Progressive Calendar 11.10.07 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu) | |
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:01:47 -0800 (PST) |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 11.10.07 1. Bedouin/Palestine 11.10 9:30am 2. WILPF/women/Nepal 11.10 10am 3. RCTA book sale 11.10 10am 4. Peace walkout 11.10 10:30am 5. NWN4P-Minnetonka 11.10 11am 6. NWN4P-Plymouth 11.10 1pm 7. Palestine fair 11.10 2pm Northfield MN 8. Sudan/children/CTV 11.10 6pm 9. FNVW bene/music 11.10 6:45pm 10. Peace stars 11.10 7pm 11. Palestine/CTV 11.10 9pm 12. Armistice/vets 11.11 10:30am 13. Stillwater vigil 11.11 1pm 14. LooseChange final 11.11 4:30pm 15. Colombia union 11.11 5pm 16. Peacemaker awd 11.11 5pm 17. Vets4Peace 11.11 6pm 18. Pray peace 11.11 6:30pm 19. Weinglass/Cuban5 11.11 7pm Madison WI 20. Armenia/TV 11.11 10:30pm 21. CorpCrimeRptr - Is the AFL trying to derail single payer health care? 22. Tom Barry - Latin America: Clinton policy = Bush policy 23. Dave Lindorff - Ridiculing impeachment: double standards at the NYT 24. SLC mayor - Speech at demo against occupation of Iraq 25. ed - Small world (poem) --------1 of 25------- From: "wamm [at] mtn.org" <wamm [at] mtn.org> Subject: Bedouin/Palestine 11.10 9:30am Dr. Aref Abu Rabia: "Life as a Bedouin Palestinian" Saturday, November 10, 9:30 a.m. (Refreshments) 10:00 a.m. (Presentation) Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer, 5440 Penn Avenue South, Minneapolis. Dr. Abu Rabia is an anthropologist and Professor in the Department of Middle East Studies, Ben Gurion University, Israel. He specializes in Bedouin culture, medical practices, health, and education issues. Dr. Abu Rabia was Superintendent of the Bedouin Educational Schools in the Negev for 10 years and in 1993 received the Berelson Prize for Jewish-Arab Understanding and Co-Existence. Dr. Abu Rabia will provide basic information on the Bedouin population in Israel, addressing their human and civil rights, and issues of land confiscation and water resources. He will also describe their education system and give us his view of the peace process. Sponsored by: Middle East Peace Now (MEPN). FFI: Call Florence Steichen, 651-696-1642. --------2 of 25-------- From: Doris Marquit <marqu001 [at] umn.edu> Subject: WILPF/women/Nepal 11.10 10am WILPF invites you to coffee with discussion on: Women resisting oppression in Nepal Saturday, November 10, 2007, 10 am to noon Van Cleve Community Center, 901 15th Ave. SE, Minneapolis WATCH (Women Acting Together for Change): How women are confronting oppression and environmental destruction in Nepal and creating networks for change Speaker: Narayan (Kaji) Shrestha Fulbright Scholar in Residence, Univ. of Minnesota, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Nepal is a small land-locked country in the Himalayas, often known in the West chiefly for its beautiful scenery and troubled political history. The speaker will offer deeper insights. WATCH is a participatory, woman-oriented group supporting rural women, those with disabilities and disease, sex workers, and other oppressed people. It creates networks and federations of users around issues like irrigation and drinking water. FREE RefreshMentS Everyone Welcome! A monthly WILPF "Coffee With" program. FFI: 651-633-4410; www.wilpfmn.org <http://www.wilpfmn.org/> --------3 of 25-------- From: Jeff Martinka <jeffreymartinka [at] yahoo.com> Subject: RCTA book sale 11.10 10am Bookstore of the Americas final closeout sale Saturday, Nov. 10th, 2007 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 3019 Minnehaha Street, Minneapolis All remaining Bookstore of the Americas inventory will be sold, with 60-80% discounts offered on this final sale day. Books, artcrafts, cards, posters and calendars all available. Cash and checks only, please. In addition, there will be duplicate books and videos from the Resource Center library that are on "give away tables" in the cafe. Donations for these items will be accepted, and appreciated! --------4 of 25-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Peace walkout 11.10 10:30am Saturday,11/10, Fellowship of Reconciliation's Youth and Militarism Project host peace marshall training (10:30 am to 11:30 am) in preparation for the November 16th walkout, then community strategizing from noon to 4:30, Center for Independent Artists, 4137 Bloomington Ave S, Mpls. grassrootsnonviolence [at] gmail.com or 612-423-1073. (free) --------5 of 25-------- From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net> Subject: NWN4P-Minnetonka 11.10 11am NWN4P-Minnetonka demonstration- Every Saturday, 11 AM to noon, at Hwy. 7 and 101. Park in the Target Greatland lot; meet near the fountain. We will walk along the public sidewalk. Signs available. --------6 of 25-------- From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net> Subject: NWN4P-Plymouth 11.10 1pm NWN4P Plymouth vigil, every Saturday, 1-2 PM The "New Hope vigil" has moved to County Rd. 9 (also known as Rockford Rd. or 42nd Avenue N.) and Vinewood, one block east of 494, for the winter months. You may park in the lot between Chilis and Bakers Square. Express your thoughts on your own sign or feel free to use one of ours. Vinewood is the entrance to Target Greatland and Rainbow. Please join us; all are welcome. --------7 of 25-------- From: Bill McGrath <billmcgrath52 [at] gmail.com> Subject: Palestine fair 11.10 2pm Northfield MN Palestinian Fair, 2 until 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, at First United Church of Christ (UCC) 300 Union Street in Northfield. Slide show by journalist Bill McGrath, who recently spent a month living with a Christian Arab