, a few years back when Green John Eder was elected to the legislature with 65% of the vote, the Democrats sought to correct that scary development by redistricting him. And Greens have popped up elsewhere such as on the charter commission and the council of the state’s large city, Portland.</p>
<p>Part of it stems from a different view of life and politics. After all, Maine has elected more independent governors than any other state. But part of it comes from the Greens representing the best – rather than the most radical – values of the state, which inclines many to regard them more as missionaries than as troublemakers.</p>
<p>For example, Maine – as much as any state in the union – has come to come to accept and integrate ecologically sound approaches to life with remarkably little ideological uproar. After all, even moose hunters want to preserve the wild. The argument is over process more than principle.</p>
<p>Which is why a small election in Brunswick may have some large implications.</p>
<p>Starting with the fact the Fred Horch was a small business owner – operating a sustainable products store on Brunswick’s main street.</p>
<p>Small business owners are among the most neglected of America’s political constituencies. Sure, pols talk about them but they rarely lift a finger to help them, and that goes for Democrats, Republicans and Greens.</p>
<p>There are others left behind and one could create a powerful party based simply on combining the forgotten – groups like fiscally threatened homeowners; those under 25 trying to find a decent job let alone a career; small farmers; and people living in small towns, Throw in endlessly harassed pot smokers and you’ve got yourself quite a power base.</p>
<p>But even Greens don’t usually think that way. That’s why folks like Horch are interesting. Here’s a clip from his <a href="http://fredhorch.org/" type="external">web site</a>:</p>
<p>I live, work and play in downtown Brunswick: ice skating on the downtown rink, bicycling on errands around town, attending ball games with my kids, and running my store, F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods &amp; Supplies on Maine Street.</p>
<p>My family and I love Brunswick and all it offers. My wife is a professor at Bowdoin College. Our children attend public school in Brunswick. I walk or bike to work every day. . .</p>
<p>Each month I publish a Green Tidings, an email newsletter sent to thousands of people in Maine listing local community and environmental events, and offering a “Sustainable Living Tip” of practical steps to promote environmental well being. Each month my store hosts a free sustainable living work shop, inviting in local experts to talk about practical ways to achieve personal sustainability — from backyard composting to roof-top solar power.</p>
<p>Through my store I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of meeting thousands of people from all walks of life in Brunswick. Just about every day I’m asked to support a local school, community group, or town committee with my time, expertise or financial contribution. I’m always happy to do so. Because I respect the dedication behind every request, I do my best to stretch my limited resources to have the most positive impact on our community. But there is only so much I can do as a private citizen. Many of our needs can only be met through changes in our laws, regulations, and public funding decisions made by our representatives in government.</p>
<p>Note the emphasis on being an integral part of the community. John Eder, had a similar feel, as described by Wikipedia:</p>
<p>As a first-time candidate in 2002, Eder took nearly 65% of the vote. His victory was in large part due to his strategy of bucking political convention and engaging Portland’s youth voters between the ages of 18-35 who turned out to support him. His Democratic opponent, who had run for office in the past, received 35%. Eder convinced the Republican candidate to leave the race. Eder had widespread support from Democrats, Republicans, Greens, independents, small business owners, and active members of organizations such as the NAACP and the Maine People’s Alliance. Eder was endorsed by Maine Friends of Animals and the Maine Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance, and by Representative Michael Quint. Eder received the endorsement of all three Portland area newspapers: Portland Press Herald, The Portland Phoenix, and Casco Bay Weekly. Eder’s campaign was managed by crime novel writer Patrick Quinlan, author of Smoked.</p>
<p>In 2003 Eder was voted Portland’s Best Politician in a readers poll conducted by that city’s alternative weekly newspaper, the Portland Phoenix, just as redistricting in Maine was threatening to unseat Eder by separating him from his base of support in Portland’s West End. The redistricting was seen by many as a deliberate effort by legislative Democrats to oust Eder. In response, Eder moved his residence to rejoin the district he had previously represented and face off against Democratic incumbent Rep. Edward J. Suslovic. In the end, his Democratic opponent found he couldn’t compete against Eder’s strong base of support. Eder won with 51% and became the only Green ever to be reelected to a State Legislature.</p>
<p>Horch and Eder are examples of backyard Greens, whose influence spreads virally through human contact and experience and not through the mass media. It’s the way every great drive for social change has worked in America – the abolitionists, the populists, the early socialists, and the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, too many Green leaders have read too much Marx and not enough American history.</p>
<p>The big parties gave up human relationships long ago. Which is why we have such a hard time relating to them. But you can’t text your way to the presidency, you can’t Facebook a revolution and you can’t save the planet with Twitter. At some point real people have to join with, talk to, and help other real people.</p>
<p>Which is why a Green small business owner in Brunswick did so well and why so many others could learn something from the story.</p>
