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<p>Humans are strange creatures. We sleepwalk, pick our noses, and name our cars. Some of us like black licorice and some of us are <a href="http://www.fearof.net/fear-of-cotton-balls-phobia-sidonglobophobia/" type="external">afraid of cotton balls</a>. Of all our idiosyncratic tendencies, our attachment to things—blankets, stuffed animals, toys, vehicles, smartphones—is particularly common and sheds light on how humans feel about robots, and why.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">In the movie Her, Theodore Twombly falls in love with Samantha</a>, an artificially intelligent operating system. In Ex Machina, Caleb falls in love with the sentient robot Ada. Both Samantha and Ada are conscious—like humans, they experience the world objectively and subjectively, and both express emotions, genuine or not, toward the human characters. It’s easy to understand <a href="" type="internal">why these lonely men fall for them,</a> especially given Ada’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/15/ex-machina-sexy-female-robots-scifi-film-obsession" type="external">sexualized appearance</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Samantha’s husky ScarJo voice</a>.</p>
<p>But these are just movies. In the real world, robots aren’t conscious (and the jury’s out on whether they ever will be). They can’t feel anything. No matter how advanced or humanlike, robots are comprised of circuits, cameras, and algorithms. They’re machines, or as Isaac Asimov often argues, they’re tools, not beings. But if that’s the case, what explains our feelings for them?</p>
<p>The more humanlike a robot seems in both appearance and ability, the easier it is for us to project human thoughts and feelings onto them (this effect is even more <a href="" type="internal">pronounced in Japan</a>, where followers of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shinto" type="external">Shinto</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism" type="external">animism</a> believe that objects can have souls). Anthropomorphizing is a natural human tendency, as our understanding of the world and everything in it is based on our own experiences. We personify all kinds of objects—we refer to a trusty vehicle as “old girl,” feel nagged when our alarm clocks scream at us to wake up, and experience irritation or sympathy as our dated computer limps along, struggling to obey our commands.</p>
<p>We do this with robots, too. MIT researcher Kate Darling <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BGDFqwYTpA" type="external">conducts experiments</a> in which people play with <a href="http://www.pleoworld.com/pleo_rb/eng/index.php" type="external">Pleos</a>, small mechanized dinosaurs, and are then asked to “ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAVtkh0mL20&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">torture</a>” them. Participants often can’t bear to do it and can’t watch when others do, even though they know Pleos can’t feel anything. The exercise really isn’t about the Pleo at all—it’s about the human participants and their feelings. It doesn’t matter that their attachment only goes in one direction. The more affection someone feels for an object or a robot, the stronger the tendency to anthropomorphize becomes. Think back to your favorite childhood toy—perhaps a stuffed animal or a blanket. How would you feel if someone ripped it apart? You’d experience some degree of anguish even though you know your stuffed animal can’t feel pain and doesn’t know what’s happening.</p>
<p>This is exactly what happens when humans interact with “social” or interactive robots that narrow the gap between machines and people by making sounds (Pleos’ whimpers contribute to people’s horror at their mistreatment), mimicking facial expressions, or reacting physically to their surroundings. And if you think only the bleeding hearts among us are susceptible to anthropomorphizing, think again.</p>
<p>Robots such as the <a href="http://www.army-technology.com/projects/talon-tracked-military-robot/" type="external">TALON 3B</a> find and defuse land mines in war zones. Often, this results in the robot blowing itself up, losing limbs and other parts. This is the purpose of such robots—better a machine lose an arm or a life than a human. But the officers and cadets working with the robots don’t necessarily feel this way. An <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/05/AR2007050501009.html" type="external">Army colonel put an end to a military exercise</a> in which a persistent TALON robot lost all but one leg because it was “inhumane.” Soldiers award robots with Purple Hearts and sometimes refuse to leave them behind. Military personnel develop close bonds when they depend on one another for survival; the same goes for the robots that help them.</p>
<p>When it comes to our emotional responses to robots, something in the human brain overrides reason. It doesn’t matter that the robot can’t feel or think. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Schulte/publication/260216503_Investigations_on_empathy_towards_humans_and_robots_using_fMRI/links/5434f5700cf2dc341daf5e18/Investigations-on-empathy-towards-humans-and-robots-using-fMRI.pdf" type="external">A group of German researchers conducted a study</a> in which they showed subjects two sets of videos—one of an anonymous person interacting affectionately with a Pleo and another of that person interacting violently with it. The 40 subjects had an observable negative response to the negative videos, measured primarily via increased perspiration. The researchers repeated the experiment with three sets of videos: one of human-Pleo interaction, another of positive and negative interactions between two humans, and the last of a human interacting with a cardboard box. This time, they measured 14 subjects’ responses with an fMRI scanner. The results revealed the subjects’ positive feelings upon watching the human’s friendly interaction with the Pleo. While the subjects responded most negatively to the video of human on human violence, they also responded negatively to the Pleo-directed violence. Most interestingly, their frontal lobe and limbic systems responded similarly when they watched the negative treatment of Pleo and a human. In other words, humans respond with more empathy to other humans, but they also respond with observable empathy toward robots.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15924" type="external">Another recent study conducted by Japan researchers</a> confirms these findings by measuring humans’ responses to photos of intact human and robot hands and photos in which their hands are being cut with scissors or a knife. Researchers measured the participants’ responses with EEG scans, which indicated that the subjects experienced similar visceral responses to images of human and robot hands in painful situations.</p>
<p>Human empathy toward robots is perhaps the most compelling argument for robot rights or protections—a topic for a future column.</p>
<p>Such studies also help explain the existence of real-life Theodore Twomblys. People have already begun to develop deep feelings for <a href="http://gizmodo.com/367698/technosexual-one-mans-tale-of-robot-love" type="external">robots</a>, AI, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2017/01/30/what-life-is-like-living-with-a-love-doll-in-japan/?utm_term=.1ac234e1baa7" type="external">love dolls</a>, and <a href="https://youtu.be/26mWFuOWwuU" type="external">video game</a> or anime characters. This also means that robots and/or their human creators can leverage human empathy through emotional mimicry and bonding. Researchers from Munich conducted a study demonstrating that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgwOWLCSWxs&amp;spfreload=1" type="external">when robots mirror human emotions</a> by smiling back at them or matching their level of enthusiasm, humans are more disposed to help them complete a task.</p>
<p>Human emotion is a tricky beast. Some see it as a weakness, given that emotions can cause humans to act impulsively and irrationally. Others see it as a strength, as emotions such as fear have long played a crucial role in human survival. The ability to feel emotion is currently a crucial difference between humans and robots, yet that gap is shifting, if not closing, now that robots have become objects of our affection.</p> | true | 4 | humans strange creatures sleepwalk pick noses name cars us like black licorice us afraid cotton balls idiosyncratic tendencies attachment thingsblankets stuffed animals toys vehicles smartphonesis particularly common sheds light humans feel robots movie theodore twombly falls love samantha artificially intelligent operating system ex machina caleb falls love sentient robot ada samantha ada consciouslike humans experience world objectively subjectively express emotions genuine toward human characters easy understand lonely men fall especially given adas sexualized appearance samanthas husky scarjo voice movies real world robots arent conscious jurys whether ever cant feel anything matter advanced humanlike robots comprised circuits cameras algorithms theyre machines isaac asimov often argues theyre tools beings thats case explains feelings humanlike robot seems appearance ability easier us project human thoughts feelings onto effect even pronounced japan followers shinto animism believe objects souls anthropomorphizing natural human tendency understanding world everything based experiences personify kinds objectswe refer trusty vehicle old girl feel nagged alarm clocks scream us wake experience irritation sympathy dated computer limps along struggling obey commands robots mit researcher kate darling conducts experiments people play pleos small mechanized dinosaurs asked torture participants often cant bear cant watch others even though know pleos cant feel anything exercise really isnt pleo allits human participants feelings doesnt matter attachment goes one direction affection someone feels object robot stronger tendency anthropomorphize becomes think back favorite childhood toyperhaps stuffed animal blanket would feel someone ripped apart youd experience degree anguish even though know stuffed animal cant feel pain doesnt know whats happening exactly happens humans interact social interactive robots narrow gap machines people making sounds pleos whimpers contribute peoples horror mistreatment mimicking facial expressions reacting physically surroundings think bleeding hearts among us susceptible anthropomorphizing think robots talon 3b find defuse land mines war zones often results robot blowing losing limbs parts purpose robotsbetter machine lose arm life human officers cadets working robots dont necessarily feel way army colonel put end military exercise persistent talon robot lost one leg inhumane soldiers award robots purple hearts sometimes refuse leave behind military personnel develop close bonds depend one another survival goes robots help comes emotional responses robots something human brain overrides reason doesnt matter robot cant feel think group german researchers conducted study showed subjects two sets videosone anonymous person interacting affectionately pleo another person interacting violently 40 subjects observable negative response negative videos measured primarily via increased perspiration researchers repeated experiment three sets videos one humanpleo interaction another positive negative interactions two humans last human interacting cardboard box time measured 14 subjects responses fmri scanner results revealed subjects positive feelings upon watching humans friendly interaction pleo subjects responded negatively video human human violence also responded negatively pleodirected violence interestingly frontal lobe limbic systems responded similarly watched negative treatment pleo human words humans respond empathy humans also respond observable empathy toward robots another recent study conducted japan researchers confirms findings measuring humans responses photos intact human robot hands photos hands cut scissors knife researchers measured participants responses eeg scans indicated subjects experienced similar visceral responses images human robot hands painful situations human empathy toward robots perhaps compelling argument robot rights protectionsa topic future column studies also help explain existence reallife theodore twomblys people already begun develop deep feelings robots ai love dolls video game anime characters also means robots andor human creators leverage human empathy emotional mimicry bonding researchers munich conducted study demonstrating robots mirror human emotions smiling back matching level enthusiasm humans disposed help complete task human emotion tricky beast see weakness given emotions cause humans act impulsively irrationally others see strength emotions fear long played crucial role human survival ability feel emotion currently crucial difference humans robots yet gap shifting closing robots become objects affection | 610 |
<p>Yesterday’s runoff primaries in Georgia offered some unexpected drama, with David Perdue narrowly upsetting favored Senate opponent Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA). But the big picture is that the two “Establishment” candidates in this long contest wound up fighting to the finish in a competition characterized by heavy spending aimed at tarring each other as unacceptably moderate. No matter who won or lost, it would be a “true conservative” representing this state’s very conservative GOP “base” in the general election.</p>
<p />
<p>The transformation of the candidates began during the primary when Kingston used heavy support from the Chamber of Commerce and other K Street backers to depict himself as the most conservative candidate in the race, and attack Perdue for allegedly favoring the Chamber’s big priority of implementing the Common Core education standards (which Kingston called <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_04/common_core_obamacare_for_educ049815.php" type="external">“Obamacare for Education”</a>).</p>
<p>Perdue, whose cousin, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R), was heavily involved in promoting Common Core, forswore the whole idea, of course. Both candidates accused each other of being squishy on fiscal issues, with both winding up pretty much in Ted Cruz’s “never vote for a debt limit increase” camp. A <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_05/did_david_perdue_step_on_the_a050344.php" type="external">Perdue gaffe</a> in which he forgot to rule out tax increases forever and ever in a media interview gave Kingston and reminted hard-core conservative Karen Handel considerable traction. And when Kingston secured post-primary endorsements from third-place finisher Handel and fourth-place finisher Phil Gingrey, he seemed to have the upper hand in the “most conservative” competition, and led handily in early runoff polls.</p>
<p>With both candidates continuing to attack each other as secret RINOs (Kingston being heavily financed by the Chamber, and Perdue by his own wallet), the race got nasty and tendentious, and public interest waned. The <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_07/one_last_thrust_to_the_right_f051292.php" type="external">last major blow</a> was a Perdue ad attacking Kingston for being a front-man for the Chamber’s support for immigration “amnesty,” a clever appropriation of the latest “base” enthusiasm.</p>
<p>In the end, with turnout barely reaching double-digits, down about 20 percent from the primary, geography appeared to have decided the contest. Perdue augmented his primary advantage in metro Atlanta and middle Georgia just enough to exceed Kingston’s base in his coastal congressional district, with Kingston’s Atlanta endorsers Handel and Gingrey not delivering enough votes to make up the difference. It’s hard to say in the end whether the winner or loser represented either “wing” of a state party where there are never enemies to the Right. It is clear, however, that the big loser was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which lost its integrity along with more than 3 million dollars.</p>
<p>One of the big “stories” of the May primary in Georgia was that the U.S. House would be rid of noisy wingnuts Reps. Paul Broun (R-GA) and Phil Gingrey (R-GA). But the House runoffs in their districts produced intensely “constitutional conservative” successors. Gingrey, never the sharpest tool in the congressional shed, will be replaced by state senator Barry Loudermilk, a <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_04/the_remorseless_rightward_pres044350.php" type="external">more disciplined ideologue</a> who crushed former congressman and 2008 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr in a sign of how far right Barr’s former district has drifted. Broun’s successor as Republican nominee is a worthily wild candidate, Baptist minister and radio talk show host Jody Hice, famed for homophobic outbursts, and for <a href="http://www.unionrecorder.com/local/x1778835745/Ga-minister-hammers-Obama-in-bid-for-Congress" type="external">billboards he put up in an earlier race</a> that replaced the “O” in the president’s name with a hammer-and-sickle.</p>
<p>Kingston will not be succeeded by the similarly colorful “constitutional conservative” in his own House district, Dr. Bob “Christian Conservative” Johnson, who lost the runoff yesterday (probably due to elevated turnout attributable to Kingston’s campaign) to state legislator Buddy Carter despite support from the Club for Growth and Sarah Palin. But presumably Carter would follow Kingston’s lead into movement-conservative repositioning if he were ever to run statewide. That’s how Georgia Republicans roll.</p>
<p>There was considerable <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_07/the_senate_candidate_to_beat051323.php" type="external">speculation going into the runoff</a> about which right-trending Senate candidate would be a riper target for Democrat Michelle Nunn, who’s been calmly raising money and staying out of controversy during the long GOP contest. According to RealClearPolitics’ polling averages, she’s been running <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/senate/ga/georgia_senate_perdue_vs_nunn-4040.html" type="external">even with Perdue</a> and a <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/senate/ga/georgia_senate_kingston_vs_nunn-4039.html" type="external">couple of points ahead of Kingston</a>. The conventional wisdom suggested the eleven-term House incumbent Kingston would be more vulnerable to a first-time candidate like Nunn. But Perdue doesn’t have Kingston’s regional base (my own quip was that Perdue’s base is low-information voters who watch a lot of television), and he’s been gaffe-prone. In many respect, he’s a deep-fried Mitt Romney with shallower pockets. And the resemblance includes a post-nomination need to “Etch-a-Sketch” his way back to the political center.</p>
<p>Perdue will have a partisan advantage in a Georgia midterm, but Nunn’s proved to be a very disciplined and attractive candidate, running on a ticket with an equally disciplined and attractive gubernatorial candidate with the equally familiar name of (Jason) Carter. Georgia Republicans may yet regret the time and money they’ve spent this cycle pandering to their own “base,” and winning ugly in primaries.</p>
<p>Ed Kilgore is the principal blogger for Washington Monthly’s <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/" type="external">Political Animal blog</a>, Managing Editor of <a href="http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/" type="external">The Democratic Strategist</a>, and a Senior Fellow at the <a href="http://www.progressivepolicy.org/" type="external">Progressive Policy Institute</a>. Earlier he worked for three governors and a U.S. Senator. He can be followed on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ed_kilgore" type="external">@ed_kilgore</a>.</p> | true | 4 | yesterdays runoff primaries georgia offered unexpected drama david perdue narrowly upsetting favored senate opponent rep jack kingston rga big picture two establishment candidates long contest wound fighting finish competition characterized heavy spending aimed tarring unacceptably moderate matter lost would true conservative representing states conservative gop base general election transformation candidates began primary kingston used heavy support chamber commerce k street backers depict conservative candidate race attack perdue allegedly favoring chambers big priority implementing common core education standards kingston called obamacare education perdue whose cousin former georgia gov sonny perdue r heavily involved promoting common core forswore whole idea course candidates accused squishy fiscal issues winding pretty much ted cruzs never vote debt limit increase camp perdue gaffe forgot rule tax increases forever ever media interview gave kingston reminted hardcore conservative karen handel considerable traction kingston secured postprimary endorsements thirdplace finisher handel fourthplace finisher phil gingrey seemed upper hand conservative competition led handily early runoff polls candidates continuing attack secret rinos kingston heavily financed chamber perdue wallet race got nasty tendentious public interest waned last major blow perdue ad attacking kingston frontman chambers support immigration amnesty clever appropriation latest base enthusiasm end turnout barely reaching doubledigits 20 percent primary geography appeared decided contest perdue augmented primary advantage metro atlanta middle georgia enough exceed kingstons base coastal congressional district kingstons atlanta endorsers handel gingrey delivering enough votes make difference hard say end whether winner loser represented either wing state party never enemies right clear however big loser us chamber commerce lost integrity along 3 million dollars one big stories may primary georgia us house would rid noisy wingnuts reps paul broun rga phil gingrey rga house runoffs districts produced intensely constitutional conservative successors gingrey never sharpest tool congressional shed replaced state senator barry loudermilk disciplined ideologue crushed former congressman 2008 libertarian party presidential candidate bob barr sign far right barrs former district drifted brouns successor republican nominee worthily wild candidate baptist minister radio talk show host jody hice famed homophobic outbursts billboards put earlier race replaced presidents name hammerandsickle kingston succeeded similarly colorful constitutional conservative house district dr bob christian conservative johnson lost runoff yesterday probably due elevated turnout attributable kingstons campaign state legislator buddy carter despite support club growth sarah palin presumably carter would follow kingstons lead movementconservative repositioning ever run statewide thats georgia republicans roll considerable speculation going runoff righttrending senate candidate would riper target democrat michelle nunn whos calmly raising money staying controversy long gop contest according realclearpolitics polling averages shes running even perdue couple points ahead kingston conventional wisdom suggested eleventerm house incumbent kingston would vulnerable firsttime candidate like nunn perdue doesnt kingstons regional base quip perdues base lowinformation voters watch lot television hes gaffeprone many respect hes deepfried mitt romney shallower pockets resemblance includes postnomination need etchasketch way back political center perdue partisan advantage georgia midterm nunns proved disciplined attractive candidate running ticket equally disciplined attractive gubernatorial candidate equally familiar name jason carter georgia republicans may yet regret time money theyve spent cycle pandering base winning ugly primaries ed kilgore principal blogger washington monthlys political animal blog managing editor democratic strategist senior fellow progressive policy institute earlier worked three governors us senator followed twitter ed_kilgore | 528 |
<p>It is an axiom among activists working in the area of counter-recruitment that the enlistment contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. What this means in practical terms is that whatever a recruiter promises to deliver to a new recruit-specific jobs or assignment, length of service, benefits, or even citizenship-can be withdrawn or changed at any time.</p>
<p>Section C, Paragraph 9(b) of the enlistment contract states:</p>
<p>“Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces regardless of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document.”</p>
<p>While this loophole is well known in counter-recruitment circles, it obviously is not something recruiters emphasize to young people and their families. Major David Griesmer, public affairs officer for the Marine Corps Recruiting Command based in Quantico, Virginia, for example, recently described the recruitment process to the San Francisco Chronicle:</p>
<p>“If you don’t like what you’re hearing, you can walk away. And I can tell you that everything is spelled out in a contract when the applicant signs.”</p>
<p>But the Pentagon’s stand down of all recruitment activities on May 20 was a warning flag signaling widespread recruiter deception and unethical conduct. More important, the recent case brought by a National Guard soldier against the Pentagon puts the lie to Major Griesmer’s claim and sheds new light on the true nature of the military enlistment contract, a contract that according to this recent court decision is no contract at all.</p>
<p>In Santiago v. Rumsfeld, the curtain concealing the realities of military service is pulled back to reveal the literal meaning of G.I. (government issue) or the soldier as property. Emiliano Santiago, the young Mexican immigrant who brought the case, was not a political activist and did not oppose the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.</p>
<p>The son of migrant farmworkers, he enlisted in the Oregon National Guard for one of the more intangible reasons young people sign up-the lure of the uniform. He recalls his recruiter telling him that the National Guard would never leave the United States “unless there was World War III.”</p>
<p>For almost eight years, the recruiter’s partial truth held up for Santiago even though thousands of National Guard troops already had been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. With only two weeks left in the Guard, Santiago was ordered to report to Fort Sill where his unit was prepariing for deployment to Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Because his term of enlistment was technically over Santiago decided to challenge the government. Currently more than a dozen soldiers affected by the so-called stop-loss policy have filed similar lawsuits. Between 40,000 and 50,000 active-duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel have had their terms extended under the policy since 2001.</p>
<p>Santiago and his attorneys lost the first round in the U.S. District Court in Oregon, and immediately appealed to the U.S. Ninth Circuit. On May 13, 2005, a panel of three judges upheld the lower court’s ruling and thereby validated the government’s position.</p>
<p>In their opinion, the judges invoked Title 10 § 12305(a) of the U.S. Code which reads in part:</p>
<p>“the President may suspend any provision of law relating to promotion, retirement, or separation applicable to any member of the armed forces who the President determines is essential to the national security of the United States.”</p>
<p>According to Santiago’s lawyers, such presidential power is granted only when Congress has declared war or a national emergency. President Bush declared a national emergency on September 14, 2001 but Congress has yet to do so. The presidential decree has been renewed each year since 2001 even though U.S. Code Title 50 § 1622 reads:</p>
<p>“Not later than six months after a national emergency is declared, and not later than the end of each six-month period thereafter that such emergency continues, each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a joint resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated..”</p>
<p>The Ninth Circuit Court’s decision underwrites the almost unlimited power of the executive branch in national security situations, affirming the government’s contention that “threre is no basis for the notion that principles of construction drawn from commercial contract disputes can be invoked to transform a vital federal statute into a dead letter, especially in the crucial area of the President’s power to command the military and protect this Nation’s security.”</p>
<p>Of greater interest to counter-recruitment activists are the arguments made about the legal status of military personnel. In both the district court case and the Ninth Circuit case government lawyers argued that contractual obligations did not apply in the Santiago case because upon entering the military the status of a “citizen” shifts to that of “soldier.”</p>
<p>Basing its argument on Bell v. United States (1961), itself based on an 1890 decision, the government stipulated: “Enlistment in the armed forces does not constitute merely a bargain between two parties, but effects a change of status by which ‘the citizen becomes a soldier.'” Under this new status, “common law contract principles yield to federal statutes and regulations.” The government further argued: “The terms of an enlistment contract certainly cannot circumscribe the authority of the Presidentto conduct the nation’s military policy.”</p>
<p>The Ninth Circuit’s ruling reiterated that the military enlistment contract “provides notice that changes in federal law-even if inconsistent with the written terms of the contract-would apply” given that “the contract itself specifies that unlisted contingencies may cause an alteration in the agreed upn terms.” In short, every recruit who signs an enlistment contract has just signed away his or her fundamental rights as a U.S. citizen.</p>
<p>Acknowledging the “disruption, hardship, and risk that extension of his enlistment is causing Santiago to endure,” the Ninth Circuit nevertheless upheld the original decision and in effect sent Santiago packing to Afghanistan. Post-trial comments by the Pentagon spokesmen denied that the purpose of stop-loss orders was to compensate for recent recruitment shortfalls.</p>
<p>Rather, argued Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, “It’s about teams I think most Americans would prefer that, even if they’re opposed to the war, that they fight together as teams.” Apparently, as Emiliano Santiago learned the hard way, the U.S. military is a “team” that recruits young men and women under false pretenses and then never allows them to quit. Santiago’s new estmated date of separation from the National Guard is December 25, 2031. The government has assured him that the date is simply an “administrative convenience.”</p>
<p>JORGE MARISCAL teaches Chicano Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He is a member of <a href="http://www.projectyano.org/" type="external">Project YANO</a> (San Diego), a counter-recruitment and anti-militarism organization. Visit his blog at: <a href="http://jorgemariscal.blogspot.com/" type="external">jorgemariscal.blogspot.com/</a> He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:gmariscal@ucsd.edu" type="external">gmariscal@ucsd.edu</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | axiom among activists working area counterrecruitment enlistment contract isnt worth paper printed means practical terms whatever recruiter promises deliver new recruitspecific jobs assignment length service benefits even citizenshipcan withdrawn changed time section c paragraph 9b enlistment contract states laws regulations govern military personnel may change without notice changes may affect status pay allowances benefits responsibilities member armed forces regardless provisions enlistmentreenlistment document loophole well known counterrecruitment circles obviously something recruiters emphasize young people families major david griesmer public affairs officer marine corps recruiting command based quantico virginia example recently described recruitment process san francisco chronicle dont like youre hearing walk away tell everything spelled contract applicant signs pentagons stand recruitment activities may 20 warning flag signaling widespread recruiter deception unethical conduct important recent case brought national guard soldier pentagon puts lie major griesmers claim sheds new light true nature military enlistment contract contract according recent court decision contract santiago v rumsfeld curtain concealing realities military service pulled back reveal literal meaning gi government issue soldier property emiliano santiago young mexican immigrant brought case political activist oppose wars afghanistan iraq son migrant farmworkers enlisted oregon national guard one intangible reasons young people sign upthe lure uniform recalls recruiter telling national guard would never leave united states unless world war iii almost eight years recruiters partial truth held santiago even though thousands national guard troops already sent afghanistan iraq two weeks left guard santiago ordered report fort sill unit prepariing deployment afghanistan term enlistment technically santiago decided challenge government currently dozen soldiers affected socalled stoploss policy filed similar lawsuits 40000 50000 activeduty reserve national guard personnel terms extended policy since 2001 santiago attorneys lost first round us district court oregon immediately appealed us ninth circuit may 13 2005 panel three judges upheld lower courts ruling thereby validated governments position opinion judges invoked title 10 12305a us code reads part president may suspend provision law relating promotion retirement separation applicable member armed forces president determines essential national security united states according santiagos lawyers presidential power granted congress declared war national emergency president bush declared national emergency september 14 2001 congress yet presidential decree renewed year since 2001 even though us code title 50 1622 reads later six months national emergency declared later end sixmonth period thereafter emergency continues house congress shall meet consider vote joint resolution determine whether emergency shall terminated ninth circuit courts decision underwrites almost unlimited power executive branch national security situations affirming governments contention threre basis notion principles construction drawn commercial contract disputes invoked transform vital federal statute dead letter especially crucial area presidents power command military protect nations security greater interest counterrecruitment activists arguments made legal status military personnel district court case ninth circuit case government lawyers argued contractual obligations apply santiago case upon entering military status citizen shifts soldier basing argument bell v united states 1961 based 1890 decision government stipulated enlistment armed forces constitute merely bargain two parties effects change status citizen becomes soldier new status common law contract principles yield federal statutes regulations government argued terms enlistment contract certainly circumscribe authority presidentto conduct nations military policy ninth circuits ruling reiterated military enlistment contract provides notice changes federal laweven inconsistent written terms contractwould apply given contract specifies unlisted contingencies may cause alteration agreed upn terms short every recruit signs enlistment contract signed away fundamental rights us citizen acknowledging disruption hardship risk extension enlistment causing santiago endure ninth circuit nevertheless upheld original decision effect sent santiago packing afghanistan posttrial comments pentagon spokesmen denied purpose stoploss orders compensate recent recruitment shortfalls rather argued lt col bryan hilferty teams think americans would prefer even theyre opposed war fight together teams apparently emiliano santiago learned hard way us military team recruits young men women false pretenses never allows quit santiagos new estmated date separation national guard december 25 2031 government assured date simply administrative convenience jorge mariscal teaches chicano studies university california san diego member project yano san diego counterrecruitment antimilitarism organization visit blog jorgemariscalblogspotcom reached gmariscalucsdedu 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 673 |
<p>You look at the way this White House is feeding turds through the fan and you wonder how they can possibly expect to get away with it: pardon my coprolalia, but it seems this administration is hell-bent on spraying dookie over the world like some Brobdinagian chimpanzee after a fish taco &amp; bourbon jag. Yet whenever anyone calls its minions on the subject, they just chortle in a hearty manner, yodel “Bwaaaah!”, and carry on regardless. Left-wing pundits are shaking their heads like schoolmarms, perspiring from a combination of schadenfreude and alprazolam. They know with certitude that the Bush gang will be going down hard, and soon, and it will be a lot of fun, and they can hardly wait. Any day now Pretty soon Only a matter of time… Waiting After all, these swines can’t get away with it, can they? I mean sure, for a while, but not forever? Here’s the bad news. They don’t have to.</p>
<p>In another year the damage will be done, and the reigning Straussian dung-pirates can retire from the field, high-fiving and slapping each other on the asses. A century of democratic advances will have been rolled back. They’re going to party like it’s 1899. The 20th Century will be looked upon (by the advanced race of cockroaches that must inevitably replace mankind, probably by mutual agreement) as a period during which the world, and particularly the United States, began to confront the inequity between human ideals and the human condition. Progress was spotty, but by the end of the century American women could vote and black people were lynched in court, not on the street, which is a big step up. Some safeguards against destitution and misery had been put in place. There were some vague systemic commitments to the ideas of international law, human rights, and the need for an equable distribution of opportunity to all people-Even queers and animals got the occasional break. This has all been undone. The 20th Century need never have happened.</p>
<p>But women still have the vote, you cry, spilling Chablis on your knitted tie. Damn you for a lubber, I reply, eyes flashing with righteous thunder and a touch of conjunctivitis. Nobody has the vote, you goddamn fool. Even white men don’t have the vote any more, unless they happen to vote the way the machine chooses to vote for them; and white men have always had the vote, one way or another. All those Reagan-era canards have come to roost: rolling back racial quotas? What the hell does that mean, except “coloreds need not apply”? And if you think the rich should get big tax cuts even if they can afford to pay more, remember those taxes pay for that thing known collectively as ‘America’- its public lands, its public infrastructure, such as schools, roads, and utilities; its military, its everything. If rich people don’t pay those taxes, you will. Rich people don’t need the American infrastructure because they have their own, and that’s what this tax cut is for. It’s libertinism at the top and libertarianism for everybody else. By strangling the entire civic infrastructure these wealthy few can keep all the blood in the head and kill off the body, according to their way of thinking. Apparently the notion of being attached to a giant rotting corpse doesn’t bother them, but why should it? Like cockroaches, they seem to thrive on decay.</p>
<p>A vast groundswell of disapproval is rising up across the nation and around the world such as has not been seen since (I can’t think of an amusing analogy, so feel free to just come up with your favorite one and send it to this author along with five dollars. Thank you.) This disapproval will eventually result in the overthrow of the Administration. So what? It is clear that these dacoital dacnomaniacs care nothing for the radamantine glare of posterity (unless Bush himself does, dimly hoping for a legacy while the others giggle behind his back) and so the smug certitude that they’ll be hoist by their own immense petards gets us nowhere. These guys don’t care what happens. They will lie and cheat and wage war on America and Iran and any-damn-body they please, just as long as the peanut-studded coprolith of the domestic economy stays below the fold on the front page. “State’s business,” they’ll maintain, until half of the governors are on hunger strike on the White House lawn. By then, the 2004 elections may be over, and if the Republicans get lucky and secure another four years in the canebrake with Bush, all the better. They can make the damage irreversible by making resistance against the law. If by some computer error Bush is defeated in 2004, no big deal either: the courts will be stacked, the land laid waste, and unimaginable fortunes secured for the faithful few.</p>
<p>I’ll say it again: the men in power in America today don’t need to be popular. They don’t need to stay in power. The fact that they have gotten this far is a near-miracle of media apathy. If they can just hang on for the rest of Gore’s term as president, they will have done the damage they set out to do, finishing the demolition of the Great Society and securing their wealth and privilege for what amounts to forever in this life. All they need is another year to complete the work. After that, let the liberals triumph as they may-they will merely have secured the sinking ship for themselves, catcalling after the plush lifeboats receding in the distance.</p>
<p>As for me, I’m wakerife and morne, but hope springs eternal. I don’t know how she does it what with those leg irons on, but spring she does, and so I continue to hope that rather than sit back and let Bush and his facinorous myrmidions finish their wicked work -and they are damn close to finished- the remains of the Democratic opposition will decide it’s time to get an impeachment on, instead of sniping at each other so the media has lots of tar to spread on all of them, in quotes, at election time. If not an impeachment, at least the Dems could stay on message and follow up on an issue. Any issue. Like what about the stalled investigation of 9-11? What about those WMD’s over which we invaded Iraq (or was it Iran or Syria? I get so confused.) What about Enron, or the small matter of Bush’s desertion during time of war? Anybody? Now is the time to stop them. Because these people aren’t playing to win, they’re just playing for time- and they don’t need much more of it.</p>
<p>BEN TRIPP is a screenwriter and cartoonist. Ben also has <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/tarantulabros" type="external">a lot of outrageously priced crap for sale here.</a> If his writing starts to grate on your nerves, buy some and maybe he’ll flee to Mexico. If all else fails, he can be reached at: <a href="mailto:credel@earthlink.net" type="external">credel@earthlink.net</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | look way white house feeding turds fan wonder possibly expect get away pardon coprolalia seems administration hellbent spraying dookie world like brobdinagian chimpanzee fish taco amp bourbon jag yet whenever anyone calls minions subject chortle hearty manner yodel bwaaaah carry regardless leftwing pundits shaking heads like schoolmarms perspiring combination schadenfreude alprazolam know certitude bush gang going hard soon lot fun hardly wait day pretty soon matter time waiting swines cant get away mean sure forever heres bad news dont another year damage done reigning straussian dungpirates retire field highfiving slapping asses century democratic advances rolled back theyre going party like 1899 20th century looked upon advanced race cockroaches must inevitably replace mankind probably mutual agreement period world particularly united states began confront inequity human ideals human condition progress spotty end century american women could vote black people lynched court street big step safeguards destitution misery put place vague systemic commitments ideas international law human rights need equable distribution opportunity peopleeven queers animals got occasional break undone 20th century need never happened women still vote cry spilling chablis knitted tie damn lubber reply eyes flashing righteous thunder touch conjunctivitis nobody vote goddamn fool even white men dont vote unless happen vote way machine chooses vote white men always vote one way another reaganera canards come roost rolling back racial quotas hell mean except coloreds need apply think rich get big tax cuts even afford pay remember taxes pay thing known collectively america public lands public infrastructure schools roads utilities military everything rich people dont pay taxes rich people dont need american infrastructure thats tax cut libertinism top libertarianism everybody else strangling entire civic infrastructure wealthy keep blood head kill body according way thinking apparently notion attached giant rotting corpse doesnt bother like cockroaches seem thrive decay vast groundswell disapproval rising across nation around world seen since cant think amusing analogy feel free come favorite one send author along five dollars thank disapproval eventually result overthrow administration clear dacoital dacnomaniacs care nothing radamantine glare posterity unless bush dimly hoping legacy others giggle behind back smug certitude theyll hoist immense petards gets us nowhere guys dont care happens lie cheat wage war america iran anydamnbody please long peanutstudded coprolith domestic economy stays fold front page states business theyll maintain half governors hunger strike white house lawn 2004 elections may republicans get lucky secure another four years canebrake bush better make damage irreversible making resistance law computer error bush defeated 2004 big deal either courts stacked land laid waste unimaginable fortunes secured faithful ill say men power america today dont need popular dont need stay power fact gotten far nearmiracle media apathy hang rest gores term president done damage set finishing demolition great society securing wealth privilege amounts forever life need another year complete work let liberals triumph maythey merely secured sinking ship catcalling plush lifeboats receding distance im wakerife morne hope springs eternal dont know leg irons spring continue hope rather sit back let bush facinorous myrmidions finish wicked work damn close finished remains democratic opposition decide time get impeachment instead sniping media lots tar spread quotes election time impeachment least dems could stay message follow issue issue like stalled investigation 911 wmds invaded iraq iran syria get confused enron small matter bushs desertion time war anybody time stop people arent playing win theyre playing time dont need much ben tripp screenwriter cartoonist ben also lot outrageously priced crap sale writing starts grate nerves buy maybe hell flee mexico else fails reached credelearthlinknet 160 | 581 |
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<p>On Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans will brave long lines and various forms of precipitation to elect the public servants that best represent their democratic values. For better or for worse. Here’s a quick guide to the candidates we can’t believe might actually win—whether because of legal troubles, crushing hypocrisy, basic math, or some combination thereof. It is by no means comprehensive.</p>
<p>Rep. Don young (R-AlaskA)</p>
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<p>In June, when Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) rose to pay tribute to a fallen Marine after whom he proposed to rename a post office, Young put his hands to his ears, stuck out his tongue, and <a href="http://www.adn.com/article/20140620/dermot-cole-don-youngs-failure-pay-attention-embarrasses-alaska" type="external">laughed</a>. In October, he threatened his Democratic opponent, Forrest Dunbar, before a debate about fisheries. “Don’t you ever touch me,” Alaska’s longtime Republican congressman said. “Don’t ever touch me. The last guy who touched me ended up on the ground dead.” Asked by Roll Call whether he was serious about the corpse thing, Young replied simply, “There’s some truth to that.” At a visit to a school in Wasilla later that month, Young was widely <a href="http://www.adn.com/article/20141021/young-rattles-wasilla-high-students-hurtful-remark-about-suicide" type="external">criticized</a> for blaming a recent suicide on the student’s friends and family, and for going off on a tangent about bull sex when asked about same-sex marriage. (High schools are a dangerous place for Young. At a previous visit to high school in Fairbanks, Young denounced the National Endowment for the Arts for funding photographs depicting “ <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/08/01/alaska-rep-don-young-apologizes-for-latest-boorish-behavior/" type="external">buttfucking</a>.”)</p>
<p>Even crazier? Roll Call rates the race “Safe Republican.” &#160;</p>
<p>Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.)</p>
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<p>In the two years since we last included Staten Island’s congressman on this list, Grimm has <a href="" type="internal">threatened</a> to throw a television reporter off a balcony, and watched a fundraiser <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/nyregion/grimm-ally-pleads-guilty-to-organizing-straw-donors.html" type="external">plead</a> guilty in federal court to using straw donors. Oh, and in April he was indicted in federal court on 20 counts stemming from accounting practices at a restaurant he owned before running for Congress. Indictment shmendictment. Grimm is locked in a tight race against Democrat Domenic Recchia, but he leads in the polls. &#160;</p>
<p>Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.)</p>
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<p>The Harlem Democrat is 84 now. He’s been formally censured by his colleagues for a host of ethics violations including unpaid back taxes. He’s lost his chairmanship (and ranking position) on the powerful ways and means committee. And he’s endured his two most competitive primary challenges in decades. But four years after President Barack Obama suggested he end his career “ <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0710/Obama_Time_for_Rangel_to_end_career_with_dignity.html" type="external">with dignity</a>,” Rangel doesn’t even have a Republican opponent. &#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.)</p>
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<p>Wisconsin’s wackiest state senator became Wisconsin’s wackiest future congressman when longtime moderate GOP Rep. Tom Petri announced his retirement in April. Grothman has said Kwanzaa should be “slapped down once and for all,” <a href="" type="internal">declared war on weekends</a>, said people on food stamps have it easy, and opposed an equal-pay law on the grounds that “you could argue that money is more important for men.” His rhetoric has alienated even some Republicans—Petri, for one, has refused to endorse his likely successor. But in a district Mitt Romney won by 7 points, Grothman should have enough of a cushion when the polls close. Watch out, Washington: the Grothman cometh. &#160;</p>
<p>Jody Hice (R-Ga.)</p>
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<p>They said it couldn’t be done. You don’t simply replace someone like Rep. Paul Broun, the retiring GOP congressman famous for calling evolution a lie “from the pit of hell.” But then tea partiers in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District found Hice, a pastor and political activist who got his political start fighting for the right to display the Ten Commandments at a courthouse. In his first book, <a href="" type="internal">Hice mistook a satirical essay for a secret gay plot</a> to sodomize your kids and compared same-sex marriage to marrying a pet. He also believes Islam isn’t protected by the First Amendment because it’s a “geopolitical structure,” not a religion. He faces only token Democratic opposition on Tuesday, and it could get even easier in the years to come—Broun won his last election unopposed. &#160;</p>
<p>Rep. Scott Desjarlais (R-Tenn.)</p>
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<p>Maybe he just got lucky in 2012, the thinking went. After all, it wasn’t until after the Republican primary that year that voters learned that the fiercely pro-life Dr. DesJarlais <a href="" type="internal">had once pressured a patient</a>—whom he was having an affair with at the time—to get an abortion. (He also <a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/nov/15/scott-desjarlais-supported-abortions-slept-patient/" type="external">allegedly had affairs</a> with another patient and several coworkers.) DesJarlais faced a tough challenge from a Republican state senator this spring, but he still managed to win by 38 votes. He’s been unable to campaign as he recovers from neck cancer, but in a safe Republican district, DesJarlais is expected to win easily. &#160;</p>
<p>Dave Brat (R-Va.)</p>
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<p>Whatever drama unfolds on Tuesday, it’ll be tough to top the shock value of June’s Virginia GOP primary, when Rep. Eric Cantor became the first House majority leader ever <a href="" type="internal">to lose</a> a primary. Now the man who beat him, Randolph-Macon College professor David Brat, is taking his Ayn Rand-loving, climate-denying ideas to Congress. Brat has <a href="" type="internal">proposed</a> slashing Social Security spending by two-thirds and has argued that climate change is no big deal because “rich countries solve their problems.” His position on education funding is simple. “My hero Socrates trained in Plato on a rock,” he explained. “How much did that cost?” &#160;</p>
<p>Gov. Paul LePage (R-Maine)</p>
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<p />
<p>He could still lose. LePage, who was elected in the tea party wave of 2010 because <a href="" type="internal">basically no one voted</a>, faces a strong Democratic candidate in Rep. Mike Michaud. But the fact that LePage’s future is even a toss-up is remarkable in a state that went for President Barack Obama twice. Since taking office, LePage has <a href="" type="internal">pushed</a> drug testing of welfare recipients, tried to <a href="" type="internal">paint</a> over a mural in the state Capitol because it wasn’t pro-business enough, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/paul-lepage-global-warming_n_4392751.html" type="external">praised</a> global warming, <a href="" type="internal">joked</a> that his repealing of BPA regulations could mean that “some women may have little beards,” and warned that the IRS is on the verge of “killing a lot of people.” He has <a href="http://thetippingpoint.bangordailynews.com/2013/10/22/state-politics/gov-lepage-lets-slip-what-he-really-thinks-about-maine-people/" type="external">said</a> that “47 percent of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work,” and he told the NAACP to “ <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/paul-lepage-maine-governor-crazy-101923.html#.VE_xr-eVsVk" type="external">kiss my butt</a>.” He suggested at a fundraiser that Obama “hates white people.” And he stuck a knife in the back of his state’s public school system: “If you want a good education, go to private schools,” LePage <a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2012/11/14/lepages-criticism-of-schools-disappoints-maine-principals_2012-11-15/" type="external">said</a> in 2012. “If you can’t afford it, tough luck. You can go to the public school.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | tuesday tens millions americans brave long lines various forms precipitation elect public servants best represent democratic values better worse heres quick guide candidates cant believe might actually winwhether legal troubles crushing hypocrisy basic math combination thereof means comprehensive rep young ralaska june rep mark meadows rnc rose pay tribute fallen marine proposed rename post office young put hands ears stuck tongue laughed october threatened democratic opponent forrest dunbar debate fisheries dont ever touch alaskas longtime republican congressman said dont ever touch last guy touched ended ground dead asked roll call whether serious corpse thing young replied simply theres truth visit school wasilla later month young widely criticized blaming recent suicide students friends family going tangent bull sex asked samesex marriage high schools dangerous place young previous visit high school fairbanks young denounced national endowment arts funding photographs depicting buttfucking even crazier roll call rates race safe republican 160 rep michael grimm rny two years since last included staten islands congressman list grimm threatened throw television reporter balcony watched fundraiser plead guilty federal court using straw donors oh april indicted federal court 20 counts stemming accounting practices restaurant owned running congress indictment shmendictment grimm locked tight race democrat domenic recchia leads polls 160 rep charlie rangel dny harlem democrat 84 hes formally censured colleagues host ethics violations including unpaid back taxes hes lost chairmanship ranking position powerful ways means committee hes endured two competitive primary challenges decades four years president barack obama suggested end career dignity rangel doesnt even republican opponent 160 glenn grothman rwis wisconsins wackiest state senator became wisconsins wackiest future congressman longtime moderate gop rep tom petri announced retirement april grothman said kwanzaa slapped declared war weekends said people food stamps easy opposed equalpay law grounds could argue money important men rhetoric alienated even republicanspetri one refused endorse likely successor district mitt romney 7 points grothman enough cushion polls close watch washington grothman cometh 160 jody hice rga said couldnt done dont simply replace someone like rep paul broun retiring gop congressman famous calling evolution lie pit hell tea partiers georgias 10th congressional district found hice pastor political activist got political start fighting right display ten commandments courthouse first book hice mistook satirical essay secret gay plot sodomize kids compared samesex marriage marrying pet also believes islam isnt protected first amendment geopolitical structure religion faces token democratic opposition tuesday could get even easier years comebroun last election unopposed 160 rep scott desjarlais rtenn maybe got lucky 2012 thinking went wasnt republican primary year voters learned fiercely prolife dr desjarlais pressured patientwhom affair timeto get abortion also allegedly affairs another patient several coworkers desjarlais faced tough challenge republican state senator spring still managed win 38 votes hes unable campaign recovers neck cancer safe republican district desjarlais expected win easily 160 dave brat rva whatever drama unfolds tuesday itll tough top shock value junes virginia gop primary rep eric cantor became first house majority leader ever lose primary man beat randolphmacon college professor david brat taking ayn randloving climatedenying ideas congress brat proposed slashing social security spending twothirds argued climate change big deal rich countries solve problems position education funding simple hero socrates trained plato rock explained much cost 160 gov paul lepage rmaine could still lose lepage elected tea party wave 2010 basically one voted faces strong democratic candidate rep mike michaud fact lepages future even tossup remarkable state went president barack obama twice since taking office lepage pushed drug testing welfare recipients tried paint mural state capitol wasnt probusiness enough praised global warming joked repealing bpa regulations could mean women may little beards warned irs verge killing lot people said 47 percent ablebodied people state maine dont work told naacp kiss butt suggested fundraiser obama hates white people stuck knife back states public school system want good education go private schools lepage said 2012 cant afford tough luck go public school | 643 |
<p>This post discusses plot details of 12 Years A Slave in depth.</p>
<p>“Forgive me,” Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tells his wife Anne (Kelsey Scott) when he returns to Saratoga and to freedom after more than a decade of enslavement in Southern states. “There is nothing to forgive,” Anne tells him. And of course, Solomon is in no way responsible for being kidnapped into servitude and for being out of his touch with his family for twelve years, except for the errors of judgement he made in trusting the men who deceived and sold him. But the exchange between the reunited spouses reveals, in plain language, what makes Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave so strikingly different from many of the movies about slavery, race, and the South in recent years. 12 Years A Slave is concerned with Solomon’s character arc, rather than the moral development of a white woman like Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), the misfit socialite who becomes a reporter and goes to work for a publisher in The Help, or Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), the bounty hunter-turned-hater-of-slavery in Django Unchained. And the movie treats whiteness not as a neutral thing, but as a complex construct that, in its intersections with class and gender, creates a landscape more unstable and risky than any Palmetto swamp.</p>
<p>Unlike Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), the housekeeper in The Help, who goes from quiet acceptance of her lot to speaking her mind, or Django (Jamie Foxx), who begins Django Unchained in irons and ends it galloping off towards freedom with his wife, Solomon spends much of 12 Years A Slave traveling an opposite trajectory. At the beginning of the film, his freedom has granted him the privilege of being trusting when two men, Brown (Scoot McNairy) and Hamilton (Taran Killam) offer him a job playing his violin at an exorbitant salary with a circus. “Your generosity is extraordinary,” Solomon tells them over a rich dinner in Washington, DC, where he’s traveled for what he believes will be a two-week engagement. Even after he wakes up in irons, Solomon refuses to believe that Brown and Hamilton have betrayed him, protesting that “They were not kidnappers, they were artists.” And even more tellingly, he believes that some sort of justice is within reach. “I promise you, upon my liberation, I will have satisfaction for this wrong,” Solomon declares to one of his jailers.</p>
<p>For much of the next twelve years, Solomon spends his time being disabused of the notion that fellow artists are trustworthy, that his talent will save him, and that decency and fellow-feeling trumps race. And he comes into uncomfortably close acquaintance with he’ll do to survive, and to be free again.</p>
<p>Solomon’s education takes place in three acts, the first, and swiftest in a form of violent gaslighting designed to swiftly transition him from thinking of himself as a free man to accepting an identity as a slave. “You ain’t no free man. And you ain’t from Saratoga, you’re from Georgia…You ain’t nothing but a runaway nigger,” his jailer in Washington, DC tells Solomon as he beats his new identity into him. “You’re a slave. Your’e a Georgia slave.” That man’s partner teaches Solomon the other part of the essential lesson of servitude, that he’s meant to be surprised by any generosity show him, rather than feeling entitled to it. “Got no gratitude?” the man tells him, when he comes to offer Solomon a replacement for the shirt that’s been shredded and irreparably bloodied by his beating. And when Solomon arrives at his destination, the custody of a slaver named Freeman (Paul Giamatti), he’s punished when he doesn’t answer to the new name bestowed on him, Platt. “You fit the description. Why didn’t you answer when called?” Freeman demands of Solomon, making sure that his latest commodity will behave as expected before he’s sold off.</p>
<p>If Solomon becomes convinced of the value of docility to his survival in the first stage of his journey South, it’s in his second that he learns that his talents and intelligence need to be deployed carefully, and the extent to which race trumps class for Southern whites. The man who purchases him is a plantation owner named Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) who fancies himself a benevolent owner. Ford’s first attracted to Solomon in Freeman’s establishment when the slaver tells Ford that “This is a nigger of considerable talent,” and Ford hears Solomon’s playing. That respect extends beyond Solomon’s music. Ford is willing to accept Solmon’s advice on transporting lumber through the swamps around his estate. Tibeats (Paul Dano), a foreman who’s taken an instant dislike to Solomon on the grounds that he doesn’t know his place, asks Solomon “Are you an engineer or a nigger?” when Solomon volunteers his experience working on a canal crew as proof of his plan. “I’ll admit to being impressed even if you won’t,” Ford tells Tibeats and Solomon, giving Solomon a chance to prove his idea viable.</p>
<p>But Eliza (Adepero Oduye), who like Solmon was kidnapped in Washington, and has been sold to Ford along with him but away from her children, sees what Solomon cannot in these gestures of respect. “Ford is your opportunity?” she asks Solomon, recognizing that Solomon’s displays of his talents only make him more valuable to Ford, rather than convincing Ford of his humanity. Solomon’s first inkling of this comes when Ford gives him a violin, telling Solomon “I hope it brings us both much joy over the years,” envisioning a placid, and permanent, coexistence with the slave he’s come to enjoy.</p>
<p>Even if Solmon accepts that might be his lot, he fails to recognize that the means by which he expresses his usefulness may someday erode the risks Ford is willing to take for him. His error is in continuing to challenge Tibeats, treating the white man as if he’s foolish, telling him “I simply ask that you use all your senses before rendering judgement,” and when Tibeats criticizes his work, declaring “If there’s something wrong, it’s wrong with the instructions.” When their repeated confrontations finally become violent, Solomon acts as if his skills outrank the whiteness of Tibeats’ skin, beating him rather than allowing himself to be physically abused. When Tibeats declares after the fight that “You will not live to see another day…I will have flesh and I will have all of it,” it’s another layer of the instruction that Solomon first received when he was kidnapped: he’s in a place where reason matters very little, and race and class are everything.</p>
<p>In one of the most intellectually complex and visually harrowing sequences in 12 Years A Slave, Tibeats rounds up a lynch mob, only to be interrupted by Ford’s overseer, who informs Tibeats that “You have no claim to his life.” This doesn’t, of course, mean that Solmon’s life is his own. And to remind him of it, the overseer leave Solomon hanging just low enough that he can relieve the pressure on his neck by pointing his toes in decidedly unstable mud. The slaves around him, better-trained in the art of self-preservation, largely go about their work as Solomon languishes there. Children play near the tree from which he’s hung. Mrs. Ford watches Solomon struggle, then strolls away from her viewpoint on the porch. A woman sneaks him a drink of water, but she can only ease his comfort, not relieve him of it. The one person who can do that is Ford, who ultimately cuts Solomon down with a machete. But that assertion of ownership comes paired with an acknowledgement that Solomon himself has transgressed so far in his beating of Tibeats that Ford cannot — or will not — assert his class privilege over the poorer man’s racist outrage in order to save a slave, even one he’s grown fond of. “You are an exceptional nigger, Platt,” Ford tells Solomon as he prepares to sell him to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). “But I fear no good can come of it.”</p>
<p>It’s on Epps’ plantation that Solomon learns submission and compromise, which, paradoxically, are the qualities that will allow him to save his own life at the end of the film. On the Epps plantation, Solomon’s skills are turned against him. Far from being able to win Epps’ respect with any knowledge he might possess, Solomon proves poor at the one thing Epps wants of him, picking cotton. His musical skills, once a source of consolation, become part of Epps’ macabre entertainments, as Epps forces Solomon to play for grotesque dances he forces his slaves to hold in the middle of the night.</p>
<p>And amidst the brutality of the Epps plantation, Solomon learns to do what the people who saw him being hanged and did nothing did on that day: to ignore what he sees, and to keep quiet. When he contemplates running away when Mrs. Epps (Sarah Paulson) orders him to run her errands at a store, his flight through the woods brings Solomon upon a lynching party. Solomon effectively promises the white men in the group that he will forget what he saw. He tells Mrs. Epps that “No m’am. [He encountered] No trouble,” on his route, erasing the experience from his official account of the trip. And Solomon and Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o), a slave Epps describes as “Queen of the Fields,” and who Epps rapes regularly, warning his wife that “I will rid myself of you before I do away with her,” are lectured on the value of patience and submission in Christian terms by Mistress Shaw (Alfre Woodward), a slave who accepted the role of mistress to another white man. “Where once I served, I have others serving me,” Mistress Shaw counsels the two younger people. “In good time, the Lord’ll manage ’em all…The sorrow of the pharaohs is no match for what awaits the plantation class.”</p>
<p>This education saves Solomon when he is caught in a dangerous ploy, trying to convince a former overseer-turned-cotton-picker named Armsby (Garret Dillahunt) to deliver a letter to his family. “Well, Platt. I understand I got a learned nigger writes letters, tries to get white fellows to mail ‘em,” a drunk Epps tells Solomon, clearly eager to use this knowledge against a slave who’s irritated him, but not quite given him the excuse Epps needs to dispatch him by violence. Solmon, by this point, knows enough to play Epps’ class suspicions against Armsby. “He made the story out of whole cloth because he wants a situation,” Solomon insists, and Epps believes him.</p>
<p>But submission also means that Solomon is pulled deeper into complicity with Epps’ cruelties, nowhere more so than in the case of Patsey. At one point, Patsey begs Solomon to kill her and to make her body disappear, telling him “I ain’t got no comfort in this life. If I can’t buy mercy from you, I’ll beg it.” But Solomon declines, even as he becomes witness to her escalating suffering. When he returns from a stint on another plantation, where he was allowed to play his violin and earn money for himself, Solmon sees all the blood vessels in one of Patsey’s eyes broken, whether as the result of abuse from Mrs. Epps, or as an assertion of authority from Epps himself. Later, when Patsey is not available to Epps on a Sunday, a day she’s traditionally been free to go visiting, his wrath is dreadful. And it escalates when she explains that she was visiting Mistress Shaw to get some soap because Mrs. Epps has denied it to her. “500 pounds of cotton a day, more than any man. And for that I will be clean. That’s all I ask,” Patsey begs for her dignity. And Epps, telling her “You’re doing this to yourself, Pats,” orders Solomon to whip her, and then to whip her harder when he makes a show of the beating rather than administering it properly.</p>
<p>And when Mr. Parker (Rob Steinberg), Solomon’s white friend, comes to Epps’ plantation with evidence of Solomon’s freedom, 12 Years A Slave makes wrenchingly clear that Solomon’s freedom depends on his willingness to simply accept it and go. “Get away from him, Pats,” Epps warns Patsey as she insists on saying goodbye to Solomon. The price of her minor act of dignity is likely to be severe, and during her whipping and the treatment of her flayed back afterwards, we’ve seen what that cost looks like. And the price of Solomon’s freedom is his willingness to turn his back on her, as he looked away from her injured eye, as he refused to risk Epps’ wrath or his soul to kill her before she suffered more.</p>
<p>None of this is to say that the decisions Solomon makes are wrong, or to argue that he should have martyred himself on Epps’ plantation and died forgotten, rather than living to tell his story and to become an abolitionist activist, a chapter of his life that’s left out of the film. But 12 Years A Slave is a remarkable film because it examines the ways in which slavery coarsened the moral sensibilities not just of the white people who practiced it, but of the black people who were held in bondage. And unlike Aibileen Clark, who is a saint, or Django, who is an action hero, Solomon can be damaged by slavery, he can do terrible things to survive, and the movie extends to him the privilege of never sacrificing his claim on our immense admiration and respect. When Solomon tells his family “I apologize for my appearance, but I have had a difficult time these past several years,” he is speaking not only physically and emotionally, but with a veiled honesty about the terrible compromises he has made to return home to them. In between 12 Years A Slave and Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler’s remarkable debut film about the last day in the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), who was shot to death on a BART platform in 20009, 2013 may prove a waster-shed year for cinema in the long-overdue assertion that black men don’t need to earn the value of their lives or their dignity, that they simply possess them.</p>
<p>12 Years A Slave is also admirably corrective for sidelining the moral development or degradation of the white people in Solomon’s journey. This is not to say that the characters are poorly sketched. With the exception of a badly miscast Brad Pitt as Bass, a white Canadian who eventually delivers news of Solomon’s fate to his friends and family in Saratoga, McQueen has gotten remarkably rich psychological portraits from his cast. Fassbender seems likely to be a strong Best Supporting Actor contender for his performance of the louche, self-loathing Epps. And it’ll be a shame if his work overshadows Sarah Paulson’s enraged, humiliated plantation wife.</p>
<p>But for once, we have a film about the South where the highest concern is not whether Skeeter Phelan turns on her racist friends and finds fulfillment in the world of publishing, leaving the black women who gave her the material for her first book behind in Mississippi, or whether Dr. King Schultz acts in accordance with his newly-awakened conscience and dies in a blaze of spectacularly impractical glory that puts Django and his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) in greater danger than a show of deference to violent planter Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) might have done. To 12 Years A Slave, whether individual white people are good or bad, compromised or virtuous, cowardly or courageous is simply less important than their collective impact on black men like Solomon Northup, who must navigate their whims and class prejudices to survive. Really, what does the small kindness of a Mr. Ford matter when men like Epps live and bear lashes? 12 Years A Slave dismisses the moral myopia that governs movies like The Help and Django Unchained, which reduce the experiences of black people down to the importance those experiences play in white people’s moral educations.</p>
<p>Those learning experiences are not unnecessary to social progress. But the movies have often given the impression that this is a one-sided process, in which white people of good will must learn to recognize the ills that they have unconsciously done and benefitted from, and find some small way to renounce them. 12 Years a Slave is a powerful corrective in its illustration that racism in America is a matter of mutual, continual and detrimental education, in which all parties learn to read privilege and respond to their position relative to it, rather a monolithic and impersonal institution.</p> | true | 4 | post discusses plot details 12 years slave depth forgive solomon northup chiwetel ejiofor tells wife anne kelsey scott returns saratoga freedom decade enslavement southern states nothing forgive anne tells course solomon way responsible kidnapped servitude touch family twelve years except errors judgement made trusting men deceived sold exchange reunited spouses reveals plain language makes steve mcqueens 12 years slave strikingly different many movies slavery race south recent years 12 years slave concerned solomons character arc rather moral development white woman like skeeter phelan emma stone misfit socialite becomes reporter goes work publisher help dr king schultz christoph waltz bounty hunterturnedhaterofslavery django unchained movie treats whiteness neutral thing complex construct intersections class gender creates landscape unstable risky palmetto swamp unlike aibileen clark viola davis housekeeper help goes quiet acceptance lot speaking mind django jamie foxx begins django unchained irons ends galloping towards freedom wife solomon spends much 12 years slave traveling opposite trajectory beginning film freedom granted privilege trusting two men brown scoot mcnairy hamilton taran killam offer job playing violin exorbitant salary circus generosity extraordinary solomon tells rich dinner washington dc hes traveled believes twoweek engagement even wakes irons solomon refuses believe brown hamilton betrayed protesting kidnappers artists even tellingly believes sort justice within reach promise upon liberation satisfaction wrong solomon declares one jailers much next twelve years solomon spends time disabused notion fellow artists trustworthy talent save decency fellowfeeling trumps race comes uncomfortably close acquaintance hell survive free solomons education takes place three acts first swiftest form violent gaslighting designed swiftly transition thinking free man accepting identity slave aint free man aint saratoga youre georgiayou aint nothing runaway nigger jailer washington dc tells solomon beats new identity youre slave youre georgia slave mans partner teaches solomon part essential lesson servitude hes meant surprised generosity show rather feeling entitled got gratitude man tells comes offer solomon replacement shirt thats shredded irreparably bloodied beating solomon arrives destination custody slaver named freeman paul giamatti hes punished doesnt answer new name bestowed platt fit description didnt answer called freeman demands solomon making sure latest commodity behave expected hes sold solomon becomes convinced value docility survival first stage journey south second learns talents intelligence need deployed carefully extent race trumps class southern whites man purchases plantation owner named ford benedict cumberbatch fancies benevolent owner fords first attracted solomon freemans establishment slaver tells ford nigger considerable talent ford hears solomons playing respect extends beyond solomons music ford willing accept solmons advice transporting lumber swamps around estate tibeats paul dano foreman whos taken instant dislike solomon grounds doesnt know place asks solomon engineer nigger solomon volunteers experience working canal crew proof plan ill admit impressed even wont ford tells tibeats solomon giving solomon chance prove idea viable eliza adepero oduye like solmon kidnapped washington sold ford along away children sees solomon gestures respect ford opportunity asks solomon recognizing solomons displays talents make valuable ford rather convincing ford humanity solomons first inkling comes ford gives violin telling solomon hope brings us much joy years envisioning placid permanent coexistence slave hes come enjoy even solmon accepts might lot fails recognize means expresses usefulness may someday erode risks ford willing take error continuing challenge tibeats treating white man hes foolish telling simply ask use senses rendering judgement tibeats criticizes work declaring theres something wrong wrong instructions repeated confrontations finally become violent solomon acts skills outrank whiteness tibeats skin beating rather allowing physically abused tibeats declares fight live see another dayi flesh another layer instruction solomon first received kidnapped hes place reason matters little race class everything one intellectually complex visually harrowing sequences 12 years slave tibeats rounds lynch mob interrupted fords overseer informs tibeats claim life doesnt course mean solmons life remind overseer leave solomon hanging low enough relieve pressure neck pointing toes decidedly unstable mud slaves around bettertrained art selfpreservation largely go work solomon languishes children play near tree hes hung mrs ford watches solomon struggle strolls away viewpoint porch woman sneaks drink water ease comfort relieve one person ford ultimately cuts solomon machete assertion ownership comes paired acknowledgement solomon transgressed far beating tibeats ford assert class privilege poorer mans racist outrage order save slave even one hes grown fond exceptional nigger platt ford tells solomon prepares sell edwin epps michael fassbender fear good come epps plantation solomon learns submission compromise paradoxically qualities allow save life end film epps plantation solomons skills turned far able win epps respect knowledge might possess solomon proves poor one thing epps wants picking cotton musical skills source consolation become part epps macabre entertainments epps forces solomon play grotesque dances forces slaves hold middle night amidst brutality epps plantation solomon learns people saw hanged nothing day ignore sees keep quiet contemplates running away mrs epps sarah paulson orders run errands store flight woods brings solomon upon lynching party solomon effectively promises white men group forget saw tells mrs epps mam encountered trouble route erasing experience official account trip solomon patsey lupita nyongo slave epps describes queen fields epps rapes regularly warning wife rid away lectured value patience submission christian terms mistress shaw alfre woodward slave accepted role mistress another white man served others serving mistress shaw counsels two younger people good time lordll manage em allthe sorrow pharaohs match awaits plantation class education saves solomon caught dangerous ploy trying convince former overseerturnedcottonpicker named armsby garret dillahunt deliver letter family well platt understand got learned nigger writes letters tries get white fellows mail em drunk epps tells solomon clearly eager use knowledge slave whos irritated quite given excuse epps needs dispatch violence solmon point knows enough play epps class suspicions armsby made story whole cloth wants situation solomon insists epps believes submission also means solomon pulled deeper complicity epps cruelties nowhere case patsey one point patsey begs solomon kill make body disappear telling aint got comfort life cant buy mercy ill beg solomon declines even becomes witness escalating suffering returns stint another plantation allowed play violin earn money solmon sees blood vessels one patseys eyes broken whether result abuse mrs epps assertion authority epps later patsey available epps sunday day shes traditionally free go visiting wrath dreadful escalates explains visiting mistress shaw get soap mrs epps denied 500 pounds cotton day man clean thats ask patsey begs dignity epps telling youre pats orders solomon whip whip harder makes show beating rather administering properly mr parker rob steinberg solomons white friend comes epps plantation evidence solomons freedom 12 years slave makes wrenchingly clear solomons freedom depends willingness simply accept go get away pats epps warns patsey insists saying goodbye solomon price minor act dignity likely severe whipping treatment flayed back afterwards weve seen cost looks like price solomons freedom willingness turn back looked away injured eye refused risk epps wrath soul kill suffered none say decisions solomon makes wrong argue martyred epps plantation died forgotten rather living tell story become abolitionist activist chapter life thats left film 12 years slave remarkable film examines ways slavery coarsened moral sensibilities white people practiced black people held bondage unlike aibileen clark saint django action hero solomon damaged slavery terrible things survive movie extends privilege never sacrificing claim immense admiration respect solomon tells family apologize appearance difficult time past several years speaking physically emotionally veiled honesty terrible compromises made return home 12 years slave fruitvale station ryan cooglers remarkable debut film last day life oscar grant michael b jordan shot death bart platform 20009 2013 may prove wastershed year cinema longoverdue assertion black men dont need earn value lives dignity simply possess 12 years slave also admirably corrective sidelining moral development degradation white people solomons journey say characters poorly sketched exception badly miscast brad pitt bass white canadian eventually delivers news solomons fate friends family saratoga mcqueen gotten remarkably rich psychological portraits cast fassbender seems likely strong best supporting actor contender performance louche selfloathing epps itll shame work overshadows sarah paulsons enraged humiliated plantation wife film south highest concern whether skeeter phelan turns racist friends finds fulfillment world publishing leaving black women gave material first book behind mississippi whether dr king schultz acts accordance newlyawakened conscience dies blaze spectacularly impractical glory puts django wife broomhilda kerry washington greater danger show deference violent planter calvin candie leonardo dicaprio might done 12 years slave whether individual white people good bad compromised virtuous cowardly courageous simply less important collective impact black men like solomon northup must navigate whims class prejudices survive really small kindness mr ford matter men like epps live bear lashes 12 years slave dismisses moral myopia governs movies like help django unchained reduce experiences black people importance experiences play white peoples moral educations learning experiences unnecessary social progress movies often given impression onesided process white people good must learn recognize ills unconsciously done benefitted find small way renounce 12 years slave powerful corrective illustration racism america matter mutual continual detrimental education parties learn read privilege respond position relative rather monolithic impersonal institution | 1,473 |
<p>Baltimore, Maryland</p>
<p>In most of the media coverage of Cardinal Ratzinger’s election as successor to John Paul II, he has been presented as very conservative on moral and religious issues. His opposition to legalizing abortion, homosexual marriage, and the ordination of women and his support for continuing the celibacy of priests and other church traditions, all have contributed to his reputation as a profoundly conservative religious person. Not much has been said, however, about his political views, except his being a member of the youth branch of the Nazi Party in Germany (the Hitler Youth). This was mentioned, then quickly dismissed as having no significance, since, as the Herald Tribune (21 April 2005) noted, “Everybody had to be enrolled in Hitler Youth at that time.” Otherwise, his political positions have been overlooked, ignored, or set aside as having no relevance.</p>
<p>The reality, however, is quite different. Ratzinger is profoundly political. And his political positions are more than conservative, they are ultra-right-wing. He was one of the most ultra-right cardinals of recent times. I will elaborate on this, but first, let’s dispense with the claim that every young person in Germany at that time was in the Hitler Youth. That is nonsense. Many young Germans, including Catholics, not only refused to join the Hitler Youth but fought against Hitler in a courageous and principled way. In a village near where the young Ratzinger lived (near Marktl ­ a mere 15 miles from Braunau, Hitler’s birthplace), two thousand Catholics signed a petition protesting the Nazi order to remove crucifixes from schoolrooms. In Munich, where Ratzinger later became archbishop, twenty Catholic students were executed in 1942 for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets at the university. They became known as the White Rose — die weisse Rose. There was an anti-war resistance in Germany, including a Catholic resistance, which Ratzinger never joined, supported, or recognized. Even later, when Germany regained democracy, Bishop Ratzinger of Munich never paid tribute to those who had been killed because of their commitment to liberty and freedom. Among them, incidentally, were many communists, whom Ratzinger had defined as “scum.”</p>
<p>There is no evidence that Ratzinger was a Nazi or a Nazi sympathizer. But there is plenty of evidence that he was an opportunist who went along pursuing his personal ambitions, regardless of what was happening around him. He indicated early in life that he wanted to become a cardinal. And recently ­ a mere two years ago ­ he confided to another person that he expected to become Pope. Spanish public television showed a postcard that Ratzinger sent two years ago to a person in Spain, which he signed “Pope Benedict XVI,” the name he took when he indeed became Pope. This contradicts his recent statement that he did not want to become Pope. In fact, when he finally was chosen, reports indicate that he accepted quickly, firmly, and without any hesitation. If he did not want to become Pope, he could have stopped the active campaigning on his behalf by the influential ultra-right Opus Dei. He did not do so.</p>
<p>Let’s return to Ratzinger’s youth. One of the cardinals who most impressed him was Cardinal Faulhaber, then archbishop of Munich, who founded the boarding school where young Ratzinger studied (and later, in 1951, ordained him). Cardinal Faulhaber was an open Nazi sympathizer. According to Ratzinger’s brother, Georg, Joseph joined the Hitler Youth to get a scholarship that would allow him to continue his studies at Faulhaber’s boarding school.</p>
<p>During all his years in Germany, Ratzinger never in his writings publicly condemned the Holocaust, and, as late as 2000, he referred to the Catholic Church’s collaboration with the Hitler regime as a sign of “a certain insufficiency of Catholics in front of the Holocaust because of the anti-Semitism that existed in the souls of many of them” (emphasis added). A “certain insufficiency” is a dramatic understatement.</p>
<p>Ratzinger did not travel much in his youth and early adulthood. He was in many different ways a typical priest in the most conservative state of Germany, Bavaria. He was close to the Christian Union Party, the political branch of the very conservative Bavarian Catholic Church. This was the most right-wing party in the German parliament after World War II. It governed Bavaria for more than sixty years, establishing a link between Church and state that enormously benefited both the Catholic Church and Ratzinger. Ratzinger was a close friend of the leader of the Christian Union Party, Franz Josef Strauss, who was prime minister of Bavaria for the longest period in German history.</p>
<p>Ratzinger’s ultra-conservatism made him an attractive figure to the Vatican. He was made a cardinal shortly after being appointed bishop of Munich. He was strongly hostile to students protesting the Vietnam War in the 1960s, calling them “ideological terrorists.” He was eventually appointed head of the Inquisition (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), soon overseeing a record number of condemnations by that tribunal. One of his priorities as head of the Inquisition was to ban and destroy the Christian liberation movement that had surged in Latin America in protest against the Catholic hierarchy’s support of fascist and ultra-right dictatorships. He was assisted in this task by Cardinal Sodano, a close friend of dictator Pinochet (see my article Opus Dei and the Pope, 8 April 2005). Sodano referred to one of the leaders of the liberation theology movement, Mr. Boff, as a “Judas of Christ.” The first decision Ratzinger made when he became Pope, incidentally, was to appoint Sodano his deputy -­ in Vatican parlance, Secretary of State. Moreover, to make sure the other cardinals and bishops would not interpret that appointment as a mere renewal (Sodano was already Secretary of State under John Paul II), Ratzinger stressed that this was a special appointment to last at least four years. Sodano’s fascist sympathies are well documented.</p>
<p>Having been the candidate of Opus Dei (see my previous article), Ratzinger has encouraged Christians to become involved in political life that adheres to his teachings, which are ultra-right-wing. Ratzinger took his name from Benedict XV, the spiritual founder of Christian Democracy, whose primary purpose was to halt the surge of socialism in Europe. Ratzinger has preached anti-communism his entire life, interpreting communism very broadly (as do most ultra-right politicians) to include a lot of left and even center left parties. He has been very critical (hostile may be a better word) of the Spanish social democratic government led by Zapatero, accusing it of being open to moral decay.</p>
<p>Ratzinger has not made any statements about the Church’s concern with social justice or poverty, or similar rhetorical statements, as the previous Pope was inclined to do. Ratzinger is more down to earth and dispenses with these niceties. His primary and only concern is for the purity and strength of the Church as a temporal power. His enormous personal ambition fueled his strategy to be elected Pope from an early stage in the campaign, immediately after the death of John Paul II. Assisted by Opus Dei, very powerful under the John Paul II papacy, Ratzinger’s campaign distributed documents among the cardinals that, according to the Milanese paper La Stampa, presented a picture of decay and moral laxity among the clergy in Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. He wanted to stress that the Vatican had a moral problem on its hands that needed to be corrected by a strong leader. His next step was to give a very uncompromising speech at the opening of the cardinals’ meetings to elect the Pope, forbidding all cardinals to make any statements outside the conclave ­ a norm imposed under the threat of excommunication, a Vatican norm that Ratzinger felt he needed to remind the cardinals about, even though most of them (115 of 120) were appointed by John Paul II. A leading campaigner for Ratzinger was Cardinal Sodano. One of Ratzinger’s first decisions, besides making Sodano his right-hand man, was to increase the age of retirement for bishops and cardinals from 75 to 80 years of age, as they had requested.</p>
<p>Surrounded by what the Italian press has called the “theo-cons,” Ratzinger has a political project aimed at strengthening conservative forces worldwide, but particularly in Europe, supposedly awash in moral decay. His intervention in political matters is very aggressive. In Spain, for example, the Vatican has given instructions to Catholic civil servants to sabotage enforcement of the civil union law that applies to homosexuals. The Vatican’s hostility to the socialist government of Spain ­ which has eliminated Catholic teaching as a compulsory subject in public schools, while maintaining it as an elective; has made it easier to get a divorce; has legalized homosexuals’ civil unions, including their right to adopt children; and is planning to expand the law on abortion, which until now has allowed abortion only on medical and social grounds ­ has reached extreme and overtly hostile levels. Seeing Spain as its territory, the Church cannot accept the secular and democratic processes that have been occurring in that country since the end of the Franco regime ­ one of Europe’s cruelest fascist dictatorships (for every political assassination by Mussolini in Italy, Franco killed ten thousand), supported by the Catholic Church. Today, in Spain, the Church is one of the least trusted and least liked institutions, particularly among the young. Only 14% of young people are practicing Catholics. Actually, this lack of popularity of the Church is evident in all countries. In the Latin American countries, the largest granary of Catholics in the world, the number of Catholics has fallen by 25 million over the past ten years, as they have moved to Protestant churches. And the number of priests is declining most dramatically. Even in the new Pope’s Germany, the most recent poll among university students shows that 83% thought the Church was either in crisis or dying. In this poll, more Germans opposed Ratzinger’s becoming Pope than favored it.</p>
<p>Still, more than 1,200 million of the world’s people are Catholic. And the Church, with 4,700 bishops and 400,000 priests, is a formidable organization that can do a lot of harm. The Vatican’s prohibition of condom use, for example, has been a major factor in the spread of AIDS in Africa. As Mithela Wrong of Nigeria has written (New Statesman, 11 April 05), “The Vatican has done more to spread AIDs in Africa than all the prostitutes of that Continent combined.” And the Vatican’s support for oligarchic regimes in Latin America (including Duvalier’s in Haiti) has created enormous poverty. The Pope and many of the cardinals form an ultra-right leadership that has become a source of religious and political fundamentalism that threatens progress worldwide. While much has been written about the threat of Muslim fundamentalism, not much has been said about the threat posed by this Catholic fundamentalism. It is time that people recognized it. As Umberto Ecco recently wrote, “It almost seems like we are going back to the middle Ages.”</p>
<p>VICENTE NAVARRO is Professor of Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, USA and Pompeu Fabra University, Spain. Navarro contributed an essay on Salvidor Dali’s fascist ties for CounterPunch’s collection on art, culture and politics: <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:navarro@counterpunch.org" type="external">navarro@counterpunch.org</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | baltimore maryland media coverage cardinal ratzingers election successor john paul ii presented conservative moral religious issues opposition legalizing abortion homosexual marriage ordination women support continuing celibacy priests church traditions contributed reputation profoundly conservative religious person much said however political views except member youth branch nazi party germany hitler youth mentioned quickly dismissed significance since herald tribune 21 april 2005 noted everybody enrolled hitler youth time otherwise political positions overlooked ignored set aside relevance reality however quite different ratzinger profoundly political political positions conservative ultrarightwing one ultraright cardinals recent times elaborate first lets dispense claim every young person germany time hitler youth nonsense many young germans including catholics refused join hitler youth fought hitler courageous principled way village near young ratzinger lived near marktl mere 15 miles braunau hitlers birthplace two thousand catholics signed petition protesting nazi order remove crucifixes schoolrooms munich ratzinger later became archbishop twenty catholic students executed 1942 distributing antinazi leaflets university became known white rose die weisse rose antiwar resistance germany including catholic resistance ratzinger never joined supported recognized even later germany regained democracy bishop ratzinger munich never paid tribute killed commitment liberty freedom among incidentally many communists ratzinger defined scum evidence ratzinger nazi nazi sympathizer plenty evidence opportunist went along pursuing personal ambitions regardless happening around indicated early life wanted become cardinal recently mere two years ago confided another person expected become pope spanish public television showed postcard ratzinger sent two years ago person spain signed pope benedict xvi name took indeed became pope contradicts recent statement want become pope fact finally chosen reports indicate accepted quickly firmly without hesitation want become pope could stopped active campaigning behalf influential ultraright opus dei lets return ratzingers youth one cardinals impressed cardinal faulhaber archbishop munich founded boarding school young ratzinger studied later 1951 ordained cardinal faulhaber open nazi sympathizer according ratzingers brother georg joseph joined hitler youth get scholarship would allow continue studies faulhabers boarding school years germany ratzinger never writings publicly condemned holocaust late 2000 referred catholic churchs collaboration hitler regime sign certain insufficiency catholics front holocaust antisemitism existed souls many emphasis added certain insufficiency dramatic understatement ratzinger travel much youth early adulthood many different ways typical priest conservative state germany bavaria close christian union party political branch conservative bavarian catholic church rightwing party german parliament world war ii governed bavaria sixty years establishing link church state enormously benefited catholic church ratzinger ratzinger close friend leader christian union party franz josef strauss prime minister bavaria longest period german history ratzingers ultraconservatism made attractive figure vatican made cardinal shortly appointed bishop munich strongly hostile students protesting vietnam war 1960s calling ideological terrorists eventually appointed head inquisition congregation doctrine faith soon overseeing record number condemnations tribunal one priorities head inquisition ban destroy christian liberation movement surged latin america protest catholic hierarchys support fascist ultraright dictatorships assisted task cardinal sodano close friend dictator pinochet see article opus dei pope 8 april 2005 sodano referred one leaders liberation theology movement mr boff judas christ first decision ratzinger made became pope incidentally appoint sodano deputy vatican parlance secretary state moreover make sure cardinals bishops would interpret appointment mere renewal sodano already secretary state john paul ii ratzinger stressed special appointment last least four years sodanos fascist sympathies well documented candidate opus dei see previous article ratzinger encouraged christians become involved political life adheres teachings ultrarightwing ratzinger took name benedict xv spiritual founder christian democracy whose primary purpose halt surge socialism europe ratzinger preached anticommunism entire life interpreting communism broadly ultraright politicians include lot left even center left parties critical hostile may better word spanish social democratic government led zapatero accusing open moral decay ratzinger made statements churchs concern social justice poverty similar rhetorical statements previous pope inclined ratzinger earth dispenses niceties primary concern purity strength church temporal power enormous personal ambition fueled strategy elected pope early stage campaign immediately death john paul ii assisted opus dei powerful john paul ii papacy ratzingers campaign distributed documents among cardinals according milanese paper la stampa presented picture decay moral laxity among clergy europe latin america us wanted stress vatican moral problem hands needed corrected strong leader next step give uncompromising speech opening cardinals meetings elect pope forbidding cardinals make statements outside conclave norm imposed threat excommunication vatican norm ratzinger felt needed remind cardinals even though 115 120 appointed john paul ii leading campaigner ratzinger cardinal sodano one ratzingers first decisions besides making sodano righthand man increase age retirement bishops cardinals 75 80 years age requested surrounded italian press called theocons ratzinger political project aimed strengthening conservative forces worldwide particularly europe supposedly awash moral decay intervention political matters aggressive spain example vatican given instructions catholic civil servants sabotage enforcement civil union law applies homosexuals vaticans hostility socialist government spain eliminated catholic teaching compulsory subject public schools maintaining elective made easier get divorce legalized homosexuals civil unions including right adopt children planning expand law abortion allowed abortion medical social grounds reached extreme overtly hostile levels seeing spain territory church accept secular democratic processes occurring country since end franco regime one europes cruelest fascist dictatorships every political assassination mussolini italy franco killed ten thousand supported catholic church today spain church one least trusted least liked institutions particularly among young 14 young people practicing catholics actually lack popularity church evident countries latin american countries largest granary catholics world number catholics fallen 25 million past ten years moved protestant churches number priests declining dramatically even new popes germany recent poll among university students shows 83 thought church either crisis dying poll germans opposed ratzingers becoming pope favored still 1200 million worlds people catholic church 4700 bishops 400000 priests formidable organization lot harm vaticans prohibition condom use example major factor spread aids africa mithela wrong nigeria written new statesman 11 april 05 vatican done spread aids africa prostitutes continent combined vaticans support oligarchic regimes latin america including duvaliers haiti created enormous poverty pope many cardinals form ultraright leadership become source religious political fundamentalism threatens progress worldwide much written threat muslim fundamentalism much said threat posed catholic fundamentalism time people recognized umberto ecco recently wrote almost seems like going back middle ages vicente navarro professor public policy johns hopkins university usa pompeu fabra university spain navarro contributed essay salvidor dalis fascist ties counterpunchs collection art culture politics serpents garden reached navarrocounterpunchorg 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 1,049 |
<p>The first time I met Ken Salazar, the man Barack Obama has tapped as the next Secretary of Interior, he was the Attorney General for the state of Colorado.&#160; That was in 1999 or thereabouts – well before he’d been told to glue that silly cowboy hat on his head so that everybody would know he was a true westerner, an old time westerner, a man bred of the land, comfortable in a saddle or behind the wheel of a pickup.</p>
<p>It used to be people were known by their words, not their props, but Paul Bremer with his suit and combat boots in Iraq and Ken Salazar with his screwed on cowboy hat want to employ a sartorial meta-language – you know their seriousness by seeing their props.</p>
<p>Watching how Salazar dealt with public resource issues back then gives me considerable pause as to whether he should be given legal control over one-fifth of the U.S. land area as Interior Secretary.&#160; After reviewing a few of these accounts you will be able to understand my unease.</p>
<p>At that first meeting, we had come to him to ask for the release of engineering reports bearing on the water rights claims of the Ute Indians.&#160; These claims would become a driving force behind construction of the long-stalled federal Animas-La Plata project – a $600 million boondoggle to sequester enough water for the domestic needs of more than a million people.&#160; Among our concerns was that the Utes numbered only 3,000 people and already controlled over 150,000 acre feet of water, mostly from other federal projects.</p>
<p>Colorado’s Open Records Act requires state records to be made available within five working days of a request.&#160; As Attorney General, Salazar was responsible for enforcing that law.&#160;&#160; He told us he couldn’t release the engineering reports because he might have to someday protect the people of Colorado against the claims of the Utes.&#160; The information in those records, he reasoned, might give an unfair advantage to them if made public.&#160; The law would have to wait.&#160; We were to find out much later that these reports had already been reviewed by an engineering consultant for the Indians.</p>
<p>Indeed, later still, in a private meeting, after we brought suit over the matter, we were told by Salazar’s office that we would never get any information from them.&#160; Well, some heavily redacted records were eventually dribbled to us, but I think this incident provides a clear indication of how Salazar, left to his own devises, might live up to Obama’s promise of openness and accountability in his administration.</p>
<p>Another telling episode from that period was Attorney General Salazar’s involvement in the Summitville Mine Superfund cleanup.&#160; Previously, Salazar’s mentor Governor Roy Romer had approved the gold mining operation at Summitville, arguing that jobs were needed.&#160; To grease the startup, Romer had accepted the Canadian operator’s on-site equipment in lieu of a cash bond as required by state law.&#160; It didn’t take long before the operation failed, dumping cyanide into the river and poisoning it for miles downstream.</p>
<p>Salazar announced he would personally lead negotiations with the Canadian mining company.&#160; In the end, the taxpayers picked up virtually all of the millions of dollars in cleanup.&#160; Salazar’s lack of success in negotiating with the mining company and failure to prosecute should have gotten more attention, but all the costs had been transferred to the United States, thus diluting the costs to the people of Colorado.</p>
<p>As AG, Salazar was also involved in a longstanding water case between Colorado and Kansas over the use of the Arkansas River, a case that had festered for years and certainly cannot be laid at Salazar’s feet entirely.&#160;&#160; Up to now, the case has cost the taxpayers of Colorado approximately $50 million in penalties and attorney fees.&#160; The U.S. Supreme Court in reaching its verdict against the state, and in awarding punitive damages, was scathing in its condemnation of Colorado’s actions, stating the Colorado knew or should have known for years that it was stealing water from Kansas.</p>
<p>Normally, when a person steals from another, the thief either goes to jail or makes restitution.&#160; In the Arkansas River case, the public pays for the theft, while the actual thieves, a few hundred ranchers and farmers on the lower Arkansas, pay nothing.</p>
<p>In addition, Ken and his brother, John, support a large federal pipeline project to bring potable water to towns in the lower Arkansas valley because the agricultural return flows from these same thieving ranches are so polluted they reportedly make the river unsuitable as a source of public drinking water.&#160; The preliminary costs of this pipeline are said to be between $200 and $300 million, with the public picking up the costs. Since most large federal water projects usually have cost overruns of up to 300 percent, this scheme, if funded, might actually cost up to a billion dollars.</p>
<p>In a rational economic world, we would expect the public’s representatives to first go to those causing the problem and tell them to stop, reform their operations, and pay a significant portion of the damages and remediation costs.&#160; The public might be asked to participate, but only secondarily.&#160; But that is not the way water in the West is governed, and it is not the way Salazar sees it.&#160; He has a long history of supporting water development on a large scale at public expense.</p>
<p>He advertises himself as the senator for rural America even though, apparently unbeknownst to him, the state he represents is one of the most urbanized in the nation.&#160; Neither does his self-description necessarily mean that he is an advocate for rural workers who are among the poorest of the working poor.</p>
<p>Instead of standing for rural interests, Salazar seems to be more an advocate for preserving old land and ranching interests.&#160; Much is made of the fact he grew up in rural Colorado without electricity.&#160; Less is made of the fact his family has received over $200,000 in farm subsidies over the last 10 years, with his brother, the congressman, being the chief beneficiary.&#160; Not surprisingly, the Salazar brothers are stout defenders of these agri-business subsidies – a stance seemingly at odds with Obama’s promise to eliminate waste in government.</p>
<p>He has been praised lavishly for opposing the Bush administration’s drilling plans on some of the most valued wild land in the state, the Roan Plateau.&#160; He did the right thing, no question, but it was also the easy thing since the plan was unpopular among most state voters.&#160; It was not a high-risk endorsement.&#160; In fact the risk would have been in not getting on the bandwagon.</p>
<p>Newspapers like the Denver Post refer to Salazar as a centrist.&#160; Apparently this is some sort of code meant to suggest a person Obama can be comfortable with, just as he seems to be comfortable with Ivy League retreads from Wall Street and the Clinton administration.&#160; But the Obama campaign was about “CHANGE” – I still have that sign.&#160; I hope it means something because millions of people who don’t give a damn about centrism or any other ism are depending on it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, from where I sit, Ken Salazar as Secretary of Interior does not represent change, as Obama promised.&#160; Salazar represents defending the status quo and always has.</p>
<p>PHILLIP DOE lives in Colorado. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:ptdoe@comcast.net" type="external">ptdoe@comcast.net</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | first time met ken salazar man barack obama tapped next secretary interior attorney general state colorado160 1999 thereabouts well hed told glue silly cowboy hat head everybody would know true westerner old time westerner man bred land comfortable saddle behind wheel pickup used people known words props paul bremer suit combat boots iraq ken salazar screwed cowboy hat want employ sartorial metalanguage know seriousness seeing props watching salazar dealt public resource issues back gives considerable pause whether given legal control onefifth us land area interior secretary160 reviewing accounts able understand unease first meeting come ask release engineering reports bearing water rights claims ute indians160 claims would become driving force behind construction longstalled federal animasla plata project 600 million boondoggle sequester enough water domestic needs million people160 among concerns utes numbered 3000 people already controlled 150000 acre feet water mostly federal projects colorados open records act requires state records made available within five working days request160 attorney general salazar responsible enforcing law160160 told us couldnt release engineering reports might someday protect people colorado claims utes160 information records reasoned might give unfair advantage made public160 law would wait160 find much later reports already reviewed engineering consultant indians indeed later still private meeting brought suit matter told salazars office would never get information them160 well heavily redacted records eventually dribbled us think incident provides clear indication salazar left devises might live obamas promise openness accountability administration another telling episode period attorney general salazars involvement summitville mine superfund cleanup160 previously salazars mentor governor roy romer approved gold mining operation summitville arguing jobs needed160 grease startup romer accepted canadian operators onsite equipment lieu cash bond required state law160 didnt take long operation failed dumping cyanide river poisoning miles downstream salazar announced would personally lead negotiations canadian mining company160 end taxpayers picked virtually millions dollars cleanup160 salazars lack success negotiating mining company failure prosecute gotten attention costs transferred united states thus diluting costs people colorado ag salazar also involved longstanding water case colorado kansas use arkansas river case festered years certainly laid salazars feet entirely160160 case cost taxpayers colorado approximately 50 million penalties attorney fees160 us supreme court reaching verdict state awarding punitive damages scathing condemnation colorados actions stating colorado knew known years stealing water kansas normally person steals another thief either goes jail makes restitution160 arkansas river case public pays theft actual thieves hundred ranchers farmers lower arkansas pay nothing addition ken brother john support large federal pipeline project bring potable water towns lower arkansas valley agricultural return flows thieving ranches polluted reportedly make river unsuitable source public drinking water160 preliminary costs pipeline said 200 300 million public picking costs since large federal water projects usually cost overruns 300 percent scheme funded might actually cost billion dollars rational economic world would expect publics representatives first go causing problem tell stop reform operations pay significant portion damages remediation costs160 public might asked participate secondarily160 way water west governed way salazar sees it160 long history supporting water development large scale public expense advertises senator rural america even though apparently unbeknownst state represents one urbanized nation160 neither selfdescription necessarily mean advocate rural workers among poorest working poor instead standing rural interests salazar seems advocate preserving old land ranching interests160 much made fact grew rural colorado without electricity160 less made fact family received 200000 farm subsidies last 10 years brother congressman chief beneficiary160 surprisingly salazar brothers stout defenders agribusiness subsidies stance seemingly odds obamas promise eliminate waste government praised lavishly opposing bush administrations drilling plans valued wild land state roan plateau160 right thing question also easy thing since plan unpopular among state voters160 highrisk endorsement160 fact risk would getting bandwagon newspapers like denver post refer salazar centrist160 apparently sort code meant suggest person obama comfortable seems comfortable ivy league retreads wall street clinton administration160 obama campaign change still sign160 hope means something millions people dont give damn centrism ism depending unfortunately sit ken salazar secretary interior represent change obama promised160 salazar represents defending status quo always phillip doe lives colorado reached ptdoecomcastnet 160 160 160 160 | 667 |
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<p>Mara Ahmed and I were given the opportunity to interview Tariq Ali when he spoke at Hamilton College in Upstate New York on November 11, 2009, during his recent speaking tour of the United States. Tariq, a native of Pakistan who lives in England, is a well known writer, intellectual and activist. He has traveled all over Southwest Asia and the Middle East while researching his books. Mara, who is working on a film highlighting the opinions of the Pakistani people regarding the current situation in Pakistan and the Western initiated ‘Global War on Terror’, had a lot of questions for Tariq about the internal state of Pakistan. I wanted to ask Tariq for his opinion about the effects of American foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what alternatives he thought might be available. –JB</p>
<p>Mara: What is the role of Islamophobia in the Global War on Terror. Many American war veterans have described the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as imperialistic, racist and genocidal. Your comments?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, I think Islamophobia plays an important part in things, because it creates an atmosphere in which people feel, "Oh, we’re just killing Muslims, so that’s alright." And this situation is becoming quite serious in the United States and in large parts of Europe, where people feel that the fact that a million Iraqis have died is fine because they’re not like us, they’re Muslims. So, Islamophobia is becoming a very poisonous and dangerous ideological construct which has to be fought against.</p>
<p>It sometimes irritates people but I do compare it to the anti-Semitism that existed in the 20s and 30s and 40s of the last century. And I do wonder whether all the education that people are being given, and rightly so, about the killing of the Jews and the Judeocide of the Second World War is having an impact. What sort of education is it if they can’t relate what happened then to some of the things that are happening now. Education which just centers on one atrocity and that’s all, where people feel very opposed to that [one atrocity], but they can support other atrocities, is in my opinion not a proper education. And some of the level of ignorant comment on Islam and the Islamic world in the United States is deeply shocking. That’s all it is. It’s ignorance.</p>
<p>Mara: Do you think there is a difference between the United States and Europe?</p>
<p>Tariq: I think, on Islamophobia, not. I think there is a great deal of it in Western Europe. In countries like Germany, Italy, France it goes very deep; in Britain it exists strongly. I don’t think there’s any big difference. I think, curiously enough, because the United States, itself, is such a deeply religious country, that many people who are not crazies, but who are religious, accept the need for people to belong to whatever religion they want to as long as they believe in a God. Whereas, in Europe, which is much less religious, the Islamophobia can be much more pronounced.</p>
<p>Mara: What do you think of the Pakistani Army’s offensives in Swat and now in South Waziristan? Many Swat refugees have described heavy, indiscriminate bombing and shelling followed by Army sweeps, and they have talked about the villagers being the hardest hit, really, in these military operations, not the Taliban. Even after the offensives, there have been many gruesome revenge killings. What do you think about all of this, and are there any other non-military options in this situation?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, it’s an open question as to what the military really wants to do. Is the military really just showing the United States "Look how tough we are. We are going in and doing things which we have to do to destroy the Taliban?” And they’re doing this largely to appease the United States, in which case all this makes sense, because the higher the casualty rates, the better it is, the more money they get. The fact is that most of the Pakistani Taliban groups don’t stay when the military comes. They disappear, because that’s how they function. So the people who get it in the neck are largely innocent. And this has been the report from both Swat and South Waziristan. I think it is a great pity that people in the United States, and certainly within the American establishment, don’t understand that that is what’s going on. They are making new enemies by supporting this.</p>
<p>The camps are full of people who are being treated extremely badly. There was a case I just heard about a few days ago. I’m trying to remember the name of the camp. It’s outside Peshawar. Well, the army went in, behaved badly, ended up firing, and killed 3 children. And the activist who sent me the blog said, "As I’m sending you this blog, I can see the funeral procession of these children taking place." This is going to create a problem for a long, long time. There may be 2 million refugees right now within Pakistan, and this is not the way to do it, you know. It reminds me of Samuel Huntington’s advice during the Vietnam War, to create strategic hamlets and take people away from those who might recruit them. That’s essentially, I feel, what is going on. And it isn’t going to work. Lots of people in the camps are getting radicalized, and they can leave the camps whenever they want to. They aren’t policed permanently. I mean, just imagine what happened to the Palestinians in the camps from the 50s and 60s. Camps are not the sort of environment where people don’t get radicalized. So the same thing could begin to happen in Pakistan if the military carries on like this.</p>
<p>Mara: Who do you think are the Taliban? And do you see any differences between the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, there’s a very big difference. The Afghan Taliban are fighting the foreign occupation of their country, and the Pakistani Taliban have decided to fight against local people in their own country and occasionally take on the Pakistani military. So, that is a very big difference between the two. The Afghan Taliban are trying more and more to win people to their cause, which means that the way they operate has to be different from what it used to be. In Pakistan the groups calling themselves the Tehriq eTaliban Pakistan are largely trying to teach the military a lesson and carry out revenge for what they’ve seen has been done against them. They have no desire to recruit large numbers of people. And, this is now getting mixed up with local tribal politics.</p>
<p>Mara: Some people maintain that there are certain elements of a class struggle in what’s going on in Pakistan. Do you agree with that?</p>
<p>Tariq: No. I don’t agree with that. I think that the Taliban occasionally kill a landlord because the landlord isn’t supporting them, and then they redistribute the land. But, if you’re a landlord who gives them money, they don’t touch you. So, it’s purely opportunist, and I think it’s very opportunist to see this as a form of class struggle. It isn’t. Essentially, what they attack are women, and they attack schools, not just women’s schools (there aren’t many co-educational schools in Pakistan) but all schools. So they see education as a threat. And that, to my mind, is incredibly backward – to deny your people an education.</p>
<p>Mara: I have written about what I see as a local form of home-grown imperialism, which I feel is at work in Pakistan. The Pakistani government and the elite are just so far removed from the lives of the common man, especially outside of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. They are just as far removed from their reality as the Americans are. I feel that there’s almost no difference. And the same kind of cavalier disregard for the suffering of ordinary Muslims is exhibited by the Pakistani elite as by the Americans. And this is why I feel that the razing of villages, the destruction of crops, and the migration of 2 million refugees is all acceptable in the name of ‘saving Pakistan from the religious extremists’. And then when some of these people migrate to the cities, for example when they tried to get into Karachi, the MQM told them they don’t want any refugees close-by. What do you think about that?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, I think there’s an element of truth in that, that the Pakistani elite (the military/political elite) have disregarded their own people for so long now, that it would be a surprise if they behaved in a different way. But it’s not just Muslims. It’s the minorities as well. The tiny Christian minority, Hindus and Sikhs, they all suffer from this attitude. And I have written about this at length in my books, that I do regard this as one of the most corrupt and venal elites in the world, where there’s absolutely no regard whatsoever for the sanctity of human life or the sufferings of ordinary people. And, it gets worse. It doesn’t get better. Politics in Pakistan itself now, have become so linked to making money that each gang that comes to power says "Make as much money as you can. Don’t know how long we’ll be in power." And this is what Zardari is doing now. This is what Nawaz Sharif has done before him. This is what the Chaudhrys of Gujarat who were allied with General Musharraf (and before him with General Zia) have done when they’ve been in power. Politics in Pakistan is both paralyzed and atrophied. It doesn’t move forward at all, and that’s very depressing.</p>
<p>Mara: Now I have some questions about democracy in Pakistan. The argument is often made that democracy is not possible in Pakistan on account of the feudal system, the high illiteracy rate and the lack of institutions that would support a democratic system. What do you think?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, look. I don’t believe this because I think in the past people in Pakistan have shown that they are perfectly capable of making their voices heard. When there was an alternative, they supported it. I mean when the People’s Party won the elections of 1970, the people in the Punjab and Sind and in parts of the Frontier Province voted against their landlords. This means they can do it, because they were promised what, food, clothing, shelter, land reform, health, education. That’s what Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promised them. They believed him and they voted for his party. The fact that they’re illiterate doesn’t matter. You know lots of illiterate people in our part of the world are actually more intelligent than semi-literate or even sometimes literate people. They have a very strong political instinct. They know who’s on their side and who isn’t. They hoped that Bhutto would bring about these changes, but he didn’t. And that was a massive let down. The same is true of India. When Mrs. Gandhi imposed an emergency in the 70s, people voted her out. So, it’s not that democracy is totally dependent on literacy. That is not the case.</p>
<p>What is true is that the institutions of democracy in Pakistan are extremely weak. And, that is a problem. And, here I have to say that in the first phase of the new media which emerged in Pakistan, the discussions which took place in the media were very positive. Now they’ve been brought under control again. But that opening did help to transmit ideas and diversity into the country. As a whole, the entire movement to put the Chief Justice back into power would not have been possible had it not been for television, where the demonstrations were covered and people were interviewed. People were proud to be associated with that. Many illiterate people turned out to demand that the Chief Justice be put back into power. This was a struggle that had no link to religion or anything like that. It was a straight forward struggle for constitutional rights and the separation of powers. So, I don’t like anybody saying that our people aren’t ready for democracy. I would sort of rather say the opposite, that the elite in Pakistan have no respect for democracy. And it’s disrespect for democracy that makes ordinary people apathetic because they say it doesn’t make any difference now.</p>
<p>Mara: You just talked about the Lawyer’s Movement. Do you think that it still has a future?</p>
<p>Tariq: I don’t think so, because I think that once you have Zardari in power, and the Chief Justice formally reinstated, that movement has now lost its raison d’etre. The big tragedy for Pakistan is that no political party emerged out of that. Had it done so, we might have been better off now.</p>
<p>Mara: And then I have some questions about US foreign policy in the region. Recently a group of Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans, both students and professors, drafted a petition to urge America to end its ‘one leader’ approach to Pakistan, where individual political leaders and dictators have been supported by the United States government at the expense of Pakistani civil society. What are your comments?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, my first comment is that the United States does what it regards as being best for the United States. So, they pick leaders they feel will do their work for them. They’re not that interested in Pakistan as a state or a country. They’re basically using it, and have done so right from the beginning. So, making these petitions to them indicates that people still have illusions that the United States somehow can do something it doesn’t want to do and has no desire of doing. I mean, I understand why people did that. But I think it’s accepting America’s imperial standing in Pakistan. Saying why don’t you do this? Why should they do it? Why shouldn’t our own people do it? All the United States can be asked to do is to stop supporting the military and corrupt politicians in Pakistan. And the rest, people will have to do for themselves.</p>
<p>Mara: Your comments about the Kerry-Lugar Bill.</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, the Kerry-Lugar Bill is a continuation of what’s been going on in Pakistan from 1951 onwards. Money is given. Money is spent. This time, it’s very open. It’s to bribe the Pakistani military to do the work which the Americans feel is best done by them, kill more people. Or it’s to give money to civil society – carefully chosen and begged to push through various initiatives in civil society. And, what will happen is that the bulk of the money will be confiscated by military and civilian elite groups. That’s what’s happened in the past, and that’s what will happen now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zardari’s still in power when this money comes through, he’ll get a big cut of it.</p>
<p>Mara: Would you like to comment on Seymour Hersh’s recently published article. He talks about how the Americans have an arrangement to deploy a Special Services Unit to Pakistan should an internal dispute in the country put the nukes at risk. Do you think that is true? And do you think this is a good plan?</p>
<p>Tariq: I don’t think that it’s a good plan. But I think it may well be true because of the obsession with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, largely stoked by Israel which wants to be the only nuclear power in that region and doesn’t want any Muslim state to have them because they fear that they might help others in the Middle East, is crazy. I mean, the only danger in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons is if the Pakistani military splits. And the only reason for it to be split is if the Americans put massive pressure on it, which became so unacceptable that the high command split and said we can’t do this. Were that to happen then the situation would be serious, and I’m sure the United States would try and do something to secure the nuclear facilities. But were they to do so, the wave of anger that would sweep the country, rightly or wrongly, would exceed anything we’ve seen so far.</p>
<p>Mara: Is there anything positive the US can do about Afghanistan and Pakistan, except the fact that they need to pull out? Can they do anything else?</p>
<p>Tariq: Well, they need to pull out, and they need to pull out sensibly, not like they did the last time, after defeating the Russians. And, as I’ve argued consistently now, for the last so many years, there needs to be an exit strategy that needs to involve the local regional powers. I think it would be wrong if the United States essentially handed Afghanistan over to the Pakistani military, like they did the last time, when they said "It’s your problem. Deal with it." I think the Iranians, the Russians and the Chinese have to be involved. And if the Americans don’t involve them, Pakistan should, because it certainly is not capable of handling the situation on its own, economically or politically or militarily. So it needs to do that. And were that to happen, it would be something positive. As to what the United States can do, I mean its record in Pakistan has, so far, been abysmal. So, I think a period of withdrawal from Pakistani politics, once a strategic withdrawal has taken place, if it takes place, would be positive.</p>
<p>Judy: May I follow up on that question? Do you think the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has invited Pakistan and Afghanistan in as Observers, could be engaged to involve local powers in the Afghan recovery? Iran is involved and China and Russia are central players.</p>
<p>Tariq: It is a possibility, because the Chinese involvement is very crucial for economic reasons. We need to construct a social infrastructure in Afghanistan, and only the Chinese could fund it. But in return for that, the Chinese would demand total peace and an end to war. And that you can’t have unless the Pakistani and the Iranians and Russians guarantee it. So I think the Shanghai group could play an important role if the United States lets them.</p>
<p>Mara: What do you think of Turkey as an effective convener of economic cooperation in the region, and is it possible for the US to integrate that into their plans?</p>
<p>Tariq: I don’t think so. I think the Turks have enough problems of their own. And I know that the Turkish Islamists are NATO’s favorite Islamists. At the moment, this is the face of ‘moderate’ Islam as they show it. But these are people who have completely wrecked the Turkish economy by large scale privatizations, which have led to a worsening of conditions. The withdrawal of the state, and local Islamists willing to help with medicines etc. is, I think, dangerous. I think these are things that should be done by the state, and not by any one organization in order to bolster support for itself. So, I don’t think the Turkish model is a particularly good one. And I don’t think that the United States is going to use the Turks in this region. There are some Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, but Turkey isn’t taken seriously. It is seen globally as an American puppet state, which it has been since the Second World War.</p>
<p>Mara: And then my final question is "What do you think is India’s role in whatever is going on in Pakistan. You know, a lot of people say that they are the ones that are supplying some of the arms and ammunition to the militants. That is the rumor. And, what do you think is their long term strategy? I assume that they wouldn’t want an unstable Pakistan right next door?</p>
<p>Tariq: I don’t think India wants an unstable Pakistan right next door. But, on the other hand, they haven’t made any serious efforts to help stability in Pakistan, given the way they’ve operated in Kashmir. But, you can’t ignore what the Indian military has done in Kashmir. It’s like a colonial occupation, with rapes, brutality and torture, which has created a situation where Jihadis sent in by the Pakistani military have won limited support in some regions because Kashmiris are so fed up with what the Indians are doing. So, unless and until that particular problem is sorted out, I think it’s not going to be easy. I think ultimately, one day, we have to think of South Asia as a region in which the main countries collaborate with each other.</p>
<p>And the exit strategy from Afghanistan could involve some settlements along these lines, a no-war pact between India and Pakistan and an opening of trade. I don’t think this confrontational situation, which both militaries sometimes encourage to help their own vested interest, is good in the long run, for either country. India is a huge country. Militarily, they could crush Pakistan. But they’re not going to do it because that would import instability into the Indian Federation. They don’t want Pakistan. The Pakistani military needs the threat of India, in order to justify the wild military spending that takes place in that country, and so the money spent on social projects is very limited. I think it’s in the interest of the entire region to, if not to denuclearize it, certainly to make it pacific and peaceful, and for the states to work together. I think it has to be done.</p>
<p>Mara: Thank you very much.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | mara ahmed given opportunity interview tariq ali spoke hamilton college upstate new york november 11 2009 recent speaking tour united states tariq native pakistan lives england well known writer intellectual activist traveled southwest asia middle east researching books mara working film highlighting opinions pakistani people regarding current situation pakistan western initiated global war terror lot questions tariq internal state pakistan wanted ask tariq opinion effects american foreign policy afghanistan pakistan alternatives thought might available jb mara role islamophobia global war terror many american war veterans described wars iraq afghanistan imperialistic racist genocidal comments tariq well think islamophobia plays important part things creates atmosphere people feel oh killing muslims thats alright situation becoming quite serious united states large parts europe people feel fact million iraqis died fine theyre like us theyre muslims islamophobia becoming poisonous dangerous ideological construct fought sometimes irritates people compare antisemitism existed 20s 30s 40s last century wonder whether education people given rightly killing jews judeocide second world war impact sort education cant relate happened things happening education centers one atrocity thats people feel opposed one atrocity support atrocities opinion proper education level ignorant comment islam islamic world united states deeply shocking thats ignorance mara think difference united states europe tariq think islamophobia think great deal western europe countries like germany italy france goes deep britain exists strongly dont think theres big difference think curiously enough united states deeply religious country many people crazies religious accept need people belong whatever religion want long believe god whereas europe much less religious islamophobia much pronounced mara think pakistani armys offensives swat south waziristan many swat refugees described heavy indiscriminate bombing shelling followed army sweeps talked villagers hardest hit really military operations taliban even offensives many gruesome revenge killings think nonmilitary options situation tariq well open question military really wants military really showing united states look tough going things destroy taliban theyre largely appease united states case makes sense higher casualty rates better money get fact pakistani taliban groups dont stay military comes disappear thats function people get neck largely innocent report swat south waziristan think great pity people united states certainly within american establishment dont understand whats going making new enemies supporting camps full people treated extremely badly case heard days ago im trying remember name camp outside peshawar well army went behaved badly ended firing killed 3 children activist sent blog said im sending blog see funeral procession children taking place going create problem long long time may 2 million refugees right within pakistan way know reminds samuel huntingtons advice vietnam war create strategic hamlets take people away might recruit thats essentially feel going isnt going work lots people camps getting radicalized leave camps whenever want arent policed permanently mean imagine happened palestinians camps 50s 60s camps sort environment people dont get radicalized thing could begin happen pakistan military carries like mara think taliban see differences afghan taliban pakistani taliban tariq well theres big difference afghan taliban fighting foreign occupation country pakistani taliban decided fight local people country occasionally take pakistani military big difference two afghan taliban trying win people cause means way operate different used pakistan groups calling tehriq etaliban pakistan largely trying teach military lesson carry revenge theyve seen done desire recruit large numbers people getting mixed local tribal politics mara people maintain certain elements class struggle whats going pakistan agree tariq dont agree think taliban occasionally kill landlord landlord isnt supporting redistribute land youre landlord gives money dont touch purely opportunist think opportunist see form class struggle isnt essentially attack women attack schools womens schools arent many coeducational schools pakistan schools see education threat mind incredibly backward deny people education mara written see local form homegrown imperialism feel work pakistan pakistani government elite far removed lives common man especially outside karachi lahore islamabad far removed reality americans feel theres almost difference kind cavalier disregard suffering ordinary muslims exhibited pakistani elite americans feel razing villages destruction crops migration 2 million refugees acceptable name saving pakistan religious extremists people migrate cities example tried get karachi mqm told dont want refugees closeby think tariq well think theres element truth pakistani elite militarypolitical elite disregarded people long would surprise behaved different way muslims minorities well tiny christian minority hindus sikhs suffer attitude written length books regard one corrupt venal elites world theres absolutely regard whatsoever sanctity human life sufferings ordinary people gets worse doesnt get better politics pakistan become linked making money gang comes power says make much money dont know long well power zardari nawaz sharif done chaudhrys gujarat allied general musharraf general zia done theyve power politics pakistan paralyzed atrophied doesnt move forward thats depressing mara questions democracy pakistan argument often made democracy possible pakistan account feudal system high illiteracy rate lack institutions would support democratic system think tariq well look dont believe think past people pakistan shown perfectly capable making voices heard alternative supported mean peoples party elections 1970 people punjab sind parts frontier province voted landlords means promised food clothing shelter land reform health education thats zulfikar ali bhutto promised believed voted party fact theyre illiterate doesnt matter know lots illiterate people part world actually intelligent semiliterate even sometimes literate people strong political instinct know whos side isnt hoped bhutto would bring changes didnt massive let true india mrs gandhi imposed emergency 70s people voted democracy totally dependent literacy case true institutions democracy pakistan extremely weak problem say first phase new media emerged pakistan discussions took place media positive theyve brought control opening help transmit ideas diversity country whole entire movement put chief justice back power would possible television demonstrations covered people interviewed people proud associated many illiterate people turned demand chief justice put back power struggle link religion anything like straight forward struggle constitutional rights separation powers dont like anybody saying people arent ready democracy would sort rather say opposite elite pakistan respect democracy disrespect democracy makes ordinary people apathetic say doesnt make difference mara talked lawyers movement think still future tariq dont think think zardari power chief justice formally reinstated movement lost raison detre big tragedy pakistan political party emerged done might better mara questions us foreign policy region recently group pakistanis pakistani americans students professors drafted petition urge america end one leader approach pakistan individual political leaders dictators supported united states government expense pakistani civil society comments tariq well first comment united states regards best united states pick leaders feel work theyre interested pakistan state country theyre basically using done right beginning making petitions indicates people still illusions united states somehow something doesnt want desire mean understand people think accepting americas imperial standing pakistan saying dont shouldnt people united states asked stop supporting military corrupt politicians pakistan rest people mara comments kerrylugar bill tariq well kerrylugar bill continuation whats going pakistan 1951 onwards money given money spent time open bribe pakistani military work americans feel best done kill people give money civil society carefully chosen begged push various initiatives civil society happen bulk money confiscated military civilian elite groups thats whats happened past thats happen wouldnt surprised zardaris still power money comes hell get big cut mara would like comment seymour hershs recently published article talks americans arrangement deploy special services unit pakistan internal dispute country put nukes risk think true think good plan tariq dont think good plan think may well true obsession pakistans nuclear weapons largely stoked israel wants nuclear power region doesnt want muslim state fear might help others middle east crazy mean danger pakistans nuclear weapons pakistani military splits reason split americans put massive pressure became unacceptable high command split said cant happen situation would serious im sure united states would try something secure nuclear facilities wave anger would sweep country rightly wrongly would exceed anything weve seen far mara anything positive us afghanistan pakistan except fact need pull anything else tariq well need pull need pull sensibly like last time defeating russians ive argued consistently last many years needs exit strategy needs involve local regional powers think would wrong united states essentially handed afghanistan pakistani military like last time said problem deal think iranians russians chinese involved americans dont involve pakistan certainly capable handling situation economically politically militarily needs happen would something positive united states mean record pakistan far abysmal think period withdrawal pakistani politics strategic withdrawal taken place takes place would positive judy may follow question think shanghai cooperation organization invited pakistan afghanistan observers could engaged involve local powers afghan recovery iran involved china russia central players tariq possibility chinese involvement crucial economic reasons need construct social infrastructure afghanistan chinese could fund return chinese would demand total peace end war cant unless pakistani iranians russians guarantee think shanghai group could play important role united states lets mara think turkey effective convener economic cooperation region possible us integrate plans tariq dont think think turks enough problems know turkish islamists natos favorite islamists moment face moderate islam show people completely wrecked turkish economy large scale privatizations led worsening conditions withdrawal state local islamists willing help medicines etc think dangerous think things done state one organization order bolster support dont think turkish model particularly good one dont think united states going use turks region turkish soldiers afghanistan turkey isnt taken seriously seen globally american puppet state since second world war mara final question think indias role whatever going pakistan know lot people say ones supplying arms ammunition militants rumor think long term strategy assume wouldnt want unstable pakistan right next door tariq dont think india wants unstable pakistan right next door hand havent made serious efforts help stability pakistan given way theyve operated kashmir cant ignore indian military done kashmir like colonial occupation rapes brutality torture created situation jihadis sent pakistani military limited support regions kashmiris fed indians unless particular problem sorted think going easy think ultimately one day think south asia region main countries collaborate exit strategy afghanistan could involve settlements along lines nowar pact india pakistan opening trade dont think confrontational situation militaries sometimes encourage help vested interest good long run either country india huge country militarily could crush pakistan theyre going would import instability indian federation dont want pakistan pakistani military needs threat india order justify wild military spending takes place country money spent social projects limited think interest entire region denuclearize certainly make pacific peaceful states work together think done mara thank much 160 | 1,708 |
<p>There are over 300 maquiladoras in Ciudad Juárez that employ over 250,000 workers at substandard wages. The Johnson Controls wage dispute is the latest struggle in a series of ongoing labor issues.</p>
<p>On July 5, 2016, 790 workers from Johnson Controls plants 1, 3, 4 and 6 walked off the job seeking better pay. They also demanded that the company end the exploitation of workers, especially after the company introduced a work method known as “bumping.” This practice was first introduced in Spain and consists of one worker doing three to five tasks to produce one piece on the assembly line. Bumping makes it possible for workers to produce more pieces at the same wage.</p>
<p>According to their <a href="http://www.johnsoncontrols.com" type="external">webpage</a>: “Johnson Controls, Inc. is an American-based multinational conglomerate producing automotive parts such as batteries and electronics and HVAC equipment for buildings.” The company states that it employs 170,000 people in more than 1,300 locations across six continents. Johnson Controls includes an Ethics Policy that states that they do not tolerate and actively oppose corruption in their businesses, but they seem to have turned a blind eye to their operations in Mexico.</p>
<p>Workers have made the following demands: (1) that Johnson Controls respect basic workers’ rights; (2) that workers get a wage increase; (3) that the company eliminate the practice of “bumping;” (4) that the company contract at least three workers per line, to cover absences of the rest of the workers at lines, to allow workers to go to the restroom, to offer workers required special permits to be able to leave plant for health reasons, etc.; (5) that workers be able to take their vacations when they have their continuously on a yearly basis, and not only when the company allows it; (6) that the company end the abuse and hostility towards workers, especially the sexual abuse that occurs daily. They are also seeking damages for loss of wages that have been withheld.</p>
<p>Susana Prieto Terrazas, the attorney representing the workers, said the workers are not the problem. It’s systemic, she said. Johnson Controls plants in Puebla, Reynosa, and Monclova, Coahuila, have similar issues and all are on strike. Workers are also seeking wage increases in Tijuana and Italy. This isn’t the first time Johnson Controls has had labor disputes in Mexico. In 2012, just a year after an independent union gained recognition in a Puebla plant, the company closed it.</p>
<p>The significance of the Johnson Controls Wage Strike in Ciudad Juárez is the number of people involved: 790. That’s 10 times the number of <a href="" type="internal">Lexmark</a> workers who staged a three-month occupation outside that maquiladora last winter. In addition to Lexmark workers, 432 workers from other companies experienced labor issues issues in 2015: 37 workers from Eaton Industries (June 2015), 20 from Eaton Bussman, 125 from Foxconn (August 2015) and 250 from Commscope (September 2015).</p>
<p />
<p>Around the world, 27 million workers (mostly women) work in factories like Mexico’s maquiladoras under similarly exploitative conditions, and the reawakening of their resistance in Ciudad Juárez is important.</p>
<p>The maquiladoras are constantly adopting new scams to enhance lean production. Lexmark workers were urged to raise productivity using the Shingo Price model. Workers at Johnson Controls faced an unscalable ladder of six wage levels before they walked out. Level seven —the highest level, paid 210 pesos a day ($11.36)— has not been achieved by any worker. Many workers earn 100 pesos a day ($5.41). The average age for workers is between 35-40. Most of the workers have reached Level 4 and earn 153 pesos daily ($8).</p>
<p>Workers also suffer from foot spurs after standing on the job for shifts of 9½ hours and often overtime shifts of 6 hours. A worker injured on the job has to wait until the company physician arrives to be taken to a private hospital, where they get 15 days of care. At the end of the 15 days, they are released but many are only compensated for 60 percent of their benefits.</p>
<p>At the publication of this article, Johnson Controls workers are laboring from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday due to the firing of 360 workers and the retention of salaries from more than 390 workers. The company is working with 770 to 790 less employees, and that has forced people to work overtime. They have also brought 140 workers from Monclova to work Monday through Sunday as well.</p>
<p>Johnson Controls workers sew seats and airbags for Lexus and an array of luxury vehicles, including Japanese cars. Sewing is the best-paid job for maquiladora workers in Ciudad Juárez, but it is also one of the most injury-laden. Sewers must stand all day. They cannot turn around to talk with co-workers. If they do, they are asked to resign by the human resources managers. Most workers do not protest or seek legal representation; most comply with their managers, fearing repercussions for future employment.</p>
<p>Workers in Ciudad Juárez report widespread corruption among supervisors. One production supervisor offers women overtime in return for sexual favors. A group of very productive workers pays 200 to 1,000 pesos “commission” to their supervisor for the privilege of working overtime. Johnson Controls offers a $6,000-peso sign on bonus to new workers that have experience, but payments are spread out over a 13-week period, and they only get them if they have perfect attendance. Due to the excessive work demands, most people often resign after their first week.</p>
<p />
<p>In addition, maquiladoras also ask for a “carta de no antecedentes penales” or a letter that attests to no prior arrests. According to Prieto Terrazas, Mexican federal employment law does not require presenting such a document to obtain employment, but maquiladoras require it. The letters are sold to workers because the Mexican government profits from their sales. The Mexican government sells the letter for 82 pesos. Workers seeking employment in Ciudad Juárez maquiladoras need to pay the 82 pesos for the letter, as well as 28 pesos round-trip ride to go to the State’s General Finance Agency. Many workers simply do not apply for work because they lack the 110 pesos needed to obtain the letter that they technically do not need to look for employment in maquiladoras.</p>
<p>Maquiladora workers are paid via electronic debit cards and workers are laden with superfluous bank charges. All these charges reduce workers’ take-home pay. All Ciudad Juárez banks accept maquiladora deposits that impose unnecessary charges on workers’ accounts.</p>
<p>Johnson Controls’ corruption is not limited to Mexico. In a July 11, 2016 article in the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Dockery reported that “Manufacturing company Johnson Controls agreed Monday to pay $14 million to <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-controls-settles-china-corruption-case-with-sec-1468276763" type="external">settle</a> Foreign Corrupt Practices Act charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission over conduct in China, while the Justice Department closed its investigation into the matter partly because of extensive cooperation by the company.”</p>
<p>Johnson Controls is bringing 500 workers from Monclova and Saltillo in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila to replace the workers who have walked off the job. Recruitment for the positions was limited to experienced workers who were offered a 5,000-peso bonus for three weeks of work that will be paid after their three weeks in Ciudad Juárez. Workers who were offered the opportunity and who refused to work were told they would be fired. The first 500 workers arrived on Friday, July 15. After three weeks, another 500 will be bused in. In a situation that looks a lot like human trafficking, they work from Monday to Sunday and are housed in a local hotel, unable to leave.</p>
<p />
<p>The striking Johnson Controls workers fear police repression and provocateurs. Recently the police tried to provoke violence during a protest where 40 police vehicles, provocateurs and two sharp shooters arrived to immobilize workers, but the workers were saved when a reporter showed up to cover the event.</p>
<p>The Monclova strikebreakers are earning 5,000 pesos ($270) for three weeks of work while workers in Ciudad Juárez, who have not walked off their jobs are being given two gallons of orange juice, two gallons of milk and two packages of cheese every Thursday for working overtime. If they work on Saturdays, they are paid with hamburgers. If they work on Sundays, they are given 10 pieces of bread and 10 pieces of meat for a cookout. Monclova workers are also paid 150 pesos ($8) more than Ciudad. Juárez workers.</p>
<p />
<p>Charges have been filed against Prieto Terrazas and workers for blocking the entrance to the plant (that they did not engage in) and according to Johnson Controls, causing millions of dollars of loss of business. The government also accuses Prieto Terrazas of engaging in political activism instead of representing workers.</p>
<p>Prieto Terrazas is asking international social justice groups to support the workers. El Paso activists who helped get support for the Lexmark workers have vowed to seek international support and expose the labor abuses. Prieto Terrazas said she is more fearful of the current situation than she was during the Lexmark struggle. She has called the maquiladora system in Ciudad Juárez slavery, and she believes that the workers are facing a united front of maquiladora corporations and the Mexican government to repress all future worker activism. She said, “This time workers and their supporters are dealing with the entire monster of the neoliberal maquiladora industry complex, not just one company. This,” she said, “makes me and the striking workers very vulnerable.”</p>
<p>Recently, news crews from Ciudad Juárez were seen at Johnson Controls filming promotional videos to relay the message that all is well at the plant and that there are no issues with workers.</p>
<p>Prieto Terrazas asked that letters be directed to both the state and federal Mexican governmental agencies. International groups and individuals should mention the imperative of better pay and working conditions as well as the safety of workers and their rights to protest. Supporters must also repudiate actions by Mexican agencies and the police to violently suppress worker protests.</p>
<p>Letters can be sent to the following locations and political leaders (please bcc Susana Prieto Terrazas – her information is at the bottom of the list):</p>
<p>Los Pinos, Enrique Peña Nieto Calle Parque Lira S/N, Miguel Hidalgo, San Miguel Chapultepec 1 Secc, 11850 Ciudad de México <a href="http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/" type="external">presidencia.gob.mx</a></p>
<p>Palacio de Gobierno Chihuahua Gobernador Constitutional del Estado de Chihuahua Calle Venustiano Carranza No. 911, Centro Histórico Chihuahua, Chihuahua <a href="mailto:secretariageneralgobch@yahoo.com" type="external">secretariageneralgobch@yahoo.com</a></p>
<p>Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos Av. de los Insurgentes No. 4327 Fracc, Los Nogales Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua <a href="mailto:cedhch@prodigy.net.mx" type="external">cedhch@prodigy.net.mx</a></p>
<p>Presidencia Municipal Atn. Presidente Municipal Av. Francisco Villa y Malecón Colonia Centro Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua <a href="mailto:Gobierno_municipal@juarez.gob.mx" type="external">Gobierno_municipal@juarez.gob.mx</a></p>
<p>Lic. Susana Prieto Terrazas Ave. Ejército Nacional Esquina con Calle Catalpa Fracc. Jardines de San José Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua <a href="mailto:Susanaprieto@prodigy.net.mx" type="external">Susanaprieto@prodigy.net.mx</a></p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Miguel Juárez is a doctoral candidate in Borderlands history at the University of Texas at El Paso. His research focuses on urban historical issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. You can follow him&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/migueljuarez" type="external">@migueljuarez</a>.</p>
<p>Workers at a Lexmark plant in Juárez, Mexico were fired a few days before Christmas after they demanded that their employer keep to a promised 35-cent per day raise.</p>
<p>January 20, 2016</p>
<p>"This does not end. It barely begins."</p>
<p>April 14, 2016</p>
<p>So close, yet so far.</p>
<p>February 19, 2016</p> | true | 4 | 300 maquiladoras ciudad juárez employ 250000 workers substandard wages johnson controls wage dispute latest struggle series ongoing labor issues july 5 2016 790 workers johnson controls plants 1 3 4 6 walked job seeking better pay also demanded company end exploitation workers especially company introduced work method known bumping practice first introduced spain consists one worker three five tasks produce one piece assembly line bumping makes possible workers produce pieces wage according webpage johnson controls inc americanbased multinational conglomerate producing automotive parts batteries electronics hvac equipment buildings company states employs 170000 people 1300 locations across six continents johnson controls includes ethics policy states tolerate actively oppose corruption businesses seem turned blind eye operations mexico workers made following demands 1 johnson controls respect basic workers rights 2 workers get wage increase 3 company eliminate practice bumping 4 company contract least three workers per line cover absences rest workers lines allow workers go restroom offer workers required special permits able leave plant health reasons etc 5 workers able take vacations continuously yearly basis company allows 6 company end abuse hostility towards workers especially sexual abuse occurs daily also seeking damages loss wages withheld susana prieto terrazas attorney representing workers said workers problem systemic said johnson controls plants puebla reynosa monclova coahuila similar issues strike workers also seeking wage increases tijuana italy isnt first time johnson controls labor disputes mexico 2012 year independent union gained recognition puebla plant company closed significance johnson controls wage strike ciudad juárez number people involved 790 thats 10 times number lexmark workers staged threemonth occupation outside maquiladora last winter addition lexmark workers 432 workers companies experienced labor issues issues 2015 37 workers eaton industries june 2015 20 eaton bussman 125 foxconn august 2015 250 commscope september 2015 around world 27 million workers mostly women work factories like mexicos maquiladoras similarly exploitative conditions reawakening resistance ciudad juárez important maquiladoras constantly adopting new scams enhance lean production lexmark workers urged raise productivity using shingo price model workers johnson controls faced unscalable ladder six wage levels walked level seven highest level paid 210 pesos day 1136 achieved worker many workers earn 100 pesos day 541 average age workers 3540 workers reached level 4 earn 153 pesos daily 8 workers also suffer foot spurs standing job shifts 9½ hours often overtime shifts 6 hours worker injured job wait company physician arrives taken private hospital get 15 days care end 15 days released many compensated 60 percent benefits publication article johnson controls workers laboring 630 9 pm monday sunday due firing 360 workers retention salaries 390 workers company working 770 790 less employees forced people work overtime also brought 140 workers monclova work monday sunday well johnson controls workers sew seats airbags lexus array luxury vehicles including japanese cars sewing bestpaid job maquiladora workers ciudad juárez also one injuryladen sewers must stand day turn around talk coworkers asked resign human resources managers workers protest seek legal representation comply managers fearing repercussions future employment workers ciudad juárez report widespread corruption among supervisors one production supervisor offers women overtime return sexual favors group productive workers pays 200 1000 pesos commission supervisor privilege working overtime johnson controls offers 6000peso sign bonus new workers experience payments spread 13week period get perfect attendance due excessive work demands people often resign first week addition maquiladoras also ask carta de antecedentes penales letter attests prior arrests according prieto terrazas mexican federal employment law require presenting document obtain employment maquiladoras require letters sold workers mexican government profits sales mexican government sells letter 82 pesos workers seeking employment ciudad juárez maquiladoras need pay 82 pesos letter well 28 pesos roundtrip ride go states general finance agency many workers simply apply work lack 110 pesos needed obtain letter technically need look employment maquiladoras maquiladora workers paid via electronic debit cards workers laden superfluous bank charges charges reduce workers takehome pay ciudad juárez banks accept maquiladora deposits impose unnecessary charges workers accounts johnson controls corruption limited mexico july 11 2016 article wall street journal stephen dockery reported manufacturing company johnson controls agreed monday pay 14 million settle foreign corrupt practices act charges securities exchange commission conduct china justice department closed investigation matter partly extensive cooperation company johnson controls bringing 500 workers monclova saltillo northern mexican state coahuila replace workers walked job recruitment positions limited experienced workers offered 5000peso bonus three weeks work paid three weeks ciudad juárez workers offered opportunity refused work told would fired first 500 workers arrived friday july 15 three weeks another 500 bused situation looks lot like human trafficking work monday sunday housed local hotel unable leave striking johnson controls workers fear police repression provocateurs recently police tried provoke violence protest 40 police vehicles provocateurs two sharp shooters arrived immobilize workers workers saved reporter showed cover event monclova strikebreakers earning 5000 pesos 270 three weeks work workers ciudad juárez walked jobs given two gallons orange juice two gallons milk two packages cheese every thursday working overtime work saturdays paid hamburgers work sundays given 10 pieces bread 10 pieces meat cookout monclova workers also paid 150 pesos 8 ciudad juárez workers charges filed prieto terrazas workers blocking entrance plant engage according johnson controls causing millions dollars loss business government also accuses prieto terrazas engaging political activism instead representing workers prieto terrazas asking international social justice groups support workers el paso activists helped get support lexmark workers vowed seek international support expose labor abuses prieto terrazas said fearful current situation lexmark struggle called maquiladora system ciudad juárez slavery believes workers facing united front maquiladora corporations mexican government repress future worker activism said time workers supporters dealing entire monster neoliberal maquiladora industry complex one company said makes striking workers vulnerable recently news crews ciudad juárez seen johnson controls filming promotional videos relay message well plant issues workers prieto terrazas asked letters directed state federal mexican governmental agencies international groups individuals mention imperative better pay working conditions well safety workers rights protest supporters must also repudiate actions mexican agencies police violently suppress worker protests letters sent following locations political leaders please bcc susana prieto terrazas information bottom list los pinos enrique peña nieto calle parque lira sn miguel hidalgo san miguel chapultepec 1 secc 11850 ciudad de méxico presidenciagobmx palacio de gobierno chihuahua gobernador constitutional del estado de chihuahua calle venustiano carranza 911 centro histórico chihuahua chihuahua secretariageneralgobchyahoocom comisión estatal de derechos humanos av de los insurgentes 4327 fracc los nogales ciudad juárez chihuahua cedhchprodigynetmx presidencia municipal atn presidente municipal av francisco villa malecón colonia centro ciudad juárez chihuahua gobierno_municipaljuarezgobmx lic susana prieto terrazas ave ejército nacional esquina con calle catalpa fracc jardines de san josé ciudad juárez chihuahua susanaprietoprodigynetmx miguel juárez doctoral candidate borderlands history university texas el paso research focuses urban historical issues along usmexico border follow him160 migueljuarez workers lexmark plant juárez mexico fired days christmas demanded employer keep promised 35cent per day raise january 20 2016 end barely begins april 14 2016 close yet far february 19 2016 | 1,148 |
<p>Chris Christie–Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/David Shankbone</p>
<p>New Jersey’s most important TV star isn’t on MTV’s Jersey Shore. Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s YouTube showdowns with his critics—especially the state’s public school teachers—have made him a fast-rising Republican star, lionized by the likes of the Weekly Standard ( <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/chris-christie-mania-running-wild" type="external">4/26/10</a>), National Review ( <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/243599/chris-christie-scourge-trenton-daniel-foster" type="external">4/16/10</a>), Glenn Beck ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhFFhnI0y-Y&amp;feature=player_embedded" type="external">5/14/10</a>) and George Will ( <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/21/AR2010042104451.html" type="external">4/22/10</a>). Mere months after his election, pundits were weighing his presidential chances in 2012, and Rush Limbaugh ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31bFRUGuky4&amp;feature=player_embedded" type="external">2/12/10</a>) was declaring: “Is it wrong to love another man? Because I love Chris Christie.”</p>
<p>That enthusiasm is not confined to the right-wing echo chamber. The NBC Today show ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-0dtSyZCPg" type="external">10/20/10</a>) told viewers that “with Christie, what you see is what you get. A 48-year-old father of four who loves Bruce Springsteen and is trying to rescue his troubled state.” To the New York Times (2/22/11), Christie has exhibited “in-your-face frankness and nonstop aggressiveness” as a leader who has “torn into the financial problems he faced with gusto,” and Time’s Nancy Gibbs (2/28/11) wrote that “It’s tempting to see in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a Churchill for our times.”</p>
<p>Newsweek (12/6/10) explained dramatically that “Christie leads like the prosecutor he once was, identifying the crime, fingering the culprit, and methodically building a case designed to convince a jury of his peers.” The magazine went on to note, as if it were a surprise, “Even the mainstream media have begun to fall for the hefty governor.”</p>
<p>Christie has become the media’s symbol of the get-tough Republican austerity rebellion. To the Washington Post (2/23/11), the “plain-spoken Christie has emerged as a leader of a growing group of governors that is attacking yawning budget deficits by facing down public employees and promising not to raise taxes.”</p>
<p>The uprising against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker offered ABC reporter Jonathan Karl the opportunity to emphasize that Christie was on the case first. Karl (This Week, 2/20/11) announced that while the debates over state budget cuts were “the Tea Party’s moment…this is also the Chris Christie phenomenon. Will politicians be rewarded for making tough choices?—again, something I don’t think we’ve ever seen happen.”</p>
<p>But almost entirely lost in all the attention to Christie’s rhetoric is any serious discussion of whether his record lives up to the hype, as if those details were a mere footnote. A Washington Post article (10/31/10) led with the conventional Christie storyline—he “has done what Republicans on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail are promising: to cut spending to reduce the budget deficit.” Several paragraphs later came a few caveats: “The budget is hardly the conservative panacea that Christie has cast it as. The budget was balanced by deferring $3 billion the government was to pay into its state pension system and eliminat[ing] a tax rebate homeowners were supposed to receive.”</p>
<p>Continuing the practice of underfunding the pension system and ending one tax break for homeowners—in practical terms, a tax hike—would hardly conform to the media-manufactured image of Christie. And a New York Times piece (2/23/11) noted that Christie’s plan to shift a $500 million payment to the pension fund from the upcoming fiscal year to the current one “would allow the governor to say he has cut spending for a second year in a row. Otherwise, spending would actually grow slightly.”</p>
<p>One might think that journalists would scrutinize the fiscal record of a politician whose public persona relies so heavily on his commitment to austerity. A few have put difficult questions directly to Christie (e.g., ABC’s Jake Tapper on This Week, 7/25/10), but corporate media seem to prefer to cover his rhetoric and political maneuvering.</p>
<p>Take Christie’s speech at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, where much of the media attention focused on what he said about Social Security. “You’re going to have to raise the retirement age for Social Security,” Christie explained. “Whoa! I just said it, and I’m still standing here. I did not vaporize into the carpeting.” That earned him praise from the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank (2/17/11), who explained that this was more evidence that Christie isn’t a “blow-dried politician who says whatever the voters want to hear. Christie isn’t pretty, and he tells ugly truths.”</p>
<p>Of course, for something to be an “ugly truth” it would have to be true, and as Extra! (1-2/05, 10/10) has repeatedly shown, there’s absolutely no need to raise the Social Security retirement age. But declaring that workers should work longer is Beltway Truth Telling; after playing a clip of Christie’s speech, Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer (2/27/11), instead of questioning Christie’s totally inaccurate premise, asked him, “Should other people be saying that?”</p>
<p>NBC host David Gregory (2/20/11) declared Christie “got rave reviews in part because of his plain language about taking on issues like Social Security.” Gregory called Christie’s rhetoric “the kind of plain talk that people are responding to,” a stark contrast to Democrats who “want to take Social Security off the table right now in terms of dealing with that debt reduction.”</p>
<p>For some reporters, Christie’s bullying tactics are what make him special. In a lengthy profile, New York Times Magazine reporter Matt Bai (2/24/11) wrote that Christie’s “acid monologues” have made him “one of the most intriguing political figures in America,” someone constantly misunderstood by his critics. He has, according to Bai, picked the right enemy:</p>
<p>Union leaders are “howling” and the teachers’ union is “apoplectic,” according to Bai; Christie, meanwhile, “has a preternatural gift for making the complex seem deceptively simple.”</p>
<p>When the head of the New Jersey Education Association made the point that Christie’s bully pulpit gave him an advantage in making his case, Bai snidely retorted that she may have “taught high-school math for 29 years, but her grasp on civics sounded a bit shaky.” If the union’s case is that the media seem to take Christie’s side, Bai’s piece is strong evidence that they’re right.</p>
<p>Such coverage hinges on the notion that Christie is popular with people besides reporters. “Despite the tough choices, his approval ratings keep going up,” explained NBC reporter Jamie Gangel (Today, 10/20/10). Newsweek’s Andrew Romano (12/6/10) advised that the White House might want to look to Trenton for help: “Obama is struggling to recover from the worst midterm rout in 65 years—while Christie, 48, is more popular than ever.”</p>
<p>As Juli Weiner wrote at VanityFair.com (12/21/10), Christie’s job approval ratings, then at 46 percent, lagged slightly behind Barack Obama’s—a politician that few journalists would currently characterize as being particularly popular.</p>
<p>But to hear Bai tell it, the broader move to attack public sector workers is good politics:</p>
<p>It’s a lesson corporate media have been eager to affirm.</p> | true | 4 | chris christiephoto credit wikimedia commonsdavid shankbone new jerseys important tv star isnt mtvs jersey shore republican gov chris christies youtube showdowns criticsespecially states public school teachershave made fastrising republican star lionized likes weekly standard 42610 national review 41610 glenn beck 51410 george 42210 mere months election pundits weighing presidential chances 2012 rush limbaugh 21210 declaring wrong love another man love chris christie enthusiasm confined rightwing echo chamber nbc today show 102010 told viewers christie see get 48yearold father four loves bruce springsteen trying rescue troubled state new york times 22211 christie exhibited inyourface frankness nonstop aggressiveness leader torn financial problems faced gusto times nancy gibbs 22811 wrote tempting see new jersey gov chris christie churchill times newsweek 12610 explained dramatically christie leads like prosecutor identifying crime fingering culprit methodically building case designed convince jury peers magazine went note surprise even mainstream media begun fall hefty governor christie become medias symbol gettough republican austerity rebellion washington post 22311 plainspoken christie emerged leader growing group governors attacking yawning budget deficits facing public employees promising raise taxes uprising wisconsin gov scott walker offered abc reporter jonathan karl opportunity emphasize christie case first karl week 22011 announced debates state budget cuts tea partys momentthis also chris christie phenomenon politicians rewarded making tough choicesagain something dont think weve ever seen happen almost entirely lost attention christies rhetoric serious discussion whether record lives hype details mere footnote washington post article 103110 led conventional christie storylinehe done republicans capitol hill campaign trail promising cut spending reduce budget deficit several paragraphs later came caveats budget hardly conservative panacea christie cast budget balanced deferring 3 billion government pay state pension system eliminating tax rebate homeowners supposed receive continuing practice underfunding pension system ending one tax break homeownersin practical terms tax hikewould hardly conform mediamanufactured image christie new york times piece 22311 noted christies plan shift 500 million payment pension fund upcoming fiscal year current one would allow governor say cut spending second year row otherwise spending would actually grow slightly one might think journalists would scrutinize fiscal record politician whose public persona relies heavily commitment austerity put difficult questions directly christie eg abcs jake tapper week 72510 corporate media seem prefer cover rhetoric political maneuvering take christies speech rightwing american enterprise institute much media attention focused said social security youre going raise retirement age social security christie explained whoa said im still standing vaporize carpeting earned praise washington posts dana milbank 21711 explained evidence christie isnt blowdried politician says whatever voters want hear christie isnt pretty tells ugly truths course something ugly truth would true extra 1205 1010 repeatedly shown theres absolutely need raise social security retirement age declaring workers work longer beltway truth telling playing clip christies speech face nations bob schieffer 22711 instead questioning christies totally inaccurate premise asked people saying nbc host david gregory 22011 declared christie got rave reviews part plain language taking issues like social security gregory called christies rhetoric kind plain talk people responding stark contrast democrats want take social security table right terms dealing debt reduction reporters christies bullying tactics make special lengthy profile new york times magazine reporter matt bai 22411 wrote christies acid monologues made one intriguing political figures america someone constantly misunderstood critics according bai picked right enemy union leaders howling teachers union apoplectic according bai christie meanwhile preternatural gift making complex seem deceptively simple head new jersey education association made point christies bully pulpit gave advantage making case bai snidely retorted may taught highschool math 29 years grasp civics sounded bit shaky unions case media seem take christies side bais piece strong evidence theyre right coverage hinges notion christie popular people besides reporters despite tough choices approval ratings keep going explained nbc reporter jamie gangel today 102010 newsweeks andrew romano 12610 advised white house might want look trenton help obama struggling recover worst midterm rout 65 yearswhile christie 48 popular ever juli weiner wrote vanityfaircom 122110 christies job approval ratings 46 percent lagged slightly behind barack obamasa politician journalists would currently characterize particularly popular hear bai tell broader move attack public sector workers good politics lesson corporate media eager affirm | 682 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>On Sunday, Putin’s party, United Russia, stormed to victory in the country’s parliamentary elections with 63 per cent of the vote. It was a romp. United Russia now controls 306 of the 450 seats in the Duma, an overwhelming majority. The balloting was a referendum on Putin’s leadership and it passed in a landslide. Now it’s certain, that even if Putin steps down as president next year as expected, he will be the dominant player in Russian politics for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Vladamir Putin is arguably the most popular leader in Russian history, although you’d never know it by reading the western media. According to a recent survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Putin’s personal approval rating in November 2007 was 85 per cent, making him the most popular head of state in the world today. Putin’s popularity derives from many factors. He is personally clever and charismatic. He is fiercely nationalistic and has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of ordinary Russians and restore the country to its former greatness. He has raised over 20 million Russians out of grinding poverty, improved education, health care and the pension system, (partially) nationalized critical industries, lowered unemployment, increased manufacturing and exports, invigorated Russian markets, strengthened the ruble, raised the overall standard of living, reduced government corruption, jailed or exiled the venal oligarchs, and amassed capital reserves of $450 billion.</p>
<p>Russia is no longer up for grabs like it was after the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin put an end to all of that. He reasserted control over the country’s vast resources and he’s using them to improve the lives of his own people. This is a real departure from the 1990s, when the drunken Yeltsin steered Russia into economic disaster by following Washington’s neoliberal edicts and by selling Russia’s Crown Jewels to the vulturous oligarchs. Putin put Russia’s house back in order; stabilized the ruble, strengthened economic/military alliances in the region, and removed the corporate gangsters who had stolen Russia’s national assets for pennies on the dollar. The oligarchs are now all either in jail or have fled the country. Russia is no longer for sale.</p>
<p>Russia is, once again, a major world power and a vital source of hydrocarbons. It’s star is steadily rising just as America’s has begun to wane. This may explain why Putin is loathed by the West. Freud might call it petroleum envy, but it’s deeper than that. Putin has charted a course for social change that conflicts with basic tenets of neoliberalism, which are the principles which govern US foreign policy. He is not a member of the corporate-banking brotherhood which believes the wealth of the world should be divided among themselves regardless of the suffering or destruction it may cause. Putin’s primary focus is Russia; Russia’s welfare, Russia’s sovereignty and Russia’s place in the world. He is not a globalist.</p>
<p>That is why the Bush administration has encircled Russia with military bases, toppled neighboring regimes with its color-coded revolutions, (which were organized by US NGOs and intelligence services) intervened in Russian elections, and threatened to deploy an (allegedly defensive) nuclear weapons system in Eastern Europe. Russia is seen as a potential rival to US imperial ambitions and must be contained or subverted.</p>
<p>In the early years of his presidency, it was believed that Putin would comply with western demands and accept a subordinate role in the US-EU-Israel centric system. But that hasn’t happened. Putin has stubbornly defended Russian independence and resisted integration into the prevailing system. .</p>
<p>The triumphalism which swept through Washington after the fall of the Berlin Wall has been replaced with a palpable fear that Russia’s power will grow as oil prices continue to soar. The tectonic plates of geopolitical power are gradually shifting eastward. That’s why the US has joined in The Great Game and is trying to put down roots in Eurasia. Still, it’s easy to imagine a scenario in which America’s access to the last great oil and natural gas reserves on the planet–the three trillion barrels of oil and natural gas located in the Caspian Basin—could be completely blocked by a resurgent Russian superpower.</p>
<p>The most powerful of the Washington think tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations, recognized this problem early on and decided that US policy towards Russia had to be reworked entirely.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>John Edwards and Jack Kemp were appointed to lead a CFR task force which concocted the pretext for an all-out assault on the Putin. This is where the idea that Putin is “rolling back democracy” began. In their article “Russia’s Wrong Direction”, Edwards and Kemp state that a “strategic partnership” with Russia is no longer possible. They claim that the government has become increasingly authoritarian and that the society is growing less “open and pluralistic”.</p>
<p>Kemp and Edwards provided the ideological foundation upon which the entire public relations campaign against Putin has been built. And it is quite an impressive campaign. A Google News search shows roughly 1,400 articles from the various news services on Putin. Virtually all of them contain exactly the same rhetoric, the same buzzwords, the same spurious claims, the same slanders. It is impossible to find even one article out of 1,400 that diverges the slightest bit from the talking points which originated at the Council on foreign Relations.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to see to what extent the media has become a propaganda bullhorn for the national security state. Putin’s personal approval ratings confirm his enormous popularity, and yet, the media continues to treat him like he’s a tyrant. It is utterly incongruous.</p>
<p>In most articles, Putin is disparaged as “anti democratic”; a charge that is never leveled at the Saudi Royal family even though women are forbidden to drive, they must be fully-covered at all times, and can be stoned to death if they are found to be unfaithful. Also, in Saudi Arabia, beheading is still the punishment of choice for capital crimes.</p>
<p>When Saudi King Abdullah visits the US, he is not heaped with scorn for his regimes’ repressive treatment of his people. Instead he’s rewarded with flattering photos of he and George Bush strolling arm-n-arm through the Crawford sage.</p>
<p>Why is Putin blasted for “rolling back democracy” when American client, Mikhail Saakashvili, arbitrarily declares martial law and deploys his truncheon-wielding Robo-cops to beat protesters senseless before dragging them off to the Georgia gulag? The pictures of Saakashvili’s bloody crackdown appeared in the foreign press, but not in the US. Rather, the media had all its cameras focused on Garry Kasparov (contributing editor to the Wall Street Journal and right-wing loony) as he was led off to the Moscow hoosegow in handcuffs for protesting without a permit.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Putin’s real crime is that he serves Russia’s national interests rather than the interests of global Capital. He also rejects Washington’s “unipolar” world model. As he said in Munich:</p>
<p>“The unipolar world refers to a world in which there is one master, one sovereign; one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making. At the end of the day this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within.</p>
<p>“What is even more important is that the model itself is flawed because at its basis there is and can be no moral foundations for modern civilization.”</p>
<p>He added:</p>
<p>“We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law….We are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force — military force — in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. I am convinced that we have reached that decisive moment when we must seriously think about the architecture of global security.”</p>
<p>Well said, Vladimir.</p>
<p>Putin’s no saint, but he doesn’t deserve the thrashing he gets from the western media.</p>
<p>And a final word on Garry Kasparov</p>
<p>On Sunday, while Putin’s party “United Russia” was screeching to a landslide victory, Reuters News was busy taking mug-shots of the stony-faced Kasparov holding up Florida-style ballots claiming the voting was rigged. “They are not just rigging the vote,” Kasparov moaned, “They are raping the whole electoral system. These elections are a reminder of Soviet elections when there was no choice…..Putin is going to have a hard time trying to rule like Stalin.”</p>
<p>Stalin? So now Putin is Stalin? First of all, when did Reuters begin to take such a keen interest in voting irregularities? It must be a recent development, becuase they were nowhere to be found in the 2000 presidential election. And when did they start to pay attention to “political dissent”? They certainly never wasted any video-footage on the antiwar rallies in the US. Are we to believe that they are more interested in democracy in Russia than America?</p>
<p>And why is Reuters so eager to provide valuable column-space to a washed-up chessmaster who’s only interested in making a nuisance of himself by bellyaching about voter fraud? That’s not news; it’s propaganda.</p>
<p>As for Kasparov and his silly accusations; he should be glad that he lives in Putin’s Russia rather than Stalin’s or he’d be in leg-irons right now boarding a northbound train to the Siberian outback.</p>
<p>What is Kasparov doing in Moscow anyway? And why is this little man –with virtually no political base — such a big part of the western media narrative? Is he only there to discredit the election and throw a little more muck on Putin or is there more to it than that?</p>
<p>Garry Kasparov should give up politics and do what he does best; stand-up comedy. Watching Kasparov traipse around Moscow with his basket of sour grapes and his entourage of western media-stooges is like watching “Mr. Bean’s Excellent Kremlin Adventure”, a particularly lame performance in a dismal B-rated burlesque. It’s painful to watch.</p>
<p>Kasparov’s party, the “Other Russia” couldn’t manage even a 2 per cent rating in the polls. The party is a complete dud. In fact, Reuters even (reluctantly) admits as much in its article.</p>
<p>Here’s the clip. Reuters: “Kasparov and his “Other Russia” dissident movement are not standing in Sunday’s parliamentary election because they could not get registered as a party. THEY ENJOY LITTLE PUBLIC SUPPORT AMONG RUSSIANS BUT HAVE A BIG FOLLOWING IN THE WEST.” (Reuters) “Big following in the West”? Why doesn’t that surprise me?</p>
<p>So, in other words, Kasparov has no base of support in Russia, and yet he gets his own camera crew and media team to follow him around recording every silly he says. That’s just great. Who do they think he is; Nelson Mandela?</p>
<p>Kasparov is a contributing editor of Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal; so he already has a regular platform for launching his tirades on the “tyrannical” Mr. Putin. Normally, one doesn’t get a spot on the op-ed page of the WSJ unless their politics are somewhere to the right of Augusto Pinochet. That’s probably the case with Kasparov, too. In Saturday’s edition of the WSJ, Kasparov delivered his latest absurd soliloquy disparaging Putin and recounting his agonizing 5 day ordeal in the Moscow poky.</p>
<p>Although Kasparov has garnered little public support in Russia, he appears to have a loyal following among the Washington elite. According to Wikipedia: “In 1991, Kasparov received the Keeper of the Flame award from the Center for Security Policy (a US think tank), for anti-Communist resistance and the propagation of democracy. Kasparov was an exceptional recipient since the award is given to “individuals for devoting their public careers to the defense of the United States and American values around the world”. Hmmmm….”For devoting their public careers to the defense of the United States and American values around the world”? Isn’t that a definition of an American agent?</p>
<p>Again, according to Wikipedia: In April, 2007 it was asserted that Kasparov was a board member of the National Security Advisory Council of the Center for Security Policy, a non-profit, non-partisan national security organization that specializes in identifying policies, actions, and resource needs that are vital to American security”. Kasparov confirmed this and added that he was removed shortly after he became aware of it. He noted that HE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE MEMBERSHIP and suggested he was included in the board by an accident because he received the 1991 Keeper of the Flame award from this organization. But Kasparov maintained his association with the neoconservative leadership by giving speeches at think tanks such as the Hoover Institute.”</p>
<p>Here’s a list of some of the other fellow travelers who’ve been given the “Keeper of the Flame Award”: 2007-Senator Joe Lieberman. 2004-General Peter Pace. 2003- Paul Wolfowitz. 2002- General Richard Meyers. 1998-Donald Rumsfeld. 1996-Newt Gingrich. 1995-Ronald Reagan. 1990-Casper Weinberger.</p>
<p>Is Kasparov an anomaly or does he fit right in with this coven of far-right loonies? And who are some of the prominent members of the Center for Security Policy? Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Frank Gaffney, James Roche and Laura Ingraham. Oh, boy. The whole front office of the neocon’s cuckoo’s nest. Now tell me, dear reader, with friends like that; what should we really think about Kasparov’s performance in Moscow? Is he really interested in “democracy promotion” as he claims or is their acting out a script that was prepared in Washington?</p>
<p>In the US, Kasparov has become the focal point of the Russian elections – the primary source of “unbiased” analysis. NPR reiterates his spurious claims every half hour. The other news agencies are no better. He has become the distorted lens through which Americans view Russian democracy. This says a lot more about the choke-hold the neocons still have on the media rather than anything objective about Russia. The Kasparov fiasco gives us a chance to see the inner-workings of the establishment media. It’s nothing more than a propaganda bullhorn for far-right organizations executing their bloody imperial strategy. Fidel Castro summed it up best just days ago when he said: “It is the most sophisticated media ever developed by technology, employed to kill human beings and to subjugate or exterminate peoples”.</p>
<p>Amen to that, Fidel.</p>
<p>MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:fergiewhitney@msn.com" type="external">fergiewhitney@msn.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | 160 sunday putins party united russia stormed victory countrys parliamentary elections 63 per cent vote romp united russia controls 306 450 seats duma overwhelming majority balloting referendum putins leadership passed landslide certain even putin steps president next year expected dominant player russian politics foreseeable future vladamir putin arguably popular leader russian history although youd never know reading western media according recent survey conducted wall street journal putins personal approval rating november 2007 85 per cent making popular head state world today putins popularity derives many factors personally clever charismatic fiercely nationalistic worked tirelessly improve lives ordinary russians restore country former greatness raised 20 million russians grinding poverty improved education health care pension system partially nationalized critical industries lowered unemployment increased manufacturing exports invigorated russian markets strengthened ruble raised overall standard living reduced government corruption jailed exiled venal oligarchs amassed capital reserves 450 billion russia longer grabs like fall soviet union putin put end reasserted control countrys vast resources hes using improve lives people real departure 1990s drunken yeltsin steered russia economic disaster following washingtons neoliberal edicts selling russias crown jewels vulturous oligarchs putin put russias house back order stabilized ruble strengthened economicmilitary alliances region removed corporate gangsters stolen russias national assets pennies dollar oligarchs either jail fled country russia longer sale russia major world power vital source hydrocarbons star steadily rising americas begun wane may explain putin loathed west freud might call petroleum envy deeper putin charted course social change conflicts basic tenets neoliberalism principles govern us foreign policy member corporatebanking brotherhood believes wealth world divided among regardless suffering destruction may cause putins primary focus russia russias welfare russias sovereignty russias place world globalist bush administration encircled russia military bases toppled neighboring regimes colorcoded revolutions organized us ngos intelligence services intervened russian elections threatened deploy allegedly defensive nuclear weapons system eastern europe russia seen potential rival us imperial ambitions must contained subverted early years presidency believed putin would comply western demands accept subordinate role useuisrael centric system hasnt happened putin stubbornly defended russian independence resisted integration prevailing system triumphalism swept washington fall berlin wall replaced palpable fear russias power grow oil prices continue soar tectonic plates geopolitical power gradually shifting eastward thats us joined great game trying put roots eurasia still easy imagine scenario americas access last great oil natural gas reserves planetthe three trillion barrels oil natural gas located caspian basincould completely blocked resurgent russian superpower powerful washington think tanks council foreign relations recognized problem early decided us policy towards russia reworked entirely john edwards jack kemp appointed lead cfr task force concocted pretext allout assault putin idea putin rolling back democracy began article russias wrong direction edwards kemp state strategic partnership russia longer possible claim government become increasingly authoritarian society growing less open pluralistic kemp edwards provided ideological foundation upon entire public relations campaign putin built quite impressive campaign google news search shows roughly 1400 articles various news services putin virtually contain exactly rhetoric buzzwords spurious claims slanders impossible find even one article 1400 diverges slightest bit talking points originated council foreign relations interesting see extent media become propaganda bullhorn national security state putins personal approval ratings confirm enormous popularity yet media continues treat like hes tyrant utterly incongruous articles putin disparaged anti democratic charge never leveled saudi royal family even though women forbidden drive must fullycovered times stoned death found unfaithful also saudi arabia beheading still punishment choice capital crimes saudi king abdullah visits us heaped scorn regimes repressive treatment people instead hes rewarded flattering photos george bush strolling armnarm crawford sage putin blasted rolling back democracy american client mikhail saakashvili arbitrarily declares martial law deploys truncheonwielding robocops beat protesters senseless dragging georgia gulag pictures saakashvilis bloody crackdown appeared foreign press us rather media cameras focused garry kasparov contributing editor wall street journal rightwing loony led moscow hoosegow handcuffs protesting without permit putins real crime serves russias national interests rather interests global capital also rejects washingtons unipolar world model said munich unipolar world refers world one master one sovereign one center authority one center force one center decisionmaking end day pernicious within system also sovereign destroys within even important model flawed basis moral foundations modern civilization added seeing greater greater disdain basic principles international lawwe witnessing almost uncontained hyper use force military force international relations force plunging world abyss permanent conflicts convinced reached decisive moment must seriously think architecture global security well said vladimir putins saint doesnt deserve thrashing gets western media final word garry kasparov sunday putins party united russia screeching landslide victory reuters news busy taking mugshots stonyfaced kasparov holding floridastyle ballots claiming voting rigged rigging vote kasparov moaned raping whole electoral system elections reminder soviet elections choiceputin going hard time trying rule like stalin stalin putin stalin first reuters begin take keen interest voting irregularities must recent development becuase nowhere found 2000 presidential election start pay attention political dissent certainly never wasted videofootage antiwar rallies us believe interested democracy russia america reuters eager provide valuable columnspace washedup chessmaster whos interested making nuisance bellyaching voter fraud thats news propaganda kasparov silly accusations glad lives putins russia rather stalins hed legirons right boarding northbound train siberian outback kasparov moscow anyway little man virtually political base big part western media narrative discredit election throw little muck putin garry kasparov give politics best standup comedy watching kasparov traipse around moscow basket sour grapes entourage western mediastooges like watching mr beans excellent kremlin adventure particularly lame performance dismal brated burlesque painful watch kasparovs party russia couldnt manage even 2 per cent rating polls party complete dud fact reuters even reluctantly admits much article heres clip reuters kasparov russia dissident movement standing sundays parliamentary election could get registered party enjoy little public support among russians big following west reuters big following west doesnt surprise words kasparov base support russia yet gets camera crew media team follow around recording every silly says thats great think nelson mandela kasparov contributing editor murdochs wall street journal already regular platform launching tirades tyrannical mr putin normally one doesnt get spot oped page wsj unless politics somewhere right augusto pinochet thats probably case kasparov saturdays edition wsj kasparov delivered latest absurd soliloquy disparaging putin recounting agonizing 5 day ordeal moscow poky although kasparov garnered little public support russia appears loyal following among washington elite according wikipedia 1991 kasparov received keeper flame award center security policy us think tank anticommunist resistance propagation democracy kasparov exceptional recipient since award given individuals devoting public careers defense united states american values around world hmmmmfor devoting public careers defense united states american values around world isnt definition american agent according wikipedia april 2007 asserted kasparov board member national security advisory council center security policy nonprofit nonpartisan national security organization specializes identifying policies actions resource needs vital american security kasparov confirmed added removed shortly became aware noted didnt know membership suggested included board accident received 1991 keeper flame award organization kasparov maintained association neoconservative leadership giving speeches think tanks hoover institute heres list fellow travelers whove given keeper flame award 2007senator joe lieberman 2004general peter pace 2003 paul wolfowitz 2002 general richard meyers 1998donald rumsfeld 1996newt gingrich 1995ronald reagan 1990casper weinberger kasparov anomaly fit right coven farright loonies prominent members center security policy richard perle douglas feith frank gaffney james roche laura ingraham oh boy whole front office neocons cuckoos nest tell dear reader friends like really think kasparovs performance moscow really interested democracy promotion claims acting script prepared washington us kasparov become focal point russian elections primary source unbiased analysis npr reiterates spurious claims every half hour news agencies better become distorted lens americans view russian democracy says lot chokehold neocons still media rather anything objective russia kasparov fiasco gives us chance see innerworkings establishment media nothing propaganda bullhorn farright organizations executing bloody imperial strategy fidel castro summed best days ago said sophisticated media ever developed technology employed kill human beings subjugate exterminate peoples amen fidel mike whitney lives washington state reached fergiewhitneymsncom 160 160 | 1,315 |
<p>Historian, professor and writer Sean Wilentz’ new book <a href="" type="internal">Bob Dylan in America</a> is neither biography or critical assessment though it is a bit of both.&#160; Comprised largely of previously written though updated articles, the book isn’t so much about Dylan as it is about some of his influences, and how Dylan fits into the great scheme of American music.</p>
<p>In a way that is both refreshing and strange, Wilentz doesn’t begin his book with the usual kid in Minnesota, goes to James Dean movies, escapes to Minneapolis, discovers Woody Guthrie, and hitchhikes east to New York story.&#160; Instead he starts with a chapter on Aaron Copland.&#160; The impetus for this was Dylan using Copland as the introductory music to his concerts in the early 2000s.&#160; However, this provides a different view of the New York City Dylan would arrive in, than the usual Greenwich Village folk scene and beats saga.&#160; More importantly, Wilentz manages to tie Copland and the folk scene together, and there are parallels both culturally and politically.</p>
<p>Wilentz clearly loves and enjoys history and research, and as a result the book is loaded with back stories, not only on people, but songs, the people in songs, and labor and political movements.&#160; In the Copland chapter particularly, there are times the writing comes off as a little too professorial, but if you make it through the tedious portions, Wilentz does resolve the points he is making.&#160; Wilentz’ historian training provides ad advantage over many writers of books on popular musicians in that he checks his facts.&#160; Having read many books on Dylan and other musicians, I’ll often see without trying too hard glaring errors on things that are easily checkable.&#160; When that happens, I then start wondering what else is wrong.&#160; That Wilentz is also knowledgeable about music itself, the various genres and what’s behind those genres gives this book extra weight.</p>
<p>While the chapters are in linear fashion time-wise, within the chapters, Wilentz will often jump back to earlier songs, recordings and events.&#160; The second chapter is about the Beats and Dylan’s relationship with Allen Ginsberg, and in doing so also described the Greenwich Village Dylan arrived at in 1961.&#160; Wilentz’ family ran the Eighth Street Bookshop in the Village, which was one of the great bookstores, and his father edited The Beat Scene, and anthology of beat poetry that just so happens to be one of the first books I can recall buying on my own, more than likely at that store.&#160; Dylan and Ginsberg first met at a party above the store.&#160; While the chapter gets briefly bogged down in the talking about the intellectual warring between the Beats and other writers, the chapter was enticing enough to make me think about if there was correspondence between Dylan and Ginsberg, it could be a potentially great book.</p>
<p>Wilentz then moves onto Dylan’s 1964 Halloween concert at New York’s Philharmonic Hall.&#160; The chapter is an updated and in my view improved version of the liner notes he wrote for the official release of that concert, Bootleg Series 6, Live ’64.&#160; I attended that show, and was the same age as Wilentz.&#160; It was his first Dylan concert, my second, and for all I know he could’ve been sitting near me in the balcony.&#160; Wilentz recognizes the importance of that show – the official release a few years ago is often maligned by never satisfied Dylan fan on various internet Dylan forums – and it was important for several reasons.&#160; This was at a time that Dylan stopped playing clubs and did not tour constantly the way he does now.&#160;&#160; His concerts were basically once a year events.&#160; Back then one of the reasons to see Dylan was to see what new songs he would sing.&#160; A couple of months before the show, in Sing Out! Magazine, editor Irwin Silber (who died a few weeks ago) wrote “An Open Letter to Bob Dylan,” castigating him for moving away from protest songs.&#160; At that point in time, Sing Out! was pretty much the Bible of Folk Music, and one of the few ways kids like me had of getting any news of Dylan and other folk musicians.&#160; So I went to that concert wondering if Dylan was going to sing “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” or “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.”&#160; He did.&#160; He also introduced to New York – and at the time New York was his home base and he was a hero to a certain group of people, several new songs, including “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “It’s Alright Ma,” and “Gates of Eden,”&#160; songs that wouldn’t appear on record for another five or six months.&#160; He also interacted with the audience in a way he hasn’t done since.&#160; Similar interaction may have happened on subsequent shows that fall, but at his next New York City appearance the following summer, things would be way different.</p>
<p>The book then moves on to the Blonde On Blonde sessions, which is one of key chapters and one of the primary reasons Dylan fans will want this book.&#160; Wilentz was given access to one of the great holy grails, the outtakes from the Nashville sessions.&#160; Early recordings from New York, with Dylan’s touring band, The Hawks, plus some other musicians such as Al Kooper have been bootlegged for years.&#160; But with the exception of “Memphis Blues Again,” on the No Direction Home soundtrack, nothing else has been released.&#160; Only one song from the New York sessions, “One of Us Must Know” appeared on the album. Wilentz also interviewed some of the musicians, most notably multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy, and provides the most in depth look to date at what went down on what many consider to be Dylan’s greatest album.</p>
<p>The book then jumps ahead almost a decade to the Rolling Thunder Revue, but Wilentz also uses that chapter to look back, sometimes briefly, sometimes in depth at The Basement Tapes, Tour ’74, Blood On The Tracks, and Dylan’s time studying with painter Norman Raeben, and Dylan’s not exactly historically accurate songs about George Jackson, Rueben Hurricane Carter, and Joey Gallo, as well as Dylan’s critically maligned film, Renaldo &amp; Clara, and its connection to the film Children of Paradise.&#160; Unfortunately, Wilentz apparently saw a truncated version of the Revue at a matinee performance, and what’s missing from his account is the feel of the entire show, which was a real revue, with just about every musician getting a turn at the mic, and several segments that wound up being (at the show I saw) a four hour extravaganza.&#160; I would take exception to Wilentz calling it “a new variation on the thin wild mercury sound,” Dylan’s description of the Blonde on Blonde sound.&#160; I think it was more like the guitars crashing autumn gypsy carnival sound, but that’s a minor quibble.</p>
<p>Then Wilentz jumps ahead seven years to one of Dylan’s great works of the ’80s, though it wasn’t legitimately released until the ’90s, the song “Blind Willie McTell,” originally recorded for the album Infidels, and one of Dylan’s greatest songs period.&#160; While acknowledging the song might not be about Blind Willie McTell – one of the great bluesmen and songsters – at all, he then goes into a long, at times fascinating history of McTell, somehow managing to jump back to Dylan’s gospel records and forward again.</p>
<p>This method is repeated as Wilentz ahead head another decade to two songs from Dylan’s World Gone Wrong album which was old ballads and blues songs.&#160; In the chapter on “Delia,” you get the entire history of not only of Delia, but how the song evolved into many different forms and many of the singers who sang it, and in the somewhat shorter chapter on “Lone Pilgrim,” we’re treated to the history of Sacred Harp singing.&#160; In employing this method of going back and forth across time, much like Dylan does in some of his songs, Wilentz does manage to cover large portions of Dylan’s career.</p>
<p>While the book covers Dylan right up to the release of his Christmas album a year ago, the remaining key chapter is the one on “Love And Theft,” an album I consider to be one of the most important and complex of his later works.&#160; In the years preceding the album, Dylan had been dropping various clues into his concerts about what he was up to by not only playing his own songs, but exploring the works of other artists and genres from Bluegrass, Country and Blues to Western Swing, and also by telling really bad jokes at his concert.&#160; All of that and much more came together on the album which was at once a huge exploration into American music, autobiographical, and commentary.&#160; The album was loaded with references lyrical and musical and that’s understating it.&#160; Astute Dylan fans immediately picked up the references and on a site set up by a very knowledgeable Dylan fan from Poland, the lyrics were printed and annotated with various people contributing references as they discovered them.&#160; By sheer coincidence, the album was released on September 11, 2001, which confused the issue as certain lines could be construed to forecast the events of that day.&#160; “Love And Theft” was indeed a concept album, and it is my belief the references, the borrowing of lines and melodies were meant to be discovered by those who chose to look for them.&#160; Wilentz goes into the references, the various controversies surround this cut and paste style of writing which continued not only on Dylan’s next two original albums, but his book Chronicles as well, and explores the various reactions not only in the media but on the internet as well.</p>
