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in August!
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Beyond the
Lesser of Two Evils
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Today's
Stories
August 14 /
15, 2004
Cockburn /
St. Clair
War
on the Poor: "A Risk No Sane Person Would Take"
August 13,
2004
Lee Sustar
Report
from Caracas
Mickey Z.
McProtests R Us: Why are the Dems Trying to Gag Anti-War Protesters?
Stan Goff
There
He Goes Again: Kerry's "Energy" Plan
Norman Madarasz
Thoughts on Najaf: How Could the US Ever Be Considered a "Terrorist"
State?
Victor Kattan
Press Freedom, Censorship and the War on Terror
Oscar Heck
Is Mendoza Off His Rocker? Chavez Opponents Pledge to Post Results
Online Before Polls Close
CounterPunch
Wire
Military Families File "Stop Loss" Suit
Milan Rai
Najaf: Bush Started It
Website of
the Day
The Yes Men
August 12,
2004
Jeffrey St.
Clair
How
Bush Got (and Lost) His Wings
Lenni Brenner
Take
It on Faith: Kerry's See-Through-Monk's Robe
Lee Ballinger
The Coors and the Kerrys: Drink Up, Kids!
Tariq Ali
The
Handover Fiction
Yves Engler
What's at Stake in Venezuela
William S.
Lind
Seeing
Through the Other Side's Eyes
Christopher Brauchli
Getting Bush's Goat
Website of
the Day
The Sucker Puncher
August 11,
2004
Ceylon Mooney
Who
Woke Up Sen. Joe?: Watchers of the NJ Turnpike
Voices in the
Wilderness
Hands
Off Najaf
Ray McGovern
Porter
Goss as CIA Director?
Robert Jensen
US
Supports Anti-Democratic Forces in Venezuelan Recall
Annie Higgins
In Memory of Nick Pretzlik: As Good as It Gets
Alexander Cockburn
Bush
v. Kerry: Not Even a Dime's Worth of Difference
Website of the Day
Nick Pretzlik
August 10,
2004
William A.
Cook
Silencing
the Voice of the People
Todd Chretien
California Greens at the Crossroads: Will It Be Nader or Cobb?
Dave Lindorff
Chicago on the Hudson?
Richard Gott
Loathed
by the Rich: Why Chavez is Headed for a Big Win
Toni Solo
Bluebeard's
Castle: Disappearing the Right to Development
Dave Zirin
Carl Eller's Plea
Rep. Ron Paul
Police State, USA
Patrick Cockburn
If the Chalabis Were Corrupt, They Weren't Alone
Website of
the Day
The Surveillance-Industrial Complex
Sex,
Drugs & the Blues!
Serpents in the Garden
CounterPunch's
Sizzling New Book on Culture and Sex is Now Available
Click here to purchase
August 9, 2004
Tito Tricot
Pinochet
Must Still be Tried: a Murderer and a Thief on the Loose
Ron Jacobs
In
Memory of Deep Throat: the Day Nixon Was Gone
Norm Dixon
Crisis in Sudan: Oil Profits Behind West's Tears for Darfur
Kurt Nimmo
The Politics of Entrapment
Elaine Cassel
Welcome to Bush's America
Gary Leupp
Why
Iraqi Christians are Moving to Syria
August 7 /
8, 2004
James Petras
The
Anatomy of "Terror Experts": Meet the Mandarins of
Abu Ghraib
Fred Gardner
Run
Ricky Run: Football, Pot and Pain
Justin Delacour
Anti-Chavez Pollsters Panic: Fix Numbers; Reinvent Venezuela
Brian Cloughley
Persecuted by All; Supported by None: Who Would Be A Kurd?
Joshua Frank
The
Outsider: a Talk with Ralph Nader
Iain A. Boal
On "Shame": Warmed-Over Orientalism and Racist Projection
Chris Floyd
All About Eve: Open Season on Women in DC and Rome
Andrew Fenton
Fighting for Democracy and Justice in Haiti
Aseem Shrivastava
Saga of an Anguished Afghan
Neil Corbett
See Cuba: Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar, Mr. Bush
Carol Miller
/ Forrest Hill
Rigged Convention; Divided Party: How David Cobb Won with Only
12% of the Vote
Tarek Milleron
Breaking the Principled Voter
Donald Macintyre
The
Battle of Najaf
Ron Jacobs
Spirits of The Dead: Why I Love My Petty Bourgeois Tendencies
Mickey Z.
