Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 11.14.05

[David Shove (shove001]

            P R O G R E S S I V E    C A L E N D A R     11.14.05
              part of my computer is working, today

1. Lydia Howell/KFAI 11.15 11am
2. Death penalty     11.15 12noon
3. Aftermaths/wars   11.15/17 4pm
4. Hopkins IRV       11.15 6:30pm
5. Salon/Wellstone   11.15 6:30pm
6. Healthcare crisis 11.15 6:30pm Stillwater
7. Fact/ideology     11.15 7pm
8. Stolen elections  11.15 7pm
9. Haiti/film        11.15 7pm
10. Bell/healthcare  11.15 7:30pm

11. AfAm economy     11.16 8am
12. CCHT building    11.16 8am
13. Anti-torture/Yoo 11.16 12noon/7pm
14. Writers 4 change 11.16 1pm
15. Anti-torture     11.16 3pm
16. FairVote party   11.16 6pm
17. Afghan kids ed   11.16 6pm
18. Wal-Mart/film    11.16 7pm

19. Deck Deckert     - The best of times
20. Audra Himes      - The corporate-owned ivory tower: an omen
21. Philip Greenspan - Crisis: depraved leaders, obedient citizens
22. ed               - Big money never sleeps (poem)

--------1 of 22--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Lydia Howell/KFAI 11.15 11am

Tune in to hear investigative journalist KEVIN PENA on Tues NOV 15 @ 11am
on my show, Catlyst on KFAI Radio 90.3fm Mpls 106.7fm St Paul...he will be
in Mpls and St Paul with his new film about Haiti Tues/Wed Nov15/16.


--------2 of 22--------

From: "Krista Menzel (Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace)" <web [at] mppeace.org>
Subject: Death penalty 11.15 12noon

Join Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights' Death
Penalty Project for its bi-monthly lunchtime speaker series: State v.
Gunsby: An Examination of the Many Ways the Death Penalty System Can Go
Wrong presented by Hennepin County Judge Bruce A. Peterson on Tuesday,
November 15 from 12noon-1pm at Dorsey & Whitney Seattle Room, 15th Floor,
50 South 6th Street, Minneapolis.

Judge Peterson will discuss his team's four years of pro bono work on
behalf of Donald Gunsby, who was convicted of a murder and sentenced to
death after a two-day trial.  This presentation is a brown bag lunch.
Please RSVP to Aaron Van Alstine at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
by Monday, November 14. Phone: (612) 341-3302 ext. 127, Email:
<mailto:mchong [at] mnadvocates.org>avanalstine [at] mnadvocates.org.


--------3 of 22--------

From: Stephen Feinstein <feins001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Aftermaths/wars 11.15/17 4pm

Aftermaths - Lecture series from CHGS in cooperation with the Institute
for Advanced Studies, Ohanessian Chair in CLA, CLA, History, Minnesota Center
for Population

November 15, 2005 - April 24, 2006

AFTERMATHS: In the aftermath of a century that stands out as unprecedented
in its destructiveness, it is important to question the ethics and
politics of remembering past disasters. When a state declares an official
day of remembrance or erects a memorial, is this in order to heal the
wounds and forget, or to remember? When the teaching of the Holocaust or
of other wars and genocides becomes an official policy, what is the impact
on those specific histories and collective memories? Is the "duty to
remember" the past adequate to prevent repetition? Does commemoration
genuinely engage with the past, or say more about the present? If history
and memory are not interchangeable, what, then, are the stakes, today, of
a history of memory?

TUESDAY:
Comparative Afterlives: Vichy France and the Algerian War
November 15 4pm, Nolte Hall, room 125
Speaker: Henry Rousso , Director, L'Institut d'histoire du Temps Present
(Paris)
Facilitator: Bruno Chaouat (Dept. of French and Italian, U of M)

France has a legacy of military failure in World War II and collaboration
with the German occupation that led to the deportation of 77,000 French
Jews. In the aftermath of the War, France was able to re-establish its
colonial empire temporarily, but ended with withdrawl from Indo-China in
1954 and North Africa after the disaster of the Algerian War of
Independence. This history has filtered now into the question of how
French history textbooks should be written. At issue is language in the
law stipulating that "school programs recognize in particular the positive
character of the French overseas presence, notably in North Africa."
Rousso's talk will deal with the issues of how such national communities
come to terms with their traumatic and at times shameful past? What is the
status of official memory? What are the remains of this past in present
collective consciousness?

