What now for liberals and Democrats? Exactly what does this past election mean for the left? While progressives have complained for years that the Democratic Party isn't liberal enough, 54% of Democrats say the party too left of center. Where exactly does that leave us? Are we to conclude that America is simply not ready for a progressive agenda? That most progressives simply do not identify as Democrats? That the polls are flawed? One thing is for certain: if Democrats want to win, they must create a clearly alternative to Republicans with a solid plan for change. In his open letter to Nacy Pelosi Todd Gitlin provides some advice for balancing these concerns. Meanwhile: Al Gore and John Kerry have come out swinging.

What can you do to encourage the use of clean energy? One simple thing you can do is offset your power consumption by buying clean energy. I completely offset my home electrical use for only $10 a month. This doesn't necessarily mean that all the power in my apartment is coming from clean energy, but it does mean that an equal amount is being purchased and used in place of fossil fuels somewhere.

How U.S. Think Tanks Interact With The Military: "RAND operates three DOD-sponsored, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs). . . . Over time, RAND developed complementary lines of research for the Army, as well as for other federal clients such as the intelligence community. And the DOD steadily increased the number and diversity of its external sources of research, also using others in the growing world of 'think tanks' such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Brookings Institution."

a.) How many times do you hear 'experts' from the Council of Foreign Relations, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Brookings Institution give commentary to the media, including NPR?

b.) How many times while these aforementioned folk are voicing their opinions to large numbers of people has it been mentioned that they are funded by the Department of Defense?

Amnesty Says Two Chinese Internet Users Were Executed: "Foreign companies, including Websense and Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Microsoft have reportedly provided important technology which helps the Chinese authorities censor the Internet. Nortel Networks along with some other international firms are reported to be providing China with the technology which will help it shift from filtering content at the international gateway level to filtering content of individual computers, in homes, Internet cafes, universities and businesses."

Another Century of War?

A foreign policy that is both immoral and unsuccessful is not simply stupid, it is increasingly dangerous to those who practice or favor it. That is the predicament that the United States now confronts.
Communism no longer exists, American military power has never been greater, but the U.S. has never been so insecure and its people more vulnerable. After fifty years of interventions in the affairs of dozens of nations on every continent, interventions that varied from training police and armies to supplying them with lethal equipment and advisers to teach them how to use it, after two major wars involving its own manpower for years, America's sustained, intense, and costly efforts have only culminated in greater risks to itself. There is more instability and violence in the world than ever, and now it has finally reached its own shores--and its political leaders have declared it will continue. By any criterion, above all the security of its own citizens, the U.S.' international policies, whether military or political, have produced consummate failures. It is neither realistic nor ethical. It is a shambles of confusions and contradictions, pious, superficial morality combined with cynical adventurism, all of which has undermined, not strengthened, the safety of the American people and left a world more dangerous than ever.

"Does that mean one must leave the Republican Party in order to fight for liberty? Maybe so..."

American Indians Hold Thanksgiving Day of Mourning: "The greatest single acts of terrorism to date were not perpetrated by Osama bin Laden, but by the US military when it dropped atomic bombs on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

Shhh! American Prisoners Being Held In Afghanistan: "Guerrillas have captured five more American soldiers in Afghanistan. This is an extension to the list of 40 American soldiers who have been missing for more than a year now." (via LibertyThink)

TV Ad Banned For Mocking Bush

And the comedy award winner is...

Not, but here's something so silly and juvenile I thought it'd never get a mention elsewhere, yet it did - a Stand Down post mentions this really stupid joke which, depending on how you like stupid jokes, can be funny, or simply idiotic, or both, but I thought it was clear enough the joke was precisely on the peace movement, not the reverse. I mean, after all, they do have a point. The levels of inefficacy that current "opposition" to anything our governments decide has sunken to are something close to what the site suggests, indeed... No particular reference, just a sad fact of life in western democracies as of November 2002.

There's always a risk of self-congratulatory pats on the back among even the best-intentioned protest movements. The efficacy of protests doesn't depend on their nature or scope alone, seen as public opinion is not that relevant to political decisions of the highest order like, indeed, wars, or economic policies. The strongest effect of lack of popular support for war, as detected by polls, is usually of forcing the war-posse governments to supply slightly stronger justifications to press their case (hopefully not involving the expectation of new attacks...). I know that sounds cynical, but it's true. That doesn't devalue the right to protest itself, seen as it's one of the foundations of democracy (elections were granted as a foundation of our political system only after riots and people demanding the right to vote - nevermind that voting has become a more limited choice than what was contemplated in Henry Ford's motto "customers can buy cars in any colour they like, provided it's black" ).

