Progressive Calendar 02.08.07
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu)
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 03:54:50 -0800 (PST)
              P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    02.08.07

1. Pro choice        2.08 6:30pm

2. Rights/terror     2.09 12:15pm
3. Gujarat/violence  2.09 3:30pm
4. Pro torture rally 2.09 4pm
5. Eagan peace vigil 2.09 4:30pm
6. Palestine         2.09 4:30pm
7. Northtown vigil   2.09 5pm
8. Cuba after Fidel  2.09 7pm
9. Green Party party 2.09 7:30pm
10. Military/rights  2.09 8pm
11. Queer women/club 2.09 9pm

12. Pancakes/prison  2.10 8am
13. Nuke power/Irish 2.10 10am
14. Race             2.10 10am
15. Homeless vets    2.10 10am
16. NWN4P vigils     2.10 11am
17. Northtown vigil  2.10 1pm
18. Islam/Mary       2.10 2pm
19. Kristen Olson    2.10 6pm

20. CNN/Ralph Nader - "Hillary Clinton is a panderer and flatterer"
21. Joshua Frank    - Why Dems Clinton, Edwards & Obama won't save us
22. Sharon smith    - It's time for creative anger not diplomacy with Dems
23. Pierre Tristam  - Armed to the teeth, US marches toward military state
24. Ken Couesbouc   - Why republics end up as empires
25. Pablo Neruda    - Ode to Clothes (poem)

--------1 of x--------

From: wsac <wsac [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Pro choice 2.08 6:30pm

Cheer for Choice: Hooray for Hersey! Fundraiser

Hersey Fund Fundraiser with the University Pro Choice Coalition. Feb.
8th, 6.30-9pm, Kitty Kat Club!

You are cordially invited to a fundraiser for the Hersey Fund hosted by
UPCC and other Pro-Choice student organizations.  This is the first event
in part of a coalition effort to promote the Pro-Choice movement on
campus.  All of us are thrilled to join efforts and make a real difference
in Minnesota.  This event is our chance to get together, not only with
each other, but also with Pro-Choice members of the Twin Cities community
and give back to the cause.

This Thursday Feb 8th
The Kitty Cat Klub (701 Washington ave. Dinkytown)
6:30-9pm

co-sponsors include Nursing, Law, Med Students for Choice, along with a
Pro-Choice group from Metro-State, WSAC

The mission of the women's student activist collective is to empower women
and transpeople to make positive changes in society through the
elimination of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism, and all
interrelated forms of inequality.


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From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Rights/terror 2.09 12:15pm

Friday, 2/9, 12:15 to 1:15 pm, Human Rights First legal director Gabor Rona
speaks on "Bending the Rules: Abuse of US Executive Power in the War on
Terror," room 50, Mondale Hall, U of M Law School, 229 - 19th Ave S, Mpls.
612-626-7947.


--------3 of x--------

From: Stephen Feinstein <feins001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Gujarat/violence 2.09 3:30pm

Friday, Feb 9, 3:30pm.
Ford Room (710 Social Science Building).
KAMALA VISWESWARAN
A THOUSAND GENOCIDES NOW: GUJARAT IN THE MODERN IMAGINARY OF VIOLENCE

What futures does the past make possible? Using the recent violence in
Gujarat as a paradigmatic example, this lecture explores how genocide
comes to be the paradox of modern consciousness.

Kamala Visweswaran is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the
University of Texas. She is author of *Fictions of Feminist Ethnography*
(Minnesota 2004) and is completing a book on Gujarat called *A Thousand
Genocides Now; Gujarat in the Modern Imaginary of Violence.*


--------4 of x--------

From: Impeach For Peace <minneapolis [at] impeachforpeace.org>
Subject: Pro torture rally 2.09 4pm

Join us for the next event to be held at the Minneapolis Federal
Building.
Dress code: Business

Pro War, Pro Torture Rally to Celebrate Freedom

On Friday, February 9th, between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., concerned citizens
organized by Patriots for Corporate Rights will gather at the Minneapolis
Federal Building at 300 S. 4th St. in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate
our nation's willingness to go to war and to torture people in order to
preserve freedom here and abroad.

Recently, the political tide has turned against the war, but Patriots for
Corporate Rights wants the president to know that some Americans still
support his policies and oppose impeachment. "We also want our brave men
and women to know that many of us still want to keep them in Iraq," stated
Malcolm Bosman, organizer of Patriots for Corporate Rights. "War may not
be pretty, but if freedom and increased economic opportunity for American
businesses demand an unending war, then so be it."

Patriots for Corporate Rights warns those who would question Bush that
patriots with a singular, unwavering point of view, not a bunch of
dissenters, founded this nation. Taking time to debate and investigate is
unpatriotic. States Robert Paulson: "We haven't forgotten the lesson of
September 11th. Those Muslims want to destroy America, and they should
suffer for it."

Though some people are starting to demand justifications for issues like
torture and domestic wiretapping, Patriots for Corporate Rights has a
different perspective: The president is above the law. Continues Bosman:
"We're big supporters of unitary executive theory. If we're to continue to
live in a democracy, the president needs broad authority to declare war,
interpret the law however he wants, and detain U.S. citizens indefinitely
without charge. Like it or not, that's the price of freedom."


--------5 of x---------

From: Greg and Sue Skog <skograce [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Eagan peace vigil 2.09 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.


--------6 of x--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Palestine 2.09 4:30pm

Friday, 2/9, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, vigil to end the occupation of Palestine,
Snelling & Summit Aves, St Paul.  Karen, 651-283-3495.


--------7 of x--------

From: EKalamboki [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 2.09 5pm

NORTHTOWN Peace Vigil every Thursday 5-6pm, at the intersection of Co. Hwy
10 and University Ave NE (SE corner across from Denny's), in Blaine.