Understanding Genocides: Liz Lerman Dance Workshop
November 17 11am-3pm. Northrup Dance Studio 5

Lerman is a gifted teacher, choreographer and performer whose work has
redefined where dance takes place and who can dance. Her commitment is
both to the art of dance and to the human element in art-making. In her
work, she builds community, encourages personal insight, and choreographs
dances that have been called visionary, profound and revelatory. Her
company includes men and women ranging in age from the 20s through the
60s, each of whom is fully immersed in all aspects of creation,
performance and teaching. Her latest creation is a work done to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials. Light
refreshments will be provided. Space is limited (cap at 25), please
register with Angie Hoffman-Walter in the Institute for Advanced Study:
hoffm011 [at] umn.edu

Understanding Genocides: An Interdisciplinary Conversation
November 17, 4pm, Nolte Hall, room 125

Co-sponsored with IAS and coordinated with Dance Workshop U of M Speakers:
Bruno Chaouat(French), Taner Akcam(History), Michael Oakes (Epidemiology),
Miriam King (MN Population Center), Stephen Feinstein (Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies), Liz Lerman (Lerman Dance company)
Facilitator: Eric Weitz (History)

This conversation by University of Minnesota faculty will focus on the
meaning of genocide and its reverberations in the realm of memory, refugee
concerns, public policy, history and the arts, reconciliation and
restitution. A recent New York Times article demonstrated that the effects
of large-scale violence, beyond the actual killing, on public health and
other societal markers are devastating. This session is a reminder that we
live in an age of genocide.


--------4 of 22--------

From: Will Donovan III <manisape [at] hotmail.com>
From: Fran Hesch <javalamp [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Hopkins IRV 11.15 6:30pm

Recently the Charter Commission took a step forward in amending the
Charter to allow for Instant Runoff Voting for Mayor and Council. The
motion (accepting our recommendation) to direct Assistant City Manager Jim
Genellie to work with the City's legal counsel to draft a resolution and
Charter language to be presented at our next meeting passed 6-2 (three
Commission members were absent). This resolution and Charter language
would approve IRV for Mayor and Council.

The Commission scheduled an additional meeting for November 15 at 6:30pm
(an unprecedented 3rd meeting in one year!) at which time the resolution
and Charter language will be decided and sent along to the Hopkins City
Council.

The Charter Commission was very impressed with the work of the Task Force
and extends its thanks and appreciation.


--------5 of 22--------

From: patty guerrero <pattypax [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Salon/Wellstone 11.15 6:30pm

This Tuesday's Salon, Nov 15, will be part 2 of WELLSTONE.  We stopped the
film 1/2 through and then had discussion, and will finish the film w/more
discussion this week.  A great film and one that needs discussion.

Salons are held (unless otherwise noted in advance):
Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Mad Hatter's Tea House,
943 W 7th, St Paul, MN

Salons are free but donations encouraged for program and treats.
Call 651-227-3228 or 651-227-2511 for information.


--------6 of 22--------

From: Kip Sullivan <kiprs [at] usinternet.com>
Subject: Healthcare crisis 11.15 6:30pm Stillwater

River Valley Action will host a public meeting about the American health
care crisis on Tuesday, November 15, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The meeting will be
at the Senior Center, 2300 West Orleans, in Stillwater. Single-payer
writer and organizer Kip Sullivan will be the speaker. Mr. Sullivan is a
member of the steering committee of the Minnesota Universal Health Care
Coalition.

River Valley Action is a nonpartisan coalition of groups and individuals.
Participants include organized labor (AFSCME, Education MN, St. Croix
Valley Central Labor Council, MAPE, SEIU), Valley Peacemakers, Minnesota
Council of Non-Profits and the Green Party.

The River Valley Action begin in 2003 with a grant from the MN AFL-CIO to
Progressive Minnesota to organize progressives in Senate District 52. The
coalition has since expanded to include Senate District 56.


--------7 of 22--------

From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Fact/ideology 11.15 7pm

November 15 - Alan Spear Forum: Esther Kaplan: Forget the Facts? The
Federal Crusade to Replace Fact with Ideology.  Time: 7:00 p.m..

Gay men and drug users account for 20,000-30,000 new HIV infections each
year in the U.S., so why are researchers being pressured not to mention
these populations in their proposals for federal funding? Why are groups
that advocate condom use and safer sex messages facing repeated federal
audits? Why are our national health agencies providing incomplete,
misleading or false information about condoms and sex education or
censoring it all together? Why are proponents of weird science -- as
Kaplan calls it -- taking seats on advisory panels responsible for guiding
national health research and policy? Kaplan took on these questions and
more in her book, With God on Their Side: George W. Bush and the Christian
Right. White House. Her tough facts and strong opinions are apt to prompt
a blood pressure check -- whatever your politics.

Presentation of a MAP 2005 Hanson-Henningson Award for legislative
leadership to Rep. Paul Thissen.

Hosted by Walker Art Center as part of its Civic Engagement Initiative to
encourage dialogue on topics of importance to the Twin Cities community.

For more information, call the MAP AIDSLine: 612-373-2437; 612-373-2465
(TTY); 1-800-248-2437; 1-888-820-2437 (TTY)

Location: Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403


--------8 of 22--------

From: david unowsky <rdu [at] ruminator.com>
Subject: Stolen elections 11.15 7pm

Magers and Quinn presents Mark Crispin Miller at the Suburban World
Theatre Tuesday November 15 at 7pm. Miller will discuss his book Fooled
Again- How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They'll Steal the
Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them)

For Republicans, the 2004 presidential election was little short of
miraculous: Behind in the Electoral College tally in the days leading up
to the election, behind even on the very afternoon of the vote, the Bush
ticket staged a stunning comeback. The exit polls, usually so reliable,
turned out to be wrong by an unprecedented 5 percent in the swing states.
Conservatives argued-and the media agreed-that "moral values" had made the
difference.