Still, in practice, protesting today has become a waste of time, unless one is focused on very precise, very specific and possibly local issues. How can you protest against "globalization", for instance? Try protesting against the local factories disregarding environment protection laws and it's more likely to succeed. It also makes more sense. War is also a local issue, in that every government planning to join the military effort on Iraq is going to devolve huge funds to that support, taking them away from other sectors of public investment that might be more necessary. So, fair enough to protest against it. But what about the rest? Why are there no huge protest movements when the issues are not related to US intervention, or the military? Why are so many people ready to criticize the hypocrisy of dressing a war for oil in terms of "exporting democracy" but spend so little effort checking how pipeline projects are being implemented in ways that betray all existing laws and established conventions, not to mention human rights and environmental principles? Check this for instance:

Corporate Accountability â?? Not!

BP and other oil companies have demanded an extraordinary and outrageous deal, giving them complete freedom from regulation for a pipeline they propose to build across Turkey.

The planned 1760km oil pipeline is backed by BP (UK), Unocal (US) Statoil (Norway), Turkiye Petroleum (Turkey), ENI (Italy), TotalFinaElf (France), Itochu Oil (Japan), Delta Hess (US/Saudi Arabia) and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan. It would stretch from Baku on the Caspian Sea, through T'blisi in Georgia, to Ceyhan on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Slated for completion in 2005, it would operate for at least 40 years.

The BP-Turkey agreement, known as the Host Government Agreement (HGA), creates a corridor running through some of Turkeyâ??s most politically volatile regions. The corridor would effectively be outside the national governmentâ??s jurisdiction for the lifetime of the proposed project.

A consortium of corporations taking over the laws - that's even more worrying a possibility than the US bypassing international conventions and agreements to wage a unilateral war. Shouldn't it deserve the same if not even more attention? I'm not aiming at anything here, and the primary responsibility for lack of information on these issues is obviously at the mainstream media level. But just a thought for well-intentioned protesters worldwide: the side-issues sometimes are even more relevant than the bigger picture.

Restore access to information
...by volunteering incriminating information to the government under Homeland Security provisions, companies will be shielded from an inquisitive public. Officials at nuclear power plants, for example, could keep information about safety flaws from the public by providing it to the government. Never mind that an unknowing public might be at greater risk of an accident or faulty work than from terrorists.

Too much information is too much power
The bill also imposes sharp penalties against whistleblowers: A federal employee who releases secret information could face up to a year in prison. A spokesman for the ACLU called the House language "a disaster for the public's right to know."

Would You Like Corruption With Your Radioactive Waste?
Act surprised: "Congressional investigators on Tuesday were weighing a demand from Nevada’s senators that they look into allegations of fraud and abuse at Yucca Mountain — the site of the nation’s future nuclear waste repository. The senators, both opponents of storing the radioactive waste in Nevada, said new statements by whistleblowers suggest 'serious defects in the scientific process' used to pick Yucca as a storage site."

American Gulf War Veterans Association Calls for Rumsfeld Resignation

The American Gulf War Veterans Association (AGWVA) now calls for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. In response to questioning by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, (D-WV), Rumsfeld denied any knowledge that the United States had shipped biological weapons to Iraq during the 1980’s. Rumsfeld was addressing the Armed Services Committee last week, when he stated that he “…had no knowledge of any such shipments and doubted that they ever occurred.”

There is no disputing the evidence that the U.S. provided bacteria and viruses as evidenced by Senate Report 103-900, “United States Dual-Use Exports To Iraq And Their Impact On the Health of The Persian Gulf War Veterans,” dated May 25,1994, chaired by Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI) of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. This Senate report was available to all senators and listed among other items, Bacillus Anthracis, (anthrax) Clostridium botulinum, and West Nile Fever Virus as pathogens that were shipped to Iraq in the 1980’s with the full knowledge of the Department of Commerce and the CDC.

There is no question that the Secretary of Defense must be informed and up to date with information about a potential military enemy and his military capabilities. Mr. Rumsfeld’s statements demonstrate that this is clearly not the case.

If our Secretary of Defense is unaware of the sales of biological materials to a country with which we are about to go to war, or if he is in denial over the fact that these sales occurred, the AGWVA believes that he represents a clear and present danger to the lives of our military, our country, and the American people, and should be considered a very serious threat to the national security. It is for this reason that the AGWVA calls for his resignation and removal from office.

Bush signs Homeland Security bill
President Bush signed legislation Monday creating a new Department of Homeland Security devoted to preventing domestic terror attacks. He promised it "will focus the full resources of the American government on the safety of the American people." The president picked Tom Ridge as the department's first secretary.
Bush's signature launched the most sweeping federal reorganization since the Defense Department's birth in 1947, a process that his spokesman said could take up to two years to complete.

It's on.
"Behind public preparations for an invasion, British and American aircraft are destroying Iraq's air defences while covert groups of special forces are training Kurdish fighters and preparing equipment."

