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CounterPunchers! We Mean It!
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Today's Stories November 5, 2009 Pam Martens Vijay Prashad Brian Gallagher Norman Solomon November 4, 2009 Stan Cox Andy Worthington From Gitmo to Palau: Who are the Uighurs? Robert Weissman Susan Galleymore Ralph Nader Michael Leonardi Bitta Mistofi Robert Bryce Martha Rosenberg Dave Lindorff Website of the Day November 3, 2009 Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Franklin C. Spinney Laura Carlsen Serge Halimi John Stanton Sophia Weeks Dave Lindorff November 2, 2009 Steven Higgs Ishmael Reed David Macaray Bouthaina Shaaban David Michael Green David Swanson Ellen Brown Adam Federman James McEnteer Stephen Fleischman Website of the Day October 30 - Nov. 1, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair / Carl Ginsburg Mike Whitney Joe Bageant Gareth Porter Saul Landau Anthony DiMaggio Dave Lindorff Rannie Amiri Niranjan Ramakrishnan Jayne Lyn Stahl Rev. William E. Alberts Alvaro Huerta Martha Rosenberg Binoy Kampmark Norm Kent Charles R. Larson Roth's "The Humbling:" Nothing Like a Novel From an Old Pro Ron Jacobs David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 29, 2009 Michael Neumann Mike Whitney Gary Leupp Conn Hallinan Marshall Auerback Laura Flanders Eamonn McCann David Macaray Mark Weisbrot Stephen Soldz Christopher Brauchli Website of the Day October 28, 2009 Moshe Adler Dave Lindorff Frank Joseph Smecker Alexandra Early M. Shahid Alam Vijay Prashad John Ross Franklin Lamb Gregory Travis Susan Galleymore Website of the Day October 27, 2009 Mike Whitney Patrick Cockburn Stewart J. Lawrence Alan Farago Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Bouthaina Shaaban Brian M. Downing Elections in Afghanistan, the Second Time Around Iain Boal Carl Finamore Jayne Lyn Stahl Website of the Day October 26, 2009 Bill Quigley / Paul Craig Roberts Uri Avnery Mike Whitney Michael Snedeker Shamus Cooke David Michael Green Martha Rosenberg Patrick Bond Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day October 23-25, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Christopher Ketcham Jeff Gore Gareth Porter Jayne Lyn Stahl Saul Landau Mike Whitney Nikolas Kozloff Ron Jacobs Russell Mokhiber Missy Beattie Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada Stephen Lendman David Ker Thomson Rannie Amiri Ronnie Cummins Norm Kent Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Ben Sonnenberg Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 22, 2009 Dan Pearson / Jonathan Cook Paul Craig Roberts The US as Failed State Mark Engler Johann Hari Brian M. Downing Eric Toussaint Tom Mountain Israel Shamir Charles Thomson Website of the Day October 21, 2009 Pam Martens Linn Washington, Jr. Liaquat Ali Khan D. K. Wilson Franklin Lamb Norman Solomon Stephen Fleischman Patrice Higonnet Binoy Kampmark Kevin Coval / Website of the Day October 20, 2009 Sharon Smith Tariq Ali Mark Brenner Bouthaina Shaaban Michael D. Yates Dean Baker Dave Lindorff John Ross Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada Kevin Zeese Gilad Atzmon Website of the Day October 19, 2009 Mike Whitney Greg Moses John Ross Michael Donnelly Jayne Lyn Stahl Eric Walberg Russell Mokhiber Barbara Rose Johnston John V. Whitbeck Christopher Ketcham Website of the Day October 16-18, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Saul Landau Paul Craig Roberts Carl Ginsburg Ralph Nader Nikolas Kozloff Carlo Galli Dave Lindorff Catherine Rottenberg
/ Neve Gordon Marshall Auerback Nicola Nasser Windy Cooler James L. Secor Ron Jacobs Wes Jackson Jesse Lerner-Kinglake David Ker Thomson Against Leaders Missy Beattie Emily Ratner Stephen Martin Michael Snedeker Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Peter Stone Brown Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 15, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Brian M. Downing Ramzy Baroud Danny Weil M. Idrees Ahmad Margaret Kimberley Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada Harvey Wasserman Nirmal Ghosh Charles R. Larson Website of the Day October 14, 2009 Michael Neumann M. Reza Pirbhai Gareth Porter Paul Craig Roberts John Strausbaugh Fortress Moon Ralph Nader Dean Baker Charles Modiano Nadia Hijab Walter Brasch Website of the Day October 13, 2009 Peter Linebaugh Shamus Cooke