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Did Oprah Pick Another Fibber? Truth and Fiction in Elie Wiesel's Night In his special report Alexander Cockburn interviews former Wiesel colleague and Holocaust survivor Eli Pfefferkorn. What Raul Hilberg, the Holocaust's greatest historian, really thinks about Wiesel's "Night". Also in this special issue: Is Hugo Chavez Hitler or Father Christmas? Larry Lack tells the full story of Venezuela's hand-outs to Uncle Sam's Shivering Poor. Plus, Jeffrey St Clair profiles the Endangered Visigoth and traces the rise and possible fall of Rick Pombo, destroyer of nature. 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! |
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Today's Stories March 11 / 12, 2006 Ralph
Nader March 10, 2006 Ben
Rosenfeld Lila
Rajiva Saree
Makdisi Elena
Shore Joshua
Frank Dave
Zirin Aura
Bogado
March 9, 2006 John
Walsh Annie
Zirin Brian
McKenna Chris
Floyd Rachard
Itani Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Wylie
Harris Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 8, 2006 Patrick
Bond Brian
Concannon, Jr. Pat
Williams Lance
Selfa Mokhiber
/ Weissman Walter
Brasch Vijay
Prashad Website
of the Day
March 7, 2006 Werther John
Blair Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney Warren
Guykema Sen.
Russell Feingold Robert
Jensen Norman
Solomon Bernie
Dwyer Website
of the Day
Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin Vanessa
Redgrave Walter
A. Davis Joshua
Frank Nate
Mezmer Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen Steven
Higgs Winslow
T. Wheeler Ron
Jacobs Rev.
William E. Alberts Colin
Asher Fred
Gardner "Pariah" John
Scagliotti Seth
Sandronsky Joan
Roelofs Arjun
Makhijani Ardeshr
Ommani Diana
Barahona Ben
Tripp St.
Clair / Socialist Worker Staff Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend March 3, 2006 Laura
Carlsen John
V. Whitbeck Chris
Floyd Mohamed
Hakki Pratyush
Chandra John
Scagliotti Website
of the Day
March 2, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Saul
Landau Joe
Allen Steve
Shore Denise
Boggs Norman
Finkelstein Website
of the Day
March 1, 2006 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Faheem
Hussain Antony
Loewenstein Elizabeth
Schulte Mike
Whitney John
Ryan Michael
Donnelly Tom
Reeves Website
of the Day
February 28, 2006 Sen.
Russ Feingold Ralph
Nader Joshua
Frank Aziz
Haniffa Benjamin Dangl Norman Solomon Mike
Ferner Sharon
Smith Website
of the Day
February 27, 2006 Buncombe
/ Cockburn Paul
Craig Roberts Ingmar
Lee Ron
Jacobs Dave
Lindorff Pat
Wolff Lila
Rajiva Website
of the Day
February 25 / 26, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Lila
Rajiva Lee
Sustar Jennifer
Van Bergen / Madis Senner Justin
E.H. Smith Paul
Craig Roberts Jason
Leopold Gilad
Atzmon Zahid
Shariff Fred
Gardner Dick
J. Reavis David
Stocker John
Bomar Mike
Marqusee Pratyush
Chandra Ben
Tripp Dr.
Susan Block Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
February 24, 2006 Alan
Maass William
S. Lind Dave
Lindorff Pierre
Tristam Meg
Bannerji Robert
Jensen Mark
Engler Jennifer
Loewenstein Website
of the Day
February 23, 2006 Chet
Richards Jonathan
Feldman Joshua
Frank Ron
Jacobs Amira
Hass Samah
Sabawi Norman
Solomon Christopher
Reed Website
of the Day
February 22, 2006 Robert
Pollin Phil
Doe Pirouz
Azadi Saul
Landau Brian
McKinlay Sam
Smith Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Diane
Farsetta Website
of the Day
February 21, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Franklin
Spinney Dave
Lindorff Alevtina
Rea Bruce
K. Gagnon Dave
Zirin Bill
Quigley Website
of the Day
February 20, 2006 Jennifer
Van Bergen Rachard
Itani Gideon
Levy Joshua
Frank Newton
Garver Pratyush
Chandra Seth
Sandronsky Cockburn
/ St. Clair Website
of the Day
February 18 / 19, 2006 Werther Uzma
Aslam Khan Joe
DeRaymond Edward
F. Mooney Paul
Craig Roberts Elaine
Cassel P.
