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Today's Stories September 5, 2005 Peter Linebaugh Loo! Loo! Lulu! Loot! September 3 / 4, 2005 Alexander Cockburn From Mitch to Katrina Paul Craig Roberts Failure on Every Front Gary Leupp New Orleans and the System that Destroyed It Dave Lindorff Profiteering from Disaster: the Real Looters Wear Pinstripes Dan La Botz Time for the U.S. to Start Over Jonathan M. Feldman From Iraq to New Orleans: the U.S. as a "Failed State" Landau / Hassen The Cuban 5: In Prison for Fighting Terrorism Tim Wise In the Name of the Lord: "Those Looters Should be Shot" Mitchel Cohen People of the Dome: "Let Them Eat Shit..." Dave Zirin The Superdome: the Earth's Most Damnable Homeless Shelter Mike Ferner Waiting on the Outside World: Who Will Rescue America? Rep. Cynthia McKinney Shame on the Bush Administration Jason Leopold Bush's Demented Priorities: the State of Marriage Over the State of Louisiana Justin Felux Kayne West is My Hero: "Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" Monica Benderman Iraq War as Thrill Ride: Getting Off the Rollercoaster Ben Tripp Grab a Towel, You're Next Jordan Flaherty Notes from Inside New Orleans Bill Pahnelas A Rising Tide has Swamped All Boats Seth Sandronsky Hurricane Katrina Exposes the True Face of Capitalism Mark Donham Where's Karl Rove? Fred Gardner CHP Agrees to Follow Law; Justice Stevens Apologizes Joshua Frank Winning the West Jackie Corr The Privatization Mob Poets' Basement Albert, Engel, Louise   September 2, 2005 Evan Jones Katrina and the Corps of Engineers: Manufacturing Disaster David Stocker How Good is Your Levee? Frankly, Scarlet I Don't Think He Gives a Damn Dave Lindorff Baghdad on the Big Muddy Norman Solomon The Smirk of a Killer: Ending the Impunity of the Bush White House Mike Whitney How Bush Deals with a Disaster He Helped Create: Blame the Looters Eli Stephens What They Should Have Learned from Hurrican Ivan Ron Jacobs Katrina, Iraq and Blood Profits Christopher Brauchli Onward Christian Assassins Harvey Wasserman Bush to New Orleans: Drop Dead CounterPunch Wire Faith-Based FEMA? Feds Directing Katrina Money to Pat Robertson Glen Ford Will the "New" New Orleans be Black?   September 1, 2005 Dr. Greg Henderson, MD Situation Critical: a Doctor in the Flood Paul Craig Roberts How New Orleans Was Lost Mike Whitney Hurricane Donald: How Rumsfeld Smashed the National Guard Lee Sustar Left Behind to Drown: the Poor and Hurricane Katrina Dave Lindorff The Real Disaster: Bush and the Democrats Lynn Gonzalez The Cindy Spark: Mainstream America Stirs Chris Floyd The Perfect Storm August 31, 2005 Cockburn / St. Clair New Orleans After Katrina John Walsh Democrats and the War Bernstein / Mishel Bush Economy: Incomes Down; Poverty Up! Alan Farago What are the Hurricanes Trying to Tell Us? Norman Solomon The National Guard Belongs in New Orleans, Not Baghdad Bryan Newbury "Hey, Shoot that Black Guy Running Off with the Bottled Water!" Jason Leopold What's Eating Cindy Sheehan? Website of the Day The Swiftboating of Cindy Sheehan   August 30, 2005 Gary Leupp Venezuela: Launch Pad for Muslim Extremism? Joshua Frank Bunny and the War Profireers Evelyn Pringle The Woman Who Blew the Whistle on Halliburton Gets Canned Urariano Mota To Die by Mistake: the Killing of Jean Claude de Menezes Ron Jacobs High Water Everywhere CP News Service An Open Letter to Alberto Gonzales: Free the Cuban 5 Roger Morris The War for the Future   August 29, 2005 Seth Sandronsky Pat Robertson, Big Oil's Televangelist Norman Solomon War Liberals and Cindy Sheehan Charles Sullivan Nation of Fools Paul Craig Roberts Does Anyone Know What We're Doing in Iraq? Website of the Day Monsanto Threatens "Bitter Greens" August 27 / 28, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Assassination: as American as Apple Pie (and Torture) Ricardo Alarcon The Cuban 5 in Atlanta: a Long March Towards Justice Diane Christian The Politics of Death: Assassination M. Shahid Alam How to be a Good Victim Laith al-Saud Baghdad Circus: Iraq's Constitutional Process Diane Farsetta School of the Americas Fights Back: PR Plan for Pentagon's "Demonstration Village" Saul Landau Reagan and Bottled Water: the Privatization of Everything Tom Barry Hurricane Hugo: Relating to Venezuela Nicholas Rowe Barenboim in Ramallah: an Unfinished Symphony George E. Bisharat Enforce the Ban on Settlements Dave Lindorff Another Mother for War: the Exploitation of Tammy Pruett Fred Gardner Pot Shots: Doing the Right Thing, Even If You Are Fearful John Francis Lee The Juggernaut of Jingo Evan Jones I.F. Stone on the Perils of Empire Ali Khan Defining Aggression Poets' Basement Albert, Nettnin, Engel, Ford, Krieger, Louise August 26, 2005 Lee Sustar Showdown at Northwest Ramzy Baroud Cindy Sheehan and the Power of the Ordinary Christopher Brauchli The Return of Edwin Meese Peter Harley The Wall as a Good Thing? John Snider Not One of the Gang Kathleen Christison Can Palestine be Put Back in the Equation?     August 25, 2005 Paul Craig Roberts Hegemony Lost: the American Economy is Destroying Itself Cockburn / St. Clair Loewenstein's Big Mail Bag: Gaza and "the Shame of It All" J.L. Chestnut, Jr. Racial Politics in California They May Vote for You, But They Won't Have Lunch with You Chhandasi Pandya Libeling Venezuela Richard Ward Impressions from Camp Casey Norman Solomon Exploiting the 9/11 Anniversary: Will the Media Help Bush, Again? Joshua Frank Will the Real Leaders Please Stand Up? Seth Sandronsky GM, the UAW and US Health Care Lucinda Marshall The Democratic Unraveling: How Not to Mention the War VIPS Memo to Bush: Try a Circle of Wise Women Ralph Nader It's Time to Make the Iraq War Personal     August 24, 2005 Stan Goff Containing the Anti-War Movement: the Hayden Plan Rachard Itani Papal Double Standards Elisa Salasin The Militarization of Our Children Ron Jacobs Who Would Jesus Assassinate? John Chuckman Robertson and Posada: Bush's Kind of Terrorists Leibowitz / Heller Gaza: Disengagement or Military Redeployment? Douglas Valentine Suicide as Sacrament Thomas Nagy Congress Should Go to Crawford: an Open Letter to Cindy Sheehan Alexander Cockburn Hitchens Backs Down, Says Sheehan "Not a La Rouchie" Website of the Day Stations of the Cross       August 23, 2005 Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler Pat Robertson is Not a Christian Karen Kilroy Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City Protests: Violent Echoes of Kent State Stew Albert Fascism in America: Are We There Yet? Joshua Frank The Democrats and Cindy Sheehan Dave Zirin Pedaling Away from Principle: Lance Armstrong Cozies Up to Bush Julia Olmstead Our Reckless Chemical Dependence: A Little Round-Up With Your Precautionary Principle? CounterPunch Wire Prosecuting Bush in Canada for Torture: a Legal Update Jason Leopold Bush's Lips Move, But He Says Nothing Diane Christian The Politics of Death     August 22, 2005 Sonia Nettnin Gaza Stripped, the Occupation Remains Mike Whitney "Shoot to Kill": Tony Blair's First Trophy Kevin Zeese The Latest Falsehood: the US is in Iraq to "Stablize It" Norman Solomon Bush's Bloody Option: Escalate the War in Iraq Christopher Brauchli Secret Talkers Jeff Bale The Left's Challenge in Germany Greg Moses Raw Talk Revival at Camp Casey Two     August 20 / 21, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Can Cindy Sheehan End the War? Saul Landau Terrorism Then and Now: Townley Talks Kevin Zeese an Interview with Tom Hayden Greg Moses A Daytrip without Cindy Ray McGovern Cindy Sheehan and Creative Protest Fred Gardner Merck Gets Whacked Martin Smith Rebellion in the Ranks: the Soldiers' Revolt in Vietnam Benjamin Granby Gaza's Economy: the Key to Sharon's Strategy? Frankie Lake Dirty Tricksters: How the Federalist Society Operates Joshua Frank Failing Nature: the Democrats and the Environment Ron Jacobs When Sympathy is Not Enough Tom Crumpacker Moral Values and the CIA Mike Ferner "All of Our Stories are Sad" James Petras Suicide Bombers: the Sacred and the Profane Col. Dan Smith The President's Dilemma Dr. Teresa Whitehurst What de Menezes Didn't Know Ben Tripp Moses on Top of Old Smokey Poets' Basement Landau, Albert, Engel and Louise     August 19, 2005 Alexander Cockburn A Short History of Meat, Part 4: Cutting Up Mochie Neve Gordon After the Withdrawal Gary