In his new book renowned critic and political commentator Mark Crispin
Miller argues that it wasn't moral values that swung the election - it was
theft. While the greatest body of evidence comes from the key state of
Ohio - where the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee found
an extraordinary onslaught of Republican-engineered vote suppression,
election-day irregularities, old-fashioned intimidation tactics, and
illegal counting procedures-similar practices (and occasionally worse
ones) were applied in Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada,
Arizona, and even New York.

A huge array of anomalies, improper practices, and blatant violations of
the law all, by a truly remarkable coincidence, happened to swing in the
Bush ticket's favor. This pattern - not one overwhelming fraud but
thousands of little ones - is, in Miller's view, the new Republican
electoral strategy. This incendiary new book presents massive
documentation that the election was stolen and describes the mind-set,
among both the major parties and the media, that could permit it to happen
again.

Magers and Quinn Booksellers 3038 Hennepin Ave.  Minneapolis, MN. 55408
612-822-4611 www.magersandquinn.com

For further info: David Unowsky-612-822-4611 books [at] magersandquinn.com
Magers and Quinn 3038 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-822-4611
www.magersandquinn.com


--------9 of 22--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Haiti/film 11.15 7pm

NEW Film:  "Haiti: the UNtold Story" by Kevin Pena.
Showings thus far scheduled are:

TUES November 15 7pm at UofM Law School, Rm 45 Mondale Hall,
229 19th Ave S, Minneapolis

WED November 16 4:30pm at Macalester College John B. Davis Auditorium (in
Student Center) Corner of Snelling and Grand, St. Paul

"Haiti: The UNtold Story" has been described by critics as "53 minutes of
human rights hell in Haiti."  The film chronicles human rights abuses by
the Haitian police and the July 6, 2005, massacre by United Nations forces
of unarmed civilians in the pro-Aristide neighborhood of Cite Sole.

Filmmaker Kevin Pina is a U.S. journalist and filmmaker who was recently
jailed in Haiti while filming a police search at the church of Father Jean
Juste, a well known human rights advocate who has been jailed in Hait
since July 21.  Pina is known primarily for his coverage of the human
rights abuses and suppression of democracy in Haiti following the
overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.  Pina most often writes articles for,
and gives interviews to the alternative media since these subjects receive
little or no play in the corporate media. Kevin Pina also produced a
previous film, Haiti: Harvest of Hope. More information at the Haiti
Information Project website: http://www.telebyol.net/HIP/about.html. Kevin
Pina is here at the invitation of the Haiti Justice Committee of the Twin
Cities.


--------10 of 22--------

From: John Kolstad <jkolstad [at] millcitymusic.com>
Subject: Bell/healthcare 11.15 7:30pm

Tom at the Schneider Drug Store (University Av at Bedford, Mpls) is doing
a meeting with Ford Bell Tuesday, Nov 15, at 7:30pm at his Drug store.  He
will be presenting a series of issues or points to discuss like he did
with Amy Klobuchar.  Ford has already be very clear that he is for
Universal Single Payer Health Care.


--------11 of 22--------

From: Todd Graham <tgraham [at] mindless.com>
From: Stephenetta.Harmon [at] co.hennepin.mn.us
Subject: AfAm economy 11.16 8am

BRIDGING THE GAP:
Economic Viability in the African American Community
Wed., November 16
Morning Forum: 8am-12noon - U of M McNamara Center
Evening Townhall:  5:30-8:30pm - Minneapolis Urban League
FREE

African Americans continue to face disparaging gaps in the area of
economics -- from community development and job pay to education and
entrepreneurial resources. Looking to close this economic gap, the African
American Men Project will host a two-part forum on economics -- Bridging
the Gap: Economic Viability in the African American Community ^ÖWed., Nov
16.

Part I: 8am-12noon

A morning discussion will be held at the University of Minnesota's
McNamara Center. Featuring Joe Brooks, Vice President of Civic Engagement
for Policy Link, this forum calls together local leaders and pioneers in
economic development to explore local community development strategies,
including ways to minimize gentrification and increase awareness of, and
access, to educational and business opportunities.

PolicyLink is a national public policy action and advocacy organization
whose mission is to transform social policy by harnessing and enhancing
the wisdom, experience and voice of local constituencies.

Additional speakers include Craig Taylor, U of M Office of Business and
Community Economic Development; Patrick Connoy, Hennepin County, Rev. Al
Gallmon, NorthWay Community Trust; Richard Todd, Federal Reserve Back of
Minneapolis; Tom Norman, U of M College of Continuing Education.

Part II: 5:30-8:30pm.
An evening town hall will wrap up the event. Hosted at the Minneapolis
Urban League, the evening session encourages the general public and those
seeking avenues for economic advancement and opportunity to join the
discussion. The town hall will also feature Joe Brooks as the keynote
speaker, along with a new panel of community leaders, including Kari
Neathery, West Broadway Coalition; Jonathan Palmer, Minneapolis
Empowerment Zone; Sherrie Pugh, Northside Residents Redevelopment Council;
Paul Williams, Local Initiatives Support Corporation; and moderator Louis
Porter II, NorthWay Community Trust.