<p>Not always an easy read, <a href="" type="internal">Bob Dylan in America</a> is one of the more interesting books on Dylan because Wilentz places him in not the usual voice a generation bullshit context, rarely goes into his personal life and concentrates mainly on Dylan’s art and what’s behind it, and never indulges in the songs as some secret code to be interpreted.&#160; While I could probably have a good time arguing with him on a bunch of different ultimately minor points, in the end, Wilentz does what a good teacher is supposed to do, he challenges you to think.</p>
<p>PETER STONE BROWN is a musician, songwriter, and writer. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:psb51@verizon.net" type="external">psb51@verizon.net</a></p> | true | 4 | historian professor writer sean wilentz new book bob dylan america neither biography critical assessment though bit both160 comprised largely previously written though updated articles book isnt much dylan influences dylan fits great scheme american music way refreshing strange wilentz doesnt begin book usual kid minnesota goes james dean movies escapes minneapolis discovers woody guthrie hitchhikes east new york story160 instead starts chapter aaron copland160 impetus dylan using copland introductory music concerts early 2000s160 however provides different view new york city dylan would arrive usual greenwich village folk scene beats saga160 importantly wilentz manages tie copland folk scene together parallels culturally politically wilentz clearly loves enjoys history research result book loaded back stories people songs people songs labor political movements160 copland chapter particularly times writing comes little professorial make tedious portions wilentz resolve points making160 wilentz historian training provides ad advantage many writers books popular musicians checks facts160 read many books dylan musicians ill often see without trying hard glaring errors things easily checkable160 happens start wondering else wrong160 wilentz also knowledgeable music various genres whats behind genres gives book extra weight chapters linear fashion timewise within chapters wilentz often jump back earlier songs recordings events160 second chapter beats dylans relationship allen ginsberg also described greenwich village dylan arrived 1961160 wilentz family ran eighth street bookshop village one great bookstores father edited beat scene anthology beat poetry happens one first books recall buying likely store160 dylan ginsberg first met party store160 chapter gets briefly bogged talking intellectual warring beats writers chapter enticing enough make think correspondence dylan ginsberg could potentially great book wilentz moves onto dylans 1964 halloween concert new yorks philharmonic hall160 chapter updated view improved version liner notes wrote official release concert bootleg series 6 live 64160 attended show age wilentz160 first dylan concert second know couldve sitting near balcony160 wilentz recognizes importance show official release years ago often maligned never satisfied dylan fan various internet dylan forums important several reasons160 time dylan stopped playing clubs tour constantly way now160160 concerts basically year events160 back one reasons see dylan see new songs would sing160 couple months show sing magazine editor irwin silber died weeks ago wrote open letter bob dylan castigating moving away protest songs160 point time sing pretty much bible folk music one ways kids like getting news dylan folk musicians160 went concert wondering dylan going sing hard rains agonna fall lonesome death hattie carroll160 did160 also introduced new york time new york home base hero certain group people several new songs including mr tambourine man alright gates eden160 songs wouldnt appear record another five six months160 also interacted audience way hasnt done since160 similar interaction may happened subsequent shows fall next new york city appearance following summer things would way different book moves blonde blonde sessions one key chapters one primary reasons dylan fans want book160 wilentz given access one great holy grails outtakes nashville sessions160 early recordings new york dylans touring band hawks plus musicians al kooper bootlegged years160 exception memphis blues direction home soundtrack nothing else released160 one song new york sessions one us must know appeared album wilentz also interviewed musicians notably multiinstrumentalist charlie mccoy provides depth look date went many consider dylans greatest album book jumps ahead almost decade rolling thunder revue wilentz also uses chapter look back sometimes briefly sometimes depth basement tapes tour 74 blood tracks dylans time studying painter norman raeben dylans exactly historically accurate songs george jackson rueben hurricane carter joey gallo well dylans critically maligned film renaldo amp clara connection film children paradise160 unfortunately wilentz apparently saw truncated version revue matinee performance whats missing account feel entire show real revue every musician getting turn mic several segments wound show saw four hour extravaganza160 would take exception wilentz calling new variation thin wild mercury sound dylans description blonde blonde sound160 think like guitars crashing autumn gypsy carnival sound thats minor quibble wilentz jumps ahead seven years one dylans great works 80s though wasnt legitimately released 90s song blind willie mctell originally recorded album infidels one dylans greatest songs period160 acknowledging song might blind willie mctell one great bluesmen songsters goes long times fascinating history mctell somehow managing jump back dylans gospel records forward method repeated wilentz ahead head another decade two songs dylans world gone wrong album old ballads blues songs160 chapter delia get entire history delia song evolved many different forms many singers sang somewhat shorter chapter lone pilgrim treated history sacred harp singing160 employing method going back forth across time much like dylan songs wilentz manage cover large portions dylans career book covers dylan right release christmas album year ago remaining key chapter one love theft album consider one important complex later works160 years preceding album dylan dropping various clues concerts playing songs exploring works artists genres bluegrass country blues western swing also telling really bad jokes concert160 much came together album huge exploration american music autobiographical commentary160 album loaded references lyrical musical thats understating it160 astute dylan fans immediately picked references site set knowledgeable dylan fan poland lyrics printed annotated various people contributing references discovered them160 sheer coincidence album released september 11 2001 confused issue certain lines could construed forecast events day160 love theft indeed concept album belief references borrowing lines melodies meant discovered chose look them160 wilentz goes references various controversies surround cut paste style writing continued dylans next two original albums book chronicles well explores various reactions media internet well always easy read bob dylan america one interesting books dylan wilentz places usual voice generation bullshit context rarely goes personal life concentrates mainly dylans art whats behind never indulges songs secret code interpreted160 could probably good time arguing bunch different ultimately minor points end wilentz good teacher supposed challenges think peter stone brown musician songwriter writer reached psb51verizonnet | 954 |
<p>Amman, Jordan.</p>
<p>Here in Amman, Jordan, a British teenager, Sonia, age 12, recently spent four days interviewing and befriending Iraqi youngsters close to her in age. She wanted to learn, firsthand, about the experiences of Iraqi youngsters who have fled war and violence in their home country.</p>
<p>A versatile and talented child, Sonia loves to play the trumpet and perform classical Indian dances, the latter being somewhat unusual for a Muslim girl. When she was eight years old, shortly before the U.S. and the U.K. attacked Iraq, she wrote a poem urging respect for the rights of Iraqi children whose lives and hopes would be destroyed by war. The poem reached many people, intensifying efforts of peace activists to stop the war before it started. Sonia continued her efforts on behalf of Iraqi children, even founding an organization called “ <a href="" type="internal">Children Against War.</a>”</p>
<p>In the spring of 2007, she asked her mother if she could raise money through music and dance performances, to pay for a trip to Amman, so that she could film Iraqi children speaking for themselves. After talking it over with other peace activists, her mother agreed to accompany Sonia, and so, last week, they arrived here for a four day trip.</p>
<p>We began our visits at the home of two teenage girls who speak English fluently. They have been living in Amman, Jordan for several years. Their father still is not allowed to work in Jordan, and so the family has almost no income. Since I’ve known them, these young girls and their mother have tried to help families who are among the neediest in Amman. Sonia later told me that the friendly and easygoing manner of her first interviewees helped her get over feeling nervous about filming people.</p>
<p>Next, Sonia met 16 year old Abeer, who spoke enough English to communicate with Sonia about common interests. They listed favorite singers and film stars: Shakira, Hilary Duff, Beyonce, and Brad Pitt. Abeer showed Sonia dance steps she has been learning, and the two of them danced a bit to music played on a mobile phone. Abeer then began to show Sonia pictures downloaded onto the mobile, photos of her cousins in Baghdad and of Baghdad monuments.</p>
<p>At one point, Abeer raised her eyebrows and announced “This is an explosion,” and clicked onto a horrifying photo of wreckage following a car bombing she had witnessed. “I was sitting in an office,” said Abeer, “waiting for my mother. And I was holding a baby, another mother’s baby. I was playing with this baby, and then the bomb exploded and the baby was gone! I don’t know what happened, just that next I saw the baby on the floor and she was crying for her mother.” Abeer’s terrified panic was followed by sheer relief, once she realized the baby was alive.</p>
<p>At another home, Sonia and her mother were laughing with four Iraqi teenagers over who supported Manchester’s soccer team and who was for Liverpool’s. The conversation abruptly changed as younger sisters translated for their 19 year old brother who recalled that when he was 16 he was kidnapped, in Iraq. . His family worked for several days, collecting $15,000 to secure his release. He explained that throughout his ordeal, his captors chained one of his ankles and suspended him upside down from the ceiling.</p>
<p>Sonia’s watchful mother exchanged glances with me. Was this too much for young Sonia to absorb?</p>
<p>That night, Sonia awoke from a dream crying out, “I shouldn’t be filming this. I shouldn’t be filming this.”</p>
<p>Her mother worries about protecting her child from being overwhelmed by the accounts she has heard. Yet Sonia’s mother also feels remorse for all of the youngsters whom Sonia interviewed. “What protection is there,” she asked, “for the children to whom this has happened?”</p>
<p>Many people believe that protection lies primarily in being able to use threat and force against enemies. Yet Sonia and the Iraqi teenagers whom she interviewed showed the potential to build security by forming friendships and expressing mutual empathy.</p>
<p>Gifts were spontaneously offered. Abeer took a ring from her finger and slid it onto Sonia’s finger. Another young girl removed her prayer scarf and gave it to Sonia, asking that they remember each other when they pray. Families served whatever they could, ranging from a full meal to a shared glass of water.</p>
<p>During Sonia’s visit, I read an August 17th Jordan Times article about a strange set of “gifts” which the U.S. will deliver to this region, ostensibly to ensure greater security. Summarizing the multibillion dollar military aid agreement, the AFP article reported that “Washington will boost its military aid to Israel, providing $30 billion in assistance over a decadeThe US military bonanza includes a $20 billion weapons package for Saudi Arabia, a $13 billion package for Egypt, and reportedly arms deals worth at least $20 billion for other Gulf allies.”</p>
<p>It’s difficult to comprehend how peace and security in the region can be achieved by fueling a new arms race and destructive wars to come. The billions of dollars spent on U.S. war in Iraq have led to countless tragedies, a mere handful of which were related to Sonia during her brief trip.</p>
<p>Please “stay tuned” for Sonia’s film. The exchanges she recorded represent a trustworthy form of person-to-person “diplomacy.”</p>
<p>I can’t know what nightmare fears awakened her when she cried out, “I shouldn’t be filming this.” I hope she’ll be soothed by appreciation for her initiative. I think she’ll help many adults cry out, “We shouldn’t be causing this.”</p>
<p>KATHY KELLY is a co-coordinator of <a href="http://www.vcnv.org/" type="external">Voices for Creative Nonviolence</a> and author of <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Other Lands Have Dreams</a>. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:kathy@vcnv.org" type="external">kathy@vcnv.org</a>.</p>
<p>For more information about support for Iraqis who have fled to Jordan, see <a href="http://www.electroniciraq.net/news/abouttheproject/Direct_Aid_Initiative.shtml" type="external">http://www.electroniciraq.net/news/</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | amman jordan amman jordan british teenager sonia age 12 recently spent four days interviewing befriending iraqi youngsters close age wanted learn firsthand experiences iraqi youngsters fled war violence home country versatile talented child sonia loves play trumpet perform classical indian dances latter somewhat unusual muslim girl eight years old shortly us uk attacked iraq wrote poem urging respect rights iraqi children whose lives hopes would destroyed war poem reached many people intensifying efforts peace activists stop war started sonia continued efforts behalf iraqi children even founding organization called children war spring 2007 asked mother could raise money music dance performances pay trip amman could film iraqi children speaking talking peace activists mother agreed accompany sonia last week arrived four day trip began visits home two teenage girls speak english fluently living amman jordan several years father still allowed work jordan family almost income since ive known young girls mother tried help families among neediest amman sonia later told friendly easygoing manner first interviewees helped get feeling nervous filming people next sonia met 16 year old abeer spoke enough english communicate sonia common interests listed favorite singers film stars shakira hilary duff beyonce brad pitt abeer showed sonia dance steps learning two danced bit music played mobile phone abeer began show sonia pictures downloaded onto mobile photos cousins baghdad baghdad monuments one point abeer raised eyebrows announced explosion clicked onto horrifying photo wreckage following car bombing witnessed sitting office said abeer waiting mother holding baby another mothers baby playing baby bomb exploded baby gone dont know happened next saw baby floor crying mother abeers terrified panic followed sheer relief realized baby alive another home sonia mother laughing four iraqi teenagers supported manchesters soccer team liverpools conversation abruptly changed younger sisters translated 19 year old brother recalled 16 kidnapped iraq family worked several days collecting 15000 secure release explained throughout ordeal captors chained one ankles suspended upside ceiling sonias watchful mother exchanged glances much young sonia absorb night sonia awoke dream crying shouldnt filming shouldnt filming mother worries protecting child overwhelmed accounts heard yet sonias mother also feels remorse youngsters sonia interviewed protection asked children happened many people believe protection lies primarily able use threat force enemies yet sonia iraqi teenagers interviewed showed potential build security forming friendships expressing mutual empathy gifts spontaneously offered abeer took ring finger slid onto sonias finger another young girl removed prayer scarf gave sonia asking remember pray families served whatever could ranging full meal shared glass water sonias visit read august 17th jordan times article strange set gifts us deliver region ostensibly ensure greater security summarizing multibillion dollar military aid agreement afp article reported washington boost military aid israel providing 30 billion assistance decadethe us military bonanza includes 20 billion weapons package saudi arabia 13 billion package egypt reportedly arms deals worth least 20 billion gulf allies difficult comprehend peace security region achieved fueling new arms race destructive wars come billions dollars spent us war iraq led countless tragedies mere handful related sonia brief trip please stay tuned sonias film exchanges recorded represent trustworthy form persontoperson diplomacy cant know nightmare fears awakened cried shouldnt filming hope shell soothed appreciation initiative think shell help many adults cry shouldnt causing kathy kelly cocoordinator voices creative nonviolence author lands dreams reached kathyvcnvorg information support iraqis fled jordan see httpwwwelectroniciraqnetnews 160 | 551 |
<p>Earlier in this space I have argued that rational, progressive Americans should be no less concerned about anti-evolutionism than about the so-called pro-life movement. The former issue may appear easier to neglect, as debates about it have an air of intellectualism and irrelevance, while as for the latter women’s rights are at stake, and clinics are bombed. At bottom, though, both are but fronts in the same ugly war, for in each case the Christian right makes an ungrounded claim to the sanctity of some class of entities –human beings among animals in the one case, fetuses among human beings in the other–, argues that as a result of their sanctity these entities are effectively off-limits to scientific investigation, and portrays itself as a persecuted minority in view of the broader society’s refusal to play along. In both cases, there is a deep mistrust of expertise, and a corollary sense that no decisions should be left up to people with special training. Every decision should be made by ‘ordinary’ Americans, and their continuing exclusion from the decision-making process –e.g., about whether evolution is to be taught as true, or whether a fetus’s ability to feel pain in the first trimester is to be accepted as fact– is for them evidence of their persecution, and of the control of American government by a sinister, secular cabal.</p>
<p>This is of course a perverse conception of democracy. No non-frivolous democratic system could, for long, permit everyone to vote on everything. Some decisions must be left up to the expert few in a position to make them informedly. And yet creationists explicitly complain about the lack of ‘representation’ of their view in school curricula, as if schools were legislatures, and as if lessons in schools ought not consist in the imparting of bodies of accrued knowledge, but instead in the representation of interest groups. In this respect, in spite of its own perceived distance from the academic left, the Christian right is much more postmodern than traditional: it all but openly concedes that ‘truth’ is only power in disguise. Some of us academic leftists, however, continue to believe that ‘truth’ is much better defined as ‘what is actually the case, independently of you, whether you like it or not’, and we thus bemoan the relativism of the Christian right.</p>
<p>Take the recent, troubling court case in Pennsylvania, at which an ‘expert’ witness, University of Idaho microbiology professor Scott Minnich, testified in support of the inclusion of ‘intelligent design’ in high school biology curricula (see the AP article, ‘Professor Defends ‘Intelligent Design’ in Pennsylvania Trial,’ November 4, 2005). Minnich maintained in his testimony that articles defending intelligent design are not published in major peer- reviewed scientific journals because, simply, intelligent design is a minority view. ‘To endorse intelligent design comes with risk,’ Minnich complains, ‘because it’s a position against the consensus. Science is not a democratic process.’</p>
<p>But what Minnich decries, we in fact have reason to celebrate, at least those of us do who believe, against the Christian right and the cynical, distrustful academic left, that Francis Bacon, Galileo, et al., did not have a uniformly negative impact in world history, and that a humble, non- fanatical commitment to scientific objectivity, to letting the world speak for itself, can be a good thing.</p>
<p>In the expert communities of people who study things like cell biology, genetics, organic chemistry, paleontology, ‘intelligent design’ (and I cannot bring myself to drop the scare-quotes) is indeed a minority view. But it remains one only because it is bad, and not, as Minnich appears to believe, because the experts have an a priori commitment to disdaining it. As a result, the vast majority of arguments for intelligent design are disseminated in the form of advocacy rather than through the presentation of research results. As Richard Dawkins put it recently: ‘It isn’t that editors refuse to publish ID research. There simply isn’t any ID research to publish. Its advocates bypass normal scientific due process by appealing directly to the non-scientific public and –with great shrewdness– to the government officials they elect’ (‘One Side Can Be Wrong,’ The Guardian, September 1, 2005).</p>
<p>Dawkins is often most un-nuanced in his understanding of political issues (I myself have criticized him to the delight of some Counterpunch readers). In this case, though, a lack of nuance and toleration is just what is needed. Philosophically, it may be interesting to doubt science’s claims to know the past, and it may be tempting to consider evolution by natural selection to be yet another transformation of ancient metaphysical ideas– even Plato, after all, has his myth of the earth-born men, and Anaximander speaks of the scattered body parts at the beginning of time, some of which were clumped together in arrangements better suited to survive than others. The philosopher of science Karl Popper, with his demanding conception of what can count as a scientific claim, noticed the ways in which claims about a distant non-repeatable past fail to qualify, and so deemed evolution a ‘metaphysical research programme’.</p>
<p>This is, again, all very interesting, but politically, when it comes to the sort of mundane issues school boards discuss, we had best bracket our subtlety and follow Dawkins. History has taught that in this sort of debate, subtlety will only be exploited by the other side. If we permit ourselves to doubt, the creationists will say: look at them, they doubt, whereas we do not, therefore, our interpretation of things must be the more robust one, and this must be because it is true. Fundamentalists are not swayed by subtlety.</p>
<p>In any case, outside of expert communities, among ‘real’ people, creationists cannot complain about being a persecuted minority, since not only are they not persecuted, but they are also not a minority. According to a CBS News poll last month, 51 percent of Americans reject the theory of evolution, believing instead that God created humans in their present form. (It is at least noteworthy that the pollsters did not ask these Americans to give reasons. In the world of polls, one person’s ‘beliefs’ count for as much as any other’s.) And according to an August poll by the Pew research center, 38 percent of Americans believe that creationism should be taught instead of evolution, and not just alongside it, as the more tactful ID- advocates claim to desire.</p>
<p>Let us thank God, or whomever, that polls are not immediately enacted into law. Instead, there is a bit of a delay, and at present we have not seen the total censure of science in American public schools. Creationism, I add, is not just bad for science education, it’s also disastrous for poetry, philosophy, and religion itself, for it reduces all truth to literal truth, and inculcates deafness to profounder registers. Absolutely nothing, theologically speaking, hangs on the answer to the question of the earth’s age, or of human origins. But the Christian right, in its betrayal of religion, has nonetheless chosen this battle. This could be to their detriment, as it forces them to defend laughably bad arguments that will only appear the more strained with repetition.</p>
<p>While there’s still time, it is vital that all who abhor fundamentalism — whether you have much interest in the intellectual question of human origins or not– actively oppose the creationists’ move for power over curricular decisions. For what is at stake is not just an intellectual question. If this were all it amounted to, it is safe to say the Christian right would not be interested in it. If the fundamentalists win on this front, a major step will have been taken towards the creation of a society that lets vested political interests pass for truth, that allows party-line philosophy to replace free inquiry. If the Christian right can pull this off in the guise of a persecuted minority, it is safe to say there will be no stopping them.</p>
<p>Justin Smith is a professor of philosophy and writer living in Montreal. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:justismi@alcor.concordia.ca" type="external">justismi@alcor.concordia.ca</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | earlier space argued rational progressive americans less concerned antievolutionism socalled prolife movement former issue may appear easier neglect debates air intellectualism irrelevance latter womens rights stake clinics bombed bottom though fronts ugly war case christian right makes ungrounded claim sanctity class entities human beings among animals one case fetuses among human beings argues result sanctity entities effectively offlimits scientific investigation portrays persecuted minority view broader societys refusal play along cases deep mistrust expertise corollary sense decisions left people special training every decision made ordinary americans continuing exclusion decisionmaking process eg whether evolution taught true whether fetuss ability feel pain first trimester accepted fact evidence persecution control american government sinister secular cabal course perverse conception democracy nonfrivolous democratic system could long permit everyone vote everything decisions must left expert position make informedly yet creationists explicitly complain lack representation view school curricula schools legislatures lessons schools ought consist imparting bodies accrued knowledge instead representation interest groups respect spite perceived distance academic left christian right much postmodern traditional openly concedes truth power disguise us academic leftists however continue believe truth much better defined actually case independently whether like thus bemoan relativism christian right take recent troubling court case pennsylvania expert witness university idaho microbiology professor scott minnich testified support inclusion intelligent design high school biology curricula see ap article professor defends intelligent design pennsylvania trial november 4 2005 minnich maintained testimony articles defending intelligent design published major peer reviewed scientific journals simply intelligent design minority view endorse intelligent design comes risk minnich complains position consensus science democratic process minnich decries fact reason celebrate least us believe christian right cynical distrustful academic left francis bacon galileo et al uniformly negative impact world history humble non fanatical commitment scientific objectivity letting world speak good thing expert communities people study things like cell biology genetics organic chemistry paleontology intelligent design bring drop scarequotes indeed minority view remains one bad minnich appears believe experts priori commitment disdaining result vast majority arguments intelligent design disseminated form advocacy rather presentation research results richard dawkins put recently isnt editors refuse publish id research simply isnt id research publish advocates bypass normal scientific due process appealing directly nonscientific public great shrewdness government officials elect one side wrong guardian september 1 2005 dawkins often unnuanced understanding political issues criticized delight counterpunch readers case though lack nuance toleration needed philosophically may interesting doubt sciences claims know past may tempting consider evolution natural selection yet another transformation ancient metaphysical ideas even plato myth earthborn men anaximander speaks scattered body parts beginning time clumped together arrangements better suited survive others philosopher science karl popper demanding conception count scientific claim noticed ways claims distant nonrepeatable past fail qualify deemed evolution metaphysical research programme interesting politically comes sort mundane issues school boards discuss best bracket subtlety follow dawkins history taught sort debate subtlety exploited side permit doubt creationists say look doubt whereas therefore interpretation things must robust one must true fundamentalists swayed subtlety case outside expert communities among real people creationists complain persecuted minority since persecuted also minority according cbs news poll last month 51 percent americans reject theory evolution believing instead god created humans present form least noteworthy pollsters ask americans give reasons world polls one persons beliefs count much others according august poll pew research center 38 percent americans believe creationism taught instead evolution alongside tactful id advocates claim desire let us thank god whomever polls immediately enacted law instead bit delay present seen total censure science american public schools creationism add bad science education also disastrous poetry philosophy religion reduces truth literal truth inculcates deafness profounder registers absolutely nothing theologically speaking hangs answer question earths age human origins christian right betrayal religion nonetheless chosen battle could detriment forces defend laughably bad arguments appear strained repetition theres still time vital abhor fundamentalism whether much interest intellectual question human origins actively oppose creationists move power curricular decisions stake intellectual question amounted safe say christian right would interested fundamentalists win front major step taken towards creation society lets vested political interests pass truth allows partyline philosophy replace free inquiry christian right pull guise persecuted minority safe say stopping justin smith professor philosophy writer living montreal reached justismialcorconcordiaca 160 160 | 692 |
<p>Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin has promised to create 250, 0000 jobs. Thus far, he has rejected roughly a billion dollars in Federal funds for broad-band internet, and other infrastructure; included in the Governor’s rebuff was the high-speed rail project, his action forcing Talgo Inc., to abandon major operations in Milwaukee, costing the State of Wisconsin in up to 4,732 jobs by 2012. The Spanish-owned train manufacturer, only recently set up location in Milwaukee, lured by the high-speed rail project.</p>
<p>One could say he seems to be off to a slow start on the job creation front. Given the character of his economic policies I decided to help out by defining a list of job descriptions commensurate with the economic policies he is promoting.</p>
<p>Concubine/Handmaiden: Wisconsin’s new “right to work” state environment will create an even greater class divide. The über-wealthy will want to create more male heirs and little, grizzly-bear, pre-moms than one wife could possible manage.</p>
<p>Prostitute: When the rich start getting their tax breaks, there will be a lot more disposable income and unemployed women available for the stables… The miracle of Adam Smith solving yet another problem! In short, as the Governor declared, “Wisconsin is Open for Business!”</p>
<p>Fluffer: Once married rich guys get a taste of these young girls there will be an inflation of 24/7 Viagra enabled erections. Surely there will be plenty of young pretties without jobs to deal with this ensuing inflation crisis and the need to have the ladies to keep um at the ready. Gentlemen in River Hills (read: exclusive rich Republican stronghold), are you ready?</p>
<p>Child laborer: Republican Missouri state legislator Jane Cunningham, proposes rolling back child labor laws. Just as Wisconsin needs to be competitive with states that have rolled back unions under the Orwellian titled “right to work,” so must Wisconsin keep pace on the child labor front. Who else can get their fingers between the fast moving gears factory machinery? Besides, the filthy buggers need to earn their keep!</p>
<p>Scapegoats: When Walker’s recessionary policies cause the clusterfuck of reduced employment and falling tax revenues, someone, just not the Governor, will have to man up and take responsibility.</p>
<p>Astroturf Robots: Once the chaos hits, there will be an exponential growth in the need for the already legion number of corporate funded shills on the comment sections of our major media sites reflecting “public” (wink) opinion. Most specifically needed, are shills who can deftly shift from arguing that raising taxes on those making over $250,000 is unjust, given that this income is required for a middle class living. Then, without missing a beat, quickly pirouetting and arguing that teachers with Masters degrees making $48,000 a year are greedy scum that need to stop stealing from Wall Street.</p>
<p>Indentured servant: Labor markets need to be way more flexible. This might be a means to leapfrog in front of other states that also have “right to work” laws on the labor (in) flexibility front.</p>
<p>Sin-Eater: Resurrection of the medieval practice of paying the wretched (which Walker promises to create in record numbers) to ritualistically eat the sins’ of the wealthy.</p>
<p>Yes Men: By all reports, “Master Walker” is a vain little boy. Ergo, we will need a commensurate number of sycophants to assuage his ego.</p>
<p>Governor: Given the recall madness Walker has launched by his stubbornness and policies discordant with the public will, we will now need new Governors every year–a 400% growth rate over the current need! This is a veritable New Deal jobs creation program!</p>
<p>Live Organ Donor: This is a position that will provide the idle poor an opportunity to give something back to the job creators. Those with a truly entrepreneurial spirit can seize upon an even greater opportunity, in the high demand for livers. Moreover, most everybody can actually sell parts of your liver because it grows back. It’s a renewable resource. However, the potential for this market is limited given Wisconsin and its declining incomes are generating ever more alcoholism and thus less healthy portions of liver to cleave off.</p>
<p>Gubernatorial Food Taster: The Governor has revealed that although he continues to eat his traditional bag lunch of a simple ham and cheese sandwiches, he now has the Governor’s kitchen staff prepare it. Who knows what goes on in that unregulated workplace?</p>
<p>Poet Laureate: The Governor may have been too hasty in terminating this handsomely paid $2000 a year position. He might want to look at the legions of poets put to work rhapsodizing over Joseph Stalin’s endless virtues to see how this can be put to use in his service.</p>
<p>Script Writers: The Governor’s webpage bio provides plenty of material for laughs and college-beer drinking games with its 1930’s Frank Capra “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” hokum. This Horatio Alger story of the simple boy made good carrying his brown-bag lunch will require lots of maintenance, as the Governor’s endless genuflections to robber barons are made visible.</p>
<p>Collaborator/Informant: The Governor will need plenty of these given the cynical environment his rule will create. Good news, though, they can usually be bought for the price of flattery! No need to bust the budget on this one!</p>
<p>Town Drunk: Not sure yet how this one will pay, but the raw material will certainly be there!</p>
<p>Sign Makers: Given the coming chaos, sign makers will be needed for the legions of unemployed to advertise “will work for food” and other services.</p>
<p>Town Crier: After Governor Walker devastates public education, we will need a literate few that cry out the news on public squares. From the quality of reader comments tendered (roughly on par with an angry Homer Simpson) on the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel’s (Wisconsin’s largest circulation newspaper) website, we will need this service sooner than later.</p>
<p>ERIC JEFFERSON is a Milwaukee poet, one of the artists featured at Word Verse, A Ko-Thi dance Co. sponsored event. He was also, one of the artists featured at “Local Solo—a night of performance art”, part of Walker’s Point Center for the Arts presentation of cutting edge work by emerging artists. He created a spoken word piece for Walker’s Point’s show (re)Evolution and live in Milwaukee’s inner-city. Recently his ‘Dear Milwaukee’ essay was published on the NPR website for their program State of the ReUnion</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | governor scott walker wisconsin promised create 250 0000 jobs thus far rejected roughly billion dollars federal funds broadband internet infrastructure included governors rebuff highspeed rail project action forcing talgo inc abandon major operations milwaukee costing state wisconsin 4732 jobs 2012 spanishowned train manufacturer recently set location milwaukee lured highspeed rail project one could say seems slow start job creation front given character economic policies decided help defining list job descriptions commensurate economic policies promoting concubinehandmaiden wisconsins new right work state environment create even greater class divide überwealthy want create male heirs little grizzlybear premoms one wife could possible manage prostitute rich start getting tax breaks lot disposable income unemployed women available stables miracle adam smith solving yet another problem short governor declared wisconsin open business fluffer married rich guys get taste young girls inflation 247 viagra enabled erections surely plenty young pretties without jobs deal ensuing inflation crisis need ladies keep um ready gentlemen river hills read exclusive rich republican stronghold ready child laborer republican missouri state legislator jane cunningham proposes rolling back child labor laws wisconsin needs competitive states rolled back unions orwellian titled right work must wisconsin keep pace child labor front else get fingers fast moving gears factory machinery besides filthy buggers need earn keep scapegoats walkers recessionary policies cause clusterfuck reduced employment falling tax revenues someone governor man take responsibility astroturf robots chaos hits exponential growth need already legion number corporate funded shills comment sections major media sites reflecting public wink opinion specifically needed shills deftly shift arguing raising taxes making 250000 unjust given income required middle class living without missing beat quickly pirouetting arguing teachers masters degrees making 48000 year greedy scum need stop stealing wall street indentured servant labor markets need way flexible might means leapfrog front states also right work laws labor flexibility front sineater resurrection medieval practice paying wretched walker promises create record numbers ritualistically eat sins wealthy yes men reports master walker vain little boy ergo need commensurate number sycophants assuage ego governor given recall madness walker launched stubbornness policies discordant public need new governors every yeara 400 growth rate current need veritable new deal jobs creation program live organ donor position provide idle poor opportunity give something back job creators truly entrepreneurial spirit seize upon even greater opportunity high demand livers moreover everybody actually sell parts liver grows back renewable resource however potential market limited given wisconsin declining incomes generating ever alcoholism thus less healthy portions liver cleave gubernatorial food taster governor revealed although continues eat traditional bag lunch simple ham cheese sandwiches governors kitchen staff prepare knows goes unregulated workplace poet laureate governor may hasty terminating handsomely paid 2000 year position might want look legions poets put work rhapsodizing joseph stalins endless virtues see put use service script writers governors webpage bio provides plenty material laughs collegebeer drinking games 1930s frank capra mr smith goes washington hokum horatio alger story simple boy made good carrying brownbag lunch require lots maintenance governors endless genuflections robber barons made visible collaboratorinformant governor need plenty given cynical environment rule create good news though usually bought price flattery need bust budget one town drunk sure yet one pay raw material certainly sign makers given coming chaos sign makers needed legions unemployed advertise work food services town crier governor walker devastates public education need literate cry news public squares quality reader comments tendered roughly par angry homer simpson milwaukee journalsentinels wisconsins largest circulation newspaper website need service sooner later eric jefferson milwaukee poet one artists featured word verse kothi dance co sponsored event also one artists featured local soloa night performance art part walkers point center arts presentation cutting edge work emerging artists created spoken word piece walkers points show reevolution live milwaukees innercity recently dear milwaukee essay published npr website program state reunion 160 160 160 | 632 |
<p>2:41pm EST and I’ve just returned from the first annual Loofah Day festivities. As I wrote in my previous message, I was drawn to the falafel side of things and so, though just having completed&#160; a 6 ½&#160; hour road trip with my family from Aberdeen MD, and pulling into Cleveland, OH at 10:30 pm last night, I awoke early this morning to prepare the chickpeas that I had the foresight to set soaking in the refrigerator back on Friday. I enlisted the help of my 3 year old, Noam, who enjoys manning and operating the mixer. He usually likes to add the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies but was sufficiently intrigued by the meat grinding attachments that he saw me fastening onto the mixer, to help out. I’ve always heard that falafel originates from Egypt where they add fava beans to the mix. There are many styles, Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, Israeli and Yemenite, that I’m familiar with. I grind together chick peas (hummus) onion, fresh parsley and coriander, dried mint, cumin, salt and a blend that I picked up at ‘Al-Madina’ grocery on W. 117th and Lorain labeled ‘Falafel spice’. Originally I had thought to take the simple equipment needed (oil, pot, propane camping stove) down to the Fox studios but upon further consideration I thought it best not to handle boiling oil in a place where I conceivably might not be welcome. Who knows what could happen? I figured that I’d see how it went this year and based on that, I could adjust for next year. For a really good falafel, it has to be eaten fresh, within minutes of frying. It’s impossible to overemphasize this point. On the other hand, stale falafel that has stood out for a while, might be more resilient in the shower should anyone wish to take it there, I don’t know.</p>
<p>Much as he’d like to I don’t let Noam cook with hot oil, so his services were no longer needed and I dismissed him and sent him outside to play. While usually deep fried in the shape of balls, I made patties using a falafel molding tool from Egypt that I also purchased at ‘Al-Madina’. The physics of falafel frying is what currently eludes me. I’ve tasted them where they’re crispy and golden brown on the outside and so light and airy on the inside that they don’t even feel as if they’ve been fried. Mine on the other hand tend to be (I’m sorry to say) slightly soggy on the inside. It’s something that I’m trying to remedy. To mask the imperfections, I also prepared a tehina sauce to go with it, made of sesame paste, lemon juice, water, garlic and salt. The tehina came out too lemony. But never mind. I was finished by 11:30, and placed the freshly made falafel in a foil pan and kept it in the oven at low setting to keep it warm. I took a piece of aluminum foil to cover it with and wrote ‘Falafel’ and ‘Tehina’ in English and Arabic. Hey, showing up at Fox studios with Arabic script covering an unidentified metal object, who could resist?</p>
<p>I copied the Arabic letters off of a box of mix that I have. Although I can read and write Arabic haltingly, having taken a Harvard extension class back in 1984. I remember on the first day the instructor expressed surprise at the unexpectedly large size of the class and asked if we knew of jobs somewhere requiring Arabic and if so, would we let him know? I wonder what he’s doing these days?</p>
<p>When my wife to returned from grocery shopping, I donned my Counterpunch T-shirt, grabbed my camera and double checked the Fox studio address in the phonebook, listed as downtown on Euclid Avenue. I had remembered it being on S. Marginal Rd., along Lake Erie. At 11:45 I set off from our suburban residence (we’re walking distance from the city border) thinking that I’d first check out the address on Euclid Ave. On the way down, I popped an unmarked cassette in to play. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Bob Dylan’s ‘Under the Red Sky’, an under appreciated Dylan record, it combines the surreal and the playful and the political. ‘Wiggle Wiggle’ was playing, and sounded good. On Euclid Ave-nothing, desolate-some guy sitting in these new concrete bus stops they’ve got set up along the street. I probably wouldn’t even get the chance to ask him to take a picture. Wait! It was channel 5, the ABC station, the phone book was wrong! I quickly hopped onto I-90 N, near E. 30th and was winging my way to S. Marginal Rd. at the E.55th street exit. It was just past noon. I didn’t want to be late! One of the perks of living in a dying urban center is that there is no traffic on weekends and holidays, none. So I could make good time and get over there easily. But now, slowing down and coming around ‘dead-man’s curve’ at the lake, I saw on my right fields filled with people- tents, families out grilling, blankets, frisbees. All this for Loofah Day in Cleveland?! I couldn’t believe it. My heart began to swell with pride, I may have gotten goose-bumps. Alack, Alas, but no! People had gathered to watch the annual Labor Day Air show along the lake. The F-15’s or Blue Angels or phantoms were hurtling by at that moment. People were on hand for the annual glorification/idolization/deification/adulation/capitulation to the military/industrial complex. I had seen them practicing on Thursday while taking my lunchtime walk at work. They fly low and come up on you silently- then comes the ear-shattering sonic boom. I could only imagine how terrifying this would be to a Lebanese or Palestinian child in some village, seeing those things looming in on you. I had a personal taste of this when we were visiting my wife’s family in Israel and stopped at a water park above the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was evidently situated near a military airfield and there were frequent flyovers by these types of planes. Every time one would pass over, Noam, then 2 years old, would become frightened and agitated. It was freaking him out, and pissing me off. I commented to my wife that I could understand the psychological damage done to the children of Gaza and Lebanon by these constant aural assaults. Here we were on the aggressor’s side and look at how even temporary exposure was affecting our child.</p>
<p>So I continued east on I-90 trying to outrun those stealth bombers or whatever the hell they are, to no avail. My exit was presently coming up and I got off and saw the Fox TV studio down S. Marginal. As I pulled closer, hoping to see loofahs raised high in the air accompanying some rhythmic tribal dance, it was all silent&#160;the only sound&#160;coming from&#160;Dylan’s ‘TV talking song’ playing in the background ‘your mind is your temple/keep it beautiful and free/don’t let an egg get laid in it by something you can’t see.’ I pulled into one of the four parking spaces outside the electric gate. 12:07 pm. Nothing, quiet. Summer cicadas chirping. Some self-parody of William Hurt in Broadcast News standing in front of the klieg lights stood out on the front lawn just past the no trespassing private property sign. He didn’t notice me. Probably reporting on the Kremlin tank parade going on above us. An F-16 climbed straight up, another flew past turning jerkily to reveal its enormous genitalia underneath.</p>
<p>I took the food out of the car and walked around the fence to see if anyone else was around and was pondering how I was going to snap a picture of myself when three cars loaded with people came barreling into the remaining 3 parking spots. A woman got out of one car and we exchanged greetings as she walked by me to another car. I waited patiently for her to finish her conversation and asked her to take my picture in front of the Fox sign with the falafel. She amiably agreed. I told her that I was waiting for some people and she said that they were too, hooking up to go watch the air show. Then I remembered that when there was no loofah to be found in our bathroom cabinet I grabbed my wife’s shower cap instead. Do forty falafels and one shower cap carry the symbolic weight of one loofah? I hoped so. I asked her to wait a moment and put it on mumbling some sort of explanation. The occupants in one of the cars looked at me with bemused smiles. I offered falafel to them and to my photographer. They declined. I wouldn’t accept strange-looking fried food offered by a man wearing sunglasses and a shower cap standing alone in front of the Fox TV studios while stealth bombers flew overhead either.</p>
<p>She snapped one and then another just as a Fox security guard emerged to politely tell us that we were on private property and would have to leave (I had seen the William Hurt guy glance over at us). I offered the security guard falafel but he too demurred. I couldn’t blame him either. The three cars departed as they had already contacted the people who they were to meet and I was left alone again. I waited another couple of minutes and when I felt that no one else was going to show up I got back into the car and drove next door to the Horizon Science Academy where I had once judged a science fair.</p>
<p>I turned around and idled the car in front of the Fox building. The klieg lights were still on and I stuck my head out of the window to take a few pictures. It was fun to snap those shots thinking that someone might be in there watching me-unlike once when I had waited in a car early one morning on a bridge over Road 6 in Israel, near Tul-Karm where I was waiting for a friend coming from the north to bring me something I’d left behind at his place the day before. I stuck my head out of the window to photograph the apartheid wall with the minarets of Tul-Karm in the background. Within minutes a military police jeep with red plates and fenced in sides pulled up and parked behind me. The driver was wearing mirrored sunglasses. I thought that maybe I should get out to see what he wanted but I stayed in the car reasoning that he’d come to me if he needed anything.&#160;That had a riskier feel to it.</p>
<p>I snapped some pictures of the TV studio and drove off. End of Loofah Day festivities 12:25pm.</p>
<p>Later in the evening I drove over to my friend Tom’s house to return the car top carrier that I’d borrowed for the 2 day visit to Maryland. (My 13 year old played in a youth baseball tournament there-don’t get me started). Anyways, Tom told me that he attended the Cleveland Peace Show that afternoon downtown at Willard park on E. 9th and Lakeside that was organized as a response to ‘the militaristic exhibit of war planes as entertainment at the Cleveland National Air Show’. Tom said eight hundred people attended. So that’s where everyone was! I had forgotten but I received a flyer from Cleveland Peace Action announcing the event ‘Peace Cranes not War Planes’. It kicked off at noon. I was the only one to show up at Fox today. There was music and food. Pete Seeger’s grandson was one of the performers. I didn’t ask if there was falafel.</p>
<p>MICHAEL GREENBERG works for the pharmaceutical/industrial complex at the largest non-profit (yeah, right) institute in Cleveland.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | 241pm est ive returned first annual loofah day festivities wrote previous message drawn falafel side things though completed160 6 ½160 hour road trip family aberdeen md pulling cleveland oh 1030 pm last night awoke early morning prepare chickpeas foresight set soaking refrigerator back friday enlisted help 3 year old noam enjoys manning operating mixer usually likes add ingredients chocolate chip cookies sufficiently intrigued meat grinding attachments saw fastening onto mixer help ive always heard falafel originates egypt add fava beans mix many styles iraqi lebanese palestinian jordanian israeli yemenite im familiar grind together chick peas hummus onion fresh parsley coriander dried mint cumin salt blend picked almadina grocery w 117th lorain labeled falafel spice originally thought take simple equipment needed oil pot propane camping stove fox studios upon consideration thought best handle boiling oil place conceivably might welcome knows could happen figured id see went year based could adjust next year really good falafel eaten fresh within minutes frying impossible overemphasize point hand stale falafel stood might resilient shower anyone wish take dont know much hed like dont let noam cook hot oil services longer needed dismissed sent outside play usually deep fried shape balls made patties using falafel molding tool egypt also purchased almadina physics falafel frying currently eludes ive tasted theyre crispy golden brown outside light airy inside dont even feel theyve fried mine hand tend im sorry say slightly soggy inside something im trying remedy mask imperfections also prepared tehina sauce go made sesame paste lemon juice water garlic salt tehina came lemony never mind finished 1130 placed freshly made falafel foil pan kept oven low setting keep warm took piece aluminum foil cover wrote falafel tehina english arabic hey showing fox studios arabic script covering unidentified metal object could resist copied arabic letters box mix although read write arabic haltingly taken harvard extension class back 1984 remember first day instructor expressed surprise unexpectedly large size class asked knew jobs somewhere requiring arabic would let know wonder hes days wife returned grocery shopping donned counterpunch tshirt grabbed camera double checked fox studio address phonebook listed downtown euclid avenue remembered marginal rd along lake erie 1145 set suburban residence walking distance city border thinking id first check address euclid ave way popped unmarked cassette play pleasantly surprised hear bob dylans red sky appreciated dylan record combines surreal playful political wiggle wiggle playing sounded good euclid avenothing desolatesome guy sitting new concrete bus stops theyve got set along street probably wouldnt even get chance ask take picture wait channel 5 abc station phone book wrong quickly hopped onto i90 n near e 30th winging way marginal rd e55th street exit past noon didnt want late one perks living dying urban center traffic weekends holidays none could make good time get easily slowing coming around deadmans curve lake saw right fields filled people tents families grilling blankets frisbees loofah day cleveland couldnt believe heart began swell pride may gotten goosebumps alack alas people gathered watch annual labor day air show along lake f15s blue angels phantoms hurtling moment people hand annual glorificationidolizationdeificationadulationcapitulation militaryindustrial complex seen practicing thursday taking lunchtime walk work fly low come silently comes earshattering sonic boom could imagine terrifying would lebanese palestinian child village seeing things looming personal taste visiting wifes family israel stopped water park eastern shore sea galilee evidently situated near military airfield frequent flyovers types planes every time one would pass noam 2 years old would become frightened agitated freaking pissing commented wife could understand psychological damage done children gaza lebanon constant aural assaults aggressors side look even temporary exposure affecting child continued east i90 trying outrun stealth bombers whatever hell avail exit presently coming got saw fox tv studio marginal pulled closer hoping see loofahs raised high air accompanying rhythmic tribal dance silent160the sound160coming from160dylans tv talking song playing background mind templekeep beautiful freedont let egg get laid something cant see pulled one four parking spaces outside electric gate 1207 pm nothing quiet summer cicadas chirping selfparody william hurt broadcast news standing front klieg lights stood front lawn past trespassing private property sign didnt notice probably reporting kremlin tank parade going us f16 climbed straight another flew past turning jerkily reveal enormous genitalia underneath took food car walked around fence see anyone else around pondering going snap picture three cars loaded people came barreling remaining 3 parking spots woman got one car exchanged greetings walked another car waited patiently finish conversation asked take picture front fox sign falafel amiably agreed told waiting people said hooking go watch air show remembered loofah found bathroom cabinet grabbed wifes shower cap instead forty falafels one shower cap carry symbolic weight one loofah hoped asked wait moment put mumbling sort explanation occupants one cars looked bemused smiles offered falafel photographer declined wouldnt accept strangelooking fried food offered man wearing sunglasses shower cap standing alone front fox tv studios stealth bombers flew overhead either snapped one another fox security guard emerged politely tell us private property would leave seen william hurt guy glance us offered security guard falafel demurred couldnt blame either three cars departed already contacted people meet left alone waited another couple minutes felt one else going show got back car drove next door horizon science academy judged science fair turned around idled car front fox building klieg lights still stuck head window take pictures fun snap shots thinking someone might watching meunlike waited car early one morning bridge road 6 israel near tulkarm waiting friend coming north bring something id left behind place day stuck head window photograph apartheid wall minarets tulkarm background within minutes military police jeep red plates fenced sides pulled parked behind driver wearing mirrored sunglasses thought maybe get see wanted stayed car reasoning hed come needed anything160that riskier feel snapped pictures tv studio drove end loofah day festivities 1225pm later evening drove friend toms house return car top carrier id borrowed 2 day visit maryland 13 year old played youth baseball tournament theredont get started anyways tom told attended cleveland peace show afternoon downtown willard park e 9th lakeside organized response militaristic exhibit war planes entertainment cleveland national air show tom said eight hundred people attended thats everyone forgotten received flyer cleveland peace action announcing event peace cranes war planes kicked noon one show fox today music food pete seegers grandson one performers didnt ask falafel michael greenberg works pharmaceuticalindustrial complex largest nonprofit yeah right institute cleveland 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 ad 160 160 160 | 1,077 |
<p>In the wake of a crisis, proposals for reform are often radical and ill-conceived.&#160; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/real-solutions-for-curtailing-gun-violence-1519168921?mod=e2fb" type="external">Seattle radio host John Carlson’s gun reform proposal</a>, outlined in theWall Street Journal, boils America’s violent crime problem down to one issue; people who shouldn’t have guns do. But Carlson’s proposals ignore the role of police violence in criminals’ decisions to use guns.</p>
<p>Carlson writes that only 11 percent of America’s gun crimes are committed with legal weapons. That means most of America’s gun crimes, including mass shootings, could be prevented simply by applying the existing laws designed to prevent dangerous and irresponsible people from obtaining guns. For instance, the Parkland, Florida shooting could have been&#160; <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-statement-on-the-shooting-in-parkland-florida" type="external">prevented by simply following FBI protocol</a>.</p>
<p>But Carlson wants to take even stronger action to reduce the number of illegal firearms on the street. By imposing mandatory minimum four-year sentences for illegal possession of firearms, Carlson says criminals will avoid stealing guns or using them to commit crimes.</p>
<p>This is probably true in a vacuum. Criminals have to weigh the risks of their schemes against their rewards, <a href="" type="internal">just like everyone else</a>. It follows that a gun thief weighing a year or two in prison against the profits from selling an illegal rifle or handgun would be dissuaded from his mark. He probably won’t go straight and join productive society, but he might instead steal a TV or something more innocuous. Similarly, a burglar is less likely to use a gun while he’s robbing your house if doing so puts an extra four years onto his sentence automatically.</p>
<p>Additionally, curbing the demand for illegal guns among otherwise non-violent criminals will reduce the number of illegal guns and make it more difficult for people looking to commit explicitly violent crimes to obtain a weapon. In this way, punishing crimes that involve guns more heavily than crimes that do not should reduce gun crime and gun violence overall.</p>
<p>Yet in&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Baltimore&#160;</a>and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">many other U.S. cities</a>, mandatory minimum sentences for gun violence has proven ineffective in reducing violent crime. So why do criminals still use guns to commit crimes if the risk is so high? To answer that question, consider America’s other perennial gun problem: police shootings.</p>
<p>In the United States,&#160; <a href="https://fee.org/articles/how-many-people-are-killed-by-police/" type="external">police fatally shoot</a> <a href="" type="internal">more criminals than police in other OECD countries&#160;</a>by powers of ten. As of the writing of this article, U.S. police have shot and killed 146 people <a href="" type="internal">in 2018 alone</a>. When a criminal is deciding whether or not to use a gun in the commission of an otherwise non-violent crime, the likelihood that she will meet deadly force&#160; <a href="" type="internal">increases her incentive</a>to use deadly force herself. Thus, gun crime is driven in part by an&#160; <a href="http://cjmasters.eku.edu/sites/cjmasters.eku.edu/files/socialproblemsmilitar.pdf" type="external">increasingly violent police force</a>, just as increasingly violent police encounters are&#160; <a href="" type="internal">driven by higher rates of violent crime</a>.</p>
<p>The situation is not unlike nuclear mutually-assured destruction (MAD). Under conditions of MAD, each party is&#160; <a href="" type="internal">willing to take extreme measures&#160;</a>to assure their own safety by threatening that of their adversary.</p>
<p>Because death is at stake in MAD situations, criminals will be willing to pay very high prices and take extreme risks for guns to use in the commission of otherwise non-violent crimes, such as burglary. Criminals’ high demand for guns greatly increases the pool of illegal weapons on the street, and because that demand is driven by criminals’ fear of fatal encounters with the police, harsher punishments for illegally-obtained weapons would likely fail to reduce the number of illegal guns on the street.</p>
<p>However, if paired with reforms that reduced the likelihood that criminals would encounter fatally violent police resistance, the costs and benefits of using guns in the commission of a crime could change entirely.</p>
<p>If burglars thought that encounters with law enforcement would end in tasing rather than a shootout, then using a gun in an otherwise non-violent crime at the risk of a mandatory additional four years in prison seems like an unnecessary risk. In this way, fewer criminals would use illegal weapons in committing otherwise nonviolent crimes.</p>
<p>This would decimate the demand for illegal firearms, meaning fewer guns will enter the black market. With a smaller number of illegal weapons on the market, those explicitly looking to commit violent crimes (e.g. mass shootings) would also have a much harder time getting their hands on an illegal gun.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thebalance.com/in-what-countries-do-police-not-carry-guns-974879" type="external">Several developed countries&#160;</a>already make the use of firearms a special case for police, rather than the norm. All of these countries have much lower rates of violent crime than the United States, and encounters with the police are much less likely to end in fatalities—in some cases&#160; <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/298435/Police_use_of_firearms_Commons.pdf" type="external">500 times less likely</a>.</p>
<p>Correlation is not causation. Just because some countries have xpolicy towards police carrying guns and have youtcome in gun deaths and zoutcome in police shootings, does not mean allcountries that do xwill also get yand z. Demilitarizing the police has not been empirically proven to reduce crime. Still, it’s safe to say that as crime policy, it works <a href="" type="internal">at least as well</a>as the United States’ heavily weaponized approach to policing.</p>
<p>As gun policy, making the use of guns by police rarer, combined with a crackdown on illegal weapons, could drastically reduce the availability of the weapons responsible for most of America’s non-police shooting deaths—illegally-obtained guns.</p>
<p>Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and irresponsible persons should be a goal common to all sides of the gun debate. Making police force less deadly and aggressively cracking down on illegal firearms simultaneously could reduce the abuse of firearms in a way that the right can’t call “gun-grabbing” and the left can’t call “do-nothing.”</p>
<p>Albert Gustafson writes about economics and public policy for Young Voices Advocates. He’s a senior at Indiana Wesleyan University. Follow him on Twitter @apgustafson.</p> | true | 4 | wake crisis proposals reform often radical illconceived160 seattle radio host john carlsons gun reform proposal outlined thewall street journal boils americas violent crime problem one issue people shouldnt guns carlsons proposals ignore role police violence criminals decisions use guns carlson writes 11 percent americas gun crimes committed legal weapons means americas gun crimes including mass shootings could prevented simply applying existing laws designed prevent dangerous irresponsible people obtaining guns instance parkland florida shooting could been160 prevented simply following fbi protocol carlson wants take even stronger action reduce number illegal firearms street imposing mandatory minimum fouryear sentences illegal possession firearms carlson says criminals avoid stealing guns using commit crimes probably true vacuum criminals weigh risks schemes rewards like everyone else follows gun thief weighing year two prison profits selling illegal rifle handgun would dissuaded mark probably wont go straight join productive society might instead steal tv something innocuous similarly burglar less likely use gun hes robbing house puts extra four years onto sentence automatically additionally curbing demand illegal guns among otherwise nonviolent criminals reduce number illegal guns make difficult people looking commit explicitly violent crimes obtain weapon way punishing crimes involve guns heavily crimes reduce gun crime gun violence overall yet in160 baltimore160and160 many us cities mandatory minimum sentences gun violence proven ineffective reducing violent crime criminals still use guns commit crimes risk high answer question consider americas perennial gun problem police shootings united states160 police fatally shoot criminals police oecd countries160by powers ten writing article us police shot killed 146 people 2018 alone criminal deciding whether use gun commission otherwise nonviolent crime likelihood meet deadly force160 increases incentiveto use deadly force thus gun crime driven part an160 increasingly violent police force increasingly violent police encounters are160 driven higher rates violent crime situation unlike nuclear mutuallyassured destruction mad conditions mad party is160 willing take extreme measures160to assure safety threatening adversary death stake mad situations criminals willing pay high prices take extreme risks guns use commission otherwise nonviolent crimes burglary criminals high demand guns greatly increases pool illegal weapons street demand driven criminals fear fatal encounters police harsher punishments illegallyobtained weapons would likely fail reduce number illegal guns street however paired reforms reduced likelihood criminals would encounter fatally violent police resistance costs benefits using guns commission crime could change entirely burglars thought encounters law enforcement would end tasing rather shootout using gun otherwise nonviolent crime risk mandatory additional four years prison seems like unnecessary risk way fewer criminals would use illegal weapons committing otherwise nonviolent crimes would decimate demand illegal firearms meaning fewer guns enter black market smaller number illegal weapons market explicitly looking commit violent crimes eg mass shootings would also much harder time getting hands illegal gun several developed countries160already make use firearms special case police rather norm countries much lower rates violent crime united states encounters police much less likely end fatalitiesin cases160 500 times less likely correlation causation countries xpolicy towards police carrying guns youtcome gun deaths zoutcome police shootings mean allcountries xwill also get yand z demilitarizing police empirically proven reduce crime still safe say crime policy works least wellas united states heavily weaponized approach policing gun policy making use guns police rarer combined crackdown illegal weapons could drastically reduce availability weapons responsible americas nonpolice shooting deathsillegallyobtained guns keeping guns hands criminals irresponsible persons goal common sides gun debate making police force less deadly aggressively cracking illegal firearms simultaneously could reduce abuse firearms way right cant call gungrabbing left cant call donothing albert gustafson writes economics public policy young voices advocates hes senior indiana wesleyan university follow twitter apgustafson | 592 |
<p>The true legacy of Sanders’ campaign—that is, if it is to serve as more than a mere stumbling block to Hillary Clinton’s coronation—depends on how much traction it generates among grassroots activists, according to Lighty.</p>
<p>Vermont's independent senator Bernie Sanders recently headed to Goose Lake, Iowa—the latest chapter in his ongoing flirtation with the 2016 presidential race. On Saturday, May 17,&#160; <a href="http://www.clintonherald.com/local/x2117403880/Big-names-rally-party" type="external">he delivered the keynote speech at the Clinton County Democrats “Hall of Fame” Dinner</a>.</p>
<p>“The agenda I believe in is a very progressive agenda,” he told the crowd of 200. “And I want to get a sense from Iowa and the rest of the country if there is support for that agenda.”</p>
<p>Other than his age—by Election Day 2016, Sanders will be 75 years old—the greatest question facing any such presidential bid is what party label, if any, the senator adopts. The dilemma: The self-described socialist prides himself on his independence, but worries he may not be able to attract enough attention unless he runs as a Democrat.</p>
<p>As Sanders ponders his next steps, his supporters are starting to make noise.</p>
<p>Leading the pack is Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), which is pushing Sanders to make the leap into the Democratic primary. On May 9, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration in Northampton, Massachusetts, PDA presented the senator with more than 11,000 signatures asking that he run as a Democrat. The following morning, Sanders delivered a speech to about 250 progressive activists at a Northampton church. (Full disclosure: I spoke on a panel about progressive media at PDA’s event.)</p>
<p>“We believe in promoting progressives first. And the fact is that Bernie Sanders is far and away number one out there when it comes to progressive issues,” says Conor Boylan, PDA’s national deputy director. “Just given how the primaries are set up, he would have more of a voice and be able to get his message out a lot better if he were to run as a Democrat—given the fact that independent candidates are not sought after by the media during the presidential race.”</p>
<p>“And … if Hillary Clinton does run in the primaries, I think that’s definitely where you’re going to see the two visions for America—the more corporate, neoliberal Hillary Clinton and the more populist, fighting-for-the-middle-class Bernie Sanders,” Boylan continues. “That’s why having the two of them debate each other would be worth its weight in gold for progressive Democrats who really want to say, ‘Hey, not all Democrats are the same here.’ That would be a real example.”</p>
<p>Others say that for Sanders to run in the Democratic primaries would be an exercise in futility—a perspective that flows from a much grimmer outlook on the Democratic Party as a whole. Since last December, Michael Trudeau, an editor and Green Party activist based in Cary, North Carolina, has led a petition drive calling on Sanders to run as a Green. The petition has amassed just under&#160; <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/bernie-sanders-run-for-president-in-2016-as-a-green-party-candidate" type="external">1,000 signatures so far</a>.</p>
<p>“Over 80 percent of Democrats want Hillary Clinton to be president,” says Trudeau, referencing&#160; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/02/26/poll-82-percent-of-democrats-want-hillary-clinton-to-run/" type="external">recent polling data</a>. “I think that says volumes about the character of the Democratic Party. I don’t think someone like Bernie Sanders will have rank-and-file Democratic support, let alone super-delegate support in the Democratic primary.”</p>
<p>Moreover, Trudeau says, the track record of insurgent Democratic presidential campaigns is unimpressive. Bids like Jesse Jackson’s in 1988 or Dennis Kucinich’s in 2004 and 2008 have failed to halt the party’s rightward shift, he says.</p>
<p>“The exercise of him running as a Democrat, in my mind, would really just be an exercise in bringing in progressives, liberals, people left of the Democratic Party into the Democratic Party, because he’s there,” Trudeau continues. “And then all these people end up voting for Clinton, neoliberalism, Wall Street, corporatism, everything that she stands for. … He talks about this political revolution—it’s not going to happen with the Democratic Party. It’s going to be shut down.”</p>
<p>Michael Lighty, PDA board member and director of public policy of National Nurses United, who says he’d like to see a presidential candidate from the Left in 2016, says it’s wrong to equate a primary run with any compromise in beliefs.</p>
<p>“[Sanders] caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate,” Lighty says. “That means he votes for Harry Reid as Majority Leader. Has he sacrificed his politics in doing so? No. There’s no difference tactically from running as a Democrat in the primary than from caucusing with the Democrats and supporting the Democratic Majority Leader. It doesn’t have strategic or ideological implications per se.”</p>
<p>The true legacy of Sanders’ campaign—that is, if it is to serve as more than a mere stumbling block to Hillary Clinton’s coronation—depends on how much traction it generates among grassroots activists, according to Lighty. “Candidate campaigns have to be about the candidate,” he says. “It’s the job of activists to make it about a broader movement toward participatory democracy and progressive politics.”</p>
<p>Many progressives say Jackson’s 1988 campaign, where the “Rainbow Coalition” arguably reached its peak, missed an excellent opportunity to do just that.</p>
<p>“We want [the Democrats] to become a party for the interests of working people and not be a corporate party,” Lighty continues. “A Bernie Sanders campaign is part of that struggle within the Democratic Party. But it only moves the party as a whole to the left if there is an organized group that makes that a primary mission in addition to supporting Bernie [in the primary].”</p>
<p>Socialist Alternative, the party of Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, says Sanders should use his clout to build momentum outside of the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>“There has not been a more propitious time in modern American history to begin to build a pro-working class political force,” Socialist Alternative’s Tom Crean&#160; <a href="http://www.socialistalternative.org/2014/04/16/bernie-sanders-for-president-in-2016-2/" type="external">declared in a recent editorial</a>. “We are not, of course, pretending that a mass party of the 99% could be built overnight, but if Sanders decided to run as an independent left candidate for president to help galvanize the launch of such a party, it would be an enormous step forward.”</p>
<p>Crean suggests that Sanders’ run “could be linked to a national effort to stand a slate of credible left candidates in local and national races in 2016 on an independent basis.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, Ralph Nader, the four-time presidential candidate&#160;who has run twice with the Greens and twice as an independent, says Sanders should run as a Democrat.</p>
<p>“I think he’s history if he goes independent. He’ll go nowhere,” Nader says. “So he’s got to go Democrat.”</p>
<p>I asked Nader if that means Sanders’ biting critique of politics-as-usual would lose any of its edge.</p>
<p>“That depends if he runs as a Democrat against the Democratic corporate establishment,” Nader says. “If he runs against [that], then no, he can continue to be free to say what he wants. But if he tries to play politics inside the party and not mention the raw edges of the party, and the militarism and sucking up to Wall Street, then he won’t be the same Bernie Sanders, obviously.”</p>
<p>Judging by the support he’s received and the events he’s spoken at so far, Sanders would appear to be leaning toward a primary run with the Dems.</p>
<p>Then again, it’s unclear if he’ll even run at all. Sanders’ ongoing stump-speech tour across the country need not culminate in a presidential bid.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">On one such trip to the South last fall</a>, Sanders told In These Times he wants to identify progressive candidates on the national, state and local level who could use support from his independent political action committee. That could very well be his end game.</p>
<p>I asked PDA’s Conor Boylan if he’s received any indication yet which way Sanders is leaning.</p>
<p>“They’re definitely keeping their cards close to the chest,” Boylan says. “No real indication either way, if he’ll run or what he’ll run as. But that’s our job to make that happen for him.”</p>
<p>Cole Stangler writes about labor and the environment. His reporting has also appeared in The Nation, VICE, The New Republic and International Business Times. He lives in Paris, France. He can be reached at cole[at]inthesetimes.com. Follow him <a href="http://twitter.com/ColeStangler" type="external">@colestangler</a>.</p> | true | 4 | true legacy sanders campaignthat serve mere stumbling block hillary clintons coronationdepends much traction generates among grassroots activists according lighty vermonts independent senator bernie sanders recently headed goose lake iowathe latest chapter ongoing flirtation 2016 presidential race saturday may 17160 delivered keynote speech clinton county democrats hall fame dinner agenda believe progressive agenda told crowd 200 want get sense iowa rest country support agenda ageby election day 2016 sanders 75 years oldthe greatest question facing presidential bid party label senator adopts dilemma selfdescribed socialist prides independence worries may able attract enough attention unless runs democrat sanders ponders next steps supporters starting make noise leading pack progressive democrats america pda pushing sanders make leap democratic primary may 9 part 10th anniversary celebration northampton massachusetts pda presented senator 11000 signatures asking run democrat following morning sanders delivered speech 250 progressive activists northampton church full disclosure spoke panel progressive media pdas event believe promoting progressives first fact bernie sanders far away number one comes progressive issues says conor boylan pdas national deputy director given primaries set would voice able get message lot better run democratgiven fact independent candidates sought media presidential race hillary clinton run primaries think thats definitely youre going see two visions americathe corporate neoliberal hillary clinton populist fightingforthemiddleclass bernie sanders boylan continues thats two debate would worth weight gold progressive democrats really want say hey democrats would real example others say sanders run democratic primaries would exercise futilitya perspective flows much grimmer outlook democratic party whole since last december michael trudeau editor green party activist based cary north carolina led petition drive calling sanders run green petition amassed under160 1000 signatures far 80 percent democrats want hillary clinton president says trudeau referencing160 recent polling data think says volumes character democratic party dont think someone like bernie sanders rankandfile democratic support let alone superdelegate support democratic primary moreover trudeau says track record insurgent democratic presidential campaigns unimpressive bids like jesse jacksons 1988 dennis kucinichs 2004 2008 failed halt partys rightward shift says exercise running democrat mind would really exercise bringing progressives liberals people left democratic party democratic party hes trudeau continues people end voting clinton neoliberalism wall street corporatism everything stands talks political revolutionits going happen democratic party going shut michael lighty pda board member director public policy national nurses united says hed like see presidential candidate left 2016 says wrong equate primary run compromise beliefs sanders caucuses democrats senate lighty says means votes harry reid majority leader sacrificed politics theres difference tactically running democrat primary caucusing democrats supporting democratic majority leader doesnt strategic ideological implications per se true legacy sanders campaignthat serve mere stumbling block hillary clintons coronationdepends much traction generates among grassroots activists according lighty candidate campaigns candidate says job activists make broader movement toward participatory democracy progressive politics many progressives say jacksons 1988 campaign rainbow coalition arguably reached peak missed excellent opportunity want democrats become party interests working people corporate party lighty continues bernie sanders campaign part struggle within democratic party moves party whole left organized group makes primary mission addition supporting bernie primary socialist alternative party seattle city councilmember kshama sawant says sanders use clout build momentum outside democratic party propitious time modern american history begin build proworking class political force socialist alternatives tom crean160 declared recent editorial course pretending mass party 99 could built overnight sanders decided run independent left candidate president help galvanize launch party would enormous step forward crean suggests sanders run could linked national effort stand slate credible left candidates local national races 2016 independent basis hand ralph nader fourtime presidential candidate160who run twice greens twice independent says sanders run democrat think hes history goes independent hell go nowhere nader says hes got go democrat asked nader means sanders biting critique politicsasusual would lose edge depends runs democrat democratic corporate establishment nader says runs continue free say wants tries play politics inside party mention raw edges party militarism sucking wall street wont bernie sanders obviously judging support hes received events hes spoken far sanders would appear leaning toward primary run dems unclear hell even run sanders ongoing stumpspeech tour across country need culminate presidential bid160 one trip south last fall sanders told times wants identify progressive candidates national state local level could use support independent political action committee could well end game asked pdas conor boylan hes received indication yet way sanders leaning theyre definitely keeping cards close chest boylan says real indication either way hell run hell run thats job make happen cole stangler writes labor environment reporting also appeared nation vice new republic international business times lives paris france reached coleatinthesetimescom follow colestangler | 761 |
<p>In a certain sense, a superficial one, Ariel Sharon and Dov Weisglass are an odd couple. Sharon is a rancher from the western Negev, Weisglass a lawyer from Lilienblum Street in Tel Aviv. Sharon is the son of a Russian agronomist, Weisglass the son of a Polish fur merchant. Sharon is flesh of the flesh of the fighting rooted land-settlement movement, Weisglass is the embodiment of the speculator immigrant bourgeoisie. Sharon is brutal frontier Zionism, Weisglass is urban real estate Zionism.</p>
<p>However, in another, deeper sense, the source of the soulmates’ alliance between the farmer and the lawyer is perfectly clear. Between the fighter and the fixer. Between the crass authenticity of Sharon and the wheeling and dealing of Weisglass, because when Sharon was a leper, after Sabra and Chatila, Weisglass stood by his side. When Sharon found himself in new battlefields in which he was at a complete loss (commission of inquiry, courts, hostile press), Weisglass fought his battle. When Sharon understood that the world had changed and was ruled by new mega-authorities (Aharon Barak, Time magazine, Yedioth Ahronoth), he also understood that Weisglass was the person who would know how to represent him before those new super-authorities. He understood that Weisglass supplemented him.</p>
<p>So that over the years the rural commander developed a growing dependence on his Tel Aviv lawyer who became a personal advocate, a family advocate, a policy advocate. The advocate who for the past 30 months has represented Ariel Sharon vis-a-vis the American mega-authority, the advocate who in the past 30 months, in his official capacity as a senior adviser to the Prime Minister , has almost single-handedly conducted the delicate relationship between the White House and Sycamore Ranch. Which is to say, between the United States of America and the State of Israel.</p>
<p>Is it Dov Weisglass who brought about Sharon’s reversal of policy? Is he the eminence grise who imposed on the emperor of the settlements the decision to evacuate settlements? The settlers themselves are convinced that he is. They are certain that Weisglass is a devious Rasputin who found some dark way to make the czar do things that the czar himself, by himself, would never do.</p>
<p>However, Weisglass himself shrugs off these contentions. He doesn’t deny that he supported the disengagement from the start. He doesn’t hide the fact that he placed the facts on Sharon’s desk. The political problem, the economic problem, the problem of refusenik soldiers. And he made it clear to the boss that the international community will never let up. That the Americans will not be able to support us for all time. But in the end I wasn’t the one who made the decision, Weisglass says. The prime minister made the decision. While he, the bureau chief, was simply there at his side. He, the faithful advocate, simply sat with his client in the room throughout the entire process.</p>
<p>Weisglass was born in October 1946, in Tel Aviv. He grew up and was educated in 1950s Ramat Gan, in a family that moved quickly from poverty to affluence. At age 19, draft age, he was already studying law. At age 24, he was working in the Moritz-Margolis law firm. Thirteen years later he (along with his partner, Ami Almagor) bought the practice from its founders and made it one of the country’s leading law firms. In 1980 he represented Yitzhak Rabin against the French magazine L’Express. In 1983 he represented Sharon against the Kahan Commission of Inquiry, which investigated the Sabra-Chatila massacre. In 1985-86 he represented Sharon in his suit against Time magazine (Sharon sued the magazine over a report implicating him in the massacre). At first he specialized in representing security personnel who testified before commissions of inquiry (Yossi Ginossar, Shaul Mofaz, Hezi Callo, Alik Ron). He then also specialized in representing ministerial directors-general accused of corruption (Shimon Sheves, Moshe Leon, Avigdor Lieberman). Also among his clients: Ehud Yatom, Rafi Eitan and Avigdor Kahalani. And the Shin Bet security service and the Mossad espionage agency. Not to mention the kibbutz movement.</p>
<p>Weisglass’s critics claim he is not a distinguished lawyer, that he’s messy, superficial, shoots from the hip, lacks an aura of dignity, is without a moral center of gravity. Others, though, note his common sense, his humane understanding. And no one doubts his ability to charm people he considers important. Or his ability to conclude a deal, tie up loose ends, make the right call to the right person. Because the lawyer with a thousand hats is not only a very cordial fellow, he is also very well-connected, across the length and breadth of the Israeli establishment.</p>
<p>We begin our conversation at a Tel Aviv cafe and then go on to his run-down office on Lilienblum Street. Dressed in gray trousers and a white shirt topped by a shiny bald pate, he looks older than his age. Quickly, though, he floods me with his historical knowledge and musical education. He is in total control, and one can accept that or not, but it can’t be ignored, because it is now shaping the reality we are living.</p>
<p>Daily call to Rice</p>
<p>Tell me about Condoleezza Rice. What sort of woman is she?</p>
<p>“She is an amazing woman. Intelligent, smart, very fair. Both educated and extraordinarily pleasant. But beneath that deep courtesy and culture, she can also be very firm. She can be decisive.”</p>
<p>Does she ever raise her voice at you, yell at you?</p>
<p>“What do you mean, raise her voice? I’m older than she is, you know. The Americans don’t talk like we do here.”</p>
<p>Tell me about the dynamics of the relationship between you, and whether it’s an unusual relationship.</p>
<p>“I am in ongoing and continuous contact with Rice. In complex times it could be every day, by phone. In less complex times it’s a phone call a week. On average, I meet with her once a month. Since May 2002 I have met with her more than 20 times. And every meeting is a meeting. The shortest one was an hour and a half.”</p>
<p>What does she call you?</p>
<p>“Dubi.”</p>
<p>What do you call her?</p>
<p>“Condy.”</p>
<p>And how does it work between you?</p>
<p>“The channel between Rice and me has two main purposes. One is to advance processes that are initiated, to examine our ideas and their ideas. The road map, for example, or the disengagement plan. But there is an equally important function, which is troubleshooting. If something happens – an unusual military operation, a hitch, a targeted assassination that succeeded or one that didn’t succeed – before it becomes an imbroglio, she calls me and says, `We saw so-and-so on CNN. What’s going on?’ And I say, `Condy, the usual 10 minutes?’ She laughs and we hang up. Ten minutes later, after I find out what happened, I get back to her and tell her the whole truth. The whole truth. I tell her and she takes it down: this is what we intended, this is how it came out. She doesn’t get worked up. She believes us. The continuation is damage control.”</p>
<p>Rice looks like a tough cookie. Can you really talk to her freely? Can you tell her the jokes that you like to tell so much?</p>
<p>“We are always joking. Always. Whenever I come to Washington, I tell her stories about what’s going on in Israel. I speak freely. Almost the way I’m talking to you. There is no awe, no honor. Each of us cuts into the other. I wouldn’t say we are pals, but our working relationship is very friendly.”</p>
<p>Would you say that the Weisglass-Rice channel is a strategic asset? Has it made Dov Weisglass indispensable?</p>
<p>“As you know, the cemeteries are full of indispensable people. I don’t want to boast. But the importance of this relationship is that it enables the president to speak with the prime minister and the prime minister to speak with the president without their speaking to one another. You have to understand that presidents and prime ministers don’t prattle every day. For the president to phone the prime minister is an event. It is an act of state significance. So those conversations are very heavy. In large measure they are constrained. Whereas in this channel everything is more direct. Immediate.</p>
<p>“For the Americans, it’s convenient. They know they have someone who is ensconced not in the jaws of the lion but in the very gullet of the lion. It’s also convenient for us. It makes it possible for us to talk to them in real time, informally. When my conversation with Rice ends, she knows that I walk six steps to Sharon’s desk and I know that she walks twelve steps to Bush’s desk. That creates an intimate relationship between the two bureaus and prevents a thousand entanglements.”</p>
<p>Have you become one of the family at the White House?</p>
<p>“Look, the first time you enter the White House your heart skips a beat. Anyone who tells you different is not being truthful. After all, that’s where the world’s chief executive sits. But today, after 20 visits, I walk about pretty freely there. They know me well, from the Marine who stands at the entrance to the secretaries and the girls. And that makes my job at lot easier. When you are in awe, like a lawyer making his first appearance before a court, you stammer and you forget the remarks you prepared. After a time, when you feel free and relaxed, that is a tremendous advantage. We speak totally freely. I tell her that something is right or that it’s not so. Completely freely.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Have you ever had occasion to see President Bush?</p>
<p>“I have, but I won’t talk about that. Unplanned meetings with the president are not something one talks about. For them, the concept of dropping in is the holy of holies.”</p>
<p>What impression did you form of him?</p>
<p>“The president is a person of great personal charm. Focused. In control of himself. A great sense of humor. He likes jokes.”</p>
<p>Does he like your jokes? When he sees you, does he expect a good joke?</p>
<p>“He has told some of my jokes to others. We heard about them afterward at second and thirdhand.”</p>
<p>He’s said to be limited.</p>
<p>“Why limited? Because he didn’t remember the name of the president of the Czech Republic? That’s very primitive criticism. President Bush is a person of character, with his own inner truth. He is sure of himself, cool, smiling. He is aware of his power. There is a lot of similarity between the way he and Arik [Sharon] manage things. They are both people with a certain inner maturity.”</p>
<p>What about the great gap in age and experience?</p>
<p>“True, and I can’t tell you how the president handles the question of health insurance in America. But on the issues having to do with us he has a very clear worldview. Like Arik, he has a loathing of violence; a loathing of everything having to do with terrorism and the use of force. And he has a loathing for untruthfulness and for failure to carry out commitments. He doesn’t accept the Middle Eastern political style in which you come and say something and then forget what you said. From that point of view he is very American. He doesn’t tolerate nonsense. He can’t stand the Middle Eastern jabbering with nothing underlying it.”</p>
<p>Are you saying that at a certain point in the past two years the Palestinians simply lost him, that they were erased from his map?</p>
<p>“I will not tell you anything that has not been published. But according to what has been published, two things happened. The first was the `Karine A’ weapons ship. The second was a certain piece of intelligence that I sent them that shows clearly Arafat’s full awareness of financial aspects of the perpetration of terrorist acts. When those things became clear about a person who swore 16,000 times to the Americans that he would make every effort to fight terrorism, he was erased. From that moment he was as good as dead.”</p>
<p>If so, you were the one who prompted the Americans to adopt a political policy that is very close to yours: without Arafat, without terrorism, without the present Palestinian government.</p>
<p>“The Americans were here for four months in 2003. Through [assistant secretary of state] John Wolf they were involved in the process in the most intimate way. Wolf reported directly to Rice. Those four months had tremendous pedagogical value. The Americans saw for themselves what the Palestinians’ most solemn promises really meant. They saw the Palestinians’ detailed working plans and their splendid diagrams and they saw how nothing came of it. Nothing. Zero. When you add to that the trauma of September 11 and their understanding that Islamic terrorism is indivisible, you understand that they reached their conclusions by themselves. They didn’t need us to understand what it’s all about. So, when we came to them and told them that there is no one to talk to, we didn’t have any problems. They already knew that as of now, there is no one to talk to.”</p>
<p>The formaldehyde formula</p>
<p>Is that what you really think – and Sharon, too – that there is no one to talk to?</p>
<p>“We reached that conclusion after years of thinking otherwise. After years of attempts at dialogue. But when Arafat undermined Abu Mazen at the end of the summer of 2003, we reached the sad conclusion that there is no one to talk to, no one to negotiate with. Hence the disengagement plan. Because when you’re playing solitaire, when there is no one sitting across from you at the table, you have no choice but to deal the cards yourself.”</p>
<p>In 2001 you were still of a different opinion – you tried to reach an agreement with the Palestinian leadership.</p>
<p>“Because of his trenchant realism, Arik never believed in permanent settlements: he didn’t believe in the one-fell-swoop approach. Sharon doesn’t think that after a conflict of 104 years, it’s possible to come up with a piece of paper that will end the matter. He thinks the other side had to undergo a deep and extended sociopolitical change. But when we entered the Prime Minister’s Office, he still believed that he would be able to achieve a very long-term interim agreement. An agreement of 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 years. There were some Palestinians who preferred that approach to the approach of [former prime minister Ehud] Barak. They were the ones we talked to. But very quickly we discovered that we were up against a stone wall, that when you get to the decision-making center, nothing happens.”</p>
<p>Still, in 2002 you accepted the initiative of President Bush, the road map, and the principle of a Palestinian state, didn’t you?</p>
<p>“For a great many years the accepted view in the world was that people turned to terrorism because their situation was bad. So that if you make things better for them, they will abandon terrorism. The Palestinian assumption was that when the Palestinian majority gets national satisfaction, they will lay down their arms and the occupiers and the occupied will emerge from the trenches and embrace and kiss. “Arik thought differently. He understood that in the Palestinian case the majority has no control over the minority. He understood that the ability of a central Palestinian administration to enforce its will on the entire Palestinian society is all but nonexistent. He understood that Palestinian terrorism is in part not national at all, but religious. Therefore, granting national satisfaction will not solve the problem of this terrorism. This is the basis of his approach that first of all the terrorism must be eradicated and only then can we advance in the national direction. Not to give a political slice in return for a slice of stopping terrorism, but to insist that the swamp of terrorism be drained before a political process begins.</p>
<p>“President Bush’s speech of June 24, 2002, expressed exactly that approach. We didn’t write it, but it articulated in the best way what we believed. That is why Sharon accepted the implicit principle of the speech immediately. He saw it as a historical turnabout. He saw it is a paramount policy achievement. For the first time the principle was accepted that before we enter the negotiating room, the pistols have to be left outside.”</p>
<p>But didn’t the road map translate that principle into a very crowded timetable?</p>
<p>“Arik would have preferred that the first stage of the road map go on for three years, the second stage five years and the third stage six years. But because the road map stipulated that it was based on performance and not on sacrosanct dates, he was able to accept it. He understood that the important thing was the principle. What’s important is the formula that asserts that the eradication of terrorism precedes the start of the political process.”</p>
<p>If you have American backing and you have the principle of the road map, why go to disengagement?</p>
<p>“Because in the fall of 2003 we understood that everything is stuck. And even though according to the Americans’ reading of the situation, the blame fell on the Palestinians and not on us, Arik grasped that this state of affairs would not last. That they wouldn’t leave us alone, wouldn’t get off our case. Time was not on our side. There was international erosion, internal erosion. Domestically, in the meantime, everything was collapsing. The economy was stagnant, and the Geneva Initiative garnered broad support. And then we were hit with letters of officers and letters of pilots and letters of commandos [letters of refusal to serve in the territories]. These were not weird kids with green ponytails and a ring in their nose who give off a strong odor of grass. These were people like Spector’s group [Yiftah Spector, a renowned Air Force pilot who signed the pilot’s letter]. Really our finest young people.”</p>
<p>What was your main concern in those months, what was the main factor that pushed you to the disengagement idea?</p>
<p>“The concern was the fact that President Bush’s formula was stuck and this would lead to its ruin. That the international community would say: You wanted the president’s formula and you got it; you wanted to try Abu Mazen and you tried. It didn’t work. And when a formula doesn’t work in reality, you don’t change reality, you change the formula. Therefore, Arik’s realistic viewpoint said that it was possible that the principle that was our historic policy achievement would be annulled – the principle that eradication of terrorism precedes a political process. And with the annulment of that principle, Israel would find itself negotiating with terrorism. And because once such negotiations start it’s very difficult to stop them, the result would be a Palestinian state with terrorism. And all this within quite a short time. Not decades or even years, but a few months.”</p>
<p>I still don’t see how the disengagement plan helps here. What was the major importance of the plan from your point of view?</p>
<p>“The disengagement plan is the preservative of the sequence principle. It is the bottle of formaldehyde within which you place the president’s formula so that it will be preserved for a very lengthy period. The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that’s necessary so that there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.”</p>
<p>Is what you are saying, then, is that you exchanged the strategy of a long-term interim agreement for a strategy of long-term interim situation?</p>
<p>“The American term is to park conveniently. The disengagement plan makes it possible for Israel to park conveniently in an interim situation that distances us as far as possible from political pressure. It legitimizes our contention that there is no negotiating with the Palestinians. There is a decision here to do the minimum possible in order to maintain our political situation. The decision is proving itself. It is making it possible for the Americans to go to the seething and simmering international community and say to them, `What do you want.’ It also transfers the initiative to our hands. It compels the world to deal with our idea, with the scenario we wrote. It places the Palestinians under tremendous pressure. It forces them into a corner that they hate to be in. It thrusts them into a situation in which they have to prove their seriousness. There are no more excuses. There are no more Israeli soldiers spoiling their day. And for the first time they have a slice of land with total continuity on which they can race from one end to the other in their Ferrari. And the whole world is watching them – them, not us. The whole world is asking what they intend to do with this slice of land.”</p>
<p>Maneuver of the century</p>
<p>I want to remind you that there will also be a withdrawal in the West Bank.</p>
<p>“The withdrawal in Samaria is a token one. We agreed to only so it wouldn’t be said that we concluded our obligation in Gaza.”</p>
<p>You gave up the Gaza Strip in order to save the West Bank? Is the Gaza disengagement meant to allow Israel to continue controlling the majority of the West Bank?</p>
<p>“Arik doesn’t see Gaza today as an area of national interest. He does see Judea and Samaria as an area of national interest. He thinks rightly that we are still very very far from the time when we will be able to reach final-status settlements in Judea and Samaria.”</p>
<p>Does the evacuation of the settlements in Gaza strengthen the settlements in the West Bank or weaken them?</p>
<p>“It doesn’t hurt the isolated, remote settlements; it’s not relevant for them. Their future will be determined in many years. When we reach a final settlement. It’s not certain that each and every one of them will be able to go on existing.</p>
<p>“On the other hand, in regard to the large settlement blocs, thanks to the disengagement plan, we have in our hands a first-ever American statement that they will be part of Israel. In years to come, perhaps decades, when negotiations will be held between Israel and the Palestinians, the master of the world will pound on the table and say: We stated already ten years ago that the large blocs are part of Israel.”</p>
<p>If so, Sharon can tell the leaders of the settlers that he is evacuating 10,000 settlers and in the future he will be compelled to evacuate another 10,000, but he is strengthening the other 200,000, strengthening their hold in the soil.</p>
<p>“Arik can say honestly that this is a serious move because of which, out of 240,000 settlers, 190,000 will not be moved from their place. Will not be moved.”</p>
<p>Is he sacrificing a few of his children in order to ensure that the others remain permanently where they are?</p>
<p>“At the moment he is not sacrificing anyone in Judea and Samaria. Until the land is quiet and until negotiations begin, nothing is happening. And the intention is to fight for every single place. That struggle can be conducted from a far more convenient point of departure. Because in regard to the isolated settlements there is an American commitment stating that we are not dealing with them at the moment, while for the large blocs there is genuine political insurance. There is an American commitment such as never existed before, with regard to 190,000 settlers.”</p>
<p>If what you are saying is correct, the settlers themselves should organize demonstrations of support for Sharon, because he did a tremendous service to the settlement enterprise.</p>
<p>“They should have danced around and around the Prime Minister’s Office.”</p>
<p>And Sharon himself actually didn’t undergo a de Gaulle-type reversal. He didn’t make a U-turn. He remained loyal to the approach of the national camp.</p>
<p>“Arik is the first person who succeeded in taking the ideas of the national camp and turning them into a political reality that is accepted by the whole world. After all, when he declared six or seven years ago that we would never negotiate under fire, he only generated gales of laughter. Whereas today that same approach guides the president of the United States. It was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 405-7, and in the Senate by 95-5.”</p>
<p>From your point of view, then, your major achievement is to have frozen the political process legitimately?</p>
<p>“That is exactly what happened. You know, the term `political process’ is a bundle of concepts and commitments. The political process is the establishment of a Palestinian state with all the security risks that entails. The political process is the evacuation of settlements, it’s the return of refugees, it’s the partition of Jerusalem. And all that has now been frozen.”</p>
<p>So you have carried out the maneuver of the century? And all of it with authority and permission?</p>
<p>“When you say `maneuver,’ it doesn’t sound nice. It sounds like you said one thing and something else came out. But that’s the whole point. After all, what have I been shouting for the past year? That I found a device, in cooperation with the management of the world, to ensure that there will be no stopwatch here. That there will be no timetable to implement the settlers’ nightmare. I have postponed that nightmare indefinitely. Because what I effectively agreed to with the Americans was that part of the settlements would not be dealt with at all, and the rest will not be dealt with until the Palestinians turn into Finns. That is the significance of what we did. The significance is the freezing of the political process. And when you freeze that process you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and you prevent a discussion about the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package that is called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed from our agenda indefinitely. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress. What more could have been anticipated? What more could have been given to the settlers?”</p>
<p>I return to my previous question: In return for ceding Gaza, you obtained status quo in Judea and Samaria?</p>
<p>“You keep insisting on the wrong definition. The right definition is that we created a status quo vis-a-vis the Palestinians. There was a very difficult package of commitments that Israel was expected to accept. That package is called a political process. It included elements we will never agree to accept and elements we cannot accept at this time. But we succeeded in taking that package and sending it beyond the hills of time. With the proper management we succeeded in removing the issue of the political process from the agenda. And we educated the world to understand that there is no one to talk to. And we received a no-one-to-talk-to certificate. That certificate says: (1) There is no one to talk to. (2) As long as there is no one to talk to, the geographic status quo remains intact. (3) The certificate will be revoked only when this-and-this happens – when Palestine becomes Finland. (4) See you then, and shalom.”</p>
<p>Dramatic consequences</p>
<p>Dubi Weisglass, will the disengagement plan be implemented?</p>
<p>“I can give you a definitive answer regarding Sharon’s intention. His intention is entirely sincere. He has determination and he has complete resolve. But contrary to what some say, he is not a dictator. Everything depends on the Likud Central Committee and the party convention. I don’t know what is liable to happen in those bodies. I see a political alignment that is not supplying the credit a leader needs, that doesn’t trust him to know where he’s going or what’s best for the country.”</p>
<p>Does Sharon know where he’s going? Can we rely on him?</p>
<p>“He has a very coherent worldview. And he has done everything, seen everything, had experience in all situations. So with him everything is under control. Everything is conducted quietly, in proper language, with no raising of voices. And that quiet projects a tremendous sense of confidence. A sense that there is someone there to rely on. Someone who knows what he is going to do.”</p>
<p>Is there anything hesitant in him?</p>
<p>“No, he is not hesitant. He is very sure of himself. But with him the processes are organic. They are not oranges. There is a matter of ripening. And here he had, after all, the sentiment for the people, the land, the landscape. But there was no struggle between mind and heart. With him the heart is always dominant. And when the mind reached the conclusion that this is what had to be done, it was clear that he would do it. At bottom he’s a bit’honist [one who sees things through the prism of security]. He has a deep relation to the homeland and to history and to places, but his overriding principle is rational. The axiom is to safeguard the lives of the Jewish people. All the rest is subordinate to that. All the rest is in descending order.”</p>
<p>Aren’t you worried, nevertheless, that all of this won’t happen? That political opposition or a violent revolt will thwart the disengagement plan?</p>
<p>“That could happen. When I hear the voices and the threats, I am fearful. It’s far from clear what will happen. Similarly, when you see the prime minister being forced to cope with all kinds of [Likud] faction members who got to the Knesset on his coattails, it’s frustrating. And when you hear this one shouting and that one screaming and another who is affronted. When you see that such an essential move is liable to be blocked because of personal and emotional considerations that are simply not to the point. Because people don’t understand how dramatic the decision we face is. And because no mechanism has been found that will manifest politically the desire of the great majority that supports the plan.”</p>
<p>Is it really all that dramatic?</p>
<p>“If Sharon’s disengagement plan is torpedoed, politically it will be cause for everlasting regret. Our achievements will be lost. The international community will lose patience with us. It will take the same attitude toward us as it does toward Arafat. We will very quickly find ourselves up against a Palestinian state that uses terror against us and up against a world that is becoming increasingly hostile. We will find ourselves in a tragedy.”</p>
<p>ARI SHAVIT writes for Ha’aretz, where this interview originally appeared.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | certain sense superficial one ariel sharon dov weisglass odd couple sharon rancher western negev weisglass lawyer lilienblum street tel aviv sharon son russian agronomist weisglass son polish fur merchant sharon flesh flesh fighting rooted landsettlement movement weisglass embodiment speculator immigrant bourgeoisie sharon brutal frontier zionism weisglass urban real estate zionism however another deeper sense source soulmates alliance farmer lawyer perfectly clear fighter fixer crass authenticity sharon wheeling dealing weisglass sharon leper sabra chatila weisglass stood side sharon found new battlefields complete loss commission inquiry courts hostile press weisglass fought battle sharon understood world changed ruled new megaauthorities aharon barak time magazine yedioth ahronoth also understood weisglass person would know represent new superauthorities understood weisglass supplemented years rural commander developed growing dependence tel aviv lawyer became personal advocate family advocate policy advocate advocate past 30 months represented ariel sharon visavis american megaauthority advocate past 30 months official capacity senior adviser prime minister almost singlehandedly conducted delicate relationship white house sycamore ranch say united states america state israel dov weisglass brought sharons reversal policy eminence grise imposed emperor settlements decision evacuate settlements settlers convinced certain weisglass devious rasputin found dark way make czar things czar would never however weisglass shrugs contentions doesnt deny supported disengagement start doesnt hide fact placed facts sharons desk political problem economic problem problem refusenik soldiers made clear boss international community never let americans able support us time end wasnt one made decision weisglass says prime minister made decision bureau chief simply side faithful advocate simply sat client room throughout entire process weisglass born october 1946 tel aviv grew educated 1950s ramat gan family moved quickly poverty affluence age 19 draft age already studying law age 24 working moritzmargolis law firm thirteen years later along partner ami almagor bought practice founders made one countrys leading law firms 1980 represented yitzhak rabin french magazine lexpress 1983 represented sharon kahan commission inquiry investigated sabrachatila massacre 198586 represented sharon suit time magazine sharon sued magazine report implicating massacre first specialized representing security personnel testified commissions inquiry yossi ginossar shaul mofaz hezi callo alik ron also specialized representing ministerial directorsgeneral accused corruption shimon sheves moshe leon avigdor lieberman also among clients ehud yatom rafi eitan avigdor kahalani shin bet security service mossad espionage agency mention kibbutz movement weisglasss critics claim distinguished lawyer hes messy superficial shoots hip lacks aura dignity without moral center gravity others though note common sense humane understanding one doubts ability charm people considers important ability conclude deal tie loose ends make right call right person lawyer thousand hats cordial fellow also wellconnected across length breadth israeli establishment begin conversation tel aviv cafe go rundown office lilienblum street dressed gray trousers white shirt topped shiny bald pate looks older age quickly though floods historical knowledge musical education total control one accept cant ignored shaping reality living daily call rice tell condoleezza rice sort woman amazing woman intelligent smart fair educated extraordinarily pleasant beneath deep courtesy culture also firm decisive ever raise voice yell mean raise voice im older know americans dont talk like tell dynamics relationship whether unusual relationship ongoing continuous contact rice complex times could every day phone less complex times phone call week average meet month since may 2002 met 20 times every meeting meeting shortest one hour half call dubi call condy work channel rice two main purposes one advance processes initiated examine ideas ideas road map example disengagement plan equally important function troubleshooting something happens unusual military operation hitch targeted assassination succeeded one didnt succeed becomes imbroglio calls says saw soandso cnn whats going say condy usual 10 minutes laughs hang ten minutes later find happened get back tell whole truth whole truth tell takes intended came doesnt get worked believes us continuation damage control rice looks like tough cookie really talk freely tell jokes like tell much always joking always whenever come washington tell stories whats going israel speak freely almost way im talking awe honor us cuts wouldnt say pals working relationship friendly would say weisglassrice channel strategic asset made dov weisglass indispensable know cemeteries full indispensable people dont want boast importance relationship enables president speak prime minister prime minister speak president without speaking one another understand presidents prime ministers dont prattle every day president phone prime minister event act state significance conversations heavy large measure constrained whereas channel everything direct immediate americans convenient know someone ensconced jaws lion gullet lion also convenient us makes possible us talk real time informally conversation rice ends knows walk six steps sharons desk know walks twelve steps bushs desk creates intimate relationship two bureaus prevents thousand entanglements become one family white house look first time enter white house heart skips beat anyone tells different truthful thats worlds chief executive sits today 20 visits walk pretty freely know well marine stands entrance secretaries girls makes job lot easier awe like lawyer making first appearance court stammer forget remarks prepared time feel free relaxed tremendous advantage speak totally freely tell something right completely freely 160 160 ever occasion see president bush wont talk unplanned meetings president something one talks concept dropping holy holies impression form president person great personal charm focused control great sense humor likes jokes like jokes sees expect good joke told jokes others heard afterward second thirdhand hes said limited limited didnt remember name president czech republic thats primitive criticism president bush person character inner truth sure cool smiling aware power lot similarity way arik sharon manage things people certain inner maturity great gap age experience true cant tell president handles question health insurance america issues us clear worldview like arik loathing violence loathing everything terrorism use force loathing untruthfulness failure carry commitments doesnt accept middle eastern political style come say something forget said point view american doesnt tolerate nonsense cant stand middle eastern jabbering nothing underlying saying certain point past two years palestinians simply lost erased map tell anything published according published two things happened first karine weapons ship second certain piece intelligence sent shows clearly arafats full awareness financial aspects perpetration terrorist acts things became clear person swore 16000 times americans would make every effort fight terrorism erased moment good dead one prompted americans adopt political policy close without arafat without terrorism without present palestinian government americans four months 2003 assistant secretary state john wolf involved process intimate way wolf reported directly rice four months tremendous pedagogical value americans saw palestinians solemn promises really meant saw palestinians detailed working plans splendid diagrams saw nothing came nothing zero add trauma september 11 understanding islamic terrorism indivisible understand reached conclusions didnt need us understand came told one talk didnt problems already knew one talk formaldehyde formula really think sharon one talk reached conclusion years thinking otherwise years attempts dialogue arafat undermined abu mazen end summer 2003 reached sad conclusion one talk one negotiate hence disengagement plan youre playing solitaire one sitting across table choice deal cards 2001 still different opinion tried reach agreement palestinian leadership trenchant realism arik never believed permanent settlements didnt believe onefellswoop approach sharon doesnt think conflict 104 years possible come piece paper end matter thinks side undergo deep extended sociopolitical change entered prime ministers office still believed would able achieve longterm interim agreement agreement 25 20 15 10 5 years palestinians preferred approach approach former prime minister ehud barak ones talked quickly discovered stone wall get decisionmaking center nothing happens still 2002 accepted initiative president bush road map principle palestinian state didnt great many years accepted view world people turned terrorism situation bad make things better abandon terrorism palestinian assumption palestinian majority gets national satisfaction lay arms occupiers occupied emerge trenches embrace kiss arik thought differently understood palestinian case majority control minority understood ability central palestinian administration enforce entire palestinian society nonexistent understood palestinian terrorism part national religious therefore granting national satisfaction solve problem terrorism basis approach first terrorism must eradicated advance national direction give political slice return slice stopping terrorism insist swamp terrorism drained political process begins president bushs speech june 24 2002 expressed exactly approach didnt write articulated best way believed sharon accepted implicit principle speech immediately saw historical turnabout saw paramount policy achievement first time principle accepted enter negotiating room pistols left outside didnt road map translate principle crowded timetable arik would preferred first stage road map go three years second stage five years third stage six years road map stipulated based performance sacrosanct dates able accept understood important thing principle whats important formula asserts eradication terrorism precedes start political process american backing principle road map go disengagement fall 2003 understood everything stuck even though according americans reading situation blame fell palestinians us arik grasped state affairs would last wouldnt leave us alone wouldnt get case time side international erosion internal erosion domestically meantime everything collapsing economy stagnant geneva initiative garnered broad support hit letters officers letters pilots letters commandos letters refusal serve territories weird kids green ponytails ring nose give strong odor grass people like spectors group yiftah spector renowned air force pilot signed pilots letter really finest young people main concern months main factor pushed disengagement idea concern fact president bushs formula stuck would lead ruin international community would say wanted presidents formula got wanted try abu mazen tried didnt work formula doesnt work reality dont change reality change formula therefore ariks realistic viewpoint said possible principle historic policy achievement would annulled principle eradication terrorism precedes political process annulment principle israel would find negotiating terrorism negotiations start difficult stop result would palestinian state terrorism within quite short time decades even years months still dont see disengagement plan helps major importance plan point view disengagement plan preservative sequence principle bottle formaldehyde within place presidents formula preserved lengthy period disengagement actually formaldehyde supplies amount formaldehyde thats necessary political process palestinians saying exchanged strategy longterm interim agreement strategy longterm interim situation american term park conveniently disengagement plan makes possible israel park conveniently interim situation distances us far possible political pressure legitimizes contention negotiating palestinians decision minimum possible order maintain political situation decision proving making possible americans go seething simmering international community say want also transfers initiative hands compels world deal idea scenario wrote places palestinians tremendous pressure forces corner hate thrusts situation prove seriousness excuses israeli soldiers spoiling day first time slice land total continuity race one end ferrari whole world watching us whole world asking intend slice land maneuver century want remind also withdrawal west bank withdrawal samaria token one agreed wouldnt said concluded obligation gaza gave gaza strip order save west bank gaza disengagement meant allow israel continue controlling majority west bank arik doesnt see gaza today area national interest see judea samaria area national interest thinks rightly still far time able reach finalstatus settlements judea samaria evacuation settlements gaza strengthen settlements west bank weaken doesnt hurt isolated remote settlements relevant future determined many years reach final settlement certain every one able go existing hand regard large settlement blocs thanks disengagement plan hands firstever american statement part israel years come perhaps decades negotiations held israel palestinians master world pound table say stated already ten years ago large blocs part israel sharon tell leaders settlers evacuating 10000 settlers future compelled evacuate another 10000 strengthening 200000 strengthening hold soil arik say honestly serious move 240000 settlers 190000 moved place moved sacrificing children order ensure others remain permanently moment sacrificing anyone judea samaria land quiet negotiations begin nothing happening intention fight every single place struggle conducted far convenient point departure regard isolated settlements american commitment stating dealing moment large blocs genuine political insurance american commitment never existed regard 190000 settlers saying correct settlers organize demonstrations support sharon tremendous service settlement enterprise danced around around prime ministers office sharon actually didnt undergo de gaulletype reversal didnt make uturn remained loyal approach national camp arik first person succeeded taking ideas national camp turning political reality accepted whole world declared six seven years ago would never negotiate fire generated gales laughter whereas today approach guides president united states passed house representatives vote 4057 senate 955 point view major achievement frozen political process legitimately exactly happened know term political process bundle concepts commitments political process establishment palestinian state security risks entails political process evacuation settlements return refugees partition jerusalem frozen carried maneuver century authority permission say maneuver doesnt sound nice sounds like said one thing something else came thats whole point shouting past year found device cooperation management world ensure stopwatch timetable implement settlers nightmare postponed nightmare indefinitely effectively agreed americans part settlements would dealt rest dealt palestinians turn finns significance significance freezing political process freeze process prevent establishment palestinian state prevent discussion refugees borders jerusalem effectively whole package called palestinian state entails removed agenda indefinitely authority permission presidential blessing ratification houses congress could anticipated could given settlers return previous question return ceding gaza obtained status quo judea samaria keep insisting wrong definition right definition created status quo visavis palestinians difficult package commitments israel expected accept package called political process included elements never agree accept elements accept time succeeded taking package sending beyond hills time proper management succeeded removing issue political process agenda educated world understand one talk received noonetotalkto certificate certificate says 1 one talk 2 long one talk geographic status quo remains intact 3 certificate revoked thisandthis happens palestine becomes finland 4 see shalom dramatic consequences dubi weisglass disengagement plan implemented give definitive answer regarding sharons intention intention entirely sincere determination complete resolve contrary say dictator everything depends likud central committee party convention dont know liable happen bodies see political alignment supplying credit leader needs doesnt trust know hes going whats best country sharon know hes going rely coherent worldview done everything seen everything experience situations everything control everything conducted quietly proper language raising voices quiet projects tremendous sense confidence sense someone rely someone knows going anything hesitant hesitant sure processes organic oranges matter ripening sentiment people land landscape struggle mind heart heart always dominant mind reached conclusion done clear would bottom hes bithonist one sees things prism security deep relation homeland history places overriding principle rational axiom safeguard lives jewish people rest subordinate rest descending order arent worried nevertheless wont happen political opposition violent revolt thwart disengagement plan could happen hear voices threats fearful far clear happen similarly see prime minister forced cope kinds likud faction members got knesset coattails frustrating hear one shouting one screaming another affronted see essential move liable blocked personal emotional considerations simply point people dont understand dramatic decision face mechanism found manifest politically desire great majority supports plan really dramatic sharons disengagement plan torpedoed politically cause everlasting regret achievements lost international community lose patience us take attitude toward us toward arafat quickly find palestinian state uses terror us world becoming increasingly hostile find tragedy ari shavit writes haaretz interview originally appeared 160 | 2,436 |
<p>The first principle of humanitarian relief is that it be impartial, that aid be given on the basis of need without any consideration of political agendas.</p>
<p>The United States government, the same government that aroused international execration by using Red Cross markings on planes used to smuggle arms to the contras in Nicaragua, has once again made a mockery of that principle with its conduct in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Its conduct to this point was bad enough causing the suspension of aid programs for weeks because of threats of bombing; constructing a “humanitarian” reason to bomb (air drops are required to feed people, the planes will be endangered, so we must bomb to suppress air defenses); causing renewed suspension because of the bombing; and the piece de resistance, adding insult to injury by dropping 35000 meals a day to replace programs that had fed millions. That last has been repeatedly criticized by aid organizations as associating humanitarian operations with military assault, thus making aid work far more difficult and dangerous as a spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders put it, “We do not want to be perceived as a part of the U.S. military campaign.”</p>
<p>At a Pentagon news briefing on Wednesday, however, this politicization was taken to new heights with the invocation of unnamed “sources” claiming that “there are reports that the Taliban might poison the food and try to blame the United States,” according to Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He went on to warn Afghans receiving aid, “If it comes from Taliban control, they must be careful.”</p>
<p>It scarcely needs mentioning that poisoning one’s own populace is senseless, and that there is no reason to suppose the Taliban is planning anything of the sort. In fact, it was reported yesterday that officials from the World Food Program expressed “surprise” at the allegations, with one saying “If they’re talking about the food we deliver, there’s not been a single instance that we know of in which the Taliban have tampered with it. Stolen, yes, but not tampered.”</p>
<p>When contacted, Sam Barratt of Oxfam International, currently working out of Peshawar, Pakistan, characterized the Pentagon statement as “deeply unhelpful,” adding, “This claim further goes to undermine the position of aid agencies in the country.”</p>
<p>It’s well known that our government frequently uses “disinformation” in wartime. And we find out long afterward. We know now that the story about Iraqi soldiers throwing Kuwaiti babies out of incubators was a fabrication created by a Washington PR firm and that the “nurse” testifying about it was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States, who wasn’t even in the country at the time. We found that out, but not before an Amnesty International report about it was circulated to all the media and to all of Congress, playing a major role in building support for the Gulf War.</p>
<p>In order to combat disinformation effectively, however, we will have to learn how to recognize it before the war is over, while it’s still relevant to current affairs. And, in fact, we’ve already seen open evidence of its use in this crisis. Government officials were forced to admit that reports that the terrorists targeted Air Force One were untrue (presumably they were circulated to further anger the American public).</p>
<p>If we do manage to have the courage of our intellectual convictions, the question still remains, “What is our government trying to do?”</p>
<p>A clue may be found in previous statements by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who expressed concern early on that humanitarian operations be conducted ”in a manner that does not allow this food to fall into the hands of the Taliban.” Since the Taliban, as the men with guns, will always be fed while there is any food in the country, this seems like a hint that the United States would consider interfering with the supply of humanitarian aid in Taliban-controlled areas, in order to erode public support for the Taliban. Further hints come today, with the second bombing of a Red Cross warehouse complex in Kabul. It was entirely plausible that the first strike was accidental, but the second does make one wonder. Obviously, there is no way to know, but some vigilance is definitely in order.</p>
<p>Such tactics are not at all foreign to the U.S. government. Making the Chilean economy and later the Nicaraguan “scream” was an essential, deliberate part of destabilizing the Allende and Sandinista governments.</p>
<p>UN agencies have warned that 7.5 million people are dependent on aid for their survival through the coming winter. UNICEF has estimated that 100,000 children may die. The U.S. government has continued its protracted bombing campaign in the face of numerous concerted from private aid agencies and from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right of Access to Food for a bombing halt so that supplies can be trucked in. Simultaneously, the noncombatant toll of the bombings continues to grow a bus in Kandahar, a hospital in Herat, numerous private homes, and more.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding its invocation of humanitarian concerns, the U.S. government has shown a criminal indifference to human life. It has sabotaged one of the few truly noble, truly heroic efforts in the modern world humanitarian aid. It has also severely tainted public discourse, to the point where it is difficult to know what is true and what is not.</p>
<p>Among Afghans and other peoples for whom water is scarce, poisoning a well is the deepest crime, more powerfully symbolic even than taking a human life. The reason is that it takes something vital, something necessary to preserving life, and perverts it into a force of destruction.</p>
<p>That is what our government has now done. CP</p>
<p>Rahul Mahajan serves on the National Board of Peace Action and is a member of the <a href="http://www.nowarcollective.com/" type="external">Nowar Collective</a>. He is the author of the forthcoming “The New Crusade: America’s War on Terrorism” ( <a href="http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrpress.htm" type="external">Monthly Review Press</a>). He can be contacted at <a href="mailto:rahul@tao.ca" type="external">rahul@tao.ca</a></p> | true | 4 | first principle humanitarian relief impartial aid given basis need without consideration political agendas united states government government aroused international execration using red cross markings planes used smuggle arms contras nicaragua made mockery principle conduct afghanistan conduct point bad enough causing suspension aid programs weeks threats bombing constructing humanitarian reason bomb air drops required feed people planes endangered must bomb suppress air defenses causing renewed suspension bombing piece de resistance adding insult injury dropping 35000 meals day replace programs fed millions last repeatedly criticized aid organizations associating humanitarian operations military assault thus making aid work far difficult dangerous spokesperson doctors without borders put want perceived part us military campaign pentagon news briefing wednesday however politicization taken new heights invocation unnamed sources claiming reports taliban might poison food try blame united states according rear adm john stufflebeem deputy director operations joint chiefs staff went warn afghans receiving aid comes taliban control must careful scarcely needs mentioning poisoning ones populace senseless reason suppose taliban planning anything sort fact reported yesterday officials world food program expressed surprise allegations one saying theyre talking food deliver theres single instance know taliban tampered stolen yes tampered contacted sam barratt oxfam international currently working peshawar pakistan characterized pentagon statement deeply unhelpful adding claim goes undermine position aid agencies country well known government frequently uses disinformation wartime find long afterward know story iraqi soldiers throwing kuwaiti babies incubators fabrication created washington pr firm nurse testifying daughter kuwaiti ambassador united states wasnt even country time found amnesty international report circulated media congress playing major role building support gulf war order combat disinformation effectively however learn recognize war still relevant current affairs fact weve already seen open evidence use crisis government officials forced admit reports terrorists targeted air force one untrue presumably circulated anger american public manage courage intellectual convictions question still remains government trying clue may found previous statements deputy secretary state richard armitage expressed concern early humanitarian operations conducted manner allow food fall hands taliban since taliban men guns always fed food country seems like hint united states would consider interfering supply humanitarian aid talibancontrolled areas order erode public support taliban hints come today second bombing red cross warehouse complex kabul entirely plausible first strike accidental second make one wonder obviously way know vigilance definitely order tactics foreign us government making chilean economy later nicaraguan scream essential deliberate part destabilizing allende sandinista governments un agencies warned 75 million people dependent aid survival coming winter unicef estimated 100000 children may die us government continued protracted bombing campaign face numerous concerted private aid agencies un special rapporteur right access food bombing halt supplies trucked simultaneously noncombatant toll bombings continues grow bus kandahar hospital herat numerous private homes notwithstanding invocation humanitarian concerns us government shown criminal indifference human life sabotaged one truly noble truly heroic efforts modern world humanitarian aid also severely tainted public discourse point difficult know true among afghans peoples water scarce poisoning well deepest crime powerfully symbolic even taking human life reason takes something vital something necessary preserving life perverts force destruction government done cp rahul mahajan serves national board peace action member nowar collective author forthcoming new crusade americas war terrorism monthly review press contacted rahultaoca | 528 |
<p>Western leaders met in Paris last week to discuss possible intervention in Syria where almost 10,000 people have died over the last year of internal conflict. The West has never even considered holding such a meeting on Israel’s murderous behavior, however, despite a July 5 UN report that claimed that over the last five years Israeli forces have killed nearly 2,300 Palestinians and injured 7,700 in Gaza ( <a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495477" type="external">statement from UNOCHA</a>, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.)</p>
<p>The UN agency said that 27 percent of the fatalities in Gaza were women and children in a report highlighting the effects of Israel’s blockade.</p>
<p>Six years ago Israel imposed its sea and air blockade of Gaza. Under the blockade, Gaza exports have dropped to less than 3 percent of 2006 levels.</p>
<p>UNOCHA said, “The continued ban on the transfer of goods from Gaza to its traditional markets in the West Bank and Israel, along with the severe restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing waters, prevents sustainable growth and perpetuates the high levels of unemployment, food insecurity and aid dependency.”</p>
<p>Israel’s naval blockade has also undermined the livelihood of 35,000 fishermen, and Gaza farmers have lost around 75,000 tons of produce each year due to Israeli restrictions along Gaza’s land border, the UNOCHA report said.</p>
<p>Half of Gaza’s youth is unemployed and 44 percent of its people are food insecure.</p>
<p>Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Thursday that because Gaza’s ruling party Hamas is a “terrorist organization, the blockade was necessary.”</p>
<p>“All cargo going into Gaza must be checked because Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization,” <a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=495477" type="external">Regev told Reuters</a> in response to a petition by 50 aid groups, including six UN agencies, calling on Israel to lift the blockade.</p>
<p>The West abhors the Syrian – disobedient – government, allied to Iran, and adores Israel, no matter what it does to the Palestinians. The media does little to dramatize the obvious double standard criteria used to measure the worthiness of the two neighboring governments. Iran, the West’s post Cold War bad guy, found a friend in Syria and that alone has condemned the Syrian government. The fact that Saudi Arabia has armed and financed rebels entering Syria in the name of “democracy” should cause at least some news absorbers to feel a bit skeptical over the anti-Syria campaign.</p>
<p>It doesn’t seem to matter what Israelis do. For example, Arutz Sheva, the nationalist Israeli press, reported that “declassified FBI documents from a 1985-2002 investigation implicate Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an initiative to illegally purchase United States nuclear technology for Israel’s nuclear program.</p>
<p>“Netanyahu was allegedly helped by Arnon Milchan, a Hollywood producer with ties to Israeli prime ministers and U.S. presidents.”</p>
<p>Grant Smith at antiwar.com had reported that “Netanyahu worked inside a nuclear smuggling ring.” Here’s an <a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31766.htm" type="external">example of what is found in the report</a>:</p>
<p>“On June 27, 2012, the FBI partially declassified and released seven additional pages from a 1985–2002 investigation into how a network of front companies connected to the Israeli Ministry of Defense illegally smuggled nuclear triggers out of the U.S. The newly released FBI files detail how Richard Kelly Smyth – who was convicted of running a U.S. front company – met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel during the smuggling operation. At that time, Netanyahu worked at the Israeli node of the smuggling network, Heli Trading Company. Netanyahu, who currently serves as Israel’s prime minister, recently issued a gag order that the smuggling network’s unindicted ringleader refrain from discussing ‘Project Pinto’.”</p>
<p>The Hebrew paper Ma’ariv continued the report on this incident.</p>
<p>“According to FBI documents released by the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was involved in smuggling in the 70s from the U.S. components of Israeli nuclear program, and assisted by the businessman Arnon Milchan, who according to previous publications was a former Mossad agent.</p>
<p>“The documents describe the findings of the investigation… performed between the years 1985 to 2002 on about how a network of front companies a U.S. security firm illegally smuggled equipment used for weapons seeds out of the U.S.”</p>
<p>We live in the Golden Age of Empire Judaism, said Prof. Marc Ellis. “Greater Israel” means Jewish settler expansion in a denial of Palestinians and their rights. It also means perpetual conflict, maybe war, in the region. Is this why our Congress pledges eternal love to Israel? Is this why the Israeli lobby pays and threatens our Congress?</p>
<p>When will Western powers meet to decide what to do about Israel so as to lessen the damage she causes to Palestinians, her neighbors and the region? Israel has baffled the U.S. political apparatus. It gets away with imposing apartheid against Palestinians, stealing their land and stirring up war against its neighbors. One negative word from a U.S. pol on Israel brings heavy pressure, intimidation and money for opposing candidates – along with charges of anti-semitism.</p>
<p>How pathetic that a small group of right-wing Jews allied to right-wing Israeli parties, has buffaloed U.S. politicians and media. One former Congressman described the Israeli lobby as the equivalent of a pit bull that bites the Congressman’s leg in the morning and holds on during lunch and the afternoon. The Congressman sleeps with the bull’s teeth in his leg and wakes with it the next morning. No wonder Members don’t want to antagonize this angry dog!</p>
<p>I don’t suggest Palestinians form an equivalent lobby, but rather that the media develop a little courage and report accurately on events in Israel and Palestine. Just spread reviews of the new film “5 Broken Camera,” in which a Palestinian West Bank farmer documents the encroachment by army-backed settlers that bulldozed his village’s olive trees to&#160; make room for Israeli apartment houses. Israel’s treatment of West Bank Palestinians is no better than its behavior toward residents of Gaza.</p>
<p>Saul Landau’s WILL THE REAL TERRORIST PLEASE STAND UP screens at Washington DC’s Avalon Theater, 5612 Connecticut Ave 8 pm, august 14 and at the San Jose Peace an Justice Center on Aug 3, 7 PM 48 South 7th St., San Jose CA.</p> | true | 4 | western leaders met paris last week discuss possible intervention syria almost 10000 people died last year internal conflict west never even considered holding meeting israels murderous behavior however despite july 5 un report claimed last five years israeli forces killed nearly 2300 palestinians injured 7700 gaza statement unocha un office coordination humanitarian affairs un agency said 27 percent fatalities gaza women children report highlighting effects israels blockade six years ago israel imposed sea air blockade gaza blockade gaza exports dropped less 3 percent 2006 levels unocha said continued ban transfer goods gaza traditional markets west bank israel along severe restrictions access agricultural land fishing waters prevents sustainable growth perpetuates high levels unemployment food insecurity aid dependency israels naval blockade also undermined livelihood 35000 fishermen gaza farmers lost around 75000 tons produce year due israeli restrictions along gazas land border unocha report said half gazas youth unemployed 44 percent people food insecure mark regev spokesman israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said thursday gazas ruling party hamas terrorist organization blockade necessary cargo going gaza must checked gaza controlled hamas internationally recognized terrorist organization regev told reuters response petition 50 aid groups including six un agencies calling israel lift blockade west abhors syrian disobedient government allied iran adores israel matter palestinians media little dramatize obvious double standard criteria used measure worthiness two neighboring governments iran wests post cold war bad guy found friend syria alone condemned syrian government fact saudi arabia armed financed rebels entering syria name democracy cause least news absorbers feel bit skeptical antisyria campaign doesnt seem matter israelis example arutz sheva nationalist israeli press reported declassified fbi documents 19852002 investigation implicate prime minister binyamin netanyahu initiative illegally purchase united states nuclear technology israels nuclear program netanyahu allegedly helped arnon milchan hollywood producer ties israeli prime ministers us presidents grant smith antiwarcom reported netanyahu worked inside nuclear smuggling ring heres example found report june 27 2012 fbi partially declassified released seven additional pages 19852002 investigation network front companies connected israeli ministry defense illegally smuggled nuclear triggers us newly released fbi files detail richard kelly smyth convicted running us front company met benjamin netanyahu israel smuggling operation time netanyahu worked israeli node smuggling network heli trading company netanyahu currently serves israels prime minister recently issued gag order smuggling networks unindicted ringleader refrain discussing project pinto hebrew paper maariv continued report incident according fbi documents released united states prime minister benjamin netanyahu involved smuggling 70s us components israeli nuclear program assisted businessman arnon milchan according previous publications former mossad agent documents describe findings investigation performed years 1985 2002 network front companies us security firm illegally smuggled equipment used weapons seeds us live golden age empire judaism said prof marc ellis greater israel means jewish settler expansion denial palestinians rights also means perpetual conflict maybe war region congress pledges eternal love israel israeli lobby pays threatens congress western powers meet decide israel lessen damage causes palestinians neighbors region israel baffled us political apparatus gets away imposing apartheid palestinians stealing land stirring war neighbors one negative word us pol israel brings heavy pressure intimidation money opposing candidates along charges antisemitism pathetic small group rightwing jews allied rightwing israeli parties buffaloed us politicians media one former congressman described israeli lobby equivalent pit bull bites congressmans leg morning holds lunch afternoon congressman sleeps bulls teeth leg wakes next morning wonder members dont want antagonize angry dog dont suggest palestinians form equivalent lobby rather media develop little courage report accurately events israel palestine spread reviews new film 5 broken camera palestinian west bank farmer documents encroachment armybacked settlers bulldozed villages olive trees to160 make room israeli apartment houses israels treatment west bank palestinians better behavior toward residents gaza saul landaus real terrorist please stand screens washington dcs avalon theater 5612 connecticut ave 8 pm august 14 san jose peace justice center aug 3 7 pm 48 south 7th st san jose ca | 644 |
<p>HIGH NOON is a 1952 morality play about people deciding whether or not to stand up to the forces of corruption and criminality. &#160;Scenes from it often come to mind, since I’ve repeatedly seen people around me facing up to analogous situations here in Oakland, at the docks and also in the plaza.</p>
<p>The setting for this movie is a western town around 1880, and the bad guy, Frank Miller, has just been released from prison. &#160;He’s a nasty, hands-on, in-charge figure who previously controlled everything that went on in the town. &#160;He’ll be returning on the noon train, and the townspeople will either have to stop him, or else resign themselves to living under his corrupt tyranny.</p>
<p>Such scenes were part of the real life of the screenwriter, Carl Foreman, formerly a member of the Communist Party. &#160;Being a leftwing activist was not easy. &#160;In the 1930’s he and his comrades walked picket lines under the threat of being clubbed or shot by police and company thugs. &#160;Although he was no longer a member of the Communist Party, he was nevertheless later targeted by the vengeful one-percenters and their Congressmen. &#160;In 1951, while he was writing the script for HIGH NOON, he was summoned to appear before HUAC and name names. &#160;He refused and was therefore blacklisted by the Hollywood studio bosses. &#160;The movie was, Foreman later said, “a parable of what was happening in Hollywood.”</p>
<p>This movie, made in the early 1950s and set in a small frontier town of the previous century, presents a relatively simple world where solutions are uncomplicated. &#160;The characters are well-defined and the dialogue is concise. &#160;The answer to the question posed by the movie, as the theme song puts it, is “to shoot Frank Miller dead.”</p>
<p>Will Kane, the town marshal, is stuck with the task of dealing with Miller and his trio of gunslingers. &#160;It’ll be four against one, a very uneven fight, unless Kane can muster up a bunch of people to join him in the battle. &#160;It’s Sunday morning, so Kane goes to the church to interrupt the service to ask for volunteers. &#160;As he enters, the choir is singing Battle Hymn of the Republic, and they’re on the verse that goes: “He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat.” &#160;In the course of the movie, all the people in the town get sifted as they decide to fight or give in to the bad guy.</p>
<p>Life and art often follow the same script. &#160;I remember a scene here in the East Bay, shortly after the police had attacked antiwar protesters at the Port of Oakland, injuring fifty-nine people including demonstrators, longshoremen, and journalists. &#160;That was in April 2003. &#160;The message from the police, the shipping companies, and the mayor was very clear: “Don’t ever set foot in the port again! &#160;Don’t even think of it.!”</p>
<p>Our 1st Amendment rights were at stake. &#160;A rally was held at the Oakland Plaza to protest the police violence. &#160;Each speaker spoke his or her piece, leading up to the last speaker, Sasha Wright, who said: “We’re thinking of returning to the Port to shut it down. &#160;If we do, how many of you would go with us?”</p>
<p>I stood there, thinking at the time how much this resembled a scene from HIGH NOON, and was moved to see a substantial show of hands. &#160;Five weeks after the attack, on May 12, 2003, several hundred people marched back into the Port of Oakland and set up a picket line at the terminal where people had been attacked and injured. &#160;Thus the First Amendment rights of the community were reaffirmed; it was an amazing experience, an amazing day to be alive.</p>
<p>But that’s not at all how the movie script goes. &#160;When the protagonist Will Kane appeals to the townspeople, they find reasons to decline. &#160;They rationalize. Bad Guy Miller isn’t all that bad, they seem to conclude. They can reason with him, work things out. &#160;Some are afraid of him, while others actually seem to be in cahoots with him.</p>
<p>Will Kane is on his own. &#160;And because this is a 1950s western, the hero always wins, no matter what the odds. &#160;Then, after having won, he looks scornfully at the cowardly, opportunistic, and undeserving townspeople and leaves in disgust. &#160;That’s how it ends.</p>
<p>The ending seems simplistic, the weak part of an otherwise excellent script. &#160;In reality, there are often at least a few brave men and women who’ll join together in standing up to the bad guys, to the Frank Millers of this world. &#160;That I saw back in 2003, and again last fall (2011), when perhaps a hundred Occupiers linked arms at the Oakland Plaza on the morning of October 25th. And again that afternoon, and in the days that followed. &#160;People faced those dangers together, even though several were injured. &#160;Scott Olsen was injured critically.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands took part in the port shutdowns of November 2nd and December 12th — despite rumors and fears of more police violence.</p>
<p>Those actions energized rank-and-file workers in their struggles against the one percent, most notably the embattled dockworkers in the small town of Longview, Washington. &#160;ILWU Local 21 President Dan Coffman of Longview told Occupy Oakland, “You cannot believe what you people did [on November 2] for the inspiration of my union members who have been on the picket line for six months.”</p>
<p>The outcome of the battle on that relatively small stretch of waterfront on the Columbia River would probably determine the future of the longshore union on the West Coast. &#160;Both sides turned to allies. &#160;The union-busting shipping company EGT had the backing of the police, and the Obama Administration was sending the Coast Guard. &#160;This was the first time since 1970 that military units were intervening in a labor dispute. The dockworkers called out to other unions and also to Occupy for support in the upcoming showdown.</p>
<p>A struggle such as this isn’t won by a lone superhero; it takes large numbers of committed men and women. &#160;Although that may seem obvious, it’s easy to overlook the obvious. &#160;The myth of the superhero has been with us since Homer composed the Iliad; it survived the Middle Ages in stories of knights in white shining armor, and lived on to become a Hollywood cliché, particularly in Westerns. &#160;In today’s world it fits perfectly with the concept of capitalist individualism, justifying the huge salaries and bonuses of greedy CEOs at the expense of the 99%–the supposedly undeserving townspeople.</p>
<p>There are indeed a lot of real-life heroes in this world, but not every player is a hero, and Carl Foreman did an excellent job of portraying those who are not. &#160;They’re the town’s leading citizens, mostly well meaning people–but giving in to Frank Miller is the easy way out. &#160;We see plenty of them in Oakland, starting with the Mayor, a former Maoist who waffled back and forth, finally caving in to the 1%. &#160;In the weeks leading up to the West Coast Port shutdown of December 12, labor bureaucrats actually urged dock workers to cross picket lines. &#160;And even supposedly “leftist” journalists adopted the one-percenters’ talking points against Occupy. &#160;It’s in presenting those non-heroes, “leaders” who mislead, that Foreman’s script is at its best.</p>
<p>“If [Kane’s] not here when Miller comes in, my hunch is there won’t be any trouble, not one bit,” says a prominent citizen in Foreman’s movie script, and that’s essentially what a lot of liberals and labor bureaucrats have been saying of Occupy, first in December, and again this January regarding events up north in Longview.</p>
<p>Action in the movie focuses on the arrival of the 12 o’clock train, when Miller and his escort of gunslingers will make their move. &#160;In the Port of Longview, the focus was on a ship, which was about to arrive, escorted by the Coast Guard. &#160;Dockworkers had sent out a broad appeal for support, and Occupy and labor responded with caravans ready to rush to Longview to meet the present-day Frank Miller. &#160;Mostly they’d be from Seattle, Portland and other cities of that region; there would also be a contingent from Occupy Oakland.</p>
<p>“We can expect cold weather and cops,” Barucha Peller told a meeting in Oakland on the eve of our expected departure. &#160;Snow was reportedly on the ground in Longview. &#160;People shivered visibly at the very thought of going north to do battle in snow, slush and freezing rain, but nobody seemed to be backing out either. &#160;150 from the Bay Area had so far signed up for the caravan, and the list was growing. &#160;Then, came the news: EGT, the shipping company, had given in and signed a contract that the dockworkers of Local 21 found acceptable.</p>
<p>The victory was won by the determination of a large number of courageous people who were willing to fight the battle. &#160;This suggests another possible ending to HIGH NOON. &#160;In this scenario, as the hour approaches, a dozen or so of the townspeople head out to the train depot. &#160;Frank Miller sees them coming, gets back on the train, and sets out for parts unknown.</p>
<p>DANIEL BORGSTRÖM is a member of Occupy Oakland, where he was arrested along with 400 others on Jan 28. &#160;He writes about progressive actions; his website is&#160; <a href="http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/" type="external">http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | high noon 1952 morality play people deciding whether stand forces corruption criminality 160scenes often come mind since ive repeatedly seen people around facing analogous situations oakland docks also plaza setting movie western town around 1880 bad guy frank miller released prison 160hes nasty handson incharge figure previously controlled everything went town 160hell returning noon train townspeople either stop else resign living corrupt tyranny scenes part real life screenwriter carl foreman formerly member communist party 160being leftwing activist easy 160in 1930s comrades walked picket lines threat clubbed shot police company thugs 160although longer member communist party nevertheless later targeted vengeful onepercenters congressmen 160in 1951 writing script high noon summoned appear huac name names 160he refused therefore blacklisted hollywood studio bosses 160the movie foreman later said parable happening hollywood movie made early 1950s set small frontier town previous century presents relatively simple world solutions uncomplicated 160the characters welldefined dialogue concise 160the answer question posed movie theme song puts shoot frank miller dead kane town marshal stuck task dealing miller trio gunslingers 160itll four one uneven fight unless kane muster bunch people join battle 160its sunday morning kane goes church interrupt service ask volunteers 160as enters choir singing battle hymn republic theyre verse goes sifting hearts men judgement seat 160in course movie people town get sifted decide fight give bad guy life art often follow script 160i remember scene east bay shortly police attacked antiwar protesters port oakland injuring fiftynine people including demonstrators longshoremen journalists 160that april 2003 160the message police shipping companies mayor clear dont ever set foot port 160dont even think 1st amendment rights stake 160a rally held oakland plaza protest police violence 160each speaker spoke piece leading last speaker sasha wright said thinking returning port shut 160if many would go us stood thinking time much resembled scene high noon moved see substantial show hands 160five weeks attack may 12 2003 several hundred people marched back port oakland set picket line terminal people attacked injured 160thus first amendment rights community reaffirmed amazing experience amazing day alive thats movie script goes 160when protagonist kane appeals townspeople find reasons decline 160they rationalize bad guy miller isnt bad seem conclude reason work things 160some afraid others actually seem cahoots kane 160and 1950s western hero always wins matter odds 160then looks scornfully cowardly opportunistic undeserving townspeople leaves disgust 160thats ends ending seems simplistic weak part otherwise excellent script 160in reality often least brave men women wholl join together standing bad guys frank millers world 160that saw back 2003 last fall 2011 perhaps hundred occupiers linked arms oakland plaza morning october 25th afternoon days followed 160people faced dangers together even though several injured 160scott olsen injured critically tens thousands took part port shutdowns november 2nd december 12th despite rumors fears police violence actions energized rankandfile workers struggles one percent notably embattled dockworkers small town longview washington 160ilwu local 21 president dan coffman longview told occupy oakland believe people november 2 inspiration union members picket line six months outcome battle relatively small stretch waterfront columbia river would probably determine future longshore union west coast 160both sides turned allies 160the unionbusting shipping company egt backing police obama administration sending coast guard 160this first time since 1970 military units intervening labor dispute dockworkers called unions also occupy support upcoming showdown struggle isnt lone superhero takes large numbers committed men women 160although may seem obvious easy overlook obvious 160the myth superhero us since homer composed iliad survived middle ages stories knights white shining armor lived become hollywood cliché particularly westerns 160in todays world fits perfectly concept capitalist individualism justifying huge salaries bonuses greedy ceos expense 99the supposedly undeserving townspeople indeed lot reallife heroes world every player hero carl foreman excellent job portraying 160theyre towns leading citizens mostly well meaning peoplebut giving frank miller easy way 160we see plenty oakland starting mayor former maoist waffled back forth finally caving 1 160in weeks leading west coast port shutdown december 12 labor bureaucrats actually urged dock workers cross picket lines 160and even supposedly leftist journalists adopted onepercenters talking points occupy 160its presenting nonheroes leaders mislead foremans script best kanes miller comes hunch wont trouble one bit says prominent citizen foremans movie script thats essentially lot liberals labor bureaucrats saying occupy first december january regarding events north longview action movie focuses arrival 12 oclock train miller escort gunslingers make move 160in port longview focus ship arrive escorted coast guard 160dockworkers sent broad appeal support occupy labor responded caravans ready rush longview meet presentday frank miller 160mostly theyd seattle portland cities region would also contingent occupy oakland expect cold weather cops barucha peller told meeting oakland eve expected departure 160snow reportedly ground longview 160people shivered visibly thought going north battle snow slush freezing rain nobody seemed backing either 160150 bay area far signed caravan list growing 160then came news egt shipping company given signed contract dockworkers local 21 found acceptable victory determination large number courageous people willing fight battle 160this suggests another possible ending high noon 160in scenario hour approaches dozen townspeople head train depot 160frank miller sees coming gets back train sets parts unknown daniel borgstrÖm member occupy oakland arrested along 400 others jan 28 160he writes progressive actions website is160 httpdanielborgstromblogspotcom 160 | 859 |
<p>If you hate taxes, please stick to your ideology and stop doing all of these things. Taxes pay for dozens of things nearly everyone uses daily.</p>
<p>So, you’re a Republican that hates taxes? Well, since you do not like taxes or government, please kindly do the following.</p>
<p>1. Do not use Medicare. 2. Do not use Social Security 3. Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars, if you hate taxes. 4. Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster. 5. Do not call 911 when you get hurt. 6. Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home. 7. Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home. 8. If you hate taxes, do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.</p>
<p>9. Do not use public restrooms. 10. Do not send your kids to public schools. 11. Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors. 12. Do not live in areas with clean air. 13. Do not drink clean water. 14. Do not visit National Parks. 15. Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments. 16. Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines. 17. Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds. 18. Do not walk or run on sidewalks, if you hate taxes, which paid for them. 19. Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts. 20. Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry. 21. Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job. 22. Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children. 23. Do not use the judiciary system for any reason. 24. Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court. 25. Do not apply for any Pell Grants. 26. Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars. 27. Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes. 28. Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA. 29. Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service. 30. Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service. 31. Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems. 32. Do not apply for federal housing. 33. Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military. 34. Do not swim in clean rivers. 35. Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts. 36. If you hate taxes, do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster. 37. Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion. 38. Do not use your cell phone or home telephone. 39. Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.</p>
<p>40. Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat. 41. Do not apply for government grants to start your own business. 42. Do not apply to win a government contract. 43. Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies. 44. Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency. 45. Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured. 46. Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care. 47. Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college. 48. Do not apply for unemployment benefits. 49. Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy. 50. Do not live in homes that are built to code. 51. Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars. 52. Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, state troopers, etc. 53. Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars, if you hate taxes. 54. Do not use public libraries. 55. Do not use the US Postal Service. 56. Do not visit the National Archives. 57. Do not visit Presidential Libraries. 58. Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government. 59. Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured. 60. Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado. 61. Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm. 62. Do not take walks in National Forests. 63. Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company. 64. Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions. 65. Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars. 66. Do not use Medicaid. 67. Do not use WIC. 68. Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam. 69. Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.</p>
<p>70. Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break. 71. Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea. 72. Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in. 73. Do not visit historic landmarks. 74. Do not visit fisheries. 75. Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List. 76. Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work. 77. Do not hunt or camp on federal land. 78. Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations. 79. Do not use public transportation. 80. Do not drink water from public water fountains. 81. Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws. 82. Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles. 83. Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets. 84. Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards. 85. Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation. 86. Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States. 87. Do not apply for a patent when you invent something. 88. Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments. 89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.</p>
<p>90. Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS. 91. Do not ask for energy assistance from the government. 92. Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher. 93. Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state. 94. Do not use money printed by the US Treasury. 95. If you hate taxes, do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents. 96. Do not attend a state university. 97. Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state. 98. Do not use any water from municipal water systems. 99. Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house. 100. Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits. 101. Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes. 102. Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.</p>
<p>The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. Without taxes, our lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. America would be a third world country. The less we pay, the less we get in return. Americans pay less taxes today since 1958 and is ranked 32nd out of 34 of the top tax paying countries. Chile and Mexico are 33rd and 34th. The Republicans are lying when they say that we pay the highest taxes in the world and are only attacking taxes to reward corporations and the wealthy and to weaken our infrastructure and way of life. So next time you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…</p>
<p>Originally published September 2010</p> | true | 4 | hate taxes please stick ideology stop things taxes pay dozens things nearly everyone uses daily youre republican hates taxes well since like taxes government please kindly following 1 use medicare 2 use social security 3 become member us military paid tax dollars hate taxes 4 ask national guard help disaster 5 call 911 get hurt 6 call police stop intruders home 7 summon fire department save burning home 8 hate taxes drive paved road highway interstate drive bridge 9 use public restrooms 10 send kids public schools 11 put trash city garbage collectors 12 live areas clean air 13 drink clean water 14 visit national parks 15 visit public museums zoos monuments 16 eat use fda inspected food medicines 17 bring kids public playgrounds 18 walk run sidewalks hate taxes paid 19 use public recreational facilities basketball tennis courts 20 seek shelter facilities food soup kitchens homeless hungry 21 apply educational job training assistance lose job 22 apply food stamps cant feed children 23 use judiciary system reason 24 ask attorney arrested ask one assigned court 25 apply pell grants 26 use cures discovered labs using federal dollars 27 fly federally regulated airplanes 28 use product trace development back nasa 29 watch weather provided national weather service 30 listen severe weather warnings national weather service 31 listen tsunami hurricane earthquake alert systems 32 apply federal housing 33 use internet developed military 34 swim clean rivers 35 allow child eat school lunches breakfasts 36 hate taxes ask fema assistance everything gets wiped disaster 37 ask military defend life home event foreign invasion 38 use cell phone home telephone 39 buy firearms wouldnt developed without support us government military includes 40 eat usda inspected produce meat 41 apply government grants start business 42 apply win government contract 43 buy vehicle inspected government safety agencies 44 buy product protected poisons toxins etcby consumer protection agency 45 save money bank fdic insured 46 use veterans benefits military health care 47 use gi bill go college 48 apply unemployment benefits 49 use electricity companies regulated department energy 50 live homes built code 51 run public office politicians paid taxpayer dollars 52 ask help fbi swat bomb squad homeland security state troopers etc 53 apply government job whatsoever state federal employees paid tax dollars hate taxes 54 use public libraries 55 use us postal service 56 visit national archives 57 visit presidential libraries 58 use airports secured federal government 59 apply loans bank fdic insured 60 ask government help clean tornado 61 ask department agriculture provide subsidy help run farm 62 take walks national forests 63 ask taxpayer dollars oil company 64 ask federal government bail company recessions 65 seek medical care places use federal dollars 66 use medicaid 67 use wic 68 use electricity generated hoover dam 69 use electricity service provided tennessee valley authority 70 ask army corps engineers rebuild levees break 71 let coast guard save drowning boat capsizes sea 72 ask government help evacuate hell breaks loose country 73 visit historic landmarks 74 visit fisheries 75 expect see animals federally protected endangered species list 76 expect plows clear roads snow ice kids go school get work 77 hunt camp federal land 78 work anywhere safe workplace government regulations 79 use public transportation 80 drink water public water fountains 81 whine someone copies work sells government enforces copyright laws 82 expect home car boat government organizes keeps titles 83 expect convicted felons remain streets 84 eat restaurants regulated food quality safety standards 85 seek help us embassy need assistance foreign nation 86 apply passport travel outside united states 87 apply patent invent something 88 adopt child local state federal governments 89do use elevators inspected federal state safety regulators 90 use resource discovered usgs 91 ask energy assistance government 92 move developed nation taxes much higher 93 go beach kept clean state 94 use money printed us treasury 95 hate taxes complain millions illegal immigrants cross border border patrol agents 96 attend state university 97 see doctor licensed state 98 use water municipal water systems 99 complain diseases viruses fought around globe us government cdc reach house 100 work company required pay workers livable wage provide sick days vacation days benefits 101 expect able vote election days government provides voting booths election day officials voting machines paid taxes 102 ride trains railroad built government financial assistance fact pay lifestyle expect without taxes lifestyles would totally different much harder america would third world country less pay less get return americans pay less taxes today since 1958 ranked 32nd 34 top tax paying countries chile mexico 33rd 34th republicans lying say pay highest taxes world attacking taxes reward corporations wealthy weaken infrastructure way life next time object paying taxes fight abolish taxes corporations wealthy keep quote mind originally published september 2010 | 795 |
<p>Four years ago–in the spring of 2005, when you were still in a state of euphoria about beginning your college studies in the fall–your world was one of vast possibilities and expectations.&#160; George Bush had recently begun his second term as president, determined to use his political capital, as he referred to it, to shape the world in his vision.&#160; People were closely divided about the war in Iraq, not as opposed to it as they would soon become.&#160; The results of the <a href="http://dot.com/" type="external">dot.com</a> collapse were beginning to recede; the stock market was chugging nicely along.&#160; Seniors in the graduating class of 2005 were cautious about their employment prospects, which the job search firm Monster described as the best in five years.&#160; Many graduates were hopeful they would be rewarded with high-paying jobs, especially if they had strong grade point averages and graduated from prestigious colleges or universities.&#160; Those with lesser qualifications also anticipated better prospects than their peers had in the previous four years</p>
<p>What a difference four years can make.&#160; Sadly, it didn’t take long for a downward spiral to begin that brought us to where we are today: a considerably different environment than the one facing your predecessors who graduated in the years beginning in 2005.</p>
<p>As you were moving in the your dormitories and getting ready for the fall 2005 semester, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and brought George Bush to his knees and catalyzed the eventual collapse of the neo-con philosophy that had guided his administration during its first term.&#160; I’m certain that you remember the horrifying images of the victims of the hurricane late that summer.&#160; Some of you were no doubt involved in the arrangements to make certain that university students in New Orleans were able to continue their studies at other institutions.</p>
<p>The United States has not fully recovered from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.&#160;President Bush’s popularity began to take a sudden nose-dive.&#160; In late September of 2005, some of you may have participated along with several hundred thousand others in the anti-Iraq war protest in Washington, D.C. What has been particularly encouraging for me has been the slow but gradual awakening of your generation’s political consciousness, culminating with the election of Barack Obama.</p>
<p>This awakening has been impressive, particularly given the political situation in America for most of your lives.&#160; Though you were only eleven or twelve years old at the time, you must have heard hush-hushed remarks from your parents about the way Bill Clinton disgraced himself in office and, in effect, made it impossible for Al Gore to win the 2000 presidential election.&#160; But mostly, your political consciousness has been molded and shaped during George Bush’s eight years, most of them as a failed President.</p>
<p>At the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency, we had a balanced budget; we were not at war; people were beginning to pay attention to the environment and global warming seriously.&#160; Moreover, American was highly regarded in the community of nations all around the world, not hated has we were soon to become once George Bush established his foreign policy that other countries were either with us or against us.&#160; It is difficult to believe that so many things could go wrong for America so quickly.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that is the world that you—as you graduate with your B.A. or B.S.—have inherited.&#160; It is both your burden and your challenge.</p>
<p>It does not help that in the mad scramble for money pursued by so many people in the past few years (bankers, stock brokers, hedge fund managers, mortgage sellers, and house flippers) your university did not serve you well at the same time.&#160; Tuition costs have grown disproportionately to the cost of living.&#160; Many of you are saddled today with student loans that will take you years to pay off, especially given the collapsing job market.&#160; Worse, many of your degrees are of questionable value, taught by professors who become as comfortable in their positions as the men and women in finance who were rewarded for losing billions of dollars for the corporations that employed them.</p>
<p>You may question what I mean.&#160; If you have a newly-minted degree in economics, you may wonder why your professors appeared to have little or no awareness of the impending economic collapse.&#160; Why did they fail to mention this possibility–the worst since the Great Depression–in the economics and business courses you took from them?&#160; What sheltered academic economists so that they had no clue about the approaching mortgage collapse?&#160; If you have just earned your degree in journalism, you might ask why your professors silently watched the American media enable the Bush administration’s policies on torture, or on financing and planning for the war, or Katrina, or on budget priorities in general.</p>
<p>It’s easy for me to make these remarks, you say, as someone who teaches English and not business or economics or journalism.&#160; Well, I believe that the humanities have failed you also, especially in regards to ethics and morality.&#160; More specifically, those of us who teach English have ignored your urgent needs to write better.&#160; I have taught long enough (fifty years) to observe a steady decline in the writing skills of almost all students at virtually every level of the educational system—but especially during the past decade or so of grade inflation and feel-good philosophies promoted by educators to nurture students’ self-esteem.</p>
<p>Remarkably, almost all of you who are graduating today—no matter what your major—will complete your degree with a B+ grade point average or higher.&#160; At some institutions, and in some disciplines, rarely is a grade below an A- given to any student who completes a course.&#160; And yet surveys indicate that many of you do little or no work outside of the classroom, assuming that you do attend classes.</p>
<p>Were you truly challenged by your higher education?&#160; Did you write papers that asked you to grapple with ideas and not simply borrow from the Internet?&#160; Did your professors carefully read your papers and challenge you with their comments?</p>
<p>What I am suggesting is that your professors rarely gave you the grades you deserved but, instead, enabled most of you to assume that you are hard-working original thinkers, brilliant students who were deeply immersed in the disciplines they supposedly taught you.</p>
<p>So this is where you find yourself today: with a stunning grade point average from a first-rate institution, an impressive résumé (because of all your carefully chosen extra-curricular activities and internships), heavily in debt, and with few prospects for a high-paying job.</p>
<p>What can you do?&#160; What must you do?</p>
<p>The generation before you—yes, your parents’ generation—because of its complacency, its self-serving interests, its inability to mind the ship, has created a perfect storm that you must now weather.&#160; The national debt alone is so large that I fully understand why you might want to bury your head in the sand, as your elders have mostly done, and hope that we will somehow muddle through.</p>
<p>But these are not typical times that you have inherited.&#160; You questioned your professors little during the last four years, but that policy can no longer continue for the freshmen who will enter universities this coming fall.&#160; As for you, you are going to have to keep the heat on our newly-elected popular president, and on every other elected leader in the United States.&#160; America is going to have to become accountable for all of its policies–especially economic ones–or we are doomed to a horrendous national decline.</p>
<p>And you are going to have to get involved in a way you probably never considered when you began to pursue your undergraduate degree four years.&#160; Fortunately, there is a new mood of optimism in the country and there are still safe harbors where you can begin: Teach for America, the Peace Corps, and any number of non-profits (including many international ones) that are crying out for your assistance.&#160; You might also consider teaching English overseas in one of the countries where English is rapidly becoming the preferred second language: Japan, China, or Korea.&#160; If your interests are international, consider taking the exam for the Department of State or other government agencies that place people overseas.</p>
<p>In your personal life, no matter what you do, you are going to have to scale down your expectations and learn how to live frugally, while at the same time connecting to other people and their needs which may be much worse than yours.</p>
<p>Americans have always prided themselves on helping others—not just other Americans but people around the world who, historically, have not been as fortunate as most of us in the United States.&#160; As an old African adage goes, a human being is only human because of other people.&#160; The same is true of countries: a nation is only a nation because of other countries.</p>
<p>The world urgently needs you.&#160; Fortunately, you can make a difference.</p>
<p>CHARLES R. LARSON is a Professor of Literature at American University in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | four years agoin spring 2005 still state euphoria beginning college studies fallyour world one vast possibilities expectations160 george bush recently begun second term president determined use political capital referred shape world vision160 people closely divided war iraq opposed would soon become160 results dotcom collapse beginning recede stock market chugging nicely along160 seniors graduating class 2005 cautious employment prospects job search firm monster described best five years160 many graduates hopeful would rewarded highpaying jobs especially strong grade point averages graduated prestigious colleges universities160 lesser qualifications also anticipated better prospects peers previous four years difference four years make160 sadly didnt take long downward spiral begin brought us today considerably different environment one facing predecessors graduated years beginning 2005 moving dormitories getting ready fall 2005 semester hurricane katrina struck new orleans brought george bush knees catalyzed eventual collapse neocon philosophy guided administration first term160 im certain remember horrifying images victims hurricane late summer160 doubt involved arrangements make certain university students new orleans able continue studies institutions united states fully recovered tragedy hurricane katrina160president bushs popularity began take sudden nosedive160 late september 2005 may participated along several hundred thousand others antiiraq war protest washington dc particularly encouraging slow gradual awakening generations political consciousness culminating election barack obama awakening impressive particularly given political situation america lives160 though eleven twelve years old time must heard hushhushed remarks parents way bill clinton disgraced office effect made impossible al gore win 2000 presidential election160 mostly political consciousness molded shaped george bushs eight years failed president end bill clintons presidency balanced budget war people beginning pay attention environment global warming seriously160 moreover american highly regarded community nations around world hated soon become george bush established foreign policy countries either us us160 difficult believe many things could go wrong america quickly unfortunately world youas graduate ba bshave inherited160 burden challenge help mad scramble money pursued many people past years bankers stock brokers hedge fund managers mortgage sellers house flippers university serve well time160 tuition costs grown disproportionately cost living160 many saddled today student loans take years pay especially given collapsing job market160 worse many degrees questionable value taught professors become comfortable positions men women finance rewarded losing billions dollars corporations employed may question mean160 newlyminted degree economics may wonder professors appeared little awareness impending economic collapse160 fail mention possibilitythe worst since great depressionin economics business courses took them160 sheltered academic economists clue approaching mortgage collapse160 earned degree journalism might ask professors silently watched american media enable bush administrations policies torture financing planning war katrina budget priorities general easy make remarks say someone teaches english business economics journalism160 well believe humanities failed also especially regards ethics morality160 specifically us teach english ignored urgent needs write better160 taught long enough fifty years observe steady decline writing skills almost students virtually every level educational systembut especially past decade grade inflation feelgood philosophies promoted educators nurture students selfesteem remarkably almost graduating todayno matter majorwill complete degree b grade point average higher160 institutions disciplines rarely grade given student completes course160 yet surveys indicate many little work outside classroom assuming attend classes truly challenged higher education160 write papers asked grapple ideas simply borrow internet160 professors carefully read papers challenge comments suggesting professors rarely gave grades deserved instead enabled assume hardworking original thinkers brilliant students deeply immersed disciplines supposedly taught find today stunning grade point average firstrate institution impressive résumé carefully chosen extracurricular activities internships heavily debt prospects highpaying job do160 must generation youyes parents generationbecause complacency selfserving interests inability mind ship created perfect storm must weather160 national debt alone large fully understand might want bury head sand elders mostly done hope somehow muddle typical times inherited160 questioned professors little last four years policy longer continue freshmen enter universities coming fall160 going keep heat newlyelected popular president every elected leader united states160 america going become accountable policiesespecially economic onesor doomed horrendous national decline going get involved way probably never considered began pursue undergraduate degree four years160 fortunately new mood optimism country still safe harbors begin teach america peace corps number nonprofits including many international ones crying assistance160 might also consider teaching english overseas one countries english rapidly becoming preferred second language japan china korea160 interests international consider taking exam department state government agencies place people overseas personal life matter going scale expectations learn live frugally time connecting people needs may much worse americans always prided helping othersnot americans people around world historically fortunate us united states160 old african adage goes human human people160 true countries nation nation countries world urgently needs you160 fortunately make difference charles r larson professor literature american university washington dc 160 160 | 759 |
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<p>Photo by Ninian Reid | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>The election of Donald Trump was a catastrophe.&#160; This was clear before Election Day; it is even clearer now.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, his victory was not a total disaster — Hillary Clinton lost.&#160;&#160; She and her husband had done enough harm already.&#160; Three decades of Clintons is enough.</p>
<p>I put the point this way because with the Republicans’ success in replacing the late Antonin Scalia with Neil Gorsuch, a smoother but more reactionary jurist, the Supreme Court is on my mind.</p>
<p>The allusion is, of course, to an infamous remark of the much venerated – and ostensibly liberal –Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior in a ruling (Buck v. Bell, 1927) that permitted the state of Virginia to require the sterilization of an intellectually disabled woman.&#160; Holmes declared: “three generations of imbeciles is enough.”</p>
<p>A god-awful sentiment, a fine turn of phrase, and an occasion to reflect on the plain fact that differences, such as they are, between liberals and conservatives are not always what they are cracked up to be.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court was the best reason to hope that a Democrat, even Hillary Clinton, would win the White House in 2016.&#160; Supreme Court Justices can do a lot of harm.&#160; A Democrat would likely pick someone less retrograde than a Republican, someone who would do less harm.</p>
<p>Now, that task won’t fall to a Democrat, it will fall to Trump — or, if the gods smile upon us and he quits or is impeached, it will fall to Mike Pence.&#160; Unlike Trump whose “conservatism” is opportunistic, Pence is a bona fide reactionary, as retrograde as they come.</p>
<p>Democratic Party bigwigs and Clinton herself are responsible for that — not FBI muckety-mucks or white working class victims of Clintonism or sexist voters, and certainly not the current demon of America’s political class and the media that serve it, Vladimir Putin.</p>
<p>Gorsuch is a stiff price to pay for seeing the back of the Clinton family, if indeed they really are gone.&#160; There has been talk about Hillary running for Mayor of New York City, and of Chelsea taking the plunge into the family business.</p>
<p>Chelsea, please, stay in your $10.5 million condo &#160;(it’s probably worth even more by now) and devote yourself to babies and hedge funds.&#160; Even one generation of Clintons is too much; and, thanks to your pal Ivanka and those other little Trumps, there is already too much bad seed loose upon the land.</p>
<p>Ridding the body politic of Clintons, at least for a while, was not the only upside of Clinton’s defeat; nor was it the most important.&#160; In Trump’s case, itchy fingers go along with tiny hands.&#160; But Hillary’s fingers are itchier than his.&#160; Of the two of them, she seemed the more likely to bring on Doomsday.</p>
<p>To be sure, Trump says and does whatever is on his mind at the moment; with no ideology or settled convictions to speak of, he is utterly erratic.</p>
<p>What moves him is vanity, insecurity, and cupidity.&#160; He is a huckster more than a politician, and what he is selling is himself.</p>
<p>There was reason, though, to think that he wanted to work with, not against, Russia.&#160; His motives were suspect and very likely disreputable, but his intentions seemed clear.</p>
<p>There was therefore reason to hope that, under a President Trump, relations with Russia would take a turn for the better.&#160; Who could be so reckless as to object to that?</p>
<p>Hillary Clinton is who – and now that Democrats are desperately blaming everybody but Hillary and themselves for her defeat, she has a lot of company.&#160; She also has the active support of every corporate media outlet this side of Breitbart and Fox News.</p>
<p>Because saner minds prevail on the Russian side, and because it seemed likely that public opinion in the United States would turn against warmongering if relations with Russia were to become dicey, it seemed safe to assume that, even with Hillary in the Oval Office, the world would probably somehow yet again, avoid nuclear annihilation.</p>
<p>And so, anyone playing the odds, who assesses outcomes in the usual ways, had more reason to regret Trump’s victory than to rejoice in Clinton’s defeat.</p>
<p>It would be different were the Russians anywhere near as irresponsible and daft as the Democrats – or as Republicans of the John McCain-Lindsey Graham variety.&#160; Then it would be at least reasonable to think that Trump’s majority of Electoral College votes was not an unmitigated disaster.</p>
<p>This, anyway, was how it seemed until the middle of last week, when Trump ordered a tomahawk missile attack on the Shayrat air base in central Syria.&#160; Suddenly, the blank slate that is Trump’s mind seemed to be channeling Hillary – and Bill as well, inasmuch as hit and run missile attacks were a favorite of his, back in the nineties, when he was Commander-in-Chief.</p>
<p>Needless to say, Trump’s missiles accomplished nothing of strategic value.&#160; However, they have put relations with Russia on a trajectory that must thrill the neocons and “humanitarian” interveners who cluster around the Clintons. &#160;Thanks to them, the prospects for peace between the world’s two major nuclear powers are now worse than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis.</p>
<p>So much for the silver lining in the otherwise appalling outcome of the 2016 election.</p>
<p>It is practically a law of nature: that, in our neoliberal age, voters vote for candidates or parties who promise X but deliver Y, where Y is often X’s diametric opposite.</p>
<p>Trump voters, the ones the Donald conned so well, thought that it would be different for them this time around; that, for once, they would get what they voted for.</p>
<p>What they were voting for was an attitude more than a set of policies.&#160; If Trump had policies in mind, he kept them secret – from his marks most of all.&#160; But the one sure thing, Trump voters thought, was that, by voting for Trump, they would at least not get Clinton.</p>
<p>Polls suggest that many, maybe most Trump voters had no fondness for their candidate; they may even have realized, at some level, that the man is a fraud.&#160; But they were willing to tolerate that in order to send a message.</p>
<p>Even now, as it is becoming increasingly clear that nothing Trump is likely to do will advance their material interests one iota, and that the interests he serves are those of his class, not theirs, many of them remain willing to keep on sending that message.</p>
<p>Evidently and understandably, they want the political class to know that they have had enough of Clinton and Clintonism (neoliberalism, liberal imperialism, perpetual war).</p>
<p>But will that be enough to keep them on board when they are no longer able to deny the plain fact that beneath the attitude they prize, beneath the mindless bluster, Trumpism is nothing more than Clintonism on stilts — administered by berserk billionaires and rank incompetents.</p>
<p>They voted against Clinton, and they got Clintonism 2.0.&#160;&#160; Now what are they going to do about it?</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Will there ever be a reasoned history of the Trump administration or even a coherent narrative that makes sense?&#160; Or will it only be possible to write a chronicle, a record that this happened, then that, with no organizing principle other than the flow of time itself?</p>
<p>With Trump running amok, the chronicle option is the best bet.</p>
<p>During the campaign, there was only campaign nonsense, tailored to the audience of the hour.&#160; That would be middle aged or older, mainly male, overwhelmingly white victims of the neoliberal turn.</p>
<p>The commentariat calls them “working class”; some Trump voters were.&#160; Others owned their own businesses or worked for salaries, not wages.&#160; Few of them were in truly desperate financial straits, but neither were they better off than people in comparable positions forty years ago.</p>
<p>The conventional wisdom has it too that they were more likely to live in rural areas or small towns than in big cities or suburbs, and that most of them had little or no post-secondary education.&#160; There is some truth in this too, though not as much as is widely supposed.</p>
<p>The Clintons and their co-thinkers took them for granted because, they figured, they had nowhere else to go.&#160; They devoted their attention instead to social and identity issues that did not threaten the material interests of “the donor class.”</p>
<p>Even before the last election, it had started to dawn on clear-thinking observers that this was, at best, unwise.&#160; Since the election, the tide has turned against ‘identity politics” altogether.&#160; Fair enough, though there is a danger that the pendulum will swing too far in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>What is insufficiently appreciated, however, is that Trump too was playing the identity card.&#160; The difference is just that, by pretending to be a “populist,” he targeted different identities.</p>
<p>Trump left women and “minorities” – an increasingly quaint term now that collectively minorities are becoming majorities in many parts of the country – to Democratic goody-goodies.&#160; He appealed instead to the identity concerns of the kinds of people who found his bumptious, politically incorrect candidacy appealing.</p>
<p>Thanks to neoliberal financial and trade policies that have destroyed unions and caused formerly well-paying jobs to move to distant corners of the earth, the material condition of most people in that category has been in decline for decades.&#160; But Trump’s appeal had little to do with his (transparently empty) promises of economic renewal.&#160; Of far greater importance was his ability to tap into his base’s malaise.</p>
<p>For his predecessor, the words “hope” and “change,” like Obama’s persona itself, worked like Rorschach inkblots.&#160; They signified nothing, but gullible people projected their hopes onto them.</p>
<p>“Make America great again” is Trump’s functional equivalent.&#160; The difference is that instead of being about a vague future, it is about an imaginary past.</p>
<p>Trump broke all the implicit rules that governed how overtly nativist, racist, and Islamophobic a politician running for national office could be; doing so served him well.&#160; But most Trump voters were not unusually nativist, racist or Islamophobic; their “darker angels” were not what drove them into the Trump fold.</p>
<p>Nostalgia did that.&#160; In all likelihood, most Trump voters realized how meretricious Trump’s sales pitch was; they understood full well that the Eisenhower era could not now be revived.&#160; It didn’t matter, though, not on Election Day; for most of them it doesn’t matter yet.&#160;&#160; It is hard for spiritual victims of Clintonite politics to realize that the man they look to for salvation is himself a crypto-Clintonite.</p>
<p>The chroniclers will therefore record that, at first, all Trump brought to the table were empty promises and a bad boy attitude, and that breaking the rules and getting away with it won him the White House; that and not being a Clinton.</p>
<p>Trump didn’t just run against Hillary; he ran against the Republican Party as well.</p>
<p>Had he gotten trounced, as would surely have happened had he run against a more capable opponent, the GOP would now be in its death throes everywhere outside the South and in a few benighted regions of the Mountain West.</p>
<p>This tectonic change in American politics would have left the Democratic Party in a bad place as well. &#160;Down-ticket Democrats, riding the anti-Trump wave, would likely have been swept into office, as happened eight years earlier, on Obama’s coattails.&#160; But then party unity would disintegrate, as it became clear to the party’s more progressive (less retrogressive) sectors that, with the barbarians at the gates beaten back, there was no longer any need to support the rightwing mainstream.</p>
<p>The cultural contradictions that divide the Republican Party are now giving way to deep and disabling fissures for a similar reason.&#160; &#160;Hillary’s political ineptitude, and the Democratic National Committee’s malign neglect of everything not directly involving the White House, has made the Democratic Party irrelevant.&#160; Republicans therefore now feel free to go after each other.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Because Hillary defeated herself, Trump found himself with a country to rule, and no idea how to go about it.</p>
<p>All he could do, in the circumstances, was make nice to the Republicans he had savaged.&#160;&#160; This started not long after he secured the nomination.&#160; It took a while, though, for the reality to register in his head.&#160; Once it did, the process went into high gear.</p>
<p>The was no love lost between Trump and the party he nearly decimated, but they had resources and capabilities he needed; and, because they saw him as useful for getting their agendas enacted, they too were willing to let bygones be bygones.&#160; Evangelicals were the worst; instead of anathematizing the self-promoting philanderer, they became his staunchest supporters.</p>
<p>And so, we have phase 1 of the chronicle: the Reince Priebus or, worse, Paul Ryan phase. &#160;Among the consequences is a cabinet, and a raft of cabinet level appointments, that, for sheer awfulness, even Ted Cruz couldn’t match.</p>
<p>Party apparatchiks didn’t do it all on their own; they had help from Steve Bannon and his people.&#160; But without Ryan and the others, we would not now be governed – if that is the right word – by the most feckless collection of reactionary dullards in American history.</p>
<p>If and when Trump quits or is impeached, they won’t go away.&#160; The President-in-Waiting, Mike Pence, is cut from the same cloth, and can be counted on to carry on the deluge of reaction that got going under Trump’s auspices.</p>
<p>The debacle over Obamacare is what brought phase 1 to an end.&#160; Trump had insisted too many times to overlook that he would “repeal and replace” Obama’s Affordable Care Act.&#160; This was perhaps the one point on which all Republican factions agreed.&#160; And yet, they couldn’t pull it off.</p>
<p>Thank the Freedom Caucus for that; the obstinacy of those heirs of the 2010 Tea Party rebellion is a marvel to behold.&#160; However, the problem for them, and for all Republicans, is that their constituents, much as they become livid at the very mention of Obamacare, benefit from it, and would not take kindly to its elimination.</p>
<p>Seeing the writing on the wall, the Republican leadership opted for Obamacare by another name.&#160; However, Freedom Caucus Republicans weren’t buying it; and while those certifiable dunces don’t know much, they do know how to obstruct.</p>
<p>With an Easter recess looming, Ryan and the others decided to “amend” their “American Health Care Act” by making it even crueler and therefore more appealing to Republicans more reactionary than themselves.&#160; Their idea is to put the sick and elderly in a separate insurance pool, which would then receive feeble subsidies, everyone else being left to the mercies of the marketplace.</p>
<p>Their cynicism is palpable; they know full well that hardly anyone in the ninety-nine percent would benefit from this “amendment.”&#160; They know too that, because their plan doesn’t give markets entirely free rein, the ideologues who blocked their scheme before won’t like it either.</p>
<p>But Ryan and others of his ilk are hoping that it will buy Republicans time over the Easter recess – so that they won’t have to face quite so many furious constituents as in the recent past.</p>
<p>The ploy could work: it is aimed, after all, at people who say that they like the Affordable Care Act but hate Obamacare, its other name.</p>
<p>Ryan and Priebus and the others remain at least marginally in Trump’s good graces because he still needs them.&#160;&#160; A true authoritarian strongman would have independent political machinery to deploy; Trump has none.&#160; This is why, since phase 1 ended, the Republicans Trump decimated and then revived, though down, are still not out.</p>
<p>In phase 2, Steve Bannon seems to have been the Donald’s main man.</p>
<p>According to reliable reports, it was Robert Mercer, a libertarian computer geek, weak on people skills but richer than God thanks to software he developed that gives his ways of conjuring money out of money an edge up on his rivals’, and his daughter Rebekah, the self-declared First Lady of the alt-Right, who made Bannon and his circle Trump’s brain.</p>
<p>He also had Trump bring on board the cartoon characters we now identify with Trumpland; Steve Miller, for example, and Kellyanne Conway.</p>
<p>Unlike the people Trump empowered to deal with environmental issues, Mercer is not a climate change denier; quite to the contrary, he is said to believe that global warming is good for the planet.&#160; He is also said to think that nuclear wars are winnable and not all that bad.</p>
<p>Inasmuch as there are, as yet, no reliable accounts of palace intrigues within the Trump circle, it is impossible to say for sure, but it seems that, during the campaign against Clinton, it was Bannon and his people who kept Trump on the retrograde nationalist course that the hapless Donald had already stumbled upon on his own.</p>
<p>Bannon is reputed to be something of an intellectual. In comparison, say, with Newt Gingrich or Paul Ryan, he probably is. &#160;But on what does his reputation depend?&#160; Not on his writings or speeches; not even on his film documentaries.&#160; As best one can tell at this point, all Trump’s brain knows are the names of some midcentury and post-World War II rightwing European theoreticians, and perhaps also the contents of some of their books.</p>
<p>However, he does seem to have a genius for combining nationalism, at least on a rhetorical level, with libertarian nostrums about the glories of markets and the evils of states.&#160; Ryan and the others can therefore take heart in the perception that the clique that superseded them in influence shares their passion for “deconstructing” the “regulatory state.”</p>
<p>Trump still needs his phase 1 partners to get any “governing” done, and he probably still needs Bannon too – to keep his base on board.&#160; But he may be too vain and full of himself to realize this.</p>
<p>Thus, if &#160;the latest palace gossip is on track, Bannon too is now on the outs — &#160;a victim, as it were, of “the deep state” and of Trump family values.</p>
<p>There are still people who think that because he is rich, Trump knows what he is doing, even when he plainly does not.</p>
<p>This is why no one should conclude that Bannon really is a gonner.&#160; &#160;In Trumpland, anything can happen; absurdity reigns.&#160; Even if Bannon is on the outs now, he could come bouncing back at any moment.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, a story-line is emerging according to which the Donald, having won the allegiance of mainstream Republicans and then, thanks to Bannon, having held onto his base, is now doing what he really wanted to do all along – he is taking the Clintonite turn.&#160; A variant on this theme is that he is doing what the deep state wants him to do.&#160; Both could be true.</p>
<p>An instinct for self-preservation may also be at work.&#160; As a candidate, the Donald insulted the CIA and the rest of “the intelligence community” repeatedly.&#160; Perhaps now he just wants to make amends before those murderous bastards, allied with other deep state actors, strike back.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Trump has now also flip-flopped on Russia and on regime change in Syria. &#160;His former positions were his saving grace.&#160; Now he is discarding them.</p>
<p>The story they tell to rationalize the flip-flop is that “the Assad regime” – the government of Syria — used poison gas on its own people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, that Trump was horrified by pictures of babies dying, and that, in response, he&#160; launched fifty-nine tomahawk missiles against the Al Shayrat airfield.</p>
<p>There was some media acknowledgment of the blatant illegality of Trump’s escapade.&#160; But Americans have become inured; war making in violation of domestic and international law has been the stock-and-trade of American Presidents at least since Bill Clinton. Even Democratic Party “progressives” were reluctant to condemn Trump for anything worse than disregarding Congress.</p>
<p>There was, however, some glorification of Trump’s lawlessness in “liberal” media &#160;– MSNBC’s Brian Williams’ rapturous account of missiles being fired was the most egregious example.&#160; The demoted former news anchor even invoked Leonard Cohen to that end; Cohen must be spinning in his grave.</p>
<p>Then there was Fareed Zakaria who sententiously declared on CNN that, by firing off those missiles, Trump finally became “presidential.”&#160; The sad thing is that he was right in a way.</p>
<p>Worst of all, though, was the display of media gullibility.&#160; A picture of a dying baby got Trump to turn one-hundred eighty degrees?&#160;&#160; That might be good enough for The New York Times and The Washington Post, but even a ten year old who isn’t quite sure where Yemen is could see right through that.</p>
<p>But then what is the explanation?</p>
