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Today's
Stories
April
21, 2004
Bill
Christison
Only Major Policies Changes
Can Help Washington Now
April
20, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Bush and Kerry Share a Problem
Stan
Cox
Wal-Mart's Magic Numbers
Bruce
Anderson
On Listening to Air America
Joseph
Kalvoda
Czech Mate for Condi
Greg
Moses
Yesterday's Intelligence
Stan
Goff
The Democrats and Iraq
Website
of the Day
Santorum Happens
April 19, 2004
Kurt
Nimmo
The "Central Hand" of the
Resistance
Mike
Whitney
Bob Woodward's Imperial Trifles
Douglas
Valentine
52 Pick-Up and the 100-to-1
Rule
John
Chuckman
The Sharon Annex: Evil Does Often
Triumph
Doug
Giebel
Welcome to the Club
Rahul
Mahajan
Hospital Closings and War Crimes
April
16 / 18, 2004
Robert
Fisk
Bush Legitimizes Terror
Saul
Landau
Subverting Brazil and Cuba
Dave
Lindorff
Paying for War: $2,150 per Family
and Counting
Brandy
Baker
Fallujah's Collateral Damage
Mickey
Z.
The Left Attacks from the Right
Bruce
Jackson
The Bush Press Conference: Gott Mit
Uns
Norman
Solomon
How the "NewsHour" Changed
History
Alexander
Cockburn
Bush, Kerry and Empire
April
15, 2004
Greg
Moses
Follow the Families, Not the Script
Virginia
Tilley
The Carnage According to Gen. Kimmitt:
Just Change the Channel
Ron
Jacobs
They Coulda Been Champions of the
World: Hurricane Carter and Ron Kovic
Michael
Neumann
A Happy Compromise: Hate Crimes
Reporting in the Toronto Globe and Mail
April
14, 2004
Tom
Reeves
Return to Haiti: an American Learning
Zone
Reza
Fiyouzat
Japan and Iraq
Ron
Jacobs
What Bush Really Said
Diane
Christian
The Real Passion
April 10 /
12, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
The
Greatest Radical Journalist of His Age
Patrick Cockburn
Ambush, Kidnap, Murder: Another Day in "Post War" Iraq
Ellen Cantarow
Health Under Siege on the West Bank
Tariq Ali
Iraqi
Resistance: a New Phase
Werther
Pseudoconservatism Revisited: When God is Pro War & Other
Delicacies
Robert Fisk
Bush's War Lords to Their Critics: "Just Shut Up"
Gary Leupp
Indian Wars, Vietnam and Orientalist Fantasy
Ron Jacobs
The Iranian Revolution, Cont.
Jorge Mariscal
Perils of the Bootstrap
Phil Gasper
Defying Stereotypes About Death Row
Dave Zirin
Bringing the Black Freedom Struggle Into Sports: an Interview
with Lee Evans
Brandy Baker
The Revolution is Playing at a Theater Near You
Mickey Z.
Underground Music is Free Media: an Interview with Twiin
Ali Tonak
Get Ready for the Million Worker March
Harry Browne
Asking the Wrong Question About Richard Clarke & 9/11
Gideon Samet
The Sharonizing of America
Conn Hallinan
Remote Control Warriors
Website of
the Weekend
Taboo
Tunes
April 9, 2004
Robert Fisk
This
War's Simple Truth: Iraqis Do Not Want Us
John L. Hess
The
Non-Confessions of a Warrior Princess: Condi on the Stand
Niranjan Ramakrishnan
Condoleezza's Condescensions
Christopher Brauchli
Holes in the Sky: Bush's Crazed Missile Defense Plan
Don Santina
Forget the Alamo!: Glorifying the Fight for Slavery in Texas
William S. Lind
The 4G Warfare Seminar, Cont.
Bill Christison
9/11
Commission is Bush's New Lapdog
Website of the Day
What We've Done to Fallujah
April 8,
2004
Wayne Madsen
Rice
(and the Record) Proves It: Bush Knew, But Failed to Act
Kurt Nimmo
Will
Bush Flatten Fallajuh?
Patrick Cockburn
Guided
Missile; Misguided War
Laura Flanders
Steamed
Rice
Larry Everest
What Condi Rice is Hiding
Adam Federman
Sacred Capitalism Hits Russia
M. Junaid Alam
The Iraqi Intifada Begins
Norman Solomon
The Quest for a Monopoly on Violence
Douglas Valentine
Echoes
of Vietnam: Phoenix, Assassination and Blowback in Iraq
Website of the Day
Xispas: Chicano Art, Culture and Politics
April 7, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Those
Pulitzers!