<p>SAM SMITH edits the Progressive Review.</p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | election race may missed last november found fred horch losing democratic candidate alex cornell du houx less 150 votes horch also beat republican candidate 250 votes horch independent green candidate reason may heard race state representative town brunswick maine involved less 4000 voters makes odd kept seeing tv commercials horchs democratic opponent including one featured former governor angus king state representative seats dont usually merit sort attention green opponent hardly ever maine greens actually matter democrats take quite seriously fact years back green john eder elected legislature 65 vote democrats sought correct scary development redistricting greens popped elsewhere charter commission council states large city portland part stems different view life politics maine elected independent governors state part comes greens representing best rather radical values state inclines many regard missionaries troublemakers example maine much state union come come accept integrate ecologically sound approaches life remarkably little ideological uproar even moose hunters want preserve wild argument process principle small election brunswick may large implications starting fact fred horch small business owner operating sustainable products store brunswicks main street small business owners among neglected americas political constituencies sure pols talk rarely lift finger help goes democrats republicans greens others left behind one could create powerful party based simply combining forgotten groups like fiscally threatened homeowners 25 trying find decent job let alone career small farmers people living small towns throw endlessly harassed pot smokers youve got quite power base even greens dont usually think way thats folks like horch interesting heres clip web site live work play downtown brunswick ice skating downtown rink bicycling errands around town attending ball games kids running store fw horch sustainable goods amp supplies maine street family love brunswick offers wife professor bowdoin college children attend public school brunswick walk bike work every day month publish green tidings email newsletter sent thousands people maine listing local community environmental events offering sustainable living tip practical steps promote environmental well month store hosts free sustainable living work shop inviting local experts talk practical ways achieve personal sustainability backyard composting rooftop solar power store ive privilege pleasure meeting thousands people walks life brunswick every day im asked support local school community group town committee time expertise financial contribution im always happy respect dedication behind every request best stretch limited resources positive impact community much private citizen many needs met changes laws regulations public funding decisions made representatives government note emphasis integral part community john eder similar feel described wikipedia firsttime candidate 2002 eder took nearly 65 vote victory large part due strategy bucking political convention engaging portlands youth voters ages 1835 turned support democratic opponent run office past received 35 eder convinced republican candidate leave race eder widespread support democrats republicans greens independents small business owners active members organizations naacp maine peoples alliance eder endorsed maine friends animals maine lesbian gay political alliance representative michael quint eder received endorsement three portland area newspapers portland press herald portland phoenix casco bay weekly eders campaign managed crime novel writer patrick quinlan author smoked 2003 eder voted portlands best politician readers poll conducted citys alternative weekly newspaper portland phoenix redistricting maine threatening unseat eder separating base support portlands west end redistricting seen many deliberate effort legislative democrats oust eder response eder moved residence rejoin district previously represented face democratic incumbent rep edward j suslovic end democratic opponent found couldnt compete eders strong base support eder 51 became green ever reelected state legislature horch eder examples backyard greens whose influence spreads virally human contact experience mass media way every great drive social change worked america abolitionists populists early socialists civil rights movement unfortunately many green leaders read much marx enough american history big parties gave human relationships long ago hard time relating cant text way presidency cant facebook revolution cant save planet twitter point real people join talk help real people green small business owner brunswick well many others could learn something story sam smith edits progressive review 160 | 654 |
<p>Pro-choice demonstrators march to the US Capitol in 1971.Associated Press</p>
<p />
<p>Like many Democrats, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, who is now in her 12th term representing Illinois’ 12th district, didn’t expect Donald Trump to win the presidency. But on November 9, Feigenholtz, a longtime champion of women’s health measures in the General Assembly, realized that Trump’s campaign trail talk about appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade could become a reality.</p>
<p>“We thought we wouldn’t have to worry about this stuff,”&#160;Feigenholtz says, “but the new administration has been a wake-up call. I had to stop and say, ‘Okay, now what? How do we protect women?'”</p>
<p>She was especially concerned about an obscure 40-year-old provision in Illinois’ criminal code, one of a <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/abortion-policy-absence-roe" type="external">number of measures</a>in 10 states across the country, that anticipate a time when the Supreme Court reverses itself on abortion. They are often referred to as “trigger laws,” because even though each state’s provision works a bit differently, the measures are “triggered” by the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Should that occur, these states commit to making abortion illegal in all cases, except to protect a mother’s life, just as it was before the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling. (In four states, the trigger law makes the switch back to illegal abortion automatic.)</p>
