Crucify Him! Barry Bonds & the Steroids Saga

By Jack Random (posted by Dissident Voice 3/10/06.)

There’s a war going on. It’s a war pitting good versus evil, us versus them, and slugger Barry Bonds finds himself on the other side of the fence.

Believe everything you’ve read – despite a heavy reliance on anonymous sources and illegally leaked Grand Jury testimony. Believe that Bonds did steroids, intentionally and repeatedly, in an effort to break what once seemed an unbreakable record held by a man who did the same.

Crucify him! Run over him with a bulldozer or, better yet, an armored Hummer. Burn him in effigy or, better yet, burn him at the stake and blame him for New Orleans, Iraq, NSA wiretapping and Monica Lewinsky.

To those who have already condemned Bonds and blocked his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame, allow me to posit a contrasting point of view: Every player has a right to claim a record within the establish parameters of the game. Remember that the unqualified and nearly universal adulation of Mark McGwire did not end when Andro was found in his locker. The summer of Sammy Sosa and Big Mac played to packed houses, media madness, and in the end, Major League Baseball cried, “All hail!”

If Barry Bonds was incensed that a hulking white man laid claim to the most glamorous record in baseball, he had a right to be. Using roughly the same method, Bonds rose far above anything McGwire ever dreamed of; he rose to the lofty level of the game’s most esteemed legends.

Neither Bonds nor McGwire were fuzzy cheeked rookies trying to establish themselves. They were mature individuals, raised in a competitive environment, who investigated the risks and rewards, and made an informed and determined choice.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the decision they made. It was a decision countless others, including pitchers, made as well, secure in the belief that baseball was indifferent at best and no one would ever know.

Contrary to the implications of the most rabid detractors, neither Bonds nor McGwire was caught injecting children. (If you raise your children with even a modicum of wisdom, you have more to fear from leading politicians than overpaid athletes.)

Contrary to self-aggrandizing baseball purists (apologies to Keith Olbermann), it does not matter whether Bonds is inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot or any subsequent ballot. Baseball is a game of numbers. Over the course of a magnificent career, Barry Bonds stepped to the plate and produced numbers so far beyond the norm they defy all explanations – including performance enhancing drugs.

There are those who say that numbers tell you all you need to know. In baseball, they are very nearly correct. If you look at the numbers, Ruth and Gehrig were genetic freaks – and both (incidentally) died young. If you look at the numbers in the career of Roger Maris, 1961 was an aberration very close to statistical impossibility.

If you look at the numbers, Barry Bonds transformed himself from one of the very best speed-and-power, five tool players the game has ever known, to a pure slugger rivaled only by the legendary Babe. (Despite the numbers, it is debatable which player – the younger or the older Bonds – was in fact more valuable to his team.)

Sadly, I suspect we will one day learn that the price of that transformation was too great but the motivation was eminently understandable to anyone who has entered the arena of competitive sports.

I discovered the ultimate truth about Barry Bonds in reading a column by Joan Ryan in the San Francisco Chronicle (3/9/06): As I turned from page B1 to B5, there it was – a picture of a year-old girl shot in the back in Darfur.

The ultimate truth about the Barry Bonds saga is that, in the grand scheme, it does not matter – or rather, it matters very little. We may love the game of baseball but if you cannot teach your children that there is no relationship between athletic ability and moral, ethical or responsible conduct, then you have already failed your children. How convenient to be able to blame Bonds, Sosa or McGwire.

While I almost always agree with everything Joan Ryan writes, she is as guilty as most in oversimplifying the Bonds case. She offers the moral equivalency of Bonds’ denial of steroid use and Bill Clinton’s denial of the Monica Lewinsky affair to George W. Bush’s deceptions about weapons of mass destruction. Neither Bonds’ nor Clinton’s deceptions killed anyone or put the planet on the edge of world war.

She offers a simple metaphor: The story of little Billy informing his teacher that little Johnny cheated to ace a test. In Ryan’s story, the teacher scolds and punishes Billy for turning on little Johnny, the pride of the school.

To make the story more applicable to the Bonds case, little Billy actually found out from Johnny’s cousin that Johnny took Ritalin which enabled Johnny to focus and stay up late studying. When Billy was informed that there was nothing wrong with taking Ritalin, Billy began taking it himself.

The point is: Words like cheating, lying and betrayal are thrown around a little too carelessly these days. There was a time when cheating was something you did on the playing field. Anything you did off the field was your own business. Moreover, if you did something that was both common and within the rules of the game, no one outside your own parents could tell you it was wrong.

As for lying, as every human being short of sainthood understands: You have a right to lie, deceive and obfuscate to avoid torture, inhumane treatment or unjustified impeachment.

The Lewinsky affair has some measure of moral equivalency; the Bush lies do not.

I believe in my bones that Barry Bonds made a horrible mistake – and one that no child or adult athlete should repeat – when he decided to use steroids. If this gut feeling is correct (I hope it isn’t), there will be a terrible price to pay. It was, however, his own choice, his own crossroads, and neither I nor anyone else has a right to judge.

As a fan of the game and the San Francisco Giants, it has been a pleasure watching a modern-day Babe: Better than Disneyland, better than virtual reality. The man has supplanted the seven wonders of the earth.

So when #25 steps to the plate at Pacific Bell (I refuse to call it anything else) one more time, I’ll rise to my feet to cheer the greatest player since Willie Mays.

He may be a freak. He may be rude to the press. He may be a pain to other players. He may be prone to mental lapses on the field. Still, when he steps to the plate, he’s the Babe.

Jazz.

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE AND COUNTERPUNCH.

Mind of Mansel: Obituary of a POW

My body was lost somewhere in the blue of the flag
Riding silent on a passenger plane like a gut shot stag
Tears falling over me somewhere in a terminal chair
Leaving Afghanistan my soul was frozen in the glare

I was a coalition force asleep in the arms of the Taliban
An envoy of force impaled in a land I didn't understand
Abu Ghraid was the reason they broke all of my bones
My government couldn't have left me more alone

When I lost the light in the room, before I started to die
I felt something moving slowly across my closed eyes
I saw a Shia sunrise over a spilt open electrical cord
I thought I heard America The Beautiful miss a chord


- Chris Mansel

Illumination: From the Mind of Mansel

"There is a room in the White House or more accurately beneath the oval office..."

In this kind of room there is light but it is not really daylight you see or nighttime. There is a constant flow of information but if you are deep in thought you can block out the noise, the flutter of immediacy. It’s a room in the White House or more accurately beneath the oval office and down a bit that carries the most weight in any national emergency. It’s not the situation room though that is where you thought we were headed; no it’s the room that doesn’t have a name. There is no portrait of a past president. There is no colorful story that passing administrations use. This is the kind of room where those who are not elected by the people decide whether or not a situation advances or suspends. You’ll notice I didn’t use the term end. No, these situations never cease.

The most secret of government agencies have their own shroud of intelligence. Their own cases for existence are based solely on past performance and [the] committee [that] funds them. What goes on in the room in question is far beyond a committee. This is the room where the light looks in and the darkness breeds illumination.

How do I know that this room exists? I don’t. But how did I know everything else I have predicted? Look back over the history of the Mansel Report and see just how wrong I have been.

Is this room where no dark or light is seen a metaphor for the collective soul that inhabits the building? Can this room be the direction from where the century of American politics started and where it is now? But one thing I do know is that the fear of the American people is bottled up inside that room and they don’t even know exactly why they are afraid or why they should or shouldn’t be.

America is more than an abandoned district where no voters will show up, it’s more than a tally of polls and it will never be anything more than the conscience of a select few guiding the light of a future that is already lit by the sun and challenged greatly by the stars in the skies and the moment when all is lost and everything is to be gained.


- Chris Mansel

See The Mansel Report (themanselreport.blogspot.com) (chrismansel.blogspot.com).

OPEN LETTER TO CINDY SHEEHAN

Challenging the Pro-War Democrats
By Jack Random

Cindy Sheehan, you are absolutely right.

It would have been powerful and deeply moving to see you in the gallery of the Capitol building at the State of the Union address, serving to remind the nation of the casualties of war, a reminder of the victims of unscrupulous leaders who refuse to carry the flag and parrot the party line. Instead, in your forced absence, you were a poignant reminder that, for all the hollow words, dissent has no place in American democracy.

(For those who seem to take perverse pleasure in the rejoinder that the wife of a Congressman was also ejected for wearing a pro-war tee shirt, you should take no joy in either.)

It would have been telling to see your face contrasted with the senior Senator of California, who epitomizes the party line on the war in Iraq.

You are right to challenge Senator Diane Feinstein as a willing advocate of war. When the honorable senator begins her talking points about reservations going into the war, we should remember her vote on the abdication of war powers. When she protests that she was misled by false and distorted intelligence, we should recall that no informed citizen outside the halls of power was fooled by the manipulations of the war machine in the White House.

Not one of us believed that Saddam Hussein was a threat to our nation or any of its allies. Not one of us believed that there was any connection between Al Qaeda or the events of 11 September 2001 and the government in Baghdad. Everyone from Colin Powell to the clerk at Starbucks knew the president was committed to war regardless of the facts.

The only question unresolved was whether Iraq retained any weapons of mass destruction developed with the assistance of previous American administrations. That question – an obviously false pretext for war – was in the process of being resolved by a team of determined United Nations inspectors, who stubbornly insisted on doing their job despite all efforts at obstruction by the American and British governments.

There was no cause to support the drums of war and every informed citizen of the world knew it, including the Democrats in Congress who voted to authorize the use of force. There is a profound difference between being misled by faulty intelligence and being cowed by a self-proclaimed war president in a post 9-11 nation. The real excuse (should they care to employ it) is that virtually all of their spineless colleagues were equally cowed.

