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in September
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Featuring Essays by:
Edward Said, Robert Fisk, Michael Neumann, Shahid Alam, Alexander
Cockburn, Uri Avnery, Bill and Kathy Christison and More
Recent
Stories
August
8, 2003
Dave
Lindorff
Snoops Night Out
August
7, 2003
M.
Shahid Alam
It the US a "Terrorist Magnet?"
Toni
Solo
Neo-liberal Nicaragua: a New Banana
Republic
Adam Lebowitz
Hiroshima Commemorated: the View from Japan
Hanan
Ashrawi
When the Bully Whines
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Conscience Takes a Holiday
Jason
Leopold
Wolfowitz Lets Slip: Iraq Not Behind 9/11; No Ties to Al-Qaeda
Mike Kimaid
What's the Score?
Elaine
Cassel
The Smell of VICTORY: Ashcroft's Latest Stinkbomb
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
August 6, 2003
Steve
Higgs
Going to Jail for the Cause: It's Not
Easy Confronting King Coal
David
Krieger
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Robert
Fisk
The Ghosts of Uday and Qusay
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush's War on the National Forests
Elaine
Cassel
No Fly Lists
Stan
Goff
Military Equipment and Pneumonia
Hugh Sansom
An Open Letter to Nicholas Kristof on the Nuking of Japan
August
5, 2003
Uri
Avnery
The Prisoner of Ramallah: Arafat at
74
Forrest
Hylton
Terrorism and Political Trials: the
View from Bolivia
Ray
McGovern
"We Cook Estimates to Go"
David
Morse
Poindexter's Gambit
Edward
Said
Orientallism: 25 Years Later
George
W. Bush
My Darn Good Resumé
Hammond
Guthrie
It's Incremental, Watson!
Website
of the Day
National Prayer Day
August 4, 2003
Bruce
K. Gagnon
Another Peace Activist Detained by
Airport Cops: My Story
David
Lindorff
Fear-Mongering About Social Security
Mark
Zepezauer
George F. Will: Descent into Self-Parody
James
Plummer
Tracking You Through the Mail
Mickey
Z.
Marriage Insecurity from Sharon to Bush
Bruce
Jackson
News that Isn't News: How the NYT's
Pimps for the White House
August
2 / 3, 2003
Tamara
R. Piety
Nike's Full Court Press Breaks Down
Francis
Boyle
My Alma Mater, the University of Chicago, is a Moral Cesspool
David
Vest
Sons of Paleface: Pictures from Death's Other Side
Neve Gordon
Nightlife in Jerusalem
Uri
Avnery
Their Master's Voice:
Bush, Blair and Intelligence Snafus
Robert
Fisk
Paternalistic Democracy for Iraq
Jerry
Kroth
Israel, Yellowcake and the Media
Noah Leavitt
What's Driving the Liberian Bloodbath: Is the US Obligated to
Intervene?
Saul
Landau
The Film Industry: Business and Ideology
Ron Jacobs
One Big Prison Yard: the Meaning of George Jackson
Thomas
Croft
In the Deep, Deep Rough: Reflections on Augusta
Amadi Ajamu
Def Sham: Russell Simmons New Black Leader?
Poets'
Basement
Vega, Witherup, Albert and Fleming
August
1, 2003
Joanne
Mariner
Stopping Prison Rape
Alex Coolman
Who Moved My Soap: Trivializing
Prison Rape
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Stan Goff
Injury and Decorum: The Missing Wounded in Iraq
Wayne
Madsen
Europe Unplugs from the Matrix
Robert
Fisk
Wolfowitz the Censor
Elaine
Cassel
Ashcroft Loses Big in Puerto Rico
Website
of the Day
Stop Prisoner Rape
July
31, 2003
Ray
McGovern
The Prostitution of Intelligence
Brian
Cloughley
Wolfowitz's Operative Statement
Sheldon
Hull
The RIAA's Jihad:
The Devil's Music (Industry)
Elaine
Cassel
The Next Time You Crack a Lawyer Joke, Think of These Attorneys
Sheldon
Rampton
and John Stauber
True Lies: Propaganda and Bush's
Wars
Hammond
Guthrie
Speculation Blues
Website
of the Day
Army of One?
July
30, 2003
David
Lindorff
Poindexter the Terror Bookie
Marjorie
Cohn
Why Iraq and Afghanistan? It's About
the Oil
Elaine
Cassel
How Ashcroft Coerces Guilty Pleas
in Terror Cases
Zvi
Bar'el
The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War
Lisa Walsh
Thomas
Killing Mustafa Hussein: Death of a Child, Birth of a Legend?
Sean
Carter
Pat Robertson's Prayer Jihad: God, Sodomy and the Supremes
ND Jayaprakash
India and Ariel Sharon
Steve
Perry
Bush's Top 40 Lies
Standard
Schaefer
Correction about Bloomberg and Outscourcing
Website
of the Day
Bring Them Home Now!
Congratulations
to CounterPuncher Gilad Atzmon! BBC Names EXILE Top Jazz CD
July
29, 2003
Jeffrey
St. Clair
"Journalist Spotted! Journalist
Dead!" Guatemala Bleeds; US Press Yawns
Thomas
J. Nagy
The Belligerent Dr. Pipes
Kurt Nimmo
Tom Delay Goes to Jerusalem
Chris
Floyd
Dead Reckoning: Bush Warriors Sign Off on War Crimes
Robert
Fisk
Another Botched Raid; Another Massacre
Jason Leopold
Did Chalabi Help Write Bush's State of the Union Address?
