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Inside the New Print Edition of Our Subscriber-Only Newsletter!
When America Said No!
Waterboarding, sensory deprivation, confessions extorted under torture… We have been here before. Eighty years ago Zechariah Chafee’s investigation of “Lawlessness in Law Enforcement” spelled the beginning of the end for routine police torture in America. In our new CounterPunch newletter Peter Lee sets Chafee’s findings against the documented tortures of the Bush-Cheney years, whose executors are now protected by Obama. Every word of Chafee’s repudiation of extra-legal detention and coercive interrogation is valid today and should be read by all, starting with the 44th president. Also in this newsletter Marcus Rediker describes what happened when he lectured on the history of pirates to inmates at Auburn Prison. Get your new edition today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and t-shirts make great presents.Order CounterPunch By Email For Only $35 a Year !
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Today's Stories July 17-19, 2009 Nikolas Kozloff July 16, 2009 Paul Craig Roberts Afshin Rattansi Iranian Planes and the Hidden Toll of Economic Sanctions Gregory V. Button Evan Knappenberger Michelle Bollinger Russell Mokhiber Belén Fernández Alice Walker Nicholas Dearden Albert Osueke Website of the Day
Manuel Garcia, Jr. Vijay Prashad Dean Baker Ray McGovern Jonathan Cook David Rosen Eric Walberg Greg Moses Sousan Hammad Binoy Kampmark Tracy McLellan Website of the Day July 14, 2009 Eamonn McCann Joanne Mariner Franklin Spinney Steve Heilig Ali Abunimah Dave Lindorff Nikolas Kozloff Ellen Brown Alice Slater Ron Jacobs Joe Allen Website of the Day July 13, 2009 Uri Avnery Mike Whitney P. Sainath Gareth Porter Paul Moore Tim Wise Andy Worthington Former Insider Shatters Credibility of Military Commissions David Macaray Cal Winslow Niranjan Ramakrishnan Website of the Day July 10-12, 2009 Alexander Cockburn José Pertierra John Ross Conn Hallinan Nikolas Kozloff Clifton Ross / Carl Ginsburg Michael Neumann Gilad Atzmon Jeffrey St. Clair Ellen Hodgson Brown Jim Goodman Christopher Bickerton Wendell Potter Dave Lindorff David Ker Thomson Anthony DiMaggio Raymond Lawrence Walid El Houri Stephanie Westbrook Roger Gaess David Yearsley Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
July 9, 2009 Ronnie Cummings Jonathan Cook Nikolas Kozloff James Bovard Norman Solomon Afghanistan: the Escalation Scam Allan Nairn Andy Worthington Tomas Borge Nadia Hijab Paul Krassner Website of the Day July 8, 2009 Saul Landau Dean Baker Winslow T. Wheeler Eric Walberg Ray McGovern David Rosen Dr. Mona El Farra Ron Jacobs Benjamin Dangl Alan Farago Website of the Day July 7, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Uri Avnery Brian M. Downing Gary Leupp Gregory A. Burris David Macaray Laura Flanders Alan Farago Greg Moses Dan Bacher Website of the Day July 6, 2009 Patrick Cockburn Diana Johnstone Nikolas Kozloff Gary Leupp Jonathan Cook Tim Wise Franklin Lamb Charles R. Larson Carlos Benemann Shepherd Bliss Jerry Kroth Karyn Strickler Website of the Day July 3-5, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Eamonn Fingleton Jeffrey St. Clair Mike Whitney Pam Martens George Ciccariello-Maher Paul Craig Roberts Patrick Cockburn Anthony DiMaggio Roger Burbach John Ross Nikolas Kozloff Gareth Porter Andy Worthington Saul Landau David Macaray Adam Federman Jane Slaughter Labor's Vague Rally for Health Care Russell Mokhiber Black Caucus Muzzled on Israeli Kidnapping of McKinney Robert Jensen Robert Bryce Belén Fernandez Missy Comley Beattie C. G. Estabrook Stephen Martin Charles R. Larson Lorenzo Wolff Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend July 2, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Nikolas Kozloff Wendell Potter Ellen Hodgson Brown Christian Christensen Iran: Networked Dissent? Patrick Irelan Binoy Kampmark Returning Iraq Nicola Nasser Brian Tokar Dan Bacher Website of the Day July 1, 2009 Vijay Prashad Alberto Vallente Thorensen Paul Craig Roberts Robert Weissman Manuel García, Jr. Victor Figueroa-Clark / Pablo Navarrete Norman Solomon Franklin Lamb Martha Rosenberg Diane Rejman Website of the Day June 30, 2009 Michael Hudson Esam Al-Amin Benjamin Dangl Jonathan Cook Franklin Lamb George Wuerthner Todd Gordon Ron Jacobs Kenneth Libby Julian Vigo Website of the Day
