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BUSH'S MELTDOWN AND THE US DEFEAT IN IRAQ He's on the floor, but can the Democrats Save Him? They're sure trying. Scorching reports on the "new jobs" myth and the end of America's housing bubble. Savage dissection of Council on Foreign Relation's Plan to "Contain" AIDS and Throw Money at the Drug Companies. Why the Military-Industrial Complex Wants U.S. Out of Iraq. What the US Press Missed about the War. Get the facts you're looking for in the subscriber-only edition of CounterPunch ... CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! or write CounterPunch, PO BOX 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 |
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December 21, 2005 Patrick Cockburn December 20, 2005 Jackie Corr Earl Ofari
Hutchinson Michael Donnelly Gian Paulo
Accardo Pierre Tristam Norman Solomon Sen. Robert Byrd Dave Lindorff Website of the Day
December 19, 2005 Mike Marqusee Gary Leupp Ron Jacobs John Blair Gideon Levy Kevin Zeese Missy Comley Beattie Don Santina Website of the Day
December 17 / 18, 2005 Cockburn /
St. Clair Gabriel Kolko Susan Alcorn Werther Ralph Nader Patrick Cockburn Fred Gardner Dave Lindorff Ned Sublette Lee Sustar Jason Leopold Laura Carlsen Jeff White Ray McGovern Chris Floyd William Loren Katz Rose Miriam
Elizalde Greg Moses Heather Gray Alison Weir St Clair /
Walker / Pollack Poets' Basement Website of
the Day
December 16, 2005 Tom Kerr Mark Engler John Bomar Patrick Cockburn Pierre Tristam William S. Lind Cyril Neville Robert Jensen Saul Landau Website
December 15, 2005 Oren Ben-Dor Stan Cox Joshua Frank Ben Terrall Patrick Cockburn Monica Benderman Walter A. Davis Vijay Prashad Website of
the Day
Patrick Cockburn Paul Craig
Roberts Lawrence R. Velvel Wayne Garcia John Sugg Gary Leupp Ray McGovern Alan Maass April Hurley, MD Kevin Alexander
Gray
December 13, 2005 Stephen T.
Banko, III Patrick Cockburn Laura Carlsen Karl Grossman Niranjan Ramakrishnan Kevin Zeese Norman Solomon Michael G.
Smith Stew Albert Bob Dylan Phil Gasper Website of
the Day
December 12, 2005 Paul Craig
Roberts Lawrence R.
Velvel Jessica Stewart George Bisharat Nate Mezmer Earl Ofari
Hutchinson Alison Weir Seth Sandronsky Patrick Cockburn Website of
the Day
Alexander Cockburn Landau / Hassen Ralph Nader Linn Washington, Jr Bill Christison Mike Ferner Elizabeth Schulte Neve Gordon / Yigal Bronner Linda S. Heard Ingmar Lee Ray McGovern John Chuckman John Ryan Dick J. Reavis Christopher
Brauchli Behzad Yaghmaian Aseem Shrivastava John Ross Ben Tripp St. Clair / Pollack / Vest
/ Despair Poets' Basement Website of the Week
December 9, 2005 Linn Washington,
Jr. Dave Zirin
/ Mike Stark Patrick Cockburn Alexander Cockburn Lila Rajiva Gary Leupp Jason Leopold Bruce K. Gagnon Andrew Cockburn Website of the Day
December 8, 2005 Kathy Kelly James Petras William S.
Lind Laura Carlsen Justin Akers Thomas Graham, Jr Norman Solomon Tariq Ali /
Robin Blackburn Website of
the Day
December 7, 2005 John Ryan Gary Leupp Fran Quigley Jeremy Brecher
/ Brendan Smith Joshua Frank William W.
Morgan Dave Lindorff Patrick Cockburn Harold Pinter Website of
the Day
December 6, 2005 Ron Jacobs Patrick Cockburn Yifat Susskind Mike Whitney Pat Williams Paul Craig
Roberts Website of
the Day
December 5, 2005 John Walsh Brian Cloughley Mokhiber /
Weissman Robert Jensen Norman Solomon Peter Rost, MD Lila Rajiva Website of the Day
Alexander Cockburn Lawrence R.