Sen. Robert
Byrd
Deeper
into the Mouth of Hell: We Must Find the Exit from Iraq
Ron Jacobs
Tet
in Iraq: Closer to the Cosmic Disaster?
Patrick Cockburn
Battles
Across Iraq: US Death Toll Mounts
Kathy Kelly
Pacification: Worth the Price?
Sonali Kolhatkar
What Are You Doing About Afghanistan?
Rahul Mahajan
Report from Baghdad: Opening the Gates of Hell
Robert Fisk
US Airlifts Saddam to Qatar
Mike Whitney
America Out of Iraq, Now!
Sam Hamod
Bush, Pandora's Box and the Tiger
April 6,
2004
C.G. Estabrook
Mercenaries
and Occupiers
William Blum
The
Anti-Empire Report: the Israel Lobby
Col. Dan Smith
The
Language of Disbelief: 1.3 Billion Still Live in War Zones
Dr. Bulent Gokay
The Coming Islamic Republic of Iraq?
Lynn Landes
Faking Democracy: Americans Don't Vote; Machines Do
Sheila Samples
What Would Royko Write?
Jason Leopold
Condi's Blind Spot: Rice Never Mentioned al-Qaeda
Mickey Z.
A Reality Show with No End in Sight
Robert Fisk
Iraq on the Brink of Anarchy
April 5, 2004
John Farrell
Lessons
from El Salvador and Iraq
Robert Fisk
Bloodbath
a Bad Omen for Bush
Gary Leupp
Shiites Say No: Another "Nightmare
Scenario"
April 3 / 4, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Anti-Depressants
a Problem? We're Shocked
Jeffrey St. Clair
How Neil Bush Succeeded in Business
Without Really Trying
Gary Leupp
On Jefferson, Diderot and the Political Uses of God
Lawrence Davidson
Orwell and Kafka in Israel / Palestine
Frederick B.
Hudson
Condi Rice: the Family Retainer
Phillip Cryan
The Magic of Coca-Cola: Colombian Workers, Civil Rights and Advertising
Dave Zirin
Lester Speaks: an Interview with Lester "Red" Rodney
Ben Tripp
Talking Dirty: Obscene But Not Heard
Bruce Anderson
Phony Liberals and Fake Concern for the Homeless
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Justice and Legitimacy in Haiti
Mark Scaramella
Do You Have What It Takes to Be Sec. of Defense? Take the Rumsfeld
Quiz
Sharon Smith
Do Most Iraqis Really Want the US to Stay?
Rick Giombetti
Melissa Ann Rowland: a Witch for Our Time
Nader/Kerry
Quandary
Stephen Gowans
Communists
for Capitalism?
Frank Bardacke / Doug Lummis
Support Nader; Dump Bush: an Election Manifesto
Mickey Z
Turn ON
Saul Landau
Kerry: a Less Dangerous Imperialist?
Richard Oxman
Nader and/or Death?
Poets' Basement
Holt, LaMorticella, Davies, Albert and Tripp
Website of the Weekend
Missing
April 2, 2004
Dave Lindorff
Barbaric
Relativism: the Press and Fallujah
Kurt Nimmo
Wherever
Bush Goes, Osama is Bound to Follow
Emma Miller
The
Role of the West in the Rwandan Genocide
Dr. Susan Block
Same
Sex Marriages: Just Say "No" to Prohibition
Norman Solomon
Media Strategy Memo for George & Dick
Sacha Guney
The Meaning of the Elections in Turkey
Christopher
Brauchli
The
Disturbing Case of Cpt. Yee
Website of the Day
Mercenaries, Inc.
April 1, 2004
Ron Jacobs
Dying in Vain in Iraq
Harry Browne
No Smoke, Plenty of Fire: Ireland's Pubs Go Smokefree
Chris Floyd
Towel Boy: Bush Hits Workers with Chemical Weapons
Nicole Colson
Inside America's Concentration Camp: Tortured at Guantanamo
Charles Arthur
Haiti's Army Cracks Down on Workers
Laura Flanders
Elaine
Chao: a First Daughter for the First Son
March 31, 2004
M. Junaid Alam
Israel:
Suicide Nation?
John L. Hess
Condi
Under Oath: But What About the NYTs Reporters?
Fernando Suarez
del Solar
A
Year Since My Son's Death in Iraq
Sofia Perez
Spain's
U-Turn on Iraq is Real Democracy in Action
David Vest
Stick 'Em Up: Put Cheney and Bush Under Oath
Tanya Reinhart
As in Tiannamen Square: Justice and the Yassin Assassination
Mike Whitney
Time to Dump the Pledge
Donald Kaul
Martha Stewart's Lesson: Never Talk to the FBI
Milt Bearden
Mired in the Tracks of Alexander the Great
Marjorie Cohn
The
Illegal Coup in Haiti: How the Kidnapping of Aristide Violated
US and International Law
Website of the Day
New Pentagon Papers Dropped at DC Starbucks
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.
