| Progressive Calendar 06.11.07 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001 tc.umn.edu)
|
|
| Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:22:53 -0700 (PDT) | |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 06.11.07
impeach bush & cheney
1. PlannedParent 6.11 5:30pm
2. Your own blog 6.11 6:30pm
3. Somalia 6.11 6:30pm
4. Pray for peace 6.11 6:30pm
5. Labor vs war 6.11 7pm
6. Climate crisis 6.11 7:30pm
7. Rsvl lot split 6.11
8. DoubtMedia/CTV 6.12 8am
9. Turkey/slavery 6.12 12noon
10. HealthCare/CTV 6.12 5pm
11. Poetry salon 6.12 6:30pm
12. Impeach &$#@ 6.12 7pm
13. M Albert/CTV 6.12 8pm
14. Kip Sullivan - John Marty's new "single-payer" bill
15. Monica Benderman - Fight back: reading Tom Paine in a time of crisis
16. Fred Reed - Why the US government is hated all over the world
17. Ward Boston - Searching for the truth about the USS Liberty
18. Ray Laymon - I-ROC (poem)
--------1 of 18--------
From: Erilann Parrish <erin [at] mnwomen.org>
Subject: PlannedParent 6.11 5:30pm
More on June 11: Planned Parenthood Goes to Court. 5:30PM-7PM at the home
of Susan Engel, Minneapolis. Address provided upon registration. This
spring's Supreme Court decision upholding the federal abortionban is only
the most recent court decision threatening to shape the future of the
abortion debate. Join Planned Parenthood to learn about the current state
of the judicial system. Speakers include: Esther Tomljanovich, Time
Branson and Sarah Stoesz. RSVP to Alissa.
-------2 of 18--------
From: Tim Erickson <tim [at] e-democracy.org>
Subject: Your own blog 6.11 6:30pm
Upcoming workshops in the Electronic Classroom at Rondo Community
Outreach Library (University and Dale):
MONDAYS IN JUNE 6:30-8:30 pm
June 11 - Blogs: How to set up and maintain your own blog
June 18 - Wiki
June 25 - Show and Tell:
New Tools (Cool Tools) for Public Participation
--------3 of 18--------
From: "wamm [at] mtn.org" <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Somalia 6.11 6:30pm
Meeting on Somalia: Women of Africa Resource and Development
Monday, June 11, 6:30 p.m. Plymouth Church, 1900 Nicollet Avenue South,
Minneapolis.
Hear Somali women from the Women of Africa Resource and Development
Association (WARDA). WARDA's mission is to empower African women locally
and in Africa, and they firmly believe that the complete love and
generosity they express will ultimately triumph over the lawlessness and
violence in their homeland. WARDA's inspirational leader and well-known
speaker, Nadifa Osman, who risks her life on her trips back to Somalia and
the refugee camps in Kenya, will share with us her experiences as well as
some of the photos she has collected in her travels and the deep research
she has conducted with over 300 Somali women here who have survived the
violence. Halima Ibrahim and other members of WARDA will be at the meeting
to provide their perspectives and give us a chance to meet them in private
conversations. Join an uplifting example of the power of the human spirit!
WAMM encourages you to attend to educate yourself about the Horn of
Africa. Sponsored by: Network of Spiritual Progressives. FFI: Email
<brucelissem [at] aol.com>.
-------4 of 18-------
From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Pray for peace 6.11 6:30pm
Monday, 6/11, 6:30 to 7:15 pm, Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet present
11th day prayer for peace, Presentation Chapel, 1880 Randolph Ave, St
Paul. www.csjstpaul.org or 651-690-7079.
--------5 of 18--------
From: Teddy <tyimenu2005 [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Labor vs war 6.11 7pm
BUILD LABOR'S OPPOSITION TO WAR!
MN Labor Against War Meetings
2nd Monday of Each Month
Merriam Park Library in St.Paul - Basement
At the Corner of Marshall and Fairview
Contacts:
Teddy Shibabaw 612-807-3196 - tyimenu2005 [at] yahoo.com
Corey Mattson - 612-298-0920 - correymattson [at] maydaybookstore.org
--------6 of 18--------
From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Climate crisis 6.11 7:30pm
Regular meeting of the Climate Crisis Coalition of the Twin Cities (3CTC).