Communities situated near the Northtown Mall include: Blaine, Mounds View,
New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Spring Lake Park,
Fridley, and Coon Rapids.  We'll have extra signs.

For more information people can contact Evangelos Kalambokidis by phone or
email: (763)574-9615, ekalamboki [at] aol.com.


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Subject: Cuba After Fidel 2.09 7pm

Cuba after Fidel?
A Report-Back from the Island

7:00 p.m.
Friday, February 9
Rm 330, Anderson Hall
University of Minnesota
West Bank, Minneapolis
http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/AndH/

Several members of the Minnesota Cuba Committee have recently returned
from Cuba. Hear what they have to say about Cuba without Fidel at the
helm, about developing ties with other Latin American countries and China,
about Cuban views on the prospects for US policy changes and much more.

Panel will include Professor Gary Prevost, St. John's University;
Professor Shari Geistfeld, macalester College; Professor August Nimtz,
University of Minnesota; Victor Valens, Victor's 1959 Cafe and other
Minnesota Cuba Committee members.


--------9 of x--------

From: David Strand <mncivil [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Green Party party 2.09 7:30pm

Come out and support the Green Party of St Paul as the pary gears up for a
year that includes city council elections in St. Paul!

Green Party of St. Paul 2007 Kickoff Party
7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
Black Dog Café, 308 Prince St, Lowertown, St. Paul
Agenda: Have fun with your fellow greens!
Contact: Jesse Mortenson - 651-647-4261


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From: Human Rights Events Update <humanrts [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Military/rights 2.09 8pm

Feb 8th Human Rights Film Series: "On the Objection Front"

The University of Minnesota Human Rights Center is proud to announce the
third screening and panel discussion in the 2006-2007 Human Rights Film
Series

Film: On the Objection Front
February 8, 2007
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Room 25, University of Minnesota Law School, 229 19th Ave S., Minneapolis,

Free and Open to the Public
On the Objection Front
How does a soldier grapple with the human rights of individuals under
occupation?

On the Objection Front, Shiri Tsur's award-winning documentary, explores
the controversy in Israel over soldiers who refuse to serve in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories. The film focuses on six Israeli
reservist officers who felt they could no longer serve conscientiously in
the Occupied Territories. These soldiers speak of the memories that haunt
them, the soul-searching that led to their decision, and its impact on
themselves, their families, and their society.

The film introduces a complex moral dilemma, but according to the The
Jerusalem Report, it is neither heavy-handed nor polemical, and
acknowledges the real disagreement that exists even within the left over
the principle of refusing duty in the Occupied Territories.

The film will be introduced by (Res.) Major Chen Alon, one of the officers
interviewed in the film, and followed by a discussion with him and another
speaker (to be determined).


--------11 of x--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Queer women/club 2.09 9pm

Queer womens social club,
2532 25th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN  55406

We are writing to let you know about Pi, an exciting new queer women's
social club opening in Minneapolis. Located at 2532 25th ave S. (25th and
25th) Never before has the Twin Cities had a club or restaurant, let alone
an entertainment complex of this size and magnitude catering to the needs
of queer women and their friends.

Although Pi will be open to the public on Feb 9th at 9pm, plans are
underway for a big celebration on February 16th -18th, and many women will
be converging on Pi to celebrate the opening of this exciting new venue.
Local bands Grace Darling and Central Standard along with national acts
God-dess and She and Scream Club are lined up to perform for the
festivities. Kelly Brazil and Chamindika will be exhibiting their visual
art and DJ Naughty Boy and DJ Blowtorch will be spinning for the masses in
the dance hall after 10pm.

Pi will have full restaurant service from 4 pm to 10 pm, specializing in
what chef Steph Hedrick, formerly of The Independent, describes as "urban,
mostly organic and vegetarian fare with meat options".  From 10 pm to 2am
The "Pi Hole" will serve a selection of appetizers and smaller plates.
Pi will be showcasing live performances and has plans for a weekly film
screening with dinner, slated to begin the third week of March. Visual
artists will have a space to exibit their art for 6 week installations and
a powerful mural has been painted by Chamindika and Kim Thompson in the
pool room with five pool tables. Happy hour will be from 4-8pm daily with
drink and apetiizer specials along with free WI FI.

If you have any questions or would like to do a write up or article on PI,
please contact: Shannon Blowtorch Pi Entertainment Coordinator
Shannon_Blowtorch [at] Bust.com <mailto:Shannon_Blowtorch [at] Bust.com>
612-730-2747

Feb 9th The "SOFT OPENING", first time the doors are open to the public.
Doors at 9pm and DJ's and dance hall to follow, $5 cover


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From: Susan Svatek <ssvatek [at] cce.umn.edu>
Subject: Pancakes/prison book 2.10 8am

Nothing says love like pancakes!

Women's Prison Book Project Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, February 10 8am-noon
at Walker Community Church 3104 16th Ave S in Minneapolis

All you can eat buttermilk and vegan pancakes, grits, fruit salad, coffee,
tea and juice.

Adults $6, Kids $3

The Women's Prison Book Project Pancake Breakfast is fast approaching!
This annual event is a fun and tasty way to support WPBP's efforts to get
books into the hands of women and transgender prisoners throughout the
country. The breakfast features all you can eat buttermilk and vegan
pancakes, along with grits, fruit salad, coffee, tea and juice. We will
also feature our fun children's craft area. Here are the details:


--------13 of x--------

From: Doris Marquit <marqu001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Nuke power/Irish 2.10 10am

February 10, 2007, 10am, talk & discussion
Van Cleve Community Center, 901 15th Ave. SE, Minneapolis

"Nuclear Power and Other Problems- Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
Speaker: Don Irish, Professor Emeritus, Hamline University
Critique of U.S. foreign policy, with focus on double standards,
exceptionalism, unilateralism, and arrogance

Everyone invited-refreshments-free
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, Minnesota Metro Branch
FFI: 651-645-6992; www.wilpfmn.org <http://www.wilpfmn.org/>


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From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Race 2.10 10am

Penumbra is proud to announce a series of workshops
presented in conjunction with the
Science Museum of Minnesota and its exhibit
RACE: Are We So Different?

