Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 08.15.05

[David Shove (shove001]

            P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R      08.15.05

1. Vigil/Cindy Sheehan   8.17 7:30pm

2. Fair housing training 8.18 9pm StCloud MN
3. Bias in MN            8.18 12noon
4. Eagan peace vigil     8.18 4:30pm
5. Small is beautiful    8.18 5pm

6. Counter recruit       8.19 11am
7. Palestine vigil       8.19 4:15pnm
8. Elizabeth Dickinson   8.19 5pm
9. Youth nonviolence     8.19 6:30pm
10. Coldwater            8.19 7pm
11. Waging a living/film 8.19 7:15pm
12. AWC yardsale dropoff 8.19 [when no one's looking]

13. Lynne Mayo - Activist digs

14. PC Roberts       - Get ready for a wider war
15. Mike Whitney     - An early end to the American Century
16. Cockburn/StClair - The "stricken" president
17. James Wright     - A blessing  (poem)

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From: runrundan <runrundan [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Vigil/Cindy Sheehan 8.17 7:30pm

I just signed up to host a candlelight vigil for Cindy Sheehan organized
by MoveOn.org Political Action.

Join members of WAMM, Veterans for Peace, other Minnesotans and people all
across the country who are committed to peace at this gathering at the
Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge in St. Paul.

Wednesday 17 Aug, 7:30pm

http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/3685

Please bring a candle or lantern. Keep in mind that it may be windy.

Cindy Sheehan, mother of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan who was killed in
Iraq, continues her vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford,
Texas. She was recently joined by more moms who lost a child in Iraq and
other military families. Meanwhile President Bush continues his five-week
vacation and pledged Thursday to keep U.S. troops in Iraq - meaning more
moms will lose a child.

Cindy has asked supporters to start candlelight vigils in their
communities to support her and call for an end to the war. So, MoveOn and
True Majority, together with WAMM and Veterans for Peace in the Twin
Cities, are teaming up to host Vigils for Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday,
August 17th, to show our solidarity with Cindy.

Our vigils will be simple and dignified. Together, we'll acknowledge the
sacrifices made by Cindy Sheehan, her son, Casey and the more than 1,800
brave American men and women who have given their lives in Iraq - and
their moms and families.

I hope you'll sign up.
ttp://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/3685
Kathy Stone


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From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Fair housing training 8.18 9pm StCloud MN

August 18 - FAIR HOUSING TRAINING.  9am-2pm (8:30am check in).

Presenters from: HUD, INH Properties and Legal Services
This training is recommended for Landlords, Tenants, and Housing
Advocates. All members of the public are welcome

Location: St. Cloud City Hall Council Chambers, 400 2 St S StCloud, MN


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From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Bias in MN 8.18 12noon

August 18 - Lecture: Bias in Minnesota. 12noon-1pm
Cost: Free (registration required).

Ms. Fennelly and Ms. Herder will discuss how the diversification of rural
Minnesota has led to resistance by some residents. They will examine how
immigrants and minorities are represented in newspapers in three rural
communities (Albert Lea, Faribault and Worthington) based on research
carried out by graduate students at the Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Some of their key findings include
an under-representation of minority communities and a narrow range of
themes in coverage. Ms. Provinzino will discuss Minnesota Advocates for
Human Rights Post-9/11 Project, which is designed to investigate the
long-term impact of September 11 on immigrant, refugee and religious
minority communities in Rochester, St. Cloud and the Twin Cities. Research
to date reveals widespread fear, decreased economic opportunities, reduced
access to public services, severe consequences of immigration law changes
and discrimination, including hate crimes and allegations of racial
profiling. Lunch will be provided for those who pre-register. Application
will be made for 1.0 Elimination of Bias Credit.