Palestinian family in the West Bank. Additional comments by Michael and Carmen Zoughbi, olive-wood carvers from the Bethlehem area. There will be information booths, samples of Middle Eastern foods, and Palestinian Fair Trade items for purchase including olive wood carvings, embroidery and olive oil. Sponsored by Northfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel. Information: darlenebc43 [at] msn.com --------8 of 25-------- From: Suzanne Linton <bahiabaubo [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Sudan/Children 11.10 6pm "Child Abduction in Sudan" on Our World Today SPNN (St. Paul Neighborhood Network) Cable access channel 15 Saturday November 10 6:00 pm Sunday November 11 1:00 am and 11:00 am 'Our World Today' presents "Child Abduction in Sudan." The show has a special local interest because two students from the Law school of the University (Dana Boraas and Amanda Lyons) whose Human Rights Advocacy Class has taken on the project to help a fellow graduate student, Kuo Soloman from Southern Sudan. Kuo had his grandmother killed and two of his neices abducted several weeks ago, and seeks to find them. They have created a website with updates of this effort . www.save-yar.org The show includes the personal story of Kuo, which is very touching, and activities of the Universtty Chapter of Amnesty International. There is a good explanation of the history of Sudan and much about what is happening in the present day, which includes Darfor. I met these students at the premiere showing of the award winning documentary on the genocide in Darfor, "The Devil Came on Horseback," which is a must see. "Our World Today" is left/progressive political tv show on cable access which is produced by Suzanne Linton and Bill Oldfather of the Green Party. The show is aired every Saturday at 6:00 pm and every Sunday at 1:00 am and 11:00 am. Mark your calendars and watch every week. --------9 of 25-------- From: Florence Steichen <steichenfm [at] usfamily.net> Subject: FNVW bene/music 11.10 6:45pm Saturday Nov. 10, 6:45 -9:30 p.m. Come early. Seats limited. Peace concert to benefit Friends for a Non-Violent World Twin Cities Friends meeting house, 1725 Grand Ave. St. Paul, MN 55105 Free: donations accepted Sako Hirabayashi, World renowned Harpsichordist; Russell Packard, promoter of classical Folkloric Arab Music; The Ariel Trio; Anguksuar, Pianist and spoken word artist; Miriam Larson, Flutist; Ann Bancroft, explorer. --------10 of 25-------- From: "wamm [at] mtn.org" <wamm [at] mtn.org> Subject: Peace stars 11.10 7pm Film Stars of the Peace Movement: Wine and Cheese Reception Saturday, November 10, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. 1425 West 28th Street, Minneapolis. Celebrate the life-time peace work of WAMM founder Marianne Hamilton and of dedicated peace activists Phyllis Cohen and Elmer Zoff. See short documentaries on their action-packed lives, meet the film producers and the stars, themselves. Suggested donation: $5.00 to $20.00. FFI: Call WAMM, 612-827-5364. --------11 of 25-------- From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net> Subject: Palestine/CTV 11.10 9pm Minneapolis Television Network (MTN 17) viewers: "Our World In Depth" cablecasts on MTN Channel 17 on Saturdays at 9pm and Tuesdays at 8am. Households with basic cable can watch! 11/10 9pm and 11/13 8am "Ali Abunimah: Where Next for Palestine-Israel: Peace, Apartheid or Democratic Inclusion?" Palestinian American talks at the U of M on 10/9. --------12 of 25-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Armistice/vets 11.11 10:30am Sunday, 11/11, 10:30 to noon, Veterans for Peace chapter 27 Armistice Day program at First Shot Memorial, State Capitol grounds, St Paul. 651-774-4008. --------13 of 25-------- From: scot b <earthmannow [at] comcast.net> Subject: Stillwater vigil 11.11 1pm A weekly Vigil for Peace Every Sunday, at the Stillwater bridge from 1- 2 p.m. Come after Church or after brunch ! All are invited to join in song and witness to the human desire for peace in our world. Signs need to be positive. Sponsored by the St. Croix Valley Peacemakers. If you have a United Nations flag or a United States flag please bring it. Be sure to dress for the weather . For more information go to <http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/>http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/ For more information you could call 651 275 0247 or 651 999 - 9560 --------14 of 25-------- From: 'Catherine Statz' <statz001 [at] umn.edu> Subject: LooseChange final 11.11 4:30pm Premier Screening at the Riverview Theater November 11, 2007 at 4:30 PM "Loose Change Final Cut" is the third and last installment of the documentary series that has shocked the world. This all new film takes another look at the attacks of September 11th, and raises difficult questions surrounding the event that changed our lives forever. With a wealth of unseen news footage and interviews, including former members of government, scientists, and academics, Loose Change Final Cut delivers the truth in an unadulterated fashion rarely seen in cinema today. The film makes its debut showing to a public audience in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Loose Change Final Cut Riverview Theater 3800 42nd Ave S., Minneapolis 4:30 p.m. Sunday November 11, 2007 Cost $6.00 Advance tickets available at the Riverview Theater Following the showing, Producer Jason Bermas will speak and take questions regarding the film. We invite you to join us for this historic event on the official release date of a film that may very well change the world. For more information go to www.mn911truth.org. --------15 of 