Now that the false justification for war and the disaster of the war, itself, are fully exposed, Senator Feinstein and the pro-war Democrats would like us to believe that the moral path “going forward” is to continue the assault on an innocent nation, where the insurgents are only adhering to the universal moral imperative of defending their homeland against a foreign occupier. They would like us to be content with a “flexible timetable” of withdrawal, contingent on establishing order where order cannot be established as long as the occupation is in place.

What a cozy little Catch 22 the Democrats have devised for our naïve consumption.

(Note to Senator Russ Feingold: As one who was withholding judgment on your potential candidacy for president, having read your response to the State of the Union, if that is the best you can do for an antiwar platform, don’t bother. You will lose and the antiwar movement will hammer the nails in your political coffin.)

Cindy Sheehan, you have stood your ground, resisting determined attempts by waffling Democrats to usurp your cause and reduce you to a partisan.

You are right to challenge Senator Feinstein but you are mistaken to challenge her from within the establishment of the Democratic Party. At risk of being crude, while the spectacle of a leading antiwar spokesperson challenging a Democratic senator in a progressive state may concern them, they will crush you like a bothersome insect. They will smear you by proxy and cast you aside like a broken toy. They will go about their business as if it never happened.

They are not afraid of you as a Democrat. If you wish to stage a symbolic protest and capitalize on media exposure, it could be a worthwhile endeavor, but if you wish to have an impact, to shake the Democratic Party from its pro-war slumber, challenge them as an independent.

The coming election is about the war. Yes, there are other critical issues (New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, trade policies, immigration, health care, tax cuts, environmental policy, alternative energy, mass transit, emergency preparedness and civil liberties) but it comes down to the war.

If you announce your intention to run as a serious independent candidate, Senator Feinstein would instantly become vulnerable and every pro-war Democrat in the land would take note. No fool to political dynamics, Senator Feinstein would reconsider her position as the Republicans scramble for a viable candidate in a three-way race, and the money begins to flow.

Cindy Sheehan, you are right. We can no longer be content to support the lesser of evils – especially when the lesser of evils is the continuation of an endless war.

In the matter of war, as in all matters of conscience, there is no middle ground: You are with us or you are with them.

Let the people have an honest choice.

RANDOM JACK – DISSEMINATE FREELY.

7 Reasons Why the President is Lying (Again)

RANDOM JACK – DISSEMINATE FREELY.
By Jack Random

President George W. Bush went on the offensive this week, defending his authorization of spying on American citizens, within the boundaries of the nation, in direct contradiction to the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The president asserts that he is only spying on those in communication with known Al Qaeda agents or their affiliates.

Here are seven reasons why every objective observer should conclude beyond all reasonable doubt that the president is lying.

1. He lied about the war. For those who hold the reservation that the president may not have been properly informed, that he was in fact duped by bad intelligence or twisted advisors, let me take this rare opportunity to defend the chief executive. He is not a dumb as you think. He is not an observer on the periphery of Dick Cheney’s power circle. He is a fully informed, fully engaged member of Cheney’s circle. He knew about the canyon-sized gaps in intelligence and he conspired to close them with a chain of deceptions. The president lied because he wanted war. He lied because he was convinced that the little man from Crawford, Texas, could only reach historical greatness as a war president.

2. The president lied repeatedly on the very topic that should now become the basis for impeachment proceedings but, instead, is becoming the centerpiece of the Republican midterm election campaign. He told us over and over, in every public setting he could find, that wiretapping was never done without a court warrant. Just in case we did not fully understand him, he spoke slowly and with absolute clarity: Wiretapping on American citizens is never done without a court warrant.

3. If the president is telling the truth about the scope of the eavesdropping – that it only involves Al Qaeda club members – there should be only a handful of cases on file. According to published reports, the NSA domestic spying case (by any other name) involves thousands of Americans. How stupid do we think Al Qaeda is? Are we seriously to believe that they are calling the USA on a regular basis? Are they calling in complete confidence that our government will only listen in if they have a court warrant? How stupid do they think we are?

4. If the president is telling the truth, that the scope of the program is limited and that civil liberties are protected, then there is absolutely no reason to circumvent the FISA law. There is a rubber stamp at the FISA court for warrants on the communications of known Al Qaeda members. In such cases, the process would take all of thirty seconds beyond the mechanics of sending a fax. Furthermore, as any informed citizen should know by now, the spy-now-get-approval-later provision of the FISA law gives the Justice Department 72 hours to shuffle the paper work. In other words, to the extent that the NSA domestic spying program is legitimate, it is completely unnecessary. If that is the case, either the Attorney General and his coterie of legal advisors are incompetent to the point of absurdity, or the president is lying.

5. If the president were telling the truth, he would open the books on all surveillance targets that are no longer current, with the targets identified only by profession. We would stipulate that the Attorney General and the head of the NSA should certify that the list is complete and accurate on penalty of felonious perjury. Knowing generically who has been spied on would offer no information of value to our terrorist enemies – who already presume they are being monitored with or without warrants. It would be of great value to the defenders of civil liberties and would give us all assurance that our president has not simply taken the law into his own hands. I guarantee you, even without the names, the list would read like a Who’s Who in dissident politics. It is the political hit list of Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover, whose name should be stricken from the FBI headquarters.

6. If former NSA insider Russell Tice, who has identified himself as a whistle-blower, is never prosecuted or held to justice, then the president was lying about conducting an investigation into a serious breach of national security. If that is the case, we must conclude that it was a deliberate leak. It bears all the markings of the twisted mind of Karl Rove, plotting to replace Plame Gate, Iraq Gate, Katrina Gate and Abramoff Gate with NSA Gate. They like the odds. They like how it plays in Middle America. They would rather take their chances as the tough guys who write their own laws in the fight against terrorism against a party still trying to decide whose hand to hold while the Republicans rip out their guts.

7. Just look at him. I mean, really look at him, leaning on the podium, chumming it up with the press corps, acting as if an impeachable offense was nothing more than a discussion of the Sammy Sosa trade back in the day. He chuckles, hems and haws, mugs and guffaws. He has all the moves of a real estate agent or a used car salesman. We should react just as we would with any other salesperson. He is not on our side. Lying is second nature to him.

Jazz.

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, COUNTERPUNCH AND PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE.

Comfortably Numb: The Great Malaise

THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES – DISSEMINATE FREELY.

By Jack Random


Another 19 dead, another young idealistic journalist held captive, another message from the world’s leading terrorist, another equivocation from a Senator campaigning for president, another cliché from the White House, and the distinct feeling that no one is listening, no one is watching, no one is feeling what is happening on the ground in the land of ancient wonders.

Have we become comfortably numb?

We must remember Marla Ruzicka, the young care worker gunned down on the road to the Baghdad airport. Remember how we felt when our emotions were still intact. There have been others, many others – journalists, care workers, observers, contractors – but there is something especially disturbing about the young and gifted. These are individuals with so much honest compassion that they risked the rest of their lives and all the promise, hope and dreams a full life entails.

There is no rational reason we should feel more deeply for Jill Carroll and Marla Ruzicka than we do for so many others, for literally thousands of young and idealistic Iraqis or coalition soldiers. There is no rational reason that one particular life should tear at our hearts so profoundly that we turn away and refuse to look back.

Some will find absurd reasons to dismiss the tragedy: She knew what she was getting into. Go to Baghdad, what do you expect? Walk into the lion’s den and you can’t be surprised when you don’t walk out.

Such rationalizations contribute to our malaise. With every employment, they make us less human, less admirable, less virtuous and less likely to stand up in outrage against a criminally insane war.

Another soldier back from Iraq committed suicide the other day. His name was Douglas Barber. He appeared on Doug Basham’s radio show out of Las Vegas. He served in Iraq on a supply convoy between the Baghdad airport and the American military base in Balad. Upon his return, he joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.

The police rushed to his home, sirens blaring and ambulance lights splashing memories of wartime bloodshed on a crowd of onlookers, but the national media were not there. To my knowledge, it was never mentioned on CNN, MSNBC, Fox or the networks. Apparently, it did not have the appeal of a coal mining disaster, a demolition or a high-speed chase. Douglas Barber was just another soldier, another untold casualty of war.

Have we become comfortably numb?

A friend of mine hypothesizes that those jets we so frequently see laying out trails in the morning and evening skies are actually seeding the air we breathe with a drug that breeds malaise.

Maybe he’s right.

Does anybody care?

Is anybody out there?

Jazz.

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, COUNTERPUNCH AND PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE.

Jake's Word: The West Virginia Mining Disaster

[Jake Berry's response to "Surrealistic Pillow: The West Virginia Mining Disaster" posted on Dissident Voice 1/7/06.]

Yet another vigilant and enlightened piece. I'm glad you brought up Ace In The Hole. I thought of it, too, when I saw the media descend upon the Sago mines. I couldn't remember the name of the movie, but it's a impossible film to forget because it so accurately depicts the excess of media as they transmute freedom of speech into freedom to exploit. And there was handsome Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Vanderbilt, just like handsome Kirk Douglas, informing us of all the latest developments, speaking so emphatically that you can actually hear him draw a breath between sentences.

Democracy is in trouble indeed. The Abramoff turn suggests that there may yet be something to save and a way to save it, but its like stepping into a nest of vipers - will they wriggle away before the light hits them or will they bite you and inject you with the same poison that has saved them in the past? And there's the Bush spying scandal that was so deftly turned on its head to become a search for the guy who ratted him out - and the media followed. It is as you say. They do not report the news, they deliver sensation. They do not inform, they stimulate. I remarked to my wife a couple of weeks ago that the media seem to seek out the stories that will stimulate the fight or flight mechanism. You're either scared or angry - it doesn't matter to them. What they want is your attention. That's money to them, and money is the game.

It's always about resources. Too little or too much and how to resolve the excess or deficit. Either way, someone is bound to get hurt, usually at the business end of military weaponry.