"We see this forum as a mechanism to initiate dialogue on the economic
issues that challenge African Americans in north Minneapolis and
throughout Hennepin County," said Shane Price, AAMP coordinator.

"It is a first step in developing and strengthening partnerships between
community residents and organizations, units of local government, business
leaders and entrepreneurs, the faith community, education and nonprofit
organizations institutions that serve our community and are interested and
active in community development initiatives," said Price.

AAMP has already teamed with such community and economic development
organizations in the Twin Cities, including the Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Continuing Education, Northway
Community Trust and University of Minnesota for Business and Community
Economic Development to sponsor this event.

Wesley Walker, NorthWay's executive director said his organization
"strongly supports" economic development for North Minneapolis residents.

"Our particular focus is on those residents who encounter chronic economic
barriers and are at the lowest economic quartile. Assisting these
residents in eliminating these barriers will go far towards helping North
Minneapolis be a livable community for everyone".

"While attracting new investment in street and infrastructure
improvements, creation of new housing and commercial development, efforts
must be undertaken to ensure that everyone^×including those from
low-income communities of color^×can contribute to and benefit from
economic growth and prosperity."

Bridging the Gap: Economic Viability in the African American Community
takes place Wed., Nov. 16, 2005.

Morning Session: 8am-12noon at the U of M McNamara Center, 200
Oak Street Southeast

Evening Town hall: 5:30-8:30pm at the Minneapolis Urban League, 2100
Plymouth Avenue. The Networking session begins at 5:30 p.m.; town hall at
6:00 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public. Please see attached
invitation and flyer in electronic form.

For more information, please call the AAMP hotline at 612.302.4694 or
e-mail aamp [at] co.hennepin.mn.us

Stephenetta Harmon Information Writer African American Men Project 1313
Penn Ave. N. Mail Code N706 Minneapolis, MN 55411 612.302.4691

AAMP is an initiative of Hennepin County based out of the need to address
why young African American Men are too often in crisis and standing on
street corners. Our mission is to enhance and empower the condition of
African American men and their families through leadership, policy-making
and infrastructure building in the areas of education, housing, family
structure, health, economic empowerment, criminal justice, community
involvement, fundraising and communications.


--------12 of 22--------

From: Philip Schaffner <PSchaffner [at] ccht.org>
Subject: CCHT Building Dreams 11.16 8am

You're invited to a free, one-hour information session provided by Central
Community Housing Trust. "Building Dreams" is on hour of inspiration and
information about the Twin Cities affordable housing crisis and the
mission of Central Community Housing Trust. You'll learn how affordable
housing is defined; how hard it is for a family to get by in the Twin
Cities on a low income; and how CCHT's high-quality, long-term approach to
housing helps solve the Twin Cities' housing crisis. We've limited each
session in size so you can meet and talk with CCHT leadership and get to
know other community members who care about housing.  Wednesday, November
16, 8:00 - 9:00am, Brownstone Bldg, 849 University Ave. Room 106, St.
Paul.  For more information, visit: www.ccht.org/bd


--------13 of 22--------

From: wamm <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Anti-torture/Yoo 11.16 12noon/7pm

Anti-Torture Demonstrations (Two)

Wednesday, November 16, 12noon, St. Thomas Law School, 1000 LaSalle St.,
downtown Minneapolis (Parking in St. Thomas Law School ramp adjacent).

Demo Against John Yoo, and his counterpart Robert Delahunty who teaches at
the University of St. Thomas Law School. Both men were in the U.S. Justice
Dept. and wrote the memos to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who
authored the memorandum offering legal rationale for the use of torture.
John Yoo will also be speaking at the University of Minnesota Law School
the same day at 7pm the same day. Help needed with handing out
literature educating on and opposing torture.

Second Anti-Torture Demo: 7pm. University of Minnesota Mondale Law School,
Minneapolis. Sponsored by WAMM Tackling Torture at the Top (3T) and other
organizations. More info:612-722-7356


--------14 of 22--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
From: 	jbellmosio [at] aol.com
Subject: Writers for change 11.16 1pm

Writers 4 Change
Wednesday, November 16 at 1pm
Writers 4 Change Workshop
Presenters:  Burt Berlowe and Rebecca Janke

The Writers 4 Change workshop will hold its third meeting Wednesday, Nov.
16 at 1 PM Resource Center of the Americas on Minnehaha Avenue at Lake
Street.

Burt Berlowe and Rebecca Janke from *Growing Communities for Peace* will
be the presenters. They will speak about projects in the works (the second
volume of The Compassionate Rebel and a radio show) as well as our area's
network of social change writers and organizations.

The focus of Writers 4 Change is on writing about change. It's a practical
workshop that includes identifying publications to pitch, generating
stories, figuring out ways to take an ordinary story and add a social
change dimension. Networking just happens at the meetings!

If you'd like to be added to the Writers 4 Change Yahoo Group (to receive
meeting reports, participate in exchanges, etc.) send an email to Jackie
Mosio at jbellmosio [at] aol.com and sheâ^À^Ùll do the cyber magic to get you
on the list.