Velvel Rev. William Alberts Saul Landau Ralph Nader Paul Craig
Roberts Mike Whitney Allan Lichtman Dave Lindorff Brian Concannon,
Jr. Fred Gardner Manuel Garcia,
Jr. Carol Wolman St. Clair /
Vest / Walker / Pollack Poets' Basement Website of
the Weekend
December 2, 2005 Stan Goff Mike Ferner Christopher Brauchli Niranjan Ramakrishnan Manuel Talens Peter Phillips J.L. Chestnut,
Jr. Website of
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December 1, 2005 John Walsh,
MD Ron Jacobs Jenna Orkin Joshua Frank Tiffany Ten
Eyck Missy Comley Beattie Eli Stephens Elaine Cassel Website of
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November 30, 2005 Allen / D'Amato Mike Whitney Kevin Zeese Norman Solomon Ramzy Baroud Dave Lindorff Stephen Soldz
November 29, 2005 Phil Gasper Behzad Yaghmaian Joshua Frank Walter A. Davis Gary Leupp Len Colodny Jeffrey St.
Clair Bill Quigley Website of
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November 28, 2005 Chris Reed David Isenberg Ron Jacobs Norman Solomon Justin E.H. Smith Mickey Z. Mike Whitney David Swanson Paul Craig
Roberts Website of
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November 26 / 27, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Saul Landau Ralph Nader Brian Cloughley John Ross Gary Leupp Fred Gardner Christopher Brauchli Dave Lindorff P. Sainath Timothy J.
Freeman Lila Rajiva Eric Ruder Seth Sandronsky Joaquin Bustelo Lewis Alper Will Youmans Phyllis Pollack St. Clair /
Vest Barbara LaMorticella Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
November 25, 2005 David Price Brian McKenna Jeff Halper Ray McGovern Leigh Saavedra Ingmar Lee Website of the Day
November 24, 2005 James Petras Bob Shirley Mike Fox Niranjan Ramakrishnan Greg Moses Alexander Cockburn
November 23, 2005 Ramzy Baroud Mike Whitney Stan Cox Linda S. Heard November 22, 2005 Kevin Gray
/ Mike Hersh Ralph Nader Michael Donnelly Mike Ferner Pierre Tristam Marshall Auerback Website of
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November 21, 2005 Mike Marqusee Josh Frank Mike Whitney Norman Solomon Russ Baker Robert Jensen Paul Craig
Roberts
November 19 / 20, 2005 Fred Gardner Rep. Cynthia McKinney Ron Jacobs David Vest J.L. Chestnut,
Jr. John R. Bomar John Ross Phillip Cryan Dave Lindorff Dick J. Reavis Jeremy Scahill Dan Wright John Stanton St. Clair / Vest / Walker Phyllis Pollack Dr. Susan Block Poets Basement
November 18, 2005 Michael Neumann Dave Lindorff Michael Donnelly Mark Chmiel
/ Andrew Wimmer Don Monkerud Tom Kerr Trish Schuh
November 17, 2005 John Walsh Rep. John Murtha Brian J. Foley CounterPunch
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November 16, 2005 John F. Sugg Noam Chomsky Dave Lindorff Evelyn Pringle Sam Husseini Pierre Tristam Greg Bates Farrah Hassen Bill Christison Website of
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November 15, 2005 Todd Chretien Leah Caldwell Frederick Hudson Harry Browne Jason Leopold Ingmar Lee Diana Barahona Tom Andre Website of the Weekend
November 14, 2005 Diana Johnstone Paul Craig Roberts Conn Hallinan Joshua Frank Christopher
Reed
November 11 / 13, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Gwyneth Leech Elmas Mallo Michael Neumann Saul Landau Sam Husseini Brian Cloughley Ron Jacobs Lila Rajiva Michael Donnelly Joe Allen Roland Sheppard Justin E.H.