EVERY 2nd and 4th Monday at 7:30 pm. The Freight House Dunn Brothers, 201
3rd Ave S, next door to the Milwaukee Road Depot, Downtown Minneapolis.
Stop global warming, save Earth!
In solidarity w/people and the planet, Eric 651-644-1173
--------7 of 18--------
From: Tim Pratt <tim.pratt [at] ci.roseville.mn.us>
Subject: Rsvl lot split 6.11
Are you concerned about single-family residential lot splits in your
neighborhood? Do you have comments on the recommendations made in the
Single-Family Residential Lot Split Final Report? The Roseville City
Council invites you to a public meeting on Monday, June 11. They want
your comments on the May 14 report prepared by the Single-Family
Residential Lot Split Advisory Group. The report is the outcome of the
group's three-month study on residential lot splits in Roseville. The
City Council wants to hear from all community members regarding this
report and its recommendations prior to its acceptance by the Council.
If you are unable to attend the meeting you may email your comments
ahead of time to city.council [at] ci.roseville.mn.us.
If you are interested in learning more about the study visit the Lot Split
Study page
http://www.ci.roseville.mn.us/development/planning_zoning/lot_splits.htm
or contact Economic Development Associate Jamie Radel at
jamie.radel [at] ci.roseville.mn.us or 651-792-7072.
Tim Pratt Communications Specialist City of Roseville 2660 Civic Center
Drive Roseville, MN 55113 (Phone) 651-792-7027 (Fax) 651-792-7030 Visit
our website http://www.cityofroseville.com
--------8 of 18--------
From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Doubt media/CTV 6.12 8am
Minneapolis Television Network (MTN 17) viewers:
"Our World In Depth" cablecasts weekly on MTN Channel 17. Households with
basic cable can watch. "Our World In Depth" is on Saturday at 9 pm and
the following Tuesday at 8 am (as well as other times).
** 6/9 and 6/12 ** "Questioning the Media" w/Lydia Howell of The Pulse of
the Twin Cities and Jeff Nygaard of Nygaard Notes. Hosted by Karen
Redleaf.
--------9 of 18--------
From: Human Rights Events Update <humanrts [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Turkey/slavery 6.12 12noon
Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association and
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
present
Women's Human Rights Speaker Series
Human Trafficking and Women's Rights in Turkey
Dr. Ilknur Altuntas
Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Briggs and Morgan, Minnesota Room
2200 IDS Center, 80 S. 8th St., Minneapolis
Application will be made for one CLE credit.
As a modern-day form of slavery, human trafficking is a serious violation
of human rights. It affects every continent and region of the world and
continues to sustain annual growth. After drug smuggling, human
trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world and the
fastest-growing. It is the most profitable criminal activity for funding
transnational organized crime. Turkey, serving as a bridge between Asia
and Europe, is a destination country for trafficking in persons. This
presentation will address the core elements and root causes of human
trafficking, its consequences and solutions, and Turkey's effort to combat
human trafficking. The presentation will also provide an overview of
women's rights in Turkey.
Ilknur Altuntas, a judge in the Ministry of Justice in Ankara, Turkey, is
also a 2006 - 2007 International Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She has been
awarded first-class judge status in Turkey, where she is recognized for
her expertise in human trafficking, child abduction, and refugee issues.
She is also a representative from the Ministry of Justice on the National
Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings and is a national representative
on the Ad Hoc Committee on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings,
which is responsible for drafting the text of the Council of Europe
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. She has served
on numerous international committees and worked with such organizations as
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International
Organization for Migration.
Free and open to the public (registration required). Please RSVP to Tina
at shouareau [at] briggs.com or 612-977-8126 by Friday, June 8th. Lunch will
be provided for those who RSVP.
This is one in a series of lunchtime speakers dedicated to improving
awareness of women's human rights issues. Please join us the second
Tuesday of August, October and December for additional presentations. For
more information, contact Mary Hunt at Minnesota Advocates for Human
Rights, mhunt [at] mnadvocates.org or 612-341-3302, ext. 107, or see our
website at www.mnadvocates.org <http://www.mnadvocates.org/> .
--------10 of 18--------
From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Health care/CTV 6.12 5pm
Dear St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN 15) viewers:
"Our World In Depth" cablecasts at 5 pm and midnight each Tuesday and 10
am each Wednesday in St. Paul. All households with basic cable can watch.
