Cockburn
/ St. Clair's Scorching New History of a Decade of War
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Today's
Stories
June
4, 2004
Chris
Floyd
Masked and Anonymous: Inside America's
Animal House
June
3, 2004
Ron
Jacobs
Iran's Nuclear Dilemma
Dr.
Susan Block
America in tha Hood
Michael
Donnelly
The Bully and the Brahmin
John
Chuckman
Insanity in America: US Ranks Number
One in the Deranged
Christopher
Brauchli
The Return of Cardinal Law: Rome
on $12,000 a Month
Samia
Nassar Melki
Caravaggio in Iraq
Mike
Whitney
Subverting Justice: Pre-Trial Ruminations in the Padilla Case
Diane
Rejman
Memorial Day Isn't Just About the Dead
Scott
Morris
"WMDs" in Cuba
Paul
de Rooij
Palestinian Misery in Perspective
June
2, 2004
Brian
Cloughley
The Liars are Winning
Ray
McGovern
How Far Would They Go? Beware "Credible
Intelligence"
Josh
Frank
The Anybody But Bush Offensive
Mike
Whitney
The Afghanistan Failure: Bush's Warlord Patriots
Jackie
Corr
Iraq and Ireland: Three Tales from Butte, Montana
Robert
Jensen
The US Lost the Iraq War...and It's a Good Thing, Too
Alexander
Cockburn
"Bye, Bye Boonville!"
June
1, 2004
Gary
Leupp
Instant Karma: Bush's Sins Catch Up
with Him
William
A. Cook
Manufacturers of Fear and Loathing in
Rafah
Dave
Lindorff
Will the Times Clean House?
Kevin
Zeese
Inside the Kerry / Nader Meeting: Did
the Kerry Campaign Lie About What Was Discussed?
Jacob
Levich
Coming Soon: Return of the Draft,
a Bipartisan Production
Kathy
Kelly
Voices in the Wilderness v. the US
Government
Website
of the Day
Remind Us
May
29 / 31, 2004
Lee
Ballinger / Dave Marsh
The Origins of Memorial Day
Janine
Pommy Vega
Memo for Memorial Day
Mike
Ferner
On Their Way to Abu Ghraib
Alfred
W. McCoy
The Cruel Shadow: the Long History of CIA Torture Research
Douglas
Valentine
An Open Letter to the NYT: Questions, Questions, Questions
Chris
White
First to Fight Culture: a Former Marine on the Marine Motto
Bruce
Anderson
The Awful Injustice to Tai Abreu
David
Vest
Get Ready for Kerry's War: the 100 Year Quagmire
Saul
Landau
Torture: the Logical Outcome of Bush's War for Democracy?
Kurt
Nimmo
Abu Hamza al-Mazri, Made in the USA
Elaine
Cassel
The Secrets of Surveillance: Ashcroft, Snoops, and Gag Orders
Will
Potter
The New War on "Terror": Protest the Torture of Chimps;
Get Arrested as a "Terrorist"
Ben
Tripp
They Fiddled While Nero Got the Matches
Dr.
Susan Block
Save Abu Ghraib!
Kia
Kojouri
Nukes, the US, Israel and Iran: an
Interview with Sasan Fayazmanesh
Mickey
Z
D-Day: 60 Years is Enough!
Jon
Brown
Correcting the Correction at the Times
Patrick
B. Barr
Pre-emptive War Insurance
Stephen
Gowans
Bad Apples in a Bad Barrel
Tom
Gorman
Gore on Bush in Iraq: the Approach May be Exotic, But It's Hardly
New
Dave
Zirin
Fighting for Boxers' Rights: an Interview with Eddie Mustafa
Muhammad
Gregory
Weiher
Bush to Arabs: "Go Get Yourself Some Democracy"
Erik
Cummings
Jung Meets Bush
Poets'
Basement
Davies, Ford, Kearney, McLellan and Albert
May
28, 2004
Rafael
Rodriguez Cruz
Curtain of Silence on the Cuban 5
Greg
Moses
Bush's Misleading Speech on Abu Ghraib
Dave
Lindorff
Dissing Independent Contractors:
Those Who Do the Dirty Work
Norman
Solomon
Leaping for Lies at the Times
Rep.