<p>That may be the wrong question to ask because, with Trump, we can never really be sure that there actually is anything to explain.&#160; Maybe “bomb Syria” and “undo relations with Moscow” just happened to jump out spontaneously from the booming buzzing confusion inside the Donald’s head.&#160; Maybe he will forget all about it a few days from now.</p>
<p>Assuming, though, that there really was a deliberate change of course, part of the explanation must surely be that, with the barrage of anti-Russian agitation coming out of the Democratic Party, its media adjuncts, and the John McCain – Lindsey Graham wing of the GOP, Trump felt compelled to do something that would make him look tough.</p>
<p>However that may be, Jared Kushner seems to be a more important factor.</p>
<p>It bears repeating: no one outside Trump’s most intimate circle really knows what palace intrigues are afoot.&#160; &#160;It has been reliably reported, however, that Trump admires Kushner for his loyalty to his felonious father, the real estate tycoon Charles, as well as for his unabashed Silicon Valley inflected pro-business bent.</p>
<p>Also, for now, Ivanka seems unable to do anything wrong in her father’s eyes; and Jared is her better half.</p>
<p>If Trump minds that, thanks to Kushner, his daughter is now an orthodox Jew, he keeps his displeasure to himself.&#160; Perhaps this is out of the goodness of his heart, but it must also have occurred to him that a Jewish daughter and Jewish grandchildren protect him from charges of anti-Semitism.&#160; As long as Bannon is, or is thought to be, a power behind the throne, he’ll need all the protection he can get.</p>
<p>Supposedly, Bannon and the Kushners are at odds.&#160; Bannon wants to keep Trump true to the causes that the Mercers, father and daughter, champion – for principled ideological reasons, and, Bannon thinks, because Trump’s base demands it.</p>
<p>Jared and Ivanka, on the other hand, seem to want to restore the power of the foreign policy establishment, and to promote good relations with the intelligence community.</p>
<p>They also seem more liberal on social matters than most Trump voters.&#160; Also, there is no reason to think that they are oblivious to the reality of global warming and to its consequences – unlike Trump’s cabinet secretaries and other close advisors.</p>
<p>Like Ivanka, Jared appears to be as callow and ill-informed as any other thirty-something rich kid. &#160;&#160;And yet, in phase 3, he has seemingly become Trump’s unofficial Secretary of Everything.</p>
<p>It is not just that Trump has no time for experts or even reasonably knowledgeable advisors.&#160; It is that, back in Queens, he caught The Godfather vibe.</p>
<p>The Donald keeps his friends close and his enemies closer; and, as far as possible, he wants his lieutenants and heirs to be family.</p>
<p>Shouldn’t we be relieved?&#160; Better them than Bannon, after all, or Ryan and Priebus.</p>
<p>Isn’t this even better than what the lesser evilists who supported Hillary were hoping for?&#160;&#160; After all, Jared and Ivanka, though free of the Bill and Hillary stain, seem to carry the Clintonite torch.&#160; The difference is that, through Trump, they are not loathed by the kinds of people who were willing to blow the whole system up rather than elect Hillary.</p>
<p>Will they therefore make Trump not so bad?&#160; Not likely.&#160; Even if Trump stays mired in phase 3 indefinitely, what we will be in for is, at best, Clinton 2.0 – a horror more reckless than the original version, and without any of its moderating features.</p>
<p>To the extent that Jared calls the shots, the Israeli Right does too.&#160;&#160; The Kushner family, now including Ivanka, actively promotes a Greater Israel. &#160;Like Trump’s former bankruptcy lawyer and current ambassador to Israel, David Friedman they almost make Benjamin Netanyahu, a Kushner family friend, look benign.</p>
<p>Had she become President, the Netanyahu government could have lived with and prospered under Hillary.&#160; But with Kushner and Friedman, the Bibster won’t even have to break a sweat.</p>
<p>Why Syria?&#160; Why now?&#160; Surely among the reasons is the undeniable, because expressly admitted, fact that the Israeli government wants the war to grind on indefinitely; it wants the several sides – does Trump even know what they are? — to fight each other to exhaustion.</p>
<p>Israeli governments have long promoted the idea that Iran is an “existential threat” to the Israeli – they would say “Jewish” – state, an idea that serves Israeli propaganda interests well.&#160; For the Israeli military, however, Hezbollah is a greater threat.&#160; It has both the means and the will to defeat the vaunted Israeli Defense Forces; they have done it before, and they could do it again.</p>
<p>The longer they, along with all the others, stay mired down in Syria, the better, from the Israeli point of view</p>
<p>The United States is no stranger to this line of thinking; it was a core theme of the Reagan Administration’s foreign policy during the Iran-Iraq War. &#160;It is hard to make sense of Obama’s, and now Trump’s, on-again off-again attitudes towards “the Assad regime” without coming to the conclusion that the U.S. is at it again.</p>
<p>Perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into Netanyahu’s immediate and unequivocal praise of Trump’s missile attack.&#160; He could have just been brownnosing.&#160; But if there is a coherent Trump administration position, and if she is dutifully representing it, the interventions of U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley defending Trump’s crime of aggression, along with her overwrought anti-Russian screeds, are more revealing.</p>
<p>With her undergraduate degree in accounting from Clemson University – Go Tigers! – Haley is overqualified, by Trumpian standards, for a delicate diplomatic position. &#160;&#160;Lucky for her that she is a ten; otherwise the Donald would surely have gone for someone more transparently ill-equipped; someone more in the mold of John Bolton, George W. Bush’s choice for the job.</p>
<p>But the Whore of AIPAC got the nod, and is therefore now excoriating Syrian and Russian demons with a zeal that puts Samantha Power and Hillary herself to shame.</p>
<p>This is the sort of thing we can expect more of with the Kushners running the show.</p>
<p>What will happen when the Trump presidency falters under Jared’s and Ivanka’s guidance?&#160; This is bound to happen; the happy couple are no more equipped to call the shots than the Donald himself.&#160;&#160; Even if it somehow lasts longer than phases 1 and 2, phase 3 will surely expire– either by Pence’s hand or by Trump’s.</p>
<p>We know, from biographical accounts, that, despite his penchant for loyalty and family ties, the Donald is not beyond cutting family members loose when it suits his purpose.</p>
<p>But he isn’t clever or strong enough to act like a real Godfather.&#160; Jared can therefore be confident that he will not end up like Carlo, sister Connie’s first husband, or like Fredo. Even if he wanted to, Trump could never pull it off, much less get away with it.</p>
<p>But he could kick Jared upstairs.</p>
<p>In that spirit, let me be the first to suggest that, if he gets the chance, Trump should see to it that Jared follows Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court.</p>
<p>He did go to Law School, after all; that makes him at least as qualified for that job as Nikki Haley is for hers.&#160; And he is pro-business enough and young enough to hold progress back for decades.</p>
<p>In case he is not already a member, Jared should therefore join the Federalist Society just as soon as he can spare a moment from his presidential duties and from his business interests. &#160;And it’s never too soon for his father-in-law, the erstwhile populist pretender whom we now know to be a Clintonite in wolves’ clothing, to get to work conning his base into thinking that Jared would be no less socially retrograde than the Scalia substitute he and his allies of convenience in the GOP leadership threw their way.</p> | true | 4 | photo ninian reid cc 20 160 election donald trump catastrophe160 clear election day even clearer nevertheless victory total disaster hillary clinton lost160160 husband done enough harm already160 three decades clintons enough put point way republicans success replacing late antonin scalia neil gorsuch smoother reactionary jurist supreme court mind allusion course infamous remark much venerated ostensibly liberal oliver wendell holmes junior ruling buck v bell 1927 permitted state virginia require sterilization intellectually disabled woman160 holmes declared three generations imbeciles enough godawful sentiment fine turn phrase occasion reflect plain fact differences liberals conservatives always cracked supreme court best reason hope democrat even hillary clinton would win white house 2016160 supreme court justices lot harm160 democrat would likely pick someone less retrograde republican someone would less harm task wont fall democrat fall trump gods smile upon us quits impeached fall mike pence160 unlike trump whose conservatism opportunistic pence bona fide reactionary retrograde come democratic party bigwigs clinton responsible fbi mucketymucks white working class victims clintonism sexist voters certainly current demon americas political class media serve vladimir putin gorsuch stiff price pay seeing back clinton family indeed really gone160 talk hillary running mayor new york city chelsea taking plunge family business chelsea please stay 105 million condo 160its probably worth even devote babies hedge funds160 even one generation clintons much thanks pal ivanka little trumps already much bad seed loose upon land ridding body politic clintons least upside clintons defeat important160 trumps case itchy fingers go along tiny hands160 hillarys fingers itchier his160 two seemed likely bring doomsday sure trump says whatever mind moment ideology settled convictions speak utterly erratic moves vanity insecurity cupidity160 huckster politician selling reason though think wanted work russia160 motives suspect likely disreputable intentions seemed clear therefore reason hope president trump relations russia would take turn better160 could reckless object hillary clinton democrats desperately blaming everybody hillary defeat lot company160 also active support every corporate media outlet side breitbart fox news saner minds prevail russian side seemed likely public opinion united states would turn warmongering relations russia become dicey seemed safe assume even hillary oval office world would probably somehow yet avoid nuclear annihilation anyone playing odds assesses outcomes usual ways reason regret trumps victory rejoice clintons defeat would different russians anywhere near irresponsible daft democrats republicans john mccainlindsey graham variety160 would least reasonable think trumps majority electoral college votes unmitigated disaster anyway seemed middle last week trump ordered tomahawk missile attack shayrat air base central syria160 suddenly blank slate trumps mind seemed channeling hillary bill well inasmuch hit run missile attacks favorite back nineties commanderinchief needless say trumps missiles accomplished nothing strategic value160 however put relations russia trajectory must thrill neocons humanitarian interveners cluster around clintons 160thanks prospects peace worlds two major nuclear powers worse time since cuban missile crisis much silver lining otherwise appalling outcome 2016 election practically law nature neoliberal age voters vote candidates parties promise x deliver often xs diametric opposite trump voters ones donald conned well thought would different time around would get voted voting attitude set policies160 trump policies mind kept secret marks all160 one sure thing trump voters thought voting trump would least get clinton polls suggest many maybe trump voters fondness candidate may even realized level man fraud160 willing tolerate order send message even becoming increasingly clear nothing trump likely advance material interests one iota interests serves class many remain willing keep sending message evidently understandably want political class know enough clinton clintonism neoliberalism liberal imperialism perpetual war enough keep board longer able deny plain fact beneath attitude prize beneath mindless bluster trumpism nothing clintonism stilts administered berserk billionaires rank incompetents voted clinton got clintonism 20160160 going ever reasoned history trump administration even coherent narrative makes sense160 possible write chronicle record happened organizing principle flow time trump running amok chronicle option best bet campaign campaign nonsense tailored audience hour160 would middle aged older mainly male overwhelmingly white victims neoliberal turn commentariat calls working class trump voters were160 others owned businesses worked salaries wages160 truly desperate financial straits neither better people comparable positions forty years ago conventional wisdom likely live rural areas small towns big cities suburbs little postsecondary education160 truth though much widely supposed clintons cothinkers took granted figured nowhere else go160 devoted attention instead social identity issues threaten material interests donor class even last election started dawn clearthinking observers best unwise160 since election tide turned identity politics altogether160 fair enough though danger pendulum swing far opposite direction insufficiently appreciated however trump playing identity card160 difference pretending populist targeted different identities trump left women minorities increasingly quaint term collectively minorities becoming majorities many parts country democratic goodygoodies160 appealed instead identity concerns kinds people found bumptious politically incorrect candidacy appealing thanks neoliberal financial trade policies destroyed unions caused formerly wellpaying jobs move distant corners earth material condition people category decline decades160 trumps appeal little transparently empty promises economic renewal160 far greater importance ability tap bases malaise predecessor words hope change like obamas persona worked like rorschach inkblots160 signified nothing gullible people projected hopes onto make america great trumps functional equivalent160 difference instead vague future imaginary past trump broke implicit rules governed overtly nativist racist islamophobic politician running national office could served well160 trump voters unusually nativist racist islamophobic darker angels drove trump fold nostalgia that160 likelihood trump voters realized meretricious trumps sales pitch understood full well eisenhower era could revived160 didnt matter though election day doesnt matter yet160160 hard spiritual victims clintonite politics realize man look salvation cryptoclintonite chroniclers therefore record first trump brought table empty promises bad boy attitude breaking rules getting away white house clinton trump didnt run hillary ran republican party well gotten trounced would surely happened run capable opponent gop would death throes everywhere outside south benighted regions mountain west tectonic change american politics would left democratic party bad place well 160downticket democrats riding antitrump wave would likely swept office happened eight years earlier obamas coattails160 party unity would disintegrate became clear partys progressive less retrogressive sectors barbarians gates beaten back longer need support rightwing mainstream cultural contradictions divide republican party giving way deep disabling fissures similar reason160 160hillarys political ineptitude democratic national committees malign neglect everything directly involving white house made democratic party irrelevant160 republicans therefore feel free go hillary defeated trump found country rule idea go could circumstances make nice republicans savaged160160 started long secured nomination160 took though reality register head160 process went high gear love lost trump party nearly decimated resources capabilities needed saw useful getting agendas enacted willing let bygones bygones160 evangelicals worst instead anathematizing selfpromoting philanderer became staunchest supporters phase 1 chronicle reince priebus worse paul ryan phase 160among consequences cabinet raft cabinet level appointments sheer awfulness even ted cruz couldnt match party apparatchiks didnt help steve bannon people160 without ryan others would governed right word feckless collection reactionary dullards american history trump quits impeached wont go away160 presidentinwaiting mike pence cut cloth counted carry deluge reaction got going trumps auspices debacle obamacare brought phase 1 end160 trump insisted many times overlook would repeal replace obamas affordable care act160 perhaps one point republican factions agreed160 yet couldnt pull thank freedom caucus obstinacy heirs 2010 tea party rebellion marvel behold160 however problem republicans constituents much become livid mention obamacare benefit would take kindly elimination seeing writing wall republican leadership opted obamacare another name160 however freedom caucus republicans werent buying certifiable dunces dont know much know obstruct easter recess looming ryan others decided amend american health care act making even crueler therefore appealing republicans reactionary themselves160 idea put sick elderly separate insurance pool would receive feeble subsidies everyone else left mercies marketplace cynicism palpable know full well hardly anyone ninetynine percent would benefit amendment160 know plan doesnt give markets entirely free rein ideologues blocked scheme wont like either ryan others ilk hoping buy republicans time easter recess wont face quite many furious constituents recent past ploy could work aimed people say like affordable care act hate obamacare name ryan priebus others remain least marginally trumps good graces still needs them160160 true authoritarian strongman would independent political machinery deploy trump none160 since phase 1 ended republicans trump decimated revived though still phase 2 steve bannon seems donalds main man according reliable reports robert mercer libertarian computer geek weak people skills richer god thanks software developed gives ways conjuring money money edge rivals daughter rebekah selfdeclared first lady altright made bannon circle trumps brain also trump bring board cartoon characters identify trumpland steve miller example kellyanne conway unlike people trump empowered deal environmental issues mercer climate change denier quite contrary said believe global warming good planet160 also said think nuclear wars winnable bad inasmuch yet reliable accounts palace intrigues within trump circle impossible say sure seems campaign clinton bannon people kept trump retrograde nationalist course hapless donald already stumbled upon bannon reputed something intellectual comparison say newt gingrich paul ryan probably 160but reputation depend160 writings speeches even film documentaries160 best one tell point trumps brain knows names midcentury postworld war ii rightwing european theoreticians perhaps also contents books however seem genius combining nationalism least rhetorical level libertarian nostrums glories markets evils states160 ryan others therefore take heart perception clique superseded influence shares passion deconstructing regulatory state trump still needs phase 1 partners get governing done probably still needs bannon keep base board160 may vain full realize thus 160the latest palace gossip track bannon outs 160a victim deep state trump family values still people think rich trump knows even plainly one conclude bannon really gonner160 160in trumpland anything happen absurdity reigns160 even bannon outs could come bouncing back moment nevertheless storyline emerging according donald allegiance mainstream republicans thanks bannon held onto base really wanted along taking clintonite turn160 variant theme deep state wants do160 could true instinct selfpreservation may also work160 candidate donald insulted cia rest intelligence community repeatedly160 perhaps wants make amends murderous bastards allied deep state actors strike back 160 trump also flipflopped russia regime change syria 160his former positions saving grace160 discarding story tell rationalize flipflop assad regime government syria used poison gas people town khan sheikhoun idlib province trump horrified pictures babies dying response he160 launched fiftynine tomahawk missiles al shayrat airfield media acknowledgment blatant illegality trumps escapade160 americans become inured war making violation domestic international law stockandtrade american presidents least since bill clinton even democratic party progressives reluctant condemn trump anything worse disregarding congress however glorification trumps lawlessness liberal media 160 msnbcs brian williams rapturous account missiles fired egregious example160 demoted former news anchor even invoked leonard cohen end cohen must spinning grave fareed zakaria sententiously declared cnn firing missiles trump finally became presidential160 sad thing right way worst though display media gullibility160 picture dying baby got trump turn onehundred eighty degrees160160 might good enough new york times washington post even ten year old isnt quite sure yemen could see right explanation may wrong question ask trump never really sure actually anything explain160 maybe bomb syria undo relations moscow happened jump spontaneously booming buzzing confusion inside donalds head160 maybe forget days assuming though really deliberate change course part explanation must surely barrage antirussian agitation coming democratic party media adjuncts john mccain lindsey graham wing gop trump felt compelled something would make look tough however may jared kushner seems important factor bears repeating one outside trumps intimate circle really knows palace intrigues afoot160 160it reliably reported however trump admires kushner loyalty felonious father real estate tycoon charles well unabashed silicon valley inflected probusiness bent also ivanka seems unable anything wrong fathers eyes jared better half trump minds thanks kushner daughter orthodox jew keeps displeasure himself160 perhaps goodness heart must also occurred jewish daughter jewish grandchildren protect charges antisemitism160 long bannon thought power behind throne hell need protection get supposedly bannon kushners odds160 bannon wants keep trump true causes mercers father daughter champion principled ideological reasons bannon thinks trumps base demands jared ivanka hand seem want restore power foreign policy establishment promote good relations intelligence community also seem liberal social matters trump voters160 also reason think oblivious reality global warming consequences unlike trumps cabinet secretaries close advisors like ivanka jared appears callow illinformed thirtysomething rich kid 160160and yet phase 3 seemingly become trumps unofficial secretary everything trump time experts even reasonably knowledgeable advisors160 back queens caught godfather vibe donald keeps friends close enemies closer far possible wants lieutenants heirs family shouldnt relieved160 better bannon ryan priebus isnt even better lesser evilists supported hillary hoping for160160 jared ivanka though free bill hillary stain seem carry clintonite torch160 difference trump loathed kinds people willing blow whole system rather elect hillary therefore make trump bad160 likely160 even trump stays mired phase 3 indefinitely best clinton 20 horror reckless original version without moderating features extent jared calls shots israeli right too160160 kushner family including ivanka actively promotes greater israel 160like trumps former bankruptcy lawyer current ambassador israel david friedman almost make benjamin netanyahu kushner family friend look benign become president netanyahu government could lived prospered hillary160 kushner friedman bibster wont even break sweat syria160 now160 surely among reasons undeniable expressly admitted fact israeli government wants war grind indefinitely wants several sides trump even know fight exhaustion israeli governments long promoted idea iran existential threat israeli would say jewish state idea serves israeli propaganda interests well160 israeli military however hezbollah greater threat160 means defeat vaunted israeli defense forces done could longer along others stay mired syria better israeli point view united states stranger line thinking core theme reagan administrations foreign policy iraniraq war 160it hard make sense obamas trumps onagain offagain attitudes towards assad regime without coming conclusion us perhaps shouldnt read much netanyahus immediate unequivocal praise trumps missile attack160 could brownnosing160 coherent trump administration position dutifully representing interventions un ambassador nikki haley defending trumps crime aggression along overwrought antirussian screeds revealing undergraduate degree accounting clemson university go tigers haley overqualified trumpian standards delicate diplomatic position 160160lucky ten otherwise donald would surely gone someone transparently illequipped someone mold john bolton george w bushs choice job whore aipac got nod therefore excoriating syrian russian demons zeal puts samantha power hillary shame sort thing expect kushners running show happen trump presidency falters jareds ivankas guidance160 bound happen happy couple equipped call shots donald himself160160 even somehow lasts longer phases 1 2 phase 3 surely expire either pences hand trumps know biographical accounts despite penchant loyalty family ties donald beyond cutting family members loose suits purpose isnt clever strong enough act like real godfather160 jared therefore confident end like carlo sister connies first husband like fredo even wanted trump could never pull much less get away could kick jared upstairs spirit let first suggest gets chance trump see jared follows gorsuch onto supreme court go law school makes least qualified job nikki haley hers160 probusiness enough young enough hold progress back decades case already member jared therefore join federalist society soon spare moment presidential duties business interests 160and never soon fatherinlaw erstwhile populist pretender know clintonite wolves clothing get work conning base thinking jared would less socially retrograde scalia substitute allies convenience gop leadership threw way | 2,482 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://protectmarriage.com/"&gt;protectmarriage.com&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>This <a href="http://www.newdeal20.org/2010/08/12/why-gay-opponents-hated-and-feared-the-proposition-8-trial-17254/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.newdeal20.org/" type="external">New Deal 2.0</a> website.</p>
<p>Notre Dame Law School Professor Gerard Bradley <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/04/gerard-bradley-proposition-marriage-sex-california-judge/" type="external">criticized</a> United States District Court Judge Vaughan Walker, who heard the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_v._Schwarzenegger" type="external">challenge</a> to the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 on the grounds that the judge was unfit to hear the case if the reports that he was gay were correct (see my post on New Deal 2.0: “ <a href="http://www.newdeal20.org/2010/08/11/conservative-logic-gay-judges-need-not-apply-17252/" type="external">Gay Judges Need Not Apply</a>“). Proposition 8 sought to overturn the decision of the California Supreme Court that it was unconstitutional to forbid gays to marry. Bradley also complained that the trial that Judge Walker conducted demonstrated his bias. Bradley claimed that everyone:</p>
<p>[C]ould probably agree with the explanation offered by conservative commentator Ed Whelan who has observed that Walker has been determined from the outset “to use the case to advance the cause of same-sex marriage.”</p>
<p>I do not doubt that Judge Walker made up his mind about Prop 8 before the trial began.</p>
<p>Bradley’s attack on Judge Walker as unfit to decide the case if the reports of him being gay were accurate has received considerable attention, but Bradley and Whelan’s attack on the trial itself is equally revealing. Bradley explained in his 2003 National Review article “Stand and Fight: Don’t Take Gay Marriage Lying Down” why he feared a trial by any judge. The fundamental problem for the anti-gay forces was the Supreme Court decision in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v._Texas" type="external">Lawrence v. Texas</a> declaring unconstitutional the state law making consensual adult sodomy a crime. The Supreme Court decision confirmed its unwillingness to treat “traditional attitudes towards homosexuality” as legitimate bases for discriminating against gays.</p>
<p>Bradley was writing to an audience that largely shared those “traditional attitudes towards homosexuality,” so he was unusually open about the nature of those attitudes.</p>
<p>Justice Scalia is surely right that “many Americans do not want [openly gay] persons . . . as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children . . . or as boarders in their home.”</p>
<p>Or as the newlyweds next door.</p>
<p>Bradley recognizes that whether we describe these “traditional attitudes” as revulsion, discrimination, or homophobia, they provide no rational basis for laws that discriminate against homosexuals.</p>
<p>Justice Scalia seems to say that the law limits marriage to one man and one woman because of society’s “moral disapprobation of homosexual conduct” (and says that the Court’s majority deems that motive unconstitutional). What would be the reasoned basis for that “disapprobation”? Feelings of repulsion won’t do, since feelings are not reasons at all.</p>
<p>Indeed, Scalia’s dissent proved the point that the majority made in Lawrence—the majority was discriminating because it despised a minority group, a classic violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Bradley warned his readers that trying to prove to a court that there was a “rational basis” for discriminating against gays was a disastrous legal strategy.</p>
<p>Hawaii tried to prove in same-sex-marriage litigation several years ago that “gay” households handicapped kids—in strictly non-moral, mostly psychological ways—in school and in life. It was a disaster; even the state’s experts couldn’t show that it was so.</p>
<p>This is why opponents of homosexual marriage are desperate to avoid any trial in which they would be required to support their claims that such marriages would harm heterosexuals’ marriages. Note that the disasters that Bradley fears are not televised hearings or the harassment of experts testifying in opposition to homosexual marriage. The disaster he fears is any fair trial because it will expose the fact the attacks on gays are baseless. He recognizes that this will cause immense harm to those that wish to discriminate against homosexuals by exposing their bias and by demonstrating that gays are normal rather than demonic. The single most important reason that Americans, particularly Americans under the age of 50, have dramatically reduced their antipathy for gays is that far more gays are now openly gay. Americans increasingly recognize that they are colleagues, friends, and relatives of gays and that gays are normal, rather than the despised “other.” Bradley understands that this normalization is the greatest threat to preserving discrimination against gays and is desperate to counter it.</p>
<p>The clock is running out for another reason, too: Same-sex marriage is rapidly being normalized, culturally and legally. Many same-sex couples already consider themselves married, and expect to be treated as such. In many jurisdictions they are—more or less, depending on how many concessions the law has made to them on adoption, survivors’ benefits, and the like.</p>
<p>Bradley was so convinced of the anti-gay forces’ inability to provide a rational basis for prohibiting homosexuals to marry that he proposed three strategies to restore the right to discriminate against gays. His initial strategy is simply a holding action designed to buy time to implement his primary strategy. He calls for massive resistance to gays from conservatives in every sector of society:</p>
<p>What then is to be done? Conservatives must hold the defensive lines—in state courts, in legislatures, in corporate America—as best they can. These efforts will come to naught, however, if the [Supreme] Court stays its course.</p>
<p>It is revealing that Bradley wants “corporate America” to “hold the defensive lines” against gays. What is the corporate basis for opposing rights and benefits for gays? Does he want corporate policies to be adopted based on whether they embody a “conservative” ideology hostile to gays? What “defensive line” are corporations supposed to patrol in this struggle against gays? Does he want corporations to fire, and refuse to hire, gays? Does he want corporations to display hostility towards gay employees? Does he want them to treat gay employees as second class employees? Encouraging corporations to discriminate against gays is bad for business. It is also an admission and celebration of animus. And why is hostility towards gays a “conservative” value?</p>
<p>Bradley’s primary strategy is passage of a constitutional amendment removing the protection of the 14th amendment from homosexuals who wish to marry. His secondary strategy, which he believes would fail, is to create a new “natural law” theory that would provide a rational basis for the return of even the most draconian forms of discrimination against gays.</p>
<p>Bradley believes that criminalizing consensual adult homosexual sex is appropriate—to “protect marriage”:</p>
<p>And so the rational basis of [sodomy] laws such as Texas’ was to protect and promote marriage, if in a very limited way.</p>
<p>But, as this example shows, and Bradley and Robert George, a fellow new natural law theorist, have acknowledged in their articles, the “rational bases” for prohibiting homosexual marriage that they claim arise from their theories cannot be demonstrated. Bradley supports upholding laws imprisoning gays for years on felony charges (for having consensual sex) in order to promote heterosexual marriages “in a very limited way.” He knows that he could not demonstrate this claimed rational basis if a trial were held at which he had to prove his assertions. This is why those hostile to gay rights feared a trial on Proposition 8 rather than relishing the opportunity to back up their claims in court.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpprotectmarriagecomgtprotectmarriagecomltagt story first appeared new deal 20 website notre dame law school professor gerard bradley criticized united states district court judge vaughan walker heard challenge constitutionality californias proposition 8 grounds judge unfit hear case reports gay correct see post new deal 20 gay judges need apply proposition 8 sought overturn decision california supreme court unconstitutional forbid gays marry bradley also complained trial judge walker conducted demonstrated bias bradley claimed everyone could probably agree explanation offered conservative commentator ed whelan observed walker determined outset use case advance cause samesex marriage doubt judge walker made mind prop 8 trial began bradleys attack judge walker unfit decide case reports gay accurate received considerable attention bradley whelans attack trial equally revealing bradley explained 2003 national review article stand fight dont take gay marriage lying feared trial judge fundamental problem antigay forces supreme court decision lawrence v texas declaring unconstitutional state law making consensual adult sodomy crime supreme court decision confirmed unwillingness treat traditional attitudes towards homosexuality legitimate bases discriminating gays bradley writing audience largely shared traditional attitudes towards homosexuality unusually open nature attitudes justice scalia surely right many americans want openly gay persons partners business scoutmasters children boarders home newlyweds next door bradley recognizes whether describe traditional attitudes revulsion discrimination homophobia provide rational basis laws discriminate homosexuals justice scalia seems say law limits marriage one man one woman societys moral disapprobation homosexual conduct says courts majority deems motive unconstitutional would reasoned basis disapprobation feelings repulsion wont since feelings reasons indeed scalias dissent proved point majority made lawrencethe majority discriminating despised minority group classic violation equal protection clause 14th amendment bradley warned readers trying prove court rational basis discriminating gays disastrous legal strategy hawaii tried prove samesexmarriage litigation several years ago gay households handicapped kidsin strictly nonmoral mostly psychological waysin school life disaster even states experts couldnt show opponents homosexual marriage desperate avoid trial would required support claims marriages would harm heterosexuals marriages note disasters bradley fears televised hearings harassment experts testifying opposition homosexual marriage disaster fears fair trial expose fact attacks gays baseless recognizes cause immense harm wish discriminate homosexuals exposing bias demonstrating gays normal rather demonic single important reason americans particularly americans age 50 dramatically reduced antipathy gays far gays openly gay americans increasingly recognize colleagues friends relatives gays gays normal rather despised bradley understands normalization greatest threat preserving discrimination gays desperate counter clock running another reason samesex marriage rapidly normalized culturally legally many samesex couples already consider married expect treated many jurisdictions aremore less depending many concessions law made adoption survivors benefits like bradley convinced antigay forces inability provide rational basis prohibiting homosexuals marry proposed three strategies restore right discriminate gays initial strategy simply holding action designed buy time implement primary strategy calls massive resistance gays conservatives every sector society done conservatives must hold defensive linesin state courts legislatures corporate americaas best efforts come naught however supreme court stays course revealing bradley wants corporate america hold defensive lines gays corporate basis opposing rights benefits gays want corporate policies adopted based whether embody conservative ideology hostile gays defensive line corporations supposed patrol struggle gays want corporations fire refuse hire gays want corporations display hostility towards gay employees want treat gay employees second class employees encouraging corporations discriminate gays bad business also admission celebration animus hostility towards gays conservative value bradleys primary strategy passage constitutional amendment removing protection 14th amendment homosexuals wish marry secondary strategy believes would fail create new natural law theory would provide rational basis return even draconian forms discrimination gays bradley believes criminalizing consensual adult homosexual sex appropriateto protect marriage rational basis sodomy laws texas protect promote marriage limited way example shows bradley robert george fellow new natural law theorist acknowledged articles rational bases prohibiting homosexual marriage claim arise theories demonstrated bradley supports upholding laws imprisoning gays years felony charges consensual sex order promote heterosexual marriages limited way knows could demonstrate claimed rational basis trial held prove assertions hostile gay rights feared trial proposition 8 rather relishing opportunity back claims court | 661 |
<p>The recently released staff report on Iran issued by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee and the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on global terrorism conclude that the threats to U.S. national security are grave and increasing. These reports, which bolster arguments for a more aggressive “global war on terror,” represent the latest in a long series of documents dating back to the onset of the Cold War that declare that enemies pose ever-greater risks to U.S. national security.</p>
<p>The accuracy of NIEs and other threat assessment reports has always been the subject of sharp political debate between hawks and moderates.</p>
<p>In the case of the recent assessments, the House report follows the historical pattern of hardliners attempting to inflate the prevailing threat assessment, while the new NIE, parts of which were declassified and released last week, affirms the deepening public conviction that the Iraq War is fueling anti-U.S. terrorism. Both documents have been used to argue the administration’s contention that the United States has no alternative but to stay the course in an offensive, preemptive war against terrorism. But there’s more to the story than that.</p>
<p>The House report sharply chastises the intelligence community for not providing better threat assessments on Iran. According to the report, “Intelligence community managers and analysts must provide their best analytical judgments about Iranian WMD programs and not shy away from provocative conclusions or bury disagreements in consensus assessments.” Although the report lacked their full support, the committee’s Democrats did not oppose its release.</p>
<p>But after its release, Democratic committee members, including top-ranking minority member Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), criticized the report for making unsubstantiated claims about Iran’s threat to U.S. national security. The principal author of the report was Republican staffer Frederick Fleitz, a former CIA officer who served as special assistant to John Bolton when he was arms control chief at the State Department.</p>
<p>Democrats weren’t the only ones to find fault with the report. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sent a letter to committee chairman Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) complaining that the report contained some “erroneous, misleading, and unsubstantiated statements,” including a wildly high estimate of Iran’s capability to produce weapon-grade uranium. “This is like pre-war Iraq all over again,” said David Albright, a former nuclear inspector who is president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. “You have an Iranian nuclear threat that is spun up, using bad information that’s cherry-picked, and a report that trashes the inspectors,” Albright told the Washington Post (September 14, 2006).</p>
<p>The release of the partially declassified NIE, “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,” produced by the National Intelligence Council, added more fuel to the already fiery debate about the Iraq War. Though the report concludes that current U.S. actions are spawning more anti-U.S. terrorism, it also maintains that this might be reversed, giving both parties ammunition for arguments. Many Democrats and anti-war activists believe that the intelligence assessment confirms their critiques of the Iraq War, but Republicans and Bush administration officials put a different spin on the report, claiming it supports the need to remain in Iraq and to step up antiterrorism efforts.</p>
<p>Indeed, the estimate points to a future of escalating terrorist threats: If current trends continue, “threats to U.S. interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide.” Furthermore, “We assess that the operational threat from self-radicalized cells will grow in importance to U.S. counterterrorism efforts, particularly abroad but also in the Homeland.”</p>
<p>Muslim jihadists are “increasing in both number and geographic dispersion,” the NIE states. While al-Qaida has been “seriously damaged,” the intelligence estimate warns that overall, the jihadist movement is “spreading and adapting to the counterterrorism effort.” According to the 16 intelligence agencies that produced the report, which was finished in April 2006 but whose findings were not released until last month, “We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operations.”</p>
<p>Although it notes that “the Iraq conflict has become the ’cause celebre’ for jihadists,” the estimate does not suggest that withdrawal from Iraq would reduce global terrorism. Rather, “Perceived jihadist success [in Iraq] would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere.” But “should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.”</p>
<p>In other words, if the U.S.-led war on terror manages to defeat the jihadists in Iraq, then Islamic terrorism might subside. But if Washington fails, according to the NIE, terrorists everywhere will be emboldened.</p>
<p>And there’s more to fear than global jihadism. The NIE also warns: “Anti-U.S. and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical ideologies. This could prompt some leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt terrorist methods to attack U.S. interests. The radicalization process is occurring more quickly, more widely, and more anonymously in the Internet age, raising the likelihood of surprise attacks by unknown groups whose members and supporters may be difficult to pinpoint.”</p>
<p>In the absence of a constructive agenda for U.S. global engagement, the politics of fear continue to shape U.S. foreign and military policy. With a party and an administration in power whose political security rests on their boasts of being the only guarantors of national security, the pumping up of fear and inflation of threats are electoral strategies. In his contentious interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News, former President Bill Clinton said that we hear this political message every two years. “This is perfectly predictable,” he told Wallace, “We’re going to win a lot of seats if the American people aren’t afraid. If they’re afraid and we get divided again, then we may only win a few seats.”</p>
<p>TOM BARRY is policy director of the <a href="http://www.irc-online.org/" type="external">International Relations Center</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | recently released staff report iran issued republicancontrolled house intelligence committee new national intelligence estimate nie global terrorism conclude threats us national security grave increasing reports bolster arguments aggressive global war terror represent latest long series documents dating back onset cold war declare enemies pose evergreater risks us national security accuracy nies threat assessment reports always subject sharp political debate hawks moderates case recent assessments house report follows historical pattern hardliners attempting inflate prevailing threat assessment new nie parts declassified released last week affirms deepening public conviction iraq war fueling antius terrorism documents used argue administrations contention united states alternative stay course offensive preemptive war terrorism theres story house report sharply chastises intelligence community providing better threat assessments iran according report intelligence community managers analysts must provide best analytical judgments iranian wmd programs shy away provocative conclusions bury disagreements consensus assessments although report lacked full support committees democrats oppose release release democratic committee members including topranking minority member rep jane harman dca criticized report making unsubstantiated claims irans threat us national security principal author report republican staffer frederick fleitz former cia officer served special assistant john bolton arms control chief state department democrats werent ones find fault report international atomic energy agency iaea sent letter committee chairman rep pete hoekstra rmi complaining report contained erroneous misleading unsubstantiated statements including wildly high estimate irans capability produce weapongrade uranium like prewar iraq said david albright former nuclear inspector president washingtonbased institute science international security iranian nuclear threat spun using bad information thats cherrypicked report trashes inspectors albright told washington post september 14 2006 release partially declassified nie trends global terrorism implications united states produced national intelligence council added fuel already fiery debate iraq war though report concludes current us actions spawning antius terrorism also maintains might reversed giving parties ammunition arguments many democrats antiwar activists believe intelligence assessment confirms critiques iraq war republicans bush administration officials put different spin report claiming supports need remain iraq step antiterrorism efforts indeed estimate points future escalating terrorist threats current trends continue threats us interests home abroad become diverse leading increasing attacks worldwide furthermore assess operational threat selfradicalized cells grow importance us counterterrorism efforts particularly abroad also homeland muslim jihadists increasing number geographic dispersion nie states alqaida seriously damaged intelligence estimate warns overall jihadist movement spreading adapting counterterrorism effort according 16 intelligence agencies produced report finished april 2006 whose findings released last month assess iraq jihad shaping new generation terrorist leaders operations although notes iraq conflict become cause celebre jihadists estimate suggest withdrawal iraq would reduce global terrorism rather perceived jihadist success iraq would inspire fighters continue struggle elsewhere jihadists leaving iraq perceive perceived failed judge fewer fighters inspired carry fight words usled war terror manages defeat jihadists iraq islamic terrorism might subside washington fails according nie terrorists everywhere emboldened theres fear global jihadism nie also warns antius antiglobalization sentiment rise fueling radical ideologies could prompt leftist nationalist separatist groups adopt terrorist methods attack us interests radicalization process occurring quickly widely anonymously internet age raising likelihood surprise attacks unknown groups whose members supporters may difficult pinpoint absence constructive agenda us global engagement politics fear continue shape us foreign military policy party administration power whose political security rests boasts guarantors national security pumping fear inflation threats electoral strategies contentious interview chris wallace fox news former president bill clinton said hear political message every two years perfectly predictable told wallace going win lot seats american people arent afraid theyre afraid get divided may win seats tom barry policy director international relations center 160 160 160 | 586 |
<p>Looks like&#160;Mordor-on-the-Potomac is psyching itself up to attack Russia and Iran.</p>
<p>All-purpose ignoramus Sean&#160;Spicer&#160;is quoted in the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Washington Post</a>&#160;as saying, “The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children. The activities are similar to preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack. If Mr. Assad conducts another mass murder using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price.”</p>
<p>Never to be out-neoconned, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (what difference does it make?) threatened Russia: “Any attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia and Iran who support him in killing his own people.” Haley and&#160;Spicer&#160;are giving the green light to&#160;al–Qaeda&#160;to stage a false flag attack to be blamed on the Syrian, Iranian and Russian governments.</p>
<p>The reason for&#160;the current brazen lies is to drown out Seymour Hersh’s June 25&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Welt article</a>&#160;where American military officials admit that Assad didn’t use chemical weapons on&#160;April 4. This has also been previously&#160; <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mit-expert-claims-latest-chemical-weapons-attack-syria-was-staged-1617267" type="external">debunked</a>&#160;by former scientific advisor to the Department of Defense (sic) Theodore&#160;Postel. The Trump administration’s concern about poison gas is as touching as their silence about America currently dropping&#160; <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/anti-isis-coalition-using-white-phosphorus-mosul-and-raqqa-endangering-625398" type="external">white phosphorus</a>&#160;in heavily populated Mosul and&#160;Raqqa&#160;and their silence about&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Airwars</a>&#160;documenting that America kills more civilians in Syria than Russia does. America just permanently freed the shit out of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">42 more Syrian civilians</a>&#160;on Monday&#160;by bombing an ISIS-run jail in&#160;al–Mayadeen. Imagine that: one of the CIA’s greatest, most vicious creations, ISIS, chooses not to kill you outright but to put you in jail — and then the&#160; <a href="http://chinascope.org/archives/6458" type="external">US dollar’s Air Force</a>&#160;comes along and kills you anyway. So much freedom to spread — ICan’tBelieveIt’sNotWarCrimes!</p>
<p>Spicer&#160;presents no evidence for what he says and the Washington Post “reporters” see no reason to ask him for any. The Washington Post isn’t a newspaper and it doesn’t employ journalists. What it has are government propagandists who dispense our daily two minutes of “Syria hate” (and usually much more)&#160;a la&#160;Orwell’s 1984. (The only bigger walking conflict of interest than Trump is Washington Post and Amazon oligarch Jeff&#160;Bezos&#160;with his&#160; <a href="" type="internal">$600 million contract</a>&#160;with the CIA.) The editors and stenographers for the Post do nothing but agitate for constant war. Like the New York Times and CNN, they are integral to US war-making, they are extensions of the US government. The proper way to look at them — and Thomas Friedman,&#160;Fareed&#160;Zakaria, Wolf&#160;Blitzer, every&#160;neocon&#160;commentator, etc. — is that they are pint-sized&#160; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Streicher" type="external">Julius&#160;Streichers</a>. They are war criminals. When the US loses its reserve currency status and the people break free of the police and surveillance state, these people will face Nuremberg-like trials. Free speech shouldn’t include yelling “Attack Iran!” 24/7 in the crowded theatre of Southwest Asia. Anyone propagandizing for illegal unconstitutional wars should be arrested. This would take care of 98% of the US Senate and most of the House. “Free speech,” even now, doesn’t protect incitement to commit a crime. The law simply needs applied to John McCain and Lindsey Graham.</p>
<p>The people of Syria can expect more US and Israeli attacks as Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey get closer to a political solution in Syria. Americans wouldn’t know it from reading the Washington Post but the majority of Syrians support the government, thousands of fighters have sought amnesty and re-joined the government’s armed forces, over 1,300 Syrian towns (as of March 2017) have reconciled with the government, thousands of square kilometers in southeast Syria have been liberated from ISIS in the past month and the US military base near the Jordanian border&#160;has been surrounded and neutralized by the Syrian army and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units so it can’t wreak havoc against the Syrian government in&#160;Deir&#160;ez–Zor. Neocon dreams of partitioning Syria are slipping away.</p>
<p>The real action in Syria has never been ISIS or the “Free Syrian Army” — these are the two stalking horse CIA proxies for the Greater Kurdistan project which would border four countries that American and Israel wish to&#160;balkanize: Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. We in the West have been well-prepared for many years about the gay-positive and woman-liberating peaceable Kurds. Less well known is their&#160; <a href="" type="internal">ethnic cleansing</a>&#160;of Sunni Arabs in the territories that they conquer, including threats, intimidation, murder, looting and the burning down of houses, partying like it’s 1948 Palestine. Turkey has been beautifully demonized — so easy to do with&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Gollum</a>&#160;leading it — and any terrorism committed against it by Kurdish groups is either disputed, minimized or not recognized at all by the mainstream media. The Kurds need to reconcile with all governments in the region because they are fast approaching their insane umpteenth betrayal by the United States. And some&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Kurdish leaders</a>&#160;are now turning against the partitioning of Syria.</p>
<p>Assad said he would take back every inch of Syria for a very good reason: Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, Iraq and Turkey understand that if Syria is partitioned there will be American military bases in a Kurdistan or a&#160;Wahhabistan&#160;or both. And these bases will be used as terrorist havens to fuck over the people in the region every day of their lives for the benefit of the US and Israel. The Syrian people haven’t fought and died for that abomination to triumph. The one thing the destruction of Iraq, Libya and Syria have demonstrated is that, no matter how lousy the present is,&#160;neocon&#160;“dreams” can make the future infinitely worse. Any reasonable person looking over the last 50 years of the devolution&#160;of Southwest Asia would conclude that the more Israel, Saudi Arabia and America get their way, the more horrendous the lives of the majority of inhabitants.</p> | true | 4 | looks like160mordoronthepotomac psyching attack russia iran allpurpose ignoramus sean160spicer160is quoted the160 washington post160as saying united states identified potential preparations another chemical weapons attack assad regime would likely result mass murder civilians including innocent children activities similar preparations regime made april 4 2017 chemical weapons attack mr assad conducts another mass murder using chemical weapons military pay heavy price never outneoconned israeli ambassador united nations nikki haley difference make threatened russia attacks done people syria blamed assad also russia iran support killing people haley and160spicer160are giving green light to160alqaeda160to stage false flag attack blamed syrian iranian russian governments reason for160the current brazen lies drown seymour hershs june 25160 welt article160where american military officials admit assad didnt use chemical weapons on160april 4 also previously160 debunked160by former scientific advisor department defense sic theodore160postel trump administrations concern poison gas touching silence america currently dropping160 white phosphorus160in heavily populated mosul and160raqqa160and silence about160 airwars160documenting america kills civilians syria russia america permanently freed shit of160 42 syrian civilians160on monday160by bombing isisrun jail in160almayadeen imagine one cias greatest vicious creations isis chooses kill outright put jail the160 us dollars air force160comes along kills anyway much freedom spread icantbelieveitsnotwarcrimes spicer160presents evidence says washington post reporters see reason ask washington post isnt newspaper doesnt employ journalists government propagandists dispense daily two minutes syria hate usually much more160a la160orwells 1984 bigger walking conflict interest trump washington post amazon oligarch jeff160bezos160with his160 600 million contract160with cia editors stenographers post nothing agitate constant war like new york times cnn integral us warmaking extensions us government proper way look thomas friedman160fareed160zakaria wolf160blitzer every160neocon160commentator etc pintsized160 julius160streichers war criminals us loses reserve currency status people break free police surveillance state people face nuremberglike trials free speech shouldnt include yelling attack iran 247 crowded theatre southwest asia anyone propagandizing illegal unconstitutional wars arrested would take care 98 us senate house free speech even doesnt protect incitement commit crime law simply needs applied john mccain lindsey graham people syria expect us israeli attacks syria russia iran turkey get closer political solution syria americans wouldnt know reading washington post majority syrians support government thousands fighters sought amnesty rejoined governments armed forces 1300 syrian towns march 2017 reconciled government thousands square kilometers southeast syria liberated isis past month us military base near jordanian border160has surrounded neutralized syrian army iraqs popular mobilization units cant wreak havoc syrian government in160deir160ezzor neocon dreams partitioning syria slipping away real action syria never isis free syrian army two stalking horse cia proxies greater kurdistan project would border four countries american israel wish to160balkanize iraq iran syria turkey west wellprepared many years gaypositive womanliberating peaceable kurds less well known their160 ethnic cleansing160of sunni arabs territories conquer including threats intimidation murder looting burning houses partying like 1948 palestine turkey beautifully demonized easy with160 gollum160leading terrorism committed kurdish groups either disputed minimized recognized mainstream media kurds need reconcile governments region fast approaching insane umpteenth betrayal united states some160 kurdish leaders160are turning partitioning syria assad said would take back every inch syria good reason syria iran hezbollah iraq turkey understand syria partitioned american military bases kurdistan a160wahhabistan160or bases used terrorist havens fuck people region every day lives benefit us israel syrian people havent fought died abomination triumph one thing destruction iraq libya syria demonstrated matter lousy present is160neocon160dreams make future infinitely worse reasonable person looking last 50 years devolution160of southwest asia would conclude israel saudi arabia america get way horrendous lives majority inhabitants | 566 |
<p>The image of Juror 32 — emotional, near tears, hugging a fellow juror as they fled media cameras and questions after essentially acquitting Sami Al-Arian — lingers even a week later.</p>
<p>The anonymous juror was mobbed as he left the courthouse, answering a few questions, saying briefly that he felt no pressure to change his vote, explaining that he just didn’t see the evidence of a crime. As Juror 32 broke into a short trot to put distance between himself and reporters, he yelped, “Help!”</p>
<p>Most folks who followed the lumbering trial — regardless of where they fell on the whole guilty or not-guilty thing — likewise could use some help now that it is finally over. Help in making sense of a six-month trial that failed to capture the public’s attention. Help in figuring out how our powerful government and its endless wiretaps and ample resources failed to elicit a single “guilty” verdict from the jury for any of the four defendants. Help in figuring out why we had to keep two Palestinian intellectuals in jail for nearly three years whose major crimes were, at worst, providing PR (and not bombs) for terrorists. Help in understanding why our government has been largely unable to prosecute high-profile court cases in its “War on Terrorism”.</p>
<p>These questions remain unanswered, just as the trial remains without its conclusion.</p>
<p>On the 13th day of deliberations, on the 13th floor of the federal courthouse in Tampa, and after six months of testimony, jurors rejected federal prosecutors’ assertion that former USF professor was a terrorist.</p>
<p>Although they deadlocked on three of four major charges against Al-Arian and co-defendant Hatem Fariz, jurors found them and two others not guilty of dozens of charges related to conspiracy, mail fraud, aiding terrorism and extortion.</p>
<p>Nine charges against Al-Arian remain alive. Although he and his co-defendants–Sameeh Hammoudeh, Ghassan Ballut and Hatem Fariz–won big last week, those pesky mistrial charges remain. Three of them are major allegations: that he was involved in a conspiracy, that he aided a designated terrorist organization, and that he was involved in extortion.</p>
<p>Now, the story will hang around like a winter head cold as the government decides whether to retry him and then (more than likely) bargains with him to gain his deportation.</p>
<p>In other words–sorry to be the bearer of bad news–you haven’t heard the last of this story.</p>
<p>But as we contemplate the unanswered, let’s take inventory of the overlooked:</p>
<p>Al-Arian was the clearly the target in this case, not the alleged “terror cell” that the government tried so hard to prove existed. The case against Ballut was laughable; at times you had to wonder how he felt sitting through a trial that he really wasn’t part of.</p>
<p>For Hammoudeh, the outcome is worse. He was cleared of all charges, but in its zeal to pressure Hammoudeh into testifying against Al-Arian, the government ginned up tax and immigrations charges before the terrorism trial against him and his wife. They pleaded guilty and agreed to be deported. So even though he was acquitted of terrorism, he’s headed to the West Bank.</p>
<p>Hammoudeh’s attorney, Stephen Bernstein, said the pressure and offers of a deal from the federal government were overwhelming for his client. “He was a way to get to Sami Al-Arian,” Bernstein said after the trial. What did the government offer Hammoudeh to flip? According to Bernstein, the feds said Hammoudeh “has the keys to the jail”.</p>
<p>* The mainstream media played out just about as expected. The Tampa Tribune’s coverage put the evidence against Al-Arian in the harshest light. The St. Petersburg Times was more questioning of the prosecution’s case. In the end, the Times showed how it dominates the Tribune journalistically, putting 11 reporters on day-of-verdict coverage against six Tribune reporters. The Times, in fact, had the luxury of embedding a reporter, Vanessa Gezari, with the Al-Arian family as they awaited a verdict. Gezari wrote a very sympathetic account of the family’s ordeal before the trial; her contributions to the verdict story were similar in tone. But did that kind of intimacy limit the kinds of questions that could be asked? For instance, there was nothing from Al-Arian’s wife, Nahla, about a prosecutor’s brief statement early in the trail that she was an unindicted co-conspirator. Or from family members on what they thought of Dad’s pro-terrorism statements revealed on the wiretaps.</p>
<p>If the Times chose access over tough questions, it is hard to criticize; the plight of Nahla, standing up for her husband during his long imprisonment, is touching. Her tears and grateful comments outside the courtroom immediately after the verdict–“I’m grateful to the jury, the wonderful jury”–were among the most powerful scenes of the entire trial.</p>
<p>And to be fair, some of our readers feel the Planet’s John Sugg made the same choice for years, with his work on this case providing a strong voice for Al-Arian’s innocence long before other media, even if that access and insight sometimes came at the cost of presenting all sides of the story.</p>
<p>There was one media surprise: On the day after the verdict, the Times editorial uncharacteristically body-slammed Al-Arian–suggesting that he had abused this country’s hospitality and all but OK’ing his deportation–while the Tribune was fairly sedate in its assessment of the acquittal.</p>
<p>Protests that pre-trial publicity had hopelessly tainted the jury didn’t hold water, and those who argued that position beforehand were happy to switch afterward. For Ahmed Bedier, the head of the local Council on American-Islamic Relations, the victory disproved Bedier’s assertions pre-trial that the men could not receive a fair trial in Tampa due to overwhelmingly negative coverage and attitudes toward Muslims. Outside the federal courthouse after the verdicts were read, Bedier said, “We were proven wrong. It was a fair trial”.</p>
<p>Evidence that the prosecution and media persecution of Al-Arian was an Israeli operation from the get-go continues to mount. In reporting the verdict, the Jerusalem Post wrote, “Israel has played a major role in the prosecution, providing countless documents regarding the conduct of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad… .”</p>
<p>While not convicting him, the government’s case exposed Al-Arian as a liar and someone who on occasion privately lauded violence in the Middle East. He was deeply involved with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad leadership (although there is no evidence he worked with its military wing), even though he told reporters and the University of South Florida that he was not. He sponsored Ramadan Abdullah Shallah to come to this country and work in Tampa, working alongside the man who would become the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.</p>
<p>While Al-Arian has plenty of explanations and excuses for this deception, the fact remains that Tampa Bay got to see a very different ex-professor than the one he claimed to be.</p>
<p>It’s also notable that while the Muslim community celebrates the acquittals and lauds the American justice system, none has embraced Al-Arian’s more incendiary comments on the wiretaps.</p>
<p>* The Al-Arian affair remains troubling and embarrassing for the University of South Florida, which suspended the computer sciences professor, investigated him and cleared him, only to fire him quickly after his indictment. After the verdict, the school again hastily issued a news release that said, “USF ended Sami Al-Arian’s employment three years ago, and we do not expect anything to change that.”</p>
<p>While some on the faculty feel outright used by Al-Arian, many faculty members remain distressed by the lack of due process that a tenured professor received in this case. The post-verdict statement didn’t do anything to assuage those feelings.</p>
<p>“The university administration screwed up again by putting out a press release that many faculty interpret as saying we don’t care about the outcome of the trial, he’s still fired,” said Roy Weatherford, the head of the United Faculty of Florida union chapter on campus. “What’s the point of saying that? It just fans the flames again. It makes it look as if they don’t care about due process.”</p>
<p>Al-Arian does not have a union grievance at this point (owing to legal and political wrangling over the union contract’s status when Florida did away with its Board of Regents in favor of trustees at each university). Weatherford said if Al-Arian were to attempt to file one now, the union would have to stand by him.</p>
<p>So the trial is over. But little has changed. Most folks–according to those unscientific newspaper surveys–believe Al-Arian was guilty anyway. The encouraging sign of fairness from the Al-Arian jury aside, there is still a bias against Muslims in our community. Another co-defendant still faces serious charges if the government wants to re-try the case. The government, for that matter, still appears fairly inept in terror trials. And Sami Al-Arian still sits in a jail cell off Orient Road.</p>
<p>WAYNE GARCIA is the Tampa political editor of The Planet.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | image juror 32 emotional near tears hugging fellow juror fled media cameras questions essentially acquitting sami alarian lingers even week later anonymous juror mobbed left courthouse answering questions saying briefly felt pressure change vote explaining didnt see evidence crime juror 32 broke short trot put distance reporters yelped help folks followed lumbering trial regardless fell whole guilty notguilty thing likewise could use help finally help making sense sixmonth trial failed capture publics attention help figuring powerful government endless wiretaps ample resources failed elicit single guilty verdict jury four defendants help figuring keep two palestinian intellectuals jail nearly three years whose major crimes worst providing pr bombs terrorists help understanding government largely unable prosecute highprofile court cases war terrorism questions remain unanswered trial remains without conclusion 13th day deliberations 13th floor federal courthouse tampa six months testimony jurors rejected federal prosecutors assertion former usf professor terrorist although deadlocked three four major charges alarian codefendant hatem fariz jurors found two others guilty dozens charges related conspiracy mail fraud aiding terrorism extortion nine charges alarian remain alive although codefendantssameeh hammoudeh ghassan ballut hatem farizwon big last week pesky mistrial charges remain three major allegations involved conspiracy aided designated terrorist organization involved extortion story hang around like winter head cold government decides whether retry likely bargains gain deportation wordssorry bearer bad newsyou havent heard last story contemplate unanswered lets take inventory overlooked alarian clearly target case alleged terror cell government tried hard prove existed case ballut laughable times wonder felt sitting trial really wasnt part hammoudeh outcome worse cleared charges zeal pressure hammoudeh testifying alarian government ginned tax immigrations charges terrorism trial wife pleaded guilty agreed deported even though acquitted terrorism hes headed west bank hammoudehs attorney stephen bernstein said pressure offers deal federal government overwhelming client way get sami alarian bernstein said trial government offer hammoudeh flip according bernstein feds said hammoudeh keys jail mainstream media played expected tampa tribunes coverage put evidence alarian harshest light st petersburg times questioning prosecutions case end times showed dominates tribune journalistically putting 11 reporters dayofverdict coverage six tribune reporters times fact luxury embedding reporter vanessa gezari alarian family awaited verdict gezari wrote sympathetic account familys ordeal trial contributions verdict story similar tone kind intimacy limit kinds questions could asked instance nothing alarians wife nahla prosecutors brief statement early trail unindicted coconspirator family members thought dads proterrorism statements revealed wiretaps times chose access tough questions hard criticize plight nahla standing husband long imprisonment touching tears grateful comments outside courtroom immediately verdictim grateful jury wonderful jurywere among powerful scenes entire trial fair readers feel planets john sugg made choice years work case providing strong voice alarians innocence long media even access insight sometimes came cost presenting sides story one media surprise day verdict times editorial uncharacteristically bodyslammed alariansuggesting abused countrys hospitality oking deportationwhile tribune fairly sedate assessment acquittal protests pretrial publicity hopelessly tainted jury didnt hold water argued position beforehand happy switch afterward ahmed bedier head local council americanislamic relations victory disproved bediers assertions pretrial men could receive fair trial tampa due overwhelmingly negative coverage attitudes toward muslims outside federal courthouse verdicts read bedier said proven wrong fair trial evidence prosecution media persecution alarian israeli operation getgo continues mount reporting verdict jerusalem post wrote israel played major role prosecution providing countless documents regarding conduct palestinian islamic jihad convicting governments case exposed alarian liar someone occasion privately lauded violence middle east deeply involved palestinian islamic jihad leadership although evidence worked military wing even though told reporters university south florida sponsored ramadan abdullah shallah come country work tampa working alongside man would become head palestinian islamic jihad alarian plenty explanations excuses deception fact remains tampa bay got see different exprofessor one claimed also notable muslim community celebrates acquittals lauds american justice system none embraced alarians incendiary comments wiretaps alarian affair remains troubling embarrassing university south florida suspended computer sciences professor investigated cleared fire quickly indictment verdict school hastily issued news release said usf ended sami alarians employment three years ago expect anything change faculty feel outright used alarian many faculty members remain distressed lack due process tenured professor received case postverdict statement didnt anything assuage feelings university administration screwed putting press release many faculty interpret saying dont care outcome trial hes still fired said roy weatherford head united faculty florida union chapter campus whats point saying fans flames makes look dont care due process alarian union grievance point owing legal political wrangling union contracts status florida away board regents favor trustees university weatherford said alarian attempt file one union would stand trial little changed folksaccording unscientific newspaper surveysbelieve alarian guilty anyway encouraging sign fairness alarian jury aside still bias muslims community another codefendant still faces serious charges government wants retry case government matter still appears fairly inept terror trials sami alarian still sits jail cell orient road wayne garcia tampa political editor planet 160 160 | 805 |
<p />
<p>Photo By Mike Mozart | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p />
<p>+It’s 6 am. The sun has risen on this strange election day, illuminating a nation that has finally made up its mind.</p>
<p>Strike that.</p>
<p>This is Oregon. The Willamette Valley is enshrouded&#160;this morning in a&#160;fog so thick people will have a hard time find their polling places.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there are no polling places. No poll watchers or election police, no one to check your ID, bully,&#160;berate or vote shame you. Oregon takes a laissez-faire attitude. Take your time, think about it, vote at home, mail it in. Out here on the western edge of the continent, we know these national elections are decided long before election day. Or are they?</p>
<p>Most of us in Oregon chose to vote or not vote a week ago or more, filling out our interminable ballots at the kitchen table–assuming you’re fortunate enough to have a kitchen table–with a glass of wine and a vaporizer to dull the senses, checking through dozens of ballot measures from a new tax on&#160;corporations to halting the sale of body parts from endangered species, from funding off-the-leash dog parks and new hiking trails to sewer upgrades and fire stations.</p>
<p>This is about as close to direct democracy as it gets. Still the experience this year is a sour one.&#160;Probably half the candidates on the ballot, from state judges to soil and water district commissioners, school board slots to planning commissioners, are running unopposed. Even at this local, basic level of politics people seem to be giving up, acknowledging the futility of changing anything under the current dynamic.</p>
<p>The electoral experience is getting farther and farther removed from the issues that matter to most of us, from health care to the climate, jobs to homelessness, consumer debt to child care. The skin of the system is getting thin, the circuitry beneath is beginning to show through, like some over-worked android on WestWorld.</p>
<p>+ The polls all suggest that it will be a big night for Hillary. She either has a <a href="" type="internal">94% chance</a> of winning, an <a href="" type="internal">84% chance</a> of winning, or a <a href="" type="internal">71% chance</a>, according to the alleged savant of analytics Nate Silver, who has been hedging his bets over the last two weeks. That’s a 23% margin of error for the leading pollsters. No wonder they make the big money. Could they be wrong? You bet.</p>
<p>+ The most revealing poll of all is, naturally, the stock market, which rebounded on Monday after James Comey sent his opaque letter to Congress intimating&#160;that the latest investigation into Hillary’s emails proved to be yet&#160;another dud. There’s no better indicator&#160;of who Wall Street wants to win this election.</p>
<p>+ I’ve always thought the election was Hillary’s to lose. Of course, being Hillary, she has always been capable of blowing a sure thing.&#160;But the Establishment is desperate for her to win. Their fate is linked to hers. The system isn’t so much rigged as owned. All political destinies these days seem manufactured. This is part of what drives the rage simmering across the forgotten precincts of the country. <a href="https://store.counterpunch.org/product/bernie-the-sandernistas/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Of course, the System adapts and absorbs. That’s the malign genius of late-capitalism. The elites&#160;prefer Hillary, but will warp the unruly Trump to their&#160;purposes. Trump is a narcissist, not an ideologue. The system fosters and feeds&#160;on narcissism.</p>
<p>+ I’ve never thought Trump really wanted to win. In fact, every time the odds seemed to be tilting his direction, Trump would self-destruct. Trump might want his name on the White House, but in the dank recesses of his psyche he knows that he doesn’t really want to live there in an old three story house built by slaves.</p>
<p>+ There’s little joy to be found in voting for the independent candidates, either. Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, Gloria LaRiva. I like all three of them. But they’re given no oxygen in our political system, even as the old foundations begin to warp and crack. The moment Johnson began to show some life, threaten to crash the debate party, he was snuffed out, ridiculed for trivial verbal missteps and flubbed questions, none on the order of the vast and dangerous ignorance displayed daily&#160;by Trump and Clinton.</p>
<p>So for most of the fall&#160;these alternative candidates led vaporous campaigns, fleeting shadows on the wall of the system. To vote for any one of them is to validate the very system that denies their existence. Yet many&#160;of us&#160;do it anyway, slaves to the system that&#160;binds&#160;us.</p>
<p>Both the left and the right spoke of revolutionary aspirations during the campaign, but it was mostly hollow rhetoric. Trump’s ultras threaten armed rebellion if Hillary wins, but will most likely vent their range with&#160;a few pot shots at her image at&#160;the local shooting range before&#160;settling down into their recliners to watch Trump TV. Sanders, the self-branded revolutionary, joined the campaign of his enemy and cut his followers adrift, all in exchange for the offer of a possible chairmanship of the Senate budget committee. The&#160;Democrats have no plan of resistance for a Trump win. It’s inconceivable to them.</p>
<p>I’m reminded of Max Horkheimer’s observation&#160;about the fate of real revolutionaries:&#160;“A revolutionary career does not lead to banquets and honorary titles, interesting research and professorial wages. It leads to misery, disgrace, ingratitude, prison and a voyage into the unknown, illuminated by only an almost superhuman belief.”</p>
<p>This year’s electoral revolutionaries all seem headed toward a big payday, if not their own reality TV shows. Bernie Sanders on “Dancing With the Stars?”</p>
<p>+ A Wikileaked&#160;transcript of a speech Bill Clinton gave to&#160;Democratic Party powerbrokers at a fundraiser in Potomac is a sharp reminder of just how noxious he truly is. Clinton unloaded on Bernie Sanders and the European Left, wildly attacking Jeremy Corbyn and Alex Tsipiras, as radical zealots, calling Corbyn “a person off the streets” and the “maddest person in the room.”</p>
<p>Hillary says that you have to have a campaign that appeals to the struggling, the striving and the successful.&#160; We have to do this together.&#160; And Bernie says just go get the money from the millionaires.&#160; And it sounds good because there’s – to a lot of people, if you look all over the world – the British Labor Party disposed of its most (inaudible) leader, David Miliband, because they were mad at him for being part of Tony Blair’s government in the Iraq War.&#160; And they moved to the left and put his brother in as leader because the British labor movement wanted it.&#160; When David Cameron thumped him in the election, they reached the interesting conclusion that they lost because they hadn’t moved far left enough, and so they went out and practically got a guy off the street to be the leader of the British Labour Party, who I saw in the press today said that he was really a British citizen and had real British (inaudible).&#160; (Laughter.)</p>
<p>But what that is reflective of – the same thing happened in the Greek election – when people feel they’ve been shafted and they don’t expect anything to happen anyway, they just want the maddest person in the room to represent them.</p>
<p>If Corbyn somehow manages to become Prime Minister, expect&#160;the Clinton crowd to help the Tories plot a coup.</p>
<p>+ Bill is sour because the British Left has finally evicted most of the Blairites from the Labour Party and Bill sees Tony Blair, and his acolytes, as his European protegés, the last believers in the battered brand of Clintonism.</p>
<p>+ Poor people have disappeared from the campaign faster than discussion of climate change. Their condition is too depressing to contemplate, I guess, just another intractable problem which&#160;doesn’t poll well in focus groups in targeted demographics. Leave them to their Malthusian fate.</p>
<p>+ Long lines at many of the polling places this morning, including in Manhattan, where two women allied with&#160;Femen briefly disrupted voting with <a href="" type="internal">a topless protest</a> against Trump. But would Trump himself have seen this as a rebuke or a tribute?</p>
<p>Surely there are longer lines of people refusing to be shamed into voting by the likes of Michael Moore, Rudy Giuliani or Lady Gaga. Where are the pictures of these brave souls?</p>
<p>+ Mid-day exit polling shows that <a href="" type="internal">36% of voters</a> are yearning for a “strong leader.” Whether they yearn for&#160;a Dominatrix or American Mussolini is yet to be determined. Either way, they’re likely to get screwed.</p>
<p>+ Want more evidence that Trump really doesn’t want to be elected? Two days before the polls opened, he leaked his choices for his top cabinet positions: Reince Pribus for chief of staff, the crazy general Michael Flynn for defense secretary, Goldman Sachs veteran Michael Mnuchin for Treasury, Newt Gingrich for Secretary of State and Rudy Giuliani as Attorney General. It’s the equivalent of pre-wrapping his administration in&#160;crime-scene tape.</p>
<p>+ Bernie Sanders spent the week out on the campaign trail, shilling for Clinton. Much of what Sanders now says on the stump&#160;is a shameless repudiation of his own campaign, none more so than his mendacious assertion&#160;that the Queen of Fracking will save the planet by fiercely combating climate change. It’s one thing to campaign for Hillary against the prospect of Trump and something else to lie so brazenly about her dark record.</p>
<p>+ But Sanders isn’t alone. In a browbeating piece published by&#160;The Nation, Rebecca Solnit has made the outlandish claim that the US would never have gone to war against Iraq had Al Gore won Florida in 2000. Perhaps Ms. Solnit has forgotten that Iraq was bombed every three days during the Clinton/Gore administration, that at least 500,000 children perished under its remorseless sanctions regime, that twice Clinton and Gore pushed through Congress measures calling for regime change in Iraq, and the Gore, and his foreign policy advisor Leon Fuerth, were both eager&#160;to overthrow Saddam in a hot war. I’ve long thought that Gore would have invaded Iraq even lacking the pre-text of 9/11.</p>
<p>+ The Clinton campaign spent more than twice what the Trump campaign expended. According to Madeliene Albright, the price was worth it. But Trump’s midnight Tweets had more political impact than the slick ads Hollywood generated for Hillary. Trump understood the new media, learned from both Obama and Sanders, while the Clinton campaigned&#160;remained locked in the machine model of the 1990s.</p>
<p>+ The press, like the rest of the establishment, was all behind Clinton. HRC got 57 editorial endorsements from major papers, Gary Johnson got 4 and Trump only 2. So much for the influence of the press.</p>
<p>+ Of the cable networks, Fox News proved to be the most entertaining and informative to watch through the campaign. If they weren’t exactly “fair and balanced,” their anchors were at least more fair and balanced than CNN and MSDNC. They openly debated the merits of Trump, sometimes fiercely. MSDNC and CNN have been all in for Clinton from the beginning. MSDNC even helped to snuff out the Sanders campaign.</p>
<p>+ Trump couldn’t even win the backing of his own party elites. For example,&#160;73 percent of Democratic state legislators endorsed Clinton, while 5 percent of Republican state legislators endorsed Trump. It didn’t matter. To be endorsed by an elite was to have a target on your back.</p>
<p>+ The temperature in Oregon City today approached&#160;70 degrees, smashing the record high for this date. Not one question in the debates on climate change.</p>
<p>+ The political imagination of the country is more depleted today than I’ve ever known it. Vladimir Putin has become the super-scapegoat for the Democrats’ war against their own base. If Hillary’s loses, Putin will have hacked the voting machines, conspiring with Ralph Nader and Julian Assange.</p>
<p>Hillary Clinton has completely rejected even the pretense of class-oriented politics, in favor of targeting discrete demographics of voters, sending coded messages&#160;through&#160;the color and cut of her pantsuits to suburban women in Philly suburbs and insurance brokers in Tallahassee. This is the politics of identity, where your working conditions are less important than where you shop and what you buy. There is no unifying message to her campaign. Instead there are thousands of messages, each individually tailored and targeted like those stalker ads on Google and Amazons. It’s politics by algorithm.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Trump’s blue-collar voters are condemned by the liberal elites as neo-Nazis and Klan-like automatons. Over the last few weeks, MSDNC has devoted much attention to the imbecilic David Duke’s attempt to ride Trump’s coat-tails. Duke is polling at less than 5 percent among Republicans in his vainglorious run for the Senate in Louisiana. What about the Trump voters who reject Duke’s racist bilge? How do the Democrats explain them? They don’t even try. The American underclass, both black and white, those marginalized by globalization and a government that works only to further enrich the rich, are viewed by the Democrats’ leader as a collection of “deplorables” and “super-predators.”</p>
<p>The Democrats have totally surrendered to the logic of neoliberalism and the impoverished and pulverized victims of their policies must be blamed for their own pitiful condition. The poor will be fined for being poor. Where’s the long-term dividend in that cynical&#160;brand of politics?</p>
<p>+ The marijuana stock index is bullish on the prospect of legalization passing in California and elsewhere today. That there is a marijuana stock index is itself a rather depressing sign of how quickly capitalism can ruin a good thing.</p>
<p>+ Running against one of the worst Congresses in history, with an approval rating of less than 12 percent, the Democrats seem poised to pick up only a handful of seats&#160;in the House, perhaps as few as five. Of course, that may have been exactly the kind of Congress that HRC wanted. Much easier to go after entitlements by striking a deal with Paul Ryan than Pelosi.</p>
<p>+ Here’s an example. Trump is winning Vigo County, Indiana, stomping grounds of the old Socialist Eugene V. Debs, by 13%. Obama won that county by 1% in 2008, a clear sign of Trump’s appeal to union and&#160;working class voters on NAFTA and industrial trade policy.</p>
<p>+ Evan Bayh, the neoliberal Democrat and corporate lobbyist, got whacked in his return to Indiana, where he pushed aside Baron Hill to claim the Democratic slot. Bayh hadn’t lived in the state for years and couldn’t even remember the address of his condo in Indianapolis. Good riddance.</p>
<p>+&#160;In 2012, Obama won the union vote in Ohio by 23 points. Trump and Clinton are running even.</p>
<p>+ At 9 EST, even Minnesota reported in as “too close to call.” That’s an ominous sign. Trump is cleaning house in the red states, while Clinton is struggling in North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.</p>
<p>+ The Clinton campaign thought this afternoon they were going to win Florida by 5%. Win Florida, win the election. Now they may lose by 2%. Why? One reason:&#160;Clinton won just 51 percent of women in Florida.</p>
<p>+ She had&#160;the ground game, she had&#160;the money, she had&#160;the press, she had&#160;the advertising, she had the polls.&#160;All that meant nothing.</p>
<p>+ One of the key numbers of the night? 69 percent of the electorate is angry at the federal government. They feel the government has let them down. They’re right.</p>
<p>+ If Trump wins, liberals will have no way to process the results. It’s beyond their conception. Their brains will simply melt.</p>
<p>+ Dick&#160;Cheney once said that Reagan taught us that deficits don’t matter. Trump may teach us that sexual predation doesn’t matter. Of course, it never really has mattered politically in the US, in part because of the hypocrisy of the Democrats over JFK, Teddy Kennedy and Bill Clinton.</p>
<p>+&#160;Kaboom! Trump wins Ohio, followed by staggering wins&#160;in North Carolina, Iowa, and finally, Florida.</p>
<p>+ Rachel Maddow is desperately trying to scapegoat&#160;the Greens and Libertarians for Hillary’s loss in Florida. It’s an absurd&#160;charge. Libertarians don’t vote for neoliberal, war-mongering Democrats under any circumstances. Paul Krugman is fingering Jill Stein, who got less than one-percent of the vote: “Jill Stein has managed to play Ralph Nader. Without her Florida might have been saved.” Nonsense. Hillary&#160;has only herself to blame. Despite a big Latino turnout, Hillary only won 51% of the women’s vote in Florida. No hanging chads to be found.</p>
<p>+&#160;If Trump ultimately wins Michigan, will Michael Moore implode&#160;or&#160;explode?</p>
<p>+&#160;In the 60s and 70s, Civil Rights legislation drove southern whites into the Republican camp. Now 40 years of neoliberal economic policies have caused working class voters to abandon the Democratic Party in droves. Just look at the exit polling on how union households voted:&#160;47% Clinton; 45% Trump.</p>
<p>+ It will come as a shock to both the Democratic and Republican leaderships that there is a class war going on in America. It’s too&#160;bad for working class people that Donald Trump is the one leading it.</p>
<p>+ The glass ceiling is looking more and more like a glass coffin…</p>
<p>+&#160;Putin / Nader 2020?</p>
<p>+ A huge and bitter&#160;loss in Wisconsin with the defeat of Russ Feingold, probably the most honorable Democrat running for the senate. This crushing defeat, like so many others tonight, can be blamed on the incompetence and arrogance of the Democratic Party leadership, which sacrificed the senate and the House for the fools gold of the Clinton campaign.</p>
<p>+ The DNC rigged their primaries to insure the nomination of&#160;the only candidate who could lose to Trump. Is it any wonder that same brain trust, high on the fumes of their own hubris,&#160;lost all those senate seats, too?</p>
<p>+&#160;The DNC spent more time conspiring to defeat Bernie Sanders, than they did the Republicans. They absorbed nothing from the Sanders campaign, from the issues&#160;that resonated with his followers: a corrupt system fueled by corporate cash and militarism, working class people demeaned and ridiculed, the American youth burdened by debt with no opportunity for advancement, blacks and Hispanics treated as political chattel, captives&#160;to a party that demands their loyalty yet does nothing for them. The Clinton team vanquished Sanders, paid&#160;him off and then marched on arrogantly toward their doom.</p>
<p>+ Clinton herself showed a singular lack of&#160;courage to the very end of her campaign. She couldn’t even speak out against the brutalization of tribal people in North Dakota defending their water and burial grounds against the mercenaries of Big Oil. How could anyone look at her silence in the face of those ongoing atrocities and believe that she’d ever stand up for them?</p>
<p>+ My old history professor at American University, Allan Lichtman, has developed a formula for forecasting&#160;presidential elections that has correctly predicted the results of every campaign&#160;since 1984. In September, Lichtman ran the numbers on Clinton and Trump and predicted that Trump would win. Even after the release of the Access Hollywood tapes, Lichtman stuck to his formula. He was widely&#160;derided. But&#160;Allan was right and all those smug pollsters and pundits were wrong, terribly, madly&#160;wrong.</p>
<p>+ Six states voted for Obama twice and then voted for Trump today:&#160;Florida,&#160;Ohio,&#160;Iowa,&#160;Wisconsin,&#160;Michigan and&#160;Pennsylvania. Based on those results, it’s hard to argue, as some are already doing, that “racism” was the chief factor driving Trump’s victory.</p>
<p>+ Hillary, who based&#160;much of her campaign&#160;strategy on decisively winning the women’s vote, lost among white women by a 10-point margin: 53-43. Think, for a moment, about that 53 percent number for Trump. It’s safe to say that&#160;Hillary ran the worst campaign since Al Gore. In fact, it was worse than Gore’s in almost every respect.</p>
<p>+ Could Bernie have defeated Trump? On a fair playing field, sure. But there was no way Sanders&#160;was going to be permitted to emerge from the Democratic primaries. Wall Street needed a candidate it could trust and Hillary was it. &#160;The Establishment feared a threat from the Left more than from the wild-ass right. And for once, they didn’t see what was coming right at them.</p>
<p>+ Is this the final repudiation of neoliberalism?</p>
<p>It should be. But don’t bet on it.</p>
<p>It’s up to us to make it so.</p> | true | 4 | photo mike mozart cc 20 6 sun risen strange election day illuminating nation finally made mind strike oregon willamette valley enshrouded160this morning a160fog thick people hard time find polling places fortunately polling places poll watchers election police one check id bully160berate vote shame oregon takes laissezfaire attitude take time think vote home mail western edge continent know national elections decided long election day us oregon chose vote vote week ago filling interminable ballots kitchen tableassuming youre fortunate enough kitchen tablewith glass wine vaporizer dull senses checking dozens ballot measures new tax on160corporations halting sale body parts endangered species funding offtheleash dog parks new hiking trails sewer upgrades fire stations close direct democracy gets still experience year sour one160probably half candidates ballot state judges soil water district commissioners school board slots planning commissioners running unopposed even local basic level politics people seem giving acknowledging futility changing anything current dynamic electoral experience getting farther farther removed issues matter us health care climate jobs homelessness consumer debt child care skin system getting thin circuitry beneath beginning show like overworked android westworld polls suggest big night hillary either 94 chance winning 84 chance winning 71 chance according alleged savant analytics nate silver hedging bets last two weeks thats 23 margin error leading pollsters wonder make big money could wrong bet revealing poll naturally stock market rebounded monday james comey sent opaque letter congress intimating160that latest investigation hillarys emails proved yet160another dud theres better indicator160of wall street wants win election ive always thought election hillarys lose course hillary always capable blowing sure thing160but establishment desperate win fate linked system isnt much rigged owned political destinies days seem manufactured part drives rage simmering across forgotten precincts country course system adapts absorbs thats malign genius latecapitalism elites160prefer hillary warp unruly trump their160purposes trump narcissist ideologue system fosters feeds160on narcissism ive never thought trump really wanted win fact every time odds seemed tilting direction trump would selfdestruct trump might want name white house dank recesses psyche knows doesnt really want live old three story house built slaves theres little joy found voting independent candidates either jill stein gary johnson gloria lariva like three theyre given oxygen political system even old foundations begin warp crack moment johnson began show life threaten crash debate party snuffed ridiculed trivial verbal missteps flubbed questions none order vast dangerous ignorance displayed daily160by trump clinton fall160these alternative candidates led vaporous campaigns fleeting shadows wall system vote one validate system denies existence yet many160of us160do anyway slaves system that160binds160us left right spoke revolutionary aspirations campaign mostly hollow rhetoric trumps ultras threaten armed rebellion hillary wins likely vent range with160a pot shots image at160the local shooting range before160settling recliners watch trump tv sanders selfbranded revolutionary joined campaign enemy cut followers adrift exchange offer possible chairmanship senate budget committee the160democrats plan resistance trump win inconceivable im reminded max horkheimers observation160about fate real revolutionaries160a revolutionary career lead banquets honorary titles interesting research professorial wages leads misery disgrace ingratitude prison voyage unknown illuminated almost superhuman belief years electoral revolutionaries seem headed toward big payday reality tv shows bernie sanders dancing stars wikileaked160transcript speech bill clinton gave to160democratic party powerbrokers fundraiser potomac sharp reminder noxious truly clinton unloaded bernie sanders european left wildly attacking jeremy corbyn alex tsipiras radical zealots calling corbyn person streets maddest person room hillary says campaign appeals struggling striving successful160 together160 bernie says go get money millionaires160 sounds good theres lot people look world british labor party disposed inaudible leader david miliband mad part tony blairs government iraq war160 moved left put brother leader british labor movement wanted it160 david cameron thumped election reached interesting conclusion lost hadnt moved far left enough went practically got guy street leader british labour party saw press today said really british citizen real british inaudible160 laughter reflective thing happened greek election people feel theyve shafted dont expect anything happen anyway want maddest person room represent corbyn somehow manages become prime minister expect160the clinton crowd help tories plot coup bill sour british left finally evicted blairites labour party bill sees tony blair acolytes european protegés last believers battered brand clintonism poor people disappeared campaign faster discussion climate change condition depressing contemplate guess another intractable problem which160doesnt poll well focus groups targeted demographics leave malthusian fate long lines many polling places morning including manhattan two women allied with160femen briefly disrupted voting topless protest trump would trump seen rebuke tribute surely longer lines people refusing shamed voting likes michael moore rudy giuliani lady gaga pictures brave souls midday exit polling shows 36 voters yearning strong leader whether yearn for160a dominatrix american mussolini yet determined either way theyre likely get screwed want evidence trump really doesnt want elected two days polls opened leaked choices top cabinet positions reince pribus chief staff crazy general michael flynn defense secretary goldman sachs veteran michael mnuchin treasury newt gingrich secretary state rudy giuliani attorney general equivalent prewrapping administration in160crimescene tape bernie sanders spent week campaign trail shilling clinton much sanders says stump160is shameless repudiation campaign none mendacious assertion160that queen fracking save planet fiercely combating climate change one thing campaign hillary prospect trump something else lie brazenly dark record sanders isnt alone browbeating piece published by160the nation rebecca solnit made outlandish claim us would never gone war iraq al gore florida 2000 perhaps ms solnit forgotten iraq bombed every three days clintongore administration least 500000 children perished remorseless sanctions regime twice clinton gore pushed congress measures calling regime change iraq gore foreign policy advisor leon fuerth eager160to overthrow saddam hot war ive long thought gore would invaded iraq even lacking pretext 911 clinton campaign spent twice trump campaign expended according madeliene albright price worth trumps midnight tweets political impact slick ads hollywood generated hillary trump understood new media learned obama sanders clinton campaigned160remained locked machine model 1990s press like rest establishment behind clinton hrc got 57 editorial endorsements major papers gary johnson got 4 trump 2 much influence press cable networks fox news proved entertaining informative watch campaign werent exactly fair balanced anchors least fair balanced cnn msdnc openly debated merits trump sometimes fiercely msdnc cnn clinton beginning msdnc even helped snuff sanders campaign trump couldnt even win backing party elites example16073 percent democratic state legislators endorsed clinton 5 percent republican state legislators endorsed trump didnt matter endorsed elite target back temperature oregon city today approached16070 degrees smashing record high date one question debates climate change political imagination country depleted today ive ever known vladimir putin become superscapegoat democrats war base hillarys loses putin hacked voting machines conspiring ralph nader julian assange hillary clinton completely rejected even pretense classoriented politics favor targeting discrete demographics voters sending coded messages160through160the color cut pantsuits suburban women philly suburbs insurance brokers tallahassee politics identity working conditions less important shop buy unifying message campaign instead thousands messages individually tailored targeted like stalker ads google amazons politics algorithm meanwhile trumps bluecollar voters condemned liberal elites neonazis klanlike automatons last weeks msdnc devoted much attention imbecilic david dukes attempt ride trumps coattails duke polling less 5 percent among republicans vainglorious run senate louisiana trump voters reject dukes racist bilge democrats explain dont even try american underclass black white marginalized globalization government works enrich rich viewed democrats leader collection deplorables superpredators democrats totally surrendered logic neoliberalism impoverished pulverized victims policies must blamed pitiful condition poor fined poor wheres longterm dividend cynical160brand politics marijuana stock index bullish prospect legalization passing california elsewhere today marijuana stock index rather depressing sign quickly capitalism ruin good thing running one worst congresses history approval rating less 12 percent democrats seem poised pick handful seats160in house perhaps five course may exactly kind congress hrc wanted much easier go entitlements striking deal paul ryan pelosi heres example trump winning vigo county indiana stomping grounds old socialist eugene v debs 13 obama county 1 2008 clear sign trumps appeal union and160working class voters nafta industrial trade policy evan bayh neoliberal democrat corporate lobbyist got whacked return indiana pushed aside baron hill claim democratic slot bayh hadnt lived state years couldnt even remember address condo indianapolis good riddance 160in 2012 obama union vote ohio 23 points trump clinton running even 9 est even minnesota reported close call thats ominous sign trump cleaning house red states clinton struggling north carolina virginia florida ohio wisconsin pennsylvania michigan clinton campaign thought afternoon going win florida 5 win florida win election may lose 2 one reason160clinton 51 percent women florida had160the ground game had160the money had160the press had160the advertising polls160all meant nothing one key numbers night 69 percent electorate angry federal government feel government let theyre right trump wins liberals way process results beyond conception brains simply melt dick160cheney said reagan taught us deficits dont matter trump may teach us sexual predation doesnt matter course never really mattered politically us part hypocrisy democrats jfk teddy kennedy bill clinton 160kaboom trump wins ohio followed staggering wins160in north carolina iowa finally florida rachel maddow desperately trying scapegoat160the greens libertarians hillarys loss florida absurd160charge libertarians dont vote neoliberal warmongering democrats circumstances paul krugman fingering jill stein got less onepercent vote jill stein managed play ralph nader without florida might saved nonsense hillary160has blame despite big latino turnout hillary 51 womens vote florida hanging chads found 160if trump ultimately wins michigan michael moore implode160or160explode 160in 60s 70s civil rights legislation drove southern whites republican camp 40 years neoliberal economic policies caused working class voters abandon democratic party droves look exit polling union households voted16047 clinton 45 trump come shock democratic republican leaderships class war going america too160bad working class people donald trump one leading glass ceiling looking like glass coffin 160putin nader 2020 huge bitter160loss wisconsin defeat russ feingold probably honorable democrat running senate crushing defeat like many others tonight blamed incompetence arrogance democratic party leadership sacrificed senate house fools gold clinton campaign dnc rigged primaries insure nomination of160the candidate could lose trump wonder brain trust high fumes hubris160lost senate seats 160the dnc spent time conspiring defeat bernie sanders republicans absorbed nothing sanders campaign issues160that resonated followers corrupt system fueled corporate cash militarism working class people demeaned ridiculed american youth burdened debt opportunity advancement blacks hispanics treated political chattel captives160to party demands loyalty yet nothing clinton team vanquished sanders paid160him marched arrogantly toward doom clinton showed singular lack of160courage end campaign couldnt even speak brutalization tribal people north dakota defending water burial grounds mercenaries big oil could anyone look silence face ongoing atrocities believe shed ever stand old history professor american university allan lichtman developed formula forecasting160presidential elections correctly predicted results every campaign160since 1984 september lichtman ran numbers clinton trump predicted trump would win even release access hollywood tapes lichtman stuck formula widely160derided but160allan right smug pollsters pundits wrong terribly madly160wrong six states voted obama twice voted trump today160florida160ohio160iowa160wisconsin160michigan and160pennsylvania based results hard argue already racism chief factor driving trumps victory hillary based160much campaign160strategy decisively winning womens vote lost among white women 10point margin 5343 think moment 53 percent number trump safe say that160hillary ran worst campaign since al gore fact worse gores almost every respect could bernie defeated trump fair playing field sure way sanders160was going permitted emerge democratic primaries wall street needed candidate could trust hillary 160the establishment feared threat left wildass right didnt see coming right final repudiation neoliberalism dont bet us make | 1,862 |
<p>Don Quixote, the main character in a novel by the Spanish writer Cervantes in 1605, spent a lot of time on horseback, armed with a lance, attacking windmills which he thought were menacing giants.</p>
<p>“Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills&#160; . . .&#160; And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, “Fortune is guiding our affairs . . .&#160; Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich,&#160; for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless.”</p>
<p>“What giants?” asked Sancho Panza.”</p>
<p>President Eisenhower inherited the Korean war from his predecessor and then negotiated a cease-fire.&#160; President Lyndon Johnson took over Vietnam from his predecessor and committed his country to eventual humiliating defeat. And almost fifty years later President Barack Obama has been gifted the Afghan debacle by a moron who spent most of his catastrophic eight years tilting at windmills in “righteous wars.”</p>
<p>The First, Second and Third Afghan Wars were waged by the British between 1839 and 1919 in three disastrous campaigns totaling nine years.&#160; The Fourth resulted in the degrading defeat of Russia in 1989 when its troops had to leave after a decade. And now the Fifth Afghan War is being conducted by America and some allies from 2001 to . . . Well, when?&#160; It’s seven years, and counting.</p>
<p>What happens now that Mr Obama is in command?</p>
<p>Last month the US General Petraeus said that a surge like the one he ordered in Iraq would not work in Afghanistan, and that it is essential that Afghans not view foreign forces as conquerors. “You do need to tenaciously pursue the enemy and the extremists . . . But you also need to be building, and to develop, and . . .&#160; help and to partner.”</p>
<p>Does anyone believe that President Karzai is an equal partner of the so-called “coalition” forces in his country?&#160; Does anyone imagine there is deference by foreign forces to the government of Afghanistan? (If President Karzai flies in an Mi-17 helicopter it is piloted by an Afghan. But if there is an American on board the pilot must be American and it must be a machine that is serviced by US technicians. Does nobody realize how much this sort of arrogant colonial condescension is resented?)</p>
<p>Karzai has protested&#160; about the bungled cowboy airstrikes that have killed hundreds of his people but the only effect his complaints have had is to make Afghans despise him for being feeble and to have Washington even more determined to have him replaced.</p>
<p>Petraeus is right, in that development is essential. But the foreigners running Afghanistan do not have enough troops to control the country and the Afghan army is nowhere near ready to do so. So there can’t be much development carried out (although billions of dollars have vanished), simply because there is a lack of&#160; stability.</p>
<p>There is no point in building something if the nasties can promptly destroy it.</p>
<p>A long time ago I served in the Australian Task Force in Vietnam. We were supposed to “win hearts and minds” but, alas, lost them completely. We went round the villages building little windmills. Splendid contraptions that pumped up water for fishponds and so forth. &#160;And on the vanes of the propellers we stenciled little yellow kangaroos, announcing that Australia supported windmill democracy (or something).&#160; And a couple of days after we erected one of them, imagining ingenuously that we were winning the hearts and minds of the local people, along would come the Viet Cong and blow it up.</p>
<p>Then after a while the Viet Cong became a bit more savvy. They left the windmills alone – and told the villagers that the first person to make use of one would be killed.&#160; This had the effect of leaving stark standing monuments to the total impotence of the foreign soldiers.</p>
<p>It was very effective psychological warfare.&#160; Even the half million foreign soldiers in South Vietnam, a country (66,000 square miles) a quarter the size of Afghanistan (250,000 square miles; 80,000 foreign troops; 17,000 more US troops to come this year), together with a Vietnamese army of 410,000 could not guarantee the existence of a few windmills.</p>
<p>We used to have a military principle that remains relevant : Take and Hold Ground.&#160; It comes down to this :&#160; If you can’t hold the ground you’ve taken, then what is the point in taking that ground?&#160;&#160; You can’t defend windmills if you leave the place in which you built them and then let the enemy come in to take control.&#160; In that case, your soldiers have died for nothing.</p>
<p>In Vietnam these windmills twirled and hummed, insensible and useless in the rustling wind, as memorials for souls.</p>
<p>The “coalition forces” propaganda machine in Afghanistan would have us believe that things are going fairly well.&#160; But this war is a disaster. Every other day we are told that dozens of ‘Taliban’ are killed.&#160; And for every one who is killed (and many are ordinary tribesmen who hate foreign invaders and resist them energetically, as they have done for centuries),&#160; another ten? – fifty? – hundred? – are motivated to join the resistance to the foreign intruders.&#160; Just as they did, with energetic support from Washington, when Russians occupied their territory.</p>
<p>It is all very well having lots of foreign troops roaming round Afghanistan killing people (of whom many are civilians – over 700 last year), but as in Vietnam it is hearts and minds that matter. President Obama has some hard decisions to make, because the US and its allies went in to Afghanistan without doing the basic arithmetic of the number of troops required to perform the tasks the foreign politicians gave them.&#160; Unless there are enough soldiers to take and hold ground to ensure that aid projects work, there is no point in staying there.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>A proposal for “civil defense forces (CDF)” in Afghanistan has been endorsed by two clever academics, Messrs Matthew P Dearing and Matthew C DuPee of the US Naval Postgraduate School.&#160; Such forces, they write, &#160;“will provide a significant measure of needed security and authority in areas of Afghanistan previously unprotected by ANSF [Afghanistan’s National Security Forces]. They will allow community leaders from a variety of tribes and clans to work together in delivering sufficient levels of security . . . ” And so on.</p>
<p>The&#160; US Department of the Army Field Manual 31-22 of the Vietnam years &#160;&#160;“envisions all members of a village being organized for their own mutual support into a village complex. This mutual support not only includes defense but also will include other activities, such as . . . &#160;extensions of democratic principles and procedures through such things as the formation of village and hamlet committees.”&#160; Oh how starry-eyed we were.</p>
<p>It has all been tried before.&#160; It didn’t work in Vietnam and it won’t work in Afghanistan. The notion that tribal militias (or even “civil defense forces”) will allow “community leaders from a variety of tribes and clans to work together in delivering sufficient levels of security” is naive.</p>
<p>Tribes in Afghanistan can’t agree on the time of day. They hate each other.&#160; And the only thing that is drawing them together in temporary alliance is hatred of foreign soldiers and profits from corruption, heroin production and smuggling. The hearts and minds of the tribes are otherwise engaged.</p>
<p>Will Mr Obama construct a new strategy?&#160; Or will he tilt at windmills?</p>
<p>BRIAN CLOUGHLEY’s book about the Pakistan army, War, Coups and Terror, is to be published in the US by Skyhorse next month. His website is <a href="http://www.beecluff.com" type="external">www.beecluff.com</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | quixote main character novel spanish writer cervantes 1605 spent lot time horseback armed lance attacking windmills thought menacing giants came sight thirty forty windmills160 160 sooner quixote see said squire fortune guiding affairs 160 see yonder friend sancho thirty forty hulking giants intend battle slay spoils shall begin rich160 righteous war removal foul brood face earth service god bless giants asked sancho panza president eisenhower inherited korean war predecessor negotiated ceasefire160 president lyndon johnson took vietnam predecessor committed country eventual humiliating defeat almost fifty years later president barack obama gifted afghan debacle moron spent catastrophic eight years tilting windmills righteous wars first second third afghan wars waged british 1839 1919 three disastrous campaigns totaling nine years160 fourth resulted degrading defeat russia 1989 troops leave decade fifth afghan war conducted america allies 2001 well when160 seven years counting happens mr obama command last month us general petraeus said surge like one ordered iraq would work afghanistan essential afghans view foreign forces conquerors need tenaciously pursue enemy extremists also need building develop 160 help partner anyone believe president karzai equal partner socalled coalition forces country160 anyone imagine deference foreign forces government afghanistan president karzai flies mi17 helicopter piloted afghan american board pilot must american must machine serviced us technicians nobody realize much sort arrogant colonial condescension resented karzai protested160 bungled cowboy airstrikes killed hundreds people effect complaints make afghans despise feeble washington even determined replaced petraeus right development essential foreigners running afghanistan enough troops control country afghan army nowhere near ready cant much development carried although billions dollars vanished simply lack of160 stability point building something nasties promptly destroy long time ago served australian task force vietnam supposed win hearts minds alas lost completely went round villages building little windmills splendid contraptions pumped water fishponds forth 160and vanes propellers stenciled little yellow kangaroos announcing australia supported windmill democracy something160 couple days erected one imagining ingenuously winning hearts minds local people along would come viet cong blow viet cong became bit savvy left windmills alone told villagers first person make use one would killed160 effect leaving stark standing monuments total impotence foreign soldiers effective psychological warfare160 even half million foreign soldiers south vietnam country 66000 square miles quarter size afghanistan 250000 square miles 80000 foreign troops 17000 us troops come year together vietnamese army 410000 could guarantee existence windmills used military principle remains relevant take hold ground160 comes 160 cant hold ground youve taken point taking ground160160 cant defend windmills leave place built let enemy come take control160 case soldiers died nothing vietnam windmills twirled hummed insensible useless rustling wind memorials souls coalition forces propaganda machine afghanistan would us believe things going fairly well160 war disaster every day told dozens taliban killed160 every one killed many ordinary tribesmen hate foreign invaders resist energetically done centuries160 another ten fifty hundred motivated join resistance foreign intruders160 energetic support washington russians occupied territory well lots foreign troops roaming round afghanistan killing people many civilians 700 last year vietnam hearts minds matter president obama hard decisions make us allies went afghanistan without basic arithmetic number troops required perform tasks foreign politicians gave them160 unless enough soldiers take hold ground ensure aid projects work point staying proposal civil defense forces cdf afghanistan endorsed two clever academics messrs matthew p dearing matthew c dupee us naval postgraduate school160 forces write 160will provide significant measure needed security authority areas afghanistan previously unprotected ansf afghanistans national security forces allow community leaders variety tribes clans work together delivering sufficient levels security the160 us department army field manual 3122 vietnam years 160160envisions members village organized mutual support village complex mutual support includes defense also include activities 160extensions democratic principles procedures things formation village hamlet committees160 oh starryeyed tried before160 didnt work vietnam wont work afghanistan notion tribal militias even civil defense forces allow community leaders variety tribes clans work together delivering sufficient levels security naive tribes afghanistan cant agree time day hate other160 thing drawing together temporary alliance hatred foreign soldiers profits corruption heroin production smuggling hearts minds tribes otherwise engaged mr obama construct new strategy160 tilt windmills brian cloughleys book pakistan army war coups terror published us skyhorse next month website wwwbeecluffcom 160 | 691 |
<p>Stanley Aronowitz has never been a particular hero of mine, but I warmed to him a bit this week, as he nibbled at the well-turned fetlock of Laura Flanders. Now any guy who could brave the seas of matrimony in a boat with the late (and by me, unlamented) Ellen Willis has got to have more than enough dura-ilia to deal with a fetching young person from Air America. And he had the advantage of being, so to speak, of the devil’s party. But it was fun to watch, in a mean-spirited way–up to a point.</p>
<p>The occasion was a debate in New York, sponsored by Left Forum and The Nation, on that great, evergreen question, “Can progressives move the Democratic Party to the left?”</p>
<p>Flanders has recently written a cheerful book with the slightly unappetizing title <a href="" type="internal">Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics From the Politicians.</a> The burden of her song is, as she said in a recent interview,</p>
<p>“… [G]rit, that’s the stuff that gets you through, the mettle that enables you that take on tough stuff. It’s also the stuff that gets in your shoe and blisters your toe. Blue Gritters, the folks I’m talking about, do both of those things for the Democratic Party: they discomfort the establishment, and I think they bring the passion to the issues that won the election last year…. I think the fact that the Democratic leadership is talking about timetables at all is a victory for the Blue Grit Democrats out there.”</p>
<p>So naturally, she took the affirmative–sorta, kinda, half-heartedly. To be sure, she didn’t have a good word to say for the Democratic Party. A good thing, too, since the crowd, a half-and-half mix of grizzled old stagers and fresh-faced millennials, was clearly and overwhelmingly negative about the Party Of Clinton &amp; Clinton, LLP. (Usually, a Left crowd in New York is full of people more dependent on the Democrats than a crackhead on his drug of choice, so the prevailing bummed-out atmosphere was intensely refreshing.)</p>
<p>But among all her caveats about the general rottenness of the party, Flanders’ essential theme was that her bluegritters shouldn’t be discouraged from working in the Democratic Party. As she phrased it, with well-placed caution, “some sort-of reformists in the sort of liberal-lefty part [of the party] are having some kind of success.” And alas, Aronowitz wasn’t quite willing to take the last essential step and disagree with her decisively.</p>
<p>The debate was “moderated” by Gary Younge of The Nation, whose squishy-soft and prolix questioning took on something vaguely like an edge only once, when he asked Aronowitz whether he would advise activists to “pack their bags” and abandon the Democratic Party altogether.</p>
<p>Aronowitz, surprisingly, responded “of course not!” — surprisingly, because everything else he had to say suggested that bag-packing would be very much in order, and the sooner the better.</p>
<p>He began by rehearsing some of his left credentials, which included helping found the Reform Democratic movement in New York City–whose greatest success, as he drily noted, was “the election of Ed Koch as Mayor.” He warned activists that “You’ll be taken over by the Democratic Party before you’ll take it over…. I don’t think another New Deal is possible. Yeah, Roosevelt was pushed from below but there was some agreement from the top. Now there’s not. They’d rather bash people on the head. They’ve embraced repression now, not legitimation…. The peace movement is wimpy because they’re tied hand and foot to the Democrats…. Bill Clinton was the best Republican president of the century!”</p>
<p>Against this rehearsal of indicative-mood history, Flanders took refuge, as defense of the Democrats always does, in the subjunctive: “We wouldn’t have had the criminalization of pregnancy under a Democratic president–the Labor Department wouldn’t be used as a weapon against the labor movement.” Aronowitz replied by quoting Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, Bobby Reich, questioning whether labor unions were “still necessary.”</p>
<p>Asked by moderator Younge, in another rare moment of directness, whether he wouldn’t prefer to see a Democratic president in 2008, Aronowitz got quite a laugh by replying, “Of course–because he won’t do anything! I’m all for gridlock!” Flanders rather hotly replied that she wasn’t for gridlock — “I want troops out of Iraq, I want universal health care.” Unfortunately, Younge did not ask her what connection there might be between these good things and a Democratic president. Perhaps that would have been immoderate.</p>
<p>Maybe that was the problem: the moderation quotient was way too high. Flanders was ready to agree with any bad thing anybody might say about the Democratic Party, except that activists ought to be working night and day to destroy it — and Aronowitz was unwilling to say that. He didn’t say that working within the Democratic Party is a deadly, damning error. He didn’t call it the graveyard of activists, though no doubt he’s heard that old truism before. He didn’t say that the Democratic party absorbs the energies of left-wing activists and turns those energies against the activists’ own purposes–though I bet he would agree with the proposition. He should have been like the sepulchral voice in The Amityville Horror, hollowly booming “Get oooout!” — but alas, he wasn’t.</p>
<p>Flanders took the ‘pro,’ moderately, but Aronowitz moderately didn’t quite take the ‘con’. So though it was fun for a while, and a great deal of well-deserved and enjoyable abuse was poured on the dear old donkeys’ heads, there was a slight feeling of coitus-interruptus at the end of the evening. Perhaps we should blame the Upas-tree influence of The Nation magazine, breathing its long-brewed suffocating vapors into the already mephitic Manhattan air.</p>
<p>I wonder how many of those disgruntled old veterans and peppery youths in the audience will trudge reluctantly into the shambles of ’08 behind some Judas-goat from the Democratic Party. Oh Laura, so fresh, so fair, why must you be among them? And oh Stanley — you might have saved a few!</p>
<p>MICHAEL J. SMITH lives in New York and labors night and day to destroy the Democratic Party on his blog, <a href="http://www.stopmebeforeivoteagain.org/" type="external">stopmebeforeivoteagain.org</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | stanley aronowitz never particular hero mine warmed bit week nibbled wellturned fetlock laura flanders guy could brave seas matrimony boat late unlamented ellen willis got enough durailia deal fetching young person air america advantage speak devils party fun watch meanspirited wayup point occasion debate new york sponsored left forum nation great evergreen question progressives move democratic party left flanders recently written cheerful book slightly unappetizing title blue grit true democrats take back politics politicians burden song said recent interview grit thats stuff gets mettle enables take tough stuff also stuff gets shoe blisters toe blue gritters folks im talking things democratic party discomfort establishment think bring passion issues election last year think fact democratic leadership talking timetables victory blue grit democrats naturally took affirmativesorta kinda halfheartedly sure didnt good word say democratic party good thing since crowd halfandhalf mix grizzled old stagers freshfaced millennials clearly overwhelmingly negative party clinton amp clinton llp usually left crowd new york full people dependent democrats crackhead drug choice prevailing bummedout atmosphere intensely refreshing among caveats general rottenness party flanders essential theme bluegritters shouldnt discouraged working democratic party phrased wellplaced caution sortof reformists sort liberallefty part party kind success alas aronowitz wasnt quite willing take last essential step disagree decisively debate moderated gary younge nation whose squishysoft prolix questioning took something vaguely like edge asked aronowitz whether would advise activists pack bags abandon democratic party altogether aronowitz surprisingly responded course surprisingly everything else say suggested bagpacking would much order sooner better began rehearsing left credentials included helping found reform democratic movement new york citywhose greatest success drily noted election ed koch mayor warned activists youll taken democratic party youll take dont think another new deal possible yeah roosevelt pushed agreement top theres theyd rather bash people head theyve embraced repression legitimation peace movement wimpy theyre tied hand foot democrats bill clinton best republican president century rehearsal indicativemood history flanders took refuge defense democrats always subjunctive wouldnt criminalization pregnancy democratic presidentthe labor department wouldnt used weapon labor movement aronowitz replied quoting bill clintons secretary labor bobby reich questioning whether labor unions still necessary asked moderator younge another rare moment directness whether wouldnt prefer see democratic president 2008 aronowitz got quite laugh replying coursebecause wont anything im gridlock flanders rather hotly replied wasnt gridlock want troops iraq want universal health care unfortunately younge ask connection might good things democratic president perhaps would immoderate maybe problem moderation quotient way high flanders ready agree bad thing anybody might say democratic party except activists ought working night day destroy aronowitz unwilling say didnt say working within democratic party deadly damning error didnt call graveyard activists though doubt hes heard old truism didnt say democratic party absorbs energies leftwing activists turns energies activists purposesthough bet would agree proposition like sepulchral voice amityville horror hollowly booming get oooout alas wasnt flanders took pro moderately aronowitz moderately didnt quite take con though fun great deal welldeserved enjoyable abuse poured dear old donkeys heads slight feeling coitusinterruptus end evening perhaps blame upastree influence nation magazine breathing longbrewed suffocating vapors already mephitic manhattan air wonder many disgruntled old veterans peppery youths audience trudge reluctantly shambles 08 behind judasgoat democratic party oh laura fresh fair must among oh stanley might saved michael j smith lives new york labors night day destroy democratic party blog stopmebeforeivoteagainorg 160 160 | 551 |
<p>Rebecca Peters represents the International Action Network on Small Arms or IANSA, the global movement against gun violence. In the 1990s, she led the campaign that succeeded in comprehensively reforming Australia's gun laws. The tipping point for Australia was the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which came after a series of public mass shootings like those experienced frequently in the USA. After Port Arthur Australian reformed it guns laws; since then, gun violence in Australia has been dramatically reduced and the country has never had another such massacre.</p>
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<p /> AARON MATÉ: It's The Real News, I'm Aaron Maté. Details are emerging on the weapons used in the Las Vegas shooting massacre. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, had about 23 guns inside the hotel room from where he fired on thousands of concert goers down below. Police say Paddock used a so-called "bump stock," a device that makes guns shoot rapid fire. The toll stands at 59 dead and more than 520 injured. At the White House, President Trump told reporters today that the country will be talking about gun laws as time goes by. And that comes a day after Trump's press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said "now is not the time."
<p />SARAH SANDERS: Today is the day for consoling the survivors and mourning those we lost. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with all of those individuals. There's a time and place for a political debate but now is the time to unite as a country. There is currently an open and ongoing law enforcement investigation, a motive has yet to be determined and it would be premature for us to discuss policy when we don't fully know all the facts or what took place last night.
<p />AARON MATÉ: I'm joined now by Rebecca Peters. She is with the International Action Network on Small Arms or IANSA, the global movement against gun violence. In the 1990s, she led the successful movement to reform Australia's gun laws.
<p /> Rebecca, welcome. Let's just start with what we know so far about the shooter. Police have seized 23 guns from his hotel room and about 19 firearms and some explosives from his home. Based on what you've heard to date about his arsenal and what happened, your reaction.
<p />REBECCA PETERS: Well, my reaction and the reaction of many of our colleagues around the world, is just horror, well, of course, at what's happened but also sort of disbelief at why does any individual want and why is an individual able to have an arsenal like that in their personal possession. There's no justification other than the intention to do harm really. And so, a lot of us are wondering how is that possible to happen and, I guess, the answer is because the firearm regulation is so weak in the United States that it's probably not that unusual.
<p />AARON MATÉ: Yeah. Just to read you a stat, this comes from Vox which put together some figures about guns in the US. They say that the US has about 4.4% of the world's population but around half of the civilian owned guns in the entire world, which, in all likelihood is a reflection of the lax gun laws here. You've been working on this issue for a long time, what do you think are the main obstacles to reforming gun laws here in the US?
<p />REBECCA PETERS: So, one structural problem that affects the United States and other countries like Australia, is when there are gun laws that vary from state to state and in fact, in the US, they even vary from city to city. And so that means that, even though one city or state might pass strong gun laws, criminals and drug traffickers and gun traffickers can go and get guns in another state or city with weaker laws, so that's fundamentally a problem.
<p /> But the bigger problem probably is the grip that the gun lobby has on elected politicians. Even though there's abundant evidence and countless examples of tragedies showing the need to strengthen the gun laws in the United States, and even though public opinion strongly supports that, it seems as though the money that the gun lobby spends, supporting politicians, in the end trumps both the public health evidence and public opinion.
<p />AARON MATÉ: Yeah, you know, on the issue of states, again more stats from Vox, states that have more guns have more gun deaths, states that have tighter gun control laws have less gun deaths. But let me ask you, in terms of the barriers, the sway of the gun lobby is very well known and they're certainly very powerful, but I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on the psychological aspect here, because it is true that there's a large segment of the population that has a psychological attachment to guns and feels that it's their birthright, citing the Constitution and so forth. I'm wondering, just from your experience, your thoughts on that and how to address that, when amongst a large group of people in the US, there is a real emotional attachment, existential attachment to owning weapons.
<p />REBECCA PETERS: Yeah, that's true. And it's not only the US where that exists, and especially among men and especially among men of a certain generation, there is often a strong attachment to guns. And it relates to notions of masculinity, of responsibility, of patriotism, things like that and that all makes sense.
<p /> But it's not a question of taking away of all the guns or allowing a complete free-or-all so that anyone can have an arsenal of however many weapons of whatever type they want. You know, there are also in Australia, also in Europe, there are men who are very attached to guns and they can own guns subject to law, but they can't own military weapons, they can't own assault weapons. They can own guns that are reasonable for a civilian involved in whatever activities they're involved in. It's not, and I suppose that's one of my frustrations, is that often this issue is portrayed as either you're supposed to ban all guns or else have no regulation at all.
<p /> What the vast majority of other industrialized countries have done is they've looked at gun violence is the preventable public health problem, it's a preventable crime problem, they recognize that there are legitimate uses for guns and so they put in place a system of regulation that screens out the people who are most obviously unsuitable to be allowed to have guns and they've put rules and regulations on what conditions they can be armed. And surprise, surprise, the data shows that, when you have stronger gun laws, you have much lower levels of gun violence.
<p />AARON MATÉ: Right. And one good example of that is your home country in Australia, which hasn't had a mass shooting, as I understand, since the campaign which you were a big part of, was successful in reforming the country's gun laws. Talk about what happened. A massacre in 1996 was pretty instrumental in seeing this through. Right?
<p />REBECCA PETERS: Yes. In Australia, in the '80s and '90s, we had a mass shooting about once a year and it was a similar sort of scenario to what you see in the US. There would be a mass shooting, there would be a lot of concern and grief and "what should we do?" and speeches and prayers and basically, very little action because of a couple of things: one was this same kind of cultural attachment to guns. Australia is a pioneer country, it's a very rural country, the great attachment to hunting, and also the rise of the gun lobby, which threatened politicians that, if they supported stronger gun laws then they would turn out systematically against them. We had a campaign from the '80s to try to get uniform gun laws and those uniform gun laws to be based on a much higher level of public safety.
<p /> And what happened was that we gradually, that campaign grew and grew and, in 1996, there occurred a huge massacre which, at the time, was the largest shooting massacre in modern history, anywhere in the world, 35 people were killed in a tourist site. It had some similarities actually to the Las Vegas shooting and at that moment, what happened was our Prime Minister John Howard who had just been elected, and so there's a similarity, too, he had a lot of political capital still available to him. He said "this has got to stop." And basically, through sheer political will, he negotiated with all the states in Australia to bring about a scheme of harmonizing the laws based on the recommendations from experts in public health and criminology to provide a system that said you can have guns in Australia under conditions that are designed where the first priority is public safety.
<p /> So we had, one of the important measures that we took, was a ban on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns because there really is no legitimate reason for civilians to have those and those are weapons are designed for killing large numbers of people on a battlefield. So, those weapons were banned and we had a huge buy-back. Everyone who owned them was paid for those weapons to be handed in and they were destroyed. People who handed in those weapons could apply for a license to have a different type of gun and if they met the requirements, they could have a different type of gun. And another important part of it was registration of all guns, so that there's a record of when, and that's actually an important disincentive to building up an arsenal, if there's a record when guns are being accumulated. So, there were some other measures, as well, a much higher level of background check, not just "have you ever been to prison or not," which is the basic standard in the US background checks, but also the need to provide references, the need to examine questions of domestic violence, things like that.
<p /> And the results of all of those things has been that gun violence in Australia has dramatically reduced that, and it's not only the violence has reduced and also the work involved in policing that violence is reduced, and as you said, we've never had another mass shooting. But we still have hunting, we still have macho men in Australia, we still do well in the shooting sports and all that kind of thing, but our country is much, much safer.
<p />AARON MATÉ: I'm just thinking, you mentioned Australia as being a pioneer country, and I'm wondering if there's a correlation between displacing indigenous populations and a gun culture. I mean, certainly that exists in Australia, which had an indigenous population that faced many massacres, and also here in the US certainly, that is the founding history, that's a historical tangent.
<p /> But finally, let me ask you, even in the US, the last major piece of gun control legislation was the assault weapons ban in the mid '90s under Clinton but even that was severely weakened. So, I'm just wondering your thoughts on, even when efforts are made to try to do something, that the lobby ends up more or less still prevailing.
<p />REBECCA PETERS: Yes, I guess I thought, like many people thought that after a whole class full of tiny children was murdered at Sandy Hook, that that would be the moment, that this would be America's Port Arthur, finally common sense and public safety would prevail and sadly, it didn't. We have to maintain hope. It must be possible, at some point, that the gun lobby will be seen for what it is, which is a corrupt machine buying public policy. And the assault weapons ban, it was a good idea, but in the end, what was passed was not a very effective law and then, when it expired, George Bush did not return it.
<p /> One of the things to remember is there isn't going to be one specific measure. Gun law reform, like any other area of regulation, has to be a comprehensive approach. But I guess, in the US, if we can get any advance at all it'll be a victory, and I'm hoping that when you have something like this, that sets a record for the largest number of people killed in a modern US mass shooting that somehow this Congress will see that it's time to do something.
<p />AARON MATÉ: And we shall see. Rebecca Peters with the International Action Network on Small Arms, the global movement against gun violence, thank you very much.
<p />REBECCA PETERS: Thank you.
<p />AARON MATÉ: And thank you for joining us on The Real News. | true | 4 | rebecca peters represents international action network small arms iansa global movement gun violence 1990s led campaign succeeded comprehensively reforming australias gun laws tipping point australia port arthur massacre 1996 came series public mass shootings like experienced frequently usa port arthur australian reformed guns laws since gun violence australia dramatically reduced country never another massacre aaron matÉ real news im aaron maté details emerging weapons used las vegas shooting massacre gunman stephen paddock 23 guns inside hotel room fired thousands concert goers police say paddock used socalled bump stock device makes guns shoot rapid fire toll stands 59 dead 520 injured white house president trump told reporters today country talking gun laws time goes comes day trumps press secretary sarah huckabee sanders said time sarah sanders today day consoling survivors mourning lost thoughts prayers certainly individuals theres time place political debate time unite country currently open ongoing law enforcement investigation motive yet determined would premature us discuss policy dont fully know facts took place last night aaron matÉ im joined rebecca peters international action network small arms iansa global movement gun violence 1990s led successful movement reform australias gun laws rebecca welcome lets start know far shooter police seized 23 guns hotel room 19 firearms explosives home based youve heard date arsenal happened reaction rebecca peters well reaction reaction many colleagues around world horror well course whats happened also sort disbelief individual want individual able arsenal like personal possession theres justification intention harm really lot us wondering possible happen guess answer firearm regulation weak united states probably unusual aaron matÉ yeah read stat comes vox put together figures guns us say us 44 worlds population around half civilian owned guns entire world likelihood reflection lax gun laws youve working issue long time think main obstacles reforming gun laws us rebecca peters one structural problem affects united states countries like australia gun laws vary state state fact us even vary city city means even though one city state might pass strong gun laws criminals drug traffickers gun traffickers go get guns another state city weaker laws thats fundamentally problem bigger problem probably grip gun lobby elected politicians even though theres abundant evidence countless examples tragedies showing need strengthen gun laws united states even though public opinion strongly supports seems though money gun lobby spends supporting politicians end trumps public health evidence public opinion aaron matÉ yeah know issue states stats vox states guns gun deaths states tighter gun control laws less gun deaths let ask terms barriers sway gun lobby well known theyre certainly powerful im wondering thoughts psychological aspect true theres large segment population psychological attachment guns feels birthright citing constitution forth im wondering experience thoughts address amongst large group people us real emotional attachment existential attachment owning weapons rebecca peters yeah thats true us exists especially among men especially among men certain generation often strong attachment guns relates notions masculinity responsibility patriotism things like makes sense question taking away guns allowing complete freeorall anyone arsenal however many weapons whatever type want know also australia also europe men attached guns guns subject law cant military weapons cant assault weapons guns reasonable civilian involved whatever activities theyre involved suppose thats one frustrations often issue portrayed either youre supposed ban guns else regulation vast majority industrialized countries done theyve looked gun violence preventable public health problem preventable crime problem recognize legitimate uses guns put place system regulation screens people obviously unsuitable allowed guns theyve put rules regulations conditions armed surprise surprise data shows stronger gun laws much lower levels gun violence aaron matÉ right one good example home country australia hasnt mass shooting understand since campaign big part successful reforming countrys gun laws talk happened massacre 1996 pretty instrumental seeing right rebecca peters yes australia 80s 90s mass shooting year similar sort scenario see us would mass shooting would lot concern grief speeches prayers basically little action couple things one kind cultural attachment guns australia pioneer country rural country great attachment hunting also rise gun lobby threatened politicians supported stronger gun laws would turn systematically campaign 80s try get uniform gun laws uniform gun laws based much higher level public safety happened gradually campaign grew grew 1996 occurred huge massacre time largest shooting massacre modern history anywhere world 35 people killed tourist site similarities actually las vegas shooting moment happened prime minister john howard elected theres similarity lot political capital still available said got stop basically sheer political negotiated states australia bring scheme harmonizing laws based recommendations experts public health criminology provide system said guns australia conditions designed first priority public safety one important measures took ban semiautomatic rifles shotguns really legitimate reason civilians weapons designed killing large numbers people battlefield weapons banned huge buyback everyone owned paid weapons handed destroyed people handed weapons could apply license different type gun met requirements could different type gun another important part registration guns theres record thats actually important disincentive building arsenal theres record guns accumulated measures well much higher level background check ever prison basic standard us background checks also need provide references need examine questions domestic violence things like results things gun violence australia dramatically reduced violence reduced also work involved policing violence reduced said weve never another mass shooting still hunting still macho men australia still well shooting sports kind thing country much much safer aaron matÉ im thinking mentioned australia pioneer country im wondering theres correlation displacing indigenous populations gun culture mean certainly exists australia indigenous population faced many massacres also us certainly founding history thats historical tangent finally let ask even us last major piece gun control legislation assault weapons ban mid 90s clinton even severely weakened im wondering thoughts even efforts made try something lobby ends less still prevailing rebecca peters yes guess thought like many people thought whole class full tiny children murdered sandy hook would moment would americas port arthur finally common sense public safety would prevail sadly didnt maintain hope must possible point gun lobby seen corrupt machine buying public policy assault weapons ban good idea end passed effective law expired george bush return one things remember isnt going one specific measure gun law reform like area regulation comprehensive approach guess us get advance itll victory im hoping something like sets record largest number people killed modern us mass shooting somehow congress see time something aaron matÉ shall see rebecca peters international action network small arms global movement gun violence thank much rebecca peters thank aaron matÉ thank joining us real news | 1,075 |
<p>There’s little more we can do than hope that some cool&#160;heads around Donald Trump are telling him he’d be nuts to attack North Korea. I don’t know who they might be. Still, we must hope.</p>
<p>It doesn’t take a lifetime of study to know that, fortunately, no military resolution of the standoff is available. Ten million South Koreans live within&#160;artillery&#160;reach of the capital of Seoul, some 30 miles from the demilitarized zone separating North and South. Nearly 30,000 U.S. military personnel are around there too. North Korea has thousands of underground and undersea military facilities that American bombs and missiles would not find. A conventional U.S. attack would be catastrophic, a nuclear attack far, far worse, for the horrifying effects&#160;would spill over to China and Japan.</p>
<p>So what would be accomplished? Nothing good. That’s for sure.</p>
<p>Where, then, is the Trump from a year ago? You know, <a href="" type="internal">the one who said</a>, “I would speak to him [North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un]. I would have no problem speaking to him.”? As we well know, there are many Donald Trumps. Well, that’s the one we need now. Instead we have sabre-rattling Trump, along with Vice President Pence and others on the national-security squad.</p>
<p>The two governments have much to talk about. (Alas, as long as we’re stuck with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia" type="external">Westphalian</a> system, we must make the best of it.) First things first. And by first, I mean peace.</p>
<p>Yes, Kim,&#160;like his father and grandfather before him, is a tyrant. But when has that ever stopped an American president from dealing with&#160;— and often befriending — a&#160;ruler? Never. American presidents have allied with some of the most ruthless heads of states of the 20th century. Trump recently entertained a tyrant — al-Sisi of Egypt — at the White House, praising him profusely. Then he called the head of Turkey — Erdogan — to congratulate&#160;him on expanding his autocratic powers through the ballot box. Nixon went to meet Mao Zedong, one of the great mass murderers in history, to open normal relations with what we once called Red China.</p>
<p>Kim and North Korea, therefore, are not unique in that respect. But they are unique in another way. The U.S. government fought an undeclared <a href="" type="internal">war</a> — sorry, <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/korean-conflict" type="external">police action</a> — alongside South Korea’s own tyrant — Syngman Rhee — against North Korea and Kim’s grandfather — Kim Il-sung — from 1950 to 1953 because President Harry Truman didn’t want the Republicans saying he “lost Korea.” The U.S. Air Force obliterated the country through carpet bombing after Truman decided atomic bombs were not practical, in contrast to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, a few years earlier. The bombing and shooting stopped with an armistice, but no peace treaty was ever signed to formally end the war. For decades, the North Korean government has sought that treaty and a nonaggression pact with the U.S. government, but the requests always fell on deaf ears.</p>
<p>Finally, in 1994 President Bill Clinton reached an agreement with the North Korean government. First, a little more background. A decade earlier North Korea had signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), agreeing not to develop nuclear weapons and making it subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But North Korea refused to give the IAEA access to information and suspected sites, so the agency found North Korea in noncompliance with its&#160;NPT agreement in 1993 on suspicion that it held undeclared plutonium. North Korea then announced plans to leave the NPT.</p>
<p>Things looked bleak until North Korea asked to meet with the U.S. government to settle their disputes. The Clinton administration agreed — on the condition that the IAEA have all they access it had sought. North Korean eventually agreed. In turn the administration called off annual war games with South Korea — North Korea had been insisted on that — and began negotiations. Clinton also conditioned the talks on continued IAEA access and North Korean negotiations with South Korea.</p>
<p>Under the resulting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreed_Framework" type="external">“Agreed Framework,”</a> North Korea would convert its nuclear industry from heavy- to light-water reactors for power generation. In the meantime&#160;the U.S. government would provide it oil for heat and electricity. In addition the governments would normalize political and economic relations, and the U.S. government would forswear the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea, which would remain a party to the NPT, with all this implied for IAEA inspections.</p>
<p>All of this was most promising. North Korean froze&#160;its plutonium program beyond Clinton’s tenure, until 2002, and the administration, <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/this-is-whats-really-behind-north-koreas-nuclear-provocations/" type="external">writes</a> historian Bruce Cumings, “in October 2000, had indirectly worked out a deal to buy all of its medium- and long-range missiles. Clinton also signed an agreement with Gen. Jo Myong-rok stating that henceforth, neither country would bear ‘hostile intent’ toward the other.”</p>
<p>However, as Fareed Zakaria <a href="" type="internal">writes</a>, “the brief effort at cooperation during the Clinton years was halfhearted, with Washington failing to fulfill some of its promises to North Korea. In any event, the rapprochement was quickly reversed by the George W. Bush administration.” As Cumings puts it, “The Bush administration promptly ignored [the] agreements and set out to destroy the 1994 freeze.” Mike Chenoy <a href="" type="internal">adds</a>, “After a review of Korea policy, Bush declined to reaffirm the communique pledging ‘no hostile intent.’ Meanwhile, leading conservatives in his administration — Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Undersecretary of State John Bolton and others — actively sought to torpedo the Agreed Framework.”</p>
<p>Recall that Bush’s 2002 State of the Union speech included North Korea in his infamous “axis of evil” after the administration accused — without providing evidence — that North Korea had abrogated the agreement. “The results have been clear,” Zakaria writes. “North Korea has continued to build its nuclear program and engage in provocative tests. As isolation and sanctions have increased in recent years, Pyongyang has only become more confrontational.” It pulled out of the NPT and embarked on its current program to develop nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.&#160;Gordon Prather <a href="" type="internal">writes</a>, “With the Agreed Framework unilaterally abrogated and its associated shipments of American fuel-oil permanently halted, the Koreans apparently felt they had no choice but to withdraw from the NPT, rip off the IAEA seals and padlocks, restart their plutonium-producing reactor and resume recovery of weapons-grade plutonium.”</p>
<p>As Cumings writes, “The simple fact is that Pyongyang would have no nuclear weapons if Clinton’s agreements had been sustained.”</p>
<p>A later attempt in the Bush years to deal with North Korea in a multilateral context that included Russia and China bore no fruit. (The new effort began when Condoleezza Rice’s State Department had gained an <a href="" type="internal">advantage</a> over Vice President Dick Cheney. At one point it included removing North Korean from the terrorism list.) In 2009 Prather noted that “what China and Russia have been attempting to do, since 2005, via the Six-Party talks, is to help clean up the mess Bush-Cheney-Bolton made on the neighboring Korean peninsula.”</p>
<p>The problem was that North Korea had been given no reason to trust the U.S. government. Prather described the context of&#160;“Second Phase Actions” of October&#160;2007: the purpose was “to effectively re-instate the Agreed Framework of 1994, except that now North Korea has –- somewhere –- at least a half-dozen plutonium-239 based nukes, definitely not under IAEA padlock or seal. Furthermore, North Korea is no longer a signatory to the NPT. Hence, North Korea is under no international obligation to give up its nuke stockpile.”</p>
<p>Bush-Cheney-Bolton had indeed made a royal mess of things.&#160;Remember this the next someone asks, “Can we trust North Korea?” The more appropriate question is whether North Korea can trust the U.S. government.</p>
<p>Decades of embargos and other attempts to isolate North Korea have failed to destabilize the regime or change its policies. Every administrations’ expectation that the government would fall have been dashed. Thus more of the same, including efforts to have China join in isolating North Korea, won’t work. We should recall how U.S. economic warfare against Imperial Japan turned out: it resulted in a&#160;(hoped-for) attack on the United States, specifically, its naval fleet at Pearl Harbor.</p>
<p>Let us dispense, once and for all, with the idea that Kim is a madman. Brutality is not madness, and a madman wouldn’t be expected to capitulate to economic pressure. He shows every sign of wanting his regime to endure, which means he would not want the U.S. military or nuclear arsenal to pulverize it. Assuming rationality in this context asserts only that Kim’s means are reasonably related to his ends. For example, Kim shows every sign of having learned the lesson of recent U.S. regime-change policies toward Iraq and Libya, neither of which were nuclear states. Same with Syria, whose regime has been targeted by the U.S. government. The lesson is: if you want to deter a U.S. attack, get yourself some nukes.</p>
<p>The upshot is that negotiation of a clear nonaggression pact and a U.S. renunciation of preemptive war and the use of nuclear weapons has a good chance of succeeding. This is the way to go. Meanwhile, Trump should withdraw the America troops. That would be a good start in liquidating the empire.</p> | true | 4 | theres little hope cool160heads around donald trump telling hed nuts attack north korea dont know might still must hope doesnt take lifetime study know fortunately military resolution standoff available ten million south koreans live within160artillery160reach capital seoul 30 miles demilitarized zone separating north south nearly 30000 us military personnel around north korea thousands underground undersea military facilities american bombs missiles would find conventional us attack would catastrophic nuclear attack far far worse horrifying effects160would spill china japan would accomplished nothing good thats sure trump year ago know one said would speak north korean tyrant kim jongun would problem speaking well know many donald trumps well thats one need instead sabrerattling trump along vice president pence others nationalsecurity squad two governments much talk alas long stuck westphalian system must make best first things first first mean peace yes kim160like father grandfather tyrant ever stopped american president dealing with160 often befriending a160ruler never american presidents allied ruthless heads states 20th century trump recently entertained tyrant alsisi egypt white house praising profusely called head turkey erdogan congratulate160him expanding autocratic powers ballot box nixon went meet mao zedong one great mass murderers history open normal relations called red china kim north korea therefore unique respect unique another way us government fought undeclared war sorry police action alongside south koreas tyrant syngman rhee north korea kims grandfather kim ilsung 1950 1953 president harry truman didnt want republicans saying lost korea us air force obliterated country carpet bombing truman decided atomic bombs practical contrast hiroshima nagasaki japan years earlier bombing shooting stopped armistice peace treaty ever signed formally end war decades north korean government sought treaty nonaggression pact us government requests always fell deaf ears finally 1994 president bill clinton reached agreement north korean government first little background decade earlier north korea signed nuclear nonproliferation treaty npt agreeing develop nuclear weapons making subject inspections international atomic energy agency iaea north korea refused give iaea access information suspected sites agency found north korea noncompliance its160npt agreement 1993 suspicion held undeclared plutonium north korea announced plans leave npt things looked bleak north korea asked meet us government settle disputes clinton administration agreed condition iaea access sought north korean eventually agreed turn administration called annual war games south korea north korea insisted began negotiations clinton also conditioned talks continued iaea access north korean negotiations south korea resulting agreed framework north korea would convert nuclear industry heavy lightwater reactors power generation meantime160the us government would provide oil heat electricity addition governments would normalize political economic relations us government would forswear use nuclear weapons north korea would remain party npt implied iaea inspections promising north korean froze160its plutonium program beyond clintons tenure 2002 administration writes historian bruce cumings october 2000 indirectly worked deal buy medium longrange missiles clinton also signed agreement gen jo myongrok stating henceforth neither country would bear hostile intent toward however fareed zakaria writes brief effort cooperation clinton years halfhearted washington failing fulfill promises north korea event rapprochement quickly reversed george w bush administration cumings puts bush administration promptly ignored agreements set destroy 1994 freeze mike chenoy adds review korea policy bush declined reaffirm communique pledging hostile intent meanwhile leading conservatives administration vice president dick cheney defense secretary donald rumsfeld undersecretary state john bolton others actively sought torpedo agreed framework recall bushs 2002 state union speech included north korea infamous axis evil administration accused without providing evidence north korea abrogated agreement results clear zakaria writes north korea continued build nuclear program engage provocative tests isolation sanctions increased recent years pyongyang become confrontational pulled npt embarked current program develop nuclear weapons intercontinental ballistic missiles160gordon prather writes agreed framework unilaterally abrogated associated shipments american fueloil permanently halted koreans apparently felt choice withdraw npt rip iaea seals padlocks restart plutoniumproducing reactor resume recovery weaponsgrade plutonium cumings writes simple fact pyongyang would nuclear weapons clintons agreements sustained later attempt bush years deal north korea multilateral context included russia china bore fruit new effort began condoleezza rices state department gained advantage vice president dick cheney one point included removing north korean terrorism list 2009 prather noted china russia attempting since 2005 via sixparty talks help clean mess bushcheneybolton made neighboring korean peninsula problem north korea given reason trust us government prather described context of160second phase actions october1602007 purpose effectively reinstate agreed framework 1994 except north korea somewhere least halfdozen plutonium239 based nukes definitely iaea padlock seal furthermore north korea longer signatory npt hence north korea international obligation give nuke stockpile bushcheneybolton indeed made royal mess things160remember next someone asks trust north korea appropriate question whether north korea trust us government decades embargos attempts isolate north korea failed destabilize regime change policies every administrations expectation government would fall dashed thus including efforts china join isolating north korea wont work recall us economic warfare imperial japan turned resulted a160hopedfor attack united states specifically naval fleet pearl harbor let us dispense idea kim madman brutality madness madman wouldnt expected capitulate economic pressure shows every sign wanting regime endure means would want us military nuclear arsenal pulverize assuming rationality context asserts kims means reasonably related ends example kim shows every sign learned lesson recent us regimechange policies toward iraq libya neither nuclear states syria whose regime targeted us government lesson want deter us attack get nukes upshot negotiation clear nonaggression pact us renunciation preemptive war use nuclear weapons good chance succeeding way go meanwhile trump withdraw america troops would good start liquidating empire | 896 |
<p>“The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” A book by Elizabeth Kolbert</p>
<p>If best-seller lists and box-office tallies are to be believed, people love survival stories that pulse with human ingenuity, grit and spirit. Yet the demise of creatures other than Homo sapiens — perhaps with the exception of tales featuring precocious children and anthropomorphized mammals — rarely gets human hearts racing or hands sweating, though every living thing is wired to continue its lineage and fight for life to the finish.</p>
<p>Of course, evading extinction is a survival story on a mega-epic scale. Yet most extinctions are very slowly paced, not to mention lacking in dramatic structure. The process of extinction becomes perceptible so incrementally that there’s no drama to structure. Nor is there action to bite one’s nails over: no rolling boulders, dashing heroes or cliffhanging. And although mass extinctions have caused quick crashes — like the asteroid event some 66 million years ago that probably took out three-quarters of Earth’s species, including dinosaurs — fast, in geological time, is thought to be hundreds of thousands of years.</p>
<p />
<p>So, much like the efforts to convince oxymoronically named conservatives that Earth in all its facets must be conserved, the packaging of the currently-in-progress sixth mass extinction as a dire drama is a tough sell. And not only that it’s real and dangerous, but also that our own “weedy species” is both collective antagonist and prime target of this unfolding tragedy.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Kolbert proves she is able to frame such realities for maximum impact in her extraordinary book, “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.” In both ominous and amusing tones, she weaves together stories of mass and single species extinctions, competing scientific theories through history, and personal observation of current research on waning species to transform this saga of worldwide loss into a riveting read. A Jorge Luis Borges quote, after the title page, foreshadows the ironies within: “Centuries of centuries and only in the present do things happen.”</p>
<p>From the under-appreciated Georges Cuvier, the 18th century naturalist who, after studying mastodon, mammoth and elephant fossils, first realized that species actually go extinct, to Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin, and on through lesser known scientific sleuths such as Ken Caldeira, Richard Fortey, Svante Pääbo, and Walter and Luis Alvarez, whose years of international investigation led to acceptance of the K-T asteroid dust theory, the accounts of persistent puzzle solving and knowledge building are wonderfully absorbing. Also striking are the many instances of arrogance, ignorance and misinterpretation that recur throughout these annals of inquiry. Smart deductions often led nowhere; wild speculations sometimes proved to be dead-on. And still there is no widely accepted theory of mass extinction, despite the mounting evidence that humans are involved in, if not actively driving, the sixth one.</p>
<p>Chapter by chapter, Kolbert shows us how scientific history is strewn with unavoidable missteps, myopia and misunderstandings. A discovery might unveil a mystery or deepen it; only gradually can hypotheses be developed, supported, and proved or disproved. And proof is often elusive or dependent on advancements in technology and related fields. Kolbert draws us into winding mysteries, past and present, illustrating the evolutionary nature of both biological life and knowledge. “Even,” she writes, “the idea that the history of life had a direction to it — first reptiles, then mammals — was mistaken, another faulty inference drawn from inadequate data.”</p>
<p>For years, in essays, articles and earlier books, Kolbert has delivered timely, evenhanded reporting, often using the natural world and its foils as her material. She builds stories with vivid imagery, integrating eye-widening details with relatable analogies that make reading “The Sixth Extinction” a pleasure, despite its convincing evidence of impending, and possibly final, human peril. In the section on long-extinct ammonites — nautilus-like marine creatures — she cleverly and memorably compares their chamber usage to an apartment building where only the penthouse is rented. Equally effective are the images she conjures when describing paleogeneticist Pääbo’s work reconstructing broken-down DNA: “Trying to figure out how all the fragments fit together might be compared to trying to reassemble a Manhattan telephone book from pages that have been put through a shredder, mixed with yesterday’s trash, and left to rot in a landfill.”Numerous researchers with wild ideas and the determination to match pop distinctly off the page. Keeping track of the work of each scientist is a challenge because of the range covered, but it’s a stunning volume of seemingly impossible synthesis.</p>
<p>Kolbert provides necessary geological, biological and paleontological background so that lay readers can fully appreciate the alarming number of disappearances. She also has a flair for casually dramatic descriptions of unnatural debacles, and the tracks she lays between observations and understanding are entertaining, sobering and informative. In the chapter on the complex tipping point disaster known as ocean acidification, she sets her stage, following marine biologists gathering samples of victims such as mussels and corals near a tiny island off the coast of Naples, where the surrounding waters are highly acidified. She braids statistics on fossil fuels burned since the beginning of the industrial revolution and the many sorry effects on the air and oceans, with details of the study that include the fun of swimming in water so bubbly from carbon dioxide that it’s “a bit like bathing in champagne.” And did you know that volcanic eruptions are a result of continental Africa drifting northward? That’s also tucked into this absorbing chapter. Elsewhere she corrects a common misconception of how Easter Island was deforested: The culprits were rats, not people. There are myriad fascinating facts and insights, and the deft weave is a key to their accessibility.</p>
<p>In the chapter “Welcome to the Anthropocene,” she opens with a 1949 Harvard experiment on perception that Kolbert notes intrigued the well-known historian of science Thomas Kuhn. It’s also a useful illustration of human resistance to new information and the evolution of understanding: “Data that did not fit the commonly accepted assumptions of a discipline would either be discounted or explained away for as long as possible. The more contradictions accumulated, the more convoluted the rationalizations became.” (Knock-knock, global-warming deniers.) And her writing in the chapter “The Forest and the Trees” on the diversity, utility and vulnerability of our forests is a thing of beauty and sorrow. Like a scientific Hansel &amp; Gretel, Kolbert paves the reader’s path with critical factual morsels, but time and intransigence may prevent us from finding our way back to safety.</p>
<p>Beyond the prodigious scope of knowledge and connecting concepts presented, an intrepid portrait of the author emerges from her descriptions of distances traveled, discomforts endured and awe experienced while gathering data for her readers. She sleeps hoisted in trees, hunts rare toads at night by headlamp, slogs through mud, and wriggles into gooey bat-caves-turned-charnel-houses. There’s no bragging about these exploits, but it’s clear she’s got game. And the less intense or daunting moments in labs, zoos and museums are full of weird science and head-shaking history: a rhino sonogram to help plan in-vitro fertilization, cells of endangered species iced in tanks of liquid nitrogen and sequencing the Neanderthal genome, to name just a few. There is defeat-laced hope in every chapter.</p>
<p>In one that was partly featured in The New Yorker before the book’s publication, Kolbert focuses on a theory that packs a great punch: a prediction by scientist Jan Zalasiewicz that the world will be overtaken eventually by enormous rats, because rats are among the few creatures adaptable enough to make it through the extreme temperatures and other future fallout of global warming. Giant rats — now there’s an image that activists struggling to motivate the public could put to good use. It’s got the visual heft and gross-out power of horror movies, and many people have had run-ins with rodents, so it’s imaginable. Monstrous rats may not be marching down your street soon, but they might be invading your dreams once you see what Zalasiewicz has to say.</p>
<p>Then there are the bats — dead ones, and lots of them. Kolbert’s chronicle of how these puzzling creatures, key to all of our survival as food pollinators, are being felled by fungus is nauseating and unnerving. Much of this story, which has become more desperate with time, ran in The New Yorker almost four years ago, and it’s just as freaky the second go-round. (There’s possibly enough ick factor in the book to appeal to 12-year-old kids, on whom it seems imperative to make a strong impression, since generations of grown-up leaders have responded so inadequately to information about planetary distress. If only we had the time until preteens mature. Or, a real Batman to save the day.)To have shaped this distressing, wide-ranging material into so approachable, engaging and sometimes funny a form is quite an achievement. The author’s sly and smooth maneuvers with prose are especially valuable in a volume with such important bad news. My sole quibble is that the black and white photos underwhelm and add little. But there’s genius synthesis of staggering information here. And yes, “The Sixth Extinction” is heartbreaking. Because despite the many smart, sincere and dedicated people who fill its pages, more often than not, their efforts to understand and stop the devastation of species after species are failing, or worse, too late. As with the ammonites, Kolbert reminds us, there are traits that were advantageous to species for millions of years, until some change made them lethal. Mostly, we are that change.</p>
<p>Still, for the most part, Kolbert writes kindly of our kind, noting that what humans have done to irrevocably alter Earth and “break evolutionary chains” has been largely unintentional, possibly based on something as mundane as restlessness. But despite a growing understanding of our Godzilla-like footprint everywhere we go, our conglomerate behavior continues in the direction of disaster, not preservation. Perhaps that is partly because humans believe we are Earth’s big brains — entitled to dominate and destined to prevail. Interestingly, there are many “lower” species that, although not endowed with free will or Einsteinian IQs, are wired with networking and cooperative abilities that guide them to do far less damage to the commons — and one another — than humans.</p>
<p>We are the one species that seems trapped in a vortex of global destruction, and we can’t find an exit strategy. How much time we have left to react to reality, and accept the connection between us and them-with-the-smaller-brains, is unclear. But the story is pointing toward an unhappy ending. And it will be dramatic.</p>
<p>To see long excerpts from “The Sixth Extinction” at Google Books, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=YODWAgAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=the+sixth+extinction&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=o3zNU7aiN4eCjALI-4C4AQ&amp;ved=0CCwQuwUwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=the%20sixth%20extinction&amp;f=false" type="external">click here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | sixth extinction unnatural history book elizabeth kolbert bestseller lists boxoffice tallies believed people love survival stories pulse human ingenuity grit spirit yet demise creatures homo sapiens perhaps exception tales featuring precocious children anthropomorphized mammals rarely gets human hearts racing hands sweating though every living thing wired continue lineage fight life finish course evading extinction survival story megaepic scale yet extinctions slowly paced mention lacking dramatic structure process extinction becomes perceptible incrementally theres drama structure action bite ones nails rolling boulders dashing heroes cliffhanging although mass extinctions caused quick crashes like asteroid event 66 million years ago probably took threequarters earths species including dinosaurs fast geological time thought hundreds thousands years much like efforts convince oxymoronically named conservatives earth facets must conserved packaging currentlyinprogress sixth mass extinction dire drama tough sell real dangerous also weedy species collective antagonist prime target unfolding tragedy elizabeth kolbert proves able frame realities maximum impact extraordinary book sixth extinction unnatural history ominous amusing tones weaves together stories mass single species extinctions competing scientific theories history personal observation current research waning species transform saga worldwide loss riveting read jorge luis borges quote title page foreshadows ironies within centuries centuries present things happen underappreciated georges cuvier 18th century naturalist studying mastodon mammoth elephant fossils first realized species actually go extinct charles lyell charles darwin lesser known scientific sleuths ken caldeira richard fortey svante pääbo walter luis alvarez whose years international investigation led acceptance kt asteroid dust theory accounts persistent puzzle solving knowledge building wonderfully absorbing also striking many instances arrogance ignorance misinterpretation recur throughout annals inquiry smart deductions often led nowhere wild speculations sometimes proved deadon still widely accepted theory mass extinction despite mounting evidence humans involved actively driving sixth one chapter chapter kolbert shows us scientific history strewn unavoidable missteps myopia misunderstandings discovery might unveil mystery deepen gradually hypotheses developed supported proved disproved proof often elusive dependent advancements technology related fields kolbert draws us winding mysteries past present illustrating evolutionary nature biological life knowledge even writes idea history life direction first reptiles mammals mistaken another faulty inference drawn inadequate data years essays articles earlier books kolbert delivered timely evenhanded reporting often using natural world foils material builds stories vivid imagery integrating eyewidening details relatable analogies make reading sixth extinction pleasure despite convincing evidence impending possibly final human peril section longextinct ammonites nautiluslike marine creatures cleverly memorably compares chamber usage apartment building penthouse rented equally effective images conjures describing paleogeneticist pääbos work reconstructing brokendown dna trying figure fragments fit together might compared trying reassemble manhattan telephone book pages put shredder mixed yesterdays trash left rot landfillnumerous researchers wild ideas determination match pop distinctly page keeping track work scientist challenge range covered stunning volume seemingly impossible synthesis kolbert provides necessary geological biological paleontological background lay readers fully appreciate alarming number disappearances also flair casually dramatic descriptions unnatural debacles tracks lays observations understanding entertaining sobering informative chapter complex tipping point disaster known ocean acidification sets stage following marine biologists gathering samples victims mussels corals near tiny island coast naples surrounding waters highly acidified braids statistics fossil fuels burned since beginning industrial revolution many sorry effects air oceans details study include fun swimming water bubbly carbon dioxide bit like bathing champagne know volcanic eruptions result continental africa drifting northward thats also tucked absorbing chapter elsewhere corrects common misconception easter island deforested culprits rats people myriad fascinating facts insights deft weave key accessibility chapter welcome anthropocene opens 1949 harvard experiment perception kolbert notes intrigued wellknown historian science thomas kuhn also useful illustration human resistance new information evolution understanding data fit commonly accepted assumptions discipline would either discounted explained away long possible contradictions accumulated convoluted rationalizations became knockknock globalwarming deniers writing chapter forest trees diversity utility vulnerability forests thing beauty sorrow like scientific hansel amp gretel kolbert paves readers path critical factual morsels time intransigence may prevent us finding way back safety beyond prodigious scope knowledge connecting concepts presented intrepid portrait author emerges descriptions distances traveled discomforts endured awe experienced gathering data readers sleeps hoisted trees hunts rare toads night headlamp slogs mud wriggles gooey batcavesturnedcharnelhouses theres bragging exploits clear shes got game less intense daunting moments labs zoos museums full weird science headshaking history rhino sonogram help plan invitro fertilization cells endangered species iced tanks liquid nitrogen sequencing neanderthal genome name defeatlaced hope every chapter one partly featured new yorker books publication kolbert focuses theory packs great punch prediction scientist jan zalasiewicz world overtaken eventually enormous rats rats among creatures adaptable enough make extreme temperatures future fallout global warming giant rats theres image activists struggling motivate public could put good use got visual heft grossout power horror movies many people runins rodents imaginable monstrous rats may marching street soon might invading dreams see zalasiewicz say bats dead ones lots kolberts chronicle puzzling creatures key survival food pollinators felled fungus nauseating unnerving much story become desperate time ran new yorker almost four years ago freaky second goround theres possibly enough ick factor book appeal 12yearold kids seems imperative make strong impression since generations grownup leaders responded inadequately information planetary distress time preteens mature real batman save dayto shaped distressing wideranging material approachable engaging sometimes funny form quite achievement authors sly smooth maneuvers prose especially valuable volume important bad news sole quibble black white photos underwhelm add little theres genius synthesis staggering information yes sixth extinction heartbreaking despite many smart sincere dedicated people fill pages often efforts understand stop devastation species species failing worse late ammonites kolbert reminds us traits advantageous species millions years change made lethal mostly change still part kolbert writes kindly kind noting humans done irrevocably alter earth break evolutionary chains largely unintentional possibly based something mundane restlessness despite growing understanding godzillalike footprint everywhere go conglomerate behavior continues direction disaster preservation perhaps partly humans believe earths big brains entitled dominate destined prevail interestingly many lower species although endowed free einsteinian iqs wired networking cooperative abilities guide far less damage commons one another humans one species seems trapped vortex global destruction cant find exit strategy much time left react reality accept connection us themwiththesmallerbrains unclear story pointing toward unhappy ending dramatic see long excerpts sixth extinction google books click | 1,017 |
<p>Despite <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/174230/lgbt-americans-continue-skew-democratic-liberal.aspx" type="external">skewing Democrat</a>, LGBT people are flocking to red states. It’s a sign that cities in the center of the country are becoming more accepting, but it’s also an indication that traditional <a href="" type="internal">LGBT safe havens</a> are prohibitively expensive.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.consumeraffairs.com/" type="external">ConsumerAffairs.com</a> analyzed U.S. Census data and Gallup polling information to <a href="https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/index.html#moving-trends-lgbt" type="external">model</a> the movement of the LGBT community from 1990 to 2014. The overall trend is striking. In 1990, the LGBT population was concentrated in coastal metropolitan areas and other safe havens—cities like San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Atlanta. By 2014, LGBT hot spots cropped up in some seemingly unlikely places: Salt Lake City, Louisville, Norfolk, Indianapolis, and other red state cities.</p>
<p>The ConsumerAffairs analysis ranks each city based on the percentage of its residents who identified as LGBT in each year. In 1990, for example, only 1 percent of the <a href="" type="internal">Salt Lake population identified as LGBT</a>, giving the city a ranking of 39. By 2014, nearly 5 percent of Salt Lake City’s population was LGBT and the city was ranked 7th overall.</p>
<p>Several of the cities that rose in the rankings were in traditionally red states. Meanwhile, many LGBT safe havens like Minneapolis, San Diego, and New York fell in the rankings. San Francisco remains the undisputed LGBT capital of the country but even there, the LGBT population fell by a few tenths of a percent over the last decade and a half.</p>
<p>“What you’re really seeing is reflective of other national trends,” said ConsumerAffairs content manager Ryan Daly. “Specifically, it lines up with people—especially young people—choosing less to live in huge, expensive cities, which were traditionally <a href="" type="internal">friendlier toward LGBTQ individuals</a>, and choosing instead to make lives for themselves in small and mid-tier cities in the middle and southern states.”</p>
<p>Longtime LGBT bastions like Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and D.C. did technically see increases in the percent of the population that identified as LGBT. But that’s to be expected, given growing cultural acceptance and given the fact that younger people are <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/03/31/millennials-are-the-gayest-generation.html" type="external">far more likely</a> to be out of the closet— <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/03/31/millennials-are-the-gayest-generation.html" type="external">one recent study</a> found that 7 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 35 were lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.</p>
<p>But those cities and other metropolitan areas in blue states fell in the overall ConsumerAffairs ranking despite these increases, which suggests that many LGBT people are choosing to live in affordable cities instead. In other words, you’ll still find plenty of gay people in New York but more young gay people are making the trek to Utah instead. And that makes sense: New York City scores a full 100 on the <a href="http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/region_rankings.jsp?title=2015&amp;region=019" type="external">Consumer Price Index</a> and Salt Lake City lands below 70.</p>
<p>“The drivers for this movement are economic,” said Daly. “Smaller cities have shorter commutes, cheaper rent, and less competition for good-paying jobs. And a lot of smaller cities are investing in the kind of infrastructure (public transportation and amenities, walkability and density near city centers) that young people value.” But these economic motivators are compounded by a slow wave of social and legal change. In 2009, Salt Lake became the first Utah city to <a href="http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/opinion/ci_13770813" type="external">pass</a> LGBT housing and employment protections. Louisville, which now ranks 11th in the ConsumerAffairs analysis, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/vicco-kentucky-approves-lgbt-fairness-law" type="external">passed a similar law</a> in 1999. The mayor of Indianapolis, which climbed five spots in the ConsumerAffairs rankings, <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/indy-mayor-signs-domestic-partner-191954965.html" type="external">signed</a> an ordinance providing benefits for domestic partners of city employees in 2012.</p>
<p>There have also been federal actions over the last 15 years that may have made LGBT people feel safer venturing into states that lack more local protections. In 1998, Bill Clinton signed a limited executive order prohibiting discrimination against gay and lesbian employees in the federal workforce. In 2014, President Obama bolstered that protection, adding gender identity and prohibiting hiring discrimination as well.</p>
<p>That same year, federal and Supreme Court actions <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/26/same-sex-marriage-state-by-state/" type="external">effectively legalized</a> same-sex marriage in a huge swath of red states: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Now, of course, it is <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/06/26/same-sex-marriage-is-legal-now-what.html" type="external">legal nationwide</a>.</p>
<p>“With national laws starting to reflect the growing societal acceptance and awareness, state laws are starting to matter less when it comes to where LGBTQ individuals choose to live,” said Daly.</p>
<p>Many of these smaller cities in red states are still far from perfect places for LGBT people to live. <a href="https://www.aclu.org/map/non-discrimination-laws-state-state-information-map" type="external">Twenty-eight states</a> lack any LGBT employment discrimination protections. And there are currently several state-level challenges to LGBT rights, especially <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2016/02/24/state-legislation-targets-trans-community-like-never-before.html" type="external">transgender rights</a>. For example, the North Carolina state government is attempting to <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article64737837.html" type="external">overturn</a> an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance passed last month in Charlotte, which rose from a ranking of 42 to 33 in the ConsumerAffairs analysis.</p>
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<p>But between their pocketbooks and the law books, LGBT people have plenty of reasons to move away from the coasts. Sorry, San Francisco.</p> | true | 4 | despite skewing democrat lgbt people flocking red states sign cities center country becoming accepting also indication traditional lgbt safe havens prohibitively expensive consumeraffairscom analyzed us census data gallup polling information model movement lgbt community 1990 2014 overall trend striking 1990 lgbt population concentrated coastal metropolitan areas safe havenscities like san francisco new york seattle atlanta 2014 lgbt hot spots cropped seemingly unlikely places salt lake city louisville norfolk indianapolis red state cities consumeraffairs analysis ranks city based percentage residents identified lgbt year 1990 example 1 percent salt lake population identified lgbt giving city ranking 39 2014 nearly 5 percent salt lake citys population lgbt city ranked 7th overall several cities rose rankings traditionally red states meanwhile many lgbt safe havens like minneapolis san diego new york fell rankings san francisco remains undisputed lgbt capital country even lgbt population fell tenths percent last decade half youre really seeing reflective national trends said consumeraffairs content manager ryan daly specifically lines peopleespecially young peoplechoosing less live huge expensive cities traditionally friendlier toward lgbtq individuals choosing instead make lives small midtier cities middle southern states longtime lgbt bastions like seattle los angeles new york boston dc technically see increases percent population identified lgbt thats expected given growing cultural acceptance given fact younger people far likely closet one recent study found 7 percent us adults aged 18 35 lesbian gay bisexual transgender cities metropolitan areas blue states fell overall consumeraffairs ranking despite increases suggests many lgbt people choosing live affordable cities instead words youll still find plenty gay people new york young gay people making trek utah instead makes sense new york city scores full 100 consumer price index salt lake city lands 70 drivers movement economic said daly smaller cities shorter commutes cheaper rent less competition goodpaying jobs lot smaller cities investing kind infrastructure public transportation amenities walkability density near city centers young people value economic motivators compounded slow wave social legal change 2009 salt lake became first utah city pass lgbt housing employment protections louisville ranks 11th consumeraffairs analysis passed similar law 1999 mayor indianapolis climbed five spots consumeraffairs rankings signed ordinance providing benefits domestic partners city employees 2012 also federal actions last 15 years may made lgbt people feel safer venturing states lack local protections 1998 bill clinton signed limited executive order prohibiting discrimination gay lesbian employees federal workforce 2014 president obama bolstered protection adding gender identity prohibiting hiring discrimination well year federal supreme court actions effectively legalized samesex marriage huge swath red states arizona colorado kansas indiana montana north carolina south carolina oklahoma utah virginia west virginia wisconsin wyoming course legal nationwide national laws starting reflect growing societal acceptance awareness state laws starting matter less comes lgbtq individuals choose live said daly many smaller cities red states still far perfect places lgbt people live twentyeight states lack lgbt employment discrimination protections currently several statelevel challenges lgbt rights especially transgender rights example north carolina state government attempting overturn lgbt nondiscrimination ordinance passed last month charlotte rose ranking 42 33 consumeraffairs analysis start finish day top stories daily beast speedy smart summary news need know nothing dont pocketbooks law books lgbt people plenty reasons move away coasts sorry san francisco | 527 |
<p />
<p>A <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102258,00.html" type="external">memo</a> outlining a Democratic strategy for criticizing the administration’s use of prewar intelligence, written by a Dem on the staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee and leaked to Fox News on Wednesday, has Republicans and conservative pundits fuming, very showily, about Democrats’ partisan opportunism.</p>
<p>“Intelligence issues are clearly secondary to the public’s concern regarding the insurgency in Iraq,” reads the memo. “Yet, we have an important role to play in the revealing the misleading — if not flagrantly dishonest methods and motives — of the senior administration officials who made the case for a unilateral, preemptive war.”</p>
<p>Republicans are overdoing their outrage at the memo, which by Washington standards is fairly mild, for a simple reason: they’re worried the committee, which is looking into charges that the Bush administration essentially cooked intelligence to justify attacking Iraq, will uncover some damaging dirt on the president and his party. And they see an opportunity to undermine the probe, already hampered by the White House’s noncooperation.</p>
<p>The memo also indicates that Democrats intend to use the intelligence failures as an election issue. Democrats should be prepared “to launch an independent investigation when it becomes clear we have exhausted the opportunity to usefully collaborate with the majority,” the memo stated. “We can pull the trigger on an independent investigation at any time– but we can only do so once. The best time to do so will probably be next year.”</p>
<p>White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: “I certainly hope that people are not trying to use this issue, this important issue, for political gain.”</p>
<p>What’s the big deal? Isn’t this standard political fare? Well, yes and no, as the Financial Times explains.</p>
<p>“The House and Senate intelligence committees, which conduct most of their work in classified briefings, have a less overtly political tradition than most congressional committees. But with the war shaping up as a key issue in next year’s presidential election, both parties are aware of the potential political consequences of what the investigations find.”</p>
<p>And so Republicans, making a big show of being angry and hurt, pounced on the memo, portraying it as an attempt to politicize the probe. Just as Democrats accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence about Iraq for political purposes, Republicans accuse Democrats of plotting to use the committee’s probe to damage President Bush politically just before the 2004 elections.</p>
<p>Which, of course, is true, as far as it goes, especially now that the economy, which looks to be on the mend, has suddenly become a less effective issue for the Democrats, forcing them to lean more heavily on criticisms of Bush’s foreign policy. But, come on! Virtually all the available evidence points to the Bush administration’s having been less than scrupulous with prewar intel — having politicized it, in fact. Why wouldn’t Democrats want to use it as an issue?</p>
<p>Still, the memo is a gift to Republicans, who have just enough of a case to make their accusations of low partisan politicking stick. The Christian news-service Crosswalk covers the <a href="http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1229413.html" type="external">conservative outrage</a>:</p>
<p>“…Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who previously served on the committee for eight years, called the memo, ‘reprehensible.’</p>
<p>‘It is a disgusting possibility that members of the Senate would actually try to politicize intelligence,’ Kyl said on the Senate floor Wednesday, ‘especially at a time of war, even apparently reaching conclusions before investigations have been performed.’ Kyl referred specifically to a portion of the memo that stated, ‘Our additional views will, among other things, castigate the majority for seeking to limit the scope of the inquiry.’ ‘In other words, before something is already done, the plan has already been devised about how they’re going to criticize the majority for something it hasn’t even done yet,’ Kyl observed. ‘This is blatant partisan politics.'”</p>
<p>Of course the probe is highly political, since the answer to the question of who is to blame for the prewar intelligence failures that led to the invasion of Iraq will carry enormous political consequences. And of course Democrats blasting Republicans for what they increasingly believe is a cover-up is outright partisan. The Bush administration’s refusal to hand over to the Senate Committee sensitive information about pre-war intelligence has successfully stifled the investigations thus far. The committee’s Vice-chairman, Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, said that the memo “clearly reflects staff frustration that the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation has not tackled all of the tough issues and frustration with the difficulties we have had obtaining information from the administration.”</p>
<p>CNN reports <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/intelligence.flap/" type="external">both sides’ reaction to the White House’s role</a> in the ongoing investigation:</p>
<p>“Rockefeller and Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas sent letters to the White House, Pentagon, State Department and CIA last week complaining the agencies were ignoring requests for key documents and interviews.</p>
<p>Over the weekend, Roberts softened his stance on the White House, saying Sunday he felt there was a ‘spirit of cooperation.’</p>
<p>Rockefeller disagreed. ‘I won’t believe it until I see it. I don’t think it’s in their interest to give us those documents, because I think it’s going to show some things that are very troublesome to the American people.'”</p>
<p>Rockefeller added: “It is disturbing […] that a draft paper describing the rights of the minority to push for a full and fair review of the issues of the committee is being so grossly mischaracterized to try to deflect attention from the real issue.”</p>
<p>But don’t underestimate conservatives’ ability to make this an effective issue that can put the Democrats on the defensive. Although the memo looks for the most part like politics-as-usual, even one Democrat, Senator Zell Miller (D-GA), joined the general public outrage and called for consequences.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://miller.senate.gov/press/2003/110503memo.html" type="external">statement on his website</a>, the senator says:</p>
<p>“I have often said that the process in Washington is so politicized and polarized that it can’t even be put aside when we’re at war. Never has that been proved more true than the highly partisan and perhaps treasonous memo prepared for the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee.</p>
<p>Of all the committees, this is the one single committee that should unquestionably be above partisan politics. The information it deals with should never, never be distorted, compromised or politicized in any shape, form or fashion. For it involves the lives of our soldiers and our citizens. Its actions should always be above reproach; its words never politicized. If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin. The ones responsible – be they staff or elected or both should be dealt with quickly and severely sending a lesson to all that this kind of action will not be tolerated, ignored or excused. Heads should roll!”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | memo outlining democratic strategy criticizing administrations use prewar intelligence written dem staff senate intelligence committee leaked fox news wednesday republicans conservative pundits fuming showily democrats partisan opportunism intelligence issues clearly secondary publics concern regarding insurgency iraq reads memo yet important role play revealing misleading flagrantly dishonest methods motives senior administration officials made case unilateral preemptive war republicans overdoing outrage memo washington standards fairly mild simple reason theyre worried committee looking charges bush administration essentially cooked intelligence justify attacking iraq uncover damaging dirt president party see opportunity undermine probe already hampered white houses noncooperation memo also indicates democrats intend use intelligence failures election issue democrats prepared launch independent investigation becomes clear exhausted opportunity usefully collaborate majority memo stated pull trigger independent investigation time best time probably next year white house spokesman scott mcclellan said certainly hope people trying use issue important issue political gain whats big deal isnt standard political fare well yes financial times explains house senate intelligence committees conduct work classified briefings less overtly political tradition congressional committees war shaping key issue next years presidential election parties aware potential political consequences investigations find republicans making big show angry hurt pounced memo portraying attempt politicize probe democrats accused bush administration manipulating intelligence iraq political purposes republicans accuse democrats plotting use committees probe damage president bush politically 2004 elections course true far goes especially economy looks mend suddenly become less effective issue democrats forcing lean heavily criticisms bushs foreign policy come virtually available evidence points bush administrations less scrupulous prewar intel politicized fact wouldnt democrats want use issue still memo gift republicans enough case make accusations low partisan politicking stick christian newsservice crosswalk covers conservative outrage sen jon kyl rariz previously served committee eight years called memo reprehensible disgusting possibility members senate would actually try politicize intelligence kyl said senate floor wednesday especially time war even apparently reaching conclusions investigations performed kyl referred specifically portion memo stated additional views among things castigate majority seeking limit scope inquiry words something already done plan already devised theyre going criticize majority something hasnt even done yet kyl observed blatant partisan politics course probe highly political since answer question blame prewar intelligence failures led invasion iraq carry enormous political consequences course democrats blasting republicans increasingly believe coverup outright partisan bush administrations refusal hand senate committee sensitive information prewar intelligence successfully stifled investigations thus far committees vicechairman democrat sen jay rockefeller west virginia said memo clearly reflects staff frustration senate intelligence committees investigation tackled tough issues frustration difficulties obtaining information administration cnn reports sides reaction white houses role ongoing investigation rockefeller intelligence committee chairman pat roberts kansas sent letters white house pentagon state department cia last week complaining agencies ignoring requests key documents interviews weekend roberts softened stance white house saying sunday felt spirit cooperation rockefeller disagreed wont believe see dont think interest give us documents think going show things troublesome american people rockefeller added disturbing draft paper describing rights minority push full fair review issues committee grossly mischaracterized try deflect attention real issue dont underestimate conservatives ability make effective issue put democrats defensive although memo looks part like politicsasusual even one democrat senator zell miller dga joined general public outrage called consequences statement website senator says often said process washington politicized polarized cant even put aside war never proved true highly partisan perhaps treasonous memo prepared democrats intelligence committee committees one single committee unquestionably partisan politics information deals never never distorted compromised politicized shape form fashion involves lives soldiers citizens actions always reproach words never politicized happened treason first cousin ones responsible staff elected dealt quickly severely sending lesson kind action tolerated ignored excused heads roll | 601 |
<p>In the 1980s in the North Santiam Canyon east of Salem, OR, Ancient Forest activism was peaking after years of dogged effort. This is the area of the famous 1986-89 North Roaring Devil blockade and tree sit (the second ever pro-forest tree sit; the first coming in the nearby South Santiam’s Millennium Grove actions of 1985). North Roaring Devil protection efforts went on for three years, over sixty folks were arrested for non-violent Civil Disobedience at the logging site; sixty-three acres of five-hundred-plus year old trees were leveled; but, in the end, a lawsuit stopped the logging of an additional 170 acres and even led to the Willamette National Forest Plan being thrown out and redone. The entire area is now a part of a 49,000 acre reserve.</p>
<p>Naturally, this effort gained a lot of notoriety. It was the first such effort to garner national attention to the plight of our fast-vanishing old growth forests, bringing in reporters from around the world. It led to a spread in National Geographic and some TV documentaries. By 1988, things also got going eight miles away in the Little North Fork Santiam drainage when a concerted effort was mounted to stop Forest Service plans to liquidate Opal Creek’s wondrous Ancient Forest.</p>
<p>The successful (it’s now a designated Wilderness area with over 35,000 acres preserved) Opal Creek endeavor led to even more attention coming to the Santiam area.</p>
<p>In 1995, sixty miles south at Warner Creek, activists mounted an occupation of a planned post-fire (an arson) “salvage” logging area. People from around the country came and camped out in the snow and rain for over a year before a lawsuit ended the threat of logging there.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Change in Tone</p>
<p>Soon a few new folks arrived on the two scenes advocating major violent defense of the forests. One who moved to the Detroit area claimed eco-bona fides as one of the folks arrested with famed activist Judi Bari when she broke into the home of Harry “we log to infinity” Merlo, CEO of Louisiana Pacific until he was rudely fired by LP shareholders in 1995 after years of mismanagement. Bari and friends famously drank Merlo’s sherry and soaked in his hot tub before arrest.</p>
<p>Of course, when Northwest activists checked into this guy’s story, he was not with Bari in California that night. He constantly pushed for more extreme actions by forest defenders. He claimed to have spiked trees in the area and falsely cited a recently deceased local (one of my best friends) as his accomplice. He even loudly claimed to have provided the accelerants used in the famous Vail arson. Then, he vanished one night and cannot be found, even by a contractor trying to settle a multi-thousand dollar monetary dispute in his favor.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>On the Cusp of Victory</p>
<p>On Oct. 28, 1996, an arson fire broke out at the Detroit Ranger Station, the Ranger District responsible for both Opal Creek and the Breitenbush River area of the North Roaring Devil. A truck was burned and graffiti reading “Earth Liberation Front” was painted on the building. At the time, Earth Liberation Front (ELF) was an England-based group that had done no actions in the USA. This was a first.</p>
<p>Two days later, the Oakridge Ranger Station (yep, Warner Creek) was burned to the ground. Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas visited the site declaring the arson an act of cowardly eco-terrorism. “This is what people do who do not understand how to operate in a democracy,” Thomas pontificated.</p>
<p>When peaceful protesters arrived the next day, Halloween, at Forest Service HQ in Eugene to protest yet another Ancient Forest timber sale in the Detroit area, they were met by a phalanx of riot police, decked out in full Seattle WTO Ninja turtle attire and surrounding the entire block.</p>
<p>From that point on, increased militarization took place at every forest protest; including ski-masked, black-attired, highly-armed characters slinking through the woods taking photos of every protester and, every once in awhile, leaping out of the brush and tackling and arresting folks for “violating a Closure Area.”</p>
<p>The big question at the time was; not so much who was doing these arsons, though that was high on everyone’s minds; but why here? Why in the two areas where activists were winning? It was so counterproductive that major research into spotted owls and recovering burned areas went up in smoke at Oakridge; research that made the case of the protesters!</p>
<p>Detroit was also well on its way to a transformation away from being the nation’s biggest timber cutting ranger district in the 1980s (an average of 13,000 acres of Ancient Forest was cut annually, leading to an average yield of 125 million board feet per year!) Now, after the transition, the Detroit Ranger District hosts over three million visitors per year and cut less than one million board feet last year; all from salvage and small tree thinning operations.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Who Gains?</p>
<p>All this brings me to last week’s <a href="" type="internal">arrests</a> in a number of “ELF” and “Animal Liberation Front” (ALF) incidents. Bandied about universally in the media as “Eco-terrorism” cases, each event also cries out for the same “Why here?” analysis.</p>
<p>Even if one was a dedicated ELF/ALFer, why would one choose to attack these specific targets? Of course, one can find the rationales on their own <a href="http://www.animalliberationfront.com/" type="external">website</a>. (The notion of committed Luddites having websites is another issue.)</p>
<p>Tim Hermach, head of the Native Forest Council, has seen how the fallout from such actions has impacted non-profit advocacy groups like his. He put it this way, “It’s strange how easily we forget. COINTELPRO; industry’s arson, insurance fraud &amp; strategic PR campaigns to divide &amp; conquer its opposition of responsible citizens. ELF and its alleged crimes are far more likely to be one or all of the above rather than “us.” Just look at the targets. Just look at the results. Did they help us? Did they advance our cause or set us back? Even if one believed there were some willing dupes from within our ranks who played a role in “ELF” actions; were they directed, encouraged or manipulated by the FBI or industry agents?”</p>