Leupp The Pandora's Box of Iraq's Constitution William S. Lind Getting Swept Vijay Prashad The Rosa Parks of the Anti-War Movement Dave Lindorff Something Has Happened Pat Williams Social Security and the American West John Pilger Free Speech and the War on Terror Elaine Cassel Judge Roberts and the Death Penalty     August 18, 2005 Alexander Cockburn A Short History of Meat, Part 3: Vegetarians, Nazis for Animal Rights, Blitzkrieg of the Ungulates Greg Moses Cindy, the Peace Train and the Little Ditch that Could Ramzy Baroud Theatrics in Gaza: the Disengagement That Isn't Joshua Frank Bush's Emotional Incapacities Monica Benderman For Cindy: There's No Glory in Dying Paul Craig Roberts Courthouse Jackboots: Corrupted Justice   August 17, 2005 Alexander Cockburn A Short History of Meat: Part Two, the March to Porkopolis Robert Jensen America's Good Germans? Carl G. Estabrook News Notes from the Global War on Terrorism Mike Whitney Greenspan and the Housing Bubble Niranjan Ramakrishnan Shaming the Shameless Norman Solomon Slurs, Lies and Innuendos: Blaming the Antiwar Messengers Dave Zirin In Defense of Felipe Alou Jennifer Loewenstein The Shame of It All: Watching the Gazan Fiasco CounterPunch Clarification     August 16, 2005 Greg Moses Mona in a Field of Crosses at Camp Casey, Texas Thomas Larson The Unmitigated Gall of Dinesh D'Souza Diana Barahona Uneasy Standoff in Venezuela's Media Wars Dave Lindorff The Inquirer's Minds Don't Want to Know Rep. Cynthia McKinney A Letter to President Bush: Meet with Cindy Sheehan Elisa Salasin Hitchens Slimes Cindy Sheehan David Krieger Amazing Grace and Cindy Alexander Cockburn A Short History of Meat: Part One, Peter's Dream Website of the Day Reclaiming Appalachia: a Mountain Takeover     August 15, 2005 Greg Moses Pilgrims of Protest in Crawford Paul Craig Roberts Slouching Toward Armageddon? Mike Whitney Failing in Iraq Robert Jensen The Challenges We Face CounterPunch Wire Judge Fines Voices in the Wilderness $20,000 for Taking Medicine to Iraq; Voices Refuses to Pay Norman Solomon Someone Tell Frank Rich the War Isn't Over Kathleen Christison Camp David Redux: Anatomy of a Frame-Up   August 13 / 14, 2005 Cockburn / St. Clair When Down is Up: the "Stricken" President William Blum The al-Dubya Training Manual Gary Leupp High Tide for the Neocons? Jack Z. Bratich Secreting the News: Anonymous vs. Confidential Sources Brian Cloughley The Ridiculous Rice Ron Jacobs Klan Justice: Mississippi is Still Burning John Farley "Beyond Chutzpah" Too Hot for Harvard Bookstore? Dave Lindorff Making the World Safer...for Nukes Tim Wise Animal Whites: PETA and the Politics of Putting Things in Perspective J.L. Chestnut, Jr. There's Not One Real Liberal or Conservative in the Senate John Gershman The Bolton Opportunity Felice Pace Saving Northwest Forests: Time for a Fresh Look Fred Gardner Feds Takeover Prosecution of Dustin Costa David Krieger The Fable of the Emperor and the Grieving Mother Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Being a Protestant Fundamentalist Ben Tripp GWAT: a Tone Poem Poets' Basement Reiss, Nettnin, Engel and Louise     August 12, 2005 Christopher Brauchli Courting God: Justice Sunday II Greg Moses A Crawford Peace House Morning with Cindy Sheehan Ramzy Baroud Israel's Nuclear Puzzle Norman Solomon Cindy Sheehan's Message: Repudiating Bush and Dean Chris Genovali Why is a Canadian Politician Trying to End Protections for US Grizzly Bears? Chris Floyd Cheney and Halliburton, the Stench Gets Worse Tariq Ali Blair's New Authoritarianism     August 11, 2005 Saul Landau Globalization and Its Discontents Dave Lindorff Privatization will Harm Same Sex Couples Ralph Nader Dear Cindy Sheehan: May You Prevail Where Others Have Failed Talli Nauman Radioactive Border: the Hot Mounds of Samalayuca Gary Leupp Politics of an Outing: Plame, Ledeen and Iran Sharon Smith The New Anti-War Majority Paul Craig Roberts Why is Cheney Lobbying for a Boost in China's Nuclear Capability?     August 10, 2005 Tim Wise Indian Mascots and White Rage Ron Jacobs Rumsfeld's Delusions Joshua Frank Dean and the PDA: Don't Believe the Hype Cynthia McKinney The 9/11 Op-Ed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Refuses to Run Rick Wilhelm Peter Jennings, Excuse Maker for War and Empire Stan Goff Homegrown Resistance     August 9, 2005 Mike Ferner What One Mom has to Say to Bush: Cindy Sheehan in Dallas Monica Benderman Is Being a Conscientious Objector Now Criminal? Mike Marqusee Making Excuses for Killing De Menezes Rep. Cynthia McKinney Strange Fruit and Tree-Shakers Paul Craig Roberts Watching the US Economy Crumble     August 6-8, 2005 Alexander Cockburn How the British Destroyed India Jason Leopold Halliburton and Iran: Still Doing Business After All These Years? Ray McGovern Iran, Truth-Tellers and the Devotees of Preemption David Krieger From Hiroshima to Humanity Sharon K. Weiner / Robert Jensen From Hiroshima to Iraq and Back Fred Gardner The Budtender's View of a Rip-Off     August 5, 2005 Bill Christison New NIE Report on Iran's Nukes will Not Deter US's Posture of Extreme Aggressiveness Paul Craig Roberts Kelo: a Supreme Assault on Personal Liberty Alexander Cockburn The Taj Mahal as Kitsch; the Editor and the Water-Walking Guru     August 4, 2005 Tom Barry Inside Bush's "World Democracy Movement" Lila Rajiva John Bolton's New Internationalism Greg Moses Bush Teaches Intelligent Design in Prison Alexander Cockburn Indian Journal: Why Indian Farmers Kill Themselves August 3, 2005     August 3, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Broken Arrows and Iran: a B-52 Pilot Remembers Paul Craig Roberts The Kelo Calamity: Money, Power and Eminent Domaine William A. Cook Innocent Victims: From Hiroshima to Lower Manhattan Dave Zirin Bush's Texas Rangers: a Crackhouse for Juiced Players? Dave Lindorff Court Packing and Worker Rights José Pertierra Why Hamdi Isaac Yes and Posada Carriles No?   August 2, 2005 Ramzi Kysia Disengagement and Diaspora: High Walls and Razor Wire in the Hebron William A. Cook Words Without Meaning: Torturing Bodies and Language Paul Craig Roberts When Armageddon Gets No Press Mike Whitney Chertoff's Preemptive Crackdown: 600 Arrests, Only 76 Charged Ron Jacobs Be a Hero: Demand That Johnny Come Home Norman Madarsz Before the Stun Gun: Jean Charles de Menezes, RIP Tim Wise The Faulty Logic of "Terrorist" Profiling     August 1, 2005 Virginia Rodino Why Bono and Geldof Got It Wrong: War and Global Poverty are Linked Diana Barahona Return to Venezuela: Land Reform and Neighborhood Doctors Joshua Frank Gitmo's Kangaroo Courts: First Torture Them, Then Rig Their Trials Mike Whitney The Consolidation of Powers: Rubber Stamp Roberts Norm Dixon The Worst Terror Attacks in History Norman Solomon Operation Withdrawal Scam James Petras The Corruption of Lula's Regime     July 30 / 31, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Lost Nuclear Warheads Now in Iran? JoAnn Wypijewski Scenes and Silver Linings from Labor's Crack-Up: a Special Report from Chicago Sheldon Rampton War is Fun as Hell: the Video Games Recruiters Play Jack Z. Bratich Fingerprints of Power: a Summer of Double Super Secrecy Greg Moses How to Cool Your Heels in Texas When It's Late July Across the World Jordan Green From Woolworth to Wal-Mart: Economics and the Race Divide in a Southern City Patrick Cockburn Getting Out of Iraq: 5,000 US Troops Have Gone AWOL Brian Cloughley The Bush-Cheney Fixation on Iran Justin Taylor Harry Potter and the War on Terror Saul Landau Enhancements for the Imperial Life: Fashionism Takes Command! John Walsh Dems Field Another Pro-War Candidate: Meet Hack the Hawk Joshua Frank Color-Coded Justice: John Roberts's Racial Hang Up Ron Jacobs Who Needs Feminism? We Have Condi Rice! Fred Gardner The Ethan and Gavin Show John Chuckman Friedman on Terrorism: the Dumbest Story Ever Written Liaquat Ali Khan Lessons City Bombers Need to Learn from Newton and Donne Remi Kanazi Annexing Justice in Palestine Naveen Jaganathan The Gurgaon Riots Rock India Richard Heinberg Where is the Hirsch Peak Oil Report? Max Watts Francis Ona, the Napoleon of Mekamui Ben Tripp Write Your Own Editorial! Poets' Basement Whalen & Engel, Landau, Albert and Krieger       July 29, 2005 Cockburn / St. Clair Who's the Real Martyr? Judy Miller or Jim DeFede? P. Sainath The Class