25-------- From: Monique Askew <monique [at] commonrootscafe.com> Subject: Colombia union 11.11 5pm Talk with Lydia Lopez, president of a Colombian flower-workers union Sunday, November 11th 5pm Meet Lydia Lopez, President of Untraflores Untraflores is an independent union located right outside Bogota made of women organized to improve the working conditions of women workers. Many of the flowers grown in Colombia are exported to the United States. Lydia will speak on anti-union campaigns against flower workers and specific attempts to bust Untraflores in Columbia. This year Congress may vote on the Free Trade Agreement with Columbia. free and open to the public! Common Roots Cafe 2558 Lyndale Ave S Local ° Organic ° Fair Trade 2558 Lyndale Ave S ° 612-871-2360 ° commonrootscafe.com --------16 of 25-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Peacemaker awd 11.11 5pm Sunday, 11/11, 5 to 7:30 pm, 92nd birthday party for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, including music, fellowship, supper, and an award for "peacemaker of the year" given to Teresa Ortiz (author of "Never Again a World Without Us: Voices of Mayan Women in Chiapas," Macalester-Plymouth United Church, 1658 Lincoln Ave, St Paul. http://www.mnfor.org --------17 of 25-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Vets4Peace 11.11 6pm Sunday,11/11, 6 to 8:30 pm (and the 2nd Sunday of each month), Veterans for Peace chapter 27 meeting, St Stephens School basement, 2130 Clinton Ave S, Mpls. John at 952-448-2664. --------18 of 25-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Pray peace 11.11 6:30pm Sunday, 11/11, 6:30 pm Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet's 11th day prayer for peace, 1890 Randolph Ave, St Paul. www.csjstpaul.org or 651-690-7079. --------19 of 25-------- From: Art Heitzer <aheitzer [at] igc.org> From: Gloria Fullerton Subject: Weinglass/Cuban5 11.11 7pm Madison WI This Event Alert is being sent out to all state media and to as many social justice groups in the state that the Free the 5 Madison Committee can reach. We ask all media to mark your work-calendars and we ask all social justice groups to forward the alert to all of your members. Please address any questions to Robert Kimbrough (608-238-1266) or Victoria Gutierrez (freethe5madison [at] yahoo.com). LEONARD WEINGLASS on Sunday, November 11, 2007, at 7pm, in Room B1, Lowell Hall, 610 Langdon Street (UW Campus), Madison, Wisconsin, will talk about the CASE OF "THE CUBAN FIVE". Leonard Weinglass is a most accomplished U.S. criminal defense attorney and is a pre-eminent civil rights lawyer known for his defense of high-profile political clients. Among those he has defended are Angela Davis, Daniel Ellsberg, the Chicago Seven, and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Weinglass is presently counsel to one of the Cuban Five, Antonio Guerrero, and he is the lead-lawyer among the team of all the lawyers working in behalf of each of the 5. Who are the Cuban Five? Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, and Ferrnando González are in five separate U.S. prisons for simply defending their country from acts of terrorism carried out by extremist right-wing groups in Miami. René was sentenced to 15 years, Fernando 19 years, Ramón and Antonio for life, and Gerardo two life sentences plus 15 years. The Cuban Five never harmed anyone, were not destructive, did not try to gather state secrets, and were never a threat to the security of the United States. On the other hand, confessed anti-Cuba terrorists walk freely in Miami. For example, Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carilles, longtime CIA agents, openly brag that they master-minded the October 6, 1976 explosion of two bombs planted on a Cuban airline flight from Barbados to Cuba killing all 73 aboard. Noam Chomsky has said: "It's an amazing case! Here are Cubans who are infiltrating illegal, terrorist organizations in the U.S. which are violating U.S. law, and the infiltrators are arrested, not the terrorists. It's astonishing!" Leonard Weinglass's presentation is free and open to all. A full media release will be sent out on Monday, November 5, 2007. For complete information and documentation on the Cuban Five: www.freethefive.org --------20 of 25-------- From: Ahmed Tharwat <tharwat77 [at] msn.com> Subject: Armenia/TV 11.11 10:30pm Guest of this week Taner Akcam, Armenian genocide Ahmed Tharwat/ Host <http://www.belahdan.com/> BelAhdan TV show airs on Public TV ch17 Sundays at 10:30pm WWW.Belahdan.com --------21 of 25-------- Siding with the Bosses Is the AFL Trying to Derail Single Payer Health Care? By CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER CounterPunch November 9, 2007 Does the leadership of the AFL-CIO favor a single payer, Canadian-style, Medicare-for-all, health insurance system? They do not. The California Nurses Association, which joined the AFL executive council earlier this year, supports single payer. More than 350 other union locals support single payer. More than 80 members of the House of Representatives support legislation that would create a single payer system in the United States (HR 676). But the leadership of the AFL-CIO does not support single payer. They may say they support it. But yesterday, at a press conference at the National Press Club, it became clear that AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and his fellow labor union bosses are actively working to derail the rank and file movement for single payer. Sweeney and leaders of the SEIU, UFCW, Bricklayers, Laborers, and Teamsters - along with DLA Piper partner and former Congressman Dick Gephardt - yesterday put their