Sainath Thomas
P. Healy Brian
Concannon, Jr. Fred
Gardner Rep.
Cynthia McKinney Brian
Tokar Chan
Chee Khoon Andrew
Freedman St.
Clair / Walker Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
February 17, 2006 Floyd
Rudmin Gervasio
Rodríguez Gary
Leupp Ramzy
Baroud Amira
Hass Matthew
Koehler Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Debbie
Nathan Website
of the Day
Febrauary 16, 2006 Lila
Rajiva Norman
Solomon Ron
Jacobs Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
February 15, 2006 Brian
Conacnnon, Jr. Dave
Lindorff Saree
Makdisi Joshua
Frank Amira
Hass CounterPunch
Wire Robert
Bryce Website
of the Day February 14, 2006 John
Sugg Don
Santina William
A. Cook Ray
McGovern John
Ross Website
of the Day
Lila
Rajiva Christopher
Brauchli Dave
Lindorff Ron
Jacobs Mike
Whitney Michael
Neumann Website
of the Day
February 11 / 12, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Paul Craig
Roberts Pat Williams Fred Gardner Saul Landau John Chuckman Roger Burbach Seth Sandronsky Website of
the Weekend
February 10, 2006 Carl
G. Estabrook Sen.
Russell Feingold Roxanne
Dunbar----Ortiz Saree Makdisi Website of
the Day
February 9, 2006 Dave Lindorff Mike Marqusee Paul Craig Roberts Peter Phillips William S. Lind Christine Tomlinson Innocent Targets in the "Long War": False Positives and Bush's Eavesdropping Program Will Youmans Robert Robideau Richard Neville Peter Rost Website of the Day
February 8, 2006 Ron Jacobs Stan Cox Sen. Russ Feingold Robert Jensen Rep. Cynthia McKinney Niranjan Ramakrishnan Don Monkerud David Swanson C.L. Cook Christopher
Fons Jeffrey Ballinger Website of
the Day
February 7, 2006 Edward Lucie-Smith Robert Fisk Paul Craig Roberts Neve Gordon Joshua Frank Peter Montague Jackie Corr Jeffrey St.
Clair Website of the Day
February 6, 2006 Christopher
Brauchli Robert Fisk John Chuckman Jenna Orkin Paul Craig
Roberts
February 4 / 5, 2006 Alexander Cockburn Mike Ferner James Petras Alan Maass Fred Gardner Ralph Nader Bill Glahn Saul Landau Laura Carlsen James Brooks Mike Roselle John Holt Sarah Ferguson William S.
Lind Niranjan Ramakrishnan Seth Sandronsky Derrick O'Keefe Michael Donnelly Ron Jacobs Elisa Salasin St. Clair / Vest Stew Albert Poets' Basement Website of
the Weekend
February 3, 2006 Toufic Haddad Heather Gray Tim Wise Conn Hallinan Eva Golinger Daniel Ellsberg Dave Zirin Robert Bryce Website of
the Day
February 2, 2006 Winslow T.