--------15 of 22--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Anti-torture 11.16 3pm

Wednesday, 11/16 (and every Wednesday), 3 to 4 pm, meeting of anti-torture
group Tackling Torture at the Top, St. Martin's Table, 2001, Riverside,
Minneapolis.  lynne [at] usfamily.net


--------16 of 22--------

From: FairVote Minnesota [mailto:info [at] fairvotemn.org]
Subject: FairVote party 11.16 6pm

Eat and drink for democracy. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
Why not you? It's FairVote Minnesota's post-election party, featuring an
instant runoff vote (IRV) for best dessert (That's right - favored by an
actual majority!) from the following restaurants:

* Birchwood Cafe
* Cafe of the Americas
* Gigi's Cafe
* May Day Cafe
* Turtle Bread Company

Come for the light appetizers, desserts and wine (non-alcoholic choice
available), but stay for the conversation:

* Update on 2005 efforts by FairVote MN and a look ahead to 2006
* Report on the Minneapolis and Hopkins charter amendment campaigns
* Opportunities for your involvement in the work for better democracy

Please join us:
Wednesday, November 16, 6-8pm
Melendez Residence
Lowry Hill Neighborhood
1777 Dupont Avenue - Minneapolis
(3 blocks West of Hennepin Avenue, between Summit and Douglas - also 3
blocks North of Franklin)

It's all yours for a donation of $25. Let us know if you are coming so
we'll be sure to have enough food and drink for you. Respond at
http://www.fairvotemn.org/node/115/.

Please phone Jim Cousins with any questions (612-209-1897).


--------17 of 22--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Afghan kids ed 11.16 6pm

Wednesday, 11/16, 6 to 9pm, Partnership for Education of Children in
Afghanistan's cultural and fundraising event ($40 each), with host Cathy
Wurzer (MPR), "West of Kabul" author Tamim Ansary, Da Afghan Resturant
dinner, Afghan music etc., Landmark Center, 75 W 5th St, downtown St. Paul.
FFI: 651-457-0256 or info [at] afghanimodelschool.org


--------18 of 22--------

From: Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council <kyle [at] mplscluc.com>
Subject: Wal-Mart/film 11.16 7pm

WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price, a newly released feature film, takes
you behind the glitz and into the real lives of workers and their
families, business owners and their communities.

And next week, in the largest grassroots film-screening ever, over 7000
union halls, churches, and community centers in all 50 states will be
kicking off the release of this hard-hitting movie. For more about the
movie, go to http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/V1zRu1Y1Rcgc/.

Locally, the Labor Education Service at the U of M is hosting a free
screening, and you're invited!

Wednesday November 16, 7pm
Room 125, Willey Hall, University of Minnesota (West Bank)
225 19th Ave S, Minneapolis

To RSVP for this FREE screening, go to:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/ZdzRu1Y1Rcg3/

Can't make this screening? There are numerous others scheduled throughout
the metro area. For a full list, go to:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/VdzRu1Y1RcgB/.

For more information, go to www.workdayminnesota.org or
www.walmartmovie.com .


--------19 of 22--------

The Best Of Times
by Deck Deckert

(Swans - October 24, 2005)  It is the best of times; it is the worst of
times.

President George W. Bush is the worst president in my long lifetime, and
probably the worst in American history - I'll leave the latter to the
historians.

A list of his sins of commission and omission would fill an encyclopedia -
mass murder in the shape of an immoral war, an embrace of torture,
delusions of empire, financial meltdown, massive corruption, misfeasance
and malfeasance, the attempted trashing of the Constitution and Bill of
Rights, environmental destruction, and lies, lies, lies.

What have we come to?

If we had elected him, it could perhaps be said that we got what we
deserve. But, of course, we didn't elect him. The last two presidential
elections were stolen - if not literally, though I believe they were, then
in practice in the form of massive manipulation of minority voters,
particularly in Florida in the 2000 election. And because the Democrats
were too befuddled and cowardly to raise a fuss and the corporate media
was cravenly silent, all future elections are in doubt.

Yet elected or not, Bush is not the nation - his values are not our
values. But then the value of our leaders never are.

Bush is just the latest in a long line of presidents who don't serve our
interests, but serve instead the interests of corporations and the other
portions of the ruling elite. He may be the worst, but he is hardly
unique.

The corporatization of America, which has been going on for decades, is
nearly complete. Corporations own the government, pay little or no taxes,
get massive government handouts, and almost totally control our access to
information. Their lobbyists have immediate and frequent access to the
president, congressmen and senators, sit in on congressional committee
sessions, and generally make the rules that are supposed to govern them.

Corporations control not only the federal government but state governments
as well. States frequently brag that they are good places for business. By
that they generally mean that taxes are low, unions are powerless, wages
and benefits are poor, workplace safety and environmental regulations are
weak. In other words, what is good for corporations is bad for workers -
and everyone else. But while Bush has aggressively pushed the corporation
agenda, he is not the first to do so. Clinton, for example, was nearly as
bad.

Bush's values are those of an aging ignorant spoiled playboy - primarily
hedonism. The values of his puppet-masters are far more ominous - greed,
a love of power, and the arrogant assumption that they have a manifest
destiny to rule the world.