Kid
Gavilan's Grave: Propaganda Scores a TKO
Poets' Basement
Adler, Ford and Albert
August 6, 2004
Joshua Frank
David
Cobb's Soft Charade: the Greens and the Politics of Mendacity
Derek Seidman
An
Interview with Stan Goff
Mike Whitney
The
Arbitrary Imprisonment of Jose Padilla
William S. Lind
Corruption in the Marine Corps
David Price
In
the Shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 5, 2004
Mike Ferner
The Kerry Show: When Peace is Off
Message
Bruce Anderson
Two
Rejections
Robert Fisk
The Tale of Saddam's Cameraman
Todd Chretien
Florida
Comes to California: the Democrats' Plot Against Nader
Peter Linebaugh
Doing Time for Political Crime:
Paul and Silas, Bound in Jail
August 4, 2004
Mickey Z.
Two
Traditions: WMD and Disinformation
Justin Huggler
The Hunt for Bin Laden
John Ross
Mexico's
Dirty War Never Ended: Inside Puente Grande Prison
August 3, 2004
Uri Avnery
The
Oligarchs
Ray McGovern
The 9/11 Commission Chimera
Jack McCarthy
Sexual Politics in Jeb's Florida
Eric Ruder
Meet Barak Obama: the Democrats' New Liberal Star
John L. Hess
Crying Wolf: Orange Alert!
Elaine Cassel
Civil Liberties Elections: 1800 v. 2004
Jules Rabin
The Man Who Didn't Walk By
Website of the Day
No Wall
August 2, 2004
Robert Jensen
Kerry's
Hypocrisy on the Vietnam War
Joshua Frank
Greens, Kerry and the Politics of Mendacity
Mike Whitney
The 9/11 Commission and Civil Liberties: "We Need an American
Police State"
Gary Leupp
Beyond
Good and Evil: Some Thoughts on Invasions
July 31 / Aug.
1, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Kerry:
He's the (Any) One
Merlin Chowkwanyun
Five Questions with Noam Chomsky: "The Savage Extreme of
a Narrow Policy Spectrum"
David Lindorff
The Shame of the DNC
John Chuckman
The
Disturbing Words of John Edwards
Brian Cloughley
All Slam and No Dunk; All Blame and No Responsibility
Christopher Brauchli
"Being Poor is a State of Mind": the Frowning Face
of Compassionate Conservatism
Fred Gardner
A World of Pain
Michael Donnelly
How Big Pharma Bilks the Elderly
David Nally
Genocide in Darfur?
Joshua Frank
Forest Battles Escalate in Oregon
Sam Bahour
Colin Powell and My Grandmother
Diane Farsetta
The IMF and the Indonesian Elections: The Invisible Hand in the
Voting Booth
Harold Gould
Was Iraq a Mutual Charade?
Van Bergen / Stephens
Election 9/11: Surreal Political Theater
Lee Sustar
A New Model for the Labor Movement?
Ron Jacobs
The Lost Art of Hitchhiking
M. Junaid Alam
An Interview with Palestinian-American Rapper, The Iron Sheik
Poets Basement
Albert, Ford, Krieger, St. Clair
Website of
the Weekend
Cross Cultural Poetics
July 30, 2004
Kolhatkar /
Ingalls
Shattering
Illusions: Kerry's Speech Tells Anti-War Activists They're Not
Wanted
Dave Lindorff
Murder
Not So Foul?
Bruce Jackson
Walt Whitman on the Sound of Wolf Blitzer's Voice
Fidel Castro
The
Pathology of George W. Bush
Maximilien Robespierre
Memo to Kerry and Bush: Why They Resist
Saul Landau
Bush
Charges Castro with Sex Tourism; JFK Rolls Over in His Grave
July 29, 2004
Cockburn /
St. Clair
Hail,
the Conquering War Criminal: What Kerry Really Did in Vietnam
Frank Bardacke
What
Michael Moore Left Out of F9/11
Tom Barry
Shallow and Formulaic: Kerry's Latin America Plan
Ron Jacobs
Kerry
and Lennon: Hawking the CounterCulture
Robert Fisk
The Unreported War
Lichtman /
Kellis-Borok
What Kerry Must Do to Win (But Probably Won't)
William S. Lind
The 9/11 Commission Report: Cashing in on Failure
CounterPunch
Wire
Doonesbury Onto John Kerry in 1971!
Website of
the Day
Jabbing JibJab: Copyright Madness
July 28, 2004
Robert Fisk
The
Occupation at 114 Degrees: Baghdad is Swamped in the Smell of
the Dead
Kevin Mink
Kerry's Misperception of Palestine
Ray McGovern
Israel and the Iraq War: How the 9/11 Report Soft-Pedals Root
Causes
United for
Peace & Justice
An
Open Letter to John Kerry: Winter Soldiers and Summer Patriots
Mike Ferner
Vets Demand End to Occupation: "Pull the Troops or Face
Impeachment Mvt."
Imraan Siddiqi
Turning Tricks with Ann Coulter
Alexander Cockburn
Candidate
Kerry
Website of
the Day
Iraq Vets Against the War
July 27, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Why
the Democrats Deserve Nader
Dave Lindorff
Back to the 19th Century: Globalization's Coming!