** 6/12 and 6/13 ** "The Health Care Mess" w/author and organizer with
Physicians for a National Health Plan, Kip Sullivan. Hosted by Eric
Angell.
--------11 of 18--------
From: patty <pattypax [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Poetry salon 6.12 6:30pm
The Salon for Next Tuesday June 12, will be Open Poetry. Come and
share your own, your favorite poets or just listen.
Pax Salons ( http://justcomm.org/pax-salon )
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.
--------12 of 18--------
From: Impeach <lists [at] impeachforpeace.org>
Subject: Impeach &$#@ 6.12 7pm
~ Impeach for Peace - http://ImpeachforPeace.org
~ Impeachment News and Local/National Organizing
~
* New Meeting Location
Our weekly meeting location has changed. We still meet Tuesdays at 7:00
p.m. But now we meet at:
Joe's Garage (Restaurant along Loring Park)
1610 Harmon Pl
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 904-1163
New energy has been pumped into the impeachment movement as 7 cosponsors
have signed onto Kucinich's House Resolution 333 calling for the
impeachment of Cheney. Also, John Conyers (the head of the committee
responsible for writing up articles of impeachment, and who currently is
in possesion of H.Res. 333) has voiced his support for the impeachment
movement. Come help us finish the job!
- It will take more than emails to accomplish our goal.
We need people to get out into the world and get involved. Calling all
concerned citizens...Activate!
We need leaders. Ask yourself if you're willing to put in the time to
help make this happen. No hiearchy, no egos. Our organization is proud
of the fact that anybody who has the desire can step up and make things
happen. There are a few of us who started things initially, but we're all
in agreement that this movement must be democratic, and open to all.
Anyone who wants to step up and make this happen, is free to. We'll
provide you any resources to which we have access to help make your dreams
of Bush-Free America come true.
We do need your help. This can't happen without people stepping up to
demand Bush step down. Please contact us about starting a chapter, or come
to a meeting (info on the website), and become a player in this movement.
We have plenty of projects which are as-of-yet undone. We know how, and
can provide you the resources necessary.
- Become a sponsor...
Organizing requires resources. So far, most of the funding of this cause
has been borne by those attending the meetings. However, we will
obviously not be able to afford the costs associated with this whole
movement as it grows. Please think of how important this effort is, and
ask yourself if you can contribute to this cause of ours. Even $10 or $20
can really make a huge difference to us. You can do so on our website by
clicking on the "Donate" button. Or, feel free to come to a meeting, and
donate in person.
We'd love to mention you as a sponsor on the website, or feel free to
remain anonymous. You may choose to sponsor a specific cause. Perhaps a
freeway banner? We'll be posting some specific needs related to our
October protest soon. We are not-for-profit, so every dollar goes to
Impeach Bush. Help us to reclaim our democracy.
http://impeachforpeace.org/donate.html
- Recurring event
Every Tuesday
Minneapolis World Can't Wait Meeting
For 1.5 hours.
For details:
http://impeachforpeace.org/board/viewtopic.php?p=638#638
- Other Impeach For Peace Resources...
Do-It-Yourself Impeachment: http://impeachforpeace.org/ImpeachNow.html
See all the events at
http://impeachforpeace.org/cgi-bin/activistlistwcw.cgi
Join us for discussion at http://impeachforpeace.org/board/
See Mikael's blog at http://impeachforpeace.org/blog/
Impeachment Partners:
http://worldcantwait.org/
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=taxonomy/term/17
http://pledgetoimpeach.org/
http://pdamerica.org/
http://impeachbush.tv/
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/impeachment/petition2.htm
http://impeachforchange.org/
--------13 of 18--------
From: Leslie Reindl <alteravista [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: M Albert/CTV 6.12 8pm
Tuesday, June 12, 8 pm on Minneapolis (MTN) cable channel 16, Altera Vista
presents author and social activist Michael Albert, on book tour with
"Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism," speaking at
Macalester College May 23, 2007. Albert talks about the failures of the
progressive movement, and how it can be more effective. A witty and
thought-provoking speech.