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April
21, 2004
How Far the Apple
Fell From the Tree
From
George 1 to George 2
By WILLIAM A. COOK
(Dear Jeffrey,
I came upon this letter while
searching through my junk mail file. I have no idea how it got
there unless the FBI or CIA were combing files under the Patriot
Act and this got misplaced. But it is a curious piece, both because
it comes from George the First and because it gives an unusual
insight into his revisionist study of world events since he left
office. I immediately thought of you and your readers at Counterpunch
since I know they would be delighted to learn of George I's conversion
to liberal thinking.
Peace, William A. Cook)
Dear Son,
It's time we had a talk. I'm sitting here at breakfast in the
gazebo at Kennibunkport, the sun greeting me as it glides up
over the gilded, distant sea, a warm and so sweet breeze coming
through the screens on this unusually mild spring day in Maine
(notice how eloquent I've gotten in retirement!); you remember
days like this when you escaped from the icky, sand-blown lawns
of our Texas compound when you were a kid? I never did understand
why you liked that place, although I must admit, you were able
to meld your ineptness with the English language with the rowdies
you trucked around with down there. Unfortunately, you also adopted
their brand of "cowboy mentality," a rather New England
way of saying "pig headed," "close minded,"
or "obstinate." Yes, George, this is a "father
to son" talk of the kind I tried to hold with you from the
time you entered your teens; I know they were few and far between
because I was gone so much of the time doing government work,
something you must now understand, although, again, I am amazed
at how much vacation time you take. Who's minding the store may
I ask? I hope it isn't Cheney and Rumsfeld; you can't leave them
alone, George; they have nothing better to do in life than to
amass fortunes and crucify others.
This letter follows two recent
events that captured the headlines, your third (!) press conference
in prime time in three years and your appearance with Ariel Sharon
before the cameras handing him the knife he used to stab you
in the back! Do I sound angry, George? I am, I'm furious. I knew
that I should have had these "father to son" talks
before, and many of them, but I didn't and nothing has made that
more obvious than these two events. Let me put it simply: you,
George, like it or not, are head of this nation, let's call it
a family because that's what we're supposed to be, so you are
head of the family. As such you must set an example for the people,
how they should act and behave toward each other, something like
the expectation thrust on ballplayers like Sammy Solsa or Bond
or that BB player who was traded because he did nothing but curse
at fans and fight with other players; I don't remember his name
but I'm sure you do. You get my point.
So what got me steamed? Let
me tell you. You were asked a question at the press conference,
a typical question asked of any person applying for a management
job, "Can you describe any mistakes you've made and what
you'd do differently if you had the opportunity?" What did
you do? You stammered and fuddled around as though you'd been
asked to clear up Einstein's theory of relativity or as though
you'd never been interviewed for a job (come to think of it,
that might have been the problem!), and you could not come up
with any mistakes nor could you find any reason to apologize
to the American people for the consequences of 9/11. Well, Junior,
let me line up the mistakes for you so you can ask yourself if
you have reason to apologize to the American people.
What insanity made you capitulate
to that ogre, Sharon? Every time he comes here you melt, and
Christ, Son, you're bigger than he is, at least you're taller
and in better shape. What's he do, write your letters for you?
Look what you've done! (1) Before the Israelis have a chance
to vote on the "internment" plan Sharon concocted for
the Palestinians, you absconded with their right and made the
decision for them. (2) You unilaterally decided that you'd discard
international law by determining by yourself what national borders
will comprise the state of Israel and the future state of Palestine
without consultation with the UN or the parties involved. (3)
You broke the only multi-national agreement left, the "Road
Map" (having discarded all the cooperative agreements I
pulled together) that included Russia and Europe, by letting
Sharon yoke the West Bank settlements into the state of Israel
contrary to Resolution 242 of the UNSC and the vote of the UNGA
at the creation of the Israeli state. And, Son, you did this
without consulting Sergei Lavrov or Javier Solana or Kofi Annan
or probably, for God's sake, Colin Powell. Worse than that, you
didn't even talk to anyone in Palestine! When did you become
dictator of the world! Indeed, when did the "Road map"
become "your vision"; did you forget that others contributed
to its design? (4) You demand that the Palestinians stop terrorism
but say nothing to Sharon about murdering Sheik Yassin or walling
in the Palestinians, the two grossest terrorist acts yet perpetrated
by Israel, both guaranteed to enrage the Arab world and ensure
terrorist acts against America for decades to come. (5) Now that
you are caught in the quicksand of Iraq, you should know that
there is a difference between an indigenous population fighting
for its country against an occupier and a terrorist who wants
only to inflict harm against a perceived enemy for perceived
indignities, and that realization should make you rethink your
support of Sharon because he has turned the population attempting
to throw off the occupying IDF into the same category as the
terrorist thus justifying everything he does with your blessing.
