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July 29, 2002
David Vest
A Blind Mule and
a Box of Medals
July 28, 2002
Bob Geary
Our Dinner
with Fidel Castro
July 27, 2002
Ian Daoust
The New
Mahler, Seattle Style
Gavin Keeney
Zizek
and Lenin
Ralph Nader
Citigroup
Heal Thyself
M. Shahid Alam
American
Presidents (Poem)
Mokhiber / Weissman
Push Back: Women Take
on the Corporate Beasts
July 26, 2002
Jerre Skog
American
Dictatorship:
It Couldn't Happen...Could It?
Philip Farruggio
Lie,
Rob and Steal
Rep. Ron Paul
Monitor
Thy Neighbor
Ron Jacobs
Thinking
About the
Weather (Underground)
Walt Brasch
Ashcroft's War on Bookstores
July 25, 2002
Norman Madarasz
Paul
Krugman's Howl:
Populism, War and
the Melting Economy
Gavin Keeney
Van Morrison: In September
Rep. Cynthia McKinney
War
on Terrorism or
Police State?
July 24, 2002
Gary Leupp
An Islam Primer
July 23, 2002
Jeffrey St. Clair
The Battle
for Zuni Salt Lake
Ansar Ahmed
Am I with You, George?
Bill Christison
The
Disastrous Foreign Policies of the US: Oppression Abroad Means
Repression at Home
July 22, 2002
Rick Giombetti
Glaxo Raises White Flag
in Paxil Case
Wayne Madsen
Forbidden
Truth
The Press, Bush, Oil
and the Taliban
July 21. 2002
Francis A. Boyle
The Rogue Elephant
Jennifer Harbury
Why are
the FBI & CIA Targeting Me?
Joan Claybrook
Time
for a Special Prosceutor
for Thomas White
Gloria Bergen
The Struggle
of Workers
in Palestine
Dave Marsh
Mr. Big Stuff:
Alan Lomax, Great White Fraud
James T. Phillips
"I'll
Tell You No Lies"
The Human Rubble of War
July 20, 2002
Gavin Keeney
The Grave
New Urbanism
World Trade Center Burlesque
Jacob Levich
"I
Was Schooled in Hate"
Confessions of a
Summer Camp Terror Tot
Thomas Croft
Augusta,
GA
Growing Up in the Deep South
Alexander Cockburn
The
Market Hogwallow:
Popgun Populism Isn't Enough
July 19, 2002
Abe Bonowitz / SueZann
Bosler
A Discussion
with Jeb Bush on the Death Penalty
Jonathan Power
No Need
for War Against Iraq
Rick Giombetti
Qwest
Death Watch
Kurt Nimmo
Of Mice,
Bullets & Bombs
M. Shahid Alam
Through
Racist Eyes:
Is Eurocentrism Unique?
July 18, 2002
Mokhiber / Weissman
Business
As Usual
Jerre Skog
I Spy: Now
Let's be Fair,
the USA Ain't East Germany
Ralph Nader
The CEO
Crimewave:
Corporate Socialism
Mahbubul Karim (Sohel)
The Rising Tensions
Between Spain and Morocco
Alexander Cockburn
Drivel
and Squawk:
Can the Times' Jeff Gerth
Save the White House?
Resources:
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by Alexander
Cockburn
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The Memphis Blues Again:
Six Decades of Memphis Music Photographs
Photos by Ernest Withers
Text by Daniel Wolff
The New Intifada:
Resisting Israel's Apartheid
Edited by Roane Carey
A Pocket Guide to
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The
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July
29, 2002
Inside
Pakistan and Afghanistan with RAWA
by Anne Brodsky
I just returned from another 6 weeks with RAWA,
five weeks in Pakistan and one amazing week in Afghanistan. RAWA's
work is very busy and the need is still enormous--this includes
some cities in Pakistan where refugees are actually flowing in
not out. They are doing creative things such as working to help
other established schools rather than taking the time to start
their own. In one example an 8 year old Afghan high school in
Peshawar thought it would have to close for lack of funds and
losing students. RAWA started funding them and even made tuition
free for the first time in the history of this school, and now
not only can they pay their teachers, but they have more students
than they did before and the demand is growing because students
who could never afford to attend now can.
Their work in Afghanistan is keeping
everyone quite busy as the need and possibility to help is actually
expanding. Many, many women and girls are in their literacy and
sewing classes, many who are either too old to attend the newly
reopened schools for girls (there is an age limit for entering
the lower grades, which many need to attend after 5 years without
any education.) or whose families still will not let them attend
schools for safety fears. The women and girls say that 5 years
of Taliban rule only strengthened their resolve and commitment
to education and also made their families realize the importance.
Most of these women have never been in school before, but still
are interested in joining and learning. Most classes have more
demand that RAWA has teachers and funds.