Biographical Information

Katherine Fennelly is Professor of Public Affairs at the Hubert H.
Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota. In 2003 she was the Willy
Brandt Visiting Professor of International Migration and Ethnic Relations
at Malm University in Sweden. She researches and teaches immigration and
public policy, leadership in the public sector, the human rights of
immigrants and refugees in the U.S. and the preparedness of communities
and public institutions to adapt to demographic changes. Recent projects
and publications focus on the integration of immigrants in rural,
Midwestern communities in the U.S. Fennelly has been dean of the
University of Minnesota Extension Service, a faculty member and department
head at the Pennsylvania State University, and a faculty member at
Columbia University School of Public Health. Bilingual in Spanish and
English, Fennelly has served as consultant to scores of organizations
ranging from the Kellogg Foundation to the Ministry of Health of Chile and
the Governors of Puerto Rico and San Luis, Argentina. She holds a
certificate of studies from the University of Madrid, a masters of
philosophy, a masters of health education, and a doctorate in adult
education from Columbia University in New York.

Sarah Herder is a recent graduate of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for
Public Affairs, where she earned her Master's of Public Policy with a
self-designed concentration in Human Rights. She received her B.A. in
English and a licensure in secondary education at the University of
Minnesota, Morris. Sarah is presently interning with the Children s
Defense Fund-MN, where she is researching Medicaid services and
expenditures in a collaborative project with the Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities. Her academic research explored human rights theory and
practice, domestic immigration issues, failed states and humanitarian
response, and poverty reduction policies. Her capstone research project
analyzed the representation of immigrant and minority populations in three
Minnesota newspapers. Before her work at the Humphrey Institute, Sarah
spent time as a substitute teacher in mathematics and English, an
AmeriCorps member, and a volunteer for The Resource Center for the
Americas and World Relief. She now volunteers with Minnesota Advocates for
Human Rights.

Laura Provinzino is the Wellstone Legal Fellow of Minnesota Advocates for
Human Rights. She has a B.A. in history and international affairs from
Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and a B.A. in philosophy,
politics and economics from Balliol College, Oxford University earned
while studying as a Rhodes Scholar. She graduated from Yale Law School in
2003. Prior to her work at Minnesota Advocates, Ms. Provinzino was a
Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Diana E. Murphy of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Ms. Provinzino is admitted to practice in
the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth
Circuit.

Location: Fredrikson & Byron, P.A, U.S. Bank Plaza (formerly Pillsbury
Center), 200 South Sixth Street, Suite 4000, Minneapolis, MN


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From: Greg and Sue Skog <skograce [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Eagan peace vigil 8.18 4:30pm

CANDLELIGHT PEACE VIGIL EVERY THURSDAY from 4:30-5:30pm on the Northwest
corner of Pilot Knob Road and Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan. We have signs
and candles. Say "NO to war!" The weekly vigil is sponsored by: Friends
south of the river speaking out against war.


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From: Jesse Mortenson <jmortenson [at] Macalester.edu>
Subject: Small is beautiful 8.18 5pm

8.18 5pm
Cahoots coffeehouse
Selby 1/2 block east of Snelling in StPaul

Limit bigboxes, chain stores, TIF, corporate welfare, billboards; promote
small business and co-ops, local production & self-sufficiency.


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From: sarah standefer <scsrn [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Counter recruit 8.19 11am

"Our Children Are Not Cannon Fodder"
CounterRecruitment Demonstration
Fridays   11-12 noon
Recruitment Office in Stadium Village at the U of M.
1/2 block east of Oak St on Washington Ave.
for info call Barbara Mishler 612-871-7871


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From: peace 2u <tkanous [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Palestine vigil 8.19 4:15pnm

Every Friday
Vigil to End the Occupation of Palestine

4:15-5:15pm
Summit & Snelling, St. Paul

There are now millions of Palestinians who are refugees due to Israel's
refusal to recognize their right under international law to return to
their own homes since 1948.


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From: ed
Subject: Meet Elizabeth Dickinson 8.19 5pm

Friday August 19
Meet Elizabeth Dickinson
5-9pm
1999 Wellesley Avenue, St. Paul
Sponsored by Mary Jeanne Levitt and Pat Huff. For more information,
contact Mary Jeanne at mjlevit[at]comcast.net or (651) 698-6755.