Smith Ben Tripp St. Clair /
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Ogon, Watts and Zalik Pat Williams Steve Higgs Jimmy Massey Lucson Pierre-Charles Anthony Newkirk Lawrence R.
Velvel Website of the Day November 9, 2005 Gary Leupp Tariq Ali Chris Floyd Elaine Cassel Joshua Frank Alison Weir Diana Johnstone
Paul Craig
Roberts Roger Burbach Ron Jacobs Ralph Nader Jim McGrath David Bloom Stan Goff
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December 21, 2005 Decoding Bushian Mumbo JumboConnect the DotsBy SONIA NETTNIN The voices of civil society must continue speaking out for human rights. Everyone must rise above the rhetorical declarations of the Bush Administration so we can continue our grassroots movement for Iraqis. We are at a critical juncture in history that requires the skills and talents of civil society for a global movement that will safeguard Iraqis and people worldwide from infringements on civil liberties, human rights violations and war crimes. We have established domestic and international laws to make these determinations. When I connect the dots here is my conclusion: the White House has a catalog of excuses and declivitous justifications for wreaking havoc and suffering on the Iraqis. Now we the people must deal with the devastation. U.S taxpayers have already foot a war bill in excess of $300 billion and more than likely we will have to pay at least another $300 billion for Iraq's reconstruction. It is our responsibility because we allowed our government to give itself and our military the authority to invade and occupy Iraq. We can argue multi-partisan politics about the U.S Empire's lack of planning for security, economic development and reconstruction before the U.S. attacked millions of Iraqis. However, it is not helping the Iraqis. Bush's rhetoric neither changes the reality on the ground nor do his words alleviate Iraqi suffering. Since the U.S.-led invasion 1,008 days ago Iraqis still do not have stable national power services, such as clean water and electricity. Without security the rebuilding of their country's infrastructure is, to say the least, a colossal challenge. At this point rhetorical speeches about which stratum of the American populace are defeatists is not only shameful but a waste of time, energy and U.S. taxpayers' dollars. What is more important: meeting the needs of Iraqis or claiming that one's actions are right? We the people the members of civil society - must stand with the Iraqis and do what we can to help them regain security and stability in their lives. At the societal level we have to set aside our political, religious and ethnic lines and offer our assistance. If Iraqis decide they want our help, whichever form that takes, we should be ready and willing to serve them through civic duty. This perception is the attitude Americans must acquire if we are going to have peace in this world. The traditional, masculine military occupation of indigenous people and their lands has got to go because war and occupation perpetuates more violence. It has a track record of causing nothing but pain. We have to change our way of thinking in order to change the way we interact with the rest of people in the world. The U.S.' obsessive focus as a superpower that uses its military forces for land-power-supremacy and "geopolitical preeminence" is not creating the political equilibrium and democracy Bush boasts in his speeches.
There are organizations that have been doing inspiring work in and for Iraq such as the American Friends Service Committee, the Christian Peacemaker Teams and Voices for Creative Non-Violence (formerly Voices In the Wilderness). Their representatives have informed the American public about Iraq by mobilizing together for media coverage. They have listened to Iraqis' tragic accounts and documented their human rights and torture, as well as provided humanitarian relief. Last week the AFSC Chicago office commemorated the 1,000th day of the Iraq War by holding a six-hour memorial vigil for the 100,000 plus killed Iraqis since March 2003. In Federal Plaza 1,500 pairs of shoes were placed in a meditative labyrinth by the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of relatives of those killed on 9/11. They have called for an end to the Iraq War. Tied to dozens of the shoes on display were the bios and obituaries of Iraqis who died in the war in Iraq as told to journalists from The Guardian in the "One Hundred Lives Project." In the snow they placed metal posts that held life-sized photos of Iraqis taken by photographer Kouross Ismaeli and journalist Lorna Tychostup. Throughout the day thousands of passers-by saw images of Iraqi faces and read their life stories, which humanized the statistics of Iraqi deaths. Granted, the current obstacle to helping Iraqis rebuild their infrastructure is the lack of security. Unless there is social order and stability it is difficult to meet the needs of Iraqis. The Anglo occupation is the root-cause of violence in Iraq. The closest piece of legislation that addresses the funding of the U.S. occupation is the End the Iraq War Act.