Wake up, George, you're being used! (6) You accept without question
the right of a Jewish State to exist but will not accept an Islamic
State in Iraq, a point not lost on the Arab world. (7) You state
that negotiations between Israel and Palestine will happen in
"accordance with Resolutions 242 and 338" but you have
closed the door on that possibility by stating in the same paragraph
that it is "unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final
status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the
armistice lines of 1949". George, only Sharon could have
written that sentence. (8) You proclaim for all the world to
hear that you are doing God's work. Where did you meet Him, George,
at the ranch? Only a Texas mind could conjure up such a thought.
You've got to get back to New England, Son, where we've put Puritanism
behind us after the Salem witch trials in 1692. (9) Now, George,
I'm going to close this list with just one more item (though
I could, in fact, continue if my eggs were not getting cold),
the one where you have determined that international law that
governs right of return does not apply for the Palestinians.
And you believe that you make it so by saying it! My God, George,
where is your head? As your father, I've got to intervene.
Now I can't focus on all those
items above, but I can concentrate on a couple.
I'm going to begin with Sharon; he is "ground zero,"
not New York's Trade Center and not even Iraq, although you've
done mightily to make it so. If you'd spend some time reading,
you'd understand that Osama, the people of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, Asia, the EU countries, Canada, Australia, North Africa,
Goddam it, George, everyone in the world, sees Sharon and his
government to be the cause of terrorism. His incarceration of
the indigenous population, his slaughter of 545 Palestinian children
since he mocked the al-Aqsa Mosque in 2000 (and, George, 266
of these children had not reached their 14th birthday), thus
bringing on the plague of suicide bombers, his theft of their
land all with your support and encouragement outrages
the Arab world. Why can't you see that? Have you swallowed the
insanity of the Neo-cons that surround you? They are dead men
who never had real experience struggling in life beyond sitting
entranced by other dead men, Leo Strauss and Bernard Lewis.
They tried to control me, Son,
and I had to fight them off, especially Cheney and Rumsfeld.
They wanted me to take out Saddam. But I was the only one who
had real experience; they did what you did, they chickened out.
This is what I told them: "Trying to eliminate Saddam would
have incurred incalculable human and political costs." Notice
that word, Son, "human," that's one the Neo-Cons never
use. "Apprehending him was probably impossible. We would
have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq."
I should underline that sentence, shouldn't I? Even you, George,
can understand that Dad was right. "There was no viable
exit strategy we could see, violating another of our principles."
Perhaps I should have noted that it would also have violated
international law. Well, I guess I did do that in a later sentence.
"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding
the United Nations mandate, would have destroyed the precedent
of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish."
But you have no use for international agreements, do you? Certainly,
Cheney and Rumsfeld don't, and they are more than likely telling
you what to do. Here's the final sentence that you should have
paid attention to, Junior: "Had we gone the invasion route,
the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power
in a bitterly hostile land." How's that for prophecy, Son.
No God had to tell me that.
Now let's get to that dismissal
of "Right of Return." Have you been so bamboozled by
that Cabal that you think you can simply change international
law by making a proclamation? The EU has already defied you!
These are grown men, George, experienced men. They won't accept
the dictates of would be "men behind the throne" like
Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, Libby, the whole cabal
that clusters behind your butt groveling to get to the top hitched
to someone else because real people can see right through them.
Grab hold, Son. The right of return is a blessed right even if
you don't have a religion. But go back to your Bible. Remember
the Prodigal Son? He took off, abandoned his birth right for
heaven's sake. But he returned and his father received him with
open arms. Isn't there something in that story that tells you
people have a right to return to their home?
The Palestinians were forced
from their homes and villages in 1947 and '48; Benny Morris has
confirmed that fact, George, and he's an Israeli Historian. They've
been living in slums ever since, their homes and land taken from
them, even bulldozed down for heaven's sake, whole villages disappeared
Mahlul, Jibta, Huneifis, Tal al-Shuman and you take
it on yourself to tell them, "too bad, you lost!" Are
you out of your mind? Listen to the voices no one hears, the
voices of children born in refugee camps in foreign lands, strangers
there, homeless. "Their dream is of a Palestine that was
their father's home, that they heard about, and maybe one day
they'll go and visit the land he spoke about, all the years they
were growing up" (Saida Nusseibeh). Doesn't that make your
hair curl, Son? (Which, by the way, I notice you've let grow
in like all guys in your age group that have reached a mid-life
crisis. What's with this?).