Iraq's nuclear non-capability

Famed Primatologist Declares Bush Administration a Bunch of Damn Dirty Apes!
The Bush Administration has been accused of being many things ever since it started the War on Terror , and now it looks like yet another colorful description can be added to the list : that they are nothing more than a bunch of hairless apes, specifically chimpanzees. That is , if a recent comparison between the Bush Administration and chimpanzees by famed primatologist Richard Wrangham, author of 1996's Demonic Males is to be believed.

Bellona Times No, the goal of Total Information Awareness is to help the administration follow its real vocation: maintaining political power through hypocrisy; that is, through a combination of personal secrecy and public libel. The Bush family relies on confidential deals, insider trading, erased records, and so on, while the far-right Republican Party has proven to its own satisfaction that any criticism of their policies can be deflected by launching non-sequitur counterattacks on their critics. Intelligence agencies -- "I know everything about you; you know nothing about me" -- are the coziest nests for such rodents.

onegoodmove "There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community."
OSCAR WILDE, The Critic as Artist, 1891

Guerrilla News Network - Vaccine Nation
Stephen Marshall, November 20, 2002

In what is shaping up to be one of the most draconian weeks since the Bush Administration took power, Tuesday’s Senate ratification of the Homeland Security Act leaves little doubt that corporate interests have a major stake in the post-9/11 re-engineering of American law.

You have got to be fucking kidding me... (via)

Christian Coalition Plans Massive Pro-Israel Rallies Across U.S.

Also known as the "Let's-Expedite-The-Second-Coming-Which-Entails-Death-Or-Xtian-Conversion-For-All-Of-The-Aforementioned-Jews-Plan." Also available as a fine dinette set. Buy yours now and don't get left behind!

Jose Bove gets sentenced to 14 months in jail for destroying two fields of gm crops. I can still picture him standing on top of a stopped bus in the middle of a halted intersection in downtown Seattle, the day before November 30, 1999, surrounded by an outbreak of fleshy democracy. Jose Bove is a living folk hero, and not only that--he's an internationally-recognized living folk hero. Globalize genuine folk heroes! Long live Jose Bove!

See also: Police Assault Anti-WTO Protestors In Australia

Judge wants to give RTF webmaster12 months in prison
JUDGE REJECTS PLEA FOR RAISETHEFIST.COM, SHERMAN AUSTIN
Raisethefist.com, Sherman Austin went to court on Monday, Sept 30th to plead guilty to felony: 18 U.S.C. 842 (p)(2)(A): DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION RELATING TO EXPLOSIVES, DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES, AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WITH THE INTENT THAT SUCH INFORMATION BE USED IN FURTHERANCE OF A FEDERAL CRIME OF VIOLENCE.

The plea bargain was to give Austin a felony conviction with 1 month in jail, 5 months in a half-way home and 3 years supervised release. As the prosecutor read the factual basis of the plea agreement in court, Judge Wilson immediately turned defiant, saying 1 month in jail was not acceptable. He expressed that posting such information regardless of any intent should be illegal, (this of course completely disregarding the 1st amendment and the thousands of NON-ANARCHIST web sites which distribute bomb making instructions), stating that the offense is too serious for Austin to serve only 1 month in jail. Judge Wilson argued that Austin should serve more than 12 months, even though the sentencing is between 6-12 months for Austin's criminal history category under violation 18 U.S.C. 842.The judge also attempted to make Austin out as a terrorist, saying he didn't care how old he was, that his political philosophy behind his reasons of posting the information made it a very serious federal offense, with the intent that the information be used for malicious destruction at international events of foreign commerce.

Eric Alterman: Altercation

War or no war, fly zone or no fly zone, UN or no UN: international laws of contradiction

Just time to pass a resolution, send inspectors, and voilà, Iraq 'breaching UN resolution'. Quick and painless. If only wars were really like that. Short and to the point, exactly like UN resolutions are. Or, rather, not... The safe stage of "multilateral" action has been set, but it's really no more than a show, when the room for interpretation has been left limitless. And especially when the very first "breach!" cry comes not from inspections - which haven't even started yet - but from something that may or may not be contemplated in the Security Council decisions. The space occupied by that "or" includes everything from total invasion to continuation of the air-strikes that have been offered to Iraqis as complimentary gifts of western democracy for the past ten years.

As a short reminder that war on Iraq has never really stopped since 1991, so it can't really start again (how about that for complicating further the knots of what remains of "international law", by now conveniently tangled up in a huge bundle of hypocrisy that, as usual, only bombs can untie), here's a quick overview of the issue with the no fly zones. If you don't get bored/sick/tired of the usual justifications, counter-justifications, sophisms and "humanitarian" excuses, especially those regarding civilian casualties. Take your pick:

...the no-fly zones were not authorised by the United Nations and they are not specifically sanctioned by any Security Council resolution...

...action was consistent with Security Council Resolution....