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From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Youth nonviolence 8.19 6:30pm

Friday, 8/19 (6:30 pm) to Saturday, 8/20 (5 pm), Youth Leadership
Conference on Nonviolence, Nonviolent Peaceforce, 425 Oak Grove St,
Minneapolis, $15.  FFI: 612-871-0005.  Register with
omar_fernandez [at] hotmail.com


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From: Susu Jeffrey
Subject: Coldwater 8.19 7pm

US Fish and Wildlife Service has closed the Coldwater campus to visitors
except for one hour per week, 3-4 PM on Friday afternoons. Entrance
during that single hour requires "pre-approval," a special use
permit--filled out, mailed in and mailed back--to be shown to an armed
guard at a check point gate with photo I.D

Below is the most recent Coldwater Journal including a long American
Indian Religious Freedom Act quote. It is one of the federal laws U.S.
Fish & Wildlife is violating with the closure of Coldwater.

Please consider attending the Friday events. This Friday, August 17,
from 3-4 pm--Michael Scott, Chairman of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota
Community, would like to see a looooong line of folks at the Coldwater
gates.  Be there if you can!

If you can't come on Friday, please call 612-713-5306 and request a
permit if you'd like one, or if these are not hours that are convenient
for you, please ask what other hours Coldwater will be open (besides 3-4
on Friday), as you would like to be able visit the Spring.  We'd like as
many phone calls as possible.  Tell your friends.

At 7 pm we'll gather for our monthly Full Moon Walk and talk about
what's happened-- what to do next, etc. Gather for the Moon Walk in the
parking lot at the south end of Minnehaha Park, off Hiawatha-Hwy 55 at
54th Street.

The Coldwater closure IS illegal.

Friday 08.12.05
The Gated Spring

Since the Bureau of Mines closed in 1996 and Coldwater as an historic and
sacred site was again recognized, no one associated with the spring has
damaged or stolen property. Collective punishment is the term for
persecution of the whole for actions of the few.  Thanks to the Friend of
Coldwater who anonymously dropped off information on my front stoop
including the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978:  "Whereas the
freedom of religion of all people is an inherent right... "Whereas such
laws and policies often deny American Indians access to sacred sites
required in their religions...

"Whereas such religious infringements result from the lack of knowledge of
the insensitive and inflexible enforcement of Federal policies and
regulations...

"Now therefore be it resolved...that henceforth it shall be the policy of
the United States to protect and preserve for the American Indians their
inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the
traditional religions...including but not limited to access to sites, use
and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through
ceremonial and traditional rites...."

Michael Scott, Chairman of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community, plans
to drive the lead car at the Coldwater gate next Friday, August 19, at 3
pm. On Friday evening at 7 pm, the monthly Full Moon Walk Around the
Coldwater Area will meet in the parking lot at the south end of Minnehaha
Park, off 54th Street.(Coldwater Spring) The gate was padlocked shut when
the first person came to the spring at 3 pm for the one-hour-per-week
sacred site time allotted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). A
phone call from an off-duty FWS employee brought an armed guard to unlock
the damaged front gate. Yes, a volunteer federal employee on her day off
came to make sure we could get in. Without Becky Bredwell, people would
have been locked out.

Several people were just leaving the area, sent by Dakota elders to get
sacred water for the weekend. They carried-out water jugs and left. They
did not have paper permits.  Three more people came to Coldwater. One
person who did not have a paper permit carried blank permits and Bredwell
authorized people on the spot.

"Liability, liability," is the FWS mantra this week for the closing of the
spring. Last week it was all about theft and vandalism. The Labrador
retriever that drowned in Coldwater reservoir last winter is the much
quoted source for the liability-safety issue. The dog, a birder, was
probably going after a duck. The water was cold, it was winter with just a
skin of ice for the mallards to walk on.  --S.J.

Whatever the reasons used, the closing of Coldwater is illegal.

FROM AN EARLIER EMAIL: COLDWATER CAMPUS CLOSED
US Fish and Wildlife Service has closed the Coldwater campus to visitors
except for one hour per week, 3-4 PM on Friday afternoons. Entrance during
that single hour requires "pre-approval," a special use permit--filled
out, mailed in and mailed back--to be shown to an armed guard at a check
point gate with photo I.D.

Each month a new permit would be required. Call 612-713-5306 for the form.
Vandalism of the abandoned buildings, such as gang graffiti, broken
windows, the theft of a 20-watt, $600 solar panel, and partial destruction
of the front gate by a drunk driver, was cited as reason for the closure
by Barbara Milne, Assistant Regional Director for Budget and
Administration at Fish and Wildlife. Milne also noted damage inside the
empty Main Building at the former Bureau of Mines by paint balls however,
that is the result of a Homeland Security exercise by local law
enforcement.