The values of the American people are the values of people almost
everywhere. Forget the national stereotypes - not all British have stiff
upper lips, not all Canadians are polite, not all Scotsmen are penny
pinchers, not all American tourists are arrogant, loud and boisterous.

Most Americans live quiet lives, centered on family, church and friends.
They perhaps embrace individualism more than most of the world's people,
are a bit more convinced that their country is the greatest, and are more
concerned with acquiring material goods. They pay lip service to the idea
of equality, however little they may practice it. They are generally
optimistic. They don't condone torture, murder of innocents, or invasion
of nations that don't threaten them.

But, contrary to their own beliefs, they are easily led. Unscrupulous
leaders, and a compliant media, can easily convince them that they are in
grave danger, and the solution is yet another war.

So is this the worst of times?

Compared to?

People think there was a golden age in which there was peace, all
Americans were prosperous, and everyone was happy. When was this?

Was it when the country was founded by the slaughter of millions of Native
Americans and the stealing of their land?

Was it when rich plantation owners owned slaves?

Was it when country was engaged in a vicious civil war that killed 600,000
to 700,000 people?

Or the post-Civil War period when freed slaves were brought back under
control by lynchings and segregation?

Was it during the Depression, when millions were hungry and out of work?

Was it during World War II, when more than 50 million people died,
including 500,000 Americans?

Or how about in the post-World War II period, a time of optimism and
prosperity - unless of course you were poor and black, or fighting in
Korea?

Was it during the civil rights revolution, a time of joyous reaffirmation
of our ideals, and the murder of civil rights workers? Was it during the
concurrent Vietnam war protests in which millions marched in the streets,
followed by the assassination of national leaders?

Perhaps this is the best of times?

All right, perhaps not. But it is a time of great potential, if we do not
despair. The stranglehold of the corporate media is under attack on the
Internet by blogs and other sources of news. The ugliness and corruption
of the radical right of the Republican Party is now exposed for all to see
and some of the worst offenders may get their comeuppance in court. A few
Democrats are finally beginning to develop some backbone. Some states and
cities are beginning to rebel against some of the worst assaults on the
bill of rights; others are working to protect our voting rights.

The best of times? No, it's just life.


--------209 of 22--------

The Corporate-Owned Ivory Tower: An Omen
by Audra Himes

(Swans - October 24, 2005)  Corporate-think and corporate-talk are taking
over higher education in these United States. Free, critical discussions
about the world of ideas are soon to be over. The Establishment has set
its foot down. The Man walks amongst us.

Degrees from US institutions of higher education are some of the most
sought-after in the world because the world of higher education in a free
society is a hotbed of ideas, theories and research that grows into
real-world advancement. Nearly every single thing you rely on or that
influences you started out as an idea in a mind honed by the methods of
qualitative and quantitative research design. A self-regulating system
that balances and rights itself because of the value that its constituents
place on the life of the mind, higher education in the U.S. was always
strong because of people who understood the demands of critical thinking
and the scientific method. The torch was passed from generation to
generation by professors who were thinkers and performers, able to work
with students to get the absolute best from them. The best professors
themselves were individuals who were very much individuals - thinkers and
practitioners able to exert the force of their minds to bring together
disparate strands of thought and create something new, then communicate it
to students in ways that excited them as learners and made them want to
know more. The field of knowledge was increased by this excitement, this
enjoyment in theorizing, experimenting and learning.

Oh, wait, have I lapsed into the past tense? Ah, yes, I'm speaking of the
good ol' days. Before online degrees.

If anything helps me to see the downhill direction in which we're
traveling as a culture, it's the genesis of online "universities."
Turn-key courses, designed by corporate-think types and a couple of
instructional designers, replace classes influenced by the research
interests of the individual faculty member. Student-teacher discourse is
no longer the give-and-take of human interaction, face-to-face, where we
deal with our differences as people and learn from one another's
perspectives. Instead, online "facilitators" must retain students/clients
at any cost, praising them with "Great job!," "Excellent point!" and all
other manner of exclamation-pointed phrase. "Retention" is the key word
because "retention" = "money." Instructors can't stray from the curriculum
of the turn-key course, can't take a side journey through interesting
terrain that's discovered by on-the-spot interaction. The contours of the
conversation itself, you see, and the calendar on which strands of the
conversations can take place, are dictated by corporate Powers That Be who
have made a curriculum, flogged it to the Internet masses, and raked in
the tuition (funded by federal student loans in many cases, so once again,
John Q. Public's taxes are going to subsidize Wall Street ventures instead
of into a pot that benefits us all). The clarion call of online purveyors
stays true to form; universally, it's "Earn a degree - and more money!"
That's the only value education could possibly have, right?

What is happening to higher education foreshadows our fate. In Fast Food
Nation, Eric Schlosser points out that in some areas of the country, an
individual can go quite literally from cradle to grave without spending a
cent at a locally owned, locally interested business; put another way,
from birth to burial, every cent spent goes to a huge retail chain or
multinational. Massive conglomerates have taken over our economy, leading
to the McDonaldization of the landscape and Walmartization of wages. The
result? Small businesses capsized, rural areas gutted, precious little
opportunity or investment in our inner cities.