War in Gurgaon Niranjan Ramakrishnan How the West Was Lost: CAFTA and the Disassembling of America Dave Lindorff Marvelous Marvin Bush J.L. Chestnut, Jr. America's Racist Inventory: Oppression Breeds Violence Pat Williams Giving Away the Last Best Place Norman Solomon In Praise of Kevin Benderman: a Moral Leader of the Nation Goes to Prison Sen. Russ Feingold The Bad News About the Energy Bill     July 28, 2005 Paul Craig Roberts Departing Iraq William S. Lind The Duke of Alba and George W. Bush Gilad Atzmon Blair the Camera Man Joshua Frank Passing CAFTA: Blame the Democrats Lila Rajiva Vision Mumbai Submerged Amina Mire Pigmentation and Empire: the Emerging Skin-Whitening Industry Website of the Day Gateway to Underground News     July 27, 2005 Roger Morris The Source Beyond Rove: Condoleezza Rice at the Center of the Plame Scandal Gary Leupp Is Iran Being Set Up? Paul Craig Roberts US Falling Behind Across the Board Jackie Corr Class War on the Ruby River: the Billionaire with His Foot in His Mouth Mike Whitney The Coming End of the Housing Bubble Dave Zirin Why Lance Armstrong Must Break with Bush Christopher Bradley Why I Have Trouble Reading the News Norman Solomon Thomas Friedman, Liberal Sadist? Website of the Day Stormin' Norman     July 26, 2005 Suren Pillay The Enemy Within: When the "Other" is One of "Us" JoAnn Wypijewski Fission and Fizzle in Chicago: SEIU and Teamsters Quit the AFL Patrick Cockburn Iraq: the Unwinnable War David Anderson When the Greatest Outrage is the Lack of Outrage: NYC's Subway Searches Joshua Frank Hillary Clinton: Outflanking Bush from the Right Lenni Brenner Biography as Wish-Fulfillment: Jefferson, Hitchens and Atheism David Swanson Nuking Native Land     July 25, 2005 Paul Craig Roberts China-Mart Takes Over M. Shahid Alam Terrorism: America Defines Its Targets Uri Avnery March of the Orange Shirts Stan Cox Kreationism in Kansas Norman Solomon "Wagging the Puppy" Ramzy Baroud London Bombings: Barbaric, But Not Unexpected Mickey Z. No Gun Ri: 55 Years Later Website of the Day The Birth of a Hummingbird in 15 Images     July 23 / 24, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Islamo-Anarchs or Islamo-Fascists? Tariq Ali The War Comes Home Robert Fisk Something Happened Dave Lindorff Return of the Academic Witch Hunts Ricardo Alarcón Kidnapping in Miami: the UN, the US and the Cuban 5 Col. Dan Smith Living in a Twilight Zone: Troop Strength, Recruitment and the Draft Brian Cloughley The Pentagon's China Hypocrisy Kevin Zeese Growing Republican Opposition to Iraq War Bill Quigley Harrowing Hours in Haiti Fred Gardner The Reverberations of Raich Rep. Ron Paul The Patriot Act is a Threat to Liberty Joshua Frank Framing Abortion: Gonadal Politics and the Democrats Shivali Tukdeo Project Mumbai Makeover: Casualties of Development Gilad Atzmon Blair's "Evil Ideology" James Petras Baghdad: Barbarism and Civilization (a Fiction) Ben Tripp When Being American Was Fun Poets' Basement Krieger, Louise, Buknatski, Albert and Engel Website of the Weekend Remember the West Memphis 3   July 22, 2005 Heather Gray Home Grown Axis of Evil: Corp. Agribusiness, the Occupation of Iraq and the Dred Scott Decision David Domke The American Press and Credibility Lance Selfa Battle of the Insiders: No Heroes in the Plame Leak Scandal JoAnn Wypijewski Is This Really an "Insurgency" to Shake Up the Labor Movement?   July 21, 2005 Rose Ann DeMoro The Top 10 Problems with the "Crisis" in the Labor Movement William Blum London: Another Casualty in the War on Terror J.L. Chestnut, Jr. Whites Need to Learn Something: Dixie is Everywhere Christopher Brauchli Strange Affairs: Liberals and Alberto Gonzales Joshua Frank Plame Blame Game: the 5 Ws Brian Concannon, Jr. Haiti's Elections: Time for a Reality Check Patrick Cockburn The True, Terrible State of Iraq and the Link to London Website of the Day Who Blew Up the Murrah Building?     July 20, 2005 Cockburn / St. Clair Judge Roberts: Business as Usual Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Red Christmas Ray McGovern Did Dick Finger Valerie?: the Hand of Cheney Chris Floyd Judge Dread: John Roberts and the "Enemy Combatants" Uri Avnery "Silence is Filth" Dave Lindorff Westmoreland's Body Count Goes Up by One Norman Solomon Gen. Westmoreland's Death Wish Bill Quigley Travels in Haiti with a Wanted Priest       July 19, 2005 Tariq Ali An Isolated Regime John Ross Jihad Meets G-8 Davey D. More Clear Channel Censorship: "Don't F--K Around with Tha Police" Greg Weiher Muzzling Saddam: the Old Bait-and-Switch in Iraqi Jurisprudence Brian McKinlay An "Arse Licker" Goes to Washington: John Howard's Grand Tour Norman Solomon Nukes for India; Threats for Iran Dave Lindorff Get Back to Where We Once Belonged Bill Christison Bush's Itinerary: First Stop Syria, Next Stop Iran Joshua Frank Laura's Justice?: Meet Edith Brown Clement   July 18, 2005 Joshua Frank An Interview with Ward Churchill M. Shahid Alam A Muslim Problem: Did Thomas Friedman Flunk History? Jude Wanniski Memo to Patrick Fitzgerald Ron Jacobs A Weekend to Stop the War Mike Whitney The Straight Line Between Falluja and King's Cross Station William MacDougall From "Bring It On" to "London Can Take It" Seth Sandronsky Temporary Recovery: New Frontiers in Labor Flexibility Richard Lichtman The Consolations of George Lakoff Paul Craig Roberts Can Congressional Republicans End Bush's Wars? Website of the Weekend Novels of the Neo-Cons   July 15 / 17, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Don't You Dare Call It Treason Jeffrey St. Clair Sticky Fingers: the Making of Halliburton Paul Craig Roberts Economic Treason Harry Browne "What They Do to Us, They Will Do to You": Shell Oil in Mayo, Ireland Uri Davis, Ilan Pappe and Tamar Yaron A Warning from Israel Andrew Rubin End of the Enlightenment: an Open Letter to Stephen Plaut Patrick Cockburn Iraq's Ghost Battalions J.L. Chestnut, Jr. Changes in Selma: Standing Up to Racism in the South Fred Gardner A Professional Bust Christopher Brauchli An Olympic Feat: How to "Double" Aid with No New Money Chris Floyd The Great Iraq Oil Giveaway Ben Tripp The Dark Incontinent Col. Dan Smith General Abizaid, I'm Glad You Asked Jason Leopold What Did Rove Say and When Did He Say It? Jack Random Miller Time Norman Solomon War and Venture Capitalism George Ochenski Liberate Montana's Rivers: Come One, Come All! Website of the Weekend Vote for CounterPuncher David Vest     July 14, 2005 Jeffrey St. Clair Sticky Fingers: the Making of Halliburton Subcomandante Marcos This is What Will Do and How We Shall Do It: the Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona Dave Lindorff No More Moral Relativism: the US is a Terrorist State Joshua Frank Rove Agency: Liberals and the CIA Jude Wanniski Those 8 Black Pages: What's the Real Story on Karl Rove? Dave Zirin Storming the Castle Kevin Zeese Exit Strategy: Within Reach? Robert Jensen War Myths and the Press Reza Fiyouzat A Worldwide Call to Free Akbar Ganji Carol Norris Governor Paranoid: Schwarzenegger Comes Unhinged Website of the Day Nate Osborn: Heroic Human Rights Activist and CounterPuncher   July 13, 2005 Brian Cloughley Cold Blooded Murders in Iraq George Galloway We Can't Separate the London Bombings from the Political Backdrop Carlos Fierro A Supreme Waste of Time Sarah Knopp Hate on the Border Norman Solomon "Isolated Pockets of Problems": the Fake Optimism of Washington's Warriors Mickey Z. Water on the Brain Jim Minick The Right Tree in the Right Place Pat Williams American Indian Education for All Andrew N. Rubin Life Behind the Wall: "We are No Longer Able to See the Sun Set" Website of the Day "London's Burning": the Mikey Mix     July 12, 2005 Laith al-Saud Voices of Resistance: an Interview with Dr. Mohammed al-Obaidi of Iraq's Peoples' Struggle Movement Kara N. Tina "This is How We Do It": Report from the Gleneagles Battlefield William A. Cook The London Bombings: Why Has It Come to This? Jack Bratich 2 Live Cruise: Tom Cruise v. Big Pharma Amina Mire The Problem with Speaking in the Name of Others Dick J. Reavis Lessons from the Christian Jihadists: the Virtues of Burning Crosses and Colored Smoke Kevin Zeese Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Vets Paul Craig Roberts No-Think Nation Website of the Day Coke Gags Indian Artist     July 9 / 11, 2005 Alexander Cockburn After