No site damage has been associated with supporters of the sacred spring
and labyrinth. Anishinabe elder Sharon Day remarked that the Coldwater
closure violates at least two federal laws. Rumors of closing off the
spring water are currently circulating. The threat is that health
authorities would test the spring water and issue a drinking water
advisory in the form of closure.

Religious rites involving water include many uses other than drinking:
washing newborns, washing the dead, asperging (sprinkling), Native America
sweat ceremonies, Moslem ablution rites, Christian baptism, and a variety
of ceremonies from religions around the world with water symbolizing the
life-force.

Despite concern for the property, the internal road at Coldwater is
flooded because the pipe carrying water under the road is plugged with
wetland vegetation. The subsurface pipe is attached to court-ordered water
monitoring equipment. Anishinabe water and Dakota pipe ceremonies were
held Friday (08.05.05), the last day the site was open to the public, for
about 50 Coldwater supporters "to celebrate our commitment to the sacred
spring."

Celebrants noted that vandals and graffiti artists don't enter the 27-acre
property when it's "open" or enter by means other than the front gate.
"Get rid of the buildings and protect the land," said another.

Coldwater is the last acknowledged sacred spring in the Twin Cities
flowing at about 100,000 gallons per day. The other major spring, the
Great Medicine Spring in Theodore Wirth Park, was permanently dewatered in
the 1980s with construction of I-394.  --Susu Jeffrey, for Friends of
Coldwater (612-396-6966)


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From: Becca Vargo Daggett <bx [at] mac.com>
Subject: Waging a living/film 8.19 7:15pm

 From MN Film Arts

ONLY AT THE BELL AUDITORIUM
Waging A Living

August 19 - 25 (no Sat. show)
At 7:15/9:15pm Sun. at 5:15pm also

Faith, labor and community groups that form the Minneapolis Living Wage
Yes! Coalition agree, the term "working poor" should be an oxymoron. If
you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million
Americans - one in four workers - are stuck in low wage jobs that do not
provide the basics for a decent life. WAGING A LIVING chronicles the
battle of four low-wage workers to lift their families out of poverty.
Shot over a three-year period in the northeast and California, this
observational documentary captures the dreams, frustrations, and
accomplishments of a diverse group of workers who struggle to live from
paycheck to paycheck. By presenting an unvarnished look at the barriers
that these workers must overcome to escape poverty, WAGING A LIVING offers
a sobering view of the elusive American Dream.

Screens with Rosevelt's America- After being tortured and narrowly
escaping execution in Liberia, Rosevelt Henderson makes his way to America
to build a new life for his family.

The Bell Auditorium is located at 10 Church Street SE (intersection of
17th & University Ave SE) on the E. Bank of the U of MN campus. More
information call 612.331.7563 or log onto www.mnfilmarts.org/bell Parking
can be found in the Nolte garage on Church Street next to the Bell
Auditorium as well as in the Church Street garage next to Northrop.
Additional parking can be found at the intersection of 4thSt. & 17th Ave
SE in the 4th Street ramp.


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From: Jess Sundin <jess [at] antiwarcommittee.org>
Subject: AWC yard sale drop off 8.19

Annual AWC Yard Sale Donation Drop off

Friday 8/19 @ Bethany Lutheran Church (2511 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis)
time TBA.
Help make the AWC yard sale a success, and get rid of treasures that you
are no longer using. Click here for flyer.

  Annual AWC Yard Sale

Saturday 8/20 @ Bethany Lutheran Church @ 8am-4pm
Support the Anti War Committee and pick up new treasures at our annual
fundraiser Yard Sale. Also, volunteers needed & welcome. Click here for
flyer.


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From: Lynne Mayo <lynnne [at] usfamily.net>
Subject: Activist digs

Rental Apartments or House sharing for Sustainability for Activists:
$250>$990 ~ Bartering possible

Creating A Cooperative, Self Sustaining, Spiritual, Gardening Community,
Social, Economic, Ecological Justice

We are working to create a child and family friendly community working
towards sustainable cooperative economies & gardening. We place strong
emphasis on youth, housing, energy systems, transportation, health, art,
education.  We value democracy, respectful communication, workability, and
conflict resolution.