Higher education is going to the same dogs. Corporate think - "The
organization is always right" - is containing free-wheeling freethinking.
Higher education will no longer be about learning to probe and question;
it will be all about getting a piece of paper that entitles you to more
pay from The Man who educated you to (not) think in the same way that he
does.

If virtual universities, with their turn-key courses, one-dimensional
conversations, and indoctrination, take the place of critical thinking,
the scientific method, and the frisson of making learning happen, we are
headed down a dark road, indeed.

What have we come to? We've come to a place where those who've stood for
social justice and could speak truth to power, from university corridors
to the halls of the Supreme Court, are fast being replaced by those who
are educated in expediency and the ends justifying the means.

Who are we? Who we are as a country of entrepreneurs, inventors, and
leaders, held as institutional memories at the universities that created
some of the best minds of our nation, will be lost by the nanosecond
memory that The Man needs us to have if he's to control our thoughts as
well as our income.

What do we stand for? Control. Containment. Conformity. Co-optation of
critical thinking by those who need us to be homogenized, distilled,
colorless, thoughtless, and brainless so we can become cogs in the very
wheel that grinds us down.

Hello, all! We are Corporate America - corporate born, corporate
educated! Welcome aboard!!!


--------21 of 22--------

Crisis: Depravity Of The Leaders, Obedience Of The Citizens
by Philip Greenspan

(Swans - October 24, 2005)  What has happened in the U.S. over the past
several years is to my mind's eye an updated recreation of the German
people's fall into Hitler's Nazi nightmare. The fear induced by 9/11
anesthetized an overwhelming number of the American people transforming
them in unthinking zombies who rubber-stamped the abominable policies of
an incompetent and unprincipled government!

How the Germans, a civilized, educated, and talented people, could indulge
the sadistic and barbarous Nazis has been a mind-boggling question.
Certainly no other civilized society was expected to descend to anything
approaching that aberration. Or so we thought.

As more and more atrocities of the Bush administration are exposed it
becomes apparent that it will employ any and every tactic to achieve its
objectives. Like the Nazis, it has tried to conceal its evil deeds but
when enough were revealed why, why, why did many Americans continue
supporting this government? The sarcastic epithet "Good German" should be
modified and condignly bestowed upon the "Good American."

It would seem that the German anomaly is not as unusual as was once
thought. The "Good Israelis" have also descended into unconscionable
depravity.

The perplexing question has a psychological explanation. Howard Zinn
provided an answer in a debate on civil disobedience back in 1970. "Our
problem is civil obedience . . . Our problem is that people are obedient
all over the world, in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity,
and war and cruelty. . . We recognize this for Nazi Germany," are some
excerpts of his talk. (1)

An epitome of evil, the Nazi bureaucrat responsible for dispatching
millions to the death camps, Adolf Eichmann, concurred. Before the Israeli
trial court considering his sentence he pleaded "I am guilty of having
been obedient . . . Obedience is commended as a virtue." (2) Yes,
obedience is considered a virtue.

Hannah Arendt, the perceptive reporter for The New Yorker magazine who
subsequently wrote Eichmann in Jerusalem realized that Eichmann was just
an ordinary law-abiding bureaucrat who proudly performed his duties and
was not a fiendishly evil monster. "Banality of evil" is her
well-expressed phrase for the book's subtitle. (3)

Following the Eichmann trial, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted
scientific behavioral experiments to determine how many Americans, if any,
would permit authority to override sympathy and moral judgment. Fellow
psychologists predicted a few sadists. The shocking results demonstrated
that most ordinary Americans would commit atrocities in obedience to
authority. "Stark authority was pitted against the subjects' strongest
moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects' ears
ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than
not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the
command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the
fact most urgently demanding explanation." The disgraceful results could
be altered by varying the conditions of the experiments. If subjects
became aware that others disobeyed, authority was undermined and most
rebelled as well. (4)

Eichmann's German defense counsel Dr. Robert Servatius was very
insightful. Before Milgram conducted his experiments, Servatius commented
to the Israeli court, ". . . the Accused was in no way different from his
contemporary setting. The Accused must be seen as an integral part of the
existing group hierarchy. . . of the political hypnosis which held sway
over the overwhelming majority of the people. . . One cannot disregard the
findings of modern group psychology, which are the only way of
understanding the behaviour of an individual.. . . . What happened to the
German people can come to pass in every people. . . . This is a crisis of
the leaders, those who give the orders. " How true, it's a crisis of
criminality of the leaders and it's also the obedience of their citizens.

Governments are aware that they exist just as long as they retain their
citizens' support. "Consent of the Governed" is how Jefferson phrased it
in the Declaration of Independence. Accordingly, they employ every
available means to inculcate a love of country and thereby foster respect
for its leaders. The CIA seriously tried unethical mind control
experiments on unsuspecting subjects for years but discovered no magic
potion. So the establishment relies on a suitable recipe for inseminating
devotion and loyalty. Young children memorize the National Anthem and the
Pledge of Allegiance by rote and are enthralled by the glorifying myths of
their country's history. Their previously inculcated parents reinforce
those lessons. An ongoing patriotic atmosphere permeates the schools,
churches, stores, sport stadiums, the courts, etc. The establishment media
will bias its coverage to reinforce the administration's version of the
news, even if it is aware of lies, violations of the Constitution or
international laws so long as the administration is furthering the
interests of the elite.