We're close, very close, maybe eleven months close to the final test of democracy in America. Will people respond and use the vote to overturn the tables and send the thieves running, or will they be driven, by fear or anger, one last time into propping the status quo. If they choose the latter we will have to look elsewhere for any support for individual freedoms, civil liberties, or anything resembling a government of, by, and for the people.

How intoxicated are we? How long will the adrenal glands survive this continual manipulation before they collapse and take the body politic down with them? We shall see.

Ezra Pound, great poet, arrogant bigot and fool, was often wrong, but in his cantos he writes, "Fear God and the ignorance of the populace." As usual he was only half right. We have nothing to fear from God, regardless of the reality (or not) of his existence, but an ignorant populace is a dangerous animal - the most dangerous on the planet. As Jimmy wZ said, "Mass consciousness is dangerous."

We're dancing in the lion's jaws, brother (quoting Bruce Cockburn now), by the time of the next winter solstice we'll find out if there's anything left to save.

Jake Berry - Author of Brambu Drezi
[See Jake's blog: 9thstlab.blogspot.com]

Jack Random's Top Ten on Buzzle.com 2005

The following are the most read articles posted by Jack Random on Buzzle.com in 2005.

1. THE DECLINE OF AMERICA. 2/6/05 (7,211 hits). The writing is on the wall. Under the weight of unfathomable debt, bogged down in a Middle East quagmire, America is in decline. The deck of power is being reshuffled and America’s fall is the world’s gain.

2. HURRICANE KATRINA: PRAYERS FOR NEW ORLEANS. 8/30/05 (5,975 hits). Hurricane Katrina may not be as catastrophic as anticipated but it is far, far worse than at first reported. The levees of Lake Pontchartrain are giving way. Martial Law has been declared. Total evacuation is being considered. New Orleans is under siege.

3. THE POISON PILL: SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM. 2/13/05 (5,622). Cleverly disguised as reform, the rightwing domestic agenda is a prescription for the wholesale destruction of FDR’s New Deal.

4. LINES IN THE SAND: THE IRAQ ELECTION. 2/1/05 (4,068). The Promise Of The Iraq Election: While it is difficult to characterize the election in Iraq as anything but a sham, there is a chance it will mark an end to the occupation.

5. VISION OF THE BLACK ROBES. 1/29/05 (3,803). Jerico Whitehorse has a vision of the black robes bringing destruction to the land of his forebearers. He is visited by the wasichu killing spirit, who attempts to convert him. From the novel: Cries for A Vision (The Killing Spirit).

6. THE FEDERALIST COURT: BLAME THE DEMOCRATS & MOVE ON. 7/20/05 (3,673). Who is Judge John Roberts? A brilliant and ultra-conservative attorney who will rise to a position of elite power at the age of 50. Most importantly, he is a favored son of the Federalist Society and he will be confirmed as the pivotal member of the Supreme Court. Blame the Democrats and move on.

7. COLOR OR CLASS? CHARGES OF RACISM IN DISASTER RELIEF. 9/3/05 (3,641). It is now universally acknowledged that government response to the New Orleans tsunami was tragically inept. Those bearing witness to the ongoing horror could not but observe that the vast majority of the abandoned were black. Inevitably, the question had to be asked: Did race play a role in the government's failure?

8. ON LIBERTY: THE MENDACITY OF GEORGE BUSH. 1/27/05 (3,559). The Inaugural Address: On January 20, President George Bush issued an impassioned call to the cause of Liberty! Thousands of dissidents across the land rose in one voice to reply: You, Mr. President, are no friend to Liberty.

9. THE REPENTANT WARRIOR. 1/12/05 (3,516). An Apache Vietnam veteran struggles to find his footing until he seeks help from a wise elder. From Random Tales (unpublished).

10. THE STONE DREAMERS. 3/9/05 (3,470). In a vision of the Stone Ceremony, Jerico returns to Sand Creek to deliver a warning to Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle. Instead, he receives a lesson. From the novel: Cries for A Vision (The Killing Spirit).

New Year Wishes from Code Pink

by Medea Benjamin

Imagine if, in 2006:

• Every citizen against the war decides to attend a peace vigil.
• Every mother shows up at a recruiters' office and says, "NOT MY CHILD!"
• Every father is brave enough to tell his son "Killing is NOT manly."
• Every teacher teaches conflict resolution to her students.
• Every Christian demands that our government practice the Commandment: THOU SHALL NOT KILL.
• Every anti-war voter refuses to give money, support or votes to pro-war candidates.
• Every student who considers joining the military to pay rising college costs instead joins with other students to demand affordable education.
• Every soldier who has doubts about the mission in Iraq refuses to fight.
• Every congressperson walks, cycles or takes public transportation to work.
• Every American buying a new car chooses a hybrid or biodiesel.
• Every family member of a fallen soldier joins Cindy Sheehan in saying “Honor our sacrifices; stop the killing.”
• Every living veteran, those who best know the agony of war, converges on Washington to demand a Department of Peace.
• Every woman who wants to see a more peaceful world connects with like-minded women of all ages, races, religions and nationalities to demand an end to war. *
• Every citizen who feels lied to about the reasons for invading Iraq demands that George Bush be impeached.

Maybe, together, we could end the occupation of Iraq in the new year and make it harder for future leaders to drag us into unjust wars. When we sow seeds of peace, a whole field of dreams can blossom.

From your sisters at CODEPINK, we wish you a joyful holiday season and look forward to working together in 2006 to make our dreams come true.

Medea Benjamin is Founding Director of Global Exchange. For over twenty years, Medea has supported human rights and social justice struggles around the world. Medea is a leading activist in the peace movement and helped bring together the groups forming the coalition United for Peace and Justice . She is also the co-founder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace, a women's group that has been organizing creative actions against the war and occupation of Iraq. CODEPINK is pushing for a reorientation of budget priorities in the US to focus on heath care, education and housing, not war. Code Pink now has over 250 chapters throughout the United States.

[Published on Thursday, December 29, 2005 by CommonDreams.org]

The Mind of Mansel: Rats & The Devil

The Rats Were Made Hungry

(A line from Joseph LeDoux’s book, Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Became Who We Are)

(The sheep have fled and the root of the tree is covered in mucus, mucus from a severed limb addict who pledged to free the lost from Iraqi prisons with force. He stumbled over the best of the brightest; he kept copies notes and took all precautions, then)

Fox News and their embedded (read here for editorial reasons the name of the individual who opposed any right to freedom by interdicting his own racist hatred for the olive skin) Oliver North as he pranced in front of the camera calling the troops out for yet another interview. It was difficult to tell whether or not North would be the target of friendly fire or just saddle sores on his non-dimpled chin from trying to swallow too many belt buckles. One soldier withstood the groping hand of North as he prodded the young Filipino like a heroin addict at sunrise job interview. The soldier immediately attacked the cameraman once the satellite feed ended, kicking the man in the face he had to spit at North to keep him from staring up his pants leg.

Back in New York Sean Hannity liquored up on a strange concoction berated anyone in sight of a toy store even pimping out salvation Army children to donate the change from their pockets to throw in the washing well located in the crotch of Bill O’Reilly. Rush Limbaugh staggering noisily through Tavern on the Green announced a mistrial in his case as he had buggered the prosecutor with fistfuls of pills he acquired in Key West.

- Chris Mansel


Sympathy For The Devil

A curious biographer some day will force himself into the men’s room of the Bush library and find there amidst the vials of cocaine postmarked from Panama once shredded documents that will reveal a tattered game plan in the handwriting of the devil who had made a deal with the late Prescott Bush to ensure for Bush a life of comfort and the ability to swing death like a komodo with a native son. There would be a few more floors to the library if Prescott had not gone against the devil and decided he would through the descendants of his family be the self-appointed killer of generations.

- Chris Mansel

Response to "The Imperial President"

I read with some amusement your recent bit in Dissident Voice … “Imperial President and the NSA Spying Scandal” … and just ‘had to’ respond.

The gradual erosion of the protections of constitutionalism, the alleged ‘rule of law,’ beginning, I would aver, with the collapse of the Articles of Confederation, is part and parcel of the history of the country. The so-called “Civil” War saw the beginnings of the corporate ownership of government and the beat continues on. To ascribe the recent imbroglio to the current presidency is something like being angry with the taste of apples when the tree was planted long ago – did the planter know what was to come of his ‘unintended’ consequences – or was he malicious in his intent even then? Did the man who created the shovel know to what purpose his tool would be put? Have all presidents, believing in their own self-righteousness not felt constrained by any and all limitations? This one may seem blatant, but look at his predecessors, all. The problem isn’t so much the USE of the NSA as it is the EXISTENCE of the NSA. Is it the tool, or the use of the tool with unintended consequences that matters? The idea of corporations may not in itself be bad … but they too tend to grow more and more prominent over time … and to suffer from fewer and fewer limitations.

I do not wish to defend Bush the ‘man’ – he has not the depth, breadth nor scope to be president of the local Rotary, much less of theUnited States. (In fact it may be easier to elect an idiot at the presidential level than in the local Rotary – they at least know something of their members.) I do intend to ask how such a ‘man,’ with all of his limitations, could become president in the first place? How is it that trusting such a ‘man’ with tools such as the NSA came about in the first place? Are we not, in the final analysis, complicit as Eichmann was complicit in the holocaust? Are we not all sinners by omission in the same way the so-called victims of 9-11 were victims of the US imperial hegemony? Are we not, as Ward Churchill suggested, all a bunch of ‘little Eichmann’s”?

Oh yes, there is an evil in the land – and it is NOT al Queda – it is greed, and ‘going along’ so that we can continue to do better, even the poor, than the rest of the world. There is, I suspect, as much of Bush in you as there is of you in Bush – in all of us – a persistent little selfish nastiness. That nastiness was the sown seed that spawned the NSA and the ability to spy on our own citizens. That nastiness has allowed each of us to buy into the idea that ‘our way of life’ is the one needing to be preserved … and that nastiness is at least as Random as Bush.