Wheeler Stan Cox Rachard Itani Mike Whitney Amira Hass Norman Solomon Michael Simmons Christopher
Reed Website of the Day
February 1, 2006 Sharon Smith Jason Leopold Cindy Sheehan Joseph Grosso Earl Ofari Hutchinson Steven Higgs Robert Robideau R. Siddharth Jim Retherford Rep. Cynthia
McKinney Paul Craig
Roberts Website of
the Day
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Weekend
Edition The Alt Press Flagship Goes CorporateThe Cowboys and the Village VoiceBy JOHN STRAUSBAUGH In January 1991 I represented New York Press at a weekend conference of alternative weekly editors, hosted by wealthy liberal Smith Bagley at Musgrove Plantation, his gorgeous 600-acre estate on St. Simons Island off the southern coast of Georgia. Bagley is a grandson of R. J. Reynolds and, like the anti-tobacco crusader Patrick Reynolds, atones for the family legacy by putting some of his share of the guilty geld into progressive causes. He was a big backer of both Carter and the Clintons, not to mention Fidel Castro. (As wild-hair Reynolds heirs go, neither Bagley nor Patrick holds a candle to my personal fave, R. J. (Josh) Reynolds III, who used his considerable fortune to fund psychedelic research, found the Sufi Institute, and support the work of ufologists, psychic Uri Geller and weird-science legend Andreja Puharich. He died in 1995 of, naturally, smoking-related cancer. I smoke Camels in his memory.) Bagley had brought together alt-weekly types from around the country to confab on how we could use our papers to fight the tide of Republicanism sweeping the land. Looking around at the motley assemblage in their Birkenstocks and peasant dresses--alternative journalism was thick with aging hippies and younger neo-hippies in 1991--I was skeptical. In truth, I was only there because my boss, a neocon with no time for hippies or progressives, had sent me, his resident middle-aged boho, in his stead. I suspected that Patti Calhoun, editor of the Denver weekly Westword, was there for a similar reason; her bosses, New Times founders Jim Larkin and Mike Lacey, were no doubt too busy building their empire. By Sunday afternoon, when I was invited to join some of the others in the hot tub to discuss how we could end the Persian Gulf War--who knew it would end within a month all by itself?--I'd pretty much had enough of the knee-jerk political palaver. I commandeered a rental van, shanghaied Calhoun and a couple other skeptics, and drove across the causeway to the mainland, where we found a quiet bar and I, at least, got fairly drunk. We returned to Musgrove in time for a grand Southern-style banquet, served by a black staff in formal attire, who after dessert entertained us by singing--I am not making this up--some Negro spirituals. I was quite plastered by this point, and have vague memories of behaving rather badly. I didn't attend another alt-weekly gathering until a decade later, when Larkin and Lacey hosted the annual conference of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies in Phoenix, AZ. It was summer, the temperature at noon was somewhere around 150 degrees, and I spent much of the conference up to my earlobes in the hotel pool. Still, I noticed how much the alt-weekly crowd had changed since I'd last been among them. Their politics were still predominantly liberal, but it was an altogether more businesslike affair. They could have been any group of corporate professionals, trading marketing techniques and business cards. The only old hippie in sight was the Bay Guardian's Bruce Brugman. Few bohos, more Bobos, and many Babbitts. I thought about all this watching the recent annexation of the Village Voice Media chain by Larkin and Lacey's New Times empire. Alt-weeklies have been forming themselves into chains for years. But this new beast is by far the largest, a 17-city conglomerate with papers in New York, L.A., Miami, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco (I could hear Mr. Brugman's howls of outrage all the way in Brooklyn), Minneapolis, Denver and elsewhere, for an estimated combined readership of four million. Obviously, alternative journalism has come a long way from the days when it was all college kids and counterculturalists starting free papers to bring hip readers the news their staid local dailies wouldn't cover. And even in the halcyon 1970s it was the tough-minded businessmen who really made a go of it. Like Jann Wenner, whose Rolling Stone in its heyday was unarguably the best alt-media platform in the country. And Larkin and Lacey, aka the Cowboys. Starting as college students in 1970 publishing a very good and raucous weekly in the backwater market of Phoenix, they built their empire by applying the old-fashioned newspaper principles of muckraking investigative journalism and aggressive, sometimes ruthless competition for market dominance. The Cowboys have taken over the flagship Village Voice at an interesting moment in the paper's history--its fiftieth anniversary--as well as a crucial juncture in the life of the Downtown Manhattan milieu that gave birth to