The workshops, entitled Meet Your Metaphor encourage thought, dialogue and
action around issues presented in the exhibit. Join us for a special tour
with exhibit developer, Joanne Jones-Rizzi and participate in a workshop
at the Science Museum of Minnesota 120 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN
55102

February 10 from 10am to 1:30pm
Lunch will be provided.
RSVP 651-224-3180 by February 7.


--------15 of x---------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Homeless vets 2.10 10am

Saturday, 2/10 (and usually each 1st Saturday), 10 to 11:30 am, Homeless
Veterans for Peace meeting, Peacehouse, 510 E Franklin Ave, Mpls.  Bob
Heberle at 612-789-9020


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From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net> To: Dave Shove
Subject: NWN4P vigils  2.10 11am

There are now two NWN4P weekly demonstrations as follows:

1.
NWN4P-Plymouth demonstration- Every Saturday, 11 AM to noon, along
Vinewood, just north of 42nd Ave.  and one block east of 494 in
Plymouth. Drive toward the Rainbow and Target Greatland on Vinewood,
turn right by Bakers Square and right again into the parking lot near
the sidewalk.  Bring your own sign or use ours.

2.
NWN4P-Minnetonka demonstration- Every Saturday, 11 AM to noon, at Hwy. 7
and 101.  Park in the Target Greatland lot; meet near the entrance
fountain. Bring your own signs or use ours.


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From: Lennie <major18 [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Northtown vigil 2.10 1pm

Mounds View peace vigil EVERY SATURDAY from 1-2pm at the at the southeast
corner of the intersection of Co. Hwy 10 and University Ave NE in Blaine,
which is the northwest most corner of the Northtown Mall area. This is a
MUCH better location.

We'll have extra signs.  Communities situated near the Northtown Mall
include: Blaine, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden
Hills, Spring Lake Park, Fridley, and Coon Rapids.

For further information, email major18 [at] comcast.net or call Lennie at
763-717-9168


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From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Islam/Mary 2.10 2pm

Alternate Saturdays, 1/13 to 6/9, 2 to 4 pm, interfaith dialogue
organization Northern Lights Society presents series Understanding Islam,
2469 University Ave, Suite 110 E. St Paul.  bilgin [at] nlight.org Series
includes topics:  Mary on 2/10, Jesus on 2/24, Islam and Democracy on
3/10, necessity of interfaith dialogue on 3/24, farewell sermon of prophet
Muhammad on 4/14, terror and suicide attacks on 4/28, other faiths
according to Islam on 5/12, diversity in Islam on 5/26 and Islamic art on
9/9.  RSVP to rsvp [at] nlight.org


--------19 of x--------

From: David Shove <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Kristen Olson/music 2.10 6pm

Green music
At The Smooth Grind, 2723 Lexington Ave N, one block north of Roseville
City hall on Lexington.  Or, call (651) 490-0490 for directions.

This weekend:
Saturday Feb 10 6-8pm
Kristen Olson & Kerri Marshall

Upcoming:
Saturday February 24 6-9pm
Papa John Kolstad & Clint Hoover

Green Gab - And show up at 5pm either day to chat with fellow Greens on
anything under over or in the sun.

---

This weekend:
Saturday Feb 10 6-8pm
Kristen Olson & Kerri Marshall

KRISTEN OLSON / KERRI MARSHALL  & guests
 sing & play
 mostly original story-songs

As we live we weave our stories, our melodies, our lives, our music.

Kristen Olson and Kerri Marshall have written and played music together
for over ten years.  Please join us Saturday, February 10, at the Smooth
Grind in Roseville, from 6 to 8 pm.

Guest musicians will include Shelby Marshall, Grant Marshall, and Rose
Kubiatowicz on mandolin.

Most of our songs are original, though you may hear some Tracy Chapman,
and Cowboy Junkies covers (and maybe some old John Denver!)  Our songs
have been written as stories, snapshots, illustrations of our lives and
our growth in relationships, in the world, as we are and have been.  We
hope to see everyone there as we celebrate the new year.  There is sure to
be some story telling, and some political banter thrown in for good
measure.

The Smooth Grind is located at 2723 Lexington Ave N, one block north of
Roseville City hall on Lexington.  Or, call (651) 490-0490 for directions.
The Smooth Grind is a locally owned coffee shop, under new ownership.  It
is welcoming, cozy, and is definitely the place to find the best coffee
and dessert around!

See you there!
Kristen & Kerri

---

Upcoming:
Saturday February 24 6-9pm
Papa John Kolstad & Clint Hoover

Join John and Clint for an evening of excellent guitar/harmonica blues
with seasoned vocals.  Papa John, master of 12 string guitar provides
rhythm, base runs and fast picking complemented by Clint Hoover's stunning
harmonica playing. Clint is truly a master of both diatonic (blues) and
chromatic harmonica.

---

Smooth Grind is the only independent coffeehouse in Roseville.
Free wi-fi.
Entertainment every Friday and Saturday.


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"Hillary Clinton is a Panderer and Flatterer"
CNN's Interview with Ralph Nader
By CounterPunch News Service
February 6, 2007

[The follow is a transcript of Ralph Nader's appearance on CNN's Late
Edition.)

Wolf Blitzer: He's a pioneer for consumer protection. He's run for
president and his name, still a red flag for many Democrats, guaranteed to
start an argument about the 2000 presidential campaign.

Joining us here in Washington, Ralph Nader. He's the author of a new book
entitled "The Seventeen Traditions," about his childhood and his life.