Randall H Gaylor, MLS

Four Kids from Nowhere

(Heroes and Enemies in War)

Four kids from an all American town
rusting from a global disease
afflicting only the working class
sign up for the National Guard
four tickets to a college education

Four months later they land in Iraq
fighting a global war
for reasons they will never understand
beyond the pledge of allegiance

Four friends who played football and baseball
and hung out after the final score
talking the talk and building friendships
that would last a lifetime

Four months later a lifetime ends for
one of four and nobody asks: What for?
for duty honor freedom democracy
for babies mothers and summer morns

Four kids from an all American town
a world apart yet together in war
with four from Mosul Baghdad Ramadi
who played soccer and hung out after the score

There are no enemies in Iraq
There are only victims
Heroes if you prefer but victims
just the same.

[See Dissident Voice for Jack Random’s “The Imperial President & The NSA Spying Scandal.]

THE IRAQI DEATH TOLL: 140,000

In response to a rare unscripted question, the president recently acknowledged the death of approximately 30,000 Iraqis as result of the war and occupation.

The general response of the media was to praise the president for his candid admission and to search for the source of his estimate. A consensus emerged that the source was the website Iraq Body Count. Few reports went beyond that revelation to examine the accuracy of the estimate.

As reported by the media-watch group FAIR, the Iraq Body Count provides an extremely conservative estimate of civilian deaths only. The count tallies only those deaths that are reported in the media.

As the reader may recall, the first action in the assault on Fallujah was to seize the local hospital. Hospitals had come under American criticism for releasing information regarding deaths and injuries. The Iraq Body Count, itself, acknowledges that their methodology is designed to provide a low baseline for civilian deaths and that “many if not most civilian casualties will go unreported in the media.” This is particularly true since the purge of independent media from Iraq, including Al Jazeera.

If we assume that the Iraq Body Count underestimates civilian deaths by half, the number rises to 60,000 but it remains limited to civilians. If we further assume that the casualty rate among non-civilians (security forces, military police and insurgents) is at least as high as civilian rates, we arrive at a number that fully confirms the much-criticized estimate of 100,000 deaths by the British medical journal Lancet (10/29/04).

In point of fact, the Lancet study remains the only objective attempt to quantify the Iraqi death toll. If we assume that the casualty rate has remained constant since the Lancet survey over a year ago, we arrive at a number approaching 140,000.

While the media may find fault with such a number, I submit it is eminently more reasonable than the president’s informal estimate.

What does that say for the president’s level of awareness or his compassion for the dead?

NUMBER NINE: In Memory of John Lennon

EXCERPT: NUMBER NINE, A WORK IN PROGRESS.

FADE IN:

EXT. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY – ARIEL VIEW – DAY

Smog and traffic patterns.

The Beatles’ REVOLUTION 9 (White Album) is heard.

INSERT MONTAGE – SOCIAL INSANITY

OJ Simpson, CNN war footage, demonstrations, traffic jams, crime scenes, sporting events, Enron, Martha Stewart.

BACK TO SCENE

ZOOM to a woman in a red convertible speeding down a suburban street. This is RUBY DAULTON, 36, a wild woman, exotic dancer, edgy and sexy.

Fade REVOLUTION 9 to HELTER SKELTER (White Album).

Ruby is intense, worried, with one eye on the rearview mirror. She turns suddenly as she glimpses a blue BMW rounding a corner in the mirror.


Ruby kept busy – picking up, wiping down, stacking dishes, emptying ashtrays, anything – to keep from sitting with the men in her living room. They were uninvited guests, a couple of boys from the office. The office was what they called Ruby’s place of employment. Customers called it Shotgun Slim’s – a stripper bar in the great San Fernando Valley, where the sun always shines and the air is a toxic mix of internal combustion soup.

It was Ruby’s birthday but the boys brought nothing but trouble. They sat in the living room of her small cottage, laughing and posturing over a televised boxing match. She was reminded of the one question that settled in her mind years ago and, like an unwanted relative, never left: What the fuck am I doing here?

It was a long way from the Land of Oz. Ruby knew how she had gotten here. What she did not know and could not have understood if she did was why she had chosen to stay. The old cliché: Habits die hard.

The boys were getting too high, too coked up, and too revved up on televised violence, gin and tonic. A fourth round technical knockout brought them to frenzy and let them down hard. They had little else to do but turn their attentions to Ruby. They won their boxing bets but Ruby was the loser.

As it happened, Ruby had a man. He was the owner of Shotgun Slim’s and these boys were supposed to be his friends and partners – brothers in the vocabulary of the business. She knew what they were about. They would use their highs to excuse their behavior. No excuse would be good enough for Ruby: That she was a woman? That she was not physically strong enough to deter them? Should she take a beating only to suffer the same consequences – only worse?

The truth is she did not like her man any more than she liked his friends. They were all scumbags – little piggy punks with drugs, money and guns.

“What the fuck am I doing here?” she asked aloud as they implored her to come to them.

“Get your ass in here, you sexy fucking bitch!”

They were pawing their groins, laughing and clapping like wild boars circling a ground hog.

Ruby took account and decided to be cool. She left herself behind in the kitchen, along with the memories of who she once was: a kid from Kansas, pretty and popular enough to finish third in the race for Homecoming Queen. Sexy Sadie. Protected from all harm, she hid herself in the closet of her mind, safe behind walls of mental concrete and layers of darkness. She walked out of herself and, like Norma Jean becoming Marilyn, she became Ruby Daulton, queen of the dance floor, star of the stage where the silver phallus is always front and center.

“Tony wouldn’t like this,” she purred. Tony was Antonio Menendez, her man and their boss.

“Tony ain’t gonna hear about it,” replied Little Billy. He was a large man with short hair, ruddy complexion, and bulging biceps. He was known at the office as “the muscle.” Ruby sensed that he hated the boss as much as she did but Tony was clueless.

“Alright then,” she said. “What do you boys want?”

Little Billy grabbed his balls. “Hey, babe, you know what I want!”

He used a remote to click some music on the television. They had prepared something special: a mix from The Beatles’ White Album, beginning with Birthday.

They say it’s your birthday …

Ruby waited as long as she could before beginning the slow movements known as the tease. She was playing along and the boys were content.

Yes we’re going to a party party …

She removed her shoes and was beginning to remove her shirt when the music shifted to Sexy Sadie. Ruby loved Sexy Sadie. It meant more to her than they could ever imagine. She began to move to the rhythm inside. She closed her eyes and began to dance – not the cheap, over-rehearsed dance of the stripper but the dance of the muses of ancient mythology. She danced and the muses wept. She closed her eyes and thought of Dorothy and Kansas and the wizard who was not a wizard and ruby-red shoes on a yellow, brick road. She danced and she imagined fields of golden grass, waves of amber grace, fields of wild flowers, and poppies – glistening white poppies from here to the end of time. She closed her eyes, tapped her heels, and flew away on the wings of angelic beings.

Sexy Sadie, how did you know?
The world was waiting just for you …

When she awakened with a jolt, everything had changed. Sexy Sadie had given way to a blaring Happiness is A Warm Gun. The transition was sudden and disturbing. It was an omen as surely as a crow in the morning or crossing the path of a black cat.

“This is wrong,” she said.

The boys were not convinced. As far as they were concerned, happiness was a warm gun and a sexy woman to help it along.

“Dance, baby! Take it off!”

Ruby turned to the windows at the front of her small cottage and thought she saw the glimpse of a shadow.

“Antonio’s coming,” she said.

“Bullshit, baby, he’s tied up.”

I need a fix ‘cause I’m going down …

Ruby danced on but it was not the same. It was the familiar dance of a stripper on a long and lonely night when men too tired, too drunk, too high and too excited to think pawed the stage and clamored for more. The smell of sweat and spent ejaculations stifled the air and choked away any beauty and grace of the dancer’s performance.

The boys were not content with the pace of Ruby’s tease. They rushed the improvised stage of her living room, ripped the clothes from her body, and forced her to her knees as Ruby kicked, scratched and fought but refused to scream. She would not give them that satisfaction. She would face the demons as she always had. She would be strong – quietly defiant.

A crash at the door, felt more than heard, interrupted them at the height of their excitement. It was Antonio. He was the picture of a jealous man who was tipped off by someone with a personal interest.

Happiness is a warm gun. Bang-bang, shoot-shoot …

Ruby managed to grab her clothes and move to the back of the room. The boys, holding their pants, were trying to explain that it was Ruby’s fault. She was a tease. She seduced them.

Little Billy saw the hatred in Tony’s eyes and knew their words were a waste. It was the rage of a man betrayed by those he had considered his friends, his partners, and his brothers. They rambled on if only to buy time and to let the rage disperse.

“She’ll get hers,” mumbled Antonio. It was all Ruby needed to hear.

Little Billy went for his gun first. It was a futile gesture, the desperate last act of a dead man. Antonio brought the wrath of jealousy and betrayal, the hammer of vengeance down upon their heads. He emptied two handguns, reloaded, and made a point of blowing their faces off.

Ruby escaped. She dashed out the back, ran around the corner, past Antonio’s blue BMW, jumped in her convertible and drove away just as Tony emerged, splattered with blood and looking for his final revenge.

The television survived and played on.

Helter skelter helter skelter …
Will you won’t you want me to make you
I’m coming down fast but don’t let me break you …

Helter skelter helter skelter …
Tell me tell me tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain’t no dancer …

Look out, helter skelter helter skelter …
Look out!

SAVE TOOKIE WILLIAMS! FREE LEONARD PELTIER!
FORGET THE ASSASSIN. REMEMBER JOHN LENNON. IMAGINE.

Howard Dean & The Democratic War Trap

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean made headlines with his interview on a Texas radio station. The media dutifully reported his comment that "the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is...just plain wrong" and his comparision of Iraq to Vietnam.