U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) proposed H.R. 4232. According to an AFSC handout the bill prohibits the use of U.S. funds to deploy U.S. Armed Forces to Iraq. It earmarks the money for reconstruction initiatives; the withdrawal of troops; a transitional security provided by other countries, including international organizations such as NATO and the United Nations; continued support for Iraqi security forces and international forces in Iraq; and other non-defense efforts. As explained to me by an assistant from a U.S. House of Representative's office the earliest vote for this bill is early February. It has been referred to two subcommittees: the Committee of Armed Services and the Committee on International Relations. Within each committee the bill must pass with a majority vote. Each committee has approximately 60 members. H.R. 4232 appeals to Americans across party lines because the bill constructively addresses the end of U.S. violence in Iraq.
In the meantime, organizations such as the CPT have sent scores of delegations to Iraq. They have listened to Iraqis talk about their daily lives. Recently I heard Elce Redmond from the South Austin Coalition talk about his recent visit to Iraq where he and other CPT delegates met with several Iraqi leaders from different religious-political associations. CPT delegates watched tapes of torture and they listened to leaders' perspectives on the grave, critical issues facing the country. After Redmond listened to one of the leaders Redmond explained the idea of mobilizing Iraqis at the grassroots level so they can improve their communities. While the delegation visited Sadr City Redmond described the devastation of the sewerage system. From his point of view the ten worst neighborhoods in America pale in comparison to what he saw in Sadr City. He showed hundreds of pictures of many Iraqi cities. While in Iraq there were dozens of bomb explosions. After witnessing such devastation Redmond suggested to Iraqi leaders that their communities could mobilize together and petition the National Iraqi Assistance Center for reconstruction and economic development. If Iraqi leaders decide on this collective strategy then a transnational movement will evolve to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. In the process they may restore the social order necessary for genuine, political stability. Iraq is in chaos but if Iraqi leaders create a unified alliance based on Iraqi initiatives and their country's cultural foundation then their interrelations may help ease political conflicts. For the sake of social peace the violence must end. A mobilized Iraqi coalition that demands reforms to meet the needs of Iraqi society will create the social cohesion needed for the contours of an effective, trusted Iraqi Government. If Iraqi leaders across the spectrum of their country's society focus on constructive dialogues for action they will create jobs, rebuild homes and develop the economy that will support a prosperous future. How can people make decisions about the details of their government when there is dirty water in the streets, a scarcity of clean water, sporadic electricity, and military tanks rolling down the streets? Without security reconstruction cannot take place, hence the focus should be on mediation for conflict-resolutions also. Based on the increasing violence it seems there should be more negotiations between Iraqi leaders taking place and less war monologues coming from the U.S. There are other Arab states that can help bring these negotiations to fruition and with their diplomatic influence they can curtail the violence of both Iraqi militants and the foreign insurgency. Most likely Arabs in the region have their own ways of resolving conflicts that we, as Americans have minimal knowledge of because we do not live there. If Iraqis want international assistance it is their decision to tell the international community how we should be of service to them. Do Iraqis want foreign military forces in their country? If so, who or what, in what capacity, where, how many, and how long? It is still unclear to me who makes these determinations. Are the Iraqis making these decisions? Answers to these questions will come if the members of civil society within the international community engage in dialogue with Iraqis. We need continued communication whether via delegations to Iraq or through online forums so that Iraqis' can tell the international community their needs and concerns. Iraq belongs to Iraqis. In the midst of occupation no government leader can declare the country he represents freed Iraq because Iraqis do not live in liberation. Saddam is no longer in power but now mayhem controls Iraq. The U.S. needs to plan how to withdrawal their military presence because it contributes to the escalating violence. Iraqis need their liberty and autonomy to create their own destiny. Iraq, like a desert phoenix will rise from the calamitous ashes of war and occupation anew. Sonia Nettnin writes about social, political, economic, and cultural issues. Her focus is the Middle East.
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann  Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair          Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org.                |