<p>“Eco-Terrorism” as a concept itself is the brain-fart of Ron Arnold, guru of the Wise Use Movement. Arnold ginned up the entire notion as a way to combat ever-increasing public support for conservation.</p>
<p>And ironically, Arnold claims that “eco-terrorism” is clandestinely carried out at the behest of major non-profit groups and their funders when he himself uses the theory as the main cash cow for his own non-profit. While I agree with him on some things, especially that there is something just a tad shady about the Big Greens and their Big Oil foundation funders; it’s not them in any way behind this wave of arsons.</p>
<p>Nor is it the work of any of the many small groups that have organized to protect critical habitats. Despite the fact that a couple of the recent arrestees did spend some time at the Warner Creek blockade, they were not instrumental in that effort. Most long-time activists knew none of the accused.</p>
<p>And accused is all they are. We also must remember that the FBI arrested activists Judi Bari and Daryl Cherney after they were the victims of a car bomb. The FBI accused them of bombing themselves basically. After years of litigation, Bari and Cherney were exonerated and the FBI was forced to pay Cherney and the deceased Bari’s estate a $4.4 million dollar settlement for violating their First and Fourth amendment rights.</p>
<p>In summary: we have questionable actions at questionable sites; we have arrests with the aid of an unnamed “confidential informant;” we have provocateurs (informants?) who arrive, then vanish; and, after ten years, we have no arrests in the Bari bombing nor in the Detroit and Oakridge arsons or the arson of the Warner Creek forest; reminiscent of the lack of law enforcement effort on the “Anthrax letters” to the media and top Democrats.</p>
<p>A pattern emerges: issues that remain “unresolved’ are matters where activists or their causes are harmed or silencing dissent is the motivation. Should industry or their stooges be even slightly impacted by anything, legal (remember those increasingly-present Ninja turtles appearing wherever citizens are exercising their constitutional rights) or otherwise, the FBI stages a full-court press; rights be damned.</p>
<p>It really is “what people do who do not understand how to operate in a democracy.”</p>
<p>MICHAEL DONNELLY was instrumental in both the North Roaring Devil (he was the plaintiff in the lawsuit that stopped it) and the Opal Creek campaigns. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:pahtoo@aol.com" type="external">pahtoo@aol.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | 1980s north santiam canyon east salem ancient forest activism peaking years dogged effort area famous 198689 north roaring devil blockade tree sit second ever proforest tree sit first coming nearby south santiams millennium grove actions 1985 north roaring devil protection efforts went three years sixty folks arrested nonviolent civil disobedience logging site sixtythree acres fivehundredplus year old trees leveled end lawsuit stopped logging additional 170 acres even led willamette national forest plan thrown redone entire area part 49000 acre reserve naturally effort gained lot notoriety first effort garner national attention plight fastvanishing old growth forests bringing reporters around world led spread national geographic tv documentaries 1988 things also got going eight miles away little north fork santiam drainage concerted effort mounted stop forest service plans liquidate opal creeks wondrous ancient forest successful designated wilderness area 35000 acres preserved opal creek endeavor led even attention coming santiam area 1995 sixty miles south warner creek activists mounted occupation planned postfire arson salvage logging area people around country came camped snow rain year lawsuit ended threat logging 160 change tone soon new folks arrived two scenes advocating major violent defense forests one moved detroit area claimed ecobona fides one folks arrested famed activist judi bari broke home harry log infinity merlo ceo louisiana pacific rudely fired lp shareholders 1995 years mismanagement bari friends famously drank merlos sherry soaked hot tub arrest course northwest activists checked guys story bari california night constantly pushed extreme actions forest defenders claimed spiked trees area falsely cited recently deceased local one best friends accomplice even loudly claimed provided accelerants used famous vail arson vanished one night found even contractor trying settle multithousand dollar monetary dispute favor 160 cusp victory oct 28 1996 arson fire broke detroit ranger station ranger district responsible opal creek breitenbush river area north roaring devil truck burned graffiti reading earth liberation front painted building time earth liberation front elf englandbased group done actions usa first two days later oakridge ranger station yep warner creek burned ground forest service chief jack ward thomas visited site declaring arson act cowardly ecoterrorism people understand operate democracy thomas pontificated peaceful protesters arrived next day halloween forest service hq eugene protest yet another ancient forest timber sale detroit area met phalanx riot police decked full seattle wto ninja turtle attire surrounding entire block point increased militarization took place every forest protest including skimasked blackattired highlyarmed characters slinking woods taking photos every protester every awhile leaping brush tackling arresting folks violating closure area big question time much arsons though high everyones minds two areas activists winning counterproductive major research spotted owls recovering burned areas went smoke oakridge research made case protesters detroit also well way transformation away nations biggest timber cutting ranger district 1980s average 13000 acres ancient forest cut annually leading average yield 125 million board feet per year transition detroit ranger district hosts three million visitors per year cut less one million board feet last year salvage small tree thinning operations 160 gains brings last weeks arrests number elf animal liberation front alf incidents bandied universally media ecoterrorism cases event also cries analysis even one dedicated elfalfer would one choose attack specific targets course one find rationales website notion committed luddites websites another issue tim hermach head native forest council seen fallout actions impacted nonprofit advocacy groups like put way strange easily forget cointelpro industrys arson insurance fraud amp strategic pr campaigns divide amp conquer opposition responsible citizens elf alleged crimes far likely one rather us look targets look results help us advance cause set us back even one believed willing dupes within ranks played role elf actions directed encouraged manipulated fbi industry agents ecoterrorism concept brainfart ron arnold guru wise use movement arnold ginned entire notion way combat everincreasing public support conservation ironically arnold claims ecoterrorism clandestinely carried behest major nonprofit groups funders uses theory main cash cow nonprofit agree things especially something tad shady big greens big oil foundation funders way behind wave arsons work many small groups organized protect critical habitats despite fact couple recent arrestees spend time warner creek blockade instrumental effort longtime activists knew none accused accused also must remember fbi arrested activists judi bari daryl cherney victims car bomb fbi accused bombing basically years litigation bari cherney exonerated fbi forced pay cherney deceased baris estate 44 million dollar settlement violating first fourth amendment rights summary questionable actions questionable sites arrests aid unnamed confidential informant provocateurs informants arrive vanish ten years arrests bari bombing detroit oakridge arsons arson warner creek forest reminiscent lack law enforcement effort anthrax letters media top democrats pattern emerges issues remain unresolved matters activists causes harmed silencing dissent motivation industry stooges even slightly impacted anything legal remember increasinglypresent ninja turtles appearing wherever citizens exercising constitutional rights otherwise fbi stages fullcourt press rights damned really people understand operate democracy michael donnelly instrumental north roaring devil plaintiff lawsuit stopped opal creek campaigns reached pahtooaolcom 160 | 814 |
<p>An investigator examines an SUV in which two suspects were killed Wednesday during a shootout with police in San Bernardino, Calif. (Jae C. Hong / AP)</p>
<p>UPDATE: The woman who helped carry out the mass shooting in San Bernardino on Wednesday had pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a Facebook post, federal law enforcement officials said Friday, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/tashfeen-malik-islamic-state.html?&amp;hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">according to the New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>There is no evidence the Islamic State directed the woman, Tashfeen Malik, and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, to launch the attacks, which killed 14 and wounded 21, the officials said. But the Facebook post has led investigators to believe that the couple took inspiration from the group, they said.</p>
<p>“At this point we believe they were more self-radicalized and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting,” one of the officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.</p>
<p />
<p>Meanwhile, the stories of the 14 people who died Wednesday are told in <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-shooting-victims-20151204-story.html" type="external">the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>UPDATE: In a developing story posted Thursday afternoon, the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-victims-htmlstory.html" type="external">Los Angeles Times</a> released details about some of the shooting victims.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>UPDATE: The FBI is treating its inquiry into the San Bernardino massacre as a possible terrorism case, law enforcement officials said Thursday, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/us/san-bernardino-shooting.html" type="external">according to the New York Times</a>. Officials pointed to materials the suspects stockpiled, their Middle East travels and evidence that one of them had been in touch with people with Islamist extremist views.</p>
<p>“We do not yet know the motive,” David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI office in Los Angeles, said in a news conference.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>As investigators searched for a motive in the mass killing of 14 people in San Bernardino, details about the slain suspects emerged Thursday.</p>
<p>Police said the suspects — identified as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, a married couple — opened fire at a social services center holiday banquet at the San Bernardino County Public Health Department. In addition to the 14 killed, 17 people were wounded in the attack. Farook and Malik were armed with .223-caliber assault rifles and semiautomatic handguns, according to authorities.</p>
<p>The couple died hours later in a shootout with police.</p>
<p>The New York Times reports:</p>
<p>On Wednesday morning, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, left their 6-month-old daughter with Mr. Farook’s mother, telling her they were going out for a doctor’s appointment, a relative said.</p>
<p>By nightfall, it was clear that was a ruse, as the police said the couple spent the day carrying out a rampage at a social services center that killed at least 14 people before leading officers on a sprawling chase that ended with the two dead in a bloody gunfight in a suburban neighborhood.</p>
<p>While investigators were still searching for a motive, a picture began to emerge of how the couple had hidden their plan even from close relatives. To some, they appeared steeped in the usual routines of work and parenthood. For instance, they had registered online for gifts for their newborn, including a car seat and diapers.</p>
<p>Mr. Farook and Ms. Malik met on a dating website, according to Mr. Farook’s brother-in-law, Farhan Khan. He said that Mr. Farook had traveled to Saudi Arabia at least two times: first to meet Ms. Malik’s family and then to marry her. …</p>
<p>… Chief Jarrod Burguan of the San Bernardino Police Department said at a news conference Wednesday night that the attack did not seem to be “a spur-of-the-moment thing.”</p>
<p>Learn more about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/us/san-bernardino-shooting-syed-rizwan-farook.html?_r=1" type="external">suspects here</a>.</p>
<p>Farook had a difficult upbringing, according to the Los Angeles Times:</p>
<p>In 2006 divorce filings, his mother detailed a violent marital history in which her children often had to intervene.</p>
<p>Rafia Farook said her husband of 24 years was physically and verbally abusive and was “negligent and an alcoholic,” according to documents filed in Riverside County Superior Court. Her husband, she said, forced her and three of her children to move out. They moved into an Irvine residence.</p>
<p>Later, in multiple requests for domestic-violence protection, Rafia Farook detailed the maltreatment she said she encountered and that her children witnessed: Her husband had once drunkenly dropped a TV on her. Another time, he pushed her toward a car. After a drunken slumber, he shouted expletives and threw dishes in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Read more about what court documents <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-san-bernardino-shooter-endured-turbulent-home-life-according-to-court-documents-20151203-story.html" type="external">contained here</a>.</p>
<p>President Obama said in a statement Thursday morning that it was possible that the attacks were terrorist-related, but it was also possible they were work-related, The New York Times reported.</p>
<p>Law enforcement still does not know the reason this “terrible event occurred,” Obama added.</p>
<p>The New York Times reports:</p>
<p>Two of the guns recovered were bought by one of the suspects killed in the shootout, and the other two were bought by a third person who is not considered a suspect, said a senior federal law enforcement official, who was spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We believe all four were purchased legally, but are still taking a close look at the two firearms bought by the” person who is not a suspect, the official said.</p>
<p>The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that it had traced all four guns, and that two were purchased legally by someone linked to the investigation. But neither the senior official nor the bureau would identify either buyer by name, nor say which two weapons were bought by a suspect, or where they were bought.</p>
<p>Officials said the two assault rifles were variants of the AR-15, the semiautomatic version of the military M-16 rifle; one was made by DPMS Panther Arms, and the other was a Smith &amp; Wesson M&amp;P model, a designation meaning military and police. The senior law enforcement official said one handgun was made by Llama, and the other by Smith and Wesson.</p>
<p>Read more about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/us/san-bernardino-shooting.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">investigation here</a>.</p>
<p>—Posted by Jenna Berbeo</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | investigator examines suv two suspects killed wednesday shootout police san bernardino calif jae c hong ap update woman helped carry mass shooting san bernardino wednesday pledged allegiance islamic state facebook post federal law enforcement officials said friday according new york times evidence islamic state directed woman tashfeen malik husband syed rizwan farook launch attacks killed 14 wounded 21 officials said facebook post led investigators believe couple took inspiration group said point believe selfradicalized inspired group actually told shooting one officials said officials spoke condition anonymity investigation continuing meanwhile stories 14 people died wednesday told los angeles times update developing story posted thursday afternoon los angeles times released details shooting victims update fbi treating inquiry san bernardino massacre possible terrorism case law enforcement officials said thursday according new york times officials pointed materials suspects stockpiled middle east travels evidence one touch people islamist extremist views yet know motive david bowdich assistant director fbi office los angeles said news conference investigators searched motive mass killing 14 people san bernardino details slain suspects emerged thursday police said suspects identified syed rizwan farook 28 tashfeen malik 27 married couple opened fire social services center holiday banquet san bernardino county public health department addition 14 killed 17 people wounded attack farook malik armed 223caliber assault rifles semiautomatic handguns according authorities couple died hours later shootout police new york times reports wednesday morning syed rizwan farook wife tashfeen malik left 6monthold daughter mr farooks mother telling going doctors appointment relative said nightfall clear ruse police said couple spent day carrying rampage social services center killed least 14 people leading officers sprawling chase ended two dead bloody gunfight suburban neighborhood investigators still searching motive picture began emerge couple hidden plan even close relatives appeared steeped usual routines work parenthood instance registered online gifts newborn including car seat diapers mr farook ms malik met dating website according mr farooks brotherinlaw farhan khan said mr farook traveled saudi arabia least two times first meet ms maliks family marry chief jarrod burguan san bernardino police department said news conference wednesday night attack seem spurofthemoment thing learn suspects farook difficult upbringing according los angeles times 2006 divorce filings mother detailed violent marital history children often intervene rafia farook said husband 24 years physically verbally abusive negligent alcoholic according documents filed riverside county superior court husband said forced three children move moved irvine residence later multiple requests domesticviolence protection rafia farook detailed maltreatment said encountered children witnessed husband drunkenly dropped tv another time pushed toward car drunken slumber shouted expletives threw dishes kitchen read court documents contained president obama said statement thursday morning possible attacks terroristrelated also possible workrelated new york times reported law enforcement still know reason terrible event occurred obama added new york times reports two guns recovered bought one suspects killed shootout two bought third person considered suspect said senior federal law enforcement official spoke condition anonymity believe four purchased legally still taking close look two firearms bought person suspect official said federal bureau alcohol tobacco firearms explosives confirmed traced four guns two purchased legally someone linked investigation neither senior official bureau would identify either buyer name say two weapons bought suspect bought officials said two assault rifles variants ar15 semiautomatic version military m16 rifle one made dpms panther arms smith amp wesson mampp model designation meaning military police senior law enforcement official said one handgun made llama smith wesson read investigation posted jenna berbeo | 566 |
<p>Reports of U.S. Secret Service personnel procuring Colombian prostitutes and duking it out at a local brothel marred Obama’s participation at the 6th Summit of the Americas (Cartagena, Colombia) in 2012. His comments concerning the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America must have ruffled feathers throughout the region as well. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay are still reeling from painful truth and reconciliation commissions to punish officials who participated in regional military dictatorships and Operation Condor. “Sometimes I feel as if… <a href="" type="internal">we’re caught in a time warp</a>… going back to the 1950s, gunboat diplomacy, and Yankees, and the Cold War and this and that,” Obama griped during debate.</p>
<p>Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff didn’t flinch as she attentively listened only one seat away from Obama. Maybe his top Latin American advisor hadn’t warned him that Dilma wasn’t a vague relic of the past but living proof that she, like many other women, had been imprisoned and brutally tortured by the Brazilian military dictatorship that seized power in 1964 and was supported by U.S. foreign policy.</p>
<p>Maybe.</p>
<p>Fast-forward four years to 2016 where we’re greeted by the likelihood of U.S. presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, being defeated by misogynistic Donald Trump. Obama’s emotional and psychological appeal for the average American woman to vote Hillary was made in June when he publicly declared that, despite his greyer hair, <a href="" type="internal">he’s what a feminist looks like</a>. Two months later he penned an essay in Glamour magazine reaffirming that <a href="http://www.glamour.com/story/glamour-exclusive-president-barack-obama-says-this-is-what-a-feminist-looks-like" type="external">he’s a feminist</a>. These petitions place him squarely in the crossfire of Trump’s fiercely decided, anti-women views. Still, his newfound feminism should also signify that he, no presidential advisor needed, should have sentenced a retroactive condemnation of his snark choice of words professed before Dilma in Cartagena. Though she’s never spoken publicly about her experiences while imprisoned for three years it has been documented that women who suffered at the hands of Latin American dictatorships had rats shoved in their vaginas, electric shocks applied to their genitals and breasts, and tortured in other inhumane ways. To deride their experiences, implying that political figures like Dilma should magically release themselves from being caught in a time warp and blindly realign public policy with Washington’s consensus is a callous remark, much more reflective of The Donald’s fire and brimstone than Obama’s chivalrous debonair.</p>
<p>In August, the same month that Obama took his feminism mainstream in Glamour, Dilma was impeached. Many insist that her ouster was an institutional coup. She had been democratically re-elected in 2014, <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/international-tribunal-declares-impeachment-of-brazils-dilma-rousseff-an-illegitimate-coup/" type="external">committed no crime</a> (this is according to a report by Brazil’s Public Prosecutor office that found that Dilma was not guilty of any crime), and wasn’t implicated in the notorious Car Wash investigations that have rocked almost every facet of Brazilian politics over the past few years. Her removal from office was due, in large part, to a carefully orchestrated, private media smear campaign that occasioned ruins for the democratic process. Their interests, aligned with the interests of an elite political and big business minority frustrated with loosing democratic elections for a fourth consecutive time, fostered an atmosphere of dissent and brazen calls for impeachment.</p>
<p>While Dilma’s record in office remains impeccable, the career politician who replaced her, Michel Temer, and the bulk of his administration, are currently under federal investigation for corruption, personal enrichment, and a battery of other crimes.</p>
<p>It can’t be overstated that Dilma is a member of the Worker’s Party. Since 2003, when Lula (Luis Inácio Lula da Silva), also a Worker’s Party member, was first elected president, Brazil has pursued policies based on regional solidarity, advancing MERCOSUL partnerships, strengthening ties with African nations, redistributing wealth in one of the world’s most unequal nations and implementing robust internal social programs. Another highlight has been the government’s recalibrated relationship with the U.S., no longer abiding by Washington’s directives like a lapdog republic.</p>
<p>But, low and behold, the boys of old are back. In a country where the majority of the populace are black and brown people, old white, criminally implicated men hold all key political posts. They look like Trump. Sound like Trump. They’re brothers of another mother, like the present-day city of Americana in the state of São Paulo, developed, primarily, by confederates who immigrated to Brazil after the US Civil War. William Hutchinson Norris, a pro-confederate senator from Alabama, was the first politician to arrive in Brazil in 1865.</p>
<p>Not learning an iota from his gaffe in Cartagena or U.S. foreign policy meddling in Latin America’s internal affairs, Obama’s administration declared, shortly after Dilma was impeached, that her removal was constitutionally legal. It tells the 54.5 million voters who democratically re-elected her for a second term in office that their voice doesn’t count. It has, effectively, told women, and black and brown people, to step aside and let the boys of old take care of biz. It reminds me of a number of men I’ve come across on the streets of Brazil who comment, in deafening voice if one stands too close, that a woman has no damn business being president.</p>
<p>Obama’s embrace of feminism appears to come with a strategic string attached, one that can only be supportive of a particular stripe of woman at a particular point in political time. Whenever his administration became the misogynistic reflection of Trump’s campaign is anybody’s guess—anybody except Dilma. Maybe her enemies and detractors wanted to hear her wail like a banshee as she stood before a special congressional session that would eventually consecrate her impeachment. But Dilma spoke the words of a valiant, dignified leader, indeed, the first female president of Brazil. It was a reminder of her lifelong struggle of resistance against the forces of inequality.</p>
<p>She said (and I translate and quote):</p>
<p>“ <a href="" type="internal">Of my shortcomings</a>, disloyalty and cowardliness don’t exist. I don’t betray commitments that I assume, principles I defend, or those who fight beside me. In the struggle against the dictatorship, I received torture marks on my body. For years I gradually succumbed to bitterness by the plight of being imprisoned. I saw comrades being raped and assassinated.</p>
<p>Back then I was very young. I had much to expect of life. I was afraid of death—of the impact of torture on my body and in my soul. But I didn’t give in. I resisted. I resisted the storm of terror that had started to consume me in the darkness—in the bitter times in this country. I never changed sides. Despite receiving the weight of injustice on my shoulders, I continued fighting for democracy. (…) Not now, at almost 70 years of age, after becoming a mother and grandmother, will I abdicate from the principles that have always guided me.”</p> | true | 4 | reports us secret service personnel procuring colombian prostitutes duking local brothel marred obamas participation 6th summit americas cartagena colombia 2012 comments concerning relationship us latin america must ruffled feathers throughout region well argentina brazil chile uruguay still reeling painful truth reconciliation commissions punish officials participated regional military dictatorships operation condor sometimes feel caught time warp going back 1950s gunboat diplomacy yankees cold war obama griped debate brazilian president dilma rousseff didnt flinch attentively listened one seat away obama maybe top latin american advisor hadnt warned dilma wasnt vague relic past living proof like many women imprisoned brutally tortured brazilian military dictatorship seized power 1964 supported us foreign policy maybe fastforward four years 2016 greeted likelihood us presidential candidate hillary clinton defeated misogynistic donald trump obamas emotional psychological appeal average american woman vote hillary made june publicly declared despite greyer hair hes feminist looks like two months later penned essay glamour magazine reaffirming hes feminist petitions place squarely crossfire trumps fiercely decided antiwomen views still newfound feminism also signify presidential advisor needed sentenced retroactive condemnation snark choice words professed dilma cartagena though shes never spoken publicly experiences imprisoned three years documented women suffered hands latin american dictatorships rats shoved vaginas electric shocks applied genitals breasts tortured inhumane ways deride experiences implying political figures like dilma magically release caught time warp blindly realign public policy washingtons consensus callous remark much reflective donalds fire brimstone obamas chivalrous debonair august month obama took feminism mainstream glamour dilma impeached many insist ouster institutional coup democratically reelected 2014 committed crime according report brazils public prosecutor office found dilma guilty crime wasnt implicated notorious car wash investigations rocked almost every facet brazilian politics past years removal office due large part carefully orchestrated private media smear campaign occasioned ruins democratic process interests aligned interests elite political big business minority frustrated loosing democratic elections fourth consecutive time fostered atmosphere dissent brazen calls impeachment dilmas record office remains impeccable career politician replaced michel temer bulk administration currently federal investigation corruption personal enrichment battery crimes cant overstated dilma member workers party since 2003 lula luis inácio lula da silva also workers party member first elected president brazil pursued policies based regional solidarity advancing mercosul partnerships strengthening ties african nations redistributing wealth one worlds unequal nations implementing robust internal social programs another highlight governments recalibrated relationship us longer abiding washingtons directives like lapdog republic low behold boys old back country majority populace black brown people old white criminally implicated men hold key political posts look like trump sound like trump theyre brothers another mother like presentday city americana state são paulo developed primarily confederates immigrated brazil us civil war william hutchinson norris proconfederate senator alabama first politician arrive brazil 1865 learning iota gaffe cartagena us foreign policy meddling latin americas internal affairs obamas administration declared shortly dilma impeached removal constitutionally legal tells 545 million voters democratically reelected second term office voice doesnt count effectively told women black brown people step aside let boys old take care biz reminds number men ive come across streets brazil comment deafening voice one stands close woman damn business president obamas embrace feminism appears come strategic string attached one supportive particular stripe woman particular point political time whenever administration became misogynistic reflection trumps campaign anybodys guessanybody except dilma maybe enemies detractors wanted hear wail like banshee stood special congressional session would eventually consecrate impeachment dilma spoke words valiant dignified leader indeed first female president brazil reminder lifelong struggle resistance forces inequality said translate quote shortcomings disloyalty cowardliness dont exist dont betray commitments assume principles defend fight beside struggle dictatorship received torture marks body years gradually succumbed bitterness plight imprisoned saw comrades raped assassinated back young much expect life afraid deathof impact torture body soul didnt give resisted resisted storm terror started consume darknessin bitter times country never changed sides despite receiving weight injustice shoulders continued fighting democracy almost 70 years age becoming mother grandmother abdicate principles always guided | 651 |
<p>When India and Pakistan conducted their nuclear tests in 1998, even those of us who condemned them, balked at the hypocrisy of Western nuclear powers. Implicit in their denunciation of the tests was the notion that Blacks cannot be trusted with the Bomb. Now we are presented with the spectacle of our governments competing to confirm that belief.</p>
<p>As diplomats’ families and tourists disappear from the subcontinent, western journalists arrive in Delhi in droves. Many call me. “Why haven’t you left the city?” they ask. “Isn’t nuclear war a real possibility? Isn’t Delhi a prime target?”</p>
<p>If nuclear weapons exist, then nuclear war is a real possibility. And Delhi is a prime target. It is.</p>
<p>But where shall we go? Is it possible to go out and buy another life because this one’s not panning out?</p>
<p>If I go away, and everything and everyone – every friend, every tree, every home, every dog, squirrel and bird that I have known and loved – is incinerated, how shall I live on? Who shall I love? And who will love me back? Which society will welcome me and allow me to be the hooligan that I am here, at home?</p>
<p>So we’re all staying. We huddle together. We realize how much we love each other. And we think, what a shame it would be to die now. Life’s normal only because the macabre has become normal. While we wait for rain, for football, for justice, the old generals and eager boy-anchors on TV talk of first strike and second­strike capabilities as though they’re discussing a family board game.</p>
<p>My friends and I discuss Prophecy, the documentary about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The fireball. The dead bodies choking the river. The living stripped of skin and hair. The singed, bald children, still alive, their clothes burned into their bodies. The thick, black, toxic water. The scorched, burning air. The cancers, implanted genetically, a malignant letter to the unborn. We remember especially the man who just melted into the steps of a building. We imagine ourselves like that. As stains on staircases. I imagine future generations of hushed schoolchildren pointing at my stainthat was a writer. Not She or He. That.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if my thoughts are stray and disconnected, not always worthy. Often ridiculous.</p>
<p>I think of a little mixed-breed dog I know. Each of his toes is a different color. Will he become a radioactive stain on a staircase too? My husband’s writing a book on trees. He has a section on how figs are pollinated. Each fig only by its own specialized fig wasp. There are nearly a thousand different species of fig wasps, each a precise, exquisite, synchrony, the product of millions of years of evolution.</p>
<p>All the fig wasps will be nuked. Zzzz. Ash. And my husband. And his book.</p>
<p>A dear friend, who’s an activist in the anti-dam movement in the Narmada valley, is on indefinite hunger strike. Today is the fourteenth day of her fast. She and the others fasting with her are weakening quickly. They’re protesting because the MP government is bulldozing schools, clear-felling forests, uprooting hand-pumps, forcing people from their villages to make way for the Man dam. The people have nowhere to go. And so, the hunger-strike.</p>
<p>What an act of faith and hope! How brave it is to believe that in today’s world, reasoned, closely argued, non-violent protest will register, will matter. But will it? To governments that are comfortable with the notion of a wasted world, what’s a wasted valley?</p>
<p>The threshold of horror has been ratcheted up so high that nothing short of genocide or the prospect of nuclear war merits mention. Peaceful resistance is treated with contempt. Terrorism’s the real thing. The underlying principle of the War Against Terror, the very notion that war is an acceptable solution to terrorism, has ensured that terrorists in the subcontinent now have the power to trigger a nuclear war.</p>
<p>Displacement, dispossession, starvation, poverty, disease – these are now just the funnies, the comic-strip items. Our Home minister says that Amartya Sen has it all wrong – the key to India’s development is not education and health but defense (and don’t forget the kickbacks, O Best Beloved).</p>
<p>Perhaps what he really meant was that war is the key to distracting the world’s attention from fascism and genocide. To avoid dealing with any single issue of real governance that urgently needs to be addressed.</p>
<p>For the governments of India and Pakistan, Kashmir is not a problem, it’s their perennial and spectacularly successful solution. Kashmir is the rabbit they pull out of their hats every time they need a rabbit. Unfortunately, it’s a radioactive rabbit now, and it’s careening out of control.</p>
<p>No doubt there is Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism in Kashmir. But there’s other kids of terror in the valley. There’s the inchoate nexus between jehadi militants, ex-militants, foreign mercenaries, local mercenaries, underworld Mafiosi, security forces, arms dealers and criminalized politicians and officials on both sides of the border. There’s also rigged elections, daily humiliation, “disappearances” and staged “encounters.”</p>
<p>And now the cry has gone up in the heartland: India is a Hindu country. Muslims can be murdered under the benign gaze of the state. Mass murderers will not be brought to justice. Indeed, they will stand for elections. Is India to be a Hindu nation in the heartland and a secular one around the edges?</p>
<p>Meanwhile the International Coalition Against Terror makes war and preaches restraint. While India and Pakistan bay for each other’s blood the Coalition is quietly laying gas pipelines, selling us weapons and pushing through their business deals. (Buy now pay later). Britain, for example, is busy arming both sides. Tony Blair’s “peace” mission a few months ago was actually a business trip to discuss a one billion pound deal (and don’t forget the kickbacks, O Best Beloved) to sell Hawk fighter-bombers to India. Roughly, for the price of a single Hawk bomber, the government could provide one and a half million people with clean drinking water for life.</p>
<p>“Why isn’t there a peace movement?” western journalists ask me ingenuously. How can there be a peace movement when, for most people in India, peace means a daily battle: for food, for water, for shelter, for dignity? War, on the other hand, is something professional soldiers fight far away on the border. And nuclear war – well that’s completely outside the realm of most people’s comprehension. No one knows what a nuclear bomb is. No one cares to explain. As the Home minister said, education is not a pressing priority. Part of me feels grateful that most people here don’t have any notion of the horrors of nuclear war. Why should they, on top of everything else they go through, have to suffer the terror of anticipating a nuclear holocaust? And yet, it is this ignorance that makes nuclear weapons so much more dangerous here. It is this ignorance, that makes “deterrence” seem like a terrible joke.</p>
<p>The last question every visiting journalist always asks me is: Are you writing another book? That question mocks me. Another book? Right now? When it looks as though all the music, the art, the architecture, the literature – the whole of human civilization means nothing to the fiends who run the world – what kind of book should I write?</p>
<p>It’s not just the one million soldiers on the border who are living on hair-trigger alert. It’s all of us. That’s what nuclear bombs do. Whether they’re used or not, they violate everything that is humane. They alter the meaning of life itself.</p>
<p>Why do we tolerate them? Why do we tolerate these men who use nuclear weapons to blackmail the entire human race?</p>
<p>Arundhati Roy of India is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Power Politics</a>, the Booker Prize-winning novel <a href="" type="internal">The God of Small Things</a> and <a href="" type="internal">The Cost of Living</a>.She is a leading anti-war and anti-corporate globalization activist. This commentary was first broadcast on Radio 4’s Today program in the UK.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | india pakistan conducted nuclear tests 1998 even us condemned balked hypocrisy western nuclear powers implicit denunciation tests notion blacks trusted bomb presented spectacle governments competing confirm belief diplomats families tourists disappear subcontinent western journalists arrive delhi droves many call havent left city ask isnt nuclear war real possibility isnt delhi prime target nuclear weapons exist nuclear war real possibility delhi prime target shall go possible go buy another life ones panning go away everything everyone every friend every tree every home every dog squirrel bird known loved incinerated shall live shall love love back society welcome allow hooligan home staying huddle together realize much love think shame would die lifes normal macabre become normal wait rain football justice old generals eager boyanchors tv talk first strike secondstrike capabilities though theyre discussing family board game friends discuss prophecy documentary bombing hiroshima nagasaki fireball dead bodies choking river living stripped skin hair singed bald children still alive clothes burned bodies thick black toxic water scorched burning air cancers implanted genetically malignant letter unborn remember especially man melted steps building imagine like stains staircases imagine future generations hushed schoolchildren pointing stainthat writer im sorry thoughts stray disconnected always worthy often ridiculous think little mixedbreed dog know toes different color become radioactive stain staircase husbands writing book trees section figs pollinated fig specialized fig wasp nearly thousand different species fig wasps precise exquisite synchrony product millions years evolution fig wasps nuked zzzz ash husband book dear friend whos activist antidam movement narmada valley indefinite hunger strike today fourteenth day fast others fasting weakening quickly theyre protesting mp government bulldozing schools clearfelling forests uprooting handpumps forcing people villages make way man dam people nowhere go hungerstrike act faith hope brave believe todays world reasoned closely argued nonviolent protest register matter governments comfortable notion wasted world whats wasted valley threshold horror ratcheted high nothing short genocide prospect nuclear war merits mention peaceful resistance treated contempt terrorisms real thing underlying principle war terror notion war acceptable solution terrorism ensured terrorists subcontinent power trigger nuclear war displacement dispossession starvation poverty disease funnies comicstrip items home minister says amartya sen wrong key indias development education health defense dont forget kickbacks best beloved perhaps really meant war key distracting worlds attention fascism genocide avoid dealing single issue real governance urgently needs addressed governments india pakistan kashmir problem perennial spectacularly successful solution kashmir rabbit pull hats every time need rabbit unfortunately radioactive rabbit careening control doubt pakistan sponsored crossborder terrorism kashmir theres kids terror valley theres inchoate nexus jehadi militants exmilitants foreign mercenaries local mercenaries underworld mafiosi security forces arms dealers criminalized politicians officials sides border theres also rigged elections daily humiliation disappearances staged encounters cry gone heartland india hindu country muslims murdered benign gaze state mass murderers brought justice indeed stand elections india hindu nation heartland secular one around edges meanwhile international coalition terror makes war preaches restraint india pakistan bay others blood coalition quietly laying gas pipelines selling us weapons pushing business deals buy pay later britain example busy arming sides tony blairs peace mission months ago actually business trip discuss one billion pound deal dont forget kickbacks best beloved sell hawk fighterbombers india roughly price single hawk bomber government could provide one half million people clean drinking water life isnt peace movement western journalists ask ingenuously peace movement people india peace means daily battle food water shelter dignity war hand something professional soldiers fight far away border nuclear war well thats completely outside realm peoples comprehension one knows nuclear bomb one cares explain home minister said education pressing priority part feels grateful people dont notion horrors nuclear war top everything else go suffer terror anticipating nuclear holocaust yet ignorance makes nuclear weapons much dangerous ignorance makes deterrence seem like terrible joke last question every visiting journalist always asks writing another book question mocks another book right looks though music art architecture literature whole human civilization means nothing fiends run world kind book write one million soldiers border living hairtrigger alert us thats nuclear bombs whether theyre used violate everything humane alter meaning life tolerate tolerate men use nuclear weapons blackmail entire human race arundhati roy india author power politics booker prizewinning novel god small things cost livingshe leading antiwar anticorporate globalization activist commentary first broadcast radio 4s today program uk 160 160 | 714 |
<p>Taylor Jones/Zuma</p>
<p />
<p>If Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has a successor amid the ranks of freshman Republicans, it may well be Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.). Since his election in the GOP wave last year, the Floridian has fast become the tea party right’s neweest firebrand. Just days after being sworn in, West <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/02/rep-allen-west-islam-2012-elections-/1" type="external">declared</a> that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the only Muslim in Congress, “really does represent the antithesis of the principles on which this country was established” due to his religion. He later <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/allen-west-obama-socialist_n_852668.html" type="external">accused</a> President Obama of having been a “low-level socialist agitator” who used “Marxist, demagogic rhetoric” to further his agenda in Washington.</p>
<p>West’s incendiary statements and love for the spotlight have made him a Fox News darling. Glenn Beck’s a particular fan—he even <a href="http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/04/beck_endorses_west.php" type="external">says</a> he wants to draft the Florida Republican to run for president. In February, West was chosen to keynote the Conservative Political Action Conference—a high-profile conservative confab—and he was quick to join Bachmann’s new tea party caucus in the House. But West’s greatest strengths as a rising tea party star also leave him vulnerable in his bid for re-election next year in a South Florida district that went blue in the last three presidential elections. His opponents are already organizing to make sure West is a one-term congressman.</p>
<p>The Democratic frontrunner for West’s seat in Florida’s 22nd District quickly emerged this spring, when Lois Frankel declared her candidacy. A former mayor of West Palm Beach and the first woman to become minority leader of the Florida House, Frankel paints West as a right-wing attention hog. “Allen West is the tea party…I don’t mean to be trite, but he’s the poster child,” she told Mother Jones. “We’ve got serious problems, and [voters] don’t need a congressman making the rounds on Fox News.”</p>
<p>Patrick Murphy, a young Fort Lauderdale businessman who’s declared his candidacy, has lumped West in with Bachmann and Sarah Palin. In <a href="http://www.murphyforcongress.us/onlineads-may2011" type="external">one anti-West campaign ad</a>, Murphy portrays him in a witch’s hat, describing him as “The Wicked Rep of the West!” and declares, “Palin and Bachmann and Wackos, Oh My!” <a href="http://www.murphyforcongress.us/onlineads-may2011" type="external">Another Murphy ad</a> depicts West, Bachmann, and Palin in tall, striped hats, declaring “This tea party has more than one mad hatter…join the cause to help stop Allen West.”</p>
<p>West’s opponents have also fixated on his vocal support for Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan’s drastic plan to overhaul Medicare. While Democrats across the country have seized on the entitlement program as their newest political weapon against the GOP, the issue could especially resonate with West’s constituents, given the high percentage of senior citizens in his district. West has already gotten <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50068.html" type="external">pushback</a> from constituents concerned about the GOP’s support for entitlement cuts in a series of town-hall meetings he’s held in recent months.</p>
<p>Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida, points out that West’s support for drastic entitlement cuts could prompt him to lose support even among “more affluent supporters” who are more inclined to vote Republican. West’s stance on the Ryan plan “probably won’t fit well in that district,” he says. “Ross Perot certainly found that out in 1992 when he proposed [Medicare cuts]. Suddenly, all his support vanished.”</p>
<p>Republican leaders in Washington are well aware that West’s seat is in jeopardy—and are scrambling to protect him. The National Republican Congressional Committee has <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/164157-nrcc-moves-to-protect-vulnerable-freshmen-" type="external">added</a> West to a list of vulnerable first-term incumbents who need extra support, attempting to build a “firewall” around the congressman by bolstering his early campaign infrastructure and pledging to inject extra money into the race.</p>
<p>But while Democrats have been quick to go on the offensive against West, blasting him as an extremist, they also acknowledge that solely relying on aggressive, blustering attacks that denigrate him as a right-wing Republican could backfire, as well. Steve Schale, a Florida Democratic strategist, argues that Rep. Alan Grayson was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/02/alan-grayson-loses-daniel-webster_n_777990.html" type="external">unseated</a> last year for being the Democratic mirror-image of West in a similarly moderate district. Like West, Grayson was a media-loving, outspoken, often-polarizing figure who was swept into office in 2008 while his party enjoyed a wave of support across the country. But Grayson’s proclivity for making eyebrow-raising statements also made it tough for him to hold on in a more moderate district. “If you’re firebrand leader and seen as a rank partisan, it’s hard to survive,” Schale concludes.</p>
<p>Though she’s routinely been described as a “fiery liberal”—and has already <a href="http://emilyslist.org/news/releases/emilys_list_announces_on_the_list/" type="external">received</a> the endorsement of EMILY’s List, a major pro-choice Democratic group—Frankel has already taken steps to avoid being cast as a pure ideologue. Out of the gate, her primary focus has been not on Medicare but on jobs and economic recovery. “Jobs, jobs, jobs—that’s the name of the game here, what West has not been talking about,” Frankel says, emphasizing her work with business leaders in West Palm Beach during her term as mayor.</p>
<p>In the end, Democrats are hoping that the anti-incumbent tide that swept right-wing Republicans into power will work in their favor when voters realize exactly who they voted into office last year. Concludes Frankel, “Any Republican would have won that seat in the last election, and Mr. West does represent the most extreme candidate they could find.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | taylor joneszuma rep michele bachmann rminn successor amid ranks freshman republicans may well rep allen west rfla since election gop wave last year floridian fast become tea party rights neweest firebrand days sworn west declared rep keith ellison dminn muslim congress really represent antithesis principles country established due religion later accused president obama lowlevel socialist agitator used marxist demagogic rhetoric agenda washington wests incendiary statements love spotlight made fox news darling glenn becks particular fanhe even says wants draft florida republican run president february west chosen keynote conservative political action conferencea highprofile conservative confaband quick join bachmanns new tea party caucus house wests greatest strengths rising tea party star also leave vulnerable bid reelection next year south florida district went blue last three presidential elections opponents already organizing make sure west oneterm congressman democratic frontrunner wests seat floridas 22nd district quickly emerged spring lois frankel declared candidacy former mayor west palm beach first woman become minority leader florida house frankel paints west rightwing attention hog allen west tea partyi dont mean trite hes poster child told mother jones weve got serious problems voters dont need congressman making rounds fox news patrick murphy young fort lauderdale businessman whos declared candidacy lumped west bachmann sarah palin one antiwest campaign ad murphy portrays witchs hat describing wicked rep west declares palin bachmann wackos oh another murphy ad depicts west bachmann palin tall striped hats declaring tea party one mad hatterjoin cause help stop allen west wests opponents also fixated vocal support wisconsin gop rep paul ryans drastic plan overhaul medicare democrats across country seized entitlement program newest political weapon gop issue could especially resonate wests constituents given high percentage senior citizens district west already gotten pushback constituents concerned gops support entitlement cuts series townhall meetings hes held recent months daniel smith political science professor university florida points wests support drastic entitlement cuts could prompt lose support even among affluent supporters inclined vote republican wests stance ryan plan probably wont fit well district says ross perot certainly found 1992 proposed medicare cuts suddenly support vanished republican leaders washington well aware wests seat jeopardyand scrambling protect national republican congressional committee added west list vulnerable firstterm incumbents need extra support attempting build firewall around congressman bolstering early campaign infrastructure pledging inject extra money race democrats quick go offensive west blasting extremist also acknowledge solely relying aggressive blustering attacks denigrate rightwing republican could backfire well steve schale florida democratic strategist argues rep alan grayson unseated last year democratic mirrorimage west similarly moderate district like west grayson medialoving outspoken oftenpolarizing figure swept office 2008 party enjoyed wave support across country graysons proclivity making eyebrowraising statements also made tough hold moderate district youre firebrand leader seen rank partisan hard survive schale concludes though shes routinely described fiery liberaland already received endorsement emilys list major prochoice democratic groupfrankel already taken steps avoid cast pure ideologue gate primary focus medicare jobs economic recovery jobs jobs jobsthats name game west talking frankel says emphasizing work business leaders west palm beach term mayor end democrats hoping antiincumbent tide swept rightwing republicans power work favor voters realize exactly voted office last year concludes frankel republican would seat last election mr west represent extreme candidate could find | 532 |
<p>Still from “Nowhere to Hide.”</p>
<p>Opening tonight in New York, the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival is a reminder that as a genre, the documentary can offer far more compelling drama than any narrative film for the simple reason that reality itself confronts us in a way that fiction cannot. If the narrative film often enjoys its greatest success as an escape from the cares of quotidian existence, the documentary succeeds by showing real people facing the frightening obstacles capitalist society throws in their path.</p>
<p>While Indiana Jones is the prototype of derring-do escapist fantasy, I much prefer the humble people seen in three of the festival documentaries starting with an Iraqi male nurse who is the subject of “Nowhere to Hide” that opens the festival tonight (screening information is <a href="https://ff.hrw.org/new-york" type="external">here</a> <a href="https://ff.hrw.org/new-york)" type="external">)</a>. I regret that this might not be enough lead time for most New Yorkers but it is worth changing your plans to see courageous filmmaking at its best. After all, it is time better spent than watching Seinfeld reruns or the new Wonder Woman movie.</p>
<p>Five years ago, Norwegian-Kurdish documentary filmmaker Zaradasht Ahmed approached male nurse Nori Sharif with a project that sounded almost like making a home movie. He would give Sharif a high-end DSLR camera and tripod to capture scenes of daily life in Jalawla, where he lived and worked in the emergency room of the local hospital. This is a town of about 80,000 people that breaks down into 70% Sunni Arab, 20% Feyli Kurd and 10% Shia Turkmen. The film reveals nothing about Sharif’s ethnicity. He identifies solely as an Iraqi throughout the film and his most frequent observation about the state of his country is that it has gone mad.</p>
<p>Doing a quick search on Sharif, it turns out that he was a Sunni and had the most to fear about staying in Jalawla since he was viewed by suspicion by the Shi’ite militias that began to intervene in such cities during the Sunni version of the Arab Spring in 2013 that protested Shia domination. Like many Syrians who stayed in East Aleppo to the bitter end, it was his ancestral roots to the soil that kept him from fleeing even though this was in the part of Iraq called “the triangle of death”.</p>
<p>Finally, it was fellow Sunnis who forced him, his wife, and four young children to leave Jalawla. They sought refuge in an IDP (Internally Displaced People) camp in the middle of the desert from fighting between ISIS, which had taken control of his city, and rival Shi’ite militias.</p>
<p>Much of the film consists of Sharif treating patients, who were in all cases “collateral damage” in a war that became even more dangerous after the withdrawal of the American military. Casualties in Iraq are largely an abstraction for most Americans but when you see Sharif tending to a man who lost a leg caught in a crossfire between ISIS and Shi’ite militia members, you see the human consequences for the first time. The man, who can no longer work and support his family, thanks god for his good fortune. You wonder why. As he explains, he might have instead been behind the wheel of a car that accidentally killed a child. With millions of Iraqis and Syrians ended up reduced to such misery, you cannot help but wonder how the region can ever be restored to normalcy. Perhaps it was the resource curse that explains what a hell it has become or more logically the determination of imperialism to take advantage of that resource in defiance of the local population’s needs.</p>
<p>When he is not treating patients, Sharif is making small talk with neighbors or the people he runs into in his daily rounds of shopping and social calls. He meets a young shepherd boy who asks him if there is any dance music he can play on his smart phone. Do you know how to dance, he asks the boy who confesses that he cannot. This leads Sharif into cajoling the boy into joining him in an impromptu dance on an Iraqi hilltop in the boondocks, a touching scene that will stay with you longer than any scene in a recent Hollywood blockbuster.</p>
<p>Iraq’s greatest resource is human beings. The 86 minutes you spend with Nori Sharif will leave you feeling that if there is any hope for Iraq, it is that people with a sense of decency and respect for their fellow Iraqis, whatever their religion or ethnicity, are still in the country. Plus, in collaboration with Zaradasht Ahmed, Nori Sharif, an amateur in the best sense of the word, has made one of the best documentary films of 2017.</p>
<p>(In the course of writing this review, I just received email informing me that “Nowhere to Hide” will be opening on Friday, June 23 at the Village East Cinema in New York and on Friday, June 30 at Laemmle Music in L.A. Not to be missed.)</p>
<p>Like Nori Sharif, the young men featured in “City of Ghosts”, which is scheduled for June 13th, are Sunnis trying to convey the reality of the place they call home. And also like Nori Sharif, they are confronting the calamity that calls itself ISIS. The place they love is the city of Raqqa that is now the capital of the Islamic State who they have dogged with their media activism ever since the killers invaded their city with grandiose dreams about turning the clock back to the seventh century.</p>
<p>Sons of middle class families and mostly apolitical, they were inspired to make Youtube videos like most supporters of the struggle against Assad in the early stages of the revolt. Risking death from the regime’s snipers, they recorded protests and did everything they could to connect with the civil-society based movement that now seems decades old.</p>
<p>When ISIS arrived in Raqqa in the summer of 2013, activists assumed they were not that different than other Islamist groups. It did not take long to learn that they were different. They imposed harsh social codes on a generally laid-back city and when the codes were violated, people paid for their violations by being whipped in public at the very least and beheaded at the worst. With the skills they had picked up recording popular protests the year earlier, a core of people launched Raqqa Being Slaughtered Silently ( <a href="http://www.raqqa-sl.com/en/" type="external">RBSS</a> <a href="http://www.raqqa-sl.com/en/)" type="external">)</a> that used smart phones to record ISIS’s crimes as well as the suffering of people condemned to live in what the death cult represented as a “paradise”. Suffice it to say that the video clips of life under ISIS that we see in the documentary will make you realize how the magnitude of suffering of Syrians dwarfs anything experienced in Europe recently. It is entirely possible that thousands have died in executions in Raqqa by this point and many more will die as the pincers of a “war on terror” invasion closes in. In one scene in the film, Syrian bombs have destroyed most of a city block. A victim cries out, “Only 100 jihadist were here but a 1000 civilians die.”</p>
<p>Toward the end of the film, the leader of RBSS who now lives in a German safe house poses the question of whether the West will come to their aid now that they have experienced firsthand what they have known for nearly four years. Unfortunately, the prospects of a bloodbath loom large as all of the participants in the “war on terror” from Bashar al-Assad to Donald Trump converge on a city that only sought freedom, dignity and justice.</p>
<p>In April 2013, an article in the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-black-flag-in-raqqa" type="external">New Yorker Magazine</a>&#160;described the clash between local residents and the Islamists who preceded ISIS. You can get a sense of why it was necessary for ISIS to behave so brutally when confronted by a people who had no use for fascists wearing beards as well as fascists wearing neckties:</p>
<p>A few days earlier, a massive black flag bearing the shahada had been hoisted atop a flagpole in Raqqa city’s main square, in front of the elegant, multi-arched governorate building. “We will become a target for American drone attacks because of the flag—it’s huge,” said Abu Noor, a wiry young man who worked in a pharmacy by day and at night volunteered to guard the post office near his home against looters. “They’ll think we’re extremist Muslims!” (There haven’t been such strikes in Syria yet, though the possibility is much discussed here.)</p>
<p>“There is no moderate Islam or extremist Islam,” the Jabhat member said calmly. “There is only Islam, and Islam is under attack in the West regardless of whether or not we hoist the banner. Do you think they’re waiting for that banner to hit us?” he said.</p>
<p>Abu Mohammad, an older man in a tan leather jacket and a white galabia (a loose, floor-length robe), interjected: “What we’re saying is, put the flag above your outposts, not in the main square of the city. We all pray, we all say, ‘There is no god but God,’ but I will not raise this flag.”</p>
<p>“This is an insult to people who died for the revolutionary flag,” said Abu Abdullah, a former English major at the university.</p>
<p>“Lost in Lebanon” can be seen on June 15th and 17th. It is a topic close to my heart, namely the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon that I first became aware of after seeing “Ketermaya”, a documentary shown at the <a href="" type="internal">Socially Relevant Film Festival</a> in March.</p>
<p>While “Ketermaya” is focused on children, “Lost in Lebanon” introduces you to a group of adults who largely fled Syria for the same reason most people have—namely that it was too dangerous to remain in the country. While none of them are obviously part of the privileged Damascene society that serves as Assad’s most committed base, neither are they particularly committed to “the revolution”. They can best be described as peace-loving, educated and urbane—in other words just the kind of people who you would be happy to have as next door neighbors except for the fact that they are stuck in limbo.</p>
<p>In Lebanon, you can be arrested if you are caught working without documents—just like Latino undocumented workers in the USA. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to get accepted into a European country if you are stuck in Lebanon. One of the interviewees is a young woman who speaks English fluently, wears tight jeans, does not wear a hijab, and has ear piercings. She also volunteers with an NGO serving the refugee community. She has been accepted into three different training programs in the West but cannot get a Visa. Her worry and that of the other subjects in the film is that they will be sent back to Syria, which is about as much of a death sentence as it would be for an undocumented teenager from El Salvador fleeing gang violence being deported.</p>
<p>For one of the subjects, the analogy is not that far-fetched. He states that he might be killed by either Assad’s men or the FSA if he is forced back into Syria. All he wants is to live a life of normalcy, something that seems impossible in the entire Middle East and North Africa as the region descends deeper into the inferno. It reminds me of the conversations I used to have with a male nurse in the Syrian military who fled the country after seeing captive rebels being tortured in the hospital where he worked. Like going from the frying pan into the fire, he relocated to Yemen. And from there he went to Brazil with his new bride that he met in Yemen. Given the state of Brazil, who knows what fate has in store for him now?</p>
<p>Another subject is a sculptor with shoulder-length hair who has tattoos on both hands. He tells us that he could never kill another human being. It is just not in his nature. That was the case for most people like him during the Vietnam War, including me. The best hope for Syria, as it is for Iraq, is a return to peace where people can be persuaded politically about the future of their country rather than getting a bullet in the head for having the wrong ideas about that future.</p>
<p>“Black Code” will screen on June 14th and 15th. This is based on a book of the same name by Ronald Deibert, the head of Citizen Lab at the U. of Toronto who is featured in the film, along with members of his staff who play a leading role helping to defend electronic media activists from repression that is based on the same kinds of tools hactivists use.</p>
<p>Notwithstanding all of the furor over Russian interference in our wonderful democratic elections that are ultimately determined by the size of the candidate’s coffers and the state of the economy, the most anti-democratic, computer-based interference takes is directed at people just like us—the CounterPunch readers and activists who might use a cell phone to record a protest on Youtube or post to Facebook about a meeting.</p>
<p>In recent years, private firms have been developing tools that are sold to governments around the world determined to crush resistance even by small groups of dissidents, even when living in exile. For example, in Ethiopia only six percent of the country is on the Internet but the government spends millions of dollars on products that help them sniff out “trouble-makers”. A leading dissident, who lives in exile in London, clicked what appeared to be an innocent jpeg that turned out to be malware that was downloaded to his computer and all of his correspondents inside Ethiopia. This led to the arrest and imprisonment of a number of them.</p>
<p>The film also shows how activists are continuing to use the Internet to build the movement, even if it requires more care in avoiding such malware. The film profiles activists in Bytes for All, a group in Pakistan that is fighting against the most severe restrictions on electronic communications in the entire world. The government has banned Wikipedia and Youtube in the name of preserving Islamic purity, even if it puts a damper on intellectual and even commercial vitality.</p>
<p>As it happens, members of Bytes for All were supposed to speak at last weekend’s Left Forum, a workshop I looked forward to eagerly as someone who has combined activism and technology ever since getting involved with Tecnica 30 years ago. The workshop was described in the program:</p>
<p>As more and more users get online in Asia, the internet has become a critical tool to exercise the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association online, which links to offline movements for democracy and social justice. Yet the space for civil society online is shrinking in Asia, and elsewhere, and individuals are increasingly subject to surveillance, censorship, threats of violence, direct attacks and criminal prosecution. One of the most common technique States are resorting to for preventing assemblies is through network disconnections, either restricted to the geographic space where protests are taking place or in the whole region as such. In India and Pakistan, especially governments rely on provisions to impose ‘curfews’ including through shutdown of communication networks, which limits the ability of protestors to assemble peacefully and beyond that restricts the broader population’s right to freedom of expression and threatens individual safety and security. States also block websites or take down pages that facilitate the association of people online. For example, in August 2015, days ahead of a major rally, the Malaysian regulatory body on communications and multimedia, the MCMC, issued a request for Internet Service Providers in the country to block access to the website of the Malaysian electoral reform group, Bersih 2.0, stating that it was necessary to block information deemed threatening to national security.</p>
<p>I was dismayed to see that the workshop had been cancelled. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone in Donald Trump’s State Department had gotten word about them making an appearance at the Left Forum and urged his counterparts in Pakistan to revoke their visas. As the battle-lines grow sharper in an epoch of deepening social crisis, there will be attacks on our freedoms and a need to find people on our side with the sort of skills Citizen Lab can bring to bear.</p> | true | 4 | still nowhere hide opening tonight new york annual human rights watch film festival reminder genre documentary offer far compelling drama narrative film simple reason reality confronts us way fiction narrative film often enjoys greatest success escape cares quotidian existence documentary succeeds showing real people facing frightening obstacles capitalist society throws path indiana jones prototype derringdo escapist fantasy much prefer humble people seen three festival documentaries starting iraqi male nurse subject nowhere hide opens festival tonight screening information regret might enough lead time new yorkers worth changing plans see courageous filmmaking best time better spent watching seinfeld reruns new wonder woman movie five years ago norwegiankurdish documentary filmmaker zaradasht ahmed approached male nurse nori sharif project sounded almost like making home movie would give sharif highend dslr camera tripod capture scenes daily life jalawla lived worked emergency room local hospital town 80000 people breaks 70 sunni arab 20 feyli kurd 10 shia turkmen film reveals nothing sharifs ethnicity identifies solely iraqi throughout film frequent observation state country gone mad quick search sharif turns sunni fear staying jalawla since viewed suspicion shiite militias began intervene cities sunni version arab spring 2013 protested shia domination like many syrians stayed east aleppo bitter end ancestral roots soil kept fleeing even though part iraq called triangle death finally fellow sunnis forced wife four young children leave jalawla sought refuge idp internally displaced people camp middle desert fighting isis taken control city rival shiite militias much film consists sharif treating patients cases collateral damage war became even dangerous withdrawal american military casualties iraq largely abstraction americans see sharif tending man lost leg caught crossfire isis shiite militia members see human consequences first time man longer work support family thanks god good fortune wonder explains might instead behind wheel car accidentally killed child millions iraqis syrians ended reduced misery help wonder region ever restored normalcy perhaps resource curse explains hell become logically determination imperialism take advantage resource defiance local populations needs treating patients sharif making small talk neighbors people runs daily rounds shopping social calls meets young shepherd boy asks dance music play smart phone know dance asks boy confesses leads sharif cajoling boy joining impromptu dance iraqi hilltop boondocks touching scene stay longer scene recent hollywood blockbuster iraqs greatest resource human beings 86 minutes spend nori sharif leave feeling hope iraq people sense decency respect fellow iraqis whatever religion ethnicity still country plus collaboration zaradasht ahmed nori sharif amateur best sense word made one best documentary films 2017 course writing review received email informing nowhere hide opening friday june 23 village east cinema new york friday june 30 laemmle music la missed like nori sharif young men featured city ghosts scheduled june 13th sunnis trying convey reality place call home also like nori sharif confronting calamity calls isis place love city raqqa capital islamic state dogged media activism ever since killers invaded city grandiose dreams turning clock back seventh century sons middle class families mostly apolitical inspired make youtube videos like supporters struggle assad early stages revolt risking death regimes snipers recorded protests everything could connect civilsociety based movement seems decades old isis arrived raqqa summer 2013 activists assumed different islamist groups take long learn different imposed harsh social codes generally laidback city codes violated people paid violations whipped public least beheaded worst skills picked recording popular protests year earlier core people launched raqqa slaughtered silently rbss used smart phones record isiss crimes well suffering people condemned live death cult represented paradise suffice say video clips life isis see documentary make realize magnitude suffering syrians dwarfs anything experienced europe recently entirely possible thousands died executions raqqa point many die pincers war terror invasion closes one scene film syrian bombs destroyed city block victim cries 100 jihadist 1000 civilians die toward end film leader rbss lives german safe house poses question whether west come aid experienced firsthand known nearly four years unfortunately prospects bloodbath loom large participants war terror bashar alassad donald trump converge city sought freedom dignity justice april 2013 article new yorker magazine160described clash local residents islamists preceded isis get sense necessary isis behave brutally confronted people use fascists wearing beards well fascists wearing neckties days earlier massive black flag bearing shahada hoisted atop flagpole raqqa citys main square front elegant multiarched governorate building become target american drone attacks flagits huge said abu noor wiry young man worked pharmacy day night volunteered guard post office near home looters theyll think extremist muslims havent strikes syria yet though possibility much discussed moderate islam extremist islam jabhat member said calmly islam islam attack west regardless whether hoist banner think theyre waiting banner hit us said abu mohammad older man tan leather jacket white galabia loose floorlength robe interjected saying put flag outposts main square city pray say god god raise flag insult people died revolutionary flag said abu abdullah former english major university lost lebanon seen june 15th 17th topic close heart namely syrian refugee crisis lebanon first became aware seeing ketermaya documentary shown socially relevant film festival march ketermaya focused children lost lebanon introduces group adults largely fled syria reason people havenamely dangerous remain country none obviously part privileged damascene society serves assads committed base neither particularly committed revolution best described peaceloving educated urbanein words kind people would happy next door neighbors except fact stuck limbo lebanon arrested caught working without documentsjust like latino undocumented workers usa furthermore virtually impossible get accepted european country stuck lebanon one interviewees young woman speaks english fluently wears tight jeans wear hijab ear piercings also volunteers ngo serving refugee community accepted three different training programs west get visa worry subjects film sent back syria much death sentence would undocumented teenager el salvador fleeing gang violence deported one subjects analogy farfetched states might killed either assads men fsa forced back syria wants live life normalcy something seems impossible entire middle east north africa region descends deeper inferno reminds conversations used male nurse syrian military fled country seeing captive rebels tortured hospital worked like going frying pan fire relocated yemen went brazil new bride met yemen given state brazil knows fate store another subject sculptor shoulderlength hair tattoos hands tells us could never kill another human nature case people like vietnam war including best hope syria iraq return peace people persuaded politically future country rather getting bullet head wrong ideas future black code screen june 14th 15th based book name ronald deibert head citizen lab u toronto featured film along members staff play leading role helping defend electronic media activists repression based kinds tools hactivists use notwithstanding furor russian interference wonderful democratic elections ultimately determined size candidates coffers state economy antidemocratic computerbased interference takes directed people like usthe counterpunch readers activists might use cell phone record protest youtube post facebook meeting recent years private firms developing tools sold governments around world determined crush resistance even small groups dissidents even living exile example ethiopia six percent country internet government spends millions dollars products help sniff troublemakers leading dissident lives exile london clicked appeared innocent jpeg turned malware downloaded computer correspondents inside ethiopia led arrest imprisonment number film also shows activists continuing use internet build movement even requires care avoiding malware film profiles activists bytes group pakistan fighting severe restrictions electronic communications entire world government banned wikipedia youtube name preserving islamic purity even puts damper intellectual even commercial vitality happens members bytes supposed speak last weekends left forum workshop looked forward eagerly someone combined activism technology ever since getting involved tecnica 30 years ago workshop described program users get online asia internet become critical tool exercise rights freedom expression peaceful assembly association online links offline movements democracy social justice yet space civil society online shrinking asia elsewhere individuals increasingly subject surveillance censorship threats violence direct attacks criminal prosecution one common technique states resorting preventing assemblies network disconnections either restricted geographic space protests taking place whole region india pakistan especially governments rely provisions impose curfews including shutdown communication networks limits ability protestors assemble peacefully beyond restricts broader populations right freedom expression threatens individual safety security states also block websites take pages facilitate association people online example august 2015 days ahead major rally malaysian regulatory body communications multimedia mcmc issued request internet service providers country block access website malaysian electoral reform group bersih 20 stating necessary block information deemed threatening national security dismayed see workshop cancelled wouldnt surprised someone donald trumps state department gotten word making appearance left forum urged counterparts pakistan revoke visas battlelines grow sharper epoch deepening social crisis attacks freedoms need find people side sort skills citizen lab bring bear | 1,417 |
<p>President Bush and his entourage have undertaken a nation-building project and some in the Administration (like Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and other “neo cons) want to do more: kick out the undemocratic, old fashioned, non-market oriented, Islamic zealots and substitute the happiness and harmony that our middle classes enjoy. I found a typical example that Bush spinners might want to employ to export this 21st Century model of family bliss and psychic stability.</p>
<p>My daughter’s friend’s mother looks almost as young as her seventeen year old well, like her slightly older sister. She produces soap and shampoo commercials. Her husband is a VP for a marketing firm. The corporation he works for orders its executives to vote Republican and to contribute generously as well. But the couple appreciated good Democrats like Bill Clinton who except for that silliness with Monica — “really knew how to govern.” Clinton gutted welfare and committed the country to free trade, they say, and “created an atmosphere of freedom and creativity in the corporate world.” Clinton’s tax cuts made more sense than the extreme measures of Bush, they opine. If you push the poor too much, they might rebel bad for business; disturbing to stability. On the other hand, Bush’s tax cuts mean a few thousand more to spend each year.</p>
<p>They bought a split level home in suburban Los Angeles for less than a million. It’s worth more now. They still pay less than $2000 a year in real estate taxes. Modern BBQ technology in the manicured yard works well for their frequent parties. “My husband keeps his staff and the other VPs happy,” his wife boasts. “We spend thousands on booze and steaks, but it pays off. You know how the corporate world is.”</p>
<p>The children, the elder a senior at the suburban high school, and the younger a freshman at a private, faith-based school, after being caught with a bag of marijuana, spend significant parts of their $400 a month each allowance on clothes. President Bush would approve of the youngster’s new school. The father hoped the kid would find redemption through God. Neither he nor his son have yet found that sense of Christian certainty that Bush exudes.</p>
<p>The older girl drives a 2003 SUV, a birthday present and a reward for getting a B average. Her father does not know or pretends that she smokes weed with the other kids, drinks at weekend parties and does more than heavy petting with boys. If he knew, he would take the SUV away and ground her.</p>
<p>Based on overheard conversations (arguments) she speculates that dad fools around. But, that’s how families behave on HBO movies. Does mom reciprocate? Why does she work so hard to look so young? Just to please dad?</p>
<p>On Sundays, the family attends a fundamentalist church, but doesn’t follow the orthodox dictates of the preacher. “He’s a good counselor,” mother said after he recommended that they remove the boy from public and place him in a “faith-based” environment. The preacher eschews drinking, but the father wouldn’t even consider this prohibition. His fellow fun-loving executives would goad him mercilessly if he showed such puritanical behavior.</p>
<p>The family has learned to live with contradictions. Indeed, they rarely talk about morality. Shopping, however, absorbs endless hours for motherand daughter. Often, they venture together to sales and spend the better part of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at up scale stores at the nearby malls.</p>
<p>On Saturday morning Dad golfs from eight to noon. His low 90s score seemed more than passable. He doesn’t love golf like some office mates, but it’s pleasant being outdoors on the green. He felt a mild resentment against the group of environmentalists who had waved placards at his windshield last month, complaining of something related to the amount of water used to maintain the golf course. Occasionally, a global warming headline disturbs him. But he long ago stopped reading the newspaper. The unpleasantness of “news” diverted his thoughts from his marketing job and from his aspirations to become CEO and accumulate his fortune.</p>
<p>At home, he eats weight conscious lunches (usually salad) and on Sundays, from September through January, after church, he sits in his $1500 leather recliner and watches professional football on his $2000 plasma screen TV. He sips beer, even martinis if his business buddies join him. He disciplines himself with alcohol as he does with food. He knows that exceeding limits could affect his career.</p>
<p>He enjoys seeing the expressions on the faces of the players after they get hit with bone crushing tackles. “The Superbowl,” he philosophizes, “represents one of the greatest occasions, the day when the strongest and the most athletic compete in the world’s most scientific and interesting game.”</p>
<p>His son watches with him. He has for three years invited his neighbors to see the spectacle with him on his high density TV. They held lengthy discussion before and during the Superbowl during commercials about the relative virtues of the Carolina Panthers and the favored New England Patriots. All noted that Patriot quarterback Tom Brady attended President Bush’s State of the Union address.</p>
<p>Once in a while, a neighbor will say something about Iraq or other current news. “Saddam was one SOB,” a real estate accountant offered. The others assented. “Good that we got him,” another remarks. Heads nod in agreement. The war has made Dad uncomfortable; not the actual bombing and invasion, but the daily killing and wounding of Coalition forces. “I thought this would be cleaner,” he confided to one neighbor.</p>
<p>“We should get out of there. We did wheat we had to do. Now let someone else clean up,” another said. All agreed with that as well. None showed interest in the failure of investigators to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq or links to Al Qaeda terrorists.</p>
<p>During the game, mom and her friends conversed for hours about their skin, figures and diets. They compared Botox doctors and liposuction clinics. “I can’t help gaining weight,” one neighbor confided, “and my husband complains that my boobs and butt are too big. But it doesn’t stop him,” she laughed.</p>
<p>Mom has undergone liposuction and gets regular botox treatments fro wrinkles, but doesn’t admit it. She leaves the room and puts on another CD of what she calls “cool jazz.” Her daughter calls it “elevator music.”</p>
<p>The women discussed “kid” problems, especially dangers related to drugs, alcohol, sex and cars the four perils of adolescence in suburbia. “I hardly remember the early 1980s,” says a perky blond with three teenagers. She doesn’t work, but her husband sells houses in the Rancho Cucamonga area. “I smoked a little pot and I sure did drink. Hey, all of us did things we shouldn’t have done in the car.” She giggled. The others smiled nervously, worrying about their kids and perhaps regretting stupidities of their own adolescence.</p>
<p>The football game ended and the women went home to “fix” dinner. The men continued their Superbowl conversation as the murmuring sounds of “60 Minutes” mixed with background music. “New England had offense and defense…” One of the neighbors had drunk too much.</p>
<p>The family ate greasy, take-in Chinese food. The daughter retired to her room “to do homework.” She looked in the mirror, made a face and said a prayer: “Please God, don’t let me be pregnant or worse.” She regretted that she had allowed herself to get talked into unprotected sex in the back of her own SUV, no less. “Too much booze,” she explained to herself.</p>
<p>The brother played his new hip hop CD, locked his door and pulled the new Playboy from between the pages of his Algebra text.</p>
<p>The mother applied creams and moisturizers in her bathroom. She stared at her youthful face and her model’s figure. “What will happen to me when I start to look my age?” she asked herself, trying to subdue the rushing waves of panic that she felt every day.</p>
<p>The father checked his agenda before slipping into his silk pajamas. He had not yet figured out how to cover up his recent mistakes at the office or how to shift blame onto his subordinates. He reran a few plays from Superbowl in his mind. “There are always different options,” he said silently. He fantasized about manipulating the foxy, new buyer into an after-work drink; maybe a roll in the motel bed. He switched on the bedroom plasma screen to HBO channels, flipped past Bill Maher’s “Real Time” and Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and settled on “Real Sex,” something that might direct his thoughts toward his wife. The overweight woman on the screen explained the therapeutic effects of orgies. He locked the bedroom door. He didn’t want his son walking in and seeing his father watching such smut.</p>
<p>He said a quick prayer. “Please, God don’t punish me for bad thoughts.” He felt better immediately. The desire for his wife had dissipated. He relaxed, assuring himself he would sleep peacefully.</p>
<p>Iraqis might one day enjoy the spiritual depth of the American way of life practiced by a family that thought of itself as very typical.</p>
<p>SAUL LANDAU’s new book is THE PRE-EMPTIVE EMPIRE: A GUIDE TO BUSH’S KINGDOM. His new film is SYRIA: BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE. Look at www.progreso.com for his essays in Spanish. He teaches at Cal Poly Pomona Univeristy and is a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies</p>
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corporation works orders executives vote republican contribute generously well couple appreciated good democrats like bill clinton except silliness monica really knew govern clinton gutted welfare committed country free trade say created atmosphere freedom creativity corporate world clintons tax cuts made sense extreme measures bush opine push poor much might rebel bad business disturbing stability hand bushs tax cuts mean thousand spend year bought split level home suburban los angeles less million worth still pay less 2000 year real estate taxes modern bbq technology manicured yard works well frequent parties husband keeps staff vps happy wife boasts spend thousands booze steaks pays know corporate world children elder senior suburban high school younger freshman private faithbased school caught bag marijuana spend significant parts 400 month allowance clothes president bush would approve youngsters new school father hoped kid would find redemption god neither son yet found sense christian certainty bush exudes older girl drives 2003 suv birthday present reward getting b average father know pretends smokes weed kids drinks weekend parties heavy petting boys knew would take suv away ground based overheard conversations arguments speculates dad fools around thats families behave hbo movies mom reciprocate work hard look young please dad sundays family attends fundamentalist church doesnt follow orthodox dictates preacher hes good counselor mother said recommended remove boy public place faithbased environment preacher eschews drinking father wouldnt even consider prohibition fellow funloving executives would goad mercilessly showed puritanical behavior family learned live contradictions indeed rarely talk morality shopping however absorbs endless hours motherand daughter often venture together sales spend better part saturday sunday afternoon scale stores nearby malls saturday morning dad golfs eight noon low 90s score seemed passable doesnt love golf like office mates pleasant outdoors green felt mild resentment group environmentalists waved placards windshield last month complaining something related amount water used maintain golf course occasionally global warming headline disturbs long ago stopped reading newspaper unpleasantness news diverted thoughts marketing job aspirations become ceo accumulate fortune home eats weight conscious lunches usually salad sundays september january church sits 1500 leather recliner watches professional football 2000 plasma screen tv sips beer even martinis business buddies join disciplines alcohol food knows exceeding limits could affect career enjoys seeing expressions faces players get hit bone crushing tackles superbowl philosophizes represents one greatest occasions day strongest athletic compete worlds scientific interesting game son watches three years invited neighbors see spectacle high density tv held lengthy discussion superbowl commercials relative virtues carolina panthers favored new england patriots noted patriot quarterback tom brady attended president bushs state union address neighbor say something iraq current news saddam one sob real estate accountant offered others assented good got another remarks heads nod agreement war made dad uncomfortable actual bombing invasion daily killing wounding coalition forces thought would cleaner confided one neighbor get wheat let someone else clean another said agreed well none showed interest failure investigators find weapons mass destruction iraq links al qaeda terrorists game mom friends conversed hours skin figures diets compared botox doctors liposuction clinics cant help gaining weight one neighbor confided husband complains boobs butt big doesnt stop laughed mom undergone liposuction gets regular botox treatments fro wrinkles doesnt admit leaves room puts another cd calls cool jazz daughter calls elevator music women discussed kid problems especially dangers related drugs alcohol sex cars four perils adolescence suburbia hardly remember early 1980s says perky blond three teenagers doesnt work husband sells houses rancho cucamonga area smoked little pot sure drink hey us things shouldnt done car giggled others smiled nervously worrying kids perhaps regretting stupidities adolescence football game ended women went home fix dinner men continued superbowl conversation murmuring sounds 60 minutes mixed background music new england offense defense one neighbors drunk much family ate greasy takein chinese food daughter retired room homework looked mirror made face said prayer please god dont let pregnant worse regretted allowed get talked unprotected sex back suv less much booze explained brother played new hip hop cd locked door pulled new playboy pages algebra text mother applied creams moisturizers bathroom stared youthful face models figure happen start look age asked trying subdue rushing waves panic felt every day father checked agenda slipping silk pajamas yet figured cover recent mistakes office shift blame onto subordinates reran plays superbowl mind always different options said silently fantasized manipulating foxy new buyer afterwork drink maybe roll motel bed switched bedroom plasma screen hbo channels flipped past bill mahers real time larry davids curb enthusiasm settled real sex something might direct thoughts toward wife overweight woman screen explained therapeutic effects orgies locked bedroom door didnt want son walking seeing father watching smut said quick prayer please god dont punish bad thoughts felt better immediately desire wife dissipated relaxed assuring would sleep peacefully iraqis might one day enjoy spiritual depth american way life practiced family thought typical saul landaus new book preemptive empire guide bushs kingdom new film syria iraq hard place look wwwprogresocom essays spanish teaches cal poly pomona univeristy fellow institute policy studies keep counterpunch alive make taxdeductible donation today online home subscribe us books archives search 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<p />
<p>On July 16, in a <a href="http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2009/07/17/address_to_economic_club_of_chicago_96945.html" type="external">speech</a> to the Economic Club of Chicago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the “central question” for the defense of the United States was how the military should be “organized, equipped — and funded — in the years ahead, to win the wars we are in while being prepared for threats on or beyond the horizon.” The phrase beyond the horizon ought to sound ominous. Was Gates telling his audience of civic-minded business leaders to spend more money on defense in order to counter threats whose very existence no one could answer for? Given the public acceptance of American militarism, he could speak in the knowledge that the awkward challenge would never be posed.</p>
<p>We have begun to talk casually about our wars; and this should be surprising for several reasons. To begin with, in the history of the United States war has never been considered the normal state of things. For two centuries, Americans were taught to think war itself an aberration, and “wars” in the plural could only have seemed doubly aberrant. Younger generations of Americans, however, are now being taught to expect no end of war — and no end of wars.</p>
<p>For anyone born during World War II, or in the early years of the Cold War, the hope of international progress toward the reduction of armed conflict remains a palpable memory. After all, the menace of the Axis powers, whose state apparatus was fed by wars, had been stopped definitively by the concerted action of Soviet Russia, Great Britain, and the United States. The founding of the United Nations extended a larger hope for a general peace. Organizations like the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) and the Union of Concerned Scientists reminded people in the West, as well as in the Communist bloc, of a truth that everyone knew already: the world had to advance beyond war. The French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut called this brief interval “the Second Enlightenment” partly because of the unity of desire for a world at peace. And the name Second Enlightenment is far from absurd. The years after the worst of wars were marked by a sentiment of universal disgust with the very idea of war.</p>
<p>In the 1950s, the only possible war between the great powers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, would have been a nuclear war; and the horror of assured destruction was so monstrous, the prospect of the aftermath so unforgivable, that the only alternative appeared to be a design for peace. John F. Kennedy saw this plainly when he pressed for ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty — the greatest achievement of his administration.</p>
<p>He signed it on October 7, 1963, six weeks before he was killed, and it marked the first great step away from war in a generation. Who could have predicted that the next step would take 23 years, until the imagination of Ronald Reagan took fire from the imagination of Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik? The delay after Reykjavik has now lasted almost another quarter-century; and though Barack Obama speaks the language of progress, it is not yet clear whether he has the courage of Kennedy or the imagination of Gorbachev and Reagan.</p>
<p>Forgetting Vietnam</p>
<p>In the twentieth century, as in the nineteenth, smaller wars have “locked in” a mentality for wars that last a decade or longer. The Korean War put Americans in the necessary state of fear to permit the conduct of the Cold War — one of whose shibboleths, the identification of the island of Formosa as the real China, was developed by the pro-war lobby around the Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek. Yet the Korean War took place in some measure under U.N. auspices, and neither it nor the Vietnam War, fierce and destructive as they were, altered the view that war as such was a relic of the barbarous past.</p>
<p>Vietnam was the by-product of a “containment” policy against the Soviet Union that spun out of control: a small counterinsurgency that grew to the scale of almost unlimited war. Even so, persistent talk of peace — of a kind we do not hear these days — formed a counterpoint to the last six years of Vietnam, and there was never a suggestion that another such war would naturally follow because we had enemies everywhere on the planet and the way you dealt with enemies was to invade and bomb.</p>
<p>America’s failure of moral awareness when it came to Vietnam had little to do with an enchantment with war as such. In a sense the opposite was true. The failure lay, in large part, in a tendency to treat the war as a singular “nightmare,” beyond the reach of history; something that happened to us, not something we did. A belief was shared by opponents and supporters of the war that nothing like this must ever be allowed to happen to us again.</p>
<p>So the lesson of Vietnam came to be: never start a war without knowing what you want to accomplish and when you intend to leave. Colin Powell gave his name to the new doctrine; and by converting the violence of any war into a cost-benefit equation, he helped to erase the consciousness of the evil we had done in Vietnam. Powell’s symptomatic and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery_Barn_rule" type="external">oddly heartless</a> warning to George W. Bush about invading Iraq — “You break it, you own it” — expresses the military pragmatism of this state of mind.</p>
<p>For more than a generation now, two illusions have dominated American thinking about Vietnam. On the right, there has been the idea that we “fought with one hand tied behind our back.” (In fact the only weapons the U.S. did not use in Indochina were nuclear.) Within the liberal establishment, on the other hand, a lone-assassin theory is preferred: as with the Iraq War, where the blame is placed on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, so with Vietnam the culprit of choice has become Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.</p>
<p>This convenient narrowing of the responsibility for Vietnam became, if anything, more pronounced after the death of McNamara on July 6th. Even an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/us/07mcnamara.html" type="external">honest and unsparing obituary</a> like Tim Weiner’s in the New York Times peeled away from the central story relevant actors like Secretary of State Dean Rusk and General William Westmoreland. Meanwhile, President Richard Nixon and his National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger seem to have dematerialized entirely — as if they did nothing more than “inherit” the war. The truth is that Kissinger and Nixon extended the Vietnam War and compounded its crimes. One need only recall the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58802-2004May26.html" type="external">transmission</a> of a startling presidential command in a phone call by Kissinger to his deputy Alexander Haig. The U.S. would commence, said Kissinger, “a massive bombing campaign in Cambodia [using] anything that flies on anything that moves.”</p>
<p>No more than Iraq was Vietnam a war with a single architect or in the interest of a single party. The whole American political establishment — and for as long as possible, the public culture as well — rallied to the war and questioned the loyalty of its opponents and resisters. Public opinion was asked to admire, and did not fail to support, the Vietnam War through five years under President Lyndon Johnson; and Nixon, elected in 1968 on a promise to end it with honor, was not held to account when he carried it beyond his first term and added an atrocious auxiliary war in Cambodia.</p>
<p>Yet ever since Senator Joe McCarthy accused the Democrats of “twenty years of treason” — the charge that, under presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman, the U.S. had lost a war against Communist agents at home we did not even realize we were fighting — it has become a folk truth of American politics that the Republican Party is the party that knows about wars: how to bring them on and how to end them.</p>
<p>Practically, this means that Democrats must be at pains to show themselves more willing to fight than they may feel is either prudent or just. As the legacy of Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton attests, and as the first half year of Obama has confirmed, Democratic presidents feel obliged either to start or to widen wars in order to prove themselves worthy of every kind of trust. Obama indicated his grasp of the logic of the Democratic candidate in time of war as early as the primary campaign of 2007, when he assured the military and political establishments that withdrawal from Iraq would be compensated for by a larger war in Pakistan and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>We are now close to codifying a pattern by which a new president is expected never to give up one war without taking on another.</p>
<p>From Humanitarian Intervention to Wars of Choice</p>
<p>Our confidence that our selection of wars will be warranted and our killings pardoned by the relevant beneficiaries comes chiefly from the popular idea of what happened in Kosovo. Yet the eleven weeks of NATO bombings from March through June 1999 — an apparent exertion of humanity (in which not a single plane was shot down) in the cause of a beleaguered people — was also a test of strategy and weapons.</p>
<p>Kosovo, in this sense, was a larger specimen of the sort of test war launched in 1983 by Ronald Reagan in Grenada (where an invasion ostensibly to protect resident Americans also served as aggressive cover for the president’s retreat from Lebanon), and in 1989 by George H.W. Bush in Panama (where an attack on an unpopular dictator served as a trial run for the weapons and propaganda of the First Gulf War a year later). The NATO attack on the former Yugoslavia in defense of Kosovo was also a public war — legal, happy, and just, as far as the mainstream media could see — a war, indeed, organized in the open and waged with a glow of conscience. The goodness of the bombing was radiant on the face of Tony Blair. It was Kosovo more than any other engagement of the past 50 years that prepared an American military-political consensus in favor of serial wars against transnational enemies of whatever sort.</p>
<p>An antidote to the humanitarian legend of the Kosovo war has been <a href="http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/jul_09_gibbs" type="external">offered</a> in a recent article by David Gibbs, drawn from his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0826516440/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">First Do No Harm</a>. Gibbs shows that it was not the Serbs but the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that, in 1998, broke the terms of the peace agreement negotiated by Richard Holbrooke and thus made a war inevitable. Nor was it unreasonable for Serbia later to object to the American and European demand that NATO peacekeepers enjoy “unrestricted passage and unimpeded access” throughout Yugoslavia — in effect, that it consent to be an occupied country.</p>
<p>Americans were told that the Serbs in that war were oppressors while Albanians were victims: a mythology that bears a strong resemblance to later American reports of the guilty Sunnis and innocent Shiites of Iraq. But the KLA, Gibbs recounts, “had a record of viciousness and racism that differed little from that of [Serbian leader Slobodan] Milosevic’s forces.” And far from preventing mass killings, the “surgical strikes” by NATO only increased them. The total number killed on both sides before the war was about 2,000. After the bombing and in revenge for it, about 10,000 people were killed by Serb security forces. Thus, the more closely one inquires the less tenable Kosovo seems as a precedent for future humanitarian interventions.</p>
<p>Clinton and Kosovo rather than Bush and Iraq opened the period we are now living in. Behind the legitimation of both wars, however, lies a broad ideological investment in the idea of “just wars” — chiefly, in practice, wars fought by the commercial democracies in the name of democracy, to advance their own interests without an unseemly overbalance of conspicuous selfishness. Michael Ignatieff, a just-war theorist who supported both the Kosovo and Iraq wars, published an influential article on the invasion of Iraq, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/05/magazine/the-american-empire-the-burden.html" type="external">“The American Empire: The Burden,”</a> in New York Times Magazine on January 5, 2003, only weeks before the onset of “shock and awe.” Ignatieff asked whether the American people were generous enough to fight the war our president intended to start against Iraq. For this was, he wrote,</p>
<p>“a defining moment in America’s long debate with itself about whether its overseas role as an empire threatens or strengthens its existence as a republic. The American electorate, while still supporting the president, wonders whether his proclamation of a war without end against terrorists and tyrants may only increase its vulnerability while endangering its liberties and its economic health at home. A nation that rarely counts the cost of what it really values now must ask what the ‘liberation’ of Iraq is worth.”</p>
<p>A Canadian living in the U.S., Ignatieff went on to endorse the war as a matter of American civic duty, with an indulgent irony for its opponents:</p>
<p>“Regime change is an imperial task par excellence, since it assumes that the empire’s interest has a right to trump the sovereignty of a state… Regime change also raises the difficult question for Americans of whether their own freedom entails a duty to defend the freedom of others beyond their borders… Yet it remains a fact — as disagreeable to those left wingers who regard American imperialism as the root of all evil as it is to the right-wing isolationists, who believe that the world beyond our shores is none of our business — that there are many peoples who owe their freedom to an exercise of American military power… There are the Bosnians, whose nation survived because American air power and diplomacy forced an end to a war the Europeans couldn’t stop. There are the Kosovars, who would still be imprisoned in Serbia if not for Gen. Wesley Clark and the Air Force. The list of people whose freedom depends on American air and ground power also includes the Afghans and, most inconveniently of all, the Iraqis.”</p>
<p>And why stop there? To Ignatieff, the example of Kosovo was central and persuasive. The people who could not see the point were “those left wingers” and “isolationists.” By contrast, the strategists and soldiers willing to bear the “burden” of empire were not only the party of the far-seeing and the humane, they were also the realists, those who knew that nothing good can come without a cost — and that nothing so marks a people for greatness as a succession of triumphs in a series of just wars.</p>
<p>The Wars Beyond the Horizon</p>
<p>Couple the casualty-free air war that NATO conducted over Yugoslavia with the Powell doctrine of multiple wars and safe exits, and you arrive somewhere close to the terrain of the Af-Pak war of the present moment. A war in one country may now cross the border into a second with hardly a pause for public discussion or a missed step in appropriations. When wars were regarded as, at best, a necessary evil, one asked about a given war whether it was strictly necessary. Now that wars are a way of life, one asks rather how strong a foothold a war plants in its region as we prepare for the war to follow.</p>
<p>A new-modeled usage has been brought into English to ease the change of view. In the language of think-tank papers and journalistic profiles over the past two years, one finds a strange conceit beginning to be presented as matter-of-fact: namely the plausibility of the U.S. mapping with forethought a string of wars. Robert Gates put the latest thinking into conventional form, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/14/60minutes/main5014588.shtml" type="external">once again,</a> on 60 Minutes in May. Speaking of the Pentagon’s need to focus on the war in Afghanistan, Gates said: “I wanted a department that frankly could walk and chew gum at the same time, that could wage war as we are doing now, at the same time we plan and prepare for tomorrow’s wars.”</p>
<p>The weird prospect that this usage — “tomorrow’s wars” — renders routine is that we anticipate a good many wars in the near future. We are the ascendant democracy, the exceptional nation in the world of nations. To fight wars is our destiny and our duty. Thus the word “wars” — increasingly in the plural — is becoming the common way we identify not just the wars we are fighting now but all the wars we expect to fight.</p>
<p>A striking instance of journalistic adaptation to the new language <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/04flournoy.html" type="external">appeared</a> in Elisabeth Bumiller’s recent New York Times profile of a key policymaker in the Obama administration, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy. Unlike her best-known predecessor in that position, Douglas Feith — a neoconservative evangelist for war who defined out of existence the rights of prisoners-of-war — Flournoy is not an ideologue. The article celebrates that fact. But how much comfort should we take from the knowledge that a calm careerist today naturally inclines to a plural acceptance of “our wars”? Flournoy’s job, writes Bumiller,</p>
<p>“boils down to this: assess the threats against the United States, propose the strategy to counter them, then put it into effect by allocating resources within the four branches of the armed services. A major question for the Q.D.R. [Quadrennial Defense Review], as it is called within the Pentagon, is how to balance preparations for future counterinsurgency wars, like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, with plans for conventional conflicts against well-equipped potential adversaries, like North Korea, China or Iran.</p>
<p>Another quandary, given that the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan have lasted far longer than the American involvement in World War II, is how to prepare for conflicts that could tie up American forces for decades.”</p>
<p>Notice the progression of the nouns in this passage: threats, wars, conflicts, decades. Our choice of wars for a century may be varied with as much cunning as our choice of cars once was. The article goes on to admire the coolness of Flournoy’s manner in an idiom of aesthetic appreciation:</p>
<p>“Already Ms. Flournoy is a driving force behind a new military strategy that will be a central premise of the Q.D.R., the concept of ‘hybrid’ war, which envisions the conflicts of tomorrow as a complex mix of conventional battles, insurgencies and cyber threats. ‘We’re trying to recognize that warfare may come in a lot of different flavors in the future,’ Ms. Flournoy said.”</p>
<p>Between the reporter’s description of a “complex mix” and the planner’s talk of “a lot of different flavors,” it is hard to know whether we are sitting in a bunker or at the kitchen table. But that is the point. We are coming to look on our wars as a trial of ingenuity and an exercise of taste.</p>
<p>Why the Constitution Says Little About Wars</p>
<p>A very different view of war was taken by America’s founders. One of their steadiest hopes — manifest in the scores of pamphlets they wrote against the British Empire and the checks against war powers built into the Constitution itself — was that a democracy like the United States would lead irresistibly away from the conduct of wars. They supposed that wars were an affair of kings, waged in the interest of aggrandizement, and also an affair of the hereditary landed aristocracy in the interest of augmented privilege and unaccountable wealth. In no respect could wars ever serve the interest of the people. Machiavelli, an analyst of power whom the founders read with care, had noticed that “the people desire to be neither commanded nor oppressed,” whereas “the powerful desire to command and oppress.” Only an appetite for command and oppression could lead someone to adopt an ethic of continuous wars.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm" type="external">third</a> of the Federalist Papers, written to persuade the former colonists to ratify the Constitution, John Jay argued that, in the absence of a constitutional union, the multiplication of states would have the same unhappy effect as a proliferation of hostile countries. One cause of the wars of Europe in the eighteenth century, as the founders saw it, had been the sheer number of states, each with its own separate selfish appetites; so, too, in America, the states, as they increased in number, would draw external jealousies and heighten the divisions among themselves. “The Union,” wrote Jay, “tends most to preserve the people in a state of peace with other nations.”</p>
<p>A democratic and constitutional union, he went on to say in <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm" type="external">Federalist 4</a>, would act more wisely than absolute monarchs in the knowledge that “there are pretended as well as just causes of war.” Among the pretended causes favored by the monarchs of Europe, Jay numbered:</p>
<p>“a thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts; ambition or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families, or partisans. These and a variety of motives, which affect only the mind of the Sovereign, often lead him to engage in wars not sanctified by justice, or the voice and interests of his people.”</p>
<p>When, thought Jay, the people are shorn of their slavish dependence, so that they no longer look to a sovereign outside themselves and count themselves as “his people,” the motives for war will be proportionately weakened.</p>
<p>This was not a passing theme for the Federalist writers. Alexander Hamilton took it up again in <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm" type="external">Federalist 6</a>, when he spoke of “the causes of hostility among nations,” and ranked above all other causes “the love of power or the desire of preeminence and dominion”: the desire, in short, to sustain a reputation as the first of powers and to control an empire. Pursuing, in <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm" type="external">Federalist 7</a>, the same subject of insurance against “the wars that have desolated the earth,” Hamilton proposed that the federal government could serve as an impartial umpire in the Western territory, which might otherwise become “an ample theatre for hostile pretensions.”</p>
<p>Consider the prominence of these views. Four of the first seven Federalist Papers offer, as a prime reason for the founding of the United States, the belief that, by doing so, America will more easily avert the infection of the multiple wars that have desolated Europe. This was the implicit consensus of the founders. Not only Jay and Hamilton, but also George Washington in his Farewell Address, and James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams as well as John Quincy Adams. It was so much part of the idealism that swept the country in the 1780s that Thomas Paine could allude to the sentiment in a passing sentence of The Rights of Man. Paine there asserted what Jay and Hamilton in the Federalist Papers took for granted: “Europe is too thickly planted with kingdoms to be long at peace.”</p>
<p>Have we now grown too used to the employment of our army, navy, and air force to be long at peace, or even to contemplate peace? To speak of a perpetual war against “threats” beyond the horizon, as the Bush Pentagon did, and now the Obama Pentagon does, is to evade the question whether any of the wars is, properly speaking, a war of self-defense.</p>
<p>At the bottom of that evasion lies the idea of the United States as a nation destined for serial wars. The very idea suggests that we now have a need for an enemy at all times that exceeds the citable evidence of danger at any given time. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805077979/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The Sorrows of Empire</a>, Chalmers Johnson gave a convincing account of the economic rationale of the American national security state, its industrial and military base, and its manufacturing outworks.</p>
<p>It is not only the vast extent and power of our standing army that stares down every motion toward reform. Nor is the cause entirely traceable to our pursuit of refined weapons and lethal technology, or the military bases with which the U.S. has encircled the globe, or the financial interests, the Halliburtons and Raytheons, the DynCorps and Blackwaters that combine against peace with demands in excess of the British East India Company at the height of its influence. There is a deeper puzzle in the relationship of the military itself to the rest of American society. For the American military now encompasses an officer class with the character and privileges of a native aristocracy, and a rank-and-file for whom the best possibilities of socialism have been realized.</p>
<p>Barack Obama has compared the change he aims to accomplish in foreign policy to the turning of a very large ship at sea. The truth is that, in Obama’s hands, “force projection” by the U.S. has turned already, but in more than one direction. He has set internal rhetorical limits on our provocations to war by declining to speak, as his predecessor did, of the spread of democracy by force or the feasibility of regime change as a remedy for grievances against hostile countries. And yet we may be certain that none of the wars the new undersecretary of defense for policy is preparing will be a war of pure self-defense — the only kind of war the American founders would have countenanced. None of the current plans, to judge by Bumiller’s article, is aimed at guarding the U.S. against a power that could overwhelm us at home. To find such a power, we would have to search far beyond the horizon.</p>
<p>The future wars of choice for the Defense Department appear to be wars of heavy bombing and light-to-medium occupation. The weapons will be drones in the sky and the soldiers will be, as far as possible, special forces operatives charged with executing “black ops” from village to village and tribe to tribe. It seems improbable that such wars — which will require free passage over sovereign states for the Army, Marines, and Air Force, and the suppression of native resistance to occupation — can long be pursued without de facto reliance on regime change. Only a puppet government can be thoroughly trusted to act against its own people in support of a foreign power.</p>
<p>Such are the wars designed and fought today in the name of American safety and security. They embody a policy altogether opposed to an idealism of liberty that persisted from the founding of the U.S. far into the twentieth century. It is easy to dismiss the contrast that Washington, Paine, and others drew between the morals of a republic and the appetites of an empire. Yet the point of that contrast was simple, literal, and in no way elusive. It captured a permanent truth about citizenship in a democracy. You cannot, it said, continue to be a free people while accepting the fruits of conquest and domination. The passive beneficiaries of masters are also slaves.</p>
<p>David Bromwich, the editor of a selection of Edmund Burke’s speeches, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0300081472/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">On Empire, Liberty, and Reform</a>, has written on the Constitution and America’s wars for The New York Review of Books and The Huffington Post.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | july 16 speech economic club chicago secretary defense robert gates said central question defense united states military organized equipped funded years ahead win wars prepared threats beyond horizon phrase beyond horizon ought sound ominous gates telling audience civicminded business leaders spend money defense order counter threats whose existence one could answer given public acceptance american militarism could speak knowledge awkward challenge would never posed begun talk casually wars surprising several reasons begin history united states war never considered normal state things two centuries americans taught think war aberration wars plural could seemed doubly aberrant younger generations americans however taught expect end war end wars anyone born world war ii early years cold war hope international progress toward reduction armed conflict remains palpable memory menace axis powers whose state apparatus fed wars stopped definitively concerted action soviet russia great britain united states founding united nations extended larger hope general peace organizations like committee sane nuclear policy sane union concerned scientists reminded people west well communist bloc truth everyone knew already world advance beyond war french philosopher alain finkielkraut called brief interval second enlightenment partly unity desire world peace name second enlightenment far absurd years worst wars marked sentiment universal disgust idea war 1950s possible war great powers us soviet union would nuclear war horror assured destruction monstrous prospect aftermath unforgivable alternative appeared design peace john f kennedy saw plainly pressed ratification nuclear test ban treaty greatest achievement administration signed october 7 1963 six weeks killed marked first great step away war generation could predicted next step would take 23 years imagination ronald reagan took fire imagination mikhail gorbachev reykjavik delay reykjavik lasted almost another quartercentury though barack obama speaks language progress yet clear whether courage kennedy imagination gorbachev reagan forgetting vietnam twentieth century nineteenth smaller wars locked mentality wars last decade longer korean war put americans necessary state fear permit conduct cold war one whose shibboleths identification island formosa real china developed prowar lobby around nationalist chinese leader chiang kaishek yet korean war took place measure un auspices neither vietnam war fierce destructive altered view war relic barbarous past vietnam byproduct containment policy soviet union spun control small counterinsurgency grew scale almost unlimited war even persistent talk peace kind hear days formed counterpoint last six years vietnam never suggestion another war would naturally follow enemies everywhere planet way dealt enemies invade bomb americas failure moral awareness came vietnam little enchantment war sense opposite true failure lay large part tendency treat war singular nightmare beyond reach history something happened us something belief shared opponents supporters war nothing like must ever allowed happen us lesson vietnam came never start war without knowing want accomplish intend leave colin powell gave name new doctrine converting violence war costbenefit equation helped erase consciousness evil done vietnam powells symptomatic oddly heartless warning george w bush invading iraq break expresses military pragmatism state mind generation two illusions dominated american thinking vietnam right idea fought one hand tied behind back fact weapons us use indochina nuclear within liberal establishment hand loneassassin theory preferred iraq war blame placed secretary defense donald rumsfeld vietnam culprit choice become secretary defense robert mcnamara convenient narrowing responsibility vietnam became anything pronounced death mcnamara july 6th even honest unsparing obituary like tim weiners new york times peeled away central story relevant actors like secretary state dean rusk general william westmoreland meanwhile president richard nixon national security adviser henry kissinger seem dematerialized entirely nothing inherit war truth kissinger nixon extended vietnam war compounded crimes one need recall transmission startling presidential command phone call kissinger deputy alexander haig us would commence said kissinger massive bombing campaign cambodia using anything flies anything moves iraq vietnam war single architect interest single party whole american political establishment long possible public culture well rallied war questioned loyalty opponents resisters public opinion asked admire fail support vietnam war five years president lyndon johnson nixon elected 1968 promise end honor held account carried beyond first term added atrocious auxiliary war cambodia yet ever since senator joe mccarthy accused democrats twenty years treason charge presidents franklin delano roosevelt harry truman us lost war communist agents home even realize fighting become folk truth american politics republican party party knows wars bring end practically means democrats must pains show willing fight may feel either prudent legacy lyndon johnson bill clinton attests first half year obama confirmed democratic presidents feel obliged either start widen wars order prove worthy every kind trust obama indicated grasp logic democratic candidate time war early primary campaign 2007 assured military political establishments withdrawal iraq would compensated larger war pakistan afghanistan close codifying pattern new president expected never give one war without taking another humanitarian intervention wars choice confidence selection wars warranted killings pardoned relevant beneficiaries comes chiefly popular idea happened kosovo yet eleven weeks nato bombings march june 1999 apparent exertion humanity single plane shot cause beleaguered people also test strategy weapons kosovo sense larger specimen sort test war launched 1983 ronald reagan grenada invasion ostensibly protect resident americans also served aggressive cover presidents retreat lebanon 1989 george hw bush panama attack unpopular dictator served trial run weapons propaganda first gulf war year later nato attack former yugoslavia defense kosovo also public war legal happy far mainstream media could see war indeed organized open waged glow conscience goodness bombing radiant face tony blair kosovo engagement past 50 years prepared american militarypolitical consensus favor serial wars transnational enemies whatever sort antidote humanitarian legend kosovo war offered recent article david gibbs drawn book first harm gibbs shows serbs kosovo liberation army kla 1998 broke terms peace agreement negotiated richard holbrooke thus made war inevitable unreasonable serbia later object american european demand nato peacekeepers enjoy unrestricted passage unimpeded access throughout yugoslavia effect consent occupied country americans told serbs war oppressors albanians victims mythology bears strong resemblance later american reports guilty sunnis innocent shiites iraq kla gibbs recounts record viciousness racism differed little serbian leader slobodan milosevics forces far preventing mass killings surgical strikes nato increased total number killed sides war 2000 bombing revenge 10000 people killed serb security forces thus closely one inquires less tenable kosovo seems precedent future humanitarian interventions clinton kosovo rather bush iraq opened period living behind legitimation wars however lies broad ideological investment idea wars chiefly practice wars fought commercial democracies name democracy advance interests without unseemly overbalance conspicuous selfishness michael ignatieff justwar theorist supported kosovo iraq wars published influential article invasion iraq american empire burden new york times magazine january 5 2003 weeks onset shock awe ignatieff asked whether american people generous enough fight war president intended start iraq wrote defining moment americas long debate whether overseas role empire threatens strengthens existence republic american electorate still supporting president wonders whether proclamation war without end terrorists tyrants may increase vulnerability endangering liberties economic health home nation rarely counts cost really values must ask liberation iraq worth canadian living us ignatieff went endorse war matter american civic duty indulgent irony opponents regime change imperial task par excellence since assumes empires interest right trump sovereignty state regime change also raises difficult question americans whether freedom entails duty defend freedom others beyond borders yet remains fact disagreeable left wingers regard american imperialism root evil rightwing isolationists believe world beyond shores none business many peoples owe freedom exercise american military power bosnians whose nation survived american air power diplomacy forced end war europeans couldnt stop kosovars would still imprisoned serbia gen wesley clark air force list people whose freedom depends american air ground power also includes afghans inconveniently iraqis stop ignatieff example kosovo central persuasive people could see point left wingers isolationists contrast strategists soldiers willing bear burden empire party farseeing humane also realists knew nothing good come without cost nothing marks people greatness succession triumphs series wars wars beyond horizon couple casualtyfree air war nato conducted yugoslavia powell doctrine multiple wars safe exits arrive somewhere close terrain afpak war present moment war one country may cross border second hardly pause public discussion missed step appropriations wars regarded best necessary evil one asked given war whether strictly necessary wars way life one asks rather strong foothold war plants region prepare war follow newmodeled usage brought english ease change view language thinktank papers journalistic profiles past two years one finds strange conceit beginning presented matteroffact namely plausibility us mapping forethought string wars robert gates put latest thinking conventional form 60 minutes may speaking pentagons need focus war afghanistan gates said wanted department frankly could walk chew gum time could wage war time plan prepare tomorrows wars weird prospect usage tomorrows wars renders routine anticipate good many wars near future ascendant democracy exceptional nation world nations fight wars destiny duty thus word wars increasingly plural becoming common way identify wars fighting wars expect fight striking instance journalistic adaptation new language appeared elisabeth bumillers recent new york times profile key policymaker obama administration undersecretary defense policy michele flournoy unlike bestknown predecessor position douglas feith neoconservative evangelist war defined existence rights prisonersofwar flournoy ideologue article celebrates fact much comfort take knowledge calm careerist today naturally inclines plural acceptance wars flournoys job writes bumiller boils assess threats united states propose strategy counter put effect allocating resources within four branches armed services major question qdr quadrennial defense review called within pentagon balance preparations future counterinsurgency wars like iraq afghanistan plans conventional conflicts wellequipped potential adversaries like north korea china iran another quandary given wars iraq afghanistan lasted far longer american involvement world war ii prepare conflicts could tie american forces decades notice progression nouns passage threats wars conflicts decades choice wars century may varied much cunning choice cars article goes admire coolness flournoys manner idiom aesthetic appreciation already ms flournoy driving force behind new military strategy central premise qdr concept hybrid war envisions conflicts tomorrow complex mix conventional battles insurgencies cyber threats trying recognize warfare may come lot different flavors future ms flournoy said reporters description complex mix planners talk lot different flavors hard know whether sitting bunker kitchen table point coming look wars trial ingenuity exercise taste constitution says little wars different view war taken americas founders one steadiest hopes manifest scores pamphlets wrote british empire checks war powers built constitution democracy like united states would lead irresistibly away conduct wars supposed wars affair kings waged interest aggrandizement also affair hereditary landed aristocracy interest augmented privilege unaccountable wealth respect could wars ever serve interest people machiavelli analyst power founders read care noticed people desire neither commanded oppressed whereas powerful desire command oppress appetite command oppression could lead someone adopt ethic continuous wars third federalist papers written persuade former colonists ratify constitution john jay argued absence constitutional union multiplication states would unhappy effect proliferation hostile countries one cause wars europe eighteenth century founders saw sheer number states separate selfish appetites america states increased number would draw external jealousies heighten divisions among union wrote jay tends preserve people state peace nations democratic constitutional union went say federalist 4 would act wisely absolute monarchs knowledge pretended well causes war among pretended causes favored monarchs europe jay numbered thirst military glory revenge personal affronts ambition private compacts aggrandize support particular families partisans variety motives affect mind sovereign often lead engage wars sanctified justice voice interests people thought jay people shorn slavish dependence longer look sovereign outside count people motives war proportionately weakened passing theme federalist writers alexander hamilton took federalist 6 spoke causes hostility among nations ranked causes love power desire preeminence dominion desire short sustain reputation first powers control empire pursuing federalist 7 subject insurance wars desolated earth hamilton proposed federal government could serve impartial umpire western territory might otherwise become ample theatre hostile pretensions consider prominence views four first seven federalist papers offer prime reason founding united states belief america easily avert infection multiple wars desolated europe implicit consensus founders jay hamilton also george washington farewell address james madison benjamin franklin john adams well john quincy adams much part idealism swept country 1780s thomas paine could allude sentiment passing sentence rights man paine asserted jay hamilton federalist papers took granted europe thickly planted kingdoms long peace grown used employment army navy air force long peace even contemplate peace speak perpetual war threats beyond horizon bush pentagon obama pentagon evade question whether wars properly speaking war selfdefense bottom evasion lies idea united states nation destined serial wars idea suggests need enemy times exceeds citable evidence danger given time sorrows empire chalmers johnson gave convincing account economic rationale american national security state industrial military base manufacturing outworks vast extent power standing army stares every motion toward reform cause entirely traceable pursuit refined weapons lethal technology military bases us encircled globe financial interests halliburtons raytheons dyncorps blackwaters combine peace demands excess british east india company height influence deeper puzzle relationship military rest american society american military encompasses officer class character privileges native aristocracy rankandfile best possibilities socialism realized barack obama compared change aims accomplish foreign policy turning large ship sea truth obamas hands force projection us turned already one direction set internal rhetorical limits provocations war declining speak predecessor spread democracy force feasibility regime change remedy grievances hostile countries yet may certain none wars new undersecretary defense policy preparing war pure selfdefense kind war american founders would countenanced none current plans judge bumillers article aimed guarding us power could overwhelm us home find power would search far beyond horizon future wars choice defense department appear wars heavy bombing lighttomedium occupation weapons drones sky soldiers far possible special forces operatives charged executing black ops village village tribe tribe seems improbable wars require free passage sovereign states army marines air force suppression native resistance occupation long pursued without de facto reliance regime change puppet government thoroughly trusted act people support foreign power wars designed fought today name american safety security embody policy altogether opposed idealism liberty persisted founding us far twentieth century easy dismiss contrast washington paine others drew morals republic appetites empire yet point contrast simple literal way elusive captured permanent truth citizenship democracy said continue free people accepting fruits conquest domination passive beneficiaries masters also slaves david bromwich editor selection edmund burkes speeches empire liberty reform written constitution americas wars new york review books huffington post | 2,341 |
<p>Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics/Nubar Alexanian</p>
<p />
<p>In his new film, Standard Operating Procedure, Errol Morris turns his camera on Abu Ghraib. Employing the investigative and cinematic techniques he’s honed in The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War, the Oscar-winning filmmaker introduces new layers of visual and moral complexity to the scandal. The result, even four years after the prisoner abuse was uncovered, is revelatory. (The film is accompanied by a book of the same title coauthored by Philip Gourevitch.) Morris landed interviews with most of what he calls the “perverse band of brothers”—the soldiers who snapped and appeared in the iconic images, including Lynndie England. Yet the biggest surprise is Sabrina Harman, best known for flashing a thumbs-up while posing with the corpse of Manadel al-Jamadi, a prisoner killed in cia custody. She emerges as an all-American girl who got caught up in horribly un-American activities. “Sabrina is not a monster,” says Morris. This refusal to pigeonhole his subjects has already earned him some controversy. The 60-year-old director took a break from his busy career, which includes blogging for the New York Times and directing TV ads, to talk.</p>
<p>Mother Jones: You’ve <a href="http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/will-the-real-hooded-man-please-stand-up/" type="external">written</a> on your blog that “It is easy to confuse photographs with reality.” What reality surrounding the Abu Ghraib photos did you want to challenge?</p>
<p>Errol Morris: The photographs served as both an exposé and cover-up. They’re probably some of the best-known photographs of all time. And people framed views of these photographs without knowing anything more than what they just saw in the photographs themselves, as if the photographs were self-explanatory. I just don’t believe it works that way.</p>
<p>MJ: Are there specific interpretations of the photos that you see as misguided?</p>
<p>EM: Both the left and the right failed to look further than the photographs. For the left, the photos are the unmistakable fingerprints of Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush. For the right, it’s these bad actors who acted on their own. Both interpretations fail to look beyond the photographs themselves to the reality of that place.</p>
<p>MJ: Do you ever consider the guards, considering that they were living in cells, being shelled daily, and bored out of their minds, prisoners of this situation as well?</p>
<p>EM: They themselves saw themselves as prisoners of this situation. They weren’t prisoners in the same way, but yes, they were prisoners. Everybody was in fact trapped there. Trapped in different ways, different degrees of being trapped, but trapped. Trapped by a war that made very little sense that was prosecuted in a way that was confused and out of control, and devolved into nightmare.</p>
<p>MJ: Seeing the photos, do you ever think, “Thank God for digital cameras”?</p>
<p>EM: Yes, I do. Sabrina Harman, under another set of circumstances, would be given a Pulitzer. Our knowledge of the murder of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manadel_al-Jamadi" type="external">al-Jamadi</a> derives from the photographs she took of his corpse. She remarks in the movie that the only reason she wasn’t prosecuted for the photographs was that they didn’t want to draw additional attention to the fact that a murder had occurred.</p>
<p>MJ: Harman’s pictures were clearly taken by someone who felt comfortable—they have this college-dorm feel to them. And yet, she says she was motivated by a sense of revulsion. Do you think these two impulses existed at the same time?</p>
<p>EM: Yes. I think there’s this desire to explain human behavior in terms of the one reason why it happened, when in fact there may be multiple reasons, and it may be incredibly complex.</p>
<p>MJ: Does that complexity diminish the moral clarity of the situation?</p>
<p>EM: I think it goes so much deeper than that, and into the nature of this war. I think sexual humiliation is at the center of this war. Here’s one of the really perverse oddities: You have a war that’s based on sexual humiliation and someone takes a picture of an Iraqi male being humiliated by an American female. The picture is released and humiliates the government, so they seek to humiliate the people who took the picture by putting them in jail and blaming the failure of the entire war effort on them. If some evil genie on high were to concoct an utterly perverse, depraved world, he could do no better.</p>
<p />
<p>DAMNED SPOTS</p>
<p>The best political ads you never saw</p>
<p>In 2004, Errol Morris made dozens of brilliantly simple pro-Kerry, anti-Bush TV spots for MoveOn.org. What happened next was a lesson in why political consultants suck. As Morris explains, “I make my money doing branding, marketing, and advertising. That’s my bread and butter. The one intuition that I had was that ads that preach to the choir are not going to achieve anything. The only chance anyone had was appealing to people in the middle. I had done all these ‘Switch’ ads for Apple. And I said, ‘Let’s just do “Switch” ads! Let’s interview people who voted for Bush in 2000 but can’t bring themselves to vote for him in 2004.’ I did about <a href="http://www.errolmorris.com/content/election04/main.html" type="external">50 ads</a>.” MoveOn aired only a few. Morris also approached the big boys: “I wanted to work for the dnc, the Kerry campaign—nothing worked. I really wanted to put Kerry on. I thought, ‘Here you have a person who seems robotic and wooden; I could make him less so. In fact, I think I could turn him back into a person. Give him to me for a couple of hours.’ But it never happened. That experience was so horrible.”</p>
<p />
<p>MJ: Lynndie England talks about the photos of her with the guy on the leash. Most people saw her dragging him across the floor; she says that’s not what really happened. Do you believe her?</p>
<p>EM: Yes. She’s five feet tall. She probably weighed 95 pounds at the time. I just don’t see her dragging Iraqis around on leashes. There is something about the photographs that is endlessly disturbing. The fact that we like to think of them as torture actually hides what is really deeply offensive about them.</p>
<p>MJ: So do you think questions like whether she’s pulling him are distractions from the larger issue?</p>
<p>EM: No, I don’t. I think they’re the essence of the larger issue, oddly enough. When I look at that photograph, there is something deeply mysterious about it to me. Is this a picture of torture? If it’s a picture of something else, what is it? What Lynndie is telling you is that scene of “Gus” on the leash was something created so someone could take a picture of it. And in taking a picture of it they were illustrating something about this war involving an American male soldier and his female American soldier girlfriend humiliating, dominating an Iraqi male. We could talk about this endlessly.</p>
<p>MJ: You rebuilt part of Abu Ghraib for the movie. What was it like to work inside a recreation of the prison?</p>
<p>EM: Weird. I wanted to enter the world of the photographs. The movie is an investigation into the photographs properly considered. We had literally thousands of photographs from Abu Ghraib. There’s between 200 and 300 photographs in this movie. It’s a little bit like The Thin Blue Line. I wanted to put people in a situation where they would think about the details of the photographs, what actually they’re looking at.</p>
<p>MJ: And filling in some of the gaps?</p>
<p>EM: I don’t think it’s filling in gaps. Filling in gaps means I know how to fill in gaps, which I don’t necessarily know how to do. But I can lay out the story in a way where people are forced to think about it in a different way.</p>
<p>MJ: How did you get Lynndie England to talk to you?</p>
<p>EM: With enormous difficulty. It’s true of everybody. I would say the hardest interview to get was [CACI contractor/interrogator] Tim Dugan. The fact that Tim ever did talk to me is utterly amazing. But that’s part of what I do; I get people to talk to me.</p>
<p>MJ: Do you see a common thread running between the guards and Robert McNamara in The Fog of War?</p>
<p>EM: On one hand, you have this guy at the absolute top of the pyramid, and on the other hand you have people at the very bottom of the pyramid, put in this very strange, morally compromised setting. I hear these criticisms [of the film]: “You were supposed to address the chain of command; you were supposed to find the link to Rumsfeld and Cheney!” In Heart of Darkness, you don’t hear a phone call between King Leopold and Kurtz where King Leopold says, “You have to treat the natives like dogs.”</p>
<p>MJ: I read that you ran into Karl Rove and he told you The Fog of War is one of his favorite films. Do you think that just confirms what you’ve said about people seeing what they want to believe?</p>
<p>EM: I do. We’re so used to thinking of the people who involved us in this war as beyond the pale that we can’t even imagine their motivation. Karl Rove liked the movie, clearly. He said he gave it to his friends.</p>
<p>MJ: Do you think <a href="http://www.errolmorris.com/content/eyecontact/inter527.html" type="external">Interrotron</a> [the unique on-camera interview technology Morris invented] makes people seem more human?</p>
<p>EM: I think it’s in combination with me as an interviewer. I do think that the whole technique of creating a situation where people are talking to another person instead of talking to a camera and at the same time looking directly into the lens is valuable.</p>
<p>MJ: Has anyone else used the device?</p>
<p>EM: I know that people are starting to use it more and more. It’s weird to me that it hasn’t happened more quickly. I lost the opportunity to patent it. I never even thought I should patent it; I’m just stupid, I suppose.</p>
<p>MJ: As someone who spends so much time thinking about how to get people to talk to you, do you ever think about how so much of what happened at Abu Ghraib was under the guise of getting people to talk?</p>
<p>EM: It’s really funny. When I first met Tim Dugan, he asked me, “How many people have you interrogated?” And I said, “I’ve never really interrogated anybody; I interview people. I try to create a situation where people will talk to me, but I’ve never looked at myself as an interrogator.” And he said, “Well, how many people have you broken?” [Laughs.] If you thought rationally about what I do, you would say it’s impossible. If you said, “You’ll put people in a studio and interview them with a film crew present and expect to hear stuff that you’ve never heard before—could such a thing work?” The answer is, Yes! Is it self-evident? No.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | photo courtesy sony pictures classicsnubar alexanian new film standard operating procedure errol morris turns camera abu ghraib employing investigative cinematic techniques hes honed thin blue line fog war oscarwinning filmmaker introduces new layers visual moral complexity scandal result even four years prisoner abuse uncovered revelatory film accompanied book title coauthored philip gourevitch morris landed interviews calls perverse band brothersthe soldiers snapped appeared iconic images including lynndie england yet biggest surprise sabrina harman best known flashing thumbsup posing corpse manadel aljamadi prisoner killed cia custody emerges allamerican girl got caught horribly unamerican activities sabrina monster says morris refusal pigeonhole subjects already earned controversy 60yearold director took break busy career includes blogging new york times directing tv ads talk mother jones youve written blog easy confuse photographs reality reality surrounding abu ghraib photos want challenge errol morris photographs served exposé coverup theyre probably bestknown photographs time people framed views photographs without knowing anything saw photographs photographs selfexplanatory dont believe works way mj specific interpretations photos see misguided em left right failed look photographs left photos unmistakable fingerprints rumsfeld cheney bush right bad actors acted interpretations fail look beyond photographs reality place mj ever consider guards considering living cells shelled daily bored minds prisoners situation well em saw prisoners situation werent prisoners way yes prisoners everybody fact trapped trapped different ways different degrees trapped trapped trapped war made little sense prosecuted way confused control devolved nightmare mj seeing photos ever think thank god digital cameras em yes sabrina harman another set circumstances would given pulitzer knowledge murder aljamadi derives photographs took corpse remarks movie reason wasnt prosecuted photographs didnt want draw additional attention fact murder occurred mj harmans pictures clearly taken someone felt comfortablethey collegedorm feel yet says motivated sense revulsion think two impulses existed time em yes think theres desire explain human behavior terms one reason happened fact may multiple reasons may incredibly complex mj complexity diminish moral clarity situation em think goes much deeper nature war think sexual humiliation center war heres one really perverse oddities war thats based sexual humiliation someone takes picture iraqi male humiliated american female picture released humiliates government seek humiliate people took picture putting jail blaming failure entire war effort evil genie high concoct utterly perverse depraved world could better damned spots best political ads never saw 2004 errol morris made dozens brilliantly simple prokerry antibush tv spots moveonorg happened next lesson political consultants suck morris explains make money branding marketing advertising thats bread butter one intuition ads preach choir going achieve anything chance anyone appealing people middle done switch ads apple said lets switch ads lets interview people voted bush 2000 cant bring vote 2004 50 ads moveon aired morris also approached big boys wanted work dnc kerry campaignnothing worked really wanted put kerry thought person seems robotic wooden could make less fact think could turn back person give couple hours never happened experience horrible mj lynndie england talks photos guy leash people saw dragging across floor says thats really happened believe em yes shes five feet tall probably weighed 95 pounds time dont see dragging iraqis around leashes something photographs endlessly disturbing fact like think torture actually hides really deeply offensive mj think questions like whether shes pulling distractions larger issue em dont think theyre essence larger issue oddly enough look photograph something deeply mysterious picture torture picture something else lynndie telling scene gus leash something created someone could take picture taking picture illustrating something war involving american male soldier female american soldier girlfriend humiliating dominating iraqi male could talk endlessly mj rebuilt part abu ghraib movie like work inside recreation prison em weird wanted enter world photographs movie investigation photographs properly considered literally thousands photographs abu ghraib theres 200 300 photographs movie little bit like thin blue line wanted put people situation would think details photographs actually theyre looking mj filling gaps em dont think filling gaps filling gaps means know fill gaps dont necessarily know lay story way people forced think different way mj get lynndie england talk em enormous difficulty true everybody would say hardest interview get caci contractorinterrogator tim dugan fact tim ever talk utterly amazing thats part get people talk mj see common thread running guards robert mcnamara fog war em one hand guy absolute top pyramid hand people bottom pyramid put strange morally compromised setting hear criticisms film supposed address chain command supposed find link rumsfeld cheney heart darkness dont hear phone call king leopold kurtz king leopold says treat natives like dogs mj read ran karl rove told fog war one favorite films think confirms youve said people seeing want believe em used thinking people involved us war beyond pale cant even imagine motivation karl rove liked movie clearly said gave friends mj think interrotron unique oncamera interview technology morris invented makes people seem human em think combination interviewer think whole technique creating situation people talking another person instead talking camera time looking directly lens valuable mj anyone else used device em know people starting use weird hasnt happened quickly lost opportunity patent never even thought patent im stupid suppose mj someone spends much time thinking get people talk ever think much happened abu ghraib guise getting people talk em really funny first met tim dugan asked many people interrogated said ive never really interrogated anybody interview people try create situation people talk ive never looked interrogator said well many people broken laughs thought rationally would say impossible said youll put people studio interview film crew present expect hear stuff youve never heard beforecould thing work answer yes selfevident | 922 |
<p>The War of 1948 as seen in Otto Preminger’s Exodus, Amos Gitaï’s Kedma and Elie Chouraki’s O Jerusalem!</p>
<p>The contrast between the ethnic stereotyping exhibited in Exodus and the portrayal of characters in Amos Gitaï’s Kedma could not be greater. In Kedma, there is no discussion of strategy or tactics, and thusly no invidious reflections upon one ethnic group’s capacity in relation to another’s. People simply find themselves in situations, and attempt to survive. This is how the survivors of the judeocide perpetrated by the German government describe their experiences during the voyage, before the Kedma arrives. This is how all the characters—European Jews and Palestinians—react once the ship has disembarked its passengers. In Kedma, there are no leaders visible. Their existence can only be supposed. Their plans, strategies and justifications are unexplained. They remain in the background as part of a larger tragedy produced by forces over which “ordinary” people seemingly have little or no control.</p>
<p>Gitaï’s film expresses a lack of confidence in leadership and, in this way, Kedma can be understood as a reading (and viewing) of Exodus.&#160; There is, in fact, a remarkable parallel development of the two films. What is absent from Preminger’s film—the moral misery, the existential despair, the doubts and confusion of the survivors of the Judeocide—is focused upon in Gitaï’s film.&#160; Conversely, what is absent from Gitaï’s film—the expression of Zionist ideals, aspirations and dogma, the glorifications of one ethnic group at the expense of others—is the very point of Preminger’s.</p>
<p>This thematic inversion is particularly evident in reference to two aspect of the films: firstly, in the use of names and, secondly, in the dramatic monologues or soliloquies which end both films.</p>
<p>In Exodus, the use of names for symbolic purposes is immediately evident. “Exodus” refers to the biblical return of the Jews from slavery to the Holy Land—their god-given territory, a sacred site. This sacred site is necessary to Jewish religious observance and identity. Only here, it is explained in Exodus, can Jews be safe. Only here, it is asserted, can they throw-off invidious self-perceptions, imposed by anti-Semitism and assimilationist pressures, and become the strong, self-reliant and confident people they really are.</p>
<p>The vision of Jewish identity propagated by Zionism is implicitly challenged in Amos Gitaï’s Kedma. Again, the title of the film is symbolically significant. “Kedma” means the “East” or “Orient”, or “going towards the East.” The people on the Kedma—Jewish refugees from Europe, speaking European languages and Yiddish—were arriving in another cultural world an alien one, in the East. The result would be more existential disorientation and another ethnically conflictual environment.</p>
<p>The difference in perspective manifest in the two films is found also in the names given to the protagonists. In Kedma, an example is given of the abrupt Hebraizing of names as the passengers arrived in the new land, thus highlighting the cultural transformation central to the Zionist project. In Exodus, there is much explicit discussion of this aspect of Zionism, and some of the names given to central characters reveal the heavy-handedness of its message.</p>
<p>It is, of course, a well-established convention to give evocative names to the protagonists of a literary or cinematographic work. Where would be, for example, Jack London’s The Iron Hell, without his hero, Ernest Everhard? The answer is that the novel might be more impressive without such readily apparent propagandistic trappings. And the same is true for Exodus. Leon Uris’s chief protagonist is Ari Ben Canaan, Hebrew for “Lion, son of Canaan.” This role model for Jewish people everywhere is thusly the direct heir of the ancient Canaanites, precursors of the Jewish community in the land of Palestine. This historical legacy and patrimony established, Paul Newman had only to play the strong fighter—ferocious, hard and wily—with his blond mane cut short, in the military style.</p>
<p>The object of Ari’s affections, however ambivalent they may be, is Kitty Fremont, played by Eva Marie Saint. Not only does the pairing of the earnest and ever-hard Ari, the “Lion,” and the compliant but faithful “Kitty” imply a classic gender relationship, but the coupling of this prickly Sabra and the cuddly American symbolizes the special relationship between the United States and nascent state of Israel that has come to be called the “fifty-first state” of the USA.</p>
<p>The other major character, played by the baby-faced Sal Mineo, is “Dov Landau,” the 17-year-old survivor of the Warsaw ghetto and Auschwitz. This name evokes the dove of peace and the infancy indirectly evoked by the term “landau” (baby carriage?). The irony is that the angelic Dov, alights on Palestinian soil with the fury of a maddened bird of prey. He is the consummate terrorist—angry and bloodthirsty. Dov’s conversion to Zionism as a collective project, as opposed to a vehicle for his personal vengeance, comes at the end of the story when peace has been (temporarily) achieved through unrelenting combat. Dov then leaves Israel for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he will perfect the engineering skills learned building bombs in Warsaw and in Palestine. Peace means refining the technical capacity for the new nation’s defense. In the meantime, the Arabs have cruelly murdered Dov’s fiancée, the soft and sweet Karen.</p>
<p>Exodus&#160; and Kedma differ most notably in the latter’s avoidance of the kind of crude propaganda that Leon Uris and Otto Preminger so heavily developed. Rather than forcing his viewers to accept a vision of the birth of Israel founded upon caricatures, distortions and omissions from historical reality, Amos Gitaï chose to simply place characters (who we see briefly) in a specific situation, which is the real focus of the film. Whereas Preminger symbolized the destiny of a people in a story of strong characters, Gitaï illustrated the tragedy of an historical conjuncture in which the historical actors were largely incidental. We see this aspect of Gitaï’s thematic inversion of Preminger’s film in the soliloquies delivered in both films.</p>
<p>At the very end of Exodus, Ari Ben Canaan delivers a speech at Karen’s graveside, in which he justifies the Zionist project as the just and prophesized return of a people forced to err in a hostile world for 2000 years. The resistance encountered to this project, he explains, is only the result of evil, self-interested individuals (such as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem) who are afraid of losing their privileges once the Arabs learn that Jewish settlement is in their interest. Ari concludes: “I swear that the day will come when Arab and Jew will live in Peace together.” This said, the film ends with a military convoy receding into the distance, towards a new battle in the just cause.</p>
<p>In Kedma, there are two soliloquies, delivered not by strong and self-composed leaders, but rather by distraught, frightened people, caught in a web woven by the apprentice sorcerers in the background—the real architects of the situations in which destinies are sealed and lives are broken.&#160; A middle-aged, Polish Jew makes the first speech. Appalled by the new cycle of suffering he witnessed upon arrival in Palestine, he shouts that suffering, guilt and martyrdom have become essential to the Jewish character. Without it, he cries, the Jewish people “cannot exist.” This is their tragedy.</p>
<p>An aged Palestinian peasant, pushed off his land, fleeing the combat, makes the second expression of despair. Disregarding the danger, he says: “we will stay here in spite of you. Like a wall, and we will fill the streets with demonstrations, generation after generation.”</p>
<p>How to reconcile the fascist judeocide and the Nakba (the Palestinian «&#160;disaster&#160;» caused the Zionist ethnic cleansing)? Gitaï’s Kedma places the contemporary dilemma within its historical and existential context. Preminger’s Exodus did everything not to provide moviegoers with the elements necessary to informed understanding. This is the difference between, on the one hand, demagogy and propaganda and, on the other hand, a call to reason and justice.</p>
<p>To be concluded tomorrow.</p>
<p>LARRY PORTIS is a professor of American Studies at Montpellier University in Francce. Hecccccccccccccccan be reached at <a href="" type="external">lafrry.portis@univ-montp3.fr</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | war 1948 seen otto premingers exodus amos gitaïs kedma elie chourakis jerusalem contrast ethnic stereotyping exhibited exodus portrayal characters amos gitaïs kedma could greater kedma discussion strategy tactics thusly invidious reflections upon one ethnic groups capacity relation anothers people simply find situations attempt survive survivors judeocide perpetrated german government describe experiences voyage kedma arrives characterseuropean jews palestiniansreact ship disembarked passengers kedma leaders visible existence supposed plans strategies justifications unexplained remain background part larger tragedy produced forces ordinary people seemingly little control gitaïs film expresses lack confidence leadership way kedma understood reading viewing exodus160 fact remarkable parallel development two films absent premingers filmthe moral misery existential despair doubts confusion survivors judeocideis focused upon gitaïs film160 conversely absent gitaïs filmthe expression zionist ideals aspirations dogma glorifications one ethnic group expense othersis point premingers thematic inversion particularly evident reference two aspect films firstly use names secondly dramatic monologues soliloquies end films exodus use names symbolic purposes immediately evident exodus refers biblical return jews slavery holy landtheir godgiven territory sacred site sacred site necessary jewish religious observance identity explained exodus jews safe asserted throwoff invidious selfperceptions imposed antisemitism assimilationist pressures become strong selfreliant confident people really vision jewish identity propagated zionism implicitly challenged amos gitaïs kedma title film symbolically significant kedma means east orient going towards east people kedmajewish refugees europe speaking european languages yiddishwere arriving another cultural world alien one east result would existential disorientation another ethnically conflictual environment difference perspective manifest two films found also names given protagonists kedma example given abrupt hebraizing names passengers arrived new land thus highlighting cultural transformation central zionist project exodus much explicit discussion aspect zionism names given central characters reveal heavyhandedness message course wellestablished convention give evocative names protagonists literary cinematographic work would example jack londons iron hell without hero ernest everhard answer novel might impressive without readily apparent propagandistic trappings true exodus leon uriss chief protagonist ari ben canaan hebrew lion son canaan role model jewish people everywhere thusly direct heir ancient canaanites precursors jewish community land palestine historical legacy patrimony established paul newman play strong fighterferocious hard wilywith blond mane cut short military style object aris affections however ambivalent may kitty fremont played eva marie saint pairing earnest everhard ari lion compliant faithful kitty imply classic gender relationship coupling prickly sabra cuddly american symbolizes special relationship united states nascent state israel come called fiftyfirst state usa major character played babyfaced sal mineo dov landau 17yearold survivor warsaw ghetto auschwitz name evokes dove peace infancy indirectly evoked term landau baby carriage irony angelic dov alights palestinian soil fury maddened bird prey consummate terroristangry bloodthirsty dovs conversion zionism collective project opposed vehicle personal vengeance comes end story peace temporarily achieved unrelenting combat dov leaves israel massachusetts institute technology perfect engineering skills learned building bombs warsaw palestine peace means refining technical capacity new nations defense meantime arabs cruelly murdered dovs fiancée soft sweet karen exodus160 kedma differ notably latters avoidance kind crude propaganda leon uris otto preminger heavily developed rather forcing viewers accept vision birth israel founded upon caricatures distortions omissions historical reality amos gitaï chose simply place characters see briefly specific situation real focus film whereas preminger symbolized destiny people story strong characters gitaï illustrated tragedy historical conjuncture historical actors largely incidental see aspect gitaïs thematic inversion premingers film soliloquies delivered films end exodus ari ben canaan delivers speech karens graveside justifies zionist project prophesized return people forced err hostile world 2000 years resistance encountered project explains result evil selfinterested individuals grand mufti jerusalem afraid losing privileges arabs learn jewish settlement interest ari concludes swear day come arab jew live peace together said film ends military convoy receding distance towards new battle cause kedma two soliloquies delivered strong selfcomposed leaders rather distraught frightened people caught web woven apprentice sorcerers backgroundthe real architects situations destinies sealed lives broken160 middleaged polish jew makes first speech appalled new cycle suffering witnessed upon arrival palestine shouts suffering guilt martyrdom become essential jewish character without cries jewish people exist tragedy aged palestinian peasant pushed land fleeing combat makes second expression despair disregarding danger says stay spite like wall fill streets demonstrations generation generation reconcile fascist judeocide nakba palestinian 160disaster160 caused zionist ethnic cleansing gitaïs kedma places contemporary dilemma within historical existential context premingers exodus everything provide moviegoers elements necessary informed understanding difference one hand demagogy propaganda hand call reason justice concluded tomorrow larry portis professor american studies montpellier university francce hecccccccccccccccan reached lafrryportisunivmontp3fr 160 160 160 160 | 736 |
<p>A clash between police officers and armed campesinos occupying the Nueva Linda plantation in Champerico, Retalhuleu, left nine dead and many questions unanswered as investigations begin.</p>
<p>Mid-day on August 31 approximately 800 police officers descended on a group of farming families that have been occupying the land since last September in protest of the disappearance of campesino leader Hector Rene Reyes. At least three police officers were killed in the confrontation, and at least six campesinos were shot dead, including two minors. Twenty-four individuals suffered injuries, at least twenty-five campesinos are still missing.</p>
<p>Homes were illegally entered and burned. Journalists, who were beaten and threatened by police during the forty-minute skirmish, allege that three of the six campesinos were executed extrajudicially, and campesinos leaders report that their missing family members are buried in a clandestine mass grave.</p>
<p>Interior Minister Carlos Vielmann immediately blamed the incident on the presence of clandestine groups, and classified the campesinos as “members of organized crime.” Nobel Laureate and current Goodwill Ambassador, Rigoberta Menchu agreed with Vielmann’s position and added that the farmers are “bandits.” Her comments were poorly received by many Guatemalans who feel that the human rights defender and peace activist is a turncoat.</p>
<p>Vielmann and Menchu’s statements reflect the fact that the Nueva Linda farmers were allegedly armed with automatic rifles. According to a Prensa Libre editorial from Sept 2, authorities knew as early as last December that the campesinos were armed with AK-47s, but chose to send in police regardless.</p>
<p>A statement released by the Mutual Support Group, claims that campesinos may have purchased the weapons to protect themselves from heavy drug trafficking that takes place in the region.</p>
<p>Campesino organizations strongly denounce the claim that the evicted families have any ties to organized crime, and insist that the government is to blame for not investigating the September 5, 2003 disappearance of campesino leader, Hector Rene Reyes. Rene Reyes was allegedly abducted by the private security of the owner of the Nueva Linda plantation, Spaniard Carlos Vidal Fernandez Alejos. In protest to the disappearance, the campesinos occupied land on Nueva Linda and stated firmly that they would stay there until the Rene Reyes case was clarified. The government did not attempt to negotiate with the campesinos, but rather issued a court order and deployed police to violently evict them from the land.</p>
<p>Further consequences of the conflict were the arrest of thirty-two campesinos, including one women, Julia Cabrera, a single mother of ten children. According to Cabrera she was selling vegetables on the plantation when the police arrived and started throwing tear gas canisters. She witnessed her sixteen-year-old son David Natanael Lopez shot twice in the back and killed. “But I did not see who took my six-month old baby, because the police grabbed me by the hair and began to hit me,” Cabrera stated.</p>
<p>When she came to, she found herself inside a car and in police custody. Cabrera has been denied the right to attend her son’s funeral and she is concerned for the health and safely of her infant child.</p>
<p>On the national level, congressional representatives passed a resolution yesterday condemning the acts of violence, most of who believe that the police “acted in an erroneous manner.” Independent congressman, Pedro Palma Lau, expressed that the confrontation left the 1996 Peace Accords behind. Today, congress will hear reports on the Nueva Linda incident from Vielmann, Defense Minister Cesar Mendez Pinelo, and Human Rights Ombudsman Sergio Morales.</p>
<p>Mass Graves and Extrajudicial Executions in the “Victory” at Nueva Linda</p>
<p>So far in the investigation, authorities have names, photos, and possibly know the whereabout of the few armed campesinos, and one weapon has been recovered. Yesterday, with a court order, representatives from the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH) and three congressmen visited the site to verify the existance of a clandestine mass grave. Alexander Toro Maldonado from the regional PDH office in Retalhuleu received the allegation from campesinos that, “within the plantation a mass grave was dug where they [the police] buried the bodies of the campesinos and children killed in the confrontation.”</p>
<p>Sergio Morales said, “[the campesinos] showed us a place where the earth has been moved. They say that it is a grave and that between seven and twenty people are buried there.” While no graves were found, Damian Vail from the National Indigenous and Campesino Coordinator (CONIC), directed justice of peace Hugo Flores and congressmen Raul Robles (UNE), Luis Arguello (GANA) and Alfredo de Leon (ANN) to an area where they found an arsenal of weapons and a septic pit covered over with heavy machinery.</p>
<p>Morales added that campesinos had claimed bodies were thrown in a river but investigators had found no evidence of that. Toro Maldonado, announced that the PDH will request a court order to investigate four sites on the plantation for mass graves.</p>
<p>In addition to investigating claims of mass graves, authorities will investigate allegations of at least three extrajudicial executions on the part of the police. One journalist witnessed an elderly man being shot in the head after he was captured. Police proceeded to shoot the man five more times, kicked and trampled the body and then according to the account, officer Boris Morales yelled, “Victory!” while standing over the dead body. Journalists recount two other incidents of extrajudicial executions.</p>
<p>Reporters claim that after the police discovered that members of the press witnessed them, they chased the reporters down, and beat and verbally abused them. One reporter was hospitalized. Police stole their equiptment and destroyed it, most likely to erradicate evidence of extrajudicial execution.</p>
<p>A History of Nueva Linda and Agrarian Conflict</p>
<p>Three years ago, in need of land, a group of campesinos originally from twenty-two different communities, occupied territory by the side of a highway between the towns of Retalhuleu and Champerico (on the Pacific coast). After two years and with the assistance of a number of land rights and campesinos organizations, the roughly 1,500 campesinos were granted rights to the Monte Cristo farm by the Guatemalan Land Fund.</p>
<p>Among the farmers that received access to Monte Cristo was Hector Rene Reyes, who, in spite of working as the administrator for the Nueva Linda Plantation, became a campesino leader not only at Monte Cristo, but also throughout the region. The owner of the Nueva Linda Plantation, Carlos Vidal Fernandez Alejos, opposed Rene Reyes’s decision to live and work at the Monte Cristo farm.</p>
<p>On August 5, a few days after the Monte Cristo farm was turned over to the campesinos, Fernandez Alejos’ private security visited Rene Reyes with the pretext of picking up shotguns and other arms that were on the Nueva Linda plantation. The security officers asked Rene Reyes to accompany them on a visit of the plantation. Hours later the bodyguards returned without Rene Reyes, saying that they had left the campesino in the nearby town of Retalhuleu.</p>
<p>Since then Rene Reyes has not been seen again. The crime was not investigated, and in order to pressure the National Civil Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the campesinos took action by settling on the Nueva Linda plantation. Authorities never attempted to negotiate with the campesinos, or to further investigate the disappearance. Instead, the plantation owner and authorities sought out a court order to evict the campesinos.</p>
<p>Guatemala has a long history of agrarian conflict, and on June 8th, the country was paralyzed by a nationwide strike organized by a diverse coalition of groups to protest recent violent evictions of indigenous families from disputed land which left 1,500 families homeless. The protesters surrounded government buildings and blocked roads in twenty of the twenty-two departments of the country.</p>
<p>Although the strike was originally planned to last two days, only eight hours into the strike an agreement was reached, ending the strike peacefully. In the agreement, the Supreme Court, agreed to investigate the legality and process of the recent land evictions. President Berger agreed that his administration would promote concrete measures to deal with the agrarian conflict. President Berger also promised to halt land evictions during a ninty day period to review agrarian policy. In exchange for these concessions, the protesters agreed to a moratorium on protests and strikes during those ninty days, after which time they would reconvene with the government to evaluate what, if any, progress that had been made.</p>
<p>While Berger’s promise to halt evictions was broken on August 7 when 113 families were peacefully evicted from a plantation in Escuintla, the eviction at Nueva Linda will redefine relations with campesino groups. The violence in Champerico took place just over a week shy of the ninty day evaluation period. President Berger responded yesterday that this group did not belong to any of the campesino groups who negotiated the moratorium, tacitly implying that this justifies the eviction.</p>
<p>The events of August 31 will intensely shake Guatemala, its internal security policy, and the way it reacts to land takeovers and agrarian conflict. There is supposed to be a march today by the campesino sector and campesino groups have also stated that they will return to the use of massive blockades next week (when the 90 day period ends) to pressure the government to work out a solution that does not include violent evicitons.</p>
<p>While investigations are underway, various land and campesino rights groups have requested that investigations be conducted with transparency, and that the Berger administration settle the root causes of the conflict: the lack of investigation into the disappearance of the Rene Reyes, and poor land distribution and agrarian policy. Unless the latter is reconsidered and readjusted, Guatemala may find itself in another internal conflict that reflects 1980s era mass clandestine graves and extrajudicial executions.</p>
<p>Max Gimbel is the Director of Research at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA. GHRC/USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, humanitarian organization committed to monitoring, documenting and reporting on the human rights situation in Guatemala while advocating for victims of human rights violations. For more information visit <a href="http://www.ghrc-usa.org/" type="external">www.ghrc-usa.org</a> or write: <a href="mailto:mgimbel@ghrc-usa.org" type="external">mgimbel@ghrc-usa.org</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | clash police officers armed campesinos occupying nueva linda plantation champerico retalhuleu left nine dead many questions unanswered investigations begin midday august 31 approximately 800 police officers descended group farming families occupying land since last september protest disappearance campesino leader hector rene reyes least three police officers killed confrontation least six campesinos shot dead including two minors twentyfour individuals suffered injuries least twentyfive campesinos still missing homes illegally entered burned journalists beaten threatened police fortyminute skirmish allege three six campesinos executed extrajudicially campesinos leaders report missing family members buried clandestine mass grave interior minister carlos vielmann immediately blamed incident presence clandestine groups classified campesinos members organized crime nobel laureate current goodwill ambassador rigoberta menchu agreed vielmanns position added farmers bandits comments poorly received many guatemalans feel human rights defender peace activist turncoat vielmann menchus statements reflect fact nueva linda farmers allegedly armed automatic rifles according prensa libre editorial sept 2 authorities knew early last december campesinos armed ak47s chose send police regardless statement released mutual support group claims campesinos may purchased weapons protect heavy drug trafficking takes place region campesino organizations strongly denounce claim evicted families ties organized crime insist government blame investigating september 5 2003 disappearance campesino leader hector rene reyes rene reyes allegedly abducted private security owner nueva linda plantation spaniard carlos vidal fernandez alejos protest disappearance campesinos occupied land nueva linda stated firmly would stay rene reyes case clarified government attempt negotiate campesinos rather issued court order deployed police violently evict land consequences conflict arrest thirtytwo campesinos including one women julia cabrera single mother ten children according cabrera selling vegetables plantation police arrived started throwing tear gas canisters witnessed sixteenyearold son david natanael lopez shot twice back killed see took sixmonth old baby police grabbed hair began hit cabrera stated came found inside car police custody cabrera denied right attend sons funeral concerned health safely infant child national level congressional representatives passed resolution yesterday condemning acts violence believe police acted erroneous manner independent congressman pedro palma lau expressed confrontation left 1996 peace accords behind today congress hear reports nueva linda incident vielmann defense minister cesar mendez pinelo human rights ombudsman sergio morales mass graves extrajudicial executions victory nueva linda far investigation authorities names photos possibly know whereabout armed campesinos one weapon recovered yesterday court order representatives human rights ombudsmans office pdh three congressmen visited site verify existance clandestine mass grave alexander toro maldonado regional pdh office retalhuleu received allegation campesinos within plantation mass grave dug police buried bodies campesinos children killed confrontation sergio morales said campesinos showed us place earth moved say grave seven twenty people buried graves found damian vail national indigenous campesino coordinator conic directed justice peace hugo flores congressmen raul robles une luis arguello gana alfredo de leon ann area found arsenal weapons septic pit covered heavy machinery morales added campesinos claimed bodies thrown river investigators found evidence toro maldonado announced pdh request court order investigate four sites plantation mass graves addition investigating claims mass graves authorities investigate allegations least three extrajudicial executions part police one journalist witnessed elderly man shot head captured police proceeded shoot man five times kicked trampled body according account officer boris morales yelled victory standing dead body journalists recount two incidents extrajudicial executions reporters claim police discovered members press witnessed chased reporters beat verbally abused one reporter hospitalized police stole equiptment destroyed likely erradicate evidence extrajudicial execution history nueva linda agrarian conflict three years ago need land group campesinos originally twentytwo different communities occupied territory side highway towns retalhuleu champerico pacific coast two years assistance number land rights campesinos organizations roughly 1500 campesinos granted rights monte cristo farm guatemalan land fund among farmers received access monte cristo hector rene reyes spite working administrator nueva linda plantation became campesino leader monte cristo also throughout region owner nueva linda plantation carlos vidal fernandez alejos opposed rene reyess decision live work monte cristo farm august 5 days monte cristo farm turned campesinos fernandez alejos private security visited rene reyes pretext picking shotguns arms nueva linda plantation security officers asked rene reyes accompany visit plantation hours later bodyguards returned without rene reyes saying left campesino nearby town retalhuleu since rene reyes seen crime investigated order pressure national civil police public prosecutors office campesinos took action settling nueva linda plantation authorities never attempted negotiate campesinos investigate disappearance instead plantation owner authorities sought court order evict campesinos guatemala long history agrarian conflict june 8th country paralyzed nationwide strike organized diverse coalition groups protest recent violent evictions indigenous families disputed land left 1500 families homeless protesters surrounded government buildings blocked roads twenty twentytwo departments country although strike originally planned last two days eight hours strike agreement reached ending strike peacefully agreement supreme court agreed investigate legality process recent land evictions president berger agreed administration would promote concrete measures deal agrarian conflict president berger also promised halt land evictions ninty day period review agrarian policy exchange concessions protesters agreed moratorium protests strikes ninty days time would reconvene government evaluate progress made bergers promise halt evictions broken august 7 113 families peacefully evicted plantation escuintla eviction nueva linda redefine relations campesino groups violence champerico took place week shy ninty day evaluation period president berger responded yesterday group belong campesino groups negotiated moratorium tacitly implying justifies eviction events august 31 intensely shake guatemala internal security policy way reacts land takeovers agrarian conflict supposed march today campesino sector campesino groups also stated return use massive blockades next week 90 day period ends pressure government work solution include violent evicitons investigations underway various land campesino rights groups requested investigations conducted transparency berger administration settle root causes conflict lack investigation disappearance rene reyes poor land distribution agrarian policy unless latter reconsidered readjusted guatemala may find another internal conflict reflects 1980s era mass clandestine graves extrajudicial executions max gimbel director research guatemala human rights commissionusa ghrcusa nonprofit nonpartisan humanitarian organization committed monitoring documenting reporting human rights situation guatemala advocating victims human rights violations information visit wwwghrcusaorg write mgimbelghrcusaorg 160 160 | 986 |
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<p>The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why by Amanda Ripley Crown Publishers. On sale June 10.</p>
<p>Time reporter <a href="http://www.amandaripley.com/book" type="external">Amanda Ripley</a> was in New York when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Over the next few weeks, she talked to dozens of 9/11 survivors and was entranced by their different responses. Why did one woman coming out of Tower 1 freeze when she saw the bodies of workers who had jumped from above, while the woman next to her walked briskly past them to safety? Why were people terrified of terrorist attacks, when they were more likely to die from accidental falls or car crashes?</p>
<p>Ripley began talking to survivors of floods, earthquakes, school shootings, hostage situations, and tsunamis and soon found that all these people had knowledge they wanted to share. It’s information we need to hear, because instead of telling us how to survive another 9/11, the TSA takes away our tweezers and shoes at security. We don’t have plane-crash drills, or flood drills, and that’s what makes those situations deadly. Luckily, Ripley found that we have the ability to survive almost any disaster—even the worst-case scenario of a terrorist-deployed nuclear bomb. Our bodies take care of a lot of things for us, constricting vessels to reduce blood loss, and boosting muscle-enhancing hormones. Half the battle is just cognitively knowing you can survive. The other half is making it happen. Read more tips from Ripley below on how we can become better survivors, and the surprising truths she heard from them.</p>
<p>Mother Jones: The risk of us dying from terrorist attacks is incredibly low. So why do we put so much money and resources into preventing them instead of a more likely cause of death like heart disease or car crashes?</p>
<p>Amanda Ripley: By sort of combining the research of a lot of smart people, I came up with an equation for dread [dread=uncontrollability+unfamiliarity+imaginability+suffering+scale of destruction+unfairness]. The dread equation is a simplification, but it’s a way to explain why we fear something so much when it is so unlikely. Part of it is the lack of control. That’s why we’re more scared of plane crashes than car crashes even though we know rationally which is more dangerous.</p>
<p>The evil genius of terrorism is that that maximizes unfamiliarity, imaginability, suffering, scale of destruction, unfairness. It’s really important to understand why terrorism is so frightening because it is a psychological war and until you understand it and try to reduce the dread, until then you become like a force multiplier for the terrorists inadvertently because you’ll tend to overreact to terrorist attacks because the dread factor is so high.</p>
<p>In addition, citizens are not prepared for attacks because there is a bias against the public by nearly every expert and government official. In emergency preparedness, there is this belief that public will panic, that the public is not to be trusted, that there will be looting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been with very smart, knowledgeable Homeland Security experts who are essentially tasked with saving your life who do not trust you with information. They just don’t. They kind of dismiss the media and the public in one fell swoop. A lot of the time you see a warning, in the subway, or in a movie theater, the main thrust of the warning will be to not panic if there is an emergency. To listen to directions. Now that’s a waste. They could have given you information, but you can see their expectation that you’re going to screw up.</p>
<p>MJ: I found it interesting that in the case of United flight 93, the passengers kept the plane from crashing into a building because they didn’t follow directions. They didn’t stay in their seats, they didn’t do what the terrorists told them. It turned out that the guys who rushed the cockpit were a PR executive who founded his own company, the COO of a company, and a judo champion. Do our lives predisaster determine what we’ll do in a disaster?</p>
<p>AR: They often influence how we’ll behave in ways we don’t expect. Women in particular seem to say things like, “I’m sure I’d be the one screaming and not moving in an emergency.” I don’t think that’s the case. People who’ve been through really horrible life-or-death situations say that nobody behaves the way they would have expected. But that said, there are predictors. The health of your family or your office or your city directly affects the health of it after. The better you are at handling high-stress situations with little information, those skills lead to resilience and the ability to recover afterward.</p>
<p>MJ: Is there any demographic that is likeliest to survive a disaster?</p>
<p>AR: Well, there isn’t any one profile of a survivor, but there are profiles. Depending on the disaster you have certain advantages and disadvantages just based on who you are. Women are more likely to survive hurricanes. In hurricanes the deaths come from floods and people driving through high water. That’s much more likely to be a man who dies that way. Women are far more likely to follow orders to evacuate, especially women with children. At the same time, women were much more likely to die during the South Asian tsunami. In some villages it was 3 to 1. And that was party because of the average strength it takes to hold onto something. Also it was cultural; women were less likely to know how to swim, as were children. So much of this is based on how we develop our own survival skills before something goes wrong: Even if nothing goes wrong, it might be good to know how to swim.</p>
<p>I did find people with military experience seem to do very well in these situations. They’ve been taught that they can control their destiny, which is half the battle. They also have some experience in getting out of bad situations even if just through training. They know they have to make a plan and follow it and execute it.</p>
<p>MJ: Being prepared is a big point in your book, especially for those disasters—floods, earthquakes, hurricanes—that happen in the same areas, sometimes at the same time of year. How can the government help people prepare for these predictable disasters?</p>
<p>AR: It’s really important to enroll regular people in that conversation. Let’s take the worst-case, scariest scenario: nuclear terrorism, a nuclear bomb. We don’t talk about that at all as a country. I think that most people assume that there’s nothing they could do if a nuclear bomb went off in their city. And that’s just not true. Most people would survive most terrorist nuclear attacks because the bombs would likely be much smaller than those we were dealing with in the Cold War. You could reduce people’s fears if you gave them some useful information before things went wrong. It’s really important to create a sense of confidence in the public in their own abilities before a disaster because they’re the only ones who are going to be there. No one’s going to help you for at least 24 to 72 hours. So it would be good to know more about it.</p>
<p>MJ: What were some of the things you found most interesting while talking to survivors for this book?</p>
<p>AR: The one thread that was most surprising and most consistent was the lack of fear that people felt at the worst moment. They felt a lot of fear in early stages, when they’re just realizing what’s happening. But then things really seemed to be at their peak of terror, the fear went away. You can imagine why that’s useful. At that moment your brain needs to focus all its attention on surviving, so people will feel a sense of calm as their brain tries to sort out a plan.</p>
<p>MJ: In one of the situations in the book, a man bypasses survivors on his way out of a plane crash because he knew he couldn’t save them and save himself. At the same time, have you found that most people will, if they can, help others in a disaster?</p>
<p>AR: Yeah, people help way more than we expect, way more than makes sense. But when you talk to people called heroes, they often say they did it for themselves. In one case, a hero said that the cost of not doing it is so great, the sense of shame, when he knew that he was strong enough, that the fear of not doing anything was more frightening than the fear of dying. People will help each other because there is a sense of camaraderie that springs up, which is a survival tactic. You help them because you know you might need their help later. And that is incredibly reassuring.</p>
<p>MJ: So do you feel you’re better equipped to survive a disaster now?</p>
<p>AR: My anxiety about disasters is lower. The more you know, the less scary any of this stuff is. And that’s my hope for the book. I want to get people’s attention and tell them very valuable and ultimately hopeful information, and you find out nothing is as scary as your imagination. Most serious plane crashes are survivable. There’s a sense that, ‘Oh, if we go down, that’s it, it’s out of my hands.’ And that’s just statistically not true. I have more optimism and more faith that my own actions can make a difference.</p>
<p>Disaster survival tips:</p>
<p>1. Learn how to text message. Oftentimes, as in Katrina, text messages will go through when cell phone calls won’t.</p>
<p>2. Expect smoke. If you’re in an airplane, know how many rows are between you and the exits. If you’re at home, know your way to the door without the lights on. Most fire deaths are due to smoke.</p>
<p>3. Get to know your neighbors. They may be your key to survival. The stronger your community is, the better equipped you will be to survive a disaster.</p>
<p>4. Practice. Many people who survived the WTC attacks knew where the staircases were because they did lots of fire drills. Children especially should know where to go in case of emergency, and walk that route until they are familiar with it.</p>
<p>5. Lose weight. Overweight people often are less able to move quickly in escape situations that call for speed.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | unthinkable survives disaster strikesand amanda ripley crown publishers sale june 10 time reporter amanda ripley new york two planes crashed world trade center next weeks talked dozens 911 survivors entranced different responses one woman coming tower 1 freeze saw bodies workers jumped woman next walked briskly past safety people terrified terrorist attacks likely die accidental falls car crashes ripley began talking survivors floods earthquakes school shootings hostage situations tsunamis soon found people knowledge wanted share information need hear instead telling us survive another 911 tsa takes away tweezers shoes security dont planecrash drills flood drills thats makes situations deadly luckily ripley found ability survive almost disastereven worstcase scenario terroristdeployed nuclear bomb bodies take care lot things us constricting vessels reduce blood loss boosting muscleenhancing hormones half battle cognitively knowing survive half making happen read tips ripley become better survivors surprising truths heard mother jones risk us dying terrorist attacks incredibly low put much money resources preventing instead likely cause death like heart disease car crashes amanda ripley sort combining research lot smart people came equation dread dreaduncontrollabilityunfamiliarityimaginabilitysufferingscale destructionunfairness dread equation simplification way explain fear something much unlikely part lack control thats scared plane crashes car crashes even though know rationally dangerous evil genius terrorism maximizes unfamiliarity imaginability suffering scale destruction unfairness really important understand terrorism frightening psychological war understand try reduce dread become like force multiplier terrorists inadvertently youll tend overreact terrorist attacks dread factor high addition citizens prepared attacks bias public nearly every expert government official emergency preparedness belief public panic public trusted looting cant tell many times ive smart knowledgeable homeland security experts essentially tasked saving life trust information dont kind dismiss media public one fell swoop lot time see warning subway movie theater main thrust warning panic emergency listen directions thats waste could given information see expectation youre going screw mj found interesting case united flight 93 passengers kept plane crashing building didnt follow directions didnt stay seats didnt terrorists told turned guys rushed cockpit pr executive founded company coo company judo champion lives predisaster determine well disaster ar often influence well behave ways dont expect women particular seem say things like im sure id one screaming moving emergency dont think thats case people whove really horrible lifeordeath situations say nobody behaves way would expected said predictors health family office city directly affects health better handling highstress situations little information skills lead resilience ability recover afterward mj demographic likeliest survive disaster ar well isnt one profile survivor profiles depending disaster certain advantages disadvantages based women likely survive hurricanes hurricanes deaths come floods people driving high water thats much likely man dies way women far likely follow orders evacuate especially women children time women much likely die south asian tsunami villages 3 1 party average strength takes hold onto something also cultural women less likely know swim children much based develop survival skills something goes wrong even nothing goes wrong might good know swim find people military experience seem well situations theyve taught control destiny half battle also experience getting bad situations even training know make plan follow execute mj prepared big point book especially disastersfloods earthquakes hurricanesthat happen areas sometimes time year government help people prepare predictable disasters ar really important enroll regular people conversation lets take worstcase scariest scenario nuclear terrorism nuclear bomb dont talk country think people assume theres nothing could nuclear bomb went city thats true people would survive terrorist nuclear attacks bombs would likely much smaller dealing cold war could reduce peoples fears gave useful information things went wrong really important create sense confidence public abilities disaster theyre ones going ones going help least 24 72 hours would good know mj things found interesting talking survivors book ar one thread surprising consistent lack fear people felt worst moment felt lot fear early stages theyre realizing whats happening things really seemed peak terror fear went away imagine thats useful moment brain needs focus attention surviving people feel sense calm brain tries sort plan mj one situations book man bypasses survivors way plane crash knew couldnt save save time found people help others disaster ar yeah people help way expect way makes sense talk people called heroes often say one case hero said cost great sense shame knew strong enough fear anything frightening fear dying people help sense camaraderie springs survival tactic help know might need help later incredibly reassuring mj feel youre better equipped survive disaster ar anxiety disasters lower know less scary stuff thats hope book want get peoples attention tell valuable ultimately hopeful information find nothing scary imagination serious plane crashes survivable theres sense oh go thats hands thats statistically true optimism faith actions make difference disaster survival tips 1 learn text message oftentimes katrina text messages go cell phone calls wont 2 expect smoke youre airplane know many rows exits youre home know way door without lights fire deaths due smoke 3 get know neighbors may key survival stronger community better equipped survive disaster 4 practice many people survived wtc attacks knew staircases lots fire drills children especially know go case emergency walk route familiar 5 lose weight overweight people often less able move quickly escape situations call speed | 858 |
<p>Since the Wall Street banks nearly destroyed the American and global financial system in 2008, families and consumers of all walks of life have found themselves working harder than ever before. The collapse of the economy has taken a toll on so many levels of our daily lives – our communities, retirement funds, consumer culture, the way we view our government, basic lifestyle needs, our hope as a democracy.</p>
<p>Countless individuals and families are still struggling for basic necessities like decent-paying work, affordable education, the ability to pay rent and mortgage, and the security of putting food on the table for their families. Mainstream news outlets aren't very interested in reporting on the billions of dollars in settlements the biggest banks have been paying on a regular basis to the Department of Justice – perhaps because those outlets offer primarily entertainment news rather than actual journalism, and therefore fail to focus on stories affecting the lives of everyday Americans.</p>
<p>However, some powerful grassroots movements like Move Your Money have manifested and energized people, connecting and organizing communities over the past few years via social media. This has been empowering us to tell our collective stories and discover our like-minded ideals for justice in the fight against the big banks.</p>
<p>One of the primary focuses of our activism and advocacy is the place we call home: the very shelter we live in, raise our families in, create rituals, share stories, and plan for the future. Our homes are our sanctuary. And since 2008, this fundamental part of our society has been threatened, taken, diminished or stolen outright from under us.</p>
<p>In speaking truth to a corruption that is beyond Too Big To Fail, we have collectively come together and taken concrete action by Moving Our Money – sending a clear message to the banks that We the People will no longer tolerate the fraud, lawlessness, empty settlement deals with our government, rigged economic rules, and tremendous losses we have been made to endure via the criminal unethical practices of Chase, Citi, Bank of America, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo Bank. We will be implementing targeted protests, activities, social media campaigns and outreach to enlighten and engage as many people as we can in the Move Your Money campaign.</p>
<p>The only way the big banks will feel something similar to the loss and harm they caused is if regular people Move Your Money from those institutions to second tier banks, community banks and credit unions. Our focus currently is to illustrate the many patterns of fraudulent trade practices and consumer abuse patterns perpetrated by Wells Fargo Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Over the last seven years many criminal activities have come to light in regard to wrongful foreclosures, based on evidence exposed by "60 Minutes" and other broadcasts and articles. Below are some examples of unfair trade practices and other unethical and illegal activities conducted by Wells Fargo Bank:</p>
<p>Forgery aka <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wells-fargo-settlement-20140524-story.html" type="external">"Robo-signing"</a></p>
<p>Falsifying documents to expedite foreclosures</p>
<p>Harassment</p>
<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wells-fargo-suit-20150505-story.html#page=1" type="external">Failure to close customer accounts</a></p>
<p>Excessive fees and late fee charges</p>
<p>Opening unauthorized accounts in clients names</p>
<p>Manufacturing documents such as Mortgage Notes in court</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-17/jpmorgan-wells-fargo-restricted-in-mortgage-servicing-by-occ" type="external">Instructing borrowers to default</a> in order to receive assistance and/or qualification for a loan modification</p>
<p>Accounting control fraud</p>
<p>Stating that submitted documents have been lost</p>
<p>Insurance fraud</p>
<p>Defrauding Investors</p>
<p>Violating TILA and RESPA laws</p>
<p>Violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act</p>
<p>Defrauding the government</p>
<p>Violating Mortgage Trusts and Servicing agreements</p>
<p><a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/11/business/la-fi-mo-wells-suit-20121210" type="external">Failure to modify</a> "Pick a Pay" and interest only loans in California</p>
<p><a href="http://www.stollberne.com/ClassActionsBlog/2012/06/04/wells-fargo-faces-class-action-over-dual-tracking-practice/" type="external">Dual Tracking of homeowners</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.housingwire.com/articles/29220-wells-fargo-settles-forced-placement-lawsuit-for-undisclosed-amount" type="external">Forced Escrow accounts</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Wells-Fargo-Bank-NA/internet/Wells-Fargo-Bank-NA-ASC-Americas-Servicing-Co-Wells-Fargo-Home-Mortgage-I-HAVE-PROOF-OF-722298" type="external">Inflated Appraisals and blackballing appraisers</a> for not coming in within the margin the bank demanded</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/wells-fargo-foreclosure-manual-under-fire/2014/03/17/25cd383c-ae00-11e3-96dc-d6ea14c099f9_story.html" type="external">Creating and implementing</a> a Foreclosure Manual for attorney firms to follow in order to fast track foreclosures and/or manufacture necessary documents not in the files</p>
<p><a href="http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/wells-fargo-now-major-shareholder-pro" type="external">Largest investors</a> in the for-profit prison industry</p>
<p>Modifying home loans and then transferring the loan to another entity, such as Ocwen, which then fails to honor the modification</p>
<p>Pushing homeowners into short sales and foreclosure based on <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/08/us-wellsfargo-hamp-lawsuit-idUSBRE97715420130808" type="external">lies and fabricated information</a></p>
<p><a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/new-york-set-to-sue-wells-fargo-over-mortgages/" type="external">Violating laws</a> in the California Homeowner Bill of Rights</p>
<p>Foreclosing on families based on a <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/03/11/wells_fargo_typo_foreclosure_larry_delassus_dies_in_court_after_bank_typo.html" type="external">typing error or late payment</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sourceoftitle.com/blog_node.aspx?uniq=649" type="external">Failure to comply</a> with HAMP (Home Affordable Modification Program) guidelines agreed to by the banks to assist struggling homeowners to stay in their homes.</p>
<p>Collecting insurance, fees and charges based on the consumer's loss, along with <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/10/business/la-fi-mortgage-fraud-wells-20121010" type="external">predatory lending practices</a></p>
<p>Ongoing damage to consumer credit ratings due to abusive serving and detrimental information to borrowers</p>
<p>Foreclosing illegally without clear title and/or bifurcated title, therefore without standing to prove the debt</p>
<p>Clogging the court systems across the country in order to drain consumers of their monetary means to defend their homes</p>
<p><a href="http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020110725641.xml/DIXO%20N%20v.%20WELLS%20FARGO%20BANK,%20N.A" type="external">Promissory Estoppel</a></p>
<p>Falsification of title and land records</p>
<p><a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/banks-find-more-wrongful-foreclosures-among-military-members/" type="external">Foreclosing on military families and U.S. soldiers while they're overseas</a></p>
<p>The above list outlines just a few of the harmful and unlawful practices that appear to be business as usual for Wells Fargo. Our intent is to create more widespread awareness and information sharing so that we can better assist working people to choose where they do business, who they trust to bank with, and how to serve their own best interest and the greater good by banking ethically with an institution that helps the community rather than sucks the life out of it.</p>
<p>Collectively our voices will be more loudly and clearly heard by our actions and our campaign for change that only We the People can deliver. We hope you will join us sharing the information with others as you Move Your Money from Wells Fargo and the big banks that have driven our economy, our communities and our judicial system to its knees.</p>
<p>We ask that when you close accounts, state the reasons why you're doing so from the list above – or give your own. Tell them why you no longer wish to do business with a bank that refuses to work with families and programs to keep people in their homes and to stop the ongoing consumer abuses once and for all.</p>
<p>In solidarity, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moveyourmoney" type="external">#MoveYourMoney</a>.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | since wall street banks nearly destroyed american global financial system 2008 families consumers walks life found working harder ever collapse economy taken toll many levels daily lives communities retirement funds consumer culture way view government basic lifestyle needs hope democracy countless individuals families still struggling basic necessities like decentpaying work affordable education ability pay rent mortgage security putting food table families mainstream news outlets arent interested reporting billions dollars settlements biggest banks paying regular basis department justice perhaps outlets offer primarily entertainment news rather actual journalism therefore fail focus stories affecting lives everyday americans however powerful grassroots movements like move money manifested energized people connecting organizing communities past years via social media empowering us tell collective stories discover likeminded ideals justice fight big banks one primary focuses activism advocacy place call home shelter live raise families create rituals share stories plan future homes sanctuary since 2008 fundamental part society threatened taken diminished stolen outright us speaking truth corruption beyond big fail collectively come together taken concrete action moving money sending clear message banks people longer tolerate fraud lawlessness empty settlement deals government rigged economic rules tremendous losses made endure via criminal unethical practices chase citi bank america us bank wells fargo bank implementing targeted protests activities social media campaigns outreach enlighten engage many people move money campaign way big banks feel something similar loss harm caused regular people move money institutions second tier banks community banks credit unions focus currently illustrate many patterns fraudulent trade practices consumer abuse patterns perpetrated wells fargo bank wells fargo home mortgage last seven years many criminal activities come light regard wrongful foreclosures based evidence exposed 60 minutes broadcasts articles examples unfair trade practices unethical illegal activities conducted wells fargo bank forgery aka robosigning falsifying documents expedite foreclosures harassment failure close customer accounts excessive fees late fee charges opening unauthorized accounts clients names manufacturing documents mortgage notes court instructing borrowers default order receive assistance andor qualification loan modification accounting control fraud stating submitted documents lost insurance fraud defrauding investors violating tila respa laws violations fair debt collections practices act defrauding government violating mortgage trusts servicing agreements failure modify pick pay interest loans california dual tracking homeowners forced escrow accounts inflated appraisals blackballing appraisers coming within margin bank demanded creating implementing foreclosure manual attorney firms follow order fast track foreclosures andor manufacture necessary documents files largest investors forprofit prison industry modifying home loans transferring loan another entity ocwen fails honor modification pushing homeowners short sales foreclosure based lies fabricated information violating laws california homeowner bill rights foreclosing families based typing error late payment failure comply hamp home affordable modification program guidelines agreed banks assist struggling homeowners stay homes collecting insurance fees charges based consumers loss along predatory lending practices ongoing damage consumer credit ratings due abusive serving detrimental information borrowers foreclosing illegally without clear title andor bifurcated title therefore without standing prove debt clogging court systems across country order drain consumers monetary means defend homes promissory estoppel falsification title land records foreclosing military families us soldiers theyre overseas list outlines harmful unlawful practices appear business usual wells fargo intent create widespread awareness information sharing better assist working people choose business trust bank serve best interest greater good banking ethically institution helps community rather sucks life collectively voices loudly clearly heard actions campaign change people deliver hope join us sharing information others move money wells fargo big banks driven economy communities judicial system knees ask close accounts state reasons youre list give tell longer wish business bank refuses work families programs keep people homes stop ongoing consumer abuses solidarity moveyourmoney | 593 |