...the resolution did not say the Security Council was acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which provides for enforcement action...

...whatever was justified in 1991 is not necessarily justified more than 10 years later...

...are now alone in the Security Council in insisting that their frequent bombing of Iraqi targets is covered by international law...

...under international law, there is a right to intervene to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe...

...condemned the no-fly zones as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty...

...there is no backing for the policy under international law or UN resolutions...

...hundreds of civilians have died in these attacks...

...disputed some of these figures, and insist they never target civilian areas...

...latest UN resolution on the disarmament of Iraq does not mention the no-fly zones...

...firing on British and American planes amounts to a violation of the UN resolution...

See how useful is the UN when you need a "legal position"? You can get any resolution to mean exactly anything you like. Don't you just wish it worked like that for your tax returns, but no, on that sort of thing, the laws are usually overly precise.

DEBUNKING THE MYTH OF 9/11
Official 9/11 commission set to ignore Israeli connection

A NY Times article A Snooper's Dream (sign in required) give more information about Total Information Awareness
"The program, known as Total Information Awareness, is a project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which helped develop the Internet and a host of cutting-edge military technologies. It is run by John Poindexter, the retired Navy rear admiral who was Ronald Reagan's national security adviser and, in that capacity, helped devise the plan to sell arms to Iran and illegally divert the proceeds to the rebels in Nicaragua. Sentenced to six months in jail for lying to Congress (a conviction later overturned on appeal), the admiral was never particularly contrite about his deceit, asserting at one point that it was his duty to withhold information from the American people."
"Mr. Poindexter is pursuing a scheme he thought up right after 9/11 and then sold to the Bush administration."

North Korea's state radio admitted today they have a low level nuke.

The Price of Freedom

In a newsweek article about Bob Woodward's new book In the War Room Evan Thomas writes:

In the war in Afghanistan last fall, the United States bought off more enemy fighters than it killed. In one case, the CIA offered $50,000 to a Taliban warlord to defect. When the commander asked for time to think about it, a Special Forces A Team laser-guided a JDAM precision bomb to explode next door to his headquarters. The next day the CIA man called the commander back with a new offer. How about $40,000? This time the commander said yes.  

No War? Think Again

Don't get too comfortable just because Saddam said yes to the U.N. weapons inspection resolution. Or should we say, Mr. Bush is not getting too comfortable, and we bet Saddam isn't either.

Just a quick look around the headlines make it pretty apparent that War is inevitable:

USA Today - Iraq: Failure to comply may spark invasion

Business Week - An Iraq Attack: The Odds Now

Sydney Morning Herald - wSplit emerges over what triggers war

CBS News - U.S. Warns Iraq: Don't 'Play Games'

Toronto Star - U.S. has doubts as Iraq allows checks

icWales - Bush Still Looks for Showdown

Canadian Globe and Mail - Deception won't be tolerated, Hussein warned

Fox News (there's a surprise!) - Rumsfeld: Saddam Would 'Like to See' Terrorist Attacks If U.S. Goes to War

Rather than reporting the news, these headlines seem to be preparing the world for an inevitable war (and the consequences of an increase in terrorists attacks during and afterwards).

Say your prayers to whatever God you believe in, folks.

Gary Snyder on Buddhist Anarchism: "No one today can afford to be innocent, or indulge himself in ignorance of the nature of contemporary governments, politics and social orders. The national polities of the modern world maintain their existence by deliberately fostered craving and fear: monstrous protection rackets."

Hacktivists or Cyberterrorists? The Changing Media Discourse on Hacking

Especially after September 11, the national debate on the security of cyberspace has intensified. It has negatively influenced movements that rely on hacking (like hacktivism), or other anti-hegemonic forms of Internet use, such as free access, open source, or privacy protection. Hackers and online political activists are now forced to defend themselves against being labeled by the authorities as cyberterrorists.

Restrictive legislation can more easily be passed with public support that increases under a perceived threat, and thus justifies lending more power to the government. Because of the sensationalist nature of hacking, the media is a willing partner of the government in vilifying hackers and hacktivists, and even blaming the Internet as a terrorist territory. Whether intentionally influenced or not, the mass media's portrayal of hacking conveniently fits the elite's strategy to form a popular consensus in a way that supports the elite's crusade under different pretexts to eradicate hacking, an activity that may potentially threaten the dominant order. While the focus is on hackers, several related issues are touched upon, such as encryption, surveillance, censorship, and privacy, which are also key to digital resistance. As such, we see a great effort on the part of the government to control these technologies and forms of online dissent. [more]

See also: Hacktivismo and CultDeadCow

Bush, Nazi, CIA Connections?
Dave Emory's been saying it for years now. I mean, the more you look into this, the more it begins to really make sense.