it. When Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and Norman Mailer founded the Village Voice in 1955, Greenwich Village was the capital of bohemian America. The paper the trio created really did give "voice" to the bohos, lefties, arty types and intelligentsia who lived and worked Downtown. It was grandly messy, long-winded, hyper-articulate, argumentative, sometimes obtusely personal, often self-contradictory. It was, as the saying goes, the ultimate "writer's paper." Fifty years is a long time. As the Village Voice passed through many hands, in terms of both owners and editors, it inevitably grew away from its anarchic early spirit; for much of the last quarter-century the editorial was so programmed in dreary doctrinaire leftism and dour political correctness as to be utterly predictable and unintentionally self-parodying. During the reign of the last editor, veteran daily newspaperman Don Forst, some of the worst excesses of groupthink were restrained, but editorially the Voice has wanted a good, hard shake for a long, long time. Even when I was directly competing against it as the editor of New York Press, I couldn't resist wishing the Voice would wake up. Lacey, who oversees the editorial of all New Times papers, might be the Cowboy for the job. Although New Times papers have been justifiably accused of taking a cookie-cutter approach to cultural coverage, they do excel at local political reporting, Lacey's passion. That's a beat long downplayed at the Voice in favor of vaporous pontificating about national and world affairs. Interviewed recently in the New York Observer, Lacey indicated that whoever edits the new Voice (managing editor Doug Simmons is currently filling in for the departed Forst) will have the mandate to pry writers away from their desks and Internet connections and put them back on the streets, which cannot be a bad thing. No doubt some deadwood on the masthead will be cleared. But a quick scan of other New Times papers suggests that Voice loyalists' fears that all lefty thought will be purged are exaggerated. There will probably just be less lazy, bumper-sticker cant, which will also be a very good thing. Nevertheless, it's hard to ignore the mordant symbolism of the Voice's becoming another franchise of a Phoenix-based chain at this moment in history. Because in a very real sense the same thing is happening to Downtown Manhattan as a whole. After decades of economic decline, capped by the traumatic blow of 9/11, New York City is in the midst of a wholesale make-over. Like many other cities who saw the bottoms drop out of their old economic bases, the city has been theme-parking itself. Mayor Bloomberg has expanded and accelerated the quality-of-life sprucing-up begun by Rudolph Giuliani. Crime is way down. Tourism is back up to historic highs. Americans For More Civility recently named New York City--New York fucking City!--among the nation's friendliest. Times Square is disneyfied. Where there was once crumbling waterfront, we're getting leafy parks and cruise ship docks. We're adding hotel rooms at breakneck speed. We have all the chains now--Starbucks galore, Olive Gardens, K-marts, Targets, Trader Joe's. Riding the crest of the nationwide housing boom, the city's residential real estate market has soared. Whole blocks of dark old Manhattan have been gouged out to make way for glittering new glass-and-steel towers, where the condominiums go for $5 million, $10 million, $40 million. "Undulating glass" is the latest architectural trend, making some areas of Manhattan look like a sci-fi Miami Beach. Manhattan is well on the way now to becoming an urban playground for affluent tourists and elite residents-as-tourists. Much of its funky old charm is being scrubbed away in the process, preserved only as design elements in theme restaurants, hipster bars and tourist-trinket shops. The change is especially evident Downtown, where there was the most opportunity for real estate expansion and the NIMBY political resistance was weakest. As Lower Manhattan becomes a bedroom community only well-heeled professionals and their trust-fund children can afford, the lefties, arty types and intelligentsia are being priced off the island. Walking the streets of the East Village or Lower East Side today, I see fewer and fewer bohos, more and more Bobos and Babbitts. Dan Wolf and Ed Fancher, God rest their souls, wouldn't recognize the place. (Mailer still totters around Downtown sometimes, but who knows what he sees.) It's not America's Bohemia anymore. It's more like Cleveland By the Sea. So a Village Voice operated like a Starbucks franchise would seem to fit right in. Maybe the new bosses should consider amending the paper's name to the Potemkin Village Voice. John Strausbaugh wrote and edited for the alt-weeklies New York Press and Baltimore's City Paper from 1978 through 2003. His next book, Black Like You, will be published by Tarcher/Penguin in June.
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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.                  |