Bill Delahunt
Bush's Cruel New Rules on Cuba
Paul
McGeough
Chalabi Baba and the 40 Thieves
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
India and Nehru: 40 Years After
Alexander
Cockburn
NYTs: "Maybe We Did Screw Up...a
Little"
May
27, 2004
Amy
Goodman / David Goodman
Fatal Errors: the Lies of Our Times
Douglas
Valentine
Ragging the Dogs of War at the
NYTs
John
L. Hess
The Times Confesses...Kind Of
Stew
Albert
Dellinger, the Wrestling Pacifist
Dave
Dellinger
a 1993 Interview
Christopher
Brauchli
Tax Breaks for Scions...to Hell with Poor Kids
Rampton
/ Stauber
Banana Republicans: Pumping Irony
May
26, 2004
Ron
Jacobs
Goodbye, David Dellinger: He Was a
Friend of Ours
Robert
Fisk
The Things Bush Didn't Say in His Speech
Zeynep
Toufe
New Draft UN Resolution Permits Perpetual Occupation
Conn
Hallinan
Bush and Sharon: the Oil Connection
Tom
Stephens
2 + 2 is On My Mind: More Morons
and War Crimes
Derek
Medley
Protesting Gov. Bigot
CounterPunch
Wire
FBI Abducts Artist; Seizes Art
Andrew
Cockburn
The Trail to Tehran
May
25, 2004
Joe
Bageant
The Covert Kingdom: On Earth as It
is in Texas
Col.
Dan Smith
A Question of Human Dignity
Gary
Handschumacher
Visiting Lori Berenson: Time to Bring Her Home
Toni
Solo
A Developing War in the Andes
Marc
Estrin
September Song: Disturbing Questions
About 9/11
Stephen
Banko, III
A Vietnam Vet on "Supporting the
Troops"
Website
of the Day
The Wizard of Whimsy
May
24, 2004
Ron
Jacobs
Dan Senor is Safe!
Kurt
Nimmo
Dirty Tricks & TortureGate: the
Missing Taguba Pages
Sam
Hamod
Gen. Zinni: "Wrong War, Wrong
Place, Wrong Time"
Mike
Whitney
The Wedding was a Bomb
Stan
Goff
Open Season on MAMs
Image
of the Day
A Photo from Abu Ghraib We Didn't See on the Front Page of the
NYTs
May
22 / 23, 2004
Paul
de Rooij
Colin Powell, a Political Obituary
Jeffrey
St. Clair
When War is Swell: Bush and the Carlyle Group
Elizabeth
Weill-Greenberg
Her Son Was Told He Wouldn't See Combat; Now He's Dead: an Interview
with Sue Niederer
Brian
Cloughley
America is Committing War Crimes in Iraq
Saul
Landau
Democracy in Latin America: Great for Investors; Not So Good
for People
Brandy
Baker
Feminists Stand By Their Man: Abortion, Judges and Kerry
Randall
Robinson
Bushwhacked in the Caribbean
Uri
Avnery
The Rape of Rafah
Ben
Tripp
Assume the Worst
Bruce
Anderson
News from Ecotopia: the Truth About the Wine Business
Josh
Ruebner
Why I Burned My Israeli Military Papers
Peter
Wolson, Ph. D.
Exhibitionistic Revenge at Abu Ghraib
Chloe
Cockburn
In Defense of "Troy": What Hector Could Teach Rummy
Linda
Burnham
Sexual Domination in Uniform: an American Value
Adrien
Rain Burke
War of the Necrophiliacs: Spc. Sabrina Harman and Her Corpse
David
Krieger
Charting a New Course for US Nuclear Policy
Ron
Jacobs
Turnaround
Poets'
Basement
Ford, Albert & LaMorticella
May 21, 2004
Ray
Close
The Canards of the Apologists
Christopher
Brauchli
"The Object of Torture is Torture"
Amira
Hass
Darkness at Noon
Jack
McCarthy
Camilo Mejia: Can the Son of a Sandinista Get a Fair Trial from
the US Army?
