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July 17, 2002
Mike Ferner
War
Incorporated
Gary Leupp
Bush, Burqas
and the Oppression of Afghan Women
July 16, 2002
Pierre Tristam
Faith-based
Capitalism in
the Ruins of the Market
Kurt Nimmo
How My
35mm Camera Almost Became a Tool of Treason
Robert Fisk
The Kashmir
Distraction
Salam al-Marayati
When
is Terrorism
Not Defined as Terrorism?
Kathleen Christison
The
Image Problem:
Anti-Palestinian Bias
from Wilson to Bush
July 15, 2002
Gavin Keeney
In One
of Safire's Ears,
Out the Other
CounterPunch Wire
Nader in
Cuba
Ralph Nader
The Secret
World of Banking
Dave Marsh
Vincible:
Michael Jackson, Racism and the Music Cartel
Rahul Mahajan
Justice
for Bhopal
Jeffrey St. Clair
Seduced
by a Legend
The Return of Jimmy T99 Nelson
July 14, 2002
Bill Christison
The
DOA (Poem)
David Vest
I'll Never
Get Out of This Band Alive
July 13, 2002
M. Junaid Alam
A Process
of Dehumanization
Gavin Keeney
Go Tell
Karl Rove!
Matt Vidal
Corporate
"Ethics" Red Herrings
Ed Whitfield
Lessons
from Independence Day
July 12, 2002
Sean Donahue
The Other
Harken Energy Scandal: Oil, Death Squads
and Colombia
Walt Brasch
Sin Tax
Scam
"Psst. Cigarettes. A Buck Each."
Steve Perry
A Tale
of Two Twits
Wall Street Burns, Bush Fiddles, But Where's Wellstone?
July 11, 2002
Lloyd Marbet
Arrested
by the Chamber
of Commerce
David Krieger
Law vs.
Force
David Vest
Fountain
of Foo:
Strike Three Called
Irit Katriel
A Deep
Ideological Crisis
Richard Glen Boire
Dangerous
Lessons:
Public School Drug Testing
July 10, 2002
CounterPunch Wire
Third Party
Woes
South Carolina Denies Kevin Alexander Gray Ballot Status
Nassar Ibriham &
Majed Nassar
Bush's
Middle East Plan: Always Changing, Never Changing
Robert Fisk
Ain't That
America:
A Strange Kind of Freedom
Dave Marsh
The Return
of CREEP:
Record Cartel Accounting
Bernard Weiner
Hope and
Despair in
the Body Politic
Gary Leupp
European
Worries and
Bush's Terror War
July 9, 2002
St. Clair / Cockburn
The Atomic
Clock is Ticking:
All Roads Lead to Yucca Mtn.
Jack McCarthy
Florida:
a Terrorist Sanctuary for Bush's Bloody Pals?
Robert Fisk
How a Saudi
Billionaire
Does Beirut
Stanton and Madsen
God, Incorporated
Kurt Nimmo
IDF, Gangbanging
with Tanks
Bill Christison
Disastrous
Foreign Policies
of the US Part 3:
What Can We Do About It?
July 8, 2002
Rick Mercier
Yucca
Mountain Bound
Lev Grinberg
The
BUSHARON Global War
Tariq Ali
How Bush
Used 9/11 to Remap the World
Lori Allen
The Tugs
of War:
Palestinian Life Under Curfew
July 7, 2002
Alexander Cockburn
White
House Crooks

Resources:
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About 9/11
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CIA, Drugs & the
Press
by Alexander
Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair



The Memphis Blues Again:
Six Decades of Memphis Music Photographs
Photos by Ernest Withers
Text by Daniel Wolff