Mike Whitney
Control Room: Inside Al Jazeera
Ali, Anderson, Bello, et al.
If We Were Venezuelan, We'd Vote for Chavez
Stefan Wray
Texas Plan to Grab Los Alamos Takes Hold, as DOE Shuts Down Labs
Louis Proyect
Reflections on Nicaragua: First Came the Contra Butchers, Then
the Sweatshops
Rick Giombetti
Faith in Freedom: the Challenge of Thomas Szasz
Bill and Kathleen
Christison
The
9/11 Report and Its Weak-Kneed Consensus: Dogding Israel/Palestine;
Blinkered on Causes of Terrorism
July 26, 2004
Todd Chretien
Green
Resistance: a Reply to Normon Solomon & Medea Benjamin
Robert Fisk
Terror
by Video
Richard Forno
Security
Theater in Boston: Security Expert Harrassed by DHS for Exposing
Flaws at the Fleet Center
Mitchel Cohen
Report from a Boston Demo: Arresting the Curious
Richard Moreno
Rockers
for Justice: an Interview with Tom Morello and Serj Tankian
Alexander Cockburn
Boston
Awaits a Dead Party
July
24 / 25, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
The Democrats and Their Conventions:
Part One
Dennis
Hans
Those 16 Words Still Smell, Mr. Bush
Patrick
Cockburn
The Struggle for Iraq is Only Beginning
Josh
Frank
The War Path of Unity: Dems Reject
the Peace Movement
Justin
E.H. Smith
Christianity and the Left: the Latin
American Experience
Tariq
Ali
What's at Stake in Venezuela
Fred
Gardner
The Politics of Pot: Year of the
Antagonist
Mark
Scaramella
There's Dope and There's Dope
Ron
Jacobs
The Weather Underground's Prairie
Fire Statement...35 Years On
July
23, 2004
Lee
Sustar
Revolution in Nicaragua: 25 Years
On
Dave
Lindorff
Battle for NYC: Bush 1, Protesters
0
Saul
Landau
Zaniest President in US History: Bush
Beats Reagan
Mike
Whitney
The 9/11 Whitewash: Blaming No
One
Mickey
Z
Get On the Bus: 150 Years After Elizabeth
Jennings
Gary
Leupp
The 9/11 Commission and the Looming
War on Iran
July
22, 2004
M.
Junaid Alam
Ten Ways to Build a Better Democrat
Brian
McKinlay
Rusted On Down Under: Howard, Bush and Sharon
Jason
Leopold
Cheney Lobbied for Easing of Sanctions on Terrorist Regimes While
CEO of Halliburton
Chris
Floyd
Mob Rule: Ripping the Lid Off of America's Pious Myths
Uri
Avnery
Chirac v. Sharon
July
21, 2004
Paula
J. Caplan
The Emotional Casualities of War:
Psychologists Can't Heal All the Damage
Joshua
Frank
Nader Sleeping with the Enemy? Let's
be Fair
Ron
Jacobs
American Exceptionalism
Reza
Ghorashi
The Elections, Iran and al-Qaeda
Amy
Martin
Will Congress Rearm the Guatemalan Generals?
John
Ross
Bush May Lose, But His Wars Will Go
On and On
July
20, 2004
Stan
Cox
The Bush / Kerry War Ticket
Chris
Randolph
An Open Letter to Dr. Ehrenreich: It's Over, Barb!
Forrest
Hylton
The Ghosts of Gonismo: "Popular
Patricipation" and Bolivia's Gas Referendum
Mark
Scaramella
It's Official! Mendocino County is Crazier and Fatter Than the
Rest of California
Sam
Bahour
The World is Knocking on Israel's Door
George
Reiter
A Defense of David Cobb
John
Ross
Burying Iraq, Burying Bush
John
L. Hess
Girlie Stuff: Media Tolerance of Arnold & Co.
Website
of the Day
This Land is Your Land
July
19, 2004
Uri
Avnery
Marie and the Ghosts: the Hoax of
Paris
Col.
Dan Smith
What Has Been Accomplished?
Mike
Whitney
Allawi: Our Puppet with a Pistol
Karyn
Strickler
Just Marriage, Not Gay Marriage
Robert
Fisk
The Crisis of Information in Baghdad
David
Swanson
Media Blackout of US Labor Opposition
to Iraq War
Jennifer
van Bergen
The Death of the Great Writ of Liberty
July
17 / 18, 2004
Gary
Leupp
Apocalypse Now: Why the Book of Revelations
is Must Reading
Ghada
Karmi
Vanishing the Palestinians
Lenni
Brenner
When Cattle Unite, Lions Go Hungry: Notes for Ralph Nader
Ben
Tripp
Man on a Bridge: a Ghost Story
Brandy
Baker
What Would Elizabeth Cady Stanton Make of John Kerry?
M.