<p>Feigenholtz was familiar with Illinois’ trigger clause from her previous work on women’s health measures in the General Assembly. After the election, she contacted local pro-choice advocates, including chapters of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, to float the idea of proposing a measure to void Illinois’ trigger law, as part of a bigger bill that seeks to expand abortion access by including abortion care in Medicaid and state employee health coverage. The bill she introduced in January, <a href="http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=40&amp;GAID=14&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=99242&amp;SessionID=91&amp;GA=100" type="external">HB 40</a>, proposes cutting Illinois’ trigger language and affirming the state’s commitment to uphold abortion rights, no matter what happens in Washington.&#160;</p>
<p>Many such laws, <a href="http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1928&amp;ChapterID=53" type="external">including the one in Illinois</a>, go even further, saying that if Roe is overturned, the state intends to renew their so-called “policy” that life begins at conception. This approach could not only affect the legality of abortion but also common forms of birth control, such as Plan B or IUDs, which some anti-abortion advocates consider to be abortifacients despite <a href="http://www.acog.org/-/media/Departments/Government-Relations-and-Outreach/FactsAreImportantEC.pdf?dmc=1" type="external">medical consensus</a> to the contrary.</p>
<p>“After the passage of Roe, a handful of states said, ‘If we can ever go back, we want to go back,'” says Daniela Kraiem, the associate director of the women and the law program at the Washington College of Law at American University. “The point of those laws, up until now, has been largely symbolic,” she says, a way for states to “allow women to exercise their constitutional rights, but under protest.”</p>
<p>With the commitment of Trump and Pence to overturning Roe, these laws may no longer be only symbolic. Feigenholtz was motivated to try to undo Illinois’ trigger law before any Supreme Court decision, but Texas state Sen. Bob Hall had the opposite idea: He introduced a new trigger law earlier this month. “I think there might be a real possibility that a Supreme Court in the near future just might overturn Roe v. Wade,” Hall told the <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/amp/Lawmaker-wants-to-position-Texas-to-outlaw-10907336.php" type="external">Houston Chronicle</a>. “If they were to do that, then this would put in place in Texas that abortions would be illegal.” (Hall’s office did not respond to requests for comment from Mother Jones.)</p>
<p>The process of overturning Roe and removing the constitutional guarantee of the right to an abortion is not a given and would take some time. With the need for another opening on the Supreme Court, a confirmation process for a new justice, and a strong case that would move through the lower courts, Feigenholtz acknowledges that the Illinois trigger law would likely not be activated in the immediate future. But with the Senate confirmation process for Judge Neil Gorsuch set to begin sometime in March—Trump’s first step toward building a conservative majority on the high court—she is concerned about a return to “frightening times.”</p>
<p>“I just turned 60. I remember a lot. I remember pooling money for friends and putting them on buses and sending them to New York. Women were having abortions unsafely and dying in sepsis units in hospitals,” she says. “If it’s in the statute, women are at risk.”</p>
<p>If the Supreme Court did overturn Roe, the enforceability of these trigger clauses is complicated and difficult to predict, Kraiem explains. For instance, six states—Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio—enshrine only their intention to revert back to pre-Roe policies, without requiring an automatic switch. Since a number of those legislatures tend to skew conservative, that intention could very quickly become law.</p>
<p>“If you look at this list of states, there are a bunch where it would be easy to pass an abortion ban very, very quickly,” says Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that tracks abortion legislation.</p>
<p>All this legal uncertainty virtually guarantees that, in practice, the effect of trigger laws would be “immediate” Kraiem says. “When all of a sudden, it may be illegal, there are going to be very few doctors willing to perform the procedure at that point,” she says. “It creates a chilling effect.” Litigation would likely attempt to resolve what exactly each trigger law does and doesn’t require, Kraiem says. But women who need to terminate pregnancies will not have the luxury of waiting for legal resolution. “There will be an immediate harm to women,” she says.</p>
<p>Feigenholtz’ proposed bill to protect abortion access in Illinois in the event of Roe‘s demise also has implications for women across the Midwest. In recent years, women from neighboring states have <a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160705/NEWS/307059984" type="external">increasingly sought abortion care</a> in Illinois, because their home states have enacted some of the country’s toughest restrictions on abortion. Missouri, for instance, has only one remaining abortion clinic, while Ohio and Wisconsin both have mandatory pre-abortion waiting periods and ultrasound requirements, prohibitions on public funding for most abortions, 20-week abortion bans, and more. In 2016, Planned Parenthood of Illinois saw a spike in visits from residents of neighboring states, especially from Indiana, where as governor, Vice President Pence enacted a <a href="" type="internal">slew of abortion restrictions</a>, including a prohibition on women choosing abortion because of fetal disability and a requirement that aborted fetuses be <a href="" type="internal">buried or cremated</a>. <a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160705/NEWS/307059984" type="external">More than half</a> of all Illinois Planned Parenthood visits from Pence’s home state in 2016 were for abortions.</p>