Mr. Nader, welcome back to "Late Edition." It's a beautiful book with a
lot of emotion for so many of us who will go through this book, and I want
to get to it shortly. But let's get through some politics, some other
issues first if that's OK.

RALPH NADER, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: OK.

BLITZER: Let's talk first of all about the presidency. Do you have any
plans to run for president in 2008?

NADER: It's really too early to say. I don't like long campaigns. But I'm
committed to trying to give more voices and choices to the American people
on the ballot. That means more third parties, independent candidates and
to break up this two-party elected dictatorship that is becoming more and
more like a dial for the same corporate dollars.

BLITZER: As you know, by leaving the door open as you just did, a lot of
Democrats are going to get very, very nervous, given what happened in
2000. But you are potentially open to running for president again?

NADER: As I say, I'll consider it later in the year. But I think they
ought to look at the agenda of some of these third parties like the Green
Party, like our independent run in '04. Maybe if they take some of these
issues, as they should have, in '00 and '04, they might win in a bigger
way over the Republican Party.

BLITZER: Here's what you wrote about Hillary Clinton on VoteNader.org: If
Hillary Clinton is nominated in 2008 by the Democrats to run for
president, they will support her. They will support her even though she is
a corporate Democrat who opposes us on the war in Iraq, on real universal
health insurance, on the swollen, wasteful military and corporate welfare
budget, on a national living wage -- on many of the issues we care about."

I take it you're not going to vote for Hillary Clinton.

NADER: No. I don't think she has the fortitude. Actually, she's really a
panderer and a flatterer as she goes around the country. You'll see more
of that. I think her main problem may well be right in New York City,
Michael Bloomberg. They're talking in the Bloomberg camp of a possible
run.

BLITZER: You like Bloomberg?

NADER: I'm saying he'll give more diversity for sure, and he'll focus on
urban problems. And I might say, he has got the money to do it, doesn't
he?

BLITZER: He's a rich guy. He's a very rich guy. But, in other words, if
Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, would that encourage you
to go forward and put your name on the ballot?

NADER: It would make it more important that that be the case.

BLITZER: Are there any Democrats out there that you like right now? Any
Republicans out there that you like that would discourage you from
running?

NADER: Well, there are, but they don't have a lot of money. Mike Gravel
made a great speech before the Democratic National Convention, former
senator from Alaska, on the war, on the corporate domination of our
economy, on the need for a national referendum to give more power to the
people.

BLITZER: I think it's fair to say he's a long shot.

NADER: Yes, well, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, from Ohio, of course, a
great...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: You like Congressman Kucinich, too.

NADER: But also his record. These people have records, not just rhetoric,
going back in their own elected careers. I might add that we have got a
money horse race now. I mean, the press and the polls are gravitating on
cash register politics as if there's a bar graph, you know, to see who's
going to raise the $100 million or $200 million, McCain or Obama or
Hillary. That's very unhealthy. That's rancid politics.

BLITZER: Here's what you wrote back in October on Bill Moyers, the PBS
commentator: "Moyers brings impressive credentials beyond his knowledge of
the White House, congressional complexes. As millions of viewers and
readers over the decades know, Bill Moyers is unusually articulate and
authentic in evaluating the unmet necessities and framing the ignored
solutions in our country."

You'd like him to run for president?

NADER: Very much. I got a great response to that column.

BLITZER: What about response did you get from Bill Moyers?

NADER: We haven't heard from Bill Moyers, but people ought to Google Bill
Moyers and let him know that they would like him to run. I think he could
raise clean money and substantial money. He's well- known, he's very
articulate. He's been in the White House with Lyndon Johnson. He knows the
media and his speeches are just wonderful renditions of American history,
the progressive moment and the way forward for our country.

BLITZER: Let me talk briefly -- and then I want to move on to your book --
about this new documentary that's come out called "An Unreasonable Man."
It's about you. It deals with your life, but it also has some criticism of
what happened back in 2000 when the suggestion is the votes, 20,000 or
whatever you got, 90,000 -- how many votes did you get in Florida?

NADER: Ninety-six thousand.

BLITZER: Ninety-six thousand.

NADER: But a lot of them would have stayed home.

BLITZER: That could you have tipped the ballots in favor of Al Gore who
lost by less than 600 votes. Let me run a little clip from this film
entitled "An Unreasonable Man."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD GITLIN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: He should have campaigned in safe states
like New York and California where he had many, many potential votes to
pick up.

JOAN CLAYBROOK, PRESIDENT, PUBLIC CITIZEN: He told a lot of his
contributors that he wasn't going to go into the swing state in 2000. But
then he changed his mind and then he couldn't resist the competitive part
of it. And so he went into the swing states.

CLAYBROOK: So then he changed his mind, and then he couldn't resist the
competitive part of it. And so he went into the swing states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, those are two supporters, people who are sympathetic
to you.

NADER: Unfortunately, it's false. The film has a professor at Harvard who
looked over our schedule. I spent 28 days in California, two and a half
days in Florida, for example. So those statements are factually false.

But if we all have equal right to run for public office, Wolf, then we're
either all spoilers of one another, or none of us are spoilers. I mean,
why should third-party candidates, which historically have given the new
ideas, such as in the 19th century, anti-slavery, women's right to vote,
labor, farmer, why should they be second-class citizens?

By the way, I've spoken to Al Gore. You ask Al Gore what cost him the
election. He thinks he won the election. I agree. I think he won it in
Florida, but he lost it because it was taken from him from Tallahassee
with all those shenanigans all the way to the 5-4 political decision in
the Supreme Court.

BLITZER: All right, we're not going to rehash what happened in 2000.

NADER: OK.

BLITZER: I want to talk a little bit about "The Seventeen Traditions" by
Ralph Nader. This is a lovely new book, a little one, but it's got some
really deep significance for you and I assume a lot of people who read it.
Tell us what you mean by these 17 traditions.