the Bombings Uri Avnery War of the Colors in Israel Sheldon Rampton Blaming Galloway: Rhetoric vs. Reality in London Bill Christison Hiroshima's 60th Anniversary and Nukes in Iran: an Opportunity or Just More Hand-wringing from the Peace Movement? Robert Fisk Blair's Alliance with Bush Bombed Stephen Winspear Collateral Damage in London? Saul Landau Mission Accomplished: Iraq is Broken Behrooz Ghamari Thomas Friedman's Muslim Problem Karl Beitel False Promises and Real Debt Relief Brian Concannon, Jr. Throwing Gasoline on Haiti's Fires Fred Gardner Sentencing Season John Whitlow And What Does the Market Say? Niranjan Ramakrishnan The London Blasts: Who's Being Transformed, Them or Us? Lila Rajiva Witches and Bastards Laura Carlsen CAFTA: Deepening the Inequities Jackie Corr Ted Turner and Jiminy Cricket Dave Lindorff "My Brother Went Over There Gung Ho; Now He's Just Bitter" N. D. Jayaprakash Why the CIA Tried to Kill Chou En Lai at the Bandung Conference Seth Sandronsky Meet the "Truth Tour": Rightwing Radio Hosts Go to Iraq Norman Madarasz The Choking of Brazil's Worker Party Ben Tripp The Inevitability of George W. Bush Poets' Basement Louise, Albert, Landau, Davies and Engel Website of the Weekend The Mother of All Enemies Lists     July 8, 2005 Paul Craig Roberts Blowback Hits Britain: Londoners Pay Heavy Price for Blair's Deception Tariq Ali The London Bombings: Why They Happened Monica Benderman One Soldier's Fight to Legalize Morality Rick Jahnkow Beyond Opt-Out: the Counter-Recruitment Movement Christopher Brauchli Dear Vet: If You Want to Eat While You Recuperate, You Gotta Pay Extra Kim Peterson Bombs in the Underground: Terror Begats Terror Joshua Frank Leakers and Liars: Inching Toward Indictments? Norman Solomon Messages from the Carnage Website of the Day An Interview with Ray McGovern   July 7, 2005 Cockburn / St. Clair Judy Miller: the Luckiest Martyr John Walsh More Hawkish Than Bush: Dems in Full Battle Cry Mike Marqusee Message from London Gilad Atzmon London's Burning Nicole Colson Showdown at the Supreme Court Jack Random Judith Miller, Anti-Hero Norman Solomon Judith Miller, Drum Majorette for War Len Colodny Is Bob Woodward Still Protecting Al Haig? Cockburn / St. Clair Judy Miller: the Luckiest Martyr             Subscribe Online

Labor Day Edition September 5, 2005 No Reply What Cuba Has Offered the People of the Gulf Coast By FIDEL CASTRO These remarks had to be written in a rush, as sometimes happens when things occur quickly and unexpectedly. I'll explain the reasons for this. Yesterday, a press conference, the kind typically held in the US State Department, was held. The Department's spokesman, Sean McCormack, participated. I will read the spokesman's declarations verbatim. "State Department Press Room, Washington, DC, 12:46 pm, Thursday, September 1, 2005". At that time, we were in the middle of a National Assembly session, addressing important matters; one of the points we touched on was the tragedy which befell the United States. "Mr. McCormack said: Good afternoon. I wanted to begin with a brief update on a matter which is of interest to everyone who is here today, on the aid efforts following the passage of hurricane Katrina, and on offers of aid coming from abroad". "Let me begin by saying that we have received numerous and generous offers of aid from foreign governments and organizations, and Secretary Rice, after consulting with the White House, has made it clear that we will accept all foreign aid offers. Anything that will help alleviate the difficult situation, the tragic situation faced by people living in the area affected by hurricane Katrina will be accepted". Further on, he says: "I can read you a list. Until now, this list has grown and is being updated constantly, every hour, in fact. "We've received general offers of aid and more specific ones from a number of countries and organizations, including Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, the OAS, Jamaica, NATO, Australia, the United Kingdom, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. "I will try and keep you posted on what is added to the list. As I said, it literally grows by the hour". It was only later, almost at night, after the Assembly session ended, that we started to look at the press wires, and we weren't even able to read them all. Some of the news we received in the morning, today, the piece I've just read among them. This puts me in the position of having to clarify Cuba's position, because many of our friends, within and outside the United States, who know that our country always offers assistance when situations like these arise, regardless of existing conflicts, political, ideological or any kind of difference, started calling us, thinking it odd that we hadn't offered any kind of aid to the United States following the devastation wreaked by Katrina. The calls kept coming in, one after the other, so this declaration, whose text is self-explanatory, became indispensable. Among other things, you can appreciate that it is not simply a question of public relations -not in the least-but rather a matter of importance, even from the practical point of view. I'm going to read you a brief chronology of events, in which you can see the various offers of aid made by the Cuban government to the United States in connection with the hurricane. "August 25, 2005. Hurricane Katrina lashes Florida, resulting in the loss of human lives and heavy material damage". "Days later, on August 29, 2005, after reaching category 4 in the Saffir-Simpson Scale, hurricane Katrina lashes the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The first news revealing the magnitude of the tragedy begin to be divulged". "On August 30, 2005, the last gusts of winds of the hurricane were still blowing over Louisiana and other southern states, with which we have trade relations, purchasing significant amounts of food products. Authorities from that state and others have even visited us in connection with these purchases, made by Cuba from the United States, which began a number of years ago". Many things have happened. I've talked with thousands and thousands of American farmers, because hundreds came for the first fair we held; I met with one group, then with another, and, in the course of these last four years, I've exchanged with thousands of US farmers and state authorities, governors, senators and representatives. Only two months ago, the governor of the state of Louisiana, a very affable person, paid us a visit; she came, as governors do, because she was interested in addressing matters and problems affecting her state. These states that have been most severely affected by the hurricane are among the poorest. Agriculture is most important in their economies, like ports used to export their products. "At 11:32 am on August 30, 2005, I called our Minister of Foreign Affairs, our colleague Felipe, to ask him to immediately convey to the government of the United States, via the US Interests Section in Havana and Cuba's Interests Section in Washington, a message expressing our sympathies over the damage caused by the hurricane and offering assistance in the area of health, as we knew from the news we were receiving, that what was happening there was catastrophic". If there is anything we can offer that may be considered important -primarily thanks to the experience we have dealing with hurricanes and in the implementation of measures to protect, evacuate and offer assistance to the population, among other things- it is in the area of medical services. Following the catastrophic events of September 11, Cuba was the first country to offer the United States support. Upon receiving news that there were planes in the air that could not be authorized to land on US airports, we immediately offered our airports and, later, we offered what we were in a position to offer: medical assistance, in response to the magnitude of the damage and the immense number of potential victims. We're closer to New York than California is. Aid from Cuba can reach New York before aid coming from California, it's a three-hour trip from Cuba to New York. I believe it's twice that time from California to New York. Anyway, we offered medical assistance. It wasn't a ridiculous gesture, since sometimes a blood transfusion can save someone's life, and