We  believe radical change is necessary. While our focus is on local
transformation, we believe action must  also occur  nationally and
internationally.

We support: Ecological wisdom, Grassroots democracy, Social justice,
Community based economics, Respect for diversity, & Global responsibility.

We are located in northeast Phillips, a multicultural, low income
neighborhood.

Contact: Lynnne Mayo ~ Lynnne [at] usfamily.net (3 nšs in Lynnne), 612-722-7356


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Slouching Toward Armageddon?
Get Ready for a Wider War
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
CounterPunch
August 15, 2005

With every poll showing majorities of Americans both fed up with Bush's
war against Iraq and convinced that Bush's invasion of Iraq has made
Americans less safe, the White House moron proposes to start another war
by attacking Iran. VP Cheney has already ordered the US Strategic Command
to come up with plans to strike Iran with tactical nuclear weapons.

Bush refuses to meet with Cindy Sheehan, instead using his vacation time
at the Crawford ranch to talk war with Israeli television. In a recent
interview with Israeli TV, Bush said: "All options are on the table" with
regard to Iran.

Likudnik Israel is Bush's last remaining ally, or egger-on, in his war
against "Islamic terrorism." Israel, which is loaded with nuclear weapons
and is not a signatory to the nuclear pacts, is the accuser against Iran,
asserting that Iran's nuclear energy program is just a veil behind which
to produce weapons. Israel's Likud Party fears that Iranian weapons would
be a check to its plans to complete the dispossession of the Palestinians
and further expand Israel's borders.

Iran has signed the nonproliferation pact and is willing for the
International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the nuclear energy program.

Bush, however, dismisses all facts and assurances and is willing to attack
Iran based on nothing but Israel's paranoia.

Bush can ignore the American public, because the Democrats, like the Tory
Party in the UK, have completely collapsed as an opposition party. The
Republican Party is now increasingly referred to as the Republikud Party.

The only check on Bush is the lack of US troops. Bogged down in the Iraqi
quagmire, US commanders are stating that a third rotation of our exhausted
and demoralized troops in Iraq can be avoided only by troop withdrawals by
next spring.

However, on August 11 Bush nixed the military's talk of reducing US troops
in Iraq. The next day the commander of US logistics in Iraq announced that
the number of insurgent attacks on US forces along supply routes has
doubled in the last year, making it clear that far from winning, the US is
not even holding its own.

Cindy Sheehan has the right question for Bush: What noble cause is being
served by all this suffering and destruction?

Bush is in hiding from Mrs. Sheehan, because he knows only ignoble causes
are being served. According to the CIA, the main beneficiary of the war is
Osama bin Laden's recruitment drives. While America's military recruitment
falters and US generals announce that the war has broken the Reserves and
National Guard, the cause of Islamic extremism basks in the Iraqi war.

Gentle reader, do you realize the danger of having a president so
disconnected from reality that he plots to attack Iran--a country three
times the size of Iraq--when he lacks sufficient forces to occupy Baghdad
and to protect the road from Baghdad to the airport?

Despite all the high profile "sweeps" of US forces through insurgent
strongholds, US commanders report a doubling of insurgent attacks.

The Bush administration is insane. If the American people do not
decapitate it by demanding Bush's impeachment, the Bush administration
will bring about Armageddon. This may please some Christian evangelicals
conned by Rapture predictions, but World War III will please no one else.

Paul Craig Roberts has held a number of academic appointments and has
contributed to numerous scholarly publications. He served as Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. His graduate
economics education was at the University of Virginia, the University of
California at Berkeley, and Oxford University. He is coauthor of The
Tyranny of Good Intentions. He can be reached at:
paulcraigroberts [at] yahoo.com


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An Early End to the American Century
Failing in Iraq
By MIKE WHITNEY
CounterPunch
August 15, 2005

There is no longer any possibility of the United States achieving its
objectives in Iraq.Whatever opportunity there might have been following
the initial invasion has been swept away by the abusive treatment of
detainees, the wanton slaughter of civilians, and the systematic
destruction of Iraqi society.

The war has entered a period of retrenchment; with both sides, firmly
committed to their own goals, doing whatever is within their power to
succeed. This situation will undoubtedly persist for a number of years
until the US is ultimately forced to withdraw.