No War This Week

In a move devastating to Mr. Bush's chance to get some crude oil for his friends in the petroleum industry, Saddam Hussein said yes to the U.N. resolution demanding unconditional weapons inspections in Iraq.

"We hereby inform you that we will deal with Resolution 1441, despite its bad contents," said a letter from Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

We ourselves have had lunches with bad contents and know how difficult it is to digest. However, this pretty much puts any invasion plans on hold, at least for a week. Iraq's compliance, combined with the recent tape indicating that Osama bin Laden might still alive, would create active debate as to the advisability of focusing military might on an Iraq invasion, if the media were actually objective, and we weren't living in Bizarro World ("bin Laden am still alive! Then we am going after Hussein!").

Here's a nifty little piece of interactive cool stuff from CBSNews, showing things like the dates of inspections, world opinions, layout of our troops in the gulf, a who's who of hawks in DC, and an advertisement for the CBS Early Show.

However, as this little article from CNN shows, it's only a matter of waiting till Saddam does something Bush doesn't like:

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the Bush Administration had not seen the letter -- but warned that if it contained "any false information or omissions, that would be considered a violation," of the resolution.

Does that include spelling errors? Saddam, there's no I-T after B-U-S-H!

George Catlin... Máh-to-tóh-pa, Four Bears, Second Chief, in Full Dress (1832, oil). From George Catlin and His Indian Gallery at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. "...When Catlin first traveled west in 1830, the United States Congress had just passed the Indian Removal Act, requiring Indians in the Southeast to resettle west of the Mississippi River. This vast forced migration - as well as smallpox epidemics and continuing incursions from trappers, miners, explorers, and settlers - created pressures on Indian cultures to adapt or perish. Seeing the devastation of many tribes, Catlin came to regard the frontier as a region of corruption. He portrayed the nobility of these still-sovereign peoples, but he was aware that he painted in sovereignty's twilight."

A Moment for Those Fallen in Battle

Today is Armistice Day, better known as Veterans' Day, originally designed to honor those brave soldiers fallen on the battlefields of World War One, now expanded to include honoring all American soldiers from all times.

I come from a military family; my father, my aunt and uncle, my sister, and the men who married both my sisters have served in the armed forces. My father was on one the subs in Tokyo Bay when the surrender was signed on the USS Missouri. He was a pharmacists' mate on the sub in the Pacific throughout the war. I honor him, and I miss him greatly.

I have often maintained that the military is not the problem; it's the politicians who make the wars. The military are the ones that clean up the mess the politicians make.

Please take a moment to think of those who had died fighting for this country. Take a moment to think of those who, unless a miracle of miracle happens, will die on the sands of Iraq at a politician's behest.

And, in honor of Armistice Day, here are views on invading Iraq by some men and women who have actually served in our armed forces:

At Navy School in Monterey, Voices of Skepticism about Iraq War

When former Secretary of the navy James Webb gave a speech last Thursday at the naval postgraduate school in Monterey slamming the bush administration's threatened war with Iraq, an outsider might have expected the officers assembled there to give him a frosty reception. In fact, the opposite occurred. The respectful, admiring welcome he received gave an unusual, somewhat counterintuitive glimpse into the often- closed world of the U.S. military. Among the Naval postgraduate school's students and faculty, at least, it seems that independent, critical thinking is alive and well.


marine general speaks out against bush's war plans

i'm not convinced we need to do this now. i am convinced that we need to deal with saddam down the road, but i think that the time is difficult because of the conditions in the region and all the other events that are going on. i believe that he can be deterred and is containable at this moment. as a matter of fact, i think the containment can be ratcheted up in a way that is acceptable to everybody.


veterans comment on actions against iraq

you have to avoid war as much as possible because war is hell no matter how you look at it. there's no winner...i hate to see young people go to war...their lives get ruined, the lives of their families get ruined.


vets differ on war against iraq">veterans comment on action against iraq

we either get him disarmed or we get rid of him, one of the two...i know what it can do to mankind, and it isn't a pretty sight...i'm not for war, but if that's what it takes...a lot of families will be broken up. a lot of children will be left fatherless and motherless. i hope it doesn't come to war...

Eric Blair, at Warblogger Watch, notes that "Bill Quick is running a most bloodthirsty warblog contest. When I first started up WBW I would have been all over it, but now it just kind of seems desperate and sad. Here are a few highlights, my last word, unless one of these nuts goes postal and starts picking off brown people with a Bushmaster." Desperate and sad it may be, but I'm afraid it increasingly represents the mainstream. Reading some of the venom these pathetic ignorants are spouting serves to help us remember what kind of country we live in, if waking up painted blue all over last Wednesday morning hasn't already done it for you.