--------14 of 18--------
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 05:16:56 -0500
From: Kip Sullivan <kiprs [at] usinternet.com>
Subject: John Marty's new "single-payer" bill
I just saw the announcement Greens met with John Marty this morning. A big
new issue has arisen since we spoke last. John introduced a bill (SF 2324)
during the waning hours of the last session that he believes is a "single
payer" bill that isn't a single-payer bill. It isn't a single-payer bill
because it permits insurance companies to continue to operate. My guess is
John doesn't understand that and sincerely believes his bill is a
single-payer bill.
The bill has opening language that is quite similar to the opening
language of the single-payer bill I and all other single-payer advocates
have supported in MN since 1991. Currently that bill is SF 460 (Sen Leo
Foley is the chief author and John is a co-author). The opening language
in SF 2324 would lead any casual reader to think the bill is a
single-payer bill. But the text of the bill calls for huge provider
networks (hospital-clinic chains) and authorizes these chains to act just
like insurance companies, including accepting a lump sum payment from the
state to provide "comprehensive medical services" to citizens who "enroll"
with the network. Have you ever heard of someone "enrolling" with the Mayo
Clinic? Of course not. One "enrolls" with HealthPartners or Medicaid, but
not a clinic or hospital.
So "provider" in John's bill means insurance company. My interpretation
was confirmed by House DFL Caucus Research today. That office released a
three-page summary of SF 2324 and its House companion (HF 2522) which
states that SF 2324 permits the state to contract with "health plans." Any
proposal that lets "health plans" contract with the state is not a
single-payer bill.
The best course for you at this late date is to simply ask John why he
wrote a new "single-payer" bill when SF 460 already existed and John is
listed as a co-author. The advocates of SF 2324 have yet to say anything
publicly about the bill other than it is a wonderful single-payer bill. If
you could get John to agree to write up an explanation for why he wrote a
new "single-payer" bill and specifically what provisions in SF 2324 are
superior to which provisions in SF 460, that would be a great help.
Here's a brief explanation of how John may have been misled into thinking
SF 2324 is a single-payer bill. The bill is modeled on SB 840 in CA, a
bill that the CA single-payer movement calls a "single-payer" bill. (This
bill passed the CA legislature last August and was vetoed by
Schwartznegger.) Unfortunately, the single-payer movement in CA
deliberately wrote an exemption in SB 840 to permit Kaiser Permanente, a
huge HMO in CA, to continue to operate. I have been told by two people
involved in drafting SB 840 that they exempted Kaiser Permanente not
because it is a virtuous HMO that does all the wonderful things HMOs were
supposed to do, but because it is big and powerful in CA. But the
exemption they wrote is so broad and mushy that virtually any insurance
company that can claim it "manages" doctors will squeeze through that
loophole. By using the same mushy loophole SB 840 uses, John has imported
into MN the identical problem SB 840 has.
There are other problems with SF 2324, including a provision that
prohibits citizens from seeing specialists unless they visit their primary
care doc first and persuade the primary care doc they need to see a
dermatologist, neurologist, etc. But the huge fundamental problem is that
SF 2324 permits health insurance companies to feed at the public trough.
If you permit that, there's no way you can save on administrative costs,
which is single-payer's principle advantage over all other proposals.
Kip
--------15 of 18--------
Reading Tom Paine in a Time of Crisis
Fighting Back
By MONICA BENDERMAN
CounterPunch
June 9 / 10, 2007
"These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his
country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man
and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this
consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the
triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly"
(Thomas Paine, The American Crisis. Dec. 19, 1776.)
In the 1700's a group of angry patriots dared to spark a revolution.
They did all they could by diplomatic standards - going so far as to leave
the "civilized" country they were born and raised in, simply wanting to
live in peace unencumbered by the insecurities of a ruling class who
sought to restrain their dreams. Willing to migrate across treacherous
seas, to trade the "comforts of home" for a wilderness setting filled with
unknowns, these rebels had a cause; a desire for freedom from tyranny,
taxation and the oppressive rule of a king who cared little for his
subjects and all for his capital gains.
Freedom doesn't come easily, nor can it be given. The early American
revolutionaries did not rely on the efforts of others; they did not wait
for a savior to rescue them from their plight. They saw the futility of
holding out for the empty promises of the ruling parties in their
fatherland and took matters in their own hands knowing the standards and
principles on which they based their actions were worthy of the sacrifice.