stamp of approval on a employer-based state health insurance reform plan by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D). The Illinois plan is similar to one introduced by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for California and Governor Ed Rendell (D) for Pennsylvania. These employer based "reforms" have been roundly criticized by Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) and the California Nurses Association (CNA) as undermining the nationwide drive for single payer. "We should get rid the employer-based health insurance system," said PNHP's Dr. Don McCanne. "It's a regressive method of funding health insurance. There are all kinds of problems with them. All of these reforms are inadequate measures that will only postpone the day that we actually fix the system with single payer." In the past, the CNA has been critical of the SEIU for supporting reforms like those proposed by Governor Blagojevich. In June, for example, CNA president Rose Ann DeMoro told Corporate Crime Reporter that "rather than being on the side of the workers, SEIU continues to be on the side of the bosses." "And it's a disgrace," DeMoro said. But yesterday, CNA did not return calls seeking comment. At the press conference, Blagojevich was asked why he didn't support single payer. "So much of what you do in government is done through political realities," Blagojevich said. "The art of politics in government is the recognition of what is possible. The choice is between whether you take an existing structure - an employer-based health care system and build on that, shore that up - or whether you scrap the whole thing and create a whole new system that historically has not taken root in the United States." "And while it has been done in other countries, it has not been able to get a beachhead in our country," he said. "And my reading of history in the United States is that when change happens in America, it generally happens by building on existing institutions and existing structures rather than tearing them down and building something completely new and different. So, in a perfect world and in theory, the single payer system is one that I could certainly support. Whereas as a practical matter, I don't think it is something we are going to achieve in the near future." Especially with that kind of leadership. Sweeney was asked whether the AFL supports single payer, and if so, why is he working to undermine it. "I recognize that there is tremendous support for single payer," a subdued Sweeney said. "But as the Governor has said, it is important that we move on health care coverage now with what we have the political will to achieve. That doesn't mean we aren't going to continue to strive for a single payer health care system." Yes it does. The press conference was pulled together by America's Agenda: Health Care for All. By the way, here's a new rule of thumb for Washington: when you hear the words "universal health care" or "health care for all," wait a few seconds and a health insurance industry lobbyist will walk to the mike. Yesterday, leading off the press conference was Ken Thorpe - introduced as the nation's leading health policy expert. Thorpe called the Illinois proposal - "the most promising health care reform legislation enacted anywhere in America in the last 40 years." After the press conference, I sought out Ken Thorpe and asked him who he worked for. "I'm a consultant for America's Agenda - Health Care for All," he said. "I also teach at Emory University." Do you also work for the health insurance industry? "Do I work for them?" he asked. Do you consult for them? "I've done studies for them," Thorpe said. "I don't consult with them." Have you been paid to do the studies? "Oh yeah," he says. Who were you paid by? "Blue Cross Blue Shield Association." Corporate Crime Reporter is located in Washington, DC. They can be reached through their website. Published on Friday, November 9, 2007 by Corporate Crime Reporter [Perhaps it's time to tell the AFL-CIO to go to hell. If they won't help the people, why should the people help them? -ed] --------22 of 25-------- The Clinton Policy is the Bush Policy Hillary Clinton's Lack of Respect for Latin America By TOM BARRY CounterPunch November 9, 2007 "A great nation must command the respect of others," writes Hillary Clinton in the new issue of Foreign Affairs. But what about showing a little respect? In her infatuation with U.S. power and the transcendent "American idea," she forgets that international cooperation is not just about winning respect, it's also about respecting other nations. In her outline of her foreign policy agenda, titled "Security and Opportunity for the Twenty-first Century," Clinton laments that the Bush administration "has squandered the respect, trust, and confidence of even our closest allies and friends." As president, Clinton promises to introduce America to the world, and to demonstrate that the "United States is committed to building a world we want, rather than simply defending against a world we fear." That world, says Clinton, will be "a world of security and opportunity." But Clinton's cursory review of Latin America policy won't win much respect in Latin America. In the one paragraph devoted to Latin America in her 18-page essay, Clinton focused more on U.S. fear of new political developments in the region than on ways to increase human security and opportunity. According to Clinton, the Bush administration neglected "at our peril" the new political developments in Latin America. Without naming names, Clinton asserts, "We have witnessed the rollback of democratic development and economic openness in parts of