The news from Iraq is invariably tragic. Civilian casualties are up
dramatically since the elections and there's no sign of them relenting
anytime in the near future. Similarly, the militia violence has increased
steadily as has the detention of Iraqi suspects, now estimated to be
around 40,000 prisoners. Casualties among American servicemen have reached
a new high at 1843 with the Marines taking the brunt of the losses. These
figures are bound to swell given that the number of roadside bomb attacks
has doubled to about 30 per week. Now, it is not unusual to see 5 or 6
American servicemen killed in a day; something that was extremely rare in
the early months of the conflict.

The Army Surgeon General released a report two weeks ago confirming that
30% of the soldiers returning from Iraq are suffering from mental
disorders. Also, the number of suicides among veterans is up markedly; a
distressing omen of things to come. The US will harvest another generation
of troubled veterans whose lives were ruined in a war of choice. The
number of suicide bombers has peaked in post-election Iraq, with hundreds,
if not thousands of young Jihadis swarming to Iraq to fight the American
occupation. It has become the cause celebre among Arab nationalists and is
fueling a resurgence in Muslim unity. This revival, though still in its
infant stage, is bound to flourish as long as the United States occupies
Iraq with combat troops and military bases.

Recent polls show that public support for the war is seriously weakening.
In March 2004, 65 percent of Americans supported the decision to wage war
in Iraq. In the latest Gallup poll, support has sagged to 44 percent. This
downward spiral is reflected in every important area related to the war
including George Bush's personal popularity and trustworthiness. The
numbers show that Americans are now feeling "Iraq fatigue" as well as a
growing wariness with the Commander-in-chief.

The polls also verify that the public sees a connection between Iraq and
the bombings in London. Since the subway attacks, many terror-experts have
confirmed that the war in Iraq has become a rallying cry for Islamic
fighters and has increased the probability of an attack at home. 57% of
Americans now believe that they are "less safe" than they were before the
war. The rhetoric from the White House has done little to relieve the
fears of the average American.

It's clear that the "clash of civilizations" that both Bin Laden and
George Bush so devoutly sought appears to be materializing. America's
unholy war has created a breeding-ground for the next generation of
terrorists and moved us all closer to a decades-long conflict and a
reshaping of the geopolitical landscape. The incidents of violence against
Muslims in England are up 600% since 2004, and the Blair government
continues to feed the public fear of radical Islam. The Prime Minister is
executing a strategy of victimizing Muslims to undermine long-held
commitments to human rights. Blair's assault on Islamic extremism is a
carefully choreographed public relations scheme to eviscerate basic civil
liberties provided under English law.

The Bush administration's effort to cast Iraq as a part of the broader war
on terror has proved to be hopelessly flawed. In last week's press
conference, Bush reiterated the themes that are now used exclusively to
justify the occupation. In less than 30 minutes, Bush used the term
"terrorist" 15 times, "hateful ideology" 3 times and "enemies of freedom"
twice. "A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will deliver a serious
blow to their hateful ideology" (We are fighting) "the enemies of freedom"
"We're also fighting the murderous ideology, the hateful ideology of the
terrorists, and we're doing so by spreading freedom," Bush opined.

The precipitous decline in support for the war indicates that the Bush
strategy of fear mongering is no longer working. Once the deceptions that
underscore the war on terror begin to vanish, there's little chance that
the administration will be able to elicit the support needed to continue
the conflict. Bush's demagoguery has been further challenged by the recent
video of bin Laden's chief-lieutenant, Eyman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri's
statement was a straightforward explanation of Al Qaida's objectives: "Our
message to you is clear, strong and final: there will be no salvation
until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil, and end your
support for our corrupt leaders".

Regardless of al Zawahiri's alleged connection to 9-11, his demands are
reasonable and consistent with those of the vast majority of American's
who neither support occupation nor imperial adventurism. Al Zawahiri's
statement was just another body-blow to Washington's propaganda campaign
and to the illusion that Muslims are freedom-hating fanatics.