Fear struck the hearts of the sophisticated gentry who had been left
behind as they came to realize they might have to learn to fend for
themselves; to make their beds, clean their yards, tend their
children - give up the "good life" for the reality of Life.
As red coated aristocrats stepped across open fields with arrogance
befitting the ignorance of those highly pampered elitists who believed
their money left them invincible and able to conquer and manipulate a
world which must have been created for their pleasure, the carefully laid
rebellion began in earnest; lessons of survival adding to the strength of
will of those who had tasted freedom for themselves and understood what
was needed to remain free.
What the leaders of the lords of London failed to recognize were the
character and strength of the rebels whose disrespect to the "king" they
had hoped to quell. They could not understand the drive and commitment
these rebels held for preserving their individual freedoms. They had
little respect for the meaning of those freedoms; their sense of freedom
having been bought, not earned. Yet the fear they held for the strength of
men they did not understand caused them to raise their weapons to destroy
what they feared, and freedom loving revolutionaries were left with no
other option but to defend themselves in kind, even as they continued to
hope for peace.
"It is easy to perceive that individuals by agreeing to erect forms of
government, (for the better security of themselves) must give up some part
of their liberty for that purpose; and it is the particular business of a
Constitution to mark out how much they shall give up. "
(Paine, Letter IV, Four Letters of Interesting Subjects, 1776.)
It was not an ill-conceived love of country or nationalist pride that gave
these revolutionaries the right to be called patriots. They were patriots
for having laid a foundation for the way of life they envisioned, and
believed in it enough to be willing to defend it with a commitment only
others like them could understand. They worked tirelessly to create a set
of laws which would serve as a guideline for their vision, Laws of
Humanity incorporated into a Constitution which they believed to be just
and fair to all even as the authors admitted to flaws which would only be
tempered by time. Each was willing to give up something so that all could
live in the greatest freedom possible. They were patriots because they
stood their ground for the right to live with their own high standards and
principles, and their individual sacrifices were deserving of their
expectation that those standards be maintained in the actions of all who
chose to live in the new nation founded on their blood.
Where have all the patriots gone?
We have hired defenders for every action under the sun; lobbyists in
Congress, advocates in business, in school, in healthcare, and soldiers at
war. What was once a new country formed by the vision of independent
thinkers is now a nation of followers passing the buck to anyone who
craves publicity - although today's "buck" barely scratches the surface of
the price followers pay for someone else to be their voice of "truth."
The patriots of 1776 were willing to fight with all they had for the
freedoms defined in their newly penned Constitution simply because it had
been their hands which had done the work to establish the nation whose
laws were represented by that constitution; they were their own voice of
Truth.
They did the work and earned the right to declare their freedom.
Now, with every day that passes United States citizens lose a little more
of their freedom, at least on paper. But did they have that freedom to
begin with? Certainly not the freedom they demanded, nor had they earned;
not as a nation and not in recent history. United States citizens have
been living with the illusion of freedom for generations now. With nothing
much more than a slap on the wrist, they allow the administration's
actions of corruption and deception to continue; "sunshine patriots" and
"summer soldiers" giving lip-service to the words of the Constitution but
little attention to their meaning, willingly conceding more of their
freedom to avoid the hard work required to deserve what freedom really
means.
Freedom is not free - and United States citizens are losing more of their
freedom every day as they freely choose to allow others to make their
decisions for them; justifying their actions from the safety of their
living rooms saying "it's not that we don't care, it's that we don't know
what else to do."
What else to do?
STAND UP AND FIGHT!!!!!!
Fight back with a willingness to sacrifice comfort for the principles of
law which give us all our freedom.
Fight for what you have earned. Wait. What has been earned? This freedom
you speak of has no meaning, no value; it remains illusion - words spoken
from the podiums of a thousand different protests and a hundred different
congressional caucuses as if giving a dramatic soliloquy from the center
of a spotlight on an otherwise dimly lit stage - freedom earned by the
sweat of those on the frontlines is only real to those willing to sweat.
Oh, how Americans seem to be so afraid to sweat.
Our soldiers are dying, our veterans have suffered the lasting effects of
fighting for an unjust, undefined cause. Our country is fading from a once
proud new nation of rebels with revolutionary ideas, willing to sacrifice
their luxuries for the right to live in freedom, to a land of elitists
willing to sacrifice their freedoms for the right to live in luxury.