Once again, however, if you peel away the antiwar rhetoric, you are left with a position that is anything but antiwar. Dean specifically noted that he was not proposing a withdrawal but a "strategic redeployment over a period of two years." He explores the possibilities of pulling National Guard and Reserves, redeploying to "a friendly neighboring country", and committing an additional 20,000 troops to Afghanistan "where we are welcome."

You could argue that Dean's position is an improvement on the Bush strategy but it is not antiwar. From Dean's strategic redeployment, the future of the war could move in any direction, including escalation, increased air strikes, and expansion into Syria and Iran.

Howard Dean has become the poster boy for Democratic duplicity on the war. They offer us appealing words but the bullets and bombs will continue. They promise us peace -- not today, not tomorrow, but somewhere on a distant horizon.

See "Snookered: The Democratic War Trap" on Peace-Earth-Justice [pej.org] 12/4/05.

Gonzo Lives! From the Mind of Mansel

Washington’s Blue Underground


“Burn down the retinas and shave the ghost!”

Those words came from the oval office as reporters stormed the steps of the White House on Friday. Karl Rove was screaming and swinging a fourteen-pound dumbbell on the desk of the president.

Rove screamed, “I can’t f-cking take it anymore. Three hundred and seventy five Iraqi’s ready for combat? What do we have to do go over there and torture the c-cks-ckers myself? Sh-t!”

Dick Cheney sat in silence mulling over the freckled face of a senate page on loan from Rick Santorum. The page stood nervously, his feet becoming clammy in anticipation and in fear of the result.

The President snorting lines of cocaine quickly answers the phone and is informed of the reporters storming past the Roosevelt room. The formerly retired Sam Donaldson loses his hairpiece in the struggle. Helen Thomas aboard a motorized scooter whizzes past Bob Woodard who was tripped up by a foaming Bill O’Reilly who keeps exposing himself.

Meanwhile in the residence first lady Laura Bush is crouched above a first century pamphlet on sobriety and tries to pick it up by using neither of her hands.

- Chris Mansel

chrismansel.blogspot.com
themanselreport.blogspot.com

STANLEY “TOOKIE" WILLIAMS: The Case Against Capital Punishment

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, co-founder of the Crips gang and convicted murderer, in the absence of the governor’s act of clemency, commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, will be put to death by lethal injection on December 13.

His claim of innocence cannot be summarily dismissed in light of the numerous reversals obtained by revelations of DNA evidence. That our system of justice is flawed has been demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt. Moreover, Williams stands as a rare and classic example of rehabilitation. He has become a powerful spokesperson against the gangster life. He has written children’s books and been nominated for a Nobel Prize.

Aside from the straightforward moral question of whether the state should be engaged in the taking of human lives, the question that must be resolved in all cases of capital punishment is this: Is it in the interest of society?

It is traditionally argued that public safety is the first interest of government. The death penalty is said to serve public safety (a) by assuring that the punished individual will do no further harm and (b) by deterring others from committing crimes that may result in the same fate.

No one denies that society has a legitimate interest in protecting itself from dangerous individuals. Where life imprisonment without parole is an option, however, as it clearly is in the Tookie Williams case, the principle of self-protection is fully served without the death penalty. Moreover, there is a compelling case that Williams’ current work against gangs has saved lives and will continued to do so by leading young people in directions other than the gangster life.

Whether he was rehabilitated by the system or simply by time and his own evolution as a human being, his is a convincing case that rehabilitation is possible. He is not the man he once was.

If there is a deterrent effect in the Williams case, it will happen when he is executed. It will be deterrence against rehabilitation and reform. It will be a very public notice that society places little value in the positive works of a condemned individual. You are the crime and no act of redemption can arrest the decree.

In the interest of society, Tookie Williams should be allowed to continue his writing and his work that may, in some measure, repair some of the harm he caused in his former life.

Society has no interest in killing for vengeance. It is time that the people of all nations moved beyond that guttural, inhumane response. It is time we banished the concept that justice cannot be served and closure cannot be achieved unless blood is spilled.

It is painful to observe the grief-born rage of victim survivors who cannot let go. They seem to believe it is their duty not to let go. They seem to believe that anger will comfort them and revenge will ease their pain. Sadly, they are wrong but they can never admit it for that also would betray their profound grief.

In truth, vengeance may be sweet in the movies but it is only a surface medicine at best. It does nothing to heal the wound or ease the sorrow of loss. The healing can never be initiated by opening another wound.

It is time we accepted what the civilized world has long recognized: The taking of human life by a nation or institution of government is a crime against humanity.

Jazz.

MANSEL RETURNS WITH A LITTLE GONZO

Thundered On The Flesh: New York Stories

The steakhouse smells of shit and the waiters stand in the corners, darkened by the smoke emitting from the kitchen. Donald Rumsfeld is entertaining foreign heads of state, otherwise known as senate pages, and going on and on about the breakdown in communications since the capture of many members of the terror organizations, which were helpful in the C.I.A. drug trade. Robert Novak arrives and begins throwing peppercorns around the room. He stuffs chervil down the V-neck sweaters of the waiters and kicks at the jukebox, which only plays Carol Channing.

A waiter approaches Rumsfeld and explains he has a phone call. Karl Rove is calling and screams about the press outside the restaurant. Rove down the street in a dusty van pecks at the laptop computer and watches surveillance footage of Judith Miller and Jean Schmidt making out under a streetlight on the dark side of an abandoned Maryland highway.

The Machiavellian silence of the press core, the lack of investigative journalism, the reliability of the in-bedded reporters in Iraq twirl on the little finger of the major corporations as they meet in seclusion in New York City. Usually they will just sit around and try to remember who owns what. But today they are discussing whether or not the physical makeup of New Orleans and southern Mississippi will impact their businesses. Business a coy term to explain the root of the term, when you own major corporations and own shares in others your line of influence extends in many directions. You might own the items that fill up the shelves but not the store. You may own the company that supplies the workers but not be responsible for their safety or healthcare costs. It is a high finance way of hiding income out in the open.

The heads of the major corporations who own shares in the three corporations that are shadow companies that supply income and money laundering for the government are in New York mainly to celebrate finally taking the companies public, but soon the real guests arrive. Politicians from both sides of the aisle and both sides of the pond arrive and await information on the status of the new IPO. Members of the current administration keep up to date by phone.

- Chris Mansel

chrismansel.blogspot.com
themanselreport.blogspot.com

THANKS & FORGIVENESS

On this day of Thanksgiving, I reflect on the positive changes in my life and the lives of others within my community and beyond, for which I should be grateful. I reflect as well on the dark forces within and without my life that oppose me and that I oppose and wonder if I can find a path to forgiveness.

I thank my family and friends for giving me support and forgiving my missteps, knowing that they are almost always taken with good and pure intent.

I forgive the small betrayals of the communal trust for which there is underlying beneficent intent and pledge that I will look for that intent beyond the sting of perceived, unwarranted abuse.

I thank Congressman John Murtha for initiating the congressional debate that should have been aired before the war began. I thank him for having the courage to learn and change while others cling stubbornly to political postures.

I thank Major Paul Hackett for finally moving to an antiwar position.

I thank Howard Zinn, Kevin Zeese, Tom Hayden, Amy Goodman, Robert Scheer, Noam Chomsky, Mickey Z, Ralph Nader, Robert Jensen, Cynthia McKinney, Barbara Lee, Dennis Kucinich and so many others for standing strong in the cause of peace.

I thank Common Dreams, Dissident Voice, Albion Monitor, Counterpunch, Z Net, Democracy Now and others in the alternative media for giving voice to the antiwar movement.

I forgive Move On and other partisan organizations for failing to find the antiwar ground as they struggle to overcome the politics of pragmatism.

I thank International ANSWER and United for Peace and Justice for overcoming their differences in bringing the antiwar movement together.

I thank the people of Spain for finding a more enlightened way to respond to acts of terrorism and for leading European opposition to the Iraq War.

I thank the people of my own nation for finally awakening to the nightmare of the Bush Doctrine.

I thank our soldiers not for their actions in war but for their sacrifice, courage and honor in serving a cause greater than themselves. I thank Kevin Benderman and all the soldiers who have decided they cannot serve an immoral war in good conscience.

I thank people everywhere for caring and giving to the victims of unprecedented catastrophes. If only governments were as enlightened as their peoples.

I thank Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for his opposition to global exploitation and for his bold and generous gift of cheap heating oil to poor American communities.

I forgive those in power who genuinely believed that the policies of austerity (“starving the beast”) and global dominance would somehow serve the greater good, so long as they accept the error of their ways.

I thank all the individuals who have not lost hope, who continue to struggle for peace, justice and the well being of the planet. May I forever count myself among them.

Jazz.

THE GOD OF RANDOM CHANCE

(RANDOM JACK: DISSEMINATE FREELY.)

Beyond dishonesty, there is a logical fallacy underlying the position of those who advocate “Intelligent Design” in the science curriculum of public schools. The dishonesty is their failure to advocate creationism in a straightforward manner. The fallacy is the assumption that Darwinian theory posits a point of origin on earth or in the universe. The very concept of evolution assumes that something existed in order to evolve.

There is no inherent conflict between theories of evolution and the postulates of creation; they are mutually exclusive. The real question is whether one believes in a god of chaos, senselessness, dispersion and chance or a god of order, discipline and law.

I will leave it to others to determine where the various gods – Buddhist, Christian-Judaic, Islamic, Hindu, Zarathustran, Copernican, et al – reside on the continuum between random chance and order. I would only note that the theory of relativity does not allow absolutes in time and space. Therefore, to postulate a point of origin is in conflict with Einstein’s most substantial contribution to scientific theory.

If we allow the creationists to proceed on a path traditionally reserved to scientists, we may find that relativity is called to question and, therefore, nuclear weapons do not exist and Einstein, himself, was nothing more than a mythological being from an alternate universe of pure fantasy.