Despite the administration's efforts, the conflict in Iraq will continue
to unravel. The ever-shifting rationale for the war has been picked-apart
by critics and summarily discredited. Similarly, public support is in
irreversible decline and will inevitably cause greater disruptions at
home. The occupation may persist for 10 years or so, but there is no
longer any realistic expectation for an American victory.

The goal of establishing an American colony in the Middle East has fallen
on hard-times exposing the nation to the possibility of ruin in the
process. For Washington powerbrokers and policy-makers even the thought of
failure in Iraq is too grim to contemplate. The withdrawal of combat
troops would put the second largest supply of oil in the world in the
hands of an Islamic government which would quickly grow into a major
player in the region and compete openly with rival Israel. Withdrawal
would also hasten the expected switch in currencies from dollars to
petro-euros; a change that would signal the end of America's economic
dominance through control of the world's reserve currency.

The US would be forced to face the $8 trillion debt that currently
underwrites the "greenback" and deal with the economy-busting
hyper-inflation that would quickly ensue. If creditor nations suddenly
decided to dump their US currency and bonds and move to oil-backed assets,
the US economy would go into freefall. It is impossible to calculate the
magnitude of the catastrophe for the American people.

This suggests that the Bush administration will carry on for as long as
possible; trying to cobble together a strategy that will allow them to
stay in Iraq controlling both the oil and the political process. But as
the Iraqi resistance grows in strength and daring, and as public support
continues to erode, there's little chance that the administration will be
able to avoid the looming disaster.

The American Century is now looking like it may be abbreviated to 10 or 15
years at the most. The New World Order, built on the rubble of Falluja and
on the tortured victims of Abu Ghraib, is being progressively dismantled
by the grit and resolve of the Iraqi resistance fighting to restore their
nation's sovereignty and independence. It appears increasingly likely that
their struggle will succeed.

Mike Whitney can be reached at: fergiewhitney [at] msn.com


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When Down is Up
The "Stricken" President
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN
and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR
CounterPunch
August 13 / 14, 2005

If you accept the judgement of the polls this summer, George Bush is a
stricken president. Leave aside his now permanent sub-50 per cent status
in popular approval. Take his favored calling cards, the war and Iraq and
conduct of the "war on terror". His status on the approval charts now
shows him wallowing without mast or rudder in latitudes as low as the
mid-30s. Honesty? Since Americans, with a race memory of fast talking
snake-oil salesmen, often confuse honesty with inarticulateness and all
round stupidity, Bush used to register well in this category. But even
here he is bidding to join Nixon in the sub-basement of popular esteem,
lodged at around the 40 per cent mark.

But hold! The measure of a stricken president is surely an inability to
push through the legislation he desires. Remember Bill Clinton. By
midsummer in his maiden year of White House occupancy, 1993, he was truly
stricken and had to send a Mayday call for lifeboats, which duly arrived
under the captaincy of Republican Dave Gergen, with Dickie Morris soon to
follow. By July, 1993, as the receptacle of liberal hopes, the Clinton
presidency was over.

Look now at Bush. Stricken he may be in the popular polls, but his
political agenda flourishes.

Start with his nomination of John Roberts to the US Supreme Court. As the
career of this far-right jurist gets dissected, there's surely rich meat
for critics to feast on and even throw the nomination into doubt.

It turns out that Roberts's judicial philosophy is as extreme in its
right-wing tilt as that of Robert Bork, although the Roberts wears the
bland mien of a cornfed Midwesterner and not the feral snarl that doomed
Bork from the outset. The record shows that throughout his career Roberts
has been a prime legal strategist for the subversion of constitutional
rights and unbridled expansion of executive power.

But does Roberts face a gauntlet of ferocious interrogatories from
Democrat senators? Hardly. The Democratic challenge to Roberts, such as it
is, has mostly devolved into a pillow fight with the White House over the
availability of records, the kind of procedural wrangle that drags on to
the delight of political insiders, but to no useful consequence.

The necessary details are already there in full view, from Roberts' legal
assaults on the environment and on civil rights, from his stance on
corporate impunity, and on the denial of fundamental human rights in the
prosecution of Bush's wars. Why the search for more records? Do the
Democrats hope somehow to reveal some financial peccadillo or hint that
this latecomer to marriage and student lover of Dr Johnson might actually
resemble David Souter, if only in the true contour of his personal
preferences.