Where are the revolutionaries? We do not need more self-proclaimed
"patriots" re-enacting pages from a history book - we need
revolutionaries.
Revolutionaries are determined to maintain high standards, strength of
character and demonstrate their respect for others as our Constitution
demands, even as they stand for change in a corrupt, increasingly immoral
shadow of a country once founded on standards, strength of character and
respect for others.
Revolutionaries know they must be, within themselves, all the changes they
want to see.
Revolutionaries are willing to fight for their freedom with everything
they have, giving up nothing of themselves in the process, earning the
right for that freedom by living the cost.
Where are these rebels who understand the depth of the cause?
"Every man who acts beyond the line of private life must expect to pass
through two severe examinations. First, as to his motives, secondly, as to
his conduct."
(Paine, Letter I, Four Letters of Interesting Subjects, 1776.)
The conduct of United States citizens clearly defines their commitment to
the cause - it is past time for a revolution - the final exam is scheduled
to begin. Will our conduct reflect the high standards true freedom
demands? Or are our motives simply a cover to hide the fact that we have
not yet learned what freedom really means?
Monica Benderman is the wife of Sgt. Kevin Benderman, a ten-year Army
veteran who served a combat tour in Iraq and a year in prison for his
public protest of war and the destruction it causes to civilians and to
American military personnel. Please visit their website,
www.BendermanDefense.org to learn more.
Kevin and Monica may be reached at mdawnb [at] coastalnow.net
--------16 of 18--------
Why the US government is hated all over the world
By Fred Reed
PUBLIC AFFAIRS journal
Something is wrong with the United States. I think most of us have noticed
it. There is a mortal rot in the country, made manifest by many little
rots that are hard to integrate mentally yet are, I think, somehow
related. The change is grave, accelerating, probably irreversible, and
fascinating. Things are not as they were.
The United States is the most hated country on the planet, followed by, to
the extent that there is a distinction, Israel. So far as I know, there
are no other contenders. You can say "Who cares?", as many will say, or
"Screw'em if they can't take a joke" or "I'd rather be feared than loved".
All very droll. Still, it is an interesting datum. No country ever lives
up to its own PR, but there was a time when America was widely admired.
Now, almost universally, it is seen as a rogue state. And is.
This carries a price. The US consulate in Guadalajara is part fortress,
part prison, with barriers and cameras and bars and rentacops, and they
take away a woman's lipstick if she is going to enter. Maybe a country
that fears lipstick needs to think. The French consulate around the corner
is wide open, like all others that I know of. The French, Chinese,
Japanese and so on aren't hated.
(1) The US government now lives in its own, strange, insulated world.
(2) The United States is the most militarily aggressive country on the
planet, followed closely by Israel.
I am aware of no other contenders.
Some of this combativeness is obvious - attacking Iraq for no good reason,
occupying Afghanistan, threatening Syria and Iran, attacking Lebanon by
proxy, bombing Somalia, putting troops in the Philippines to hunt Moslems.
The US is also looking for trouble with Venezuela, threatening North
Korea, moving to "contain" China (Doesn't a container need to be bigger
than its contents?), embargoing Cuba, pushing into Central Asia,
increasing the military budget, and pushing NATO ever closer to Russia.
(How stupid can you get? Very! Stay tuned.) And the Pentagon now has
Africom, African Command. Africa is now America's business.
(3) Powerful domestic hostilities grip the United States. Maybe you have
to be outside of it really to see it. I live in Mexico. You can go for,
well, five years and counting, without hearing angry talk about this or
that group. In America, women hate men and men are getting sick of
American women. Blacks hate whites hate Hispanics. "Affirmative action"
engenders intense hostility that doesn't go away. It isn't the normal
friction found in any country. It is serious antagonism quashed by federal
force. And the black-white-brown thing has very real potential for getting
nasty. This we don't talk about.
(4) A curious state of fear prevails in America, but it is a governmental
creation, a calculated manipulative Disneyland. Perhaps soon we will have
Terror Mouse.
