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Why Hillary Clinton Has Always Been a Republican In the first of a series of profiles, Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair chart the formative years of Hillary Clinton. Watch her as she zigzags from Nixon campaigner and vote-fraud investigator in 1960 to Goldwater Girl and President of Young Republicans at Wellesley to her internship for Gerald Ford and campaigner for Nelson Rockefeller. Witness her reaction to the student protests at Yale and the demonstrations at Grant Park during the Democratic Convention in 1968. Learn how she and Bill vowed to "remake" the Democratic Party--using the Nixon model HRC learned about as a member of the House impeachment staff. And much more! Plus: David Price on anthropologist Andre Gunder Frank, the FBI and the Bureaucratic Exile of a Critical Mind.
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Today's Stories July 7 / 8, 2007 Saul
Landau July 6, 2007 Daniel
Ellsberg Gary
Leupp Harvey
Wasserman Omer
Subhani Marjorie
Cohn Christopher
Brauchli David
Michael Green China
Hand Renee
Saucedo Corporate
Crime Reporter Website
of the Day
July 5, 2007 Andy
Worthington Mike
Stark Norman
Solomon Michael
Schwartz Susie
Day Jacob
Hornberger Bill
Hatch Don
Fitz John
Wright Website
of the Day
July 4, 2007 St.
Clair / Frank Vijay
Prashad Carl
G. Estabrook Ron
Jacobs David
R. Dow Claudia
Johnson William
S. Lind Gregory
Afghani Paul
Edwards D.
K. Wilson Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Thomas
Jefferson Cindy
Sheehan Website
of the Day
Bill
Quigley Gary
Leupp Lynda
Brayer Richard
Thieme Helen
Redmond David
Swanson Jacob
Hornberger Ayesha
Ijaz Khan Franklin
Lamb Ray
McGovern Kevin
Zeese Dave
Lindorff Website
of the Day
Andy
Worthington Nina
Serrano Jack
Hirschman Paul
Craig Roberts Bill
Williams Anthony
Papa Sonja
Karkar Louay
Safi Anthony
Gregory Monica
Benderman Website
of the Day
June 30 / July 1, 2007 John
Ross Alan
Farago Peter
Quinn Christopher
Brauchli Robert
Fisk Uri
Avnery Judith
Siers-Poisson Saul
Landau Abbas
Zaidi Ron
Jacobs Ralph
Nader Donald
Worster Mike
Whitney Jacob
Hill Kenneth
Couesbouc Missy
Beattie Mohammad
Kamaali Ramzy
Baroud Leonard
Peltier Phyllis
Pollack Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
June 29, 2007 St.
Clair / Frank Brian
Cloughley Patrick
Cockburn Gilad
Atzmon Dave
Lindorff Jennifer
Matsui / Kevin
Zeese Daniel
Klimek David
Michael Green John
Chuckman Website
of the Day
June 28, 2007 Bill
Quigley Vijay
Prashad Margaret
Kimberley Winslow
T. Wheeler Philip
Rizk D.
K. Wilson Bill
Williams Mahmoud
El-Yousseph Richard
Rhames Paul
Krassner Website
of the Day
Marjorie
Cohn Dr.
Susan Rosenthal, MD Alan
Farago Carla
Blank Matthew
Abraham Sunsara
Taylor Russell
D. Hoffman Robert
Weissman Sen.
Russ Feingold Paul
Buchheit Website
of the Day
June 26, 2007 Jonathan
Cook Ralph
Nader Corporate
Crime Reporter Ron
Jacobs Martha
Rosenberg John
Chuckman Denny
Haldeman Anthony
DiMaggio Stephen
Fleischman William
S. Lind Website
of the Day
Paul
Craig Roberts Jennifer
Loewenstein Bob
Anderson Robert
Pollin Patrick
Cockburn Eva
Liddell Dan
Bacher Larry
Atkins Mark
Brenner James
Rothenberg Website
of the Day June 23 / 24, 2007 Alexander
Cockburn Jeff
Taylor Oren
Ben-Dor Gary
Leupp Robert
Fisk David
Rosen Russell
Mokhiber Alison
Weir Robert
Fantina D.