a rare blood type may be required. One, two, three, ten lives, that's not the issue: if you can save one life, you're duty-bound to save it. "At 12:45, complying with these instructions, the acting head of the North America Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affair, Josefina Vidal, met with the deputy chief of the US Interests Section in Havana, Edward Alexander Lee, to pass this message to him verbally and, in addition, to give him a written copy of the same". We don't waste one minute, that's the truth. Comrade Josefina is with us, here. "Following the instructions received, comrade Josefina Vidal told Mr. Lee, verbatim: 'We would like to put our differences aside for a moment' -this alludes to the current state of relations between Cuba and the government of the United States- 'in view of the serious situation caused by hurricane Katrina'". The hurricane affected us also, don't forget that, as it was approaching Florida, we were gathered for a round table discussion, and it had already knocked down electric poles and caused power failures. It was something almost unexpected. The tail of the hurricane, as it crossed Florida from the east to the southeast of the peninsula, affected us also: many flights were cancelled, others had to be rerouted, and these were planes carrying patients that were to be operated on in Cuba. Some had to land in Camaguey, others in Holguin; Cuban planes scheduled to leave Venezuela were unable to take off. The following day, no one knew what the path of the hurricane was going to be; it even neared Cuba and caused problems in Pinar del Rio, heavy downpours. Then, it turns north, leaving behind it heavy showers and floods in some areas. Warnings about sea flooding in Pinar del Rio are issued, you have to see the photos. In fact, the following day we were also suffering the effects of the hurricane, and receiving news that it was headed north and that it was gathering strength, between a category 4 and 5, exactly like the one that passed through here several weeks ago. After this introduction, Josephine read the message, which reads as follows: "On instructions from Cuba's top leadership, I convey to you our condolences for the loss of human lives and the material damage caused by hurricane Katrina and inform you of our willingness to immediately send the medical and health personnel that may be needed to any of the affected areas and, in addition to this, to set up three field hospitals with the personnel needed". Complying with the instructions, Josefina concluded telling Mr. Lee that "we are not after publicity. We await your reply". That is the reason we didn't make the offer public, we didn't publish anything, in fact. We didn't want it to be interpreted as a publicity effort. That same August 30, "The head of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, Dagoberto Rodríguez, was received, at his own request, at 4:30 pm in the State Department by the official John Reagan, to whom he passed the exact same message delivered in Havana and gave the same written text". On the August 31, at 2:15 pm, "the head of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, Dagoberto Rodríguez, attended a meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited in Washington called by the State Department, in which information about hurricane Katrina, information mechanisms and institutions linked to disaster protection efforts was given". We felt that the fact they invited him the next day, something which doesn't happen often, was a positive sign. Two days later we made our offer, that is, yesterday September 1, at the time I said, while we were meeting at the National Assembly, the spokesman makes his statement, which I really didn't get to read until today, September 2. We got nearly all of the news today; we were at the Assembly until 11:00 pm, and busy receiving visitors after that. After that statement yesterday, we began getting a downpour of calls today. We didn't want any kind of publicity in connection with this. But, what were we supposed to say to the people calling us? And are we going to allow the world's public opinion to perceive us in a strange position, to think that, following a tragedy of this magnitude, we don't even offer our condolences to the American people? There's something else: yesterday, at the beginning of the Assembly session, the first thing the members of the chair proposed was that we send out a message of solidarity to the US people, a message which was published in full today. It reads as follows: "Message of solidarity to the American people". "The people of Cuba have followed with deep concern the news on the damage hurricane Katrina has caused in the states of Lousiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Though the information received is still lacking in detail, it allows us to surmise that the hurricane constitutes a tragedy of immense proportions. "In terms of the physical destruction and material damages caused, the hurricane is considered the most costly natural disaster recorded in US history. This country's Red Cross believes it will have to work harder than it did following the atrocious attacks of September 11, 2001. "Tens of thousands of people are trapped in flooded areas, have lost their homes, been displaced or taken in by shelters. The governor of Louisiana described the situation in New Orleans -where water levels continue to rise- as desperate. This city's Mayor declared that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people may have perished there. "This disaster, with its death toll and suffering, affects all citizens of the United States, but its scourge is felt all the more strongly by Afro-Americans and by poor Latino and US workers, who constitute the majority of those who are still waiting to be rescued and taken to safe places, and account for the greatest number of fatal victims and people who have lost their homes. "These news bring much pain and sorrow to the Cuban people. On their behalf, we wish to send out a sincere message of solidarity to the American people, to state and local authorities and to the victims of this catastrophe. Every nation must feel this tragedy as its own. "National Assembly of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba, Havana, September 1, 2005". A minute of silence was observed for the victims. It was truly a moving and sincere gesture, on behalf of our people, towards the people of the United States, respectful towards the authorities, not in the least bit offensive or aggressive. This is the situation we're facing, the news we're receiving are ever harsher. There may be thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people amazed that Cuba didn't offer any kind of aid, and we're the next-door neighbour. No country is closer to the United States; we're certainly much closer than Japan, any contribution, modest as it may be, will get to the south of the United States much more quickly if it comes from Cuba rather than Japan or Asia. Well, they've expressed their admiration for Sri Lanka, for the aid they offered in spite of the country's difficulties. The Arab Emirates are even farther away. Actually, we're closer to the United States than Honduras is, closer than Central America and considerably closer than any country in South America. We've done the math: in an hour and fifty minutes, one of our planes can reach the international airport closest to the place where the tragedy occurred. The main reason for our being here is to make the truth known and reiterate our willingness to cooperate. We are not here to criticize, that's not our intention. We were not mentioned in that long list and we were perhaps the first to offer aid; if you have a look at the time when the instructions were given and the message was passed, I think it's fair to say we were quick to make our offer, which was concrete: doctors to work in the affected areas, precisely what they need now in many places. Our position cannot be perceived as resentment or even complaint. As the deputy chief of the US Interests Section, Mr. Lee was told we were not after any kind of publicity. Perhaps their interpretation was that we wanted no publicity whatsoever. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding; I'm not saying Cuba's name was intentionally omitted. Even if it had been omitted intentionally, it's not something that worries us, we've never done anything for recognition or to be thanked, that's the way we've acted not once, but many, many times. Somoza was in office in Nicaragua when that terrible earthquake destroyed the city, however, the Cuban field hospitals and doctors were among the first to arrive there. We had no relations with Peru, and with many other countries, and that's never been an obstacle, we've always and immediately offered our aid. Immediately after the tsunami hit across the globe, we sent medical brigades to two countries. That was costly, sending a plane, which consumes much more fuel, say, than a Boeing -our planes consume quite a lot of fuel- it's costly. Sending a medical brigade to Oceania in one of those planes is costly, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, precisely because of the costs of plane fuel today, and the costs of the medication and tents, which aren't brought back to Cuba, they stay there. When Santo Domingo, Haiti and Central America were terribly battered by hurricanes which claimed tens of thousands of lives in the latter, we did even more. These events gave rise to the brigades that today make up a huge movement. The Latin American School of Medicine was also born of these events. In terms of training for doctors, of the services it brings to the region and to humanity as a whole, this is an extraordinary institution which will produce 200,000 doctors, doctors that Venezuela and Cuba will be graduating in the course of 10 years. All of this was born of the spirit of cooperation, recognized in many parts of the world today; even in Honduras, where there was talk of removing the doctors, there have been a number of declarations by the population, insisting that not one of them be removed; that they are attending to 2.5 millions of people who do not receive any other kind of medical care from anyone else. Everyone mobilized to keep the doctors there, and we said that we would never remove them on account of any grievance, that we would not withdraw our medical assistance, unless the country's government requested it. Our doctors remain in these countries even when war breaks out; that's what happened in Haiti, not one of them left and they treated the ill, the wounded and anyone in need of medical care. That is how our doctors behave, that is the code of ethics that guides our doctors and our country too. We're not going to send a medical team overseas to bring it back home due to a diplomatic skirmish, when differences or even things that are very offensive for our country arise. We would never act that way. That's where we're coming from, which is why I say this is not the time to complain about the fact Cuba was omitted from the list read by the State Department spokesman. So, we would like to reiterate our wish to cooperate with the American people, and all the more so after what we and the world have seen. Therefore we would like to take this opportunity to state exactly what position we are taking and repeat it with even more precision: Our country is ready to send, in the small hours of morning, 100 general doctors an specialists in Comprehensive General Medicine, who tomorrow Saturday, at dawn, could be in Houston International Airport, Texas, the closest to the region struck by the tragedy, in order to be transferred by air" ­it would be in helicopters mainly--, "river or land" ­amphibious crafts that sometimes enter heavily flooded areas-- "to the more distant shelters, facilities and neighborhoods in the city of New Orleans, where the population and families are that require emergency medical care or first aid treatment. These Cuban personnel would be carrying backpacks with 24 kilograms of medications, known to be essential in such situations to save lives, as well as basic diagnostic tools." They will have to take blood pressure, pulse and other readings, all these basic resources are needed to establish a clinical report, something which our doctors have a lot of experience in. At the moment tens of thousands of them are working overseas, and in many places there was no X-ray machine or ultrasound equipment, there was nothing, not even blood or other lab tests, and they arrive and make clinical diagnoses with an exceedingly high level of precision. They are practically clinical experts, because they are used to working in areas of the Third World that don't have diagnostic equipment. "They may work alone or in groups of two or more people, depending on the circumstances, for as long as necessary." "Likewise, Cuba is ready to send via Houston, or any other airport of your choosing, 500 additional specialists in Comprehensive General Medicine, with the same equipment, who could be at their destination point at noon or in the afternoon of tomorrow, Saturday, September 3. Thus, the 1100 said medical doctors, with the resources described, would be caring for the people in most need of attention in the aftermath of the hurricane. "A third group of 500 specialists in General Comprehensive Medicine could also be sent, and would arrive in the morning of Sunday, September 4. Consequently, in under 36 hours, 1100 of these doctors equipped with said resources' ­the back-packs--, 'which amount to 26.4 tons of medication and diagnostic kits' ­mostly medication-- 'will be caring for the neediest people in the aftermath of a hurricane like Katrina." And the damage that it left in its wake, in a flat, low area with many rivers. That is to say, it seems that accidents have happened there as well, levees that burst, all those occurrences. A hurricane is a hurricane, ranking five on the scale is a hurricane. The one that hit Cienfuegos was a category four. It hit with more force, in fact, when it got closer. "These medical doctors have an elementary knowledge of the English language that would allow them to communicate with the patients. "All we are waiting for is a response from the U.S. authorities' Our doctors have worked in South Africa, in many English speaking nations, and even in areas where dialects are spoken; but it is very easy to communicate with doctors. Children of eight months, for example, cannot speak, and doctors diagnose them simply because they are able to make diagnoses, sometimes language isn't even needed; but they do have the basic language skills. The significance of this proposal can be deduced from a press wire from New Orleans, dated today, September 2, from the EFE agency. It is worth reading and says, and I quote: 'Due to the fact that the hospitals are without electricity, the drug stores of New Orleans are under more than a meter of water, thousands of patients have no access to sanitary care and there is growing threat of infection, the health of tens of thousands of people affected by hurricane 'Katrina' is at risk. 'The crisis that has hit New Orleans and large areas in southern Louisiana is made worse by the fact that the majority of the tens of thousands of people trapped by the water are the poorest of the country's poor; individuals who suffer from more mental and physical illnesses that any other social group'. 'A tragic example of the sanitary problems that 'Katrina' and the accompanying floods have caused the inhabitants of New Orleans could be seen last Thursday in the doorways of the city's Convention Center, where between 20 000 and 25 000 people have taken shelter.' 'Against one of the outside walls of the center is the corpse of an elderly lady, sat in her wheelchair with a blanket over her. On the other side of the Convention Center, two people try to resuscitate a man lying unconscious on the floor, in a vain attempt to save his life'. 'The elderly, young and sick of the poor of New Orleans ­where, according to official figures, almost a third of the 1.4 million inhabitants are poverty-stricken, almost half a million-- 'the most vulnerable are the ones paying the highest price for the disaster. 'Some experts have begun to warn about the psychological consequences that the chaos and violence that prevail in New Orleans will have on the children that experience the crisis at first hand, in some cases without their parents. 