Recently I was in Washington. Everywhere there were the artificialities of
fear. The steel pop-up barriers in the roads, the stop'em-bombs steel
poles on sidewalks, the endless warnings to report suspicious behaviour on
loudspeakers in the subway. The searches of everything, the
metal-detecting doorways even on buildings of county governments, of
schools. (Schools, for Chrissakes. What is wrong here?) And of course the
confiscation of shampoo at the airport. This is nuts.
(5) The bullying of people entering the US. Any country has the right to
determine who enters. Fine. If you don't want them to enter, don't give
them visas. If you issue a visa, try to be courteous. Violeta had a visa,
issued by the consulate, both times when we went to the US. Still she got
bullied by the border Nazis. It was ugly. I am obviously not a Mexican,
but I get the same hostile questioning as to where I am going, why I was
in Mexico, and so on. It is none of their business where I go in my
country. Or shouldn't be, but there are no limitations on governmental
powers now. A friend, married to a Mexican, again with a visa, got
separated from her, and both got abusive questioning. She came out crying.
America was not like this. Now it is.
Compare this with the real world: I land in Beijing - evil commie Beijing,
right? Maybe twenty seconds to see whether my visa was valid, clonk of
stamp, thank you, no baggage search, into a taxi.
Vi and I land in Paris, en route to Italy. Glance at passport, yep, it's a
passport, no stamp, no nothing, on we go. Italy didn't even look at our
passports. Grown-ups. I am not ashamed of the United States. It is a hell
of a country. Been there, done that, loved it. In two weeks in DC with
Violeta, although she is clearly not American, she was everywhere, always,
treated with perfect courtesy and friendliness, whether on Capitol Hill or
Farmville, Virginia. Americans really are good folk. The government isn't.
It's the gravest problem we face, both internationally and domestically.
(6) The Constitution really is going away, or has gone. It never did work
as well as it should have, but few things human ever do. Habeas corpus is
dead, right to an attorney, congressional right to declare war - it's not
even worth listing the list. Joe iPod in the burbs doesn't care because it
doesn't affect him, yet. Git them Hay-rabs, ain't no draft, plenty sushi.
Urg.
(7) The increasing, detailed, intrusive regulation of life, the national
desire for control, control, control. Everything is the business of some
form of government. Want to paint your shutters? The condo association
won't let you. Let dogs in your bar? Never. Decide who to sell your house
to? Racial matter. Own a dog? Shot card, pooper-scooper, leash, gotta be
spayed, etc. Have a bar for men only, women only, whites or blacks only?
Here come the federal marshals. What isn't controlled by government is
controlled by the crypto-vindictive mob rule of political correctness.
This wasn't always in the American character. Add the continuing presence
of police in the schools, the arrest in handcuffs of children of seven,
the expulsions for drawing a picture of a soldier with a gun. Something
very twisted is going on.
How much of the public knows what is happening, or even knows that
something is happening? I don't know. But I don't think that it's going to
go away. In ten years it will be an entirely different place with the same
name. Almost is now.
Fred Reed is author of Nekkid in Austin: Drop Your Inner Child Down a Well
and the just-published A Brass Pole in Bangkok: A Thing I Aspire to Be.
--------17 of 18--------
Forty Years Later
Searching for the Truth About the USS Liberty
By WARD BOSTON
CounterPunch
June 9 / 10, 2007
Forty years ago this week, I was asked to investigate the heaviest attack
on an American ship since World War II. As senior legal counsel to the
Navy Court of Inquiry it was my job to help uncover the truth regarding
Israel's June 8th 1967 bombing of the USS Liberty.
On that sunny, clear day 40 years ago, Israel's combined air and naval
forces attacked our American intelligence-gathering ship for two hours,
inflicting 70 percent casualties. Thirty four American sailors died and
172 were injured. The USS Liberty remained afloat only by the crew's
heroic efforts.
Israel claimed it was an accident. Yet I know from personal conversations
with the late Admiral Isaac C. Kidd - president of the Court of Inquiry
- that President Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamara ordered him to
conclude that the attack was a case of "mistaken identity".
The ensuing cover-up has haunted us for forty years. What does it imply
for our national security, not to mention our ability to honestly broker
peace in the Middle East, when we cannot question Israel's actions - even
when they kill Americans?
On June 8th, survivors of Israel's cruel attack will gather in Washington,
DC to honor their dead shipmates as well as the mothers, sisters, widows
and children they left behind. They will continue to ask for a fair and
impartial congressional inquiry that, for the first time, would allow the
survivors themselves to testify publicly.