I am not opposed to discussing “intelligent design” or creationism in the public schools but it should fall under the heading of comparative religions or universal mythology (depending on your persuasion), not under the discipline of science.

Every individual has a right to believe in anything but no one has a right impose a belief that two plus two is less than four.

[See The Albion Monitor or Buzzle.com for the latest Jazzman Chronicle: The Woodward Gambit.]

TARGET SYRIA: The Hariri Assassination

The investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri must go beyond the standard suspicions. Faced with compelling evidence of high-level involvement (i.e., the operation was well planned, well connected and financed), United Nations investigators naturally assumed that Hariri’s political enemies in Syria were responsible.

Maybe they are right but they could very reasonably be wrong as well.

All criminal investigations must begin with the question: Who stands to gain?

Take a hard look at the aftermath of the Hariri assassination and ask yourself: Who gained?

Syria, whose political support in Lebanon is substantial, was forced to withdraw its troops. It faces sanctions from the United Nations and its leaders must be subjected to public scrutiny. In the balance, America and her allies stand poised for military intervention, expanding the war in Iraq.

Who stood to gain from the Hariri assassination: Syria or America? Who has the intelligence and security connections to pull off such an operation? Who has the power and the pull to direct the investigation away from their door and direct it to their enemy?

One must wonder why CIA operatives in the region have not been questioned along with their Syrian counterparts.

American forces have been fighting at the Syrian border for more than a year. Covert operations inside Syria and Lebanon can safely be assumed and cross-border commando raids are a documented fact (NY Times).

Anyone who would sincerely be surprised at America’s hand in a targeted assassination for strategic advantage has not studied the history of covert operations.

[See the Albion Monitor www.albionmonitor.com for The Woodward Gambit, a Jazzman Chronicle by Jack Random.]

Last Words: The Silence of Chris Mansel

The Leviathan Who Fought On His Knees

(for Bob Kincaid)

Ok, they have me now, they have worn me down and tied me to the post and hurled their lies and betrayals, perjuries and their lawbreaking has got me down.... How can anyone in some resemblance of thought watch Scott McClellan and believe anything he says? How can anyone watch our president utter anything at all and watch him quiver, slither his own brand of ka ka and not be flabbergasted? If anyone can honestly say they believe in this administration, avoid them because they may have the bird flu you have heard so much about.

Mine eyes have seen the coming of the fall of the house of Bush. They'll be throwing bodies out the window as the car careens out of control until the election of 2008. I predict sooner rather than later the Saudi Royal family will summon Bush to their creepy lair and scold him for his actions. Called on the carpet though they be on the walls, Georgie Boy will hold hands and stagger cocaine bunches up under his lips and call for a moratorium on cannibals in the U.N. He'll trace the family tree of Dick Cheney back to the original declaration of independence first composed on the Mayflower in blood from a Haitian slave.

Condi Rice will appear in a sex tape with several volleyball players with sand still in their toes. She'll be seen in the fetal position humping a statue of Ronald Reagan and screaming about the troops overlooking Little Big Horn.

Scooter Libby will consult and be visited by G. Gordon Libby and develop contacts in the prison drug trade and be tattooed by the Aryan gangs. Upon release he will start a foundation to study the possibility of promoting commercial prison retreats for the wealthy.

The body of William McNamara upon his death will burst into flames and a million North Vietnamese will run out and devour the body of Henry Kissinger asleep in the front row of the memorial service.

- Chris Mansel

[Editor's Note: The rare and passionate voice of Chris Mansel falls silent this week as he announces the cessation of the Mansel Report. He has answered a greater call in relocating to the great city of New Orleans as it struggles for its soul. We wish you well, Mr. Mansel, and hope that the muse that silences your voice today will deliver its return when it is most needed. Blessings on your journey and gratitude for your testaments of truth.]

The Bird Flu Menace

The Avian flu is real and growing. Either the government knows something we do not or there is another agenda. It is not the nature of this government to anticipate catastrophe and it is even less inclined to invest billions in preventative measures.

If in fact the motive behind the White House initiative is limited to the probability and potential harm of a pandemic, they would be inclined to go about the business of building massive isolation bunkers for the elite. They would do so quietly while publicly expressing a commitment in the multi millions (not billions) and the world would humbly express gratitude.

Now the world may be wondering (as I am) what this is all about. Seven billion is an expensive show of compassion and it stretches the bounds of credulity to accept it on face value.

After considerable thought, running through various scenarios involving quarantine, martial law and military invasion, I have arrived at what I consider a rational hypothesis:

The administration has run out of reasons for invading nations. America is trusted by fewer and fewer on the planet. There are now precious few places in the world where America's clandestine operations are welcome.

Enter the bird flu: The virus mutates into the feared pandemic strain in Malaysia or Indonesia (the most populous Muslim nation on earth). For the first time, it spreads from human to human and the American military (with local cooperation) lays siege, setting up quarantine zones and military lockdown. A team of covert operators accompanies a small army of medical personel rushed to the disaster area. They operate with impunity, interogating whomever they wish, evacuating neighborhoods, searching private homes, offices, mosques and meeting places, searching through private communications and computer files. The potential payoff in the war on terror is considerable. It might even produce the great illusive one: OBL.

Is it beyond imagining? Absolutely not.

Is it far fetched? Let us hope so.

Is it possible? Yes.

(NOTE: See Dissident Voice 11/5/05 for Jack Random's "The Activist Court & The Neoconservative Agenda.")

Show Me The Worms, O Cries Of Despair

From the Mind of Mansel (the Mansel Report):

In the White House tonight they are dismantling the tree house once occupied by Karl Rove through much turmoil. An insider says, "It's like the last days of Hitler's Bunker in there." They're throwing fecal matter at the walls and calling up old markers all the way from the Orient to California. The President has handed out the doses and has locked himself in a sealed chamber with a screaming Condi Rice. Karen Hughes for the first time dressed entirely in military attire stands at the door with a menacing stare.

Over at the Senate and the House the Republican members are standing around 50 gallon oil drums tossing in the paper trail that could end up convicting them if the top positions go down. Several of the elected officials on up in years have to be reminded to take their medication. One congressman starts raving about Bob Dole's campaign running out of steam. Away from the cameras these men become like children pulling at the pigtails of their sons, cursing the drug culture while swigging scotch and puffing tobacco. The foul smell of urine filling depends diapers cannot be avoided as this legislative branch comes into its own.

- Chris Mansel

IRAQI REFERENDUM ON THE OCCUPATION

Astounding numbers have emerged from the British Ministry of Defence. The numbers themselves are not surprising but the fact that they were released to the Sunday Telegraph is (see Common Dreams 10/23/05).

Two and a half years into the occupation:

82% of Iraqis are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops.

72% do not have confidence in the multi-national forces.

67% feel less secure because of the occupation.

45% believe attacks against British and American troops are justified.

43% believe conditions for peace and stability have worsened.

These numbers represent a clear outcome in a referendum on the Iraqi occupation. Combined with a recent poll finding that over 80% of the American public now favors a timetable of withdrawal, the White House can no longer sustain its campaign of endless war on the grounds of democracy. Democracy is the voice of the people and the people have spoken clearly.

You cannot be a liberator if the people you claim to be liberating are overwhelmingly opposed to your presence. You cannot claim the mantle of democracy when your own people oppose you.

The occupying forces (with a proxy Iraqi court) are currently trying the former tyrant of Iraq. If the Iraqi people have their way, the American president will be next in line. If the Plamegate investigation bears fruit, however, they may have to wait their turn.

Random Note 10/23/05.

PLEDGE AGAINST THE WAR

In "The War Party: The Next Step in the Antiwar Movement" (Buzzle.com, 9/30/04), I advocated the following pledge in the coming elections.

The War Party pledge:

The War Party platform comes down to one simple requirement: A pledge to bring our soldiers home within six months (or less), to dismantle our military installations, and to revoke all contractual claims of the occupying force.

We should not care whether a candidate is Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green or Independent. We should only require an unequivocal pledge to end the war.

Our goal must be to offer an antiwar alternative in every race in the land. We must divorce ourselves from the self-defeating notion that a pro-war Democrat is substantially better than a pro-war Republican. Where there is an antiwar alternative, there is a chance the mainstreamers will come around. Where there is no alternative, there is no chance.
----
Recently, former Congressional candidate Paul Hackett circulated the following pledge in behalf of Democracy for America. As it is a start, I signed it.

Democracy for America Pledge:

I pledge to only support candidates who:
1. Acknowledge that the U.S. was misled into the war in Iraq.
2. Advocate for a responsible exit plan with a timeline.
3. Support our troops at home and abroad.

See: http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/local

Additionally, Joshua Frank, author of "Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush," writing in Dissident Voice, advocated the candidacy of Kevin Zeese for the open Senatorial seat in Maryland (see Dissident Voice, 10/18/05). Zeese is director of Democracy Rising, an avowed antiwar activist pledged to ending the occupation.

"There is not a single Senator standing up in Washington urging that we bring the troops home." Kevin Zeese.

As an independent running against a pro-war Democrat (Congressman Ben Cardin) and a yet to be announced Republican, he deserves our support.

I join Frank's appeal. The time is ripe. The candidates are emerging. If we act on our convictions now and back it up with contributions, the transformation of America begins next November. Take the pledge.

See: www.kevinzeese.com.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM: Iraq, Venezuela, Ohio & Florida

JAZZMAN CHRONICLES: DISSEMINATE FREELY.
By Jack Random

One could not observe the unfolding story of a fixed election in Iraq without recalling the sordid electoral history of the Bush administration. After sacrificing two thousand American soldiers, tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and countless untold casualties of war, it seems the democracy we have bestowed on Iraq is not the democracy of our founders in 1776 (declaring independence from a foreign power); it is not the democracy of 1783 (drafting a constitution on the foundation of a bill of rights); rather, it is the democracy of Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004.