K. Wilson Nicole
Colson Stephen
Soldz, Steven Reisner and Brad Olson Dave
Lindorff Benjamin
Dangl Michael
Dickinson Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
June 22, 2007 Andy
Worthington Sherwood
Ross Eliana
Monteforte Robert
Weissman Richard
Rhames Christopher
Brauchli Ramzy
Baroud Ehud
Krinis, David Shulman and Neve Gordon David
Michael Green Kathryn
Webber Website
of the Day
June 21, 2007 Peter
Linebaugh Natsu
Saito Ron
Jacobs Saree
Makdisi John
Stauber Scott
Liebertz Tom
Clifford Robert
Jensen Michael
J. Smith Jeb
Sprague Website
of the Day
Omar
Barghouti Andy
Worthington Margaret
Kimberley Robert
Weissman Russell
D. Hoffman Rannie
Amiri Stephen
Lendman Dave
Lindorff David
Swanson Anne
Dachel Website
of the Day
June 19, 2007 Ralph
Nader Dr.
Shepherd Bliss Bill
and Kathleen Christison Jeff
Leys Dave
Zirin Chris
Floyd Ben
Terrall Anthony
Papa VIPS Linda Flores Website
of the Day
John
Ross Paul
Craig Roberts Martha
Rosenberg Norman
Solomon Don
Santina Isabella
Kenfield James
Brooks Eva
Liddell Sam
Husseini Akiva
Eldar Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn John
Halle Robert
Fisk Andy
Worthington Uri
Avnery Fred
Gardner Saul
Landau P.
Sainath Missy
Comley Beattie Alan
Gregory Walter
Brasch Website
of the Weekend
June 15, 2007 Alan
Farago Andy
Worthington Michael
Simmons Franklin
Lamb Gary
Leupp John
Ross Website
of the Day
June 14, 2007 Michael
Donnelly
Faisal
Kutty Harry
Browne Charles
Jonkel Steven
Higgs Bruce
Dixon Bruce
K. Gagnon
Website
of the Day June 13, 2007 Glen Ford Marjorie Cohn Bill Christison Charles Jonkel Silvia Cattori Richard Gott Firmin DeBrabander William S. Lind Keith Rosenthal Website of the Day June 12, 2007 Jeffrey St.
Clair Paul Craig
Roberts P. Sainath Ralph Nader Omar Waraich Dave Lindorff Harvey Wasserman Malini Johar
Schueller Ramzy Baroud Website of
the Day
June 11, 2007 Patrick Cockburn Paul Craig
Roberts Uri Avnery Norman Solomon Eva Liddell Rannie Amiri Rachel Voss Christopher
Brauchli D. K. Wilson Website of
the Day
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Weekend
Edition The Strategy of Non-CooperationHistory's Hit Job on Thomas PaineBy CHARLES MODIANO
Given our current state of the union, this past 4th of July seemed as good a time as any to pay patriotic homage to our country's greatest American revolutionary... Thomas Paine. Unlike George Washington, there is no holiday in his honor. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, there is no memorial in the Washington mall. And unlike many other of his dead revolutionary peers, you won't find his picture in your wallet no matter how big a spender you are. And despite history's hit job on his legacy, it just doesn't get too much more American than the man who created the phrase: "United States of America"[1]. Paine was simultaneously a revolutionary during his time and 230 years ahead of his time. Good American Revolutionary! When it came to the American Revolution, General Washington was the fighter and Thomas Paine was the writer. John Adams stated: "Without the pen of the author of 'Common Sense,' the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain". Paine's American Crisis Papers may have been equally as inspirational in winning the war as Common Sense" was able to galvanize popular support for it. His " Rights of Man" which supported the French Revolution and, more broadly, human rights, quickly became one of the most popular books ever published. It called on Englishmen to join France and the US in a government "of the people and for the people and by the people" [2] at a time when Abraham Lincoln was not even born. Had Paine not escaped near execution in a Luxemburg jail he was committed to in 1793, he may have very well gone on to become our country's most iconic founder. While mention of Paine's 'Common Sense', and perhaps even "The Crisis Papers", can usually be found in your average 8th grade textbook, his legacy often ends right there. Perhaps intentionally so. Bad American Revolutionary! Some freedom fighters just
don't know when to quit! Paine was a staunch and outspoken abolitionist.