Actually, I'm of two minds what significance to place on all this. As readers of my weblog Follow Me Here know, it is a longstanding preoccupation of mine to worry about exactly what influence thoughtful webloggers opposed to the madness can have. Usually it seems to me we fill a universe with discourse, but that the universe is one of likeminded souls only preaching to the converted. This often discourages me (and inspires a shower of supportive comments in my mailbox). But, on the other hand, one of my responses to the fact that I live in a country whose denizens are over and over anally raped, played for fools and convinced to love it enough to beg for more from our elected despots — and then go on in braindead support of the export of our hypocritical tyranny and pillage on the rest of the world — has been to dissociate myself. When people tell me my words can have an influence in the broader field of public discourse, not only am I often dubious but, usually, I'm not sure I want that. You can't argue about political persuasion any more than you can about religion —indeed, it is usually faith- rather than fact-based! It takes so much energy to debate with deluded ranters; is it worth it?

Why not just live in a different country? In a way, ever since the moral bankruptcy of the Vietnam War, I've taken seriously the jeering jingoist yahoos who taunted us to "Love it or leave it." I left. Not literally, not geographically, but I have never felt I lived in America as constituted, not their America. This was apolitical whenever possible, politically involved when an issue of peace, justice or survival made it morally impossible to ignore it. Actually, maybe I live elsewhere geographically too; I've always settled in places which are pockets of resistance, university towns, for most of my adult life The Republic of Cambridge or its environs (I'm across the river from there now, but I still have my office there), and could not see relocating anywhere in the Vast Wasteland which still seems painful whenever it is necessary to venture out into it. At least, unlike my aloof beleaguered isolationism of the Reagan-Bush era, the pockets of self-imposed exile in these days of renewed tyranny and permanent war have expanded into cyberspace to assume a continuity and community. It's a little bit easier to inhabit this America. Let's hope, with the ongoing shitstorm ramping up in intensity, it remains a place of refuge.

we didn't know women were a minority

california representative nancy pelosi has all but locked up the job of house minority leader.

her main competition to the job, martin frost, dropped out of the running and endorsed ms. pelosi on friday. this leaves only harold ford as her only challenger, but most feel that pelosi has secured enough votes for victory.

ms. pelosi will replace dick gephardt, who, since our mother told us if we can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, we will say nothing about.

asked for a comment, the republicans said, "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. losers."

apparently there are no republicans in italy

over 450,000 people marched in florence italy this weekend as a protest of impending war in iraq and globalization in general.

the protests were peaceful, unlike those against the g8 last year.

"police in florence said about 450,000 people took part in the demonstration, the highlight of an anti-globalization gathering here that started wednesday and ends sunday. the figure was more than twice the number expected. organizer vittorio agnoletto estimated the crowd at 800,000 to 1 million."

why can't the u.s. turn out those kind of numbers for our protests? oh yeah, because we're stuck in first amendment zones!

addendum two of our favorite things in blogtopia (yes! i coined that phrase!) also cover this story, as talkleft reports about it on stand down, the no war blog.

where have all the mothers gone?

Rome. buon giorno my friends! For the past week there’s been so much controversy about permitting the European Social Forum to have their convention-manifestation in Florence. Many argued that it was stupid to risk in Florence, because of it’s artistic patrimony, that which happened last year in Genova with G8. But, while the right on one hand was waging a media blitz against the pacifists accusing them of potential violence, on the other hand they were in Parliment literally fist fighting among themselves.
One of the nastiest anti-Social Forum blasts came from Oriana Fallaci, Florentine living in New York, who, once physically beautiful, is now old and sour. She encouraged the citizens of Florence to “show their balls” (I guess she was desperate to see some....) and protest against the presence of Social Forum even encouraging merchants to close their shops with a “chiuso per lutto” (closed for mourning) sign. (Must I add that Fallaci writes for Corriere della Sera, newspaper owned by right-wing premier, Berlusconi?)

One of the main concerns of the manifestation was that of the War of Prevention in Iraq. Where are our mothers? Why are women so willing to donate their sons to war? Why don’t women care about risking their sons’ limbs, lives and psyches? Do we have children just for decorative purposes and/or narcisstic needs? Mothers should be the first to protest against war!

The manifestation was a great success with 500,000 to 1,000,000 people from different countries and cultural backgrounds all united by basic common principals. Many Florentines stood in their windows clapping the demonstrators. Many even offered them food and water and the use of their bathrooms since many of the shops were closed. Even my son, Sergio, was there representing the family, I'm proud to say!

more:The Significance of the European Social Forum--Gino Strada: "Emergency simbolo contro la guerra"--Social Forum: Al Corteo 6000 Agenti; Ci Sara' Cofferati--European Social Forum A festival of resistance

apparently the nytimes thinks it's not nice to fight back, children

hello, everyone, skippy here. while searching for a link to make a rush limbaugh joke we ran across this ny times editorial by nicholas kristof. mr. kristof takes exception to the fact that the left is apparently sinking to the right's level in vitrol.