Latin America." Rather than applauding the new willingness of an increasing number of elected governments to tackle the structural obstacles that have marginalized the poor and indigenous populations, Clinton evokes a picture of a region threatened by retrograde forces. Blaming the Bush administration for its negligence, Clinton implies that a more engaged U.S. policy could have obstructed the rise of democratically elected left-center governments, such as those in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. "We must return to a policy of vigorous engagement: this is too critical a region for the United States to stand idly by," asserts Clinton. But what kind of "vigorous engagement" is she talking about? Past forms have included intervention in national elections, financial and military support for illegal opposition movements, propaganda campaigns to carry the message of pro-U.S. forces and vilify others. Any "return" to policies like these is not likely to be regarded kindly in Latin America. With few positive examples to cite recently, U.S. engagement to protect "critical" U.S. geopolitical and economic interests has too often been synonymous with intervention. Priorities in the region, according to Clinton, include supporting the "largest developing democracies in the region, Brazil and Mexico"; deepening "economic and strategic cooperation with Argentina and Chile"; and combating "the interconnected threats of drug trafficking, crime, and insurgency" in Colombia, Central America, and the Caribbean. After establishing this aggressive agenda for U.S. involvement in security issues she concludes, "We must work with our allies to provide sustainable-development programs that promote economic opportunity and reduce inequality for the citizens of Latin America." In short as president, Hillary Clinton's Latin American policy would likely be very similar to that of the Bush I, Clinton I, and Bush II administrations before her-with the only notable difference being that her administration may take stronger measures to counter governments that dare to determine their own trade, development, and foreign policies. In laying out her policy, she fails to mention the need to overhaul the monumentally flawed Cuba policy, and in fact has said elsewhere that she wouldn't lift the trade embargo until there is a "democratic transition." Apparently she has no intention of modifying the strategy of the failed drug wars either, even though U.S. policies of drug interdiction, drug eradication, and counterinsurgency have not slowed the flow of illegal drugs and have caused enormous problems of displacement and environmental destruction. Candidate Clinton offers a U.S. policy that promotes economic opportunity to reduce inequality. But her solutions-economic "openness" and foreign aid-are the standard formulas that have increased inequality and prompted the search for alternatives among the nations she criticizes for "rolling back economic openness" in an effort to provide basic needs to their citizens. While the Washington political establishment is stuck within a narrow band of policy options, Latin American nations, particularly in South America, are experimenting with new policies aimed at setting their nations on sustainable development paths. Establishing national control over energy resources, sponsoring agrarian reforms, and breaking free of the economic reforms imposed by the international financial institutions are among the policies that have antagonized the Bush administration. To win the respect of Latin Americans, Clinton doesn't need to endorse these policy alternatives. But she does need to respect the right of Latin Americans to set their own directions. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt set out to build cooperative relations in Latin America after three decades of imperial interventions and occupations, he promised that his "policy of the good neighbor" would be founded on "mutual respect" and self-determination. While the FDR administration did not always follow its own good neighbor principles, it did go a long way to building respect for the United States and a culture of cooperation in the Americas. Clinton asserts that respect can be won by a leadership that "draws on all the dimensions of American power" and reestablishes the authority of the "American idea." But to regain respect for U.S. leadership, whether in Latin America or elsewhere, the United States will need to return to basic good neighbor principles. Rather than relying on its power and ideas that have largely lost credibility in the hemisphere, she needs to let Latin Americans set their own policy agendas. Some new thinking is long overdue, but Hillary Clinton isn't offering it. Clinton fails to recognize that the United States must acknowledge that U.S.-Latin America relations are imperiled much more by U.S. arrogance and its misdirected "engagement" than by negligence or inaction in the face of imagined threats to U.S. interests. Moving forward, the foundation of improved relations and sustainable development in the Americas must be "mutual respect." If Clinton wants respect for U.S. foreign policy, then she will need to show more respect for our southern neighbors. As a start, Clinton should tell Latin Americans that she respects their right to decide for themselves what is needed to ensure "security and opportunity." Tom Barry is a senior analyst with the Americas Policy Program of the Center for International Policy. [Hillary's evil is not "lesser". Dem/Rep = evil/evil. Don't do evil, don't voter for either. -ed] ---------23 of 25-------- Ridiculing Impeachment Double Standards at the New York