NADER: Well, there are 17 ways my mother and father raised four children,
two girls and two boys, in a little factory town in northwest Connecticut.
And their traditions, I think they'll resonate with a lot of people,
especially young parents who think everything's out of control for them,
including their children.

So the first tradition is learning how to listen. My mother would say,
learn how to listen so you'll listen to learn, something I wish George W.
Bush grew up learning. There's a tradition of history, a tradition of the
family food table, where a lot of discussion was conducted. The tradition
of history, it was very important for us. Tradition of work.

Father had a restaurant where they said for a nickel, you got a cup of
coffee and ten minutes of politics. So it was a lot of town meeting
activity, with the factory workers and others.

BLITZER: You had a wonderful childhood growing up. You had parents who
were intimately, directly involved in raising you and your siblings. But
you fear that a lot of these responsibilities, parental responsibilities
that you had, that I had are now being outsourced in a new generation.

NADER: Tremendous pressure on families. More commuting, more than one job,
sometimes single moms. Not enough time for the children. So, more and more
family functions. Day care, entertainment, food, fast food restaurants,
all being outsourced. That's not very good for raising the next generation
of Americans.

I think this book will help a lot of other families establish their own
family traditions. Their own grandparents and great grandparents' wisdom,
insight, experience. Why have the children keep reinventing the wheel?

We have a civic tradition in our family. And I think the greatest source
of civic advocates in our country doesn't come from the schools. It will
come from the parents and the family upbringing.

BLITZER: Let me read to you from the book and get your response: "Today,
more and more families are farming out their responsibilities. The family
industry is swiftly becoming a real factor in our economy. And this comes
with a price, as more parents lose confidence in their own judgments, in
their ability to make decisions without the help of the, quote, 'experts.'

"As corporations deliberately encroach on the parenting of our children,
and children spend less personal time with their parents, those
all-important traditions are falling by the wayside."

Now, that's a depressing thought.

NADER: But it's realistic. And I wouldn't blame the parents. The economy
is designed to separate more and more, during the day, the parents, from
the children, number one. The companies are marketing direct now to two-,
three-, five-, eight-year-olds in a massive advertising campaign, junk
food, military toys, overmedication, cosmetics for girls age 7.

I mean, it's just unbelievable what's going on that we're not thinking
enough about because of these distractions that we're seeing in our
country. And that's one of the prices of the Iraq war.

BLITZER: Of the 17 traditions, and they're all one chapter each, which is
your favorite?

NADER: The civic tradition. My parents, by example, were active in the
community, helped expand the hospital, for example, helped to get from
Senator Prescott Bush, the grandfather of the president, a dry dam so that
the Mad River wouldn't overflow and destroy the main street, as it did
three times in 50 years. We saw all that. And it sunk in.

BLITZER: Anybody who reads this will know that the Ralph Nader that all of
us have come to know over these past decades, the roots were strong here,
and they are documented in this book, "The Seventeen Traditions." Thanks
for writing it.

NADER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Ralph Nader, thanks for coming in.


--------21 of x--------

Why the Democrats Won't Save Us
Clinton, Edwards and Obama: Strike Iran
by Joshua Frank
www.dissidentvoice.org
February 6, 2007

Over the past weekend Hillary Clinton pledged to end the war in Iraq if
she is elected. "If we in Congress don't end this war before January 2009,
as president, I will," she told a large crowd at the Democratic National
Committee's winter convention in Washington.

It was the first time since announcing her candidacy that Hillary
acknowledged the growing movement against the war when discussing Iraq,
which faced its bloodiest period since the invasion almost four years ago
with over 1,000 reported deaths in the last seven days alone. Also in
attendance at the DNC meeting were other presidential hopefuls, including
John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama, who both attempted to paint themselves
as the best antiwar candidate in the hunt for the White House.

The top candidates' tepid words on Iraq were a sign of what's to come over
the next year and a half as their rhetorical talents are turned on high.
Despite Obama's reassurance that he did not support the war from the
beginning, along with Edwards' claims that he's had a change of heart on
his past pro-war votes -- neither candidate distinguished their position
from the Bush administration when it came to the looming Iran
confrontation.

In fact two weeks earlier, while visiting Israel, Edwards laid out his
position on Iran quite succinctly:

"Let me be clear: Under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to have
nuclear weapons . . . The vast majority of people are concerned about what
is going on in Iraq. This will make the American people reticent toward
going for Iran. But I think the American people are smart if they are told
the truth, and if they trust their president. So Americans can be educated
to come along with what needs to be done with Iran."

Hillary Clinton pushed virtually the same bitter line while addressing the
annual AIPAC convention held in New York City last week. "U.S. policy must
be clear and unequivocal: We cannot, we should not, we must not permit
Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons,'' Clinton told the crowd of
Israel supporters. "In dealing with this threat . . . no option can be
taken off the table.''

Barack Obama has also been upfront about how he would deal with Iran,
arguing that he would not rule out the use of force and supports surgical
strikes of alleged nuclear sites in the country if diplomacy (read:
coercion) fails. To put it bluntly, none of the front running Democrats
are opposed to Bush's dubious "war on terror" or his bullying of Iran.
They support his aggression in principle but simply believe a Democratic
presidency could handle the job more astutely. All put Israel first and
none are going to fundamentally alter U.S. foreign policy in the Middle
East.

Times like these require bravery. They require a fight. A fight against
immoral and illegal policies. A fight against tyranny. A fight for
freedom. Freedom from hatred. Freedom from occupation. Americans and the
people of the Middle East deserve better than Hillary Clinton, John
Edwards and Barack Obama. They deserve to live their lives without the
threat of warfare and bloodshed. They deserve to live without fear.

Joshua Frank is Co-Editor of Dissident Voice, and the author of Left Out!
How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush. He edits BrickBurner.org, the
official blog of Dissident Voice. He can be reached at:
joshua [at] dissidentvoice.org.