One final item, George, one
that a father must raise and one that perhaps only I can raise:
God has not given you a mission, Son; the only missions God has
ever given to Urban II, Innocent III, Martin Luther, St
Francis, Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, or any of
the thousands of others who heard from Him were given to
delusional men needing an excuse for warped behavior! God gave
no command that you must bring His gift to all humankind. Only
one thing is more certain than knowing God may not exist and
that is knowing what He knows. Why, George, would God want to
destroy 15,000 innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq to revenge
3000 killed in the Twin Towers and Pentagon? Why would He have
you kill thousands of others defending their country and let
thousands of them and thousands of our soldiers be maimed for
life? Why would He kill and maim His creatures? What kind of
a God do you believe in?
Wouldn't He want all of His
creatures to share the glory of this morning, as I am here in
Kennibunkport, and share the bounty of the earth He provided
for all? Isn't that what your church teaches you, at least if
you listen to the words of Jesus and not to the minister? "Clothe
the naked, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless."And isn't
that what the G-d of the Old Testament (after He got over destroying
Canaanites and Hittites, et al) demanded of His people, share
your wealth with all less fortunate? And isn't that what Mohammad
said God demanded as well give of your wealth to those
who have nothing? Can't you see that the Cabal uses your religious
beliefs to gain their ends? Didn't they tell you that Philip
Zelikow, the guy on your transition team and now executive director
of the September 11 Commission, would you believe (conflict of
interest comes to mind, George; you might reflect on who recommended
him for that post) stated it plainly enough: Saddam was no threat
to America, "I'll tell you what the real threat (is) and
actually has been since 1990 it's the threat against Israel.
And this is the threat that dares not speak its name because
... the American government doesn't want to lean too hard on
it rhetorically because it's not a popular sell." In short,
Son, you've been used and so have the American people. The only
way you can stop the terrorism is to stop your support of Sharon!
This has been a long talk,
Son, and while you may not be happy about it, I am. Age brings
wisdom as it should bring respect. Consider what I've said. Don't
get huffy the way you used to at Yale. You're no longer a cheerleader,
Son, you're a head of state; pompously parading around doesn't
cut it anymore. You must read and reflect, weigh options with
care in full deliberations with all parties, not for special
interests only, but for the good of all; then, having decided
on a course of action beneficial to all, act. But first, Son,
you must be willing to admit that you have made mistakes. Growth,
strength and wisdom come to those who recognize their talents,
know their weaknesses and limitations and willingly and humbly
admit their failures even as they move to correct them. You should
have answered that question, Son. Never be afraid to admit mistakes
and never fail to apologize for them. That's the sign of a man.
William Cook is a professor of English at the University
of La Verne in southern California. His new book, Psalms
for the 21st Century, was just published by
Mellen Press. He can be reached at: cookb@ULV.EDU
Weekend
Edition Features for April 3 / 4, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Anti-Depressants
a Problem? We're Shocked
Jeffrey St. Clair
How Neil Bush Succeeded in Business
Without Really Trying
Gary Leupp
On Jefferson, Diderot and the Political Uses of God
Lawrence Davidson
Orwell and Kafka in Israel / Palestine
Frederick B.
Hudson
Condi Rice: the Family Retainer
Phillip Cryan
The Magic of Coca-Cola: Colombian Workers, Civil Rights and Advertising
Dave Zirin
Lester Speaks: an Interview with Lester "Red" Rodney
Ben Tripp
Talking Dirty: Obscene But Not Heard
Bruce Anderson
Phony Liberals and Fake Concern for the Homeless
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Justice and Legitimacy in Haiti
Mark Scaramella
Do You Have What It Takes to Be Sec. of Defense? Take the Rumsfeld
Quiz
Sharon Smith
Do Most Iraqis Really Want the US to Stay?
Rick Giombetti
Melissa Ann Rowland: a Witch for Our Time
Nader/Kerry
Quandary
Stephen Gowans
Communists
for Capitalism?
Frank Bardacke / Doug Lummis
Support Nader; Dump Bush: an Election Manifesto
Mickey Z
Turn ON
Saul Landau
Kerry: a Less Dangerous Imperialist?
Richard Oxman
Nader and/or Death?
Poets' Basement
Holt, LaMorticella, Davies, Albert and Tripp
Website of the Weekend
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