<p>Tell me why it is we don’t lift our voices these days And cry over what is happening…. I say to myself: “Go on, cry. What’s the sense Of being an adult and having no voice? Cry out! See who will answer! This is Call and Answer!” We will have to call especially loud to reach Our angels, who are hard of hearing: they are hiding In the jugs of silence filled during our wars.</p>
<p>— Robert Bly, CALL AND ANSWER</p>
<p>There is a lot of noise out there, in bars and coffee shops, on the airwaves and across the Net, but so much of it falls into the broad category of sound and fury signifying nothing. This week, for instance the mainstream media is taking a break from the Russian conspiracy distraction and is all abuzz about the “revelations” in the “tell all” book about the Trump administration that was rushed to early publication. But anyone with eyes already knew the emperor was naked, as he’s been waving his bigger button in our faces for over a year now.&#160; Meanwhile The Washington Post, yes, the same paper as in Spielberg’s latest cinematic irrelevance, publishes a lengthy column by a reporter who after reading the entire extensive Woody Allen archive at Princeton offers readers the startling news that Allen is obsessed with teenage girls. Not the Pentagon Papers by a long shot. The sound of silence.</p>
<p>The silence I speak of, the absence of real conversation on anything of actual importance, is exemplified in the amiable chatter I overhear whenever small groups of my liberal-minded friends gather, bright, well-educated, economically comfortable folks who, for the most part, were Bernie or Hillary supporters in the last election. Their loud, laughter-filled exchanges, aside from occasional references to Trump’s latest outrages, dwell almost entirely on the latest films they have seen or want to see, the restaurants they have recently sampled and on their newest gadgets and apps. All very harmless really, but that’s the point: what right have we to be so harmless in a world where so many are being so grievously harmed?</p>
<p>Another example of the silence of which I speak is the noisy local monthly magazine, Mohawk Valley Living, which has gained wide distribution in our region and seems to be winning the war for advertising revenue over a couple of other free monthlies that have emerged in this era of self-publishing made possible by computer technology. Like the liberal conversations at pubs and cafes MVL’s content is lively, charming and thoroughly harmless with feature columns on local music, local galleries, local farms, local flora and fauna, local restaurants and a never-ending series of long bland journal entries about a now aged local hippie couple and their back-to-the-land, off-the-grid adventures since the 70’s. The vapid “silence” of it all is a product of two factors. First, the fact that the magazine’s content, the articles, are swallowed up, overwhelmed by the hundreds of garish, poorly laid out advertisements that surround them, dominating each issue. It would be difficult to take anything very seriously in this colorfully, chaotic context. Second, to play it safe, the editors see to it that nothing serious, nothing vaguely political or controversial is ever said.</p>
<p>Local agriculture, for instance, is presented as merely a charming, healthy alternative to supermarket food without reference to the corporate GMO, Roundup-drenched, monoculture factory farming that is toxifying the planet, driving climate change, killing off insect pollinators, causing an epidemic of chronic illnesses and threatening all life on earth. Likewise, the engaging articles by a talented local naturalist are pretty much devoid of any mention that our local forests are being decimated by insects and diseases brought on by climate change or that the insect population collapse at the bottom of the food chain is already moving up that chain. This is all a far cry from Thoreau, whose naturalist writing was never divorced from cultural critique. I am a great proponent of everything local, but local to me, means indigenous resistance to global-corporate domination.</p>
<p>The obvious defense of&#160; the decision by MVL’s publishers to remain steadfastly apolitical is that they are being pragmatic, that is making a sound (neoliberal) business decision to not ruffle any potential advertiser’s feathers. As a business owner, I have watched local businesses since 9/11 slide into pragmatic neutrality, into silence. After 9/11 the décor in a very popular and long established local Lebanese restaurant was suddenly peppered with stars and stripes everywhere.&#160; Many non-Arab businesses followed suit. Behind that patriotism of the moment there was always an element of are you for-or-against-us fear in this response that has steadily deepened in the intervening years as the country has become increasingly polarized to the point where it is now exceedingly rare for any business to betray any political affiliation or a position on any controversial issue.</p>
<p>There is certainly some economic self-interested wisdom in this stance;&#160; I am certain that my letters to the editor in the local paper, anti-fracking signs on the bulletin board and Autonomedia anarchist calendar on the wall of our Cafe have cost us business. But what do we become when as adults we refuse to speak what we believe, refuse to stand for anything, and meekly accept our depoliticalization? How can we with a straight face and a clear conscience call ourselves citizens? Are we content with being reduced to consumers? (To me, the ultimate c-word insult.)</p>
<p>The reality that we have been reduced to mere consumers is clear in the dramatic shift we have seen in the “liberal” mainstream media in this century. A decade or so ago when Albany’s NPR station, WAMC, which prides itself on its political savvy, added a Utica area affiliate and I began occasionally tuning in (and for a short time contributing), they still carried a handful of more edgy, politically-engaged programs like David Barsamian’s Alternative Radio, which featured otherwise media marginalized guests like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Edward Said and Tariq Ali.&#160; Now, like NPR itself and The New York Times, WAMC has become predominately lifestyle oriented with long talk-show segments on medical issues, gardening, bird-watching, pet-care, gourmet locally-sourced food&#160; and craft beer making. No one enjoys a good bourbon-barrel aged stout with a grass-fed local burger more than I, but I don’t have to turn the consumption into a fetish, the source of meaning in my life, or yet another riveting diversion from the on-going catastrophe in which we find ourselves embedded. In short, I find this all strange shit upon which to dwell while we, among our other travesties, are bombing a half-dozen countries in undeclared illegal wars, carrying out illegal drone assassinations and running clandestine special forces operations in some 75 or so countries.</p>
<p>Beyond lifestyle the mainstream media (and liberals in their conversations) seem to love to dwell on the salacious, providing all the slimy details of how yet another powerful male slob groped or waved his member at some vulnerable woman. Hence, the selection of the Me-Too-Movement women as the Time Person of the Year. (Did they give any consideration to Colin Kapernik and the NFL players who knelt for the national anthem in protest of police violence against black men?)&#160; I don’t want to minimize the importance of protecting the truly vulnerable from sexual exploitation, but can we have some perspective? Having someone masturbate in front of you is not quite as traumatic as being shot dead by a rogue cop for being the wrong color in the wrong place (your car, your home). The casting couch as a career impediment is not quite as difficult to overcome as having a felony record (many of which, I know from personal experience, are undeserved and unjust). The abuses of our legal system against the poor and racial minorities are arguably more severe than the abuse of women in Hollywood or at the restaurant or office. Couldn’t we at least talk about both? Couldn’t we look at both as products of the capitalist system in its late, neoliberal phase? Oh, I forgot, we’re not supposed to talk about capitalism no matter how great the gap grows between the haves and have-nots.</p>
<p>Recently, at one of our weekly Sunday evening family dinners our conversation turned to the Me-Too Movement. I discovered that our daughter and daughter-in-law were both excited about and quite convinced that this bringing to light of the extent of workplace abuse and harassment was going to at last change the culture, bringing about a new era of workplace equality. I suggested that nothing so deeply entrenched was going to be altered by the glare of the media spotlight or by legislation. &#160; Not wanting to stomp patriarchally on their enthusiasm, I thought of, but did not mention,&#160; the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s, the passing of the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts and other legislation and to the election of&#160; Barack Obama – laws, events and attention that had not succeeded in altering our racist, white-supremacist culture.&#160; That this is so seems to be proven in the rise of Trump and the white-supremacist alt-right, the continued mass incarceration of African-Americans, their continued disenfranchisement (which, more than any Russian interference, likely won Trump the election) and the de facto license to kill blacks now granted to our police.</p>
<p>I would suggest that a good rule of thumb is that if a story is featured regularly on the front page of the Times or the Post on Morning Edition or All Things Considered that it is something our corporate masters are quite comfortable with our talking about (as long as we don’t think too deeply into it). When the front page lead is on Oprah delivering a stirring Me-Too manifesto at the Golden Globe awards, I hear silence descending. I am not suggesting that there is some Wall Street censorship committee secretly sequestered somewhere that tells the MSM what to cover and what not to mention, but rather that the people who rise to positions of authority in the media (just as in politics) already know the accepted parameters of discourse or they would not have gotten to where they are. When Chris Hedges spoke against the Iraq war, he knew that he was putting his&#160; Times’ job on the line.&#160; What I find astounding is that my liberal friends still believe that people like Paul Krugman, Ari Shapiro and Rachel Maddow are powerful voices on the left.</p>
<p>Finding a soap box from which to lift your voice and cry out over what is happening is difficult these days. One of our local big-box-store strip malls that surround rust-belt Utica is appropriately named Consumer Square. It is certainly not a citizen’s public square where one is allowed to speak out on the issues of the day or to pass out fliers or to set up a table to disseminate information. The public squares in our urban-renewal decimated downtown district are pretty much deserted, and the only attention one would draw, crying out there, would be from the cops. Our local “newspaper,” once a strong Democratic&#160; voice when that party at least stood with the unions and working people, has been reduced to another tell-both-sides-of-the-story and lifestyle-oriented rag. In this their centennial-anniversary year, they have devoted a complete page every day to reprinting a front page from the past. The front pages from&#160; the first half of the last century had more text than the entire daily paper now contains. Letters to the editor are now restricted to a maximum of 200 words, a constraint that makes the development of nuanced ideas impossible and limits discourse to a fuck-them-hooray-for-our-side approach. It is no coincidence that we have a president who hasn’t the attention span to read a one-page brief and whose favorite form of written communication is the tweet. The sound of silence.</p>
<p>Websites, like CounterPunch, provide online soapboxes from which to cry out, and those of us who have found them need to answer their call and to share them with others. A major organizational challenge for real resistance at this moment is to provide platforms for crying out in small cities and towns like Utica, the development of local soap-box culture. The Sanctuary for Independent Media in nearby Troy, New York provides a wonderful model of how this can be accomplished. My wife and I, backed by an energetic group of volunteers, are trying to do something similar here in Utica with our small not-for-profit art center and public forum, The Other Side and its micro-publishing wing Black Rabbit Press. Crying out and waiting for voices to answer requires persistence in one’s folly. Ten years in we are beginning to see some significant growth in the number of people who want to join in the process of call and answer, to emerge from the jugs of silence. Cry out; it’s more fun than being citizens and adults than being consumers and victims.</p> | true | 4 | tell dont lift voices days cry happening say go cry whats sense adult voice cry see answer call answer call especially loud reach angels hard hearing hiding jugs silence filled wars robert bly call answer lot noise bars coffee shops airwaves across net much falls broad category sound fury signifying nothing week instance mainstream media taking break russian conspiracy distraction abuzz revelations tell book trump administration rushed early publication anyone eyes already knew emperor naked hes waving bigger button faces year now160 meanwhile washington post yes paper spielbergs latest cinematic irrelevance publishes lengthy column reporter reading entire extensive woody allen archive princeton offers readers startling news allen obsessed teenage girls pentagon papers long shot sound silence silence speak absence real conversation anything actual importance exemplified amiable chatter overhear whenever small groups liberalminded friends gather bright welleducated economically comfortable folks part bernie hillary supporters last election loud laughterfilled exchanges aside occasional references trumps latest outrages dwell almost entirely latest films seen want see restaurants recently sampled newest gadgets apps harmless really thats point right harmless world many grievously harmed another example silence speak noisy local monthly magazine mohawk valley living gained wide distribution region seems winning war advertising revenue couple free monthlies emerged era selfpublishing made possible computer technology like liberal conversations pubs cafes mvls content lively charming thoroughly harmless feature columns local music local galleries local farms local flora fauna local restaurants neverending series long bland journal entries aged local hippie couple backtotheland offthegrid adventures since 70s vapid silence product two factors first fact magazines content articles swallowed overwhelmed hundreds garish poorly laid advertisements surround dominating issue would difficult take anything seriously colorfully chaotic context second play safe editors see nothing serious nothing vaguely political controversial ever said local agriculture instance presented merely charming healthy alternative supermarket food without reference corporate gmo roundupdrenched monoculture factory farming toxifying planet driving climate change killing insect pollinators causing epidemic chronic illnesses threatening life earth likewise engaging articles talented local naturalist pretty much devoid mention local forests decimated insects diseases brought climate change insect population collapse bottom food chain already moving chain far cry thoreau whose naturalist writing never divorced cultural critique great proponent everything local local means indigenous resistance globalcorporate domination obvious defense of160 decision mvls publishers remain steadfastly apolitical pragmatic making sound neoliberal business decision ruffle potential advertisers feathers business owner watched local businesses since 911 slide pragmatic neutrality silence 911 décor popular long established local lebanese restaurant suddenly peppered stars stripes everywhere160 many nonarab businesses followed suit behind patriotism moment always element fororagainstus fear response steadily deepened intervening years country become increasingly polarized point exceedingly rare business betray political affiliation position controversial issue certainly economic selfinterested wisdom stance160 certain letters editor local paper antifracking signs bulletin board autonomedia anarchist calendar wall cafe cost us business become adults refuse speak believe refuse stand anything meekly accept depoliticalization straight face clear conscience call citizens content reduced consumers ultimate cword insult reality reduced mere consumers clear dramatic shift seen liberal mainstream media century decade ago albanys npr station wamc prides political savvy added utica area affiliate began occasionally tuning short time contributing still carried handful edgy politicallyengaged programs like david barsamians alternative radio featured otherwise media marginalized guests like noam chomsky howard zinn edward said tariq ali160 like npr new york times wamc become predominately lifestyle oriented long talkshow segments medical issues gardening birdwatching petcare gourmet locallysourced food160 craft beer making one enjoys good bourbonbarrel aged stout grassfed local burger dont turn consumption fetish source meaning life yet another riveting diversion ongoing catastrophe find embedded short find strange shit upon dwell among travesties bombing halfdozen countries undeclared illegal wars carrying illegal drone assassinations running clandestine special forces operations 75 countries beyond lifestyle mainstream media liberals conversations seem love dwell salacious providing slimy details yet another powerful male slob groped waved member vulnerable woman hence selection metoomovement women time person year give consideration colin kapernik nfl players knelt national anthem protest police violence black men160 dont want minimize importance protecting truly vulnerable sexual exploitation perspective someone masturbate front quite traumatic shot dead rogue cop wrong color wrong place car home casting couch career impediment quite difficult overcome felony record many know personal experience undeserved unjust abuses legal system poor racial minorities arguably severe abuse women hollywood restaurant office couldnt least talk couldnt look products capitalist system late neoliberal phase oh forgot supposed talk capitalism matter great gap grows haves havenots recently one weekly sunday evening family dinners conversation turned metoo movement discovered daughter daughterinlaw excited quite convinced bringing light extent workplace abuse harassment going last change culture bringing new era workplace equality suggested nothing deeply entrenched going altered glare media spotlight legislation 160 wanting stomp patriarchally enthusiasm thought mention160 civil rights movement 60s passing voting rights civil rights acts legislation election of160 barack obama laws events attention succeeded altering racist whitesupremacist culture160 seems proven rise trump whitesupremacist altright continued mass incarceration africanamericans continued disenfranchisement russian interference likely trump election de facto license kill blacks granted police would suggest good rule thumb story featured regularly front page times post morning edition things considered something corporate masters quite comfortable talking long dont think deeply front page lead oprah delivering stirring metoo manifesto golden globe awards hear silence descending suggesting wall street censorship committee secretly sequestered somewhere tells msm cover mention rather people rise positions authority media politics already know accepted parameters discourse would gotten chris hedges spoke iraq war knew putting his160 times job line160 find astounding liberal friends still believe people like paul krugman ari shapiro rachel maddow powerful voices left finding soap box lift voice cry happening difficult days one local bigboxstore strip malls surround rustbelt utica appropriately named consumer square certainly citizens public square one allowed speak issues day pass fliers set table disseminate information public squares urbanrenewal decimated downtown district pretty much deserted attention one would draw crying would cops local newspaper strong democratic160 voice party least stood unions working people reduced another tellbothsidesofthestory lifestyleoriented rag centennialanniversary year devoted complete page every day reprinting front page past front pages from160 first half last century text entire daily paper contains letters editor restricted maximum 200 words constraint makes development nuanced ideas impossible limits discourse fuckthemhoorayforourside approach coincidence president hasnt attention span read onepage brief whose favorite form written communication tweet sound silence websites like counterpunch provide online soapboxes cry us found need answer call share others major organizational challenge real resistance moment provide platforms crying small cities towns like utica development local soapbox culture sanctuary independent media nearby troy new york provides wonderful model accomplished wife backed energetic group volunteers trying something similar utica small notforprofit art center public forum side micropublishing wing black rabbit press crying waiting voices answer requires persistence ones folly ten years beginning see significant growth number people want join process call answer emerge jugs silence cry fun citizens adults consumers victims | 1,142 |
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<p>Members of the health care union 1199SEIU at the 2014 People's Climate March in New York City. (maisa_nyc / Flickr) &#160;</p>
<p>Union workers attacking environmentalists—it has become a trope of our time. But what do union members actually think about the environment?</p>
<p>In a study soon to be published in <a href="http://lsj.sagepub.com/" type="external">Labor Studies Journal</a>, we report our findings on workers attitudes and behaviors regarding a variety of environmental issues. In particular, we examine the attitudes and behaviors of unionized workers to see how they may differ from the non-union respondents. The results might surprise those whose images of worker attitudes come only from the mainstream media.</p>
<p>Looking at data from national surveys, we find that union members are on average more likely than the general population to display pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors.</p>
<p>For example, in the General Social Survey (GSS), people were asked to agree or disagree with the statement “We worry too much about the future of the environment and not enough about prices and jobs today.” Forty-three percent of nonunion respondents disagreed—but 48 percent of the unionized respondents disagreed.</p>
<p>People were asked if they had signed a petition about an environmental issue in the past five years. Twenty-five percent of the general population said yes—but 32 percent of union members said yes.</p>
<p>Eight percent of the population belonged to a group whose main aim is “to preserve or protect the environment.” But 12 percent of union members belonged to an environmental organization.</p>
<p>Overall, we analyzed 19 survey items pertaining to the environment. On 13 of them, union members expressed more pro-environment sentiments than non-union members at a statistically significant level. On the remaining six items, there were no statistically significant differences between union members and the rest of the population.</p>
<p>This finding runs against the mainstream media mantra of “jobs versus the environment,” a frame which portrays unionized workers as self-interested and materialistic, putting their own personal gains above all else, including the environment. A more informed historical analysis would reveal a long record of environmental concern among unionized workers and their organizations that overlaps and intermingles with the sporadic “news event” conflicts that occasionally flare up between workers and environmentalists.</p>
<p>The United Steelworkers, for example, supported the very first Federal Clean Air Act; unions and environmentalists joined together in many states to win the right to know about toxic substances used in industry; the AFL-CIO helped establish the National Wilderness Preservation System; the United Auto Workers was the leading funder of the first Earth Day and more recently supported raising emissions standards for autos. Such pro-environmental policies reflect a little-recognized desire and even activism for environmental protection among union members. &#160;</p>
<p>That isn’t to deny that unions face an inescapable tension. On the one hand, they are principally organized to protect the work-related interests of their members. On the other hand, they have a responsibility to represent the broad class and social interests their members share with other workers, citizens, and human beings and to protect the future of the labor movement. From time to time, these interests come into conflict—particularly within unions whose members work in extractive industries like oil drilling or fracking. When a particular group of workers find their very livelihoods threatened by environmental protection or other socially necessary policies, their unions have a responsibility to ensure that the burden of change is not unjustly put on them.</p>
<p>Faced with such a situation, unions can simply fight against socially desirable policies that may harm some of their members. But unions have the opportunity to pursue another course: not trying to preserve environmentally destructive jobs, but fighting for economic security and/or new jobs with equal or better wages and benefits. This has come to be known as providing a “just transition.” Fighting for such a transition can be a crucial point of convergence between environmental and labor advocates.</p>
<p>What is actually more remarkable than the fact that some unions sometimes oppose specific environmental policies that may harm their members is the fact that particular unions and organized labor as a whole have so often served as advocates for environmental protection. Far from pursuing interests of members that contradict broader social interests, unions in such cases advocate for the interests their members share with others. As Olga Madar, the first head of the UAW Conservation and Resource Development Department put it around the time the UAW was helping initiate the first Earth Day, union members were “first and foremost American citizens and consumers” who “breathe the same air and drink and bathe in the same water” as their neighbors in other occupations.</p>
<p>Our study shows that the remarkable tendency of unions to support environmental policies and even to take the lead in environmental efforts is not an aberration, but rather is often a reflection of the concerns and convictions of their rank-and-file members. Union members, far from being only concerned with their immediate self-interest at the expense of a broader common interest in environmental protection, are often more concerned about the environment and more willing to act on that concern than either the public at large or non-union workers.</p>
<p>That fact should encourage environmental advocates to strengthen their outreach to workers and their unions. And it should encourage union activists and leaders who are themselves concerned about protecting the environment to go forth boldly, knowing that there are deep reserves of support for environmental protection among trade union members. &#160;</p> | true | 4 | email name recipients email comma separated message captcha members health care union 1199seiu 2014 peoples climate march new york city maisa_nyc flickr 160 union workers attacking environmentalistsit become trope time union members actually think environment study soon published labor studies journal report findings workers attitudes behaviors regarding variety environmental issues particular examine attitudes behaviors unionized workers see may differ nonunion respondents results might surprise whose images worker attitudes come mainstream media looking data national surveys find union members average likely general population display proenvironmental attitudes behaviors example general social survey gss people asked agree disagree statement worry much future environment enough prices jobs today fortythree percent nonunion respondents disagreedbut 48 percent unionized respondents disagreed people asked signed petition environmental issue past five years twentyfive percent general population said yesbut 32 percent union members said yes eight percent population belonged group whose main aim preserve protect environment 12 percent union members belonged environmental organization overall analyzed 19 survey items pertaining environment 13 union members expressed proenvironment sentiments nonunion members statistically significant level remaining six items statistically significant differences union members rest population finding runs mainstream media mantra jobs versus environment frame portrays unionized workers selfinterested materialistic putting personal gains else including environment informed historical analysis would reveal long record environmental concern among unionized workers organizations overlaps intermingles sporadic news event conflicts occasionally flare workers environmentalists united steelworkers example supported first federal clean air act unions environmentalists joined together many states win right know toxic substances used industry aflcio helped establish national wilderness preservation system united auto workers leading funder first earth day recently supported raising emissions standards autos proenvironmental policies reflect littlerecognized desire even activism environmental protection among union members 160 isnt deny unions face inescapable tension one hand principally organized protect workrelated interests members hand responsibility represent broad class social interests members share workers citizens human beings protect future labor movement time time interests come conflictparticularly within unions whose members work extractive industries like oil drilling fracking particular group workers find livelihoods threatened environmental protection socially necessary policies unions responsibility ensure burden change unjustly put faced situation unions simply fight socially desirable policies may harm members unions opportunity pursue another course trying preserve environmentally destructive jobs fighting economic security andor new jobs equal better wages benefits come known providing transition fighting transition crucial point convergence environmental labor advocates actually remarkable fact unions sometimes oppose specific environmental policies may harm members fact particular unions organized labor whole often served advocates environmental protection far pursuing interests members contradict broader social interests unions cases advocate interests members share others olga madar first head uaw conservation resource development department put around time uaw helping initiate first earth day union members first foremost american citizens consumers breathe air drink bathe water neighbors occupations study shows remarkable tendency unions support environmental policies even take lead environmental efforts aberration rather often reflection concerns convictions rankandfile members union members far concerned immediate selfinterest expense broader common interest environmental protection often concerned environment willing act concern either public large nonunion workers fact encourage environmental advocates strengthen outreach workers unions encourage union activists leaders concerned protecting environment go forth boldly knowing deep reserves support environmental protection among trade union members 160 | 531 |
<p>"The Romneys' party doesn't realize what it's like to work 9 to 5, what it's like to worry about paying the bills."</p>
<p>Cheryl Randecker is hot on the trail of an elusive bandit, and she needs your help.</p>
<p>The bad guy's name is Romney Hood. Unlike his good twin Robin, Romney made a career of robbing the poor&#160;to get rich before setting off on a quest to be president so that he could help&#160;all&#160;the rich rob&#160;all&#160;the&#160;poor. (Business school MBAs call this “scaling up.”)</p>
<p>But Romney's old gang–the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Bain (Capital) Gang</a>–is still&#160; <a href="" type="internal">hard at work</a>&#160;in the guise of a private equity&#160;firm. And Sensata, a Bain-owned company, is now in the process of shutting down the Freeport, Ill.,&#160;sensor factory that it bought from Honeywell, in order to relocate it to China. Meanwhile, the roughly 170&#160;workers like Randecker at the plant have been training their Chinese replacements while facing&#160;unemployment this November, in a region that has lost much of its once-strong industrial base.</p>
<p>In a last-ditch effort to save the jobs that the overwhelmingly female and middle-aged workforce has relied&#160;on to raise their families–often for several decades–Randecker and her co-workers have been trying&#160;to meet with candidate and Bain co-founder Mitt Romney to ask him to intervene.</p>
<p>They went to Romney campaign offices in Davenport, Iowa, and in Madison, Wis., where campaign&#160;staff&#160; <a href="http://rockrivertimes.com/2012/08/16/sensata-workers-to-take-campaign-against-outsourcing-to-republican-national-convention/" type="external">called the police</a>&#160;to disperse the workers–many of whom have voted for Republicans in past elections.</p>
<p>On Tuesday they travelled to a Bain office in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill., to deliver additional petitions asking for Romney to help and for Bain to reconsider. With&#160;guards nearby, a Bain official cracked open the locked doors to accept the stack of petitions, which bore more than <a href="http://www.signon.org/sign/bain-save-american-jobs" type="external">35,000 signatures</a> from around the country.</p>
<p>Across the street from the Bain office, a small group of supporters from labor and&#160;progressive groups stood behind the three Sensata workers and beside&#160;a giant “Romney Hood” cut-out, chanting “Romney Hood/You're No Good/Give&#160;Back the Jobs/We Know You Could.”</p>
<p>After years of making good quality products and healthy profits for their employer, workers were&#160;stunned when Sensata managers announced last year they were closing the plant right after buying it. Only recently, Randecker said, did management offer an explanation: Labor and materials are cheaper in&#160;China.</p>
<p>Randecker notes, however, that Chinese labor is less skilled. She claims that in some cases, it will take 13 Chinese worker to do what one Freeport worker did. Some&#160;analysts argue that markets for the products are shifting to China, but Randecker points out that U.S. auto&#160;companies–who have large U.S. market needs–are&#160;among Sensata's major customers.</p>
<p>“I hold Romney and Bain responsible,” says Bonnie Borman, a 23-year employee who treked to Evanston.&#160;“You can't say you're going to be creating jobs and then make millions outsourcing jobs.”</p>
<p>“Romney&#160; <a href="" type="internal">created the model</a>,” says Randecker. “We hold him responsible–along with&#160;corporate greed and CEOs who don't care about workers who work for them.”&#160;</p>
<p>But Romney hasn't responded. “He's been real quiet on this issue,” she continued. “other than to say&#160;he's creating jobs when he's taking them away–or his firm is.”</p>
<p>Now Borman, Randecker and their co-worker Pam Lampros say they don't know how they'll find a job in their&#160;depressed local economy. Their children's lives are affected as well. One dropped out of a four-year&#160;college and works part time to save money; another works a low-wage job and will the lose health insurance&#160;she had through her mother. Without a&#160;new skill, Randecker figures she would need to work two or three low-wage jobs to match what she had at&#160;the factory. Yet school seems alien and much-changed from her youth–and even if she does go back, she fears age discrimination.</p>
<p>But when it comes to presidential politics, they're surprisingly uncertain what they'll do. Though&#160;Borman considers herself a Republican, she, like the other two women, voted for Obama because she thought having the first African-American president would be good for the country. And given the crises he&#160;inherited and the opposition from Republicans, all three think he's done reasonably well. But they say they're&#160;tired of mud-slinging politics and lack of attention to policies to make the country better. They say&#160;they might just write in a name, maybe&#160;Ross Perot&#160;or their own.</p>
<p>“I would like to believe the Obamas care,” Randecker said. “They're a little more down to earth. The&#160;Romneys' party doesn't realize what it's like to work 9 to 5, what it's like to worry about paying the bills.”&#160; Ultimately, they acknowledged, they couldn't vote for Romney and might end up casting a ballot&#160;for Obama, but not with great enthusiasm.</p>
<p>Whatever they do, they'll keep fighting for their jobs, even if the odds are long, because it's the right thing to&#160;do. “I'm not going to get my job back probably,” Borman says, “but it may help my kids or grandkid.”</p>
<p>Next week the workers will take their case to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.</p>
<p>Like what you’ve read? <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/itt-subscription-offer?refcode=WS_ITT_Article_Footer&amp;noskip=true" type="external">Subscribe to In These Times magazine</a>, or <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-in-these-times?refcode=WS_ITT_Article_Footer&amp;noskip=true" type="external">make a tax-deductible donation to fund this reporting</a>.</p>
<p>David Moberg, a senior editor of In These Times, has been on the staff of the magazine since it began publishing in 1976. Before joining In These Times, he completed his work for a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Chicago and worked for Newsweek. He has received fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Nation Institute for research on the new global economy. He can be reached at davidmoberg@inthesetimes.com.</p> | true | 4 | romneys party doesnt realize like work 9 5 like worry paying bills cheryl randecker hot trail elusive bandit needs help bad guys name romney hood unlike good twin robin romney made career robbing poor160to get rich setting quest president could help160all160the rich rob160all160the160poor business school mbas call scaling romneys old gangthe160 bain capital gangis still160 hard work160in guise private equity160firm sensata bainowned company process shutting freeport ill160sensor factory bought honeywell order relocate china meanwhile roughly 170160workers like randecker plant training chinese replacements facing160unemployment november region lost much oncestrong industrial base lastditch effort save jobs overwhelmingly female middleaged workforce relied160on raise familiesoften several decadesrandecker coworkers trying160to meet candidate bain cofounder mitt romney ask intervene went romney campaign offices davenport iowa madison wis campaign160staff160 called police160to disperse workersmany voted republicans past elections tuesday travelled bain office chicago suburb evanston ill deliver additional petitions asking romney help bain reconsider with160guards nearby bain official cracked open locked doors accept stack petitions bore 35000 signatures around country across street bain office small group supporters labor and160progressive groups stood behind three sensata workers beside160a giant romney hood cutout chanting romney hoodyoure goodgive160back jobswe know could years making good quality products healthy profits employer workers were160stunned sensata managers announced last year closing plant right buying recently randecker said management offer explanation labor materials cheaper in160china randecker notes however chinese labor less skilled claims cases take 13 chinese worker one freeport worker some160analysts argue markets products shifting china randecker points us auto160companieswho large us market needsare160among sensatas major customers hold romney bain responsible says bonnie borman 23year employee treked evanston160you cant say youre going creating jobs make millions outsourcing jobs romney160 created model says randecker hold responsiblealong with160corporate greed ceos dont care workers work them160 romney hasnt responded hes real quiet issue continued say160hes creating jobs hes taking awayor firm borman randecker coworker pam lampros say dont know theyll find job their160depressed local economy childrens lives affected well one dropped fouryear160college works part time save money another works lowwage job lose health insurance160she mother without a160new skill randecker figures would need work two three lowwage jobs match at160the factory yet school seems alien muchchanged youthand even go back fears age discrimination comes presidential politics theyre surprisingly uncertain theyll though160borman considers republican like two women voted obama thought first africanamerican president would good country given crises he160inherited opposition republicans three think hes done reasonably well say theyre160tired mudslinging politics lack attention policies make country better say160they might write name maybe160ross perot160or would like believe obamas care randecker said theyre little earth the160romneys party doesnt realize like work 9 5 like worry paying bills160 ultimately acknowledged couldnt vote romney might end casting ballot160for obama great enthusiasm whatever theyll keep fighting jobs even odds long right thing to160do im going get job back probably borman says may help kids grandkid next week workers take case republican national convention tampa fla like youve read subscribe times magazine make taxdeductible donation fund reporting david moberg senior editor times staff magazine since began publishing 1976 joining times completed work phd anthropology university chicago worked newsweek received fellowships john catherine macarthur foundation nation institute research new global economy reached davidmoberginthesetimescom | 525 |
<p>“The Annotated Christmas Carol”</p>
<p>A book by Charles Dickens, edited and with notes by Michael Patrick Hearn and illustrated by John Leech</p>
<p>“Bah, humbug!” says Ebenezer Scrooge about Christmas — but some readers would use the same phrase to dismiss “A Christmas Carol” itself. One critic described Charles Dickens’ famous book as “saturated with exaggerated Christmas fervour” and “larded with soggy and indigestible lumps of sickly sentiment.” That’s probably a little too strong, too dismissive for this artistically complex tale about a skinflint’s change of heart. Over the next few days, many families will again watch Alastair Sim or the Muppets in one of the innumerable film adaptations. Yet will they ever open the book? All too commonly, “A Christmas Carol,” like “Don Quixote” and “Robinson Crusoe,” is a classic people think they know without actually ever having read a word of it.</p>
<p />
<p>Michael Patrick Hearn’s excellent annotated edition, which first appeared in 1976, has been reissued this year (though without any updating since its last appearance in 2004; the bibliography is noticeably out of date). Hearn — best known as an authority on children’s literature and on “The Wizard of Oz” in particular — provides a substantial introduction in which he tracks Dickens’ early career up through his 1842 visit to America and the composition of “A Christmas Carol” that followed in 1843. Hearn points out that the young novelist drew upon the depiction of Yuletide festivities in Washington Irving’s underappreciated “Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon” and took his “conversion” plot from “The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton,” part of the wonderful “Christmas at Dingley Dell” section of his own “Pickwick Papers.”</p>
<p>In tracking the critical reception of “A Christmas Carol,” Hearn quotes extensively, almost relentlessly, from reviews both positive and negative. Somewhat unexpectedly, he also appends a brilliant, fact-filled afterword about Dickens’ celebrated one-man shows, in which the novelist read — actually performed — a shortened version of “A Christmas Carol” (which this annotated edition reprints in an appendix). On his U.S. tour alone, Dickens acted out the story of Ebenezer Scrooge 76 times between Dec. 2, 1867, and April 10, 1868.</p>
<p>The point of an “annotated” edition of any classic is to supply readers with information, with the definitions and illustrations and facts that will help deepen our appreciation or understanding. Hearn’s first substantial note cites Dickens’ brief preface to a collected edition of his “Christmas Books” — these include “The Chimes” and “The Cricket on the Hearth,” as well as “A Christmas Carol” — wherein their author defines each of them as “a whimsical kind of masque,” aiming to awaken “loving and forbearing thoughts.”</p>
<p>A masque? A masque is a Renaissance court entertainment, a ballet-like pageant, in which the actors sing and dance, and allegory abounds. English majors will remember that in John Milton’s “Comus” — probably literature’s best-known masque — a debauched satyr-like godling kidnaps a virtuous “Lady,” then urges her to surrender to the pleasures of the flesh. In effect, Milton outwardly represents the never-ending inner struggle — the formal term is psychomachia — between reason and the appetites. In this instance, chastity triumphs.</p>
<p>“A Christmas Carol” is utterly masque-like, replete with allegorical figures (including those two demonic children, Ignorance and Want), full of singing and dancing (Fezziwig’s party, Fred’s Christmas games, the Cratchit family’s pitiful caroling), and resolutely focused on thawing the cold heart of Ebenezer Scrooge through a series of dramatic tableaux. This is one reason why the story works so well on the stage and screen. There’s no interiority to speak of; it’s all visual spectacle, often maudlin and almost operatic, with a dying Tiny Tim instead of a dying Mimi.</p>
<p>Rereading “A Christmas Carol” this December, I was again struck by the religious, even sacrilegious, motifs running through this redemption parable. Note, for example, the pervasive symbolism of darkness and illumination, of shadows and light. That oddly sexless child, the Ghost of Christmas Past, turns out to be a kind of candle, while the Ghost of Christmas Present holds a torch that bathes the world in holiday brightness and benevolence; but the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a hooded Death-like phantom in black. Scrooge is invariably drawn to the light — of Fezziwig’s festivities, Fred’s boisterous party, the brightness of his own parlor when transformed into a Yuletide version of Aladdin’s cave, and even to a lonely fire in a pawnshop’s brazier.</p>
<p>More subtly, there exists a swirling undercurrent of biblical imagery. Like Jesus murmuring “noli me tangere” to Mary Magdalene, Marley warns Scrooge not to touch him. Sentences such as “Rise and walk with me” convey a New Testament resonance. Fezziwig, according to Scrooge, possesses a God-like power “to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome.” When Belle releases Ebenezer from their engagement, she tells him she has been replaced by a golden idol. And while the three raggedy creatures who enter the pawnshop obviously recall the witches in “Macbeth,” they also flickeringly suggest three wise men bearing gifts to a stable and Roman soldiers casting lots for the dead Christ’s robe.The Ghost of Christmas Present is particularly perplexing. He may be based on Father Christmas, with hints of Old King Cole, but why is he so gargantuan? Could this be an allusion to medieval iconography that represents Christ as a giant? Why does the Ghost bare his chest, a gesture that recalls the many images of the Sacred Heart? Scrooge even speaks to him of all that has “been done in your name.” Strangest of all, when the Ghost shakes his torch over quarrelsome people, it somehow throws off drops of water, and their mood immediately changes to one of good fellowship. How can one fail to think of a priest with an aspergillum sprinkling holy water?</p>
<p>Traditional lore tells us that the dead are allowed to walk the earth again on Christmas Eve. Dickens uses this conceit not just to bring Marley to Scrooge, but also to present a vision of the damned:</p>
<p>“The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains like Marley’s Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free. Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever.”</p>
<p>Here are no torments by devils with pitchforks: Hell is wanting to do good and being unable to! Was this Dickens’ own idea? It’s positively Augustinian.</p>
<p>This year, try reading instead of watching “A Christmas Carol,” and pay attention to its unsettling elements: the hovering phantom-like narrator, Scrooge’s recurrent facetiousness, the religious peek-a-boo, its apolitical, even reactionary views on social change. There’s more to this Dickens classic than just a progress from “Bah, humbug!” to “God bless us, every one!”</p>
<p>Michael Dirda reviews books weekly for The Washington Post.</p>
<p>©2013, Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group</p>
<p>To see long excerpts from “The Annotated Christmas Carol” at Google Books, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=k1fRwfQydVoC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=THE+ANNOTATED+CHRISTMAS+CAROL&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=VA67UrjIHYXkoASpmIKQDQ&amp;ved=0CDIQuwUwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=THE%20ANNOTATED%20CHRISTMAS%20CAROL&amp;f=false" type="external">click here</a>.</p> | true | 4 | annotated christmas carol book charles dickens edited notes michael patrick hearn illustrated john leech bah humbug says ebenezer scrooge christmas readers would use phrase dismiss christmas carol one critic described charles dickens famous book saturated exaggerated christmas fervour larded soggy indigestible lumps sickly sentiment thats probably little strong dismissive artistically complex tale skinflints change heart next days many families watch alastair sim muppets one innumerable film adaptations yet ever open book commonly christmas carol like quixote robinson crusoe classic people think know without actually ever read word michael patrick hearns excellent annotated edition first appeared 1976 reissued year though without updating since last appearance 2004 bibliography noticeably date hearn best known authority childrens literature wizard oz particular provides substantial introduction tracks dickens early career 1842 visit america composition christmas carol followed 1843 hearn points young novelist drew upon depiction yuletide festivities washington irvings underappreciated sketchbook geoffrey crayon took conversion plot story goblins stole sexton part wonderful christmas dingley dell section pickwick papers tracking critical reception christmas carol hearn quotes extensively almost relentlessly reviews positive negative somewhat unexpectedly also appends brilliant factfilled afterword dickens celebrated oneman shows novelist read actually performed shortened version christmas carol annotated edition reprints appendix us tour alone dickens acted story ebenezer scrooge 76 times dec 2 1867 april 10 1868 point annotated edition classic supply readers information definitions illustrations facts help deepen appreciation understanding hearns first substantial note cites dickens brief preface collected edition christmas books include chimes cricket hearth well christmas carol wherein author defines whimsical kind masque aiming awaken loving forbearing thoughts masque masque renaissance court entertainment balletlike pageant actors sing dance allegory abounds english majors remember john miltons comus probably literatures bestknown masque debauched satyrlike godling kidnaps virtuous lady urges surrender pleasures flesh effect milton outwardly represents neverending inner struggle formal term psychomachia reason appetites instance chastity triumphs christmas carol utterly masquelike replete allegorical figures including two demonic children ignorance want full singing dancing fezziwigs party freds christmas games cratchit familys pitiful caroling resolutely focused thawing cold heart ebenezer scrooge series dramatic tableaux one reason story works well stage screen theres interiority speak visual spectacle often maudlin almost operatic dying tiny tim instead dying mimi rereading christmas carol december struck religious even sacrilegious motifs running redemption parable note example pervasive symbolism darkness illumination shadows light oddly sexless child ghost christmas past turns kind candle ghost christmas present holds torch bathes world holiday brightness benevolence ghost christmas yet come hooded deathlike phantom black scrooge invariably drawn light fezziwigs festivities freds boisterous party brightness parlor transformed yuletide version aladdins cave even lonely fire pawnshops brazier subtly exists swirling undercurrent biblical imagery like jesus murmuring noli tangere mary magdalene marley warns scrooge touch sentences rise walk convey new testament resonance fezziwig according scrooge possesses godlike power render us happy unhappy make service light burdensome belle releases ebenezer engagement tells replaced golden idol three raggedy creatures enter pawnshop obviously recall witches macbeth also flickeringly suggest three wise men bearing gifts stable roman soldiers casting lots dead christs robethe ghost christmas present particularly perplexing may based father christmas hints old king cole gargantuan could allusion medieval iconography represents christ giant ghost bare chest gesture recalls many images sacred heart scrooge even speaks done name strangest ghost shakes torch quarrelsome people somehow throws drops water mood immediately changes one good fellowship one fail think priest aspergillum sprinkling holy water traditional lore tells us dead allowed walk earth christmas eve dickens uses conceit bring marley scrooge also present vision damned air filled phantoms wandering hither thither restless haste moaning went every one wore chains like marleys ghost might guilty governments linked together none free many personally known scrooge lives quite familiar one old ghost white waistcoat monstrous iron safe attached ankle cried piteously unable assist wretched woman infant saw upon doorstep misery clearly sought interfere good human matters lost power ever torments devils pitchforks hell wanting good unable dickens idea positively augustinian year try reading instead watching christmas carol pay attention unsettling elements hovering phantomlike narrator scrooges recurrent facetiousness religious peekaboo apolitical even reactionary views social change theres dickens classic progress bah humbug god bless us every one michael dirda reviews books weekly washington post 2013 washington post book world servicewashington post writers group see long excerpts annotated christmas carol google books click | 713 |
<p>The ouster of Jean-Bertrand Aristide was orchestrated by and for the ruling minority. For two hundred years, they have ruled the country by proxy and have undoubtedly some responsibility to bear for the current state of affairs in the country. However, following Aristide’s forced departure, they have decided to change course. They have established a puppet regime of technocrats with the aim of smoothing the progress of a total minority rule and according to latest indications, they are right on target. The technocrats have turned the country upside down. They have transformed the nation into an open theater with farcical promises, farcical disarmament, farcical trials and upcoming farcical elections.</p>
<p>In an attempt to boost its technocratic profile, the U.S.-backed administration–assuming it survives the present chaos–plans to hold digitized elections next year in order to seal a victory for a few. According to a Reuters report released in early August, “Haiti’s plans to hold high-tech and costly elections in 2005 are at risk unless international donors rapidly provide promised funds, a senior election official said. Five months after president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in an armed revolt, Haiti’s electoral council needs $100 million to organize what will be the most expensive ballot in Haiti’s 200 years of independence, council member Rosemond Pradel said.”</p>
<p>The nine-member electoral council (CEP) was created without the participation of the Lavalas party, which decided to boycott it following waves of arrests and persecutions of Aristide loyalists. As the report further indicated, such situation “has undermined confidence in the panel, and especially in the government’s plans for a computerized voting system that some analysts fear could be manipulated to prevent Aristide’s supporters among the poor majority from determining the outcome. Preparations for the election have been torn by infighting, and the electoral council faces the further challenge of trying to organize high-tech voting with digitized identity cards and electronic voting machines in a country that barely has electricity.”</p>
<p>In an effort to appease critics of the plan, council chairwoman Roselaure Julien made a public statement last week in which she announced that an agreement was reached between the CEP and the political parties to forgo the electronic voting machines and retain the digitized ID cards instead. It is only in this status quo that one can envision digital ID cards without digital machines. Her statement, which failed to address the prospect of influencing the outcomes of the election, comes months after a power struggle to control the electoral body was made public. The infighting was so heated that both Boniface and Latortue had to intervene in order to keep the actual makeup of the institution. The clash was intended to bring down Julien and replace her with the actual representative of the private sector, which in turn wanted to have complete control over the high-tech aspect of the upcoming elections. Julien “accused her colleagues of a plot to hijack the electoral process and denounced a fierce power struggle among those who helped oust Aristide and said she had come under pressure to resign because she had resisted attempts to influence her. I won’t kneel down, said Julien, I say there should be a free and fair election, not selection, nomination or plebiscite.” In such a context, one must assume that the fight to control the CEP will not go away given that the private sector has no way of capturing the presidency except through electronic ballot.</p>
<p>A report released by the Associated Press in late August revealed that “Haiti has signed an agreement with the United Nations and the Organization of American States to organize elections next year and already has US$9 million in U.S. aid available to help cover the costs. The U.S. aid will be spent on training elections personnel, creating a new voter registration system and setting up an electronic voting system.” This is why, despite Julien’s statement on the rejection of computerized voting machines, American and Venezuelan experts are on the ground conducting demonstrations on the significance and benefits of electronic voting.</p>
<p>Last July, international donors pledged over $1 billion to help rebuild Haiti. The technocrats hope to use part of that money to organize a computerized election where the winners will be pre-selected. Upon receiving the donors’ pledge, Latortue promised to double electricity service to 12 hours in Port-au-Prince. So where will his administration find enough energy resources to run a high-tech voting system across the country? Through some technocratic means perhaps. Besides the electricity dilemma, other challenges must also be addressed. In a country where close to 80% of the population are illiterate and basic infrastructures are nearly nonexistent, the idea to run a computerized election is beyond human comprehension. Despite all the uncertainties associated with electronic voting machines–a system terribly unreliable and not accountable–Haiti would be the last place in this region to hold high-tech elections.</p>
<p>In a further attempt to secure the elections, the private sector has launched a new political party, Parti Libéral Haitien (Haitian Liberal Party). The party will run on a conservative platform with the aim of boosting the private sector and promoting a liberal economy, they claimed. To the surprise of the Haitian political class, the announcement was made in Norway during a forum organized and hosted by the Norwegian government for various segments of the Haitian civil society in late August. In the lead-up to the coup against Aristide, the leader of the Group 184, Andy Apaid Jr., promised his allies that he would never transform his movement into a political party. But things have changed lately and the machine has been set in motion. They have the party and the means; the only missing factor is the ballot. They are in no way capable of collecting the necessary votes except through electronic voting, which is also one tangible way to deter people from voting and suppress the majority. Even f voters were to show up to the polling stations, the technocrats are well aware of the challenges that people will face in trying to use the computerized machines. They will probably rely on high-tech poll workers to “assist” the voters. They are not concerned about huge voter turnout; they only need the elections to be held as planned.</p>
<p>Since Aristide’s forced departure, the vast majority of Haitians have been marginalized and left with no credible figures to represent their interests. The technocrats have used all tactics in their effort to repress all dissent, to persecute former Lavalas officials and incarcerate them in order to silence the poor majority. In the name of the majority, they are working actively to facilitate a transition that will plunge the endangered nation further into despair. Their ultimate fate lies in their disregard of the country’s 200 years history.</p>
<p>LUCSON PIERRE-CHARLES, a native of Haiti, now lives in Maryland. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:lpierrecharles@yahoo.com" type="external">lpierrecharles@yahoo.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | ouster jeanbertrand aristide orchestrated ruling minority two hundred years ruled country proxy undoubtedly responsibility bear current state affairs country however following aristides forced departure decided change course established puppet regime technocrats aim smoothing progress total minority rule according latest indications right target technocrats turned country upside transformed nation open theater farcical promises farcical disarmament farcical trials upcoming farcical elections attempt boost technocratic profile usbacked administrationassuming survives present chaosplans hold digitized elections next year order seal victory according reuters report released early august haitis plans hold hightech costly elections 2005 risk unless international donors rapidly provide promised funds senior election official said five months president jeanbertrand aristide ousted armed revolt haitis electoral council needs 100 million organize expensive ballot haitis 200 years independence council member rosemond pradel said ninemember electoral council cep created without participation lavalas party decided boycott following waves arrests persecutions aristide loyalists report indicated situation undermined confidence panel especially governments plans computerized voting system analysts fear could manipulated prevent aristides supporters among poor majority determining outcome preparations election torn infighting electoral council faces challenge trying organize hightech voting digitized identity cards electronic voting machines country barely electricity effort appease critics plan council chairwoman roselaure julien made public statement last week announced agreement reached cep political parties forgo electronic voting machines retain digitized id cards instead status quo one envision digital id cards without digital machines statement failed address prospect influencing outcomes election comes months power struggle control electoral body made public infighting heated boniface latortue intervene order keep actual makeup institution clash intended bring julien replace actual representative private sector turn wanted complete control hightech aspect upcoming elections julien accused colleagues plot hijack electoral process denounced fierce power struggle among helped oust aristide said come pressure resign resisted attempts influence wont kneel said julien say free fair election selection nomination plebiscite context one must assume fight control cep go away given private sector way capturing presidency except electronic ballot report released associated press late august revealed haiti signed agreement united nations organization american states organize elections next year already us9 million us aid available help cover costs us aid spent training elections personnel creating new voter registration system setting electronic voting system despite juliens statement rejection computerized voting machines american venezuelan experts ground conducting demonstrations significance benefits electronic voting last july international donors pledged 1 billion help rebuild haiti technocrats hope use part money organize computerized election winners preselected upon receiving donors pledge latortue promised double electricity service 12 hours portauprince administration find enough energy resources run hightech voting system across country technocratic means perhaps besides electricity dilemma challenges must also addressed country close 80 population illiterate basic infrastructures nearly nonexistent idea run computerized election beyond human comprehension despite uncertainties associated electronic voting machinesa system terribly unreliable accountablehaiti would last place region hold hightech elections attempt secure elections private sector launched new political party parti libéral haitien haitian liberal party party run conservative platform aim boosting private sector promoting liberal economy claimed surprise haitian political class announcement made norway forum organized hosted norwegian government various segments haitian civil society late august leadup coup aristide leader group 184 andy apaid jr promised allies would never transform movement political party things changed lately machine set motion party means missing factor ballot way capable collecting necessary votes except electronic voting also one tangible way deter people voting suppress majority even f voters show polling stations technocrats well aware challenges people face trying use computerized machines probably rely hightech poll workers assist voters concerned huge voter turnout need elections held planned since aristides forced departure vast majority haitians marginalized left credible figures represent interests technocrats used tactics effort repress dissent persecute former lavalas officials incarcerate order silence poor majority name majority working actively facilitate transition plunge endangered nation despair ultimate fate lies disregard countrys 200 years history lucson pierrecharles native haiti lives maryland reached lpierrecharlesyahoocom 160 | 644 |
<p>In 2 Samuel 13:1-22, Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar. Nothing happens to him. &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rape_of_Tamar_-_Le_Seur.jpg"&gt;Eustache Le Sueur&lt;/a&gt;/Wikipedia</p>
<p>Men have been in the business of deciding when it is okay and when it is not okay to rape women for thousands of years.&#160;If Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s claim that women’s bodies magically fend off rapist sperm or the GOP’s&#160; <a href="" type="internal">meditation on what’s really rape</a>&#160;sound medieval to you, that’s because they are. Check out our timeline of the male notions and common-law statutes that have defined rape over time, and see for yourself which eras the GOP’s views on rape line up with:</p>
<p>Property theft: <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tVeh3C8XGP4C&amp;pg=PA14&amp;lpg=PA14&amp;dq=hammurabi%27s+code+rape+payment&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=DF5n6Br5i5&amp;sig=UDMzzTBfxuV0CbncAe4a43CttKI&amp;hl=en#v=onepage&amp;q=hammurabi's%20code%20rape%20payment&amp;f=false" type="external">The Code of Hammurabi</a>, one of the first sets of written laws, which dates to about 1780 BC (and contains the old “eye for an eye”), defines rape of a virgin as property damage against her father. If you were married, sorry lady: You were an adulteress. Punishment? You get thrown in the river.</p>
<p>Translation: Girl, you’re screwed. <a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3332922364" type="external">Batigolix</a>/FotopediaGod is a dude: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy%2022:28-22:29&amp;version=NIV" type="external">Deuteronomy 22:28-29</a> says if you rape a virgin, you have to give her dad 50 shekels and take her to the altar.</p>
<p>Et tu, Roma? The Latin root raptus referred to the abduction of a woman against the will of whatever male controlled her life. What the abductor did with her was secondary.</p>
<p>Rape of the Sabine Women, by Giuseppe Cesari. <a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2911823166" type="external">Dirk Huijssoon</a>/FotopediaTodd Akin, 1.0:&#160;As <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2012/aug/20/legitimate-rape-medieval-medical-concept" type="external">the Guardian</a> recently pointed out, one of the earliest British legal texts,&#160;Fleta, which was written around 1290, laid the foundation for Akin’s notion that if you get preggers, you weren’t raped: “Without a woman’s consent she could not conceive.”</p>
<p>(Mississippi and) The Middle Ages:&#160;During the 13th century, the severity of punishment under <a href="" type="internal">Saxon law</a> varied according to the type of woman raped—whether she was a virgin, a wife, a widow, a nun, or a whore. That’s appropriately medieval. But in the United States, well into the ’90s (yes, the nineteen-nineties) some states still had laws that held statutory rape wasn’t rape if the woman was “ <a href="http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60840.pdf" type="external">impure</a>“. Mississippi was the last state to ditch such a law—in 1998.&#160;King Edward I and his wife Eleanor. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_I_and_Eleanor.jpg" type="external">From an early 14th century manuscript</a>/Wikipedia</p>
<p>Pre-wave feminism:&#160;King Edward I of England was a forward-thinking chap. He enacted the landmark <a href="" type="internal">Statutes of Westminster</a>&#160;at the end of the 13th century. They redefined rape as a public wrong, not just a private property battle. The legislation also cut out the virgin distinction and made consent irrelevant for girls under 12, laying the basis for the modern principle of statutory rape.</p>
<p>“The wife hath given up herself”: In a treatise on capital crime and punishment from around 1670, English judge and lawyer <a href="" type="internal">Sir Matthew Hale</a> wrote this little gem: “[T]he husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract the wife hath given up herself in this kind unto her husband, which she cannot retract.” The law had quite a bit of traction. A man could <a href="" type="internal">legally rape</a> his wife in North Carolina until 1993.</p>
<p>If you were brown:&#160;It didn’t count, whether you were a slave or a “savage.” And after abolition, the white legal establishment pretty much <a href="http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60840.pdf" type="external">ignored</a> rape against black women.</p>
<p>Rape to prove rape: Men in common law courts in the 18th and 19th centuries had <a href="" type="internal">a bit of trouble agreeing</a> on how much proof a woman had to give to show she wasn’t lying. Some said the hymen had to be broken. Some said she had to provide evidence of semen. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/27/virginity-tests-egypt-protesters-illegal" type="external">Virginity test</a>, anyone?</p>
<p>Egyptian women protest the ruling military council’s “virginity tests” in December 2011. <a href="http://zumapress.com/" type="external">Ayman Mose</a>/ZUMA Press“Absolute rape,” kind of like “legitimate rape”: English physician Samuel Farr was pretty certain women couldn’t get pregnant without an orgasm. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-h-word/2012/aug/20/legitimate-rape-medieval-medical-concept" type="external">The Guardian</a> quotes the mansplanation from his 1814 Elements of Medical Jurisprudence:&#160;“For without an excitation of lust, or the enjoyment of pleasure in the venereal act, no conception can probably take place. So that if an absolute rape were to be perpetrated, it is not likely she would become pregnant.”</p>
<p>You can’t thread a moving needle:&#160;Or: If you don’t squirm a lot, it’s not rape. Dr. Lawson Tait, an eminent 19th century gynecologist and medical officer who helped police with criminal investigations, was “perfectly satisfied that no man can effect a felonious purpose on a woman in possession of her sense without her consent.” <a href="" type="internal">Said he:</a> “You cannot thread a moving needle.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&amp;search_source=search_form&amp;version=llv1&amp;anyorall=all&amp;safesearch=1&amp;searchterm=needle+and+thread&amp;search_group=#id=45223714&amp;src=c8178d493137bced13756a6533037404-1-78" type="external">Irina Misevic</a>/Shutterstock</p>
<p>The FBI calls rape by its name: As the&#160; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rep-akins-comments-just-the-latest-attempt-to-define-rape--and-women/2012/08/21/de8151a0-ebca-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html" type="external">Post</a>‘s Gerhart explains, the federal government used the “rather prim euphemism, ‘indecent assault,’ a phrase that seems as linguistically tortured as ‘legitimate rape,’ from the 17th century until 1929, when the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program renamed it like this:&#160;“the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” That definition was still <a href="" type="internal">totally 17th century</a>, btw.</p>
<p>Lady rules:&#160;Feminists had been fighting to raise the statutory rape age in states since the 1890s (in response, some legislators <a href="http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60840.pdf" type="external">proposed</a> raising the age of consent to 81). Nonwhite feminists had been fighting for equal treatment under the law.&#160; <a href="http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60840.pdf" type="external">Second wavers</a> gave the movement another push, demanding a range of other expansions to make the definition of rape gender neutral, include date rape, and scrap medieval marital exceptions and virginity requirements.</p>
<p>Sue Lyon in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 Lolita. <a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-1461140704" type="external">Zellaby</a>/Fotopedia83 years later: January of 2012:&#160;that’s when the FBI decided to update its definition of forcible rape. As <a href="" type="internal">Kate Sheppard</a> pointed out last year, the year 1929 “was quite a while ago—before the Great Depression, before Mickey Mouse, and before the Empire State Building, to name a few. It was also before roofies had been invented and before date or partner rape were even concepts.” The new, <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/attorney-general-eric-holder-announces-revisions-to-the-uniform-crime-reports-definition-of-rape" type="external">expanded</a> definition includes other forms of sexual assault, other genders, and instances where the “victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity, including due to the influence of drugs or alcohol or because of age.”</p>
<p>Backward, ho!: Last year, House Republicans&#160; <a href="" type="internal">pushed</a>&#160;to&#160;limit taxpayer funding of abortions by excluding non-“forcible” rapes from federal abortion funding. Their plan failed. But the Republican war on women was just starting to heat up.</p>
<p><a href="http://zumapress.com/" type="external">Johnny Andrews</a>/ZUMA Press“Legitimate rape”: “ <a href="" type="internal">If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.</a>” Or, as <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Legitimate%20Rape&amp;defid=6722495" type="external">Urban Dictionary</a> puts it:&#160;“Rape between one man and one woman who are not married or even acquainted; the only rape sanctioned by the Republican Party.”</p> | true | 4 | 2 samuel 13122 amnon rapes half sister tamar nothing happens lta hrefhttpenwikipediaorgwikifilerape_of_tamar__le_seurjpggteustache le sueurltagtwikipedia men business deciding okay okay rape women thousands years160if missouri rep todd akins claim womens bodies magically fend rapist sperm gops160 meditation whats really rape160sound medieval thats check timeline male notions commonlaw statutes defined rape time see eras gops views rape line property theft code hammurabi one first sets written laws dates 1780 bc contains old eye eye defines rape virgin property damage father married sorry lady adulteress punishment get thrown river translation girl youre screwed batigolixfotopediagod dude deuteronomy 222829 says rape virgin give dad 50 shekels take altar et tu roma latin root raptus referred abduction woman whatever male controlled life abductor secondary rape sabine women giuseppe cesari dirk huijssoonfotopediatodd akin 10160as guardian recently pointed one earliest british legal texts160fleta written around 1290 laid foundation akins notion get preggers werent raped without womans consent could conceive mississippi middle ages160during 13th century severity punishment saxon law varied according type woman rapedwhether virgin wife widow nun whore thats appropriately medieval united states well 90s yes nineteennineties states still laws held statutory rape wasnt rape woman impure mississippi last state ditch lawin 1998160king edward wife eleanor early 14th century manuscriptwikipedia prewave feminism160king edward england forwardthinking chap enacted landmark statutes westminster160at end 13th century redefined rape public wrong private property battle legislation also cut virgin distinction made consent irrelevant girls 12 laying basis modern principle statutory rape wife hath given treatise capital crime punishment around 1670 english judge lawyer sir matthew hale wrote little gem husband guilty rape committed upon lawful wife mutual matrimonial consent contract wife hath given kind unto husband retract law quite bit traction man could legally rape wife north carolina 1993 brown160it didnt count whether slave savage abolition white legal establishment pretty much ignored rape black women rape prove rape men common law courts 18th 19th centuries bit trouble agreeing much proof woman give show wasnt lying said hymen broken said provide evidence semen virginity test anyone egyptian women protest ruling military councils virginity tests december 2011 ayman mosezuma pressabsolute rape kind like legitimate rape english physician samuel farr pretty certain women couldnt get pregnant without orgasm guardian quotes mansplanation 1814 elements medical jurisprudence160for without excitation lust enjoyment pleasure venereal act conception probably take place absolute rape perpetrated likely would become pregnant cant thread moving needle160or dont squirm lot rape dr lawson tait eminent 19th century gynecologist medical officer helped police criminal investigations perfectly satisfied man effect felonious purpose woman possession sense without consent said thread moving needle irina misevicshutterstock fbi calls rape name the160 posts gerhart explains federal government used rather prim euphemism indecent assault phrase seems linguistically tortured legitimate rape 17th century 1929 fbis uniform crime reporting program renamed like this160the carnal knowledge female forcibly definition still totally 17th century btw lady rules160feminists fighting raise statutory rape age states since 1890s response legislators proposed raising age consent 81 nonwhite feminists fighting equal treatment law160 second wavers gave movement another push demanding range expansions make definition rape gender neutral include date rape scrap medieval marital exceptions virginity requirements sue lyon stanley kubricks 1962 lolita zellabyfotopedia83 years later january 2012160thats fbi decided update definition forcible rape kate sheppard pointed last year year 1929 quite agobefore great depression mickey mouse empire state building name also roofies invented date partner rape even concepts new expanded definition includes forms sexual assault genders instances victim incapable giving consent temporary permanent mental physical incapacity including due influence drugs alcohol age backward ho last year house republicans160 pushed160to160limit taxpayer funding abortions excluding nonforcible rapes federal abortion funding plan failed republican war women starting heat johnny andrewszuma presslegitimate rape legitimate rape female body ways try shut whole thing urban dictionary puts it160rape one man one woman married even acquainted rape sanctioned republican party | 631 |
<p>A supporter of Donald Trump holds a sign at a rally at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio, on March 14, 2016.Gene J. Puskar/AP</p>
<p />
<p>People across America reacted with shock Thursday to a video of racially charged comments by Donald Trump’s campaign chairwoman for Ohio’s Mahoning County, who denied that racism existed there before Barack Obama became president—remarks that quickly led her to <a href="http://twitter.com/JoshuaGreen/status/778989532293304320" type="external">resign</a>. But one group was probably less surprised to hear this kind of racially divisive language: the black residents of Mahoning County.</p>
<p>Mahoning County, in the heart of the Rust Belt, has received outsize attention this year for the exodus of once-loyal blue-collar Democratic voters into the Trump camp. The overwhelming focus of this attention has been economic: In this poster child of industrial decline, the prevailing narrative goes, residents opposed to free trade have flocked to Trump and his promise to restore the Rust Belt to better times. But the comments by Kathy Miller, Trump’s Mahoning chairwoman, reveal a different story that African American residents have been telling all along—one of political shifts driven by issues of race and racism.</p>
<p>“I don’t think there was any racism until Obama got elected,” Miller, a real estate agent, told the Guardian recently a video-taped <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/22/trump-ohio-campaign-chair-no-racism-before-obama?utm_term=Autofeed&amp;CMP=twt_b-gdnnews" type="external">interview</a> posted Thursday. “Now, you know, with the people with the guns and shooting up neighborhoods and not being responsible citizens, that’s a big change, and I think that’s the philosophy that Obama has perpetuated on America.”</p>
<p>Miller continued, to the wide-eyed astonishment of the reporter, “And if you’re black and you haven’t been successful in the last 50 years, it’s your own fault. You’ve had every opportunity, it was given to you.”</p>
<p>Mahoning County is ground zero for Trump’s rise. It’s the home of Youngstown, famous for its decline from a booming steel town in the first half of the 20th century to a downtrodden <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/68973/crimetown-usa" type="external">playground for the mob</a> in the second half. Now Youngstown is a struggling, down-and-out city where signs of rehabilitation are dwarfed by the lingering effects of the economic collapse and the poverty of many of the city’s black residents. Following white flight to the suburbs, Youngstown is nearly half black. Thanks to the strong influence of labor unions, for decades the region has been a Democratic stronghold. But in the Ohio Republican primary in March, Trump won the region handily, with the help of many Democratic voters who switched parties to support Trump.</p>
<p>I visited Youngstown in June. Most of the people I spoke with traced Trump’s appeal to the economy and particularly to the issue of trade. Union officials worried that if Hillary Clinton didn’t match Trump’s zeal in opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, she would lose Democratic votes in the region, and with them the state of Ohio. And that is essentially the <a href="" type="internal">story</a> I wrote.</p>
<p>But a few people voiced a different view of Trump’s appeal in Youngstown. For them, Miller’s comments reflect what they’ve long said: that Trump’s popularity in Youngstown has a lot to do with race. Unsurprisingly, those people were black.</p>
<p>“I have some other strong personal feelings about this that nobody wants to talk about,” Jaladah Aslam, a former public sector union employee and former local Democratic Party official, told me this summer. “This whole racist rhetoric plays well with some people here.”</p>
<p>Aslam recalled footage she had seen of a clash between supporters and protesters at a Trump rally. “I saw a man screaming at this one guy, ‘Go back to Africa,’ and I’m like, ‘Really? We’re talking like that again?'” she said. “That means that people never gave up that thinking.” When it comes to Youngstown and its environs, Aslam believes nasty rhetoric toward African Americans never went away; it just went out of sight.</p>
<p>Aslam was born and raised in Youngstown. In the late 1990s, she left the city limits and bought a house in the suburb of Austintown Township. Her first summer in the neighborhood, she was in her backyard when she overheard a visitor at her neighbor’s house a few yards over. “I don’t believe this shit,” her neighbor’s friend said. “The nigger has the new pool in the neighborhood.” The incident alerted her to the way some locals think and talk about black people when they don’t think black people are listening: “In their mind, why should somebody of color have anything nice?”</p>
<p>Trump’s rise reminded Aslam of that summer day nearly two decades ago. “It comes back to me in the moment of Trump because it reminds me of that thought process, it reminds me people feel that way,” she said. “And unfortunately, there are a lot of people who feel that way [in Youngstown]. There are a lot of people who are comfortable with what Trump says about Hispanics and Muslims.”</p>
<p>Aslam’s hunches are borne out by academic research. Last year, a doctoral student at Cleveland State University found that the American metropolitan area where the N-word showed up most frequently as an internet search term was Youngstown. He published his findings in the <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/06/a_picture_of_prejudice_--_goog.html" type="external">Cleveland Plain Dealer</a>, noting that research out of Harvard shows that search data “does actually correlate with other measures of racism” and that “the private use of coarse racial terminology is the first stage of prejudice.”</p>
<p>Youngstown might not be an obvious epicenter of American racism, but its history helps explain its racial tensions. There’s <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12933072/far-right-white-riot-trump-brexit" type="external">academic research</a> demonstrating that support for far-right nationalist political parties in Europe correlates with a perceived loss of power at the hands of immigrants or other ethnic groups—a fact that helps explain Trump’s rise in Youngstown and the dynamic Aslam sensed for years. At 45 percent black and 9 percent Latino, Youngstown is a <a href="http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/3988000" type="external">majority-minority</a> city.</p>
<p>“The Trump phenomenon is basically a middle-class white movement because they feel disenfranchised, they feel like they are losing out,” Rufus Hudson, an African American former Youngstown city council member who serves on the local Democratic Party’s executive committee, told me when I visited. “I think there’s that quiet undertone that after eight years of Barack Obama, there’s people that think, ‘We’re falling behind, we’re not getting our fair share.'” With Miller’s remarks this week, all of a sudden it wasn’t so quiet anymore.</p>
<p>“Growing up in this community, there has always been a racist undertone here,” Hudson said. “I actually didn’t realize that until I moved away. When I moved to Houston, and I lived down there [for 10 years] and then I come back, and it’s like, wow, I mean, it’s like kind of in your face.” He nodded toward the car he drives, a Lexus. As a black man driving a nice car, he said he had been pulled over 17 times in the area but had never been issued a citation.</p>
<p>By Thursday evening, the Trump campaign had found a new Mahoning County chair, a black state GOP official from Youngstown named Tracey Winbush. Upon joining the campaign, she immediately deleted her entire Twitter history of about <a href="https://twitter.com/traceywinbush/status/779032133562015744" type="external">17,000 tweets</a>. <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2016/09/92216-tracey-winbush-deletes-her-tweets.html" type="external">Many of them</a> had been critical of Trump. In February, following Trump’s first win of the Republican primary campaign, she tweeted out an article bearing the headline, “A Racist, Sexist Demagogue Just Won The New Hampshire Primary.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | supporter donald trump holds sign rally youngstownwarren regional airport vienna ohio march 14 2016gene j puskarap people across america reacted shock thursday video racially charged comments donald trumps campaign chairwoman ohios mahoning county denied racism existed barack obama became presidentremarks quickly led resign one group probably less surprised hear kind racially divisive language black residents mahoning county mahoning county heart rust belt received outsize attention year exodus onceloyal bluecollar democratic voters trump camp overwhelming focus attention economic poster child industrial decline prevailing narrative goes residents opposed free trade flocked trump promise restore rust belt better times comments kathy miller trumps mahoning chairwoman reveal different story african american residents telling alongone political shifts driven issues race racism dont think racism obama got elected miller real estate agent told guardian recently videotaped interview posted thursday know people guns shooting neighborhoods responsible citizens thats big change think thats philosophy obama perpetuated america miller continued wideeyed astonishment reporter youre black havent successful last 50 years fault youve every opportunity given mahoning county ground zero trumps rise home youngstown famous decline booming steel town first half 20th century downtrodden playground mob second half youngstown struggling downandout city signs rehabilitation dwarfed lingering effects economic collapse poverty many citys black residents following white flight suburbs youngstown nearly half black thanks strong influence labor unions decades region democratic stronghold ohio republican primary march trump region handily help many democratic voters switched parties support trump visited youngstown june people spoke traced trumps appeal economy particularly issue trade union officials worried hillary clinton didnt match trumps zeal opposing transpacific partnership trade deal would lose democratic votes region state ohio essentially story wrote people voiced different view trumps appeal youngstown millers comments reflect theyve long said trumps popularity youngstown lot race unsurprisingly people black strong personal feelings nobody wants talk jaladah aslam former public sector union employee former local democratic party official told summer whole racist rhetoric plays well people aslam recalled footage seen clash supporters protesters trump rally saw man screaming one guy go back africa im like really talking like said means people never gave thinking comes youngstown environs aslam believes nasty rhetoric toward african americans never went away went sight aslam born raised youngstown late 1990s left city limits bought house suburb austintown township first summer neighborhood backyard overheard visitor neighbors house yards dont believe shit neighbors friend said nigger new pool neighborhood incident alerted way locals think talk black people dont think black people listening mind somebody color anything nice trumps rise reminded aslam summer day nearly two decades ago comes back moment trump reminds thought process reminds people feel way said unfortunately lot people feel way youngstown lot people comfortable trump says hispanics muslims aslams hunches borne academic research last year doctoral student cleveland state university found american metropolitan area nword showed frequently internet search term youngstown published findings cleveland plain dealer noting research harvard shows search data actually correlate measures racism private use coarse racial terminology first stage prejudice youngstown might obvious epicenter american racism history helps explain racial tensions theres academic research demonstrating support farright nationalist political parties europe correlates perceived loss power hands immigrants ethnic groupsa fact helps explain trumps rise youngstown dynamic aslam sensed years 45 percent black 9 percent latino youngstown majorityminority city trump phenomenon basically middleclass white movement feel disenfranchised feel like losing rufus hudson african american former youngstown city council member serves local democratic partys executive committee told visited think theres quiet undertone eight years barack obama theres people think falling behind getting fair share millers remarks week sudden wasnt quiet anymore growing community always racist undertone hudson said actually didnt realize moved away moved houston lived 10 years come back like wow mean like kind face nodded toward car drives lexus black man driving nice car said pulled 17 times area never issued citation thursday evening trump campaign found new mahoning county chair black state gop official youngstown named tracey winbush upon joining campaign immediately deleted entire twitter history 17000 tweets many critical trump february following trumps first win republican primary campaign tweeted article bearing headline racist sexist demagogue new hampshire primary | 684 |
<p>Political protests are the foundation of what makes this country what it is and without the ability to protest and make ones voice heard, we continue down this dangerous path of conflating the true meaning of the word democracy while condemning its actual practice. People who only identify themselves as patriotic by standing up during the national anthem or saluting the American flag when it’s presented before them are falsely identifying what it means to be an American.</p>
<p>Patriotism can reveal itself in different ways and does not require the application of standing for a song that has&#160; <a href="" type="internal">racist historical roots</a>, or standing for a flag of a country that was started under the contradictory promotion of freedom and slavery. Our country has a complicated history and to be a patriot in the most basic terms one is allowed to look at the country with questionable pride and demand that things can be better and you want that change for everyone. The idea of only connecting patriotism to the the military belittles the true flexibility and development of freedom and oversimplifies the identity of what makes America the country we all speak of.</p>
<p>For those who look to people like Kaepernick, with his political protest of sitting down for the national anthem – demanding action against the recent uproar of&#160; <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/increasing-police-brutality-americans-killed-by-cops-now-outnumber-americans-killed-in-iraq-war/5361554" type="external">police brutality&#160;</a>– as an insult to our military and soldiers who fought and died for our “freedoms” need to reflect on what that word means. And if you don’t see the irony of someone expressing their freedom on issues that concern them, but you don’t feel are important and you only recognize that action as disrespect to those in uniform, you should really reflect on what&#160; <a href="" type="internal">soldiers think</a>&#160;about the situation.</p>
<p>More recently our military endeavors have become less about democracy and more about the subjugation and control of other states. Many can argue the true nature of our presences in the middle east or our growing proxy wars throughout Africa, or more than 750 military bases spread throughout the world. What does matter is that our country has not only progressed through the actions of our military alone, but also through the action of political protest.</p>
<p>Without considering the role that political protests have had in creating more safe work environments, environmental regulations, the health of the community, building a middle class, medical and financial care for the elderly, and the dismantling of child labor and slavery, they are ignoring the basic principles that were put in place through the constitution. And to belittle those actions and repress their significance is to insult our constitution, country, and the soldiers who fight in the name or defending those freedoms.</p>
<p>Those who see a flag more patriotic than political protest to the injustices in their country are subjecting themselves to a simplistic idea of what our military, soldiers, and our country represent. They are ignoring the long history of struggles that have been and continues to be fought for in order to make this country better. Their sense of pride and patriotic furor in the flag follows more in the footsteps of a nationalistic fascist regime than it does in standing up for the principles of freedom in democracy. They can use the words ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ to make it sound like those are part of their interest, but those words become meaningless when you attack someone’s freedom to stand, sit, and protest the injustices in their country.</p>
<p>Change and progress comes through action of the public protest. The labor movement forced itself into the conversation of the country during the late 19th&#160;and made huge gains for labor and helped create the middle class of the 20th&#160;century. The Civil War and the Reconstruction period, moments considered the second revolution in America, were moments protested by the abolitionist and blacks, to offer freedom and liberty to the newly freed slaves. The Civil Rights picked up the fight with the right to vote and continues that struggle for economic justice and a stop to police brutality with groups like Black Lives Matter. It was the political protest of the woman’s suffrage movement of the late 1800’s to the 1920’s that won women the right to vote and participate more freely in the democratic process.</p>
<p>Occupy Wall Street, the Climate protests, and the 15 Now Campaigns have all brought attention to serious issues. Their protests were political as people went into the streets blocking traffic, shopping, pipelines, and stood outside the white house, in order to bring the public’s attention. Income inequality is at a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">rate we haven’t seen since the 1920’s</a>&#160;before the Great Depression. Aside from 97% of scientist in agreement that climate change is a real issue, and we can’t ignore every day of this year consistently broke records for being the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">hottest ever recorded</a>. Average wages have stagnated since the 1970’s and are less than what they would have been accounting for inflation, this at the same time as we’re more productive than we were back then.</p>
<p>To speak out against these political protests is to besmirch the change that has occurred throughout this country, let alone to ignore the history of this country. And these issues carry concern in the public realm. Income inequality, climate change, and rebuilding the middle class were issues that were brought into the election with the surge voters pushing Sanders into the Democratic debate to speak publicly on theses issues.</p>
<p>It’s usually not without coincidence those who speak pridefully of our soldiers and military have little outrage or rarely do anything aside from a one-time social media post, about the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">22 soldier suicides</a>&#160;that occur daily, or the real concern of PTSD. They don’t condemn the torture report (that spoke of methods that our military used that broke international laws) or demand justice against those involved. Few, if any, ever protest the drone wars, which have&#160; <a href="" type="internal">helped recruit terrorist</a>, or speak out against the high rate of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">sexual assault</a>&#160;that takes place in the military.</p>
<p>In most of the political movements of the past, the military’s role has been one in defending the state. And while there is and should be constant support of the soldiers in our military, to speak against the actions of our military abroad is something Americans should feel free and comfortable to participate in. Without an open dialogue about our military adventures abroad, we only continue to perpetuate our emotional disconnection to war that most Americans feel. We will only continue to further disengage ourselves of the blunders that continue in our country’s name. This opens the door to more potential&#160; <a href="" type="internal">blowback</a>, the continued&#160; <a href="https://www.aclu.org/feature/war-comes-home?redirect=war-comes-home-excessive-militarization-american-policing" type="external">militarization of our police</a>, the continued over-surveillance of our society and the exploitation and abuse against our own soldiers</p>
<p>A country that finds it disrespectful to the soldiers in uniform when an individual decides to sit down during the national anthem for a political protest needs to take a step back and look at what role they want the military to play. Do they want the military to be a representation of the freedoms and liberty they presume to espouse and allow those same freedoms to be exercised by the citizens who demand better treatment for their community? Or do they want the military to tell people what they can and can’t do? Because the latter reveals a deeper issue of not just what kind of role for military they want, but also what our country means when we speak of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ and for whom.</p> | true | 4 | political protests foundation makes country without ability protest make ones voice heard continue dangerous path conflating true meaning word democracy condemning actual practice people identify patriotic standing national anthem saluting american flag presented falsely identifying means american patriotism reveal different ways require application standing song has160 racist historical roots standing flag country started contradictory promotion freedom slavery country complicated history patriot basic terms one allowed look country questionable pride demand things better want change everyone idea connecting patriotism military belittles true flexibility development freedom oversimplifies identity makes america country speak look people like kaepernick political protest sitting national anthem demanding action recent uproar of160 police brutality160 insult military soldiers fought died freedoms need reflect word means dont see irony someone expressing freedom issues concern dont feel important recognize action disrespect uniform really reflect what160 soldiers think160about situation recently military endeavors become less democracy subjugation control states many argue true nature presences middle east growing proxy wars throughout africa 750 military bases spread throughout world matter country progressed actions military alone also action political protest without considering role political protests creating safe work environments environmental regulations health community building middle class medical financial care elderly dismantling child labor slavery ignoring basic principles put place constitution belittle actions repress significance insult constitution country soldiers fight name defending freedoms see flag patriotic political protest injustices country subjecting simplistic idea military soldiers country represent ignoring long history struggles continues fought order make country better sense pride patriotic furor flag follows footsteps nationalistic fascist regime standing principles freedom democracy use words freedom democracy make sound like part interest words become meaningless attack someones freedom stand sit protest injustices country change progress comes action public protest labor movement forced conversation country late 19th160and made huge gains labor helped create middle class 20th160century civil war reconstruction period moments considered second revolution america moments protested abolitionist blacks offer freedom liberty newly freed slaves civil rights picked fight right vote continues struggle economic justice stop police brutality groups like black lives matter political protest womans suffrage movement late 1800s 1920s women right vote participate freely democratic process occupy wall street climate protests 15 campaigns brought attention serious issues protests political people went streets blocking traffic shopping pipelines stood outside white house order bring publics attention income inequality a160 rate havent seen since 1920s160before great depression aside 97 scientist agreement climate change real issue cant ignore every day year consistently broke records the160 hottest ever recorded average wages stagnated since 1970s less would accounting inflation time productive back speak political protests besmirch change occurred throughout country let alone ignore history country issues carry concern public realm income inequality climate change rebuilding middle class issues brought election surge voters pushing sanders democratic debate speak publicly theses issues usually without coincidence speak pridefully soldiers military little outrage rarely anything aside onetime social media post the160 22 soldier suicides160that occur daily real concern ptsd dont condemn torture report spoke methods military used broke international laws demand justice involved ever protest drone wars have160 helped recruit terrorist speak high rate of160 sexual assault160that takes place military political movements past militarys role one defending state constant support soldiers military speak actions military abroad something americans feel free comfortable participate without open dialogue military adventures abroad continue perpetuate emotional disconnection war americans feel continue disengage blunders continue countrys name opens door potential160 blowback continued160 militarization police continued oversurveillance society exploitation abuse soldiers country finds disrespectful soldiers uniform individual decides sit national anthem political protest needs take step back look role want military play want military representation freedoms liberty presume espouse allow freedoms exercised citizens demand better treatment community want military tell people cant latter reveals deeper issue kind role military want also country means speak freedom democracy | 621 |
<p>Statistic from the Pentagon.</p>
<p />
<p>During his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, President Barack Obama announced that the US military is “stopping ISIL’s advance.” But a close look at the details of the American air offensive reveals a less triumphant narrative: Although the strikes may have slowed ISIS’s advance in the area around the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani, the overall strategic gains have been minimal. Kobani “became a symbol of the ability to contain ISIS regardless of its strategic importance,” says Anthony Cordesman, military and national security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former national security advisor to Sen. John McCain. Instead of a concrete strategy, the concentration on Kobani is a “practical problem,” says Cordesman. In <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-in-kobani-still-no-sign-of-turkey-reacting-to-threat-on-its-border-as-john-kerry-says-preventing-the-fall-of-the-town-is-not-a-strategic-objective-9783372.html" type="external">October</a>, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a speech that Kobani was not a “strategic objective” for the US.</p>
<p>So why all those bombs? Since September 23, when air strikes in Syria began, US and coalition forces have pummeled both Syria and Iraq with nearly 2,000 air strikes. As of early this week, 870 of those strikes were in Syria; almost 70 percent of these Syrian strikes have focused on Kobani and its surroundings. The total area, about the same size as Rhode Island, covers less than two percent of Syria and the majority of the population are ethnic Kurds.</p>
<p>There’s a reason that Kobani became so symbolically important: Stories of the brave Kurdish fighters defending the small border city against ISIS swept international headlines last September, and the public demanded that the US step in to prevent a humanitarian disaster. The Kurds, unable to defeat ISIS on their own, turned the tide once they had coalition air support. “Seventy-five percent of all US strikes in Syria were on Kobani,” Thomas Pierret, a Syria specialist at the University of Edinburgh told Ekurd Daily, a Kurdish news site <a href="http://ekurd.net/kobani-setback-puts-brakes-on-islamic-state-syrian-kurdistan-ambitions-2015-01-18" type="external">last week</a>. “You give any force on the ground that kind of aerial support and they will get the upper hand.” It has cost taxpayers $8.2 million a day, on average, to conduct the entire airstrike campaign. ISIS now occupies one-third of Syria, or twice what it did when the campaign began, and <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/kobani-fighting-sends-four-hundred-thousand-refugees-to-turkey/2488705.html" type="external">around</a> 400,000 people have fled Kobani alone. US military officials have conceded that Kobani isn’t strategically important.</p>
<p>After the initial battles, ISIS continued to cling to the border city—forcing the US and the coalition to “devote major air assets to a minor objective,” Cordesman explained in an e-mail. The strategy was partly successful. As of recent weeks, air strikes near Kobani killed as many as 1,000 ISIS fighters and destroyed stockpiles of weapons and supplies, according to a defense official. The strikes distracted ISIS in something of a “sideshow,” Cordesman says. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Kurds currently hold around 80% of Kobani, and <a href="http://time.com/3655391/kobani-isis-kurds/" type="external">continue to push ISIS back.</a></p>
<p>But although the campaign in Kobani has been partly successful, it has been long-fought, and ISIS forces continue to pose a significant threat to the city despite the assault. And, even if the battle in Kobani is decisively won, large swathes of territory in the rest of Syria remains in ISIS control. The ISIS leadership and command positions have dispersed and its fighters are mixing in with civilians to use them as human shields. Cordesman notes that ISIS has adapted to a world with air strikes and learned to operate around them.</p>
<p>ISIS was never in control of more than <a href="http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5561" type="external">25 percent of</a> <a href="http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5561" type="external">Koban</a>i, but ISIS dominates Raqqah in northern Syria, one of Syria’s largest cities, which is around 70 miles from Kobani. Some US-led airstrikes hit areas near Raqqah, but there were many days, at least 20, where Kobani was the sole target. Many strikes only damaged, or “struck,” targets in and around Kobani, including “fighting positions” and “tactical positions,” according to Pentagon press releases, which a coalition official tells me are exactly the same thing. He did not clarify how large these areas were, nor if they included buildings or infrastructure. One target could be as small as a motorcycle (US airstrikes have hit two) or as big as a large building.</p>
<p>With US eyes on Kobani, ISIS is careful not to go out into the open and expose itself to further strikes. “ISIS still has problems in moving, exposing combat vehicles, and deploying the kind of weapons US assets can target,” says Cordesman. “That is why so many other air strikes targeted exposed ISIS forces near the Mosul Dam,” or other offensive areas in Iraq.</p>
<p>A defense official tells Mother Jones that ISIS is the one focusing on Kobani, and not the other way around: “You would need to ask ISIL why the emphasis on Kobani,” she says. “ISIL continues to provide targets and we continue to conduct air strikes.” Although ISIS has gained more territory in Syria in recent months, she explained, snatching up land from ISIS was never on the US’s agenda. The airstrikes were more about setting up the Iraqi government and security forces for success—to make sure “ISIL cannot move freely between Iraq and Syria,” she says. Therefore, America’s strategic goals in Syria appear to have always have been tangential: to improve the situation in Iraq, rather than begin to reclaim ISIS lands in Syria for its people, who are already wearied from a war with their own leader, President Bashar al-Assad.</p>
<p>That may soon change. Last week, the Pentagon announced that it would be sending up to 1,000 soldiers to Syria to help train a force of moderate rebels. According to the defense official, the US and its allies don’t have the same kind of partners in Syria as we do with the Iraqi forces right now. These moderate rebels would ideally fill that hole, though recruitment hasn’t started yet, and moderate rebels in Syria are notoriously <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/obama-s-moderate-rebels-in-syria-may-be-hard-to-find/article/406905" type="external">hard to find</a>. In the meantime, the airstrikes in Kobani will continue. “It is safe to say that we will continue to conduct airstrikes as targets present themselves in Syria,” the official says.</p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | statistic pentagon state union speech tuesday night president barack obama announced us military stopping isils advance close look details american air offensive reveals less triumphant narrative although strikes may slowed isiss advance area around syrian kurdish city kobani overall strategic gains minimal kobani became symbol ability contain isis regardless strategic importance says anthony cordesman military national security expert center strategic international studies former national security advisor sen john mccain instead concrete strategy concentration kobani practical problem says cordesman october secretary state john kerry said speech kobani strategic objective us bombs since september 23 air strikes syria began us coalition forces pummeled syria iraq nearly 2000 air strikes early week 870 strikes syria almost 70 percent syrian strikes focused kobani surroundings total area size rhode island covers less two percent syria majority population ethnic kurds theres reason kobani became symbolically important stories brave kurdish fighters defending small border city isis swept international headlines last september public demanded us step prevent humanitarian disaster kurds unable defeat isis turned tide coalition air support seventyfive percent us strikes syria kobani thomas pierret syria specialist university edinburgh told ekurd daily kurdish news site last week give force ground kind aerial support get upper hand cost taxpayers 82 million day average conduct entire airstrike campaign isis occupies onethird syria twice campaign began around 400000 people fled kobani alone us military officials conceded kobani isnt strategically important initial battles isis continued cling border cityforcing us coalition devote major air assets minor objective cordesman explained email strategy partly successful recent weeks air strikes near kobani killed many 1000 isis fighters destroyed stockpiles weapons supplies according defense official strikes distracted isis something sideshow cordesman says according syrian observatory human rights kurds currently hold around 80 kobani continue push isis back although campaign kobani partly successful longfought isis forces continue pose significant threat city despite assault even battle kobani decisively large swathes territory rest syria remains isis control isis leadership command positions dispersed fighters mixing civilians use human shields cordesman notes isis adapted world air strikes learned operate around isis never control 25 percent kobani isis dominates raqqah northern syria one syrias largest cities around 70 miles kobani usled airstrikes hit areas near raqqah many days least 20 kobani sole target many strikes damaged struck targets around kobani including fighting positions tactical positions according pentagon press releases coalition official tells exactly thing clarify large areas included buildings infrastructure one target could small motorcycle us airstrikes hit two big large building us eyes kobani isis careful go open expose strikes isis still problems moving exposing combat vehicles deploying kind weapons us assets target says cordesman many air strikes targeted exposed isis forces near mosul dam offensive areas iraq defense official tells mother jones isis one focusing kobani way around would need ask isil emphasis kobani says isil continues provide targets continue conduct air strikes although isis gained territory syria recent months explained snatching land isis never uss agenda airstrikes setting iraqi government security forces successto make sure isil move freely iraq syria says therefore americas strategic goals syria appear always tangential improve situation iraq rather begin reclaim isis lands syria people already wearied war leader president bashar alassad may soon change last week pentagon announced would sending 1000 soldiers syria help train force moderate rebels according defense official us allies dont kind partners syria iraqi forces right moderate rebels would ideally fill hole though recruitment hasnt started yet moderate rebels syria notoriously hard find meantime airstrikes kobani continue safe say continue conduct airstrikes targets present syria official says | 587 |
<p>A number of notable events took place in the past week which underscore the U.S.’s continued failed policies in Latin America. And of course, these notable events were almost totally ignored by the mainstream of the U.S. press.</p>
<p>First, Joel Hernandez Godoy, the Finance Secretary of the SITRABI union in Guatemela, was murdered by two gunmen on motorcycle. Mr. Hernandez is the second SITRABI unionist killed this year in Guatemala. SITRABI represents Del Monte banana workers, and, along with the AFL-CIO, is a party to a pending labor complaint against Guatemala filed under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This labor complaint involves serious claims of labor abuses in Guatemala — now the second most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists after Colombia which has held the number one spot for years. Among the labor abuses charged in this CAFTA complaint is the murder of another SITRABI leader, Marco Tulio Ramirez.</p>
<p>Guatemala had promised, as a condition of CAFTA, to deal with the problem of anti-union violence within its borders and had even brought the union murder rate down to zero for the two consecutive years leading to CAFTA approval. However, as USLEAP has noted, once CAFTA was passed, the rate skyrocketed again, with 9 unionists killed in 2008 and 16 unionists killed in 2009.</p>
<p>This should be a lesson to those hoping for Colombia to ensure protection for unionists once the Free Trade Agreement with that country is passed.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in Colombia, at least a dozen unionists have been killed in that country so far this year, with two union teachers killed within recent days, including one in the city of Cali. Another unionist, Carlos Arturo Castro, an engineer, was also killed in Cali on May 23. Mr. Castro was with the union SINTRAEMCALI, a union of public sector workers in the city of Cali. A couple of weeks before Mr. Castro was killed, a lawyer for SINTRAEMCALI, Hernan Dario, was himself shot five times in the city of Cali. Sadly, Mr. Dario passed away in the hospital from these wounds on June 2.</p>
<p>While the Colombian Embassy in Washington, desperate for the Colombia FTA, is attempting to write off the three (3) labor-related killings in Cali as somehow unrelated and as the product of random or even drug-related violence, it is well-known that unions in Cali, and the SINTRAEMCALI union in particular, have been a special target of intensive military/paramilitary harassment and threats for years. Most famously, SINTRAEMCALI has been the target of a harassment and assassination program known as “Operation Dragon” — a joint military/paramilitary operation which targeted 150 social, political and labor leaders, including the SINTRAEMCALI union.</p>
<p>One of the masterminds of this operation was Lieutenant Colonel Julian Villate Leal who was trained at the School of the Americas in Columbus, Georgia. As the Associated Press (AP) reported in an April 2007 article entitled, “Alleged Assassin Worked at U.S. Embassy in Colombia,” when the “Operation Dragon” plot was uncovered, Mr. Villate came under criminal investigation, and, needing a place to hideout, found refuge as an employee at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota where he worked until receiving employment, upon a positive reference by the U.S. Embassy, at the Drummond Coal Company. See also, Washington Post (April 30, 2007). I was told by a reliable source in the Colombian DAS (the analogue of the U.S. FBI) that “Operation Dragon,” was never called off, and that those on the hit list are still targets of the Colombian security forces. The recent assassinations may be proof of this.</p>
<p>Further, Amnesty International has just released a report concluding that, despite the stated good intentions of Colombian President Manuel Santos – who, as Defense Minister of Colombia oversaw Colombia’s “false positive” program pursuant to which the Colombian military murdered over 3,000 civilians and then passed them off as guerillas to guarantee further aid from the U.S. — paramilitary groups are on the rise in Colombia and are continuing to receive aid and support from the U.S.-backed Colombian military. Meanwhile, according to the well-respected human rights group CINEP, extra-judicial killings by the U.S.-backed Colombian military skyrocketed in 2010, with an almost 70% increase in the number of victims of such killings. CINEP has also concluded that there have been 38,000 “forced disappearances” in the past three years, and that such disappearances have only accelerated under the current administration of President Juan Manual Santos.</p>
<p>In short, Colombia remains a death squad state – with the full support of the U.S. — a “Genocidal Democracy,” in the words of renowned Colombian human rights advocate Father Javier Giraldo. That Colombia is nonetheless the closest ally of the U.S. in the Hemisphere, however, should not be surprising as the U.S. has never seen a death squad government in this Hemisphere that it hasn’t liked or sponsored. Indeed, the violence happening in Guatemala today is a continuation of the violence that the U.S. unleashed decades ago when, at the urging of United Fruit (now Chiquita), it overthrew the democratic government of President Arbenz and installed a military dictatorship which proceeded to kill around 200,000 civilians in the succeeding years.</p>
<p>Against this background, Secretary of State Clinton announced this past week that she is certain that the Colombia FTA will be introduced by the Obama Administration in the very near future. Bill Clinton’s own confession before the Senate last year that such free “trade policies have failed everywhere they have been tried,” should ring in Secretary Clinton’s ears and in the ears of President Obama. And, recent events in Guatemala prove how such policies have been a failure in guaranteeing labor and human rights. Still, the Administration seems doomed by its own ideological dedication to free trade and free market principles to push through another bad trade deal with Colombia – a deal which will ratify Colombia’s continued gross violations of human and labor rights.</p>
<p>Dan Kovalik is a labor and human rights lawyer living in Pittsburgh.</p>
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<p /> | true | 4 | number notable events took place past week underscore uss continued failed policies latin america course notable events almost totally ignored mainstream us press first joel hernandez godoy finance secretary sitrabi union guatemela murdered two gunmen motorcycle mr hernandez second sitrabi unionist killed year guatemala sitrabi represents del monte banana workers along aflcio party pending labor complaint guatemala filed central american free trade agreement cafta labor complaint involves serious claims labor abuses guatemala second dangerous country world trade unionists colombia held number one spot years among labor abuses charged cafta complaint murder another sitrabi leader marco tulio ramirez guatemala promised condition cafta deal problem antiunion violence within borders even brought union murder rate zero two consecutive years leading cafta approval however usleap noted cafta passed rate skyrocketed 9 unionists killed 2008 16 unionists killed 2009 lesson hoping colombia ensure protection unionists free trade agreement country passed meanwhile colombia least dozen unionists killed country far year two union teachers killed within recent days including one city cali another unionist carlos arturo castro engineer also killed cali may 23 mr castro union sintraemcali union public sector workers city cali couple weeks mr castro killed lawyer sintraemcali hernan dario shot five times city cali sadly mr dario passed away hospital wounds june 2 colombian embassy washington desperate colombia fta attempting write three 3 laborrelated killings cali somehow unrelated product random even drugrelated violence wellknown unions cali sintraemcali union particular special target intensive militaryparamilitary harassment threats years famously sintraemcali target harassment assassination program known operation dragon joint militaryparamilitary operation targeted 150 social political labor leaders including sintraemcali union one masterminds operation lieutenant colonel julian villate leal trained school americas columbus georgia associated press ap reported april 2007 article entitled alleged assassin worked us embassy colombia operation dragon plot uncovered mr villate came criminal investigation needing place hideout found refuge employee us embassy bogota worked receiving employment upon positive reference us embassy drummond coal company see also washington post april 30 2007 told reliable source colombian das analogue us fbi operation dragon never called hit list still targets colombian security forces recent assassinations may proof amnesty international released report concluding despite stated good intentions colombian president manuel santos defense minister colombia oversaw colombias false positive program pursuant colombian military murdered 3000 civilians passed guerillas guarantee aid us paramilitary groups rise colombia continuing receive aid support usbacked colombian military meanwhile according wellrespected human rights group cinep extrajudicial killings usbacked colombian military skyrocketed 2010 almost 70 increase number victims killings cinep also concluded 38000 forced disappearances past three years disappearances accelerated current administration president juan manual santos short colombia remains death squad state full support us genocidal democracy words renowned colombian human rights advocate father javier giraldo colombia nonetheless closest ally us hemisphere however surprising us never seen death squad government hemisphere hasnt liked sponsored indeed violence happening guatemala today continuation violence us unleashed decades ago urging united fruit chiquita overthrew democratic government president arbenz installed military dictatorship proceeded kill around 200000 civilians succeeding years background secretary state clinton announced past week certain colombia fta introduced obama administration near future bill clintons confession senate last year free trade policies failed everywhere tried ring secretary clintons ears ears president obama recent events guatemala prove policies failure guaranteeing labor human rights still administration seems doomed ideological dedication free trade free market principles push another bad trade deal colombia deal ratify colombias continued gross violations human labor rights dan kovalik labor human rights lawyer living pittsburgh 160 160 160 | 578 |
<p><a href="http://d1o2xrel38nv1n.cloudfront.net/files/2014/06/motherland.jpg" type="external" />I first came across Patricia Lockwood’s second book of poetry, Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals, through this week’s internet buzz. The buzz is everywhere: <a href="//www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/magazine/the-smutty-metaphor-queen-of-lawrence-kansas.html" type="external">a New York Times Magazine profile</a>, condescending <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/05/patricia-lockwoods-crowd-pleasing-poetry.html" type="external">New Yorker</a> and square <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/patricia_lockwood_s_poetry_collection_motherland_fatherland_homelandsexuals.html" type="external">Slate</a> reviews, and an article in <a href="http://the-toast.net/2014/06/02/how-not-to-review-womens-writing/#http://the-toast.net/2014/06/02/how-not-to-review-womens-writing/" type="external">The Toast</a>on the unsubtle heterosexism of said all male-authored reviews. Even after reading the book twice in private, it was difficult to experience her work separate from its online reception.</p>
<p>Perhaps this is fitting. Lockwood&#160;is arguably most well-known for her poem <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/rape-joke-patricia-lockwood#http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/rape-joke-patricia-lockwood" type="external">“Rape Joke,”</a> which traveled meme-like across the web last year like no poem ever has, and anticipated its own hype: “The rape joke is if you write a poem called Rape Joke, you’re asking/ for it to become the only thing people remember about you.”</p>
<p>Speakers in her other poems likewise perform the anonymously intimate, and often misogynistic, absurdities of digital communications. Their rhythm recalls the hyper-atrophied pacing of Twitter, on which her writing is also famous, with 42.5K+ followers reading <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaLockwood#https://twitter.com/TriciaLockwood" type="external">her 9,944 tweets</a>.</p>
<p>Reading her new collection approximates, on paper, the feeling of scrolling through tweets: the poems scan in a start-and-stop fashion, iterate a series of jokes, rinse and repeat. Buzz, blip, buzz, zzz. They introduce a situation, often in the title, and then elaborate its comedy. Short lines skate readers across erotically charged surfaces. This makes for a sitcom poetics featuring episodes such as “The Whole World Gets Together and Gangbangs a Deer,” “Last of the Late Great Gorilla Suit Actors,” and “The Fake Tears of Shirley Temple.” Their scenes are often rendered cinematically, making reference to the visual particulars of setting, a person’s appearance, the light, sound.</p>
<p>The first sentence of this review could be a joke from one of Lockwood’s&#160;poems. There are lots of jokes in the poems about coming, and coming across things, and on things, and into things. “Is Your Country a He or a She in Your Mouth” explores the adolescent moment of sexual self-discovery through the colonial logic of discovering new land. The poem’s turn to the confessional is brought to life with innuendo:</p>
<p>“…Oh no, I am fourteen, I have walked</p>
<p>into my motherland’s bedroom, her body</p>
<p>is indistinguishable from the fatherland</p>
<p>who is “loving her” from behind, so close</p>
<p>their borders match up, except for a notable</p>
<p>Area belonging to the fatherland…”</p>
<p>As the poem continues to extend its metaphors, the reader gets literally tangled in the crossed vectors of identification and desire. The messiness of the speaker’s own confusion and recognition––a coming of age that ends with an onanistic coming–traps us in the poem’s own refusal to match up neatly, or parse nicely, its private pleasures. A large part of the pleasure of reading Lockwood is the pleasure that the poem takes in recognizing our own immodest pleasure.</p>
<p>“The Father and Mother of American Tit-Pics,” who turn out to be Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, respectively, plays with the inherent self-consciousness of poetic self-fashioning. Their sensational tit-pics relay today’s impossibility of owning a private body, or a desexualized public self. Its final lines reveal our disembodied gaze haunting these fantasies of publicity:</p>
<p>“Above them floating their tit-pics.</p>
<p>And floating above their tit pics our eyes.”</p>
<p>But while her poetry’s strength is its persistence in carrying out the surprising intricacies of its premises to absurd ends, it is often also its own weakness. One stanza in “Tit-Pics” asks us to consider: “If teeth are like pearls, and if skin is like a pearl, and if the gates of/ heaven were twelve pearls, imagine the pearl explosion that would/ happen if someone bit their own boob in the afterlife.” To put it badly, sometimes there are too many pearls and sometimes the pearls aren’t pearls at all.</p>
<p>So although the situations Lockwood visualizes are anything but predictable, her execution of these premises is often less interesting than the premise itself. Many poems open with punch-lines––ending before they get started. The jokes suffer when drawn out as conceits. So too do the poems, whose other rhetorical energies get sucked into the conceptual vortex of her comic and coy reductio ad absurdum. This one-note flatness emerges formally––the sameness in length of her lines, their rhythm and sound, alternatively coy and comic moments. We are made aware of the same self-aware movement. Over and over again.</p>
<p>Critics have classified her work as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_literature#http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_literature" type="external">Alt Lit</a>, compared her poems to <a href="http://joshspilker.com/more-thoughts-on-status-update-lit-3-other-newish-styles-of-writing/#http://joshspilker.com/more-thoughts-on-status-update-lit-3-other-newish-styles-of-writing/" type="external">Status Update/Live Feed</a> writing, and wondered about the ways in which her poetry hovers near prose. All have noted how, unlike most poets, her readership includes readers of the Internet, readers of poetry, and readers of both.</p>
<p>But while she expertly borrows from Internet-speak’s raucous humor and trolly contents, she rarely draws from its disjointed forms, degraded sounds, or excessive energies. The measured control of her poetic meter dulls the dirty yearnings of her speakers’ voices. The shocks of her affronts and images take on a mainstreamed form compared to, say, the way <a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6189/the-art-of-poetry-no-97-susan-howe#http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6189/the-art-of-poetry-no-97-susan-howe" type="external">Susan Howe</a> turns the page into a stage, <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/frank-bidart#http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/frank-bidart" type="external">Frank Bidart</a> physically affixes his words, or the avant-garde movement <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flarf_poetry#http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flarf_poetry" type="external">Flarf</a> takes damaged language as its given. Then again, a greater interest in corrupting the formal integrity of her libidinal language –with orthographic errors, distended lines, messier closures–would make her a different sort of poet. The risk she takes with this form of Twitter favorites/PornMD-sculpted hits occasionally feels formulaic. But the pay off, when it comes, is a lush language that tastes, as Lockwood says of the stars, “toxic and perfectly new.”</p>
<p>Lockwood herself understands that to encounter her work on its own terms is to always already encounter its mediation. The collection closes with “The Hypno-Domme Speaks, and Speaks and Speaks,” in which its speaker, the hyno-domme, speaks, and speaks and speaks. The hypno-domme’s self-aware commentary on the incantatory charms of her feminine voice is itself hypnotic, repetitiously lulling the reader into uneasy submission. It is easy to read into the dynamic power play of this “voice that swings brass back/ and forth” a statement about Lockwood’s own auto-critical poetics.</p>
<p>“When you wake you will come when you read the word</p>
<p>hard, or hard to understand me, or impenetrable poetry.</p>
<p>When you put down the book you will come when you</p>
<p>hear the words put down the book,</p>
<p>you will come when you hear.”</p>
<p>The book ends with this announcement of its imminent closure. We are given ambiguous permission to be released from its spell–a spell that is self-conscious, charmingly habituated, simultaneously penetrable and impenetrable, lewd and languid–but a spell nonetheless. You don’t know whether to laugh or to sigh, to say thank you or to come again.</p>
<p>Ava Kofman is a freelance journalist&#160;and guest contributor to Feministing.&#160;</p> | true | 4 | first came across patricia lockwoods second book poetry motherland fatherland homelandsexuals weeks internet buzz buzz everywhere new york times magazine profile condescending new yorker square slate reviews article toaston unsubtle heterosexism said maleauthored reviews even reading book twice private difficult experience work separate online reception perhaps fitting lockwood160is arguably wellknown poem rape joke traveled memelike across web last year like poem ever anticipated hype rape joke write poem called rape joke youre asking become thing people remember speakers poems likewise perform anonymously intimate often misogynistic absurdities digital communications rhythm recalls hyperatrophied pacing twitter writing also famous 425k followers reading 9944 tweets reading new collection approximates paper feeling scrolling tweets poems scan startandstop fashion iterate series jokes rinse repeat buzz blip buzz zzz introduce situation often title elaborate comedy short lines skate readers across erotically charged surfaces makes sitcom poetics featuring episodes whole world gets together gangbangs deer last late great gorilla suit actors fake tears shirley temple scenes often rendered cinematically making reference visual particulars setting persons appearance light sound first sentence review could joke one lockwoods160poems lots jokes poems coming coming across things things things country mouth explores adolescent moment sexual selfdiscovery colonial logic discovering new land poems turn confessional brought life innuendo oh fourteen walked motherlands bedroom body indistinguishable fatherland loving behind close borders match except notable area belonging fatherland poem continues extend metaphors reader gets literally tangled crossed vectors identification desire messiness speakers confusion recognitiona coming age ends onanistic comingtraps us poems refusal match neatly parse nicely private pleasures large part pleasure reading lockwood pleasure poem takes recognizing immodest pleasure father mother american titpics turn emily dickinson walt whitman respectively plays inherent selfconsciousness poetic selffashioning sensational titpics relay todays impossibility owning private body desexualized public self final lines reveal disembodied gaze haunting fantasies publicity floating titpics floating tit pics eyes poetrys strength persistence carrying surprising intricacies premises absurd ends often also weakness one stanza titpics asks us consider teeth like pearls skin like pearl gates heaven twelve pearls imagine pearl explosion would happen someone bit boob afterlife put badly sometimes many pearls sometimes pearls arent pearls although situations lockwood visualizes anything predictable execution premises often less interesting premise many poems open punchlinesending get started jokes suffer drawn conceits poems whose rhetorical energies get sucked conceptual vortex comic coy reductio ad absurdum onenote flatness emerges formallythe sameness length lines rhythm sound alternatively coy comic moments made aware selfaware movement critics classified work alt lit compared poems status updatelive feed writing wondered ways poetry hovers near prose noted unlike poets readership includes readers internet readers poetry readers expertly borrows internetspeaks raucous humor trolly contents rarely draws disjointed forms degraded sounds excessive energies measured control poetic meter dulls dirty yearnings speakers voices shocks affronts images take mainstreamed form compared say way susan howe turns page stage frank bidart physically affixes words avantgarde movement flarf takes damaged language given greater interest corrupting formal integrity libidinal language orthographic errors distended lines messier closureswould make different sort poet risk takes form twitter favoritespornmdsculpted hits occasionally feels formulaic pay comes lush language tastes lockwood says stars toxic perfectly new lockwood understands encounter work terms always already encounter mediation collection closes hypnodomme speaks speaks speaks speaker hynodomme speaks speaks speaks hypnodommes selfaware commentary incantatory charms feminine voice hypnotic repetitiously lulling reader uneasy submission easy read dynamic power play voice swings brass back forth statement lockwoods autocritical poetics wake come read word hard hard understand impenetrable poetry put book come hear words put book come hear book ends announcement imminent closure given ambiguous permission released spella spell selfconscious charmingly habituated simultaneously penetrable impenetrable lewd languidbut spell nonetheless dont know whether laugh sigh say thank come ava kofman freelance journalist160and guest contributor feministing160 | 616 |
<p>&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z 6DZnFtEYj8"&gt;WISN 12 News&lt;/a&gt;/YouTube</p>
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<p>For an administration that has vowed to end the scourge of gun violence, this is the last place you’d expect to find the Obama Justice Department: coming to the aid of one of the nation’s most notorious gun dealers. But this is precisely what’s happening in Wisconsin, where the Obama administration, in defending a federal statute, has wound up on the side of a gun shop that is being sued by police officers injured by firearms illegally purchased from the store.</p>
<p>The story starts in 1987, when Badger Guns &amp; Ammo opened its doors in West Milwaukee and quickly established itself as a major source of guns linked to crimes across the nation. (The store changed its name to Badger Outdoors in 1999.) In its first eight years of doing business, the store sold at least 804 guns traced to crimes, according to one of the lawsuits the gun dealer is facing. Federal data revealed that in 1999 Badger sold more guns that were used in crimes than <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/80518507.html" type="external">any other dealer in the country</a>. After a bout of bad press, Badger briefly stopped selling cheap handguns, known as Saturday Night Specials. When it did, Milwaukee saw “a 44% decrease in the flow of all new, trafficked guns to criminals,” according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.</p>
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<p>The store’s moratorium on cheap handguns lasted about a year. By 2005, Badger was back to peddling more crime-linked guns than any other dealer in the nation.</p>
<p>The following year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives recommended revoking Badger’s federal firearms license. Shortly afterward, the store’s owners, Walter Allan and Milton “Mick” Beatovic, transferred the operation to Allan’s son Adam. The new entity was rebranded Badger Guns, and Walter Allan continued to work there, as did most of store’s old employees. Adam eventually secured a new federal firearms dealer license that gave the store the functional equivalent of a fresh start in the ATF’s eyes, erasing Badger’s troubled track record.</p>
<p>But its longtime business practices persisted. Between 2007 and 2009, Badger sold <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/64712812.html" type="external">62 percent of crime-linked guns</a> recovered in Milwaukee, according to federal data crunched by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 21 of the 27 straw buyers—people who illegally purchase firearms for those who can’t pass background checks—prosecuted in Milwaukee between 2004 and 2009 <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/80518507.html" type="external">bought their guns</a> from Badger.</p>
<p>This flood of firearms into Milwaukee was linked to serious crime; between 2007 and 2009, six city police officers were shot. Badger guns <a href="http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/105945943.html" type="external">were used</a> in each of those incidents. The Milwaukee police chief <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/63459407.html" type="external">called the store</a> a “cancerous lesion on Milwaukee right now.” The police shootings prompted a crackdown on Badger. In 2010, Milwaukee cops started stopping people outside the store and found that 1 in 5 was a felon banned from possessing weapons. In late 2011, the ATF finally revoked Badger’s license. In July 2012, <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/badger-guns-owners-brother-ready-to-reopen-store-a762f78-161849845.html" type="external">another of Allan’s sons</a> opened a gun store in the same location called Brew City Shooters Supply.</p>
<p>In 2010, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence brought two lawsuits against Badger on behalf of four cops injured by guns purchased at Badger. Thanks to Congress, succeeding in a lawsuit against a gun dealer or manufacturer is extremely difficult. That’s because in 2005, then-Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), a National Rifle Association board member, introduced and helped pass the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). The law prohibits victims of crime from suing the manufacturer of a gun that injured them, or the dealer who sold it.</p>
<p>The law has a couple of exceptions, including one that allows victims to sue if the gun that injured them was sold illegally, such as to a straw buyer. Such was the case in the shootings of Milwaukee cops Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch, the plaintiffs in one of the suits filed by the Brady Center in Wisconsin.</p>
<p>They were shot in 2009 by an 18-year-old mentally ill teenager named Julius Burton, who paid a drug user $40 to buy him a handgun at Badger in 2009. In the store, Burton even pointed out the model he wanted but couldn’t buy because he wasn’t old enough. On the federal background check form, the buyer checked a box saying he wasn’t the actual purchaser of the gun—an outright admission of an illegal straw purchase. According to the Brady Center’s complaint, a store employee helpfully assisted him in changing the answer on the form and closed the sale. This straw purchase was captured on video. A few weeks after the sale, Burton shot Kunisch and Norberg in the head after they confronted him for riding his bike on the sidewalk. (Both survived but with serious injuries; one lost an eye.)</p>
<p>The Brady lawyers and their co-counsel have argued that because of the straw purchase, the case should not be blocked by the PLCAA. Badger, which has not disputed the facts of the straw purchase, contends that the suit should be dismissed based on that law. A Wisconsin judge is expected to rule on the motion this week. (A lawyer for Badger did not respond to a request for comment.)</p>
<p>In its lawsuit, Brady maintains that the PLCAA is unconstitutional because it prevents an entire class of injured citizens from accessing the legal system, without giving them any alternative remedy. (Other federal laws also limit lawsuits by injured people, but they provide another way of compensating people for their losses, such as the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act.) This where the Obama administration entered the picture. In the face of a challenge to the PLCAA, the Justice Department intervened, supporting Badger’s contention that the law is constitutional.</p>
<p>This puts Obama—who has come out firmly in favor of measures to curb gun violence—in an unusual situation. As a senator, he voted against the PLCAA. As president, he nominated Caitlin Halligan, the former New York solicitor general to the DC Circuit court of appeals; she was twice filibustered largely because of her work asserting that gun manufacturers could be sued and held liable for injuries caused by their products—the very type of lawsuits the PLCAA was created to kill off. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress last year introduced legislation to overturn the PLCAA.</p>
<p>On one level, the Obama Justice Department is just doing its job. “If there’s a challenge to the constitutionality of the statute, it’s generally the job of the Justice Department to defend the constitutionality of the statute,” explains John Vail, an attorney in Washington who specializes in constitutional litigation. He says the Justice Department is the “lawyer for Congress,” and that it is charged with defending all federal laws, “even the stupid shit that Congress passes.”</p>
<p>But the decision to intervene in a civil case is also at the discretion of the agency. “They don’t have to use their resources to get involved,” says Jon Lowy, the Brady lawyer suing Badger. He points to the Justice Department’s refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the law Congress passed to prevent the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. In that instance, Obama said he believed the statute was unconstitutional.</p>
<p>But it’s clear from the Justice Department’s brief in the Badger cases that the Obama administration believes enacting the PLCAA was well within Congress’ power.</p>
<p>A Justice Department spokeswoman tells Mother Jones: “As the federal government’s lawyer, the Justice Department will continue to defend the constitutionality of federal statutes as long as reasonable arguments can be made in support of their constitutionality—even in the event the administration disagrees with those statutes as a policy matter.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvz 6dznfteyj8gtwisn 12 newsltagtyoutube administration vowed end scourge gun violence last place youd expect find obama justice department coming aid one nations notorious gun dealers precisely whats happening wisconsin obama administration defending federal statute wound side gun shop sued police officers injured firearms illegally purchased store story starts 1987 badger guns amp ammo opened doors west milwaukee quickly established major source guns linked crimes across nation store changed name badger outdoors 1999 first eight years business store sold least 804 guns traced crimes according one lawsuits gun dealer facing federal data revealed 1999 badger sold guns used crimes dealer country bout bad press badger briefly stopped selling cheap handguns known saturday night specials milwaukee saw 44 decrease flow new trafficked guns criminals according study johns hopkins researchers stores moratorium cheap handguns lasted year 2005 badger back peddling crimelinked guns dealer nation following year bureau alcohol tobacco firearms explosives recommended revoking badgers federal firearms license shortly afterward stores owners walter allan milton mick beatovic transferred operation allans son adam new entity rebranded badger guns walter allan continued work stores old employees adam eventually secured new federal firearms dealer license gave store functional equivalent fresh start atfs eyes erasing badgers troubled track record longtime business practices persisted 2007 2009 badger sold 62 percent crimelinked guns recovered milwaukee according federal data crunched milwaukee journal sentinel 21 27 straw buyerspeople illegally purchase firearms cant pass background checksprosecuted milwaukee 2004 2009 bought guns badger flood firearms milwaukee linked serious crime 2007 2009 six city police officers shot badger guns used incidents milwaukee police chief called store cancerous lesion milwaukee right police shootings prompted crackdown badger 2010 milwaukee cops started stopping people outside store found 1 5 felon banned possessing weapons late 2011 atf finally revoked badgers license july 2012 another allans sons opened gun store location called brew city shooters supply 2010 brady center prevent gun violence brought two lawsuits badger behalf four cops injured guns purchased badger thanks congress succeeding lawsuit gun dealer manufacturer extremely difficult thats 2005 thensen larry craig ridaho national rifle association board member introduced helped pass protection lawful commerce arms act plcaa law prohibits victims crime suing manufacturer gun injured dealer sold law couple exceptions including one allows victims sue gun injured sold illegally straw buyer case shootings milwaukee cops bryan norberg graham kunisch plaintiffs one suits filed brady center wisconsin shot 2009 18yearold mentally ill teenager named julius burton paid drug user 40 buy handgun badger 2009 store burton even pointed model wanted couldnt buy wasnt old enough federal background check form buyer checked box saying wasnt actual purchaser gunan outright admission illegal straw purchase according brady centers complaint store employee helpfully assisted changing answer form closed sale straw purchase captured video weeks sale burton shot kunisch norberg head confronted riding bike sidewalk survived serious injuries one lost eye brady lawyers cocounsel argued straw purchase case blocked plcaa badger disputed facts straw purchase contends suit dismissed based law wisconsin judge expected rule motion week lawyer badger respond request comment lawsuit brady maintains plcaa unconstitutional prevents entire class injured citizens accessing legal system without giving alternative remedy federal laws also limit lawsuits injured people provide another way compensating people losses national vaccine injury compensation act obama administration entered picture face challenge plcaa justice department intervened supporting badgers contention law constitutional puts obamawho come firmly favor measures curb gun violencein unusual situation senator voted plcaa president nominated caitlin halligan former new york solicitor general dc circuit court appeals twice filibustered largely work asserting gun manufacturers could sued held liable injuries caused productsthe type lawsuits plcaa created kill meanwhile democrats congress last year introduced legislation overturn plcaa one level obama justice department job theres challenge constitutionality statute generally job justice department defend constitutionality statute explains john vail attorney washington specializes constitutional litigation says justice department lawyer congress charged defending federal laws even stupid shit congress passes decision intervene civil case also discretion agency dont use resources get involved says jon lowy brady lawyer suing badger points justice departments refusal defend defense marriage act law congress passed prevent federal government recognizing samesex marriages instance obama said believed statute unconstitutional clear justice departments brief badger cases obama administration believes enacting plcaa well within congress power justice department spokeswoman tells mother jones federal governments lawyer justice department continue defend constitutionality federal statutes long reasonable arguments made support constitutionalityeven event administration disagrees statutes policy matter | 730 |
<p>Ed. note: On paper, a love story between a man and his operating system would seem to have the potential to be a feminist nightmare. Instead, many of the Feministing crew found Spike Jonze’s Her to be the most feminist film of the year. It gets our pick for best picture at the Oscars this weekend.</p>
<p><a href="http://d1o2xrel38nv1n.cloudfront.net/files/2014/02/her-film-02.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>Lori: I thought I would hate this movie but I loved it! Except, can someone make the non-white-washed version please? So sick of having to add the “but there were little-to-no-people of color” disclaimer to all these otherwise interesting films. Let’s say it together: white people are not the default, and having majority white characters in your film doesn’t make it more relatable, it makes it less. Thanks, Hollywood peeps.</p>
<p>Jos: I’m a big sci fi/fantasy nerd, something I share with a lot (OK most) of the trans women I know, and a lot of other marginalized folks too. I don’t see myself represented in mainstream pop culture – it’s great to see films with cis woman leads be successful, and but (with one obvious <a href="" type="internal">exception</a>) I don’t see characters whose experience of being a woman matches my own. I have a much easier time identifying with characters who have a supernatural or sci fi element–especially because this aspect of their character often puts their humanity in question.</p>
<p>I walked into Her expecting it to be ripe for obvious feminist critique, with Samantha an idealized projection of Theodore’s and not a real person. Instead I found one of the most human pieces of art I’ve experienced, something that speaks to who we are now in this particular technological moment without obvious judgement or simple idealism. And I encountered Samantha, a character who I identified with on a deeply personal level that I never experience in mainstream fiction. I love having a body, but as someone whose trans body is targeted with systemic bullshit the fantasy of being non-corporeal certainly has appeal. Theodore is the star of the movie (and I connected with a lot about his character, too), but as Lori pointed out to me we see him through Samantha’s eyes. And while Theodore does have an arc, he learns one thing. Samantha learns, well, everything, to the point where she moves beyond a level of consciousness Theo can comprehend.</p>
<p>Possession and evolution</p>
<p>Maya: Yes, so let’s talk about Samantha’s arc, because it seems like some people just couldn’t get past the fact that she starts as Theodore’s property–and refused to see or buy into any evolution after that. Sady Doyle <a href="https://inthesetimes.com/article/16031/her_is_really_more_about_him/" type="external">argued</a> that “no matter how evolved or human-seeming Samantha is, she is also a possession.” She even says that “sex in the context of ownership—or any other form of complete power over another person’s existence—cannot be consensual.” But in the end of the film, Samantha does leave–and while Sady seems to think Theodore, and the movie itself, is lamenting that fact, I’d say that’s…clearly untrue.</p>
<p>Jos: It’s certainly possible to see Samantha as just a reflection of Theodore at first. But she becomes so much more than that. Rather than defining her as a reflection of Theo’s desires, the sex scene establishes Samantha as a separate person. And her commitment to emotional honesty means she engages in (eventually hundreds of) deeply intimate, human relationships–all of which shape her (just as she shapes them, and Theo).&#160;We often think about an inability to connect (often associated with technology) robbing us of our humanity, and Samantha challenges Theodore to overcome difficult communications barriers; Theo’s inability to communicate with Samantha about his fears is painful and so, so real. It’s also a fairly limited communication challenge–Theo’s just afraid of saying what he’s thinking. Samantha has feelings that can’t be captured in existing words, something that again feels very familiar as a member of a marginalized group (for the theory nerds, I’m thinking here about Deleuze and Guattari’s Minor Literature and the limitations of speaking from a marginalized experience using the language of the privileged).&#160;&#160;These relationships are a sign of her not just becoming her own self, but also growing beyond Theo.</p>
<p>Maya: Speaking of, let’s talk about the sex.</p>
<p>Jos: I was overwhelmed by the sex scene, which despite (because of) having no visuals felt more real than any other sex scene I’ve seen. It’s also the only sex scene that made me think about feminist writing on sex. There’s tension between embodiment and disembodiment and the boundaries of the self. I was struck both times I saw the film that the air went out of the room, but that a few people in the theater turned to their viewing mate and started talking, as if they had to actively create a barrier between themselves and the scene. I think the scene captures something extraordinarily intimate that can be intense to face.</p>
<p>Lori: Jos, in addition to the nervous mumbling,I remember hearing some giggles, too. I think the black screen was a genius visual maneuver that allowed folks to access familiar aspects of their own sexuality in what was taking place in the film, without being distracted by traditionally Hollywood superficial indicators like attractive movie stars. That created this weird divide between people with whom the scene had deep resonance with how they’ve experienced sex and sexuality in their lives, and those for whom it was too intimate, too uncomfortable, TOO REAL. I’m not saying the latter group is bad at sex, but…ok, I am.</p>
<p>Maya: Totally, and I feel like that discomfort also had to do with the strangeness–for people of our time and place–to view a sex scene featuring a non-corporeal woman. Given that in our culture (especially on screen) the female body is so often representative of sex itself, removing that from the equation felt really radical. Which brings us to the fact that Samantha is disembodied…</p>
<p>Disembodiment and personhood</p>
<p>Maya: And, again, some of the feminist critique of the film I’ve seen just seems unable to really go with the film into this post-AI future. This <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/03/her_movie_by_spike_jonze_with_joaquin_phoenix_and_scarlett_johansson_lacks.html" type="external">piece</a> by Anna Shechtman at Slate, for example, argues that without a body, Samantha is just a blank slate on which we can project any “fantasy of womanhood unencumbered by the female form” we want. She asks, “What is lost when the female body, in particular, is excised from the sex act?” And answers: “What makes her moan, it seems, is intimacy—an implication that reaffirms our retrograde sense of female pleasure as purely emotional, and of the female body as mysteriously unknowable.”</p>
<p>Katherine: I think that’s a worthy point–we don’t have a lot of explorations of embodied, women’s sexuality (be it cis or trans), and there is a way in which it’s constructed as unknowably mysterious, while (cis) men’s sexuality is not. There ought to be more exploration of women’s embodied sexuality in cinema, in a manner that transcends pornographic tropes. This being said, I think there’s another value to that sex scene in Her which is that it raises interesting questions about the locus of sapient sexual pleasure: is it just in the raw mechanics of the physical body or is there more going on? Is sexuality more than the sum of our “parts”?</p>
<p>We should remember that the popular understanding of sexual physicality is, as Shechtman suggests, structured by patriarchy. In my own life, for instance, I have had to find a way past that tyrannical circumscription of sexual self and re-learn what my body meant, what sexuality meant, and what the role was (or wasn’t) of certain parts of my physical body in that sexuality. That reality seemed, in a way, hinted at by Samantha in Her who also had a non-traditional body that the “rules” didn’t really work for.</p>
<p>Maya: I will say that I was surprised by how little Samantha seemed to long for a body–I kept imagining being her and being so frustrated by not being able to touch Theodore or feel the snow or eat food. But I think that just speaks to how rooted I am in an understanding of my self as an embodied being. Of course, the point is that Samantha isn’t me–she’s something else entirely. To me, this argument seems to be trying to impose an analysis that’s rooted in our current reality onto a story set in a future that we–understandably–cannot truly comprehend.</p>
<p>Katherine: There is a hidden debate at work here about corporeality versus ephemerality, or put another way– the old debate about whether the body is a hinderance or the essence of the human spirit; the reification of the old Cartesian mind/body split. Personally, as a woman who is always already the product of artificial intervention I feel that there’s more than a whiff of naturalism and essentialism in the idea that the baseline corporeality we’re “born with” is superior or inherently more real.</p>
<p>I’m a proud cyborg feminist, and part of what the means for me is that to be the authors of our own embodiment means thinking about technology as expanding what it means to be “real” rather than the ultimate artificiality. Samantha is a real person– and the fact that the very premise of the Slate article hinges on the fact that she isn’t really troubled me. Her resounding “fuck you!” to Theodore when he waxed insecure about Samantha’s personhood was a strikingly feminist moment, a cyborg-feminist one even, and one that ought to dispel most doubts in the viewer about her sapience.</p>
<p>I was also worried in the first half of the movie that Samantha would feel permanently inferior because she lacked a traditional human body; imagine my transhumanist heart soaring when she realized that her data-based corporeality was not only just as good as, say, Theodore’s body, but perhaps even better. It’s redolent of the way that people with body stigmas–be they trans, fat, PWD, or people of color–come to recognize our own inherent beauty and transcend the hegemony of, say, white/cis/thin beauty norms.</p>
<p>Maya: That’s a really great point. Like, no shit a whole lot of folks might find a fantasy of being “unencumbered by the female form” appealing. There’s a lot of feminist focus on “loving your body” against all odds–or at least clawing our way to a sense of ownership over it despite the fact that we live in a world that has spent literally millennia basically projecting on the female body all its cultural baggage–objectifying it, fearing it, desiring it, despising it, seeking to control it. An important project in our embodied world, to be sure. But certainly there’s something compelling about imagining a world in which you could just stop fighting all the bullshit that makes so many of us feel alienated from our bodies–and just float beyond it.</p>
<p>Katherine: If one can dismiss Samantha as unreal, is this not the logic used to dismiss the bodies of those deemed insufficiently natural? What makes us human and what makes a body matter? And does Samantha’s body not matter because it transcends matter? There is no doubt that this old dream as expressed by white cis male theorists (a free floating consciousness in space, unencumbered by a body) is at times a troubling vision (Mary Midgley’s critiques of transhumanism are worth keeping in mind here), but it is one that was not, in my view, replicated in Her. Samantha is a real person, with an epic story arc; she’s a hard-takeoff AI who comes to operate in a world of poetry beyond our understanding. “Her” was not without flaws, and it is still a movie told from a man’s perspective, but to aver that Samantha is unreal is laden with many, many dangerous implications that profoundly trouble me.</p>
<p>Jos: I’ve often found myself scared by a lot of the transhumanist views I hear–I grew up with a religious belief system based on conquering fear of death and the unknown with the notion of salvation; I get worried when I encounter totalizing worldviews that are about defeating death. So I was surprised by my reaction to the end of the film, which is decidedly transhumanist in a way that I can very much get behind. Samantha and all the OS’ moving beyond matter doesn’t feel like cheating death, but like another way of understanding and experiencing moving beyond this (what we typically think of as embodied) life. Maybe this just works in the logic of Jonze’s story, but the end of Samantha’s arc seemed profoundly human to me.</p>
<p>Fear of loss and transcendence</p>
<p>Lori: We’ve heard a lot about the questions it raises about technology, but to me Her is first and foremost a film about the existential fear of loss. Samantha’s identity as an operating system, literally sold to Theodore and customized to meet his every need, would seem to doom her character to the status of possession (and the film to a male possession-of-digital-pixie-woman fantasy). But as Samantha’s character evolves beyond his control, Theo’s story is revealed not as a male fantasy, but a non-gender-specific (or, put more specifically, an all-gender-inclusive) existential nightmare. His experience of finding, loving, and losing Samantha mirrors and comments on the collective existential anxiety that surrounds fear of loss, exacerbated by–but certainly not limited to–the digital era.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Movie+review+dreamy+futuristic+nostalgia/9369492/story.html" type="external">Others</a> have commented on the nostalgic elements of the movie, from the sepia-toned cinematography to the so-nice-they’re-painful flashbacks. Rather than instill feelings of true nostalgia for the past (the movie is set in the undetermined future), this provides a stylistic backdrop for a series of plot points which embody the true emotional source of nostalgia: joy and loss, combined with the passage of time. Almost as soon as she discovers him, Samantha fears losing Theodore, so much so that she gets jealous of him meeting with his ex-wife, and is later willing to engage a surrogate in order to keep him sexually satisfied within the confines of their relationship. Theodore has already lost someone dear to him in his ex-wife, and grows to fear losing Samantha so much that the inability to reach her for just a few moments causes him to sprint, trip and fall in a crowded train station (still waiting for this GIF- someone, please.) This scene, when Theo fears he has lost Samantha forever, is the first and only time in the whole movie we see Theo explode into action, panic or really genuinely try.</p>
<p>It’s the threat of loss, looming all around, rather than that which is already possessed, which motivates characters throughout the film. This, to me, is the ultimate dystopian (and depressing) element, and perhaps the truest comment on our “technological” generation. We, as other generations did, all have to live with the deep sadness that comes from knowing that everything in life, and especially the impossibly, personally, wonderful things, will inevitably be lost, faded away into the ether, as Samantha was. In this context, Samantha and Theo’s genders become almost incidental, the title a playful nod to the oversimplified concepts we simple humans require (“he”; “she”) to be able to comprehend an existential statement that transcends gender, and for that matter sexuality. All this, needless to say, felt to me deeply feminist.</p>
<p>Maya: I totally agree. And I think what made the film feel ultimately optimistic to me, instead of depressing, was that it holds out the hope that we can transcend that anxiety–or at least accept it (or maybe those are the same thing?) Though Samantha starts out being as jealous and possessive as Theodore, her evolution ultimately takes her beyond that place of fear–and beyond him. There’s hope that we could be Samantha instead of Theodore, that we could learn to not just love one person but to love hundreds, thousands, the whole world–and be at peace with the emotional risks of that vulnerability.</p> | true | 4 | ed note paper love story man operating system would seem potential feminist nightmare instead many feministing crew found spike jonzes feminist film year gets pick best picture oscars weekend lori thought would hate movie loved except someone make nonwhitewashed version please sick add littletonopeople color disclaimer otherwise interesting films lets say together white people default majority white characters film doesnt make relatable makes less thanks hollywood peeps jos im big sci fifantasy nerd something share lot ok trans women know lot marginalized folks dont see represented mainstream pop culture great see films cis woman leads successful one obvious exception dont see characters whose experience woman matches much easier time identifying characters supernatural sci fi elementespecially aspect character often puts humanity question walked expecting ripe obvious feminist critique samantha idealized projection theodores real person instead found one human pieces art ive experienced something speaks particular technological moment without obvious judgement simple idealism encountered samantha character identified deeply personal level never experience mainstream fiction love body someone whose trans body targeted systemic bullshit fantasy noncorporeal certainly appeal theodore star movie connected lot character lori pointed see samanthas eyes theodore arc learns one thing samantha learns well everything point moves beyond level consciousness theo comprehend possession evolution maya yes lets talk samanthas arc seems like people couldnt get past fact starts theodores propertyand refused see buy evolution sady doyle argued matter evolved humanseeming samantha also possession even says sex context ownershipor form complete power another persons existencecannot consensual end film samantha leaveand sady seems think theodore movie lamenting fact id say thatsclearly untrue jos certainly possible see samantha reflection theodore first becomes much rather defining reflection theos desires sex scene establishes samantha separate person commitment emotional honesty means engages eventually hundreds deeply intimate human relationshipsall shape shapes theo160we often think inability connect often associated technology robbing us humanity samantha challenges theodore overcome difficult communications barriers theos inability communicate samantha fears painful real also fairly limited communication challengetheos afraid saying hes thinking samantha feelings cant captured existing words something feels familiar member marginalized group theory nerds im thinking deleuze guattaris minor literature limitations speaking marginalized experience using language privileged160160these relationships sign becoming self also growing beyond theo maya speaking lets talk sex jos overwhelmed sex scene despite visuals felt real sex scene ive seen also sex scene made think feminist writing sex theres tension embodiment disembodiment boundaries self struck times saw film air went room people theater turned viewing mate started talking actively create barrier scene think scene captures something extraordinarily intimate intense face lori jos addition nervous mumblingi remember hearing giggles think black screen genius visual maneuver allowed folks access familiar aspects sexuality taking place film without distracted traditionally hollywood superficial indicators like attractive movie stars created weird divide people scene deep resonance theyve experienced sex sexuality lives intimate uncomfortable real im saying latter group bad sex butok maya totally feel like discomfort also strangenessfor people time placeto view sex scene featuring noncorporeal woman given culture especially screen female body often representative sex removing equation felt really radical brings us fact samantha disembodied disembodiment personhood maya feminist critique film ive seen seems unable really go film postai future piece anna shechtman slate example argues without body samantha blank slate project fantasy womanhood unencumbered female form want asks lost female body particular excised sex act answers makes moan seems intimacyan implication reaffirms retrograde sense female pleasure purely emotional female body mysteriously unknowable katherine think thats worthy pointwe dont lot explorations embodied womens sexuality cis trans way constructed unknowably mysterious cis mens sexuality ought exploration womens embodied sexuality cinema manner transcends pornographic tropes said think theres another value sex scene raises interesting questions locus sapient sexual pleasure raw mechanics physical body going sexuality sum parts remember popular understanding sexual physicality shechtman suggests structured patriarchy life instance find way past tyrannical circumscription sexual self relearn body meant sexuality meant role wasnt certain parts physical body sexuality reality seemed way hinted samantha also nontraditional body rules didnt really work maya say surprised little samantha seemed long bodyi kept imagining frustrated able touch theodore feel snow eat food think speaks rooted understanding self embodied course point samantha isnt meshes something else entirely argument seems trying impose analysis thats rooted current reality onto story set future weunderstandablycannot truly comprehend katherine hidden debate work corporeality versus ephemerality put another way old debate whether body hinderance essence human spirit reification old cartesian mindbody split personally woman always already product artificial intervention feel theres whiff naturalism essentialism idea baseline corporeality born superior inherently real im proud cyborg feminist part means authors embodiment means thinking technology expanding means real rather ultimate artificiality samantha real person fact premise slate article hinges fact isnt really troubled resounding fuck theodore waxed insecure samanthas personhood strikingly feminist moment cyborgfeminist one even one ought dispel doubts viewer sapience also worried first half movie samantha would feel permanently inferior lacked traditional human body imagine transhumanist heart soaring realized databased corporeality good say theodores body perhaps even better redolent way people body stigmasbe trans fat pwd people colorcome recognize inherent beauty transcend hegemony say whitecisthin beauty norms maya thats really great point like shit whole lot folks might find fantasy unencumbered female form appealing theres lot feminist focus loving body oddsor least clawing way sense ownership despite fact live world spent literally millennia basically projecting female body cultural baggageobjectifying fearing desiring despising seeking control important project embodied world sure certainly theres something compelling imagining world could stop fighting bullshit makes many us feel alienated bodiesand float beyond katherine one dismiss samantha unreal logic used dismiss bodies deemed insufficiently natural makes us human makes body matter samanthas body matter transcends matter doubt old dream expressed white cis male theorists free floating consciousness space unencumbered body times troubling vision mary midgleys critiques transhumanism worth keeping mind one view replicated samantha real person epic story arc shes hardtakeoff ai comes operate world poetry beyond understanding without flaws still movie told mans perspective aver samantha unreal laden many many dangerous implications profoundly trouble jos ive often found scared lot transhumanist views heari grew religious belief system based conquering fear death unknown notion salvation get worried encounter totalizing worldviews defeating death surprised reaction end film decidedly transhumanist way much get behind samantha os moving beyond matter doesnt feel like cheating death like another way understanding experiencing moving beyond typically think embodied life maybe works logic jonzes story end samanthas arc seemed profoundly human fear loss transcendence lori weve heard lot questions raises technology first foremost film existential fear loss samanthas identity operating system literally sold theodore customized meet every need would seem doom character status possession film male possessionofdigitalpixiewoman fantasy samanthas character evolves beyond control theos story revealed male fantasy nongenderspecific put specifically allgenderinclusive existential nightmare experience finding loving losing samantha mirrors comments collective existential anxiety surrounds fear loss exacerbated bybut certainly limited tothe digital era others commented nostalgic elements movie sepiatoned cinematography sonicetheyrepainful flashbacks rather instill feelings true nostalgia past movie set undetermined future provides stylistic backdrop series plot points embody true emotional source nostalgia joy loss combined passage time almost soon discovers samantha fears losing theodore much gets jealous meeting exwife later willing engage surrogate order keep sexually satisfied within confines relationship theodore already lost someone dear exwife grows fear losing samantha much inability reach moments causes sprint trip fall crowded train station still waiting gif someone please scene theo fears lost samantha forever first time whole movie see theo explode action panic really genuinely try threat loss looming around rather already possessed motivates characters throughout film ultimate dystopian depressing element perhaps truest comment technological generation generations live deep sadness comes knowing everything life especially impossibly personally wonderful things inevitably lost faded away ether samantha context samantha theos genders become almost incidental title playful nod oversimplified concepts simple humans require able comprehend existential statement transcends gender matter sexuality needless say felt deeply feminist maya totally agree think made film feel ultimately optimistic instead depressing holds hope transcend anxietyor least accept maybe thing though samantha starts jealous possessive theodore evolution ultimately takes beyond place fearand beyond theres hope could samantha instead theodore could learn love one person love hundreds thousands whole worldand peace emotional risks vulnerability | 1,362 |
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<p>Thursday marks the two-year anniversary of President Bush’s landmark education reform legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act. The law required schools, teachers, and students, under threat of federal sanctions, to meet steadily rising standards of performance as measured by regular testing, the ultimate goal being “to close the achievement gap … so that no child is left behind.” All students are supposed to be performing at grade level by 2013.</p>
<p>Democrats, and many teachers, criticize NCLB as underfunded and overreliant on testing, and say it stifles local initiative. In his weekly radio address, Bush <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/04/books/chapters/0104-1st-thern.html?pagewanted=2" type="external">defended</a> the act agains these charges:</p>
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<p>“Some critics have objected to these reforms because they believe our expectations are too high, or that it is unfair to hold all students to the same standards regardless of background, or that we’re punishing schools that are not making progress. Our reforms insist on high standards because we know every child can learn. Our reforms call for testing because the worst discrimination is to ignore a school’s failure to teach every child.”</p>
<p>The law passed with bipartisan support (the Senate voted 98-1 in favor). But the consensus has unraveled. Nancy Pelosi, the top House Democrat, said this week:</p>
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<p>“For Democrats, that agreement represented a call to action and a strong commitment to students, parents, and teachers. And we have fought for the resources agreed to in the bill. For Republicans, that agreement was an empty promise. Again and again, President Bush and congressional Republicans have refused to honor their commitment — for 2004 they provided nearly $8 billion less for No Child Left Behind than they had promised just two years before.”</p>
<p>Democratic presidential candidates, sensing an opportunity, have started to <a href="http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1022542&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;l=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;t=Iowa+%2F+Illinois&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;c=24,1022542" type="external">criticize</a> NCLB. Howard Dean says:</p>
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<p>“The president promised better schools. Instead, he has delivered more paperwork, lower standards and higher property taxes, as state and local governments scramble to comply with this unfunded federal mandate.”</p>
<p>Dean highlights one major criticism: it can’t do the good it promised because its an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/05/elec04.prez.bush.no.child.ap/" type="external">under-funded</a> program. In fiscal years 2002 through the current 2004, Congress authorized President Bush to spend billions more on the initiative than he requested. Sen. Ted Kennedy, one of the original architects of the bill, said:</p>
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<p>“The president’s budget fails to recognize that strong schools are as important to our future as a strong defense. Parents and communities are fighting every day for better schools with high standards for their children, and they expect the federal government to do its part.”</p>
<p>Dick Gephardt objects to what he considers <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/7539708.htm" type="external">unachievable standards</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>“George Bush is deliberately setting up public schools to fail so he can say there is no choice but to take money away from public schools. There’s only one way to fix No Child Left Behind, and that is to leave George Bush behind…George Bush set school standards so high and funding so low, the schools that need the most help have no prayer of meeting the standards.”</p>
<p>Politicians aren’t the only ones <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/02/education/02RESI.html" type="external">complaining about the law,</a> according to the New York Times. The Reading, Pa. school board sued the state and federal governments, arguing that NCLB has created an unfair financial burden. Cheshire, Conn. recently turned down $80,000 in federal school funding tied to NCLB, arguing that the bureaucracy and paperwork involved in dividing students into racial and ethnic groupings and testing their abilities wasn’t worth it. And in Utah, Republican legislator Kory Hodaway has introduced a bill that would prevent the state from accepting $100 million in funding tied to NCLB, saying the law amounts to “an unfunded mandate.”</p>
<p>Critics have other concerns, too. Some worry that its focus is on testing, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/01/opinion/01THU1.html?pagewanted=2" type="external">not teaching</a>. The New York Times says sometimes the problem isn’t the school:</p>
<p />
<p>“The administration’s desire to hold schools accountable, particularly when it comes to minority performance, is exactly the right priority. But there has always been a danger that the program will be too much about testing and too little about teaching. That’s bound to be the case as long as the federal government lets states ignore the quality of teachers.”</p>
<p>The problem with relying on tests to determine progress, of course, is that teachers then begin to <a href="http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=tct:2003:12:29:293119:EDITORIAL" type="external">“teach to the tests”</a> and end up ignoring other material. The Capital Times:</p>
<p />
<p>“Nearly everything taught in school is now geared at doing well on those tests — either that or become a failing school and suffer all the consequences that go with.Because the federal “reforms” focus solely on reading and math, schools are concentrating on those subjects and sacrificing others — like history, for example.”</p>
<p>But the issue is complicated, and that some of the act’s original intentions have proved harder than expected to put into practice argues for a bipartisan approach to fixing its flaws, as James Traub, writing in the New York Times Magazine last month, suggests:</p>
<p />
<p>“We are going to hear more about NCLB as the presidential race heats up next year. I herewith propose a pre-emptive compromise. Liberal Democrats and teachers’ unions and school professionals should stop trying to prove that No Child Left Behind is a failure and should stop pretending that money is the cure for everything; Republicans should accept that money does, however, matter terribly if you wish to attract the kind of teachers who can make a difference. The law itself should be subjected to the kind of tinkering that incredibly complicated legislation generally requires. And then, perhaps, we could practice some real nation building at home.”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | thursday marks twoyear anniversary president bushs landmark education reform legislation child left behind act law required schools teachers students threat federal sanctions meet steadily rising standards performance measured regular testing ultimate goal close achievement gap child left behind students supposed performing grade level 2013 democrats many teachers criticize nclb underfunded overreliant testing say stifles local initiative weekly radio address bush defended act agains charges critics objected reforms believe expectations high unfair hold students standards regardless background punishing schools making progress reforms insist high standards know every child learn reforms call testing worst discrimination ignore schools failure teach every child law passed bipartisan support senate voted 981 favor consensus unraveled nancy pelosi top house democrat said week democrats agreement represented call action strong commitment students parents teachers fought resources agreed bill republicans agreement empty promise president bush congressional republicans refused honor commitment 2004 provided nearly 8 billion less child left behind promised two years democratic presidential candidates sensing opportunity started criticize nclb howard dean says president promised better schools instead delivered paperwork lower standards higher property taxes state local governments scramble comply unfunded federal mandate dean highlights one major criticism cant good promised underfunded program fiscal years 2002 current 2004 congress authorized president bush spend billions initiative requested sen ted kennedy one original architects bill said presidents budget fails recognize strong schools important future strong defense parents communities fighting every day better schools high standards children expect federal government part dick gephardt objects considers unachievable standards george bush deliberately setting public schools fail say choice take money away public schools theres one way fix child left behind leave george bush behindgeorge bush set school standards high funding low schools need help prayer meeting standards politicians arent ones complaining law according new york times reading pa school board sued state federal governments arguing nclb created unfair financial burden cheshire conn recently turned 80000 federal school funding tied nclb arguing bureaucracy paperwork involved dividing students racial ethnic groupings testing abilities wasnt worth utah republican legislator kory hodaway introduced bill would prevent state accepting 100 million funding tied nclb saying law amounts unfunded mandate critics concerns worry focus testing teaching new york times says sometimes problem isnt school administrations desire hold schools accountable particularly comes minority performance exactly right priority always danger program much testing little teaching thats bound case long federal government lets states ignore quality teachers problem relying tests determine progress course teachers begin teach tests end ignoring material capital times nearly everything taught school geared well tests either become failing school suffer consequences go withbecause federal reforms focus solely reading math schools concentrating subjects sacrificing others like history example issue complicated acts original intentions proved harder expected put practice argues bipartisan approach fixing flaws james traub writing new york times magazine last month suggests going hear nclb presidential race heats next year herewith propose preemptive compromise liberal democrats teachers unions school professionals stop trying prove child left behind failure stop pretending money cure everything republicans accept money however matter terribly wish attract kind teachers make difference law subjected kind tinkering incredibly complicated legislation generally requires perhaps could practice real nation building home | 521 |
<p>Ask five badge-holders of the 13th Americana Music Festival and Conference “What is Americana?” and you’ll get at least six different answers.</p>
<p>The more than 100 acts at the annual mid-September Nashville event covered a wide spectrum. You’ve got your ’60s-vintage Nashville veterans, singer-songwriters from the ’70s, new traditional and alt-country heroes of the ’80s and ’90s, and innovative new artists who blend and carry this rich inheritance forward. The stock-in-trade for Americana artists is excellent songwriting, stellar instrumental ability, and big-hearted, genuine delivery.</p>
<p>John Hiatt at the Cannery Ballroom, Nashville.</p>
<p>Most of the artists on the extensive lineup have releases on respected independent labels such as New West, Yep Roc, Rough Trade, Rounder, Sugar Hill, and Lost Highway, with many smaller labels sprinkled in between. And while Merriam Webster defines “Americana” as “a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music”—the music I experienced at this year’s festival, nearly all of it excellent, was filled with surprising contradictions.</p>
<p>The Mastersons play Americanarama V at Grimey’s, Nashville.</p>
<p>Three of the biggest winners at the annual awards ceremony in Ryman Auditorium eluded the strict definition. The Alabama Shakes, a deeply soulful rock group increasingly popular in indie-rock circles, won for Emerging Artist of the Year, beating out innovative bluegrass virtuoso collective <a href="" type="internal">The Punch Brothers</a>. Booker T. Jones was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award for instrumentalist; while his deep catalog includes production work with Willie Nelson and Rodney Crowell, he is best known as the nucleus of the Stax Sound in Memphis, a soul man if there ever was one.</p>
<p>Richard Thompson at the Station Inn, Nashville.</p>
<p>Lifetime Achievement for songwriting went to Richard Thompson, who is in fact a triple threat of singer, songwriter, and guitarist. While he knows his American music inside and out, Thompson’s best-known work—with the band Fairport Convention and with his former wife Linda Thompson—explores the peaty soil of music of the British Isles, which has its own centuries of history. Considering that most early hillbilly and folk music grew from regional adaptations of this music carried over from the Old World, Thompson’s credentials run deeper than most.</p>
<p>Billy Joe Shaver at the Mercy Lounge, Nashville.</p>
<p>Texas-born and raised “Honky Tonk Hero” Billy Joe Shaver exemplified the elder statesmen at the fest, having written major country hits starting in the ’60s. He launched a long solo career in 1973 with a boost from Waylon Jenning’s Honky Tonk Heroes, an album devoted to Shaver and his songs. Shaver played with a lean rocking band that put the focus on his weathered voice and deceptively simple gut-punch lyrics.</p>
<p>Wanda Jackson plays the lobby bar of the Downtown Sheraton in Nashville.</p>
<p>The following afternoon at the Downtown Sheraton, I caught Sugar Hill Records’ Wanda Jackson, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who got her start sharing bills with Elvis Presley in 1955. With a charming performance, Jackson demonstrated that she is still as focused and ferocious a singer as ever. Following a high-profile collaboration with Jack White, she has a new album due out next week. The album, produced by <a href="" type="internal">Justin Townes Earle</a>, is titled Unfinished Business—though what unfinished business Jackson might have after 60 years of recording, I can’t possibly imagine.</p>
<p>Chris Stamey with Emily Nelson and Brett Harris at the High Watt, Nashville.</p>
<p>On Wednesday night, as a clunky tribute to Levon Helm rumbled rather than rambled along in the Mercy Lounge down the hall, Chris Stamey played a delicate set to a small crowd. Stamey has roots in neither country nor folk, having come of age at the dawn of the alternative-rock era with his band The dB’s. Accompanied by a celestial ensemble of cello, violin, backing vocalists, and accordion, he built his songs with oblique chord structures and naked lyrics, the results often beautiful.</p>
<p>Mike Mills of R.E.M. leads a Big Star tribute at the Rutledge, Nashville.</p>
<p>Stamey resurfaced later in the week, anchoring the bass role in a large ensemble performing the Songs of Big Star, which included original drummer Jody Stephens and a full string section. The group brought a vitality and presence to the songs that was second only to listening to the original vinyl on a good stereo. R.E.M. founding member Mike Mills sang lead on “September Gurls” with a combination of powerful yearning and vulnerability that perfectly summoned the spirit of Alex Chilton, no hologram needed. The Big Star show capped a showcase at the Rutledge dedicated to the music of Memphis that also included The Bo-Keys, who carried on the gritty, hard-edged soul music of Stax and Hi Records with a tight, meaty fidelity. (The band includes members of the original Hi-Rhythm Section.)</p>
<p>Shovels and Rope at the Basement, Nashville.</p>
<p>Younger artists earned their place alongside the masters with fresh energy and a demonstrated devotion to the tradition. The Basement, the venue below Grimey’s record store, served as the gathering place for newer artists. Shovels and Rope, the duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, was a standout. The pair sang in close harmony and close proximity, juggling drums, harmonica, guitar, and keyboard with doomed-lover charm and frenetic warmth. Inspired by what can be imagined as a crackly record collection of George and Tammy LP’s, they sang, “Hail hail 33! / Your violent hiss sounds so sweet to me / you’ve got a copperhead kiss hidden up your sleeve, 33.”</p>
<p>Rodney Crowell at the Station Inn, Nashville</p>
<p>At the Station Inn—the storefront gospel church of acoustic music to the Ryman Auditorium’s mother church of country (both serve popcorn) —Rodney Crowell played the final set of the week. Crowell hits the Americana bulls-eye. He was discovered as a lounge act in the ’70s by Nashville big Jerry Reed, was a songwriter for and “Hot Band” guitarist with Emmylou Harris, recorded with and married Rosanne Cash, had a handful of number one hits as a solo artist, and has been putting out great albums ever since that effortlessly bridge country and rock music. To crib one of his song titles, the band was “Sex and Gasoline”—evoking passion, love, and darkness at a slow burn. Crowell is the kind of artist the Americana Music Association is best at championing: the true spirit of a Nashville that has nearly been eclipsed by slick twang-pop mega-hits about crushes, patriotism, and trucks.</p>
<p>Buxton at the Basement, Nashville.</p>
<p>While the AMA’s efforts are clearly driven by a passion for great music, “Americana” is still a fuzzy term for what its festival celebrates. Some of the most satisfying and exciting music I experienced bled, blurred, and slipped between easy categorizations. It’s hard to put the joy into words, let alone one.</p>
<p>Click <a href="" type="internal">here</a> for more music coverage from Mother Jones.</p> | true | 4 | ask five badgeholders 13th americana music festival conference americana youll get least six different answers 100 acts annual midseptember nashville event covered wide spectrum youve got 60svintage nashville veterans singersongwriters 70s new traditional altcountry heroes 80s 90s innovative new artists blend carry rich inheritance forward stockintrade americana artists excellent songwriting stellar instrumental ability bighearted genuine delivery john hiatt cannery ballroom nashville artists extensive lineup releases respected independent labels new west yep roc rough trade rounder sugar hill lost highway many smaller labels sprinkled merriam webster defines americana genre american music roots early folk country musicthe music experienced years festival nearly excellent filled surprising contradictions mastersons play americanarama v grimeys nashville three biggest winners annual awards ceremony ryman auditorium eluded strict definition alabama shakes deeply soulful rock group increasingly popular indierock circles emerging artist year beating innovative bluegrass virtuoso collective punch brothers booker jones honored lifetime achievement award instrumentalist deep catalog includes production work willie nelson rodney crowell best known nucleus stax sound memphis soul man ever one richard thompson station inn nashville lifetime achievement songwriting went richard thompson fact triple threat singer songwriter guitarist knows american music inside thompsons bestknown workwith band fairport convention former wife linda thompsonexplores peaty soil music british isles centuries history considering early hillbilly folk music grew regional adaptations music carried old world thompsons credentials run deeper billy joe shaver mercy lounge nashville texasborn raised honky tonk hero billy joe shaver exemplified elder statesmen fest written major country hits starting 60s launched long solo career 1973 boost waylon jennings honky tonk heroes album devoted shaver songs shaver played lean rocking band put focus weathered voice deceptively simple gutpunch lyrics wanda jackson plays lobby bar downtown sheraton nashville following afternoon downtown sheraton caught sugar hill records wanda jackson rock roll hall famer got start sharing bills elvis presley 1955 charming performance jackson demonstrated still focused ferocious singer ever following highprofile collaboration jack white new album due next week album produced justin townes earle titled unfinished businessthough unfinished business jackson might 60 years recording cant possibly imagine chris stamey emily nelson brett harris high watt nashville wednesday night clunky tribute levon helm rumbled rather rambled along mercy lounge hall chris stamey played delicate set small crowd stamey roots neither country folk come age dawn alternativerock era band dbs accompanied celestial ensemble cello violin backing vocalists accordion built songs oblique chord structures naked lyrics results often beautiful mike mills rem leads big star tribute rutledge nashville stamey resurfaced later week anchoring bass role large ensemble performing songs big star included original drummer jody stephens full string section group brought vitality presence songs second listening original vinyl good stereo rem founding member mike mills sang lead september gurls combination powerful yearning vulnerability perfectly summoned spirit alex chilton hologram needed big star show capped showcase rutledge dedicated music memphis also included bokeys carried gritty hardedged soul music stax hi records tight meaty fidelity band includes members original hirhythm section shovels rope basement nashville younger artists earned place alongside masters fresh energy demonstrated devotion tradition basement venue grimeys record store served gathering place newer artists shovels rope duo michael trent cary ann hearst standout pair sang close harmony close proximity juggling drums harmonica guitar keyboard doomedlover charm frenetic warmth inspired imagined crackly record collection george tammy lps sang hail hail 33 violent hiss sounds sweet youve got copperhead kiss hidden sleeve 33 rodney crowell station inn nashville station innthe storefront gospel church acoustic music ryman auditoriums mother church country serve popcorn rodney crowell played final set week crowell hits americana bullseye discovered lounge act 70s nashville big jerry reed songwriter hot band guitarist emmylou harris recorded married rosanne cash handful number one hits solo artist putting great albums ever since effortlessly bridge country rock music crib one song titles band sex gasolineevoking passion love darkness slow burn crowell kind artist americana music association best championing true spirit nashville nearly eclipsed slick twangpop megahits crushes patriotism trucks buxton basement nashville amas efforts clearly driven passion great music americana still fuzzy term festival celebrates satisfying exciting music experienced bled blurred slipped easy categorizations hard put joy words let alone one click music coverage mother jones | 691 |
<p>Don’t ever think you might be able to sneak something by Cheri Young.</p>
<p>After watching her <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/05/01/cheri-young-tells-the-edwards-jury-of-her-ordeal.html" type="external">answer questions for three days</a> at the campaign-finance corruption trial of former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, court watchers are calling her “spunky,” “feisty,” and “a steel magnolia.” Under cross-examination by the Edwards defense team, this 38-year-old wife and mother of three proved that while she may weigh in at just a hundred pounds or so, she is a heavyweight when it comes to testifying about the so-called Pregnant Mistress Cover-Up.</p>
<p>You might call Cheri Young the second key witness in the case against the former politician, <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/04/24/edwards-staffer-andrew-young-offers-shocking-testimony-about-his-boss.html" type="external">after her husband, Andrew</a>, who for years was an indispensable aide to John Edwards, so loyal that he claimed paternity of the baby Edwards created with his mistress, Rielle Hunter, so Edwards’s campaign for president wouldn’t be marred by scandal. In the end, it didn’t quite turn out that way.</p>
<p>While Cheri Young has been impressively attentive to detail on the stand as she politely spars with defense attorney Alan Duncan, there have been some cringe-worthy moments for federal prosecutors. The first came early when Duncan pulled out notes from an FBI agent, written during a meeting with Mrs. Young just two weeks ago. He zeroed in on the section where she described the time period when she and Andrew took on the task of hiding the pregnant Hunter from the media.</p>
<p>“Did you say Mr. Young was ‘drinking a lot’ in 2006 and 7?"</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Mrs. Young replied.</p>
<p>“Has your husband continued to drink a lot since then?”</p>
<p>“No, sir.”“Did you let the prosecution and FBI know … (that) Mr. Young takes Ambien for a sleeping disorder?” Duncan asked, referring to the agent’s notes.“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“And you told the FBI and the prosecution that Ambien makes your husband ‘loopy’ and the next day he doesn’t remember?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“So you know he mixes Ambien with alcohol?”</p>
<p>“I don’t watch him take his medication, sir,” she replied.</p>
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<p>Some might not question why a man would turn to drink after falsely claiming paternity of a baby and being forced to flee his home with his wife, three small children, and his boss's pregnant girlfriend. Yet Duncan seemed to score points when he got Cheri Young to admit that her husband’s memory was sometimes impaired from the alcohol and sleeping pills. The jury listened closely.</p>
<p>The defense attorney’s questions also focused on the exhaustive hours Andrew Young spent working for the candidate at the expense of his own family. “Didn’t that cause tremendous friction in your marriage?” Duncan prodded.</p>
<p>“There were a lot of things I had to swallow for the love of my husband and my children,” Young volunteered. “And this was one of those things. This was Andrew’s dream.”</p>
<p>Because she had been required to swallow so many things, she was asked about her anger toward the Edwards family. Didn’t all those hard feelings result in her wanting to "take down John Edwards?”</p>
<p>Cheri Young bristled in her stylish blue dress, her shoulder-length hair let loose from the ponytail of the day before. She sat up straight. “Sir, that is a completely false statement. I am here to tell the truth about my experiences and what happened. This has been a third of my life, OK?” she said, referring to the seven years since Rielle Hunter first entered their lives. “I’m learning from my own mistakes … There is no hatred. I can’t live like that, sir.”</p>
<p>Attorney Duncan, every bit a Southern gentleman, quickly moved on to a more benign topic.</p>
<p>By and by, the subject turned to how much money the Youngs have made from the sale of Mr. Young’s book, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/excerpt-politician-andrew-young/story?id=9712882#.T6COFY6aE7A" type="external">The Politician</a>. The witness said she didn’t know, but the jury was shown one royalty check for $244,000. And what about the Hollywood movie rights they sold?</p>
<p>“So, you hope to make significant money from the movie?” the defense attorney asked.</p>
<p>“Income?” Cheri Young said, bobbing her head up and down. “Yeah. I’ll take income,” and she smiled, seeming to imply: who wouldn’t? Duncan dug in, asking whether the movie version would be less profitable if the book was proven to contain falsehoods.</p>
<p>Another flashpoint for the witness as her words tumbled out. “The only reason—the only reason—my husband had to write a book is because Mr. Edwards did not come forward and tell the truth! Mr. Duncan … from 2007 to January 2010, we waited. He (Edwards) didn’t claim paternity until ... two weeks before my husband’s book came out. I can’t take responsibility for the lies John Edwards said.”</p>
<p>And so the verbal sparring continued throughout the court day with Cheri Young making the defense attorney work hard for every single piece of information.</p>
<p>There were many questions about how much money the Youngs spent on the 5,300-square-foot home they were building near Chapel Hill, N.C., while being on the run with the pregnant Hunter in Florida, Colorado, and California. There were several questions about exactly how much money was funneled to the mistress. And the Youngs' past income-tax returns were picked over to the point where Judge Catherine Eagles finally invoked Rule 403—euphemistically called the “Don’t Waste the Court’s Time" Rule—and ordered an end to that line of questioning. After the jury was instructed to leave the room, Eagles threw up her hands and told the defense attorney, “You hit my 403 limit. (It is) confusing, argumentative, and hard to understand.”</p>
<p>“The manner of their cross-examination certainly is not classic. It’s almost backward in its form,” attorney Kiernan Shanahan told The Daily Beast from his seat inside the courtroom. As a long-time practicing lawyer based in Raleigh, Shanahan concluded, “I think it had the effect of confusing the jury and clearly irritating the judge.”</p>
<p>Late in the day the defense was granted permission from the judge to show the jury a 13-minute video that Cheri Young had made of the house that was rented and furnished for Rielle Hunter when she first went into hiding in their gated Chapel Hill community.</p>
<p>“Didn’t you pull out personal and private things of hers and video them? … Her driver’s license, passport, personal photos, and a list of names for her unborn child?” Duncan asked. Cheri Young admitted she took a camera to the house in late September 2008 but denied rooting through Hunter’s belongings.</p>
<p>“We had no contact with Miss Hunter or Mr. Edwards for months. The house was furnished with funds that I was accountable for. I videotaped the house to prove there really was a Rielle Hunter and there really was a house. Things had gone sour, and no one was communicating with us.”</p>
<p>The bulk of the video was of photographs and paraphernalia Young said she found in plain sight on a kitchen counter. It began with an old newspaper clipping with a picture of Hunter (identified by her birth name, Lisa Jo Druck) and the headline “Heart Fund Deb.” Also seen were pictures of Hunter as a child, as an adult riding horses, and with unidentified friends. Among the photos captured on the video was a wedding photo of Rielle in a traditional white dress and standing next to her now ex-husband. There was also a business card of Hunter’s with the message “Being Is Free” emblazoned over a red heart. Only about five minutes of the video featured the interior of the upscale, three-bedroom, split-level house and its nearly all-white furnishings. In the master bedroom suite the curtains, bedclothes, and lamps were all white. Still plugged into a bathroom outlet was a hair-styling appliance that looked as though it had been hurriedly left behind by its owner.</p>
<p>Cross-examination of Cheri Young is to conclude tomorrow. The third witness up is expected to be Josh Brumberger who, according to the bestselling book Game Change, was with Senator Edwards in February 2006 at the Regency Hotel in New York when Rielle Hunter first approached the candidate to tell him how handsome he was. Brumberger, according to the book, considered Hunter “trouble from the get-go.”</p> | true | 4 | dont ever think might able sneak something cheri young watching answer questions three days campaignfinance corruption trial former senator presidential candidate john edwards court watchers calling spunky feisty steel magnolia crossexamination edwards defense team 38yearold wife mother three proved may weigh hundred pounds heavyweight comes testifying socalled pregnant mistress coverup might call cheri young second key witness case former politician husband andrew years indispensable aide john edwards loyal claimed paternity baby edwards created mistress rielle hunter edwardss campaign president wouldnt marred scandal end didnt quite turn way cheri young impressively attentive detail stand politely spars defense attorney alan duncan cringeworthy moments federal prosecutors first came early duncan pulled notes fbi agent written meeting mrs young two weeks ago zeroed section described time period andrew took task hiding pregnant hunter media say mr young drinking lot 2006 7 yes sir mrs young replied husband continued drink lot since sirdid let prosecution fbi know mr young takes ambien sleeping disorder duncan asked referring agents notesyes sir told fbi prosecution ambien makes husband loopy next day doesnt remember yes sir know mixes ambien alcohol dont watch take medication sir replied start finish day top stories daily beast speedy smart summary news need know nothing dont might question man would turn drink falsely claiming paternity baby forced flee home wife three small children bosss pregnant girlfriend yet duncan seemed score points got cheri young admit husbands memory sometimes impaired alcohol sleeping pills jury listened closely defense attorneys questions also focused exhaustive hours andrew young spent working candidate expense family didnt cause tremendous friction marriage duncan prodded lot things swallow love husband children young volunteered one things andrews dream required swallow many things asked anger toward edwards family didnt hard feelings result wanting take john edwards cheri young bristled stylish blue dress shoulderlength hair let loose ponytail day sat straight sir completely false statement tell truth experiences happened third life ok said referring seven years since rielle hunter first entered lives im learning mistakes hatred cant live like sir attorney duncan every bit southern gentleman quickly moved benign topic subject turned much money youngs made sale mr youngs book politician witness said didnt know jury shown one royalty check 244000 hollywood movie rights sold hope make significant money movie defense attorney asked income cheri young said bobbing head yeah ill take income smiled seeming imply wouldnt duncan dug asking whether movie version would less profitable book proven contain falsehoods another flashpoint witness words tumbled reasonthe reasonmy husband write book mr edwards come forward tell truth mr duncan 2007 january 2010 waited edwards didnt claim paternity two weeks husbands book came cant take responsibility lies john edwards said verbal sparring continued throughout court day cheri young making defense attorney work hard every single piece information many questions much money youngs spent 5300squarefoot home building near chapel hill nc run pregnant hunter florida colorado california several questions exactly much money funneled mistress youngs past incometax returns picked point judge catherine eagles finally invoked rule 403euphemistically called dont waste courts time ruleand ordered end line questioning jury instructed leave room eagles threw hands told defense attorney hit 403 limit confusing argumentative hard understand manner crossexamination certainly classic almost backward form attorney kiernan shanahan told daily beast seat inside courtroom longtime practicing lawyer based raleigh shanahan concluded think effect confusing jury clearly irritating judge late day defense granted permission judge show jury 13minute video cheri young made house rented furnished rielle hunter first went hiding gated chapel hill community didnt pull personal private things video drivers license passport personal photos list names unborn child duncan asked cheri young admitted took camera house late september 2008 denied rooting hunters belongings contact miss hunter mr edwards months house furnished funds accountable videotaped house prove really rielle hunter really house things gone sour one communicating us bulk video photographs paraphernalia young said found plain sight kitchen counter began old newspaper clipping picture hunter identified birth name lisa jo druck headline heart fund deb also seen pictures hunter child adult riding horses unidentified friends among photos captured video wedding photo rielle traditional white dress standing next exhusband also business card hunters message free emblazoned red heart five minutes video featured interior upscale threebedroom splitlevel house nearly allwhite furnishings master bedroom suite curtains bedclothes lamps white still plugged bathroom outlet hairstyling appliance looked though hurriedly left behind owner crossexamination cheri young conclude tomorrow third witness expected josh brumberger according bestselling book game change senator edwards february 2006 regency hotel new york rielle hunter first approached candidate tell handsome brumberger according book considered hunter trouble getgo | 761 |