Bill
Kauffman
Nader v. Bush
Omar
Barghouti
No More Tears for America
Ghali
Hassan
Moral Failure of the "Free World" in Gaza
Christopher
Reed
How the CIA Taught the Portuguese to
Torture
Website
of the Day
Eric Idle on the Bush Administration: Fuck You, So Very Much
May
20, 2004
Andrew
Cockburn
The Truth About Chalabi
Kathy
Kelly
A Visit from the FBI
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Brown and Bored of Education in India
Tom
Stephens & John Philo
The War Crimes of Bush, Cheney & Co.
Sam
Bahour / Michael Dahan
Genocide by Public Policy
Robert
Ovetz
Ending the Race for the Last Turtle
Billy
Wilson
The Most Important Thing I Learned at School This Year
Website
of the Day
Rafah Today
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante
Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click
Here for More Stories.
|
June
4, 2004
Why
the Dems Can't Match Bush
Woo-Wooism
vs. Metorites
By
JOHN BOROWSKI
Americans hold dear to their image of
rough and tough individualists, ready to meet any challenge at
a pin's drop: unless you are Democratic strategists and their
ilk. Don't be angry, stay above the fray and don't act like Republicans
they wail. They pack together like lemmings ready to pitch them
off the Republican fabricated cliff.
Republicans can be an ugly
bunch indeed. Brandishing a walrus penis bone, Congressman Don
Young embarrassed the late Mollie Beatty (Fish &Wildlife
Service Director) during a committee meeting on environmental
concerns. Tom Delay, Congressman from Texas fond of D.D.T. and
biocides, repeatedly has called the Environmental Protection
Agency, "Jack-booted thugs." When questioned about
environmental protection, Former Secretary of the Interior James
Watt replied, "If the trouble from environmentalists cannot
be solved in the jury box or the ballot box, perhaps the cartridge
box should be used." Attorney General Ashcroft routinely
reminds us good Americans, "you are either with us or against
us." Radio pundits like Rush Limbaugh have compared the
torture at American run prison camps in Iraq to college guys
letting off some steam. Disgusting? Yes. Immoral and vile you
ask? Again, yes. But a quick check on the present will indicate
that they hold the presidency, hold both houses of Congress and
are undermining the democracy we so cherish.
Do we emulate Republicans to
retake America? Not for a moment. But, if Democratic apologists,
who routinely clamor for holding themselves to a higher ivory
tower don't get into the mix, we all stand to lose more than
the 2004 election.
President Bill Clinton was
and is a brilliant man. Yet as a president, he vacillated as
often as the wind blew, relying on "trial balloons"
and polls to define and sadly, redefine his positions. President
George Bush is an inarticulate and sputtering buffoon yet many
Americans see him as consistent about his positions, see him
as tough and willing to go down to the wire on his positions.
That inspires, that hides his horrible policies, because the
average American is not a policy wonk, they let the media frame
their beliefs. How else could a president who has engaged in
an illegal war, drained our surplus to coddle the super rich
and has tarnished American ideals worldwide still be in office?
Image often betrays reality. Americans want to be led, even by
an imperfect leader. Introduce fear into this equation and sheep-like
Democrats who refuse to challenge the president nose to nose:
and Americans will choose the perceived lesser of two evils.
The move to the "center"
has neutered the Democratic Party. Their penchant for pragmatism
and compromise emboldens Republicans to be even more strident.
They let the Republicans control national semantics and often
use "Republican speak." I live in a part of the country
where native forests have been butchered and salmon runs have
been hammered, yet Republican speak is evident everywhere: from
the lips of the Democrats who claim to be ardent stewards of
nature. They speak of balance? When 96% of the native forests
in this nation are gone, what balance can be struck over the
meager 4% remaining? Yet the public buys into this "doubletalk"
orchestrated by Republicans.
Fifty years of Madison Avenue
Republican speak has created a numbness, a haze that clouds the
common sense of even the most leveled headed folks. Will Democrats
lead them out of this minefield or sustain this propaganda by
avoiding confrontation?