John Ross Brendan Cooney Frida Berrigan Yves Engler David Macaray Dave Lindorff Mark Weisbrot Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day October 12, 2009 Pam Martens Mike Whitney Martha Rosenberg Jessica Arents Eamonn McCann Bill Hatch Sen. Russell Feingold Niranjan Ramakrishnan Gideon Levy Iyad Burnat Alan Cabal Dan Bacher Website of the Day October 9-11, 2009 Alexander Cockburn James Bovard Kathleen and Bill Christison Andy Worthington Marc Levy Tariq Ali Mike Whitney Paul Craig Roberts Alan Nasser Jack Z. Bratich Steve Breyman David Michael Green Dave Lindorff Paul Buchheit Jim Goodman Missy Beattie Michael Leonardi Nadia Hijab Mel Packer David Macaray James T. Phillips Charles R. Larson Michael Donnelly David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 8, 2009 Saul Landau Paul Fitzgerald / Linn Washington, Jr. Marshall Auerback Dave Lindorff David Rosen Chris Darimont / Misty MacDuffee John V. Walsh Stewart Lawrence Charles R. Larson Website of the Day October 7, 2009 Brendan Cooney Paul Craig Roberts Dean Baker Jonathan Cook John Stanton Joanne Mariner Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada Stephen Lendman Sen. Russell Feingold Mary Lynn Cramer Website of the Day October 6, 2009 Mike Whitney Gareth Porter Jonathan Cook Boris Kagarlitsky Iain Boal Ron Jacobs John Ross Michael Dickinson Stephen Fleischman Ira Glunts Missy Beattie Website of the Day October 5, 2009 Pam Martens Mike Whitney Paul Craig Roberts Harry Browne Sara Mann Omar Barghouti Shamus Cooke Brenda Norrell Fred Gardner Binoy Kampmark Copenhagen Blues: McChrystal and the Afghan Trap Website of the Day October 2-4, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Saul Landau Diana Johnstone Greg Moses William Blum Brian Cloughley Russell Mokhiber John Ross Ellen Brown David Ker Thomson David Macaray Gary Engler Robert Fantina Lisa Stolarski / Naomi Archer Anthony Papa Joe Allen Harry Browne Ron Jacobs Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
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Of "Envenoned Nutballs" and "Camel-Albatross Hybrids"Pacifica and the Barbarians Who Pay the BillsBy TRACY ROSENBERG Far be it from me to add to a tsunami of abuse, but I think its more than time to inject a little reality check into Iain Boal’s overheated Pacifica rhetoric. Apologies in advance from this “envenomed nutball”, since that is the label you must wear if you disagree with Boal’s melodramatic and self-serving lament. No gag reflex is present here. Christopher Condon’s motion was plain and simple. It just said disclose where the programming money comes from. Is that some kind of wild anarchist request? Has Mr. Boal never heard of “The Revolution Will Not Be Funded,” a well-regarded volume by people not usually considered “envenomed nutballs” who have some pretty sobering things to say about the risks of dependence on foundation funding for politically radical nonprofit organizations? The recent Fox News political hack job on Van Jones should have convinced the left of the stupidity of trying to rout out 9-11 skeptics in a progressive version of red-baiting. Boal’s Eugene McCarthy impersonation wears somewhat thin in talking about a network that cut its teeth standing up to the ugliness of the American red scare. “McCarthyism – the term is used generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.” And that’s what we have here. Boal’s obvious unwillingness to engage in debate on political differences with his adversaries. It’s easier just to rout them out with half-baked rhetoric. Pacifica came by its governance system honestly. After an underdog lawsuit that went all the way to California’s Attorney General to uphold the basic notion that those who pay for it own it. The powers that be are merely the caretakers of a public trust. The Pacifica win of the late 1990’s was a victory for the seemingly quaint notion that the media operates in the public interest. All those people who pledged their $25 or $50 for information, arts and culture they valued, had rights. They were shareholders. And a bunch of people who thought they knew better couldn’t just sell the thing right out from under with them without even asking first. Wouldn’t it be nice if all our public institutions ran that way? No war with without the public’s consent? Now that’s a Pacifican notion. I suppose you could call it “a surreal camel-albatross hybrid worthy of any medieval bestiary”. There’s just one little problem. While you’re saving all those bucks and moving with lightening speed, you might find something’s missing, like one of the last mass radio transmitters in the nation not in corporate or government hands. That’s what happened to Pacifica when a misdirected e-mail came to light in July of 1999. Boal comments about the founder of Pacifica, Lew Hill, a World War II draft resister. Let’s let Hill speak in his own words from a 1952 Report to the Listener:
Boal speaks of a “firewall”, a term commonly used in corporately-owned mainstream media outlets to insist that, for example, the fact that General Electric owns NBC does not affect that television network’s coverage of energy issues. In this case, the “firewall” is to protec Pacifica’s operations from its own members and supporters. Quite a bit different from Hill’s 1952 declaration that he was warmed at the receipt of a letter advancing very specific suggestions for changes in the medium, hours of broadcasting, types of programs and the publicity procedures and looking forward to a challenging and sweeping discussion of it on-air. Maybe a little challenging and sweeping discussion is a better recipe for community media than haughty contempt for the barbarians who pay the bills. Tracy Rosenberg is Executive Director of the Media Alliance, 1904 Franklin Street # 500 Oakland CA 94612 Iain Boal replies: • I am happy to stand by my ascription, "envenomed nutballs". • I don't remotely claim to represent the preponderance of listeners and supporters - that's an impertinence that I leave to the Rosenbergs of the media world. Admittedly I did surmise that listeners had something else in mind than election bills of $700,000 (a way low figure actually) when we went into the streets in 1999. • Where do I deny that liberal foundations and the non-profit industrial complex are dodgy and capable of siphoning off revolutionary fluids? It's mildly ironic - re Rosenberg’s irrelevant ad hominem about my presumed ignorance of The Revolution Will Not be Funded - that I was the first person in the country to adopt the book for a university course (the week it came out from South End Press.) • Where do I say I am opposed to transparency in funding? • It is a grotesque misreading to suggest that the "barbarians" I'm calling out are the listeners who pay the bills. Rosenberg here reveals contempt for the intelligence of the "little guy" she purports to represent, and further insults Pacifica's supporting audience by reducing us to corporate "shareholders". • It would be convenient, wouldn't it, if it were true that my pieces were "op-eds", and that the metastasizing of subcommittees or chem trail antidote DVD premiums or the disfranchizing of thousands of members are somehow a personal "opinion" to which I am "entitled" (thank you, Ms Rosenberg, for your tolerance.) That said, and despite not being able to spell my name, at least Ms Rosenberg has the guts to demand that you publicly disseminate a portrait of me that those who actually know me would have to acknowledge drives to the essence of my character: a half-demented, debate-averse, self-serving, dictator-friendly, Eugene McCarthy impersonator. I do wonder whether there is even one among these self-dealing nullities who can make sense, let alone mount a spirited defense of a governing board numbering a minimum of 122 and a maximum of 123? There are actually some lines in Rosenberg's response that do ring out with straightforward, honest, eloquence, but they belong to...Lew Hill.
Inside the New Print Edition of Our Subscriber-Only Newsletter! Obama and Black America Ten months into Obama-time, the plight of black Americans is terrible. Yet overwhelmingly they rally behind the president. In a powerful report from the Deep South Kevin Alexander Gray asks the question: what should the black political agenda be? Mark Rudd counterposes “organizing” with “activism” and describes what it will take to build a movement. H. Bruce Franklin gives a chronology of the march into Afghanistan. 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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Now Available from CounterPunch Books! Yellowstone Drift:
"Powerful and shocking ..
Waiting for
Lightning
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