--------22 of x--------

It's Time for Creative Anger Not Diplomacy with Democrats
Why Protest Matters
By SHARON SMITH
CounterPunch
February 7, 2007

Hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters amassed on the streets of
Washington, D.C. on January 27, emboldened by the optimism of an antiwar
majority that has finally found its voice.

To be sure, skeptics were quick to point out that members of Congress had
vacated their offices for the weekend, as if their physical presence was
necessary to notice the throngs of protesters. Other cynics remind us that
even the enormous February 15, 2003 antiwar demonstrations failed to halt
the U.S.' drive to war on Iraq, as if protest is a futile exercise.

It is politically naive, however, to expect that a single demonstration of
any size would be enough to persuade the world's lone military superpower
to reverse its bloodthirsty course.

A demonstration is not a protest movement. Such a movement requires an
ongoing commitment to grassroots struggle. The large turnout on January 27
represents the potential to revive the antiwar movement, after an extended
period of dormancy. For the last few years, torture at Abu Ghraib and
Guantanamo, the invasions of Fallujah, repeated massacres of Iraqi
civilians, and the rising death toll of U.S. troops seemed to demoralize
rather than embolden movement activists in the heart of the imperialist
beast.

In contrast, many activists returned to their communities invigorated by
the experience of January 27, committed to building a struggle to end the
war. Rep. Henry Waxman discovered this combative mood while addressing a
meeting of the Palisades Democratic Club in Los Angeles on January 28.
Protesters confronted him with a banner reading "Liberals do not fund
occupation" and heckled him while he explained that, despite his alleged
opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, he would not commit to
de-funding it. The hecklers appeared dissatisfied with Waxman's recital of
Democratic Party talking points, shouting angrily, "What about the U.S.
Constitution?" when he announced his opposition to impeachment proceedings
against Bush.

But movements are also based on strategies, and antiwar activists must now
decide the most effective strategy for coalescing renewed grassroots
opposition into a sustained protest movement. This must include an honest
assessment of the very strategies that contributed to the antiwar
movement's malaise for the better part of the last four years.

             Protest and lobbying: conventional wisdom?

Author Liza Featherstone commented in The Nation on February 2, "But much
of the antiwar movement now agrees that there is no contradiction, or
conflict, between chanting in the streets and lobbying in the halls of
Congress," adding, "protests would be meaningless without additional
pressure on politicians."

Featherstone's argument sounds like conventional wisdom. Certainly,
movements must seek to pressure politicians. The question is how most
effectively to do so. United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), which has
helmed U.S. the antiwar movement since 2003, has routinely coupled antiwar
protest with lobbying.

It can reasonably be argued, however, that lobbying undermines the
potential power of angry protest. Lobbying involves an arduous effort to
engage politicians in polite conversation. Protest, while no less arduous,
is decidedly less friendly. Occupying a representative's office is not
lobbying.

In a typical memo, UFPJ instructed its 800-strong citizen-lobbyists who
swarmed the Capitol during its September 26, 2005 lobby day, "Please take
the time to fax (or e-mail) a thank you note to the staff person or
Congressperson you met with You have begun to build a relationship with
the office of your Representative and/or Senators - keep it up!"

UFPJ's strategy is best described as lobbying interrupted by periodic
outpourings of mass protest, not vice versa. Eighteen months later and no
closer to ending the war, a similar number of activists joined in UFPJ's
lobby day on January 29, as a follow up to the January 27 protest, in the
hopes that Democratic Party majority in Congress would yield more
substantial results.

But as Aaron Glantz reported in the Inter Press Service on February 2,
"Senior Congressional Democrats are brushing off questions about cutting
off funding for the Iraq war, and indicate they will do little to
forcefully stop President George W. Bush from sending 21,500 additional
U.S. troops to Iraq."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Bush's troop surge "the one last chance"
that the U.S. will "succeed" in Iraq, while Senate leader Harry Reid
indicated his opposition would be limited to symbolic, bipartisan
legislation, rather than de-funding the war.

Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton did not grace the nation's
Capitol with her presence from January 27-29. She ridiculed de-funding the
war as a "soundbite" from Iowa, where she was busy honing her 2008
campaign machinery.

It is also worth noting that, as Democrats have softened their support for
the war on Iraq, they have hardened their stance against Iran - the next
likely military target for both the U.S. and Israel. Presidential hopeful
John Edwards - who has scathingly criticized Congress for inaction on the
Iraq war from his perch safely outside the Beltway - traveled to Israel on
January 22 to rattle his saber at Iran. With fist-thumping emphasis,
Edwards declared his commitment "to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear
weapons, we need to keep all options on the table, let me reiterate - all
options must remain on the table."

On February 1, Clinton worked the crowd for donations at an American
Israel Public Affairs Committee's dinner, assuring attendees, "Israel and
the United States have shared values and an unbreakable bond. Qualities
that will be necessary as they stand up to terrorism and Iran."

       Which strategy: "Face time" vs. "in your face" time?

At best, UFPJ's allies in Congress must be described as fair weather
friends. Rep. Jerrold Nadler spoke at UFPJ's January 27 protest but
quickly turned on the organization, saying he was "very upset" upon
learning that UFPJ plans to co-sponsor the U.S. Campaign to End the
Israeli Occupation's call for a June 10-11 Washington mobilization against
"ongoing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories" - a tepid
call, given the scale of Israel's atrocities.

The age-old saying, "You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar,"
does not apply to Washington's entrenched political class, whose campaign
coffers depend on a steady influx of corporate dollars.

A Chicago antiwar listserv report described a 20-minute meeting on January
22 between twenty local antiwar activists and Democratic Party powerbroker
Rahm Emanuel: "Emanuel refused to take any position on any effort to cut
off funding for continuation of the war past the current fiscal year." The
meeting ended abruptly when Emanuel left to catch a flight.