The critical flaw of our founders was that they did not trust the common people, minorities or women to be a part of the fledgling republic. The problem with the neocon overlords of war, self-proclaimed champions of liberty and conduit of God’s true will, is that they do not trust democracy at all.

They like a fixed game.

In Florida 2000, with all the chips on the table, the current inhabitants of the White House administered the greatest disenfranchisement of African American citizens since the days of Jim Crow and still they had to fall back on a corrupt Supreme Court.

In 2004, when it all came down to Ohio, Karl Rove and his merry pranksters dusted off the bag of dirty tricks in a determined effort to suppress the black vote. When it appeared it was not enough (remember the exit polls), the fix went in on the electronic ballot box (which conveniently did not leave a paper trail).

They like a fixed game.

In the days leading up to the Iraqi constitutional referendum, the interim National Assembly tried to fix the rules (lowering the bar for passage). When that backfired in a barrage of unfavorable public opinion, the fix went in on the ballot box in the critical province of Ninevah.

Owing to the ineptitude of the opposition party, the pervasive corruption of the two-party system, and the complicity of corporate media, we never learned the full extent of democracy’s betrayal in Florida or Ohio. In the occupied territory of Iraq (can we even call it a nation?), where media is completely marginalized and there is no independent judiciary, there is no chance that the truth will ever emerge. We will be given a set of numbers and the numbers will be shaped to the desired result.

If there were a free press in Iraq, the wires would be buzzing with stories of disenfranchisement and voter suppression. In America, we disenfranchise undesirable (i.e., black) voters by falsely branding them criminals, by changing polling stations without notification, and by an assortment of other nefarious means. In Iraq, they simply round up the usual suspects (i.e., Sunnis) and detain them until after the election. If they resist, they shoot them down like stray dogs in New Orleans and proclaim another victory in the war for democracy.

The difficulty with foreign lands that we consider less sophisticated than our own is that the people have a sixth sense. They are not conditioned to believe what the government tells them or what the media dutifully reports. They may not fully understand the intricacies of a profoundly flawed legal document but they have a nose for corruption and they will sniff it out.

Curiously, the Associated Press issued a report based on the early count that admitted no doubt in the result of the referendum. In the Sunni dominated provinces of Diyala and Ninevah, the referendum was winning by margins of seventy and seventy-three percentage points. By Sunday morning (American time), Nation Public Radio was reporting a great deal of doubt – particularly in the province of Ninevah. What happened? Was the initial margin so overwhelming that it challenged common sense?

It was good enough, it seemed, for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

About two years ago, Dr. Rice spoke too soon when she signaled American approval of a military coup in Venezuela (the coup was reversed within days). She may have committed the same diplomatic perversity in pronouncing passage of the Iraqi constitution.

There were no exit polls in Mosul, were there?

What did Dr. Rice know that the people on the ground did not? Given the rudimentary hand-counting system of Iraqi elections, we were told it could take days or weeks before the ballots were fully tabulated but, according to the secretary, the results were already in. Perhaps they were in before the first ballot was cast.

When Dr. Rice spoke prematurely on the Venezuelan coup, she inadvertently tipped America’s hand. Our agents were intricately involved in that disgraceful attempt to overthrow a lawfully elected government – just as they were with Jean Bertrand Aristide in Haiti.

To be fair, Dr. Rice did not speak with certainty in her referendum pronouncement. She left room for doubt. She allowed for a safe retreat.

She and the neocon overlords in the White House would be wise to exercise the exit option. The defeat of the draft constitution would not be a crushing blow to either the occupation or democracy in Iraq. It might in fact lend some credibility to the process. The only outcome that would most assuredly fuel the fires of the insurgency is the perception of a crooked election.

As for the occupation, it is already doomed. It is no longer a question of success or failure – indeed, it never really was. It is a question of how long, how much, and how many more lives will be sacrificed on the altar of a lie. According to the latest CNN poll, fully 82% of Americans believe in a timetable of withdrawal. You do not press on in war with only 18% support.

We have had our own referendum on the war and the occupation. The results must bring shock and awe to the overlords of preemptive strike and never-ending war: They have utterly and miserably failed.

The only referendum in Iraq that truly matters is a referendum on the occupation itself: Shall all foreign soldiers withdraw from the nation?

Like Condoleezza Rice, we do not require an official tabulation to announce the result: America must withdraw.

Jazz.

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE BEEN POSTED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR & COUNTERPUNCH. SEE BUZZLE.COM: GOVERNMENT & POLITICS.

A Message from United for Peace & Justice

2,000 U.S. Deaths in Iraq is 2,000 Too Many!

Organize an Anti-War Action the Day After the U.S. Announces the 2,000th U.S. Soldier Death in Iraq

How many more U.S. soldiers and Iraqis must give their lives before our government finally admits that the war against Iraq was wrong and it’s time tobring our troops home now? So far, more than 1950 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and more than 15,000 have been wounded. U.S. soldiers are at grave risk in Iraq, and continue to suffer even after they come home. Troops returning to the U.S. are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and are even turning up in homeless shelters in cities through the country. The risk for Iraqis is even more severe: Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the war, and hundreds of thousands of lives have been devastated, even according to the most conservative estimates.

Meanwhile, the war has meant that precious resources are being channeled toward death and destruction in Iraq instead of into programs that could save people’s lives and meet their basic human needs. If the National Guard troops and equipment from Mississippi and Louisiana hadn’t been in Iraq, the Guard could have responded more quickly and more thoroughly to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and lives could have been saved. The U.S. is pouring more than a billion dollars a week into the Iraq war that could otherwise be spent on health care, schools and infrastructure here at home.

TAKE ACTION: ORGANIZE AN ANTI-WAR VIGIL, RALLY OR OTHER PEACE EVENT FOR THEDAY AFTER THE 2,000th U.S. SOLDIER IS KILLED IN IRAQ:

The sad day is coming when the 2,000th U.S. soldier will have died in Iraq. We need to use that milestone to remind people of the human cost of the war and call for the troops to come home. United for Peace and Justice supports the calls of our member groups - American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org/2,000/, Gold Star Families for Peace http://www.gsfp.org and Military Families Speak Out http://www.mfso.org - for actions on the day after the 2,000th U.S. serviceperson's death is announced. We urge to you join the hundreds of peace and justice groups throughout the country as we tell the President, Congress and the world that 2,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq is 2,000 too many.

• We will remember the 2,000 U.S. servicemen and women who have died in Iraq.
• We will remember the tens of thousands of Iraqis -- civilians and combatants, men and women, children the elderly -- who have been killed.
• We will remember that these deaths did not have to happen, should not have happened.
• We will call for our troops to be brought home now. Don't ask these men and women to continue to die for politicians' mistakes and lies. And we want them treated right when they return. Give them the benefits they were promised and give them the help they will need to heal their bodies, their minds and their spirits.
• We will demand an end to the occupation so the Iraqi people can determine their own destiny free from foreign interference and control.

Some ideas for what you can do:
• Organize a candlelight vigil where you read the names of U.S. soldiers and Iraqis who've been killed in the war.
• Organize an event that visually represents the number of U.S. soldiers who've been killed - 2,000 candles, 2,000 pairs of shoes, 2,000 coffins, etc.
• Organize any event outside of the district office of a Senator or Representative who needs to change his/her position on the Iraq war - a vigil, picket, rally, or sit-in. Demand that the Senator or Representative face his/her constituents at a town hall meeting.
• Coordinate with other local peace and justice groups, veterans, and military families.
• Make sure that the media knows what you are doing and invite them to cover your activities.
• List your event at http://unitedforpeace.org/addevent so we can get the word out about these events and give an accurate count to the news media.

RANDOM TAKES: October 2005

GOD’S WAR
For the second time it has been reported that the president believes that God directed him to wage war on Iraq. The first came from a Texas confidant who was authorized to write a Bush biography. The second comes from an assembly of Palestinians whom, after the initial shock, must have had difficulty maintaining diplomatic decorum.

ROVE’S LAST APPEAL
For the fourth time, the president’s political mastermind, Karl Rove, will appear before the Grand Jury investigating the White House leak that exposed CIA operative, Valerie Plame Wilson, for political retribution. He will doubtlessly try to explain the discrepancies in his previous testimony. He will fail. History will record that, while curiosity killed the cat, it was arrogance that hammered the nails in the Bush administration coffin. Rove will fall and Cheney will follow. We will then witness whether loyalty rivals arrogance in the White House moral hierarchy.

SUPREME COURT TANGO
George W. Bush speaks of Harriet Miers as if she were a former lover. Are we certain it is not so? Ms Miers, quite striking in her youth, is sixty, single and childless. She has climbed from a Lottery Commission chair as recently as 2000 to the most powerful judicial appointment in the western world. The tale will be told when and if Laura, who killed a former lover in a tragic auto wreck in her youth, and Harriet share the stage. Sparks will fly and the nomination will be imperiled.

FUN WITH PIGGY
Rather than fighting price gouging or windfall oil profits that accompany every disruption in the energy supply (or even a whisper of disruption), the Bush White House is taking the usual approach to its disastrous policies: public relations. The Energy Hog (a new cartoon icon) will give tips on wearing sweaters and changing the heating filter monthly rather than pushing for hybrid cars or solar energy panels. There will be no talk of government responsibility, no push for fuel efficiency standards, no suggestion that the Hummer may not be patriotic after all. The Energy Hog loves big oil and has a seat next to Cheney at the table of almighty influence. There is a striking resemblance.

PRIVATE BAEZ
Who is Roberto Baez of Tampa, Florida? In 2004, at the age of eighteen, he voted for George Bush in his first presidential election. He played sports, went to football games, and had a high school sweetheart. He graduated high school and contemplated an uncertain future. Filled with patriotic pride and the promises of an army recruiter, he enlisted. Private Baez would never vote in another election. He would never marry his high school sweetheart or attend another football game. He would no longer worry about the future. On Wednesday, October 5, Roberto Baez graduated from life on earth. Officially, he became number 1945 on the official list of American casualties in the Iraq War.