'Another concern that experts have begun to express is the outbreak of infectious diseases such as cholera or typhoid fever. '80% of New Orleans is under water. Authorities fear that hundreds, probably thousands, of people have died over the last few days or are trapped by the water in the attics of their homes'. We are talking about helping people who are trapped in a building, in a stadium, wherever, in small communities, a medical team that will reach them, with medication. This medical team could save the lives of people like that man who was being resuscitated following a heart attack, and medication for these and other serious problems that doctors and their backpacks with essential medication can sort out. Who knows if maybe they could have saved that person in the wheelchair. Nobody knows what she died of. What I am trying to say is that we are not offering to send our doctors to Disneyland or to stay in five-star hotels. 'With temperatures of over 30°C' ­that's nothing for a Cuban doctor­ 'the decomposing bodies of people and animals are rapidly becoming a breeding ground for bacteria'. 'Furthermore, the sewers in the metropolitan area of New Orleans have emptied their contents into the stagnant waters in the city's streets, through which its inhabitants are forced to walk in their attempt to flee.' And as if this wasn't enough, patches of dangerous chemical products can be clearly seen from the air floating in the water discharged by companies and industries, such as refineries or farms, located in the outskirts of New Orleans.' 'Experts warn that human contact with this water could cause infection'. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that the population should avoid eating or drinking perishable products such as meat, fish, milk and eggs that are not stored appropriately, as they could cause illness if consumed, even if they have been cooked correctly.' To deal with all these problems it is essential to have a professional there, where there may not be a doctor, to say what type of food can be eaten, if it is canned food. The doctors with their backpacks of medication, well distributed in hundreds of different places, could be of extraordinarily use. It is even thought that they will be able to tell us, if they have the means of communication to do so, what they need and then it will be much easier, they will make diagnoses, and realize if an epidemic is about to break out, identify the first symptoms. There is no way they could not be useful. If there was ever a situation where this was needed it is this, in which many doctors who have been to the jungles, to the plateaus, to lots of places could participate; not because they're Cuban, it's not the enemy that's going there to kill, it's a professional, like the tens of thousands that we currently have in other countries, where others don't go. 'The FDA added that 'no-one should eat any food that has been in contact with the flood water.' 'With the desperate pleas for water and food by the thousands of people trapped in the Superdome and the Convention Center' ­I don't know if they have been evacuated by now or not--, 'who in some cases haven't eaten in the last three days, there is a strong chance that the FDA's warning ­if it reaches the ears of the victims-- will not have much effect.' This cable arrived today, I received it a few hours before I arrived here. That is why I have come to reiterate the offer. We stuck to the notion that we didn't want any publicity so resolutely that three days went by and no-one found out about what we were willing to do. Everyone has said; 'I offered this, I offered 50 000 dollars, I offered that'. We offer lives, to save 10, 100, 500, 1000; to help to take measures that could save tens of thousands, at least to avoid the sorrowful sight that the world is witnessing. Are they going to reject our cooperation because of the things that have gone on between our two countries? I feel that it would help everyone and it would be a good example, set not only by us, but by them as well, because these phenomena could repeat themselves. Today a group of American experts were saying that a strong hurricane like this one could hit within a month or two, one more violent that this one could sweep the United States. Therefore our gesture is sincere and peaceful. It does not seek publicity or impose conditions of any kind, it does not request that the blockade be lifted or anything like that. We have never imposed conditions on anybody; we offer what we have and this is what we have; we do not have a large financial capital. The costs are covered by us; the travel, the fuel; we don't even have to get fuel over there, it's so near. They can go there or to another airport, or to a military base, if there is one. They are not going to make statements or seek publicity, I want us to be clear on this. We are hopeful, seeing that today another change took place, as the Secretary of State herself said that they would accept any help. This means that they'd even accept help from the Martians if it was offered; but they haven't. A little island on this planet, that's only a few minutes away from that place has offered to help, and it has a moral right to discuss the possibility of sending doctors over, it is something that is now acknowledged by the world. What we want is not to criticize, not to put the U.S. government in an awkward situation. We are aware that the authorities are going through a difficult time, the target of harsh criticism. We aren't the type of politician ­we'll call ourselves politicians, in case the word revolutionary scares anyone­ who opportunistically takes advantage of certain situations to deal a blow to an adversary. I want to make that clear, because this is the real spirit of cooperation. Once again I shall say that this is not the first time. We have absolutely no interest in confronting the United States or their government in any way, shape or form, I've already said it, I say: 'Let's call a ceasefire'. And we are not asking for anything, and we'll foot the bill for all the medication and the transport and everything. What it'll be like over there I don't know, if they go to a small community, I imagine that they'll have whatever the people there offer them. I don't know if they'll take some water with them, but our doctors are experienced in going thirsty, suffering the heat and going without food along with the patients. In some places that they have been we have sent them food, out of concern for them, and they have given it to their patients. When concerned for the health of our teachers we sent them food and they gave it to their students, and when our doctors receive something they give it to their patients first. These are the ethics which shape our doctors, and there isn't just one or two of them, there are now thousands, now, right now, and tens of thousands more here. A few days ago 1610 young people from other countries graduated here, they have now finished their studies and have gained lot of experience. About now almost 2000 more Cuban doctors should also have graduated with clinical experience, thus constituting reserves. Many of the experienced people on missions overseas are currently here on holiday. We would send mainly experienced doctors to the areas most severely affected. We already know who would go. All we are waiting for is some response, and I hope that it comes straightaway, so as not to loose a minute. All the measures have been taken, everything is being prepared: backpacks, medication, clothes, everything, because it's now three days since we made our offer and we couldn't keep our men permanently mobilized. What we do know is how long it takes to mobilize them and that it is the only way to get medication to all those people who have spoken on TV. They can be there at the airport in Houston, and from there go by helicopter to the areas in need in a very short space of time. A helicopter doesn't require a runway, it will land in a place where it is filled with fuel, and take the medical team to any place necessary, it is ideal; but sometimes it could be a place where a boat or fast motorboat arrives, or perhaps an amphibious tank, and there are men from the National Guard, American soldiers involved in this task. I am sure that everyone is going to work together, and the fact that American doctors, Cuban doctors, whoever, are helping to save others in this sort of ceasefire, this truce, will set a very good example for