Shahid Alam
Israel Builds Another Wall
Sasan
Fayazmanesh
Nuclear Hypocrisy: Israel, Iran and the IAEA
Patrick
Bond
The George Bush of Africa
Fred
Gardner
Politics of Marijuana: Cannabiniod Therapuetics
William
Blum
Bush and Thucydides
Ben
Terrall
Carter and the Indonesia Elections: "I Don't See Anything
Wrong with a General Running the Country"
Tom
Barry
John Lehman on the War Path
David
Vest
Dylan Without the Music
Phyllis
Pollack
Return to Sin City: Keith Richards Does Gram Parsons
Ron
Jacobs
Smearing Muhammad Ali: Bob Feller Strikes Out
Joshua
Frank
Kerry to Edwards: "Let's Lose!"
David
Nally
A Call for Sudan: Our Georgraphical Blindspot
Toni
Solo
Bolivia's Gas Referendum
Landau,
Hassan, Prashad & Lindorff
Three Reviews of Moore's F911
Poets's
Basement
Ford, Smith and Albert
July
16, 2004
Dave
Zirin
Adonal Foyle: Master of the Lefty Lay-Up
Shervan
Sardar
Dershowitz, the ICJ and Jim Crow Laws
Ron
Jacobs
The Lil' Engine That Couldn't: Kucinich Surrenders on Anti-War
Plank
Robert
Fisk
Iraq, According to Edgar Allen Poe:
Coffin Bombs in Baghdad
Greg
Moses
The Forts of Iraq
Mickey
Z.
Ad Infinitum?: Presidential Campaigns in the Age of TV
Dan
Bacher
A Landmark Win for Salmon and the Tribes
Dave
Lindorff
The Mumia Case: Support from NAACP,
But a Movement in Shambles
Paul
McGeough
Did Allawi Shoot Inmates in Cold Blood?
Website
of the Day
10 Reasons to Fire Bush (and 9 Reasons Kerry Won't Be Any Better)
July
15, 2004
Heather
Williams
McMissing
the Point: Supersize Me Crashes on Its Message
Werther
Iraq: Follow the Money
Tom
Crumpacker
The Birds of Guantanamo
Brian
Cloughley
What Does the Bush Regime Object To?
Bill
Christison
Reorganize the CIA? Of Course,
But...
July
14, 2004
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Chronicle of a Nomination Foretold:
the Green Deceivers
Neve
Gordon
Of Socrates and the Apartheid Wall
Diane
Christian
The Priesthood of Death
Stefan
Wray
Who Benefits from Missing Data at Los Alamos Nuclear Lab?
Josh
Frank
The Nader / Dean Debate
Conn
Hallinan
Divide and Conquer as Imperial Rules
Elizabeth
Weill-Greenberg
Bring My Brother Home!: Class, War
and Education
Website
of the Day
Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear and the Selling of US Empire
July
13, 2004
Ray
McGovern
The CIA and Iraq: an Intelligence
Debacle...and Worse
Mark
Donham
The Sierra Club's Inexplicable Treatment of Cynthia McKinney
Ben
Tripp
Politus Interruptis: With Friends Like
These, Who Needs Electorates?
Mark
Gaffney
Slipping Towards Armageddon: Israel
in Iraq
Dave
Lindorff
Osama Wins! Election Postponed!
Chris
White
Double Think: the Bedrock of Marine
Indoctrination
July
10 / 12, 2004
Kathleen
Christison
The Problem with Neutrality Between
Palestinians and Israel
Janine
Pommy Vega
Trail of the Comet: a Gathering of the World's Poets Against
War
Sherry
Wolf
From Maverick to Party Attack Dog: Howard Dean Gay-Bashes Nader
Saul
Landau and Farrah Hassen
A Transfer of Power, Sort Of
Michael
Donnelly
How to Steal an Election: the Green Version, 2004
Stanton
/ Madsen
Iraq Survey Group: Rumsfeld's al-Qaeda?