The New Intifada:
Resisting Israel's Apartheid
Edited by Roane Carey



A Pocket Guide to
Environmental Bad Guys
by James Ridgeway
and Jeffrey St. Clair

The
Phoenix Program
by Douglas Valentine

Al Gore:
A User's Manual
by Cockburn
and St. Clair

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July
17, 2002
Remember Jesus, George?
The New Role Model
by Philip Farruggio
"The man
who would be President", during
his campaign, picked the "Man from Nazareth" as his
role model, causing this writer to almost fall out of my chair.
On election eve, I sadly realized how almost 50% of the voters
bought into this obviously shallow man. Of course, the "other
side of the aisle" had their own shallow man. I guess voting
for one of my role models, Ralph Nader (others include: George
Seldes; Michael Parenti; Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky) should
only be construed as tipping the balance from "corporate
A candidate" to "corporate B candidate".
Interesting how a President who did perhaps
his own "insider trading", with a VP under that same
cloud, should now condemn a practice he and his "kind"
have profited from for generations. A President who referred
to (this year's) "corporate enemy #1 as "Kenny Boy",
while his VP included "Kenny Boy's" people in those
secret U.S. energy policy meetings. Then they chose a corporate
(securities industry) attorney to head our SEC. If I recall the
new testament, the "man from Nazareth" chased (and
ridiculed) the moneylenders from the temple. Since this nation
was blessed by our Creator, perhaps we should look upon our government
structure, with our Constitution and Bill of Rights, as our "Temple
of Truth, Justice and Democracy". Is it democratic when
the CEOs of our Fortune 100 corporations earn, on average, over
400 times their lowest employee's salary, while millions struggle
to just stay afloat? Does such greed fit with Bush's role model's
legacy?
The majority of our population is made
up of working folk--people who have to get up each day and punch
out 6, 8 or 10 hours. Our median income for a full time worker
is way less than $40k a year. That's peanuts with what the dollar
can buy in this year 2002. Families of four usually must have
both parents working in order to make that mortgage, or more
likely, rental payment. Factor in the car payments (usually two),
the ever increasing health insurance premium (my own went up
40% after just one year), the utility bills and on and on. My
confusion is how in the heck would anyone who fits the above
stated criteria ever have voted for the "man from Midland
via Nazareth"? Why would a beaten down American working
person, taken over the coals with this "free trade"
nightmare everyday, support a group that only cares about its
corporate sponsors? Even our "watered down" mainstream
media is revealing how deeply these corporate scandals knife
our economy.
Please be advised: this is not an essay
supporting the current Democratic Party. With the exception of
the Progressive Caucus, that party is not much better than the
"Bushes". The Dems gave us Nafta, Gatt, the Telecommunications
act of 96, the Welfare Reform Act, the bombing of Yugoslavia,
increased weaponry spending, and other counter democratic measures.
No, this is not an essay supporting that alternative. Rather,
this is a plea to the real "silent majority' of our Republic.
It's time to reject both these parties. It's time to think as
independents and refuse to vote for people who do not have working
folk's interests at heart. Start by standing up to these "bought
and paid for" hacks. Run against them. Coerce them to institute
clean election laws--to get private monies out of political campaigns.
If a conservative state like Maine could implement them in 1996,
any state could do it. Make this one issue the only issue. Refuse
to support for any candidate that will not formally, in writing,
agree to vote for clean election laws. Start petition drives
in your towns and cities. Have meetings at the library or any
place that gives free space. Write or e-mail the local papers,
continually flooding them with demands for true election reform.
Get a group together and show up at city council meetings, and
the offices of State and Federal reps, demanding their support
of this one issue. If they give you the usual "lip service",
vote no to their re-election bids.
Yes, we all need good and truthful role
models. Someday perhaps, you the reader will become more active
in getting this corrupt and polarizing system to change. Think
of what a role model you will become.
Philip Farruggio,
son of a longshoreman, is "Blue Collar Brooklyn" born,
raised and educated (Brooklyn College, Class of '74). A former
progressive talk show host, Philip runs a mfg. rep. business
and writes for many publications. He lives in Port Orange, FL.
You can contact Mr. Farruggio at e-mail: brooklynphilly@aol.com.
Today's Features
Mike Ferner
War
Incorporated
Gary Leupp
Bush,
Burqas and the Oppression of Afghan Women
Pierre Tristam
Faith-based Capitalism's Plunge into
the Abyss of the Market
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