June 29, 2009 Ishmael Reed Nikolas Kozloff Clifton Ross Patrick Cockburn Uri Avnery Conn Hallinan James G. Abourezk Ralph Nader Carol Miller Greg Moses Website of the Day June 26-28, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Doug Peacock Daniel Wolff Mike Whitney John Ross David Rosen Emily Ratner Gareth Porter Farid Marjai Nadia Hijab Paul Craig Roberts Fred Gardner Carl Ginsburg Paul Watson David Ker Thomson Farzana Versey Geoff Berne Todd Alan Price Ramzy Baroud Jeff Sher Dr. Carol Paris Despite My Arrest by Max Baucus, I Will Continue to Advocate for Quality Health Care for All Walter Brasch Adultery as Family Value? Glen Johnson Charlotte Laws Charles R. Larson Kim Nicolini David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend June 25, 2009 Kathy Kelly Jack Bratich Wendell Potter Charles R. Larson Alan Farago Jonathan Cook Gareth Porter Bitta Mostofi / David Macaray Mark Schuller Website of the Day June 24, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Dean Baker Andy Worthington James Bovard Diana Gibson / P. Sainath Gareth Porter Robert Alvarez Dave Lindorff Steven Colatrella Remembering Giovanni Arrighi Website of the Day
June 23, 2009 David Price Patrick Cockburn James Ridgeway / Dave Lindorff Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero Gary Leupp Brian M. Downing Robert Bryce Nicholas Dearden Yousef Munayyer Website of the Day June 22, 2009 Michael Hudson Esam Al-Amin Chris Floyd Jack Z. Bratich Atash Yaghmaian Laura Carlsen Paul Craig Roberts Vijay Prashad Fred Gardner Andy Thayer David Macaray Website of the Day
June 19 - 21, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patrick Cockburn Al Giordano Henry A. Giroux Anthony DiMaggio Paul Craig Roberts John Ross Gareth Porter Carl Ginsburg Tommi Avicolli Mecca Joe Bageant Serge Halimi P. Sainath Jim Goodman Dave Lindorff Rannie Amiri Robert Fantina Harvey Wasserman Walter Brasch David Ker Thomson Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Kim Nicolini Ben Sonnenberg Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
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Weekend Edition "Ain't You Proud of What America Stands For?"Just Like Hanoi JaneBy MARC LEVY The bus ride from New York’s frenetic Port Authority to sleepy Willimantic took four sleepless hours and cost twenty-nine dollars. The next day a small college would host a conference on Vietnam, known elsewhere as the war against the Americans. Arriving early, I attended a small gathering at Curbstone Press, the name a perfect eponym, the squat building’s wood plank facade smooth as bone. Outside, beneath a pale autumn moon, two American combat writers, tipsy with drink, swayed and chatted. I waved hello, walked forward to welcoming hugs and breathy greetings. “Let’s go inside,” said one man. We walked into the grungy, low ceilinged, ramshackle house, cramped and musty with time and love. Under the cold glare of fluorescent lights, a dozen greying men cheerfully conversed while scooping large portions of glutinous moussaka or starchy quiche onto thick paper plates. Two cannon ball shaped chocolate fudge pies sat curiously untouched. “Another beer?” A corpulent Marine combat vet asked. “More wine? Hi, and how are ya?” The boisterous Americans spoke diligently of baseball, real estate, current events. “Can you believe that son-of-a-bitch almost tossed a no hitter? Son-of-a-bitch!” Two South Vietnamese infantry officers, when asked, hinted at harrowing escapes, then changed the subject. For no apparent reason that I could see, one man, then the next, dragged heavy steel chairs across a threadbare rug; spreading out evenly, they formed a loose knit circle. Three wives joined in; two others stood back. How it began I do not recall: round and round, taking turns, each man brought forth the most obscene, tasteless jokes I had ever heard. And with each foul, accelerant punch line, the men wildly slapped their thighs, punched violent