Remember when Clinton in a
state of the union speech claimed, "the era of big government
is over?" Why didn't he state that the corporate welfare
state was going to end? Why didn't he assail Gingrich's "Contract
with America" for what it was: perpetuation of environmental
destruction, corporate malfeasance and business policies that
are actually an economic model of death? Why? Because ideologues
or should I say professional lemmings, urged him not to be bold,
rather they pleaded with him to be politic. Because of risk,
they cast righteousness in the wind and once again betrayed grassroots
Democrats. And ten years later, our democracy is under siege,
aided and abetted by those same Democrats.
Make no mistake, President
Bush and his cronies are meteorites on a collision course with
the sustainability of our environment and the continued well
being of this planet: socially and economically. No amount of
political correctness is going to shield our children from this
impending disaster. With a debt of nearly $7 trillion dollars,
dozens of species vanishing a day, a climate loaded with carbon
dioxide, a loss of rational and pertinent discussion in the media
and a democracy slowly (or not so slowly) morphing into a fascist
state, Democrats ought to toss pragmatism into the compost pile.
If John Kerry wants my vote,
he better stand eye to eye with Bush and say, "no more."
If the Democratic Party wants to energize the blue- collar folks
in this country they better speak plainly, consistently and passionately.
Democrats must not act like quislings and I guarantee that Americans
will respond with vigor. Challenge the media to tell us the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. When even NPR states that a
position on the radio is "left of center" I cringe.
When the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Dick Cheney lie, let them
feel the wrath of an informed and unrelenting citizenry. Lie,
cheat and intimidate like Republicans? No. But, now is the time
to stand firm and inform those who rape and pillage that their
days are numbered. If your opponent knows that you are a person
of integrity and uncompromising ethics, they relent and abandon
their assault: because they stand to lose!
Look at your children tonight,
be it that slumbering infant or that teenager ready to take on
the world. Would you let someone enter their bedroom and wring
their neck? The answer is a deafening no! The meteorites are
now in plain sight and the only solution is to meet them dead
on: shattering their Trojan horses while re-energizing and reclaiming
the American dream.
John F. Borowski, teacher of environmental and marine
science of two decades can be reached at: jenjill@proaxis.com.
Weekend Edition
Features for May 29 / 31, 2004
Mike
Ferner
On Their Way to Abu Ghraib
Alfred
W. McCoy
The Cruel Shadow: the Long History of CIA Torture Research
Douglas
Valentine
An Open Letter to the NYT: Questions, Questions, Questions
Chris
White
First to Fight Culture: a Former Marine on the Marine Motto
Bruce
Anderson
The Awful Injustice to Tai Abreu
David
Vest
Get Ready for Kerry's War: the 100 Year Quagmire
Saul
Landau
Torture: the Logical Outcome of Bush's War for Democracy?
Kurt
Nimmo
Abu Hamza al-Mazri, Made in the USA
Elaine
Cassel
The Secrets of Surveillance: Ashcroft, Snoops, and Gag Orders
Will
Potter
The New War on "Terror": Protest the Torture of Chimps;
Get Arrested as a "Terrorist"
Ben
Tripp
They Fiddled While Nero Got the Matches
Dr.
Susan Block
Save Abu Ghraib!
Kia
Kojouri
Nukes, the US, Israel and Iran: an
Interview with Sasan Fayazmanesh
Mickey
Z
D-Day: 60 Years is Enough!
Jon
Brown
Correcting the Correction at the Times
Patrick
B. Barr
Pre-emptive War Insurance
Stephen
Gowans
Bad Apples in a Bad Barrel
Tom
Gorman
Gore on Bush in Iraq: the Approach May be Exotic, But It's Hardly
New
Dave
Zirin
Fighting for Boxers' Rights: an Interview with Eddie Mustafa
Muhammad
Gregory
Weiher
Bush to Arabs: "Go Get Yourself Some Democracy"
Erik
Cummings
Jung Meets Bush
Poets'
Basement
Davies, Ford, Kearney, McLellan and Albert
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