Times By DAVE LINDORFF CounterPunch November 8, 2007 The New York Times, which claims to draw a clear distinction between its news articles and its commentary articles, dropped any pretense of such a distinction in its minimalist "coverage" of yesterday's dramatic effort by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to force the House to consider the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. In a small 230-word piece on Kucinich's privilege motion, and the subsequent vote to send his H Res. 333, now called H. Res. 799, to the House Judiciary Committee, after it has been consigned to limbo for over 6 months by the House leadership, the Times succeeded in dissing both Kucinich and the notion of impeaching the vice president. As the anonymous Times reporter wrote in the lead of this hit piece: It is hard to know which effort has longer odds, the bid by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, to become president of the United State, or his bid to unseat Vice President Dick Cheney by impeaching him. The rest of the article, which made no attempt to lay out Kucinich's blistering expose of the vice president's criminal role in presenting false evidence to the Congress and American people to justify an invasion of Iraq, and his condemnation of the vice president for the international crime of threatening war against Iran, is spent describing how House Democratic leaders and Republicans sparred over Kucinich's bill, with Republicans helping to defeat a Democratic effort to table it, and with Democrats then pushing it off the floor and over to the Judiciary Committee. The Times has clearly decided that despite its editorial positions blasting the criminal actions and blatant abuses of power of this administration, there should be no impeachment hearings on either Bush or Cheney. That might be okay as an editorial position, but the nation's leading newspaper, at least by reputation, has also decided it will buttress that position by either ignoring the growing nationwide impeachment movement, which it has been doing now for two years, or by using its news pages to undermine and ridicule impeachment efforts. That is not okay for a publication that hypocritically pretends that its news articles are fair and balanced. Instead of assigning a team of crack reporters to investigate the vice president's ongoing crimes - for example his recent effort to drag the US into a war with Iran by going behind the State Department and pressing Israel to attack Iran, so that Iran would retaliate and the U.S. would be forced to come to Israel's aid (a treasonous act by Cheney that was reported in Newsweek magazine) - or the president's crimes (such as his role in obstructing the investigation of the Valerie Plame outiing, or his direct role in authorizing severe torture of captives), the Times is using its reportorial resources to squelch a mass movement for impeachment. The paper is also joining the rest of the corporate media in yet another shameless effort to deny the American people a genuine political campaign of ideas, deciding well ahead of the primaries which candidates are worthy of coverage, and which ideas and issues are acceptable for public debate. Kucinich, who has been the most consistent and principled opponent of the Iraq War and the drive to attack Iran, the most knowledgeable and consistent proponent of genuine health care reform, the most solid defender of the Constitution and the most ardent defender of working Americans and of the poor among the list of Democratic candidates, is simply not covered by the Times, and is now written off in a suppposed news article as being unelectable! What a pathetic display of bias, and what an insult to readers. At least it helps me to understand why the paper has never reviewed Barbara Olshansky's and my book on "The Case for Impeachment," or in fact any of the excellent books on that topic that have been published over the past two years. Impeachment, for the Times, is a non-story, suitable apparently only for sophomoric ridicule. Dave Lindorff is the author of Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. His n book of CounterPunch columns titled "This Can't be Happening!" is published by Common Courage Press. Lindorff's newest book is "The Case for Impeachment", co-authored by Barbara Olshansky. He can be reached at: dlindorff [at] mindspring.com [The NYT always backs main ruling class objectives - eg war for empire, trickle-up economics, etc. It will say the "liberal" thing on economically unimportant "social" issues, but when it gets down to more goodies for the rich, they're loyal toadies. -ed] --------24 of 25-------- Subject: SLC Mayor Speech at Demo Against Occupation of Iraq Address by Mayor Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson on October 27, 2007 Mon, 2007-10-29 16:45. October 27 2007 reports Salt Lake City, Utah - Today, as we come together once again in this great city, we raise our voices in unison to say to President Bush, to Vice President Cheney, to other members of the Bush Administration (past and present), to a majority of Congress, including Utah's entire congressional delegation, and to much of the mainstream media: "You have failed us miserably and we won't take it any more." "While we had every reason to expect far more of you, you have been pompous, greedy, cruel, and incompetent as you have led this great nation to a moral, military, and national security abyss." "You have breached trust with the American people in the most egregious ways. You have utterly failed in the performance of your jobs. You have undermined our Constitution, permitted the violation of the most fundamental