While Democrats have kept antiwar lobbyists at arms' length since
November, they have given a much warmer reception to corporate lobbyists.
The Los Angeles Times observed on January 22, "Surprising as it might seem
in view of the Democrats' public rhetoric, business groups are getting
their telephone calls returned. And they're getting plenty of face time
with the new House and Senate leaders."

Back in November, when Pelosi unveiled the Democratic majority's plans for
its first 100 hours, she promised to "roll back the multibillion-dollar
subsidies for Big Oil." When the bill left the House in mid-January,
however, it sliced only $5.5 billion from the $32 billion in subsidies and
tax breaks oil conglomerates will receive over the next five years - a
small price to pay for the profit-soaked industry.

Grassroots activists must decide whether the antiwar movement will seek
polite engagement for "face time" with Washington powerbrokers or to
embark on an admittedly less diplomatic strategy to get in their faces.
The potential clearly exists for the latter.

In a little-reported protest on January 27, 2,500 demonstrators shut down
a military recruiting center in Seattle, led by the local chapter of Iraq
Veterans Against the War (IVAW). One observer described, "Community
members emerged from houses and joined the march as it snaked through the
neighborhood. As the march drew near to the recruiting center the
demonstrators began chanting, "Occupation is a crime, Ehren Watada should
do no time!" and "You gotta resist, don't enlist!"

Anger, not diplomacy, points the way forward for the antiwar movement at
this pivotal moment, if it is to grow and prosper in the weeks and months
ahead. [Amen. Enough pusillanimous pussyfooting. -ed]

Sharon Smith is the author of Women and Socialism and Subterranean Fire: a
History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States. She can be
reached at: sharon [at] internationalsocialist.org


--------23 of x--------

Armed to the Teeth, America Marches Toward Military State
by Pierre Tristam
Published on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 by the News-Journal (Florida)

President Bush's 2008 budget includes a $625 billion request for the
military, up from $295 billion the year Bush was elected -- a 112 percent
increase. Its about $100 billion more than all other military budgets in
the world, combined. Plenty of attention is being paid the exhausted
military fighting Bush's various wars. There's no denying it. It's
overstretched and undermanned. It makes you think the Pentagon needs more
money, not less.

But little attention is paid the flip-side of that story -- the
squandering of money on defense contractors' swindles, whether it's the
superfluous $66 billion F-22 fighter jet program -- one of three jet
fighters in development -- or the $9 billion-a-year missile shield, which,
one test aside, hasn't gotten much past its middle school science project
concept since Ronald Reagan fancied it a quarter century and $160 billion
ago.

The military is strapped by its own doing. Lawmakers are complicit.
Job-producing military contracts are seeded throughout the land's
congressional districts like above-board bribes.

But lawmakers couldn't get away with it if the military weren't the
subject of a misplaced, ill-informed and dangerous public infatuation
that's been changing American society for the worse since the early 1980s
-- the period when Reagan built up the military into the creepy colossus
it's been since. As Andrew Bacevich, author of "The New American
Militarism," wrote, "The ensuing affair had and continues to have a
heedless, Gatsby-like aspect, a passion pursued in utter disregard of any
consequences that might ensue. Few in power have openly considered whether
valuing military power for its own sake or cultivating permanent global
military superiority might be at odds with American principles."

Misuse of the military abroad and its escalating burdens on taxpayers are
well documented. The consequences of the infatuation on civilian society
are documented less well, because the effects are more subtle than convoys
of tanks down Main Street. The consequences are more diffuse, more
pernicious. There is, for example, the increasing role the military is
playing in domestic life, secretly and not-so secretly, crumbling almost a
century and a half old prohibition against military meddling in civilian
business.

Five years ago the Pentagon established a "Northern Command" over the
United States, the first time such a command was based on the mainland,
ostensibly to coordinate responses to terrorist attacks. The Pentagon is
actively engaged in domestic intelligence gathering, something that would
have been thought outright illegal a generation ago. In December, the
president signed a law that gave him the authority to declare martial law
virtually at will.

Militarization is happening in more direct ways. Last week, the Associated
Press circulated a story about the Pentagon selling surplus hardware to
police agencies. The story projected a happy, fortunate circumstance. The
tone was approving. The suggestion rewarding.

A picture featured a young police officer called Shane Grammer holding up
a massive M-16 rifle with at least two scopes and a muffler-size barrel, a
Chevrolet Blazer behind him, also military surplus, cluttered up with
soldiers' helmets, camouflage and gear. The officer was a member of the
Litchfield, Pa., Police Department. Litchfield is a minuscule township of
500 families. Who does Officer Grammer intend to use his M-16 against?

The difference between police agencies and military units is becoming
difficult to distinguish. They love their helicopters, they love their
night raids, their SWAT teams, their chases, their drawn guns.

We often hear about how "attitude" is in itself a trigger of violence
among gang members. What we don't often hear about, but endure, because
the media are too busy writing cute features about military surplus
property in the hands of local police agencies, is the same attitude from
police -- the very same approach: Look at an officer the wrong way and you
might be in jail before the rooster crows once. All of that military
hardware brings with it an attitude all its own, a sense of power and
presumption that has to be exercised. At this rate, a police state would
be a blessing. What we're heading toward is a military state, perpetually
at war abroad, but also perpetually mobilized at home down to the tiniest
mom-and-pop police agency. Uniforms are the new cult, force the presumed
solution to order's challengers. The law can wait.

When a society is no longer exclusively and vigilantly civil, its claim to
be a civilized society, let alone a civilizing one, is in peril. Other
countries have been discovering that about the United States. We're
discovering it at home, too, every time a police shield is flashed with
the presumptive power of an M-16 burst.

Tristam is a News-Journal editorial writer. Reach him at ptristam [at] att.net
or through his personal Web site at www.pierretristam.com.