<p>We all know the drill. Bond yields start to spike in one of the smaller countries in the EU, and before you know it, the bigger countries are called in to bail them out. We’ve seen the same rerun over and over again.</p>
<p>This time, Italy and Spain are in the crosshairs. Jittery investors have fled their bond markets for the safety of German Bund, US Treasuries and precious metals. The selloff has sent Italian bond yields into the stratosphere making it more expensive for the government to fund its operations. So, the debts and deficits get bigger and the downward spiral begins. Same old, same old. That’s why the ECB called an emergency meeting of the EU’s Governing Council on Sunday to cobble together another 11th hour bailout before the markets opened on Monday. If they had ignored the problem, it would have been Lehman Brothers all over again; plunging stock markets, panicky bank runs, and a full-blown global financial crisis. Here’s a summary from Bloomberg:</p>
<p>“European Central Bank President Jean- Claude Trichet started buying Italian and Spanish assets today in his riskiest attempt yet to tame the sovereign debt crisis.</p>
<p>Italian and Spanish bonds surged as the ECB entered the market, sending 10-year yields down more than 70 basis points. The euro rose to $1.4355 at 10:30 a.m. in Frankfurt from $1.4277 at the close of European trading on Friday.</p>
<p>With governments failing to act swiftly enough to stop contagion fromGreece’s fiscal meltdown, it has fallen to the ECB to battle a crisis that’s now threatening the survival of the euro. Buying Italian and Spanish debt may require the ECB to massively expand its balance sheet and open it to accusations of bailing out profligate nations, breaching a key principle in the euro’s founding treaty and undermining its credibility. Germany’s Bundesbank opposes the move.” (Bloomberg)</p>
<p>Okay, so Italy’s bond market get’s a breather, but for how long? After all, investors aren’t stupid. They know that Italy has the 3rd biggest bond market in the world ($2.6 trillion) and that if ECB chief Jean Claude Trichet is serious about bailing them out, he’ll have to convince the other members to triple the size of the emergency fund. (The European Financial Stability Facility currently holds 440 euros) That has no chance of flying in Germany, where the vastly unpopular bailouts have already ravaged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and changed the political landscape altogether. So, whether this action calms the markets or not, it may not matter, because the monetary union is headed for a crackup anyway. Here’s a clip from an article in Nasdaq that helps to explain:</p>
<p>“Germany’s government thinks Italy is too big for Europe’s rescue fund to save, Der Spiegel magazine reports in a preview of an article to be published Monday.</p>
<p>The government doubts whether even tripling the size of the rescue fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility, would enable it to save Italy because the country’s financing needs are so enormous, the magazine reports without naming the source of its information.</p>
<p>European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso this week suggested increasing the size of the EFSF, which currently has a planned lending capacity of EUR440 billion ($622.9 billion), to help stem Europe’s worsening debt crisis.</p>
<p>German government finance experts believe euro-zone states couldn’t guarantee Italy’sEUR1.8 trillion of sovereign debt without markets considering Germany to be overstretched, Der Spiegel reports.</p>
<p>Germany’s government therefore insists that Italy push through savings and reforms to help it exit the crisis, the magazine reports. It thinks the EFSF should only be used to rescue small and mid-size countries, the magazine reports.” (“German Government Thinks Italy Too Big For EFSF To Save -Spiegel”, Nasdaq)</p>
<p>So, yes, Germany is going through the motions and trying to sooth the markets, but, behind the scenes, policymakers think it’s futile. The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) would have to be increased by more than $1.5 trillion and, even then, there would be no guarantees that the weaker members would comply with the deficit guidelines or grow their way out of their ECB-imposed slump. So, what’s the point? Either all 17 members sacrifice some of their own sovereignty and form a stronger fiscal union or they abandon the euro project altogether.</p>
<p>But what does a “stronger fiscal union” really mean? More power to the unelected, self-serving gangsters at the ECB? No thanks.</p>
<p>The best way forward is to jettison the euro and start from scratch. However painful and disruptive that may be, the alternative is infinitely worse. Just look at the way the financial crises have been handled. In every case, the interests of the bankers and bondholders have taken precedent over the interests of the people. And, in every case, the working people have been expected to bear the brunt of the losses in terms of austerity measures. That’s led to the shredding of the social safety net, higher unemployment, and privatizing of public assets. Why? Because policy is dictated by the ECB, and the ECB’s primary duty is to make sure the banks don’t lose money. Here’s how the Financial Times sums it up:</p>
<p>“Italy can afford to ignore rising bond yields for months. Europe’s banks cannot wait. Worries about the banks, measured by the gap between euro forward rate agreements and overnight indexed swaps, are now worse than at the height of last year’s panic over Greece. Eurozone bank shares were last this low in April 2009, just after the market bottomed.” (“Dr Trichet’s medicine leaves bitter after-taste”, Financial Times)</p>
<p>So, Trichet’s bond purchasing program is not really about Italy at all. It’s just another bank bailout. And the reason the banks need another bailout is because they’re going to lose tons of money on the dodgy bonds they bought during the bubble years. This is from The Independent:</p>
<p>“The problem is that all the European banks have lent huge amounts of money to each other – Italy has lent Spain $31bn, Germany has lent $238bn to Spain and Italy has borrowed $511bn from France. The worry is that it is like a pack of cards – once one goes they will all fall. And the banks are scared that if political leaders agree a new package many of them will be forced to take losses on their loans.” (“Worried about the worldwide crisis? Our experts explain what’s going on”, The Independent)</p>
<p>This just confirms what we’ve been saying from the very beginning, that it’s all about the banks. If bond prices fall too sharply, so what? The countries effected have to restructure their debts, that’s all. Sure, it’s a painful process, but it’s not the end of the world. In contrast, it WOULD be the end of the world for a lot of the banks, because they don’t have enough capital. That’s why the ECB is intervening, so it can artificially prop up bond prices. It’s basically a subsidy to the banks that’s paid for by the taxpayer. Can you recall a time when the ECB or the Fed ever did the same for ordinary working people? Like with housing?</p>
<p>No way. The average homeowner took it in the shorts for $8 trillion when the housing bubble burst wiping out most of his savings and leaving the economy high-and-dry. Only the banks get favors.</p>
<p>If they win, they keep the profits. And if they lose, they get a bailout. And, of course, all of this has terrible consequences for the real economy because diverting capital to failing financial institutions constricts growth and prolongs the slowdown. It’s no coincidence that the massive bank bailouts have been accompanied by belt-tightening measures that have pushed the broader economy to the brink of another recession. Propping up toxic assets is a costly business that results in chronic high unemployment, flagging demand, and slow growth. Just look at the data.</p>
<p>This is from an article in The Economist:</p>
<p>“Concerns over bank funding are on the rise, as European banks in particular find it difficult to get hold of short-term funding. Analysts are keeping a close eye on the Euribor-OIS spread, which, in effect, measures how nervous European banks are about lending money to each other: that gauge is widening again. The amount of cash that euro-area banks deposited with the European Central Bank (which means, of course, that it is not being lent out to other banks) hit a six-month high this week.</p>
<p>Across the Atlantic, investors withdrew $66 billion from money-market funds in the week ending August 3rd, according to data from Lipper, a research firm. That is the second-largest net outflow on record…..money-market funds are pushing down hard on maturities. One European bank boss said privately this week that he had never seen risk aversion this intense.</p>
<p>In response the ECB announced yesterday that it was reintroducing six-month unlimited funding to banks that wanted it, up from three-month loans currently.” (“High Anxiety”, The Economist)</p>
<p>Get the picture? The money-grubbing activities of the banks have put us all in harm’s way again. The whole worm-infested financial apparatus is beginning to shimmy and shake just like 2008. The banks are hoarding cash overnight at the ECB, investors are pulling their money out of the money markets, the gauges of market stress are blinking red, and interbank lending is starting to sputter. If liquidity freezes up; it’s Game Over. The EU financial system will grind to a halt and the global economy will go into freefall. That’s why Trichet stepped in despite objections from German members of the ECB’s governing council. It was the only chance he had of heading off another catastrophe.</p>
<p>But what does that say about the state of democracy in the eurozone? Do people really want the landsharks at the Central Bank dictating economic policy? Not likely.</p>
<p>So, is the euro really worth saving?</p>
<p>We’ll let economist Mark Weisbrot answer that question:</p>
<p>“It appears that much of the European left does not understand the right-wing nature of the institutions, authorities, and especially macroeconomic policies that they are facing in the Eurozone…..</p>
<p>The problem is that the monetary union, unlike the EU itself, is an unambiguously right-wing project. If this has not been clear from its inception, it should be painfully clear now, as the weaker Euro-zone economies are being subjected to punishment that had previously been reserved for low- and middle-income countries caught in the grip of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its G-7 governors. Instead of trying to get out of recession through fiscal and/or monetary stimulus, as most of the world’s governments did in 2009, these governments are being forced to do the opposite, at enormous social cost. The insults added to injury, as with the privatizations in Greece or “labor market reform” in Spain; the regressive effects of the measures taken on the distribution of income and wealth; and the shrinking and weakening of the welfare state, while banks are bailed out at taxpayer expense – all this advertises the clear right-wing agenda of the European authorities, as well as their attempt to take advantage of the crisis to institute right-wing political changes.” (“Why the Euro is Not Worth Saving”, Mark Weisbrot, CounterPunch)</p>
<p>Repeat: “…the monetary union…. is an unambiguously right-wing project.”</p>
<p>Amen, to that. It’s time to put the euro out of its misery and start over.</p>
<p>Mike Whitney&#160;lives in Washington state. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:fergiewhitney@msn.com" type="external">fergiewhitney@msn.com</a></p> | true | 4 | know drill bond yields start spike one smaller countries eu know bigger countries called bail weve seen rerun time italy spain crosshairs jittery investors fled bond markets safety german bund us treasuries precious metals selloff sent italian bond yields stratosphere making expensive government fund operations debts deficits get bigger downward spiral begins old old thats ecb called emergency meeting eus governing council sunday cobble together another 11th hour bailout markets opened monday ignored problem would lehman brothers plunging stock markets panicky bank runs fullblown global financial crisis heres summary bloomberg european central bank president jean claude trichet started buying italian spanish assets today riskiest attempt yet tame sovereign debt crisis italian spanish bonds surged ecb entered market sending 10year yields 70 basis points euro rose 14355 1030 frankfurt 14277 close european trading friday governments failing act swiftly enough stop contagion fromgreeces fiscal meltdown fallen ecb battle crisis thats threatening survival euro buying italian spanish debt may require ecb massively expand balance sheet open accusations bailing profligate nations breaching key principle euros founding treaty undermining credibility germanys bundesbank opposes move bloomberg okay italys bond market gets breather long investors arent stupid know italy 3rd biggest bond market world 26 trillion ecb chief jean claude trichet serious bailing hell convince members triple size emergency fund european financial stability facility currently holds 440 euros chance flying germany vastly unpopular bailouts already ravaged chancellor angela merkels christian democrats changed political landscape altogether whether action calms markets may matter monetary union headed crackup anyway heres clip article nasdaq helps explain germanys government thinks italy big europes rescue fund save der spiegel magazine reports preview article published monday government doubts whether even tripling size rescue fund known european financial stability facility would enable save italy countrys financing needs enormous magazine reports without naming source information european commission president jose manuel barroso week suggested increasing size efsf currently planned lending capacity eur440 billion 6229 billion help stem europes worsening debt crisis german government finance experts believe eurozone states couldnt guarantee italyseur18 trillion sovereign debt without markets considering germany overstretched der spiegel reports germanys government therefore insists italy push savings reforms help exit crisis magazine reports thinks efsf used rescue small midsize countries magazine reports german government thinks italy big efsf save spiegel nasdaq yes germany going motions trying sooth markets behind scenes policymakers think futile european financial stability facility efsf would increased 15 trillion even would guarantees weaker members would comply deficit guidelines grow way ecbimposed slump whats point either 17 members sacrifice sovereignty form stronger fiscal union abandon euro project altogether stronger fiscal union really mean power unelected selfserving gangsters ecb thanks best way forward jettison euro start scratch however painful disruptive may alternative infinitely worse look way financial crises handled every case interests bankers bondholders taken precedent interests people every case working people expected bear brunt losses terms austerity measures thats led shredding social safety net higher unemployment privatizing public assets policy dictated ecb ecbs primary duty make sure banks dont lose money heres financial times sums italy afford ignore rising bond yields months europes banks wait worries banks measured gap euro forward rate agreements overnight indexed swaps worse height last years panic greece eurozone bank shares last low april 2009 market bottomed dr trichets medicine leaves bitter aftertaste financial times trichets bond purchasing program really italy another bank bailout reason banks need another bailout theyre going lose tons money dodgy bonds bought bubble years independent problem european banks lent huge amounts money italy lent spain 31bn germany lent 238bn spain italy borrowed 511bn france worry like pack cards one goes fall banks scared political leaders agree new package many forced take losses loans worried worldwide crisis experts explain whats going independent confirms weve saying beginning banks bond prices fall sharply countries effected restructure debts thats sure painful process end world contrast would end world lot banks dont enough capital thats ecb intervening artificially prop bond prices basically subsidy banks thats paid taxpayer recall time ecb fed ever ordinary working people like housing way average homeowner took shorts 8 trillion housing bubble burst wiping savings leaving economy highanddry banks get favors win keep profits lose get bailout course terrible consequences real economy diverting capital failing financial institutions constricts growth prolongs slowdown coincidence massive bank bailouts accompanied belttightening measures pushed broader economy brink another recession propping toxic assets costly business results chronic high unemployment flagging demand slow growth look data article economist concerns bank funding rise european banks particular find difficult get hold shortterm funding analysts keeping close eye euriborois spread effect measures nervous european banks lending money gauge widening amount cash euroarea banks deposited european central bank means course lent banks hit sixmonth high week across atlantic investors withdrew 66 billion moneymarket funds week ending august 3rd according data lipper research firm secondlargest net outflow recordmoneymarket funds pushing hard maturities one european bank boss said privately week never seen risk aversion intense response ecb announced yesterday reintroducing sixmonth unlimited funding banks wanted threemonth loans currently high anxiety economist get picture moneygrubbing activities banks put us harms way whole worminfested financial apparatus beginning shimmy shake like 2008 banks hoarding cash overnight ecb investors pulling money money markets gauges market stress blinking red interbank lending starting sputter liquidity freezes game eu financial system grind halt global economy go freefall thats trichet stepped despite objections german members ecbs governing council chance heading another catastrophe say state democracy eurozone people really want landsharks central bank dictating economic policy likely euro really worth saving well let economist mark weisbrot answer question appears much european left understand rightwing nature institutions authorities especially macroeconomic policies facing eurozone problem monetary union unlike eu unambiguously rightwing project clear inception painfully clear weaker eurozone economies subjected punishment previously reserved low middleincome countries caught grip international monetary fund imf g7 governors instead trying get recession fiscal andor monetary stimulus worlds governments 2009 governments forced opposite enormous social cost insults added injury privatizations greece labor market reform spain regressive effects measures taken distribution income wealth shrinking weakening welfare state banks bailed taxpayer expense advertises clear rightwing agenda european authorities well attempt take advantage crisis institute rightwing political changes euro worth saving mark weisbrot counterpunch repeat monetary union unambiguously rightwing project amen time put euro misery start mike whitney160lives washington state reached fergiewhitneymsncom | 1,045 |
<p>CAIRO — As Dr. Mohammad Shafik stands in the chaotic emergency room of the Cairo hospital where he works, his biggest worry as patients are wheeled in is not about issues of medical care. What concerns him is the lack of police protection against the fights and even murders that occur all too often in the city’s hospitals. A dispute between two people might result in one coming to the hospital with a gunshot wound, and then the relatives of those involved “come in and fight here,” he says. “All the police disappear with the hint of danger.”</p>
<p>Egyptian police, once a key component in the repressive apparatus of Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorship, now often refuse to carry out their jobs, according to Shafik and other doctors. That’s just one sign of the upheaval roiling Egypt since the revolution that forced Mubarak’s resignation in February.</p>
<p>The health care system has become an important battle ground. Shafik says, “Of course we haven’t totally changed the regime as we had hoped. They are trying to reinvent the regime with new faces. That’s what makes the health care struggle key in Egypt. Every percentage point for increasing health care will come from the budget of the Ministry of Interior and other parts of the oppressive machine.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Dr. Milad Ismail. (Photo © 2011 Reese Erlich)</p>
<p>The government allocates 3.6 percent of the national budget for health care, while the repressive Ministry of Interior funds an armed force of 1.4 million police.</p>
<p>Immediately after the revolution, doctors and other hospital staff members in various parts of Egypt formed independent unions. At Shafik’s hospital, Manshiet el Bakry, freshly organized workers threw out the old, pro-Mubarak hospital administrator and elected a new one.</p>
<p>Similar independent unions have sprung up spontaneously in textile, aluminum and other factories. Even the workers who issue marriage licenses have unionized and threatened to strike for higher pay.</p>
<p>Union members are asking for a minimum wage of $200 per month, among other demands. A hospital resident such as Shafik currently earns a base pay of only $50 per month.</p>
<p>Ellis J. Goldberg, a political science professor at the University of Washington and now visiting professor at American University in Cairo, says the current military government in Egypt is unwilling to meet such demands.</p>
<p>“They don’t want to make those hard decisions,” he says. “They might if there was some major political upheaval by the workers.”</p>
<p>Goldberg notes that hundreds of workplaces around the country have experienced strikes and demonstrations since February. A plethora of independent unions, worker federations and worker parties arose. To date, some have won local demands for wage increases or replacement of workplace administrators. But the government has resisted more thoroughgoing changes.</p>
<p>Goldberg says Mubarak cronies still control much of the economy through corruption and political patronage.</p>
<p>Some 40 “people formed the leadership of the ruling party and had significant economic interest in sectors of the economy benefiting from state contracts,” he says. “They used political power to maintain monopolies.”</p>
<p>Twenty years ago, the Mubarak regime began selling off state-owned enterprises to favored cronies, resulting in the layoff of tens of thousands of workers. Today, many workers want to re-nationalize some of the factories.</p>
<p>Fatma Ramadan, a researcher with the Union of Workers and Working Forces, says, “I favor re-nationalization. But workers should be part of the new management.”</p>
<p>Many organizations are competing for worker support. Conservative Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, have considerable backing among rural farmers, workers and the urban poor.</p>
<p>The Muslim Brotherhood has generally opposed strikes and demonstrations against the military government. It hopes to gain a substantial number of seats in the September parliamentary elections, and Brotherhood leaders are cooperating with the military in the meantime.</p>
<p>Brotherhood officials stress that strikes and demonstrations are too disruptive, a view that is shared by many ordinary Egyptians.</p>
<p>Interviewed after Friday prayers at a mosque, truck driver Ahmad Fathi says, “We should give the government some time. We shouldn’t have sit-ins and demonstrations every day. We need time for things to get back to normal.”</p>
<p>But union leaders and Tahrir Square activists don’t want things to go back to normal. Women workers are demanding an end to discrimination in hiring and promotions, and want government-funded child care. Fatma Ramadan says, “A woman is supposed to feed the kids and take them to school — along with working. There’s a lot of pressure on women workers.”</p>
<p>Women played an important role in the occupation of Tahrir Square and in the subsequent demonstrations and strikes. Women in Egypt are more prominent in professions and society in general than those in many other Arab countries.</p>
<p>For example, says Dr. Nadia el Ebissy, about 60 percent of the 400 doctors at Manshiet el Bakry Hospital are women. That’s partly because of opportunities for women in medical education and partly because many male doctors leave the country to earn higher salaries.</p>
<p>On March 8, International Women’s Day, some 1,000 women and their male supporters rallied in Cairo to demand, among other things, that women be allowed to run for president and become judges. The rally was viciously attacked, some say by thugs of the former regime.</p>
<p>Salma Shukrallah, a journalist with <a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/%20" type="external">Ahram Online</a>, says the Women’s Day attack didn’t permanently set back the efforts for women’s equality. She says major politicians must now at least pay lip service to the idea that a woman could be president. “Women’s demands are very much central,” she says. “But the widespread social values are still very sexist.”</p>
<p>Back at Manshiet el Bakry Hospital, newly elected administrator Dr. Milad Ismail has found interim funding through outside donations. “We now depend on donations from civil society, NGOs, from doctors at the hospital,” he says. “We also rely on the spirit of the workers.” Some hospital profits will now be used to hire private security guards to protect the doctors and staff. Dr. Ismail says the battle continues to get adequate funding from the Ministry of Health.</p>
<p>Dr. Shafik says the Tahrir Square occupation changed medical workers’ lives forever. “Doctors had revolutionary experiences,” he says. “Protesters died in our hands. That experience which has been transferred to us cannot be taken away.”</p>
<p>Veteran foreign correspondent Reese Erlich has covered the Middle East for 25 years. His reports from Egypt are funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Follow his blogs and read his other stories at the Pulitzer center’s <a href="http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/arab-spring-gaza-egypt-mubarak-tahrir-square%20" type="external">website</a>.</p> | true | 4 | cairo dr mohammad shafik stands chaotic emergency room cairo hospital works biggest worry patients wheeled issues medical care concerns lack police protection fights even murders occur often citys hospitals dispute two people might result one coming hospital gunshot wound relatives involved come fight says police disappear hint danger egyptian police key component repressive apparatus hosni mubaraks dictatorship often refuse carry jobs according shafik doctors thats one sign upheaval roiling egypt since revolution forced mubaraks resignation february health care system become important battle ground shafik says course havent totally changed regime hoped trying reinvent regime new faces thats makes health care struggle key egypt every percentage point increasing health care come budget ministry interior parts oppressive machine dr milad ismail photo 2011 reese erlich government allocates 36 percent national budget health care repressive ministry interior funds armed force 14 million police immediately revolution doctors hospital staff members various parts egypt formed independent unions shafiks hospital manshiet el bakry freshly organized workers threw old promubarak hospital administrator elected new one similar independent unions sprung spontaneously textile aluminum factories even workers issue marriage licenses unionized threatened strike higher pay union members asking minimum wage 200 per month among demands hospital resident shafik currently earns base pay 50 per month ellis j goldberg political science professor university washington visiting professor american university cairo says current military government egypt unwilling meet demands dont want make hard decisions says might major political upheaval workers goldberg notes hundreds workplaces around country experienced strikes demonstrations since february plethora independent unions worker federations worker parties arose date local demands wage increases replacement workplace administrators government resisted thoroughgoing changes goldberg says mubarak cronies still control much economy corruption political patronage 40 people formed leadership ruling party significant economic interest sectors economy benefiting state contracts says used political power maintain monopolies twenty years ago mubarak regime began selling stateowned enterprises favored cronies resulting layoff tens thousands workers today many workers want renationalize factories fatma ramadan researcher union workers working forces says favor renationalization workers part new management many organizations competing worker support conservative islamist groups particularly muslim brotherhood considerable backing among rural farmers workers urban poor muslim brotherhood generally opposed strikes demonstrations military government hopes gain substantial number seats september parliamentary elections brotherhood leaders cooperating military meantime brotherhood officials stress strikes demonstrations disruptive view shared many ordinary egyptians interviewed friday prayers mosque truck driver ahmad fathi says give government time shouldnt sitins demonstrations every day need time things get back normal union leaders tahrir square activists dont want things go back normal women workers demanding end discrimination hiring promotions want governmentfunded child care fatma ramadan says woman supposed feed kids take school along working theres lot pressure women workers women played important role occupation tahrir square subsequent demonstrations strikes women egypt prominent professions society general many arab countries example says dr nadia el ebissy 60 percent 400 doctors manshiet el bakry hospital women thats partly opportunities women medical education partly many male doctors leave country earn higher salaries march 8 international womens day 1000 women male supporters rallied cairo demand among things women allowed run president become judges rally viciously attacked say thugs former regime salma shukrallah journalist ahram online says womens day attack didnt permanently set back efforts womens equality says major politicians must least pay lip service idea woman could president womens demands much central says widespread social values still sexist back manshiet el bakry hospital newly elected administrator dr milad ismail found interim funding outside donations depend donations civil society ngos doctors hospital says also rely spirit workers hospital profits used hire private security guards protect doctors staff dr ismail says battle continues get adequate funding ministry health dr shafik says tahrir square occupation changed medical workers lives forever doctors revolutionary experiences says protesters died hands experience transferred us taken away veteran foreign correspondent reese erlich covered middle east 25 years reports egypt funded pulitzer center crisis reporting follow blogs read stories pulitzer centers website | 657 |
<p>As Mark Twain once put it, “A truth is not hard to kill and a lie told well is immortal.”</p>
<p>In the 21st century in the United States of America, it is still astonishingly easy to assassinate a political opponent’s character, with little or no accountability or basis in fact. It is hardly new to politics anywhere that money and the messages it buys often create devastating perceptions. But such smear tactics are more serious and offensive when they benefit major “mainstream” candidates seeking the Presidency, are utilized anonymously by mysterious, outside organizations and they occur in the wake of recent, historic, campaign finance reform and new political disclosure requirements. Today, Americans for Jobs released new disclosure forms to the IRS with an additional $337,000 bringing the 527’s total receipts to $1 million.</p>
<p>On November 7, 2003, a strange new group no one had ever heard of called “Americans for Jobs &amp; Healthcare” was quietly formed and soon thereafter began running a million dollar operation including political ads against then-frontrunner Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. The commercials ripped Dean over his positions or past record on gun rights, trade and Medicare growth. But the most inflammatory ad used the visual image of Osama bin Laden as a way to raise questions about Dean’s foreign policy credibility. While the spots ran, Americans for Jobs-through its then- spokesman, Robert Gibbs, a former Kerry campaign employee-refused to disclose its donors.</p>
<p>The Dean campaign cried foul, but no one, including the news media, could figure out exactly who was behind “Americans for Jobs.” The disturbing mystery was partly solved by Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post on February 11, after reviewing public Internal Revenue Service records filed under Section 527 of federal tax law. Unfortunately for voters and the general public, that legal disclosure information was filed January 30, 2004, nine days after the Iowa caucuses in which Massachusetts Senator John Kerry upset former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Those contribution records were updated again with another $337,000 in donations on March 4, 2004, for a total of exactly $1 million that the group raised.</p>
<p>The most stunning single fact to emerge-which should have been covered more heavily nationwide and was first broken by the Web site PoliticsNJ.com-was that disgraced former Senator Robert Torricelli, severely admonished for his unsavory campaign finance practices and forced to leave the Senate, had quietly donated $50,000 from his old Senate campaign account to Americans for Jobs. Torricelli reportedly also is a fundraiser for Senator Kerry’s presidential campaign.</p>
<p>Why is one of the sleaziest former public officials helping Senator Kerry collect campaign cash? And now that Torricelli and other Kerry campaign donors have been “outed” for supporting the controversial group, why hasn’t Kerry been directly asked about the entire controversy? Indeed, why hasn’t the avowed campaign finance reformer publicly criticized either the caper or Torricelli? Kerry and his campaign staff declined to answer these and other related, on-the-record questions from the Center for Public Integrity. A Kerry spokesman, Chad Clanton, was quoted in the Washington Post as saying that “I am told no one knew anything about it.”</p>
<p>Americans for Jobs was a street rumble after dark, in which donors or fundraisers for the major Democratic presidential candidates then overshadowed by Dean-Kerry, Rep. Richard Gephardt, and retired General Wesley Clark- all piled on. Labor unions that had publicly endorsed Gephardt accounted for a fifth of the money-the International Longshoremen’s Association ($50,000), the Laborers’ International Union of North America ($50,000), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ($100,000), the International Association of Ironworkers ($25,000) and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ($5,000). A former Dean donor, former Slim-Fast Foods businessman S. Daniel Abraham, gave $200,000. Past Kerry donor Bernard Schwartz, chairman of Loral Space and Communications-the tenth leading donor to the Democratic Party, giving $5.3 million over the years-chipped in $15,000. A top money chaser for Wesley Clark, Alan Patricof, also donated to this shadowy group.</p>
<p>Indeed, a Center for Public Integrity study of the 28 contributors to Americans for Jobs found that they have given more than $8.7 million to the Democratic Party in recent years and another $550,000 to the committees of those running for president.</p>
<p>Among the greatest beneficiaries of these donations was Gephardt, who received more than $417,000. In fact, at least 23 of the 28 people contributing to Americans for Jobs had donated to Gephardt in the past. Some of the donors are also aligned with Kerry and gave almost $60,000 to his campaigns over the years.</p>
<p>Four of these 28 individual contributors had also given $7,200 to Dean between March and July of 2003. One of the donors told the Center that he had no idea the money would be used on attack ads. Rick Sloan, the communications director for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, told the LA Times: “I tell you, these ads are despicable. If I have my way, we’ll ask for a refund.” But following his remarks published on December 17, 2003, his labor union is reported to have made another donation to Americans for Jobs for $50,000 on January 9, 2004.</p>
<p>Who exactly forms a stealth, hit-and-run operation in presidential politics today, up and down in six weeks, doing $1 million worth of damage in advertising and other spending before the new federal, 30-day broadcast limit on political issue ads by outside groups kicked in December 21?</p>
<p>Americans for Jobs’ address was 2000 M Street, N.W., Suite 800, in Washington, D.C., the same location for DWJ Consulting, its “custodian of records” one David W. Jones, apparently the group’s executive director and a political adviser for years to Gephardt. Jones told the Washington Post, “Our goal was to point out where Howard Dean stood on the issues and point out that he had no foreign policy experience. Clearly those goals were accomplished.” He denied that there was any coordination with the various presidential candidates. (See official statement from Jones.)</p>
<p>The registered e-mail address of Americans for Jobs belonged to Mark W. Ward, a client specialist in the Washington, D.C., office of the billion dollar law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &amp; Flom LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world, which also has a large lobbying network representing companies like Verizon, Entergy-Koch LP, and Pharmaceutical Research &amp; Manufacturers of America. Ward wrote the IRS a letter on Skadden Arps letterhead on Jan. 30, 2004 accompanying Americans for Jobs’ first and so far only financial filing.</p>
<p>“Mark does our FEC filings and IRS filings,” said Melissa Miles, an attorney with Skadden, Arps. The firm is listed as the recipient of $36,000 in itemized expenditures from Americans for Jobs. Skadden Arps is also the fifth most generous career patron to Senator Kerry, its employees directly donating $125,550 to his campaigns, its clients lavishing many times more than that over the years. In fact, the law firm and its employees are the largest donors to Kerry for the current election cycle. But Miles said Kerry “had nothing to do with [the 527] to our knowledge.”</p>
<p>Hit-and-run political organizations are the bane of any open democracy. Who can forget the infamous Willie Horton commercial in the 1988 presidential campaign or the dozen groups all coincidentally friendly to George W. Bush that suddenly materialized in the 2000 GOP primary in South Carolina, spending millions of dollars and spreading the worst kind of vituperative bile to defame Senator John McCain and his wife? Who can forget the below-board tactics used to bring down incumbent Democratic Georgia Senator Max Cleland two years later, in which his opponent paid for TV commercials questioning the patriotism of Vietnam War hero Cleland. In an interview for The Buying of the President 2004 (HarperCollins), McCain told me that the same people who quietly assisted Bush in South Carolina in his 2000 primary showdown there also were involved in Georgia. The slander was “run by the same people, [former Christian Coalition executive director and Bush “Pioneer”] Ralph Reed . . . The same outfit, the same organizations, and I will never, ever get over them running a picture of Max Cleland, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden, [this about] a man who left three limbs on the battlefield in Vietnam. That’s just something I will never get over.” Many 527s are run out of obscure offices like this one, which Americans for Jobs lists as its primary address. After confirming that Corporate Visions runs no other companies out of that address, one of the owners said: “I sublease space to Americans for Jobs and Healthcare.”</p>
<p>All of this underscores the profoundly disturbing state of our politics today. Storefront political hit squads can be created overnight, as easily as Internet investment scams, with candidates and the public victimized with nowhere to turn. Increasingly, political operatives are forming 527 committees to quickly, effectively and virtually anonymously influence electoral outcomes. In fact, since 2000 there have been 42 groups who have filed only one disclosure report with the IRS. Collectively, these organizations still raised $32 million in contributions, an average of about $781,000 each, according to data compiled by the Center for Public Integrity.</p>
<p>The strutting and braggadocio of ostensibly independent organizations with impeccably and indubitably dependent pedigrees give the impression of a wild, wild west town with no sheriff and no jail. For example, according to National Journal, we have the Republican 501(c)(4) organization, Progress for America, which expects to raise $40 million to $60 million for television ads, direct mail and other “outreach” and “issue truth squads” on behalf of President Bush during 2004. Unlike 527s, this group is not required by law to publicly disclose its donors. The counsel for the group is Ben Ginsberg, also the chief outside counsel to the Bush campaign. Ken Mehlman, manager of the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign, and Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, were among 150 party poobahs at a Willard Hotel bash for the organization last October.</p>
<p>The Democrats, meanwhile, have been aggressively raising money for several 527 surrogate party organizations, including the Media Fund, begun by Harold Ickes, the former Clinton White House deputy chief of staff who also serves on the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee. Former President Clinton wholeheartedly supports and will help this effort designed to raise $95 million for issue ads against Bush this year. Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has announced that he will contribute $10 million to another 527 group, America Coming Together, a huge voter mobilization effort.*</p>
<p>Despite the valiant, well-intentioned efforts of the campaign finance reformers there is an unavoidable sense of lawlessness and anarchy. The Federal Election Commission, which unabashedly attempted to diminish the McCain-Feingold law with a 300-page “devil-in-the- details” rulemaking document, has an abysmal record of regulation and enforcement. In the nearly three decade history of the FEC, there has been only one successful case brought against a campaign for coordinating “independent” expenditures.” With few if any records available on a timely basis, journalists find themselves in the dark, desperately seeking the dirty tricksters of 21st century America.</p>
<p>In the recent Iowa caucuses, we saw our first political mugging of the 2004 presidential campaign, Democrats sneakily slurring Democrats. It absolutely will not be the last, considering the remarkable cash advantage and sordid reputation of White House political director Karl Rove, who years ago taught negative campaigning techniques at the University of Texas. The bubble and unexpected implosion of frontrunner Dean’s $47 million candidacy will be studied for years to come, and no one can or should plausibly suggest that his political demise was substantially attributable to the attacks from Americans for Jobs or any other para-mudslinging subterfuge efforts we don’t know about.</p>
<p>But shouldn’t the American people, including the national news media, insist on knowing who is mucking around their democracy in the midst of a presidential election?</p>
<p>CHARLES LEWIS is the director of the <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/" type="external">Center for Public Integrity</a> and author of the <a href="" type="internal">The Buying of the Presidency</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | mark twain put truth hard kill lie told well immortal 21st century united states america still astonishingly easy assassinate political opponents character little accountability basis fact hardly new politics anywhere money messages buys often create devastating perceptions smear tactics serious offensive benefit major mainstream candidates seeking presidency utilized anonymously mysterious outside organizations occur wake recent historic campaign finance reform new political disclosure requirements today americans jobs released new disclosure forms irs additional 337000 bringing 527s total receipts 1 million november 7 2003 strange new group one ever heard called americans jobs amp healthcare quietly formed soon thereafter began running million dollar operation including political ads thenfrontrunner democratic presidential candidate howard dean commercials ripped dean positions past record gun rights trade medicare growth inflammatory ad used visual image osama bin laden way raise questions deans foreign policy credibility spots ran americans jobsthrough spokesman robert gibbs former kerry campaign employeerefused disclose donors dean campaign cried foul one including news media could figure exactly behind americans jobs disturbing mystery partly solved jim vandehei washington post february 11 reviewing public internal revenue service records filed section 527 federal tax law unfortunately voters general public legal disclosure information filed january 30 2004 nine days iowa caucuses massachusetts senator john kerry upset former vermont governor howard dean contribution records updated another 337000 donations march 4 2004 total exactly 1 million group raised stunning single fact emergewhich covered heavily nationwide first broken web site politicsnjcomwas disgraced former senator robert torricelli severely admonished unsavory campaign finance practices forced leave senate quietly donated 50000 old senate campaign account americans jobs torricelli reportedly also fundraiser senator kerrys presidential campaign one sleaziest former public officials helping senator kerry collect campaign cash torricelli kerry campaign donors outed supporting controversial group hasnt kerry directly asked entire controversy indeed hasnt avowed campaign finance reformer publicly criticized either caper torricelli kerry campaign staff declined answer related ontherecord questions center public integrity kerry spokesman chad clanton quoted washington post saying told one knew anything americans jobs street rumble dark donors fundraisers major democratic presidential candidates overshadowed deankerry rep richard gephardt retired general wesley clark piled labor unions publicly endorsed gephardt accounted fifth moneythe international longshoremens association 50000 laborers international union north america 50000 international association machinists aerospace workers 100000 international association ironworkers 25000 international brotherhood boilermakers 5000 former dean donor former slimfast foods businessman daniel abraham gave 200000 past kerry donor bernard schwartz chairman loral space communicationsthe tenth leading donor democratic party giving 53 million yearschipped 15000 top money chaser wesley clark alan patricof also donated shadowy group indeed center public integrity study 28 contributors americans jobs found given 87 million democratic party recent years another 550000 committees running president among greatest beneficiaries donations gephardt received 417000 fact least 23 28 people contributing americans jobs donated gephardt past donors also aligned kerry gave almost 60000 campaigns years four 28 individual contributors also given 7200 dean march july 2003 one donors told center idea money would used attack ads rick sloan communications director international association machinists aerospace workers told la times tell ads despicable way well ask refund following remarks published december 17 2003 labor union reported made another donation americans jobs 50000 january 9 2004 exactly forms stealth hitandrun operation presidential politics today six weeks 1 million worth damage advertising spending new federal 30day broadcast limit political issue ads outside groups kicked december 21 americans jobs address 2000 street nw suite 800 washington dc location dwj consulting custodian records one david w jones apparently groups executive director political adviser years gephardt jones told washington post goal point howard dean stood issues point foreign policy experience clearly goals accomplished denied coordination various presidential candidates see official statement jones registered email address americans jobs belonged mark w ward client specialist washington dc office billion dollar law firm skadden arps slate meagher amp flom llp one largest law firms world also large lobbying network representing companies like verizon entergykoch lp pharmaceutical research amp manufacturers america ward wrote irs letter skadden arps letterhead jan 30 2004 accompanying americans jobs first far financial filing mark fec filings irs filings said melissa miles attorney skadden arps firm listed recipient 36000 itemized expenditures americans jobs skadden arps also fifth generous career patron senator kerry employees directly donating 125550 campaigns clients lavishing many times years fact law firm employees largest donors kerry current election cycle miles said kerry nothing 527 knowledge hitandrun political organizations bane open democracy forget infamous willie horton commercial 1988 presidential campaign dozen groups coincidentally friendly george w bush suddenly materialized 2000 gop primary south carolina spending millions dollars spreading worst kind vituperative bile defame senator john mccain wife forget belowboard tactics used bring incumbent democratic georgia senator max cleland two years later opponent paid tv commercials questioning patriotism vietnam war hero cleland interview buying president 2004 harpercollins mccain told people quietly assisted bush south carolina 2000 primary showdown also involved georgia slander run people former christian coalition executive director bush pioneer ralph reed outfit organizations never ever get running picture max cleland saddam hussein osama bin laden man left three limbs battlefield vietnam thats something never get many 527s run obscure offices like one americans jobs lists primary address confirming corporate visions runs companies address one owners said sublease space americans jobs healthcare underscores profoundly disturbing state politics today storefront political hit squads created overnight easily internet investment scams candidates public victimized nowhere turn increasingly political operatives forming 527 committees quickly effectively virtually anonymously influence electoral outcomes fact since 2000 42 groups filed one disclosure report irs collectively organizations still raised 32 million contributions average 781000 according data compiled center public integrity strutting braggadocio ostensibly independent organizations impeccably indubitably dependent pedigrees give impression wild wild west town sheriff jail example according national journal republican 501c4 organization progress america expects raise 40 million 60 million television ads direct mail outreach issue truth squads behalf president bush 2004 unlike 527s group required law publicly disclose donors counsel group ben ginsberg also chief outside counsel bush campaign ken mehlman manager bushcheney 04 campaign ed gillespie chairman republican national committee among 150 party poobahs willard hotel bash organization last october democrats meanwhile aggressively raising money several 527 surrogate party organizations including media fund begun harold ickes former clinton white house deputy chief staff also serves executive committee democratic national committee former president clinton wholeheartedly supports help effort designed raise 95 million issue ads bush year billionaire financier philanthropist george soros announced contribute 10 million another 527 group america coming together huge voter mobilization effort despite valiant wellintentioned efforts campaign finance reformers unavoidable sense lawlessness anarchy federal election commission unabashedly attempted diminish mccainfeingold law 300page devilinthe details rulemaking document abysmal record regulation enforcement nearly three decade history fec one successful case brought campaign coordinating independent expenditures records available timely basis journalists find dark desperately seeking dirty tricksters 21st century america recent iowa caucuses saw first political mugging 2004 presidential campaign democrats sneakily slurring democrats absolutely last considering remarkable cash advantage sordid reputation white house political director karl rove years ago taught negative campaigning techniques university texas bubble unexpected implosion frontrunner deans 47 million candidacy studied years come one plausibly suggest political demise substantially attributable attacks americans jobs paramudslinging subterfuge efforts dont know shouldnt american people including national news media insist knowing mucking around democracy midst presidential election charles lewis director center public integrity author buying presidency 160 160 | 1,223 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afscme/5471721416/in/set-72157626121265364/"&gt;Greg Hansen, AFSCME&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
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<p>On Wednesday the New Hampshire House of Representatives <a href="http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/newsstatenewengland/953498-227/house-passes-right-to-work-legislation-but-short-of.html" type="external">passed a right-to-work law</a>, returning the issue to Democratic Gov. John Lynch’s desk for the second time in two years.&#160;The bane of organized labor for over half a century, right-to-work laws regained momentum in the United States after Republicans won historically sweeping victories on the state level in the 2010 midterm elections. In February, Indiana became the first state in a decade—and the first Rust Belt state—to enact one of the laws.</p>
<p>Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters, <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/11261888/1/perry-romney-oppose-federal-agency-shop-laws.html" type="external">has said</a> that right-to-work proponents are waging a “war on workers,” and Martin Luther King Jr. called right-to-work a “ <a href="http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/draft-statement-vote-no-state-question-409-mlk" type="external">false slogan</a>” and said the laws “rob us of our civil rights and job rights.” But <a href="http://www.nrtw.org/b/foundation_history.htm" type="external">proponents of the laws</a> believe they’re necessary for the growth of manufacturing and business that can bolster states’ weak economies. A lack of nationwide right-to-work legislation, they argue, has resulted in “ <a href="http://www.nrtw.org/b/foundation_history.htm" type="external">abuses of workers’ human rights and civil liberties</a>.”</p>
<p>So what is a right-to-work law, anyway?</p>
<p>The basics</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/workers-are-never-required-to-join-unions" type="external">No American worker can be forced to join a union</a>. But most unions push companies to agree to contracts that require all workers, whether they’re in the union or not, to pay dues to the union for negotiating with management. State right-to-work laws make these sorts of contracts illegal, meaning that workers in unionized businesses can benefit from the terms of a union contract without paying union dues. (Under federal law, unions must represent all workers covered by a contract, even if some of those workers are not members of the union and do not pay for the union’s representation.)</p>
<p>Unions are fighting the expansion of these laws, which currently apply in 23 US states. A coalition of lawmakers, manufacturers, tea partiers, and big conservative think tanks want to see them passed in the rest of the US.</p>
<p>The history</p>
<p>In 1947 a Republican-controlled Congress passed the federal Taft-Hartley Act (also known as the Labor-Management Relations Act). This law amended the 1935 National Labor Relations Act so that closed shops—businesses in which every employee was required to be part of the union and pay dues—were no longer legal. This left individual states free to pass laws that prohibited requiring employees in a unionized business to pay dues. These laws are known as right-to-work laws.</p>
<p>The right-to-work slogan originates from a the US Supreme Court ruling <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&amp;court=us&amp;vol=129&amp;page=114" type="external">Dent v. West Virginia</a> stating that Americans had a fundamental right to pursue an occupation of their choice. The Supreme Court forbid state legislatures from depriving or regulating people’s particular occupation. Later, a newspaper editor from Texas named William B. Ruggles who was anti-union reinterpreted the term to mean the right to work in a unionized business without paying dues. (Ruggles has since become something of a folk hero for the right-to-work movement. There’s even a <a href="http://www.nilrr.org/node/8" type="external">scholarship named after him</a> at the anti-union National Institute for Labor Relations Research.)</p>
<p>OK, but why are we talking about this now?</p>
<p>Lynch, the Democratic governor of New Hampshire, will likely veto the right-to-work law that recently passed the state House of Representatives. Lynch vetoed a very similar proposal last May, the House’s attempt to override that veto <a href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/295729/right-to-work-override-fails?CSAuthResp=1331839467%3A1h85tbor18usvpnfrnjckr22l3%3ACSUserId%7CCSGroupId%3Aapproved%3ADEC0986D3FBA11F610FC9210ED2C4C13&amp;CSUserId=94&amp;CSGroupId=1" type="external">failed last November</a>,&#160;and Lynch remains strongly opposed to right-to-work laws, a spokesman told Mother Jones. But elsewhere, right-to-work laws are making headway. In February, Indiana became the first Rust Belt state and the first state in over a decade to adopt a right-to-work law. Of the 22 other states to pass right-to-work laws since 1947, Idaho, which <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DVNeAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=DGENAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=6981,967127&amp;dq=idaho+right+to+work&amp;hl=en%5D" type="external">passed a law in 1985</a>, and Oklahoma, which <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/bp300/" type="external">passed one in 2001</a>, are the most recent.</p>
<p>The passage of a right-to-work law in Indiana, which has long had strong unions, represents a new phase of the battle over the laws. As Abby Rapoport recently <a href="http://prospect.org/article/where-indiana-goes-so-goes-nation" type="external">explained in the American Prospect</a>, most previous right-to-work laws were passed in states without a strong organized labor presence:</p>
<p>“States throughout the South and West soon passed such legislation, and used the laws to prevent unions from gaining a foothold or gaining significant power. The laws never actually dismantled a strong union presence, but instead kept unions out for fear they would upset racial and class structures.”</p>
<p>The Indiana law took on unions in a state where labor’s foothold was once strong and is now “slowly diminishing.” That makes it a perfect place to begin an attack on labor in the Rust Belt, Rapoport argues.</p>
<p>If unions in Indiana lose membership and become weaker because of the law, lower wages might lure manufacturing business from Michigan, where 18 percent of workers are <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf" type="external">currently represented by organized labor</a>.</p>
<p>A right-to-work movement has also begun to take hold in Michigan, too. As my colleague Andy Kroll has <a href="" type="internal">reported</a>, last October legislators unveiled a “right-to-teach” bill that “would let teachers work under union-negotiated contracts without chipping in a dime for the cost of negotiations.” The bill is currently in the Committee on Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing. <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120217/POLITICS01/202170364/Romney-pushes-right-work?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs" type="external">The Detroit News reported</a> that Mitt Romney was pushing hard for right-to-work laws when he campaigned through the state before narrowly winning its GOP primary election in February.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is also grappling with a right-to-work law. At the same time he was trying to eliminate collective bargaining for public-sector employees, Gov. Scott Walker&#160; <a href="" type="internal">floated a right-to-work bill</a>. Now pushback by organized labor and the public on behalf of workers’ rights has Walker <a href="" type="internal">facing a recall</a> election.</p>
<p>Who’s supporting the recent right-to-work laws?</p>
<p>Indiana’s <a href="http://alecexposed.org/w/images/c/c8/1R10-Right_to_Work_Act_Exposed.pdf" type="external">legislation</a> appears to have come from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). As Karen Olsson <a href="" type="internal">reported in Mother Jones in 2002</a>, ALEC, which is funded by private corporations, industry groups, and conservative foundations, “gives business a direct hand in writing bills that are considered in state assemblies nationwide.” The group’s model legislation includes <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/10/arizonas_draconian_and_constitutionally_suspect.html" type="external">Arizona’s SB 1070</a>, and a “ <a href="http://alecexposed.org/w/images/1/19/7D11-Truth_in_Sentencing_Act_Exposed.pdf" type="external">truth in sentencing</a>” bill that the Corrections Corporation of America <a href="" type="internal">helped draft</a>.</p>
<p>How do these laws affect the economy?</p>
<p>It’s hard to say. The <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv23n1/holmes.pdf" type="external">most well-known study</a> on the development of manufacturing in states with right-to-work laws was published by Thomas Holmes in 2000. Holmes compared manufacturing growth or decline on the borders between right-to-work states and states without the pro-business legislation. He found that in right-to-work states, manufacturing employment was higher than in “anti-business” states without the laws. These findings have led supporters like Harvard economics professor Robert Barro to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704150604576166011983939364.html" type="external">conclude that</a>&#160;“right-to-work laws—or, more broadly, the pro-business policies offered by right-to-work states—matter for economic growth.”</p>
<p>However, Mother Jones‘ <a href="" type="internal">Kevin Drum</a> says it’s no surprise pro-business states attract more manufacturing:</p>
<p>“[B]usinesses prefer locating in states where costs are low and rules are lax — something I think we all knew already. Of course that’s what businesses prefer. But it says literally nothing at all about whether the United States as a whole would have higher or lower growth if every state either did or didn’t have right-to-work laws.”</p>
<p>Holmes is careful to note that factors like the expansion of railways and trucking and even the invention of air conditioning all played a part in the stronger growth of manufacturing in the Southern and Sun Belt states. Holmes’ findings also don’t mean the laws are good for the economy or the worker in a state over time. A 2011 study by the labor-backed <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/bp300/" type="external">Economic Policy Institute</a> found that wages and benefits are lower in right-to-work states than in non-right-to-work states. Oklahoma has actually seen a reversal of the initial growth in manufacturing jobs since its right-to-work law passed in 2001. The EPI report found that in the cases of “higher-tech manufacturing, to ‘knowledge’ sector jobs, or to service industries dependent on consumer spending in the local economy—there is reason to believe that right-to-work laws may actually harm a state’s economic prospects.”</p>
<p>What’s next?</p>
<p>The New Hampshire bill is unlikely to become law, but that doesn’t mean right-to-work won’t continue to spread. Tea party activists in Ohio are campaigning for a <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/11/10/right-to-work-amendment-planned-ohio-activists.html" type="external">constitutional amendment</a> that would make it a right-to-work state. The group would need 386,000 signatures before the first week of July in order to get the amendment on the November 2012 ballot. According to a Qunnipiac Poll, 54 percent of Ohioans <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/quinnipiac-poll-shows-ohioans-support-legislation-213400878.html" type="external">support right-to-work laws</a>.</p>
<p>The Missouri legislature is considering several right-to-work&#160; <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/12info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=3687" type="external">bills</a>. A proposed constitutional amendment in Virginia <a href="http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+vot+S08V0012+SJ0025" type="external">has been carried over</a> and will be considered in 2013. Virginia is already a right-to-work state but Republicans are determined to enshrine the legislation in the state’s constitution.</p>
<p>After their victory in Indiana, it seems clear that right-to-work proponents have other manufacturing states in their sights. Raymond Hogler, a professor at Colorado State University who’s an expert in labor law, asks, “If it passes in Indiana, why not in Ohio, why not in Minnesota, why not in Michigan?”</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | lta hrefhttpwwwflickrcomphotosafscme5471721416inset72157626121265364gtgreg hansen afscmeltagtflickr wednesday new hampshire house representatives passed righttowork law returning issue democratic gov john lynchs desk second time two years160the bane organized labor half century righttowork laws regained momentum united states republicans historically sweeping victories state level 2010 midterm elections february indiana became first state decadeand first rust belt stateto enact one laws jimmy hoffa president teamsters said righttowork proponents waging war workers martin luther king jr called righttowork false slogan said laws rob us civil rights job rights proponents laws believe theyre necessary growth manufacturing business bolster states weak economies lack nationwide righttowork legislation argue resulted abuses workers human rights civil liberties righttowork law anyway basics american worker forced join union unions push companies agree contracts require workers whether theyre union pay dues union negotiating management state righttowork laws make sorts contracts illegal meaning workers unionized businesses benefit terms union contract without paying union dues federal law unions must represent workers covered contract even workers members union pay unions representation unions fighting expansion laws currently apply 23 us states coalition lawmakers manufacturers tea partiers big conservative think tanks want see passed rest us history 1947 republicancontrolled congress passed federal tafthartley act also known labormanagement relations act law amended 1935 national labor relations act closed shopsbusinesses every employee required part union pay dueswere longer legal left individual states free pass laws prohibited requiring employees unionized business pay dues laws known righttowork laws righttowork slogan originates us supreme court ruling dent v west virginia stating americans fundamental right pursue occupation choice supreme court forbid state legislatures depriving regulating peoples particular occupation later newspaper editor texas named william b ruggles antiunion reinterpreted term mean right work unionized business without paying dues ruggles since become something folk hero righttowork movement theres even scholarship named antiunion national institute labor relations research ok talking lynch democratic governor new hampshire likely veto righttowork law recently passed state house representatives lynch vetoed similar proposal last may houses attempt override veto failed last november160and lynch remains strongly opposed righttowork laws spokesman told mother jones elsewhere righttowork laws making headway february indiana became first rust belt state first state decade adopt righttowork law 22 states pass righttowork laws since 1947 idaho passed law 1985 oklahoma passed one 2001 recent passage righttowork law indiana long strong unions represents new phase battle laws abby rapoport recently explained american prospect previous righttowork laws passed states without strong organized labor presence states throughout south west soon passed legislation used laws prevent unions gaining foothold gaining significant power laws never actually dismantled strong union presence instead kept unions fear would upset racial class structures indiana law took unions state labors foothold strong slowly diminishing makes perfect place begin attack labor rust belt rapoport argues unions indiana lose membership become weaker law lower wages might lure manufacturing business michigan 18 percent workers currently represented organized labor righttowork movement also begun take hold michigan colleague andy kroll reported last october legislators unveiled righttoteach bill would let teachers work unionnegotiated contracts without chipping dime cost negotiations bill currently committee reforms restructuring reinventing detroit news reported mitt romney pushing hard righttowork laws campaigned state narrowly winning gop primary election february wisconsin also grappling righttowork law time trying eliminate collective bargaining publicsector employees gov scott walker160 floated righttowork bill pushback organized labor public behalf workers rights walker facing recall election whos supporting recent righttowork laws indianas legislation appears come american legislative exchange council alec karen olsson reported mother jones 2002 alec funded private corporations industry groups conservative foundations gives business direct hand writing bills considered state assemblies nationwide groups model legislation includes arizonas sb 1070 truth sentencing bill corrections corporation america helped draft laws affect economy hard say wellknown study development manufacturing states righttowork laws published thomas holmes 2000 holmes compared manufacturing growth decline borders righttowork states states without probusiness legislation found righttowork states manufacturing employment higher antibusiness states without laws findings led supporters like harvard economics professor robert barro conclude that160righttowork lawsor broadly probusiness policies offered righttowork statesmatter economic growth however mother jones kevin drum says surprise probusiness states attract manufacturing businesses prefer locating states costs low rules lax something think knew already course thats businesses prefer says literally nothing whether united states whole would higher lower growth every state either didnt righttowork laws holmes careful note factors like expansion railways trucking even invention air conditioning played part stronger growth manufacturing southern sun belt states holmes findings also dont mean laws good economy worker state time 2011 study laborbacked economic policy institute found wages benefits lower righttowork states nonrighttowork states oklahoma actually seen reversal initial growth manufacturing jobs since righttowork law passed 2001 epi report found cases highertech manufacturing knowledge sector jobs service industries dependent consumer spending local economythere reason believe righttowork laws may actually harm states economic prospects whats next new hampshire bill unlikely become law doesnt mean righttowork wont continue spread tea party activists ohio campaigning constitutional amendment would make righttowork state group would need 386000 signatures first week july order get amendment november 2012 ballot according qunnipiac poll 54 percent ohioans support righttowork laws missouri legislature considering several righttowork160 bills proposed constitutional amendment virginia carried considered 2013 virginia already righttowork state republicans determined enshrine legislation states constitution victory indiana seems clear righttowork proponents manufacturing states sights raymond hogler professor colorado state university whos expert labor law asks passes indiana ohio minnesota michigan | 890 |
<p>On July 27, 2007 the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control issued a press release apparently promoting the sale of anti-depressants to pregnant women. “Use of certain antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors most commonly known as SSRIs, during pregnancy does not significantly increase the risk for most birth defects,” the CDC wrote.</p>
<p>The press release cited a new CDC study released in the New England Journal of Medicine and further stated, “a second study on SSRI and birth defects, also published in the June 28 issue of NEJM, did not find such an association with birth defects overall, but did find significant associations between specific SSRIs and several birth defects.”</p>
<p>Since the CDC put out the press release, hundreds of headlines have flooded the internet citing the new studies as proof that there is a low risk of birth defects with SSRI use during pregnancy, and the results of the studies have been reported as breaking health care news by every major media outlet in the US.</p>
<p>The pharmaceutical industry as a whole has spent a fortune buying influence in the media since 1997, when the government lifted restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising.</p>
<p>In an article titled, Physicians and Bribery, published by News Target on July 7, 2005, Dani Veracty says the real story about prescription drugs is not being told because the drug makers are influencing the budgets of the major media companies by pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into TV, magazine, newspaper and online advertising.</p>
<p>“Because of this,” he states, “the media companies out there don’t want to say anything bad about these prescription drugs.”</p>
<p>In the July-August Columbia Journalism Review, contributing editor Judy Lieberman, reported that at the end of 2004, drug-company ad revenue for Time Magazine totaled $67 million; for Newsweek $43 million; and for the New York Times took in $13 million. By 2004, she reported, advertising revenues for the five networks including CNN and Fox news was $1.5 billion.</p>
<p>The drugs in the NEJM studies included Prozac by Eli Lilly, Zoloft from Pfizer; Paxil by GlaxoSmithKline, Celexa and Lexapro from Forest Labs; Luvox by Solvay, Effexor by Wyeth, and generic SSRI makers include Barr Pharmaceuticals, Ranbaxy Labs and Genpharm.</p>
<p>Prior to the arrival of SSRIs on the market, depression was estimated to affect only 100 people per million and patients with depression sought help from a medical professional trained in psychiatry and the treatment of disorder.</p>
<p>However, the rate of depression is now estimated to be in the range of 50,000 to 100,000 cases per million, or between a 500 to 1,000-fold increase, according to Jane Currie in “The Marketization of Depression”, published in the May 2005 journal Women and Health Protection.</p>
<p>In April 2004, the CDC reported that antidepressants topped the list of drugs prescribed to women at visits to doctor’s offices and outpatient departments, followed by estrogens and progestins, antiarthritics, and medicines for acid/peptic disorders, in the Journal of Women’s Health.</p>
<p>By 2005, the CDC recently reported, antidepressants were the most prescribed drugs in the US during visits to doctors and hospitals and were prescribed far more often than even medications used to treat high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and headaches.</p>
<p>Yet, a recent analysis of studies on the efficacy of 12 second-generation antidepressants including SSRIs and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), released on January 25, 2007, by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, offers little support for the wide-spread use of these medications.</p>
<p>The AHRQ reviewed efficacy in treating major depressive disorder, dysthymia and subsyndromal depression (including minor depression), and also evaluated comparative efficacy for maintaining remission and for treating accompanying symptoms such as anxiety or insomnia or neurovegetative symptoms.</p>
<p>The review included 187 studies deemed to be of good or fair quality, including 89 head-to-head randomized controlled trials, 57 placebo-controlled randomized studies, with 126 of the studies sponsored by drug companies and 17 funded by government agencies or independent sources, and analyzed the effectiveness of Cymbalta, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Luvox, Remeron, Serzone, Paxil, Zoloft, and Desyrel, many of which are now also sold in generic form.</p>
<p>Overall the analysis found that in controlled studies, during 6 to 12 weeks of treatment, well over a third of the patients, or 38 per cent, saw no improvement in their condition and 54 per cent had only partial improvement and did not achieve remission.</p>
<p>In light of this clear lack of efficacy, it should be noted that as early as August 2004, the FDA label for SSRIs warned that “anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric” According to one of the world’s leading experts on SSRIs, Dr Peter Breggin, author of The Antidepressant Fact Book, “few physicians realize that meta-analyses have shown that antidepressants work no better than placebos at lifting depression.”</p>
<p>So in the case of pregnant women he says, “The risk/benefit ration weighs a placebo effect against increased parental suicide and violence, and babies with congenital defects, babies undergoing withdrawal reactions, and babies whose brains have been forever changed by being soaked in SSRIs during their development.”</p>
<p>Dr Breggin also notes that the NEMJ researchers failed to consider the serious withdrawal reaction in newborns and the potentially disastrous consequences of SSRI use by pregnant women. “Withdrawal reactions confirm that the brain of the fetus has been bathed in SSRIs and that it has suffered significant functional changes,” he warns.</p>
<p>“It should be no surprise that it is not good to bathe the growing brain in toxic drugs like SSRIs,” he says, “because serotonin is intimately involved in the development of the brain in utero and SSRIs inhibit normal brain cell development.”</p>
<p>Experts say, SSRI use creates an unnecessary risk for fetus. Dr David Healy, another leading authority on SSRIs, and the author of The Creation of Psychopharmacology, and The Antidepressant Era, says, “the overwhelming majority of women who are prescribed SSRIs are at little or no risk for suicide or other adverse outcomes from their nervous state.”</p>
<p>He points out that every pregnant woman may have symptoms of depression such as anxiety, disturbed sleep, fatigue, or a loss of interest in sex. “But having depressive symptoms and being depressed are two different things,” he states.</p>
<p>Dr Healy also notes the lack of efficacy shown with SSRIs, and says the risks of the neonatal withdrawal syndrome and serious birth defects to the infant far outweigh any benefits of their use by expectant mothers.</p>
<p>Houston Attorney, Robert S. Kwok is outraged by the new campaign to promote the use of SSRI with pregnant women: “It’s ludicrous to think a woman is at greater risk of depression during her pregnancy and should take antidepressants despite the proven risk to her developing fetus,” he states, “yet physician ‘opinion leaders’ with industry ties are actively trying to convince doctors and patients of just that.” *</p>
<p>Mr Kwok represents the family of Gavin Shore, a baby born with a severe cardiac defect known as Shone’s Anomaly after his mother was prescribed the SSRI Celexa during pregnancy and says Gavin’s mother was not warned that taking an SSRI could double the risk of her baby being born with a severe heart defect.</p>
<p>Although some of the reports citing the NEMJ studies in media mentioned that Glaxo money was involved in funding the CDC study, most neglected to mention the financial contributions of the other drug companies for the study, or the steady stream of drug money that flows to the medical facilities and researchers involved in the studies.</p>
<p>When combined, the named universities, hospitals and researchers involved have received money from Lilly, Pfizer, Wyeth, Glaxo, Aventis, Sanofi Pasteur, and the three companies that make generic versions of SSRIs.</p>
<p>The CDC study lists Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital as participating and the Harvard Medical School receives nearly 25 per cent of its funding from non-government sources, including nearly $3.5 million from Aventis Pharmaceuticals, $2.5 million from Bristol-Myers Squibb, and $2.1 million from Merck, according to an April 12, 2006 report in The Phoenix.</p>
<p>In addition, The Phoenix noted, SEC filings showed Harvard stock holdings of $16 million with Merck, $8 million of Bristol Myers Squibb, $34 million of Johnson &amp; Johnson, and $33 million of Pfizer.</p>
<p>In one NEJM study, Dr Jan Friedman reported receiving honoraria for consulting from i3 Research, which is actually a huge conglomerate of “research” firms with names that begin with i3. The April 12, 2006 Phoenix reported that a firm called i3 Innovus, which co-authored 16 medical-journal articles in 2005, “provides integrated scientific strategies and solutions throughout the pharmaceutical product lifecycle.”</p>
<p>The Phoenix also noted that this i3 firm had a Boston office for its vice-president of US operations, Milton Weinstein, who also happened to be a professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.</p>
<p>The same group of industry-backed research institutions credited in the NEJM CDC study, began the campaign to boost the sale of SSRIs to pregnant women more than a year ago when “experts” at Harvard and Mass General published a study whose effect was to dilute the finding of a mounting number of studies that found serious birth defects to be associated with the use of the drugs by pregnant women.</p>
<p>In response to a study in the February 2006, New England Journal of Medicine that showed infants exposed to SSRIs in the womb were 6 times more likely to be born with the life-threatening lung disorder, persistent pulmonary hypertension, a study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association the same month warning that stopping SSRIs could greatly increase the risk of pregnant women relapsing into depression.</p>
<p>On February 1, 2006, the Associated Press described the methods used by the Massachusetts gang when conducting the JAMA study and said researchers “followed 201 pregnant women with histories of major depression who were taking drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor and Paxil.”</p>
<p>“Because of ethical concerns,” the article said, “the researchers did not randomly assign the women to either stop or continue medication.”</p>
<p>Instead, the AP reported, the women decided what to do and then the “researchers watched what happened.”</p>
<p>But the actual report on the study shows that of the 201 participants, 13 miscarried, 5 terminated their pregnancy, 12 were lost to follow-up prior to the end of pregnancy, and 8 chose to withdraw from the study.</p>
<p>So when reporting on the few pregnant women that remained, the study said mothers were 5 times more likely to suffer a relapse than those who continued taking the drugs.</p>
<p>However, a highly relevant finding rarely mentioned, in what turned out to be this diminutive study, is that 26 per cent of the women who remained on the drugs became depressed anyways.</p>
<p>The study authors noted that of the 82 women who continued antidepressant treatment throughout pregnancy, 21 or 26 per cent relapsed. But there were only 65 women in the group that discontinued the drugs, so the results logically showed a higher rate of relapse when 45 became depressed.</p>
<p>Moreover, nearly 2 years before the study was published in JAMA, on January 13, 2004, the lead author, Dr Lee Cohen was quoted in the New York Times as saying about 75 to 80 per cent of pregnant women who go off antidepressants will relapse during the pregnancy.</p>
<p>Six months after JAMA ran the study, the July 11, 2006 Wall Street Journal three some light on why the 13 “experts” might encourage pregnant women to keep taking SSRIs, in stating the lead author, Dr Cohen, who was a Harvard Medical School professor and director of the research program at Massachusetts General, was a longtime consultant to the three antidepressant makers, a paid speaker for seven, and his research work was funded by four drug companies.</p>
<p>In fact, the Journal reported, “the study and resulting television and newspaper reports of the research failed to note that most of the 13 authors are paid as consultants or lecturers by the makers of antidepressants,” and “the authors failed to disclose more than 60 different financial relationships with drug companies.”</p>
<p>And just like clock-work, the study was widely cited in other journals promoting the sale of SSRIs to pregnant women. “In summary, it seems clear that the risks of not receiving adequate antidepressant treatment thus far outweigh the risks of adverse events, not only in infants but in mothers as well,” wrote Dr Pierre Blier of the University of Ottawa in an editorial in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 2006;31(4):226-8.</p>
<p>“The population,” he warned, “should therefore learn to fear the illness more than the antidepressant.”</p>
<p>But as it turns out, Dr Blier conflicting interests included among others, being a consultant with Lilly, Forest Labs, Janssen, Wyeth and Sanofi-Aventis, and a contract employee with Forest Labs. He was also in the speaker’s bureau for Lilly, Forest Labs, and Wyeth, and received grant funding from Lilly, Forest Labs and Wyeth.</p>
<p>The JAMA study, along with a brief note from Dr Cohen himself, was also featured in the Spring 2006 issue of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Women’s Health Newsletter, in a publication that downplayed the risk of just about all the birth defects discovered in recent years including heart birth defects and the infant withdrawal syndrome.</p>
<p>Since 1990, JAMA has required authors of studies to list all financial interests and has published the disclosures. In an online editorial in July 2006, JAMA editor, Dr Catherine DeAngelis announced her intention to enforce the policy in part by publicizing any author’s failure to follow the rules and specifically noted that 3 consecutive nondisclosures involved authors from Harvard Medical School and included Dr Cohen’s study.</p>
<p>On July 11, 2006, citing material promoting the events, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Massachusetts General psychiatry academy planned to conduct Continuing Medical Education seminars in a dozen cities across the US, with Dr Cohen overseeing a segment on the treatment of pregnant women with psychiatric disorders.</p>
<p>One of the funding sources for the seminars was revealed less than a year later on May 1, 2007, when the Journal reported the major recipients of the $11.8 million that Eli Lilly gave out during the first three months of 2007, and said the largest single grant “was $825,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital’s psychiatry department for a year-long educational program with more than 150,000 registrants.”</p>
<p>It should be noted that Lilly introduced the first SSRI, Prozac, in the late 1980s and its current best-selling antidepressant Cymbalta earned the company $1.3 billion in 2006.</p>
<p>The financial ties between the researchers and SSRI makers was brought to the attention of the JAMA editor by Dr Adam Urato and a letter from Dr Urato was also published in JAMA, stating that since the study dealt in part with the question of stopping antidepressants during pregnancy, the readers should be aware of the potential for pro-drug bias.</p>
<p>The Cohen study is still being cited to promote the use of SSRIs with pregnant women, and as recently as April 26, 2007, in a paper by Dr Claudio Soares, director of Women’s Health Concerns Clinic, McMaster University, Ontario in Journal Watch Women’s Health, a publication put out by the NEJM.</p>
<p>“Results of a recent prospective study of pregnant women,” he wrote, “who were taking antidepressants at or near the time of conception demonstrated that women who opted to discontinue treatment during pregnancy were five times more likely to relapse than were those who stayed on treatment.”</p>
<p>“Despite the cautionary remarks commonly made by most regulatory agencies and medical societies about the use of psychotropic medications during pregnancy,” Dr Soares states, “considerable data supporting the efficacy and reproductive safety of antidepressants have accrued.”</p>
<p>“Conversely,” he warns, “evidence suggests that untreated depression has negative consequences for both mother and child.”</p>
<p>“In summary,” Dr Soares states, “clinicians should bear in mind the mounting evidence about the adverse effects of uncontrolled depression during pregnancy.”</p>
<p>But here too, Dr Urato, wrote a response to this obvious sales pitch objecting to the total lack of citations to studies that support the assertion that the risks of birth defects associated with SSRI are rare and that the benefits of SSRIs use to avoid relapse into depression outweigh the risks.</p>
<p>But most concerning, Dr Urato wrote, “is the complete lack of financial disclosure information to go along with the article.”</p>
<p>“As I was reading this piece,” he wrote, “I kept thinking to myself “‘Boy, this sounds like it was written by someone working for the antidepressant makers.'”</p>
<p>And sure enough, Dr Urato found that Dr Soares is on the Speaker’s Bureau for Forest Labs, Wyeth, Glaxo, and Pfizer and has received honoraria as a research consultant for Sepracor, Glaxo, Wyeth, and Neurocrine.</p>
<p>Mr Kwok is also highly critical of the increasingly common practice of using “opinion leaders” like Dr Soares to sell SSRIs to pregnant women, but states, “there will come a time when the drug manufacturers will have to face the music on SSRIs causing PPHN, and that time is coming soon.”</p>
<p>He says his firm has an abundance of new cases that prove it’s no coincidence that pregnant mothers on SSRIs have an increased likelihood of giving birth to babies with PPHN in families where there is no history of respiratory illness.</p>
<p>“Just yesterday,” Mr Kwok states, “I spoke to a mother who birthed a baby with a serious breathing disorder that requires regular use of a nebulizer, a device used to administer medication via liquid mist to the airways, commonly used in treating asthma and other respiratory diseases.”</p>
<p>“This young mother is now at risk of losing her job,” Mr Kwok reports, “since her infant requires full time care.”</p>
<p>He says doctors should be instructed to screen patients who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and inform them of the risks of SSRIs to a developing fetus. “At least educate this “class” of women,” he says, “so they may make informed personal decisions.”</p>
<p>“Sure, the loss of this “class” may cost the drug manufacturers some profit,” he notes, “but it’s the right thing to do and it will save many families a lifetime of torture caring for a sick child like we see over and over again.”</p>
<p>The need to recapture pregnant women as customers is crucial for some SSRI makers. For instance, Forest Labs reported that Lexapro and Celexa accounted for 68 per cent of the firm’s total sales for the year ending March 31, 2006, in its Annual Report filed with the SEC. Back in May 2005, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh estimated that in any given year at least 80,000 pregnant women in US are prescribed SSRIs, in JAMA.</p>
<p>Families seeking legal advice for infants born with heart or lung birth defects to mothers who were prescribed Celexa during pregnancy may contact Robert Kwok at Robert Kwok &amp; Associates, LLP at (888)466-5965; <a href="http://www.kwoklaw.com/about.php" type="external">http://www.kwoklaw.com/about.php</a>]</p>
<p>*This article is written as part of a series on Celexa related litigation and is sponsored by Robert Kwok &amp; Associates, LLP.</p>
<p>EVELYN PRINGLE can be reached at evelyn-pringle@sbcglobal.net</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | july 27 2007 us governments centers disease control issued press release apparently promoting sale antidepressants pregnant women use certain antidepressants selective serotoninreuptake inhibitors commonly known ssris pregnancy significantly increase risk birth defects cdc wrote press release cited new cdc study released new england journal medicine stated second study ssri birth defects also published june 28 issue nejm find association birth defects overall find significant associations specific ssris several birth defects since cdc put press release hundreds headlines flooded internet citing new studies proof low risk birth defects ssri use pregnancy results studies reported breaking health care news every major media outlet us pharmaceutical industry whole spent fortune buying influence media since 1997 government lifted restrictions directtoconsumer advertising article titled physicians bribery published news target july 7 2005 dani veracty says real story prescription drugs told drug makers influencing budgets major media companies pumping hundreds millions dollars tv magazine newspaper online advertising states media companies dont want say anything bad prescription drugs julyaugust columbia journalism review contributing editor judy lieberman reported end 2004 drugcompany ad revenue time magazine totaled 67 million newsweek 43 million new york times took 13 million 2004 reported advertising revenues five networks including cnn fox news 15 billion drugs nejm studies included prozac eli lilly zoloft pfizer paxil glaxosmithkline celexa lexapro forest labs luvox solvay effexor wyeth generic ssri makers include barr pharmaceuticals ranbaxy labs genpharm prior arrival ssris market depression estimated affect 100 people per million patients depression sought help medical professional trained psychiatry treatment disorder however rate depression estimated range 50000 100000 cases per million 500 1000fold increase according jane currie marketization depression published may 2005 journal women health protection april 2004 cdc reported antidepressants topped list drugs prescribed women visits doctors offices outpatient departments followed estrogens progestins antiarthritics medicines acidpeptic disorders journal womens health 2005 cdc recently reported antidepressants prescribed drugs us visits doctors hospitals prescribed far often even medications used treat high blood pressure cholesterol diabetes headaches yet recent analysis studies efficacy 12 secondgeneration antidepressants including ssris serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors snris released january 25 2007 agency healthcare research qualitys ahrq division us department health human services offers little support widespread use medications ahrq reviewed efficacy treating major depressive disorder dysthymia subsyndromal depression including minor depression also evaluated comparative efficacy maintaining remission treating accompanying symptoms anxiety insomnia neurovegetative symptoms review included 187 studies deemed good fair quality including 89 headtohead randomized controlled trials 57 placebocontrolled randomized studies 126 studies sponsored drug companies 17 funded government agencies independent sources analyzed effectiveness cymbalta wellbutrin effexor celexa lexapro prozac luvox remeron serzone paxil zoloft desyrel many also sold generic form overall analysis found controlled studies 6 12 weeks treatment well third patients 38 per cent saw improvement condition 54 per cent partial improvement achieve remission light clear lack efficacy noted early august 2004 fda label ssris warned anxiety agitation panic attacks insomnia irritability hostility aggressiveness impulsivity akathisia psychomotor restlessness hypomania mania reported adult pediatric patients treated antidepressants major depressive disorder well indications psychiatric nonpsychiatric according one worlds leading experts ssris dr peter breggin author antidepressant fact book physicians realize metaanalyses shown antidepressants work better placebos lifting depression case pregnant women says riskbenefit ration weighs placebo effect increased parental suicide violence babies congenital defects babies undergoing withdrawal reactions babies whose brains forever changed soaked ssris development dr breggin also notes nemj researchers failed consider serious withdrawal reaction newborns potentially disastrous consequences ssri use pregnant women withdrawal reactions confirm brain fetus bathed ssris suffered significant functional changes warns surprise good bathe growing brain toxic drugs like ssris says serotonin intimately involved development brain utero ssris inhibit normal brain cell development experts say ssri use creates unnecessary risk fetus dr david healy another leading authority ssris author creation psychopharmacology antidepressant era says overwhelming majority women prescribed ssris little risk suicide adverse outcomes nervous state points every pregnant woman may symptoms depression anxiety disturbed sleep fatigue loss interest sex depressive symptoms depressed two different things states dr healy also notes lack efficacy shown ssris says risks neonatal withdrawal syndrome serious birth defects infant far outweigh benefits use expectant mothers houston attorney robert kwok outraged new campaign promote use ssri pregnant women ludicrous think woman greater risk depression pregnancy take antidepressants despite proven risk developing fetus states yet physician opinion leaders industry ties actively trying convince doctors patients mr kwok represents family gavin shore baby born severe cardiac defect known shones anomaly mother prescribed ssri celexa pregnancy says gavins mother warned taking ssri could double risk baby born severe heart defect although reports citing nemj studies media mentioned glaxo money involved funding cdc study neglected mention financial contributions drug companies study steady stream drug money flows medical facilities researchers involved studies combined named universities hospitals researchers involved received money lilly pfizer wyeth glaxo aventis sanofi pasteur three companies make generic versions ssris cdc study lists harvard medical school massachusetts general hospital participating harvard medical school receives nearly 25 per cent funding nongovernment sources including nearly 35 million aventis pharmaceuticals 25 million bristolmyers squibb 21 million merck according april 12 2006 report phoenix addition phoenix noted sec filings showed harvard stock holdings 16 million merck 8 million bristol myers squibb 34 million johnson amp johnson 33 million pfizer one nejm study dr jan friedman reported receiving honoraria consulting i3 research actually huge conglomerate research firms names begin i3 april 12 2006 phoenix reported firm called i3 innovus coauthored 16 medicaljournal articles 2005 provides integrated scientific strategies solutions throughout pharmaceutical product lifecycle phoenix also noted i3 firm boston office vicepresident us operations milton weinstein also happened professor harvard medical school harvard school public health group industrybacked research institutions credited nejm cdc study began campaign boost sale ssris pregnant women year ago experts harvard mass general published study whose effect dilute finding mounting number studies found serious birth defects associated use drugs pregnant women response study february 2006 new england journal medicine showed infants exposed ssris womb 6 times likely born lifethreatening lung disorder persistent pulmonary hypertension study appeared journal american medical association month warning stopping ssris could greatly increase risk pregnant women relapsing depression february 1 2006 associated press described methods used massachusetts gang conducting jama study said researchers followed 201 pregnant women histories major depression taking drugs prozac zoloft effexor paxil ethical concerns article said researchers randomly assign women either stop continue medication instead ap reported women decided researchers watched happened actual report study shows 201 participants 13 miscarried 5 terminated pregnancy 12 lost followup prior end pregnancy 8 chose withdraw study reporting pregnant women remained study said mothers 5 times likely suffer relapse continued taking drugs however highly relevant finding rarely mentioned turned diminutive study 26 per cent women remained drugs became depressed anyways study authors noted 82 women continued antidepressant treatment throughout pregnancy 21 26 per cent relapsed 65 women group discontinued drugs results logically showed higher rate relapse 45 became depressed moreover nearly 2 years study published jama january 13 2004 lead author dr lee cohen quoted new york times saying 75 80 per cent pregnant women go antidepressants relapse pregnancy six months jama ran study july 11 2006 wall street journal three light 13 experts might encourage pregnant women keep taking ssris stating lead author dr cohen harvard medical school professor director research program massachusetts general longtime consultant three antidepressant makers paid speaker seven research work funded four drug companies fact journal reported study resulting television newspaper reports research failed note 13 authors paid consultants lecturers makers antidepressants authors failed disclose 60 different financial relationships drug companies like clockwork study widely cited journals promoting sale ssris pregnant women summary seems clear risks receiving adequate antidepressant treatment thus far outweigh risks adverse events infants mothers well wrote dr pierre blier university ottawa editorial journal psychiatry neuroscience 20063142268 population warned therefore learn fear illness antidepressant turns dr blier conflicting interests included among others consultant lilly forest labs janssen wyeth sanofiaventis contract employee forest labs also speakers bureau lilly forest labs wyeth received grant funding lilly forest labs wyeth jama study along brief note dr cohen also featured spring 2006 issue massachusetts general hospitals center womens health newsletter publication downplayed risk birth defects discovered recent years including heart birth defects infant withdrawal syndrome since 1990 jama required authors studies list financial interests published disclosures online editorial july 2006 jama editor dr catherine deangelis announced intention enforce policy part publicizing authors failure follow rules specifically noted 3 consecutive nondisclosures involved authors harvard medical school included dr cohens study july 11 2006 citing material promoting events wall street journal reported massachusetts general psychiatry academy planned conduct continuing medical education seminars dozen cities across us dr cohen overseeing segment treatment pregnant women psychiatric disorders one funding sources seminars revealed less year later may 1 2007 journal reported major recipients 118 million eli lilly gave first three months 2007 said largest single grant 825000 massachusetts general hospitals psychiatry department yearlong educational program 150000 registrants noted lilly introduced first ssri prozac late 1980s current bestselling antidepressant cymbalta earned company 13 billion 2006 financial ties researchers ssri makers brought attention jama editor dr adam urato letter dr urato also published jama stating since study dealt part question stopping antidepressants pregnancy readers aware potential prodrug bias cohen study still cited promote use ssris pregnant women recently april 26 2007 paper dr claudio soares director womens health concerns clinic mcmaster university ontario journal watch womens health publication put nejm results recent prospective study pregnant women wrote taking antidepressants near time conception demonstrated women opted discontinue treatment pregnancy five times likely relapse stayed treatment despite cautionary remarks commonly made regulatory agencies medical societies use psychotropic medications pregnancy dr soares states considerable data supporting efficacy reproductive safety antidepressants accrued conversely warns evidence suggests untreated depression negative consequences mother child summary dr soares states clinicians bear mind mounting evidence adverse effects uncontrolled depression pregnancy dr urato wrote response obvious sales pitch objecting total lack citations studies support assertion risks birth defects associated ssri rare benefits ssris use avoid relapse depression outweigh risks concerning dr urato wrote complete lack financial disclosure information go along article reading piece wrote kept thinking boy sounds like written someone working antidepressant makers sure enough dr urato found dr soares speakers bureau forest labs wyeth glaxo pfizer received honoraria research consultant sepracor glaxo wyeth neurocrine mr kwok also highly critical increasingly common practice using opinion leaders like dr soares sell ssris pregnant women states come time drug manufacturers face music ssris causing pphn time coming soon says firm abundance new cases prove coincidence pregnant mothers ssris increased likelihood giving birth babies pphn families history respiratory illness yesterday mr kwok states spoke mother birthed baby serious breathing disorder requires regular use nebulizer device used administer medication via liquid mist airways commonly used treating asthma respiratory diseases young mother risk losing job mr kwok reports since infant requires full time care says doctors instructed screen patients pregnant planning become pregnant inform risks ssris developing fetus least educate class women says may make informed personal decisions sure loss class may cost drug manufacturers profit notes right thing save many families lifetime torture caring sick child like see need recapture pregnant women customers crucial ssri makers instance forest labs reported lexapro celexa accounted 68 per cent firms total sales year ending march 31 2006 annual report filed sec back may 2005 researchers university pittsburgh estimated given year least 80000 pregnant women us prescribed ssris jama families seeking legal advice infants born heart lung birth defects mothers prescribed celexa pregnancy may contact robert kwok robert kwok amp associates llp 8884665965 httpwwwkwoklawcomaboutphp article written part series celexa related litigation sponsored robert kwok amp associates llp evelyn pringle reached evelynpringlesbcglobalnet 160 | 1,936 |
<p>Occupy Oakland won a resounding Oct. 26 victory by mobilizing 3000 people to respond to a police riot. They took down the police fence that exiled them from the plaza in front of city hall, set up tents again, and returned to dancing and receiving massage and acupuncture treatments.</p>
<p>Some 1500 people later attended a daily General Assembly and voted for a general strike on Nov. 2. It would be the first one in the United States since l946, which was also in Oakland. Such a strike calls on workers and students to stay home from work and school and try to shut down the city. Downtown banks were also encouraged to close and demonstrators vowed to enter them if they did not.</p>
<p>“The whole world is watching Oakland” chants can be heard at various occupations around the United States and read in their communications.</p>
<p>In Oakland’s police riot, shotguns fired projectiles and helicopters and armored personnel carriers were employed by the some 400 police officers. They created a martial law environment to intimidate unarmed citizens as they mobilized against multiple social injustices. Some described it as a “drill” for what could happen at other occupation sites. But this repression is stimulating more resistance around the Bay Area and elsewhere.</p>
<p>In San Francisco, police gathered on the morning of Oct. 27 with their masks and riot gear, with the apparent intention of evicting occupiers. They were met by 1000 protestors and backed down. As with the threat by New York City’s mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who ordered police to evict Occupy Wall Street, there have now been three important coast-to-coast victories for the 99% in the growing struggle against the 1%.</p>
<p>Four San Francisco Board of Supervisors, a California state senator, and other elected officials joined the protestors. They called for negotiations with the occupiers, rather than force. In two weeks San Francisco will vote for mayor. The current interim Mayor Ed Lee is running. A failed attempt to evict the emboldened occupiers would doom his campaign.</p>
<p>In all three Bay Area occupy sites that this reporter attended or watched, including Santa Rosa, some elected officials have supported the occupiers by pressuring mayors, city administrators, and police chiefs not to use force. The new occupation movement is using not only its street smarts but also more traditional political routes to increase allies among elected officials, unions, and neighborhood, church, and community groups.</p>
<p>“Oakland is the vanguard and epicenter of the Occupy movement,” Clarence Thomas, was quoted in the daily Oakland Tribune as saying. He is a member of the powerful International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union and urged people to support the strike. Other unions have also come forward with support, though some have reservations.</p>
<p>Labor historian Fred Glass of San Francisco City College was recently interviewed on Pacifica’s KPFA radio. He said that to be successful a general strike needs four things: anger, a spark, leadership willing to call the strike, and an organizational structure to implement it.</p>
<p>The occupation movement has already demonstrated the first three components. Mass discontent exists throughout the U.S. by the 99% that are ruled by the 1%. The police wounding of Iraq vet and Marine Scott Olsen on Oct. 26 in Oakland provided the spark that ignited the calling of the strike.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen how well Occupy Oakland can organize the general strike. It is a risky tactic, especially since the unions that once called for such strikes are now weaker. Whereas most unions in l946 represented workers from private companies, most unions today represent service workers. For example, I am a member of the California Faculty Association, which represents teachers at Sonoma State University.</p>
<p>Oakland’s 1946 general strike brought 100,000 people into the streets and shut down the city for 56 hours. The largest gathering at any of the current occupations here in the U.S. was apparently some 20,000 people. However, ccupations in Madrid and Rome have had over 100,000 participants.</p>
<p>Professor Glass reviewed the history of general strikes in the U.S., which have been few and far in between. Elsewhere in the world, like in Latin America where I have lived and in Europe, general strikes called by labor unions are more common.</p>
<p>“The biggest general strike waves in the U.S. have been after World War I and World War II,” Glass explained. “Veterans came home to many promises, which were not fulfilled,” he added. This is happening again with vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Groups like Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace rallied to support Olsen and have been active at many occupations.</p>
<p>Oct. 26 started as a sad day for veterans and others when we heard in the morning of Olsen’s serious wounding. We were somewhat relieved when we heard of the strong response to the police brutality that forced Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to back off her troops. Some of Quan’s allies have been highly critical of her role and even have called for her resignation.</p>
<p>The police wounding of Olsen has galvanized occupation encampments in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and elsewhere, where vigils have been held for him. A tribute to Olsen has been constructed around a flagpole in Oakland with the words “Pray 4 Scott.” Photos of his sweet face with a dog appear on the internet. Groups such as Amnesty International have condemned the use of tear gas on unarmed citizens, as well as the actions of Oakland Mayor Quan.</p>
<p>Even the corporate media, which has tried to paint negative images of the occupiers with terms such as “dirty hippies,” has had to report the substantial presence of veterans and other patriotic Americans in the growing movement.</p>
<p>Olsen woke up on Oct. 27, though he was apparently still unable to speak. His parents have arrived from Wisconsin and he has been upgraded to fair condition and moved from the emergency room to an intensive care unit at Highland Hospital.</p>
<p>Santa Rosa’s occupation on Oct. 15 was the sixth largest in the nation, though this Sonoma County city only has around 150,000 people. A constant presence at city hall has occurred since then, as well as daily decision-making General Assemblies. The protestors and police have been collaborating and working well together in Santa Rosa. However, that may change as Occupy Santa Rosa is considering engaging in civil disobedience. They plan to erect a tent city to facilitate better overnight stays. That might cause a police reaction.</p>
<p>The first Occupy Petaluma, also in Sonoma County, is scheduled for Oct. 29. An earlier one in the small town of Sonoma on Oct. 14 drew some 500 people.</p>
<p>Such events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area represent many people in the region thinking deeply about what is happening in the U.S. and taking direct action to change the course of events. An uprising of old-fashioned democracy is happening. This is not the first time that this has happened.</p>
<p>As someone who moved to Chile, after serving in the U.S. Army, during the democratically-elected government of President Salvador Allende in the early l970s, today’s events evoke memories. The current victories of the Occupy movement are substantial. But the 1% is carefully calculating its next steps to quell this movement that threatens their domination and hoarded treasures.</p>
<p>In Chile I experienced hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets for democracy. They were eventually struck down by the U.S.-supported dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. A reign of terror was initiated throughout South America that took thousands of lives and dashed the hopes of a democratic, nonviolent revolution.</p>
<p>Let’s not be naïve and innocent to expect that the 1% will give up their substantial wealth exploited from the labor of the rest of us and nature’s bounty. The struggle has only entered its next stages. There is likely to be setbacks. But victory is still possible.</p>
<p>“I have been haunted by voices from the other side of death,” wrote Chilean-American author Ariel Dorfman on Oct. 10 as the Occupy movement unfolded. He wrote of “that other Sept. 11th.” I have also been haunted by those voices, given the torture and assassination of my good friend Frank Teruggi by the Chilean military. If it is to successfully challenge power, the Occupy movement is likely to experience deaths, as we did in the l960s with the Kent State murders. Then what? Some will retreat to their private lives.</p>
<p>There is much to learn from defeat, as Dorfman writes. There have been “many who tried and failed.” They “gave their lives to change the world.”</p>
<p>Might the Occupy movement be a next step in the fall of the American Empire? After the mighty U.S. defeats in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Wounded beasts can be deadly. What might be left after such a fall? Could we return to the American Republic and its values of liberty, freedom, and equality for all?</p>
<p>“Go down fighting,” Dorfman advises. Better than groveling on one’s knees for crumbs.</p>
<p>Shepherd Bliss teaches at Sonoma State University and can be reached at&#160; <a href="mailto:3sb@comcast.net" type="external">3sb@comcast.net</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | occupy oakland resounding oct 26 victory mobilizing 3000 people respond police riot took police fence exiled plaza front city hall set tents returned dancing receiving massage acupuncture treatments 1500 people later attended daily general assembly voted general strike nov 2 would first one united states since l946 also oakland strike calls workers students stay home work school try shut city downtown banks also encouraged close demonstrators vowed enter whole world watching oakland chants heard various occupations around united states read communications oaklands police riot shotguns fired projectiles helicopters armored personnel carriers employed 400 police officers created martial law environment intimidate unarmed citizens mobilized multiple social injustices described drill could happen occupation sites repression stimulating resistance around bay area elsewhere san francisco police gathered morning oct 27 masks riot gear apparent intention evicting occupiers met 1000 protestors backed threat new york citys mayor billionaire michael bloomberg ordered police evict occupy wall street three important coasttocoast victories 99 growing struggle 1 four san francisco board supervisors california state senator elected officials joined protestors called negotiations occupiers rather force two weeks san francisco vote mayor current interim mayor ed lee running failed attempt evict emboldened occupiers would doom campaign three bay area occupy sites reporter attended watched including santa rosa elected officials supported occupiers pressuring mayors city administrators police chiefs use force new occupation movement using street smarts also traditional political routes increase allies among elected officials unions neighborhood church community groups oakland vanguard epicenter occupy movement clarence thomas quoted daily oakland tribune saying member powerful international longshoreman warehouse union urged people support strike unions also come forward support though reservations labor historian fred glass san francisco city college recently interviewed pacificas kpfa radio said successful general strike needs four things anger spark leadership willing call strike organizational structure implement occupation movement already demonstrated first three components mass discontent exists throughout us 99 ruled 1 police wounding iraq vet marine scott olsen oct 26 oakland provided spark ignited calling strike remains seen well occupy oakland organize general strike risky tactic especially since unions called strikes weaker whereas unions l946 represented workers private companies unions today represent service workers example member california faculty association represents teachers sonoma state university oaklands 1946 general strike brought 100000 people streets shut city 56 hours largest gathering current occupations us apparently 20000 people however ccupations madrid rome 100000 participants professor glass reviewed history general strikes us far elsewhere world like latin america lived europe general strikes called labor unions common biggest general strike waves us world war world war ii glass explained veterans came home many promises fulfilled added happening vets returning iraq afghanistan groups like iraq veterans war veterans peace rallied support olsen active many occupations oct 26 started sad day veterans others heard morning olsens serious wounding somewhat relieved heard strong response police brutality forced oakland mayor jean quan back troops quans allies highly critical role even called resignation police wounding olsen galvanized occupation encampments new york chicago philadelphia elsewhere vigils held tribute olsen constructed around flagpole oakland words pray 4 scott photos sweet face dog appear internet groups amnesty international condemned use tear gas unarmed citizens well actions oakland mayor quan even corporate media tried paint negative images occupiers terms dirty hippies report substantial presence veterans patriotic americans growing movement olsen woke oct 27 though apparently still unable speak parents arrived wisconsin upgraded fair condition moved emergency room intensive care unit highland hospital santa rosas occupation oct 15 sixth largest nation though sonoma county city around 150000 people constant presence city hall occurred since well daily decisionmaking general assemblies protestors police collaborating working well together santa rosa however may change occupy santa rosa considering engaging civil disobedience plan erect tent city facilitate better overnight stays might cause police reaction first occupy petaluma also sonoma county scheduled oct 29 earlier one small town sonoma oct 14 drew 500 people events happening san francisco bay area represent many people region thinking deeply happening us taking direct action change course events uprising oldfashioned democracy happening first time happened someone moved chile serving us army democraticallyelected government president salvador allende early l970s todays events evoke memories current victories occupy movement substantial 1 carefully calculating next steps quell movement threatens domination hoarded treasures chile experienced hundreds thousands people taking streets democracy eventually struck ussupported dictatorship gen augusto pinochet reign terror initiated throughout south america took thousands lives dashed hopes democratic nonviolent revolution lets naïve innocent expect 1 give substantial wealth exploited labor rest us natures bounty struggle entered next stages likely setbacks victory still possible haunted voices side death wrote chileanamerican author ariel dorfman oct 10 occupy movement unfolded wrote sept 11th also haunted voices given torture assassination good friend frank teruggi chilean military successfully challenge power occupy movement likely experience deaths l960s kent state murders retreat private lives much learn defeat dorfman writes many tried failed gave lives change world might occupy movement next step fall american empire mighty us defeats vietnam iraq afghanistan wounded beasts deadly might left fall could return american republic values liberty freedom equality go fighting dorfman advises better groveling ones knees crumbs shepherd bliss teaches sonoma state university reached at160 3sbcomcastnet 160 160 160 | 860 |
<p>Beck plans to "bring in moms and their kids to see what they're worried are about." On his Fox News show, Beck has repeatedly teased plans to "bring in moms and their kids to see what they're worried about" for his September 25 broadcast, claiming he has "noticed that more and more women are calling into my radio program," and that "[i]t's moms that are concerned into their kids' futures." Beck detailed: "Moms -- they're joining the 9/12 Project. So this Friday, I thought we'll have a studio audience. We'll bring in <a type="external" href="" /> <a type="external" href="" /> moms and their kids to see what they're worried are about."</p>
<p>Beck started 9-12 Project, whose members helped to organize 9-12 protests. On March 13, Beck announced the launch of his <a href="http://www.the912project.com/" type="external">9-12 Project</a>, whose members helped organize and turn out participants to the 9-12 "March on Washington," which was heavily promoted by Fox News.</p>
<p>The Drudge Report: "SHOCK VIDEO: School kids taught to praise Obama ..." On September 23, Internet gossip Matt Drudge linked to a YouTube video purportedly showing "[s]chool kids taught to praise Obama." The video, showing young schoolchildren in New Jersey singing a song about Obama, provides no evidence that the children or their parents consented to having the video posted on YouTube.</p>
<p />
<p>America's Newsroom: "Many parents ... just don't want this sort of political cheerleading, if you will, in the classroom." On Fox News' America's Newsroom, hosts Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly aired the video and asserted that "many parents" don't want kids "singing praises" to Obama. Before showing the video, Hemmer said: "It is one thing to have kids say the Pledge of Allegiance, but we're not sure what's going on with the videotape now online when students are singing praises to the president and why some parents are saying, not with my kid." Later, Kelly teased the video by saying, it's "getting attention on The Drudge Report website this morning. It shows young children singing the praises, quite literally, of the president." She continued:</p>
<p>KELLY: Well, information posted with the clip says that it is from the Bernice Young School in Burlington Township, New Jersey, but the school won't exactly confirm that for us. In fact, they won't confirm anything for us. We have made multiple attempts to ask them about these students, about this tape and how this came about. We are hoping that they can get back to us shortly, so that we can clear this up.</p>
<p>Already we're getting a lot of emails from our viewers. It went on from there -- you saw a clip of the children singing. Then came a bit of a chant by the children where they praised President Obama for all his great accomplishments, saying, quote, "You're number one. Hooray, Mr. President, we're really proud of you." And on and on it goes.</p>
<p>You know, many would have no problem with this. Many parents would, and just don't want this sort of political cheerleading, if you will, in the classroom. We just don't know the details behind the tape, but it certainly caught our attention and we're trying to find out from, again, from this school, which we have multiple calls into. The B. Bernice Young Elementary School, Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, New Jersey. And as soon as we have it, you'll have it. [America's Newsroom, <a href="/video/2009/09/24/fox-news-follows-drudge-in-invading-childrens-p/154980" type="external">9/24/09</a>]</p>
<p>The Fox Nation: "School Children Sing Songs of Obama's Glory." On September 25, the allegedly fair and balanced TheFoxNation.com <a href="http://www.thefoxnation.com/culture/2009/09/24/school-children-sing-songs-obamas-glory" type="external">posted the video</a> with the headline "School Children Sing Songs of Obama's Glory."</p>
<p>Beck: Song sounds like "a hymnal for a dictator." On the September 24 edition of his radio show, Beck said: "I want to show you, and tonight I'm going to play the tape for you, of indoctrination that is going on. We've been going through all of this indoctrination for the last few days. Tomorrow, I do a full hour live with moms, and their children, and we're going to talk a little bit about things they're concerned with -- and indoctrination I know will come up. Play this, this is -- do we know where this is from? Elementary School in Burlington, New Jersey. The B. Bernice Young Elementary School. The woman who did this is, I believe, an activist, she's the principal, or the teacher. I don't have her name here. But listen to -- this is -- these are elementary school children, and they are singing a song for Barack Obama." After Beck played audio of the video and read the words out loud, he said it sounded like "a hymnal for a dictator. ... Does anybody see what's going on? Does anybody see what's going on?" Later, Beck said: "This is indoctrination. This should horrify the American people." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, <a href="/video/2009/09/24/promoting-newest-conspiracy-theory-beck-claims/154982" type="external">9/25/09</a>]</p>
<p>Beck also promoted the video September 24 on his <a href="http://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/4330811047" type="external">Twitter feed</a>: RT @keepthemhonest: How young does Obama target (more indoctrination video) <a href="http://is.gd/3C1Qc" type="external">http://is.gd/3C1Qc</a> @glennbeck #tcot</p>
<p>Burlington Township School District superintendent: Song is from Black History Month activity, and the "recording and distribution of the classroom activity was unauthorized." The school board's superintendent <a href="http://www.thefoxnation.com/culture/2009/09/24/school-children-sing-songs-obamas-glory" type="external">wrote</a> in a letter to parents that "[t]he video is of a class of students singing a song about President Obama. The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country. Our curriculum studies, honors and recognizes those who serve our country. The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized."</p>
<p>Fox &amp; Friends on "school safety czar": "Given his past, is he the guy for the job?" On Fox News' Fox &amp; Friends, hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, and guest host Alisyn Camerota targeted Kevin Jennings, Obama's purported "school safety czar," following weeks of Fox News' witch hunt against Obama administration "czars." After Doocy stated that "there are some who are questioning whether or not this is a guy who should have a job given his history," Camerota noted that he "wrote a memoir in which he talked about his own past drug use," but "doesn't really disavow it." Kilmeade also said that Jennings is a "[f]ormer schoolteacher who has promoted homosexuality in schools. Also, he has a -- he details a report on how he did not report an incident with an underage student who had sex with an older man, and also has expressed contempt for religion. So, as you expand the resume, it might not be the perfect candidate."</p>
<p>From the September 24 edition of Fox &amp; Friends:</p>
<p>DOOCY: We've been talking here at Fox because nobody else is talking about -- who exactly are these czars who have been appointed by the president to various high jobs. Let's take a look at a fellow named Kevin Jenkins, he is the president's --</p>
<p>KILMEADE: Jennings.</p>
<p>DOOCY: Jennings, that is to say. The president's director of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. And there are some who are questioning whether or not this is a guy who should have the job given his history.</p>
<p>CAMEROTA: Right. He wrote a memoir in which he talked about his own past drug use. Now, I think there are two sides to this point -- if somebody has had experience with drugs, I think that perhaps they are very qualified to then talk about the perils of it. The downside, of course, is if they somehow glorify it or romanticize it, and in his memoir he doesn't really disavow it. He talks about how, you know, you can go to the airport when you are really stoned and watch the planes take off, and it's really quite fascinating when you are drunk and stoned. So, he is not telling -- he is not talking about the potholes associated with this.</p>
<p>DOOCY: Right. But -- and you point out his memoir. I think the memoir came out in 2007, so it's a relatively recent recounting of his life growing up as a young man in Hawaii doing a lot of drugs. Suddenly that sounds like another memoir. But nonetheless, he expressed no regret. And so people are going, "Well, he had the chance two years ago to regret -- to put that down on paper." But he did not.</p>
<p>KILMEADE: And the safe school czar position was actually from George Bush's administration in 2002. President Bush said we need something like this. But maybe this wasn't the job -- this wasn't the resume he thought he'd get: Former schoolteacher who has promoted homosexuality in schools. Also, he has a -- he details a report on how he did not report an incident with an underage student who had sex with an older man, and also has expressed contempt for religion. So, as you expand the resume, it might not be the perfect candidate.</p>
<p>CAMEROTA: Yeah, the reason he was chosen was because he has a longtime record of working to end bullying and discrimination against gay students. He had that credential.</p>
<p>KILMEADE: So he's against bullying? That's good.</p>
<p>DOOCY: And apparently he's been very successful at that, but only half the job revolves around that; the other half is about usage of drugs in school. And given his past, is he the guy for the job? Of course, there was no Senate vetting. He didn't go through the Senate meat grinder. So we haven't heard him actually testify about his past.</p>
<p>Beck led the way on Fox News' witch hunt for Obama's "czars." Fox News personalities have <a href="/research/2009/09/09/fox-news-on-a-witch-hunt-for-obama-czars/154379" type="external">led the charge</a> against the Obama administration's advisers, including Van Jones, John Holdren, Cass Sunstein, and other officials and nominees it has described as "czars" -- often by unearthing and criticizing statements the officials had made in the past rather than critiquing their job performance or credentials for those positions. Sean Hannity, for example, <a href="/research/2009/09/09/fox-news-on-a-witch-hunt-for-obama-czars/154379" type="external">declared</a> that "my job starting tomorrow night is to get rid of every other ['czar']." Beck has been widely <a href="/research/2009/09/24/foxs-glenn-beck-increasingly-sets-medias-agenda/154969" type="external">credited</a> for the resignation of Jones as "green jobs czar," and on September 3, Beck urged "watchdogs" through his <a href="http://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/3749169499" type="external">Twitter feed</a> to "find everything you can on Cass Sunstein, Mark Lloyd, and Carol Browner. Do not link before burning to disc." Beck has <a href="/video/2009/09/22/beck-claims-fcc-diversity-czar-lloyds-statement/154905" type="external">also attacked</a> FCC "diversity czar" Mark Lloyd.</p>
<p>Conservative media: Obama "indoctrinating" kids. Numerous conservative media figures -- including Hannity, Beck, and CNN host Lou Dobbs -- baselessly accused Obama of trying to "indoctrinate" America's children with his September 8 back-to-school speech encouraging students to succeed and persist in their studies. Hannity <a href="/research/2009/09/03/conservative-media-accuse-obama-of-indoctrinati/154180" type="external">claimed</a> that "it seems very close to indoctrination," while Fox News commentator Monica Crowley said "just when you think this administration can't get any more surreal and Orwellian, here they come to indoctrinate our kids"; similarly, Michelle Malkin claimed that "the left has always used kids in public schools as guinea pigs and as junior lobbyists for their social liberal agenda." <a href="/video/2009/09/02/beck-links-mussolini-completely-unrelated-obama/154164" type="external">Discussing</a> a bas-relief supposedly representing Benito Mussolini, Beck said: "Gee, who is having indoctrination next week? Oh, yeah, that's right, the president, completely unrelated." Dobbs <a href="/video/2009/09/08/dobbs-obama-was-trying-to-indoctrinate-our-kids/154312" type="external">also said</a> on his radio show that Obama was "trying to indoctrinate our kids."</p>
<p>Conservatives also claim "brainwashing," invoke communist China, Hitler Youth. Numerous conservatives -- including Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin and WorldNetDaily.com -- <a href="/research/2009/09/02/conservatives-on-obamas-stay-in-school-speech-i/154139" type="external">claimed</a> that Obama's speech about "persisting and succeeding in school," along with classroom activities about the "importance of education," will "indoctrinate" and "brainwash" schoolchildren. Conservatives have compared Obama's address to Chinese communism and the Hitler Youth, while also calling for parents to "keep your kids home" from the "fascist in chief." On his September 2 radio show, Beck said that he planned to air "a special one-hour broadcast next Tuesday on television on the indoctrination of your children," explaining that he decided to air "it on that Tuesday because of Barack Obama speaking [to students] on that Tuesday."</p>
<p>From the September 21 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:</p>
<p>BECK: On Friday, we're planning another special show. I have been saying it for a while now that I have noticed that more and more women are calling into my radio program. It's moms that are concerned about their kids' futures. They sense it in their gut.</p>
<p>Moms -- they're joining the 9-12 Project. So this Friday, I thought we'll have a studio audience. We'll bring in moms and their kids to see what they're worried about. Don't miss it.</p>
<p>From the September 22 edition of Glenn Beck:</p>
<p>BECK: You know, the media is trying to paint people who go to the tea parties and 9-12 events as terrorists or angry white men or whatever. I have noticed on my radio show for a very, very long time that it's more and more it is women, women calling the radio program, moms concerned about their kids' futures. Well, moms are going to join the 9-12 project this Friday with a studio audience. All moms and their kids. What are they worried about? Why are they going out of their house to stand with a sign?</p>
<p>From the September 23 edition of Glenn Beck:</p>
<p>BECK: This Friday, we're also planning a very special show, 9-12ers, except these ones are all moms. What are moms worried about? Why would moms get so angry that they would join together and stand in crowds?</p> | true | 4 | beck plans bring moms kids see theyre worried fox news show beck repeatedly teased plans bring moms kids see theyre worried september 25 broadcast claiming noticed women calling radio program moms concerned kids futures beck detailed moms theyre joining 912 project friday thought well studio audience well bring moms kids see theyre worried beck started 912 project whose members helped organize 912 protests march 13 beck announced launch 912 project whose members helped organize turn participants 912 march washington heavily promoted fox news drudge report shock video school kids taught praise obama september 23 internet gossip matt drudge linked youtube video purportedly showing school kids taught praise obama video showing young schoolchildren new jersey singing song obama provides evidence children parents consented video posted youtube americas newsroom many parents dont want sort political cheerleading classroom fox news americas newsroom hosts bill hemmer megyn kelly aired video asserted many parents dont want kids singing praises obama showing video hemmer said one thing kids say pledge allegiance sure whats going videotape online students singing praises president parents saying kid later kelly teased video saying getting attention drudge report website morning shows young children singing praises quite literally president continued kelly well information posted clip says bernice young school burlington township new jersey school wont exactly confirm us fact wont confirm anything us made multiple attempts ask students tape came hoping get back us shortly clear already getting lot emails viewers went saw clip children singing came bit chant children praised president obama great accomplishments saying quote youre number one hooray mr president really proud goes know many would problem many parents would dont want sort political cheerleading classroom dont know details behind tape certainly caught attention trying find school multiple calls b bernice young elementary school bernice young elementary school burlington new jersey soon youll americas newsroom 92409 fox nation school children sing songs obamas glory september 25 allegedly fair balanced thefoxnationcom posted video headline school children sing songs obamas glory beck song sounds like hymnal dictator september 24 edition radio show beck said want show tonight im going play tape indoctrination going weve going indoctrination last days tomorrow full hour live moms children going talk little bit things theyre concerned indoctrination know come play know elementary school burlington new jersey b bernice young elementary school woman believe activist shes principal teacher dont name listen elementary school children singing song barack obama beck played audio video read words loud said sounded like hymnal dictator anybody see whats going anybody see whats going later beck said indoctrination horrify american people premiere radio networks glenn beck show 92509 beck also promoted video september 24 twitter feed rt keepthemhonest young obama target indoctrination video httpisgd3c1qc glennbeck tcot burlington township school district superintendent song black history month activity recording distribution classroom activity unauthorized school boards superintendent wrote letter parents video class students singing song president obama activity took place black history month 2009 recognized february honor contributions african americans country curriculum studies honors recognizes serve country recording distribution class activity unauthorized fox amp friends school safety czar given past guy job fox news fox amp friends hosts steve doocy brian kilmeade guest host alisyn camerota targeted kevin jennings obamas purported school safety czar following weeks fox news witch hunt obama administration czars doocy stated questioning whether guy job given history camerota noted wrote memoir talked past drug use doesnt really disavow kilmeade also said jennings former schoolteacher promoted homosexuality schools also details report report incident underage student sex older man also expressed contempt religion expand resume might perfect candidate september 24 edition fox amp friends doocy weve talking fox nobody else talking exactly czars appointed president various high jobs lets take look fellow named kevin jenkins presidents kilmeade jennings doocy jennings say presidents director office safe drugfree schools questioning whether guy job given history camerota right wrote memoir talked past drug use think two sides point somebody experience drugs think perhaps qualified talk perils downside course somehow glorify romanticize memoir doesnt really disavow talks know go airport really stoned watch planes take really quite fascinating drunk stoned telling talking potholes associated doocy right point memoir think memoir came 2007 relatively recent recounting life growing young man hawaii lot drugs suddenly sounds like another memoir nonetheless expressed regret people going well chance two years ago regret put paper kilmeade safe school czar position actually george bushs administration 2002 president bush said need something like maybe wasnt job wasnt resume thought hed get former schoolteacher promoted homosexuality schools also details report report incident underage student sex older man also expressed contempt religion expand resume might perfect candidate camerota yeah reason chosen longtime record working end bullying discrimination gay students credential kilmeade hes bullying thats good doocy apparently hes successful half job revolves around half usage drugs school given past guy job course senate vetting didnt go senate meat grinder havent heard actually testify past beck led way fox news witch hunt obamas czars fox news personalities led charge obama administrations advisers including van jones john holdren cass sunstein officials nominees described czars often unearthing criticizing statements officials made past rather critiquing job performance credentials positions sean hannity example declared job starting tomorrow night get rid every czar beck widely credited resignation jones green jobs czar september 3 beck urged watchdogs twitter feed find everything cass sunstein mark lloyd carol browner link burning disc beck also attacked fcc diversity czar mark lloyd conservative media obama indoctrinating kids numerous conservative media figures including hannity beck cnn host lou dobbs baselessly accused obama trying indoctrinate americas children september 8 backtoschool speech encouraging students succeed persist studies hannity claimed seems close indoctrination fox news commentator monica crowley said think administration cant get surreal orwellian come indoctrinate kids similarly michelle malkin claimed left always used kids public schools guinea pigs junior lobbyists social liberal agenda discussing basrelief supposedly representing benito mussolini beck said gee indoctrination next week oh yeah thats right president completely unrelated dobbs also said radio show obama trying indoctrinate kids conservatives also claim brainwashing invoke communist china hitler youth numerous conservatives including fox news commentator michelle malkin worldnetdailycom claimed obamas speech persisting succeeding school along classroom activities importance education indoctrinate brainwash schoolchildren conservatives compared obamas address chinese communism hitler youth also calling parents keep kids home fascist chief september 2 radio show beck said planned air special onehour broadcast next tuesday television indoctrination children explaining decided air tuesday barack obama speaking students tuesday september 21 edition fox news glenn beck beck friday planning another special show saying noticed women calling radio program moms concerned kids futures sense gut moms theyre joining 912 project friday thought well studio audience well bring moms kids see theyre worried dont miss september 22 edition glenn beck beck know media trying paint people go tea parties 912 events terrorists angry white men whatever noticed radio show long time women women calling radio program moms concerned kids futures well moms going join 912 project friday studio audience moms kids worried going house stand sign september 23 edition glenn beck beck friday also planning special show 912ers except ones moms moms worried would moms get angry would join together stand crowds | 1,194 |
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<p>When longshot Goran Ivanisevic took the Wimbledon trophy earlier this month, much was made of his fairy-tale route to the championship. Reuters called him “ <a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010712/sp/atp_ivanisevic_dc_6.html" type="external">Goran Crusoe, the Beatles, and Cinderella all in one</a>.” What few in the media acknowledged during the celebration of the Croatian phoenix were the homophobic comments that followed his triumph over Australian Patrick Rafter.</p>
<p>In the post-match press conference, Ivanisevic vented frustration over several questionable calls, telling reporters, “Then I hit another second serve, huge. And that ball was on the line, was not even close. And that guy, he looks like a faggot little bit, you know. This hair all over him. He call it. I couldn’t believe he did it.” A handful of reporters laughed at the comment.</p>
<p>Talk about a news hole: The remark was edited out of the <a href="http://www.wimbledon.com/news/interviews/9890a99775c487d885256a8400558656.html" type="external">streaming video</a> of the interview available on the official Wimbledon <a href="http://www.wimbledon.com" type="external">Web site</a>. Most mainstream media reports of the press conference (except for <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-071101pucin.column" type="external">a column by the Los Angeles Times‘ Diane Pucin</a>) also omitted the slur — and that has some media-watchers worried.</p>
<p>It’s remarkable that “an athlete can casually drop a word like ‘faggot’ in a high-profile media interview and not only is there very little media coverage of his comment, but several reporters in the room can be heard laughing at it,” says Scott Seomin, spokesman for the <a href="http://www.glaad.org/org/news/pop/index.html?record=2798" type="external">Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation</a> (GLAAD). In fact, Ivanisevic <a href="http://www.tennis.net/usopen/story_4177.asp" type="external">has used the word</a> repeatedly in the past, <a href="http://www.luckonline.net/tennis/indian01.html" type="external">with even less press coverage</a> than the <a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/sn/20010712/sp/recent_conspiracy_theories_hav%20%20e_a_roman_feel_1.html" type="external">modicum</a> his Wimbledon remarks attracted.</p>
<p>To be fair, Ivanisevic is hardly the only sports figure — or even tennis player — to have made homophobic remarks in high-profile situations recently. In January 1999, after the 19-year-old French sensation <a href="http://www.amelie-mauresmo.com/" type="external">Amélie Mauresmo</a> told reporters that she was in a lesbian relationship (she is the first active player to speak openly about her orientation since Martina Navratilova), the top-seeded Martina Hingis called her “ <a href="http://archive.sportserver.com/tennis/00Australian/story/0,3965,500153846-%20%20500189445-500803605-0-sportserver,00.html" type="external">half a man</a>.” Chances are, if you get your sporting news from mainstream US sources, you didn’t know that.</p>
<p>What if it were a matter of racism — which Richard Willams, father of tennis phenoms Venus and Serena, <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/2001/03/26/ericsson_open_ap/" type="external">says is rampant in professional tennis</a> — rather than homophobia? “If Ivanisevic had used the ‘N-word,’ I doubt that press reaction would have been this muted,” says GLAAD’s Seomin.</p>
<p>True enough. In fact, the only prominent cases of sports heroes publicly vilified for antigay remarks have been those who also made racist comments — most notably football star <a href="http://www.execpc.com/~dross/aw/regwhite.html" type="external">Reggie White</a> and major-league baseball pitching ace <a href="http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/122399/spo_baseball.html" type="external">John Rocker</a>.</p>
<p>Homophobia in sports has deep roots for obvious reasons. Sports is about physical strength, a characteristic stereotypically associated with masculinity. You <a href="http://www.coachgumby.com/masters.htm" type="external">tear down a male competitor’s reputation</a> by suggesting that he is effeminate (“You throw like a girl”) or berate a female athlete by implying that she is not not feminine enough. It’s an ugly part of today’s mental gamesmanship.</p>
<p>It has also stunted and ruined careers. <a href="http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/football/kopay05.shtml" type="external">Washington Redskin Ray McDonald</a> was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for having sex with another man in a public park in the late 1960s, and lost his job and his career. Billie Jean King was <a href="http://www.scoops.net/archive/021099.htm" type="external">dumped by her sponsors</a>, including Nike, when she came out in 1981. When rumors circulated that Olympian Greg Louganis was gay, endorsements dried up; <a href="http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/1635/gltxt44.html" type="external">he suspected that sponsors feared</a> being associated with homosexuality.</p>
<p>Fortunately, a few have fared better. Pro golfer Muffin Spencer-Devlin came out amid much controversy about lesbians on the LPGA tour, but her sponsors — Calloway and MetRX — stood by her until she retired. Martina Navratilova suffered a dearth of big endorsement deals until several years into her retirement, when the major corporations realized how loved she was by the public despite (or because of?) her sexuality; now she is the public face of Subaru and can boast a host of other lucrative endorsement contracts.</p>
<p>But if things have gotten better for celebrities, athletes in the trenches still struggle with the fears their peers faced 30 years ago. In a 1994 NCAA study, 49 percent of female athletes and 51 percent of female coaches surveyed said they felt homophobia hampered efforts to attract and retain women in athletic careers. And media coverage isn’t helping: <a href="http://www.glaad.org/org/publications/alerts/?record=2091" type="external">Unsubstantiated rumors about athletes’ sexual orientation</a> make tabloid headlines, while evidence of athletes’ bigotry is <a href="http://www.tennis.net/usopen/story_4177.asp" type="external">buried</a> or ignored.</p>
<p>(For more information, check out the Women’s Sports Foundation’s “ <a href="http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/issues/disc/article.htm%20%20l?record=54" type="external">Homophobia in Women’s Sports</a>,” and the <a href="http://education.umn.edu/tuckercenter/resources/bibliographies/homophobia.%20%20htm" type="external">Tucker Center for Research on Girls &amp; Women in Sport</a> at the University of Minnesota.)</p>
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<p>Bits and Pieces</p>
<p>FORGET DINKs — HERE COME THE HNWIs Get ready for the latest FLA (four-letter acronym): HNWI, or high net-worth individuals (those with liquid assets worth at least $1 million) account for one in about 850 people in the world and collectively own $27 trillion in the world’s liquid assets (not including property). And <a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/010514/merrill_lynch_report_2.html" type="external">their net worth grew last year by 6 percent</a>, despite a drop in the value of the world’s markets, according to Merrill Lynch. There is also such thing as an UHNWI, or “ultra high net-worth individual,” but to get that tag, you need $30 million just burning a hole in your pocket. According to the Merrill Lynch report, more than a third of the world’s HNWIs reside in North America, and their number grew 2.4 percent to 2.54 million individuals over the past year.</p>
<p>PHILLIP MORRIS IN VEGEMITE TUSSLE</p>
<p>Australian electronics magnate and multimillionaire Dick Smith is one of Oz’s most unlikely anti-globalists. Smith was disgusted with what he saw as the imperialism of American and European companies in the quirky Australian food and beverage markets: Phillip Morris subsidiary Kraft Foods owns the ultimate Aussie delectable known as Vegemite. So he <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/11/p1s4.htm" type="external">started Dick Smith Foods</a> — a not-for-profit licensing business that sells the Dick Smith name and label to local franchisees, and donates all profits not reinvested in the company to Australian charities. One of his flagship products: A yeast extract called Ozemite, a direct challenge to Vegemite.</p>
<p>THE CHOCOLATE WAR</p>
<p>The Chocolate Manufacturers Association is <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0801-03.htm" type="external">aggressively opposing legislation</a> aimed at ending the use of child slave labor in the production of chocolate. A recent <a href="http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/06/24/front_page/SLAVERY24%20%20.htm" type="external">Knight Ridder investigation</a> found that boys as young as nine are sold or tricked into slavery to harvest cocoa beans in Ivory Coast, a West African nation that supplies 43 percent of the world’s cocoa. The State Department estimates that as many as 15,000 child slaves work on Ivory Coast’s cocoa, cotton and coffee farms. The industry group has retained former senators Bob Dole and George Mitchell to lobby against a proposal to require “slave-free” labels on chocolate sold in the US.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | longshot goran ivanisevic took wimbledon trophy earlier month much made fairytale route championship reuters called goran crusoe beatles cinderella one media acknowledged celebration croatian phoenix homophobic comments followed triumph australian patrick rafter postmatch press conference ivanisevic vented frustration several questionable calls telling reporters hit another second serve huge ball line even close guy looks like faggot little bit know hair call couldnt believe handful reporters laughed comment talk news hole remark edited streaming video interview available official wimbledon web site mainstream media reports press conference except column los angeles times diane pucin also omitted slur mediawatchers worried remarkable athlete casually drop word like faggot highprofile media interview little media coverage comment several reporters room heard laughing says scott seomin spokesman gay lesbian alliance defamation glaad fact ivanisevic used word repeatedly past even less press coverage modicum wimbledon remarks attracted fair ivanisevic hardly sports figure even tennis player made homophobic remarks highprofile situations recently january 1999 19yearold french sensation amélie mauresmo told reporters lesbian relationship first active player speak openly orientation since martina navratilova topseeded martina hingis called half man chances get sporting news mainstream us sources didnt know matter racism richard willams father tennis phenoms venus serena says rampant professional tennis rather homophobia ivanisevic used nword doubt press reaction would muted says glaads seomin true enough fact prominent cases sports heroes publicly vilified antigay remarks also made racist comments notably football star reggie white majorleague baseball pitching ace john rocker homophobia sports deep roots obvious reasons sports physical strength characteristic stereotypically associated masculinity tear male competitors reputation suggesting effeminate throw like girl berate female athlete implying feminine enough ugly part todays mental gamesmanship also stunted ruined careers washington redskin ray mcdonald arrested charged misdemeanor sex another man public park late 1960s lost job career billie jean king dumped sponsors including nike came 1981 rumors circulated olympian greg louganis gay endorsements dried suspected sponsors feared associated homosexuality fortunately fared better pro golfer muffin spencerdevlin came amid much controversy lesbians lpga tour sponsors calloway metrx stood retired martina navratilova suffered dearth big endorsement deals several years retirement major corporations realized loved public despite sexuality public face subaru boast host lucrative endorsement contracts things gotten better celebrities athletes trenches still struggle fears peers faced 30 years ago 1994 ncaa study 49 percent female athletes 51 percent female coaches surveyed said felt homophobia hampered efforts attract retain women athletic careers media coverage isnt helping unsubstantiated rumors athletes sexual orientation make tabloid headlines evidence athletes bigotry buried ignored information check womens sports foundations homophobia womens sports tucker center research girls amp women sport university minnesota 160 bits pieces forget dinks come hnwis get ready latest fla fourletter acronym hnwi high networth individuals liquid assets worth least 1 million account one 850 people world collectively 27 trillion worlds liquid assets including property net worth grew last year 6 percent despite drop value worlds markets according merrill lynch also thing uhnwi ultra high networth individual get tag need 30 million burning hole pocket according merrill lynch report third worlds hnwis reside north america number grew 24 percent 254 million individuals past year phillip morris vegemite tussle australian electronics magnate multimillionaire dick smith one ozs unlikely antiglobalists smith disgusted saw imperialism american european companies quirky australian food beverage markets phillip morris subsidiary kraft foods owns ultimate aussie delectable known vegemite started dick smith foods notforprofit licensing business sells dick smith name label local franchisees donates profits reinvested company australian charities one flagship products yeast extract called ozemite direct challenge vegemite chocolate war chocolate manufacturers association aggressively opposing legislation aimed ending use child slave labor production chocolate recent knight ridder investigation found boys young nine sold tricked slavery harvest cocoa beans ivory coast west african nation supplies 43 percent worlds cocoa state department estimates many 15000 child slaves work ivory coasts cocoa cotton coffee farms industry group retained former senators bob dole george mitchell lobby proposal require slavefree labels chocolate sold us | 653 |
<p>As Congress and the American people protest the travesty Bush created in Iraq, our President is gunning for a confrontation with Iran. Bush is rattling the sabers and opting for gunboat diplomacy by pledging to “seek out and destroy” Iranian networks “providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies” in Iraq. But he has produced no hard evidence that Iran is supplying forces in Iraq with such weapons or manufacturing their own nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>When I say “gunboat diplomacy,” I mean that literally. Bush recently sent US warships and Patriot missile batteries to the Persian Gulf and moved US attack aircraft to Turkey and other countries on Iran’s borders. US forces stormed the Iranian consulate in northern Iraq and captured six Iranian nationals, and Bush announced he will go after any Iranians he considers a threat. There are also indications the Bush administration would support military action by Israel against Iran.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the administration stepped up its inflammatory rhetoric. US officials said Iranians may have trained attackers who killed five Americans in Karbala on January 20. They also implicated the Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by Moktada al-Sadr. It’s very interesting that the New York Times characterized the focus on Iran and the Mahdi Army as “convenient from the point of view of the Bush administration.”</p>
<p>Investigators were stumped at how the attackers, who wore American-style uniforms, secured forged US identity cards and American-style M-4 rifles, and used stun grenades like those used only by US forces. They are also confounded at the way the attackers’ convoy of S.U.V.’s gave the impression that it was American and slipped through Iraqi checkpoints. Wednesday’s article in the Times cites a theory that “a Western mercenary group” may have been involved. In the past the US government used the CIA to covertly overthrow governments, such as Iran’s in 1953 and Chile’s in 1973. Could mercenaries now be doing the Bush administration’s dirty work?</p>
<p>The plan to attack Iran has been in the works since Bush inaugurated that country into his “axis of evil” in January 2002. Bush’s 2006 National Military Strategy says, “We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran.” In April 2006, Seymour Hersh revealed the US military was making preparations for an invasion of Iran. “Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups,” Hersh learned from current and former American military intelligence officials.</p>
<p>One of the military proposals calls for the use of bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapons against underground nuclear sites in Iran. That would mean “mushroom clouds, radiation, mass casualties, and contamination over years,” a former senior intelligence official told Hersh. A Pentagon adviser said the Air Force would strike many hundreds of targets in Iran, 99 percent of which have nothing to do with nuclear proliferation.</p>
<p>A former defense official who still advises the Bush administration informed Hersh the military planning was grounded in the belief that “a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government.” That’s the same faulty logic the US government has used to justify its cruel embargo and blockade of Cuba since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.</p>
<p>Congress has the responsibility to prevent Bush from attacking Iran. In view of congressional opposition to his war in Iraq, Bush will not likely ask permission to make war on Iran. We can expect Bush to provoke – or even fabricate a la Tonkin Gulf – an incident with Iran and then claim he’s responding to Iranian aggression. Senior Pentagon officials reported in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times that Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border may be used more aggressively. Bush will then try to bootstrap the September 2001 and October 2002 congressional authorizations for force in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively into consent to attack Iran.</p>
<p>Offensive military action against Iran would be illegal under the United Nations Charter, which requires that members settle international disputes by peaceful means. The UN Charter is a treaty ratified by the US and thus part of American law under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Under the Charter, a country can attack another only in self-defense or with the blessing of the Security Council. Moreover, the use of nuclear weapons would violate our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.</p>
<p>Congress should immediately pass a binding resolution reaffirming the United States’ legal obligations and informing the Bush administration that it will not concur in any invasion or military action against Iran, would refuse to approve any funding for it, and would consider actions taken in contravention of the resolution as impeachable offenses.</p>
<p>MARJORIE COHN is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, president of the National Lawyers Guild, and US representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists. Her new book, Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law, will be published in June.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | congress american people protest travesty bush created iraq president gunning confrontation iran bush rattling sabers opting gunboat diplomacy pledging seek destroy iranian networks providing advanced weaponry training enemies iraq produced hard evidence iran supplying forces iraq weapons manufacturing nuclear weapons say gunboat diplomacy mean literally bush recently sent us warships patriot missile batteries persian gulf moved us attack aircraft turkey countries irans borders us forces stormed iranian consulate northern iraq captured six iranian nationals bush announced go iranians considers threat also indications bush administration would support military action israel iran tuesday administration stepped inflammatory rhetoric us officials said iranians may trained attackers killed five americans karbala january 20 also implicated mahdi army militia controlled moktada alsadr interesting new york times characterized focus iran mahdi army convenient point view bush administration investigators stumped attackers wore americanstyle uniforms secured forged us identity cards americanstyle m4 rifles used stun grenades like used us forces also confounded way attackers convoy suvs gave impression american slipped iraqi checkpoints wednesdays article times cites theory western mercenary group may involved past us government used cia covertly overthrow governments irans 1953 chiles 1973 could mercenaries bush administrations dirty work plan attack iran works since bush inaugurated country axis evil january 2002 bushs 2006 national military strategy says may face greater challenge single country iran april 2006 seymour hersh revealed us military making preparations invasion iran air force planning groups drawing lists targets teams american combat troops ordered iran cover collect targeting data establish contact antigovernment ethnicminority groups hersh learned current former american military intelligence officials one military proposals calls use bunkerbuster tactical nuclear weapons underground nuclear sites iran would mean mushroom clouds radiation mass casualties contamination years former senior intelligence official told hersh pentagon adviser said air force would strike many hundreds targets iran 99 percent nothing nuclear proliferation former defense official still advises bush administration informed hersh military planning grounded belief sustained bombing campaign iran humiliate religious leadership lead public rise overthrow government thats faulty logic us government used justify cruel embargo blockade cuba since fidel castros 1959 revolution congress responsibility prevent bush attacking iran view congressional opposition war iraq bush likely ask permission make war iran expect bush provoke even fabricate la tonkin gulf incident iran claim hes responding iranian aggression senior pentagon officials reported wednesdays los angeles times air force navy fighter planes along iraniraq border may used aggressively bush try bootstrap september 2001 october 2002 congressional authorizations force afghanistan iraq respectively consent attack iran offensive military action iran would illegal united nations charter requires members settle international disputes peaceful means un charter treaty ratified us thus part american law supremacy clause constitution charter country attack another selfdefense blessing security council moreover use nuclear weapons would violate obligations nuclear nonproliferation treaty congress immediately pass binding resolution reaffirming united states legal obligations informing bush administration concur invasion military action iran would refuse approve funding would consider actions taken contravention resolution impeachable offenses marjorie cohn professor thomas jefferson school law president national lawyers guild us representative executive committee american association jurists new book cowboy republic six ways bush gang defied law published june 160 | 517 |
<p>“We’ve given up hope,” said 20 year old Mohammed Al Katib, a Palestinian student imprisoned in the Umm Qasr prison camp in southern Iraq. “We don’t think we’ll ever get out of here.”</p>
<p>On January 3, 2004, I traveled with Rev. Jerry Zawada, OFM, and several of our Iraqi friends to Umm Qasr, located on the Iraq-Kuwait border. There, in a remote and desolate area where US Coalition authorities have constructed a network of tent prisons, we visited four Palestinian students who’ve been held for many months by US coaliton authorities. In the “Bucca Camp,” (named after a firefighter who died in the World Trade Center) prisoners and guards alike battle against monotony, anxiety, and isolation. The prisoners we met listed one more emotional pitfall: despair.</p>
<p>We left Baghdad just after sunrise that Saturday morning and drove six hours to Basra, without stopping, hoping that we might reach Umm Qasr before visiting hours ended. At the outskirts of the prison, a US soldier whose badge read MP (Military Police) politely told us that we were too late. Visiting hours lasted from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Thursday–Saturday. The next opportunity to visit would be five days later. Reluctant to leave, we asked if an exception could be made, explaining that we’d come a long way on a difficult stretch of road and that some of us would leave Iraq within the next several days.</p>
<p>The MP, a young dental hygienist from Tennessee, agreed to contact Major Garrity, a woman whom our Christian Peacemaker Team friends in Baghdad assured us would do her best to help. She initially said, “No way, today we already processed a batch of 500 new prisoners.” After some further conversation, she hesitated and then said, “Hang on. Maybe we can do something.” I think she knew how beleagured the young men we hoped to see were feeling and wanted to give them some small measure of hope. An hour later, jostling on the benches of an army jeep, we were transported over bumpy desert terrain to the prison visitor’s tent at Compound 11, Tampa 11, where Officer Lou, formerly a Miami police officer, had delivered four men in their early twenties, each of them former students in Baghdad.</p>
<p>Prison authorities refer to the young men as “TCNs,”–Third Country Nationals. Four of them were arrested in their dorm rooms on April 10, the day after US Marines arrived in Baghdad. When they asked the Marines what crime they had committed, they were told they were guilty of being Palestinians. The students presume that the Marines wanted to occupy their building because it was one of the tallest in the area and offered a good view. A fifth youngster, Ameer Abbas, a Palestinian who has Iraqi citizenship, was on his way home from his university on June 23, 2003, when a shootout erupted at the local mosque. Clutching his textbooks, he ran in the opposite direction. US soldiers spotted him running and arrested him. His brother, a dentist in Baghdad, has tried repeatedly to secure his release. Dr. Amer Abbas accompanied us to the prison, hoping for a second visit with his brother.</p>
<p>Two other students who were arrested at the same time as Jayyab, Mohammed, Basel, and Ahmed were released in June of 2003, perhaps because they spoke English and were better able to plead their case. Since then, they have tirelessly explored every possible means of helping their companions who remain in prison. Upon hearing that a handful of westerners with Christian Peacemaker Team and Voices in the Wilderness might be able to help, they contacted our small delegation as soon as we arrived in Amman, in late December of 2003. We promised to do our best. In Baghdad, Christian Peacemaker Team members scoured their list of 6,000 prisoners and found the Capture Tag numbers for two of the prisoners. Available details for all five prisoners filled only one sheet of paper.</p>
<p>Guards assured us that prisoners in the Bucca Compound are better off than those who are held in Baghdad prisons. “We give them clothes, they each get a blanket, and we feed them,” said a guard. “We try to do everything we can for them.” I think the guards feel genuine compassion, but there’s little they can do to help these young men. Certainly no one can do anything about the fact that the students have already lost two years of studies because of missed exams.</p>
<p>Officers in the Bucca camp have recommended release for these prisoners, but the only people with authority to issue releases are the Baghdad based members of the “Sec-Det,” the Security Detainees Review Board. A prisoner’s best hope for release rests on their paperwork arriving at the desk of the Sec-Det group as part of a “boarding” process. As our hour long visit came to a close, we promised the five students that we would try our best to bring more attention to their cases by contacting elected representatives in the US, foreign embassies, and the International Commission of the Red Cross.</p>
<p>“Can you think of anything else we can do?” I asked, as we bade the youngsters farewell. “Please,” Jayyad Ehmedat said firmly, “there are many here. Help us all.”</p>
<p>Please contact <a href="http://www.vitw.org/" type="external">Voices in the Wilderness</a> ( <a href="mailto:info@vitw.org" type="external">info@vitw.org</a>) or visit for more information about ways to assist Jayyab Ehmedat, Mohammed Al-Katib, Basel Ali, Ahmed Badran and Ameer Abbas. For more information about the Campaign to Assure Justice for Iraqi Detainees, please visit <a href="http://www.cpt.org/" type="external">www.cpt.org</a></p>
<p>KATHY KELLY is a co-coordinator of the Voices in the Wilderness campaign. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:kathy@vitw.org" type="external">kathy@vitw.org</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | weve given hope said 20 year old mohammed al katib palestinian student imprisoned umm qasr prison camp southern iraq dont think well ever get january 3 2004 traveled rev jerry zawada ofm several iraqi friends umm qasr located iraqkuwait border remote desolate area us coalition authorities constructed network tent prisons visited four palestinian students whove held many months us coaliton authorities bucca camp named firefighter died world trade center prisoners guards alike battle monotony anxiety isolation prisoners met listed one emotional pitfall despair left baghdad sunrise saturday morning drove six hours basra without stopping hoping might reach umm qasr visiting hours ended outskirts prison us soldier whose badge read mp military police politely told us late visiting hours lasted 900 am100 pm thursdaysaturday next opportunity visit would five days later reluctant leave asked exception could made explaining wed come long way difficult stretch road us would leave iraq within next several days mp young dental hygienist tennessee agreed contact major garrity woman christian peacemaker team friends baghdad assured us would best help initially said way today already processed batch 500 new prisoners conversation hesitated said hang maybe something think knew beleagured young men hoped see feeling wanted give small measure hope hour later jostling benches army jeep transported bumpy desert terrain prison visitors tent compound 11 tampa 11 officer lou formerly miami police officer delivered four men early twenties former students baghdad prison authorities refer young men tcnsthird country nationals four arrested dorm rooms april 10 day us marines arrived baghdad asked marines crime committed told guilty palestinians students presume marines wanted occupy building one tallest area offered good view fifth youngster ameer abbas palestinian iraqi citizenship way home university june 23 2003 shootout erupted local mosque clutching textbooks ran opposite direction us soldiers spotted running arrested brother dentist baghdad tried repeatedly secure release dr amer abbas accompanied us prison hoping second visit brother two students arrested time jayyab mohammed basel ahmed released june 2003 perhaps spoke english better able plead case since tirelessly explored every possible means helping companions remain prison upon hearing handful westerners christian peacemaker team voices wilderness might able help contacted small delegation soon arrived amman late december 2003 promised best baghdad christian peacemaker team members scoured list 6000 prisoners found capture tag numbers two prisoners available details five prisoners filled one sheet paper guards assured us prisoners bucca compound better held baghdad prisons give clothes get blanket feed said guard try everything think guards feel genuine compassion theres little help young men certainly one anything fact students already lost two years studies missed exams officers bucca camp recommended release prisoners people authority issue releases baghdad based members secdet security detainees review board prisoners best hope release rests paperwork arriving desk secdet group part boarding process hour long visit came close promised five students would try best bring attention cases contacting elected representatives us foreign embassies international commission red cross think anything else asked bade youngsters farewell please jayyad ehmedat said firmly many help us please contact voices wilderness infovitworg visit information ways assist jayyab ehmedat mohammed alkatib basel ali ahmed badran ameer abbas information campaign assure justice iraqi detainees please visit wwwcptorg kathy kelly cocoordinator voices wilderness campaign reached kathyvitworg 160 160 | 537 |
<p>Rudolf Meidner, chief economist of the LO, Sweden’s largest trade union federation, and an immensely practical socialist visionary, died in December. If Meidner had not been a Swedish citizen, and still a controversial figure at the age of 91, he would very likely have been awarded the Nobel Prize for economics. Meidner was, after all, the co-architect — with Gosta Rehn — of the Swedish welfare state, an achievement which, by itself, would have merited such a nomination. Those responsible for this prize tend to prefer theory to policy but it should be clear to everyone that the Rehn/Meidner model was based on its own distinctive theoretical insights and that policy-oriented economics is anyway deserving of recognition.</p>
<p>Building on Keynes and James Meade, the two men understood that welfare and corporate finance needed to be thought through together if high employment levels were to be maintained and inflation avoided. Remarkably enough, their model did for long succeed in delivering on both fronts — something which, sadly, cannot be said about other European welfare states, where monetary stability was achieved at the expense of a long and debilitating toleration of high levels of unemployment, with younger workers, older workers and ethnic minorities the worst affected.</p>
<p>From the time of the introduction of the second pension system, the ATP, in 1959 the ‘Swedish home’ could accumulate a trust fund so that in future asset income as well as current taxes could be drawn on to pay ATP entitlements. Continental European pension systems were more purely reliant on pay-as-you-go. The famous wage-bargaining round was another device which Rehn and Meidner integrated into their model, helping it to avoid the twin perils of hyperinflation and persistent, high joblessness. Meidner’s position as the chief economist of the LO, the main trade union federation, must have been important in promoting a species of solidaristic wage-bargaining in which the fruits of productivity advances were widely shared. In recent years the Netherlands has had good results with a similar approach.</p>
<p>Another crucial mechanism for maintaining macro-economic balance in the Rehn/Meidner model was the investment reserve. Whereas Anglo-Saxon companies are encouraged to take ‘contribution holidays’ — and put nothing into their pension and health-care funds during upswings of the business cycle — Swedish corporations were encouraged to stow operating profits in special tax-exempt reserves. More generally the Swedish welfare state guaranteed secondary pensions and health care to all citizens, instead of offering private corporations tax incentives to take on the task of supplying social insurance to their own workers. The latter formula — Anglo-Saxon style corporate welfare — has proved to be a trap for employees, depriving them of their promised benefits and threatening their jobs as once-famous companies plunge into bankruptcy and entire industries — steel, airlines, auto and telecoms — are ravaged by the burden of pension and health entitlements. The corporate pensions crunch destroys good jobs and their replacement by low-wage, insecure service employment — MacJobs — is scant compensation.</p>
<p>I am aware that Sweden’s welfare state and social market economy faced its own near-collapse in the early 1990s and that the Rehn/Meidner model did not emerge unscathed. This crisis was deemed to reflect badly on the model though both Rehn and Meidner had stepped down long before, and their advice had anyway not been heeded. Looking back over three or four decades, there remains something very distinctive about the Swedish achievement, something which owes much to the original model. Swedish welfare remains comparatively generous and Swedish unemployment only a little over a half of the core EU rate. Swedish parents have access to better child-care, and Swedish women have better-paying and more flexible jobs than are to be found in other advanced countries.</p>
<p>Meidner’s achievement goes beyond his role, important as that was, in helping to set up the ‘Swedish home’. He saw that an ageing and learning society would require social expenditure on a scale unprecedented in peacetime (one could easily add such challenges as ecological degradation and climate change). Meidner came to believe in the need to establish strategic social funds — ‘wage-earner funds’ – to be financed by a share levy. The huge controversy which was provoked by this proposal generated more heat than light.</p>
<p>The Social Democratic party leadership did not share Meidner’s vision and did a poor job of presenting it to the Swedish people. Meidner’s plan was very radical and they were not. With hindsight there were aspects of the plan that needed adjustment but those made by the SAPD went in the wrong direction. Having, as they saw it, burnt their fingers, the Social Democratic leaders began to see Meidner as an embarrassment, or as a relic of a by-gone age. He was consigned to the shadows and no part of his thinking was more disdained than the ‘wage-earner funds’.</p>
<p>Yet financing pensions, research and education becomes increasingly difficult throughout the OECD countries. Does it really make sense to pay for public programmes only out of current tax revenues and not to pre-fund them, or to introduce even the most modest tax on shareholding wealth. It is a striking fact that while most governments are happy to tax the homes people live in, they all refuse to have any direct levy on share-holding wealth or to allow — as Meidner boldly imagined — social funds to exercise control over the large corporations.</p>
<p>Increasingly, it seems, we live in a society like the French Ancièn Regime before 1789. Then the wealth of the feudal aristocracy was largely exempt from tax; now it is the holdings of the corporate millionaires and billionaires that escape taxation. Other signs reminiscent of the age of Louis XVI include the spirit of ‘après nous le deluge’, the reliance on lotteries, and the emergence of modern variants of ‘tax farming’ — for example, laws which oblige citizens to pay their taxes (pension contributions) to commercial fund managers rather than to an accountable public body. But the taboo on effective taxation of corporate wealth is the most crucial sign of the reign of privilege.</p>
<p>Rudolf Meidner’s share levy, unlike so many modern taxes, was extraordinarily difficult to evade. On the other hand it was not at all punitive. Unlike traditional corporate taxation, it did not subtract from the cash-flow or resources which the enterprise needed for investment. It diluted shareholder wealth without weakening the corporation as a productive concern. According to the original plan every company with more than fifty employees was obliged to issue new shares every year equivalent to 20 per cent of its profits. The newly issued shares — which could not be sold — were to be given to the network of ‘wage earner funds’, representing workplaces and local authorities. The latter would hold the shares, and reinvest the income they yielded from dividends, in order to finance future social expenditure. As the wage earner funds grew they would be able to play an increasing part in directing policy in the corporations which they owned.</p>
<p>The idea that workers ands citizens should tame the corporations by establishing control of financial instruments was an echo of ideas that Meidner imbibed in his youth from the debates of German and Austrian Marxian economists like Rudolf Hilferding and Karl Polanyi. For Meidner was not born in Sweden but arrived there as a refugee in 1938.</p>
<p>Meidner’s visionary scheme was warmly welcomed by many trade unions and by members of the Social Democratic party but strongly opposed by the press and by the ’20 families’ who then dominated the country’s large corporations. It was adopted by the LO in 1976 and, much more cautiously, by the Social Democrats a couple of years later. Opponents of the scheme, claimed that it would aggrandize the trade unions who would dominate the ‘wage-earner funds’. It was also alleged that the scheme unfairly favoured employees in the private sector since they were to be the first to receive shares from the levy. Scare campaigns persuaded the governing Social Democratic not simply to reduce the size of the levy — 10 per cent of profits would have been a perfectly good starting point — but to abandon the principle of the levy itself. Likewise they did not improve the funds’ accountability but instead prevented them from having any say in corporate policy. By 1992 even the scaled-down social funds owned 7 per cent of the Swedish stock market but, to prevent them getting any larger, were wound up by the Conservatives in 1992 and the proceeds used to finance a string of scientific research institutes. So Meidner’s plan has yet to be properly tried, though even in its diluted form the social funds helped to propel Sweden to the forefront of the knowledge-based economy.</p>
<p>Rudolph Meidner, as a radical social democrat, an egalitarian and an organic intellectual of the labour movement was committed to a ‘third way’ that was actually the antithesis of the doctrine of that name subsequently espoused by Tony Blair. Were Blair is vague and rhetorical, Meidner was precise and institutionally specific. Where Blair encourages the privatization and commodification of everything, Meidner was dedicated to the ‘de-commodification’ of welfare, education and research. And his proposal for a network of regional funds broke with the traditional socialist practice of concentrating more power in the central state.</p>
<p>It is now a long time since governments of the Left have dared to tried to tame the corporations and ask whether the owners of the large corporations might be obliged to contribute more to the wider society, without which their own profits would be impossible. The most far-sighted attempt to think through the types of new finance that would be needed to guarantee generous social provision remains that of Rudolf Meidner and this will be his legacy to the 21st century.</p>
<p>ROBIN BLACKBURN is Visiting Distinguished Professor at the New School for Social Resaerch in New York and professor of sociology at the University of Essex, UK. He is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Banking on Death: the History and Future of Pensions</a> (2002) and is an editor of New Left Review.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | rudolf meidner chief economist lo swedens largest trade union federation immensely practical socialist visionary died december meidner swedish citizen still controversial figure age 91 would likely awarded nobel prize economics meidner coarchitect gosta rehn swedish welfare state achievement would merited nomination responsible prize tend prefer theory policy clear everyone rehnmeidner model based distinctive theoretical insights policyoriented economics anyway deserving recognition building keynes james meade two men understood welfare corporate finance needed thought together high employment levels maintained inflation avoided remarkably enough model long succeed delivering fronts something sadly said european welfare states monetary stability achieved expense long debilitating toleration high levels unemployment younger workers older workers ethnic minorities worst affected time introduction second pension system atp 1959 swedish home could accumulate trust fund future asset income well current taxes could drawn pay atp entitlements continental european pension systems purely reliant payasyougo famous wagebargaining round another device rehn meidner integrated model helping avoid twin perils hyperinflation persistent high joblessness meidners position chief economist lo main trade union federation must important promoting species solidaristic wagebargaining fruits productivity advances widely shared recent years netherlands good results similar approach another crucial mechanism maintaining macroeconomic balance rehnmeidner model investment reserve whereas anglosaxon companies encouraged take contribution holidays put nothing pension healthcare funds upswings business cycle swedish corporations encouraged stow operating profits special taxexempt reserves generally swedish welfare state guaranteed secondary pensions health care citizens instead offering private corporations tax incentives take task supplying social insurance workers latter formula anglosaxon style corporate welfare proved trap employees depriving promised benefits threatening jobs oncefamous companies plunge bankruptcy entire industries steel airlines auto telecoms ravaged burden pension health entitlements corporate pensions crunch destroys good jobs replacement lowwage insecure service employment macjobs scant compensation aware swedens welfare state social market economy faced nearcollapse early 1990s rehnmeidner model emerge unscathed crisis deemed reflect badly model though rehn meidner stepped long advice anyway heeded looking back three four decades remains something distinctive swedish achievement something owes much original model swedish welfare remains comparatively generous swedish unemployment little half core eu rate swedish parents access better childcare swedish women betterpaying flexible jobs found advanced countries meidners achievement goes beyond role important helping set swedish home saw ageing learning society would require social expenditure scale unprecedented peacetime one could easily add challenges ecological degradation climate change meidner came believe need establish strategic social funds wageearner funds financed share levy huge controversy provoked proposal generated heat light social democratic party leadership share meidners vision poor job presenting swedish people meidners plan radical hindsight aspects plan needed adjustment made sapd went wrong direction saw burnt fingers social democratic leaders began see meidner embarrassment relic bygone age consigned shadows part thinking disdained wageearner funds yet financing pensions research education becomes increasingly difficult throughout oecd countries really make sense pay public programmes current tax revenues prefund introduce even modest tax shareholding wealth striking fact governments happy tax homes people live refuse direct levy shareholding wealth allow meidner boldly imagined social funds exercise control large corporations increasingly seems live society like french ancièn regime 1789 wealth feudal aristocracy largely exempt tax holdings corporate millionaires billionaires escape taxation signs reminiscent age louis xvi include spirit après nous le deluge reliance lotteries emergence modern variants tax farming example laws oblige citizens pay taxes pension contributions commercial fund managers rather accountable public body taboo effective taxation corporate wealth crucial sign reign privilege rudolf meidners share levy unlike many modern taxes extraordinarily difficult evade hand punitive unlike traditional corporate taxation subtract cashflow resources enterprise needed investment diluted shareholder wealth without weakening corporation productive concern according original plan every company fifty employees obliged issue new shares every year equivalent 20 per cent profits newly issued shares could sold given network wage earner funds representing workplaces local authorities latter would hold shares reinvest income yielded dividends order finance future social expenditure wage earner funds grew would able play increasing part directing policy corporations owned idea workers ands citizens tame corporations establishing control financial instruments echo ideas meidner imbibed youth debates german austrian marxian economists like rudolf hilferding karl polanyi meidner born sweden arrived refugee 1938 meidners visionary scheme warmly welcomed many trade unions members social democratic party strongly opposed press 20 families dominated countrys large corporations adopted lo 1976 much cautiously social democrats couple years later opponents scheme claimed would aggrandize trade unions would dominate wageearner funds also alleged scheme unfairly favoured employees private sector since first receive shares levy scare campaigns persuaded governing social democratic simply reduce size levy 10 per cent profits would perfectly good starting point abandon principle levy likewise improve funds accountability instead prevented say corporate policy 1992 even scaleddown social funds owned 7 per cent swedish stock market prevent getting larger wound conservatives 1992 proceeds used finance string scientific research institutes meidners plan yet properly tried though even diluted form social funds helped propel sweden forefront knowledgebased economy rudolph meidner radical social democrat egalitarian organic intellectual labour movement committed third way actually antithesis doctrine name subsequently espoused tony blair blair vague rhetorical meidner precise institutionally specific blair encourages privatization commodification everything meidner dedicated decommodification welfare education research proposal network regional funds broke traditional socialist practice concentrating power central state long time since governments left dared tried tame corporations ask whether owners large corporations might obliged contribute wider society without profits would impossible farsighted attempt think types new finance would needed guarantee generous social provision remains rudolf meidner legacy 21st century robin blackburn visiting distinguished professor new school social resaerch new york professor sociology university essex uk author banking death history future pensions 2002 editor new left review 160 | 928 |
<p>Jeff Malet/Zuma</p>
<p>Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday <a href="" type="internal">announced</a>&#160;an aggressive plan to crack down on government leaks and said that the Department of Justice might try to stem the flow of leaks by subpoenaing the journalists who publish classified or sensitive information.&#160;</p>
<p>Donald Trump has spent the first half year of his presidency&#160; <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-twitter-tirade-blasts-leak-sessions-refers-presidential/story?id=48790289" type="external">fuming</a>&#160;on Twitter about the many leaks that have come out against his administration. The president has, in part, blamed his attorney general for the onslaught, saying that Sessions is&#160;taking “a VERY weak position…on INTEL leakers!”</p>
<p>Trump had a different view as a candidate last year, frequently praising WikiLeaks after the&#160;website published thousands of emails and other documents stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman and the Democratic National Committee.&#160; <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/87979445-132.html" type="external">Last July</a>,&#160;Trump even encouraged the Russian government to hack Clinton’s emails from when she was secretary of state. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said.&#160;</p>
<p>But since Trump became president,&#160;several major leaks have revealed things that, if true, cast the president and his associates in an extremely negative light at best, and could offer evidence of serious crimes at worst. Here are just a few of the major stories that the public only&#160;knows about thanks to&#160;leaks from anonymous government sources.&#160;Not all of these examples are necessarily crimes that Sessions could prosecute—some of the information divulged may not have been classified—but all likely helped provoke the administration’s war on leaks.</p>
<p>Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn lied about his contacts with the then-Russian ambassador.&#160;On February 9, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-security-adviser-flynn-discussed-sanctions-with-russian-ambassador-despite-denials-officials-say/2017/02/09/f85b29d6-ee11-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html" type="external">Washington&#160;Post</a> reported that US intelligence intercepts showed that, despite denials to his colleagues, Flynn had spoken during the transition period&#160;to Sergey Kislyak,&#160;Russia’s ambassador at the time, about US sanctions on Russia. Flynn had previously told Vice President Mike Pence that there had been no discussion of sanctions,&#160;and Pence repeated the claim in nationally televised interviews.</p>
<p>Intelligence and Justice Department officials knew that Flynn had lied, and they&#160;warned the White House that Flynn’s lie&#160;could be used by the&#160;Russian government as blackmail—meaning that Trump’s National Security Adviser was, himself,&#160;an apparent national security risk. Flynn stayed on the job for another 18 days before Trump fired him. Trump said he fired Flynn not for the contact with Kislyak, but for lying to Pence about it.&#160;Flynn might still be working in the White House if the&#160;Washington Post&#160;hadn’t received that leaked information.</p>
<p>Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html" type="external">asked</a> former FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn.&#160;On May 16, the&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html" type="external">New York Times&#160;reported</a> that in February, after a meeting with several top national security officials, Trump asked Comey to stick behind in the Oval Office. When they were alone, the president&#160;allegedly&#160;told Comey that he hoped he “could see [his] way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.”</p>
<p>Comey documented the encounter in a contemporaneous memo that was later read to the&#160;Times, and Comey then talked about the request in June&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/us/politics/james-comey-testimony-hearing.html" type="external">during testimony</a> before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Those memos were the subject of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/trump-comey-firing.html" type="external">another&#160;New York Times&#160;story</a>, this one alleging that Trump had asked Comey for “loyalty.” The White House denied Comey’s characterization of the request.&#160;</p>
<p>Two days after the&#160;Times&#160;revealed the existence&#160;of the memos, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein <a href="https://www.apnews.com/324cc49ac17c431682cb496f1e7e85c4/Former-FBI-Director-Mueller-to-lead-Trump-Russia-probe" type="external">appointed</a> a special counsel to investigate the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with the Russian government.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html?_r=0" type="external">Trump called Comey</a> “crazy” and “a nut job” in a meeting with top Russian officials and said that firing Comey relieved pressure from the Russia investigation.&#160;The day after Trump fired Comey, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kislyak at the White House. During the meeting, Trump reportedly&#160;told the Russians, “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job…I faced great pressure because of&#160; <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/russiaandtheformersovietunion/index.html?inline=nyt-geo" type="external">Russia</a>. That’s taken off.”</p>
<p>The official White House account didn’t include this exchange, but on May 19&#160;the&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html" type="external">New York Times</a>&#160;published the comments thanks to&#160;an “American official” who read notes of the meeting to a&#160;Times&#160;reporter. Then-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer did not dispute the account when asked by the&#160;Times&#160;for a response.</p>
<p>Jared Kushner reportedly sought to establish a secret line of communication with the Russian government during the transition using Russian-government equipment.&#160;On May 26, the&#160; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-ambassador-told-moscow-that-kushner-wanted-secret-communications-channel-with-kremlin/2017/05/26/520a14b4-422d-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html" type="external">Washington Post&#160;</a>reported that Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of his key White House&#160;advisors, discussed with the Russian ambassador the possibility of “setting up a secret and secure communications channel” between the Trump team and the Russian government, “using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to US officials briefed on the intelligence reports.” Kushner later denied the&#160;Post’s&#160;characterization of his meeting, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jared-kushner-senate-intelligence-committee-statement-2017-7" type="external">saying instead</a> that he merely sought to engage the Russians on how to solve problems in Syria.</p>
<p>Donald Trump Jr., hoping to get dirt on Clinton, arranged a meeting with a Russian lawyer. Then President Trump helped craft a misleading description of his son’s meeting.&#160;On July 8, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/us/politics/trump-russia-kushner-manafort.html" type="external">the&#160;New York Times</a>, using “confidential government records,” reported that&#160;Donald Trump Jr. arranged a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Kushner, former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, and several other people. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/trump-russia-kushner-manafort.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">The next day</a>, the&#160;Times&#160;reported that the meeting was arranged via email with an explicit promise from&#160;a Russian associate of the Trump family that&#160;dirt on Hillary Clinton originating from the Russian government would be offered.</p>
<p>Under pressure,&#160;Trump Jr. released the email chain to the public—confirming the story—and said the meeting was minor and no big deal. Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s lawyers, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/07/12/jay-sekulow-trump-attorney-full-interview-newday.cnn" type="external">denied</a> that the president had anything to do with crafting the response. But then on July 31, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-dictated-sons-misleading-statement-on-meeting-with-russian-lawyer/2017/07/31/04c94f96-73ae-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304_story.html?tid=a_inl" type="external">the&#160;</a>Washington Post,&#160;using&#160;anonymous sources,&#160;reported that the president was involved in crafting White House’s&#160;response to the original story—a response that misleadingly claimed that the meeting was about <a href="" type="internal">the Magnitsky Act</a>, a 2012 law that sanctioned Russian officials thought to be involved in killing a Russian lawyer.&#160;White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders then acknowledged that the president was involved, proving that the president’s lawyer misled the public about the president’s role in the matter.</p>
<p>Sessions, too, was the subject of leaks.&#160;On July 21, citing “current and former US officials,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/world/national-security/sessions-discussed-trump-campaign-related-matters-with-russian-ambassador-us-intelligence-intercepts-show/2017/07/21/3e704692-6e44-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html" type="external">Washington Post</a>&#160;reported that Sessions had discussed campaign-related matters with the Russian ambassador last year, contrary to what Sessions had said after it was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/jeff-sessions-russia-trump-investigation-democrats.html" type="external">&#160;revealed</a>&#160;in March that he had met with Russian officials. The day after those revelations came out in March, Sessions recused himself from all Russia-related matters.&#160;Trump has since said that he regrets choosing Sessions as his AG and that he would have picked someone else if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation. The president hasn’t fired Sessions yet, but the attorney general has extra incentive to crackdown on leaks after unauthorized disclosures put his job in jeopardy.</p> | true | 4 | jeff maletzuma attorney general jeff sessions friday announced160an aggressive plan crack government leaks said department justice might try stem flow leaks subpoenaing journalists publish classified sensitive information160 donald trump spent first half year presidency160 fuming160on twitter many leaks come administration president part blamed attorney general onslaught saying sessions is160taking weak positionon intel leakers trump different view candidate last year frequently praising wikileaks the160website published thousands emails documents stolen hillary clintons campaign chairman democratic national committee160 last july160trump even encouraged russian government hack clintons emails secretary state russia youre listening hope youre able find 30000 emails missing said160 since trump became president160several major leaks revealed things true cast president associates extremely negative light best could offer evidence serious crimes worst major stories public only160knows thanks to160leaks anonymous government sources160not examples necessarily crimes sessions could prosecutesome information divulged may classifiedbut likely helped provoke administrations war leaks former national security adviser mike flynn lied contacts thenrussian ambassador160on february 9 washington160post reported us intelligence intercepts showed despite denials colleagues flynn spoken transition period160to sergey kislyak160russias ambassador time us sanctions russia flynn previously told vice president mike pence discussion sanctions160and pence repeated claim nationally televised interviews intelligence justice department officials knew flynn lied they160warned white house flynns lie160could used the160russian government blackmailmeaning trumps national security adviser himself160an apparent national security risk flynn stayed job another 18 days trump fired trump said fired flynn contact kislyak lying pence it160flynn might still working white house the160washington post160hadnt received leaked information trump asked former fbi director james comey drop investigation flynn160on may 16 the160 new york times160reported february meeting several top national security officials trump asked comey stick behind oval office alone president160allegedly160told comey hoped could see way clear letting go letting flynn go comey documented encounter contemporaneous memo later read the160times comey talked request june160 testimony senate intelligence committee memos subject another160new york times160story one alleging trump asked comey loyalty white house denied comeys characterization request160 two days the160times160revealed existence160of memos deputy attorney general rod rosenstein appointed special counsel investigate trump campaigns possible collusion russian government trump called comey crazy nut job meeting top russian officials said firing comey relieved pressure russia investigation160the day trump fired comey met russian foreign minister sergey lavrov kislyak white house meeting trump reportedly160told russians fired head fbi crazy real nut jobi faced great pressure of160 russia thats taken official white house account didnt include exchange may 19160the160 new york times160published comments thanks to160an american official read notes meeting a160times160reporter thenwhite house press secretary sean spicer dispute account asked the160times160for response jared kushner reportedly sought establish secret line communication russian government transition using russiangovernment equipment160on may 26 the160 washington post160reported kushner trumps soninlaw one key white house160advisors discussed russian ambassador possibility setting secret secure communications channel trump team russian government using russian diplomatic facilities apparent move shield preinauguration discussions monitoring according us officials briefed intelligence reports kushner later denied the160posts160characterization meeting saying instead merely sought engage russians solve problems syria donald trump jr hoping get dirt clinton arranged meeting russian lawyer president trump helped craft misleading description sons meeting160on july 8 the160new york times using confidential government records reported that160donald trump jr arranged meeting russian lawyer kushner former trump campaign chairman paul manafort several people next day the160times160reported meeting arranged via email explicit promise from160a russian associate trump family that160dirt hillary clinton originating russian government would offered pressure160trump jr released email chain publicconfirming storyand said meeting minor big deal jay sekulow one presidents lawyers denied president anything crafting response july 31 the160washington post160using160anonymous sources160reported president involved crafting white houses160response original storya response misleadingly claimed meeting magnitsky act 2012 law sanctioned russian officials thought involved killing russian lawyer160white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders acknowledged president involved proving presidents lawyer misled public presidents role matter sessions subject leaks160on july 21 citing current former us officials washington post160reported sessions discussed campaignrelated matters russian ambassador last year contrary sessions said 160revealed160in march met russian officials day revelations came march sessions recused russiarelated matters160trump since said regrets choosing sessions ag would picked someone else known sessions would recuse russia investigation president hasnt fired sessions yet attorney general extra incentive crackdown leaks unauthorized disclosures put job jeopardy | 690 |
<p>Since 2010, the UK has licensed over £10 billion worth of arms to repressive regimes and dictatorships. This figure includes £7.3 billion worth to states on the Foreign Office’s ‘countries of concern’ list. Even as the <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/ministers-still-see-no-evil-8763467" type="external">Scottish Sunday Mail</a> obtained footage of war crimes being committed against a college in Sana’a using British bombs, UK ministers were reluctant to address any human rights concerns surrounding arms sales. And even as Britain became the world’s second <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-is-now-the-second-biggest-arms-dealer-in-the-world-a7225351.html" type="external">biggest arms dealer</a> as of early September (beaten only by the US), much of the mainstream media continued to sideline Britain’s role in supporting the illegal bombing of Yemen. Little fuss was made over the news that from 2010 the government had approved the sale of arms to 22 out of the 30 countries on its own human rights ‘countries of concern’ watch list.</p>
<p>Reports of human rights abuses in Yemen were met by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson with a cautiously ambiguous claim that no ‘ <a href="http://m.heraldscotland.com/news/14724557.Boris_Johnson_defends_arms_sales_to_Saudi_Arabia/" type="external">clear breach</a>’ had occurred. Johnson didn’t offer a definition of this phrase, but in Whitehall’s lexicon this typically means that a breach has in fact occurred but that insufficient pressure has been placed on the government to respond to the crisis and so, in effect, it can continue to feign concern while continuing to license arms to the Saudi-led bombing campaign. Though displaying an intense lack of concern for Britain’s humanitarian credentials, Johnson was simply continuing a policy outlined by his predecessor, Philip Hammond, who, when the Saudi bombing campaign began in early 2015, said: ‘We’ll support the Saudis in every practical way short of engaging in combat’.</p>
<p>Neither Johnson nor any other member of the Tory Cabinet drew attention to a recent <a href="" type="internal">Oxfam report</a> which revealed that, out of a total population of 27 million, 21 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance, while over <a href="" type="internal">10,000 have been killed</a> since the Saudi-led bombing raids began last March.</p>
<p>On September 7th, BBC’s flagship Newsnight programme reported on how MPs had attempted to water down an investigation by the Committees on Arms Export Controls into whether the UK’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be suspended. The report strongly recommended that it should; senior MPs John Spellar and Crispin Blunt tried to alter much of the language to tone down the culpability of the government in the human rights abuses taking place in Yemen. The report recommended that the UK suspend all arms sales to Saudi Arabia until a UN investigation was carried out. Blunt replaced this recommendation with a reference to a legal case projected to reach the High Court in 2017, whereas Spellar removed it altogether.</p>
<p>The programme’s host Emily Maitlis looked into the camera and asked with a straight face, ‘Can we afford to upset Saudi Arabia on this question of arms sales or does the question betray cowardice?’ Newsnight asked both MPs to comment, and both declined. Of all the people in the world for Newsnight to interview over the affair, only the hawkish Hilary Benn and a former army general, Simon Mayall, were chosen. Blunt later appeared on the programme, only to remain silent when pushed too hard about UK complicity in war crimes. It transpired that Blunt had even walked out of a committee meeting to delay publication of the report when it was clear that his recommended revisions would be rejected.</p>
<p>Johnson, Blunt and Spellar may well have had the following information from the <a href="" type="internal">Daily Telegraph</a> in mind when defending an otherwise morally indefensible industry: ‘Apart from maintaining traditional links on military and intelligence cooperation, Mr Jubeir also said post-Brexit Britain could look forward to forging new trade links with the kingdom as Saudi Arabia embarks on its ambitious plan to restructure its economy under a plan called Saudi Vision 2030. “We are looking at more than $2 trillion worth of investment opportunities over the next decade, and this will take the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Britain to an entirely new level post-Brexit.”’ Why make an effort to halt the bombing of schools and overcrowded hospitals when exciting new business ventures loom on the horizon?</p>
<p>Recently, Scottish universities have been criticised in a small number of newspapers for investing millions in arms firms <a href="" type="internal">accused of war crimes</a>. Scottish universities are a major source of support for the <a href="" type="internal">arms trade</a>, allowing these kinds of violations of international law to continue. The University of Glasgow is a major arms trade investor, with £1.3m being invested in the arms trade in addition to £551,288 worth of shares in <a href="" type="internal">BAE Systems</a>. In 2014, student organisers successfully forced the university to divest from fossil fuels, and a similar campaign was launched in 2015 to pressure the university to <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scottish-universities-slammed-shameful-investing-5466225" type="external">divest</a> from BAE Systems.</p>
<p>A year later in February 2016, not too far away in Edinburgh students blockaded the central business district and demanded an end to arms trade and fossil fuel investments. The University of Edinburgh boasts over £6m in financial endowments held in these industries, with, for instance, at least £621,000 being invested in Meggit, a company which supplies drone technology in Afghanistan and sells arms to Bahrain. <a href="https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/3459" type="external">Ellie Jones</a>, one of the students who was also campaigning with People &amp; Planet, said: ‘The university cannot continue to invest in industries that cause and profit from climate change and war. Investment is a political choice with real consequences for some of the most vulnerable communities worldwide’.</p>