Richard
Lichtman
The End of Innocence: Reflections on American Pathology
Gila
Svirsky
Thank You, Your Honors: a Legal Blow to the Wall
Kurt
Nimmo
Clinton's Life
Toni
Solo
Empire-Speak: What Roger Noriega Really Means
Ron
Jacobs
The Black Panthers and the Rest
Camelo
Ruiz Marrero
Gene Warfare in Oaxaca: Genetic Mutation of Mexican Maize
Omar
Barghouti
Wither the Empire: Rise of a Global Resistance
Poets'
Basement
Curtis and Albert
July
9, 2004
Dave
Zirin
Carlos Delgado on Deck: Blue Jays Slugger
Stands Up Against War
Justin
Delacour
Wishing Kerry Would Shut Up About
Latin America
Robert
Fisk
Iraq in Reverse: Martial Laws Fuel Insurgency
Boris
Kagarlitsky
Two Congresses and a Funeral
William
S. Lind
The October Surprises
Sibel
Edmonds
Our Broken System: John Ashcroft's War on Truth
Ron
Jacobs
Reading Tea Leaves: What Vietnam Tells Us About Iraq's Future
Gary
Leupp
The Lie That Will Not Die: Cheney and
the Iraq/al-Qaeda Link
July
8, 2004
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
The Inexplicable John McCain
Toufic
Haddad
Protesting Israel's Apartheid Wall:
a Letter from the Hunger Strikers' Tent
Dave
Lindorff
Liberation as Martial Law
Joshua
Frank
The Fall: How Beltway Dems Sank Howard
Dean
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush & Cheney Play the Hitler Card
James
Petras
The Truth About Jimmy Carter
July
7, 2004
John
Chuckman
Kerry's BBQ: a Deafening Silence
of Meaning
Virginia
Tilley
A Line in the Sand: Azmi Bishara's
Hunger Strike
Susan
Martinez
A Letter to Bill Cosby
Mickey
Z
Elie Wiesel's Strange Parade
Michael
Donnelly
Our Own Private Wilderness: Trusting the Land in the Inland Empire
Sean
Donahue
Boston Social Forum: the Dems aren't the Only Show in Beantown
Diane
Christian
Sovereignty and Freedom in Iraq
July
6, 2004
Lisa
Viscidi
Fleeing Guatemala: Central Americans
Risk Lives to Reach El Norte
Marc
Norton
The Felonious Five Ride Again: the
Supreme Court and Enemy Combatants
James
Brooks
Chemical Warfare on the West Bank?
Ray
McGovern
Porter Goss as CIA Director?
William
Cook
Legacy of Deceit: If Dante Knew of Bush and the Neo-Cons...
July
5, 2004
Forrest
Hylton
US Imperialism in Latin America: Sept.
11, July 4 and Systematic Torture
Chris
White
A Former Marine Sgt. on the Meaning
of Independence Day
Joe
Bageant
Cranky Reflections on the 4th of July
Robert
Jensen
Stupid White Movie: What Michael Moore
Misses About the Empire
Kathy
Kelly
"Two Days an' a Wake-Up"
July
3 / 4, 2004
Elaine
Cassel
Bush's Police State and Independence
Day
Stan
Goff
ABC of Opportunism: "Progressive"
Latin American Leaders Support the Coup in Haiti
Snehal
Shingavi
"We Want Real Justice for Bhopal": Two Survivors Speak
Out
Bruce
Anderson
The Cheney-Leahy Metaphor and the Greens
Sharon
Smith
Twilight of the Greens: the Chokehold of "Anybody But Bush"
Josh
Frank
Ralph Nader's Revolt: an Interview with Greg Bates
Robert
Fisk
Pentagon Tried to Censor Saddam's Hearing
Joe
Bageant
Sons of a Laboring God: Leftnecks Unite!
Brian
Cloughley
Fortress Bush and the One Law Doctrine
Justin
Delacour
The Anti-Chavez Echo Chamber: Venezuela's Media Tycoons
William
S. Lind
Saudi Spillover
Linda
S. Heard
A Joke Called "Justice"
Greg
Moses
"It's Illegal, But It's Our Right": Korean Labor Won't
Back Down
Ron
Jacobs
"Ain't You Proud to be White on Independence Day?"
Toni
Solo
Weary of Indigenous Resistances? Just Pretend They're Not There
Dan
Nagengast
Chicken Manure as Cattle Food: Safe, But Do We Want to Eat It?
Stew
Albert
Brando, a Personal Recollection
Dave
Zirin
From the Black Panthers to Sacheen Littlefeather: a Eulogy for
Our Brando
Patrick
W. Gavin
The Progressive Case for Dodgeball
Steven
Rosenthal / Junaid Ahmad
The Problem is Bigger Than the Bushes: a Review of F911
Poets'
Basement
Kearney, Ford and Davies
Website
of the Day
Global Peace Solution
July
2, 2004
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Suicide Right on the Stage: the Demise
of the Green Party
Douglas
Valentine
Fahrenheit 911: Mocking the Moral Crisis of Capitalism
Gary
Leupp
"Just Because I Could": On Obscenities and Opportunities
Lee
Ballinger
Illegal People: Kerry Opposes Immigrant Rights
Robert
Fisk
Saddam in the Dock: Confused? Hardly
CounterPunch
Wire
"What Law Formed This Court?": a Transcript of Saddam's
Arraignment
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush's Drug Card Lottery: the Price Ain't Right
Saul
Landau
Buzz Words and Venezuela
July 1, 2004
Katherine
van Wormer
Bush's Damaged Mind: the Madness in
His Method
Joe
Bageant
Is Our President a Whackjob? Does It Matter?