For decades, I have remained silent. I am a military man and when orders
come in from the Secretary of Defense and President of the United States,
I follow them. However, attempts to rewrite history and concern for my
country compel me to share the truth.
Admiral Kidd and I were given only one week to gather evidence for the
Navy's official investigation, though we both estimated that a proper
Court of Inquiry would take at least six months.
We boarded the crippled ship at sea and interviewed survivors. The
evidence was clear. We both believed with certainty that this attack was a
deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew.
I am certain the Israeli pilots and commanders who had ordered the attack
knew the ship was American. I saw the bullet-riddled American flag that
had been raised by the crew after their first flag had been shot down
completely. I heard testimony that made it clear the Israelis intended
there be no survivors. Not only did they attack with napalm, gunfire, and
missiles, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned at close range three life
rafts that had been launched in an attempt to save the most seriously
wounded.
I am outraged at the efforts of Israel's apologists to claim this attack
was a case of "mistaken identity."
Admiral Kidd told me that after receiving the President's cover-up orders,
he was instructed to sit down with two civilians from either the White
House or the Defense Department, and rewrite portions of the Court's
findings. He said, "Ward, they're not interested in the facts. It's a
political matter and we cannot talk about it." We were to "put a lid on
it" and caution everyone involved never to speak of it again.
I know that the Court of Inquiry transcript that has been released to the
public is not the same one that I certified and sent to Washington. I know
this because it was necessary, due to the exigencies of time, to hand
correct and initial a substantial number of pages. I have examined the
released version of the transcript and did not see any pages that bore my
hand corrections and initials. Also, the original did not have any
deliberately blank pages, as the released version does. In addition, the
testimony of Lt. Lloyd Painter concerning the deliberate machine-gunning
of the life rafts by the Israeli torpedo boat crews, which I distinctly
recall being given at the Court of Inquiry and including in the original
transcript, is now missing.
I join the survivors in their call for an honest inquiry. Why is there no
room to question Israel - even when they kill Americans - in the halls of
Congress?
Let the survivors testify. Let me testify. Let former intelligence
officers testify that they received real-time Hebrew translations of
Israeli commanders instructing their pilots to sink "the American ship".
Surely uncovering the truth about what happened to American servicemen in
a bloody attack is more important than protecting Israel. And surely forty
years is long enough to wait.
Ward Boston served as chief counsel to the Navy's Court of Inquiry into
the attack on USS Liberty and as a naval aviator in World War II on the
carrier Yorktown, and as an FBI agent prior to his assignment to the
Navy's Judge Advocates General Corps. He is a graduate of the Law School
of the College of William and Mary, and a resident of Coronado,
California.
For more information see this story in Navy Times by Bryan Jordan.
--------18 of 18--------
I-ROC
or How my Blood-Red Camaro Loves You to Death
by RAY LAYMON
CounterPunch
June 9 / 10, 2007
Now hear this sand-niggers
We've got some awfully big plans
For your small country
So we won't be going
Anywhere anytime soon
(about 50 years).
We're the newest sovereignty
And you're our newest
Subjects (think Japan
Korea Germany Israel
England The Philippines
Columbia Transylvania
etc., etc.). Transylvania?
Any deals or any treaties
We might offer
Will be as keenly deceptive
As those we once made
With the Native Americans
And not worth spit!
(you really should pity
those dumb-ass Kurds).
We've got a new embassy
And new military bases
And new streams of crude
And new "non-funding" of the PLO
And new means of persuasion
(so you can kiss
our royal poop-deck
if you think
we'd leave all this behind).
We'll also sabotage any
Alliances your silly little
In-sects might be considering
Then, without much care
Divide you with
Great walls of humiliation
And conquer you with
Pecks and pounds of pacification
(it's an age-old process
and it's futile to resist).
But
And it's a mighty big but
Should anything go wrong (sic)
Should we need to vamoose
We'll slam you hard like a door
Cut the fruit from your tree
Stab you from behind
And call your next evacuation
A virgin birth
(it's the tragedy and the madness
of pre-emption).
Ray Laymon lives in San Diego and can be reached at ralaymon [at] cox.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu
rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar
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