treaty obligations, and betrayed the rule of law." "You have engaged in, or permitted, heinous human rights abuses of the sort never before countenanced in our nation's history as a matter of official policy. You have sent American men and women to kill and be killed on the basis of lies, on the basis of shifting justifications, without competent leadership, and without even a coherent plan for this monumental blunder." "We are here to tell you: We won't take it any more!" "You have acted in direct contravention of values that we, as Americans who love our country, hold dear. You have deceived us in the most cynical, outrageous ways. You have undermined, or allowed the undermining of, our constitutional system of checks and balances among the three presumed co-equal branches of government. You have helped lead our nation to the brink of fascism, of a dictatorship contemptuous of our nation's treaty obligations, federal statutory law, our Constitution, and the rule of law." "Because of you, and because of your jingoistic false "patriotism," our world is far more dangerous, our nation is far more despised, and the threat of terrorism is far greater than ever before. It has been absolutely astounding how you have committed the most horrendous acts, causing such needless tragedy in the lives of millions of people, yet you wear your so-called religion on your sleeves, asserting your God-is-on-my-side nonsense - when what you have done flies in the face of any religious or humanitarian tradition. Your hypocrisy is mind-boggling - and disgraceful. What part of "Thou shalt not kill" do you not understand? What part of the "Golden rule" do you not understand? What part of "be honest," "be responsible," and "be accountable" don't you understand? What part of "Blessed are the peacekeepers" do you not understand? Because of you, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, many thousands of people have suffered horrendous lifetime injuries, and millions have been run off from their homes. For the sake of our nation, for the sake of our children, and for the sake of our brothers and sisters around the world, we are morally compelled to say, as loudly as we can, "We won't take it any more!" "As United States agents kidnap, disappear, and torture human beings around the world, you justify, you deceive, and you cover up. We find what you have done to men, women and children, and to the good name and reputation of the United States, so appalling, so unconscionable, and so outrageous as to compel us to call upon you to step aside and allow other men and women who are competent, true to our nation's values, and with high moral principles to stand in your places - for the good of our nation, for the good of our children, and for the good of our world." In the case of the President and Vice President, this means impeachment and removal from office, without any further delay from a complacent, complicit Congress, the Democratic majority of which cares more about political gain in 2008 than it does about the vindication of our Constitution, the rule of law, and democratic accountability. It means the election of people as President and Vice President who, unlike most of the presidential candidates from both major parties, have not aided and abetted in the perpetration of the illegal, tragic, devastating invasion and occupation of Iraq. And it means the election of people as President and Vice President who will commit to return our nation to the moral and strategic imperative of refraining from torturing human beings. In the case of the majority of Congress, it means electing people who are diligent enough to learn the facts, including reading available National Intelligence Estimates, before voting to go to war. It means electing to Congress men and women who will jealously guard Congress's sole prerogative to declare war. It means electing to Congress men and women who will not submit like vapid lap dogs to presidential requests for blank checks to engage in so-called preemptive wars, for legislation permitting warrantless wiretapping of communications involving US citizens, and for dangerous, irresponsible, saber-rattling legislation like the recent Kyl-Lieberman amendment. We must avoid the trap of focusing the blame solely upon President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. This is not just about a few people who have wronged our country - and the world. They were enabled by members of both parties in Congress, they were enabled by the pathetic mainstream news media, and, ultimately, they have been enabled by the American people - 40% of whom are so ill-informed they still think Iraq was behind the 9/11 attacks - a people who know and care more about baseball statistics and which drunken starlets are wearing underwear than they know and care about the atrocities being committed every single day in our name by a government for which we need to take responsibility. As loyal Americans, without regard to political partisanship - as veterans, as teachers, as religious leaders, as working men and women, as students, as professionals, as businesspeople, as public servants, as retirees, as people of all ages, races, ethnic origins, sexual orientations, and faiths - we are here to say to the Bush administration, to the majority of Congress, and to the mainstream media: "You have violated your solemn responsibilities. You have undermined our democracy, spat upon our Constitution, and engaged in outrageous, despicable acts. You have brought our nation to a point of immorality, inhumanity, and illegality of immense, tragic, unprecedented proportions." "But we will live up to our responsibilities