RANDOM NOTE: SLAMMING THE HAMMER

Beating up on Tom DeLay is too easy. The man wears his corruption on his face like a badge of honor. File it under: Who cares? Taking out the number two Republican in Congress is like eliminating the number two man in Al Qaeda (how many number two men can Al Qaeda have?): There are literally dozens ready and anxious to step into his corrupted shoes.

The job of House Majority leader (like the Whip) is to wield the hammer with absolute venality and to weather the inevitable blowback. It is easy to build the case that DeLay is the most corrupt figure in Washington but the claim is highly disputable. He is, however, among the most powerful.

Typically, when a man like The Hammer goes down (it remains to be seen if he will), he takes a great many colleagues with him. That is why his fellows in Congress are reticent to add fuel to the fire. It is also why we should continue to watch the proceedings closely. Only those who are clean or protected will dare bear witness against him. The corrupt will stand silent. If The Hammer is pinned to the wall or cornered like a rabid dog, that is when the show begins.

Jazz.

[Note: See Dissident Voice for "The Age of Catastrophe."]

JAKE'S WORD: The Lessons of Katrina

Excerpt from THE LESSONS OF KATRINA By Jack Random (see Buzzle.com: Government & Politics):

"On September 22, 2005, with Hurricane Rita bearing down on the coasts of Texas and southwest Louisiana, President Bush addressed a gathering of journalists to defend the war in Iraq. What was disturbing was not only that the facts on the ground did not support his optimism but that the president considered it an appropriate time to lecture the media on foreign policy."

Response by Jake Berry: Once again. Yes, all thru. Have you heard about the destruction of evidence by the Pentagon concerning Mohammad Atta and the existence of an Al-Queda cell in the U.S. in the years 2000, 2001, and 2004? They knew they were here. They knew they intended terrorism, and shortly before the actual attacks, even the President himself knew what they were planning on doing. They did nothing to stop it. Instead they destroyed the evidence. In short - global corporations are VERY close to amassing an aggregation of capitalist empires worldwide. They may have already accomplished it. If this is true, then the governments of the world are irrelevant. Where does that leave us? Can we take government back and extract it from the hands of the global capitalists or must we resort to direct revolt against the corporations?

Random response: I am an advocate of peaceful revolution. Yes, we revolt against international conglomerate corporations by refusing to buy their goods and their stocks. We revolt by refusing to vote for any candidate who accepts their campaign contributions. Buy local. Buy informed. Buy progressive. Buy antiwar. Vote with your conscience and with your checkbook. Change is possible. Jazz.

JAKE BERRY IS THE AUTHOR OF BRAMBU DREZI & OTHER NOTED WORKS. See City Lights Books.

Jake's Word

JAKE BERRY’S COMMENTS REGARDING THE NEW DEMOCRATS

[Note: These thoughts were offered in response to “Clinton’s Revenge & The New Democrats.” Noting that the Democratic response to the Katrina crisis has been less than inspired the commentary calls for independents to rally and organize an electoral alternative.]

My thoughts exactly! Eloquently stated. And we do desperately need an outsider. But who? Who can stand up to corporate media scrutiny that will inflate every mistake? You were divorced from your first spouse? Why? Does that demonstrate faulty judgment? You took illegal drugs? Did they destroy your ability to make sound judgments now? You take prescription drugs now? Why? What is wrong with your body or mind? Will you be incapable of withstanding the stresses of office.

It will require a real populist - a devout one - with no allegiance to either party, or any major sources of funding. He or she will have to be someone we've never heard of, but with conviction and charisma, and most of all, a coherent, rational vision for the nation based on constitutional principals. He or she would also need the ability to adapt quickly, to admit mistakes quickly, and change course to what works. In other words, a chief executive with enough intelligence to grasp issues quickly and penetrate to the heart of those issues and make decisions based on a deep and broad knowledge of American and world history, on the origins and development of constitutional law and a passionate devotion to the Bill of Rights. Such a candidate could speak directly and plainly to the populace and back his arguments with history and precedent of what works and what has failed and what is most likely to work in the present system of information nuclei and corporate greed. Step on the big guy who is destroying competition and help the little guy who expands and increases competition and innovation.

And finally, we have to have an end to this political and media propaganda of America as the last remaining super power. How about no more superpowers? How about making the idea of a superpower anathema? Replace it with mutual cooperation among nations to resolve global problems. And leave national problems (like tyrants of economically destroyed third world countries) to be taken care of by the citizens of the nation. Tyrants can be contained by the global community and undermined from within by the local community, and the ultimate result of all tyranny - either cease tyranny and join the world or die in your hole.

Where is the individual who has the courage to embrace these positions and the populist appeal to draw the millions to the cause? I don't see anyone like that in the Senate or House - Robert Byrd is too old and Ted Kennedy is too stigmatized.

Ultimately the solution lies with the middle class. Will it feel the threat to its own survival acutely enough to move beyond Washington theatrics? Or will it be satisfied with new gadgets and other forms of escapism until it vanishes into a kind of third world groveling for crumbs as if they were jewels? The greed of the last thirty years, the pandering of Clinton to the right wing, and the managerial catastrophe of neo-conservative idealism have all dealt a severe blow, as you say, the worst since the great depression. And a global war would not save us now, it would sink us.

Always before, just when it seemed too late, the breaks went in our favor or the popular discontent grew so loud that things changed just enough to keep us moving forward. We're close now. About two years - four at the most. If we don't get one of those breaks soon, America will begin a descent from which it will not return. Consider England 100 years ago. Now they are (the government I mean) tagging along in hopes some American glory will rub off on them and allow them the illusion that they are still one of the great world powers. Another four years, without a break in the favor of democracy and America will be irrelevant to democracy. And I mean a real break. Not Kerry or Clinton or some other mask.

Thanks for your provocation and compassion. Keep it coming.

Jake Berry
Author of Brambu Drezi

[Postscript: Here is a beginning list of possible candidates. Note: If you're not against the war and occupation, if you're not for bringing the troops home in short order, you're not a candidate. In fact, I believe we should start a unity party for all candidates against the war. In the lost language of irony, it should be called The War Party.

For Congress: Amy Goodman, Arianna Huffington, Medea Benjamin, Norman Soloman, Robert Fisk, Robert Scheer, Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Danny Glover. For Senate/Governor: Christianne Amanpour, Bernie Sanders, Ralph Nader, Ray Nagin, Warren Beaty, Robert Redford. For President: Jesse Ventura, Colin Powell, Robert Kennedy Jr.]

RANDOM TAKES

By Jack Random

STARVE THE BEAST: GWB IS NO FDR

The president’s FDR moment (his pledge to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf communities no matter the cost) has already given way to a stark reality: George Bush is no FDR. He intends to use this disaster as an excuse to prosecute his master plan of economic austerity. He intends to sever the social safety net. He will rebuild New Orleans on the backs of the working poor, the jobless poor, the elderly and infirm. The trickle down policy of tax cuts for the elite will continue unabated while funding for education, health care, unemployment, job training and welfare are cut to the bone. It is what the neocons in the smoke-filled rooms laughingly refer to as “starving the beast.” The government is the beast but it is the people who will starve.

UN OUT OF THE US

From the floor of the United Nations, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela condemned America’s defiance of international law and international institutions. Echoing decades of demands by the rightwing of the American political spectrum, he called for the United Nations to be relocated outside the United States. His point is well taken. The United Nations will never be the kind of organization that can stand against the lawlessness of its most powerful members. Rather than calling for relocation, however, I suggest an alternative community of nations with an organizational structure more resembling the American system (minus the absurdity of the electoral college). Recognizing that the world’s most powerful and wealthy nations must be represented beyond their numbers, such nations should be allotted additional votes in an upper policy-making body more resembling the United States Senate than the UN Security Council. No nation should ever possess the power of veto. No nation should have a license to commit any act of war or crime against nature with absolute impunity.

SUPREME COURT STAMP

Judge John Roberts has distinguished himself as a truly brilliant man who figured out early in life that conservatives had the money and Roberts wanted his share. Within two minutes of observing the Senate confirmation hearings, I came to the following conclusions: First, Roberts is smarter than his inquisitors. If anyone thought there would be a fumble, a Bork or Thomas moment, give it up. Second, it is entirely possible that Chief Justice Roberts will not be what the right wing assumes he is. He has a sense of a constitutional right of privacy. He appears to favor a libertarian approach that will not invade the lives of individuals. He will not overturn Roe V. Wade.

WHILE WE WERN’T WATCHING

While our eyes were glued to images of shock and despair on the dark skin faces of Americans stranded in the city of jazz, our military launched its latest offensive in the war: Fallujah, Ramadi, Anbar Province, and now Tel Afar. While we were absorbed in the ongoing saga of a drowning metropolis, the Iraqi insurgency answered. In a matter of days, an estimated 200 have been killed and 600 wounded. While our leaders on both sides of the mainstream aisle continue to warn us that, if we pull out, anarchy and civil war will descend, we wonder how anarchy and civil war would look any different than what we observe now.

In a particularly telling incident, insurgents lured a massive crowd to a van with the promise of employment. Over a hundred desperate day laborers died when it exploded.

There are no more jobs in Baghdad today than there are in New Orleans – which is to say, everyone who works, works for Halliburton. All contracts are in the hands of the corrupt corporations that do the government’s bidding. If you work for Halliburton, you work for Bush-Cheney and the occupation forces. There are no more free agents in Baghdad or New Orleans. You are either with us or against us. Either you live to serve us, or you die opposing us. It is the American way.

Jazz.

[NOTE: See Buzzle.com for a review of Nicolas Rossier's documentary film, "Aristide & The Endless Revolution."]