<p>Personal PAC, which works to advance reproductive rights in Illinois, helped gather <a href="http://my.ilga.gov/Hearing/WitnessSlipInfo/99242?hearingid=14161&amp;LegislationDocumentId=126277&amp;HCommittees2%2F14%2F2017-page=1&amp;committeeid=0&amp;chamber=H&amp;nodays=7&amp;_=1486472202130" type="external">more than 8,000</a> statements in support of Feigenholtz’s bill, which passed out of committee last week and will now go to the Illinois House for a vote. Personal PAC’s president and CEO, Terry Cosgrove, says that in the event that Roe is overturned, he believes the courts would ultimately find trigger clauses enforceable. “In the age of Donald Trump,” he says, “I don’t think we can count on the judiciary.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | prochoice demonstrators march us capitol 1971associated press like many democrats state rep sara feigenholtz 12th term representing illinois 12th district didnt expect donald trump win presidency november 9 feigenholtz longtime champion womens health measures general assembly realized trumps campaign trail talk appointing conservative supreme court justices would overturn roe v wade could become reality thought wouldnt worry stuff160feigenholtz says new administration wakeup call stop say okay protect women especially concerned obscure 40yearold provision illinois criminal code one number measuresin 10 states across country anticipate time supreme court reverses abortion often referred trigger laws even though states provision works bit differently measures triggered reversal roe v wade occur states commit making abortion illegal cases except protect mothers life supreme courts 1973 ruling four states trigger law makes switch back illegal abortion automatic feigenholtz familiar illinois trigger clause previous work womens health measures general assembly election contacted local prochoice advocates including chapters aclu planned parenthood float idea proposing measure void illinois trigger law part bigger bill seeks expand abortion access including abortion care medicaid state employee health coverage bill introduced january hb 40 proposes cutting illinois trigger language affirming states commitment uphold abortion rights matter happens washington160 many laws including one illinois go even saying roe overturned state intends renew socalled policy life begins conception approach could affect legality abortion also common forms birth control plan b iuds antiabortion advocates consider abortifacients despite medical consensus contrary passage roe handful states said ever go back want go back says daniela kraiem associate director women law program washington college law american university point laws largely symbolic says way states allow women exercise constitutional rights protest commitment trump pence overturning roe laws may longer symbolic feigenholtz motivated try undo illinois trigger law supreme court decision texas state sen bob hall opposite idea introduced new trigger law earlier month think might real possibility supreme court near future might overturn roe v wade hall told houston chronicle would put place texas abortions would illegal halls office respond requests comment mother jones process overturning roe removing constitutional guarantee right abortion given would take time need another opening supreme court confirmation process new justice strong case would move lower courts feigenholtz acknowledges illinois trigger law would likely activated immediate future senate confirmation process judge neil gorsuch set begin sometime marchtrumps first step toward building conservative majority high courtshe concerned return frightening times turned 60 remember lot remember pooling money friends putting buses sending new york women abortions unsafely dying sepsis units hospitals says statute women risk supreme court overturn roe enforceability trigger clauses complicated difficult predict kraiem explains instance six statesarkansas illinois kansas kentucky missouri ohioenshrine intention revert back preroe policies without requiring automatic switch since number legislatures tend skew conservative intention could quickly become law look list states bunch would easy pass abortion ban quickly says elizabeth nash guttmacher institute nonprofit tracks abortion legislation legal uncertainty virtually guarantees practice effect trigger laws would immediate kraiem says sudden may illegal going doctors willing perform procedure point says creates chilling effect litigation would likely attempt resolve exactly trigger law doesnt require kraiem says women need terminate pregnancies luxury waiting legal resolution immediate harm women says feigenholtz proposed bill protect abortion access illinois event roes demise also implications women across midwest recent years women neighboring states increasingly sought abortion care illinois home states enacted countrys toughest restrictions abortion missouri instance one remaining abortion clinic ohio wisconsin mandatory preabortion waiting periods ultrasound requirements prohibitions public funding abortions 20week abortion bans 2016 planned parenthood illinois saw spike visits residents neighboring states especially indiana governor vice president pence enacted slew abortion restrictions including prohibition women choosing abortion fetal disability requirement aborted fetuses buried cremated half illinois planned parenthood visits pences home state 2016 abortions personal pac works advance reproductive rights illinois helped gather 8000 statements support feigenholtzs bill passed committee last week go illinois house vote personal pacs president ceo terry cosgrove says event roe overturned believes courts would ultimately find trigger clauses enforceable age donald trump says dont think count judiciary | 668 |
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