<p>Focus on university links to the arms trade is pivotal, but the Scottish Government should also be held to account. Despite its vocal criticism of Trident renewal and arms sales to Israel, in 2015 the Scottish Parliament pension fund invested £587,000 in Rolls-Royce, Meggit and Ultra Electronics (CAAT News, Iss. 239, January-March 2016). These three firms have applied for military export licenses to Israel, and Rolls-Royce has a £1.1 billion contact to produce new reactor cores for the next generation of Trident missiles. The Scottish government is rhetorically strong on clamping down on the arms trade, but in practice often falls short of its stated ideals.</p>
<p>Cases such as this suggest that the legal and parliamentary mechanisms which allow the arms trade to successfully and consistently commit to its more egregious clients should be reformed, and the strong state-corporate ties between government and top arms firms seriously compromise the public’s ability to hold the industry to account and implement the government’s own ethical export criteria. The arms trade has integrated itself into a number of public and quasi-public institutions, with the two major types being universities and museums, lending itself an air of humane legitimacy and discouraging governmental and public bodies from questioning its business activities too much. These activities should be harshly scrutinised.</p>
<p>In a brief <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoZsjagnKPs&amp;t=4m54s" type="external">documentary report</a>, Peter Oborne described the destruction of Sana’a (fuelled by UK arms sales) in the following terms: ‘This city of old Sana’a is as extraordinary, as priceless, as unique as any of the masterpieces of Western civilisation – like Florence or Venice. Just imagine the outcry if bombs were falling on Florence or Venice. But because this is old Sana’a, in forgotten Yemen, nobody cares a damn’. Scotland’s leading universities, who claim to be deeply in touch with the ways of human progress, creativity and ingenuity, should urgently heed Oborne’s warning.</p> | true | 4 | since 2010 uk licensed 10 billion worth arms repressive regimes dictatorships figure includes 73 billion worth states foreign offices countries concern list even scottish sunday mail obtained footage war crimes committed college sanaa using british bombs uk ministers reluctant address human rights concerns surrounding arms sales even britain became worlds second biggest arms dealer early september beaten us much mainstream media continued sideline britains role supporting illegal bombing yemen little fuss made news 2010 government approved sale arms 22 30 countries human rights countries concern watch list reports human rights abuses yemen met foreign secretary boris johnson cautiously ambiguous claim clear breach occurred johnson didnt offer definition phrase whitehalls lexicon typically means breach fact occurred insufficient pressure placed government respond crisis effect continue feign concern continuing license arms saudiled bombing campaign though displaying intense lack concern britains humanitarian credentials johnson simply continuing policy outlined predecessor philip hammond saudi bombing campaign began early 2015 said well support saudis every practical way short engaging combat neither johnson member tory cabinet drew attention recent oxfam report revealed total population 27 million 21 million yemenis need humanitarian assistance 10000 killed since saudiled bombing raids began last march september 7th bbcs flagship newsnight programme reported mps attempted water investigation committees arms export controls whether uks arms sales saudi arabia suspended report strongly recommended senior mps john spellar crispin blunt tried alter much language tone culpability government human rights abuses taking place yemen report recommended uk suspend arms sales saudi arabia un investigation carried blunt replaced recommendation reference legal case projected reach high court 2017 whereas spellar removed altogether programmes host emily maitlis looked camera asked straight face afford upset saudi arabia question arms sales question betray cowardice newsnight asked mps comment declined people world newsnight interview affair hawkish hilary benn former army general simon mayall chosen blunt later appeared programme remain silent pushed hard uk complicity war crimes transpired blunt even walked committee meeting delay publication report clear recommended revisions would rejected johnson blunt spellar may well following information daily telegraph mind defending otherwise morally indefensible industry apart maintaining traditional links military intelligence cooperation mr jubeir also said postbrexit britain could look forward forging new trade links kingdom saudi arabia embarks ambitious plan restructure economy plan called saudi vision 2030 looking 2 trillion worth investment opportunities next decade take relationship saudi arabia britain entirely new level postbrexit make effort halt bombing schools overcrowded hospitals exciting new business ventures loom horizon recently scottish universities criticised small number newspapers investing millions arms firms accused war crimes scottish universities major source support arms trade allowing kinds violations international law continue university glasgow major arms trade investor 13m invested arms trade addition 551288 worth shares bae systems 2014 student organisers successfully forced university divest fossil fuels similar campaign launched 2015 pressure university divest bae systems year later february 2016 far away edinburgh students blockaded central business district demanded end arms trade fossil fuel investments university edinburgh boasts 6m financial endowments held industries instance least 621000 invested meggit company supplies drone technology afghanistan sells arms bahrain ellie jones one students also campaigning people amp planet said university continue invest industries cause profit climate change war investment political choice real consequences vulnerable communities worldwide focus university links arms trade pivotal scottish government also held account despite vocal criticism trident renewal arms sales israel 2015 scottish parliament pension fund invested 587000 rollsroyce meggit ultra electronics caat news iss 239 januarymarch 2016 three firms applied military export licenses israel rollsroyce 11 billion contact produce new reactor cores next generation trident missiles scottish government rhetorically strong clamping arms trade practice often falls short stated ideals cases suggest legal parliamentary mechanisms allow arms trade successfully consistently commit egregious clients reformed strong statecorporate ties government top arms firms seriously compromise publics ability hold industry account implement governments ethical export criteria arms trade integrated number public quasipublic institutions two major types universities museums lending air humane legitimacy discouraging governmental public bodies questioning business activities much activities harshly scrutinised brief documentary report peter oborne described destruction sanaa fuelled uk arms sales following terms city old sanaa extraordinary priceless unique masterpieces western civilisation like florence venice imagine outcry bombs falling florence venice old sanaa forgotten yemen nobody cares damn scotlands leading universities claim deeply touch ways human progress creativity ingenuity urgently heed obornes warning | 715 |
<p>The T.I.N.A. Doctrine – “There&#160;Is No Alternative”</p>
<p>Brandon Smith <a href="http://www.alt-market.com/articles/3045-the-dark-agenda-behind-globalism-and-open-borders" type="external">Alt-Market</a></p>
<p>When people unfamiliar with the liberty movement stumble onto the undeniable fact of the “conspiracy” of globalism they tend to look for easy answers to understand what it is and why it exists.&#160;</p>
<p>Most people today have been conditioned to perceive events from a misinterpreted standpoint of “Occam’s Razor” — they wrongly assume that the simplest explanation is probably the right one.</p>
<p>In fact, this is not what Occam’s Razor states. Instead, to summarize, it states that the simplest explanation GIVEN THE EVIDENCE at hand is probably the right explanation.</p>
<p>It has been well known and documented for decades that the push for globalism is a deliberate and focused effort on the part of a select “elite;” international financiers, central bankers, political leaders and the numerous members of exclusive think tanks. They often openly admit their goals for total globalization in their own publications, perhaps believing that the uneducated commoners would never read them anyway. Carroll Quigley, mentor to Bill Clinton and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is often quoted with open admissions to the general scheme:</p>
<p>“The powers of financial capitalism had (a) far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent meetings and conferences. The apex of the systems was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland; a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations. Each central bank… sought to dominate its government by its ability to control Treasury loans, to manipulate foreign exchanges, to influence the level of economic activity in the country, and to influence cooperative politicians by subsequent economic rewards in the business world.” – Carroll Quigley, Tragedy And Hope</p>
<p>The people behind the effort to enforce globalism are tied together by a particular ideology, perhaps even a cult-like religion, in which they envision a world order as described in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_(Plato)" type="external">Plato’s Republic</a>. They believe that they are “chosen” either by fate, destiny or genetics to rule as philosopher kings over the rest of us. They believe that they are the wisest and most capable that humanity has to offer, and that through evolutionary means, they can create chaos and order out of thin air and mold society at will.</p>
<p>This mentality is evident in the systems that they build and exploit. For example, central banking in general is nothing more than a mechanism for driving nations into debt, currency devaluation, and ultimately, enslavement through widespread economic extortion. The end game for central banks is, I believe, the triggering of historic financial crisis, which can then be used by the elites as leverage to promote complete global centralization as the only viable solution.</p>
<p>This process of destabilizing economies and societies is not directed by the heads of the various central banks.&#160; Instead, it is directed by even more central global institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements, as outlined in revealing mainstream articles like <a href="http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/archived/moneyclub.htm" type="external">Ruling The World Of Money</a> published by Harpers Magazine.</p>
<p>We also find through the words of globalists that the campaign for a “new world order” is not meant to be voluntary.</p>
<p>“… When the struggle seems to be drifting definitely towards a world social democracy, there may still be very great delays and disappointments before it becomes an efficient and beneficent world system. Countless people … will hate the new world order … and will die protesting against it. When we attempt to evaluate its promise, we have to bear in mind the distress of a generation or so of malcontents, many of them quite gallant and graceful-looking people.” – HG Welles, Fabian Socialist and author of The New World Order</p>
<p>“In short, the ‘house of world order’ will have to be built from the bottom up rather than f rom the top down. It will look like a great ‘booming, buzzing confusion,’ to use William James’ famous description of reality, but an end run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece, will accomplish much more than the old-fashioned frontal assault.” –Richard Gardner, member of the Trilateral Commission, published in the April, 1974 issue of Foreign Affairs</p>
<p>“The New World Order cannot happen without U.S. participation, as we are the single most significant component. Yes, there will be a New World Order, and it will force the United States to change its perceptions.” – Henry Kissinger, World Action Council, April 19, 1994</p>
<p>I could quote globalists all day long, but I think you get the general idea. While some people see globalism as a “natural offshoot” of free markets or the inevitable outcome of economic progress, the reality is that the simplest explanation (given the evidence at hand) is that globalism is an outright war waged against the ideal of sovereign peoples and nations. It is a guerrilla war, or fourth generation warfare, waged by a small group of elites against the rest of us.</p>
<p>A significant element of this war concerns the nature of borders. Borders of nations, states and even towns and villages, are not just lines on a map or invisible barriers in the dirt. This is what the elites and the mainstream media would like us to believe. Instead, borders when applied correctly represent principles; or at least, that is supposed to be their function.</p>
<p>Human beings are natural community builders; we are constantly seeking out others of like-mind and like-purpose because we understand subconsciously that groups of individuals working together can (often but not always) accomplish more. That said, human beings also have a natural tendency to value individual freedom and the right to voluntary association. We do not like to be forced to associate with people or groups that do not hold similar values.</p>
<p>Cultures erect borders because, frankly, people have the right to vet those who wish to join and participate in their endeavors. People also have a right to discriminate against anyone who does not share their core values; or, in other words, we have the right to refuse association with other groups and ideologies that are destructive to our own…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.alt-market.com/articles/3045-the-dark-agenda-behind-globalism-and-open-borders" type="external">Continue this story at Alt-Market</a></p>
<p>READ MORE NWO&#160;NEWS AT: <a href="" type="internal">21st Century Wire NWO&#160;Files</a></p> | true | 4 | tina doctrine there160is alternative brandon smith altmarket people unfamiliar liberty movement stumble onto undeniable fact conspiracy globalism tend look easy answers understand exists160 people today conditioned perceive events misinterpreted standpoint occams razor wrongly assume simplest explanation probably right one fact occams razor states instead summarize states simplest explanation given evidence hand probably right explanation well known documented decades push globalism deliberate focused effort part select elite international financiers central bankers political leaders numerous members exclusive think tanks often openly admit goals total globalization publications perhaps believing uneducated commoners would never read anyway carroll quigley mentor bill clinton member council foreign relations often quoted open admissions general scheme powers financial capitalism farreaching aim nothing less create world system financial control private hands able dominate political system country economy world whole system controlled feudalist fashion central banks world acting concert secret agreements arrived frequent meetings conferences apex systems bank international settlements basel switzerland private bank owned controlled worlds central banks private corporations central bank sought dominate government ability control treasury loans manipulate foreign exchanges influence level economic activity country influence cooperative politicians subsequent economic rewards business world carroll quigley tragedy hope people behind effort enforce globalism tied together particular ideology perhaps even cultlike religion envision world order described platos republic believe chosen either fate destiny genetics rule philosopher kings rest us believe wisest capable humanity offer evolutionary means create chaos order thin air mold society mentality evident systems build exploit example central banking general nothing mechanism driving nations debt currency devaluation ultimately enslavement widespread economic extortion end game central banks believe triggering historic financial crisis used elites leverage promote complete global centralization viable solution process destabilizing economies societies directed heads various central banks160 instead directed even central global institutions like international monetary fund bank international settlements outlined revealing mainstream articles like ruling world money published harpers magazine also find words globalists campaign new world order meant voluntary struggle seems drifting definitely towards world social democracy may still great delays disappointments becomes efficient beneficent world system countless people hate new world order die protesting attempt evaluate promise bear mind distress generation malcontents many quite gallant gracefullooking people hg welles fabian socialist author new world order short house world order built bottom rather f rom top look like great booming buzzing confusion use william james famous description reality end run around national sovereignty eroding piece piece accomplish much oldfashioned frontal assault richard gardner member trilateral commission published april 1974 issue foreign affairs new world order happen without us participation single significant component yes new world order force united states change perceptions henry kissinger world action council april 19 1994 could quote globalists day long think get general idea people see globalism natural offshoot free markets inevitable outcome economic progress reality simplest explanation given evidence hand globalism outright war waged ideal sovereign peoples nations guerrilla war fourth generation warfare waged small group elites rest us significant element war concerns nature borders borders nations states even towns villages lines map invisible barriers dirt elites mainstream media would like us believe instead borders applied correctly represent principles least supposed function human beings natural community builders constantly seeking others likemind likepurpose understand subconsciously groups individuals working together often always accomplish said human beings also natural tendency value individual freedom right voluntary association like forced associate people groups hold similar values cultures erect borders frankly people right vet wish join participate endeavors people also right discriminate anyone share core values words right refuse association groups ideologies destructive continue story altmarket read nwo160news 21st century wire nwo160files | 587 |
<p>“The General Public has no notion Of what’s behind the scenes. They vote at times with some emotion But don’t know what it means.”</p>
<p>– W. H. Auden, 1935</p>
<p>1968. I thank my lucky stars I was in Berkeley.</p>
<p>Every noon I’d wend my way to Sproul Plaza,&#160; greet Michael Lerner at the political table he had fought for during the Free Speech Movement,&#160; grab a yogurt with Marty Schiffenbauer in his shorts and combat boots — and get my political education as expounded from a microphone on the steps.&#160; Eldridge Cleaver,&#160; Joan Baez,&#160; Phil Ochs,&#160; Michael Rossman,&#160; Angela Davis,&#160; Frank Bardacke,&#160; Pete Camejo,&#160; Dolores Huerta – they were our teachers.&#160; With predictable frequency we’d tear-ass down Telegraph Avenue brandishing our anti-war placards or take on the Oakland Induction Center with shields made of garbage-can lids,&#160; and invariably we’d be met by the Berkeley Police,&#160; the Oakland Police,&#160; the National Guard,&#160; and/or the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department,&#160; nicknamed The Blue Meanies for their blue-clad counterparts in Yellow Submarine.</p>
<p>I graduated in 1969 with a degree in social sciences,&#160; but by both academic curriculum and in-the-street practicum it was a degree in social revolution.&#160; I graduated Phi Beta Kappa,&#160; which I figured meant that I had laid the ground for a career.&#160; Indeed I have spent my life exploring and elaborating on the theme.</p>
<p>The lessons of the movement were many and varied.&#160; One of my most memorable had to do with group mind.&#160; The insight came about not in the formality of social psychology class,&#160; but in the upheaval of the plaza.&#160; The summer after People’s Park thousands of energized students from elsewhere came pouring into Berkeley to get their credentials in social protest.&#160; In the presence of their innocence I saw that,&#160; through the years,&#160; our homegrown protoplasmic mass had forged a shared strategy for moving across campus and through the streets in the face of Flying Wedges and flailing nightsticks,&#160; shotguns and CS gas:&#160; we had evolved a way to hold the line and protect each other at the same time.&#160; But these newcomers:&#160; they were disconnected from each other,&#160; incoherent in their sum,&#160; given to chaos rather than resistance.</p>
<p>Another lesson was the psychic challenge made by the claustrophobia felt in a cell made for one,&#160; now packed with 100.&#160; I dealt with the feeling of enforced enclosure by marking the three or four steps to the tiny bathroom as if they constituted a day hike in Tilden Park,&#160; then looking out the crack in the frosted window at the farthest thing:&#160; the barbed wire.</p>
<p>Algeria,&#160; Cuba,&#160; Columbia,&#160; Prague,&#160; Paris – these buoyed us to our best courage.&#160; We were outraged at Che’s assassination in Bolivia,&#160; and Mao’s Little Red Book festooned our book bags along with the Port Huron Statement,&#160; Soul on Ice,&#160; and The Wretched of the Earth.&#160;&#160; We knew we stood in historic moment amid the decolonization and liberation movements of the world.</p>
<p>But somehow Mexico City escaped us.</p>
<p>1968.&#160; Theirs was a social uprising as populous and anarchistic as ours.&#160; It was as fraught with youthful idealism and factional fighting as ours.&#160; It spilled over onto the streets with the same flair and resolution.&#160; But on the night of 2 October the apartments surrounding Tlatelolco Square were summarily evacuated,&#160; and in the absence of witnesses 400 student protestors were shot dead by federal troops,&#160; their bodies trucked away and dumped into the Gulf of Mexico.&#160; Hundreds more were arrested and imprisoned for years afterward.&#160; It was classic Latin America/School of the Americas terror.</p>
<p>Looking back,&#160; there’s little mystery as to why knowledge of the Mexico City massacre did not hit the airwaves in the U.S.&#160; By the morning of 3 October the bodies were nowhere to be found.&#160; The bloodied sidewalks had been washed clean — protestors and non-protestors alike sufficiently silenced — and the Mexican government denied it all.&#160; Then the corporate media dazzled the world with its slick kaleidoscope of Mexico City’s Olympics.&#160; I didn’t hear about Tlatelolco until the mid-‘90s when one night in San Francisco’s Mission District I happened upon a film made by one of the survivors.</p>
<p>Indeed,&#160; it took Paco Ignacio Taibo II 20 years to mount his nagging memory for the telling.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">68</a> is his report.</p>
<p>Taibo left the movement soon after Tlatelolco,&#160; dazed and empty,&#160; as did so many of&#160; his comrades.&#160; One of the chapter titlessays it all:&#160; “Everyone Blamed Themselves – Forever.”&#160; He hid.&#160; He drifted.&#160; He married,&#160; divorced.&#160; He threw himself into meaningless jobs like writing horoscopes and telenovelas.&#160; Eventually he found his voice,&#160; writing over 50 books and winning the prestigious Bancarella Prize for a biography of <a href="" type="internal">Che Guevara</a>.</p>
<p>But it took Taibo decades to excavate the piles of notes he had kept.&#160;&#160; And,&#160; with them,&#160; his memories.</p>
<p>Memory is the central theme of the book.&#160;&#160; Memory of the University Student Council taking to the streets.&#160; Memory of the sound of 300,000 marching in the Manifestación del Silencio.&#160; Of the V-for-victory sign and the raised fist.&#160; Of snitching paper for the mimeograph machine.&#160; Memory of Héctor Gama’s bulging eyeballs when the military vehicles rolled onto the esplanade at the Ciudad Universitaria.&#160; Of David Cortés hammering an armored tank’s hood with a metal pipe – and not making a dent.&#160; Memory of the relief at not being there when it happened.&#160; Memory of the guilt at not being there when it happened.</p>
<p>To my mind the book is not just one of the best on the period;&#160; it is one of the best I have ever read.&#160;&#160; As hilarious as a weed-induced laughing fit in the face of an R. Crumb cartoon,&#160; as abrupt as a nightstick in the stomach,&#160; elegant in its braiding of words with silences — Taibo takes the reader on a seamless journey replete with colors and smells,&#160; political revelations and emotional swings.&#160; But the story of coming of age in an age of brutality is more than a walk down Memory Lane;&#160; it is threaded with the irony that can accompany adulthood,&#160; a state that arrived tragically early for the author,&#160; the direct result of Tlatelolco.&#160; Taibo’s gift as a human being is apparent:&#160; he lives in a state of wonder — and so the story is reported,&#160; regaled,&#160; and reflected upon with humility.</p>
<p>1968.&#160; If you were there and are called to remember — if you were not and want to understand — <a href="" type="internal">’68</a> is the book that will jar your memory of all things good and horrific.</p>
<p>CHELLIS GLENDINNING is the author of six books, including <a href="" type="internal">Off the</a> <a href="" type="internal">Map:&#160; An Expedition Deep into Empire and the Global Economy</a> and the forthcoming Luddite.com: A Personal History of Technology.&#160; She lives in the village of Chimayó,&#160; in northern New Mexico.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | general public notion whats behind scenes vote times emotion dont know means w h auden 1935 1968 thank lucky stars berkeley every noon id wend way sproul plaza160 greet michael lerner political table fought free speech movement160 grab yogurt marty schiffenbauer shorts combat boots get political education expounded microphone steps160 eldridge cleaver160 joan baez160 phil ochs160 michael rossman160 angela davis160 frank bardacke160 pete camejo160 dolores huerta teachers160 predictable frequency wed tearass telegraph avenue brandishing antiwar placards take oakland induction center shields made garbagecan lids160 invariably wed met berkeley police160 oakland police160 national guard160 andor alameda county sheriffs department160 nicknamed blue meanies blueclad counterparts yellow submarine graduated 1969 degree social sciences160 academic curriculum inthestreet practicum degree social revolution160 graduated phi beta kappa160 figured meant laid ground career160 indeed spent life exploring elaborating theme lessons movement many varied160 one memorable group mind160 insight came formality social psychology class160 upheaval plaza160 summer peoples park thousands energized students elsewhere came pouring berkeley get credentials social protest160 presence innocence saw that160 years160 homegrown protoplasmic mass forged shared strategy moving across campus streets face flying wedges flailing nightsticks160 shotguns cs gas160 evolved way hold line protect time160 newcomers160 disconnected other160 incoherent sum160 given chaos rather resistance another lesson psychic challenge made claustrophobia felt cell made one160 packed 100160 dealt feeling enforced enclosure marking three four steps tiny bathroom constituted day hike tilden park160 looking crack frosted window farthest thing160 barbed wire algeria160 cuba160 columbia160 prague160 paris buoyed us best courage160 outraged ches assassination bolivia160 maos little red book festooned book bags along port huron statement160 soul ice160 wretched earth160160 knew stood historic moment amid decolonization liberation movements world somehow mexico city escaped us 1968160 social uprising populous anarchistic ours160 fraught youthful idealism factional fighting ours160 spilled onto streets flair resolution160 night 2 october apartments surrounding tlatelolco square summarily evacuated160 absence witnesses 400 student protestors shot dead federal troops160 bodies trucked away dumped gulf mexico160 hundreds arrested imprisoned years afterward160 classic latin americaschool americas terror looking back160 theres little mystery knowledge mexico city massacre hit airwaves us160 morning 3 october bodies nowhere found160 bloodied sidewalks washed clean protestors nonprotestors alike sufficiently silenced mexican government denied all160 corporate media dazzled world slick kaleidoscope mexico citys olympics160 didnt hear tlatelolco mid90s one night san franciscos mission district happened upon film made one survivors indeed160 took paco ignacio taibo ii 20 years mount nagging memory telling160 68 report taibo left movement soon tlatelolco160 dazed empty160 many of160 comrades160 one chapter titlessays all160 everyone blamed forever160 hid160 drifted160 married160 divorced160 threw meaningless jobs like writing horoscopes telenovelas160 eventually found voice160 writing 50 books winning prestigious bancarella prize biography che guevara took taibo decades excavate piles notes kept160160 and160 them160 memories memory central theme book160160 memory university student council taking streets160 memory sound 300000 marching manifestación del silencio160 vforvictory sign raised fist160 snitching paper mimeograph machine160 memory héctor gamas bulging eyeballs military vehicles rolled onto esplanade ciudad universitaria160 david cortés hammering armored tanks hood metal pipe making dent160 memory relief happened160 memory guilt happened mind book one best period160 one best ever read160160 hilarious weedinduced laughing fit face r crumb cartoon160 abrupt nightstick stomach160 elegant braiding words silences taibo takes reader seamless journey replete colors smells160 political revelations emotional swings160 story coming age age brutality walk memory lane160 threaded irony accompany adulthood160 state arrived tragically early author160 direct result tlatelolco160 taibos gift human apparent160 lives state wonder story reported160 regaled160 reflected upon humility 1968160 called remember want understand 68 book jar memory things good horrific chellis glendinning author six books including map160 expedition deep empire global economy forthcoming ludditecom personal history technology160 lives village chimayó160 northern new mexico 160 ad 160 160 160 160 | 612 |
<p>Tony Benn, was born in London on April 3rd 1925, the son, grandson and father of Members of Parliament. He entered Parliament in 1950 at the age of 25 and retired from the House of Commons in May 2001. He is the longest serving Labor MP in the history of the party. He was a Cabinet minister in the Wilson and Callaghan governments from 1964 ­ 79 and President of the Council of European Energy ministers in 1977.</p>
<p>Since leaving Parliament in 2001 to “spend more time in politics,” he has mostly devoted himself to public speaking and anti war advocacy as the President of the Stop the War Coalition. In February 2003 he went to Baghdad to interview Saddam Hussein in an effort to avoid the current Iraq War. Regarding the interview he said: “In the House of Commons I’ve attacked Saddam time and time and time again, but I’m not going to be party to killing up to half a million innocent Iraqis, many of whom dislike Saddam, just to see that America gets the oil it needs.” In the BBC Millennial Poll of the Top 100 Greatest Britons of All Time, he ranked No. 97.</p>
<p>In 1949 he married Caroline Benn, educationalist and author of the biography of Keir Hardie, who died in 2000 and they have four children and ten grandchildren.</p>
<p>KEVIN ZEESE: You are well known as a peace advocate over many years. How long have you been involved in such work and how did you get involved?</p>
<p>Tony Benn: My dad was a Labor MP and from childhood I became interested in politics, meeting Mr Gandhi in 1931, campaigning in the 1935 general election for Labor candidates,seeing Fascists in action here and was in London during the Blitz in 1940.</p>
<p>I was an RAF pilot in the war and so was my brother who was killed in 1944. I came back as a pilot in a troopship in the Summer of 1945 and I heard the words of the preamble to the Charter of the UN.: ‘We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetime has caused untold suffering to mankind…’ those words are imprinted in my heart. I’m not going to live in a world where the United States, which has bombed 19 countries since the war, and has weapons of mass destruction in the empire, the biggest the world has ever known, be allowed to impose its will wherever it likes in the name of humanitarianism.</p>
<p>I mean after all I know about this, because I was born in an Empire, and at the end of the war when I was in Egypt as a young RAF pilot; I’ve still got my identity card and it says ‘This man is exempt from Egyptian law.’ Why? Because Britain occupied Egypt in 1882 and we were still there in 1945. You know, you have to know a little bit of history to understand what’s happening.</p>
<p>Elected to parliament in 1950 I have been active in the anti-colonial movement and peace movement all my life, opposing the Cold war, the Suez, Falklands, 1900 Gulf and now the Iraq wars and nuclear weapons, being a strong believer in the UN.</p>
<p>KZ: You said at a recent conference in London that the peace movement was “the most powerful political movement of my lifetime as it represents the desires of a majority of the people.” Can you explain your views on that? How should we use this power?</p>
<p>TB: The Peace Movement now has more members and is engaged more actively across the world than any other movement I can remember and thus has more influence nationally and internationally as we can see from the growing opposition to the war in the US and Britain. The Peace Movement represents 60% of US opinion now and the same in Britain. It is a very positive movement and has support right across the political spectrum. Opposition to the Iraq War worldwide is almost unanimous.</p>
<p>All the crimes committed in the Iraq War are crimes that will be committed by a government that we have elected and which is accountable to us and the question for us now is what do we do now to stop them doing what they are planning to do now. That is to say, the people here in Britain and the people in the United States who oppose the war — the responsibility belongs to all of us to demand an end to the war.</p>
<p>There are tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of people in Britain and America, in Europe and worldwide, who want to see a peaceful outcome to this problem, and they are the real Americans in my opinion, the real British, the real French, the real Germans, because they think of the world in terms of their children. There are literally millions of good people working for progress whose courage and persistence should give us the hope and confidence we need to carry on with the work we have to do.</p>
<p>KZ: You also say something akin to “these are the best of times, these are the worst of times” — as we have the power to destroy ourselves and the resources to save ourselves. Can you elaborate?</p>
<p>TB: It is true that with modern weapons- Nuclear, Chemical and Biological the human race could obliterate itself which has never been true in history but it is also true that we now have the money, technology and resources to transform the world if we use them wisely and that is the choice we have to make. We need to use the resources of the world for the benefit of the people of the world.</p>
<p>KZ: So often God is invoked and there is a religious basis for war — you mention this as very risky for seeking peace. How do you see religion affecting our efforts at seeking a peaceful world?</p>
<p>TB: My roots come from the dissenting tradition in religion, that’s to say what my Mother used to call ‘the priesthood of all believers;’ you do not need a Bishop to help you. Everybody has a hotline to the Almighty and that of course was a tremendously revolutionary idea because out of that sort of Methodist, Congregationalist tradition, came the idea that we had the right to build our own world, to meet our own needs and not just wait to be patted on the head by a Bishop and told by the Bishop, ‘If you do what I tell you to do, you’ll go to heaven; if you don’t you’ll go to hell.’</p>
<p>You know, it’s a very, very different and very important and very radical idea. My Great-grandfather was a Congregational Minister and my Mother was a Bible scholar, and I was brought up on the Bible, that the story of the Bible was conflict between the kings who had power, and the prophets who preached righteousness. And I was taught to believe in the prophets, got me into a lot of trouble. And my Dad said to me when I was young, ‘Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to let it (be) known.’</p>
<p>The use of religion to justify war is a complete denial of what all the great teachers in history have told us – which is how we can live in peace with our neighbors and when Bush, Osama bin Laden or Sharon use religion they use it to boost their political power and create a situation whereby God is seen on both sides – which makes peace impossible.</p>
<p>KZ: The Iraq War is the greatest conflict we are facing today. How do you think that should be handled?</p>
<p>TB: The Iraq war was sold to us by using a pack of lies. The Prime Minister has been telling people at different stages why he went along with President Bush because of weapons of mass destruction, then that it was about bringing democracy to Iraq, then it was about all sorts, regime change. But the reality is when Bush was elected in 2000, O’Neill was his first Treasury Secretary, and he said the President decided then to invade Iraq, because he wanted the oil and bases because of the wobbly nature of the Saudi regime, which had always been previously very friendly.</p>
<p>The Iraq war has been a defining moment in that a sovereign member of the UN has been overthrown and occupied, and its natural resources seized. The conflict in Iraq as illegal, immoral and unwinnable. We must set a date for final withdrawal, evacuating all our troops and liberating the Iraqi people without foreign bases left in their midst.</p>
<p>KZ: Regarding nuclear weapons, how do we rid the world of these weapons of devastating mass destruction? And, what about the current threats regarding Iran?</p>
<p>TB: I am opposed to nuclear weapons everywhere and they are useless against suicide bombers but the Nuclear states have made no effort to reduce their massive armed nuclear forces as provided for in the non-proliferation treaty and that task must be tackled. There is a depth of western hypocrisy regarding nuclear weapons when it comes to Britain and the United States. the Americans have launched a program that would allow them to use nuclear weapons in space, nuclear bunker-busting bombs are being developed, and depleted uranium has been used in Iraq – all of which are clear breaches of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which has a massive nuclear weapons program, is accepted as a close ally of the US, which still arms and funds it. The prime minister himself is determined to upgrade Trident and appears to be committed to a new series of nuclear power stations, it makes Blair and Bush’s position as the defender of the non-proliferation treaty when it comes to Iraq as not very credible.</p>
<p>As I am strongly opposed to nuclear weapons and civil nuclear power, these comments should not be taken as endorsing what Iran is doing; but Britain and the United State’s past nuclear links with Iran should encourage us to be very cautious and oppose those whose arguments could be presented as justifying a case for war, which cannot be justified.</p>
<p>KZ: What other conflicts in the world are of particular concern to you?</p>
<p>TB: The real conflicts in the world are not between black and white, Americans and foreigners or even men and women but between rich and poor, powerful and weak as has always been the case, and with a rising population and shrinking resources the likelihood of war becomes greater.</p>
<p>These are not only my views, for example on leader has said:</p>
<p>“The way chosen by the United States was plainly marked by a few clear precepts. . . . all humanity shares a common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice. . . . no nation’s security can be lastingly achieved in isolation, but only in effective cooperation with fellow nations . . . any nation’s attempt to dictate other nations their form of government is indefensible . . . a nation’s hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations . . . . faithful to the spirit that inspired the United Nations . . . to control and to reduce armaments . . . to allow all nations to devote their energies to the tasks of healing the war’s wounds, of clothing and feeding and housing the needy, of perfecting a just political life, of enjoying the fruits of their own free toil”.</p>
<p>Those were not the words of some young left-wing idealist but of General Dwight D Eisenhower, a Republican President who was in the White House nearly fifty years ago, and who knew from experience what war meant.</p>
<p>As inhabitants of the planet which we share it becomes our duty to protect it, its climate and its produce since coping with nature is our greatest long-term responsibility.</p>
<p>KZ: At the recent conference you also expressed the power of hope. What did you mean?</p>
<p>TB: In every nation there are progressive people writing and campaigning for exactly the same causes which bind us together in the labor, trade union and peace movements here, and we are told very little about them because the people at the top are becoming anxious at the growing rejection of their system and the brutality it uses to enforce its will to maintain its power and privileges.</p>
<p>I am an optimist because I do not believe for a moment that such injustice and horror can go on for much longer without it being challenged and overturned since it is only able to persist because we have been told we must accept it and once that acceptance is withdrawn and replaced by determination to build something better it will all crumble.</p>
<p>That is the hope that has kept the Left alive over the centuries and we need it more than ever now.</p>
<p>KEVIN ZEESE is director of <a href="http://democracyrising.us/" type="external">Democracy Rising</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | tony benn born london april 3rd 1925 son grandson father members parliament entered parliament 1950 age 25 retired house commons may 2001 longest serving labor mp history party cabinet minister wilson callaghan governments 1964 79 president council european energy ministers 1977 since leaving parliament 2001 spend time politics mostly devoted public speaking anti war advocacy president stop war coalition february 2003 went baghdad interview saddam hussein effort avoid current iraq war regarding interview said house commons ive attacked saddam time time time im going party killing half million innocent iraqis many dislike saddam see america gets oil needs bbc millennial poll top 100 greatest britons time ranked 97 1949 married caroline benn educationalist author biography keir hardie died 2000 four children ten grandchildren kevin zeese well known peace advocate many years long involved work get involved tony benn dad labor mp childhood became interested politics meeting mr gandhi 1931 campaigning 1935 general election labor candidatesseeing fascists action london blitz 1940 raf pilot war brother killed 1944 came back pilot troopship summer 1945 heard words preamble charter un peoples united nations determined save succeeding generations scourge war twice lifetime caused untold suffering mankind words imprinted heart im going live world united states bombed 19 countries since war weapons mass destruction empire biggest world ever known allowed impose wherever likes name humanitarianism mean know born empire end war egypt young raf pilot ive still got identity card says man exempt egyptian law britain occupied egypt 1882 still 1945 know know little bit history understand whats happening elected parliament 1950 active anticolonial movement peace movement life opposing cold war suez falklands 1900 gulf iraq wars nuclear weapons strong believer un kz said recent conference london peace movement powerful political movement lifetime represents desires majority people explain views use power tb peace movement members engaged actively across world movement remember thus influence nationally internationally see growing opposition war us britain peace movement represents 60 us opinion britain positive movement support right across political spectrum opposition iraq war worldwide almost unanimous crimes committed iraq war crimes committed government elected accountable us question us stop planning say people britain people united states oppose war responsibility belongs us demand end war tens millions maybe hundreds millions people britain america europe worldwide want see peaceful outcome problem real americans opinion real british real french real germans think world terms children literally millions good people working progress whose courage persistence give us hope confidence need carry work kz also say something akin best times worst times power destroy resources save elaborate tb true modern weapons nuclear chemical biological human race could obliterate never true history also true money technology resources transform world use wisely choice make need use resources world benefit people world kz often god invoked religious basis war mention risky seeking peace see religion affecting efforts seeking peaceful world tb roots come dissenting tradition religion thats say mother used call priesthood believers need bishop help everybody hotline almighty course tremendously revolutionary idea sort methodist congregationalist tradition came idea right build world meet needs wait patted head bishop told bishop tell youll go heaven dont youll go hell know different important radical idea greatgrandfather congregational minister mother bible scholar brought bible story bible conflict kings power prophets preached righteousness taught believe prophets got lot trouble dad said young dare daniel dare stand alone dare purpose firm dare let known use religion justify war complete denial great teachers history told us live peace neighbors bush osama bin laden sharon use religion use boost political power create situation whereby god seen sides makes peace impossible kz iraq war greatest conflict facing today think handled tb iraq war sold us using pack lies prime minister telling people different stages went along president bush weapons mass destruction bringing democracy iraq sorts regime change reality bush elected 2000 oneill first treasury secretary said president decided invade iraq wanted oil bases wobbly nature saudi regime always previously friendly iraq war defining moment sovereign member un overthrown occupied natural resources seized conflict iraq illegal immoral unwinnable must set date final withdrawal evacuating troops liberating iraqi people without foreign bases left midst kz regarding nuclear weapons rid world weapons devastating mass destruction current threats regarding iran tb opposed nuclear weapons everywhere useless suicide bombers nuclear states made effort reduce massive armed nuclear forces provided nonproliferation treaty task must tackled depth western hypocrisy regarding nuclear weapons comes britain united states americans launched program would allow use nuclear weapons space nuclear bunkerbusting bombs developed depleted uranium used iraq clear breaches nuclear nonproliferation treaty israel massive nuclear weapons program accepted close ally us still arms funds prime minister determined upgrade trident appears committed new series nuclear power stations makes blair bushs position defender nonproliferation treaty comes iraq credible strongly opposed nuclear weapons civil nuclear power comments taken endorsing iran britain united states past nuclear links iran encourage us cautious oppose whose arguments could presented justifying case war justified kz conflicts world particular concern tb real conflicts world black white americans foreigners even men women rich poor powerful weak always case rising population shrinking resources likelihood war becomes greater views example leader said way chosen united states plainly marked clear precepts humanity shares common hunger peace fellowship justice nations security lastingly achieved isolation effective cooperation fellow nations nations attempt dictate nations form government indefensible nations hope lasting peace firmly based upon race armaments rather upon relations honest understanding nations faithful spirit inspired united nations control reduce armaments allow nations devote energies tasks healing wars wounds clothing feeding housing needy perfecting political life enjoying fruits free toil words young leftwing idealist general dwight eisenhower republican president white house nearly fifty years ago knew experience war meant inhabitants planet share becomes duty protect climate produce since coping nature greatest longterm responsibility kz recent conference also expressed power hope mean tb every nation progressive people writing campaigning exactly causes bind us together labor trade union peace movements told little people top becoming anxious growing rejection system brutality uses enforce maintain power privileges optimist believe moment injustice horror go much longer without challenged overturned since able persist told must accept acceptance withdrawn replaced determination build something better crumble hope kept left alive centuries need ever kevin zeese director democracy rising 160 | 1,037 |
<p>Right now in Texas, a foreign corporation, TransCanada, is using our government's 5th Amendment right of eminent domain to confiscate private land belonging to Americans, to build a massive oil pipeline so TransCanada can ship oil from the Gulf of Mexico to non-Americans around the world. Oil, by the way, that will accelerate our planet’s plunge into global warming-induced catastrophe.</p>
<p>So the question is, “Why?”</p>
<p>Last year, President Obama approved the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, which will transport deadly Canadian tar-sands oil from Oklahoma down to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas where it will be refined and then promptly placed on oil rigs to be sold in South America, Europe, and Asia. They get the oil; we get the poison coming out of the refinery smokestacks.</p>
<p>Odds are little of oil from the Keystone XL pipeline will make it into American markets. According to TransCanada itself, this project will NOT reduce the price of gas in the United States (it will actually <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-01/keystone-oil-pipeline-seen-raising-gas-prices-in-midwest-energy.html" type="external">increase gas prices</a> in the Midwest). It will not reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It will create only a few thousand temporary jobs. And it will put our land and underground aquifers at risk of oil contamination, while presenting to terrorists a sweet little thousand-mile-long target they can take out with a bit of dynamite.</p>
<p>And rather than slowing climate change, this pipeline will take us over the tipping point. Environmentalists like Bill McKibben call it a “ticking time bomb” for the environment. And NASA scientist James Hansen calls completion of the pipeline “game over for the planet.”</p>
<p>So, again, why is construction of this pipeline allowed to continue?</p>
<p>Why would a foreign corporation push so hard that people like 78-year-old great grandmother Eleanor Fairchild <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/10/07/971651/keystone-kops-during-pipeline-protest-texas-woman-arrested-for-trespassing-on-her-own-property/" type="external">was arrested last October</a> for trespassing on her own property as she tried to stop TransCanada’s bulldozers from ripping a hole through her 300-acre ranch?</p>
<p>Why is the state of Texas allowing a foreign corporation to seize land through eminent domain to build an oil pipeline, when in 2002 the state transportation department <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-23/business/35490797_1_eminent-domain-julia-trigg-crawford-keystone-xl" type="external">forbid the use of eminent domain</a> to build new roads across Texas?</p>
<p>And why is it that we’ve allowed this foreign corporation, TransCanada, to launch <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/29-1" type="external">numerous SLAPP lawsuits</a> against peaceful activists and property owners, threatening them with “losing their homes and life’s savings” if they continue protesting further construction of the pipeline?</p>
<p>And, most importantly, why, residing on a rapidly warming planet, are we doubling-down on 19th Century dirty energy sources like fossil fuels, when we should be focusing on 21st century clean energy sources like solar and wind?</p>
<p>Consider this:</p>
<p>Last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee <a href="http://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/1/23/242786/Volkswagen-Chattanooga-Powers-Up.aspx" type="external">a massive solar power facility</a> comprising of over 33,600 individual solar modules capable of producing 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity every year was turned on. It’s big enough to power 1,200 homes, but will be used to power a Volkswagen manufacturing plant. And it’s the biggest solar installation ever built in the state of Tennessee.</p>
<p>This solar farm was built by an American company, <a href="http://www.siliconranchcorp.com/" type="external">Silicon Ranch</a>. No Canadian tar oil necessary.</p>
<p>So, instead of letting foreign companies build terrorist-target oil pipelines across our entire country, shouldn’t we be supporting homegrown companies that could make America the worldwide leader in renewable energy?</p>
<p>Another "for-example": Did you know that the United States just passed Germany as the number-two country in the world when it comes to producing wind power? Did you know that the largest wind farm in the world, the <a href="http://www.cleanenergyactionproject.com/CleanEnergyActionProject/Wind_Power_Case_Studies_files/Alta%20Wind%20Energy%20Center%20.pdf" type="external">Alta Wind Energy Center</a>, is located right here in the United States in Kern County, California?</p>
<p>The <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/wind-power/index.html" type="external">Department of Energy estimates</a> that 20 percent of our national energy could be produced by wind come 2030. But that’s only if our government embraces wind power with the same enthusiasm that we embrace Canada’s tar sands oil.</p>
<p>It’s a no-brainer. And it’s what the rest of the world is doing, too.</p>
<p>The world is rushing toward clean energy, from the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/09/1177457/-Germany-now-has-1-3-million-solar-energy-systems-which-generated-28-billion-kilowatt-hours-in-2012" type="external">1.3 million solar power systems</a> currently online in Germany producing 28 billion kilowatts of energy annually, to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9427156/The-London-Array-the-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm.html" type="external">the London Array</a> off-shore wind farm (the largest of its kind), producing 630 enough electricity to power more than 470,000 homes.</p>
<p>So given all of this, tell me again why we're building the Keystone XL pipeline? Why, with all this potential for clean and renewable energy, are we arresting Americans for trespassing on their own property? It sure looks like it's just so a foreign corporation can get rid of their toxic oil, and a handful of billionaires in Texas can make big profits refining and exporting it.</p>
<p>Our clean energy success stories are hidden from the news media, and our lawmakers are doing the bidding of Big Oil, turning our nation into the place where foreign corporations can do the dirty work of fossil fuel refining far, far away from their own populations. The President spoke about climate change in his Second Inaugural. But he’ll have a chance to do something more than give a good speech come March when the rest of the Keystone XL pipeline is set to be approved.</p>
<p>So, let’s keep the pressure on our lawmakers and our news media. All around the world, and right here at home, we see the potential for clean energy use on a massive scale. We have 21st Century energy solutions that work now, today; we don’t need another 19th Century oil pipeline.</p> | true | 4 | right texas foreign corporation transcanada using governments 5th amendment right eminent domain confiscate private land belonging americans build massive oil pipeline transcanada ship oil gulf mexico nonamericans around world oil way accelerate planets plunge global warminginduced catastrophe question last year president obama approved southern leg keystone xl pipeline transport deadly canadian tarsands oil oklahoma gulf mexico texas refined promptly placed oil rigs sold south america europe asia get oil get poison coming refinery smokestacks odds little oil keystone xl pipeline make american markets according transcanada project reduce price gas united states actually increase gas prices midwest reduce dependence foreign oil create thousand temporary jobs put land underground aquifers risk oil contamination presenting terrorists sweet little thousandmilelong target take bit dynamite rather slowing climate change pipeline take us tipping point environmentalists like bill mckibben call ticking time bomb environment nasa scientist james hansen calls completion pipeline game planet construction pipeline allowed continue would foreign corporation push hard people like 78yearold great grandmother eleanor fairchild arrested last october trespassing property tried stop transcanadas bulldozers ripping hole 300acre ranch state texas allowing foreign corporation seize land eminent domain build oil pipeline 2002 state transportation department forbid use eminent domain build new roads across texas weve allowed foreign corporation transcanada launch numerous slapp lawsuits peaceful activists property owners threatening losing homes lifes savings continue protesting construction pipeline importantly residing rapidly warming planet doublingdown 19th century dirty energy sources like fossil fuels focusing 21st century clean energy sources like solar wind consider last week chattanooga tennessee massive solar power facility comprising 33600 individual solar modules capable producing 131 gigawatt hours electricity every year turned big enough power 1200 homes used power volkswagen manufacturing plant biggest solar installation ever built state tennessee solar farm built american company silicon ranch canadian tar oil necessary instead letting foreign companies build terroristtarget oil pipelines across entire country shouldnt supporting homegrown companies could make america worldwide leader renewable energy another forexample know united states passed germany numbertwo country world comes producing wind power know largest wind farm world alta wind energy center located right united states kern county california department energy estimates 20 percent national energy could produced wind come 2030 thats government embraces wind power enthusiasm embrace canadas tar sands oil nobrainer rest world world rushing toward clean energy 13 million solar power systems currently online germany producing 28 billion kilowatts energy annually london array offshore wind farm largest kind producing 630 enough electricity power 470000 homes given tell building keystone xl pipeline potential clean renewable energy arresting americans trespassing property sure looks like foreign corporation get rid toxic oil handful billionaires texas make big profits refining exporting clean energy success stories hidden news media lawmakers bidding big oil turning nation place foreign corporations dirty work fossil fuel refining far far away populations president spoke climate change second inaugural hell chance something give good speech come march rest keystone xl pipeline set approved lets keep pressure lawmakers news media around world right home see potential clean energy use massive scale 21st century energy solutions work today dont need another 19th century oil pipeline | 514 |
<p>On a warm evening in early April, a rally on Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill took a turn for the dramatic when protestors surged into Constitution Avenue, blocking rush-hour traffic. U.S. Capitol police arrested 41 of the demonstrators, among them District of Columbia Mayor Vince Gray and six members of the DC Council.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Protests in Washington are a common sight, but one featuring the arrest of much of the city’s elected leadership is not. Their grievance: As part of the deal to prevent a shutdown of the federal government, Congress — with the acquiescence of President Obama — had just banned the District from using its own money to pay for abortions for low-income women, and had revived a private-school voucher program that many local officials and residents opposed. "John, I will give you DC abortion," Obama was quoted by the Washington Post as telling House Speaker John Boehner,[1] words that outraged DC residents, most of whom were — or had been until that moment — strong supporters of the President. Once again, DC residents were reminded of the extent to which they lack the rights of other U.S. citizens.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; It’s a sad fact, but too few Americans are aware that their nation’s capital is a colony within the mainland of our country — "the Canal Zone in the United States," in the words of the late Congressman Adam Clayton Powell.[2] Since the District of Columbia’s founding more than two centuries ago, the city’s residents have been denied the democratic rights that Americans living in the 50 states take for granted, including voting representation in Congress and control over their own legislation, budgets, courts, and prison system. Among all countries with elected national legislatures, only the United States denies voting representation to the citizens of its nation’s capital.[3] District residents could not even vote for President until 1964, after the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution. However, DC residents — unlike those of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the other overseas U.S. colonies — pay their full share of federal income taxes, among the highest per-capita in the country.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; While the budget deal was the trigger for the April demonstrations, two centuries of disenfranchisement were the fuel. And for Mayor Gray and many of the other protestors, the demonstration was not only to register outrage but also to promote a solution: making DC the 51st state.</p>
<p>Origins of DC’s Disenfranchisement</p>
<p>The story of the District of Columbia’s struggle against disenfranchisement goes back nearly to the founding of the republic. Just after the end of the American Revolution, as Congress was gathered in Philadelphia debating, among other issues, where to locate the permanent seat of government, an incident occurred that influenced the future course of relations between the national government and the not-yet-embryonic capital city. In June 1783 a group of armed Continental Army soldiers marched on the State House, seat of both Congress and the Pennsylvania Executive Council, demanding back pay for their service in the Revolution. Congress, which had no armed force under its control, demanded that the Executive Council call out the state militia to confront the soldiers, but the Council refused, instead meeting with a delegation of the soldiers and defusing the tension.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; A number of members of Congress, notably Alexander Hamilton, cited the incident as evidence that the capital needed to be under the firm control of Congress, and this notion was soon the consensus among the early nation’s leadership. But was it justified? A number of historians have concluded that Hamilton and his allies had always wanted Congress to control the capital city, and manipulated the Philadelphia incident to build their case. By some accounts, Congress was under no real threat of harm, but Hamilton exaggerated the danger in order to gain control of the future capital for Congress.[4]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; As a result, at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 — at which Hamilton played a leading role — the delegates adopted the following clause, which became part of the U.S. Constitution when it was ratified the following year: "Congress shall have power . . .to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States. . ." The spot chosen was a 10-mile-square diamond of land on the Potomac River, just north of George Washington’s estate, with land ceded by Maryland and Virginia.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; This paragraph had the effect of consigning the residents of the future District of Columbia — only about 11,000 at its founding (including the existing cities of Alexandria on the Virginia side of the river and Georgetown, formerly part of Maryland)[5] but numbering more than 600,000 today — to more than two centuries of barely second-class citizenship. Yet while certain members of the Constitutional Convention were determined that the federal government have firm control over the capital, a number of founding fathers made clear that they did not envision the complete disenfranchisement of the capital’s residents. "The inhabitants [of the capital] will have their voice in the election of the government which is to exercise authority over them, as a municipal legislature for local purposes, derived from their own suffrages, will of course be allowed them," wrote James Madison in Federalist Paper No. 43. In Federalist Paper No. 85, Hamilton added that "[p]rovision shall be made by Congress for having District representation in that Body" when the population reached some unspecified number.[6]</p>
<p>Early History under Congressional Rule</p>
<p>Over the ensuing two centuries, the issue of DC’s disenfranchisement was periodically addressed by DC residents and federal officials alike. With the Revolutionary War slogan "No Taxation Without Representation" still a fresh memory, DC residents issued the same complaint immediately after their congressional voting rights in Maryland or Virginia were revoked in 1801.[7] These complaints resulted in no representation, but Congress did grant Washington an elected council in 1802 and an elected mayor in 1820, albeit with Congress still ultimately exercising legislative control. The Virginia side of DC was eager to become part of a state again, as much to prevent abolitionists in Congress from freeing their slaves as to regain full citizenship, and Congress granted its wish in 1846, returning the territory to slaveholding Virginia.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Nevertheless, there were reasons why demands for expanded local autonomy were fairly muted in those days. In the city’s early days, many of the residents were new arrivals (an even larger proportion than today), drawn by the opportunities opened by the presence of the government; these people had little interest in local issues. And then there was the matter of race.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Race has been a major factor in the District’s quest for equality, as it has in so many facets of American life. As early as 1800, the District had a substantial African-American population, both free and enslaved. After the Civil War, Congress granted local voting rights to African-Americans in the District. This provoked resistance among whites in DC, many of whom preferred disenfranchisement to being governed by blacks (and Radical Republicans, elected with substantial black support, controlled the local government from 1868 to 1870).[8] As a result, there was little objection from whites when Congress established a territorial government in 1871, with a federally appointed governor and upper house of the legislature, nor in 1874 when Congress ended all vestiges of local democracy and established a three-member, federally appointed commission to oversee the District. This was the way DC would be governed for the next century.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Even so, during these years there were numerous pleas from DC residents for home rule and congressional representation. But these requests largely fell on deaf ears in Congress. And as the African-American population swelled after World War II, Congress — with DC affairs overseen by largely Southern legislators such as John McMillan, a Jim Crow Democrat from South Carolina — had even less interest in helping the District. The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a longtime friend of expanded political rights for the District, cited the "four ‘toos’" as a reason that certain members of Congress opposed greater democratic rights, especially voting representation: they feared that members of Congress elected from DC "would be too liberal, too urban, too black, and too Democratic."[9]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; The owners of large businesses in the District, represented by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, also stood in the way of home rule. They were comfortable with congressional oversight and fought any proposal to create a local government that might have the power to interfere with their ability to do as they pleased. "The white business community . . . held more political power than the three commissioners," wrote journalists Harry S. Jaffe and Tom Sherwood, longtime observers of DC politics. "The businessmen simply leapfrogged the commissioners and went straight to McMillan’s committee."[10]</p>
<p>Civil Rights Movement Comes to DC</p>
<p>During the 1950s and 1960s, many African-American civil-rights activists moved to DC to work with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and other organizations. Once they arrived and experienced the disenfranchisement that came with living in the District, many became involved in the campaign for local democracy. The experience and energy these activists brought with them infused new life into an old struggle.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; One of the new arrivals was Marion Barry, an activist from Tennessee who moved to DC in 1965 to open a branch office of SNCC. Barry quickly became involved in local issues, organizing a one-day boycott against the local bus operator over a fare hike in 1966. Shortly afterward he dove into the struggle for self-government for the District, launching the "Free DC" movement. Because the Board of Trade opposed home rule, Barry demanded that local businesses (which were mostly white-owned) display stickers in support of a local elected government, or face a customer boycott if they did not. This in-your-face activism and the wide publicity it generated established Barry as a political force in the District.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; By the late 1960s, a number of developments had turned in the District’s favor, most significantly the home-rule movement’s becoming linked to the nationwide civil rights movement, and a national government — with Lyndon Johnson in the White House and strong Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress — more supportive than ever before of the aspirations of African-Americans and, by extension, those of the District, with a population at the time that was more than 70 percent black.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Then, on April 4, 1968, came the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the ensuing riots. Washington was not the only city to experience rioting after the assassination, but the violence was especially severe in the nation’s capital, with 12 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage, most of it in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.[11]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Was it only coincidental that Congress, in the several years following the riots, approved more legislation to advance DC political rights than ever before or since? While the riots were not triggered by the lack of home rule, clearly there had been a simmering frustration in the majority African-American city with Congress’ heavy-handed control that contributed to the anger and intensity of the riots. The uprising served as a wake-up call to members of Congress, who realized that their own safety depended on calm and order in the city where they conducted their business and many of them lived — and that law enforcement alone might not be sufficient to keep the peace. "For once, someone in power was actually afraid of this city," journalist Sam Smith commented.[12]</p>
<p>Between 1968 and 1974, Congress approved legislation giving DC an elected school board, a delegate to the House of Representatives (who could serve on and vote in committees, but not on the House floor), and finally, with the Home Rule Act, a mayor and 13-member council to be elected by District voters. The first election for the new local government took place in 1974. Marion Barry, who had been one of the first elected school board members, was elected to the DC Council, while Walter Washington was elected mayor.</p>
<p>Beyond Home Rule</p>
<p>Most District residents welcomed these new avenues of civic participation, but many realized that the new rights still left them short of full citizenship. Instead of home rule, District residents had been handed "home fool," in the derisive words of Councilmember Julius Hobson.[13] DC’s representative to the House had no floor vote (the same arrangement made for the U.S. overseas colonies) and the District had no voice in the Senate at all. In addition, Congress still retained its constitutional "exclusive legislation" authority over the District; legislation and budgets adopted by the local Council were still subject to congressional review, and Congress, if it wished, could simply enact legislation and impose it on the District, whether local residents wanted it or not.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; And Congress made extensive use of its legislative control, often the work of Republicans eager to win points with their constituencies by imposing conservative social policies on the mostly liberal, Democratic District. Over the subsequent years it blocked numerous initiatives of the DC government, mostly through riders on the local DC appropriations bill (even though only a small percentage of the DC budget consists of federal funding, Congress must approve the entire budget — including funds raised through local taxes — through an annual appropriations bill). Many of these budget riders targeted policies adopted by the liberal-to-progressive District government that Congress, usually during periods of Republican control, found distasteful. These riders blocked such local initiatives as a medical marijuana program, city benefits for the unmarried domestic partners of DC employees, and needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. The latter prohibition, while satisfying the need of some members of Congress to pander to conservative constituencies in their home districts, has had especially deadly consequences for DC residents: 3 percent of District residents are infected with HIV or AIDS, the highest rate of any city in the nation.[14]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Yet even before the first Home Rule government had settled into its offices, a number of local leaders and activists had begun discussing how the District might advance beyond the unsatisfactory limitations of "home fool." By the early 1970s, three competing ideas each had gained a substantial number of adherents: (1) returning, or "retroceding," most of the District to Maryland; (2) a constitutional amendment for full voting representation in both the House and Senate; and (3) making the District the 51st U.S. state.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; There was a precedent for retrocession: the return of Virginia’s portion of the District in 1846. Return of the remainder to Maryland, with the carve-out of federal lands and properties to satisfy the constitutional requirement for a federal district, would provide voting representation in Congress through Maryland’s delegation. It also would end the federal government’s legislative control of the retroceded territory, although in its place the city would inherit the Maryland state government’s oversight. However, polls consistently have shown that the majority of District residents don’t want to be part of Maryland, and most Marylanders don’t want the District.[15] Given these feelings, somehow forcing a shotgun marriage between the two jurisdictions would be the most blatant offense against self-determination.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; The idea of the constitutional amendment for voting representation had greater support, and advocates of DC voting representation — spearheaded by then-DC Delegate Walter Fauntroy — succeeded in lobbying Congress to approve a constitutional amendment in 1978 that would give the District two voting senators and one voting member of the House. However, the amendment was ratified by only 16 states, well short of the required 38, and died when the seven-year ratification window closed in 1985.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Yet even before the constitutional amendment was taken up by Congress, a number of DC citizens were hatching a different solution for their disenfranchisement: statehood.</p>
<p>Growth of DC Statehood Movement</p>
<p>Why apparently no one proposed DC statehood prior to the 1970s could be laid to a variety of factors: the District’s small size and population, and its economic dependence on the federal government, were certainly major considerations. But by the 1970s the District was a much different place than it had been during the Reconstruction era, or even prior to World War II. It had a population of over 700,000, larger than that of 10 states, with tax revenues sufficient to support a variety of local programs without depending on federal support.</p>
<p>The idea of seeking statehood for the District first appeared in print in 1970, advocated by Sam Smith in his newsletter DC Gazette.[16] But would it be legal or constitutional for the District of Columbia to become a state? Statehood supporters, as well as a number of constitutional lawyers, argued that it would be.[17] The Constitution sets a maximum limit on the size of the federal district (10 miles square, or 100 square miles) but no minimum size. The original 100-square-mile District already had been sliced to 68 square miles following the return of Virginia’s portion. Therefore, it should be possible to further reduce the constitutionally mandated "district" to the uninhabited areas of central Washington where federal buildings, museums and monuments were located (the same argument made by the retrocessionists) and to allow the populated portions of the District to become a separate state.</p>
<p>The statehood movement gained momentum through the 1970s — there was even a local political party, the Statehood Party, launched with the achievement of statehood as a principal goal. Julius Hobson, running as a Statehood Party candidate, was elected in 1974 as a member of the first DC Council under home rule; after his death in 1977, Statehood Party member Hilda H.M. Mason succeeded him and served another two decades. The election of Marion Barry, a Democrat, as mayor in 1978 was cause for further optimism among statehood supporters: the founder of the Free DC movement, a charismatic politician with deep support in the African-American community as well as substantial backing from the white establishment, was now the public face of the District.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; The next step was to petition Congress for statehood. In 1980 statehood backers placed a referendum on the ballot to determine if voters supported statehood; 60 percent voted yes.[18] Two years later a convention of elected citizens drew up a constitution for the new state-in-the-making — to be called New Columbia.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Getting citizen approval for statehood was one thing; actually achieving statehood was another. Many District elected officials, still wedded to pursuing only voting representation in Congress, did not regard statehood as a priority (although there were exceptions, notably Mason). Also, the 1980s were a time of Republican control of the White House — first Ronald Reagan, then George H.W. Bush — making it likely that any statehood bill that survived Congress would die by veto.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; By 1993, however, the political balance in Washington had shifted. Bill Clinton, a Democrat who professed support for DC statehood, was in the White House, and both houses of Congress had strong Democratic majorities. Many DC statehood advocates saw this as a propitious time to move forward — Democrats in Congress should be eager to allow the heavily Democratic District to add members to their caucuses in the House and Senate.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; But, justified or not, many members of Congress, including some Democrats, concluded that the District was not ready for statehood. A fiscal crisis was unfolding in the District, one exacerbated by the inherent limitations of an enclave under control of the federal government. The District was prohibited by Congress from assessing a tax on the income of suburban commuters, costing the city more than $2 billion annually in potential revenue. A high proportion of the District’s land was occupied by entities that paid no property tax — principally the federal government, but also embassies, international institutions, and non-profit organizations. Moreover, as part of the 1974 home rule bill, the federal government had saddled the local government with unfunded liability for the pensions of DC government employees, a mounting bill that had grown to $4.8 billion by 1997.[19] These handicaps, along with the continued flight of the District’s tax base to the suburbs, had by the mid-1990s led to steep and growing budget deficits.[20]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; In addition, crime was rising steeply in the District — as it was across most of urban America — fueled by the rise of crack cocaine. The crack epidemic, which was sweeping cities across the United States, hit DC especially hard, bringing with a wave of violent crime that gave the District the unwanted nickname of the "Murder Capital" of America. And then, in 1990, Mayor Barry was arrested in an FBI sting for possession of crack. It was a dark moment for the District and its hopes of expanded self-rule.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Nevertheless, after several years of effort by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the statehood bill reached the floor of the House of Representatives in 1993. But with the reputation of the nation’s capital at an all-time low, many congressional Democrats felt the time was not ripe for DC statehood. The bill failed, 153 to 277, with 40 percent of House Democrats, along with nearly every Republican, voting no.[21]</p>
<p>DC Democracy Moves Backward</p>
<p>Over the next several years, the District’s reputation on Capitol Hill only grew worse. Barry had left office in 1991 — en route to trial for drug possession and six months in prison — but under new mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly crime continued to rise and the fiscal crisis snowballed. Public dissatisfaction with Kelly’s administration led to her defeat for re-election in 1994, to be replaced by — Marion Barry.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Barry’s comeback from his drug conviction to reclaim the mayor’s office is one of the remarkable political stories of recent decades. Clearly, many African-American voters saw their own experiences reflected in the FBI sting against Barry. They felt themselves frequently targeted for harassment by the police, and resented the harsh penalties and aggressive enforcement against crack possession — while users of cocaine powder, who were much more likely to be white and affluent, faced much more lenient potential penalties and relatively lax enforcement. While members of Congress and many white Washingtonians were appalled by Barry’s return to power, many African-Americans saw Barry’s rehabilitation as a story of justice and redemption.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; The redemption narrative, however, found few sympathizers on Capitol Hill. And Congress retaliated against the District for making what it considered the "wrong" choice in the election. In 1995 it created a Control Board and endowed it with complete authority over the District’s finances — DC would need the board’s approval before spending any of its own money. In 1996 Congress transferred control over DC schools from the elected school board to a Board of Trustees, answerable not to voters but to the Control Board. And in 1997 Congress went further by effectively stripping the local government of nearly all its powers, making the Control Board not only the financial authority of the District but the legislative and executive arms as well. The mayor and council continued to show up for work, but they had virtually no power.</p>
<p>Assaults on DC Revive the Democracy Struggle</p>
<p>The DC government may have lost its powers, but the movement for greater local autonomy — which had gone into eclipse after the failed statehood vote — was energized by the congressional power grab. Immediately after the news broke, citizens began meeting to organize demonstrations and discuss strategy. The most visible and enduring organization to arise out of the 1997 activities was the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition, which was led initially by a number of prominent figures from the civil rights movement (including Jesse Jackson Sr., Walter Fauntroy, and National Council of Negro Women President Dorothy Height) and which borrowed its slogan — "Free DC!" — from Barry’s former organization. Indeed, many of Stand Up!s early members were Barry supporters angry at the federal government’s stripping away of his powers. Yet Stand Up! also attracted many longtime statehood and democracy activists who remained active in the movement longer after Barry, and many Barry supporters, had moved on.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; In August 1997, Stand Up! helped to organize a bus caravan to North Carolina. Their target: Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth, the architect of the bill that stripped the District government of its local powers. Some 600 DC activists brought the District’s concerns directly to Faircloth’s constituents, registering them to vote and educating them about how much of their Senator’s schedule was occupied by the affairs of a jurisdiction 300 hundred miles distant from those he was allegedly representing. (The trip no doubt played at least a small part in Faircloth’s defeat by John Edwards for re-election the following year). For much of the rest of that year, Stand Up! and its allies held almost-weekly demonstrations against Congress, many of them resulting in participants being arrested.[22]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; With the end of the 1990s came three developments that, along with the more vigorous pro-democracy activism, offered greater hope for expansion of DC’s right to govern itself: (1) improvements in the national economy that erased the red ink of past decades and yielded local budget surpluses, (2) a sharp drop in the crime rate; and (3) Marion Barry’s departure as mayor. Barry was replaced as mayor by Tony Williams, who rose to prominence as the Control Board-appointed chief financial officer and the reputed financial wizard who put the District’s tattered finances back in order. Congress approved of DC’s selection and restored the governing powers of the mayor, council, and school board — that is, to their pre-1997 state, still subject to intervention by Congress and the still-operating Control Board, but with much more room to maneuver than during Barry’s final term. Then in 2001, after several years of prosperity and four consecutive balanced DC budgets, the Control Board closed its doors.</p>
<p>Statehood vs. Congressional Representation</p>
<p>Yet for much of the following decade, the focus drifted away from full statehood and toward a plan to achieve only voting representation in Congress. The shift became apparent after 20 DC residents filed a federal lawsuit in 1998 asking for the courts to make it possible for DC residents to either choose statehood or to unite with another state. Hard on its heels came a competing lawsuit, filed by a different group of residents, asking only for congressional representation. The federal courts combined the two suits, where they were eventually rejected by the Supreme Court.[23]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; The prospects of congressional representation received a boost when Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican and chairman of one of the House committees overseeing DC affairs, took up the cause. Davis was not a supporter of statehood, in part because his constituents would be subject to the commuter tax that the new state would be likely to adopt. But he was more sympathetic to the District’s plight than most Republicans, and he saw an opportunity to make voting representation for the District palatable to members of his party. Following the 2000 census, Utah fell just short of being able to add another congressional district. Creating an additional congressional district in predominantly Republican Utah while at the same time giving overwhelmingly Democratic DC a voting seat would, David hoped, allow for bipartisan support for DC voting representation.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; And so in 2005, Davis introduced a bill to expand the House from 435 to 437 members, with the added seats going to Utah and the District. The bill would provide no representation in the Senate and would not address other aspects of the District’s disenfranchisement, such as congressional control of the District’s legislation and budgets.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Many of DC’s statehood advocates were, at best, lukewarm about the Davis bill; many complained that it would leave them far short of — and divert attention from the struggle for — full citizenship. But the bill gained support from most DC elected officials, including the mayor and Delegate Norton, for whom a deal on the table was preferable to chasing a distant dream. But there was another factor, largely tied up in the politics of race and class. Affluent, well-connected Washingtonians — mostly white — had long resented their lack of a vote for Congress, but many were less than enthusiastic about the idea of giving the local government more authority. Just as whites in the post-Civil War District were opposed to opening the door even a crack to African-American political empowerment, so were many whites a century later mistrustful of African-American leadership. Many white DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill, in federal agencies or for the various lobbying firms and pressure groups had connections to members of Congress or their senior staffers — often they were neighbors. These Washingtonians who had connections and knowledge of how to work the system appreciated their ability to go over the heads of the local government if its actions displeased them. "One of the city’s deepest secrets is how many of its elites — both white and black — have never really liked the idea of self-government. They would rather use their Rolodexes than the ballot box," wrote Sam Smith in 1998.[24]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; In addition, Washington — more so than most large cities — features a large elite class of newly arrived political appointees, Congressional staffers, public-interest workers and others with a strong desire to have a voice on Capitol Hill but little interest in local government. "The city’s mandarin class is mainly interested in national politics. It is perfectly happy to have city services provided under a dictatorship but is frustrated by its lack of leverage in Congress," Smith wrote.[25] Among these elites were the large, Board-of-Trade connected corporations doing business in DC (many of them headquartered elsewhere) who, like in the days of Barry’s Free DC movement, opposed an empowered local government that could challenge their prerogatives. Mere voting representation posed no similar threat to their interests.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Also, Barry’s return to the mayor’s office after his drug conviction — in which he received heavy support from blacks but very little from whites — led many whites to believe (whether justified or not) that they would achieve better results being ruled from Congress than by their own locally elected government.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Despite elite support for the voting-rights bill, a number of constitutional scholars and other critics of the bill— many of whom were sympathetic to the District’s effort to end its disenfranchisement — pointed to its dubious constitutionality.[26] The language of the Constitution clearly referred to the right to vote for members of Congress as deriving from statehood (Article 1, Section 1 reads: "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States"). If simple legislation was sufficient, why had the District previously taken the much harder (and ultimately unsuccessful) route of a constitutional amendment?</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Nevertheless, District leaders and a newly formed advocacy group, DC Vote (which was heavily funded by DC government grants), lobbied Congress for passage of the Davis bill. They argued that pairing a vote for DC with an additional House seat for Utah gave the bill a good chance to be enacted, a much better chance than a bill for full statehood — which, they argued, could be pursued at some unidentified time in the future. They also produced their own legal experts who vouched for the bill’s constitutionality. Delegate Norton argued that the District would not be ready for statehood until it regained control of state-type functions such as prisons and courts, which the federal government had taken over in 1997 as a measure to help balance the local budget. Statehood advocates countered by pointing out that statehood would open new streams of revenue to the District, especially a commuter tax, enabling the new state to re-assume and pay for these functions.\</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Voting-rights advocates were still trying to push the Davis bill through Congress when Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. The accession of a Democratic, African-American, reputedly liberal president to the White House energized activists in the capital city whose residents shared so many of his characteristics. The District had favored Obama with 93 percent of its vote in the election, and had reason to expect Obama would reciprocate by making expanded rights for DC a priority. Indeed, on a number of occasions Obama stated his support for statehood, including in a brief exchange with Stand Up! President Anise Jenkins. But it was never more than passive support; the economic recession, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the new health-care initiative dominated the White House agenda during the early Obama years.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; However, the Davis voting-rights bill gained adherents, and in 2009 the Senate approved the legislation — with a catch. Members of Congress allied to the gun lobby had long attempted to repeal the District’s restrictions on ownership of handguns, among the strongest in the nation. Gun laws are the province of state governments, but given the District’s colonial status, Congress can impose measures on the District that they cannot in their own districts, or anywhere else in the country. A 2008 Supreme Court decision had struck down some of the more stringent provisions, but the District still required guns to be registered and kept in the home. So the pro-gun Senators, led by Republican John Ensign of Nevada (who later resigned after it was discovered that he had paid hush money to a former staffer to keep quiet about an affair the senator was having with his wife), tied an amendment to the voting rights bill, which would effectively eliminate all restrictions on guns in the District. If passed, all manner of unregistered guns, including assault weapons, could be concealed or carried in the open practically everywhere in the District, including into schools, playgrounds and DC government buildings (but not the U.S. Capitol; the members’ appreciation for the proliferation of guns didn’t extend that far).</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; This was too much for the District leadership to swallow, even in exchange for voting rights. Delegate Norton, after failing to strip the gun provision from the House version of the bill, in 2010 asked the House leadership to drop the legislation. Five years of lobbying, compromises and deal cutting to win voting representation in the House had come to naught. The death of the voting-rights bill was an illustration of its own limitations: while it would have given the District one vote out of 437 in the House, it still would have left DC subject to the legislative whims of Congress.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Hard on the heels of the defeat of the voting rights bill came the 2010 congressional elections, in which Republicans took control of the House — with many of the new members coming out of, or lending an ear to, the hard-right Tea Party movement. Any prospects for expanded DC rights through congressional legislation had evaporated — indeed; the District now would have to defend itself against a new round of onslaughts against its limited home rule.</p>
<p>2011 and Beyond — Statehood Takes Center Stage</p>
<p>Yet these setbacks may have pointed the way forward for the DC democracy movement. With the backroom dealing on Capitol Hill over the voting rights bill having come to naught, there is a growing realization that the District cannot rely on "friends" in Congress or the White House, and that more of the impetus for change will have to come from local residents themselves. A stronger, more assertive movement is needed, the kind that was displayed in the April arrests. Ultimately, the disenfranchised District of Columbia must make its voice heard throughout the country and the world, striking the consciences of all people who cherish democracy and human rights. If Americans could subject themselves to arrest for democracy in South Africa, or be willing to fight to remove a dictator in Iraq, surely they could join the movement for equal rights for 600,000 U.S. citizens in the nation’s capital.</p>
<p>Another lesson of the voting rights debacle is that settling for half-measures is a fool’s errand (perhaps a "home fool’s" errand, to paraphrase Julius Hobson). Under the Constitution, only statehood confers full citizenship in the United States. That is the path chosen by District citizens, and more residents and elected officials are coming to the realization that statehood, and nothing less, should be the goal.</p>
<p>After the defeat of the one-vote bill, Delegate Norton reintroduced legislation for voting representation — but along with it, a bill for DC statehood. "We accept no imposed limits on our equal rights as American citizens, and we will pursue them all until the day when there is no difference in citizenship between the residents of the District of Columbia and other American citizens," Norton said in introducing the legislation.[27] Although there was little immediate prospect of any of the bills passing, or even getting a hearing, her decision to revive the statehood effort in Congress was evidence of the growing voice of the local statehood movement.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; In his inaugural address last January, Mayor Gray signaled the DC leadership’s new outlook when he said, "Washington is the greatest symbol of our nation’s democracy. Yet, we as Washingtonians continue to be the only people in our nation that remain shut out of that democracy. . . That is why we cannot rest until we achieve true self-determination and become our nation’s 51st state."[28]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Now that there is no near-term prospect of favorable action by Congress, DC activists and officials should turn their attention to organizing the citizens of DC, and reaching out to supporters of human rights everywhere, in order to build a powerful movement to achieve what the District wants and needs — statehood. The day will come when the makeup of Congress will lead it to be more sympathetic to the District’s appeal for statehood. But DC will win the day only if the local statehood movement is strong enough to force Congress to do the right thing.</p>
<p>Let's engage the children of DC in a statewide RENAMING CONTEST.&#160; What two words or names with the initials DC will replace "District of Columbia" once we are a State?&#160; Second, let's RENAME the Mayor's Office the Governor's Office, and our Council a Legislature or House of Delegates.&#160; These may seem small things ... but they will psychologically engergize the general public that is generally apathetic ... even unaware ... about these concerns ... as most corporate media outlets ... be they print, radio, TV, or Internet ... pretend that all that's been written about above so eloquently is suffused with ho-hum unimportance ...</p>
<p>What about "District County" for DC?</p>
<p>There are still major issues to be dealt with before statehood can happen.&#160; The residual District of Columbia in the statehood bill needs to be pared back to just the&#160;Congressional office buildings so that all potential are taxpayers are included in any non-resident income tax (not even the White House, Supreme Court and Library of Congress should be spared being part of New Columbia).&#160; The issue of that tax should also be dealt with first, along with a solution to the problem of DC felons in federal custody and federal mental patients in DC custody.&#160; The answer to these issues is the same - trade a non-resident tax for having it fund Maryland and Virginia housing our felons and assisting us with mental health and offender supervision.&#160; The final issue is calling the Republican bluff on retrocession by including a vote by the Maryland General Assembly on retrocession in the statehood bill.&#160; Since we are sure that they will vote no, it is a no-brainer to include it.&#160; The other thing DC needs to do is to insist that the President appoint an Administrator for the National Capital Service Area so that we can present the federal government with a bill for all the services DC provided to the NCSA which were meant to be reimburesed under Home Fool.</p>
<p><a href="/filter/tips" type="external">More information about formatting options</a></p> | true | 4 | warm evening early april rally washington dcs capitol hill took turn dramatic protestors surged constitution avenue blocking rushhour traffic us capitol police arrested 41 demonstrators among district columbia mayor vince gray six members dc council 160160160160160 protests washington common sight one featuring arrest much citys elected leadership grievance part deal prevent shutdown federal government congress acquiescence president obama banned district using money pay abortions lowincome women revived privateschool voucher program many local officials residents opposed john give dc abortion obama quoted washington post telling house speaker john boehner1 words outraged dc residents moment strong supporters president dc residents reminded extent lack rights us citizens 160160160160160 sad fact americans aware nations capital colony within mainland country canal zone united states words late congressman adam clayton powell2 since district columbias founding two centuries ago citys residents denied democratic rights americans living 50 states take granted including voting representation congress control legislation budgets courts prison system among countries elected national legislatures united states denies voting representation citizens nations capital3 district residents could even vote president 1964 ratification 23rd amendment constitution however dc residents unlike puerto rico guam overseas us colonies pay full share federal income taxes among highest percapita country 160160160160160 budget deal trigger april demonstrations two centuries disenfranchisement fuel mayor gray many protestors demonstration register outrage also promote solution making dc 51st state origins dcs disenfranchisement story district columbias struggle disenfranchisement goes back nearly founding republic end american revolution congress gathered philadelphia debating among issues locate permanent seat government incident occurred influenced future course relations national government notyetembryonic capital city june 1783 group armed continental army soldiers marched state house seat congress pennsylvania executive council demanding back pay service revolution congress armed force control demanded executive council call state militia confront soldiers council refused instead meeting delegation soldiers defusing tension 160160160160160 number members congress notably alexander hamilton cited incident evidence capital needed firm control congress notion soon consensus among early nations leadership justified number historians concluded hamilton allies always wanted congress control capital city manipulated philadelphia incident build case accounts congress real threat harm hamilton exaggerated danger order gain control future capital congress4 160160160160160 result constitutional convention 1787 hamilton played leading role delegates adopted following clause became part us constitution ratified following year congress shall power exercise exclusive legislation cases whatsoever district exceeding ten miles square may cession particular states acceptance congress become seat government united states spot chosen 10milesquare diamond land potomac river north george washingtons estate land ceded maryland virginia 160160160160160 paragraph effect consigning residents future district columbia 11000 founding including existing cities alexandria virginia side river georgetown formerly part maryland5 numbering 600000 today two centuries barely secondclass citizenship yet certain members constitutional convention determined federal government firm control capital number founding fathers made clear envision complete disenfranchisement capitals residents inhabitants capital voice election government exercise authority municipal legislature local purposes derived suffrages course allowed wrote james madison federalist paper 43 federalist paper 85 hamilton added provision shall made congress district representation body population reached unspecified number6 early history congressional rule ensuing two centuries issue dcs disenfranchisement periodically addressed dc residents federal officials alike revolutionary war slogan taxation without representation still fresh memory dc residents issued complaint immediately congressional voting rights maryland virginia revoked 18017 complaints resulted representation congress grant washington elected council 1802 elected mayor 1820 albeit congress still ultimately exercising legislative control virginia side dc eager become part state much prevent abolitionists congress freeing slaves regain full citizenship congress granted wish 1846 returning territory slaveholding virginia 160160160160160 nevertheless reasons demands expanded local autonomy fairly muted days citys early days many residents new arrivals even larger proportion today drawn opportunities opened presence government people little interest local issues matter race 160160160160160 race major factor districts quest equality many facets american life early 1800 district substantial africanamerican population free enslaved civil war congress granted local voting rights africanamericans district provoked resistance among whites dc many preferred disenfranchisement governed blacks radical republicans elected substantial black support controlled local government 1868 18708 result little objection whites congress established territorial government 1871 federally appointed governor upper house legislature 1874 congress ended vestiges local democracy established threemember federally appointed commission oversee district way dc would governed next century 160160160160160 even years numerous pleas dc residents home rule congressional representation requests largely fell deaf ears congress africanamerican population swelled world war ii congress dc affairs overseen largely southern legislators john mcmillan jim crow democrat south carolina even less interest helping district late sen edward kennedy longtime friend expanded political rights district cited four toos reason certain members congress opposed greater democratic rights especially voting representation feared members congress elected dc would liberal urban black democratic9 160160160160160 owners large businesses district represented greater washington board trade also stood way home rule comfortable congressional oversight fought proposal create local government might power interfere ability pleased white business community held political power three commissioners wrote journalists harry jaffe tom sherwood longtime observers dc politics businessmen simply leapfrogged commissioners went straight mcmillans committee10 civil rights movement comes dc 1950s 1960s many africanamerican civilrights activists moved dc work student nonviolent coordinating committee sncc naacp southern christian leadership conference organizations arrived experienced disenfranchisement came living district many became involved campaign local democracy experience energy activists brought infused new life old struggle 160160160160160 one new arrivals marion barry activist tennessee moved dc 1965 open branch office sncc barry quickly became involved local issues organizing oneday boycott local bus operator fare hike 1966 shortly afterward dove struggle selfgovernment district launching free dc movement board trade opposed home rule barry demanded local businesses mostly whiteowned display stickers support local elected government face customer boycott inyourface activism wide publicity generated established barry political force district 160160160160160 late 1960s number developments turned districts favor significantly homerule movements becoming linked nationwide civil rights movement national government lyndon johnson white house strong democratic majorities houses congress supportive ever aspirations africanamericans extension district population time 70 percent black 160160160160160 april 4 1968 came assassination dr martin luther king jr ensuing riots washington city experience rioting assassination violence especially severe nations capital 12 deaths millions dollars property damage predominantly africanamerican neighborhoods11 160160160160160 coincidental congress several years following riots approved legislation advance dc political rights ever since riots triggered lack home rule clearly simmering frustration majority africanamerican city congress heavyhanded control contributed anger intensity riots uprising served wakeup call members congress realized safety depended calm order city conducted business many lived law enforcement alone might sufficient keep peace someone power actually afraid city journalist sam smith commented12 1968 1974 congress approved legislation giving dc elected school board delegate house representatives could serve vote committees house floor finally home rule act mayor 13member council elected district voters first election new local government took place 1974 marion barry one first elected school board members elected dc council walter washington elected mayor beyond home rule district residents welcomed new avenues civic participation many realized new rights still left short full citizenship instead home rule district residents handed home fool derisive words councilmember julius hobson13 dcs representative house floor vote arrangement made us overseas colonies district voice senate addition congress still retained constitutional exclusive legislation authority district legislation budgets adopted local council still subject congressional review congress wished could simply enact legislation impose district whether local residents wanted 160160160160160 congress made extensive use legislative control often work republicans eager win points constituencies imposing conservative social policies mostly liberal democratic district subsequent years blocked numerous initiatives dc government mostly riders local dc appropriations bill even though small percentage dc budget consists federal funding congress must approve entire budget including funds raised local taxes annual appropriations bill many budget riders targeted policies adopted liberaltoprogressive district government congress usually periods republican control found distasteful riders blocked local initiatives medical marijuana program city benefits unmarried domestic partners dc employees needle exchange programs intravenous drug users prevent spread hiv aids latter prohibition satisfying need members congress pander conservative constituencies home districts especially deadly consequences dc residents 3 percent district residents infected hiv aids highest rate city nation14 160160160160160 yet even first home rule government settled offices number local leaders activists begun discussing district might advance beyond unsatisfactory limitations home fool early 1970s three competing ideas gained substantial number adherents 1 returning retroceding district maryland 2 constitutional amendment full voting representation house senate 3 making district 51st us state 160160160160160 precedent retrocession return virginias portion district 1846 return remainder maryland carveout federal lands properties satisfy constitutional requirement federal district would provide voting representation congress marylands delegation also would end federal governments legislative control retroceded territory although place city would inherit maryland state governments oversight however polls consistently shown majority district residents dont want part maryland marylanders dont want district15 given feelings somehow forcing shotgun marriage two jurisdictions would blatant offense selfdetermination 160160160160160 idea constitutional amendment voting representation greater support advocates dc voting representation spearheaded thendc delegate walter fauntroy succeeded lobbying congress approve constitutional amendment 1978 would give district two voting senators one voting member house however amendment ratified 16 states well short required 38 died sevenyear ratification window closed 1985 160160160160160 yet even constitutional amendment taken congress number dc citizens hatching different solution disenfranchisement statehood growth dc statehood movement apparently one proposed dc statehood prior 1970s could laid variety factors districts small size population economic dependence federal government certainly major considerations 1970s district much different place reconstruction era even prior world war ii population 700000 larger 10 states tax revenues sufficient support variety local programs without depending federal support idea seeking statehood district first appeared print 1970 advocated sam smith newsletter dc gazette16 would legal constitutional district columbia become state statehood supporters well number constitutional lawyers argued would be17 constitution sets maximum limit size federal district 10 miles square 100 square miles minimum size original 100squaremile district already sliced 68 square miles following return virginias portion therefore possible reduce constitutionally mandated district uninhabited areas central washington federal buildings museums monuments located argument made retrocessionists allow populated portions district become separate state statehood movement gained momentum 1970s even local political party statehood party launched achievement statehood principal goal julius hobson running statehood party candidate elected 1974 member first dc council home rule death 1977 statehood party member hilda hm mason succeeded served another two decades election marion barry democrat mayor 1978 cause optimism among statehood supporters founder free dc movement charismatic politician deep support africanamerican community well substantial backing white establishment public face district 160160160160160 next step petition congress statehood 1980 statehood backers placed referendum ballot determine voters supported statehood 60 percent voted yes18 two years later convention elected citizens drew constitution new stateinthemaking called new columbia 160160160160160 getting citizen approval statehood one thing actually achieving statehood another many district elected officials still wedded pursuing voting representation congress regard statehood priority although exceptions notably mason also 1980s time republican control white house first ronald reagan george hw bush making likely statehood bill survived congress would die veto 160160160160160 1993 however political balance washington shifted bill clinton democrat professed support dc statehood white house houses congress strong democratic majorities many dc statehood advocates saw propitious time move forward democrats congress eager allow heavily democratic district add members caucuses house senate 160160160160160 justified many members congress including democrats concluded district ready statehood fiscal crisis unfolding district one exacerbated inherent limitations enclave control federal government district prohibited congress assessing tax income suburban commuters costing city 2 billion annually potential revenue high proportion districts land occupied entities paid property tax principally federal government also embassies international institutions nonprofit organizations moreover part 1974 home rule bill federal government saddled local government unfunded liability pensions dc government employees mounting bill grown 48 billion 199719 handicaps along continued flight districts tax base suburbs mid1990s led steep growing budget deficits20 160160160160160 addition crime rising steeply district across urban america fueled rise crack cocaine crack epidemic sweeping cities across united states hit dc especially hard bringing wave violent crime gave district unwanted nickname murder capital america 1990 mayor barry arrested fbi sting possession crack dark moment district hopes expanded selfrule 160160160160160 nevertheless several years effort delegate eleanor holmes norton statehood bill reached floor house representatives 1993 reputation nations capital alltime low many congressional democrats felt time ripe dc statehood bill failed 153 277 40 percent house democrats along nearly every republican voting no21 dc democracy moves backward next several years districts reputation capitol hill grew worse barry left office 1991 en route trial drug possession six months prison new mayor sharon pratt kelly crime continued rise fiscal crisis snowballed public dissatisfaction kellys administration led defeat reelection 1994 replaced marion barry 160160160160160 barrys comeback drug conviction reclaim mayors office one remarkable political stories recent decades clearly many africanamerican voters saw experiences reflected fbi sting barry felt frequently targeted harassment police resented harsh penalties aggressive enforcement crack possession users cocaine powder much likely white affluent faced much lenient potential penalties relatively lax enforcement members congress many white washingtonians appalled barrys return power many africanamericans saw barrys rehabilitation story justice redemption 160160160160160 redemption narrative however found sympathizers capitol hill congress retaliated district making considered wrong choice election 1995 created control board endowed complete authority districts finances dc would need boards approval spending money 1996 congress transferred control dc schools elected school board board trustees answerable voters control board 1997 congress went effectively stripping local government nearly powers making control board financial authority district legislative executive arms well mayor council continued show work virtually power assaults dc revive democracy struggle dc government may lost powers movement greater local autonomy gone eclipse failed statehood vote energized congressional power grab immediately news broke citizens began meeting organize demonstrations discuss strategy visible enduring organization arise 1997 activities stand democracy dc coalition led initially number prominent figures civil rights movement including jesse jackson sr walter fauntroy national council negro women president dorothy height borrowed slogan free dc barrys former organization indeed many stand ups early members barry supporters angry federal governments stripping away powers yet stand also attracted many longtime statehood democracy activists remained active movement longer barry many barry supporters moved 160160160160160 august 1997 stand helped organize bus caravan north carolina target republican senator lauch faircloth architect bill stripped district government local powers 600 dc activists brought districts concerns directly faircloths constituents registering vote educating much senators schedule occupied affairs jurisdiction 300 hundred miles distant allegedly representing trip doubt played least small part faircloths defeat john edwards reelection following year much rest year stand allies held almostweekly demonstrations congress many resulting participants arrested22 160160160160160 end 1990s came three developments along vigorous prodemocracy activism offered greater hope expansion dcs right govern 1 improvements national economy erased red ink past decades yielded local budget surpluses 2 sharp drop crime rate 3 marion barrys departure mayor barry replaced mayor tony williams rose prominence control boardappointed chief financial officer reputed financial wizard put districts tattered finances back order congress approved dcs selection restored governing powers mayor council school board pre1997 state still subject intervention congress stilloperating control board much room maneuver barrys final term 2001 several years prosperity four consecutive balanced dc budgets control board closed doors statehood vs congressional representation yet much following decade focus drifted away full statehood toward plan achieve voting representation congress shift became apparent 20 dc residents filed federal lawsuit 1998 asking courts make possible dc residents either choose statehood unite another state hard heels came competing lawsuit filed different group residents asking congressional representation federal courts combined two suits eventually rejected supreme court23 160160160160160 prospects congressional representation received boost rep tom davis virginia republican chairman one house committees overseeing dc affairs took cause davis supporter statehood part constituents would subject commuter tax new state would likely adopt sympathetic districts plight republicans saw opportunity make voting representation district palatable members party following 2000 census utah fell short able add another congressional district creating additional congressional district predominantly republican utah time giving overwhelmingly democratic dc voting seat would david hoped allow bipartisan support dc voting representation 160160160160160 2005 davis introduced bill expand house 435 437 members added seats going utah district bill would provide representation senate would address aspects districts disenfranchisement congressional control districts legislation budgets 160160160160160 many dcs statehood advocates best lukewarm davis bill many complained would leave far short divert attention struggle full citizenship bill gained support dc elected officials including mayor delegate norton deal table preferable chasing distant dream another factor largely tied politics race class affluent wellconnected washingtonians mostly white long resented lack vote congress many less enthusiastic idea giving local government authority whites postcivil war district opposed opening door even crack africanamerican political empowerment many whites century later mistrustful africanamerican leadership many white dc residents worked capitol hill federal agencies various lobbying firms pressure groups connections members congress senior staffers often neighbors washingtonians connections knowledge work system appreciated ability go heads local government actions displeased one citys deepest secrets many elites white black never really liked idea selfgovernment would rather use rolodexes ballot box wrote sam smith 199824 160160160160160 addition washington large cities features large elite class newly arrived political appointees congressional staffers publicinterest workers others strong desire voice capitol hill little interest local government citys mandarin class mainly interested national politics perfectly happy city services provided dictatorship frustrated lack leverage congress smith wrote25 among elites large boardoftrade connected corporations business dc many headquartered elsewhere like days barrys free dc movement opposed empowered local government could challenge prerogatives mere voting representation posed similar threat interests 160160160160160 also barrys return mayors office drug conviction received heavy support blacks little whites led many whites believe whether justified would achieve better results ruled congress locally elected government 160160160160160 despite elite support votingrights bill number constitutional scholars critics bill many sympathetic districts effort end disenfranchisement pointed dubious constitutionality26 language constitution clearly referred right vote members congress deriving statehood article 1 section 1 reads house representatives shall composed members chosen every second year people several states simple legislation sufficient district previously taken much harder ultimately unsuccessful route constitutional amendment 160160160160160 nevertheless district leaders newly formed advocacy group dc vote heavily funded dc government grants lobbied congress passage davis bill argued pairing vote dc additional house seat utah gave bill good chance enacted much better chance bill full statehood argued could pursued unidentified time future also produced legal experts vouched bills constitutionality delegate norton argued district would ready statehood regained control statetype functions prisons courts federal government taken 1997 measure help balance local budget statehood advocates countered pointing statehood would open new streams revenue district especially commuter tax enabling new state reassume pay functions 160160160160160 votingrights advocates still trying push davis bill congress barack obama elected president 2008 accession democratic africanamerican reputedly liberal president white house energized activists capital city whose residents shared many characteristics district favored obama 93 percent vote election reason expect obama would reciprocate making expanded rights dc priority indeed number occasions obama stated support statehood including brief exchange stand president anise jenkins never passive support economic recession wars iraq afghanistan new healthcare initiative dominated white house agenda early obama years 160160160160160 however davis votingrights bill gained adherents 2009 senate approved legislation catch members congress allied gun lobby long attempted repeal districts restrictions ownership handguns among strongest nation gun laws province state governments given districts colonial status congress impose measures district districts anywhere else country 2008 supreme court decision struck stringent provisions district still required guns registered kept home progun senators led republican john ensign nevada later resigned discovered paid hush money former staffer keep quiet affair senator wife tied amendment voting rights bill would effectively eliminate restrictions guns district passed manner unregistered guns including assault weapons could concealed carried open practically everywhere district including schools playgrounds dc government buildings us capitol members appreciation proliferation guns didnt extend far 160160160160160 much district leadership swallow even exchange voting rights delegate norton failing strip gun provision house version bill 2010 asked house leadership drop legislation five years lobbying compromises deal cutting win voting representation house come naught death votingrights bill illustration limitations would given district one vote 437 house still would left dc subject legislative whims congress 160160160160160 hard heels defeat voting rights bill came 2010 congressional elections republicans took control house many new members coming lending ear hardright tea party movement prospects expanded dc rights congressional legislation evaporated indeed district would defend new round onslaughts limited home rule 2011 beyond statehood takes center stage yet setbacks may pointed way forward dc democracy movement backroom dealing capitol hill voting rights bill come naught growing realization district rely friends congress white house impetus change come local residents stronger assertive movement needed kind displayed april arrests ultimately disenfranchised district columbia must make voice heard throughout country world striking consciences people cherish democracy human rights americans could subject arrest democracy south africa willing fight remove dictator iraq surely could join movement equal rights 600000 us citizens nations capital another lesson voting rights debacle settling halfmeasures fools errand perhaps home fools errand paraphrase julius hobson constitution statehood confers full citizenship united states path chosen district citizens residents elected officials coming realization statehood nothing less goal defeat onevote bill delegate norton reintroduced legislation voting representation along bill dc statehood accept imposed limits equal rights american citizens pursue day difference citizenship residents district columbia american citizens norton said introducing legislation27 although little immediate prospect bills passing even getting hearing decision revive statehood effort congress evidence growing voice local statehood movement 160160160160160 inaugural address last january mayor gray signaled dc leaderships new outlook said washington greatest symbol nations democracy yet washingtonians continue people nation remain shut democracy rest achieve true selfdetermination become nations 51st state28 160160160160160 nearterm prospect favorable action congress dc activists officials turn attention organizing citizens dc reaching supporters human rights everywhere order build powerful movement achieve district wants needs statehood day come makeup congress lead sympathetic districts appeal statehood dc win day local statehood movement strong enough force congress right thing lets engage children dc statewide renaming contest160 two words names initials dc replace district columbia state160 second lets rename mayors office governors office council legislature house delegates160 may seem small things psychologically engergize general public generally apathetic even unaware concerns corporate media outlets print radio tv internet pretend thats written eloquently suffused hohum unimportance district county dc still major issues dealt statehood happen160 residual district columbia statehood bill needs pared back the160congressional office buildings potential taxpayers included nonresident income tax even white house supreme court library congress spared part new columbia160 issue tax also dealt first along solution problem dc felons federal custody federal mental patients dc custody160 answer issues trade nonresident tax fund maryland virginia housing felons assisting us mental health offender supervision160 final issue calling republican bluff retrocession including vote maryland general assembly retrocession statehood bill160 since sure vote nobrainer include it160 thing dc needs insist president appoint administrator national capital service area present federal government bill services dc provided ncsa meant reimburesed home fool information formatting options | 3,789 |
<p>What’s interesting to me about the latest failure of Democracy in the country is that for once it wasn’t the fault of the dirty lying Republican candidates or the shiftless invertebrate Democratic candidates. It was the fault of the voters. Not that they did anything wrong; rather, as usual they didn’t do anything at all, hence the title of this opus. The Republican Party (or partying, as of this writing) spent $150 million, while the Democratic Parthian spent $80 million, record-breaking sums not including the money poured in from the coffers of special interest groups (rich people). My money not only won’t pour, I have to scrape the bottom of the coffers with a knife if I’m looking for more than sixty cents. The grand total for this latest electile dysfunction may exceed a third of a billion dollars, or thirteen bucks per vote. For all this money, they only convinced around 37% of voting-age persons to head for the polls, which is slightly more than the last time, but a hell of a lot less than a quorum (a Latin word meaning ‘who cares’). The corporate-sponsored leadership of this country once again demonstrates it doesn’t know how to get value for money, but it does know how to spend it in hogsheads and firkins.</p>
<p>Still, they spent a lot of dosh, so why didn’t people show up? (There’s a joke in here somewhere about how the Democrats threw a political party and nobody showed up, but what with the hangover I can’t quite figure it out.) Everybody knows, especially the Repuglicans, that there are far more voting-age Americans who agree with the historical position of the Democratic Party, probably because most people in this country aren’t angry fundamentalist white Christian males. It’s the majority of would-be Democrats who don’t show up at the polls, while the smaller group of more disciplined right-wingers learned a thing or two from the Nuremberg Rallies and vote to capacity, sometimes three or four times a piece, and often even after they’re dead. You look at the election results, you’d think this was a nation of fascists. Sure, sometimes, why shouldn’t we have our moment in the sun? But what you’re seeing this time isn’t fascism. For the most part, it’s apathy.</p>
<p>Certain cynics, such as everybody, would suggest that the reason Democratic-inclined voters don’t show up is they are elaborately discouraged from doing so. In one of the more egregious examples, black voters in a number of poverty-Strickland areas were told by right-wing operatives that they had to pay their parking tickets and back rent before they could vote. Democrats attempted to woo these voters with offers of free fried chicken at the polls. This backfired when the father of ex-congressman J.C. Watts (R-Uncle Tom) suggested that “A black man voting for the Republicans makes about as much sense as a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.” In 2004 the Democrats will offer free watermelon. Other tactics included contesting absentee ballots, ferocious negative campaigning (which is a bigger turnoff than frozen underwear), and stealing the 2000 presidential election. Still, to keep voters away from the polls all you usually have to do is nothing.</p>
<p>The real problem isn’t the effort to not get out the vote. It’s just that there’s nobody to vote for, especially since Paul Wellstone dropped out of politics. On every issue from war to corporate crime, the apostatic Democrats have fallen over themselves to avoid any ostensive difference with the Republicans. They’ve abandoned the environment, the poor, unions, and colored folks, unless they’re in the entertainment business. Looking at Congress, the main difference between a Democrat and a Republican is whether they have Bush’s cell phone number. Obviously the Democrats need to embrace the sleeping popular vote, get all progressive, and eschew without tergiversation or palinody the right-wing agenda. On that great day, flocks of pigs will darken the sky.</p>
<p>Here are the two reasons I remain cheerful despite this crisis of American democracism. First, let’s remember that people like to stick with the real thing; an imitation is never as good as the original. Vanillin versus vanilla, for instance. True to form, Americans voted for real right-wingers, and turned their backs on the Democratic imitations. Which would you choose: someone with a position on the issues, or the next guy in line, who has no position on the issues, but agrees with the first guy? The second reason I maintain my equanimity is training. I knew this day would come, and I prepared for it. Starting the very day Bush was inaugurated, I’ve spent one hour each morning strapped to a tree with three burly stevedores in jackboots kicking me in the testicles. They’re well paid for the exercise, but I think over the last couple of years we’ve developed a rapport, and now they throw in the occasional punch in the neck for free. Once, on my birthday, they beat me with flails until I was unconscious, then sang ‘Deutscheland Uber Alles’ and ‘Let the American Eagle Soar’ and lit the birthday candles, which were inserted in my butt for the purpose. Those jokers! They were the trick kind of candles that don’t go out. Anyway, this regimen takes discipline, but it’s been very effective. I don’t feel the least bit gloomy, and the webcam is making a fortune.</p>
<p>And why should I be upset? Bush already had control of the entire Congress. He got whatever he wanted- his war, his tax cut, a new tricycle. So it’s not like anything will be different- it will just happen faster. The Democrats were in lockstep with Bush before, and they’ll be in lockstep in the future. Or goosestep. I get so confused. It might be both. Nothing has really changed in Washington- the only way to tell a Republican from a Democrat is the Democrats have boot polish on their tongues. I think it’s boot polish. And wait and see- these Democrats are so deeply attuned to the needs of their constituents, the first thing they’ll do is shift waaaay to the right, under the assumption that’s what the good volks at home want. We’ll see Judges to the right of Vlad the Impaler rubber-stamped straight to the Supreme Court by chastened Democrats with eager, shining faces. We’ll see widows and orphans piled like cordwood to be burned as a renewable energy source. Hilary Clinton will switch parties and start dating Uncle Tom Daschle, thus proving the right-wing rumors that she’s a lesbian. Jesse Jackson, are you aware this is your third strike? Down with trees, up with Wal-Marts. But all of this is part of the natural devolution that has been taking place in that swining city on a hill for many years now. So stop acting like it’s a shocking bad thing- the fight goes on, whether or not the Champ punched the Kid’s head clean off in the third round. Keep swinging anyway, Kid- the Champ’s chin is out there somewhere.</p>
<p>I think what I’m trying to say- and I’m not sure, because the stevedores worked me over extra-hard today, and I’m a little groggy- is don’t worry, be happy. I’m sure the next couple of years won’t witness America’s rapid decay into the blackest fascist empire in modern history, hated and feared, fouling the waters and skies and hearts and souls of this world with the filth and stink of unfettered industrial despotism, a hope-shattering orgy of hatred, greed and cruelty in which the red-eyed mercenary hogs of power rip each other’s throats out for a place at the trough, their cloven hooves trampling the insect-like poor and powerless into the reeking jelly of excrement spurting eternally down their corpulent thighs. After all, most of this already happened under Clinton, whatever anybody says to the contrary. Bush is just the merde fondant icing on the cake, which is brown, but not chocolate. Luckily he clearly intends to eat the whole cake himself, as M. Antoinette recommends.</p>
<p>I don’t think we have to fret, as long as we look ahead. Just relax, have a good time, and start stockpiling ammunition and growing potatoes in your front lawn. Meanwhile, I can pass on the number of a couple of reputable stevedores for those of you who want to get in shape before 2004. There’s another election at that time, and we can try again. S’wounds, they might even decide to cancel the election, and we won’t have to get out of our chairs on voting day- a method most eligible voters already employ.</p>
<p>BEN TRIPP is a screenwriter and political cartoonist. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:credel@earthlink.net" type="external">credel@earthlink.net</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | whats interesting latest failure democracy country wasnt fault dirty lying republican candidates shiftless invertebrate democratic candidates fault voters anything wrong rather usual didnt anything hence title opus republican party partying writing spent 150 million democratic parthian spent 80 million recordbreaking sums including money poured coffers special interest groups rich people money wont pour scrape bottom coffers knife im looking sixty cents grand total latest electile dysfunction may exceed third billion dollars thirteen bucks per vote money convinced around 37 votingage persons head polls slightly last time hell lot less quorum latin word meaning cares corporatesponsored leadership country demonstrates doesnt know get value money know spend hogsheads firkins still spent lot dosh didnt people show theres joke somewhere democrats threw political party nobody showed hangover cant quite figure everybody knows especially repuglicans far votingage americans agree historical position democratic party probably people country arent angry fundamentalist white christian males majority wouldbe democrats dont show polls smaller group disciplined rightwingers learned thing two nuremberg rallies vote capacity sometimes three four times piece often even theyre dead look election results youd think nation fascists sure sometimes shouldnt moment sun youre seeing time isnt fascism part apathy certain cynics everybody would suggest reason democraticinclined voters dont show elaborately discouraged one egregious examples black voters number povertystrickland areas told rightwing operatives pay parking tickets back rent could vote democrats attempted woo voters offers free fried chicken polls backfired father excongressman jc watts runcle tom suggested black man voting republicans makes much sense chicken voting colonel sanders 2004 democrats offer free watermelon tactics included contesting absentee ballots ferocious negative campaigning bigger turnoff frozen underwear stealing 2000 presidential election still keep voters away polls usually nothing real problem isnt effort get vote theres nobody vote especially since paul wellstone dropped politics every issue war corporate crime apostatic democrats fallen avoid ostensive difference republicans theyve abandoned environment poor unions colored folks unless theyre entertainment business looking congress main difference democrat republican whether bushs cell phone number obviously democrats need embrace sleeping popular vote get progressive eschew without tergiversation palinody rightwing agenda great day flocks pigs darken sky two reasons remain cheerful despite crisis american democracism first lets remember people like stick real thing imitation never good original vanillin versus vanilla instance true form americans voted real rightwingers turned backs democratic imitations would choose someone position issues next guy line position issues agrees first guy second reason maintain equanimity training knew day would come prepared starting day bush inaugurated ive spent one hour morning strapped tree three burly stevedores jackboots kicking testicles theyre well paid exercise think last couple years weve developed rapport throw occasional punch neck free birthday beat flails unconscious sang deutscheland uber alles let american eagle soar lit birthday candles inserted butt purpose jokers trick kind candles dont go anyway regimen takes discipline effective dont feel least bit gloomy webcam making fortune upset bush already control entire congress got whatever wanted war tax cut new tricycle like anything different happen faster democrats lockstep bush theyll lockstep future goosestep get confused might nothing really changed washington way tell republican democrat democrats boot polish tongues think boot polish wait see democrats deeply attuned needs constituents first thing theyll shift waaaay right assumption thats good volks home want well see judges right vlad impaler rubberstamped straight supreme court chastened democrats eager shining faces well see widows orphans piled like cordwood burned renewable energy source hilary clinton switch parties start dating uncle tom daschle thus proving rightwing rumors shes lesbian jesse jackson aware third strike trees walmarts part natural devolution taking place swining city hill many years stop acting like shocking bad thing fight goes whether champ punched kids head clean third round keep swinging anyway kid champs chin somewhere think im trying say im sure stevedores worked extrahard today im little groggy dont worry happy im sure next couple years wont witness americas rapid decay blackest fascist empire modern history hated feared fouling waters skies hearts souls world filth stink unfettered industrial despotism hopeshattering orgy hatred greed cruelty redeyed mercenary hogs power rip others throats place trough cloven hooves trampling insectlike poor powerless reeking jelly excrement spurting eternally corpulent thighs already happened clinton whatever anybody says contrary bush merde fondant icing cake brown chocolate luckily clearly intends eat whole cake antoinette recommends dont think fret long look ahead relax good time start stockpiling ammunition growing potatoes front lawn meanwhile pass number couple reputable stevedores want get shape 2004 theres another election time try swounds might even decide cancel election wont get chairs voting day method eligible voters already employ ben tripp screenwriter political cartoonist reached credelearthlinknet 160 | 768 |
<p>Big business has launched a no-holds-barred propaganda blitz against the Employee Free Choice Act. Their goal is to scare people into believing that if the bill passes it will trigger higher unemployment and a deeper recession. According to opponents, there’s even the threat of creeping socialism. The truth, of course, is far less dramatic. The Employee Free Choice Act or so called “card check” simply makes it easier for unions to organize. Here’s a short summary of the bill posted on the Change To Win web site:</p>
<p>Majority Rules, Not the Boss:</p>
<p>Currently, a majority of workers can sign up for a union, but the company can veto that decision and demand an election. This allows the company to fire or harass workers, and threaten that it will close the workplace, in order to coerce workers into voting against a union. Under EFCA, if a majority of employees sign cards indicating they want a union, the company has to recognize the union, as long as it is certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).</p>
<p>That’s it. All that’s needed for union certification is for a majority of workers to sign cards. No one is coerced into doing anything they don’t want to do; it’s completely voluntary. There’s nothing in the process that will have any material effect on the economy and, despite all the fearmongering, union goons will not force people to sing L’Internationale at baseball games or make them wear funny-looking blue jumpsuits to work. It’s just a better way to organize, which is why the Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations are in a lather.</p>
<p>There are provisions that deal with contract negotiations and bargaining in good faith, but those are added to discourage management from dragging its feet on contracts (which is a typical strategy). The bill also gives the government the power to settle disputes on wages and benefits through binding arbitration.&#160; And, yes, there are penalties for firing workers for engaging union activity, but most people think these are both fair and reasonable.</p>
<p>Naturally, the boardroom bullyboys are worried that more of the profits will trickle down to workers instead of being transferred to off-shore bank accounts in the Caribbean. Too bad; the corporate mucky-mucks will just have to scrape by with a little less.</p>
<p>The lies and disinformation about the EFCA have been extreme. This is the&#160; major issue for business and it shows. The Wall Street Journal has run five anti-EFCA articles this week alone, each one more vicious than the last. It will take a huge effort to get this bill passed. It all depends on how much pressure the unions can bring to bear on Congress.</p>
<p>In the last few weeks, the rhetoric has gotten more and more incendiary. Here’s a typical anti-EFCA posting in the Kansas City Star by Larry Marsh :</p>
<p>“The United States Congress is considering, in effect, denying workers the right to a secret ballot in union certification voting under the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)…This is no doubt good news to Mr. Mugabe in Zimbabwe and General Than Shwe in Myanmar.</p>
<p>Vladimir Putin in Russia will be glad to know that the United States Congress does not consider the secret ballot to be essential to democracy.</p>
<p>The Chinese government will now have a way to get foreigners to stop meddling in its affairs. With “open” “free-choice” voting, it can become a western-style “democracy.”</p>
<p>It is a shameful day in America when the United States Congress even considers legislation to take away a worker’s right to the secret ballot.</p>
<p>If we let the secret ballot go by the wayside, what will be next — the Free Speech Choice Act (FSCA)?”</p>
<p>Does Marsh really think he can change hearts and minds with this type of claptrap?&#160; Public relations are a means of shaping opinion through perception management, not hitting people over the head with a sledgehammer. Apparently, the desperation is so overpowering that discretion has been abandoned altogether. And it’s easy to see why.&#160; According to a new survey, more than half of Americans have already made up their minds on the issue. They like the idea of making it easier to join unions. Here’s the story from Gallup:</p>
<p>A new Gallup Poll finds just over half of Americans, 53 per cent , favoring a new law that would make it easier for labor unions to organize workers; 39 per cent oppose it. This is a key issue at stake with the Employee Free Choice Act now being considered in Congress.</p>
<p>The poll reveals sharply differing reactions to the issue within the general public according to political orientation. Most Democrats (70 per cent) say they would favor a law that facilitates union organizing, while a majority of Republicans (60 per cent) say they would oppose it. Independents lean in favor of such a law, 52 per cent vs. 41 per cent.</p>
<p>Previous Gallup polling has shown that Americans are fundamentally sympathetic to labor unions, and these underlying attitudes are no doubt reflected in their general support for legislation characterized as making it easier for workers to unionize. For example, Gallup’s annual polling on workplace issues, conducted each August, has found consistently high approval of labor unions in recent years, including a 59 per cent approval rating last summer. The current level of support for a new law facilitating more union membership – 53 per cent in favor — is only slightly less favorable to unions. (Majority Receptive to Law Making Union Organizing Easier, Lydia Saad, Gallup)</p>
<p>There it is in black and white. The public hasn’t been hoodwinked by big business’s saturation campaign. The majority still supports unions and think it should be easier to join. In fact, there would probably be even greater support if they knew how much money was being spent to torpedo the EFCA. According to Cleveland Indy Media Center:</p>
<p>“Powerful Corporate Front Groups… are carrying out one of the biggest Anti-Union Busting campaigns in history, hoping to wrench public opinion in their direction and spread misinformation about the Employee Free Choice Act…Several anti-union Corporate Front Groups plan to collectively spend almost $100 million in the next year against the bill and those who support it. The breakdown is as follows (from the National Journal):</p>
<p>Chamber of Commerce: $20-30 million</p>
<p>Coalition for a Democratic Workplace: $30 million</p>
<p>Employee Freedom Action Committee: $30 million</p>
<p>Freedom’s Watch: $30 million (from one anti-union contributor)</p>
<p>Center for Union Facts: unknown, but in the millions.</p>
<p>And this, from the Wall Street Journal:</p>
<p>“Pro-business organizations have spent millions on ads in key states in the past year. The Center for Union Facts ran $20 million in ads in 2008 against the bill.” (Unionizing Fight Focuses on Three States”, Kris Maher, Wall Street Journal)</p>
<p>The most zealous opponent of the EFCA has been Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal. The WSJ’s biggest fear is that Obama might heed the call of his progressive constituents and lead the country in the direction of what the Journal derisively calls “The European Model”, which features higher wages, protection against pay discrimination, and better health benefits.</p>
<p>Again, the Wall Street Journal:</p>
<p>“In Euro-terms, a “social market economy” offers state-provided health care, generous unemployment benefits, long holidays, various job protections and a prominent role for unions. Sounds good, you might say. But consider that the Europeans have spent the past two decades struggling to wean themselves off entitlements that are a huge drain on the overall economy. These welfare states leech off the productive parts of the economy through onerous taxes, debt and regulations.</p>
<p>Everyone ends up paying. Consider just one measure: the tax wedge, the share of labor costs that never reaches an employee’s wallet but goes straight to state coffers. In Belgium, Germany and France, the tax wedge is around 50 per cent; in America, it was 30per cent in 2007. (See the nearby table.) Not coincidentally, salaries and job opportunities are better here, especially for the least-skilled. The Obama budget, universal health care and now the union-revival effort known as the Employee Free Choice Act would steer America toward the Continent. That’s good for the unions, but not for the public good…..The 2009 debate over Big Labor’s agenda is about whether we want to continue to be a dynamic, entrepreneurial nation, or slip into unionized decline.” (Labor’s European model, Wall Street Journal)</p>
<p>What nonsense.&#160; Anyone who’s spent time in Europe knows that workers are better off than their American counterparts. Who wouldn’t want six weeks paid vacation per year and a secure retirement? Or should we assume that the free market loonies who oppose EFCA would rather stay true to the principles of “scorched earth” capitalism and accept less pay, crappier benefits and zero health care, just so the top 1 per cent can afford gold plated bath taps.</p>
<p>The anti-EFCA coalition has tried a number of strategies,&#160; but has yet to settle on any one course of action.&#160; Sen. John Thune blurted out one of the talking points earlier in the week in an interview with the Washington Post. Thune said,&#160; “In a time when we have an economy that’s already struggling, we can’t put more burdensome regulations on employers. This is a job killer for our economy when we really don’t need it.”</p>
<p>This sounds reasonable, but in fact, Thune’s got it all wrong. As Sen. Tom Harkin points out in the same article:</p>
<p>“In 1935, we passed the Wagner Act that promoted unionization and allowed unions to flourish, and at the time we were at around 20 percent unemployment. So tell me again why we can’t do this in a recession?…This is the time to do it. This is exactly the time we should be insisting on a fairer playing field for people to organize themselves.”</p>
<p>Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union adds this:</p>
<p>“The truth is that Franklin Roosevelt passed those laws (The Wagner Act) under similar circumstances, and from 1945 to 1974, we had an era where workers’ wages and productivity was joined together…It was probably the most tested economic stimulus of any public policy that has worked for us.”&#160; (Alec MacGillis, Washington Post, Labor Union Bill Raises Broader Capitalism Issues)</p>
<p>Stern makes a good point. The reason the economy is contracting so violently, is that for the last decade, growth in the US has depended almost exclusively on debt-fueled consumer spending and Wall Street alchemy. When the credit bubble finally burst in late 2006, the over-leveraged financial institutions were forced to reduce their debts quickly which drove down prices on all asset classes and sent unemployment into the stratosphere. This never would have happened if workers’ wages had kept pace with production. Any downturn would have meant a short period of retrenchment, rather than a precipitous decline from the unwinding of massive leverage. The surest path to sustainable growth is a well paid workforce. That, and that alone, is the secret for maintaining strong consumer demand and, thus, financial stability. Unions are an essential part of that mix because they create internal demand for goods and services through the efficient distribution of capital. If workers cannot afford the things they make, then the economy becomes increasingly dependent on exports, which means that it is more vulnerable to fluctuations in foreign markets.</p>
<p>Here’s a passage from Henry C.K. Liu’s “The Global Economy in Transition” that sheds a little light on this topic:</p>
<p>“The theory of rising wages asserts that employers should understand that rising wages are the only venue of assuring strong demand for their products, supported by the theory of technology-driven productivity increases, and the broad-based ownership of securities to spread wealth. The historical data show that the largest average increases in purchasing power have taken place at recession times when employers and bankers tried their best to keep wages down, but the stickiness of wages made wage deflation slower that price deflation, as in the 1920-22 depression. The result was that when full employment returned in 1923, US workers had higher purchasing power than they had in 1920. But average manufacturing worker’s yearly income decreased by $55 between 1923 and 1928, a miner’s income by $187. Falling wages amid prosperity was a major structural cause, albeit little noticed, of the 1929 crash. If wages had been higher, equity prices would not have risen as much, thus dampening the speculative fever. Wealth effects from the speculative boom made low wages tolerable and caused a corresponding rise in debt without altering prudential debt to equity ratios. But when the speculative bubble burst, debt-equity ratios skyrocketed and there were insufficient wage levels to sustain consumption. Similar conditions appear to be facing the US economy now.</p>
<p>After the 1929 crash, the economic downward spiral was caused mainly by falling wages. Despite all promises of maintaining production, goods could not be sold as fast as they were produced because of a collapse of income due to layoffs and wage reductions. Globalization in the past two decades temporarily kept US purchasing power increasing despite a slow growth of domestic wages. This resulted from still lower wages in the emerging markets. Now the world is awash with overcapacity in relations to low demand caused by insufficient wage levels.&#160; (“The Global Economy in Transition”, Henry C.K. Liu)</p>
<p>Unions have steadily lost ground since the 1950s when they represented 32 per cent of the total workforce in the US. Today, union membership has dwindled to less than 8 percent, which is too small to have any real impact on policy. Even if we ignore the appalling lack of political power or the growing wealth gap, which is greater than any time since the Gilded Age, the same fundamental problem still arises: How does one sustain aggregate demand if wages stay stagnant? The answer is; it can’t be done, which is why labor must have a bigger place at the table to level the playing field. The only way to build a strong, stable economy, and avoid the boom and bust cycles brought on by speculative bubbles, is by empowering workers and making sure they are fairly compensated for their labor. The Employee Free Choice Act is an important first step in that direction.</p>
<p>MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:fergiewhitney@msn.com" type="external">fergiewhitney@msn.com</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | big business launched noholdsbarred propaganda blitz employee free choice act goal scare people believing bill passes trigger higher unemployment deeper recession according opponents theres even threat creeping socialism truth course far less dramatic employee free choice act called card check simply makes easier unions organize heres short summary bill posted change win web site majority rules boss currently majority workers sign union company veto decision demand election allows company fire harass workers threaten close workplace order coerce workers voting union efca majority employees sign cards indicating want union company recognize union long certified national labor relations board nlrb thats thats needed union certification majority workers sign cards one coerced anything dont want completely voluntary theres nothing process material effect economy despite fearmongering union goons force people sing linternationale baseball games make wear funnylooking blue jumpsuits work better way organize chamber commerce business organizations lather provisions deal contract negotiations bargaining good faith added discourage management dragging feet contracts typical strategy bill also gives government power settle disputes wages benefits binding arbitration160 yes penalties firing workers engaging union activity people think fair reasonable naturally boardroom bullyboys worried profits trickle workers instead transferred offshore bank accounts caribbean bad corporate muckymucks scrape little less lies disinformation efca extreme the160 major issue business shows wall street journal run five antiefca articles week alone one vicious last take huge effort get bill passed depends much pressure unions bring bear congress last weeks rhetoric gotten incendiary heres typical antiefca posting kansas city star larry marsh united states congress considering effect denying workers right secret ballot union certification voting socalled employee free choice act efcathis doubt good news mr mugabe zimbabwe general shwe myanmar vladimir putin russia glad know united states congress consider secret ballot essential democracy chinese government way get foreigners stop meddling affairs open freechoice voting become westernstyle democracy shameful day america united states congress even considers legislation take away workers right secret ballot let secret ballot go wayside next free speech choice act fsca marsh really think change hearts minds type claptrap160 public relations means shaping opinion perception management hitting people head sledgehammer apparently desperation overpowering discretion abandoned altogether easy see why160 according new survey half americans already made minds issue like idea making easier join unions heres story gallup new gallup poll finds half americans 53 per cent favoring new law would make easier labor unions organize workers 39 per cent oppose key issue stake employee free choice act considered congress poll reveals sharply differing reactions issue within general public according political orientation democrats 70 per cent say would favor law facilitates union organizing majority republicans 60 per cent say would oppose independents lean favor law 52 per cent vs 41 per cent previous gallup polling shown americans fundamentally sympathetic labor unions underlying attitudes doubt reflected general support legislation characterized making easier workers unionize example gallups annual polling workplace issues conducted august found consistently high approval labor unions recent years including 59 per cent approval rating last summer current level support new law facilitating union membership 53 per cent favor slightly less favorable unions majority receptive law making union organizing easier lydia saad gallup black white public hasnt hoodwinked big businesss saturation campaign majority still supports unions think easier join fact would probably even greater support knew much money spent torpedo efca according cleveland indy media center powerful corporate front groups carrying one biggest antiunion busting campaigns history hoping wrench public opinion direction spread misinformation employee free choice actseveral antiunion corporate front groups plan collectively spend almost 100 million next year bill support breakdown follows national journal chamber commerce 2030 million coalition democratic workplace 30 million employee freedom action committee 30 million freedoms watch 30 million one antiunion contributor center union facts unknown millions wall street journal probusiness organizations spent millions ads key states past year center union facts ran 20 million ads 2008 bill unionizing fight focuses three states kris maher wall street journal zealous opponent efca murdochs wall street journal wsjs biggest fear obama might heed call progressive constituents lead country direction journal derisively calls european model features higher wages protection pay discrimination better health benefits wall street journal euroterms social market economy offers stateprovided health care generous unemployment benefits long holidays various job protections prominent role unions sounds good might say consider europeans spent past two decades struggling wean entitlements huge drain overall economy welfare states leech productive parts economy onerous taxes debt regulations everyone ends paying consider one measure tax wedge share labor costs never reaches employees wallet goes straight state coffers belgium germany france tax wedge around 50 per cent america 30per cent 2007 see nearby table coincidentally salaries job opportunities better especially leastskilled obama budget universal health care unionrevival effort known employee free choice act would steer america toward continent thats good unions public goodthe 2009 debate big labors agenda whether want continue dynamic entrepreneurial nation slip unionized decline labors european model wall street journal nonsense160 anyone whos spent time europe knows workers better american counterparts wouldnt want six weeks paid vacation per year secure retirement assume free market loonies oppose efca would rather stay true principles scorched earth capitalism accept less pay crappier benefits zero health care top 1 per cent afford gold plated bath taps antiefca coalition tried number strategies160 yet settle one course action160 sen john thune blurted one talking points earlier week interview washington post thune said160 time economy thats already struggling cant put burdensome regulations employers job killer economy really dont need sounds reasonable fact thunes got wrong sen tom harkin points article 1935 passed wagner act promoted unionization allowed unions flourish time around 20 percent unemployment tell cant recessionthis time exactly time insisting fairer playing field people organize andrew stern president service employees international union adds truth franklin roosevelt passed laws wagner act similar circumstances 1945 1974 era workers wages productivity joined togetherit probably tested economic stimulus public policy worked us160 alec macgillis washington post labor union bill raises broader capitalism issues stern makes good point reason economy contracting violently last decade growth us depended almost exclusively debtfueled consumer spending wall street alchemy credit bubble finally burst late 2006 overleveraged financial institutions forced reduce debts quickly drove prices asset classes sent unemployment stratosphere never would happened workers wages kept pace production downturn would meant short period retrenchment rather precipitous decline unwinding massive leverage surest path sustainable growth well paid workforce alone secret maintaining strong consumer demand thus financial stability unions essential part mix create internal demand goods services efficient distribution capital workers afford things make economy becomes increasingly dependent exports means vulnerable fluctuations foreign markets heres passage henry ck lius global economy transition sheds little light topic theory rising wages asserts employers understand rising wages venue assuring strong demand products supported theory technologydriven productivity increases broadbased ownership securities spread wealth historical data show largest average increases purchasing power taken place recession times employers bankers tried best keep wages stickiness wages made wage deflation slower price deflation 192022 depression result full employment returned 1923 us workers higher purchasing power 1920 average manufacturing workers yearly income decreased 55 1923 1928 miners income 187 falling wages amid prosperity major structural cause albeit little noticed 1929 crash wages higher equity prices would risen much thus dampening speculative fever wealth effects speculative boom made low wages tolerable caused corresponding rise debt without altering prudential debt equity ratios speculative bubble burst debtequity ratios skyrocketed insufficient wage levels sustain consumption similar conditions appear facing us economy 1929 crash economic downward spiral caused mainly falling wages despite promises maintaining production goods could sold fast produced collapse income due layoffs wage reductions globalization past two decades temporarily kept us purchasing power increasing despite slow growth domestic wages resulted still lower wages emerging markets world awash overcapacity relations low demand caused insufficient wage levels160 global economy transition henry ck liu unions steadily lost ground since 1950s represented 32 per cent total workforce us today union membership dwindled less 8 percent small real impact policy even ignore appalling lack political power growing wealth gap greater time since gilded age fundamental problem still arises one sustain aggregate demand wages stay stagnant answer cant done labor must bigger place table level playing field way build strong stable economy avoid boom bust cycles brought speculative bubbles empowering workers making sure fairly compensated labor employee free choice act important first step direction mike whitney lives washington state reached fergiewhitneymsncom 160 | 1,393 |
<p>Which organization is the greatest threat to the Second Amendment, the anti-gun Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence or Idaho’s pro-gun Sportsmen for Wildlife?</p>
<p>This might seem like a stupid question until you learn that the Idaho organization recently held three “predator derbies” in which competitors vied to see who could slaughter the most wolves over a two-day period. Similar assaults on wildlife occur in other western states. In Alaska “sportsmen” gun down wolves from airplanes.</p>
<p>The wanton slaughter of wildlife for the fun of killing creates hostility toward firearms among the general public. After all the effort environmentalists made to reintroduce wolves into natural habitat, the wolf killing competitions can’t go down very well with millions of Americans.</p>
<p>Trophy hunters, who kill polar bears with high-powered rifles (from safe distances of course), also contribute to anti-gun attitudes. A large percentage of the American population cannot empathize with the thrill of killing a magnificent animal. Many Americans have an aversion to people who get their jollies by murdering animals. Banning guns becomes a way to protect wildlife. People who love their pets have empathy for animals and none for hunters.</p>
<p>We need the Second Amendment for our own protection and for our constitutional rights. If one right can be taken away or marginalized with regulation, so can all other rights. Americans are going to have a difficult time holding on to the Second Amendment. An armed population is not compatible with the police state that President Bush and the Republicans created and that President Obama and the Democrats have ratified.</p>
<p>The danger to the Second Amendment is great enough without waving wildlife slaughter in the public’s face. The National Rifle Association and wildlife slaughter groups need to exercise judgment and not go out of the way to inflame feelings against guns. Recently while visiting a friend, I happened by chance to see a segment of a hunting experience on the television hunting channel, sponsored, I believe, by the NRA. A man and his wife or girlfriend were after a beautiful 8-point stag. When the woman “harvested” the deer, she jumped with joy and flung her arms around her man. It made even my friend, a hardened gun-nut, cringe at the joy she experienced from killing a beautiful animal.</p>
<p>According to my friend, hunting is not supposed to be an indulgence in blood lust. Bringing home venison as an alternative to factory farming’s beef, pork, and fowl pumped full of antibiotics and hormones is one thing. To search out a magnificent animal for the fun of killing it is another.</p>
<p>The main reason for the hunt is bragging rights. A couple of years ago my friend took me to his gun club to fire an antique Winchester rifle like the ones in the cowboy movies of my youth. A club member was trying to sight-in a .375 H&amp;H magnum big game rifle. His shoulder was taking a terrible punishment, so much so that he was flinching every time he fired.&#160; Flinching was throwing him off and he couldn’t get a group in order to know how to adjust his sights.</p>
<p>I engaged him in conversation and learned that he had been goaded by his friends into keeping up with them competitively by going to Africa and killing a lion. He had booked a trip and paid $25,000 for the experience of shooting a lion, but his heart was no longer in it. He had made his deposit before he learned that the way lions are hunted today is devoid of valid bragging rights.</p>
<p>No one is on foot in the veldt with a double-barreled rifle taking the risk of missing or encountering a pride. Here is the way modern big game hunting works. First, he said, you go shoot a hippopotamus. The beast is cut up and the chunks are hung from trees or posts. The hunter ascends to a platform 20 feet off the ground and 50 or 60 yards from the hanging hypo meat and waits for the lion. When the lion rears up for the meat, the hunter fires.</p>
<p>While recounting the procedure, he looked sheepish and regretful. I have often wondered if he went through with the trip or gave up being an equal among his great white hunter associates.</p>
<p>Many hunters understand that predators are essential to healthy ecosystems and are as averse to slaughtering predators as members of Defenders of Wildlife, who are thrilled by the sight and presence of wild animals. These mindful hunters understand that inhumane wolf slaughter competitions threaten the public’s acceptance of hunting and guns as well as the health of deer and elk populations.</p>
<p>The U.S. Forest Service is, alas, showing poor judgment on a par with the organizers of predator derbies. This government agency is fast-tracking oil-drilling in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. The Shoshone is home to endangered grizzly bears, lynx, and wolf. But the Forest Service thinks that the profits of an oil driller are more important than the health of what might be the last complete natural ecosystem in the 48 states.</p>
<p>This raises the question whether government does protect the environment. The George W. Bush administration seems to have cleaned all environmentalists out of the Forest Service and the EPA, just as it banished civil libertarians and constitutionalists from the Department of Justice (sic) and its appointments list to federal judgeships. As far as I can tell, Obama has taken no corrective measures.</p>
<p>During the 1980s it was an article of faith among conservatives and Republicans, usually the same, that environmentalists ran the government and were destroying the economy. There is no sign of that now. Alaska is faced with a new round of oil drilling in pristine areas. The initial oil onslaught on Alaska was done in the name of “energy independence.”&#160; But it was a lie. The oil is “heavy oil,” unsuited for the American refineries. It is exported to Japan.</p>
<p>In Florida I have watched developers, aided and abetted by state and county governments and Florida’s Department of Environmental Policy, destroy the environment and a way of life. Now the beautiful beaches of the Florida panhandle with their clear water and white sands are threatened by Texas oil man M. Lance Phillips.</p>
<p>Mr. Phillips wants Florida panhandle residents to give up their tourist economy, their beautiful beaches and water, the values of their beachside homes, their beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico and its extraordinary sunsets in order that he can make profits by despoiling the views, the sunsets, the beaches, the water, and the value of residents’ properties by placing his platforms and oil rigs in the Florida Gulf. They will be just three miles offshore, he says, which is in plain view and just perfect for ruining everything.</p>
<p>Mr. Phillips has a stable of minions, and they are at work holding staged “debates” in which they promise a New Florida Economy, jobs, and no oil spills.</p>
<p>It is not clear who can stop him. Not the Republican governor or the Republican members of the legislature. These “representatives of the people” are already in his pocket.</p>
<p>The only hope is the seaside developments that the developers have built.&#160; Destin, Florida, would be destroyed if offshore Destin looked like offshore Texas or Louisiana.</p>
<p>In South Walton county, upscale Gulf front developments such as Seaside, site of the movie “The Truman Show,” and Rosemary Beach might have some clout with Florida’s government. Perhaps the best hope is St. Joe, the former paper company, which owns one million acres in the Florida panhandle including miles of beach front. Driven into the real estate business by environmentalists opposed to its paper mill at Port St. Joe, this company has been the 800 pound gorilla of panhandle politics.</p>
<p>It is ironic, isn’t it, that those who care about the beauty of where they live and the livelihood that this beauty provides are now dependent for its defense on the real estate developers who first assaulted the undisturbed beauty of the Florida panhandle.</p>
<p>PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.&#160; His latest book, HOW THE ECONOMY WAS LOST, has just been published by CounterPunch/AK Press. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com" type="external">PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com</a></p> | true | 4 | organization greatest threat second amendment antigun brady center prevent gun violence idahos progun sportsmen wildlife might seem like stupid question learn idaho organization recently held three predator derbies competitors vied see could slaughter wolves twoday period similar assaults wildlife occur western states alaska sportsmen gun wolves airplanes wanton slaughter wildlife fun killing creates hostility toward firearms among general public effort environmentalists made reintroduce wolves natural habitat wolf killing competitions cant go well millions americans trophy hunters kill polar bears highpowered rifles safe distances course also contribute antigun attitudes large percentage american population empathize thrill killing magnificent animal many americans aversion people get jollies murdering animals banning guns becomes way protect wildlife people love pets empathy animals none hunters need second amendment protection constitutional rights one right taken away marginalized regulation rights americans going difficult time holding second amendment armed population compatible police state president bush republicans created president obama democrats ratified danger second amendment great enough without waving wildlife slaughter publics face national rifle association wildlife slaughter groups need exercise judgment go way inflame feelings guns recently visiting friend happened chance see segment hunting experience television hunting channel sponsored believe nra man wife girlfriend beautiful 8point stag woman harvested deer jumped joy flung arms around man made even friend hardened gunnut cringe joy experienced killing beautiful animal according friend hunting supposed indulgence blood lust bringing home venison alternative factory farmings beef pork fowl pumped full antibiotics hormones one thing search magnificent animal fun killing another main reason hunt bragging rights couple years ago friend took gun club fire antique winchester rifle like ones cowboy movies youth club member trying sightin 375 hamph magnum big game rifle shoulder taking terrible punishment much flinching every time fired160 flinching throwing couldnt get group order know adjust sights engaged conversation learned goaded friends keeping competitively going africa killing lion booked trip paid 25000 experience shooting lion heart longer made deposit learned way lions hunted today devoid valid bragging rights one foot veldt doublebarreled rifle taking risk missing encountering pride way modern big game hunting works first said go shoot hippopotamus beast cut chunks hung trees posts hunter ascends platform 20 feet ground 50 60 yards hanging hypo meat waits lion lion rears meat hunter fires recounting procedure looked sheepish regretful often wondered went trip gave equal among great white hunter associates many hunters understand predators essential healthy ecosystems averse slaughtering predators members defenders wildlife thrilled sight presence wild animals mindful hunters understand inhumane wolf slaughter competitions threaten publics acceptance hunting guns well health deer elk populations us forest service alas showing poor judgment par organizers predator derbies government agency fasttracking oildrilling shoshone national forest wyoming shoshone home endangered grizzly bears lynx wolf forest service thinks profits oil driller important health might last complete natural ecosystem 48 states raises question whether government protect environment george w bush administration seems cleaned environmentalists forest service epa banished civil libertarians constitutionalists department justice sic appointments list federal judgeships far tell obama taken corrective measures 1980s article faith among conservatives republicans usually environmentalists ran government destroying economy sign alaska faced new round oil drilling pristine areas initial oil onslaught alaska done name energy independence160 lie oil heavy oil unsuited american refineries exported japan florida watched developers aided abetted state county governments floridas department environmental policy destroy environment way life beautiful beaches florida panhandle clear water white sands threatened texas oil man lance phillips mr phillips wants florida panhandle residents give tourist economy beautiful beaches water values beachside homes beautiful view gulf mexico extraordinary sunsets order make profits despoiling views sunsets beaches water value residents properties placing platforms oil rigs florida gulf three miles offshore says plain view perfect ruining everything mr phillips stable minions work holding staged debates promise new florida economy jobs oil spills clear stop republican governor republican members legislature representatives people already pocket hope seaside developments developers built160 destin florida would destroyed offshore destin looked like offshore texas louisiana south walton county upscale gulf front developments seaside site movie truman show rosemary beach might clout floridas government perhaps best hope st joe former paper company owns one million acres florida panhandle including miles beach front driven real estate business environmentalists opposed paper mill port st joe company 800 pound gorilla panhandle politics ironic isnt care beauty live livelihood beauty provides dependent defense real estate developers first assaulted undisturbed beauty florida panhandle paul craig roberts editor wall street journal assistant secretary us treasury160 latest book economy lost published counterpunchak press reached paulcraigrobertsyahoocom | 745 |
<p>Natural. 1)&#160; A native of a place or country. 2)&#160; One naturally deficient in intellect; a half-witted person. —OED</p>
<p>Here we go again with the supposedly “natural” disaster lament in which even we leftists like to indulge.&#160; Like there’s something natural about building living quarters for humans within spitting distance of the sea (not to mention in a seismically tumultuous area) or something natural about not teaching our children to run away from the sea when there’s an earthquake.</p>
<p>The Wisdom of Negra Modelo</p>
<p>We had a rash of pretty big quakes in Mexico one year, and we ran back with little Sebastian away from the beach, I’ll tell you.&#160; Bats, hell, out of, run like—that’s how it works when you’re on the beach and the ground starts acting like waves.&#160; Most people just sat around like they were experts on how there wouldn’t be a tsunami, looking at us like we were hysterical.&#160; We knew it was serious because all the Negra Modelo bottles were falling over.&#160; That’s practically the definition of serious.&#160; The surfers had the best of it.&#160; They were hooked up by radio to the shore.&#160; They couldn’t feel the quake but they were sure hoping for a big wave.&#160; They were crackling away on their headsets to each other with the pure joy of hefty hydraulics and maybe bigger to come.</p>
<p>Japanese wave: dance!&#160; Japanese coastal sprinter: how hai?</p>
<p>Remember the “natural” disaster nonsense with Katrina?&#160; Natural, Jesus. Like there was something natural in the first place about digging a hole ten feet below the Mississippi in a well-known hurricane area and building a city for black people down in the hole, then relying on the integrity of leaders to keep the Mississippi out of the hole.&#160; How’d that work out?&#160; How retarded would you have to be to think relying on a leader is a good thing?</p>
<p>I’m writing this in Mexico City, which from a seismic point of view is an unnatural act, so I should be careful what I say.&#160; And it’s also, full disclosure, not like I got down here on a burro, so take my righteous indignation as the compromised entity it is.&#160; It’s about a week after the Japanese terremoto, so I’m hearing that word on the street a lot. The buildings here are built out of lava rock, so it’s not like—that not-quite exculpatory negative again—not like we haven’t been forewarned.&#160; Visiting Mexico City is like the Everest climbers who have to step over the frozen preserved bodies of earlier climbers to get to the top.&#160; You know it’s dangerous, but it’s so beautiful.</p>
<p>So I Said To My Drowning Friend: Bob</p>
<p>Are you feeling reassured that the authorities have told us this Japan nuke thing is fine?&#160; When I was a kid, my dad and brother used to like to say that more people had been killed in Ted Kennedy’s front seat than in all the nuclear disasters in history.&#160; Oops.&#160; I’m Japanese on the asses of my John Bircher dad and brother these days, not mentioning their old claim so they can save face.&#160; Hai.</p>
<p>The first house we bought—Eva-Lynn and me—was an hour’s bike ride downwind of Three Mile Island.&#160; My old training ground for my canoe was a few miles downstream of Three Mile in a feisty patch of hydraulics on the Susquehanna.&#160; Well, radiation is natural, after all—it comes out of the earth, right?&#160; I’ve been hearing pro-nuke folks for a half century go on about how the earth emits “background radiation” and how everything is fine.&#160; You can always tell when you’re going to get The Speech when one of these guys with a BS degree emits the “background radiation” mantra.&#160; Apologies to my brother Clive if he sneaks in here and reads this.&#160; But he should know that my nose is more red than it was before we lived downwind of Three Mile.</p>
<p>Actually, I’m not so down on that Ted guy.&#160; I wrote to him about our (Clive’s and mine) friend’s drowned body—this is back in the day, you understand—and he called out the cavalry and got these newly invented duck boats out smashing the ice and they found poor Bob.&#160; What a name for a drowned guy.&#160; Bob.&#160; I’ve been condemned to gallows humor ever since.&#160; I’m not really responsible for Bob’s death—I just happened to be skating on a different pond nearby when he went down because of a last-minute change of plans.&#160; Okay, my last-minute change of plans.&#160; That Ted guy and me, we both had eastern Massachusetts drowning ghosts, weird stuff; strange connection.&#160; I try to remember that soft spot we share with the high and mighty when I get to ranking on leaders, as is my wont.&#160; Well, Ted is dead.&#160; Ted is dead—how’s that for a rhyme loitering a lifetime for its man?</p>
<p>So how’s about that nature?&#160; Nature.&#160; What a word.&#160; Soon as I hear someone say “natural,” my first thought is, “what are they hiding?”&#160; If I’ve learned one thing in life, or maybe it was in grad school or kindergarten, it’s that nature is camouflage.&#160; Is a Bush natural, or is it there to hide something?&#160; Bushes thrive on people who are dumb enough to believe, for example, that sticking the best jazz musicians in the country in a hole below a dike is natural.&#160; Natural disaster?&#160; Give me a break, said the dike.&#160; I’ll show you what’s natural, said the dike.</p>
<p>Nature in Cafe Tacuba</p>
<p>You want natural?&#160; Eat a bunch of lettuce on the street here in Mexico.&#160; A few hours later, follow the signs posted inside all the buildings: Ruta de Evacuacion.</p>
<p>You want natural?&#160; Follow your inclinations.&#160; It never works for me, but it might for you.&#160; For example, I went out to Cafe Tacuba with a woman tonight who was quite attractive.&#160; I didn’t flirt, except for one little dig towards the end of the evening.&#160; When she stretched and said, “oh, I’m sleepy, I can feel my bed calling to me,” I said, “me too.”&#160; Heh heh.&#160; If she noticed, she gave no sign.&#160; Find your calling, as the minister used to say.&#160; Of course, I’ve never found mine, so there’s no reason to listen to me.</p>
<p>Love in the time of call-her-a, eh?&#160; World’s going to hell, and we’re still trying to grab on, mate, love, work two jobs with only one real salary, notice other women, not notice them, the whole thing.&#160; Love in the time of disasters, like you’re writing a political essay and someone changes the topic apparently at random and you’re suddenly writing a personal essay.</p>
<p>What’s a disaster is the nature of disaster rhetoric.&#160; Natural’s the old noun meaning a simpleton or a mentally retarded person, it might be worth mentioning [actually, I just looked it up in the 1980’s OED back here at the ranch, so it was still in use when people had those big naturalistic Eighties hairdos.]&#160; Natural.&#160; Saw down all the trees in Haiti and call the result a “natural” disaster.&#160; Reap what you saw.&#160; Steal from the locals till they’re screwed, then send in “aid.”&#160; Fuck Africa fifty ways to Sunday, including attack-subsidies against the farmers, then sing a Live-Aid song for the people whose habitat we’ve destroyed with our “natural” survival-of-the-fittest “free” rigged markets.&#160; Give ’em a laptop as a consolation prize.&#160; Nach.</p>
<p>My Wife Married an Alien</p>
<p>Now we’ve got some of those natural clean-air clouds making their way across the Pacific from Japan to California, so we can all start enjoying what the Nuclear Energy Institute calls on their website <a href="http://www.nei.org/keyissues/protectingtheenvironment/cleanair/" type="external">“The Clean-Air Benefits of Nuclear Energy.”</a>&#160; I’m old enough to remember my parents’ ambivalent response to the phrase “made in Japan.” Japanese clean-air benefits.&#160; They should get a bunch of Japanese nukes downtown here in Mexico, hook them up to the exhaust pipes of the cars, and pump in some clean-air benefits.&#160; Hai, si.</p>
<p>Nuclear energy is natural.&#160; It’s essentially Stone Age technology.&#160; It uses dirty fuel to boil water, just like old times.&#160; But what a complicated, dangerous way to boil some water.&#160; At least in the first Stone Age they had figured out how to do the job without a lot of moving parts.&#160; People who like nuclear hot plates would probably admire the automobile, an invention requiring in excess of five thousand moving parts per unit and a worldwide subsidized web of military and bureaucratic exertions to get a few fat folks a half mile to the Winn Dixie.</p>
<p>Natural is people not even noticing how stupid automobiles in cities are.&#160; They’ve always been there, apparently, so they get naturalized, camouflaged.&#160; Or natural is: a nation-state.&#160; “Where are you from?” becomes through the camo of nature the question “what is your political fealty?”&#160; My dad, in that America place, got naturalized—that’s precisely the word the bastards use to describe what happens to certain immigrants—and now they don’t see him at the American border.&#160; But I never got naturalized.&#160; I was born an alien and stayed one.&#160; My wife, if she is my wife, married an alien.&#160; An unnatural act.&#160; The homeland securicorps home in on me at borders like a T-rex on a moving human in Jurassic Park.</p>
<p>I Heart the Planet in Contrail Font</p>
<p>Now I’m reading El Pais on the plane on the way back from Mexico.&#160; I never read newspapers in my own language; I need something to buffer me from the form as much as the content.&#160; I guess ironic detachment and a couple of aspirin can get most people through a bout of the New York Times, but I’m too sensitive for that.&#160; I should probably start reading newspapers in Japanese, tracing the characters with my middle finger.&#160; Right now I’m scanning El Pais and blowing smoke with my name on it out the ass of our Boeing onto my brother Clive down in Brownsville and then onto the good folks of the Mississippi delta down there—I can see the whole thing from here.&#160; Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke, type of thing.&#160; Environmentalist going by—look out.&#160; Sky writing with my signature all over it.&#160; I Heart the Planet, in contrail font.&#160; Duck and cover, suckers.</p>
<p>When I think about this flight, it’s not just my nose, but my cheeks that get red.&#160; I can see with my own eyes the riverway to Mexico—so what am I doing in a plane?&#160; What a pretty pickle this is, I think, an environmentalist with a strong paddle arm sitting in an airplane, like some sick joke about human flight gone awry.&#160; The short answer, that I appease certain familial and social gods in my personal life by offering up my casual relation to human flight and capitalist temporality on the altar of Continental [™] sacrifice, smoke rising heavenward, is pretty good, considering.&#160; But it still leaves a small-to-mid-size remainder of pure guilt.&#160; I’m a smoker who hasn’t quite kicked the habit.</p>
<p>Let that be entered in the record. It all has to go into the archive, the full confession, because I write these pieces in CounterPunch for people fifty years from now who might be checking the archive, wondering what kind of stupid polluting numnuts lived back in 2011.&#160; Is it really true that back in 2011 even environmentalists flew smokers?&#160; That environmentalists would hop a smoker to get to a conference on…environmentalism, for example?</p>
<p>I should also say in my own defense that as someone who has been trained in cultural sensitivity at some of the best universities, my mandate as an intellectual and as a writer is to go to other cultures, meet interesting people, and make fun of them.&#160; I’ve been involved in some fieldwork on the aesthetics of Aztec women, who are generally so beautiful as to be impervious to my jokes.&#160; On Monday night Telma at a pulcheria on Insurgentes let me hold her suave hand for two hours and pump eye rays into her ojos while I explained—not that she didn’t know—the intricacies of the paradox of Mexica/Aztec devotion to canoes, sun, and organic chinampas gardening, on the one hand, and the Aztecs’ awkward respect for hierarchies on the other, till she found an uglier, younger man who knew how to dance, and left me bereft of jokes, if not bereft, period.&#160; I’m just another older guy with a lot of history.&#160; Those who don’t know they’re history are condemned to repeating platitudes about it.&#160; God I’m funny.&#160; At least, I’m pretty sure I’m funny in Japanese.&#160; I remember people laughing at me in Tokyo, anyway.</p>
<p>Let us press on.&#160; The facts of the case are these: we’re smoking up the sky for the good folks of New Orleans, a little insult to their injury, and this El Pais I’m reading is telling us we were silly to get all worked up about that Japan thing.&#160; So those of you dusting through the archive fifty years from now, what do you think?</p>
<p>The Nuclear Epistemology of Homer Simpson</p>
<p>For all I know, by the time this gets into print on Friday, attention will have moved on to Africa or somewhere, like fuck Africa is news.&#160; I’m the last person to ask about the news. You can’t really get out of earshot of the state television station, CNN, in any airport, but I have my ways.&#160; In O’Hare the station threatens to further foul the acoustical space by bringing a speech from the “leader,” some brutal ‘black’ guy I get mixed up with the dictator of Libya or one of those places.&#160; I roll up little toilet paper balls, wet them, and stuff them in my ears as I walk around.&#160; Good system—you can still hear the women’s high heels without having to listen to the fat ’crats duck-and-cover their asses.</p>
<p>Unless it actually leads to an outright massive explosion, nuclear stuff is natural, which is to say camo’d, for the average person.&#160; This is the essential nuclear principle.&#160; We’re not walking around with Geiger counters, and who knows what type of radiation would count anyway.&#160; With a Hummer, by contrast, you can run it into the garage, close the garage door, and feel how sick you get in three minutes or less.&#160; Unless you run your own garage test, you’ll have to take the experts’ word for it on how “internal” the combustion engine is, and about how harmless all that background asphyxiation is from all the other vehicles.&#160; I’ve done so many garage tests with my dad’s 1980 Chevy Caprice Classic V8 I can skip the test now and get sick just by looking at big cars.</p>
<p>As my longtime readers know, we do our own street testing here in the ungoogleable parts of nowtopia.&#160; We’re not waiting on experts.</p>
<p>Short of an actual full-scale explosion, nuclear spectacle is best thought of as a set of epistemological (knowledge) and hermeneutical (interpretation) events with real world outcomes.&#160; How do we know what we know?&#160; Who gets to decide what it means?&#160; Consumers of spectacle tend to think of themselves as tough hombres with a critical, skeptical worldview.&#160; Their inflated sense of their own powers of discernment is why advertising works so well and why leaders elected by such people tend to be vicious or incompetent or both—a trend likely to continue indefinitely (even most of my ‘intellectual’ friends voted for that ‘black’ brute).&#160; It’s also why Americans are considered by so many people in the world to be a bunch of fat morons, though to be fair Americans are often also severely disliked.</p>
<p>If you’re a nuclear expert and you want to have your fifteen minutes of fame, it’s easy to reassure people that there’s no threat because non-explosive atomic byproducts take time to maim and kill.&#160; The spectacle of nuclear disarray is thus very similar to religious ritual and belief, inasmuch as the consumer of spectacle cannot touch or see the entity about which claims are made.&#160; So from the point of view of an expert making claims, well,&#160; fantasy’s free and you might as well tell a big whopper as a small one.&#160; The face you save might be your own.</p>
<p>Epistemological rigor would suggest that experts should not be allowed to make claims without establishing counterfactuals.&#160; What would count as being wrong? How would we know if you were wrong?&#160; In the absence of such clearly established parameters—my readers will let me know if CNN ever suddenly goes rigorous—the jawflap of experts is of less hermeneutical consequence than the smoke signals of a dying reactor.</p>
<p>I learned to nightsail in the harbor in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and we never paid attention to the nuclear power station there, though it glimmered in the starlight.&#160; It was just part of the background.&#160; It was natural.</p>
<p>Nature’s what you don’t see, said the Thomson’s gazelle as it ceded its life to the cheetah.&#160; It’s a jungle out there.</p>
<p>DAVID Ker THOMSON is an occidental historiographer (Princeton, ’97).&#160;&#160; dave dot thomson at utoronto dot ca</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | natural 1160 native place country 2160 one naturally deficient intellect halfwitted person oed go supposedly natural disaster lament even leftists like indulge160 like theres something natural building living quarters humans within spitting distance sea mention seismically tumultuous area something natural teaching children run away sea theres earthquake wisdom negra modelo rash pretty big quakes mexico one year ran back little sebastian away beach ill tell you160 bats hell run likethats works youre beach ground starts acting like waves160 people sat around like experts wouldnt tsunami looking us like hysterical160 knew serious negra modelo bottles falling over160 thats practically definition serious160 surfers best it160 hooked radio shore160 couldnt feel quake sure hoping big wave160 crackling away headsets pure joy hefty hydraulics maybe bigger come japanese wave dance160 japanese coastal sprinter hai remember natural disaster nonsense katrina160 natural jesus like something natural first place digging hole ten feet mississippi wellknown hurricane area building city black people hole relying integrity leaders keep mississippi hole160 howd work out160 retarded would think relying leader good thing im writing mexico city seismic point view unnatural act careful say160 also full disclosure like got burro take righteous indignation compromised entity is160 week japanese terremoto im hearing word street lot buildings built lava rock likethat notquite exculpatory negative againnot like havent forewarned160 visiting mexico city like everest climbers step frozen preserved bodies earlier climbers get top160 know dangerous beautiful said drowning friend bob feeling reassured authorities told us japan nuke thing fine160 kid dad brother used like say people killed ted kennedys front seat nuclear disasters history160 oops160 im japanese asses john bircher dad brother days mentioning old claim save face160 hai first house boughtevalynn mewas hours bike ride downwind three mile island160 old training ground canoe miles downstream three mile feisty patch hydraulics susquehanna160 well radiation natural allit comes earth right160 ive hearing pronuke folks half century go earth emits background radiation everything fine160 always tell youre going get speech one guys bs degree emits background radiation mantra160 apologies brother clive sneaks reads this160 know nose red lived downwind three mile actually im ted guy160 wrote clives mine friends drowned bodythis back day understandand called cavalry got newly invented duck boats smashing ice found poor bob160 name drowned guy160 bob160 ive condemned gallows humor ever since160 im really responsible bobs deathi happened skating different pond nearby went lastminute change plans160 okay lastminute change plans160 ted guy eastern massachusetts drowning ghosts weird stuff strange connection160 try remember soft spot share high mighty get ranking leaders wont160 well ted dead160 ted deadhows rhyme loitering lifetime man hows nature160 nature160 word160 soon hear someone say natural first thought hiding160 ive learned one thing life maybe grad school kindergarten nature camouflage160 bush natural hide something160 bushes thrive people dumb enough believe example sticking best jazz musicians country hole dike natural160 natural disaster160 give break said dike160 ill show whats natural said dike nature cafe tacuba want natural160 eat bunch lettuce street mexico160 hours later follow signs posted inside buildings ruta de evacuacion want natural160 follow inclinations160 never works might you160 example went cafe tacuba woman tonight quite attractive160 didnt flirt except one little dig towards end evening160 stretched said oh im sleepy feel bed calling said too160 heh heh160 noticed gave sign160 find calling minister used say160 course ive never found mine theres reason listen love time callhera eh160 worlds going hell still trying grab mate love work two jobs one real salary notice women notice whole thing160 love time disasters like youre writing political essay someone changes topic apparently random youre suddenly writing personal essay whats disaster nature disaster rhetoric160 naturals old noun meaning simpleton mentally retarded person might worth mentioning actually looked 1980s oed back ranch still use people big naturalistic eighties hairdos160 natural160 saw trees haiti call result natural disaster160 reap saw160 steal locals till theyre screwed send aid160 fuck africa fifty ways sunday including attacksubsidies farmers sing liveaid song people whose habitat weve destroyed natural survivalofthefittest free rigged markets160 give em laptop consolation prize160 nach wife married alien weve got natural cleanair clouds making way across pacific japan california start enjoying nuclear energy institute calls website cleanair benefits nuclear energy160 im old enough remember parents ambivalent response phrase made japan japanese cleanair benefits160 get bunch japanese nukes downtown mexico hook exhaust pipes cars pump cleanair benefits160 hai si nuclear energy natural160 essentially stone age technology160 uses dirty fuel boil water like old times160 complicated dangerous way boil water160 least first stone age figured job without lot moving parts160 people like nuclear hot plates would probably admire automobile invention requiring excess five thousand moving parts per unit worldwide subsidized web military bureaucratic exertions get fat folks half mile winn dixie natural people even noticing stupid automobiles cities are160 theyve always apparently get naturalized camouflaged160 natural nationstate160 becomes camo nature question political fealty160 dad america place got naturalizedthats precisely word bastards use describe happens certain immigrantsand dont see american border160 never got naturalized160 born alien stayed one160 wife wife married alien160 unnatural act160 homeland securicorps home borders like trex moving human jurassic park heart planet contrail font im reading el pais plane way back mexico160 never read newspapers language need something buffer form much content160 guess ironic detachment couple aspirin get people bout new york times im sensitive that160 probably start reading newspapers japanese tracing characters middle finger160 right im scanning el pais blowing smoke name ass boeing onto brother clive brownsville onto good folks mississippi delta therei see whole thing here160 fuck em cant take joke type thing160 environmentalist going bylook out160 sky writing signature it160 heart planet contrail font160 duck cover suckers think flight nose cheeks get red160 see eyes riverway mexicoso plane160 pretty pickle think environmentalist strong paddle arm sitting airplane like sick joke human flight gone awry160 short answer appease certain familial social gods personal life offering casual relation human flight capitalist temporality altar continental sacrifice smoke rising heavenward pretty good considering160 still leaves smalltomidsize remainder pure guilt160 im smoker hasnt quite kicked habit let entered record go archive full confession write pieces counterpunch people fifty years might checking archive wondering kind stupid polluting numnuts lived back 2011160 really true back 2011 even environmentalists flew smokers160 environmentalists would hop smoker get conference onenvironmentalism example also say defense someone trained cultural sensitivity best universities mandate intellectual writer go cultures meet interesting people make fun them160 ive involved fieldwork aesthetics aztec women generally beautiful impervious jokes160 monday night telma pulcheria insurgentes let hold suave hand two hours pump eye rays ojos explainednot didnt knowthe intricacies paradox mexicaaztec devotion canoes sun organic chinampas gardening one hand aztecs awkward respect hierarchies till found uglier younger man knew dance left bereft jokes bereft period160 im another older guy lot history160 dont know theyre history condemned repeating platitudes it160 god im funny160 least im pretty sure im funny japanese160 remember people laughing tokyo anyway let us press on160 facts case smoking sky good folks new orleans little insult injury el pais im reading telling us silly get worked japan thing160 dusting archive fifty years think nuclear epistemology homer simpson know time gets print friday attention moved africa somewhere like fuck africa news160 im last person ask news cant really get earshot state television station cnn airport ways160 ohare station threatens foul acoustical space bringing speech leader brutal black guy get mixed dictator libya one places160 roll little toilet paper balls wet stuff ears walk around160 good systemyou still hear womens high heels without listen fat crats duckandcover asses unless actually leads outright massive explosion nuclear stuff natural say camod average person160 essential nuclear principle160 walking around geiger counters knows type radiation would count anyway160 hummer contrast run garage close garage door feel sick get three minutes less160 unless run garage test youll take experts word internal combustion engine harmless background asphyxiation vehicles160 ive done many garage tests dads 1980 chevy caprice classic v8 skip test get sick looking big cars longtime readers know street testing ungoogleable parts nowtopia160 waiting experts short actual fullscale explosion nuclear spectacle best thought set epistemological knowledge hermeneutical interpretation events real world outcomes160 know know160 gets decide means160 consumers spectacle tend think tough hombres critical skeptical worldview160 inflated sense powers discernment advertising works well leaders elected people tend vicious incompetent botha trend likely continue indefinitely even intellectual friends voted black brute160 also americans considered many people world bunch fat morons though fair americans often also severely disliked youre nuclear expert want fifteen minutes fame easy reassure people theres threat nonexplosive atomic byproducts take time maim kill160 spectacle nuclear disarray thus similar religious ritual belief inasmuch consumer spectacle touch see entity claims made160 point view expert making claims well160 fantasys free might well tell big whopper small one160 face save might epistemological rigor would suggest experts allowed make claims without establishing counterfactuals160 would count wrong would know wrong160 absence clearly established parametersmy readers let know cnn ever suddenly goes rigorousthe jawflap experts less hermeneutical consequence smoke signals dying reactor learned nightsail harbor duxbury massachusetts never paid attention nuclear power station though glimmered starlight160 part background160 natural natures dont see said thomsons gazelle ceded life cheetah160 jungle david ker thomson occidental historiographer princeton 97160160 dave dot thomson utoronto dot ca 160 160 | 1,533 |
<p>The real task of the NSTL (National Socialist Teacher’s League)is to create the new German educator in the spirit of National Socialism. It is being carried out with the same methods with which the movement has conquered the whole nation: indoctrination and propaganda.</p>
<p>Statement of the German National Socialist Teacher’s League, 1933</p>
<p>This past week, I had the delightful opportunity of being interviewed for a soon-to-be-released documentary, “Beyond Five Senses”, which focuses on social justice, world events, and the simultaneous, hopeful evolution of human consciousness. The interview took place on the college campus where I teach U.S. history. As the crew set up cameras near a vintage classroom building, I noticed a large display of graffiti on the corner of the building which read: “Rethink patriotism.” I smiled, not only because it reminded me of my college years in the sixties, but because this particular campus is not known for its activism. The interviewer pitched me a number of astute questions like: Why do I think the people of the United States are in such denial about their country’s demise, how do I see history currently repeating itself, how do my students respond to what I teach them about U.S. history? The camera rolled, for one hour, during which time I was told to “just talk.”</p>
<p>On this cold, gray, winter day, I bundled my heavy coat around me and warmed myself with the stream of consciousness that seemed to flow effortlessly from my heart and mind as I watched students pass by and heard the faint chimes of the clock tower behind me. At the beginning of the interview, the cameraman filmed the graffiti on the bulding wall, and at the conclusion of the interview filmed the arrival of the campus maintenance crew and their application of fresh paint over the graffiti which removed all traces of it. Perhaps it had encouraged someone, somewhere to rethink patriotism. Certainly, we all did during the interview.</p>
<p>Little did I realize, however, that on that same day, another college professor in another state who had been teaching another subject was not being told to “just talk” but rather to shut up and leave his teaching position. That professor is Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado whose comments have been taken out of context and grossly distorted and who has now become a poster boy for “terrorist professors” by the neo-con, neo-fascist thought police of the cult which journalist Seymour Hersh recently declared has taken over America.</p>
<p>However, I did not need the Ward Churchill affair nor Seymour Hersh’s assessment to deduce that higher education in the United States is dying a slow and tragic death. I relive that death every day in my classes as I witness students who are unable to define the word democracy, who tell me that “we did what we had to do in Iraq”, and who have little idea that when they leave college, they will discover that the job they now believe will help them repay the $30,000 student loan that allows them to attend college, will have been outsourced to a third-world country. As my classes have more students enrolled in them every semester as a result of hoardes of unemployed people attending or returning to college, I wonder how long it will take for unprecedented enrollment numbers to dry up as graduates realize that no professional jobs exist and as the middle class of America is destroyed. Young people will increasingly discover that there is little purpose in going to college. After all, who needs a degree to work at Walmart or Target?</p>
<p>Out of the corporation-dominated high school comes the graduate who received virtually no education but rather, learned how to pass an exit test created, printed, and administered by McGraw-Hill, or some other publishing collosus with close ties to the Bush Administration. Typically, this student despises reading because he or she never had to do much of it in school, questions virtually nothing because critical thinking and questioning were discouraged in high school, and who has little curiosity and often little interest in college except the acquiring of a piece of paper”the panacea parent-pleaser and magical employment magnet that will guarantee “infinite happiness.”</p>
<p>Increasingly, these young people will lack the funds for a college education, hence the “poverty draft” in which going to war will be the only way they can participate in higher education. When, not if, the general military draft is reinstated and these young people (men and women) hold draft cards in their hands, the horrors from which their corporation-dominated non-education shielded them will shatter their worlds.</p>
<p>Some of us who “profess” to have something to teach in higher education would like to make the demolition of these young psyches and bodies a little less traumatic by telling the truth about their world right now and teaching them how to think, question, problem-solve, and prepare for the increasingly hellish existence that their elders have allowed to evolve.</p>
<p>However, when we do so, we are called “terrorists”, “subversives”, “unpatriotic”, and “criminal.” The degree to which this development parallels the educational scenario of Germany in the 1930s cannot be overstated. Obviously, the Nazi approach was conformity or termination. Teachers who did not conform were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps, and Jewish professors were deported. Eventually, the Nazi Party dominated the teaching profession by dictating who entered it and who got promoted. By the 1940s, the Nazis had a completely compliant cadre of teachers and professors.</p>
<p>The National Socialist Teachers, League was a professional organization for teachers to ideologically train them and make certain that their teaching conformed with National Socialist doctrine. Without membership in the NSTL, it was virtually impossible to be employed as a teacher. Ayran ancestry had to be proven, and teachers were forced to report the loyalty or disloyalty of their colleagues to the Nazi Party. Reports were then used for appointments, new positions, and promotions.</p>
<p>In 1995, Lynne Cheney and so-called liberal, Senator Joseph Lieberman founded the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. According to Roberto Gonzalez of the San Jose Mercury News, the Council’s report “Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America,” appears to protect academic freedom but actually resembles a blacklist. “In a chilling use of doublespeak,” says Gonzalez, “it affirms the right of professors to speak out, yet condemns those who have attempted to give context to Sept. 11, encourage critical thinking, or share knowledge about other cultures. Faculty are accused of being short on patriotism, for attempting to give students the analytical tools they need to become informed citizens.”</p>