William
James Martin
The Dogma of Richard Perle
Dave
Lindorff
Bush's Evacuation Moment
Robert
Fisk
Bread and Circus Trials in Iraq
Alan
Maass
Green Party in Reverse
Website
of the Day
Michael Moore and Israel: Blind or a Coward?
June
30, 2004
Kurt Nimmo
Nicholson
Baker's Checkpoint: a New Kind of Anger About Bush
Tariq
Ali
Getting Away with Murder in Iraq
Jennifer
Van Bergen
Bush and the Detainees
Douglas
Valentine
Apotheosis of the Psychopaths: Instead of Fahrenheit 9/11, Rescreen
The Quiet American
David
Price
Fahrenheit 9/11 Through the McCain-Feingold Looking Glass
Roger
Normand
America's Criminal Occupation of Iraq
Stan
Cox
Sanitized for Your Protection: Ashcroft's
War on Art
Henry
David Thoreau
On the Futility of Bush v. Kerry: All Voting is a Kind of Gaming
Ben
Tripp
Who Dast Call Him Liar: a Rebuttal to Nicholas Kristof
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.
|
Weekend
Edition
August 13 / 14, 2004
Uh! Ah! Chávez
No Se Va!
Democracy
and Venezuela
By
KATHERINE LAHEY
With so many missions, Bolivarian circles,
and grassroots community and governmental organizations on the
ground carried out by the people, it is hard to imagine how anyone
could get away with calling Venezuela communist, and further,
people believing it. But alas, this is the power of the fascist
media who control the ideas that circulate among the people and
within our societies. This is particularly true in the United
States, my home country. Before I came to Venezuela, I had of
course read in the mainstream media of Hugo Chavez's dictatorial
tendencies, and of course had seen the ways in which the people
of Venezuela were painted as agents of populace uprisings, rebellion,
and instability. And, of course, I had sought and found information
in the alternative press that exposed a more accurate setting
of the threads of Venezuelan society; one of hope, redistribution
of wealth, and 'participatory democracy', which at the time remained
a vague idea in my head.
But it was not until I arrived
here and began to interact with the people that I began to understand
and develop my own ideas about what democracy is, what democracy
looks like, and more, what democracy means to the Venezuelan
people. The alternative media spends so much time cleaning up
the dirty diapers of the mainstream press and setting the record
straight that rarely is there room for the real details of the
revolution to seep through, the news of the community. There
is a curtain that draws itself over one's eyes simply when one
lives in the culture of the US; when immersed in another culture,
different realities are revealed. There is a starved mass public
in the United States who is craving truth and access to another
reality and understanding, and there is a huge gap to fill. However,
we can start and have started by filtering the word person to
person to bridge this gap; this is my intention in writing this
essay.
I have been here in Venezuela
for about six weeks now, out of an approximate six month stay.
I am a university student from California who is doing a thesis
project to graduate, but even more, have begun to see my stay
here as a very unique opportunity to develop my own political
understanding through the eyes of a Bolivarian lens, and to be
able to bring back this information and point of view to my own
community as an act of solidarity with the process here. What
I have encountered here thus far is nothing shy of a miracle.
I continue to be uplifted each and every day by what I see and
by how others interact with me- these interactions contest much
of what I had come to believe about the way in which my presence
as a US-American would be received. We are told that these are
dangerous times to travel and announce yourself as a gringo or
a person of the United States. And of course, this is very true
in many, if not most, parts of the world. However, my experience
here has been completely opposite. Instead, I am cloaked in the
joy of the process by others, who exclaim how thrilled they are
that I am here to see for myself the beauty and the strength
of the revolution, and are even more delighted that there are
people here to bring back the information. Moreover, my immersion
in the Bolivarian revolution continues to shape the way in which
I view the state of the world, shifting from a state of sadness,
despair, bleakness, and frustration to a vision of hope, possibility,
resistance, and community, and above all, success and long-term
perseverance.
The stitching of the fabric
of the revolution is unmatched in its strength and breadth of
anything I have ever seen. Throughout the country, not just in
the urban barrios, social programs called 'misiones'- a social
development strategy borrowed from the Cuban revolution- are
being implemented by the people with the support of government
resources. What takes place behind the scenes of each mission
is simply incredible and inspiring beyond words. These campaigns
include education- from literacy to the university level, health,
employment, citizenship, support for indigenous groups and their
reincorporation into society, economic justice and resistance
to neoliberalism through development of grassroots and community
cooperatives and businesses, to name a few. I have had the blessed
opportunity to work with several groups of these folks who have
begun to organize in their communities around these missions.
I first began working with two muchachas who are facilitators
of the missions Robinson 1 and 2, 1 which is the basic literacy
campaign, and 2 which builds upon the skills learned in 1- it
serves as a basic educational foundation from which participants
can grow. What I witnessed in this 'classroom', which was what
would be a living room in their home but has been converted into
a classroom space, with a chalkboard and desks, was beyond explanation.