Conn Hallinan
Food Bully: Bush's Biotech Shock and Awe Campaign
Dan
Bacher
Sacramento's War on Free Speech
Ray
McGovern
Cheney Chicanery
Website
of the Day
Julie Hilden Caught on Tape
Hot Stories
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
Elaine
Cassel
Civil Liberties
Watch
Michel
Guerrin
Embedded Photographer Says: "I
Saw Marines Kill Civilians"
Uzma
Aslam Khan
The Unbearably Grim Aftermath of War:
What America Says Does Not Go
Paul de Rooij
Arrogant
Propaganda
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click Here
for More Stories.
|
August
9, 2003
I
Can't Recall a More Exciting Election
Total Recall
By SEAN CARTER
As a political humorist (i.e., someone too lazy
to pursue gainful employment), I've been longing for political
turmoil. It didn't have to be anything earthshaking, like Camryn
Manheim doing high-impact aerobics; just something that could
compete with that ridiculous Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show
on NBC. Well, I believe my prayers have been answered in the
form of the California gubernatorial recall election.
Ever since California courts certified
the recall effort, the news from Sacramento has gotten weirder
and weirder (and it was bizarre to begin with). Within days,
hundreds of political unknowns announced their candidacies for
governor of the nation's most populous state. For example, three
enterprising men named Gray Davis have filed to have their names
placed on the ballot in an apparent attempt to win the governorship
through name confusion.
However, perhaps even more strange are
the celebrities who have thrown their hats into the ring. For
instance, Gallagher has announced his candidacy. This will be
a much needed career boost for the comedian who believes that
smashing a watermelon with a sledgehammer qualifies as humor.
In addition, Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine,
is running under a "pro porn" platform.
As for politicians entering the race,
we have former spouses Michael and Arianna Huffington running.
Likewise, Gary "I Didn't Kill That Woman ... Ms. Levy"
Condit is considering running as a Democrat.
On the Republican side of the aisle,
the situation is even more bizarre. Arnold Schwartzenegger and
former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan are locked in a battle
of "You go first. No, you go first." Apparently, Riordan
is interested in running only if the Terminator doesn't also
run. On a side note, Schwartzenegger should be running from the
millions of fans who paid $8.50 to see the latest movie in the
Terminator series, T3: Rise of Your Popcorn.
So where does this leave California voters?
It leaves them with the most interesting election ever. On October
7th, California voters may be faced with a ballot with up to
500 names on it. By comparison, the infamous butterfly ballot
used in Florida in 2000 will seem like child's play. In fact,
the instructions for NASA's Lunar Landing Module will be simple
in comparison. In short, chances are excellent that this recall
effort will be the greatest political debacle since Admiral Stockdale's
"What am I doing here?" speech at the 1992 Vice Presidential
Debate.
This has led many Democrats in California
to oppose the recall. They claim that recall is a Republican
attempt to "steal" the governorship. Furthermore, they
claim that the recall procedure will create chaos. However, I
couldn't disagree more. In fact, I'm saddened that the party
that calls itself "Democratic" has a problem with democracy
in its purest form.
The simple truth of the matter is California's
recall election closely resembles the Founding Father's view
of an election. In the first presidential election, the electoral
vote was split between twelve candidates.
In those days, you didn't need the endorsement
of a major political party to run for President. You simply needed
courage, a good family name and a newly-sanded set of wooden
teeth. Nowadays, things are not that simple. To even consider
running for dog catcher in most counties, you need the endorsement
of a major party (and not many other job prospects).
As a result, our political candidates
have become as bland as the chicken at a Rotary Club luncheon
(only not nearly as tough). This seems particularly true of the
Democratic Party, which has nominated such "wild men"
as Al Gore, Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale.
However, in the California recall election,
we aren't going to have pre-packaged candidates with years of
grooming and training in the art of obfuscation. We are going
to have "real" Americans running for office - pornographers,
adulterers and basically anyone who can come up with the $3,500
filing fee.
In fact, if there is any drawback to
the California recall process, it's the process for getting on
the ballot. To run for governor in this election, a candidate
only needs to collect 65 signatures and pay the filing fee. Perhaps,
we should increase the signature requirement by a factor of 10.
After all, you can get 65 signatures at a single house in some
neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
In any event, it wouldn't take more than
an hour to get these signatures by just standing in front of
a donut shop. Obviously, it should require more than an hour
of preparation to mount a campaign for the second most important
elected position in America.
Nevertheless, the recall is going to
be great for democracy. We are going to learn that not all candidates
need to be boring (or even sane). Furthermore, we will have real
choose in this election. And perhaps, most importantly, Arnold
Schwartzenegger will be too busy to work on T4: Another $8.50
Down the Drain.
Sean Carter
is a lawyer, comedian, public speaker and the author of If
It Does Not Fit, Must You Acquit? Your Humorous Guide to the
Law. He can be reached at www.lawpsided.com.
Weekend
Edition Features for August 2/3, 2003
Tamara
R. Piety
Nike's Full Court Press Breaks Down
Francis
Boyle
My Alma Mater, the University of Chicago, is a Moral Cesspool
David
Vest
Sons of Paleface: Pictures from Death's Other Side
Neve Gordon
Nightlife in Jerusalem
Uri
Avnery
Their Master's Voice:
Bush, Blair and Intelligence Snafus
Robert
Fisk
Paternalistic Democracy for Iraq
Jerry
Kroth
Israel, Yellowcake and the Media
Noah Leavitt
What's Driving the Liberian Bloodbath: Is the US Obligated to
Intervene?
Saul
Landau
The Film Industry: Business and Ideology
Ron Jacobs
One Big Prison Yard: the Meaning of George Jackson
Thomas
Croft
In the Deep, Deep Rough: Reflections on Augusta
Amadi Ajamu
Def Sham: Russell Simmons New Black Leader?
Poets'
Basement
Vega, Witherup, Albert and Fleming
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