Am I appalled by what the Bush administration has done? No! Am I perturbed
by the supine response of the American people? No! Disappointed, but not
perturbed. I am optimistic that the current seemingly bleak situation may
be a harbinger of a welcome change in the U.S. Let me explain.

Since the Constitution was ratified every political party has been
controlled by the elite. Their modus operandi varied since each appealed
to a different bloc for the votes to put them in power. But once in office
they cautiously - clandestinely if necessary - applied all feasible means
to accommodate the demands of the real bosses. Almost every abominable
atrocity committed by the Nazis was committed by US governments. A
fraction of them was disclosed in my essay "A Belated Apology to Adolf."

I have not been appalled by the Bush gangs' atrocities because they did
not differ from those of prior administrations whose discretion and
sophistication kept their crimes hidden. The incompetence and hubris of
the Bush gang permitted their crimes to be easily exposed. Revealed to the
world at last are the vile and criminal activities that have always
emanated from the highest levels of the US government. Bush's objectives
are the objectives of the ruling elite - tax cuts for the wealthy,
conquests of strategic foreign areas, clampdowns on civil liberties. I
believe that any other administration, given a 9/11 opportunity to cash in
on a mesmerized population, would have pursued those same objectives,
acting more prudently and perhaps using different methods. Didn't the
"opposition" Democrats sign on to Bush's legislative initiatives?

If Kerry had won he would have enjoyed the new president's usual six-month
honeymoon and instituted his more hawkish war policy. However, during the
first six months of 2005 Bush's ratings tumbled as his war imploded and
public sentiment swung against him and the war. Democrats now finding a
backbone to oppose Bush's war would have loyally supported their party's
more hawkish pro-war president Kerry. The public would not have held Kerry
responsible for Bush's problems and the increasing antiwar sentiment would
have been delayed until Kerry's policies backfired. For those like me who
consider stopping the war more important than all other issues, the
reelection of Bush was propitious.

From time to time a strong and sustained demand from the people will alarm
the politicians who are aware that governments must retain the "consent of
the governed." Accordingly, to protect their voting base and to prove that
"the system works," a satisfactory response is effected. That is how new
classes of voters entered the rolls; social legislation was enacted; Jim
Crow was slain!

During certain critical periods of history an aroused public, agitating
for a fairer shake, so threatens the political order that to contain the
conflagration the politicians must abandon their obligations to the elite
and must enact major overdue changes. The twentieth century saw two such
periods, the 1930s and the 1960s. The first was brought on by a depression
that threatened the very foundations of the country. To prevent a major
insurrection FDR felt it was necessary to enact a slew of reforms that
became known as the New Deal. The 1960s uprisings were fed by the
continually growing numbers demanding an end to the Vietnam War. Other
sizable activist groups, seizing the opportune time, pressed for an end to
Jim Crow, recognition of women's rights, and protection of the
environment.

It is quite possible that the evolving and growing public opposition to
the Bush administration will bring on another such period. There are many
factors that presage its arrival. Many people are angry. They feel the
government has let the public down on many issues. Bush's policies are in
a shambles. His own conservative supporters are turning against him and
there are rumors that he is turning to drink.

The power and prestige of the U.S. is declining. It has become isolated
from other world powers. The few that assisted it in Iraq are abandoning
their commitment. Venezuela's Hugo Chvez has thumbed his nose at Uncle Sam
and has become a hero along with Fidel Castro, another leader whom the
U.S. has been unable to topple. People in Latin America are dumping their
pro-US governments and swinging to the left.

The world's largest debtor is in financial hot water. Its foreign
outstanding debts and domestic obligations are continually increasing.
Corporations like the airlines that previously were rock solid have gone
into bankruptcy; others like GM and Ford are on the ropes. The government
has become straddled with tremendous pension obligations of the failed
corporations. Many of its creditors are scaling back their purchases of US
debt. The dollar keeps dropping against the major world currencies and
soon the euro, the yen, or some other currency will replace the dollar as
a reserve currency.

The polls confirm the downward slide in the public's assessment of the war
and of the administration. The military has failed to meet its enlistment
quotas even though sweeteners have been added - an indication that there
is no desire on the part of the youth to support their government. Other
negatives could be added.

The Milgram experiments showed that when some refused to obey authority,
others rebelled as well. Hopefully the existing situation will cause more,
more, and still more to enlist as activists and lead to a major rebellion.

Will the public take advantage of the weakened and staggering bully to
land a knockout blow? They could make this decade another watershed period
for restoring - correction: INITIATING - a democracy of the people and not
of the elite? If it is natural for people to obey authority then they
should install humanitarian leaders!


--------22 of 22--------

 Big money never
 sleeps. What it finds, it keeps; laughs
 as each loser weeps.


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   - David Shove             shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu
   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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