air, pounded their chests, butchered the room with riotous laughter. Even the women shrieked and cackled. Best was the “ta ta” joke. Two men in on the gag reeled off the wondrous lines in perfect measure, the phrase spoken in soft, innocent tones, almost child like, with eyebrows arched slightly, the voice inclined outward at the second syllable. Q. How do you say idiot in Vietnamese? With each new guest, the obscene beck and call was duly repeated. The Americans, hands smacked red, cheeks gone crimson, roared with ominous pleasure. A distinguished Vietnamese writer laughed loudest that night. His jollity recalled Mr. Mau, met years past in Michigan. Surviving escape by sea, he poured forth awful tales of women raped, men bayoneted, children thrown headlong to chill, watery graves. All the while an inflexible grin commanded his shrieking face. The next day, in a cozy auditorium, the conference went well. Each guest read from his work; there were several informative panels. An elder female journalist, Gloria Emerson, tall and handsome and impeccably well-spoken, presented anecdotes from her war experience; some were not pleasant. A portly, cantankerous vet, wearing blue denim overalls, his head freighted with a Vietnam baseball cap dotted with cloisonné pins, stood up and shuffled forward. “I was in the Sea Bee's in ‘66,” he said. “Up near the DMZ. We fought the Communists cause we was sent there. The way you was talking, you sounded just like Hanoi Jane. She was anti-American, she was. And that bitch talked to us GI’s every night on the radio. Talking that communist propaganda shit.” He paused, hands pressed to hips. “You...you sound just like her, just like that Hanoi Jane.” Folding his arms across his chest, he sniveled, “Ain’t you got no regard for disabled vets? Ain’t you proud for what America stands for?” His shrill words made for knee-deep tension in sleepy Willimantic, once, they say, thread capitol of the world, until thread went South and the town went quiet. Several American combat writers seated in the audience turned around and glared. The war correspondent said, “I recognize you. We’ve spoken before. Every soldier has stories. And there are thousands. Aren’t there, sir? Hundreds of thousands.” She paused, majestic in equanimity. “I never carried a weapon. I hated war. Apparently, Sir, you didn’t.” The following week I told the “ta ta” joke to Dr. Allan Foster. His left arm torn off one day, gut shot the next, the chaplain had pronounced last rites over his limp body at the battle of Dak To. More than once Dr. Foster has blithely stated, “I have no issues with Vietnam. I have no anger toward the Vietnamese.” Dr. Foster counsels ex-combatants who remain deeply troubled. “You think that's funny?” he said. “Am supposed to laugh? I find it highly offensive and disrespectful. You should be ashamed of yourself. You and your funny friends.” “I didn’t laugh,” I told him. “It hurt too much. But look how they mock us: their language, our music...” “Oh, bullshit,” he said, cutting me off before I could finish. We argued. I walked out. Dr. Foster didn’t get it. Civilians, combatants, everyone caught up in war’s chaos and caterwaul comprise one great harmonic slaughter. Over time, it’s winners and losers, gunned and ground down, scatter to dust or windblown leaves, become a suckling infants cry, a peaceable sleep; until it starts all over again. *Author, journalist and NY Times war correspondent Gloria Emerson won the George Polk Award for her Vietnam war correspondence. Her book Winners and Losers (Random House) won the National Book Award in 1978. She befriended and helped many Vietnam vets. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, unable to face a life without writing, she committed suicide in 2004. Marc Levy was an infantry medic with D 1/7 First Cavalry in Vietnam/Cambodia in 1970. His prose and poetry have appeared in various online and print magazines. He can be reached at silverspartan@gmail.com.
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Now Available from CounterPunch Books! Yellowstone Drift:
Spell Albuquerque: Waiting for
Lightning
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