the world. This war is not between human beings but is rather a war for the lives of human beings, a war against disease, against disasters that could repeat themselves, and one of the first things that this world should learn, now of all times, with the changes that are taking place and with these types of phenomena, is to work together. Our doctors went to Indonesia, to Sri Lanka. Our doctors are in Timor L'este, and hundreds of doctors from over there will soon be here receiving training. It's on the other side of the world, I think, between Oceania and Australia. Some weeks ago we sent a delegation over, they went, came back, I spoke at length with them. I know the situation, what doctors there are. We also have a program to train, within a few years, hundreds of doctors, all that they need. It is a Portuguese speaking country, very heroic, that lost tens of thousands of lives in the process to attain independence. We haven't said a word about this. I feel obliged to talk about it here today, briefly so that no-one is in any doubt about the current situation and so that they forget about any pre-conceived notions, because what exist are no longer just instilled lies, but rather pre-conceived notions formed in the minds of many people. Furthermore, as I was saying, we have many friends in the United States, and around 200 well-known names, administrative authorities from those southern states, with whom our collaborators have relations, because they are constantly in touch through a large number of activities related to the buying, shipment and transportation of food and the payment of this, because we have been paying for this food in cash now for four years, without ever being late and without ever paying even a penny less. We have developed really strong relations, based on trust. We extended our condolences to the authorities, to everyone, and they took it well, they were grateful. We told them that we had informed the top U.S. authorities about this, and we told all of them that we wanted to act with discretion. They should know all about it, and there are many witnesses, but it doesn't matter. This isn't about quarreling or arguing. We're not asking anyone to criticize themselves, nor are we criticizing anybody; we are proposing something truly constructive that seems to us to be just, and that uses practical, specific, immediate, action, that can be effected in matter of hours. They can be there at 7 o'clock in the morning, with their backpacks, which are now ready, the first hundred are ready. These are the first hundred that could be there at dawn. The others could start to arrive in the afternoon, and a second group of 500 could be arriving in the evening and some more on Sunday. Up until now 64,367 patients from Venezuela and the Caribbean have been operated on, as part of 'Operation Miracle', at a rate of 1560 a day. Just think how many airplanes have to fly back and forth bringing and returning these eye patients. We have a taskforce here getting ready, we have a large number of paramedics if, as a result of the hurricane, their services are needed in some emergency rooms, we can send them over. The United States have a lot of doctors and resources, but they also have a special situation in a specific area, due to a specific problem. This is no cause for shame. What I am sure of is that it is very difficult to get all the teams necessary to where all those people from the south are in 12 hours, or in 24 hours. It is impossible to conjure up a doctor for extreme situations, it is impossible to conjure up a trained general practitioner for this task, or a team of men that will go anywhere. On the other hand, this isn't the first time for us, this isn't a new experience for Cuba. That is what I want to say. There are more than 200 people who know this now and they were told that we have informed the authorities in Washington, and that we wanted to be discrete. The others can judge whether or not I did the right thing in asking you to give me a few moments to explain this, to address the American people and give them a response so that they don't think that we are vengeful and that we didn't want to help because of our differences with the United States. And I'll it say it again, we're not asking for anything! The truth is we don't need anything. Medication, yes, as much as they want; equipment, yes, not for Cuba, but rather to save the lives of and attend to Americans, and if they want more doctors, if they want a thousand, we'll give them a thousand more, if they want five thousand, we'll give them five thousand more, we have them and we know where they are, and they know how to use X-ray machines, ultrasound equipment, endoscopes, and how to treat many diseases. You may have a lot of equipment, but you also need the people who know how to use it. The problem is how fast they arrive. That's all I'll say. With this I am voicing the good will of the Cuban people, the sentiments of friendship that they have always felt towards the American people, which has been demonstrated for 46 years. One of the few countries in the world where the American flag has never been burnt, where no-one would ever insult an American citizen, this is a for sure. We are grateful to the country that supported the return of the little boy, the country in which an increasing number of people support the pursuit of justice for our compatriots, the country that we trust will one day form a bond of friendship with us, and not only to help our two countries, but also, fundamentally, to help others. The government of the United States and Congress approved 15 billion to fight AIDS, but money cannot solve the AIDS problem if there are no doctors in the small communities in Africa. And they haven't got any doctors there, we have doctors there and the numbers will grow, into the tens of thousands. The Caribbean is going to have thousands of doctors, we are going to help to train them and we have already trained hundreds, who speak English, perfect English. The world needs doctors, doctors who go to these places. Central America is going to have doctors, even now they have them, and we are one big family. And if they urgently need new equipment to help the people affected, Cuba has this equipment available, it is in the warehouses, ready, the very resources that we acquired for our programs; as long as we are building, there is always a supply. We are not going to take this equipment out of our health centers. We are talking about resources destined for other places that can be replaced in a matter of weeks. We have also notified those in Washington that we were going to call this meeting and that it was in no way aimed at creating a confrontation, but rather to repeat our offer. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon the US Interests Section in Havana was informed of this, and those in Washington were also informed. They are not finding this out now on the television and they know in what spirit it is intended. I hope that we can all learn a fruitful and useful lesson, get something out of this huge and heart-breaking tragedy that has befallen this country. I don't think, Randy, and fellow compatriots, that I have anything else to add, or that I should add anything to what I have already said. CLARIFICATION ALEXANDER COCKBURN, JEFFREY ST CLAIR, BECKY GRANT AND THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF JOURNALISTIC CLARITY, COUNTERPUNCH We published an article entitled "A Saudiless Arabia" by Wayne Madsen dated October 22, 2002 (the "Article"), on the website of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalistic Clarity, CounterPunch, www.counterpunch.org (the "Website"). Although it was not our intention, counsel for Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has advised us the Article suggests, or could be read as suggesting, that Mr Al Amoudi has funded, supported, or is in some way associated with, the terrorist activities of Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda terrorist network. We do not have any evidence connecting Mr Al Amoudi with terrorism. As a result of an exchange of communications with Mr Al Amoudi's lawyers, we have removed the Article from the Website. We are pleased to clarify the position. August 17, 2005

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