In this essay African
Slavery in America, Paine, not one to mince words, published
one of the very first articles in the US advocating the emancipation
of all slaves. Its publishing date of March 8, 1775 may be just
as significant as the essay itself. Paine also believed that
women should be afforded equal rights and participation in the
political process. And unlike many other founders, by 1895 Paine
had come to advocate universal suffrage [3]. Paine was a free
thinker and philosopher whose writings supported every forthcoming
freedom movement (Civil War, Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights,
etc.) on American soil. While he was initially beloved for his
role in the American Revolution, he was essentially told to go
back to his corner the more he kept talking all crazy about freedom
for ALL its citizens. And when he openly criticized Christianity
(see AGE
of REASON) which, in his time, formed the backbone for monarchy,
slavery, and inequality, well THAT was the last straw. Ultimately,
he was ostracized, his hero status withdrawn, and his accomplishments
minimized in our history books in the early 1800s. By 1809 he
died broke and only a handful attended his funeral. "Men of Their Times" While our country continues to pay homage to popular slave-holding founders through schools, streets signs, and memorials, Paine is not nearly as well-known or celebrated in comparison, although gaining some recent ground). The sins of slaveholders are often overlooked, and iconic status is often granted through the common "men of their times" (MOTT) pass. This pass, otherwise known as the "but-mommy-everyone-else-is-doing-it" pass, has an awful lot of holes in it. For starters, the founders weren't "men of their times" at all: They were REVOLUTIONARIES! "Men of their time" liked to sip tea, not throw it overboard. Their chosen specialty was freedom fighting. Besides that, Jefferson's writings and Washington's freeing of his own slaves at death offer a pretty good clue about their actual belief systems vs. their actual actions. Finally, the other founders were quite familiar with Thomas Paine. His ideas and writings (honorable mention to Benjamin's "Rush" and "Franklin") were not only well-known, but also served as the central backdrop that informed the Declaration of Independence. ...Many slave-holding founders didn't suffer from "ignorance of their era", they suffered from being spoiled from spending a lifetime never having to plow the fields, plant crops, pick cotton, clean their house, install a new deck, mow the lawn, wash dishes, do the laundry, and take out the garbage. The benefit package of human bondage was nothing to sneeze at, and not all freedom-fighters were ready to give up those perks. And even if the "men of their times" pass was actually true, shouldn't we raise the bar a tad bit before assigning iconic status? (Note: This is not to suggest that that we no longer teach historical facts about TJ's writings or GW's military generalship, this is a commentary on who our country decides to glorify and memorialialize all across America.) Man of OUR Times Thomas Paine was ahead of his time, and this fact gives us options that few know exist. If saddled with "men of their times" versus "men of OUR times", shouldn't it be a no-brainer who gets the historical love? Shouldn't our history books make it self-evident that all white men in white wigs were not created equal? Unfortunately, I never did learn anything about Thomas Paine "the abolitionist" or "women's rights activist" in school. And I wonder why that is. Reversing History's Hit Job With 230 years hindsight, why
have we not adjusted who is most deserving of our historical
praise? Are the textbook-writing, building-naming, and monument-sculpting
communities just really lazy or is there something else? While
some still hold Paine's criticism of Christianity against him,
those critics tend to forget the lethally oppressive context
of the late 1700's, not to mention our constitution itself. And
it is hard to come to grips with logic that gives the "men
of their times" pass to slaveholders, but resists celebrating
those that fiercely fought against the religious foundation for
that very bondage. ...But there may be a much greater issue at
stake. To be aware of the FULL story of Thomas Paine is to force
many to reconsider the lasting popular status and personal legacies
of many of America's other founders. Paine shines a greater light
on their personal crimes (human, if not legal), and also allows
his readers to uphold and fight for the values of our constitution
in ANY era. To know Thomas Paine is to glorify our American values
of freedom and equality WITHOUT HYPOCRISY, and to challenge hypocrisy
wherever we find it; to simultaneously commend the best and condemn
the worst in America; and, in the words of President Eisenhower,
to "never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion".
To celebrate Thomas Paine is to celebrate American patriotism
in its purest form. His legacy could not be any more relevant
on July 4, 2007. Notes [2] Fleming, Thomas, Liberty! The American Revolution, p. 369 [3] Keyssar, Alexander, The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States p. 10 Charles Modiano can be reached at: cmodiano@skills4youth.org
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CounterPunch Books of the Crossroads: HOW THE IRISH INVENTED SLANG By Daniel Cassidy  Click Here to Buy! How the Press Failed The Gang's All Here: Judy Miller, Bob Woodward, Rupert Murdoch, Bill O'Reilly...End Times Leaves No Reputation Unstained!  Buy End Times Now! CounterPunch Books! Saul Landau's Bush and Botox World with a Foreword by Gore Vidal  Click Here to Order!  Michael Neumann's Devastating Rebuttal of Alan Dershowitz Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair           The Occupation by Patrick Cockburn   Humanitarian Imperialism By Jean Bricmont               CITY BEAUTIFUL By Tennessee Reed        Bruce Springsteen On Tour By Dave Marsh                   |