as citizens, as brothers and sisters of those who have suffered as a result of the imperial bullying of the United States government, and as moral actors who must take a stand: And we will, and must, mean it when we say "We won't take it any more." If we want principled, courageous elected officials, we need to be principled, courageous, and tenacious ourselves. History has demonstrated that our elected officials are not the leaders - the leadership has to come from us. If we don't insist, if we don't persist, then we are not living up to our responsibilities as citizens in a democracy - and our responsibilities as moral human beings. If we remain silent, we signal to Congress and the Bush administration - and to candidates running for office - and to the world - that we support the status quo. Silence is complicity. Only by standing up for what's right and never letting down can we say we are doing our part. Our government, on the basis of a campaign we now know was entirely fraudulent, attacked and militarily occupied a nation that posed no danger to the United States. Our government, acting in our name, has caused immense, unjustified death and destruction. It all started five years ago, yet where have we, the American people, been? At this point, we are responsible. We get together once in a while at demonstrations and complain about Bush and Cheney, about Congress, and about the pathetic news media. We point fingers and yell a lot. Then most people politely go away until another demonstration a few months later. How many people can honestly say they have spent as much time learning about and opposing the outrages of the Bush administration as they have spent watching sports or mindless television programs during the past five years? Escapist, time-sapping sports and insipid entertainment have indeed become the opiate of the masses. Why is this country so sound asleep? Why do we abide what is happening to our nation, to our Constitution, to the cause of peace and international law and order? Why are we not doing all in our power to put an end to this madness? We should be in the streets regularly and students should be raising hell on our campuses. We should be making it clear in every way possible that apologies or convoluted, disingenuous explanations just don't cut it when presidential candidates and so many others voted to authorize George Bush and his neo-con buddies to send American men and women to attack and occupy Iraq. Let's awaken, and wake up the country by committing here and now to do all each of us can to take our nation back. Let them hear us across the country, as we ask others to join us: "We won't take it any more!" I implore you: Draw a line. Figure out exactly where your own moral breaking point is. How much will you put up with before you say "No more" and mean it? I have drawn my line as a matter of simple personal morality: I cannot, and will not, support any candidate who has voted to fund the atrocities in Iraq. I cannot, and will not, support any candidate who will not commit to remove all US troops, as soon as possible, from Iraq. I cannot, and will not, support any candidate who has supported legislation that takes us one step closer to attacking Iran. I cannot, and will not, support any candidate who has not fought to stop the kidnapping, disappearances, and torture being carried on in our name. If we expect our nation's elected officials to take us seriously, let us send a powerful message they cannot misunderstand. Let them know we really do have our moral breaking point. Let them know we have drawn a bright line. Let them know they cannot take our support for granted - that, regardless of their party and regardless of other political considerations, they will not have our support if they cannot provide, and have not provided, principled leadership. The people of this nation may have been far too quiet for five years, but let us pledge that we won't let it go on one more day - that we will do all we can to put an end to the illegalities, the moral degradation, and the disintegration of our nation's reputation in the world. Let us be unified in drawing the line - in declaring that we do have a moral breaking point. Let us insist, together, in supporting our troops and in gratitude for the freedoms for which our veterans gave so much, that we bring our troops home from Iraq, that we return our government to a constitutional democracy, and that we commit to honoring the fundamental principles of human rights. In defense of our country, in defense of our Constitution, in defense of our shared values as Americans - and as moral human beings - we declare today that we will fight in every way possible to stop the insanity, stop the continued military occupation of Iraq, and stop the moral depravity reflected by the kidnapping, disappearing, and torture of people around the world. http://www.slcgov.com/mayor/speeches/2007%20Speeches/102507octoberdemonstration.pdf -- From: David Strand <mncivil [at] yahoo.com> [This] speech by the Mayor of Salt Lake City makes one hungry for more of this type of leadership. It certainly makes some of our local political leadership which alleges to be "progressive" pale by comparison. --------25 of 25-------- Honey I shrunk the universe. Now maybe your wedding dress will fit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar over 2225 subscribers as of 12.19.02 please send all messages in plain text no attachments To GO DIRECTLY to an item, eg --------8 of x-------- do a find on --8 impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney
- (no other messages in thread)
Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.