--------24 of x--------

Delenda Est Baghdad
Why Republics End Up as Empires
By KEN COUESBOUC
CounterPunch
February 7, 2007

The Constitution of 1787 is the foundation of the American Republic. It
remains the basis of how the United States are governed today.
Over the same period, France has declared itself a Republic five times.
The first time from 1792 to 1804, the second from 1848 to 1852, the third
from 1870 to 1940, the forth from 1944 to 1958, the fifth from 1958 to the
present day, and some are campaigning for a sixth.

The original American Republic was made to fit a society whose structure
bore a close resemblance to that of republican Rome. That is, patricians
(white Anglo-Saxon Protestants), plebeians (immigrants from Europe) and
slaves (natives of West- Africa). This was quite a stable structure for
both worlds. But, with time, slavery leads to emancipation and finally to
civil rights.

In 1792, French colonies were employing slaves. But there was no
significant slave labor in France. Having abolished the monarchy and the
infamous slave code (le Code Noir), the first French Republic was
immediately confronted by the conflicting duality of patricians and
plebeians. It failed, and turned to ephemeral empire (Napoleon).

The res publica (the common weal, la chose publique) is fractured along
the patrician/plebeian divide. In this sense, it is a lie. The only
welfare that matters is that of the dominant class. And, to hide this
reality, a common foe is needed. As the Republic is not a commonwealth,
only a common danger can maintain the illusion. To exist, the Republic
must always be at war. Enemies of the interior (slaves or terrorists) or
of the exterior (the rest of the planet) threaten the nation as a whole.
War transcends the class barrier. The legions of Rome mingle patricians
and plebeians. They face similar hardships in a communion never achieved
at the Forum or the Senate.

Protracted war, however, leads to standing armies, successful generals and
all of society intent on submitting its neighbors. Republics usher in the
absolute power of empire. Because empire (imperium) is what they impose on
those they have conquered. Republics cannot avoid becoming imperial.

The republican class struggle must lead to war. A common enemy, interior
or exterior, is the only cohesive force which has the power to deny the
contradiction between common welfare and the class divide. The Republic
needs constant war to avoid unmasking the egalitarian myth. Republics have
an internal division which, at its paroxysm, leads to civil or foreign
wars. And, whenever possible, the second solution always seems the best.
Iraq's fate reminds one of that of Carthage, with Rumsfeld as Cato.
Delenda est Baghdad.

But what of the resilient republics, those that last centuries, those
built on a three class system? The traditional aristocratic triarchy of
soldier, priest and merchant, being replaced by patricians, plebeians and
slaves. Is this really more stable than the face to face, following
emancipation? And to what extent does emancipation provoke this
confrontation? To which party do the emancipated belong to? Can even civil
rights bring them a sense of belonging? Can the bonds of servility be cast
off to reveal a plebeian or a patrician?

We know that throughout the Americas this was not the case. Patricians and
plebeians came from Europe. But slaves were natives, Africans and a few
surviving Americans. They were unable, physically, to mingle unobtrusively
with the two classes of citizens.

In Rome, emancipated slaves joined mainstream society, often without even
a brand mark. In the Americas no such thing was possible. A third class
citizenship persisted almost everywhere, until civil rights were granted
and affirmative action was installed. However the mark was still there,
unmistakable. And, anyway, by the mid-1960s in the USA illegal immigrants
were fast becoming the "dangerous" element of society, as the new "aliens"
from south of the border, whose difference united the rest of society. At
that same time in France, the native subjects of its colonial past were
immigrating en masse and, by their appearance, were filling the same
function.

The class confrontation between patricians and plebeians is sometimes
out-sourced as war and, potentially, empire. But war only leads to empire
for the victorious. And victories, when they are not the result of luck or
sheer valor, depend on might and wealth. Empire is costly in means and
men. It needs a constant flow of tribute and an increasing number of
troops. At some point, the armies of empire cease to be made up of
citizens and become mercenary. At some point in time, the flow of tribute
is insufficient. How the American Empire collects tribute is explained by
Michael Hudson in a Counterpunch interview.

How far it can go remains to be seen. Meanwhile the dependence on
mercenary troops is already started. It should also be noted that the
Roman Empire at the time of Hadrian started building walls along its
frontiers.

Ken Couesbouc can be reached at kencouesbouc [at] yahoo.


--------25 of x--------

 [There are few poems I wish I had written.
 This is one. -ed]


 Ode to Clothes
 - Pablo Neruda


 Every morning you wait,
 clothes, over a chair,
 to fill yourself with
 my vanity, my love,
 my hope, my body.
 Barely
 risen from sleep,
 I relinquish the water,
 enter your sleeves,
 my legs look for
 the hollows of your legs,
 and so embraced
 by your indefatigable faithfulness
 I rise, to tread the grass,
 enter poetry,
 consider through the windows,
 the things,
 the men, the women,
 the deeds and the fights
 go on forming me,
 go on making me face things
 working my hands,
 opening my eyes,
 using my mouth,
 and so,
 clothes,
 I too go forming you,
 extending your elbows,
 snapping your threads,
 and so your life expands
 in the image of my life.
 In the wind
 you billow and snap
 as if you were my soul,
 at bad times
 you cling
 to my bones,
 vacant, for the night,
 darkness, sleep
 populate with their phantoms
 your wings and mine.
 I wonder
 if one day
 a bullet
 from the enemy
 will leave you stained with my blood
 and then
 you will die with me
 or one day
 not quite
 so dramatic
 but simple,
 you will fall ill,
 clothes,
 with me,
 grow old
 with me, with my body
 and joined
 we will enter
 the earth.
 Because of this
 each day
 I greet you
 with reverence and then
 you embrace me and I forget you,
 because we are one
 and we will go on
 facing the wind, in the night,
 the streets or the fight,
 a single body,
 one day, one day, some day, still.


- Pablo Neruda

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