Everyday, students arrive hours early, eagerly waiting for class
to begin. One of the facilitators, a beautiful and energetic
muchacha named Illiana, relayed an illuminating story of the
passion of her participants, that on the first day of Robinson
2, when all the returning students of Robinson 1 reunited, many
of the students began to cry out of happiness for the mission
itself and for the joy of the opportunities and empowerment it
has given them. And when you watch the mission itself in action,
you know that this is true. I have experienced many conversations
with people here, when talking about the process, get teary eyed
out of pure happiness. People are thrilled to be there in the
classroom, compared to my educational experience in the US, where
many times we schemed of how to get out of class. Bright eyes,
lasting attention, and energetic participation fill the room
as I watch the mission in session. It is truly inspiring.
Robinson 2 is followed by Ribas,
the equivalent to high school, and then by Sucre, the university
level class. Each mission is equally impressive in terms of the
strength and spirit of the participants and their eagerness to
continue in their education and in their efforts to further social
change in their homes and communities. Their breadth of political
analysis is way beyond the general knowledge and passion of folks
in the US, and they are adamant in defending their revolutionary
process and their right to self-determination. The missions are
facilitated with an emphasis on democratic participation, and
the facilitators are just that- they facilitate, which is a very
different model from the more top-down teacher-student dynamic.
Anyone can sign up to become a facilitator, a process that involves
a one-day workshop. This is another way in which democracy spreads
itself through the community and encourages the participation
of each person in the revolutionary process. These folks continue
to shine the light on the revolutionary example from which we
as foreigners can learn so much and begin to organize our own
communities from a place of love, hope, positivity, and hard
work.
Another equally important and
extremely significant program being carried out is mission Barrio
Adentro, the health program bridged by Cuban doctors, the Cuban
and Venezuelan governments, and community organizers here who
form 'comites de salud' (health committees) to support the efforts
of the Cuban doctors working in the community. The mission once
again is not a stranger to the more rural parts of Venezuela,
although their presence is more strongly realized in the urban
zones. This mission is an incredible example of the solidarity
between the two countries, on the national level as well as the
individual, as thousands of Cubans have sacrificed living with
their families and in their land to come and support the revolutionary
process here in the community. These clinics practice preventative
medicine, along of course with whatever immediate care is needed,
and have many programs of alternative healing, relaxation, and
integrative care, and in turn, help to produce a healthier community
that can continue to organize and develop itself knowing that
they are not alone in their efforts. Celebrations of the mission
itself and of the efforts of the community are often held with
the barrios as an affirmation of the process and a celebration
of life.
Yet another essential part
of the process is the mission called Vuelvan Caras, which is
a mission that prepares people for employment by training them
in a particular sector that is specific to their location of
residence (for example, in the city folks are trained in areas
such as construction; in the countryside, in agriculture to enter
cooperative work). After completing the mission, they are eligible
for a job in their community, and because of their particular
skill, are basically guaranteed a job. Many folks simultaneously
undergo Misíon Vuelvan Caras while attending the educational
missions, and so are basically saturated in the process all day.
This is one of the most powerful tools in the community that
destroys the myth of the dictatorship of Chavez and that he is
responsible for the unemployment in Venezuela. Just the opposite-
he is channeling government funds to a mission that supports
the growth of employment within the community and giving people
the opportunity to create channels of their own empowerment.
As many people involved in the missions have pointed out, the
Bolivarian Constitution says that each citizen is responsible
for the building of a participatory and democratic society, but
it doesn't say how to do it. This is the incredible system the
people have come up with and begun to implement in their communities.
Perhaps one of the most impressionable
missions underway is Misíon Identidad, which is a mission
involving the National Guard and groups of people organized via
grassroots clusters to register all folks in Venezuela as Venezuelan
citizens. This mission is particularly pertinent in the countryside,
where people and families have been living for generations without
citizenship, and thus, without access to government programs
and benefits. The process of this mission is a beautiful one,
and one very grounded in basic need, as people begin to realize
their capacity as Venezuelan citizens and that there is a process
of empowerment and development in which they can participate
through exercising their rights as citizens.