"yet these days, the intelligent left is dumbing down and showing signs of slipping into a similar cesspool of outraged incoherence. it's debasing and marginalizing itself by marshaling epithets rather than arguments," mr. kristof says.

and he's right. but we say, so what, assh*le? no, actually, we don't say the assh*le part, we are making a joke. but we do maintain that it's not a sign of weakness or immaturity to fight fire with fire.

sure, there are fringe elements on all sides of the political aisle. lyndon larouche has been running for president since we were young bush kangaroos in our mother's pouch. so, it's rather disengenous to take a nutty remark from the edge and accuse the whole side of the political spectrum of going crazy. do we use the fact that trent lott spoke at the council of conservative citizens to condemn the whole republican party as racist bigots? no, we refuse to paint the whole party with a brush dipped in one member's disgusting waste. and we'd appreciate it if mr. kristof would show the left the same consideration.

he rails against the current wellstone-death conspiracy theories, likening them to vince foster rumors. well, sorry to bring this up, but there's still tons of theories about jfk's assassination. conspiracy theories abound on all sides, mr. kristof. but we don't say that because one theory has one political slant, then it follows that all who have that same political slant also believe in the same conspiracy. that would be like saying that we are sure you hate wen ho lee, just because you work at the times.

it is our position that, after 8 years or more of seeing how undocumented and unsubstantiated hyperbole (as we have witnessed from the right) gets the media's attention, it only makes sense to try it ourselves. you assh*le.

ok, ok, we were just joking again. but you take our point. (and shove it up your...ok, ok, we'll stop, we promise). we are not ghandi. we are not promoting pacifism against violence. we are fighting fire with fire. we are rolling up our sleeves and calling it like we see it.

when mr. kristof wrote a column decrying dick cheney's halliburton dealings, he received, and was incensed by, a letter saying "dick cheney is a maggot feeding on the decaying flesh of human misery." what, he doesn't like metaphors?

"the vitriol is bad for the country, by turning every policy fight into a zero-sum game, and it's also counterproductive," he writes. well, then, why don't you say something to the guys who started the whole thing, like newsmax, and free republic? and while you're at it, ask drudge to be a little less partisan in his link titles ("laughter at wellstone memorial" took you to a picture of clinton and mondale greeting each other fondly before entering the service) before you admonish buzzflash and bartcop.

and, of course, mr. kristof makes a common error in logic: "then there's iraq. i'm afraid that president bush is making a historic mistake by pushing obsessively to invade that country. but it doesn't follow that he's necessarily stupid or venal."

well, no, it doesn't, you're right. he isn't stupid because he wants to invade iraq. it may not even be visa versa. we're not pointing out any cause and effect here. a cat doesn't bury its feces because it licks its fur. but it all happens, doesn't it?

no, we have no idea what we meant by that last phrase, but we still defend the left's right not to be left out by the right, correct? yes, and we'll say it again if we can remember it. after all, mr. kristof, it takes two to tangle, and if you're going to berate the left for sinking to the level of the right, you had better say something to the right first.

assh*le.

Unscientific polling: This morning I was talking about the opening of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex with my freshmen. I was suggesting that this is a play about a state that has suffered a grevious attack & is in disarray & that it is as concerned with politics as with psychology & the nature of the gods. About halfway through the class the discussion veered into contemporary topics. We were talking about political divisions & how different societies attempt to resolve them. On a whim, I asked for a show of hands: How many of you think the US ought to invade Iraq in the next few months? Five hands went up. How many think we shouldn't? Twelve hands went up. How many aren't sure? Seven. Clarkson is a generally conservative school: draw your own conclusions.

Ignacio Aronovich... Street SP. "...Esta é uma galeria de excluídos sociais. As fotos são o resultado de alguns anos morando na região central de São Paulo. Todas são cenas cotidianas. Quase nenhuma foi publicada. A mídia, em geral, não se interessa por estas imagens, já que não há novidades aqui. Exemplos vivos (e alguns mortos) das consequências da má distribuição de renda do Brasil." From Lost Art em São Paulo. (br)

Iraq's History is Our History Too
Art Newspaper - 01 Nov 02

"Collectors, curators, lawyers and art patrons, are urging the U.S. government to take historic sites in Iraq into account as the military map out possible scenarios for attack and occupation. Specialists concerned about potential threats to the thousands of archaeological sites scattered throughout Iraq are supplying maps and other information to the Defense Department. The initiative, coordinated by Arthur Houghton, a Middle East specialist and former antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, is an attempt to protect Iraq's cultural heritage following the U.S. government's initial disregard for archaeological sites during the 1991 Gulf War."
- via Floating Wreckage - Jettisoned Cargo

Deconstructing Neville

Hello, everyone. Skippy here, to discuss the proper application of history. While it's true that those who don't remember History are doomed to repeat it, that is even more true of those that flunked History in the first place.