About 80-90% of the women we saw in Kabul
were in burqa still. In Jalalabad we saw no women without burqa.
The interim government is starting to require "permission"
for everything, as a veiled attempt to keep many things under
control. Even visiting a public high school required special
permission. As this trend increases it will make things very
dangerous for RAWA. They have many enemies in the government
with so many Northern Alliance and warlords in positions of control
so continue to operate quite underground. There is no doubt that
the need is great and their particular message of humanitarian
as well as political change is a necessity, especially for the
women.
Because we drove to Kabul from Pakistan,
I was able to see a remarkable slice of the landscape and life.
It is true that Afghanistan is an amazingly beautiful country.
Even that small stretch, which took 10 hours across destroyed
roads was incredibly diverse with blue green rivers, undulating
valleys with fields of rounded stones, flat mesa plateaus, sandstone
hills with natural caves, steep shale peaks turned sideways,
jagged mountains and roads that zigzag through mountain switch
backs. We drove through small villages where the influence of
the Taliban was still very evident, and the men treated me and
the RAWA member who accompanied me as if we had no right to be
in public except for their curiosity. In the US the response
to them would be a sarcastic "haven't you ever seen a woman
before" or "you really should get out more". Here
both of the statements, which played in my head, were fact, not
sarcasm. To change the men in this town would be a revolution.
In many other places Abdul Haq, Massood and Rabbani's pictures
were everywhere but Karzai's was not.
Just for some perspective on life, our
taxi drivers from Pakistan to Afghanistan were both former Taliban
and former mujihadeen. They talked quite openly to the male supporter
who was with us about their time with both groups and were probably
Taliban for money and to further their private gains, but none
the less it points out that former Taliban, both foot soldiers,
middle managers, like these drivers, and the leadership, are
still everywhere. Many people said that the only ones who couldn't
identify the former Taliban in their midst were the foreigners
who were employing them and giving them government positions.
Everyone else knows but is too scared to say.
The reconstruction in Kabul is evident
in some places, but it is like time stood still in others, where
the 10 year old destruction is evident as if it happened yesterday.
People live and run shops side by side with buildings riddled
with bullet holes and shells of building destroyed by rocket
attacks. Also saw the result of US bombings. The refugees are
returning to difficult lives and many cannot find jobs and are
living in tents and unprotected commercial buildings without
windows or doors. They say that jobs are hard to come by, even
for those willing to do hard manual labor as well as for those
with higher education. Many jobs are reportedly going to Panshiris
only and others are available only with bribes. Some from refugee
camps in Pakistan say they had more help there and are starving
here without any assistance. I talked to a number of refugees
who had only returned because harassment from the Pakistani police
in Islamabad in particular made them feel too unsafe in Pakistan.
They are actually doing worse now in Kabul. Many think that there
will be a wave of refugees back to Pakistan come winter when
it is too cold to live in Kabul without shelter and jobs.
I was afforded a really unique view of
life in Kabul because all of my meetings and interviews and the
humanitarian projects I saw were in private homes in Kabul and
surrounding villages/suburbs. Many of these were the equivalent
of middle class homes, but in none did I see running water or
indoor toilets. Even in the capital city people rely on wells
and public pumps. Electricity in most parts of the city is available
only every other night. In the outer villages, the electric lines
were stolen 10 years ago and still these homes have no electricity,
even as wall lamps and chandeliers remain in their homes. The
library at the University of Kabul has virtually no electricity
because all of the wiring was stolen by the various factions
and Taliban. As in the older refugee camps, most people live
in high walled enclosures with gardens and small farm yard animals,
even in the city. Construction however is sturdier than in the
older camps and here glass windows and screens gave a more permanent
and comfortable environment. The one TV news broadcast I saw
did have a woman broadcaster, but she never looked up from the
page she was reading and the whole broadcast had a very amateur
feel to it. There is so much to be reconstructed here.
The people are cautiously optimistic,
but this seems only because of the presence of the peace keepers
and the continued hope that the international community will
follow through on it promises of aid and that someone will actually
stop the warlords. The presence of NA soldiers in dark unmarked
cars is ominous. There are other types of soldiers and police
in various uniforms, many ill fitting. It is hard to judge who
will have a weapon and who not. Often young boys with the NA
had weapons and older more mature and responsible looking men
in Afghan army uniforms were unarmed. I saw taped interviews
of Loya Jirga attendees in which they too were expressing their
concern about the needs for peace and security and controls on
the warlords, who were too evident in the Loya Jirga process.
For more information on RAWA go to: http://www.RAWA.org
Anne Brodsky
is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County. She can be reached at: brodsky@umbc.edu
Today's Features
David Vest
A Blind Mule and
a Box of Medals
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