As the August 15 referendum
nears, the energy is growing and the momentum harnessing itself
in the streets and in the mountains. It is beautiful, vibrant,
positive, and carries a strength and a force that cannot be extinguished
by the opposition, here locally or internationally. "No
Volverán!", they cry in the streets, in the metro,
out of the windows of their cars. People here are experiencing
a process of political empowerment that is changing the lives
of each person, each family, each community, and is bringing
hope and the realization that another way is possible. August
8th was a powerful example of the livelihood of the revolution,
and one that reveals a sharp contrast in the avenues of political
expression between here and the United States. Everyone took
to the streets, in an event that was described not as a demonstration,
but as a beginning of the celebration of the victory of August
15th. It was a party that reached for miles on end, filled with
the vibrancy and spirit of the people, unlike the marches in
the US, which generally serve as an avenue for people to spill
their anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction with a fascist
and imperialist government that really provides no outlet for
political participation. Here, it is common understanding that
democracy cannot exist unless everyone participates. Ultimately,
this is the mission of the missions; to build a public with a
solid foundation and capacity to participate in their own democracy,
in the creation of their reality, and in the manifestation of
their vision. What I saw in the march in the interactions between
Chavistas and escualidos (the name here for the opposition) is
that everyone is encouraged, at least by the Chavistas, to express
their opinion, regardless of which side they support. I was prepared
for tense interactions between the two parties, a conclusion
logically developed from the painted image of violence, hatred,
and tension. What I encountered instead was one of laughter,
light-hearted commrodary, and teasing, again, at least on the
part of the Chavistas. As almost every single Chavista I have
spoken with here says, they have nothing against the opposition;
they do not hate them nor do they wish them harm. But they do
understand, very profoundly, that they must defend their country
against fascist and elite infiltration, and that Venezuela is
for and of ALL Venezuelans, and that the revolutionary process
must be carried out. They are not against the escualidos; on
the contrary, they are for a democratic Venezuela that serves
each and every citizen. And they are prepared to defend this
vision against whomever or whatever stands in the way.
Even channel 8, the state channel,
airs commercials supporting the "Sí" campaign
(to recall Chavez). At first I was bewildered, why on Earth would
the state channel air ads soliciting its viewers to vote for
the dismantling of the governmentthen I remembered the slogan
of the channel- "el canal de todos". This is an enlightening
example once again of the strength and faith of a democratic
government, and also an example that shatters the myth of dictatorship
and censorship. Every perspective is given a space to express
itself, because in a democratic society, no viewpoint can be
censored, no matter how outside of mass public support it lies.
This respect for all parties is also what gathered more support
for the process itself, because people have faith that they will
be represented. And of course, values are learned through example.
On a micro level, the government is breathing life, respect,
fairness, and representation into the fire of the revolution,
even if some of those to whom it gives space are too blind to
see it.
It is very obvious that if
Chavez loses the election this Sunday, it is because of fraud.
Living here, it is plain to see that the overwhelming majority
is Chavista. But of course that does not secure a win for the
"No" campaign- there does exist a very real and grave
threat against a fair election, something as we as US citizens
can understand from the coup of 2000, and which of course almost
every Latin American nation knows all too well. For me as someone
from the US trying to organize in my own community and trying
to raise awareness on a more mainstream level, what is most tragic
about US-Venezuelan relations is that the point is entirely missed.
At this time in history, we ALL, not just those of us in the
activist community, have a tremendous opportunity to study and
learn from the Bolivarian revolution and process and the democratic
example it upholds, and to bring the process to our own communities.
Instead, people continue to believe the lies that Venezuela poses
a threat to our "democracy", and continue to support
policies that in reality attempt to undermine a very democratic
process. But the Bolivarian example will never be buried, because
even in the possibility that the opposition succeeds in its fraudulent
attempts to oust Chavez, the people will not give an inch. Because
they know that with or without Chavez, the revolution continues
with the people, because the revolution is of the people, it
is not the transient dream of one person. However, the chance
for a peaceful process is more likely if the government and military
are on your side, and so the people continue to sing: Uh!
Ah! Chávez No Se Va!
Katherine Lahey is a student at the University of
California. She is spending six months in Venezuela studying
the revolutionary process. She can be reached at: lunazul_77@hotmail.com
Weekend
Edition Features for August 7 / 8, 2004
James Petras
The
Anatomy of "Terror Experts": Meet the Mandarins of
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Fred Gardner
Run
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Justin Delacour
Anti-Chavez Pollsters Panic: Fix Numbers; Reinvent Venezuela
Brian Cloughley
Persecuted by All; Supported by None: Who Would Be A Kurd?
Joshua Frank
The
Outsider: a Talk with Ralph Nader
Iain A. Boal
On "Shame": Warmed-Over Orientalism and Racist Projection
Chris Floyd
All About Eve: Open Season on Women in DC and Rome
Andrew Fenton
Fighting for Democracy and Justice in Haiti
Aseem Shrivastava
Saga of an Anguished Afghan
Neil Corbett
See Cuba: Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar, Mr. Bush
Carol Miller
/ Forrest Hill
Rigged Convention; Divided Party: How David Cobb Won with Only
12% of the Vote
Tarek Milleron
Breaking the Principled Voter
Donald Macintyre
The
Battle of Najaf
Ron Jacobs
Spirits of The Dead: Why I Love My Petty Bourgeois Tendencies
Mickey Z.
Kid
Gavilan's Grave: Propaganda Scores a TKO
Poets' Basement
Adler, Ford and Albert
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