The name of Chamberlain has been bandied about a lot in recent weeks when discussing the pro's and cons of invading Iraq (and believe me, when it comes to valid reasons for invading, there are plenty of cons out there).

Prime Minister Chamberlain, for those of you doomed to repeat History, was the man who made the historic (or perhaps hysteric) Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler, thus allowing the Germans to take over Czechoslovakia in 1938, and encouraging those nutty Hessians to goose-step their way into Poland in '39. And well, the rest is, we are doomed to repeat, History. Chamberlain's statement of attaining "Peace in Our Time," of course, was shown to be tragically wrong.

And so some 65 years later or so, those who would love to unilaterially invade Iraq and kick some Saddam Hussein butt are accusing those of us who advise caution of being like Minister Chamberlain. But, we argue, as if there weren't enough things to argue about already, this metaphor is like our Grandad after his prostate operation: It can't hold water.

Matthew Engel in the Guardian says that there was Only One Adolf Hitler:

"Let's be clear about this. Saddam Hussein is not Hitler, as hysterical Americans keep claiming. The charges of external violence are 12 years old. There is no coherent evidence that he had any plans (at least before the US began goading him) for more adventures, merely that he is obsessed with stockpiling weaponry, a charge that applies equally to the Pentagon. Far from seeking global or regional domination, he only dominates portions of Iraq."

Mr. Engel goes on to say that George Bush is not Hitler either, with which we heartily agree. Hitler could form coherent sentences (ok, we admit, that was a cheap shot - but he makes it so easy). Anyway, that's not really our point.

Before Chamberlain made the blunder that would assure his name go down in the books, Germany had already invaded and occupied Austria. And it made no signs of leaving. Germany was obviously an 800 pound gorilla, and that was one of the many reasons Chamberlain became the Great Appeaser, wrong-headed an approach as it was.

Another big problem with the Chamberlain analogy is that Germany was, at the time, a first rate-industrial power. Granted, it suffered supreme set backs in the unfortunately-misnamed War to End All Wars, but was coming back rather strong, at least in terms of armament and technology. And although the first Great Depression hit Germany as hard as the U.S., it had one of the four largest economies in the world at the time.

One cannot say anything close to that about Iraq. (Well, one can, but then one would be put in the nuthouse). And let's face it: sure, Saddam likes to feed one zoo animal to another, but when was the last time Iraq invaded somebody? And what happened then? That's right, his forces were immediately routed and sent back home.

Oh, but you say, Saddam gassed the Kurds! That's right, you are correct. And we'll give you $5.00 if you can name the village that was gassed. And $5.00 more if you can tell us what year. And another $5.00, for a total of $15.00, if you can tell us the US's response to that terrible tragedy. Give up? The answers are, Halabja, 1988, and Nothing.

(We won't even get into how our allies, the Turks, treat the same minority group, the Kurds).

Our point, sarcastic as it is, comes down to this: for us to be Neville Chamberlain, Hussein has to be Hitler, and a very specific Hitler: a Hitler who already has invaded and occupied countries and is posed to do the same again. A Hitler with economic and military power to do so. A Hitler that threatens immediate war.

Saddam is a bad, bad despot (well, actually, no, he's very good at being a despot, he's just a despicable human being). But he's not about to invade anybody. He can hardly hold his own patch of sand. Thanks to our sanctions, his economy is in the toilet. And remember, Hitler had 95 warships. Saddam is lucky if he has an outboard.

Saddam must be dealt with. But he's no Hitler. And, ergo, we are no Neville Chamberlain. Richard Chamberlain, maybe. But that's as far as we will go.

Pre-emptive arrest of Green Party people in DC? An unconfirmed report.

This could be an inside account, or simply a way to spread rumors. Perhaps some of us bloggers will be able to do a bit of fact checking. Somehow the Leftist Propagandists' report on the DC anti-Iraq protest sounds more plausible. Stuck in traffic for too many hours this week, I heard NPR retract its Saturday estimate of the DC Iraq protest at 10,000, and note that march organizers numbered the crowd at 100,000 instead- same as UPI.

Clearly the hope is that weblogs, spinning off from the US, will somehow make it possible for us to promote a world-wide American Samizdat that counteracts future coverups of mass arrests, and prevents tragedies like Tlateloco from happening in places like Teheran. However data-crunching on surveillance of politicized crowds could become a new variant on opinion polling ... and technologies like the new link-tracking and link-diffusion features on Blogdex could simply make it easier to round all disssenters up.

So, fact checkers and obsessive surfers, grab your tinhats, your Linux server, and join the Vast CIA-sponsored Left Wing Media conspiracy ... ! The non-linear effects of linking so many human processors in a single information web are likely to have unpredictable consequences, and my guess is that some of them will be positive.