The Democrats have long since lost the appetite to confront a nominee at
the level of political philosophy, the terrain on which they defeated Bork
in 1987, when Jesse Jackson was challenging the party's credentials from
the left. When it came to Clarence Thomas they opted for a probe of his
sex life and Thomas turned the tables on them.

You can't expect the Democrats to toast Roberts on the grill for his
ruling upholding denial of any rights to "enemy combatants" when the
Democrats themselves shunned torture at Abu Ghraib as an issue in the
spring and summer of 2004.

Go now from Roberts to John Bolton and, yes, we find another summer
triumph for the stricken president. It seemed for a while that Bolton's
nomination was on its knees. The Democrats could have floored him on a
number of issues, starting with his lies to Congress about the fact that
he had been questioned by the State Department's Inspector General in 2003
in the Plame inquiry. Bolton had stated under oath that he had never been
interviewed by investigators in any inquiry over the past five years. But
the Democrats let him struggle on, losing the initiative in another
wrangle about records and now, with the recess appointment, Bolton is
installed as US Ambassador to the UN till January, 2007.

Let's move from nominees to legislation. In the past couple of weeks, as
Bush draws howls of ridicule for his five-week vacation to Crawford, TX,
his fiftieth as president, his energy bill sailed through Congress and he
put CAFTA (the Central American Free Trade Agreement), which had seemed
dead, over the top. Topping off these triumphs, Bush spun on a dime,
deep-sixed his declared intent to veto the Highway Bill, and signed the
$286 billion gift to the cement lobby and endangered Republican
politicians.

The Democrats can win when they truly have to, as a matter of political
survival. At least half of them would probably liked to have seen Social
Security handed over to the mutual funds industry. It was their
intellectual hero, Senator Pat Moynihan who co-chaired the commission,
formed in 2001, which gave the bipartisan green light for "reform".

But the Democrats know that if they throw Social Security over the side,
they would be sawing through one of the two last remaining planks of their
party's substantive platform, Choice being the other. So they made a stand
on Social Security, and won. It was the fight over Social Security which
first pushed Bush's popular ratings below 50 per cent.

Opposition to free trade is not part of the Democratic Party's substantive
political platform. No matter how close each fight over free trade has
been ever since the NAFTA battles of the late 80s and early 90s, no matter
how tense the cliffhanger, there have always been the Democratic votes
necessary to win passage of those trade pact laws.

It was the same this time. In the wake of the 217-215 CAFTA vote in the
House, Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi gave a press conference,
charging the Republicans and the White House with arm-twisting, bribery
and dirty tricks. To which the obvious answer was: Big deal. Remember
Clinton's tactics in the NAFTA and WTO fights? But where was the
arm-twisting to keep those 15 pro-CAFTA Democrats in line?

The war in Iraq? It's not popular and there is vocal and conspicuous
opposition among the people, but not in the Congress. Cindy Sheehan,
mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, draws national attention as she
demonstrates outside the gates of Fort Bush in Crawford. Where are the
Democratic politicians who should be standing beside her? Hillary Clinton
has just put up a bill calling for an increase in troop strength by
90,000.

Confrontation on issues of principle are not doomed in the twenty-first
century. The California nurses have shown that, as they send
Schwarzenegger into the political twilight. But the Democrats have almost
entirely shunned battles of principle in favor of some kind of futile
rope-a-dope waiting game. What lies ahead? In 2006 the Democrats will be
campaigning on a Stay the Course strategy in Iraq while the stricken
president will be opting for a de facto cut-and-run policy as urged by
Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Hagel-Paul in 2008! The dream peace
ticket! Who needs Democrats.

An earlier version of this article appeared in the print edition of The
Nation that went to press last Wednesday.


--------x of x--------

 James Wright
 A blessing

 Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
 Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
 And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
 Darken with kindness.
 They have come gladly out of the willows
 To welcome my friend and me.
 We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
 Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
 They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
 That we have come.
 They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
 There is no loneliness like theirs.
 At home once more, they begin munching the young tufts of spring in the
 darkness.
 I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
 For she has walked over to me
 And nuzzled my left hand.
 She is black and white,
 Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
 And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
 That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
 Suddenly I realize
 That if I stepped out of my body I would break
 Into blossom.

 James Wright


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