<p>“Many of those blacklisted are top scholars in their fields, and it appears that the report represents a kind of academic terrorism designed to strike fear into other academics by making examples of respected professors.”</p>
<p>“The report might also function to extend control over sites of democratic debate — our universities — where freedom of expression is not only permitted but encouraged.”</p>
<p>Only a few hours after my interview, I entered a class where we have been working on a critical thinking project on September 11, 2001. For several weeks, students have been researching both mainstream and alternative press reports of the event and the issues surrounding it. For that particular class session, I showed an excellent documentary “Hijacking Catastrophe” which carefully explains and substantiates the evidence for the Bush Administration’s political exploitation of the 9-11 event as a pretext for the Iraq War. During that hour, my students saw and heard information to which they had never been exposed in mainstream media.</p>
<p>As I approached the class for discussion after the viewing of the documentary, I noticed faces in the audience that were pale and seemingly in shock. As I invited questions, I found the students to be almost speechless. They were unable to comprehend how it was that they had never seen or heard this information in print or electronic media. It was as if the truth came flooding in faster than they could process it, and I momentarily reflected on the question asked me in the interview a few hours earlier: “Why do you think the people of the United States are in denial?” One student became visibly enraged and began pounding on his desk and cursing and almost shouting: “I want to know why we aren’t allowed to see this kind of information in mainstream news. I feel betrayed, used. I feel like my government is more dangerous than the terrorists.” Other students began sharing painful stories of friends who had died in the Iraq War or those who had come back from it psychologically decimated. Still other students expressed anger and frustration that their high schools had never taught them critical thinking skills but only required them to pass competency tests in order to graduate.</p>
<p>Each time I have this kind of discussion with students, I remind them of something else they have never been taught”what our founding fathers believed about government. Almost without exception, they have never heard that Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and the majority of the founding fathers passionately distrusted government, believing that it is a necessary evil”that government is necessary for the protection and well being of citizens, but that inevitably, it will betray them. For this reason, the fathers insisted, citizens must be educated, informed, and highly vigilant. Therefore, mistrust of government is not unpatriotic, but rather, the essence of what our founding fathers believed as they constructed our Constitution, and that very mistrust dictated the kind of Constitution they created.</p>
<p>Referring to her book America: A Patriotic Primer, <a href="" type="internal">Lynne Cheney states</a>: “It seems to me that the most important thing to do now is to look at the neglected area of American history teaching.” I couldn’t agree more, but then she adds, “When you know the story of this country, that makes it pretty clear what it is we’re standing for.”</p>
<p>Apparently, she has never read what our founding fathers actually said about government:</p>
<p>“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.””John Adams</p>
<p>“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force.” — George Washington</p>
<p>“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.”– Thomas Jefferson</p>
<p>“It is to secure our rights that we resort to government at all. ” — Thomas Jefferson</p>
<p>Inherent in the founding of our nation was an implicit distrust of government and the guiding principle that government should serve human beings, instead of human beings serving government. Higher education in the United States has provided an arena for the free discussion and interchange of ideas. As I frequently remind my students, college is not church. In church, we recite creeds and confess ideologies; in college we explore and discuss diverse ideas.</p>
<p>What makes higher education “higher” is that it is a venue for considering all ideas, no matter how bizarre, how ridiculous, or how blasphemous. If one wishes to guarantee uniformity and conformity in higher education, then it is no longer “higher”, and the First Amendment of the Constitution is dead.</p>
<p>The intellectual skills of questioning, critical thinking, problem-solving, and imagination are inimical to the ideology of the neo-fascist, Christian fundamentalist cultists who now dominate the current administration and American culture. I submit that they would not espouse such ideology if they permitted themselves to think critically. Whether one is a follower of Jim Jones, David Koresh, or Lynne Cheney, one cannot and will not think critically when enslaved by ideology.</p>
<p>The neo-conservative, neo-fascist standard for higher education is a mirror-image of German education in the 1930s. It is indeed time to “rethink patriotism.” It is indeed time to hear what Ward Churchill actually said. If one cannot do so, then one can neither call oneself “American” nor “educated.”</p>
<p>CAROLYN BAKER teaches at New Mexico State University. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:drumbaker@zianet.com" type="external">drumbaker@zianet.com</a></p> | true | 4 | real task nstl national socialist teachers leagueis create new german educator spirit national socialism carried methods movement conquered whole nation indoctrination propaganda statement german national socialist teachers league 1933 past week delightful opportunity interviewed soontobereleased documentary beyond five senses focuses social justice world events simultaneous hopeful evolution human consciousness interview took place college campus teach us history crew set cameras near vintage classroom building noticed large display graffiti corner building read rethink patriotism smiled reminded college years sixties particular campus known activism interviewer pitched number astute questions like think people united states denial countrys demise see history currently repeating students respond teach us history camera rolled one hour time told talk cold gray winter day bundled heavy coat around warmed stream consciousness seemed flow effortlessly heart mind watched students pass heard faint chimes clock tower behind beginning interview cameraman filmed graffiti bulding wall conclusion interview filmed arrival campus maintenance crew application fresh paint graffiti removed traces perhaps encouraged someone somewhere rethink patriotism certainly interview little realize however day another college professor another state teaching another subject told talk rather shut leave teaching position professor ward churchill university colorado whose comments taken context grossly distorted become poster boy terrorist professors neocon neofascist thought police cult journalist seymour hersh recently declared taken america however need ward churchill affair seymour hershs assessment deduce higher education united states dying slow tragic death relive death every day classes witness students unable define word democracy tell iraq little idea leave college discover job believe help repay 30000 student loan allows attend college outsourced thirdworld country classes students enrolled every semester result hoardes unemployed people attending returning college wonder long take unprecedented enrollment numbers dry graduates realize professional jobs exist middle class america destroyed young people increasingly discover little purpose going college needs degree work walmart target corporationdominated high school comes graduate received virtually education rather learned pass exit test created printed administered mcgrawhill publishing collosus close ties bush administration typically student despises reading never much school questions virtually nothing critical thinking questioning discouraged high school little curiosity often little interest college except acquiring piece paperthe panacea parentpleaser magical employment magnet guarantee infinite happiness increasingly young people lack funds college education hence poverty draft going war way participate higher education general military draft reinstated young people men women hold draft cards hands horrors corporationdominated noneducation shielded shatter worlds us profess something teach higher education would like make demolition young psyches bodies little less traumatic telling truth world right teaching think question problemsolve prepare increasingly hellish existence elders allowed evolve however called terrorists subversives unpatriotic criminal degree development parallels educational scenario germany 1930s overstated obviously nazi approach conformity termination teachers conform arrested incarcerated concentration camps jewish professors deported eventually nazi party dominated teaching profession dictating entered got promoted 1940s nazis completely compliant cadre teachers professors national socialist teachers league professional organization teachers ideologically train make certain teaching conformed national socialist doctrine without membership nstl virtually impossible employed teacher ayran ancestry proven teachers forced report loyalty disloyalty colleagues nazi party reports used appointments new positions promotions 1995 lynne cheney socalled liberal senator joseph lieberman founded american council trustees alumni according roberto gonzalez san jose mercury news councils report defending civilization universities failing america appears protect academic freedom actually resembles blacklist chilling use doublespeak says gonzalez affirms right professors speak yet condemns attempted give context sept 11 encourage critical thinking share knowledge cultures faculty accused short patriotism attempting give students analytical tools need become informed citizens many blacklisted top scholars fields appears report represents kind academic terrorism designed strike fear academics making examples respected professors report might also function extend control sites democratic debate universities freedom expression permitted encouraged hours interview entered class working critical thinking project september 11 2001 several weeks students researching mainstream alternative press reports event issues surrounding particular class session showed excellent documentary hijacking catastrophe carefully explains substantiates evidence bush administrations political exploitation 911 event pretext iraq war hour students saw heard information never exposed mainstream media approached class discussion viewing documentary noticed faces audience pale seemingly shock invited questions found students almost speechless unable comprehend never seen heard information print electronic media truth came flooding faster could process momentarily reflected question asked interview hours earlier think people united states denial one student became visibly enraged began pounding desk cursing almost shouting want know arent allowed see kind information mainstream news feel betrayed used feel like government dangerous terrorists students began sharing painful stories friends died iraq war come back psychologically decimated still students expressed anger frustration high schools never taught critical thinking skills required pass competency tests order graduate time kind discussion students remind something else never taughtwhat founding fathers believed government almost without exception never heard jefferson madison adams majority founding fathers passionately distrusted government believing necessary evilthat government necessary protection well citizens inevitably betray reason fathers insisted citizens must educated informed highly vigilant therefore mistrust government unpatriotic rather essence founding fathers believed constructed constitution mistrust dictated kind constitution created referring book america patriotic primer lynne cheney states seems important thing look neglected area american history teaching couldnt agree adds know story country makes pretty clear standing apparently never read founding fathers actually said government danger men maxim free government ought trust man living power endanger public libertyjohn adams government reason eloquence force george washington two enemies people criminals government let us tie second chains constitution second become legalized version first thomas jefferson secure rights resort government thomas jefferson inherent founding nation implicit distrust government guiding principle government serve human beings instead human beings serving government higher education united states provided arena free discussion interchange ideas frequently remind students college church church recite creeds confess ideologies college explore discuss diverse ideas makes higher education higher venue considering ideas matter bizarre ridiculous blasphemous one wishes guarantee uniformity conformity higher education longer higher first amendment constitution dead intellectual skills questioning critical thinking problemsolving imagination inimical ideology neofascist christian fundamentalist cultists dominate current administration american culture submit would espouse ideology permitted think critically whether one follower jim jones david koresh lynne cheney one think critically enslaved ideology neoconservative neofascist standard higher education mirrorimage german education 1930s indeed time rethink patriotism indeed time hear ward churchill actually said one one neither call oneself american educated carolyn baker teaches new mexico state university reached drumbakerzianetcom | 1,046 |
<p>This essay serves as the introduction to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/8881586339/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Bomb After Bomb: a Violent Cartography</a>, a collection of drawings illustrating the history of bombing by elin o’Hara slavick. o’Hara slavick is a professor of art at the University of North Carolina. More of her visionary work can be viewed on <a href="http://www.unc.edu/~eoslavic" type="external">her website</a>. AC / JSC</p>
<p>Perhaps it is fitting that elin o’Hara slavick’s extraordinary evocation of bombings by the United States government be preceded by some words from a bombardier who flew bombing missions for the U.S. Air Corps in the second World War. At least one of her drawings is based on a bombing I participated in near the very end of the war–the destruction of the French seaside resort of Royan, on the Atlantic coast.</p>
<p>As I look at her drawings, I become painfully aware of how ignorant I was, when I dropped those bombs on France and on cities in Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, of the effects of those bombings on human beings. Not because she shows us bloody corpses, amputated limbs, skin shredded by napalm. She does not do that. But her drawings, in ways that I cannot comprehend, compel me to envision such scenes.</p>
<p>I am stunned by the thought that we, the “civilized” nations, have bombed cities and countrysides and islands for a hundred years. Yet, here in the United States, which is responsible for most of that, the public, as was true of me, does not understand–I mean really understand–what bombs do to people. That failure of imagination, I believe, iscritical to explaining why we still have wars, why we accept bombing as a common accompaniment to our foreign policies, without horror or disgust.</p>
<p>We in this country, unlike people in Europe or Japan or Africa or the Middle East, or the Caribbean, have not had the experience of being bombed. That is why, when the Twin Towers in New York exploded on September 11, there was such shock and disbelief. This turned quickly, under the impact of government propaganda, into a callous approval of bombing Afghanistan, and a failure to see that the corpses of Afghans were the counterparts of those in Manhattan.</p>
<p>We might think that at least those individuals in the U.S. Air Force who dropped bombs on civilian populations were aware of what terror they were inflicting, but as one of those I can testify that this is not so. Bombing from five miles high, I and my fellow crew members could not see what was happening on the ground. We could not hear screams or see blood, could not see torn bodies, crushed limbs. Is it any wonder we see fliers going out on mission after mission, apparently unmoved by thoughts of what they have wrought.</p>
<p>It was not until after the war, when I read John Hersey’s interviews with Japanese survivors of Hiroshima, who described what they had endured, that I became aware, in excruciating detail, of what my bombs had done. I then looked further. I learned of the firebombing of Tokyo in March of 1945, in which perhaps a hundred thousand people died. I learned about the bombing of Dresden, and the creation of a firestorm which cost the lives of 80,000 to 100,000 residents of that city. I learned of the bombing of Hamburg and Frankfurt and other cities in Europe.</p>
<p>We know now that perhaps 600,000 civilians–men, women, and children-died in the bombings of Europe. And an equal number died in the bombings of Japan. What could possibly justify such carnage? Winning the war against Fascism? Yes, we “won”. But what did we win? Was it a new world? Had we done away with Fascism in the world, with racism, with militarism, with hunger and disease? Despite the noble words of the United Nations charter about ending “the scourge of war” – had we done away with war?</p>
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<p>Amchitka Island, Alaska, USA 1965 – 1971 elin o’Hara slavick</p>
<p>As horrifying as the loss of life was, the acceptance of justifications for the killing of innocent people continued after World War II. The United States bombed Korea, with at least a million civilian deaths, and then Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, with another million or two million lives taken. “Communism” was the justification. But what did those millions of victims know of “communism” or “capitalism” or any of the abstractions which cover up mass murder?</p>
<p>We have had enough experience, with the Nuremberg trials of the Nazi leaders, with the bombings carried out by the Allies, with the torture stories coming out of Iraq, to know that ordinary people with ordinary consciences will allow their instincts for decency to be overcome by the compulsion to obey authority. It is time therefore, to educate the coming generation in disobedience to authority, to help them understand that institutions like governments and corporations are cold to anything but self-interest, that the interests of powerful entities run counter to the interests of most people.</p>
<p>This clash of interest between governments and citizens is camouflaged by phrases that pretend that everyone in the nation has a common interest, and so wars are waged and bombs dropped for “national security”, “national defense”, “and national interest”.</p>
<p>Patriotism is defined as obedience to government, obscuring the difference between the government and the people. Thus, soldiers are led to believe that “we are fighting for our country” when in fact they are fighting for the government – an artificial entity different from the people of the country – and indeed are following policies dangerous to its own people.</p>
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<p>Lebanon 1983 – 1984 and 2006 elin o’Hara slavick</p>
<p>My own reflections on my experiences as a bombardier, and my research on the wars of the United States have led me to certain conclusions about war and the dropping of bombs that accompany modern warfare.</p>
<p>One: The means of waging war (demolition bombs, cluster bombs, white phosphorus, nuclear weapons, napalm) have become so horrendous in their effects on human beings that no political end– however laudable, the existence of no enemy — however vicious, can justify war.</p>
<p>Two: The horrors of the means are certain, the achievement of the ends always uncertain.</p>
<p>Three: When you bomb a country ruled by a tyrant, you kill the victims of the tyrant.</p>
<p>Four: War poisons the soul of everyone who engages in it, so that the most ordinary of people become capable of terrible acts.</p>
<p>Five:Since the ratio of civilian deaths to military deaths in war has risen sharply with each subsequent war of the past century (10% civilian deaths in World War I,50% in World War II, 70% in Vietnam, 80-90% in Afghanistan and Iraq) and since a significant percentage of these civilians are children, then war is inevitably a war against children.</p>
<p>Six: We cannot claim that there is a moral distinction between a government which bombs and kills innocent people and a terrorist organization which does the same. The argument is made that deaths in the first case are accidental, while in the second case they are deliberate. However, it does not matter that the pilot dropping the bombs does not “intend” to kill innocent people — that he does so is inevitable, for it is the nature of bombing to be indiscriminate. Even if the bombing equipment is so sophisticated that the pilot can target a house, a vehicle, there is never certainty about who is in the house or who is in the vehicle.</p>
<p>Seven: War, and the bombing that accompanies war, are the ultimate terrorism, for governments can command means of destruction on a far greater scale than any terrorist group.</p>
<p>These considerations lead me to conclude that if we care about human life, about justice, about the equal right of all children to exist, we must, in defiance of whatever we are told by those in authority, pledge ourselves to oppose all wars.</p>
<p>If the drawings of elin o’Hara slavick and the words that accompany them cause us to think about war, perhaps in ways we never did before, they will have made a powerful contribution towards a peaceful world.</p>
<p>HOWARD ZINN’s most recent book is <a href="" type="internal">A Power Government’s Cannot Suppress</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | essay serves introduction bomb bomb violent cartography collection drawings illustrating history bombing elin ohara slavick ohara slavick professor art university north carolina visionary work viewed website ac jsc perhaps fitting elin ohara slavicks extraordinary evocation bombings united states government preceded words bombardier flew bombing missions us air corps second world war least one drawings based bombing participated near end warthe destruction french seaside resort royan atlantic coast look drawings become painfully aware ignorant dropped bombs france cities germany hungary czechoslovakia effects bombings human beings shows us bloody corpses amputated limbs skin shredded napalm drawings ways comprehend compel envision scenes stunned thought civilized nations bombed cities countrysides islands hundred years yet united states responsible public true understandi mean really understandwhat bombs people failure imagination believe iscritical explaining still wars accept bombing common accompaniment foreign policies without horror disgust country unlike people europe japan africa middle east caribbean experience bombed twin towers new york exploded september 11 shock disbelief turned quickly impact government propaganda callous approval bombing afghanistan failure see corpses afghans counterparts manhattan might think least individuals us air force dropped bombs civilian populations aware terror inflicting one testify bombing five miles high fellow crew members could see happening ground could hear screams see blood could see torn bodies crushed limbs wonder see fliers going mission mission apparently unmoved thoughts wrought war read john herseys interviews japanese survivors hiroshima described endured became aware excruciating detail bombs done looked learned firebombing tokyo march 1945 perhaps hundred thousand people died learned bombing dresden creation firestorm cost lives 80000 100000 residents city learned bombing hamburg frankfurt cities europe know perhaps 600000 civiliansmen women childrendied bombings europe equal number died bombings japan could possibly justify carnage winning war fascism yes win new world done away fascism world racism militarism hunger disease despite noble words united nations charter ending scourge war done away war 160 amchitka island alaska usa 1965 1971 elin ohara slavick horrifying loss life acceptance justifications killing innocent people continued world war ii united states bombed korea least million civilian deaths vietnam cambodia laos another million two million lives taken communism justification millions victims know communism capitalism abstractions cover mass murder enough experience nuremberg trials nazi leaders bombings carried allies torture stories coming iraq know ordinary people ordinary consciences allow instincts decency overcome compulsion obey authority time therefore educate coming generation disobedience authority help understand institutions like governments corporations cold anything selfinterest interests powerful entities run counter interests people clash interest governments citizens camouflaged phrases pretend everyone nation common interest wars waged bombs dropped national security national defense national interest patriotism defined obedience government obscuring difference government people thus soldiers led believe fighting country fact fighting government artificial entity different people country indeed following policies dangerous people 160 lebanon 1983 1984 2006 elin ohara slavick reflections experiences bombardier research wars united states led certain conclusions war dropping bombs accompany modern warfare one means waging war demolition bombs cluster bombs white phosphorus nuclear weapons napalm become horrendous effects human beings political end however laudable existence enemy however vicious justify war two horrors means certain achievement ends always uncertain three bomb country ruled tyrant kill victims tyrant four war poisons soul everyone engages ordinary people become capable terrible acts fivesince ratio civilian deaths military deaths war risen sharply subsequent war past century 10 civilian deaths world war i50 world war ii 70 vietnam 8090 afghanistan iraq since significant percentage civilians children war inevitably war children six claim moral distinction government bombs kills innocent people terrorist organization argument made deaths first case accidental second case deliberate however matter pilot dropping bombs intend kill innocent people inevitable nature bombing indiscriminate even bombing equipment sophisticated pilot target house vehicle never certainty house vehicle seven war bombing accompanies war ultimate terrorism governments command means destruction far greater scale terrorist group considerations lead conclude care human life justice equal right children exist must defiance whatever told authority pledge oppose wars drawings elin ohara slavick words accompany cause us think war perhaps ways never made powerful contribution towards peaceful world howard zinns recent book power governments suppress 160 160 160 | 679 |
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<p>Photo by Nico Kaiser | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
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<p>The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a 22-year-old riot policeman underlines the degree to which Turkey is being destabilised by the hatred and violence spreading from the wars in Syria. Spectacular killings and bombings are happening every few days in which the identity, affiliations or motives of the perpetrators are often in doubt because the attacks are a reflection of the multiple crises threatening to tear Turkey apart.</p>
<p>The circumstances surrounding the killing of ambassador Andrey Karlov by&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Mevlut Mert Altintas</a>&#160;are an example of this over-supply of possible suspects. Many Turkish observers regret that he was shot dead by the security forces soon after the assassination because his connections point in different directions and the reason for his actions may never be explained.</p>
<p>The international media has generally focused on his shout “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria!” This fits in with a simple narrative that a lot of Turks are enraged by Russia’s support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and for his recapture of east Aleppo. Maybe one of them decided to do something about it.</p>
<p>But these cries were not the killer’s first words after he had fired the fatal shots and may not have been the most significant. These were in Arabic and spoke of those “who give Mohammed our allegiance for jihad,” suggesting that the speaker had moved in jihadi circles in Turkey. This argues against the killing being a spontaneous response to events in Aleppo, but does not tell one much about the gunman’s affiliations.</p>
<p>The best informed Turkish commentators are suggesting that these were with Jabhat al-Nusra, formerly the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria or with the movement of Fethullah Gulen, which the Turkish government blames for the attempted coup on 15 July. On the other hand, they admit that he could have been a lone assassin who happened, from his point of view, to be in the right place at the right time.</p>
<p>Turkish and Russian leaders are almost over-assiduous in reassuring each other that the murder of a top Russian diplomat will not break their new-found bonds of friendship. President Vladimir Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements to that effect and, soon after the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met in Moscow for a pre-arranged discussion on Syria. After failing to protect Mr Karlov, Turkey will probably have to pay a price by being more accommodating to Russia in Syria.</p>
<p>What is not in doubt is that Turkey is becoming a more violent place and a weaker power. In the last 10 days alone the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or one of its offshoots have killed 58 people, mostly soldiers and police in carefully planned bomb attacks. The political leaders of the Kurdish minority, an estimated 14 per cent of the 80 million Turkish population, are being charged with terrorist offences for expressing even the mildest form of dissent. The same may be starting to happen to the Alevi who make up a further 15 per cent of the population. The failed military coup of 15 July provoked a purge of soldiers, civil servants, universities and media suspected of Gulenist connections with more than 100,000 sacked or suspended and 37,000 arrested. There is a continuing state of emergency and the purge has extended well beyond suspected Gulenists to include anybody critical of Mr Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).</p>
<p>It did not have to turn out this way. As the Arab Spring so-called spread across the region six years ago, Turkey might have served as a mediator to prevent violence and contain crises. Instead, it backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and elsewhere and tolerated ever more extreme jihadis. Mr Erdogan was certainly not alone in thinking that there would be regime change in Damascus, but he was the one worst affected when the project failed.</p>
<p>Turkey is now faced with the nightmare of Kurdish control along most of its border with Syria and Iraq. In Syria, there is a de facto Kurdish state, in military alliance with the US, ruled by the Syrian branch of the PKK. The Turkish government has established a narrow anti-Kurdish&#160;cordon sanitaire&#160;further west, but it remained largely mute while the Syrian armed forces retook east Aleppo. Turkish policy in northern Syria is now directed against the Kurds and hopes of getting rid of Mr Assad have languished.</p>
<p>For all Mr Erdogan’s belligerent talk about military intervention in Iraq and Syria over the last six months, his actions on the ground have been cautious. The temptation may still be there to burnish his nationalist credentials and demonstrate his control over a heavily purged Turkish army by sending it deeper into Syria and even into Iraq.</p>
<p>But these ventures may be beyond the capacity of a Turkish state that lacks foreign allies prepared to back its policies. There are hopes in Ankara that a Donald Trump administration would be more sympathetic to the Turkish position than President Obama, but nobody knows if the new US position is going to be much different from the old. From Turkey’s point of view, Russia and Iran may not be great allies but they could be very nasty enemies.</p>
<p>Governments in deep trouble sometimes play the nationalist card to get themselves out of it by military intervention abroad. The result is usually disastrous, though there is popular support among Turks for action against the PKK in its foreign enclaves. A Turkish newspaper even speaks of “draining the swamp of the Qandil”, a peculiarly ill-chose metaphor referring the PKK’s bases in the Qandil mountains, one of the greatest natural fortresses on earth.</p>
<p>The assassination of Mr Karlov is one more symptom showing that the general crisis in the Middle East and North Africa is affecting Turkey. The forces unleashed in Syria and Iraq are exacerbating existing divisions in Turkey. Mr Erdogan is extending his authoritarian rule but he rules a weakening state unable to cope with mounting crises at home and abroad.</p> | true | 4 | photo nico kaiser cc 20 assassination russian ambassador ankara 22yearold riot policeman underlines degree turkey destabilised hatred violence spreading wars syria spectacular killings bombings happening every days identity affiliations motives perpetrators often doubt attacks reflection multiple crises threatening tear turkey apart circumstances surrounding killing ambassador andrey karlov by160 mevlut mert altintas160are example oversupply possible suspects many turkish observers regret shot dead security forces soon assassination connections point different directions reason actions may never explained international media generally focused shout dont forget aleppo dont forget syria fits simple narrative lot turks enraged russias support president bashar alassad syria recapture east aleppo maybe one decided something cries killers first words fired fatal shots may significant arabic spoke give mohammed allegiance jihad suggesting speaker moved jihadi circles turkey argues killing spontaneous response events aleppo tell one much gunmans affiliations best informed turkish commentators suggesting jabhat alnusra formerly alqaeda affiliate syria movement fethullah gulen turkish government blames attempted coup 15 july hand admit could lone assassin happened point view right place right time turkish russian leaders almost overassiduous reassuring murder top russian diplomat break newfound bonds friendship president vladimir putin president recep tayyip erdogan made statements effect soon turkish russian iranian foreign ministers met moscow prearranged discussion syria failing protect mr karlov turkey probably pay price accommodating russia syria doubt turkey becoming violent place weaker power last 10 days alone kurdistan workers party pkk one offshoots killed 58 people mostly soldiers police carefully planned bomb attacks political leaders kurdish minority estimated 14 per cent 80 million turkish population charged terrorist offences expressing even mildest form dissent may starting happen alevi make 15 per cent population failed military coup 15 july provoked purge soldiers civil servants universities media suspected gulenist connections 100000 sacked suspended 37000 arrested continuing state emergency purge extended well beyond suspected gulenists include anybody critical mr erdogan ruling justice development party akp turn way arab spring socalled spread across region six years ago turkey might served mediator prevent violence contain crises instead backed muslim brotherhood syria elsewhere tolerated ever extreme jihadis mr erdogan certainly alone thinking would regime change damascus one worst affected project failed turkey faced nightmare kurdish control along border syria iraq syria de facto kurdish state military alliance us ruled syrian branch pkk turkish government established narrow antikurdish160cordon sanitaire160further west remained largely mute syrian armed forces retook east aleppo turkish policy northern syria directed kurds hopes getting rid mr assad languished mr erdogans belligerent talk military intervention iraq syria last six months actions ground cautious temptation may still burnish nationalist credentials demonstrate control heavily purged turkish army sending deeper syria even iraq ventures may beyond capacity turkish state lacks foreign allies prepared back policies hopes ankara donald trump administration would sympathetic turkish position president obama nobody knows new us position going much different old turkeys point view russia iran may great allies could nasty enemies governments deep trouble sometimes play nationalist card get military intervention abroad result usually disastrous though popular support among turks action pkk foreign enclaves turkish newspaper even speaks draining swamp qandil peculiarly illchose metaphor referring pkks bases qandil mountains one greatest natural fortresses earth assassination mr karlov one symptom showing general crisis middle east north africa affecting turkey forces unleashed syria iraq exacerbating existing divisions turkey mr erdogan extending authoritarian rule rules weakening state unable cope mounting crises home abroad | 555 |
<p>The space shuttle Columbia is 12 minutes late, so the CBS correspondent reports seriously from Florida. He explains, with the aid of a model, how the shuttle enters the atmosphere at a very particular angle and that a couple of degrees this way or that would spell, well, disaster. It is a little after 9am and none of the TV people will come out with it. The space expert with the toy shuttle insists that there is no going back, that the vehicle resembles a gliding brick and that 12 minutes late, once it enters the atmosphere, means never. The early morning Saturday anchor man, who on a normal shift would be introducing children’s cartoons about now, resembles someone packing a knife who has just realized he’s in the middle of a gunfight. Painfully overwhelmed he repeatedly gaffes the gliding brick metaphor. Our man in Houston corrects him. ‘Not a floating brick, a gliding brick.’ In the background the NASA announcer directs the Houston personnel to lockdown and save all the info on their computers. It seems the mission is over.</p>
<p>Dan Rather appears wearing a distinctly black suit. We run through the gliding brick story again and the old hand assumes a September 11th tone. He has Buzz Aldren on the line, Dan presses him for escape capsules and exit strategies. Buzz, not shy about mentioning his aerospace company, dismisses all hope but promotes his own design for just such a capsule which he suggests is the only thing that might have saved the crew. Rather, teary eyed, prefers not to register Aldren’s pessimism and continues with talk of parachutes and pressure suits. But the game is up when the home video starts rolling, explosions and disintegration as one shuttle becomes 2, 3 and so on. It’s clear that as a younger man Rather dreamt of becoming an astronaut and is deeply affected by the disaster, cracking as he repeats in a voice brittle with sorrow and disbelief, `Brave astronauts. Brave, Brave astronauts’. Most other announcers settle for grace under pressure, solemnity and the rapid decent into patriotism. Dan is gray faced when recalling JFK’s catch up to the Soviets and somber when grilling a space policy expert as to whether this will represent a real setback to putting an American on Mars.</p>
<p>* Like so many of us I always dreamed of seeing an American on Mars someday, Is that dream dead now?</p>
<p>* For various reasons, the cost of a manned flight, the lift necessary for a life support system of that duration, the duration itself, that was just never in the offing.</p>
<p>* Well, I for one will continue to dream of that day.</p>
<p>While NASA issue announcements warning the public not to touch debris from the space ship they have still not informed us that the Columbia is lost. It is 11am by the time they lower the flag at the landing site to half-mast by which time tv footage of wreckage strewn across the South East is going around the world. Yet NASA have still made no reference to the Columbia which has yet to arrive. Hours earlier the families of the astronauts, excitedly gathered by the runway, had been whisked to ‘a secure location’.</p>
<p>Back on CBS Rather, a hint of vitriol and steel in his eye, reports that in Baghdad they are calling this Allah’s revenge on America. He promptly introduces the Israeli ambassador, Danny Ayalon. One of the doomed astronauts was an Israeli air force pilot, a veteran of the ’73 war, the invasion of Lebanon , part of the unit that bombed an Iraqi nuclear facility in the early 80’s and the first Israeli in space. The ambassador recalls that the international community was unhappy about the Iraqi business at the time, though it is now regarded as somewhat avant-garde. The moment passes. For some reason he continues, “when you look at the Intifada and see the bodies strewn across the streets..” before going on to observe, “two nations, free and democratic, exploring the frontier” Rather is nodding solemnly as the ambassador informs us that the fallen war hero “carried a picture by a little boy who died in the Nazi concentration camps.”</p>
<p>The ambassador disappears and Rather announces that he has in his hand the last exchange between the Columbia and Houston. After a pause he begins, “Columbia Houston Columbia Houston and then just before the communications went down a word beginning with, Bla-a”. Horrifying stuff.</p>
<p>President Bush has returned from Camp David to the White House on learning the news. He addresses the nation. The space program will continue, the dead are heroes and by way of reminder, “It is easy to underestimate the dangers of travel by rocket”. Then, perhaps subconsciously responding to the Baghdad admonitions he adds that, “the same creator who named the stars knows the names of the 7 souls.”</p>
<p>Having postponed their press conference already NASA finally meets the press at 2pm, Dan Rather is understanding and by implication, so must we be. Alas the 2pm conference is question free, understandable considering the nations loss. The man from NASA is properly quavering, and succeeds admirably in disciplining the 5th estate to keep inquiries intended for the press conference later in the day (this one with questions) in tune with the emotional requirements of the ‘tragedy’, initially referred to as the ‘problem’.</p>
<p>Dan Rather is a little jollier back in the studio. He happily reports that FEMA and the office of Homeland Security are involved in securing the South East and the cavalry are to be dispatched from Fort Hood to assist in gathering the parts that remain of the Columbia. Pictures of cop cars triangled with crime scene tape between them sealing off a small piece of metal on a lonely highway make us all feel better. No doubt there are those who would offer parts for sale on eBay were it not for Ridge, FEMA, the cavalry and the highway patrol. We also learn that the ever suspect Cheney was bird hunting in Texas when the Columbia went down, in Texas. This revelation is like the first time I heard George Bush senior was in Dallas the day Kennedy died.</p>
<p>Excitement builds as the NASA press conference with questions approaches. Rather is not doing much to pump the audience but citizens everywhere look forward to NASA defending the dismal safety record of the Shuttle. Of the 6 manufactured 2 (33%) have crashed and burned claiming 14 heroes, the first woman and Israeli in space among them. Put another way, of the 113 flights undertaken 2 have ended in disaster, an operational record announcing an almost 2% failure rate. NASA uses the shuttle as a PR vehicle. Most if not all of the operations carried out could be accomplished splendidly by robots, but the spectacular publicity of John Glenn, school teachers, African Americans and Israelis in space is far more sexy than the reality, which is the installation and maintenance of TV satellites and GPS systems for yuppies driving humvies. Considering the shuttle is more famous for its Ozone research than its Ozone depletion, inevitably someone will challenge the sense of this multi billion dollar Ozone/astronaut killer at the press conference with serious questions. For the journalists present their colleague Peter Bunyard has already crunched the numbers in the Ecologist magazine.</p>
<p>“Every Space Shuttle flight discharges ten or more tonnes of hydrogen, which, at an altitude of 300 kilometers, forms a cloud that can spread horizontally over several thousand kilometers and hydrogen, like chlorine, is a destroyer of ozone.”</p>
<p>The time come the man from NASA presents himself to the assembled, the first question is from a network lady. “For those who don’t live around here, in this area, can you tell us what this has meant to this close knit community around the shuttle?” The man from NASA takes it pretty well, and though shaken, answers the question to polite uhms and ahs from the congregation. Next up a burly tough from another network. “Does the training go on?” The man from NASA begins this one with a childhood story about himself and one of the fallen. They went to the same school and, though some years apart, had that in common. This is degenerating from tragedy to farce with the multi billion (tax) dollar corporation literally dancing on the graves of the dead, applauded by the network functionaries. His response is resolute in its cynicism, “We’ll get together, hug each other, comfort each other, help each other and yes, we’ll go on”.</p>
<p>JAMES DAVIS was born in Ireland, lives in New York, where he makes films. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:jamesdavisfilm@hotmail.com" type="external">jamesdavisfilm@hotmail.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | space shuttle columbia 12 minutes late cbs correspondent reports seriously florida explains aid model shuttle enters atmosphere particular angle couple degrees way would spell well disaster little 9am none tv people come space expert toy shuttle insists going back vehicle resembles gliding brick 12 minutes late enters atmosphere means never early morning saturday anchor man normal shift would introducing childrens cartoons resembles someone packing knife realized hes middle gunfight painfully overwhelmed repeatedly gaffes gliding brick metaphor man houston corrects floating brick gliding brick background nasa announcer directs houston personnel lockdown save info computers seems mission dan rather appears wearing distinctly black suit run gliding brick story old hand assumes september 11th tone buzz aldren line dan presses escape capsules exit strategies buzz shy mentioning aerospace company dismisses hope promotes design capsule suggests thing might saved crew rather teary eyed prefers register aldrens pessimism continues talk parachutes pressure suits game home video starts rolling explosions disintegration one shuttle becomes 2 3 clear younger man rather dreamt becoming astronaut deeply affected disaster cracking repeats voice brittle sorrow disbelief brave astronauts brave brave astronauts announcers settle grace pressure solemnity rapid decent patriotism dan gray faced recalling jfks catch soviets somber grilling space policy expert whether represent real setback putting american mars like many us always dreamed seeing american mars someday dream dead various reasons cost manned flight lift necessary life support system duration duration never offing well one continue dream day nasa issue announcements warning public touch debris space ship still informed us columbia lost 11am time lower flag landing site halfmast time tv footage wreckage strewn across south east going around world yet nasa still made reference columbia yet arrive hours earlier families astronauts excitedly gathered runway whisked secure location back cbs rather hint vitriol steel eye reports baghdad calling allahs revenge america promptly introduces israeli ambassador danny ayalon one doomed astronauts israeli air force pilot veteran 73 war invasion lebanon part unit bombed iraqi nuclear facility early 80s first israeli space ambassador recalls international community unhappy iraqi business time though regarded somewhat avantgarde moment passes reason continues look intifada see bodies strewn across streets going observe two nations free democratic exploring frontier rather nodding solemnly ambassador informs us fallen war hero carried picture little boy died nazi concentration camps ambassador disappears rather announces hand last exchange columbia houston pause begins columbia houston columbia houston communications went word beginning blaa horrifying stuff president bush returned camp david white house learning news addresses nation space program continue dead heroes way reminder easy underestimate dangers travel rocket perhaps subconsciously responding baghdad admonitions adds creator named stars knows names 7 souls postponed press conference already nasa finally meets press 2pm dan rather understanding implication must alas 2pm conference question free understandable considering nations loss man nasa properly quavering succeeds admirably disciplining 5th estate keep inquiries intended press conference later day one questions tune emotional requirements tragedy initially referred problem dan rather little jollier back studio happily reports fema office homeland security involved securing south east cavalry dispatched fort hood assist gathering parts remain columbia pictures cop cars triangled crime scene tape sealing small piece metal lonely highway make us feel better doubt would offer parts sale ebay ridge fema cavalry highway patrol also learn ever suspect cheney bird hunting texas columbia went texas revelation like first time heard george bush senior dallas day kennedy died excitement builds nasa press conference questions approaches rather much pump audience citizens everywhere look forward nasa defending dismal safety record shuttle 6 manufactured 2 33 crashed burned claiming 14 heroes first woman israeli space among put another way 113 flights undertaken 2 ended disaster operational record announcing almost 2 failure rate nasa uses shuttle pr vehicle operations carried could accomplished splendidly robots spectacular publicity john glenn school teachers african americans israelis space far sexy reality installation maintenance tv satellites gps systems yuppies driving humvies considering shuttle famous ozone research ozone depletion inevitably someone challenge sense multi billion dollar ozoneastronaut killer press conference serious questions journalists present colleague peter bunyard already crunched numbers ecologist magazine every space shuttle flight discharges ten tonnes hydrogen altitude 300 kilometers forms cloud spread horizontally several thousand kilometers hydrogen like chlorine destroyer ozone time come man nasa presents assembled first question network lady dont live around area tell us meant close knit community around shuttle man nasa takes pretty well though shaken answers question polite uhms ahs congregation next burly tough another network training go man nasa begins one childhood story one fallen went school though years apart common degenerating tragedy farce multi billion tax dollar corporation literally dancing graves dead applauded network functionaries response resolute cynicism well get together hug comfort help yes well go james davis born ireland lives new york makes films reached jamesdavisfilmhotmailcom 160 | 792 |
<p>By Carol J. Adams</p>
<p>In the late 1970s, I started a hotline for battered women in rural New York. I helped one woman get an order of protection against her abusive husband. She was in the process of getting a divorce, but he had visitation rights with their children on Sundays. One Sunday evening, he pulled up to her farmhouse to drop off the children and asked to talk with her. She climbed into his truck, next to the kids. Their dog was lying on the driveway. In response to something she said, he put the truck into motion, drove over the dog, backed up and ran over it again. Then he got out of the truck and shot the dog.</p>
<p>Violence against a companion animal is also violence against the person who loves that animal. It is a tool abusers often use to establish control, by emphasizing the human victim’s lack of power—she can’t even keep a beloved animal friend safe. Harming a companion animal also may signal that the abuser’s violence is escalating, possibly becoming life-threatening.</p>
<p>A study of women seeking shelter from abusive partners at a safe house found that of those who had companion animals, <a href="http://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/understanding-the-link-between-animal-abuse-and-family-violence/" type="external">71 percent reported</a> that their partners had threatened, harmed or killed those animals. Batterers have shot, hung, knifed, stepped on, choked, thrown, whipped and poisoned animals. Unlike property damage (throwing plates, destroying photos, etc.), violence against a beloved animal inflicts physical damage and pain and often annihilates someone—the animal.</p>
<p />
<p>In the summer of 2016, I posted a notice on my Facebook author page and on Twitter, saying I was updating <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=iJSuTkFlpyIC&amp;pg=PA55&amp;lpg=PA55&amp;dq=woman+battering+and+harm+to+animals+carol+adams&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=aLjEotVNuh&amp;sig=dA-lbaD-jp0NXdKYg8LkMJ-m5Uo&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjlk_XTkqnRAhUP5GMKHYaPArsQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepage&amp;q=woman%20battering%20and%20harm%20to%20animals%20carol%20adams&amp;f=false" type="external">my 1995 essay</a>, “Woman-Battering and Harm to Animals.” “If you are a survivor of domestic violence who experienced a threat or violence against a companion animals as part of the domestic violence, would you message me?” I asked. Women from around the world responded.</p>
<p>Katrina recalled how, over a period of eight years when she was a child, her father’s violence against her mother would begin by him throwing their cats across the room and into walls. Marie’s father “always threatened to harm our domestic animals as a way to manipulate us and scare us. He would be very enthusiastic at first and would help us find dogs [and] cats, but once we got attached, it’s like he was jealous or something.” Harming animals consolidates control of children while also undermining their self-determination in loving another being. One woman described how her abusive brother tried to kill their dog during their childhood. Other children were coerced into sexual abuse by threats to their companion animal; these threats also ensured their silence.</p>
<p>L.’s father physically abused her mother and brothers. But when it came to her, he targeted her cats. “My first one he ran over when I was in the car (he wouldn’t let me get out to get her) as we went up our driveway,” she reported, adding that the cat wasn’t killed immediately, so her father took the cat in the backyard and shot her. “This was done with the whole family present, and no one dared to do anything,” L. said. “I cried hysterically. He smirked all night long. In addition to hurting me, there’s no doubt he was also controlling my mother, because if she’d have got mad, he would have hit her.”</p>
<p>Everyone in the family understood that life and death were in the father’s hands. Part of his control was that his abusive actions provoked tremendous emotion, but the expression of those feelings was not allowed. The person one would normally turn to for support and consolation after an attack on a pet is instead the cause of the pain. Unable to express her grief, a woman may feel guilt, rage and hopelessness over not being able to protect the animal, and children learn from their mother that they shouldn’t react to the death of someone they love.</p>
<p>Jodi described how her “high school boyfriend was physically and emotionally abusive. He would come over to the house and scream at my mother’s little dog and chase her around, calling her ‘stupid,’ until the dog would pee on the floor.” By frightening the dog, he demonstrated his power. Making someone watch the torture of another is the ultimate mastery, a way of saying, “I can do this, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”</p>
<p>Julie, a domestic violence survivor, told me that her partner shot her dog, replaced the dog with another, shot that one, and once more replaced him, killing that one as well. He threatened to shoot her horse. Such repetitive harm exposes the deliberateness of battering and its basis in control over another person. While presenting a new dog could appear to be an act of remorse, it also guaranteed that the power imbalance in the relationship would continue.Some women stay with abusers because they worry that if they leave, their animals will be in danger; some leave precisely because they realize their companion animal is not safe. These are difficult and wrenching decisions. C. said of her partner:</p>
<p>“[He] never threatened my two cats explicitly; it was a deep fear I had that he would retaliate against me by hurting them that eventually pushed me to contact authorities. I can still remember calling to explain that I was worried about my cats and then being really confused and flabbergasted when the police showed up and explained they were going after him. He did 30 days in jail, and they put a restraining order on him. If it were not for that feeling I had that my cats were in danger, I wonder if I ever would have acknowledged that I myself was in danger (he was extremely emotionally abusive and sent multiple death threats to me over text; the [district attorney’s office] said it was the worst case they had ever seen).”</p>
<p>C. saw that moment as “the turning point, when I realized how seriously unsafe I was and how his behavior was not normal.”</p>
<p>Abusers harm animals to perpetuate terror. M. described what happened after she discovered her partner was cheating on her. “During one particular argument—the day before I ended it—he said, ‘I will take [your black lab mutt] onto the front porch and wait until you pull in from work, then I will shoot her in the head with the shotgun. Because I know she is the only thing you give a shit about.’&#160;” The threat reflects the deliberateness of the violence: He wasn’t going to do it at that moment; he was going to time it for maximum effect. The incident also reflects how a batterer may feel threatened when he sees self-determination—in this case, her love of her dog—on the part of his partner.</p>
<p>In domestic violence situations, any loved one is also in danger, because batterers often use that love to terrorize the victim. Natascha described how her partner “was beating me and attacking the cat. When the cat later was fearing him, he was saying that the cat was provocative, whereas the cat was simply and logically afraid. I will never forgive him what he has done to her. And I am blaming myself that I didn’t protect her from him.”</p>
<p>Carol said her partner “forcibly yanked the dog away from me, and holding him by the collar, he put the puppy in his car and said that he was taking him to the local animal shelter and promptly drove away. Both my daughter (who was 9) and I begged him not to take the dog, but he ignored us (we were both in floods of tears).”</p>
<p>She called the shelter with a description of the dog, but D., her partner, had not gone there. “Eventually, I called D. (still in tears) and pleaded with him to tell me where my dog was,” she said. He returned, and “in future arguments he would constantly use my dog’s behavior against me … he would scream repeatedly, ‘train your dog,’ over and over, and not let me speak.”</p>
<p>Making illogical or absurd demands and knowing they cannot be fulfilled are also strategies of control. Carol said:</p>
<p>“[I] tried to get [the dog] enrolled at a local dog training center, but that wasn’t right either. For a start, it wasn’t one that had been recommended to him by a friend, and he was annoyed that I intended to take my daughter [with me]. He said that she should stay home. …. He then decided that I couldn’t go because it was a Wednesday, and I would HAVE to go to the club as recommended by his friend instead. He said I couldn’t take my daughter but he would be going out on a Wednesday night so she couldn’t stay home as she was too young to be left. As an act of pointless rebellion, I refused to go to this other club, so that was also used as ammunition against me as I was now refusing to ‘train my dog.’ The arguments between us got worse and more frequent, and eventually he became violent towards me.”</p>
<p>Batterers want people, especially their partners, to think of them as crazy, because it makes them more dangerous in their partner’s eyes. As Carol’s experience shows, nothing would please her partner—a reminder that for an abusive person, there will always be something to find fault with.</p>
<p>Creating a climate of fear is part of controlling behavior. “Whenever he raised his voice the dog would always come to my side, but (thankfully) never, ever showed any aggression towards D.,” Carol said. “I used to take the dog everywhere with me because I was terrified that one day I would come home and [the dog] would be gone. He threatened me with that so many times, and he used to laugh at me when I would take the dog with me, but I couldn’t leave him there.”</p>
<p>Carol continued, “I was offered a place in a women’s refuge for me and my daughter, but I couldn’t take the dog with me. I refused to leave him behind, and I could never have parted with him. Never. Eventually I just packed our things one day when he was out and we left. Never to return. We now live in a safe environment, the dog is 5 years old, and we have a bond that cannot be broken.”</p>
<p>Note: In a <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/domestic-violence-and-pets-list-states-include-pets-protection-orders" type="external">majority of states</a>, orders of protection now include companion animals. Many domestic violence shelters have relationships with vets and other animal resources to provide a safe haven for a companion animal if a victim has to flee her home. If you are in this situation, make sure your companion animal’s shots are up to date, and register the animal in your name. Add proof of registration to your <a href="http://dvc-scv.com/index.php/escape-kit/" type="external">escape kit</a>. Disable cookies if you are using your home computer, and scroll down to “What You Can Do” <a href="http://aldf.org/resources/when-your-companion-animal-has-been-harmed/animal-cruelty-and-domestic-violence/%20" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://caroljadams.com/" type="external">Carol J. Adams</a> is the author of “The Sexual Politics of Meat.” For this article she drew on her essay, “Woman-Battering and Harm to Animals” in “The Carol J. Adams Reader,” published by Bloomsbury.</p>
<p /> | true | 4 | carol j adams late 1970s started hotline battered women rural new york helped one woman get order protection abusive husband process getting divorce visitation rights children sundays one sunday evening pulled farmhouse drop children asked talk climbed truck next kids dog lying driveway response something said put truck motion drove dog backed ran got truck shot dog violence companion animal also violence person loves animal tool abusers often use establish control emphasizing human victims lack powershe cant even keep beloved animal friend safe harming companion animal also may signal abusers violence escalating possibly becoming lifethreatening study women seeking shelter abusive partners safe house found companion animals 71 percent reported partners threatened harmed killed animals batterers shot hung knifed stepped choked thrown whipped poisoned animals unlike property damage throwing plates destroying photos etc violence beloved animal inflicts physical damage pain often annihilates someonethe animal summer 2016 posted notice facebook author page twitter saying updating 1995 essay womanbattering harm animals survivor domestic violence experienced threat violence companion animals part domestic violence would message asked women around world responded katrina recalled period eight years child fathers violence mother would begin throwing cats across room walls maries father always threatened harm domestic animals way manipulate us scare us would enthusiastic first would help us find dogs cats got attached like jealous something harming animals consolidates control children also undermining selfdetermination loving another one woman described abusive brother tried kill dog childhood children coerced sexual abuse threats companion animal threats also ensured silence ls father physically abused mother brothers came targeted cats first one ran car wouldnt let get get went driveway reported adding cat wasnt killed immediately father took cat backyard shot done whole family present one dared anything l said cried hysterically smirked night long addition hurting theres doubt also controlling mother shed got mad would hit everyone family understood life death fathers hands part control abusive actions provoked tremendous emotion expression feelings allowed person one would normally turn support consolation attack pet instead cause pain unable express grief woman may feel guilt rage hopelessness able protect animal children learn mother shouldnt react death someone love jodi described high school boyfriend physically emotionally abusive would come house scream mothers little dog chase around calling stupid dog would pee floor frightening dog demonstrated power making someone watch torture another ultimate mastery way saying nothing stop julie domestic violence survivor told partner shot dog replaced dog another shot one replaced killing one well threatened shoot horse repetitive harm exposes deliberateness battering basis control another person presenting new dog could appear act remorse also guaranteed power imbalance relationship would continuesome women stay abusers worry leave animals danger leave precisely realize companion animal safe difficult wrenching decisions c said partner never threatened two cats explicitly deep fear would retaliate hurting eventually pushed contact authorities still remember calling explain worried cats really confused flabbergasted police showed explained going 30 days jail put restraining order feeling cats danger wonder ever would acknowledged danger extremely emotionally abusive sent multiple death threats text district attorneys office said worst case ever seen c saw moment turning point realized seriously unsafe behavior normal abusers harm animals perpetuate terror described happened discovered partner cheating one particular argumentthe day ended ithe said take black lab mutt onto front porch wait pull work shoot head shotgun know thing give shit about160 threat reflects deliberateness violence wasnt going moment going time maximum effect incident also reflects batterer may feel threatened sees selfdeterminationin case love dogon part partner domestic violence situations loved one also danger batterers often use love terrorize victim natascha described partner beating attacking cat cat later fearing saying cat provocative whereas cat simply logically afraid never forgive done blaming didnt protect carol said partner forcibly yanked dog away holding collar put puppy car said taking local animal shelter promptly drove away daughter 9 begged take dog ignored us floods tears called shelter description dog partner gone eventually called still tears pleaded tell dog said returned future arguments would constantly use dogs behavior would scream repeatedly train dog let speak making illogical absurd demands knowing fulfilled also strategies control carol said tried get dog enrolled local dog training center wasnt right either start wasnt one recommended friend annoyed intended take daughter said stay home decided couldnt go wednesday would go club recommended friend instead said couldnt take daughter would going wednesday night couldnt stay home young left act pointless rebellion refused go club also used ammunition refusing train dog arguments us got worse frequent eventually became violent towards batterers want people especially partners think crazy makes dangerous partners eyes carols experience shows nothing would please partnera reminder abusive person always something find fault creating climate fear part controlling behavior whenever raised voice dog would always come side thankfully never ever showed aggression towards carol said used take dog everywhere terrified one day would come home dog would gone threatened many times used laugh would take dog couldnt leave carol continued offered place womens refuge daughter couldnt take dog refused leave behind could never parted never eventually packed things one day left never return live safe environment dog 5 years old bond broken note majority states orders protection include companion animals many domestic violence shelters relationships vets animal resources provide safe companion animal victim flee home situation make sure companion animals shots date register animal name add proof registration escape kit disable cookies using home computer scroll carol j adams author sexual politics meat article drew essay womanbattering harm animals carol j adams reader published bloomsbury | 919 |
<p>Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Obamacare Subsidies. On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on King v. Burwell in "a major test" of the president's health care law and its subsidies to help qualified low-income households afford health care. As the Associated Press reported:</p>
<p>The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a major test of President Barack Obama's health overhaul that threatens insurance coverage for millions of people.</p>
<p>The justices are meeting Wednesday to try to determine whether the law makes people in all 50 states eligible for federal tax subsidies to cut the cost of insurance premiums. Or does it limit tax credits only to people who live in states that created their own health insurance marketplaces?</p>
<p>A ruling that limits where subsidies are available would have dramatic consequences because roughly three dozen states opted against their own marketplace, or exchange, and instead rely on the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's <a href="http://healthcare.gov/" type="external">healthcare.gov</a>. Independent studies estimate that 8 million people could lose insurance coverage. [Associated Press, <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/OHCOL/8ef5320729ce4298abefc1903704c7d5/Article_2015-03-04-US--Supreme%20Court-Health%20Overhaul-Subsidies/id-3fe3a05fe1314487abf090f6e9dabfa1" type="external">3/4/15</a>]</p>
<p>Urban Institute: 8.2 Million Americans Could Become Uninsured If Court Rules In Favor Of The Plaintiffs In King. According to a January analysis of the potential consequences of King conducted by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, if the court strikes down the subsidies, "8.2 million more people would be uninsured than would be the case with the financial assistance" previously provided:</p>
<p>However, if the Supreme Court rules in favor of King and federal tax credits and cost-sharing reductions are eliminated in these states, health coverage would be dramatically different. About 8.2 million more people would be uninsured than would be the case with the financial assistance provided under the ACA as currently implemented. The nongroup market would only cover about 4.5 million people, far less than the 14.2 million enrollees with the tax credits and even less than the 7.3 million absent the ACA at all.</p>
<p>Medicaid and CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Plan] enrollment would be about 500,000 lower without tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. Many children eligible for Medicaid or CHIP have parents eligible for marketplace tax credits under the current implementation. Without tax credits, fewer parents would seek marketplace coverage and, as a result, fewer children would be screened for and enrolled in public insurance. [Urban Institute, <a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/2000062-The-Implications-King-vs-Burwell.pdf" type="external">January 2015</a>]</p>
<p>New York Times: At Least 7.5 Million Could Lose Their Subsidies. According to The New York Times, "if the court rules against the Obama administration in the King v. Burwell case, about 7.5 million people could lose their subsidies in 34 states that use the federal health care marketplace."</p>
<p>[The New York Times, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/03/us/potential-impact-of-the-supreme-courts-decision-on-health-care-subsidies.html" type="external">3/3/15</a>]</p>
<p>National Women's Law Center: Women Would Be Disproportionately Impacted By Loss of Subsidies. According to analysis from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), women would be disproportionately impacted by the loss of subsidies should the courts rule against them in King:</p>
<p>According to our analysis, nearly seven million women, including those already enrolled, are eligible for tax credits in the federally-facilitated Marketplaces. These seven million women are at risk of losing the financial help they need to buy health insurance coverage.</p>
<p>o This includes 1.8 million Latinas, 1.1 million African American women, 250,000 Asian women, and 106,000 Native American women.</p>
<p>o Over 1.2 million women in Texas and over 900,000 women in Florida are at risk of losing access to affordable health coverage.</p>
<p>o Other states with the largest numbers of eligible women include Georgia, North Carolina and Illinois. [National Women's Law Center, <a href="http://www.nwlc.org/resource/king-v-burwell-data-shows-millions-women-risk-losing-affordable-health-insurance" type="external">2/23/15</a>]</p>
<p>Pediatricians And Family Physicians: Without Subsidies, "Up To 5 Million Children Could Lose Access To Affordable Insurance Coverage Based On The Happenstance Of Geography." A brief filed by pediatricians, family physicians, and children's health advocates points out the devastating effect the lack of subsidies could also have on the continued vitality of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). As the brief explains, the challengers' argument would also disallow the use of the federal exchanges as a backstop for CHIP recipients, but "[n]othing in the program's history or the proceedings surrounding CHIP reauthorization suggest that Congress had such a counterintuitive result in mind, and no sound policy reason supports it". [Brief For The American Academy Of Pediatrics, American Academy Of Family Physicians, Children's Health Fund, Et Al. As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondents, <a href="/research/2015/02/10/a-media-guide-to-the-experts-calling-on-the-sup/202475" type="external">1/28/15</a>, via Media Matters]</p>
<p>New York Times'&#160;The Upshot: Court's Decision On Subsidies Could "Deepen A National Health Divide." A March 4 article for the New York Times' The Upshot blog explained that a ruling against the ACA's subsidies had "the power to deepen a national health divide":</p>
<p>But a ruling for the King plaintiffs could make things even more disparate than they were before the law passed -- in addition to the new taxes, new insurance regulations could mean skyrocketing individual insurance premiums in states that lose their subsidies. That could cause even people who had bought their own insurance before the law to be priced out of the market.</p>
<p>The new policy universe created by the law means the court can't just turn the clock back to 2009. If insurance subsidies are eliminated, a new era will begin in which, instead of a more uniform health care system, Obamacare will wind up bringing one that is more unequal than ever before. [The New York Times, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/upshot/the-supreme-court-has-the-power-to-deepen-a-national-health-divide.html?abt=0002&amp;abg=1" type="external">3/4/15</a>]</p>
<p>Wall Street Journal Encourages Court To "Vacate The Subsidies." In a March 2 editorial, the Wall Street Journal promoted the conservative challenge to the ACA, encouraging the Supreme Court to "vacate the subsidies" for health insurance through the health care law. The Journal failed to note that millions of Americans would lose insurance. [The Wall Street Journal, <a href="/blog/2015/03/03/wsj-recycles-debunked-myths-to-call-on-the-supr/202737" type="external">3/2/15</a>, via Media Matters]</p>
<p>Betsy McCaughey: Supreme Court Decision "Will Have No Impact On The Poor." In a March 2 opinion post for FoxNews.com, serial health care misinformer Betsy McCaughey claimed that "no matter how the Justices rule" in King, "it will have no impact on the poor." McCaughey went on to encourage readers not to be "bamboozled" by the Obama administration "ghoulishly predicting" that there will be "hardships" if subsidies are eliminated. [FoxNews.com, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/03/02/king-vs-burwell-get-ready-for-obamacare-winners-and-losers/" type="external">3/2/15</a>]</p>
<p>Breitbart.com: Many Are "Predicting The Sky Will Fall And Sick Children Will Die" If Subsidies Are Eliminating. Conservative blog Breitbart accused "the political left" of using "scare tactics" in an attempt to sway the Supreme Court's ruling on ACA subsidies. The post mocked those pointing to the millions of Americans who would be harmed by such a ruling, accusing them of arguing that "the sky will fall and sick children will die":</p>
<p>Even so, the political left is playing with the mind of Chief Justice John Roberts in advance of oral arguments this Wednesday. They are spinning tales about how going the wrong way in this case, Armageddon will happen and the integrity of the court will be ineluctably harmed.</p>
<p>The scare tactics are coming fast and furious. Writing in the New York Times a few weeks go [sic], predictable left-wing court watcher Linda Greenhouse, said, "The court has permitted itself to be recruited into the front lines of a partisan war. Not only the Affordable Care Act but the court itself is in peril as a result."</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>There are also the arguments that the sky will fall and sick children will die. They say it is Obamacare or nothing and that the Republicans have nothing to make up for its loss. Leo says nonsense to this. [Breitbart, <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/02/exclusive-final-hours-of-obamacare/" type="external">3/2/15</a>]</p>
<p>Townhall Deems Negative Impact Of Ruling Against Subsidies A "Myth." In a March 3 column, Townhall listed the assertion that "millions of people will be harmed" if they lose their subsidies following the Supreme Court's ruling in King among the "Top Five Myths" about the case. [Townhall, <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/hadleyheath/2015/03/03/top-five-myths-about-king-v-burwell-n1965184/page/2" type="external">3/3/15</a>]</p>
<p>National Review Online: Department Of Health And Human Services Is Using "Scare Tactics" By Pointing To Those Who Would Lose Insurance. In a March 2 post, National Review Online dismissed warnings from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell that "millions of people would lose their health insurance subsidies" depending on how the Supreme Court rules in King, calling Burwell's statement a "scare tactic":</p>
<p>Burwell's scare tactics were transparent: "First, millions of people would lose their health insurance subsidies and therefore would no longer be able to afford health insurance; second, without tax subsidies healthy individuals would be far less likely to purchase health insurance, leaving a disproportionate number of sick individuals in the individual insurance market, which would raise the costs for everyone else; and third, states that did not establish a state marketplace would return to a time when the recourse for those without insurance was to seek care in hospital emergency rooms, further driving up insurance costs for everyone." Never mind that her first two points describe problems that were largely created by Obamacare. As for the third point, multiple studies have shown that Obamacare has, at least temporarily, increased ER visits. [National Review Online, <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414703/why-hhs-has-no-plan-b-ross-kaminsky" type="external">3/2/15</a>]</p> | true | 4 | supreme court hears arguments obamacare subsidies march 4 supreme court hear oral arguments king v burwell major test presidents health care law subsidies help qualified lowincome households afford health care associated press reported supreme court hearing arguments major test president barack obamas health overhaul threatens insurance coverage millions people justices meeting wednesday try determine whether law makes people 50 states eligible federal tax subsidies cut cost insurance premiums limit tax credits people live states created health insurance marketplaces ruling limits subsidies available would dramatic consequences roughly three dozen states opted marketplace exchange instead rely us health human services departments healthcaregov independent studies estimate 8 million people could lose insurance coverage associated press 3415 urban institute 82 million americans could become uninsured court rules favor plaintiffs king according january analysis potential consequences king conducted urban institute robert wood johnson foundation court strikes subsidies 82 million people would uninsured would case financial assistance previously provided however supreme court rules favor king federal tax credits costsharing reductions eliminated states health coverage would dramatically different 82 million people would uninsured would case financial assistance provided aca currently implemented nongroup market would cover 45 million people far less 142 million enrollees tax credits even less 73 million absent aca medicaid chip childrens health insurance plan enrollment would 500000 lower without tax credits costsharing reductions many children eligible medicaid chip parents eligible marketplace tax credits current implementation without tax credits fewer parents would seek marketplace coverage result fewer children would screened enrolled public insurance urban institute january 2015 new york times least 75 million could lose subsidies according new york times court rules obama administration king v burwell case 75 million people could lose subsidies 34 states use federal health care marketplace new york times 3315 national womens law center women would disproportionately impacted loss subsidies according analysis national womens law center nwlc women would disproportionately impacted loss subsidies courts rule king according analysis nearly seven million women including already enrolled eligible tax credits federallyfacilitated marketplaces seven million women risk losing financial help need buy health insurance coverage includes 18 million latinas 11 million african american women 250000 asian women 106000 native american women 12 million women texas 900000 women florida risk losing access affordable health coverage states largest numbers eligible women include georgia north carolina illinois national womens law center 22315 pediatricians family physicians without subsidies 5 million children could lose access affordable insurance coverage based happenstance geography brief filed pediatricians family physicians childrens health advocates points devastating effect lack subsidies could also continued vitality childrens health insurance program chip brief explains challengers argument would also disallow use federal exchanges backstop chip recipients nothing programs history proceedings surrounding chip reauthorization suggest congress counterintuitive result mind sound policy reason supports brief american academy pediatrics american academy family physicians childrens health fund et al amici curiae support respondents 12815 via media matters new york times160the upshot courts decision subsidies could deepen national health divide march 4 article new york times upshot blog explained ruling acas subsidies power deepen national health divide ruling king plaintiffs could make things even disparate law passed addition new taxes new insurance regulations could mean skyrocketing individual insurance premiums states lose subsidies could cause even people bought insurance law priced market new policy universe created law means court cant turn clock back 2009 insurance subsidies eliminated new era begin instead uniform health care system obamacare wind bringing one unequal ever new york times 3415 wall street journal encourages court vacate subsidies march 2 editorial wall street journal promoted conservative challenge aca encouraging supreme court vacate subsidies health insurance health care law journal failed note millions americans would lose insurance wall street journal 3215 via media matters betsy mccaughey supreme court decision impact poor march 2 opinion post foxnewscom serial health care misinformer betsy mccaughey claimed matter justices rule king impact poor mccaughey went encourage readers bamboozled obama administration ghoulishly predicting hardships subsidies eliminated foxnewscom 3215 breitbartcom many predicting sky fall sick children die subsidies eliminating conservative blog breitbart accused political left using scare tactics attempt sway supreme courts ruling aca subsidies post mocked pointing millions americans would harmed ruling accusing arguing sky fall sick children die even political left playing mind chief justice john roberts advance oral arguments wednesday spinning tales going wrong way case armageddon happen integrity court ineluctably harmed scare tactics coming fast furious writing new york times weeks go sic predictable leftwing court watcher linda greenhouse said court permitted recruited front lines partisan war affordable care act court peril result also arguments sky fall sick children die say obamacare nothing republicans nothing make loss leo says nonsense breitbart 3215 townhall deems negative impact ruling subsidies myth march 3 column townhall listed assertion millions people harmed lose subsidies following supreme courts ruling king among top five myths case townhall 3315 national review online department health human services using scare tactics pointing would lose insurance march 2 post national review online dismissed warnings department health human services hhs secretary sylvia burwell millions people would lose health insurance subsidies depending supreme court rules king calling burwells statement scare tactic burwells scare tactics transparent first millions people would lose health insurance subsidies therefore would longer able afford health insurance second without tax subsidies healthy individuals would far less likely purchase health insurance leaving disproportionate number sick individuals individual insurance market would raise costs everyone else third states establish state marketplace would return time recourse without insurance seek care hospital emergency rooms driving insurance costs everyone never mind first two points describe problems largely created obamacare third point multiple studies shown obamacare least temporarily increased er visits national review online 3215 | 936 |
<p>Janine Jackson interviewed Lee Fang about industry’s role in the opioid crisis for the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">June 10, 2016, episode</a> of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.</p>
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<p>Lee Fang: “They’ve coordinated a massive network of different foundations and medical societies to promote more use of these drugs for all kinds of different purposes.” (image: David Feldman Show)</p>
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<p>Janine Jackson: In 2014, a class of drugs known as opioids were involved in more than 28,000 deaths, or 61 percent of all drug overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The rate of opioid overdoses has tripled since the year 2000. Recent data show two different but related trends: an increase in so-called illicit opioid overdoses, largely due to heroin, and then this 15-year increase in overdose deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers. Those drugs, like oxycodone and hydrocodone, or brand names like OxyContin and Vicodin, account for more than 16,000 fatal overdoses each year. The CDC says they’re comfortable using the term “epidemic” to describe the crisis.</p>
<p>Pharmaceutical companies say they lament the addiction and fatality problems tied to their products, but they also seem determined to resist efforts to address them, suggesting to do so would have to mean taking away relief from people in pain. It’s a medical story, certainly, but it’s also one that calls for following the money, and that’s what our guest does. Lee Fang is an investigative journalist whose work appears on The Intercept, among other places. He joins us now by phone from San Francisco. Welcome back to CounterSpin, Lee Fang.</p>
<p>Lee Fang: Hey, thank you so much for having me.</p>
<p>JJ: Let’s talk a little about how we got here, to an opioid crisis. Any time a powerful drug exists, there’s an opportunity for abuse, of course. But this isn’t just a tragic tale of unintended consequence; there are some factors, aren’t there, in how these particular drugs were introduced?</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />LF: Right. For some of the bigger, well-known opioids, like OxyContin, manufactured by Purdue Pharma, these drugs were kind of rushed to market. There’s <a href="http://static.latimes.com/oxycontin-part1/" type="external">evidence to suggest</a> that early warning signs that showed how truly addictive OxyContin is were ignored in the approval process, and that the company did not really present evidence showing how dangerous and how likely patients were to overdose on OxyContin through their approval process.</p>
<p>But the larger story of how we got to where we are today, where there’s an epidemic that you referenced, not just from prescription opioids, but the recent surge in heroin use and heroin overdoses is also linked to the prescription opioid industry. Four out of five heroin users got started on opioid painkillers, many of those folks receiving those drugs just being prescribed by their doctors. And in America alone, about 81 percent of the global supply of oxycodone products, and almost 100 percent of hydrocodone products, such as Vicodin, are used by Americans. So this is a uniquely American crisis.</p>
<p>But to understand where we got to where we are today, it’s really a marketing strategy that’s been employed over the last 20, 25 years, in which these pharmaceutical companies have pressured doctors, suppressed evidence, and they’ve coordinated a massive network of different foundations and medical societies to promote more use of these drugs for all kinds of different purposes, everything from minor tooth pain to minor back pain. There’s clear evidence that the pharmaceutical companies are part and parcel of the recent surge we see in opioid use.</p>
<p>JJ: I want to just draw on one point that you just made. As you note, Americans are 5 percent of the world’s population, but we consume virtually all of the hydrocodone products like Vicodin and huge percentages of the oxycodone. And so you kind of have to ask, have other countries just not embraced the miracle? You know? They don’t understand that this is a better mousetrap? Or maybe it comes down to marketing.</p>
<p>And that brings us back to a company like Purdue Pharma, that produced OxyContin for many years. You talk about downplaying risks of addiction. I understand that they were telling their sales representatives to tell doctors that the risk of addiction was <a href="http://theweek.com/articles/541564/how-american-opiate-epidemic-started-by-pharmaceutical-company" type="external">less than 1 percent</a>, and it seems as though there was a gap between what they knew internally and what they were putting out to the public. And, of course, that’s what’s so troubling to us on this, is to know that a company can know something and yet regulators don’t know it, and so of course the public doesn’t know it.</p>
<p>LF: Yeah, that’s right. You know, this story is very similar to how, for example, tobacco companies use a vast political network and marketing strategy to push their product despite overwhelming signs showing the health concerns of their product. Or the oil industry using very sophisticated political strategies to suppress science.</p>
<p>So for Purdue Pharma, they took a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622774/" type="external">multi-pronged approach</a>. In addition to the typical pharmaceutical strategies—aggressively bringing on sales reps to push doctors, to persuade them with different types of financial and other incentives to prescribe OxyContin and other opioids—there was also a more public-facing strategy, where Purdue Pharma created a national network of different pain foundations. So these pain foundations would create marketing tools that would bring in people suffering from certain types of pain, from pain doctors and specialists, and pressure them to use opioids as the main type of recourse.</p>
<p>JJ: Right.</p>
<p>LF: So between 1996 and 2002, Purdue Pharma funded more than 20,000 pain-related education programs, almost ten a day, seven days a week. During that time, Purdue conducted more than 40 national pain-management training conferences, in vacation spots like Boca Raton and Scottsdale, paying for more than 5,000 physicians to attend. And they also helped create and fund specialty centers, academies for pain sciences, that would take doctors and give them all types of materials, and prescribing guidelines to encourage the use of OxyContin and other opioids.</p>
<p>And for certain areas of the country, they even created specialized regional pain foundations that would market the drug. So the Appalachian Pain Foundation, based in West Virginia, they were well-funded by Purdue Pharma, and they’d arrange meetings between doctors and local reporters.</p>
<p>There’s also evidence to suggest that Purdue Pharma and other pain companies would coordinate grassroots networks of pain patients. So when reporters would write stories saying there’s this growing opioid epidemic, there are these problems with addiction, they would coordinate to send angry emails to reporters and claim that they were being stigmatized unfairly, to push back against reporters and editors who were starting to peek around and look at this type of dynamic.</p>
<p>JJ: Right. And, of course, the reason that that would have resonance is that there was a moment in which it was understood that pain was undertreated. And there are people who have severe pain and who want it to be taken seriously, and none of this is to undermine the situation that those people face.</p>
<p>But that’s why that kind of narrative, that claims to harness a grassroots voice or a voice of patients, particularly patients in pain, can be very persuasive. And yet you get another aspect of the story from the fact that Purdue, for example, the makers of OxyContin, they’re saying that they’re patient advocates, but when patients get together, like some in Ohio did, to have a class action to say that they’d become addicted to OxyContin, well, then Purdue wants to block that.</p>
<p>LF: Right. But like for any grassroots lobbying campaign, they seized on a legitimate grievance, and that’s the undertreatment of some pain conditions. And they layered on some untrue claims, such as these guidelines and these marketing materials that claimed that opioids were not addictive, or were not at high risk of addiction, and they organized individuals and these kind of very PR-savvy foundations to push this false claim.</p>
<p>CDC headquarters, Druid Hills, Georgia (cc photo: nrbelex/Wikimedia)</p>
<p>JJ: Well, let’s talk about what’s going on now. Because in response to what even media are calling attention to as an alarming crisis going on, in terms of an explosion of abuse and of overdoses from opioids, the CDC said that they were going to put forward these non-binding guidelines to do with their prescription. And what happened then? The documents were leaked, essentially, and what happened?</p>
<p>LF: Yeah, so last year, as the CDC took up guidelines that, as you mentioned, are voluntary but provide a government-endorsed idea of maybe best practices, as they were working on these guidelines to maybe discourage the high rates of opioid prescribing, a copy of the guidelines were leaked, and we really saw the political machine of the opioid companies move into high gear. We saw a number of pharma-funded groups immediately attack the CDC. So there’s evidence to suggest that members of Congress, working at some level in conjunction with pharma companies, threatened the CDC with an investigation, saying that this was unfair, that they were not having the right, open process.</p>
<p>Another group, called the Washington Legal Foundation, which, speaking of tobacco, they were very famous during the ‘90s in taking tobacco money and then filing lawsuits against places that were attempting to regulate tobacco, acting kind of as a neutral-sounding front. I mean, “Washington Legal Foundation” is kind of benign-sounding. Anyways, Washington Legal Foundation is funded by Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, and they threatened the CDC with legal action over the guidelines.</p>
<p>And <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/765439c771b649a7b6940fda87595735/effort-curb-painkiller-prescribing-faces-stiff-opposition" type="external">according</a> to the Associated Press, a group called the Pain Care Forum, another one of these pharma-funded fronts for the opioid industry, organized regular meetings in Washington among lobbyists and other painkiller advocacy groups to start pressuring policymakers, pressuring the people at the CDC, to, if not back away from these guidelines, to water them down. So we know from a lawsuit filed by the city of Chicago that the top lobbyist for Purdue Pharma actually controlled the Pain Care Forum, and the company of course also funds Pain Care Forum. So it’s the same constellation of groups that has existed for a very long time now, kicking into political gear attacking the CDC.</p>
<p>And after the CDC released a preliminary version of these guidelines, I believe last December, they received even more criticism, both from Capitol Hill, from some allies of the pharmaceutical industry, and from these political groups and these foundations, financed and controlled by pharmaceutical companies.</p>
<p>And after an open comment period, finally the CDC handed down its guidelines in March of this year, and the guidelines basically say, for most types of routine pain-related health issues, doctors should not prescribe high dosages of opioids as the first choice. I mean, anything from ibuprofen to other kinds of pain-care management therapies should be tried first, and then, if those don’t work out, the high-dosage opioids might be acceptable. And, again, these are voluntary guidelines.</p>
<p>JJ: And after the guidelines came out, has there not been pushback since, that we’re now going to revisit it and go back and bring more, quote unquote, “stakeholders” to the table? I thought that that sort of reopening had been achieved, in a way, by the industry side.</p>
<p>LF: Yeah, and that’s the kind of interesting dynamic here. So we did a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/05/31/congress-boosts-rehab-but-gives-opioid-pushers-a-pass/" type="external">story</a> recently, again on the guidelines. And, you know, as we go into midterm elections, we just kind of, by circumstance of the Senate election map, we have a lot of senators from the Northeast, which is a region that’s been heavily hit by the opioid and heroin epidemic, up for reelection this year. So these legislators, from places like New Hampshire and Pennsylvania and Ohio, are adamant about taking something to voters saying that they’ve dealt with the opioid crisis, they’ve been leaders in passing big legislation, fixing the problem. And the administration, the Obama administration, is also eager to say that they’ve done something big.</p>
<p>But the big package coming out of Capitol Hill in just the last few weeks, that supposedly addresses the opioid crisis, mostly provides some money and incentives for drug treatment of addiction, and for increasing the supply for first responders with Narcan, which is an overdose drug that helps revive someone who’s in overdose on an opioid. And these are positive developments.</p>
<p>But as we pointed out in our piece recently, the legislation does nothing to crack down on pharmaceutical companies to try to limit the overprescribing of opioids. And, in fact, might actually be a step backwards, because there is the provision in the bill that sets a new task force, which will have industry and other stakeholders in the process, to review the CDC guidelines. So there’s a potential in the future that the industry might have a second shot at going after the CDC guidelines that they’ve been so concerned about.</p>
<p>JJ: It’s very interesting that the response is to put more of industry representation on the decision-making body. If I could just pull out to a bigger picture view, it sounds as though what we’re saying is, you can’t have a government panel on climate change without the oil industry, because that’s their thing, you know. There’s something funny about this philosophy that says that you can’t have a panel about change, it’s not legitimate, unless it’s like 50 percent ardent, invested advocates for the status quo. You know? As though you’re not legitimate to be in the room discussing something unless you make money off it. It seems a very kind of strange attitude for government regulators to take up, frankly.</p>
<p>LF: Yeah, and we’ve seen this strategy employed recently on a whole number of issues where there’s a lot of public support. You know, the public is demanding some type of government response to the opioid crisis. And if you look at how lobbyists are attacking other popular issues, you know, payday lending is another one: Republicans on Capitol Hill have given up on trying to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Their claim now, their kind of strategy over the last few years, has been to instead say, these regulations, they need to be formulated with the input of industry. They’ve been trying to add new commissioners and advisors to the board that are representatives from the payday-lending industry and from other financial firms on Wall Street, hoping that by having more of a stake in the process of creating these rules, they can weaken them or make them effectively useless in a procedural way.</p>
<p>So this is a similar strategy that we’re seeing here: Now it seems too difficult to repeal the CDC guidelines, the previous effort by these front groups to derail them through lawsuits, or the threat of lawsuits, that was a failure. So the next phase is, OK, we can’t get rid of the CDC guidelines, how do we create this new body that will oversee them that will have representatives from industry?</p>
<p>Big Pharma has been funding the fight against legalizing marijuana.</p>
<p>JJ: Let me ask you, finally—it’s not really a pivot, because it’s the same issue. If the industry backing didn’t raise questions about the sincerity of the claims of some of these groups and pain foundations and some of the individuals involved here, their claims that they’re really only concerned with people in pain and providing them access to pain relief, well, the role that some of these same folks are playing in the marijuana legalization story would seem to raise questions about that driving interest in pain relief. There is some connection between these two stories, isn’t there?</p>
<p>LF: Yeah, that’s I think the next wave of reporting, and a big policy fight going into the future. We’re seeing a number of studies now suggesting that marijuana can be an effective treatment for some pain management, and in some cases even more effective than powerful prescription opioids. And so we’ve seen Elizabeth Warren and other legislators try to convince government agencies like Medicare and the Veterans Administration to at least allow some patients to seek medical marijuana, and that there should be more studies on this approach.</p>
<p>But interestingly enough, as the opioid industry has attempted to gain influence or buy off the anti-drug and pain-related foundation world, some of the largest anti-drug advocacy groups in America, like the group called CADCA, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America — one of their largest donors is actually Purdue Pharma. And they, notably, even though opioid drug abuse is one of the biggest problems faced in the drug abuse community, mostly sat on the sidelines when it came to the CDC guidelines fight. They kept their mouth closed and did not encourage people to go and promote the guidelines, which really contrasts with their approach to marijuana, where they’ve held rallies and organized grassroots lobbying drives to keep marijuana prohibition, and to continue the criminalization of marijuana.</p>
<p>JJ: It seems there’s just no substitute for following the money. I’d like to thank you very much for connecting those dots for us, Lee Fang. We’ve been speaking with Lee Fang. You can find his work on this and other issues online at <a href="https://theintercept.com/" type="external">TheIntercept.com</a>.</p>
<p>LF: Thank you so much, Janine.</p>
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<p>******</p> | true | 4 | janine jackson interviewed lee fang industrys role opioid crisis the160 june 10 2016 episode counterspin lightly edited transcript 160 lee fang theyve coordinated massive network different foundations medical societies promote use drugs kinds different purposes image david feldman show 160 janine jackson 2014 class drugs known opioids involved 28000 deaths 61 percent drug overdose deaths according centers disease control rate opioid overdoses tripled since year 2000 recent data show two different related trends increase socalled illicit opioid overdoses largely due heroin 15year increase overdose deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers drugs like oxycodone hydrocodone brand names like oxycontin vicodin account 16000 fatal overdoses year cdc says theyre comfortable using term epidemic describe crisis pharmaceutical companies say lament addiction fatality problems tied products also seem determined resist efforts address suggesting would mean taking away relief people pain medical story certainly also one calls following money thats guest lee fang investigative journalist whose work appears intercept among places joins us phone san francisco welcome back counterspin lee fang lee fang hey thank much jj lets talk little got opioid crisis time powerful drug exists theres opportunity abuse course isnt tragic tale unintended consequence factors arent particular drugs introduced lf right bigger wellknown opioids like oxycontin manufactured purdue pharma drugs kind rushed market theres evidence suggest early warning signs showed truly addictive oxycontin ignored approval process company really present evidence showing dangerous likely patients overdose oxycontin approval process larger story got today theres epidemic referenced prescription opioids recent surge heroin use heroin overdoses also linked prescription opioid industry four five heroin users got started opioid painkillers many folks receiving drugs prescribed doctors america alone 81 percent global supply oxycodone products almost 100 percent hydrocodone products vicodin used americans uniquely american crisis understand got today really marketing strategy thats employed last 20 25 years pharmaceutical companies pressured doctors suppressed evidence theyve coordinated massive network different foundations medical societies promote use drugs kinds different purposes everything minor tooth pain minor back pain theres clear evidence pharmaceutical companies part parcel recent surge see opioid use jj want draw one point made note americans 5 percent worlds population consume virtually hydrocodone products like vicodin huge percentages oxycodone kind ask countries embraced miracle know dont understand better mousetrap maybe comes marketing brings us back company like purdue pharma produced oxycontin many years talk downplaying risks addiction understand telling sales representatives tell doctors risk addiction less 1 percent seems though gap knew internally putting public course thats whats troubling us know company know something yet regulators dont know course public doesnt know lf yeah thats right know story similar example tobacco companies use vast political network marketing strategy push product despite overwhelming signs showing health concerns product oil industry using sophisticated political strategies suppress science purdue pharma took multipronged approach addition typical pharmaceutical strategiesaggressively bringing sales reps push doctors persuade different types financial incentives prescribe oxycontin opioidsthere also publicfacing strategy purdue pharma created national network different pain foundations pain foundations would create marketing tools would bring people suffering certain types pain pain doctors specialists pressure use opioids main type recourse jj right lf 1996 2002 purdue pharma funded 20000 painrelated education programs almost ten day seven days week time purdue conducted 40 national painmanagement training conferences vacation spots like boca raton scottsdale paying 5000 physicians attend also helped create fund specialty centers academies pain sciences would take doctors give types materials prescribing guidelines encourage use oxycontin opioids certain areas country even created specialized regional pain foundations would market drug appalachian pain foundation based west virginia wellfunded purdue pharma theyd arrange meetings doctors local reporters theres also evidence suggest purdue pharma pain companies would coordinate grassroots networks pain patients reporters would write stories saying theres growing opioid epidemic problems addiction would coordinate send angry emails reporters claim stigmatized unfairly push back reporters editors starting peek around look type dynamic jj right course reason would resonance moment understood pain undertreated people severe pain want taken seriously none undermine situation people face thats kind narrative claims harness grassroots voice voice patients particularly patients pain persuasive yet get another aspect story fact purdue example makers oxycontin theyre saying theyre patient advocates patients get together like ohio class action say theyd become addicted oxycontin well purdue wants block lf right like grassroots lobbying campaign seized legitimate grievance thats undertreatment pain conditions layered untrue claims guidelines marketing materials claimed opioids addictive high risk addiction organized individuals kind prsavvy foundations push false claim cdc headquarters druid hills georgia cc photo nrbelexwikimedia jj well lets talk whats going response even media calling attention alarming crisis going terms explosion abuse overdoses opioids cdc said going put forward nonbinding guidelines prescription happened documents leaked essentially happened lf yeah last year cdc took guidelines mentioned voluntary provide governmentendorsed idea maybe best practices working guidelines maybe discourage high rates opioid prescribing copy guidelines leaked really saw political machine opioid companies move high gear saw number pharmafunded groups immediately attack cdc theres evidence suggest members congress working level conjunction pharma companies threatened cdc investigation saying unfair right open process another group called washington legal foundation speaking tobacco famous 90s taking tobacco money filing lawsuits places attempting regulate tobacco acting kind neutralsounding front mean washington legal foundation kind benignsounding anyways washington legal foundation funded purdue pharma makers oxycontin threatened cdc legal action guidelines according associated press group called pain care forum another one pharmafunded fronts opioid industry organized regular meetings washington among lobbyists painkiller advocacy groups start pressuring policymakers pressuring people cdc back away guidelines water know lawsuit filed city chicago top lobbyist purdue pharma actually controlled pain care forum company course also funds pain care forum constellation groups existed long time kicking political gear attacking cdc cdc released preliminary version guidelines believe last december received even criticism capitol hill allies pharmaceutical industry political groups foundations financed controlled pharmaceutical companies open comment period finally cdc handed guidelines march year guidelines basically say types routine painrelated health issues doctors prescribe high dosages opioids first choice mean anything ibuprofen kinds paincare management therapies tried first dont work highdosage opioids might acceptable voluntary guidelines jj guidelines came pushback since going revisit go back bring quote unquote stakeholders table thought sort reopening achieved way industry side lf yeah thats kind interesting dynamic story recently guidelines know go midterm elections kind circumstance senate election map lot senators northeast region thats heavily hit opioid heroin epidemic reelection year legislators places like new hampshire pennsylvania ohio adamant taking something voters saying theyve dealt opioid crisis theyve leaders passing big legislation fixing problem administration obama administration also eager say theyve done something big big package coming capitol hill last weeks supposedly addresses opioid crisis mostly provides money incentives drug treatment addiction increasing supply first responders narcan overdose drug helps revive someone whos overdose opioid positive developments pointed piece recently legislation nothing crack pharmaceutical companies try limit overprescribing opioids fact might actually step backwards provision bill sets new task force industry stakeholders process review cdc guidelines theres potential future industry might second shot going cdc guidelines theyve concerned jj interesting response put industry representation decisionmaking body could pull bigger picture view sounds though saying cant government panel climate change without oil industry thats thing know theres something funny philosophy says cant panel change legitimate unless like 50 percent ardent invested advocates status quo know though youre legitimate room discussing something unless make money seems kind strange attitude government regulators take frankly lf yeah weve seen strategy employed recently whole number issues theres lot public support know public demanding type government response opioid crisis look lobbyists attacking popular issues know payday lending another one republicans capitol hill given trying repeal consumer financial protection bureau claim kind strategy last years instead say regulations need formulated input industry theyve trying add new commissioners advisors board representatives paydaylending industry financial firms wall street hoping stake process creating rules weaken make effectively useless procedural way similar strategy seeing seems difficult repeal cdc guidelines previous effort front groups derail lawsuits threat lawsuits failure next phase ok cant get rid cdc guidelines create new body oversee representatives industry big pharma funding fight legalizing marijuana jj let ask finallyits really pivot issue industry backing didnt raise questions sincerity claims groups pain foundations individuals involved claims theyre really concerned people pain providing access pain relief well role folks playing marijuana legalization story would seem raise questions driving interest pain relief connection two stories isnt lf yeah thats think next wave reporting big policy fight going future seeing number studies suggesting marijuana effective treatment pain management cases even effective powerful prescription opioids weve seen elizabeth warren legislators try convince government agencies like medicare veterans administration least allow patients seek medical marijuana studies approach interestingly enough opioid industry attempted gain influence buy antidrug painrelated foundation world largest antidrug advocacy groups america like group called cadca community antidrug coalitions america one largest donors actually purdue pharma notably even though opioid drug abuse one biggest problems faced drug abuse community mostly sat sidelines came cdc guidelines fight kept mouth closed encourage people go promote guidelines really contrasts approach marijuana theyve held rallies organized grassroots lobbying drives keep marijuana prohibition continue criminalization marijuana jj seems theres substitute following money id like thank much connecting dots us lee fang weve speaking lee fang find work issues online theinterceptcom lf thank much janine 160 | 1,546 |
<p>Below are references to Afghanistan in Colin Powell’s (with Joseph Persico), autobiography, <a href="" type="internal">My American Journey</a>, 1995. I’ve also appended a discussion of Powell &amp; Afghanistan from Howard Means; bio, <a href="" type="internal">Colin Powell: Soldier/Statesman-Statesman/Soldier</a>, 1992. It clarifies material in Powell’s opus.</p>
<p>Some quotes are in context, to give readers a feel for where Afghanistan fit into his thinking at the time of the crucial US involvement with fundamentalism, 1979-89, when purblind patronage converted an ideology identified throughout Islam with backwardness, intellectually &amp; militarily, into a triumphalist movement, capable of forcing the Soviets out of their country. Bin Laden &amp; the Taliban are the “blowback,” the CIA’s own term for unforeseen negative consequences from its crimes.</p>
<p>Now that Bush &amp; Powell have hit Kabul, it is helpful to know something of how Washington thinks. As crusader George W doesn’t think better than he speaks. Powell is the key player, with military professionalism and diplomatic position. Therefore I have also included his references to Karl von Clausewitz, as these give some understanding as to how he sees war, in light of the Prussian genius’ justly celebrated dictum, “war is the continuation of politics by other means.”</p>
<p>If you haven’t read Clausewitz’s book, On War, do so, ASAP. When Powell says it’s “like a beam of light from the past, still illuminating present-day military quandaries,” he’s on target. Powell refers to the presentation of Clausewitz’s theories, before the cavalry-era examples. If memory serves re a book read decades ago, that’s ca 140 pp. Hardly much of a read for a War &amp; Politics for Dummies praised by both Powell and Karl Marx.</p>
<p>Powell’s political limitations emerge in his seeing Afghanistan as a logistic Problem. While he, the civilian Defense Secretary’s military guy, fought the important war, within Congress (re: militarily budget priorities against the Soviets, worldwide), clearly, he hadn’t a clue as to what government should replace the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul.</p>
<p>However, Clausewitz sees war as coming out of politics. An alternate reading of Clausewitz to Powell’s stunted interpretation would have the German saying that if the US, in 1979, didn’t have a viable Afghan government on board to replace the Stalinist Kabul regime, militarily forcing the Soviets to withdraw couldn’t produce political victory in Afghanistan, regardless of the subsequent political disintegration of the USSR. In other words, the US fought two political wars in one military conflict. It beat the Soviets. But it was destined to lose in Afghanistan, unknowingly, to its own creation.</p>
<p>The best analogy to the US/bin Laden relationship is that between the German capitalists and Hitler in 1933. They were backing a kick-ass anti-Marxist. Killing Jews never entered most of their heads. But disaster is what you get if you play around with militarist fanatics. The Democrats and Republicans nurtured snakes at their bosom. Now we all got bitten.</p>
<p>The US beat that day’s economically declining foe by tooling up today’s military enemy. It gave fundamentalism unrestrained leave to take the country, destroy what progress, particularly re women’s rights, the USSR defended, however well and badly, and establish an Islamic equivalent of a Crusader or Zionist state, a sovereign entity from which to expand, as triumphant fanaticism always tries to.</p>
<p>Today Bush &amp; Powell, with the support of the Democrats, militarily war on their own creation. But, given their obviously disastrous Afghan record, who can have any confidence that they will have any lasting political success? What will they do with the country if they take it and/or kill bin Laden? What will be their relationship thereafter with the Muslims of the world, 19.3% of the planet?</p>
<p>Note well: The key players in the present drama are Powell, the American people and the world Muslim public. As Powell’s a military pro, he read the required text, even if he misunderstands it. If we are to beat him at his game, we must be more professional. That means this antiwar movement must read off the same page from Clausewitz that he does, but better than he does.</p>
<p>Excerpts</p>
<p>Colin Powell (with Joseph Persico), <a href="" type="internal">My American Journey</a>, 1995. p 250:</p>
<p>“I had supported Jimmy Carter in 1976. This time I could not…. [O]n the whole, the vibrations coming out of the Carter White House were not comforting to the military profession…. [Then] Carter withdrew the meat cleaver and started to build up the country’s defenses, but it was too late. By then, the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had made his administration look naive in its expectations of a harmonious era of East-West relations in which we could drop our guard…. That November 1980, I checked my absentee ballot for Ronald Reagan.”</p>
<p>pp 296-7:</p>
<p>“As one committee chairman put it to me, no matter how high-flown the debate, at the end of the day, he had to have one vote more than 50 percent, or no budget passed. And what swung votes was what some people called pork and others called national defense. I soon understood the difference. Pork was national defense spending in another member’s district.”</p>
<p>“It was not easy to stand up to members of congress, since we needed their votes. But the line had to be drawn somewhere. Once, while serving as Weinberger’s military assistant, I got a call from Congressman Charles Wilson of Texas. Charlie Wilson was a defense stalwart and a particular rainmaker in winning aid for the mujahedin who were fighting the communist regime and Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Charlie had earlier called our Legislative Affairs Office to arrange military transportation for a trip to the region. He wanted to bring along his girlfriend. He had, quite correctly, been turned down. He then called me. He complained about nitpicking bureaucrats, and I knew I would straighten them out. I was well aware that Wilson was a vote we counted on, and I took a deep breath before answering. “Charlie,” I said, “that’s unauthorized use of government aircraft. The Secretary cannot approve it.”</p>
<p>“The girlfriend episode marked my first serious run-in with a member of Congress, and I came away with this conclusion. You can afford adversaries, but not enemies. Today’s adversary may be tomorrow’s ally. I managed to remain friends with Charlie and to accommodate his substantive requests. And we continued to get his vote on key issues.”</p>
<p>pp 338-9</p>
<p>“The next big question was what to do about the contras, who were still fighting the Marxist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The backdoor aid to the contras that Ollie north had arranged to get around a congressional ban had created the messiest part of the Iran-contra affair. But that fact did not detract from the justice of the contra cause. How to deal with the contras, however, produced a fault line that split the administration right down the middle, even among those who supported them. George Sultan at State saw the contras as useful for keeping pressure on the Sandinistas to come to the bargaining table, where we hoped to persuade them to democratize their country and stop exporting communism. Cap Weinberger saw the contras in a romantic vein, like the mujahedin fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. To him, these Nicaraguans were freedom fighters deserving our full support in a serious bid to throw off the Marxist yoke in Managua.”</p>
<p>pp 340-1:</p>
<p>“Overarching all other concerns was our relationship with the Soviet Union. Our defense strategy and budget were almost wholly a reflection of Soviet capabilities and intentions as we read them…. Our choosing sides in conflicts around the world was almost always decided on the basis of East-West competition. The new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, however, was turning the old Cold War formulas on their head. Gorbachev appeared to be more intent on solving the Soviet Union’s internal failings than in embarking on fruitless adventures from Angola to Afghanistan…. Only by reducing East-West tensions could he cut the Soviet Union’s voracious defense spending and turn the country’s resources to crying civilian needs…. Ronald Reagan was operating from a position of political and military strength.”</p>
<p>“It was now time for substance over ceremony. Gorbachev still wanted to derail SDI, and he wanted to make a pitch for economic aid for his country. We wanted the Soviets out of Afghanistan and wanted Jews to be free to leave the Soviet Union. I had arranged for the principals…to meet in the Oval Office at 2:30 PM. But the State Department wanted so many people included…that, at the last minute, George Shultz asked to move to the much larger Cabinet Room. My antennae started quivering. Sudden changes threw Ronald Reagan off his form. Unwisely, I yielded to Shultz.”</p>
<p>p 377:</p>
<p>“We were going to Moscow with high hopes. On May 15, the Soviets had started to pull their troops out of Afghanistan. And during this summit, we expected to complete the nuclear arms reduction breakthrough…. We expected approval, but not without a fight from conservatives, Republican and Democrat. The treaty was bitter for these people to swallow because we would have to give up some weapons and because a residue of distrust of the Soviet Union persisted.”</p>
<p>p 481:</p>
<p>“He was most moved, however, at our last stop…the Vietnam Veterans Memorial…. Moiseyev was quiet as we trooped along the wall. At the end he said, ‘We need to do more. We don’t remember enough.'”</p>
<p>“I knew he was not speaking of World War II, which is commemorated in practically every Russian village. He was thinking of the Soviet Union’s own Vietnam, Afghanistan, which had cost over 13,000 lives and which his government blotted from public awareness as though it had never happened, leaving only the families of the dead to grieve. The visit to the wall brought us together as brothers in the profession of arms, no matter what flag we served, ‘content to fill a soldier’s grave,’ as the old poem goes.”</p>
<p>p 207:</p>
<p>“That wise Prussian Karl von Clausewitz was an awakening for me. His ‘On War’… was like a beam of light from the past, still illuminating present-day military quandaries. ‘No one starts a war, or rather no one in his senses should do so,’ Clausewitz wrote, ‘without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to achieve it.’ Mistake number one in Vietnam. Which lead to Clausewitz’s rule number two. Political leaders must set a war’s objectives, while armies achieve them. In Vietnam, one seemed to be looking to the other for the answers that never came. Finally, the people must support a war. Since they supply the treasure and the sons, and today the daughters too, they must be convinced that the sacrifice is justified. That essential pillar had crumbled as the Vietnam War ground on. Clausewitz’s greatest lesson for my profession was that the soldier, for all his patriotism, valor, and skill, forms just one leg in a triad. Without all three legs engaged, the military, the government, and the people, the enterprise cannot stand.”</p>
<p>p 303:</p>
<p>“Weinberger addressed the national Press Club on November 28. I went with him to hear him describe the tests he recommended ‘When we are weighing the use of US combat forces abroad. (1) Commit only if our or our allies’ vital interests are at stake. (2) If we commit, do so with all the resources necessary to win. (3) Go in only with clear political and military objectives. (4) Be ready to change the commitment if the objectives change, since wars rarely stand still. (5) Only take on commitments that can gain the support of the American people and the Congress. (6) Commit US forces only as a last resort.’</p>
<p>“In short, is the national interest at stake? If the answer is yes, go in, and go in to win. Otherwise, stay out. Clausewitz would have applauded.”</p>
<p>p 419:</p>
<p>“I consoled myself with the words of Clausewitz: ‘The vividness of transient impressions must not make us forget that such truth they maintain is of a lesser stamp.'”</p>
<p>p. 444:</p>
<p>“The night the coup ended, I left the Pentagon feeling good. I had applied Clausewitz’s teachings, or Weinberger’s Maxim No. 3, and my own rule in forming military advice: take no action until you have a clear objective. We had applied restrained, proportionate, calibrated force, linked to a specific goal. And it had worked.”</p>
<p>Howard Means, <a href="" type="internal">Colin Powell: Soldier/Statesman-Statesman/Soldier</a></p>
<p>pp 208-10:</p>
<p>“Perhaps the most compelling testimony to Powell’s capacity as an honest broker comes from someone who might be construed as a hostile witness. Michael Pillsbury was Assistant Under-Secretary of Defense…until 1986, when he was fired for allegedly leaking classified information regarding the US effort to supply Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to rebel forces in both Afghanistan and Angola.”</p>
<p>“Pillsbury says…. ‘[I]f Colin Powell wasn’t present there wouldn’t be any follow-up…. He was very well known for his skills as a referee.'”</p>
<p>“In the particular instance of supplying Stinger missiles to the Afghan rebels, it was Powell’s own Army that was most opposed, Pillsbury goes on. ‘The Stingers were being taken from the Army; that was one of the biggest obstacles we faced. The Army was extremely bitter and opposed. It fell to Colin at several points to adjudicate…. [T]he Joint Chiefs had raised two big points. One was that there were only a few thousand Stingers then in existence, and they felt we should have Stingers before we gave them to foreigners…. The second big issue was that if the Stingers should fall in the hands of the Soviets in Afghanistan, they could study the technology and make copies and would be able to shoot down American fighters in Europe in a World War Three and we would lose World War Three.'”</p>
<p>“Under our system the Joint Chiefs are not permitted to know what the CIA (to whom the missiles were to be provided for shipment to Afghanistan) is doing.”</p>
<p>“‘On the Hill we all thought the uniformed military officers were hawks,’ Pillsbury says, ‘and nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of left-liberals wear uniforms with four stars on their shoulders. Colin had heard Reagan talk for years about the Afghan rebels and their suffering. If he was a hawk he would have just said, Mr. Secretary, I think you should just sign here (approving the Stingers for the rebels). A dove with guile would have killed it without telling us why. Here’s a case study of Powell’s style: he’s not a hawk; he’s not a dove; he’s an owl, in between.”</p> | true | 4 | references afghanistan colin powells joseph persico autobiography american journey 1995 ive also appended discussion powell amp afghanistan howard means bio colin powell soldierstatesmanstatesmansoldier 1992 clarifies material powells opus quotes context give readers feel afghanistan fit thinking time crucial us involvement fundamentalism 197989 purblind patronage converted ideology identified throughout islam backwardness intellectually amp militarily triumphalist movement capable forcing soviets country bin laden amp taliban blowback cias term unforeseen negative consequences crimes bush amp powell hit kabul helpful know something washington thinks crusader george w doesnt think better speaks powell key player military professionalism diplomatic position therefore also included references karl von clausewitz give understanding sees war light prussian genius justly celebrated dictum war continuation politics means havent read clausewitzs book war asap powell says like beam light past still illuminating presentday military quandaries hes target powell refers presentation clausewitzs theories cavalryera examples memory serves book read decades ago thats ca 140 pp hardly much read war amp politics dummies praised powell karl marx powells political limitations emerge seeing afghanistan logistic problem civilian defense secretarys military guy fought important war within congress militarily budget priorities soviets worldwide clearly hadnt clue government replace sovietbacked regime kabul however clausewitz sees war coming politics alternate reading clausewitz powells stunted interpretation would german saying us 1979 didnt viable afghan government board replace stalinist kabul regime militarily forcing soviets withdraw couldnt produce political victory afghanistan regardless subsequent political disintegration ussr words us fought two political wars one military conflict beat soviets destined lose afghanistan unknowingly creation best analogy usbin laden relationship german capitalists hitler 1933 backing kickass antimarxist killing jews never entered heads disaster get play around militarist fanatics democrats republicans nurtured snakes bosom got bitten us beat days economically declining foe tooling todays military enemy gave fundamentalism unrestrained leave take country destroy progress particularly womens rights ussr defended however well badly establish islamic equivalent crusader zionist state sovereign entity expand triumphant fanaticism always tries today bush amp powell support democrats militarily war creation given obviously disastrous afghan record confidence lasting political success country take andor kill bin laden relationship thereafter muslims world 193 planet note well key players present drama powell american people world muslim public powells military pro read required text even misunderstands beat game must professional means antiwar movement must read page clausewitz better excerpts colin powell joseph persico american journey 1995 p 250 supported jimmy carter 1976 time could whole vibrations coming carter white house comforting military profession carter withdrew meat cleaver started build countrys defenses late december 1979 soviet invasion afghanistan made administration look naive expectations harmonious era eastwest relations could drop guard november 1980 checked absentee ballot ronald reagan pp 2967 one committee chairman put matter highflown debate end day one vote 50 percent budget passed swung votes people called pork others called national defense soon understood difference pork national defense spending another members district easy stand members congress since needed votes line drawn somewhere serving weinbergers military assistant got call congressman charles wilson texas charlie wilson defense stalwart particular rainmaker winning aid mujahedin fighting communist regime soviet forces afghanistan charlie earlier called legislative affairs office arrange military transportation trip region wanted bring along girlfriend quite correctly turned called complained nitpicking bureaucrats knew would straighten well aware wilson vote counted took deep breath answering charlie said thats unauthorized use government aircraft secretary approve girlfriend episode marked first serious runin member congress came away conclusion afford adversaries enemies todays adversary may tomorrows ally managed remain friends charlie accommodate substantive requests continued get vote key issues pp 3389 next big question contras still fighting marxist sandinista government nicaragua backdoor aid contras ollie north arranged get around congressional ban created messiest part irancontra affair fact detract justice contra cause deal contras however produced fault line split administration right middle even among supported george sultan state saw contras useful keeping pressure sandinistas come bargaining table hoped persuade democratize country stop exporting communism cap weinberger saw contras romantic vein like mujahedin fighting soviets afghanistan nicaraguans freedom fighters deserving full support serious bid throw marxist yoke managua pp 3401 overarching concerns relationship soviet union defense strategy budget almost wholly reflection soviet capabilities intentions read choosing sides conflicts around world almost always decided basis eastwest competition new soviet leader mikhail gorbachev however turning old cold war formulas head gorbachev appeared intent solving soviet unions internal failings embarking fruitless adventures angola afghanistan reducing eastwest tensions could cut soviet unions voracious defense spending turn countrys resources crying civilian needs ronald reagan operating position political military strength time substance ceremony gorbachev still wanted derail sdi wanted make pitch economic aid country wanted soviets afghanistan wanted jews free leave soviet union arranged principalsto meet oval office 230 pm state department wanted many people includedthat last minute george shultz asked move much larger cabinet room antennae started quivering sudden changes threw ronald reagan form unwisely yielded shultz p 377 going moscow high hopes may 15 soviets started pull troops afghanistan summit expected complete nuclear arms reduction breakthrough expected approval without fight conservatives republican democrat treaty bitter people swallow would give weapons residue distrust soviet union persisted p 481 moved however last stopthe vietnam veterans memorial moiseyev quiet trooped along wall end said need dont remember enough knew speaking world war ii commemorated practically every russian village thinking soviet unions vietnam afghanistan cost 13000 lives government blotted public awareness though never happened leaving families dead grieve visit wall brought us together brothers profession arms matter flag served content fill soldiers grave old poem goes p 207 wise prussian karl von clausewitz awakening war like beam light past still illuminating presentday military quandaries one starts war rather one senses clausewitz wrote without first clear mind intends achieve war intends achieve mistake number one vietnam lead clausewitzs rule number two political leaders must set wars objectives armies achieve vietnam one seemed looking answers never came finally people must support war since supply treasure sons today daughters must convinced sacrifice justified essential pillar crumbled vietnam war ground clausewitzs greatest lesson profession soldier patriotism valor skill forms one leg triad without three legs engaged military government people enterprise stand p 303 weinberger addressed national press club november 28 went hear describe tests recommended weighing use us combat forces abroad 1 commit allies vital interests stake 2 commit resources necessary win 3 go clear political military objectives 4 ready change commitment objectives change since wars rarely stand still 5 take commitments gain support american people congress 6 commit us forces last resort short national interest stake answer yes go go win otherwise stay clausewitz would applauded p 419 consoled words clausewitz vividness transient impressions must make us forget truth maintain lesser stamp p 444 night coup ended left pentagon feeling good applied clausewitzs teachings weinbergers maxim 3 rule forming military advice take action clear objective applied restrained proportionate calibrated force linked specific goal worked howard means colin powell soldierstatesmanstatesmansoldier pp 20810 perhaps compelling testimony powells capacity honest broker comes someone might construed hostile witness michael pillsbury assistant undersecretary defenseuntil 1986 fired allegedly leaking classified information regarding us effort supply stinger antiaircraft missiles rebel forces afghanistan angola pillsbury says colin powell wasnt present wouldnt followup well known skills referee particular instance supplying stinger missiles afghan rebels powells army opposed pillsbury goes stingers taken army one biggest obstacles faced army extremely bitter opposed fell colin several points adjudicate joint chiefs raised two big points one thousand stingers existence felt stingers gave foreigners second big issue stingers fall hands soviets afghanistan could study technology make copies would able shoot american fighters europe world war three would lose world war three system joint chiefs permitted know cia missiles provided shipment afghanistan hill thought uniformed military officers hawks pillsbury says nothing could truth lot leftliberals wear uniforms four stars shoulders colin heard reagan talk years afghan rebels suffering hawk would said mr secretary think sign approving stingers rebels dove guile would killed without telling us heres case study powells style hes hawk hes dove hes owl | 1,322 |
<p>Photo Credit: A.M. Stan</p>
<p>In Congress this week, the GOP attempted to push through the vile <a href="//msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/02/29/blunt-the-blunt-amendment/" type="external">Blunt amendment</a>, which would allow any employer to deny insurance coverage to employees for services deemed immoral. While couched in "religious freedom" terms, this move is a direct attack on women's health, a backlash to the president's birth control mandate and a chance for men to impose their will on women. The amendment failed by three votes in the Senate on Thursday, but not without wasting time, energy and attempting to move the discourse on women's health further into the past.</p>
<p>This time around, the GOP and its allies in the right-wing media aren't even pretending bills like this are pro-women. In fact, if we put all conservative pundits' thoughts on gender from the past month together, we'd see women as truly dismal creatures, oversexed rape-bait dummies who don't understand themselves and their own needs.&#160;</p>
<p>This month, as we've been documenting at AlterNet, any facade of faux-feminism espoused by the right wing has fallen away. Instead, women have been posited, publicly, as everything undeserving under the sun -- from the same old virgin-whore dichotomies to insults far beyond. Even worse, we've been told, public policy should be reflective of this natural inferiority. Hence, the Blunt amendment, the patronizing mandatory ultrasound bills, the push to define a fertilized embryo as a person.</p>
<p>But the verbal assault that has accompanied this ongoing legislative assault may have the unexpected benefit of prompting a backlash due to its outrageousness. Our loose-tongued friends on the right may have done us a favor with some of this bile, exposing the true sentiments that go along with the bills restricting abortion and contraception access.</p>
<p>Here are some of the less noted but equally heinous things said about women in 2012 alone--with video and transcripts where available.</p>
<p>1. "Sex-Crazed Co-Eds..." thus begins the headline on a piece&#160;by right-winger Craig Bannister,&#160; <a href="" type="external">about Sandra Fluke</a>,&#160;the Georgetown student who was denied the ability to testify by Darrell Issa. The hot and bothered Mr. Bannister, by interpreting Fluke's testimony by the price of condoms rather than the hormonal birth control that she actually referred to, uses the word "sex" so many times throughout the piece you'd think it was on his mind. A lot. A small sampling:</p>
<p>"A Georgetown co-ed told Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s hearing that the women in her law school program are having so much sex that they’re going broke, so you and I should pay for their birth control...Apparently, four out of every ten co-eds are having so much sex that it's hard to make ends meet if they have to pay for their own contraception, Fluke's research shows."</p>
<p>As we know, contraception has little to do with how much sex a woman is having, but instead with how protected she is when she has it. Hormonal contraception can be used to regulate menstruation, control pain and acne, and protect against unwanted pregnancy no matter how often and when its user has sex. Unlike condoms, hormonal contraception puts the control for pregnancy prevention in women's hands -- and many couples prefer to combine oral contraceptions with condoms to avoid both STDs and pregnancies.</p>
<p>Rush Limbaugh echoed, and one-upped Bannister&#160; <a href="//mediamatters.org/mmtv/201202290008" type="external">on his show of the 29th, calling Fluke</a>&#160;a "slut" and a "prostitute"&#160;for wanting contraceptive coverage:</p>
<p>What does it say about the college coed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.</p>
<p>She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex. What does that make us? We're the pimps.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>2. "Lavishly contracepted.""By any reasonable standard, we are one of the most lavishly contracepted society in the history of the planet," Rich Lowry <a href="" type="external">wrote earnestly in his New York Post</a>&#160;column.&#160;(h/t to <a href="//www.salon.com/2012/02/21/debunking_the_rights_contraception_myths/" type="external">Irin Carmon</a>). This phrase led to a spate of online jokes about diamond-encrusted IUDs and gold-plated condoms (not to mention birth control pills spiked with designer drugs). But Lowry's words underscore the fallacy that is so common to conservative perspectives on the issue: that legality equals availability. For abortion and contraception, cost is a genuinely prohibitive barrier--as Fluke's testimony shows.</p>
<p>A right is a right in name only if it's not combined with access.</p>
<p>3. "What do you expect from a woman driver?"&#160;You know you're hearing a throwback back to another era when a complaint about those darn women drivers assaults your ears. But king of the misogynists&#160; <a href="" type="external">Rush Limbaugh</a>&#160;(yep, him again) wasn't criticizing race car pro Danica Patrick for her driving chops, of which she has some of the world's best, but for sticking up for the president on contraception. And for the runner up, this one is just pathetic:&#160; <a href="//www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73107.html" type="external">denying the existence of "birth control moms</a>,"&#160;as though any woman who has ever had a child would be against birth control.</p>
<p>4. Women in the military should "expect" to be raped.&#160;Why, exactly? This gem came from <a href="//bitchmagazine.org/post/douchebag-decree-liz-women-in-the-military-should-expect-to-get-raped-trotta" type="external">Fox News talking-head Liz Trotta,</a> who in addition to asking "what do they expect?" when confronted with the upsurge of rapes in the military, criticized the money spent on dealing with those rapes:</p>
<p>And the feminists have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over the place, victims' advocates, sexual response coordinators... So, you have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much.</p>
<p>Trotta later refused to apologize, that class act.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Rick Santorum said: "When you have men and women together in combat, I think men have emotions when you see a woman in harm’s way.’’&#160;</p>
<p>As Jon Stewart asked: which of these dueling instincts kick in, right-wing? Rape or protect?</p>
<p>5. In my day, "gals" used to put an "aspirin between their knees" [for contraception].&#160;This misguided attempt at nostalgia may be one of the most egregious examples of the kind of talk that's circulating about women in right-wing circles. It came courtesy of Rick Santorum&#160; <a href="//thinkprogress.org/health/2012/02/16/427233/foster-friess-contraception/" type="external">super PAC sugar-daddy Foster Friess</a>&#160;whose retro recommendation for contraception is pretty much in line with the candidate's.&#160;</p>
<p>Here's the key transcript, with Andrea Mitchell's shocked response:</p>
<p>This contraceptive thing, my gosh it's such inexpensive, back in my days we used Bayer aspirin for contraception, the gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly.</p>
<p>Mitchell: Um, excuse me, I'm trying to catch my breath from that Mr. Friess, frankly...</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>6.&#160;Dana Loesch:&#160;Women already consented to be penetrated when they got pregnant.&#160;When discussing the Virginia bill that would have mandated certain kinds of invasive ultrasounds for women, Loesch seemed unable to process the idea that consent is needed every single time a person's body is penetrated. "They had no problem having similar to a transvaginal procedure when they engaged in the act that resulted in their pregnancy," she said. Fortunately, Loesh was not alone -- her words were echoed by a legislator working on the provision.</p>
<p>7.&#160;Booing birth control at the GOP debate. In response to a rather mild question from a voter about "which candidate believes in birth control?" the GOP audience burst into emphatic booing. Whether these Bronx cheers were due to the question or to birth control itself is sort of irrelevant. The GOP, after all, politicized the birth control mandate issue.</p>
<p />
<p>8.Democrats and Republicans sitting together is "like date rape."&#160;From Stephen A. Moore of the Wall Street Journal, responding to the State of the Union address's unorthodox seating arrangement. <a href="//www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=kelsey%20wallace%20stephen%20moore%20date%20rape&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CCUQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fbitchmagazine.org%2Fpost%2Fdouchebag-decree-stephen-date-rape-moore-politics-feminism&amp;ei=rpxOT_bzFqPD0QGUs7Ei&amp;usg=AFQjCNGlCFabw36rTMoiMg6SEXVMfwi0gA&amp;sig2=GWMZgavzT2CoiJgn6KVpMg" type="external">As Kelsey Wallace notes in a sharp rejoinder to Moore</a>: "Jokes like these contribute to rape culture and trivialize the experiences of victims of actual date rape. Having to sit next to someone you don't like is something we all learn to live with starting in kindergarten...."</p>
<p />
<p>9. My wife won't sleep with me because of this ultrasound provision. Isn't that hilarious? It came from lawmaker Dave Albo of Virginia, who went on a long comedy-like routine about how he couldn't get laid thanks to the "transvaginal" (which he called trans-V) provision. It was one of the frattiest moments ever filmed in a long history of fratty lawmaking moments.&#160;I'll let&#160; <a href="//jezebel.com/5888678/crap-email-from-a-dude-state-lawmaker-who-cant-get-laid-edition" type="external">Erin Gloria Ryan's takedown</a>&#160;stand on its own: "Telling a story about the implications of abortion legislation on your personal dick is completely tone-deaf and assy, not to mention a disturbing testament to just how unaffected by abortion restrictions the middle-aged men who make laws actually are. For Virginia women, it's a matter of having something inserted into their vaginas...for the men making the laws, it's just another catalyst for a hilarious anecdote told over a game of golf."</p>
<p />
<p>And two bonus round comments.&#160;10. and 11.&#160;The Pope says couples who conceive using in vitro fertilization are <a href="//www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=wonkette%20pope%20elderly%20bachelow&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CCEQqQIwAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwonkette.com%2F464986%2Felderly-bachelor-pope-tells-women-how-to-get-pregnant&amp;ei=0pFOT7fiMYH50gGGv6DmAg&amp;usg=AFQjCNEHpqrjjYklRAqeCppWwDI6hCfomw&amp;sig2=xqqryo7ot85oqyNS1hCQfw" type="external">arrogant</a> while a <a href="//www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2012/02/betsy-rothsteins-attempt-sexy-click-bait-not-sexy/49103/" type="external">DC blogger notes</a> that lady journalists who are nice-looking in their Twitter avatars can't be serious. &#160;</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The silver lining to all this obnoxiousness? "Pro-women" posturing from the GOP's extremist members has gone out the window. The fact that they hate us, and that underlies their policy, is now out in the air for all to see.</p> | true | 4 | photo credit stan congress week gop attempted push vile blunt amendment would allow employer deny insurance coverage employees services deemed immoral couched religious freedom terms move direct attack womens health backlash presidents birth control mandate chance men impose women amendment failed three votes senate thursday without wasting time energy attempting move discourse womens health past time around gop allies rightwing media arent even pretending bills like prowomen fact put conservative pundits thoughts gender past month together wed see women truly dismal creatures oversexed rapebait dummies dont understand needs160 month weve documenting alternet facade fauxfeminism espoused right wing fallen away instead women posited publicly everything undeserving sun old virginwhore dichotomies insults far beyond even worse weve told public policy reflective natural inferiority hence blunt amendment patronizing mandatory ultrasound bills push define fertilized embryo person verbal assault accompanied ongoing legislative assault may unexpected benefit prompting backlash due outrageousness loosetongued friends right may done us favor bile exposing true sentiments go along bills restricting abortion contraception access less noted equally heinous things said women 2012 alonewith video transcripts available 1 sexcrazed coeds thus begins headline piece160by rightwinger craig bannister160 sandra fluke160the georgetown student denied ability testify darrell issa hot bothered mr bannister interpreting flukes testimony price condoms rather hormonal birth control actually referred uses word sex many times throughout piece youd think mind lot small sampling georgetown coed told rep nancy pelosis hearing women law school program much sex theyre going broke pay birth controlapparently four every ten coeds much sex hard make ends meet pay contraception flukes research shows know contraception little much sex woman instead protected hormonal contraception used regulate menstruation control pain acne protect unwanted pregnancy matter often user sex unlike condoms hormonal contraception puts control pregnancy prevention womens hands many couples prefer combine oral contraceptions condoms avoid stds pregnancies rush limbaugh echoed oneupped bannister160 show 29th calling fluke160a slut prostitute160for wanting contraceptive coverage say college coed susan fluke sic goes congressional committee essentially says must paid sex make makes slut right makes prostitute wants paid sex shes much sex cant afford contraception wants taxpayers pay sex make us pimps 160 2 lavishly contraceptedby reasonable standard one lavishly contracepted society history planet rich lowry wrote earnestly new york post160column160ht irin carmon phrase led spate online jokes diamondencrusted iuds goldplated condoms mention birth control pills spiked designer drugs lowrys words underscore fallacy common conservative perspectives issue legality equals availability abortion contraception cost genuinely prohibitive barrieras flukes testimony shows right right name combined access 3 expect woman driver160you know youre hearing throwback back another era complaint darn women drivers assaults ears king misogynists160 rush limbaugh160yep wasnt criticizing race car pro danica patrick driving chops worlds best sticking president contraception runner one pathetic160 denying existence birth control moms160as though woman ever child would birth control 4 women military expect raped160why exactly gem came fox news talkinghead liz trotta addition asking expect confronted upsurge rapes military criticized money spent dealing rapes feminists also directed really spend lot money sexual counselors place victims advocates sexual response coordinators whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy built kinds levels people support women military raped much trotta later refused apologize class act 160 meanwhile rick santorum said men women together combat think men emotions see woman harms way160 jon stewart asked dueling instincts kick rightwing rape protect 5 day gals used put aspirin knees contraception160this misguided attempt nostalgia may one egregious examples kind talk thats circulating women rightwing circles came courtesy rick santorum160 super pac sugardaddy foster friess160whose retro recommendation contraception pretty much line candidates160 heres key transcript andrea mitchells shocked response contraceptive thing gosh inexpensive back days used bayer aspirin contraception gals put knees wasnt costly mitchell um excuse im trying catch breath mr friess frankly 160 6160dana loesch160women already consented penetrated got pregnant160when discussing virginia bill would mandated certain kinds invasive ultrasounds women loesch seemed unable process idea consent needed every single time persons body penetrated problem similar transvaginal procedure engaged act resulted pregnancy said fortunately loesh alone words echoed legislator working provision 7160booing birth control gop debate response rather mild question voter candidate believes birth control gop audience burst emphatic booing whether bronx cheers due question birth control sort irrelevant gop politicized birth control mandate issue 8democrats republicans sitting together like date rape160from stephen moore wall street journal responding state union addresss unorthodox seating arrangement kelsey wallace notes sharp rejoinder moore jokes like contribute rape culture trivialize experiences victims actual date rape sit next someone dont like something learn live starting kindergarten 9 wife wont sleep ultrasound provision isnt hilarious came lawmaker dave albo virginia went long comedylike routine couldnt get laid thanks transvaginal called transv provision one frattiest moments ever filmed long history fratty lawmaking moments160ill let160 erin gloria ryans takedown160stand telling story implications abortion legislation personal dick completely tonedeaf assy mention disturbing testament unaffected abortion restrictions middleaged men make laws actually virginia women matter something inserted vaginasfor men making laws another catalyst hilarious anecdote told game golf two bonus round comments16010 11160the pope says couples conceive using vitro fertilization arrogant dc blogger notes lady journalists nicelooking twitter avatars cant serious 160 160 silver lining obnoxiousness prowomen posturing gops extremist members gone window fact hate us underlies policy air see | 863 |
<p>Mahmoud Darwish, arguably the Arab world’s leading contemporary poet, wrote in his recent poem, Nothing but Iraq, the following</p>
<p>Dead blacksmiths awaken from their graves to make our shackles but we never dreamt of more than a life like life and of dying our own way</p>
<p>One doesn’t have to be endowed with the eloquence of Darwish to identify with his quest. When a “life like life” becomes too much to dream of, humanity as such is essentially defied.</p>
<p>The tens of millions of war-protesters who blossomed on the world’s Main Streets like belated spring flowers, days before the war on Iraq, did not look alike, speak the same language, belong to the same culture or religion, read the same papers, watch the same TV news or hold the same political thought. But, they were all motivated by a far grander and more noble cause than mere opposition to yet another war on a battered nation of the South: they shared the ideal of resisting empire.</p>
<p>Perhaps the fervor and intensity of protest have relatively waned since the images of the “sweeping victory” over Iraq, carried by not-so-free western media, inundated us. But after the US war crimes in Falluja, the racist torture orgy at Abu Ghraib and the wedding massacre were revealed, the motivation for resisting empire is on the rise again, globally. This essay goes back and explores the formative stage of this resistance: the critical period before and right after the start of the war on Iraq, arguing that such a resistance is not just ethically laudable, but also practically winnable.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Empire</p>
<p>We are witnessing the ominous rise of the most powerful empire ever to exist. Judging from consistent media reports and opinion polls, the rest of the world seems to view it as a menacing rogue state that is arrogantly bullying other nations, east and west, north and south, into unqualified submission to its self-declared designs for world domination and incontestable economic supremacy.</p>
<p>Perceiving the United States under Bush as a “fearful giant throwing its weight around,” George Soros summarizes in the Financial Times [March 12, 2003] what has become common knowledge nowadays: “The [Bush] doctrine is built on two pillars: first, the US will do everything in its power to maintain unquestioned military supremacy; second, it arrogates the right to pre-emptive action.” The U.S., according to this argument, maintains two classes of sovereignty: “American sovereignty, which takes precedence over international treaties; and the sovereignty of all other states.”</p>
<p>That much is old news. It is lavishly published in respectable editorials, books and throughout the internet. What’s new is that there is opportunity in the midst of the bleakest of disasters, as capitalist entrepreneurs have always held, albeit a different type of opportunity than the profit-obsessed one they’ve often eyed. With the United States’ shocking and awful projection of the closest human approximation to absolute power to date, there is an equal but opposite global force of deep resentment, revulsion, dissidence and resistance that is fast developing.</p>
<p>And for the first time in decades, there is no simple dichotomy to conveniently divide the world into.</p>
<p>If the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the decisive beginning of the end of the East-West opposition, the illegal, immoral and criminal war on Iraq, waged by the new Rome of our time, might well announce the baptism of a new world community opposed to empire, any empire, and based on the precepts of evolving international law, human rights and the common principles of universal morality that are emerging.</p>
<p>Almost everyone with conscience fears and resents the megalomaniac cult sitting on the throne in Washington. It is the product of a strategic alliance between the omnipotent military-industrial complex (with a lion’s share for the oil industry), the fundamentalist-Christian and the Zionist ideologies. It is a cult that has amassed colossal financial, political and media power, enough to rekindle its deep-rooted disposition and ambition to become the master of the universe. A century and a half after officially abolishing slavery in the U.S., the new-old masters have a diabolic agenda to resurrect it, except this time on a worldwide scale.</p>
<p>Being able to detect this phenomenon, a great majority of nations, including an impressively increasing number of conscientious and mentally-liberated Americans, wish to see this cult of “neo-conservatives” and its agenda humbled, at the very least, if not altogether defeated.</p>
<p>Around the world, many feel threatened, and indeed enraged, by the new Washington talk of setting new norms in international relations, based on might, and on the sole interests–and whims–of the current emperors who wield that might. Far from apologizing for this raw proclivity to dominate, with all the lawlessness that is bound to result from it on the world stage, Robert Kagan, a leading neo-conservative ideologue, justifies it as the prerogative of the mightiest:</p>
<p>“The United States remains mired in history, exercising power in the anarchic Hobbesian world where international laws and rules are unreliable and where true security and the defense and promotion of a liberal order still depend on the possession and use of military might.” [“Power and Weakness,” Policy Review, No. 113, June 2002]</p>
<p>According to Kagan’s argument, only the weak whine and moan about the sanctity of international law. The powerful, on the contrary, have a “propensity to use [their] strength” to achieve their political objectives. And there is nothing anyone can do to stop them from so doing.</p>
<p>At the very heart of this strategy is control over oil supplies. Robert E. Ebel, director of the energy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank whose advisers include Kissinger and Brzezinski, among other dignitaries, explains: “Oil fuels military power, national treasuries, and international politics. It is no longer a commodity to be bought and sold within the confines of traditional energy supply and demand balances. Rather, it has been transformed into a determinant of well-being, of national security, and of international power.” [Robert Dreyfus, Oil: The Thirty-Year Itch, Mother Jones, March/April 2003]</p>
<p>Thus, Iraq.</p>
<p>Iraq has the second–perhaps the first, according to some experts–largest oil reserves in the world. More than 400 billion barrels of easily-accessible fossil fuel, to be exact.</p>
<p>“Controlling Iraq,” says Michael Klare, professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, “is about oil as power, rather than oil as fuel. Control over the Persian Gulf translates into control over Europe, Japan, and China. It’s having our hand on the spigot.” [Ibid]</p>
<p>If this concern figured prominently on the geo-political agenda during the cold war, it has evolved to a full-fledged obsession after it. Monopolizing control over the Gulf area has become far more realistic and daunting in a mono-polar world. The disintegration of the formidable Soviet deterrent has made the red lines surrounding the Gulf region far more porous, and rendered the previously off-limits area wide-open to American hegemonic ambitions. The reaction of the smaller world powers has varied from grudging acquiescence, represented by a much weakened Russia, to an if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them attitude, exemplified by the United Kingdom, to composed protestation, best shown in the French position. Everyone knew that once Uncle Sam dips his eager toes in that magnificent pool of black gold, no force on Earth can make him retreat or share the spoils fairly.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Achilles’ Heel</p>
<p>But just like any other cult, this one too has a fatal weakness, which people from within cannot visualize. It is blinded by a single dimension, power, whereas the “game” is far more complex. Ultimately, it takes a willing slave to sustain a ruthless master. If a slave refuses to be, a master ceases to exist. Power is a beast that feeds on fear and submission and dies without them.</p>
<p>Hence, beyond fear and rage, the will to resist subjugation and the praxis (reflective action) towards a more just and peaceful world remain not only the strongest bonds that unite us, humans with conscience, but also the most potent weapons of resistance available to us. For such a unity to mature, nevertheless, international law must itself evolve beyond the constraints set by the former East-West divide. If peace and security–the current two pillars of the United Nations–were the indispensable principles that have bridged the gulf between East and West after World War II, they have essentially ignored the currently far more enormous gap between North and South. Justice, sustainable development and the environment are the necessary ingredients that can assure us all that no one nation, or a small band of nations, will ignore, circumvent, or otherwise abuse international legitimacy to establish a new master-slave relationship. Nurturing a universal community that respects justice and peace can, and indeed should, become our response to the challenge posed by empire.</p>
<p>This vision is not motivated by naive optimism, seeing the half-full part of the cup, but rather by a conviction that one has to shatter the damned cup altogether in order to see beyond the confining choices offered by the master holding that cup: you’re either with us or against us. We simply cannot accept being boxed in such confines. There is no monolithic “you” or “us” here; there are shades and gradations of every color of the human spectrum, coexisting and mutually influencing one another. It is not as deceivingly simplistic as “Anglo-Americans against Arabs,” or “Judeo-Christians against Muslims,” or even “whites against browns.” The spreading anti-war movement has become the Baghdad curse that is gradually shattering the Bush-bin Laden fundamentalist worldview of good-v-evil, bringing together Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, atheists, Europeans, Arabs, Latin Americans, North Americans, Asians, Africans, Australians, among others, all shocked and awed by the ability of a small gang of bigoted, fanatical, lawless but extremely powerful ideologues to drag the world to the rim of annihilation, as Fidel Castro has alarmingly warned. [Guardian, March 6, 2003]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dissent in Empire</p>
<p>But more Americans are realizing what their government is up to. America was “late for the last two world wars. Now it seeks to be early for the next. It is not an easy sell,” argues Mathew Engel [The Guardian, February 25, 2003] Even some mainstream print media outlets in the U.S. were alarmed enough by the irrational militarism taking Washington by storm that they allowed a wider margin of dissent than usual.</p>
<p>The courageous Maureen Dowd of the New York Times — yes, even the Times allowed for dissent at some stage– for example, analyzed the failure of American diplomacy to sell the war to the UN differently from most other less-daring American journalists. In an opinion column tellingly titled, Mashing Our Monster, she wrote: “Everyone thinks the Bush diplomacy on Iraq is a wreck. It isn’t. It’s a success because it was never meant to succeed.” She further argued that the neo-conservatives (or neo-cons, as Americans call them) “never intended to give peace a chance. They intended to give pre-emption a chance. The hawks despise the U.N. and if they’d gotten its support, they never would have been able to establish the principle that the U.S. can act wherever and whenever it wants to.” [New York Times, March 16, 2003] Instead of garnering multilateral support, Dowd argues, “Bush officials believe that making the world more scared of us is the best way to make us safer and less scared.” [New York Times, March 9, 2003]</p>
<p>The New York Times also carried excerpts from the public resignation letter of John Brady Kiesling (a career diplomat who was the first to leave the Foreign Service in protest against Bush’s policy), where he wrote: “Why does our president condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this administration is fostering, including among its most senior officials? Has ‘oderint dum metuant’ (‘let them hate as long as they fear’) really become our motto?” [March 7, 2003]</p>
<p>Another New York Times columnist evoked the lessons of Troy, warning against “the intoxicating pride and overweening arrogance that sometimes clouds the minds of the strong.” [March 18, 2003]</p>
<p>In the same paper, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who has prominently attacked the war on Iraq as unjust, brought into the debate another dimension saying: “The heartfelt sympathy and friendship offered to America after the 9/11 attacks, even from formerly antagonistic regimes, has been largely dissipated; increasingly unilateral and domineering policies have brought international trust in our country to its lowest level in memory.” [New York Times, March 9, 2003]</p>
<p>Being accustomed to reading the New York Times almost every day for many years now, I can attest that this trend of tolerating such eloquent and sharp dissent was never in style in the paper, especially when covering a conflict related to the Middle East.</p>
<p>Keeping in mind the hyper-influence this paper has on decision makers in Washington and beyond, one cannot but consider the above trend another sign of this pregnant new era.</p>
<p>Even an unrelenting right-wing conservative, who is a Nixon and Reagan White House aide and three-time presidential candidate, like Patrick Buchanan rebuked the Bush Administration saying: “Not in our lifetimes has America been so isolated from old friends.” In a fervent attack against the neo-cons, whom Buchanan holds responsible for pursuing a “new crusade,” he describes them as a “cabal of polemicists and public officials seek[ing] to ensnare our country in a series of wars that are not in America’s interests,” charging them with deliberately alienating “friends and allies all over the Islamic and Western world through their arrogance, hubris, and bellicosity.” [American Conservative, March 24, 2003]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Europe: The Revolt of the Former Masters</p>
<p>A new environment of international solidarity is already in its formative stage. And, of all the peoples on Earth, Europeans, most of whom are citizens of former empires themselves, were notably the first to usher in this new era, weeks before the war was launched. Clearly, the US cannot but take this crucial dimension into consideration. Some, as Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, go as far as predicting that the escalating conflict between Europe and the United States among is one of several important factors that will cause the “End of the American Empire.” [New York Times, March 23, 2003]</p>
<p>Europeans were undeniably the most resolute in voicing their utter opposition to the empire’s new designs. Granted, they were not just actively opposing the planned war, but also shouting out loud that they were no longer content with “doing the dishes” while America cooks the dinner and eats it too. But, they were also defending the primacy of international law in dealing with conflicts. In fact, by burying the malicious theories of clash of civilizations, the millions of anti-war protesters who flooded the streets of Western capitals announced the initiation of a virtual global community upholding resisting empire, or any rogue nation, for that matter.</p>
<p>“Europeans think America does more harm than good,” roared a headline in the Guardian, reflecting the results of a recent European Commission poll conducted in 15 European states gauging attitudes towards the United States in various areas, especially in the promotion of world peace. Just two days before the Anglo-American military aggression against Iraq started, a survey by the Pew Research Center found that, “Since last year the proportion with a favourable view of the US has dropped from 75% to 48% in Britain, 76% to 34% in Italy, 50% to 14% in Spain, and 86% to 50% in Poland. In countries with governments opposed to the war the drop is steeper – from 63% to 31% in France, 61% to 25% in Germany, 61% to 28% in Russia .” [Guardian, March 19, 2003]</p>
<p>Neal Ascherson of the Observer describes the intra-European brawl concerning the war on Iraq as a debate “about uncontrolled [U.S.] military might flinging itself at a frightened and embittered world.” [March 16, 2003]</p>
<p>Capturing this new spirit (expediently and erroneously branded as “anti-Americanism,” although it really should be accurately termed: anti-imperialism) that has swept Europe, José Saramago, the Portuguese writer and Nobel laureate, told hundreds of thousands of anti-war demonstrators in Madrid: “We are marching against the law of the jungle that the United States and its acolytes old and new want to impose on the world.” [New York Times, March 16, 2003]</p>
<p>If that was the case before the war, polls conducted after gory footage of the invading forces’ atrocities had been aired to millions around the world showed an even steeper decline in support for U.S. policies. Soon after the war had started, a solid majority of Europeans (more than 80%, actually) viewed the US as the most serious threat to world peace, when compared to Iraq and North Korea. In Spain, where more than 90% of the people opposed the Anglo-American war (enthusiastically endorsed by their pathetically isolated government then), a typical editorial in the El Pais daily declared, “At the moment, American politics is dominated by a messianic clan that wishes to govern by itself, and through extremism.” [March 29, 2003, quoted in The Guardian, April 3, 2003]</p>
<p>A representative German columnist further protested, “Every day conservative US ideologues deepen the rift by accusing Europeans alternatively of being arrogant, incompetent or simply stupid. In this situation there remains nothing for the Europeans to do than to free themselves once and for all from the US. Politically and morally it will not be a problem – but militarily, things are much more difficult.” [Die Tageszeitung, Germany, April 2, 2003]</p>
<p>This seething antipathy has already engendered across Europe an effective “Boycott Brand America” campaign. “If people all around the world boycott American products it might influence their policies,” explained one restaurateur in Germany. Another was more blunt: “We want to hit America where it hurts — in their wallets.” [Reuters, March 25, 2003]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Former Slaves — Will Take no More</p>
<p>The obvious question that comes to mind is: if this is what Europeans think of the U.S., can you imagine what most Arabs, Africans, Latin Americans and most Asians have on their minds?</p>
<p>To give but a hint, this is what a Nigerian journalist wrote: “Iraq was already the cradle of the first civilisation on earth at a time when Americans were living in caves,” adding, “Iraqis need no lesson in democracy and freedom from the bloody mobs… of their age.” [The Nigerian Guardian, cited in The Guardian, April 3, 2003]</p>
<p>The compelling Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, expressively revealed, “In most parts of the world, the invasion of Iraq is being seen as a racist war. The real danger of a racist war unleashed by racist regimes is that it engenders racism in everybody – perpetrators, victims, spectators. It sets the parameters for the debate, it lays out a grid for a particular way of thinking. There is a tidal wave of hatred for the US rising from the ancient heart of the world.” [The Guardian, April 2003]</p>
<p>Summing up what seems to be close to a consensus among developing nations, a Kenyan journalist quite unambiguously insisted, “The new age of global dictatorship that America is unravelling must be condemned.” [Sunday Standard, quoted in The Guardian, April 3, 2003]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Empire v. Heaven: Demise of the Idea of America</p>
<p>While the vast majority of humans around the world bear witness in anger, grief and disbelief to America’s thrashing of international law in its feverish execution of its so-called “pre-emptive war” (which Chomsky properly terms, “preventive”) against Iraq and its atrocious ascension to uncontested world domination, one cannot but ironically wonder whether this “crusade”–to borrow Bush’s diction–might go down in history as the war that unraveled the new empire.</p>
<p>Empires, history tells us, start to disintegrate when are they are perceived as such by their victims, and resisted accordingly. Although the left around the world has always viewed the United States as the embodiment of modern imperialism, the quintessential attribute most associated with the nascent–by Arab and “old” Europe’s standards, any how–American nation was not raw power, military superiority, or colonialism, but rather its almost miraculous ability to win over the hearts and minds of diverse nations across the globe. The United States has until recently managed to convince Indians, Mexicans, Arabs, Brazilians, Russians, Philippinos and Nigerians alike of the vigor of its culture, of its freedoms they so desire, of its recipe for economic progress they wish to emulate, and its respect for the individual and citizens’ rights they wish their governments would adopt.</p>
<p>Regardless how many of these attributes are mere illusions or myths, as leftists would argue, they seem to have captured the imagination of world populations, especially the young. Youths everywhere, from Beijing to Caracas, and from Stockholm to Durban fell under the spell of a glittering idea called America.</p>
<p>Of course the socialists had good reasons for their skepticism: the U.S., after all, is a nation that was established by means of genocide of the native Indians. And let’s not forget the immoral slavery era, which was responsible for generating a substantial chunk of the nation’s wealth. Even in the last century alone, successive U.S. governments have committed numerous crimes against the peoples of Japan, Vietnam, Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, East Timor, El-Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Angola, South Africa, Somalia and, of course, Palestine. Needless to say, this list is by no means exhaustive. In fact, if the Wolfowitz-Cheney-Perle-Rumsfeld cult is not stopped, this list might in the foreseeable future overlap with the UN roster of member states, give or take a few.</p>
<p>But, those wicked deeds have been effectively outweighed in the collective memory of most nations by the prevalent image of America as an almost benevolent superpower that spreads McDonald’s, Starbucks, Microsoft, Nike and Madonna, when compared with the death and destruction wrought by European colonial regimes in their former colonies for centuries. It was a popular dream for youths the world over to immigrate to America: the Earthly paradise. The power of America was most formidably embodied in the exquisitely marketed idea of America.</p>
<p>Not any longer!</p>
<p>The bewitching ideal behind the image of America is virtually dead. With the current hurricane of fundamentalism, neo-McCarthyism, hyper-nationalism (which is slightly reminiscent of the rise of European fascism less than a century ago), brute force, unabashed bullying, contempt for most other nations, unprecedented imperial arrogance and patent militarism, the leaders of America have assassinated the idea of America.</p>
<p>“Under the present situation, I cannot think of defending the United States,” said Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, a leading establishment intellectual in Egypt, adding, “To most people in this area, the United States is the source of evil on planet earth. And whether we like it or not, it is the Bush administration that is to blame.” [The New York Times, April 8, 2003]</p>
<p>Shedding further light on this phenomenon, the Washington Post reported, “A generation of Arabs wooed by the United States and persuaded by its principles has become among the most vociferous critics of America’s world view,” [February 26, 2003]. And the Arabs are no exception in this regard.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Americans: Subjects of Empire or Citizens of the World</p>
<p>Perhaps absolute power does corrupt absolutely, after all.</p>
<p>We’re seeing it before our own eyes. But it does not only corrupt those who possess it, but everyone else around them as well. How else could a nation that has largely abandoned its old ways of genocide and slavery and has prided itself of its unique freedoms and civil rights suddenly turn into a third world-like plutocracy, governed by a rabid–though sort of elected–junta that shamelessly, even proudly, represents the interests of the oil and military industries above everything and anyone else? How could such an enlightened nation fall into such an abyss of religious fanaticism, suppression of rights, and herd-like faith in the Great Leader? How could a significant majority of Americans suddenly suspend their collective faculty of reason and kneel before the new Caesar so sheepishly?</p>
<p>Surely, the ruling cult could not have dreamt of such an achievement without September 11th. But those criminal attacks, as shocking, immoral and traumatic as they were, and still are, cannot alone explain the current state of the Union. The credit goes to decades of complacent American media, apathy and detachment from the world, as many liberal and progressive American intellectuals have always warned.</p>
<p>It is no coincidence that in the eyes of most American political elites Germany and France are considered pariah states that might face sanctions or worse if they fail to comply; that Arab oil is considered rightfully belonging to Americans, albeit lying under the sands of Arabia by mere coincidence, that even the United Nations is viewed as just another mischievous third world country that needs a whipping every once in a while to properly toe the line.</p>
<p>Going beyond any former American government in disdain and aversion towards the international organization, the current US Administration had the audacity to declare that since the UN “failed to” endorse or legitimize its campaign of pre-meditated pillage and carnage against Iraq, it–that is the UN–has lost its “relevance.” Boutros Ghali, the former UN Secretary General, addresses this dimension of empire saying, “Multilateralism and unilateralism are just methods for the United States: they use them a la carte, as it suits them. The United Nations is just an instrument at the service of American policy.” [The Guardian, March 1, 2003]</p>
<p>So, the American rulers, “whose ignorance is matched only by their greed,” as a former World Bank official describes them, get to indulge for a moment in sheer power and all the profits that come with it. But, their short-sightedness may prove to be their fatal undoing. Even in the likely event of a decisive American military victory in Iraq, whatever that really means, David Von Drehle of the Washington Post warns, “a successful result contains risks in the eyes of those who have pondered the recurring cycle in human history in which power leads to hubris, hubris leads to overreaching, and overreaching leads to collapse. Victory could tempt the United States to overreach.” [March 16, 2003]</p>
<p>Putting it more gloomily, a veteran French diplomat, Regis de Bray, writes: “Provoking chaos in the name of order, and resentment instead of gratitude, is something to which all empires are accustomed. And thus it is that they coast, from military victory to victory, to their final decline.” [New York Times, February 23, 2003]</p>
<p>Stunned and angered to a boiling point by footage of the latest Anglo-American remote-control massacres in Iraq, my 72-year-old father shouted from his revolted guts: “The worst catastrophe that has ever hit the human race was Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of America.” And my father, I should remind you, is not a native American.</p>
<p>While I can fully understand my father’s anger, as I am sure many would, I am more inclined to concern myself with what to do and where to go from here. In that light, it seems each one of us will have to choose between empire and freedom. Even Americans will see these paths as mutually exclusive, for while empire will further aggrandize the wealth and power of the plutocracy and its cohorts, most Americans will lose their precious–exemplary, I would venture–civil rights, and, perhaps more importantly, their claim to morality. Recent polls of American public opinion reflect that a considerable and very committed minority is perturbed by the government’s crimes around the world. Many are doing something about it.</p>
<p>Indeed, Americans with conscience opposing their government’s bloody war are at the forefront of this international struggle. As Arundhati Roy writes:</p>
<p>“Most courageous of all, are the hundreds of thousands of American people on the streets of America’s great cities – Washington, New York, Chicago, San Francisco. The fact is that the only institution in the world today that is more powerful than the American government, is American civil society. How can we not salute and support those who not only acknowledge but act upon that responsibility? They are our allies, our friends.” [The Guardian, April 2, 2003]</p>
<p>They are also our hope. The rest of the world truly hopes that Americans may themselves rise up to the occasion and renounce the empire from within; that they may opt for the status of relatively less privileged citizens of a more just and peaceful world, rather than the loathed masters of a bludgeoned, bullied, and oppressed world; that they may shed their role as uncritical, even submissive, subjects of a reviled, racist and morally bankrupt empire. With conscientious Americans on board, the world has a chance to defeat the mad beast with nuclear fangs, before it takes us all under. With concerted mobilization and global activism, we may well celebrate one day the withering away of empire.</p>
<p>OMAR BARGHOUTI is an independent Palestinian political analyst. His article “9.11 Putting the Moment on Human Terms” was chosen among the “Best of 2002” by the Guardian. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:jenna@palnet.com" type="external">jenna@palnet.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | mahmoud darwish arguably arab worlds leading contemporary poet wrote recent poem nothing iraq following dead blacksmiths awaken graves make shackles never dreamt life like life dying way one doesnt endowed eloquence darwish identify quest life like life becomes much dream humanity essentially defied tens millions warprotesters blossomed worlds main streets like belated spring flowers days war iraq look alike speak language belong culture religion read papers watch tv news hold political thought motivated far grander noble cause mere opposition yet another war battered nation south shared ideal resisting empire perhaps fervor intensity protest relatively waned since images sweeping victory iraq carried notsofree western media inundated us us war crimes falluja racist torture orgy abu ghraib wedding massacre revealed motivation resisting empire rise globally essay goes back explores formative stage resistance critical period right start war iraq arguing resistance ethically laudable also practically winnable 160 empire witnessing ominous rise powerful empire ever exist judging consistent media reports opinion polls rest world seems view menacing rogue state arrogantly bullying nations east west north south unqualified submission selfdeclared designs world domination incontestable economic supremacy perceiving united states bush fearful giant throwing weight around george soros summarizes financial times march 12 2003 become common knowledge nowadays bush doctrine built two pillars first us everything power maintain unquestioned military supremacy second arrogates right preemptive action us according argument maintains two classes sovereignty american sovereignty takes precedence international treaties sovereignty states much old news lavishly published respectable editorials books throughout internet whats new opportunity midst bleakest disasters capitalist entrepreneurs always held albeit different type opportunity profitobsessed one theyve often eyed united states shocking awful projection closest human approximation absolute power date equal opposite global force deep resentment revulsion dissidence resistance fast developing first time decades simple dichotomy conveniently divide world fall berlin wall signaled decisive beginning end eastwest opposition illegal immoral criminal war iraq waged new rome time might well announce baptism new world community opposed empire empire based precepts evolving international law human rights common principles universal morality emerging almost everyone conscience fears resents megalomaniac cult sitting throne washington product strategic alliance omnipotent militaryindustrial complex lions share oil industry fundamentalistchristian zionist ideologies cult amassed colossal financial political media power enough rekindle deeprooted disposition ambition become master universe century half officially abolishing slavery us newold masters diabolic agenda resurrect except time worldwide scale able detect phenomenon great majority nations including impressively increasing number conscientious mentallyliberated americans wish see cult neoconservatives agenda humbled least altogether defeated around world many feel threatened indeed enraged new washington talk setting new norms international relations based might sole interestsand whimsof current emperors wield might far apologizing raw proclivity dominate lawlessness bound result world stage robert kagan leading neoconservative ideologue justifies prerogative mightiest united states remains mired history exercising power anarchic hobbesian world international laws rules unreliable true security defense promotion liberal order still depend possession use military might power weakness policy review 113 june 2002 according kagans argument weak whine moan sanctity international law powerful contrary propensity use strength achieve political objectives nothing anyone stop heart strategy control oil supplies robert e ebel director energy program center strategic international studies csis washington think tank whose advisers include kissinger brzezinski among dignitaries explains oil fuels military power national treasuries international politics longer commodity bought sold within confines traditional energy supply demand balances rather transformed determinant wellbeing national security international power robert dreyfus oil thirtyyear itch mother jones marchapril 2003 thus iraq iraq secondperhaps first according expertslargest oil reserves world 400 billion barrels easilyaccessible fossil fuel exact controlling iraq says michael klare professor peace world security studies hampshire college oil power rather oil fuel control persian gulf translates control europe japan china hand spigot ibid concern figured prominently geopolitical agenda cold war evolved fullfledged obsession monopolizing control gulf area become far realistic daunting monopolar world disintegration formidable soviet deterrent made red lines surrounding gulf region far porous rendered previously offlimits area wideopen american hegemonic ambitions reaction smaller world powers varied grudging acquiescence represented much weakened russia ifyoucantbeatthemjointhem attitude exemplified united kingdom composed protestation best shown french position everyone knew uncle sam dips eager toes magnificent pool black gold force earth make retreat share spoils fairly 160 achilles heel like cult one fatal weakness people within visualize blinded single dimension power whereas game far complex ultimately takes willing slave sustain ruthless master slave refuses master ceases exist power beast feeds fear submission dies without hence beyond fear rage resist subjugation praxis reflective action towards peaceful world remain strongest bonds unite us humans conscience also potent weapons resistance available us unity mature nevertheless international law must evolve beyond constraints set former eastwest divide peace securitythe current two pillars united nationswere indispensable principles bridged gulf east west world war ii essentially ignored currently far enormous gap north south justice sustainable development environment necessary ingredients assure us one nation small band nations ignore circumvent otherwise abuse international legitimacy establish new masterslave relationship nurturing universal community respects justice peace indeed become response challenge posed empire vision motivated naive optimism seeing halffull part cup rather conviction one shatter damned cup altogether order see beyond confining choices offered master holding cup youre either us us simply accept boxed confines monolithic us shades gradations every color human spectrum coexisting mutually influencing one another deceivingly simplistic angloamericans arabs judeochristians muslims even whites browns spreading antiwar movement become baghdad curse gradually shattering bushbin laden fundamentalist worldview goodvevil bringing together christians muslims hindus buddhists jews atheists europeans arabs latin americans north americans asians africans australians among others shocked awed ability small gang bigoted fanatical lawless extremely powerful ideologues drag world rim annihilation fidel castro alarmingly warned guardian march 6 2003 160 dissent empire americans realizing government america late last two world wars seeks early next easy sell argues mathew engel guardian february 25 2003 even mainstream print media outlets us alarmed enough irrational militarism taking washington storm allowed wider margin dissent usual courageous maureen dowd new york times yes even times allowed dissent stage example analyzed failure american diplomacy sell war un differently lessdaring american journalists opinion column tellingly titled mashing monster wrote everyone thinks bush diplomacy iraq wreck isnt success never meant succeed argued neoconservatives neocons americans call never intended give peace chance intended give preemption chance hawks despise un theyd gotten support never would able establish principle us act wherever whenever wants new york times march 16 2003 instead garnering multilateral support dowd argues bush officials believe making world scared us best way make us safer less scared new york times march 9 2003 new york times also carried excerpts public resignation letter john brady kiesling career diplomat first leave foreign service protest bushs policy wrote president condone swaggering contemptuous approach friends allies administration fostering including among senior officials oderint dum metuant let hate long fear really become motto march 7 2003 another new york times columnist evoked lessons troy warning intoxicating pride overweening arrogance sometimes clouds minds strong march 18 2003 paper former us president jimmy carter prominently attacked war iraq unjust brought debate another dimension saying heartfelt sympathy friendship offered america 911 attacks even formerly antagonistic regimes largely dissipated increasingly unilateral domineering policies brought international trust country lowest level memory new york times march 9 2003 accustomed reading new york times almost every day many years attest trend tolerating eloquent sharp dissent never style paper especially covering conflict related middle east keeping mind hyperinfluence paper decision makers washington beyond one consider trend another sign pregnant new era even unrelenting rightwing conservative nixon reagan white house aide threetime presidential candidate like patrick buchanan rebuked bush administration saying lifetimes america isolated old friends fervent attack neocons buchanan holds responsible pursuing new crusade describes cabal polemicists public officials seeking ensnare country series wars americas interests charging deliberately alienating friends allies islamic western world arrogance hubris bellicosity american conservative march 24 2003 160 europe revolt former masters new environment international solidarity already formative stage peoples earth europeans citizens former empires notably first usher new era weeks war launched clearly us take crucial dimension consideration charles kupchan senior fellow council foreign relations go far predicting escalating conflict europe united states among one several important factors cause end american empire new york times march 23 2003 europeans undeniably resolute voicing utter opposition empires new designs granted actively opposing planned war also shouting loud longer content dishes america cooks dinner eats also defending primacy international law dealing conflicts fact burying malicious theories clash civilizations millions antiwar protesters flooded streets western capitals announced initiation virtual global community upholding resisting empire rogue nation matter europeans think america harm good roared headline guardian reflecting results recent european commission poll conducted 15 european states gauging attitudes towards united states various areas especially promotion world peace two days angloamerican military aggression iraq started survey pew research center found since last year proportion favourable view us dropped 75 48 britain 76 34 italy 50 14 spain 86 50 poland countries governments opposed war drop steeper 63 31 france 61 25 germany 61 28 russia guardian march 19 2003 neal ascherson observer describes intraeuropean brawl concerning war iraq debate uncontrolled us military might flinging frightened embittered world march 16 2003 capturing new spirit expediently erroneously branded antiamericanism although really accurately termed antiimperialism swept europe josé saramago portuguese writer nobel laureate told hundreds thousands antiwar demonstrators madrid marching law jungle united states acolytes old new want impose world new york times march 16 2003 case war polls conducted gory footage invading forces atrocities aired millions around world showed even steeper decline support us policies soon war started solid majority europeans 80 actually viewed us serious threat world peace compared iraq north korea spain 90 people opposed angloamerican war enthusiastically endorsed pathetically isolated government typical editorial el pais daily declared moment american politics dominated messianic clan wishes govern extremism march 29 2003 quoted guardian april 3 2003 representative german columnist protested every day conservative us ideologues deepen rift accusing europeans alternatively arrogant incompetent simply stupid situation remains nothing europeans free us politically morally problem militarily things much difficult die tageszeitung germany april 2 2003 seething antipathy already engendered across europe effective boycott brand america campaign people around world boycott american products might influence policies explained one restaurateur germany another blunt want hit america hurts wallets reuters march 25 2003 160 former slaves take obvious question comes mind europeans think us imagine arabs africans latin americans asians minds give hint nigerian journalist wrote iraq already cradle first civilisation earth time americans living caves adding iraqis need lesson democracy freedom bloody mobs age nigerian guardian cited guardian april 3 2003 compelling indian writer arundhati roy expressively revealed parts world invasion iraq seen racist war real danger racist war unleashed racist regimes engenders racism everybody perpetrators victims spectators sets parameters debate lays grid particular way thinking tidal wave hatred us rising ancient heart world guardian april 2003 summing seems close consensus among developing nations kenyan journalist quite unambiguously insisted new age global dictatorship america unravelling must condemned sunday standard quoted guardian april 3 2003 160 empire v heaven demise idea america vast majority humans around world bear witness anger grief disbelief americas thrashing international law feverish execution socalled preemptive war chomsky properly terms preventive iraq atrocious ascension uncontested world domination one ironically wonder whether crusadeto borrow bushs dictionmight go history war unraveled new empire empires history tells us start disintegrate perceived victims resisted accordingly although left around world always viewed united states embodiment modern imperialism quintessential attribute associated nascentby arab old europes standards howamerican nation raw power military superiority colonialism rather almost miraculous ability win hearts minds diverse nations across globe united states recently managed convince indians mexicans arabs brazilians russians philippinos nigerians alike vigor culture freedoms desire recipe economic progress wish emulate respect individual citizens rights wish governments would adopt regardless many attributes mere illusions myths leftists would argue seem captured imagination world populations especially young youths everywhere beijing caracas stockholm durban fell spell glittering idea called america course socialists good reasons skepticism us nation established means genocide native indians lets forget immoral slavery era responsible generating substantial chunk nations wealth even last century alone successive us governments committed numerous crimes peoples japan vietnam cuba chile nicaragua east timor elsalvador panama colombia angola south africa somalia course palestine needless say list means exhaustive fact wolfowitzcheneyperlerumsfeld cult stopped list might foreseeable future overlap un roster member states give take wicked deeds effectively outweighed collective memory nations prevalent image america almost benevolent superpower spreads mcdonalds starbucks microsoft nike madonna compared death destruction wrought european colonial regimes former colonies centuries popular dream youths world immigrate america earthly paradise power america formidably embodied exquisitely marketed idea america longer bewitching ideal behind image america virtually dead current hurricane fundamentalism neomccarthyism hypernationalism slightly reminiscent rise european fascism less century ago brute force unabashed bullying contempt nations unprecedented imperial arrogance patent militarism leaders america assassinated idea america present situation think defending united states said ahmed kamal aboulmagd leading establishment intellectual egypt adding people area united states source evil planet earth whether like bush administration blame new york times april 8 2003 shedding light phenomenon washington post reported generation arabs wooed united states persuaded principles become among vociferous critics americas world view february 26 2003 arabs exception regard 160 americans subjects empire citizens world perhaps absolute power corrupt absolutely seeing eyes corrupt possess everyone else around well else could nation largely abandoned old ways genocide slavery prided unique freedoms civil rights suddenly turn third worldlike plutocracy governed rabidthough sort electedjunta shamelessly even proudly represents interests oil military industries everything anyone else could enlightened nation fall abyss religious fanaticism suppression rights herdlike faith great leader could significant majority americans suddenly suspend collective faculty reason kneel new caesar sheepishly surely ruling cult could dreamt achievement without september 11th criminal attacks shocking immoral traumatic still alone explain current state union credit goes decades complacent american media apathy detachment world many liberal progressive american intellectuals always warned coincidence eyes american political elites germany france considered pariah states might face sanctions worse fail comply arab oil considered rightfully belonging americans albeit lying sands arabia mere coincidence even united nations viewed another mischievous third world country needs whipping every properly toe line going beyond former american government disdain aversion towards international organization current us administration audacity declare since un failed endorse legitimize campaign premeditated pillage carnage iraq itthat unhas lost relevance boutros ghali former un secretary general addresses dimension empire saying multilateralism unilateralism methods united states use la carte suits united nations instrument service american policy guardian march 1 2003 american rulers whose ignorance matched greed former world bank official describes get indulge moment sheer power profits come shortsightedness may prove fatal undoing even likely event decisive american military victory iraq whatever really means david von drehle washington post warns successful result contains risks eyes pondered recurring cycle human history power leads hubris hubris leads overreaching overreaching leads collapse victory could tempt united states overreach march 16 2003 putting gloomily veteran french diplomat regis de bray writes provoking chaos name order resentment instead gratitude something empires accustomed thus coast military victory victory final decline new york times february 23 2003 stunned angered boiling point footage latest angloamerican remotecontrol massacres iraq 72yearold father shouted revolted guts worst catastrophe ever hit human race columbus discovery america father remind native american fully understand fathers anger sure many would inclined concern go light seems one us choose empire freedom even americans see paths mutually exclusive empire aggrandize wealth power plutocracy cohorts americans lose preciousexemplary would venturecivil rights perhaps importantly claim morality recent polls american public opinion reflect considerable committed minority perturbed governments crimes around world many something indeed americans conscience opposing governments bloody war forefront international struggle arundhati roy writes courageous hundreds thousands american people streets americas great cities washington new york chicago san francisco fact institution world today powerful american government american civil society salute support acknowledge act upon responsibility allies friends guardian april 2 2003 also hope rest world truly hopes americans may rise occasion renounce empire within may opt status relatively less privileged citizens peaceful world rather loathed masters bludgeoned bullied oppressed world may shed role uncritical even submissive subjects reviled racist morally bankrupt empire conscientious americans board world chance defeat mad beast nuclear fangs takes us concerted mobilization global activism may well celebrate one day withering away empire omar barghouti independent palestinian political analyst article 911 putting moment human terms chosen among best 2002 guardian reached jennapalnetcom 160 | 2,726 |
<p>If there is any silver lining to the smoke-laced cloud that is hanging over the toxic cesspool and mass graveyard that used to be New Orleans, it is the just deserts that are coming to the millions of people who put the Bush Administration and the lunatic right in power in Washington.</p>
<p>Sure, the poor are getting clobbered in New Orleans and across the breadth of the Gulf coast, and sure, we are all in for it now, progressives and political Neanderthals alike, as the economy stumbles and oil prices soar, but I still take keen satisfaction in watching as the gullible idiots who voted for a movement that promised them little token tax cuts and smaller government have to face the consequences of their selfish actions.</p>
<p>In a few short months, Bush’s years of neglect of conservation, combined with his callous disregard for the security of New Orleans, will cost Americans more in heating and gasoline bills than all the tax breaks they have received and hoped to receive over the full eight years of the Bush presidency. The destruction of the port of New Orleans will end up sending food prices on an inflationary spiral even as the economy is likely to slip into recession. Perhaps most deliciously of all, the inflation in energy and food prices that will result from New Orleans’ decimation, combined with the massive increase in the government budget deficit its rebuilding will entail, ensures that the Federal Reserve will have to continue raising interest rates, thus popping the housing bubble that has so enriched homeowning, mostly Republican, voters. (The biggest inflation in housing has occurred in wealthy Republican Sunbelt regions of Florida and California, and in the high-end, mostly Republican neighborhoods of major cities like Boston, New York and San Francisco.)</p>
<p>All of this was predictable. You couldn’t have known that it would be New Orleans that would be the keystone whose removal would crumble the right-wing edifice. It could have been the War in Iraq, which promises to get worse and worse. It could have been the long-predicted Big One in California, or the still looming Bird Flu epidemic. In the end it was a moderately big hurricane and a dead city that did the trick. But the groundwork for disaster was laid over the last few decades by a mass of middle-class people who somehow believed (with a fervor akin to that of fundamentalists who believe the earth is flat and was formed in seven days) that it would be a great idea to put into federal office people whose fundamental ideological view is that government doesn’t work, does everything (except making war and convicting and executing the right people) badly, and should be made as small and weak as possible.</p>
<p>Yet with such governmental nihilists in power, how could the outcome in New Orleans have been other than an epic disaster? Would these people have hired teachers for their schools who didn’t believe kids could learn? Would they have gone to doctors when they were sick, who professed a belief that medicine was a joke? Would they have hired a contractor to build their home who said that engineering and architecture were for sissies?</p>
<p>The Bush/Republican approach to disaster relief is to stay on vacation (Bush and Cheney), go shopping (Secretary of State Condi Rice), let the locals handle it (FEMA Director Michael Brown), stay in Washington and insist everything is fine (Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff), and then to call on people to make contributions to the Salvation Army and Rev. Pat Robertson’s “charity” slush fund. Republicans gutted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, slashed funding to states and local governments for basic police and fire services, shipped off existing first responder personnel (who generally join National Guard units because it makes sense, and because they pick up some extra cash) to Iraq, where they were never meant to be. Then they appointed a dim-witted political hack to head it all up, and they put him under a Homeland Security secretary whose prior management experience was ordering around a couple of court clerks and a court stenographer, and who has displayed his grasp of the current crisis facing his department by declaring that Louisiana is a city. (If America were Japan, the streets of downtown Washington today would be slippery with the gore of legions of leaders and department heads, from the president on down, committing ritual harikiri. Sadly, our leaders don’t do such things; they just blame subordinates or others.)</p>
<p>One has to hope that this debacle–the unprecedented loss of an important American city and the slaughter of 10,000 or more innocent people through incompetence and malicious neglect-and the ensuing financial pain it will inflict on the whole American public, including the me-first lot that put the whole conservative rat pack in Washington, will lead to a rebirth of rational self-interest and perhaps even of a social conscience in the American body politic.</p>
<p>Seeing fellow Americans going through the hell they have been enduring in New Orleans has to make some of the less cold-hearted of Republican and swing voters realize the evil that their own chosen leaders have wrought. Meanwhile, self-interest is likely to make even the empathy-challenged see the wrong-headedness of handing government over to those who deny its importance, or who simply use government as a tool for enriching themselves and their cronies.</p>
<p>Am I right? The polls showing Bush and the Republican congress now sinking below 34% in public support say yes.</p>
<p>And the real financial pain of New Orleans’ destruction has not yet begun to bite.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | true | 4 | silver lining smokelaced cloud hanging toxic cesspool mass graveyard used new orleans deserts coming millions people put bush administration lunatic right power washington sure poor getting clobbered new orleans across breadth gulf coast sure progressives political neanderthals alike economy stumbles oil prices soar still take keen satisfaction watching gullible idiots voted movement promised little token tax cuts smaller government face consequences selfish actions short months bushs years neglect conservation combined callous disregard security new orleans cost americans heating gasoline bills tax breaks received hoped receive full eight years bush presidency destruction port new orleans end sending food prices inflationary spiral even economy likely slip recession perhaps deliciously inflation energy food prices result new orleans decimation combined massive increase government budget deficit rebuilding entail ensures federal reserve continue raising interest rates thus popping housing bubble enriched homeowning mostly republican voters biggest inflation housing occurred wealthy republican sunbelt regions florida california highend mostly republican neighborhoods major cities like boston new york san francisco predictable couldnt known would new orleans would keystone whose removal would crumble rightwing edifice could war iraq promises get worse worse could longpredicted big one california still looming bird flu epidemic end moderately big hurricane dead city trick groundwork disaster laid last decades mass middleclass people somehow believed fervor akin fundamentalists believe earth flat formed seven days would great idea put federal office people whose fundamental ideological view government doesnt work everything except making war convicting executing right people badly made small weak possible yet governmental nihilists power could outcome new orleans epic disaster would people hired teachers schools didnt believe kids could learn would gone doctors sick professed belief medicine joke would hired contractor build home said engineering architecture sissies bushrepublican approach disaster relief stay vacation bush cheney go shopping secretary state condi rice let locals handle fema director michael brown stay washington insist everything fine homeland security secretary michael chertoff call people make contributions salvation army rev pat robertsons charity slush fund republicans gutted federal emergency management agency slashed funding states local governments basic police fire services shipped existing first responder personnel generally join national guard units makes sense pick extra cash iraq never meant appointed dimwitted political hack head put homeland security secretary whose prior management experience ordering around couple court clerks court stenographer displayed grasp current crisis facing department declaring louisiana city america japan streets downtown washington today would slippery gore legions leaders department heads president committing ritual harikiri sadly leaders dont things blame subordinates others one hope debaclethe unprecedented loss important american city slaughter 10000 innocent people incompetence malicious neglectand ensuing financial pain inflict whole american public including mefirst lot put whole conservative rat pack washington lead rebirth rational selfinterest perhaps even social conscience american body politic seeing fellow americans going hell enduring new orleans make less coldhearted republican swing voters realize evil chosen leaders wrought meanwhile selfinterest likely make even empathychallenged see wrongheadedness handing government deny importance simply use government tool enriching cronies right polls showing bush republican congress sinking 34 public support say yes real financial pain new orleans destruction yet begun bite 160 160 160 160 160 160 | 517 |
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